《Taboo Journal》


 The Prologue (also called The Exposition)

    "That makes one Famiu silver coin."


    "Nn? But the man in front of me only paid in copper?"


    "That''s only for citizens and not for dirty brats."


    Excuse me? I washed myself at the river yesterday. I''m not that dirty! And I''m not a brat either!


    "Ehh? Can''t you let me in just once? Pretty please?"


    Take this! The smile of a cute young girl.


    "..."


    "..."


    "The silver coin please."


    It was worth a try.


    Maybe the guard didn''t like young girls. Perhaps I should try again another day with a different guard.


    I just want to enter the city, is that too much to ask for?


    In this past week, I, unfortunately, learnt that other worlds are vastly different from fiction.


    Not that I really expected it to be like fiction but it wouldn''t hurt to be at least a bit friendlier, no?


    Yes, another world. One week ago, I, a young male university student in the first half of his twenties, was on a trip somewhere on modern earth, when I got involved in an accident. I didn''t die, mind you, but I was close.


    And with one foot in the grave, I made a wish.


    "Please let me reincarnate as a cute girl."


    Thinking back that was a stupid wish, but normally you wouldn''t expect anyone to even hear the wish in the first place.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, someone heard it. I did not know who or what, but they did something.


    While I didn''t reincarnate since I didn''t exactly die, I did become a cute girl.


    Just not a human one.


    If you asked me what kind of creature I am, I''d be at a loss of word frankly, but the closest would be a kind of monster.


    A monster, the kind you often saw in various fantasy novels, not the horror ones. I would probably fit into the horror category as well though.


    Outwardly, I looked similar to a human girl. Straight waist-long hair, the cute face of a girl that took the first steps towards adulthood, a slender build. Small, maybe 140cm at most. And while I was not completely flat, I was close.


    But then the things that differed begun. My eye and hair colour was a soft pink. Honestly, I liked it, but it stood out like a sore thumb.


    I also had slitted pupils.


    And this was a problem. Humans didn''t have these usually. But in this world monsters and dangerous animals often did.


    Also apparently some of the demonkin as well, but I never met one so I couldn''t say for sure.


    At the very least it''s a trait that generally only occurred in just about anything hostile to humans.


    If we turn this around it meant that humans are hostile to those with slitted pupils.


    In summary, most humans would try to kill me the moment they found out.


    Why did the guard not attack me then? Well, that part was coming now. I learnt to hide it!


    While I looked like a human girl, I wasn''t one, and while it did come with a whole lot of problems, there were a few convenient things I could do.


    The most notable was that I could transform parts of my body.


    Yes, I could temporarily change the look of my eyes. The pupils only. Now I was just a girl with a weird eye and hair colour. But only for a few hours at most, since it tired me out. Incidentally, I couldn''t change the colour.


    Another thing I could transform would be my limbs. I could transform them into a bunch of tentacles to be exact. The ones that looked perfectly fine in just about any erotic media. I haven''t found any actual use for them yet outside of being grotesque. They extended slightly further than my arms normally would and that''s about it. Nothing else.


    They were, in fact, less useful since you couldn''t even properly grab anything.


    Of course, I haven''t used them in any kind of erotic situation yet, but that was currently the least of my concerns.


    Outside of transforming I couldn''t really do anything fancy. I was somehow able to sense the mana in the surrounding, most likely instinctively because I was a monster. I also had a mana crystal like most monsters in this world. The mana crystal collected the surrounding mana, so I was able to sense how something quite solid inside my body that was constantly absorbing mana. Mana was also coursing through any living body so it was possible to inspect your own body to a degree and something big and solid stood out after all. Especially in a small body.


    I didn''t know why the crystal collected mana though, maybe I could evolve into something stronger when it collected enough? Or it was just another form of energy for me like food. Currently, that seemed more likely the case.


    On that note, yes, magic existed here. But it was not something you generally learnt from a wandering magician or so. Or even less likely, from self-study.


    Only those with money could either enter a magic school or hire a personal tutor to learn the basics of magic. It came with a lot of prestige so many merchants sent their children to a school to learn magic. Being a magician came with countless benefits I heard. Too bad I wasn''t one.


    I''d love to enter one of those schools or preferably hire a tutor one day.


    But for now, I was still trying to survive. In the one week I was here I managed to secure a base of operations and some food. I called it that but it was just a severely damaged hut in the slums outside the city walls. The slums were a dangerous place, where rape and murder was a common occurrence, but at least it offered you a roof. The outside nature only offered murderous monsters and animals, but no roof. Between a roof and no roof I obviously chose the roof.


    The slums were also the only place where people did not attack me the moment they saw my eyes. Probably because they attacked me before they saw them.


    So far I managed to avoid any unfortunate capture by dangerous men, but I didn''t wanna bet that this would continue for long. That''s why I wanted to get into the city. I couldn''t really judge from the state of the slums and I haven''t talked with many people in the first place, but from the looks of it, the current level of civilization seemed to be pretty far. It didn''t seem to have reached the industrialization yet, but they were probably close. Or they just flat-out replaced it with magic technology? Whatever the case, public order seemed to be good inside the walls.


    Oh, how I wish for a warm bed and a hot bath.


    Incidentally, my change to a monster occurred while I was still on Earth. People were freaked out by me and within a few minutes, got the police chasing after me. At the time I didn''t understand what was happening and why I''ve become a humanoid tentacle monster.


    In the end, I was caught by some suspicious-looking cultists who somehow managed to send me to this world in the name of ''exorcising'' me.


    They must have messed up really bad though because my memories became muddled. I couldn''t recall most personal information about me, like my family, my birthplace, not even my own name. It''s not like I could even continue using my old name anyway though.


    It took me a while but I thought of a good one.


    So yeah, nice to meet you.


    My name is Yumi and yours?

 Chapter of Magic Growth: The waking slums

    "Where did the damn brat ran off to?"


    Loud voices were echoing through the slums.


    "Don''t let her escape, she''ll make us good money!"


    I don''t want to become your source of income, so please let me off.


    Running through the dark alleys of the slums, devoid of most of the sunlight, I look back for a second.


    Good, they haven''t caught up to me yet.


    Cursing the thugs in my mind I took a short break to catch my breath and sat down behind some broken down barrels. They weren''t providing a good hiding spot but it''s definitely better than nothing.


    Just when I returned from my attempt of getting into the city I got into this situation. I wore a thick robe with a hood to hide my face and body, but some idiot rammed into from behind and the hood fell off. Of course, it didn''t take long for some hoodlums to spot me and spontaneously deciding to make money off me. Or rather my body.


    This is why I hate the slums. I can stand seeing the occasional corpse in the alleyways but spare me from rape or becoming a prostitute.


    If I would service cute girls I might actually have considered becoming a prostitute. I would have had fun, made money off it and be in a slightly safer environment. But in reality, I''d have to service old men, hoodlums, and other riffraff. Just the thought disgusted me.


    There would also be the problem of diseases. I wasn''t sure whether I can even catch a human disease anymore but I sure didn''t want to try. Getting ill now would have spelt death.


    "Did you useless bunch still not find the damn brat? If you don''t want me to cut off your dicks you better find her!"


    I heard someone yelling, quite close to me. Had to get out of here fast.


    Standing up I looked around for a moment and then ran in the opposite direction of the shouts.


    I hope he cuts their dicks off since that means fewer men that look at me with lewd gazes or pose a danger to my chastity.


    After a few more minutes I arrived at the small hut that was my temporary base. Opening the door I jumped onto the pile of straw in the corner and let out a sigh.


    Finally safe.


    Still breathing heavily, I lied down on my back and stared at the hole in the ceiling. The hut consisted of only one room and part of the roof was missing. It looked like it could collapse any second but it was surprisingly holding together.


    Uhh, I''m hungry...


    I grabbed the small pouch lying in the corner and took out the hard bread and the jerky-like thing. It tasted beyond bad but it was the only food I had. I stared into the pouch but no matter what I did, it didn''t suddenly contain something more edible. I started nibbling on the bread and leaned on the wall, completely exhausted.


    What should I do now? Where do I even get a silver coin from? Even if I did I get the feeling they would accuse me of stealing it.


    Stealing would be in fact the only option I had. It''s the slums, after all, if you didn''t have the strength you wouldn''t even get your pay, so proper work was basically impossible.


    I was running out of options. At this point, I''d have to get really lucky and maybe find some friendly soul taking me along into the city or maybe I can find someone going to a nearby town that would be willing to let me join on the carriage.


    Yeah, not happening, who would be willing to take along a girl from the slums without ulterior motives.


    I let out another deep sigh. If only I could at least hide that I was a homeless child. I looked down on the clothes I was wearing.


    A tattered brown robe and a long hempen shirt full of holes. I wasn''t even wearing underwear.


    I had been scammed out of my belongings on the day I arrived in this world. A merchant pretended to buy them off me only to steal them and trying to kidnap me along the way. His escort was confused and didn''t quite understand what was happening when the merchant ordered him to capture me. Thanks to that I managed to escape, but I lost everything except the shirt I was given. Why only a shirt? I was in the middle of changing clothes when the merchant tried to attack me. I didn''t have the composure to grab the pants or anything else in my panic. Thinking back on it I was surprised the merchant didn''t panic when he saw my eyes and the guard probably didn''t even see it.


    The robe was something I later looted in the slums. The previous owner didn''t look like he still had a need for it.


    It was tattered and had various blood stains but at least it covered up my body and I could hide my face with the hood.


    After that, I spent the rest of the week trying to find food, information and a roof. I was surprised at myself for how calm I was in this situation.


    Humans adapt scaringly fast to new situations. Not that I''m human anymore. Not like I got much of a choice in the matter, either.


    I grabbed the waterskin that was next to the pouch. It''s water from a river near the city and vastly better than any water you would have gotten in the slums. That''s still not making it good.


    After I gulped down half the content of the waterskin I stood up and looked outside through the window. A few birds were announcing the end of spring, but other than them, it was silent in the streets.


    It didn''t seem like my pursuers were anywhere close but I should probably wait a bit more before leaving again. They were surely still looking for me.


    Sitting back down on the floor, it''s time to figure out the options I had left.


    The first was prostitution.


    I refuse. With all my heart.


    Another option was offering myself as a slave to a slave trader. But the only ones that would have taken me, a monster, were underground dealers. I heard that legal slaves were actually treated well and even may have gotten the chance to get released and be employed properly, depending on the owner. That still did not guarantee anything even remotely but it would have been better than my current situation. Alas, as a monster I wouldn''t even have been able to get to an official slave trader. They would have cut me down on the spot the moment they had realized I''m not a person.


    The underground slave traders on the other side would have most likely taken me, but illegal slaves had an even worse life than I did right now.


    Regardless, neither was an option since I didn''t feel like offering my freedom and probably my chastity on a plate. The chances to be free again were minuscule.


    A third option was to somehow procure a silver coin and enter the city. While that was the option I preferred the most, I had no means of earning money. All I managed was to relieve some of the more unfortunate inhabitants of the slums of a few copper coins. They didn''t need them after all anymore and those few copper coins were sustaining my current lifestyle. With a copper coin I could buy a loaf of hard bread and with two coins I could buy a piece of jerky. When I asked what kind of meat it is, I was told it''s better I didn''t know.


    That kind of scares me. It couldn''t be... No, don''t think about it.


    The last option was to sneak into the city. I got really lucky that I overheard a conversation of an entrance to the city sewers inside the slums. But the local group controlling the slums had their eyes on that entrance, so unless something happened I wouldn''t have been able to sneak through there.


    There''s another entrance where the river entered the city. The part where the river entered the city was closed off with a lattice, but next to it was a small entrance. The problem here was, that entrance was guarded all day and night. While being caught by guards was still better than being caught by the thugs, it didn''t change that this was not an option.


    I let out another sigh. I took off the robe, revealing a small knife that was bound with a cloth to my thigh. It was more for relieving anxiety than actual protection, but in the worst case, I could at least defend myself better than barehanded.


    Knock. Knock.


    The sudden sounds surprised me and I stared at the door. Some seconds passed until.


    Knock Knock. Knock.


    Slowly standing up I walked towards the door and opened it slightly, making sure I could close it in a hurry in the worst case.


    Standing outside was a robed figure with their face hidden.


    "Yo, it is me!" The figure said in a cheerful voice.


    "Is this an identity scam?"


    "Your jokes are not getting any better, dear."


    "I''m sorry, but that wasn''t a joke. You''re the one who told me to make sure I know with whom I''m talking."


    "Oh, right. I did tell you that, didn''t I?"


    In response to my complaint, the figure slightly lifted the hood to reveal their face.


    "Satisfied?"


    I nod. Two silver-coloured eyes were staring at me from beneath the hood. Opening the door wide I let them in.


    "You still failed though. If it wasn''t me I could have easily pushed the door open. I didn''t only tell you to check the identity of the other person but also to hide your own, didn''t I?"


    "Uhhh..... But I made sure I could close the door immediately in the worst case!"


    "Do you really think that you with your feeble strength could prevent that? Even I can easily overpower you, Yumi."


    The person took off the hood, revealing themselves. A girl with beautiful silver eyes was shown. Unfortunately, that was the only beautiful thing. Her shoulder-length hair was so dirty it was impossible to make out the original hair colour and her body and clothes were smeared with mud and dirt.


    She was over a head taller than me with a slender build and a moderate chest.


    I''m sure if you cleaned her up she would end up being a really cute girl.


    And yet, this girl took it upon herself to literally jump into a pile of mud. I actually saw her doing that.


    According to herself, it was to prevent people from trying to kidnap her. Whether that actually worked, I didn''t know, but I didn''t want to try it myself. It may have sounded ridiculous considering my current state, but I did prefer a certain degree of cleanliness.


    "I''m sorry. I will remember it next time, Karen."


    This girl''s name was Karen and she was, in a way, my benefactor and also probably the only reason I wasn''t yet caught by random thugs, bandits, slavers and whatever other scoundrels were running around. She picked me up by chance when I was loitering around the slums on my first day here and was about to be kidnapped by some suspicious men. Since then she had taught me a lot of things necessary for survival in the slums. She also didn''t mind my eyes. Considering she told me that demonkin often had these kinds of eyes as well, it''s probably not the first time she saw that.


    "You better do."


    Karen heaved a sigh and sat down on the floor. She grabbed the pouch and took the remaining bread. After staring at the bread for a while her gaze wandered to the jerky in my hand.


    "Is this all that''s left?"


    "Nn. That''s all. But at least we still got some water from the river."


    "Why is this all that''s left?"


    "Obviously because we ate it?"


    "Then spit it out, I want something other than hard bread or that horrible jerky."


    How unreasonable. Do you think I like this either?


    "The jerky is still better than the bread. Want it?"


    "No thanks."


    Instant refusal. Karen really hated that jerky. It did taste bad but it''s still better than most other options, in my opinion.


    Seemingly having given up, Karen started biting into the bread.


    Despite her complaints, she was still more used to this than I am. In contrast to me, she could properly bite into the bread. I didn''t have enough strength in my jaw to do that so I had to slowly nibble on it. It hurt really bad when I tried to bite into the bread the first time.


    "By the way, there was some commotion. Some of the trash was apparently looking for a cute girl. Was that you again?"


    "Nn. Some idiot bumped into me and my hood fell off. Those people apparently saw it and immediately started chasing me."


    Karen stopped eating and stared at me.


    "Yumi, that wasn''t a coincidence, you know?"


    "Huh? What do you mean."


    "They definitely planned to take down your hood to check whether you are worth attacking. That is daily work for them."


    Now that she said it, they did react incredibly fast.


    "That you still escaped is impressive. Share me some of that luck, please."


    "If I was any lucky I wouldn''t be in the slums in the first place."


    "That is true I guess. Maybe you used up your luck elsewhere?"


    If that stupid wish actually used up all my luck, that''d be horrible. But I still hoped that I had at least some luck left.


    With a Thud! Karen jumped onto the straw I was occupying earlier.


    "Since you are here, I guess your trip to the gate was fruitless?"


    "Nn. They demanded an entire silver coin to let me in."


    "Ha! As if anyone here had that much money. Even if you did they would accuse you of stealing it."


    So I was right. I did expect that would happen as well.


    "I tried appealing to him, but he called me a dirty brat. I even went to the river yesterday to wash off the dirt. So rude."


    "Yumi, you are dirty."


    "Huh?"


    "No matter how I look at you, you don''t look like someone who washed herself. You are really dirty."


    Rude! I really made sure to wash myself! And no matter what, I can''t be worse than you!


    "When you were at the river, did you even try looking at your reflection?"


    "..."


    She touched a sour spot. I didn''t look at my own reflection.


    While I kind of took a crash course for the slums and my new life, I was still uncomfortable with a number of things. One of those was most obviously my own body. Even if I couldn''t remember the previous world clearly, I still had the awareness of a male young adult.


    It''s not that I disliked my new appearance and gender. If I were completely honest, I really liked it. I was cute and if I could I would hug myself immediately, despite not being a narcissist. Even so, it was occasionally a bit troubling. Seeing my own naked appearance was one of my troubles. I didn''t have any intention to find a way to turn into a male again, so I would have to get used to it, but it would take time.


    I said all this, but I still ran around inside the hut in only a long shirt that was barely covering my crotch area. Not to mention that the shirt itself was already plenty damaged and showed quite a lot of skin here and there. If I moved around carelessly I immediately exposed myself. It was extremely embarrassing when Karen started smiling and called my bottom half cute.


    I really want some pants.


    Karen herself was wearing her robe nearly all the time. The only time I saw her taking it off was when she jumped into the pile of mud. Below she was actually wearing a decent shirt and a long skirt. They were obviously both worn and dirty, but they were in a way better state than my half-torn shirt. Those must''ve been of really good quality, considering she was rolling around in mud while still wearing them. She also wore a pair of old, worn leather shoes.


    "Well, did something else happen while you were out?"


    Thankfully, Karen didn''t press the matter and changed the topic. How thoughtful.


    "Outside of being rejected at the gate and chased by lecherous thugs, no, not really."


    That was already plenty. I didn''t want even more to happen.


    "How was it for you? Got anything?"


    Unlike me, Karen lived in the slums for a rather long time already. She was a lot less hesitant to fight for her survival even if it meant stepping onto others and she knew clearly what risks were reasonable and which were not. But that was also exactly why she didn''t try to escape the slums. The risk was too high.


    "Good news or bad news, your choice."


    "The good news first then."


    "I found some sandals that may fit you."


    Saying that she threw a pair of sandals, that she magically procured from somewhere, towards me. Shoes were actually quite an issue, because either you had some that fit you, or you walked barefoot. Running with loose shoes was near impossible and you always had to be ready to run at a moments notice.


    Now, that all wouldn''t have been an issue if I wasn''t so small. I needed child-sized shoes and finding those in the slums proved to be a challenge.


    I pick up the sandals that landed in front of me and inspect them. They looked worn but mostly undamaged. They were small, probably women''s sandals, but they still too big for me.


    With some luck, we may be able to adjust the straps! No more walking around on hard stones without shoes.


    I crouched down to put them on and adjust the strap. At least I wanted to, but I couldn''t figure out how.


    After some seconds of fiddling around Karen stood up and approached me.


    "Let me see."


    She crouched down and started fiddling with the straps of both sandals. After a few seconds, she was done and checked if it was loose.


    "Try walking, maybe jogging a bit. Tell me if they are loose. Nothing is worse than losing a shoe in the middle of running."


    I stood up straight again and put some strength first on the right and then the left foot. After confirming that it didn''t hurt I walked and then jogged in a circle.


    "Seems good!" I declared with a smile. Finally I had shoes. My clothing articles increased by a whole fifty percent! If I counted each sandal separately even a hundred percent!


    I would have never thought there''d be a day where I''d be this glad to get a new pair of shoes. Well, they aren''t really new, though.


    "Now, we only need to do something about the rest of your appearance." Karen said with a wry smile. She was staring at my legs. Actually slightly above. I followed her line-of-sight and noticed that the shirt I was wearing shifted around a bit. Perfectly with a tear right above my crotch area, exposing the smooth plains to the world.


    I gazed at Karen, while my face turned slightly red.


    "Pervert."


    Surprisingly, I wasn''t really ashamed of being seen. Maybe it had to do with me becoming a monster. Though, I was actually quite sure that I would have delivered divine judgement if it wasn''t Karen, who I was familiar with, but lecherous men. Thankfully that wasn''t the case, since even if I wanted to deliver divine judgement, I didn''t even know how I would do that.


    "Stop exposing yourself then. I am not a pervert. It is not like it is impossible to get something less revealing than that shirt for you. If you would just stop being so picky."


    "After telling me to strip a dead person of their clothes I''m sure you''re also going to tell me to jump and roll around in the mud, won''t you."


    "If you were willing I would tell you to do that, but you don''t even want to wear the clothes, so I will be happy already if we get you at least slightly more covered up."


    "It''s not like anyone is going to see, I have the robe for that."


    "I am seeing it, are you fine with that?"


    "Nn, I am."


    Karen averted her eyes in defeat.


    I was fine with being seen but I was quite embarrassed seeing myself, or others. I might be weird.


    Maybe, I might have been fine even if she wanted to touch, once she washed all the dirt off her hands. Though I wasn''t sure about anything beyond touching. It was unlikely Karen would do anything like that though. In this past week I found out, that she is actually quite bad with dirty jokes and erotic things. She was fine if she was the one making the joke, but she immediately became embarrassed if someone else did it. She was surprisingly pure in this regard, despite living in an environment where sex and rape were daily occurrences.


    "Anyway. Whether you are fine with it or not, you should still get something else to wear. I know the nights are currently warm since summer is approaching but you never know when we get bad weather or cold nights. And clothes are just clothes. It''s not like a revengeful ghost starts inhabiting it just because you took it from someone who died."


    "Ugh... I will... think about it."


    She was right, of course. It was just me being obstinate. It already took all I had just to take the money from the dead. Stripping them down would be too much for me. Even the robe took all my willpower, and the former owner dropped it around a meter before he collapsed.


    Though I say dropped, he probably took it willingly off, since it seemed he was killed while doing the deed with someone.


    And outside of some blood, the robe was pretty clean.


    It was a secret that I vomited that day. A monster feeling ill from seeing a dead human.


    After walking a few more circles to get used to the sandals I turn towards Karen again, hoping to change the topic.


    "So, what are the bad news?"


    Karens face turned sour. At least I thought so, but beneath the dirt, it was hard to make out.


    "The old men on the main street are... gone. That means we have currently no way of getting food."


    "That''s... really bad."


    The old men Karen meant were a group of middle-aged men that were collecting the leftover food from the merchants visiting the city. Thanks to them we were able to buy cheap food with the few copper coins we had. Them being gone was really bad. If it was just Karen, she might manage with scavenging food here and there. But the burden she took upon herself, namely me, proved to be an issue. I didn''t have the skills, strength or wits for surviving on my own.


    "Shouldn''t we have saved the last piece of bread and jerky then?"


    "And then? If we are exhausted it will be even harder to find any food."


    That was a good argument. Showing your weakness even once, meant it was over. While not truly that extreme, it was good to think of it like that.


    "In any case, we need to secure food somehow. Enough for both of us. We might be able to scavenge some food here and there, but that is not a long-term solution. Best case we find a way to get you into the city, "


    Frankly, I didn''t want to stay in the slums in the long-term anyway, so the city would be perfect. That was my current goal in the first place.


    Huh? Get me into the city?


    "And what about you? That sounds as if you don''t want to go into the city."


    "It''s not as if I don''t want to live in a safer place... But I lived most of my life in the slums, the city is not a place for me, I wouldn''t be of help for you either. Do you think someone like me who is on guard against everyone would be able to live there?"


    "But..."


    "Enough of that. That''s hypothetically anyway. Rather than the city, think about the food."


    I wanted her to come along, those were my honest thoughts. Surviving was my current goal, but that didn''t mean I didn''t want to maybe, not just survive, but live properly, without having to worry about food for the day. And that, of course, included other people that were with me. I hoped Karen would be one of those people.


    Thinking for a moment I decided. If I found a way into the city, I would take Karen along, whether she wanted to or not. That was the least I could do to repay her for saving my life. It was a small bit of pride that I wanted to hold onto.


    Upon those thoughts, I just couldn''t help but start smiling.


    "What are you smiling like an idiot now. You do know our situation is really bad."


    "Nn. I know."


    "Then stop smiling and think of something."


    Even if you asked me to stop, I couldn''t. If it weren''t for her, I''m sure I would have lost all hope already and I wanted to believe that I could repay her for that.


    Ah, but I will try to think of a solution. Really.


    Rinne


    If anyone spots inconsistencies, please let me know.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Survival Basics with a Friend

    Rinne


    The chapter is now quite a bit longer.


    I''m sorry~


    We were in a dire situation. We had no food and our only source of food was gone as well. One may wonder how most people in the slums got their food, but it was surprisingly simple. The local thug group controlling the slums also controlled the food. You could also say because they controlled the food they controlled the slums. As long as you did as they wanted, they gave you food.


    Now, neither I nor Karen had any intentions of getting involved with those people. They would take what they wanted to take, and that, of course, included all the young girls.


    Then where did the thugs get all the food? No idea. There were various rumours from magic over keeping livestock and farming to stealing from merchants or even ''processing'' their enemies, but which one was true was completely unknown. For all we knew it could''ve been all of them.


    The only other options for food were the old men that secretly sold food or stealing food from others. And now it was only stealing.


    But it wasn''t that good of an idea either. The inhabitants of the slums were hardy people. They knew exactly that people would try to rob them, so they took precautions. Unless you were experienced in this it would be near impossible.


    And if you thought that the elderly were a good target, I could assure you, they weren''t. I saw a kid getting bashed by an old lady with a walking stick. The elderly were only still in the slums because they managed to survive such a long time. They had the most experience and stealing from them was especially hard. At least, according to Karen.


    Even if that weren''t the case, I didn''t want to steal from the elderly. The prospect of having to steal in the first place was making me uncomfortable already. Of course, I just wanted to live as well, so if it came down to it, I would have to resort to stealing. I made my resolve in regards to that. Nonetheless, I hoped I did not have to. Karen similarly disliked stealing, but she apparently had to do it plenty of times already for her own survival.


    From the corner of my eyes, I could see how Karen grabbed the waterskin and drank the remaining water.


    "We need new water as well. At least that is one thing we don''t have to worry about with the river."


    "That''s not exactly reassuring, Karen. We still lack food."


    Thanks to the river we at least got some water.


    The river provides us with water, so that is one thing we do not have to worry about, but that''s also all it does. It doesn''t fill our bellies.... doesn''t it? But...


    "Hey, Karen?"


    "What is it?"


    "Is it possible to catch fish in the river?"


    "Fish?"


    Karen stared at me and thought for a moment. I didn''t know whether there are any fish in the river or if they were even edible, but it may have been worth a try.


    "It certainly is possible to catch fish in the river, but most of them aren''t edible you know?"


    "Are they poisonous?"


    "You could say that. There are many monsters among fish and without a magician, you cannot distinguish between them. And their mana crystal is so small you would need really long to find it, so it is quite inefficient."


    "Are monsters possibly poisonous?"


    "That is right. They are in a way lumps of mana that formed a body. Their body is highly contaminated with mana and normal humans will die of mana poisoning. That is also why most animals do not attack monsters that are weaker than them, they know they would die. Other monsters and a few intelligent beasts like dragons can deal with the mana but most humanoids cannot."


    So it''s like that. Thank you for all your various explanations, Karen.


    But wouldn''t that mean I can eat monsters just fine? I can probably also distinguish between monster fish and normal fish. But what should I say when Karen asks why I can do that. Uhhh... It will surely work out.


    I thought for a few moments about whether to tell her, but I just gave up. Karen had been helping me a lot and I now had the option to help her myself.


    "Karen."


    "Yes?"


    "Let''s go fishing."


    "Didn''t you just listen to what I said?"


    "It will be fine. I can probably distinguish between the fish."


    At that, Karen fell silent. It took her nearly half a minute to restart herself.


    "Yumi, could it possibly be... You can sense mana?"


    "I think so, yes."


    "Are you possibly a magician?"


    "No? I don''t think so. I can only sense mana. I have no knowledge or anything about magic."


    "But how can you sense mana then?"


    "Well... Uhh... I just can?"


    Karen stared at me as if she saw something unbelievable. Was it that uncommon to sense mana? I knew magicians had to learn how to do it, but I was sure others would be able to as well with some training. I shouldn''t really comment on it since I was able to do it from the moment I came here, but it didn''t really feel like it was so hard.


    "Yumi, while it''s not completely unheard of you should really keep quiet about that, okay?"


    "I only intended to tell you anyway."


    There was no way I would tell strangers something that could make them suspect me.


    "Good. Being able to sense mana is the most basic requirement to learn magic and if you can do that without even learning it... People would chase you everywhere. If anyone ever asks again, tell them you learnt it from a wandering magician or so. But preferably hide that you can do it in the first place, okay?"


    That was actually a good excuse. Magicians were rare but apparently not so rare that you would never see one in your entire life.


    "Nn. Will do."


    With a sigh, Karen stood up and grabbed our few belongings.


    "Then, let us go fishing."


    "Nn!"


    Two hours later we left the slums behind us and strolled towards the river. Close to the river was a big forest that was home to monsters, but according to Karen they rarely left them. That was also the reason why the forest didn''t work well as a means of survival. It was plain too dangerous. Most monsters were highly aggressive, attacking any person on sight. In addition to that, the remains were inedible.


    It would take us a bit more time till we reached the river. The sun, that was barely visible from within the slums, shone brightly down on us. It was well into the afternoon and there would only be a few more hours until the sunset.


    "Maybe we should have gone tomorrow?"


    "Hmmm... The summer will come soon so the nights are warm now, it shouldn''t be a problem even if we sleep one night outside. But with some luck, we won''t have to worry about that. I know of a spot at the border of the forest where we can camp out for a while. Nobody goes there anyway and it is really rare for a strong monster to leave the forest. The most you will find are demon rabbits."


    Demon rabbits? Were these like those horned rabbits you often saw in stories? The ones that captivated you with their cuteness and then jumped and impaled you? It didn''t seem like Karen was really worrying about the rabbits, so I was probably just thinking too much.


    The thought was shelved and we continued our small journey.


    After another half an hour we arrived. The forest was still some ways off though, so we would walk some more to the place where Karen wanted to camp out at. We did fill the waterskin and drank some water though. Once I actually looked for them I also found fish swimming around. I tried to see whether I could distinguish them by their mana, but the mana fluctuated too strongly with all the fish to pinpoint a single one. We had to actually catch some before I could check.


    While dreaming about a sumptuous fish buffet for today I suddenly realized something important.


    "Karen, how are we even going to catch the fish?"


    "You suggested fishing without even thinking about that?" replied Karen with an astonished voice.


    I couldn''t really defend against that, I completely forgot about it after all.


    "Well, it''s rather easy. With a spear. We probably won''t catch a lot at first since it is pretty hard if you aren''t skilled at it."


    No way. My sumptuous fish buffet was disappearing.


    "How are we going to make the spears? With branches from trees?"


    "Exactly. Then we sharpen them with the knives. It may take some time, but we should finish before the sun sets. With some luck, we can also already try catching some fish. With the spears, we can also hunt for some animals near the forest. As long as we don''t enter the forest itself we should be fine and if you can distinguish fish you can probably also distinguish the animals, right?"


    "Nn. That shouldn''t be a problem."


    This reminded me a bit of humans hunting in ancient times. Not to mention modern me, but even for this world, it seemed quite primitive. Mind you, we didn''t have much of a choice so we had to do it.


    Some birds were flying in the sky and chirping and some trees were sparingly standing here and there. Some distance away, a small rodent, looking slightly similar to a squirrel, was running up the tree. The slums had a feel of an abandoned village where only a few humans lived with the damaged buildings, the dirty streets and the occasional corpse. But here you got untouched nature, something you rarely saw in developed regions on Earth.


    The further we went the more trees came in sight and at one point we couldn''t see more than a few meters in front of us with all the trees.


    "We shouldn''t go any further than this, let us look for a few suitable branches ."


    "Nn."


    With a nod, I started looking around. Thanks to all the trees it didn''t take long to gather some branches. Holding them we walked towards the camping spot.


    Said spot wasn''t far away, only a bit away from the river and well hidden between the trees. It was a huge rock that was partially collapsed, forming a small cave. It was maybe three meters deep and one and a half meter wide at most, so we had just enough space to sleep with two people.


    After taking off her hood Karen sat down on a nearby rock, grabbed a branch and started sharpening it with her knife. Copying her, I sat down and took the knife that was bound on my thigh. Staring at the branch for a moment I tried sharpening it as well.


    Five minutes later I was exhausted and my arm hurt. It barely took a minute before I had to stop every few seconds to rest my arm. My respect for ancient humans.


    "Why... is this... so... hard..." I stuttered.


    "It is not hard, you are just incredibly feeble. How did you even survive before we met..."


    I didn''t have any problems before because I was living on Earth and was a man with slightly more strength than now. Not that I can tell her that.


    In the end, it took me nearly an hour before I managed to finish. My arms hurt like mad and I didn''t want to move anymore. Unfortunately, my stomach disagreed with my sentiment and growled, indicating that I was really hungry.


    "We still have some time before it goes dark, let us go to the river and try our luck."


    "Just... give me one minute... My arm..."


    In the time it took me to make even one, Karen finished three, so we now had two spares in case they broke. I caught my breath after another minute and we walked to the river. The river itself was wide, easily fifty or more meter. Karen and I each looked for a spot some distance away from each other.


    It was time to finally catch fish!


    My firm belief of being able to catch fish, it was destroyed disappointingly fast. By the time it became darker I still hadn''t caught even one, while Karen actually caught way too many. What was up with this, was Karen actually a superhuman?


    "Don''t be so down, Yumi. Even if I caught all of these, they aren''t worth anything until you check them."


    I was being comforted. How deep I had fallen to be comforted by a younger girl because I was so useless. I wanted to cry a bit. But giving up wasn''t an option. Soon I would be able to catch fish as well!


    Moving on, I went to Karen''s pile of fish. Taking one of the fish I started inspecting it. Indeed, there was residual mana contained in the fish, and there was something akin to a core inside.


    "I think this one is a monster, it seems there''s a mana crystal inside."


    "Huh, where is it? I wanna cut it out and see it."


    Seems I wasn''t trustworthy enough and she wanted to check it.


    "Ah! It is not that I don''t believe you, Yumi, I am sure what you are saying is right. I just wanted to see the mana crystal!"


    Again, I was being comforted. Today just wasn''t my day.


    I told her where it was and Karen took a knife, cutting up the fish. Considering the fish were all impaled by a spear already, it was quite the bloody affair, but after she clumsily cut it up, it looked nothing short of grotesque. It took a few minutes but finally, Karen held up a tiny stone, about the size of the nail of my thumb. The mana crystal.


    "Huh, so that''s what they look like."


    "Is this your first time seeing one, Yumi?"


    "Yes, I never saw one before."


    "Here, you can take a look at it."


    She handed me the small crystal and then gathered a few twigs to prepare a campfire. The crystal was brownish and looked more like a rough stone, but you could clearly see the glossy surface. Somehow I felt the urge to...


    Chomp!


    "Huh, Yumi? YUMI? Spit that out! Immediately spit that out!"


    Gulp!


    "YUMIIIIIII!"


    Karen, who was panicking when she saw me swallowing the mana crystal, ran towards me started shaking me like there was no tomorrow.


    Stop shaking me this hard, it''s making me feel ill.


    "Spit! It! Ouuuuuuutt!!!!!!"


    Karen, veritably screaming now, suddenly pulled my legs and held me up by them, shaking me even more. You definitely were a superhuman, right.


    "Ka-... Karen...! Stop... shaking me..." Burp!


    Heads down, today was the second time in this world, where I unwillingly emptied my stomach.


    You are surprisingly merciless, aren''t you?


    The remains of my stomach content were thoroughly searched by Karen while I was lying limp on the ground. I didn''t even have the strength to explain anything to Karen right now. After all, how to explain that in the first place was quite a troublesome issue and I could already imagine the scolding she would give me. But she was really worried and still completely panicking, so I forced myself to sit up.


    "Karen... I''m fine, really."


    "There''s no way you are fine, you aren''t a monster, right? Just give me a moment, I will save you!"


    She wasn''t listening. Did monsters commonly eat mana crystals though? I didn''t know about that.


    "Karen, I can eat those just fine, I can probably also deal with eating monster meat. So stop panicking, I beg you."


    Finally stopping in her tracks Karen turned towards me.


    "What do you mean with that? Not even a manakin should be able to eat untreated monster meat usually."


    What the hell was a manakin now, another thing she took for common knowledge that I didn''t know about? I''d have to ask for another explanation later, but for now, let''s think of an excuse.


    "It''s uh... something like the constitution of my body?"


    "Is that also why you can sense mana?"


    "Nn... it is."


    "Hmmm..."


    Suspicious eyes were directed towards me. She didn''t believe me one bit, I was sure of it.


    "You really are just like a monster."


    I stiffened in response.


    Should I tell her? No, I can''t. I shouldn''t.


    "Ahahahaha... No way."


    Please, don''t ask.


    "Hmmm... If you say so."


    She definitely was suspicious now, but it was unavoidable. She was my saviour, she helped me out and took care of me. But that was under the assumption I was a person. I couldn''t predict how she might react.


    In the previous world, I often read various stories or watched movies. Games with good storytelling were also great. And it wasn''t rare that a monster was immediately cut down without any questions asked, under the pretence of ''having pretended to be human''. I didn''t want to end up like that, I really didn''t.


    "Let me tell you one thing, Yumi. If you think you can hide it like that, you sure are doing a bad job at it."


    Karen, clearly exasperated, sighed and held her head. The me, that stiffened up again, could only stare at her. She knew already, but how... I was sure I hid it.


    "Since you seem confused, let me explain it to you.


    First, sensing mana is a closely guarded secret of the magicians, it certainly isn''t unheard of people to happen upon it, but it is incredibly rare. The only ones who can instinctively sense mana are monsters and intelligent beasts.


    The second reason, that you even attempted to eat a mana crystal. Even a little child knows that a stone is inedible, also most non-magicians feel a certain aversion towards mana crystals. Even if it was weak, I am sure most wouldn''t think of such a stupid idea. But some monsters are known to consume mana crystals for their own growth.


    Third, you said you could eat monster meat. I already explained it to you earlier but that is not something you can just eat without issue. Only when you remove the mana contained within can you eat it, and that requires a skilled magician. You said yourself you have no knowledge of magic."


    She pointed out quite a bit, but none of these was really conclusive, weren''t they.


    I voiced my thoughts, trying to convince her, but, alas, it was useless.


    "There''s more, the actually important ones come now.


    Did you ever bother checking your feet?"


    What did my feet have to do with this? I pulled up the robe a bit and checked my feet. I didn''t know much about children''s feet but they looked normal to me. Cute, smooth and small.


    "I don''t see anything wrong with them?"


    "That''s exactly what is wrong."


    "Huh?"


    "Yumi, you walked around an entire week without shoes, yet there is not a single wound on them. Even your sole looks and feels completely smooth, like the skin of a baby."


    "Even if you tell me that, I don''t know why either? Actually, how do you know how they feel?"


    "I touched them while you were sleeping. They were adorable, so I played with them for a while."


    "Pervert. Lecher. Pedo!"


    "I''m not a pedo!"


    Surprised at Karen suddenly shouting, I fell on my back. Since I was already sitting, it wasn''t a problem, but that was really out of the blue.


    She actually didn''t deny being a pervert and lecher, did she?


    "In any case, your wounds and everything, they are healing absurdly fast. The only humanoids able to regenerate that fast are a few devilkin. Did you never notice?"


    They did? I really never noticed. Whenever I stepped on a stone I always thought that I was lucky that I didn''t get a cut, but was it possible that they just healed immediately? I''d have to check that sometime.


    "And the last reason and most important reason, the mana crystal is gone."


    "Gone?"


    "You didn''t throw it up."


    I hoped that Karen didn''t make me throw up just to verify this now.


    "I was really worried, but you... You probably absorbed it, didn''t you?"


    "Absorbed?"


    "Did you just eat it without thinking?"


    At this point, it didn''t matter anyway anymore. It was probably better to just be honest now.


    "I just felt the urge to. I don''t know why I did it."


    "The urge... What would you have done if it hadn''t worked out? You idiot!"


    Karen sighed again. She was sighing a real lot. I vaguely remember a saying on earth that sighing decreases your happiness. I should pray that Karen''s happiness would come back.


    "So, Yumi, you are a monster, right? I don''t think you can find any excuse now anymore."


    She was right, of course. I never thought my carelessness would expose it this quickly. I guess Karen had her suspicions for some time longer already.


    "Nn, I am. At least I think so since I also have a mana crystal."


    I guess all my worries were useless. Give me back all the time I spent uselessly worrying!


    "But how did you even think of the possibility, Karen? Wouldn''t someone usually think I''m just weird?"


    "True, most people would think that, but..."


    She looked to the ground, where the butchered fish was still lying. The sun was closing in on the horizon. We would have only a bit more time until it was dark. We completely wasted the remaining sunlight we had, didn''t we?


    Seemingly having come to a decision, Karen looked up again and stared into my eyes.


    "Yumi, before I tell you that, you need to decide on something."


    "Decide?"


    "Yes. There is... a certain problem... a certain someone I have to save. I want you to help me. But what I will tell you then... it may upset you, no, I am sure it will upset you. And it is dangerous... and..."


    Karen looked back to the ground, seemingly apologetic.


    "Okay, I''ll help you."


    "Eh?"


    Karen''s eyes went wide when she lifted her face.


    "I said I''ll help you."


    "But..."


    "Even if you tell me it is dangerous, I don''t know the danger. And if you didn''t pick me up, I''d be dead already anyway. Dead or worse."


    I wanted to repay her, and if I could do that, even if it might be a tad dangerous, I wanted to do it.


    Not to mention...


    "Aren''t we friends? You already know, I''m not human, but you still asked me for help. Did you do that because I''m a stranger to you? Or did you do that because I''m your friend."


    "... You are quite horrible, aren''t you..."


    "I don''t know whether I''m horrible, but at the very least I''m your ally."


    Karen leaned back and looked at the darkening sky.


    "I understand. Then let me ask again. Yumi, will you help me save my little sister?"


    "Nn!"

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Silent Night

    "So, the one you want to save is your little sister?"


    "Yes, she is one year younger than me. We were exiled from our home and ended up at this place together."


    Karen''s face distorted as if she was in pain. Probably. The dirt was still going strong and most of her facial expressions remained a mystery. The sun was now hitting the horizon and the resulting lack in sunlight was making it only harder. Some light would have been nice.


    Karen seemingly noticed as well.


    "Let us first make a fire before we continue with our talk," she suggested.


    We piled up all the twigs in our immediate surroundings and made a small pile next to it as well. I hoped we would find back to the camping spot later.


    Some minutes later we had a campfire, without the fire. And it was now pretty much dark. It wasn''t so dark that you could see absolutely nothing, courtesy to the moon, but it was impossible to see further than a few meters.


    "So, how do we make the actual fire?"


    "With a fire stone? How else?"


    "What is a fire stone?"


    "Yumi, have you never camped outside?"


    Of course, I didn''t. At the very least not in this world. And it didn''t look like she meant a flintstone either.


    "No, I didn''t."


    "Your survival becomes a bigger mystery every minute."


    Karen took her pouch and took out a small red stone. That was the same pouch where the food was stored in, but I never noticed that stone.


    "This is a fire stone. If you insert mana it becomes really hot."


    "A magic lighter, huh. But, can you even insert mana without being able to sense it?"


    "Pretty much everyone can learn to do that rather easily. As long as you have some kind of image of mana entering the stone you can do it with little practice. Of course, if you can sense mana it is even easier. Want to give it a try?"


    With a nod, I took the fire stone. How did this work now? Since I was able to sense mana it should be easy, right? I concentrated and imagined the mana entering the stone. And then...


    Nothing happened.


    Did I imagine it wrong? I tried again, but alas, it failed another time. I tried imagining a few more things but none of them worked.


    The way I imagine it... Maybe I need some kind of pose, like how magicians in movies do it?


    "Yumi?"


    "It''s not working yet. But I won''t give up so easily," I declared.


    I stood up. I stood up and assumed a pose, holding the fire stone in front of me.


    I know you can do it! Come, fire!"


    Silence.


    I tried a different pose but still nothing. After a number of poses, each one enough to make teenager with a certain kind of illness jealous, Karen called out to me with a strained smile.


    "Uhm... Yumi? How... How about something you are already familiar with doing? As a monster, there''s surely a few things you can do, right?"


    Familiar, huh? I was able to transform my arms and change my eyes, but rather than saying I imagined it I... actually how did I do that?


    I thought for a moment and decided to just test it out. Changing my eyes'' pupils I tried to get a feel for it. Rather than an image, it felt more like I was pushing a part of my body.


    I think I can do this. That was actually a good idea, thanks, Karen.


    Directing my gaze to the stone again I tried copying what I did with my eyes, pushing the ''part'' of my body into the stone.


    Flash!


    "MY EYES! IT HURTS! IT''S HOT!"


    I screamed. I didn''t know what exactly happened outside of my vision turning white, but I knew the results of it. My face was hot and it hurt incredibly. As if someone poured hot water on it.


    "Yumi! Stop thrashing, everything is okay."


    Amidst my screams of pain, I heard Karen trying to calm me down. I felt her grabbing my arms so I wouldn''t thrash around.


    "Everything is fine, calm down, Yumi."


    With those words a soft sensation wrapped around me. It appeared that Karen hugged me to calm me down. I tried to hold back from moving as much as I could because I didn''t want to hurt her by accident. I was still twitching and tears gathered in my eyes, but after a minute or so, I already felt better. With some sobbing sounds, I patted her shoulders, telling her to let me go.


    Karen released me from her hug and looked at me with worried eyes. I was sure I looked like a sobbing mess, but it hurt really bad after all.


    "Everything okay now?"


    "Nn."


    I worryingly touched my face to confirm everything was okay, but it was only a bit hot and stung a bit, nothing else. Except for all the snot and tears.


    Karen took the fire stone that I dropped at some point and lightened a few twigs. I didn''t twitch when I saw the stone reacting to her mana, really!


    Then she took a few twigs that were burning and turned towards me with a slightly worried smile.


    "Come, you should wash your face."


    "Nn..."


    I followed her and sat down at the river to wash my face. Sudden exhaustion came over me and I would have nearly fallen into the river if Karen didn''t catch me from behind.


    "Be careful there."


    "Nn... sorry."


    "You have become really meek all of a sudden, haven''t you..."


    What else did you expect? I just exploded a stone into my face and was comforted by a girl younger than me, as if I was a little kid that scraped its knee. I had to admit it felt really comfortable in her embrace though. Was this the power of an older sister?


    In any case, I didn''t have the strength left to complain much right now.


    We went back to the campfire, that now gave small crackling sounds and a small dim light, and sat down. I was sure Karen was trying to say something to me but I couldn''t make it out anymore, and then everything went dark.


    I felt something warm and soft on my cheek. It was really an incredibly comfortable sensation. I was sure, this must have been heaven. I died for real this time and have ascended to heaven. This time I had to make sure I wouldn''t wish for something overly simple. I still wanted to be a girl again, though. With that decided, it was time to take action!


    "God, please reincarnate me as a cute girl!"


    Wait, isn''t this the same wish I made last time? Oh well, whatever.


    "What, you want to be even cuter than now? You sure are greedy..." a familiar sounding voice replied.


    "I''m fine being greedy, as long as I''m a cute girl it''s all good."


    "Somehow, that is pissing me off."


    Something pinched my cheek. It hurt!


    Wait, if I''m in heaven why does it hurt?


    Opening my eyes a campfire entered my sight. It was unnaturally tilted to the side in a slightly under 90¡ã angle though. Actually, the entire ground was tilted.


    "You finally woke up?"


    A tired voice came from my side, correction, from above me. I tried processing the current situation. When I was in an unsightly state I lost consciousness. And now I woke up with something warm, soft and really comfortable below my head and Karens voice above.


    This must be it, a lap pillow by a beautiful girl! With a smile full of happiness I turned my head slightly upwards and...


    "..."


    "Hey, why do you look so disappointed the moment you saw me."


    "No, it''s just... you kind of destroyed a dream of mine..."


    "With my face? That is quite rude, Yumi."


    "No, not quite... I am happy about the lap pillow but you know... I kinda expected the lap pillow by a beautiful girl and..."


    "You are becoming really rude, should I throw you into the fire?"


    "PLEASE DON''T!"


    Everything but that. I had enough fire for the foreseeable future.


    "So? You are saying I am not a beautiful girl? Aren''t you?"


    Karen''s voice became quite cold.


    "No, rather than saying you are not beautiful it''s more like... I can''t tell."


    "Can''t tell?"


    "The only beautiful things I can see are your eyes, the rest is hidden behind the dirt and I thought ''Oh right, if only she would clean up herself, this would indeed be a lap pillow by a cute girl'' and so..."


    "..."


    Karen''s eyes went wide but she kept silently staring at me, not averting her gaze in the slightest.


    "Karen? You heard me?"


    "... You are quite sly aren''t you..."


    I was sly for telling her to clean herself up? I didn''t quite understand that thought process, but it was unlikely that she was willing to explain that to me now. Something told me I definitely shouldn''t ask.


    With impeccable timing, I heard a growling sound. My stomach apparently wanted to indicate that it was at its limits.


    "I''m hungry."


    "Haa... I heard it..." answered Karen with a sigh at my complaint.


    "If you are hungry, then hurry up and check the fishes... I still haven''t eaten anything either, you know?"


    Oops, I completely forgot that she needed me to sort out the fish.


    Reluctantly parting from Karen''s lap, I forced myself to sit up and stared at the pile of fish next to the campfire. It was night and here we were, sitting outside at a campfire, preparing our food. Well, the preparation actually came after I sorted them, but that was a minor detail.


    It was time I got to work.


    I crawled along the ground to the fish pile and sat down again. Grabbing one fish I inspected it for mana. There was barely a reaction and it seemed to have no crystal, so I put it to my left. Taking the next fish, I identified it as a monster and put it to my right. Like this, I continued sorting the fish, which thankfully took only around two minutes. After all was said and done, there were only around fifteen fishes.


    Nine of these were monsters, five were normal animals and the last one was our previous valiant sacrifice somewhere behind me.


    The fishes itself were in different sizes, the smallest one was small enough to fit in both my hands and the largest was around twice that size.


    "Around a third are edible, huh..." murmured Karen behind me.


    "We should at least grill all the ones that are edible."


    "Nn, what do we do with the others?"


    "You said you can eat them, right? Let''s prepare a few of those as well. The more we can stretch, the better. Also, we should take out their mana crystals."


    "Nn... What actually happens when I absorb them?"


    "Why are you asking me? Shouldn''t you know that?"


    Even if you asked me that, I just did it without any actual reason. It wasn''t like there was a convenient voice in heaven that told me all these things.


    "Well, all I can say are assumptions, do you still want to hear them?"


    "Nn."


    "Mhm... I heard some monsters are able to grow and evolve, albeit rarely. It wouldn''t be surprising if that would require them to absorb other monsters'' mana crystals, right? It might increase your total mana capacity or make you physically stronger, who knows?"


    I might be able to grow stronger by absorbing mana crystals, was it. That would be great.


    But I saw Karen fidgeting around as if she didn''t want to continue.


    "Is there more?"


    "Well..."


    Her eyes wandered towards the fire stone.


    "I''m not going to touch that thing again anytime soon."


    "Ah, that is not what I wanted to say, it is more like... you just collapsed, right?" she said, returning her gaze to me.


    "Yeah, why was that anyway?"


    "I guess it was mana deficiency."


    "Mana deficiency? What''s that?"


    "It basically refers to the state when someone overuses their mana while casting spells. It is similar to severe exhaustion and it is not rare for people to collapse at that point."


    "So that stone consumed so much mana that I collapsed? Considering how much it hurt it must''ve been quite a lot."


    "..."


    Karen kept silent and averted her eyes. That looked suspicious. Something was wrong.


    "Yumi, elemental stones like the fire stone... They are made for common people. People who have next to no mana and the output of the stone itself is really low as well, it can''t contain a lot of mana. As you saw, you can hurt yourself with it if you overcharge it, but even so, the mana required for that is next to nothing."


    "..."


    That couldn''t be.


    "Karen, are you saying, I have even less mana than a normal human?"


    "... Yes."


    When I came here, sensed mana for the first time and heard of magic in this world, I was exhilarated at the possibility of being able to cast magic. And now I was told I might never be able to cast magic. But wait, what did that have to do with the fish?


    "Ah! But I was really surprised at the exploding stone, Yumi. Channelling that much mana into a fire stone is pretty hard, you know!"


    "Please don''t comfort me right now... Rather, tell me why the fish is important for that."


    "Uhm... Well... Even the weakest monsters, you know, have more mana than an average human. And you absorbed the mana crystal but still collapsed so..."


    In other words, either my capacity didn''t increase at all, or the ratio it increased at was horrendous. When it pours, it rains.


    What''s up with this impossible game. Except it isn''t a game but reality.


    That was it, this day was without a doubt one of the worst, saved only by Karen''s hug and her lap pillow.


    "Let''s make food."


    I escaped reality.


    "... Yes, let us start making food. Ah, but we should still get the mana crystals, maybe it just takes time for an effect to appear?"


    "... Nn... Let''s do that."


    Maybe I should start calling Karen Big Sis. She''s probably younger than me, but like this, no way I''d qualify as the older one...


    I can''t do anything and she looks out for me all the time. I''m quite useless, aren''t I?


    And with that decision made, I started to treat Karen as my older sister. At least, in my mind, for now. An additional reason to save her little sister, as we would be fellow little sisters!


    I still wanted to ask her later or tomorrow if I could call her ''Sis''.


    ...


    Speaking of which, we still hadn''t talked about that.


    Thirty minutes later, the moon and the stars were shining brightly, while four fishes impaled on the spears were being grilled to perfection. Maybe not to perfection but I was so hungry, everything would be perfect. Despite that, Karen was surprisingly obstinate at preparing the fish properly, cutting it up and removing the guts.


    The first few attempts were quite a mess but thanks to my suggestion to start first with the monster fishes to get used to it, we didn''t waste any of the edible ones. Or rather the ones Karen can eat.


    We sacrificed 6 monster fish for the greater good. At least the mana crystals were undamaged. We decided to grill two of each kind of fish for now.


    Karen was visibly in a good mood.


    "Is it that great, to eat fish?"


    "I told you before already, but you cannot eat fish without a magician. That means, unless you live in a fishing village it is nearly impossible to eat any fish unless you are rich and can employ a magician for this!"


    So it was like a delicacy. That was kind of surprising, considering how common fish was in my former world.


    Why the heck do the monster fishes look like normal fish anyway?


    With the crackling sounds of the fire as background music, we waited patiently for the fishes to be done with grilling. One minute became two minutes and two minutes became three minutes, and so on.


    "It should be done now, shouldn''t it?" asked Karin with sparkles in her eyes. You were looking forward to it a lot, right.


    "I think they should be good now."


    Taking the spear with the fish I closely inspected the grilled fish. It looked good to me.


    Karen similarly took the spear with her fish.


    "Then, let''s eat!"


    "Nn!"


    To sum it up: It was delicious! By far the best I''ve eaten since coming to this world. Karen similarly shared my opinion and was eating greedily. It took us barely any time until we finished both of our fishes and started grilling the next ones. Since there was only one monster fish left I got one normal fish as well this time. Sitting in front of the fire we waited, visibly in a great mood. Not only did we manage to find a food source, but it was also quite delicious.


    "We should take the time to continue our previous discussion..." suggested Karen with a serious tone.


    "Nn, we probably should. You wanted to tell me, why did you suspect I was a monster."


    This was the thing that bothered me the most. I wasn''t good at hiding things but it should have been so absurd a thought that nobody would entertain it. Karen herself told me that there were no intelligent monsters, after all.


    "For that, I''d have to begin with my little sister''s and my story. We came from a different country, or rather, we were exiled, nine years ago."


    "Exiled?"


    "Yes, I was only 8 at the time, my little sister only 7. That country is north from here, the demonkin country."


    "The demonkin country? Karen, are you a demonkin?"


    "... Yes. Not only just a demonkin but also a manakin..."


    There was it again.


    "What is a manakin?"


    "Yumi... you don''t know? Well, that explains why you are so careless, I guess."


    Did that have anything to do with me? I tilted my head and thought about it, but I couldn''t see the connection.


    "Manakin are, in a way, something between a living being and a magical being. Manakin are those living beings, that at some point during their birth took in a large amount of natural mana. That causes part of their body to become highly contaminated with mana. That mana then attunes to an element and calms down."


    "But didn''t you say that high amounts of mana are dangerous for a living being?"


    "Attuned mana is like the mana contained in a spell and not harmful for a living creature, it actually is highly beneficial instead. Manakin generally show higher lifespans, more talent with the magic of the attuned element and sometimes even special abilities. The degree of the initial contamination decides how strong these changes are."


    "That doesn''t sound all that bad, so what is the actual problem?"


    "Usually there isn''t a big problem but..."


    Karen''s eyes were fixated on me, or rather slightly to my side. I followed her gaze but I didn''t see anything in particular there. I saw my hair was lying on the ground though, I should wash it tomorrow properly.


    "Your hair, Yumi."


    "My hair? Ah, yes, I should wash it tomorrow, there''s quite some dirt on it."


    "Not that, the colour."


    "The colour?"


    The soft pink was quite unusual even in this world but I did a few others with weird coloured hair.


    "Common traits of manakin are the uniquely coloured hair and eyes."


    "Huh, wait do you mean."


    "Yes, you are most likely also a manakin."


    So that was it. The colour was cute and nice, so I thought that was just because of my wish back then. To think there was such a reason.


    "The colour usually shows the kind of attribute the mana is attuned to. As you probably guessed, in my case it is silver. Both my hair and my eyes have that colour."


    "Is that why you hide your hair?"


    "Yes, when people know you are a manakin it can become quite troublesome. Either they discriminate against you or they try to make use of you. I would really prefer if I could use coal instead of having to use dirt and mud and having it dry, it is really uncomfortable and it often breaks off and reveals what is beneath."


    Karen grabbed some of her hair behind her and started rubbing it between her fingers. After a few second the spot revealed a shiny glitter in the light from the fire.


    "It doesn''t help that it really draws attention."


    "It''s a nice colour, I''d really like to see you cleaned up."


    "... Well, I''ll think about that tomorrow."


    Did that mean I might see her cute appearance tomorrow? I definitely had to convince her. I wanted to see!


    "In any case, my little sister has the same colour, it''s a bit duller for her, but you barely notice it."


    "You mentioned the attributes a few times already, but what exactly do you mean with that."


    "The attributes we are strong at. As you know magic consists of countless attributes and there''s nearly always at least one related to anything there is. Due to relations between the attributes a manakin usually has a main attribute with up to two minor attributes related to it. In my case, the silver colour relates to the Silver Moon as well as Iron and Diamond"


    I didn''t know there were countless attributes, but I kept silent for now.


    "That doesn''t exactly feel like they are really related."


    "Well, for the relations it is apparently a big mystery why they relate to each other, but even if you asked me the details, I don''t know. They do relate to mainly metals and minerals though for my case, so that is a kind of relation."


    "What does Silver Moon mean in this case if it''s related to metal?"


    "It is from a legend about the Silver Moon that gave it the name, mentioning a legendary metal. I do not know much about metals, so that is all I can say in regards to that, but the various kinds of Moonmetal that the Silver Moon magic produces are widely popular and used nearly everywhere. Even the city gate is made of it. But it uses Iron and Coal for the magic, so I don''t know why Diamond is related to it."


    I held my head. Of course, the civilisation was quite advanced but they didn''t understand everything yet. In fact, it seemed they understood less from the way physics and chemistry among others worked than they should at this point, because of the existence of magic. Magic solved their problems and they tried to solve everything with magic too. Instead of the natural workings, they tried to figure out how magic could produce the result they wanted.


    And this caused the current situation.


    "Karen... the metal you mean, that''s called Steel."


    "Stee... Steel?"


    "Yes, Steel. It is an alloy created with Iron and Coal. I don''t know the specifics either in how to make it, but those are the major components to the various types of steel. You can, in fact, create it without any magic at all."


    "Without magic? Really?"


    Karen stared wide-eyed at me. It must''ve been quite the revelation to her, that a magic metal was not as magical as she thought.


    "But Coal is still not a diamond, so how does that come in there?"


    "You''re wrong, Coal and Diamond are actually the same."


    "... You need a better joke to convince me of that."


    Oh geez, I had no idea how to explain that to her.


    "Uhm, basically, everything consists of extremely small parts, actually those parts consist of even smaller parts but that''s not important. And Coal and Diamonds use the same small parts, the difference is in their structure. Coal wastes a huge amount of space while Diamond is very tight together. If you would compress a piece of coal you would get a really tiny piece of Diamond. You would have to compress with a real lot of power though."


    "Hmm... Well, it would explain why they are related, so I''ll believe you for now."


    If you wanted to really name her attributes properly, it would be Steel, Iron and Carbon, but I shouldn''t mention that now.


    "In any case, we got sidetracked again. I will ask you later more about those things and how you know about that."


    "Please have mercy..."


    "You reap what you sow."


    That was probably true. I also could''ve just kept quiet, after all.


    "Anyway, you say the colour is related to the attributes, in that case, what would it be for me?"


    "For you... A soft pink..."


    Karen went red, at least it seemed like she did, and averted her gaze. After coughing twice she faced me again. I had a bad feeling about this.


    "Well,... Soft and mellow pink is usually attributed to life, the soul and..."


    She stopped. Life and Soul, huh? They did sound like something that related to each other but whatever could the last one be, that Karen had trouble with it?


    It took her a few more seconds until she found some courage to tell me.


    "It is... Well... Life, the Soul and... Lust...."


    Lust. Yeah... Of course, it had to be that one. I was a tentacle monster after all so whatever else could it have been. It also made sense, after all, Lust pretty much was a synonym to creating a new life, and therefore also a new soul. It wasn''t surprising at all, most likely Lust was the main attribute in this case too, right?


    "But that''s just my assumption, it could be something completely different, too."


    No, you were surely right with that. It fit too well. I let out a deep sigh, facing the sky. The stars and the moon were beautiful.


    "Give me a minute."


    "Okay..."


    Had to process this first. In the meantime, Karen took the fishes away from the fire so they wouldn''t end up burnt. She handed me mine and then started eating her own. We each finished our respective fish and I urged Karen to continue with her explanations.


    "So, I think that was enough about manakin for now? We should probably wrap up our talk before it gets too late."


    "Yeah, we should do that. You wanted to explain why you were exiled if I recall it right?"


    "Yes, we stopped there. Well, the remaining part is rather simple. Demonkin literally worship magic, they are proficient in magic, and many manakin are born among them, being praised as the ultimate magicians."


    "That''s not sounding much like a reason to be exiled."


    "It''s only for normal cases like that, in our cases, the problem was our attributes. Mana related to metals barely has any actual influence on magic, there are some spells but most of it is a form of body strengthening or combining metals with magic to create new ones. Simply said, those attributes are looked down upon by the demonkin, even going as far as calling us, the cursed children. I don''t really have many good memories of our time in that country."


    Discrimination because of differences in abilities, was it. Even in Earth''s history, those occurrences were far from rare. In fact, they were incredibly common, and even in modern times, discrimination persisted in various forms, from intentional to unintentional. But it was still better than in the centuries prior to the modern age. Being discriminated against could mean death in those times. Exile was probably a rather lenient solution, even though for the exiled themselves it wasn''t pleasant either way. If you were discriminated against in one place, it wasn''t surprising to be discriminated against in your new place either. No wonder that Karen hid her hair and always wore a hood all outside.


    "Well, after our exile, we travelled somehow to this country. It was kind of a miracle that we survived the way. Thanks to our attributes we had great physical strength, so we somehow managed in the wilderness. It was incredibly hard though. At some point, we reached this city, Arkesta. And then everything went wrong..."


    Karen stopped, she probably had to collect herself first, for the next part. That I finally found out the city''s name after an entire week wasn''t that important now. Nor that I confirmed that Karen was, in fact, a superhuman after all.


    "When we arrived, everything was still okay. Of course, we had no way to get past the city gates, but we thought we could easily make do in the slums. They couldn''t be worse than the wild monsters after all. We were so sure, that we didn''t pay much attention to our surroundings. We learned the hard way that humans can be a lot scarier than a wild monster.


    On our first day, we were approached by suspicious men. Figuring we could just ignore them, we walked past them without reacting. But an 8-year-old and a 7-year-old, they didn''t have much of a way against a group of adults. They attacked us and then they took me and my sister with them. At their base, they decided what to do with us. I was to work for them, in exchange for our ''safety''. And my sister, they made her into a guinea pig for their experiments..."


    "... Experiments? Human experimentation...."


    I was shocked.


    "It was about monster research. What do you think is the most attractive trait of a monster for humans?"


    "Attractive trait? I don''t know, growing stronger by absorbing mana crystals?"


    "Not quite. That is also a good point, but the most attractive one is their effectively infinite lifespan, their high survivability even after a fatal wound, as well as being immune to nearly all diseases."


    "The search for immortality is it."


    "Exactly."


    Immortality. Eternal Youth. All those things were searched for since time immemorial. And most likely they would never stop their search either. Especially not in this world, where it may very well be a reachable possibility.


    "It has been nine years since then, I tried many things to make them release my sister, but nothing. They are too obsessed with it. That''s why I was searching for a substitute..."


    "And then I conveniently came along, with attributes related to life and souls, which may be relevant for that research, right?"


    "Despite being so airheaded, you are surprisingly sharp at times like this. You are right, I intended to give you to them in exchange for my sister. I''m sorry."


    Let us ignore that rude comment about being an airhead, shall we? I''m not an airhead.


    "It''s fine, I can''t say I''m happy with it, but you wanted to save your sister, right? But let me guess, the negotiations broke down and now they are after both of us?"


    "... Yes. They asked why they should release her, the subjects would just increase by one and that was it."


    Karen looked like a convicted in front of the judge, fully aware of her sins. All the guilty feelings seemed to pour out of her right now.


    "Well, so much to that, huh. Were they after the old men distributing food to flush us out?"


    "It''s not just them. Everyone who contributed food in any way outside of their control was dealt with. There was nobody left. They either were threatened or they... disappeared."


    So they were dead. They must have really wanted me in that case. But a group of thugs researching immortality? There was no way that would work, they most likely had someone backing them, in which case this was probably even more troublesome. We should maybe assume that being caught by the guards would send us straight into their hands as well. Someone with that much influence surely had their fingers in the local militia as well.


    "Well, that least makes it clear who the enemy is. We just have to kick their asses, right?"


    "... Yumi, it''s not quite that simple, you know. We have no combat ability, no connections, and yet we are up against an organized group."


    "Doesn''t sound much different from before, just, now we have another objective outside of just surviving against them."


    "I wish I was as carefree as you..."


    I wasn''t carefree in the least. I was scared shitless. That sounded like an impossible game, the hardest difficulty on hardcore mode. Only one try. No way in this was carefree, but I agreed to help her, and in any case, they were after me already anyway. I could complain as much as I wanted, but that wouldn''t change the situation.


    I took my last fish and started eating, but stopped after taking a single bite.


    "Karen, is this the normal one?"


    "Huh? Uh, I think so."


    "It tastes only half as good as the monster fishes."


    "Yumi..."


    It seemed that monster meat was quite delicious for me. Not only did it save us from wasting good meat, but it was even good meat, from my perspective at least. Karen gave me a wry smile and started eating her last fish as well.


    We would continue the next day with this. But now, we should end this night.


    We finished eating up and extinguished the fire, save for one twig that should work as a torch. A single twig wouldn''t last long but the small cave in the rock wasn''t far either.


    When we arrived the flame went out by itself already, and with the dim moonlight we laid down. There wasn''t much space, but the warmth was quite comforting right now.


    "Yumi?"


    "Yes?"


    "May I... hold you while we sleep?"


    That was a surprising question, but Karen probably had a lot of emotions welling up right now.


    "Nn, please do."


    To be honest, I would like that comforting warmth right now as well.


    Karen wrapped her arms around me and we snuggled up to each other.


    "Good Night, Yumi."


    "Good Night, Sis."


    "Eh?"


    I felt my face becoming slightly red, so I buried it in her chest.


    "You really are, after all, sly and unfair."


    I felt her embrace tightening.


    Tonight was a very comfortable night and we slept deep and soundly, in this silent night, devoid of anything but us.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: A relaxing Bath

    Something warm and soft was enveloping me when I came to. I heard some birds chirping in the distance.


    The morning had come already. That was truly unfortunate. It seemed like Karen was still holding me in her arms as I could hear a quiet sleeper''s breath from close by. I looked around to see her lying on her back while I was on top of her, being held in her arms. I apparently had become her body pillow. Unfortunately, for that, she had dragged me on top of her in a way that I had entered a considerably weird position, one that also probably wasn''t the most healthy on my spine. I moved into a slightly more comfortable position and continued to enjoy Karen''s softness.


    I knew that, no matter how much I wished for it, we couldn''t stay like this for too long. Morning came and with it, the responsibilities of the day. Not like we had any real responsibilities.


    But for now, that didn''t matter. The only important thing was this warmth.  Much to my chagrin, Karen started stirring and moving.


    I lifted my head and stared into her sleepy eyes.


    "Good Morning, Karen."


    "Mmmmm...Good... Morning..."


    Closing her eyes again she went back to sleep. That was quite fine with me. A few minutes or so passed when Karen suddenly half opened her eyes again, staring at me sleepily.


    "What did you say just now?"


    Was she still asleep then? Must have been the case. It also wasn''t ''just now'', it was already a few minutes ago.


    "I said ''Good Morning, Karen.'' to you."


    "Mmmm..."


    After hearing my reply, her gaze went towards the admittedly low ceiling, most likely she was thinking about something.


    "Karen?"


    "That!"


    "What?"


    "The way you called me yesterday!"


    Oh, that was it? I did call her ''Sis'' yesterday before went to sleep. Did she dislike that? Or what was up with her?


    "Did you maybe dislike that I called you ''Sis'' yesterday? I''m sorry." I said with an apologetic tone.


    "Ahhh, don''t look so down, I beg you. That wasn''t what I wanted to say! I didn''t dislike it or anything!"


    I tilted my head to the side and thought about it. She didn''t dislike it? If so, then...


    "Do you want me to call you ''Sis'' again?"


    "Ah, well..."


    She was fidgeting around and her eyes went all over the place. Such an obvious reaction. It didn''t take her long to come to a decision though.


    "If... If you are fine with me, then..." she stuttered.


    Making a decision apparently didn''t equal to being able to say it, I thought.


    But really, how troublesome did she have to make this? She was so proactive most of the time but now she decided to become like a meek little girl that was trying to confess to her first love.


    "Okay, shut up for a moment," I declared.


    "Eh? Eh?"


    Tears were suddenly gathering in her eyes. I worded that in a bad way, didn''t I. I had to reflect on this.


    "Whether you want me to call you ''Sis'', your opinion doesn''t matter. I already decided to become your little sister anyway, so you will be ''Sis'' from now on, even if you don''t want it! The End!"


    Okay, now it should be fine, definitely! Little sisters have to be a bit cheeky after all.


    Karen''s eyes went wide again. I saw this reaction quite a lot since yesterday, but was I saying so many surprising things? I was, wasn''t I?


    A really big smile appeared on her face and she started to suddenly tighten her grip on me. She tightened it a real lot.


    "Is that so, is that so. So I got another little sister to take care of, hmm?"  with the big smile plastered on her face she embraced me tightly and rolled around, as much as space permitted, with me.


    At some point she completely left reality and entered her own little world, occasionally calling out to me and then giggling to herself. It was quite adorable to watch and I thought she deserved at least that much for a while, so I left her to do as she pleased. It made me quite happy, too.


    I came to this world just over a week ago, but I already had someone I could call family. It felt quite unbelievable, and I feared this happiness would leave my grasp if I were to look away for but a moment. I couldn''t allow that to happen, so I wrapped my arms around Karen and hugged her back with all my strength.


    "Yu, Yumi?" stuttered a surprised Karen.


    "What is up all of a sudden?"


    My sudden assertiveness was taken with a surprise.


    "Nothing, I just felt like holding you, so you don''t leave."


    "Is that so, is that so. Then we should keep holding each other, right?"


    She seemed a bit too clingy now, but surprisingly, I didn''t dislike it that much. I never had the experience of someone spoiling me this much.


    Alas, good things needed an end as well, so I poked her a few times to get her attention.


    "Ka-, Ah, I mean, Sis. We should get up."


    Had to get used to changing my way of calling her. I was sure I would get used to that fast, though. Even without cleaning up her face, that expression that seemed as if the world had ended, couldn''t be hidden in the slightest. I didn''t want to see it more than necessary.


    "Do we really have to get up...?" lamented Karen, refusing to let me escape from her embrace.


    "I don''t like it either, but we can''t lie here all day, Sis. So please let me go, Sis."


    Calling her ''Sis'' a few more times than really necessary worked surprisingly well. With an "I got no choice, huh..." she reluctantly let me go, upon which I crawled out of the small cave.


    The suns were shining brightly down on us and it was a lot warmer than the day before. It felt more like it was in the middle of summer today.


    Karen followed me out and stretched herself. A lot of dirt and dry mud fell down upon that, revealing some of her skin at places. That was it.


    The decision was made.


    Today, we shall bath!


    "So, Yumi, I understand that you want to take a bath, but can''t we do this after we ate breakfast?"


    "No, this is of great importance!"


    Standing with my feet in the water I told her a while ago about the great importance of being clean, which, of course, would include herself. The suns were being reflected in the surprisingly warm water. It must have warmed up quite a bit thanks to all the morning light.


    With a sigh, Karen finally resigned herself to her fate. I won! No matter how you looked at it, I won, didn''t I?


    "I understand, I understand, let us take a bath together."


    Karen approached me. A bad feeling crept up my back all of a sudden with those words. It felt like I forgot something really important, but I just couldn''t recall what.


    By the time Karen reached me it was too late anyway. And then she grabbed me, or rather, my robe.


    Oh right, that''s it, I forgot this part...


    "Off it goes!"


    With those cheerful words, I was stripped naked. Completely and entirely naked, down to my birthday suit. I actually didn''t really mind when Karen saw my important maiden parts by accident once in a while, but being stripped all of a sudden, that was quite the new experience for me. And an incredibly embarrassing one.


    "Wh, wh, wh, wh, what are you doing suddenly?" I screamed with all my might, crouching down and hugging my knees in an attempt to hide my body.


    "What, you say. Did you maybe want to bath with your clothes on? Oh, but we could do the laundry while we''re bathing."


    How could you be this dense, my dear sister? Who in their right mind would just approach a maiden and strip her down? You casually complained about me being an airhead but you were pulling quite the thing as well. Full with the intent to complain I faced upwards, only to be too stunned to react. There it was, the most important part, the part I shouldn''t have forgotten under any circumstances.


    "Yumi? Is something the matter?"


    Karen stopped in her tracks and looked down to me, who was still hugging her own knees. I saw something white. An adorable tummy was facing me. A similarly cute navel slightly moving about with every one of her moves. Karen, visibly confused why I stared at her stomach, decided there was no sense in continuing to hold up her shirt and took it off, revealing the rest of her upper body. Her modest breasts with the adorable tips were freed from the constraints of her clothing.


    "You know, it is quite rude to stare that much, Yumi. This is quite embarrassing."


    Karen held up her arms, hiding her breasts, looking quite shy. Realizing that I had been staring rudely I hurriedly averted my gaze.


    "I, uh, am sorry. It was just so sudden."


    I already expected Karen to be a considerable beautiful girl, but such a surprise attack was unfair. What would you do if I fell for you? I would have to make you take responsibility in that case.


    "It''s okay, you don''t have to worry about it yet, you still have plenty of time!"


    Plenty of time for what? I should rather stare during or after the bath, was it that? I might die of an overexcited heart first,  surely.


    Somehow, this didn''t seem right. Karen meant something else. But for now, I had other priorities.


    Returning to reality I faced Karen again, who was in the middle of taking off her skirt. This time I prepared myself, but it was still taking my breath. The skin below the clothes was white and unblemished. The softness unique to a young girl could be found in her, but her rough lifestyle was still displayed through her developed muscles.


    Karen, who finished taking off her clothes, approached me again.


    "Are you taking a bath huddled up like that?"


    Right, I was still crouching down and hiding my naked body. Embarrassing things were embarrassing, after all. But I had to collect my courage for this, for the sake of this cute girl in front of me, who already overcame the initial embarrassment of my stares and fully displayed herself. Which resulted in a certain thin line being directly in front of my face.


    Sending my last prayer to some unknown higher entity, I lost all strength and fell backwards into the water. It was still in a shallow part though, so it wasn''t dangerous.


    "Yu, Yumi?"


    Karen bent down and caught my shoulders, holding me in place.


    "Don''t scare me like that!"


    She was a bit angry judging from her tone.


    "I''m sorry."


    "Geez, come, sit up, I''ll help you wash your hair."


    "Nn."


    I figured it would make it only worse, were I to explain my feelings, so I took advantage of Karen''s obliviousness and faced away from her the moment she let go of my shoulders. My back was now facing her while I sat on the ground. The water went up to my thighs at this spot. If we were to go deeper we would have been in danger of being swept away by the currents.


    I felt something tugging my hair. Karen sat down behind me and started cleaning my hair, occasionally combing through it with her hands. My hair was really long and there was quite a bit of filth between the strands as well as plenty of tangles. I heard that prior to more modern times only a few people could afford to grow out their hair because it needed a lot of care. Sometime, it would probably become necessary to ask Karen or someone else about proper hair care. Maybe I could grow it even longer as well.  At least that was what I thought...


    "Yumi, what is up with your hair..."


    "What''s wrong?"


    Karen had stopped at some point combing and washing and instead was inspecting a strand of my hair. I turned around, trying not to look at Karen''s body, to see what she was doing. She held a thin strand of hair in her hands, slightly tugging at the ends.


    "Look at this."


    With those words, she grabbed the strand with both hands, each hand around 20cm apart.


    Sis, please don''t do what I think you are... Please, at the very least, if nothing else, spare my hair!


    Of course, she never heard these laments. And then, she pulled the strand apart with all her strength.


    "Ahhhh...!"


    "Ouch!"


    My desperate sigh was drowned out by Karen''s sudden cry of pain. Her right hand was bleeding in the palm, where the hair had dug in.


    "What''s up with this..."


    Karen muttered again, completely ignoring the wound. Just then I realized what she meant. The strand in her hand was completely fine, despite that she was pulling with all her strength. And Karen had a lot of strength. Additionally, the strand was so thin that even I was sure that I could break it. Instead, the only difference from before was a few drops of blood where it had cut Karen''s hand.


    "Sis, let me see your hand."


    "Please don''t try to dodge the issue."


    Despite that, she still showed me her hand. The cut wasn''t deep. It was a long, but clean, cut, so it probably wouldn''t leave a scar. I still wanted to make sure somehow. Someone once told me that saliva could be used to promote healing because it had components that aided healing and defended against infections.


    Lick!


    "Yumi?!?" Karen shouted my name in surprise.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Licking your wound?"


    "I can see that, that''s not what I mean!"


    "Saliva helps with healing. I don''t want it to leave a scar, so..."


    Realizing that I just meant well, Karen relaxed. I felt a soft sensation on my head. She was petting my head with her other hand.


    "So that''s it, thank you."


    The rubbing on my head was great. Being thanked with a head pat like this was new to me.


    This feeling, I might become addicted to it...


    After I got my share of pleasant head pats, we returned to the topic on hand, my hair. I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed my hair was quite resilient. Taking a strand I pulled at it with a bit of strength, taking care not to injure myself. But no matter what I did, I couldn''t break off apart. It was like steel wire.


    "I was already surprised when I saw how your hair looked completely healthy and glossy just after washing off the dirt, but to think it was this strong as well..."


    "I didn''t know either..."


    Maybe I wouldn''t have to worry about hair care after all.


    "Give me a moment, I want to try something."


    Leaving those words Karen got up and went to our belongings. Something black entered my sight. It was slightly twitching and had a cute inverted heart at the end with a silver tip.


    Let''s... Let''s just ignore this for now...


    Yes, there were other things to talk about now. It wasn''t the only thing that had been bothering me today anyway.


    Moments later Karen returned with a knife in her hand.


    "Let''s try if we can cut it."


    She held up a strand in her hand again, then formed a small sling so she could put the knife in. It was at the end of my hair, so even if she were to cut through, I wouldn''t lose much of my hair. Frankly, I was still feeling a bit reluctant, who knows after all how long it would take to regrow that.


    Karen put the knife in the sling and attempted to cut it. It was strained to the maximum possible and didn''t seem like it would give in any time soon. It wasn''t that the knife was bad, apparently, it was one she took from the demonkin country and was surprisingly high-quality despite looking quite plain. She told me later that the one she gave me, originally belonged to her little sister.


    She relaxed her arm for a moment and inspected the part she tried to cut.


    "Mmm... I think I might be able to do this." she murmured.


    "Let me try again."


    Another attempt was made. At some point, I heard a small ripping sound, and with a huge jerk, the knife went through and cut the strand.


    Looking at the loose hair in her hand, Karen seemed to quite impressed.


    "Really, how resilient is your hair. If you were to weave this, it must be on the level of high-quality chainmail, or maybe even better."


    "Is it really that strong?" I asked with some doubts left.


    "Yumi, even if I say so myself, I''m quite strong, you know? And this knife is quite sharp. It still took me quite a lot just to... Yumi, what''s wrong?"


    A weird feeling assaulted me, it wasn''t quite something I felt in my body. As if it was a slight distance away.


    "Something feels weird," I told her. "Really weird, as if it''s not in my body..."


    "Not in your body? But that''s... Wait, Yumi, your hair, look!"


    I followed her line of sight and saw the strand that was cut. Somehow, it was twitching and then all of a sudden it grew longer at a slow pace. Astonishingly, it grew from the very tip and not from where it should actually grow, namely my scalp. I also could somehow feel how it grew.


    It barely took a minute and the cut strand was completely back to its original length.


    "Incredible, the hair just regrew. Did your body count it as a wound and healed it?"


    "I think that may be the case, but... Why did it grow from the tip? It''s as if this isn''t hair but a kind of body part or limb..."


    "You aren''t possibly able to move your hair, are you?"


    "I don''t think so, but I never tried either."


    I closed my eyes and concentrated on my hair, trying to get back the feeling I just had when it regenerated. Alas, it was already gone and I couldn''t get the feel for it back.


    "Sis, could you cut it again? Maybe a slightly longer part this time."


    "Are you sure? Maybe it won''t regrow again?"


    "Please do, I''m sure it will grow back again!"


    Karen humoured my request and cut another strand of hair, this time, one, that was a lot longer than before. It took her a few minutes again but eventually, she cut it.


    I prepared myself and concentrated on my hair.


    This time, the weird feeling came to me a lot faster and stronger, but it was still hard to grasp. As if I had my hand inserted into a gigantic cube of jelly even though I was trying to push the cube itself.


    And then the feeling disappeared again. Maybe I couldn''t grasp the feeling because it was only a single strand?


    "Sis, try cut a strand as thick as you can, I feel like I''m really close to something!"


    "Don''t you dare regret this, okay?"


    "It''ll be fine!"


    A sigh escaped her mouth and she took up the knife again. The strand she grabbed this time was significantly thicker, to the point I wanted to ask if she was sure if that would work.


    "Won''t your knife chip with a strand that thick?"


    "No worries about that, the knife is from a magical metal, even if a dragon were to step on it, it wouldn''t break."


    That was really sturdy. I wondered what the story behind those knives was.


    "Here we go."


    And with that, Karen began cutting it again. This time she used all her strength and the tugging felt quite uncomfortable, but it must have been really consuming her strength. I kept watching her, I couldn''t keep track of how long it took, but she eventually succeeded in cutting it.


    I hurriedly closed my eyes and concentrated. I couldn''t let this chance go now, could I? Barely a second after I closed my eyes the feeling returned, much stronger and clearer than before. There were more parts to my body than just what my human appearance would suggest. Like scales falling off my eyes, I grasped the part that was my hair. I was sure I wouldn''t lose this feeling again, this time.


    But that came with a different problem now. Even if I was aware of my body part, I didn''t quite know how to ''move'' it, if it was possible at all. For now, let''s try ''''pushing'' it as I did with my mana.


    "Woah, Yumi, whatever you are doing stop, quickly!"


    Karen''s panicked voice reached my ears and I stopped ''pushing'' my hair.


    Opening my eyes I checked whatever got Karen so surprised, only to be stunned by the sight.


    I did consider growing my hair out, but this was a bit beyond my expectations. Someone up there must have gotten the kicks out of it, taking my wishes and granting them to me in quite a roundabout fashion.


    As you might have guessed, my hair grew longer, by quite a lot from the looks of it.


    I stood up to see how long exactly, but the ends of my hair were now still floating in the water. Notably, the water reached just above my ankles. From the looks of it, it was most likely that the tips would still reach the ground when I stood on the ground, but the sandals were probably enough to prevent it from doing that directly. It would still strafe over grass and other things like this, though.


    "I wanted to move my hair, but I seem to have caused it to grow instead."


    "That''s not quite funny, Yumi. We''re lucky it stopped there and didn''t become even longer. Imagine it had become so long that it would drag on the ground. Also, it would become really heavy and hard to move then, wouldn''t it? And it would grow back every time you cut it."


    "It actually doesn''t feel heavy at all, but I don''t want people to step on my hair either..."


    "That would be troublesome for you, yes. Well, we can''t do anything about it anymore now... It looks cute on you, so I guess it is fine... is it?"


    Seemed Karen wasn''t quite sure what to think of it. Maybe I could retract it like I could grow it out. I tried concentrating on my hair and instead pushing I tried pulling it in this time. Unfortunately, it didn''t grow shorter, but it started twitching instead.


    "This honestly looks horrifying, Yumi. Please stop making it twitch!"


    "Bear with me for a moment, maybe I can get it to move like this!"


    Pulling it in seemed to somehow cause it to twitch. Working around that feeling I tried to move it in different directions but it was like swimming through mud, hard and sluggish. It was similar to how I moved the tentacles that my arms transformed into but a lot less smooth like I was moving a sluggish mass of something through the cube of jelly.


    "I got the feeling necessary to move it, but it feels sluggish and hard to move, not really something I can move freely."


    "Isn''t that because, you know, your hair is wet and heavy from the water?" suggested Karen.


    "Oh..."


    That completely escaped me.


    "But really, to grasp something that vague so quickly, I can''t imagine it at all. Is that the difference in thinking between a monster and a humanoid?"


    "Uh,... but I was originally a human before?"


    "Eh? No way."


    "Eh?"


    I forgot to tell her about that, didn''t I. Actually I planned to tell her later, we just got sidetracked once again.


    "Uh, let''s talk about me later, okay? There''s plenty of things I have to tell you in regards to that."


    Karen paused for a moment, probably wondering whether she should push the issue or wait.


    "I understand, but I expect that you tell me every little detail later, okay?"


    "... Nn, I''ll tell you."


    That meant I had to tell her about the other world and that I was a man as well, right? But that was fine.


    "For now, let us just continue bathing."


    "Nn."


    Some minutes later, my situation had become dangerous. At some point, Karen had the sudden idea to not just my hair but my entire body. That was fine if it was about my back, but the front was something I wanted to wash myself. In the end, I only managed to postpone it by saying that until she cleaned up herself, it would only stay dirty.


    She reluctantly agreed with me on that point and then decided, that I should wash her instead. I achieved that I only had to wash her hair and back, but then, I was left with a small problem.


    It was currently twitching right in front of me, a small black something with an inverted heart at the end and a silver tip. One end was moving about freely while the other end disappeared into the white back in front of me.


    A goddamn tail... Karen... had a tail...


    "Yumi, is something the matter?"


    "No, everything is fine..."


    I had to face reality. No matter what I did, this tail wasn''t disappearing. With a deep breath, I braced myself.


    "Hyah!?"


    Curiosity won and I caught the tip.


    "Y, Yumi! Stop that! Hya!"


    I rubbed the tip between my hands, upon which Karen let out cute shrieks and started squirming. In fiction it was often said that tails are sensitive, to think it was true.


    I was playing with it for a minute when all of a sudden and with a lot of force Karen turned around and caught my arms. She was busy cleaning her front while I was doing the back, so her face was freed from all the dirt and the white skin was once again showing its beauty to the world. Together with her now cleaned up, silver hair, that seemed to faintly glow, it was a sight for sore eyes. That was my first thought, my second thought was that I had screwed up. Precisely that cute face was now wearing an angry expression. It may have been hidden by a smile, but there was no room left for doubt.


    I was screwed.


    "I wonder what you were doing, Yumi?"


    "Uhm,... I just saw a cute tail and I... couldn''t help it?"


    "So you couldn''t help playing with someone''s delicate parts, could you? I guess you need to know how that feels, don''t you."


    "Eh?"


    While I was still stupefied, Karen pushed me back and I fell on my butt into the water. The next moment Karen was above me, holding my arms to the ground. Due to the water the ground was considerably soft and now my arms dug into it while half of my head was submerged into the water.


    "Sis... I''m sorry, so... could you let me off?"


    "I refuse! It is time for payback!"


    A smile as bright as the sun adorned her face. Maybe I should think of what I should do better in my next life since I would depart soon.


    Karen shifted her body position a bit, her knee between my legs. Then she lowered her head, to a spot below my head.


    Lick!


    "Hii!"


    A weird sensation shot through my spine when Karen licked my collarbone. But without waiting for my shock to fade, she continued licking, slowly moving downward. Reaching my chest she licked around at various spots but purposefully evading the centre. In the meantime her knee had reached my lower parts, grinding into my privates.


    My body became hot and I started squirming under her grasp. An unknown feeling was building up in the area around my stomach.


    "Oh, you are quite lewd, aren''t you, rubbing yourself that strongly against my knee."


    "Huh...?"


    I looked down and realized, it wasn''t Karen who was grinding her knee into my lower body but I was rubbing myself on her knee. I didn''t have time to wonder about that, though, as Karen suddenly bit the tip of my breasts. An overwhelming feeling rushed through me and I lost all strength in my limbs.


    With my eyes wavering, I searched for Karen in my field of vision. She was seemingly satisfied with my punishment and wanted to let me go now.


    Don''t...


    My freed arms were stretching towards Karen.


    "Yumi?"


    Karen''s reaction showed her confusion, she didn''t know what I attempted to do.


    "Take responsibility..." I whispered, then I held her head between my hands and pulled her to me, stealing her lips.


    Around 10 minutes later, there was an awkward silence between us. Both of us, having realized what each of us had done respectively, were sitting a few meters apart in the water, washing our clothes.


    I didn''t have much to wash outside of the shirt and my robe. The shirt was already falling apart so it required a bit of extra care so that I wouldn''t accidentally rip it apart completely, but I was still done a lot faster than Karen, who needed to wash each piece intensively due to all the dirt.


    "Yumi," she suddenly called out to me which caused me to stiffen in response.


    "Let us just forget what happened, okay?"


    I glanced towards her. Seeing her red face I already knew, that was impossible. She was my big sister, that''s what I said, and I still firmly believed in that. I didn''t know whether I held romantic love towards her, but if you asked whether I was attracted to her, then I would have had to answer with a firm yes.


    "I can''t." Thus I answered.


    "Of course, you can''t, can you..."


    Karen probably expected that answer.


    "Still, I am sorry... I don''t know what came over me, either..." Thus she apologised.


    "It''s okay. But Karen... Uh, what was up with your tail...?"


    I had to know. I couldn''t leave this question unanswered, especially since it was at the root of the problem.


    "Wait, Yumi. You did that without knowing?"


    "Yes, I was just satisfying my curiosity."


    Karen went beet red, hugged her head and crouched down, making herself as small as she could.


    "Yumi... A demonkins'' tail is well..."


    The ball of Karen was stuttering while trying to explain it to me.


    "It is a place to, well, feel good, like your privates. And you only let, uhm... a lo, a lover touch it."


    So, it was an erogenous zone. I did a really bad thing, didn''t I. That probably was as if I had touched her privates and played with them. Yeah, that was bad. No wonder she did kind of assault me as payback.


    "Sis, I''m sorry. Really. I''m sorry."


    I apologised with all my heart.


    "It is okay already, yes, it is. We both had our misunderstandings, didn''t we?"


    "Yes,... we did."


    "So let us just forget it."


    "Impossible."


    "So it was impossible after all..."


    Karen was taking it quite badly. I folded my robe and the shirt, put them next to my other belongings, and then walked towards Karen, who was still sitting in the river washing her remaining clothes. Before she could react I sat down behind her and hugged her.


    "Hya, Yumi? Wh, what is it now? Why did you suddenly hug me?"


    "Karen, could you... listen to a little story of mine."


    I had to tell her, we couldn''t allow more misunderstandings to happen like just now.


    "Yumi, you are oddly serious, what is wrong?"


    "Karen, I want you to know about what happened to me and who I am."


    "Yumi, could we at least wait until we are wearing something again?!"


    I ignored the panicking Karen and started to tell her everything. Everything about the other world, about how I changed, about my experiences until we met, about what I knew of the kind of monster I was, everything I could remember.


    The warmth of her body was oddly comforting to me while she silently listened.


    For the sake of our rapidly changing relationship, so that we both might find a ground that we agreed on, I revealed it all to the only family I still had.


    Rinne


    Incidentally, saliva contains components that may promote healing and defend against infections, but it can also cause infections itself.


    Please do take care not to lick the wound of someone with a compromised immune system.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Preparations and an Egg

    "Okay, let me get this right, you are from a different world, you got into some kind of accident that should have killed you, but instead you transformed into a tentacle monster, changed your gender, were chased and teleported into this world upon which you lost part of your memories. Did I get this right?"


    "That''s more or less correct."


    "And despite that, you nonchalantly sit here, without a single care in the world, trying to... actually what are you trying to do?"


    "I''m trying to catch fish."


    "It looks to me like you are doing a weird dance..."


    Rude, I was genuinely trying to catch our breakfast.


    Telling her everything took quite a while, so, albeit reluctantly, we decided to carry on with what we were doing, namely Karen resumed washing her remaining clothes while I attempted to catch a fish or two. Continuing from yesterday my current count of caught fish hadn''t exceeded zero yet.


    Sometime after, Karen finished washing her clothes while I was exhausted from thrusting the spear at fishes. I didn''t think I was particularly clumsy but my lacking strength and the bad vision certainly didn''t help in being successful. Since the light was broken upon hitting the water surface, you couldn''t aim straight at the fish. It took quite some time until I remembered this particular problem, but even afterwards I was still gloriously failing, albeit not as bad as before. I succeeded in strafing some fishes a few times, but following that, most fishes dispersed around me and now I was additionally completely lacking targets.


    "Yumi, sit down and rest a bit, I will continue for you. You can make preparations for the fire. You can also dry up at the fire then, you will catch a cold like that."


    "Uhh... I wanted to at least catch one fish."


    "With some practice, I am sure you will someday."


    Not ''sometime'', but ''someday''. That meant not today. So Karen did not believe that I would catch even one fish today. This girl could be quite mean with her sudden side jabs.


    Going back to our belongings I searched the surroundings and collected a few twigs and branches for a new campfire. We kind of abandoned the old one. When we confirmed its state earlier the remains of a certain fishy bloodbath were already being scavenged by various animals, making it a really gruesome sight. Therefore we decided to relocate further upstream. That brought us a bit closer to the forest but so far everything was still fine as we hadn''t seen any monster, excluding the caught fish.


    I felt how my hair was slightly dragging behind me due to the new length, so I went back and put on my sandals. The sole wasn''t really thick, but the one centimetre of extra height was just enough to make it significantly less annoying. After around ten minutes I had piled up enough twigs for a small campfire. I glanced towards Karen to see that she had already caught around 4 or 5 fish. How unfair the world was.


    Karen, who noticed my glance, paused for a moment and turned around to face me.


    "If you have time to scowl at me then you also have time to make a fire or sort out the fishes."


    "Did you already forget what happened yesterday when I tried to use the fire stone?"


    "No, I didn''t. But you have to learn to use element stones or it will become a problem in the long run."


    Why are you so good with arguments, is that your big sister power at work?


    Speaking of which, Karen now knew about my actual age and my previous gender, but she hadn''t said anything to that.


    "Hey, Sis."


    "What is up, Yumi?"


    "I told you my story but your reaction felt quite weak, especially about who I was previously."


    "Mmmm, rather than weak, it doesn''t really feel real? Especially that you weren''t a girl? No matter how I look at you, you don''t seem like someone who just got turned into a girl. Or that you were human before as well. You said you basically met me on the same day you came here, right? For someone who got scammed out of her few belongings, completely changed in race and gender and additionally got thrown into an unknown world, you were incredibly calm and laid-back?"


    Now that she said that, most people would probably panic, or have at the very least various problems with their new body. Truthfully, I didn''t have much time to worry about all these things, in the beginning, my more immediate desires like hunger were more important. Relieving myself and looking at my own body were, in fact, the only things that bothered me so far and I got used to the former quite quickly in the end.


    "There is also one thing that has been on my mind when I heard your story..."


    "On your mind? What is?"


    "Your language."


    "My language?"


    I frowned. What did my language have anything to do with this?


    "What language are you speaking right now?"


    "What language you say, of course, I''m speaking..."


    Huh? What language am I speaking?


    I was sure I was speaking a language from Earth, but I didn''t know its name anymore. And why would Karen understand this language in the first place?


    "You noticed, right? You are speaking Akkian, the native language of the Akkian Empire. And I don''t think your missing memories could cause you to speak a completely new language, right? It could be the cause of you forgetting your original language or their names, but not this."


    I was shocked. Why could I speak this language? It should be impossible.


    Wait, in fiction, the protagonists always get some kind of ability to translate the language, right? Maybe it''s that!


    Karen frowned upon hearing my idea. She didn''t really think that was the case, most likely.


    "Mmm, I got an idea. It can''t really prove that you somehow acquired that kind of ability for just Akkian though."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It is simple. ** ******* ****** ******* **** ** *** *** *** **** ********* ****** ** ** ****"


    Suddenly, Karen said some weird gibberish, that made no sense to me. For some reason though, Karen had an oddly serious look in her eyes. It probably had meant something important, I was sure of it.


    "Sis, what did you say?"


    "That is a secret. Until you learn the language, I won''t tell you," she replied with a meaningful smile. Now I wanted to know even more.


    "Which language was it, I will learn it immediately."


    "It is the official language of my home country. Good luck, I will root for you, but you have to do it yourself."


    So she wouldn''t teach me. But I wouldn''t give up so easily!


    "In any case, as you can see, you only understand Akkian and no other languages."


    "But how does that work..."


    "I don''t know either. I am no scholar, you would probably have to find someone with knowledge about these things."


    For not being a scholar, Karen knew an awful lot. She probably had quite the education before she was exiled. That, or she gathered all this knowledge over the years, but I couldn''t imagine that you could find this kind of knowledge in the slums.


    "But are there even people who would know something like that?"


    "I don''t know. Your best bet would be the temples, I guess?"


    "The temples?"


    "Ah, right, you don''t know about religion either. I won''t go into detail now, but it is the official religion of this country. It is practised in a number of countries, pretty much every country surrounding us except my home country. Part of their scriptures contains legends about heroes from long ago that were sent from the gods down to our world. Maybe those heroes were in a similar situation to yours? But most likely it is just gibberish to placate the citizens."


    "You are surprisingly negative towards those people."


    "I grew up among magic worshippers who exiled me into a different country. And that country''s religion basically only bothers about the citizens inside the city, despite claiming that their gods watch over everyone, even non-believers, and help all those who need their aid. Growing up like that makes you lose any faith whatsoever. Sorry, but I don''t want to talk about that anymore, l don''t have the best experiences with their believers."


    "Nn, sorry."


    "No need to apologise, I just... need to calm down a bit."


    Karen was visibly irritated. I wondered what they had done to her that she hated them this much. She turned back to the river and resumed with her fishing again. She probably needed to vent a bit.


    "In any case, you are a huge mystery from my point of view, but honestly, that doesn''t really matter."


    "It doesn''t matter?"


    "You are here now, aren''t you? Whether you were someone else or not, it doesn''t really matter for us in the present, right?"


    "Why are you always so convincing with everything?"


    "I am a big sister, if I can''t do at least this much, I would have no right to call myself that."


    So I was disqualified to be a big sister by default already.


    "Ah, there is one thing that worries me actually..."


    Muttered Karen, glancing towards me for a moment. She just caught a fish and the poor animal was still twitching on the tip of the spear. It wasn''t a pleasant sight.


    "Yumi... you were actually older than me, right..."


    Of course, we couldn''t just ignore this particular part.


    "Nn, I am..."


    "It is a bit weird to have a little sister that is older than me but..."


    She stared at me intensely. We were still running around without clothes so being scrutinised this much was quite embarrassing.


    "Yeah, no matter what, I just can''t see you as someone older, so I guess it is fine as is?"


    "That''s quite rude..."


    But it was true. Though I was sure that most people my age would pale in comparison with Karen. After all, she really gave you this capable big sister feel and even if she was clumsy at something she learned it incredibly quickly. It made me a bit depressed since I was the exact opposite.


    "Well, that was honestly what bothered me the most. So,... the rest doesn''t really matter? Yeah, it is fine as is."


    Karen just caught her tenth fish and put it on the pile next to her.


    "This should be enough for now, right?"


    "Nn, probably."


    "Why are you playing hooky anyway, go and sort them and then light the fire."


    My attempt at escaping the fire lighting failed spectacularly. Karen wouldn''t let me off so easily.


    Resigning myself to the immediate future, I started sorting the pile. Ultimately, of the ten fish corpses, six were once monsters. Karen then started preparing them while I had to face my mortal enemy, the fire stone.


    "It won''t explode, will it?"


    "I am sure you can do it."


    "It won''t burn me, will it?"


    "I am sure it won''t."


    "It won''t-"


    "Shut up and do it!"


    Made her angry. But it didn''t explode into your face, did it? Everyone would have been worrying about it, surely.


    I first thought that I should maybe pray for it to work but then I remembered that my last prayers all ended only in problems.


    Holding the fire stone close to the pile of wood, I concentrated on putting in the mana. Very slowly and very carefully. After a while, I could feel it getting warmer and eventually, a small flame appeared on the opposite side of where I ''inserted'' the mana. Carefully leading the magical lighter to the twigs I successfully ignited the campfire.


    "Sis! I did it!" I turned around and said smugly.


    Karen looked up from her current bloody work and scrutinized the campfire.


    "It''s burning, yes, but with that small fire, it will take forever until the flame grows big enough. Actually, won''t it just be extinguished when the wind blows?"


    Cold water was poured over smug me. I faced the fire again, realizing I had to do it again. No matter what, the flame was only the size of an adult''s finger''s tip and it was very slowly creeping along the ignited twig.


    I had no choice but to do it again. Therefore, I copied what I did previously and put a just bit more mana into the stone until I got a flame that was good enough. It was honestly still a bit scary, but it became slightly fun, igniting things. I had to take care not to turn into some kind of pyromaniac.


    In the meantime, Karen had finished up and brought the fishes. Then, she pierced a fish on each of the four spears respectively and pressed their other ends into the ground, so that the fishes were above the flame. Now, all we had to do, was to wait.


    "We should talk about what we are going to do now."  proposed Karen.


    "First of all, we need information and equipment."


    "I don''t know anyone except you nor do I know much about this world in the first place, so I can''t really help with information. And with equipment, I don''t think there''s much I can do either."


    "No, Yumi, there is something you might be able to do."


    Karen glanced towards me, or rather, towards my hair. I could already see where this was going to end up at.


    "I don''t really know what to feel about you trying to make my hair into equipment."


    "If you have any other options I am willing to listen to them."


    Of course, I didn''t. I just didn''t want to possibly become a material farm. What should I feel when Karen would try to harvest my hair. It would be a complicated feeling, that was for sure.


    "I don''t, it''s just... complicated. Also, what are you specifically planning with it anyway?"


    "I know a seamstress in the slums. She originally worked for a noble but she apparently gained his ire so she is hiding out in the slums. She somehow survives by exchanging clothes for food, I am sure we could get her to make something for us. We can just use a fish as payment. Most people living here would never be able to have the chance, so I am sure she will accept."


    "So, you want her to make our clothes?"


    "Clothes and a few other things we may need. Since we have the material and payment we should make use of it as much as possible."


    That was a great thing but I would prefer that you didn''t call my hair a material. It kind of annoyed me, so I stood up and sat down in Karen''s lap. Surprisingly she was quite calm and just put her arms around me. This time, I lost, didn''t I...


    "Things like pouches, or a bag?"


    "Yes, depending on how much of your hair we can prepare we could have her make plenty of things. The only problem is, your hair colour really stands out, so we need to use something to dye it. Coal should probably work fine for short-term at least."


    "Didn''t you say coal didn''t work for dying your hair?"


    "Because my body absorbs it within a few seconds. I never quite understood why though, until you explained to me the relationship between coal and diamonds."


    A comfortable and warm feeling appeared on my head. My head was being rubbed by Karen. I leaned back to enjoy her warmth some more, indicating I wanted to be spoiled. Who cared whether it was a loss or not, I won regardless.


    "Then coal should work fine. But there''s still one problem."


    "Problem?"


    "Nn. I don''t think I can regenerate my hair endlessly, it would be better to find out how much I can deal with."


    "Yeah, it wouldn''t be good if you suddenly collapsed when we are in the slums. Want to try now?"


    "We can do that after breakfast. We should for now think of what we need her to make and what other things we can do."


    "Other things we can do, right... Did you find anything in regards to the mana crystals you absorbed yesterday?"


    "No, not really. But when I was trying to move my hair I noticed something. My mana crystal is taking in nearly all the mana in my body as well as the mana in the surroundings, so it probably completely absorbed the mana from the crystals."


    "So, your mana crystal is basically the cause of you having nearly no mana capacity? Because it just absorbs all your mana in your body?"


    "Nn, I believe that is the case, so unless I find a way to stop it from taking all my mana, I probably won''t be able to utilize any mana in my body."


    "Can''t you use the mana from your mana crystal?"


    "I probably could but... I don''t know what might happen then. If the crystal has insufficient mana I will probably die and I don''t know what happens with the absorbed mana. I at least get the feeling that I shouldn''t try that. Just the thought is scary anyway."


    "So it is like that... but is that not rather bad? You need mana for various things like transforming as well, don''t you?"


    "Nn, but I had an idea in regards to that. Did you take out the crystals from the fishes already?"


    "Yes, here you go."


    The head pats stopped regrettably and I was handed six small brown stones.


    I took the crystals and the fire stone that was lying nearby. Putting five of the mana crystals to the side I held the remaining one in my right hand and the fire stone in my left. Then I concentrated on the mana crystal, trying to grasp the mana contained within.


    Unexpectedly, I succeeded nearly immediately and successfully pulled the mana into my body. The mana crystal in my hand suddenly lost it''s glossy shine and broke apart. Ignoring Karen''s surprised gasp, I then tried to move the mana from inside my body to the fire stone, without letting it be absorbed by my own crystal. Carefully pushing the mana into the stone, a small flame appeared on the tip. I increased the strength and the flame became quite big, then I let it burn for around a minute until the mana was exhausted.


    "It worked!"


    "What did you do?"


    "I pulled the mana from the mana crystal and used it to power the fire stone!"


    "Could you repeat that... I think I didn''t hear right... you used the mana from the crystal and used it on the fire stone? Just like that?"


    "Nn, exactly."


    "You really ignore whatever is common sense, don''t you. Well, you are a monster so it probably isn''t surprising."


    Right, people were unable to deal with natural mana in their body at large quantities, but I had no problems with that.


    You can praise me more, you know!


    My thoughts must have reached Karen since she patted my head again. That alone made the effort worth it. But I still had another idea. I put the fire stone away and took a crystal in each of my hands respectively. Then I pulled the mana from one crystal and pushed it into the other one. The result was, to say the least, astonishing. The crystal with more mana grew slightly in size and the colour got darker as well.


    "I am not going to be surprised now, but did you just transfer the mana from one crystal into the other?" asked Karen with an impressed voice.


    "Nn, it worked well, didn''t it?"


    I took the remaining mana crystals and filled the bigger one with their mana. When I was done I had a crystal half the size of my fist in my hand, that had a significantly darker colour than before.


    "I honestly don''t know much about mana crystals, but isn''t this rather impressive? You can make higher grade mana crystals without hunting powerful monsters..."


    "Nn, and I can use it as a battery, and that is probably right now more important. My regeneration probably uses mana as well so if I can feed it with mana we should be able to get quite a lot."


    "What is a battery?"


    Ah, the wonders of modern civilisation, they weren''t known here, were they.


    "It''s basically something that stores energy for later use."


    "Hmm,... Well, it is great that we found a way to deal with your low mana capacity."


    "Nn!"


    I pushed my head up against Karen''s hand that was still resting on my head, and she resumed rubbing it. That reminded me, what would happen if I were to use my own mana and push some of it into the crystal? I couldn''t use a lot but I got the feeling something would surely happen.


    I immediately put it to work, held up the mana crystal and carefully pushed some of my own mana into it.


    At first, nothing happened, but after I put around a third of my total mana into it, it changed rapidly. The crystal grew to around the size of my fist, became oval shaped and pink coloured, the same colour as my hair.


    "What did you do now..."


    "I tried pushing my own mana into it but this..."


    It was oval, pink and had the size of a child''s fist, with a lot of mysterious decorations and patterns in the colouring. No matter how you sliced it, it looked like an overly fancy Easter egg.


    Apparently, I wasn''t the only one that thought this was an egg.


    "Scrambled or sunny side up?"


    Please do not eat my egg!


    We postponed the issue with the mana egg and first ate our breakfast. Karen complained that it was hard to eat while I was sitting in her lap but she made no attempts to get me to leave. Once we finished eating we checked whether our clothes were still wet. They were still slightly damp but it wouldn''t take much longer until they were dry.


    We decided to use the remaining time to test the limits of my hair regeneration while I would investigate the pink egg.


    Now, my back was facing Karen who had a small mountain of my hair next to her. I felt like a sheep getting sheared.


    The regeneration required mana to use but the amount was so small that it would probably take around an hour before I would run out. Considering that my initial capacity was barely existent already, that just spoke of how efficient it was.


    "Yeah, I don''t think we need to continue, it is still hard to cut but at this rate, it will never end," complained Karen.


    Having her cut my hair so many times gave me a really good grasp on how to manipulate the mana within. I should later practice moving my hair, but for now, the weird egg was more important.


    "Sis, I finished inspecting this... egg."


    "So? Is it going to hatch?"


    "No... I don''t think it is going to hatch, I''m sorry, Sis."


    Did she want it to hatch that much? I wasn''t a bird, you know.


    "It''s not really an egg anyway. It''s a mana crystal, the same as before. The flow of mana is slightly weird and it interestingly absorbs mana from the surroundings, just like a live mana crystal would do. I couldn''t figure out anything else."


    "It absorbs mana by itself... maybe something will happen if it absorbs enough?"


    "I don''t know, but for now, it still works like a battery. A pretty good one since it just recharges by itself."


    "It doesn''t help us right now though, but I believe it is good we won''t have to worry about your mana too much for now."


    Without magic or any interesting magic abilities I wouldn''t be able to utilize it much, Karen was right with that. But if I ever got into a position where I could learn magic or if I learned some new abilities, it would surely come in handy.


    "Well, we can at least deposit as much mana as possible for future use for now?"


    "Better than nothing is it. But we should keep it a secret. If people figure out you can fuse mana crystals, being a guinea pig for monster research is the least of your problems."


    Becoming a guinea pig wasn''t something I wanted either, though.


    I stood up and stretched. Sitting for so long made me feel stiff. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the amount of hair that Karen had cut off. It was quite a small mountain.


    "How are we even going to transport that?"


    "We can take a number of strands and twirl them into something rope-like. Then we can carry them below the robes. If we need more we should cut some of your hair there. If we had a big enough bag it would be easier though."


    "Nn... Can''t we remodel your skirt into a bag? You''ll be wearing the robe anyway."


    "Yumi... I don''t have any exhibitionistic tendencies so I would prefer if I can avoid that."


    So I was an exhibitionist. I would remember this for sure.


    "But it will be really troublesome if we accidentally lose some on the way, right?"


    "Uh... That''s right, isn''t it."


    Watching Karen''s internal conflict I collected my clothes and, after confirming they were reasonably dry, put them on.


    "See, nobody can see anything with the robe."


    And that was enough of a push for Karen to accept my suggestion, albeit still reluctantly.


    Twenty minutes later we had collected everything, Karen had dressed herself, rolled the hair up in the skirt and made sure nothing stuck out. The provisional bag looked a bit like a long sausage, but it was at least easy to carry. For Karen, of course.


    "Then, let us go."


    "Nn!"


    Rinne


    I''m sorry this has become so slow-paced and detailed, it just happened somehow.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Dress-up doll

    It was high noon by the time we arrived at the slums once again.


    We decided not to take any detours by going to the hut we lived in, but instead to go straight to Karen''s acquaintance, the seamstress. Once we entered the slums, Karen chose a rather confusing path to reach our destination, apparently to make sure that the riffraff wouldn''t follow us.


    "This bag is drawing quite the attention, it is obvious we are carrying something that may be of interest or value, so it is better we don''t allow them to follow us in the first place," explained Karen when I wondered about that.


    That, unfortunately, meant I was completely lost after a few turns as well, which worried me a bit since losing Karen would be fatal for me right now.


    But after around half an hour we arrived at a run-down house, that clearly looked abandoned, without me being lost. Karen walked straight towards the building and knocked on the door, three times. I peeked at the door from behind her but nothing was happening.


    "Is nobody home?" I asked Karen.


    "I don''t think so. She always takes forever to open the door."


    Karen knocked again three times on the door and we resumed waiting. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened just wide enough to peek through the resulting gap.


    "Who are you?"


    It was a husky voice asking us for our identity. Karen seemingly recognized that voice and slightly lifted the hood of her robe.


    "It is Karen, we have come for business."


    The eye that peeked through the gap stared intensely at Karen''s face.


    "If you try to mess with me, please leave immediately."


    And the door closed, not opening again.


    I looked at Karen''s face to see her dumbfounded expression. She didn''t expect that either.


    "Eh? Wait a second? Wanda? It''s me?" shouted a panicking Karen.


    "Go away, that girl would never run around cleaned up with a blooming smile like a young girl in love."


    She totally knows it''s Karen already, doesn''t she...


    Unfortunately for Karen, she was completely oblivious to that.


    "Yumi... do I look that much different...?"


    Karen turned to me, asking with a depressed voice.


    "Well, if I had to choose between you barely look different and you look quite different then it would be quite different. Nn, really different, to the better."


    "Aaaaa..."


    Karen, having realized for the first time that mud and dirt was not the best make-up for any girl, fell down to her knees, leaning on the door. With perfect timing said door opened and Karen fell forward on the floor. She was still carrying the bag in front of her chest and after she fell onto it, her posterior assumed an elevated position.


    "Stop showing your ass to the world and come in. You too, kid."


    The woman that appeared from inside was a middle-aged woman, slightly past her prime, with short dark hair and a powerful look in her eyes. Her entire atmosphere reminded you of those stern teachers or housekeepers that were never smiling and always going on about work.


    The only things she was missing, were the glasses and appropriate clothes.


    Karen, realizing she was being played, jumped up, checked that her robe was still in a position that hid her butt and followed the woman into the house. I followed slightly behind Karen.


    "Wanda, it is not nice to bully others. Couldn''t you have let us in normally," she complained exasperated.


    "Hmph, for a mud girl like you to just come and appear cleaned up, who wouldn''t get suspicious on that."


    So there actually were people calling her a mud girl after all. The woman, Wanda, closed the door behind us and led us into what was apparently a kind of living room. Inside the room was a table with a few chairs around it, one being considerably higher than the others.


    "Kid, you can climb on that yourself, can you?"


    Wanda was looking in my direction. She obviously spoke those words to me, didn''t she?


    "Uh... Nn... I can."


    I felt like complaining but I couldn''t go against that oppressive stare that did not allow any opposition. Slightly bewildered I climbed onto the chair, while Karen sat down next to me with quite the grin.


    This is obviously a chair for children... why does this house have a chair for children...


    After confirming that I sat down Wanda went to the kitchen and brought wooden cups with some water. The building looked run-down and abandoned but contrary to my expectations it was a lot better than the small hut we lived in, or probably even than most homes in the slums.


    Wanda put down the cups and then put a small something next to mine. It was the size of a nut, brownish but obviously something manmade. I picked it up and inspected it carefully, wondering what it could be.


    "That is candy," whispered Karen to me.


    Candy, was it. It did look similar to those hard old post-war candies that used to be popular in many countries.


    I was totally being treated like a kid, wasn''t I. Directing my gaze towards Wanda I noticed she already sat down opposite of us, looking quite indifferent.


    For now, let us postpone the candy, for later. For research purposes, of course, I would have to study it in detail.


    "Why are you here, girly. Even bringing a little kid. She obviously can''t be your little sister, otherwise, you''d be gone already from this place."


    Seemed this woman knew about Karen''s sister. I wondered how they got to know each other.


    "We want you to make some clothes and other things for us."


    "For the kid? Or for saving your sister?"


    Karen and I both stiffened up in response. How did she know?


    "Even I can add one and one together, girly. Especially when that incompetent human trash is looking for you and a kid with weird hair colour all over the place. You can be glad that nobody knows where you live or they would have made a visit already."


    Karen sighed in resignation.


    "Both of them actually. We need clothes and some other things like bags and maybe a rope."


    "Hmph, even if you tell me that, I can''t do anything without materials. Those bastards took pretty much everything with them. I don''t even have enough cloth to make a small purse."


    "We have materials you can use."


    With those words Karen put the improvised bag onto the table and opened it, revealing my hair. Wanda''s eyes went wide upon seeing the hair, then she took a few of them and inspected them. She started tugging at them, rubbing them between her fingers and some other things, before she put it back. Her look became serious.


    "Impossible."


    "Huh? Impossible? Why?"


    "First of all, this is not yarn, I''d first have to spin it. Second, this is not suitable to be made into yarn. I can see why you want to use this, but, girly, this is basically human hair, right?"


    Wanda''s eyes glanced towards me for a moment and then returned to Karen. Did she notice?


    "If you wanna force it you can spin it into yarn, but it''s not good at all, you would completely waste the qualities of this. Human hair is vastly different from what we commonly use for yarn. This doesn''t stick together at all and each hair is too thick."


    "So... it is no good?"


    "I wouldn''t say no good. I don''t know the specifics, but from the strength of the strands, I guess it''s similar to a monster material, right? So its strength most likely comes from the mana inside it. In that case, you can make do by having a magic craftsman work this into proper yarn. Then I can make you whatever you want."


    "A magic craftsman... how are we supposed to find one..."


    Karen looked quite down. It seemed this had become a slight problem but...


    "What is a magic craftsman?" I asked since I never heard the term so far.


    "It is basically someone who works with monster materials and magic materials, they have various kinds of knowledge to refine those into materials that can be used by regular craftsmen. They need to have a basic knowledge of magic, though, so there are not a lot of them. It''s a profitable job but most magicians are some rich kids more interested in their stupid honour games than actually doing something that has any actual practical value, so most of them do not even consider becoming a magic craftsman." explained  Wanda to me.


    "Huh... So we can''t do anything with this until we find someone... and there''s not a lot of them."


    "There are only two magic craftsmen in this city as far as I know. One works inside the city for the stupid lord, the other one is at the same place where the girly''s sister is."


    I looked over to Karen who was visibly depressed by the results. It was unfortunate that we couldn''t use my hair for now. That meant we needed some kind of alternative or somehow find a magic craftsman who would work for us. But Wanda said it was a profitable job, so most likely their service was expensive.


    "So, what do we do now, Sis?"


    Wanda reacted with surprise to my words, probably because I called Karen ''Sis''?


    "I don''t know, we still need at least a bag or something and at least some clothes for you. But with no materials..."


    "I still have some children''s clothes around. They won''t be much good but they are better than nothing. As for a bag, I can probably stitch something together with a bit of time."


    "But didn''t you say you had no materials left?"


    "I have still some leftover clothes from my own collection. Those won''t see much good use anyway so I can reuse them. Making a simple bag is quick too, it just won''t be able to bear anything really heavy."


    "Would that really be alright? You won''t have anything else to use for bartering then anymore, won''t you?"


    "Pah! Don''t you worry about me, I can have some idiots return the favours they are owing me for a while. And if you intend to get your sister back, that''s equivalent to trying to crush that human trash, isn''t it? Once those idiots are gone it''ll be a lot easier for a while. I''d rather take my bet helping you in that case, it won''t cost me really anything anyway."


    "You sound awfully sure that we''ll succeed..."


    Wanda gave an evil grin to Karen''s statement and then looked over to me.


    "You found someone interesting, didn''t you? You wouldn''t do this if there was absolutely no chance, but something came up that you decided there was one, so it''s most likely something to do with that kid there."


    "..."


    Karen didn''t respond on that but instead looking a bit troubled. Was Wanda right with that? If I gave Karen some hope, that would have made me happy, but I also had to make sure that that hope wasn''t misplaced.


    "Hey, kid!" Wanda suddenly addressed me.


    "Huh? Yes?"


    "Your name."


    "Eh?"


    "What''s your name?"


    "Uhm... It''s Yumi..."


    "Is that so. Take good care of the girly there, kid."


    Why did she ask for my name if she had no intention of using it?


    "Nn,... I will."


    I would even if she didn''t tell me to, but this woman, she surprisingly cared about Karen.


    "And kid, not going to eat that?"


    Wanda pointed to the supposed candy that was still in front of me. Not quite sure what to do I tried looking for help at Karen but she was lost in thought for some reason, probably because the conversation stirred away from her. That''s not really great timing to get lost in thought.


    "It''s not poisoned, kid. I wouldn''t poison my customers."


    Even if it were poisoned, it was possible it wouldn''t affect me too much. Taking up some courage I popped the candy into my mouth. It was surprisingly sweet, by far not as good as candy from modern earth, but it was also not as extremely sweet as some of them. The candy was, simply speaking, quite delicious.


    "Hmph, so you can smile, kid. That''s a better expression you got now."


    Did I not smile? I thought I was rather expressive, but maybe the whole situation got to me more than I realized. And I was actually quite a bit older than a child, but maybe I should just give up at this point.


    Still rather confused I wanted to ask what she meant with me not smiling, but she already turned back to Karen, so I figured I should ask Karen later about that.


    "Hey, girly, stop thinking and for now decide what you want to do. Do you accept my offer or not?"


    Karen brought back to reality, was a bit surprised for a moment.


    "Ah, yes. We accept."


    "Good, then let''s get to it."


    "Eh?"


    Wanda stood up and walked over to me, who was still busy with the candy. By the time I noticed, she was already right behind me. With surprising strength, she grabbed me by the scruff, technically the robe''s, and lifted me up. With one arm.


    Another superhuman appeared! Wait, where are you taking me? Sis! Help!


    "I''ll take the kid, for now. Some loud fellow might appear in the meantime, don''t chase her out. And put that stuff away for now."


    "Understood... Ah, but payment..."


    "We''ll talk about that later."


    Leaving those words she left the room. With me, of course. I was by no means heavy or so, but I still had the weight of a proper person my size. And yet I was abducted without even flinching. Karen only watched with a wry smile and waved me goodbye, while I struggled in a futile attempt of returning to the ground.


    Don''t just sit there! Save me!


    Despite all what I said, it wasn''t anything dangerous in the end. Except that I was stripped down within seconds and was now standing in the middle of an unknown room, naked. Wanda brought me here, took my clothes with even more skilful hands than Karen''s, and then started to hold various clothes in front of me, measuring with her eye whether they might fit.


    It couldn''t have hurt to warn me, could it... And what''s with those overly cute clothes. They look damaged and partly not well made, but they were all obviously designed with cuteness in mind.


    "This might work. Hold up your arms."


    Resigning myself to this unfortunate fate of being a dress up doll, I held up my arms while she put me in a sleeveless, white-greyish one-piece dress. It was frayed and rough but still significantly better than what I had before. Not like that posed any challenge.


    "Hmm... Yes, this is good, we can work with that."


    ''We can work with that'' you say? We''re not done?


    Wanda went back to a drawer, taking out various things and returning. I could recognize various ribbons and other things among those.


    "Uhm... Are those... necessary...?"


    "Yes, they are!"


    Alas, the intimidating aura allowed no objection. And so, she put on various ribbons on me and tried out various hairstyles, until she was satisfied with it. In between, she was also considering using some other dresses but thankfully she stayed with the one-piece dress. Otherwise, this might have never ended.


    By the time she was satisfied, a considerable amount of time had passed already. I felt like my soul was in danger of leaving any second now.


    I did want to be a cute girl, but honestly, wearing all this cute stuff is incredibly embarrassing. This is all so flowery...


    Unfortunately or fortunately I couldn''t see my own appearance right now due to the lack of a mirror, but I got a good grasp of it anyways.


    My hair was apparently now styled in half up pigtails with ribbons. Basically, only half the hair on each side was used for a pigtail. I also wore the one-piece dress, with a few more ribbons adorned.


    She explained nearly everything, in fact, but I just couldn''t remember all the information she bombarded me with, but this was what remained from it.


    Seemingly quite satisfied with her work, Wanda stood now in front of me, inspecting every single inch.


    "Yes, this is good, this is really good."


    A dangerous smile crept up her face. This was suspicious, we weren''t done yet?


    "Now that we decided your outer look, we can move on to your inner look."


    "Inner... look?"


    "Your underwear."


    Matter of fact, I still wasn''t wearing underwear. It completely slipped my mind as well since I''ve been not wearing any for quite some time now. But now, I felt how my face went pale. Not quite from the fact that she obviously meant I had to wear women''s underwear, but rather, that we were still not done.


    "Don''t worry, I have enough of a selection that we will surely find something good for you. You won''t need anything for your chest yet. It might be good to wear some in the near future though, so you are free to come back then!"


    I am absolutely certain that I won''t. I probably won''t grow anyway so there''s no need for that!


    And so, we resumed our quest to make me ''presentable'' to the world. What was the meaning for this anyway right now? Didn''t we have other things to worry about than my underwear?


    Yet, my worries were ignored and after much deliberation, Wanda settled on simple white panties with a ribbon to complement my ''fairy-like appearance''. She had mysteriously two pairs of these so I was given the other one as a spare.


    Finally, after a long time, we finished our dress-up play, with me being the dress-up doll.


    When we returned to the supposed living room, hell awaited us. Karen was lying on the floor with eyes that were so lifeless that a dead fish looked healthier. She was still twitching from whatever ordeal she had to endure.


    Just what happened here while we were gone? Wasn''t Karen alone? Did someone break in and attack her?


    "Ahhhh, who is this cute kid? She''s like a doll, so cute!"


    An unknown high-pitched voice came from the kitchen while I was already completely panicking. Turning towards the voice, my vision disappeared immediately. I felt something warm and soft on my face. The unknown person, a woman, I presume, has charged at me and hugged me.


    "Hey, Wanda, who is this? Hey, who is this? She''s so cute, can I have her?"


    "Calm down, you walking disaster. I know she is cute, but you can''t have her!"


    "Eeh? But why?"


    "Because she is Karen''s already."


    "Karen? Is that the other girl? She is also cute, so I''ll take both!"


    First of all, I''m neither Karen''s nor yours nor anyone''s. Secondly, release me! I''m suffocating!


    Since I was buried all form of communication was by means of flailing around, so my objections were conveniently ignored. Or rather, nobody heard them anyway in the first place.


    At least Karen''s state was now understandable. She went through this already. My condolences.


    "Calm down, walking disaster!"


    "Ouch!"


    I was released and could at long last breath air again. It was soft and comfy but if it required my death, I could live without it.


    After catching my breath, I directed my attention to my assaulter, who was crouching on the floor, holding her head. Wanda stood next to her waving a rolling pin. My fear of Wanda was reinforced even more. What a fearful woman she was.


    "So... who is... this?"


    "This is regrettably a rather capable mercenary."


    "Don''t call me regrettable! I''m a proud and popular mercenary, protecting all the cute girls in the world!"


    Oh, she revived. And I don''t think a mercenary''s job is to protect cute girls.


    Wanda held her head as if she had headaches. Maybe she actually had headaches. This girl seemed really troublesome. I figured Wanda liked to call people by various nicknames but calling someone ''walking disaster'' was quite impactful, to say the least.


    "In any case, she has serious personality issues but she is good at what she does. She could help you both, for the right price."


    "Eh? I''ll help this girl that''s as cute as a doll for free! So what is the problem? Did someone bully you? I''ll give them a whopping they won''t forget!"


    Ignoring the antics of that girl, I considered Wanda''s words. The right price was it. I doubted we were able to pay a mercenary, though.


    I looked over to the girl in question. She was maybe a bit older than Karen, had semi-long brown hair and blueish eyes. She was clad in some leather-like equipment that felt quite well maintained. Not like I had really any knowledge of that. But the most distinctive trait was various swords in their sheaths that she was carrying on her waist.


    It wasn''t just two or three swords, but probably over half a dozen, all different kinds. One looked like a katana, one like a common sabre, a falchion, one resembling an early Roman gladius and other kinds I couldn''t recognize. On her back was yet another sword that looked like a large Zweih?nder.


    How can this girl even move that fast with all those weapons? Those must weigh tons.


    In the meantime, Karen, who was forgotten in the corner of the room, stirred and heaved herself up. She still looked exhausted from whatever this girl did to her.


    "Wanda... I demand an explanation. Just who is that..."


    "I just told you who she is. A rather capable mercenary with some personality issues."


    "Wanda, you''re so rude, stop saying I got personality issues in front of these cuties. They''ll get the wrong impression!"


    What kind of wrong impression, wasn''t it exactly like that? Even if she didn''t tell us, we would''ve noticed right away.


    Karen meanwhile was back up on her feet and standing opposite of the unknown girl.


    "Then, why is a mercenary in the slums, where there is no profit? And don''t most mercenaries work in groups?"


    "Oh, if you think there''s no profit to have here, then you''re far off, really far off! There''s plenty of profit to have here, just not the pleasant kind. As for working in groups, that''s true, but you know, most mercenary groups, yeah, they consist nearly entirely of men."


    The girl made a grimace as if she was thinking of something disgusting.


    "You see, when those men worked out, especially after a fight, they stink. They stink so much it''s unbelievable. Sweat, blood and guts do not make for a nice atmosphere. Also, many of them thought they could land a good night with me. I taught them a lesson but it was just so much of a pain, just no. Never again. So, I work alone! You see?"


    "Ha... Haaaa..."


    "Whatever the case, you should introduce yourself first. I didn''t call you for playing around."


    "Oh that was right, you called me for a job, right? Is it about these two? Can I take them with me?"


    "No, you can''t. It''s about these two and the current problems in the slums."


    With those words, the whole happy-go-lucky atmosphere disappeared from the girl and a savage smile replaced it. This girl was absolutely bad news. Really bad news.


    "Those fuckers, huh? It''s time to finally get rid of them? Can I kill them all?"


    A chill went up to my spine. That smile, that was clearly looking forward to something, like a kid going out to play with friends, casually asked whether she could go and kill others.


    "I don''t mind, ask these two. That''s why I told you to introduce yourself."


    "Oh, is that so."


    The girl turned towards me and Karen, who at some point walked to my side. Then, for some inexplicable reason, she gave a military salute.


    "Name''s Lily. 18-year-old maiden. Occupation: Mercenary. A former member of the ''Black Guard'' mercenary band. Time without a girlfriend equals time alive. A pleasure to meet you."


    Shouldn''t you say boyfriend here? Are you that much after girls?


    The girl, Lily, was still sporting that savage smile, so the whole introduction with the military salute was really intimidating.


    "What''s your request?"


    Karen was slightly troubled at all of this.


    "No, even if you ask us, we don''t even have money to pay you."


    "Girly, there''s something you can pay her with. The stuff you showed me should do just fine for that. Just get to an agreement first, though."


    "Hey, Wanda, you aren''t expecting me to make a work contract without even knowing my payment, do you?"


    "Is my word not enough for that, you walking disaster. I give you my word that it is valuable enough."


    "Hm, in that case, I''ll hold you to it. If Wanda gives her word then I guess we can start negotiating?"


    It took nearly an hour to negotiate with Lily. Karen wasn''t really fond of the idea of hiring a mercenary nor that Wanda called that girl here to this place without consulting us. When and how did she contact her anyway?


    But we clearly knew that with only the two of us, rescuing Karen''s little sister was close to impossible. And according to Wanda, Lily was by far one of the more agreeable mercenaries around. A battle junkie and lover of cute girls for sure, but she apparently valued her contracts and was a good fighter, while additionally having plenty of contacts. She also did not pose a direct danger to your chastity. Probably.


    The negotiations were mainly done between Karen and Lily, with Wanda and me occasionally interjecting. Apparently, both of them were surprised that I was able to follow the discussion.


    I realized that being treated like a child may not be completely a bad thing, but it certainly posed an issue when I needed others to take me seriously.


    When you grow, you quickly start to miss your childhood, even though you couldn''t wait to grow up at that time.


    Now, on one side I want to be spoiled like back then, having no worries about all the important things, but on the other side, I can''t exactly allow that, can I?


    It was an unfortunate situation, but for now, I had to return to being an adult.


    "Okay, let''s summarise what we agreed on now:


    For the agreed upon payment I will support you two in rescuing Karen''s sister, whether that implies taking apart the whole organization or not, is irrelevant.


    Specifically, I will provide you with the relevant information I have, provide a point of contact for my acquaintances that may help and support you in any actions that require combat or infiltration. If I deem any action too dangerous I will refuse taking part, but that does not free me from any other obligations. I also am allowed to prioritise my own safety.


    On your side, you will provide me with all the relevant information you possess. The physical payment will be held by Wanda in advance until the fulfilment of the contract.


    We good on that?"


    "... Yes, that should be fine."


    Karen agreed and they shook hands with each other, while Wanda was writing out the contract on what looked a kind of paper. It didn''t seem to be animal parchment, probably something using more primitive papermaking. The paper was greyish and rough, and you could hear the screeching feather on it.


    After she was done Karen went over the contract and signed, then Lily who was then followed by Wanda, until they gave the contract to me. Did they expect me to sign as well? I didn''t even know the letters and I inconveniently couldn''t recall any alphabet from Earth either.


    Wait, does that mean, I went from university-level to being illiterate?


    "I can''t read or write the letters, so..."


    "Oh? That''s surprising, I was sure you could."


    Lily was surprised while Karen gave a wry smile and Wanda murmured something that she should have expected that.


    "Yumi, come, I''ll teach you the letters for your name at least."


    And so, we all four signed the contract after Karen taught me the necessary letters and read the contract to me. I probably would have to ask her to properly teach me how to read and write in the future, to prevent this embarrassing situation from repeating.


    "Great, with that out of the way, can I finally see what I am even getting paid for all of this? I''ve done this cause Wanda said it''d be good stuff but even if you are cuties, I''m not going to work for free, you know?"


    Didn''t she say something, in the beginning, she''d work for free for us cause we are cute? Whatever, I glanced to Karen, who was still kind of unwilling to reveal it. But we already agreed to this, so I took it upon myself and brought out the bag that Karen had put away.


    "It''s this? Now I''m getting excited, let me see!"


    It seemed that Lily was really looking forward to it, but would it really be that good? Wanda told us she couldn''t work with it and that she would need a magic craftsman to refine it first. It was still my hair, so I had some mixed feelings about it, but it would be cool overall if we could use it.


    Incidentally, we brought up the subject of paying with fish, but Lily laughed at us and told us, that no idiot would risk their lives for some luxury food, especially not if they were the travelling type that had the option to visit a fishing village.


    After I put the bag on the table, Lily dashed to my side immediately, opening it and looking inside before I could react. Being surprised by the content she looked over to me, unsure how to react.


    "Is this... your hair?"


    "Nn. It is."


    "And this is my payment?"


    "Nn. That''s the case."


    "You''re not messing with me, right?"


    "Nn. We aren''t."


    Probably still not sure what to think, she decided to take a strand to inspect it. After around a minute she put it back and faced us with a sigh.


    "Now I get it, why Wanda didn''t want to talk about it before. This is quite interesting, whether you would bring it to a merchant or a magic craftsman, you''d be sure to make some nice and tidy profit off it. In itself that would still not be sufficient payment, but..."


    She stared at me and gave a dangerous grin.


    "I know where it comes from. And since you are everything but bald that means you are a steady source. This knowledge is basically the payment, isn''t it?"


    She sat back down into a chair and gave a chuckle.


    "Ahh, I completely lost, didn''t I. If I had known this I would''ve tried to go for more favourable terms. Should''ve known something was up when you specified physical payment."


    "But you aren''t dissatisfied, right? This is still a good deal for you, but only as long as both of them are safe."


    "Wanda, you sly bastard... I repaid the favour I owe you with that, clear?"


    "Loud and clear."


    I had no idea what they were talking about. I understood that the payment kind of included knowledge about me. It wasn''t surprising that Wanda could guess the origin of the hair after turning me into her dress-up doll, but it made me wonder, just how much did she plan of all of this?


    At least, Karen seemed to be unsure of the meaning as well.


    "What do you mean with that?"


    "Ahhh, cutie, this Wanda there managed to give you quite some favourable terms and made me unable to back out. Because I already received an advance payment in form of information now. I could''ve still backed out if it weren''t for that, in case I wasn''t satisfied with the payment.


    My only way to back out now would be to silence you all, including Wanda. But that would cause a lot of trouble in itself.


    Oh, I could, of course, just go and refuse anyway, but then I''d lose all trust as a mercenary and I would be unable to do any work in this region. Wanda would make sure of that.


    I''m also now forced to protect that cute doll there if I want to make use of the information in the long run


    Man, at least the terms aren''t really disagreeable and it''s two cute girls, so... it''s fine, I guess? Though one is more like a doll."


    She had quite some energy to revive this fast every time. She stood up with renewed power and turned to us.


    "Whatever, I got my job now, so I''ll do it. I''ll just have both of you as my body pillows today and all is good. We should discuss what to do."


    "No, we''re not going to be your body pillows. I refuse!"


    "I refuse your refusal!"


    "Are you a kid?!"


    "I''m fine with being a kid!"


    Maybe she had a bit too much energy. There was one thing that bothered me though.


    "What do you mean, one is like a doll?"


    "Huh? Because, you know, your expressions are kind of weak?" replied Lily after she turned towards me, slightly bewildered.


    What? I have barely any... expressions?


    "That''s not quite right, she smiled like a flower when I gave her a candy earlier."


    "What? How unfair! I want to see! Ahhh, I have no candy with me. Wanda, teach me how to make candy!"


    Lily started pestering Wanda about how to make candy while I turned towards Karen, asking the important question.


    "Sis,... do I have no... expressions?"


    "Huh? Uhm... They are a bit stiff but they are properly there."


    Karen was rather confused as well. I personally thought I was quite expressive if nothing else, but I seem to be collecting weird traits that I never asked for.


    What is next? I can''t even think of any other weird traits someone could throw at me now. What kind of creature am I going to become at this rate? Though I guess I should''ve given up the moment I sprouted tentacles.


    Seeing me being worried, Karen came close and with a Pomf! put her hand on my head.


    "Isn''t it fine either way? I don''t think you''re as expressionless as she says. Also, I didn''t say it earlier, but the clothes Wanda gave you, they suit you!"


    I felt how my face became hot while I squinted my eyes due to my head being rubbed.


    The clothes were embarrassing at first, but for this praise, it was all worth it.


    "Nn!"


    "Ah! Ahhhh! So she really smiles! How unfair, smile for me too!"


    Shut up over there, let me enjoy my quality time with Sis!


    After everyone calmed down, or rather, once Lily calmed down from attempting to make me smile, we decided to go to Lily''s and prepare. Some of the hair was left with Wanda, but only after taking it out of the bag, so Karen finally returned to wearing a skirt under her robe.


    Speaking of bags, nobody realized when, but Wanda already fixed a simple bag up for us. She said she''d collect appropriate payment at a later time.


    Now, we definitely had to pay for it, right.


    We said our goodbyes to Wanda and left her place.


    I was still a bit unsure what to make of all of this, having a new companion, albeit a temporary one.


    "Where do you live anyway?"


    "Hm? Me? Ah, I currently am lodging at a place in the city, I''m a mercenary so I''m not too interested in permanent residence, so sorry if it''s not something comfy."


    ""Eh?""


    Both, Karen and I, stopped dead in our tracks. Did we hear right? The city?


    "What''s the matter you two? Something wrong?"


    Lily was oblivious to our surprise, not knowing how hard it was for us to even enter the city.


    "But, uhm... the entrance fee?"


    "The entrance fee? Ah, don''t worry about that, I''ll pay for now. Can''t have my golden goose disappear on me now."


    So, I''ve become a golden goose? Wasn''t this exactly what I tried not to become?


    "Yumi is not your golden goose."


    "Hm? Ah, sorry if that irked you. Didn''t mean anything deep with it. I just want a favourable long-term relationship, you see? And business relationships need to be treated with care, right? So, I won''t mind something as minor as that, don''t worry!


    Ah! That''s right, there was something else!"


    She suddenly stopped in her tracks as well. Turning around like the wind she held something forward.


    I could feel something cold on my neck. A huge sword appeared out of nowhere.


    "Business relationships have to be cared for by both sides, right? So, won''t you fess up the actually important parts, little doll? Or should I call you little miss monster?"

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Monster Magic

    "Business relationships have to be cared for by both sides, right? So, won''t you fess up the actually important parts, little doll? Or should I call you little miss monster?"


    Lily held her huge sword at my neck. Her face was expressionless, a huge contrast to before.


    "Yumi?! Wait, what are you doing, Lily?! Let Yumi go!"


    "What I am doing? I just told you. Business relationships go two ways. And I want to know who or what I am working for."


    Lily didn''t avert her attention from me for even a second. She held up the massive Zweih?nder with her right arm while her left arm was ready to draw another sword from her waist. There was clearly no intention of letting me move even the tiniest bit.


    I could feel my heart beating like mad and cold sweat running down my back. Despite that, I felt strangely calm, as if I wasn''t even in mortal danger.


    "What do you want to know?"


    "Who and what are you? Why are you here? What is your objective?"


    "You already know, I''m Yumi. And you already found out I''m a monster. And I''m here because I wouldn''t survive in the wild. For my objective... I promised to help Sis. There''s nothing else."


    "And you expect me to believe that?"


    "I don''t know what you expect me to tell you. I can only answer your questions."


    Lily furrowed her brows. I didn''t know what was going on through her mind, but she must have been thinking because she didn''t react for a short time.


    "Then, why do you not hide your mana? Why do you not attack others? Isn''t a monster''s objective to destroy everything and kill everyone?!"


    "Huh? Why would I have to do that?"


    I was honestly surprised. I didn''t know what monsters were usually like, but I thought they were not much different from normal animals. I recalled Karen telling me they were highly aggressive, but they still kept to themselves inside their territories, right?


    But, she also said something interesting.


    "And what do you mean with hiding mana?"


    "Huh?"


    "As I said, you can hide your mana?"


    "Are you serious?"


    "I am."


    "So, the reason you''re not even attempting to hide, is... because you don''t know how?"


    Lily stared at me as if she saw the strangest oddity she ever met. Her sword moved away from my neck. Finally freedom! This was quite a nerve-racking experience. And really scary to boot.


    "A monster who doesn''t know how to use and hide their mana? To think such a thing exists..."


    Lily held her head. She seemed quite astonished.


    "I do more or less know how to use my mana, though?"


    "Then, what kind of magic can you use?"


    "Magic? I don''t even know how to use magic, don''t you have to learn that from a magician or so?"


    "... Are you serious?"


    "Nn? I am?"


    Lily thought for a moment and then turned towards Karen, who was helplessly standing at the side the entire time, looking anxious.


    "Karen, can you sense mana?" Lily addressed Karen, taking her by surprise.


    "Eh? No, I can''t?"


    "Ahhh... Okay, this is even worse than I thought. Like this, you two will never survive that. Change of plans, we''re camping out. In the forest."


    ""Eh?""


    And so, we were forced to accompany Lily to the deeper parts of the forest. She literally forced us, because Karen refused initially. The whole incident left a bit of sour aftertaste and Karen became quite wary of Lily. It didn''t help that we were just left hanging without an explanation.


    In any case, Lily just tugged us both under her arms and walked on towards the forest. This was a perfect example of kidnapping.


    It also spoke about her strength that she was just casually carrying two girls under her arms, who were additionally struggling quite a lot. Even more so, since I knew how much strength Karen had. But as Lily''s stamina seemed endless we both gave up struggling at some point. We resolved ourselves to an unknown fate. At least it didn''t seem like she wanted to do us ill.


    "Can''t you let us down and finally explain yourself?"


    "I''ll explain later, no hurry. Actually, I explained quite a bit already, didn''t I? Oh well, whatever. We''re going camping, don''t be such a spoil."


    "I think I got plenty of reason to want an explanation now or to be a spoil."


    Alas, Lily began humming and skipping, clearly looking forward to camping out. It was a mystery. A complete and utter mystery. She just held a sword against my neck and now kidnapped me to a... picnic? And I wished she would stop skipping since every skip shook us quite a lot. Even I started to feel ill.


    Karen was entirely unable to understand the situation and tried to either struggle free or at least demand an explanation, a fruitless effort.


    "Sis, let''s give up. I don''t think we can achieve anything when she has clearly no intention to explain."


    "But Yumi! She attacked you!"


    "I think that is actually a rather normal reaction. We can be glad she didn''t just behead me immediately."


    "But!"


    "Sis, calm down. If there''s one thing I understood so far, it is that we cannot apply common sense to this girl."


    "I think you are the last person to talk about common sense, Yumi..."


    "You two, you do know I''m listening,... right...? Well, I don''t have any intention to harm you, though? I mean, we made a contract, right? Can''t fulfil my contract without you two. That''s common sense right there! I got a proper common sense, right?!"


    "... Yumi, you are maybe right. I give up. I do not understand her train of thought..."


    "Neither do I."


    "How rude?!"


    How refreshing, for once it''s not me who is at the butt of the joke. Albeit this wasn''t really a joke...


    In the end, we were carried the entire way into the forest. Karen and I previously camped at the border near the river, but this time we entered properly. There were many trees. Way too many. Every tree was filled with dense mana and the whole forest was covered in a thick layer of mana.


    Honestly, it was quite comfortable. I could feel how the mana crystal inside me revved up its absorption of mana. It felt a bit like drinking alcohol, I had to take care not to get swept away by it.


    "I think this place is good, yes. We can camp here."


    Whump!


    "Ouch!"


    "That hurt!"


    And there we reunited with the ground. In a rather violent manner as Lily simply let us go in midair.


    "Let''s prepare! First should be... Actually, what do we need when camping in a group?"


    "Have you never camped with the mercenaries before?"


    "I did! But they always did everything? They told me to sit back and wait."


    I got absolutely no good feelings about that statement.


    Now we had to figure it out on our own. Or we could convince her not to camp outside with us. But I was kind of interested in her reason for this, to be honest.


    "This spot should be open enough, we can make a fire and then... Wait, why are we even here in the first place?"


    "Huh? For training, of course. But a fire, yes? Should I just cut down a tree?"


    "Please don''t just cut down a tree! Just go collect branches and twigs that are dry!"


    "That sounds like a pain, can I just hug Yumi and sit back?"


    "Those who do not work, shan''t eat!"


    "Ugh..."


    "Even Yumi is at least trying!"


    In an inexplicable way, Karen took back the initiative and forced Lily to do some work. She was back to being my big sister. This made me glad. I just wished she wouldn''t casually imply that I wasn''t any help. Even I could collect branches, right?


    Actually, was a fire in the middle of the forest even a good idea...? Well, it was surely fine if we took care not to light anything nearby.


    A few minutes later we got a small fire going.


    "So, can you at least tell us, why we are even here? You said something about training?"


    "Yes, it''s for training. Have you two ever met a monster? And I mean, an actual one, not some weak small fry like fishes, demon rabbits and the like."


    "No, not really."


    "I did see a few weaker monsters before when I wasn''t in the slums yet."


    "Okay, so. Karen, were those monsters capable of magic?"


    "Most were not, but I remember a Firebear using some. It took all we had to get away at the time."


    "Oh, a Firebear, how nostalgic. In any case, have you ever thought about, why a monster can use magic?"


    "Why a monster can use magic?"


    "Yes. Everyone always talks about learning magic, that''s because humans and animals are missing a certain trait of monsters. Do you know which?"


    "A certain trait? They can inherently sense mana, but..."


    "That''s just a consequence of it. Ah, Yumi, you said you were trying to hide your identity. What did you do for that?"


    "Huh? I hid my face and all, I also changed the look of my eyes. Ah, right."


    I changed my eyes back to how they originally were, with the slitted pupils. The mana here was probably enough that I could keep it up without limit, but it was still bothering me a bit. Like you were wearing a bad costume, it didn''t feel like it belonged there.


    "Congratulations, you just used magic."


    "Eh?"


    "As I said, you just used magic. Congratulations! Good Job!"


    "But..."


    That was magic? It felt like something I was just inherently able to do, like a kind of ability, rather than magic. I did not quite understand what she meant.


    "To explain, monsters can interfere with mana directly. Humans have to use secondary methods before they can interact with mana and even then it is but a mockery. At least, my teacher explained it to me like that."


    "You learnt magic?"


    Karen was astounded. She told me that mostly only the rich could hire a magic tutor so that came with quite a surprise to us.


    "I grew up in a mercenary group after all.  There was a magician that was responsible for the children''s education and he tried to teach those who had some talent with magic. My mana capacity is low so I''m not good at any big spells, but even a small spell can make a big difference in combat."


    As expected of a battle junkie. She didn''t seem like someone who would diligently sit back and study, but she did it for the sake of combat, didn''t she. At least, it was something to be thankful for, right now.


    "To simplify it, true magic is the direct manipulation of mana to cause an intended phenomenon. While the magic we use is forcing mana to react through a catalyst. This catalyst can be just about anything, though. That''s why there are so many weird magic systems."


    "But don''t we manipulate mana too? When using an elemental stone for example."


    "Yes. We can manipulate our inner mana. That''s also the basis for our magic. We use our inner mana, push it into a catalyst who then forms the magic. This magic catalyst can be just about anything, even songs and chants. Even beings we do not know whether they truly exist work in a way. The only thing we know for sure is, that an intended technique always causes approximately the same result."


    "Wait a moment, that is quite a lot to stomach right now."


    "Ah, right. Sorry. Forget that. In any case. Yumi should have no need for all that hocus-pocus of a catalyst and so on. By directly using her mana she should be able to gather it and form it into a phenomenon. Of course, that is kind of speculation, and it is likely she can only cause a limited range of phenomenons. Most likely related to whatever her attributes are."


    "But how do I find out my attributes for sure?"


    "No idea. Keep trying I guess?"


    "That''s not helpful..."


    So, to summarise, I was already using magic instinctively. That was interesting. Maybe I was able to cause a fire without the stupid stone.


    Let''s try this!


    I pushed some mana out like I did before with the mana crystals and imagined it to be a flame.


    Silence.


    I got the feeling I experienced this before. The last time it ended in a disaster, so let''s be more careful this time. Alas, no matter what I tried I couldn''t make a flame.


    In the meantime, Lily was explaining some more things to Karen, but since they didn''t ask me to pay attention, it probably wasn''t important for me. For now, I had to test various things to see whether I could really cast a flame!


    "Yumi, don''t be so depressed, I am sure everyone needs some time to learn this."


    Karen comforted me while I hugged her lap. I should have known that a flame was not possible. Lily even said that I could likely only cause something related to my attributes. That was apparently the downside of a monster''s magic. The mana was already slightly attuned to them and the elements they represented, so they couldn''t be used for different attributes in most cases.


    But if Karen''s guess from back then was right, my attributes were... that.


    It made me quite depressed so I opted to get spoiled by Karen.  She was stroking my head with slow movements while I enjoyed her warmth.


    This was pure bliss. I wished I could stay like this forever.


    "Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "..."


    "Yumi?"


    "Just wanted to call."


    "Is that so."


    The only downside to this position was, that I couldn''t see her expression.


    "I am quite sure this is not how siblings behave, you two..."


    If only there wasn''t a certain someone spoiling the mood. I turned my head in Karen''s lap to glare at Lily.


    "Let me enjoy my quality time with Sis!"


    "Then, at least let me join!"


    "No. Sis is mine! Shoo!"


    "I won''t take you away from each other, I''ll just take both of you together!"


    "I don''t want toooo... oooooh!"


    In the middle of the sentence, I was lifted up by Karen and pulled into a hug. It was warm.


    "Curse you, happy people. Take your flirting elsewhere."


    Seems Lily snapped. But who cared. Certainly not me.


    After a while of being hugged by Karen, together with comfortable head pats, I noticed something strange. The mana stirred inside the forest. It was probably not a monster as I couldn''t feel the usual concentration caused by the mana crystal.


    "Lily, is something there, in front of us?"


    "Oh, you noticed? As expected of a monster. Just wait for a moment, you will see it."


    That sounded ominous. Karen got interested as well and turned her eyes towards the direction I mentioned. Her head pats stopped.


    Curse you, unknown disturbance!


    I didn''t know whether my curse reached it or not, but it certainly reached us in return.


    A giant shadow appeared from between the trees.


    Yeah. No way, this is impossible. Yes, this is impossible, therefore the thing in front of me is but a dream, and only the hugs and head pats from Sis are real! I must have fallen asleep at some point, definitely.


    I tried to escape reality but the shadow did not disappear.


    "Lily... Is this a joke?"


    "No? He''s cute, isn''t he?"


    She called us cute all the time and now she called this thing cute as well? Were we on the same level? That just couldn''t be. No matter what, neither Karen nor I would ever lose in cuteness against this thing. After all, no matter how I looked at it, it looked like a huge ogre, even if  I craned my neck back I couldn''t see its head. Why was something like this even here? Could physics even allow this? Then I remembered, that this was basically a fantasy world. So a classic creature like an ogre was possible as well with magic, right?


    The ogre fit well into the scenery, with its green skin you were likely to just miss it at a glance. And it was entirely naked, not even a loincloth to cover the huge thing that was longer than my arm.


    "Ah, if you don''t move soon, you''ll be captured you know? These guys are known to be rather rough with their prey so I wouldn''t recommend any experiments born from curiosity!"


    "Sis, we have to run."


    "I agree."


    With a surprising calmness, we stood up and turned around. And then we ran. Screaming.


    "Where is this training?!"


    The ogre roared, displaying the huge fangs in its mouth, and started running after us. For some reason, it ignored Lily as if she wasn''t even there. I turned back for a second to see it slowly approaching. It was way faster than us. Or rather, than me. Karen would probably not be caught but in my case, wasn''t it plain impossible? For every step, the ogre took I needed like four or more to keep the distance.


    "Yumi!"


    Karen also noticed that I had no chance of escaping like this, so she ran back and picked me up, throwing me over her shoulders. How valiant! Just, now we were both slower than the ogre. But we had one advantage, namely, we could easily navigate between the trees, while ogre had to evade every tree in a considerable large manner.


    At least, that was what I wished for, but, as expected of an inhabitant of the forest, the ogre was barely slowed down by the trees. It roared another time.


    "Yumi! If you have anything that can stop this guy, now would be a good time!"


    "Nn. Impossible. I don''t have anything."


    "Not any ideas on magic either? Can''t you just ignore common sense again or do something on instinct?"


    "The world is not such a convenient place! But I can at least try."


    There wasn''t really much to lose if I were to at least try, only to gain. Karen asked whether my instinct wouldn''t tell me what I had to do.


    Maybe I should just throw some mana and let my guts decide what happens? Let''s try!


    And so, I pushed some mana out, and then just threw it towards the ogre. The ogre slowed down in response. It was a success.


    Not.


    "Sis, I think I just made it worse."


    "What did... you do?!"


    "I threw mana at it. Now it... well..."


    I honestly wasn''t sure how to describe the current situation. The ogre roared and with incredible vigour, it sped up.


    "Sis, if I get pierced by that, I will probably die in an instant."


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about! I can''t turn around so what the hell is happening?!"


    "It has a boner..."


    "... What."


    "It has a boner."


    "Why did this have to happen."


    If I knew I could have prevented it maybe. The ogre was sporting an incredible hard-on. That wasn''t in the realm of just being hurt anymore if you got caught. Whoever would survive that thing must have been similarly a monster.


    Isn''t there anything else I can do? What does Lust even represent outside of making others horny? Reproduction? That''s not helping, isn''t it. Ah, but what about life and soul?


    "Sis, can people do anything useful with life or soul magic?"


    "If I knew more about magic I''m sure I could tell you!"


    That means she doesn''t know anything. Great. Let''s say Lust represents reproduction, then life and soul are the components needed for reproduction. So, could I maybe animate something from nothing? That''d be interesting but it''s not helpful now.


    Wait, what if I could animate a tree to stop the ogre?


    I had no idea whether something like that would ever work, I was basically thinking of giving a tree a soul. But there was nothing to lose, except my mana, that was recovering quickly from the surroundings.


    Therefore, I gathered some mana, thought of making a ''soul'' and threw it at a passing tree. The tree shook, and that was it. In the meantime, the ogre roared again. We were running out of time.


    This isn''t working, what am I missing? Is it the lack of knowing what a soul even is? Or is it plainly the amount of mana?


    I had no idea what a soul was, but my instincts were telling me I shouldn''t worry about that. That meant my lack of mana was the more likely problem.


    "Sis, where is that mana egg?"


    "It is in my pouch, can you reach it?"


    "I''ll try."


    I stretched my arms towards the pouch. It took a short moment before I successfully grabbed it and extracted the mana egg from the inside.


    "Let''s try this again."


    I gathered all the mana from the egg, thinking of a soul to throw. I was ready to throw it, but...


    No, this is wrong. This is not how I have to do it.


    I returned the mana to the egg. A strong urge told me to do it. I had to return the mana, and then I should use the mana egg as a catalyst for the soul. I threw the egg at a nearby tree. The tree disappeared quickly from our view, so I couldn''t confirm whether it worked or not.


    Seconds later, the ogre passed that spot and disappeared.


    A loud explosion was heard.


    "Yumi?! What the hell happened?"


    "I don''t know, the ogre is gone..."


    Karen slowed down and put me back to the ground, after confirming there was no immediate danger.


    "Yumi, what did you do this time?"


    "I threw the egg at a tree."


    "You threw the egg? Did it explode?"


    "I don''t know."


    Another loud explosion could be heard. And then it was silent again. The mana in front of us was heavily disturbed and I couldn''t make out anything from it. We would have to go and confirm it ourselves.


    "Let''s see what happened?"


    "Are you sure? What if it isn''t dead?"


    "I''m sure it''ll be fine."


    "... Okay."


    Relying entirely on my questionable instincts wasn''t the best option, but it saved us just now. It was surely fine to trust it.


    We slowly approached the source of the explosions. Everything was still silent. From the gap between the trees, I could recognize splintered wood and something green on the ground.


    The moment we got close enough for a clear view... everything went dark.


    "Sis? Why did you cover my eyes?"


    "Yumi, you are too young to see this."


    I''m technically the older one here?!


    "Just turn around and wait for me, okay? At least we have no need to worry about this thing anymore."


    Karen turned me around and pushed me a few meters away, so I couldn''t see what the situation was like. She returned to the scene to investigate what happened. The ogre probably died somehow. I had no idea what I actually did, but it must have been quite impressive. Did I finally have a chance to graduate from my uselessness?


    A few minutes later, Karen returned holding something in her hands. One seemed like the mana egg, except it had a few green spots and was cracked. It obviously stopped working and the mana dispersed already. In her other hand was also a mana crystal, but slightly larger and blueish in colour. Was that the mana crystal of the ogre?


    "I have no idea what actually happened, there was a splintered tree with the mana egg embedded inside and next to it the ogre in an... unfortunate condition. It clearly looked as if the tree exploded and took the ogre down with it, but..."


    "Huh, so you can animate things, is that it? Sounds like that was Soul Magic. Aren''t you glad, you used magic again!"


    The source of all our troubles has reappeared right next to us. I already had decided what to do in this situation. It was simple.


    "Woah, Yumi? What are you trying to do, charging at me out of nowhere? Oh, is that it? Do you want a hug? Okay, come here to Big Sis Lily!"


    "My only Sis is Karen. I have no need for you to be my older sister!"


    My attempt at actually punching her was misunderstood as wanting a hug. And so I was caught and cuddled.


    "Lily! Let Yumi go, she''s mine!"


    "Oh, you want one too? Okay, come here Karen!"


    And so, we were both thoroughly cuddled by this unpredictable incarnation of stupidity.


    If anyone ever calls me dense, an airhead or says I lack common sense, I will redirect them to this idiot.


    And we are still missing a goddamn explanation!


    Rinne

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Life and Soul

    Rinne


    Thank you all for the many favourites, ratings and views over the past week! I was quite surprised and happy about it!


    The cuddling attacks persisted for a while. Lily had no intention of letting us go, just like the previous times, so we just tried to bear with it. At least it had a good side. As she was hugging both of us, that meant I was pressing against Karen.


    Somehow it ended with me hugging Karen and Lily hugging both of us, so Karen got angry and hit our heads.


    Why me as well? Wasn''t it always fine for me to hug Sis so far?


    "Lily, could you now explain why you brought us here? We were chased by a huge monster and you just watched, what would you have done if Yumi got hurt?!"


    "I already said it before, it''s for training! If it had gotten dangerous I might have interfered, but, yeah, you see, both of you, your awareness of danger is pretty low, isn''t it? And you obviously had no idea what you were getting yourselves into, so I decided to have you train a bit! Aren''t I dedicated to my work? I''ll make sure you succeed without dying! Probably!"


    "Where was this training?!"


    "Huh? But Yumi learnt how to use magic, didn''t she? So it was a complete success! Next, we should work on you! Don''t worry, you''ll be learning it all in a jiffy!"


    "Do you intend to do this again?! I refuse!"


    "Ehh? But Karen, don''t you want to save your sister? In this state, there''s no way  that''ll happen."


    "Ugh."


    Lily used a rather unfair argument, but she was right. Karen understood very well that our chance for success would inevitably rise if we trained now. It was just that this kind of training was quite questionable, so I preferred a less violent method as well.


    "Lily, can you at least tell us in advance this time what you want to do? If you surprise us again like this, Sis'' heart will be unable to bear it."


    "Eh?! That would be a problem! Hmm, okay, I''ll tell you. It''s simple, really! Having Yumi learn to use magic went quite well, so she has to practice it for now, before she forgets it again. More combat won''t help beyond the initial part. And for Karen... I guess we should work on your ability to sense mana?"


    "But isn''t that a closely guarded secret?"


    Karen seems to be rather confused at her proposal. She did tell me that the magicians were rather tight-lipped about their craft. In any case, this seemed to be a considerably more sensible solution than being chased by monsters.


    "Well, it''s not really closely guarded. That''s just what the mages want you to believe. It''s in fact not even that hard to learn, you can easily learn it within the day with my method!"


    "Your... method?"


    "Well, the regular method is some stupid meditation stuff, I don''t even know how you are supposed to do it that way. It also takes really long, like, months long. The method I used to learn it is quite uncomfortable but it''s quick!"


    "I am not sure whether our views on ''uncomfortable'' are even remotely similar, so hearing you say that worries me quite a bit."


    "It''s not that bad, don''t worry! You''ll feel really bad during it and for a while afterwards, but it''s totally safe! Probably!"


    "Why did you add the ''probably''?!"


    I figured I should leave them to their own devices for a bit. Lily said I should practice the magic I used. It was something I just did on the spur of the moment, so it was a good idea to practice it. Otherwise, I might come into a situation where my instincts won''t help me when I need it.


    But there was a small problem. I used the mana egg for that magic. So this particular magic required an item, in the worst case I might need one every time I use this magic.


    "Lily, Lily."


    I called for the resident disaster, who was still bickering with Karen. Apparently, Karen was rather scared of the method Lily explained to her. This made me a bit curious, but I''d ask later.


    "Yes, Yumi? How may this valiant and beautiful mercenary, Lily, be at your service?"


    "Do we need the mana crystal of the ogre?"


    "No, not really? We can sell it for some money, but I have no need for it."


    "Then, I''ll take it. I may need it. Also, are we staying at this place or should we return to the fireplace?"


    "Oh right, we should return. Or rather, where are we right now?"


    Oh, for the love of... Please don''t tell me we''re lost.


    Thankfully, we weren''t lost for long. Lily managed to get her bearings surprisingly fast and we returned to the fire. As expected of a mercenary. Said fire was already extinguished, though. It was better than it causing a wildfire, but it was still a bit annoying since we lit it for nought


    As punishment for all the trouble, Lily had to light it by herself again and she was also made responsible for food. We told Lily that I was fine with monster meat. Apparently, despite being a magician she was no good at drawing out the mana from the monster meat either, so I was still the only one who could eat it. We still had some fish from this morning left over, but it wasn''t enough for Karen and Lily.


    Karen was worried that monsters might appear while Lily was gone, but apparently, only a few monsters were actually dangerous in this forest, and they were highly territorial. The ogre that we killed was one of those, so it would take time before another similarly dangerous monster would come to claim this area.


    Despite calling them highly aggressive and dangerous, these ogres and similar monsters in this forest were quite low in the hierarchy. I was shocked when I heard that from Lily.


    Just what kind of abominations are so strong that this ogre is considered small fry. How is this world even fine with those kinds of beings running rampant?


    Then again, any mage possessed the ability to just make mincemeat out of them, and even some of the more skilled fighters could easily win, from what Lily told me.


    Monsters were scary, but people were also scary.


    While I was busy contemplating these things, Karen came over to me.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What''s up, Sis?"


    "I need your help."


    "My help?"


    "Yes... Lily told me what to do to learn how to sense mana quickly... Apparently, I need to circulate natural mana through my body so I can learn how to feel it quickly. I need someone to help me with that, though."


    "You want me to do that?"


    "Yes... Can you?"


    "Can''t Lily do it?"


    "She can, but I rather trust you with that than her."


    "That makes me happy, but I honestly don''t know how to do that. Even if I could, I don''t know what would be safe for you."


    If it was just circulating it through my own body, it wouldn''t be a big problem, but, as a monster, I don''t know how much a normal person''s body can take. Natural mana was akin to poison for them, after all.


    "I''d honestly say you should rather let Lily help you."


    "So it was no good after all..."


    Karen was quite reluctant to let Lily help her. That wasn''t too surprising considering all the things Lily did over the day.


    "Sis, good luck."


    "Thank you, Yumi. I''ll need it."


    I felt sorry for Karen, but this wasn''t something I should butt in. Even if it wasn''t pleasant, Lily probably knew what she was doing. At the very least, she should have a better grasp of what Karen could bear. Feeling visibly down, Karen sat down at the fire. There was nothing to do for her until Lily came back. I sat down next to her and leaned on her shoulder.


    "Yumi? Weren''t you busy with that mana crystal?"


    "I can still lean on your shoulder while I do that. Or is it no good?"


    "Ah, no. It is fine."


    There was a warm fire and a warm Karen. There was no way I wouldn''t want to indulge in this warmth.


    But, in any case, I should follow what Lily said. I can''t only get spoiled for now.


    Studying was something I was kind of used to. After all, as a former university student, I had to study quite a lot. At least it should have been like that.


    I took the mana crystal from the ogre and inspected it a bit. It was significantly bigger than the ones from the monster fishes, big enough that I couldn''t completely hide it with my hands. The crystal was also coloured in a dark blue, as opposed to the brownish hue I saw on the other crystals. I inserted mana into it, but even after using quite a lot, nothing happened. Maybe it needed more mana since it was a higher quality crystal? If that was the case, I couldn''t quite make use of it for now, as unfortunate as it was.


    "Yumi?"


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "You were frowning, so I figured something happened."


    "Nn. Well, I can''t make use of this crystal yet, it seems? I tried changing it like before, but nothing happened. I think it needs a lot more mana because it is of a higher quality."


    "Huh, maybe we should look for some smaller monster animals then. Actually, won''t Lily bring back a few?"


    "Nn. I could use those, probably."


    Somehow, I held doubt whether Lily would bring back just ''a few small animals''. I wouldn''t be surprised if she came back with some huge animal.


    "I should just try out some other magic then, but what should I even try doing then?"


    "What do you know so far? With a start point, it should be easier, right?"


    "I can make others horny."


    "Except that."


    I was kind of interested in what would happen if Karen got horny. Maybe I should try it out later. I definitely wouldn''t try it on Lily though. Who knows what would happen if we let that disaster loose.


    "Other than making you horny, I can change my appearance a bit and I did something to a tree with the mana crystal."


    "We can''t try out the tree and I don''t want you to make me horny now... This is hard."


    So it was fine if I made her horny later. That was good news. I should prepare for that.


    "Lust, Soul, Life. I wonder what I can do with life magic."


    "Good question. Maybe you can make things grow? Or maybe heal wounds?"


    "Making things grow... healing wounds..."


    I took a nearby branch and tried making it grow with some mana.


    "Yumi... What did you do..."


    "I''m trying to make it grow."


    "Then why is it twitching and squirming."


    "Maybe it grew?"


    "..."


    Stomp!


    "Ah."


    Karen crashed branch with her foot. It stopped twitching and squirming.


    "Why did you kill it?"


    "So it wasn''t just growing after all!"


    I actually didn''t know whether it was just growing or became some weird lifeform. At the very least, it started moving in a way that a dead piece of wood should never do. Though, a living piece of wood shouldn''t move in that way either.


    "Sis."


    "Yes? Did you figure something out?"


    "Maybe. I thought this before but, if life magic can create a living body, and soul magic can create a kind of soul, wouldn''t I be able to make living being?"


    "A living being? It is not unheard of, but would it be really that easy?"


    "It''s not that easy, mind you, you two. At least not for a person! But, that conjecture is quite correct. You are certainly able to create a living being with those types of magic. That''s also why both of them are outlawed, though."


    With perfect timing like usual, Lily returned, carrying multiple small animals, bound with a rope, over the shoulder.


    "Those magics are outlawed?" I asked with surprise.


    "Yes, because they go against their religion, where their god is the only one allowed to create life. There are a number of religions that hold that belief, but not all. It''s actually pretty common knowledge, the church always preaches about their dark and evil magicians and life and soul magic are both among those evil attributes."


    "That sounds scary."


    "I think it''s less scary than an intelligent monster. The church would go completely nuts if they knew about you."


    "One more reason not to get involved with religion."


    "Yeah, don''t. But in any case, if you can make a living body and a mock soul, you can, in fact, really create a living creature. They''ll be closer to a monster and without a core, they will fall apart once they run out of mana, so the actual usability is low."


    "You know quite a bit about that, don''t you."


    "The magician in our group used to dabble a bit in it out of curiosity, wondering whether it could be used for combat. Artificial soldiers are quite tempting, you see. At least for all those who want a safer job. But they''d also increase our fighting potential as a whole. He just never got it to work properly. I wonder if he''s still tinkering with that kind of magic."


    "So, it''s not really good, is it..."


    That was quite a bummer. Even if I couldn''t fight myself, it might have been possible that I could make some I made creature fight for me instead.


    "It''s not really that it is no good. You see, there is a difference between you and him, after all. And after all you did somehow manage to animate a tree and killing the ogre, so with some practice, you can make something out of it, for sure. It''s at least better than not doing anything, right?"


    Better than not doing anything, was it. That was quite true. After all, even a tiny drop could make a difference. But it just meant that it could, not that it was in any way likely to make one. But for Karen''s sake, I had to persevere.


    "Well then, before we continue, we should start with our dinner. I caught quite a few things, you see. A few demon rabbits and some other critters."


    "I actually kind of expected you to drag along some big animal like a bear."


    "And who would eat all of that? It would be rotting by the time we''re halfway through and attract scavengers and other animals. Probably even monsters."


    She had a point. That could become troublesome. Lily put down her spoils and began to gut them. Karen, who had nothing to do, joined her and I took care of the fire, making sure it was big enough. Gutting those animals was too bloody for my stomach. I knew that even the meat I ate before in the modern world belonged to a poor animal that got its guts removed and taken apart, but that didn''t mean I enjoyed watching it. My respects to all those who could deal with this, especially those who did it for a living.


    "What should we do with these intestines, Lily?"


    "A few of those are edible, we should eat them first. Intestines spoil fast, you know. The ones that are not edible, we should get rid of them. I''ll sort them out."


    "Okay, I''ll start with grilling some of these already. What about the rabbits?"


    "I''ll prepare one of them for now, we can do the others later while we wait."


    Karen moved to the fire and pierced the former critter on a branch. It looked a bit like a squirrel. There were also some that looked like birds, but none looked really like an animal that I knew. At most, they were close in appearance but they were still distinctively different, either in their colour, the fur, or lack of thereof or even by having horns, fangs or claws. A squirrel with claws and fangs or a bird with horns.


    Evolution with the strong presence of mana must have made quite an impact on animals and plants overall.


    After I observed the various curious animals for quite some time, Karen finished up with the freshly prepared rabbit and came over to me.


    "Something the matter, Yumi?"


    "Nn? Not really, just, the animals are quite curious."


    "Are they?"


    "Nn, they are quite different from my former world. They all look vaguely similar to different kinds of animals I know, but nothing more. It''s interesting to compare them."


    "Huh, is that so. You should tell me sometime about those."


    Karen smiled at me and pat my head.


    "But we can talk about that some other time, okay? For now, we should focus on other things."


    "Nn, I''m sorry."


    "No need to apologise."


    With those words, Karen went back to help out Lily again. There wasn''t much left to do outside of turning our dinner once in a while.


    Lily confirmed that I can make a living creature with a living body and a mock soul. She called it a mock soul, so it''s probably not an actual living being like us, but just the imitation of it. And without a core, it would just die once the mana ran out. But that means, with a core, it wouldn''t die. With a core... a mana crystal?


    "Hey, Lily."


    "Yes? What''s up, my cute little sister number one?"


    "I''m not your sister. And why number one?"


    "Karen is number two! I also want cute little sisters!"


    "I refuse. But more importantly, Lily, how do monsters reproduce?"


    "Monster reproduction? There are basically two ways. The mana crystal reproduction by spontaneous concentrations of mana forming a crystal and a monster body and the reproduction through sexual intercourse. The resulting offspring of the latter has no mana crystal and is called a magic beast instead of a monster, though. Ah, but there are rumours about higher monsters being able to create their own subordinate monsters."


    "It''s not possible to create a being with life and soul magic and use a mana crystal as a core?"


    "In theory it is, but nobody managed to restart a crystal once it shut down, as far as I know. They at most work as a mana storage extending the life of the creature."


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "Quite. Imagine if it was possible after all. Whichever country had that technology, wouldn''t they mass-produce monsters for their war effort? But why do you ask?"


    "Well, because I probably can make a working mana crystal."


    "Eh? Are you serious?"


    "Nn."


    Lily was so surprised she stopped gutting the rabbit and diverted all her attention to me. Lily was staring at me intensely, while Karen started panicking.


    "Yumi! I told you not to tell that to others, didn''t I?!"


    "Oh."


    That was right. She did tell me that.


    "Sorry. I forgot."


    Nothing could be done about that now. In any case, Lily wouldn''t probably go around telling others about it.


    Lily was still staring and not reacting in any way, did we actually break her now? She was usually so quick to revive.


    "Yumi. Absolutely keep that a secret."


    "I will try my best."


    Seemed that Lily shared the opinion that I shouldn''t go around telling others about it.


    "It would be worth testing how much you can do with it. If you can make monsters, even weak ones, that would be an immense help. But if the knowledge spreads, you would be captured and used to produce a literal army, you know?"


    "That sounds scary."


    "It is scary. After all, that''s exactly what those scumbags you want to fight are looking for."


    "Is it? I thought they wanted to turn a person into a monster?"


    "Exactly. But that includes a working mana crystal, otherwise, they just have an inferior version of a monster that requires frequent mana injections or new mana crystals to survive. As far as I know, that''s also the only obstacle they have left until they succeed. And if they should succeed, I promise, it won''t be pretty. But we can talk about those things later, for now, we should see what you can do and how much. Did you try to make the mana crystal from the ogre work again?"


    "Nn. I tried, but it is probably too strong for me at the moment. That''s why I wanted to use the crystals of the rabbits you brought."


    "Then let''s try it right away! I''ll fetch them, one moment!"


    "Stop right there you two!"


    Karen appeared right next to us, who were busy making plans. Her menacing look spelt danger.


    "I am happy that you two are thinking so much about all of this, but we have dinner ready here. It was quite exhausting today and it is slowly getting late, so let us eat first. If we still have time, you can try your experiments as much as you want. Understood?"


    ""Yes, ma''am.""


    There was not even a shred of objection left in us.


    Once we finished our dinner, it was slowly turning dark. We couldn''t see the sunset due to the trees, but the red sky was still easily discernable between the treetops. It wouldn''t take long until the light was gone for the day.


    The rabbits were quite great and Lily and Karen were both quite satisfied with it as well. Both of them were currently busy with practice.


    The training to sense mana. By circulating natural mana from a mana crystal in the trainee''s body, they could grasp what mana actually was, allowing them to sense it. But natural mana was poisonous in larger quantities. Karen was groaning from the pain and it was everything but a pretty sight. Alas, it was a necessary evil.


    I intended to do various things while those two were busy, but my worries for Karen were too distracting. I couldn''t do anything but watch helplessly, while Lily circulated the mana through Karen''s body.


    After a gruelling amount of time, the small mana crystal in Lily''s hands cracked and Karen collapsed, breathing heavily.


    "Sis? Are you okay?"


    "Ah, Yumi, let her rest, she''s fine. She didn''t quite grasp it yet, but more would be dangerous. For now, her body has to expel the overflowing natural mana, that may take some time."


    Lily interjected and caught me before I could run over to Karen.


    "She''ll be fine, right?"


    "She''ll be fine, don''t worry. Let her rest, okay? It''s probably hard to imagine, but while having natural mana coursing through your body is an extremely unpleasant experience, it is also a valuable one. And it shouldn''t take her much to learn to sense mana after this. She should have a pretty good feel already, so it''ll take only some practice. Don''t you worry! Rather, you should now focus on your practice, right?"


    "But Sis is..."


    "Fine. She''s fine."


    Lily picked me up and carried me away.


    Ah. I''m being kidnapped.


    "Miss Lily? Where are you taking me?"


    "Hm? Isn''t that obvious? To this place!"


    "Huh?"


    My mind couldn''t quite catch up.


    Let''s reorganize this. I was taken by Lily, who took me away from Sis. I am currently. In a particularly. Dangerous. Situation. I request help!


    "What? Do you dislike sitting in my lap that much? That makes me quite sad. I even put all the crystals close and the fire is warm, right? There shouldn''t be anything to complain about. You can practice just fine in my lap!"


    "The only lap I want to sit in is Sis'' lap."


    "Ehh... But Karen is currently resting, so you can''t sit in her lap. Therefore you have to sit in mine!"


    I wasn''t even left with an option. My will was completely ignored!


    "Do I have no say in this?"


    "No."


    "But..."


    "No."


    "But Sis''..."


    "No."


    "..."


    She took the mana crystals and put them into my hand. Then she put her arms around me and hugged me. I couldn''t escape anymore.


    I guess I have no choice but to get this over with and return to Sis'' side.


    I sighed in resignation and began making the crystals in my hands into a larger one. Afterwards, I put in my own mana and it changed into a pinkish mana egg in no time. Then I noticed something important.


    "Lily, even if I have the crystal now, I can''t make a living body from nothing, right? So I need..."


    "Don''t worry, I''m prepared!"


    Lily took something from behind her and presented it to me. It was a bag with branches, nuts and other things.


    When did you even prepare this? Weren''t you here at the fire the entire time since then?


    I grabbed the bag and picked out a few twigs and nuts. Since I didn''t have a lot of mana, I shouldn''t use anything too big for the experiments.


    I used life magic on the twigs and nuts and they started twitching and rolling around.


    "This looks quite creepy, can''t you make them stop?"


    "Nn, I don''t think so? Maybe they''ll stop with a mock soul?"


    But how did the mock soul even work? I remembered the feeling of how to do it, but it didn''t really explain to me what it was.


    I guess it isn''t important for now. As long as it works, it doesn''t matter. I can still research this later. A nut that rolls by itself makes no sense either anyway.


    Deciding on this, I continued gathering some mana and made a soul for one of the nuts. At least I thought it was a mock soul.


    The nut in question stopped rolling around and lay motionless in my hand.


    "Nut. Move."


    It didn''t move.


    "Maybe you have to be more, I don''t know, more... intense?"


    "I order you, nut! Roll around."


    It still didn''t move.


    "Does a nut even have the capability of understanding speech?"


    "Ah..."


    Right. Of course, it didn''t.


    "But then, how do I make it move?"


    "Maybe with mana."


    Lily pointed with her finger towards the nut. All of a sudden the nut jumped away in the opposite direction. Straight into the fire. After a few seconds, a popping sound could be heard.


    "Oops. We will never forget your sacrifice, Major General Nuts!"


    "Who is Major General Nuts...?"


    "The nut."


    "When did you name it. And how did you make it move anyway?"


    "I named it just now. And I just poked it with some mana. In any case, I''d say it was a success? Though our casualty count went up by one."


    Even if it was, technically, close to a living being, I couldn''t quite sympathise with a nut dying. Even though I made it myself.


    "Does the nut even count as a casualty?"


    "Of course it does! Even if it was just for a short time, it was properly alive!"


    "And you killed it."


    "Sacrifices had to be made!"


    "..."


    Why am I even arguing with this girl?


    I shook my head, trying to get rid of my irritation.


    I continued trying to animate a few twigs and nuts, but none of them was particularly useful in any way. Most of them were poked by Lily, upon which they all jumped straight into their doom. She totally enjoyed this, didn''t she?


    "Why did you even prepare that weird mana crystal? You''re doing nothing but animating twigs and nuts. You can''t really use it for that, right?"


    "Nn? It doesn''t hurt having it ready when I need it again, right? It saved my life today, after all. And maybe I can find some unexpected use all of a sudden?"


    "Hm... If you could at least make something other than twitching twigs and rolling nuts... Can''t you, like, form them into something? Something, something... something like a doll? Or a puppet!"


    "And how am I supposed to do that? I barely have enough mana to animate them, how do I even change their appearance then?"


    "Lack of mana, huh..."


    Lily seemed to be lost in thought. I could probably change their appearance or mould them into a doll or so if I had the mana. I could feel every time when I animated a nut or twig, something akin to mud or clay made it up. When I first noticed it, I tried to change its form, but the mana I used was too weak and it wouldn''t budge much.


    "If it''s just mana, can''t you absorb some from the mana crystals? "


    "We don''t really have a lot of them, so I don''t want to waste any."


    "Huh? Why didn''t you say that before? There''s no need to worry about that."


    Lily smiled at me and rummaged inside her bag. After some seconds she took out a darkish, round and smooth gem and gave it to me.


    "Huh, wait, Lily... is this... a mana crystal?"


    The gem contained a huge amount of mana, whoever was the previous owner of this, must have been quite dreadful.


    "Yeah, it''s the mana crystal of a Black Wyrm. They aren''t common around these parts, but they got good mana crystals, despite being on the weaker side."


    It was probably still a dangerous monster, despite Lily saying such. At least stronger than anything we could encounter here.


    "In any case, that crystal should contain sufficient mana for most things, right?"


    "Nn. But are you sure? This seems valuable."


    "It''s not really something cheap, you are right about that... Mhmm... I know, once we''re done with all of this, I want enough of your hair to make a lot of equipment for me! Then we can call it even, okay?"


    "Are you sure with just that?"


    "You say just that, but if we manage to make equipment out of it, it would be incredibly expensive, you know? A lot more than this measly stone."


    "That much...?"


    "Yeah! I''m not a magic craftsman, but even I can see that it is good material. It is incredibly durable and it seems to be rather resistant to heat and magic as well. Who wouldn''t want equipment like that? It still won''t save you from being trampled by a dragon, but it will make hunting and work considerably safer."


    "If you are fine with that... Then I won''t hold back. Thank you."


    "No problem! I just secured my future equipment, so take as many as you want!"


    No, just one was enough, probably. I could do a lot more with this. Feeling slightly excited, I took all the remaining twigs and so that Lily prepared.


    Let''s do this!


    I began animating them with the mana of the Wyrm crystal until I could feel the clay-like substance.


    What would be good? A simple puppet? Or a doll with joints? I probably can''t make anything sophisticated on the fly, but a simple doll should work, right? I don''t want a crude puppet. If I''m doing this, then I''m doing it right!


    "Oh! It''s moving! It looks like it''s melting!"


    The mass of twigs and nuts all melted together into a brownish substance. Now, I had to form it into something doll-like. A doll with simple joints and a slender body.


    "Oh! It''s changing form! Huh? Did it increase in mass? Or not? Oh! It is changing shape again! Now it looks a bit like a person. A small person!"


    Lily, do me a favour and shut up! I''m concentrating!


    After quite some time and with lively commentary, I managed to make something.


    "Well, Yumi, you know..."


    "Don''t say anything..."


    "I don''t think I can. After all, your artistic talent... it''s quite bad."


    "But, it has moving joints. It''s a proper doll."


    "How did you even manage to make those work..."


    "Magic."


    "..."


    The result was not completely bad, even if it looked clumsy. Like a kindergartner''s clay doll, just slightly more complex. And just made out of wood. Once I finished the brownish mass returned to being wood. I put quite some effort on the ball joints and managed that they somehow held together with magic, but it wouldn''t take a lot of effort to pluck them off again.


    The doll itself was twitching quite a bit. If I had someone''s hair and a nail, maybe I could try cursing them?


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "If it''s in that brownish mass-like state, can you form it with only mana or with your hands as well?"


    "I don''t know?"


    "Let''s... just redo this, and let''s try if I can make it instead."


    "But, it''s my first doll."


    "I do not think you can bring this along anywhere, Yumi."


    "But..."


    "Let''s just redo this before Karen sees it. I get the feeling she might lose it if she sees this. It''s honestly really creepy."


    And so, my first doll had to be recycled.


    With some effort, we managed to make a rather smooth and neat doll by the time it became dark. It looked a lot better than I initially expected. And bigger, if it were to stand, it would probably reach over my knees. That was quite a big sized doll.


    Surprisingly, Lily could, in fact, form the clay as long as I maintained the mana, which proved to be a surprising blessing.


    "Lily."


    "Yes? What is it?"


    "Why are you so good at this? I thought you are a battle junkie?"


    "How rude, I love battles, but I am still a girl you know! Even I liked to play with dolls when I was small. But they often broke so I had to learn myself how to fix them."


    "Were you so rough with them that they broke or what?"


    I looked behind me to see Lily''s face. A slightly lonely smile adorned it.


    "No, the other kids took it usually and broke it. The adults had no time to bother with our quarrels. Especially not with me involved."


    "Not with you?"


    "Ahhh! Let''s not delve on past matters! Okay? The doll looks pretty good now! Let''s see if it can move."


    I better shouldn''t ask about her past for the time being. It doesn''t seem to be a good topic for her. I wonder what happened, though...


    Returning attention to the doll, I stared at it for a while. It still had the patterns unique to wooden materials, despite being moulded in a rather questionable way. It was also really smooth and well-formed. The joints were better now as well since Lily shared with me some knowledge about ball joints used in dolls. Even hands were made possible with Lily''s surprising dedication. It proved to be a rather interesting and fun experiment, and the result was nothing short of astonishing.


    So far, everything I animated just started twitching uncontrollably, but the doll was lying quietly in front of us. Only when Lily poked it with mana did it move its arms and legs for a moment.


    "I wonder what differs to the previous times..."


    "Maybe cause you actually made something proper human-like? Or rather, something that actually resembles a living creature?"


    "Nn... Maybe."


    "Whatever the case, don''t you want to try out using soul magic on it? Maybe even use that weird mana crystal?"


    I wondered whether I should really use the crystal already, but I could always tell Lily to go catch some rabbits for a few mana crystals.


    I took the mana egg and tried to imitate what I did the last time, holding the egg close to the doll. After a few moments, it stirred and sunk quite literally into the doll.


    I hope you will become a good kid.


    And then, it moved... First the right arm, then the left, followed by both legs, it clumsily stood up.


    "It... worked?"


    "It did I think?"


    The doll was moving its arms up and down and clumsily walked forward. I was surprised it could hold its balance with that body.


    After walking a few times in a small circle, it turned towards us and bowed.


    "It seems quite polite," commented Lily.


    "Hey, can you dance for us?"


    The doll tilted its neck. Could it even understand what Lily was saying?


    But surprisingly, it began moving in a strange manner.


    "Is it... trying to dance? I did ask for a dance but this looks quite creepy, like some ritualistic barbarian dance."


    "I agree... But it can understand us, how interesting."


    "But isn''t that good? If it can understand you, then it can also follow orders, right?"


    "Probably, but... Lily, what would I even do with an army of dolls?"


    "Induce traumas by having your enemy experience a nightmarish doll party?"


    "That''s not quite effective, is it?"


    "Actually, fear and superstitions are a really effective weakness that you can make use of. It can often turn around entire battles if wielded correctly."


    "We aren''t on the battlefield though?"


    "That may actually be the reason this could be even more useful. You could scare the guards by having a swarm of dolls attack them in the middle of the night. Or you could even make an entire base panic by swarming them with dolls. An unknown enemy is the most fearsome enemy."


    "Your ideas are, indeed, quite scary."


    The doll was still dancing merrily in the light from the fire, so I ordered it to stop. Someone might really believe I wanted to curse someone.


    "Well, that decides what we''re going to do with you now, though. Making monsters is going to allow us to do quite a few more things. Especially a small army of dolls would make for an effective distraction, right?"


    "Making so many dolls would take quite some time, though."


    "Well, Karen can help us out tomorrow, and with some practice, it should go faster after a while. We also could test how much we can simplify it while it still stays usable. There''s a lot of things to do and not even remotely enough time."


    "What do you mean, not enough time?"


    An unexpected voice interrupted. Karen apparently woke up and overheard our discussion.


    "Oh, you are awake? That is good. How do you feel?"


    "Like someone who got slugged in the guts repeatedly after being made to drink some strong spirits."


    "Oh, what an apt description. But you should rest some more in that case."


    "Sis."


    I struggled free from Lily''s grasp and ran over to Karen, hugging her. I was glad she was fine. She slept quite deeply, so I wasn''t worried about her immediate well-being after a while, but it was still worrying not knowing when she would wake up. Lily seemed to have expected her to wake up around this time though.


    Karen hugged me back and pat my head. After all, this was the best place to be at.


    "How unfair, I finally got Yumi for myself and now she immediately runs to you."


    "Nevermind that, what did you mean with not enough time?"


    "Ah, right. I should probably talk about that right, about everything. But first, let''s clean up, okay? It won''t be a particularly long talk since it is late, but I''ll sum up the important parts, okay?"


    "... Okay."


    Karen already understood that Lily was doing everything in her own pace and that it was futile to attempt to change that. So, we went and cleaned up. I ordered the doll to keep still and we made space to sleep.


    Lily still insisted on all of us sleeping together. Karen was too tired to argue and I stopped caring as long as I was with Karen, so we somehow cuddled all three together in front of the fire.


    At some point Lily had used some kind of tool that warded off weaker monsters, so we wouldn''t need a night watch.


    There were still a few reasons for a night watch but we conveniently ignored them after Lily claimed she would wake up if anything dangerous was to approach.


    "Ehehe, I got two cute girls in my arms. This is bliss!"


    "Instead of that, didn''t you want to tell us now? Actually, why are we already lying down?"


    "Don''t mind the small details, Karen. You''ll grow old faster if you worry too much!"


    "I, unfortunately, cannot help but worry with you around!"


    "How rude!"


    "Sis, Lily... Calm down."


    "Ah, I got scolded. How sad."


    I wasn''t really scolding her, but I should just stop minding the details with Lily.


    "Okay, I''ll keep it short for now, I can tell you the full story tomorrow, okay? Well, where to begin. Basically, our objective is to save Karen''s real sister, right? But in the current situation, that might not be possible anymore in a few days time. Preferably, I''d like to finish everything either tomorrow, or the day after. I know it sounds unreasonable, but you should think of that as the time limit."


    "What do you mean, not possible?"


    "At the current pace, your sister will die within a few days. That''s why they are so recklessly looking for a substitute."


    "Wait, why would that happen?!"


    "Calm down, Karen! She''s still alive. But those idiots went overboard with their experiments. It''s basically what I told Yumi earlier. They implanted a mana crystal into her, turning her into something between a monster and a person. But the crystal is not working properly, so at this rate, it will run out of mana. That in itself is not actually the problem, they did that multiple times already. When the mana crystal ran out they apparently could just replace it with a new one, so they would continue their experiments as if nothing happened. But this time they got impatient and decided to overload the crystal in the hopes it would attune itself to the girl''s mana attributes and start up like a normal mana crystal. They did in fact manage to make the crystal attune itself, but it never started acting like live mana crystal. In addition, the crystal is now closer to an actual part of her body, so once it runs out of mana, the chance of her dying is high. And a mana injection only works with unattuned natural mana. "


    "No way... But then, what are we supposed to even do?! What... Just what..."


    "Calm down, I said. I already know of a way to solve that problem. I can''t guarantee it will work and I only stumbled on it by accident, but it is your best bet. So cheer up!"


    I doubted one could cheer up that easily. I could feel how Karen tensed up next to me. I was being hugged by Karen while Lily was embracing us both. Lily probably decided to lie down already to keep Karen calm. Nothing worked better than a warm hug to calm someone.


    "Will... Will she really be saved?"


    "Of course! But we can''t dillydally, okay? Best case we can prepare everything by tomorrow evening. Worst case the day after, although that may cut it short. Luckily, I have a plan already, so trust in me!"


    "Sis, everything will be fine. I''m sure of it."


    "Thank you, Yumi. Lily, I hope my trust is not misplaced with you..."


    "Yes, just leave it to me! Just like earlier when I busted Yumi''s nuts, I will bust theirs as well and save your little sister''s! I mean, sister!"


    "..."


    "..."


    Lily, was this really necessary?

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Bonds

    Rinne


    Any additional chapters I write will be released whenever I am done with them, but those are more of a bonus.


    Also, if you find any mistakes, contradictions or anything that makes no sense, I''ll appreciate it if you tell me. Thank you!


    The chirping of birds and the rustling leaves woke me up early. Still half-asleep I began looking for the warmth that was supposed to be close but I couldn''t find it. Forcing myself up I scanned the surroundings.


    "Oh, Yumi? You awake?"


    "Nn..."


    "''No, I''m still sleeping!'' she said."


    "Lily, there is no need for interpreting, I can see it myself."


    "I''m... awake..."


    "Clearly, you are more asleep than awake."


    Karen and Lily were grilling something over the fire. They must have woken up even earlier than me since both of them were quite lively already. I stood up and tottered over to Karen.


    "Yumi, breakfast is soon ready, just wait a moment, okay?"


    "Nn..."


    "''But I want to eat you instead!'' she said!"


    "Lily, shut up or I will make you shut up. Forever."


    How could one be so energetic in the morning already? It was a complete mystery to me.


    "Here, Yumi. Food."


    "Nn..."


    "''Feed me!'' she sa-... Woah! Be careful with that, Karen. Do you want to burn my pretty face?"


    Lily was still sputtering nonsense and got what she deserved, namely Karen thrusting some of the burning wood at her.


    Being fed by Karen, huh... That may be nice...


    I sat down next to Karen and opened my mouth wide.


    "Eh? Yumi? Uhm..."


    "..."


    "Ahh... I understand I understand."


    Karen took some of the meat and blew on it to cool it down. Then broke off some of it with her hands.


    "Here, open wide."


    "Ahh."


    Chomp.


    It tasted great. Like happiness. There was nothing else to say.


    "Here, feed me too!"


    In the meantime, the third wheel sat down on Karen''s other side and demanded to be fed as well.


    "Lily, can''t you eat yourself?"


    "Yumi can eat by herself, too! I demand equal treatment!"


    "I refuse. Isn''t it obvious I will treat Yumi better?"


    "How unfair! Feed me!"


    Karen was clearly unsure how to deal with her. However, a sudden smile formed on her face.


    "Okay, here you go."


    "Yay! Huh? Wait, Karen. That''s not possible. Stop!"


    "Just stay still!"


    "No way! I''ll die!"


    Now I had to eat by myself after all while Karen was chasing Lily, trying to ''feed'' her. With the whole poor animal at once. Of course, still steaming.


    Are you two a comedy troupe?


    I feared that Karen would be too worried about her sister now after what she heard from Lily yesterday, but it seemed to be a needless worry.


    Instead, we had a boisterous breakfast. I certainly didn''t dislike it. In the end, Karen unexpectedly gave up and fed Lily and me until all the meat was gone.


    Once we finished eating, Lily instructed Karen on her remaining exercises. Apparently, Karen could already feel her own mana in a much more direct manner than before. However, she was still unable to feel the mana outside her own body, so Lily blindfolded her, gave her earplugs and sent Karen on a literal quest to find me. Of course, I was only a few meters away, but being unable to see or hear anything transformed those few meters into quite the challenge.


    "Are you sure that will work?"


    "It will, it will. Rather than worrying about that, let''s make some more of those dolls and see what they can do. We collected a few things to work with when you were still asleep."


    Lily dragged a big piece of lumber towards me.


    "Lily, no matter how I look at it, that''s probably a bit too much for me."


    "Hm? Ah, you got it wrong, we will make multiple dolls out of this, okay? Multiple!"


    "What have you even planned for those dolls?"


    "Planned? Ah, I told you yesterday how fear is an effective weapon, right? We will swarm their hideout with your dolls, as many as possible! We will use them to distract the thugs. It won''t help against the mercenaries, but the fewer enemies, the better!"


    I stopped. What did she just say?


    "Lily, what do you mean with mercenaries?"


    "The lord hired mercenaries to guard the hideout. They are a lot more skilled than random thugs. It''s practically impossible that they would falter because of a few dolls. Maybe one or two might get scared if we are lucky."


    "Huh. I wondered about this before, but you know quite a lot about them. You only agreed to help us yesterday, right? Then why do you already know all of this?"


    Lily pulled the log next to me and sat down on it. In the background, I could hear Karen calling for me, occasionally bumping into a tree or something else. I had to believe in her.


    Do your best, Sis!


    "... Do you know why Wanda called me, and not other mercenaries? There are quite a few skilled mercenaries around."


    "Because she knows and trusts you?"


    "Well, that would be great, but it''s a bit more practical. Because our objectives are plainly speaking, the same. Ah, well not quite, but mostly."


    "The same?"


    "Yes, due to a personal matter, I was already preparing to assault their hideout. That you two came along, was a surprising coincidence, and honestly a welcome one. There aren''t many that are really interested in fighting against those pieces of trash. They complain, but they think that they''ll at least survive as long as they keep their mouths shut and avert their eyes."


    "Nn... But then, who will help us? Didn''t you say you would help us with your connections?"


    "Ah, I did say that, right? Well, in a way, I will. We''re going to hire every mercenary we can find."


    "... And how are you intending to do that?"


    Lily showed me an evil smile. This couldn''t bode well.


    "That''s a secret for now."


    "... I''m not for sale."


    "I won''t sell you! Never! You and Karen are mine!"


    "We''re not yours..."


    "Don''t be shy. Ah, Karen''s sister, too. When we saved her, then I''ll have three cute girls! I''ll take care of you all!"


    This was hopeless. I sighed in resignation and began working on the log. Lily quickly jumped off when the log began to soften. She immediately separated one part and began moulding it, while I maintained the magic.


    "Hm, do we have to make them into actual dolls, Yumi? As long as they look like one it should be fine, right?"


    "If you think that is enough, go ahead."


    "Okay!"


    She quickly worked the claylike wood into a simple wooden doll. It barely took a few minutes.


    "That was a lot faster than yesterday..."


    "Well, I already did it once, you see, and I was cutting corners this time."


    "You did it only once and you improved this much already."


    "Praise me more! But first, let''s see if this even works. Speaking of which, where''s the one from yesterday?"


    "I think somewhere around here... Come here."


    I called for it as I wasn''t able to find it on the spot. Something rustled and the doll stood up, walking over to us. Then it bowed and stayed in that position.


    "Why does it bow? Did you teach it to?"


    "No... I don''t know either."


    "Anyway, try doing something with this one now!"


    "Nn. Give me a moment."


    As we had no mana crystals ready, I decided to just give it a soul without one for now. Even if it meant it was only alive for a few minutes or so.


    "Oh, it''s moving!"


    "Nn. It''s a bit clumsier, but it works."


    The new doll moved awkwardly around, but maybe these unnatural movements might even be better for our purpose.


    We confirmed that the doll did just about everything we told it to. Even rather complicated orders seemed to be completely fine. The only issue was that it had close to no actual strength. It was stronger than it looked but in the end, it was just a doll made of wood. Alone it wouldn''t be able to do much, but Lily decided that this was more than enough and we proceeded to make more dolls.


    Around two hours later, our small campsite was filled with moving and dancing dolls. Lily dragged one log after the other to me and we changed them all into dolls. Much to our surprise, the first doll was still moving on the mana I gave it initially. They were quite eco-friendly.


    In the meantime, Karen was lying somewhere to the side. Lily thought it was a good idea to have some dolls latch onto Karen while she was still looking for me. The resulting outcry allowed Karen her breakthrough and also presented Lily with a bloody nose. Even she didn''t expect that Karen would lash out at her at full strength the moment she was able to sense her. As a result, she took her fist straight into the face before she could react.


    You reap what you sow, Lily. Still surprised it ended in just a bloody nose. Sis hits quite hard.


    "Lily, are these enough for now?"


    "Wait a moment... Ouch! Ah... At least it''s not broken. Okay. What did you say again?"


    "I asked whether these are enough dolls."


    "Enough? Ah, yes, that should be enough. Any more and it''ll become a mess. Can''t have that. For now, let''s recover Karen."


    "Nn."


    Lily walked over to Karen and poked her. She didn''t react.


    "She isn''t dead, right?"


    "Still alive."


    "Okay, good. Then off these go!"


    With a flash, Lily removed the earplugs and the blindfold.


    "Wake up, princess. It''s morning!"


    "Mm... Huh? It is not dark anymore? And I can hear something again?"


    Karen, finally rebooting, noticed that she could see and hear again.


    Why didn''t you just remove them yourself, Sis?


    "Ah, Yumi!"


    Ignoring everything else, Karen jumped up and dashed towards me.


    "Finally got you!"


    "Nn. Good job, Sis."


    I let Karen hug me, but Lily urged us to finish up. We had to move on.


    "I''m happy you two are always in a good mood, but we''re a bit in a hurry, okay? You should postpone that for afterwards. Seriously."


    "Eh, Lily, you had Yumi for yourself the entire time, too."


    "We were working! Look around! I even restrained myself from having Yumi sit in my lap while we work! Can you imagine that suffering?! Make up for it and flirt with me, too, Karen!"


    "No way."


    "Lily, I''m not sharing Sis."


    "It won''t hurt you to share her for a bit, right?!"


    "She doesn''t want to."


    "... Does that mean it is fine if she wants to? Then I only have to make her want it!"


    "... I won''t share her."


    If Karen actually wanted to, it might be one thing, but she didn''t. Therefore, I had no intention of sharing her. And in the unlikely case, she actually wanted to... I would have to think about it at that time.


    "You two, I am still belonging to myself and not to either of you. And, what is this scenery of hell here anyway?"


    "Scenery of hell?"


    I turned back to look at our beautiful campsite. There were dozens of dolls around, doing various things. Some of them were holding burning sticks and dancing around the fire. Others were doing various exercises, like bashing at each other with sticks. There were even some using another doll as a ball for dodgeball. Then finally, some were gathering around another doll that was crucified onto a thick branch. They seemed to be discussing something.


    Wait, I never told them to execute each other?! And why are they playing dodgeball? Wouldn''t a nut or so work too? And why is that one doll crucified? What did it do?


    "I am not quite sure how effective curses are, Yumi, but I don''t think you can curse those people to death with this spectacle."


    "Sis, this is a misunderstanding, I haven''t told them to do those weird things. Probably Lily did."


    "Me? I haven''t told them anything either, though?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Let''s pretend we never saw this.


    We packed our few belongings and moved out. I replenished the mana of the dolls, as the first doll finally stopped moving. Now, we were being followed by dozens of wooden dolls. They were walking in formation. It was closer to the march of an army.


    The one with the mana egg was carried in my arms, though.


    Where did these dolls even learn to march like that?


    "Then, let''s decide what we''re going to do now. Today will be a long day, so we have to properly divide our time."


    "You say that, but you still haven''t told us what you have prepared so far?"


    "Prepared?"


    Karen hadn''t heard our talk since she was busy with her ''training'', so Lily repeated what she told me.


    "So it was like that... But, Lily, what is your reason for fighting them then?"


    "Mm... That''s a bit... It would be a story way too long to tell you. I''ll tell you after this is all over..."


    She dodged the issue. It was clear she didn''t want to talk about it to us.


    "Anyway, Yumi wanted to know what I already prepared, okay? My original plan was to brute force my way with the help of any mercenary I could find. It wasn''t really a plan, but I didn''t have much choice, you see. I alone can only afford so much and no mercenary works for free, right? And even then, some mercenaries don''t like being employed by another mercenary, so that also becomes a problem."


    "But, how did that change now...?"


    "Because you two are here. Yumi can provide funds indirectly, we got to be careful that they won''t trace it back to her, but it should be good enough to hire quite a few more people than I originally planned for. In fact, materials like that can be sold for a good price everywhere, while currency becomes useless when you leave the area it is used in, so it''s a great way to pay them. And for Karen, you are actually quite well-known around the slums, right?"


    "I wouldn''t call myself well-known, but I do know a number of people."


    "You are quite well-known, believe me. Wanda actually told me about you before we met. With your help, I might get some of the folks in the slums to help out."


    "I don''t think they will move just because I ask, you know."


    "Well, if they don''t, then that''s that. But asking won''t hurt us. Probably."


    "Huh..."


    Karen didn''t know her own reputation, so she made a confused face. She probably couldn''t believe that she was well-known or anything like that. From what I saw the past week, though, it certainly seemed like many knew about her.


    "And, since our small camping trip was a lot more successful, our options increased even more. My current idea is a simple distraction and infiltration plan."


    "Distraction and infiltration?"


    "Yes. I want Yumi to cause a disturbance, drawing out as many people as possible, while Karen and I sneak in and save whoever we can. That''s our first priority."


    "And the second priority?"


    "Killing the asshole in charge. But to be honest, that will prove immensely difficult. He''s probably well protected. And I don''t know if I can win against the more powerful guards. I want to sneak in with as few people as possible to lower our chances of being detected, so we can save the captives."


    "But then, why do you need more people?"


    "Do you think Yumi can fight hordes of thugs and guards swarming you?"


    Both of them turned towards me with those words. Their thoughts were clearly showing on their faces.


    "... No. Impossible."


    "See?"


    But being swarmed by criminals might actually be quite scary. Therefore, we definitely needed more people. My life was at stake here.


    "Well, regarding what we''ll do now, though. I want Karen to rally whoever you can find in the slums that might help. I will take Yumi and we''ll be doing some rounds to other mercenaries."


    "Wait, why should Yumi go with you?!"


    "Because she''ll be relying on the mercenaries, so she has to get acquainted with at least a few of them."


    "Aren''t you just going to sell her?!"


    "You still don''t trust me? Well, it''s not like I can''t understand your thoughts but... hm... Ah, I have an idea."


    Lily turned towards me with a mischievous smile.


    "I''m not for sale."


    "Even you?! No, that''s not what I want to talk about. Yumi, you trust Karen, right?"


    "Of course I do."


    "Then, you will be staying with her long-term?"


    "Nn? I think so?"


    "Then there''s no problem! I got the perfect solution to a number of problems!"


    "... Do you mind if I ask what it is?"


    "It''ll be a surprise! We''ll make a stop somewhere else for that, okay? I''m sure Karen won''t object after that!"


    "A surprise?"


    Karen squinted at Lily.


    "Lily, you couldn''t possibly mean..."


    "Oh? Do you maybe have an idea already?"


    "I don''t want that. That''s not much better than her being a slave!"


    "Well, but it would solve a lot of problems, you see. As she is, she can''t enter the city, she will be sniffed out eventually by a magician, and so on. But! That could all be solved!"


    Apparently, Karen figured out what Lily was planning. Since she compared it to being a slave, was it something that made me belong to Karen?


    That idea... might not be bad.


    So I pulled Karen''s arm, to get her attention.


    "Sis. Please tell me what Lily means."


    "Yumi... she probably means the Tamer''s Collar."


    "Tamer''s collar?"


    "Ah, let me explain! You see, there are monster tamers that make use of monsters, yeah? So, these monster tamers make use of a certain magic item that lets them control the monsters. Well, rather than control, it is more of making them subordinate to you? They cannot go against the tamer. Basically, the tamer can order them, know where they are and a few other things. That''s the Tamer''s Collar!"


    "So, you want me to wear a collar?"


    "Well, yes! I want to see this cute little Yumi with an oversized collar!"


    Lily suggested something rather shocking. On one side, it would be physical proof that I belonged to Karen. But on the other side, my remaining dignity and pride refused wholeheartedly.


    I already gave up my pride as a man, but at least let me keep my dignity as a person. Then again, I was already prepared to become a slave should it improve my livelihood. And belonging to Karen wouldn''t be a demerit anyway.


    "Lily! We don''t need that! I don''t want to do that to Yumi! Absolutely not!"


    "Hm... I thought it was a good idea. Guess not then."


    And there goes the plan. But I will remember that, for future reference.


    "Oh well, then Yumi has to learn it some other way then."


    "Learn what?"


    "Hiding your mana, of course."


    "Hiding my mana?"


    "Yes! Did you not notice something when you fought the ogre?"


    Now that she mentioned it, I remembered that I first thought there was no monster approaching, but in the end, it was one. So it was hiding its mana?


    "You see, stronger monsters all do that. Those close to animals like normal fishes, rabbits and similar critters, they don''t do that, but anything else hides its mana."


    "To prevent magicians from finding them?"


    "Magicians and other monsters. They aren''t overly aggressive towards each other, but they do occasionally fight over territory and prey. But in your case, it would be mainly against other magicians."


    "So, that''s how you found out about me?"


    "Yes. It''s actually kind of common knowledge, so I was honestly surprised. And the city gates are often watched by magicians or at least guards that are mana seers."


    It seemed I very narrowly escaped capture when I tried to get through them. Thank you, unknown guard, who refused to let me go through.


    "So that''s why we didn''t enter the city then... But, Lily, how do I learn how to hide my mana?"


    "I don''t know!"


    "You... don''t know?"


    "Yes, I don''t know! After all, humans don''t continuously absorb mana and you can''t really ask most monsters how they do it, right? Not like people had any use for that knowledge anyway."


    "So, I have to figure it out myself. But will I be fine when we meet those mercenaries?"


    "For most of them, yes. The ones where I''m not sure, I''d like you to wait for me. There''s someone who can probably guard you in the meantime, so we''ll collect her first. But most mercenaries should be safe. Magic is not overly common, after all, and only a few groups have dedicated magicians."


    So it was mostly safe. That was relieving. I looked over to Karen, who was listening in on us. She smiled at me and pat my head.


    "It will be fine, don''t worry... I would rather go along with you, but if I can convince some people to help us, that would be better. Behave yourself, okay? And stay with Lily!"


    "Nn. I will."


    We talked some more about less important things until we could see the slums. We decided to meet up at Wanda''s place in the evening and parted ways for now. I was a bit anxious with being left alone with Lily, but nothing I could do about now.


    "Thank you, Lily."


    "Hm? That came out of nowhere. You can always thank me and praise me, though! Go ahead!"


    "You noticed Karen was still hung up over yesterday, right?"


    "Ah... Well, it was quite obvious, wasn''t it? Especially when you were still sleeping, you see. That girl probably barely slept from worry. I really would''ve liked to tell her today and not right before sleeping yesterday. But she''s stubborn, isn''t she? I think she wouldn''t have let that go."


    "I think so too."


    "Well, but she took it a lot better than expected. She''s quite impressive. Wanda told me Karen''s story before. I don''t think I could do that. I''m sure I''d break, working so long for literal scum, always worrying about my only family member. Never knowing when it might end. And yet, she didn''t give up. And then she saw a chance and decided to act on it. On the slim possibility of rescuing her."


    "She''s a good big sister, I''m a bit jealous."


    For years, Karen survived on her own, working for criminals. All the while, knowing how her sister was treated as an experimental subject. I couldn''t even imagine the feelings she must hold. The anger, the sadness. The helplessness.


    "But, was it fine to leave her alone?"


    "Worried? I''m sure she needs some time alone. She won''t show it to you, how much it drains her. After all, she wants to look reliable for you."


    "Is that how it is?"


    "Yes, it is. She decided to look after you, so let her have that bit of sisterly pride."


    "But... I''m not even her real sister. I just arbitrarily called her Sis on my own and..."


    Lily stared at me and then burst out laughing, holding her stomach.


    "Ahahahaha. You were worried about that? Geez, you both are so cute."


    "Cute...?"


    "Mhm... Well, let me say it like this. I don''t know much about either of you, how you lived before, your family, your experiences, your friends nor your knowledge or opinions on various matters. I only know a few fragmented things I could see since yesterday, but to me, I think there''s no need to worry about that. Wanda told me, that for Karen, her little sister is like a holy existence. Someone, she absolutely needs. It''s what drives her forward."


    "A holy existence? So that girl is that important to her..."


    "What are you talking about? Aren''t you Karen''s little sister now, too? Push out your chest with pride and declare you are her sister! She needs it. And I am sure, she will need it even more, once everything is over."


    "Even more? Why?"


    "Yumi... I didn''t really want to talk about this with Karen around, so... please keep quiet about it."


    "Huh?"


    "What do you think is the state of Karen''s little sister? What do you think happens to someone, who is imprisoned for years and abused in experiments?"


    I gasped. I hadn''t thought about that at all.


    "Does Sis... know?"


    "She probably suspects it, at the very least."


    "Did you possibly... see her sister?"


    "... I did. She is a cute girl. I saw her... Her and the others..."


    "The others?"


    "Yes, others. There''s more than just Karen''s sister. They kidnapped manakin girls and bought female slaves from all over. Most of them die within a short amount of time, but that girl, she survived. She may have survived, but..."


    "Only girls?"


    "... Only girls."


    "Why?"


    Lily stopped in her tracks and looked over to me. She probably was not sure whether to tell me.


    "Tell me, Lily. I''m not some little girl that knows nothing of the world. It can''t be much worse than what I already have seen anyway."


    "You certainly do look like one. I mean you are only... actually how old are you?"


    "22."


    "Ah, right 22... Twen... ty.... two...?"


    "Nn."


    "You were actually the oldest among us?!"


    "Nn."


    "Aren''t you older than Karen?!"


    "Nn."


    "... That''s a lie."


    "It''s not."


    Lily held her head in exasperation.


    "So, why only girls...?"


    "Eh? Ah... For entertainment. The ones that have no use for the experiments are kept as pets... to keep their peons content... Until they break and get disposed of."


    "Her sister too...?"


    "I don''t know. Probably. But she still has value, so they don''t treat her too badly. In the physical sense."


    Lily continued walking again, her steps sounding heavily through the surroundings.


    "You should prepare yourself, Yumi. Because from now on, the leisure time ends."

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Witch’s Flower

    We walked to a small field close to the slums and hid the doll army in the long grass. They only needed to be hidden for the day, so there was no need to find an elaborate hiding place. I kept the doll I was carrying with me, though.


    Afterwards, we set directions towards the slums again.


    "Lily."


    "Yes, what is it, dear?"


    "You said you wanted to pick up an acquaintance first. What kind of person are they?"


    "What kind of person? Hmm... A crybaby?"


    "That''s not really encouraging right now..."


    "Ah, well. She is kind of capable? At least capable enough that she didn''t die yet. She was actually striving to become a magician, but her lack of talent barred her way. She still dabbled in it quite a lot. She also learnt a bit about magic craftsmen and their trade, so we need her help a bit."


    I wasn''t quite sure if she was trying to improve my impression or make it worse.


    "Is she the reason you know so many various things?"


    "Hm? No, not really? I''m the one who taught her magic basics and about mercenary life."


    "..."


    This girl surprisingly liked teaching people, didn''t she?


    "You said she learnt about magic craftsmen, can she actually do something with... that then?"


    "No, not really. She can''t do any more than any other normal magician could either. Actually, she can do even less. Her magic is mostly just on the level that it helps out in daily life, nothing more. But that is enough for our needs."


    "But if it is at that level, can''t you do that too?"


    Lily looked away awkwardly. This already told me all. She couldn''t.


    "Well, you see. My magic is mostly related to combat. I can''t really invoke magic for everyday use."


    "But didn''t you say there are countless magic systems? Why not use something else..."


    "Yumi... it''s not that easy. People have an affinity towards them. If you put me into the kitchen I''ll be useless, therefore I''ll be useless in everyday magic, too!"


    Aren''t you just lazy and unmotivated then?! Cooking is something you can learn! Don''t give up immediately!


    I shook my head in exasperation and decided to shelf that topic. We had entered the slums in the meantime and approached our destination. We walked past the occasional hoodlum and slum inhabitant, but Lily gave off an oppressive enough feeling that nobody dared to test their luck.


    "Lily, I''ve been wondering for a while, but why do you carry so many swords?"


    "Hm? Why? To use them, of course?"


    "No, but... why so many?"


    "Every situation calls for a different approach! Therefore every situation requires a different sword!


    "Huh... Can you give me an example?"


    "An example?"


    Lily pondered for a while and then gave me a smile.


    "For example, if I wanna make mincemeat out of the thug boss, I''ll use the Zweih?nder. The less of him remains the better!"


    "Lily, that''s just your personal feelings, isn''t it?"


    "Yes?"


    "I thought you meant, like, when the place is narrow you use the shortsword."


    "Why would I do that?"


    "Because the Zweih?nder would hit the wall when you swing it?"


    "It does, but that''s not a problem? If you hit the wall, just cleave through the wall!"


    "... Doesn''t the sword break then?"


    "A cheap sword might break, yes. But my Zweih?nder is made from the same materials as the knife you are carrying."


    "Huh, is that so... Eh? Lily, how do you..."


    Did I ever show her the knife? I''ve been carrying it since yesterday, haven''t I? And I wasn''t wearing a cheap shirt anymore so it should be hidden just fine.


    "Hm? Ah, the cloth band got loose in the night so I reattached it. Your thighs are soft, I could touch them forever! It''s great how they spring back when you poke them."


    I could feel how my face became hot. This girl felt me up while I slept.


    "You! Don''t just touch others!"


    "Ohh! That''s the first time you raised your voice! But we''re both girls, so it''s not a problem, right? And you make a perfect body pillow, you''re so soft and squishy, it''s great!"


    "I don''t care about that, just don''t feel others up! Everyone would feel embarrassed if you just touch them."


    "Is that so?"


    In an instant, Lily stood right before me and embraced me. I couldn''t evade her superhuman speed and all I could do was trying to struggle free. But against this trained girl it was a pointless effort.


    "Is this embarrassing for you?"


    It was. As my face was buried I was unable to tell her so, though. Then, the ground disappeared. Lily lifted me up and was now carrying me in her arms, similarly to how you hold a small child. When you saw someone being carried like this, it always gave you a smile, probably because it was mostly parents carrying their children. It was an adorable sight. But neither was I a child nor was Lily my mother. And children usually didn''t particularly care about shame and such concepts, but being carried like this now, was without a doubt incredibly embarrassing.


    "Lily... Please, I beg you, let me down..."


    "If you get used to this, things won''t be embarrassing anymore! Endure it, Yumi! All for the sake of my future body pillow!"


    Did she really intend to make me go through this just so I wouldn''t be too embarrassed to be her body pillow? I sincerely doubted this would improve my opinion even the slightest bit.


    I tried to wriggle out of her grasp, but Lily''s grip was firm. She didn''t budge at all.


    "Yumi, don''t jerk around so much, what will you do if I accidentally drop you?"


    "Then I''ll be at least free again. Everything will be gre-"


    I looked towards the ground. The ground that was currently quite far away, while Lily casually walked along the street. Was the ground always this far away? I shouldn''t even be that high up, but somehow, it felt really far away. If Lily dropped me, that would surely hurt. No, not just surely, it would definitely hurt a lot.


    "Absolutely... don''t... drop me..."


    "Then stop struggling, okay?"


    "Nn... I understand..."


    I salute you, children of the world, who are carried around without a care. How are you not scared? How can you put unconditional trust in your parents? Teach me, please!


    "Lily, could you finally let me down?"


    "No. I will carry you until we''re there. We''re close already anyway!"


    The warm smiles hurt. Even the hardy slum inhabitants occasionally turned around and smiled at me. Though I was mostly hidden by the robe, I was small enough that people probably thought of me as a child. Personally, I thought that no matter what, I was too big for this already. But with the average strength of the humans in this world that I observed so far, maybe this was still considered normal. After all, Lily showed no signs of being tired. Even when I subtly hinted at her maybe becoming tired, she cheerfully refused.


    In the end, there was nothing I could do except giving up. In a way, Lily''s plan bore fruit. When even a thug who obviously wasn''t up to anything decent was smiling at my sight, there was nothing left of my dignity.


    First, my dignity as a man was taken. Now, my dignity as an adult was taken. I could only protect my human dignity so far. Except I''m not even human anymore, so that dignity is questionable already.


    At this rate, there would be nothing left of me. Maybe my only option was to resign to my fate.


    While I was contemplating my life, we arrived at our goal.


    "Here we are! This is it!"


    "This...?"


    We were standing in front of an old hut that looked like its only purpose left was demolition. Technically the majority of buildings here would need to be demolished by modern earth''s security standards, but that wasn''t important.


    "Then, you can finally let me down, right?"


    "No."


    "... Excuse me?"


    And Lily knocked on the door.


    "Lily, please, let me down."


    I begged her, but, alas, she ignored me. Time ran out, and the door opened. A young woman appeared. Similar height to Lily, gentle eyes, light brown hair.


    "Oh? Lily?"


    The woman seemed surprised at Lily''s visit. It took a moment before she spotted me, even though I was right in front of her. I wanted to greet her, but before I could, she returned her gaze to Lily, this time with a serious glint.


    "Lily, return that girl. You shouldn''t pick up small girls who can''t defend themselves just because you are getting desperate. Her parents are surely worried!"


    "You''re wrong! I didn''t kidnap her!"


    "Enough with your excuses!"


    The woman stepped resolutely forward and took me away from Lily''s grasp. She did so with surprising ease and now I was carried in her arms instead. She looked into my face and gave me a bright smile.


    "It was scary, right? Don''t worry, I''ll bring you back to your parents, okay? The bad woman won''t do anything anymore. And if she already did something bad, tell me, okay? I will punish her thoroughly! So you don''t have to worry anymore!"


    "Yumi! Explain to her, that it''s not like that! I didn''t kidnap you, right!"


    What... What do I do? I''m being treated as a kidnapped child. Lily is far from being a saint, but she didn''t kidnap me at the very least.


    Now this woman even rubbed my head while giving me a caring smile. It somehow reminded me of the smile of my mother. I hope she was doing well.


    No, wait! Don''t get caught up in this. You''re not a kidnapped child and you''re not missing your parents. This isn''t the time for that!


    "Uhm..."


    "Yes? I''m listening, you can tell this big sister!"


    "Earlier... she was talking about how good my thighs feel and how I should be her body pillow..."


    "Yumi?! You traitor!"


    "Lily... You... So you finally became a complete criminal... Putting your hands on such a small child. Even I can''t save you anymore."


    "That''s wrong! A complete misunderstanding, she''s tricking you!"


    I wasn''t tricking her, I just withheld some information. That was perfectly reasonable. And she did touch my thighs and told me to become her body pillow. I wasn''t lying.


    "You''re now even saying this small child is tricking me? Do you have no dignity left, Lily? Is that how low you have sunk? I haven''t seen you for barely a week and you have changed this much... I am disappointed..."


    "Listen to me! You got it all wrong, this is all because of work!"


    "So you are now even kidnapping children for work? Lily..."


    "I haven''t kidnapped anyone!"


    Seeing Lily this riled up was nice, but maybe I should stop it now. We had no time for this and letting the misunderstanding get out of hand would only waste it. No matter how tempting it was, I had to hold back.


    "Uhm... Lily, didn''t kidnap me."


    "Giving you candy and baiting you in coming along is still splendid kidnapping! Don''t be deceived!"


    "No, she really didn''t. We''ve come here to ask for help."


    "Help?"


    Finally, the woman stopped and stared at me curiously. I asked if she could let me down first and after a long time, I had the ground back. Somehow, I felt wobbly on my feet. I had to prevent at all costs to getting used to being carried by others. I might forget how to walk.


    "Nn. Help. Lily can explain it probably better. Ah, and, I''m Yumi."


    I still hadn''t introduced myself, so I probably should do that. I didn''t know this woman''s name yet either.


    "Oh, I''m Lune. Pleased to meet you."


    The woman, Lune, smiled again. She seemed like a bright person.


    "So, then this is not kidnapping, but business?"


    "Nn. It is."


    "I tried to tell you..."


    "Then, let''s move into the house. We shouldn''t discuss that at the doorstep."


    Lune invited us inside. I noticed this with Wanda''s house already, but these buildings looked worse from the outside than they actually were. It was worn down and many things were broken, but it clearly looked better than Karen''s hut. Not like that was saying particularly much.


    We sat down at a small table, Lily and I on one side and Lune on the other. I also put down my robe. Surprisingly, Lune didn''t have much of a reaction. It was kind of disappointing after everyone stared at me when they saw me the first time.


    "Then, do you mind explaining, Lily?"


    "I''ve been trying to do so for a while, well, in any case...."


    Lily gave her a short rundown of yesterdays and today''s events, omitting anything personal and unrelated, as well as most information about me, for which I was thankful.


    "I can understand that you want to do something about them, but even if you save those people, nothing will change in the long run, you know that, right?"


    "Saving them is just the highest priority. The next one is taking them down."


    "If you want to really help in the long run, the priorities should be the other way round."


    "So you want me to just abandon them in the worst case?"


    "That''s right. Lily, you are the one who taught me that sometimes we have to sacrifice something to achieve our objective."


    "I am also the one who taught you about honouring a contract. And my contract involves saving a girl."


    "Then only save that one girl, kill the head of the organization, and then you can save the others."


    "Lune, you...!"


    "And it''s not like you didn''t leave a loophole in the contract, right? If you wanted, you could annul it just fine. You are too kind, Lily."


    "I''m not kind, and I don''t think I have to let you tell me that I am, Ms Orphanage Mother."


    "This is not an orphanage."


    "It could very well be."


    They glared daggers at each other with an intensity, that made me shiver. Where was this supposed crybaby? This wasn''t what I had expected.


    I averted my gaze, escaping reality. Only to meet someone else''s gaze. Behind the corner was a young boy peeking into the room. When my eyes met his, he blushed and ran away.


    I am sorry, boy, but I have no interest in a brat. Come back in ten years. Wait, no. I have no interest in men, so there''s no need to come back anyway! Ah, that was close.


    But who was that brat? I heard Lily mentioning an orphanage, so maybe he was a child without parents who was living here?


    I turned back to Lily and Lune. They were still glaring at each other. This was going nowhere.


    "Uhm... Lily, shouldn''t we rather talk about what you wanted?"


    "Eh? Ah... Yes."


    Caught off-guard, Lily agreed and sighed, maybe she had realized as well that this wasn''t productive.


    "I''m sorry. But I already decided to do it like this, and I won''t change my opinion."


    "... I see. You know that if you fail, everything will just be worse, right?"


    "Then I just don''t have to fail!"


    "... An idiot until the end."


    "Hey! I''m not an idiot!"


    "I know. So, what did you come here for?"


    "For this."


    Lily took the bag with my hair and put it on the table.


    "Can you change the colour of this?"


    "This is..."


    Lune took a strand and inspected it. I have seen this quite a few times already, so I was getting used to it, but nonetheless, it was still an awkward feeling.


    "This looks like hair at first glance, but it isn''t."


    Huh? What?


    "Eh?"


    "Well, these are really small tentacles, aren''t they? It''s not hair at the very least. You want to change the colour, you said? So that people don''t mistakenly think it comes from the girl? I can do that."


    "Eh. Ah. Yes. Yes, that''s right."


    Lily glanced towards me awkwardly. It was over. Everything was over. It wasn''t hair, they were tentacles.


    "But still, very curious. I''ve never seen anything like this. Is it trying to mimic hair? Well, no way to find out without knowing the source. In any case, here I go."


    Lune muttered some things and then held her hand over the bundle of hair, correction, tentacles. The mana stirred and I could feel a chill running down my spine. Something came. I didn''t know what, but something approached. Lune started muttering words completely unknown to me. The doll that I was still carrying reacted as well, being visibly wary.


    Then I could see it, the mana formed a small shape, similar to a bird. It was flickering and unclear, but it was definitely there. The bird jumped onto my hair and then dispersed, the mana flowing into my hair. When it was all over, it had changed colour to a dark brown.


    "First time seeing magic, girl?"


    "Nn? Well, I guess..."


    "It''s nothing great, everyone can do this with a bit of mana and some training. It''s nothing compared to the spells of actual magicians."


    Despite that, Lily couldn''t do it. She obviously lacked training. I should teach her some household skills. Do not underestimate the household skills of a man living alone, they might not amount to much, but he still has the bare minimum skill set.


    I should polish up my household skills now as well. Karen didn''t look like someone with good household skills either, so maybe I could impress her with them. I could even take care of her, welcoming her home and all those things.


    Wait, shouldn''t this be the other way round... But I quite like that idea...


    Maybe I should be worried about how some of my thoughts clearly differed from before, but maybe that was also just my imagination. Due to my memories being quite muddled I actually couldn''t remember what I exactly thought previously about these matters. It could very well be the case, that I had always thought like this. In the first place, my wish at that time was clearly not a thought most people would harbour. At most only jokingly.


    "Yumi?"


    "Nn?"


    "You were quite lost in thought, is something up?"


    "Nn. No, not really. I was just thinking about how the body might truly affect the mind."


    "... What?"


    "Girl, you should leave thinking about those things to the useless adults."


    I was technically an adult. But I was getting sidetracked an awful lot, so I should return to reality. I didn''t want to be too useless.


    "Well then, Lily, I''ll bring the things you asked for, anything else?"


    "No, not really. Thank you, Lune. And... I know you don''t want to hear me asking, but you really won''t help?"


    "I won''t. I have things to protect here. I can support you, but I will do nothing else."


    "... I see."


    Lune stood up and left us alone. While I was thinking, they continued their discussion, and Lily seemed to have requested a few things.


    "So, what have you been thinking about?"


    "Nn? Ah..."


    I pondered for a moment whether I should consult Lily. She already knew practically everything, so I could just talk with her, probably.


    "Since I became a monster and a girl, I feel like my thoughts and opinions slightly change over time. But I am not quite sure about them from before either, so I am a bit worried. Did they change? Or did they stay the same?"


    "Became... a girl..."


    Lily stared at me in wonder. Did I not tell her everything before? I apparently didn''t. Well, it was too late now anyway.


    Karen will scold me again, won''t she?


    Lily furrowed her brows and collected herself. She seemed to be thinking about something.


    "Well, Yumi. Don''t people change their opinions all the time? They grow, they change, and so do their thoughts and opinions. But whatever they may be, they are your thoughts now. Maybe they changed, maybe they didn''t, but whatever they were before doesn''t particularly change anything in the present... I think? I''m not quite sure how to say that. I''m not good with those kinds of questions."


    "... That was a surprisingly good answer for not being good with them."


    These thoughts are now my thoughts. It sounded kind of stupid, but maybe this stupid answer was what I needed.


    "Well, you are always worrying about weird things, I don''t know what you were before, but I like the Yumi you are now. Change happens all the time, after all."


    "... Thanks."


    "You''re welc-... Oh! Yumi smiled for me!"


    "... And now you destroyed the mood."


    "Hey! Do it again! Please smile again."


    This girl was devastatingly good at destroying any and all moods. At that moment someone entered the room. We both turned towards the door to the hallway. The boy I saw previously stood there, out of breath. He was maybe slightly taller than me. From outward appearances, one might think we''d be the same age, even.


    "Uhm..! This! Uhm... For... For you!"


    He presented me with a small pink flower.


    "Eh? Uhm... Thanks?"


    Bewildered I took the flower and the boy blushed again, only to run away another time.


    "... What just happened."


    "Oh my, how cute, Yumi. You''re cheating on Karen?"


    "I''m not... I''m not interested in a brat. Who was that anyway?"


    "Probably one of the kids living with Lune? She''s taking care of some children she picked up at various places."


    "Huh... But why did he give me a flower."


    "You don''t know? It''s a way of saying ''I like you''. It''s sometimes even used to propose. I saw one of my companions proposing like that once. He was shot down, though."


    "Huh... But, we''re not even the same age. And I''m not really interested in men, either."


    "How cruel, to him, you do look like the same age, he can''t know those things, right? He just gathered his courage and approached you. It''s cute, isn''t it? Well, they say first loves never end well, don''t they? Don''t worry too much."


    "You''re pretty cruel, too, aren''t you?"


    "I shot down a lot of men in my life. Literally and metaphorically."


    "... Savage."


    "I''m not a savage..."


    What did she expect with that kind of remark? While we talked about this, Lune returned with a bag.


    "Oh my? A Witch''s Flower?"


    "Witch''s Flower?"


    "The name of that flower. Did Rooke bring that?"


    "If that''s the name of the boy, then yes."


    "I see. So it''s like that. Mhm... Well, the name comes from the legend about the Witch of Calamity."


    "That''s not a happy sounding title."


    "The tale is a rather tragic one, after all. The flower was named after the Witch because it was said that the flower had the same colour as her hair. It symbolizes the perseverance and devotion to one''s family. It''s said that those with the same hair colour will live a happy life if they put in the effort for their family. Conversely, it is said, that it curses those, who neglect their family. Well, it''s usually an extremely rare colour, though."


    "Devotion to one''s family..."


    Did Karen count as my family? I sure hoped so. I would put in all my effort to help her.


    "If you wanna hear the tale, Lily knows it quite well. After all..."


    "Ah, yeah... There was a girl claiming to be that very witch among the Black Guards..."


    Lily scratched her head, looking troubled.


    "She taught me a lot of things, but she was weird..."


    "Right, she never stopped smiling, didn''t she. You never knew what was going on in her head."


    "She did once. When she was really angry."


    "Oh my, I would have liked to see that."


    Lune looked troubled as well. She seemingly met that girl before, too.


    But the same hair colour was it. Didn''t that mean she had the same colour I had? I''d like to meet her at least once, in that case.


    I help up the flower. It was a cute flower, small but with a vibrant pink.


    "Yumi, come here for a moment!"


    "Nn?"


    Lily took the flower and then fiddled with my hair.


    "Perfect!"


    "Oh my, how cute."


    Lily had put the flower in my hair. Wasn''t that boy totally going to get the wrong impression when he would see that? I apologized in my mind to him.


    "This is good. It''s a good luck charm, don''t lose it."


    "Nn... Well, I guess I can keep it?"


    "You should! We still have some places to go and we can need all the good luck we can get."


    "Shouldn''t we rather put in the effort to succeed?"


    "Oh my, the girl is cleverer than Lily. Do take care of her, okay?"


    "Nn. I''ll try."


    "Hey, shouldn''t it be me taking care of you?!"


    We wrapped up our banter and packed our things. With our newly acquired negotiation material and equipment, we could finally get started.


    We said our goodbyes to Lune and left. The boy was once again peeking from behind a corner in the hallway and went as red as a tomato before running away a third time.


    Live strong, boy.


    "By the way, Lily?"


    "Yes, Yumi?"


    "Wasn''t Lune supposed to be the one protecting me when you were leaving me alone?"


    "... Oh."


    Rinne


    We''re slowly but surely advancing in the story.


    Also, over 100 readers! I am really surprised and happy. Thank you all for reading!

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Mercenary’s Life

    The sun was soon reaching its zenith. Despite what should be a busy time for humans, these streets were mostly deserted.


    "Is this really the right place?"


    "Yes, it is."


    "Why is there nobody on the streets?"


    "This area is mostly deserted because the slum residents avoid the mercenary camps that are close, or so I heard.."


    "But why do they avoid them?"


    "Well, most here have a certain kind of criminal history, right? Mercenaries are also not the most savoury type. Some groups are nothing more than bandits."


    "So, they would clash?"


    "Rather than clash, the mercenaries are used to battle. The residents would just get killed if they get involved."


    "... And you seriously want to negotiate with those kinds of people?"


    Lily gave a chuckle when she heard me.


    "Don''t worry, not all of them are that bad. We''re going to the most reputable band first. And if I''m honest, since Lune refused to help, I''d like to leave you in their protection when I negotiate with the less... amiable ones. But that might necessitate that we reveal you to them, or at least to their leader."


    Didn''t that only happen because you forgot to ask her properly?


    "Wouldn''t they find out anyway with a magician?"


    "They only have three magicians and they are all... a bit eccentric. You probably won''t run into them."


    "Eccentric?"


    "Yes, they apparently hole themselves up and experiment with magic all day. It''s a rather famous story among the mercenaries how they regularly blow themselves up. Due to that, they were banned from camping with their own group."


    Were these the crazy professor type of magician? The ones that just cared for results and attempted the most ridiculous things for the sake of their research.


    "Well, I don''t know if they have any other mana seers, though. It''s not a common skill for mercenaries in a band."


    "Why not? It sounds useful."


    "In a group, you are not the only one fighting. As long as one person can see mana, that''s enough. For solitary mercenaries, it''s a necessity, as is being able to read. But for them, the only things that matter are their combat skills."


    Lily gave me a vague smile, seemingly reminiscing about something.


    "This band is also mostly fighting in actual wars and larger operations. There''s not often a need for mana seers, so even their actual magicians are rather sloppy with it from what I heard."


    "Huh. So, basically, there''s most likely no need to worry?"


    "Yes, hopefully. We''re close, so we''ll see how it''ll work out."


    Lily pointed forwards into a gap between the buildings. I could see a field with white tents behind. That must have been the mercenary camp.


    We walked through the buildings and entered the plains. In front of me was a large camp with dozens of tents, surrounded by a simple wooden wall.


    "Halt! Who are you bastards? This is the camp of the Lomerian Dragon Knights!"


    A guard walked over to us and addressed us in an unfriendly voice.


    Dragon Knights? Do they have dragons? That actually sounds exciting. As long as they are friendlier than this guy.


    "I''m Lily from the Black Guards. I want to speak with Korwen."


    The guard scrutinized first Lily and then me. Then he turned back to the gate and talked with the other guard, who then promptly left and vanished inside the camp.


    "You may wait. The Captain will be notified."


    And with that, the Guard resumed his post next to the entrance. Lily gave a wry smile and walked over to a spot close to the entrance, where the guard could still see us.


    "I hope we won''t have to wait too long. If Korwen is busy we could be stuck here for hours..."


    "I don''t think we have the time to wait hours."


    "We don''t. In the worst case, we''ll have to go without them."


    "Can''t you tell them we''re in a hurry."


    "They don''t particularly care about us being in a hurry. That would just make them more distrustful. They may have not even notified Korwen in the first place then. Many people are trying to beg for help after all. But those don''t pay and ruin your reputation."


    "Ruin your reputation?"


    "A mercenary who acts out of goodwill cannot be deemed reputable. Mercenary work is based on trust and work contracts, ethics don''t have a place in this job. A mercenary personally may not like a particular job, but he cannot voice his feelings nor act on them. That''s how a mercenary should be, in my opinion. All others are either bandits or the church''s dogs."


    Lily''s expression turned gloomy for a second, only to return to her bright one again.


    "Well, let''s forget that. In any case, we can do nothing but wait for now."


    "Nn."


    Despite Lily''s worries we only had to wait for a few more minutes. The guard returned and brought us into the camp. He led us to a huge tent in the middle of the camp. I felt really nervous. The camp was massive. This wasn''t a small group like I thought. We weren''t talking about some dozens of people, but this camp was clearly housing hundreds. It felt like I marched straight into a military camp in the middle of war preparations.


    "Yumi, don''t worry too much. The man might be a sly fox but he is good at heart."


    I''m fairly certain you were the one who told me a few minutes ago that ethics and emotions have no place in this line of work.


    The guard led us into the tent. There was a long table with chairs around it. In the back two flags with an emblem showing soldiers fighting a large creature, probably a dragon.


    "I will not stand for this! You are clearly violating the holy law! I will bring word of this to the council!"


    What greeted us was a scene I didn''t quite expect. A scrawny man in white and black robes with an overly fancy large cylindrical hat was hysterically shouting at a middle-aged muscular man with a massive frame and scars all over his body. Even seated he appeared to be a giant. And this man was clearly reaching his boiling point any minute now, he was moving around on his chair and tapping the table in visible annoyance. Many guards surrounded them, the left side had a row of soldiers with equipment of varying quality, while the right one had a row of knights clad in shining white armour.


    Just what did we walk into. During the time I was left bewildered at the sight, the guard stepped forward and announced us.


    "Captain! The guests from the Black Guards have arrived!"


    The muscular man looked up and spotted us. He jumped up on his feet, shoved the loud priest aside and approached us.


    "Yo! Been a long time Lily-girl."


    "My name is just Lily. Please remember it."


    "Ahaha. Don''t mind the details. I''m sorry for the loud reception, though."


    The priest that was shoved aside went so red that I feared he might explode any second. He stormed at the man, who I presumed was Korwen.


    "You! This insolence! Do you dare defy the church?!"


    "Oh geez, can''t you ever shut up. This is why nobody likes you."


    "You lowly mercenary! You have to obey the church! You can''t defy the lord!"


    "Oh, I can and I will. And you are slowly pissing me off. Jockson! The... honourable priest wants to take his leave. See him out."


    "Understood, Captain!"


    The guard who had accompanied us saluted. The knights in white armour stirred and prepared to draw their swords. Similarly, the soldiers on the other side readied themselves as well. The situation looked like it might escalate any second. They clearly had no intention to just... ''leave''.


    "I will not stand for this! You cannot just tell me to leave! Do you not fear the wrath of the almighty lord?!"


    "Honourable priest, the captain asked you to leave. May I accompany you outside?"


    "I will not! Leave! You all have a responsibility to the church! Obey now!"


    The guard, Jockson, tried to persuade the priest. Alas, said priest didn''t even try to listen.


    I want to go home. They look like they are going to rip each other''s throat out as soon as they get the signal. Please. I did not sign up for this! Sis! Help meeee!


    Lily, pushed me to her back so she could protect me. She turned to Korwen and whispered in a low voice.


    "Korwen. I wanted to talk with you and not get embroiled into your brawl with the church."


    "Lily-girl, it''s not like you really like these fuckers either, right? Otherwise, you weren''t here in the first place. Let''s see. The priest apparently doesn''t want to leave... Mhm, I will owe you a favour if you help us out here a bit, deal?"


    Lily perked up when she heard that. The favour he might owe her could come in handy in the negotiations, after all. I honestly wasn''t sure whether it was clever to go against a religious organization, though. I wasn''t going to be friendly with them anyway, so it was probably fine. Nonetheless, I prayed that nothing would happen.


    "... I will have you keep your word on that."


    "Then that''s a deal. Perfect."


    Korwen turned to the priest again who was still shouting at the poor guard.


    "Dear priest. I already refused your request. So might I bother you to leave now? If you don''t, we might need to do so a bit... forcefully."


    "You! You dare drawing your sword against the church?! Do you have no idea what will happen to you?!"


    "Oh, well. Nothing much? Outside of some fanatics screaming at us?"


    "I see... So you really intend to defy the church. In that case, there''s only one thing for you left! To be judged by the swords serving the lord."


    The priest finally had enough of the shouting as well. I might have preferred the shouting, though.


    "Knights! Punish this heretic scum!"


    The knights began drawing their swords and forming a semi-circle around the priest.


    The mercenaries similarly drew their weapons, even Korwen procured a huge axe out of nowhere and was readying it. I froze at the sight.


    "Yumi, stay right behind me."


    "..."


    Lily drew one of her swords, a long thin sword.


    Both sides glared at each, but nobody moved. After what felt like an eternity, one of the knights spoke up.


    "Your Eminence. Even if we were to fight, we are in the middle of their camp. Even we cannot fight hundreds of them at once. Our priority is Your Eminence''s safety. Please allow us to withdraw."


    "I ordered you to punish these peasants! Can''t you obey your orders?!"


    "I''m sorry, Your Eminence. But I have orders to protect you. We will retreat."


    The knight motioned towards his subordinates. They sheathed their weapons and formed a full circle around the priest, subtly forcing him to move. The mercenaries still held their weapons ready, but none of them attempted to charge and attack. They were still vigilant.


    "It was a pleasure to meet you, Sir Korwen." said the knight and bowed in respect. Then they left in formation, with the priest still screaming hysterically about how he will punish them all.


    Silence.


    Nobody said a word for a whole minute until everyone was sure they were gone. The moment the tension left me, my knees gave in and I fell down to the ground.


    "Waaahhhh...."


    "Yu, Yumi?! Are you alright?"


    "Lilyyyyy... I''m not... alright..."


    "Woah, are you crying?!"


    "No... I''m not..."


    "Eh... If you say so..."


    I gave her a vague smile with tears in my eyes. I was incredibly relieved that nothing happened and they didn''t start a fight.


    Lily helped me up again, but she had to hold me because my knees were still wobbly.


    "Don''t scare me like that."


    "I''m sorry... Just... So relieved..."


    Lily stared at me dumbfounded for a moment. In the meantime, Korwen had talked with the guards and they all left the tent, leaving only us three.


    "Hmm, you''re someone else."


    Korwen scrutinized me. At some point, my hood had fallen off.


    "Huh? Someone else?"


    "Ahh, I only heard that Lily came with a little girl with pink hair so I thought you were someone else. I''m sorry, we showed you something scary, didn''t we?"


    I tilted my head at that. Did he maybe talk about that person Lily mentioned?


    "Still weird. Are you perhaps related to her? Your names are similar and you share the same hair colour... But that''s also all..."


    "Similar names?"


    I turned to Lily who looked a bit awkward.


    "Well, yes. Her name was... Yumias... Yumias la Freyr."


    That was indeed a similar name. Quite the coincidence. I wondered whether names like this were common, so I asked Lily.


    "Well, it is the name of the Grand Witch, so having a similar name isn''t quite rare. Some countries do worship her after all. But using the full name of the Grand Witch is quite... uncommon. Ironically she didn''t like being called by her full name."


    Lily gave a sigh as she told me that. I already got the impression earlier, but that person must have been rather exhausting to them.


    "Well, you don''t need to worry much about it. We probably won''t run across her anytime soon anyway."


    "Lily-girl, but I heard she returned a few days ago? That''s why I thought she came along in the first place."


    "She did, yes... She returned two weeks ago all of a sudden. Apparently, there was something she wanted to investigate in the area west from here. And then she vanished again just a day before the... request came."


    "So, she''s gone again? Damn, I hoped I could get her to rough up the church fuckers."


    "Please do not do that, Korwen. Who knows what she will do..."


    "Ahaha, don''t worry. Can''t do anything now anyway."


    Korwen gave us a hearty laugh. Then, his gaze turned serious as he faced Lily.


    "But, Lily-girl. I can guess the rough circumstances, but why are you here?"


    "... To hire you."


    "Hire? I don''t think you have the funds and resources available to do so. But okay, I''ll hear you out, at the least. It''s about the job the Black Guards were forced into, right?"


    A job they were forced into? That''s the first time I heard of this. Was this about Lily''s personal matter?


    "That too... But that''s not all."


    And so, Lily told Korwen about our situation, just like she told Lune earlier.


    "Hmm... You''re not making it easy on me, Lily-girl."


    "I can''t afford to make it easy for you, right now."


    "Ha! You''re right on that, aren''t you."


    After the explanation, Korwen and Lily started negotiating. Korwen was quite interested in Lily''s offer.


    "Monster materials aren''t rare, but the good ones are difficult to come by in sufficient quantities. I am fairly certain that you can improve your troops substantially with this."


    "Yes, we would be able to do that. But Lily-girl. In the worst case, this country could exile us. That''s quite the risk."


    "From the looks of it, you are already very well on your way with that..."


    "Hmpf! That''s just some stupid guy from the church. He won''t be able to do much to us without getting consent from the council. And you saw him, he''s screaming a lot. No idea how someone like that even got into such a high position. But if we were to help you, it will definitely turn into a situation where the council is against us. We would lose good job opportunities."


    "So you intend to let this corrupt state continue? You might get forced into bad work like the Black Guards!"


    "If they try that, we can leave. I feel sorry for them, but I have to keep my priorities. And whether the state is corrupt or not doesn''t matter. In fact, a corrupt state brings more jobs."


    They had been arguing like this for quite a while now. Korwen was fundamentally not against the job, but he was too worried about the potential backlash. And it wasn''t like Lily couldn''t understand his point of view, that was exactly why she was so troubled.


    "Uhm, I have a question..."


    "What is it, Yumi?"


    "Well, it''s just... assuming they accept the job, how would the church even know that it was them who helped us?"


    "There aren''t really many organized groups that could stage this, kiddo. And as long as they only suspect us being involved, they will reach out to us. There are many inside the church that want us gone."


    "But if only the suspicion is enough, won''t they just try to blame you regardless whether you were involved or not?"


    "... They might try that, yes. But how would you even do this operation without us?"


    "There are surely others who would want to take the job, right? We just need to offer them those materials and I''m sure some will jump at the opportunity."


    Korwen directed his gaze towards Lily, suddenly looking furious.


    "Did you intend to hire those other bands, as well?! Are you mad?! You know exactly what will happen if you march into their camp with that stuff!"


    "There''s not much choice, is there? We need all the help we can get, no matter where it comes from."


    "You will just make it worse for you all if you do that. Even if you succeed with saving those girls from the slums, then you have to save them from those bandits as well! Aren''t you getting your priorities backwards?!"


    "Then tell me what else are we supposed to do, if you don''t accept the job?"


    Korwen groaned and held his head. The whole discussion suddenly took a turn for the worse.


    "Really, you make it really hard on an old man. I understand. I will accept your request, with a few conditions."


    "... Conditions?"


    Korwen nodded and glanced over to me and then back to Lily.


    "First of all, enough materials for every single man that helps you. Secondly, this is not an official work request. Like the kiddo said, the church will just go and blame us anyway, but if we can lower the risk of that happening, the better."


    "Well, I can agree to those, right, Yumi?"


    "Nn. It should be fine..."


    I couldn''t shake off the feeling that Korwen wasn''t quite done yet, though. He paused, apparently thinking for a bit. Then he called towards the guard standing outside and motioned him to do something. Neither Lily nor I were quite sure what he wanted to do, but the guard gave him a salute and went away again.


    "What did you do, Korwen?"


    "I called someone. The kiddo is a mana seer, right?"


    "Wha-"


    "Eh?"


    The man in front of us gave us a grin.


    "So she really was."


    "... How did you know."


    "Trade secret. I''ve seen a lot more than you already. Comes with experience."


    "Korwen, what is your intention."


    "Well, Lily-girl. Let me ask this straight. Are you giving us this request as a Black Guard or as a single person?"


    "What...? Uhm... As a person, I''d say... I kind of left them, after all."


    "Then giving you my last condition is not a problem, right? Lily-girl, I want you and that kiddo to join us."


    "What... did you say..."


    Lily was visibly shaken at this request. But I was quite shocked, as well.


    Mercenary? Me? No, no, no. No way in hell that''s going to happen! Didn''t he see me earlier? There''s no way I can do this! Not to mention that I''m... not even human...


    "I''m sorry, Korwen...But that''s something we can''t accept."


    "And why? Because you feel still loyal to the Black Guards?"


    "That''s... not the issue. There are some... circumstances."


    "Hmm... I don''t think you got much of a choice in this, though."


    "And why do you think so?"


    "Let''s say you guys succeed in saving the girls and bringing down those people. What will happen then? Where will the saved girls go? And where will you guys go to? There''s no way you can stay at this place. The whole city will be turning every single stone over for you. The lord is deeply involved in this and he is also quite the troublesome personage. Your only option would be to flee the country. But then, how will you live? Will you return the kiddo and her friends to the slums? Or will you sell your bodies and live as whores on the streets? Refugees aren''t welcome anywhere, right now. You may be able to make a living for yourself, but can you support everyone you saved?"


    "That''s..."


    "I''m offering you quite some favourable terms if I may say so myself."


    I pulled Lily''s sleeves.


    Lily glanced over to me and then faced Korwen again.


    "Could we talk about this for a moment?"


    "Go right ahead."


    He grinned, stood up and went outside the tent, leaving Lily and me alone.


    "Lily, there''s no way we can accept that..."


    "I know we can''t, but he''s right, too. We should discuss this with Karen first..."


    "But if we were to agree, what would happen to me."


    "... I don''t think he will do something problematic himself, but others might instead."


    "Nn. This really is turning into an issue."


    "Yes. But I really want them to help us, and it''s a really a good offer, if not for that last part..."


    Lily sighed. She couldn''t think of any other solution.


    "Let''s try to delay that decision. Best case we can make him give up on it, otherwise, we should at the very least delay it until we discussed it with Karen. If he doesn''t agree, we have no choice but to refuse..."


    "Nn, let''s do it like that."


    The moment we decided on our course of action, some shouting could be heard from the outside. For a moment I feared that hysterical priest had returned, but the voice was from a woman. With some curiosity, we went outside. We had to call back Korwen anyway, so it couldn''t be helped, right? So even if we saw him getting trashed by a middle-aged woman, it couldn''t be helped, right? It was a rather surreal scene where a slender woman in her forties was hitting a muscular, tall man with a ladle and the man apologising repeatedly.


    "What... happened here?"


    "Oh, are you done?"


    A man approached us from the side. If I remembered right, this was the guard from earlier.


    "You were... Jockson?"


    "What an honour to be remembered by two cute ladies. That''s right. Merim Jockson. I''m just a bottom-ranked guard, so no need to stand on ceremony with me, okay?"


    "Huh. So, then... What is happening there?"


    "Oh, right. That? That''s just the Captain getting beat up by his wife once again. It happens quite often. She''s actually a nice woman, so it''s a mystery how he gets her so mad every time. Did he do something to you girls?"


    "Well... nothing I know that would make his wife mad, I think?"


    At that moment the woman spotted us and walked over, leaving her poor husband on the ground.


    "Oh my, are you two cute. I apologise on my husband''s behalf. He is such a rascal despite his age."


    "Uhuh... Thank you?"


    "My, you are a cute little one!"


    The woman squatted down a bit to look at me.


    "Such a waste, you should take care of yourself more! You are so cute after all!"


    Without delay she started fiddling with my hair, probably trying to straighten it or something. I had no mirror so I didn''t know the state my hair was in. This woman was lost in her own pace.


    "Come! We''re going to make you presentable! There''s no way those stupid men would refuse the request of a cutie like you."


    "Dear, wait. You can''t just-"


    "Did you say something?!"


    "No. I''m sorry."


    "Then it''s good."


    And with those words, I was abducted by an unknown woman once again.


    Is this a pastime of women to dress me up? Help me, Lily!


    But Lily just waved me goodbye, while the guard, Jockson, saluted. I didn''t think that it was appropriate for him to salute to me.


    Around an hour later, I was set free.


    Surprisingly she didn''t make me into a dress-up doll like Wanda did, but she did drag me into the woman''s quarter to wash me up. I was surprised to see that they had set up a warm bath in a large tent. Apparently, it was powered by elemental  fire stones, as they could be used by just about anyone.


    I was also surprised to see that it was currently bathing time. They had all finished their morning work and then went to take a bath. The ratio of women to men was quite onesided as only a few women were brave enough to either marry a mercenary or become a mercenary themselves. But with a camp this large there were still quite a lot. Or so I was told.


    And so, I had intruded upon a holy land that I would have never seen when I was still a man. In a different situation, I might have taken a minute to appreciate the sight, but Korwen''s wife stripped me and led me into the bath without giving me any time to do so.


    There were women of various ages around. From little girls, probably the daughters of the soldiers, over to the older generation, mostly the wives of said soldiers.


    Some of the younger girls had approached me, wondering who I was. I was so overwhelmed that I had some troubles answering. Apparently, they thought I was around their age and I could be their new play partner, so they were rather sad when I told them I would leave again later.


    Why did they have to look at me with those sad puppy eyes. Now I feel all guilty. It''s not fair.


    Another thing they were all curious about was my hair. Most women had to keep their hair short and to a reasonable length, as it was hard to take care of it. And then they saw me whose hair was so long that it reached the ground.


    I was made the women''s plaything. They touched me all over and wouldn''t let me go until I was properly cleaned up. Then they gave me new clothes, rearranged my hair back into the half up pigtails and even put the flower back into my hair. At long last, they had me stand in front of a mirror.


    Reflected was a small girl in a white one-piece dress with extremely long hair. She was incredibly cute and would have definitely stolen my gaze if I were to meet her on the streets. Too bad that the girl in question was none other than myself. I didn''t want to be a narcist, but I really looked cute.


    The whole process was embarrassing and uncomfortable, but the result might have been very well worth it.


    When they were done appreciating their handiwork, they decided to return me. But not without all accompanying me back to the large tent where we discussed things with Korwen. Some of the young girls took my hands and pulled me into the tent.


    "Mr Captain! Mr Captain! Look here!"


    Seated on the table were Korwen, Lily and three unkown people. Two scrawny  men and a lethargic looking woman. Upon seeing me Lily smiled wryly while Korwen gave me a large grin.


    "Oho? Who is that cute guest there? Nearly didn''t recognise you."


    The girls on my sides grinned happily and started talking about me. About how long my hair was or how fluffy it felt, or how squishy my arms were and other things. It was so embarrassing to listen that I wanted to dig myself into a hole. Lily obviously had to hold back a chuckle while the other three were looking uncomfortable.


    "So you girls. I bet you want to play with her more, right?"


    Korwen asked the girls a sudden question, upon which they looked a bit sad.


    "We do, but she said she has to leave later. So we can''t play with her."


    They looked down but in contrast, Korwen grinned even wider. I had a bad feeling about this.


    "You are right, girls. She''s an important client and we are here to do a job for her. After the job is done, that would be it. But girls, if you want her to stay, you should just make her want to stay! She''s free to join us, after all."


    This guy, he was trying to use these innocent girls to trap me with guilt. The girls, of course, brightened up after hearing that and surrounded me, some begging me to stay and others asking me to play with them.


    Korwen gave a hearty laugh.


    "Now, now, girls. I''m sorry, but you will have to postpone this until later, we still have some things to discuss. I promise, when we are done you can play with her, okay?"


    The girls looked down again for a moment but they obetiently let me go. After saying their goodbyes they left. I would have expected them to make more of a ruckus.


    Korwen''s wife looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing and led everyone out of the tent, leaving us alone.


    Once I confirmed that they were all gone I turned towards Korwen.


    "You''re the worst."


    "Ahahaha! You''re great, kiddo. No, Yumi, was it, right? Forgive me, but those girls don''t really have the chance to interact with others their age that often. And all those who do come are usually related to our current job, so they are all only around for a short time. It''s sad seeing them already accustomed to saying goodbye."


    "Even if you try to trap me in guilt, I won''t yield that quickly."


    That didn''t mean that it wasn''t effective, though. But Karen had a higher priority for me. If he wanted me to stay, he had to get Karen to stay first. No way around that.


    Unfortunately, he did seem to plan doing exactly that.


    "Well, we''ll see about that. But for now, there''s other things to do, aren''t there?"


    Korwen motioned towards the three unkown people. They men looked even more nervous than before, having sweat running down their faces, while the woman looked in danger of falling asleep any second now.


    "These are our magicians. They aren''t the most sociable, but they are kind of capable."


    "... Nice... to meet you."


    "... Hello..."


    "..."


    They gave their greetings, except the woman, but they didn''t give their names.


    "Ahh, geez. From the right. Wenners, Krutz, Ria."


    The two men nodded upon Korwen introducing them, while the woman finally closed her eyes and fell down on the table.


    "God fucking... I know you idiots are tired, but can you at least attempt to keep up appearances?!"


    Wait a second. Just wait a moment. Isn''t this, like, super bad? Aren''t they going to find out?


    I glanced to Lily who just shook her head. I didn''t know whether it meant that there was nothing we could do or that they hadn''t found out yet. Or maybe both.


    "Well, those three were talking with us about the plan, don''t mind them. Just pretend they don''t exist"


    I walked over to Lily and sat down next to her, quite nervous. The two magicians glanced over to me and Lily occasionally, only to avert their gaze immediately again. It was honestly a bit annoying.


    "That sounds like you accepted, after all."


    "... I had to."


    The face of a miserable man with no choice left. I could only guess what happened, but it was most likely when his wife had beaten him up.


    "My condolences."


    "I don''t know why you say that, but I''ll accept for now, thanks."


    He gave his thanks slightly bewildered.


    "In any case, whether you guys join us will be put on hold for now, but you can be sure that I will convince you in the end."


    "Why do you even want us in the first place..."


    "Ha! Lily alone would be well worth it. She''s a great fighter, though a bit lacking with teamwork. She also has some reputation. Additionally, both of you are magicians. And we overwhelmingly lack those. Having only those three there is a bit lacking for a group our size. Also, according to Lily, your sister can be trained into a magician as well? We would be doubling our magicians with one fell stroke."


    He knew that I could use magic? I panicked a bit at those words.


    "Yumi, I told him about the dolls. After all, they are part of the plan. I also told him that I taught Karen about mana perception."


    "I see."


    In other words, she hadn''t told him anything else. That was good for now. But I still worried about those three magicians in front of us. They seemed to be unable to take it anymore, though.


    "C-Ca-Captain, might we take... our leave?"


    "... You really are incorrigible. You may go."


    And with those words, the three left. Or rather, the two men carried out the sleeping woman.


    "I''m sorry, they aren''t used to women."


    "That sure didn''t look like that was the case, though."


    "They are used to Ria, but that''s about it. Well, or not, but at the very least, they are comfortable around her. But they have trouble even talking to the other woman here in the camp. It got so bad that they even camp outside."


    "So... They weren''t thrown out because of experiments but instead left on their own because they couldn''t deal with women?"


    "Thrown out? Ah, those rumours, huh. Yeah, as pathetic as it may sound, that''s the case."


    The poor guys. I wondered what could make a man that nervous. Or maybe, they were scared? Whatever the case, it didn''t seem like something one could deal with easily. They still should work on getting comfortable around women, though. In any case, it might have saved us right now. I wasn''t found out so far.


    "Well then. Should I summarise, Lily-girl?"


    "Yes, that would be good."


    "Okay, here''s what we decided on so far. First of all, we''re agreeing to help for the materials you provide us. But it won''t be an official request. Therefore, we cannot use our main unit. Well, I will tell some of our more rowdy types to help making a ruckus. You and the slum residents that agree to help will be making a distraction to draw out as many thugs and Black Guards as possible. Kill the thugs but capture the Black Guards if possible. I will leave Jockson with you, he will have the details on what to do.


    In the meantime, Lily, your sister, me and some others will infiltrate their hideout in an attempt to save the victims. Lily provided us with a rough inner layout, so that should be doable. Understood?"


    "Nn... I guess... Wait, the Black Guards?"


    I turned to Lily who averted her gaze in response. Korwen explained in her stead for me.


    "The Black Guards were forced into this job by the lord of this city. They couldn''t refuse it. Your friend here couldn''t deal with this kind of job and ran away."


    "You make me sound like a coward."


    "In a way, you are."


    "Ugh..."


    "But you did the right thing, if you ask me. The church has been trying to force us as well. Twenty years ago, Greyward might have been able to do something about it, but in the current state, there''s nothing he could have done. It will hurt their reputation if they fail the request, but it is vastly better than making an enemy of the church for them. The group might have fallen apart because they have so many believers."


    So, that''s why Lily wanted to fight them. She was there and saw it with her own eyes. I grabbed Lily''s sleeve.


    "Thank you."


    "... Why are you thanking me?"


    "Because you are kind?"


    "... You should say those things to Karen."


    "I do."


    "..."


    Lily went a bit red and coughed once.


    "Anyway! There''s something else I wanted to ask for!"


    She tried to change the topic awkwardly. It made Korwen chuckle.


    Lily pulled up the bag she got from Lune earlier.


    "Two things. First, I want you to take care of Yumi for a while. I still want to rally as many people as possible."


    "You sure about that?"


    "Yes."


    "... Guess there''s no helping it. I''ll lend you a few of my men."


    "Huh?"


    "What? If they think the request comes from us, they won''t make trouble. Also, don''t offer those materials. I''ll prepare some appropriate reward. I expect that to be paid back in full, though. Whether in those materials or something else, I don''t care. If you join us, I''ll waive that fee, though."


    "You don''t give up... But thanks, I''ll accept that."


    This guy, he looked tough but he cared for Lily. He wasn''t honest with himself, was he. Lily gave her thanks and then opened the bag, pulling something out.


    "The other thing is, I want you to teach Yumi to protect herself. It might not be much, but it is better than having her run around only armed with a small knife."


    "Ohoo, you pulled out quite the thing. Haven''t seen those old ones in a while. We can do that, no problem. I''ll just see it as a future investment."


    I froze. What Lily pulled out were two weapons. One was a small crossbow. The problem was the other one. No matter how I looked at it, it was that. Maybe I should have expected it, but seeing how I only encountered people using arms for melee combat, it slipped my mind.


    Lily held up a small but long weapon.


    A matchlock pistol.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Playing with others

    Why is something like this here?


    I stared in wonder at the pistol. In the meantime, Korwen took it from Lily to look over it.


    "This is quite an old model, isn''t it?"


    "It is, but it was the only one I could find."


    "Well, these ones were quite unpopular, after all."


    Unpopular? Weren''t these firearms the precursor to modern weaponry?


    "Lily, they are unpopular? Aren''t they convenient?"


    "Yumi, you know what this is?"


    Lily turned to me in surprise before she began explaining.


    "Well, you see. These weapons are great in that pretty much everyone can use them, but they are only effective against unprotected people. Even cheap armour made from monster leather can stop the bullet, and those don''t even need a magic craftsman to be made. Not to mention that it is utterly ineffective against monsters."


    "There are still some people trying to develop them, but they are only really worth as a sidearm for self-protection."


    So they never found much use due to the existence of easy protection.


    Korwen showed the pistol to me. It looked outwardly like a stereotypical old gun, but there was something strange.


    "Is this... a fire stone?"


    Lodged firmly in the gun, right above the trigger, was a sizeable fire stone.


    "Yes. You give a small amount of mana to the stone and when you pull the trigger, it shoots the bullet."


    That didn''t really explain anything to me. I was rather curious how it worked, but it might be better to ask someone else later.


    "But teaching her about both weapons would be impossible. We can be glad if she doesn''t shoot her foot with one weapon by the evening."


    How rude, I was sure I wouldn''t shoot myself in the foot. Probably.


    "It''s only for insurance anyway. I''m not particularly expecting her to hit someone. But it might allow her to escape."


    "In that case, the pistol would be better. The sound is quite intimidating. The weapon is also lighter than the crossbow."


    "That would be good, yes. If that doesn''t work, though, you should teach her about the crossbow."


    "Hmm, maybe we''ll just try both and see how well she does with either first."


    And so it was decided that I would have to familiarise myself with a weapon. I knew this was necessary but it still made me a bit uncomfortable. Surprisingly though, I also looked forward to it just slightly. After all, one usually didn''t have the opportunity to shoot a gun. Or a crossbow. A complicated feeling.


    "Well then, we should wrap this up. This took already a lot longer than I already planned. Yumi, I''ll leave you in their care. Behave yourself."


    "I''m not a kid."


    "That''s exactly what a kid would say."


    "..."


    She had a point, but she knew exactly that I wasn''t a child. She grinned widely, proving that point.


    "Korwen, take care of her. I want her back in one piece."


    "Yes, yes. Don''t you worry."


    "If something happens to her I''ll nag to your wife."


    "... Please don''t."


    "Just keep her safe then."


    We left the tent and Korwen walked off to collect some people to accompany Lily. As if to replace him, his wife approached us.


    "Did everything go well?" she asked Lily.


    "Yes, thanks to you."


    "Are you leaving again already?"


    She looked over to me, slightly disappointed.


    "I''m going with some of Korwen''s men. I''ll leave Yumi in your care in the meantime."


    "Oh! That''s great! I will take care of her and make sure, that my stupid husband won''t try to pull anything."


    "That would be much appreciated."


    At that moment, Korwen returned with four men following him. Three giants in full black armour even taller than Korwen and a thin weak-looking guy.


    "Lily-girl, these four will accompany you. The beansprout there is our treasurer, he is good at negotiating, can read and calculate and so on. The other three are Dragon Knights, I doubt anyone will try to pull one on you with them along."


    "They are... certainly impressive."


    "My, you took my words to heart, didn''t you."


    "Dear..."


    Korwen looked troubled, while everyone else smiled wryly. They seemed used to this spectacle. Korwen sighed in resignation and motioned the four men and Lily to move.


    "Just get a move on. You''ve really made trouble for us, bringing such a job with nearly no time."


    "Thank you, Korwen.¡ä"


    "If you want to thank me, then come and join us."


    "... I will keep that in mind."


    Lily came over and started whispering to me.


    "Yumi, stay careful. I don''t think Korwen will do something, but it never hurts to be vigilant. And if it gets late, go to Wanda''s and try to contact Karen, okay?"


    "Nn. Understood."


    She gave my head a last pat and left with the four men. We watched them until they were out of sight.


    "Well then, we should get you started as well, right? Let''s get Jockson to instruct you."


    So Korwen said and called over the guard. Within a minute he jogged towards us.


    "Captain! You called?"


    "You can use crossbows and firearms, right? Take the girly and teach her. You have until evening so you probably can only do one. The weapons are still in the tent. Understood?"


    "Loud and clear!"


    "Good. Get to it."


    With those words, Korwen gave his goodbye to me as well and left.


    "My, then I won''t trouble you any more, do listen well to Merim, okay? If anything happens, you can call me."


    And his wife left as well. That reminded me, I still didn''t know her name.


    "Well then, I think I didn''t catch your name yet, did I? I introduced myself before already, but let me do it again. I''m Merim Jockson, Nice to meet you. You can call me Merim."


    "Nn. I''m Yumi."


    "Okay, Yumi. Then, let''s get the stuff and move to the practice field, okay?"


    "Nn."


    The practice field was just a large empty area with a few wooden and straw dummies. There were quite a few soldiers practising with long-range weapons. But when compared to the number of soldiers with close-quarters weapons, they were truly scarce. According to Merim, this was due to the difference in the performance of magic weapons compared with normal weapons. Long-range magic weapons barely existed, as even the ammunition needed special treatment. And even with the ammunition, the performance was mediocre at best. A single magician could replace dozens of them.


    On the other side, close-quarter magic weapons only needed occasional maintenance and their performance was nothing short of impressive.


    Merim happily answered all the various questions I had in regards to the mercenaries, the camp and their usual work. Along the way, three of the girls from earlier joined us, as well. I was sure they told me their names but I couldn''t remember all the names they threw at me earlier. And asking now would be a bit awkward.


    "Then, let''s try the pistol first, okay?"


    "Nn."


    We stood a few meters away from a straw dummy. Merim showed me how to use the pistol. It was truly simple. Put in the bullet, supply mana, pull the trigger. But even Merim was a bit troubled when I asked how that even works.


    "Then, hold the gun up front and aim at the dummy, yes?"


    "Nn."


    I did as I was told and aimed at the dummy.


    "Like this?"


    "Yes, that looks good, I think..."


    "Something wrong?"


    "No, it should be good. Try shooting. Ah, but make sure you hold the pistol firmly, the recoil can get quite bad. And don''t be too surprised at the sound, okay?"


    "Nn."


    The three girls stood away a bit and watched curiously. For some reason, one of them hid her face behind her hands as if she didn''t want to see it. Maybe she wasn''t good with weapons, or firearms in particular? But wouldn''t one usually cover their ears, then?


    It bothered me a slight bit, but I should concentrate on the dummy in front of me.


    I carefully took aim and put some mana into the fire stone. And I pulled the trigger.


    Peng!


    Wham!


    "OUCH! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"


    I screamed. Something smashed into my face with a lot of force right after I pulled the trigger. It hurt like mad.


    "Woah, Yumi, calm down!"


    I heard Merim shouting and trying to restrain my flailing. The girls apparently came over and held me down as well.


    "Don''t move, I know it hurts, but you will only make it worse!"


    I tried to suppress myself from trashing around. A few seconds later something wet and cold was put onto my face. It felt good and the pain slowly subsided.


    A few minutes later the pain was mostly gone. Someone lifted the cold thing, apparently a wet cloth, and peered into my face. It wasn''t Merim, but one of the girls.


    "Everything okay?"


    "Nn... I think..."


    She smiled brightly. Yeah, children of her age should just smile, that suited them best. I lifted myself up slowly and carefully touched my face.


    "You really surprised me there, Yumi..."


    "Merim, what even happened."


    "I don''t know how you did it but you oversupplied the fire stone and the recoil smashed the gun right into your face..."


    I really had the tendency to self-destruct with fire stones. I should stay clear of them in the future. After I confirmed there were no actual wounds on my face I stood up and faced the gun that was on the ground a few meters away.


    "I am not going to touch that again."


    "It should actually be fine if you are more careful with your mana."


    "I am not going to touch it again."


    I had enough of these stones exploding into my face. Merim smiled wryly and picked up the crossbow.


    "Then, let''s instead try this one, okay?"


    At least a crossbow couldn''t smash into your face from the recoil.


    "Nn. So, how do I use this?"


    "You have to pull back the string as far as possible, insert the bolt, aim at the target and shoot. Simple, right?"


    He handed me the crossbow. It was a small crossbow that even I could carry but it still had considerable weight.


    "Try pulling back the string with that crank. It''s not that hard."


    Following his guidance, I pulled the string back. He was right that even I could pull it back, thanks to the crank. It took me still quite some time, though, but I could do it. Then I put in the bolt and aimed at the straw dummy.


    "Ah, hold it like this. Yes, that''s good. Now, try shooting at the dummy."


    And so, after having my posture corrected, I pulled the trigger.


    Tching!


    The bolt flew straight in the direction of the dummy and strafed it, disappearing somewhere in the back of the field.


    "Oh, that wasn''t bad for your first time. So? Your impression?"


    "There''s no danger of it flying into my face so far, is there?"


    "... No, I don''t think a crossbow usually flies into your face."


    A gun usually shouldn''t do that, either, mind you. But with that, it was decided. I was a bit disappointed that the gun was no option but my safety was more important. There was no telling what I would do in the heat of the moment with that fire stone.


    "Then, let''s practice a bit more until you are familiar enough with it."


    "Nn."


    Around two hours later, I faced a troublesome situation. The practice went well so far and Merim told me to take a break. I wasn''t particularly good or bad with the crossbow. If anything, I was average, according to Merim. I was able to hit halfway accurately from a few meters away, but anything slightly further away and I could be happy if I hit the dummy in the first place.


    Alas, that wasn''t even the problem right now. My problem was far more... problematic. It wouldn''t be a problem if it wasn''t problematic, but right now, I was at a loss of words to describe this.


    "Here! Here! Look at this, Yumi!"


    "Nn. It''s pretty."


    "Right?! It''s cute, isn''t it? We brought this from the previous place! Uhm, uhm, what was it called?"


    "Laafa Kingdom?"


    "Yes, Laafa Kingdom!"


    "... Lafria... King... dom..."


    "Oh, so it was Lafria!"


    The very second Merim declared the break, these three energetic girls stormed towards me. They waited the entire time close by, carefully watching our training. That was some astonishing patience for children.


    Promptly after abducting me, they brought me to a different area of the camp. I completely lost my bearings so I had no idea where it was.


    "And then, we have this! Look!"


    "Nn, it''s pretty."


    "Right?! Ehehe."


    Thanks to the conversation between these three I at least found out their names now. The energetic girl that was showing me her treasures was Emily. A bright girl with unruly brown semi-long hair. I got the urge to straighten it out, but seeing how she dashed around it would probably return to its previous state within a few minutes.


    The other two were Maya and Sele. Maya was the tallest among them, which still was just slightly taller than me, and probably the oldest of these three as well. With her straight black hair reaching her shoulders and her amber eyes she gave a more mature feel. Most likely she would grow into quite the beauty. She was also without a doubt Emily''s restraints.


    On the other side, Sele was a quiet girl. She barely spoke and if she did, only with a tiny voice. She reminded me of a porcelain doll with her long grey hair and red eyes.


    "And then, and then..."


    "Emily, don''t you think it''s enough of those? Let''s play something."


    "Ehh? But I want to show her more!"


    "But isn''t it more fun to do something together?"


    "Uhhh,... Yumi! What do you want to do?!"


    Please do not ask me!


    At that moment, I felt someone pulling my arms. Turning around I could see Sele holding up a book in front of me. Was it this, a third suggestion?


    What am I supposed to do here?  Someone help!


    Unfortunately, my internal cries weren''t heard by anyone and the three girls were all waiting for my decision with anticipation.


    "Uhm... How about... We alternate between them?"


    "Alternate? You mean, we do one thing first and then some other?" asked Maya, tilting her head.


    "Nn."


    The three stared at me in disbelief. Was it possibly a bad decision?


    "That''s a great idea! Then, let''s first continue with these! I have still so much to show you!"


    "No. Emily, let''s first play outside!"


    "..."


    Sele forwarded the book she was holding. My suggestion was accepted, but effectively nothing changed. They were still vying to do their thing first.


    Uh, what to do. At this rate, they''ll fight because of me. That would be... bad.


    The three girls glared at each other. But all of a sudden, they all held their arm behind their back. Then, as if there was a signal, they all thrust out their arms.


    "I won!"


    "Maya, you clearly cheated! You were late in revealing your hand!"


    "I did no such thing!"


    "..."


    This was... rock-paper-scissors? I watched the three repeating the game for another two times. Apparently, it was a best out of three? Or maybe you had to win twice? Whatever the case, the surprising winner was:


    Sele.


    Holding the book high up in triumph she showed a smug smile.


    "I lost... So close."


    "I didn''t win even once..."


    So the decision was... that book? This seemed at least not as exhausting as Emily''s questionable treasure collection or running around outside, so I was quite fine with this outcome. But how did one even play with a book? Also, there was that one thing...


    "Uhm... It''s a bit hard to say, but I can''t read."


    "Mm? Neither can we!"


    "Only Sele can read."


    "..."


    Then what are we even supposed to do?!


    "Don''t worry! We''ll go to Uncle and have him read it for us!"


    Oh right, that was an option. But who was Uncle? But before I could ask, Emily already dragged me by the hand outside. Maya and Sele were following closely. Towards the centre of the camp. Towards a certain large tent.


    "Isn''t that... Korwen''s tent?"


    "It''s Uncle''s work tent, yes!"


    "It''s more of a tent for reception."


    No way, do they want Korwen to read the book for us? Please, everything but that!


    And so, they stormed the tent with me in tow.


    "Uncle! Read a book for us!"


    "What? Emily, huh. I''m busy, so no."


    Inside the tent, Korwen''s tall back was facing us. He was working on a number of documents apparently.


    "But!"


    "No buts. I will read it for you tomorrow, okay?"


    "Tomorrow is too late!"


    "Emily... Listen here... Mm?"


    He turned around to berate Emily but stopped when he spotted me in the midst of these three.


    "Oh? Already found friends? That went fast."


    "... Well..."


    "That''s right! We''re already friends! So we want you to read the book for us because there''s not much time!"


    Maya and Sele both nodded affirmatively. Korwen stroke his chin seemingly lost in thought.


    "Well, if that''s the case, I guess I can spare some time. Wait a moment."


    Korwen called in a guard and handed him the pile of documents. Did he just delegate his work to someone else?


    "Then, let''s see. What book do we have here."


    He turned his chair around and we sat down on his sides. Emily sat down in Korwen''s lap and tried to pull me in, as well, but this one thing, I managed to refuse with all my might. The only lap I would sit in was Karen''s! Lily didn''t count because she forced me.


    Not to mention, two people would clearly exceed his capacity.


    Sele handed him the book she was carrying.


    "The Adventures of Georg the Dragon Slayer? That''s another weird book you picked up. Wait, wasn''t this some tale from the Krum Faith to the north? How did you even find a banned book here..."


    Sele, apparently quite proud and with a smug smile on her face, gave him a thumbs up. But Korwen just sighed in exasperation.


    "Listen here, you shouldn''t run around with a banned book in your hands, you know. If someone from the church comes and sees you, it would become beyond troubling. They might cut you down on the spot, you know...."


    That sounded beyond scary. But were they really so scrupulous that they''d cut down a little girl for holding a book? Sele averted her gaze. She clearly knew it was forbidden, didn''t she? But from the title, it sounded like any regular tale...


    "Why is the book forbidden?"


    "Mm? Because the Sun Faith declares every other religion as heretics. Well, most religions do that, so it''s not that surprising. In this case, this book is about a hero from a different faith. At least, in their eyes.  Mm? What is it, Sele?"


    ".... Book... Start..."


    She spoke! Her voice was tiny but she clearly spoke.


    "Oh right, sorry for going off in weird directions, don''t be mad, okay?"


    He reassured her and opened the book. Emily was fidgeting around, Maya stared at the book and Sele''s eyes were shining.


    "Then, let''s start..."


    "Zzzzzz..."


    "..."


    Emily was sleeping. In a way, this was expected, but she actually listened quite closely until a while ago. Maya disappeared at some point without anyone noticing. Only Sele and I were still listening to Korwen.


    It wasn''t that Korwen''s reading was bad, not at all. The problem was the book. I first thought it was a tale for children, but that was clearly not the case. Only now it dawned upon me, that books for children were probably not quite widespread.


    To sum it up simply, it was a simple story about a hero saving a princess from a dragon. Nothing particularly special in itself.


    And it wasn''t that the book itself was bad either, but it referenced a lot of things I didn''t know. And judging from their reactions, neither did Emily nor Maya. Historical events, names of famous persons, the author expected one to know them all. That made it quite difficult to follow.


    Surprisingly, though, Sele was quite into it. Seeing her so hyped, Korwen removed Emily from his lap and let Sele sit there. He stealthily motioned to me that I could leave, as well, so I sneaked away.


    The sun passed its highest point already quite a while ago and was slowly making its way down to the end of the day. Lily had apparently not yet returned, so there was nothing else I could do except finding Merim and continuing with the practice.


    I looked around only to find him close by being pestered by Maya. He quickly noticed me as well.


    "Oh! Yumi, you came at a good time, help me!"


    "What''s the problem?"


    "Yumi! Is Korwen already done with reading?"


    "No, Sele is still listening and Emily fell asleep..."


    "Mmm... So you are still on break, right?"


    "Eh? Well, I thought of looking for Merim..."


    "Eeehhh..."


    She clearly didn''t like that. But I could guess Merim''s problem from this. She wanted to extend my break.


    "I''m sorry, Maya, but this is important."


    "More important than playing with us?"


    What was this incredibly unfair question? But it may be better to just be honest now.


    "Nn. It''s really important, so I can''-"


    Of course, what happened when you confronted a child with the unpleasant truth? They cried.


    Oh for the love of... Please don''t cry now!


    Tears were gathering in Maya''s eyes.


    "I, I''m sorry, Maya. I promise I''ll play with you another, time, okay?"


    "Uhhh... You... Promise?"


    "I promise! I promise!"


    And as if the tears were a lie, a beaming smile appeared.


    "Ehehe... You promised, okay? We''ll play lots and lots the next time!"


    I... wasn''t tricked, right now, right? I feel tricked. She''s just a child, so surely, this wasn''t a trick...


    This girl... might be the most troublesome of the three...


    "Then, that means we can continue the practice?"


    Merim turned to me and asked, earning him a glare from Maya.


    "I won''t take her away, okay?! No need to be mad!"


    Maya latched onto me and smiled at me, ignoring the panicking Merim.


    "Maya, how about this, how about you join the practice? Then you can practice with her together!"


    Upon hearing this, she turned to Merim.


    "Mm... Okay."


    She nodded. Merim relaxed visibly from her agreement.


    "Then, could you go to the armoury and lend a crossbow? You know how it works, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Just come to the practice range then."


    "Got it."


    She released me and dashed away.


    "What was that...?"


    "Ahahaha... She''s a rather... spoiled girl."


    "Haa..."


    "For the love of everything that is holy... Keep your promise with her... Our lives are at stake..."


    What the hell, that sounded scary. What would she do if I didn''t?


    "But, aren''t there other girls that she can play with? I''m sure I saw a few their age earlier."


    "No, those three don''t play with the others."


    He crouched down and picked something up, that he probably dropped earlier. Then he motioned me to follow him and we walked towards the practice range.


    "Mm... Yumi, this may sound insensitive but... Are you a demihuman?"


    "Eh?!"


    Does he know about me?!


    "Ah, sorry, it''s just. Maya earlier said something curious about your smell, so I just thought..."


    "Ahhh..."


    He doesn''t know... Please don''t surprise me. Well, I''m not quite a demihuman anyway, am I?


    "Then, what do you think about demihumans? Or rather, the other humanoid races?"


    "What do you mean, what I think?"


    What a weird question, what was I supposed to think of them? I hadn''t even met any outside of Sis.


    "Mhm... maybe you are too young to understand this."


    I didn''t even feel at retorting anymore in my mind at this point. After all, I had been hearing this all day.


    "Are they being bullied?"


    "They aren''t really bullied... They just have some... differences, yes."


    "Differences...?"


    "Let''s just forget about it, okay?"


    That made me just ever more worried. An unpleasant thought welled up but I discarded it quickly. I sincerely hoped it wasn''t that.


    "I just hope, you could play with those three while you are here, okay? We adults will do the rest."


    "... Nn. Will do."


    After a moment of thought, I decided to agree. I did promise Maya, after all. We actually intended to play after the reading anyway, but that somehow got cancelled now.


    And maybe, just maybe, I might be looking forward to it.


    While talking about this, we reached the practice range and prepared everything to continue. Maya still hadn''t returned so Merim chatted a bit about the plan for the evening.


    Much to my surprise, he was apparently leading the distraction group. Was this something that was entrusted to an ordinary guard?


    My doubts regarding him became stronger.


    "Yumi, you can use magic, right? Some kind of moving dolls or so."


    "Yes, I made a bunch of them together with Lily."


    "Mmm... Well, the idea is simple then. We''ll send the dolls first, making them panic or at least luring them out. Then we throw all the soldiers from the other mercenary groups at them and see what happens. The rest is adlibbed on the spot."


    "That sounds quite simplistic."


    "Ahaha, if you simplify things, everything can sound like that. Of course, there''s a bit more to it, but you can leave that to me. Our job is easy, anyway. The ones that will have it hard, are the infiltrating group. I checked the floor plans we got from Lily earlier, that''s quite the challenge."


    "..."


    "Ah, don''t worry. Your... Uh, sister? was it? And Lily, they will be safe! And I''m sure they''ll succeed, too!"


    "Nn..."


    "I mean, Lily is really impressive, okay? She''s well-known among the mercenaries, I mean, she drew those plans completely from memory! Can you imagine remembering a whole complex just from visiting it once?"


    "She drew those from memory?"


    I hadn''t seen the plans so I didn''t know how well-detailed they were, but he seemed really impressed.


    "Yes, it''s unbelievable, right? I can understand why the Captain wants her. She''s clever, a beauty and capable. I''m sure there would be many vying for her."


    I''m really sorry, but I don''t believe she has any interest in men, so even if you make such a dreaming expression, give up.


    I could only smile wryly at those words. Climbing a mountain naked might be easier. She also was quite hazardous as a person.


    But who knows, maybe he actually does stand a chance.


    "If I weren''t married already, I''d surely try courting her."


    "..."


    "Something the matter?"


    "... No, nothing. I just was surprised you were already married."


    "Oh, yes! She''s a cute girl, I''ll introduce you next time!"


    Don''t die on us now.


    I heard some steps behind us and sure enough, Maya had returned, holding a small crossbow similar to mine. Additionally, she carried a quiver full of various bolts.


    "I returned!" she announced full with energy.


    "Great, then let us continue with the practice."


    "Nn."


    Maya was good. She still hit the target even a hundred steps away. It made me a bit depressed that I was losing against a child, but together with Emily and Sele, she apparently trained quite often with various weapons. She also gave me various tips regarding holding the weapon or aiming that Merim couldn''t provide, simply due to our differences in build.


    As a result, I could halfway reliably hit the dummy at around twenty steps away.


    The steps were by the way measured by Merim. There was no accurate measuring tool available, apparently.


    By the time the sun neared the horizon, I managed to occasionally hit it even from thirty steps.


    "Well then, that''s enough for now. Yumi, you should return to the main tent, leave the clean-up for me."


    "Nn. Understood."


    Maya grabbed my hand and pulled me along while we walked to the main tent again. She seemed to be in a really good mood since the beginning of the practice. Maybe because she could teach someone for once.


    Well, I let her do as she wanted and we returned to the main tent. There was a bit of commotion in front of the tent. A number of rather shady men were roaring at some guard. The men wore damaged leather equipment and crude weapons, worn down from all the use they saw.


    Men like that would be a bad influence on Maya, so I pulled her to the other side of the tent. After we entered from that side, we could see again a small crowd of people. And there was a very familiar silhouette.


    "Sis!"


    "Ah."


    I dashed into the crowd and jumped at Karen. In the process, I had to let go of Maya''s hand, but that wasn''t on my mind at that moment.


    "Yumi?! Woah, don''t jump at me so suddenly, I can''t carry two people!"


    Two people? I was confused and looked around Karen, only to see someone else latching onto her. It was none other than Sele. For some reason, she was hanging onto Karen. Sele stared back at me and opened her mouth.


    "... Same..."


    "..."


    Same what? Don''t just stop there!


    I looked at Karen again, maybe she knew what Sele meant.


    "Uh, well, Yumi..."


    She leaned towards me and lowered her voice.


    "She''s a demonkin, same as me. So I think she felt some familiarity?"


    So that''s what it was. Sele nodded in affirmation.


    "Also, could one of you please let go. Actually, could both of you please let go?"


    "No."


    "..."


    Neither of us yielded. There was just no way I would hand Karen over so readily. Karen herself could only respond with a sigh, but she didn''t say anything. Instead, she scooped us up in her arms and sat down on the nearby chair. Now Sele and I shared her lap. As Karen wasn''t exactly tall, we were rather tightly pressed together.


    My personal spot was stolen. An indescribable sense of danger crept up.


    "Bear with it for now..."


    Karen whispered really quietly into my ear. Well, if it was Karen''s request, I could do nothing but accept it, right?


    Be happy! I shall share my precious spot with you for now.


    I didn''t know whether she heard Karen or she could guess what she said but in any case, Sele stared straight at me without expression. She may not speak much but she was still rather expressive otherwise, so this felt quite uncomfortable.


    Then I could feel something warm around my arm. Sele was hugging it. I was confused. Why did she start hugging my arm now?


    "What a cute family, let me join!"


    "No way."


    "No."


    "..."


    So Lily was here, as well. I forgot about her.


    "Actually, why is Sis here?"


    I craned my head back to look at Karen, which proved rather difficult to do.


    "Let me tell you!"


    "No."


    "You see, while I was going around to the various bands I found Karen speaking with some people. So I took her along!"


    "Didn''t I say no...?"


    Lily conveniently ignored my denial and told me anyway.


    "Well, kids, time is rather short, so could you finish up your reunion?"


    Korwen intruded on us, looking a bit exasperated.


    "And Maya, stop looking like a soon-to-be murderer and take Sele and Emily out. We''re busy now."


    "... Understood."


    I turned around to see Maya dragging Emily out of a corner of the tent. The girl was still sleeping and holding the book Korwen read to us for some reason. Also, I couldn''t see Maya''s expression earlier, but from Korwen''s words, I should probably be happy I didn''t see it.


    "Sele, come."


    "..."


    Looking rather reluctant Sele let go of my arm jumped off Karen''s lap. I had her lap for me alone again.


    "... Later."


    "Come, Sele."


    And with a goodbye Sele joined Maya, dragging Emily out. I relocated myself properly into Karen''s lap. It was warm.


    "Cute kids. Did you have fun?"


    "Well... Nn... I guess so."


    "Is that so. That is good to hear."


    Was it good?


    "Hey, Korwen. There''s still a brat left!"


    Some rude guy pointed at me and called Korwen.


    Don''t you know you shouldn''t point at other people with your finger?


    "Calm down, she is at the right place. She''s our client, as well, after all."


    "What, such a brat?"


    The man clicked his tongue and faced away.


    "Who is that?"


    "The Captain of the Destroyer Mercs. They are a small mercenary band, not really great. They think they are, though."


    Lily answered me with a small voice, so the others didn''t hear.


    "Well, well, there. You shouldn''t get mad at the children, that''s not a good influence for them, right?"


    "Huh? Who the fuck are you to te-"


    The man went pale. I turned to the direction of the voice and was surprised. Because I knew her.


    "Wanda?"


    She glanced at me and gave me a wink. Now, that was one person I didn''t expect at all.


    "Well, boy. You wanted to say something?"


    "N-n-n-no... No. No, I didn''t I''m sorry! Everything is fine!"


    The man cowered and sat down, looking rather meek.


    "Then, if anyone else has complaints with the kid, feel free to bring them up to me, yes?"


    All the unfamiliar people averted their gazes. Nobody wanted to pick a fight with her, from the looks of it. I was really curious now. Wanda seemed rather feared among them. Wasn''t she just a seamstress?


    Clap!


    "Now, please don''t start fights before we even begin, okay? You can fight all you want later."


    Korwen clapped his hands and drew the attention to him.


    "We don''t have much time left, so, let''s begin, shall we?"


    Rinne

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Decision

    Everyone turned to Korwen when he called for attention.


    "I believe you all were told already the gist of what is happening, so I won''t repeat those things. I want to have a short rundown of who participates and the available equipment."


    Korwen held up a document and looked around first.


    "Then, let''s start with the Destroyer Mercs, since you are so eager I am sure you got a few men, right?"


    "Ha! You can bet! We got five of our best fuckers! We''ll make them squeal so much they won''t be able to stand tomorrow morning!"


    "You shouldn''t let the church hear that. They don''t look kindly upon gay relationships."


    "Ha?! Bastard, of course, I mean the girls! Do you have a de-"


    Without anyone noticing Wanda appeared behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.


    "You sound quite energetic, maybe we should have you let loose a bit first."


    Oh, he crumbled down to the floor.


    "N-n-n-n-no, everything is okay. We got five men, yes, five men. All fine!"


    Korwen held his head as if he had to endure a headache. Maybe he actually had one. He called the next one and continued. It wasn''t particularly interesting so I instead watched the people that had come.


    Most of them looked like hoodlums in bad equipment. Or rather, they gave the feeling that they were bandits. Quite a few of them were glancing over to us with unsavoury eyes. It made me shiver. I never knew this kind of gaze could feel so unpleasant.


    "I really don''t want to be left alone with these people."


    "You don''t have to worry, you''ll stay with the Dragon Knights. Some of their women volunteered to protect you and Wanda also told us she''d stay with you. You''ll be fine."


    Lily tried to reassure me but I was still a bit anxious.


    "With the current plan, you won''t be seeing much of them if at all. Once you send in the dolls you''ll retreat and stay in the rear. There are even some abandoned buildings around where you can wait."


    "Nn... I hope so."


    Clap!


    Korwen drew everyone''s attention again. He was apparently done with confirming everything.


    "Then, let''s get a move on. As long as everyone knows roughly what to do, then that''s fine. Make a ruckus, how you do it is your thing, okay?"


    And with that, Korwen dismissed everyone.


    "That''s... all? He only asked how many men everyone has?"


    "Yes. There''s not much meaning in anything more, these people wouldn''t conform to any plan anyway. But that''s also making them a good distraction since nobody knows what they''ll try."


    "I just hope they don''t get in our way..."


    "That''s why Korwen asked for their numbers, so he knows how many men he has to send minimum to keep control. These are mostly small-scale bands, they can''t compete against a large group like the Dragon Knights."


    "Were these people really necessary then?"


    "It''s because of the church. The more work we can let these people do, the less likely the church will come to complain to them later. It''s also insurance in case there are more enemies than we might expect."


    Did it really work like that?


    I reluctantly left Karen''s lap and we headed outside. Whoever made a ruckus earlier was gone now as well.


    "Nn... So, what should we do now?"


    "Mr Korwen told me we should get some basic equipment like a lamp for you. After that, you will go with Mr Jockson and the other Dragon Knights.  There wasn''t much else, I think."


    "Karen, why are you so polite to those old men?"


    "Well... They are helping us, right? The least I can do is being polite, then."


    "And yet you aren''t polite to me."


    Lily pouted and poked Karen''s sides.


    "You should be nice to me, too! It''s unfair!"


    "Stop poking me! Why are you even surprised? If you want me to be polite then act like someone who deserves it!"


    "But I do! I helped you so much! I managed to get you so much help so surely I deserve some respect!"


    At this rate, Lily would throw a tantrum. Wasn''t she old enough to have some restraint?


    "Well, you did help us. Okay. Then, Miss Lily, may I trouble you to bring the lamp and other things for Yumi?"


    Lily smiled satisfied at Karen''s overly polite request.


    "Leave it to me!"


    And dashed away.


    "Lily, are you really fine with that..."


    "Let''s leave her, Yumi."


    "You''re quite mean to her, did something happen?"


    "No, she just got on my nerves for the entire time."


    Isn''t that exactly what I mean with ''something happened''?


    "But now I got you back, so it''s all good!"


    Karen hugged me from behind. We didn''t see each other since morning, so I was quite happy, as well. But we were still in the middle of the mercenary camp, basically in public, so it was just a tad embarrassing. That I could see three certain girls watching from the corner of my eye wasn''t improving the situation.


    "Oh? Those girls are the ones from earlier, aren''t they?"


    Apparently, Karen spotted them, too.


    "Nn. They are."


    The three girls realised that they were found out, so they approached slowly. They were glancing at Karen as if she was a suspicious person. Especially Maya. She was pretty much glaring.


    Karen didn''t seem to notice anything, though.


    "You three took care of Yumi, didn''t you? Thank you for that."


    She smiled at them. Emily and Sele returned a bright smile but Maya instead ignored her and stepped forward to grab my arm.


    "Remember your promise, okay?"


    "Nn? Nn... I will."


    A bit bewildered I nodded. Seeing me agree she smiled as well now.


    "Yumi! Yumi! Come back and play with us again! Yes?"


    Emily shoved Maya away to come to me.


    "Emily, calm down."


    "But! I still have to show her so many things!"


    Please spare me.


    "You can do that when they are back."


    No, please don''t. I do not understand the appeal of random stones and shells.


    It was adorable how Maya chastised Emily. In the meantime, Sele walked around them and latched onto Karen and me.


    "You were... Sele, right? Thank you for playing with Yumi."


    Karen rubbed Sele''s head. Sele squinted her eyes a bit like a cat.


    "Ah! Unfair! Let me in too!"


    And so Emily latched unto us as well. Maya, apparently not wanting to be left out, joined without a moment''s hesitation.


    So now I was being hugged by Karen and additionally surrounded by these overly energetic children.


    It was becoming slightly warm. A bit too warm.


    "I''m happy you became friends with her, but we have to go now, okay? We''ll come back, so don''t worry."


    Karen saved me with a timely interjection. They were a bit reluctant but they all let go.


    Sele pulled on my arm again.


    "... Later..."


    "Nn. Later."


    It was adorable so I couldn''t help myself. I had to rub her head just like Karen did.


    We said goodbye to the three and they all left.


    "Such good girls, it''s nice you made some friends, right?"


    "Well..."


    "Ehehe, you have to take good care of them as the oldest one."


    "... Stop teasing me."


    "Be careful, Karen, they might take her away from you."


    With impeccable timing as always, Lily returned, carrying a metal lantern.


    "I don''t think I have to worry about things like that, Lily."


    "Oh? Are you sure? I saw how Yumi came to the meeting holding hands with one of them."


    Lily! There''s no need to tell her those things, is there?


    "Oh? So Yumi has been taking good care of them. That is great to hear."


    Fortunately or unfortunately, Karen didn''t particularly mind that. It wouldn''t have hurt her to be even a bit jealous, right?


    "How boring. Oh well, here you go, Yumi."


    With those words, she handed me the lantern. There was a small transparent stone inside, nothing else.


    "How does this work?"


    "You insert some mana and it starts to glow."


    Another one of those stones. Why couldn''t there be some regular non-magic lanterns?


    "Why do you look so disgusted, Yumi?"


    "... No particular reason, Sis."


    "Really?"


    "Yes. Lily, put some mana in, please."


    "Can''t you do that yourself?"


    "It will explode."


    "Huh?"


    "It will explode."


    "... No, I understood it the first time. Why would it explode?"


    "Because these stones clearly have an issue with me."


    "... No, I don''t think that''s right."


    "It is."


    Lily turned to Karen seeking help.


    "Well, Yumi... can''t you try it at least?"


    "Do you want me to blind everyone now?"


    "... No."


    I was, obviously, thinking of the greater good here. Blinding the surroundings now would be everything but smart. I was definitely not refusing to do it because I had grown to hate these stones. Really.


    "Well, whatever. Just ask that guard guy or someone else later? Or Wanda. They can keep running for a while but not that long."


    "... Nn... Guess I will do that."


    "... You could just learn how to do it yourself, you know."


    "I tried."


    "..."


    Lily shrugged her shoulders and instead checked her equipment.


    "Karen, Yumi, you should ready yourselves, too. Do you have everything?"


    "Nn. I only need the dolls we left at the field."


    "Ah, those are actually already here. I told Korwen earlier to send someone to fetch them. Ask the guy who is in charge."


    Then there should be nothing else I was missing but I was nervous. Incredibly so.


    "Ah, right. You should take this, too."


    Lily handed me a small bag. Looking inside I saw a rather big mana crystal. It was more than three times the size of any of the other crystals I had seen so far.


    "Lily, this is..."


    "Insurance. Keep it a bit hidden, I''m sure you can use it in some way to protect yourself in an emergency, right? Just, like, blow everyone away! I doubt you could even use all that mana anyway, but better safe than sorry, right?"


    "... Nn. Thank you."


    She was probably just way too overprotective, but I was still thankful for it, so I kept quiet.


    "Then, if everything is done, we''ll see you later!"


    And she left. Karen rubbed my head one more time and then let me go as well.


    "I''ll see you later. Be careful, okay! I''ll introduce you to your other sister then!"


    "Nn, looking forward to it."


    And then they were both gone. I had to go as well.


    I looked around the various people preparing to find Merim. Some way off I found him chatting with Wanda.


    "Merim, Wanda."


    "Oh, the kid is here."


    "That''s great. We''ll be going soon before the sun hits the horizon."


    "Lily said you have the dolls?"


    "Yes, we do. They are in the crate over there. There was a rather peculiar one, though..."


    "Peculiar? In what way."


    "It tried to attack me."


    Scary. Why would one of the dolls attack Merim? Actually, shouldn''t they have run out of mana by now?


    Slightly confused I walked over to the crate. Inside where the dozens of dolls I made together with Lily.


    "Hya?!"


    "Kid, what happened?"


    Something jumped out from between the dolls into my arms. The sudden action took me completely by surprise.


    I looked at the thing in my arms and sure enough, it was another one of the dolls. But it was the one with the mana crystal. Upon seeing this one I realised something.


    When... did I lose sight of this doll? Wasn''t I carrying it when we came here?!


    I had forgotten about the doll and somehow it reappeared with all the other dolls for now.


    When did you disappear? Was it at the time with the bath? Probably then, right? But how did you get here?


    "Kid? Is everything okay?"


    "Nn. I was just surprised."


    "That doll..."


    Well then, how do I explain this one...


    "... That magic can do things like this."


    "... Nn."


    It was great that I didn''t have to explain it, but somehow it felt wrong. Was it really okay, leaving this unquestioned?


    Meanwhile, Merim had a strained smile and kept a suspicious distance to the crate and the doll. I was curious why he kept his distance, but at that moment a group of women came over, all equipped for battle. One of them, probably their leader, approached Wanda.


    "Ms Wanda, we''re all ready!"


    "That''s good, we''ll move out any moment, so no running off now. Also, get me someone to move those crates."


    "Understood!"


    The woman saluted and walked away.


    "Kid, do you have everything? Now is your last chance."


    "Nn. I am sure I got everything if Merim took along the crossbow from the practice range."


    "Ah, yes! I did bring it, it''s also in the crate."


    I didn''t see it, though. I checked again and after some digging, I found a bag below the dolls. Pulling it out I confirmed that the crossbow was in there. Additionally, a small quiver with bolts was there, as well.


    "Nn... Should I carry it around, or should I keep it in the bag for now..."


    I turned to Wanda, wondering what to do.


    "Hmm, usually you want to carry it and have it ready, but it would be suspicious if you walked around with a crossbow out, so let''s keep it in the bag for now."


    "Nn. Understood."


    I returned the bag with the crossbow as well as the doll to the crate. I saw some bulky men approach. They saluted to Merim and then carried away the crate.


    "Well then, let''s get a move on. Kid, stay close to me."


    "Nn."


    Around fifteen minutes later we were back in the slums. I didn''t know where the destination was but according to Wanda and Merim, we were already close. Apparently, there were multiple entrances and one of them was pretty close.


    The number of people involved had become astonishing. Around 60 or 70 mercenaries, a third of those from the Dragon Knights.


    And then the slum residents. Wanda only gave me a vague smile when I asked about it, so I didn''t know how many were involved, but it must have been quite a number.


    Nonetheless, I was really nervous. Incredibly nervous.


    "By the way, kid, there''s something I want to ask you."


    "Nn? What is it?"


    I turned towards Wanda, who had a surprisingly serious expression right now.


    "Kid, have you ever killed a person?"


    "Wha-"


    I froze. What did she say? Did I hear that right, the thing she asked just now?


    "Mhm, as expected. Judging from that expression, you didn''t. I hope you know, that, whether directly or indirectly, your actions, and Karen''s as well, will spell death for many people tonight, right?"


    "..."


    "In any case, you shouldn''t eat anything for now. Ah, but make sure you drink enough. And please use a window or a far off corner if your stomach acts up."


    How... How could she speak of this so nonchalant? As if it had nothing to do with her.


    "Kid, if you intend to survive, then you will have to go through this. And this won''t be the last time, either."


    "What do you... mean with that?"


    "I heard about the offer from Lily. Frankly, I recommend you to take them up on that offer. But if you do, then it is certain that you will not just fight some thugs but stand on the battlefield. It might be dangerous, but it is still a safer place than the slums, as ironic as it sounds."


    "So you are saying that I should kill others for money?"


    Was she serious? Safe a time like this, when there was someone we had to save, I had no intention of fighting just for money.


    "No, I am telling you to do it for your own survival. Why do you think I work in the slums and not the city? A lone woman without a guarantor or guardian trying to find work? The only place they would direct you to would be the brothel. I get by, working in the slums but it is far from easy."


    "Guarantor? Guardian? What do you mean?"


    "What, you don''t know? A woman without either a family or a husband cannot take work in this country or the surrounding ones. Well, the brothel is an exception to this."


    Ahh... So it''s like that...


    No emancipation of women. No women''s rights. They just didn''t exist. I had only seen the slums, an effectively lawless zone, so it wasn''t apparent that this had been the case. I never knew.


    "Well, you are cute, so if you are lucky some rich guy might take you in as a servant even with dubious backgrounds. Or you try to fish yourself a husband. Your options, and Karen''s as well, are fairly limited. You can, of course, return to the slums and live with the scraps of food you salvage. But I can assure you, your life won''t be a long one."


    "... So you are suggesting that we instead become mercenaries?"


    "If you have another option, do enlighten me. Mercenaries come in various forms but bands like the Dragon Knights or the Black Guards, where Lily belonged to, do not particularly care about your gender. As long as you bring the skills and attitude, they''ll take you. They are also relatively safe to work with. Honestly, for you and Karen, that offer is a godsend."


    "... But what about our magic, can''t we find work with that?"


    "And who would take a no-name magician? Can you even do something that is useful for general labour? They would just raise their eyebrows in suspicion and turn you away. Magicians are rare, but they are also dangerous. They will look twice before hiring you. And that''s just if you aren''t unlucky enough to just get kidnapped. A little magician girl from the slums? Nobody will miss her, after all. You would just repeat Miria''s fate."


    "Miria?"


    "Karen''s sister. You didn''t know her name?"


    "I didn''t..."


    Wanda''s words weren''t cruel, she just told me the facts as they were. If I had more time, if I had more knowledge of this world, I might have been able to think of a different option. But I couldn''t.


    "Seriously, you and Karen, you aren''t even really related, yet you are both so similar in this aspect. Both so serious yet naive."


    "You talked about this with Karen?"


    "I did. For her, it will be even more important. I do not know in what state Miria is, but beyond a doubt, Karen will have to take care of her. And joining a large band of mercenaries does come with benefits. Did you see their women''s quarters?"


    "I did. Only for short but it left quite the impression."


    That impression was the bath, but I didn''t have to mention that detail, not right now.


    "It''s their holy land. They get to kick out all the men. And there are always women around that can take care of the girl in Karen''s absence."


    "..."


    Was this really the answer? Was this what we had to do for our own survival? I just couldn''t accept it that.


    "You still don''t seem convinced, huh. Well, you should talk about it with Karen later and decide then. Just keep in mind, you do not have many options, and an offer like that won''t come your way so quickly again."


    "... I understand. I will keep it in mind."


    "And with that over, there is one thing that needs to be done now."


    Wanda stopped in her tracks and pointed at a large abandoned building some ways off.


    "Before we sent in those dolls to cause some huge ruckus, we have to take out the guards in the immediate vicinity. So get your crossbow ready."


    "Eh?"


    "Didn''t you hear me? Get that crossbow ready. Or is it a decoration?"


    Of course, it wasn''t a decoration, I practised with it, but that was for self-defence. Not to actively attack someone.


    Someone tapped my shoulder. Upon turning around I could see Merim with a strained smile, holding the bag with the crossbow and the quiver.


    "It may not be my place to say this, but you shouldn''t think too much about this. Being a mercenary is not an easy life, either."


    I stared at the bag in his hands. After a short pause, Merim continued.


    "I can see you are a rather clever girl. You surely know how difficult it is, living in the slums, right? Due to that, there are many that are trying to make a living by becoming mercenaries. If they are successful, they might have a chance at living a life where they don''t have to fear starvation every day or succumbing to diseases and plagues."


    He stopped for a moment, then looking up at the darkening, crimson sky. In just a few minutes, the sun would be gone.


    "Unfortunately, most of them do not know how to live outside of the slums. They treat everyone with suspicion, mistrust and disdain. They live in a world where only the strongest survive. The strong take everything, the weak lose everything. Someone like that, cannot become a decent mercenary."


    Returning his gaze towards me, Merim gave a weak smile.


    "And that''s why, Korwen didn''t only extend the offer to Lily, but also to you. You are naive and soft. You barely doubted or mistrusted us, just because Lily introduced us. And yet, you live in the slums? A normal girl would be complaining, crying, throwing a tantrum, a child from the slums would be mistrusting and arrogant or begging, and yet you are determined to see this through, without showing either. It makes you doubt whether you are truly just a child."


    I wasn''t really a child, so that might have something to do with that.


    "Hey, Yumi, why are you doing all this?"


    "Huh? To, um, help Sis."


    "And why do you help her?"


    "Because she''s important to me."


    "Important... is it. Shouldn''t one protect the ones who are important?"


    "Yes, of course..."


    "Then, you should do so. Protect her!"


    Merim''s tone turned serious.


    "If you don''t, you may lose her one day. If you do not protect her, if you are not determined to do so, then you should cut your bonds now."


    "Wha-!"


    "If you don''t want that, then steel your resolve, and do everything you can, to protect her. Don''t leave it to others, but do it yourself!"


    He pushed the crossbow into my hands.


    "Decide, now. Whether you want to be the one who protects her or be the one who has to be protected."


    The one to protect, or the one to be protected.


    "Is... sn''... I..."


    "I can''t hear you!"


    "... ob...us..."


    "Stop mumbling!"


    "Isn''t it obvious I want to protect her?!"


    I strengthened my grip around the crossbow. I felt something warm on my head, probably Merim''s hand.


    "Then protect her! Do it!"


    "I will!"


    "... Are you a little boy bothered about his first love, or what?"


    Apparently, Wanda could not comprehend what just happened. I don''t think I was ever in love before, so, yes, this was my first time. Because she was important to me, the first person who found me, cared for me and laughed with me in this world.


    "Now then, Yumi! Show us your determination!"


    "Nn!"


    Wanda sighed as if she saw something unbelievable.


    "Are you two idiots? Ah, whatever. Kid, are you ready?"


    "Nn, I am. Probably."


    "So, do you think you can actually shoot someone?"


    "..."


    No, that was a completely different matter. No matter what they were telling me, that was definitely not something I could just do out of nowhere.


    But I understood one thing. I couldn''t run from this. Whether it was now or sometime later, it wouldn''t matter. No, it did matter. If I ran away now, I might regret it later.


    "I... I will... try..."


    "Well, that''s at least something."


    Wanda turned towards the building.


    "There''s only one entrance into the building, we don''t know where exactly the entrance to the hideout from there is, but it is most likely some underground passage. Might even be the sewers. There''s at most two guards inside, more would draw too much attention to the building."


    But how could we incapacitate both guards? I couldn''t quite imagine how that was supposed to work.


    "Kid, whenever you see one of the guards, shoot at him. If you hit him, that''s optimal, but don''t worry about missing, okay?"


    I was rather sure I would have completely different worries other than actually missing the guard right now.


    "I... I understand..."


    I readied the crossbow, pulling the string back and inserting the bolt.


    "Yumi, if you are still worried, just keep in mind, why you are doing this."


    "... Nn."


    To help Karen and save her sister. That was my goal. And these people, they were the ones doing atrocious things, torturing others, using them in human experiments. I... shouldn''t feel sorry for them.


    I could see a guard walking past the window. That meant he would pass the next one soon. I only had one attempt at this. I could feel my heart beating and how my breathing got rougher. And yet, something calmed me. Something was telling me, that it was all fine.


    "Yumi?"


    "Kid, is something wrong?"


    I stared at the crossbow. It was a weapon to kill. That was its purpose. But the one to do it would still be a person. But why the crossbow?


    "Wanda, the idea is to get rid of the guards, right?"


    "Yes, why do you ask?"


    "Then there''s no need to do it with the crossbow, right?"


    "Huh? Well, it''s not but how would you do it without?"


    I walked over to the crate with the dolls. Some of the mercenary women looked curiously what I was doing.


    "With them."


    I picked up the doll with the mana egg.


    "But aren''t they just moving dolls?"


    "Nn. Lily told me before, fear is a powerful weapon. And I am sure, it is possible for them to do it."


    I took out the mana crystal from this morning, not the one Lily gave me before departing. I drained a sizeable amount of mana from it and transferred it to the doll. If I did this, I was sure, something would happen. It was a similar feeling to the previous times, when my instincts told me what to do.


    When I was done, the doll still looked outwardly the same, but it was a lot more energetic. It jumped out of my arms, landing on the ground with a graceful somersault.


    "Can you do it?"


    The doll bowed, like a butler. It was probably an affirmation.


    "Good, take the others along after I give them mana, okay?"


    I turned towards the crate. Giving each doll mana and a new soul one at a time would take too long. I could still feel remnants of the mana from earlier, so it might be enough to just recharge them. I again drained the crystal of a decent amount of mana and spread it out like a net, catching the dolls in the crate. After a few seconds, they all stirred.


    "What the hell is happening..."


    I could hear Merim muttering from behind. The dolls, all alive, in a way, crawled out of the crate and lined up behind the doll with the mana crystal. Once they were all lined up, they saluted in unison.


    "I am depending on you, okay? Go."


    And they marched towards the building. Slowly.


    "Yumi, what is that? I was told you can use dolls to a degree to scare them, but that''s a lot more than I expected."


    Merim came over with a look of utter disbelief. Wanda seemed just as surprised.


    "Kid, that''s quite interesting. I thought the walking disaster lost even more of the few remaining screws in her head, but this might actually work."


    "Well, at least I don''t want to be attacked by a marching group of dolls in the middle of the night. Even if they are slow."


    "Yes, it would be a traumatic experience if you were. Even if they are slow."


    "Could you please stop calling them slow? They are doing their best."


    Their legs were just short, so they took a while, okay? There was no need to bully them.


    Still, could they please hurry up. We''re waiting...


    The dolls had walked around three fourth of the distance already, so it wouldn''t take much longer.


    With bated breath we watched them approach the building. When the stood right in front of it, they spread out and crawled in through the various windows and other openings in the walls.


    Then they were gone. It was silent.


    "... And now?"


    "Even if you ask me, I don''t know?"


    "Let''s wait a few minutes. If nothing happened, we''ll just charge in. The others are waiting for our signal."


    "Nn."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Hey, kid. How do the dolls even fight? They just have some wooden arms, no real hands, and they have no weapons, right?"


    "... I don''t know?"


    That was a good question. In fact, it was an incredibly good one. But the dolls said, or rather motioned, to me that it would be fine. So I had to believe in them. Who else but me would do it?


    And so we waited around two or three minutes, until we heard a scream. And then it was silent again.


    "Okay, I don''t care anymore, let''s check what happened."


    Wanda grabbed me by the scruff and dragged me along.


    "Wanda, I can walk myself, there''s no need to drag me."


    "You shouldn''t run away."


    "I won''t."


    I really wouldn''t. Probably.


    Merim followed us and the other mercenaries from the Dragon Knights did so as well. The hoodlum mercenaries were spread around, apparently. Maybe they didn''t want to get involved with each other.


    We reached the door of the building and Wanda entered without a moment of hesitation. For someone unarmed, that was quite brave.


    "There''s nobody here..."


    Just as she said, the building was empty. She let go of me and walked around, entering the various rooms.


    "Wanda, Yumi. I found it."


    After a minute Merim called for us, so we followed his voice into a small room. There was a ladder going underground. And in front of the entrance was...


    "Excuse me."


    I walked out of the room, towards a window. At that moment, I was indeed glad I didn''t eat dinner yet. It would have been wasted now. I leaned out and relieved myself of my stomach contents.


    In front of the entrance on the ground was the corpse of a man. His mouth foaming, the eyes morphed into bloody holes, his throat bulging unnaturally and a wooden stick sticking out of his mouth.


    "That answers the how they do it. Definitely not a way I want to die. Kid, you are quite scary."


    It wasn''t me who was scary, but the dolls. But, those dolls belonged to me. I made them and I ordered them. That meant... I had killed a man. I had killed a person. I had...


    "Kid! Calm down!"


    Something warm pressed into my face and my vision went dark.


    "Calm down! Take deep breaths! Did you hear me? Take a deep breath, breathe in and then out!"


    Without noticing, I had been short of breath and collapsed onto the floor. My breathing had become erratic. I was hyperventilating.


    "Don''t think of anything, only concentrate on breathing for now!"


    I followed her advice, I took a deep breath and then breathed it out, slowly.


    "Yes, just like that. Repeat that. Breathe in, breathe out. Do it slowly!"


    I concentrated on breathing for now. I didn''t know for how long I did, but it felt like an eternity.


    Then, my vision returned and I could see Wanda staring into my face.


    "Calmed down?"


    "Nn... I''m sorry."


    "Don''t sweat it, the first time is like that for everyone."


    "Is that so..."


    "Yes, the first time I nearly fainted, I threw up in the middle of a fight. That nearly killed me."


    "Haa..."


    Wanda let go of me and smiled gently.


    "Kid, I know it''s hard, but let''s move on, okay?"


    "Nn."


    Bracing myself, I peeked into the room again, but the corpse was gone. Merim was also nowhere to be found.


    "Merim and everyone else already went ahead. The other mercenaries moved as well. We didn''t see any of the dolls yet so they are probably further inside."


    "Nn."


    There was only a bloody spot left on the ground. I shuddered, but I couldn''t let it overwhelm me.


    "Give me one minute, I''ll send the signal for the infiltration group, and then let''s join them."


    "Nn. Understood."


    Wanda took out a small solid stick with a string attached to it. She held it out of the window and pulled the string. With a small popping sound, I could see something shoot out of it into the sky. It reminded me of some kind of fireworks cracker.


    "Okay, that''s done. Then, let''s move on."


    And so, we descended down into their lair.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Underground Excursion

    A dark, damp corridor greeted us upon descending down. It was wide enough for three grown men to walk next to each other with space to spare. Recesses with small curtains covering them could be seen in the stone walls.


    "What is this place... Are these catacombs?"


    "I don''t know, I never even knew a place like this existed here."


    Wanda walked towards one recess and peeked behind the curtain.


    "Mhh... There''s only cobwebs and dirt."


    "As long as there are no skeletons..."


    I wonder if undead monsters exist. I hope not.


    Wanda inspected a few more, but they were all empty.


    "Maybe this place was planned to be used as catacombs. Or as a vault or warehouse. Whatever it is, it doesn''t seem to have much use anymore."


    "Nn..."


    Suddenly, the sounds of shouting could be heard. We couldn''t see far into the corridor, as it was too dark, but the sound was more than enough of an indicator that they were likely fighting.


    "Mhh... Too bad we don''t have time, I''d really like to take a look around here."


    With a reluctant expression, Wanda turned away from the recesses towards me.


    "Kid, light your lantern."


    "..."


    The time had come. The unavoidable time.


    "Wanda, can you light it for me?"


    "... Kid, can''t you do it yourself...?"


    "I''m not good with these stones. I''d probably just blind us if I tried."


    "... Do it yourself next time, okay?"


    I nodded and presented Wanda with my lantern. She put her hand on it and after a few seconds it lit up. The stone was giving off a warm light, just strong enough to see a few meters ahead in the dark. Wanda did the same to her own lantern and we proceeded through the corridor.


    "Be careful where you step."


    "Nn."


    After that short exchange, we stayed silent. Wanda was likely just as tense as I was. The sounds coming from the front have stopped. The smell of earth was slowly mixing with the smell of blood. I tried distracting myself, thinking about what Karen and Lily might be doing right now. Regardless, my thoughts always returned to the previous incident. And the stronger the smell of blood became, the less I could distract myself.


    "Kid, are you okay?"


    "Nn... Not really, but I''m trying."


    I could see from the corner of my eyes how Wanda furrowed her brows.


    "Do you want to return?"


    "... No... I can still go on."


    "... Don''t overdo it, you hear me? It''s not helping anyone if you collapse now."


    "..."


    Collapsing once was more than enough already. I didn''t want to repeat, definitely. That''s why I had to pull myself together.


    "I''m fine. Really."


    "You don''t look fine at all."


    "Wanda, thank you, for worrying about me, but I want to continue."


    "... Don''t come to me and complain, you hear me? You can go to the mud girl and the walking disaster for that."


    "I will keep that in mind."


    I could only respond with a strained smile. The smell of blood became ever stronger until we finally arrived at the end of the corridor. In front of us was a broken down door.


    Wanda approached the door and entered the room without hesitation. Bracing myself, I followed.


    "Well, someone sure failed at cleaning up here..."


    "..."


    "Kid, try to keep it in, okay?"


    "I''ll... try..."


    We had entered a large hall. The ceiling wasn''t particularly high, but the room was really wide. Tables with food and drinks, in the corner multiple barrels and crates, in the other blankets and makeshift sleeping places. And in the midst of that, even more corpses. There were broken doll parts around a few of them.


    "They must have been fending off the dolls before they got overrun by our side. The wounds of most of them are clearly from weapons."


    "..."


    I averted my eyes. The stench was overpowering. Then, with a sudden impact...


    "Hya?!"


    "Kid!"


    Something jumped into my arms. It was a doll.


    "You again..."


    The doll with the mana crystal had returned, saluting to me in my arms.


    "Don''t surprise me like that, kid. Still, is that doll the only one left of them?"


    "I don''t know, are there any other dolls left?"


    The doll shook its head. Apparently not.


    "I see, thank you."


    They did all I could ask them for. My role and theirs was now over.


    "Kid, what do you want to do? Return?"


    "No... I will come with you."


    "Are you sure about that?"


    "Wanda, you said we should accept Korwen''s proposal, didn''t you? And you also said I might have to stand on the battlefield once that time comes... That''s why, I can''t run away from this, right?"


    "... I did say that, but I still worry whether it is too much. You are just a child, you have no need to rush it now."


    "I want to protect Sis, I want to be of help to her..."


    I took a deep breath and turned towards the corpses. There were dozens, many with slashing wounds, a few with their limbs bent in impossible directions. Only two or three fell victim to the dolls I sent.


    "This... This is reality, isn''t it?"


    "It is."


    "I see."


    I took another deep breath and faced Wanda.


    "Let''s continue."


    "I understand, let''s go."


    I had made my resolve. This was now my reality as well. Even if it was hard to accept it, I couldn''t run away. For Karen''s sake, I couldn''t.


    We walked towards the door opposite of the one we came in through. This one was also broken down, so there wasn''t really any doubt that they went this way.


    Passing through, we entered another corridor. This corridor was considerably better maintained. The paved stones weren''t as covered in earth, dust and cobwebs and there were lanterns hanging on the walls at regular intervals. One could see multiple doors leading into different rooms or corridors here and there, most of them broken down and the rooms behind looted. Occasionally we encountered more corpses, obvious victims from the mercenaries that had gone ahead.


    From ahead we could once again hear the sounds of a battle, accompanied once again with the smell of blood.


    After a few more minutes, we reached another wide room, closer to a hall. But this time, there were some people present.


    "Oh, it''s you girls, what are you do-"


    As we entered the room and Wanda spotted the few women clad in armour and weapons she wanted to call out to them but stopped midway. The reason being, she saw why they stayed behind. They were circling around three bodies, covered with a blanket. They all had their eyes closed and kept silent as if they were praying.


    We continued watching them until the women opened their eyes again and one of them approached us, while the others started to carry the bodies away.


    "Ms Wanda."


    "Good work. Were those... comrades? Or..."


    "Victims. We found them already like this."


    "I see."


    Wanda turned to the ones carrying the bodies away and watched them until they disappeared.


    "What''s the current situation?"


    "Mr Merim''s group followed the helpers. There have been no problems so far with them, they are looting the place but that is all."


    "That was about to be expected, what else?"


    "There have been no signs of the Black Guards, so far. We let a few thugs escape so they could warn their bosses. It has been a while, so their response should happen soon. We also confirmed that the maps were accurate and a number of entrances lead to this place. There have been some men trying to pass through here attempting to deliver word about the riots at the other entrances."


    Riots? There were riots? Was this the support from the slum residents?


    "That''s good. If they split their forces that would be optimal for us. The Black Guards aren''t the enemy, we want to avoid fighting them as much as possible. Well then, once you are done there, let us proceed and catch up with Merim."


    "Understood!"


    The woman saluted and helped her comrades.


    "Wanda, you aren''t even a mercenary, right? How come so many listen to you?"


    "Mm? Ah, I just have some slight history with the Dragon Knights. Worked with them in the past a few times."


    "Is that so?"


    "It is."


    "..."


    "..."


    The conversation died. Maybe I shouldn''t have asked her about it. I waited for another response since I was curious, but Wanda kept quiet. In the meantime, the women''s squad had finished up.


    "We''re ready, Ms Wanda!"


    "Good, then let us go."


    Wanda turned on her heels and proceeded onwards. I followed her closely while the women''s squad surrounded us. I noticed some of them glancing towards me on occasion.


    "Is something the matter?"


    I turned around to ask them.


    "Ah, no! Um..."


    They were flustered when I called out to them. Did they think I wouldn''t notice? They all averted their gazes and I could hear Wanda chuckling. Maybe she knew what was going on? As I wondered about that, some continued stealing glances and some were fidgeting. Then, finally, one of them approached.


    "Um, do you... want this?"


    She held out something small and brown to me. It was candy, the kind that Wanda had given me before. I accepted it without thinking much about it.


    "Thank you."


    I thanked her but in response, she just quickly averted her eyes and returned to her original spot. What the heck was going on here? I popped the candy into my mouth. A sweet taste spread through my mouth.


    Tastes like happiness. Sweet things are great.


    "Ohhh..."


    "Nn?"


    Instead of just stealing glances they were now openly staring. Unfortunately for them, their amusement, or whatever they were doing, had to end here. Yet another large hall was in front of us. Multiple people were gathered here.


    "Merim!"


    "Mm? Wanda, huh? Good, you''re here, we got a slight problem."


    In front of the Dragon Knights were the slaughtered corpses of the other mercenaries. Not all of them were dead, but a rather significant number was, and the others were heavily injured. Only the Dragon Knights, that stayed in the back, were mostly uninjured. And then, on the other side of the room, were men in heavy, black armour, each of them carrying either a large halberd or a crossbow. One at the side had a black flag attached to the halberd.


    They were completely out of place with their heavy get-up in this underground place, but that didn''t change the fact that they were truly intimidating.


    "The Black Guards, huh. And so many of them. Didn''t they just like send all their men here?"


    "Most likely, yes. Ten halberds, fifteen crossbows, that''s more than half their men."


    "That''s great news for Karen and them but quite bad news for us, you know."


    "I do..."


    They were having a rather laid-back discussion despite being confronted with such an enemy.


    "Wanda... What do we do now?"


    "What we do... for now, preferably nothing. We can''t really do anything against them, but they most likely won''t attack us unless we attack them first. That is... until their patience runs out. But since we only need to buy time, we can draw out the battle for as long as possible. If they attack, we retreat as far as possible, and if they give up the chase, we return as well. That would be the best course of action in my opinion, what do you think, Merim?"


    "Mm, I agree. Especially after I saw what happened to those idiots rushing at them. There''s no chance we''d survive a direct confrontation."


    Were they that strong? The mercenaries had them outnumbered two to one and yet they were overwhelmingly beaten and killed.


    "But, why won''t they attack us?"


    "The Black Guards, despite their current assignment, are still a rather honourable band. They were originally a band of knights that lost their home country, though that was decades ago, they still uphold their rigorous code of honour. And one of them is not attacking an enemy that holds no hostility."


    "Then, why are they even here..."


    "I don''t know the details, they were somehow forced into this assignment. Maybe we will find out once this is all over. If our attack is successful, they might lose their current job. That would be the best for everyone. Lily might know about the circumstances. Korwen maybe as well."


    "The captain hasn''t told me anything in regards to that. He only mentioned it was an unfortunate incident."


    Unfortunate incident, was it... Were they maybe blackmailed?


    "In any case, we can do nothing but wait."


    Shrugging her shoulders as if it was an inevitable situation, Wanda leant on the wall and started digging through a small pouch that was hanging on her waist.


    "Kid, here."


    She threw something towards me. A piece of dry jerky.


    "I hope you won''t throw up anymore, so it''s a good time to eat something now, isn''t it?"


    "..."


    Did she really expect me to eat something when there was a row of armoured men glaring at us and a pile of corpses in the middle of the room? I didn''t immediately throw up, she was right on that, but that didn''t change the fact that it made me incredibly uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Wanda didn''t care about that and started nibbling on her own piece of jerky.


    "Wanda, it''s even hard for us to eat something right now, you know. The people are tense."


    Thankfully, even Merim was rather disturbed at her my-pace style.


    "Isn''t that exactly why, then? If you are tense now, you just get tired needlessly. Wouldn''t that be fatal later on?"


    "... That''s easier said than done, Wanda. Also, it''s not a good idea to eat right before a battle."


    Shaking his head in exasperation Merim turned around and returned to the other Dragon Knight mercenaries.


    "It''s not good to eat before battle?"


    I looked at Wanda questioningly.


    "Yes, it upsets your stomach and that can be fatal in combat, so you generally avoid eating anything the few hours prior to combat. Well, for mages it''s not as bad and we''re only here as support and observers now, so that doesn''t particularly matter to us, right?"


    I didn''t know that was the case. But Wanda already completely excluded us as any form of combat force, didn''t she? It was slightly bothering me but I couldn''t really argue against it either. It was kind of true after all.


    Wanda and I sat down at a wall and watched the mercenaries glaring at each other. The women''s squad in the meantime gathered at the side and discussed something fervently. They were occasionally glancing towards us or Merim''s group.


    "Is it fine to just... sit here?"


    I was still rather doubtful that we could just wait, but the Black Guards made no attempts at moving. If I didn''t know better I would''ve said those were statues.


    "Well, you can see that, right? And since it''s our job to keep them away, that''s basically perfect for us."


    "But won''t they figure out that we are just stalling if we act like this."


    "I''m sure they already figured it out anyway. And if they are here regardless, that means their employer might have forced them. Or, they know and are doing this on purpose. Whatever the case, it is pretty good for us."


    "Nn..."


    Was this really something going to end like this?


    This is kind of, I don''t know, anticlimactic?  But they all seem considerably fine with this...


    Merim and his group had started to drag away the injured and yet alive mercenaries to treat them. They started groaning and crying, which wasn''t pleasant to listen to.


    But for now, all we could do was to wait.


    Around an hour later, nothing much had changed. Actually, the Black Guards became fidgety as well, but it seemed more to stem from the issue of having to stand still for the entire time while wearing that heavy armour, rather than them being impatient. Merim managed to treat most of the injured and had them carried away, yet none of the Black Guards made an attempt at moving. They only watched.


    The women''s squad tried to pamper me at one point but they got scolded by Merim and now they stood guard with the others, their expressions full of regret. At least I now understood why they kept behaving so weirdly all the time.


    "Wanda, how long will we be waiting here?"


    I suppressed a yawn and turned towards Wanda, who was similarly bored and had started to work with a needle and a piece of cloth. I asked what she was making, but she just smiled meaningfully and kept quiet.


    "Until something happens."


    "And that is when?"


    "I don''t know, but intuition tells me, it won''t be that long anymore."


    "I sure hope so."


    I looked over to the other side of the room.


    "I''m impressed they can stand still like that all time."


    "They are trained to do so. The Black Guards are known for their quality. Instead of a large group like the Dragon Knights, they only consist of a small number of elite members. They used to be a much larger mercenary band, much larger than the Dragon Knights, but they downsized a lot after a few incidents in the past decades."


    "Haa... How big are the Dragon Knights anyway?"


    "Hmmm... around 800?"


    "..."


    What.


    "Well, that, of course, includes the non-combatants, so it''s actually closer to 600, I think."


    "How the heck does a force of 600 men have only three magicians?"


    "You should ask that Korwen, I''m not really privy to their internal affairs nor am I a magician. I''m just a humble seamstress."


    I didn''t know Wanda could make actual jokes and not just mess with people. Duly noted.


    But still, 800 was a huge number.


    "Let me just tell you in advance, but there are significantly larger mercenary bands. When the Black Guards were originally formed, they were around 4,000 men strong, even if they only have around 60 nowadays."


    "That''s quite a change."


    "Yes, many things happened over time and they gradually shrunk to such a size. But really, for Black Guard matters it is probably better to ask Lily."


    "Does she even remember those things..."


    "She actually does, you know. She behaves like an idiot, but anything she once heard or saw will stay in her memory. It''s apparently a result of her ma-... ah."


    "Wanda?"


    "No, I probably shouldn''t talk about this. It''s something she doesn''t want others to know about, after all. Just forget I mentioned it."


    That was easier said than done. Now I was really curious, but Wanda would probably stay tight-lipped about it. I had to ask Lily herself. The number of things to ask Lily had increased by quite a bit.


    "Anyway, I am sure Lily will tell you herself if you ask. She took quite a liking to you two."


    "I wish she would hold back sometimes."


    "There''s no way that walking disaster will hold back ever."


    "How unfortunate."


    "Indeed."


    Wanda chuckled but was abruptly interrupted by sounds coming from the Black Guards side. There was the sound of an explosion coming from behind them. The Black Guards were startled, but then yet another explosion was heard and a powerful shockwave swept through the room, throwing everyone standing to the ground.


    "Out of the way! Out of the waaaaay!"


    Someone shouted from the direction of the explosion sounds. I knew that voice.


    "Lily! Sis!"


    "Ohhhh! You guys are really here! The gamble paid off, great. So great! Really!"


    What appeared from the corridor were a dozen silhouettes. I could see Lily and Karen, both carrying someone followed by some of the Dragon Knight mercenaries, each of them carrying even more people.


    "Men! Get ready to defend them!"


    Merim shouted, springing up and drawing his weapon. The Black Guards had trouble standing up due to their heavy armour, which allowed Karen and the others to run past them.


    "Yumi!"


    "Sis!"


    I ran towards Karen. I would have loved to jump into her arms, but as she was carrying someone, that wasn''t possible.


    "Yumi, I''m really sorry, but we need your help!"


    "Eh?"


    "Karen, we don''t have time, we need to get out of here first!"


    Lily shouted.


    "... I understand."


    Karen clenched her teeth. She was sweating, but not only because of being exhausted. The girl on her back, she looked a bit older than me, with dull silver-greyish hair. She had a mana crystal embedded in her chest, and exactly that crystal was going completely out of control, absorbing mana hazardously without any sign of stopping. The resulting heat singed the girl''s chest and Karen''s back and I could even feel the heat on the skin of my face.


    "Retreat!"


    Merim shouted.


    "Karen, Yumi! Come!"


    Lily urged us to move.


    "Sis, let''s go first."


    "Yes..."


    I took Karen''s hand since she seemed unwilling. She probably wanted to treat the girl right away, but we couldn''t get our priorities wrong. If we stopped here we would be forced into defensive battle. Even I knew that would end in a catastrophe.


    We ran back the way we came. Wanda stayed behind with Merim as a rearguard. I was rather sure she had no weapon, but nobody seemed to reject her, they even seemed glad she stayed behind.


    The only ones running back now were the infiltration group with Karen and Lily as well as me and for some reason the women''s squad.


    We ran back past the room, where we found the three victim girls. But before we reached the next room, we heard heavy, dull steps behind us. I peeked back, only to see three heavily armoured men in black running towards us. And they were running with a speed that totally belied the heavy armour they wore.


    "We have pursuers."


    "Well, great."


    "And they are catching up."


    "Well, shit."


    Lily didn''t even have the energy to reply in her usual ridiculous but energetic manner. We entered the first room I saw with Wanda earlier. The earthy smell mixed with the iron smell of blood assaulted me.


    Just after we entered the room the pursuers were already entering as well. They were, despite their armour, faster than us.


    "Lily, what do we do now?"


    We had stopped running, as it was obvious they would catch us anyway. Now, we were facing these three men.


    "Yumi, you can''t miraculously fight one of them, can you?"


    "Don''t demand the impossible."


    "I figured."


    Two halberds and a crossbow.


    "Treat the girls. As long as it is only three, we can deal with them, but escaping like this would be too dangerous. Use that time for them."


    "Are you sure, Lily?"


    "Yes."


    The other mercenaries put down the girls they were carrying and drew their weapons. They formed a wall right in front of us, protecting Karen, the girls and me.


    "Yumi..."


    Karen sat down next to her sister. I sat down next to her. Lily said I was their only hope, but even I had no idea what I should even do. Karen looked at me anxiously. She was clearly worried. I hadn''t seen her show an expression this clear ever before. She liked to put up a front but it had broken down completely now.


    "I will do something, Sis, don''t worry."


    I pulled Karen towards me and embraced her, hugging her head to my chest.


    "I will do all I can, okay?"


    "... I understand. I believe in you, please save Miria."


    "Nn!"


    I let her go and faced the girl in front of me. As she was lying down, I could see her features a lot more clearly. The resemblance with Karen was obvious, a cute girl with fine features. She seemed somewhere right between me and Karen in age, which surprised me since I was sure she was just one year younger than her.


    I extended my hand to the mana crystal that was visible even from the outside on her chest. The closer I got the hotter it became. Just a few centimetres before touching it, it was already becoming so hot that I could barely bear it. The mana around the girl was in turmoil.


    "Karen, what did they do?"


    "I don''t know, when we opened the cells and released them, some kind of alarm went off. There was some fat man shouting at us and screaming that he wouldn''t let his... experimental subjects go. Then they all started to heat up when we tried to run."


    That man must have done something, but I didn''t know what.


    What to do, what to do. How can I calm this thing? I could try absorbing the mana, but what would happen to the girl? I was told that removing the mana crystal might kill her. But what other options do I even have? Or should I feed it mana and turn it into a pink mana crystal?


    I took the hand of the girl. It was cold. This wasn''t the hand of a living, healthy person. It felt like her body was already dead. But she was still breathing and her face showed an expression of pain. She was surely still alive.


    Why can''t the stupid instinct tell me what to do right now? It would be so much easier!


    Unfortunately, it stayed silent. I had to experiment, but how. The doll in my arms suddenly struggled and freed itself. I didn''t know what it wanted to do but it started dancing and taking strange poses in front of me.


    "... I don''t know what you are trying to tell me, sorry."


    The doll let its head hang. It was apparently depressed. Nothing I could do about and I was slightly busy.


    Then I noticed.


    "Do you maybe mean your mana crystal?"


    The doll suddenly perked up and bobbed its head up and down.


    "Are you saying, I should do that?"


    It bobbed its head up and down again.


    "... Well, I guess it is worth a try."


    "Yumi?"


    "I have an idea, but I cannot promise anything. I''m sorry."


    "I believe in you."


    Karen smiled and pat my head.


    "Thank you, Sis."


    "You''re welcome. You should maybe think what to do when you suddenly have two older sisters taking care of you."


    "So it''s already established I will stay as the youngest. Great."


    With a slightly wry smile, I took a deep breath. Then I took the really large mana crystal Lily had given me. I didn''t know how much mana I needed, I couldn''t be stingy now. I could apologise to Lily later on.


    Bracing myself I pressed my left hand on the burning mana crystal. A hissing sound could be heard when the crystal burnt my hand. It hurt really bad, but I had to endure. Taking the large mana crystal with my right hand I started to extract the mana within, circulating it for a moment in my own body before inserting it into the crystal in my left. I could feel how the mana crystal voraciously absorbed the mana and in tandem, the turmoil in the surrounding mana weakened. The heat on my hand was reduced as well, but the moment I lowered the mana input, it became worse again.


    Karen looked at me worryingly. In the background, the sounds of battle were slowly ceasing. After what felt like a few minutes, different sounds replaced them. I didn''t know what was going on, but I couldn''t let go of the girl''s mana crystal right now. If I did, it would be just wasted time.


    After most likely around ten minutes, though they felt like half a lifetime, the mana crystal in my left stopped absorbing mana. I slowly removed my hand. There was no mana crystal to see anymore in the girl''s chest. And she was still breathing, the colour in her face had returned too and the pain-filled expression was gone.


    The mana in the surroundings had calmed down. The crystal wasn''t gone, but it felt a lot calmer and more comfortable.


    "Is... is she safe?"


    "Nn. I think so."


    Karen looked at me and, slowly, ever so slowly, large teardrops formed in her eyes. I smiled at her. I already felt relieved but she must have been feeling way, way more relieved than me.


    But, like ever so often, we weren''t in a location that allowed us the time.


    "Karen, Yumi. We need to get out of here, quickly."


    Lily reminded us. Karen, realising she was crying, quickly wiped her face and nodded. It was a bit unfortunate since it was cute, but I could understand the problem.


    "You girls, are you ready?"


    Merim stood next to us. He looked tired and was bleeding at several spots. I looked past him, expecting to see them fighting at the corridor, but there was nobody there. I wondered what had happened to the Black Guards. Did he somehow lose them?


    I nodded and stood up. Karen was holding her sister, who was now sleeping peacefully, in her arms. Everyone else had apparently already left.


    "Time to get out."


    Merim motioned us to get a move on. We left the room and walked at a reasonable pace to the ladder.


    "Then let us get---"


    A rumbling sound. The ground was shaking. My entire vision was moving left and right and I fell down to the ground, unable to keep my balance.


    "W-what i-i-s h-happening?"


    "Grab something, don''t let go!"


    Karen hugged her sister close to her body, Lily was trying to keep ahold of herself with a recess on the wall while Merim tried to grab the ladder.


    After a minute the rumbling stopped.


    "What... was that?"


    "I don''t know, but we should get out of here really fast."


    Merim looked cautiously around, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Except for a small cracking sound, that slowly became stronger.


    I have a bad feeling. Please don''t give me some stereotypical situation like this. I just want to go home.


    Alas, my pleas went unheard.


    "Quickly, the ladder!"


    Merim jumped up the ladder and Lily followed. I stood up quickly and ran towards Karen, who had troubles getting up.


    "Hurry!"


    And then...


    The ground broke away with a loud rumbling sound.


    "That was... way too close..."


    It hurt. Like, it really hurt. Tears were gathering in my eyes.


    Somehow, Lily had managed to catch me. Karen had grabbed onto the ladder and Lily caught me, or rather my hair.


    "It... hurts..."


    "Lily! Get her up, quickly, you''re hurting Yumi!"


    "If it hurts she''s still alive!"


    Nonetheless, Lily pulled me up. By my hair. The rocking sensation only intensified the pain.


    "Uhhh..."


    "Heave-ho!"


    With a jerk, she had pulled me up and held me in her arm. The pain slowly ebbed away.


    "Did you have to... catch me... by my hair?"


    I asked her, interrupted with sniffing sounds. If I was an actual child I might have started bawling now.


    "I''m sorry, but it''s better than you falling down there. But let''s get up first, or the ladder might break as well."


    With those words she started climbing, still carrying me in her arm. How she actually managed that was a mystery to me. Once we were out of the hole, she let me down on the ground while Merim helped Karen getting out.


    "But, what the heck was that?"


    "Definitely nothing good. We should return quickly, I have a really bad feeling about this."


    Karen and I nodded to Lily''s words. Merim turned toward us, with a really serious expression.


    "The real troublesome part comes now."


    "Troublesome part?"


    "Yeah. Do you think, they will just let us go now?"


    A wry smile adorned his face.


    Rinne


    It was quite hard to write this one and I had barely time the past few days.


    Time to sleep.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Returning to the Camp

    "You mean, they might chase us?"


    "Not ''might'', they definitely will. They don''t want anyone to know about their little project here. Not to mention, they practically lost all their research subjects now. They''ll want at least get revenge for that."


    So, we were still not safe.


    And then, the ground was shaking again.


    "Again?!"


    Everyone held onto something close-by until the shaking stopped.


    "Why the heck is the earth shaking?"


    But before anyone could answer that question, the ground rumbled again, but not due to the earth-shaking again, but because the ground started sinking.


    "Get out! Out of the house!"


    Merim shouted and we all hurried through the door. I could hear something crashing behind me. We ran outside, and after confirming we were all present, we cautiously watched the building in the moonlight.


    With very slow movements, it started tilting backwards. Then, after another minute, something crashed and we could see the backside of the house disappearing into the ground, closely followed by the front a few seconds later.


    A large dust cloud whirled up.


    "Good thing we weren''t in there..."


    I had to agree with Karen on that one. That wouldn''t have ended well if we were still inside.


    A few moments later, just when our initial shock subsided, there was more rumbling and crashing sounds, but from rather far away. In the distance, multiple dust clouds could be seen.


    "It seems that more buildings have collapsed."


    Scary. But why were they all so calm? I would have expected them to be panicking. I tugged at Karen''s sleeves.


    "Sis, why are they all so calm?"


    "Mh? Oh, right. You don''t know since the last time has been quite some time ago, but the earth-shaking happens sometimes, maybe once or twice a year. Usually not to the point that buildings collapse, though."


    Oh, so this was a region with frequent earthquakes? So they were all simply used to it.


    "Still, the timing for this... it can''t be a coincidence, can it?"


    Lily murmured the exact thing everyone had already thought about most likely. Merim nodded in response.


    "I doubt so. But I don''t really know many things that could cause such a tremor. At least, not in this region."


    "Large-scale magic or a monster, I guess?"


    "Probably."


    A monster that was powerful enough to cause such a tremor would be quite dangerous. And definitely not something I''d want to face. Ever.


    But the large-scale magic sounded quite worrisome as well. Just what kind of magic could cause this?


    "In any case, for now, we need to get out of here. It is probably just a matter of time until either the lord''s guards or the church''s knights appear here. And we definitely don''t want to be caught by them."


    "I agree. Yumi, Karen, let''s go!"


    "Nn."


    "Okay."


    Lily and Merim led us away from the collapsed building. The slums were dark and except the lanterns, there was only the moon''s light illuminating the streets. That didn''t mean there were no people around, though. In the distance, we could hear people shouting. Maybe they were those involved in this.


    "Merim, where did the others go?"


    I had been wondering about this since we left the underground. The other mercenaries and the girls weren''t here anymore, same for the women''s squad.


    "They went ahead. Since you were taking your sweet time I decided to get them to a safe place first. That you were starting right there was pretty ridiculous, anyway. What were you guys thinking?"


    Merim, visibly ticked off,  started reprimanding us.


    "If we hadn''t been able to hold them off or if Lily and them hadn''t been able to protect you, you would''ve been captured and then everything would''ve been for nought! You should have gone straight to safety!"


    "Well, Merim! It was me who told her to do it. I thought she could start taking a look and make use of the time, so don''t be mad at her."


    "I''m mad at all of you, you included, Lily."


    "But everything went well, didn''t it?"


    "It did, and we can be goddamn glad it did. So, don''t do anything like that again, are we clear? Your own safety is important!"


    "But-"


    "No buts!"


    Merim looked over to us as well, apparently expecting our answer.


    "Nn... I understand, I''m sorry."


    "... I''m sorry."


    "..."


    Karen and I apologised, but Lily obviously didn''t want to give in.


    "Lily, I''m waiting."


    "..."


    She turned away, trying to ignore it. The only thing Merim could do was sighing in exasperation.


    "Lily, it''s nice you''re confident in your skills, but you should still consider the worst-case scenario. If there''s an option that allows for more safety, you should choose that, if you are worried about their lives, that is."


    "Ugh... Putting it like that is unfair."


    "Life is unfair, you should know that already."


    "... I''m sorry."


    Lily looked rather dejected after Merim pointed out her mistake.


    "As long as you understand, it''s fine."


    He nodded satisfied.


    We walked on in silence for a few minutes after that exchange. We met a few people here and there, but they almost immediately ran away when they saw the armed Merim and Lily.


    "Nn?"


    "Yumi? What''s up?"


    I stopped walking and looked back. Something irked me. Like something was tugging at the corner of my mind.


    "I don''t know. Something feels weird."


    "Weird?"


    "Nn."


    The others followed the place where I looked towards, but nothing happened nor did anything appear.


    "Everything seems fine, let''s walk on. If anything changes, do tell us, Yumi."


    "Nn. Understood."


    We continued, but the weird feeling stayed the entire time. It was really uncomfortable. I glanced back again for a moment, but nothing had changed. There was nothing there, but something was drawing me to it.


    Worried, I grabbed hold of Karen''s sleeve.


    "Yumi?"


    "Something is there... It''s weird as if something tells me to go there..."


    "Tells you to go there?"


    "Nn..."


    Karen followed my line of sight but, of course, she couldn''t see anything out of place either.


    Then, with a rumble, the earth shook once again.


    "Again?! This can''t be normal!"


    We all quickly grabbed hold of whatever was nearby. In the distance, we could hear some buildings collapsing. The rumbling sounds drowned out everything else. After a few moments that felt eternally long, the rumbling slowly stopped and the earth stood still once more.


    But before we could breathe a sigh of relief, the thunderous sounds of something crashing down could be heard.


    "What the heck just happened?!"


    "If only I knew, Lily... If only I knew..."


    "Yumi, are you okay?"


    "Nn..."


    We all stood back up and surveyed the surroundings. Luckily, none of the surrounding buildings crashed down on us, but even in the darkness of the night, we could spot a few buildings in the distance that collapsed onto the street.


    "Karen, Yumi, do feel that too?"


    Lily directed our attention to something in the far distance from the direction we had come from.


    "The mana is... in turmoil? What is that, Lily?"


    "Large-scale magic if I had to guess."


    "Nn... Isn''t that bad?"


    "I don''t know, it depends on the kind of magic involved. Mh? Something is coming..."


    Lily drew her Zweihander, Merim also readied his sword. They both moved in front of Karen and me to protect us.


    A huge shadow appeared in the darkness. We could hear something being dragged over the ground and the stench of blood returned.


    "A monster...? Here?"


    I didn''t know who murmured that, but I didn''t have the leisure to bother about it, either. In front of us, an ogre appeared, similar to the one we had seen before. Except, this one had dark blue skin and was clothed in ragged equipment. He was also carrying a broken pillar like a club in one hand.


    "Merim, I have never seen an ogre with dark skin that is carrying equipment or a weapon. What is that?"


    "I wish I knew because neither did I."


    "Well, great."


    The ogre, previously just walking towards us leisurely, suddenly took a deep breath and roared.


    "Karen, Yumi, get away from here!"


    The ogre started dashing in our direction. Lily jumped forward and slashed towards the ogre. Alas, the ogre just caught the sword with its empty hand and threw Lily to the side.


    "Lily!"


    "I''m fine!"


    With astonishing agility, Lily turned around midair and landed on her feet. But the ogre didn''t even show any interest in her and continued charging at us. Or rather, towards Karen and me. Frozen stiff, I could only watch the ogre advancing on us. Merim tried to get in between but he was promptly thrown to the side as well.


    And so, barely a moment later, the ogre stood right in front of us. It was breathing heavily, steam coming out from its mouth with every breath.


    "Yumi, run! It''s after you!"


    I could hear Lily scream. After me? But why would it be after me? I couldn''t process anything at all. Because, this thing, was just that scary. The one in the forest couldn''t even compare to this monster. Even if it tried to hide, the density of the mana surrounding it was just too different.


    The ogre stretched its arm out towards me. But then, it screamed.


    "Get away from her!"


    Lily had stabbed the ogre from the back. It screamed and thrashed around in pain.


    "Eh?"


    Its leg, as thick as a log, swung towards me.


    "Yumi!"


    I could hear someone shouting my name. Everything was dark around me and my side hurt quite a lot.


    "Yumi!"


    Again, someone called for me. But it was still dark, I felt slightly disoriented, but then a small ray of light appeared in my vision.


    "Sis...?"


    "Yumi!"


    I could feel her lifting my body and hugging me.


    "Don''t scare me so much!"


    Karen was veritably sobbing while hugging me. I tried recalling what had happened but my memory was really fuzzy and I couldn''t remember it. I remembered seeing the leg coming in my direction and that I tried to shield myself reflexively. But that was all I could remember.


    "Yumi, you... don''t worry us so much!"


    Behind Karen, I could see Lily appearing. There was quite a lot of blood on her, but her expression was calm, so it was likely not her own blood.


    "Lily... what happened?"


    "You got hit by the thrashing ogre and he kicked you away. If you hadn''t protected yourself who knows how that would have ended. Didn''t know you could do that, though."


    "Do what?"


    "You don''t remember!"


    Lily lifted her eyebrows in surprise.


    "Well, why don''t you look down on yourself and take a guess?"


    Couldn''t she just tell me what happened? Slightly disgruntled I looked down. But I couldn''t see anything out of order. My hair had gotten all over the place.


    Nn? My... hair?


    "Sis... Let me go for a moment..."


    "But..."


    "Please..."


    "... Okay..."


    Not quite willing, she let me go and I stood up.


    "... This is going to be a huge pain, isn''t it..."


    "Well, it did save you, though."


    "How the heck did it save me?"


    "How should I know? It was just suddenly in front of you and took the impact?"


    My hair was in front of me? But how did it...


    Oh! I completely forgot about that.


    "Yumi? What are you thinking about?"


    "... Wondering when I left the human route. I wish I had a safe point right now."


    "Safe point? Human route?"


    "Nothing..."


    Apparently, I had, in reflex, moved my hair in front to cushion the impact. Obviously, with the force of that ogre, I was still launched away, after all, I was just a dainty little girl that was barely weighing anything. But now, I remembered that I had experimented with Karen whether I could move my hair. At the time, I couldn''t really do much since we were bathing and the wet hair was quite heavy, but now it was a different matter.


    I tried remembering the feeling I had back then, and the feeling I had just earlier, and sure enough, it moved. Quite well, in fact.


    "That looks pretty creepy, please stop," implored Lily.


    "I''m sorry. But still, what do I do about this."


    "I don''t know, maybe you can make it into some knot or so? Not quite sure about hairstyles."


    "My head feels heavy."


    "Not much I can do about either, sorry."


    "What happened to the ogre?"


    "Got rid of it while you were out cold."


    "How long was I..."


    "Not long, only a minute or two."


    I looked around and found the ogre corpse some ways away. It was lying face down, so I couldn''t make out how it died, but there was quite the pool beneath it. Merim was next to it, probably inspecting it. Maybe he hoped to find a clue as to what kind of monster that was.


    "You look pretty energetic, but does anything still hurt?"


    "My sides hurt quite a bit when I woke up, but that''s gone now too."


    "Seriously? I would have expected more than a few broken bones, you got quite the devil''s luck, huh..."


    If I had the devil''s luck I probably wouldn''t get hit by a monster that wasn''t even aiming at me. In any case, I wasn''t seriously hurt, so that might have been a good thing.


    "Lily, Karen. Oh, Yumi is awake already, that''s good.


    At that moment Merim returned and called out to us.


    "Did you find anything?"


    "Yes, you could say that. The equipment is clearly made for that monster, but it''s also rather cheap stuff. Also, we clearly weren''t the first people it encountered. There were other traces of battle on it."


    "Made for the monster? Do you mean someone raised the monster in this place?"


    "Not only that, it''s likely there are even more of these around. I fear those idiots set them free in the slums to either cover their tracks or to have them hunt us down. But these things are clearly not exactly intelligent, even though they really have a lot of strength."


    "That thing was obviously stronger than a regular ogre."


    "They might have strengthened it in some way other than the equipment."


    Lily and Merim disappeared into their own little world discussing things I honestly had no clue about. Karen had walked next to me in between and smiled wryly. She was still carrying her little sister on her back. That girl made no efforts to actually wake up. The serene expression on her was quite calming.


    I poked the girl''s cheek a bit.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Don''t play with sleeping people''s cheeks."


    "Says the one who squished my feet while I was sleeping."


    "..."


    "..."


    We glared at each other until we couldn''t help but burst out laughing. I was glad everything was fine.


    "You girls... You''re really carefree, aren''t you?"


    "Well, isn''t it good like that? They had barely time to relax."


    "We''re still not safe, Lily."


    "We''re close to the camp, aren''t we? A few more minutes and we''ll be there."


    "That''s true, but..."


    "You worrywart. We should just get a move on. You two, as well."


    "Nn, I understand."


    "Okay."


    We calmed ourselves in response. It wasn''t much longer until we were in a safe place.


    "Ah, Yumi, you should walk in the back though, unless you want someone to step on it."


    "..."


    Right, I already tried to forget this. I looked behind me, at my hair. It was already super long to the point that it touched the ground, but when I protected myself earlier, it must have grown even longer. It was clearly dragging behind now. I probably had to be around Korwen''s size or even taller to prevent it from dragging now.


    "I have to find a way to stop it from growing back when we cut it."


    "You definitely should. Unless you want to become some kind of hairball monster."


    "Please spare me."


    I had no intention of becoming a hairy ball jumping around.


    A few minutes later we could see the camp''s lights in the distance between the buildings. We decided to leave the ogre corpse for now and ask Korwen to retrieve it later. The place was rather deserted since it was close to the mercenary camps, so there wasn''t much danger of others scavenging it first. Not like a single person could even carry it anywhere.


    "Nearly safe! Mh? They seem rather... lively there."


    Just as Lily said, we could see a lot of lights in the camp and quite a lot of people running around. When the guard at the gate spotted as he slightly panicked and ran inside the camp.


    "What the heck was that?"


    "Don''t know, oh, there''s Korwen. How fast."


    Barely a moment later Korwen hurried towards.


    "Girls, quickly, you have to hide!"


    "Huh, what''s going on?"


    "The church is here."


    "Eh?"


    The church? Already?


    "I don''t know why or how, but they are making a ruckus. I don''t think they know the details, but they want us to scour the slums and get rid of every ''unholy'' element."


    "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"


    "I wish I knew, but we might have set off something quite troublesome."


    Korwen ushered us into the camp and led us away between the tents, avoiding the main path leading to the centre tent. He also sent Merim off to some other place, asking him to do something.


    "You are the last ones, I think. At least Wanda said you girls were the only ones missing for now."


    "Wanda is here already? That''s good news."


    "Yeah, but you girls should hide here. Especially your little missy Yumi."


    "Nn? Why me?"


    "Because you suck really bad at hiding."


    "..."


    Well, he wasn''t wrong now, wasn''t he? If I was good at it, he wouldn''t point it out now. Karen looked surprised while Lily showed an expression that pretty much said ''as expected''.


    Without any other words, he led us into a pretty big tent at the other end of the camp.


    "Stay here until we call you out again, okay?"


    And he left promptly again. I surveyed the inside of the camp and I could see a few familiar faces inside. The women''s squad and the girls that were rescued were inside. The latter ones were still sleeping, albeit a lot more peaceful than before. There was also one woman I kind of recognized but wasn''t sure from where. She was apparently treating those girls.


    "That is... One of their magicians, Ria."


    The woman, Ria, lifted her head upon Lily''s murmur. She nodded and gestured us, telling us to come closer. We walked towards her, then she pointed towards an empty bed while looking at Karen.


    "Eh?"


    "I think she wants you to put Miria down there?"


    "Ah! That was it."


    The woman nodded again, confirming my guess. Karen carefully laid down her sister. A small smile surfaced on her face. I sat down next to Karen and we watched how Ria checked if everything was okay with Miria. She nodded towards us again at some point and then moved away, back to the other girls. Apparently, everything was okay. I wished she would say something, though.


    "Still, what should we do now?"


    Lily sat down next to us.


    "Ah, we forgot to tell Korwen about the monster!"


    And she jumped back up again.


    "I tell someone to relay that to him."


    She dashed away. Didn''t Korwen just tell us to hide here?


    "Well, nothing we can do about. She will be fine, surely."


    "That''s just inviting it to go wrong, Sis."


    "Is that so?"


    "Nn. If you think everything is fine and voice it out, it will surely go wrong."


    "Isn''t that just your imagination?"


    It might have been my imagination, but still. I didn''t want Lily to make a ruckus now. I was honestly just tired. We all were, most likely. Maybe because I finally considered myself in a safe place, but now, that the tension slowly left me, I could feel how tired I actually was.


    Suddenly, I could feel someone pulling me to the side, causing me to fall down. but instead of the hard ground, I hit something rather soft.


    Looking up I could see Karen smiling down at me.


    "Thank you, Yumi. Without you, I surely wouldn''t be here, together with Miria again. And most likely, I would have never been able to see her again. So really, thank you so much."


    Tears were gathering in her eyes, but she was still smiling.


    "Sis, if you hadn''t picked me up, who knows what would have happened to me so it''s me who has to thank you."


    "... Seems we both got lucky, right?"


    "Nn!"


    I didn''t know when, but at some point, I dozed off. I noticed because some people started shouting, waking me up. When I opened my eyes I could only see something silverish. Karen had dozed off as well and we were both lying down next to Miria. She had used me as her body pillow again. I lifted my head to look past Karen. Outside the tent, I could hear people shouting, but they were too far to make out.


    "Yumi? You awake?"


    I turned around and was greeted by Lily, who was sitting together with the women''s squad.


    "Nn. What''s going on?"


    "The church people are still making a ruckus. They are now trying to inspect the entire camp. In the middle of the night. The nerve of these retards..."


    "Eh? Isn''t that bad?"


    "Not really, they aren''t allowed in here. This is the women''s quarters and the stupid official isn''t allowed in here. Even though Korwen already agreed to help them out, they are still making a fuss."


    "He agreed?"


    "Yes, they decided on a price and Korwen send some men to investigate what is happening in the slums. He also retrieved that ogre corpse in secret and is having it investigated. The size of this incident is completely blowing out of proportions. And Korwen is rubbing his hands at it."


    "... Why is he rubbing his hands?"


    "He thinks he can make a profit with some luck. Not sure what he is thinking of, and I sure as hell don''t want to know, either."


    I tried sitting up, but Karen didn''t want to let me go in her sleep. She was muttering something in her sleep. Alas, I couldn''t quite make it out. Carefully moving her arms away I tried again, only to notice I was still pulled down, for some reason, from my other side though.


    Miria had grabbed my clothes as well in her sleep.


    We haven''t even spoken one word to each other and you are already attached to me? How precious.


    Unfortunately, I was sure that she most likely just grabbed onto me because I was close and not because of any ulterior motives. Not like a sleeping person could even have those.


    I gently removed her grip and stood up. Then I slowly pushed Karen towards Miria, carefully avoiding to wake her up. It didn''t take long for Miria to grab Karen''s sleeves and for Karen to hug Miria. My heart ached a bit at how easily I was replaced.


    "You done?"


    "Nn..."


    "Why do you look so down now...?"


    "No particular reason."


    I walked over to Lily, nodding to the other women as a greeting. They smiled and made space for me to sit down. I should ask for their names sometime.


    "How long did I sleep?"


    "Not long, maybe around two hours? You can sleep some more if you want."


    "I doubt I can sleep with the hysterical screaming as background music."


    "You should learn it then, you can''t choose when to rest, sometimes."


    "Like now?"


    "Like now."


    Without prior notice, the shouting suddenly stopped. I was glad it did because it was really unpleasant. I wondered whether all the people from the church were like this? They probably woke up quite a few people with the unnecessary shouting.


    "Finally he stopped. That was horrible."


    "Nn."


    I stretched my arms and yawned.


    "You sure you don''t want to go back to sleep?"


    "Nn... I''ll leave Sis for a bit with Miria, she needs it."


    "How thoughtful of you."


    "Aren''t I a good little sister?"


    "Yes, yes, you are. You did well."


    Lily patted my head with praise. Being praised definitely felt good.


    "Ms Yumi?"


    "Nn?"


    I turned to the woman sitting next to me. She looked a bit fidgety. It reminded of earlier when they tried to pamper me.


    "May I, um, hold you?"


    "Eh?"


    That wasn''t quite the question I expected. Not in the least.


    "Uhm, go ahead?"


    "Thank you!"


    The woman smiled and then hugged me.


    "Ahh, so cute"


    "Unfair I want too!"


    "Let me hold her too!"


    And then they all gathered around, trying to hug me, pat me and whatever else they could do.


    I shouldn''t have said yes!


    Yet, I was sure I''d feel bad if I told them to stop now. And honestly, it didn''t feel that bad. I would prefer it if Karen hugged me, though. I wasn''t budging on that.


    They all played with me and hugged me for a while until Lily forcefully made them stop. I would have expected her to join in, but instead, she looked quite grumpy.


    "Are you little kids... Don''t bother her that much."


    """"We''re sorry.""""


    Lily shook her head. Then, at that moment, a bell sounded through the camp. A really loud bell.


    "The alarm?! Why is the alarm being sounded?"


    "The alarm?"


    Before someone could answer, a person stormed into the tent.


    "Wanda?!"


    "Girls, get ready."


    "What is happening?"


    "We''re being attacked. Monsters are trying to storm the camp."


    "Eh?"


    Rinne


    Slightly delayed and a bit rushed I hope you still enjoyed it.

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Charmed

    "Ms Wanda, what do you mean, monster attack?"


    The woman next to me sprung up and questioned Wanda, half-shouting, so she wasn''t drowned out by the noise of the alarm bell.


    "Exactly what I just said, some monsters are trying to storm the camp."


    "But why?"


    "How should I know? Ask them yourself. Just get ready."


    Wanda seemed quite agitated, maybe because it was in the middle of the night where people were usually sleeping.


    She turned towards me and Lily.


    "You two, get the girly awake and then evacuate the girls here. To the central tent. You will probably get some help soon. Once you are done you three should look for either Merim or Korwen. And you idiots are going with me, clear?"


    """"Yes!""""


    "Got it."


    "Nn."


    The women''s squad swiftly gathered their gear and followed Wanda away, leaving me and Lily.


    "You hurry and wake Karen up, I''ll start carrying the girls out."


    "Nn."


    Lily walked over to the makeshift beds and scooped up two girls up in her arms. Impressive strength as always.


    Walking over to Karen I was again met with the sight of those two sisters hugging each other in their sleep. It hurt my heart having to wake up Karen, but there was no time for sentimentalities.


    I squatted down and shook her.


    "Sis! Sis! Wake up!"


    It was quite astonishing she was still asleep with the loud bell making such a noise. I continued shaking her, but she didn''t budge. Her peaceful sleeping face belied the urgency of the situation.


    "Sis! If you don''t wake, I''ll get angry! Really angry!"


    Slightly stumped at the futility of my attempts, I decided to take more drastic measures.


    "I''ll apologise later, so just bear with it."


    I leaned over Karen.


    And covered her mouth and closed off her nose.


    It took only a few seconds before she started struggling and a few more until her eyes shot open. I hastily removed my hands and Karen gasped for air. Breathing heavily she shot looked around to find the culprit, namely me.


    "Ha... Haaa... Yumi... Why... Ha..."


    "The alarm is ringing and you wouldn''t wake up. Sorry, it was the only thing I could think of."


    It worked well but I surely didn''t want to wake up like that either.


    Karen caught her breath and slowly let go of Miria, sitting upright and looking around confused.


    "What is happening?"


    "No idea, Wanda said there were monster attacking."


    "Monster? Not people, but monsters?"


    "Nn."


    "How strange. Can monsters even attack in an organised manner?"


    "I don''t know, but Wanda told us to get everyone here to the central tent. Lily is already carrying some of the girls away."


    "I see."


    Karen stood up and stretched herself. She still seemed tired but her expression was a bit sharper than before.


    "That bell is really loud..."


    "Nn. Probably to wake up everyone."


    Even though some people here were just sleeping through regardless of the noise.


    "Oh, Karen, you''re awake already, great."


    At that moment, Lily returned, accompanied by three more women. I could recognize one of them, it was Korwen''s wife. She greeted me with a warm smile.


    "Yumi, go look for Merim or Korwen and see if you can help somewhere."


    "Don''t you need me here?"


    "If you can carry the girls by yourself, you''re welcome to help anytime."


    "..."


    Point taken. Most of these girls were taller than I was, in addition to my lack of strength there was no realistic way I could carry them.


    "Just be careful on your way there. Don''t get too close to the gates or the walls. It seems the monsters are similar to that ogre we met on our way back."


    "Similar to that thing...?"


    A shudder ran down my back. Just one was already sufficiently terrifying, and a whole horde of them sounded nothing but disastrous.


    "Yeah. And I''m sure you don''t want to repeat your flying experience, right?"


    "Nn. I''ll be really careful."


    I didn''t even want to remember that happening. That I figured out how to move my hair was a nice side-effect but it would have been so much better if the ogre hadn''t kicked me for that.


    From the corner of my eyes, I could see Karen scowling.


    "I would prefer if she would come along with us, Lily. Isn''t it really dangerous, right now?"


    "Mh... It is, and it''s not like I can''t understand that you want to keep her with you but..."


    Lily glanced to Korwen''s wife.


    "It was a request of my husband for her to come. I made sure to tell him he shouldn''t put her in danger, so I''m sure he won''t."


    Somehow, those words were oddly reassuring. Likely because we witnessed her reprimanding her husband. Still, they didn''t quite convince Karen.


    "But, why does he want Yumi there?"


    "I don''t know. Ah, but my husband also told me that, once you all were done, you should look for either him or Mr Jockson."


    "Is that so..."


    In the distance, we could hear something breaking or collapsing, most likely either the wooden palisade or a tent. Lily quickly walked over to again pick up two of the unconscious girls.


    "We can argue all day but we don''t have time. Karen, Yumi will be fine, she''s not a little kid, right?"


    "Mh... Well..."


    Karen still seemed reluctant to accept it. I certainly did look like a little kid and Lily''s statement caused a few curious glances towards me, but I certainly was an adult, right?


    Recently, I feel like I''m trying to tell myself so often that I''m an adult, but children are always trying to pretend to be adults, too. I most likely just look like a child pretending to most... How depressing.


    "Whatever, Yumi, go to Korwen. I will deal with this."


    "... Nn, okay. Take care of Sis."


    "I will! She won''t want to leave my side once you''re back!"


    "That won''t happen. Sis is my Sis."


    "Soon I''ll be your Sis too! Your Sis-in-law!"


    Karen was already holding her temple. Getting her sleep cut short and then having to hear Lily''s nonsense must have been quite a pain.


    "Sis, don''t get tempted by that lewd woman."


    "Who are you calling a lewd woman?! I don''t think I''ve ever done anything lewd?!"


    "I''ll be careful, Yumi. I promise. You be careful as well."


    "Nn."


    Ignoring Lily''s protest I left the tent.


    Despite the extremely late hour nearly everyone was awake and running about. This area was still in the women-only part of the camp and yet there were quite a lot of men here trying to organise the evacuation. I approached one of the soldiers and asked where Korwen and Merim were.


    After getting the directions I hurried along. As expected, the closer I got to them the louder the noise of roaring monsters and shouting mercenaries became. I walked a while in the direction of the entrance to the camp until I could see Korwen giving orders to the soldiers.


    "Mh? Yumi, you''re here already."


    "Nn. I heard I should come here."


    "Just wait a moment."


    He turned away from me and continued giving orders to a soldier who promptly saluted and dashed away.


    "Well then, Yumi, can you read?"


    "... I can''t."


    "Well... That is a bit unexpected."


    Why did everyone think I could read? From what I saw the literacy rate was quite low. I did want to learn it once everything calmed down though.


    "Guess you need to improvise."


    "Improvise what."


    "You will see. Come with me."


    "Nn?"


    I had a bad feeling about this. Whatever would require me to read at a time like this?


    Following Korwen we approached the front. We passed by soldiers carrying the wounded away and others taking a rest from the battle. There were also a few ogre corpses lying around. They clearly were the same kind as the one we encountered earlier. Dark blue skin and shoddy equipment, but equipment nonetheless. Dead as they were, their ferocity couldn''t be felt anymore, yet they still looked impressive.


    "So, Korwen, what do you want me to do?"


    "Patience, Yumi, patience. I won''t make you do something dangerous, don''t worry. Mh? These guys are still here?"


    I followed Korwen''s gaze to the side and saw a few knights clad in white armour circling around an unconscious man.


    "The church? They didn''t leave yet?"


    "Don''t worry, they are busy tending to the idiotic bishop. Really, to go down just because of a little punch. He should train a bit more."


    "Korwen... did you punch him unconscious?"


    "No, not me. My wife did."


    "..."


    "He was making a ruckus so she got angry and punched him square into the face. Well, at least he was finally quiet afterwards. Even his own knights seemed relieved that he shut his mouth."


    His wife must have been the true leader of these mercenaries, without a doubt. Who else would have the guts to just punch a church official, who seemingly held more than just a bit of authority?


    "Well, let''s ignore them. They can defend themselves. And the church is kind of responsible for this, anyway."


    "They are responsible for this?"


    "They are most likely. We know that they have connections to the lord and those criminals. The lord can''t be found right now so in the worst case the church has to take all the blame. Of course, they want to prevent that, but even they cannot cover up such a large incident anymore. If the emperor decides to investigate they may dig up a lot of uncomfortable things. And if the lord is missing they definitely will come to investigate."


    "But why would that make them responsible for these monsters?"


    "Don''t you think it''s unnatural that monsters appear in the middle of the slums?"


    "Well, I do."


    "I suspect they are also a product of their monster research. And somehow they got loose."


    "You mean... They created these things?"


    "It''s just guesswork but I am fairly sure that is the case. They might have freed themselves during the tremors earlier or they were intentionally released. We probably won''t get to know."


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders.


    "The only saving grace is, that there''s a good chance we can make a tidy profit. Not even the emperor wants to agitate the church too much, so they will most likely try to bribe us. We might make even more if we support them in their investigation. With some luck, we could even acquire some of the rare magic metals that are sold exclusively to the empire''s army. The options are great."


    "Haa..."


    Korwen''s grin grew wider and wider at the prospect of profit. Rather than a mercenary, he seemed more like a merchant right now.


    "I''m looking forward to how it plays out, but for now we have to resolve our present situation. I don''t want to lose men because of the stupid church."


    "There seem to be quite a few injured already though."


    "As long as they are just injured we can get them right back to their feet in time. The problems are the really severe injuries and those that die instantly. So far I haven''t had any reports of those but I want to make sure it stays that way."


    He stroked his chin and then turned to me.


    "What magic could you use again? Life magic?"


    "Nn... Rather than use, that''s apparently the attributes I can use well. Life, Soul... and Lust..."


    I muttered the last part quietly, hoping he wouldn''t hear it, but the grin I could see forming dashed my hopes rather quickly.


    "Well, that is fine, isn''t it. In any case, can you heal wounds with that magic?"


    "Healing wounds? I don''t know."


    "Mh... Well, you can try it later. We have a severe lack of people able to treat the wounded. And the soldiers will be even happier if a cute girl heals them in the future, so do your best."


    "Don''t treat us as if we already agreed to stay."


    "Oh? Mh... Is that so. Well, in any case, we''re here."


    We arrived at a place close to the walls, many soldiers were running around, forming lines and holding spears, carrying the wounded and treating them. There were quite a few ogre corpses piled up on the side. In the middle of all this, I could make out Merim, covered in blackish red blood. He was desperately trying to clean it off with a rug.


    "Jockson, what happened to you... Oh geez, you stink."


    "Captain! I''m not like this because I like it... Some idiot cut the neck of one of these things and covered me in its blood. "


    I pinched my nose at the incredibly disgusting smell coming from the poor man. It was a truly indescribable smell as if the smell of blood mixed with the smell of rotten eggs intensified many times over.


    "Seriously, you are disturbing everyone here, go and take a bath."


    "But Captain, there''s still work to be done."


    "Then do it somewhere where there''s nobody around."


    "... That is impossible, sir."


    "Then make it possible, or get rid of this smell. I can''t have my men vomiting in the middle of a battle because they caught a sniff of you."


    "That sounds like I always stink."


    Merim, clearly displeased, took off his breastplate and the arm and leg protectors.


    "I actually quite liked these. Do we have any spare equipment here."


    "Aren''t you the one in charge here, Jockson."


    "I think with your arrival, sir, you would be in charge now?"


    "Don''t try to shirk responsibilities and find something yourself."


    "Understood, sir."


    And then he dashed away.


    "Wait, did this bastard just leave me here. This damn... I guess regular guard duty wasn''t enough as punishment."


    "So, he wasn''t just a regular guard after all?"


    "What? No, of course, he isn''t."


    "Then what is he? He told me he was just a guard..."


    "... He''s the goddamn vice-captain. My second-in-command."


    "..."


    Well, that was certainly not the position I expected. I thought he had a significantly higher one but not this high. But that explained why he was always in charge when Korwen wasn''t there. And also why Korwen would leave even his own paperwork with him. Alas, seeing how Korwen dumped his own work on Merim earlier, I could slightly understand why he wanted to do the same in return.


    "He could have at least taken this shit away."


    Grumbling, Korwen called for an unfortunate soldier and ordered him to... remove the blood-stained equipment out of sight. The man was clearly not happy about that, but he couldn''t go against his captain''s orders. With tears in his eyes, he began carrying the stuff out of sight.


    Korwen walked away from the stinking pile so I followed him quickly. Thankfully, while the smell was close to unbearable, there was nearly no wind right now. Just distancing ourselves a little bit made the smell already a lot more bearable.


    "Now, where the heck are those girls."


    "Those girls?"


    "Your little friends. Ah, there they are."


    Korwen apparently spotted whoever he was looking for but even when I looked in that direction, I didn''t even know what I was looking for.


    It didn''t take long until I knew who he was talking about. A small silhouette started dashing in our direction. Or rather my direction.


    "Yumi!!!"


    Wham!


    With astonishing momentum a girl jumped at me, causing us both to fall backwards.


    "Yumi! You''re back!"


    "Emily... You''re... suffocating me..."


    The girl, Emily, latched onto me and hugged me so strongly, that I had trouble breathing.


    "Ahh! Sorry! I''m sorry!"


    "Haa... Haa... It''s fine..."


    It must have been divine retribution for earlier.


    "But, why are you here, Emily? And are Maya and Sele here as well?"


    "They are! We''re helping out with treating everyone!"


    With a smile bright like the sun she told me.


    "Huh..."


    I turned towards Korwen who was laughing heartily.


    "Do you want me to help them?"


    "Mh... That too, but I also want you to do something else."


    I freed myself from Emily''s embrace and stood up. In the meantime, Maya and Sele had noticed that Emily was missing and came rushing over here as well.


    Please don''t jump at me while running. Once is enough!


    Thankfully, my fear was baseless as they both slowed down upon approaching us.


    "Yumi! You returned!"


    Maya greeted me happily.


    "Nn. I have."


    "Welcome... back..."


    "Thank you, Sele."


    A smile naturally formed on my face. Having someone welcome you back was a surprisingly happy feeling.


    "Mm? Yumi, Yumi! Did your hair grow longer?"


    "..."


    Emily, did you have to remind me of this right now? I was just enjoying this comfortable feeling.


    "Maya! Sele, look! Her hair is like, super long now!"


    "Wasn''t it long before already."


    "But it''s even longer now! Look!"


    Emily lifted my hair that was dragging on the ground. I could immediately feel how the weight on my head was diminishing.


    "You''re right. Yumi, does your hair always grow this fast?"


    "... It''s not supposed to, no."


    "Mm? This feels nice!"


    Emily started rubbing her cheek against the bundle that was my hair, her face melting into a sloppy expression. I had the urge to tease her a bit.


    "Huh? Ohhh! It''s moving!"


    And so, against my better judgement, I wrapped Emily up to surprise her, except she was only curious and enjoyed the sensation of being surrounded by my hair. She looked a bit like someone tied her up in a pink rope. With her blissful expression, one might misunderstand her... hobbies.


    "This is great! It feels really fluffy somehow!"


    Maya and Sele, stares filled with jealousy, were patting all over my hair now as well. In the meantime, at least one person was decently surprised.


    "So you can move your hair too and not just dolls? You''re becoming more and more mysterious," murmured Korwen, stroking his chin.


    "Nn."


    "Is that also why it''s been growing?"


    "Nn..."


    Korwen approached Emily and stretched his hand towards my hair.


    Slap!


    "You can''t just touch a girls'' hair, Uncle!"


    "That''s inappropriate."


    "... Bad..."


    "You girls... You''re really hurting my heart, you know."


    Crestfallen, he retracted his hand that got slapped. I could only regard him with a wry smile. I didn''t really mind but it was probably a bad idea to say that now.


    "Oh well, one day, surely. Anyway, I need you four, we have to pump up the men a bit."


    "Pump up?"


    Did he want to increase the morale of everyone? But why would he need us for that?


    The three girls cocked their heads to the side, just as confused as I was.


    "Just come with me, and think of a few encouraging words, yes?"


    "Korwen... What are you trying to make us do."


    "Nothing much, I just want to try something. I had a nice idea when I was reading that book to you all."


    "Nice idea?"


    "Yes. Why was the knight so motivated? It''s simple! Because there was a cute girl waiting for him!"


    "Korwen, you..."


    "Hey, morale is important, you know? And if they are fired up, even better."


    "Wouldn''t it be better to have some of the older girls do that, though?"


    "No... Well... They refused me."


    "And we don''t have that option?"


    "No."


    "..."


    We arrived at a pedestal, large enough for a few people to stand on it at the same time.


    "Now, now. Just get up and say a few words. I''ll draw their attention."


    Emily seemed surprisingly interested and dragged me along, up to the pedestal. She was still wrapped in my hair, so maybe it was natural I would get dragged by her, so I released her. She looked a bit disappointed but didn''t complain. What a good girl. I thought so for a moment.


    "This seems interesting, doesn''t it, Yumi? I hope they will be happy!"


    Emily, stop! Your bright smile makes me feel incredibly guilty that I even entertained the thought of refusing. It makes me even more embarrassed!


    "Emily, calm down."


    "... Too... Energetic..."


    Even Maya and Sele were stumped. They probably weren''t quite sure what to think of this turn of events either, but they didn''t seem to be entirely disinterested.


    "Girls, just say some nice things, like ''Do your best!'' or ''Take care!''. That''ll be enough. If it just motivates them enough to come back safe, that''s good."


    "Even if you say that..."


    Without waiting for our reply Korwen turned around and took a deep breath.


    "Hey! You bastards, listen here!"


    All the soldiers turned towards us, glaring. At Korwen. They clearly weren''t amused at being disrupted right now, but they still stood at attention. As expected of trained soldiers.


    "These girls got a few words to spare for you, so listen well, are we clear?!"


    If he included a few more insults he would remind you of a stereotypical instructor of hell. Thankfully, he didn''t just start insulting his own soldiers. Though, calling them bastards might have been quite insulting already.


    While I mused about that, all the soldiers directed their line of sight to us. Instead of glaring they were rather expectant gazes. I could see some of the older men smiling. Maybe our nervousness was quite clear to see.


    "Um, um..."


    Emily took a step forward and tried to say something.


    "Um, I don''t quite know what to say!"


    And that was exactly what she shouldn''t have said right now. The soldiers were also rather disappointed at those words, looking a bit down.


    "But, I hope you all come back safely, okay? Don''t die! Dying is scary! That''s all!"


    Fortunately, those words improved the mood among the soldiers clearly, many smiling and grinning, some joking about her awkward words.


    Emily walked around us and pushed Maya to the front before hiding behind me. She must have suddenly realised that it was actually quite embarrassing, having to speak in front of so many people.


    Or so I thought, but she was grinning to herself.


    "Well, don''t die and come back, yes? We would be in trouble if you just die out there on your own!"


    Maya was really curt and concise in her encouragement. She turned around pushed Sele to the front. Maya''s cheeks were dyed red.


    "Mm..."


    Sele was staring at the soldiers for a while without saying anything."


    "..."


    She still wasn''t saying anything. Everyone watched her with bated breath. But she didn''t say a word. For an entire minute. Maybe even longer.


    "... Take... care..."


    And then she turned around. There was no indication that she was embarrassed or anything, but considering the time it took her, maybe she was slightly bothered after all. The soldiers still seemed to be happy about her words, especially the older men started smiling like a doting parent.


    "Yumi, you have to say something as well!" whispered Maya.


    It Seemed I couldn''t escape. But I would feel bad if I was the only one who didn''t at least try, so I took a step forward and all the gazes concentrated on me. I froze for a moment. What would people usually say in a moment like this? What would make them motivated and also tell them to survive? I thought for a moment and decided to just say whatever came into my mind first. I took a deep breath.


    "Everyone! Don''t die out there, there are people waiting for you. Everyone will be sad if you die, so come back safely!"


    I shouted with all my might. I felt a bit tired but also relieved. Personally, I thought that was a rather good encouragement, given the situation.


    "Yumi... That''s no good."


    "Nn?"


    I turned to the side and saw Korwen, slightly exasperated. Then I turned towards the soldiers. They all looked... somewhat dreamy.


    "What... happened?"


    "You didn''t notice? Oh well, can''t blame you then."


    What did I do? I was panicking for a moment. Then I felt someone hugging me from behind. Turning around I could see Emily, Maya and Sele with the same dreamy expression. They were hugging me all together, but after a moment they seemed to snap out of it.


    "Yumi... You used magic just now."


    "Eh?"


    Then, before I could inquire what he meant, the soldiers started cheering.


    "Well, you motivated them just fine, so I guess it works?"


    The soldiers, clearly happy and motivated, continued whatever they were doing at the time with increased vigour.


    "Yumi, Yumi, for a moment, you were like, really shining."


    "Shining?"


    "Shining! I felt like I shouldn''t let go of you when you were shining!"


    Maya and Sele nodded in agreement with Emily''s explanation. Except I still had no idea what was going on.


    "Yumi, you probably used a type of Charm. It''s weak so it seems to just fool them into giving their best, but you should be careful regardless."


    Korwen explained it instead for me.


    "Charm?"


    "Yes, Charm. They are a category of spells that influence the mentality of affected people. They are mostly grouped along with the Lust and Spirit attributes and a few other related ones. It''s a spell used mostly by monsters, there are not really many humanoid magicians that can use something like that."


    "Yumi, you can do that? That''s incredible!"


    "Wow..."


    "..."


    The three girls stared at me in awe.


    "Well then, since your encouragement seems successful, we should just let the men do their job now. Got to send these motivated ones to fight and replace the ones currently out fighting. I will take care of everything, so you girls just help out or take a rest, whatever you want."


    Korwen left us alone to take up command. I was still being hugged by these three and they had no intention of letting me go. Emily started to rub her cheek on mine.


    "Yumi, Yumi, I''m really glad you came back! I hope we will have lots of fun from now on!"


    "Uncle said you will stay with us from now on! Now we can play lots and lots!"


    "Best... Regards... Yumi..."


    The three conveyed their feelings. They all smiled and seemed really happy.


    Wait, Korwen said I would stay?


    "Maya, he said I''d stay? When did he say that?"


    "Mh? Earlier, I overheard him talking with that other girl, what was her name again... The one that smells different than she looks. But... Yumi... Was that wrong? Are you not going to stay with us?"


    Just that short question was enough to make them all teary-eyed.


    "Ah, no. It''s just, I hadn''t heard about that. So I was confused! I''m sure it wasn''t wrong! Nn! I''ll be happy to stay with you, as well."


    "Is that so!"


    There were so many things I wanted to ask right now, but pacifying them was more important for now.


    Did Sis talk with Lily while I was sleeping? Or was it just Korwen being convinced we stay and acting as if it was already decided? I''ll ask Sis when she comes here.


    The three were back to their bright smiled and tried to hug me even more, causing us to fall to the ground due to the pushing me in various directions.


    Lying on the ground they started giggling happily. It made me laugh as well. Neither the situation nor the time was appropriate, but somehow I felt glad. There were so many things we had to consider but somehow, they all felt irrelevant right now.


    "Now we four will stay together, as friends! Right, Yumi?"


    "Nn, I guess so."


    "Ehehe!"


    The fighting sounds, the injured soldiers, the shouting, the roars, they all felt so distant, so far away, while we four were lying on our backs next to each other, holding each other''s hand. The light of the moon and the lanterns illuminating us, in our own little world.


    Maybe, the one that was charmed, was me.


    Rinne


    The chapter is completely unedited due to that, I will look over and fix any glaring mistakes when I''m back on Monday.


    Chapter is edited now. Hope I caught everything.


    I wish you all a happy easter time!

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Family Night

    "Ah, thank you."


    "Nn, you''re welcome."


    The soldier took the mug with water and drank a hearty amount.


    After our little performance, if one wanted to call it like that, I joined the three girls in doing some miscellaneous tasks. Those tasks were mostly just bringing the soldiers some water or bandages, so it wasn''t particularly hard. And they still thanked us every time with a smile.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    I turned to the side to see Emily happily skipping and grinning at me. She was like this since earlier, every time I was close she''d dash to my side all smiles.


    "Yumi, won''t your hair get dirty? It''s dragging on the ground."


    "Nn... Well, it probably will."


    "But that''s no good!"


    "Even if you tell me, what am I supposed to do?"


    "Mm..."


    Emily cocked her head to the side. If she could actually think of a solution, I might be more than happy to hear it.


    "Carry it?"


    "..."


    Right, I could have expected this one.


    "I can''t really carry it all day long, right?"


    "Oh... Mm..."


    She didn''t seem to have any other ideas.


    "Mm... Why do you keep your hair that long, Yumi? Are you hiding something?"


    "Hiding?"


    "Hiding! Like, a tail?"


    "No, not that I know of."


    "Oh..."


    For some reason, my answer disappointed her. I wasn''t sure what she expected but I sincerely doubted my hair could hide a tail anyway.


    Emily''s eyes wandered towards my behind.


    "Are you sure you don''t hide a tail?"


    "... Nn. Fairly sure."


    "Okay..."


    I didn''t know why, but she apparently really hoped that I had a tail. There were many weird things about me, but I couldn''t provide her with this.


    "Why do you want me to have a tail?"


    "Why? Because it looks cute and it''s fluffy! Fluffy!"


    It was important, so she said it twice. Well, I did agree that it was cute, though. And fluffy.


    "Emily, Yumi, what are you doing?"


    "... Slacking..."


    Maya and Sele joined and we were immediately accused of slacking.


    "We''re not slacking!"


    No, actually we are slacking...


    "Then, what are you doing?"


    "We, we, um..."


    She was desperately trying to think of an excuse. Her tense thinking expression was scary, though. A cute kid shouldn''t make such a face.


    That''s why I poked her forehead.


    "Emily, you shouldn''t make such a face. It ruins your cuteness."


    Surprised, she looked up at me, her expression relaxing.


    "Nn, that''s better! And we weren''t slacking, you just tried to help me, right?"


    "Oh... Oh! You''re right! That''s not slacking!"


    I smiled wryly and turned to Maya and Sele, only to be greeted by Maya''s intense stare. Did I do something wrong? Or did she still count that as slacking?


    "Unfair..." she murmured. But what was unfair?


    "Yumi... What about me? Am I cute?"


    "Eh? Ahh... Nn. You''re also really cute! And Sele too, of course."


    "Ehehe."


    She smiled, a wide, bright smile. She was just jealous that I called Emily cute, from the looks of it. Next to her, Sele was also slightly smiling.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    "You''re also, like, really really cute!"


    "Eh? Thanks?"


    I was a bit overwhelmed at the sudden statement from Emily. Being called cute... Didn''t feel bad. It made me a bit happy.


    After another ten minutes or so, during which we totally didn''t slack off collectively, Sele pulled on my arm and pointed somewhere. I wasn''t quite sure what was in that direction, even after looking there.


    "Yumi, Yumi, aren''t those the two girls you were with?"


    "Huh?"


    Emily was pointing in the same direction as Sele was. She must have had incredible eyesight since I couldn''t quite make them out among all the other people I could see. It took a minute or so until I finally found them.


    "Nn, you''re right."


    Karen also spotted us and waved her hand.


    "Yumi! We are done back there, how is it here?"


    "Nn, good work. I guess everything is fine here, too?"


    Karen gave me a smile.


    "That is good to hear. So, those three are your new friends?"


    Karen looked past me, at the three girls behind me. Sele walked forward and latched onto Karen''s arm.


    "You were Sele, right?"


    "..."


    She nodded. Maya and Emily approached her now as well, maybe because Sele was already friendly with her.


    "You two are..."


    "Emily! I''m Emily!"


    "Maya."


    "Emily and Maya, is it. Nice to meet you. I''m Yumi''s big sister, Karen."


    "Hey, hey, and what about me?"


    Lily pointed at herself.


    "How about you just introduce yourself then?"


    "Are you sure, Karen? Okay! Behold! For I am--""That''s Lily.""--the beloved, wait, Yumi?! You can''t just barge into my introduction?!"


    "Introduce yourself like a proper person then."


    "But I was going to!"


    No, you definitely weren''t. You were going to say something ridiculous again, for sure.


    "Ahaha, she seems funny!"


    Emily laughed at Lily''s little comedy skit. Even Lily didn''t complain after the sincere laughter.


    "At any rate, I''m Lily! Nice to meet you!"


    "... Ah!"


    "Maya? What''s up!"


    "She''s the weird smelling person!"


    "What the heck?! I''m not smelling weird, am I?"


    At the surprising mention, she started sniffing herself in a panic.


    "Hey, Karen! I''m not smelling, am I?"


    "Even if you ask me..."


    "Yumi!"


    "Go take a bath? It''s probably just sweat, isn''t it!"


    "But I''ve been trying to make sure I don''t smell of sweat of all things!"


    "Then I don''t know..."


    I turned towards Maya, who was frozen in front of the scene her bombshell caused.


    "Maya... In what way does she smell weird?"


    "Eh. Um, the smell she gives, it''s not fitting?"


    "Not fitting?"


    "Yes, people smell differently. And her smell doesn''t fit!"


    I had honestly no idea what she meant with that. Of course, every person had a slightly different smell, animals with good noses were able to distinguish between them. And yet, for one, she was telling me her nose was good enough to notice different smells, and then she said, it doesn''t fit. I was at a loss.


    "Yumi, Yumi! Maya says, her smell and her looks don''t match!"


    "Her looks?"


    "Her looks!"


    I turned towards Lily again. Emily''s explanation shed some light on it, but I was still at a loss. There was only one thing I could think of...


    "Lily... are you male?"


    A moment of silence. Then, Lily became red, like a tomato.


    "I''m a splendid woman! I don''t have a dick nor do I want one!" she shouted at me.


    "... You shouldn''t say such crude words, as a girl."


    Karen was slightly taken aback at her choice of words. For a girl that basically grew up in the slums, she still valued proper language.


    "What do you want me to say then? Penis? Male genitalia? Cock? All the same and I don''t want any of them!"


    "Lily, calm down..."


    "You''re the one at fault, Yumi!"


    Maybe I was, maybe I wasn''t. There was no use in blaming me now, right? Right.


    "Yumi, is she a pervert? She''s a pervert isn''t she?"


    "She is, Emily. Make sure you keep some distance."


    "Waaah, how scary!"


    Oh, Lily crumbled to the floor. What did she expect if she started shouting those words in front of them?


    While she was sitting on the floor, Sele let go of Karen and walked towards her.


    "... Miss Pervert?"


    "I''m... I''m not... a pervert..."


    "Not... Miss Pervert?"


    "No... I''m not!"


    Sele stretched her hand and patted Lily on the head.


    "Good... Girl...?"


    Lily froze for a moment and then looked up to her.


    "... Are you an angel?"


    "...? I''m not...?"


    "No, you surely are!"


    Lily basically jumped at Sele and hugged her, from her position on the ground, and began burying her head in her chest.


    "Such a good girl, can I take you with me?"


    "... No... you can''t."


    "Ehh... But I want to!"


    "... No... selfish..."


    "Uhh..."


    In the meantime, we all looked upon those two, unsure how to react.


    "Yumi, that person is weird..."


    "It''s okay, Maya... I hope."


    "Yumi, you shouldn''t bully Lily too much, she helped us out a lot, okay?"


    "Nn, I''m sorry."


    "You should tell her that, not me."


    "..."


    Well, I might have actually felt a bit bad but by the time I saw her happily hugging Sele, all the guilt already disappeared. I might have done something bad...


    It took some time to detach Lily from Sele but by the end of it, she was already up, full of energy. Karen still urged me to apologise, so I did. So, why was it now me who was caught in her arms? And nobody was helping me.


    "Lily, could you please let me go, now?"


    "No way, not until I''m satisfied!"


    "... And that is when?"


    "Never!"


    "..."


    The only good part was, that nobody asked me to help now. Emily, Maya and Sele went back to taking care of the soldiers and Karen went off to find Merim or Korwen, so I was alone with Lily now.


    "Listen, I said I''m sorry, okay..."


    "Doesn''t matter! They think I''m some pervert now!"


    "But you are..."


    "I''m not!"


    She got awfully defensive on being called a pervert. I yawned.


    "Are you sleepy?"


    "How couldn''t I? Rather, how can you all be so energetic?"


    Thinking about it, it was in the middle of the night. How could those three girls have so much energy?


    "You''ll get used to it."


    "Used to it... huh..."


    "Yes! Used!"


    "That reminds me. Maya and the others earlier said they heard one of you talking with Korwen that we''ll stay with them?"


    "Mh? Ah, yes. That was me."


    "... Without asking us?"


    "I did talk with Karen. And if Karen says she stays, then surely you would stay too, right? But she still wanted to talk with you about it."


    "Well, you''re not wrong... It still annoys me a bit."


    "It''s better than you two not coming to a conclusion any time soon."


    She paused for a moment, fiddling with my hair.


    "You see, we agreed to stay with them already, so Korwen now already considers us part of his mercenaries. He''s a sly bastard, but he won''t abandon his people nor sacrifice them. As long as he can avoid it, he will protect everyone with all he can."


    "That sounds a bit like a contradiction. They are mercenaries, isn''t danger normal for them?"


    "Yes, it is. They make a living with their sword. But that''s what it is, a living. If they die, the money doesn''t matter anymore, right?"


    "Well..."


    "That''s why they will do everything they can to survive. Dying is not part of their job."


    I lifted my eyes towards the starry sky. A sight you could rarely see in my old world, due to the ever-present light of civilisation.


    "But, are you fine with that, Lily?"


    "Huh? Me?"


    "Weren''t you with the other group, before? The Black Guards?"


    "Ah... You see, before I left, the old man... I mean, the captain, he told me, to see the world with my own eyes. That I should make a living apart from them. Even if it means standing on the other side of the field."


    "Is that so...?"


    "It is, isn''t it... I think he wants the current generation of the Black Guards to be the last one. I have no place with those old geezers. I do hope they will live a long life, though. Well, they won''t die so easily."


    I looked behind me and saw Lily with closed eyes, leaning backwards.


    "Anyway! I made my decision as well. I''ll stay with both of you."


    "That sounds more like you stay with the mercenaries only because of us."


    "Well, that''s how it is?"


    "Eh?"


    "Something the matter?"


    "... No."


    That was an entirely unexpected confession. But I just couldn''t say anything to her now, with her refreshing smile.


    "If it''s like that... Well, guess we''ll stay then. Those three will be happy."


    "Don''t pretend you''re not happy about it. You''re quite fond of them, aren''t you?"


    "Well, maybe I am."


    "Hehe, such an old woman being friends three cute little girls. How dubious!"


    "... I''m not old."


    "Right, you''re a cute little girl yourself. I wonder if you will stay so cute and little."


    "I wouldn''t know..."


    I didn''t mind staying like this, it was inconvenient sometimes, but I felt comfortable with it.


    While we talked, Karen appeared in our field of vision, together with Merim, who was now wearing brand new, shining equipment. It somehow looked like he was a brand new soldier, not like the vice-captain.


    "I''m back, did you behave, Yumi?"


    "I did, Sis."


    "She did, and now she''s mine! I won''t let her go anymore!"


    "I doubt she will let you do that though."


    "You three, how can you be so merry right now? You really never fail to amaze me."


    "It''s better than getting stressed out over it. And so far I can only see that everything is under control."


    Lily answered Merim in a rather direct manner.


    "Even if it is under control... Ah, whatever. You''re not wrong, aren''t you."


    He scratched the back of his head, giving up.


    "Ah, whatever, there''s not much to do anymore anyway. I just got word that they are basically done, so let''s go to them and help clean up. Also, the captain told me he wanted Yumi to come.


    "Me? Why?"


    "I don''t know. We''ll find out there. So come, before the sun rises and none of us even get a wink of sleep anymore."


    Lily let me go and I jumped off from her lap. The warmth on my back that had become somehow comfortable was gone, making me feel a bit disappointed. Without us noticing, this girl intruded on Karen and me and found her own place rather quickly, didn''t she. I smiled wryly at the thought.


    We followed Merim to the place where most of the fighting occurred. It wasn''t particularly far, of course, otherwise, they wouldn''t be able to carry the injured soldiers there.


    The number of ogre corpses increased until we could see veritably dozens of them. It was beyond me how they could deal with so many. The disgusting smell was also beyond me. I felt like vomiting any moment. Karen and Lily were also grimacing, clearly trying to hold back.


    "Ah, there''s the captain.."


    Merim pointed at the tall man, once again, busy ordering the soldiers.


    "Captain! I brought them here!"


    "Merim? Ah, good work. Take over for a moment, would you."


    Korwen promptly brought us to the side, leaving Merim alone.


    "Finally, away from that cursed smell."


    "If you leave Merim like that every time, he''ll abandon you at some point."


    "Nah, he won''t. Don''t worry about that, Yumi. In any case, it''s good you''re here. I want you to look at something."


    "Look at something? At what?"


    "At this."


    Korwen took the bag he was carrying on his waist and opened it, fishing around for a small, blood-stained stone.


    "It''s the mana crystal of those ogres. I''m not a magician, and Ria is busy with tending to the wounded, so the closest one with an idea is probably you."


    "What about the other two magicians? What were their names again?"


    "Wenners and Krutz. They aren''t here right now. I''ll bring it to them later as well, but I want to know as quickly as possible what we''re dealing with."


    "Even if you say that... I probably can''t really tell you anything, either."


    "That''s fine too. Just give me an impression."


    "Nn... I''ll try."


    He handed me the mana crystal. It was still bloody and it didn''t feel or smelled particularly good, but I should ignore it. Or at least, I had to try my best to do so.


    "It feels... weird, doesn''t it? Like, the mana isn''t free?"


    "Free?"


    "Nn."


    I tried absorbing some of the mana, but I failed, much to my surprise. I could gather it and draw it out, but I couldn''t absorb it. At least, not by drawing the mana in.


    "Can''t absorb it, either."


    "That''s weird..." commented Lily.


    Korwen stroked his chin in wonder.


    "Yumi, there''s one thing I want to know. You girls were attacked by one of these ogres as well, right?"


    "Nn. Lily killed it."


    "Did it show any weird behaviour towards you?"


    Weird behaviour? I didn''t quite know what he wanted me to tell him.


    "There was one thing. The ogre seemed awfully fixated on Yumi. When I attacked, it just brushed me to the side and ignored me."


    "As expected... I think those ogres wanted for some reason to get to Yumi. The reason we could hold them off this easily was because they came at small numbers and they all seemed to try getting past us into the camp. If this were a serious battle, we wouldn''t have gotten by without any losses against those numbers. To be honest, the pure amount of war potential these possess is slightly scary."


    "To me, but why?"


    "Hell if I knew. If you got no idea then I sure as hell don''t have one either. At any rate, it''s good we got rid of these. There might be a few left, so we''ll have to stay up for some more."


    "May you rest in peace."


    "Don''t make fun of me, you''ll sit here too."


    "I refuse."


    "Guess you don''t need to sleep in a tent with a warm blanket tomorrow."


    "... I''ll think about it."


    Korwen laughed at my response.


    "I guess from that reaction, you three talked about it once more?"


    He glanced at Lily and Karen. Karen didn''t know about my conversation with Lily earlier, so she was slightly surprised, her eyes wide. I turned towards her.


    "If you''re here, Sis, then there''s nothing else to discuss about it, is there?"


    "... Yumi."


    She looked at me.


    "You make it sound like I''m forcing you to."


    And complained. The dream of a sweet atmosphere was destroyed within seconds. Farewell, my dreams.


    "But, I see... Thank you, Yumi," she whispered and pulled me into her arms.


    "Thank you."


    "Nn..."


    There wasn''t anything else to say.


    "You two, you''re great at ignoring your surroundings, okay? We got that already, so please return to reality!"


    "Lily, shut up."


    "I won''t! You''re making me jealous! Excluding me like that again!"


    "Then just come over."


    ""Eh?""


    Seeing Lily dumbfounded was a fresh and pleasant sight. Karen was just as dumbstruck, but she soon started giggling to herself.


    "Yumi is right, if you don''t want to be excluded, then you shouldn''t just stand on the side, right?"


    "..."


    Lily''s eyes were starting to become wet. She looked like she might start crying at any moment.


    Slowly she walked to us, and Karen pulled her into her arms as well. Now, tears were really running down her face.


    "You''re quite a handful, aren''t you older than me, Lily? You should pull yourself together!"


    "Nn, where''s our pervert Lily who is always joking around?"


    With a gentle smile, Karen hugged both of us tightly. We didn''t say anything, just listening to the quiet sobbing sounds.


    She surely was lonely, wasn''t she... She left the ones dear to her behind. Now, all alone, she was expected to survive. She acts mature and jokes a lot, but she''s just a young girl herself, right... I wonder, did Wanda expect this to happen?


    It took some time until Lily calmed down. Now, she was simply pretending as if nothing happened, but it was clear that she was a lot more cheerful than before. Maybe a bit too cheerful, considering the hour.


    "Hey, Yumi! Yumi, if Karen is your big sister, and I''m Karen''s big sister, then it should be fine if you call me Sis Lily or Big Sis Lily, right?!"


    "I refuse. You''re Lily. The end."


    "No way! Come on, please, Yumi! Just once."


    "No."


    From the side, we could hear Korwen laughing heartily.


    "You three are amazing, really."


    "I don''t think we''re that amazing..."


    "Yumi... Oh well, I think you are. You remind me of the three brats, your little friends."


    "In what way?"


    I didn''t really expect those three to be mentioned now.


    "You''re all of differing races, heck, one of you is not even from a humanoid race, and yet you come together and treat each other like family. It''s not something you see often, you can be sure of that."


    "But why is it familiar to those three?"


    "I''m sure you noticed yourself already, that they aren''t like the other kids their age, right?"


    I nodded. None of the other kids was out here, helping the soldiers. I hadn''t seen those three with any other children their age even once so far. They were mostly around the other soldiers, in fact.


    "And those three, they aren''t humans either. Maya''s parents were with us, but they died early in a war. We picked up Emily in a forest on a job. She actually has some talent as a magician and she gave us quite some trouble at the time. Sele was... mistreated by her clan and her parents. I don''t know to which extent, but it never got to physical abuse, to my knowledge. We took her along, in fact, her parents were celebrating that we offered to take her with us."


    "That is..."


    I was at a loss of words. Karen and Lily looked down. I didn''t know Lily''s past, but I knew it probably wasn''t great either.


    And Karen told me about her how she and Miria were exiled.


    "Honestly, stories like this aren''t rare. Picking up orphans and abandoned children happens occasionally in our line of work. Most bands can''t afford to feed extra mouths, but we got the leeway, so we often take them along and drop them off at an orphanage later. Sometimes, though, they stay with us, like those three. Of course, we can''t feed them for free, so they have to work. And we are mercenaries, after all."


    "You mean..."


    I remembered something. When I was practising with the crossbow, Maya helped me and showed how to do it. She was really good, as if she was trained in it.


    "That''s how it is. I''m still glad they do act like kids their age. Some kids we picked up in the past were overly serious, nearly overzealous. It hurts to look at them. But those three haven''t given up, probably because they are together. Though, they do tend to be extreme sometimes..."


    He scratched the back of his head. Somehow, the motion reminded me of Merim.


    "Maya gets extremely jealous really quickly. So be careful. She took a liking to you, after all. I think she wanted you to become the fourth member of her little family. And if she doesn''t get it her way, her methods can become really extreme. Just, make sure she doesn''t burn down the camp, okay?"


    "She wouldn''t really do that, would she..."


    "She nearly did once."


    "..."


    How the heck did he expect me to prevent that.


    "Anyway, the three''s past isn''t the real problem. The only one who took anything from it was Sele, but she recovered a lot. The problem is rather the present."


    "Why the present?"


    "We''re a band with quite a few different races, but nearly all of us here are still human. Now, you have three non-human brats with no parents. No matter how much they work, there will always be some discontent. Though, it is less with the soldiers than with the non-combatants. People are prone to prejudices, and even I can''t do much against it. Most of them are families to my men. So, they are mostly around us soldiers. And, I can''t say we''re always the best company for three little girls, right? I know I can''t expect them to experience a more peaceful life, but it would do them well to at least look a bit more to the outside."


    He took something out of his bag. It looked like a stick made of plants. Was this... a cigar?


    He took out a small fire stone and lit it up. It really was a cigar. His gaze turned towards the soldiers still outside, staying on watch or cleaning up the corpses, while he smoked on his cigar.


    "Really, the three are still on the lucky side of life. Many children end up in the slums or die on the street. Others die of hunger or malnutrition. Countries like this one are the worst, in fact. The nobles, the church and the imperial family, they live their life to the fullest, while the majority of the citizens suffer. The city is still better than the slums, but not by a lot. Even there, they starve. Honestly, I''m glad we got a reason to get out of here. Thank you for that."


    I didn''t quite know what I should answer, but maybe he didn''t even want an answer. It seemed more like, he just wanted to vent.


    He puffed out some smoke. It slowly disappeared into the night.


    "After this, the plan is to go to the Kingdom of Lafria. Lafria isn''t on best terms with this country, but it''s a lot better as a country. They''ll also be happy to hear any information we can offer them about the situation here. We''ll be staying there for quite a while. It''s a beastkin country, but they are open about other races, unlike here."


    "Beastkin?"


    That wasn''t a term I was familiar with. Well, I heard about it from fiction before, sure, but not here.


    "You don''t know about them? Well, that''s a surprise. I thought for sure..."


    "Nn, what are they?"


    "Well, they are for the most part just like humans, except they have a tail and instead of our ears they have beast-like ones. There are many differences among the various tribes, so it''s not easy to pinpoint common points. Some of them have a strong sense of smell, others have incredible eyesight. There are various differences, too many to count them. Most tribes are rather amicable, though."


    It did sound a lot like the ones I heard from in fiction, but they also seemed a bit different.


    "In this country, beastkin are mostly persecuted and discriminated against. In fact, most non-humans are. Many here have to hide their outward traits, or they would get into trouble. Officially, as they are part of our mercenary band, they shouldn''t get into problems, but as a matter of fact, they do. Frequently, even inside our own camp."


    "... That sounds... troublesome. Why were you even here in the first place, then?"


    I didn''t want to complain, it was good for us, that they were here, but I still wondered.


    "For what else other than for jobs? The Akkian Empire is a surprisingly good employer. And you can''t always choose who you work with. Even if you hate their guts, as long as they pay well, you would still do it, right?"


    He took another drag from his cigar and puffed the smoke into the night.


    "But yeah, good riddance, if you ask me. Though, I should probably say that once we''re gone from here. It''ll be a bit of a problem if we can''t journey through here anymore, but thankfully, we can reach every neighbouring country through other routes. As long as the borders don''t change, that is."


    He paused for a moment. I looked over to Karen and Lily, who were both listening quietly as well.


    "Well, you shouldn''t listen to an old man''s grumbling all the time, right? The important point is, we''ll be gone from here soon. Best case we can get this done by tomorrow, worst case I still want to get out of here by tomorrow. I''m sure you''ll like Lafria Kingdom, in more ways than one."


    He gave another hearty laugh, followed by taking a drag from his cigar.


    "Oh? There come the three brats again."


    I followed his gaze and saw Emily, Maya and Sele sluggishly making their way towards us. Maybe the lack of sleep finally got to them, as they looked like they might fall asleep any second.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen called out to me.


    "Don''t take pity on them, just because I told you their past. They don''t need that, they don''t really feel unfortunate in that regard anyway. They don''t know anything else, after all. Just be a good friend to them, that''s what they need."


    "Korwen, you really care about them."


    "Of course I do!"


    I smiled at the instantaneous response.


    "Yumi... Yumi... Here you are."


    Emily, devoid of any energy, stumbled towards me.


    "Nn, are you okay? Emily? Emi-- Wah!"


    She fell straight towards me. If I hadn''t caught her, she would most likely have injured herself.


    "Emily, be careful. Emily?"


    "Mmmm... You''re warm..."


    "Hey! Emily? I''m not a blanket!"


    Unfortunately, she didn''t hear me anymore, as she promptly departed to cloud seven the moment she repurposed me and my hair into a blanket.


    "Let me join."


    Maya basically fell down onto me as well and wrapped herself in between me and Emily, clearly wanting to enjoy the living blanket as well.


    Since I knew how it would turn out, I just made some space for Sele to lie down as well, which she promptly did.


    Karen giggled at the sight and stood up, bringing an actual blanket to us.


    "Don''t let them catch a cold, Yumi."


    "I won''t."


    I took the blanket and draped it over us. Now, the heat of each of us couldn''t escape and it became a lot warmer.


    "You should sleep a bit too, Yumi. If something happens, we''ll wake you up."


    "But..."


    "Just sleep."


    "Nn. Good Night, Sis."


    "Good Night."


    Rinne


    I wanted to do a lot of things in this chapter, but somehow it became a lot of an old man''s grumbling. Oh well, this is fine, too.


    The arc will most likely end either next chapter or the chapter after.


    Thank you for reading!


    Good Night!

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Waking Life

    Something warm and smooth was touching my face. It felt nice and comfy. Really comfy.


    "Mmm..."


    A murmur could be heard from the soft something.


    Mm? It''s making... sounds? Wait...


    Still half-asleep I opened my eyes. A small face entered my vision. Said small face had a slightly reddish cheek.


    I stared for a while, then I rolled slightly to the side so that I faced the ceiling of the tent.


    It was a soft cheek...


    It was, indeed, a soft cheek. Soft and squishy to the point you wanted to rub your face on it for a long time. Such was the precious cheek next to me.


    Let''s pretend this never happened.


    I turned my neck to the opposite side of the squishy cheek. Facing the person that lied on my other side.


    I stared.


    She stared back.


    "... Good Morning."


    "Good Morning, Yumi."


    "..."


    "..."


    The soft breathing behind me was the only sound that accompanied our staring contest.


    Nn. I can''t pretend anymore, can I?


    Unable to bear it anymore, I tried turning away, but my head was soon captured by small hands and forced back.


    "Is... Is something the matter...?"


    "No."


    "Can you let me go?"


    "No."


    "..."


    "Was it good?"


    "Nn. It was."


    "..."


    "..."


    I wished someone would save me. Speaking of which, there was one still missing. I cautiously took a look around, only to see someone at my feet, sleeping soundly.


    My head was abruptly brought back into position and she held me by my own cheeks.


    "..."


    "..."


    The awkward silence continued.


    Until my cheeks were being squished.


    "They are soft."


    "..."


    "It''s unfair."


    "Unfair?"


    "I want to rub them too!"


    And with those words, my head was pulled forwards and I could feel her cheeks rubbing against mine.


    "Stop, wait. Emily!"


    "I won''t stop!"


    True to her words, she didn''t stop. She rubbed even more fiercely and my cheek slowly felt like it was burning. Only then did she stop.


    "It''s becoming hot," she complained and touched her own red cheek with her hand. Then she moved her hand to her other cheek that was still smooth and white. With a grin, she sat upwards.


    "Yumi!"


    "Nn? What... is it now?"


    "I got an idea!"


    "And that would be!"


    "Watch!"


    I was watching, alright. With energetic movements that belied the early morning time, Emily made her move. And mounted me.


    "Emily? What are you doing?"


    Slightly panicking I tried to free myself, but even though she was small, she still had the weight of a person. And I was certainly lacking the strength to free myself from that.


    Emily bent forward, still smiling brightly.


    "Emily, wait. That''s not a good idea."


    She ignored me splendidly, and once again grabbed me by my cheeks.


    "Yumi!"


    "Yes, Miss Emily? How may I help you?"


    "Stop talking so weirdly!"


    She squished my cheeks in protest.


    "I''m sorry, so, could you please let me go?"


    I tried asking nicely, her face barely a few centimetres away. I could feel my face slowly heating up.


    "No. Otherwise, I can''t do it!"


    Do what?!


    Without giving me any more mental preparation, she closed in the remaining distance.


    And rubbed her other cheek onto my other cheek.


    "This is nice! So squishy and soft!" she stated happily.


    ... Nn. I definitely have to get my mind out of the gutter. Yes, she''s just a child. Let her rub me...


    "Mmm... Emily...? Yumi...?"


    Apparently Maya, who was lying to my feet, finally woke up as well.


    "Maya. Help me."


    "... What are you doing?"


    Maya, with half-closed eyes, watched curiously how Emily rubbed her cheek onto mine while giggling like an idiot.


    She watched with a lot of interest. A lot.


    No, please don''t join her!


    Maya sat up sluggishly and then crawled to us.


    "Oh! Maya! Come and join me, Yumi''s cheek feels so good!"


    "Mm..."


    "No, Maya. Please stop her."


    "Join!"


    "Mmm..."


    Apparently, Maya was torn between whether to join or whether not to join. Slowly swinging left and right she switched her gaze between Emily and me.


    But in the end, she opted for an unexpected choice.


    And just jumped at us both.


    "Ah! Maya?!"


    "Mmm... So warm..."


    Maya swiftly closed her eyes again and was back on her way to dreamland. She might actually be bad with mornings. She just hugged us both and that was it. Probably.


    "Ah... Now I can''t rub Yumi''s cheek anymore."


    Emily looked slightly disheartened for a moment but went back to her always a bright smile and pulled Maya, and subsequently me as well, closer to her.


    "Ehehe!"


    "Emily, how can you be so full of energy already?"


    "What do you mean? Why are you guys so sleepy?"


    "... Because we just woke up?"


    "But I''m not sleepy anymore. So why are you?"


    "..."


    That logic was just like her, somehow. But I didn''t know the answer either.


    "Anyway, I''m surprised Sele didn''t wake up yet."


    "She won''t wake up from just this."


    "Is that so?"


    I craned my head around to look at Sele, who was lying on my other side. Her eyes closed and breathing quietly, she looked like the perfect example of a healthy sleeping girl. Her cheek was still a bit red though.


    "She looks like she''s sleeping peacefully."


    "Sele is amazing, you know? She can sleep anywhere and at any time!"


    "Huh, that sounds indeed amazing."


    "It''s nearly impossible to wake her up too!"


    "That actually sounds troublesome."


    "It''s amazing!"


    "Is it...?"


    Rather doubtful I freed my arm and poked Sele. No reaction at all.


    "Will she just wake up by herself then?"


    "Probably not!"


    "Eh..."


    "If you don''t wake her up she just continues sleeping!"


    "But shouldn''t she wake up sometime?"


    "I haven''t seen that happening yet, so I don''t know. But she can easily sleep for an entire day!"


    "That''s really amazing..."


    "Isn''t it?!"


    She seemed oddly proud of it. Not that I could tell what was there to be proud of.


    "Then, how do you wake her up?"


    "There''s a few ways. The easiest one is stripping her naked!"


    "Wha-"


    "She''ll be cold and wake up after some time."


    That was cruel. I didn''t want to imagine waking up naked and cold. Not to mention that being stripped naked wasn''t good for my mental health. Regardless of who was the one being stripped right now.


    "Then... What other methods are there?"


    "Mm... Whispering in her ear about her favourite character in a book dying. She sometimes wakes up from that."


    "... What else?"


    "Tickling her. She usually just sleeps through that, though."


    "Nothing else? Nothing a bit quieter and less... mean?"


    "Mm... The only other one would be when she smells someone bleeding. She wakes up immediately from that. But cutting yourself hurts so I don''t like it! And I don''t want to see you hurt either! That''s bad!"


    This wasn''t good. Why were all these options so cruel. Maybe I should have asked Maya instead, but she was still sleeping while holding onto us, so that wasn''t an option. And I would feel bad to disturb her peaceful sleep.


    I looked at Maya''s sleeping face. Something was sticking out in her hair so I reached out to remove it.


    Nn? It''s stuck? No, what is this?


    "Ah, Yumi! Don''t pull that! Maya will be angry."


    "Eh?"


    I let go of whatever I was holding and stared at Emily, who just gazed back with a questioning expression.


    "Emily, what was that?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "No, you just said I shouldn''t pull it. What is it?"


    "Oh! That! Her ear of course."


    Of course! How didn''t I think of that!


    Questioning reality I looked back at Maya and the something in between her hair.


    It had a slightly brighter colour than her hair, more of a dark blue than her otherwise black hair, and it definitely looked like a piece of fur stuck in her hair.


    "Emily, I''m just asking this for confirmation, but that is her ear?"


    "Yes, it is? Why do you... Oh! We didn''t tell you!"


    No, you certainly didn''t.


    Emily removed her arm that was hugging Maya and reached to the side of her head, where her ears should be. She fumbled around a bit until I could hear a quiet clicking sound. Emily then removed her hand from her hair.


    Something sprang out. Long and drooping.


    "... Can I nibble that?"


    "No, you can''t!"


    Her long ear slightly quivered when she said that.


    "But I kind of want to nibble on it."


    "Why do you want to nibble on my ear?!"


    "... I don''t know?"


    "I don''t want you to nibble on them. It''s not proper! You can only do that with the one you love!"


    Emily was nearly shouting, beet red and obviously a bit embarrassed. Was nibbling on her ears maybe a form of flirting or so?


    "Can I touch it then?"


    "Mm... Touching is fine."


    She presented her ear to me and I slowly reached out. It twitched every time she spoke but it still twitched occasionally even if she didn''t. It was a bit mesmerising.


    I cautiously touched her ear. It was a bit stiff but also soft.


    "Mmm!"


    I checked on Emily''s expression while I fiddled with her ear. It didn''t take long before her expression turned quite sloppy as if she was experiencing bliss. Did it feel good having her ears rubbed?


    "Nn? There''s a red mark?"


    "Mh? Oh, that''s probably from the clip!"


    "Clip?"


    "Clip! Maya and I use clips to hide our ears in our hair. It''s uncomfortable but it would be bad if the people here find out, so Uncle told us to hide them with clips. I don''t like it, but Uncle said we can maybe take them off later today. I hope so!"


    That really didn''t sound comfortable. In fact, I was surprised she didn''t complain more or started throwing a tantrum.


    Emily took what apparently was the clip and fiddled with her ear again. After another quiet clicking sound, her ear was once again gone from sight.


    "But the nice part is that we can keep our hair long thanks to it! Otherwise, Uncle wouldn''t allow us because it takes too much care and only gets in the way! So I''m still a bit happy about it!"


    She smiled happily. No matter where it seemed quite a few girls still liked to keep their hair long. I did agree it was nice, so I was quite happy about it too. Cute girls were always a nice sight for the eyes.


    "Nn? But, what about Sele? She has the longest hair among you three, right?"


    "Sele is... I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?"


    "Don''t know! She always had it like that. Maybe she did tell us before?"


    I wondered why Sele would keep her hair that long then, but for now, I had a more pressing matter to inquire about.


    "So, Emily..."


    "Yes?"


    "Are you... an elf?"


    "Mh... I don''t know?"


    "... What?"


    "I don''t know!"


    Her answer stayed the same and the smile that was still stuck on her face certainly didn''t fit.


    "I think the magician uncle... Uhhh... I don''t remember his name... He said something about elves or so. But it was so much so I just left!"


    "..."


    Without any care, she apparently dismissed even her own race.


    "But, don''t you want to know?"


    "Mh? Why? It doesn''t change anything, does it?"


    She cocked her head to the side.


    I was truly dumbstruck at that innocent answer. Because she was kind of right. It didn''t really change anything.


    "That''s... right. Emily stays Emily. But still, aren''t you at least curious?"


    "I am, but that magician uncle talks so weirdly. My head hurts when I listen to him."


    Emily motioned with her free arm towards her head and put up a painful expression. It looked so precious so I couldn''t prevent a burst of small laughter from escaping me.


    "Hey, Yumi?"


    "Nn?"


    "I wondered for a bit as well, but what race are you? Sele said you are not a demonkin? But Maya said you aren''t a human. But you look like a human? Your ears are like a human''s and you have no tail. You also have no claws or fangs. But Maya''s nose is good, so you can''t be a human!"


    "Well..."


    How should I answer here? Should I just tell them the truth? Korwen already knew anyway and I wondered who else already found out. They might find out sooner or later without me telling them, so it might be better if they heard it from me instead.


    I took a deep breath.


    "Ah! Wait!"


    And was promptly stopped. I wanted my mental preparation back...


    "Maya and Sele should hear it too, right? And Maya can tell you about herself then!"


    "Well, you''re not wrong about that, I guess."


    Yeah, just telling Emily now would just mean I would have to tell them twice anyway.


    I smiled wryly.


    With surprising momentum, Emily heaved herself and Maya up.


    "Maya! Maya! Wake up!"


    And vigorously shook her new victim. Without mercy. Maya''s head was bobbing back and forwards and her expression quickly turned sour.


    "Uhh... Stop... Stop that...! Emily, stop!"


    Forced awake, Maya grabbed Emily by the shoulders. Her expression was slightly miserable.


    "Why do you have to wake up people like this every time?"


    "Because it works? You''re awake now!"


    Maya groaned, obviously giving up. Clearly, it wasn''t the first time she complained to Emily.


    "Now, only Sele needs to wake up!"


    Since I was freed as well from Maya I moved quickly to the side and was replaced by Emily. Then, Emily quickly began taking off Sele''s clothes.


    "Wait! Emily, you can''t just strip her."


    "Huh? But she has to wake up, right?"


    "Nn. But can''t you at least try waking her up normally."


    "But it won''t work!"


    "Yumi, it really doesn''t work. Sele is impossible to wake up otherwise," explained Maya with a tired a voice.


    Don''t you feel sorry for stripping her naked every day, though?!


    That means there was only one thing I could do. They were still girls and therefore I should at least show some common courtesy.


    "... I will wait outside."


    "Huh? Yumi, why?"


    Emily cocked her head to the side again.


    "... For my mental health."


    I stood up and went out of the tent.


    Speaking of which, how did I even get into the tent?


    The sun was up high already and the camp was quite busy. We must have slept for the better part of the morning, but considering how exhausted we were it was hardly surprising. I could still hear Emily''s and Maya''s voices from behind me but I decided it was better to just ignore it.


    Mh... What do I do now, though? It seems we slept rather long. Guess there was no need to wake us up.


    I took a look around and noticed something strange. Many of the people walking around were carrying boxes, crates, barrels or baskets around. It looked like they were tidying things up. Or packing stuff.


    I decided I should look for either Karen and Lily or Korwen. After asking a passing mercenary I obtained information that Korwen was at the main tent so I headed there for now. Though I had to stop the mercenary again to ask for directions as I didn''t know where the heck I even was.


    This camp is way too big. Is this really necessary for 800 people? Well, it probably is...


    After a short walk, I found the tent and entered. Inside I was greeted with Korwen, who looked veritably exhausted, as well as Lily.


    "Oh, the sleeping princess is awake. Good Morning," Korwen said with a sarcastic tone.


    "Nn. Morning."


    He stopped writing on the documents that laid before him and stretched his arms.


    "Morning, Yumi!"


    "Good Morning, Lily. Where''s Sis?"


    "Karen is... probably at the infirmary tent. The other girls we rescued woke up, but Miria is still sleeping. She''s worried, I think."


    "The others are awake?"


    "Yes, they woke up not too long ago. Pretty much at a normal time. Maybe their inner clock was at work there."


    "Mh..."


    That those girls woke up was good news, even if Miria wasn''t included.


    "The magician Ria already examined them and determined they are in good health. There won''t be any lasting effects from the mana crystals."


    "Nn... That''s good news... Wait, mana crystals?"


    I stopped at those words. I know I tried to treat Miria because of that, but I didn''t do anything for them. At Lily''s confused look I explained that briefly.


    "Ah, well, you see. In Miria''s case, her crystal couldn''t be removed anymore without endangering her life, so your treatment was definitely necessary. The other girls weren''t in such a bad situation so Ria could remove those crystals."


    "Nn... That''s good news, I guess."


    "Yeah, but it still makes me wonder... Hey, Yumi, what is a mana crystal?"


    "I wish I knew myself. Why are you asking?"


    That was a rather random question from Lily. But really, I wanted to know it too.


    "You see, they are the core of a monster, right? But why do the monsters die when it gets broken? And why are monsters able to heal from fatal wounds? A person can die even from remarkably minor wounds if they aren''t treated. But for strong monsters, they won''t die even if you pierce their hearts."


    "Nn... That''s a good question..."


    "You might be able to ask that question once we are in Lafria," interjected Korwen suddenly.


    Lily furrowed her brows and turned towards Korwen.


    "Do you mean the academy?"


    "Yes. Our band has a contract with them, so you might have a chance to ask a scholar there. But if I remember right, that topic is rather wildly discussed even there. You might not get a definite answer to it."


    "The academy? What is this about?"


    This was the first I heard about an academy so I couldn''t help but ask the question.


    "Lafria Kingdom has a large academy. It is currently considered one of the foremost academic locations. They are an eccentric bunch but they have a lot of interesting knowledge. Our three idiot magicians are graduates from there as well. But they don''t only study magic research. They cover a multitude of topics from magic theory over natural laws to studies on animals and monsters."


    So it was like that. A place for academic pursuit, huh. Muttering "That reminds me," Korwen stood up and walked towards a small bag behind him. He picked it up and then took something out. The pistol. The one that I had practised with before.


    "The academy''s research made this little thing possible in the first place."


    "Ah! Korwen, I have to return those!"


    Lily suddenly remembered important things.


    "You borrowed these?"


    Korwen''s eyebrow was raised ever so slightly.


    "Yes. From Lune."


    "Lune? Lune... Lune... Oh! Luneria, that orphanage girl."


    Korwen seemed to know her as well. But why did everyone mention an orphanage when her name came up?


    "Well, I''ll get someone to return them to her. We still have a few people running around doing errands and everything, adding one minor errand won''t change anything."


    "Is the crossbow also in that bag?"


    "Yes, it is."


    "Then good."


    Lily nodded with a serious expression. But the crossbow was there? I completely forgot about its existence so I was surprised it was back here.


    I hope they don''t think I am scatterbrained because of things like this. Oh well, let''s just pretend I knew all along in case they ask.


    "In any case, go to the academy for your questions. For now, we still have to deal with this so, though."


    Korwen concluded the topic and returned to working on the documents.


    "Really, it became such a mess. Curse the stupid church, and the stupid emperor. And the retarded lord!"


    It felt like I could see a dangerous glint in his eyes as he cursed. Maybe it was better to just keep quiet. But, alas, my curiosity couldn''t be stopped.


    "What happened?"


    "We''re being scammed! That is happening! The retarded lord was found. Dead. In the stupid hideout. Wenners and Krutz found him in the hideout of those thuggish bastards. They guess he tried to activate a large-scale ritual but lost control and died. At least we know that the failed ritual caused the quakes and destroyed the immediate surroundings, so that is one worry less."


    He threw his arms up in the air.


    "Now, no matter what, the lord is dead. That''s a problem. A big one. Who is going to take responsibility now? The imperials want a scapegoat. The church is a bad option. The lord is dead. Who do they blame now? Us? It''s not unlikely they''ll try that. In fact, I''m sure of it. It''s only good for them. Whose word weighs more, mine or the emperors? Most people won''t even question it. They''ll send the army on us. Now, they haven''t mobilised them yet. It takes time, after all."


    "Wait a second, they try to blame you? But why?"


    They were the ones who put a stop to this. The slums will become a slightly better place to live in and who knew what influence it had for the city. Though, the lord being dead was an issue.


    "Oh, there''s many reasons. They have the option of either rewarding us for our efforts in an attempt to keep us quiet or get rid of us. If the lord was alive they could blame him and celebrate us as heroes who put a stop to his machinations. That would be a better outcome for all of us. They might lose a bit of their treasury on the rewards, but the people will be happy. And happy people are easier to exploit and less likely to revolt."


    But that option was gone now. I understood his worries. A sigh escaped Korwen.


    "In any case, they will probably send an envoy. They will be stalling for time so they can mobilise the army and get rid of us. I don''t want to deal with this shit anymore. That''s why I hate dealing with the ruling class."


    He returned his attention to the documents. He looked even more exhausted now after he vented. I spied a strained smile on Lily from the corner of my eye.


    "Anyway, we''ll be leaving today. We''ll leave as soon as the envoy leaves. If no envoy comes, we''ll leave either way. If you still have business here, resolve it quickly. And now... Let me deal with this. I have to get this done. Ahh... I just want some sleep. I am not being paid for this."


    Another sigh escaped him. Then, Lily walked to my side and leaned over a bit.


    "Let''s leave him alone for a bit. He stayed up the entire night," she whispered quietly.


    With a nod, I followed her outside.


    Lily stretched her arms and yawned.


    "Did you get any sleep?"


    "Mh? A bit. I''m used to staying awake for night watch so it doesn''t bother me as much. I still wouldn''t want to deal with documents at a time like this now."


    "Huh..."


    "Well, but let''s get to Karen. That magician girl said Miria is likely to wake up today, who knows. Maybe she already is awake."


    "Awake, huh..."


    On one hand, I would be happy for Karen. But on the other hand, I would most likely be a bit sad that I couldn''t monopolise her anymore. It was a conflicting feeling.


    In the distance, we could already see the infirmary tent. It definitely looked like a busy place, with many people gathering in front of it, entering or leaving.


    Without a warning, a scream echoed through the camp. Coming straight from the infirmary tent. Everyone in the surroundings looked bewildered.


    With a dash Lily left me behind and ran to the tent, disappearing within. I hurried after her, storming into the tent. I was fearing the worst.


    And I was left speechless.


    "Waaaaahhh! I am so reliiiieeeeved!"


    A sobbing Karen was in front of us, hugging a girl nearly a head shorter than herself. The girl in question was clearly confused and her grey eyes darted around the room, trying to make sense of the situation. Unfortunately for her, Karen was in no state to notice that as she bawled like a little child.


    "Geez, scaring us like that... We got some bad timing, right, Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    Despite her complaint, she was grinning. I was sure there was a smile on my face as well, right now.


    "Ah, Karen. You''re completely confusing the poor girl, calm down."


    Lily approached the two sisters and tried to pry Karen away from the confused girl. It took some effort but she eventually managed to get her off. Though she quickly tried to reattach herself so Lily had to hold her down.


    "Karen, calm down, she''s not going anywhere."


    The girl watched Lily and Karen with curious eyes. Then, her eyes wandered towards me, who stood close-by. I returned a small smile.


    "Ah... Yumi, help me, she''s not calming down."


    "Even if you ask me... I have no idea what would calm her down. So... hang in there?"


    "You''re cruel!"


    "I believe in you."


    "Help me! Ah! Karen, stop. Wait! You''re getting snot on my clothes. Stop that!"


    I decided to leave those two alone. It was better to not get involved.


    With that said, I turned towards the girl.


    "You''re Miria, right? I''m Yumi, nice to meet you."


    "..."


    She stared at me. It took a few seconds until her expression changed, indicating she heard what I said.


    "Eh? Eh? Ehm... Nice to... meet you. I''m Rina... Rina Zirzenna"


    She bowed her head. Her voice was small but clear. Like a bell.


    Mh? Wait a second.


    "Rina? Not Miria?"


    "Uhm... Miria... is a childhood name."


    "Eh?"


    Weren''t childhood names usually some shortened version of their actual names? But those two had absolutely nothing in common?


    "So... Should I call you Rina or Miria?"


    "If possible... I''d prefer Rina."


    Oh no, this was going to be confusing, wasn''t it?


    I looked over to Lily and Karen. The latter was still bawling and sobbing, calling Miria in-between every sob. I was a bit shocked by this behaviour.


    Lily looked over for a short moment, her eyes begging for help.


    Ignore it.


    "Then, Rina is it. Still, if some people call you Rina and Sis calls you Miria, it''ll be confusing."


    "Ah..."


    Realising what I meant she looked over to Karen. Somehow, her expression turned a bit sour.


    "If she doesn''t stop calling me that, I just won''t talk to her."


    "No wait, Sis will die if you do that."


    This made me wonder... Karen really adored her, but my first impression was, that the love went only one way.


    "But it''s embarrassing, being called by your childhood name after you turn into an adult..."


    She pouted. For someone who was in such a dire situation just a short while ago, and in captivity for such a long time, she was surprisingly in a good state. If I hadn''t known, I would''ve never guessed that she was just rescued.


    "But you... call her Sis?"


    "Ah."


    She regarded me with a slightly suspicious stare.


    "So I got a new little sister!"


    Which changed quickly to a cheerful one. She didn''t care about the details, apparently.


    "Well then..."


    And then she removed the blanket and stood up. She was nearly a head taller than me, with long hair past her shoulders that clearly hadn''t seen care in a long time and lively grey eyes.


    "Where am I anyway? I remember being in the cell and then there was a commotion... That''s all I remember."


    "Ah, you were rescued with the other girls... No, wait, why are you getting up. Are you fine with that? Shouldn''t you lie down for now?"


    "Eh...? But I feel fine? Actually... I feel full of energy. I haven''t felt like this in a long time!"


    She raised her arms and struck a pose. This definitely wasn''t the behaviour of a patient.


    "Ah, Karen! Stop! Woah!"


    At that moment Lily finally failed to hold Karen back and she jumped at Rina, hugging her.


    "Big Sis, stop! You''re getting all dirty from me. Let me wash myself first."


    How considerate.


    "But! I''m so relieved! Finally, Miria is back."


    "I already said, stop calling me that. It''s my childhood name! And Rina is way cuter, so call me that!"


    "But!"


    Maybe I should leave them be. She seemed fine, so we probably could leave her alone with Karen until she calmed down. I felt a bit sorry for dumping that problem on a patient, but I got the impression she would be fine. Just like Karen, she seemed to be a strong girl.


    I looked at Lily who was down on the ground.


    "Good work. You tried your best."


    "Yumi... You have no idea... Fighting a horde of ogres would be easier."


    "My condolences."


    I helped her get up and we left the tent. Rina tried to deal with Karen in a stern manner. Usually, Karen was always so dependable but the view made us question who was the older sister there.


    "Still, a Zirzenna, huh," murmured Lily.


    "Mh? Her last name? What''s up with it?"


    "It''s the name of a lower ranking noble family in the demonkin country, Aldreigh Kingdom. They apparently have quite the history."


    "A noble family? So Karen and Rina are nobles?"


    "Well, they were exiled, right? So technically not anymore. Actually, she could get into trouble if she carelessly uses her last name."


    "Mh... That doesn''t sound good."


    "It isn''t... But... It will work out. The more immediate problem though... I heard of the demonkin custom with their childhood names, but that''s going to be a pain..."


    "The childhood name? It''s a custom?"


    I tilted my head a bit. That was an interesting custom to have. Notwithstanding how confusing it had to be.


    "Yes. In demonkin families, the children are called by childhood names until they turn into adults. Childhood names and nicknames aren''t exactly uncommon in many countries, but for the demonkin, they signify the change between adult and child. Demonkin stop ageing at one point and that''s also the time they stop using their childhood name. I''m sure Karen will understand that, though. With time."


    "Mh... You''re quite knowledgable about this."


    "Hey, the Black Guards travelled quite a lot, and the Aldreigh Kingdom is actually not that far away from here. Of course, I know such a thing."


    Lily protested at my comment. I giggled a bit.


    "Speaking of the Black Guards, what happened to them?"


    "Ah... Korwen reached out to them... He offered that they join as well, but they refused, saying they wouldn''t be of any use and that they wanted to end the Black Guards with their generation. They still came over to discuss some things like compensation, though."


    "Huh... They came over..."


    "They did."


    "And you aren''t there?"


    She averted her gaze.


    "Lily."


    "Yes? Eh, why are you making such a scary face?"


    "Are you sure you shouldn''t be there?"


    "It''s fine, they don''t need to see me."


    This idiot girl. Yesterday she was crying herself and now she pretended to be tough about it as if it never happened. She would surely regret it like that.


    "Lily, let''s go there. Now."


    "Wait, Yumi, there''s no need for that!"


    "There is. Do you just want to leave like that? They are the ones who raised you right?"


    "That has nothing to do with it!"


    "It has enough to do with it. Won''t you regret it, not saying a proper farewell?"


    "Geez, let me be. It''s not like you know anything about that!"


    I didn''t know anything, she said.


    Suddenly, Lily made a complicated face.


    "You''re right, it''s not like I know anything. I don''t even remember anyone after all."


    "..."


    "I just suddenly nearly died and was thrown into an unknown place with half my memories missing. There''s no way I could know anything about it, right?!"


    "Yumi! I..."


    Lily stuttered, her expression miserable. She looked ready to cry at any moment.


    "I''m... sorry..."


    Only then did I notice that my face was hot and wet. The one with tears running down their face was me.


    Ahh... I let my emotions get the better of me...


    Quickly realising what happened I wiped my face with the back of my hand and pulled Lily''s hand.


    "We''re going to them. Right now."


    "... I understand."


    I tried not to think much about it, about how it was before I came here. Did I have a family? Did I have friends? Maybe even a lover? When I tried to remember I felt like I could see vague faces. A small table with me and a few others sitting around it. But that was it. I couldn''t remember the faces, the voices, nothing else.


    Unknowingly, I avoided thinking about it after the first few days. Not to mention I was too busy to find food in those days with Karen. I had no liberty to think about it. So when Lily refused to say goodbye, it made me angry. I never had that chance, after all. And it made me sad. Because I remembered, that I never had the chance.


    If one asked whether I wanted to return, I could only say ''I don''t know''. But if I was asked whether I wanted to say goodbye then it would definitely be a ''Yes''.


    I had changed a lot. And I found new friends, even someone I could call family. I would want to tell them ''I''m fine, don''t worry''. But I couldn''t. Maybe I would find a way in the future. Maybe I never would.


    I didn''t die that day, and instead, I am now here. Different and changed. Half-assed, half my memories missing.


    I could feel again how tears gathered in my eyes so I quickly wiped them away with my free hand. I couldn''t change the past. But I could change the present and the future. And at the very least, I didn''t want to leave Lily with that kind of regret.


    And so, I pulled her halfway through the camp, occasionally asking for directions from some passing soldiers. They looked oddly scared when I asked but they all willingly told me where to go.


    "Yumi... I understand already, can you let go of my hand?"


    "No."


    "Uhh..."


    In the distance, I could make out some black silhouettes. We went the right way at least. The closer we got, the more sweaty Lily''s hand became and it was clear from her fidgeting that she wanted to back away. I didn''t allow her though, and pulled her along, until we were nearly right in front of them.


    A few of the Black Guards turned around in surprise when we appeared, none of them saying anything. I walked behind Lily and pushed her forward.


    "Go now."


    Without waiting for a reply I walked away some distance. After I was far enough away I looked back. I could see Lily acting a bit awkward there, but it was clear those old men weren''t bothered by it. After a few seconds she was surrounded by them and I could hear their laughter from where I was.


    I felt a bit jealous at the sight.


    Maybe I should go look for Emily and the others. Ah, but they might be angry that I just left earlier...


    Playing with them would surely uplift my mood right now, but they might be sulky since I just left them behind. I had to apologise. I wasn''t any better, was I?


    "Good work there, Yumi."


    Suddenly, someone called out to me. Turning around I found Merim and Wanda.


    "Oh. Merim, Wanda."


    "Kid, you look like you''re out to murder someone. You''ll scare everyone away."


    "Is that so."


    "Not quite in the mood in the talk, are we?"


    "I''m sorry, but not right now..."


    She gave me a strained smile and pulled something out from somewhere. It was a bottle.


    "Want to join us? We wanted to get at least a small celebration going, and some alcohol may do you some good after that outburst."


    "... You saw?"


    "Yeah. Well, I won''t blame you. It''s Lily''s fault, honestly. A walking disaster is not exactly the most sensitive one."


    "... I guess I''ll take you up on that, then."


    "Great, then let''s go."


    Around half an hour later.


    "I was a bit worried, but you sure can hold your liquor, girly."


    The middle-aged man sitting opposite of me commented astounded. I wasn''t the biggest fan of alcohol but I kind of liked the sweet taste of the liquor Wanda brought along. It still burned in the throat but that was maybe good as well. It served as a good distraction.


    I could feel how I became a bit light-headed. The people around were mostly soldiers that were fighting in the night. Some of them didn''t even get any sleep at all and most others only slept only shortly, but they still had enough energy to swing their jugs filled with some alcoholic beverage.


    One might think you''d celebrate in the evening, but they told me that there wouldn''t be a chance for that today. Everyone was packing and we would likely travel through the night. Maybe even for a few days. They mostly used tamed monsters and animals to pull the carriages and supply wagons. Most of them would be fine even if they worked throughout the entire day. I was astonished hearing that.


    I was also surprised hearing that there were tamed monsters in the camp. Apparently one didn''t need to be a magician to tame some monsters and a few were used as pack animals. They were popular for their high stamina and strength, but expensive.


    "Here, have some more."


    Merim gave me a refill, seeing that my small mug was empty. Considerate as they were, I got a small mug instead of the huge jugs they were swinging. I probably would have trouble holding that one, as it was heavy, especially when filled to the brim. Since I also drunk a bit less than them it was quite fine with me, though.


    "Thank you, but I think I''m done after this one."


    "That so? You still drunk quite a lot, though."


    "Nn. I already feel light-headed..."


    "Don''t collapse, I won''t be hearing the end of it from the captain if you do."


    "It''ll be fine."


    "That''s what they all say."


    I was still pretty fine. Really. I did feel a bit wobbly but nothing more. I took another sip.


    "Was it even okay to give me alcohol in the first place?"


    "It''s fine, kid. It''s not like you''re an actual kid anyway, right?"


    Wanda winked at me from my side.


    "Nn... Speaking of which, what will you do after this, Wanda?"


    "Me? Well, I, unfortunately, didn''t get any supplies back from our visit to that hideout... Korwen offered for me to join as well, so I decided to tag along. At least until Lafria. I''m still just a humble seamstress, after all," she declared.


    Contrary to those words some soldiers stiffened and threw doubtful glances at her. I should ask Merim or someone else why everyone was so cautious of Wanda. Or rather, so scared.


    "At any rate, I won''t be leaving you guys yet, no worries about that. I also want to make sure the girly is in good hands."


    "Hm. I guess that''s nice to hear."


    I smiled. So Wanda was going to come along.


    "Is it fine to leave so suddenly, though? And don''t you have things to pack?"


    "Ah, I told Korwen to send some people to get my stuff over. There''s not much anyway. Only really my small clothing collection and my working tools."


    She grinned.


    "So don''t worry, I still have a few cute clothes for you to try out!"


    Oh no, please spare me...


    Rinne


    Hope you enjoy reading!

 Chapter of Magic Growth: Growing Magic

    "This is a problem, what do we do now?"


    "I think we should call Ria..."


    "The magician woman?"


    "She knows how to deal with this..."


    "Nn..."


    The conclusion: Alcohol was dangerous.


    I could only be glad that it wasn''t me who overdid it. Really glad.


    "I''ll get someone to call for her. Yumi, take care he doesn''t do anything stupid."


    "I''ll try."


    Wanda left me alone with our little problem. I was slightly intoxicated as well but at least I was still in a state where I could make reasonable decisions. This guy in front of me wasn''t. That was also probably why he was now trying to get up.


    "Lie down."


    "I''m... fine...! No need... to worry... Rea... Rear... Really?"


    "That''s what every drunk person says. Just lie down."


    I pushed him back down. Some of the less drunk soldiers were watching with glee as I tried to restrain this idiot.


    "Girly, if ya need help just tell us. We''d be happy to take care of that brat for ya!"


    "I can still handle this fine. Just take care you don''t end up like him."


    "Gahaha! Where''s the fun in drinking if nobody drops to the floor?"


    "That''s right! That''s the good part!"


    I watched how these irresponsible soldiers began laughing and making fun of our dead drunk guy. I couldn''t really blame them. It was his own fault and he had completely overestimated his tolerance. After he challenged the older soldiers it was only their right to laugh at him.


    Still, it was irresponsible of them. They knew very well in advance it would end up like this.


    "The brat has to learn the line between courage and foolishness. If he doesn''t, he''ll never gain the respect he needs for his position!" explained a different soldier to me.


    Honestly, I agreed with him. Even I had understood quickly how this would end.


    "He may be skilled, but he''s still green. The captain sees potential in him, most of us old coots do, and he does live up to most of our expectations. But if he''s too perfect, that''s just as bad as not being able to do anything!"


    "That''s right! If he doesn''t learn his limits, he''ll have to pay dearly for it!"


    A few others shouted their agreement and hearty laughter broke out again.


    Those are great lines and I would be totally in agreement. If it weren''t about a drinking contest...


    I just had to question the actual use of teaching him his limits in regards to drinking. I doubted he would be on the battlefield, dead drunk.


    "Ya doubting us, little girly?"


    "Well... Nn. I just can''t see where the drinking contest comes in there..."


    "Then, let me ask ya a simple question: What happens if the alarm goes off now?"


    "... Ah."


    If the alarm went off, this idiot would still be dead drunk. They were right.


    "Well, it doesn''t matter if some of us drop to the floor, but our dear vice-captain is a different matter! Gahahaha!"


    "..."


    Give me back all my appreciation I had just now.


    A sigh escaped me as I listened to their antics. I wanted to hold my head.


    "Yumi!"


    A nearby shout caught my attention. Wanda returned together with the magician woman Ria.


    "How''s he doing?"


    "Nn, not good?"


    "Really, what idiot gets riled up and forced into a drinking bout."


    "... Let me see."


    The woman, Ria, squatted down next to him. It looked like she was examining him but I couldn''t see much outside of her holding her hand on him. Maybe she used magic? I couldn''t see it, at the very least.


    "Mh... He''s drunk."


    "Thanks, but we called you because he is..."


    Wanda couldn''t repress her snarky comment.


    "I''ll use magic."


    "Please do..."


    "Nn? She can use magic to sober him up?"


    That sounded interesting. If magic was able to sober you up, you could get dead drunk without big worries and use magic to just get back to normal.


    Actually, that sounded like a horrible idea. I was sure I would only misuse it to drink more.


    "She can, but... Well, you will see."


    "Nn?"


    In contrast, that didn''t sound like anything great either but before I could inquire what she meant, the mana surrounding us stirred a bit. It flowed towards Ria''s hand that she held over him. It was a gentle and slow flow. It made me feel warm just by watching.


    And yet, despite the gentle warm feeling, the recipient was everything but gentle. After a few seconds, he began groaning in pain.


    "Gahhhh! It! Hurts! Make it! Stop!"


    His pain filled shouts echoed through our ears. It wasn''t pleasant.


    "Wanda, what is happening?"


    "The best reason you don''t want to get drunk enough that you need to be treated."


    "... I could guess that already. So, what is happening?"


    "Ask Ria. I only know that it is definitely one of the worst feelings you''ll ever get to experience. My guarantee on that one. It''s like experiencing the whole drunkenness and the hangover compressed into a few seconds. And then you make it a few figures worse and you probably got it."


    "... I will make sure I won''t ever get this drunk."


    While we spoke Ria had finished her treatment and stood up again.


    "Mh... I won''t treat you just because you are drunk... Unless it is an emergency," she told me.


    "I think I don''t want to take that chance regardless."


    "Mh. I believe that is better as well."


    She nodded a few times in agreement. Then she looked down on our newly sobered-up victim.


    "He''ll be up in a few minutes. If there''s anyone else drunk, I''ll treat them now."


    The entire celebration froze abruptly with those words. All the old soldiers stopped dead in their tracks.


    The one soldier that was talking with me just a minute before slowly stepped forward.


    "No, Ria dear, there''s no need to treat us. We''re all clear enough, right! Everyone?! GIVE ME AN ANSWER!"


    "We''re fine! Everyone''s sober!"


    "All good here, Miss Ria!"


    "Nothing to worry about!"


    It took no time for all of them to gain a clear head again. It told me a lot about how scared they were of the treatment.


    "Mh... Well, I''ll let it slide this time. Only this time."


    They breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.


    "Then, I''ll return to the infirmary... Ah."


    Ria wanted to take her leave before she stopped and turned to me.


    "The girl, Lily, was looking for you."


    And then she left.


    "Maybe we should clean up before someone else drops down... What are you going to do, Yumi?"


    "Nn... Don''t know."


    "Not going to go to that walking disaster?"


    "..."


    "It''s better to get it out of the way earlier."


    "Those are bold words for someone who invited me to drown in alcohol."


    "It worked, didn''t it?"


    "Uhh... Still."


    "You don''t hate her, do you? Then just go over to her. She''s surely worried."


    "..."


    Worried, was it. She probably was. I could imagine it well. But my stubborn side told me to just let her be worried, that it was her own fault. Even though I knew I shouldn''t be like that, I was rather angry at that time. And it was a bit hard to just go to her and pretend everything was fine.


    "Jeez, just go and make up with her."


    "You say that so easily..."


    "I know it''s not easy. But you don''t want to depart now and worry everyone with your little fight, do you?"


    "That is..."


    "Just go."


    She pushed my back. She was right. I took a deep breath.


    "Ugh, my head hurts..."


    "... Merim, shut up for a minute, would you?"


    Wanda held her head in response to his timing.


    Merim, our previously dead drunk idiot, slowly heaved himself up. Still suffering from the aftereffects he held his head and groaned.


    "You reap what you sow."


    He looked slightly confused when he spotted us next to him.


    "You two... What happened...?"


    "... Wanda, if he''s like this, he won''t even learn from it, will he?"


    "I guess not."


    "Seriously, you two... Why does my head hurt..."


    I shook my head in exasperation.


    "Leave this idiot to me, Yumi."


    "Nn... Okay..."


    Slightly reluctantly I agreed.


    "I''ll go then."


    "Good Luck."


    "Nn... Thanks."


    Facing someone after you had a fight, even if it was a small one, was hard. Even if you knew you had to, you still couldn''t bring yourself to face them. Especially if you thought it wasn''t your fault but theirs.


    Still, getting angry was something I slightly regretted. I didn''t want to shout at her but I was just so overcome in the heat of the moment that I simply did.


    I was walking around the camp, a bit aimlessly, half hoping I would just miss her, half knowing that this wasn''t what I should do.


    While strolling around I was spotted by someone.


    "Miss Yumi, what are you doing here?"


    "Oh, you are..."


    ... What was her name? I know she was leading that women''s squad, but I don''t think I ever caught her name, did I?


    Thankfully, she realised quickly what the problem was.


    "Ah, I never introduced myself, did I? I am sorry about that. My name is Fenna. I lead the female combat unit."


    "Fenna is it... Nice to meet you, even though it is belated."


    "It is, I am sorry about that. So, are you looking for something or did you lose your way? The camp is large and chaotic, so it is hard to get around."


    If it was chaotic enough that you acknowledged it yourself, why didn''t someone plan it out properly then?


    "Ah, no... not quite... Well, I guess you could say I am looking for Lily..."


    "Miss Lily? I think I saw her a moment ago with our guests from the Black Guard? Want me to show you the way?"


    "Ah, it is enough if I know where to go, thank you."


    "No need to be shy, I''ll gladly lead the way!"


    She slowly inched closer and I thought I could see a small sparkle in her eyes. I prayed it was just my imagination.


    "Eh... Well, then I''ll take you up... on that offer?"


    "Leave it to me!" she declared with vigour.


    Don''t be so enthusiastic over that!


    Shelving my inner retort I coughed once and motioned her to lead the way.


    For some reason, she took it upon herself to tell me about the camp, the various tents and their uses and a bit about the rudimentary command structure in the band. Frankly, I was still slightly intoxicated and couldn''t bother about it right now, so it went from one ear in and out the other.


    I still nodded in between to pretend I was still listening.


    "... and that tent is where we... Oh? We''re already here?"


    "Nn? Is this where Lily is?"


    "I did see her here last, at least."


    I still had no idea where I was but there were a few black-clothed men here. I didn''t notice it earlier but they weren''t wearing the black heavy armour we saw before, but only black leather equipment or even simply cloth shirts and pants. But all in black. They must have really liked that colour.


    "Excuse me, we''re looking for Lily."


    Fenna stopped one of the men.


    "Little Lily? I think she went off with our Captain somewhere. Hey guys, someone knows where Little Lily went?!"


    He turned around asking the other men. But they called her ''Little Lily''? How cute. I should tease her with that later.


    "I think I saw her and the Captain going to the storage there. Bet he''ll scold her!"


    "Oh yeah, she was acting quite cheeky, didn''t she?"


    "That she did! Gahahaha."


    They all laughed in unison. She got scolded? I wondered why. I couldn''t think of anything bad she did. Maybe we should wait for it to end, but maybe she wasn''t even being scolded.


    "Well, then let''s take a look!"


    Fenna, unperturbed about my inner conflict, walked straight in the direction we were pointed. I could feel some men pointing curious gazes at me but I couldn''t bother about it right now. I quickly hurried after Fenna.


    "Let''s see, around here?"


    "Miss Fenna, wait a moment."


    "Oh, found them!"


    And with those words, completely ignoring me, she turned around a corner behind a tent, a rather deserted place, where nobody would bother to look.


    What we found, froze us in place.


    "Papa! I already said I''m sorry!"


    "Dear, you can''t just go and treat ''sorry'' as the go-to for all your problems. You have to properly reflect on your mistakes."


    "But I am, Papa..."


    "Then you shouldn''t have a problem with reflecting for some more."


    We found an adorable but odd father-daughter pair. But they were not the ones we were looking for. The tall, old man with grey hair and a short beard was clothed in the black equipment like the other Black Guards were, he clearly looked human. The young girl on the other side was only clothed in a long beige-coloured shirt slash dress that went down to her knees. Additionally, fluffy ears peeked out from her dark blueish hair and I could spot something black occasionally showing itself from the hem of her dress. The dark blueish colour gave the impression that it was weakly glowing in a different colour. Every time she moved the glow slightly changed colour as if it was influenced by the way the sun hit her hair.


    Oh, a manakin girl, maybe? From Karen''s explanation, it didn''t seem like there were many others so I didn''t expect to see another one here. But more importantly... I wanna fluff those ears.


    By the time my observation ended the two had spotted Fenna and me as well. The father showed some surprise. On the other hand, the girl was in a complete state of panic. Not surprising, I could understand how embarrassing it was when others saw your parents scolding you.


    "Ah, I''m sorry, I think we got the wrong people," apologised Fenna. And then we turned around and left. Or at least we tried to if I hadn''t spotted something familiar lying behind the father. It was some leather equipment and a bunch of swords with one of them sticking out like a sore thumb due to its size.


    I looked over to the girl again. My first impression was someone unfamiliar but after looking closer I realised that she did resemble someone I knew well. Except that the person in question hadn''t ever shown me such a panicked expression with tears in her eyes.


    Cute... No wait, that''s not the problem right now!


    I wasn''t quite sure how I should deal with this right now.


    "You are... Miss Yumi?" asked the man, bringing me back to reality.


    "Nn? Ah... Nn. I am Yumi."


    "I see."


    He looked over me, appraising me as if I was a rare and curious object. Then he turned over to the girl.


    And hit her head with quite some force, that we could hear the sound from his fist hitting her.


    "Ouch! Why did you hit me now, Pa... Old man?!"


    "They already heard you anyway, there''s no use in pretending now."


    "Uhh..."


    "In any case, I think before you complain to me, you should first do something else, shouldn''t you, you idiot daughter?"


    "But..."


    "No buts!"


    Unyielding, he shoved her in front of us, or rather me. She froze and awkwardly averted her gaze. It was so cute that I decided to tease her a bit.


    "Is something the matter, Miss...?"


    Maybe the pressure was too much for her, she turned to me, unable to say anything, her mouth opening and closing as if she were a fish. I smiled and waited.


    "Ah... Ah... This... This..."


    She tried to say something.


    "This... Is... This is... Impossible!"


    And dashed out of sight with tears in her eyes, leaving a dumfounded Fenna, an old father shaking his head and me behind.


    "That girl... Really... I''m really sorry about that."


    "It''s okay. It was cute and not something I''d usually see her doing..."


    "So you did realise after all. I knew it."


    "Well, I don''t know many girls keeping a dozen swords with her..."


    "... So her own posing already betrayed her..."


    He again shook his head in exasperation. It must have been hard, being a father.


    "Really, I''m sorry about our girl. Please take care of her in the future."


    He lowered his head, but something bothered me about that request.


    "I have one question..."


    "Yes? If I can answer it I''ll be glad to."


    "Why did you decide to refuse Korwen''s offer to join?"


    From the short exchange that I saw, I could only see an awkward father with his daughter. They clearly got along well. And yet, why did they decide to push her away? I couldn''t understand it. Was their honour that important?


    "Why, you ask? That is quite a tough question... You see, the girl has to see the world, she can''t always cling to us, so sometimes you have to push them away so they leave the nest."


    "Mh... As expected, I don''t get it."


    "When you get older, you surely will."


    "Maybe, but right now, it just looks stupid. If she has to see the world, why don''t you show it to her yourself?"


    "We''re mercenaries, we never know when death comes to us. Different bands work in different ways and if she stays with us she will only see our work. She has to find what is best for her, and if she can, find work that isn''t about fighting. That girl isn''t suited to fighting."


    She did seem pretty happy about fighting, though. My first impression of her was rather savage.


    Maybe it showed on my face that I still wasn''t satisfied with that explanation, as he smiled wryly.


    "I still don''t get what that has to do with refusing Korwen''s offer. Is it so much more important that you make her feel sad and lonely? I think I get why she didn''t want to come and say her farewells. She knew you were stubborn."


    Maybe I should apologise to her. In the end, she was right. I didn''t know anything. And yet, it just made me feel even angrier than I already was.


    She didn''t want to part with them. That was why she refused to say her farewell because it would just hurt her. And this idiot didn''t make it better.


    "We''re all old men, we aren''t good for much anymore. Most of us can barely keep fighting. We''ll be lucky if we can make it through the next few years. But at least she won''t be caught up then. And she won''t have to see us at our worst."


    "I don''t think Korwen would just make that offer if he hadn''t some idea. I doubt he thinks you all as useless."


    "Ha! We know ourselves better than he does. We know what we still can do and what we can''t."


    "And her? Do you really think it''ll be best to leave her just alone?"


    "I told you already, it''s the best for everyone."


    I furrowed my brows in anger. Stubborn old man.


    "I can''t accept that. It just looks to me that you''re ignoring what she actually wants."


    "She''ll accept it in time. In some years she''ll surely have forgotten about us old men."


    He said she wasn''t suited for fighting, yet he didn''t say anything that she joined Korwen''s mercenaries. If he wanted her to find something else, then shouldn''t he just take it up in his own hands and guide her?


    "Miss Yumi, maybe you should calm down..." whispered Fenna next to me.


    Ah, no good. I''m getting worked up again, aren''t I?


    "Nn, sorry about that."


    I faced at the idiot father in front of me.


    "Barely a week ago I lost everything I had, my friends, my family, everything. I don''t want Lily to experience the same. And even less do I want her to forget those that are important to her. You''re just a bunch of stubborn old men that are too cowardly to face her."


    I turned on my heels and left. If I stayed, it would never end.


    Ah... I''m getting really irritated. I shouldn''t get so worked up so quickly. I was so quick to get angry with Lily as well. I wonder what is wrong...


    I massaged my temple as I aimless walked along the trampled path between the tents. I should look for Lily. As she was, she was sure to attract a lot of attention.


    "Miss Yumi! Miss Yumi, wait!"


    Fenna was shouting from behind me, running in my direction. She was holding something.


    "Oh, sorry for just leaving you there."


    "No need to mind it, Miss Yumi. More importantly, Mr Greyward handed me this. He told me to give them to you."


    "This? A pendant? And a letter?"


    "Yes, he said the pendant is Miss Lily''s, it contains the magic that she uses to, well, hide. The letter is apparently for you, Miss Yumi."


    "For me? But I can''t even read? Who would send me a letter?"


    Why would someone give me a letter? Not to mention, I didn''t even know anyone who would send me one.


    "Huh, he said he was told to give the letter to the Witchkin, apparently. He said it was really important, so you should at least open it."


    "Witchkin?"


    "I don''t know either."


    Some weird thing popped up again. And why would he give it to me then? I didn''t know any witches.


    "Nn? He wants me to ''open it up''? Not ''read it''?"


    "He said it like that, yes."


    "That''s a weird way to phrase it. Well, I guess I can at least take a look."


    I took the envelope and carefully opened it. These didn''t always have to contain a written letter, so for all I knew it could really be something intended for me.


    What fell into my hands were two weirdly stiff and thick pieces of papers.


    I couldn''t believe what I was looking at.


    "What are those? Oh, those look good. They''re really well-made."


    "..."


    I put them back into the envelope. What should I do now?


    "Fenna."


    "Yes?"


    "What should I do?"


    "Eh? Why does that question come up now? Eh, looking for Miss Lily? Didn''t you want to, eh, help her?"


    "..."


    Yes, I did. Taking a deep breath I decided.


    "Let''s continue looking for Lily."


    "Ah... So, what were those? I have never seen pictures that well-drawn. I heard there''s magic that can make realistic pictures, was it like that?"


    "... Those weren''t drawn but it wasn''t magic either... They are called photos."


    "Photos?"


    "Nn. You could say, they capture a moment?"


    "That sounds nice."


    "It does..."


    Except I couldn''t understand why they were here. Did photography exist here? I wouldn''t be surprised but then one of them made no sense.


    I took a glance at the envelope in my hand. One photo was showing a small wooden hut that was on the verge of a breakdown.


    The other showed a modern family house.


    "Where the heck did you run off to, Lily..."


    We couldn''t find her. She did leave plenty of trails. After all, a bawling young girl as conspicuous as her drew attention. We narrowed down the area where she should be, close to the training fields where I practised with the crossbow, but we still couldn''t spot her.


    "Miss Yumi, I can''t find her at all..."


    "Neither can I..."


    I was sure we checked every spot in this area but our search ended fruitlessly. I had an idea how to draw her out but that wasn''t the best idea right now.


    "Lily! Lily, come out," I shouted through the area.


    Some mercenaries looked at me full of curiosity but I ignored them. There was still no answer.


    Guess I''ll have to resort to this...


    "... If you come out, I''ll be your body pillow tonight!"


    "Miss Yumi? That sounds like a rather questionable offer."


    I waited for a moment, but still no answer.


    "Guess that didn''t work, either."


    "I would be surprised if she was enticed by such an offer."


    In the meantime, I was surprised she wasn''t enticed by it. Just as stubborn as that old man, she was.


    "If you come out now, I''ll try to convince Karen and Rina that we''ll all sleep together tonight."


    I tried spicing up the offer a bit. I waited around a minute until I heard small rustling sound behind me.


    "... Really?"


    "Nn, really."


    "You aren''t mad?"


    "Mad? Because you lied to us?"


    "Uhh..."


    She backed away again.


    "Not really, well, I''m not. And I don''t think Karen will be either. I mean, even if you say so, we met just yesterday. I''m not blaming you for that."


    Not to mention that Maya and Emily were hiding it too and Korwen told me also why they were doing it. There wasn''t a particular reason to be angry, was there?


    I walked over to her and she reflexively backed away. A bit annoyed I jumped forward to catch her.


    "Wah! That''s dangerous!"


    "You caught me just fine so it''s okay."


    "That''s not making okay..."


    I giggled at her reaction.


    "Still though, you give quite a different impression like this."


    "... Do I?"


    Her face clouded over. Maybe she didn''t have good experiences with it?


    "Quite, yes. But I like it."


    "You... like it?"


    "Yes, the tear-stained face, the panicked expression and the clear adoration for your Papa, it was great. I like it."


    Her face became redder with each point and I worried she would reach unthinkable red colours if I continued.


    "... Forget it. Please... Forget it."


    "I don''t think I can, sorry."


    "Uhhh..."


    "Ahahaha... Sorry. But enough about that. There''s something I want to ask you."


    "Ask me? If it''s something I can answer, I''ll be glad to."


    "... Ah, yes. Are you fine with them just leaving?"


    "..."


    Her expression turned downright crestfallen. Just as expected, she wasn''t.


    "You should just tell them, honestly. Just shout it into his face you don''t want them to."


    "They won''t listen to me... I''m just their ''Little Lily''."


    Ah, that name was cute. I could understand why they called her that after I saw her tears.


    Yet, I could also understand why Lily had a problem with it.


    "And I already tried telling them..."


    "And they said no?"


    "Yes..."


    "Mhm... Then just say it again."


    "Yumi... That''s not how it works."


    "It is. Just say it, until they listen. Just vent it out on them. They are idiots for not listening to this cute girl."


    "... That sounds more like you want me to throw a tantrum..."


    "If it works, why not..."


    "Huh?"


    "Do you prefer them just leaving like that?"


    "But they''d never take me seriously again if I did that..."


    "So you rather have them treat you like an adult and they''ll leave? Why are both of you so stubborn."


    "I don''t want them to leave! But..."


    I put my arms behind her back and gave her a soft hug.


    "They are the ones who raised you, right? They''ll always see you as a child anyway, so why not just be selfish like a child now?"


    "But..."


    "If you don''t want to, that''s fine too. They''ll just leave then, won''t they..."


    "... You''re unfair."


    "I am fine with being unfair if the people around me are happy because of it."


    "You''re really unfair... I think I can understand Karen''s feelings."


    "Nn? What does Sis have to do with that?"


    "Nothing... Thank you, Yumi."


    She returned the hug and then leaned slightly forward. I could feel something soft on my forehead.


    "If a throwing a tantrum works then I''ll swallow my adult pride! But only for today!"


    Then she let go and turned around.


    "I think you''re more suited to be an older sister, rather than a younger one."


    And she left. I touched my forehead, the spot where she kissed me.


    "An older sister, huh... Don''t make our small family even more complicated than it already is, Little Lily."


    With a wry smile, I turned towards Fenna, who had watched silently from the side.


    "She forgot her pendant, could you bring it to her for me?"


    "Eh? Why not give it to her yourself?"


    "There''s somewhere I have to go, I''ll be back later."


    "Then shouldn''t you hold onto it and give it to her later? I won''t do that for you."


    "How mean... Guess I''ll have to then."


    I looked for a place to put the pendant into but I couldn''t find anything where I could put it into. I''d just have to carry it like this until I had my pouch.


    "Then, thank you for helping me."


    "No need to thank me. I saw some nice things, so I consider it worth it."


    She gave me a thumbs up. Just what did she think was worth?


    "Rather, you should make sure you''re back in time. Should I tell the Captain?"


    "Nn, please do."


    "Got it, then, have a nice trip."


    "Thanks."


    I walked away from the practice fields, went to the tent where I woke up at, grabbed my robe and a pouch and sneaked out of the mercenary camp.


    This was something I had to do alone.


    The slums were full of life. A lot more than the days prior. Many people were running around, often forgetting to cover their faces with the hoods of their robes. Some pulled their families along, some their lovers. They all knew something had happened. Their oppressors were gone.


    I didn''t know what had happened exactly when Lily and Karen saved the girls and barely anyone could even guess what had happened after we escaped, but the result was obvious. The lord was gone. The hoodlums were gone. The danger was gone, mostly. People sought a better life and now was their best chance at it.


    I walked down the streets and the alleyways. I didn''t know the way as well as Karen did, not even remotely, but I knew them well enough to reach my destination. On the way, I even spotted the old men that distributed food to those in need. I had no idea where the food came from or why they distributed it, but many people were thankful to them. And I was glad they didn''t have to pay with their lives. Now, they could once again help everyone here.


    I reached a more deserted part of the slums. Only a few people walked around here but still more than usual. The buildings all looked like they might collapse any second, some were only holding together because something else prevented them from falling over.


    It didn''t take long for me to find my way to my destination. A small wooden hut with only a single room. I spent the majority of the week in this little room. Thinking back, I was in quite an embarrassing state. With barely any clothes on my body, I scraped for whatever food I could find together with Karen. Then in our moment of need, we found a solution. We got food and hope. Karen took a gamble to save her sister. And she won. I was also now posing as her little sister. Lily said I would still need to be her little sister, yet Rina looked energetic and fine. But only time could tell the scars she would carry with her from now on.


    We also had a little embarrassing incident at the river. Later Lily carried me like a child and thanks to Wanda and Merim I had made a decision to protect Karen. And it wasn''t just Karen who I wanted to protect. Seeing Lily I understood, that she was also still someone that needed protection as well. I couldn''t leave her alone. She might be strong on the outside but she was still young on the inside. Not that I was actually that much older.


    But I was powerless. Without power, I couldn''t protect them. I was only here due to the hard work of many others. I did all I could, of course. I wasn''t going to say that my work amounted to nothing. Alas, it was too small. I was, simply speaking, weak. I wanted to be stronger. And yet, I also didn''t. Power was a scary thing. The ogres had power. The thugs had power. The church had power. And they all misused it. If I gained power, would I end up like them? Even if I didn''t, the power I gained would bring changes. Changes, I might not want. Still, if I didn''t look for it, I was likely to regret it.


    It was a truly conflicting feeling. Wanting power yet not. Wanting to protect yet be protected.


    I had fun with Emily, Maya and Sele. Even though they were around half my age, I got along well with them. They truly made me feel like a chick that still hadn''t left the nest of its parents. It was warm and comfortable. It made you think that everything will be fine, even if you didn''t do anything.


    "But, I can''t allow that, can I..."


    I stood in front of the wooden door. It was rotting at the corners and a good push was likely to break it down. Carefully, I extended my hand and pushed it open.


    The inside of the hut was small. The walls were broken, you could partly see the sky from a hole. And inside this small hut, someone was waiting for me.


    "Welcome, my dear Yumi."


    A high-pitched voice, clear like a bell. Yet, it gave a sense of unease. Like you''re facing something you shouldn''t.


    "... Are you the one who sent me these photos?"


    "That, I am. Did you enjoy them?"


    I looked at the figure in front of me. I couldn''t see much of their face except the smile. A wide smile. They were small, even smaller than I was, clothed in black. A black cone hat with a large brim hid the face. They were clothed like a witch that was popular in modern fiction. Additionally, I could see their pink hair flowing down to the waist.


    "I can''t say I enjoyed them... Where did you get these from?"


    "My, I made them?"


    The figure lifted the brim of the hat and I could now see their face clearly. A small girl with pink eyes and hair of the same colour. And a creepy, unmoving smile. For some reason, it sent a shiver down my spine.


    "You made them... just... who are you?"


    "Who am I, you ask? My, what a simple question, yet, it is hard to answer it. Truly, how should I go about it?"


    "... Just get to the point."


    "Not very talkative, are we? How sad. Your mother is truly sad."


    "You aren''t my mother."


    "Oh my, is this puberty? Must be that. Rebellious phase, I heard of it before. How saddening."


    "... Are you trying to make fun of me?"


    "A bit, yes. Enjoyment is important, you see. Especially if you''ve lived some time."


    Through the entire exchange, her expression hadn''t changed even once. Her tone might have changed, sounding sad, disappointed or astonished, but her face betrayed all of that.


    "Well, before you run away, I guess I''ll introduce myself."


    She lifted the hem of what looked like a skirt and curtsied.


    "I have many names and many titles, but you probably heard of me as Yumias la Freyr, the Grand Witch."


    "... Are you the one Lily talked about?"


    "Oh, Little Lily? Yes, she''s a cute girl, isn''t she? Still such a papa girl. She used to be that attached to me as well. There was even a time she called me mama. Oh, that made me happy."


    She stopped and her eyes stared right into mine.


    "But that''s not what you want to hear, right?"


    "... Why... do you have that photo... That photo of the other... world?"


    "Because I took it, simple as that."


    "What do you mean, took it?"


    "I went over, used a photo camera, made the photo, printed it out and brought it along. Ah, but of course I first made a photo from this hut. I didn''t want to make two trips."


    "... But... how?"


    "How what? How I made the photos? Or... how I went to the other world?"


    I could feel myself stiffening. She knew what I wanted to hear but she was messing around all she could.


    "Well, well, you see. Mh, I guess I should give you a little lesson first."


    "Lesson?"


    "Yes, a lesson, my dear. You see, everything is a bit, let''s say, complex. You know there exist two worlds. But in truth, there exists a plethora of different worlds. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands! And you see, they are forming a ring. Or rather multiple ones. A smaller ring is surrounded by a slightly larger one. Well, actually this is three-dimensional, so... maybe shell is a better word?  Hmm..."


    She was lost in thought for a moment, then she shrugged her shoulders.


    "Whatever, the point is, you have layers. Yes, that''s actually a good word, layers around a core. Anyway, these layers have a little kind of relationship. The outer layers are weak and brittle, far away from the source, the source that grants them their souls, their magic, their very existence, yes. The farther away the layer is, the less the worlds in that layer gain from the source. Now, your world wasn''t particularly far away, it''s just one layer further away than this world, but it is still in a different layer. In a layer farther from the source, no less."


    She gestured exaggeratingly, trying to show a core and its layers.


    "Now, the source grants them magic and souls, that''s a very subtle, very weak and slow progress. But one day, the source would run out of power like that, right? So, it takes back some of that energy at a similarly slow but steady rate. Now, these flows can be ridden, you see. And by riding them you can go to the outer layers or the inner layers. Unfortunately, you won''t be able to return to your world like that. Just telling you in advance."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Your soul has become too strong already."


    "Too strong?"


    "Yes, too strong. If you were to enter the world like that, the world would try to destroy you. And that would be the end for you. The ultimate end. Your soul goes poof!"


    She motioned a sphere and the exaggeratedly showed it bursting, accompanied by a popping sound she made.


    "If you were to go to the inner layers, no problem, but the outer layers are too much for you. Your soul would need to grow even stronger to make sure the world can''t get rid of you. And that would take hundreds, or more like thousands of years. Maybe even tens of thousands. I don''t know."


    "So basically, if I go there, I''d die."


    "Yes."


    Was all this exposition on it really necessary then?


    I kept my complaint. Still, it might be of some use maybe that she told me this. One day, maybe.


    "Ah, but if you miss your family, I can bring them over, yeah? They won''t be able to go back either, but you just need to take care of them, right?"


    "You! Don''t you dare do that!"


    "So you don''t want to see them anymore? You''ve been so heroically talking about family and saying your goodbye just earlier, didn''t you?"


    "That''s something different."


    "Is it, though? Well, I won''t force you. Actually, you have no say in the matter anyway, so there''s nothing to force."


    "... Keep my family out of this."


    "My, you don''t even remember them yet you are so overprotective. How precious. And for all you know... Maybe they are already here?"


    "You!"


    I took a step forward and Yumias started laughing, holding her stomach.


    "Ahahaha, you''re great. It was just a joke, a joke, my dear. My, how nice. But really, dear. That''s not all you want to know, right? There are still other things, aren''t there? Things you are dying to know?"


    This girl was absolutely messing with me. But she was also the only source of information I had right now. I had to control myself. If I didn''t, I might never get a chance again.


    "... Who was it... that... changed me... and how did I come here?"


    "Oh, my. That answer is simple. Me. And me."


    "... What?"


    "Ah, you see. I was bored and I saw this cute young man spouting some stupid stuff like ''Ahhh, I want to be a cute little girl in my next life!''"


    She tried impersonating a man''s voice.


    "Actually, sounded more like a stupid pervert. But well, I thought, if he wanted to be one that much that he asked to be a little girl in his next life, why not grant it to him now? So I did, yes."


    I was speechless. Because of such a stupid reason? She just did it... out of a whim?


    "Well, I understand that many make wishes like that, yes? I mean, I heard even more ridiculous ones, way more ridiculous ones. One guy wanted to be someone else''s testicle. Like, what? Well, he''s now a testicle as he wanted. Just not a human''s. I hope he''s happy."


    "... Do you always play with people like that?"


    "My, no. Only on rare occasions. Even I know it''s not a nice thing to do. But sometimes you want to make a little bit of mischief, no?"


    "I don''t think this counts as a ''little bit of mischief''"


    "My, don''t be such a killjoy. Aren''t you pretty happy right now?"


    "That is..."


    "I can assure you one thing, you''re currently happier than before."


    "Eh?"


    "My, my, you don''t remember? Oh right, your memories are gone. Mhm, I remember. Mh, that''s a bit of a problem, yes. I forgot to pay attention to that detail. That requires some adjustments in my plan, doesn''t it?"


    "... What plans?!"


    Was she planning on messing even more with me?


    "Oh, no need to be so alarmed. I''ll mostly let you do your own thing. I did intervene a bit, yes, here and there. I mean, I did drop you at a place with Little Lily and the Silver Guide. I made sure you got into an environment where you wouldn''t die immediately. Aren''t I nice? Aren''t I good? Aftercare is my speciality!"


    Listening to this girl was giving me headaches. Did she seriously believe in all of that?


    "Who is the Silver Guide?"


    "Ah, that. You know, how in a game there''s often this character at the beginning that guides the protagonist? Your little love, Karen was her name,  I think? She reminded me of those. So I just started calling her that. No deeper meaning. Probably."


    She nodded to herself, seemingly satisfied.


    "Ah, but there''s something I have to tell you. I called you here after all. Consider it a little bonus. A bonus!"


    Then she disappeared completely from my field of view. The next moment my chest was burning up. Really badly burning up.


    I collapsed to the ground and grasped my chest in pain.


    "Oh my, that hurts a bit more than I expected, it seems."


    "Haaa.... Haaa... Whaaatt... Did youu... Doo?"


    I tried asking a question between my wheezing and heavy breathing.


    "Nothing much. I just gave you a little help. You are, after all, a monster. It would be boring if you don''t make use of that."


    Just what did she do. My chest was on fire.


    "You seem to lack some little drive, so I gave you a bit. You are after all a tentacle monster. Yes, a tentacle monster! Don''t you understand your job? Go and attack some cute girls! Ah, but I''m not actually expecting you to do that, don''t worry. But you seemed to have a bit of a lack of understanding about what you are and what you can do, so I just burnt it into your soul crystal. Now you''ll never forget it again! Well, you never knew so you never forgot in the first place."


    Slowly, the fire was subsiding. I looked up.


    And was scared.


    I didn''t know what had happened just now but I could see the mana everywhere a lot more clearly now. And I could see the thing in front of me.


    This is no person! This is a fucking monster!


    There was no mana in this person. Like a hole, like a black stain she stood there, rejecting all mana, destroying all mana. I vaguely remembered someone saying that mana was contained in every living being, and yet, this thing in front of me defied this rule. When I tried to look at her, to sense the mana around her, I felt pure danger. Like something trying to suck me in. And then to devour me.


    "Oh? You look quite scared, mhm. I thought you could see it already, but I guess I was wrong. Well, that''s a bit of a bad side-effect. But it''ll be okay. I won''t eat you."


    She assured me, but it sounded empty to my ears.


    The girl, Yumias, turned around, her back facing me now.


    "Well then, my child. Until we meet again."


    A strong wind suddenly blew into my face and I had to close my eyes. When I opened them next, I was in front of the mercenary camp.


    What happened just now?


    I tried standing up, but only now I noticed how my legs were shivering, making it hard to stand up. Ultimately, I still managed to get up, carefully.


    Let''s return... Karen and Lily are waiting... Ah, and maybe Rina as well. Surely, Maya, Emily and Sele are waiting as well. Maybe they''ll sulk. I still didn''t get to apologise. Let''s return.


    Then, it dawned on me.


    Returning... Ah, it''s like that, isn''t it? Let''s return home, to my family.


    Every person has a story to tell. It might be the story of their life until now, their present struggles or their dreams for the future. Everyone has a story to tell. Karen and Rina were exiled from their home country for being a type of manakin that went against their religious belief. Lily was picked up by mercenaries and raised by them. Emily was found all alone in a forest, Maya grew up with the mercenaries without parents, Sele was abused by her parents and they gave her away. Wanda was a seamstress in the slums. Even the young woman I only met shortly, Lune, was taking care of children and called an orphanage mother. Surely, Korwen, Merim and Fenna had a story to tell as well. And the captain of the Black Guards too. There are little stories everywhere. Connecting with people means becoming a part of their story. And they, becoming a part of your own story. That''s why it is important to listen to their stories. For they are part of your own. Even if they come all at once, even if nobody wants to tell them, listen to them. Listen to every story that is being told and remember them. And then, tell your own story. For your own story, is part of theirs. And one day, you might be able to say: ''Please listen to this story, to our story. The story of our life. The story of our struggles and our dreams.''


    That you may remember our story for a long, long time. For our story, is now part of your own story.


    Yumi


    Rinne


    Thank you all for reading. Really.


    This is the first time I published a web novel and also the first time I wrote something this long, so I am sure there are quite a few mistakes.


    That makes me feel even more grateful to you all that have read this far, are still reading or will read this in the future.


    With that said, there''s something I want to tell you all. No, I won''t stop writing, it''s too much fun for that.


    I have set up a patreon page. If you feel like you want to support me a little, you can do that on patreon now. And for the price of a coffee (or rather two) you can read a bit ahead. There''s at the moment only one chapter to read, though. Once I write a few more chapters I might be able to offer more.


    This won''t affect my regular Sunday schedule at all. Actually, it will, because I now have the next chapter already finished and can upload it here on time. No more praying I actually finish on Sunday and not in the middle of the night. Hurray!


    Regardless of patreon, you can also support me by clicking that favourite button, rating the story or maybe even writing a review. Or a comment. I might not answer them always but I do read all your comments and I am really happy about them.


    And that''s it from me.


    Again, thank you for reading. I hope you will continue following Yumi''s little tale, as it is far from ending.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Begin of a Journey

    "Yumi, save me!"


    "I''m sorry, I can''t help you there..."


    Lily, our resident disaster, was begging for my support.


    "Lily, this is your punishment. Deceiving us was no good."


    "I''m sorry, I already said I''m sorry, so please, let me go..."


    "No."


    I glanced behind me and watched the little spectacle. Lily was firmly grasped by Karen and Rina and they were thoroughly enjoying her fluffy ears and tail. It made a bit jealous and I wanted to join if I was honest.


    "Ahh, so smooth... I could play with them all day..."


    "Please, don''t... They''ll feel sore if you do that."


    A sigh escaped me when I thought about how I wanted to join.


    "Yumi, you stopped..."


    "Oh, I''m sorry. Here, better?"


    "Mmm! Better."


    I pet the fluffy head on my lap. Quickly after my return, I was captured by Maya and Emily. They dragged me around to play with them and also to talk. Just as expected, Maya was a beastkin girl. Emily''s actual race was still a mystery. Maya didn''t know either. Apparently, I really had to ask one of the magician trio later.


    Now, after that was cleared up Maya demanded that I listen to one demand from them to make up for running away earlier. Emily wanted to take a bath with us but unfortunately for her, they had already packed up the tent and the facilities. I still had to promise her that we''d all take one together as soon as we had the chance. Maya wanted me to spoil her rotten. She reminded me a little bit of a cat with the way she assertively occupied my lap and demanded petting.


    I had been doing that easily for an hour already by the time Karen, Rina and Lily came over. Lily looked exhausted but also a bit happy. Her eyes were red and it was clear that she had cried quite a bit. Her wide smile told me all I needed to know though. She had succeeded.


    Well, a father is naturally weak against his daughter''s tears, isn''t he... I am still a bit surprised that it really worked.


    When I thought about it, that had been quite the questionable advice I had given her. Maybe the alcohol had affected me more than I expected but I really thought it was the best method at the time.


    Fortunately, it worked all out. The end justifies the means, was it?


    Anyway, those three had been looking for me. Apparently the last preparations to set off were being made and we should move to one of the wagons. Yes, wagons. There were several dozens of large wagons made of metal and wood pulled by ox-like creatures. Each wagon was adorned with the emblem of the mercenary band, a Dragon fighting against several mercenaries. Most of these wagons would contain supplies but a few were used for everyone who was unlikely to be able to march the entire day. And fortunately, they had included us in that group. Technically Lily should have been fine with walking but nobody said anything.


    We were led to one wagon where we found Sele already waiting for us. She was carrying a small bag on her shoulder that was filled to the brim. According to Maya and Emily, they had collected all their belongings prior and stowed them into a small crate. That crate would be carried along with the supplies. Neither I nor Karen and Rina had any belongings that we weren''t already carrying so we didn''t know about that. Lily apparently had quite a few things that were in the care of the Black Guards though.


    Speaking of belongings, I tried to return Lily''s pendant but when Karen heard that it was the magic item that was used to hide her appearance, she swiftly confiscated it. Lily argued that Karen didn''t talk about her being a demonkin either. I thought we had told her but apparently hadn''t done so. Of course, that caught Karen a bit off-guard, but she was so fixated on the fluffy ears in front of her that she didn''t want to give in.


    "Yumi... More..."


    "Nn, is here good?"


    "Yeeeessss..."


    I scratched Maya behind her ears. It was amusing how pleased she was with that. If she started purring now, it would be perfect. In the meantime Emily had occupied my right side and was sleeping peacefully, using my shoulder as a pillow. She was so energetic but without anything to do, she fell asleep really quickly. Her breathing sounds were calming.


    My left side was occupied by Sele. She wasn''t using me to sleep but she leaned on me with her back and was reading a book. The small bag she was carrying revealed a dozen or so books. Clearly, she knew how to kill time on her own.


    Being restrained from three sides and having my freedom of movement stolen, all I could do was watching Lily being fluffed. Well, I had my own fluffy girl right here, but I kind of wanted to play with Lily too. Or, even better, play with both of them at once.


    "Yumi! I can''t go on anymore."


    Lily was pleading for help. But what did she expect me to do now?


    "Lily... Give it up. I can''t help you either."


    "No way..."


    I sighed. Maybe I should at least attempt it.


    "Sis, didn''t you play with her enough for now?"


    "No, I didn''t. I mean, aren''t you angry?"


    "Not really? I think it is unreasonable of us to expect that she tells us her secrets after barely a day."


    "Uhh... You''re not wrong, but I still can''t accept it."


    I turned to Rina and tried to at least get her on my side.


    "Rina, how about you?"


    "Me? Whether I''m angry? I don''t even really know what this is about, but I like her tail!"


    Ah, this girl was no good. She didn''t even think about it. She just wanted to play with Lily''s tail.


    Speaking of tails, Lily''s tail was quite fluffy while Maya''s resembled more a cat''s. Then there was also Karen''s own tail. That reminded me.


    "Rina... Do you also have a tail?"


    "Me? I do."


    She fiddled with the clothes she was wearing and a black long tail appeared, looking basically the same as Karen''s. Long, black with an inverted heart at the end and a silver tip.


    "Mh... There''s a lot of tails here."


    Four girls with tails. Emily and Sele didn''t seem to have any, but I didn''t notice it with any of them, so for all I knew they could have one too. Was this some kind of Tail Association? I nearly felt jealous.


    "On a more serious topic, what is Lafria Kingdom like?"


    I turned to Lily who was still being sexually harassed. Unfortunately, she was too busy to listen to my question.


    Wait, Rina? Where is your hand going there?


    "Hya?!"


    Maybe her curiosity got the better of her but she tried to put her hands into Lily''s clothes. It caused Lily to make a cute shriek.


    "Rina, we have children here, you should stop there."


    "Oh, sorry, Big Sis. I''ll stop for now."


    Karen quickly put a stop to Rina''s questionable advances. But she said ''for now''. That meant she would do it some other time.


    Sensing her chance Lily escaped Karen''s and Rina''s grasps and scurried over to me.


    "Finally..."


    "You did your best there."


    "You could''ve helped me..."


    "And how was I supposed to do that? I can''t move from here and I did try to persuade them."


    I looked down on Maya. We still hadn''t continued our talk from this morning, but there were quite a few people around and I didn''t want them all to listen to it. We were currently in the wagon with the seven of us and a few other women, most notably Ria and Korwen''s wife. I didn''t recognize any of the others. There wasn''t much space inside but it was still comfortable enough. The ride was surprisingly smooth as well, which surprised me a bit.


    "Back to my question, what is Lafria Kingdom like?"


    "Lafria Kingdom, huh..."


    Karen and Rina, hopefully satisfied, sat down next to us, looking towards Lily. They probably were curious as well.


    "It''s a rather big country, primarily inhabited by beastkin. They have a kind of monarchy. There''s the King at the top and below that the aristocracy. But there''s also a council made up by the common folk that can decide on various matters. When I visited with the Black Guards it was a really open country. Their culture has a lot of festivals and celebrations. They are also really open towards other races so you see everything from demonkin, humans and beastkins to fairies and gnomes. That does cause plenty of trouble, of course, but you don''t have to hide just because you aren''t a human. And public safety is actually quite good despite that."


    "Huh... Sounds nice."


    "It is at least better than this shithole. But I think most countries are better than this one."


    "Well..."


    I didn''t see much outside of the slums here so I couldn''t really judge it. But based on what I heard it wasn''t really a pleasant place to live at. Even if you were a human.


    "What stands out the most in the Lafria Kingdom are the Academy and the Military School, I guess. They are pretty famous. You already heard of the Academy from Korwen."


    "I did, but Military School?"


    "Yes, it''s a large training facility for the army. They often do exhibitions and public exercises, so they get quite the exposure to the public. Every time the Academy invents something they are also the ones to conduct field tests. Those are often public as well, so many people come to watch. When we visited they tried to test a large cannon, basically a bigger version of the pistol. When they tried to fire it, though, it exploded and caused a huge commotion. Nobody got injured but still. I was quite small at the time so I was really scared."


    A scared Little Lily. I wanted to see that.


    "I want to see that," said Rina.


    "Well, it''s likely we can watch some of their exercises if we ask Korwen I''m sure he''ll let us go."


    "Ohh! Then I can watch a scared Lily!"


    "So that''s what you wanted to see?! I''m not scared that easily anymore!"


    "Ehh... But I''m sure it''ll be cute. Just like earlier!"


    I could understand that feeling. I wanted to see that too.


    Wait, earlier?


    "What do you mean with earlier."


    "Ah, Yumi, you see..."


    "Don''t tell her!"


    Karen tried to explain but Lily immediately put a stop to it.


    "Ehh, but it was really cute."


    "Don''t. Tell. Her."


    "She will find out anyway. Half the camp saw it. Do you want her to hear it from others or from us?"


    "That is..."


    Maybe it caught their curiosity but Maya and Sele turned towards Lily as well.


    "You see, Little Sis, she went to her papa and cried in front of everyone when he said he would leave her here and go away. It made me feel really sorry for her. But it was so cute. I want to keep her!"


    Damn, and I missed that. I wanted to see it too!


    But was Rina really referring to me as ''Little Sis'' now? Well, it was fine, maybe?


    "Uhh... Forget you saw that! Forget it!"


    "I don''t think I can. After that scary lady persuaded her papa and he agreed to come along, she was so happy. She jumped at him and shouted ''Papa, I love you!'' without any regard for her surroundings. It was so adorable!"


    "Forget it! Especially that! Forget it!"


    "No way!"


    Those two got along well, didn''t they? Karen smiled at the two, who were now grappling each other. Was Lily trying to make her forget forcefully?


    "Rina seems quite fine,"  I whispered towards Karen.


    "Yes, thanks to you and Lily. I was sure she''d be a lot worse off. I am really happy. But, in between, I can see she''s still a bit scared."


    "I would be surprised if not. I guess we shouldn''t leave her alone."


    "I agree. Thank you, Yumi."


    "You''ve thanked me more than enough already."


    "No matter how often I do, it will never be enough."


    "You are way too serious about this, Sis... Let''s leave it at that, okay?"


    "... I understand. I''ll leave it at that for now."


    "More importantly..."


    "Yes?"


    "I promised Lily that we''d all sleep together tonight."


    I told her about the promise I had made earlier with Lily. When I said that, someone else pulled on me, though.


    "But Yumi! What about us?"


    Maya, who had stayed silent until now enjoying my petting, complained and Sele next to me nodded vigorously in agreement.


    "Well..."


    What to do? I already promised Lily.


    "How about we just sleep all together, then?" suggested Karen.


    Maya furrowed her brows a bit.


    "Let''s sleep all together, okay Maya? I already promised Lily and I don''t want to break that promise."


    "Mmm... Okay."


    She gave in quickly, thankfully. I scratched her a bit more strongly and she smiled happily. Maybe she was quite easy to please, after all. As long as I gave her some attention.


    But everyone sleeping together would become quite a mess. Seven people were no joke.


    Let''s just pray I survive the night. Good thing we still have some time until evening.


    I heard from Korwen''s wife that we would be travelling until the sun went down, then we''d make a stop and take a break while having dinner. After that, we would continue travelling for the night. In the morning there''d be another break for breakfast and for the monsters that were pulling the wagons. The next break would be for dinner again. Apparently, we''d continue this until we crossed the border.


    But really, how do you pass the time if you just sit around in a wagon...


    At some point, I must have fallen asleep again as someone was shaking me gently to wake me up.


    Opening my eyes I was greeted with Karen''s smiling face.


    "We''re making a stop, so you should come out. Dinner''s ready."


    "Oh... Is it that time already?"


    Did I really sleep that much?


    I tried lifting myself up but couldn''t. There was someone grasping on me and prevented me from standing up.


    "Sele? Sele, wake up."


    I tried shaking her but she didn''t even budge.


    "I tried waking her too but she didn''t let go of you, no matter what I did..."


    "How troublesome, where are the others?"


    "Everyone is outside already. Only you and Sele were still sleeping."


    "I see..."


    I remembered the methods that Emily had told me to wake Sele up.


    I don''t want to strip her, though... And I barely know anything about her books so I can''t whisper those things into her ear...


    Stripping her would probably also take way too much time. That only left one valid option outside of tickling. I felt along my thigh and found the small knife that was still strapped onto it.


    "Speaking of which, shouldn''t I return this to Rina?"


    "Ah... Well, you should speak with her about it, at least."


    "I see."


    "But why did you take the knife out now?"


    "To wake her up."


    "Yumi... I hope you aren''t intending on stabbing her."


    "Of course not."


    I was intending to cut myself. Karen had said my wounds healed quickly so a small cut shouldn''t be an issue. That''s what I told myself.


    "..."


    "Yumi, I can see you want to cut yourself... But looking away while your hand is trembling like that can only end in a disaster."


    "... But it''s scary."


    Cutting myself was scary. Even if I knew it wouldn''t be a big issue. Something prevented me from actually doing it.


    "Could you tell me why you are trying to cut yourself?"


    "Emily said Sele wakes up immediately if she smells blood."


    "That''s a rather... unique way to wake someone..."


    "I agree... But apparently, she doesn''t wake up unless you do some... questionable things."


    Karen furrowed her brows.


    "Questionable things?"


    "Nn... Emily said they... usually strip her naked. Then she''ll wake up after some time."


    "... I agree... That is questionable."


    "Nn..."


    "And smelling blood will wake her up?"


    "She said so, yes."


    "... But why?"


    "I don''t know?"


    I really didn''t. Was Sele some kind of vampire? Speaking of which, I wondered whether vampires actually existed here.


    "How weird."


    "Nn, but we still have to wake her up now..."


    "I guess so... Give me the knife."


    "Okay?"


    I handed over the knife.


    "Well, here we go."


    She put her own finger on the blade and slid it down.


    "Wait, Sis? Why did you cut yourself?"


    "I won''t allow you to hurt yourself."


    She put the cut finger in front of Sele''s face. A small red droplet was forming on top of it. Nearly immediately, Sele latched onto her finger and began sucking on it.


    "Ohh... This actually... Feels nice."


    "Sis..."


    Karen started squirming slightly. I felt like an idiot being worried for a moment. But, I was a bit happy that she worried about me, even if it would probably heal quickly. Alas, I wished she would understand that I was just as worried about her. I didn''t want her to hurt herself either.


    "Mhh... Mh..."


    Sele continued sucking on her finger for a moment until she let go and licked it clean. The wound was barely visible anymore on her finger.


    The little demonkin girl opened her eyes and stared sleepily at us.


    "Mmm... Morning..."


    "It''s evening already, Sele."


    "... Evening..."


    "Good Evening. You awake?"


    "... Awake..."


    She leaned onto me with a smile. Karen helped us with getting up and we left we wagon together. Sele seemed in an oddly good mood.


    "Yumi! Yumi! You''re up!"


    "Yumi, Karen, come here before the food is gone."


    Emily and Lily stood next to a big pot and waved towards us. Maya was sitting close to them and engrossed in eating her food. Next to her, Rina poked inside the bowl she was holding as if she was inspecting something suspicious.


    "Rina, playing with food is bad manners," Lily scolded her when saw that.


    "Eh? Oh, sorry! I''ll eat. I''ll eat!"


    Lily looked quite energetic again. That made me happy but also a bit sad. Though it seemed that Karen still hadn''t returned the pendant to her. Or maybe she wasn''t using it? It''d be nice if she was trusting us enough in that case.


    "Those two get along, don''t they?"


    "They do. I barely looked away and Lily started taking care of Rina. Or rather, Rina started bothering her."


    Karen looked a bit annoyed. She barely got her little sister back and then Lily intruded and monopolised her.


    "Here you go, Yumi, Karen."


    Lily handed us both each a bowl. It looked like some kind of a mix between a stew and soup. Some pieces of meat could be found within.


    "Thank you."


    "Yumi, when you are done, Korwen and Merim wanted to talk with you."


    "Okay. I''ll go over afterwards."


    We all sat down. Someone had taken all the trouble to bring out a table and a few benches, so we occupied the remaining free space and began eating.


    "This is... quite good."


    "It is, I haven''t eaten something warm like this in such a long time."


    "... You did your best, Sis."


    After eating mostly hard bread and meat jerky in the slums, Karen was truly looking blissful eating some warm food.


    You endured well, Sis.


    Rina also started eating and was similarly showing a happy expression. She probably hadn''t gotten any decent food either in all this time.


    We ate our food in peace with little conversation. Everyone was too engrossed in actually eating. Once we were done I left them to look for Korwen and Merim. There was some resistance from Maya but I promised to play with her later. But now, finding Korwen was more important.


    We had quickly made ourselves comfortable in the wagon so I didn''t have an overview of the entire caravan but it was truly astonishing. Many dozens of wagons and were standing on the road and next to them were the mercenaries being merry, eating food or drinking alcohol.


    Korwen and Merim were, as expected, near the front of the caravan. It didn''t take long to find them, mostly because there were fewer people and less merry shouting.


    "Yumi, good you came here. We have to talk a bit," said Korwen when he spotted me.


    "Nn. What was it that you wanted to talk about?"


    "Take a seat first, we aren''t in a hurry."


    "Nn."


    If you were told to take a seat that usually meant it would take some time, and somehow I had the feeling it wasn''t a good talk.


    It''s like when your parents found out about your bad tests and want to have a talk. I hope it''s not something like that...


    "I''m not going to scold you don''t worry, but I do want to talk about what we''re going to do from now on, especially regarding you."


    "Shouldn''t Karen and Lily be here then as well?"


    "It mostly concerns you, so it''s okay."


    "Haa..."


    He took a sip from the jug that was in front of him.


    "It''s basically about how we will integrate you all into the mercenaries. You know, we have a hierarchy and it''s important to follow it."


    "Nn."


    "And the hierarchy basically goes down a ladder. In any case, the problem is how I deal with you three in particular. First of all, you three all have magic talent or are already able to use magic. I want to include at least Lily in our standing magician force. Though I call it like that, she''s basically on her own with the other three idiots. Depending on how we organise the Black Guards their magician may join up as well, though. Anyway, with so few, there''s not much in the way of hierarchy so we generally just have them answer mainly to me and Merim."


    So Lily was basically able to do her own thing. That might be better, she didn''t seem like someone that could do well working with strangers.


    "The next one up is Karen... She isn''t able to use magic yet so I want her to study under Ria and Lily, so she''ll be in the same spot as Lily, but treated more like an apprentice."


    He took another sip of his beverage.


    "The problem, now, is you."


    "Me?"


    "Yes, you''re troubling me a bit. You''re a monster so you can use magic, but you aren''t a traditional magician either. I am thinking of putting you with the magicians, but before I decide, I wanted to talk with you first. I do have some other ideas as well, after all."


    "Huh..."


    If I was with the magicians I could stay with Karen and Lily so I obviously would prefer that as well.


    "That''s why, I want to hear what you even are, exactly. I only know you are some kind of monster, but neither Wenners nor Krutz could even guess what you are exactly. I also want you to take a little test in the coming days to see what things you can do, of course, but a general idea would be good already."


    "Well..."


    How should I tell him now that I was a kind of tentacle monster? Should I just go ahead and tell him bluntly? Or should I try to subtly avoid it? But that would only lead to trouble in the long run. Maybe I should just be honest here, right?


    "That is... I''m..."


    "You are?"


    "Tentacle..."


    "... Tentacle?"


    "... Nn."


    "You aren''t trying to tell me you are a tentacle monster? Like, a roper?"


    "... I am."


    He rubbed his temple when he heard that.


    "Okay, so... You are a tentacle monster... Okay, but... Where are the tentacles?"


    Obviously, he would ask that, wouldn''t he? I just hoped he wouldn''t ask me to actually show it to him.


    "It seems you are troubled by it but I still need to know."


    "I can... change part of my body. And my hair is effectively like it as well."


    "Hmm... "


    He folded his hands in front of him and closed his eyes. He was thinking about it, no doubt.


    When he finally opened his eyes again he looked a bit troubled.


    "Well, I guess that is a bit troublesome. I''ll decide what to do after we do the test, then. But... Tentacle monsters are also rather dangerous in general, which is a bit of an issue, now."


    "An issue?"


    "Yes. You are basically a wild monster. And a wild monster is dangerous. Especially those of dangerous categories like a tentacle monster."


    "Huh..."


    Were they considered more dangerous than those ogres? Well, I haven''t really seen many monsters outside of those ogres...


    "Confused?"


    "A bit... Why are they considered that dangerous?"


    "There are a few reasons but the main reason is, that they multiply quickly. There aren''t many monsters that are actively trying to breed but for tentacle monsters, it usually is even more important than finding food. They generally kidnap females of various races and turn them into seedbeds. They do take males as well, though. Mainly for food. Within a week, a single roper can become a few dozen ropers assuming he finds enough females. In addition to that, they like humanoid females a lot, since they are stronger than most animals and still more common than strong monsters or magic beasts, who are more of a danger to the roper itself anyway."


    "That''s..."


    "Not so nice, right? Thankfully, ropers are nonetheless rare, but they are treated as a disaster should they be found. And the same can be said about nearly all of the tentacle monsters. Another trait they usually share is, that they are dangerous in combat. Nearly all of them possess high regeneration capabilities and some additionally use poison to attack. Killing even one is a pain.


    "..."


    I was left speechless. I figured that they could be a nuisance and dangerous to women, but I never thought it was this bad.


    "That''s why people will treat you as just as dangerous. And obviously, just bringing such a creature into a city is an absolute no-go."


    "Haa... Does that mean, I can''t enter?"


    "Not necessarily... There''s a way."


    He turned towards Merim, who was sitting at the side and kept silent until now.


    "Merim, bring me that thing."


    "Are you sure? Well then..."


    Merim stood up and walked away, only to come back with something black in his hands, which he gave to Korwen.


    "Lafria has some rules regarding monsters, you see... As long as a dangerous monster is properly controlled, they can enter the city along with their tamer. That''s why I have to ask you to wear this. As long as you wear it somewhere on your body, it should be fine."


    He handed me the black thing.


    "A collar... Really?"


    "Yes, really. If you don''t you will again be unable to enter the city. And in the worst case, people may try to hunt you down anyway."


    "Uhh... But if I hide my mana wouldn''t that be enough?"


    "Even if you learn it, Lafria has better technology than the Akkian Empire, courtesy of the Academy. They''ll find out quickly. It might be enough to hide outside the city, though."


    He looked quite troubled by this as well. I did wonder a bit whether that was really enough, though. He just told me how dangerous a tentacle monster generally was, so if it were me, I wouldn''t allow them into the city regardless of whether they are controlled or not.


    "Optimally we can ask to make a special exception for you, but hiding you is impossible either way unless you want to keep outside the city for the entire time. And we''ll be staying quite long, hopefully."


    "Uhh..."


    "Well, we can have Karen register as your tamer, so just get her to pour some mana into that thing and wear it somewhere. That shouldn''t be all too bad, should it?"


    "Well, I guess... I could accept that."


    I held up the collar. It was thick and sturdy, with a mana crystal embedded in the front. Where was I even supposed to wear this...


    "The collar can be a bit adjusted in size."


    "That''s good to know."


    I turned my attention back to Korwen.


    "Are you sure this is fine, though? You just told me how dangerous tentacle monsters are, so would they even allow me in even with the collar?"


    "It is, the Lafria Kingdom is pretty laid back about things, but they do take their security seriously. The tentacle monsters are mainly dangerous because they multiply quickly, so they aren''t as dangerous if you fight them before that happens. And it''s easy to keep a monster with a collar under observation inside the city so even if there was someone trying something nefarious, he would most likely be caught before the monster could become a menace."


    "Huh... So it''s like that."


    "Yes. Still, I want to see whether I can get them to recognize you as a person, in which case you would most likely be simply regarded as a dangerous magician. You will be more harshly judged if you get involved in some commotion then, but you can walk around alone and be judged according to humanoid laws."


    "That would be nice indeed."


    "It would be nice, yes, but you are rather unique after all. It might take some time."


    But at least there was some hope. I might be able to take back some of my human dignity.


    Regardless, Karen was sure to get angry about this. She cared for me, about which I was happy. I had to think of a way to explain this to her. At least, I knew now why he only called for me.


    Sly bastard, you shoved the work of explaining that to me.


    "Well, I think that was all for now. I''ll have Ria prepare some kind of test for you. If there are any issues, you can come to me or go to Merim. It''s also fine if you go to Fenna, she''s responsible for you and the girls we rescued until we properly dealt with everything."


    "Huh... Speaking of which, what happened to those girls?"


    "Them, huh... It''s best to ask Fenna about it. We''ll take care of them for now but we haven''t decided yet whether they''ll stay with us or not."


    "Is that so... but didn''t they have families back there?"


    "Some did, from what they told me. But... None of them wanted to return, not after everything they went through. It''s unlikely they''d be able to live a normal life anymore. A few of them are also... rather scared of the men. Not exactly surprising, I guess. That''s why I left them in her care for now."


    "..."


    That... was bad, wasn''t it? I remembered the sight of Fenna and her squad praying around those dead bodies, back down in that hideout.


    "There''s not much I can do, I''m sorry. But, if you find some time, I''d appreciate it if you and those three little rascals could visit them. It might cheer them up a bit."


    "Nn, I understand."


    After I nodded, Korwen sighed, most likely because of worry, or maybe because of his inability to help. It was hard to know.


    "Thank you. Now, get back. Those girls will worry if you stay here too long."


    "Nn."


    "Make sure you get some proper sleep, we''ll be travelling during the night as well, after all."


    "Will do."


    I waved goodbye to Korwen and Merim and left. With the collar in my hands, I returned to Karen and Lily. I had to think of a way to tell them.


    That reminds me, what about Rina? She has a mana crystal as well, right? ... Oh well, too late to ask now.


    Rinne


    I don''t have much else to say except thank you to those who decided to support me on patreon!


    I''d be happy if you continue to support Yumi, she''ll be really grateful! I''m sure!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Tentacle Report

    "Yumi... What is this..."


    "A collar."


    "And why do you have a collar in your hands?"


    "Because Korwen gave it to me."


    It was the expected result. Karen was extremely displeased by the collar. In contrast, Lily was quite curious.


    "And why did he give you a collar?"


    "... Because he believes I might need it."


    "You don''t."


    "No, Sis, you see..."


    "You don''t."


    "... Okay."


    Karen made her point clear before I even got to explain anything. I apologised in my heart to Korwen.


    "Well, Karen. Maybe you should listen to her first? I don''t think he would give her that collar without a reason."


    "Regardless of the reason, I don''t want that."


    "Well... Mh... Karen. Listen for a moment."


    Lily leaned over to her and whispered something into her ear. Most likely, she didn''t want me to hear it. I was even more convinced of that when Karen''s face grew red.


    "Lily! What are you saying?! I can''t allow that!"


    "But it might be your only chance, you know?"


    "..."


    "Think carefully. There are benefits as well. And Yumi herself doesn''t seem to be outright against it, right?"


    "Nn, well. It''s maybe a bit troubling but if it''s with Sis, I don''t mind."


    "See? You should seize the chance!"


    "Lily, shut up. You''re just trying to tempt me! I won''t fall for that!"


    "Well, but weren''t you bothered by the..."


    "Lily!"


    "Oops."


    "Sis was bothered by something?"


    "No, Yumi, I wasn''t bothered by anything!"


    No, that pretty much screamed that she was bothered. But she was bothered and it was likely related to me, wasn''t it?


    "Did I do something wrong?"


    "No, you didn''t!"


    "Haa..."


    It was related to me, wasn''t it? I wondered what it was about.


    "Anyway! Let''s forget that! Tell me why Korwen gave you that collar!"


    She tried to change the topic. I smiled wryly. It wasn''t a really good attempt but I decided to pretend it was fine. We had to talk about that anyway.


    "He said Lafria Kingdom would find out quickly that I am a monster and without the collar, I won''t be able to enter the city. Even if I were to hide my mana, it would be unlikely that I can slip through. He said he was hoping to get special permission for me to enter without but until then this would be the only method."


    "You won''t be able to enter the city? That is..."


    Karen looked a bit troubled. She understood why the collar was necessary now.


    "Still... Is there no other way? What about the special permission he was talking about?"


    "He isn''t even sure he''d be able to get it, so..."


    "Karen, a case like Yumi is pretty unique so I doubt they ever even thought of something like that happening. It may take forever and the chances are high that they''ll just reject it. Even if they gave permission, it would be difficult to exempt her everywhere, right?"


    "But... I still don''t like it."


    "Not to mention, we have to be cautious whether we want to even make a fuss about it. With the collar, she may just slip through without anyone noticing but if we make a fuss, the authorities will learn about her."


    "Uhh... But I don''t want Yumi to be treated like a slave or a pet."


    She was genuinely thinking about me. It really made me happy, but right now, we didn''t have many other options. Unless I stayed outside all the time.


    "You might not... have to worry about that," interjected someone suddenly from the side.


    Suprised, we turned around to see Ria taking a seat next to us.


    "What do you mean we have no need to worry?" asked Karen with a confused expression.


    "She won''t be treated like a slave or pet... You can just hide the collar... It''s not necessary to be worn on the neck... like a slave collar..."


    "It''s not?"


    "No... The collar works from anywhere... It''s just more convenient... To place it on the neck..."


    She was talking in a slow manner and looked like she was falling asleep any second.


    "In the first place... I doubt the collar will even work..."


    "It won''t?"


    I tilted my head. Why wouldn''t it?


    "Do you know... how the collar works?"


    "Well, no."


    "It doesn''t control the monster... It gives the monster an incentive to follow commands... It works because monsters follow their instincts... You would probably feel something from a command... But it wouldn''t be able to control you... Most likely..."


    She turned to me.


    "Then there''s also the consumption of mana... The collar needs mana like every other magic item... And the more powerful the monster... The more mana it needs... To fool it..."


    "I''m not particularly strong though..."


    "Strength... Is not necessarily something tangible..."


    "Nn?"


    What did she mean with that?


    "Don''t worry about it... Once you get the permission... You don''t have to worry about it... You can just keep the collar... And treat it as a toy..."


    No, why should I treat it as a toy? It''s a collar, I''m not into that kind of... No, I thought about it before, didn''t I? Does that mean I''m into that? No way. Have I possibly turned into some pervert?!


    Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Karen turned to Ria with a difficult to describe expression.


    "We just talked about it but what if they don''t give that kind of permission? Would they even consider it? And what if they find out about Yumi and they..."


    She stopped, swallowing her last words.


    "There is no need to worry about that... There were precedents... After all..."


    "A precedent?"


    Lily joined in as well.


    "Yes... You''ve talked with her already..."


    Ria''s gaze turned in the direction of four girls who were playing tag under the careful watch of Korwen''s wife and some other women. It was Rina with the three little ones.


    "Emily... That girl is a bit unique as well..."


    "Emily? That reminds me, she said she doesn''t know her own race..."


    "That''s right... We can only speculate as well... We believe she is related to the elven people. But considering she is of the size of any other humanoid... We believe she might be a high elf..."


    "A high elf? Aren''t those stuff from legends? They exist?"


    Lily''s reaction was full of surprise. Meanwhile, I was worried about something completely different.


    The size of any other humanoid? Are elves... not those blonde, blue-eyed, super handsome or beautiful people with long ears? Ah, Emily isn''t blonde though. But she is cute.


    "They certainly exist... We do know there are living ones around... But they either secluded themselves or went to a faraway place... The elven folk has stories about them... About their ancestors..."


    Ria took a waterskin out of her bag and took a sip. Lily looked completely dumbfounded.


    "They really exist?! Like, really?!"


    "They do..."


    "That''s... Amazing!"


    Nn? Did Lily... like stuff like this?


    Ria smiled wryly. Maybe Lily wasn''t the first one to ask her that. I was a bit surprised that Lily liked legends, though. Or maybe, she was the dreaming kind that loved fairytales? I was a bit interested in what kind of stories there were, so maybe I should ask her sometime about it.


    "I can tell you about them some other time... For now... Let''s talk about other things..."


    "Please do! I''d be glad to hear it!"


    "I will then... But for now... I wanted to tell you about the permission... They use a magic item... To discern people''s origin... It also detects monsters... But the magic item gives only alarm... When something unknown tries to pass... Generally... Manakin always cause it to go off... But rare races tend to do it too...  They have to be registered to the machine... And it stops going off when you pass... As manakin always have to be registered... As individuals..."


    "So, you say... They''d just have to register Yumi as safe in the magic item and everything would be solved?" asked Karen for confirmation.


    "That''s the case..."


    I wished she would just speak in full sentences. Following those half sentences was slowly becoming hard.


    "There was also... An uproar at the academy... They wanted to study her... Also... Emily is actually quite strong and wild... So she is classified as a dangerous magician now... Though she isn''t yet a magician... But Korwen made them shut up... So that should be fine too... "


    "Shut up, you say... But then, why did Korwen even give Yumi the collar? That sounds all pretty simple to me."


    "He doesn''t want to take chances... And he probably only consulted the tamers about the collar... I guess... They don''t know how it works in detail... They don''t have to either..."


    "Nn... So he just thought better safe than sorry?"


    "Yes... That is the... the... case..."


    "Miss Ria? Are you alright?!"


    "Ria... is enough... No... Miss..."


    "Nevermind that, are you fine?"


    "I''m... fine..."


    And with that, her head met the table with a loud bang.


    A few seconds later we could hear soft breathing, indicating she was asleep.


    "Did she... just fall asleep?"


    "I think so, Sis. That is... Amazing."


    "I agree. Right, Lily? Lily?"


    "..."


    We turned to the girl next to us who didn''t react. She was staring at the sky and lost in thought. Or maybe her dreams? We didn''t know.


    "Lily? Are you okay?"


    "Eh? Ah, I''m fine?"


    "Did you like the thought of elves that much?" I asked curiously.


    "High Elves! They are different! We''re talking about high elves! They are basically a legend, you know? You hear about them only from tales, where they help the hero. There''s barely anything known about them!"


    According to Ria, there were things known about them, though. But let''s not burst her bubble, her sparkling eyes were too adorable to look at.


    "Yes, Lily, calm down. We understand. For now, what should we do with her? And... With that?"


    Karen glanced at the collar that was still in my hands.


    "Well... How about we first talk to Korwen again? There''s still a lot of time until we reach Lafria, right?"


    "Nn, I guess we should."


    "So... You''re not going to wear it? I was kind of looking forward to it. Yumi with a collar..."


    "Lily..."


    In the end... She was still Lily. No matter what, she was still Lily.


    "Whatever, let''s get Miss Ria... or Ria... Into the wagon, okay? Lily, help me. Yumi, can you take her things and bring them along?"


    "Nn, will do."


    "Got it, Karen."


    We moved Ria into the wagon and put a blanket over and made sure she was comfortable. Then we returned back to the table and watched Rina playing with the girls. Which was a rather one-sided game. Rina had no chance against those three energy bundles. Especially not at tag.


    We watched them for a while without saying anything. We''d soon have to move again and I could see some people already stowing away the tables and everything.


    If I want to talk about that... I probably should do it now...


    I grabbed my pouch and took out the envelope I was given.


    "What is that Yumi? A letter?"


    "Nn... Well, something like that."


    Lily and Karen curiously observed how I opened the envelope and took out the photos.


    "What are those... Pictures? Wait, isn''t that the hut in the slums?"


    "Nn, that''s right."


    "Those pictures are good."


    "Those are photos."


    "What are photos?"


    "Nn... They are pictures made with a little machine... They were common at my place."


    "Huh... Wait, your place? But Yumi..."


    "Nn... They shouldn''t be here."


    Karen was confused and bewildered. Lily looked just as confused but somehow for a bit of a different reason.


    "What''s with that building, Yumi? It looks so... weird? Is it made of stone? Or wood?"


    "Ah... I think it''s mostly stone?"


    To be honest, I had no idea how these were built either. I probably never actually cared about it.


    "Stone... It looks really impressive... It''s not... carved from one stone, is it?"


    "I don''t think so, no... But I don''t really know the specifics either, sorry..."


    "Ah, no. I''m sorry for diverting the topic. I just never saw anything like that. Where did you even come from anyway? I did travel a fair bit but I''m sure buildings like this would at least cause rumours about them."


    "Eh?"


    She... didn''t know?


    No way? Let''s think for a moment... She knows I''m a monster, right? She found out by herself after all. Then... We never talked about everything else, did we?


    I looked over to Karen but she was stumped at her reaction too.


    "Lily... We never told you?"


    "Told me what?"


    "About me..."


    "Well, I know you''re a monster, that you''re 22-years-old and originally weren''t a girl?"


    "So, we never talked about everything else? I''m sorry, I was sure we did..."


    I held my head. We completely forgot that.


    "Well, then you can just tell me now? I thought you didn''t want to talk about it, so I never asked..."


    "... You''re right. Well, I guess it''s better if you know."


    And so, I finally told her everything that had happened up until we met.


    "Huh... A different world... That sounds cool."


    "You''re taking it rather easy, aren''t you?"


    "Well, there are many stories about otherworldly heroes and creatures. In addition, there''s occasionally rumours about heroes that were summoned from the heavens. They probably are mostly propaganda by the church but hearing your story, it might not be a complete lie..."


    "Other people that were summoned... I might want to meet them..."


    If they were from my world, I might get some information. It was unlikely they''d know anything about me though.


    Returning from the short thought I could see Karen''s face closing in with tears in her eyes.


    "Yumi! Don''t leave me!"


    "Eh? I won''t?"


    Why was she close to crying now?


    "Karen, doesn''t she just want to meet them cause she''s curious?"


    "But, what if Yumi wants to return?"


    Oh, so it was that. With a wry smile, I leaned over to Karen and hugged her.


    "I won''t leave you, Sis. True, I do want to know more about that place and about my missing memories, but I am quite happy here, you know? I don''t want to leave you."


    "Yu... Yumi!"


    She returned my hug and squeezed me strongly. It hurt but I pretended it didn''t. Sometimes, a strong hug was simply necessary.


    "You two, don''t forget me here..."


    With those words, I could feel someone pushing onto my back.


    "Lily?"


    "Ehehe, I won''t let you two exclude me anymore! You''re now my cute girls and I firmly declare my ownership!"


    "That''s not how it works... We''re not objects..."


    "Yumi is right. We''re not objects."


    "Don''t mind the details!"


    She squeezed us strongly.


    "I won''t ever let you two go!"


    "Lily, we are not going anywhere."


    "I won''t let anyone else take you either!"


    How dependable. I was squeezed between Karen and Lily and it was really warm, really comfortable.


    This must be heaven, right? There''s no way, I would ever give this up.


    But there was someone she was missing.


    "Lily, what about Rina? She''s Sis'' little sister."


    "That''s a weird way of phrasing it, somehow. Shouldn''t she be your sister as well then? But well..."


    She took a glance to the side. The four girls had stopped playing tag and were much like us sitting together and talking. Well, it looked mostly like Emily was the one doing the talking, but that was fine. It was just like her.


    "I don''t quite know yet... She''s nice, I like her, but..."


    I looked upward to gaze at Lily''s expression. Yet, I couldn''t quite figure out what kind of face she was making. It looked like a confused smile.


    "But?" asked Karen after a short pause.


    "I don''t know. She''s weird. I don''t know how to deal with her!"


    Weird? I didn''t think her particularly weird. And that she didn''t know how to deal with her? That surprised me a bit.


    Lily let us go and sprawled herself out on the table. In the process, she pushed the photos away so I quickly caught them.


    "So, Yumi? What''s up with those... photos? Considering Karen said one is the hut you were in... Did someone want to meet you?"


    Lily quickly changed the topic. It was convenient for me, so I overlooked it.


    "Nn... Lily. I met Yumias."


    "Eh? Yumias? You mean, you met mama?"


    "..."


    "..."


    She had barely spread herself out and then she was already back up due to the surprise. Karen and I were just slightly stumped at her choice of words.


    I thought that monster was joking when she said that Lily used to call her mama... That''s surprising... How cute.


    I had a vaguely distinct feeling that bringing that up with her ''papa'' wouldn''t end well, though. At least I honestly prayed that man''s eyes weren''t so bad that he would consider someone like that as his partner.


    Still, I was a bit curious about why Lily called her that.


    "Nn... I met her..."


    "... Ah."


    Maybe she noticed our reactions or she just realised it by herself, at least she went slightly red.


    "Eh... Yeah... So... What did ma... What did Yumias say?"


    "... It''s fine, Lily. You can call her mama. It''s fine."


    "..."


    She hid her face behind her hands now. It was fun, teasing her. It felt like I finally had the chance for payback.


    "Well then, I met Lily''s mama at that hut."


    "Yumi, you''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you?"


    I had a distinct feeling I asked that question just recently myself.


    "I want to see more of the cute, embarrassed Lily, so yes."


    Ah, she stopped reacting. Meanwhile, Karen had kept silent, thinking about something.


    "Hey, Yumi..."


    "Yes, Sis?"


    "I don''t quite understand why Lily is embarrassed now? Or the times before?"


    "..."


    "Isn''t it normal to call your parents affectionally?"


    "Well, it is. Nn."


    Ah, Karen wasn''t stumped at how Lily said it. Well, it probably wasn''t surprising, she hadn''t met the person herself. That thing screamed everything but parent.


    We looked at Lily who made herself as small as possible right now. Karen put a hand on her shoulder.


    "Lily. Isn''t it fine? You see them as your parents, right? So, shouldn''t you just treat them like that?"


    "Karen..."


    Her face resurfaced from behind her hands, there were some tears in the corners of her eyes. Maybe I overdid it a bit.


    "Sorry, Lily. I didn''t want to tease you that much. It was just so cute I couldn''t help myself."


    "Yumi, that''s not exactly a good excuse..."


    What else should I say then, Sis?


    Karen put an arm around Lily and hugged her closely. I was still in between them so I was squished again. And this time, due to my lower height I was squished in a very comfortable way between their chests.


    Yet, right now I wanted to tell them what had happened. It probably wouldn''t take that long anymore until they finished packing, and we would have to leave the bench soon as well. Rina and the girls also went back in. Maybe out of consideration she didn''t come over first.


    It broke my heart having to end this. Totally not because I couldn''t enjoy this feeling anymore then.


    "Sis, Lily. We don''t have much time left."


    "Oh, you''re right, then go ahead and tell us."


    "... Eh?"


    There was no intention of letting me go. Was I supposed to tell them like this? Squished like this? I feared my reasoning wouldn''t hold out that long.


    I subtly tried to squeeze myself free but Karen just pulled Lily closer in response. Obviously, that caused me to be completely unable to move now.


    "Sis..."


    "Yes?"


    "I can''t move."


    "Is that so?"


    "Nn."


    "..."


    There was no release. At some point, I could feel some movement from Lily. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me actively.


    I sighed as I was giving up. I didn''t dislike it anyway.


    Squeezed in between these unreasonable yet adorable girls, I told them about my encounter and the result as best as I could.


    "Wait, Yumi. So you say she, uh, did something to you?"


    "Nn, she explained it as if she just taught me something. Well, it''s not quite wrong but it does feel uncomfortable when you just suddenly, well, know something you didn''t before."


    I had told them everything that had happened in the short time I was away from the camp. We were now standing next to the wagon, but Karen refused to let us go so we were still hugging awkwardly.


    Now, she was worried about whatever Yumias did to me towards the end of my meeting with her.


    I couldn''t really explain it either. But the result was clear. For me.


    "It does sound a bit scary when some unknown knowledge just suddenly pops into your head..."


    "It''s not just knowledge, there are some things I... can''t really explain either."


    "What things?"


    "Well..."


    I thought for a moment and decided on the simplest one for now.


    "Mh? Oh, your hair is moving. But couldn''t you do this before as well?"


    "Nn, I could, but it''s a bit different now."


    I began wrapping us three in my hair.


    "This actually, feels quite nice to touch," commented Lily.


    "It does, but Yumi, are you sure this is fine? Isn''t it... growing again?"


    "Nn, it is. But it''s fine now."


    It was fine. Because, finally, my biggest trouble was solved.


    I released us so we stopped looking like a pink wrapped roll and  I returned my hair. To its original size. Which simply was down to my waist.


    "Mh, can''t see."


    Karen tried turning herself and looked behind me. Lily followed suit and looked shocked.


    "Huh, so it really is back to its original length... Is it possible to go even shorter?"


    "Nn.. No, it isn''t. It''s more like, I''m stretching it now rather than growing. I just didn''t know how to pull it back."


    "Yumi... You looked better with the long hair."


    "Lily, it''s still long."


    Not to mention it was a pain if it was dragging on the ground. I was a bit exasperated at her priorities.


    "But I mean, the longer version. Somehow, it''s like... something is missing without?"


    She seemed really down somehow.


    "Lily, if it drags on the floor, it''s a real pain."


    "Then, just keep it long enough it doesn''t drag?"


    "Well..."


    I turned towards Karen as much as possible, seeking help.


    "Why not humour her request? It is not like you need to care for it in any special way and I think most people here only saw you like that."


    "Uhh... Well, I guess as long as it doesn''t drag."


    I stretched my hair up until it was long enough to reach my ankles. I was glad nobody actually stepped on my hair all this time. It would have surely hurt like mad if someone did.


    Thinking about it, Lily only saw me like this as well, right? Maybe it''s because it was her first impression? They say the first impression is always the strongest. Well, as long as it isn''t a bother it''s not like I dislike it either.


    "Yes, that''s more like Yumi."


    Lily was quite satisfied, a smile on her face.


    "So, what else changed?" inquired Karen.


    "Well, I can move it a lot better. It''s more like moving my arms or legs now... as if it was actually a part of me."


    "But you could move it before, right?"


    "Nn, but it was more like... I don''t know. Like trying to move my leg with the help of my arms? Thinking about it now, it seems really weird and wrong."


    I shuddered a bit. With a single touch, this monster changed so much for me. It scared me thinking what else she might be able to do.


    "Huh... I can''t say I can imagine that."


    Lily freed her arm and tried pulling her leg up and then left and right. It looked ridiculous.


    "It''s weird."


    "Nn... It is."


    I smiled wryly as Lily continued moving her leg like that. We were still firmly in Karen''s grasp so she couldn''t move it a lot. Speaking of which, it was slowly becoming a bit too warm for comfort as well. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, I somehow got used to their breasts being pressed against me, so I didn''t pay much mind to it anymore. It was comfortable, though.


    Somehow... I feel like I lost something important right now.


    Alas, there was nothing I could do against that, right now.


    "Another thing is, the way I perceive mana."


    "The way you perceive mana?"


    "Nn... I can''t explain it really well either... But it''s... Deeper? Clearer? It feels different and more natural..."


    "That''s... really not saying much," commented Lily.


    There wasn''t really something I could do about it. I didn''t understand it myself, after all. Mana was around us everywhere. In the air and inside ourselves, even in the ground, the water, rocks and stones, everywhere. And I was just better at actually noticing this.


    "Well, not much we can do if you don''t know how to explain it. Are there any other things? Because Korwen''s wife is waving towards us. I think we should wrap it up."


    Karen pointed towards the wagons'' door, where someone was peeking out of the wagon and waving at us.


    "Nn, mostly, I think? There are two more things..."


    "Two?"


    "Nn... One is simple."


    It might be better to show them, so I just went and showed my newly learnt skill.


    "Mh? Oh?"


    "Something feels off? Oh? Yumi, you''re hiding your mana?"


    "Nn, I know how to do it now."


    "That''s convenient."


    "It is, it''s also simple."


    Once you understood how it worked, it was really easy. It was just changing the way the mana crystal absorbed the mana, in fact. In the normal case, it actively absorbed mana from your surroundings, pulling it in. But when hiding, it instead just slowly absorbed the mana that I naturally possessed inside my own body.


    Now, changing that, unfortunately didn''t have an effect on the amount of mana I had inside my body. The stupid crystal was still greedily eating it all so I would probably still have to use an outside source for most magic. At least that was something I could actually do.


    "That''s great, and the other thing?" asked Lily innocently.


    "..."


    "Yumi?"


    "Well..."


    "What''s the matter?"


    "You see... I''m a tentacle monster, right?"


    "Yes, you are... Oh... Wait..."


    "I told you I can change my limbs... right? But... I know their use now... And the things I can do with them..."


    This was actually something I really didn''t wish to know. Because all their uses were, as expected, sexual. There were even various kinds of tentacles. All with different functions. Some of which made me severely question everything I knew about biology.


    Magic... Is a scary thing. Especially when you throw it into nature.


    "Well..."


    "That is..."


    Lily and Karen both awkwardly averted their gazes. Obviously, they understood what I implied.


    "It''s, it''s okay, Yumi! You''re still my little sister! Even if you are..."


    Karen went red as she tried to comfort me. Alas, she wasn''t exactly doing a good job at it.


    "Hey, Yumi?"


    "Nn? What is it, Lily?"


    "I''m just wondering but..."


    She paused for a moment.


    "Well, you are a tentacle monster, right?"


    "Nn."


    I thought it was a bit late to confirm this, but I nodded anyway.


    "Tentacle monsters are known for... reproducing with other races..."


    "... Nn."


    "So... You could get us pregnant?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Eh?


    I stared at her with blank eyes. My brain was refusing to process the words I just heard.


    "Wait, Lily?! What are you asking her?"


    "But aren''t you curious?"


    "Well, I am, but still..."


    So, you were curious as well...


    I rubbed my temples.


    "So, can you or can''t you?"


    She returned the attention towards me.


    "Well..."


    "Well?"


    "I don''t quite know."


    "Huh? But I thought you knew about their uses?"


    "Yes, I do, but..."


    "But?"


    "I don''t think it''s the kind of pregnant you would usually imagine..."


    Korwen explained it to me earlier but I knew it as well from the way these worked, but most of these types of monsters turned their victims into seedbeds. They were technically made pregnant but not with their own offspring, so to say. I was sure there were proper words or explanations for it, but I didn''t know them. If I knew something like this would happen, maybe I would have paid more attention to biology. Though, I couldn''t be sure I wouldn''t have forgotten it anyway by now, along with my other memories. After all, I wouldn''t notice even if I did know those before.


    Nonetheless, something told me, this wasn''t all there was to it.


    "It''s not?"


    "No, I think, it''s mostly the same way as it is for most tentacle monsters, from what Korwen told me..."


    "Huh... But you don''t know for sure?"


    "No... I am rather sure, but... something tells me that it''s not necessarily like that."


    I didn''t know whether Yumias granted me all knowledge in regards to what I am. I wouldn''t put it past her to just give me part of the knowledge just to mess with me.


    "That''s quite vague."


    "Nn, I''m sorry."


    "No need to apologise, it''s still interesting."


    "Is it?"


    "Well, I mean, you could make many little Yumis, right?"


    "..."


    "Imagine there being dozens of Yumis!"


    I didn''t want to imagine it. One of me was more than enough.


    "Many Yumis..."


    "Sis, please don''t go there... That''s a dangerous thought."


    Karen was gazing towards the sky and murmuring. I feared she might get weird ideas so I quickly tried to nip them in the bud.


    I had no intention of making use of these questionable abilities.


    "Hey, you girls. Get in, we''re leaving now!"


    We heard Korwen''s wife shouting. They were already waiting for us, so we should put a stop to the discussion here. Frankly, I was a bit relieved. Sometimes, Lily''s antics were really bad for my mental health.


    "Well, guess we have to continue talking about this some other time."


    "Nn..."


    Lily, please don''t bring this up again...


    "Let''s get in, you two."


    "Nn."


    Karen let us out of her hug and we moved into the wagon. Emily, Maya and Sele immediately pulled me over while Rina went over to Lily and Karen. Barely a minute later, the caravan set forth towards our destination.


    I must say, I am a bit looking forward to Lafria Kingdom.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Scene of Carnage

    It was late at night.


    Just as I promised Lily, we were all sleeping together. It was beyond me how this was supposed to work with seven people but Lily didn''t care about the details and just hugged whoever was close to her.


    Though I said we were all sleeping, I was still awake. Probably because I slept earlier already I wasn''t exactly tired. Sele was similarly still awake but she was leaning on the sleeping Karen and reading quietly. I wanted to be at Karen''s side as well, but Maya and Lily were occupying me from both sides. There wasn''t any freedom to be had.


    The wagon had a small window at the front and the back and I could see the stars in the night sky through it. I could never really remember the night sky in my former world, but it didn''t feel particularly different.


    That reminds me, how do these different worlds even work? Is it only an inhabited planet that is different or is it really the entire universe? And if you were to travel between worlds in the way that Yumias told me... would you actually land on the inhabited world if there exists one or could you land in the middle of space...


    That might be a dangerous thought. Landing straight in space where there''s nothing was definitely a bad end.


    I shook my head, trying to chase that thought away. I glanced over to Sele who was reading quietly.


    "Sele?" I whispered, so as to not wake up anyone.


    "... Mh?"


    She stopped reading and glanced over to me. I kind of felt bad that I interrupted her but I was bored to hell.


    "What kind of book are you reading?"


    "..."


    She turned to her book and then held it up in my direction so that the cover was facing me. She probably wanted me to read the title myself.


    "... I can''t read it..."


    "..."


    She returned the book to its original position and looked at me again.


    "The Tale of... the Seven Heroes..."


    "The Tale of the Seven Heroes?"


    She nodded.


    "So... What is it about?"


    "... There are... Seven Heroes..."


    Yes, I figured as much from the title.


    "... They set out... to save their village... and their families... from a dragon..."


    "Huh. So, a dragon-slaying story?"


    She shook her head. It wasn''t?


    "... The heroes... fight the dragon... and win... But... They don''t kill it..."


    "They don''t?"


    She nodded again.


    "... They become friends..."


    "That''s... surprising? Didn''t they want to save their village?"


    "... They saved it... and became friends..."


    So, it was basically a happy end for everyone? But wait... She knew how it ended?


    "Sele, if you know how it ended, then you are reading it a second time now?"


    Once again, she gave me a nod.


    "Huh... You like the story that much?"


    "... I do... Friends... and Family... It''s nice..."


    She looked a bit sad now.


    Family, huh... Maybe she is yearning for a nice family? Korwen told me about the abuse...


    "... Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "... Are we... friends?"


    "Nn? Of course, we are," I answered without hesitation and a small smile.


    In response, she smiled slightly as well now. Then she closed her book and put it back into her bag before crawling over to me.


    "... Yumi... Thank you..."


    "Nn."


    I cautiously freed my hand from Lily''s embrace and pat Sele''s head. The sleeping Lily was quick to look for my arm but thankfully she instead grabbed onto Emily who was sleeping nearby.


    "Sele, thank you as well, for being my friend."


    "..."


    A dumbfounded look found its way onto her face.


    "It''s really fun being around you all."


    "..."


    "That''s why, please stay with me, okay?"


    "..."


    Then, a beaming smile, easily rivalling Emily''s, showed itself. She threw herself at me with quite some force, causing me to nearly crash into the sleeping Maya.


    "Love you!" she said with a clear, strong tone, very unusual for her.


    A confession from a younger girl! It came!


    If only she weren''t half my age. I smiled wryly while I patted her head.


    I learnt from the time with Emily, she just means it innocently, right? Still, it makes me a bit happy. No, quite happy.


    There wasn''t anyone who wouldn''t be happy about words like that. I continued patting her head for quite a while silently until I could hear her soft breathing. She must have fallen asleep.


    Thank you, Sele.


    I thanked her in my mind. I was truly grateful to her and the others.


    Yumias said that I was quite happy now, right? She wasn''t wrong... This warmth, I don''t want to let it go anymore. Whether it is Sis and Lily or Sele, Maya and Emily, they''ve all become dear to me in such a short time.


    That monster also said that I was happier now than I was before. I wondered, what was my life like before I came here? I didn''t know. I was sure, there were people precious to me. But it felt so far away. Too far away.


    Again, I looked towards the small window, at the night sky


    Maybe, one day I will remember... And maybe, one day I get the chance to say goodbye...


    I looked over the girls surrounding me and a small smile found its way onto my face.


    One day, I''m sure, I can tell them ''I''m fine, I''m happy''.


    Many hours later the night found its end and the sun was slowly rising, sending warm rays into the wagon. It didn''t take long before the first ones started to wake up. Their biological clock was truly amazing. Taking a look I found Emily already staring at me.


    Thankfully, this time I hadn''t rubbed Sele''s cheek while half-asleep so there wasn''t anything to feel guilty of. Though, I couldn''t claim to be completely innocent this time either. Nobody had to know, right?


    "Morning, Emily."


    "Morning, Yumi!"


    The girl sat up, belying the fact that she was sleeping mere minutes ago. Barely a few seconds later Lily stirred as well and looked sleepily around.


    "Good Morning, Lily."


    "Mhh... Mor... ning..."


    "Good Morning, Big Sis Lily!"


    "... Big Sis Lily?"


    I looked towards Emily who was innocently looking back.


    "Why Big Sis?"


    "Mh? Because they are Yumi''s Big Sisters! So she''s Big Sis Lily!"


    Meanwhile, the oldest one here wasn''t treated as a big sister. It broke my heart.


    It didn''t really break my heart but I did feel a bit complicated when I thought about it. Well, they didn''t know I was the oldest one... I didn''t know whether I should tell them either.


    "Big... Sis..." murmured Lily, staring at Emily with her sleepy eyes.


    "An angel?"


    "Lily, come back, that''s Emily. She''s not an angel."


    She was probably just as rare as one. Actually, did angels exist?


    "Mhh... I''m awake."


    Lily sat up as well to the best of her ability.  She stretched her arms and yawned.


    "It''s morning, huh... It''s over already..."


    She sounded a bit sad.


    "It was fun! Let''s sleep all together again, Yumi, Big Sis Lily!"


    "Yes, let''s do that!"


    Reviving quickly, Lily agreed with her.


    "Still, I slept really well. Not having to do a night watch is soooo great."


    "But you stayed in the city before, didn''t you?"


    "That city isn''t a place where you can sleep deeply..."


    "Huh?"


    I tilted my head. In the city she didn''t have to worry about wildlife and monsters, right? Why would she be unable to sleep deeply?


    "Well, that city''s public security isn''t good. Chances are high someone tries to break into your room. It''s actually more bothersome than sleeping outside. But it has a bed, so it''s hard to give that up too..."


    "Oh... I see."


    That actually sounded worse than the slums. Well, you couldn''t sleep safely in the slums either... The first night I was with Karen, she actually hit me when I apparently started snoring. I sincerely hoped she wouldn''t hit me now, even if I started snoring. Because it hurt.


    In the meantime, Emily began shaking Maya. Watching it was a bit painful so I averted my gaze as fast as possible. Being woken up like that was nearly as bad as waking up half-naked and freezing.


    "Uhh... Morning..." groaned the pitiful Maya once Emily was done with her.


    "... Morning, Maya. My condolences."


    "... Please stop her... when you are awake..."


    "I''ll try."


    I couldn''t promise anything. Emily was now sitting next to the sleeping Karen who was using Rina as her body pillow. Maybe she felt her sister role endangered by the way Lily monopolised her. I felt a bit bad for her since she was worried for so long.


    "Emily?"


    I called out to her when I saw how she was fidgeting next to those two.


    "Mh... Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    "How do I wake them? I can''t lift them both and shake them."


    For the love of everything that is holy, stop shaking people full throttle just to wake them up.


    "E, Emily... Maybe you could just... Try calling them?" suggested Maya hesitatingly.


    "Mmm... I''ll try."


    She leaned over the two.


    "Big Sis Karen! Big Sis Rina! Wake up! It''s morning! Wake uuup!"


    "Mmmm...


    "Wake up! Morning! It''s morning! Breakfast might be ready!"


    "But it isn''t..."


    I couldn''t prevent myself from retorting. Emily called for them for a while and they actually woke up. I could see Maya breathing a sigh of relief from the corner of my eyes.


    "Morning..."


    "Mmm..."


    "Morning, Sis, Rina."


    I greeted the two and the others wished them a good morning as well.


    "Now, only Sele is left!"


    "Nn, good luck... Nn? Wait..."


    It took me a moment to realise my predicament. Sele was still sleeping. In fact, she was still right next to me. She had been holding onto me for the entire night and I had completely failed to escape her grasp even once. And then, there was the method to wake her up.


    "Wait, Emily. You can''t do that now!"


    "Sele! Wake up!"


    Ignoring my pleas, she began her handiwork with trained movements. There was no hope left.


    "Yumi... You did your best..."


    "Thanks, Sis..."


    Sitting together with Karen and Lily in a corner of the wagon, I was being comforted.


    Emily, in her wake-up spree, had successfully managed to undress Sele, which did serve to make her feel cold. The sleeping Sele, though, found a convenient solution. Namely the very person she was clinging to.


    "Well, all is well that ends well, right? Don''t take it too much to heart," said Lily in an attempt to comfort me.


    "You weren''t the one that was nearly stripped down..."


    Yes, Sele was clinging onto me because I was warm. And Emily, with her flawless logic, figured she should just strip me as well. She very nearly succeeded, hadn''t Karen swiftly cut her finger again and saved me the humiliation. Emily was quite displeased with that though. She really seemed to hate it if somebody got hurt.


    "While I can understand your feelings, Yumi, let me remind you who it was that was walking around nearly naked for close to an entire week. Also, it was just girls there, so it shouldn''t be a problem anyway, right?"


    "..."


    "Wait, Yumi was walking around naked? I want to hear more about that!"


    "I wasn''t. I was still wearing something! And there''s a difference between being stripped or stripping myself. And I didn''t choose that shirt. If I had the option I would''ve liked something with more coverage at the time too."


    "There were plenty of options for clothing around."


    "From dead people."


    "They aren''t using it anymore."


    "..."


    How should I respond to this? Should I appeal to her morals? For someone so caring she was surprisingly brutal towards unrelated people. Even if they were dead.


    I sighed, giving up on thinking about it.


    "Whatever... It''s not like it''s a problem now anymore, right, Sis? I got something to wear now."


    "It''s still something you were lent from Wanda though."


    "Ah..."


    She was right about that. I had completely forgotten that I got them from Wanda and that I basically had nothing. If Wanda were to ask them back I''d really have to walk around naked. I doubted she would do that though. She was more likely to dress me up in more clothes.


    "That reminds... We still have to pay Mr Korwen, don''t we?"


    "Oh..."


    Karen pointed out something rather important... A much-appreciated change in topic.


    "Ah, you don''t have to worry about that. I talked with him regarding that already."


    "You did?"


    I turned in surprise to Lily.


    "Yeah, I mean, you technically haven''t paid me either..."


    "..."


    "Well..."


    "Ah, I don''t mind. When we''re at the capital of Lafria, Korwen wants to find a magic craftsman. At the time I''ll just take my share from you!"


    So she wasn''t letting us off. Well, we did make a deal with her and with Korwen, so there''s that.


    "Ah, Korwen also said, if it''s not possible to pay us like that, he''ll just keep our wages until we paid it off."


    "Huh... Wait, wages?"


    That was the first I heard of this.


    "Well, we''re probably going to have a talk with him or Merim about it for the specifics, but yes, wages. I mean, we joined a mercenary band. Of course, you''re getting paid if you do work."


    "Well... I just didn''t expect that."


    "Wages..."


    Honestly, you could say he literally picked us up from the slums, a place where it was hard to even fill your stomach enough to survive. Going from that lifestyle straight to employment was nothing short of astonishing. That must have been even more true for Karen, who lived like that for most of her life.


    "Does that mean... I''ll have money? I won''t have to pick up change from the streets or the dead anymore or sell the few valuables I could scavenge from them?"


    "Karen... No, you will earn your own money."


    Her life as a scavenger was over and she was going to live a stable life, tears were flowing down her face when she finally realised that. Maybe she had expected that food and a place to sleep was our payment. Not that I had thought of actually earning something either.


    "Well, you''re still going to be a mercenary, so don''t think it''s easy. It''s a job about fighting and killing after all."


    "..."


    "..."


    You just ruined the moment, Lily... Even if it is dangerous, it''s completely different from not even having food for one day.


    I sighed in astonishment. She was such a good girl but she really couldn''t read the atmosphere. Or maybe she could and just pretended she didn''t, I was honestly not quite sure which one it was.


    "Speaking of which, you two... Since you''re going to be mercenaries, how about we make use of our free time in the wagons for training?"


    "I don''t think there''s a lot of space for training, Lily."


    "Well, Yumi, there are other things you can train. For one, simple magic training doesn''t really require much space, unless you want to fire off something big. Then, there''s also that you should learn about communication, the ranks and other little things, right? Well, for the latter part, we''ll have to consult with someone else first, I don''t know how they manage that here."


    "..."


    Basically, we should learn about a mercenary''s job and everything that it entailed... That did sound a bit intimidating if I was honest.


    "Oh, right, Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "You said you wanted to learn to read and write, right? We should probably make some time for that as well."


    "Ah, right."


    "Well, guess we''ll be busy for a while. We should start with the basics, okay? Until we reach the Hollow Bridge, I want you two to have at least enough of a basic understanding to not get in the way, okay?"


    "Nn."


    "I understand."


    Karen and I nodded to Lily''s suggestion. I even swallowed my question about that ''Hollow Bridge''. It was most likely just some landmark.


    Then, Lily turned towards me with an expression as if she just remembered something, though it quickly turned serious.


    "Ah, but, Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Maybe, we should first teach you some common sense and knowledge?"


    "Eh?"


    "Like, tell me what you know about the Akkian Empire."


    The Akkian Empire? That''s the country we were currently in if I recalled correctly.


    "... It has an emperor."


    "And?"


    "There''s the church."


    "..."


    "..."


    A suspicious silence filled the room for a moment.


    "Then tell me about the demonkin."


    "... They have a tail and stop ageing sometime?"


    Karen would forever be a cute and caring big sister. That was a great thing. Lily held her head and Karen was looking away awkwardly.


    "Okay, then something simpler, tell me the major humanoid races."


    "Uhm... Humans? Beastkin? Demonkin? Elves?"


    I just listed the ones I knew existed, so I hoped that would be enough.


    "Elves aren''t even part of the humanoid races, they belong to the fairy folk..."


    "... Eh?"


    They weren''t? But, weren''t they humanoids? Emily looked perfectly like a person to me, except for her drooping long ears.


    "This is even worse than I thought... Okay, my last question. How many hours does a day have?"


    "Twenty-four."


    "... Karen, how did this girl survive?"


    "... I''m sorry, Lily. I don''t know..."


    Wait? Twenty-four is wrong? But? Huh?


    My eyes went wide at the sudden revelation.


    "Listen, Yumi, there are 12 hours a day, or in simpler terms one dozen. They are split into equal parts."


    "..."


    So one hour was basically twice as long as the hours I knew? I vaguely remembered reading stories with a system like that using a bell as a measurement unit.


    "Do they ring a bell every two... Ah, I mean, every hour?"


    "Huh? Why would they?"


    "So you know the time?"


    "Ah, you mean it like that. No, they don''t. It would be annoying if someone rings the bell while you''re sleeping, right? And the bell is used for emergencies."


    "But then, how do people tell time."


    "Most people use a magic item to tell the time accurately. Here, look at this."


    Her hand disappeared in the pocket of her beige shirt slash dress. I hadn''t even noticed that it had pockets.


    What she took out was a small device, slightly reminiscent of a pocket watch.


    "A watch?"


    "Watch? No, it''s not called like that? Well, the official name of this was... Let me think for a moment."


    "Nn? I thought you remember everything?"


    "I don''t exactly remember everything, you know. I do remember most things, though, but it''s mostly in regards to things I''ve seen before. If it''s just something I heard on the side it takes a bit. Anyway, don''t distract me."


    She was lost in thought for a few seconds until she shot up again.


    "I remember! It was Onno Ukena''s Savonette!"


    "... Isn''t that the manufacturer''s name?"


    "Yes, it is. But nobody calls it like that obviously so it is usually just called Savonette."


    "Huh... But how does this work?"


    "I don''t know, it''s some magic. There''s a mana crystal inside but the amount of mana it uses is so small that these things work pretty much forever. Still, I''m surprised you didn''t see one yet. They aren''t exactly rare. And a simple one is cheap anyway."


    "They are cheap?"


    "Yes. Well, cheap is relative, I guess. A slum resident would be hard pressed to buy one, huh..."


    "They don''t really need it anyway so nobody bothers," interjected Karen.


    "Mh... Karen, do you have one?"


    "I do."


    She thrust her hand into her small bag and took something similar to Lily''s pocket watch out. Just, hers was vastly different.


    "This looks... expensive as hell, Karen..."


    "How cute..."


    "I got this back when I was still living with my family. Rina was too young so she never got one before we left."


    "So it''s something important to you, I guess."


    "Well, a bit..."


    The watch she had taken out was a very well made and ornate watch. There was a cute and colourful flower pattern surrounding the face and the watch itself was in a metallic silver colour.


    "You should keep it close and safe, Karen. Wouldn''t want it to go missing or even stolen."


    "That''s right... I usually never take it out anyway, so..."


    Not finishing her sentence she smiled wryly and stowed the pocket watch away again.


    "Back to the topic, we should decide how we split the days for the near future. There''s a lot you two have to learn, after all. We should also look for someone who can teach us about the mode of operation of the band."


    "Nn, that would be good..."


    "We probably can''t bother Merim or Korwen with that, so don''t go and annoy them."


    Lily was staring right at me with a severely reproachful look.


    "Eh?"


    "They are actually busy so don''t go around asking them every little thing. I know they answer you but it''s not good to disturb their work. And it would be good if we could appeal with our independence a bit."


    "... Nn, I understand..."


    I honestly couldn''t remember bothering them but Lily''s stare was really intense. It was better not to question it, was it?


    "Big Sis!"


    Suddenly, we were interrupted from the side by Rina, who just appeared from behind Karen, hugging her.


    "Miria, stop that."


    "Stop calling me Miria and I will consider it."


    "You..."


    I smiled wryly at the sight. I looked to the side and saw Maya and them sitting together and talking with Korwen''s wife.


    "Rina, you shouldn''t bother Karen too much."


    "It''s fine to bother Big Sis. She still treats me like a child after all!"


    She pouted and puffed her cheeks childishly. It was a cute sight but also quite obviously the cause that she was treated like a child.


    Really, these sisters are so impressive. They both are so strong despite their desperate situations. And they can still smile even after what happened to them. Speaking of changes...


    "Hey, Rina?"


    "Yes, Lil'' Sis?"


    Did it get shortened now? Well, whatever.


    "You still have the mana crystal inside you, right? Is everything... I don''t know... fine?"


    She looked a bit confused for a few seconds then her expression changed into surprise.


    "Eh? Lil'' Sis, are you saying I still have that thing inside me?!"


    """..."""


    She didn''t notice? Really?


    Karen and Lily were speechless as well from the looks of it. Karen had her mouth gaping wide open while Lily held her temples again.


    "Well... Yes, you do..."


    "I totally didn''t notice... It doesn''t feel like there is one, it''s not uncomfortable, after all."


    "Uncomfortable?"


    I tilted my head.


    "Well, aren''t they usually uncomfortable?"


    "... I wouldn''t know... Or rather, it doesn''t for me."


    It didn''t feel uncomfortable for me at all. I barely would even know it was there if I couldn''t sense the mana of it and the slightly hard feeling. And ''usually'' was kind of interesting when most people probably never had experience with this.


    "Eh? Eh? You have one too?!"


    "Nn. I do..."


    Wait, she didn''t know? Had nobody told her... What had happened during the rescue? I looked over to Karen but she looked confused and shook her head towards me.


    "Rina, do you know what happened when Sis and Lily rescued you?"


    "... No?"


    "..."


    Really? Nobody had told her? And she hadn''t asked about it either?


    "I mean, when I asked the other girls that were with me they said that the magicians removed the mana crystals. And nothing felt bad so I figured everything was fine as is!"


    "Rina..."


    "Big Sis? What is it?"


    "You see, Yumi changed the mana crystal inside you because it couldn''t be removed anymore."


    "Is that so? So is Lil'' Sis someone amazing? The old men couldn''t make it work, so she is someone amazing, right?"


    "Well... You could say she is amazing."


    What was going on now? Why was I being praised now? I was happy about it, of course.


    Rina leaned over towards me with sparkling eyes.


    "Amazing! Is that why I feel so much better than before? It always hurt and was like a stone was stuck in my chest but I didn''t even notice it now! That¡¯s amazing!¡±


    ¡°I-Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    She pulled me towards her and hugged me while laughing and giggling.


    ¡°So, if it couldn¡¯t be removed that means you saved me, right? Right? Thank you, Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°N...Nn¡­ You¡¯re¡­ welcome?¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    She smiled brightly at me. Somehow, I felt happy as well at the sight. I was truly glad I could save this girl.


    "... Everyone is taking her away..." complained a certain someone next to us with an obvious hint of jealousy.


    My smile turned a bit wry at that. I felt a bit bad about it for her. Maybe we should get Rina to fawn over Karen a bit.


    "Rina."


    "Yes?"


    "You know, if you ask me, Sis is way more amazing than me. If it weren''t for her, I wouldn''t even be here anymore either. She was the one who initiated everything. And Lily helped us a lot as well. It was her idea on how to treat you as well. I didn''t do much except what I was told."


    She stared at me for a bit then grinned.


    "That''s right! Big Sis is the most amazing one! She''s Big Sis after all!"


    "Haa..."


    I glanced over to Karen and saw her going slightly red. She probably didn''t expect Rina to just assume that she''s the most amazing one amongst us. She certainly didn''t show it in her behaviour, so I could understand it. Actually, she was glued to Karen before she came to me, so maybe we just missed it.


    "But Lil'' Sis and Lily are amazing, too!"


    "Haa... Thank you."


    "I am really happy everyone in my family is so amazing!"


    She showed as a wide, toothy smile.


    This girl... She''s wearing her emotions on her sleeve, isn''t she?


    It was refreshing, she was so upfront with everything, that you could really feel that she meant every word.


    "Umm... Rina?" interrupted Lily.


    "Yes?"


    "Did you... count me too?"


    "Of course? You are family, aren''t you?"


    "Eh?"


    Lily was visibly stumped by her straightforwardness, frozen in place upon hearing her answer.


    "Two big sisters and a little sister! Ah, or is it four little sisters?"


    Four?


    Her question made us all stare at her. She turned around and we followed her gaze, only to find three little gazes staring right back at us. They had apparently listened in on our conversation.


    "So? Is it four or one, Big Sis?"


    "Eh? You''re asking me?"


    "Who else should I ask?"


    She tilted her head quizzically.


    "Well... That is..."


    Karen was slightly troubled. It was understandable, rejecting it outright might be a bad idea but she wasn''t sure she should just include them.


    I looked over to those three little girls again. Sele stared wide-eyed in our direction, she actually looked really expectant. Emily seemed to not quite sure what was even happening, judging from her expression. On the other side, Maya''s expression was a bit troubled.


    "Rina, isn''t it just simpler to ask them instead of Karen?"


    Lily threw her a much-needed lifeline.


    "Is that so?"


    Rina seemed not quite convinced but nonetheless, she let go of me and walked over to the three.


    "Are you also my little sisters?" she asked without a hint of hesitation.


    "That... That is..."


    Maya was trying to answer but only managed to stutter. She looked for help to her sides but she only found Sele full of expectations and a confused Emily.


    It might have been hopeless but Emily still decided to rescue her, although her expression was really serious, completely different from usual.


    "Um, Big Sister Rina, you are Big Sister Rina, so, does that make me your little sister?" Emily asked with a serious tone.


    "If I''m your big sister then you have to be my little sister! I''m sure!"


    Rina''s answer didn''t actually sound really convincing as vague as it was but Emily still nodded to herself a few times.


    "So, then I''m your little sister and Sele and Maya are my family so they are your family too?"


    "Yes! It should be so."


    "And you are family with Yumi so she is our family too?"


    "That''s right!"


    She thought for a moment. I had no idea how that logic was supposed to work, though, but they seemed fine with it.


    Emily nodded again to herself and turned to Maya with her energetic smile returning.


    "Maya, Maya! Yumi is family already! And we have big sisters! Isn''t that great?!"


    "..."


    Maya had obviously no idea what just had happened either.


    "... Family... Not friends... My... Family..." whispered Sele nearly inaudibly.


    Sele clenched her fists in front of her chest and smiled lightly.


    "Well, Yumi... Seems our family suddenly grew to twice its size."


    "Seems so, Sis... But... I don''t know, I think I''m fine with that."


    "... Taking care of you all will be quite a pain. Just who started this, I wonder."


    She shot me a meaningful glance. Thinking back, all this just happened because I started calling her ''Sis''. If I had known the family would grow so large... I still might''ve done it.


    Family, huh... A big family, at that. Even though none of us are blood-related... Except for Sis and Rina... And even though we only knew each other for barely a few days... But Rina just went ahead and declared us all family... I guess such pure honesty is her good point...


    A warm feeling spread out in my chest. Family... It had a nice ring to it.


    "Hey, Yumi..."


    Lily leaned over and whispered quietly to me.


    "Nn? Why so quiet, Lily?"


    "I''m just wondering but... If we go by that logic what about mama and papa..."


    "... No."


    It took me a short moment to realise what she meant. But the answer was no.


    "Eh... But..."


    She fidgeted a bit, just enough to not draw attention right now. Her expression was veritably crestfallen when she heard my response. I actually felt bad now.


    "Well... We barely know them right? We can''t just declare them family like that, okay?"


    "... So... There''s a chance..."


    I averted my gaze and just kept quiet. Luckily, considering she moved back and giggled quietly to herself it must''ve been the right answer. I honestly didn''t want to count that witch as family, but it was obvious that Lily did love her as her parent. It was a bit troubling.


    "Ah! But there''s one problem. Big Sis, what should we do, we''re seven!" shouted Rina all of a sudden.


    "Eh? Where''s the problem with that, Miri-... Rina?"


    A sudden glare made her quickly correct herself.


    "One will be left over!"


    "Left over?"


    "Yes, with seven we can''t form couples!"


    "... Couples?"


    What the heck did she mean now?


    "Mhm, couples! I mean, you can only marry one person so we can only form three couples and one will be left over, what should we do?"


    Excuse me?


    "Rina, could you repeat that?"


    "I said, we can''t form couples!"


    "No, the other part, please."


    "I said, we can only marry one person and one will be left over..."


    "Did you just say... marry?"


    "I did, why?


    I wasn''t quite sure I heard right. What the heck was she talking about now? Wasn''t it Lily''s job to ask the ridiculous questions? No, that wasn''t even the problem right now. What did she imagine doing with this family?


    "Mi-, Rina what does ma-, ma-, marriage... have to do with this..." asked Karen, incredibly flustered.


    "Well, we''re family, right? And marriage makes us even more into a family! So if Big Sis marries Lil'' Sis and I marry Lily then we''re really close family! But now we''re more so that doesn''t work anymore. And we''re seven."


    "..."


    She wanted me to marry Karen? How many steps did she want to skip? We had to go in the proper order, first was holding hands, right? And then we could slowly...


    No, no, no, that''s all wrong. That''s completely off the point! And why am I even starting with holding hands, am I an innocent maiden? Actually... am I? Ahhh...


    At one point I apparently shed my last bit of masculinity. Maybe I should just accept it. I was stuck like this for the future and it was surely better to simply accept it. I took a deep breath.


    Amusingly, this actually unnerving thought had calmed me down. It had distracted me a bit and my initial panic was gone. Taking a look around I could see that I wasn''t the only one panicking.


    Karen had gone so red that you were likely to still see it in the dark clear as during the day. Additionally, her mouth was opening and closing like a fish''s. She clearly looked like she short-circuited.


    On the other side was Lily hiding her face. If she had human ears they were probably red as well. Interestingly she was actually hiding a smile, though she wasn''t doing a good job at hiding it.


    Lily, don''t tell me, you... No, I won''t think about that. That''d be rude, she has to deal with that on her own. I won''t meddle.


    Turning back to Rina she looked confused too, likely because of our reactions. Behind her, Sele approached her with a dark expression. I had a bad feeling.


    Sele pulled on her clothes to draw her attention.


    "Mh?"


    "That''s... no... good..."


    "No good? Why?"


    Rina tilted her head.


    "Because... Because..."


    Sele took a deep breath, looking up determined. In my direction.


    "I will marry Yumi!"


    What?!


    Rina''s eyes went wide. Then she turned to Karen in a hurry.


    "Big Sis! You have a rival! You can''t give up!"


    "... What is happening anymore... I have no idea what is going on..."


    Karen was giving up. At least in regards to this chaos.


    Sele hurried over to me suddenly and jumped into my arms.


    "You said... You want me to stay with you! That''s why! I will marry you! Take responsibility!"


    How?! I said that because I wanted to stay friends! How did it escalate to this?


    Never would I have thought I''d hear the words ''marry'' and ''taking responsibility'' in a single breath. And even if, definitely not by a young girl half my age. Where had she even learnt that? It was wrong on so many levels.


    I looked over to Karen for help but she was smiling with closed eyes and not reacting. She clearly escaped reality. I was a bit jealous.


    I turned towards Lily. She gave me a thumbs up.


    Why a thumbs up?! That''s not what I need now.


    On Rina''s side, she looked clearly excited about this development.


    My last hope, Maya, was escaping reality as well, in the same manner as Karen. They were weirdly similar in that aspect.


    The last one, Emily suddenly stepped forward. I didn''t really expect much from her but she stood in front of Rina and looked up to her.


    "Big Sis Rina, why marriage?"


    "Why? My, because, the person you want to stay with the most, you see, you marry them! So, marriage is the closest bond you can have!"


    "Is that so? But Sele and Big Sis Karen can''t both marry Yumi?"


    "Unfortunately, marriage is allowed only with one partner..."


    "Why?"


    "Why? That is... Actually, why is it?"


    "The animals in the forest, they stay with everyone, so why can''t we stay with everyone? Everyone will be married!"


    "... Are you a genius?"


    No! Don''t be impressed, for the love of... Just... Don''t make it any worse!


    Rina looked genuinely impressed. And Emily smiled smugly, proud of being called a genius.


    "Well, Yumi... Good Luck."


    Lily! Help me!


    Alas, she left me alone. I had to deal with this scene of future carnage on my own.


    Rinne


    It''s the beginning of a new month. That also means now is a good time to make some advertisement for my patreon.


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 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Little Crisis

    The sun was shining and I could feel a comfortable warmth on my face from the rays.


    It took until midday break to calm down Rina, Sele and everyone else. In the end, Lily had to point out to them that girls couldn''t marry in most countries and she even explained what the concept of marriage was in the first place. Rina seemed to have some severe misunderstandings about it.


    Rina was incredibly disappointed upon hearing that but she relented and all problems were solved, for now. She was slightly unsatisfied with the result but my mental health, and most likely Karen''s and Lily''s as well, were grateful.


    In Sele''s case, it took some more time but she eventually let go of me.


    I don''t understand this. Even now, I still don''t. Rina is one thing but I don''t understand what happened with Sele. At all.


    A sigh escaped me.


    "What''s up, Yumi?"


    "Nn? Ah... I just thought about the thing from earlier..."


    "Ah..."


    Currently, the caravan was on their break for breakfast and other things. Though I called it breakfast, it was already noon. Breakfast contained some dried meat and bread as well as some weird dried fruits. Apparently, only dinner was something warm to eat and all the other meals were generally cold.


    "Ah, you got that one wrong."


    "Nn? Oh..."


    Right now, Karen was teaching me how to read and write in the Akkian language. The whole thing looked surprisingly simple because I pretty much only needed to learn the letters and how they were pronounced.


    Spelling rules? Punctuation? Those were a myth and didn''t exist. As long as people understood what you were writing, all was fine. That made it exceedingly simple to learn writing it but reading was quite frustrating. You had to guess half the words.


    "Still, you are really learning quickly, Yumi. At this rate, you''ll be fine in a few days.


    "Hehe."


    It wasn''t much. After all, I wasn''t learning an entire language. Since I was somehow already speaking this language from the beginning I only had to learn the writing and then I would be done. The alphabet was also rather simple with only 33 symbols. Every symbol represented a single sound so it was pretty easy to deal with.


    Speaking of a new language...


    "Sis, there''s one thing I''m wondering about."


    "Yes?"


    "Does Lafria have its own language?"


    "Ah... They kind of do and they kind of don''t from what Lily told me..."


    "Nn?"


    They did and yet they didn''t? How was that supposed to work?


    "Aldreigh had a completely different language so I was expecting that for the Lafria Kingdom too, but Lily said that the language is so similar to the Akkian language, that there''s no real need to learn it. Apparently, that''s the case for quite a few of the surrounding countries. They have differences but are mostly the same."


    "Ohh... So it''s like that. That''s good to hear."


    I definitely wasn''t looking forward to learning an entirely new language now.


    "That said, Yumi. When we have time, I want to teach you the Aldreighan language."


    "... Eh?"


    "You did say you wanted to learn it too, after all."


    Did I say that? When the heck did I say that?


    I couldn''t remember that at all. But if she said I did, I probably did.


    "Ah, that is wrong again."


    "..."


    Slightly annoyed at myself, I corrected the mistake Karen pointed out.


    "Still, maybe we should ask Sele for a book for you to read. Some actual reading practice might be good."


    "Nn..."


    I furrowed my brows. It wasn''t that I disliked the idea but dealing with Sele right now...


    Yet another sigh escaped me.


    "Are you still worried about earlier?"


    "Nn... A bit."


    "It was just a misunderstanding by Rina and Sele is just a child. She''ll understand with time."


    I have a distinct feeling that won''t happen anymore...


    I looked towards Karen and furrowed my brows again. Somehow, I wanted her to feel at least a bit jealous. I knew it was just my own stupid wish but I couldn''t help it.


    "Yumi?"


    "Nn?"


    "You should stare at the letters, not at me."


    "... Nn."


    I turned back towards the paper and continued my practice. It was frankly rather boring but I had some time alone with Karen, which made me happy. I had no idea where the others were off to but I couldn''t be bothered right now anyway.


    "You wrote it wrong again..."


    "Uhhh..."


    "This one has the lines going through and this one doesn''t."


    "... Stupid letters."


    "Yumi..."


    I averted my gaze to the side. It wasn''t my fault they looked so similar, was it?


    "Oh well, let''s take a break, okay? You won''t remember everything with just one session anyway."


    "Nn."


    Karen leaned back and stretched herself.


    "Lily wanted to practice magic with us later, right?"


    "Nn, apparently so."


    "Hmm. I wonder what it''ll be... Hopefully not something like last time..."


    Karen''s expression turned dark on that mention. I could understand the feeling though. I didn''t want t get chased by an ogre again.


    "Maybe we should ask Ria to teach us instead."


    "That... might be the better idea."


    "Well... We have to wait for them anyway. Nothing we can do for now except waiting."


    Karen put her arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. I turned upwards and met her gaze. She looked weirdly serious all of a sudden.


    "Nn, Sis?"


    "... I don''t get it."


    "Nn?"


    "Why are you so popular with everyone?"


    "... I don''t know?"


    "Lily is one thing, but how did you get so popular with those three girls."


    "That is..."


    Unfortunately, I didn''t quite know the answer either. Actually, I could understand why they wanted me as a friend. Korwen told us about it, after all. But Sele''s behaviour was an absolute mystery to me.


    "Still, I guess I should talk with those three some time as well. Thanks to Mi-, Rina."


    "Ahahaha..."


    That girl certainly didn''t hold back in making a mess out of everything. It did feel like she was overdoing it a little, in fact.


    "I''m actually a bit worried about her..."


    "About Rina?"


    I tilted my head, wondering what she could mean.


    "Yes... I don''t know. It''s like, she''s in a hurry."


    A hurry, was it... But why would she be in a hurry? I didn''t know much about her, but she was doing well from my perspective. Even though she went through so much, I was really surprised she took everything so well. I wouldn''t expect that normally.


    Nn? She went through such an ordeal but is barely showing a sign of it bothering her, but maybe...


    "... Maybe she is scared," I told Karen.


    "Scared?"


    "Nn. Sis, she did... spent a long time there, right? So... Maybe she is scared we''ll disappear. Maybe that''s why she is in such a hurry."


    "That... might be..."


    If I thought about it that way, it made a surprising lot of sense. She wanted to stay with us. She didn''t want to return to that place. Maybe that''s why she didn''t inquire about what had happened at the hideout either. Maybe she was scared of hearing the possible truth, a truth that might be the end of everything here.


    "Is she... putting up a front?" asked Karen, looking downwards to the ground.


    "Nn, that could be."


    "... What should I... do?"


    "I don''t know... Maybe we can''t do anything, but... At least, we should stay with her, right?"


    If she really was scared, then we should show her there was no reason to be.


    That said, I have no idea how one should usually go about this either. Other than simply staying with her and making sure she has fun, I don''t know anything else. In the first place, what if my assumption is wrong...


    "You''re right... Thank you, Yumi."


    "Nn, you''re welcome."


    Karen smiled at me.


    "Guess we will have to make sure she will enjoy herself, right? Will you help me, Yumi?"


    "Of course."


    "Is that so, thank you."


    "You don''t have to thank me for every little thing, Sis. It''s only natural I''d help, right?"


    "..."


    Karen didn''t answer but instead buried her face in my hair.


    "Sis?"


    "Your hair is nice."


    "... That has nothing to do with what we were talking about..."


    "That is fine."


    With a wry smile, I took a small look at our surroundings. I figured I should just leave Karen be for a while. There was mostly grassland around the road but in the distance, I could make out a forest. Behind the forest, far at the horizon, I could also see a few mountains.


    It''s quite idyllic here, actually.


    It was just a passing thought, but it did make a slight bit sad, that I could only enjoy such an idyllic view after my whole life was turned upside-down.


    "Yumi! Karen!"


    "Nn?"


    "... Who?"


    Karen and I turned towards the voice, only to see Wanda waving at us from a slight distance. She was jogging towards us.


    "Wanda... Did something happen?"


    "That it did, girly. We can''t move forward right now."


    "Nn? Why?"


    "There''s a group of refugees playing footpad on the road."


    "Huh... What''s ''footpad''?"


    That was a quite unfamiliar term.


    "Footpads are basically robbers, Yumi," explained Karen.


    "..."


    So in other words, brigands? What a weird word... But, we had a group of brigands blocking the road?


    "Nn? But, are they seriously trying to pick a fight with mercenaries..."


    That just sounded unrealistic. I couldn''t imagine regular brigands being able to compare with these mercenaries. Especially not if Wanda already called them refugees.


    "They are probably desperate, so they might actually do so, yes. Do you know where Lily and Ria are?"


    "No, I don''t."


    "I don''t know either. Sorry, Wanda."


    "That''s fine. I''ll look for them. You two should go to the front and see if you can help. They are worried that they might have a magician. If that''s the case, it could get ugly, after all."


    And in what way would we even be able to help when there was one? Should we intimidate him with cute weak girls?


    "Understood, let''s go Yumi."


    "N-, Nn..."


    Karen stood, pulling me along.


    "Take care, you two. Never know what desperate people might attempt."


    "We will be careful, thank you, Wanda."


    Was my opinion not important here?


    We walked to the front of the caravan where we were greeted with a rather weird sight.


    The road was blocked by wooden palisades. They were of poor quality and it was obvious they wouldn''t hold against any assault for longer than a few minutes at most.


    Some distance away from the palisades I could spot Merim, shouting towards the brigands. We were still too far away to hear what he said though.


    "Oh, Miss Karen, Miss Yumi."


    "Nn? Oh, Fenna. You''re here too?"


    "Yes, well. We have to be ready, after all."


    "Is it fine that you''re here in the back..."


    I took a look at the surroundings and saw that most of the women mercenaries were in the back and looked rather relaxed.


    "We''re only backup for now. If it actually becomes a fight, we''ll join, of course. But right now, only the old mercenaries stand at the front."


    "Those old men? Why exactly them?"


    "Because they look scary. They are good for intimidating them. If we stand at the front they might just underestimate us. Because we''re women."


    "Huh..."


    "It''s a bit annoying, but... Can''t do anything about it."


    She shrugged her shoulders. In the meantime, Karen had been staring intensely at the brigands.


    "Sis?"


    "Mh... Miss Fenna... Could it be, that those people are demonkin?"


    "Ahh... You''re right, they probably fled from the Kingdom of Aldreigh."


    Fenna scratched the back of her head.


    "The Captain wants to settle it peacefully but... It''s not looking good."


    "..."


    I took a look at the brigands again. Even from the distance, I could see how tattered their clothes were and the weapons they were holding were just work tools. Hammers, axes, pitchforks and similar things. They looked more like an angry mob of farmers rather than brigands.


    "Speaking of which, where''s Korwen?"


    "He''s over there. But Miss Yumi, shouldn''t you maybe start calling him ''Captain''? You joined us, right? He''s your superior now."


    "... That''s right, isn''t it..."


    It somehow didn''t feel like that. He was more like... a friendly old man? Though he was pretty sly. I wasn''t quite sure yet if he was simply soft-hearted or not, either.


    "Well, I don''t think the Captain will mind himself, but it might be good to show him his due respect in public."


    "I will keep that in mind, sorry about that."


    I honestly hadn''t even thought about that, but it might look bad if I didn''t treat him like a proper superior...


    "Should I call him Mr Captain then..." murmured Karen next to me. Polite as ever.


    "If you call him Captain or Mr Captain is not really important, as long as the meaning is clear."


    "Mh..."


    Karen nodded, understanding what she meant.


    "Now, rather than loitering around with me you two should go and see if you can help out."


    "Will do."


    "Nn."


    We said our goodbye to Fenna and walked over to Korwen. He was, once again, holding his head as if he was enduring a headache. Maybe he should get himself checked out by Ria.


    "Kor-, Captain."


    "Mr Captain."


    Korwen looked up, pausing a moment looking rather confused, and then turned towards us.


    "I was wondering for a moment who the heck would call me with such a cute voice, but it was just you two. What change of heart came over you?"


    "Nn, well, Fenna said it''d be better to address you properly."


    "She''s not wrong, but it sure came suddenly."


    He took a glance towards the refugees.


    "Can you two see anything there that looks like it could be the work of a magician?"


    "Nn?"


    Karen and I looked over to them. There wasn''t anything that looked particularly out of place though, but I was just a fledgeling magician, I had no idea what might look like the work of a magician.


    "Mr Captain, I don''t know what might be the work of a magician, but I don''t see anything out of place..."


    "Nn, I can''t see anything weird either, so..."


    "Mh... Is that so, but that''s weird."


    "Weird?" I asked curiously.


    "Yes, the majority of those refugees are demonkin from the looks of it, and magicians aren''t exactly rare among them. That''s why I''m surprised, I''d expect at least a few there."


    He shook his head a few times.


    "We''ll wait for Ria, she should know if there are any signs. If she can''t see anything either... Then we can just force them out of the way in the worst case, though I prefer that won''t happen."


    "That would be... How many are there anyway?" asked Karen.


    "We can only take a guess, right now, but probably at least a hundred."


    "That''s... a lot."


    "Ahh..."


    A hundred refugees. Hiding behind barricades, and turning to robbery. From our spot, we could still see Merim standing alone there trying to talk with them.


    "What is Merim trying to do?"


    "Trying to convince them to let us go through. But they refuse. They want food and quite a lot at that. They must be desperate. Unfortunately, our own supplies only last until the Hollow Bridge, where we planned to stock up. We don''t have anything to spare."


    "Can''t they try to hunt down any animals?"


    "Too dangerous. They aren''t equipped for hunting, they''d get killed by any of the local monsters. Even more so without a magician. If they had one, they could probably survive on monster meat for a while."


    So they basically had no food but over a hundred people to feed. No wonder they turned to robbery.


    "But, Mr Ko-, Mr Captain, if they are that desperate, they probably won''t let us go through, no matter what..."


    Karen looked downcast, she knew how hard it was to live with barely any food, so she probably felt some sympathy towards them.


    "That''s indeed the case, but we don''t really have any other options either. If they won''t let us through, we''ll force our way. If you have any other ideas, bring them out. I''m all ears."


    "That''s..."


    "Nn, that''s... not easy."


    What could we do to help them? Korwen''s first priority was obviously the mercenaries, so if we wanted to help them, it had to be without endangering them.


    "Captain..." someone called out to Korwen from the side.


    "Oh, Ria. Good timing. Could you take a look whether there is any hint of a magician among those."


    "Mh... Will do...."


    The sleepy looking Ria that had arrived turned around and took a look. We watched her curiously until she turned around again.


    "I can''t see anything... out of place..."


    "So you can''t either, huh... That''s weird. Really weird."


    Korwen furrowed his brows. It was understandable. If magicians weren''t rare among the demonkin, then it was kind of weird that there were none among a whole hundred people. What were the chances of that happening?


    "Let''s still proceed carefully, If you see anything weird, immediately tell me, okay?"


    He turned towards us with those words.


    "Don''t hold back in telling me. Every little thing might be important. If I''m not around, tell Merim, Fenna or Ria here. They know how to deal with things."


    "Nn, will do."


    "Understood."


    "Now then, let''s see how things are going."


    He called over a nearby soldier and told him to call Merim back.


    "So, uhm... Should we just wait and look?" asked Karen nervously.


    "Just stay here and look, yes. You probably had some education, didn''t you? And Yumi obviously did as well. There aren''t many here who had one. And I''d prefer to have you nearby. If you notice anything or have any ideas, throw them in. Also, just ask Ria if you have any questions, she''ll be responsible for you two for now."


    "Best regards..."


    Ria turned towards us and nodded. We hastily nodded back and said our regards. I felt a bit insecure with her as our direct superior if I were honest. She was, after all, frequently sleeping.


    "Captain. You called?"


    "Yes, how does it look like?"


    "Not so good. They refuse to listen. They even shot an arrow at me when I tried to get closer. Please give me a raise."


    "You earn enough, stop complaining."


    "Haa... In any case, they still demand food. Food and medicinal supplies. They didn''t specify anything in detail, they don''t want to say anything."


    "Medicinal supplies... So they have either injured or ill. Or both."


    "Judging from their reactions I believe it''s more likely that there''s a disease going around them."


    Merim took a nearby jug, filled it with water and took a large swig.


    "One more reason to not get involved with them. Don''t want to catch any disease."


    "Ahh..."


    "If we at least knew which disease. I''ll call for someone from the infirmary. "


    "Should I go?"


    "No, go and try to figure out more information. We''re willing to help out as much as we can, but we also aren''t afraid to force our way through. You can tell them that if you think it does any good."


    "Okay."


    Merim took another large swig.


    "Wish I had some fire wine."


    "No alcohol for you until you reflect on the last time. You should learn from Yumi."


    "..."


    Oops, he found out, didn''t he?


    Karen stared at me with judging eyes. Time to avert my eyes and pretend I didn''t know of anything. It was some good alcohol.


    "Then, anything else, Captain? They are probably not going to like it if I stay... well... away for too long. It feels really volatile."


    "Maybe you should say those things first... Whatever, go."


    And with a ''shoo, shoo'' he shooed him away. Merim turned around with an awkward smile and walked back, to his dialogue with the refugees.


    "Geez, let''s see how that ends."


    Korwen complained, then called another soldier over and told them to bring some people from the infirmary over.


    "Well, all we can do for now is wait. Wait, did that guy use my jug? This sneaky..."


    "Ahahaha..."


    With some grumbling Korwen had someone bring over a new jug which he promptly filled with something that was clearly not water. It had a slightly greenish colour.


    "Is that alcohol?"


    "Mhh? This? You don''t know this? It''s Apram Juice."


    "Apram?"


    "That''s the name of a fruit from the north, Yumi," added Karen.


    "So it''s just fruit juice?"


    "Pretty much, yes. Want to try?"


    Korwen held the jug towards me.


    "Nn, well I can try it I guess."


    "Go ahead then."


    I took the jug from him and stared into it. It was bright and green. It looked a bit intimidating. Rather than fruit juice, I had to think of vegetable juice.


    "Don''t stare, go and try."


    "Don''t hurry me..."


    I heaved the jug up to my mouth and took a small sip.


    And then froze for a moment.


    "Yumi?"


    "... Sis, want to try it too?"


    "Well, I guess I can..."


    She took the jug from me and sipped a bit as well.


    Then, she grimaced.


    "Sour! What is this, it''s so sour! How can you drink this?!"


    "Wahahahaha, it wakes you right up!"


    Korwen laughed at us like an old grandpa that managed to fool his grandkids.


    At least I wasn''t the only one that had to suffer now. It was just so incredibly sour.


    Karen quickly put the jug back on the nearby table. She was still grimacing.


    "Water is over there if you wanna wash your mouth."


    We quickly grabbed nearby small mugs, not one of the huge jugs Korwen used, filled them with water and drank it. It wasn''t enough with just one mug so we refilled them a few times.


    "Don''t overdo it, we won''t make a stop for you just because you need to relieve yourself."


    "Ugh... You shouldn''t say such things to a girl, Mr Captain. Your wife will hit you."


    "She''ll hit me anyway."


    "You shouldn''t give up immediately..."


    A dark expression appeared on his face, one that told us more than enough about the hardships of a married man.


    "Mr Kowen, just what is up with that... fruit. Aren''t fruits usually sweet? I never had an Apram but I can''t believe something this sour would be a fruit."


    "It is, though. The actual fruit is even worse than the juice, believe me. But it prevents the sailor''s disease apparently."


    "Sailor''s disease?"


    He couldn''t be talking about... that one, could he.


    "Ahh... It''s a common disease among sailor''s, that''s why it''s called that. Fresh food and especially some fruits help in preventing it. It''s troublesome because not even magic can help against it."


    He lifted his jug up and stared at it for a while.


    "It''s not exactly a big threat to most people outside of sailors but it never hurts to be prepared. And the Apram can be stored for a long time so it''s popular for supplies anyway. Believe me, that won''t be the last time you see this."


    "... I''m not looking forward to that."


    "Ahahaha, true. Most children here hate that fruit. But the Apram isn''t the only thing we have, the Kirm is pretty sweet and also prevents the sailor''s disease from what I heard. But they are a lot more expensive because of its popularity, so we can''t stock a lot."


    "And so you stock more of this one..."


    "Yeah, well, the sailor''s disease really is just a minor threat for us, though. I think the last one we had was a few years back. Some idiot that refused to eat anything other than pickled meat. He first got the sailor''s disease so we forced him to eat something else until he got better."


    He sighed and put the jug back down.


    "I will never understand why pickled meat..."


    "Haa..."


    To be honest, neither could I. But maybe he liked it so much?


    "The bigger problems are things like Reaper''s Disease. If those refugees have that one... Then we''ll have to kill them all."


    "Eh?"


    Did I just hear right? Did he just say that he wanted to kill them because of a disease?


    "What is the Reaper''s Disease?" asked Karen.


    For once it wasn''t me who asked a question.


    "A horrible disease. Believe me. It raged two decades ago through a few countries further away from here. Killed thousands, if not tens of thousands. Maybe even more, I don''t know. We certainly didn''t wait to find out."


    He took a sip of his atrocious sour juice. How could he drink that without grimacing? It was a mystery to me.


    "The neck starts to turn blue and black first, then the area around the eyes do and... Well, in any case, it''s really grotesque. Many people died to it. And the only thing really that is known is, that it is highly contagious, completely ignoring the different races, even infecting animals. I heard it can be treated with magic, but..."


    He turned to Ria.


    "Would you be able to treat it?"


    "Mh... I don''t know... Maybe... I would need to have a patient... To find out..."


    "That so... Then we won''t take chances if they do. Can''t have you get infected and die on us."


    "Mhh..."


    At that moment the people from the infirmary came over and asked for instructions from Korwen. He promptly sent them to Merim for assistance.


    "Man, I hate it when you can do nothing but wait," he complained once they were gone from his sight.


    "That reminds me, you two. Where''s Lily?"


    "Nn, we don''t know either."


    "Ah, she went somewhere together with my sister  and the three girls, Wanda wanted to look for them."


    "Well, they''ll appear again with time. Still, maybe I should cut that girls'' wages already. She''s not even here. She should waste her time here too."


    If she would just waste time there wasn''t really a problem that she wasn''t here either, was there... But thinking about it, it was a problem when people were not available when you needed them, so maybe his complaint was right.


    "Right, since we got some time, should we talk about your wages?"


    "Eh?"


    "Well, it''s rare I got nothing to do, so it''s better to do it now, right?"


    He wasn''t wrong, but still. I took a glance at Karen and she nodded.


    "Nn, then I guess we might as well. But weren''t we supposed to take a test?"


    "Too bothersome. I got an account from Lily and Wanda already, that''s good enough for now. Of course, if you don''t live up to it, I''ll cut it down. Simple as that. You will be largely judged on your magical ability anyway, rather than your physical prowess."


    "Then, I guess we can. If it''s fine like that."


    "That''s great, give me one moment."


    He called, once again, a nearby soldier over and told them to fetch something. A few minutes later he came back with a thick book. Korwen took the book and opened it.


    "Well then, let''s see..."


    "What''s that? A ledger?"


    "Oh? You know what this is, Yumi?"


    "Well, I just took a guess..."


    "Hmm... Can you do calculations?"


    "I guess I can do simple ones..."


    "Seven dozens."


    "Eh?"


    "How much? In actual numbers."


    What the heck was he going on about this time?"


    "84. Why?"


    "Thirteen dozens?"


    "Uhm... 156 I think?"


    "... Do you want to take over accounting?"


    "... No?"


    "Damn..."


    He looked down with a sad face.


    "There are so few people who can calculate with actual numbers, especially past two dozens. The last three people who took over accounting ran away."


    "... May I ask why?"


    "Overworked."


    And he seriously thought I wanted to take over then? Now I wanted to do so even less.


    "But are there really so few who can calculate? Isn''t this really basic stuff?"


    "You call it basic stuff... But most people are happy when they can count their fingers. Sometimes they might add their toes. I would need to hire half a dozen accountants for this, but why should they work for us when they can just find work at a local shop..."


    He started rubbing his temples.


    "You really don''t want to take over? I''ll give you a raise."


    "I didn''t even have my first wages... And no."


    "Damn... Well, we''ll get by. Haaa..."


    He sighed again. It must have been really bothering him.


    "Still, you are a weird girl. You can calculate well and yet you are so naive and unworldly it astonishes me. Really, with a bit worse luck and you would have just been captured by some dirty noble as a high-quality slave. Worked to death and used as a toy. You got some serious luck."


    I felt like complaining about my situation a slight bit when I was told that I was lucky, but he didn''t know where I came from and what happened to me, so I refrained. It was enough when those close to me knew about it, and he didn''t seem to particularly care about one''s history anyway.


    "Now then, back to the original topic. About your wages. Mh, you are pretty much magicians even if only fledgelings, so, let''s see..."


    He turned the pages a few times. Most likely he was comparing the wages of others to figure out what was appropriate.


    "Let''s see, do you want to be paid in Famiu or in some other currency?"


    "Uhm..."


    I had no idea what the differences in currency was, so even if he asked me I was at a loss. I turned towards Karen but she was similarly unsure what to do.


    "Famiu is the most common currency in this region. If you ever need a different one you can just go to the treasurer and exchange it, assuming we have it."


    "Well, I guess it''s fine then, right, Sis?"


    "If that''s the case, yes."


    "Good, then, it''s two Famiu silver, are you fine with that, Karen?"


    Was that a lot? I didn''t know so I turned to Karen again. Alas, she looked utterly confused.


    "Eh, Mr Captain, just to make sure. Are we talking about a monthly, weekly or daily wage?"


    "Daily."


    "..."


    "Sis?!"


    Karen suddenly collapsed on the ground. Then she held up her fingers and started to count them. It looked honestly weird.


    "Yumi! What do I do?!"


    "Sis, calm down what''s wrong?"


    "If we earn that much, that still gives us each a whole silver per day. Ah, well not quite if we add Lily. What do I do? That''s so much money."


    She was honestly completely out of it. I had no grasp of money, I knew that a copper coin could pay for a horrible but necessary meal. I didn''t even know how much one silver coin amounted to in copper coins.


    "Karen, you seem to have misunderstood something," commented Korwen, looking veritably astonished, his eyes wide.


    "That''s your own wage. Yumi and Lily get their own."


    "..."


    Ah, she fell over...


    Don''t expose your behind to everyone, Sis...


    Around thirty minutes later Lily finally came around to us. She was greeted with a still shell-shocked Karen.


    Karen went on an emotional rollercoaster from grinning like mad and then crying about how happy she was and back to grinning like an idiot.


    Watching her made me a slight bit happy as well, so I didn''t mind. Korwen apparently didn''t either.


    "It''s great to see someone appreciate their wage so much."


    That was his comment on the whole matter. Right now Karen was staring at the sky and occasionally murmuring how much food she could buy with all that money.


    Shouldn''t you maybe spend your money on something else? We even get food provided, so it''s not like you have to even pay for that at all.


    "Yumi, what the heck happened with Karen?"


    "Nn... Kor-, I mean, the Captain talked with us about our wages."


    "Ohh... I guess I can understand it, but let me just ask in case. How much for her?"


    "Two silver a day."


    "Heh, that''s not much, is it."


    "..."


    I stared at Lily who innocently returned my gaze.


    "Do you get two as well?"


    "No, I get four a day."


    "Huh..."


    She turned to Korwen who was watching us with a big grin.


    "Hey, Korwen. Ah, or should I call you Captain now too? Feels a bit weird. Anyway, how much do I get?"


    "You? Let me see... Is ten daily fine?"


    "That''s not a lot, is it."


    "Stop complaining, I helped you out, didn''t I?"


    "But you still get paid for that. It was an official job, right, so it shouldn''t affect my wages."


    "Jeez, deal with it. If you work hard I''ll raise it, fine?"


    "I''ll hold you onto that."


    And just like that, Lily not only earned nearly twice of what Karen and I earned together but she already got promised a raise if her work was good. Though, didn''t he say he wanted to cut her wages earlier? Well, there was no need for me to mention that, was there?


    "Still, for magicians, that''s actually not a lot, you know?" said Lily, turning towards me.


    "Yeah. Depending on your skills and the type of job you could even earn a hundred daily. I heard there are even some earning a whole Gromoan Gold a day. That''s around three hundred Famiu silver," added Korwen.


    "Wha-"


    "And that''s just for regular magicians. Magic craftsmen can make many times more if they are good."


    "That''s actually... scary."


    I couldn''t even imagine how much money that was. What the heck did you even do with all of that? But magicians earned really quite a lot then. Compared to that, you could really say that the pay was bad here.


    "Nn? Is that maybe why this band has barely any magicians?"


    "... Well, we can''t really pay more, you see..."


    "..."


    No wonder no magician wanted to work here. It was dangerous, you were always travelling around and then even your pay was bad.


    But, these people still saved us, helped us. And even though the pay was ''bad'', it made Karen really happy. We could overlook it a bit, right?


    "But why does Sis only get two and I get four?" I asked Korwen.


    "Because we are taking care of her sister, so I deducted her living expenses. Also, you can already use some magic, while she is basically at the very start, right? That''s another reason. Actually, I should say that she gets nothing until she can use some magic, but let''s say, it''s an investment."


    An investment. So he wanted something in return. Well, with more magicians, he could probably find more work.


    "That reminds me, Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it?"


    "There''s a little offer I want to make."


    "Offer?"


    I furrowed my brows. That sounded suspicious.


    "I won''t take over accounting."


    "Damn... No, that''s not what I wanted to ask."


    "Not?"


    What else could he want then?


    "Do you have any interest in bodyguard work?"


    "Bodyguard? Me?"


    Did he want me to shout cutely at them for intimidation?


    "Yes, you. Well, though I call it bodyguard work, it''s half bodyguard and half secretarial duties."


    "I don''t want to do your accounting."


    "... Though that is kind of included, at least in part, that''s not all."


    "Huh... But really, why me of all people?"


    An evil grin adorned his face upon hearing that question. I had a bad feeling.


    "Do you know one of the major problems that most magicians have?"


    "No?"


    "Well, Lily, do you?"


    He turned to Lily who was listening curiously.


    "Mh, that invoking magic takes time."


    "Exactly. Invoking magic takes time. But you basically skip that. In coordinated large-scale battles that barely matters, and in monster extermination it is rarely of import either, unless someone is really slow with invoking."


    He waved his jug around in front of my eyes. He probably attempted to point at me with it.


    "You can safely skip that invoking part, though. Not to mention, I''m sure there are other things you can do that others wouldn''t expect from a person, right? If we train you properly, you might become an incredibly good bodyguard. Nobody would expect a little girl to be a magician that can invoke magic instantly."


    "Huh... But what does that exactly entail? Am I just following you around?"


    "Pretty much, yes. Well, it also includes, like I said, some secretarial duties. Can''t let you waste your skills, right? But you have time to decide over that. That''s more a long-term offer but you can already start thinking about it."


    "Nn..."


    "Now, you''re more than welcome to help with acc-"


    "No."


    "Oh well, it was worth a try. Mh? Oh, Merim is coming back. That took time."


    We followed his gaze and saw Merim coming back. He looked really, really tired, right now. Following behind him was the guy from the infirmary.


    "Captain... I''m not going to do that again."


    "Stop complaining and give me a report. How does it look?"


    "That is... Better have this guy explain it."


    He pushed the tired man from the infirmary forward. The poor sod looked around nervously for a second then straightened his back in a hurry.


    "Captain, sir! From the discussion, we could gather there''s indeed a disease going around. But it seems to be the flu, so with some treatment, they should get better."


    "The flu? That''s it, really?"


    Korwen raised an eyebrow in suspicion.


    "Yes, sir. The flu. Considering they are refugees, they probably caught it out here but lack the efficient means of treating it. They actually might have a magician who tried to treat it until he succumbed as well."


    "Geez, at least it''s not the Reaper''s Disease. Still, even if we do know what... Merim, what else could you get from them?"


    Korwen looked relieved hearing that. If it really was just the flu, most people might recover on their own, even.


    "Not much, it took us really quite a lot just to find out this much. They shot even more arrows at me, so give me a raise."


    "I have the account book here, seems I overpay you. Let''s fix that."


    "I''m sorry. Really. Don''t cut my pay, please. I''ll get killed by my wife."


    "... The report then."


    "Ah, yes. I think they fled from Aldreigh due to... issues with the government. They probably planned to reach Lafria over the Hollow Bridge, just like us. Except they ran out of supplies and then had the flu going around. For their numbers... Around 100 seems to be quite accurate."


    "That''s something we can work with, can''t we."


    He nodded a few times to himself.


    "Still, we can''t support a hundred people. At most we can add around fifty people, that''s the most we can support until we reach the Hollow Bridge. Now, we aren''t a charity though. Can they offer us anything?"


    "It didn''t seem so, no."


    "Mh..."


    I smiled vaguely. Even though he said he didn''t run a charity he still considered the most peaceful solution. This certainly wasn''t how I imagined a mercenary band to be.


    "Merim, go and tell them that we can take around fifty people to the Hollow Bridge and one day of supplies for everyone else, for proper compensation. After that, we can ask for assistance from the garrison to pick them up. If they don''t accept that, then we can''t help them and we''ll force our way through."


    "Understood."


    Merim gave a salute and left promptly again.


    "Now then, I wonder... Will they accept or will they make trouble."


    Korwen stared at the sky above us.


    Rinne


    Well, there''s not much to say today, I guess.


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    And to those who already are (assuming you even read this here), thank you so much!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Maiden’s Troubles

    "Are you sure this is fine, vice-captain, sir?"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. You worry too much, Fenna."


    "..."


    Fenna was looking at Merim as if he was a suspicious person.


    "It''ll be fine, see? They haven''t shot at us yet."


    "... Not yet?"


    I honestly preferred if they didn''t shoot at us at any time.


    Right now, I was in front of the refugee''s barricade, together with Merim, Ria and Fenna and her squad.


    Apparently, the refugees accepted the offer Korwen made and so he sent us together with Merim to take a look at the people we''ll bring along and the compensation they offered.


    Now, one might wonder why I was here and not Karen or Lily...


    The reason was simple, really. Monsters generally couldn''t get ill. Apparently, most diseases weren''t able to survive in the highly mana-contaminated bodies of monsters, so they basically never got ill.


    It did make me question however how a monster was even alive in the traditional sense. If I recalled correctly, most living beings had various kinds of microorganisms inside their bodies. If a bacterium couldn''t survive inside the body of a monster, then how could those microorganisms survive? And what about a virus?


    Alas, there was nobody around me who could answer that question. It still bothered me.


    In any case, since the chances that I could get ill were low, I was sent along. In the worst case, where Ria couldn''t approach the patients for fear of being infected, it was my job to take a look and if possible do something. I had no idea what this something was supposed to be, so I prayed it wouldn''t come to that.


    "We''re here to take a look at the ill!" shouted Merim over the palisade.


    A grumpy looking old man with small horns on his head peeked over it and then disappeared again.


    Nothing else happened.


    "Will you let us in?!"


    No reaction to his second shout.


    "Oh, come on. Is it really necessary to make things more troublesome now?"


    "Well, vice-captain, are you sure they really accepted the offer and you didn''t misunderstand anything?"


    "They haven''t shot arrows at us yet, so I''m sure."


    "I am filled with doubts about using the lack of arrows as a confirmation..."


    "It''s fine, you worry too much."


    Fenna shook her head in exasperation.


    "Oh? Something is happening."


    Next to the crude palisade, there appeared a small group of people. The old man from before as well as two young men and a young woman.


    "You''re that scum that''ll help us? What are you standing around for? Get in, and where''s the food, we need food!" bellowed the old man arrogantly.


    Not only did he call us scum he even made demands.


    "Grandfather, you can''t just make demands like that!" scolded one of the young men.


    "Pah! They''re just a bunch of humans! They should be honoured they can serve us! Now, where''s the food! And if you have alcohol, bring that too!"


    I barely heard a few sentences from this man but I was already sure I''d never get along with him. Good thing I didn''t have to anyway.


    "Good sir, I am afraid you misunderstand. We''re offering our help for a price. If we aren''t being paid, we''ll just take our leave."


    "Empty threats! I have nothing for lowly animals like you!"


    "Grandfather! Please stop! Please excuse him, the journey was arduous, he''s just a bit agitated."


    "Just a bit, huh..."


    "Of course, we will pay for your help."


    Merim nodded towards the young man.


    "Then, we would like to discuss the payment and also about who we will escort to the Hollow Bridge. I said it earlier, but we can at most take around four dozen along."


    "That''s fine, please come this way."


    "Aino! You can''t intend to really take these strangers into our camp, can you?! I won''t allow that!"


    "Grandfather, please! Ino, please take grandfather back to the camp. And don''t leave him unsupervised..."


    "Aino! Do you dare defy your grandfather?! Have you no respect for your elders?!"


    I slightly felt bad for the poor guy. His grandfather was really doing all he could to undermine his efforts.


    The other young man escorted the grandfather away. Forcefully.


    Why did they even let him come here in the first place?


    "I am really sorry, he boasted he knew how to handle negotiations so I was sure..."


    "As long as we get paid he can shout all he wants."


    "That''s... reassuring to hear."


    The young man bowed his head slightly.


    "My name is Aino, a pleasure to meet you."


    "Merim Jockson."


    "Sir Jockson is it. Please come in, we''ll show you around."


    The young man, Aino, motioned us along and we followed him and his female companion, who kept silent at Aino''s side.


    The inside camp was even worse than what I imagined it to be. There were women and even children, nearly all of them having horns, small wings or tails, holding whatever tools they could arm themselves with and glaring at us suspiciously. Many of the children looked malnourished, even worse than the ones I saw in the slums. Some had wounds on their bodies that were poorly, if at all, treated. They all looked dirty. Not the dirty of not seeing the shower for a few days, like me, but veritably dirty, covered in mud, dirt and things I was probably better of not knowing.


    They had no tents or anything, they sat only on the ground, exposed to the elements. In the back, we could see many, many people lying on the ground. Those must''ve been the ill ones.


    "That looks even worse than I imagined it to be."


    "Ahhh... We''ll have to figure something out. Ria, Yumi, go and take a look at the ill. Fenna, go with them and protect them in case something happens. The rest stays with me, I''ll discuss with Mr Aino... What we''ll do now."


    "Mhh... Understood."


    "Nn, got it."


    "Understood, vice-captain."


    We left Merim behind and walked towards the ill people, the woman that was with Aino followed us.


    There were at least around thirty people lying here. It was mostly children.


    "Mhh... There''s a lot of children here..." mumbled Ria.


    She turned towards the woman.


    "More than half the people here... are children... Why...?"


    "Miss, that is... We took the children of our village in hopes to bring them to a safe place..."


    "So you prioritised the children... and left everyone else behind...?"


    "..."


    The woman nodded, looking down. It must have been a hard decision, to leave behind everyone else.


    "I see... Then we should make sure... They reach their destination..."


    Ria stepped forward and squatted down next to a child, a young boy. He was looking feverish, breathing roughly and sweating heavily. She put the hand on his forehead, opened his mouth and examined his tongue. She was looking like a real doctor when she did things like this.


    "Mh... It looks like the flu... But the symptoms are too strong... It might be child pox."


    "Child pox? But... isn''t that a rather harmless disease?"


    "The flu is as well... but untreated... it can still kill people."


    "That is..."


    "Child pox is not a worrying disease... If the patient is healthy... These children... are weak..."


    "..."


    The woman bit her lip in frustration. I could see some blood flowing down on the side. She seemed to care for the children a lot.


    "Do you have... relatives... among the ill...?" asked Ria, probably also noticing how agitated the woman was.


    "... My younger brother and sister..."


    "I see..."


    Ria stood up again and turned towards me.


    "Yumi... Can you use magic... to strengthen them...?"


    "Eh?"


    "It will be... a good lesson for you..."


    "Uhm, I don''t quite know what I need to do for that though."


    I was still carrying around a small mana crystal around to use for magic, since Lily insisted on it, so that wasn''t a problem. But ''strengthening'' someone was a rather vague description.


    "Mh... How did you... use magic so far..."


    "Well, somehow by instinct and guts?"


    "Then try to strengthen them... with instinct... and guts..."


    "..."


    That didn''t help me at all. I was slightly taken aback by that.


    "Just do it... I''ll take responsibility..."


    "I don''t really care about responsibility, just..."


    "That''s an order..."


    "That is..."


    She called it an order. Hearing that made me realise once again, she was my superior, the one who was supposed to order me around, right now. But even if that was the case, she wanted me to mess with someone''s body. There was no way I could just agree to that. This wasn''t like with Rina, where I knew what I had to do, or rather, what I had to try.


    "Yumi..."


    "... Ahh, I get it, I''ll try..."


    Her stare felt a bit unbearable so I squatted down next to the kid and grabbed the mana crystal I was carrying. I felt incredibly anxious, but I couldn''t escape now.


    Now, how do I do this? She said to strengthen them... Their immune system maybe? Or just, their general energy, or rather, dealing with their fatigue? I have no idea!


    Holding my hand over the poor boy I closed my eyes. I wanted to concentrate on feeling the mana, inspecting the mana in the boy''s body. Then, I noticed something odd. There was mana that didn''t belong there. It was disturbing as if someone glued a blank plate onto an already completed picture. It didn''t belong there.


    I felt like I should get rid of that, but I couldn''t. It was too weak, too small, it felt as I would overpower the boy''s mana instead. And I had the feeling, I shouldn''t do that. No matter what, that was something I shouldn''t do.


    But what should I do then? I can''t get rid of that weird mana, I would probably just harm the boy. His mana already feels so weak... Wait, weak?


    Maybe, I could strengthen the boy''s mana. Maybe, that was what Ria wanted me to do.


    But that still begged the question of how to do it. I pulled some mana out of the mana crystal, something that went a lot smoother now after Yumias messed with me, and tried giving it to the boy. Alas, nothing much changed.


    Ahh, how stupid. Can''t this somehow work and be done with?


    The mana I had given him was dispersing and was gone after a few seconds without my control. This wasn''t like with the dolls, my instincts didn''t help me this time. But why did Ria tell me to do this? That meant she was sure I could do that easily, right?


    Let''s think, what did I do so far with my magic? I can control my own body in parts, I made the ogre horny and I made a bunch of dolls. Nothing else... Oh wait, I also, uh... Made a bunch of old men happy. No wait, that sounds wrong!


    I shook my head. Of those options, there was only one that could maybe help with my current dilemma. The time when I made the dolls with Lily.


    That was life magic, it probably can do something like that, right? Strengthening someone. Uhh... Guess I''ll have to try it.


    I pulled once again mana out from the crystal and attuned it to the life attribute. This, too, somehow went a lot better than I expected.


    That witch''s messing probably had a far more deep-reaching effect than I had thought. But right now, I was actually thankful for it.


    I used the life-attributed mana and pushed it into the boy. As stupid as it sounded, that was quite literally what I did. It didn''t take long for the mana to completely disappear.


    "Mhh... That went better than expected..."


    Surprised at those sudden words behind me I opened my eyes and looked up behind me, at Ria, who was unexpectedly smiling.


    Then I took a look at the boy in front of me. He still looked ill but his complexion was a lot better than before.


    "Did it... work?"


    "It did... It''s nothing more... than simply strengthening the body... but things like this... can go a long way..."


    "Is... Is that so..."


    I breathed a sigh of relief. All my anxiousness disappeared and I suddenly felt really tired.


    "That... reminds me. I saw some weird mana in his body, it didn''t feel like it belonged there."


    "Oh...? You can already... see them...?"


    "Them?"


    "The Disease Spirits..."


    Spirits? Were spirits responsible for the illness?


    "They are... what makes people ill..."


    "Huh..."


    Still, were they really spirits? The thing I saw when Lune used her magic, that felt more like a spirit. But this? It was more a living being.


    Whatever it was in the end, I couldn''t care less for now. This was tiring.


    "Now... Repeat that... For everyone else..."


    "..."


    Please don''t say that!


    I had no idea how long I took but it was a good amount of time until I finished improving the complexion of over thirty children.


    Since I was completely spent afterwards they sent me back and now I was currently enjoying a comfortable lap pillow.


    "You did well, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    All the trouble was worth just for this. I could feel Karen''s hand gently caressing my hair.


    "Yumi, stop looking so sloppy," complained a jealous someone nearby.


    "No. This is heaven, you won''t understand it, Lily."


    "Are you making fun of me?"


    I wasn''t making fun of her. Okay, maybe I was. But that didn''t really matter now.


    "Yumi, don''t bully her."


    "Nn, okay, Sis."


    "Jeez, you two should just kiss already and date."


    "Li-, Lily?! What are you saying?!"


    "Dating Sis..."


    "Yumi?! What are you thinking about?!"


    I was imagining kissing and dating her. Although that was a bit too much for me as I could feel how my face got really hot.


    "Oh? Yumi''s face is turning quite red, Karen. Isn''t right now your chance?"


    "Lily, stop it! We''re both girls! And she''s my little sister!"


    "And that matters in what way?"


    "Eh?"


    "Nn?"


    Curious about her question as well I slightly shifted my head to turn towards Lily.


    "Like I said, that matters in what way?"


    "That... That is..."


    Karen started stuttering.


    "So, Yumi, what do you think?"


    "Huh?"


    "Do you think it''s a problem if two girls date each other?"


    "No? Not really?"


    She was asking this rather late, wasn''t she? If I had a problem with it, I would have complained to her. Especially to her. After all, she wasn''t exactly hiding her infatuation with cute girls. Ah, but maybe I was misunderstood that I only took it as her joking around? That might have been the case.


    Whatever, I really didn''t mind it. After all. I would be quite the hypocrite anyway if I did.


    "Yu, Yumi, you don''t mind... such a thing?"


    "Nn?"


    I turned my head upwards to look at Karen.


    "I don''t?"


    "Huh... Really? But, you know, girls can''t have children with each other? Is that fine?"


    "Um, aren''t there normal couples without children too?"


    "Well... There are... But..."


    "I think, people should just love whoever they want. Something like it being two girls, that''s not really important, is it?"


    "... You think... so?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded towards her question. Though I was still lying in her lap, so it was slightly awkward just to do a simple nod.


    "See, Karen. Nobody minds! Well, at least we don''t."


    "Are there usually problems with this kind of relationship?" I asked.


    I vaguely remembered that same-sex relationships tended to be rejected by many people in my old world. On the other side though, I also remembered that same-sex relationships have been surprisingly common for a long, long time.


    "Many religions shun it, people are even persecuted in some countries, so yes, it''s quite an issue. It heavily depends where you are, though."


    "... And you are fine just declaring you want a cute girlfriend to strangers like that?"


    "Most people just think I''m joking anyway."


    "Wait, Lily?! That wasn''t a joke?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Seemed that it finally hit Karen too.


    Karen started awkwardly fidgeting and looking left and right.


    "That''s... I didn''t know...  Uhm... I''m sorry?"


    Seeing her behaving so awkwardly made Lily burst out in laughter.


    "Do, Don''t laugh!"


    "Ahahaha, but it''s so cute. Really, you shouldn''t worry about it that much. I never made it really clear either, I guess. So really, don''t worry about it."


    Despite those words, Karen averted her gaze.


    She closed her eyes for a few seconds, probably thinking about something. It took some moments until she clenched her fists, opened her eyes again and faced Lily.


    "I understand. I won''t mind it, e, e, even if you..."


    "Even if I...?"


    "Uhh... Even if you... are... like that..."


    Her voice slowly grew into a whisper towards the end.


    "Geez, you make it into way too big an issue, Karen. I mean, I''m not the only one here, aren''t I? Isn''t Yumi the same?"


    "Nn?"


    "... What?"


    Karen suddenly stared right at me with inquisitive eyes.


    "Well, Karen. Think about it. If she wasn''t a girl before she came here... Actually, wouldn''t it be weird in her case if she didn''t like girls?"


    Lily, I would vastly appreciate it if you didn''t go around telling other people what things someone likes? At least not these ones.


    "That''s... true..."


    Karen nodded to herself, seemingly convinced.


    "Well, I wonder who Yumi will end up with in the future. Sele seemed to be quite adamant about it, didn''t she?"


    "Lily... Sele is just a child."


    "So you don''t see her like that, Yumi?"


    "I don''t. She''s a nice girl and all, I like her a lot, but I can''t see her like that. She''s just a child."


    "Children grow up astonishingly fast sometimes."


    "She hasn''t grown up yet."


    "So she might have a chance once she did?"


    "That is..."


    "Not impossible?"


    Frankly, even in the further future, I had no intention to let that happen. After all, I hoped for something else. Yet, the future was not set in stone. I had no idea what things would happen in the years to come, so I couldn''t outright refuse it either.


    "Well, you should better clear that up with Sele soon then. I''m fairly sure she was serious and it''d leave a bad taste if you left her hanging like that."


    "..."


    Wording it like that, I felt like I did something bad. It was true that I had simply dismissed it as the antics of a child. Maybe I shouldn''t have done that.


    "I get it, I''ll go and talk to her. Satisfied?"


    "I''m always satisfied, whether you go or not. Both options are cute."


    This girl was a lot worse than I was, right?


    I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn''t my problem but hers in the end.


    "Then, Yumi, who would you like to go out with?"


    "Eh?"


    "Well, if Sele is not an option, do you have someone else in mind?"


    "..."


    Lily leaned forward and stared at me with a wide grin. She was messing with me, she absolutely knew.


    I couldn''t possibly say such a thing when I was using exactly that person''s lap as a pillow right now.


    Therefore, there was only one solution.


    "A secret."


    I escaped.


    "Ehh... That''s boring Yumi. Karen, don''t you want to know too?"


    "Uhm... I... I do?"


    Sounding rather unsure, Karen still affirmed that she was curious.


    That really wasn''t that I needed right now.


    "It''s a secret. The End."


    "... She''s escaping, Yumi is escaping! Even though she basically confirmed there is someone already!"


    "I never did through?"


    "If there wasn''t, there wouldn''t be a problem with telling us."


    "..."


    That... wasn''t wrong?


    No, wait. What if I simply disliked things like this and refused to get involved? Then it wouldn''t be strange? It wouldn''t be, right?


    Alas, there was a small issue with that. If it had been like that, it wouldn''t have taken me any time to answer as such. And Lily obviously knew that as well. Additionally, Karen understood that too...


    "So... There''s someone Yumi likes..."


    "Well, Sis... That''s, you see."


    "No, it''s fine, Yumi. I understand."


    "Eh?"


    "You''re free to like someone, I will support you as your big sister!"


    "..."


    That somehow hurt, in a different meaning. Karen was clenching her fists in front of her chest and looked down at me.


    "Ah, ahhh... Thank you..."


    That was all I could utter right now.


    "Karen is quite cruel, huh..." whispered Lily nearby.


    I had to agree. She was cruel. It hurt.


    "Yumi? You look so serious suddenly, is something the matter?"


    "Nn... Just a little something..."


    Yes, it hurt. But there was something I could do against that. It was something I had to do, I was sure of it now even more than ever before.


    I slowly sat up, leaving the heaven-like lap with much resistance in my heart.


    "Oh, you have enough?"


    "Nn, well... Right now, it''s too much for me."


    "Too much?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded in affirmation.


    "Yumi, you''re an idiot," commented Lily from the side.


    "Yumi isn''t an idiot, that''s rude Lily."


    "Yes, sorry about that. She''s not an idiot."


    Karen started to chastise Lily for her behaviour.


    I watched Karen for a short bit. Before I noticed, a small smile was on my face.


    I had to take action, now.


    Sometime later we got a notice that the refugee children have been brought to some wagons that were reasonably empty. Ria treated most of them well enough that they wouldn''t die, but they would still require rest from what I was told.


    Karen decided to look for Rina suddenly, leaving me alone with Lily.


    Thanks to the previous little incident I was a bit miffed. I didn''t like that she treated me as a plaything.


    "Yumi, I already said I''m sorry, okay?"


    "..."


    "Come one, at least respond! Really, I''m reflecting, okay?"


    "..."


    I was a bit angry, yes. So I kept her hanging for around ten minutes already.


    Well, I guess it''s so enough now. She already has tears in her eyes.


    With a little sigh full of astonishment at Lily''s nerves, I turned around to her.


    "Lily, you shouldn''t do that again."


    "Yumi is speaking! Yippie!"


    "Lily..."


    "Ah, I''m sorry, I won''t do it again!"


    "... I''ll hold you onto that. Or I will tell Rina a lot of bad things about you."


    "Eh? Why Rina?"


    "... Because Karen already knows them."


    "Haa..."


    Was I mistaken? When Rina had her little incident, I could have sworn she was grinning to herself when Rina announced the ''couples'' she had thought of. Which included her and Lily being one.


    Whatever it was in the end, it didn''t matter a lot.


    "Lily. If you are sorry, then help me out."


    "I will, I promise!"


    "Okay. Then I have a simple question."


    "I''m all ears!"


    I had no idea if it was intentional or not but her fluffy ears started shaking for a moment.


    "How do you confess?"


    "Yes?"


    "That wasn''t a yes or no question..."


    "No, wait. You want to confess? To Karen?"


    I nodded.


    "Didn''t you have the perfect chance right now?!"


    "... That was no good."


    "Why not?"


    "I can''t possibly confess in public, even more so when someone is watching."


    "That''s pretty weird to hear from someone who is flirting around in public with her supposed sister."


    "..."


    That wasn''t flirting. It was enjoying heaven.


    "Haa... Anyway, what did you imagine?"


    "I don''t know... something private? At the very least that. I doubt I have much freedom in the location, though I''d like something with a nice view or so."


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Are you really sure you were a man previously?"


    "Eh?"


    I tilted my head. I was a man previously, without a doubt. There wasn''t much left of my manly side anymore, but it was there.


    "You remind me more of a young girl dreaming of a rose-coloured romance with a prince."


    "... I''m not that bad. Not even remotely."


    "You''re still more the romantic type, aren''t you."


    "... Nn, I think so?"


    "Innocent maiden, Yumi."


    "..."


    I averted my gaze. I already realised that one myself but having it pointed out did a lot more damage than anticipated.


    "Yumi, I have an idea."


    "Nn?"


    "Imagine Karen as a handsome prince."


    A handsome Karen? That... actually sounded interesting. Karen with a ponytail in tight-fitting, fancy clothing... That was nice in its own way.


    "Yumi, you''re red."


    "... Ah. Lily, what are you making me imagine?"


    "Nothing? I just decided that you''re now a dreaming maiden."


    This girl, she didn''t stop messing with me after all.


    "Guess I''ll have to tell Rina all the bad little things about you."


    "... There aren''t even many things you could tell her, are there?"


    I would think of some. There was enough time.


    "Anyway, it''s cute. You''re more girly than most girls, isn''t that fine?"


    "... I feel rather conflicted about that, though."


    "Nothing you can do about it, right? Just accept it."


    "Uhh..."


    "In any case, I do have an actual idea, okay?"


    If this was another joke, I wouldn''t forgive her.


    "You see, in around two or three days, we should arrive at the Hollow Bridge. Why not confess then and there?"


    "I have no idea what the Hollow Bridge even is, though?"


    "Ah, right. Well, I guess, you have to wait then. You should enjoy the surprise."


    "Haa..."


    "As an apology, I''ll make sure you and Karen will get some time alone, okay?"


    "... If you mess around again, I won''t forgive you."


    "I won''t, I promise! I do wish you two luck after all."


    Did she, now? She was messing around an awful lot for that, though. Honestly, I wasn''t sure if it was fine trusting her with this.


    "Your face is literally screaming you don''t trust me, Yumi."


    "Is it now? I thought you said I look like a doll with no expressions?"


    "Well, they are hard to read. Yumi. Really. But they are there, I realised that."


    So she still thought they were hard too read? Well, fine. Nobody complained about it yet. And I personally didn''t feel like that either, so there was nothing I could do about it anyway.


    "Yumi, just trust me. Just this once! I promise I won''t mess around!"


    "... Okay, I trust you..."


    I still wasn''t sure if this was a good idea, but... How did Rina say it? She was family. And who would trust in someone if not your own family?


    "Yay! I promise I won''t let you down!"


    "Nn."


    With a big grin, Lily was hopping around me, like a little kid.


    Was it so great that it warranted skipping and hopping?


    After a few hours, my own perception of hours, we were finally moving again.


    "Yes, like that, try keeping it constant."


    "N, Nn..."


    The children we took along were split around among the various wagons, mostly around the adults that already had the child pox when they were young. Due to that, there weren''t any in our own wagon since we had children here. And it would be a problem if they would catch it too.


    Thanks to that there weren''t any changes in our wagon. Maya and Emily were playing something with Rina and Karen while Sele was using my back as a backrest and was reading. She was awfully clingy since she, well, confessed to me.


    I wish I had your courage Sele. I know I shouldn''t say that, considering I''m the recipient, but still...


    "Don''t think of something unnecessary, it''s getting unstable."


    "Ah..."


    Right now, Ria and Lily were watching over my magic practice. In practice, it was mostly Lily who did, though.


    And what were we doing again? Dolls. A lot of them. Lily had somehow procured a huge wooden block and heaved it into the wagon. There wasn''t much space so it was, frankly, in the way. And that''s why I had to turn the entire block into dolls.


    "Oh, this one is good, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    Lily was holding up my newest creation. It looked like all the others. Well, not quite, it was slightly smoother and more refined than the previous ones. Still, I figured I could be a bit proud, right?


    "Now, you only need to repeat this a few more times."


    "... I''ll try."


    I turned towards the huge wooden block. I felt like it didn''t get any smaller. But chances were, that I only had that impression because I was just so slow.


    When Lily helped me making them, it was going pretty well since I only had to focus on maintaining the magic. But if I did it myself, not only did I have to keep up the magic but I also had to form the wood into a doll shape. This proved to be quite hard.


    "Nn, that reminds me. Where''s that one doll..."


    "One doll?"


    "The one I gave the mana crystal?"


    "Eh? You don''t know?"


    "Nn?"


    I turned towards Lily. Her reaction seemed strange.


    "I thought for sure you knew..."


    "Nn? So, what happened?"


    "Well... It''s with the Black Guards..."


    "Eh?"


    "I thought you left it with them on purpose."


    "... I didn''t. What the heck is it doing there."


    "... Old man things."


    And what the heck were old man things now?


    "Like, enjoying a footbath, drinking alcohol, celebrating, drinking alcohol and so on."


    "Why is alcohol twice there? How does a doll even drink alcohol? And why is it getting along with those old men?"


    There were too many things that were strange here. Way too many. What did that doll think it was? Actually, could it even think? What was up with it, honestly?


    "Isn''t it your doll? You should ask it. In any case, the Black Guards already painted their emblem on its back and someone already considered making a miniature armour for it... There''s currently even a contest to find a name for it."


    "... Let''s pretend I heard nothing."


    "... Well, if you are fine with that."


    I had to be fine with that. Because otherwise, I would have to question myself just where this doll turned strange.


    "By the way, the current favourite for a name is ''Mr Yuu''."


    "... What?"


    "Because it''s from you. The second most popular one is ''Mr Yumias''"


    "... Everything but that."


    "You really don''t like mama much, do you..."


    Lily''s voice sounded a bit sad again but I couldn''t help it.


    "Let''s just say, her first impression wasn''t the best..."


    I poured mana into the wood and started cautiously moulding it into a proper doll. The basic look was simple, but making it look like an actual doll was really hard. On that note, when we began practising, the first doll looked only slightly better than the one I made back then before Lily took over, but it still looked quite creepy. Creepy enough to make the surrounding girls keep their distance and turning around their backs towards me, with the exception of Lily, who apparently had expected this.


    "You''re getting better and better."


    "Nn."


    "By the time we reach the Hollow Bridge you can probably make them without a problem. Afterwards, we should try some other things."


    "Nn, got it."


    "How about... you ask the Academy for assistance... once we are at the capital?" suggested Ria, who had kept silent until now.


    "The Academy? Why them?"


    "They know a lot... about attributes and magic... Life magic... isn''t outlawed there either... Though it is under restriction..."


    "Hmm... So they might know magic I could use?"


    "That''s right... Though... They probably will want your help in some experiments... But it shouldn''t be... anything drastic..."


    "Hmm..."


    I looked outside through the back window of the wagon. If they knew some things, that might be really helpful. And as long as the experiments weren''t particularly bad, I could deal with that.


    Well, guess asking won''t hurt. And it does sound interesting, to say the least. But for now...


    For now, there was a different worry.


    I glanced over to Karen who was playing with Rina, Maya and Emily. They looked like they had fun. Then, Karen took a short glance in my direction as well, but she quickly returned to the game. Some kind of simple card game.


    "Yumi, I know you are nervous, but how do you intend to survive the next three days like this?"


    "... Somehow..."


    "''Somehow'' is not exactly good, you know..."


    I sighed. There was nothing I could do against it though. I had to deal survive this. Three days. Three days of anxiousness and nervousness.


    "Let''s continue, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Three days later, days filled with reading and writing practice, magic practice and some lessons about common knowledge, we arrived at the Hollow Bridge.


    The torturous days were, thankfully, rather quickly over. Nonetheless, the closer we got to our destination, the more anxious I got.


    Today, Yumi. Today, is the final day. You can do it! Today, you will confess to Karen!


    Rinne

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: The Hollow Bridge

    "Wow..."


    There were no other words to describe the sight in front of me. I was standing at a cliff. A huge cliff. A cliff that was gigantic.


    "Well, it''s called The Hollow for a reason, Yumi."


    "But... where does it even end?"


    "Good question."


    "..."


    I cautiously took a peek over the railings, looking down the cliff. There was no end in sight, only endless darkness spread out in front of me.


    "The Holy Church says that The Hollow is a punishment from the gods. In Lafria they say that it is a remnant of a fight between the god-dragons and the High Spirit. What it truly is... I don''t know."


    "... Do those things even really exist?"


    "Don''t let the church hear that... Mama told me that the gods, or rather, she called them god-like beings, really exist."


    "Mh... If that mo-, that person says so... They really might, huh."


    Gods being real. Somehow, that sounded quite surreal. I didn''t think of myself as being particularly religious, so it was rather weird to hear.


    But considering she called them god-like beings, they might not be the almighty gods that some people believe in. Was it really alright to call them even gods then? Though, if I recalled right, there were also some religions that worshipped many gods, and those often had human qualities as well. So it might be fine to call them gods?


    Honestly, it was a tough topic.


    Let'' not think too deeply about this. It''s not something that matters for me anyway.


    "Still..."


    I took another look over The Hollow. The deep cliff was, of course, one thing but it wasn''t the truly impressive part.


    "Where does this even end?"


    "I think it took around a week from this point to either side."


    "..."


    Speaking plainly, The Hollow was a ravine. But not just any ravine, it was truly gargantuan. The bottom was so far away we could only see black. And either end disappeared in the horizon, far far away.


    Then, finally, was the other side of the ravine. Together with the very thing we were here for: The Hollow Bridge.


    "Just... how did they even build that thing."


    "With many magicians and a lot of labour... There''s a reason it took two decades to build."


    The other side of the ravine was incredibly far away. I had no idea how I should even begin with an estimate but it was surely a few hundred meters. The trees on the other side were smaller than the tip of my little finger.


    And in the middle of this natural, or maybe unnatural, wonder was a similarly gigantic bridge.


    "How does that thing even hold together?"


    "Magic."


    "And why is magic the answer for it?"


    "Because I don''t know anything about this either?"


    I shrugged at Lily''s comment. I was quite interested in the construction of this monument but it wasn''t all too important right now.


    The bridge consisted of three parts that even I as a layman could spot. Two bridges and a huge fort.


    In the middle of the ravine was an elongated plateau and just as everything else about this ravine it was huge. On this plateau was a stone fort. Or maybe calling it a castle was a better way to describe it? Whichever it was, it was clearly a defensive structure of enormous proportions. Each corner was adorned with a tall watch tower and behind the walls, I could spot another tower, even taller than the ones at the wall corners. It might be something like the castle keep.


    It looks simply like a big medieval castle. Though a medieval castle actually looks a bit out of place when everything else looks a lot more... I don''t know, refined? Modern?


    I couldn''t quite spot what caused the awkwardness but it wasn''t really important anyway.


    The things that left me wondering even more though, were the two bridges on either side of the fort. They connected one side of the ravine with the other side, making it possible to travel through without having to make a detour around the entire ravine.


    Those bridges were made of stone. Or at least, it looked like stone. Each bridge looked as if it was carved from a single stone. No, that wasn''t quite right either. It looked as if each bridge itself was a natural part of the ravine. There was no clear indication where the cliff ended and the bridge began.


    "Magic is impressive..."


    "You notice late... But yes, I agree. It really is."


    I stepped back from the railing, something that looked oddly modern, and took another good look, from one end of the ravine over the bridge itself with the castle-like fort to the other end.


    It was truly awe-inspiring, I could understand why Lily suggested I find some time alone with Karen here.


    But thinking about it makes me still nervous. Like, super nervous.


    "Well, we should go and see whether we can help. It''s not good to be slacking."


    "Nn."


    A strong wind blew into and ruffled my hair up.


    "Sure is windy."


    "Nn..."


    I tried putting my hair in order but the strong wind immediately made a new mess out of it.


    "Uhh... Even though I finally managed to get it done myself."


    I pulled out one of the ribbons that were on the verge of flying away.


    Wanda had scolded me about my lack of care for my hair. I had been so sure that it was fine to not put any particular care into it since I realised that keeping the hair healthy was completely unnecessary for me. That was still the case, of course, but I had completely underestimated a different thing: The hairstyle.


    "You should just ask Wanda to fix it for you. It took you really long to finish it."


    "... No, I want to do it myself if possible."


    Mainly because it was embarrassing. Wanda usually didn''t stop only at my hair. It didn''t take her long until she dressed me up with various other clothes. Most of them were clearly things that weren''t finished yet but she said she wanted to make sure her work would progress well.


    Nearly all of them fit me so well that it scared me a bit. When asked she claimed it was a coincidence but...


    Whatever the case, it was a bit troublesome.


    "If you go to her you might get a cute outfit for later too."


    "..."


    That idea is actually not that bad...


    I was considering it for a moment before I shook my head at her suggestion.


    "Don''t want to?" asked Lily.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to... But I feel that''d be too much."


    "Honestly, isn''t it a bit late for that, Miss Romantic?"


    "..."


    "Well, it''s not like I can''t understand you, Yumi. I''m sure many girls dreamed about a romantic confession before. Though... It''s something I''d more expect from girls like Maya and Sele... Not from someone who claims to be older than me."


    "Uhhh..."


    I couldn''t really argue against it. The past three days I had spent a good amount of time fantasizing about today and Lily caught me more than once grinning to myself. At the very least, I was spared any interrogation by her. And yet, the understanding look in her eyes hurt me quite a bit.


    "Well, have you at least thought what to do afterwards?"


    "Afterwards?"


    I turned around, facing Lily, and tilted my head at her question.


    "Afterwards. If your confession goes well, you''d be lovers, right?"


    "... I hope so."


    "Assuming you are lovers, you would also want to do things that lovers do, am I wrong?"


    "No, you aren''t. You mean, things like holding hands or... kissing?"


    "... Yumi, how old were you again?"


    "22."


    Lily let out a sigh, holing and shaking her head.


    "Yumi, there are other things too, right?"


    "..."


    "Listen, if you don''t at least mentally prepare yourself, it might end in a disaster. You''re the older one here after all."


    "But... Something like that surely wouldn''t happen that quickly, right?"


    "Yumi... A girl''s sexual desire is not to be underestimated! Especially one who is in love! Or do you not want to have sex with her?"


    "... You''re... awfully blunt, Lily. And... Of course, I want to. There''s no way I wouldn''t, right?"


    "Then there''s no problem right?"


    "Uhhh..."


    I averted my gaze. How could she be so blunt about it without getting embarrassed? It was a mystery for me.


    "... Yumi, you want this to work out well, right?"


    "... Nn."


    I nodded in regards to her question.


    "If you aren''t prepared, it might turn into a disaster.  If Karen were to accept and then finds out that you''re already being overwhelmed by holding hands and kissing while she had something more... physical in mind... Well, it might turn rather awkward, at the very least..."


    "... I''m sure that won''t happen... right?"


    "Mh... I wouldn''t be so sure of that."


    Lily put her hand on my head and rubbed me with quite some force. It was a bit uncomfortable with the strength she put into it.


    "In any case, you should prepare yourself for it, okay? It doesn''t mean it has to happen, but reality doesn''t necessarily take one step at a time, you know."


    "... I... I get it... I''ll think about it. But... I''m a bit scared."


    Lily stopped rubbing my head, still resting her hand on my head, and stared at me.


    "Well, can''t help you with that. You''ll have to get through that."


    "... I guess so."


    I smiled wryly while looking downwards. It was scary, really scary, how couldn''t it be? If Karen rejected me, I had no idea how I would deal with that. I didn''t even know if I could deal with it. Karen had already become the one who was most important to me.


    In an attempt to chase away those thoughts I shook my head. Oblivious to my inner worries, Lily could only raise her brows at my strange behaviour. Ignoring it, I turned towards the mercenaries that were a bit away. Somewhere there was Karen as well, probably together with Rina and maybe the three little ones as well.


    "I hope it''ll go well," I mumbled.


    "That will depend on you, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    "Let''s go and see if we can help out, okay? You still have time."


    "... Nn, let''s go."


    Lily went ahead with a firm step, and I followed behind her. I took a quick glance over to the Hollow Bridge.


    Lily, there''s another thing I''m really worried about... It''s what might happen if Sis and I... would really sleep together... with each other... I don''t know if I might be able to hold back. Because of what I am... What, what if I hurt Sis...? The thought... scares me.


    "Everything checked? Do we have a list of our inventory?"


    "Here, ma''am! We confirmed the inventory! There''s a barrel wine missing but everything else is accounted for! No suspicious cargo either!"


    "Good, get a copy of the list to the Captain. See if there are any other groups that need help. Also, tell everyone that if I find the girl who snatched the wine I''m going to stuff it up her behind, clear?"


    "All clear!"


    When we returned to everyone else, Fenna was just doing the last checkups. Apparently, each group was responsible for their own inventory and supplies, so it also fell upon each group to make sure everything was in order.


    Fenna quickly noticed us approaching and called out to us.


    "Oh, our two slackers have returned. Got a good look?"


    "Nn, it looks amazing."


    "Ahh, it''s impressive. If I hadn''t seen it with my own eyes, I would''ve never believed someone could build this."


    Lily and I both shared our sentiments and Fenna nodded in response.


    "I still can''t believe people could build something like this, so I understand where you''re coming from," she told us.


    "Well, enough of that. You two came just when we finished up, so there''s not really anything else to do. The other groups are probably finishing up right about now as well."


    "Didn''t you just send the others to help, though?" I asked her, tilting y head.


    "Those girls know what they have to do, though. Instructing you two would take more time than they''d save now."


    Quite rude. But she was right. At least I didn''t really know what they were even doing for the most part. Well, checking the inventory was, of course, one thing but inspecting the wagons for anything was beyond me. After all, what were they even looking for? Explosives plastered onto the bottom side?


    Lily just shrugged with a wry smile.


    "Where are Karen and the others?"


    "Ria took them. They went to the magician''s supply wagons and are inspecting those."


    "... Are you sure that''s fine?"


    Lily furrowed her brows, obviously not sure what she should think of this. To be fair, Ria really didn''t give the impression of being... orderly.


    "That''s why she took Miss Karen along, you know? Maybe we finally have magicians that aren''t trying to sabotage us all..."


    Fenna shook her head and let out a sigh.


    "Nn... We''ll try..."


    "Yeah... We''ll try."


    From the looks of it, she was just a bit fed up with the antics of those three.


    "In any case, if you are looking for them, you can go there and look. But they''ll probably come back soon."


    "Mhm... Guess we''ll wait then, okay, Yumi?" asked Lily, turning towards me.


    "Nn. Let''s do that."


    I nodded. If they would come back soon anyway, then there was no need to go.


    "You can already go back onto the wagon. If you want to, you can also walk. We''ll traverse the bridge slowly, so you can enjoy the... scenery."


    "... Well, I don''t know. Lily, want to walk?"


    "Well, we won''t have the chance that soon again, so let''s walk, shall we?"


    "Nn."


    And like that, we decided to walk. Afterwards, Fenna shooed us away, saying we were in the way if we had nothing else to do.


    We still decided to wait at the wagon to meet up with the other girls.


    "Yumi."


    Lily suddenly called out to me.


    "Nn?"


    "When we''re inside the fort, I asked Korwen if we could have some time for ourselves."


    "... Is... Is that so."


    "You can walk along the plateau. I''m sure it''ll have a nice view and you''ll be alone."


    "Mh..."


    I nodded a few times to myself.


    "Well, what you''ll do then will be your responsibility."


    "I understand. I''ll try my best."


    I took a deep breath.


    "But, for now, how about you go about fixing your hair."


    "... Well..."


    I traced a few strands of my hair. It was a bit of a mess, thanks to the wind.


    "Can''t you move them in a way that they unravel themselves when you have knots?"


    "No, I can''t..."


    "Oh well, come here."


    "Nn?"


    Lily grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. I heard her rummaging for a moment and then, I could feel something in my hair.


    "A brush? Why are you carrying a brush with you?"


    "It''s an important tool for everyday use."


    "..."


    "Actually I just anticipated this to happen."


    I tried shaking my head but it was quickly stopped by Lily.


    "Stop moving."


    "N, Nn..."


    I held still for a bit and let her brush my hair. It was overall surprisingly comfortable. Every time there was a bad knot she would carefully unravel it and continue brushing.


    "You''re really good at this..."


    "I had to care for my hair myself after all."


    "Mama had no idea about it either, after all. And there weren''t many women among the Black Guards.


    "Huh..."


    After a while, she was done and took the ribbons from me and began fixing my hair, back to the two up pigtails that I was sporting since I met Wanda.


    "All done now!"


    "Nn, thanks, Lily."


    "You''re welcome."


    I couldn''t quite take a look but it felt about right.


    "Just don''t let it become a mess again, okay?"


    "... I''ll try."


    I smiled wryly since I really couldn''t promise that.


    "Well then, let''s take a look. Mhh... You''re cute. That dress is also from Wanda, right?"


    "Nn."


    Wanda originally tried to fix up the dress I had been wearing but in the end, she gave up. So, instead, she gave me a new one-piece dress. I didn''t dare to think about where it had come from and why it fit me so perfectly, but it was still welcome. And it was cute.


    Then, just in time as we finished up, we could see a few familiar people approaching from some distance away.


    "Ah, there they are. We probably won''t have any other chance to talk alone now."


    "Nn..."


    "So yeah, I''ll say it now already: Good Luck."


    "... Thank you, Lily. Really."


    "Don''t sweat it. I hope it''ll work out for you."


    "Thanks. I hope so too."


    Surely, a small smile was on my face right about now. And I hoped, it would be replaced by one that was even bigger, later.


    I took another deep breath. Then I stepped forward, towards those familiar people in the distance, raised my arm and waved.


    "Sis."


    "Yumi, Lily, you''re back. Where did you two run off to?"


    Karen, furrowing her brows in exasperation, asked us.


    "Well, we were looking at the ravine. It''s quite deep," explained Lily.


    "I wanted to look at it too but you just disappeared and then we helped Ria out."


    Ah, she was angry.


    "Sorry, Sis."


    "Next time, at least tell me!"


    "We''ll do that, Karen, okay?"


    Lily was already holding up her hands in a placating manner, hoping to calm her down.


    "Now, Big Sis, don''t be angry! We''ll have plenty of time to look at it later, right?" interrupted Rina.


    "Well... That''s not wrong... Still..."


    "Big Sis Karen, don''t worry about it! It won''t hide from you!"


    Emily, I''d be rather intrigued by a ravine this size that could hide... Or rather, how does a ravine hide in the first place? It doesn''t even have a will, right?


    Turning towards Emily, a wry smile formed on Karen''s face


    "I''m not mad or anything, I just thought it was a bit unfair."


    Karen squatted down a bit for Emily and pat her head. Emily responded with her own smile.


    "Then it''s good!"


    When hit by a beaming smile like that, there was just no way to stay angry or mad, was there?


    Karen stood up back again and faced towards us.


    "Just remember to call me next time, too, okay?"


    "Nn, we''ll do that."


    Actually, I''m a bit surprised that Karen doesn''t mind that little slacking off. I would have expected her to get mad that we didn''t help, not that we didn''t include her... Though Fenna did allow us to take a look.


    We didn''t dare to slack off without approval, after all. But maybe Karen knew that herself. Or maybe she didn''t. Thinking about it made me slightly curious.


    "Anyway, Karen. What did Ria want you all to do? I mean..."


    Lily looked past Karen at certain two girls, namely Maya and Sele. They looked as if they had just weathered a long-distance obstacle course without proper clothing. Their clothes were incredibly dirty, every time they moved you could see a small dust cloud rising. In addition, their eyes looked as if all vitality had been sucked out of them.


    "Ahhh... It was mostly just checking the inventory..."


    "So? How does checking the inventory lead to this?"


    "One of the supply crates fell down... With flour."


    "... Flour?"


    "Yes, flour," affirmed Karen towards the slightly confused Lily.


    I took another look over the two poor victims. If she hadn''t told me that it was flour, I wouldn''t even have noticed. They weren''t covered in white, after all.


    "Why do they have flour in the magician''s inventory?"


    "I don''t know..."


    Lily was shaking her head, but Karen didn''t seem to have an idea either.


    "Whatever the reason is, we have to get those two a change of clothes at least. Ria told us the fort has a large bath, but it wouldn''t be good if they stay like that until then."


    "That''s true."


    "Big Sis! I''ll take care of that with Emily!"


    Rina interrupted us energetically and Emily next to her nodded.


    "Then, can we leave it to you?"


    "Yes!"


    And with those words Rina and Emily pushed the two into the wagon, hoping to clean them up at least a little bit.


    "I hope a change of clothes is enough for now, though. We probably can''t use the bath until tomorrow."


    "Nn, why not, Sis?"


    "They only prepare the large bath once a week, on break day."


    "Ah, because it''s hot then, right?" added Lily.


    "Hot?"


    Why would it be hot on their weekly break day? My question was met with some really incredibly stares and open mouthes, though.


    "Yumi... Are you serious?"


    "I am, so could you please explain it to me, Sis?"


    "Yumi, every week, or every eight days to be exact, the twin suns are out. So it''s of course hotter."


    Wait? I think I heard something that was really wrong.


    "Twin suns?"


    "The twin suns," repeated Karen.


    "The twin suns..."


    I rubbed my temples.


    "Are you saying... There''s more than one sun?"


    "Yes? What are you surprised about?"


    What I was surprised about? Only about the fact that she was telling me there existed another sun that appeared every 8 days...


    I don''t really know much about this kind of topic but how is it possible for us to have two suns? Wouldn''t we, I don''t know, get fried to death?


    Oblivious to my inner turmoil, the two of them just continued to stare at me as if I was an alien or something similarly otherworldy.


    "Yumi... I wouldn''t guess it but... Did your world have only one sun?" asked Karen, sounding a bit cautious.


    "Nn..."


    I nodded. Both of their eyes went really wide when they heard my affirmation. I had already told them about my world before, or at least about things I thought were important points, like the lack of magic. Or assumed lack thereof.


    But never would I have thought that there was such a fundamental difference as well. Who could have thought of it, after all?


    "But... Yumi, you''ve been already here for nearly two weeks, right? You should''ve seen it last time already."


    "Lily... If you suddenly saw a third sun, would you really believe it was there? Or would you think it is a hallucination?"


    "... Ah."


    Yes, I certainly did see it at the time. But I couldn''t believe it, so I decided to ignore it. And now, being told that it wasn''t a hallucination, that it was truly real, hit me quite hard.


    "Still, to think there was such a difference as well... How can your world even survive, Yumi?"


    "Even if you ask me that, I am more surprised this world is working as is..."


    We stared at each other for a bit and then burst out laughing. It took a bit until we all calmed down.


    "Honestly, I still can''t quite believe it, Yumi. Thinking about it, it just feels so wrong."


    "Sis, the same goes for me. I have honestly no idea how this is even possible. But... This is something I have to get used to, right?"


    "I guess so, yes."


    "I wonder... There probably are even more differences that we don''t know about. Like, you just said a week is eight days. In my world, we had seven days per week."


    And if there was a difference in the definition of a week, then surely there was a difference in the entire calendar as well. Lily turned towards me, having calmed down shortly after us.


    "What was the calendar in your old world like, Yumi?" she asked me.


    "Nn... There were twelve months, each month had about 30 or 31 days and a week had seven days, totalling up to 52 weeks."


    There were a few more intricacies with the calendar of my old world but those would only be too confusing right now.


    "Huh, a weird calendar."


    "I agree, Karen. It''s weird."


    "Nn, then, what is the calendar here like?"


    Lily grinned slightly.


    "There are twelve months as well here, but we have 32 days per month, split into four weeks. Each week has eight days."


    "Huh... That''s quite simple. Are there no exceptions?"


    "There aren''t any, no."


    It was a really simple system then. I was a bit impressed about how handily they could split up the year.


    Also, comparing it with my own world, the year seemed to be a slight bit longer.


    Nn... The days seem to be just as long as in my world but... If the year is longer, does that mean... Karen and Lily are older than I thought they are?


    I looked at the two girls. They both had cute features and they certainly looked young, but if this was right then, Karen might already be 18 or even close to 19 by the standards of my old world. Same for Lily, who was a year older than Karen.


    "Lily, Karen. When are your birthdays?"


    I decided to simply ask them.


    "My birthday?"


    "Nn, what is it, Sis?"


    "Ehh... I think you mean our birth month?"


    "... Birth month?"


    "Yes, the month we were born in."


    Well, and there was another little difference I didn''t expect. I would have expected Lily to teach me about things like this rather than the names of the surroundings countries or the different names of currencies.


    "Well, in my case it''s actually the next month," confessed Karen.


    "Huh... That''s... soon."


    And I didn''t prepare a gift. In fact, I had no idea where to get one anyway.


    Maybe I can make something, but what...?


    I was slightly distracted already when Lily joined in.


    "In my case, it was last month. But how surprising, I didn''t know Karen was only two months younger, huh."


    "That is indeed surprising."


    Apparently, they hadn''t asked each other about it before, either.


    "Mh, and we''re actually not that far away either... I never thought about it, but in this world, I''d be closer to 21."


    "That''s not really a big difference, Yumi... You''re still quite a bit older than me or Lily. Speaking of which, when is your birth month?"


    "... I don''t know."


    "... You don''t know?"


    "Nn..."


    I nodded towards Karen''s question. It was one of the things I had forgotten along with many, many other things.


    "Mh... Yumi, Karen. Then, how about we just take this month as her birth month? Then we''re all one after another!"


    "Oh, that''s... actually a good idea, Lily!"


    Karen seemed to really like it.


    "Well, I don''t mind... I don''t know the real date anyway."


    "Then, it''s decided! Though, the month is already nearly over, so there won''t be a celebration anymore, but..."


    Lily quite excited, walked up to Karen and pushed her in front of me.


    "Go, Karen!"


    "Eh? Wait, Lily?"


    "What should one do on someone''s birth month?"


    "You want me to do that now?"


    Karen took a fleeting, confused glance at Lily, who simply nodded. Then she looked straight at me and took a deep breath.


    "I wish you all the best for the coming year, that we may be together for a long time to come and that the suns and the gods may bless you with happiness," she said.


    I was a bit taken aback at the sudden congratulations. I surely never would have thought to get congratulated now. A new birthday, or rather birth month. My very own one.


    "Yumi? Hey, Yumi, what''s wrong?!"


    "Eh?"


    Lily suddenly called out to me.


    "Why are you crying so suddenly?"


    "Eh? I''m... crying?"


    I held up my hand and traced a finger along my cheek. It was met with a slightly wet feeling. Sure enough, there were tears running down my face.


    "I... I don''t know... They, they just came..."


    "Come here, Yumi."


    Karen pulled me towards her into a hug.


    "We''re here for you and nobody else is looking so... Cry all you want."


    "... Sis, but..."


    "Shhh, it''s fine."


    She put a hand on my head and gently rubbed it. As if she was my mother, she just silently hugged me and pet my head.


    The tears were welling up, for reasons unknown, getting stronger and stronger, until the dam finally broke and they flowed uninhibited, accompanied with a quiet sobbing, stifled in the warm embrace of someone dear.


    "Feeling better?"


    "Nn... Sorry about that."


    "It''s fine, Yumi. It''s fine. Everyone has days like that, right, Karen?"


    "That''s right, there simply are days like that."


    They both smiled at me gently. It was a bit embarrassing, being comforted like this, but it was also nice, to know that they were here with me, caring for me.


    We simply stood by the wagons for a while, none of us saying anything. It was a comfortable silence.


    After a few minutes, we saw the first wagons moving again, moving onto the bridge.


    "Seems like we''ll be moving now. Should we get into the wagon?"


    "Ah, Fenna said we could also walk and enjoy the view, Karen."


    "Is that so? Then, that''s fine with me too."


    And so we decided to walk along with the wagons. Since Rina and the girls hadn''t left the wagon they probably decided to stay inside. In fact, most people decided to stay inside, apparently. I could spot a few others, couples probably for the most part, that were walking as well, but overall not many.


    When we finally stepped onto the bridge, I tried looking for any kind of indication where the bridge began, but it truly was completely seamless, as if the cliff and the bridge were one.


    "The view really is impressive," commented Karen after a while.


    "Nn, it is."


    "I heard that you can actually spot the bottom for a few minutes during noon. And they say that those who see it get cursed and taken by the reaper."


    ""...""


    Congratulations. You just destroyed any and all moods.


    Karen just sighed in response. Lily was looking back and forth between Karen and me, probably not sure what the problem was.


    I shook my head and looked forwards, towards the front of our caravan. They had just reached the front gate and were let in. Surprisingly, the next wagon immediately followed without stopping, and the next one as well.


    "Aren''t they inspecting the wagons?"


    "I don''t know, usually they should..."


    Lily didn''t know the answer to my question either.


    "Well, better than having to stand here for a few hours."


    The wagons were simply let in without stopping, except one.


    "That''s the magician''s wagon... What is happening..." asked Karen, turning to Lily.


    "Don''t know, but they seem to be actually inspecting that one."


    After a few more minutes, they let it through as well, though.


    Barely twenty minutes later, all wagons were inside the fort.


    "This is really huge... It''s even bigger than it looked like from the outside..."


    I really couldn''t grasp the vast size of the fort. The walls were towering far above us and the towers even further. The keep wasn''t as tall but it made up for it by being incredibly wide.


    "Lily, Karen, Yumi."


    "Miss Fenna."


    "The captain told me to give you some free time, so you can explore the surroundings a bit."


    "Eh? Really?"


    Karen looked surprised, eyes wide, at that all too sudden announcement.


    "That''s the case, though it seems these two already knew about it, huh..."


    Fenna took an exasperated, fleeting glance towards Lily and me. Our lack of reaction probably exposed us.


    "Whatever, ask a guard for the exit to the plateau, don''t roam the fort and make sure you''re back here by dinner, are we clear on that?"


    "Crystal clear!"


    "Nn."


    "..."


    While Lily and I affirmed her conditions, Karen looked too dumbfounded to even react.


    "Good, if you cause trouble I''ll cut your pay, yes?"


    Fenna turned around, but not before silently moving her lips as if she was saying something.


    "Lily..."


    I took a look at our walking disaster. I obviously didn''t know for sure, but even I could guess the meaning behind that gesture with this timing. And as if to confirm my suspicions, she averted her face quickly, avoiding eye contact.


    "Achem, now, I''ll go and tell Rina and the others, okay? You two go ahead, okay?"


    Lily quickly fled the scene.


    Really? Won''t Sis notice if you two act this suspicious? Wasn''t this way too obvious?


    Turning towards Karen, I quickly confirmed my worries to be unfounded.


    "Ehh... Well, should we go, Yumi?"


    "... Nn."


    With a nod, I followed Karen. She quickly asked a guard for directions and we left the fort, entering the plateau in the middle of the ravine.


    The plateau was surprisingly full of nature, there were trees and other plants as well as plenty of birds and a few critters. If it wouldn''t abruptly disappear nobody would believe this was in the middle of a gigantic hole.


    It was truly a wonder of nature.


    "I''ve never seen those birds before, they are pretty."


    "Nn, they are."


    A few steps away from us was a small bird with many different colours dying its feathers. Another step away was a second one and the two birds were facing each other, dancing and hopping around as if they were measuring each other up.


    "I wonder what they are doing."


    "I don''t know, maybe they are competing?"


    "But what are they competing for, Yumi?"


    "... Food?"


    "That doesn''t seem right."


    It didn''t. Maybe one bird was courting the other. But I was too nervous to point that out. After all, what I was attempting now wasn''t really much different.


    Get a grip, Yumi. What would Sis think of you if you confessed like this?


    She probably wouldn''t make fun of me, but she might have been disappointed at me.


    I took a deep breath.


    Calm down, you just have to do it.


    "Yumi."


    "Eh? What is it, Sis?"


    "There''s a little thing I wanted to talk about."


    "Haa..."


    Karen was looking forwards, no, she was looking at the sky.


    "Yumi, I lied to you."


    "Eh?"


    I stopped, not quite registering what she had just said.


    "I told you, why Rina and I were exiled, right?"


    "... Nn."


    "That... was a lie. Well, not quite, but the reason was..."


    "The reason?"


    "Yes... The reason... To be honest, it was all my fault... Rina... She just got caught up in it."


    Her crestfallen face turned towards the ground.


    "Sometimes, among the demonkin, there are some... very odd children born. They look like all others, they live like all others, and yet... They are different."


    "..."


    I listened silently, waiting, for her next words.


    "... These... children... They are a danger. They... They harm those around them."


    Karen took another deep breath.


    "I... I had been so worried about Rina, but now I''ve become so happy. It''s like... all the worries are gone. And when I realised that there were other things, other things past simply... surviving..."


    Her strained voice fell silent. She turned towards me with tears in the corners of her eyes.


    "I... I want to live a normal life, have fun like others, be sad like others and love others like a normal person. I don''t want to go through that again, the feeling of being abandoned by all those I thought were important to me. I want to be with those I love."


    A sniffle could be heard from her.


    "Yumi... When Sele confessed to you... I was jealous. I wanted to push her away. I didn''t even think of anything else for a moment. I wanted to run towards you and take you away from her... Because... Because..."


    She wiped her eyes with her arm and looked at me with strong, determined eyes.


    "Yumi. I love you, I want to be with you, forever. There are many things I want to do with you. I want to hold your soft hand, I want to rub your fluffy hair, I... want to kiss you and... I want to spend the night with you."


    "..."


    Eh? Did I... just mishear? I didn''t, right? There was no way it could be right? Did she... just confess to me? Sis? To me?


    That couldn''t be, right? But... I was certain I had heard those words. They weren''t an illusion. They were... reality.


    I clasped my hands in front of my chest. I could feel my own heartbeat. Happiness. A warm, fluffy happiness spread through my body. I could feel warm tears gathering in my eyes.


    Yet, Karen''s faced turned into one with a hint of panic, seeing me like that.


    This isn''t good, Yumi. You... You have to respond!


    I took a deep breath, steeling my resolved and facing Karen.


    "Sis..."


    "Y, y, yes?"


    She was stuttering, nervous, anxious. Maybe scared.


    "Sis, I love you."


    "... Eh?"


    "I... I was actually planning to confess here... Seems I got the march stolen on me. Quite pathetic, isn''t it?"


    A smile formed on my face. Once I said those words, all the nervousness, it just disappeared all at once. As if it was never there to begin. Something heavy was lifted from my heart.


    I walked towards the confused Karen until she was so close I could feel her breath on my face when I looked up to her. She was tall, from my point of view. Tall and reliable. And someone so dear to me.


    "I don''t know what happened to you, Sis, or all the things that might happen in the future. But right now, I love you, not as a sister, but as a person that I want to be together with. Will you please... be with me?"


    I was sure, there were many better ways to confess, but I didn''t care. Right now, I just wanted to bring my feelings across, regardless of how clumsy it was.


    Once again, tears formed in her eyes, she leaned forward and pulled me into her embrace, squeezing me as strong as she probably could without hurting me.


    "I... I might hurt you, Yumi."


    "If it''s you who is doing it, then that''s fine with me."


    "But I... Is this... really fine?"


    "Sis... It''s fine. I love you. I really do. More than anyone else."


    I returned her hug, squeezing her softly. I could hear her heart beating incredibly fast. And I was sure, my own one was still just as fast. Yet, in this moment, I didn''t mind. Because it was a blissful one. A moment I wished would never end.


    "Yumi, I love you too. I''ll be with you, so please, be with me as well."


    "I will, Sis."


    We slightly separated from each other. Her tear-stained face showed a bright smile, like a blooming flower. My own face was surely just as stained with tears. And yet, I knew I was smiling. Maybe, the biggest smile I had since coming to this world. No, it surely was.


    Because... when else would I smile, if not now?


    "Yumi, I love you."


    Karen leaned down and pulled me slightly forward. Her face was slowly approaching. And then, her lips met with mine.


    This time, we wouldn''t separate any time soon.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Outbreak

    "Ehehe."


    "Sis, it''s warm."


    "Is that so?"


    "Nn, it is."


    "..."


    "..."


    There was no attempt to release me.


    After we confirmed our feelings for each other we found a little spot in the shade of a tree and sat down. Karen leaning on the tree and me in her lap, being embraced.


    "S, Sis? Where are you touching?"


    "Your thighs."


    "I can see that, but why?"


    "Because they are squishy and smooth."


    Karen completely lost any and all brakes that she might have had and now was openly and uninhibitedly showing me her affection.


    Mostly in the form of sexually harassing me. It wasn''t that I actually disliked it, though. In fact, I was slightly troubled that I wanted her to continue.


    "Ehehe."


    "... Is poking my thighs that much fun?"


    "It is!"


    Together with her rigorous reaction she strongly squeezed me with her free arm.


    "You have no idea how much I''ve been holding back!"


    "... You were holding back?"


    I craned my neck back in an attempt to look at Karen. Though I wasn''t quite successful in that endeavour, I could still see how she tried to avert her gaze, most likely regretting having said that.


    "Sis, did you want to do this before already?"


    "... Yes."


    Somehow, I felt a bit sorry for making her wait. On the other hand, even if I didn''t we barely had time for ourselves, so she would''ve had to wait anyway. Unless, of course, she wanted to keep doing this in public. I sincerely hoped that wasn''t the case.


    "Well, from now on you won''t have to hold back anymore, so isn''t it all good?"


    "... Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I''m sure I said this before already, but you can be quite sly at times. I wonder whether you are doing this on purpose or not."


    Well now, calling it sly was rude. I just expressed my feelings in roundabout ways. There was nothing sly about that.


    "But you are right, I won''t have to hold back anymore!"


    "S, Sis?"


    Still being embraced from behind I had no idea what exactly she was doing, but I certainly could feel it. She had buried her face in my neck and kissed it quite strongly.


    "Sis, what are you doing? Sis?"


    Alas, she didn''t respond and didn''t part from my neck for quite some time. It felt actually quite weird, rather than kissing it was more like she was sucking on it. Then, finally, she let go of me.


    "Hyah!"


    But not before giving my neck another lick, causing me to shriek.


    "Ehehe, I wonder if it worked."


    "Sis... Just what are you trying to do?"


    "A secret."


    "..."


    I didn''t like the sound of that. Unfortunately, it seemed she really wouldn''t tell as she was just giggling behind me.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Thank you. I love you."


    "Nn, I love you too."


    I nestled back into her arms and made myself comfortable. I couldn''t stop grinning to myself.


    I wish this would last forever.


    By the time the sun had finished the better part of her daily round, we finally decided to head back to the fort.


    "I hope they didn''t start with dinner yet."


    "Nn, it wouldn''t be fun to miss it now."


    Strolling leisurely along we enjoyed the last bit of private time for now. I wanted to inquire Karen about what she was talking about before, about her harming those around her, but I had completely forgotten about it while we were playing around. Karen had similarly forgotten as she was a bit troubled when I pointed out we should head back.


    She might have just wanted to harass me more, though.


    In any case, we didn''t really get any important talk done, but it probably would''ve spoiled the mood anyway, so it wasn''t that bad per se.


    "Still, it''s too bad about this."


    "Nn..."


    I took a look to my side, where Karen and I were holding hands. When I had talked with Lily about these things I felt really embarrassed when I imagined them, but now, it was simply a happy, warm feeling spreading through my chest.


    There was just one problem.


    "If only you were a bit taller."


    "I''m sorry..."


    "But if you were taller that would be a problem too..."


    "..."


    I think it''s better to simply ignore that one.


    Regardless, the problem didn''t change. Karen had suggested we tried intertwining our fingers, something that couples commonly did. While that certainly worked while we were sitting, it didn''t work when we stood side by side. Either my arm was awkwardly pulled up or Karen had to slightly lean down towards me. Neither option was really desireable. And so, much to our chagrin, we decided to hold hands the normal, simple way.


    "I wonder if we look more like sisters or a mother and her child."


    "Sis, neither do you look that old nor do I look that young that the last one would work."


    "Demonkin mothers look quite young, you know."


    "... I guess... you''re right?"


    Was that fine? Well, even if it wasn''t, we didn''t have much choice in that matter. I couldn''t suddenly grow nor could Karen suddenly shrink.


    I wonder, will this body grow or will it stay this size? Oh well, nothing I can find out right now, I guess. Time will tell. Actually, how long will I even live?


    Someone, probably Lily, had told me that monsters could live basically forever, but of course I couldn''t exactly try out whether that stayed true for me as well.


    "Yumi? You all right?"


    "Nn?"


    "You looked lost in thought."


    "Ah, I was just thinking a bit."


    I smiled at Karen to reassure her.


    "Then it''s fine. Look... We''re nearly back."


    "Nn..."


    "I wouldn''t have minded if it was a bit farther."


    "I think Fenna will scold us if we''re late for dinner."


    "That might be..."


    The gate slowly came into view while we talked. Our short private time was going towards the end.


    "Mh? Yumi, is that Lily there?"


    "Nn? It does look like her."


    Even if we would walk slowly now, it wouldn''t help much anymore. Lily had just left through the gate and was now walking in our direction. She quickly spotted us as well and started waving. Quite fervently, at that.


    "Nn, did something happen?"


    "I don''t know, but maybe we should hurry."


    We sped up a bit and quickly met up with Lily, who started jogging towards us.


    "Lily, did something happen?" asked Karen her, once she was within talking distance.


    "Yumi, Karen. Ohhh... Seems everything went fine, mhm?"


    "..."


    Lily threw a meaningful glance towards our hands. Karen and I both averted our faces awkwardly. Yet, neither of us made an attempt to let go of each other''s hand.


    "Mh, you two make me jealous now Ah, but we have to talk about that another time. We got an emergency."


    "... An emergency?"


    I took a look at Lily whose expression had turned serious.


    "Yes, the refugee children... Whatever they have, it is neither the flu nor the child pox..."


    "What do you mean, Lily?"


    Lily turned to Karen who was confused at the wording.


    "They have something else. And whatever it is, it''s contagious as hell."


    "... Wait, do you mean?"


    Lily affirmed Karen''s worries.


    "We got more cases. In fact, a lot of them. Most soldiers have been infected. Wanda and Merim as well. The Captain is still doing fine but he probably caught it too."


    "What about Emily and them?" I asked her.


    "They are currently fine, much to our surprise. Fenna, Ria and some others are completely fine as well. What about you two, do you feel anything wrong?"


    Karen and I both shook our heads and denied. In fact, it might be rude, but I currently felt incredibly good.


    "That''s good. Same for me, luckily. In any case, the Captain called for everyone who is still up and going, so let''s go."


    "Nn, okay."


    "Okay."


    Lily turned around and motioned us to hurry, so we quickly followed along.


    "But everyone was fine until now, weren''t they?"


    "Yes, Karen, they were fine... But around the time you two left the first ones started to feel ill. Actually, some of the children were apparently complaining yesterday already about stomachaches for example."


    "... So, what happens now?"


    "I wish I knew. Thankfully Ria is still fine. Nobody is in immediate danger according to her, as long as they get continuous treatment."


    That was at least some good news. Still, this was worrisome. An unknown disease. That was scary.


    We passed through the gate and continued to follow Lily through the fort. Many soldiers from the fort were running about, carrying supplies or just generally causing an uproar.


    "How did the fort react to that..." I wondered out loud.


    "Not so well, but not as bad as one might think. Because they are, in fact, dealing with that disease as well."


    "... Really?"


    "Aah... They apparently had to quarantine some soldiers. But their own magicians were fine as well so they got treatment. But the Captain can tell you more."


    It was quite lucky that all the magicians were unaffected. It would be even better if nobody was affected, though.


    "I think it was here..."


    Lily approached a door and knocked on it, then opened it without really waiting for an answer. Was that fine, just going in?


    I peeked into the room from behind her. It seemed to be some office, the stone walls were hidden behind large bookshelves and a large desk was in the back. In the middle of the room was a long table surrounded by wooden chairs, six on either side and one on each end for a total of fourteen chairs.


    On the furthest end sat a large burly man with grey hair. He must''ve been even larger than Korwen was. The man in question snorted when we came in.


    "No manners, girl? One should wait for the room owner''s permission to enter."


    "I doubt I want to hear that from someone who just storms into someone''s tent without checking what they are doing."


    Lily was scowling at the man whose expression became rather awkward. He faced down for a few seconds, then coughed once and looked back up again, his awkward expression gone.


    "I have already apologised on that matter, haven''t I?"


    "You should apologise to the affected girls, not me."


    This exchange made me a bit curious about what had happened, but it would probably have to wait for now. I scanned through the room and saw Korwen, Ria and Fenna, as well as the other two magicians, Wenners and Krutz. Additionally, another old man I had never seen before was sitting there. On his clothes was a black emblem sewed on. They all sat around the table, filling the spots close to the old man who had just finished bantering with Lily.


    From the Black Guards maybe?


    "Mr Wendl, you''re here too?"


    Lily addressed the unknown man who promptly nodded, not saying anything else.


    "Girls, take a seat, stop standing around."


    "Ah, sorry about that, Fenna."


    We properly entered the room, not without being scrutinised by the unknown man, and sat down at the closer end of the table. Karen and me one the right side, next to Fenna and Ria, and Lily directly opposite to us.


    "Well, is this everyone, Korwen?"


    "Pretty much, yes."


    "Mh. Now, if only that stupid scholar would honour us with his presence as well and we could finally begin."


    The man shook his head with a sigh, but he quickly faced Korwen again.


    "Whatever, I''ll tell you what I already know, if you have any questions, just get that scholar''s ass and have him explain it for you.


    "... We''ll ask him about anything else, should something come up."


    "Good. In any case, to begin with: The Academy has absolutely no idea what we''re dealing with."


    "That''s not something I''d like to hear."


    "Nobody does, my friend. Nobody does. There are only a few things we know. First, it affects all humanoids and even animals to a degree. Second, magicians and people with large amounts of mana seem unaffected so far. He was talking something about statistics and how it doesn''t prove shit or so, but for me, it''s pretty clear so far. Lastly, children get hit the worst and the fastest."


    "If it does not affect magicians and similar, shouldn''t the demonkin refugees we picked up be mostly immune?" added Fenna.


    "Ask that bookworm about that. Can''t help you with that. I only see my magicians and your magicians being unaffected. That''s good enough for me."


    The man stood up from his school and walked over to the desk in the back, taking some documents and returning back to the table.


    "Well then, Korwen. What we discussed earlier."


    "A job?"


    "Yes. Payment will be the treatment and care for your ill. We will also shelter them, though they''ll be put under quarantine. Not a bad deal, right?"


    "... I''m sure some... monetary compensation would be in as well, wouldn''t it?"


    "Forget it. If you don''t accept, we''ll kick you out immediately. Good Luck reaching the capital when half your men are down for the count."


    "... Guess there''s not much of a choice."


    "Damn right, there isn''t."


    Korwen sighed.


    "Then, there''s surely at least a little favour we could add, right?" he asked.


    "Depends on the favour."


    "We need some mana passes."


    The man froze, then turned to Korwen and glared at him.


    "Did you pick up another troublesome kid, Korwen? I told you the last time I wouldn''t do that again!"


    "Now, now. Don''t get too worked up, Ruben, my friend."


    "Don''t call me a friend only when it suits you!"


    The man, apparently called Ruben, jumped out of his chair and slammed the table. I instinctively tried to back away, though that wasn''t quite doable on a chair. This old man sure was scary.


    "Listen, Korwen. Do you even know your situation? The Akkian Empire used the flying mail and is demanding that we hand you and your entire mercenary band over to them!"


    Eh? What?


    "Oh, they are a bit faster than I expected."


    "..."


    Seeing how Korwen nonchalantly dismissed, Ruben slumped back into his chair and sighed.


    "Well, if you would comply with them we would already be in your custody, so there''s not really anything to worry about, right?"


    "... You, sometimes I really hate you for this, but you''re right. The King has ordered us to shelter and let you pass. Fuck, that was a frigging royal order, what did you do to get them on your side?"


    "We just helped them out in the past a bit."


    "A bit, you say..."


    Ruben shook his head a few times and then leaned on the table.


    "Whatever, we were told to support you if you are in need of anything, so I''ll get those passes ready."


    "Much appreciated."


    "I hope you do. Whatever, let''s get back to the actual topic."


    And just like that, Korwen somehow got his way. That whole discussion was a bit scary, to be honest. Suddenly we were being chased by a whole country and yet the country we were quite literally fleeing to just ignored them and decided to shelter us. I couldn''t quite figure out whether it was because they valued the mercenaries just that much, or because they hated the Akkian Empire that much. Maybe it was just a combination of both, though.


    "Korwen, have you guys heard of the various incidents that happened in Lafria and our neighbours?"


    "... I heard various things from kidnappings over devil worshippers and fanatics trying to summon their god. They all sound some exaggerated rumours, though."


    "Not quite wrong, overall."


    Ruben sighed yet again. At this rate his happiness would run away, wouldn''t it? Or maybe it already ran and that was he was sighing that much.


    "Most of the incidents are minor in nature, mostly small groups trying themselves at ritual magics and failing. Most of the time they overload themselves and that''s the end of it."


    Overloading themselves? What does that even mean?


    "But some incidents have become rather extreme... An entire village was wiped in an attempt to use them as life sacrifices. The ritual still ended in failure, of course, but the village was gone. Some of my men took it really badly... Every single villager was overloaded... and died. No exceptions."


    "An entire village, huh... That''s quite extreme."


    Korwen rubbed his temples and then faced towards Ruben.


    "I guess your job has something to do with this?"


    "Indirectly, yes. Originally we were ordered to investigate the matter, but with the outbreak we are severely lacking in men. All my men are already occupied just keeping the fort in one piece. Now, I can''t have mercenaries conduct an important official investigation, but I can have you help out in various other matters."


    "So you basically want us to do your odd jobs?"


    "Exactly. In return, we''ll take care of your men and they''ll be treated once we know how to. Ah, and your passes, too."


    Korwen fell silent and closed his eyes. He was probably thinking about it. After a short minute, he opened them again.


    "I understand, let''s do it like that."


    Korwen nodded. Ruben held out his hand and they shook the hands of each other.


    ... And why were we necessary here? Actually, why did we even have to come here in the first place? Doesn''t he have others to take care of things like this?


    "Then, go and look for Galt. He''ll tell you what you can do to help."


    "Understood."


    Korwen stood up and motioned us all to do so as well. We all left the room and stood in the hallway. Korwen turned around towards us once everyone was outside and the door closed.


    "Wendl, how many from the Black Guards are ready to move."


    "Around half have shown severed signs of having contracted the disease and from the remaining ones another half showed minor symptoms, sir."


    "That''s a lot... Get everyone who can move together and send them to me."


    "Understood, sir."


    Korwen nodded satisfied and the man, Wendl, swiftly left to carry out his orders.


    "Fenna, until Merim is back on his feet again, you will be my second, understood?"


    "Eh?"


    Fenna froze upon hearing those words. I was a bit surprised upon hearing that as well, I didn''t know he valued her that much.


    "I asked whether you understood."


    "Eh? Ah! I, I understand. I mean, Understood, sir!"


    She saluted hastily. I could spot a small happy smile on her face.


    "Ria, take Wenners and Krutz and help the infirmary in taking care of everyone who is ill."


    "Mh... got it..."


    Ria swiftly grabbed the two men by their arms and dragged them away. They both froze and followed her mechanically, their faces turning red, blushing heavily from the unexpected skin contact. If the were both cute girls it might''ve been a precious sight, but seeing two grown men act like that was a bit disturbing.


    The only ones left except Karen and Fenna were Lily, Karen and me.


    "You three come with me and Fenna. Usually, I''d leave you with Ria or Merim to get you slowly used to the job but we don''t have time for that right now."


    "Understood, Captain."


    Lily replied with a salute, showing she was clearly used to this. Karen tried to copy her so I attempted it as well. Korwen grinned seeing us.


    "A bit more practice will be necessary for that too, I guess. That makes me remember when I started my first mercenary work. Got a trashing for saluting with the wrong hand."


    Korwen began laughing heartily. In the meantime, I quickly checked whether my hand or Karen''s was the wrong one, but thankfully it wasn''t. It was probably still awkward but at least we didn''t bring up the wrong hand.


    "Anyway, let''s go."


    Korwen turned around and lead the way.


    "Yes, we need someone to check the inventory and request supplies for anything that we''re low on. We also need someone to take of the Waroxes. Then, we also have that scholar... They need an escort and... they keep requesting girls for those..."


    The man, Galt, glanced towards us while saying those last words. The garrison was full of men, so a request for girls was pretty much impossible. And even if he found one, nobody was likely to be willing to take care of someone who obviously had nothing good going on in their mind.


    Korwen stroked his chin, thinking about what Galt had told us. Next to him, Fenna was desperately trying to write something on a small notepad. With a sigh, Korwen took the notepad away from her and began writing on it himself.


    "I, I''m sorry, Captain!"


    "Don''t mind it. I forgot that someone like Merim is rare, I got too used to him."


    Fenna already had small tears in the corners of her eyes. She probably tried to appeal to him with her skills, only to find out that this wasn''t exactly something she was very proficient in.


    After taking the notes, Korwen turned around and glanced over us for a moment while still stroking his chin.


    "Captain? Is something the matter?" asked Lily after a while.


    "Mh... Give me a bit, I have something to think about."


    "Haa..."


    He closed his eyes and then turned towards Galt.


    "Are there any other immediate things to take care of?"


    "No, those are the most pressing. Once those are done we can take care of other things."


    "Good. Thank you."


    Korwen gave his thanks and walked away while we followed behind him. Some ways away he stopped and turned again towards us.


    "Fenna, get to the tamers and tell them to help out with the Waroxes. Afterwards, get some people and make a list of their inventory. Anything they are low of you report to Galt, clear?"


    "Yes, sir!"


    Fenna jogged away. She was pretty quick on her feet, maybe wanting to redeem herself.


    "Now, Lily. You can take care of yourself, so I want you to take care of the scholar. If he tries anything funny, deal with him how you see fit."


    "Understood, Captain."


    Lily saluted again, affirming her orders.


    "We''ll come along first, I want to hear what the scholar has to say. Karen, Yumi, you''ll stay with me for now."


    "Okay."


    "Nn."


    We nodded, upon which Korwen grinned awkwardly.


    "You two, when hearing your orders, you salute and affirm it."


    "... Ah!"


    We quickly realised our mistake and tried saluting awkwardly, which only made Korwen burst out in laughter again.


    "Now, let''s find the scholar," he suggested once he had calmed down.


    This time, we saluted properly, or rather, as good as we managed to.


    Korwen walked ahead of us and lead the way, while we followed behind him. It didn''t take long until we found ourselves in a large hall.


    "This is..."


    "... This is bad..."


    The large hall was most likely a dining hall or something similar, suggesting from the tables and chairs that were leaning on the walls. But now it was used as a large area where all the inflicted were treated at. Rows upon rows of ill were lying on the ground, easily numbering in the hundreds.


    "That''s a lot worse than I imagined it to be," commented Korwen.


    He led the way through the side of the hall and asked a young man, clothed in something reminiscent of a priest garb, where the supposed scholar was. We were quickly directed to the other end of the hall.


    "Mh... I wonder if that''s him."


    Korwen approached a young man who was currently taking care of a little girl.


    We waited behind the man until he finished his treatment and stood up, turning around.


    "Oh? Are you my guests? Oh, could you girls possibly my escorts? My, to think that old coot found actually such cute girls, hello there!"


    The young man immediately came over to us, ignoring Korwen entirely in the process, and stood in front of us. Before he could try to touch us, though, he disappeared from my sight.


    Slightly confused I took a look around and found him lying on the ground.


    "Captain, my I hit this guy?" asked Lily, sounding more than just a bit annoyed.


    "Go ahead."


    "Thank you."


    The man, realising his situation quickly rolled away when Lily tried to stomp on him.


    "Girl! That''s not a punch, that''s a kick! Do you want to ruin me?!"


    Lily clicked her tongue when he dodged. Though, if she really wanted to, I was sure she could''ve hit him before he ever had the chance to react.


    I took a quick look over the man who stood up and dusted himself of. He looked like an intellectual with his glasses and short hair. He was actually a bit handsome. Maybe in his early twenties.


    Korwen coughed once to draw attention to himself.


    "I assume you are the scholar? I am really sorry, but my mercenaries are not exactly known for being very patient. You might want to be careful."


    "Mer, mercenaries? Is, is that so..."


    The man''s expression took a hundred-eighty degree turn, looking quite fearful in our direction.


    "Th, that means you... You girls... killed people before?"


    Ah... He was scared of that. I could understand that feeling, someone who could kill... was indeed scary. And... I couldn''t exclude myself from that group anymore.


    None of as affirmed nor denied his question, which probably only made him even more worried.


    Then again, he was surrounded by soldiers, so I found his behaviour a bit curious.


    "Boy, they are mercenaries, and mercenaries do what their job asks of them. Whether that means killing others or escorting some brat, are we clear?"


    "Y, yes! Yes! I, I''m sorry!"


    The man looked ready to throw himself on the ground and beg for forgiveness. I felt a bit bad but on the other side, I slightly wanted to bully him.


    "Now, Boy, tell us what you know about the disease."


    "Y, yes! Will do! I will, yes!"


    "Get to it!"


    "Yeeeesss!"


    The poor young man, or now nicknamed boy, was panicking when Korwen snapped at him, he tried to grab his papers, only to lose them all in his panic. Now they were all on the ground.


    I''ve honestly seen quite a bit of paper around, but I don''t think it''s so common spread that you should just throw it on the ground...


    "Yumi, Karen, get those papers, leaving it to that brat will taker forever.


    "Understood."


    "Nn, understood."


    We quickly went over and collected the papers. The young men scrambled away from us in a hurry. At first, it was amusing but seeing this obvious reaction did hurt a bit.


    "Here, Captain."


    Karen took the papers I had collected and presented them to Korwen.


    "Mh... Yumi, explain this in a simple way."


    And then he gave them back to me. I had no idea why he thought I could handle some academic''s papers, but I could at least try. I took a quick glance over them, only to realise it wasn''t as bad as I expected. Mostly notes and things he observed, some theories about the causes and so on. I was still learning the language so it was a bit hard to read, but I could manage.


    "Nn... Numbers of the afflicted soldiers, the severity of the symptoms, possible causes..."


    "Skip those, is there anything that tells us how to deal with it?"


    "Nn..."


    I skimmed through the documents as quickly as I could but didn''t find much of note.


    "Apparently it affects a person''s mana? People with strong reserves of mana are unaffected, that''s why children are affected, as they are still developing. Strengthening the mana delays a worsening of the sickness and so far nobody died as long as they got treated. Untreated it will slowly kill the patient. Nothing about a cure."


    "Mh, that''s good enough for now. If there''s no immediate danger to their lives, that''s good."


    "Nn... Also, someone who was exposed to the disease but didn''t develop it within a few days themselves is unlikely to catch it afterwards."


    "So everyone who wasn''t infected now is safe? That''s also good news."


    Korwen nodded satisfied and motioned me to return the documents, which I promptly did. The man, still scared, accepted the documents with his arms stretched out, to keep as much distance from me as possible.


    This treatment actually hurts quite a bit.


    I returned to a spot behind Korwen.


    "Now then..." began Korwen, causing the man to flinch again.


    "Lily, the guy wanted a girl as an escort, so go ahead. If he does anything funny, you have my permission."


    He smirked, leaving out the important part, namely what kind of permission. The man was really unnerved by this. Speaking of which, we still didn''t even know his name.


    "Understood, Captain!"


    Lily saluted as vigorously as she could and then turned towards the scholar.


    "Pleasure to work with you."


    "Y, y, yes?!"


    Korwen gave a sigh while shaking his head and turned away.


    "Karen, Yumi, come. We got other things to do."


    "Nn..."


    We followed him outside the hall. Everyone was now assigned to some work, except us. That made me a bit worried. I took a glance to my side and saw Karen looking nervous as well, fidgeting and being unsure what to do.


    "Um... Captain?" I asked hesitantly."


    "Mh? What''S up?"


    "Well... Everyone got assigned some work so... What about us?"


    "Mh? Oh, yes. Well."


    He stopped in his tracks and handed me the small notebook that Fenna used earlier.


    "Your job is this."


    "... Excuse me?"


    "Basically, your job is to be my secretary now."


    "..."


    "..."


    Karen and I stood there, dumbfounded.


    "Not having Merim around is troublesome, the guy is too capable and I got too used to him. But you two are educated to a degree so I''ll have you help out when he''s not around."


    "Is... is that really fine... to just decide it like that?"


    We were around only for a few days, so why would he even trust us with something that important?


    "It is. There''s not really anything troublesome you could leak anyway unless you would be doing accounting and working on the ledger. Everything else isn''t that important."


    "Haa..."


    "Anyway, I want you two helping me with this work. Ah, but Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Those dolls of yours... How good can you control them?"


    "Um... I''m not sure what you mean?"


    I tilted my head at the odd question.


    "The one that''s with the Black Guards shows a scary degree of autonomy. It understands what is said and makes decisions on its own. And outwardly it just looks like a doll. What I want to know is simple. Can they be used for reconnaissance? Can they relay reports to you or information?"


    "That... I don''t know?"


    "Mh... Then, I''ll have Karen help me out for now and you go and try out how much you can do with them. Those dolls... might be quite useful with this.


    "Is that so?"


    Korwen nodded. I handed over the notebook to Karen.


    "At our camp should be some supplies. Make a few dolls and try it out. If you can communicate with them, place them around the fort."


    "Nn... Okay... Eh, wait, isn''t that..."


    "Yumi."


    Korwen''s curt call out made me shut up.


    "Some things are better left unsaid. In any case. I want to make sure, this disease isn''t manmade... Understood?"


    "... Nn, I understand."


    I nodded.


    "Good, get to it.


    I nodded another time. Korwen then walked away, together with Karen who stealthily waved towards me.


    ... Never would I have thought, that I''ll be used for spying.


    Rinne


    The month is ending and tomorrow begins a new one.


    If you like my story please consider supporting me on my Patreon.


    Every little bit would go a long way! And tomorrow now would be a good time with the new month, right?


    Of course, I won''t stop you from doing it now, either...


    In any case, there''s now a new tier of patreon rewards! A third chapter went up this week and with it a new tier.


    And yes, it''s exactly the scheduled chapter for patreon which isn''t up yet and will sometime today appear. I promise.


    It''s up now.


    I''ll do my best to also get out the fourth chapter for the new tier during the new month.


    In any case, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Little Secret

    "... And another one finished. Nn... Let''s see..."


    I put the freshly made doll next to the other three I had already made. During the last few days, I''ve become good enough that they were actually recognisable as dolls, but they still looked considerably clumsy. We just reused most of the dolls as materials for practice, so there were no finished ones I could''ve just taken anymore. At some point, we had been messing around more than making actual dolls...


    That was kind of fun though... But it might''ve been easier if we had kept at least a few practice dolls intact... Well, this will have to work...


    After making four dolls I decided to test my magic on them. I had also gotten some mana crystals from the supplies manager. Though, few was an understatement when he just gave me a crate half filled with all the mana crystals they had no use for. Despite having no use they never sold or got rid of them for some reason. How mysterious.


    Right now, I was quite thankful for it, though. I could just make my own mana crystals with them. Or rather, those weird pink mana eggs. I really had to ask Ria or someone else about those. Maybe they had an idea.


    "Now then..."


    I took one of the dolls in my hands. Since my meeting with Yumias, many things had changed, but my lack of understanding of how to even cast these types of magic stayed the same. I just simply threw the mana wherever I wanted it to be and thought about what I wanted it to do. Even if the process became a lot easier since then. If anyone told me that was how magic was supposed to be... I was sure I''d give up ever understanding it.


    "Ohh... It''s moving."


    After I had used the soul magic the doll began to stir slightly. With some very weird looking jerks, it tried standing up and then jumped out of my hand.


    Once it safely landed, it lied down on its side and stopped moving.


    "Nn? Doll, please move."


    The doll raised its arm and made a shooing motion as if it was telling me to go away.


    "..."


    I grabbed the doll, which promptly was flailing around, and held it up in front of my face.


    "Are you messing with me? I made you, so listen to what I''m saying."


    The doll stopped flailing and then hung limply in my hand.


    "... Hey. Move."


    I shook the doll violently, but it made no effort at moving. I decided to take a closer look and realised there was barely mana in the doll.


    "How weird... Even though the last time they could stay up for a few hours..."


    With a sigh, I put the doll back on the ground.


    "Yumi! Yumi! Are you here?!"


    With a loud slam, the door to the wagon where I hid myself opened and Emily stormed in.


    "Yumi! Found you!"


    "Emily? What are you doing here?"


    The girl quickly ran over to me and nearly jumped on the ground next to me, making herself comfortable. Behind her, Maya and Sele climbed in through the door.


    "Uncle said we should come and help you! That you were trying your best to help everyone!"


    "Haa..."


    And how are they supposed to help me? I get the feeling this will just get harder with them around...


    Sele silently walked past Emily and me and sat down on my other side, promptly hugging my arm. I was rather sure that Maya was the cat but she sure was doing well in her attempt to garner attention like one.


    Maya simply sat down next to Emily and stared at the dolls.


    "Yumi, what are those?" she asked.


    "Nn? Dolls. I am making them move and wanted to see what they can do. If they can... uh... speak? Or something along those lines..."


    "Speaking dolls? That''s impressive, Yumi!" shouted Emily.


    "No, they probably won''t actually speak Emily..."


    "Oh... so they won''t..."


    Her sudden excitement disappeared in a flash, leaving only a slightly disappointed looking Emily.


    "W, Well... I can''t say they won''t speak either, you know? Maybe..."


    "Eh? Really?"


    "..."


    I just dug my own grave, right?


    But the way her face lit up on those words made it hard to retract the words. Her sparkling eyes, full of excitement, closed in on me, leaving me with no escape path.


    "I... I''ll try, okay?"


    "You can do it, Yumi!"


    "Nn..."


    I took a deep breath and focussed on the dolls in front of me. Maya watched silently from the side and Sele was more busy occupying my arm. I already realised the last days that asking her to stop was a futile effort. A truly futile effort.


    And I still have to... well... reject Sele''s confession. How am I even going to do that? Sis, save me...


    Now I really want to be with Sis...


    I let out a sigh at my dilemma, earning me some curious stares from Maya and Emily. Shaking my head I decided to just focus on the dolls. I took one of them with my remaining free hand and attempted to use magic, strongly wishing for it to magically start speaking.


    And the doll started moving.


    "Ohh! Yumi! Yumi! The doll! It is moving!" exclaimed Emily, leaning forward and staring at the doll from close-up.


    You saw this before already, Emily. There''s no need to be so excited just because it moves...


    Maya similarly closed in and even Sele, much to my surprise, took an interest. I was certain all three of them watched me practising with Lily before, though.


    The doll stood up and the bowed elegantly in our direction. Then it stood at attention, one arm held in front and the other on the back. Somehow I had a certain desire to make a hat and a stick for it.


    "Yumi! Yumi! Why is it standing so weirdly?"


    "Ehh... You could say because it wants to show us its respect? Something like that?"


    "Mh... Weird!"


    "Ahaha..."


    The doll was still standing motionless in front of us so I figured I could try having it do a certain something. I stood up and walked over to a small box I got from the supply manager in addition to the mana crystals. Taking what I needed I returned to my place and sat down.


    "Doll, take this and write something."


    I handed the doll a pen and a sheet of paper. For all I knew, it might actually be able to write. The doll, finally moving, grabbed the pen and walked over to the sheet. Then, it vigorously began swinging the pen.


    Around a minute later, it was done.


    "..."


    "Yumi! That doll is impressive. Super impressive!"


    "Ohhh!"


    Emily and Maya expressed their astonishment while Sele leaned over and stared intensely at the sheet.


    And me? I was simply too dumbfounded to even find a comment. It didn''t write. I half expected that it couldn''t. But it sure found a different way.


    I took the sheet and held it up. The doll was watching me, as far as I could guess from its motions. Maybe it was anticipating a reaction.


    The sheet in question was showing a picture. It wasn''t a masterpiece, but it was recognizable enough that I could make out what it was showing. Namely us. There were four girls on the drawing, crowding together and sitting on the ground. As if it was from the doll''s perspective. It was actually quite a cute picture.


    "Yumi, did it draw us? Is that us in the picture?"


    "Nn, Maya. That''s certainly us."


    "Wow... I''ve never had someone draw me before."


    Neither did I, Maya...


    I scratched the back of my head, unsure what to do with this.


    Mhh... Wait, if the dolls can draw what they see... How do they even see something? Ahh, whatever, let''s try this out...


    I took another doll into my hand and animated it cautiously. Once I put it back on the ground it stood up and saluted towards me. I really wondered if those personalities were completely random or if there was some kind of tendency among them...


    "Try drawing or writing what you see here," I ordered the doll, giving it a pen and paper.


    It quickly took the pen and swung it around, though it was more being swung by it instead. It took some effort before it managed to steady itself, but once it did, it immediately began drawing something.


    After around a minute it finished with the sketch.


    "Ohh... Yumi. Yumi. We were drawn again!" muttered Emily who was clearly in awe.


    She took the sheet before I could and held it up with sparkling eyes. Then, with all her might she turned towards me.


    "Yumi!" she nearly shouted.


    "Wh, what?"


    "Can they make two more?!"


    "... They can, but why?"


    "So there''s one for each of us!"


    One for each? I stared at her slightly surprised. Did she want us all to have one?


    Maya and Sele also turned to me with clear expectations in their eyes. A wry smile found its way onto my face.


    Having something like that for each of us, it was a nice idea and made me a bit happy as well.


    "Nn, let''s have them make more."


    Staying true to those words, I made a few more dolls and animated them. Then I made them draw us more than just once.


    At one point, I completely forgot the original intent and we had the dolls draw us multiple times until each of us had quite a few quite adorable sketches. Making poses, simply sitting together or doing other stupid things.


    ... I need a box where I can keep things like this, don''t I?


    A while later I finally remembered my original purpose.


    Since I confirmed that there was a kind of communication method available, I started quickly making a few mana crystals and inserted them into the dolls.


    "Yumi, what did you do?" asked Maya after watching me with wide eyes, her tail swinging left and right with a slow pace.


    "Nn, they won''t run out of mana now."


    "They won''t? So, they''ll keep moving?"


    "Nn."


    Maya picked up one of the dolls and stared at it. I took a glance to my side and noticed Sele and Emily poking and playing with another doll.


    They took quite a liking to them, didn''t they?


    It made me smile a bit, but since I had already remembered what I originally wanted to do, or rather had to do, I, unfortunately, had to break this up. Then again, I had a small idea.


    "Emily, Maya, Sele. Do you want to help me?"


    "Help?"


    Emily tilted her head, her ears were twitching.


    I really want to nibble on them...


    "Yumi?"


    "Ah... Nn, help. The dolls, I was told to place them all around the fort. At spots where they can watch well."


    "Why that?"


    "That is..."


    Emily stared at me, waiting for an answer.


    This was troublesome... I couldn''t just tell her that it was basically for spying purposes, could I? What to do...


    "... Keeping watch... for... bad men?" asked Sele.


    "Keeping watch does sound reasonable."


    "Oh, so it was like that? Yumi wants to protect everyone?"


    "N, Nn..."


    Maya and Emily were suddenly all impressed. It wasn''t technically wrong once I thought about it. We just didn''t have permission to keep watch. Or Korwen actually got permission but never told me...


    "Then, we''ll help of course! Right, Sele, Maya?"


    "Yes, let''s help!"


    "..."


    Maya affirmed her intention to help and Sele nodded as well. Somehow, they came to an understanding completely on their own. I didn''t really mind, though, and honestly, calling it ''keeping watch'' sounded better to my ears as well.


    "So, Yumi, we just have to hide the dolls somewhere where they can look?"


    Maya asked me for confirmation. I nodded and then took one of the dolls into my hand.


    "Just set them somewhere where they can watch and it should be good, I hope."


    "Okay."


    She nodded as well and then began taking a few dolls. Sele and Emily followed suit and soon every one of us had a few dolls in their arms.


    "Then, let''s go!"


    Emily thrust one arm into the air.


    "Ah."


    And half the dolls fell down to the ground.


    "Ah, stay here! You can''t run away."


    Maybe the dolls didn''t like being dropped, but at least the ones that took a dive to the ground all ran away from Emily, some promptly leaving the wagon as well. Emily hurriedly tried to collect the ones she had dropped, including the ones that had already left the wagon.


    "There she goes..."


    "Yumi... Shouldn''t we follow her?"


    "Nn... Well, we should."


    With a wry smile I took the lead and left the wagon as well, Maya and Sele following behind me.


    Once we were back outside we saw Emily running after one doll. I was actually astonished the doll with its short legs was able to keep running away from Emily. Most amusingly, all the ones that she hadn''t yet caught were running after Emily. It looked more like they were playing tag.


    After a few seconds, she disappeared behind a corner and was gone from our sight once more.


    "Emily... ran..."


    "She did, Sele..."


    I furrowed my brows a bit.


    "Still, do we run after her... Oh."


    "Come back! Don''t run away!"


    Emily returned from behind the corner. This time, she wasn''t chasing just one doll, but pretty much every doll. Even the ones that she had been carrying were now escaping. In our direction.


    "Eh? Wait a moment."


    Without slowing their momentum, they ran directly towards me. Before I could even register what was happening, the first dolls already jumped onto, clinging to wherever they could find a hold on me.


    "Wait, stop, don''t jump on me!"


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    "Emily, I''m busy. Wait, Emily? Stop! Don''t!"


    Wham!


    Copying the dolls, Emily jumped straight into my arms.


    If only I wasn''t her own height I might''ve actually been able to catch her without getting thrown backwards.


    "Yumi! I caught you!"


    "Yes, Emily... You did... You certainly... did..."


    The saving grace was, that it didn''t particularly hurt. Most dolls jumped away the moment Emily launched herself, so there weren''t any unfortunate accidents like landing on one of them. Regardless, it was still quite the impact. Nothing I''d want to repeat.


    I pat Emily''s head. A wide grin was appearing on her face while she sat on top of me.


    "Yumi, Emily. Are you alright?"


    "Nn, all fine, Maya."


    I reassured Maya who was sounding a slight bit worried.


    Sele came over as well and tried pulling Emily off me. Her expression was a slight bit scary but that was surely m imagination. Surely.


    Once I stood up I dusted myself off.


    "Emily, you can''t just jump at others."


    "Eh? Why not, Maya?"


    "It''s dangerous. What would you do if Yumi got hurt?"


    "... That''d be bad!"


    "It is. You understand?"


    "I do! Sorry, Yumi!"


    Emily turned towards me and apologised energetically.


    "It''s fine, nobody got hurt."


    I pat her head once more with a wry smile.


    "That''s good!"


    Emily''s smile made me forgive her readily. I couldn''t really get mad at this innocent girl. I really couldn''t.


    "Yumi, what about the dolls?" asked Maya, returning me to our original topic.


    "The dolls?"


    Taking a quick look around I realised... The dolls were mostly gone.


    "..."


    "Isn''t this a bit bad, Yumi?"


    "... No, it surely is fine... It surely is... Let''s... uhm... just pretend they are keeping watch on their own?"


    "Yumi... That''s no good."


    I was scolded by Maya. I was scolded by a girl half my age.


    "Yumi, let''s look for them, okay?"


    "... Nn..."


    And so, I was reluctantly dragged away by Maya while Emily and Sele followed silently.


    "Did we find them all?"


    "Nn... I think so."


    I took another look around us but I could spot nothing notable.


    It took us not really long to notice that most dolls actually just found a spot from where they could observe the fort''s people by themselves. Their degree of autonomy scared me. Quite a bit, in fact. What should I do if they decided to turn against me one day? Maybe I shouldn''t think about that.


    "Then, we''re done," announced Maya.


    "Done!"


    "... Done."


    Emily and Sele joined in and the three threw up their arms. It was an adorable sight.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "We''re done!"


    "Done!"


    "... Done."


    They repeated their words and threw up their arms again. Maya furrowed her brows and threw up her arms again and again.


    "... Yumi... Join us..." mumbled Sele, barely audible.


    "Eh? ...Oh."


    They wanted me to join in. Maya grinned and then began anew.


    "We''re done!"


    "Done!"


    "... Done."


    "Nn, done."


    And then we all threw up our arms.


    A moment of silence followed, but then, Maya and Emily started giggling happily. Sele started smiling as well and so did I.


    It took a minute or so until the two of them calmed down.


    "Yumi, is there anything else to do?"


    "Nn? No, that was all that the Captain asked me to do."


    "Then, can we play now?"


    The three turned to me with expectations clearly visible in their sparkling eyes.


    "Ah... Well..."


    I would love to play with them, but Korwen and the others were all busy. I probably should rather look for him and see if there were other things I could do.


    "Do you... still have to do something?" asked Maya with a wobbly voice.


    It might have been a good thing that I wasn''t taller than her. If she were looking up to me with those little tears that were peeking out from the corner of her eyes, I would surely be overwhelmed.


    Then again, even without that, it made me feel really bad.


    "Nn... I should find the Captain and see if I can help them. I''m sorry."


    "I see..."


    "Yumi, Yumi. Can we help?"


    Emily pulled on my arm and asked.


    "I don''t know? We can certainly ask."


    "Then, let''s go together and ask Uncle!"


    "... Nn, let''s do that."


    Emily swiftly grabbed my hand and began softly pulling me in her direction.


    "Let''s go!"


    "Wait, Emily! That''s the wrong direction!"


    "..."


    Emily hurriedly moved in a random direction only to be stopped by Maya.


    "Oh? Then, where to?"


    "We should ask someone where Uncle is."


    "Nn, that would be good."


    "Then, let''s go!"


    Emily thrust her arm up and declared our departure. Sele hugged my other arm promptly before Emily dragged me away again. Somehow, Maya was now being left out.


    A bit to my surprise, she didn''t seem to be overly bothered by it this time. She quickly took the lead instead of Emily and lead us towards a more busy place.


    After a while, we found a few soldiers and they directed us to the fort''s warehouse. I was a bit worried that they simply told us to go there. Shouldn''t that be an area that was at least a bit guarded?


    In any case, a few minutes later we found Korwen, Karen and a few unfamiliar faces in a dimly lit warehouse.


    "Mh? Yumi?"


    When we approached Karen, whose back was facing us, suddenly turned around in our direction. Korwen followed her gaze, discovering us as well.


    "Oh, the child squad appeared. Did you finish your job?"


    "Nn, all done."


    "Uncle! Uncle! We helped too!"


    "Is that so. You did well, Emily."


    "Ehehe!"


    Korwen praised her, causing Emily to giggle happily.


    In the meantime, Karen walked over to me. If I had to take a guess she wanted to hug me but was troubled by the fact that Emily and Sele were still occupying either side of me.


    "Yumi, why are you so popular."


    "Even if you ask me..."


    A strained smile was all I could give in response to her question. I didn''t know either. Being popular with the kids was nice, of course. I wasn''t going to complain about it. Especially not with these three.


    "Now, you girls, we''re busy. Yumi, help Karen out a bit. And you three, go back to the wagons and see if you can help someone. There''s probably enough to do for you."


    "Ehh, but Uncle, we want to be with Yumi!"


    "Not fair!"


    "..."


    Emily complained and Maya and Sele voiced or motioned in Sele''s case, their agreement. Looking troubled, Korwen scratched the back of his head while looking at them. Fortunately for him, Karen stepped forward, squatting down to our height in front of us.


    "You three, don''t be selfish. There are people who really need help right now. If we don''t, they might be in big trouble."


    "That is..."


    "So, be good girls, okay? We won''t disappear suddenly, we can just play later, right?"


    The three looked down on the ground. Appealing to their consciousness seemed to work quite well, as they nodded and then let go of me.


    Karen flashed them a smile and then rubbed each of their heads.


    "Big Sis Karen, sorry. We''ll go and help out," apologised Emily.


    "Mm, do that. We''re counting on you, okay?"


    "Okay!"


    Emily took Maya and Sele by their hands and then pulled them away.


    "Until later!"


    "Later."


    "..."


    The three said goodbye and disappeared quickly.


    "Sis, you''re pretty good at this."


    "Ahh... Rather than good, they are all good children, they probably knew it themselves already. I just helped a bit."


    Karen pat my head softly.


    "Well, well... Thank you for that Karen. They are rarely selfish. It''s nice that they act a bit more as children should but..."


    "It''s fine, Mr Captain."


    "Haa... Well, anyway. Yumi, are you done with that?"


    Korwen turned to me after thanking Karen for her help.


    "Nn, everything done. I can''t promise it''ll work but I think it should."


    "Mh, if it does, that would be quite useful in the future too. Well, enough of that. Yumi, you are good at calculating, so help us out a bit."


    He handed me a small pile of documents. It was quite heavy. Taking a look I found that most of them were lists, probably the inventory.


    "Those lists are from the past half year. Can you calculate how much of each item is approximately used up in a month?"


    "Nn, well, I can probably figure out the average?"


    "That''s good. That would already be a big help."


    "But... Shouldn''t something like this be known by whoever is responsible here?"


    It was a bit weird for a huge fort not knowing how many supplies they used.


    One of the unknown men, who had kept silent until now, stepped forward.


    "Miss, the one responsible is... currently down by the disease... And the notes he left are few and rather... illegible."


    "..."


    He handed me a small paper with some scribbles on it.


    "Food. Twenty. Twenty-three. Forty-nine. Forty-four. Weapons. Four-hundred-seventy-nine. Three and a quarter dozens. Six and a half dozens. What? Why did he switch to dozens? And what are these numbers?"


    "... We don''t know..."


    Reading out loud the note made me fear the future of this place. No wonder they had troubles keeping the fort running. All the vital personnel was down. If someone were to attack now, it made me wonder how well they would even be able to fend for themselves. What would happen if the soldiers got the two spears instead of a mace and a shield?


    I shook my head in exasperation. Korwen smiled wryly and Karen gave a dry laugh.


    "I''ll see what I can do."


    "Thanks. Karen, help her, okay? Once you''re done bring the list to me or Fenna. Afterwards, you''re free for the rest of the evening. Tell those three brats to rest then too."


    "Will do."


    "Then, good luck. There''s a desk in the back you can use."


    And then I was left alone with Karen. Korwen and the few others left us here.


    "Is it really fine to leave strangers in the warehouse?"


    "... Don''t think too much about it, Yumi. Come, let''s find the desk."


    "Nn."


    Karen took my hand and let me through the warehouse. We found the desk in question quickly. It looked old but surprisingly well-cared for. There was only one chair though.


    "Nn... I wonder if there''s another chair."


    "There is no need for one, Yumi."


    "Nn? Sis?"


    Karen sat down on the chair and then pulled me into her lap.


    "See, one chair is enough."


    "... I guess so."


    I leaned back and Karen put her arms around me.


    "We finally got some time for us again."


    "We are supposed to work, Sis."


    "Don''t mind the small details."


    "... I don''t think it''s a small detail."


    Karen pulled me close with quite a bit of force, making me feel oddly conscious about what was pressing against the back of my head.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "... You see, Korwen left us here so we could have some time for us..."


    "Eh?"


    I took a look behind me at Karen, her face going visibly red even in the dim light of the warehouse.


    "Yumi... You see..."


    Karen stopped and her eyes darted through the room, most likely because she was unsure what to say.


    "You see... Quite a few people seem to know... about us today..."


    "... Eh?"


    What did she just say?


    "Lily... Involved quite a few people... Like Mr Captain, Mr Vice-Captain, Wanda and Ms Fenna..."


    "... Lily, you idiot..." I cursed quietly.


    "Also, Yumi...  Did Lily help you?"


    "Nn? Ah... She did."


    "Well..."


    Once more, she stopped. Was it maybe a problem that I got help from her? Thinking back on it, she got too many people involved. Then again, it was a success, so I couldn''t exactly blame her.


    "You see... I consulted with Lily as well... About today."


    "... Wait a moment."


    I turned around, this time completely, turning my whole upper body to face Karen.


    "... You mean... We both consulted Lily and..."


    "Yes..."


    "... Let''s... not think too deeply about it."


    Whatever Lily did, it worked out well for us. We shouldn''t pry too much into whatever she did.


    Karen flashed me a little adorable smile in response. I really wanted to have this smile all for myself, it was just too cute.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "There''s one more thing, that I wanted to talk about."


    "One more thing?"


    "Yes..."


    She nodded. I return into my proper position on her lap and leaned back. I could feel her chest heaving up and down with every breath.


    "I... I talked about it earlier already... That I might harm those around me..."


    "... Nn."


    Karen took a deep breath.


    "Some demonkin... Absorb mana from others."


    "Mana?"


    "Yes..."


    "How is that a problem."


    I couldn''t quite wrap my head around it, but that didn''t exactly sound like a big issue.


    "If a person loses too much mana, they will collapse and in the worst case even die."


    "Die... That''s... certainly bad."


    "Yes..."


    I could feel Karen nodding behind me. She embraced me tightly.


    "The way they absorb mana... differs as well. Some are... quite dangerous."


    "Dangerous? Do they drink blood, or what?"


    "That also happens yes."


    "Huh... Wait... Blood?"


    I stopped for a second. Drinking blood, that sounded familiar.


    "Ahh... I think Sele might be in the same situation."


    "... Is that so."


    "Yes... But drinking blood is still one of the more tame variations."


    "Is it?"


    How bad did it have to be then? It couldn''t be...


    "There are some that also... eat... others."


    "..."


    "Ah, but I don''t belong to those, don''t worry."


    She quickly reassured me when she noticed that I was keeping silent. I did say I wouldn''t mind getting hurt on her behalf, but... being eaten was too much of a hurdle, even for me. Way too much of a hurdle.


    "That''s good to hear... But Sis, why do they even have to absorb mana?"


    "... I don''t know. I really don''t. But I heard, that those that don''t follow those... instincts... go mad."


    "Mad? Do they go on a rampage, or what?"


    "Apparently so, yes."


    "Hee... That''s certainly not good."


    If one had to... eat... others... to keep themselves sane, or they would just indiscriminately attack and cannibalise others... Some might say that everyone had their right to live, but what would you do about this? No matter what, you couldn''t keep either side really safe.


    The only way was to imprison them and watch them go mad...


    "You see... Those... instincts... don''t surface immediately. They appear suddenly. I don''t know why... I never believed they would ever come..."


    "But... they came?"


    "Yes... Around a week ago."


    "A week ago?"


    I could feel her nodding again. Her breathing became shallower and I could feel the arms around her tensing up.


    "The... the time... you touched my tail..."


    "... Eh?"


    "That time... I..."


    She took another deep breath.


    "I wanted... to... to sleep with you, Yumi!"


    "Sleep with me? What do you... Ah."


    I froze. She meant... That kind of sleeping.


    I took a quick glance behind me and saw Karen shutting her eyes close while she was red up to the ears.


    "I... I see..."


    Muttering those words, I was a bit overwhelmed by that sudden... confession?


    "I... I''m sorry."


    "Why do you apologise, Sis?"


    "That is... I mean, isn''t it weird? With two girls..."


    Ah, that was it.


    "Sis, does it matter whether it is weird or not?"


    "But... Others might not accept it."


    "Well, considering Lily involved quite a few people, they already do accept it, right? And what does it matter if there are strangers not accepting it? I love you, Sis. That''s what is important, isn''t it? And those important to us, they don''t mind either."


    "But..."


    I put my own hand on hers.


    "Sis, do you love me?"


    "Of course I do!"


    "Then isn''t it normal to want to have sex?"


    "Se-!"


    Karen gasped audibly. She was probably embarrassed, hearing it so matter-of-factly. Then again, so was I, but I couldn''t let it show right now. I had to show that I was the older one now. Even if I was basically just repeating what Lily told me.


    Karen was silent for a bit, I could feel her body heating up.


    "Well... I guess that''s true..."


    "See? And it''s not like that really hurts me either. Though, I don''t know much about that absorbing mana stuff, but shouldn''t it be fine if I just absorb mana from mana crystals to replenish?"


    "... Ah."


    Karen froze. Did she not consider that?


    "You... are right. It shouldn''t be much, so I think that''s fine."


    "See. Then, there''s nothing to worry about."


    I turned around and grinned.


    "Thank you, Yumi."


    "You''re wel-"


    Suddenly my mouth was blocked and Karen''s face was really close. By the time realised that she was kissing me, it was already ending.


    "Ehehe, thank you, Yumi."


    "... Don''t surprise me like that."


    "Ehh, so it''s better if I announce it first?"


    "That''s... I don''t know."


    That was truly a question I couldn''t quite answer myself. I didn''t dislike the sudden kiss, but... I did want to enjoy it a bit more.


    Karen''s expression turned soft and she gently rubbed the back of my head.


    "Yumi, when we talked with Lily about girls liking each other... I was really relieved to hear your answer to it."


    "My answer?"


    "Ahh, I was... Thinking a lot... Since then. Whether it was really alright, whether I really loved you or whether I was just... looking at you lustfully."


    "..."


    "I think, I really already knew that I was really in love with you, but when I heard it at the time... I couldn''t help but think... ''Maybe I have a chance.''"


    She pulled me close, turning me back into my original position on her lap, her arms wrapping around my waist.


    "When Lily asked whether you already loved someone, I was a bit worried, to be honest. But when I talked with Lily she said, that I if I wouldn''t take a step forward I would never find out."


    "Ah, well, Lily knew about it..."


    "She did, didn''t she. We''ve been dancing in the palm of her hand."


    "A bit, yes."


    Karen relaxed her arms a bit.


    "We should thank her, shouldn''t we?"


    "Nn."


    "I''m really glad, that I found the courage today."


    "Nn."


    Karen nuzzled her nose against my neck from behind and then kissed it gently.


    "Nn, Karen..."


    "Ehehe, Yumi. I love you."


    "I love you too, Sis."


    Her soft breathing tickled my neck every time she spoke.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Could we... go further?"


    "... Nn? Further?"


    I thought for a good moment what she meant until I could feel her hand sliding down and touching my thigh.


    "Further. Is it... no good?"


    "That is..."


    I was a bit at a loss of words.


    Her other hand also slid down, gently caressing my inner thigh.


    "Nn, Sis, there is..."


    It was a ticklish, but pleasant sensation, even through the cloth of my one-piece.


    "Yumi, can we?"


    Karen stopped stroking and caressing. When I took a look behind I saw Karen''s serious expression. It was quite stiff.


    "Sis..."


    I leaned forward, towards that way too serious expressions. It didn''t suit her. I wanted her to be more relaxed, to have fun, to be happy.


    My lips met Karen''s shortly after. We didn''t separate this time. Every time it seemed we would separate, one of us pushed forward, catching the other.


    After a short while, we finally separated, each of us breathing heavily from a lack of oxygen.


    "Yumi, I love you. I love you so much."


    "Nn, Sis."


    Karen once more embraced me tightly. Her hand slowly going downwards and reaching the hem of my dress. Without giving me time to react, she pushed me off her lap and pulled the dress up, undressing me in but a moment.


    "S, Sis, wait."


    Suddenly being stripped of my only piece of clothing was a bit too sudden for me.


    "I won''t wait, Yumi."


    True to her words, she didn''t. Turning me around, so that I was facing her, she pushed my back and I fell onto the desk.


    "Ah."


    "There''s no escape, Yumi."


    She must''ve undressed as well immediately, as she wasn''t wearing a single piece of clothing anymore either.


    And now, Karen was close above me, who was now lying defenselessly on the desk. Her expression, as if she was in a trance.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    Karen lowered herself and kissed my lips again, and once she separated she kissed me in the nape of my neck, my collar bone, my chest. Then, she began licking my chest.


    "Sis, there is... bad..."


    "Why is it bad?


    Simultaneously to that, one hand was slowly circling around my stomach, gently caressing the area around my navel, then slowly reaching downward, on my inner thigh. The pleasurable feeling only grew stronger and my entire body was heating up.


    "Nn! Sis!"


    "If you don''t tell me, I won''t stop."


    "That is..."


    Karen stopped licking my chest and instead closed in on my face and kissed me again. After a few seconds, she separated and flashed me a mean smile. In contrast, I was breathing heavily, from the kiss and from pleasure.


    "Does it feel good, Yumi? It does, right?"


    "Haa... Haa... Si... Sis..."


    "Yumi, you''re so cute."


    Her free hand that was caressing my thigh slowly wandered upwards, at the one place she had avoided until now.


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    Karen''s eyes were staring straight into mine. It was as if they were glowing.


    "Sis..."


    I raised my hands, circling them around her neck, pulling her close for yet another kiss. But before our lips met, her hand had reached its goal.


    "Nngh!"


    An unknown feeling shot through my body the moment her fingers brushed down there.


    "Sis! Don''t..."


    "I won''t stop."


    The feeling slowly abated. When I opened my eyes that I had closed reflexively I saw her hand, that was teasing me just a moment ago, right in front of me. Her fingers seemed to shimmer as if they were covered in a fluid.


    "Such a naughty little sister I have."


    Her hand disappeared from my view once again, replaced by Karen''s approaching face. A kiss, her tongue invading my mouth, together with her hand that was gently caressing my lower body.


    And then, without any warning, another shock went through my body. I gasped for air, ending our kiss. In the moment of separation, I could glance at Karen''s intoxicated expression, as if she was drunk, her eyes glowing. Not metaphorically, they really were.


    "Yumi!"


    Whatever she was doing down there with my vagina, it felt incredible. A jolt ran through my body.


    At this point, my consciousness grew slightly hazy. Karen was endlessly caressing me. My chest, my vagina, my stomach, my thighs. She left nothing out.


    At one point, she guided my own hand to her lower body, rubbing herself on my arm. I had no idea what I should do, so I let her do as she pleased while she played with my lower body at the same time.


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    The pleasure was building up, more and more.


    "Sis... Sis..."


    Until it finally reached its peak.


    "Nngh!"


    "Ahhh!"


    Pleasure washed through my body, followed by a warm, fluffy feeling of happiness.


    And then, my consciousness cut off.


    Rinne


    I do hope you enjoyed it.


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    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Dreaming Reality

    Everything was white.


    That was the first thing I noticed. White. An endless white.


    An all-consuming white.


    Where... is this...


    This place was unknown to me. Well, of course, it was. There was no way I would ever know a completely white place, was there?


    And yet, it somehow felt familiar. Despite it being empty, it felt warm. Comfortable. As if I just came home after a long, long time.


    I tried taking a look around, but then I noticed that I wasn''t even standing. I was floating. And it was hard to move. Or more like, it was impossible.


    After a few minutes of fruitless attempts, I gave up. There was nothing I could do except floating around mindlessly.


    Is there nothing here? And why am I even here in the first place?


    My memory was a bit hazy, I couldn''t quite remember what had happened before. I was sure I went looking for Korwen and Karen with the three girls, but everything after that eluded me.


    I''m sure it was something really important, too...


    Panicking wouldn''t help me now, I was sure of that. Maybe I should have been more anxious, but losing my memories wasn''t exactly something new to me. It was my second time. Yet, even though it was my second time, it was still frightening. It certainly would never stop being frightening.


    Let''s think of something else... Ah, if only there was something to do at least... Nn? What''s that?


    While I was thinking about how to distract myself, the white space in front of me started swirling. It was slowly getting stronger until everything around me was swirling and slowly changed in colour.


    What is this? Is something happening? Nn... There are... people?


    People appeared. Buildings appeared. Trees, animals, everything. All with slightly white tint.


    What is this... I know this...


    The scene in front of me was clearly of modern earth. The modern buildings, as if carved from a single stone, glass windows, ornate doors, and all the other little things that made it distinct from the place where I currently was.


    I wanted to reach out, to touch it, but I couldn''t. My small arm didn''t move. It couldn''t move.


    Like a scene being played on a screen, it felt close Close enough that I might have been able to touch it. That was the feeling I got.


    A room was shown to me. A family of five sat there. Two adult men, an adult woman, a teenage girl and a preteen girl. They were sitting around a table, eating silently.


    I know this scene... This... is my memory, isn''t it? But why am I seeing this now?


    "Thank you for the meal. It was delicious," suddenly said one of the adult men, the younger one.


    Nobody responded to him. The only sound was him putting down the tableware, indicating he was finished. Then he sat there, waiting.


    After a few more minutes, the teenage girl finished as well and copied almost exactly what the young man had done before. Some more minutes later, the scene repeated almost completely with the preteen girl. Shortly after the adult woman finished as well and put down her tableware. In contrast to the others, she stayed completely silent.


    Now, only the older man was still eating. Nobody said a word until he finished. Once he put down his tableware, the adult woman and the two girls both stood up and began cleaning up the table.


    "I heard you passed the exam."


    The older man addressed the younger one.


    "Yes, Father."


    "Don''t embarrass our family."


    "I won''t, Father."


    "Good."


    And then the discussion ended right there. Both men were still sitting, while the women were cleaning up. Once the table was cleaned up, they left, leaving both men alone.


    "I spoke with the Bruddens. Their daughter is a pretty girl. I''m sure you will get along."


    "I understand, Father."


    "Good. Now, leave."


    "Yes, Father."


    The young man stood up and left the room, taking care to make as few sounds as possible.


    Once he left, the scene slowly dissolved.


    Was that young man... me? And what''s up with that family...


    If I could actually move I would surely furrow my brows right about now. That''s how odd and cold the scene was.


    The white space distorted once more and a new scene formed in front of my eyes. A different room appeared. A desk, a bed and a bookshelf filled with technical books. Nothing else filled the room.


    The young man was sitting there. He was alone in the room, sitting at the desk, a book opened in front of him and a notebook next to it. He was clearly studying for something.


    Nothing else happened for a good while, then the scene dissolved again.


    What''s this... This is... a dream, right? Why is a dream showing me my memories? And... why these memories?


    A new scene formed. Once again, it was a single room. It was similar to the previous one, mostly barren, but there were two beds and two desks instead of just one. The teenage girl and the preteen girl were both sitting at a desk, studying, just as the young man was previously.


    They were not saying a word. Not even turning around to look at each other.


    That''s no comparison to that girl trio. Emily alone would easily be more energetic than this entire family together... Children should be playing around... Especially such a young girl, she shouldn''t be sitting there, studying...


    Once again, nothing happened for a while until the scene finally dissolved. This time, the young man wasn''t even there, so why did I see this scene? Weren''t these my memories? But if that wasn''t the case... Then whose memories were this? And why was I shown them?


    Just as expected, yet another scene began taking form. It wasn''t a room this time, it was outside. The young man together with the two girls, walking along a street.


    "Hey, Big Bro," addressed the older one of the girls the young man.


    "What?"


    "Why do we have to study all day?"


    "Because Father wants us to."


    The girl looked down to the ground. The young man watched her reaction stoically. Then he returned his gaze forwards.


    "Big Bro... Will you leave like Big Sis did?"


    The young man stopped abruptly, then turned around to face the girls and squatted down. He held the shoulders of the young girl and tried to smile at her.


    "I won''t. I won''t leave you two, I promise."


    On the girl''s face bloomed a smile. It was the first proper emotion I had seen from her. The preteen girl also smiled and hugged the waist of the young man.


    The young man patted the girls'' heads and rubbed them gently. Then he pulled them close and hugged them.


    "Big Bro, I love you!"


    The scene dissolved once more. Yet, this time no new scene appeared. Everything turned back into the white space.


    What the heck was up with that? This family... It was just... wrong... What was the purpose of showing this to me?


    Just what had been the meaning of this? I didn''t know...


    I stared into the white space. I didn''t want to see this anymore.


    I want to go back to Karen... We finally got together, it''s not fair that I have to waste my time here now... Just let me wake up already!


    As if hearing my complaint, the space shook. Though I said it shook, it wasn''t really a sensation I could feel. But somehow, I just knew, that it shook. I would have loved to ponder on that, but the white space was changing once more. Rapidly. The space became muddled and turned darker and darker.


    A deep black. A black that seemed as if it would devour everything. I could do nothing to stop it and before long, all the white was devoured by it. Everything was gone, except me.


    Then, something appeared in my field of vision. The three siblings were walking along the darkness. Nothing else appeared, except those three. They walked and walked and walked. Endlessly. Tirelessly.


    After what felt like an eternity, a change happened. A new person appeared and the three siblings stopped in front of them.


    "Father, welcome back."


    "I''m home."


    The new person was the old man, the father of the siblings. He stood in front of the siblings, looking down on them. He appeared even larger than before, imposing, dangerous.


    "Where''s your mother?"


    "I do not know. I haven''t seen her yet today, Father," replied the young man.


    "Is that so."


    The father walked away, once more disappearing. The three siblings began walking again, endlessly, and alone.


    After a while, the siblings disappeared. Then a new scene formed, but contrary to the ones before, it was a dark, bizarre and distorted scene.


    The father stood in what I presumed was the living room. Behind him were the three siblings.


    "Where''s your mother?"


    "I do not know, Father."


    "Don''t lie to me. Where is your mother?"


    "Father, I really do not know."


    The father turned around, his face distorted from rage. He walked up to the young man and slapped his face with enough force to make him stagger and fall to the ground.


    The girls immediately rushed to him. The teenage girl glared at her father, who promptly snorted.


    "Where did that woman run off to?!"


    "Father, Big Bro doesn''t know and we don''t know either, isn''t that enough?"


    The teenage girl rebuked her father, with tears in her eyes. The father clearly disliked that and slapped her face, just as he had done to the young man.


    "Are you talking back to me?! I''m your father!"


    The girl fell to the ground, coughing violently and spitting blood. The preteen girl started crying.


    Seeing this, the father clicked his tongue and left the room.


    The young man heaved himself up and crawled over to the girl that was coughing up blood.


    "Yuu, are you alright? Yuu!"


    "I''m, I''m fine, Big Bro."


    The girl stopped coughing and faced her brother, tears running down her cheeks and blood dripping down from her mouth.


    "Let''s go to a doctor, someone has to take a look at it."


    "Don''t, Big Bro. Father will get... angry again."


    The man fell silent, but even from my point of view, I could see that he was biting his lips in frustration.


    The scene dissolved once more, only to be replaced by a new one. A white room with a bed in the centre.


    A hospital room. And on the bed, the teenage girl. Unconscious. Some machines were attached to her.


    The young man sat on a chair next to the bed, holding the girl''s hand.


    This... This couldn''t be... Could it?


    Was it because she was hit and they didn''t get it treated? Or was it some other reason? Just what happened? And... what will happen?


    The scene switched with a new one. Again the hospital room, the girl was still in the bed, but she was up and awake, reading a book. The young man was still on the chair next to her, but he was cutting a single fruit in pieces and presented them on a little plate to her. The girl laughed awkwardly and took a piece.


    There was a deep scar running along the girl''s cheek. She was alive. Alive...


    Just... What is up with this. Stop these... Stop showing me these things!


    Ignoring my outcry, the scene changed again.


    The young man and the younger, preteen girl were in a room, packing their few belongings.


    "Big Bro, is this really alright?"


    "It has to be. At this rate... Who knows what else Father will do."


    The two silently finished packing and left the room. There was no sign of the other girl.


    Stop! Just stop showing me this! What do you even want from me?! Let me go back! I don''t want to see this anymore...


    Another scene.


    The young man was travelling alone. Walking endlessly through the black space, without a destination. I knew. He had only one goal. To get away from that house and his father. But it wasn''t easy. He was alone.


    Then, in a new scene, he was sitting at the side of a street, looking listlessly at the sky. His eyes looked dead as if he had given up. Given up on everything.


    And then, the final scene. A train. Screams. People being squished into compact sizes, others being torn apart. The smell of blood, oil and fire. And in the middle of it, the young man.


    "Ahhh... I wish... I wish I could ** **** **** *******," muttered the young man, the last part inaudible between the screams, the screeching of metal and his own painfilled groans. He was stuck between metal parts, bleeding, from various places where metal wreckage had pierced him.


    And that''s where the scene ends. Everything dissolved and the black nothingness returned.


    Why... Why did you have to show me this...


    I did not know what happened to the two girls. I probably never knew.


    I want to go back... Big Sis... Where are you... Big Sis...


    Space stirred. I was sure, the memories had ended. They had to end. There was nothing to show afterwards. And yet, another thing was coming into my view.


    A forest, a vast forest. And a very familiar forest.


    This... Isn''t this... the forest where I woke up?


    I got the feeling that was the case, though I couldn''t quite make out why. I simply got the feeling that I had been here before.


    In the middle of the forest was a clearing. Light shone through the gaps between the trees. It was a truly idyllic view.


    If not for the sight in front of me.


    A familiar person was standing there.


    No... No way... Why is she here? Why is this monster here?


    The person I saw there was none other than Yumias herself, standing in front of a rather tall, pinkish rock.


    "How curious," muttered Yumias, gently caressing the rock.


    "Truly curious."


    A loud cracking sound could be heard, accompanied by a large crack running through the rock. Only then did I realise, that it wasn''t a weird pinkish rock, but a large, human-sized egg.


    The eggshell burst violently and whatever was inside fell out, falling right in front of Yumias and lying motionlessly on the ground.


    No... No way... But... How?


    There was a naked girl on the ground. Small, with pink, waist-long hair.


    Is that... me? No... No, that can''t be... I... I...


    Yumias squatted down, reaching down for the girl on the ground. But before that happened, the scene disappeared.


    How? How?! This makes no sense! After that train accident, I became like this already. And then I was thrown here by those weird exorcists! I clearly remember that!


    My memories were contradicting the scene I just saw. When I came here, I was sure I was still wearing my clothing from that world which I tried to sell to a merchant. There were no weird eggs and no Yumias involved.


    No... Wait... That''s wrong... Didn''t Yumias say she was involved in changing me? And bringing me here? But then... what does this mean? Just... Just what is the meaning of this?!


    I couldn''t make heads or tails out of this. Nothing made sense.


    Just... what is going one? Someone, please tell me!


    I felt like crying, that''s how helpless and confused I was feeling. Yet, this place didn''t even allow me to do that. It forced me to silently watch.


    Once more, something changed in the space around me. But this time, it wasn''t a scene that appeared.


    Something was approaching me, here in this lonely space. Within but a moment someone was right in front of me. I couldn''t make out their face, no matter how hard I tried to look. It reached out to me.


    And then, once more, my consciousness cut off.


    Somewhere, far away, a laughing voice echoed through the empty space.


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    "... Big Sis?"


    "Yumi!"


    Someone was embracing me strongly. I could see a flash of silver in my view.


    "... Sis?


    "Yumi! Don''t scare me like that! Really!"


    I was being squeezed strongly. It was comfortable, calming. I could feel some tears in my eyes.


    I''m back... I''m back with Karen...


    I wanted to cry and bawl, like a child. I was just that glad to be back. Back with the person I loved. I wrapped my arms around Karen and returned her hug. I could feel my rapid heartbeat calming.


    Sis... She looks worried... I... Maybe... Maybe I should tell her later... Later...


    I was still unable to make sense of what I had seen there. And it seemed I had to calm down Karen first.


    That said, I tried taking a look at my surroundings.


    This is... the warehouse? What were we doing here... Nn? Speaking of which, something feels... nice... really nice...


    An incredibly pleasant sensation. I was still being hugged so I couldn''t exactly take a look, but being hugged by Karen felt a lot better than usual. So much that I felt like I could bury myself in this feeling and never come out.


    Still, I tried to concentrate on the matter at hand, for now.


    "Sis, what happened?"


    "... You don''t remember?"


    "Nn..."


    Karen let go of me, but still holding onto my shoulders, and took just enough distance that she could look at my face.


    "You suddenly collapsed and didn''t wake up, Yumi. I... I was so worried!"


    There were tears in the corners of her eyes.


    I was still a bit groggy from just waking up. Raising my hand to her cheek, I caressed it gently.


    "Sorry, Sis."


    "No..."


    Karen shook her head.


    "I should apologise... Because I... Because of me..."


    Falling silent, Karen looked down to the ground, depressed about something.


    Nn? Did Karen do something? Actually, why did I collapse? What did we... Ah.


    Finally, after way too long, I realised what was going on. In the corner of my eyes, I spotted some scattered clothes. Following that, I also saw the source of the very comfortable sensation I was feeling earlier.


    The reason was simple. Incredibly so. After taking a quick glance at Karen, a certain feeling made itself apparent. Embarrassment, and desire.


    No, get yourself together. Now''s not the time to get... distracted...


    "Yumi?"


    Karen called out to me, staring at me with a worried look on her face.


    I took a breath, trying to calm myself. We had done something way more... intimate already. I was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden realisation, yes, but that was it.


    "Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "There''s no need to apologise."


    "No, Yumi, I..."


    "Sis."


    I called out to her forcibly. Karen twitched in response,  and her gaze returned downwards, to the ground. She probably felt horrible about what had happened. She was always so caring, so being the cause of my collapse must''ve hit her really hard.


    Leaning forward, I hugged Karen again, our naked skin pressing together. It was comfortable, but more importantly, it was a calming sensation, a feeling filled with warmth and love.


    "Sis, I don''t mind. Really. Everything is well now, isn''t it?"


    I gently rubbed her back. A few seconds later I could feel Karen''s arms wrapping around me as well, squeezing me.


    We stayed like this for a while, silently. There was no need to break the silence, as long as we could feel each other''s warmth.


    A few minutes later we separated. Taking a look at her, I could still see tears in the corners of her eyes, but she looked visibly better than before.


    "Sis, next time, let''s just bring along a mana crystal or two, okay? If I can just replenish my mana, it shouldn''t be a problem, right?"


    "..."


    Karen nodded weakly. She was cute in her weak moments and I felt happy that she showed them to me, but I still wanted her to cheer up.


    That''s why I leaned forward, to this precious girl of mine, until our lips met.


    "Yumi, don''t move so much."


    "That''s easy for you to say. I can''t help it."


    "Your hair tickles."


    "..."


    I can''t exactly do something against that... I''m sorry...


    A few minutes, after we enjoyed a little bit simple intimacy, we remembered that we still had work left to do. Thankfully, it was simple work, so we could do it rather quickly. Though, even so, I would''ve certainly preferred to spend more time cuddling with Karen. Cuddling naked like this was a rather addictive sensation.


    "I''m still a little bit surprised that the captain just left us here alone," I wondered out loud.


    "Well... When I asked, uhm... He just said ''leave it to me''."


    "... Asked what?"


    "Whether there was... any place where there weren''t many people around."


    "..."


    "We can''t just, uhm, leave the fort in the night, right?"


    That guy totally knew. He totally knew. There was no way he wouldn''t know what we''d do alone together.


    My face was instantly heating up upon that realisation


    "Sis..."


    "Yes?"


    I leaned back, resting my head on Karen''s shoulder. I was currently seated in her lap, as we only had one chair. Additionally, our clothes were still lying around somewhere, nearby. But neither of us suggested to wear them right now.


    "Why did you ask the captain..."


    To be honest, I wouldn''t have expected her to ask someone a question like this... And not Korwen of all people.


    "Well... That''s because... I couldn''t wait..."


    "Nn? Couldn''t wait... Oh."


    A little grin found its way on my face. I looked up a bit and rubbed my cheek on Karen, whose face had become a tinge red. A happy feeling spread in my chest.


    "Yumi, stop that... What are you, a little animal?"


    "Nn, maybe."


    I continued rubbing for a while. It was fun. It was warm.


    "Yumi... We should continue working. It''ll get late."


    "Ehh... Do we have to?"


    "Yes, we do."


    It seemed I couldn''t escape reality. How unfortunate.


    I reluctantly stopped rubbing my cheek on her and turned back towards those documents. It was just some mind-numbing calculations, nothing really hard, just boring.


    "Mhh... You''re so fast with this, Yumi."


    "Am I?"


    "Yes... It''s already rare to see someone able to do calculations, but this quick is impressive."


    "Nn? Why is it rare?"


    I stopped for a moment because I was curious hearing about that. I already knew that it wasn''t common, judging from Korwen''s problems with finding an accountant. But hearing that it didn''t seem to be an issue unique to the mercenaries.


    "Ahh... Mostly only merchants and academics care about it apparently. I was taught it was an important skill to have when I was still with my family. Same for reading and writing, though I had to learn it mostly by myself."


    "You taught it yourself?"


    "Yes, I did have some help from an older woman at the time, before she passed away, but it was mostly by myself."


    "Huh..."


    I thought she was taught it before she was exiled, but to think she actually learnt it afterwards.


    "Yumi, you stopped."


    "... Nn."


    Suppressing another sigh, I returned towards the mostly boring calculations. Every little calculation I finished meant I was a step closer to the end of our little private time.


    Maybe sensing my unwillingness to continue, Karen embraced me from behind and squeezed me, her breasts pressing on my back.


    "Yumi, we''ll still have plenty of occasions to have some time for us alone, won''t we? You don''t have to worry."


    "Nn, but that doesn''t mean I can''t appreciate our time right now. And right now, I want to stay like this."


    "... You sly little sister."


    A little giggle echoed from behind.


    Of course, I knew Karen was right. But I really didn''t want to separate right now.


    I wonder, is this what it means to love someone? It... sure is something.


    "Mh? Yumi, there''s a mistake there, I think?"


    "Nn? You''re right."


    I shouldn''t get distracted...


    I shook my head to chase away the distracting thoughts. Though that might have been a futile endeavour. I actually didn''t to chase them away anyway.


    "Ah, Yumi, stop that. Your hair is tickling me."


    "... Sorry."


    I continued working, still being embraced by Karen. A smile naturally found its way onto my face.


    After a few minutes of silent working, something tugged at my hair. I took a quick glance and saw Karen playing around with it.


    "Sis?"


    "Mh? Oh, I was just playing around a bit. Do you want to change your hairstyle?"


    "Nn, I didn''t really think much about it, to be honest."


    I was already glad when I managed to retain my current one.


    "Mh, maybe we should ask Wanda a bit about hairstyles."


    "Well, we can, I guess."


    "Yes, let''s do that when she recovered. But for now, how far are you with those?"


    "..."


    "Yumi?"


    Karen''s face appeared on my side and she was staring into my eyes.


    "Nearly done..."


    "Is that so. That''s good, though also a bit sad."


    "Nn."


    Her face disappeared again from my view.


    I finished the last few calculations rather quickly and put down the pen.


    "Sis, I''m done."


    "Is that so..."


    She strongly squeezed me one more time.


    "I wish we could at least sleep alone together."


    "Nn..."


    Alas, that was a wish that couldn''t be fulfilled. If we were to camp outside, we might be able to share a tent alone together, but we''d probably still stay inside the wagons. And the wagons were shared with quite a few people.


    "Nothing we can do about... Let''s get ready."


    "Do we really have to?"


    "Yes, Yumi. Now, up with you."


    "Nn... Wait, Sis?"


    Karen stood up from the chair, still embracing me. Which naturally meant, I was lifted up and hanging in the air. It was actually a bit breezy like this. Karen seemed quite reluctant to let me go, squeezing me and the loosening her embrace only to squeeze me again. This obvious reluctance made me way too happy.


    It took her a bit until she finally let me down to the ground.


    "It''s a bit sad it ended..."


    "Nn."


    With a sigh Karen let me go and began collecting her clothes. I followed the same, though contrary to Karen, who had a few different articles of clothing, I only had the one-piece dress. I quickly got dressed and waited for Karen. Wearing clothes after a while somehow felt uncomfortable.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Your sandals."


    "... Oh."


    Karen pointed at the sandals that had at some unknown point left my feet and were now lying to the side.


    I walked over and put them on as well.


    "Got everything?"


    "Nn."


    "I see... Then, let''s go."


    Karen grabbed the finished documents with one hand and held out the other to me.


    Taking her hand, we slowly made our way outside, back to everyone else.


    "Oh, there they are!"


    When we left the warehouse it was already rather dark outside. It had already been late before, so that much wasn''t quite surprising.


    We leisurely walked back to the wagons, where we found a few familiar faces. Korwen, Fenna, Rina and Lily sat close to our wagon at a table. Together with them were our three little rascals, though they were already sleeping. Maya and Emily were occupying Rina''s sides, while Sele was using Lily''s lap as a pillow.


    "Yumi, Karen, that took a bit," commented Lily with a smirk on her face.


    "We have some of the leftover dinner here for you," added Fenna, with a similar smile on her face.


    She pointed at a large pot next to the table.


    "Oh, sorry. We''re a bit late."


    "Nn, sorry."


    We apologised, but the only responses we got were some suppressed laughter and warm smiles. Honestly, it was a bit uncomfortable, but on the other side, we didn''t have to hide it from them. That alone actually relieved me quite a bit.


    Korwen turned towards us as well, pointing at the documents in Karen''s hand.


    "You two, I hope you have finished working on those documents. Regardless of whatever else happened in between."


    "Nn, we did."


    "That''s good. Was there anything weird among them?"


    "Nn... I don''t think so, no?"


    "Mh..."


    Korwen stroked his chin. Karen handed him the documents and he quickly glanced over them.


    "Mh... Did you figure out that weird code while doing these?"


    "No, I''m sorry. I think a few of those numbers coincide with the notes but as to what it exactly means..."


    "Well, can''t have everything. In any way, good work. Take a rest."


    Korwen stood up from his seat and was attempting to leave. He probably only stayed to collect the documents. It made me feel a bit bad that we kept them waiting for so long. Still, if I was given the choice again, I was sure I''d again choose to spend as much time as possible with Karen.


    When Korwen walked past us, he suddenly stopped and turned towards us.


    "There''s one thing I have to warn you two about. Considering you behave mostly like sisters there shouldn''t be really many problems, but you should keep your relationship as hidden as possible. Especially from the families, my men probably won''t care much. We soldiers are the practical sort, but that does not mean everyone is like that. Just a little warning. Good night."


    He turned back forwards and continued walking away, raising his hand once more to say goodbye. After a few seconds, he disappeared behind the other wagons.


    "Not everyone accepts it, huh..." murmured Karen.


    I squeezed her hand that I was still holding.


    "Now, that flirting couple there, don''t get depressed, come and eat something."


    Lily called us over with a smile.


    "Lily... Ah, well... Whatever."


    Karen apparently wanted to say something but decided against it. Lily grinned at that.


    She still handed us two plates. Taking them meant we had to stop holding hands, though.


    "Ah, right. There''s something we have to apologise for first, Yumi."


    "Nn? What do you mean, Lily?"


    "Well... Sele found out."


    "..."


    I froze. Sele found out? Wasn''t that... bad? Yes, it certainly was.


    I took a glance at Sele who was sleeping peacefully in Lily''s lap.


    "Lily... What did she say?" I asked cautiously.


    "Well... She threw a bit of a tantrum. She was up and ready to rush to the warehouse."


    "..."


    "Calming her down was hard work, so praise me!"


    "Yes Lily, you did well. Thank you."


    Karen put some food onto my plate and we sat down at the table. The food, some kind of stew again, was cold already. It wasn''t the most delicious but it still tasted pretty good, despite being cold.


    "But she got a bit depressed, so you have to cheer her up if you can," added Fenna.


    "Nn... I''ll try."


    I honestly wasn''t quite sure how I could cheer her up though.


    "Well then, I''ll take my leave too. Good Night."


    "Nn, good night."


    "Good Night, Miss Fenna."


    "Good night."


    Fenna stood up and left as well, waving once more before disappearing into the dark.


    "Guess only us three are left, huh."


    "Us three? What about Rina?"


    I was a bit confused at Lily''s words. Rina was sitting here too, even though she was oddly silent.


    "That girl is sleeping."


    "Eh?"


    I turned towards Rina and took another look. She was sitting upright, but her head was hanging down a bit. Looking closely, between her hair that was covering her face a bit, I could spot her closed eyes.


    Next to me, Karen was also leaning forward, trying to take a good look.


    "Well... she certainly is skilled at sleeping... Sitting and sleeping like that."


    "Ahaha... She sure is."


    Lily let out a dry laugh.


    "Still, she did help with calming Sele, so..."


    A gentle smile flashed floated on Lily''s face while looking at Rina.


    "Hey, Yumi," whispered Karen.


    "Nn?"


    "Is it just my imagination or..."


    "I don''t think it''s your imagination."


    It seemed Karen was suspecting something as well already.


    "You two, I can hear you just fine. What do you mean?"


    "Mh... Well, Lily, I''ll support you," murmured Karen.


    "Huh?"


    Just the girl in question was apparently still a bit oblivious to it. Or she thought we hadn''t noticed. It was a bit amusing, considering she was the most proactive among us.


    Still, if Lily and Rina would end up as a couple as well. That wouldn''t be all too bad. Rina seemed to be rather fine with the idea as well. Though it was a bit unclear how much of it she actually understood.


    "Good luck, Lily."


    "Nn, good luck."


    "I don''t get you two..."


    We don''t get you either, Lily.


    Well, she would surely notice it with enough time. Just like we did.


    We finished up our dinner and cleaned up. Afterwards, we carried the girls into the wagon and made ourselves comfortable as well.


    While we couldn''t have our little private time here, we could still sleep comfortably together.


    Lying in the sleeping Karen''s arms, I took a look over all these sleeping girls, huddled together.


    Everyone here is dear to me. I don''t want to lose a single one of them. I want to protect them with all I have... If what I saw were really my memories... Then I might have failed to protect my own family... I... I cannot allow that to happen here... I can''t.


    It was something I had to absolutely avoid. This family was all I had. If I were to lose them... I didn''t even want to think about it.


    I will protect you all. I definitely will.


    And slowly, I drifted off from reality to the land of dreams.


    Rinne


    If you like my story, I hope you could consider supporting me on Patreon!


    Some other little news now. I originally intended to get the fourth advance chapter for patreon out this week, but that didn''t happen. Why? Because of past mistakes.


    Since I finally had some time and energy on my hand I decided to take a look and proofread and edit the newest patreon chapter, the one that comes out today. I used to do that for pretty much all chapters in the first arc but with the second arc, I spent most extra time on writing.


    Well, long story short, I spent a really long time editing that chapter. And it made me realise, that I really shouldn''t have skipped on this.


    So, in other words, I''ll spend the coming week editing all chapters from the second arc.


    That will only delay the fourth advance chapter for now and not affect the regular schedule, but I hope the chapters will be more comfortable to read afterwards.


    But no worries, this chapter was already edited as well. Thankfully I managed to do that in time.


    Sorry about the inconvenience. Lesson learnt.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Dawning Disease

    "...mi, Yumi. Wake up!"


    "Mmmnnnh."


    "Yumi!"


    Someone was shaking me gently while calling out to me.


    "Yumi, wake up, you''ll miss breakfast."


    "Mnn."


    The voice fell silent for a moment. Some rustling could be heard, followed by another short moment of silence.


    Then, something soft met my lips. Realising what was going, all the sleepiness disappeared and I open my eyes, seeing Karen''s face close up. She separated from me and then flashed me an affectionate smile.


    "Good morning."


    "... Morning."


    "If you don''t want to miss breakfast, you should get up."


    "... Nn."


    I sat up and scanned my surroundings. Only Karen and I were here right now.


    "Nn, everyone else is already up?"


    "Yes, you''re the last one again."


    "..."


    That made me feel a bit bad. Everyone woke up early on time while I was sleeping until Karen woke me up. But on the other side, waking up like this... was definitely not bad.


    I suppressed a yawn and stretched my arms.


    "Come, I''ll help you with your hair, Yumi."


    "Nn, thank you, Sis."


    Karen took a brush and the ribbons that were lying on the side and motioned me to sit in her lap. Sitting down, Karen began fiddling with my hair. She was concentrating on it, so I kept silent for a while. I didn''t want to disturb her.


    "Mhh... And done."


    "Nn, thank you, Sis."


    Karen put aside the brush after she finished setting up my hair. Then she caressed it gently.


    "I''m a bit jealous, Yumi."


    "Nn? Why that?"


    "Because your hair is so smooth and nice to the touch. Even though you do nothing."


    "Well..."


    I honestly wanted to comment that I was astonished how healthy her own hair was, even though it was exposed to a mud treatment. For years. Knowing better, I didn''t say anything though and just smiled vaguely.


    "Ahh... Well, let''s get up and eat breakfast, okay?"


    "Nn..."


    I reluctantly left Karen''s lap. We walked outside, where I was promptly hit with... heat.


    "... Why is it so hot..."


    "Well... Look up and you''ll know..."


    I followed Karen''s suggestion and directed my attention to the sky. With the suns. Two suns, burning brightly.


    "Yumi, you shouldn''t stare directly at them for long."


    "Nn..."


    I returned my gaze to the ground. There were two suns. There really were.


    "Still, it''s quite hot even for today... Last week was more comfortable."


    "Nn..."


    I let out a little sigh. I couldn''t escape the reality.


    For all I know, maybe having two suns would be possible even in my old world? I''m no physicist nor an astrologist, so I don''t know. Or maybe I did know. I don''t know.


    Even if I used to know, I certainly didn''t right now. And it was better to concentrate on the present.


    "Sis, breakfast is where?"


    "Ah, there''s a small hall where we can eat breakfast. We''re actually the last ones to eat there."


    "Nn, everyone else already did?"


    "There were shifts for breakfast. We''re in the last shift, so everyone else already had breakfast."


    The last shift, huh. Was it because we were newbies? I did get the feeling that we got quite a bit of special treatment, simply because we could use magic, but maybe it ended here. Though breakfast was a bit of an odd place for that.


    "Ah, before you ask. That''s the magician''s shift apparently."


    "... Eh?"


    "Well, originally it was only those three, right? And apparently they would always wake up late, so their shift was put at the end."


    "Haa..."


    I certainly could imagine those three sleeping in. In any case, that certainly was good for me. More time to sleep.


    "Nn... I feel like we have quite a lot of freedom... I always imagined mercenaries to be way more... serious. Like soldiers."


    "The Black Guards are more serious apparently... Lily complained earlier about how sloppy the breakfast is organised."


    And yet, the person herself was everything but serious in demeanour.


    "But you are right, Yumi... It certainly feels a lot less serious than I would have imagined. Ah, this way."


    We went around a corner and arrived at a decently-sized hall. The fort was so large that I still had no idea where the particular rooms were, like this hall. I was rather glad that the wagons and everything were standing in the courtyard. That was about the only thing I could readily find.


    "I don''t know, it feels more like... A really big family?"


    A family with around eight hundred members certainly deserved to be called big. But a big family... While I certainly couldn''t deny that it felt a bit like that, I couldn''t really agree either.


    Entering the hall, I was greeted with around four large-sized tables. Only two were occupied right now. On one were a number of various soldiers that I didn''t know, while on the other one were quite many familiar faces seated.


    "Yumi! Good morning!" shouted Rina once she spotted me.


    The others around the table also greeted me right after.


    "Nn, good morning."


    I took a free spot next to Lily, who was busy stuffing herself with bread. Karen sat down on my other side and promptly grabbed some of the bread that was on the table. I copied her and took a piece of bread as well.


    "Nn, it''s warm."


    "It''s freshly made, Yumi. Fresh bread!" explained Lily to me with vigour in her eyes.


    "Haa..."


    She returned back to her bread with a happy expression. I certainly didn''t expect her to get so riled up over fresh bread. With a wry smile, I turned towards the bread in my hand and took a bite.


    "Nn? It''s delicious."


    The taste surprised me a bit. It was warm and quite fluffy, despite still being firm.


    "You''re right. It''s delicious," commented Karen.


    "I told you didn''t I?!"


    Lily looked awfully smug for some reason.


    "Lily, did you help out?"


    "Mh? No, I didn''t?"


    "Eh... Then why are you so... happy about fresh bread?"


    Her expression darkened. Did I maybe hit a landmine?


    "Yumi."


    "N, Nn?"


    "The Black Guards... You know... They are mostly men..."


    "..."


    "There''s nobody there who can cook... Mama was rarely around... So I had to cook my own meals..."


    "My sympathies..."


    I wasn''t exactly a great cook either, but I could at least grill something. Actually, that was about all I could do.


    Lily let out a sigh and bit into her bread again.


    "Why are men just so... I don''t know..."


    And another sigh from her. With a strained smile, I returned to my own bread as well.


    I don''t know, Lily. I''m sorry.


    As a former man, I certainly understood the feeling of ''can''t be bothered''. On the other hand, I certainly understood that it didn''t leave the best impression, either. A rather complicated feeling.


    Well, at least I wasn''t the only one on this table that felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that. Because it was the magician''s shift for breakfast, that of course meant the other magicians were here too. And two of those three were male and they both awkwardly averted their gazes.


    If I recall correctly, the Captain told us that they were bad around women... And yet they sit at a table full of girls. It must be hard for them.


    I actually had no idea why they didn''t simply sit down at a different table, though.


    In any case, offering a silent prayer for these two poor souls, I silently continued to eat my breakfast.


    "Apparently there''s been some uproar earlier," told me Lily.


    "Nn? What kind of uproar?"


    "Don''t know. Apparently some of those soldiers that were out investigating returned."


    "So, did they find something?"


    "... They did..."


    We turned towards the one who suddenly cut into the conversation, namely Ria. She had stopped eating and turned towards us.


    "The investigation squad... Only a few returned..."


    "... Only a few?"


    There was only one thing that could mean...


    "The others are missing... But most likely... They are dead..."


    "..."


    Dead. One might think that it came with the job, but... They too probably had family and friends, people who would mourn their death.


    Suddenly, a hand was rubbing the top of my head.


    "Don''t think too much about it, Yumi."


    "Sis..."


    Turning around to take a look, I could see Karen flashing me a little smile.


    "Well, Ria, did they find something at least?" asked Lily in the meantime.


    "Apparently... I don''t know the details... We will maybe find out..."


    Karen let go of my head and urged me to continue with breakfast. We finished our breakfast silently and cleaned up.


    "Lil Sis, Lil Sis."


    "Nn? What is it, Rina?"


    Right after we put away our dishes, Rina came up to me from behind and hugged me suddenly.


    "Something happened between you and Big Sis, right?"


    "Eh... Well, I guess you could say that."


    "Mhh."


    Something heavy pressed down on me.


    "Rina... Don''t lean on me."


    "Mhh..."


    Unfortunately, she didn''t seem to hear my complaint.


    "Hey, Lil Sis."


    "What is it?"


    "What does it feel like?"


    "Huh? What feels like what?"


    "Having someone you love."


    I froze. It took a moment for me to register her question properly.


    "You see, Lily told me yesterday about you two. But I don''t really understand it."


    "Well, uhm... What do you not understand?"


    "Lily said you can''t stop thinking about someone, and that there''s a fluffy, happy feeling, and desire. But what do those mean?"


    Now, just what was Lily telling her... I didn''t really mind as long as she didn''t mess around, but still... I honestly didn''t know what to tell her.


    "Ehh... Honestly, I don''t know how to describe it either, Rina."


    "Huh? Even though you love Big Sis?"


    "Well, that''s... You''re also quite blunt, aren''t you..."


    "Mh?"


    What should I tell her, though? I didn''t really know how to describe it either.


    "It''s just hard to describe it, I think. You simply want to be with that person. I''m happy simply being together with Sis."


    "Hmm... I don''t get it."


    "Ahaha... Sorry I couldn''t help."


    "It''s fine! Thank you!"


    The weight pressing down on my back disappeared.


    By the time I turned around, Rina had already run off to Karen. I watched from the distance how Karen''s face lit up in a vibrant red up to the ears. Apparently, Rina had found the next person to ask.


    "Yumi..."


    While I was watching, someone approached me from the side and called out to me.


    "Ria?"


    "Could you... come with me... There are some things... we have to do..."


    "Nn... What about the others?"


    "I only need you... for now..."


    I tilted my head, wondering what she meant.


    "Well, okay."


    I nodded and said a quick bye to Karen and the others, then I followed Ria outside.


    Shortly after I found myself in the large hall where the ill were kept. There were still dozens over dozens of ill lying here, groaning and suffering.


    I followed Ria silently to a corner of the hall, where mostly children were treated.


    "Nn, I know these children... Aren''t they the refugees?"


    "That''s right... These are the children we brought along..."


    Much to my surprise, most of these children were in a far better state than everyone else here. Some were even sitting upright, eating or talking with others. They were still pale and weak, but the difference was really noticeable.


    "Ria is it just me or are these children... recovering a lot better than everyone else."


    "You aren''t imagining it... They really are... Some are so well we could release them again..."


    "Eh? But... Why are they recovering even though..."


    I took another look through the hall. These children were really the only ones who were on the way to betterment.


    "I have a suspicion... But I want to make sure... Yumi... You can see the disease spirits..."


    "Those odd lumps of mana? I could, yes..."


    When I was treating the children, I could see the so-called disease spirit in each of them.


    Ria walked towards a young girl and sat down next to her on the ground.


    "Miss... Ria?"


    A small, weak voice. The girl looked barely ten years old.


    "Yes... How are you feeling?"


    "The coughs... have stopped..."


    "That''s good to hear... Could you hold still for a bit?"


    "Okay..."


    The girl affirmed weakly. Ria turned to me and beckoned me over.


    "Yumi... take a look at her..."


    "Nn..."


    I squatted down next to the girl. She stared at me with a worried expression. I flashed a small smile, hoping it would reassure her. She smiled back.


    How cute. I''m sure she''ll grow up into a cute girl.


    I held my hand over her and concentrated on the mana in her body. It didn''t take long for me to find the lump of foreign mana in her. It was small, close to disappearing, in fact. Her own mana was pretty strong, so she was probably well on her way to betterment.


    I decided to strengthen her mana a small bit. I wasn''t carrying any mana crystals with me right now, so the amount I could give her was severely limited. But it was surely better than nothing.


    "Yumi... Did you see it?"


    "The lump of mana? Yes... It was weak."


    The girl, still slightly nervous, smiled upon hearing that.


    "Mh... Yes... At this rate... she''ll recover in a few days..."


    "I''ll... be alright?" asked the girl in a small voice.


    "Yes... You will..."


    Ria patted her head. I could spot a smile on her face.


    "But now we got to go... I''m sorry, Kana."


    "Okay... See you, Ms Ria."


    Then the girl looked towards me.


    "Bye Bye..."


    "Nn, bye. I hope you''ll get well."


    I pat her head once as well before Ria stood up and walked away. I followed her quickly. Looking back, I could see the girl raising her hand weakly and waving. After waving back, I turned back to Ria.


    "So... What was that about?"


    "You will see soon..."


    "Huh..."


    I followed her, still curious. Just what had been the meaning of this?


    After a short walk, we arrived at a different corner of the hall. There were mainly soldiers lying here. None of them was looking as if they would recover anytime soon.


    Once more, Ria squatted down next to a feverish-looking man. He wasn''t in a state to speak at all, breathing heavily, sweating profusely.


    "Yumi, take a look at this man."


    "Nn..."


    I nodded and sat down next to them. Holding my hand over the man and closing my eyes, I concentrated on the mana once more.


    His mana was weak and muddled with something. There was once more a lump of mana that didn''t belong there but... It was different. Very different.


    I stopped inspecting the mana and turned to Ria.


    "Ria... What is that?"


    "So you see it too..."


    Ria didn''t answer my question and instead stared at the man lying in front of us.


    "Come, I''ll explain it elsewhere."


    "Haa..."


    Ria stood up and simply walked away. I hurried after her, still a bit confused as to what I had just witnessed. Ria wasn''t the most talkative person I knew, but this complete lack of conversation was uncommon even for her. Her expression was really serious.


    I followed her for a good while until we arrived at a small door. Ria knocked and then opened the door without waiting for an answer.


    "Mh? Oh, if it isn''t Ria and Yumi."


    Peeking inside, I saw Korwen sitting on a chair, holding a book in his hands. Apparently, this room was some kind of study as there were numerous shelves with books.


    "Come in, do you have business with me?"


    "Captain... I came to report on the disease..."


    Ria took a few steps inside and stood in front of Korwen. I cautiously closed the door behind us and then waited right behind Ria. I still had no idea what was happening.


    "The disease, huh. It''s become a lot more troublesome already, so I hope it''s good news.


    "Good... but also bad..."


    "Now, don''t keep me waiting and explain already."


    Korwen closed the book and put it on the desk next to him.


    "There are two diseases going around..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Okay, Ria. That was quite a jump, please elaborate."


    "Mh..."


    Ria nodded and then turned to me.


    "Yumi... what did you see?"


    "Eh? Uhm... Well... The child I was first looking at seemed to be on her way of recovery. Her mana was still rather weak but certainly not in a worrisome state anymore... and the bad mana, that... disease spirit... was quite weak..."


    Korwen''s expression sharpened hearing those probably unexpected words from me.


    "The soldier in contrast... His mana was... muddled and really weak... And the weird lump of mana was strong..."


    Korwen turned back to Ria.


    "And you saw that too?"


    "I did... Same for Boarson... Wenners and Krutz couldn''t see it..."


    "And you are absolutely certain?"


    "Yes."


    Korwen covered his face with his hands and leaned back, sighing.


    "I feared that might be the case but... this is bad. Ria, tell everyone not to touch the fort''s supplies at all costs. I''m glad I stayed cautious and suggested to wait, but with this it''s clear. Also, make sure our own supplies are well-guarded. I''ll send word to Fenna and Rhoms as well."


    "Understood..."


    What was happening? Could someone please explain this to me? Was Korwen possibly suggesting that this so-called disease... was manmade after all?


    "Afterwards get all our magicians together and inspect our supplies. I want every single grain checked. Once done, report to me."


    "Mh, understood..."


    "Also, not a single word of that leaves this room, clear? You too, Yumi."


    "Understood... sir..."


    "Nn... Understood."


    I nodded, affirming that I heard it.


    "Now, get going. We''ll be busy for a good while. Ah, actually, Yumi. Stay here for a moment."


    "Nn?"


    I was already halfway turning around when Korwen stopped me. Ria quickly excused herself and I was suddenly left all alone with Korwen.


    "Come here for a bit."


    "Nn."


    I walked over to Korwen. He turned to the desk and picked up a few papers. Taking a quick glance, I was a bit shocked.


    "Your dolls have proven to be quite resourceful, I must say. They stay out of sight by themselves and they know well what we''re looking for."


    In his hands were drawings of various men. They had varying quality, but each of them was drawn well enough to recognise the person in question. If you knew them, of course.


    "Though there''s still a bit of an issue with who they are listening to."


    "Ehh... That''s... great?"


    I didn''t really expect them to listen to anybody... And even less did I expect them to simply do their work just like that... It scared me. They were listening and able to judge by themselves. They even had their own personalities from the looks of it. Weren''t they already proper living beings at this point?


    "Mh... Did you not instruct them to do so?"


    "... I only told them to watch for suspicious men and draw them..."


    "Nothing else?"


    "Nothing else."


    Korwen stroked his chin. He most likely realised as well that this was rather... weird.


    "Ah, whatever. As long as they don''t cause trouble. Right now, they are quite invaluable."


    "Haa..."


    "I wonder if we can train those dolls..."


    "..."


    I shuddered thinking about all the things those dolls might do when trained. A certain memory resurfaced while thinking about that. Just a few days ago, those dolls killed people on my order. In gruesome ways.


    The dolls might be intelligent, but I was convinced of one thing. They certainly weren''t people. They clearly held no sympathy for others.


    "Well, let''s talk about that some other time."


    "Nn..."


    "More importantly, we already got some results from your dolls. It would be great if you could tell them to listen to a few more of my men though. So far they only listen to me and Greyward. Oh... And those three girls... The dolls listen to them too..."


    To those three? That was interesting. I wondered how they decided who they were listening to and who not. Korwen and Mr Greyward, Lily''s adoptive father, were both people with a certain amount of authority. On the other hand, those three girls were simply my friends. Well, or rather... part of my family?


    "It''d be great if you could make them listen to at least Fenna and Ria as well. And preferably don''t have them listen to anyone else. If Karen and Lily can also tell them what to do, that''s fine with me, but I''d prefer if I know who can order those dolls in the future."


    "Nn, got it. So... Should I tell the dolls not to listen to Emily and them?"


    "That''s... Mm... No, for now, it''s fine. I''ll have to think about that for a while."


    "Huh..."


    So I simply needed to tell the dolls that? I could only hope that they would listen though.


    "Close to the warehouse are a few empty rooms, the dolls and those girls should be there."


    "Huh? The dolls aren''t scattered everywhere anymore?"


    "... The dolls ended up being rather conspicuous... I was able to talk myself out of it with saying it''s a prank from the children, but I was told by Ruben to clean that up. We got some results already, though, so it doesn''t bother me too much. It was just an experiment anyway."


    Ahh, well, thinking about it, those dolls really were quite conspicuous. Even if you hid them, they were bound to be found with time. And if they moved... I could only hope that I didn''t accidentally spawn a new ghost story. I could only be glad that Ruben, the one responsible for the fort, didn''t know their purpose.


    "Well then, get going. I still got things to do. Unless you want to help me dealing with this."


    Korwen flaunted a rather large stack of documents. Just the sight turned me off already. Why did he always have so many documents anyway? Did he... record everything? Whatever the reason was, I sure wasn''t eager to find out.


    "I''ll take a look at the dolls."


    "Gah, I tried I guess. Well, good luck."


    "Thanks."


    Ending the conversation, I left the room. Thinking about it, he never ordered someone to do these things. He was always asking if someone wanted to do it.


    That''s all nice and well but I got a little problem.


    I took a look at the hallway I was currently standing in.


    Where am I?


    "Where am I?"


    I was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Whoever build this fort clearly forgot to hang up maps everywhere. It would make it a lot easier to navigate. Anyway, wherever I was, it wasn''t where I was supposed to be. It was one hallway after another, random halls and whatever else.  I wanted to ask someone for directions but the moment I decided to look for someone, the place became deserted.


    Most soldiers are down ill, so it''s no surprise they are understaffed... But I haven''t seen anyone for a good fifteen minutes now. This fort is just way too large... How many soldiers are even stationed here?


    Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do except continue on. After around another ten minutes I finally heard voices.


    Finally someone... Nn? But those voices... Is there someone arguing?


    I followed the voices. It didn''t take really long until I found myself in a small hall filled with bookshelves and a few long tables. It was a bit reminiscent of a library if the shelves were actually filled with books. Most of them were empty though.


    Sitting at the tables were three people. A young beastkin girl with red-brownish hair,  fluffy ears and a bushy tail. In addition, there were two young human boys. They were probably around thirteen or fourteen years old, judging from their appearance. They all wore something that reminded me a bit of a uniform.


    "I told you already, the professor shut himself in his room, we can''t do anything either," said one of the boys.


    "So you are telling me we have to wait for him to come out? How long will that take? Hours? Days? Weeks? We don''t have time to wait for that nutcase!" answered the young girl with a raised voice.


    I didn''t know what they were arguing about, but it sure didn''t seem like something I should butt into. Unfortunately, I really needed some directions.


    "The professor isn''t a nutcase, Lefa. He has some issues but he is still our professor!"


    "What good is he as a professor if he shuts himself in?!"


    The boy sighed and shrugged his shoulders, seemingly giving up.


    The other boy, the one who hadn''t spoken until now, was absorbed in a book and was completely ignoring the other two.


    "Aah, you two are useless. Then I''ll just do it myself."


    "Lefa... You can barely cast a fire, there''s no way for you to make this work..."


    "... Tell me what else I should do then."


    "I don''t know... How about asking another magician? I heard the mercenaries that arrived have some."


    The girl furrowed her eyes in obvious displeasure.


    "Aren''t they the cause the professor shut himself in? Why should I ask such people?"


    "Let''s be honest, it was only a matter of time until he would shut himself in, regardless of those mercenaries. Either you ask them or you give up. It''s your homework, not mine."


    The girl audibly ground her teeth. She apparently had no argument against that.


    Homework? Are they students? But why would students be here? Nn?


    The boy who had kept silent until now had spotted me.


    "Lefa, Alf."


    ""What?""


    "There."


    He called the two who reacted perfectly in sync and pointed in my direction. A second later I was scrutinised by three pairs of eyes.


    "My, such a cute child. Are you lost?"


    The girl walked over to me with a smile. She probably thought I was just some child. And to be honest, I would think so too if I didn''t know better.


    Oh well, let''s just ignore it. I am lost after all...


    "Nn. I''m trying to get back but I have no idea where I am."


    "Is that so. Should this big sister help you back?"


    She leaned on her knees, lowering her eye level to mine and smiled.


    "Nn, some directions are enough..."


    "My, you don''t have to be so modest, come I''ll bring you back."


    A moment later my hand was taken and she led me away. The two boys were left behind. From the corner of my eyes, I could see the boy she was arguing with shaking his head, while the quiet one was back to reading his book. Neither of them seemed to particularly care.


    "Hey, what is your name?" asked the girl me.


    "... Yumi."


    "Yumi? Such a cute name, your mother did a good job picking it out. I''m Lefa, but you can call me Big Sis if you want to!"


    "Nn, Lefa it is."


    She didn''t seem to mind that I completely ignored the last part. I already had a big sister. Though I was also in a relationship with said big sister. But I didn''t have to tell her that. I could vividly imagine the reaction if some little girl said she was in a romantic relationship with someone. Even more so with her own family member. It would most likely turn into quite a scene.


    "What were you doing here, Yumi? Did you get separated from your parents?"


    "No. I was trying to find my way back and didn''t know the way."


    "Oh, is that so. That reminds me... Why are you here at the fort?"


    The girl furrowed her brows, finally realising that something was odd.


    "I wouldn''t want to imagine it but... are you with those mercenaries?"


    "... Nn."


    The girl grimaced, abruptly stopped and squatted down next to me, holding my shoulders.


    "Yumi, if you have troubles, I will help you! You don''t have to live with those people, you can still choose a better future!"


    "Ha, haa..."


    She didn''t seem to have a high opinion of mercenaries.


    Although I appreciated that she was worried, I had people dear to me here. And I wanted to stay with them.


    "Just tell me when you need help okay! Ahh, but we''ll be here only for a few more days until we return to the academy... What do..."


    She seemed to be at a loss. But at least one question I had already answered itself. Apparently, she was a student of the academy in the capital.


    Ahh, then the professor they were talking about... that was probably that guy, huh...


    The one who panicked when he realised we were mercenaries. That was a poor guy, and apparently, he shut himself in now. Nothing I could do about, though.


    "Ahh, Yumi! Don''t you want to stay with us? We''ll take care of you!"


    "... No, not really."


    "Eh?"


    Hearing my blunt refusal, she froze up.


    "But, but...."


    "I have people important to me there. I can''t just leave."


    "... They, they can come too!"


    She tried persuading me desperately now, even though it was clear that it wasn''t possible for a thirteen-year-old girl to take care of multiple people.


    "Lefa, why do you dislike mercenaries?"


    "Huh? Because they kill people for money. They are also bad people, not better than bandits. Plundering villages and raping women!"


    "... They aren''t necessarily bad people. Not all of them do that."


    "But they still kill people. For money."


    I smiled wryly.


    "They don''t necessarily have any other choice, you know. Not everyone can live their life like they want to."


    "Couldn''t they simply choose another job? Of course, they have a choice."


    Ah, this girl... She probably has no idea about the less fortunate people...


    It was easy forming an opinion from your own perspective. But for the people in those situations, it wasn''t really all that simple. If I hadn''t joined the mercenaries with the others, I would probably still live in those slums. And who knows if I would even be alive at this point.


    "Not everyone has that choice. There are plenty people who aren''t so fortunate and they don''t necessarily have a choice. They have to survive, and some of them have to feed their family too."


    "But there are so many jobs you could do that don''t involve killing people!" she insisted.


    "And what if they cannot do those jobs?"


    "Why shouldn''t they be able to do them?"


    We walked around a corner and entered another hallway. I already completely lost track again. I could only hope this girl knew where we were going.


    "Because they don''t know anything about the job for example. Or nobody wants them because they have a questionable background."


    "They could just learn about the job, then. And if they are deemed questionable, isn''t that their own fault?"


    "But if they have to feed a family, they can''t leisurely practise for a job. And many people are quick to judge others. Simply coming from the slums would be enough for others to reject them."


    "Aren''t people from the slums all murderers and thieves anyway?"


    I furrowed my brows. This girl was rather radical, wasn''t she?


    "Well, I''m no thief at least and I lived in the slums until just shortly."


    Although I did kill someone...


    "Eh?"


    The girl stopped and stared at me. She was apparently at a loss of words. It was clear that she hadn''t expected that. Her mouth was opening and closing a few times, then her eyes widened suddenly and she took a deep breath.


    "Ehm, ehm, I, I''m sorry!"


    She suddenly apologised, though it was more shouting her apology. Though I was a bit taken aback at the suddenness. I didn''t even know why she was apologising now.


    "I, I said something bad to you. I''m sorry."


    "Eh... It''s fine, really."


    I wasn''t really offended by it anyway. And... surviving in the slums did require a certain level of lawlessness... But it was out of necessity and certainly not out of choice.


    "But, still... I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine. Just... Don''t be so quick to judge others, okay?"


    She nodded. I was a bit surprised but... She didn''t seem to be completely ignorant. Probably just a bit too sheltered.


    "Let''s talk about something else. You said you were from the academy?"


    I tried changing the topic. She looked a bit confused at first but then she nodded again.


    "Yes! The large academy in the capital! I''m a student there, together with the two boys you saw earlier! We''re here with the professor!"


    "Huh. The professor, is it that young man who was in the large hall? The one who was panicking at every opportunity?"


    "... Yes. Yes, that''s him."


    The girl let out a sigh, looking down to the ground with a troubled expression.


    "The professor, you know... He''s a great man. But he''s really bad with people. And he always finds a reason to shut himself in..."


    "Haa..."


    "I just wish he was a bit more reliable... Ah, we''re outside now."


    We walked through a small arch and finally found the outside again. I took a look back and sure enough, we came out of one of the walls. I was seriously impressed by how the walls still felt so large from the inside. Which made me wonder whether it was truly fine to have hallways in a wall... Then again, it was on the side of the fort. It was quite unlikely they''d be attacked from the plateau''s side and not from the bridges.


    "The mercenary camp was... Ah, right, there. Come, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    She pulled my hand and walked towards the wagons. Sure enough, I could technically find my way from here on out, but the girl seemed pretty fervent to finish leading me back.


    She was a bit of an odd girl, to be honest. A bit quick on judging others but also quick to apologise. Surely not an easy combination.


    "Well, where are your parents, Yumi? I''ll bring you to them."


    "They aren''t here."


    "Eh?"


    Once more, she froze. Tears were quickly gathering in the tears of her eyes and her fluffy ears were quivering. Then she squatted down and pulled me into a hug.


    "You... you had such a hard life! I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked! I''m sorry!"


    "Eh... Uhm... It''s fine?"


    Well, it wasn''t like my parents were dead or anything, though she seemed to think that was the case.


    Well, in any case, I think I understand now... This girl... she''s just wearing her heart on her sleeve...


    I silently pat the girl''s back who started bawling for me.


    Rinne


    If you like the story, I''d be happy if you could consider supporting me on Patreon! Or favourite, or leave comments, or ratings, or maybe even a review. I''ll appreciate it all.


    I wanted to edit all the chapters over the week but unfortunately, I didn''t make much progress in that regard...


    At least the new chapters (such as this one) got a little proofreading and stuff.


    Now, some may have noticed that today''s chapter has come early. Like, really early. There''s a bit of a reason for that.


    So far I always tried to upload around the same time, which was fine by itself of course. But the chapter before last I noticed that occasionally there isn''t a whole lot of new traffic. And barely new readers, though it was really different this week.


    Thank you to all who decided to read this novel!


    Anyway, I figured, why not try uploading at different times of the day?


    And here we are. I will probably try a few different times over the next weeks. My regular time, at 18:00 GMT, will still be the latest time I''m going to upload the chapter, though.


    Well, but my long author note is still not at an end, unfortunately. There''s another little issue.


    As it is probably plainly obvious, there''s still no cover art for this novel. It''s not that I don''t want one, actually the opposite. But apparently, my luck with commissioning artists is rather bad.


    The first one, someone I know personally, took 1 1/2 months to tell me that it will take nearly another month before I even get an answer whether she''d even consider doing it or not.


    The next one simply disappeared after a few short and rather questionable talks.


    And finally, the third one, with whom I even discussed pretty much everything necessary and I was only waiting for her to begin, disappeared as well. And well over a week of no communication is not exactly what I was looking for. Especially since that happened twice with her.


    Now, ending my rant, I basically want to ask if anyone knows artists who are accepting commissions. While I will still look around on my own as well, maybe someone here has any suggestions. Or maybe someone reading this is an artist themselves. Who knows?


    I''m looking for someone with a cute-ish or standard anime-style to draw a character and a background. If you have any suggestions, shoot me a DM or so.


    Thank you in advance and thank you as always for reading!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Of Demons and Dreams

    "So, uhm, Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "If there are no... Uhm... Who is taking care of you?"


    Once Lefa had calmed down she asked me this. She was fidgeting, probably thinking it was an awkward question. And most likely she was trying to avoid directly mentioning my parents.


    "Nn... That is..."


    But, how should I go on about answering this? This girl firmly believed I was just a small child, so saying that I was mostly taking care of myself would be weird.


    No, wait... Isn''t Sis really taking care of me for the most part? She''s waking me up, she helped me with my hair... Have I... become useless?


    I froze. I was useless, wasn''t I? Karen was indeed mostly taking care of me. Wasn''t she more occupied with me than with Rina? Shouldn''t it be the other way round?


    "Yumi? Is something the matter? Are they maybe... a scary person?!"


    "... Eh? Ah, no. No, they aren''t scary."


    "Really? Then, why aren''t you saying anything?"


    "Nothing, really. Ehh, my older sister is taking care of me? In a way..."


    "Your older sister?"


    Lefa tilted her head, the furry ears on her head twitching.


    "Then, do you know where your older sister is?"


    "... Not really, but until here is fine anyway. I''ll find my way. Thank you."


    "No, I won''t leave you alone just yet! Only when I know you are in safe hands!"


    Ahh, this will be a pain, won''t it...


    There was no telling where Karen was right now. She probably was busy with something as well now. Nonetheless, Lefa took my hand and pulled me towards the makeshift camp. There was no mercy to be found in her.


    "Let''s see, maybe we should ask someone? Mhh..."


    Lefa was looking around for someone she could ask. She quickly spotted someone and pulled me over.


    "Excuse me! I found this lost girl, do you know where her sister is!"


    "Mh?"


    The person in question turned around and scrutinised us.


    "Oh? Aren''t ya the little girly from the drinking party!"


    "Nn? Oh."


    The person in question was an older soldier who apparently knew me. I had only interacted with the other soldiers on one occasion, and that was when we were celebrating and drinking. The time when Merim had challenged the older ones to a drinking bout and lost spectacularly.


    Regardless of that, this man sure decided on a troublesome choice of words.


    "Drinking party? Yumi... I knew it, these people are a bad influence on you! You can''t stay here!"


    What should I do now? Lefa was clearly upset. I probably would too in her case. Maybe I should tell her that I wasn''t a little girl but actually an adult? But then... It would be rather embarrassing to reveal that now. What to do...


    "Gahaha! Furry girly, one has to enjoy what life has to offer, ya know! That sure ain''t a bad influence, right?"


    "But bringing such a young girl to a drinking party, that''s not proper! And I''m not a ''furry girly''!"


    Lefa''s cheeks inflated. I didn''t know whether it was on purpose or not, but it sure made her look adorable, rather than angry. The soldier laughed once more, seemingly amused by her inflated cheeks.


    "Now, furry girly, don''t be mad. Ya have to enjoy life. Ya never know when it ends, after all. Well now, I ''ve got work to do."


    He laughed once more and then simply turned around.


    "Ah, stop. Stop! We have to find this girl''s sister!"


    "Mh?"


    Lefa successfully stopped him once more.


    "Ya mean the silver girly? She should be somewhere in the back at their place..."


    "Is that so, thank you!"


    "Then, good luck!"


    He raised his hand as a farewell and left.


    "... Mercenaries are odd. Are they all like this?"


    "Nn, no I don''t think so... Probably..."


    "Mhm, still, Yumi! You can''t go along to wild drinking parties! That''s not a good influence!"


    "..."


    I gave her a strained smile and hoped that was enough. Well, I wasn''t that keen on another drinking party anyway, after I saw Merim''s suffering.


    "Now then, let''s find your sister, yes?"


    "... Nn."


    Once more, Lefa pulled my hand, forcing me to follow her into the little maze made up of wagons. Thinking about it, it was kind of impressive that the fort was large enough to house 800 mercenaries in their makeshift camps with wagons.


    "Mh, where do we have to go..."


    "This way, Lefa."


    "Oh?"


    I pointed in the direction of the wagon that our group was occupying.


    It didn''t take long until we found a familiar face either. Probably hearing someone approaching, she lifted her face and turned towards us.


    "Oh? Yumi? You are... back?"


    Karen was sitting at the table next to our wagon, doing... something. The moment she spotted us, she froze. Thankfully, Lefa didn''t take note of it at all.


    "You are Yumi''s sister? Thank god we found you. You can''t take off your eyes from your family, okay? I found her lost in the guest quarters!"


    "Lost... huh... lost..."


    Karen''s eyes darted from me towards Lefa and back to me, a grin slowly forming on her face.


    "Thank you for bringing her back. And you are..."


    "My name is Lefa!"


    She cheerfully introduced herself and then turned to me.


    "Isn''t that great? We found your sister!"


    That innocent smile she flashed me somehow hurt. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Karen holding back her laughter.


    "Ahh... Thank you."


    "You''re welcome!"


    She grinned and rubbed the top of my head clumsily. She wasn''t really good at it so my hair became disorderly very quickly.


    "Ah, now it''s a mess, I''m sorry..."


    "Nn, no, it''s fine."


    I''ll just have Sis comb it with a brush. Perfect!


    "Wait a moment, I''ll get a brush."


    Just as expected, Karen left her seat and went to the wagon, fetching the brush.


    "Mh? Is that... a magical training device?"


    "Nn?"


    I followed Lefa''s gaze. On the table, at the spot that Karen just had left, was an odd-shaped device.


    "Yumi, is your sister a magician?"


    "Well... kind of?"


    "Ohh!"


    At that moment, Karen returned, brush in hand.


    "Is something the matter?" asked Karen, seeing Lefa staring at the device.


    "Uhm, that''s a magical training device there, right? So you are a magician?"


    Apparently, my affirmation wasn''t enough, so she asked Karen directly.


    "Well, yes, I kind of am? In training."


    "Ohh!"


    If her eyes could shine, they''d surely do just about now. Her ears were downright fluttering in exchange.


    "Well, even if you call me that. I can''t yet cast any magic."


    "Ohh..."


    Karen smiled wryly at her obvious disappointment.


    "Sorry about that..."


    "No, it''s fine..."


    That reminded me, she was talking about her homework and something regarding needing a magician for it. Well, she''d surely figure it out. No need to get involved.


    "Ehm, do you perhaps know some other magicians then? I''d, uh... need some help..."


    "Help? I think they are all busy with the disease..."


    "Ahh... as expected... Guess I have no choice but to wait for the professor..."


    Karen was furrowing her brows. She was right that everyone had better things to do than bothering about Lefa''s homework. It surely wasn''t the best of times to pick out.


    "Once everything calmed down, I''m sure someone can help you out."


    "Yes... Sorry..."


    Lefa hung down her head. I wondered a bit what her homework was even about, but it did seem pretty important to her. Karen, not really bothered by that, turned instead towards me.


    "So, Yumi... Where did you run off to again? I thought you were supposed to help out with the supplies? At least Miss Fenna told me that..."


    "That is... When I was meeting the Captain... I couldn''t find the way back..."


    "Wasn''t Ria with you?"


    "She left me there..."


    "Haaa..."


    Karen held her head.


    "Whatever, you should get there and finish your work. I''m fairly sure they''ve been waiting for you there the entire time..."


    "Nn..."


    "Uhm, what do you mean, she has to help out, she''s just a child!" interrupted Lefa.


    Karen turned back to her. She had a troubled expression on her face, probably unsure how to respond to that.


    "Lefa, that''s my job, and I have to do it."


    "Eh? Why do you have to work?"


    "That''s just how it is."


    "Then let me come along! I''ll help you!"


    "Eh?"


    Disregarding the fact that I clearly doubted whether she could even help me with that, I didn''t know if it was even okay to bring her along. She wasn''t part of the garrison, and we didn''t really try to keep it a big secret anyway, but...


    "You can''t do that... eh, Lefa was your name?"


    "Yes, it''s Lefa! Why can''t I help?"


    "You see, that''s... you are an outsider, we can''t just have you help without permission with our matters..."


    "Then I just need permission, right?"


    She seemed really keen on helping me out it. A bit too much, if you asked me. Karen was visibly taken aback by it as well.


    "So, who do I ask?"


    "Eh... Uhm... Maybe Miss Fenna? Or Miss Ria? I don''t know who you''d ask for that... the captain is busy, so..."


    "Then, let''s look for them!"


    Once more, she grasped my hand and was already ready to depart again.


    "Wait, you can''t just... Ahhh... Wait a moment, I''ll come with you. I know where they are..."


    Karen quickly walked over to the table and picked up the weird device. She apparently wanted to take it along. Lefa called it a training device, but I was kind of wondering, what its purpose really was.


    She put the device into a small bag and came over.


    "Miss Ria and Miss Fenna were both at the supply wagons last I saw them, so we should go there first," suggested Karen.


    "Nn."


    "Then off we go!"


    Lefa raised her fist into the air. This wasn''t some kind of trip, we were just going to look for someone...


    Whatever, let''s just get there and ask Ria and Fenna... They probably won''t give her permission anyway...


    "The supply wagons are this way," mentioned Karen.


    She pointed at a certain few wagons in the distance. Lefa quickly hurried in that direction and pulled me along. There was clearly no intention of letting my hand, that she was still holding, go.


    I''d rather hold Sis'' hand... Well, beggars can''t be choosers... Actually, I''m not a beggar, I can very well choose. Ah, but she''d probably cry immediately if I did that... I can kind of see that happen.


    Like always, my inner worries went unheard and I had to deal with Lefa pulling me. That she was pretty quick on her feet didn''t make it any better. Her stride was wider than mine and in addition, she was walking really quickly, so I was closer to running than walking.


    "Lefa, could you slow down, Yumi can''t follow."


    "Mh? Oh!"


    Lefa abruptly stopped and I nearly crashed into her back. She turned around towards me with an apologetic expression.


    "Sorry, I didn''t think of that! I''ll go slower, okay?"


    "... Nn."


    Well, she was a good girl, so it was hard to be angry with her.


    Half a minute later, we stood at the wagons. There around a dozen people outside, sorting the supplies and taking the inventory.


    "Oh, Yumi? Karen? You finally came over too? Oh? What''s this?"


    A certain person appeared. A certain person who was visibly holding back her laughter.


    "Lily... Whatever, are Fenna and Ria here?"


    "... Ahh... They are... inside..."


    Lily turned around while holding her hand over her mouth. She clearly wanted to laugh at me. She held back though, for which I was quite thankful.


    "Yumi, is that a friend of yours?"


    "Nn? Yes, Lily is... Nn... rather than a friend, she''s more like family?"


    "Family... Hey, Yumi. I''ve been wondering but... How can a beastkin, a demonkin and a human be family?"


    Lefa tilted her head. But instead of thinking about an answer, I was wondering how she noticed that Karen was a demonkin?


    I looked over to Karen but there wasn''t really much to give it away.


    "Lefa, how did you know that Sis is a demonkin?"


    I decided to simply ask.


    "Eh? Well, her tail..."


    "Her tail..."


    I took another look. Karen''s tail, that she was usually hiding inside her clothing, was out for everyone to see. Although it was hanging rather limply down.


    "Ah, right. Lily mentioned that I don''t have to hide it anymore, so I tried to leave it out... But it''s a bit awkward. I''m so used to hiding it in my clothes..." explained Karen.


    "Eh? Why were you hiding your tail? Isn''t that weird?"


    "... The Akkian Empire discriminates against non-human races."


    Once more, Lefa tilted her head, not quite understanding what Karen meant.


    "Well, it''s not a topic for today, okay?"


    Karen ruffled her hair with a smile. The sight made me a bit jealous. Actually, it made me really jealous.


    "Mh, okay..."


    "You three wanted to see Ria and Fenna, right? Come."


    Lily had calmed down and offered to lead us to them. It was only a few steps into the wagon so there wasn''t really the need for it though.


    "Ria! Fenna! are you here?!"


    "Miss Lily? Is something the matter?"


    Once we entered the wagon in question, Lily called for the two which promptly made Fenna appear from behind a crate.


    "Oh? Miss Yumi and Miss Karen are here too? Actually, Miss Yumi, where have you been until now?"


    "Nn, well... You could say I was on my way?"


    Fenna scrutinised me, clearly wanting to comment on that. My saving grace was, that Lefa quickly stepped forward, drawing the attention towards her.


    "Eh, are you... uhm... Ms Fenna? I wanted to ask for permission to help out Yumi with her work!"


    "... And you are?"


    "I''m Lefa!"


    "... A student at the academy?"


    "That''s right!"


    Fenna raised her eyebrows in wonder.


    "I didn''t know there were students here."


    "We came here with the professor! Who... shut himself in now..."


    "Professor? You couldn''t mean that wimpy man, could you?"


    "... That''s probably him."


    Apparently, Fenna had also already met the man in question. He didn''t seem to make the best of impressions to anyone.


    "... The academy?"


    Suddenly, a familiar, sleepy sounding voice appeared from next to Fenna.


    A moment later, Ria peeked her head out from behind the corner. She stared at Lefa rather intensely. So intense, that Lefa stepped back, intimidated. Then Ria''s gaze turned towards me.


    "You''re popular... Makes me a bit... jealous..."


    I wasn''t quite sure how I should feel about this popularity though. It made me happy, yes, but I already had Karen. And why was she jealous? Weren''t Wenners and Krutz interested in her?


    In any case, Lefa didn''t quite seem to understand the meaning behind Ria''s words and just tilted her head, her ears twitching again.


    "Anyway... We can''t give you permission... to help Yumi..."


    "Eh? Why not?"


    "It''s simple... You are not part of our band."


    "... That''s it?"


    "That''s it..."


    Lefa stared dumbfounded at Ria. Fenna apparently thought it was amusing and started laughing.


    "No, but... I just want to help her? I don''t see the problem?"


    "Mh... Yumi is being paid for her work... So do you want us to pay you for ''helping'' out?"


    "Wha-, no! Wait, she''s getting paid?! But she''s a child!"


    "What are you talking about... Yumi is probably a lot older than you..."


    Ah, the cat was out of the bag. Lefa turned her head towards me, staring wide-eyed. All I could do was averting my eyes awkwardly.


    "Older? Wait, are you also a demonkin? I''m so sorry, I didn''t notice!"


    Lefa suddenly grabbed my hands and apologised profusely.


    "No, I''m the one who should''ve said something. Sorry."


    "No, I''m sorry! Really sorry! I treated you like a child! Eh, should I call you Miss Yumi now?"


    "Yumi is fine, really..."


    I had a feeling I should just let her do her thing. Although I also had the distinct feeling that she would treat me as someone elder than her now... I could only hope that I was wrong with that feeling.


    "If you are done... Yumi... How about you help us out here now?"


    "Ehh... Wasn''t I supposed to be at the warehouse?"


    "Yumi... Aren''t you here right now?"


    "Eh?"


    I was at the warehouse? But these were the supply wago--


    Then it dawned on me.


    Ahh... I get it. I was thinking of something else.


    I was thinking of going to the empty rooms at the fort''s warehouse and check on the dolls. Everyone else was talking about these wagons. I had already forgotten that Korwen told us to inspect our own supplies.


    "Yumi?"


    Karen called out to me after I fell silent.


    "Nn... Sorry, I first have to do something else."


    According to Korwen, Emily, Maya and Sele were waiting there as well. I couldn''t just leave them there, could I?


    "I have to look for Emily and the others."


    "Those three? They are outside... Didn''t you see them?"


    "Eh?"


    I quickly turned around and walked to the door of the wagon, peeking outside. Sure enough, it didn''t take me long to find three familiar silhouettes outside.


    "They were apparently playing somewhere and then they came back with a large box..." explained Fenna who had come up behind me.


    "A large box?"


    I had already an idea to the contents of the said box...


    "Yes. Apparently, it contained the... toys?"


    "... Toys..."


    "Toys."


    Well, dolls certainly were toys as well. More or less.


    In any case, apparently, that part of work was done with for now as well. One worry less.


    "So, do you still have to find them?"


    "No... I''ll help here."


    "Great. Then... What do we do with this little student here, though."


    "Eh? Me?"


    Lefa had kept silent and was staring at the ground for some reason. When Fenna mentioned her, Lefa''s ears perked up and she turned towards us.


    "Yes, you. I guess it would be best if you would just return to your quarters, I guess."


    "But I... Uhm... Can''t I help in some way?"


    "Don''t you have anything to do? As a student?"


    "... Until the professor leaves the room... No..."


    Lefa was looking down to the ground again, visibly disheartened. Ria was stared at her, then at Karen and back to Lefa.


    "Mh... How about... You help Karen with her practice..." suggested Ria.


    "Practice? That magical training device?"


    "Yes... That..."


    Did she mean that weird thing that Karen was fiddling with before?


    "Well, if I can help..."


    Lefa turned towards Karen with an insecure expression, only to be met with Karen''s smile.


    "I''ll be in your care."


    "Ah, ahh... Me too..."


    "Now, if that''s cleared up, you should get out of the way. And Miss Lily, stop grinning there to yourself and get back to work as well," added Fenna.


    "Understood, Fenna!"


    Lily quickly left the wagon upon being called out. Lefa and Karen left as well. I was a bit curious about this training.


    "Now then, Yumi. I hope you are ready."


    "Nn?"


    "We have to check everything in here."


    "... Everything?"


    "Everything."


    I took a good look around. Each wagon was pretty massive in size. And with this massive size came a lot of space. And with a lot of space... came just as much in supplies.


    "We''re going to check every crate''s contents."


    "... Just to confirm, what exactly are we looking for again?"


    "Whether someone messed with our supplies. We have to confirm that everything is safe. Visually and you magicians have to check the mana as well."


    "Of everything?"


    "Yes."


    This... was probably going to take a long time.


    "Oh, and just so you know. We have to check the other wagons and each individual group''s supplies as well."


    "Please no."


    Fenna grinned viciously, clearly getting some enjoyment from my reaction. My only comfort was, that she was supervising us and stuck here until we were done as well.


    "So you mean... that five magicians... Have to inspect the supplies for over eight hundred mercenaries... manually?"


    "That is correct. Although it''s seven magicians. The Black Guards have two as well."


    "... Save me."


    "Stop complaining and get to work. Look, Ria is already back at it as well."


    Today was going to be a long day.


    "My nose, it hurts... What the hell is this smell?"


    "Close the lid, Yumi, quickly. Don''t let it spread!"


    "I can''t, the smell..."


    "Just do it!"


    "Ugh..."


    Mustering all my courage, I held my breath and quickly heaved the lid back on top of the crate. Once finished, I quickly retreated outside the wagon.


    "Air. Fresh... air..."


    "What was that. Yumi, what the hell did you open there..."


    "I don''t know... I don''t want to know..."


    Whatever I opened, it released a stench that was simply out of this world. In the truest sense of it. Ria fainted nearly immediately and Fenna had to drag her out while I attempted to close the lid.


    "Ugh, do you know what colour it was marked with?"


    "I think... something black?"


    "Black... Let me check on the list."


    Over the course of the past two or so hours, or one hour for the people of this world, I learned about quite a few interesting things. The crates were marked with colours, indicating a rough idea of their contents. Due to the lack of available colours, there wasn''t much in variation though.


    "Black was... either old armour or old weapons that were sorted out..."


    "Old equipment, huh... Just what did they do with that equipment that it can release such a stench?"


    Were they rolling around in the droppings of some large monster? I truly couldn''t imagine what one had to do for that.


    "Mh... I don''t know... It can''t be really old yet... We got rid of most equipment back in Arkesta... And I don''t remember fighting anything smelly either."


    "Huh..."


    So it had to be a recent fight. Or someone forgot to get rid of that equipment. The only fights I saw were the one in the underground hideout and that time when ogres stormed the camp.


    "Mh? Wait... I think I know what it is..."


    "You do? Yumi, please tell me, so I can slug the one responsible!"


    Fenna''s expression was truly scary right now. I had the feeling, it wouldn''t stop with simply slugging them.


    "Well... When those ogres attacked the camp... The vice-captain was bathed in one of the ogre''s blood..."


    "..."


    "He had to change his equipment... because of the extreme smell..."


    "I''m going to fucking kill that guy!"


    Fenna turned around and stomped away, without a doubt towards Merim. Something told me that I absolutely shouldn''t get involved, so I kept quiet and watched her walk off.


    Seems like I got a sudden break... Not like I''m complaining. Also... Fenna dropped the ''Miss'', huh. Well, not that I mind.


    Checking the contents of each and every crate was mind-numbing in the truest sense. We didn''t even find anything out of place so far, which just made it worse.


    Let''s see, Sis was practising with that weird device, right? I wonder where she is...


    It only took me a minute or so to find Karen slumped onto the table. Next to her sat Lefa, similarly exhausted.


    "Nn, Sis? Lefa? Are you two alive?"


    "... Yumi? Are you guys done?"


    Karen heaved herself back up and turned towards me.


    "Nn, I got a sudden break."


    "A break, huh... How nice..."


    "... What happened?"


    A deep sigh left Karen''s mouth. Then she threw a meaningful glance at the girl next to her. Apparently, it had something to do with her.


    "It was exhausting..."


    The training... or Lefa?


    I sat down next to Karen''s free side and leaned on her. A moment later, her arm wrapped around me.


    "Ehehe."


    "You are quite spoiled, aren''t you."


    "Nn, I am."


    "Not even denying it..."


    Why should I deny it? I was rather sure we were past the point where I should pretend that I didn''t want to get spoiled.


    "How long do you think your break will be?"


    "Nn... Until either Fenna finished off the vice-captain or Ria wakes up?"


    "... Just what the heck happened, Yumi?"


    "Hell."


    There was no way that stench wasn''t a product of hell. Actually, were the concepts of heaven and hell even known here?


    "I guess I won''t ask then..."


    "Nn... Some things are better left unknown... Rather than that, Lefa is quite quiet."


    I glanced past Karen towards Lefa who was also slumped onto the table.


    "Ahh... She''s sleeping I think."


    "Sleeping? Really?"


    "She was saying something about how comfortably warm it was in the sun and started dozing off."


    "..."


    Was this a sunbathing nap? We were sitting in the middle of the sun and it was rather warm, in fact, but...


    "She''s pretty carefree..."


    "She is... She asked me about so many things... And then she just dozes off and sleeps."


    Truly running in her own pace.


    "That reminds me... Wasn''t the bath available today?"


    "It is. I already talked with Lily and we decided that we all to go after dinner when everyone is finished for the day."


    "Is that so."


    So we''d all go later. The first bath in the recent days. I was actually looking forward to it. Just a bit.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Don''t touch any of the other girls in the bath."


    "... So it''s fine to touch Sis?"


    I was rather reluctant to do that in front of everyone else but if Karen was fine with it...


    "Actually, don''t touch anyone."


    "... How unfortunate."


    I wouldn''t have touched anyone besides Karen anyway. Actually, I was the one that was always being touched...


    "If you want to touch that much, we can still do so some other time."


    "Nn... I don''t want to wait for those..."


    "Yumi..."


    Karen shook her head in exasperation.


    "I understand the feeling, but there''s not much we can do, is there? We can''t ask the captain to give us some time every day..."


    "Nn..."


    Karen ruffled my hair with her free hand.


    "We also still have to find a way to prevent you from collapsing."


    "Ahh... I forgot about that..."


    "Yumi..."


    Well, remembering that time gave me a complicated feeling. On one side, it was truly one of the happiest moments in my life. I was sure that would be the case even if I still had my memories. But on the other side, it also made me remember that dream. I hadn''t told anyone about it yet. If I said that I simply didn''t know who to consult, it wouldn''t be a lie. But in truth, I simply wanted to forget it. I didn''t want to remember it at all.


    "Yumi, I also asked Ria for some... advice..."


    "Nn? Ria?"


    "She knows a bit about... my condition."


    Karen paused and began gently caressing my head.


    "There are many names for those with my condition. Soul Eaters. Dreameater. Nightchildren. Depending on where you go, the name changes apparently."


    "Nn..."


    "But you see... In Aldreigh they call children like me a true ''Demon''."


    "A true demon?"


    Was that any different from being a demonkin?


    "Yes... The demonkin believe that their ancestors were real demons. And that these children inherit the qualities of these ancestors."


    "How are real demons different demonkin though?"


    "Eh? Ahh... Right, you don''t know that, huh..."


    A small giggle escaped Karen''s mouth.


    "Mh... That might be a rather long story to tell though... How about I tell you about it later? It''s often told as a bedtime story, albeit not quite true to the actual legend. It''s for children after all."


    "A bedtime story about demons?"


    That was quite a peculiar choice for a bedtime story.


    "Yes. But let''s put that for later, okay? I''ll tell you about the legend when we have some more time. Rather than that, I want to tell you what Ria said."


    "Nn. I''m listening."


    "Ahaha, it''s nothing bad, no need to look so serious, don''t worry. You see, Ria apparently researched quite a lot about that topic."


    "Huh..."


    Not exactly something I''d expect from that aloof woman, that''s for sure.


    "She told me quite a lot about it. Many things I already knew, but also some things that surprised me."


    "Nn."


    "Apparently, this urge, this desire I have... she told me it was possible to control it, albeit only slightly."


    "Control?"


    "Yes. Enough that I... Well... Won''t overdo it again."


    That was indeed good news. Although, if I was honest, I didn''t exactly dislike...


    No, cease that thought, Yumi. Do you want Sis to have all the control? Get some guts!


    "Well..."


    "Nn?"


    Karen paused and glanced at the weird device that was still on the table.


    "It''s pretty hard. I have to control my mana... The device is supposed to help me but... It''s hard..."


    "Huh... How does it work?"


    "Mh, let me show you."


    She grabbed the weird device and put it in front of me on the table. The device itself was shaped a bit like an hourglass, except that it was only a sphere on top of a socket around the same size. Inserted in the said socket was a mana crystal.


    "So, uh... What does it do?"


    "It''s supposed to help you control the mana in your body. Look."


    Karen put her hand on the sphere and a few seconds later some small specks of light were floating inside the sphere.


    But they barely lasted ten seconds and then disappeared.


    "They are gone..."


    "Yes... It''s actually pretty hard to do. There''s also usually not really any point in it..."


    "Not? Why is that?"


    "Well, you only need to control mana enough to be able to use it for magic or on elemental stones. Having fine control over it doesn''t influence anything, really..."


    I was rather sure it did, in the case of those damn stones at least.


    "Yumi, not everyone tries to blow off their own head."


    "... Ah."


    Apparently, Karen accurately guessed my thoughts. How embarrassing. Did it show on my face that much?


    "Well, it''s only an experiment for now. Whether it helps me in controlling it..."


    "Nn... If not, we''ll just need to figure out something else."


    "You really take this easy... You''ll collapse again."


    "I won''t. I promise."


    I couldn''t allow myself to collapse again. I didn''t want to see those dreams again but more importantly... I didn''t want to worry Karen. One time was twice too many.


    "... Really?"


    "Nn."


    I wrapped my arms around Karen and hugged her. She was warm and soft.


    "You''re way too spoiled, Yumi."


    "That''s fine."


    "Just what am I going to do with you."


    Karen hugged me back.


    "Nn, how about spoiling me more?"


    "You''ll turn useless like that."


    "Then you just have to take care of me."


    "I''m already taking care of you."


    A short pause, and then we both broke out in laughter. It took us a while before we calmed down.


    "I get it, I''ll try not to worry too much, Yumi. As long as you promise you won''t collapse again."


    "Nn, I already said, I won''t."


    "I will not forgive you if you do."


    "That would be troublesome."


    The day Karen wasn''t going to forgive me, I probably would lose all my will to live. Now I had one more reason to not allow myself to collapse again.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Thank you. Really."


    Karen squeezed me.


    "You''ve been thanking me more than enough already, Sis."


    "No matter how often I do, it won''t be enough."


    "Is that how it is?"


    "Yes, that''s how it is."


    A wry smile formed on my face, buried in Karen''s embrace.


    "You''ve given me so much, Yumi. My sister is back, I have a new family, a new place to live at and I have someone I fell in love with. And just a week ago, I would''ve never thought all of these as possible."


    "Nn, but Sis... The same goes for me too. If it wasn''t for you... I don''t even want to imagine how lost I would be."


    Thrown into an unknown world, all alone. Changed, memories missing. But despite all this, I found my own little spot in life.


    But... What about them? My previous family, on the other side. The ones... I saw in the dream... Is it... really fine that I am now this happy?


    "Yumi?"


    "... Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "There''s... something I have to tell you."


    As unwilling as I was, I separated from Karen. I couldn''t run away. I shouldn''t run away from it. Whether that dream was my past, or something else entirely, I didn''t know. But it wasn''t something I could ignore.


    And so, I told her about what I saw at that time, in that dream.


    Rinne


    I hope you enjoyed reading!


    Also, if you still have suggestions for artists, go ahead and throw me a DM.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Troubled Everyday

    "So it was like that..."


    "Nn..."


    "I''m sorry, I didn''t even notice something was wrong..."


    "No, it''s fine, Sis. I hid it after all."


    I had told Karen about the dream, or what seemed to have been a dream. She seemed rather depressed that she hadn''t even noticed something had happened.


    "But... That dream... Do you think what you saw were really your memories?"


    "Nn... I don''t know... Rather than memories... It felt like someone was showing those scenes to me."


    "Showing... But just who would do something like that?"


    "I don''t know. Although there''s someone I suspect... but..."


    The only one who knew enough about my former world in this place was her.


    "Do you mean... Yumias? You did say she knew about your old world."


    "Nn. I don''t know anyone else who could do this... But I don''t understand why she would do this."


    Would she really go about it in such a roundabout way? Probably yes. She seemed to be quite interested in messing around with people, and this method was really bothersome if nothing else.


    "Yumias, huh... Yumi, do you think Lily might know something in that case?"


    "Nn... I don''t think so."


    "Mh..."


    It was unlikely that Lily would be involved in this. She was someone who loved to mess around, but she was a really nice girl at her core. I simply couldn''t imagine her doing this. Not to mention I doubted she even knew how to do this. Well, neither did I or Karen, though.


    "In any case, there''s not much I can do about it. I don''t even know why I was shown this."


    "It''s rather mysterious, isn''t it..."


    "It sure is."


    It would''ve been much easier if it wasn''t so cryptic. I only saw fragments of what was presumably the past. They were barely enough to make a few assumptions, nothing else.


    "Guess we really can''t do much about it, huh..."


    "Nn."


    This feeling of helplessness sure was unpleasant. But we couldn''t dwell on it. We had to go on for now.


    "Sis, the next time I''ll meet her, I''ll ask."


    "Is there nothing else we can do?"


    "No, not really..."


    A deep sigh escaped her. Then she suddenly paused for a moment, before turning to me.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Back when you met her, did she say nothing regarding your memories?"


    "Nn... She said a few things but..."


    What had she even said that time? It had been a few days and while the whole thing did leave an impression, not every detail stayed in my memory. In fact, I had been quite agitated at the time and my focus had been entirely elsewhere.


    "Nn... I think she said something about ''adjusting her plans'' because she forgot I was missing my memories."


    "She... forgot?"


    "... I think so?"


    Karen raised an eyebrow. She probably thought it unbelievable, just as I had at the time. It was pretty unbelievable. One didn''t simply forget about such important things.


    "I have no idea why she would either..."


    "The more I hear about her, the less I understand."


    "If you ever meet her, I fear you''ll understand absolutely nothing."


    "In a way, that sounds impressive."


    It was impressive. Not necessarily in a good way though...


    "But I don''t think she said anything else noteworthy..."


    "Mh..."


    "Well, to be honest, I don''t really want to see her again... But I don''t have any ideas other than asking her either..."


    Thinking about how I might have to face that monster once more... made me shudder. Yumias was eccentric, but that wasn''t all.


    What I saw at that time, at the end of my meeting with her... a void that seemed like it might devour me... It was scary. It really scared me.


    "Uhhh..."


    "Nn?"


    Our third person present at this table finally decided to wake up again. The sun had long moved on and her little nap in the sun had already become a nap in the shade quite some time ago.


    For some odd reason, both suns moved in a similar way with a similar speed. It just made the second sun even more unbelievable though.


    "Good morning..."


    "Nn, morning."


    "It''s afternoon, though."


    Lefa raised her head from the table and observed her surroundings. After a short moment, her eyes widened in confusion.


    "Eh? Uhh... Where am I?"


    "At the same spot where you fell asleep," answered Karen.


    "Same spot... Oh! The mercenary camp! Ehh... How late is it?"


    "Quite far into the afternoon."


    She stared blankly at Karen. Then, suddenly, a gasp escaped her.


    "I was supposed to cook today!"


    "Cook?"


    I tilted my head. I wondered how she even arrived at that.


    "Yes, cook! Ahh, we take turns cooking, and today was my turn. They''ll be mad, won''t they... Ahh, what do I do now..."


    "Turns? Are there other students besides you?" asked Karen.


    "Yes, we are three. We came together to assist the professor! The other two are Alf and Eward. They are good boys, but a little unreliable."


    Most likely, the boys I saw with Lefa were the ones in question. Though, honestly... They made a more reliable impression on me than Lefa did.


    "Ahh... What do I do... I didn''t even tell them where I am. They''re going to be really mad..."


    "Nn, good luck."


    "But why do you have to cook for yourselves? Aren''t you guests here?"


    Karen raised a valid question. They weren''t even part of the garrison, so why did they have to cook?


    "... They don''t have enough people to care for us."


    Ahh, yet another inconvenience brought about by the labour shortage.


    "And the professor is really picky with his food... So if we don''t start early we''ll still be cooking when the sun is gone..."


    "That sounds... troublesome... But isn''t he still shutting himself in in his room?"


    "Well... We leave the food in front of his door."


    Clearly, this professor was a well-trained shut-in. Also, how did being picky result in cooking the entire evening? Did they have to boil the food down into gooey mass?


    "Ahh, well... I''ll have to leave now. It was fun! Thank you, Karen, Yumi."


    "Nn, it was fun. And thank you for bringing me back."


    "Bye, and thank you for your help."


    "No need to mention it! If you need me again, just call for me!"


    She walked a few steps and then turned around once more.


    "I''ll come back! Bye!"


    And then she ran off her fluffy tail swinging left and right with every step.


    "Truly running in her own pace, isn''t she?"


    "Nn..."


    "She was pretty exhausting, but she did help me out. And brought you back."


    "Ahaha..."


    Karen pulled the training device back in front of us and tried once more to make the inside of the sphere glow.


    "If she didn''t explain this to me, I probably would still struggle even with this."


    "Huh... Is it that hard?"


    "Yes... Though you probably could do it immediately."


    "Really?"


    Karen nodded and then removed her hand from the sphere.


    "You can move mana even outside your body right?"


    "Well... Yes."


    "The device is for learning how to move it in the first place, so since you can already do that..."


    "Ahh..."


    Karen rubbed the top of my head, ruffling my hair.


    "Why don''t you try it? Ria said there was no need to fear it exploding, too."


    "Well... I can try, I guess..."


    Why did she have to mention that it couldn''t explode in the first place? It actually made me feel a bit reluctant to try it now. Nonetheless, I put my hand on top of the sphere. Once done, I attempted to move a small amount of my mana towards the sphere, which the device rapidly sucked it in.


    "Oh. This feels weird..."


    I quickly understood why it was possible to train with this. Even though the mana was inside the sphere now, I still had the impression that it was inside my body. The device felt like an extension of my arm.


    "Ahh... I still can''t get used to it..."


    Karen stared at her hand with a wry smile.


    I returned my attention to the device and began moving the mana inside the sphere. I didn''t really know what exactly I had to do, but that question quickly answered itself.


    "Ohh, it''s glowing," said Karen with some excitement in her voice.


    "Nn. It''s pretty to look at... But I wonder... How does it glow? I''m just moving the mana, right?"


    "I don''t know how it works either, but it has to do with the contents of the sphere apparently. Ohh, it''s glowing so much more than when I did it."


    The sphere was shining brightly. It was honestly fun causing it to glow. The light wasn''t uniform, it was wobbly and wavering around in tune with how the mana was moved inside. It was a mesmerising sight.


    "I hope I can get it to move like that sometime too."


    "Nn, I''m sure you will."


    "Speaking of which, Lefa was even worse at it than me."


    "That''s... unexpected, to be honest."


    Wasn''t she a student at a magician''s academy? Why was she bad at this?


    "I was surprised too. But apparently her mana reserves are low, so she can''t do much with it."


    "Huh... But my own capacity is low too... Though, I wonder if that''s why she was looking for other magicians?"


    "She was?"


    "Nn. She considered asking here for help but... maybe she simply forgot about it."


    I certainly could see her forgetting about it. Just how she forgot she had cooking duty.


    "That might be. Speaking of which... Maybe we should look for Ria? You were still not done with inspecting the supplies, right?"


    "Nn, we finished most of it, though. At least I think so."


    "Then, let''s look for her. If possible, I''d like you to be done by dinner, so everyone can take a bath together afterwards."


    "Nn."


    I nodded. With a smile, Karen took hold of my hand.


    Holding hands, we began looking for Ria.


    "Wenners... You can''t do that..."


    "But Ria... We, we can''t just leave this thing alone!"


    "Regardless... You can''t..."


    "But Ria!"


    It didn''t take us long to find Ria. She was together with Wenners as well as Lily and the Black Guards, including their captain, Greyward.


    From the looks of it, Wenners was upset about something. Quite upset


    "Oh? Yumi, Karen. Come here."


    Like always, Lily spotted us nearly immediately and waved at us. It was a mystery how she always found us so quickly.


    "Lily, what is going on here?"


    "Well, Karen, you see... Mr Yuu played a prank on Wenners..."


    "... Mr Yuu?"


    I felt like I had heard that name before.


    With a grin, Lily pointed towards a certain small figure standing on a crate.


    "Yumi, isn''t that..."


    "It is..."


    It was a doll. A specific doll. The doll that was in the Black Guards'' care for some inexplicable reason. And it had transformed. It was now donning a black armour and something akin to a lance. Although at this size it looked more like an oversized toothpick. An immensely oversized toothpick.


    "So they really named it Mr Yuu... Where did they even get that armour? Is that real metal?"


    "It is real! Papa and the others brought some iron scraps to the blacksmith and had him make a simple armour for Mr Yuu."


    These people were way too dedicated to this doll. What the hell.


    "Nn, let''s ignore it. That''s better. More importantly, what happened here?"


    "Mr Yuu played a prank."


    "You said that before... What kind of prank?"


    "Well... he poked him in the butt. With the lance."


    "..."


    I turned again towards Wenners who was still vehemently insisting on... taking measures against Mr Yuu. He and Krutz never spoke to us so this was the first time I properly heard his voice...


    "Ria! You can''t just let this haphazardous thing run around!"


    "I can... and I will... On Captain''s orders..."


    "Then I''ll go to the captain and tell him these things are dangerous!"


    He wanted to get rid of the doll. Having his butt poked with a lance, even if it was comparatively small, must''ve hurt quite a lot. And most likely, his dignity too.


    But if someone had to ask me if it was worth making such a fuss over... No. No, it wasn''t.


    "This is stupid."


    "I agree, Yumi. If it wasn''t Mr Yuu one of the others would''ve done it."


    "Wait, this was planned?"


    "..."


    Lily averted her eyes for a moment.


    What the heck? Weren''t the Black Guards mostly middle-aged and old men? Why were they playing pranks like little boys?


    "Apparently Wenners and Krutz were complaining about the lack of tidiness in the Black Guards'' wagons. When they were inspecting it earlier."


    "And so they resorted to such a childish prank."


    "Yes."


    That was a really petty reason for all the Black Guards to plan such a childish prank. Though, I probably would''ve been annoyed too if someone only complained about my tidiness. Or lack thereof.


    Actually... were really all of the Black Guards involved? All of them...


    "Lily?"


    "Yes, Yumi?"


    "Were you involved in that prank?"


    "Ehh..."


    She averted her eyes once more. She wasn''t even trying to hide it.


    "Well, you know... it seemed fun?"


    "Lily... Weren''t you busy too?"


    "We actually finished a while ago."


    "Oh?"


    That was unexpected. Unexpected, but certainly welcome.


    "So only your groups is not yet done, Yumi."


    "Nn... But Sis, I can''t really change that, can I? Without Ria nor Fenna, I don''t even know where we stopped..."


    Fenna was still missing and Ria was... looking as if she''d murder someone soon. Actually, her expression was really scary right now. I was slightly impressed that Wenners could still stand up against her. Unless... he didn''t even notice.


    "Yumi, Ria said earlier they were done with inspecting."


    "Eh, really? Did she continue without us?"


    "No, I think she sent Krutz to deal with it. Something about some new kind of weapon among the supplies? Not sure what she was talking about, but she left it to him."


    "Well... That certainly could be used as a weapon."


    I didn''t want to imagine the poor guys that had to deal with that biological weapon. Actually, I felt bad for Krutz too. Was that why he wasn''t here? I hoped he wasn''t still busy with it. I wouldn''t help, though. No way.


    "So... All of us are done with work now?"


    "Seems so, Sis."


    Surprisingly, I was already finished for the day. If every day was like this, that''d be great. Though already wasn''t quite right either. We had taken quite a few hours inspecting the supplies. The suns were already moving towards the horizon.


    "We still have some time until dinner, though..."


    "Nn..."


    "By the way, Lily. Have you seen Rina?" asked Karen.


    Speaking of Rina, I hadn''t seen her at all today... Actually no, I saw her during breakfast.


    "Rina? I saw her playing with the three rascal girls earlier. No idea where they are now, though."


    "Hm... Guess I''ll look for her, I kind of left her alone the entire day."


    "Sis, I''ll come with you."


    "Thank you, Yumi."


    Karen seemed to feel bad about leaving Rina alone. She probably was worried about her. On the outside, Rina was quite happy-go-lucky, but whether everything was really okay... Maybe Karen was worried the same thing.


    "Mh... I kind of want to watch this spectacle but I also want to join you as well..."


    "You should just come with us, Lily. Let those people alone."


    "Nn, you should."


    It was better to get away from here. Ria''s expression took a turn for the worse. Somewhere I heard that the kind ones and quiet ones are the scariest when angered. I could believe that, looking at Ria''s expression. Something told me, to get far away.


    "Mhh... Okay. I''ll tell Papa, so wait a moment, yes?"


    "... Nn."


    And she dashed off towards Greyward. Once she arrived, she talked with him with a big smile plastered on her face. They were some ways away so unfortunately, we couldn''t hear what they were talking about.


    "I''m a bit jealous."


    "You have me, Yumi."


    "You aren''t my mother, Sis."


    "Guess that''s true... Haa..."


    Watching Lily talk with her adoptive father was a sight for sore eyes, but it also made me a bit sad. Lily was always really energetic when she was with us. When she was with the Black Guards, though, with her father especially, she was like a little spoiled girl.


    Sporting her big smile on her face, she was probably reporting that she would come with us. Greyward gave a hearty laugh and pat her head, which prompted Lily to complain, causing her ears to quiver adorably... I wanted to caress those ears.


    She seemed to quickly recover her composure, though. A few moments and short exchanges later, she turned around and came over to us.


    "Nn, too bad we couldn''t hear them."


    "If Wenners would be quieter, we could''ve heard them probably."


    "Nn."


    "What are you two talking about?"


    A beaming Lily returned to us. I really wanted to pat her right now. But I should hold back. I had to. As unfortunate as it was.


    "Nn, nothing important. Shall we go?"


    "Yes. Come, Lily. Let''s go."


    "... I''m coming."


    She tilted her head in wonder, but neither I nor Karen decided to answer that we were a little bit jealous. Neither of us had parents to care for us anymore after all.


    "Lily."


    "Yes, Yumi?"


    "We''re your family too."


    "Huh? Of course, you are. Where did that come from?"


    It probably was sudden, yes. But I had to make that point clear. She might still have her adoptive parents, but she was already part of our family, too.


    From the corner of my eyes, I could see Karen smiling at me. Lily was tilting her head but then her eyes widened all of a sudden and she smiled at me as well.


    "Of course we''re family, Yumi. Karen, too. And Rina and those three rascal girls. You''re important family."


    "Nn, I just wanted to make sure.."


    "Were you possibly jealous? Hee, were you?"


    "Nn, I was."


    "Eh?"


    Maybe she didn''t expect my blunt answer. She froze. Completely


    To make matters worse, Karen decided to add her piece as well.


    "That''s right, Lily. We were quite jealous."


    "... That''s... Well..."


    Lily was clearly overwhelmed. Her face had turned red and she was looking towards the ground, fidgeting.


    Hmmm... Is Lily maybe bad at dealing with such blunt affection directed towards her?


    She was good at showing affection but not so good at receiving it. If that was really the case...


    I took a glance toward Karen. She seemed to be lost in thought.


    Then, she suddenly took Lily''s hand into her own.


    "Ka, Karen?!"


    "Yumi. The other one."


    "Nn? Ahh. Got it."


    "Eh?"


    I quickly took Lily''s other hand and now we had her sandwiched between us.


    "Yumi?! Karen?! Wha, what are you doing?!"


    "Nn, let''s go."


    "Yes, let''s go!"


    "Wa, wait! Let me go!"


    ""No way.""


    A small scream escaped our adorable Lily as we abducted her, holding her hands.


    "They were supposed to be somewhere around here."


    "Nn."


    We had asked around, hoping to find Rina and the girls. Yet, we couldn''t find them. They were quite elusive.


    "Maybe they are playing somewhere else now?" suggested Lily.


    "Probably. But let''s take a look around. Maybe we just missed them."


    "Nn."


    "Ah, wait, don''t pull!"


    By now, Lily had stopped trying to escape our grasp. In fact, whenever it seemed we would separate, she would squeeze our hands and tried her best not to let go. It was so adorable to watch and it warmed my heart.


    "Oh? Maybe over there? I can hear some people."


    "Really? Let''s take a look then."


    Lily directed us to the source of the sounds and after a few corners, we found it.


    "Oh, it''s Rina and the girls."


    "Nn, but... Sis, doesn''t something seem wrong?"


    We found the four girls we were looking for, but they weren''t alone. Some other children were also standing a few steps away from them, grouped together. It was very quickly clear that something was incredibly wrong.


    Rina looked worried, Maya seemed to be angry and while Sele still looked indifferent, I got the feeling she was in a rather bad mood too.


    And then... Emily sat on the ground, tears in her eyes. Clutched in her''s hands was one of my dolls. A broken doll.


    "Those children... they are from the mercenaries'' families," told us Lily.


    The mercenaries'' families? Korwen had told us about those before, didn''t he? Most of the families seemed to prefer staying among themselves, so we actually didn''t see much from them. Only Korwen''s wife and a few other women were frequently around us.


    The girls and the other children noticed us approaching.


    I got a bad feeling about this. A really bad one.


    "Rina? What happened here?"


    "Big, Big Sis, uhm... You, you see... It''s, uhm..."


    Rina wanted to tell us something, but her stuttering made it impossible to understand.


    "Rina, calm down and tell us what happened here."


    "Lil Sis... Uhh..."


    Tears gathered in her eyes and it seemed that she''d start bawling at a moment''s notice.


    "Ri, Rina? Calm down, yes?"


    In a hurry, Karen stepped forward and tried to calm Rina. Although she had to let go of Lily''s hand in the process, which prompted a disappointed ''Ah.'' from her. Unfortunately, now wasn''t the time to enjoy Lily''s adorable acts.


    I turned around to take a look over to the other group present. It was a group of six boys and three girls, their ages ranging from probably just about ten to around fourteen.


    "Hmph! The non-humans multiplied! Suits you well, licking each other''s wounds!" snorted the oldest boy.


    His eyes showed pure contempt towards us. It was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling.


    "Yumi, I already don''t like that brat," whispered Lily.


    "What a coincidence. Neither do I."


    Some of the other children joined his jeering, shouting insults and calling us various other cruel things.


    "You all! Stop calling us that! And apologise to Emily!"


    Maya took a step forward, her face was red with anger. But before she could take another one, Karen had already caught her and held her back. Maya was immediately struggling, trying to break free and charging at that boy.


    "Let me go! I''ll have to teach that guy a lesson!"


    "Maya, calm down. That''s only going to make it worse."


    Karen can probably handle that...


    Sele seemed fine, for now, but Rina and Emily were both crying now.


    "Lily, go to Rina."


    "Okay."


    I let go of her hand and walked over to Emily, who was sitting on the ground, holding the broken doll to her chest. She raised her tear-stained face and looked at me, sniffing occasionally in between.


    "Yu, Yumi... Your... doll... It''s... it''s..."


    Emily could barely speak a coherent sentence, interrupted by her sniffles. Before she could continue though, I pulled her into my arms.


    "Emily, you aren''t hurt, are you?"


    "Uhhh... I''m... I''m fine..."


    "Then, that''s good. Don''t worry about the doll."


    "But... But! Uhhh..."


    I gently pat her back. Emily buried her face in my chest and cried. She was such an energetic and happy girl usually, so seeing her crying... it made me mad at the ones responsible. Really mad.


    I honestly have the urge to beat those brats up...


    If it was a simple test of strength, it was obvious which side would win. Even I could probably deal with these children that had no magic. But that was no good. Most likely, it would make the problem just worse. Alas, I was still angry. I was silently praying that Maya could escape Karen''s grasp and slug that brat a good one. He certainly deserved it for making Emily cry.


    To his luck though, Maya wasn''t able to break free from Karen''s hold.


    "Pah, cry all you want. Nobody cares for you non-humans anyway!"


    He started laughing and the other children joined him. It was really unpleasant.


    I threw a glance towards Karen, who was still holding back Maya.


    "Sis."


    "Ahh... Lily, take Sele and Rina. We''re leaving."


    "Okay."


    Lily was comforting Rina who had started crying. She also took Sele''s hand and was leading them both away. Or rather, she had to pull Sele who was quietly glaring at the brats.


    "Come, Emily."


    I helped Emily stand up. Her face was red and full of tearstains and she was still holding back on her sniffles.


    "Come, let''s leave those stupid brats alone, yes?"


    "Un..."


    She nodded weakly. In the meantime, Karen had forcefully hoisted Maya up into her arms and was carrying her away, while we followed.


    "Ha! They''re scared and running away from us! We won against the monsters!" shouted the idiot boy behind us.


    I could feel Emily twitch upon hearing those words.


    "Hey, Sis. Can''t I slug that brat once into the face? Can''t I? Please?"


    "You can''t, Yumi. That''ll only cause problems with their families."


    "Ugh, I wish I could."


    We slowly walked away from that place. Once we arrived at a more secluded spot, we stopped.


    Karen put the grumbling, red-faced Maya back onto the ground.


    "Now then, are any of you injured?"


    "... No."


    Maya answered grumpily, while the other three simply shook their heads. They might not have been physically hurt, but that didn''t mean a lot here.


    "At least something... Come, let''s sit down first, yes?"


    Karen pointed at a few chairs and a table nearby. I hadn''t even seen those. I led Emily to a chair and helped her sit down. She was still holding onto the doll with one hand, but she calmed down a bit. Maya sat down as well, pulled up her legs and hugged her knees. Sele also sat down quietly, staring at the table.


    "Emily."


    Squatting down next to Emily, Karen had brought out a waterskin bottle from who knows where and was handing it to Emily. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Lily handing one to Rina as well.


    "Drink something, you''ll feel better afterwards."


    Emily nodded weakly, but when she wanted to take the bottle, there was a problem. In one hand was the doll, and with her other hand, she was holding onto my clothes.


    "Let me take the doll, Emily."


    I couldn''t bear to force her to let go of my clothes right now. Not with how tightly she was gripping them. So, instead, I took the doll from her and flashed her a smile. With another little nod, Emily took the bottle from Karen and drunk some water.


    Karen smiled and stood up, taking a seat at the table as well. Then she turned towards Maya.


    "So, just what happened there?" asked Karen, her expression serious.


    "... We... We were playing... When they... They suddenly appeared... Saying something like... that we should disappear... And then... Then..."


    Maya clenched her teeth and stared at the table.


    Then, I could feel someone pulling on my clothes.


    "Yumi...  Should we... disappear?" asked Emily with a weak voice.


    It took me a moment to process her words.


    "Emily, we don''t want you to disappear. We don''t want any of you to go away," explained Karen to her.


    "But... But... Uhhh... They..."


    Emily wasn''t able to say anything anymore. Once more, tears gathered in her eyes. I quickly hugged Emily.


    "Emily. I won''t allow you to go away. Aren''t we friends and family already? Just ignore those idiots."


    "But... They... They broke... your doll..."


    "Don''T worry about that, Emily..."


    I squeezed her tightly, then let her go with a smile.


    "Let''s take a look, yes?"


    I examined the doll in my hands. The limbs were broken and had tears all over, but none of the parts were actually missing. That meant it was easy to fix. Probably. I took a deep breath.


    Better not mess up now. Emily''s smile is on the line.


    After mentally preparing myself, I began using magic, softening the wood the doll was made off. After softening, I evened out and fixed the damaged parts. Within a minute, the doll was back in one piece. And once repaired, it also began stirring to life again, jumping out of my hands. And most amusingly, into Emily''s instead.


    "It''s... fixed?"


    "Nn. Dolls can be fixed, so don''t worry about something as small as that, yes? I''m just glad you are alright."


    Emily was staring wide-eyed at the doll in her hands.


    I pat her head, and then, Emily began smiling again, her drooping ears twitching as well.


    Yes, this little girl needed to smile. There was no need for tears staining her face. Maybe seeing Emily beaming again, Rina grinned a bit as well and Maya also smiled. Emily''s smile really worked wonders on everyone. Even Sele sported a small smile.


    "Everything fine now, Emily?"


    "Un! Thank you! Yumi!"


    "Woah!"


    Emily basically jumped into my arms, laughing happily.


    "Yumi! Yumi! Thank you!"


    How quickly they can change gears, I''m a bit envious.


    I pat Emily''s head while she was squeezing me and rubbing her still tear-stained face on me. I was still pretty angry about those brats but Emily was grinning from ear to ear once more and the others also seemed to be in a better mood now. It wouldn''t do to stay angry now.


    In contrast, Karen let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders. Lily was... smiling.


    I guess, for now, we got this resolved.


    Around an hour later we were sitting around a long table, eating dinner. Together with Korwen.


    "So that''s what happened... Why does everyone have to get riled up today," lamented our dear captain, Korwen.


    After we had calmed down and the mood of the girls improved, we cautiously asked what had even happened once more. Turned out they simply turned up and made a ruckus while they were all playing together. There wasn''t really anything else to add.


    Outside of that brat pushing Emily and that the doll tried protecting her. Which ultimately led to its demise.


    I''ll make sure to slug that brat at least once. I will have to think about how I''ll do it, but I will.


    "Haa... First, we got Fenna beating up Merim, then Ria blew up Wenners and finally, we got those goddamn useless brats causing trouble again."


    So Ria really did something. It was the right call to bail from that place. I didn''t dare to say that out loud, though. Fenna, as well as Ria, were sitting close-by. I valued my life too much.


    "Are those children often causing trouble?" asked Karen.


    "Quite often... The oldest boy in their group, that tall boy, Ludo, is known for his pranks and troublesome behaviour..."


    "... And nobody does anything against that?"


    "Unfortunately not. His mother is spoiling him rotten and defending him every time he does something. Nobody wants to deal with her. And his father on the other hand..."


    Korwen sighed, heaving up his mug and drinking a hearty amount.


    "Let''s better not talk about other families'' troubles..."


    Karen furrowed her brows. It might have been their trouble but it was causing us problems as well.


    "Just keep away from them, that''s the best for now."


    "Somehow, that doesn''t sit right with me."


    "Don''t go causing trouble with them on purpose, you hear me?"


    "... I won''t"


    Karen stared at her own mug with a grumpy expression.


    "Girl, if you show that expression to those girls, they''ll be sad again."


    "... I know. But I still don''t like this."


    "There are many things in life that aren''t so great. Don''t let yourself get swept away by them. Also, those girls are strong. They''ll be back on their feet in no time. After all, they now have a family to trust."


    "A family, huh..."


    Still sporting a grumpy expression, Karen began turning the mug around a few times before she sipped on the contents. Although that only caused her to grimace.


    "Uhhh..."


    "Ahaha, not to your liking?"


    "It burns... How can you drink this?"


    "You''ll get used to it. Look at Yumi, she can deal with it just fine."


    Karen stared in my direction. I would have preferred it if the attention wasn''t diverted to me. I was just enjoying a little bit of alcohol, surely that much was fine?


    "Yumi... You shouldn''t drink so much. Your throat will burn away."


    "... I don''t think it will burn away, Sis."


    While I agreed that alcohol had a tendency to burn in your throat, it wasn''t actually burning the throat. There were no injuries involved.


    Karen sighed and once more stared at the mug in her hands, her expression turning sour. I wasn''t sure if it was because of the previous topic or because of the alcohol in her hands though.


    "Sis, should I drink it?"


    "... But..."


    "There''s no need to force yourself, is there?"


    "Uhh... Then, please do."


    Karen pushed the mug over to me. Now I had two mugs. It was a bit unfortunate I couldn''t enjoy it together with Karen, but maybe sometime in the future.


    "You''ll find the taste for it soon enough, don''t worry, Karen."


    "Mr Captain... I don''t think I''ll even understand what that taste is supposed to be."


    With a sigh, Karen turned instead towards her food. It was some cooked meat with vegetables. I had no idea what either meat or vegetables were even supposed to be, but at least the taste was good. Definitely miles better than hard bread.


    "Nn, that reminds me. There''s always meat in our dinner... But how do you prevent it from turning bad?"


    "Three of the supply wagons have a freezing tool. They are expensive but well worth it. Not only meat but also vegetables and fruits get stored there."


    "Huh... How convenient."


    A kind of magic refrigerator. How nice. I had to thank whoever invented this. After all, I was able to have a nice dinner thanks to them.


    "It''s really convenient. Before we had them, we had to hunt game to get any meat on the table. Not only meat, but our general supplies also took a turn for the better. Feeding a few hundred hungry men isn''t an easy task. Albeit fresh meat is really great."


    A few hundred men... The band had around eight hundred people, most of those were soldiers. Just imagining the amount that was probably necessary each day made me shudder.


    "If everyone ate as much as you, Yumi, we''d save so much on food expenses. We could easily afford a fourth or even a fifth then."


    "... I''m not sure whether that should make me happy or not."


    My stomach was simply small, therefore the amount I ate was also small. Although the first few days I had been overeating and got a pretty bad stomachache as a result. Somewhere deep inside, I was still calculating my hunger with the amount I used to eat. And that was simply way too much now. I ate less than half that amount now.


    Unfortunately, that also meant I had a rather limited amount of food I could enjoy every day.


    Still... The monster fishes I ate back then were still the most delicious.


    "Anyway, you girls. There''s a reason I''m eating here. We got to discuss something."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen, who had already finished his food, leaned onto the table with a serious expression.


    "If you remember, part of our payment here was a mana pass each for Yumi and Rina respectively."


    "Nn..."


    "Mr Captain, what is a mana pass even?"


    Karen tilted her head and asked the question that probably a few of us were wondering.


    "It''s a sort of identification paper. The one who issued them vouches for the person that they aren''t a dangerous individual. It allows you to get registered without any troublesome tests."


    "Huh... So, I wouldn''t need to reveal that I''m a monster?"


    "Exactly."


    Korwen nodded in confirmation.


    That meant no fear of being subjected to weird experiments by mad scientists. Not that I had any such fears... But you could never rule out these things.


    "In any case, Ruben wants to have a talk with you and Rina before he issues those passes. Just go to him first thing tomorrow morning."


    "Nn... Got it."


    "And that''s already all I wanted to say."


    "Mr Captain, was it really necessary to eat here just for that?"


    Korwen turned towards Karen with an exasperated expression.


    "If I eat over there I''m surrounded by middle-aged men. If I have the choice between eating with middle-aged men or with cute young girls, it''s obvious I''d choose the latter, isn''t it?"


    "Mr Captain. Even if that''s the case, you shouldn''t say that."


    "You were the one who asked."


    Karen shook her head. I could understand Korwen''s choice though. If I was in his shoes, I''d surely do the same as well. Even though those middle-aged men were all pretty friendly and I got along with them.


    "In any case, I''ll take my leave now. Don''t stay up all night, you two."


    Korwen stood up with and grinned widely before he left. It was rather obvious what he was implying. Even Karen understood the implication, her face reddening.


    "... It''s not like we could even if we wanted to..."


    "Nn... Nothing we can do about, though."


    "Haa... Come, let''s finish up. Before it gets too late to take a bath."


    "Nn."


    We quickly finished the remaining food. Afterwards, we collected the other girls and made our way towards the bath.


    I must say, I''m looking forward to the bath. Yes, I''m quite looking forward to it.


    Rinne


    The new month has begun, so if you want to support me on Patreon or simply want to read ahead, now''s a good time!


    We''re also close to reaching the first goal! Yay! Which means there might be an additional free chapter this month.


    Also, the arc is soon closing in on its end on patreon already. The second arc has been a little of a chaotic mess. Really sorry about that.


    But it certainly served as a good experience for me and I learnt quite a few things in the process.


    And so, I hope the third arc will go better. Honestly, I''m looking forward a little to writing the third arc.


    Lastly, I am still looking for an artist. Honestly, it''s probably easier to just say when I find someone. On one side I find a lot of people taking commissions but the art style isn''t quite what I want or their prices are just completely out of proportion for what they offer. On the other side the ones I like and asked say they aren''t currently taking commissions and that they don''t know when they can start taking any...


    Well, gotta persevere!


    Thank you for reading and for your continued support!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Farewell to the Past

    "Yumi! Yumi! Hurry!"


    "Wait, Emily, don''t pull."


    "Hurry!"


    We were currently in an incredibly large room that served as a bath. Given the size of the fort I wasn''t surprised that they had a bath, but the sheer size of it did astonish me after all. It was way too large for only seven people. You could easily swim here without getting in the way of anyone, even if there were dozens of people.


    Then again, it probably had to be able to handle a few hundred people at once.


    "Yumi!"


    "Emily, calm do-- Woah!"


    Emily, energetic as always, already had undressed and tried to hurry me into undressing as well. Now, it wasn''t the first time but I was still a bit hesitant to simply undressing. Maybe Karen noticed that as she crept up from behind and stripped me in a flash.


    "Ehehe, there''s no escape, Yumi."


    "Sis... At least let me prepare myself."


    I was fidgeting around and I could feel my face becoming hot. Embarrassing things were embarrassing after all.


    "Yumi, we''ve done much more already, so why are you even embarrassed at this," whispered Karen, making sure Emily couldn''t hear it.


    "That''s completely different from this, Sis. Uhh..."


    "Just come."


    Karen mercilessly pushed me towards the bath.


    "Yumi! Come!"


    In addition to that, Emily took my hand and pulled me forward.


    Forced by these two, I soon reached the area close to the pool. Karen pushed me towards a small sink that was filled with water.


    "Now, let''s first wash ourselves."


    "Nn?"


    Karen brought a small wooden chair from the side and beckoned me over. Curious as to what she wanted I sat down on the chair. I was facing the sink while Karen was now behind me.


    "Hehe, I got something nice. Look forward to it, Yumi."


    "Nn? Okay..."


    After a few seconds, I could feel Karen touching my hair. Apparently, she was rubbing something into it.


    "Sis? What are you doing?"


    "Washing your hair."


    "... Washing my hair?"


    "Yes. I got something that''s similar to soap. It''s specifically for washing someone''s hair."


    "Haa..."


    Was it something like shampoo? How curious, I didn''t expect shampoo to exist.


    Karen continued rubbing the shampoo into my hair, gently but steadily spreading it throughout my hair. It was nice. As if you got a massage, it was quite relaxing. Although, only while she was busy rubbing it onto my scalp. Which unfortunately only made out a small part of it.


    "Oh, you already started?"


    While Karen was washing my hair, Lily entered, together with Rina and Maya plus Sele. Since Lily wasn''t using her disguise anymore, her fluffy dark blue ears and tail were freely displayed. Next to Maya, they looked a bit like sisters.


    Apart from the fact that if I had to describe the kind of animals the ears and tails resembled, then Lily would be more similar to a dog or wolf while Maya seemed to be more like a cat.


    I wonder, do wolves, dogs and cats even exist here? Or are there similar animals and they are closer to those?


    There was still so much I didn''t know about this world. Maybe I should ask Lily about it the next time she would be teaching me.


    "Yes, we did. Ah, the hair wash is here, Lily."


    "Oh, thanks. Rina, come here. I''ll wash your hair."


    "Got it. Thank you, Lily."


    Lily beckoned Rina over who promptly sat down in front of her.


    "Sele, Emily. I''ll wash your hair!" declared Maya right after.


    "Okay!"


    "..."


    Emily dashed over to Maya and sat down in front of her. Sele sat down right next to Emily. Lily handed her the hair wash and she began rubbing it into Emily''s hair.


    "Ehehe, that tickles."


    "Emily, stay still."


    "But it tickles!"


    "Ahh, don''t move so much."


    Poor Maya had some difficulties with Emily. She simply didn''t want to stay still and was squirming around under Maya''s hands, her drooping ears twitching.


    "Yumi, don''t keep looking to the side."


    "Ah, sorry."


    I was scolded by Karen.


    "Well, stay still and close your eyes, yes? I was told it hurts if it gets into the eyes."


    "Nn."


    Just like regular shampoo did. I shut my eyes and waited for the inevitable. I could hear how Karen was filling something in the sink in front of me.


    "Here we go."


    And then splashed it down on my head. Obviously, it was water. Warm water, much to my surprise.


    "Mh, I guess we need to do it a few more times."


    "Nn."


    She repeated the procedure quite a few times, trying to wash out the shampoo slash hair wash.


    "I think it''s all out now."


    "Thank you, Sis."


    "And now for the rest of your body."


    "... Eh?"


    The rest of my body? Not only my hair but...


    "Yumi, turn around."


    "Eh? Wait, Sis."


    Karen grabbed my shoulders and forced me to turn around.


    "Mh, you''re cute, Yumi."


    "Si-, Sis. I, I can wash the rest myself."


    "Maybe you can. But we won''t find out, at least not today."


    With a smile that allowed no resistance, she held up a piece of cloth and a bar of what I assumed was soap. It did look similar to soap at least.


    "Sis? Are you really going to?"


    "Yes."


    "Haa... I got it."


    Well, even if I pretended to, I wasn''t exactly averse to the idea. Being pampered like this was embarrassing but I was pampered by the person I loved. Still, I did have some reservations. Yet, something deep inside was feeling a bit happy.


    "Now, hold still, Yumi."


    "... Nn."


    Karen dipped the cloth into the water and rubbed some of the soap onto it. The soap seemed to have a consistency similar to a creme. Despite it being in the form of a soap bar.


    Karen took hold of my left arm and began washing it with the soaked cloth.


    "Nn, this tickles quite a bit."


    "Try to hold still, yes?"


    "Nn."


    I really wanted to squirm under the ticklish feeling, but I had to hold back as much as possible.


    Karen washed along my left arm, then the right arm followed by the shoulder and my collarbone. And then obviously...


    "Ah, Sis, wai- Nn!"


    "I won''t stop."


    And then she obviously worked her way down to my chest. Karen''s gentle rubbing made a certain feeling rise up. A feeling that was not exactly suitable for the current location, in front of others.


    "I''m just washing you, Yumi, there''s nothing wrong with this."


    "Si-, Sis..."


    A mischievous smile floated on her face. She clearly knew what she was doing. In fact, she probably did so on purpose.


    Thankfully, Karen had at least a shred of decency left and finished thoroughly washing my chest.


    "Next is here..."


    She continued with my tummy. Which actually wasn''t a lot better. It was more ticklish but similar to before, it just made feel a bit aroused.


    Yet, Karen continued under the guise of washing, regardless of how much I squirmed and how I had to hold back.


    "Okay, done with this. Yumi, turn around."


    "Hee?"


    "Turn around."


    "Nn..."


    I followed her instructions, slightly lightheaded, and turned around, showing her my back. Slowly calming down, I took a quick glance to the side, in the hopes nobody noticed.


    Lily had finished washing Rina''s hair and was currently getting her own hair washed by Rina instead. Behind them was a little row of Sele having her hair washed by Maya, who in turn was getting her hair washed by Emily. It was cute.


    Good, it seems nobody has noticed anything.


    I breathed a sigh of relief.


    Karen in the meantime put my hair over my shoulder, so it''s out of the way. Then she promptly started washing my back. Different to the front, this was somehow calming.


    "Now, only your legs are missing. Turn back around, Yumi."


    "Eh?"


    Why didn''t she wash my legs before my back? Wondering about that, I turned back around nonetheless. Karen was smiling even brighter now, looking a bit giddy.


    "Uhh, Sis? Why did you wash my back first?"


    "Why? Because, don''t you save the best for last?"


    "Eh?"


    The best for last? So, she wanted to wash my legs so much she decided to do it last? Was that it?


    "Now, here we go!"


    "Ah."


    Interrupting my thoughts, Karen took hold of my left leg and started washing it. With quite the vigour.


    "Ehehe, your legs are so squishy and soft. They are nice to touch."


    "Sis..."


    In between, she most obviously was just playing with around again. Like squishing my thighs or my feet. The latter was a bit troublesome since it tickled a whole lot. Nonetheless, Karen continued on. It took quite a while for her to just finish one leg. Of course, she did the same to my other one...


    By the time I was released, we were already the only ones left here.


    "Ahh, too bad it''s already over..."


    "Sis... You''re enjoying this too much... Lily will scold us."


    "It''s fine, the others didn''t notice."


    I had the subtle feeling that that was wishful thinking. There was no way they wouldn''t notice. We had been right beside them, after all...


    Letting out a sigh, I could only resign myself to it. What was done was done. I certainly didn''t want something like this to happen again though.


    "I''m sorry, Yumi. Don''t be angry, okay?"


    Karen pulled me over and hugged my head.


    "Nn, just... please don''t do it again. It''s embarrassing when everyone else is around."


    "Ehh? But they left by the time I started with your legs."


    "Eh? They did?"


    "Yes, they did."


    Karen let go of me and pointed towards the pool. Lily and Rina were sitting quite some ways off, talking with each other. The other three were even further away and splashing around in the water.


    "See? Nobody noticed."


    "Uhh..."


    I hadn''t even noticed them leaving. I thought they were still around by the time Karen went out of control.


    "Now, since that is cleared up. Yumi, will you wash me now?"


    "Ha?"


    "Being the only one who has to wash my hair myself would be lonely, wouldn''t it?"


    "... I understand."


    I switched places with Karen, now sitting behind her. Her silver hair resting on her shoulders and her tail limply hanging down to the ground.


    Didn''t Sis say that their tails are really sensitive?


    ... Time for some revenge.


    Yes, there was no way I could just let this go. No, revenge was a matter of course for this.


    "Yumi? Are you begi- Hya!"


    A cute shriek escaped Karen the very moment I touched her tail. The tail twitched violently in response.


    "Hey, Sis. I''ve been wondering, but Rina''s tail is rather lively, isn''t it?"


    "Wha-, What does that have to do with this, Yumi?!"


    "Even though it''s such a cute tail, it''s just limply hanging down."


    I gently rubbed the tail from the base down to the tip. Copying what she did earlier, I rubbed some soap onto the cloth and thoroughly washed her tail.


    Needless to say, Karen enjoyed quite a lot of my attention. Towards her tail. I fully enjoyed her tearing up and squirming around.


    "Now, close your eyes, Sis."


    "Okay."


    After thoroughly playing with Karen''s tail, I did actually wash her hair, followed by her back. She also made me wash her front, just like she did to me. Although I felt rather embarrassed at first, I quickly grew to enjoy it. We were messing around a bit, but in itself, it was still just washing each other. It was incredibly mundane, yet it made me feel all warm and happy.


    "And, here it comes."


    I heaved the basin filled with water and poured it over Karen, rinsing off the remains of the soap and the hair wash.


    Speaking of the hair wash, it was a rather weird substance. It was also more similar to a creme, though with clumps and so, mainly caused by the ingredients. It was apparently something of a mix of a type of soap together with various herbs. As a result, it did smell like herbs. A rather refreshing smell, too.


    "Nn, all good now."


    "Great, thank you, Yumi."


    Karen turned around and immediately pulled me into a hug.


    "Ah, Sis."


    "Ehehe, you are so soft. Really, do you even have muscles? It feels like you have none, so soft are you."


    "Sis... Stop... Nn..."


    Once more, Karen was feeling me up. She was turning into quite the pervert, wasn''t she? Though I didn''t dislike that.


    "My, my, you two. It''s nice to see lovers getting along, though I do feel a bit jealous. But I would appreciate it if you didn''t leave me out. Hey, you two, mind washing my hair for me as well?"


    "Nn?"


    "Eh?"


    An unfamiliar voice suddenly made itself present. Right next to us.


    Karen and I both turned our heads towards the source.


    "Now, my dear children. How about it? You''ve been playing around for so long now, I''m slowly getting tired. Or are you trying to kill me with this feeling of jealousy? Please explode."


    ""...""


    My mind couldn''t quite process what was happening. It absolutely couldn''t. After all, this person wasn''t supposed to be here.


    "Eh? Eh?! Ma, Mama?!"


    From behind us echoed Lily''s surprised voice.


    Yes, this was the person that took care of Lily like a mother. The very person that gave me quite a bit of trouble a few days ago.


    Yumias la Freyr.


    "Oh, hello, Lily dear. How are you doing? My, you''ve grown haven''t you? We haven''t seen each other for a while now, so I''m quite surprised."


    Lily quickly climbed out of the pool and dashed over. Yet, wet as she was, even she couldn''t prevent the forces of nature.


    "Wah!"


    Which caused her to fall flat on the ground.


    "Oh dear, don''t be so impatient. Are you hurt? Are you fine?"


    Yumias quickly left the stool next to us and hurried over to Lily, who was now sitting on the ground rubbing her nose. Considering the sound of the impact, it must''ve hurt quite a lot.


    "I, I''m fine. More importantly, Mama, you are back?!"


    "Yes, dear. I''m back. It''s good to see you again, have you been a good girl while I was away?"


    Yumias patted Lily''s head. It was obvious that she held a lot of affection for Lily, a gentle smile floating on her face.


    "I... Mama, I..."


    "My, still such a crybaby. Aren''t you an adult now? You shouldn''t cry so much."


    Lily jumped into Yumias arms and hugged her. I wasn''t all too happy about Yumias being here, but Lily was so overjoyed...


    It made me feel bad, just a bit.


    "Eh? This little girl is Big Sis Lily''s mama?"


    In the meantime, the other girls also came over, observing the commotion. And Emily asked the question that probably all of them were thinking of. After all, while Lily was a young girl, not yet an adult woman, the person she was hugging was even smaller than Emily and the others themselves. She looked to be around seven or eight, a bit younger than they were.


    "My, are you all Lily''s friends? Thank you for being friends with her."


    Yet, just like a gentle mother would, she greeted the four girls. It was rather surreal.


    "Yumi... Is that really..."


    "It is, Sis... That''s Yumias."


    "Haa..."


    We were watching the rather odd sight of Lily hugging a little girl and the other four surrounding them and asking Yumias various questions for a bit. After a while, Yumias turned her attention back to Lily.


    "Lily dear, if you keep hugging me here, it''s going to be a bit of a bother. Ah, I know, would you like to help me wash my hair?"


    "Yes, I want to! Let me do it, Mama!"


    Lily''s face, adorned with a smug smile, resurfaced. She let go of Yumias and moved with her next to us. Yumias sat down on the stool again and Lily sat down on her knees behind her.


    I took a quick glance to the other girls, but they were already back in the water. It was probably cold outside of it, wet as they were.


    "Now, while Lily dear is helping me, you two there. How long are you going to flirt in public?"


    "Eh? Ah..."


    Karen was still hugging me. Though nobody had minded, except this little one. Karen quickly let go of me.


    I was a bit miffed about her cutting my private time with Karen short. And because of that, I decided to sit down in Karen''s lap. It earned me a scowl from Yumias, but I couldn''t care less.


    Nn? Thinking about it... Last I met her, I was really scared. But now... I still can''t feel any mana in her but... It doesn''t feel as dangerous anymore.


    "Well, I guess that''ll have to do."


    "Hey, Mama. How come you are back now?"


    "Oh? Well, I finished my business, so I decided to come over. I wanted to see my dear child after all."


    "Ehehe."


    A happy giggle escaped Lily. Her wet ears, that unfortunately weren''t so fluffy right now, twitched occasionally.


    It was an endearing sight.


    "There are also a few other things I''ve come to do, though. But I''m mostly done now, so I''ll stay for a while."


    "Really?!"


    Lily shot straight up and leaned over to Yumias.


    "Yes, really. I''ve also talked with your superiors, and with Lil'' Greyward already."


    "Ehehe, that''s great!"


    "Yes, dear. But, don''t stop, yes? The hair wash is running down."


    "Ah! I''m sorry!"


    And with a little bit of panic, Lily resumed washing her adoptive mother''s hair.


    "Now, since that''s out of the way... My dear child, Yumi, I''ve also come because of you."


    "Because of... me?"


    "Yes, you. There''s been a little bit of an issue that I didn''t expect to come up, at least not yet. Though maybe it is good if we get it behind us sooner rather than later. Yes, it''s about that dream of yours."


    "Wha-!"


    So she did have something to do with it after all? But... She said it wasn''t something she had expected...


    "Before you start accusing me of things, I have nothing to with it. In fact, if it went my way, I probably would''ve never told you. Rather, I would''ve preferred if you had absolutely no memories of that place. Unfortunately not something I was able to arrange, what, with the lack of time."


    "..."


    "Now, my dear child. It seems I owe you a little bit of an explanation. But one thing first: Your former sisters from that other world, all three girls, are alive and well."


    "Eh?"


    They were alive and well? But, what about that dream? What... What happened then? Towards the end of that dream... those girls...


    "Now, you seem a little bit shocked. Well, that''s about to be expected. It''s a nasty curse after all."


    "... What? Curse?"


    Even Karen and Lily paused and stared at Yumias with astonished expressions.


    "Yes, a curse. It''s a curse that let''s the affected ''experience the worst''. What the worst is depends of course on the person, but it basically lets you experience some of the most horrible things you can imagine, pretty much your biggest fears."


    "... So you mean... Those memories... were fake?"


    "My, I wouldn''t say necessarily fake, rather... they are based on your memories. You know how certain kinds of drugs make you hallucinate or see and imagine things? It''s very similar to that. Just that instead of making you feel elated, you become depressed and scared. It''s still a product of your mind and your memories, things you might have thought at one point, things you were worried or things you prayed would never happen."


    Like a drug? So those scenes were a fabrication of my imagination? If that was true... That made me feel relieved. Really, really relieved. It still begged the question though... What had really happened then? What part was real... and what was wrong?


    "Now, to be honest, your case was rather weak, actually. After all, the majority of this fort is affected by that very same curse."


    "... What did you say?"


    Once more, she surprised us. She seemed to enjoy our surprised reactions, as she grinned and then continued.


    "The reason many of those soldiers are ill... is because of a curse?"


    "Yes, dear Karen, that''s mostly correct. Rather, they cannot recover because they are trapped in that curse. And with a bit of bad luck, your beloved Yumi would have shared that fate."


    "... What... do you mean with that?"


    "Waking up from that curse isn''t so simple for a normal person. Which should be obvious, considering you have hundreds of soldiers and they don''t get any better, right? Your beloved shouldn''t have been affected by it in the first place, though. While monsters can be affected by curses, it depends on their strength. And Yumi''s soul crystal is simply too strong for most curses to have even a chance of working."


    My soul crystal was too strong? Did she mean my mana crystal with that?


    "In any case, due to your little liaison in that warehouse, your beloved girl was temporarily weakened, making her a suitable target for the curse. Albeit only for a very short time."


    "..."


    I would have certainly liked it if she didn''t speak so nonchalantly of Karen''s and my relationship. But considering what she was telling us just now... It was a sacrifice I had to live with.


    "Wait, so, if it weren''t for that curse, Yumi wouldn''t have collapsed either?"


    "That''s correct, dear Karen. There are no worries, really, about the mana you absorb from her. In actuality, you should already know it isn''t really mana you take, right? Otherwise, you weren''t hiding that little... thing."


    "Nn? Hiding?"


    I took a look behind me at Karen, who was glaring at Yumias.


    "Yumi dear, you shouldn''t pry too much into a maiden''s secrets. In any case, there are no real adverse effects, the absorbed mana is a little side-effect, nothing more."


    "But, if I''m not absorbing mana, then what do I..."


    Yumias turned around and stared at Karen with a mischievous grin.


    "That''s something you will have to find out yourself. But like I said, there won''t be any adverse effects."


    "..."


    "At the very least, barring a case like this, you won''t even need her to replenish mana. It''d be useless even if she tried to anyway, the mana you take her would be recovered naturally within a few minutes anyway."


    If there weren''t adverse effects... That would still mean that there were effects. And she stated that Karen was hiding something in regards to that... It worried me a bit.


    "In any case, at some point, it''d likely even stop absorbing mana. When that happens, a demon''s desire is nothing more than an act of pleasure."


    "...Is that so..."


    So at some point, it would make no difference anymore on. While that was basically good news, the question what it did actually cause was still left unanswered.


    "Mama, I''m done now, so I''ll rinse it."


    "My, thank you, Lily dear. I''ll close my eyes, so go ahead."


    "Okay."


    Lily filled the basin with water and poured it over Yumias head. She repeated this a few times.


    "Done, Mama."


    "Thank you. I''ll quickly wash myself and then we can go into the water, okay?"


    "Okay."


    "You two as well, it''s cold here, right? Well, maybe it isn''t if you are basically hugging each other. You still should get into the water. Shoo shoo."


    Yumias directed her attention back to us, trying to shoo us away.


    "... Yumi, let''s go into the water."


    "Eh? Nn... Okay..."


    I stood up from Karen''s lap and we walked together to the pool, slowly entering the water. The moment we were in, Karen quickly grabbed me and pulled me back into her lap.


    "Sis? What''s up?"


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "What Yumias said..."


    She stared past me, at the water, not continuing her words.


    If I had to take a guess, Karen was probably thinking about what Yumias just told us. Well, it would be surprising if she was thinking about something else right now.


    "..."


    "Sis? Are you okay?"


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Yumi... I... have to show you something."


    "Show me something?"


    She seemed oddly serious. She raised her hand behind her ear, parting her hair a bit.


    "Eh?"


    "... This was there since this morning..."


    Rather hidden in her hair was a strand that stood out. I actually was surprised that I had missed it while washing because it honestly was quite obvious. It was pink. The same pink that my own hair was.


    "She says there are no adverse effects... But is that really true? I''m... worried... Something... Something changed... Is changing..."


    She looked at me with an insecure, worried expression. Something happened. Something changed. She did not know why, and what else might happen. Yes, I had to agree... It was worrying me a bit, too.


    But... More than that...


    "... It suits you."


    "Eh?"


    Karen stared wide-eyed at me. She didn''t seem to have expected that.


    "Well, if it''s caused because of me, it actually makes me feel a bit happy."


    "Happy?"


    "Well, now you''ll always have a part of me with you, right?"


    She stared at me wide-eyed. After a short moment, she suddenly broke out in laughter.


    "Ahaha. I guess I understand why Lily called you a hopeless romantic."


    "Wha-"


    A hopeless romantic? I did admit I liked romantic things, but that sounded a lot worse than it was, right? It wasn''t really that bad, right?!


    "Well, even if you are a hopeless romantic, I still love you."


    "..."


    "But... Yumi. Is this really fine?"


    "Why shouldn''t it? It''s cute. And... doesn''t it make us look more like sisters? Though I''d prefer looking like lovers."


    "... Like sisters, huh. "


    Karen buried her face in my hair. Maybe, she simply needed a bit of time.


    I faced forward again and watched the younger girls splashing each other with water.


    After a short while, I heard a few footsteps behind me.


    "My, my, still flirting in public, aren''t we. Are you trying to make me feel envious on purpose?"


    "... No, not really."


    "I see, I see, that''s good. Yes."


    Yumias came over together with Lily. I heard them entering the water right next to us. Taking a quick glance I, I saw how her head was barely peaking out of the water. It looked a bit as if a severed head was floating on the water. It was a little bit grotesque.


    Regardless, this little person knew so much and was just as hard to understand. There were still too many things I wanted to know. Way too many.


    "There''s still something you didn''t tell me."


    I glanced towards Yumias who was right next to us. On her other side sat Lily.


    "You said my dream was a fabrication of my mind and not true. Then... what is the truth?"


    "You want to know about your past?"


    "Yes."


    Yumias expression turned serious for the first time.


    "I won''t tell you that."


    "Wha-, Why?"


    "Because it''s not necessary."


    "..."


    Yumias turned forwards and was now watching the younger girls, just like I did prior.


    "Listen, my child, leave that past behind. You are here and you cannot change that anymore."


    "But... I still don''t know what happened to those girls."


    "I told you, they are alive. Isn''t that enough?"


    Yumias raised her hand, pointing her index finger forward. After a few seconds, a little pink light glowed at the tip. She was simply staring at the light, not doing anything.


    "Child, do you wish to know how they are?"


    "... Nn."


    "I see."


    She snapped her fingers and the little light disappeared. Nothing else happened.


    "After your ''disappearance'' your older sister returned home. Your little sisters, who had been present in the accident as well, both survived. All three of them are currently living with their parents. They are now quite happy, you know. Well, except for the fact, that you disappeared on them, I guess."


    "Disappeared... So, they don''t think I''m dead?"


    "Apparently not. I did not look further into why that is. I wasn''t that interested in it, either."


    "But... what about what I saw...  My father being angry?"


    Yumias turned to me and smiled wryly.


    "Well, every family has their own troubles, but he wasn''t particularly worse than other families. He was strict and expected a lot from his children, yes."


    "...Just that?"


    "Just that. Well, he was a bit old-fashioned in his sense of values. But he never truly abused you or his daughters."


    So, that dream... That dream wasn''t true. Still... Even if she told me this...


    "Jeez, child... Well, guess that''s so cute about children, right?"


    "... What are you talking about?"


    "You still can''t believe what I say, right? Well, I guess seeing something holds more value over just hearing it, right? Yes, that''s right."


    Then, Yumias lifted once more her hand, with her index finger pointed forward. Suddenly, something changed. The mana was behaving strangely, moving erratically towards her fingertip. The whole thing barely took a second before it stopped again. But the result was immediately visible. Something appeared in the air. An image.


    "If you can''t believe it, I just have to show you."


    The image... showed a familiar place. The place I saw in my dream. A table, with a family of six, no... of five... eating dinner...


    "What... is that... Is that Yumi''s..."


    Karen stared wide-eyed at the image. Lily was similarly staring, her mouth agape. That wasn''t surprising. After all, I was just as surprised.


    "It is. Or rather was. And as you can see, there''s nothing really of an issue with them."


    "... Nn."


    With a snap of her finger, the image quickly disappeared again.


    "Seriously, you are really troublesome. But well, I guess half of that was my fault. I should just have taken my time and made sure you didn''t remember anything. Actually, I can still fix that, can''t I..."


    "... I don''t think... that is necessary."


    "Mh, not? Well, if you change your mind, just tell me."


    I preferred to keep my memories. Even if they were fragmented, even if they would only cause me to worry... They were still mine. Especially now, when I had seen myself that it wasn''t as bad as I thought...


    Honestly... I was glad. Really glad, that it had been all a lie. That there wasn''t some dark past that would haunt me forever.


    "My, now then, I''ll talk with those girls a bit. After all, I think we''re all done here, right? And, those girls are cute, after all. Maybe I should keep them. My, that might not be such a bad idea. Well then, have fun, you three... Ah, wait, there''s one thing I still wanted to say."


    Yumias, who was in the middle of leaving us alone, turned around once more and stared at me with a meaningful smile.


    "Yumi, child, do not rest on your current situation. Life is cruel, and if you do not prepare yourself, you will once more lose everything."


    "Eh?"


    I gasped and stared at her, surprised. But Yumias did not seem to particularly care about my reaction and turn around. Leaving those slightly troublesome words behind, Yumias swam over to the other girls.


    I shouldn''t rest... she said... Am I... resting?


    I leaned back, resting my head on Karen''s shoulder. Both, Karen and Lily, had kept mostly silent during our conversation. But now, Karen was tightly hugging me.


    "Yumi, are you okay?"


    "Nn... I''m fine, Sis."


    "Are you sure?"


    "... I don''t know. But... I feel a bit better now. Although what she said at the end... worries me a bit..."


    It was like some big worry had disappeared. Her parting words were foreboding, though.


    "Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    Lily crawled over to us and then jumped onto me and Karen.


    "Woah! Lily, that''s dangerous!"


    "It''s fine, Karen, it''s fine."


    She grinned from ear to ear and then pat my head.


    "Yumi, we''re family."


    "Nn? Of course, we are... Ah."


    "Right? So, you don''t have to worry. I am a bit confused about all those things Mama said, but..."


    Her smiling face closed in and she hit my forehead with her own.


    "But you''re already my sister, you hear? I won''t share you with strangers. We''re now your family. And the family stays together and shares their responsibilities! So, don''t worry too much, okay?"


    "... She''s right, Yumi. I''m a bit jealous that you still care so much for that place. It may be hard, but this is already the place you belong to."


    "The place I belong to..."


    Ah, that was right, wasn''t it? I already had a new family. I''ve been saying that all the time, and I thought that was already clear to me. But... maybe, somewhere deep inside...


    "Thank you, Lily."


    "You''re wel- Woah!"


    "Ah! Lily, that''s unfair! Yumi, me too! I want a kiss on my cheek too!"


    "... Aha... Ahahaha!"


    I burst out in laughter, causing Karen and Lily to look at me in surprise.


    Yes, I was stupid, wasn''t I? This was my family. It might be harsh, but... this was already the place I belonged to, the place that I had to protect. It might have been different if I still had to worry, but I''m sure that family would manage to live on and have a happy life.


    After all, even if I was gone, there were already traces of smiles back in their faces. The image Yumias showed us, it didn''t show a dissonant family, no, it was one that was back on the path to being happy.


    Ahh... Somehow... I feel like a heavy weight has disappeared...


    I looked at the two girls next to me with a smile.


    This is the place I belong to. Farewell, you all on the other side. I hope you will live well. I will do my best here, together with my new family.


    Rinne


    Then again there''s not much to say.


    Except maybe, really close to that extra chapter on Patreon.


    Thank you for reading and thank your for all your support!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Orders

    "Yumi, you have to properly dry your hair!"


    "Uhh... I''m trying."


    "Aah, come here. I''ll do it."


    The cloth slash towel was taken away from me.


    "Sis, I can do that myself."


    "Yes, I can totally see that, Yumi."


    "Uhh..."


    And just like that, my remaining bit of independence was taken away by Karen.


    She rubbed my hair with the towel until it was dry, which of course took quite a bit time. Once she finished, we dressed ourselves in the simple shirts and pants that we had been using to sleep in.


    "Nn, where did Yumias disappear to?"


    "Mama? She probably finished whatever she wanted to do."


    "... That person is quite a free spirit, isn''t she?"


    "Well... She''s always been like that. Disappearing and appearing at random, whenever she felt like it. She''ll probably be back before long"


    That sounded like a major pain to deal with. It was also a bit of an issue since I still had way too many questions. Way too many. Guess those had to wait for now.


    "Lily."


    "Yes, Karen?"


    Karen paused in the middle of dressing herself and turned towards Lily.


    "Is that girl really... the witch from the legends?"


    "Well... That''s a bit of a tough question. To be honest, I don''t really know either."


    "You don''t know? Did nobody ever ask her?"


    "We did. But she always evaded the question. Although Papa and the others assume that she really is the witch from the legends. Because she is really strong and can do many things we don''t even understand. Well, even though Mama herself said that there are many others who can do those but..."


    Lily herself probably never met any others who could, huh... I had honestly no idea what Yumias was really capable of... But I did know, that she was someone we definitely shouldn''t mess with. And that she was someone who at the very least knew about my old world.


    Quite a mysterious little girl, isn''t she? Which reminds me... ''Do not rest'' was it... Just what did she mean with that?


    It was an ominous warning, to say the least. Why couldn''t she be clear about it?


    "Hey, Lily..."


    "Mh?"


    "Do you know what she meant. When she was telling me that I shouldn''t rest?"


    I had no idea myself. That''s why, I simply had to ask the one who knew her the best, right?


    "Don''t rest, huh... Mm, I can only take a guess, if you are fine with that."


    "That''s okay."


    "Well, you see, Mama has always been someone who is looking for entertainment."


    "Entertainment?"


    What did her entertainment have to do with me resting? That seemed like a huge jump to me.


    "Yes. She''s messing around with others because she wants to be entertained, she wants to have fun. Pretty much everything I''ve seen her doing was mostly for that purpose."


    "Everything, huh..."


    "Wait, Lily, wouldn''t that mean..."


    Karen stared at Lily, clenching her fist around the clothes.


    "Well, yes. She probably picked me up because of that as well. I''m still grateful to her, though. And I don''t really have any reason to complain. She cared for me and I love her. She''s the one who raised me, together with Papa."


    Yumias only raised Lily because she thought it might be fun? Wasn''t that, like, really irresponsible? Although Lily herself didn''t seem to mind it at all.


    "Anyway, rather than me, I think she was playing around with Yumi for that same reason."


    "... Does she see everything as a game?"


    "In a way, yes."


    Lily smiled wryly.


    So I was just a game to her? That was... irresponsible? I honestly didn''t know how I should feel about it...


    "But she does properly see things through, okay? Even if she is the root problem... Or when she just makes everything worse... In any case! I think that maybe she is beginning to, I don''t know, feel bored? Or worried that her entertainment would end soon? I don''t really know the reason, but I think you should take it seriously."


    "So, you''re saying something is bound to happen? And that I''m not prepared for that, or so?"


    "I think that''s the case, yes."


    That was even more ominous. That really made me feel worried.


    "Ah, but it''s just a guess, I don''t know whether it really is like that. It could also be just some random nonsense to throw you off."


    "No, thank you, Lily. It helps. Even if she just said it to throw me off, being... careful doesn''t hurt."


    It was at the very least the best idea we had so far. And even if it wasn''t something she was serious about... I did decide to protect them. And that''s what I would have to do.


    "Yumi, Lily, let''s think about that tomorrow. Let''s get the others and head to bed for now," suggested Karen with a serious expression.


    "Nn, let''s do that."


    Yes, we could think about that tomorrow.


    We checked once more that we hadn''t left anything behind after we cleaned up and then left the building, towards the camp.


    Outside the building, we were greeted by the night sky.


    "Ohh, it''s this late already, huh..."


    "Well, we did take a lot of time in the bath, Lily," commented Karen.


    "Having such a large bath for yourself is rare after all. Ahh, I want to go again."


    "Maybe we''ll get another chance, some time."


    That would be great. While the mercenaries had a large tent for bathing purposes, it wasn''t that large. Just big enough for a few dozen people at once. And even then, not everyone could enter the water at the same time. Add to that, that everyone wanted to take a bath and you couldn''t take your time. It was a really different, refreshing feeling if you could bath and just take it easy.


    "Speaking of which, isn''t it hard to maintain such a large bath?"


    "Huh? No, not really? Well, getting that amount of elemental stones ready is a rather costly expenditure. But once you got those, it''s just a simple matter of emptying the bath, refilling it and then heating it," explained Lily to me.


    "... That''s quite impressive."


    It might have been one thing if there was hot water source beneath the fort, but apparently, this wasn''t even needed here. Magic was convenient. Really. I didn''t want to imagine how it would have been without magic... On a plateau... There likely wasn''t any water beneath us for a well, although that was just a random guess of mine. So, without those stones...


    "But Lily, don''t they also have to clean it?" asked Karen.


    "Well... I think so?"


    "That alone would be already a lot of work, considering that size."


    "... I guess you''re right."


    Cleaning the bath, huh... I wondered how many hours that would take. Looking at it positively though, they were still being paid for it. Well, I didn''t want to do it. Even if it was paid work.


    But thinking about cleaning... it was likely that other issues would pop up over time as well. Like broken stones or so.


    "Well, it doesn''t really have anything to do with us, though. So whatever."


    Lily shrugged her shoulders, ending the topic.


    "Rather, let''s look for the others. Where did they even run off to? Weren''t they supposed to wait here?"


    "Good question. Maybe they went ahead?"


    "I guess so. Haa... I want to sleep."


    Lily raised her hand in front of her mouth and let out a big yawn.


    "Only a bit longer, Lily."


    "Mh..."


    Lily held up her hand again and started another yawn. Although, this time it was interrupted by a loud crash.


    "Wha-, What was that?"


    "Ahhh!"


    Lily squatted down and held her hands in front of her mouth. There were tears in her eyes.


    "Lily? Lily, is everything fine?"


    "Mmm! Mm!"


    She was flailing her free arm while still holding her mouth with her other hand. Maybe she wanted to tell us something, but I had really no idea what it was. And now I was watching a worried Karen trying to figure out whatever Lily was trying to tell us.


    A few moments later, we would finally hear it though. She stopped flailing and then turned towards us.


    "... Bid my thongue," she said. Or tried to.


    "You... bit your tongue?"


    Lily nodded in response to Karen''s question.


    "Id hurdz."


    "... Haaa, and I thought it was something serious. Don''t scare me like that.


    "


    "Id''th theriouz!"


    "I got no idea what you are trying to say, Lily."


    While it was cute how Lily was protesting with tears in her eyes, I was a bit worried about that noise we had heard. There wasn''t much that could cause such a loud sound, reminiscent of an explosion. Also, I could hear other people''s voices from far away, shouting.


    "Sis, as long as Lily is fine, shouldn''t we go and look at what happened? I''m a bit worried about the others."


    "We should, yes. Lily, are you fine now?"


    Lily nodded, probably so she didn''t have to speak.


    "Then, let''s take a look."


    Karen took the lead and we walked over to the source of the commotion. It wasn''t really that far away from where we were and we quickly saw a whole lot of people running to the place as well, many looking worried or panicked. And we quickly understood why.


    "Just what''s going on here? What happened?"


    "... That doesn''t look good."


    A part of the wall including the gate towards the bridge had collapsed. Many soldiers rushed to the wreckage, trying to dig out people that got buried. Close by I saw a group of soldiers surrounding a person on the ground. A person lying in their own pool of blood.


    "Oh, the kids are here."


    Someone called out to us from close by. Karen gasped in surprise, seeing the person in question.


    "Wanda?! Shouldn''t you be lying down?"


    "What are you surprised about, girly, some little illness can''t keep me tied down. I''m not like that little Merim."


    "Could you please stop badmouthing me so casually?"


    Right behind Wanda appeared Merim. Both of them didn''t look healthy. In the shine of the lamps, we could see how pale both of their faces still were. They clearly looked like people who should be confined to their beds.


    "Is it fine that you two are walking about? Shouldn''t you stay down? You''re really pale."


    "While things like this go on? Not too fond of the prospect of being buried alive, kid. We''ll manage."


    "She''s right, Yumi. And we''re not that bad off compared to the garrison. We just caught a mild cold or something like that."


    "That wasn''t really mild, Merim."


    "Ouch!"


    Wanda hit the back of Merim''s head in clear protest. If she already refused to call it mild, shouldn''t she also see that walking around like this wasn''t going to make it any better?


    "Haa... As long as you are sure you are fine... Then, tell us, just what happened here? Did something explode?" asked Lily.


    "This? Not quite sure either. Something like a failed apprehension?"


    "A failed apprehension?"


    "Better ask Korwen about that or anyone else who knows. I only saw the soldiers chasing some man and then everything went bright. Next thing I knew was the wall collapsing. Guess the man used some magic."


    "I only just arrived as well, so I don''t know either."


    So neither Wanda nor Merim knew what was going on.


    "I see. But... I can''t see Mr Captain and the soldiers seem busy, don''t they?" wondered Karen.


    "That seems to be the case, girly. Better not disturb the ones out there. Oh, I see Fenna there, so let''s ask her instead."


    Wanda briskly walked away towards the person she spotted. Fenna stood a bit to the side, talking with a middle-aged man.


    "Fenna."


    "Hm? Eh?! Wanda?! What the heck are you doing here?! You should be in bed!"


    "Calm down, dear. With this noise, it''s impossible to sleep. Just what happened?"


    "Ahh, wait a moment. Rhoms, go and find the captain after you are done, yes?"


    "Understood, Ms Fenna!"


    The middle-aged man saluted and jogged away.


    "Ahh, you girls are here too. Wait, vice-captain?! Why are you here?!"


    "Calm down, Fenna. Calm down. We''re not on death''s door, after all."


    "Even if you aren''t, it could still become problematic! Did you get Ria''s permission before leaving?"


    "That''s..."


    Merim awkwardly turned his head around. Clearly, they didn''t.


    "We didn''t, Fenna. But it''s fine, really. Aren''t you in charge right now? What will the others think if you get so heated up?"


    "Uhhh..."


    "Just tell us what happened, yes?"


    "Haa... I get it, I get it.  You won''t return to your beds anyway, right. Haa..."


    Fenna held her forehead and rubbed her temples.


    "Well, it''s pretty simple. Did you hear about the witch coming over? I don''t know what she did, but the captain and the fort''s commander, Mr Ruben, were rather upset about something. They tried to apprehend that guy over there."


    She pointed towards the man that had been lying on the ground. It was clear he died somehow and now his corpse was being carried away by some soldiers.


    "That''s apparently the high magician stationed in this fort, you know. They say he was responsible for the disease outbreak. That''s scary as heck, a high magician sabotaging an entire fort."


    "That''s indeed bad... I guess he resisted and blew up the wall?" asked Merim.


    "Yeah, the soldiers cut him down in a panic before he could do anything else. A shame we can''t question him anymore..."


    A high magician... Judging from that title it was obviously someone very skilled.


    "Ah! I''ve been wondering what Mama meant with a curse, so that guy cast it!"


    "Curse? And... mama?"


    Fenna tilted her head at Lily''s comment. Luckily for her, Karen stepped in to explain.


    "She means Yumias. We talked with her earlier and she was talking about a curse being the source of this trouble."


    "A curse... No wonder then, the only one capable of such a thing would indeed be the high magician..."


    "Nn? Are curses that hard?"


    "You don''t know? Well, curses, or rather all kinds of magic that influence a person''s body, belong to the especially difficult types of spells."


    Especially difficult, she said?


    "Why especially difficult?"


    "Kid, most magic needs the caster to have a certain degree of knowledge on the phenomenon they try to invoke. That''s why healing magic and curse magic are so incredibly rare. The only exception would be spirit magic, as they skip that part, but a magician who can use that kind of magic is even rarer..." told me Wanda.


    A certain degree of knowledge... That was a bit odd to hear when the magic I used was mostly done by guts and instinct. I couldn''t even remotely explain what I was doing with my magic...


    "Anyway, this is really a bad outcome. I wouldn''t be surprised if the captain tells us to bail," murmured Merim.


    "Huh?"


    I was surprised by Merim''s words. He said we might bail? Did that mean... something was going to happen?


    "Well, why do you think he destroyed the gate?"


    "Uhh..."


    "Without a gate, it''s nearly impossible to defend the bridge right now."


    "..."


    Defend the bridge? I didn''t mishear, right? He did say ''defend the bridge''.


    "Let''s return to the wagons and wait for orders from the captain," suggested Merim.


    Everyone nodded and so we slowly made our way back to the wagons.


    Defending the bridge... So the bridge might get attacked? Is this... what Yumias referred to?


    ''Do not rest''. That''s what she told me. For some reason, those words kept echoing in my mind. As if they refused to let me be.


    "Kid, stop spacing out."


    "Nn? Ah, sorry."


    Wanda''s words brought me back to reality. We were currently back at the mercenaries'' camp. Most people had heard about the commotion.


    We quickly found Rina and the other three lurking in the vicinity. According to Maya, they had watched the chase and then ran back to the camp once it went out of control. All four of them felt quite bad about not waiting for us. We had a few more important things going on right now, though, so they got away with a light scolding from Karen.


    "Ah, there''s the captain."


    "He seems pretty upset..."


    "I got a bad feeling."


    "Mr Greyward is with him too."


    Korwen had walked into the camp. Probably. I couldn''t see anything thanks to the crowd in front of me. Thankfully, he climbed onto one of the wagons and turned towards the mercenaries. He was clearly upset about something, his expression distorted into a grimace.


    Although, I could still only barely make out his head.


    "Eh, isn''t that Mama there? I can''t quite see."


    "Wait, Lily... Yes, it seems that Yumias is behind Mr Captain."


    Karen stood on her tiptoes and tried to look over the crowd.


    Nn? Was Lily always shorter than Sis? I never noticed... Well, they are both tall from my perspective...


    Discarding the random thought, it seemed that Korwen wasn''t quite alone. Maybe Yumias was the cause of his anger. Or, maybe she wasn''t.


    "Men! Get in order! Stop the mumbling, are you little girls on a field trip?!"


    Korwen shouted, causing everyone to shut up without a moment''s delay. Well, everyone except a group at the side, it seemed. Korwen glanced over to them angrily, but he didn''t say anything anymore. He faced forwards and took a deep breath.


    "You just heard that explosion, right?! The Lafrian high magician caused an explosion and destroyed the gate to the bridge! The gate towards the Akkian Empire is open!"


    Towards the Akkian Empire... Wait, he couldn''t mean?


    "It''s likely this was those bastards'' plan! Weakening this fort and opening the gate! That means, they will come here. They will come to this place! This fort! To fight the Lafrian Kingdom once more! Men! Do you know what that means?!"


    Silence. Then, some small, suppressed laughter could be heard. And then, someone raised his fist into the air and...


    "WAR!"


    Someone else raised theirs as well and joined, followed by more and more. Within but a moment, all the men raised their fists and chanted.


    "WAR! WAR! WAR! WAR! WAR"


    A ferocious grin appeared on Korwen''s face. It was the first time I had seen this expression on his face. It was scary, different. Different from the man I was used to seeing. Different from the slightly awkward, friendly man. This was the expression of someone who was ready to jump at your throat.


    "That''s right, you bastards! It''s war! And what do we do when there''s a war?!"


    "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"


    They chanted and then, they all broke out into cheers and laughter.


    "Well, guess that means no bailing," commented Merim, shaking his head.


    "But if he is riling up the men in this situation... There''s probably some other problem, isn''t there..." added Wanda.


    "Yeah, most likely, there is. I agree with you."


    I stared at those two next to me. I hadn''t yet finished processing the words I had heard.


    War? There would be war? Was this... really happening?


    I took another glance towards Korwen. He was still shouting, to get the men hyped up.


    "Yumi, are you okay? You don''t look good," asked Karen, shouting so her voice wasn''t drowned out by the cheering.


    "Ye, Yes... I''m fine. It''s just..."


    A war meant battle. And battles meant...


    I took a deep breath, calming myself.


    Don''t get agitated, Yumi. Calm down. You''ve just been too concerned with Yumias'' words. It''s just bothering you too much. Calm down!


    I took another deep breath.


    "It''s fine, Sis... I''m just a bit... overwhelmed."


    "... Ahh, I can understand that."


    The deafening cheering continued. It was a stark contrast to what I usually saw of these people.


    It reminds me a bit of that ferocious smile I saw Lily making... Back when the met for the first time...


    Yes, that very same smiled adorned now the faces of many men here. It really made me realise... These were mercenaries. These were people who killed for a living. Just like Lefa had said. It was exactly this.


    Was she... maybe right? Was I the one... who was wrong?


    Something was suddenly tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.


    "Yumi..."


    "Maya?"


    Maya stood next to me, her fluffy ears tightly pressed against the sides of her head. She seemed scared. Behind her were Emily and Sele. Emily looked also really scared and panicky.


    "It''s going to be alright, Maya."


    "..."


    I ruffled her hair, hoping that it might comfort her a bit.


    They are scared, aren''t they... Maybe even more so, than I am... Ahh, what am I doing? Didn''t I tell myself I would protect them?! Get a grip, Yumi! You''re the oldest one here! Stop moping around!


    Slap!


    "Yu, Yumi?!"


    "Ouch! It hurts! It hurts!"


    "Of course it hurt, why did you slap your own cheek?"


    That was a good question. I was crouching down and holding both of my cheeks, burning with pain.


    "Uhh... I always thought that characters do that to get themselves in order... But this seriously hurts..."


    "I don''t know where you got that nonsense from... Of course, it would hurt."


    Yes, it really was nonsense. I would never slap my own cheeks again. Definitely. Without a doubt. Whoever slapped their own cheeks full force was without a doubt dumb. Including myself.


    "Uhh... It burns..."


    "Come here, let''s get somewhere quieter. I can''t hear what you''re saying."


    Karen pulled my arm and dragged me away from the still cheering crowd.


    "Let''s see, around here should be good. Let me see your cheeks, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    "Mh... Doesn''t seem all too bad. Did you cut your cheeks somewhere in your mouth."


    "I don''t think so."


    I couldn''t taste any blood and the pain was mostly just the place where I hit myself. So I was most likely fine.


    "We don''t have anything to cool it, so you have to deal with it like this for now. Really, don''t do such stupid things..."


    "Sorry..."


    "Well, Karen, don''t be so harsh on her. It''s been a while since she did something stupid like this. It''s refreshing to see it again."


    Lily, I''m not doing this for your amusement. And I''ll only allow you to call me stupid this one time. Only this one time! Because I actually agree for once.


    Karen in the meantime shook her head and sighed. The other girls had followed us, leaving the cheering crowd behind. Although Wanda and Merim had apparently stayed behind. Maybe they wanted to hear what Korwen had to say.


    "And here I was so glad she didn''t do anything ridiculous the last days..."


    "Now, Karen. It would be boring if Yumi stopped doing anything ridiculous," said Lily.


    "... Just how are you people seeing me?"


    "You probably don''t want to know that."


    That answer made me only more worried. Just what did Lily think of me?


    "Well, in any case. Seems this really suddenly blew out quite out of proportion. I thought this was just a simple case of a disease and suddenly we got a war..."


    "Lily... Is this... really happening?"


    "It is, Yumi. They went so far as using a curse, after all. There''s little doubt someone planned this. Whether it is the Akkian Empire, though, I don''t know."


    "But, Lily, what does the curse have anything to do with this? Doesn''t magic stop when the caster dies?"


    Karen tilted her head in wonder.


    "It does but... Think about it, Yumi had quite the bad dream because of it, right? Imagine in what state all those soldiers have to be when they wake up now. They''ve been trapped in there not just for minutes or hours, but for days. Even if they wake up now, they won''t be any use in battle for quite some time, even once they recover from the actual illness. It''s arguable if they will be fit for battle ever again in the first place."


    Being trapped in there for such a long time. I didn''t want to imagine it. Surely, I would never be sane again after seeing my own greatest fears without end. It was cruel beyond a doubt.


    Meanwhile, in the background, another loud cheer echoed through the camp.


    "It''s only a matter of time until the Akkian Empire or whoever else appears with their army.  This is already as good as a declaration of war."


    "Lily... How strong is the Akkian Empire?"


    "That''s a tough question, Karen... The normal army is about average, I guess. The mercenaries won''t be losing out to them. The problem is the holy knights'' squad."


    "Holy Knights?"


    I tilted my head in wonder. Not quite something I''d expect to hear from an army. Those sounded more like someone related to that church.


    "Yes. Yumi, do you remember those white full plate-armour knights when we visited the mercenary camp the first time?"


    "I do."


    "Those are the holy knights."


    "Eh? Full plate armour?"


    Karen looked shocked at Lily for some reason. Was it that odd to wear such a thing?


    "Yes, full plate armour. And they casually walk around in it."


    "No way..."


    "Uhm... What''s the problem?"


    Lily and Karen stared at me in confusion. And much to my surprise, even Emily, Maya and Sele stared at me.


    "Yumi... Do you know how much plate armour weighs?"


    "Eh?"


    "Even a plate mail set made out of magic iron weighs around as much as a grown adult man. If not more."


    "... Seriously?"


    "Seriously."


    A grown man''s weight? That was like, around 80kg?


    "Nn? Magic Iron?"


    An unfamiliar term had also popped up.


    "It''s a metal made from iron. It''s cheap to make but it still weighs around two to three times as much as regular iron."


    "... Then why not use regular iron or steel?"


    "Regular iron is too weak. And no idea what steel is. But back to the topic, the holy knights wear something even worse than magic iron. It''s called sun metal and it''s said to be an impenetrable metal. Although it weighs easily around ten times or more of regular iron. It''s also incredibly expensive..."


    That means... If magic iron weighed around 2.5 times that of iron... Then the plate mail those knights were wearing were as heavy as four grown men at the very least.


    "Lily... How does one even walk with that."


    "By being ridiculously strong. Do you understand now why those knights are scary?"


    "Nn... I do."


    Someone who could walk around in 240kg of plate mail without breaking a sweat... That was purely inhuman. Even more so if the armour was said to be impenetrable. How did one even fight such a thing?


    Meanwhile, I''m considered a monster but those people are considered humans. Oh, the irony...


    I knew it wasn''t really that simple, but it still shocked me. I wouldn''t have complained if I was a little bit stronger.


    "If the holy knights appear here... That wouldn''t even be a battle, it''d be a slaughter. No chance."


    Lily''s expression made clear how bad that situation would be. It just was a bit of a bad time to tell us these things.


    Behind Lily, the three girls all looked down to the ground, depressed.


    "Ahh! Lily! You can''t say such things now! Girls, it''s going to be alright, okay? You don''t have to worry."


    "Ah, oops."


    Karen squatted down next to the three and tried comforting them. But Lily''s words were already showing their effect. Tears were gathering in Maya''s and Emily''s eyes.


    "Good job, Lily..."


    "Ehh... I''m sorry, okay? That wasn''t what I wanted..."


    "Haa..."


    To be honest, we asked and she just explained it to us, so it wasn''t really her fault.


    Well, Karen would probably be able to comfort those three appropriately.


    "Hey, Lil Sis..."


    "Nn? Rina?"


    In the meantime, Rina had walked up to me, her face full of worry.


    "Are we going... to be alright?"


    "... Of course, we are. Right, Lily?"


    "Eh? Yes, yes, of course!"


    Lily quickly joined in.


    I can only hope we really will be alright. Nn? Is that Fenna? And Ria?


    Fenna and Ria were walking towards us with quick steps.


    "Fenna, Ria. Is Korwen''s speech already over?"


    "No, not yet. But he already gave out a few orders."


    "Orders?"


    He was giving out orders during his speech?


    "Yes, well, it''s just a simple evacuation order for the non-combatants."


    "Ahh..."


    I took a quick glance towards the girls Karen was still comforting. I assumed those three would be evacuated as well then. They had been training according to Korwen, but still. They were just little girls. And this was different from a sudden monster assault.


    "And everyone else?"


    "Some basic preparation orders and who escorts the non-combatants. In any case, you girls should pack your things and get ready to leave."


    "... Eh?"


    I stared at Fenna. I wasn''t the only one, mind you. Lily and even Karen did so as well.


    "Fenna, didn''t you just say the non-combatants leave?" asked Lily.


    "I did."


    "Ehh..."


    "... I know what you want to say. But you all will join the evacuation. The only one with proper combat training among you is Lily, and Yumi''s dolls are probably not going to be of much use here. It''d be better if you join the escort. Also..."


    Fenna took a glance towards the three girls behind her. Then she pulled my own and Lily''s arm and brought us a few steps away. Karen furrowed her brows, but she was still comforting the girls. Rina walked over to her and tried to help her. Ria followed us, though.


    "What I''m going to say now is just my personal opinion, but, well,  some others agree with me. When you all reach the capital... Leave the mercenaries."


    "Eh?"


    "Wait, Fenna! What are you saying?!"


    "Psht! Don''t shout now, Lily."


    Fenna quickly put a hand over Lily''s mouth to shut her up.


    "Listen, I''m not suggesting this out of a whim. It''s mostly about Emily, Maya and Sele."


    She glanced once more to the back.


    "You already know about the discrimination problems, right? Those three girls won''t become happy here. So far we didn''t have a choice but now... They found a family, didn''t they?"


    "That''s... But..."


    "Also... I don''t think you girls are suited to be mercenaries either."


    A little smile floated on Fenna''s face. For some reason, it seemed to be a sad smile.


    "You all are way too kind. I don''t want to see such nice girls breaking from battle... I''ve seen too many sharing that fate already. You girls, you should find something else. Something peaceful. Forget about battle. Why not open a bakery or a little store? There are many things you can do. Don''t stay here."


    "... Fenna, you can''t be serious, we''re already..."


    "Stop it, Lily. I''m not going to force you. But you should think about what is best for you all, for your family. Being with the mercenaries... I can''t see all of you girls surviving that. And even if you do... Do you think Karen or Yumi can bear it? Always killing people, always being scared who might attack you, who might try to take your life... I''ve seen so many break, going crazy. I don''t want you to join them. I really don''t."


    "That is..."


    Lily stared at the ground, clenching her teeth.


    "Lily, you should know best why the Black Guards don''t take new recruits. They don''t want to see even more young people''s lives ruined. They''ve already seen so many die. So many losing their mind. Just as I did, as the captain did, as most of us did."


    "..."


    "The battlefield is not a place for young girls such as you all."


    Fenna poked Lily''s nose tip and let out a small giggle.


    "Also, we already talked with the captain about it, prior to this incident."


    "... And he agreed to this?"


    "... He did, in a way."


    "I see."


    Lily let out a sigh.


    "What about the Black Guards?"


    "... They''ll join the escort."


    "Eh?"


    Lily''s eyes went wide.


    "Their captain requested it. He was trying really hard to shout against that crowd. It probably wasn''t easy on him."


    "..."


    "I guess he simply didn''t want to see a certain someone crying once more."


    "... That idiot. Idiot papa..."


    A small smile appeared on Lily''s face.


    "Fenna, but... Why isn''t everyone leaving together?" I asked.


    "... I don''t know the details, sorry. But there seems to be a reason for it, at least. The captain usually wouldn''t take such a risk here. But he must have judged it would be even worse if we don''t defend this place."


    "I see..."


    Fenna put her hand on my head and ruffled my hair strongly.


    "Now, enough of that. Think well about what you all are going to do. And consider what is best for your future. I''m sure you girls can find something."


    "... Are you sure?"


    Fenna laughed and broke out into a wide smile.


    "Of course. As long as you are alive, there''s always a way. Even if you fail, don''t stop moving. Don''t stop trying. Life is not a clear, straight road. It''s a vast maze. And there are so many ways and just as many dead ends. Some ways are treacherous, some are dangerous, some might look nice, but are a dead end. But if you don''t move, you will never find any of them."


    "A maze..."


    "Yes, a maze. That''s why, isn''t it your job to explore that maze? To find your path? Together with those dear to you?"


    She ruffled my hair once more.


    "Whatever you do. Don''t regret it. Even this is part of your path. But you have to think about it, whether you want to continue on this path, or try a different one. The world is vast, and life has many sides to it. Don''t close your eyes to it."


    "But... is that really alright?"


    "Why shouldn''t it? It''s your life and you should decide on how you live it, right? "


    "Nn..."


    Her hand disappeared from my head.


    "Now, the little life lecture is over, so take this."


    Fenna took a small leather bag that was hanging on her belt and handed it over to me.


    "This is?"


    "Your salary and a little bonus from us."


    "Eh?"


    "It''ll let you live decently for a small while. Until you find something you can do."


    The leather bag was heavy and made quite a lot of noise.


    "That only leaves one issue. Ria, would you?"


    "Mhh... I understand... Yumi, come here..."


    "Eh? What now?"


    While I was still overwhelmed, Ria suddenly took my hand.


    "Mhh... I should be able to do it... We only need Ruben''s signature after this..."


    "That''s good. Go to Rina afterwards and get hers too."


    "Will do..."


    Ria pulled out a little metal sheet.


    "This will hurt a bit..."


    "Haa... Eh? Wait for a second, you can''t mean to..."


    In addition to the metal sheet, Ria also pulled out a little knife.


    "If you struggle... It''ll hurt more."


    "... Whatever you are going to do... Can''t we do it without that knife?"


    "... No... Not really..."


    Have mercy on me!


    I averted my eyes and tried to hold still. A little moment later a sharp pain assaulted my thumb.


    "This will do."


    "Perfect, oh? Wait, it''s already gone?"


    "Mh..."


    I opened my eyes again and turned back to them. Both of them were staring at my pristine, white thumb.


    "That''s some impressive healing..."


    "Mh... Tentacle monsters and their kin... Are known for their impressive regeneration..."


    "Still, it''s scary seeing it yourself."


    "Eh, Fenna, Ria... Would you explain what you did?"


    While I was glad the pain was gone quickly, I still wanted to know what the purpose of this even was.


    "This..."


    Ria held up the metal plate. On it were various symbols and a pinkish spot in the corner.


    "It''s a mana pass. You will need it to enter the city."


    "Ohh... But weren''t Rina and I supposed to talk with Ruben for that?"


    "Mh... Emergency measures..."


    "... I see."


    In other words, we were going to skip that part. Although they said that it still needed his signature. Was this really alright?


    "I''ll go collect... Rina''s..."


    Ria turned around without another word and walked off, leaving me and Lily alone with Fenna. Lily seemed to be lost in thought, though.


    "Now then, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I already said enough, I guess. Still, I want to say it again. Think well about your future. You''re not alone anymore, right?"


    "... I guess so."


    Yes, I wasn''t alone anymore. But... No, just like she said, I had to think about it. Together with the others.


    "Also, one more small warning. Try to stay away from the mercenaries'' families as much as possible."


    "Nn? Because of the discrimination?"


    "That too, but... Honestly, I don''t trust them. They don''t really understand the danger, they are too used to being protected. And I fear they might do something to jeopardise everything. Some of them can get... quite extreme."


    "Got it. We''ll stay as far from them as we can."


    "Great. Now then, I think I said all I wanted, so..."


    Fenna opened her arms wide and the hugged me and Lily who was dragged out of her thoughts.


    "I wish you all the best. Until we meet again."


    "Nn... See you, Fenna. And thank you."


    "Yes, see you. Don''t you dare not coming back."


    "Ha! You two should worry about yourselves first. This is our job, we know what we''re doing, don''t you worry."


    "I see. Good luck."


    She let us go and grinned. Then she turned around and left, waving a final time before saying her farewell to Karen and the others.


    "... I guess we got some thinking to do, don''t we."


    "Nn."


    "Thinking about what''s best for your family, huh..."


    "Nn..."


    "I... never really thought about it like that... I always... thought about myself..."


    I glanced at Lily. She was staring at the night sky.


    "Let''s go, Yumi. We still got a job to do."


    "Nn, that we do."


    Rinne


    Thank you for reading!


    I hope you enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it for a long time.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Evacuation

    "Leaving the mercenaries? Fenna said that?"


    "Nn..."


    "She did, Karen..."


    Shortly after Fenna left, Lily and I told Karen about our conversation with her.


    "But... what would we even do then?"


    "That''s... I don''t know either."


    Karen furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Even if we would do that, what about those three? I can''t imagine them wanting to leave."


    "Nn, probably."


    Even if Emily, Maya and Sele had their own share of troubles, they still grew up here with the mercenaries. And they were quite attached to Korwen as well.


    "Well, we have some time until we have to decide. So how about we just let it rest for a bit and decide later?"


    "But Lily..."


    "Karen, hurrying it won''t help us either. And to be honest... I can see where Fenna was coming from..."


    "Eh?"


    Karen and I both looked at Lily in surprise. She surely was the last person I would have expected to agree with Fenna.


    "You see, thinking about it for a bit... Fenna''s worries are quite right. I''ve always been the youngest among the Black Guards so I never had to... experience that myself... But as the Black Guards are a small band we often worked with others."


    Lily looked up, at the stars and the two moons shining brightly.


    "Once we worked with another mercenary band... They were a reckless, young bunch. Papa tried to rein them in, but they only thought of him as annoying. The job was a monster subjugation and... More than half of them died on the job... And the ones that survived were..."


    Lily shook her head as if chasing away the memories.


    "I don''t think it''d be that bad with the Dragon Knights here... But I certainly understand Fenna''s worries... Death is common among the mercenaries... And..."


    She turned around, flashing us a smile.


    "I never had to worry about the Black Guards, they are strong, they know what they are doing. But now there are others dear to me that aren''t as strong. You two might still be fine but..."


    The others wouldn''t... No, I had evaded the thought of it until now but... I wasn''t sure I would be able to handle it either.


    "A-, Anyway, we should think about it carefully. Alright?"


    "Nn..."


    Lily turned around, her back facing us now.


    "Is this really alright, though? Lily, Yumi, what... what other choice do we even have?"


    "Well, we''ll have to find that out, Karen, don''t we?"


    "... I guess."


    Karen seemed a little unsure about all of this. It was sudden. It really was. Even assuming we would leave the mercenaries, what options did we have? The slums were definitely not an option, we could just stay with the mercenaries then. That would be, in fact, safer. Quite ironic, but that''s how it was.


    "Rather than wondering about it right now, how about we talk about it later with everyone? It should only take a bit over half a day to the capital from here. But we can just discuss it tomorrow morning then," suggested Lily.


    That wasn''t really as long a trip as I expected. I kind of expected it to be quite a bit further away.


    "I guess we should do that..."


    "Nn."


    "Great! With that out of the way, we should see what we can do to help with the evacuation."


    "Nn... But Lily... How can we even help? I have no idea what we''re supposed to do."


    We weren''t really told anything specific, were we?


    "Well... The others are packing their own things for now. Most of my things are either in the wagon or with the Black Guards, so I don''t have anything to pack I guess."


    "Nn... My things are in the wagon as well."


    Not like I even had many things though. Ah, I probably should look for the dolls, though.


    "Same for me, so..."


    "So, Karen as well... We all don''t have anything, huh... That''s somehow sad, you know."


    "Lily... Anyway, I don''t know where the dolls are, so maybe I should look for those."


    It might be a bit troublesome if they would end up in the hands of others. Wait...


    "Actually, can''t I leave them here?"


    "Yumi?"


    "Well, the dolls don''t really need me around, right? And maybe those dolls can... at least help them out here a bit."


    "..."


    Lily smiled and ruffled my hair a bit.


    "Let''s ask them, yes? But we have to look for them first anyway."


    "Nn?"


    "Well, they don''t really listen to everyone, right? If you want them to help out here, you have to tell them whose orders they can listen to."


    "Oh, that''s right."


    That was actually something I had wanted to do anyway. Korwen did tell me that before, after all.


    "Then, let''s look for them. Yumi, do you know where you saw them last?" asked Karen.


    "I haven''t really seen them since yesterday, but I was told Emily and the others had them. And I think they are in that crate they brought back from the fort''s warehouse."


    "Ah, that one. I know where it was last, so let''s go."


    It seemed that Lily knew where we had to go. She took the lead, evading the crowd of cheering and chanting mercenaries by a wide margin. I was actually impressed that they were still at it. It was a bit scary.


    "Hey, Lily."


    "Karen?"


    "Is it... normal for mercenaries to be that... happy? About war?"


    "Well..."


    Lily slowed down a bit, allowing us to catch up with her.


    "I guess, yes. The Black Guards were rather meticulous in their preparations and always went about them rather stoically, but even they were looking forward to it."


    "... And what about you?"


    "Eh?"


    Karen stared at Lily''s face, which had stiffened.


    "Me? That is..."


    She looked down to the ground, then to the sky and then to the side, as if she was troubled. Then she took a deep breath.


    "War... is scary. To be honest, the Black Guards always avoided wars since they started taking care of me. I only know of it from their stories. If it''s fighting then I''d say I do like it. But about war... I don''t know."


    "... I see."


    Scary? That was... unexpected. Even Karen seemed surprised, judging from her widened eyes.


    "Well, you see. If you fight someone you usually do it on equal terms. Both sides know they could die. But war... War is not like that."


    "Huh?"


    It wasn''t like that? But... wasn''t that what war was all about at its core?


    "Lily, I''m not quite sure I follow?" said Karen, furrowing her brows.


    "Ah, well, you see. Do you know how armies are made?"


    "Made? From soldiers?"


    "Yes, soldiers. And where do those soldiers come from?"


    Where should they come from? Wasn''t this their job?


    Karen tilted her head as well.


    "You see, not all soldiers are soldiers voluntarily. Many of them are drafted from villages. The actual standing army isn''t that large. Even if they still make the majority of the fighting force, as they are trained."


    "Wait, but, then... If they are drafted... But not even a significant part of the fighting force... Then, why?"


    "You could call them a living meat wall."


    "Wha-"


    A living meat wall? Was she joking?


    "Well, it''s not really that bad, but it comes pretty close. Depending on the country it might be just that bad, though. In any case, many soldiers aren''t there because they want to. They aren''t prepared for that equal risk."


    "..."


    They didn''t want to fight...


    Yes, I could imagine that being scary. Of course, nobody wanted to die. Even if they were prepared for that risk, I was sure that most people would still take care. But if you were just thrown onto the middle of the battlefield... That was scary. I didn''t want to imagine it. Nor did I want to imagine having to fight someone who was in that situation.


    Maybe... Fenna was right... Maybe we''re not suited to this...


    "In any case, I don''t think I could like war."


    "Huh... I guess, that makes me feel a bit relieved."


    "Relieved, huh. Well, I''d be worried too if you or Yumi had suddenly joined that war chanting."


    No, I didn''t want to have anything to do with that war chant. It was scary, oppressive. As if something was pressing down on you, suffocating you. Such an atmosphere was... uncomfortable.


    "Ah, the crate was last around there, I think."


    Lily pointed forwards at a wagon. If I recalled correctly, it was one of the wagons filled with supplies.


    "Let''s take a look."


    Not hesitating in the least, Lily opened the door and entered the wagon.


    I wondered for a bit whether it was really fine not checking if it wasn''t occupied, but nobody screamed at Lily, so it was probably fine.


    "Mh... Ah, isn''t that the crate?"


    "Nn? Maybe? The crates all look the same."


    "Well, let''s just open it and take a look."


    Once again without any hesitation, she heaved the heavy lid up and revealed the crate''s contents. And sure enough, the dolls were inside.


    "Lily, you''re impressive," praised Karen her.


    "Ehehe, you''re welcome!"


    "Nn, you''re great, Lily. Thank you."


    "Ehehe!"


    A wide grin was on her face. She clearly felt happy about being praised. Such an innocent reaction.


    "Now then. Dolls, come here."


    Responding to my call, the dolls stirred and sluggishly climbed out of the crate. I wasn''t quite sure if they were so slow because they liked it inside or whether they were exhausted from being inside. To be honest, I wouldn''t be surprised at either being the case.


    "Nn, ah. What are you... Stop!"


    "Yumi... They like you, huh."


    "I would prefer if they would stop climbing me, though."


    The dolls all had walked to me and climbed up my legs and some even tried climbing my hair. I honestly wondered how they even managed to grip anything, much less climbing.


    "Uhh... Off with you."


    I plucked a few dolls off and threw them to the ground. Thankfully they didn''t try climbing me once more. A minute later I got them all off me. Just what the heck was up with that?


    "Well, now. We got the dolls so how about we go looking for either Fenna or someone else?" proposed Lily with an amused smile.


    "Nn..."


    I kept my eyes on the dolls, hoping they wouldn''t do something weird now. I certainly didn''t need that now.


    "Mr Captain is probably still busy so... I don''t know, maybe Mr Vice-Captain? Even if he is still ill technically..." suggested Karen.


    "I guess he''d be our best choice, unless we find Fenna, huh..."


    "Yes."


    I ordered the dolls to follow us and we left the wagon. Karen closed the door and then we took off to the crowd. Even from a distance, I could still make out that they were hyped and energetic. Although the crowd itself had shrunk by quite a lot. Most likely some people left due to their orders.


    "Mh, anyone seeing Merim or Fenna?"


    "No, I don''t..."


    It was really hard to make out single faces in that mass of humans. Though...


    "Actually, would he even stay in the crowd? I can''t imagine him being able to stay in there for long."


    I couldn''t imagine someone who still wasn''t feeling that well to be able to stay in that shouting crowd. It was loud and probably everything but good for your body if you weren''t fully recovered.


    "Mh, you''re right, Yumi. Maybe we should look close by? Let''s walk around a bit."


    "Nn."


    Keeping some distance to the mercenary crowd, we searched for Merim. I was wondering a little bit what Korwen was even telling them that they were still cheering.


    "Oh? Yumi, isn''t that..."


    "Nn?"


    Karen pointed at a small group in the distance. I couldn''t quite make out who that was though.


    "Isn''t that girl who was with you earlier? The one that brought you back. Ah, Merim is there too. And the others."


    Lily could make out who it was even better than Karen. My eyesight wasn''t bad, right? I was sure it was fine... Surely...


    "Well, let''s take a look, shall we?"


    "Nn."


    Lily jogged over to them with us following behind.


    "Even if you tell me that, what am I supposed to do? That''s not in my hands."


    "But isn''t it awful?! It''s awful!"


    "Haa..."


    Lefa, seemingly quite upset, was arguing with Merim for some reason. Lefa''s back was facing us so she didn''t see us, but Merim spotted us quickly.


    "Ohh, you''re here. Great!"


    Immediately a smile formed on his face and he nonchalantly walked past Lefa, approaching us. She still looked like she wanted to say something but Merim really must have wanted to escape from her. He completely ignored her.


    Too bad for him that we had already met Lefa. Since she had to turn around she noticed us as well.


    "Oh! Yumi!"


    And immediately dashed towards us, past Merim. She stopped right in front of me, so abruptly I feared she might crash into me for a second.


    "N-, Nn... Lefa... Why are you here?"


    "We were looking for the commotion!"


    "Haa."


    How did looking for the commotion end up in an argument with Merim? That was quite a jump, wasn''t it?


    "Ehh, Lefa, right? Why were you arguing with the vice-captain?" asked Lily.


    "Eh? We weren''t arguing?"


    "Not? Then... What were you talking about?"


    Lefa had clearly seemed upset, but now she claimed she wasn''t arguing with Merim. Certainly seemed a bit weird.


    "I was just talking about awful this is!"


    "This? Do you mean the commotion? Or..."


    "Those people! Doing something like hurting so many children and others!"


    "Ahh."


    So, she was just letting out her emotions? At Merim. Not quite a choice I expected. Weren''t the other two boys with her? Or did they flee already?


    "Certainly, it''s awful, that''s why we''re evacuating the fort, aren''t we?" said Merim who had finally caught up.


    "Yes. But still!"


    "Lefa, calm down."


    She already wanted to continue, so I tried to stop her.


    "Rather than that, what are you going to do? Will you leave as well?"


    "Eh? Yes! Alf and Eward wanted to get the professor later!"


    "Is he still in his room?"


    "Yes."


    She smiled for some reason. I got a bad feeling somehow.


    "Alf and Eward are good at magic, though. So he''ll be out quickly."


    "..."


    My condolences.


    The poor man was already an emotional wreck. Being chased out of his only sanctuary surely wasn''t great for him.


    "Ah, Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    "Can we leave with you all?"


    "With us?"


    I tilted my head. Didn''t they have their own methods of travel?


    "Yes, we were escorted by soldiers from the capital, but now there''s nobody who can escort us. And Alf and Eward aren''t good enough to fight any monsters we could encounter."


    "Ohh... Well, I don''t know."


    I turned to look at Karen and then at Merim.


    "We already said we''d bring them along with the mercenaries, so that''s not really a problem," told me Merim.


    "Ah, but I want to be with Yumi! I don''t wanna be with some middle-aged old men."


    "... We planned to leave you in the families'' care, though."


    Their care? But weren''t they...


    "Mr Vice-captain, are you sure that''s a good idea? I mean..."


    Karen, probably thinking the same thing I was, looked past Merim, towards the spot where he and Lefa had been arguing. There stood Wanda together with the other girls and also the two boys I had seen earlier.


    "Well, what else are we supposed to do? If it''s just about this girl, then it''s fine if she stays with you but the boys and the professor are a different thing. If they are fine with staying with the escort, that''d be something different, though."


    "Nn, did you ask them?"


    "Not yet..."


    He glanced at Lefa. Maybe she held him up for quite some time already.


    "I guess I''ll go over and ask them."


    "Nn... Ah, Vice-captain."


    "Yes?"


    He stopped in his tracks and turned back to me.


    "We wanted to ask you about these..."


    "Mh?"


    I pointed at the little crowd of dolls behind us.


    "Ohh... What''s with them?"


    "Well, we wanted to ask if we should leave them behind so they can help here..."


    "Mh... I guess that should be fine? Do they listen to others, though?"


    "I think that should be fine if I tell them to."


    I couldn''t guarantee that they''d continue listening to others even if I was away, though. But I did hope they would.


    "I guess then it should be fine then? I''m sure they can help out somehow."


    "Nn. Then..."


    I turned around to the dolls and squatted down.


    "Listen to the Vice-captain and whoever else he says you should listen to, okay?"


    The dolls hurriedly formed rows and all saluted at once. At this point, I wasn''t even surprised about their odd behaviour anymore.


    I stood up again and turned to Merim, who was rubbing his temples.


    "They''re all yours now, vice-captain."


    "Yumi, you... Ah, whatever. I''ll bother with this later. I''ll go talk with those boys now."


    He shook his head and turned around, walking away. Followed by the bunch of dolls. They all formed a long line and were following behind him.


    Is he the Pied Piper of Hamelin? It looks funny... Speaking of which, I wonder what kind of tales and stories exist here.


    Surely there were some stories and fairy tales that were well-known. Karen told me that the legend about the demons was told as a bedtime story in the Aldreigh Kingdom, albeit slightly changed.


    "Yumi, what''s the deal with those wooden puppets? Is that magic? Is it?"


    Lefa was staring at the dolls following Merim. I was a bit surprised she hadn''t cut in into our conversation asking what they were.


    "Nn, I made them with magic."


    "... You can use magic?"


    Lefa stared at me with widened eyes.


    Huh? Did I never tell her? I thought I did...


    "Nn, I can."


    "Yumi!"


    "Ye-, Yes?"


    Lefa grasped my hands and leaned forward, staring at me from close-up. A bit too close, if you asked me.


    "Can you help me with my homework?!"


    "... What?"


    "My homework! I need someone''s help!"


    "Ehh... I think there are more pressing matters right now, aren''t there?"


    "Ah. You are right, sorry."


    I didn''t mind helping her out a bit, depending on what her homework actually was. But that wasn''t a topic for now.


    "Well, we can talk about that later, okay? Sis, is it fine if Lefa comes along with us in the wagon, or..."


    "Mh? Well, it should be fine, I think?"


    "Eh? Is it fine that I come with you? Really?"


    "Merim and Sis both said it''s fine, so... Why not?"


    "Yay!"


    She smiled brightly. I hoped she could get along well with Emily and co. A bit odd here and there but she was a good girl.


    "Did you get everything, Yumi? Lily?"


    "Nn."


    "I have everything."


    We were right now in the middle of the evacuation. Our group was among the last ones to leave, so we weren''t in a particular hurry. The children from the refugees were given priority, followed by all the other soldiers that hadn''t recovered yet from the curse and the accompanying disease. After them came the families and their escorts and lastly, whoever was left over. Namely us and a few other groups that were coming along.


    "Ah, you girls didn''t leave yet, that''s great."


    "Nn? Captain?"


    In the middle of our last checks, we were approached by Korwen. Wasn''t he supposed to be busy right now?


    "Good thing I found you before you left. Here."


    He handed something to me. The metal sheets that Ria had earlier. And also a letter.


    "Since we''re helping with the defence, Ruben didn''t even try to complain. But well, these should get you into the capital without problems."


    "I see... Thank you, Captain."


    "No problem. Also... I heard that Fenna talked with you."


    "Ah..."


    A wry smile formed on his face.


    "Well, whatever you decide, make sure you don''t regret it. That letter, give it to the headmaster at the academy. You''re smart so I''m sure he''ll have a job for you. Ah, but if you don''t leave us, just burn the letter."


    "Captain... Is this really fine with you?"


    "I can''t dictate what you do with your own life, Yumi. That''s your own decision. Not mine. Sure, losing some promising talent hurts but..."


    He took a long look over all of us. Lily and Karen, who were listening right next to us. Rina who was staring at the warox that was going to pull our wagon and Emily, Maya and Sele who were bothering Lefa. Especially at the last three, he stayed his gaze on them for a long time.


    "Those three never had others that could get really close to them. Even towards me, they still put up a wall. I don''t know if they simply felt some sort of companionship with you all, as your circumstances aren''t all too dissimilar, or if there was some other reason. Whatever the case, they opened up to you."


    "..."


    "I told you about how they refused to be left behind at an orphanage, right? I always felt bad about it, because this is not a place where young girls should grow up. So, if they have the chance to grow up with a proper family, then I wanted to support them. And I''m sure I won''t regret doing so either."


    His wry smile turned into a large grin.


    "Captain, you talk as if it''s already decided what we do."


    "Hahaha, isn''t it already? You''re smart, all of you are. So I''m sure you know what you should do, right? Well, I could always be wrong, of course. I''m not all-knowing either."


    "Captain... Did you anticipate this to happen?"


    "Ha! Who knows?"


    So he did... I wasn''t sure if that made feel any better or not, though.


    "Now then, I still got work to do. You still have a job of protecting the caravan, so do it properly. No slacking off, you hear?"


    "Nn, got it."


    Lily and Karen both nodded as well, smiling.


    Korwen turned around and attempted to leave.


    "Ah, Captain? You won''t tell the others goodbye?"


    "... What, we''ll see each other in a few days again. No need to make a big thing out of it."


    He raised his hand waved, before disappearing out of our sight.


    "He really is impressive, isn''t he?" commented Lily.


    "Nn, he is."


    I took a look at the metal sheets and the letter in my hands. Not for long, though.


    "Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    I turned around to the person suddenly calling out to me. As expected, it was Lefa. Again.


    "Yumi, I heard you can move your hair?!"


    "Eh? Yes..."


    Emily, Maya and Sele ran up to us as well. Or rather, Emily jumped at me.


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    "Ahh. Emily, be careful."


    "Ehehehe."


    This wasn''t the first time she jumped at me. But this time, I finally managed to catch her without being thrown over. Good job, me.


    "Yumi! Show me how you move your hair!"


    "Nn? Well... Even if you ask me that so suddenly... Mh... Hold out your hand."


    "Mh? Like this?"


    Lefa held her arm in front of me. I moved a few strands of my hair to her hand and wrapped it around her wrist.


    "Ohh? Ohhh! It moved! It''s coiling around my arm!"


    She held up her arm in front of her face, looking at it from close up. Then she poked the hair wrapping around her wrist.


    "How curious... How do you do this?"


    "Well... I, uhh..."


    How should I explain this? I couldn''t just tell her I was moving it with my mana, could I? From what I heard, that wasn''t really possible for humanoids after all.


    "Oh? Is it maybe a secret?"


    "Well, something like that?"


    "Huh... How interesting!"


    Interesting, huh.


    "Yumi! Yumi! Me too!"


    "Nn? What do you want too, Emily?"


    "I want to be wrapped up!"


    "Haa... Like this?"


    I moved the remaining hair and wrapped it around Emily''s waist.


    "Waah, this feels so nice."


    Immediately, Emily began patting the hair. Was I some kind of pillow or cushion now? Or a blanket?


    "... While it''s nice you get along, we don''t have time to play around, you know?"


    "Ah... Sorry, Sis."


    I let go of Emily and Lefa who both looked a bit disappointed. Sele and Maya also looked disappointed. They had wanted to join, huh.


    "If you girls are done, get into the wagon. We''ll leave any minute."


    "Okay, Big Sis Karen! Come, Big Sis Lefa!"


    Emily pulled Lefa away into the wagon.


    "Yumi, do you want to join me on the bench outside? I don''t want to be all alone."


    "Nn, well... I guess I can, Lily."


    "Ahh..."


    Maya let out a disappointed sound.


    "Nn, Maya. I''ll join you all later, yes?"


    "Mh... Okay... Promise me!"


    "Nn, I''ll promise!"


    "Good!"


    Maya smiled again and then left together with Sele.


    "I''ll keep them company then. Take care of Yumi, Lily."


    "Will do!"


    "... Why am I being taken care of again?"


    It wasn''t really important, though. As long as Lily didn''t die of boredom.


    "Then, good luck."


    "Nn, thank you."


    Karen entered the Wagon as well, leaving me with Lily alone.


    "Then, let''s see. Yumi, can you get up there on your own."


    "... I''ll try. Nn? Wait, Lily."


    "Mh?"


    "There..."


    "... Oh."


    On the other side of the wagon stood Rina, still entranced with the magic beasts. I totally thought she was already inside, like everyone else.


    "Rina? Are you getting in? We want to leave."


    "Eh? Ah. Uhh... Can I join you here?"


    "Well... If you want to. Yumi, tell Karen that Rina stays with us."


    "Nn, got it."


    I did as I was told and got the okay from Karen.


    Lily already sat down on the bench with Rina. She helped me up, as I was having slight troubles... The bench was high...


    "Then, off we go!"


    "It''s boring," I complained.


    "It really is," agreed Lily.


    "Nn..."


    Much to my surprise, Lily proved to be a pretty good driver. I didn''t know anything about how one had to stir those waroxen, or anything really. But it proved to be a rather smooth ride.


    "Ahh... I wish I wouldn''t have to do this."


    "Well, they didn''t have anyone to spare, Lily..."


    As most of the combat-capable mercenaries were now preparing to defend, that also meant a severe lack of drivers. And since Lily was able to...


    "Still... At least it''s warm with this Yumi blanket."


    "I''m not a blanket..."


    I had wrapped my hair around all three of us, similar to how I did it with Emily earlier. It was in the middle of the night and it proved to be rather cold by now. Despite it being considerably warm earlier today.


    "Is Rina still awake?"


    "Nn, I don''t think so."


    "How carefree."


    It didn''t take long for Rina to doze off and sleep. Thanks to my hair blanket she wasn''t in any immediate danger of falling down, so we let her sleep.


    "Lily, can you even see anything in this darkness?"


    "Mh, it''s bright enough for me to see the road. Waroxen also have good night sight, so there''s no need to worry about them either."


    "Huh... I can barely see anything."


    It was dark and despite the starlit night sky, I couldn''t see really that far ahead. At most just past the magic beasts.


    "Mh, I heard that pretty much all monsters are good with the dark, though."


    "Is that so? I still can''t see anything..."


    "Maybe you need to grow a tentacle arm with an eyeball to see anything."


    "Lily... Please don''t joke about something like that... It feels like that might really happen."


    I already kind of disliked the tentacles that I could transform my limbs into. There was no need to further my dislike of them.


    "That reminds me, we never actually saw those tentacles, did we?"


    "That''s..."


    "Do you dislike them that much or why?"


    "Well..."


    I looked up at the night sky.


    "I don''t know, but... I feel like my human side disappears the more I see them."


    "Your human side, huh..."


    "Nn."


    I felt like I would lose something important to me if I transformed myself. I did it in the beginning by accident, since I didn''t know what was even going on. But afterwards... I never did it again. And now that I knew even more about them, courtesy to Yumias, I wanted to use them even less. Well, they were pretty weak anyway.


    "Yumi, you still see yourself as a human, right?"


    "Well, yes. As much as this situation allows me to."


    "Mh... Did you ever wish to be fully human again?"


    "Fully human?"


    Did she mean my previous self?


    "Well, I mean, not returning to your previous body or anything. But, as you are right now."


    "As I am right now... I... don''t think I ever really thought about that."


    "Huh..."


    I did think about returning to my previous self, my previous world again. Especially in the beginning, but also later. Maybe I still might think about it in the future. Even if I told myself that I got over it now, it would likely still come back at times.


    But being a human, a person again, as I was right now. The thought actually never crossed my mind. But...


    "Honestly, I don''t think I really mind it that much."


    "You don''t?"


    "Nn. Sure, there are a few inconveniences but... Sis... She will live for a long time, right?"


    "Well, she''s a demonkin."


    "If I were human again, I would grow old and die way earlier. I heard that even beastkin live quite a bit longer, so you would outlive me as well."


    It was probably even Lily herself who taught me that on our little journey to the Hollow.


    "I see... But as a monster you don''t have to worry about that, do you."


    "Well, I don''t know how long I would live like this. But it''s likely longer than a human''s lifespan, right?"


    "I don''t think monsters can even die of old age."


    "Ahaha, that''d be even better. If that''s really the case.


    Those people that were experimenting on Rina and the other girls, they certainly believed it would save them from old age. Well, I had no idea whether that was truly the case though.


    "Do you think Mama might know about that?"


    "Nn? Yumias? Well... Maybe? I wouldn''t be surprised."


    "Let''s ask her next time."


    "Nn..."


    If she could give us some certainty, that''d be great. I somehow could imagine her withholding the answer, though. Because it might be fun. I did feel a little anxious about that, though... I didn''t want to rely too much on her.


    "And, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "What about Rina?"


    "What about her?"


    "Well, she has a mana crystal as well now, right? Is she still a demonkin or is she a monster now?"


    That... was a question I had been wondering about as well.


    I scratched the back of my hand and looked over to Rina, on Lily''s other side.


    "I don''t know?"


    "Mh... Does the mana crystal even affect her in any way?"


    "I don''t know that either? You''re asking quite a bit today..."


    "I''ve been wondering for a while about those things. I just never had the chance to ask. And we''re alone now with nothing else to do."


    That was understandable. There really wasn''t anything else to do other than talking, after all.


    "Well, in regards to Rina. I honestly have no idea. But... there''s one thing I noticed."


    "Noticed?"


    "Nn... Her mana feels... a bit similar to my own."


    "Eh?"


    Lily turned around, staring at me.


    "Your own?"


    "Nn. I think that mana crystal is at fault for that. Since I transformed it, it is similar to the ones in the dolls, you see."


    "Huh... That sounds as if she was your familiar. Maybe she might listen to your orders."


    "Ahh... Maybe. I don''t know."


    "... Yumi. Does that mean you could turn other people into monsters?"


    Turning other people into monsters? That... was also something I had never thought about.


    "I don''t know."


    "You don''t know a lot."


    "Maybe you''re just asking the wrong questions. But really, I don''t know. I''m not sure I want to either."


    "Huh..."


    Lily returned her gaze to the front, not saying anything for a while.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Monsters are pretty resilient, you know."


    "Well, I do know."


    I''ve already seen how quickly my wounds were healing after all.


    "I have a request, Yumi."


    "Request?"


    "Yes. If there ever is a situation where I or the other girls are likely to die. Don''t hesitate to try. If turning us can save us, do it."


    "Wha-"


    Once more, Lily turned towards me, with a serious expression.


    "I don''t want to lose any of you. And I don''t think the others would mind either. That''s why, I don''t want you to hesitate.


    "... Are you serious about that?"


    "Yes. Quite. In fact, I''m so serious I was even considering that you do so immediately for me."


    "Wha-, What are you talking about, Lily! That''s no joke."


    "That''s right. It isn''t."


    I was taken aback a little.


    Lily smiled and turned around, looking at the sleeping Rina.


    "I won''t ask you that for now, though. That would be just premature of me. Well, Karen scolded me quite a bit, too."


    "You talked with Karen about this?"


    "I did. Only with her though. She did say she wouldn''t mind either if it came to it."


    "... You''re both idiots."


    Lily burst out in lively laughter in response.


    "You''re right, we''re idiots! But you see..."


    Lily freed one hand from the reigns and caressed Rina''s head.


    "When we rescued those girls... Rina was really... Well... Impressed?"


    "Nn?"


    "She thanked me a lot and followed me quite a bit over the recent days. Well, you know how Karen thought of that, though."


    "Ah... When she was worried that Rina was barely talking with her..."


    That was when Rina was talking with everyone but kind of ignored Karen. Although it only ended up being a misunderstanding. Rina probably never even noticed it.


    "Yes. According to herself, I was like a prince saving her."


    "... A prince?"


    "Yes. Weird, right?"


    Now, I certainly couldn''t imagine Lily being a prince.


    "Like in those stories, you know. Where a handsome prince comes to save the poor heroine."


    "Ahh..."


    So those kinds of stories were a thing here too.


    "Rina really took it seriously, though... She even... well..."


    "Nn? She even what?"


    Lily stopped caressing Rina''s head and instead held up her hand in front of her face, looking awkwardly away. As if she was hiding something in her face. Like...


    "Wait. Lily. Did Rina... Maybe..."


    "..."


    Lily nodded, awkwardly.


    That... would explain a lot of things. Rina being attached to Lily, who was her saviour, was something that wasn''t all too surprising. But I had been wondering why Lily got along so well with Rina, despite them only knowing each other for a few days. And even though it was like this since near the beginning.


    Alas, there was one thing that could have made Lily so conscious of Rina.


    "She kissed you?"


    "... Yes."


    "The mouth?"


    "..."


    Lily awkwardly nodded again. I couldn''t see it with the dim light, but most likely she was as red as a tomato right now.


    Well, that''s one unique way of thanking someone.


    "Good luck, Lily."


    "... Why do you react the same way Karen did?"


    "Well..."


    Obviously, because we were rooting for you?


    "Ahh, I shouldn''t have told you..."


    "Is that so? I''m glad you did though. I really wish you luck, after all."


    "Uhh..."


    "If you need help, just call me. Or Sis. You helped us too, after all."


    She had been messing around with us a bit, but without Lily''s intervention, who knows how it would''ve gone. Maybe Karen and I wouldn''t be together then. And even if she hadn''t helped us, I still would like to help her. Because I liked both of them.


    Still, when I met her the first time, Lily had been so proudly declaring how much she liked cute girls, but now... She was acting all embarrassed.


    "I''m rooting for you, Lily."


    "... Thank you."


    Maybe she got over her embarrassment a bit, but a little smile was back on her face.


    Well, I''m sure it''ll go well. After all, if those prince stories go like the ones in my world, then the heroine would end up marrying the prince, right?


    When we talked about marriage, Rina did suggest herself with Lily after all. Maybe she had been aiming for this from the start and we just thought it was an innocent suggestion by her. Maybe we had been deceived a little bit.


    Whatever the case, if she truly thought of Lily as her prince, then there wasn''t really anything to worry about. Wasn''t that already as good as a confession? Even more so with a kiss. Actually, Rina was really bold, wasn''t she...


    I wish you all the best, Rina, Lily.

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: The Fairy’s Light

    "Yumi. Wake up! Yumi!"


    "Nn... Lily..."


    "Yes, it''s your beautiful and cute Lily, pursuer of all the cute girls. Now, wake up or you''ll miss it."


    "... Miss?"


    Rather reluctantly I opened my eyes. At some point I had fallen asleep it seemed.


    "Mh... Where? Uhh, it''s cold."


    "Ah, Yumi, don''t move, my blanket. My Yumi blanket!"


    What was this girl even saying? I wasn''t a blanket, was I? Oh.


    I actually was a blanket.


    "Lily..."


    "Hey, don''t look at me like that. You fell into my lap on your own. And if I had tried to move you, your hair might''ve gone away as well. And I like it warm!"


    "..."


    Well, whatever.


    I sat upright, stretched myself and let out a yawn. Honestly, I felt quite sleepy and it still seemed to be dark. I hoped she had a good reason for waking me up so early.


    "So? What''s going on, Lily?"


    "How about you try looking to the front?"


    "Nn?"


    I did as I was told and looked in front of us, onto the road. Or where most likely the road was.


    "What? The trees are... glowing? What is that?"


    "It''s the Fairy''s Light."


    "The Fairy''s Light?"


    I tilted my head. In the distance, I could see a pale, green light stretching out horizontally. It seemed to cover the trees. Or maybe the trees themselves were glowing?


    In any case, it looked quite pretty. Or rather, it looked really magical. After all, when else would you see glowing trees on the horizon?


    "Hehe, you should look forward to it. We''re going right through it, after all."


    "Is that so? But... what even is that? Oh? There''s a lamp."


    Suddenly a lamp shined up, most likely from the wagon in front of us.


    "Ahh, can you give me the lamp? It should be on the side somewhere."


    "Nn, let me take a look."


    I cautiously stretched out my hands, trying to get a feel of where the said lamp was. It took me a moment until I hit something that felt like metal. Right under the bench, actually.


    "Lily, this?"


    "Yes. That''s it."


    "Here."


    I took the lamp away from its little spot and handed it over to Lily.


    "Now, let''s see... Ah, here we go."


    A few seconds later the lamp lit up. It was a dim light that was comfortable even in this darkness. Although it seemed there was no candle or something inside. Did it run with some kind of elemental stone? Actually... Didn''t I see something like this before? I felt like I did...


    "Can you try hanging it up on the side there? There should be some kind of hook."


    "I''ll try."


    I took the lamp and once more tried to feel my way to my goal, namely the hook.


    "Ouch!"


    "Yumi?! Did something happen?!"


    "Ah... No, I hit a splinter, I think."


    "... Don''t scare me that much."


    "Sorry."


    At least it didn''t feel like it caused an actual wound. Getting a splinter into your hand or anywhere was quite painful. But even without that, it still hurt quite a bit.


    I wish I could actually see in the dark. Lily said that pretty much all monsters are able to deal with the dark, so why can''t I? Why is this the one thing that I can''t do? So unfair.


    "Ah, I think I found the hook. Is this right?"


    "Yes, looks good."


    After I reached out once more, this time with a bit more caution, I found the hook and hung up the lamp.


    "So, what is this for?"


    "Ahh, so we don''t get lost in the darkness. It''s getting darker, after all."


    "Huh?"


    I scanned quickly my surroundings and then the night sky. The previously starlit sky was now a large and mostly dark ceiling.


    "... Bad weather?"


    "Probably. Hard to make out when it''s so dark."


    "True."


    It must''ve been really dark even for her. Her night sight was making me actually a bit jealous. At least we still had a little bit of light with the lamp and the remaining stars.


    "Also, the lamp might be of help when the fairies try to mess with us. Wouldn''t want to lose sight of the caravan, right?"


    "... The fairies?"


    "Fairies."


    So fairies existed here. What else existed in this world? I''ve seen weird animals and quite a lot of fantasy creatures. Next, they''d tell me some famous monsters existed as well.


    That reminds me. Didn''t they say that elves were fairies and that a high elf like Emily was related to them?


    I couldn''t quite imagine Emily to be a fairy. Would she grow wings at some point? Please don''t...


    "So... Lily. We might see fairies?"


    "Well... Yes..."


    Her expression turned a little dark. She didn''t seem to like the idea of seeing fairies.


    "I just hope it''s not pixies or leprechauns... brownies would be a lot nicer..."


    "Ehh... What?"


    Suddenly a bunch of names sprung up.


    "Ahh... Different kinds of fairies. Depending on which kind of fairies live in that forest, we might have either an easy way through or severe troubles. Well, I doubt it''s brownies, considering the situation... Probably elves... If I had to take a guess..."


    "Okay. And... that means what?"


    I wasn''t quite sure anything she''d explain would stay with me right now, I was still not yet quite awake. But if it was going to be a problem, that was a different thing and I wanted to know in advance.


    "In the case of elves, the Fairy''s Light would be a warning."


    "A... warning?"


    "Yes... ''Do not approach the forest.''"


    "But... we are approaching."


    As a matter of fact, it would probably only take a few more minutes until we would enter the forest. The so-called Fairy''s Light had gradually grown stronger and more pronounced. By now I could even make out what exactly was glowing. The tree crowns.


    It might be actually a beautiful and magical sight, but my worry that this might be a warning... It dowsed the experience a little.


    "Elves do this in case something is tremendously wrong with the forest. I haven''t heard anything about a fairy forest here, so I believe that is the most likely one. It''s a very rare occurrence for elves to light the forest, after all..."


    "And yet, we''re still going to enter?"


    "It seems so. Well, I''m not the one to make that call, it''s whoever is in the front. I just hope they know what they are doing."


    "..."


    Yeah, one could only hope.  Really...


    "Lily... Just what could be so wrong with a forest, though, that they''d... cause this?"


    "... A monster outbreak, for example... Or something of a similar size..."


    "..."


    "Yumi, do you remember when we were called by Korwen and he and the fort''s commander talked about a job for the band?"


    That time we were just sitting there and listening? I still had no idea why we were even there in the first place...


    In any case, since I did remember, I nodded in response.


    "If you recall, they talked about the garrison investigating something. About disappearances..."


    "Ah... I remember that... So, you think this might have some connection?"


    "In the worst case, yes."


    That... sounded bad. I really hoped she was wrong on this one. But there were many things that fit... Too many.


    "We can only pray that we get through this unscathed."


    "Nn..."


    "But, regardless of what it is in the end. We can still take at least a little time to enjoy this view, right?"


    As if trying to dispel all the worrisome thoughts, she grinned from ear to ear and pointed forwards. Looking forward, I found that the forest was now right in front of us. The first wagons had already entered. Well, they probably had quite a while ago already. I couldn''t really confirm it. They might have put up lamps as well but the lamp from the wagon in front of us made it impossible to see.


    "Are those... the leaves, that are glowing?"


    "They are. To be honest, this is only the second time I''ve seen it as well."


    "Huh..."


    As if on-demand, the wind blew and rattled the trees, causing the glowing leaves to sway around. An impressive visual spectacle.


    Really, it was quite a breathtaking view, and one I''d sure love to enjoy if we had some more leisure.


    "Yumi, Lily? Is something... What''s this?"


    "Sis? You are awake?"


    "Oh, Karen, you got some great timing."


    The door behind has had opened up and Karen was peeking out.


    "Lily, what is this?"


    "The Fairy''s Light. Heard of it before?"


    "Eh? Really?"


    Karen sounded surprised. She must''ve heard of it before then.


    "Wait a moment. And, here we go..."


    "Sis? Ahh! That''s dangerous."


    Karen climbed from the door over, holding onto the wooden roof. Completely disregarding our surprise Karen swung herself over and sat down next to me. Then she casually took a look around, letting out an astonished ''Ohh.''


    "Karen."


    "Yes? Why do you look so serious, Lily?"


    "Don''t. And I want to emphasise it. Don''t. Climb out of a moving vehicle. That''s dangerous. What if you lost your grip and got below the wheels?"


    "... Ah."


    Karen awkwardly averted her gaze, definitely having realised it too. It was unusual for her to be that careless.


    "Karen. Don''t do that again."


    "... I''m sorry."


    She apologised on a small, barely audible voice while looking down.


    "As long as you get it, it''s fine. Just don''t scare us like that, yes?"


    "... Understood. Sorry."


    "Haa... Well, rather than continuing with that, just look at the surroundings. It''s not something you''ll see that often."


    Prompted by Lily, Karen raised her gaze again and looked at the forest surrounding us.


    "It''s beautiful."


    "It is."


    "It reminds me a bit of the crystal forest back in Aldreigh. Although that was beautiful in a different manner."


    A crystal forest? So, crystals in the form of trees? Or actual trees that looked like crystals? Either way, it surely looked quite impressive as well.


    "Oh, I heard of that one. Heard it looks absolutely stunning at dawn and dusk."


    "Unfortunately I didn''t get to see it at those times, but I heard that too. But this is also breathtaking. Really."


    Karen held her hair down, that was being a ruffled by the wind and watched the forest for quite some time. Neither of us said a word, simply enjoying the view.


    A serene, beautiful forest. Honestly, just calling it beautiful doesn''t even do it remotely any justice. I never would have thought... that I would ever be able to see such a thing.


    The Hollow had been impressive, in size, in impact, in the sheer massiveness. But this was different. Quiet, the steps of the magic beasts and the wheels hitting the road, our own breaths and the rustling of the leaves in the wind. Those were all we heard. The damp smell of a lively forest and the incredible sight of the glowing leaves.


    Over a vast area, illuminating everything around us, to the point where we could see ahead as if the stars and the moons were still shining.


    Only us three, sitting together, huddled up on the bench of the wagon. It was calming.


    I wish this would go on forever.


    Sometime later, I honestly had no idea how much time had passed, we had collected ourselves and Lily had shared her worries with Karen.


    "I was told by Ria that this forest goes on until the capital, though. Are we sure this is fine?"


    "I have no idea. So far everything seems fine. No fairies and no monsters. Which only worries me more, if you ask me."


    "Is that so..."


    Seemingly lost in thought, Karen once more stared into the brightly illuminated forest for quite some time.


    "Nothing we can do except waiting..." she murmured.


    "Yeah... At this rate, we should actually arrive in the capital in around... two and a half hours? Assuming everything goes as planned."


    That sounded like a prelude. A prelude for something we wouldn''t like. At all.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What, Sis?"


    "I''ve been wondering but... Why are only you and Lily wrapped up? What about me? It''s cold."


    "Oh..."


    I honestly had completely forgotten about my hairy blanket. Well, it wasn''t really much of a problem, so I extended my hair and wrapped Karen up as well.


    "Mh... It feels a bit odd, but actually quite comfortable."


    "Haa..."


    "Yumi, did you ever try out how much you can extend your hair?"


    "No, not really. But at least at this length, it''s still quite fine."


    My hair had extended quite a lot in fact, right now. Wrapping up three people to keep them warm did require quite a lot of length. Still, despite it probably being at least three or four times or even more in length compared to my own height, I still could control it just fine. Actually, that was quite impressive.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Hand! Ah, no, hair!"


    "Eh?"


    Karen held out her hand. Although not in front of me, but in front of herself, while looking at my hair. It took me a while to understand what she was on about. Humouring her request, I extended my hair even more and laid it into her hand, as if I was a dog giving her a paw.


    With a smile, she grabbed onto the hair.


    "Do you even feel anything if I touch it?"


    "No, not really."


    "Huh... Odd, even though you can move it so well."


    "Nn..."


    Was it that odd? If my hair had a sense of touch and I had it extended to this degree... That sounded like a veritable flood of information. Not sure whether I would like that.


    "Speaking of weird, Karen, Yumi can''t see in the dark either."


    "Huh? Really? But couldn''t you see pretty well on your first days here?"


    "Eh? I did?"


    That was news to me. Or maybe she mistook it for something else? At least, right now, I was completely and utterly unable to see anything here without some form of light and I honestly had no recollection of being able to see in the dark before either. It wasn''t much of an issue right now since the forest itself was quite bright for now, but still...


    "Odd... I wonder why..."


    Still murmuring about what Lily said, she was nonetheless continuing caressing the hair in her hand.


    "Oh, right... That reminds me. What are we going to do regarding the payment anyway?" asked Karen.


    "Nn? Payment?"


    "Our agreement with Mr Korwen."


    "Ohh... That one."


    We had promised him quite a lot of my hair, didn''t we?


    "We''ll have to wait until they come to the capital as well, I guess. Not much we can do before then."


    "Mh... I guess that''s right."


    Karen stopped caressing the hair in her hand and instead looked forward again. With a sudden serious expression.


    "Lily."


    "Ah. Yumi, get the large bag beneath you."


    "Eh? Uh, this one?"


    "Yes."


    I heaved the surprisingly heavy bag onto my lap.


    "Get the crossbow inside out and ready it."


    "Nn, got... it?"


    I paused. Crossbow? Readying it?


    I took a glance to Lily who was holding a long something wrapped in cloth. Most likely her own sword.


    "We got company."


    "..."


    Company. That meant... we were being attacked?


    I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I shouldn''t hesitate. I definitely shouldn''t. Opening the bag I found a pretty large crossbow inside. It was a lot larger than the one I had used before, but the construction was pretty similar. It didn''t take all too long for me to insert a bolt, also coming from the bag, and crank the string back.


    "Done, Lily."


    "Hold it ready, if you see something suspicious, shoot it."


    "Nn."


    The sudden, tense situation caused my hands to sweat, making the grip feel uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I held the crossbow ready.


    Yet, nothing happened. For five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. None of us saying a word, only watching the forest in silence.


    "Was it only my imagination?" muttered Lily finally.


    "But Lily, I saw it too."


    "Weird... Maybe it was a fairy prank."


    Lily let out a sigh and finally relaxed, loosening her grip on the weapon.


    "The other wagons are still fine too, so maybe it was really a prank. Yumi, you can let down the crossbow. Ah, but keep it ready. Just in case. Though you should remove the bolt, to be safe."


    "Nn."


    I put the crossbow onto my lap and took the bolt away. Even if it would accidentally go off, it wouldn''t endanger any of us now. Although I was sure that it would still hurt quite a lot if it did. That thick string snapping back was sure to cause quite some force onto the crossbow itself.


    "Lily... can I wind down the string too?"


    "... Well, it should be fine."


    Thankfully she agreed. That made me feel a lot safer, ironically. I didn''t like having a primed crossbow in my lap, able to go off any second.


    I let out a deep breath and leaned back, relaxing my body and leaving the tension behind.


    Once more, we all fell quiet, silently listening to the sound of the forest surrounding us.


    "By the way... Is Rina inside the wagon?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation.


    "Ahh, we carried her in when took a break."


    "A break... huh... I think... I need one..."


    "Yumi?"


    Maybe because of the sudden relaxation, there was a certain, uncomfortable feeling. It was also known as the call of nature.


    "Yumi? What''s wrong?"


    "I... uh... have to go."


    "Go? To where."


    "That''s... The bathroom..."


    "... Oh."


    A wry smile appeared on Karen''s face.


    "We can''t really make a stop here, Yumi."


    "..."


    "Can you hold out for a bit?"


    "... How long?"


    "Around two more hours."


    Isn''t that like four earth hours?! No way! I''ll wet myself!


    I vehemently shook my head. Thankfully, the ride wasn''t particularly bumpy, so I wasn''t shaking left and right. That would''ve just made it worse. And I probably would''ve failed to hold it in already.


    "Well, that''s a bit troublesome. Ah! I know something!"


    Lily leaned forward and reached beneath the bench. Was there another bag?


    "Mh, Karen, can you check on your side? There should be a small bag."


    "Eh... Maybe this one?"


    "Yes, that one."


    Karen had pulled up a small bag, a really small one. And then she took out its contents.


    "Lily. You can''t be serious."


    "Well, we can''t stop for you right now, I don''t want to stay in this forest longer than necessary. So, it''s either that or you wet yourself."


    "..."


    "Also, we''ve already seen each other naked. That''s not much of a difference anymore."


    No, this was a huge difference. A really huge one. No way in hell would I pee in a wooden mug now, especially not in company. I still had some dignity left. Well, actually, maybe I didn''t...


    Anyway, this was just a big, big no. And especially not with these two girls right next to me. On both sides of me. Have a little compassion for me. Have mercy on me.


    "Yumi, it''s fine."


    "Sis..."


    "I''ll make sure that Lily won''t catch a glimpse!"


    "..."


    That wasn''t what I was worried about, though?!


    "Now, Yumi. You surely can''t hold out much longer, right? Right?"


    "Sis? Wait, Sis? You''re scaring me."


    "It''s fine!"


    Karen was steadily inching closer and closer, mug in hand. For some odd reason, she really seemed to approve of the idea. Ignoring the fact, that I absolutely didn''t.


    "Sis, please, spare me! Really!"


    "I won''t tell anyone!"


    "That''s not even the problem though!"


    Karen grasped my shoulders, causing me to slightly jolt forwards.


    "Ah..."


    The limit was close. Very close. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Was this the only path left? Would it have gone different if I had chosen a different route in the past? Ahh... I probably would never know.


    Someone, please save me. I don''t want this. Not this of all things!


    "Now, Yumi! Before it gets worse!"


    "Sis, wait, let me, let me at least prepare myse- Ah!"


    She grabbed the hem of my clothes, trying to get rid of everything in the way. And unfortunately, I didn''t even have remotely the strength to stop her from this.


    There was no escape for me.


    Ahhh...


    And so, with the rather forceful help of Karen, all of my dignity was lost.


    It''s over... Life is over... Why even bother anymore...


    "Yumi, I''m sorry. Really. So, please don''t ignore me."


    "..."


    "Yumi..."


    My dignity was taken away. And I was quite angry, much to Karen''s chagrin. I knew it wasn''t really her fault. Nature came to everyone.


    But even though I knew, I couldn''t help but feel angry. It was complicated. I wanted to cry.


    "Uhh, Lily... Say something to her too."


    "Well, Karen. Good luck."


    "Lilyyy..."


    Thankfully, Lily chose to not get involved. In fact, Lily just pretended nothing had happened. Which hurt a little in its own way. She didn''t even tell us to stay cautious even though she was still keeping her own sword ready in her lap.


    "I''m really sorry, Yumi. Really. I promise I won''t do it again..."


    "..."


    "Yumi..."


    Tears were visible in the corners of her eyes. Maybe I was overdoing it a little. Still, I felt a bit reluctant to just give in now. That''s just humiliating the whole thing was.


    "Yumi..."


    In the end, though, my heart was too weak. I just couldn''t deal with those tears, could I? Disregarding the fact that I was more or less close to crying myself.


    Thinking about it for a little, I decided that it was probably enough. So, I turned towards her.


    "Sis... Don''t do that again."


    "I won''t! I promise!"


    She leaned forward to me, once more brimming with energy as if her previous dejected self was but a lie.


    "N-, Nn..."


    Maybe I should''ve left her hanging for a bit more... Oh well.


    Nothing I could do about now. And honestly, I didn''t like being angry anyway. I just still hoped she wouldn''t do this again. Doing this outside, in public, was just... My heart couldn''t bear it.


    I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Then I rubbed the tears in my eyes away.


    "What''s done is done, let''s just forget this ever happened."


    "Okay. I understand!"


    Yes, it never happened. Therefore there was no need to worry. No need to feel sad. No need to cry.


    Except trying to deceive myself wasn''t really working all too well. It was better than nothing, at least.


    A change of topic would be great. Lily, help!


    I turned towards our busy driver slash coachwoman, hoping she would understand my call for help. At the very least, she noticed that I turned towards her.


    Although she just questioningly tilted her head. All the while keeping an eye out on the road and the waroxen.


    Nn? The waroxen? Oh! Found a topic.


    "Lily, what kind of... animals... are waroxen?"


    "Oh? You''re interested in them?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded in response. I had been wondering about them anyway, so now was as good a time as ever to learn one more thing. It was an eternal cycle of learning after all, and this world just had so many things I had never seen before.


    Thinking about it, it sounded like a little child asking their parents about every little thing... I hoped I wasn''t too annoying. Now I was a little worried.


    "Well, they aren''t really animals, they are called magic beasts. They are a creature resulting from crossbreeding a monster and an animal. Although they are basically just animals with an extremely high amount of mana."


    "Huh. So, they all resulted from a monster and an animal?"


    "Mh, no. Waroxen are one of the few magic beasts that can keep breeding among themselves. That''s what made them so widespread, after all."


    Oh, so that''s why there were so many.


    "But why are they called waroxen?"


    "Well, they are popular in wars... They have high stamina, they are resilient and are incredibly strong. There are even some armies that use them as mounts for their soldiers."


    A mounted warox... They outwardly looked just like an oversized, extremely muscular ox, or rather a bull in particular. Dark red skin, and long, thick horns on their heads. Intimidating, to say the least. They probably wouldn''t even notice me if they ran me over.


    Nevertheless, they were pretty quick despite them pulling the wagon. Certainly not a speed I would have expected from an ox-like creature.


    Still, someone riding on these beasts probably looked... amusing, to say the least.


    "I heard that many countries started to breed them for other purposes now. Their meat is pretty good, their hide is strong and the horns can be made into weapons. And apparently, the mother milk is quite good as well. I never tried it, though."


    "Oh?"


    Wasn''t this... just like cows? I mean, they did look like oversized, super muscular cows, yes, but...


    "Ah, I actually tried their mother milk before," chimed Karen in.


    "Oh? Was it good?"


    "It was... a little odd. But delicious. It''s quite thick, and I was told it''s healthy."


    "Huh. Was that when you were still in Aldreigh?"


    "No, probably not... It was a bit after we left..."


    Lily''s face showed her surprise at those words. Understandable surprise. It couldn''t have been during her time in the slums, most likely.


    "When Rina and I were running away, we ended up at a little... farm. For some reason, the owner was keeping waroxen, and he also grew some strange plants. They were all really delicious and good, though."


    "How surprising. Was that in the Akkian Empire already?"


    "I have no idea, Lily. I was a little girl, I didn''t know anything about country borders and things like that."


    "... Good point."


    It was already nothing short of a miracle that two little girls survived such a long journey by themselves. Although, they haven''t told us anything about that journey. I was a little curious about it.


    "Oh?"


    Lily pulled the reins back and slowed the wagon. The wagon in front of us slowed down as well. Wary, Lily gripped her sword and readied herself.


    "I wonder if something happened," murmured Karen.


    "Nn... I thought we weren''t supposed to stop?"


    Lily let out a dry laugh.


    "Can''t always expect it to always go like one expects, right? Right..."


    "Nn..."


    We watched the situation for a while, but nothing happened.  For really quite a while...


    "Hey, Lily, Karen."


    "Yes?"


    "I guess this is long enough for a bathroom break, right?"


    "..."


    "Right?"


    They both awkwardly averted their gazes.


    "Well, Yumi, you see... The forest is dangerous, right? Can''t have you get into trouble, right? Right, Karen?"


    "... Lily is right. It would be bad if something happened to you!"


    "..."


    There was no way in hell something was going to happen in those two minutes with Lily around.


    "I see. In that case, I guess you two really thought that through, huh. Well, I hope you won''t need to relieve yourself until we reach the capital."


    "That..."


    "Ah, but you two shouldn''t hold back, yes? It''s not good for your body to hold it in."


    "..."


    Well then, I had successfully delivered my small revenge. Albeit, if they really had the need to go, I wouldn''t force them to suffer the same fate. But I didn''t have to tell them that, right? Right.


    They both didn''t look all too pleased with my little threat, so I assumed I had reached my goal. Hopefully, they learnt from this.


    "So, Lily, why are we even stopping here?"


    I had brought it up myself but I still didn''t want to dwell too long on that topic. So, I decided to ask... the obvious. Lily took a little bit to answer, though.


    "... I want to know as well, Yumi."


    "How far are we even away right now?"


    "If I had to guess, we''re about halfway through? Probably one and a half hours away."


    "Mh... That was surprisingly quick."


    We had left in the evening yesterday and while I slept a little, it probably wasn''t for much longer than a few hours. The capital was astonishingly close. Was it really fine for a capital to be this close to a border?


    Anyway, it wasn''t that long anymore. We still had to talk with the others about what we should do in regards to leaving the mercenaries.


    I still don''t even know what work we could do outside of being mercenaries... Although, maybe mercenary really doesn''t suit us...


    Despite the need to stay wary, we had been messing around. Maybe we simply weren''t suited to stay cautious and on guard. Although, Lily stayed cautious the entire time through. Even throughout Karen''s and my antics, she didn''t say a word and kept calm.


    Still... Just what were we supposed to do? If we didn''t work, we wouldn''t be able to eat. And assuming the seven of us stay together...


    The three little ones can''t really take on work and Rina I don''t know... That means that it would be Lily, Sis and me who would need to find work... The captain gave me this letter to the academy, but I should still consider what other options there even were...


    And then there was still one final issue. The Akkian Empire didn''t like women working on her own, according to Wanda. So, how was it in Lafria? Could we even find work? The more I thought about it, the more worried I became. Maybe I had been spoiled by the sudden safety of having a job. Although, it really was mostly charity from them... The more I considered what happened the past days, the more ashamed I felt, realising that it was mostly their goodwill, that fed us.


    We''ve been completely taken care of... Even the money we got, we barely did any real work, did we...


    We had just been riding the flow. Completely and utterly.


    "Oh? Lily, Yumi. Someone is... coming?"


    "Oh? You''re right."


    My self-deprecating thoughts were fortunately interrupted.


    Next to the wagon in front of us appeared a man. He seemed to be talking with their driver. The man in question wore armour, but even the armour couldn''t hide his race.


    "A beastkin soldier? Oh, I think I get what this is."


    "Nn? Please enlighten us, Lily."


    "I haven''t heard of a checkpoint here so it''s most likely a military patrol. Thinking about it, it''s no wonder they dispatch soldiers right now, huh..."


    "So, they are doing an inspection?"


    Lily nodded in response.


    Well, if what Lily told us was true, then it''s no surprise that the capital dispatched soldiers to investigate the forest.


    "Well, it''s good for us, though. Oh? Someone came out."


    The door of the wagon in front of us and a middle-aged woman appeared. She seemed pretty furious. And it didn''t take long for her to rage at the poor soldier.


    "Ah, that''s bad. Why are you picking a fight with the military? Are you stupid? Ugh..."


    Lily rubbed her temples in exasperation.


    "And who is that anyway?" she asked.


    "No idea."


    Never seen the woman before, so it was unlikely she was one of the women from Korwen''s wife''s groups. And Fenna''s squad completely stayed behind.


    "Reminds me, weren''t Korwen''s wife and them originally in our wagon too?"


    "They stayed behind," answered Karen.


    "Eh? Really?"


    A wry smile appeared on her face.


    "Well, they didn''t want to leave their husbands behind or something along those lines."


    "..."


    They didn''t want to leave them behind, huh. Seemed that Korwen and the others were deeply loved. How nice it must be.


    "Oh no, this is bad," mumbled Lily next to us.


    I directed my attention back forwards, towards the woman that had been quarrelling with the soldier. Emphasis on had been. Right now, she was being pressed down on the ground by said soldier while she hysterically screamed insults at the man. And her choice of words was quite... colourful. Although she mainly insulted the man''s genitals.


    What are you? An elementary schooler?


    While her vocabulary was clearly not the most sophisticated, it did manage to make the man quite mad. From behind the wagon appeared a few more soldiers, restraining both the woman and the other soldier, as it seemed he would assault the woman any second. The woman kept spewing insults, though. Now directed at the new soldiers.


    Maybe having woken up from the ruckus, someone opened the door from our own wagon.


    "Mh... What''s going on?"


    And out walked Lefa, sleepily rubbing her eyes.


    "Lefa? You woke up?"


    "Mh..."


    She walked up to the driver bench and climbed up next to Karen, falling down onto her lap.


    "Le-, Lefa?!"


    Albeit the person in question was quite bewildered by that action.


    "Warm..."


    "Hey, Lefa? Lefa?!"


    "..."


    Having closed her eyes, she seemed to be back on her way to dreamland. Alas, that trip was denied.


    "Lefa! You can''t sleep here right now!"


    "Mhh... Stop... Don''t... Shake..."


    Karen shook her about, forcing her to wake up again.


    "Uhh... I don''t... feel good..."


    "Are you awake now?"


    "Mh... Am... awake."


    "Doesn''t look like it."


    Although awake, she kept lying down, though.


    "Oh, they''re coming to us."


    "Mh? Soldiers?"


    "Yes, Lefa. Probably a patrol. And Yumi, get your hair back to normal. I don''t want that to be questioned."


    "Nn."


    "Ohh..."


    I retracted my hair back to its normal length. It was still incredibly long and due to the wind making it move, it tickled my feet and my legs.


    In the meantime, Lefa had heaved herself up and sat down properly. Just in time for a young man in armour walking over to us. The armour seemed to be a cuirass and chainmail beneath. It looked odd...


    "Excuse me. Do you ladies also belong to this caravan?"


    "Yes, we do. Did something happen, Mr Soldier?"


    Woah, Lily, you suddenly sound so polite.


    With an impeccable smile, Lily answered the man. He seemed a little flustered, being subject of her smile. With a cough, he collected himself and scrutinised us. Although his gaze stayed on Lily for quite a while.


    "Excuse me, Miss..."


    "Lily."


    "Miss Lily. Are you mayhap related to the Karker family?"


    "... No, I''m not."


    The soldier furrowed his brows a little.


    "I see. My apologies, you resembled Lady Karker so much, so I held a little hope. Please forget I ever asked."


    He bowed deeply. Yet, he didn''t straighten up and kept his upper body down in a bow.


    "Although it may be presumptuous of me, if you do know anything about a young girl related to the Karker family, please do not hesitate to tell us."


    "Uhm, what''s going on?" asked Karen, clearly confused.


    The soldier finally straightened his back and turned to Karen.


    "Lady Karker''s only daughter has been missing for a long time. The Lady is deeply saddened and has been searching for her daughter for a great many years. If you have even so much as a clue, you shall be you will be rewarded well for it."


    "I see. I hope you will find her. Do your best."


    "Thank you, young lady. Knowing that a pretty lady such as you encourages us, will motivate us even more."


    "Ahaha..."


    The man bowed once more while casually complimenting Karen. It honestly annoyed me a little.


    "Now then, everything seems to be in order. I wish you well and a pleasant stay in the capital. Some of our soldiers will accompany you, as the forest has been dangerous as of late, but have no fear, for they will protect you all, my ladies. May we meet again."


    He saluted, turned around and left. In the end he never even told us what was going on...


    "Annoying," spat Lily out, after the man left hearing distance.


    "Lily..."


    "What? I''m not some little lady that needs protection. I don''t like men that think I''m a little girl that needs protection."


    "He only meant well."


    He certainly only meant well. But his priorities were also quite clear. He didn''t even so much as glance at Lefa nor at me, outside of the initial look over.


    "Sis, don''t get seduced by bad men."


    "I already got seduced by a bad girl, I think that''s enough for a lifetime for me."


    "..."


    And here she was calling me sly all the time. That made me a little embarrassed. Just a little. Really.


    Lefa tilted her head, apparently not understanding what Karen meant.


    "Oh, it seems we can continue. Lefa, if you want to get back in, do so now."


    "Mh... Okay. I''ll try to sleep a bit more, goodnight."


    "Goodnight."


    "Night."


    Lefa stood up, jumped down from the driver bench and disappeared into the wagon.


    "Now then, time to continue. Let''s hope this was the last interruption."


    The waroxen continued moving forward slowly. Our escape to the capital continued, through the forest illuminated by the fairies.


    In the hopes that everything would go well.


    Rinne


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    Until next week!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: Gate to a new Future

    "When will we arrive?" I asked.


    "Still over an hour," answered Lily.


    An hour. Yet another hour of dealing with this situation.


    I let out a sigh. In a sense, the fact that nothing happened so far was reassuring. But on the other side...


    "This is suffocating."


    "Don''t let them hear it."


    "Ugh..."


    True to the soldier''s words, our little caravan was being escorted. Plainly speaking, just about every wagon was now flanked by two mounted soldiers. Their mounts were similar to horses, except a few slightly disturbing differences. Like a row of sharp teeth. Or rows of horns running down from the top of their head to their shoulder. Or some sort of carapace covering their joints. And that they were all a deep black and seemed as if they would attack us any second. Instead of horses, they looked more like some sort of horse monster. Definitely not something I''d like to ride.


    "Haaa... Maybe I should sleep again."


    "Yumi, please don''t leave me alone here. Seriously, please. Don''t leave like Karen."


    "You can do it, Lily."


    Around thirty minutes after we continued our journey through the forest we had to take a short break. Someone managed to get their wheels stuck or something. Karen took the opportunity and went back inside. Well, it was still in the middle of the night, so I couldn''t blame her. And it was cold outside. At least a lot colder than inside the wagon, which stayed mysteriously quite warm.


    "Lily."


    "Yes?"


    "Do you... like being a mercenary?"


    "Huh?"


    She cocked her head in wonder. It was just a question I randomly thought of, so being confused wasn''t surprising.


    "Whether I like it? Mh... I never really thought about it."


    "You never... thought about it?"


    "Well, I grew up with mercenaries, right? So it was always a matter of course for me to go that route. I mean, there never even was a chance to consider something else."


    So she just somehow happened to end up as one.


    "Well, it has its good parts and its bad parts. The camaraderie among mercenaries is great, fighting is enjoyable. But on the other side, you frequently see people at their worst."


    "At their worst?"


    "... There are usually only two cases when someone hires mercenaries, you see. Either to kill monsters. Or to kill people. And speaking frankly, someone who pays you to murders others is rarely the likeable sort."


    "Ahh..."


    Somehow, yeah... I could imagine that.


    "Requests concerning monsters are usually the more likeable ones. The request itself but also the employer. Well, thinking about it, I guess I''m somehow split about whether I like it or not."


    "Mm."


    "Are you asking because of what Fenna said?"


    "I don''t know. It just came into my mind, but... I guess, yes."


    I probably wouldn''t have thought about it if the whole issue hadn''t come up. So, in a sense, they were related.


    "If you asked because of that... Well, I guess I''d miss the fights? But I can live without the other parts of it. Oh, speaking of which... I wonder what Papa is going to do now."


    "Nn? What do you mean?"


    "Well..."


    Lily awkwardly scratched her cheek and averted her face.


    "I did throw quite a tantrum... But now it might all change again..."


    Oh, that was right. They were still mercenaries and mercenaries usually travelled around. Leaving Lily alone would be completely contrary to what they intended to do after her temper tantrum. And Lily might not want them to leave either.


    Actually, isn''t Lily in quite a bad position? If the Black Guards won''t stay at the capital... wouldn''t it be likely that Lily would leave with them?


    Even though we called ourselves family, the Black Guards were the ones who raised her. They were more family to her than we were... The thought that she might leave... was a little sad.


    "Mh, I guess I''ll ask Papa later."


    "Nn..."


    I lifted my head to look at the sky. It was still dark, but a few stars and occasionally the moon started peering through the clouds again.


    "Glad it didn''t rain, huh."


    "Nn? Well, yes."


    "Sitting on the bench while it rains is the worst."


    "Ahh..."


    Without an umbrella or some kind of canopy it certainly sounded horrible.


    "I wonder if Maya knows when it''ll rain."


    "Maya? Why would she?"


    "Ahh, some beastkin tribes are really sensitive to weather changes. Feline tribes especially."


    "They can?"


    That reminded me, did I ever even hear what the differences of the various humanoid races even were? Humans seemed, well, like humans. But I barely knew anything about the others. Beastkin tribes had some animalistic traits. Demonkin were long-lived and good at magic. Wasn''t that about all I knew?


    Ah, and Karen''s tail is sensitive. I wonder if the tails from the beastkin are similarly sensitive.


    "Lily, what kind of beastkin tribes are there?"


    "Mh? A lot. Like, a super lot. Seriously, I don''t know how many there are either. And every tribe can have vast differences. So I can at most tell you about the most prominent ones, I guess?"


    "Nn, I guess that''s fine?"


    Were there really that many?


    "Beastkin tribes are mostly split into a few major categories. The feline tribes, the canine tribes, the avian tribes, the marine tribes and the reptilian tribes. There are a few that don''t fit into those categories, though. The most prominent ones are the feline tribes."


    "The feline ones?"


    So the cat-like ones like Maya?


    I took a look at the soldiers that rode on their monster-like horses. All of them were beastkin, as expected from a beastkin country, but only one of them seemed to have feline traits.


    "There won''t be many of them among the soldiers."


    "Eh? Not?"


    "No. The beastkin tribes have vast differences in their abilities. And due to that, they formed a kind of hierarchy. Lafria tried to get rid of it, but it''s impossible to change the people''s mind in a few decades. Not to mention, that the difference in abilities is hard to overcome."


    "Are the differences that extreme?"


    I couldn''t quite imagine it being such a big issue. They were, at their core, still humanoids, right? Of course, people would always be good at one thing or worse at another, but...


    "Yes... For example, Lefa seems to be from a red fox tribe. The fox tribes are some of the few tribes that are incredibly proficient at magic and most of their spirit magicians are from them as well."


    "Lefa is bad at magic though."


    "Eh?"


    "..."


    Lily turned around and stared at me, dumbfounded.


    "But, isn''t she a student of the academy?"


    "Nn. She is."


    "How..."


    I didn''t know what the requirements were for entering the academy, so I couldn''t answer her and instead only shrugged with my shoulders.


    "Uhh, there are always exceptions, yes... Yes... Anyway! Let''s forget about Lefa. The exception just proves the rule!"


    Isn''t that a little rude? Lefa did nothing wrong, Lily.


    "Now, where did I stop. Ah right, magic. Magic. The fox tribes are really proficient in magic. Usually. On the other hand, the majority of beastkin are even worse at magic than humans are. Now, you have one tribe where the majority are magicians, while everyone else barely has any."


    Towards the end, she lowered her voice and she glanced over to the soldiers. Was she worried they might overhear us?


    "Some beastkin tribes are good at physical work. Some of them can lift a rock their own size without breaking a sweat."


    "... That''s... impressive."


    "But that''s not true for all of the tribes. Many tribes are not much different from humans. In fact, the majority is around the same as humans, except they are even less proficient at magic."


    "..."


    Lily furrowed her brows.


    "The tribes that do specialise in something oppressed the other tribes with their abilities. And so a hierarchy naturally formed. That has been going on for really long I heard. There''s someone in the academy who knows a lot about this."


    "Nn? You''ve been there before?"


    "Quite a few years ago with the Black Guards. They actually wanted to dump me there so I could learn magic and other things. I thoroughly destroyed that plan, though."


    "..."


    Did Lily maybe have a history of throwing temper tantrums already? This... hadn''t been the first time? Then again, if it was a few years ago, maybe it was fine.


    "I mean, I had lost everything at the time. And they were nice to me so of course, I didn''t want to leave. I caused a huge ruckus."


    I glanced over to Lily. She was smiling wryly.


    "You see... Many things happened back then. I actually don''t really remember any of it, so I can''t say for sure... But Papa told me that I had been kidnapped by bad men. He never said anything else, though. So I have no idea what really happened."


    "..."


    She didn''t remember? Even though she remembered just about everything else?


    "Unsure as I was, I clung to the Black Guards. They were all I had at the time. They and Mama. The first time when Mama just disappeared overnight I was bawling the entire day. It took a lot until they managed to calm me down."


    Lily giggled in a small voice.


    "Thinking back on it, it must''ve been really hard for them. I cried a lot."


    "..."


    "But, many things changed."


    Lily turned around to me and pulled me into her embrace.


    "Li-, Lily?"


    "Now I got such adorable little sisters, I can''t show them my weak side, can I?"


    "Well..."


    "But, I don''t mind showing it to an older sister, you know," she whispered.


    "Eh?"


    Lily giggled once more, grinning from ear to ear.


    Then she let me go again, just as suddenly as she started it.


    "Now then, it''ll still take a little while but we will probably leave the forest soon. Glad to see that nothing happened, right?"


    "A-, Ah..."


    I was still a little bewildered. Did she mean me with an ''older sister''?


    An older sister, huh. Well, I guess that''s fine too? I guess I''ll have to do my best to live up to her expectations.


    Surely, what a troublesome little sister this girl was.


    "We''re nearly out of the forest now, huh..."


    "Indeed, we are. The sun is soon coming up as well. I guess we can say we got through this safely."


    "Nn."


    In the end, why had we even been worried? It was better being cautious, of course, but it sure deprived me of some sleeping time.


    "Yumi? Lily?"


    "Nn?"


    "Oh? Karen, you''re awake again?"


    The door of the moving wagon opened and Karen''s head peeked out.


    "Yes. The others are slowly waking up as well. How does it look?"


    "We''re soon through the forest. Half an hour I guess until we can see the capital."


    "Already... I guess it all ended well."


    Yes, it ended without any incident. I peeked to the back where Karen was leaning out.


    "Sis, you might want to fix your hair."


    "Eh?"


    Karen with messy bed hair looked quite adorable. How she frantically tried to fix it was cute too.


    Without a mirror or someone''s help, it wasn''t easy to fix, though, so she quickly disappeared back into the wagon. Slight regrets that I told her.


    "Yumi, want a bit."


    "Nn? Oh, thank you."


    Lily handed me a piece of dried jerky. It was tough. But it was better than nothing. And who knew when we could have breakfast today. And so, I nibbled on the piece of jerky.


    "Ahh, I think it''s all fixed now."


    While I was busy with the jerky, Karen returned and leaned out once more. Glancing to the back, I confirmed her bed hair was gone. How unfortunate.


    "Yumi, Lily, should I already talk with the other girls, or should we wait until we take a break?"


    "I doubt we''ll stop another time until we''re right there. It might be better to at least them for now. They have some time to think then," suggested Lily.


    "That''s a good idea. Yumi, are you fine with that too?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded. Frankly, I didn''t want to be the one to tell them about it, so I actually welcomed Karen''s offer.


    "Okay. Ah, also. What should we do about breakfast?"


    "I guess we can eat something once we''re inside the city. I still got some jerky for us here, so that''ll be enough. I think in the back were some rations."


    "Rations? That''s good to know, I''ll take a look. If something comes up, call me."


    "Will do."


    Karen disappeared once more and closed the door.


    "If we''re lucky the markets are still open when we''re in. We can get fresh bread and meat. Maybe some other things too."


    "Oh, that sounds nice."


    The mere thought made me feel hungry already. Alas, I had to live with this jerky... Or not.


    "Lily, do you have more jerky?"


    "I do. Here you go. Don''t eat too much."


    "I won''t."


    It wasn''t really delicious anyway, but it was good for fooling my stomach. Maybe if I chewed it long enough it would taste better? I vaguely recalled someone telling me that chewing bread long enough would make it taste sweet. Would that work with jerky too?


    Probably not. I had been nibbling on the previous jerky for a few minutes and it still tasted bland until the very end.


    "Haa... I want proper food. I want cute girls. I don''t want those sweaty soldiers stealing glances at us."


    "Soon, Lily. Soon. Not much longer."


    "It''s still half an hour, you know. And that''s until we see the capital. It still takes a little until we''re actually there. And then it''ll take forever until we actually get in too."


    Maybe the long time of doing nothing but steering the waroxen finally got the better of her. Or maybe she simply started complaining because we were close to our destination.


    "Speaking of which, will the entire caravan enter the city?"


    "Mh? No, most likely not. They''re going to camp outside the city. There are a few nearby fields where mercenaries and peddlers frequently set up camp."


    "Huh."


    "Speaking of which, you didn''t really have many belongings, right?"


    A sudden jerk rattled the wagon.


    "Woah! That surprised me. Probably hit a stone."


    "Ah, Ahhh..."


    I glanced to the back and sure enough, there was something like a rock behind us.


    The door slammed open as well.


    "Yumi?! Lily?! Did something happen?!"


    "Calm down, Karen. We only hit a large stone or so."


    "... Don''t scare me like that! I nearly got a heart attack..."


    Karen breathed a sigh of relief. I could hear a dull sound from behind.


    "Big Sis Karen, are you okay?"


    "Yes, sorry, Emily. My knees just gave away under me. Go back in and help the others get ready, okay?"


    "Got it!"


    Small steps could be heard through the opened door.


    "Well, I''ll go back. Also... I told them already. They were... pretty calm?"


    "Calm?" asked Lily, confused.


    "Yes. As if they already knew... Maya and Sele still didn''t take it well, though, I think."


    "Those two, huh..."


    So on the other side, Emily took it quite well. That surprised me a little.


    They were all three just over ten years old. Maya was eleven. For that age, they already had to endure so much, and now they had to choose again... It was a little cruel. Children like them shouldn''t have to deal with all of this.


    But that''s just in an ideal world, isn''t it... I can understand Fenna''s worries and that they all just want the best for the girls. But, is this really the best? Once more tearing them away from their family?


    "Anyway, I''ll go back in and talk a little more with them. Leave it to me!"


    "We''re counting on you, Karen."


    "Nn, good luck, Sis."


    "Thank you. Until later."


    The door closed once more.


    "Lily, is this fine? For those three..."


    "... I can''t say it is. But on the other hand, is it fine as it is now?"


    "... No, not really."


    "See."


    They were looked down upon and discriminated against. They didn''t really have contact with anyone but the old men. You couldn''t call it a healthy environment by any means.


    "The world is cruel, isn''t it?"


    "It sure is, Yumi. It sure is."


    Would they find happiness if we left the mercenaries?


    "Don''t think too much about it, Yumi. In the end, we all have to decide for ourselves."


    "For ourselves..."


    "Yeah, for ourselves. The girls are old enough to make decisions for themselves. We shouldn''t take away their right to decide."


    Taking away their right to decide, huh. Was that, what it was?


    "Just let them have some time to think, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    I glanced towards the horizon. The sun was slowly showing its face. It was dawn now.


    "It''s only one sun now..."


    "What, did you think now every day would have two?"


    "A little."


    I still couldn''t quite get over the fact that there was a second sun every eight days. Who the heck even thought of this setup... And how was it working in the first place?


    "Lily. There''s only one moon, is there?"


    "Why would there be two?"


    Why would there be two suns? Aren''t multiple moons like so much more probable? Even I know that would work out.


    I silently stared at Lily for a little while, then let out a sigh in resignation.


    "Just wanted to make sure..."


    "There are three."


    "..."


    Oh, for the love of...


    I pulled my knees up and buried my face in them.


    "Yumi."


    "Just... Just let me take this in for a moment."


    "I''m sorry, I was joking. There are actually four."


    "..."


    Four? Really? Was she... messing with me? Or was she actually serious?


    I lifted my face and looked over to her. It was super obvious she was trying to hold back something. She was definitely messing with me.


    "I see. So it''s four after all. That''s a relief."


    "Eh?"


    "I already had been worried when I only saw one moon in the nights. But now I''m relieved."


    "..."


    Lily''s face went from holding back a grin to pure surprise.


    "Yumi... Were there four moons in your old world?"


    "No? Only one."


    "..."


    Realising I was only returning the favour, a difficult expression arose on her face. Something between a wry smile and astonishment.


    "... Sorry, Yumi. We only have one, too."


    "Figured. Your expression gave it away."


    "Ahh, did it now..."


    She sighed and faced forward to the road again.


    "Guess I''ll have to work on that."


    "Please don''t ..."


    "Now I definitely will."


    "..."


    Please spare me. If I can''t figure out from your expression that you are messing with me, that would trouble me a lot. Like, a lot. A real lot.


    I didn''t want to be worried every time that she was simply messing with me. Well, I probably wasn''t going to either way, but that was an unnecessary detail.


    Lily laughed, seeing my expression, which was showing my displeasure.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t mess with you too much."


    "So you still are going to..."


    "Of course!"


    That was an enthusiasm I would''ve liked at other places.


    "Rather than working on your expression, shouldn''t you rather think about Rina? What are you going to do now?"


    "That''s, well, eh... I... don''t know..."


    "You don''t know?"


    Lily, completely taken aback by the sudden topic change, was awkwardly staring to the side, away from me. She still nodded in affirmation.


    "Mm... That''s a little surprising."


    "... Is it?"


    "Nn. After all, you''re so unabashed in regards to everything else. And you helped me and Karen."


    "That''s... something else."


    Something else, huh. Thinking back on it, I had been quite worried too. It was a delicate topic, wasn''t it...


    "Honestly... I don''t know what I should do. It''s... difficult."


    "Well, do you want to become lovers with Rina or not."


    "... I do."


    "Then, why not try and confess to her?"


    "Uhh..."


    Lily hid her face behind her hands, still holding onto the reins.


    "But... But... Isn''t this all too fast? I mean, I only met her a few days ago."


    "... Lily. I met Sis two weeks ago."


    "That''s still longer..."


    I smiled wryly at Lily''s bashful reaction.


    "Shouldn''t we slowly get to know each other first?"


    "... Lily, who was it that called me a hopeless romantic again."


    "I''m not as bad as you are."


    How was this not... Okay, maybe it wasn''t bad, it is in a way a reasonable thought.


    Difficult, huh. I leaned back and watched the waroxen walking steadily forward. They had been going at it for the entire night and they still kept going. Their stamina was enormous... All the while pulling a huge wagon. Not some small carriage but a massive wagon, completely made of wood.


    "Still, aren''t you already clear about your feelings? If you are, I don''t really see a reason to hesitate."


    "Is that how it works?"


    "Isn''t it?"


    I had the feeling that I had this kind of discussion before once. Just that I had been on the other side, that time.


    "I''ll... think about it."


    "Don''t keep too long, or Rina will get tired of you."


    "That... would be a problem."


    "It would be, indeed."


    I faced forward, looking along the road, past the wagon in our front.


    "Oh, is that the end of the forest?"


    "Mh? You are right. We''re already here. Time went by faster than I expected."


    "Isn''t that  a good thing?"


    We could already see the end of the forest in front of us. The other wagons all passed the border already, leaving the still bright fairy forest.


    "Ah, I can see it. Yumi, look."


    "Nn? That? Is that it? Ohh..."


    Once most of the trees were behind us, our view expanded a lot. Plains surrounded us, some of them made into fields, some kept empty. And in the not so far distance was a large reddish wall, comparable to the one I saw from the city in the Akkian Empire. Whatever its name was again.


    "That''s the capital of the Lafria Kingdom."


    "It looks... tall."


    "Well, yeah. You can''t really see much except the wall, I guess. You are right..."


    I was a little sorry to put a dampener on Lily''s excitement, but it was really just a large wall I could see. There was one difference I noticed immediately though.


    "There are no slums or buildings around it."


    "There''s something comparable to the slums, but it''s inside the walls. I''ve never been there, so I can''t really say much about it, though."


    "Mh..."


    Inside the walls was still leaps and bounds better than outside.


    "Well, once we''re inside, that''s when you''re going to be impressed. There aren''t many cities the size of the capital."


    "Nn, looking forward to it."


    And so, we slowly made our way towards those impressive walls.


    "Everyone here? Good. Yumi, Rina, do you have those metal thingies?"


    "The mana pass? I have it here."


    "I have mine here too, Big Sis!"


    "That''s good, Don''t lose them."


    It would be a little troublesome if we''d lose it.


    "So, what are we going to do once we''re inside?" I asked Karen.


    "... Lily? What are we going to do?"


    "You''re asking me? Eh, shouldn''t we, like, first decide on our future course?"


    "... Can''t evade that, I guess."


    Yes, we couldn''t evade that. I would love to as well.


    "Well, it''s still early and there''s barely traffic in front of the gate. So we could go inside, to the markets and talk over breakfast?"


    "Oh, that''s a good idea, Lily."


    Karen approved of it quickly. Alas, things weren''t quite so easy yet.


    "Nn, that''s all well but... What about the others? And what about the wagon and our things?"


    "Ah. You''re right."


    "Well, the wagon stays here outside. For our belongings, I guess take the important things along?"


    "So, pretty much everything."


    I didn''t really have many things in the first place. I still needed a little box for my belongings. The pictures from the dolls were currently in Maya''s care. Speaking of which, I still hadn''t talked with Rina about the knife. It was currently in Karen''s care though.


    "I''ll move the wagon to the side to the others."


    "Okay."


    Lily jumped back onto the driver''s bench and immediately set off to move the wagon away. There was a large space to the side of the road where vehicles were parked. Mostly small carriages but also a few massive wagons, similar to ours. Right next to the camping space was a fenced field for the animals and beasts.


    "Now then. Lefa is missing..." said Karen, looking over the surroundings.


    "Nn, Lefa?"


    "Big Sis Karen, she said something about looking for her pro, puro, plofs?"


    "I think you mean professor, Emily."


    "Yes! That one!"


    Unfamiliar with the word, Emily couldn''t quite remember it. It was cute how she stumbled over it.


    "If I recall right... They went with the Black Guards, didn''t they?"


    "Nn. That''s what Lefa said, at least."


    "... She should be fine then, right?"


    "Probably."


    I glanced towards Lily who just jumped down from the wagon, having finished parking it. Then she walked over to the waroxen and freed them before moving them cautiously into the fenced field. Once done, she jogged back to us.


    "And back! So, we''re going to take our things and enter the city?"


    "I don''t have any other ideas, at least."


    "Then, let''s do that."


    We walked back to the wagon, making me wonder why we didn''t get our things first and collected our stuff before she moved the wagon away. Lily had a few small leather bags for us, so it was easier to carry.


    "Mh, Rina."


    "Yes, Lil'' Sis?"


    "Do you want to have the knife back?"


    "Knife?"


    Rina tilted her head at my question.


    "That magic metal knife, or so. I had been using it, but Sis said it was yours originally."


    "Knife, knife... Knife? Oh. That knife maybe? The one I got from my parents?"


    "I think so?"


    It did fit with what Karen told me about it, at least.


    "Mh..."


    Rina was staring at me for quite a while, then she grinned.


    "It''s fine, you can keep it. Just don''t lose it!"


    "Are you sure?"


    "Yes! I don''t mind. I completely forgot it existed anyway."


    Isn''t that a little rude to your parents? Ah, well. Considering they got kicked out, maybe not?


    In any case, if she was fine with leaving it to me...


    Maybe I should get some actual belt or sheath for it. Just binding it with a piece of cloth on my thigh wasn''t really pleasant. And I was likely to hurt myself.


    "Then, I''ll take you up on that. Thank you."


    "No problem!"


    Saying my thanks, I walked over to Karen and told her about it.


    "Is that so? Then, one second... Here it is. We should probably look for a sheath for them when we''re in the city."


    "Nn... Probably."


    "Mh, wait a moment. Let''s wrap it in some cloth, so it doesn''t cut through the bag."


    Karen pulled out some cloth from somewhere and wrapped the knife in it.


    "Nn? That looks familiar?"


    "This? They are my old clothes, from the old slums."


    "Oh?"


    "Well, after Wanda gave me something new to wear she banned me from keeping these. But it''s a waste to just throw them away, right?"


    "That''s true."


    Karen had at some point switched from those dirty clothes to some cleaner ones. I first thought she just managed to actually clean them, but they were new ones. Yes, I was slow with noticing these things. Not like there was much variation anyway. Clothes were mostly white, beige and brown. Or, saying it a little less nice, a single colour with different shades.


    Even though they can change the colour with magic, it''s not really common, huh.


    The clothes I saw at Wanda''s were mostly white but I did remember seeing a few different coloured ones.


    "Now then, keep it safe, yes?"


    "Nn, will do. thanks, Sis."


    I held up the little bag. There wasn''t anything other than the knife inside, so it was still pretty light. Maybe, one day I would have enough things to fill it a little more.


    "And I''m done. How does it look here?"


    "Nn, done too."


    "Same here."


    "Me too! Me too!"


    "..."


    Maya, Emily and Sele told us they finished already as well. Lily had most of her belongings with the Black Guards anyway and Rina didn''t have anything, just like me.


    "Then, let''s get going. The market isn''t waiting for us!" exclaimed Lily, raising her fist into the air.


    """Ohh!"""


    Emily and Maya also joined, raising their own little fists. And Rina copied them as well.


    With smiles on our faces, we made our way to the gate.


    "Uhm, excuse me."


    "Yes, little lady? How can I help you?"


    There didn''t really seem to be any real counter or so, so I approached the guard, a young beastkin man, and held up the metal sheet. Rina stood right behind me and held up hers as well.


    "A mana pass? Excuse me, may I take a look?"


    "Nn."


    The guard took the pass from me and inspected it, front and back, very carefully.


    "Seems to be genuine. Please follow me, we''ll register you shortly. Are you the only ones that need to be registered?"


    "Nn, who needs to be registered exactly?"


    "Well, all manakin need to be registered individually. So if any of your friends hasn''t been here before, please call them over, so we can register them too."


    "Oh, then, one moment."


    I turned around and jogged over to Karen and Lily.


    "Sis, Lily, the soldier said he would register whoever else needed to."


    "Oh? Then, Karen should go with you. I should already be registered, so it''s fine."


    "Me?  Is it fine to just come with you? I don''t have such a pass."


    "Apparently it is?"


    I couldn''t help her with that question. I wasn''t in charge of this, after all.


    With Karen following me I returned to the soldier.


    "You three then? Please follow me."


    The guard called someone else over to take his post and led us to a metal door, just behind the gate. It led into a small room in the wall.


    "Tross? Ya done with ya shift?"


    "We got some girls to register, Leader."


    "Oh? Ohh. Some cute little ladies there. They got passes?"


    "The two younger ones, signed by Mr Ruben himself."


    "What?! Commander Ruben? Man, that''s a rarity. How did ya girls get to know that man?


    In the room was a middle-aged man, apparently the guard''s superior, taking a break. He nearly fell out of his chair when he heard about Ruben.


    "We met him at the fort."


    "At the Hollow? Ya little ladies came over the great Hollow? Had it rough, huh. Fled from the Akkians?"


    "That''s..."


    "Ah, sorry, didn''t mean to pry, everyone got their issues. Still, been getting an awful lot of refugees these days."


    "Are there that many?" I asked.


    We had seen the refugees from Aldreigh, the ill children. The Black Guards were taking care of them at the moment because they couldn''t bring them in until they were completely cured. I could only hope they''d manage to get better quickly.


    "Yeah, there are. Nearly every day we get the refugees from who knows where. Akkian, Aldreighan, Krohmean, Bruven. Heck, recently even had a group from behind the wooden sea. Like what the hell, they journeyed for like a year to get here. Really wanna know what''s going on with that."


    "Leader, you shouldn''t babble so much."


    "Tross, kid, ya have to let out some steam once in a while, ya know."


    "It''s against regulations."


    The man broke out in laughter after being chastised by his subordinate.


    "Tross, one of them doesn''t have a mana pass, so just telling me to register without an inquiry is also against regulations."


    "..."


    "Well, I can get where ya coming from, so I don''t mind. Inquiries are tiresome, yeah. The little lady looks nice anyway, so I''ll forgive it."


    "Haa... Thank you."


    Karen was a little taken aback at the comment. But it was saving us some time if she could just get registered without any troublesome procedures.


    "Now then, lemme see those passes. and Tross, get me that stupid piece of shite over so we can get this over with quickly."


    "... Do I have to call him?"


    "Yes, ya do have to. Order from me, the boss here. Go and get him."


    "Understood..."


    The young guard saluted and left the room.


    "Nn, you two are quite different compared to that patrol."


    "Oh? Ya met patrol soldiers? Can''t blame ya, those furry pieces of shite only care for getting it on with women. Hope they didn''t try to do anything to ya."


    "... No, they didn''t."


    It was a bit awkward hearing a middle-aged beastkin calling other beastkin ''furry piece of shite''.


    "Don''t cha worry though, the stationed guards are calmer. They mostly have families already, ya know. Makes it easier on them. Patrol soldiers and those stationed away aren''t that great. We get a lot of complaints."


    "... Is it fine telling us that?"


    "What? Ya''d find that out in a jiffy anyway, no need to talk around it. Now, where did I leave that piece of shite tool? Oh, there it is."


    The man pulled a little device out a drawer and placed it on the table.


    "Now first, lemme see if those passes are real."


    He took both passes and checked over them, just like the young guard had previously.


    "Well, looks good to me. There''ve been some idiots trying to get in with counterfeits, gotta be careful. Glad to see genuine ones still exist. Now then, who wants to go first of ya three?"


    I glanced over to Rina and Karen, who returned a questioning gaze as well.


    "Can''t decide? Then, the little one first."


    "Nn? Me?"


    "Yeah, better get you done first."


    "Haa..."


    I walked over to the man and sat down in the chair he pointed at.


    "Now, gimme ya hand, hold it right here."


    "Nn? Ouch!"


    He pricked my finger with a little needle tip on the corner of the device. A small drop of blood dripped down onto it.


    "Sorry ''bout that. Need some blood for this, ya see. But ya done now. Ya did well."


    He ruffled my hair with his rough hand and laughed.


    "Now, the not-so-little one next? Then your big sister and we''re done."


    "O-, Okay..."


    Rina answered anxiously and walked over, taking over the seat I had occupied.


    A few seconds later, and a little yelp later, Rina was done too.


    Karen was braver than us, not uttering a sound. Maybe it was good he surprised me with it.


    "Now then, we''re nearly done. Once we get that piece of shite to give his okay ya ladies are free to enter the city."


    He leaned back and put back the device in the drawer next to him.


    "So, I guess ya girls travelled through the forest, didn''t ya?"


    "We did," answered Karen.


    "Still glowing like shit, the forest?"


    "... Well, yes. Has it been like this for some time?"


    "Around a week ago it started. Did ya hear about the disappearances and the villages?"


    "We did."


    The ones the soldiers from the fort were supposed to investigate? That topic came up quite a lot...


    "Some folks believe it''s a curse from the fairies, ya know. Utter bullshit, if ya ask me. But something is going on. In the forest and the surroundings. And in that damned Akkian, too."


    The man shook his head in annoyance.


    "Year by year it all gets worse. Just where are we going to end up at this rate," he scoffed.


    Before he could continue though, the door behind us opened. In came the young guard and another man. A scrawny man, with a bad complexion and an unpleasant gaze.


    "Grivs, finally ya here."


    "Hmpf, what are you calling me here for? I got better things to do than humour you."


    "We just got those three ladies registered."


    "And you''re calling me for that? Can''t you register them on your own or are you that incompetent too?"


    "Grivs, they are registered, but regulations..."


    "I don''t care about your regulations, I''m leaving. Do whatever you want."


    And the man left as quickly as he entered.


    "Man, I hate dealing with him, but that counts as an okay, right? It does."


    "Leader, he''s still an important person. You shouldn''t badmouth him."


    "That man can go lick my asshole twice over."


    He spit into a corner of the room. That was some serious hate on the man. The guard sighed at his superior''s behaviour.


    "In any case, we''re done now, right?"


    "Yes. Yes, we are. Haa... Sorry, ya had to hear that, ladies. Enjoy your stay at the capital. There''s plenty good folks around, no worries."


    He pointed at the door and the young guard opened it for us.


    "Enjoy your stay."


    "Thank you."


    Karen gave her thanks and led us through the door.


    And just like that, we finally entered the capital.


    Rinne


    Also, some pleasant news and a big shoutout to all my patrons. Thank you so much for supporting me!


    Today, my Patreon reached $100 so this month will see one extra chapter. Most likely somewhere towards the end of the month.


    Once more, a big thank you!

 Chapter of Soul Expansion: The Foolish Soul

    Red.


    That was my first impression. A deep red. Look to the left and you could see red. Look to the right and you would still see red. It was everywhere. Every building was built with red bricks. Even the pavement was red. And yet, despite it being everywhere, it wasn''t overwhelming.


    "That''s a lot of... red," commented Karen, her gaze sweeping from left to right.


    "Nn. It''s red."


    "It really is red."


    The three of us surveyed the townscape. The door we left through led us straight onto the main street, right next to the gate. Maybe because it was morning but it wasn''t crowded. It wasn''t entirely empty either, though. A good amount of people were still walking along the streets towards their respective destinations. The few carriages that came through the gate disappeared somewhere in the distance.


    "It''s really different from Arkesta or Aldras."


    "Aldras?"


    "Aldreigh''s capital."


    "Ohh."


    I wondered how that one looked like. I hadn''t seen Arkesta from the inside either, but the outside already wasn''t pretty. It was dark if I had to describe it. On the other hand, this city was bright. Bright red...


    "Let''s wait for Lily and the girls. It shouldn''t take long, probably," suggested Karen."


    "Nn."


    "Okay, Big Sis!"


    We walked towards a nearby street corner from where we could overlook the gate. It didn''t take us long to locate Lily either. It was nearly their turn now. It was an odd sight, Lily surrounded by four girls. Like a group of young girls that were out to play with their guardian.


    Nn? Four?


    "Sis, is that Lefa?"


    "Mh? Oh, you''re right. I guess those boys behind them are the other students then?"


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t really see what was behind the girls, so I couldn''t affirm whether it was them. Although it stood to reason that the two boys and their professor were there. Then again, maybe their professor wouldn''t be able to handle this?


    "Oh, it''s Lily''s turn now."


    "Nn, seems like it."


    Lily talked with the guard in charge for a minute or so and then they were left through. It really was simple. I kind of expected some sort of entrance or exit fee or some intensive interview. The guard was already fixated on the next group, though.


    Karen waved towards Lily. After a short look around, she spotted us and walked over with the other girls in tow.


    "That went a lot smoother than I expected to be honest. I half feared that we would get held up for some reason."


    Such was Lily''s first comment. I could somehow relate, as I was a little surprised as well at how smooth it went as well. Things like this usually never went smoothly, did they?


    "Lily, what did the guard ask you?"


    "Just some boring stuff. ''Why are you here?'' ''Where are you from?'' Such things."


    "Hmm. Well, as long as nothing is wrong. So, those three..."


    Karen looked past Lily, at the three little ones. They were kind of engrossed in the buildings. We weren''t the only ones who were in awe at the reddish scenery, at least.


    Karen and Lily both smiled warmly at their reactions.


    "How about we leisurely walk towards the market? It''s a little walk, so we can look at the buildings and the scenery for a while," suggested Lily.


    "If you know where that market is."


    "Just leave it to me! Follow me!"


    With enthusiasm, Lily took the lead. It took a moment for Emily and them to register that we would move on. They hurried behind Lily and continued staring at the various buildings while walking. Hopefully, they wouldn''t run into other people by accident.


    "I wonder why are the buildings so red... I haven''t seen stones like that before."


    Karen touched a building''s wall, feeling the red bricks.


    "The bricks?"


    "Yes. Lily, do you know why?"


    "Why they are red, you mean? I have no idea. I only know that they are made from some kind of clay I think? Burnt in a furnace."


    "Is that so..."


    Karen took a glance and Lily and then turned back to the wall where her hand was still brushing along the bricks. She was quite taken by the view. Understandable, though. I glanced along the buildings and then at the blue sky. Despite being a capital it was surprisingly quiet.


    "I kind of expected it to be more crowded. It''s a capital after all," I wondered out loud.


    There were maybe two or three dozen people at most on the streets. It wasn''t empty by all means. But... It wasn''t even remotely what I had imagined.


    "Well, today is the first day of the new season, so they are probably... Oh... Right. Yumi! Come here for a second!"


    "Nn? Wah?! What are you doing, Lily?"


    Lily had suddenly stopped, turned around and pulled me away to the side. Then she bowed down and whispered something in my ear. Everyone else stared at us curiously, surprised at Lily''s sudden actions.


    But I was glad Lily did this. Because what she told me was certainly important. It would''ve been a problem if I hadn''t known this. Or rather, I knew a little about it, but it had completely slipped my mind. There had been too many other things on my mind.


    "Nn, thank you for telling me, Lily."


    "Hehe, no problem! Now go."


    "Nn."


    I walked over to Karen, who was tilting her head, not knowing what was going on. I couldn''t help but smile a little, looking forward to her reaction. Then I bowed to her with a smile.


    "I wish you all the best for the coming year, that we may be together for a long time to come and that the moon and the gods may bless you with happiness and good health. Congratulations!"


    "Eh?"


    Karen stared at me, dumbfounded. It took a moment for her to register what I had said, averting her gaze awkwardly.


    "Eh, uh, uhm... Tha-, Thank you... Yumi..."


    "Nn."


    She started fidgeting, glancing left and right. He cheeks also reddened. It took a little before she recovered. Her expression turned a little sad, but her lips formed a small smile despite that.


    "It... has been a long time... since someone congratulated me..."


    "... Is that so?"


    "Yes."


    She looked up at me and ruffled my hair. The small smile turned into a wide, toothy grin.


    "Thank you, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    She might not have gotten any congratulations in the past years, but from now on, I would make sure she would. I had to. Every year, I would make sure to congratulate her.


    "Karen. Congratulations from me too."


    "Thank you, Lily."


    Lily walked up to Karen and congratulated her.


    "Big Sis Karen! Congratulations! Congratulations!"


    "Congratulations."


    "... Congra... tulation..."


    "Thank you, Emily, Maya, Sele. Thank you."


    The three little ones came over and congratulated her as well.


    "Big Sis."


    "Rina?"


    The last girl slowly walked up to Karen, a little fidgety. Then she took a deep breath... and jumped into Karen''s arms.


    "Congratulation. A lot of congratulations, for all the years I couldn''t tell you. Congratulation!"


    Karen''s eyes widened, small tears gathering in her eyes. She put her arms around Rina and squeezed her.


    "Thank you, Miria."


    "Big Sis, it''s Rina! Rina!"


    "Ah, right. Right, thank you, Rina. Thank you."


    A bright smile bloomed on both of the sisters'' faces, hugging each other closely.


    For years they had been unable to meet each other... But now...


    I hope, I hope it will stay like this... for a long, long time. I hope they won''t be separated anymore.


    I gazed at the clear, blue sky. The happy laughter of young girls echoed through the streets.


    Around half an earth hour later, we arrived at the market. Compared to the main road, it was actually quite a bustling and busy place. Dozens over dozens of people, mostly beastkin, walked around, scoured the stalls and haggled with the respective owners.


    "This is the market? It''s... huge."


    "As expected of the first day of the new season. It''s really crowded," said Lily.


    "Nn, the first day of the new season. Is that a special day?"


    "It is. With the first day of the month, the summer season starts now. Many places celebrate at this time to welcome the summer and the second half of the year."


    "Huh..."


    "Well, regardless of that, let''s look for some food stalls or similar. I want something other than jerky in my stomach."


    Yes, that was a good idea. I full-heartedly agreed. Jerky wasn''t a sufficient breakfast. Not in the least.


    "A food stall. What kind of food stall should we look for, then?" asked Karen.


    "Mh, anything that has something we can eat right now."


    "That... might be hard."


    From the looks of it, most stalls only sold a few products related to their trade. A butcher would mostly sell meat while a baker would, of course, sell bread. Much to my surprise I even saw a stall selling fish. And even a stall with honey products. So bees existed here.


    Still, how did the fish and meat stalls cool their food? Wouldn''t it go bad? Like this?


    "Oh, I think I found something."


    Lily pointed at a stall a little away. I couldn''t see anything through the crowd, so I had no idea what she actually found.


    Once more, Lily took the lead and led us to a peculiar stall.


    "Excuse me, are those Larfas Rolls?"


    "Oh? Yes, they are, young miss," answered the man from the stall with a wide smile, showing his teeth.


    I took a look the basked Lily was pointing at.


    "Lily, what are those?"


    "Mh? It''s a puff pastry with minced meat inside. It''s delicious and you can eat it on the spot."


    "Ohh."


    That certainly sounded good.


    "Are we fine with this then?" asked Karen the other girls.


    They quickly agreed, the three little ones peeking at the basket.


    Emily, you''re drooling...


    A few minutes later we stood a little away in a quiet corner, each of us with the peculiar pastry in hand.


    "This is... quite delicious."


    "Nn, it is."


    It already looked delicious but much to my surprise it was even better than I had expected. Still a little warm, you could really feel how the baker put all their heart into it. Or maybe the butcher? I didn''t really take a look at the other things the stall had to offer...


    "Still, was that fine, Lily? Three silver coins were quite a lot."


    "We got one for free, so I don''t think it''s too bad of a deal, Karen. And it''s hard to get them outside the festival. Why not indulge a little today?"


    "If you say so..."


    Despite what she said, Karen was still eating it with glee. The pastry was also popular among Emily and the girls as well. They were downright devouring the poor pastry. And as such, it didn''t take long for them before it was gone. I was a little impressed by their voracious appetite... I hadn''t even gone through half the pastry...


    Barely a minute later Karen and I were the only ones left with a pastry in our hands...


    "Well then, since we''re all together... We should talk about what we''re doing from now on, in the future."


    Lily licked her fingers clean while bringing up the rather unpleasant topic. She probably knew as well that none of us really wanted to think about it now... But we couldn''t just avoid it either... The longer we delayed it, the harder it''d be to talk about it.


    Karen looked a little reluctant to say anything while Rina was completely indifferent. As if she didn''t even care. Maybe she really didn''t.


    Much to my surprise, Emily wasn''t really reacting much either. It was mainly Maya and Sele who looked down, depressed.


    "We have roughly two choices. Either we stay with the mercenaries or we try to live on our own. Staying with the mercenaries comes with many risks. Such as battle, constant travelling and danger and such things. The pay is quite good, though."


    Although I was fairly certain she had said before that the pay for the magicians was quite bad... Well, that was neither here nor there right now.


    "On the other hand, if we don''t, we have to find some other work, work that pays well enough that we can live from it. But, while Lafria isn''t as bad as most countries, it might still be hard for women to find work on their own."


    "Ah, but didn''t Yumi get that letter from Mr Captain?" asked Karen.


    "That''s right but whether it would work out is a different matter, isn''t it? To be honest, while working at the Academy is actually quite a great offer, I''d rather avoid them. Because of Yumi and Emily."


    "Us?"


    I tilted my head curiously.


    "The Academy''s researchers are... an eccentric bunch. And it''d be impossible to hide your nature from them for long. Not to mention that Emily would get found out even faster."


    "Oh..."


    Right, both of us were, in the truest sense, rather rare... specimen. The thought actually made me shudder a little. I didn''t want to become a lab rat.


    "But it''s an option at least. If we can''t find anything else..." added Karen.


    "It is, but before we even get to that we still have to decide what we are going to do first. No use in discussing it if we aren''t even going to look for work."


    Lily stared intently at the pastry in my hand. Was she still hungry? This one was mine, though.


    "There are many things we''d have to consider if we try to find work by ourselves. It''d be possible to find live-in work as a servant or something but that''s not really what we want. If we all split up, that''d defeat the purpose."


    "So we have to find some other kind of work... But where?"


    Karen also finished her pastry, leaving me as the only one who was still nibbling on it.


    "We might find work at a bakery or butcher, to sell things. That might work temporarily only, though, I don''t think that''s going to work for long."


    "Mh... But then, what other work is there? Outside the Academy..."


    "The options are limited, but we might find something for magicians and... Mh? Maya?"


    At some point, Maya had walked up to Lily and Karen. She looked down, grabbing Lily''s sleeve and shaking a little.


    "Maya? Is something wrong?"


    Lily squatted down a little, lowering herself to Maya''s eyesight.


    "Are... Are we... going to leave... Uncle behind?"


    "That''s... Well..."


    Lily glanced over to Karen and me. She was troubled by Maya''s question.


    "We''re not really leaving him behind, you see. It''s just that he wants you all to live a safer, better life. You can still see them when they are back."


    "Will they... Will they come back?"


    "They''re mercenaries, they won''t just go off and die, you know. They''ll be fine."


    Maya was still grabbing onto Lily''s clothes, now with both her hands. She shook her head, still looking down. Lily smiled wryly and pat her head, gently.


    "They... They said that... too..."


    "They?"


    Suddenly, Maya let go of Lily''s clothes and took a step back. She was still shaking, tears in her eyes.


    "I... I don''t want that! I! I''ll go to them! I''ll go with them!"


    Maya raised her voice, shouting at us. She turned around, running off into the distance.


    "Wa-, Wait, Maya?! Hey!"


    "Ah, Maya! Wait!"


    "..."


    Emily and Sele immediately stormed after Maya, disappearing into the crowd and leaving us completely dumbfounded.


    It took a little until we processed what just happened.


    "Ahh! Isn''t that bad?! We have to find them. Ah, where to-"


    Lily raised her voice as well, looking left and right in a panic. Alas, the crowd was completely blocking her view.


    "Lily, calm down. They won''t get far alone, calm down."


    "But, Karen!"


    "Lily!"


    "Ouch!"


    Karen bonked Lily''s head. That was definitely a sound a head shouldn''t make...


    "Let''s look for them, okay? I''m worried as well, but we should''ve run immediately after them. We missed that chance, so we have to search carefully. Let''s meet up here later. In an hour and a half, okay? If we don''T find them by then we''ll ask the city''s guards. Also, one of us should check with the Black Guards too."


    "..."


    Lily nodded meekly. Calming down as well.


    "You''re calm as ever, aren''t you..."


    "I''m not calm, Lily. But it would defeat the purpose if we just run after them in a panic and get lost too, right?"


    "Ahh... You''re right. I''m sorry."


    Karen smiled and pat Lily''s head. She then turned to Rina and me.


    "Let''s split up, will you two be fine on your own?"


    "Yes, Big Sis, no worries!"


    "Nn..."


    I nodded while Rina, full of energy, affirmed her question. Albeit, Karen furrowed her eyebrows, clearly not quite believing us.


    "I just hope we won''t have any more lost children. Ahh, but we need to find those girls. Haa... Lily, can you go to the Black Guards then and tell them about this?"


    "... Okay."


    Lily finally recovered her calm.


    "Karen, the longer we wait, the further they''ll get."


    "Mh... I guess you''re right... Okay, let''s go. We''ll meet up back here in an hour and a half, okay?"


    "Nn."


    "Yes!"


    Just where the heck did they disappear to...


    It had been around half an earth hour already since I began searching for Maya and the others. Outside of simply walking around and maybe asking the occasional passerby, I had plenty of time to think a little.


    I know that Maya is attached to the captain and the other mercenaries, but...


    First, I had thought that it was maybe about her parents, but...


    The captain told me her parents died when she was really young, so it''s unlikely it''s about them...


    There weren''t really many other scenarios I could think of. Regardless of what it was, though, she was clearly upset.


    I let out a sigh. The more I thought about it, the less likely I would come to a conclusion. I would just have to ask her. But for that, I''d need to find her first.


    "Still... Where the hell am I?"


    I was lost. I wasn''t proud of it by all means, but I had completely lost my orientation, just as Karen had feared. The red buildings were just too distracting. They did look great, though. Wherever I was right now, the owners put in a lot of effort at keeping the scenery pretty. Every house had a small garden, a line of trees was lined up along the road and each building was lovingly decorated. Not one house looked like the other. There was also a fresh, comfortable smell wafting through the street.


    "I wish I could take my time here... Haa... Ah, excuse me."


    A middle-aged housewife entered my sight so I called out to her. I told her about the three girls I was looking for and described them.


    "Your playmates? I think I saw girls fitting those descriptions. Around the park."


    "Park?"


    "Oh my, you don''t know? There''s a large public park ahead. It''s a great place for playing around. I''m sure you''d find many friends there."


    The woman smiled warmly at me.


    "Haa, thank you very much."


    I nodded at her and said goodbye.


    Hopefully, they really are there...


    Shortly after, I arrived at a large wall with a gate Peeking through the gate I saw a meadow and trees here and there. And despite being surrounded by a large stone wall, the gate was wide open and occasionally some people or children would enter or leave.


    A large sign was hanging next to the gate.


    "The Gethmann''s Garden? I guess it really is a park?"


    I was a little unsure whether it was really fine to just enter. Alas, there were plenty of people not bothering in the least, so it was probably fine.


    And so, I walked through the gate, entering the park.


    "Ohh, this is quite big, isn''t it? Mh, if Maya and the girls really are here, where should I even start looking?"


    The large meadow spread out in front of me. Quite many people were around, standing together and making merry. They seemed to celebrate something.


    Maybe a birthday... I mean, birth month party? Might be. Or maybe because it is the first day of the new season? Lily said it was an important day, after all.


    Whichever was the case, I didn''t have the leisure to wonder about it now


    Once more, I asked a woman passing by me, describing the three to her.


    "My, yes. I just saw three girls fitting that description down the road. They seemed a little down so I gave them some candy. Here, do you want one too?"


    "Ah, thank you..."


    The woman put a small piece of brown candy in my hands with a smile. Then she walked past me, waving once more.


    And now I got some candy. I popped it into my mouth and a sweet taste spread through my mouth.


    Delicious. Thank you.


    I thanked the woman once more in my mind and then continued down the road. A few minutes later, I saw a group of three girls, huddled together on what seemed like a bench facing the meadow.


    "Haa, found them, huh. That''s great."


    Emily and Sele sat on each Maya''s sides. Or rather, Emily was hugging Maya and patting her back. She was comforting her, wasn''t she...


    Uhh, what do I do now? Should I just walk over to them?


    Hesitant as I was, I kept standing a little ways off. I didn''t really attempt to hide, though, so it didn''t take long for Sele to spot me. As expected of her...


    She stood up and pulled on Emily, who let go of Maya. They said something to Maya and then the two stood up, dashing over to me. Was it really fine to let Maya alone right now? Don''t leave the poor girl alone...


    "Yumi. Yumi, you''re here."


    "Nn, I am, Emily. Is... Is Maya alright?"


    "Uhh..."


    Emily''s expression told me that she wasn''t alright.


    "Yumi, could you, maybe, talk with Maya? She''s... She didn''t mean anything bad. Just... Uhh..."


    "Nn? Ahh... I''m not mad, Emily."


    I pat Emily''s head, reassuring her. I didn''t know why, but she apparently assumed I, or maybe we all, would be angry.


    "''I''ll talk with her, okay?"


    "... Okay!"


    Emily beamed at me, clearly relieved. Sele also walked up to me, tugging at my clothes.


    "Nn, Sele?"


    "... Don''t be... too hard... on Maya..."


    "... I''ll be nice, okay? Don''t worry."


    "Mh..."


    Sele nodded.


    Well then, what do...


    I patted the two once more on their heads and then walked over to Maya. I wasn''t quite sure how to approach her... How did one even approach a crying young girl, especially if you didn''t even really know the reason for it?


    Anyway, I couldn''t really just stand here doing nothing. That would change nothing. If I didn''t know, I had to find out.


    Taking a deep breath, I walked up to Maya.


    "Maya."


    "... Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    I sat down next to her. She briefly regarded me with a glance and then looked down to the ground once more.


    Some ways away from us was a group of women talking and being merry. A little further I could see children playing tag, or whatever was this world''s equivalent.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "... Are we... just going... to leave them behind?"


    "You mean the captain and the others?"


    Maya nodded weakly.


    "They... They always say the same... I hate it... I hate it..."


    "The same?"


    "That... That they will be fine..."


    "..."


    A sniffle, just barely audible, came from Maya.


    "And then... And then... They... They don''t come back... I hate it... I hate it so much..."


    Maya turned around, grabbed onto my clothes and buried her face in my chest. She was crying.


    "I don''t want that... I don''t want to sit around... and do nothing..."


    I froze. Sitting around and doing nothing?


    "I... I want to fight... with them... and protect them... Why... Why can''t I do anything? Yumi... Why am I... so weak?"


    I stared at the girl who was burying herself in my chest and crying. Crying at her own powerlessness.


    I could only stare. For some reason, those words... They hurt...


    "Yumi... What... What should I do? I... I..."


    I cautiously embraced Maya, hugging her, patting her back.


    "Yumi... Why... Why can''t I do anything?"


    Wanting... Wanting to protect... what is important to you...


    Yes, I could relate to that feeling. I certainly could. I wanted to protect my family. These girls. Lily. Rina... Karen. I really wanted to, but... I was weak as well. Just like her, I didn''t have the strength to fight, to protect them...


    "I... I''ve been practising so hard... And still... I can''t... I can''t protect them... I''m... I''m not even allowed to try..."


    She was the one who taught me how to use that crossbow back then. That wasn''t something you could simply do, without any training.


    Yet, she''s only seen as a child... As someone who needs to be protected...


    She was an impressive girl... Much... Much more impressive than I was... Much stronger than I was...


    "What... What should I do... Yumi..."


    "..."


    I didn''t know... I didn''t know either...


    The only thing I could do was to hug her small frame, trying to comfort her.


    "I... I don''t know... I don''t know, Maya..."


    There wasn''t anything else I could tell her. I didn''t know anything else. Really... What should she do? What should I do? What could we do?


    It took some time until Maya calmed down to a reasonable degree. Emily and Sele had come over and taken over for me. They apparently didn''t know what to do either. They were just as much at a loss as I was. I felt a little apologetic for being unable to help...


    And here I should be the adult...


    I was unable to help her, to reassure her. The words she spoke, they stung. I watched the three girls huddling up together. Maya already looked a little better, but now that I saw her face, it was clear that she had cried quite a lot. It was red and full of tear stains. Maybe she had bottled up all those feelings until they exploded right then and there.


    I really felt my helplessness. I couldn''t do anything for her.


    I should talk to Sis and Lily... They might know a solution.


    Yes, if it was those two they would surely...


    Surely what?


    I paused. And glanced once more to the three girls.


    Would Karen and Lily know what to do? Did they have a solution? Did they...


    I shook my head. That was wrong... Or was it?


    Maybe... I think I should clear my head a little myself...


    There was still time until we should meet up, and Emily and Sele already told me they''d take care of Maya for a little. I waved to the two of them and pointed at the road. They waved back at me, hopefully understanding the meaning. Then, I turned around and decided to take a little walk.


    The greenery was calming, it reminded me a lot of a park in my old world. Albeit there were subtle differences. The road was paved with red stone bricks, the lamps weren''t electrical lamps but instead magic lamps... Probably magic lamps...


    And despite being a park, there was a clear system in the trees, the bushes, or the occasional flower bed. It honestly gave more the feeling of a well-cared for, large garden.


    It''s quite a nice place. Whoever planned this put in a lot of effort.


    I couldn''t even imagine the amount of effort. Even after walking for a good ten or more minutes in one direction, I still hadn''t reached the end. I did find something interesting, though.


    "A statue? Maybe some important person? Nn... Oh, there''s a plaque. Let''s see. In honour... of the Gethmann family... the creators of... this garden... May they... be blessed by... the... How do I read this? Uhm... Great spirits? Sounds about right... By the great spirits... forevermore. It reads a little weird..."


    Maybe it was some older dialect. The plaque looked rather aged already. I glanced at the bronze-coloured statue. It was an old beastkin man, standing proudly, watching over the meadow with a smile. Like some kind of guardian deity.


    "An impressive man, huh..."


    I stared for a while at the statue. Then at the meadow. Children, women, men. Quite a few people were around. The children were playing on the meadow, the women were watching them with smiles. A bunch of young men stood to the side, loudly discussing something.


    Once more I glanced at the statue.


    I wonder, were you able to protect those you loved? What does protecting them even mean?


    I glanced back at the road I had come from. In the distance were the three girls.


    Is this... Is this the right thing? Am I doing the right thing?


    I sighed and walked past the statue, continuing to walk down the road. It bothered me. Seeing Maya crying at her own helplessness... bothered me. But why did it bother me so much? Was it because of those words Yumias had left me with? Or was it because of some other reason?


    The road continued on and on. At some part, the park changed a little. Large stones, half my own size, adorned the sides of the street. Each stone different from the other, surrounded by many, many flowers.


    Are these... graves?


    I walked to the side of the road and stared at the stones. There was a very small plague in front of each of them. The letters were already fading but...


    Names, huh... So... These are graves, after all?


    There seemed to be no end in sight. They kept going far into the distance. I followed them until I eventually found the end of the road. A small plaza, surrounded by even more graves.


    And another monument in the middle of it...


    Are these... soldiers? Warriors?


    Three statues of armed men towered above me. One holding a spear, another an axe and the last one a bow. Shown as if they were in the middle of battle. Another large plague adorned the base of the statues.


    In memory... of the fallen. The Great... The heck, how do I read this one... Uh... Is this a name? I think... Triside War? The Great Triside War... Year 256... to Year 286... A war monument... I wonder... what year it even is right now...


    "Oh? Are you curious about this?"


    "Nn?"


    I turned around. A group of elderly women stood there, holding flowers in their hands. One of them walked up to me and squatted down a little, lowering her eyesight to my level. She smiled, albeit it felt a little sad.


    "Do you know what this is?"


    "... A war monument?"


    "Ohh, you''re a smart one, aren''t you?"


    The woman''s smile brightened a little.


    "You are right, it''s a war monument. To remember the past, to remember the Great War... And to remember the sacrifices we made."


    The sacrifices they made?


    I tilted my head, wondering what she meant.


    "It''s been barely twenty-four Years since the war ended... Many of us lost their important ones in the war. So many..."


    The other women walked past us and put down their flowers in front of the monument. They surrounded the monument and kept silent.


    "I hope you will never have to face such a time, girl."


    The woman I was talking to patted my head briefly, then walked to the monument, put down her flower and joined the others.


    They silently surrounded the monument, not saying a word. After what felt like an eternity, they broke up again. The women all took the flowers they had put down before and walked down the road, the way they had come from.


    The woman that spoke to me nodded in my direction once and smiled, following the procession.


    Are they... widows? They... Lost their important ones in that war... Is it...


    I glanced once more at the monument.


    I... I should go back... I guess...


    While walking back down the road,  I continued sorting my thoughts.


    Maya, those widows... They lost people they know... No, not only them... Probably most of the people here lost someone important to them... Sis and Rina, they never told us a lot of what happened back then, in Aldreigh... Lily only talks about the time she came to the mercenaries, but never about the time before...


    I sighed. Was I blessed? Or was I cursed? I had already decided to live here, in this world. The people once important to me, they were fine, safe. I wouldn''t have to worry about them. But... What about the ones who are important to me now? I didn''t know what it meant to lose someone to war, to battle, to illness and disease. And I prayed that I would never have to. But...


    ''They always say the same,'' was it...


    I lifted my gaze into the sky. The sun was shining brightly but a few clouds floated above as well, occasionally covering the sun.


    I don''t know... What should I do? What can I do?


    Why did I feel so helpless? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn''t quite grasp it. I wanted to help Maya. I wanted to reassure her and comfort her.


    Yet, I can''t...


    I gazed at the graves I was walking past. I hadn''t noticed before, but there were many elderly people here. Mostly women, carrying flowers and putting them down in front of the graves. But occasionally you also saw younger people. At one grave stood a couple, probably in their early thirties. The man was saying something to the grave, his expression sad.


    My steps grew faster. I didn''t want to stay here for long. This place was heavy, suffocating. Sad.


    It didn''t take long for me to be back to the meadow, surrounded by celebrating, happy people. Yet, it felt different. Different from before. They felt further away. Way further. It felt... bland.


    "Oh! Yumi is back!"


    "Nn?"


    I directed my gaze forwards and saw Emily waving at me. I hadn''t even realised that I was already back where I had split up from them. Next to her stood Sele, and Maya too.


    Maya looked a lot better, determined. She stepped forward, staring at me intensely.


    "Yumi!"


    "Ye-, Yes?"


    "I! I''ll go back! I can''t leave them behind after all!"


    "..."


    "Yumi! Please, please come with us!"


    "Eh? Ehhh?"


    What was she talking about? Go back? Where to? I couldn''t understand what she was talking about. Not at all.


    "Yumi! Please!"


    Emily walked up to me and stared right into my eyes. Sele came up too and tugged at my clothes.


    "... Please."


    "... No, wait a minute. You girls, what are you even talking about?"


    "We want to help Uncle and the others! We''re not little children that need their protection! We don''t want to be!" exclaimed Maya.


    They... Don''t want to be simply protected.


    I froze, staring blankly at Maya.


    "I know! I know they send us here because they want to protect us! But! But! I don''t like it! I don''t want it! I want to help them! They are, they are my family too!"


    "..."


    ... Family?


    They send us here to protect us? That... That was the case... Wasn''t it? Not only these three... But also us. Karen, Lily and Rina. And me. We were being protected.


    ... Family, huh.


    "I... I don''t want to imagine it... That they won''t come back! I like Uncle! I like Miss Fenna! I don''t want them to get hurt again and again!"


    Tears gathered in her eyes once more.


    "I want to fight with them! I don''t want to be protected anymore! I''ll go with them!"


    "... Maya."


    She gasped for air after shouting out. Her face, red and stained from all the tears. Emily and Sele stood at her sides, both with a serious expression I hadn''t seen before.


    Ahh... I get it. I get why it hurts, I get why... Why this bothers me so much...


    These girls really were so much more admirable than I was. They already knew. They already knew what was important to them. And they decided to protect it. Yesterday, when we found out it would mean war... These girls weren''t scared. No, they were scared. But not because the war was scary. They were worried about their family. Scared that something would happen to them.


    And me? I keep talking about wanting to protect them all, and yet... I''m just sitting here, not doing anything... I''m an idiot, aren''t I... and a hypocrite...


    I smiled in self-mockery. My family. These girls were my family, there was no doubt about that for me. Just as much as Karen, Lily and Rina were. But what about the others? What about Fenna and Ria? What about Korwen and Merim? And Wanda? Even Lefa or Greyward, what about them? They might not be my close family, but they were people who had taken care of me.


    "I''ll have to apologise to Sis and Lily, huh..."


    "... Yumi?"


    Maya seemed confused at my completely unrelated comment.


    "Maya. I understand."


    "Yumi? That means..."


    "But I still can''t approve of it."


    "..."


    Maya''s expression turned sad, then determined once more.


    "I... I will still go!"


    "Maya, and what can you do alone? Even if all four of us would go, would that even make a difference?"


    "That''s... But..."


    "Lily told me there is little doubt for a war to break out. And a few young girls, what difference would we even make in a battle? That''s why, Maya, we have to think about how we can make a difference."


    Yes, just like back when Rina was rescued. Karen and I couldn''t do it alone. So we went and asked for help. Ultimately we managed to save Rina and join the mercenaries.


    "Also, we first have to talk with Sis and Lily. I''ll apologise together with you if they get angry."


    "... Yu, Yumi!"


    Maya jumped into my arms, hugging me with all she got. I wrapped my arms around her back. She was warm.


    I don''t know if this is the right choice. I really don''t. Maybe it would be better if we just stayed here. Maybe we could have a peaceful life. But... These girls already have a big, big family. Taking them away and parting them from that family, that''d be just cruel. And...


    Those people were already important to me as well. I... I might never be able to live with it if something would happen to them.


    "But don''t do anything too dangerous, okay? We would be getting the priorities backwards."


    "I... I''ll... try."


    Maya understood that all of this was dangerous. Very dangerous. But she had to protect herself too. Those widows, those left behind, all those people I saw back there. They were heartbroken and sad, because the ones they loved, they might have protected them... But they sacrificed themselves for it. And that... was simply no good.


    These past days... They were fun, they were great, I enjoyed them. I became lovers with Sis, I enjoyed the care of many others, I found friends. But...


    I was scared. I was truly scared. Fenna told us what happened to many young people. The horrors of war.


    Fenna likened life to a large maze. But this maze, it doesn''t have a goal. Every path ends in a dead-end. So, who cares which path I choose? It ends all the same. The feeling of being protected, it''s not bad, but... I''m not a child... I shouldn''t need to be protected.


    It was ridiculous once you thought about it. I needed these young girls to show this to me. To show me that I didn''t belong on the side that needed protection. Their energy, their determination. Children always wanted to grow up as quickly as they could. And it was the adults'' job to protect these precocious children, so that they could grow up safely.


    But I''m not someone who should be protected. For these girls'' sake, I can''t be someone who needs to be protected. In the first place, what kind of adult would I be, when I let these three run off to fight.


    I smiled wryly. The three girls looked at me, still a little dumbfounded at my reaction. What had they thought, that I''d drag them back? In the first place, nothing had been decided yet. Hopefully, Karen wasn''t too angry.


    "Yumi, so... You will come with us?" asked Emily, looking insecure.


    "Nn. I can''t let you girls go alone, right? And, you would just storm off if I don''t, I bet."


    ""Uhh...""


    Emily and Sele averted her gazes. They had already intended to do so, didn''t they? Better make sure they don''t run off on me.


    "So, if I come along, I can at least help out as well, right?"


    I wanted to protect these children. But I couldn''t do it on my own. I was too weak for that...


    I''ll have to bother Lily a lot. I''ll also have to apologise, don''t I... Haa... I don''t want to.


    We were talking about war, after all. While it wasn''t likely that they had already stormed the fort or anything, we still couldn''t waste time. If we still wanted to help, we would have to do so quickly.


    It would be a hard, arduous road. I''m sure, there would be hard times for us in the future. But, I was sure we would get through them. All of us together, I was sure we could do it.


    You might call me naive and greedy, but that was fine with me. I was just a person, after all. I wasn''t perfect. Regardless, I wanted to be with them. I too wanted to protect them. And I wanted to stay with them. All of them. Everyone.


    With my family. With my friends.


    Really, thank you, Maya, Emily, Sele. Thank you.


    What do you treasure the most? Is it an object? Or a person? Is it your beliefs, your ideals or maybe your hobby?


    There are many things you can treasure, but there is only one thing you can treasure the most. For many it might be an object, for most, it is probably a person. Knowing what you treasure the most, what will you do? Will you protect it? Will you fight for it? Or will you care for it? Neglect it? Destroy it? Or love it?


    Lily and Maya protect what is most important to them. Sele fights for it. Emily cherishes it. Rina cares for it.


    Karen loves it.


    There are many ways to show your affection. How do you show it? Have you gone to them and told them "I love you"? Have you given them a hug, a pat on the head? Did you hold their hand, did you wipe their tears?


    Did you do all of them?


    Or did you do none?


    Show your affection. Show your love. Because we are scared. Worried. We will wonder ''Do you still love us''? We will think ''They don''t care for us''. That''s why, show it to us. Reassure us. So we can reply in kind and tell you "I love you". We will be waiting. For a long time.


    For an eternal time.


    Forever, shall we wait.


    For the words of our most beloved.


    We love you.


    We love you the most.


    Rinne


    There were a lot of things I learnt during this arc. Mostly that I absolutely suck at planning my pace.


    The coming arc was originally planned to be part of the second arc... Oh, well. I guess it''s better than the other way round.


    Still, many important things happened in this arc. Most notably that Yumi and Karen got together. I wonder what things will happen in the future. Looking forward to it.


    Also rooting for Rina and Lily. Good luck.


    Now, a little bit about other things.


    In regards to looking for a cover artist, I''m going to let that run its course slowly. I''ll continue looking but at the current pace it''s probably easier to wait until some people open their commissions again... The last one really felt like he was trying to scam me.


    I''m actually quite picky and while I saw many people with nice art (and some who even DM''d me here, thank you for coming forth, I know I haven''t responded as much as I should) it''s a little hard to find this ''That''s it!'' feel. Well, and if I do they''re not taking commissions or similar. Or it was really suspicious overall when I talked with them.


    In any case, the cover art will probably still take time, but I''m working on it. Slowly.


    Another thing, I am incredibly happy about all the support I got on my Patreon. Thank you so much. I promise I''ll slowly build up more chapters so there''ll be even more to read for you awesome people.


    And I think that''s about it already. I''m looking forward to the new arc. Some of you suspected it might be an Academy arc. Alas, you can probably guess what it is going to be after reading this chapter. Still, who knows what the future will bring, right?


    Thank you for reading and for all your support! Every comment, every favorite, every rating and every reader, I am happy about every single one of them! And... I will try to respond more to your comments in the future, I promise.


    But do not fret, I have still read every single comment. Very carefully. Even that single blob.


    And that''s it from me. See you in the next arc!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: The Chosen Path

    "No."


    "But Sis..."


    "No. No, means no."


    "..."


    My newfound determination was shot down brutally by Karen. There was no mercy to be had. None whatsoever.


    "Whether we stay with the mercenaries or not, is one thing. But this, I won''t allow."


    "..."


    Around twenty minutes earlier we were still in a great mood, meeting up with Karen, Lily and Rina. From there on I told Karen and Lily about what Maya wanted to do and what I had decided. Karen was clearly less than pleased. And no matter what I tried to say, she just shot me down immediately.


    "I don''t know how you even managed to come to that ridiculous conclusion, Yumi, but we''re here for a reason. Outside of Lily none of us can even fight properly. That''s a fool''s errand."


    "That''s why I said we should prepare and find help..."


    "And where do you even want to find help?"


    "Uhhh..."


    That was a good point. I had no idea who would help us.


    "Now, now, Karen. Calm down a little. Want a bite?"


    Lily had quickly left the troublesome discussion to me and went off with the others to buy more of the puff pastry we had eaten earlier. The market looked clearly closed now so I was a little impressed that she found those again...


    "I do."


    The slightly grumpy Karen took a bite from the puff pastry in front of her. Maybe the food would placate her a little.


    "Now, Karen, before you bully Yumi too much, shouldn''t you let her explain properly first?"


    "What else is there to explain? It''s dangerous."


    "Well, if we stay with the mercenaries it''ll be dangerous anyway. Speaking of which, it''ll be dangerous regardless of whether we''ll stay or not."


    "Nn?"


    "Eh?"


    Karen and I turned to Lily, slightly confused. Lily on the other side didn''t really care much and instead took another bite of her pastry. Behind her, I could see the other four eating pastries as well. I wanted one too... Only Karen and I didn''t have one... Wait, Karen got a bite from Lily...


    "What do you mean it''d be dangerous?"


    "Mh... I talked with the people on the market a little but... Many of them have been fearing war with the Akkian Empire for quite a while already. Disregarding what is happening right now, they apparently tried to intimidate the kingdom and even demanded tribute. War threats of course included, should they decide not to comply."


    "And I guess they didn''t? But that doesn''t really change this situation, does it?"


    "Well, the Hollow is separating both countries and without the bridge, it''s nearly impossible to reach the other side. Usually, that is."


    She took another bite, pausing her explanation. Speaking of which, I saw that war monument in that park, something about the... Triside War? I wouldn''t want to imagine it but... It might have been a war with the Akkian Empire. And if it was... that meant they had somehow crossed the Hollow...


    Wondering didn''t really give me an answer so I decided to simply ask Lily about it.


    "Lily, I saw something earlier about the... Triside War? Is that name correct? Was that with the Akkian Empire maybe?"


    "Mh... Wait a moment."


    Lily swallowed her last piece down.


    "A little surprised you know of that. Yes, the Triside War was an incredibly long and bloody war from what I heard. Between the Akkian Empire and the Lafrian Kingdom, the Kingdom of Aldreigh and the former Northerland. Some kind of religious dispute. Anyway, point is, the Akkians somehow managed to get over the Hollow and attack. Not close to the capital, where the Hollow is the widest but still."


    "Somehow?"


    "Somehow."


    Lily shrugged her shoulders at my question. Usually, she always knew quite a lot of details, thanks to her good memory, so I was a little stumped at this rather inaccurate description. She smiled wryly, maybe having guessed my thoughts.


    "You see, the Northerlands... It''s the place of origin for the Black Guards."


    "... Oh."


    "So, they usually avoided talking about it. And I avoided asking. I don''t know a lot about that war, only some of the basic stuff."


    So it was like that... Then, the Northerlands were occupied during the war with the Akkian Empire? But... It must have been hard on the Black Guards... If I were them, I wouldn''t even consider taking a job in that country...


    Maybe that was why they were so willing to throw that job, though.


    "Eh, I feel bad for interrupting, but what exactly does that have to do with it becoming dangerous, Lily," asked Karen.


    "Ah, right. Right, I wanted to talk about that. Basically, since we''re pretty sure that the Akkian Empire is out for war... This place isn''t safe just because the Bridge didn''t fall. If they can cross the Hollow some other way, they can, and surely will, try to attack the capital."


    "..."


    "Those are also the worries of many living here, and with the recent aggressions by the Empire... Not to mention, if I''m honest, the Bridge is a place that''s easy to defend but..."


    Lily paused, taking a deep breath.


    "Honestly, I share Maya''s worries... If all of this is planned by the Empire, then there''s a good chance they have some idea to take over the bridge... They aren''t stupid. They won the Triside War, after all."


    "Wait, they won?"


    I was dumbfounded. I hadn''t exactly expected that they would easily give up or anything, but... That they had won? Against three other nations? That was close to unbelievable.


    Lily nodded and sighed.


    "I only heard a little but they did win. I didn''t try asking for more details, everyone seemed really on edge when I asked."


    "Then... you think they are in actual danger?" asked Karen, visibly worried.


    Lily nodded once more.


    "Fairly sure. This might be a lot worse than I expected as well. I thought it would be at most a skirmish, but... Chances are good they are trying to seize the opportunity and occupy the Lafrian Kingdom as a whole. The Kingdom of Aldreigh is occupied with internal struggles, after all."


    "..."


    Karen rubbed her temples, lost in thought.


    "Sis?"


    "Give me a minute!"


    She continued rubbing her temples, making a troubled expression.


    "Uhh... What to do... Ha..."


    "Like I said, Karen. Regardless of what we''re going to do, it''ll be dangerous. The only safe option would be completely fleeing the Lafrian Kingdom and leave everything behind."


    Karen stopped at those words.


    "You know I can''t suggest that, Lily..."


    She glanced to me, then to the younger girls.


    "Haa... I give up. Let''s see what we can do, okay? But! Safety first! Are we clear on that?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded.


    And like that, we somehow managed to convince Karen. Or rather, Lily did.


    "Well then, since we decided to help them, and I''ll just assume that we''re subsequently going to stay with the mercenaries, we should first decide what we''ll do exactly."


    "Well, Lily... Yumi and the girls suggested looking for help, but who exactly could even help?"


    Karen furrowed her brows, staring at the pastry in her hands.


    "That''s a good question. Frankly, the options are really limited. There aren''t even remotely as many mercenaries at this place as there were in Arkesta. You''ll at most find a few solo mercenaries. Nonetheless, I''d say we should lookout for a few of those, at least."


    "But, if mercenaries aren''t really an option then... Who is?"


    Lily grinned in response to Karen''s repeated question.


    "First! The Black Guards most likely will help out as well. I mean, they technically belong to the Dragon Knights now anyway. Then, there are three other options I have in mind. First, Yumi got that letter of introduction to the Academy. We can use that to ask them for support, hopefully. Second! The Military School."


    "The Military School?"


    I tilted my head. I remember someone mentioning that school before but... What was it again?


    "The Military School tends to work with the Academy and they got a lot of information regarding the Akkian Empire. They also know a lot about military tactics, magic, combat and so on and so on. In addition, they probably also know about various craftsmen."


    "Craftsmen? Why are those necessary now?"


    "Because I don''t want neither you nor Yumi running around in those flimsy clothes."


    Ah, well... These clothes surely weren''t the best for protection, that was true.


    "I want you two to at least a little bit of protection. Some cheap leather armour would already be better than that."


    "Nn, leather armour? Wouldn''t the Black Guards have some? I''m fairly certain I saw some when we went through the supplies."


    "... Yes, there are. Twice your size."


    "Ah."


    Right. I was a veritable midget. Sure enough, I had only seen equipment suitable for adult men. And those had been the Dragon Knight''s supplies, who still had a few women as mercenaries. The Black Guards were all burly men...


    "I don''t know if we can even find something for you, Yumi, but we should be able to find something for Karen at least. And..."


    Lily turned around, facing the other four girls right behind her.


    "Maya, do you guys have any kind of armour for yourselves?"


    "Each of us has a leather breastplate."


    "That''s great. And now you''re probably telling me those are in the fort?"


    "No, they are among our belongings."


    "Oh?"


    Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise.


    "Do you also have some kind of weapons? Or rather, did you train with anything?"


    "Ehh, we all practised with crossbows and those. Ah, Emily can also use a sling. We don''t have any of our own, though."


    "I see."


    Lily turned back around and stared at the ground for a short while.


    "Mh... The Black Guards should have crossbows around. Pistols are... I don''t know if they have any. Whatever the case, that means my main worry are you two. Although, Karen could probably just throw whatever heavy object is close-by."


    "Lily, what kind of brute do you think I am..."


    "Someone who has enough strength to punch a dent into a metal plate with her bare fist."


    "Maybe I should try it on you then."


    "Please don''t. I''m sorry."


    Lily quickly raised her hands up in surrender. If she didn''t want to get punched she probably shouldn''t say such things in the first place...


    With a sigh, Karen lowered her fist that she had raised in a threatening manner.


    "Eh... How about we go and check with the Black Guards for now?. They might have ideas themselves on what to do," suggested Lily, obviously trying to change the topic quickly.


    Karen shot her an unamused glance, then sighed once more.


    "Let''s do that..."


    She turned around and walked off.


    "Ah, Karen. Wait!"


    Lily quickly dashed after her. The other girls hadn''t noticed yet that we were moving, engrossed in some discussion among themselves, so I walked over to them.


    "We''re going to the Black Guards."


    "Mh? Oh, Yumi! So, we''re going to help after all?" asked Emily.


    "Nn, we are."


    Hadn''t she noticed that we were talking about exactly that? I doubted she had already forgotten.


    "Emily... I just told you we were."


    "But, I wanted to make sure!"


    "..."


    Maya, a little miffed about how Emily disregarded her word, scowled. She seemed even more displeased that Sele nodded at Emily''s comment. I felt a little bad for her.


    "Lil'' Sis."


    "Nn?"


    Rina walked over to me and then suddenly hugged me.


    "Rina?"


    She didn''t answer and only held me firmly in her embrace. After a short moment, she finally let me go, smiling from ear to ear.


    Then she turned around and followed Karen and Lily, who were already a little further, waiting for us.


    The heck was that about?


    Maya and the girls also just stared at Rina, clearly confused as well.


    "Ehh... Okay. Whatever, let''s... Let''s go..."


    The three girls nodded awkwardly and we set off.


    "To think there was such a long line to leave the city..."


    "There really were many, huh."


    "Nn."


    Returning to the gate didn''t take long, but getting through was a completely different matter. Completely different from when we arrived, the gate was completely crowded. Dozens of people stood in line, most of them with travelling gear. And the most concerning part? Mostly entire families.


    Lily stared at the line that was now behind us.


    "I did hear about that there were a number of people that were considering to... relocate. But this is... pretty extreme."


    "Word spreads fast... It seems. The people behind us were talking about how the Hollow is being sieged or so," commented Karen.


    "Rumors, huh. It''s been barely half a day since we left, there''s no way that word could have spread so fast of that. There wasn''t any siege after all when we left."


    Did rumours really spread that quickly? Scary. I would''ve understood if people were talking about the events we had seen, the group we left with was pretty large after all and there were bound to be some blabbermouths. But... Maybe it had just escalated?


    "Mh? Lily, isn''t that where the Black Guards were camping?"


    Karen pointed at a spot a little away, where a large number of wagons were standing.


    "Yes, that should be the spot but... Why are there soldiers?"


    "Nn... Maybe something happened?"


    "Let''s take a look."


    "Nn."


    A dozen or so soldiers were standing close to the wagons and talking with someone.


    Approaching, we noticed that it was Greyward, the Black Guards'' captain, they were talking with.


    "I''m really sorry, Mr Greyward, but we cannot spare any supplies."


    "So your men should keep suffering? At least spare one healer or a priest, for all I care."


    "Those men are not my men, they Sir Ruben''s men."


    "Gah, what does that matter?! Aren''t they your kin? Your countrymen?"


    "I do not see how that is relevant, Mr Greyward. Now then, I don''t think we have anything else to discuss. If you will excuse me."


    The soldier that was talking with Greyward bowed and then turned around, leaving him alone. They passed by us, albeit not sparing us a single glance.


    Greyward stood there, threw up his arms in the air and let out some rather stupid sounding, frustrated shout.


    "Gah! Soulless mongrels! Go and suffocate on your shit for all I fucking care!"


    We froze on the spot, a little away from him. I glanced back to the soldiers that had passed us but they seemed to not care in the slightest. They didn''t even so much as glance at Greyward for the insult.


    "Man, I feel better now. They can go drown in a ditch... Haa..."


    Maybe it wasn''t all that good to approach him right now. Ignoring my worries, Lily still approached him.


    "Uhm, Papa? Is now... a bad time?"


    "Mh? Oh, Lily... Sorry, did you see that?"


    "Mh... What happened?"


    "Haa... I tried asking for someone to care for the soldiers we brought along. But they decided to just dump it all on us and ignore them... Freaking heartless bas-... Sorry, I hate people like that."


    He rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head.


    "Anyway, come in. We just finished setting up camp. Or well, at least the more necessary parts..."


    He motioned us in and led us into the makeshift camp. He walked over to a long table they had set up and sat down, letting out another, very long sigh.


    With Lily taking the lead we also sat down on the opposite side of the table.


    "So, I guess you girls came here for a reason right? Did you decide what you are going to do from now on?"


    "We did. We''ll stay with the mercenaries."


    "I see. Guess I won the bet. Ha, for once I would''ve liked to lose."


    "... Wait, you bet on it?"


    "We did."


    He grinned at Lily''s question, completely ignoring her expression full of disbelief.


    "Now, only for a week''s pay, don''t worry."


    "That''s not what I''m worried about... Don''t you think it''s a little rude to bet on that?"


    He shrugged his shoulders.


    "We need a little enjoyment on the side too. Let us have that little bit of fun."


    "..."


    "More importantly..."


    He glanced over to Karen and me, then back to Lily.


    "Why are you here right now? Even if you decided to stay, you could''ve just gone and enjoyed the city for a little."


    "That''s..."


    Lily seemed a little troubled at the question, then she took a deep breath and briefly explained our plans.


    Greyward leaned back and crossed his arms in front of him.


    "Helping them, huh. I''d like to say you shouldn''t but..."


    "But?"


    "... Already the original plan was to return to the fort once we escorted everyone here."


    "Eh?"


    They were already planning to return to the fort? That was the first I had heard about this.


    "Korwen told us to keep it from you girls for now. He wanted you all to decide on your future in peace."


    "The Captain did? But... It was Fenna who told us to think of our future..." I asked,  a little confused.


    Greyward grinned meaningfully at me.


    "Well, just ask him yourself. I''ll only say this much for now..."


    His expression hardened.


    "There''s a difference between someone who chooses to become a mercenary out of their own will and someone who was forced to do so."


    "Eh? Wait, you mean..."


    "I won''t say anything else."


    His expression softened again. But, if those words were real... Was Korwen testing us?


    "There are a few reasons for all of this. Let''s see... One is a major restructuring for the Dragon Knights."


    "Major... restructuring?" asked Karen.


    Greyward nodded in response to her question.


    "There are a number of inefficiencies and... problems. When I met him a few years ago he had already been playing with the idea of this, but after the trouble at Arkesta and us joining, he wanted to finally go through with it."


    Greyward waved another mercenary over and told him to bring something to drink. The soldier saluted and promptly left.


    "The Lomerian Dragon Knights have existed for a long time, way longer than the Black Guards. Just like with us, their original country doesn''t exist anymore. The Earldom of Lomeria perished some hundred years ago or so. Since then, their group has been steadily growing. Growing fat, how he phrased it. At this point, they are only rolling over most jobs with their pure weight."


    The soldier came back, together with two others. They brought a barrel and a small crate with mugs. The placed the barrel next to the table, opened the lid and left the mugs on the table, before excusing themselves. Greyward took a mug and literally dumped it into the barrel, scooping up whatever was inside.


    "Feel free to take some too. Ah, but the little ones should be careful, it''s strong alcohol."


    There probably wasn''t any form of a minimum drinking age but...


    I glanced over and saw them vehemently shaking their heads.


    "It burns," commented Maya, accompanied by Emily''s and Sele''s wild nods.


    Greyward laughed heartily at that display.


    In the meantime, Lily had already prepared two mugs and shoved one of them to me, before asking Karen and Rina if they wanted some too.  Karen refused, while Rina wanted to try it. So in the end, only three of us took him up on the offer. Albeit I wasn''t even asked whether I wanted. I did want to, though.


    I took a small sip. It was a very fruity but slightly burning sensation. I quite liked this.


    "Now, where did I stop, huh..."


    "That the Dragon Knights were growing fat."


    "Now, that''s pretty rude, my dear Lily. But yes, I stopped there."


    He stared at his mug for a few seconds.


    "The Dragon Knights are over eight hundred people. Only half of those are actually combatants. In a way it''s a necessary evil, on the other side it comes with many other troubles. Did you hear that they started causing a ruckus overnight with the patrol soldiers?"


    "If it''s the one I''m thinking of... That was right in front of us. Although I don''t know what it was about," told him Lily.


    "Oh, was that so. Well, that woman was just, how to say it, unsatisfied with her treatment by the soldiers."


    "... What? Could you repeat that?"


    Lily failed to process those words.


    "She was unsatisfied with the treatment. Something along the lines of... What was it again... Oh right, her sleep being disturbed so rudely. Or beauty sleep? No idea, don''t want to know either..."


    Greyward shook his head and laughed dryly.


    "I had heard about them but... I thought my eyes would pop out when I got the report. It''s ridiculous."


    He took a hearty sip from his mug before hammering it onto the table.


    "At this rate, they will cause problems. So Korwen wants to get rid of everyone who is a troublesome element. Not everyone from those families'' is as retarded as that woman, but there are too many who are. Discrimination. Vainglory. Those are troublesome for a mercenary band."


    "So... He wants to cut off the families?"


    "Not quite. I don''t know the details either, but I think he got something planned."


    I took another sip from the beverage, allowing the fruity flavour to spread in my mouth. It was like a pretty strong fruit juice. Although, you could really taste that it was strong alcohol and not a simple fruit juice.


    "At least, Korwen plans to cut down on everyone unnecessary, unsuitable and unwilling. He asked for our cooperation with this, since the Black Guards as a whole aren''t as deeply involved in this. And..."


    He glanced at us and grinned.


    "It''ll become interesting how it''ll end up. But that all comes after the current situation."


    His expression hardened once more.


    "We plan to leave tomorrow evening again. Until then, we have to round up as much help as we can and get as much preparation done as we can."


    "What about the Academy and the military school?"


    Lily brought up the idea from earlier.


    "The Academy is likely to help us out but we can''t expect too much. They don''t care too much about the country itself, as long as they can do their research. There are a few rather... patriotic ones among them, but they are more trouble than worth, from my experience. The military school can also help us at most with some supplies and intelligence."


    "And the army?"


    "..."


    Greyward paused then looked past us, towards the city.


    "You saw it just now, didn''t you? They don''t care. Unless you bring it up with their superiors or even with the King himself, they won''t move. And the only one who would even be able to get an audience would be Korwen himself."


    "Then... What do we do?"


    "Round up as many solitary mercenaries and whoever else we can find. It''s not even remotely the best idea but that''s all us lowly mercenaries can do."


    He laughed in self-mockery.


    "Really, their country is close to being attacked, but the army doesn''t even care. Well, I''ll still try whether I can get some higher up from the army listen. The more important part is, what do you girls want to do?"


    "Well..."


    Lily glanced to her side, over to us.


    "I think we could go to the Academy? Yumi got that letter from Mr Captain after all," suggested Karen."


    "Letter? Ah, you shouldn''t use that letter."


    "Huh?"


    Greyward interrupted us quickly.


    "That letter was for the case you girls wouldn''t stay, right? It probably contains some information about you girls, but there might be things you don''t want them to know otherwise."


    "Things like what?"


    I tilted my head. There wasn''t really much... information... Oh.


    "Nevermind."


    "Figured it out?"


    "Nn."


    Information about me was bad. And about Emily probably too.


    "But... then what do we do?" asked Karen."


    "Well, I already planned to send someone to the Academy, so if you could go there, Lily, that''d convenient. I''ll write a new letter for that."


    "Me? Well... I don''t mind."


    "Good. I already sent someone to the military school, so that''s not an issue either."


    So Lily would go over to the Academy?


    "Ah, Papa. We wanted to actually look for some equipment for them. I had considered asking at the military school if they know about craftsmen but..."


    "Lily, there''s no way in hell there''d be enough time for that. And anyway, we got a smith and a tanner, they can fix them up something useable."


    "Oh, right. They were around too."


    "Yes, leave that to me. Now get going."


    "But I need the letter."


    Greyward paused and then pulled up a small bag hanging from his belt. He took out a pen and some paper and rather hurriedly wrote a letter. He barely wrote three or four sentences, then folded the letter, put it in an envelope, wrote something on the envelope and handed it to Lily. The whole thing barely took more than two minutes.


    "Now you can go."


    "... Okay."


    With a slightly complicated expression, Lily received the letter, waved to us and left. Was this really going to be fine?


    "About you six now... Let''s see."


    Greyward turned to us and thought for a little.


    "Mh, I think I still have an old leather armour from Lily, we can probably fix that one quickly for you, Miss Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    An old armour from Lily? Well, if it would fit, why not.


    "We might be able to manage one of the more recent ones to fit Miss Karen but... Since she''s a little taller... We''ll have to ask what we can do."


    "I understand, thank you."


    "For the others, I don''t think we can fix anything up quickly."


    "Ah, we have a breastplate!"


    Maya quickly told him.


    "Oh? Then, that''s, but you should still let us take a look. You''re still growing so it''S better to check over."


    "Oh, ohhh..."


    "That leaves..."


    Greyward looked at Rina who just tilted her head in response.


    "... I''ll try to see if we can scramble something together."


    "Okay."


    Greyward nodded, then he emptied his mug in one go.


    "Then, I''ll tell where the tanner is. Miss Yumi, you come with me, I''ll have to take a look around for the armour first."


    "Nn, got it."


    I also quickly drank up the remaining alcohol in my mug. I should ask what this exactly was later. It was delicious.


    Greyward directed Karen and the girls to the tanner or armourer or whatever else this person was supposedly doing while bringing me elsewhere, to look for that armour.


    "Miss Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "There''s something I''d like to talk about."


    At a more deserted spot, Greyward suddenly stopped and glanced at me from over his shoulder. His rather friendly, nearly fatherly atmosphere was gone, replaced with an oppressive, angry stare, directed straight at me. The sudden glare made shivers run down my spine.


    "What relation do you have with the witch?"


    Rinne


    The extra chapter for this month will probably come on Thursday, around the same time as always (18:00 GMT). I''ll tentatively keep the last thursday of the month for now as the day for the extra chapter. This might change in the future.

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Precious Things

    "What relation do you have with the witch?"


    "... Eh?"


    I froze for a moment, not quite understanding the question.


    "I asked, what relation do you have with the witch?"


    His eyes narrowed, intensifying his glare.


    Witch? Does he mean Yumias? He does, doesn''t he? But... What relation?


    She was the one who granted my absurd wish on death''s door. Albeit, she did scare me a little. Or rather, quite a bit.


    Be that as it may, but did Greyward know about me? About what I am and how I came here... I couldn''t just tell him about all of this, could I...


    He now turned around, facing me directly. He was imposing, tall, and that just made it all the worse. Towering right in front of me... He scared me.


    "I''d like an answer."


    "..."


    I opened my mouth and closed it again. What should I even say? And if I didn''t say anything, what would he do?


    His eyes narrowed even more. I knew I had to say something, but...


    No, get yourself together.


    I took a breath and braced myself as best as I could, clenching my fists in front of my chest. I had to say something. My relation with Yumias... For me... she was mostly just a stranger. Someone I met by chance... A scary stranger...


    "There... There''s no real... relation... between us..." I stammered.


    "No relation?"


    His eyes widened a little, his glare slowly turning into a stare full of suspicion. Yet, the tension stayed. As if something was pressing down on me.


    "N-, Nn..."


    "..."


    He continued staring at me, silently. After a long time, at least it felt like one, he turned away from me, walked a few steps before stopping once more and sighed.


    All of a sudden, the oppressive atmosphere disappeared and I could feel my knees giving in. Finding myself suddenly on the ground, I tried to process what had just happened.


    "I apologise, but I had to make sure."


    He glanced at me and then stared at the sky.


    "That thing already messed with us too many times. But, you''re just a victim as well, aren''t you?"


    "... Vic... tim?"


    It took me a little before I understand what he meant.


    "I heard a little bit from Korwen about you. That thing kidnapped you, changed your body and left you all alone in an unfamiliar place, right?"


    "..."


    Kidnapped? You could argue that to be the case but... I would have died at the time. In a sense, she gave me a second chance...


    If it wasn''t for her I would be dead now...


    Maybe sensing my confusion he came over to me and sat down in front of me, on the ground, then he stretched out his hand and pat my head, a weak and gentle smile on his face.


    He didn''t say anything, he just continued patting my head and ruffling my hair. After a minute or so, his hand left my head, leaving me slightly bewildered.


    "Would you mind telling me the little that you know?" he asked after another short silence.


    "... What I know?"


    "About that thing, the witch."


    His expression turned serious once more.


    "Lily might love her as a parent... but I loathe her."


    My eyes went wide at the sudden confession.


    "She messed with us, played with us, made a fool of us. And not only of us, of everyone, of everything. I''ve seen it over the years, watched it... Sometimes she granted people''s wishes. Other times she drove people into despair, even into suicide at times. All for the sake of entertainment as she claims. She doesn''t even see us as people, we''re just her playthings. There''s no way I could ever like such an abomination that toys with people''s lives."


    He grabbed the pouch on his belt, rummaging through it and taking out something reminiscent of a cigar. He also pulled out a little fire stone, so he could use it to light the cigar.


    "I doubt that you do, but want one too?"


    I slowly shook my head. I had no recollection of ever smoking and I didn''t really have the intention of trying it out. Not now, and most likely not in the future either.


    "That so."


    He took a drag from the cigar and let out some smoke from his mouth.


    "I hate that abomination. And I want to know as much as I can, to prevent even more tragedies from occurring."


    He looked up once more towards the sky, silently smoking. It gave me a bit of time to sort my thoughts. Because I was a little confused. Yes, I knew she was messing around, doing unreasonable things. But... from his words, that wasn''t even the beginning.


    Is she really that bad? Even driving people into... suicide?


    If I had to describe my impression, she felt more like...


    Like a capricious child. But... She''s not a child.


    She wasn''t. She wasn''t a child, she was an adult. A rather old adult, actually.


    "Miss Yumi, do you know the Witch''s Tale?"


    "... The Witch''s Tale?"


    I cocked my head at the sudden question.


    "Yes. It''s the legend about the Grand Witch. Or, the Miracle Witch, the Plague Witch, the Witch of Calamity, there are as many names and titles for her as there are people. Although those are the more well-known ones."


    He took another drag from his cigar.


    "You should ask Little Lily about it when you got some time. It''s a rather long tale. It does portray quite well her nature, though."


    "... So, you really believe that she is... that witch?"


    I recalled Karen asking that question to Lily as well. After all, it was quite unbelievable if she really was a character from a legend.


    "I do. I''d love to say that I know for sure... unfortunately there''s no real evidence for it. But... the things she can do and in fact, does... they are ridiculous. She can do things that should be completely impossible according to current magic theory."


    He shook his head for some reason.


    "But... that''s not something we can do anything about. None of us can."


    "..."


    His expression turned sullen. No, it was more like, despair had hit him.


    "Listen well. Never, never trust her. Nothing she says is ever the full truth. She lies straight into your face, she changes facts, tells only half-truths. I don''t know what she told you, but disregard it all. Everything."


    "... Everything?"


    He nodded in response to my question.


    Everything... But... Wouldn''t that mean I should disregard... what she told me... But... She even showed them to me.


    But, how did she even do that? Once I thought about it, how did she even show them to me?


    I quickly shook my head. I... didn''t want to doubt her. Because... It was about my old family. I truly hoped they had recovered and were living a good life. Even if she was using it to deceive me, I really hoped that part was true.


    But...


    He''s... not wrong. I don''t know whether she told us the truth or tried to deceive us. But... somewhere...


    ''Naive.'' That was how Korwen described me early on. Maybe I really was naive. The past days... I got used to it. So quickly. Without even realising. I had to reflect on that. On a lot of things.


    When I first met Yumias, I was scared, worried. She was a monster. But somewhere, slowly, she changed from monster to plain Yumias for me. I hadn''t even noticed.


    Still, even so...


    Being suspicious of her was one thing I could agree on. But, honestly, I didn''t want to doubt every word she said. She was the one who, in a way, saved me and granted me a second chance. If it weren''t for her, I wouldn''t even be here. In spite of her... questionable methods.


    I face Greyward again. He had already finished smoking his cigar and was rubbing the short stump onto the ground to extinguish it.


    "I... I want to find it out myself first."


    "Find it out?"


    "Nn. Even if you tell me those things... She saved me. I owe her. I do think she is suspicious, scary, and I probably shouldn''t believe everything she says. But... I want to see it for myself first."


    Did she just save me out of a whim? Did she just pick up Lily because she thought it was fun? Was that really the case? Or... did she have another reason, that we don''t know? I... I would like to know first.


    Whether she was someone I had to be wary about or not. There were too many things I didn''t know about her.


    I just couldn''t agree yet. I only met her twice... I was sure she hid things from me, from us, but...


    Speaking of which... I... never asked her about that. That one scene I saw, in that cursed dream. Right at the end. The clearing, that... egg... and me.


    "I see. I hope you won''t regret it. Regardless, be careful. If not for yourself, then for Lily."


    "... I''ll try."


    "Try, huh. Well, It''s better than nothing."


    He stood up and patted away the dirt from his pants.


    "We already wasted quite a bit of time. Come, we still got other things to do."


    "... Nn."


    I cautiously stood up, making sure I wouldn''t fall to the ground immediately once more. Thankfully, I didn''t. My knees still felt a little weak, though.


    Greyward was already moving on so I hurried after him.


    "Mh, I think it was here..."


    Greyward rummaged in a crate in his personal wagon. Apparently, the captains and the officers all had their own respective wagons. Thanks to that, they gave more the impression of someone''s room. A desk, shelves, various weapons hanging on the walls. A lot of weapons hanging on the walls. Axes, hammers, spears, a very ornate lance, even bows and crossbows, a pistol and something reminiscent of a musket.


    "Nn, no swords?"


    "What?"


    "Ah, I just wondered why there are no swords among those weapons."


    "Ahh, that. The only good swords we have are Lily''s. She''s the only one even bothering with them."


    "Nn? Why only Lily?"


    Greyward lifted his head out from the crate and looked over some of the weapons.


    "Because there aren''t many opportunities to use swords in our line of work. I heard Korwen recommended you to learn about bodyguard work, so you might actually get to use them a little more often than us."


    "Uh, I''m not quite sure I understand?"


    "Mh? Ah, you don''t know about when to use which weapons? Well, let''s see. What do you think is the advantage of a one-handed sword over that axe."


    "Eh?"


    I looked over to the large axe he was pointing at.


    "Uh... It''s lighter?"


    "That''s correct. Anything else?"


    "... No, nothing comes to mind."


    "There are a few more reasons but one of the more important ones is, that they are handy. They aren''t in the way and you can comfortably carry them with you. The axe is in the way and clunky, not to mention it''s a lot heavier than a sword."


    "Haa..."


    Certainly, a sword would be a lot easier to carry around. But I had never even really thought about such a thing.


    "Now, an axe is actually a pretty bad example. But you get the gist of it, right? Now, what do you think is the difference between a sword compared to that one?"


    He pointed at the spear.


    "The range."


    Even I could immediately guess this one.


    "Exactly. Before you even get in range with the sword, the spear will have you impaled three times over."


    He returned to the crate and continued looking through it.


    "A sword is handy, it''s comparatively small and very lightweight. You can carry it and bring it just about everywhere. That makes it attractive for guards, patrols and just about everyone who needs to react quickly. But mercenaries rarely have these situations. Most of our work is monster subjugation or participating in wars. It''s group combat. Spears, lances, halberds, those are the weapons we mainly work with for melee combat. Even an axe works better most of the time."


    He pulled something large out from the crate and put it aside. Old parts of a plate armour...


    "In a way, using swords is Lily''s declaration that she dislikes that kind of combat. I mean, combat in wars. She prefers a fight between two equal parties. In a sense, she''s more of a martial artist than a mercenary. Although I am half certain that she just got a thing for swords... Her collection is taking way too much space..."


    "... Collection?"


    "She''s collecting swords. You didn''t know? Her only actual weapon is the Zweih?nder, all other swords are just part of her collection. She likes to carry them around, thinking she looks imposing though. It makes my head ache. Who would even fall for that..."


    "..."


    Maybe I shouldn''t comment on that. After all, it did look imposing for me, on our first meeting.


    "But... I am also grateful, to you all."


    "Nn?"


    "We travelled a lot, but... many countries don''t have a great view of beastkins. At some point, she just disguised herself with that pendant all the time. But... since she met you all, she hasn''t been using it anymore."


    Rather than she hadn''t... Didn''t Karen confiscate that pendant?


    Well, Lily was a lot cuter like this anyway, so if someone asked me, that was fine.


    "Ah, here it is."


    Greyward pulled a black something out of the crate.


    "I knew it was still there. Mh, but it''s a little old... I hope he can still fix this..."


    He dusted it off. It was a black leather armour. Is what I would like to say.  But no matter how I looked at it, that wasn''t just ''armour''.


    Rather, it was a long, black dress with long sleeves. A large leather plate dyed in black covered the chest. There also seemed to be some more leather plates beneath the cloth, but they weren''t visible from the outside.


    "... That''s not the armour we were looking for, is it?"


    "What are you talking about, it clearly is."


    Greyward looked at me confused. He didn''t seem to understand my slight apprehension at seeing this.


    That wasn''t armour. It was a cute dress which coincidentally had a leather plate sewed on it. You couldn''t tell me that was armour.


    Greyward furrowed his brows, looking a little annoyed. He might have guessed my thoughts.


    "Lily really used to like this one, you know. It was such a shame that she grew out of it."


    "..."


    "I wish she would wear the new one at least."


    There was a large version of this? Really? I somehow could understand that Lily didn''t want to wear this. Actually, it wouldn''t really fit the disguised Lily but... It might actually look cute on her now. Now I wanted to see that.


    "Now then, I''ll leave you alone for a bit, so try it on."


    "... Eh?"


    Greyward handed me the dress and left the wagon.


    Now I was left alone with this dress. I stared at it, then held it up, spread out in front of me. It was actually quite heavy. Like, really heavy. Signs of use and age could be found all over it. Scratches, fixed tears, etc. But despite that, you could clearly see that this wasn''t a cheap dress. It was even embroidered with the emblem of the Black Guards. It was arguably hard to see, though, since it was all black... Why was everything black? Okay, they were named Black Guards, but they could at least use a few different colours, couldn''t they?


    Ah, whatever... I guess I can''t avoid this, can I...


    It wasn''t like I was completely against it anyway. It was a little cute, after all. More so than these clothes I was currently wearing at least, which were mostly practical. Although, the clothes I got from Wanda were more on the cute side too.


    I sighed. There wasn''t any way to avoid it anyway.


    Here goes nothing.


    "Nn, it''s a little tight."


    I had successfully squeezed myself into the dress. Squeezing, was the correct choice of words, because it was actually still a little too small. For the most part, it wasn''t that bad, but the breastplate felt a little uncomfortable. It pressed into my ribcage...


    Still, a mirror would have been nice... There wasn''t one here, though.


    Still, it''s really quite heavy.


    Just as I had expected, there were leather plates below the cloth as well. Or rather, inside. And quite a lot in fact. Most of the upper body and the arms were protected. Regardless, actually wearing it, made me realise it once more. This wasn''t armour. It was a dress with some leather plates. Even I knew that this wasn''t the most practical...


    Whatever, it''s still better than nothing. But I''m a little curious. Mr Greyward is quite protective when it comes to Lily, so... Nn, let''s ask him later.


    I nodded to myself and opened the door of the wagon, where Greyward was waiting.


    "Mh? Oh, never would have thought I''d see that dress being worn ever again. It looks good on you."


    "Ah... Nn, thank you..."


    The praise was a little embarrassing, but it sure felt nice.


    "So, how is it? Does it fit?"


    "Nn, it''s a little tight and small."


    "Mh, where exactly?"


    "Mostly the breastplate and the shoulders."


    "As expected, huh."


    He walked to my side and inspected the plate from close up. He tried moving it a little, which was quite a little unpleasant. It didn''t really hurt, but...


    "We''ll have to fix that, I guess. At least readjusting the plate. Like that it''ll only hinder your movement. The cloth will probably stay a little tight for now, but there''s no time to fix that. Well, I''ll ask nonetheless if we can fix that. Anything else?"


    "Nn, no. That''s it."


    "Mh. Good."


    He nodded, looking over at me from various angles to check if everything was in order. It was a bit embarrassing.


    "Then, let''s go."


    "Go to?"


    "To the one who can adjust this."


    "Haa..."


    He turned around and motioned me to follow him. I quickly grabbed my old clothes that I left in the wagon and ran after him.


    "Nn, Mr Greyward, I have a question."


    "Ask away."


    "This dress, why... why a dress? This isn''t really the most practical, is it?"


    "Oh? You noticed."


    He grinned at me.


    "You''re right. It''s not the most practical."


    "Then, why?"


    Surely not to just look good on Lily. At least I hoped so.


    "Just like I told you about weapons earlier, armour also has different uses."


    "Huh..."


    "You met my men back in that hideout, right? What did you think?"


    "What I thought? That they were impressive."


    Those men holding halberds and crossbows in heavy, black armour. They were imposing. Truly imposing.


    "And there you already got your answer."


    "Eh?"


    "There exists armour to be as practical as possible. And then there''s armour like this, with the purpose of being imposing. Unfortunately, you can''t always have both of those, so you have to forsake some of the more practical parts."


    "Haa... But... If I may say so, but this... isn''t really imposing."


    It was cute. But not imposing. In the first place, it was probably very hard for a young girl to look imposing...


    "Well, maybe imposing isn''t the right word. It has to make an impression. Young girls like you or Lily, you won''t look imposing or scary. But you can draw attention. If you look cute or beautiful, people''s gazes will naturally land on you. Look."


    He pointed to the side. Taking a glance there, I saw a few mercenaries from the Black Guards quickly averting their gazes.


    "Just like those idiots did, people will naturally take a look. But on the battlefield..."


    He paused.


    "On the battlefield, that short lapse of attention can very well spell your doom."


    "..."


    "Well, it is also dangerous, though. When all the attention is drawn to you, it becomes just all the more dangerous. You become a figure of import. A target."


    "..."


    A target. That... That sounded scary. But...


    I see... This is something even I can do.


    I was no good at fighting. And there was no way I would be able to learn it in such a short time. I could probably practise some more with the crossbow, but if I would be able to hit anything was questionable at best.


    But if it was about being a figurehead, a target... Then even I could do that.


    "Scared?" asks Greyward.


    "... A little."


    "That''s natural. Don''t worry, we''ll protect you."


    He laughed heartily.


    "Well, it''d be great if you can help out a little, though. I''ve been wondering, but... You can use magic, right?"


    "... Nn. A little, at least."


    "A little? Mh, but if you can already use some, it shouldn''t be too hard. I guess I''ll ask Wendl later."


    "Nn?"


    I tilted my head in curiosity.


    "Wendl can surely teach you a little magic that could be useful in the field."


    "Eh?"


    "What, you don''t want to?"


    "... No, not at all."


    In fact, I welcomed it. The only ones who could teach me were Ria and Lily. But Lily had told me that her magic wasn''t really good neither for referencing nor for teaching. In fact, I still hadn''t seen her using magic even once... And in regards to Ria... It was hard to follow her explanations for longer than two minutes.


    That was why I was actually feeling a little excited. Assuming this guy wasn''t as eccentric...


    "Well, let''s leave that for later. For now..."


    Greyward stopped at a wagon and knocked on the door. A few seconds later it opened and a young man peeked out.


    "Mh? Captain? How can I help you? Maintenance again?"


    "Kind of. You need to adjust something."


    Greyward motioned with his chin in my direction. The young man looked over and his eyes widened.


    "That... Never would have thought to see that dress again."


    "It''s too small for her, though. So adjust it for her."


    The man stroked his chin, not saying anything for a few seconds before turning to Greyward again.


    "Are you sure, Captain? I''m fairly certain I''d have to take it apart completely for that..."


    "It''s fine. It''s better it gets some use. It only collects dust in a crate otherwise. Do what you have to."


    "... Understood, Captain."


    The man nodded in acknowledgement.


    "How much can you get done before we leave again?"


    "Mh, I don''t have much work yet so I might actually be able to completely finish it up before more people come to me asking me to fix up their inner armour for the umpteenth time. Ah, but I might have to replace some of the metal parts, so that depends on Wormaz. Best case I''ll be done tomorrow morning, though."


    "Good. Then get to it. I''ll leave her in your care for now."


    "Understood. Ah, Captain."


    The man called out once more to Greyward who I was intending to leave.


    "The embroidery, I can cut that part out for you."


    "... No, it''s fine. Leave it."


    "..."


    Not saying another word he left me alone with that man.


    "Mh, well, if he''s sure about it."


    He scratched the back of his head and watched Greyward''s back disappearing between the wagons.


    "Now then. Ah, right, I didn''t even introduce myself yet, did I? I''m Kohno. Responsible for all matters of sewing, weaving, tanning and so on."


    "Ah, I''m Yumi."


    "Yumi? Oh, you''re that little friend of Lily''s. I see. Now, come in, let''s not stand here outside."


    He welcomed me into the wagon. Upon entering I was left quite surprised. Similar to how Greyward''s felt like a personal room, this completely felt like a workshop. A mobile workshop.


    "There''s not much space, sorry about that. Ah, there''s a chair, feel free to sit down."


    "Nn."


    I walked over to the half-buried chair he pointed at. There were all manners of cloth and leather piled up on it which I had to place elsewhere first...


    "Now, first. Captain said it''s too small, but could you tell me exactly which parts are?"


    "Nn. The breastplate is... quite uncomfortable."


    "Uncomfortable? Digging in?"


    "Nn."


    "I see. Could you raise your arms so I can take a look?"


    I nodded and raised my arms.  Just like Greyward earlier, he tugged at it a little.


    "Mh, that''s quick to fix. Should only take me a few minutes. Could you take it off?"


    "... Eh?"


    Take it off? Did he just ask me to get naked here? He was staring at me, completely oblivious.


    "Uhm... Is there somewhere here where I can change my clothes?"


    I tried asking, an attempt at giving him a little hint. Before my change I probably wouldn''t have minded something like this but... It was a little different now. Not to mention that it was a bit embarrassing, regardless if you were male or female, the thought also made me feel a little uncomfortable.


    "Place to... Oh. Oh, sorry about that. I''ll leave you alone, call me when you changed!"


    "Nn..."


    He literally stormed out of the wagon, bright red. He probably finally realised what he had asked. With a sigh, I quickly changed into my other clothes that I had brought along. After making sure that I was properly clothed again I called him in again.


    "Ahaha, sorry about that. Really. It''s usually always old men so, out of habit. Sorry. Really!"


    "Nn, it''s fine."


    I smiled wryly at his apology.


    He took the dress from me and put it down at his workbench. He didn''t sit down though, instead, fiddling with the dress in some incomprehensible manner.


    "Uh, uhm..."


    He cautiously glanced over to me.


    "Nn?"


    "I... Uhm... I need to take measurements..."


    "... Ah."


    "Ahh, over the clothes is fine! Really!"


    "... Nn."


    He was completely in panic mode. It was a little amusing to watch, but also irritating.


    I stood up and walked over to him. He stared a little bewildered at me.


    "Are you going to measure me or not?"


    "... Yes, I, I''ll measure!"


    He quickly took the measurement tape and cautiously approached me.


    This might take a while...


    Around half an earth hour later he had finally finished taking all measurements and asked me whatever else he needed to know. Now he sat on his workbench and adjusted the dress while I watched him. I didn''t really understand in the least what he was even doing, but it was nonetheless interesting to watch.


    He had completely opened the seams of the dress and taken out the breastplate and all other leather plates. He pried open a few of those plates even, revealing metal stripes inside. That explained why the whole thing was so heavy... Not only was it stuffed full of leather but there was also metal inside.


    Still, why is he sorting the plates onto two piles?


    After prying them open, he put the plate on one of two piles. I wanted to ask but I was a little scared of disturbing him. A chance revealed itself after a while though, when he had presumably taken out all plates and sorted them.


    He shook his head and sighed.


    "Is something the matter?"


    "Mh? Oh. Well, yes."


    He turned to me and then pointed at the two piles.


    "I kind of expected it, but... I''ll have to replace all of those leather plates."


    "... All?"


    "All. Even the breastplate."


    If he had to replace that all... What was even the point of all this?


    He smiled wryly.


    "The metal stripes are partly rusted and some of the plates are falling apart. You want this to protect you, right? But I wouldn''t trust armour that''s on the verge of falling apart."


    "Haa..."


    So, in the end, the whole search for useable armour had been useless...


    "This leather was made with old techniques anyway, so it''s not bad to replace it. With the time and the materials I have, I can only make one from cheap leather, though. Sorry about that.


    "Ah, no. No need to apologise."


    "Ahaha, well. After this whole thing ended I can make one from better leather. I also heard from the captain that we might be able to use some really nice monster materials in the future. I''m looking forward to working with those."


    Monster materials? He couldn''t mean... He probably did...


    I wondered what he would say if he knew that the source for those was sitting right in front of him...


    "But... After this, shouldn''t I return this to Mr Greyward?"


    "Why would you? He already gave it to you. So, you should just use it. And it looks good anyway, right?"


    "Isn''t this important to him, though?"


    "And isn''t that exactly why you should use it?"


    It was the reason why I should use it? What did he even mean with that?


    "Honour this gift and use it well. I think that''s the best way to show your appreciation. In any case, I agree that we shouldn''t let useable armour lie around."


    "... Except this wasn''t really useable, was it?"


    "Well, I can salvage some stuff from those, so it''s not all bad, you know."


    He smiled wryly, lifting up one of the plates.


    "There are many things you can still do with these. Like making them into small bags. Nothing gets wasted here, unless it''s completely useless, like the rusted metal parts. Albeit, I''m no smith, Wormaz still might find a use for those."


    "Nothing gets wasted..."


    "That''s how it is. We got to make the most out of everything we have, right?"


    "... Nn."


    Making the most out of the things we had...


    I glanced at the dress on the workbench. It didn''t really look much like a dress anymore, right now. But we were going to make use of this. I did feel a little bad about it, though. It was clear that this was an important memory to Greyward, yet he saw fit with giving it to me.


    I looked over the cloth and spotted the embroidery and one side.


    "Nn, why did you ask Mr Greyward about the embroidery?"


    "The embroidery? Ah, if I should cut that out for him? Well..."


    Kohno grinned mischievously.


    "You see, the embroidery was done by the captain himself."


    "... By himself?"


    "Yeah. It took him apparently nearly a whole month, according to my old man, but sure enough, he did it himself. And it''s pretty good too.


    That... was a surprise.


    "He... really loves Lily, doesn''t he?"


    "He does. We all do. She''s the captain''s precious daughter. It''s a little sad seeing her growing up and slowly distancing herself but... That doesn''t change how important she is. It wouldn''t be an understatement that she''s the most important person for the captain. For many of us."


    "..."


    The most important person... And yet, here we were, bringing Lily into our own little family. It... made me feel quite bad about it.


    But Lily loves this family of hers too. That much I already know.


    It would be nice, it would be nice if she never had to decide between either side. That we could all continue like this.


    I think it was a good decision. It was a good decision to stay with the mercenaries. Not just for the three little ones, but also for Lily.


    In the end, the only ones who were out of place here were Karen, Rina and me. We had no prior relations with the mercenaries, we had no strong attachment. But these girls all did. And we shouldn''t try to rip them apart from these relationships. We shouldn''t.


    And that''s exactly why... Why we have to make sure that it stays like this.


    Rinne


    And that''s the first extra chapter.


    Feels a little odd to be doing this on a Thursday, but here it is.


    Once more a big thanks to my patrons for supporting me and making this extra chapter possible!


    You guys are awesome.

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: The Mage of the Black Guards

    "Well, I got all I need so you''re free to wait and watch, but you don''t have to."


    With those words, I was dismissed by Kohno. Apparently, it would take him a quite while. He did tell me to come back later, though, so he could check on his progress and see if everything was fitting. And like that, I left him alone. I didn''t want to get in the way.


    But... What do I do now? Nn, Sis and Lily are out and the other girls were looking for their own armour... Actually, wouldn''t they bring those here to this guy as well?


    In any case, I was free again for now. And I actually had an idea about what to do with this free time.


    Mr Greyward talked about someone named Wendl who could teach me a little about magic, right? Maybe I can find that guy. Or I could just ask Mr Greyward should I find him instead.


    But to find either I first needed to know where to even look. And since I never even met Wendl I also didn''t know how he looked like.


    "Haa... Let''s ask someone... Excuse me, I''m looking for Mr Greyward or a Mr Wendl."


    I walked up to the closest Black Guard soldier.


    "Mh? The Captain and the Chief Mage? I think the Captain left earlier and the Chief Mage is..."


    The soldier furrowed his brow.


    "Probably somewhere there..."


    He pointed in the distance at the opposite side of the camp.


    "I see. Thank you."


    "No problem. Good luck..."


    "Nn?"


    Did I need good luck? I wasn''t really fond of such ominous words...


    Somehow, my motivation to go meet this person has dropped significantly already... Ugh, whatever, maybe it''s just a mistake...


    It was fine to have a little hope, right? With those thoughts, I slowly made my way towards the other side of the camp. Although I called it a camp, it was just all the wagons parked halfway randomly, with enough space in between that you could comfortably walk through.


    Thinking about it, this part is mainly the Black Guards'' wagons... but over there...


    The place I was walking towards to were the wagons from the Dragon Knights. They also were parked a lot more randomly than the others... After a while, there were basically no Black Guard soldiers around anymore. They were all replaced for the most part with middle-aged and elderly women and a few children.


    The mercenaries'' families, I guess... But why would that guy even be here then?


    Remembering the things I knew about the families made me feel a little uncomfortable. I hoped I would find Wendl quickly.


    "Oh? Girl, I haven''t seen you here before..."


    "Nn?"


    While I was feeling a little lost, a young woman walked up to me with a smile.


    "Are you lost?"


    "... No, I''m looking for someone?"


    "Oh? And who are you looking for? Family? Or a friend?"


    The woman squatted slightly down. I already noticed before but many people went down a little when speaking with me... Well, I couldn''t blame them. I probably would''ve done the same.


    "No... A Mr Wendl. I was told he was here."


    "Mr Wendl? I don''t think I know anyone with that name..."


    The woman tilted her head a little.


    "Do you know anything about them?"


    "Nn, they''re a magician from the Black Guards."


    "The Black Guards? Ah, those older gentlemen, right?"


    Her smile grew a little. But gentlemen? They weren''t bad guys but they were far from what I envisioned a gentleman to be... Well, she was probably just polite.


    "But someone from those gentlemen here? I don''t think I''ve seen anyone... Ah. I think I know who."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes, come, I''ll bring you there."


    Before I could answer, she took my hand and pulled me along.


    "Ah."


    "Is something the matter?"


    "That''s... No."


    I couldn''t say there was no need to hold my hand. Not to that gentle smile. It was unfair.


    "Still, are you running errands for someone? You''re so young and already so mature, aren''t you? I''m sure your parents are proud of you."


    "No, I''m not..."


    "You aren''t? Then, is that person a relative of yours?"


    "No. I heard he could teach me about some things."


    "Teach? My, how studious you are."


    The woman praised me and pat my head gently.


    "When I was your age all I could think of was playing pranks on the adults. Such a good time. But don''t forget to have some fun, yes? Only studying isn''t good either."


    She obviously thought I was a little girl. I was already used to this a little by now, but... I wasn''t quite sure if I should clear it up or not. It was probably better to say it early on so that it wouldn''t become awkward at the end. This had troubled me with Lefa before already, although I was saved in her case since she didn''t mind the little details. I took a small breath.


    "Nn... Uhm, it''s a bit hard to say but... I''m twenty-two already."


    "... Ha?"


    The woman stared at me, a little confused.


    "We''re... the same age?"


    "Nn?"


    "..."


    After staring at me for a few seconds, she let go of my hand, turned around and squished my cheeks in between her hands.


    "Uhh?"


    "Same age..."


    With an intense stare, she started to press and squish my cheeks.


    "Squishy... Soft..."


    "Gould fhou bwease sdob..."


    "So soft and squishy... So... So! Envious!"


    Ehh?


    She squished my cheeks even stronger for a few seconds before changing her target to my hair.


    "You''re still so cute even though we''re the same age? Ahh, god is so unfair.  Are you a long-lived race? But you seem like a human... A demonkin maybe? Or is it because you are a manakin? Is it because of that?"


    "Could you... Uhm...please stooooop?! Don''t!"


    My butt is off-limits, Miss!


    The woman had completely lost herself in patting and touching me all over. It wasn''t that unpleasant, excluding the part with my butt, but it was a little weird, having my hair and body touched all over.


    The woman froze for a second after I asked her to stop, then she took a quick step back, raising her hands in front of her.


    "Ah, sorry! Sorry, about that. It''s just... you''re so small and cute and your skin is so soft and your hair so beautiful... I''m a little envious."


    "Haa..."


    How should I even respond to that? My face became a little hot from the direct praise.


    "But... You''re... really twenty-two?"


    The woman furrowed her brows a little.


    "Nn."


    I nodded, affirming her question. While I could understand her doubts, it was still the case that I was already an adult.


    "Huh... Are you maybe... that Yumi girl I heard about?"


    "Nn? I am Yumi. And since I don''t know anyone other with that name... So, probably yes?"


    But, someone here was talking about me? That made me a little bit curious.


    The woman stared at me, still looking a little doubtful.


    "Odd."


    "Odd?"


    "I thought you were some scary, little demon. But you''re cute."


    "Eh?"


    Just what the heck did they tell her that she thought I was a scary demon?


    "What did you even hear that it''d give that impression?"


    "That you seduced the captain and all the mercenaries with your lascivious body and your magic. And that you are plotting to slowly exterminate us all, by sending your familiars, suffocating us or bludgeoning us until we are unrecognisable, smashing up our eyes and teeth."


    "..."


    Scary! Who the hell spreads such scary things about me?


    "There''s also talk about how you intend to sacrifice us all for some blood ritual to summon an abomination into the world on your path of world domination."


    What even was a blood ritual? I didn''t want to sacrifice people for anything.


    "But that''s only the beginning..."


    "No, wait. Even if you say the beginning, I don''t even know what this beginning was about? What is a blood ritual? And why would I exterminate you all?"


    "... For fun?"


    She cocked her head questioningly.


    The heck? Who would do something like that for fun...


    The woman suddenly started giggling quietly, then broke out in loud laughter.


    "Ahahaha, you''re really amusing. Your expression really is great."


    "... Eh?"


    The woman was holding her stomach and buckling down from laughter, gasping for air in between.


    I see. I understand. I understand very well now.


    This woman had been messing with me, from the looks of it.


    "Haaa, this was nice..."


    "..."


    Seemingly completely refreshed now, she looked down at me with a smile.


    "Now then, you were looking for this Wendl man right? Let''s go."


    "..."


    Wait a moment! Wait a fucking moment! Just like that? You''re not even going to say sorry or anything?! You''re quite brazen, aren''t you, Miss?!


    She grabbed my hand again and pulled me along, ignoring my inner turmoil. Instead, she started humming a little. Her mood seemed to be really good. I had a strong urge to complain, but seeing that happy face made me quite reluctant. After a short internal conflict, I decided to just let it be.


    Why were all the people around my completely stuck in their own pace?


    Oh well, whatever.


    "Nn, I still haven''t heard your name."


    "Mh? Oh, did I not introduce myself? My name is Helma. Helma Jockson."


    "I see. Helma, huh... Nn? Jockson?"


    Where had I heard that name before? It somehow felt familiar...


    "Oh, I think you know my father. His name is Merim Jockson."


    "... Excuse me?"


    I stopped in my tracks and froze. This girl was... Merim''s daughter? He had a daughter? But she didn''t even look that much younger than he did? How... How did this even work? If she had said his sister, I could believe it, but... Maybe...


    "Are you messing with me again?"


    "Mh? No, I''m serious."


    "... What?"


    Helma tilted her head. She seemingly couldn''t understand my confusion. Was she maybe really serious this time?


    "This might sound weird but... how old is Merim?"


    "Twentysix."


    "... Okay, you are messing with me."


    I sighed, shaking my head. Better be careful about whatever she was going to tell me in the future.


    "So, what is the truth?"


    "I''m his daughter."


    "We already went over that, thank you."


    "But it''s true!"


    Somehow she was actually quite insistent on this.


    "Okay, if I got this right, Merim is only four years older, right? There''s no way he could be your father. Biologically speaking."


    "Ah, well, he''s not really my father by blood. But he''s my father!"


    "..."


    So, she was adopted? By someone four years older? While it might have been possible, it still sounded... unlikely. Then again, Merim also seemed to be going completely in his own pace, so maybe he was fine with this?


    "Well, he prefers if I call him ''Dear'' or just ''Merim'', though..."


    "Huh."


    "Ever since we married he''s been weirdly insistent on it..."


    "..."


    Yes... Calling your husband ''Father'' was sure to brew trouble. I pinched my brows and sighed once more.


    I recalled that Merim did say he was married. But to think I''d meet his wife here, by coincidence.


    Although she was quite... odd. Honestly, I was a little curious but also a little scared. Maybe I should... just ignore this quirk. Or I could just ask Merim. That felt like a safer option.


    "Ehh, anyway, you said you know where I might find Wendl, right?" I asked in an attempt to quickly change the topic.


    "Mh? Right, I saw one of those black-clothed gentlemen earlier here."


    Thankfully she didn''t notice. Or she ignored it.


    "He was talking with one of the mothers, I think. Oh, I think here?"


    "Nn?"


    Still holding my hand, she led me to a particular wagon. I had a bad feeling about this. She knocked on the door. The door didn''t open. She knocked again but the result stayed the same.


    "Odd. Usually, someone should be around now."


    Helma tried knocking a few more times but it was clear that nobody was inside.


    "Mh, maybe they''re out. Let''s ask someone."


    Helma approached a nearby, middle-aged woman and asked her.


    "Oh? I think I saw them running after this old coot."


    "... Running?"


    "Yes. I think they went over to the waroxen pen"


    "I see. Thank you."


    Helma said her goodbyes to the woman and returned.


    "This man you''re looking for... What are you hoping he would teach you?"


    "... I heard he could teach me some magic."


    The more I heard about this man, though, the less inclined I was to actually ask him to teach me.


    "A magician, huh. Well, I guess that''s a good reason... Well, let''s go to the pen and see if they are still there."


    "Nn."


    She didn''t take my hand this time, though, and we just walked normally to that place.


    "Like I said, m''ladies, it''s all a misunderstanding, yes?"


    "A misunderstanding, you say?"


    "Yes, yes, you shouldn''t make such scary faces, it ruins your beauty."


    It was, as expected. A man, presumably a little older than Korwen and most other mercenaries, stood on top of a warox, surrounded by around a dozen women of pretty much all ages. To his luck, the women were still a little intimidated by the large beast, so they didn''t try to rush him. From the looks of it, it was only a matter of time, though.


    Some of those women were also holding weapons in their hand. Mostly old ones with strong traces of use.


    "I kind of expected it already but... maybe he shouldn''t have tried to get it on with former mercenaries."


    "Those women were mercenaries?"


    "Some of them, yes. Many women retire when they marry or get children. That doesn''t change the fact that many of them are still veterans in their trade."


    Helma scratched the back of her head.


    "Well, I think we at least found him. But what are you going to do now?"


    "... Nn, nothing, I guess."


    "Not going to help him? Your future teacher might get lynched like that."


    "Nn..."


    I didn''t really want to help someone who was just reaping what they sowed. But Helma was right. He was currently safe on the back of the magic beast, but he couldn''t stay there forever.


    But, I would need to placate that mob somehow. And honestly, I had no idea how I should even do that.


    "Maybe it''s easier to just let them beat him up."


    "You''re surprisingly brutal, for such a cute girl."


    "If you have a better idea, do tell me. But first, I''d like to know why exactly they are angry."


    There were a few bystanders watching the scene, similarly to us. I walked over to a young woman nearby.


    "Excuse me, what exactly happened here?"


    "Yes? Oh."


    The woman turned around and looked at me for a short moment, with a complicated expression.


    "The girl is an adult, you can tell her."


    "Oh? Helma? An adult? This girl? Mh, if you say so."


    Apparently, she had been reluctant to tell me because she thought I was a child. Well, understandable enough.


    "That man was currying favour. Telling them how beautiful they are, how good they smell, and so on. The typical womanizer, you see. And unfortunately for him, that didn''t work out so well."


    "Nn, did they get angry because they played with them?"


    "No..."


    The woman shook her head and smiled awkwardly.


    "Most just straight out refused him. The majority here has been travelling for their whole life, and pretty much everyone already had one or two incidents with this type of man. He was disappointed and depressed at the end. Some of the children came over and tried to cheer him up. In the end, he just played with them but..."


    "Their mothers didn''t see it like that and went after him?"


    "Yes... If you ask me, it was really innocent enough. He just played with them. Well, some of his remarks were a little problematic considering the situation."


    So he was rejected and depressed as he was cheered up by the children, only to be hunted down by their parents again.


    "I see. I have a slightly better opinion of him now."


    "Nn. It''s still bad, though."


    "Yeah."


    If he hadn''t tried to pick up women, he wouldn''t have ended up like this. So, in the end, my sympathy had its limits. But he also didn''t harm anyone.


    "Nn? Is it just me or is the warox... getting annoyed?"


    "Is it?"


    The magic beast seemed a little distraught at the mob surrounding it. A short while later, it lifted its head and let out a deep roar. The women, slightly panicking, all quickly retreated, opening a patch for the beast. Which it swiftly made use of.


    "Ah. Eh, someone, help me? Ahh... Help. Help!"


    The man on top if fell on his behind was clinging to the beasts back, as it charged in a large circle inside the enclosure, agitating the other beasts as well. The women had already swiftly retreated outside. They were now sneering and laughing at the guy.


    "Well, it''s better than being beaten up," commented the woman next to us.


    "True."


    "Nn."


    The poor guy was enjoying his surprise rodeo ride.


    "I think this might take some time."


    "Nn... Ah. He fell off."


    He finally lost his grip and flew off the beast''s back. He quite literally slammed onto the ground. Hopefully, he survived.


    "The warox is approaching him."


    "Nn. It won''t eat him, will it?"


    "They are herbivores so I don''t think it... Ah."


    The warox lowered it''s head and was shoving its victim away towards the fence, where it left him alone, returning to eating the grass instead.


    He didn''t move at all and at some point, the mob got tired of waiting and left. A few more minutes passed before the womanizer finally managed to stand up. Slightly wobbly on his legs he made his way towards the camp again.


    "Guess he survived."


    "Nn."


    He left the enclosure and sat down on the ground, leaning against the fence.


    "Well, if you want to go to him, now is your chance."


    "Nn..."


    Helma said bye to the other woman and we slowly walked over. I was a little apprehensive to just approaching him after his little ordeal, but he would have to live with that. After we approached him close enough to talk comfortably he lifted his head and glared at us.


    "What? You girls also here to make fun of me?"


    "No."


    I shook my head in denial. He was still glaring at me, though.


    "Mh? You''re that girl that''s been with that Korwen guy the last days, aren''t you?"


    "Nn. I''m Yumi. Are you... Mr Wendl?"


    "I''m Wendl, alright. So, what do you want? I got better things to do than humour a brat."


    "Like picking up women?" asked Helma.


    His glare intensified a few times over at that question.


    "I never even picked up anyone. Yeah, been looking for some fun on the side, but none of them even wanted to give me the time of the day. So, what''s the harm, huh?"


    "No, I wasn''t blaming or anything."


    "Making fun of me then, huh?"


    "No..."


    Helma shrank back a little at his forceful behaviour. Maybe we should have waited for a little for him to calm down, after all.


    "Man, all of you and everyone else. Ah, god, everything hurts to boot."


    He stretched and moved around his arm. Considering he was thrown around by the warox he was still in surprisingly good shape.


    "So, could we get this over with finally?"


    "Ah. Nn. I was told by Mr Greyward you could help me teach me some magic..."


    "Huh?"


    He raised his eyebrows in confusion. He probably expected many things, considering the situation, but not this.


    "You just want to ask about magic?"


    "Nn."


    "No shitty telling me to fuck off or hurling a sword at me?"


    "Nn..."


    He finally stopped glaring and leaned forward, scrutinising me.


    "Well, if it''s just that I can help you..."


    "That would help a lot. Thank you."


    "Haa... You''re an odd one."


    "Nn?"


    He stood up, patting down his clothes and stretching them a little to get the wrinkles out.


    "You watched the entire thing just now, didn''t you?"


    "Nn."


    "And you still fine with this old man?"


    "Nn."


    "That''s why you''re odd."


    "Ha?"


    Well, I wouldn''t go to defend him, for sure. But as long as nobody was actually harmed...


    "Aren''t women always crying and hurling abuse around? Without any logic? Not even going to listen to reason or anything. They get mad at you for the tiniest thing, man. Or is it because you''re still a brat? Ah, but... Didn''t the Captain tell me you''re older than you look?"


    "I''m twenty-two..."


    "Oh. So you''re just looking like a brat. Well, that still qualifies you as a brat."


    Disregarding the very questionable views he had, he was still quite rude. And Helma was suspiciously quiet as well.


    "So, your friend also wanting to learn about magic or what?"


    "... I''m sorry, but since I''m just crying or hurling abuse, I think I''ll refrain."


    "What? Got a problem with that? Isn''t that how it''s always?"


    "I think you should first try fixing your attitude and then they might actually not throw swords at you."


    "Pff! Good joke! Aren''t I the literal incarnation of kindness?"


    The literal incarnation of kindness would probably not claim to be said incarnation, though.


    "I think you''re at most the incarnation of rudeness."


    "Ha, that''s fine by me too. Whatever! If you aren''t going to learn anything, then don''t bother me. And for you, brat, you coming with me if you want me to teach you anything. But first."


    He turned around and waved over at a wagon. In the shadow of the said wagon was a group of children. They slowly approached us, eyeing me and Helma in particular. Around halfway towards us, they probably decided we were fun and ran over, surrounding the old man.


    "Mister, are you fine?" asked one of the children.


    "Yes, brat, I''m fine. Won''t get done in by something minor like this."


    "Really?"


    "Of course I am. Look!"


    He posed for the children, emphasising that he was all healthy.


    "Instead of worrying about an old coot like me, go get to your parents and tell them you''re fine, yeah? Now, shoo shoo. Got no time for you brats now."


    He pretended to shove them away in a rough manner. The kids dispersed and waved at him, saying their goodbyes. Some also said their thanks that he was playing with them.


    "Mh, so you really didn''t do anything," murmured Helma.


    "What. What should I do with brats? If they grow up and become beautiful women, then they can come back. As brats, they''re just a bother."


    So this guy was, on one side, complaining that women were crying or abusive towards him, but on the other side, he only wanted beautiful women?


    "Anyway, if you want to talk about magic, then come with me. Otherwise, scram."


    "Haa..."


    And with those words, he simply walked off.


    "The heck is this."


    "Hey, don''t touch that, it''s delicate."


    "For what is it, then?"


    "It''s for cooling and freezing water. But it always breaks when it freezes."


    Helma stared at a little contraption with water in a test tube, surrounded by another tube and multiple elemental stones.


    Wendl walked over to the device, shoved Helma to the side and turned it on. Helma grumbled a little at the rude treatment but nonetheless, she watched without complaining directly. The stones inside the device glowed and a few seconds later the tube clouded up.


    "It''s hard to see any¡ª


    Wham!


    "Wha!"


    The sound of glass bursting echoed through the room.


    Helma, completely taken by surprise, fell backwards and landed on her behind. Thankfully I had already expected this to happen, seeing the closed off tube with water, so I fared a little better. The exploding sound still made me jump a little.


    "See. It explodes every time."


    "Nn, but isn''t it simply because the water expands when it freezes?"


    Wendl stared at me with wide eyes.


    "I''m surprised. You are right, brat, it expands. Although I haven''t yet found out why it expands. Everything else expands when you heat it and contracts when you cool it. Only water doesn''t."


    If I recalled correctly, it was because of some unique traits of the molecules, but unfortunately, I forgot the details. Actually, would it even be fine to tell him about this?


    "I... see... Water expands... Are you... researching water?"


    Helma stood up again and turned to Wendl with that question.


    "Nah. A friend at the Academy does, though. I''m at most playing around with it a little."


    "Haa..."


    Just for playing around, it was still impressive he went out his way to set up this device, though. And it wasn''t the only thing here. The entire wagon was filled with books and odd devices. And in the corner the corpse of a young man. It was probably still warm.


    "Mr Wendl."


    "What, brat?"


    "What''s that there?"


    I pointed at the presumable corpse.


    "Ha?"


    Wendl, seeing the thing in question, scowled and walked over the body. And then kicked it into the side.


    "Wake up, you shitty apprentice."


    "Guh."


    There was only a strange sound from the body. Well, it clearly wasn''t a corpse, since it made a sound, but... The guy clearly didn''t look really alive either.


    "Whatever. Ignore this fellow. He isn''t dead yet."


    "Yet..."


    Wendl sat down in a chair and leaned back. It was also the only chair in the room.


    "Now, since your friend came along, I guess you also want to learn? Those who want to learn are always welcome, be they brats or women. Or monsters."


    "Haa... Ha?"


    Helma cocked her head in confusion. Wendl just straight up looked at me though.


    So he knows, huh. Well, Mr Greyward or the Captain probably told him...


    It didn''t really surprise me they did if he was as important as he seemed to be.


    "Still, I have to know how much you even know about magic."


    "Nn... Pretty much... nothing?"


    "Nothing?"


    "Nn. Except for the bit of magic that I can use and feel."


    "So you got the mana sense and you can cast some magic."


    He stroked his chin and paused for a moment.


    "I see. Intrinsic magic, I guess. What kind of magic can you use so far?"


    I listed the few examples of magic I could use to him, not holding back. Helma, who finally understood the situation, stared at me with wide eyes.


    "I see. Charm magic and a type of creation magic. Interesting. Very interesting. All three of those attributes are difficult to handle for humanoids, to the point they are nigh useless. Life magic can be partially used to reanimate a body and with soul magic, you can even make it move. But at most it''s just a kind of mock necromancy. Lust is completely useless outside of very few, very special individuals."


    "Is that so..."


    "Yes. The only exception to all of these... Are the witch worshippers."


    "... Witch worshippers?"


    That didn''t sound like something I would very much like, now, would it?


    "Fanatics worshipping the Grand Witch. Somehow they managed to generalise magic of a few less known attributes, those three included. They made it possible to use them to a reasonable degree. It''s very troublesome since it also tends to be very powerful magic. Reason why many countries ban it outright."


    He sighed and lifted up a very thick and very old looking book. He opened it, revealing the already yellow pages beneath.


    "Lust magic can influence the mind. The raw mana, attributed to Lust, makes people horny, at most, though. The raw mana for life magic can make things grow or strengthen them and mana from the soul attribute doesn''t do anything, as far as I know."


    He flipped through the pages of the book until he probably found what he was looking for.


    "Yes, yes. Honestly, I can teach you all you want about magic theory, but you won''t be able to apply most of it."


    "I won''t?"


    "You won''t. Because you cast magic differently from us. I''m sure there are many parts that would benefit you too, but in the end, knowing the chant for the Krohmean Religious Cleanse will do you nothing good, will it?"


    "... Nn."


    The heck was a Religious Cleanse anyway? Was it cleansing you with the power of religion or was it cleansing you of religion?


    "By the way, Krohmean Religious is the name of the magic system."


    "... Okay."


    "There''s also Krohmean Royal, Krohmean Noble, Krohmean Soft, Krohmean Hard, Krohme¡ª


    "I got it. I got it."


    The heck was up with that? Wasn''t Krohmea a country? Why did it have half a dozen or more magic systems?


    "In any case, as you can see there are probably as many systems as there are people. The difference is mainly, what people are the most comfortable with."


    "Comfortable?"


    "Yeah. We don''t really know why or how, but magic gets invoked through an action for the most part. That action needs to have meaning. And then the magic gets invoked, based on the desired outcome. That''s what it boils down to. There are plenty of other factors involved, but that''s what always stays the same."


    So, basically, anything worked? Even if they started doing a naked dance, they could invoke magic with that?


    "Monsters actually still share this, contrary to what many people believe. The difference, though, is that the action is minimised to an extreme. The action is the direct manipulation of mana. In a way. The action and the invocation become a single step."


    "Nn..."


    So because I could directly manipulate mana the action and the invocation became one? Did I get this right? Or rather, I felt a little lost. I could understand the words but somehow the meaning eluded me.


    "So, rather than studying the steps, you should rather study about invocation and the outcomes. I can''t teach you about the process and the steps, or the different systems. Or, I could, but it''d be useless for you. Albeit, I''m a little interested if you can still cast humanoid magic as well."


    That sounded like a pain, so I''d like to refrain from that. Sorry.


    "But, if this girl wants to learn magic then she''ll have to learn all that."


    "Eh? Uhm..."


    Helma, suddenly addressed, seemed a little unsure how to react.


    "You''re here already, so I won''t let you back out so easily. I hope you''re prepared."


    A savage grin formed on Wendl''s face. He was enjoying this, wasn''t he...


    I could see Helma shudder next to me. She probably only came here out of worry or because she was slightly interested in magic. It was unlikely that she expected to be roped into this to this degree.


    Good luck. I''ll pray for you. Maybe you can learn some magic that makes Merim happy.

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Primal Attribute

    "Mana Capacity Test?"


    "Yeah. Mana Capacity Test."


    A Mana Capacity Test, he said.


    In Wendl''s hand was an odd device. A rod with half a dozen round spheres placed at even intervals. One end was a grip and the other was a sphere.


    "So, uhm, how does this work?"


    "You grab this end and put in mana, as much as you can."


    "Haa..."


    "And so, girl, try it out."


    "Eh? Me?"


    He handed the rod to Helma.


    "Yes, you. Who else? Or did you ever do such a test?"


    "No... I didn''t."


    "Knew it. For the brat, it''s clear that she can use magic, but whether you can is an entirely different matter. I can teach you all you want, but if you lack the mana capacity, you won''t be able to apply most of it. If you can apply anything at all."


    "..."


    Helma frowned at those words. They were harsh words after all. Maybe he didn''t want her to have any false hope. Most humans apparently didn''t have any talent for magic, after all. At least I hadn''t heard of a way to change your mana capacity, yet. Or of a way to use magic without mana.


    For a few seconds, Helma stared at the rod in silence. Wendl furrowed his brows, seeing her lack of action.


    "Going to do it today? Just do it like with any other magical tool. Just, don''t hold back, put in as much as you can.


    "... Okay."


    She took a deep breath and held out the rod in front of her chest, strongly clutching it with both hands. She closed her eyes, her hands shaking with nervosity.


    A few seconds later the first sphere began to glow. The intensity was slowly rising and then the second sphere began to glow as well. She kept pouring in mana, but the rod didn''t show any change anymore from that point.


    "Mh, it''s not bad but not really good either," commented Wendl after a short while.


    "Uhm, that means what?"


    Helma stopped providing mana to the rod and the spheres darkened again. Her face was full of anxiety. For someone who was more here because of a coincidence, she seemed to be a lot more worried than I had expected, fidgeting and glancing at Wendl.


    "You have enough capacity for most magic, but not enough for most types of combat magic."


    "I... I see."


    Helma''s expression was a little torn between a smile and disappointment.


    "Don''t let it get to you too much, you are still quite blessed. Even having aptitude to this degree is rare for most humans. The majority wouldn''t even be able to make the first sphere glow. And there are mages who have even less than you, so it''s mostly a matter of hard work from now on."


    "I see..."


    She let out a small sigh, looking down at the ground. But from the corner of my eyes, I could spot a small smile and a clenched fist in front of her chest.


    "Let''s see, the first move would be teaching you to perceive mana then. Mhh... That should take around a month at best and three at worst."


    "That... That long?"


    "Yes, that long. Of course, the harder you work at it, the faster you will learn, but there''s no real hurry. Take it at your own pace."


    It took that long? But... Karen learnt it in less than a day. Odd. Why was there such a difference?


    "Mr Wendl. I have a question."


    "What, brat? Spit it out."


    "Lily taught my sister in under a day how to sense mana, so..."


    "Little Lily? Ahh..."


    Wendl sighed and shook his head.


    "Just taking a guess, but your sister is a manakin?"


    "Nn..."


    "Obviously... Manakin have a very strong affinity with mana. There are even some manakin who can sense mana from the get-go. That''s why they are also called natural magicians in some countries. Lily herself, and I guess your sister too, only needed a little help and they can sense it."


    "I see. So, it doesn''t work for people who aren''t manakin?"


    "Exactly."


    Wendl took another book from his table and flipped through the pages.


    "Here, look at this."


    "Nn?"


    He turned around the book and showed an illustration to us. Two humans were shown. Their surroundings were filled with something glitter-like. And one human''s body was filled with it as well.


    "This glittery stuff is the mana. And as you can see on this one, a manakin is filled with it as well. It''s their natural state, so to say. But normal people have to first imitate this state before they can learn to sense mana."


    "Imitate?"


    "Yes. That''s why it takes so long. Most of the time spent is used to stimulate what we call the mana sensory organ. Only then can we activate it and become able to sense mana. But due to the manakin''s natural mana, this mana sensory organ is already stimulated and sometimes even active."


    So manakin were basically skipping the entire stimulation part.


    "Mana Sensory Organ? Does something like that really exist?" asked Helma.


    "It''s just a name. We don''t know what it is or if it even exists physically. It''s just a name for whatever enables us to sense the mana."


    "That''s quite vague," I add.


    "It is. But even if it is vague, we know how it works."


    He slapped the book once, looking at the illustration.


    "We barely know anything in this world, this is just a tiny part of the things we don''t know. Delving into magic makes you realise how we truly know nothing of our world. There are so many mysteries, not even ten lifetimes would be enough to unravel the tiniest bit of it."


    "That, that much?"


    Helma stared at him, wide-eyed.


    "You will soon understand it yourself, girl. Using magic is simple, but understanding it is nigh impossible. And magic is just one part."


    He put away the book with the illustration, stood up and then walked over to a very unorderly shelf, books in danger of falling out or loose paper sheets sticking out. He grabbed yet another book and sat down in front of us again.


    At this point, I was a little fed up with standing around so I sat down on the ground and Helma quickly followed me suit.


    "Many researchers believe that magic is the answer to the world''s deepest mysteries, but I and a few others think there''s a little more behind it. Magic is a vast mystery, but it is not the answer to everything. Many weapons, tools and other things work without any magic. A pistol can work completely without magic. The fire stone is only a more convenient way to make it work. There are other ways. And yet, many researchers claim that those are either magic as well or some machinations of gods."


    He opened the book and handed it to us. The page he opened was about theories regarding the freezing water. They ranged from the water having a will on its own, water crystallizing and growing in mass, taking in mass from the surrounding atmosphere but also about tiny beings and other things. I only skimmed through them with my limited reading abilities, but some of them were downright ridiculous or quite amusing.


    "That book was written by the Academy here in the capital."


    "Here?"


    "It''s the safest place for research of this nature. Research, that goes past magic and religion."


    The safest place?


    I glanced to my side and saw Helma frowning.


    "This book... won''t they hang you for having this?" she asked timidly.


    Hang? You mean, they''d kill you for having it?


    You would get executed just for having a book? Seriously?


    A shudder ran down my spine, just imagining it.


    "In most countries, yes. It''s blasphemous for those religious fools who believe that their supreme god or gods are responsible for everything."


    He shook his head in exasperation.


    "Thankfully, most beastkin believe in the existence of greater spirits that manage the world, but it''s also a rather loose belief. It''s more like their way of living than an actual belief. But that makes it easy for researchers. Books like these aren''t banned here and they won''t kill you for slighting their god."


    "Haa..."


    I glanced once more at the book. I had to keep this in mind, for the future. To think this was that dangerous... I took a deep breath to calm myself.


    "Anyway, that''s neither here nor there. I got a little sidetracked, mh. If you got an interest in those things you should go to the Academy. Not to brag, but they are pretty much the forerunner in science."


    He smiled smugly. Maybe he was a former graduate like Ria? At least, he was quite proud of it, so it was likely he had some relation to it.


    "Back to the topic of magic. We can''t do much until the girl learns to perceive mana. I could teach you about the theory but in my opinion, it''s better to actually see things with your own eyes. It might not be good enough for combat or vast ritual magic, but you got enough mana for pretty much everything else. Case in point, I''ll give you these things for now and that''s it."


    After rummaging through his desk, he handed Helma two rather crude bracelets and a small notebook.


    "These are?"


    Helma tilted her head curiously, holding up the bracelets and scrutinising them.


    "Mana bracelets and a guide on exercises. Just wearing the bracelets and periodically supplying them with mana until you run out is already good practice, but with those exercises, it''s even faster."


    "Just wearing them and supplying mana?"


    A little doubtful, Helma put them on. After staring at them for a little more, she took a breath, probably to prepare for trying them out.


    Her reaction... was a grimace of disgust.


    "What''s this?! It feels unpleasant! Disgusting!"


    "Obviously they do. Those bracelets draw in the surrounding, natural mana and disperse it inside you. The dose is small enough that it''s not harmful, so don''t worry about that. It just feels incredibly unpleasant, but it''s very effective."


    "Ugh... And I have to do this all the time?"


    "You have to. And don''t take breaks. If you take too much time in between you might waste your effort until then."


    "Really? Ugh..."


    Helma let her head hang down, but then shot up again, clenching her fists in front of her.


    "No, no. The chance to learn magic doesn''t come so easily again. I just have to get through this."


    "Oh? For a woman you sure got some guts, don''t you? Just don''t come crying to me, I won''t make it easy on you."


    Wendl put on a wide, mean grin. Helma inched back a little, but she quickly caught herself and looked forward with determination in her eyes.


    "Ugh... I... won''t cry. Just you see, I''ll show you that not all women are like you think!"


    "Good luck, ha!"


    From the looks of it, they had found some common ground for now. But, the chance didn''t come so easily... Karen had told me before that it was rare for magicians to teach someone. Apparently, having never gotten the chance before, she sure seemed intent on making use of this now.


    "Nn, is it that rare to have someone teach you magic? What about Ria and the other two? Couldn''t they teach others?"


    "Well, they turned away everyone who came to them..." told me Helma.


    "Of course they do. A human with a talent for magic is rare, they would have to tell nearly all of them that it''s impossible. And even if there are some, teaching even one person takes a lot of effort. That''s why magicians carefully choose their apprentices. Well, even then you get idiots like that one."


    Wendl pointed at the still-alive corpse lying face-down in the corner.


    "... I see... Mr Wendl, it might be rude but... In that case, why are you teaching me?" asked Helma with an anxious expression.


    "No real reason. I got some free time on my hands and if I can get someone interested in magic and science, then that''s time well-spent."


    He grinned, probably the first smile he had shown us so far.


    "Is... that so..."


    Helma was bewildered at his answer, that much was clear.


    "Not satisfied with that? then, let''s see... There aren''t many people that are truly interested in science and magic, but girl... What do you think what most people would do when they hear my ramblings magic?"


    "What they would do? I... don''t know."


    "Ha. Most people would just nod off. They don''t care for such things as theory or science, but they still want to learn magic. Yet you listened through every word. That''s already good enough for me to teach you."


    "Haa..."


    I see. Someone completely disinterested would''ve quickly shown that on their face. But neither Helma nor I did that. And most people would probably get bored quickly. Maybe even more here, where basic education wasn''t as widespread.


    And teaching someone who only wanted to learn magic but didn''t want to actually learn...


    "Now, if we got that cleared up, go and read through that guide. You''re free to stay here but there''s a corner over there where you can also try those exercises. If you got a question, just give me a holler."


    "Mh, okay. I''ll go over there for now, then."


    Helma stood up and walked to the corner Wendl had pointed at. She quickly disappeared behind a curtain and was now gone from sight.


    "Oh, found a chair. Nice."


    "..."


    So there had been a second chair, after all. Damn.


    "Now then. Do you want to try the rod first as well?"


    "Nn, well, it doesn''t hurt I guess."


    Wendl held up the rod in front of me.


    To be honest, I was a little interested in the result. My mana capacity was apparently quite low, despite being a manakin. My mana crystal took most of the mana in my body, after all. But just how much was ''low''?


    After receiving the rod from him, I examined at it for a few seconds. It wasn''t that obvious at first, but now that I was holding it in my hand I could see that it was a quite well-crafted and probably expensive tool. There were markings at each of the spheres with letters I couldn''t read. Probably a different language than the one common here.


    Oh well, here goes nothing.


    I took a breath and inserted as much mana as I could into the rod. The first sphere lit up and then...


    "..."


    "..."


    "Nn. What does this mean?"


    "How should I know? How did you even manage that?"


    The first sphere was glowing weakly. And so were the second, the third and so on. All spheres in the rod were lit up dimly.


    Wendl leaned forward and stared at the rod from close up, stroking his chin and the non-existent beard.


    "Odd. How did you even do that? Mh... Brat, are you still putting in mana?"


    "Nn? No, not really..."


    "Not. Are you actually... No, but... Brat, are you still controlling that mana?"


    "Nn. I am."


    I nodded to the question. Wendl stared at me wide-eyed.


    That reminded me, Lily, or maybe Karen even, one of them told me that humanoids couldn''t control mana that left their body. But... I could still control it. Actually, I didn''t even know how to let it go...


    "I see. I see. That''s interesting. How much mana did you insert?"


    "As much as I could, comfortably."


    "... Mh, but... The spheres are only glowing a little... Then... That''s not a lot of mana, is it?"


    "Nn... Lily said that too... That''s why I''m usually using mana crystals to compensate for that."


    "Wha¡ª


    His mouth agape, he stared at me. Suddenly, he closed in, his face right in front of me.


    "You use mana crystals? You mean, you can make use of the mana in the crystals?"


    "Nn."


    "... Unbelievable. Unbelievable... Brat. Absolutely keep that a secret. That''s dangerous knowledge. Incredibly. Dangerous."


    "Nn?"


    I tilted my head in curiosity. Wendl leant back and rubbed his temples before facing me again.


    "Making use of mana crystals... With that, you could in theory cast magic that vastly surpasses an individual''s power all by your lonesome. With enough crystals, you could cast ritual-level magic. That''s beyond dangerous."


    "I heard the term quite a lot, but what exactly is ritual magic even?"


    "... It''s actually not a kind of magic but more classification of magic. Ritual magic encompasses all types of magic that far surpass an individual''s power. To give you an idea, even simple ritual magic could easily wipe out the capital city."


    "..."


    Wipe out the capital city? That... That was... indeed dangerous...


    "Usually such magic is cast either using sacrifices or with dozens of magicians at once. But if you can use mana crystals, you could just horde a large amount of them and then cast that spell. Do you see the problem?"


    "Nn..."


    "But... One thing I''m curious about, you said the only magic you know so far is in regards to your three attributes, right?"


    "Nn. It is. I couldn''t cast anything else, even when I tried."


    At least nothing happened if I tried to do anything else.


    "That''s interesting. Really interesting. Well, there''s no ritual magic I know of among those three attributes. But it might stand to reason they are just larger types of existing spells among those. I guess you''ll just have to try out what you can do for now."


    "Nn."


    That was basically what I had come here for anyway...


    "Mh, I think I got a book about the witch worshippers'' magic in general here. It''s probably easier for you to take a look and then try out whatever you find."


    He stood up and went once more to the disorderly shelf. A few seconds later he brought a rather new book to me.


    "Let''s see, ah, around here should be of interest for you."


    "Nn?"


    He opened a page and handed me the book. The page started with an introduction to forbidden magics and various attributes, including those three.


    "If you need anything, tell me."


    "Nn."


    This... was a little bit different from what I imagined. I expected him to teach me and not... to just hand me a book.


    I was actually looking forward a little, to a magic lesson, you know? How unfortunate...


    With a wry smile, I shelved my disappointment and dived into the book.


    Magic was scary.


    Magic was incredibly scary. This book was brutal. It didn''t mince words about the magic those worshippers used, nor did it even attempt to hide what their magic was used for. There were a good dozen different attributes'' spells listed in this book, but pretty much none of them were... subtle. Not even remotely.


    I never imagined that... Magic could be used like that.


    It was simply astonishing. Thinking about the things I had just read made me shudder. But, even so, I learnt quite a few very interesting things.


    I got a few ideas for my own magic, I guess. I''ll have to try them out, but still... Can''t say it was in vain.


    To my surprise, I hadn''t been the first one to think of making dolls with life and soul magic. Albeit the witch worshippers used them mainly for reconnaissance and ambushes, they were used quite extensively by them. It seemed the dolls could be made of nearly any organic material. Even an animal''s flesh was fine. In fact, the worshippers apparently preferred a fresh corpse over any kind of plant matter. Maybe that was also the reason for the very grotesque flesh doll illustration...


    I think I''ll stay with wood in the future... But still...To think they would add inorganic matter as well...


    Yes, inorganic matter could be incorporated into the dolls. The worshippers made metal sheets and added them onto the dolls for protection. It was even possible to incorporate other things into their bodies. Like... explosives.


    The worshippers used dolls filled with explosives for surprise attacks and attacks on buildings. I wasn''t that surprised at the existence of explosives itself. They already had pistols and firearms, after all. But the way it was used... was beyond unpleasant.


    Nonetheless, explosives still seemed to be actually quite rare, which was a little bit of a blessing. The existence of magic made conventional explosive less popular. Instead, something called Witch''s Fire was frequently used by the worshippers. And this Witch''s Fire reminded me strongly of something I had seen before, long ago.


    Greek Fire. The predecessor of modern Napalm, huh.


    Using a container inside the doll''s body filled with some substance, the dolls were sent to attack mainly structures, but also people. Shattering the container would ignite whatever was inside, causing a fire that couldn''t be quenched easily by water. Just like Greek Fire. Even the name was similar.


    That''s quite terrifying... And many places probably use wooden houses... and fields are most likely a target too. And if a person is caught by them... They''ll literally burn to death...


    Yet, that was only one single thing. There were quite a few other gut-wrenching methods of attack deployed by those worshippers. They didn''t hold back. At all. Whatever seemed practical, they went through with... No matter how brutal it was. Whether it was making use of something like Greek Fire, voracious animals they tamed or even acids, poison and diseases. If it was useable, it was good enough for them. According to the book, they even destroyed entire regions of land, making it uninhabitable with magic or poison, starving entire villages to death.


    I hope I won''t ever meet those... They don''t even seem to have any objective... Or, at least the author of this book doesn''t know it... Anyway, there are more important things I should look at. Better try and forget these for now...


    Alas, it wasn''t easy to forget something you had once seen. The best I could do was not to think about it. Either way, there were other things I had found. Things that weren''t about the most brutal ways of massacring a person... For example, the Charm that I had used, more or less accidentally, was listed as well. In fact, most of the Lust attributes'' spells tended to be in this direction. The book was actually quite detailed about Lust in particular, probably due to an interesting note.


    ''Lust'' is one of the primal desires, a primal attribute.'' What does that even mean? From the way I understand it, Lust is actually one of the most basic attributes in magic? But isn''t Lust something that''s only present in animals and humans?


    It was odd. A ''desire'' being a basis for magic? Just what did that mean?


    Shouldn''t it be something more scientific-like? Like, I don''t know, ''Energy''? ''Light''? Or anything, really...


    Unfortunately, nobody was around to answer my question. With a sigh, I decided to move on. I didn''t have an answer, nor did I know someone who had it. Well, I did know someone who might know it, but I wasn''t keen on asking her. Not just because Greyward had warned me, but also because I had the feeling it''d become troublesome if I did.


    Let''s see. Lust magic mainly manipulates ''sexual desire''. But ''sexual desire'' actually seems to encompass quite a lot. Even regular affection or just liking someone seems to fall under this. So, it''s not actually pure ''Lust''...


    The main uses for Lust magic seemed to be straight-up sexual topics, like making someone horny, and affection of any kind. This affection could then be used to strengthen someone''s motivation, urge or even instinct. That was apparently what I accidentally did back then. The mercenaries saw me in a positive light, maybe they thought I was cute or a nice kid, or anything, really. In any case, because they did, I was able to motivate them and stimulate their motivation to protect me. Or maybe to kill my enemies? Whichever, really.


    But, the whole thing can also go the other way round...


    Just as I could motivate them, it was also possible to do the opposite, weakening it. As long as they saw me positively, I could stop them from wanting to attack me and others. Or, even to fear me. Apparently, the stronger the affection, the stronger the effect of these spells.


    So, basically, it''s a magic that requires me to be well-liked? What the hell. But it already works if they just think I''m cute, apparently... How weird...


    Magic was odd. And scary. This was basically like manipulating someone''s mind, just in a less direct manner...


    The more sexual kinds of magic were about as much as I expected. Making some horny, or lust after me. These magics were, in fact, unrelated to the affection and were probably used to gain the necessary affection in the first place. There were also comparisons with common monsters'' Lust magic, most notably the roper. Interestingly, ropers apparently made use not only of Lust magic but also of Life magic. Maybe Wendl had a book about monsters with more details on them.


    With some luck, I can find out even more about these attributes...


    There was magic that also made use of more than one attribute. In fact, the magic for the dolls counted for this as well. But in the case of Lust magic, it was also possible to... temporarily grow... certain things in combination with Life magic.


    Uhh... I didn''t really need to know about this... Really...


    Despite having had one until just two weeks ago, I felt quite the apprehension at the thought of this magic. There was not even the smallest bit of desire to reclaim what was lost. In fact, just thinking about a man''s genitals at all made me feel... uncomfortable. Even a bit disgusted. A certain ogre from a few days back flashed through my mind and a shudder ran down my spine.


    Still, it''s strange. I''m absolutely certain that I never held such feelings before I came here. Is it because I changed? Or because of that incident with the ogre? Uhh, whatever. It got nothing to do with me! I refuse to think about it! I already got the tentacles anyway!


    Thinking about those tentacles, or rather my tentacles, wasn''t as big of an issue. Despite them being functionally similar to a man''s lower part. Maybe because I knew they were part of my own body. They still made me feel a little apprehensive, but for a slightly different reason. Tentacles didn''t belong on a person. And simply having them made me feel... less human.


    A small sigh escaped me.


    I might not be able to escape them forever... They are a part of me. I... I should try and get used to them, sometime. Sometime. Not now.


    In any case, Life magic actually has quite a lot of applications. Lust magic could also be quite useful. But...


    Even the book could barely comment on Soul Magic. The only instance were the dolls. It was a ''mysterious'' attribute that nobody could quite explain. There were a few spells employed by the worshippers that they suspected to belong to this category, but they didn''t know for sure. The whole attribute was utterly incomprehensible. That was about all the book said in regards to it.


    "Haa... Guess, I''m done."


    I closed the book and stretched my arms. I had been sitting on the ground for quite a long time. I had moved to a wall so I could lean on it but that hadn''t changed much. If only I had a cushion it would''ve been a lot more comfortable...


    Wait. I can extend my hair. Couldn''t I have made my own cushion to sit on? Ahhh, I''m so stupid, why didn''t I think of trying this?!


    "Oh? Brat, you''re done?"


    Wendl turned around on his comfortable, glancing at me. I felt a little irritated at him sitting in a chair and at my own stupidity. Why did one always have to think of such things afterwards, when it was too late...


    "Nn... More or less, I got a few ideas... Ah, do you have a book about monsters? About ropers and such in particular."


    "A book about monsters and ropers? There is a general monsterarium and a shorter one about the roper family and similar monsters."


    "Nn, I''m kind of interested in both..."


    Assuming a monsterarium was a bestiary for monsters, I might be able to find out a few things about monsters in general. I was a little interested in their ecology since it was also related to me. But, ultimately... The ones closest to me were, most likely, the ropers... It was a conflicting feeling, being similar to such a creature...


    "You can take both of them with you and read them."


    "Nn? It''s fine to take them with me?"


    "It is. Brat, try taking a look outside."


    Glancing outside like he told me to, I quickly understood what he meant. Most likely I had been reading for a few hours, the sun had travelled quite a bit. If I had to guess, it was probably late afternoon about now. Well, I wasn''t really quick with reading, so it was to be expected. It served as good practice, though. And the book had been quite fascinating, despite a few minor problems.


    Uhh, Sis and Lily are probably back by now, aren''t they? I hope they aren''t too worried. I didn''t tell anyone that I''m here.


    I stood up and put the book down on the table. Taking a quick glance through the wagon made me realise that I really had been absorbed in that book. The former corpse in the corner was gone and Helma wasn''t around anymore either. A quick question later and Wendl told me that his ''good-for-nothing'' apprentice was out doing chores and that Helma had left for some preparations for dinner.


    "Mh, where did I put that one... Here? Ah, there it is. Then, here you go. Bring them back in one piece, you hear?"


    "Nn. Thank you."


    Wendl handed me the two books, both quite thick and heavy, and turned back to his desk, doing whatever he had been doing.


    "Thank you for your help."


    I once more said my thanks and left him alone in his wagon.


    "It''s really gotten a little late... Ah, now I didn''t even try out any magic. Guess I''ll ask Lily or Sis later to help me."


    Clutching both books in my arms, I made my way back to the others.


    "Yumi! There you are!"


    After having a little trouble finding the way, I returned to our wagon. As expected, Lily and Karen had returned. Or at least, Lily had. She was sitting at a small makeshift table. With Rina. In her lap. It looked quite mismatched since Rina wasn''t that much smaller than Lily, but the latter didn''t seem bothered by that at all. In fact, more like the opposite, judging from the grin on her face.


    "... Did I miss some auspicious occasion?"


    "What?"


    "Well..."


    "... Ah."


    After following my glance, Lily, fortunately, understood what I was hinting at. After all, I couldn''t just say it in Rina''s presence.


    "That''s... No. No auspicious occasion, sadly."


    "... I see."


    "Lil'' Sis, Lily, what are you talking about?"


    "... Nothing."


    Keeping it vague had been a good choice, after all. I spotted a small, quite familiar book with illustrations in Rina''s lap.


    "Nn, isn''t that the book I used to practice reading?"


    "It is. I''m teaching Rina. Or rather, we''re practising."


    "Huh."


    Right, Rina probably didn''t know how to read and write either. She had been locked up for quite a long time. But if she said practising, that meant she could already read a bit?


    "Lil'' Sis, did you also get books to practise reading?"


    "No. These are for research."


    "Research... Yumi, where were you anyway? Karen was quite worried, you know."


    "Ahh... I was with Mr Wendl, he taught me a little."


    "... Wendl? That womaniser?"


    Lily''s face turned into a grimace.


    "I mean, don''t misunderstand me, he''s actually quite nice, it''s just... If he wouldn''t always try to pick up women... Haa... Speaking of which, I heard earlier that he caused a ruckus again."


    "Nn. He was mistaken for a paedophile and had a little bit of a... rough experience."


    "Haa..."


    Lily sighed deeply, holding her head and shaking it left and right.


    "It doesn''t even surprise me anymore... I can''t really feel sorry for him. He reaps what he sows, I guess."


    "Ahaha..."


    "Haa... Well, did you find out anything then?"


    "Nn. A few things. If possible, I''d like to try out some of them later with you and Sis."


    "Later? Well, after dinner, then? Should have time then."


    After dinner was probably a good idea.


    "Nn. Anyway, where are Sis and the others?"


    "They are at Kohno''s for their leather armour. Ah, Kohno is the tanner."


    "Ah, I know. I was there earlier too and met him."


    "Oh? That means you got some armour then?"


    "Nn..."


    Lily''s former dress slash armour. I took a long glance at Lily, trying to imagine a smaller Lily with that armour. It was nice. I wanted to see it for real. I especially wanted to see a small Lily. A small Lily. Must be great for hugs... Too bad that wasn''t possible...


    "Ah, that reminds me. I was supposed to meet him again... In case he needs to make adjustments."


    "Is that so? But... No... Yumi, did they give you an old armour?"


    "... Nn."


    "..."


    Lily frowned for some reason.


    "Yumi, I''m just going to take a guess but... It''s not my old armour, is it?"


    "It is."


    "... I knew it. Haa..."


    Lily rubbed her temples and her fluffy ears twitched.


    "Yumi, if you want something more normal... You don''t need to wear that, you know? I''m sure we can find something more normal."


    "... Well, they already went through the trouble of making it useable, though..."


    And I wasn''t actually that much against it either. I wanted a mirror to see if it would actually suit me, though.


    "Is that so... Ugh, Rina, let''s postpone the practise, okay?"


    "Why?" asked Rina, turning around to look at Lily.


    "... I want to make sure they do a proper job on Yumi''s armour..."


    "Okay."


    Something told me that wasn''t the real reason. But I couldn''t quite pinpoint what this feeling was...


    Rina closed the book and jumped off Lily''s lap. Lily looked a little sad, alas, she was the one who wanted to leave, so it was her own fault.


    She stood up and put the small book into her bag.


    "Ah, where do I put these books?"


    "How about the wagon? There''s enough space there."


    "Nn, will do."


    After finding a neat little spot in the wagon, we made our way to Kohno.


    Rinne


    Thank you for reading!


    The new (scary) month has started. This month my patreon will get two new chapters to read in advance, so both tiers will have three chapters respectively. That''s 12.000 words minimum for only two coffees! And I don''t even drink coffee.


    So, if you like this story and want to support me a little, or simply want to read ahead, do take a look at my Patreon. I''d appreciate it a lot!


    The two new chapters will come up probably over the next week. I actually wanted to have one up already, but one of the chapters turned out a little messy, so I have to fix that first.


    I wish you all a nice week!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Armour Fitting

    Around ten minutes later at Kohno''s wagon.


    Karen, Sele and Emily were sitting outside at a table with benches. And sitting together with them was Greyward.


    "Papa!"


    "Oh? Lily? What''s the matter?"


    With a slightly irritated voice, Lily stormed ahead of us, towards her adoptive father. Greyward turned around, looking at Lily with wide eyes.


    "Did you really dig out that armour for Yumi?"


    "That armour? I gave her your old armour, yes."


    "Papa! I thought you promised never to bring that out again!"


    "Huh? Did I?"


    Greyward stroke his chin, his eyes narrowing.


    "Did I? Mh... I''m sure I''d remember such a promise, Lily."


    "You did! "


    Greyward scratched his head, trying to remember the apparent promise.


    In the meantime, I walked over to Karen, Sele and Emily.


    "Sis."


    "Yumi. Where were you? And... what is going on with Lily?"


    "Nn, not quite sure. It''s about the armour Mr Greyward gave me, apparently."


    "The armour?"


    "Nn..."


    I sat down next to Karen. Emily and Sele seemed to be busy talking about something, they hadn''t even noticed our arrival.


    "What kind of armour is it, that Lily is so upset?"


    "Nn, some kind of, well, dress armour? I was told that Lily used to wear it when she was smaller."


    "Dress armour? What is that?"


    I smiled wryly at her confusion. I understood it only all too well. After a short description of the armour, Karen seemed to be a little upset herself.


    "So, you''re saying, that it was made to draw attention?"


    "Nn."


    "Yumi... Are you fine with that? Isn''t that even worse than not wearing armour?"


    "Ahaha... I don''t think it''s that bad... but..."


    Just as Karen wanted to protect me, I also wanted to protect her. But, my options were limited, to do that. Well, her own options weren''t exactly the most varied either, but... Greyward gave me the chance to do my part.


    "If I draw attention to myself, that means it''s safer for everyone else, right?"


    "... That''s true, but..."


    "Sis. If this is something I can do, then I want to do it."


    "... I see. "


    Karen sighed deeply.


    "I understand. But, only if I stay by your side. Got it?"


    "... Nn."


    "Haa, you''re really quite a piece of work. I really don''t know at times whether you are determined or just going along with the flow."


    "Nn, maybe both?"


    "... Can''t you decide on one?"


    "It''s not really that easy..."


    Going with the flow was easy. And it was easy to get caught up in it. But, in the end, my decisions should be my own. I already decided to protect them back then. And I wanted to do my part. I was unable to do everything on my own, not now, and probably not even in the far future. That was simply how things were.


    "Oh, Yumi! Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    Emily and Sele finally noticed me as well, they turned around to me. If their eyes could sparkle, they''d surely do it about now, that''s how excited they were. A stark contrast to the bickering father-daughter pair on the side or my slightly more serious discussion with Karen.


    "Yumi! Look!"


    Emily held up a small piece of leather up in front of my eyes. A pair of needles and yarn were hanging down from it.


    "What''s that? Is that... embroidery?"


    "It is! The nice Uncle Kohno gave it to us and Uncle Greyward showed us how to do it!"


    "Oh?"


    Embroidery, huh. It seemed really time-intensive but the embroidery on the dress armour really looked good. You could do amazing things with it. Well, Emily and Sele both needed to practise a little more. Just... a little. That was probably why they got some small patches of old leather for it, to practise.


    "Yumi, Yumi! If we practise a lot, can we make one on your armour?"


    "..."


    Sele and Emily both stared at me with excitement. At least they both understood that they needed more practice so it might actually be fine, right?


    "Nn, if you can do it well, I don''t see a reason why not. Ah, but first get permission from Mr Greyward and Lily, okay? It was originally Lily''s armour."


    "Will do! We''re going to practise a lot and get really good! You''ll be surprised!"


    "Nn, I''m looking forward to it."


    Emily and Sele both turned back to their leather patches, practising with newfound gusto.


    "Sis, where is Maya?"


    "She''s inside the wagon with Kohno, getting the breastplate adjusted. Seems those three did grow a little, after all."


    "Huh."


    They probably got those quite a while ago, so I wasn''t too surprised. Children their age were growing quickly, after all. At least, humans did. And probably the other humanoids too.


    "Ehh?!"


    "Nn?"


    A loud shout came from the side where Lily and Greyward had been arguing. Lily was crouching down on the ground, holding her head, while Greyward just shook his head in visible exasperation.


    "Ahh! I''m an idiot! Forget it! Forget it all!" she shouted.


    "What''s going on now?"


    "Who knows."


    Karen shrugged her shoulders.


    "Mr Greyward, Lily. Did you clear up your, uh, matters?"


    "... We did, Miss Yumi. It was just a little misunderstanding."


    "... Misunderstanding?"


    "Don''t! Don''t tell them, Papa!"


    Greyward smiled wryly.


    Now I was even more curious. Apparently, I wasn''t the only one, though.


    "Lily, I''m curious! I wanna see it!"


    "Eh? Rina... Did you... Listen?"


    With wide, shocked eyes, Lily was staring at the person standing behind her. That person, Rina, was quite excited, just like Emily and Sele about their embroidery. Lily had totally forgotten that Rina had been standing behind her the entire time, listening to the father-daughter argument.


    "I did! I want to see Lily wearing it!"


    "No, Rina. No matter how you look at it, it won''t even fit me anymore. And I don''t want to wear it anyway!"


    "Ehh... Is that so..."


    Unfortunately for Rina, her excitement died as quickly as it was born.


    "Now, now, Lily. Wouldn''t it be big enough for herself to wear?"


    "Papa!"


    "Ohh? But, I really wanted to see Lily wearing it, not me..."


    Rina''s shoulders slumped in disappointment.


    "Well, we can''t really do much since it''s too small for her. And Lily never liked to wear it anyway."


    "Obviously I didn''t!"


    "It''s such a shame, we went through quite a lot for it."


    Greyward broke out in loud laughter. Lily only grimaced and averted her eyes. There was a faint red visible on her cheeks.


    "Now, I still promised her not to bring it out without her permission, Rina. You''ll have to persuade her first."


    "Is that so... How unfortunate..."


    So, if I had to guess, there was probably some other armour Lily used to wear that she didn''t want to bring out. And judging from those reactions... Maybe it was even more of a dress than actual armour. Or maybe something sexy? Probably not, I couldn''t imagine Greyward making her wear something like that...


    Now I really wanted to see it. But we''d have to get permission from Lily first. How troublesome.


    At that moment, the door from the wagon opened and Maya appeared, together with Kohno. She was wearing a small breastplate. Well, it was actually more like a small cuirass made of leather, since it also had a backplate. It was a reddish-brown and looked quite out-of-place on her, but most armours weren''t made to look good anyway. Most...


    "Maya! Maya!"


    Emily turned around and immediately beckoned Maya over.


    "Yumi said we can do it when we get better!"


    "Eh? Really?!"


    "Really!"


    Maya rushed over to us, staring at me.


    "Yumi! Is it really fine?"


    "Nn. But first ask Mr Greyward and Lily if it''s fine, okay?"


    "Yay!"


    Maya threw up her arms in excitement with a bright grin.


    "Yumi, maybe I should tell you, but it was Mr Greyward''s idea in the first place. And I don''t think Lily is going to say no, either."


    "Nn, I figured it''d be like that. But I really don''t mind."


    I actually felt a little happy. Seeing the embroidery Greyward made for Lily, I actually felt... a little jealous. But now, seeing that these three wanted to put in that effort for me... It certainly brought a smile to my face.


    "Huh, maybe I should practice embroidery as well, then."


    "... Just saying, but there''s only so much space on that armour."


    "It''ll be fine. I''ll think of something."


    Karen grinned at me and pulled me into a hug.


    The three girls were discussing already what they should make when they get better. Rina was still trying to coerce Lily while Greyward was watching it, grinning.


    "Oh, Yumi. Good, you''re here, could you come for a moment? I want to make sure if I have to make adjustments."


    "Nn? Okay. In a bit."


    I was currently enjoying Karen''s warmth. Kohno had to wait. I had my priorities.


    "Yumi, it''s not good letting him wait.


    Alas, Karen herself didn''t allow me to. She grabbed my shoulders and forced me to leave her embrace.


    "Uhh..."


    "Don''t sulk, it''s only for a bit, right?"


    "Nn..."


    Slightly disappointed, I stood up and walked past Kohno, entering the wagon.


    "Ehh... I''m sorry?"


    Kohno apologised for some reason, probably cause he felt bad.


    "It''s fine. Let''s get this done with quickly."


    "Ahaha..."


    The faster we got this finished, the faster I could hug Karen again.


    "Mh, looks good so far. But the waist needs to be widened as well, huh."


    I once more donned the dress armour and let Kohno look over it. He had actually opened up the entire dress and it was currently only holding together with multiple needles replacing the seam. I had only expected him to work on the breastplate and the other leather plates, not on the entire dress as well.


    "Are you sure you got enough time for the dress as well?"


    "Mh? Ah, no worries about that. We got plenty of time. The amount of leather and clothing equipment is rather limited and most of our mercenaries know basic maintenance themselves. Wormaz is a lot busier, probably. Ah, did you meet Wormaz before? He''s the smith."


    "No, I didn''t."


    "Then you should definitely pay him a visit sometime. He''s a pretty nice guy, you know. And he really knows his stuff around weapons and armour. He actually wanted to come by later, so you might meet him then anyway."


    The smith, was it? It was easy to imagine the smith of all people to be busy right now. After all, he was probably the one responsible for most weapons and armour. Actually, was it fine to let a single person handle this? Well, maybe he had an apprentice or someone else to help out.


    "Okay, I think I got it all. I''ll probably get it ready tomorrow morning, just like planned. Just come in the morning to me so we can do a final check, okay?"


    "Nn. Thank you."


    "No need to thank me, it''s my job anyway."


    He walked out, so I could change clothes undisturbed. Well, this time I was wearing the other clothes below anyway, so there wasn''t really much to change, but after his initial screwup, he was a little more cautious. I removed the dress armour and left the wagon as well.


    "Ah, Yumi."


    Karen beckoned me over with her hand. I thanked Kohno once more and walked over to her and the others. Lily had sat down as well, after the argument was over.


    "Yumi. Heard you went to Wendl on your own?" asked Greyward, turning around to face me.


    "Nn. He couldn''t really teach me magic but I still learnt quite a bit."


    "He couldn''t? That''s... a surprise."


    "I have to try out things myself, it seems. But I got a few ideas on that."


    "It''s something, then."


    I sat down on Karen''s other side and moved close to her. It didn''t take long until her arm moved around me and held me close. Bliss had been acquired once more.


    "Who is Wendl?" asked Karen.


    "Our Chief Mage."


    "Chief Mage? So, he''s leading the magicians of the Black Guards?"


    "... No, there aren''t any other magicians to lead."


    Greyward paused awkwardly before answering her.


    "He''s the Chief Mage even though you only have one mage?"


    "... Yes."


    "..."


    Karen was at loss for words. Next to her, Lily turned away to hide a wide grin. Taking a good look, she seemed to hold back a giggle or so, with her shoulders slightly twitching.


    "Is there any reason for the... Chief Mage title?"


    "..."


    "..."


    He didn''t answer. He only stared forward for a while before closing his eyes.


    "Karen."


    Lily, having successfully suppressed her laughter, turned to Karen. She couldn''t suppress her grin though.


    "There''s no real reason other than it sounding cool."


    "... Cool?"


    "Yes. Cool."


    "Why cool?"


    "Don''t ask me."


    Well, it was a pretty cool sounding title. But Karen and Lily both only stared at each other, Karen furrowing her brows and Lily just shrugging her shoulders. Opposite from us, Greyward was now averting his gaze, staring towards the sky as if he wanted to escape reality. I felt a little bad for him. Especially since I agreed that it sounded a little cool...


    Maybe I should help him out a little.


    "That reminds me, Sis, Lily. How did it go at the Academy?"


    Their expressions instantly turned into a grimace. Seemed that it didn''t go well. Maybe I should''ve asked something else.


    "That''s... You see... We did get their cooperation... but..." told me Lily.


    "Nn? But?"


    "I don''t really feel like going there again," commented Karen.


    "Indeed. It was horrible."


    "Horrible?"


    Karen sighed and Lily was rubbing her temples, her ears quivering.


    "It took us an entire hour trying to find the headmaster''s office," said Lily.


    "Nobody would really give us directions. And the ones that did..."


    "Were trying to sexually harass us. The worst."


    "They were students, so it wasn''t that bad. They''re just children."


    "That''s not making it fine, Karen. If you forgive them like that, they''ll do it as adults too!"


    They were sexually harassed? Seriously? That wasn''t good. And Lily was quite upset at it, too. I really should''ve asked something else. But then I wouldn''t have known about this. I had to teach those brats a lesson sometime. One they''d never forget.


    "Thankfully, we found Lefa. Afterwards, everything went smoothly. We brought the letter and explained the circumstances. They also agreed to send someone our way who could help."


    "And Lefa was volunteering for some reason."


    "Ahh... So she''ll probably come by tomorrow."


    Lefa would come here again? I liked her, so that was fine by itself but... she was a little tiring to be around with. And she couldn''t even use magic... Was that really fine?


    "Mh, the military school will also send someone tomorrow morning to us. I also got through to an army officer who was more... amiable. I''m not counting on it, but with some luck, we might get some support after all," interjected Greyward.


    "From the army? That would be reassuring... Speaking of, Papa, did you also find other mercenaries?"


    "I send out a few men to look around and get whoever they can. A more well-known, small mercenary band seems to be in the capital at the moment, but all others are just hoodlums and other riffraff at most..."


    "A more well-known one?"


    Lily''s ears perked up at that mention.


    "Papa, do you mean the Flower Brigade?"


    "The Flower Brigade? No, I meant the Little Company. But the Flower Brigade, huh. I completely forgot about them. Maybe they are still in this city as well."


    "The Little Company? That group of men?"


    "Most mercenary bands are groups of men, you know."


    "The Flower Brigade isn''t," rebuked Lily with a smug smile.


    Greyward''s expression became quite irritated. He stretched out his arm towards Lily and...


    "Ouch!"


    Flicked her forehead.


    "Why did you do that?!"


    "Lily, the Flower Brigade is an exception. They are all demonkin or other long-lived races anyway. The Little Company is a group of young men, yes, but they were starting to make a name for themselves, you know."


    "You still didn''t answer my question, Papa."


    "Because your smug smile annoyed me."


    Lily''s mouth fell wide open.


    "Just because of that? Maybe I should ask Wendl to teach me a spell that gives you more wrinkles, after all."


    "I already have enough of them, stop that."


    "Then don''t go flicking my forehead!"


    "I refuse."


    "Then I refuse as well."


    Suddenly they started their bickering again. I was a bit jealous of their frank behaviour with each...


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    Karen nonchalantly ignored that pair and turned her head to me.


    "After dinner, want to go into the city again?"


    "The city? I actually wanted to try out some magic after dinner..."


    "Then, how about after that?"


    "... I think that might be fine, why?"


    "Mh, a secret."


    Karen smiled mischievously.


    "Do I need to be worried?"


    "No, I won''t do anything bad."


    "Really?"


    "Really. I just want some time for us."


    "Nn, then fine."


    I was quite fine with that. Really fine, in fact. I leaned a little more towards Karen. In turn, her arm tightened around me a little more, too. I couldn''t help but grin like an idiot.


    Then, the door of the wagon opened again and Kohno and Sele walked out. I hadn''t even noticed they went inside. Sele was also wearing the cuirass-like leather armour now, similar to Maya.


    "Now, only you are left. Ehh, Emily, was that right?"


    "Yes! Yes! I''m coming, one moment!"


    Emily hurriedly finished whatever she was doing on her leather patch and then stormed past Kohno into the wagon.


    "After Emily, they''re done, aren''t they?"


    "Nn... No, wait. What about Rina? Actually, where is she?"


    "Next to Lily."


    "Nn?"


    I turned my head and tried to look past Karen and Lily. And indeed, next to Lily sat Rina, watching Lily and Greyward arguing about... something inane. But all the while smiling or laughing, as if she was enjoying herself.


    "So, what about Rina?"


    "She already was here earlier. Mr Kohno has to make a new plate for her. And for me, they actually had one in my size, so he only has to make some minor adjustments."


    "... They had one in your size? How come?"


    "Well..."


    Karen glanced to her side, at Lily.


    "I''ll tell you later, okay?"


    "... Nn."


    So it was also some old armour for Lily? But, Lily was actually a little smaller than Karen, wasn''t she?


    Speaking of which, Karen and Lily were both already on the short side. Rina as well. On the other side, Wanda and Fenna were both quite a bit taller than them. Was that the difference between the races? Or were they just, well...


    Actually, who cared. They were cute like this. They should stay like this. Not that I expected either of them to grow much anymore. And Rina already stopped growing anyway, didn''t she?


    "Nn? Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "Just thought about it, but... When do demonkin actually stop growing?"


    "That actually differs on the individual. But usually somewhere between fifteen and eighteen years."


    "I see. And how do you even know when you do?"


    That was something I had been wondering about before already. Wouldn''t you only notice after quite some time that you stopped growing? Even most humans didn''t know the exact point where they stopped and I heard stories of people suddenly growing a bit more after some time.


    "When we know? That''s... Maybe you could ask that Rina?"


    "Nn? Sis? Are you still growing?"


    "I don''t think so, no."


    "But you don''t know about this?"


    "... No, I don''t."


    So, maybe they didn''t know about it either? Were they just deciding it on feel then? But, from my understanding, the demonkin seemed to deem it like a coming-of-age, don''t they? Like with their childhood names... Childhood names?


    "Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "Your childhood name."


    "..."


    She averted her eyes.


    "... Sis?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence. She was ignoring me. Or rather, she didn''t want to say it.


    "I see. And here I hoped you would have a cute childhood name."


    "... No, Yumi..."


    "Nn."


    "... I''m still using it..."


    "... Eh?"


    Karen turned back to me, slightly blushing.


    "You see... ''Karen'' is my childhood name... I never changed it. I never had a reason to."


    "Ohh..."


    No reason to, huh... Well, she wasn''t at her home anymore, and it was probably more of a bother to change the name while living in the slums... Telling everyone to change their way of calling her.


    "I see. Then, what would have been your adult name?"


    "I don''t know. I probably knew once, but it''s been so long... I was actually surprised that Rina remembered hers."


    Karen lowered her head towards me and buried her face in my hair.


    "Even if I knew... I don''t want anything to do with that place anymore. I am my own person. I am here, with you all. And my name is ''Karen'' and not any other. Just ''Karen''."


    "Nn."


    A little worried, I wrapped my arms around her, embracing her. I could feel Karen returning my embrace by tightening her arms around me.


    "Sis is Sis. If you weren''t, I''d be troubled."


    "... I see, what a troublesome little sister I have here."


    "Isn''t it a little sister''s job to trouble her older sister?"


    "That''s true, isn''t it..."


    A chuckle escaped Karen, and it didn''t take long for me to join in.


    Who cares about such things? We have each other and that''s all we need.


    Karen nuzzled her face against my nape and gently kissed it.


    "Thank you, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    She didn''t part from my nape, hugging me and holding me as close as she could. I could her heart beating from this close and a comfortable, pleasant smell entered my nose. I really wanted to stay like this for as long as I could, but...


    "I don''t want to interrupt you two, but if you openly flirt like that you''ll trouble everyone..." said someone suddenly.


    "... Nn?"


    Karen and I both separated a little, looking towards the others. They all were staring. Even Kohno was already back with Emily and staring at us, mouth agape.


    "I''m glad you two are happy, but please leave the intimate play out of sight, yes?" said Greyward.


    They had been watching. Realising that, my face became hot. Karen was blushing furiously as well, averting her face from the others.


    "Eh, Captain, you mean... those two..."


    Kohno turned to Greyward, mouth still agape in surprise.


    "That''s right, Kohno."


    "But aren''t they... Uhm... both girls?"


    "They are."


    "I... see..."


    Kohno stared at us with wide eyes. It was a little uncomfortable.


    "We''re not a show to gawk at, Kohno."


    "... Ah, sorry! Sorry! That was rude of me! Sorry! It''s just, uhm... I''ve never seen that... before..."


    He started fidgeting towards the end, then turned around and...


    "Excuse meeee!"


    Ran off into his wagon.


    "That was too much for the poor guy, huh... Well, he''ll get over it..."


    Greyward stared at the now-closed door of the wagon.


    "Get over it?"


    "Well, I think he took a little interest in your big sister there... Probably came at a shock for him."


    "Ah, was that why he kept staring in my direction earlier?"


    "Yes..."


    So Karen just broke the poor man''s heart. Well, he reaped what he sowed. Karen was mine. No mercy for anyone who dared to approach her. Actually, he hadn''t even approached her yet, but nobody cared about such a small detail. At least I didn''t.


    "Haa... Well, all of you girls are done now, right? It''s almost time for dinner. You can eat here with everyone or you can also go into the city. There are a few nice eateries around. You should avoid the taverns, though."


    "Nn, I don''t care either way. I thought we''d eat here."


    "I was thinking that too... Lily, Rina what about you?"


    "Why don''t we eat here and go to the city in a few days, when we''re back?" suggested Lily.


    That certainly was an option.


    "I''m fine with that."


    "Nn."


    Rina and the three little ones also agreed and so we decided to eat with everyone else again.


    I wonder what dinner will be.


    "Ahh, that was good. So good."


    "I agree."


    "Nn."


    Lily threw up her arms and leaned back as far as she could. Which was actually to the point where she was in parallel to the ground. How was she not falling down like that?


    "Lily, you''ll fall."


    "It''s fine, Karen, it''s fine. Don''t worry."


    "Don''t come to me when you hurt yourself."


    Lily straightened herself up again.


    "Still, I haven''t had such a good meal in who knows how long."


    "You''re right..."


    Karen stared at her empty plate. Lily might have said it jokingly, but for Karen, it probably really had been an incredibly long time.


    The ones responsible for dinner had gone into the city as well and bought plenty of fresh ingredients. The past days they had mainly made various types of stew with dried or pickled meat, some vegetables and herbs. It was pretty delicious too, but it was very simplistic. But today everyone got fresh meat and fresh vegetables and instead of a stew, they roasted the meat and the vegetables. In the end, it was more like a barbecue.


    Actually, barbecue is pretty simple too... But it''s really a difference when it''s dried or pickled meat or when it''s fresh.


    I already ate quite a lot but the smell of roasted meat was still incredibly tempting. Well, I ate a lot for my standard. I never felt as much regret as now that I couldn''t eat that much anymore. But my stomach simply refused to accept more food.


    "Yumi, are you still hungry?"


    "No... Unfortunately not."


    I was lying on the table with my eyes still fixated on the nearby fireplace. A few mercenaries were still surrounding it, holding meat skewers and other things over the fire to roast it. They all had quite the appetite...


    Nn? Emily, what are you doing there?


    In between all the mercenaries was a certain young girl, squatting next to the fire and watching her meat skewer with glee. Her ears were twitching... And she was drooling.


    "When did Emily get over there? Oh... She''s roasting another skewer..."


    "Eh? Oh, you''re right... Where does all that food disappear to... Didn''t she already eat quite a few?"


    Karen was just as perplexed as I was.


    I always thought that elves and the like were more interested in vegetables and fruits, but Emily didn''t even touch most of those. She pretty much only ate the meat. In contrast, Maya had barely touched the meat.


    The elf is indulging in meat and the cat is eating the vegetables. That''s not how I imagined this...


    I had subtly asked Lily whether the different races had any food preferences but she only returned a confused stare.


    Everyone has different likes and dislikes, even when they are of different races, huh.


    Either way, watching Emily eat with such joy was quite fun. Although, I was a bit worried that she might get a stomachache later on...


    Her skewer was done now and she came back, sitting down opposite of me.


    "Emily, don''t eat too much. You''ll get a stomachache."


    "I''ll be fine, Yumi!"


    "... If you say so."


    Emily blew onto her skewer until it was cold enough that she could eat it. Within a few seconds, she broke out into a smile. Watching her really gave you a happy feeling, as if she was spreading her happiness to everyone around her.


    "Ahh, I wish I could eat more as well... But my stomach..."


    "Lily, you''ll grow fat if you do."


    "I won''t! I work out so I''m safe!"


    Well, even if she did eat more, as long as it was only today it was okay. Anyway, after eating so much, I really wanted to laze around...


    "Yumi, don''t fall asleep here."


    "It''s fine... Sis..."


    "Didn''t you want to experiment with some magic after dinner?"


    "Ugh... Right..."


    I also hadn''t read those books yet... I''d do that tomorrow. Karen had invited me to go into the city later too. There simply wasn''t enough time for the books today. In any case, reading those books would probably take quite some time either way.


    "Trying some magic, huh..." murmured Lily.


    "Nn. It might come in handy."


    "I guess it might. So, you two are going to do that now?"


    "Nn, but... No, nevermind."


    "Mh?"


    Lily tilted her. I had actually wanted Lily to come along as well but... Seeing Rina next to her dozing off made me decide against it. Those two needed some time as well. If they had more time together, maybe they would finally take the next step?


    "Sis, should we get going?"


    "Ah, yes, but... Lily, is it fine to leave you alone with the others?"


    "No worries, I''ll take care of them. Half of them are already dozing off anyway."


    Yes, not only Rina but Sele and Maya as well were dozing off already. It was only in the late afternoon but they probably hadn''t gotten a lot of sleep yesterday.


    Wait. I also didn''t sleep a lot... And Lily didn''t sleep at all since yesterday...


    I glanced over to Lily who was trying to shake Rina awake. There were no signs of her being tired or anything but...


    "Lily."


    "Yes?"


    "It''s fine if you go and sleep a little as well, you know."


    "... Ahh, I''m still fine, don''t worry. It''s just one day."


    "You should still sleep a little if you can."


    "... I''ll keep it in mind."


    With a wry smile, Lily turned back to Rina. Instead of trying to wake her up she heaved her onto her back now.


    "Emily, take care of those two until I come back, yes?"


    "Will do!"


    Lily raised her hand and waved a little before walking away with Rina on her back.


    Hopefully, she could get a little sleep as well.


    "Then, Emily, we''re going as well, okay? Take care of them!"


    "Yes, Yumi! Don''t worry about them!"


    "Until later!"


    "Bye, Emily"


    We waved and left as well.


    The mercenaries around us were all still making merry, drinking alcohol, eating, and laughing out loud. It was only the Black Guards right now, so the group was significantly smaller. A little ways off was a significantly larger group eating their dinner. The mercenaries'' families.


    I wonder if Helma is over there as well.


    "Yumi?"


    "Nn?"


    "You said you wanted to experiment but... where exactly do you want to do that?"


    "Nn... I guess wherever we got a little bit of space?"


    "Then, a little away from the camp should be fine, right?"


    "Nn."


    It was unlikely anyone would disturb us there. Just walking a little and nobody was around anymore. Although we could still hear them behind us. Seeing the chance, I grabbed Karen''s hand. Nobody was around this time so it was fine to flirt right?


    "Ehehe."


    "Geez, Yumi. Can''t be helped."


    Karen squeezed my hand in return and moved just a little bit closer.


    Yeah, it was fine to flirt a little and enjoy our time together, right?


    Rinne


    If you enjoy this story, please take a look at my Patreon! One of the additional chapters chapters went up this week, and once I get the second one ready next week, there''ll be 3 chapters to read for either tier!


    Unfortunately, I can''t really think of many things on the spot that cost around $5 so just imagine something suitable. Going with a few cups of coffee everytime gets old. I prefer cocoa anyway.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: A Small Experiment

    "Yumi, you said you wanted to try out magic, but what exactly did you want to do?"


    "Nn? Ah, well, I''ve read about a few spells that I might be able to use. Mostly from Life and Lust Magic."


    We had distanced ourselves quite a bit from the camp by now, walking on a meadow. The laughter of the mercenaries'' was still audible, but it was far away... A few single trees surrounded us and otherwise only grass.


    "Lust Magic... While I heard about it from the stories, I don''t know what it even does. Except, uhm, making others horny..."


    "From the stories... About Yumias?"


    "Yes. Even I was told the story before, you know. But, it never really talked about the magic in detail. At least, in the version I heard."


    Karen walked up to a tree and sat down at its roots. She patted her lap, beckoning me over to sit down, which I promptly did. Leaning back, I could feel her soft body touching me. Her breasts, her stomach, her thighs.


    "Yumi, you''re warm."


    "You too, Sis."


    "Too bad we didn''t bring a blanket."


    "Nn. But the sun is still up. It''ll take a little before it''ll get colder."


    "True. Maybe I should bring one when we go into the city."


    Karen wrapped her arms around my stomach. This wasn''t quite what I originally wanted to do, but... This happy feeling spreading in my chest, it told me to forget about the magic for a little bit and enjoy this precious warmth.


    It''s only for a little while, it shou¡ª


    "... Sis?"


    "Yes?"


    "Your hands."


    Karen started doing things other than simply hugging me now. I didn''t wear a one-piece dress right now, but the simple linen shirt and pants from yesterday evening. And Karen''s hands now slipped beneath each. Her right caressing my stomach, slowly moving upward, and her left, slipping into my pants and...


    "Sis. Nn?! Sis, not now!"


    "Ehh? But we finally got some time for ourselves. If not now, then when?"


    "That''s... But... Nn?!"


    "Just a little bit, okay?"


    Her right hand finally reached my chest, carefully caressing it from below. Her fingers slowly traced along the shape of my breasts. It felt good. Pleasurable. Warm. A pleasant, cosy feeling spread through my chest.


    "Yumi. I tried really hard, you know."


    "Haa... Tri...ed?"


    "Yes. I really had to hold back since earlier. I wanted to hug you so much. To kiss you, caress you. And when we were holding hands... Yumi!"


    "Si... Sis? Sto... Not... the... re!"


    Her left hand slipped further down, between my thighs, slowly crawling along my skin towards its goal. She buried her face in my nape once more, kissing it, sucking it. My face was heating, my whole body felt hot.


    "Nn?! Ah!"


    Finally, her hand reached its goal: My crotch.


    "Oh? What''s this, Yumi? You seem quite ready yourself."


    Karen started licking my nape while she teased me. It was a great feeling but... But...


    "Sis... I... Your... face..."


    "Mh? You want to see my face?"


    "... Nn."


    It felt good. I liked this pleasure. But, it was lacking something.


    "So you want to see my face, mh?"


    "Ah."


    Karen removed both her hands.


    "And up we go."


    "Woah!"


    Suddenly, my sight shook. Karen had lifted me up moved me into a princess carry.


    "Is this better?"


    "Ah... Nn..."


    Seeing Karen from this close up made me feel a little embarrassed and I instinctively tried to curl up. But Karen prevented me from doing that.


    "No hiding now, Yumi."


    "Ah..."


    Karen''s face closed in. Her lips and mine met. Still in Karen''s arms, I returned the kiss clumsily.


    "Ehehe. Yumi. Yumi!"


    "Ah?! Sis?!"


    Suddenly Karen hugged me with all her might.


    "Sis?!"


    "Yumi! I won''t ever let you go! I promise! Never ever!"


    Hugging me, pressing me against her own body, rubbing my cheek with her own and calling out my name.


    "Sis? What''s wrong?"


    "Yumi. I love you. I love you so much!"


    "Woah!"


    Karen threw herself, and me as well, towards the ground, lying down. Then she wrapped her arms and legs around me and squeezed me while rolling around on the ground.


    "Sis?! What''s wrong?!"


    "Yumi!"


    She didn''t listen. Instead, she rolled left and right, hugging me and rubbing herself onto me while calling my name. She had completely lost control of herself, unable to contain herself.


    "Sis? Sis? What''s wrong?"


    No reaction from her again. She wasn''t listening, only giggling like an idiot. My face was pressed into her breasts. Her heart was beating, loud and rapid. She still kept calling my name and that she loved me. It made me feel embarrassed. But also happy. That the girl I loved reciprocated my feelings this strongly.


    I grabbed onto Karen''s clothes and tried squeezing back, as strong as I could.


    Let''s stay like this until she calms. Ehehe.


    A happy giggle escaped me, while I buried myself in this overwhelming love.


    "Ahhh... That felt good..."


    Around ten minutes later Karen calmed down and stopped rolling around. She was lying on her back now, her arms and legs still wrapped around me. With no intention to let me go either.


    Well, I didn''t really intend to leave this spot right now anyway. I had a very comfortable cushion right now. Although, I was basically her body pillow.


    "Sorry, Yumi. I, uhm, lost control a little..."


    "It''s fine. Although, I was surprised. That was quite sudden."


    "Uhh... Sorry. I wanted to be alone with you so much and then, uhm... I felt like I''d go crazy. I wanted to hug you so much."


    Rather than just feeling, I had the impression that you did go crazy.


    But it made me happy. Incredibly happy, even. To be loved this much, just how blessed was I?


    "Sis, if you want to go crazy, then do it all you want."


    "... Are you sure about that? I won''t let you take that back."


    "... I am."


    I lifted my head a little and nuzzled against her collarbone.


    "You''re like a little animal."


    "Then you should properly take care of your pet, as the owner. Like patting and feeding."


    "Oh, I want to feed you. But we just ate. Ahh... Speaking of which... My stomach..."


    "Your stomach?"


    "... I think... It was a bit too much... for my stomach..."


    "..."


    That didn''t sound good. At all.


    "Is your stomach okay? Should I get off?"


    "Ah, no! I just feel a little ill, it''ll settle soon!"


    "... I see. Don''t force yourself, okay?"


    "I won''t. But thank you for worrying."


    Karen caressed the back of my head and softly pressed her lips on my forehead.


    "I wish we could stay like this forever."


    "Nn."


    "There''s always someone around. Haa... If only we had a place just for us."


    "Nn..."


    Alas, we didn''t. And we kind of missed our chance for that as well. We decided to stay with the mercenaries so we''d have to share the wagons with others. We''d also be around people pretty much all the time. Outside of toilet breaks, probably.


    "I wonder how the families solve that."


    "Nn? The families?"


    "Yes, the families. The couples probably have sex, right? Or they wouldn''t have children."


    "Nn... Now that you mention it."


    That was indeed a good question.


    "... Maybe we should ask Merim and Helma."


    "Helma? Who is that?"


    "Nn? Oh, I didn''t tell you yet? She''s... Merim''s wife?"


    "... Why a question?"


    "She claims to be his daughter but also his wife. She''s a little... peculiar."


    "His daughter? Yumi... How old is she?"


    Karen furrowed her brows. I could understand that feeling... It was... odd...


    "Twenty-two, same age as I."


    "... But then, how old is Merim? I''m sure he''s not even thirty, isn''t he?"


    "Twenty-six."


    "... So he became a father with four, huh. Way to go."


    "Sis, that''s not how it works."


    She probably was joking anyway. Still... I really had to question Merim about this...


    "But I see. Asking someone might be a good idea... Mh, that reminds me though...


    "Nn?"


    "Mr Greyward talked about how Mr Captain wants to cut down everything unnecessary, right?"


    "Nn."


    "So, he''ll downsize the mercenaries."


    "Nn. Probably."


    A grin formed on Karen''s face. I got a bad feeling, somehow.


    "If he downsizes the mercenaries... That means some wagons will be free!"


    "... Sis."


    "I''ll make sure we get one!"


    "..."


    While she wasn''t exactly wrong with that assessment... I highly doubted we would get one for ourselves.


    "Sis. Even now there are already like a dozen or more people travelling in every wagon, right? There''s no way we can take one for ourselves."


    "But Ria and the other two have one for themselves. This Kohno guy from earlier also has his own wagon."


    "... And Wendl has one too... And the captain... But Sis, they all have them for a good reason."


    "Then we just need to find a reason. Let''s see, we could make a doll workshop out of it."


    "Sis, that..."


    That... might actually work?


    The dolls were quite useful. And I had a few new ideas for them as well. But, making a workshop out of it... Maybe?


    "Hehehe, that''s a good idea, isn''t it, Yumi?"


    "... It might work, but, Sis. We''d need to convince the captain. It might work, but it also might not."


    "It''s fine, we''ll just think of something else if it doesn''t work."


    "Haa..."


    If it did work, it''d be great indeed. If it did.


    Our own wagon, huh. So, we''d be living together? Ahh, that might be nice... Ah, no good. Before that, there are still other things we have to do.


    "Yumi. I feel really motivated suddenly."


    "Nn. So do I."


    "Let''s do our best."


    "Nn."


    Karen squeezed me one last time and then let me go. Slightly reluctantly, I stood up and stretched myself. After huddling up like that, my whole body felt really stiff. But it was so worth it.


    "Oh, right, Yumi, sorry about earlier."


    "Nn? I already said it was fine."


    "No, not that. You see, you never finished, right?"


    "Nn?"


    Finished? What did she mean now?


    "Well, then I played with you down there."


    "... Ah. Ahhhh..."


    Right. But, somehow it didn''t bother me that much. Honestly, I felt incredibly happy and satisfied right now. I had completely forgotten about it anyway.


    "It''s fine, Sis."


    Karen stood up as well and stretched herself. I walked up to her, standing right in front of her.


    "Yumi?"


    "Sis."


    I motioned her to lean down a little, which she did. I wrapped my arms around her neck, pulling her even closer.


    And then I kissed her.


    "So, Yumi. I asked earlier already, but what exactly do you want to try out? You said something about Lust and Life Magic, right?"


    "Nn. I want to try out a few things with Life Magic."


    I didn''t want to try out those emotion-changing spells from the Lust magic on anyone close to me. It might be fine if I use it to get a hug from Karen but I could just ask for it anyway. On the other hand, Life Magic had a few things I could try out.


    "Apparently the Witch Worshippers use Life Magic to heal wounds and grow things. Or, even changing their bodies."


    "Changing their bodies?"


    "Nn. I think what I do to change my eyes or my limbs is also part of Life Magic. Albeit, I don''t know what kind of magic moving my hair would count as, or if it even counts as magic."


    "Huh."


    "So, I wanted to try out a few things. Maybe I can make myself able to see in the dark."


    Night Vision would be very convenient. Or I might even be able to gain Thermal Vision? Depending on it, I could do quite a lot of things.


    "Right, Lily said you can''t see in the dark... But I was sure you could see in the dark before..."


    "Well... Even if you say that, I can''t now. And I don''t remember being able to see much in the dark anyway?"


    "Odd..."


    Was it odd? I didn''t know... Where did she even get that idea from?


    "Guess I thought wrongly then... But, I was sure..."


    She seemed a little down that she apparently remembered wrong.


    "Haa... So, what do you want to try out first?"


    "Nn, I think I''ll try growing something. That sounds like the simplest to do."


    I didn''t really have the confidence to heal a wound or mess with my own body for now. My eyes were something I did mostly instinctively and I didn''t worry too much about it usually, but actively trying something else was... a little scary. Just imagining all the things that could go wrong made me shudder...


    "Growing something. But what exactly? There''s only grass and trees around."


    "Nn... Good question. I think a tree is a little much and grass... Is probably not good either. Maybe a flower?"


    It was doubtful if we could see a change in the grass. Or rather, I didn''t have confidence that I could keep track of the particular grass straw I was trying to grow... Something a little less common would be better. Like a flower.


    "A flower... Mh, like these?"


    Karen pointed at a nearby spot where a yellow flower was growing. Actually, there were a few of them around.


    "Nn, I think those might work."


    I walked over to the yellow flower. It was a small flower, with many small yellow petals. It reminded me a little of a dandelion. Although... looking closely, the centre of the flower was tinged in dark green. A green that dyed the petals irregularly. But the other flowers close-by were all completely yellow, no hint of any green on the petals.


    "Sis. Why is that flower green in the centre?"


    "Green? Oh, maybe it caught one."


    "It caught one. I see."


    Then it would be green, obviously.


    "Sis. Caught what?"


    "Mh? An insect, of course."


    "... Excuse me?"


    I took a step back from the flower.


    "Yumi?"


    "Sis. Maybe we should look for a different flower."


    "Why?"


    "I''m scared what''ll happen if this one actually grows big."


    For all I knew, it might try to eat us.


    In the first place, it completely looked like a normal flower. Why would it catch insects? I thought flowers use insects as part of the pollination process. And how did it even catch the insect? And how did the insect die...


    "Is something wrong with that flower, Yumi?"


    "... Sis. Flowers shouldn''t catch insects."


    "What are you talking about, most flowers do that."


    "... What."


    I glanced at the flower again. And at the other flowers.


    "Yumi, didn''t flowers do that in your old world?"


    "... No. They didn''t. Ahh, there were a few that ate insects but those were considerably rare. Nothing you''d commonly see."


    "How odd."


    "..."


    I will never be able to see flowers as something peaceful and pretty again, won''t I?


    Nature was quite cruel and at times unreasonable. I knew that. But at least the flowers...


    "Sis, you said most, so there are a few that don''t... catch insects?"


    "Maybe? I''m not really a specialist with flowers, Yumi."


    "I see. Too bad."


    "Just try it on one of these. They probably won''t grow that large anyway, right?"


    "I don''t think so."


    It was still the best option, apparently... In the worst case, we could just run. And if rumours of a giant man-eating flower would spread around, it wasn''t our fault.


    A little reluctant, I decided to walk over to a flower that wasn''t dyed in insect blood.


    "So, what exactly are you trying to do now?"


    "Nn, good question. Mr Wendl said it''d be better for me to just learn about the end results of spells since I should be able to directly invoke them. But... I don''t really understand how either."


    The past few times I always had something like an urge, a kind of instinct telling me how to do things. But even before that, I had to go with trial and error. Basically, I''d have to repeat that process. I could only hope that this mysterious instinct would kick in once more.


    "Well, I should just try it out and see what happens. Here goes nothing."


    I put my hands close to the flower. I drew some mana from my body and attuned it to the Life Attribute, just like I usually did with the dolls. But this time, I didn''t want to mould, to change the shape of my target. Nor did I want to simply strengthen it. I wanted it to grow. And with this intention, I sent the mana into the flower.


    "..."


    "..."


    Nothing happened.


    "Nn... Odd."


    "Maybe you need more mana? Did you bring any mana crystals?"


    "... Ah."


    I hadn''t brought any. I completely forgot, in fact.


    "I knew that would happen... Come here, I have a few."


    "Nn? You brought some along?"


    "Yes. I figured it wouldn''t hurt to carry a few around. They aren''t really taking much space after all."


    Karen opened the small pouch she was carrying and pulled out a handful of mana crystals. And it was really a handful. Wasn''t half the pouch only filled with mana crystals? Karen, just what did you need these for...


    Regardless, I received the mana crystals from her. Time for attempt number two.


    "..."


    "..."


    A few seconds later, I was still squatting in front of the same, unchanged flower.


    Nothing had happened. Nothing at all.


    "Nn, maybe I can''t make things grow?"


    "Or it did grow and we just don''t see it?"


    "That might be possible too..."


    "Maybe change the way you do it?"


    I might have to do that... But what exactly should I change? I wanted it to grow, after all. Maybe I had to grow a specific part? It was worth a try.


    I took another small mana crystal, robbed it of its mana and attuned it to the Life Attribute. But now, how should I even proceed? If I wanted to grow a specific part, which should I choose? The stem? The stem sounded like a safe option. I imagined the stem of this flower growing, maybe a centimetre or so. And with that image in my head, I tried invoking it.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ah."


    "It''s growing, Yumi."


    "... It really is."


    The flower grew. By around one centimetre. It really did.


    "Let''s... Let''s try this again."


    I stretched out my hand, took mana from a mana crystal and attuned it once more. Then I sent it to the flower, imagining it to grow another centimetre.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Nothing..."


    "It''s not growing."


    "Nn..."


    It didn''t do anything this time. The flower was just sitting there and not growing.


    "Odd. Why did it not work this time?"


    "Even if you ask me... It all looks the same to me, what you are doing."


    "Mn... Let''s try on another flower..."


    I left the slightly bigger flower and walked up to a different one. There I repeated the whole process but...


    "Still nothing. How weird... But why did it work at that time?"


    "Yumi, how do you cast magic?"


    "How, you ask... Some of it is, well, like on instinct? It''s like I''m moving the mana with an, uhm, intent?"


    "That... sounds vague."


    "Nn..."


    It was vague. Honestly, I didn''t really understand the process either. Maybe that was actually the problem, after all?


    I held my hand above a patch of grass. Then, I attempted the slightly familiar process now. The magic I used for the dolls, moulding the wood.


    Taking in the mana and attuning it and finally, injecting the grass with the magic. The grass fell down to the ground, slowly becoming a gooey mass.


    "Nn..."


    I poked the dark green, gooey mass a little bit. The spell worked like always. But why? What was the difference? I didn''t understand it at all...


    "Maybe I''ll have to consult with Mr Wendl once more. Or with Lily. Haa, that''s why I wanted Lily to come along."


    "So, it''s not working?"


    "Nn. I feel like, I have to figure out this vague process first... How troublesome..."


    "So, you don''t really know what the difference is?"


    "Nn. What I do mostly by instinct works fine, but... No idea why. Or how."


    Just how did monsters usually deal with this? They didn''t even have the mental capacity to comprehend things like that, did they? Assuming they were similar to most animals.


    "Maybe you can only do things on instinct?"


    "But the flower grew a little right?"


    "It did... But... an intent..."


    Why was this so hard? I didn''t understand.


    "Maybe your intent isn''t clear enough?"


    "And how am I going to make it clearer? I already tried my hardest to imagine it."


    "Mh... Maybe you thought too hard about the intent? You don''t really think about the other magic, right? They are on instinct, after all."


    "Sis... I mean, I can try but... I don''t think that''s it."


    With that said, I sloppily threw some life-attributed mana at the flower. For all I knew, it really mi¡ª


    "No way. It grew?"


    "See?"


    "... That can''t be it, can it?"


    Immediately, I repeated the whole thing, throwing some mana sloppily at another flower. If this was really how I had to do it, I''d feel like an idiot.


    "..."


    "..."


    "It didn''t work, huh... Yumi, are you sure you didn''t think too much?"


    "I am... This is getting more and more confusing. I don''t get it at all."


    Was growing the flower too much to ask of?


    I mean, yes, I''d also like to know how to properly deal with magic but... Come on...


    With a sigh I threw myself down on the ground, facing upwards at the sky. The sun was still up but probably only for like two earth hours at most.


    "Yumi, don''t give up yet. If you experiment a little, maybe you can figure it out."


    "Uhhh..."


    How bothersome. That was, unfortunately, my first thought. But I knew Karen was right. I just felt a little frustrated. After all, we were talking about something that I theoretically should be able to do. Without any practice and experimenting. I could do other kinds of magic already, after all.


    "Haaa..."


    "Come, Yumi. Brooding over it won''t help."


    "I know, but..."


    Karen leaned over me and looked down at my face. Due to the sun behind her, her face wasn''t really visible. Cursed sun.


    "Mh... Then, Yumi. If you try your best, I''ll reward you."


    "Reward?!"


    "Woah!"


    Karen was so startled that she fell on her behind.  Not surprising, considering I immediately sat upright, hearing those words.


    "Don''t surprise me like that, Yumi."


    "Ah, sorry."


    "Haa... Really, can''t be helped. Yes, a reward. You can either ask anything or I''ll surprise you with something. Whichever you want."


    "I see. No choice but to give my best, right?"


    "Ehehe. Yes, good luck."


    "Nn!"


    And with newfound motivation, I continued my little experiments.


    "Ugh, I''m tired..."


    The result? Incomprehensible. Half the time the flowers grew. Half the time they didn''t. The success chance was worse the more I actually tried and better the more sloppily I did it. And it certainly didn''t depend on the flower. The same flower could first not react but then react at the next attempt and vice versa.


    "Are you okay, Yumi?"


    "Nn... Just a bit tired. This is frustrating. I still don''t understand it..."


    Karen stroked my head lovingly. I was currently enjoying a lap pillow. It wasn''t the reward she was talking about earlier, but I sure wouldn''t have minded this as my reward.


    "Should we go back now? It will soon get dark."


    "Nn... I really thought this would just take maybe half an hour at most... Just trying out a few things and seeing how it''d go... I didn''t think that I''d get stuck at the very first thing..."


    "Ahaha... Isn''t it often like that?"


    "Nn..."


    It really was. You already had a clear process in your mind how long all this would take. But then you stumbled somewhere early and never made any progress anymore... It was beyond frustrating.


    "Come, we should get back soon, or we won''t get into the city anymore. The gate isn''t open forever."


    "Ohh, right... Wait, Sis. If the gates close, we won''t be able to get out either until morning, right? Where do we sleep then?"


    "Don''t worry about that. I got that all planned out."


    "Huh..."


    Planned out? So, we''d stay inside the city then?


    "Rather than that, we first need to wash up a little, you know. We''re all kinds of dirty. Especially your hair. It''s full of dirt."


    "Nn, it is..."


    "You should be a little more careful. I can understand that it is hard to prevent it from dragging on the ground at that length, but you ought to look out a little more."


    "Nn..."


    I wondered just who it was that grabbed me earlier and was rolling left and right with me in her arms? Most of the dirt was from that time... With that said, she wasn''t quite wrong either. The moment I so much leaned down my hair would be on the ground. But despite this little inconvenience, I grew to like this long hair. It was fluffy, nice to touch and made a wonderful blanket.


    I feel like using my hair as a makeshift blanket is somehow wrong... Whatever... It''s soft...


    "Yumi, why did you start hugging your hair?"


    "Because it''s comfy."


    "It is but you''re just going to get even dirtier... Ahhh, let''s go."


    Karen lifted my upper body up. My lap pillow was distancing itself. It broke my heart.


    "Come, Yumi. I''ll give you another lap pillow later, okay?"


    "Nn..."


    But I want it now, not later...


    Karen''s expression told me that wouldn''t work, though. So I reluctantly stood up and stretched myself. Looking down on me, though, I really was full of dirt. It might be better to just change clothes... But...


    "Sis. Did I bring the one-piece dress along?"


    I had the subtle feeling I forgot it at the fort, somehow.


    "That dress you got from Wanda? I don''t know if you did."


    "... I might have forgotten it at the fort."


    "Maybe you brought it and just forgot about it? Let''s just take a look later."


    "Nn..."


    If I didn''t bring it along, I''d have to look for it when we get to the fort again... Hopefully, it was still there, in that case. It was the first piece of real clothing I got, so I''d like to keep it, if possible.


    "Now, let''s finally get moving, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Karen grabbed my hand and pulled me along, back to the camp.


    "Yumi?! Karen?! What happened to you?"


    The moment we returned we found Lily sitting next to our wagon.


    "Ahh, nothing much."


    "Nn. Just a bit of lying on the ground."


    "For just lying on the ground you really got dirty. Wait here, I''ll bring you some water. Ah, but the three little ones are sleeping inside, so keep quiet... I''ll ask if we can borrow another wagon."


    "Ahh, thank you, Lily."


    Lily immediately left to fetch water for us.


    "Let''s get at least some of the worst dirt off already before Lily comes back."


    "Nn."


    There wasn''t much we could do other than patting down on our clothes, trying to get rid of the worst. Although most of it was already gone, fallen off while we walked here. That said, there was still quite a lot coming down every time I hit my clothes.


    A few minutes later Lily returned with a large washbasin.


    "No wagon we can use right now, but at least get your hair cleaned up, okay?"


    "Nn, thank you."


    "Thank you, Lily."


    Lily put down the large, empty washbasin and took out a small, dark blue stone from her pouch. It shimmered in the dim light of the sun. I could feel Lily''s mana flowing to the small stone. A second later, water poured out from the stone into the basin.


    "Ohhh..."


    "Yumi? Did you never see a water stone before?"


    "Nn, I didn''t."


    I had only a little bit of experience with that accursed fire stone.


    "Then, want to try it out?"


    "... I think I''ll refrain for now. Maybe another time."


    When I don''t mind being splashed by water...


    "Hmm, okay then. Ah, Yumi, don''t drink this water, okay?"


    "Nn? Why not?"


    Was magical water maybe bad like monster meat? Because of the mana within?


    "I think you can get ill..." commented Karen.


    "Ill? Is it not because of the mana?"


    "No. I think it''s just unhealthy?"


    "Huh..."


    But it was just water, right?


    "I don''t really know why either, but it''s certain you get ill from it if you drink it regularly."


    "Huh..."


    Maybe it had something to do with nutrition or so? Or maybe it contained something harmful?


    "Anyway, just don''t drink it and it''s fine."


    "Nn, got it."


    I was a little curious, but neither Karen nor Lily really knew why either.


    "Now, let''s get your dirt out of your hair, okay? Karen, I''ll help you so you do Yumi''s hair."


    "Ah, thank you, Lily. Yumi, come here."


    "Nn."


    I tried sitting down in Karen''s lap but was immediately shoved away.


    "If you sit in my lap I can''t wash your hair, Yumi."


    "... Is that so."


    "Yes, it is. Ah, don''t look so down now. Later, okay? Later!"


    "... Nn."


    I sat down in front of her. I wanted to sit in her lap... How unfortunate.


    "Ahaha... Really, you two. Just get to washing, don''t you two have something planned after this?"


    "Ah, right. Yumi, I''ll start, okay?"


    "Nn. But Lily, you know what Sis has planned?"


    "I do. Hehehe, I hope you''ll have fun."


    I couldn''t see her expression but surely it was a mischievous grin or something like that. She was enjoying it... Now I was a little worried about the whole thing...


    "Karen, I''ll start too."


    "Yes. Go ahead."


    I heard the water splashing in the basin. The next thing I felt was cold water being poured on my hair and my hair being rubbed.


    "Ah, there''s so much dirt. Really, Yumi..."


    "..."


    Despite her complaint, shortly after I heard someone humming behind me. Probably Karen.


    For a few minutes, we sat there in silence, only accompanied by her humming. Lily obviously finished pretty quickly so she helped Karen out getting my hair clean.


    "And done. Now you two already look quite a bit better. You don''t look like you crawled out of a mud hole or so, anymore."


    "That''s... relieving."


    "Nn."


    "With that said, there''s one thing I''d like to talk about first. Actually, two things."


    "Nn?"


    Lily fidgeted a little, before opening her mouth again.


    "Karen. What happened with your hair?"


    "My hair?"


    I glanced towards Karen, or rather her hair. It looked like always, though... Karen herself quickly took a strand of her hair and checked whether something was wrong with it.


    "No, I don''t mean that. Uhm, more like... Ahhh, come here, Karen."


    "Eh, wait, Lily?!"


    Lily walked up to Karen and started fiddling with her hair.


    "There. Look, I mean this."


    Lily grabbed a particular strand of hair.


    "Ah."


    "Ahh..."


    It was something I had seen before. Yesterday, in fact. It was the odd, pink strand of hair. Except... It spread. There were probably around three small strands worth of pink hair now.


    "Nn, it spread."


    "It really did."


    "So you already knew about this?"


    "I saw this yesterday, although it was less than now...


    Karen stroked the pink strand carefully with a strained smile.


    "That... person, your mother, she also pointed it out..."


    "Eh, Mama did?"


    "Yes. She said it''d be nothing bad, so I shouldn''t mind it but... I don''t even know why or what this is..."


    "I see... If she said that, it probably won''t be a problem for now. But, you should still take care, okay?"


    "Got it..."


    Lily let go of Karen and let out a sigh.


    Then she looked over to me, and then once more at the pink strands in Karen''s hair.


    "I''m a little worried, but... For now, it seems fine..."


    "It doesn''t hurt nor do I feel strange in any way so..."


    "I see... Haa... We''ll have to observe that, okay?"


    "Nn."


    "... Got it."


    Lily smiled wryly, then coughed once and straightened up herself.


    "Anyway. The other thing I... wanted to talk about. Uhm... Karen..."


    "Yes?"


    "... What... things does Rina like?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Standing as straight as a totem pole, Lily timidly asked Karen, her voice small and her face tinged a light red.


    "What things she likes... I don''t know... She used to like stories. Back then, I often told her bedtime stories and our mother.... she read fairy tales with us. She always loved those stories. Especially happy ones."


    "Stories, huh..."


    "Sorry, I don''t really know anything else either."


    "No, it''s fine. Thank you. I''ll think of something."


    "Good luck."


    "Uhh... Thank you."


    Lily averted her face in embarrassment. It was cute. I wanted to cheer for her.


    "Lily."


    "Ye... s?"


    "If you do something to Rina, I hope you''ll take responsibility."


    "Yes... I will..."


    "Then, get going. We''re off too now."


    "... Thanks, Karen. And have fun, you two."


    Having found new courage, Lily clenched her fists in front of her. With a big smile, she left, waving in between to us.


    "Where''s Lily off to?"


    "Probably to Rina. Maybe she''s waiting for Lily."


    "... She''s not sleeping in the wagon?


    "Don''t you remember what Lily said? The three little ones are sleeping. She didn''t say Rina is sleeping."


    "Oh."


    I had completely missed that. So that''s how it was.


    I see. I see. Hehehe, I''m looking forward to tomorrow.


    "Yumi, come. Before the gate really closes."


    "Nn."


    Karen took my hand with a smile. I returned a smile of my own. Holding hands, we left in the direction of the city.


    Rinne


    In other news, yesterday the second additional chapter went up on Patreon. Now, both tiers have three chapters each. Took a little longer than I had planned... Sorry about that. Still, they are slowly building up.


    With that said, thank you for reading! Hope you''ll have a nice remaining Sunday!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: A Dance in the Night

    "The gate is closing! Please step away!"


    A soldier clad in metal armour shooed away whoever was still standing nearby. Then, a massive metal gate was slowly lowered and with a dull sound it hit the ground, barring the way for everyone, in and out.


    "That was close. Good thing the soldier recognised us and let us in..."


    "Nn."


    We had been in quite a hurry to get here and it was just barely enough. A guard saw us running to the gate and gestured us to hurry up. It was the same guard we had met in the morning, so he quickly let us through and signalled the other guards to lower the gate. Talk about close.


    We thanked the guard and moved away, into the city.


    "Still, Sis. Are you sure this is fine? We won''t get out until morning now, right?"


    "It is fine, don''t worry, don''t worry."


    "Haaa..."


    I couldn''t help but worry. She still hadn''t told me where we were going to sleep tonight. Or what she had even planned anyway. The only thing I knew was, that she was really excited.


    "So, Sis. Can you tell me now why we are here?"


    "You''ll see soon enough. Come."


    "..."


    She still wouldn''t tell me. Okay. Whatever... It wasn''t like I was super curious and she had left me hanging for quite some time already. I just had to follow her and find out. Humming, she walked in front of me. Wouldn''t be a surprise to me if she started skipping. I watched her silently. Even though I disliked being left out of the loop, I couldn''t feel angry. This blatant display of excitement was rare from her, so I wanted to let her enjoy herself.


    Nn? Isn''t this the same path we took earlier to the market? So, we''re going to the market? But isn''t it closed now? Or is there something like an evening market?


    After pondering a little, I discarded the thought again. Karen wanted to surprise me, so I should just let her surprise me. In the meantime, voices and loud sounds could be heard in the distance, growing louder and louder the further we walked. Maybe the evening market wasn''t that far off from the truth.


    There are quite many people going there... And it''s mostly young people.


    It reminded me a little of walking to a concert. Dozens of young people at once, excited and looking forward to the event.


    In the distance, small, swaying lights became visible. A little later and I could make out stalls, and then a large crowd. This kind of scene, I knew it well. It wasn''t a concert but something very similar.


    "A... festival?"


    Dozens over dozens of people holding mugs, roaring laughter and blaring music, stalls selling food, and other small things, accessories and the like. The scent of roasted meat wafted through the air, mixed with the scent of something else, unfamiliar but pleasant.


    "Yes. It''s the Lafrian Summer Festival!"


    "A festival... I see, this is indeed a surprise."


    "Ehehe. Come, let''s take a look around."


    "Nn."


    She took my hand as we approached the festival crowd. Nearby, a bunch of old men sat around a table, drinking. A little further a group of women gathered next to a stall, enjoying the food. Couples walked around, holding hands like we did, looking at the stalls.


    "Yumi, want to eat something?"


    "Nn... No, we had dinner not that long ago. Later, maybe?"


    "Okay. Then, should we just walk down the stalls for now and take a look?"


    "Nn."


    That was a good idea. Festivals tended to go well into the evening so I doubted we would have trouble getting food later on. Dozens of stalls formed small paths through which we walked, many of them selling either food or small accessories. The food looked pretty interesting, actually. There were meat skewers and something like grilled sausages. But also plenty of dishes I had honestly no idea about.


    "Sis, what kind of food is that?"


    "This? Good question. Excuse me, but what is this?"


    A rather peculiar kind of dish caught my attention. It looked like some grilled fruit. It was small, round and charred all over. But it looked a little too odd for a fruit... Karen didn''t know about it either, so she approached the stall owner and asked him.


    "Welcome! Welcome! Come here to take a look at the food? You''ve got good eyes, young cou¡ª


    He interrupted his words upon seeing us, a look of confusion spreading on his face.


    "Huh? Uh... Two... girls?"


    He fell silent, staring at us, clearly unsure what to say. His reaction confused me just as much, though. People would usually treat us as sisters or the like, right? He eyed us a little before he remembered that Karen had asked him something.


    "Oh, the food? Right, the food... Sorry, uhm, it''s just a little surprising. I didn''t mean to stare. I don''t mind that, really! It''s unusual but... Ahhh... The food, you asked about, right? Right, the food. It''s grilled Occra bird stomachs filled with bread crumbs. They are delicious as snacks, perfect to eat at a festival! Definitely! Right..."


    That was some impressive panicking... But at least we now knew what this food was. Albeit I still had no idea what his behaviour was about...


    "... Stomachs?"


    "Yes, stomachs. Stomachs. Occra bird stomachs. Ah, we also have grilled bird hearts if you prefer. They''re pretty good as a snack too, yes? Yes."


    He pointed at the other end of his stall, where something very similar to these... stomachs... was displayed. A little smaller and even darker in colour, though.


    "... I see. We''ll think about it. Thank you."


    "No problem, no problem. Enjoy the festival! Enjoy it, yes, enjoy it!"


    "Thank you."


    Karen pulled me away from the stall. Bird stomachs and hearts were a little... Definitely not something I was used to, yeah. But more importantly, what was up with his behaviour?


    "Sis, why did the stall owner panic?"


    "..."


    "Sis?"


    "I don''t know..."


    She didn''t know? Not the answer I was expecting.


    "Mh... Lily told me to expect such reactions, but she didn''t tell me why."


    "Nn? Did Lily tell you about this festival?"


    "Yes. She said I should come here with you and have a good time."


    "Huh..."


    But Lily knew we''d be getting such a reaction? Weird... But if Karen didn''t know, there wasn''t much I could do either. Maybe we''d find out over the course of the festival just what was up with it. I sighed, taking a short look back to the stall we had just left. The stall owner was already busy with the next pair of customers, a young couple.


    Ah, they actually bought some of those... stomachs? Or the hearts? Uhh...


    "Sis, is it normal to, uhm, eat stomaches? And hearts?"


    "Yes? Did you never eat them?"


    "No..."


    Innards weren''t exactly something I was used to eating... Or rather, I really never ate any, probably? Maybe I did in the past. At the very least, I couldn''t remember...


    "Huh. But, what did people do with the innards at your place then? It''s a waste to throw them away."


    "... I don''t know?"


    Maybe... they were actually eaten? Or they were processed into some other food and I simply didn''t know. Or I forgot. But she was right, it would be a waste... And if it was edible... Still, I was a little reluctant...


    "Huh... Not eating them sounds wasteful."


    "... But you left the stall pretty quickly, Sis."


    "... I don''t really like stomaches. Or hearts. Or most innards... So, unless I have to..."


    "..."


    So much for wasteful. Didn''t expect her of all people to be picky. But, sometimes there were things you simply didn''t like. I wasn''t exactly fond of the thought of eating grilled innards either, so it was just fine with me. Then again, I didn''t know how they tasted so... Well, nothing I could do about now.


    "Rather than that, let''s take a look at that stall, Yumi."


    "Nn, okay."


    Karen pulled me towards a different stall, with a multitude of accessories. Most of them were made of leather. Some things other than accessories, like leather bags, gloves and such stuff were displayed as well. Some of the accessories were dyed, making the stall stand out quite a bit from its competitors.


    "Leather rings and bracelets, huh."


    The stall owner, an old woman, looked at us with wide eyes, surprised. A moment later she quickly narrowed them and smiled gently. We really were standing out...


    "My, are you girls looking for something specific? A ring? A bracelet? Or maybe a choker?"


    "Ah, no. We''re just looking around..."


    "I see. Then, take your time looking. If you have any questions, go ahead."


    Karen looked over all the small accessories with great interest. If her eyes could sparkle, they''d surely do it now. Maybe I should get her a little something. Ah, but Karen was holding the money. That''d be hard...


    Still, it was good to know that Karen liked such things.


    "Look, Yumi, those bracelets are so pretty."


    "Which ones? Those?"


    "Yes."


    Karen pointed at a pair of braided leather bracelets. There were a few holes in the braid with a coloured rope pulled through. It was a rather unique design among the accessories.


    "Hohoho, you picked out something quite nice, young lady. Those are our traditional bracelets, only sold today, on this festival."


    "Only today? Why?"


    "You don''t know? How odd... But... You girls are from outside, yes?"


    "Ah, yes. We only arrived today. A... friend recommended us to come here today."


    "Hohoho, a friend, huh. Hehe, now, I wonder if they are a good friend or a mean friend..."


    She mumbled quietly, barely audible enough for me to overhear it. Then, she turned aronud and walked to the back of the stall.


    "Let me show you girls something nice."


    The stall owner went to the back of her stall and started rummaging in a bag. Then, she took out a pair of bracelets, similar to the ones sold here.


    "The colour is different. Wait, that''s... not a normal rope, is it?"


    "It isn''t, you got some sharp eyes there. These bracelets are only sold in pairs and instead of the rope, it''s a strand of your partner''s hair that goes in here. So that, no matter where they are, your partner will always be with you."


    "I see... Wait... Partner?"


    The old woman giggled at Karen''s astonished expression.


    "Yes, partner. Your partner in life. That''s what today''s festival is about."


    This was... a lovers festival? Seriously? No wonder we drew attention... And why so many couples were walking around. Karen''s face heated up, realising the meaning of the festival as well.


    "Hohoho, so you really didn''t know."


    "Uhhh..."


    "So? What are you going to do? Today is the only chance."


    "..."


    Karen took a long, good look at the pair of bracelets. She threw a few fleeting glances in my direction.


    "For your partner..."


    "Yes, your partner. A charm to never get separated. It''s mostly only a small tradition nowadays, but many couples still come together today for it."


    "I see... To be together...


    Karen took another look at the two bracelets in the woman''s hand. Suddenly, Karen''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "But then... Your..."


    "Hohoho, don''t mind it. It''s been long and he lived a good life. I''m sure he was content until the end."


    "... I see."


    "Now, don''t make such a sad face, young lady. It ruins your pretty face. You shouldn''t feel sad for us old folks, who already had a happy life until now. There''s no reason to be sad. You should rather look at your own life, in the present. And at your own happiness. Don''t you have someone important to you?"


    The old woman laughed heartily.


    "... I do. You are right. My... Our own happiness... Mhm... Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    "Then, could we have one pair?"


    "Ohohoho, with pleasure."


    The old woman took the pair of bracelets from the display, removed the rope and handed them to Karen.


    "Here, take them. Don''t mind about the money."


    "Eh? But, are you sure?"


    "These weren''t intended to be sold for money, young lady. I had intended to give them out for free from the very beginning."


    "... I see. Thank you."


    "Hohoho, no need to thank me. When the sun is down there''ll be dance followed by an exchange of the bracelets to your partner. Do participate, if you can. You just need to be there at the time, you''ll see how it works. I''m sure it''ll be an invaluable experience."


    The woman smiled with narrowed eyes. It was an incredibly gentle smile, like a mother''s smile.


    "You girls are taking a hard path, but I wish you all the luck I can offer. May the Great Spirits watch over you."


    "... Thank you, ma''am."


    "Thank you."


    We both thanked her and left the stall. The woman waved at us for a little while. She had already replaced the bracelets with a new pair. Karen stared at the bracelets in her hand while we walked through the crowd.


    "Lily played us quite well again."


    "Nn."


    She really did. To think this was a festival to celebrate lovers... But... A festival about love wasn''t all too rare, yet, I never would have thought I''d attend one, together with someone I love.


    "But, Yumi... Is this... fine with you?"


    "Nn? What do you mean?"


    "Walking here... it''s like... declaring it to everyone... isn''t it?"


    "Ahhh... Are you worried about that?"


    Karen nodded, averting her gaze a little. A short silence followed before she took a breath and faced me.


    "Yumi... you know... I want to be able to say it... to tell everyone, that this girl... is my lover... my important person. I don''t want to keep it secret. But... The more I think about it... the more worried I become. Is this... really the right thing to do?"


    "..."


    "Mr Captain said, not everyone would accept our relationship... And, I''m a little scared... If they don''t accept it..."


    "... Is that so."


    She was stumbling over a words little bit, clearly showing how insecure she was right now. I squeezed Karen''s hand and pulled her a little closer, that I could lean my head on her arm while walking. Enjoying the warmth, I could feel my face relaxing.


    "Sis, I want to be able to say it as well, to everyone. That this cute girl is mine, and only mine. And that I''m only yours and not anyone other''s."


    "Yumi..."


    "Sis, just now, I heard there''s a dance later. How about we go there? Ah, I can''t really dance, though, so please forgive me if I mess up..."


    "Yumi... Mm, let''s go there."


    Karen squeezed back and a smile appeared on her face. Yes, this was a much better expression. Who cared what others thought about us?


    With newfound energy, we continued our little adventure through the stalls. And despite the little awkwardness from our height difference, we intertwined our fingers, not letting each other go for even a second.


    "Ohh... That''s a large stage... And there are so many people."


    "Nn. I''m... getting a bit nervous..."


    Around an earth hour later, the sun was close to the horizon. The stalls and the surrounding buildings all had lamps hung up, providing enough light for the plaza. Yet, the crowd slowly moved away from the stalls to a small stage. Some stalls even started to close up as well.


    The small stage, well, actually it wasn''t that small, was in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by the stalls. Dozens of young couples gathered on it, preparing for the upcoming dance. Us included.


    "There''s... a lot of people staring at us..."


    "Nn..."


    Among the crowd at the stalls, we hadn''t been drawing that much attention. But now, at the plaza, dozens of people stared over to us with curious gazes. Not really that unexpected, considering we were the only same-sex pair.


    "Ahh... This is making me really nervous too..."


    "Nn..."


    Thankfully, most of them were simply bewildered or curious. In fact, some people were even smiling in our direction, just like the older woman who gave us the bracelets. Still, a few people directed not so kind gazes at us, but none of them approached us. They were in the minority anyway. But a minority was all that was necessary to ruin someone''s day, so I hoped they''d stay away.


    "The sun is setting..."


    "Nn."


    Just after Karen said that, a large lamp lit up, illuminating the plaza. It was a huge lamp, that was hanging over a small pedestal in the middle of the stage. Standing on this small pedestal was a man, clad in colourful clothing and wearing a scary, animal-like mask with horns, similar to antlers, protruding from the sides. He looked over the crowd, over the dozens and dozens of pairs filling the plaza and then over the audience. Many people were watching, surrounding the stage. Hundreds of them.


    Nodding to himself, the priest then spread out his arms towards the crowd. A small ringing sound echoed through the plaza. Dozens of small bells hung on his sleeves, ringing with every move.


    "Welcome, young people! Tonight! Is an auspicious occasion!"


    His loud voice echoed through the entire plaza, silencing everyone who was still talking.


    "Tonight, we gathered in reverence to the Great Spirits! You all shall bring a tribute, to the Great Spirits! To your partner! Celebrate! Dance! Sing! Let them all hear it! Let them know, tonight, about your love! Tell them all, every single one!


    The man slowly turned around in a circle, facing the different parts of the crowd, all the while directing his gaze and his arms towards the sky.


    "The Great Spirits are watching! Show them your love! Dance, my children! Make the night into a day!"


    A deep sound echoed through the plaza, followed by another and then a third. A deep, rhythmic sound.


    Surrounding the pedestal were three men with large drums, rhythmically hitting them. Together with them were three women, one holding something like a very long flute and the other two holding a kind of string instrument. It took but a moment for the plaza to be filled with gentle music. One after another, the couples around us all began dancing.


    "May I ask for this dance, my lady?"


    "Nn, with pleasure."


    Karen, slightly bowing, held out her hand to me. And with a smile, I accepted. It made me feel a little like a scene from a fairy tale. Like princess being asked for a dance by her prince. I didn''t mind the unexpected role of a princess I took in this. Calling Karen my prince... might not be too far off.


    There was just one problem in all of this.


    "Sis, how do I dance?"


    "... Let''s just imitate the others around us. It''s a pretty simple dance."


    "Nn, I''ll try."


    "Ehehe, good luck."


    Karen put her arm around my waist and held me close to her body. So close, that I could feel her body heat.


    "Let''s start slowly, okay?"


    "Nn."


    Very slowly, Karen moved from the left to the right and back to the left, in the rhythm of the music. I tried copying her movements as best as I could. After a few iterations, I figured out the basic steps.


    "Oh, Yumi, you''re learning quickly."


    "Nn, I''m trying. But Sis, you''re pretty good at this."


    "Ahaha... I learnt a little about dancing before we left Aldreigh. And... I kind of liked it so sometimes, when I was alone in the slums, I practised. It made me forget a little about all the worries I had."


    "I see. So you like dancing. Guess I''ll have to practice then, so I can be your partner in the future as well."


    "I''m looking forward to it."


    Ever so slowly, Karen increased the pace, until we matched the others around us. Being held like this, put me at ease. I still stumbled a little here and there, but Karen just smiled and laughed. We were so close to each other right now, looking only at our partner.


    "Nn, this is quite fun. I think I''d like to do this more often."


    "Hehe, I''ll teach you then."


    "Please do."


    We continued our dance for a while. In between, the music changed. It was similar, but a little faster. Adapting to it made me stumble quite a bit, but Karen just smiled and helped me out. I slowly understood why people commonly warned not to step on the other''s feet.


    Then, suddenly many people stopped around as and began murmuring. Noticing the commotion, the musicians also slowed down and came to a stop. There was some shouting a little away, probably in the audience.


    "Nn? Did something happen?"


    "I don''t know. Ah, look, over there."


    Karen pointed at the side, where the audience was watching the dance. I had a little trouble seeing it... With some effort I could make out a young man, being glared at by a group of older people. An old man was shouting at him.


    "Doesn''t that look bad?" I asked.


    "Mh... No, I think... Ah, look..."


    The glares changed into one of the most stupified looks I had seen in a long time. The reason was simple. The young man turned away from the old man and walked to someone else in the audience, also a young man. And then he took his hand. It was quite obvious what their relationship was.


    "Hee, so it was like that."


    "It is. Do you think that, maybe, we gave them a little courage?"


    "It''d be nice if we did."


    Still, the old man who was shouting earlier, walked over to the two young men, clearly intending to continue. Yet, he was interrupted by a deep, reverberating sound. It came from the direction of the pedestal in the middle of the stage. The man in colourful clothing, probably a priest or something like that, stood on it, holding something akin to a large gong.


    "Ohoho, it seems, this year, we got a few brave children! Wonderful. Wonderful! The Great Spirits do not mind! They welcome you wholeheartedly! My children, today is a day of celebration. And celebrate we shall! As long as they are a couple in love, the Great Spirits will give their blessings. Come, do not let the petty quarrels of the old sour this celebration! Young ones, enjoy your life! Dance! And if there are more who wish to join us today, come! Bring forth your tribute to the Great Spirits! Celebrate for them! Let them partake in our joy! Come!"


    Someone in the audience cheered and clapped, then others joined in. Alas, before more could join in, people again turned to a different spot in the audience. Two young girls, maybe even younger than Karen, walked onto the stage.


    "Hehehe, seems even more decided to join in."


    "Nn."


    In the end, only these two couples joined the dance. The music once more picked up, the priest laughing heartily on his pedestal, shouting his blessings, not letting anyone interrupt it again. Some in the audience had sour expressions, probably the related families. But, the majority was smiling. Laughter, friendly shouts, the sound clinking mugs. A few even started singing to the music. Just how a festival of this kind should be.


    Ahh, this is fun.


    A celebration, a festival. The priest was right about that. It was a little bit of a surprise for me, but... Having fun was the point of this. And, just now, I was having tons of it.


    "Ehehe."


    "Yumi?"


    "Nothing, I just thought, it''s really great. Thank you, Sis."


    Karen gave me a toothy, bright smile.


    "You''re welcome!"


    The dance went on for nearly an entire hour. By the end of it, half the couples weren''t even dancing anymore. Unfortunately, Karen didn''t let me go or even take a break. I just couldn''t say no to that happy, laughing face of hers.


    As a result, I was utterly exhausted by the end of it. But it was worth it. It was just, so much fun.


    "Are you okay, Yumi? Want something to drink?"


    "Ah, thank you, Sis."


    I took the waterskin Karen was handing me and drank a good amount.


    Her stamina was amazing. She wasn''t even breaking a sweat after all this dancing. Was this because of her constitution? Or was she simply that used to this kind of exercise from her time in the slums? A secret marathon runner? Even the other couples that had kept up until the end were exhausted.


    "Ahh, a lot better... I feel alive again."


    Water was great. Truly. It made me feel a lot more refreshed.


    "That''s great. Then, let''s take a rest over there."


    "Nn..."


    We moved to the side of the plaza, trying to find some peace from the crowd. Alas, before we reached there, once more, someone raised a commotion.


    "What''s going on this time?"


    We turned around, taking a look at what was happening.


    A beastkin man, the old man who had already tried to stir up trouble earlier, was shouting, seething with anger. And the target of his rage? The old woman, who previously gave us the bracelets. And behind her, the other two couples, that had joined in the middle. Now that I could take a good look at them... All four of them were young, probably not even twenty yet. The two girls were at most at Rina''s age even.


    "Yumi, isn''t that the woman from earlier?"


    "Nn, it is."


    It wasn''t pleasant to watch. But, the old woman just laughed, being calm and completely unperturbed by the raging man. It was a stark contrast.


    "I''m a little worried... Let''s see what''s going on there."


    "Nn."


    I was worried as well. Even if she was calm, that didn''t mean the raging man wouldn''t try to do something. Why was he shouting at the old woman in the first place?


    "This is blasphemy! What nonsense about love are you spouting?! It''s unhealthy! Unnatural! Cease this farce immediately! You tainted our good tradition!"


    The two couples behind the woman both flinched, staring at the ground.


    "Is that all you have to say, Mr Allena? You are the one disturbing the festival."


    "Karker! This is not a matter you should interfere with! Get out of my way so I can drag these stupid children back!"


    "It''s still Lady Karker for you. You seem to have forgotten your manners."


    "You old wench! Get out of my way!"


    The man took a step forward, towards the woman, but was immediately interrupted by a third person.


    "Hoho, Mr Allena, I presume? This is a celebration, a festival. I hope you have a good reason for interrupting our traditions? The great ones above want to see our joy, not your anger."


    The priest, his face still covered with the animal mask, stood between them.


    "Lo, Lord Spirit Priest... You, you can''t possibly take the side of this wench and her blasphemous nonsense!"


    "Blasphemous? Blasphemous, you say. Blasphemous nonsense... Interesting, so I, the highest priest of our fair town, am supporting blasphemous nonsense? Is that, what you are claiming? Mr Allena?"


    "Tha, that''s... I mean..."


    "Are you? Or are you not?"


    "I...''m not..."


    The priest nodded a few times, satisfied with the answer.


    "Good, good. I was worried. The Great Spirits above prefer harmony, after all. It would have been sacrilegious, to interrupt the festivities. Right, Mr Allena?"


    "..."


    The man gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, staring at the old woman. If his glare could kill he probably would''ve eradicated the town by now.


    "Then, I assume your business with the Lady Karker is done with? We still have to finish the ceremony."


    "Lo, Lord Spirit Priest! But! That!"


    The man, Allena, lost his composure at those words, his eyes darting between the priest and the two couples.


    "Yes? Ah, right. That''ll mean they are bonded as a couple, according to our traditions, yes. An auspicious occasion, right? Hahaha! Isn''t it beautiful? The love of man ignores all bounds, all limits. Gender, race, country, standing, everything! Isn''t it wonderful, to be a witness to such a miraculous occasion?"


    "..."


    The surrounding people looked among themselves, some nodded among themselves, others threw suspicious or doubting glances. The reactions were very mixed.


    "Now, Mr Allena? Is there something else you need?"


    "... No. There isn''t."


    "Great. Then, I wish you a joyful evening."


    The priest watched as the man threw a hateful glance at the old woman and the two couples, then turned around and left them alone.


    "Good, good. Then we can soon continue the ceremony. Magnificient. Ah, but, my dear young ones. You joined so suddenly, do you have the bracelets for the ceremony?"


    He turned to the couples in question. It took a moment but both couples shook their heads, slowly.


    "Hohoho, no need to worry, Lord Priest. I have some for them right here."


    "Oh! Wonderful! As expected of Lady Karker! Prepared for everything!"


    She took out two pairs of bracelets and handed one to each couple.


    "Your path may be hard and arduous, but I pray to the Great Spirits, that you will find happiness."


    "Tha, thank you. Lady Karker..."


    "Thank you."


    "Thank you so much."


    "Thank you, Lady Karker!"


    All four of them had tears in the corners of their eyes and smiles on their faces. Just watching made me tear up a little as well.


    "Now, come, young ones, the night hasn''t ended yet!"


    The priest turned around, walking towards his pedestal, the two couples following him.


    "Seems that issue was resolved."


    "Nn."


    "Unfortunately, it''s not as resolved as it seems."


    "Wha¡ª


    A voice interrupted us from the side. It was the old woman from the stall. Instead of following the priest or returning to the audience, she came over to us. When did she even spot us?


    "Hohoho, I apologise for surprising you. I just wanted to give you my thanks."


    "No, it''s fine, but... Your thanks?"


    "Yes. If you two hadn''t come here, today, those four probably wouldn''t have found the courage. It''s a shame to say, even though the Great Spirits allow it, some people still... No, I shouldn''t bore you with that talk."


    "Haa... Do you know those four, Miss... Uhm, Karker?"


    "Arias Karker, you can just call me Arias, or Grandma."


    She laughed heartily.


    "But, yes. They are children I know well. The two girls are my granddaughter and her friend from the Academy. The two boys are the Allena family''s son and his childhood friend."


    "Your granddaughter?"


    "Yes. The smaller one of the two. She''s cute, isn''t she? She is quite popular. Her own parents took it well when she told them about her lover. But she hid it from everyone else except her family. It probably took a lot of courage for her, to do this, in public. Hohoho, just imagine how many poor boys'' hearts were broken now."


    Arias looked towards the sky. The sun was gone and was replaced by the moon and myriads of stars.


    "Those boys, though, had it a lot harder. The Allena family will do everything they can to break up their relationship. It''ll be a tough road ahead for them."


    "A tough road..."


    People would not accept it, laugh at it, ridicule it or even attack them about it. And, that might apply to us, in the future, as well...


    "It''ll be fine. Even they wouldn''t dare to openly disregard our traditions and laws. The boys will have some peace for now. And that''s why I want to thank you."


    "Ah, but... we didn''t even do anything..."


    "Ohohoho, you did. By having the courage to come here, you set an example. Well, most people will now be more occupied with the other two couples. But, I imagine you won''t mind a bit less attention to you."


    Once more she laughed heartily.


    "Well then, it''ll soon continue. I''ll take my leave now. I wish you two a wonderful night."


    "Thank you, for telling us about this. I wish you a good night as well."


    "Nn."


    "Ohoho, I''m sure we''ll meet again! Farewell, for now."


    Arias waved and left, disappearing into the audience once more. Nearly simultaneously, the priest took his spot on the pedestal once more.


    "Young ones! I hope you rested well! The Great Spirits are surely pleased today! In this wonderful, starlit night! But now, the festival will soon end! The day will change, the sun will rise once more! But, before we allow this to happen, we will exchange a gift to our most beloved! A gift, to our partner!  Praying for their safety and well-being! Praying to never get separated! And even if you will one day part, this is a gift, a bond, you won''t forget. Today, you will give proof!"


    He raised a knife, and cut off a lock of his own hair and held it up.


    "For one half, the strong and the brave!"


    With these words, the couples around as started moving. The men were all cutting their hair. The ones with long enough hair twisted it and pulled it through the bracelet. The ones with short hair gathered some strands and put them in a small, transparent container attached to their bracelets. It seemed specifically made for those with short hair.


    "Ah, Sis, what should we do now?"


    "Mh, I see."


    "Nn?"


    Karen brought out her knife and cut a whole strand of her hair without hesitation. Then she twisted the strand a little and pulled it through the bracelet.


    "One half, the wise, the astute!"


    Barely a second later, the priest''s voice echoed through the plaza again. Now, the women and girls moved, cutting their own hair.


    First the men, then the women.  Uhh... And Sis took the men''s part. Ahh, well... I guess it''s not that wrong anyway...


    "Yumi, here you go."


    "Nn. Thank you."


    Karen handed me the knife so I could cut my own hair. Since my hair was way too long I couldn''t take an entire strand and had to actually cut at a pretty low point. Or at least I tried to.


    I forgot. I completely forgot but... I can''t cut this!


    Holding my hair with one hand and the knife in the other, I tried cutting it but... It didn''t work.


    "Yumi, should I help?"


    "N, No. Not yet, I can do this."


    I tried putting in all my strength but the knife didn''t cut through.


    Uhhh... Come on. you can do it, get cut!


    Alas, it didn''t want to.


    Maybe I can try moving my hair against the knife as well? That should give some more force.


    Since I could move my hair independently I could get some more force in like that. I immediately converted this idea into practice and...


    "Woah!"


    The knife flew down and hit the ground with a clang. The moment I tried moving my hair against the blade it cut through without any resistance. Not that I understood why... Regardless of how, I got my strand, and nearly impaled my own foot.


    "Yumi..."


    "It''s fine. It''s totally fine, Sis. Look, I got it."


    "..."


    That look in her eyes, it was painful. I coughed and, after picking up the knife, quickly twisted the hair, then pulled it through the bracelet. Despite the time I took, there were still a few other people that hadn''t finished yet. I didn''t know why, but I was thankful that it took them a little.


    "And now, brave ones, strong ones, present!"


    Karen took a quick glance at the surrounding couples. Then she took my right arm and put on the bracelet, with the silver shimmering hair pulled through..


    "Wise ones, astute ones, present!"


    Copying her, I took Karen''s right arm and put on the bracelet, with the pink hair.


    We both held up our arms, looking at the bracelets.


    "It suits you, Yumi."


    "Nn, it suits you as well, Sis."


    "We match, huh."


    "Nn."


    We both grinned, from ear to ear.


    And so, with this lingering, warm feeling spreading in my chest, the small festival slowly came to a close today.


    "It has gotten quite late."


    "Nn."


    Shortly after, the priest had held another short speech. Although I hadn''t listened to it at all. Instead, I kept staring at the bracelet the entire time. Karen did exactly the same, which made me quite happy.


    "Then, we should get going as well."


    "Nn."


    Karen stretched her arms. All the while, she kept glancing at the bracelet as well.


    "Wait, Sis. Where are we going to sleep?"


    "Ah, don''t worry about that. I got us a room at a nearby inn."


    "Oh? You got a room?"


    And in a nearby one as well? How fortunate. I thought it more likely that they were all booked out during such a festival.


    "Yes. When Lily and I were coming back from the Academy I took a look and found one."


    "Ohh, how lucky."


    No wonder she wasn''t worried at all about a place to sleep.


    "Let''s see. Through this alley and then on the right side of the street. Ah, there it is."


    A small wooden sign hung over the door with a mug on it. Right next to it was another, even smaller sign, with a bed.


    Karen walked up to the door and knocked. Around half a minute later, the door opened and a man with a lamp appeared.


    "Oh, it''s you. They finished for the day?"


    "Yes. I''m sorry that you had to stay awake for this."


    "Ah, no worries. You aren''t the last ones either way. There''s still one group missing. Well, whatever. Come in."


    "Thank you."


    He opened the door wide and let us in. Even with the lamp, I couldn''t make out the interior in the darkness, outside of a small counter and stairs behind it.


    "Up the stairs, then left and the second last on the right. Sleep well."


    The man sat down behind the counter after giving us the directions.


    "Thank you."


    "Nn, thank you."


    I followed Karen up the stairs into the room, holding onto her hand so I wouldn''t walk into a wall or something. He could''ve at least given us a lamp or something...


    The room itself was quite small, but it gave a comfortable feeling. A wooden window was in the back, currently closed. A little bit of moonlight shined through the gaps. Also a small nightstand and a bed. One bed.


    "Yumi."


    "Si¡ª Woah."


    Karen lifted me and carried me to the bed, then put me down on it.


    "Ehehe, Yumi. I was told the walls are quite thick and nobody is going to hear anything."


    "Sis..."


    I had kind of expected this. I had expected it, but... It just made me all the more nervous. Karen sat down on the bed and hugged me.


    "We got time now, so no need to hurry, Yumi."


    "... Nn."


    She gently stroked my head, like a mother comforting a child.


    "Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "Thank you. It was... fun."


    "It really was. And we got a little bit out of it as well."


    "Nn."


    We both glanced once more at our bracelets. It was pretty dark, so they were hard to make out, but just the feeling of the bracelet on my skin made me feel all giddy.


    "I heard from Lily, about the festival. That it is customary in Lafria to celebrate on the beginning of the summer. I didn''t know about the exchange gifts and the whole lover''s stuff, though. But... exchanging gifts with the person you love. It''s quite romantic, isn''t it?"


    "Nn. I agree. Sis, I hope, we will be together for a long time. It''s only been such a short time, but... It already feels so much longer."


    "We''ll have a lot of time together, in the future. It''ll feel even longer."


    "Nn."


    I nuzzled myself against Karen''s chest. I could hear her heart beating.


    "Should we sleep?"


    "Nn... But we finally got a room for ourselves."


    "Hehe, that''s true. But, you''re tired, aren''t you? You barely slept yesterday."


    "Well..."


    "Then, let''s compromise."


    "Nn?"


    Karen turned around and moved the blanket a little away. Then, she started undressing.


    "Sis?"


    "Yumi, come here."


    Once she finished removing her clothes, she lied down on the bed. It took me a moment to realise her intention.


    "Nn, one moment."


    I stripped my clothes and moved next to Karen. She pulled the blanket over us and hugged me close.


    "It''s warm."


    "It is. See, sleeping like this is nice, too."


    "Nn."


    I wrapped my arms around Karen. Her naked skin felt smooth and pleasant.  The blanket trapped our warmth inside. I looked up, and Karen''s face appeared, illuminated by the little bit of light. It was close. So close, that I just had to move a little and our lips would touch. Karen closed her eyes and moved even closer until our lips really touched.


    We kissed, indulging in each other''s warmth.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "I love you."


    "I love you too, Sis."


    We smiled.


    "Yumi, goodnight."


    "Nn, night."


    Rinne

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Morning Surprise

    The chirping of birds sounded through the morning.


    Something warm and soft was enveloping me. So soft and smooth, that I really wanted to rub myself against it.


    "Ah, Yumi?"


    Words came from the softness. A little confused, I forced my eyes to open a little. A rosy pink entered my sight. Nothing that should be able to speak.


    "Nn..."


    "Jeez, Yumi."


    It moved beneath me. The rosy pink slightly shook as well. One spot, in particular, caught my attention, having a more intense pink colour and being shaped like a little bud.


    "Nn..."


    It was really close and somehow... I wanted to suck on it.


    "Ah?! Yumi?!"


    "Mmm."


    I caught my target and sucked on it. It didn''t really taste like anything, really but it was oddly satisfying.


    "Are you a baby? Ah. Mhh..."


    Once more, the softness moved beneath me.  Then, something wrapped around my waist, pressing me deeper into the soft haven.


    "I''d prefer if you do this when you are awake... But this is kind of cute too. Ehehe. Yumi."


    Something stroked the back of my head, gently and slowly. It felt so comfortable that I was dozing off once more. It was like a fluffy feeling enveloping me.


    "Ahh, Yumi? Don''t fall asleep again."


    "Mmm."


    "Hey, don''t suck now! Ngh?!"


    Suddenly, I was squeezed, my face sunk even deeper into the soft and squishy something. Albeit I lost hold of the little something that I was sucking on. How regrettable. I should try to catch it again.


    "Jeez, wake up, Yumi. Come on."


    "Mh..."


    "I see. If that''s how you want it... Then I''ll just have my way with you too."


    Something grabbed my butt and squeezed it.


    "It''s so small, huh... And so soft..."


    Having my butt squished was an odd feeling, but still quite comfortable. I could feel my body heating up a little.


    But... how did this soft something grab my butt? And why...


    "Mh, let''s see. How about this."


    Then, something was moving between my legs and getting caught in between my thighs.


    "... Mmn?"


    "Oh, as expected."


    It rubbed a certain place down there, between my thighs. It felt good. I wanted more of it.


    "Mm... Ahh..."


    "And now you''re moving by yourself already, huh. What a lewd girl. Come here."


    I was forced to part from soft and squishy something. My body was moved. The fluffy feeling enveloping me was disappearing as well.


    Instead, a second later, something soft was pressing against my lips.


    Nn? A... kiss?


    At that moment, realisation hit me and I was finally awake. I forced my eyes open, in the middle of the kiss, and found Karen right in front of me. Of course she was in front of me, otherwise, she couldn''t kiss me. She parted from my lips, staring right into my eyes.


    "Good morning, sleepyhead."


    "Nn... Morning..."


    So it had been Karen the entire time. Well, who else? It could''ve been only her. Not like I really thought of that, half-asleep as I had been.


    "Sis..."


    "Yes?"


    "I''m sleepy."


    "You have to wake up though. The sun is up and shining."


    "Nn..."


    I nuzzled against her collarbone, her breasts surrounding my neck. Seems that I had been using Karen as a pillow. Or rather, her breasts. They were a great pillow. I wrapped my arms around her, taking hold of this beloved warmth.


    "You''re really spoiled, aren''t you?"


    "Nn... Only with you..."


    "Ehehe. Is that so. That makes me a little happy."


    She stroked my head again. A blissful, happy feeling spread inside me. This kind of comfort was great.


    In the meantime, Karen continued rubbing her leg against my lower parts. I relaxed my body and entrusted myself completely to Karen, enjoying the heat and pleasure rising up from below more and more.


    "Nn... Ah..."


    "Lewd Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Just who was rubbing their leg against me, I wondered.


    "Sis..."


    "Yes?"


    "Nn..."


    "Yumi? Ah, don''t fall asleep again! Ah, jeez."


    "Nn?"


    The moment I felt like drifting back into sleep, my entire body was moved to the side. Now lying on my back, Karen looked down on me, her complexion a little red.


    "Feeling all good alone is unfair, Yumi."


    And with those words, she kissed me. A deep, deep kiss with her tongue invading my mouth.


    "Nn... Mng... Si... Mm."


    Not allowing me a break, her knee rubbed against my crotch and her hand slowly caressed my chest. After a few seconds, she broke off the kiss. Licking her lips, she smiled at me.


    "Ehehe, Yumi."


    "Si¡ª Woah?"


    Before I could catch my breath, Karen moved downwards and lifted my lower body up. I had a bad feeling.


    "Sis? Sis, wait a mome¡ª Ahh!"


    Before I could stop her she burrowed her face in between my legs and licked my crotch. A jolt ran up my body.


    "Mm, tastes weird."


    "That''s not something I wanted to know, Sis..."


    "It''s fine."


    "Ah, wa¡ª


    Karen continued licking. Holding my lower body firmly in her arms, not allowing even the slighest chance of escape. Not like I even wanted to escape.


    "Sis... Haa... Ah... Ngh."


    Warm pleasure spread through my body and small jolts ran through my spine every time her tongue touched me.


    "Ah, Yumi, stop moving."


    "Ha... Haa... Sis... That''s..."


    Once again I was at her mercy... That wasn''t fair...


    "Sis... Wait... I..."


    "I''m not going to wait."


    True to her words, she continued, not letting me off for even a second anymore. I could feel her tongue crawling around my crotch, licking the usually hidden parts.


    "Haa... Nnh! Sis... It''s... Ah... Haa"


    The pleasure slowly built up, making me desperately gasp for air.


    "Nm... Ahh..."


    My legs wrapped around Karen on their own, pressing her even more into my crotch. Then, something entered. At that place, something came inside.


    "Ngh... Sis... It... ''s!"


    Her tongue explored the inside of that place, the sound of it echoing through the room.


    "Mn! Ah... Ahhh... Si, Sis!"


    After thoroughly exploring the inside, her tongue left, instead moving upwards, crawling high and higher until...


    "Mn!"


    Pleasure rapidly spread through my body. Getting stronger with each second, stronger and stronger. I squirmed from the unexpected pleasure, but Karen firmly held me in place and continued. Until...


    "Nnaahhh!"


    The pleasure peaked, my entire body convulsed and finally completely lost its strength. The heat slowly ebbed away.


    "Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..."


    "... Ahh, that surprised me."


    Glancing towards my lower body, which was still suspended in the air, Karen''s face appeared. Something glistened on her face, as if it was wet.


    "Sis..."


    "I''m here, Yumi. Are you fine?"


    She cautiously returned my lower body to the bed, wiped her own face with the blanket and then lied down next to me. It took a little bit until I finally caught my breath again.


    "Sis..."


    I rolled over to Karen and hugged her, squeezed her with all my strength. This pleasant feeling, this overwhelming and warm feeling of love, I wanted it close to me.


    "I''m here, Yumi."


    Returning my embrace and patting my head, she kissed me, a long, deep and affectionate kiss. We didn''t part for as long as it was possible until the need for air parted us.


    Karen''s face was right in front of me, both of us gasping for air.


    Ahh... Again... They are glowing...


    "Yumi... Yumi!"


    Karen gently hugged me and pressed her cheek against mine. I returned the hug.


    "Ha... Yumi! I love you!"


    "Nn, I love you too, Sis."


    Her eyes still glowing, she hugged me, clung onto me with all she had, even her tail coiling around my leg. Still a little tired, I let her do as she pleased. Her affection, her love, one might think it was overwhelming or even suffocating, but I simply felt happy. That the girl I loved so much myself, loved me in return just as much.


    Never, never will I let you go. I''ll love you forever.


    Closing my eyes, I was enveloped by her love, her warmth. I felt like I was melting, together with Karen into one...


    "Nn..."


    "Yumi, after all this you are still trying to sleep?"


    "No, but I don''t want to leave you."


    "Ah. Uhh... But we don''t have all morning."


    Extend the morning. Whoever is responsible for time, extend the morning. Now.


    Unfortunately, that wasn''t going to happen. No matter how much I wished for it, the morning wasn''t exactly long. If possible, I would have loved to spend the entire day together with Karen, drowning in happiness.


    "Only for a little more, okay?"


    "Nn."


    I buried my face in Karen''s breasts. They were soft and comfortable and made for a truly wonderful pillow.


    "You really like my breasts, don''t you."


    "Nn. I want to suck on them."


    "Don''t. We don''t have time for another round."


    "How regrettable."


    In a number of ways, it was unfortunate. Once again, it was mostly me who had been on the receiving side. Or rather, it had been entirely me.


    "Sis. Next time, I''ll make you feel good too."


    "Mh? Are you worried about that?"


    "... Nn."


    "Mm... But I quite like making you feel good... Like this."


    "Ah, Sis! Ngh!"


    Karen caught my earlobe with her mouth and nibbled on it. It was a rather ticklish feeling, but it did feel good. Alas, at this rate, I''d just feel horny again...


    "Sis, stop. Or I''ll want it again..."


    "That so? Mh..."


    "Sis?"


    Karen stopped, but then only stared at me, as if she was lost in thought.


    "That actually sounds a little fun."


    "... What does?"


    "Leaving you hanging."


    A mischievous smile bloomed on her face.


    No, Sis, please don''t go down that route. I beg you.


    A shiver ran down my back.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t do it. At least not now, when I don''t even know when we have time for ourselves again."


    "... So you might do it if you did know?"


    "Maybe. Ehehe."


    While I wholeheartedly welcomed some regular alone time, I was a little worried about the things Karen might do. Though... I wasn''t against at least trying them out... There was still that collar too...


    No, Yumi. Don''t. There''s no going back if you take that route!


    I chased away the dangerous thoughts as best as I could, rubbing my face at Karen''s breasts instead. Bliss had been reacquired.


    "Ah, Yumi. Don''t rub them so hard."


    "... Sorry."


    Even though I liked rubbing them...


    "You''re really like a cat... Haa..."


    Suddenly, Karen sat upright, moving me along since we were still hugging each other.


    "Yumi, we should maybe slowly get ready. We still need to eat breakfast and get back to the camp."


    "... Do we have to?"


    "Yes, we do. Who was it again that was yesterday loudly proclaiming to stay with the mercenaries and help Korwen and the others?"


    "Uhhh..."


    That had been me. But this was something different. The feeling of our naked skin touching each other was pleasant, pretty much addicting. Safe and warm, a display of love. Who could blame me that I didn''t want to leave?


    "Yumi... Come on."


    "Ah, don''t."


    Karen grabbed my arms and peeled me off, suspending me into the air.


    "Ahh, my beautiful haven. It''s leaving."


    "Yumi... We can hug whenever we want... Don''t make it more dramatic than it is..."


    But we can''t hug naked all the time...


    She put me down on the ground next to the bed and stood up as well.  Patting my head a little, she picked up the clothes that were strewn all over the room.


    "Let''s get dressed and get something to eat, okay?"


    "Nn..."


    With a wry smile, she handed me my clothes.


    Haa... Fun time is over...


    I watched how Karen slowly covered up more and more of her body. Realising that I couldn''t extend it anymore, I got dressed as well.


    Yet, for some reason, Karen suddenly stopped moving. She stared at the wall for a few seconds, as if she was lost in thought.


    "... Yumi?"


    "Nn? Is something wrong, Sis?"


    "Do you have periods?"


    "... Excuse me?"


    I froze. My mind stopped working for a second. The sudden question completely perplexed me.


    "That''s... Uhm... Very out of nowhere..."


    "Ah, well. I noticed earlier that you have a hymen so I thought maybe you have periods, too..."


    So I had a hymen. That was... interesting to know... Not something I had thought about, sure. A hymen.... So, I had one...


    "Ehh... I don''t know if I''d have them? It hasn''t even been a month, so..."


    "Oh, they are every month?"


    She raised her eyebrows in astonishment. Wasn''t this common knowledge? It was as if she didn''t even know about them at all, outside of the general concept. As if...


    "... Sis? Do you not have periods?"


    "I don''t. None of the long-living races have them."


    "... Okay."


    They didn''t have periods. That was a little unexpected. Although, it explained why she didn''t really know about them. If there was no need for it, then, yeah...


    Still, I didn''t know either, if I would have them. I heard some women had troubles with their periods... Made me wish a little that I was like the long-lived races in this regard... Either way, it wasn''t something I knew as of yet. Only thing I could do was wait for it to happen. Or not happen.


    "The hymen is even more uncommon, I think only humans have them."


    "Only humans? Huh..."


    No other race did? How odd. That meant, human women had both, a hymen and periods...


    "Ah. So, since I have a hymen I might have periods too?"


    "Maybe? Since you''re a monster you could say you''re also among the long-lived races but..."


    "We won''t know until it actually happens..."


    I''ve been here in this world for a little over two weeks now. When I thought about it, it actually hadn''t been that long... But if I was going to have periods, I''d probably know within the next two or three weeks... Maybe, say four, just to make sure.


    "That makes me feel a little anxious..."


    Still, I knew it wasn''t going to kill me, should it really come. Alas, that didn''t mean it wasn''t going to be bothersome.


    "You shouldn''t worry too much about it. Most of the women among the mercenaries are humans. If you really have it, you have enough people around you can ask for help. You could probably ask Lily as well."


    "That''s... true..."


    "Honestly, I''m more worried about the hymen..."


    "Nn? Why that?"


    The hymen was mostly a one-time deal, wasn''t it?


    "I mean, what are we going to do about it?"


    "I''m not sure I follow?"


    "Won''t it hurt if you put something in? I only caught a glimpse but I can''t imagine that it won''t hurt... And I was thinking of maybe getting some toys or learning some kind of magic..."


    "... Ehh, Sis. I''ll ignore the last bit for now, but, the hymen disappears after the first time."


    "It does?"


    "Nn."


    Fairly sure it did. Even if not, it shouldn''t be a permanent issue.


    Still, Karen stared at me as if I was an alien.


    "What even is the purpose of a hymen, then?"


    "... Good question."


    But Sis, even if it would stay, I''d still have no idea whether it has any purpose at all...


    "I see. At least, I don''t have to give up on the toys and the spells. That''s great."


    "Sis..."


    I was a little torn between being worried and looking forward to it. It felt like the roles were completely reversed. The thought of something going inside down there was... discomforting? Odd? I couldn''t really put a finger down on it. The only thing I knew was, that it was a rather complicated feeling. After all, it hadn''t been that long yet, since I turned into a girl. In this short time, I had become quite accustomed to it, but feelings like that weren''t going to disappear that quickly. At least, I hoped that I had become accustomed to it.


    And... this isn''t all too bad... this feeling...


    Despite the slight discomfort by the thought of inserting something down there, I also felt happy. That Karen wanted to do something like that. Being treated like a girl... Especially by Karen... Somehow, it made me happy.


    "Yumi? What are you grinning for?"


    "Nn? Nothing."


    "... You grin just like that? Because of nothing?"


    "Nn."


    "You''re weird..."


    Grinning to myself might have been weird, but that was fine. I was happy. This situation, everything.


    Like a dream. Even though there are some issues here and there... I have friends I get along with, a caring and little troublesome family and a wonderful lover.


    I stroked the bracelet that I was wearing. Even throughout all what we did over the night and in the morning, this was the only piece we both kept wearing.


    But, this is reality. It isn''t a dream, it''s reality. And reality can change very quickly. So, I have to protect it. I really do.


    There were things I had to do. To protect this reality.


    "Sis, let''s go."


    "Oh? I was sure you would complain more."


    "... Let''s go."


    Before I change my mind.


    "Ehehe, yes, let''s do that."


    Around half an earth hour later, we found ourselves near the market again, eating breakfast. To our surprise, there were no remnants of the festival to be seen. Someone told us, that most of the stalls were actually the same ones from the festival, and they just changed the items they displayed. Or rather, the stalls from the festival were the same ones from the market. That saved them the trouble of having to move the stalls.


    "Nn, delicious."


    "It is. The innkeeper was really nice for letting us know about this."


    "Nn."


    The inn didn''t serve any breakfast or any food at all. You could borrow the kitchen, but that was about all. Instead, the innkeeper directed us to a certain food stall at the market. It took us a bit to find it but it was very well worth it.


    "To think they offer proper breakfast."


    "Nn, it''s a little surprising."


    With a few small tables close-by, the stall sold bread buns with honey or some kind of sausage. It was pretty delicious. Albeit, the honey bread was a little expensive, it was really good. Sweet and delicious. Definitely worth the money.


    "Still, I wonder if it is really worth it to offer only breakfast at a stall..."


    "Nn."


    "Oh, girly, dontcha worry ''bout that. Got ''nough folks buying to keep the business running. Mostly me fellows from the stalls."


    The stall owner, having apparently listened in on us, joined in on the conversation. He was probably bored since we were the only customers right now.


    "From the stalls? The other stall owners?"


    "That''s right, my good fellows. They get hungry too, ya know. Coming ''ere to eat breakfast. ''Nough money to get me by. Got no other business to do, so ''ere I am. Cooking and making food, it''s quite fun too."


    "I... see..."


    He grinned, his teeth showing. He must truly like this job. I couldn''t imagine it being profitable.


    "It''s a little hard at times, ya know. But all worth it. Seeing cute girlies like you enjoying it, makes it all worth it."


    "Haa..."


    "Excuse me..."


    "Ah, Coming!"


    Thankfully, a customer interrupted him and he had to take care of that. I had a distinct feeling he would''ve kept talking otherwise.


    Good thing we were nearly done with breakfast anyway. Well, or I was. Karen had already finished her bun with the sausages before I even noticed. I had actually planned to trade a bite with her, but the guy made me miss my chance. Get cursed.


    "Done, Yumi?"


    "Nn. It was good."


    And it actually filled my stomach this time. The pastry we ate yesterday was good too, but it just wasn''t that filling. And I already had a small stomach so it was probably worse for the others.


    "Then, should we return to the camp?"


    "Nn, let''s do tha¡ª


    A deep, low rumble, penetrating the body, reverberated over several seconds. So strong, that everyone visiting the markets heard it and stopped, looking towards the direction the sound came from. But nothing could be seen there. Despite sounding as if something massive, like a building, had just collapsed, nothing could be seen. The deep rumbling was the only indication of something happening somewhere.


    "What... was that?"


    "I don''t know, Yumi, but I can''t imagine that was anything good. Wasn''t that the direction of the forest?"


    "Nn, I think so..."


    "I got a bad feeling. Let''s hurry back for now."


    "Nn."


    We grabbed our belongings and went our way with quick steps. Passing by confused people, none understanding what they had just heard.


    "I wonder what the heck that was... It sounded quite far away."


    "I don''t think it was from the Hollow Bridge, that''s just too far away. Or, at least it should be."


    "Nn..."


    If it came from that far away, the only thing I could imagine was the entire plateau collapsing. And that was absolutely not good.


    "Maybe it was the forest..."


    "There''s nothing that could collapse in a forest, Sis."


    "Who knows, maybe there is. Or, maybe something came out."


    "... That sounds quite scary."


    "It does. Let''s just get back. Taking guesses won''t help us."


    "Nn."


    We hastened our steps a little, moving as fast as we could.


    "Ah, there they come. Yumi! Karen!"


    In the distance, Lily was waving both her hands to draw our attention. The entire camp was in a rather hectic state, mercenaries running left and right, carrying crates, weapons and other things. One man was shouting instructions, another was stowing away tables and chairs and yet another was busy with a warox, trying to get it into the harness.


    Considering all the noise, Lily had to shout quite a bit to get our attention. Karen and I waved back to her.


    "Lily. Good morning."


    "Morning, Lily. Did something happen? Everyone seems to be quite in a hurry."


    "Didn''t you hear that rumbling earlier, Yumi? There was this really, really loud rumbling from the direction of the fort, as if someone had toppled a building. It was really loud."


    "We did hear it, but why is everyone in that big of a hurry because of that?"


    We were a little worried, that was why we hurried here. But our worries and what we were seeing here were on completely different levels. How did that lead into this?


    "Papa said to hurry with the preparations. He was quite worried that something bad happened, so we''re going to leave a little earlier than planned."


    "How early?" asked Karen.


    "As soon as possible. He said probably in around an hour. In two at the latest."


    "That''s indeed a lot faster than I expected."


    In an hour... That wasn''t a lot of time left.


    "Are they sure they can finish all the preparations?" I asked.


    "Probably not everything, no. But the original schedule was rather lenient already, so most things should be fine. For now, they are doing the more important things we can''t do on the way. Like weapon and armour maintenance. Ah, that''s right. Yumi, you should go to see Kohno and Wormaz."


    "Nn? Kohno I understand, but why to Wormaz? That''s the smith, right?"


    "Yes. Apparently, Papa got something for you."


    "Huh..."


    What could it be? The armour was mostly done by Kohno, after all. Oh, maybe a crossbow or something? But it was the smith... Actually, who was responsible for the crossbows? The smith as well? Or someone else?


    "He said it was something that would help you out a little. Ah, right, before I forget again, did you meet Lefa on the way here?"


    "Lefa? No..."


    "I see... I''m actually waiting here for her. Or, well, whoever actually comes from the Academy now. Haaa..."


    "They said they wanted to come in the morning, didn''t they?"


    It was still morning, but already a little late.


    "Yes..."


    "Lily, if she isn''t here yet... It might take quite a while now..."


    "Mh? What do you mean, Karen?"


    "Nn, on our way here... There was a commotion at the gates and it took really long until we got through."


    "Some carriages blocked the way. And by the time we were through, it only got worse..."


    It had taken us really quite a long time. Some of the animals, probably also waroxen, got scared by the rumbling and toppled their own carriages in a fit of panic. Such a thing happening right in front of the gate wasn''t exactly great. The guards and the people involved were occupied with fixing the mess.


    "Carriages leaving? But the festival is still on-going?"


    "Huh? It is?"


    The festival was still on-going? It didn''t end yesterday?


    "Yes, it is. It''s actually going over four days. Anyway, that''s not important now. I''ll tell Papa that. That explains why some people are still not back... Haa..."


    Lily scratched the back of her head.


    "Okay. You two should go to Kohno for now."


    "Me too?" asked Karen.


    "He still wanted to make sure everything fits for your armour too. He also had something else for you."


    Lily grinned.


    "After you''re done you should also go along with Yumi to Wormaz. Papa will be there most likely too."


    "I see. Will do."


    "Nn."


    So, off to Kohno''s first. Despite the commotion, I was looking forward to it a little. But just a little. Really. It wasn''t like I was excited about new, cute clothes.


    "Then we will go there. Ah, but before that, Lily. Where is Rina?"


    "Rina..."


    "Lily?"


    Lily expression turned a little conflicted.


    "I''ll tell you later... It''s... nothing really serious, I just am... a little troubled, I guess? Anyway, she''s with the three little ones... They went somewhere together."


    "Did something happen?"


    "Karen... As I said already, I''ll tell you later... I need a little time..."


    "... I see."


    Lily averted her gaze, staring off into the distance. Karen and I exchanged a confused glance.


    "Then... We''ll go..."


    "Yes... Good luck..."


    We left the dispirited Lily alone. She just kept staring into the distance, sighing in between.


    "Something happened..."


    "Nn..."


    But... What had happened? Lily was clearly avoiding to speak about it, right now.


    "That really makes me worry..."


    "Nn..."


    If it was something serious, Lily surely would have told us about it... The fact she didn''t meant that it was something else.


    "I hope it''s nothing bad..." murmured Karen.


    "Lily would''ve told us then."


    "I hope so..."


    And like that, we both fell silent. Karen was clearly worrying and lost in thought. Until we reached Kohno''s workshop a few minutes later, neither of us spoke a word. With that said, Karen hadn''t even noticed that we had arrived, so I took her hand and squeezed it.


    "Yumi?"


    "We''re here already."


    "Here?"


    She looked to the front, at Kohno''s workshop. Her eyes widening at the sudden realisation.


    "Oh... Right... Sorry, Yumi."


    "Nn, it''s fine."


    Everyone had times when they were lost in thought, after all. Karen pat my head a little and then faced forward.


    "Still, seems he''s a little busy right now."


    "Nn... Ah, there he is."


    There were a few people in front of the wagon, waiting. Kohno just came out of the wagon, holding something like a long gauntlet. He gave it to one of the mercenaries and then scolded him about something.


    "Seriously, I''m not going to fix it next time, you hear?"


    "We''re sorry, Mr Kohno!"


    "You say that every time. If you are sorry then stop using them like that."


    "We''re sorry!"


    "Like. I. Said. I don''t care, stop giving me unnecessary extra work. Now, scram, I got other things to do."


    The mercenaries saluted and then went their way.


    "Haa..."


    "Kohno."


    "Mh? Oh, Yumi and... Miss Karen... Good morning."


    "Nn, morning."


    "Good morning."


    Turning around, he greeted us. Although with a little bit of hesitation upon seeing Karen. His expression soured a little, then he coughed and tried to put on a serious expression. He wasn''t doing a good job at it, though.


    Guess Mr Greyward was right that he was interested in her. But too bad, I won''t give Sis to you.


    At least he had found out early. Would''ve been a lot worse if he had chased after her for longer.


    "Coming for the armour, right? It''s all done, so come in, come in."


    "Ah. Nn."


    He didn''t waste time and invited us into the workshop. Was he in a hurry? Actually, well, everyone seemed to be in a hurry, so it wasn''t that surprising...


    Entering the workshop, it felt even more chaotic than the day before. Or rather, it was complete chaos. Patches of leather were all strewn over the floor and the work desk, on one side were various tools and other things, either carelessly pushed or left alone in the middle of work. On the other side were a few stands with thick leather vests draped over them. Among those were also a few with breastplates and...  the black armour dress.


    "I''ll wait outside, but don''t take too much time, okay?"


    And he left. He really was in a hurry, wasn''t he? It was nearly rude...


    "... Let''s try them on, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Rinne


    Also, I completely forgot the existence of Daylight Saving Time. I''ll have to fix the scheduled dates...

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Maiden of War

    "It really fits you," commented a certain young man.


    "It''s cute," commented a certain older sister.


    "..."


    They''ve been staring at me for well over a minute from every angle, commenting about how it was cute, or fitting or anything really. It was embarrassing, having them stare at me so intensely and then being praised. That didn''t mean that I wasn''t happy about it. In fact, it made me quite happy. Happy, but I was also burning up from the embarrassment. And then... there was a certain problem I realised after putting on the armour.


    It''s wide. It fits perfectly. But, it''s too wide down there.


    It was a dress. And the bottom part was modelled like a long skirt. The skirt went down to the ground so that technically wasn''t a problem. Or rather, it shouldn''t have been one.


    Curse you, past me. I know you avoided it all the time, but curse you nonetheless! Why? Why couldn''t you just wear them?


    My underwear. It was about my underwear. The skirt was just wide enough that it barely touched my legs when standing still. And as such, it felt like I wasn''t wearing anything below. The feeling of being completely naked in my bottom half bothered me a lot. It was impossible to calm down like this. And being stared at from close up made it all the worse.


    Past me, why did you not feel bothered about wearing those simple pants without underwear? Couldn''t you have foreseen this? Why were you so foolish?


    Alas, there was no way in hell my past me could give me an answer.


    "Yumi? You''re really red, is everything okay?" asked Karen in a worried tone.


    "... It''s fine. Probably. Nn, it''s fine."


    "That doesn''t look like it''s fine."


    "No, it really is."


    Once I get my panties, that is.


    Wanda gave me two pairs of simple panties back then. One was probably with the one-piece dress. And the other one... probably in our wagon. I should fetch it as soon as I could. Lest I started getting used to this.


    "Well then, it seems everything is fine with Yumi''s and Miss Karen''s armours. Then, if you have no other issues I''ll return to my work. And... I already got half a dozen idiots who can''t maintain their own armours... Please, don''t become like them, okay? I''ll even teach you how to at a later time."


    "N¡ª, Nn..."


    "... We''ll take care."


    "Awesome! Then, if you''ll excuse me."


    He raised his hand and quickly entered his wagon, disappearing from our sight.


    "... He''s busy, I guess."


    "Nn... So, uhm... Next was Wormaz? Where is his wagon..."


    "Ah, Lily told me before, so I''ll lead the way."


    "Oh? Okay."


    That was convenient. With confident steps, Karen led the way.


    Except. There wasn''t much to lead us towards. It only took us around two minutes. Probably even less. I was a little thankful for that, though. This armour dress, it really was quite heavy... And now, we were standing in front of a very... unique wagon. Easily twice the size, mostly in the length department, compared to the regular ones. The entire thing was also fitted out with metal plates. It made me think that maybe the entire wagon was made with metal. It even had a small chimney on one end, puffing out smoke. It was an impressive vehicle.


    And this impressive vehicle had an impressive escort. Well, not really. Around ten mercenaries, all fully armoured were forming two rows right in front of the vehicle. Opposite of them stood Greyward, also dressed armour, although in a lighter kind.


    "Did you get all of that?"


    "Yes, Captain!"


    "Good, then get to it!"


    The mercenaries saluted and marched away. He probably just finished instructing them on their orders, or so.


    "Mr Greyward."


    "Mh? Ohh, Miss Yumi, Miss Karen. You''re already back?"


    "Nn. What was that, just now?"


    "This? Sending the clean-up service."


    "... Clean-up service?"


    He didn''t send them to... get rid of someone. Right? Right... Please...


    "Mh? Oh, right. This is a first for you two, huh. Well, the clean-up service is just a nickname, really. They are just going to get the idiots who are still not back."


    "Haa..."


    That didn''t sound all too bad. Although, there was one thing bothering me.


    Why ten people? And why are they marching? And why that odd nickname?


    "Uhm, why do you call it clean-up service?" asked Karen.


    "Why, huh... Most of the time we have to be... a little forceful, you see. Those idiots tend to get themselves into trouble. Really quickly, sometimes even I''m astonished how they managed to do that overnight. Or even within two hours."


    He sighed and shook his head in exasperation.


    "So, we usually send some people to deal with... whatever comes into the way. And at some point, some people started calling it a clean-up service."


    "Clean-up service, huh..."


    "And I decided to adopt it as the official nickname before the name ''Execution Squad'' spread."


    ""...""


    Whatever they were doing, if it was in danger of being called ''Execution Squad'', I sure as hell didn''t want to get involved. Ever.


    "Korwen''s predecessor failed that and now they are stuck with ''Doom Squad'' at the Dragon Knights."


    ""...""


    That was a bit of trivia I didn''t want to know, to be honest.


    "Well, enough of that. You guys here for Wormaz?"


    "Nn. Lily told us to come here."


    "I see..."


    "Nn?"


    At the mention of Lily''s name, his expression turned serious, lost in thought even.


    "Lily was quite down this morning... Do you know if something happened?"


    "Down? No."


    "Yumi, is it maybe the thing with Rina she wanted to tell us about?"


    "Ah, right... That might be it."


    She did seem troubled about whatever had happened yesterday evening. Greyward raised his eyebrows and then turned to Karen.


    "Rina, that''s your little sister right?" he asked her.


    "Yes. Apparently, something happened yesterday evening, but she didn''t want to tell us yet..."


    "I see..."


    At that moment, the door of the large wagon slammed open and a small, sturdy man appeared from inside. He really was quite small, probably about as tall as I was. Even through the thick leather apron, you could make out the thick muscles adorning his body.


    "Captain! Fucking hell, didn''t I say we need a new god fucking furnace? And I need a godsdamn apprentice! To hell with this shit! Don''t come to me to fucking sharpen your weapon, do it yourself!"


    "Wormaz, language."


    "I don''t care about shitty language! They could''ve just come yesterday when I got barely anything to do! Oh, we''re in a hurry? Better let busy Wormaz take a look and fix those dents! Gaaah!"


    With all his might, he threw the pliers in his hand to the ground, where they got stuck quite splendidly.


    "Wormaz, I get your feelings, really. But there isn''t anything I can do. I told you dozens of times we can''t afford a new furnace. And didn''t that kid yesterday come by for apprenticeship?"


    "That brat? With those thin arms and an attitude like a king? Can go fuck his arse by himself. Maybe if he runs fast enough in circles he can do it. Not like he''d ever find a use for that pecker below otherwise with such an attitude. Pah! Hell, at least that''ll spare him from a girl searching for it."


    "... Wormaz. Calm down."


    "I won''t, not until¡ª Mh?"


    He finally spotted us next to Greyward. The tiny man stared at us for a few seconds, then dashed in our direction with surprising nimbleness. Stopping right in front of Karen, he stared at her, really intensely.


    "Girl, are you a manakin?"


    "Eh, yes..."


    "... Silver Moon?"


    "Yes..."


    "..."


    He continued staring, or rather glaring, at Karen. Then he turned around, back towards Greyward, while pointing at Karen.


    "Captain, I''ll take this girl as an apprentice."


    Silence.


    Complete and utter silence.


    Until half a minute later, Greyward broke it.


    "... Wormaz, could you repeat that?"


    "I said, I''ll take this girl as an apprentice."


    "Could you explain why?"


    "Silver Moon manakin are rare as fuck, Captain. They tend to have some really good arm strength even with those thin arms and they can make the Silver Moon metal! It''ll be a lot cheaper to make it than just purchasing it all the time!"


    "Haa... I get it. But shouldn''t you talk to the person in question first?"


    Wormaz clicked his tongue and turned around.


    "Become my apprentice!"


    "No."


    "Gah?! Why?!"


    "I don''t really have an interest in smithing..."


    "It''s awesome! Seriously!"


    "Still no."


    Crestfallen, he fell down to his knees.


    "Wormaz, stop with your skit. There are other things to do. Like, handing over that banner."


    "... I won''t give up yet!"


    "Wormaz! That''s an order!"


    "Guh!"


    He was halfway back on his feet but those words sent him back to the ground. Then, still on the ground, he literally crawled back into the wagon. The heck was going on with this guy. His crawling speed was scary.


    "Haa... Sorry about him... He''s a good guy, usually, but when he''s excited... I feel like losing my mind."


    "Ahaha..."


    "Anyway... Miss Karen, have you ever thought about what kind of weapon you''d like to use?"


    "What kind of weapon to use? No, not really."


    "Mh... That so."


    Greyward walked to the wagon and knocked on the wall.


    "Wormaz, bring some of the practice weapons along."


    There was no response. A few seconds later, the small man named wormaz reappeared, holding a bunch of weapons under one arm and... something very long in his other.


    "Practice weapons and the banner. Here you go, Captain."


    Wormaz put down the practice weapons on the nearby table. The banner though, he held upright and slammed it into the ground.


    "This fine?"


    "Mh, yes. Miss Yumi, come here?"


    "Nn?"


    He called me over. It couldn''t be... could it?


    "An armour making an impression also needs a weapon making an impression, right?"


    "..."


    What should I say to this? I stared at the banner. It was easily twice my height, probably even more, with a flag showing a black shield on a black background. At the tip was something like a spearhead and a small axe blade on the side. Like a small halberd.


    "That''s... not for me, is it?"


    "It is. For who else should it be?"


    "..."


    Really, what should I say to this? Frankly, I was perplexed. The banner looked pretty nice, yes, but... I expected many things. Carrying a banner wasn''t one of them.


    "Mh, how about you try holding it for now?"


    "Nn..."


    A little reluctant, I grabbed the banner. There was a cloth grip at my height, which was quite comfortable. But then the first problem appeared.


    "... I can''t get it out."


    The banner was stuck in the ground. It probably wasn''t that deep, but... I couldn''t get it out. With a wry smile, Greyward helped me pulling it out. It didn''t even take him any effort... All the while, not saying a word, only that wry smile and a hint of pity in his eyes.


    "Uhh..."


    Now holding the banner in my hands, I attempted to balance it.


    The banner... was heavy. Not remotely as heavy as the armour, but it was still heavy. In a slightly different sense.


    "Ah, try to hold it steady, please. That''s dangerous."


    "That''s... easier said than done..."


    There was no choice but to use the ground as support... It was so top-heavy that I couldn''t really balance it. At this rate, I actually might fall over.


    "Mh, if you hold it like that, it really fits, though."


    "Nn?"


    Greyward took a few steps away and scrutinised me from top to bottom.


    "Wormaz, what do you say?"


    "Mh, I think it should work fine? Those dumbasses will surely get some motivation out of a cute girl like her."


    "Then, that''s good."


    Greyward nodded to himself, seemingly satisfied. I really wanted a mirror.


    "Yumi, it suits you," added Karen.


    "Does it?"


    "It does... It''s cute."


    Not sure how wearing armour and holding up a war banner was cute... But if Karen thought it was cute, that was fine with me. No need to question her taste. Still, the lack of mirrors was really annoying. Actually... thinking about it, maybe there was one somewhere? I had the vague feeling I had seen one before... But where?


    Either way, if they existed, it just meant I had to ask.


    "Nn, Mr Greyward, are there any mirrors around?"


    "Mirrors? Mirror, huh... Wormaz, do you have a mirror?"


    Greyward turned to the dwarf-like man.


    "A mirror, huh... Maybe in storage somewhere, but no idea where."


    Wormaz stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    "Finding it would take forever if it''s in storage. Sorry, Miss Yumi, doesn''t seem like we have one around."


    "Nn, no. It''s fine."


    At least they had one... Somewhere... Might be worth looking for it at some point.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "Wasn''t there a mirror with the bathing tent and those things?"


    "Nn? Oh... I was wondering where I had seen one... So that''s where."


    "Why not go and use that one?"


    Did we have enough time left to look for that one, though? And...


    "They didn''t set up the tents, did they? So, that mirror is probably stowed away too, ri¡ª Is something the matter?"


    For some reason, Greyward held his head and sighed while Karen only smiled wryly. Wormaz had taken the banner away in the meantime and was messing around with the tip, mumbling something along the lines of ''The balance is off.'' If he could fix that, it''d be much appreciated.


    "Yumi... I guess you didn''t notice but they already started yesterday putting up tents and everything..."


    "Eh? Really?"


    Even though it was unclear how long we''d stay? Actually, wasn''t the plan to leave again soon?


    "Let me explain that one, Miss Karen. As you know, the Black Guards don''t belong to the Dragon Knights, originally. We mostly decided to join up and get under Korwen''s wing because of Lily. Well, even if I say that, there are a few other reasons, Lily was mostly just the trigger..."


    "Nn, how does that relate to the tents?"


    "Now, just let me explain, okay?"


    For some reason, he started talking about something completely different. I didn''t mind listening, I was used to it, but I''d prefer if it wasn''t something completely unrelated...


    Greyward motioned us to sit down at the nearby table, so we sat down opposite from him. In the meantime, Wormaz disappeared with the banner into the wagon...


    With that said, sitting down was quite a relief. The weight of the armour was a lot more bearable like this.


    "You see, mercenaries like us or the Dragon Knights, work on pretty large scales. Large Monster subjugations and wars are our main source of income. But since we are mercenaries there is a definite difference between us or a country''s military. Do you know what?"


    "Nn... That you aren''t bound to a country?"


    "Well... Yes, let''s just say that''s a pass. It''s the motivation."


    "Motivation?"


    "Mercenaries work for money. But to make use of money, you have to be alive, so your life is your top priority, no matter what."


    Shouldn''t it be important even if you were in the army, though?


    "Uhm, Mr Greyward, that''s fine and all, but, I have to agree with Yumi, what does that have to do with setting up the tents?" asked Karen.


    "I''ll come to that soon."


    "Haa..."


    "To go back to what I was saying, a mercenary works for money and values his life. Next come the lives of comrades and family."


    He looked over to the armoured wagon Wormaz disappeared into.


    "Basically, a mercenary values his own life and the lives of those around him. Family, friends, brothers-in-arms. Due to these values, mercenaries become a very tight-knit bunch. The Dragon Knights have a strong sense of camaraderie, as do the Black Guards."


    "Haa..."


    "That is usually a good thing, but right now it becomes a problem."


    "A problem?"


    I furrowed my brows. Next to me, Karen was also looking a bit curious.


    "Two tight-knit groups are currently staying together. Both don''t really trust each other. The only reason it currently works out is, that another important thing for both of mercenary bands, is authority. But, there is a group that doesn''t adhere as strongly to authority."


    "The families?"


    Greyward nodded.


    "I told you about Korwen''s plans, right? He''s a sly one and he knew already in advance they''d try to cause some incident. And, just as he expected, yesterday evening and this morning, we had some... trouble."


    "With the families?"


    "Yes. Or rather, a part of the families. To be honest, we keep saying that the families are trouble, but that group is also far beyond a few dozens in size. But the actually problematic people, are far fewer."


    "Nn, Helma was pretty nice, overall. And I didn''t get that bad of an impression from some. Only..."


    The children who bullied Maya, Emily and Sele, from what I heard their parents and women like the one who tried picking a fight with the soldiers.


    "A few are problematic. At most, the really problematic ones are maybe around two dozen, maybe three dozen. It''s still a pretty large group, and if you count everyone involved with them that''s still quite a lot. It''s just that when compared to the total, they aren''t as many."


    "I understand that so far, but, Mr Greyward, that still has nothing to do with the tents, does it?" interjected Karen once more.


    "It does. Who do you think gave them permission to set them up?"


    "That is..."


    Permission to set up... If he asked like this, probably nobody did. And if nobody gave them permission.


    "Yesterday, around noon, some people started setting up tents. Currently, I''m in charge of the Black Guards, and there is someone from the Dragon Knights who is in charge of them. If push comes to stove, I''m the one who was given the higher authority, although only the person from the Dragon Knights and I know, as well as a few select others."


    "Nn? Is it okay to tell us this?"


    "Korwen told me it is fine, should you girls decide to stay. He gave permission to involve you in anything important, in fact. I like you girls, but I am still not sure why he values you so much. Regardless, since it''s not for me to decide, I''ll tell you whatever is important."


    Neither did we know, to be honest... It was a little bit of a mystery...


    And that bit reminded me, it was quite astonished how willingly he relinquished his authority to Korwen. Wouldn''t someone usually try to cling to it? But he handled it so maturely... He earned a little bit of my respect.


    "Anyway, back to the point, the tents. Nobody gave them permission to set them up, some people just did. Even though there were a lot more pressing matters for them to do yesterday. The soldiers we brought along from the fort had to be cared for until the army brings them in. The refugee children need a place to stay. There are also the girls from Arkesta''s slums, the ones they rescued."


    Greywards face contorted into a furious grimace.


    "They had clear orders to care for them, to find a place for the refugee children or at least take care of them, and other things too. But instead? Some of those fucking women thought it was more important to set up their tent so their kids had a place to sleep! Entitled bitches, all of them. Those brats won''t die from sleeping on the wagon floor with a blanket! No, let the ill children and the wrecked soldiers sit in the cold while their little prince or princess has it comfortable. No, let it get even better and spit and curse them in the process!"


    He spat on the ground as if to demonstrate it. With a rage-filled grimace and a clenched fist, he slammed onto the table. It was scary. He was incredibly angry.


    Alas, after a few seconds, his eyes went wide, and his expression softened. Holding his temples he stared at the table and sighed.


    "I apologise, I lost control for a little..."


    He shook his head, and with newfound composure, faced us again.


    "I understand that one''s own family has priority. But the lack of compassion, no, the lack of any kind of empathy, was just... inhumane. We mercenaries cannot survive on our own, especially if we have to feed a family. Camaraderie is strong, and we all know the feeling of losing our comrades, to war, to monsters, to their own spirit."


    He sighed, sounding depressed.


    "Over the years, you see incredible things. Mothers taking care of someone else''s children, fathers protecting a stranger''s family, children accepting others as their new siblings. Travellers risking their lives for the happiness of a stranger. Soldiers protecting young women from being raped by their comrades."


    Pulling out a cigar from his bag and lighting it up, he started smoking. With a puff, the smoke floated into the air.


    "But, just as you see the best in people, you also see the worst, of course. That''s why, those incidents, they make you respect people like them. Haaa... If only all people were like them, the world would be a much better place. Ha! Although we mercenaries might be out of a job, then."


    He took a deep drag from his cigar.


    "Haa... Sorry for ranting on my own. Needed that out of my system. I strayed again from what I wanted to tell you."


    "No, it''s fine. Please don''t mind it."


    "Nn, it''s okay."


    Despite being a leader of a band of mercenaries, Greyward, he was quite the idealist, wasn''t he?


    "Let''s try again, shall we. Let''s see, I stopped at them setting up the tents suddenly and ignoring their actual jobs, right? Since luckily enough people helped out we decided to overlook it. Then, in the evening, a young woman came over, telling me that that stupid group of women was arguing with the one in charge of them, the man from the Dragon Knights..."


    "... Arguing?"


    Had there been some important problem, or so?


    "I still don''t know what it was about. Something about the Lafrian soldiers, not sure if she meant the patrol that escorted us back here or the ones we brought back. It took a little time to get them under control..."


    "Haaa..."


    "They can complain all they want, but she demanded some kind of apology or so from the soldiers. Honestly, I don''t want to piss of the army. And she couldn''t even tell us why..."


    "An apology..."


    If she couldn''t even give a proper reason, that sounded... doubtful? Not like an apology was the most appropriate, at least.


    "Then, this morning, the same woman came to me and told us that they picked a fight with the soldiers on their own."


    "... Really?"


    "Really... Ahhh... I can understand Korwen wanting to get rid of these... nuisances... I''m impressed his hair didn''t turn grey yet. And that he still has it. Dealing with those people for years would kill me."


    "Oh? Captain, talking about those human monsters?"


    A voice chimed in from the side. Wormaz, holding the banner in his hand, came out of the wagon.


    "Did you also meet them?" I asked him.


    "Some shitty brat with his mother came over yesterday, asking for an apprenticeship. Both of them had attitudes that stank to hell. They were going, telling me that I should feel honoured as a half to be able to take a human as an apprentice. Kicked them right out, after that."


    "... Half?"


    Demanding apprenticeship, that''d make me mad too. But... What did they mean with half?


    "Girl... Don''t tell me you don''t know what they mean with that?"


    "Nn. I don''t."


    "Impressive. And here I thought everyone did, since that''s the first thing people call me out on. You must''ve been brought up really sheltered. Or are you just that innocent?"


    "So, what does it mean?"


    I decided not to comment on that and instead focus on my actual question. Guessing from the context, it was probably about him not being human. But half? Was he half-dwarf/half-human or so?


    Greyward, with a wry smile, turned to me and explained.


    "Half refers to the mixed-bloods. It''s not exactly something you usually say if you want to be polite, you say mixed-blood instead. Basically, everyone with parents from differing races," explained Greyward


    "Yeah. Father was a human, mother a dark elf. Loved them both to death, but mother returned to the fairy forest after father''s death. And little old me stayed here with the mercenaries."


    "Ohh... Nn? Dark Elf?"


    I took another good look at the man in front of me. Short, sturdy, plastered with muscles. The literal incarnation of a dwarf. Only missing the beard.


    "You don''t know that either? Girl, the heck you''ve been doing, just crawled out of a cave, or what?"


    "Well... Something like that?"


    More like crawled in from another world.


    "Yumi, dark elves are fairykin, similar to the high elves. They are probably the most sociable among the fairykin, so you see them pretty often. Compared to other fairykin, that is. There was one in the slums in Arkesta, she sometimes helped me out a little," said Karen.


    "Ohhh... Do they look vastly different from humanoids?"


    "No, not really. Mostly like humans, except for their long ears. Although... they look... quite similar to Emily. Height-wise."


    "..."


    Emily''s height. So, basically my height? The entire race was like that?


    I took another glance at Wormaz.


    "Girl, I know what you want to say, but my father had pretty normal tastes, okay?"


    "Nn... Surely..."


    "That face says you don''t believe me, heh. Well, you''re not quite wrong anyway, many like them for such a reason."


    Well, considering they just looked, well, small, but were actually proper adults, it was fine. Better than those people actually going for the ones that weren''t adults. Thinking about it, there was no point in judging them for it anyway, since we were talking about adults. Adults...


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? Sis?"


    "If you have a problem with such things... I see... I guess I have to wait until you grow up."


    "... Sis. I have no problems with such things. Zero. Absolutely zero. None at all. Not even the tiniest bit."


    There was no chance in hell I was going to wait until then. Especially since I was very doubtful that I was ever going to grow. Did she want me to torture me for the rest of my life?


    "Then, that''s good."


    A gentle smile bloomed on Karen''s face.


    Scary. I nearly screwed myself over. I completely forgot, but I was pretty much the same as those dark elves...


    I should quickly change the topic.


    "Nn, then, what is the difference between the high elves and the dark elves?"


    "High elves are said to grow like a normal human. They are also said to be beautiful without exception and they are all masters of magic," said Wormaz.


    "Huh..."


    So Emily would grow up properly. Good for you, Emily.


    Still, elves belong to the fairykin, not the humanoids... It''s a little odd, considering they don''t look any different. I wonder how such things get decided... Fairykin, huh... Nn? Wait...


    "Fairykin and humanoids can have children?"


    "They can. Of course, they can, why?"


    "..."


    Weren''t those completely different races? Actually, that the different humanoids could have children with each other was kind of impressive already. They could... Right?


    No, they surely could, Lily joked about it before, after all.


    "Instead of caring about these human monsters, girly, come here and try holding the banner again. I tried fixing the balance a little."


    "... Nn."


    I''ll ask Sis later. Actually, that made me a little anxious now... Uhhh...


    Leaving the table and walking over to Wormaz, I took the banner once more. And just like before... It was heavy. But, it felt a little easier to hold up now. I might actually be able to carry it.


    "Mh, as expected, adjusting the weights was a good idea. It''s better now, right?"


    "Nn, a little..."


    It was still heavy, though. Holding up a banner, huh... I felt a little like those flagbearers. Well, it was pretty close to that...


    "We''re not expecting you to carry that around all the time anyway, so that should fine for now."


    "Not?"


    "No. As long as you carry it to your spot you can just let it stand on the ground. You can even slam it into the ground, if you could get it back out again too."


    "..."


    That was... probably not going to happen. Not to mention that I''d be unable to get it out, I was probably unable to get it in in the first place.


    "Mr Greyward, are you sure this is a good idea? Letting Yumi do such a dangerous thing..."


    "It''s dangerous, yeah, but not as dangerous as standing on the frontline. Also, it''s quite an important job, you know. Men are simple creatures, just having a flower on the battlefield is enough to motivate them. And an unattainable flower is even better. Honestly, that was probably one of Korwen''s best ideas, so far."


    "Nn? This was Korwen''s idea?"


    "The basic idea was from him, yes. He asked if something like that was doable. I heard you motivated some of the mercenaries back in Arkesta, quite successfully. Apparently, that gave him the idea."


    "..."


    The time I accidentally used a charm... To think it would haunt me and bite me in the back when I least expected it.


    "Outside of that, it was mostly Kohno and me who figured out the rest. Ah, and Wormaz, of course."


    "I see..."


    "Anyway, your job is mainly to stand in the back, use some magic and maybe shout a few encouraging words."


    "Huh... But magic, ehh..."


    I still hadn''t really learnt anything useful outside of the dolls... Really, I had to ask Wendl for advice again.


    "I heard you went to Wendl, is there any problem?"


    "Nn, well... I feel like I learnt quite a bit but... I can''t really apply any of it... I wanted to go and ask Wendl for advice later..."


    "Magic, huh... Unfortunately, none of us can help you with that... Wormaz can see mana but can''t cast anything."


    "That''s the fate of a mixed-blood fairykin for you, Captain. Can''t be arsed to learn magic anyway, way too much thinking necessary for that. As long as I can slam my hammer down the anvil, that''s fine."


    Wormaz laughed heartily.


    "What does being a mixed fairykin have to do with magic?" asked Karen.


    "Fairykin are natural magicians, but the mixed-bloods rarely inherit that trait."


    "I see..."


    So, in the end, we still could only go to Wendl and ask him about it... Hopefully, he had some inkling of an idea...


    At that moment, a mercenary ran over to us.


    "Captain! An army officer just came and wants to see you!"


    "Mh? Is it that late already? I''m coming. Did anything else happen?"


    "A woman with a young girl came over, but Little Lily is dealing with them right now! Nothing else to report!"


    A young girl? That might be Lefa. But, she didn''t come with the wreck of a professor, huh. Probably better so.


    "Good. I''m coming. Wormaz, find a weapon for Miss Karen that she can use. Find something that fits her. Miss Yumi, try to find Wendl and get some advice. It''s also fine if you all stay with him until we reach the fort in the evening. It''s worth a shot. That''s it, and prepare to leave, we''ll set off in half an hour if possible."


    "Will do, Captain. Then, Missy, better get it out of the way quickly. Hahaha!"


    "Understood."


    "Nn, understood."


    Greyward hoisted his bag over the shoulder and the mercenary led him away towards the gate. In the meantime, Wormaz had already disappeared into the wagon. The practice weapons were on the table, so why did he go inside?


    "Yumi, I''ll come to Mr Wendl''s wagon once I''m done."


    "Nn, good luck."


    "Thanks, you too."


    Karen followed Wormaz into the wagon and disappeared as well.


    Time to get back to studying, huh.


    After fetching the books I had wanted to read from our wagon, I walked over to Wendl''s wagon. I had left the banner at Wormaz'' place for now, as it''d be a pain to carry around. His wagon had a small storage for such things anyway.


    At said wagon, I actually found a few people I didn''t expect here of all places.


    "No, brat, you do it like that! Yes, that! Good, now you hold that side up."


    "Oh! Ohhh! Maya! It''s glowing! Look! It''s glowing!"


    "Ha! Getting excited over some light, just as expected from brats!"


    Wendl was surrounded by three very familiar faces.


    "Ohhh, they are all glowing. A genius brat, huh. Still a brat."


    "I''m a genius?"


    "No, you''re not. You can only call yourself a genius once you''ve accomplished something, clear?"


    "I see! Then! I''ll do my best!"


    "Try your hardest! Ha!"


    Emily, Maya and Sele were standing outside the wagon, each holding one of those mana measurement sticks. Emily seemed really excited, since she literally maxed out the scale. A genius. Definitely a genius. I was a little jealous now. Sele was also pretty well off with three spheres glowing. Only Maya barely managed one, which seemed to really bother her. Waving the stick up and down in front of her with a cramped up expression, she was really trying to get another one glowing. I wanted to cheer for her. But I also knew that it was probably futile...


    "Hohoho, still, to think that all three of you have some talent, huh. Count me surprised. I suddenly get a lot of new apprentices, huh. And why are all of you girls anyway?! You''re still brats, but you''re going to grow into a pain, aren''t you?"


    Ahh... He really had to ruin it, didn''t he...


    "Wendl, if you have time to shout such remarks, how about you actually try to keep some semblance of order here?"


    A fifth person poked their head out of the wagon.


    "It''s ''Mr Wendl'' for you! Show some respect, woman!"


    "I have no respect for someone like you, so I''ll keep calling you Wendl. Actually, that''s not even your first name, right? Tell me so I can use that one instead."


    "As if I''m going to tell you with such an attitude."


    "Reflect on your own attitude first before calling others out on it, please."


    Apparently, this woman had gotten quite comfortable with this man already. She was also the first one to spot me.


    "Good morning, Yumi."


    "Nn, morning, Helma."


    "Eh? Yumi? Yumi! Yumi, look! They are glowing!"


    "Good morning, Emily. Yes, I see, they are glowing. But stop waving it around like that, that looks dangerous."


    "Ehehe!"


    Emily turned around with astonishing speed when Helma called me. Even quicker than Sele. I greeted the two as well before sitting down at the table. Considering Greyward wanted to leave in an earth hour, they felt a little too laid back... Were they going to be fine? The table and chairs were still out...


    "Hey, brat. You''re not going to greet me?"


    "Nn? Oh, right. Good morning, Mr Wendl."


    "I''m just an afterthought, heh. As expected, women are always the same."


    I felt a little complicated being thrown into his pot of stereotypes. And yet, it made me oddly happy. And a little irritated. Really, it was a complicated feeling.


    In the meantime, Helma just stared at me, with wide eyes.


    "Helma, is something wrong?"


    "Mh? Oh. Oh, nothing. I was just surprised at that outfit."


    "This? Ahh..."


    My search for a mirror was still fruitless. Actually, I wasted so much time talking with Greyward and Wormaz that I couldn''t go to the bathing tent anymore... I really wanted to see how it looked... And just as I feared... The moment Helma pointed it out, a few pairs of eyes turned their attention to me. And a pair of hands.


    "Emily..."


    "Yumi! That dress looks cute!"


    "Does it?"


    "It does! Yumi is cute!"


    "I... I see."


    The blunt praise made me a little happy.


    "You really look like one of those maidens..." muttered Helma.


    "Nn? Maidens?"


    "The War Maidens. You don''t know them?"


    "No."


    Emily patted me all over, being interested in the dress and the underlying armour. Sele and Maya soon joined her. Which made me realise something very important.


    I forgot the panties! Ahhhh! Damn you, past me! Don''t forget the panties! I got comfortable, after all! Ahhhhh!


    Hopefully, nobody would notice. That I was basically naked below that skirt. It was breezy, so how did I even forget to fetch them? I had been at the wagon just now, after all.


    "The War Maidens are the companions of the Grand Witch in the Witch''s Tale," Helma told me, my inner panic going unnoticed.


    "Nn? Sorry, could you repeat that?"


    After being forcefully returned to reality, I was sure I heard something not so enjoyable.


    "I said, the War Maidens are said to be the companions of the Grand Witch."


    "... And I look like one of those?"


    "Well, not... quite? I mean, I don''t know how they would look. There''s only a vague description, really. Girls inspiring the masses with their charm, heading to war in armour and fighting for their purpose."


    "Huh..."


    That... wasn''t quite how I imagine a companion of that finicky witch, though...


    "Still, if I had to imagine them, then I''m sure they''d look like you. Although, maybe a little taller..."


    "I see."


    "Yumi! Are you like a, uhm, War Maiden?"


    "Nn, I don''t know?"


    Emily had stopped patting me all over and stared at me with wide eyes.


    Suddenly, a big smile appeared and she jumped into my arms.


    "So cool! Yumi is a War Maiden! A War Maiden!"


    "Ah, Emily, calm down."


    "Ehehe!"


    I returned the embrace, or rather, I was trying to keep her in place, before I was thrown around in every direction. She seemed to really enjoy the thought of me being a War Maiden. Not that I understood why. Maya and Sele also stared at me with wide eyes, that might as well be sparkling. Or not. Sele''s expression felt a little dangerous. In an attempt to protect my sanity, I decided to ignore it.


    Please don''t be jealous of Emily, Sele. I''ll give you a hug later, okay?


    She couldn''t hear that, of course, but I''d still do it. I didn''t want the three to get into an argument in the future over something like this...


    Still, a War Maiden, huh... Sounds dangerous... But a little interesting. But with them being this excited about it... Guess I''ll have to try and live up to it, huh...


    I''d have to do my best, so that these three pure hearts wouldn''t be disappointed. I had no idea if I could match up to something from a fairy tale, but trying wasn''t going to hurt me, after all. Probably. Hopefully...


    Patting Emily''s unruly hair, I smiled, looking just a little forward to it.


    Rinne


    Instead, I have some other things to talk about. Some of you might already have seen this particular announcement on Patreon. It also has some relevance for non-patrons, so you might want to take a look.


    Long story short, yesterday was my birthday and I had a little something for you all.


    In case the link doesn''t work, it should be pretty close to the top of my Patreon posts. Most likely the second one.


    With the new month, I''d be glad if you could take a look at my patreon anyway. At the time of writing this, this month hasn''t quite yet reached the goal for the extra chapter either.


    Now, with that out of the way, thank you for reading and I wish you all a nice week. Also hope you had a nice Halloween!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Hidden Emotions

    "Move that over there. No, not there, brat."


    "Uncle Wendl, what do we do with the table?"


    "I''m not an uncle, brat. Below the wagon is a compartment for it."


    "Ohhh..."


    Emily and Maya carried the folded table and shoved it into the compartment. A moment later the table was gone from sight.


    "Wendl. The warox doesn''t want to get into the harness."


    "There are some vegetables below the driver''s seat, girl. The damn glutton isn''t resisting while it eats."


    "Here? Oh, there really are some."


    Helma took a cucumber-shaped orange vegetable from the box and waved it in front of the warox. Its eyes followed the vegetable and after a few seconds, it literally snatched it from her hand. With quick steps, Helma moved to the harness and fastened it on the warox while it was busy eating. Her motions were smooth, like someone who was used to doing this.


    "Good, good. That should be all."


    "Did we do good, Uncle Wendl?"


    "I told you, I''m no uncle, brat. But I guess you passed. Barely."


    "Yay!"


    Emily threw her arms up in the air, jumping on the spot. Despite the questionable praise, she was beaming.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? Is something the matter, Sele?"


    "... No."


    There hadn''t been much to do so Sele and I were sitting on the ground, watching Emily and Maya bringing away the chairs or folding the table and stowing it away. Why was the table foldable anyway. And how did it fold... It bothered me a little. Although I had to admit, it was quite clever.


    "Now all we have to do is wait for the Captain to give the signal and we can leave."


    Wendl checked once more if everything was stowed away and if the warox was properly in the harness. Once done, he walked over to me and Sele.


    "Brat, already done with those books?"


    "Nn? No. I brought them to read."


    "Ha? We''ll be leaving soon, there''s no time for you to read here."


    He wasn''t wrong... But I had a plan.


    "Nn. There are a few things I still want to know, so I wanted to ask if I could stay here for the trip to the fort."


    "You want to get on my nerves even more, brat?"


    "Nn."


    "Not even denying it, huh. Well, do whatever you want."


    "Nn, will do."


    Got his permission. Perfect.


    "So, what do you even want to ask about? Magic again?"


    "Nn. I can''t really figure out how to use those spells..."


    "You can''t figure it out?"


    Surprised, he raised his eyebrows.


    "What do you mean, can''t figure it out? Aren''t you using various kinds of magic already?"


    "Nn, but... Like... I do them on instinct, I don''t really think about casting them..."


    "Don''t think... And you can''t do that for the other magic?"


    "Nn..."


    Wendl stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    "Is that so... To be honest, I have no idea how I could help you."


    "I... see..."


    That was... unfortunate...


    "The way you cast magic is just too different from humanoids. There isn''t really anything I could help you with."


    "Haa... Did nobody ever try to find it out?"


    "Sure, there are probably enough who tried. But nobody ever figured it out. You see, you can''t communicate with monsters."


    "..."


    Well, yes, monsters weren''t able to communicate, generally... Except me.


    "At least among the humanoids, that is."


    "Nn?"


    "There are also intelligent magic beasts, creatures like dragons can cast magic too and they might know something. But, well... I wouldn''t try to find a dragon. With that said, there''s no guarantee they can help either. Other intelligent magic beasts might work. Maybe even fairykin. Finding a dark elf might be your best bet, in fact."


    "A dark elf, huh..."


    Wormaz couldn''t cast magic, so he wasn''t an option. He did say that mixed-bloods with a fairykin parent couldn''t use magic like them.


    "The Academy has probably some books and the research materials for such studies. But there''s no time for that, right now, brat."


    So, in other words... There was nothing I could do except trying to figure it myself. How unlucky...


    "Fairykin... magic?"


    Next to me, Sele perked up and stared at Wendl.


    "What, you want to know about fairykin magic?"


    Sele nodded.


    "That... might be a little hard."


    "Hard?"


    I tilted my head. It wasn''t like they were that rare, from the looks of it, so how was it hard?


    "Mh... How to say it... Fairies are very troublesome creatures, most of them. They aren''t really magic beasts or monsters, but they aren''t humanoids either. Some say they are materialised spirits or the will of nature."


    "Spirits?"


    "Yes. Do you know about spirit magic?"


    "Only a little..."


    If I remember it right, it was a type of magic where the caster asked spirits for help. So, probably they weren''t actually casting the spells themselves.


    "Spirits are quite interesting, but that''s a very long topic. More importantly, the fairykin. Fairykin differ largely on their type. Most of them live in forests but a few don''t. Gnomes are known for living in rocky areas. But there''s one thing most of them have in common. Can you guess what, brat?"


    "In common? Uhh..."


    I barely knew anything about them, so...


    "Terri... tory..." answered Sele.


    "Ohh, you''re a smart one, aren''t you? The grey brat is right, fairykin are very territorial. Even dark elves, who are said to be the most sociable fairykin. That''s also why the Fairy''s Light is such an annoying sign. Because, it means, there are intruders."


    Wendl stared past the wagons, towards the forest we went through. It wasn''t as apparent, but there was still a glow to be seen, even with the sunlight drowning out most of the glow.


    "The way the fairies deal with it can differ largely. Some are very quick to make use of it, while others barely ever do. The actions of the fairies during the Fairy''s Light also differ. Mischievous ones play pranks, the cautious ones observe and make you leave by way of illusions. But there are also very dangerous ones, that actively attack any intruders. And due to that, dealing with fairykin is quite hard. They aren''t really rare, but we still know next to nothing. Except that they don''t like to be bothered."


    He returned his gaze back to the camp, scanning the surroundings.


    "Be that as it may, that''s all I can help you with. For now, I''ll go and look for my stupid apprentice. Don''t break anything, are we clear on that, brat?"


    "... Nn."


    And with those words, he left.


    But finding a dark elf... that might be a little hard...


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? What is it, Sele?"


    "Emily..."


    "What about her?"


    Sele paused, maybe not sure what to say. After a few seconds, that honestly felt like an eternity, she spoke up.


    "Emily... can cast... magic..."


    "... Pardon?"


    I froze. Did I hear her right, just now? Emily could cast magic? But Emily was... an elf. Probably a high elf. Therefore, she was a fairykin. And a perfectly valid option if I needed some help.


    "... I completely forgot that."


    She was so far removed from my image of elves that I had forgotten. Well, her ears were there. And I still wanted to nibble on them, but Emily wouldn''t let me. No, that wasn''t important. There had been a fairykin right next to me, the entire time.


    "I could ask Emily, huh. Thank you, Sele."


    "Mm..."


    I pat her head and rubbed it strongly. The way she was squinting her eyes and pressing her head against my hand was so adorable...


    While I continued to pat Sele, I took a look at my surroundings. It took me barely a few seconds to find Emily and Maya next to the warox.


    "Emily."


    "Mh? Yumi? Yumi! Did you call?"


    "Nn."


    Emily turned around and dashed over to us with Maya right behind her. Thankfully, she didn''t attempt to jump at me. That wouldn''t have ended well while I was sitting and patting Sele.


    "Nn, Emily, can you use magic?"


    "Magic? A little."


    "Ah, Yumi!"


    For some reason, Maya''s face turned pale, and then into an expression of utter panic. She shook her head vigorously, standing right behind Emily.


    Nn? Maya doesn''t want me to talk about that? But...


    "Yumi? Yumi, do you want to see my magic?"


    "Nn? Ahh... Uhhh..."


    I glanced between Emily and Maya, the latter now waving her hands as well. Her entire being was rejecting this idea. I glanced to Sele next to me, but even her expression turned grave.


    You''re the one who suggested this, Sele!


    "Ahhh... Maybe some other time... I actually just wanted to ask you something about magic."


    "Oh... Okay! But... I don''t really know anything about magic."


    "Eh? Haa... Then, how do you cast magic?"


    "I just do."


    "You... just do?"


    Emily nodded, smiling. Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea what she meant with that.


    "Ehh... Could you explain a little more?"


    "But, I don''t know?"


    Apparently, even asking the closest fairykin to me ended up in no result. How unfortunate.


    "Emily... The feeling..." mumbled Sele.


    "The feeling? I don''t know? Like, I just do!"


    Maybe I should ask her after all to demonstrate it. But Maya''s vehement refusal worried me... What to do...


    Meanwhile, Emily stared at us. She probably had picked up on it, that it wasn''t the answer I had been looking for.


    "It''s like, I just do it? I don''t know... If I want the tree to move, it moves. If I want it to give me fruit, I get fruit!"


    "Nn? Seriously?"


    The tree just moved? Or gave her fruit? Rather than casting magic, that sounded more like the forest accommodating her.


    Frankly, that wasn''t helping at all...


    "Uhh... Sorry, Yumi. It''s not helpful?"


    "Nn? Ah, don''t apologise. Maybe it''ll help me out. Thank you, Emily."


    I quickly stood up and tried to placate Emily who was feeling down from being unable to help, staring to the ground.


    Ruffling her hair, I tried lifting her mood.


    "Uhhh... Yumi! Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    Suddenly, her energy returned and she closed in on me, her face stopping right in front of me.


    "I''ll show you magic! It''ll help! Come!"


    "Ah! Don''t Emily! Uncle told you not to do it! He forbid you from doing it!"


    From behind Emily, Maya jumped at us, hugging Emily from behind. The force made Emily crash into me, and, subsequently, made us three fall down to the ground.


    "Woah!"


    "Wah!"


    Landing on my back, I was nearly flattened by the two of them falling onto me, the air being pushed out of my lungs.


    "Ahh! Yumi? Emily? Are you okay?"


    "Uhhh..."


    "Haaaa... Haaa... Haaa... Nn... It''s... fine..."


    Thankfully, it didn''t hurt as much as I had feared, it just left me short of breath. That said, it still hurt. Maya moved away in a hurry so I could finally properly catch my breath. It took me a few deep breaths to make sure everything was fine.


    Then, I turned my attention to the person who wasn''t moving.


    "Nn... Emily? Could you move as we¡ª Wait? Emily?"


    Suddenly, Emily sat up, mounting me. She touched and patted my stomach as if she was looking for something. It gradually grew more intense.


    "Emily? Could you... The heck are you doing?"


    "Yumi... Hooo... Yumi. You''re squishy."


    "... Ha?"


    "Squishy! Super squishy!"


    She pressed down on my stomach with all she could. Which, wasn''t really a lot. At least, it wasn''t making me feel uncomfortable. It seemed she got quite the kick out of it though, laughing loudly.


    Maybe intrigued by Emily''s actions, Maya and Sele appeared from the sides and joined her in pressing on my stomach.


    "Squishy Yumi."


    "Squishy!"


    "..."


    "You three... I''m not a toy..."


    "Ehehe!"


    Emily grinned brightly. Then she suddenly spread her arms, caught Sele and Maya and threw herself once more onto me.


    "Woah?!"


    "Wahh! Ahaha!"


    "Emily?!"


    "..."


    It wasn''t as bad as the first time, but now I was quite literally buried below those three. At least there was a lot less force this time.


    Emily giggled and laughed happily.


    "Emily?"


    "Ehehe! Squishy!"


    "Emily, don''t surprise me like that."


    Maya complained to her. Yet, she didn''t even try to move away. So much to that. She and Sele were still caught in Emily''s arms anyway. And Sele... was stealthily trying to snuggle closer to me, grinning to herself.


    "Ehehe! I love you all!" Emily declared, beaming like the sun.


    Haa... Oh well. This is fine too.


    At least, she was happy. I couldn''t really move and the ground wasn''t exactly comfortable, but... I couldn''t help but forgive her when she was smiling that much...


    "A pile of little girls."


    "Definitely a pile of little girls."


    "Sis. Lily. If you have time to comment, could you help me?"


    "Should we, Karen?"


    "Mh... No."


    They abandoned me. Cast aside. I wanted to cry.


    Around ten minutes later, Lily, Karen and Rina came over. The three little ones still hadn''t budged. In fact, they had made themselves comfortable with my hair. Wrapped up as we were, it surely looked utterly ridiculous. Well, to be fair, if I really wanted to, I could probably get out. But that hurdle was simply too high for me. And, I might be complaining, but I did feel a little reluctant leaving. I would''ve preferred a more comfortable place, though, and not the hard ground.


    "Oh well... Emily, Maya, Sele. If you don''t let Yumi go soon, we can''t leave. You can continue later."


    "We can''t leave? That''d be bad!"


    "Mhh..."


    "..."


    Emily disappeared from above me with incredible nimbleness. She was the only one, though. Maya was dozing off and Sele was simply hugging my arm. It was an improvement. Better than nothing. But it was a little colder now.


    "Maya, Sele, come on. Let her go."


    Karen walked around me to Sele and picked her up. Much to my surprise, Sele didn''t move at all and just let herself get picked up, now hanging limply in the air. Now, mostly free, I managed to escape Maya''s grasp.


    "Freedom. Freedom has been achieved."


    "What were you girls even doing anyway..." asked Lily.


    "We squished Yumi! Yumi is really, really squishy! Like jelly!"


    "I don''t think I''m that squishy, Emily. I still have bones and everything..."


    "Mhh..."


    There was a limit to squishiness. A person had more than enough hard parts inside. Mostly the skeleton.


    "Are you sure about that, Yumi? Sometimes. I get the feeling you don''t even have bones..."


    "Sis, that''d be quite scary."


    If I didn''t have bones, I wouldn''t even be able to stand anyway, so I obviously had them.


    "Enough of how squishy I am... I still have bones. More importantly, let''s wake up Maya.


    I squatted down and shook Maya.


    "Maya. Maayaaa. Wake up."


    She hadn''t even noticed that I had escaped. Somehow, she had managed to lodge her own arm below her head to use it as a pillow. Lying like that on the ground, she was dozing away. Quite resilient, this girl. Being able to sleep peacefully on such rough ground was... Actually, I wasn''t sure if I should be envious about it... It was pretty hard ground after all. Even if I could theoretically sleep on it, I wouldn''t want to.


    "Mmh... Mh..."


    "Maya. Come, wake up."


    "Mm... Only a bit more..."


    "You can sleep later. Now, come."


    "Mmmm..."


    Her eyes slightly opened. After blinking a few times she sluggishly managed to force herself up. After rubbing her eyes, she stood up. Although, she was so wobbly on her feet I feared she might fall over... Still, she was up and that was enough for Lily at least.


    "You all awake now? Then, let''s get back to the wagon. Papa said we''ll be leaving any minute."


    "Mm..."


    "Yes! Coming!"


    "Ah, Lily, Sis. I''ll stay here. I want to look through Wendl''s books and stuff. Maybe something can help. I got Mr Wendl''s and Mr Greyward''s permission for it too."


    "Oh, you''ll stay here? How unfortunate."


    Lily voiced her displeasure.


    "Well, it might come in handy if I can find something."


    "Mh, true. Should I stay too? I do know a little about magic, after all."


    "That''s... I won''t say no but..."


    I took a quick glance at the three little ones. They had surrounded Rina and were talking about something full of excitement.


    "Yumi, I''ll take care of them."


    "Nn, are you sure, Sis?"


    "Yes. I can''t help much with magic anyway, after all."


    "Ah, actually, Karen. Why don''t we let Rina take care of them?"


    "Huh?"


    Karen''s eyes widened at Lily''s sudden proposal.


    "I wanted to teach you magic too, right? And if we''re here already. Wendl can help, too!"


    "I... see... But..."


    "Rina can do it, don''t worry, Karen! I''m sure!"


    Karen threw a slightly doubtful glance at Rina before returning her attention back to us, or rather, to Lily.


    "You need to trust her a little, Karen. Isn''t that what a big sister is supposed to do?"


    "Is... that so?"


    "Yes, yes. It is!"


    "Haaa... Then... I guess it''s fine?"


    Karen relented after Lily''s insistence.


    Is it just me or is Lily somehow a little pushy right now?


    I watched Lily continuing on telling Karen that it''d be fine and she should tell Rina to look after them. After a few more unsure exchanges, Karen walked over and explained it to the girls. Rina seemed quite happy about being entrusted with their care, so... All was well?


    But... from the corner of my eyes I spotted Lily''s wry smile.


    "That''s what Emily told you?"


    "Nn. I don''t really know what to make of it, though..."


    "It is... quite... Well..."


    "Nn..."


    We were currently sitting inside Wendl''s workshop slash wagon. Maybe I should really just call it laboratory. Rina and the girls had run off to our wagon, preparing to depart. Alas, with Lily here, there was no driver for them, so we had to ask one of the other Black Guard mercenaries to drive the wagon. He accepted willingly when Lily asked but... was that really fine? He didn''t even question it... Actually, he seemed quite glad.


    "So, in the end, you still have no clue?" asked Karen.


    "Nn..."


    "Hey, girl. Concentrate."


    "Ah, sorry."


    Karen was sitting at Wendl''s desk, forced to practice with some kind of magic device again. According to Wendl, it was more efficient for her to familiarise herself with mana from other attributes, for now. Otherwise, she might be only able to cast magic from her own attributes as a manakin. Depending on whether she could do it or not, the way he''d teach her would change apparently.


    "Is that why you are reading this, Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    A voice came from behind me. As Karen was busy with that weird device, Lily took the opportunity and kidnapped me, forcing me to sit in her lap for a change. She hadn''t really done this since the incident with Rina, so I was a little surprised. Sitting in her lap really made me realise once more... Her height... She really was smaller without her disguise. And not exactly a small amount. She was still quite a bit taller than me, but... Was this girl really eighteen?


    "Oh, I remember that one. The Bubbling Wyrm, huh..."


    "The heck kind of name is that. But a wyrm... Are they related to dragons?"


    "No, they aren''t. Most wyrms are a type of lizard monster. See, it''s written there."


    "Oh, you''re right."


    It really was written there. After skimming over the page and confirming there wasn''t anything interesting, I turned the page of the monsterarium. The next one was a pretty familiar one...


    "Currently in the lizard section? Is that an armoured salamander?"


    "... Isn''t this a crocodile?"


    "What''s a crocodile?"


    "... A large, amphibious lizard. But it''s an animal."


    "Well, this one is clearly a monster. It even says where the mana crystal is."


    True to her words, the article not only wrote where it was, but it even had an illustration of the spot in question. So, it really was a monster... Made me wonder if it was still possible to simply prevent them from opening their mouths. Not like I''d ever wanted to try that.


    "Teacher!"


    "What? Don''t bother me."


    A voice from outside called out to Wendl, who only turned to the door with an expression of displeasure.


    "The warox is refusing to move."


    "Tsk, can''t you even get one thing right, shitty apprentice?"


    "Please come and help me, the others are already leaving."


    "Ah, curse the spirits. I''m coming. You girls, don''t break anything, you hear!"


    "We''ll try our best!" answered Lily.


    Lily''s tone was everything but serious and her joking salute made it only worse. Shaking his head in exasperation, Wendl left the wagon.


    "Now we''re alone, huh."


    "Nn."


    The next page of the book showed a very weird, two-tailed lizard, spewing fire. Biology really meant nothing to these creatures...


    "Oh, the spewing lizard, huh. I hate those. But they bring in a lot of money, especially alive. Like, a real lot of money."


    "Nn? Why that?"


    "The fire, you see, is actually not completely magical. It actually spews oil and ignites it. Oil! Live spewing lizards equal money minters!"


    Was that the equivalent of a money printer? Still...


    "Aren''t there other oils that are easier to acquire?"


    "Ah, yes. There are quite a few ones... But the spewing lizard oil can be used by magic craftsmen apparently. At least they pay a lot for it. A real lot. Maybe Wendl knows more about the why. I never really cared."


    You did care, Lily. For its monetary value...


    That made wonder if it was possible to create oil with magic... Oil, huh...


    While I was thinking about that, Lily stiffened up behind me, and then took a deep breath, as if she was preparing for something.


    "By the way... Karen," Lily called out to her all of a sudden.


    "Yes? Is something the matter?"


    "Uhm... There''s something I... wanted to ask you..."


    "Go ahead?"


    Karen turned around, facing us. From behind me, I could feel how Lily was immediately hiding her face behind me, keeping silent for a few seconds, then taking another breath.


    "Karen. How do you feel about your parents?"


    "... My parents?"


    I craned my neck back to look at Lily. Her expression was... conflicted... Or rather, downright sad.


    "... My parents, huh... Honestly, I don''t know? I don''t really care about those people anymore, after all."


    "You don''t care, huh..."


    "... Lily, does this... have to do with Rina?"


    After a short moment, Lily nodded.


    "I... talked with her yesterday. We had... a lot of fun. But..."


    "But? Lily, what happened?"


    "Karen... Rina, she... She scares me a little."


    "Eh?"


    Rina was? Rina was scaring Lily? The Lily that was fine facing an ogre in battle and was still laughing? While I was simply bewildered, Karen left her seat and walked over to us, simply sitting down next to Lily. She didn''t say anything, not a single word, waiting for Lily to continue.


    "... At one point... We talked about the future..."


    "The future?"


    "Mhm. About the things we wanted to do, or the things we once dreamt of doing. Such things..."


    Lily was squeezing me, burying her face completely in my hair.


    "Do you know... what Rina''s plan for the future is?"


    "... No, I don''t."


    "That girl... she wants to take revenge."


    "Revenge... you say?"


    I could feel how Lily was nodding once more to Karen''s question.


    "She wants to take revenge... on her parents... and everyone else who exiled you two. Revenge on all those who wronged you. And she wasn''t talking about playing pranks or something. She... plans to kill them."


    "Revenge, huh..."


    Karen blankly stared into the air. Some seconds later, the wagon suddenly jerked forward. We could hear the cry of the warox, pulling the wagon. It didn''t take long before the wagon was gently swaying and shaking from the movement. We continued on in silence for another minute or two before Karen finally let out a sigh.


    "Revenge... So it really was like that, after all..."


    "Karen? You... knew?"


    "I didn''t. At least, not for sure. But I wondered whether she felt like that..."


    "..."


    Karen leaned over, putting her arm around Lily''s shoulder and pulling her close. She gently patted her head.


    "When we were still travelling, I also had thoughts of revenge. I also thought of making them pay in the worst possible ways... But that was long ago. Those feelings are gone now. And... Living in the slums was hard, but I still had it better than Rina..."


    "Karen..."


    "You see, people die for the pettiest things. The worth of a single life... Is sometimes less than stale bread."


    She paused, then let go of Lily, stood up and walked to the desk.


    "Lily."


    "... Yes?"


    "Could you do me a favour?"


    "A... favour?"


    "Yes, a favour. Rina is really fond of you, so... please be there for her. I couldn''t, after all."


    I wondered, what kind of face was she making right now?


    "But, Karen... That''s..."


    "You don''t hate her, do you? Even after hearing that..."


    "I don''t."


    "Then, isn''t it fine? You''re troubled because you love her, right?"


    Lily was twitching at those words. Her embrace also tightened a little...


    "... You''re quite selfish, Karen."


    "Oh, you didn''t know?"


    With a slight hint of sarcasm, a giggle escaped Karen.


    "I''m sure you can help her. In whichever way you think is fine."


    "... I''ll try."


    "Mm, that''s good enough for me."


    Karen sat down at the desk again.


    "Still, revenge, huh..."


    "Karen?"


    "Ah, nothing. Just been wondering... When it was that I had stopped bothering with that."


    She started operating the magic device again, her body shivering in between. Apparently, she quite disliked the feeling of the mana entering her body.


    I leaned back, resting the back of my head on Lily''s shoulder.


    "Yumi?"


    "Nn, good luck."


    "Good luck, huh. Thank you, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    As the discussion was over, I could return my attention to the book.


    Revenge... I guess I''m not surprised that Rina feels that way. Sis barely speaks about those times, I wonder... Just what happened back then...


    "I''m done."


    "Ohh... You actually went through the entire book?"


    "Nn..."


    The book was thick, but a large amount of the pages were illustrations. Nonetheless, I learnt a lot about various monsters. I probably had forgotten the majority of their names already, but that was just a minor detail. But for my actual goal... Unfortunately, the whole thing wasn''t as fruitful as I had hoped.


    "There are really only a few monsters, huh... Ones that can use magic..."


    "It''d be a catastrophe if they all could, Yumi," commented Lily.


    "Nn, well... I guess."


    The number of monsters was, frankly, incredible. But, nearly none could use magic. As in, actual magic. Even beings like the spewing lizard were... rare. Most of them were just oversized, ferocious animals.


    "Haa... And there was really nothing on their ecology either."


    The way they lived, multiplied and such things... They weren''t even written for the most part, except very few exceptions. Creatures like the ogre were surprisingly well-documented due to it being a quite common monster. I had some mixed feelings when the book classified it as a comparatively weak monster... What was I then? A pushover?


    "Nn, Lily, could you let me go for a bit?"


    "Ehh... No way."


    "... I''d like to take a look at the other book."


    "... You won''t really find anything else, Yumi. It is just a more in-depth version of the book you just read, going through the different types of ropers, tentacles and the like."


    Being able to take a look myself would be preferable, though... But, Lily didn''t move. Not even the tiniest bit.


    "Nn... Wait, Lily? Did you read these books before?"


    "I read the roper one before."


    "And not this one?"


    "..."


    She fell silent.


    Throwing a look behind me I saw her averting her gaze awkwardly.


    "Lily?"


    "Well... You know... I was just a little interested... But that was already years ago!"


    "... Interested?"


    "That''s... you know..."


    She fidgeted around, her face slowly blushing.


    Ah. I think I get it.


    "Horny teenager, huh."


    "Yumiiiii! Don''t say iiiit!"


    "No, wait, Lily, I''m soooooooooorrrryyyyy!"


    Embarrassed as she was, I was subjected to violent shaking. It felt like my brain was thrown forwards and back repeatedly.


    Or, to keep it short, it made me feel sick.


    "Lilyyyy! I''m sorrrryy! Pleaassee! It''s! It''s coming! Stooop!"


    "Yumi? Lily? Ah! Lily, stop! Quickly!"


    My saviour appeared. Karen, having been disturbed by the ruckus, hurried to my help, preventing Lily from shaking me further.


    "Uhhh, I feel sick..."


    "Ahh, I''m sorry, Yumi."


    "You reap what you sow... Still, Lily, if Yumi vomits again it''ll be catastrophe inside here. So, please don''t do that."


    "Oh... Ohh... That. Was close."


    It really was. My stomach nearly turned around entirely. Fortunately, my breakfast stayed where it was.


    "Sorry, Yumi."


    "N¡ª, Nn... It''s... fine..."


    I was still trying to catch my breath and suppress my stomach contents. Right at that moment, a small window to the front of the wagon opened.


    "Hey, brat, girl, Lily."


    "Wendl?"


    "We might have some trouble brewing up."


    "Trouble? What happened?"


    The three of us turned to the small window where Wendl''s face was peeking through. I''d really appreciate it if he could start using our names...


    "We''re in the forest. Entered a quarter-hour ago. And it seems someone has been watching us since we entered here."


    "Watching? Are you sure?"


    "Yeah, from the looks of it, someone is keeping watch on us. Not sure who, ye¡ª


    "Teacher!"


    His apprentice suddenly cried out, drawing Wendl''s attention away from us.


    "What, shitty apprentice?"


    "There!"


    "Oh fucking... Hold the damn warox, you rockhead."


    The wagon slowed down until it came to a stop.


    "Why do these things always happen when you need them the least? You girls, stay inside."


    "Wendl! What is happening?"


    "Our beloved forest folk is happening, Lily."


    Rinne


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 Tale of Rainbow Memories: The Wolf Girl and the Cursed Witch (Part 1)

    ¡ª Excerpt of the Diary of Johnson Greyward ¡ª


    Year 298 of the Imperial Calendar


    Golden Suns'' Day, Lifeweek, First Month of Fall


    Emperor''s Road near the Holy Capital Arkesta


    I am a man of war. Where there is a battle, my comrades and I go. Where there is money, we will fight.


    Death is a common occurrence for us, but the lord of war calls upon those who showed valour.


    But not all of us die in battle nor is killing all we know.


    I am no man of the written word, I am no scholar, no researcher, no priest, no mage. I am but a soldier without a country. A soldier for hire. A sellsword. Nothing more, nothing less.


    But beneath all that, I am also still a human with a soul, capable of emotion, of guilt. I am writing these lines in the hope that our sin shall never be forgotten. We do not regret it, but we do grieve it. For this work, this job, allows us to live our life. It feeds us, who know nothing but swing the sword.


    Listen well to our tale, and never make the same mistake.


    For the witch shall plague our land.


    For the witch shall afflict our comrades.


    For the witch shall curse our friends.


    For the witch shall disease our family.


    For the witch shall blight our children, our wives, our brothers.


    For the witch of calamity will devour all.


    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Silver Moon''s Day, Faithweek, Third Month of Spring


    Borderlands of Krohmea, A nameless forest


    Today''s casualties:


    Eleven lightly injured.


    Two heavily injured.


    No casualties.


    Four missing.


    "Haa..."


    "Captain, you don''t look well."


    "For fuck''s sake, do you want me to laugh like jester? This job was a catastrophe."


    "Ahaha..."


    "Haa..."


    I put down the feather I was writing with and stretched my arms. My muscles felt all sore from sitting the entire day. We had just returned from a job and I had to write the reports. With a sigh, I forced myself to take up the feather once more and dipped it into the inkpot.


    "Griess, the ink is running out."


    "Captain, there''s only one pot left so I''d appreciate it if you could use it sparingly."


    "Only one left? Ugh, when did we last buy some?"


    "It has been a while. If Captain wouldn''t be so against a magical pencil, we wouldn''t even need to buy it. And the price for ink is on the rise too."


    Of course, I was against such a weird contraption. Writing without ink. And what if it broke down? Or if it exploded? Wendl was already exploding more than enough for my taste, I didn''t need another weird contraption doing it.


    "Either way, Captain. Don''t you think you should take a break? You''ve been doing this for half the day already."


    "And then who writes the fucking report, huh?"


    "I think taking a short break would help more than forcing yourself."


    "... You might be right."


    I wrote until the feather pen was too dry to continue before I put it away.


    "Do we have some Taras cigars?"


    "I think there were some left. Ah, here."


    "Thank you, Griess."


    I received the cigar from the young man, then lit it up with a magical lighter. Taking a deep, long drag after half a day of working was literally bliss.


    "The lighter is fine but the pen isn''t... Anyway, Captain. At least go outside before you start smoking."


    "Ah, sorry, sorry. I''ll leave."


    A grumpy Griess quickly chased me out of my own room. I was still his superior, so where was his respect?


    After closing the door behind me, I was greeted with a wonderful, blue sky... and the blazing sun.


    "Hot..."


    "Ah, Captain! Are you done with work?"


    "No, I''m not. What are you doing?"


    "We''re working out!"


    A group of men, their muscular upper bodies bare, was doing exercises with their weapons. That they could do so in this heat was commendable. Then again, it would''ve been an issue if they couldn''t do at least this much.


    "Any news from the search squad?"


    "No, Captain. They returned half an hour ago, but they didn''t find anything."


    "Nothing, huh. Hope those idiots weren''t taken prisoner. God, that''ll be a pain. I''ll deduct the ransom from their pay."


    "That sounds terrifying."


    The man I was talking with smiled wryly, knowing full well I wouldn''t actually do that. I was way too soft on them.


    "Then, continue with your practice."


    """Yes, Captain!"""


    The men roared, their sweat flying through the air.


    Satisfied with their enthusiasm, I left. If I kept watching, they''d become nervous anyway. Instead, I walked over to a large, black tent.


    "Priest Maiden, you there?"


    "Ah, Captain? One moment, please."


    A high-pitched voice echoed out of the tent. A few seconds later, a young woman left the tent. Despite her appearance, she was probably by far the oldest among us. Small horns decorated her head, curved towards the front.


    "Captain, are you smoking again? I told you, it''s not good for your health."


    "I can do with my health what I want to. Nevermind that, how are they?"


    "Pretty good, considering the circumstances. Kiras will recover without a problem. Marim... I honestly don''t know. The wound didn''t inflame but he lost a lot of blood. He might make a recovery, he might not."


    "I see. It must be really bad if you say that."


    This woman saved nearly everyone''s life here at least once already. And nearly never did she say that she didn''t know if someone could make a recovery. He really was on the border of life and death, then.


    "But it still means there''s hope for him, right?"


    "Yes. But moving him is an absolute no-go. He won''t survive that."


    "Mh..."


    So we''d have to wait at least until he was well enough again. That was complicating things a little.


    "I don''t really want to stay here long if I can help it... Mhh... Then, we''ll stay as long as we can. Going to have the men construct a simple barricade."


    "That''s great to hear, thank you."


    "I''m the one who should thank you, Priest Maiden."


    "That''s... It''s fine. Anyway, Captain, please stop calling me that. I am no longer serving as a priest. Please call me by name."


    "I''ll think about it."


    I turned around and left her alone. She was a good woman. Gentle and kind, loyal, devoted, quick-witted and good with children... But that was exactly why I couldn''t humour her request. I knew how she felt about me. But she had to find a better man than me. That''s why I was keeping my distance.


    I took another drag from the cigar, the sharp taste unique to these cigars burning my tongue. It hurt, but that was what made it good. It made me feel alive. That I wasn''t in a dream. Griess and the Priest Maiden kept annoying me, telling me to stop smoking, albeit for different motives.


    At that moment, I spotted a small group at the corner of my eyes, rushing towards the camp. Their pure black clothing allowed me to easily spot them even from afar.


    They are back again? I thought they only returned half an hour ago? Wait, they look panicked.


    "Captain! Captain! It''s them! They are coming!"


    "Shit!"


    With the worst timing.


    "Captain, should we chase them?"


    "Don''t. They want us to go into the woods. They''ll have the advantage there."


    "Understood."


    "Take the injured to the Priest Maiden. Everyone else, we''re going to build a barricade. Immediately, got it?!"


    """Yes, Captain!"""


    After an initial short clash, our enemies withdrew into the forest.  We had to make the most out of this time. A simple barricade could be erected quickly. And even just a bunch of spikes could make an enormous difference in a battle.


    "Captain."


    "Wendl, huh? Good work."


    "Thank you, Captain. I''d like to report on something."


    "Report? From you? That''s rare."


    I raised my brow. This oddball was never doing a report, even when I wanted him to. So him coming by himself was... disconcerting, to say the least.


    "There was some weird... flow of mana in the forest. It appeared right before they withdrew."


    "Right before? Do you think it was a signal?"


    "No. It was too rough for that. I think it''s likely that they are after it."


    "Their objective? Interesting. It''d be great if they would withdraw after getting it."


    Those beasts were a pain to deal with. A single one was easy to deal with, but they never came alone. Like a swarm of insects they never seemed to thin out. What did they say again? Kill a fly and two will come to the funeral.


    "Good job, reporting that, Wendl. Get some rest."


    "Understood, Captain."


    He saluted and left.


    "A weird flow of mana, huh..."


    I couldn''t see mana, so I had no idea what worried Wendl so much.


    "Now, what to do..."


    The options were limited. To the point that I couldn''t act, in fact. We had to get that barricade up. Our own lives took priority.


    "Zaro."


    "Eh? Ah, yes, Captain?!"


    "Where is the search party?"


    "They are bringing the injured to Ms Priest Maiden."


    "I see. Continue."


    "Yes, Captain!"


    They might know something. It''d be nice if they knew something of value, but life rarely went that well. But, just maybe, today fortune might smile down upon us.


    It didn''t take me long to spot the four men from the search squad. They were indeed helping the Priest Maiden, carrying the injured to the tent. I wait for a moment until they carried the man into the tent and came back out.


    "Rolan."


    "Captain! How can I help?!"


    The middle-aged squad leader saluted upon seeing me.


    "I want a quick report on everything you found in the forest. Everything, but keep it brief."


    "Ehhh..."


    "Your response?"


    "Yes, Captain!"


    I knew it was an unreasonable demand, but it was necessary. Time was finite, and it was bothersome if they started to talk about unimportant parts. Nobody needed to know about the times they took a toilet break.


    "Most of the forest is untouched. We have only found three spots that seemed to have hints of people. Remains of clothes, most likely children''s clothes. There were no other noticeable signs to be found, Captain."


    "Nothing? That''s all?"


    "That''s all, Captain!"


    That was beyond scarce.


    "Did someone erase the tracks?"


    "That is likely the case, Captain."


    "Damn..."


    My men weren''t rangers or from a forest tribe. Some of them knew their way around a forest, but only to the degree of an apprentice hunter. Any seasoned ranger or hunter could erase their tracks and we wouldn''t know any better.


    "And absolutely no signs of our men, either?"


    "None, Captain!"


    "I see. Take your squad and help with the barricade once you are done here. If they are alive they''ll survive in the forest for a while."


    "... Understood, Captain."


    And if they weren''t, we''d be just wasting our time. Of course, I still prayed they were alive. As the captain of the Black Guards and as their comrade, I prayed they were.


    "Over here, get that thing over here!"


    "Raves, moves your goddamn ass, we don''t have all day."


    "If you got time to complain, then help me, dumbass."


    "Haa? Who''s a dumbass, limpdick?"


    "Limpdick? Wasn''t it you who couldn''t get it up at the brothel last time?"


    "IF YOU TWO GOT TIME TO ARGUE THEN YOU GOT TIME TO MOVE THOSE LOGS! NOW! IT''S HEAVY FOR FUCK''S SAKE!"


    Half an hour later, the barricade already saw some progress. Not as much as I would have liked though. Felling a tree was the simple part. Getting the logs ready, wasn''t.


    "Raves, Brohms, if you two continue I''ll cut your salary."


    ""We''re sorry, Captain!""


    "Haa..."


    The two bickering men rushed off to the next best log and started getting rid of the branches. Sometimes, I wondered if these mercenaries were grown men or just children in the skin of grown men. Well, I couldn''t quite say I wasn''t like that, either. But there was a time and place for such shenanigans.


    "Captain!"


    "Yes?"


    "We cut down a few dozen trees with the Chief Mage''s help. We''re currently preparing them for use, but there are probably not enough logs. Should we continue setting up the first parts of the barricade?"


    "Even a half-finished barricade is better than nothing, so do that first."


    We could still get more trees with part of the barricade set up anyway.


    "Understood! Also, a few men reported that they saw suspicious figures in the woods."


    "Scouts?"


    "No... They were apparently too small for that."


    "Too small? Are you sure they weren''t keeping low?"


    "They claimed to be the size of children. And I believe a scout wouldn''t be found that easily."


    "True."


    The size of children? Maybe fairies? Fairies would be troublesome. Hopefully none of the mischievous kind. Maybe they were angry that we were cutting down the trees...


    "... Mh... I got your report. Continue."


    "Yes, Captain!"


    Now, where is the Priest Maiden? She''s my best bet if it comes to fairies...


    Returning once more to her tent, I found her inside. She was currently administering something to Marim, our heavily injured comrade. He was in pain, sweating and it seemed that he was having fever dreams. He was flailing, but contrary to the Priest Maiden''s dainty figure, she had no troubles holding the giant twice her size down. Sometimes I wondered what would have become of her if she had taken up a weapon with that monstrous strength.


    "Priest Maiden. How is he?"


    "A little better."


    "This is better?"


    "Oh, yes, it is. He was screaming in pain until just earlier. Had to stuff his mouth."


    "..."


    That explained why there had been no agonised screams.


    "So, Captain? How can I help you?"


    "I need your opinion. Some men earlier saw figures the size of children. Could those be fairies?"


    "Fairies? I doubt that. This forest doesn''t have the vibrant energy of a fairy forest. And the only fairies that are as large as children would be elfen tribes."


    "Elves, huh. Yeah, that''s unlikely then."


    But if those weren''t fairies, then just what...


    "That reminds me... Rolan said they found children''s clothes... It couldn''t be actual children, could it?"


    "That I do not know."


    "... I''ll come back."


    "Understood. I''ll prepare some candy."


    I very much doubted that would be necessary. Who knew if it really were children. But, if they were, it might come in handy.


    "Rolan! I need your squad!"


    I shouted at the busy mercenaries. It didn''t take long until Rolan and his three men stood in front of me, each of them saluting.


    "Rolan, some men have spotted silhouettes, probably children. Find them. But be careful, it might be a trick."


    """"Understood, Captain!""""


    I watched the four men marching back into the forest. Nodding to myself, I returned to my own tent. The sudden assault made me lose quite some time. I could only wonder when I had time to take a rest.


    "Well then, time to finish that stupid report."


    There were plenty of things left to do. But unfortunately, I had to get the report ready first. The faster my employer knew what had happened, the better. I scanned the inside of the tent, making sure nobody else was inside. Then I sat down at my desk and...


    "Shit! If only we hadn''t taken this job. It''s an easy job my ass. Half the band is injured and four are even missing. Fuck!"


    Slamming my fist onto the table and cursing to myself was something I could do only now, alone. I had to show a calm front to my men. Even if I was frustrated, even if I was in despair, I had to look calm. The moment I didn''t would be our end.


    "Goddamn it, I''ll gut that fat arse and mix him into the waroxen''s feed."


    I took up the feather pen I had left earlier, opened the inkpot once more and dipped the tip of the pen in. No matter how much I cursed, I still had to get this shit done. What was done was done. The job had been a disaster. The convoy broken up and pillaged. The escorts scattered or dead. I didn''t even want to know what became of the prisoners.


    "Maybe I should ask for reinforcements or something. Pah, as if that gluttonous slime would care... That''s why I hate working for nobles."


    "Captain!"


    "What?"


    I had barely sat down and taken up the pen, being disturbed now was very far from amusing. One of my men had stormed in and was saluting at the entrance of the tent.


    "The Priest Maiden and Leader Rolan are calling for you!"


    "Rolan? I just sent him out, though."


    It had barely been a few minutes since he left.


    "Don''t tell me he caught them already?"


    "That''s... In a sense... Yes..."


    "I''ll come."


    I put down the still wet feather pen and closed the inkpot. Judging from his expression, something was wrong. Hopefully nothing troublesome.


    "Don''t touch me! Grrrrr!"


    "I''m not going to hurt you, I promise."


    "Liar!"


    What the heck was this?


    "Ah, Captain!"


    "Rolan... Please explain what is going on."


    "Yes! Someone had been watching the camp so we dragged them out!"


    "Okay, and who are these... kids?"


    There were two children right in front of me, at most six or seven years old, both of them. One was a beastkin girl with long, dark hair, flowing straight down to her waist. It was close to a dark blue but also had an odd sheen, reminiscent of a rainbow. It would surely be some pretty hair if it wasn''t so dirty. Her ears and her tail had the same colour. It was quite eye-catching. But not as eye-catching as the other girl. From the looks of it she was a human, but with a soft, bright pink for her hair. It was also abnormally long, going way past her waist.


    Both of them are manakin, huh... Wonder why they were in the forest. Exiled?


    "We don''t know, Captain. They refuse to talk..."


    "I see... Let''s have the Priest Maiden handle it for now."


    She was pretty good with children, after all.


    The two kids were standing a little away, like frightened animals. Or at least one of them. The human girl was calm and only watched the other girl''s reactions, apparently. In the meantime, the Priest Maiden was trying to approach them. But with every step she took, the children backed two steps away.


    Is she sure that is going to work? The distance is just increasing...


    After a few more steps, the Priest Maiden suddenly stopped. Then, she took something out of the waist pouch.


    "Look here."


    She held something out to them. It was something I knew quite well. Candy.


    Candy was a pretty rare commodity. It wasn''t something impossible to purchase but still quite a luxury.


    The beastkin girl froze, staring at the candy.


    "It''s delicious."


    The Priest Maiden slowly closed in, managing to get pretty close. Only once she was within a few steps did the girls back away again.


    "This candy can be yours, you know?"


    "..."


    "If you don''t want it, that''s fine too. More for me."


    "Ah."


    The Priest Maiden backed away on her own.


    "If you want it, you just need to come here."


    "... Liar."


    The beastkin girl suddenly backed away again, looking angry.


    "I''m not lying. I''ll really give it to you."


    "..."


    The girl wasn''t reacting, only silently staring at the candy.


    "Mh... Then, how about we make a trade?"


    "... Trade?"


    "In the forest are some bad people. Did you meet them? They have green skin, pretty hairy, are muscular and attack everyone."


    "... The orcs?"


    The Priest Maiden nodded with a small smile. Meanwhile, I was a little surprised such a young child knew about orcs.


    "Right. So, if you tell us where you saw them, you can have this candy. Deal?"


    "..."


    The beastkin girl fell silent again, staring at the candy. She was apparently thinking about the trade.


    Still, that other girl... She''s only smiling, not saying anything... What''s up with her? Is she mute? Or deaf even?


    The other girl didn''t intervene, she didn''t even say anything, only warmly smiling at the beastkin girl, just like a mother would. As if she was pretending that she wasn''t even present. It was, truth be told, a little creepy. A girl around seven years old shouldn''t behave like that.


    "Oh, Captain..."


    "Mh?"


    Rolan brought me back to reality and I focused on the beastkin girl again for now. She had stepped forward, slowly approaching the Priest Maiden.


    "If... If I tell you... I can have it?"


    Smiling at the question, the Priest Maiden stretched out her empty hand to the girl.


    "Yes, but only if you properly tell us, okay?"


    "Mhm."


    The girl nodded and, after a little bit of hesitation, took her hand.


    "Then, come and let''s get that out of the way, yes? The faster we are done the sooner you can have the candy."


    "... Mhm."


    "Oh right, mind telling me your name?"


    "... Lily."


    "Lily, huh. That''s a cute name. I''m Rea."


    The Priest Maiden gently shook hands with the girl, Lily. Then she turned her attention to the other, pink-haired girl.


    "What about you? Do you want candy too?"


    "No, I do not," the girl answered bluntly.


    "You don''t have to hold back."


    "I only accompanied this child for a little. Please do not mind me."


    "Eh?"


    ''This child''? She was very clearly a child as well. Even the Priest Maiden was bewildered at this response.


    "Eh... Then... Could you tell me your name?"


    "Yumias la Freyr."


    "... Pardon?"


    "Yumias la Freyr. Well, that''s the name I''m known by, here. There are other names if you want a different one."


    "N¡ª, No... That''s... fine..."


    The little girl suddenly introduced herself with a rather unbelievable name. The men watching the spectacle all started whispering among themselves.


    To think I''d ever see someone with the guts to use the name of the witch. Well, she''s just a child, but still. Did nobody ever teach her?


    "Ehh... Yumi... as? Do you mind coming along, then?"


    "I don''t mind."


    "That''s... good..."


    The Priest Maiden thankfully found her composure again. She led the two children towards one of the nearby tents.


    "Rolan, get the others back to work. I''ll join the Priest Maiden."


    "Understood, Captain!"


    It was time to see what was up with these kids...


    "So, you saw them running back deep into the forest?"


    "Mhm."


    "And they didn''t have any humans among them? As... prisoners, or so."


    "Mhm."


    "I see. Thank you."


    After having led them into the tent and sitting down on some chairs, the Priest Maiden questioned the beastkin girl, Lily.


    Having answered all her questions, she patted Lily''s head. Her hair became even more ruffled, making her already slightly dirty appearance only worse.


    "Then, as promised, the candy."


    "... Waaahhh."


    The girl received the candy, staring at it with a happy expression, bright as the sun. She held it up to look at it from all kinds of angles. After half a minute of staring at the candy, she cautiously popped it into her mouth. Her already big smile grew even wider and she kicked her legs into the air. Even her tail was swooshing left and right.


    "Do you like the candy?"


    "Mm!"


    It was such a precious sight, that it made even me smile a little.


    "That''s great."


    She patted the girl''s head even more. I was pretty sure she was trying to prevent herself from hugging the girl. I could relate a little.


    "Then, Lily, do you want to stay here tonight?"


    "Mmh?"


    "There''s a warm blanket and even a delicious dinner.


    "..."


    Lily''s gaze instantly turned sharp again. She was still suspicious, huh.


    "So you don''t want a blanket and a delicious dinner? You rather sleep outside? In the cold? On the hard ground?"


    "Uhhh..."


    "Why not take her up on it? They seem nice."


    For the first time, the other girl said something on her own.


    "... Mm. I got it. Then... I''ll take you up... on that..."


    "Is that so, is that so? Hehehe, then, come! Let''s get you two clean!"


    "Eh? Wah? Wai¡ª


    The Priest Maiden jumped out of her chair and lifted Lily up. The girl flailed around midair in an attempt to return to the ground.


    "You too! Come!"


    Carrying Lily with one arm, she grabbed Yumias hand with the other and dragged both of them away. We didn''t have a proper bath, so she was most likely going to get the washbasin ready. The sounds of the three could be heard all the way to where I was sitting.


    Lively, aren''t we?


    With a wry smile, I turned to the notes in front of me. I had written down all the important parts of what the girl told us.


    "This might become troublesome..."


    She hadn''t told us anything really unexpected. But just having confirmation about some things was... troublesome on its own.


    Let''s see how far they''ve gotten with the barricade.


    I stood up from the chair and walked out of the tent. The sun was still going strong, it''d still be a good while until evening.


    "Captain!" a nearby mercenary called out to me.


    "Is everything going well?"


    "Yes, Captain! The barricade is making good progress and we''ll be done by the evening at the current pace."


    "Good. Continue."


    "Yes, Captain!"


    Good progress, huh. Hopefully, it was good enough.


    "So, Priest Maiden, why are you here?"


    "No need to glare, Captain."


    "I think I have all the rights to glare when I enter my tent and see my bed occupied by children."


    Two small bulges could be seen through the blanket, accompanied by a calm sleeper''s breath.


    "It''s the best bed around, Captain."


    "That''s why it''s my bed."


    "So you want the children to sleep on the ground with only a blanket, yes?"


    "... I never said that."


    "Ehehe."


    A chuckle escaped her. This woman was also troublesome in her own way.


    "So? Is there something else?"


    "Ah, yes. Captain, you''re going to finish the documents right? Mind taking care of these two?"


    "... I''m not a babysitter. Isn''t that your job?"


    "My job is making sure certain people don''t die suddenly. And it''d be bad to take children along for that."


    Couldn''t argue with that, as much as I wanted to.


    "Still, there''s something I''d like to talk about first, Captain."


    "Go ahead."


    "These children. They''re a little odd. Yumias, of course, but also Lily. Yumias barely talked, only saying something when I addressed her directly. And in an oddly mature way too. Honestly, she scares me a little..."


    "I see... And the other one?"


    "Lily... I don''t think that''s her actual name, probably a nickname. When I tried to pry she got quite defensive. She''s a little feisty but those clothes, or rather what remains of them, they are pretty expensive."


    Expensive clothes on a brat?


    "A runaway noble? Or exiled?"


    "Maybe. Or she got discarded. I don''t know. Apparently, she can read and write, though. So she definitely has a good background."


    "That so. That might be troublesome on its own."


    "Ehehe... Still, they are good children, Captain."


    Good children. They did seem like that. Both of them were peacefully sleeping on my bed.


    "Ehehe, as I thought, Captain, don''t you want to settle down?"


    "I''m a mercenary. I won''t settle down."


    "Are you sure? You had quite the smile earlier, watching them. Don''t you want to have children of your own?"


    "... That''s enough. Go and do your job."


    "Ehehe, I understand. Good luck, Captain."


    The Priest Maiden stood up and left the tent.


    "Seriously..."


    I took another glance at the two girls in my bed.


    "Can''t be helped."


    Time to get back to work. Sleeping one day on the ground with a blanket wasn''t that much of a problem.


    Rinne


    I''ll sometimes write side stories, not often, most likely. You''ll notice them from the chapter title. ''Rainbow Memories'' are going to be side stories about Lily, so I hope you''ll enjoy them!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Confrontation

    "The forest folk? You mean, the fairies?" asked Lily.


    "Yeah. And it''s really elves, it seems. This is going to be a pain, isn''t it?" answered Wendl.


    Elves? Elves were outside? Right now?


    Through the small, opened window we could hear several voices echoing through. High-pitched voices.


    "The captain is dealing with them but it might take a while. Tsk, how bothersome."


    "Teacher, they''ll hear that."


    "They can for all I care. They are just a bother."


    The high-pitched voices continued in the background, sounding agitated. Unfortunately, I couldn''t make out what they were saying. It made me curious. Like, I was really, really curious. We were talking about elves after all. Elves!


    "Nn, I want to see."


    "Yumi? What do you want to see?" asked Karen.


    "The elves."


    "Ohh... But Mr Wendl said we should stay inside..."


    Unfortunately, he really had said that. Wasn''t there a way around it? Couldn''t fortune allow me to see them? I was really curious. I mean, they were elves! Elves! Who wouldn''t be curious now?


    "You brats better sit tight, you hear me? Don''t get strange ideas."


    "... Nn."


    He had overheard us... Damn it.


    Suddenly, an unknown, high-pitched voice came from quite close. Like, right next to the wagon.


    "You! Human!"


    "How may I help you?"


    "What is inside this contraption?"


    "... My apprentices are inside."


    There was no answer from the voice. Instead, someone was now knocking against the walls.


    "Human! How does this contraption open?"


    "... You pull on that grip to open the door."


    "This? Ah!"


    The door opened and the sunlight shined through. Standing behind the door was a young girl. A small girl, smaller than even I was, with long, drooping ears. Long, blonde hair decorated with leaves. In her hand was a long branch. Overall, she was pretty cute and somehow fit more the image of elves I had. Except, for her height and... one other thing.


    Cover yourself! Please!


    I had to avert my eyes. The girl was more naked than not. She only wore something akin to a loincloth made of large leaves, covering up her bottom half. And even that loincloth was more absent than not, with large gaps between each leaf.


    "More humans!" she declared with a loud voice.


    Accurate observation. He literally told you we were inside.


    She entered the wagon and looked around. Poking a few things with her branch. Then she turned towards us, or rather, to Karen first. After a few seconds of scrutinising Karen, her eyes went wide and she took a step back. Her expression suddenly turned into one full of panic.


    "Demon! Demon!"


    Then she stormed out of the wagon and continued screaming "Demon! Demon!"


    Karen, a little dumbfounded, turned to us.


    "What... just happened?"


    "... I have no idea, Karen. Maybe she took offence at something you did?"


    "Nn, Mr Wendl, what''s the meaning of this?"


    "If only I knew, brat. She screamed something about demon but... Maybe they don''t like demonkin? Never heard of that, though."


    Everyone was confused. But, the door was open. I peeled off Lily''s arms, much to her chagrin, and walked over to the door.


    "Ohh..."


    Peeking outside I saw... elves. Dozens of them. Surrounding the wagons or observing from behind the trees. All of them were small. I was certain that not one of them was taller than I was. Some elves looked like adults, just in miniature form. Honestly, I couldn''t call them beautiful or cute. Their appearance felt... dissonant? Weird? Something like that. As if you took an adult woman and transformed her into half her original size.


    Guess not all elves are beautiful, huh... Kind of a letdown...


    On the other hand, a few had a completely childish appearance. You still couldn''t call them beautiful, but most of them were pretty cute.


    "Ohh... so those are the elves?"


    Karen joined me in peeking outside, looking quite astonished herself.


    "Nn, I guess so."


    "It''s all girls..."


    "Nn..."


    "And they''re... naked..."


    "Nn..."


    There wasn''t even one male among them. And all the elves were barely wearing clothes. Some wore loin clothes made from leaves, the same kind the elf from before wore. There were even a few that wore something akin to a shirt made from leaves. But the vast majority was... not wearing anything. Outside of branches and leaves here and there, like accessories.


    Hopefully, the mercenaries can hold themselves back with this view... It might be... quite stimulating. Though, I''d be really worried if most of them can''t hold back...


    A fluffy tail suddenly brushed my side. Next to me, Lily had joined us, peeking through the opened door.


    "You didn''t know? All elves are female."


    "All of them?"


    "All of them, Karen."


    "... How do they, uh... increase then?"


    "... I don''t know."


    "..."


    How mysterious. Did elves maybe grow on the trees then? Actually, that was a scary thought on its own. Hopefully, they didn''t.


    "Ah, some of them are running over."


    A group of elves ran in our direction. They were all actually clothed, bottom and top, except the one girl that had been in the wagon. Maybe the clothes were something of a status symbol?


    Behind them were Greyward and an unfamiliar man. And Emily. For some reason, Emily was there...


    "Demon! There! Demon!"


    The girl from before pointed in our direction, probably at Karen.


    "Sis. They''re coming for you."


    "Please don''t phrase it like that, it worries me."


    "I think you should be worried. They don''t look happy."


    The elves seemed quite upset, in fact. Usually, I''d probably fall into a panic if someone ran in my direction like that. Alas, behind the group, Greyward was trying to gesture something. Emphasis on gesture, because I had no idea what he was trying to say. And Emily was just grinning brightly. It kind of killed mood for panic...


    While I wondered about that, the elves arrived at the wagon, forming a half-circle around the door. Most of them stared at Karen with worried or even scared expressions, tightly clutching the branches, rocks and other things in their hands. Only one of the elves wasn''t staring at Karen. Instead, she stared at me.


    "Demon! A demon!" the elves exclaimed loudly.


    "Ahh, calm down, please! She''s not dangerous! Everything is fine!"


    Greyward, Emily and the unknown man came up from behind. Emily immediately dashed through, passing the elves and jumping towards us.


    "Yumi! Big Sis Karen! Big Sis Lily! It''s elves! Lots of them!"


    "Emily?!"


    Karen caught Emily in her arms, being forced a few steps back...


    That girl really had some astonishing jumping power, being able to jump from the ground into the wagon and straight into Karen''s arms.


    "Emily, do you know what''s going on?"


    "Going on? What do you mean, Yumi?"


    I glanced at the bewildered elves outside. They were all looking at Emily, full of confusion and worry.


    "Miss Yumi, Miss Karen, Lily, could you at least leave the wagon?"


    "Ah, sorry. We''re coming, Mr Greyward."


    Karen jumped out of the wagon, Emily still in her arms. Lily followed and then I left as well. The half-circle from the elves backed away a little. They were still whispering about Demon here and Demon there.


    "Lady Elder, as you can see, they are completely harmless girls. They have nothing to do with the things in the forest."


    "..."


    "Lady Elder?"


    Greyward spoke to the one elf who kept staring at me. At first, she didn''t even respond, but after a while, she turned around, to the girl who had caused the ruckus at first.


    "***** *** **** * *******"


    "******* *** ***** **** **** * *****"


    "*** ** *** ** **** **** * ***** ***** ** ** **** ** *****"


    "* **********"


    Suddenly they spoke in a language I couldn''t understand. Then the girl, or the Elder, finally turned to Greyward.


    "Mr Human. We understand. The girl is harmless. But. We want to talk to that one."


    She pointed at me with her branch.


    Eh? Me? No, wait, that can''t be right. Why me?


    "With Miss Yumi? May I ask why?"


    "You need not know, Mr Human. We want to talk with that one. That is all."


    "I''m sorry, but we''re in a little bit of a hurry."


    "We will talk to that one."


    The Elder didn''t take no for an answer.


    "Esteemed Ancestor can come. Everyone else cannot."


    "No, we really have to leave. With her."


    The Elder''s eyes narrowed. Then she turned around to the elves and shouted something. Within a moment, the majority of elves surrounded this wagon, everyone holding their branches or whatever in front of them as if they were ready to strike at us.


    "Lady Elder, I''m sorry if this is rude, but I do not believe a fight would be a good idea, for neither of us."


    "We already told you, Mr Human. We will talk to that one."


    "... Allow me to speak with them for a moment."


    "You may."


    The Elder gestured with her hand and the elves all backed off a few meters. They still kept the encirclement up, though. The Elder herself also retreated a little, leaving us alone with Greyward. From the distance, I could spot her smiling in our direction.


    "Mr Greyward? What is going on?!"


    "Miss Karen, calm down. I have no idea."


    "Papa, how is everyone else?"


    "Everyone is fine. They weren''t out for conflict. They actually only wanted to talk with Emily... until now..."


    He glanced at Emily, who was still in Karen''s arms, or more accurately, still hanging onto Karen.


    "Either way, those elves now want to talk with Miss Yumi for some reason... Miss Yumi, do you know why?"


    "Nn, I don''t."


    "I see... Figured... Still, I don''t want to fight the elves over that..."


    He sighed, shaking his head.


    "Miss Yumi, could I ask you to humour them?"


    "You want me to talk to them?"


    "Yes. I''ll leave someone here to bring you to the fort later."


    "Mr Greyward! You can''t mean to just leave her alone with them?!"


    "Calm down, Miss Karen! I understand that you''re worried, but they won''t take a refusal, as you see."


    "Still!"


    Karen scowled at Greyward, visibly displeased.


    "Sis, calm down. He is right, they seem quite stubborn."


    "Then, do you want to just go with them?"


    "... To be honest, no."


    The Elder wanted to talk with me. But why was that the case? I didn''t know. Whichever reason it was, though, I had quite the apprehension over the whole thing. They were strangers. And, I did have a little bit of an idea, why they wanted to talk to me. And if my guess was right, the whole thing could turn ugly quickly. They were already surrounding us, ready for a fight, after all. That couldn''t be a good sign. They had already shown that they would try to force their way.


    "Miss Yumi, in the best case, the talk won''t be long and you''ll be right behind us."


    "That might be but... I''m sorry, but I''d still prefer not to..."


    "... I see."


    He sighed again, scratching the back of his head.


    "Captain."


    "Wendl? What is it?"


    "I''m sorry to interrupt, but I agree with the brat. Elves should be rather reclusive tribes. They don''t bother with people unless they endanger the forest they live in."


    "... So, you''re saying there is a risk?"


    "Yes."


    Wendl, who was still sitting on the driver''s bench with his apprentice, came to my rescue.


    "Mhh... They seem quite amiable to my eyes, for the most part."


    "Captain, elves are, in the end, fairykin. They hold different values than we do. They might look friendly, but I wouldn''t be surprised if they change that attitude on the drop of a hat. Actually, they already surround us, so I wouldn''t bet on them being amiable. You should know that too."


    "Haa... You might be right... I get it, Wendl, I get it. You know, I''m still your superior, no need to lecture me. Let''s try negotiating first..."


    He sighed for the third time, then turned to the elder elf. Noticing that we finished, she approached us again, still smiling.


    "Mr Human. Did you say farewell?"


    "I apologise, Lady Elder, but we have to refuse. Instead, if po¡ª


    The Elder''s smile broke down, her entire expression darkened. As if Wendl''s little prophecy had fulfilled itself the moment it had left his mouth. Not that it was much of a surprise, in my opinion.


    "Human, do you defy us?!"


    "... Lady Elder, I am responsible for these girls and I cannot entrust you with them."


    "We do not care for your trifles! The Cursed cannot be allowed to return! We will get our ''talk''!"


    After her declaration, the elves behind her all readied themselves, holding their makeshift weapons up.


    "So much to negotiating..."


    "Nn..."


    Despite the menacing atmosphere, Greyward stayed calm. As if the whole intimidation had no meaning.


    "Lady Elder. I am fairly certain a fight would be... unfavourable for you."


    "Do not speak to us, Human! We gave you a chance but you decided to face the ire of the forest!"


    "I rather take the ire of the forest than the ire of the witch."


    Silence. The Elder''s eyes slowly widened, her face tinged with fear. She backed away a few steps, shaking her head left and right.


    "No. No! Not that one! Not that one! Not the Accursed Witch!"


    "So? What do you want to do now? Fight us and make the witch mad?"


    "... We will not forget this, Human!"


    The Elder motioned with her hand towards the elves. They all turned around and ran into the forest, disappearing immediately. An eery silence hung over the forest now.


    "... Never fails to impress how effective those words are."


    "Papa, I don''t think abusing Mama''s reputation is a good thing."


    "Tell her to fix her reputation so I can''t use it in the first place. What did she even do that every single fairy hates her guts... Well, I can imagine it..."


    "The dark elves don''t hate her."


    "Oh, right. But those are an odd bunch anyway..."


    Greyward turned around to us, shaking his head in exasperation. I finally understood the reason he had been so incredibly calm... He could always drop the witch into the conversation and scare them away.


    "Mr Greyward, what if that hadn''t worked?"


    "Then we would''ve had to beat the crap out of them. I won''t have you underestimate my men, Miss Karen, they can deal with some elves just fine. They''re not as strong as they believe they are. Although I must admit, that some of the credit goes to your little friend."


    "Friend?"


    He pointed at Emily, who was still comfortable hugging Karen. At least she was now standing on the ground and¡ª


    Wait, Emily. Don''t bury your face in her breasts, those are mine!


    "Emily? Did you do something?"


    "Mh? Big Sis Karen? What did I do?"


    "No, that''s what I''m asking? What you did with those elves..."


    "Mhh? Oh! Ohh! They tried bullying everyone!"


    Peaking up at Karen, she inflated her cheeks.


    "They told the trees to bully everyone! So, I told the trees to be nice and not do that!"


    "Ehh?"


    The heck?


    "The trees are nice ones, they don''t like to bully either! So they said they wouldn''t!"


    "... Okay?"


    So, in other words, she prevented the elves from... using the trees to attack us? At least, that was my guess. I couldn''t really imagine anything else, at least. Not that this sounded rather... doubtful too.


    Then again, they did say she might be a High Elf, right? Maybe she is quite impressive, after all.


    "Now, with that said, everything ended well. They probably won''t be our friends now, but at least we won''t get into trouble with them anymore for now. We''ll go back and then we''ll continue to the fort."


    Greyward turned on his heels, waved once and left. The unknown man on his side followed him quietly.


    "You brats, get back into the wagon."


    "Ah, yes. Emily, what about you?"


    "It''s comfy! I''ll stay!"


    "Emily, I am busy too, though, you''ll have to let me go."


    "Ehh? Mh... Then, Big Sis Lily!"


    Her ears drooped for a few seconds, then she quickly turned her attention towards Lily. Leaving Karen, she latched onto Lily''s back.


    "Ohh! it''s fluffy! Fluffier than Maya''s!"


    "Ah, Emily?! Stop! Not the tail!"


    "Brats! Get in!"


    "Ahh, we''ll get in, we''ll get in!"


    This had been a little bit of a chaotic incident, but we safely managed to resume our journey.


    "I''m bored..."


    There was nothing to do. Like, nothing. Karen was busy with the odd device, so I couldn''t bother her for now. Emily had occupied Lily''s lap and was playing around with the fluffy tail and Lily simply indulged her. I had skimmed through the other book, the one about ropers, but true to Lily''s words, there wasn''t anything new, really. In fact, it was even worse, it didn''t even have illustrations. Then again, maybe illustrations were pretty uncommon in the first place...


    What do I do now? It''ll probably still take some time until we arrive at the fort... Maybe I should just sleep.


    Then again, I did have a little bit of alone time, right now. More or less. That wasn''t bad by itself.


    But to think that I still can''t figure out why the magic doesn''t work... So troublesome...


    If the talk with the elves had gone better, maybe I could have asked them about it. But judging from that Elder''s reaction, they never intended to have any actual talk. Dodged a bullet there, probably...


    I wonder what they meant with Cursed, though... Am I cursed? I hope not...


    Being cursed was no joke. In a world like this, that might really happen after all. Then again, didn''t that monster say something about curses? That it''d be hard to curse me? How odd...


    Curses, huh...


    I held up my hand. It was a small, delicate hand. Vastly different from the rough hand I was used to. Things had changed. I wasn''t quite sure if I could say they had changed to the better or not. I was happy, right now. That, I was sure of. But this life also brought its own troubles. The future was uncertain. In fact, I... was a little scared, of what was up ahead for me. For us.


    Maybe I shouldn''t have given in to Maya and the girls...


    In the end, I chose quite a dangerous future. I didn''t want to have regrets, yet it still made me worry, whether this was the right choice. Thinking calmly about it, I probably got caught up in the heat of the moment...


    No, don''t think like that, Yumi. If you start now, you''ll surely start regretting it immediately!


    I shook my head in an attempt to chase the thoughts away.


    Such thoughts weren''t good. The decision had been made already. Whether I was prepared for it or not.


    But, if we hadn''t decided for this and something happened to the mercenaries, to Korwen, Fenna, Merim and the others... I''m sure I would regret it even more.


    Probably, this decision wasn''t about which path left me without regrets. But it was a choice between which path left me with fewer regrets.


    I poked my arm a little. It was soft. A different soft from Karen, Lily or the other girls. A weird kind of soft.


    No wonder Sis wondered if I have even bones... It really feels like there is nothing.


    Bones were something most living beings had, so I obviously assumed I would too. I was still quite certain I had them. But, after Karen mentioned in passing how she was doubtful about it sometimes... I grew a little curious myself... And the sensation in my arm was... weird. There was something hard in my arm but it didn''t feel like a bone. This... worried me. It really worried me.


    Uhhh... This doesn''t bode well... I''m sure it''s just my imagination but... Ahh... Where was the partitioned space? Ah, there.


    I stood up from my spot, walked past the others and hid in the corner at the end of the wagon. Now, nobody could see me. Holding my hand in front of me, I took a deep breath. Then, I touched and felt my own hand. It was soft. Too soft... At least, in my opinion, it was too soft. There was something hard, but even that felt... quite soft? At least, not as hard as a bone should. And the bones in your hands should be pretty obvious...


    I don''t really have anything to compare it too... But... This isn''t normal, is it...


    Rather than a bone... it felt like a hardened muscle? Hardened flesh? Or maybe rubber? It was hard to put into words.


    Oh please, don''t... Don''t let this be real...


    Pulling up the skirt a little and squatting down, I went over my legs... the knees and the feet especially, as well as the shins. Basically, the places where it should be easy to feel the bones. The result? Same as before. The places where I should feel the bones felt the same as my hand. Something hard was there, but it sure didn''t feel like a bone. A bone shouldn''t give in if you press enough... Especially the shins, if you knocked against them, you should definitely feel the bones...


    Everyone keeps saying I''m soft or squishy and stuff, don''t tell me... this is why? No, no, it''s not said that these aren''t bones. There''s something, after all. Maybe my bones are just a little soft. Nn, surely. Surely...


    The great escape from reality. There were some things I didn''t need to know and this was definitely one of them. I leant on the wall, trying to process this. It was like the last nail in the coffin. That I had completely left the definition of a human behind.


    I mean, I knew... I knew I''m not human anymore but... At least I thought I was still similar... But like this...


    Like this, I was basically a human-shaped roper with a personality. What were they called again? Invertebrates? I took another look at my hand, closing it, opening it. After a few repetitions, I sighed. The feeling was normal. If we hadn''t had the discussion earlier, I probably wouldn''t even have thought of this. I stroked my cheeks a little, trying to feel my jaw.


    Wait. Wait a moment. I have teeth. Obviously, I do. Teeth are stuck in the jawbones. And I can eat, I have to go to the bathroom, everything, right? Why is that all there but the bones are... like this. Actually, how could I even stand like this without them?


    My strength was pretty lacking, but I still had enough to stand up and wear this arguably heavy outfit. But how did it work? Bones were a vital part of humans, without them they''d just be a saggy meat bag. So, either I had them or...


    Magic, huh...


    There wasn''t any other explanation I could think of. Unless, of course, I really had soft bones. Which, in itself, would be probably pretty weird.


    Don''t tell me, that I move in the same way I move my hair and I just never noticed. No... The feeling is different... But...


    Moving my hair felt quite natural by now, even if I didn''t make use of it that often. But no matter how natural it felt, I still knew that I wasn''t moving it like my limbs.


    Does that mean that it''s still different? Uhh... I don''t get it...


    Still, it had already been some time since I came to this world. Honestly, this whole thing was quite shocking, but... it wasn''t as bad as my initial shock with the tentacles. That one was really bad... That still didn''t mean this wasn''t...


    What should I do now? Just... Just what am I even?


    A monster. That was the conclusion I had come to originally and what was the most likely case. But that elf didn''t call me a monster. She called me a Cursed, whatever that actually was. So, was I maybe different from a monster? But then, what was I? What was this Cursed?


    What, huh... Not like I''d get an answer for that so easily...


    I peeked around the corner of the partition. Emily and Lily were dozing off in the opposite corner while Karen was busy with her little training session. She was really focused on it.


    With a small smile, I returned behind the partition.


    No matter what I am, I have this family. I should talk with Sis about these things sometime but... They all already know that I''m not really a human. One additional thing won''t change a lot... Maybe, Sis already knew anyway.


    At least, I was sure she was suspecting it. Otherwise, she probably wouldn''t have commented on it.


    When we escaped from the fort, I had that talk with Lily... The talk about being a monster... and being able to turn others into ones. They had their own resolve. Then, I should resolve myself as well, right?


    Resolving myself, huh. That''s right...


    Once more, I held up my arm in front of me. I closed my eyes and took a deep, deep breath. Resolve was certainly necessary. I wasn''t human. Not anymore and I probably would never be one again. But I had things to do. And I wanted to do everything I could. To protect them and to make them happy. And'' everything''... Those words included a certain something. Something, that I had to confront sooner or later. I couldn''t escape them.


    Let''s do this.


    It was long. A rough and bumpy surface. A colour that was dark, but still close to pink. Around as thick as my forearm. Overall, a pretty grotesque appearance. And what was even worse? It wasn''t only one, but four. And the worst? They were attached to my body.


    Uhh... This feels so... so weird.


    Tentacles. That''s what they were. Having transformed my left arm, I was now inspecting them. This slightly unlikeable part of mine. The surface was slimy and wet... Touching it actually felt a little gross.


    But they move pretty well...


    They were nimble and longer than my arm. I never realised before but they could actually extend, similar to my hair. In fact, it completely felt like moving my hair. No, it actually felt more natural than my hair...


    That''s fine and all but... what the heck is this?


    Back when Yumias messed with me and did something to my mana crystal, I already knew that there were different kinds of tentacles. I never bothered trying to figure them out in specific, though. But, there was a difference between simply knowing they existed and actually seeing them for real.


    The heck is this? A needle? This... isn''t going to inject something, right?


    The tentacle in question ended in a long, thin needle. When I tried touching it, it was surprisingly hard and solid. Really, just like a needle. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to use it or if it was really injecting something. And if it was, what it would even do...


    It wasn''t the only one I was confused about, though. Most of them were rather questionable. Alas, the easiest ones to guess, were, the ones with sexual purposes... One kind was pretty much like... Well...


    It works like a penis. No other way around it. Let''s move on.


    The tentacles came in different shapes, and while it took a little bit of time, I could change them into whichever other kinds of tentacles I wanted. There was one with a hole at the end but it felt like it was draining my mana, so I quickly changed it into another one. Another one was spewing some kind of clear fluid. It had a surprisingly pleasant smell but I couldn''t figure out what else it did...


    "Yumi? Where are you?"


    "Nn, Sis? I''m here?"


    I peeked around the corner of the partition. Karen had stood up and was now coming over.


    Nn? Wait. Isn''t this bad?


    "Ah, wait, Sis, could you give me a minute?"


    "Eh? Did you strip or something? Don''t worry, I won''t mind."


    With a smile, she approached. And before I could say another word, she was already right in front of me.


    "Oh?"


    "Ah, this is..."


    "..."


    "Wait, Sis?"


    Not even surprised in the least, Karen squatted down and closed in on the tentacles, inspecting them from close up.


    "This is the first time I see them..."


    "Ah, don''t touch them."


    Karen poked the tentacles cautiously. Then, taken by curiosity, she grabbed one and started feeling it all over.


    "This is... actually a little fun. They''re so soft... They feel a little gross... Waahh... This is interesting."


    "Sis, how is this fun? Ah, no, not there."


    Her hand slipped into the sleeves of the armour dress, tracing the tentacles up to where they were connected with my shoulder.


    "So they end there, huh. That''s actually quite abrupt."


    She retracted her hand.


    "So, what do these do. Actually, does it hurt if you bend them?"


    "Ah, no they don''t hurt. And... I was trying to figure that out, what they do..."


    "So you don''t know?"


    "Nn..."


    Karen looked at the ends of each tentacle. Then, she took the one with the needle end in her hand and inspected it.


    "Do you stab people with this?"


    "Stab? That''s... Uhm... I guess you do? In a way..."


    Did she not know about needles and injections? Maybe she didn''t. Some animals did similar things too though... Injecting stuff, mostly poison, with a needle.


    "Oh, something comes out of this one. Mh? This... smells good."


    "Ah, yes... I don''t know if it does something else though, so be careful."


    Karen cradled a drop of the weird, clear fluid on her finger. She took a few sniffs. But after a few seconds, her eyes went wide and she flinged the drop away in a panic.


    "... That was dangerous."


    "Sis? Did something happen?"


    "... I guess I shouldn''t be surprised but... Uhm..."


    She closed in on my ear.


    "I started to feel a little... hot... down there," she whispered.


    "..."


    It''s a fucking aphrodisiac?!


    That was... good to know. It smelled great but if it was an aphrodisiac, I shouldn''t mess around with it too much. Thankfully we found that out quickly...


    "So, what others are the¡ª


    "Hey, you brats! We''re soon at the fort so get ready."


    "Mh? Oh, Wendl?"


    "Lily, were you sleeping?"


    "Mh..."


    "Get up and ready, now."


    The sound of the wooden window slamming shut was heard.


    "... Guess we''ll have to delay it for now."


    "Nn."


    Lily was awake again and from the sounds of it, Emily was waking up now too. Lily was one thing but I didn''t want to show these to the girls for now.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? Wah?! Sis?"


    Suddenly, Karen hugged me.


    "Tell me next time, okay? You''re not alone."


    "Ah..."


    A small smile floated on my mouth.


    "Nn, I''ll tell you."


    Right, I didn''t have to face this on my own. I had someone supporting me right here.


    "Karen? Yumi? Where are you?"


    "Ah, Lily, we''re here, one moment."


    Karen let me go, gave me a pat on the head and then left the partition.


    Thank you, Sis.


    After I changed the tentacles back into my arm, I left the partition as well. The three girls were standing at the small wooden window through which Wendl was speaking again.


    "Lily? Sis? Is something the matter?"


    "Ah, Yumi? Well, the fort..."


    "There''s smoke coming from the fort, brat. A lot. That''s certainly not from a fire for cooking or so."


    "..."


    That... was everything but good news.


    Rinne


    Wild fun fact: 97% of all animals are invertebrates and don''t have bones.

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: The Pride of a Mercenary

    "That''s a lot of smoke."


    "Nn."


    Peeking through the door of the wagon we saw the fort in the distance. There was a large cloud of smoke and dust floating right over it. A few familiar wagons were parked outside, right in front of the bridge to the fort, on this side of the Hollow.


    "Hopefully they are all safe."


    "Nn."


    The Black Guard''s small caravan steadily approached the fort. A few silhouettes were now discernable, walking among the wagons.


    "Brats, don''t fall out there, get back in. We''ll be there in a few minutes, so you better clean up now."


    "Ah, will do."


    We closed the door, albeit with some reluctance. That there were mercenaries outside and walking around made me breath a small sigh of relief. That meant it hadn''t been the worst case.


    "Yumi, is everyone fine?"


    "Emily... I''m sure they are. We saw a few of their wagons and some of them walking around."


    I pat Emily''s head. After a short while, she smiled again. It wasn''t as bright as her usual smile, but better than none.


    Still, I hope they are alright... I guess... that large rumble in the morning really came from here...


    We hadn''t seen anything in the forest that could''ve caused such a deafening sound. Nor did the elves say anything in regards to it either. Well, at least I didn''t know about anything. Maybe they did, I hadn''t talked with them. That reminded me...


    "Hey, Emily, what did the elves even want from you?"


    "The elves? They wanted me to come with them. They said I shouldn''t be with humans."


    "You shouldn''t be with humans?"


    "Yes. They were really mean to Uncle Greyward and the others. So I said no."


    She puffed her cheeks in annoyance.


    "I see... Did they say anything else?"


    "Mh? They didn''t."


    So they hadn''t stopped the caravan because of that rumbling, but only because they wanted to speak with Emily? Or rather, they wanted her to come with them. But they hadn''t stopped us on the way to the capital. Then, why did they stop us this time?


    Don''t tell me... They had planned to use force from the very beginning?


    I couldn''t think of any other reason, at least... If they had planned to use force from the very beginning, then a smaller caravan was obviously the better choice. But... Did they know we''d return? No, that was unlikely... I couldn''t understand it...


    "Yumi, do you have everything?"


    "Eh? Nn, I should."


    Karen had walked over and brought me back to the present with her question. I had enough time later to mull over this. Right now, the fort was more important.


    "Then, the only thing left for us is to wait, huh."


    "Nn."


    It would only take a few more minutes anyway, probably. The wagons were already slowing down a little.


    "Karen, how did your training with the device go?"


    "That... mana thing? I''m not sure, to be honest."


    "Not sure?"


    "Mm... I feel like nothing really changed? I tried all kinds of mana that the device could do, but most of them were... disgusting."


    Her shoulders shook a little. It had been hard on her, huh...


    "So, some weren''t?"


    "Mm... Well, my own attributes obviously weren''t. There were also some other... metals, those weren''t too uncomfortable. Oh, and the device also had Life mana, which wasn''t uncomfortable either."


    Lily raised her eyebrows in surprise.


    "Metals I already knew but... Life mana too?"


    "Apparently, yes."


    "But... your attributes have nothing to do with life, do they?"


    "That''s right..."


    Karen''s attributes... If I recalled correctly, those were... Steel, Iron, and Diamond. Well, or rather, carbon. And carbon...


    "Lily, Sis. Diamond actually does have a relation. The material diamond is made of is also present in living beings."


    "Eh? Are you serious, Yumi?"


    "Oh, is it that... Uhm... coal thing you told me about before?"


    I nodded to their questions.


    "That''s certainly not something I would have expected. Hey, Yumi, does that mean, you could make a living being into a diamond?"


    "Lily... Please don''t try that out, yes?"


    "But Karen, imagine how much money you could make!"


    "Money..."


    This wasn''t good. In a flash, their faces were painted with greed.


    "Sis, Lily, it wouldn''t be possible to make money like that. The resulting diamond would be minuscule and impure."


    "So it is possible."


    "... Nn."


    Lily was grinning, a very dangerous grin. Maybe I should''ve just said it wasn''t possible...


    "If they don''t know it is impure it''s fine."


    "..."


    "Brats, sorry to rain on your parade, but the sale of all gems is heavily restricted. You''d get a free ticket to the execution block."


    "... Ahhh, right. The Trade Union..."


    "Better don''t try something funny, okay?"


    "... Yes."


    Wendl was once again looking through the small window in the front.


    "Anyway, we''re on the bridge right now. You girls can leave as soon as the wagon stops."


    "Ah, okay."


    And he closed it again.


    So we''d soon arrive. I prayed that everyone was alright. The waiting was unbearable...


    "Guess that means it''s safe right now, huh..." mumbled Lily.


    "Safe? Ah, because we didn''t wait outside?"


    "Yeah, exactly."


    That certainly was some good news. There was no fighting right now.


    The wagon was slowing down a lot now and eventually came to a halt.


    "Time to see what is going on."


    I took a deep breath and braced myself. Whatever had happened here, we''d find out now.


    "What the actual..."


    "This is...


    "..."


    There was a large cloud rising up in front of us.


    "How did this happen?"


    "I''d like to know that too."


    "Nn..."


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    Emily ran to the front, looking up at the cloud. She was full of excitement, watching the cloud sway in the wind.


    "Emily, be careful! Don''t fall down!"


    Karen immediately ran after her and caught the little girl in her arms, before she could run into her own doom.


    "Yumi! Yumi, look how big it is."


    "Nn, I can see it."


    I walked up to them, past the rubble and looked at the spectacle in front of me.


    It was a hole. A gigantic hole. The cloud rising up wasn''t smoke from a fire. No, it was a dust cloud. A humongous dust cloud.


    "Just what the fuck..."


    We were standing at the former main gate, the one that was demolished by the high magician traitor. There was no bridge. Not anymore. The entire bridge had collapsed. No, not only the bridge. The opposite cliff had collapsed as well. As if a giant had gouged out the cliff.


    "Kid, you really missed the spectacle when it happened. Thought my ears would bleed from all the noise."


    I turned around to the voice, to the person who had led us here with a grin on her face.


    "Wanda, just... how did this happen."


    "How did this happen, huh. That''s a bit of a long story... Just to tell you, though, half of this is your fault."


    "... Excuse me?"


    I turned back to the demolished bridge, or where the bridge had been.


    "Wanda... I don''t think, no matter what, that I had a hand in this."


    "Oh, believe me, you did."


    "..."


    There was a gigantic hole. If I was able to such a thing, I really wanted to know how to. With that said, I hadn''t even been here. There had been no way for me to cause this, even if only half.


    Wait... If I''m half responsible, who is the other half?


    I took another look at Wanda, who was only smiling wryly.


    "Just what happened, Wanda?"


    "The Akkians tried to cross the bridge, so they blew it up."


    "... I do not see how that relates to me?"


    Although, it was good to know that they blew it up themselves.


    "It was only possible like this because of the dolls you left here."


    "Eh?"


    "They carried magical explosives to the cliffside. The explosion collapsed a large part of the cliff and the bridge as well."


    "..."


    Okay. It really had been partly my fault. Sorry.


    "Kid, without that help it wouldn''t have gone so well. Like that they managed to bury quite a few Akkians."


    "..."


    Once again, I indirectly killed people. With the dolls. While I wasn''t even present.


    Not that I wanted to be present. I really didn''t want to if I had the choice.


    "But Wanda, was it really fine to collapse the bridge?"


    "... Kid, do you know why they even built a fort and a bridge here?"


    "Huh?"


    "Because it is easy to defend and even in the worst case they can just collapse the bridge. That''s why the Akkians tried to weaken the fort and take it over in a flash. If things had gone their way it really might have worked, too."


    "I see."


    But it didn''t work out and now they were unable to cross the Hollow, stuck on the other side of the cliff with only casualties to show for it.


    There were dozens of tents on the other side, even a small wooden barricade was already placed around their camp. It was hard to make out from the distance, but I thought I could see a few people running through the camp.


    They probably hadn''t planned for this turn of events either... But at least they aren''t going to come over anymore, now... Wait... They... can''t come over?


    "Wanda."


    "What, Kid?"


    "Does this mean... we came here for nothing?"


    "Well. You could say, that''s indeed the case."


    "..."


    I squatted down and held my head. It had been for nothing. All the serious thoughts and worries, they had been meaningless.


    "Now, Kid, I''m sure the others still appreciate you girls coming over."


    "..."


    "Even if you basically came for nothing."


    She broke out in laughter as if she wanted to drive in the last nail into the coffin.


    "Well, regardless of how useful or not you girls are, you''re here already. Which surprises me anyway. Mind telling me why you girls came back?"


    "Why we came back? That''s..."


    ''Because we were worried about you all...'' wasn''t something I could say, could I? But, that was basically it. Saying it actually to the people in question was... hard.


    "Mh... If you don''t want to say it that''s fine, but... If you have already trouble, telling me about it, I wonder how the others will take that. Fenna was quite down you know, that she had to be so harsh. She only wanted the best for you."


    "Uhh..."


    She walked past me to the edge of the cliff to peer down. The dust cloud was still raising up ever so slowly.


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    With her usual energy, Emily ran over, nimbly avoiding all the rubble that was still around.


    "Yumi! I saw Uncle over there! Come!"


    "Eh, wait, Emily?"


    She pulled my hand and dragged me away, in whichever direction she had spotted Korwen. Right when I was reminded that I had to explain this to him. Life was cruel.


    Wanda, having noticed I was being pulled away, put on a mean grin and waved to me.


    Emily, don''t. At least let me prepare myself mentally. Stop. Please!


    "Uncle! Uncle!"


    "Mh? Emily, huh... So you girls are really back."


    Shortly after Emily kidnapped me I found myself in front of a sour-faced Korwen. It had barely been a day but he looked a lot more worn out than yesterday.


    "And Yumi too. Haa... Give me a moment..."


    Korwen heaved up his mug and gulped down its contents audibly.


    "Uncle, Uncle! You''re fine!"


    "Of course, I''m fine. What did you think I would be? I''m only being overworked to death, but I''m fine. Believe me."


    "You can die from overwork?"


    "Yes, Emily. You can."


    His mood was... bad. He grumpily refilled his mug and downed it immediately again.


    "Emily, do me a favour and bring Maya and Sele over, yes?"


    "I can do that! I''ll bring them right over!"


    And then she dashed away at his request.


    "Energetic as always, makes me jealous."


    "..."


    He refilled his mug yet again. At least, this time he wasn''t downing it immediately, but instead prepared a second mug and handed it to me.


    "Join me for a little."


    "Nn..."


    He pushed the mug into my hands, not allowing me to refuse.


    I took a small sip... and winced. Whatever this was, it burnt like hell. My throat hurt.


    "Heh, not used to it, eh? Can''t blame you, it''s a pretty strong one."


    "The heck... is this..."


    "It''s called Forest Fire. Ale from beyond the wooden sea. Said to be some of the strongest stuff around."


    A wildfire. A literal wildfire. I quite liked alcohol but this... this was too much for me to handle.


    I put the mug on the nearby table and pretended it didn''t exist. Maybe some poor sod would later find this and attempt to drink it, but that wasn''t any of my concern. Korwen just watched me, not saying anything. A short silence followed before he directed his attention to me.


    "So?"


    "Nn?"


    "Why are you girls back?"


    "..."


    Of course, he''d ask. For all intents and purposes, none of us really thought we''d come back. So, asking why was only the natural course of events. And... I probably should tell him properly... Sending Emily away was likely for this too...


    "Can''t tell me?"


    "No, that''s not..."


    It really was hard to tell it to his face... But I had to... I braced myself, taking a deep breath, and told him everything. Well, everything important. That we had gone to the capital, that we had a talk, about the incident with the three girls and the following preparations, what Greyward had told us... pretty much everything. Well, I did exclude my little trip to the festival with Karen.


    Korwen silently listened to it all, not interrupting me a single time.


    "... and that''s about it."


    "... I see."


    He didn''t say anything else. Instead, he took out one of his cigars, lit it, and began smoking.


    "Yumi."


    "N¡ª Nn?"


    "I thought you''re naive."


    Oh, did the whole thing better his view of me? I couldn''t quite understand how that would happen, but I wholeheartedly welcomed it.


    "Turns out you''re incredibly stupid as well."


    "..."


    Apparently, he wasn''t going to praise me.


    "I am fairly certain we talked about this in the very beginning in Arkesta. You girls have no training, you can barely fight. There are things you can do, yes. But you''re still mostly useless. Even the three little ones can at most defend themselves."


    "..."


    That hurt. That really hurt. Even if it was true.


    "You girls worrying about us, that''s an insult."


    "Eh?"


    An... insult?


    "We''re trained soldiers. Risking our lives is our living and most of us take pride in our work. It''s not the most savoury work, but it is our work. Having you girls worry about us and coming here out of worry is a slap in the face. You''re nothing but amateurs."


    He puffed out the smoke of his cigar and pointed at me with the tip.


    "Not to mention, you came here because the little ones threw a tantrum? Are you making fun of me? I sent you all away to get to safety and you came here because you gave in to a temper tantrum? Are you stupid? Are you a complete moron?"


    He shook his head in exasperation.


    "Seems I gave you too much credit. That was my mistake. I didn''t expect the girls to throw a tantrum but neither did I expect you to give in to them either."


    "..."


    I... didn''t know what to say. I really didn''t. It felt like I was a little kid being scolded. But... that''s basically what it was. Even though I wasn''t a little kid... He was scolding me.


    I could only blankly stare at him, letting the words slowly set in.


    And... he''s not wrong... is he...


    I really hadn''t thought this through, about how they were feeling, about their intentions... I... did something bad... apparently...


    "Haa... What''s done is done now. Still, I''m pretty angry, just so you know."


    "... I''m sorry."


    "You better be. You''re the oldest one of your little group. If you can''t get a grip, you''re just going to make things worse. Not knowing anything or not being familiar with things, that excuse isn''t going to fly. What would have happened if there was a serious battle here? Could you take responsibility? Could you take responsibility when one of the girls you want to protect so much dies? What you''re doing is pure hypocrisy, Yumi."


    He took another drag from his cigar.


    "You''re an adult, then act like one. This world isn''t forgiving and that attitude is going to get someone killed sooner or later. Understood?"


    "..."


    "I asked if you understood!"


    "Nn..."


    "Answer properly!"


    "Y, yes!"


    "No stuttering!"


    "Yes!"


    "Answer with ''Yes, Captain!'' or ''Understood, Captain!''"


    "Yes, Captain!"


    He raised his voice, literally shouted. The forceful order made me stand as straight as a candle out of reflex.


    "Mh, that''s good enough for now. Have Merim teach you how to properly salute later. You chose this path, so I will treat you like you did. That''s what you wanted after all. And since you ignored my order to carefully think about the future, I''ll have to punish you."


    "P, punish?"


    "Let''s see... Until you can manage to at least beat Merim in a physical fight¡ªno magic nor weapons¡ªyou''ll have to work as my secretary and accountant. Yes, that''s a good idea."


    He put on a cruel grin before extinguishing the stump of his cigar.


    "I won''t be so soft anymore. You''re the kind that needs to be put on a leash and hit with a stick to understand. Don''t expect me to be nice anymore. You lost that chance."


    "Uhm, I''d prefer no stick..."


    "Did you say something?"


    "N, no..."


    "Where''s the ''Captain''? Do it again!"


    "N, no, Captain."


    "No stuttering! Again!"


    "No, Captain!"


    The way he glared down at me was scary. I had made him really angry,  didn''t I...


    "Mh, good enough. Then let''s get to work."


    He downed the remaining contents of his mug and slammed it onto the nearby table.


    "I''ll scold the others later. There are unfortunately more important things for now. Come."


    He didn''t even look at me as he passed me.


    I... I''ve really done it now...


    The spot he led me to was actually only a few meters away, near a small tent they had erected. But what awaited me there was hell. No wonder he had been in a bad mood even before I had told him everything. A table covered with dozens of documents and even more notes with calculations. There were also some that seemed to be letters with orders, requests and the like.


    He handed me a small stack of papers with calculations. At first, I thought this was a supply list or something, similar to what I had to go through back in the warehouse. Unfortunately, though, it wasn''t quite the same.


    "Captain, these are... damages from the fort and a request form?"


    "Correct. Sum up the damages, especially the material damage. Then, go confirm with the person in charge from the army about the materials that need to be requested, fill out the order form, calculate the expected total cost. Don''t mind things like transport costs, for now, only sum up the materials."


    "Haa..."


    "Your answer?"


    "... U, Understood, Captain."


    "..."


    "Understood, Captain!"


    The sudden glare he shot me terrified me. I really had to be careful from now on...


    "Yumi! Uncle!"


    From the distance, Emily approached, together with Maya and Sele. They were in a good mood. For now, they still were. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Korwen turning to them, looking completely unamused. This wasn''t going to end well. This definitely wasn''t going to end well for them.


    "I''ll... go do my work..."


    It was high time to escape. I felt sorry for the three since I knew what was coming to them now but I didn''t want to get roped in another time. Korwen didn''t answer and just let me leave. Maybe he hadn''t even heard it. Meanwhile, Emily was shouting after me, most likely wondering why I was running away, but I didn''t dare to turn around now.


    I''m sorry, Emily, Maya, Sele. I wish you good luck. May we meet again, preferably alive.


    It didn''t take long for me to find a small, unoccupied table where I could work on these documents.


    "Haa..."


    I sat on the bench and slumped down onto the table. Finally alone again.


    Responsibility...


    Who would take responsibility if someone had died... Getting ourselves killed would be the opposite of what we had wanted to achieve... He was so correct that it hurt. I really was doing a horrible job of being the eldest of our small group. I should''ve properly listened to Karen when she refused to return at first.


    "My, my, all down from being scolded? Dear, must''ve hit close to home."


    "..."


    Something appeared. Something I didn''t want to talk with, right now. I had completely forgotten she was still here at the fort too. Even so, she was probably the last person I wanted to see at the moment. Just listening to her devil-may-care tone already irritated me.


    "Not going to answer? You make me sad, dear. I''ll cry."


    "..."


    "Dear? I''ll really cry, you know. I''ll bawl loud enough for the entire fort to hear and I''ll scream that this child of mine was at fault."


    "..."


    "..."


    I didn''t feel like humouring her. For all I cared, she could bawl and tell everyone if she wanted to.


    "My, my... Seems you''re not in a good mood."


    Suddenly she dropped her flippant attitude and sat down opposite of me. She circled her finger in the air, making a drinking glass appear together with a glass bottle. Without saying another word she filled her glass and enjoyed her drink. I kind of wanted to know what magic could even make things appear out of thin air but...


    Yumias never tells the full truth. That''s what Greyward said.


    Seeing her being silent, she really only gave the impression of a little girl enjoying her drink. But she was more than that...


    "Aren''t you going to do your work? He''ll scold you again."


    "..."


    A little irritated at her attitude, I turned my attention to the documents in front of me. As much as I hated to admit it, her words were correct... I should go through these before he''d scold me again. Leaving myself to fate, I took the first sheet and took a good look at it. There were dozens of various things listed, from the damage to the gate and the wall to minor injuries and the aftermath of the curse. All of them were listed with the estimated costs up to this day.


    Props to whoever listed these. They really went into detail, huh... Nn? Wait...


    My gratitude disappeared as quickly as it had come. They hadn''t gone into detail. There were prices listed and the amount of material damage. But the prices weren''t the total of the related material... but the expected price of a small amount of this material. It was like telling me what one bottle of water would cost while I had to know the price for dozens of bottles...


    Oh great, this will take time. Actually... How much is a Centner? Actually, what is a Centner? Or what is a Klafter? Help!


    This had never been important to me but... they didn''t use a system of measurements I was familiar with. I knew they calculated the time a little different but... Yeah, of course, everything else would be different too...


    What do I do now... I don''t know how much these units are and how I calculate with them... Like, which one is even for weight and which for length...


    I''d have to ask someone... Someone who wasn''t this person sitting opposite me and was leisurely drinking soda. Soda...


    "Is something the matter? Do you want some?"


    "..."


    She lifted the glass with the black soda, shaking it a little to draw my attention. The soda looked incredibly familiar.


    Truth be told, that offer was incredibly tempting. Who knew when I''d have the next chance for this. Probably never. Or at least, not without going through her...


    "... No."


    "Oh?"


    Still, I wasn''t in the mood for it at all. I envied people who could just let things go. With a sigh, I turned back to the papers. I really needed someone to teach me first... Better go and look for someone. I sorted them back into a stack and left the table.


    "Hey, you leaving me alone?"


    "..."


    No energy to deal with her, even if she dropped her annoying attitude for once. What was the deal with her anyway... Every time I see her she behaved differently. Or was she just moody? I didn''t understand it in the least...


    No, that doesn''t really matter now... I need someone to teach me the measurement units...


    I shook my head and chased the thoughts away. It was time to look for someone...


    "Measurement units?"


    "Nn."


    "You mean, like weight or length of something?"


    "Nn."


    It took some time but I found Lily, who had stayed behind with Greyward. She had already heard of the story with the bridge too, albeit she hadn''t gone to take a loot yet.


    "Mh, give me a paper, I''ll write them out."


    "Ohh, thank you, Lily."


    I handed her one of the papers, with the empty backside up. I didn''t have any empty sheets so that would have to do.


    "Ehh, do you have a pen?"


    "..."


    "Give me one moment."


    With a wry smile, Lily disappeared around a corner and came back a minute later, pen in hand. It was a little embarrassing that I had forgotten such a vital thing... When it rains, it pours...


    "You can take this one, it''s one of Papa''s. He never uses them anyway."


    "Nn, thank you. Should I return it later?"


    "Mh, might be better, yes. You can ask him if you can keep it too, though. Like I said, he never uses them, he still uses a feather pen."


    "Okay."


    A feather pen, huh. That sounded interesting. But also like a pain to use.


    Lily took the sheet and swiftly wrote a few words on it. Apparently, a Centner was a weight unit and a Klafter was for distance. I asked her how much a Klafter actually was but... half a dozen grown men''s feet... was incredibly vague.


    She finished writing up all the important units and how much each unit was compared to the higher or lower denominations. Surprisingly detailed considering how quick she did this. Then again, these units were probably normal for everyone...


    "Ah, right, Yumi. I saw the three little ones just now with the captain."


    "..."


    "They were crying and the Captain seemed quite angry with them."


    "..."


    Lily tilted her head on confusion. At least she hadn''t gone to ask them what was going on. Would have expected her to do that, though.


    "Yumi. Do you know anything about that."


    "... It was hell. He is angry at us."


    "... Why?"


    Should I tell her? I probably should. But on the other side, she also hadn''t thought things through, just like me, and she was technically the next oldest one. The only one who had tried to protest was Karen. Maybe it was better to just let her get scolded as well. She should share my suffering. Yes, that was a good idea. Share the pain.


    "I''m sure you''ll find out."


    "... I think I''ll try to avoid him for the day."


    "Good luck."


    I very much doubted that she could avoid him all day. And I doubted even more that he wouldn''t scold her tomorrow. Albeit he might be in a slightly better mood.


    "Then, I''ll get back to help Papa. Good luck with your work."


    "Thank you."


    The very moment Lily spotted her adoptive father in the distance, she dashed away, as if the previous discussion had never happened.


    Oh well... I guess I''ll have to comfort the three little ones later... Although I''d like to get comforted as well...


    I sat down on the next nearest table and spread the documents out in front of me.


    Time to get this done...


    Rinne


    And here goes this months extra chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Contemplations

    "Mh, some of the cannons got damaged, so if possible I''d like you to add them."


    "Cannons? How many? And how much do cannons even cost?"


    "No idea, isn''t that your job to know?"


    "..."


    "Oh right, don''t forget to add cannonballs and boomstick powder as well."


    "What the heck is boomstick powder?"


    "Ah, sorry, it''s our nickname for it. What was the correct name again... Ah, right. Coal powder! It was coal powder. The stuff that makes the cannon go boom."


    This guy did everything he could to make my life harder. And he put in some real effort for that.


    "And if you''re already on it, you can add some good food. Our provisions are slowly running out and eating those stale rations is horrible. You understand that, right?"


    "Your food. Aren''t. Damages. Buy it yourself."


    "Come on, you can join us in that feast."


    "No thanks."


    "You sure? I''m sure it''ll be awesome, the feast, and the night."


    The man closed in a little with a grin.


    "No, thank you. Could you please keep your distance?"


    "Now, don''t be such a killjoy. It''ll be an unforgettable evening, I promise. I''m really good at it."


    "I do not care whether you are good at anything. If that''s all I''ll take my leave."


    "Now, now, you''re a cute girl, wouldn''t it be a shame to stay with those old mercenaries? I''ll take good care of you."


    "I already have someone important to me. Bye."


    I quickly turned around and attempted to leave. Unfortunately, this guy didn''t know when to give up.


    "Hey, hey, why not ditch that guy and instead come with me. I''m sure I''m a lot better than that one."


    First of all, Sis isn''t some guy. Second, holy shit, are you narcissistic.


    My already bad mood only turned worse the longer I had to deal with this guy. Who even put this moron in charge? My first impression hadn''t been that bad, actually. It took me pretty long to finish up those documents so I only wanted to confirm everything was in order. And it was mostly in order, this idiot here confirmed it.


    Somehow, though, in the middle of our discussion, his tune changed completely. And now he was very clearly trying to hit on me.


    "Wait, wait, don''t be shy now!"


    "..."


    The guy was still running after me. What should one do in such a situation? Scream? Kick him? Honestly, kicking him would probably feel very satisfying right now. Maybe I should. No, I would just take out at my anger at this idiot. Then again, maybe that was fine too...


    To my luck, the situation quickly resolved itself though. He suddenly clicked his tongue, having spotted something behind me, and left. I took a fleeting glance behind me, but he was already gone from sight.


    The heck was that about?


    "Oh? Miss... Yu... mi?"


    "Nn?"


    A voice called out to me from nearby. A familiar voice.


    "Oh? Ah. Uhm... Hi... Fenna."


    "Hello, Miss Yumi..."


    Today was really not my day. It had been my own fault and everything but still. What should I do now? Wanda had told me that Fenna was really down afterwards.


    "..."


    "..."


    Awkward silence ensued as we just faced each other. It took some time before one of us broke the silence. And it wasn''t me who did.


    "I heard from the Captain. That you''re back."


    "Nn..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Fenna walked up to, me standing right in front of me. What was she going to do now? Scold me as well? Or maybe something else? Please do¡ª


    "... Fenna?"


    "Yes?"


    "Why are you hugging me?"


    "I wonder why."


    She had come up to me and, without a word, simply hugged me.


    "Aren''t you... going to say something?"


    "Do you want me to?"


    "..."


    She gently stroked the back of my head. She said nothing, simply continuing. Not scolding me, not reprimanding me, nothing. No, instead she was comforting me.


    "Uhh... Fenna, this is¡ª


    "Shh, just keep quiet for a bit."


    She pressed my face into her chest, effectively silencing me. Letting me go was clearly not an option she was going to consider. Helpless as I was I could only wait she would let me go.


    Be that as it may, this is... a little comforting...


    I thought for sure, she''d scold me, the same as Korwen did. But she didn''t. Instead, my body slowly relaxed in her comforting embrace.


    "Better now?"


    "... I wasn''t feeling unwell."


    "Are you seriously telling me that with such a miserable expression?"


    "..."


    "Come, at least wipe your nose."


    She produced a small piece of cloth from somewhere and wiped my face with it. I hadn''t cried or anything, really. Really...


    No, in reality I had, a little.


    "And all better. Really, you''re such a piece of work."


    "... Sorry."


    "It''s fine."


    She ruffled my hair with a large grin.


    "As long as you feel better now."


    "Nn. Thank you, Fenna. And... sorry."


    "Don''t apologise. There''s no reason for you to do so."


    "But..."


    "Don''t. I know that the captain scolded you, and that''s enough, isn''t it? You''re blowing this out of proportion, Yumi. Nobody died."


    Did I blow it out of proportion? But...


    "Instead of apologising, you should keep it in mind for the future, shouldn''t you?"


    "Nn..."


    "That''s a better look already. Come, smile, smile."


    I gave her the best smile I could muster, though I was sure it was still looking forced.


    "Mhm, good. Good."


    She returned a gentle smile of her own.


    "Welcome back, Yumi."


    "Nn. I''m back."


    "Really, you girls surprised me. I was quite shocked to hear that you were back here."


    "Ahaha..."


    "Still... If I''m honest, I''m a little glad."


    "Nn?"


    She was... glad? That wasn''t the reaction I had expected, at all.


    "There aren''t many women around, after all. I''ll always be happy about some more company."


    "Ahh..."


    "... For real though, I''m sure it''d feel a little lonely, without those children, and without you, Miss Karen and Miss Lily."


    "Lonely?"


    Her smile turned wry.


    "A little, yes. You''re all good people, it''s a little... refreshing."


    "Aren''t you just calling us naive?"


    "I am. But, I don''t dislike that, you know. In its own way, it is something precious."


    She turned around, looking in the direction that the unpleasant man had disappeared to.


    "You shouldn''t worry too much about it, the Captain is just worried about you all in his own ways. As long as you take it to heart, you''ll be fine."


    "... Nn."


    "Speaking of which, I saw Miss Lily earlier. It was her turn with the captain."


    So she failed to escape him. Not that I was surprised about it.


    "The three girls were put under house arrest for now, as punishment."


    "House arrest?"


    "Yes... For the captain, those three girls are like his own children. He tends to be quite soft on them. Well, I think it was also his own fault for spoiling them... Maybe he learnt a little from it as well."


    "Ahaha..."


    So I probably wasn''t going to see the three for a while, if they were under house arrest... Speaking of which, that reminded me of my own punishment.


    "Fenna... How strong is Merim? The vice-captain?"


    "Pretty strong, why do you ask?"


    "... I have to work as the captain''s secretary until I can win against him."


    "... Yeah, that''s probably going to take a while."


    "..."


    Great. Well, I had to work hard then.


    I''ll come for you, Merim. Just wait!


    "But secretary, huh. Well... That might actually suit you."


    "Nn?"


    "Are those paper stacks about your work?"


    "Nn... The damage reports."


    I had to make some corrections for the cannons and some other minor things, but that probably wouldn''t take long.


    "Nn, Fenna. You wouldn''t happen to know how expensive a cannon is, right?"


    "Expensive. But how much exactly, no idea."


    "How unfortunate."


    "Didn''t you ask the man in charge?"


    "I did. He couldn''t tell me."


    Or rather, he didn''t care enough to think about it. So I had to look for someone who actually knew how much those would cost...


    "Mh... If it''s only the cannons, you could probably omit them for now. The captain probably won''t expect a perfect report anyway. And it''s better you get it to him earlier."


    "Nn... I see..."


    I would''ve liked to at least finish this up without any problems, but... If it would take me forever to figure out the expected costs, it''d completely defeat the purpose.


    "With that said, I don''t want to keep you any longer. I still have some things to do as well."


    "Nn. Okay. And... thank you, Fenna."


    "You''re welcome. Ah, right, before I forget. The other women from my squad and I usually drink together in the evening. You''re welcome to join us."


    "... I''ll try to come."


    "Awesome. Then, see you later!"


    She walked away, waving her hand a few times and then disappeared around the corner.


    "... Time to get these finished."


    In a slightly better mood, I made my way back to the mercenary camp. Despite the whole incident, not much had changed. In the end, there had been no real clash between either side. The disappointment showed in the faces of the mercenaries, but for the soldiers, their faces were mostly painted in relief.


    Not too surprising. They had some really hard weeks behind them.


    First, their comrades fell ill one after another and then there had been a traitor among their own. In the end, they even had to fear an assault on the fort.


    And then we got these guys...


    The mercenaries had all been so excited at the prospect of fighting and now their excitement had nowhere to go... None of them complained though. In fact, I even overheard some of them laughing at the Akkians for wasting all their effort and things like that. Regardless, it must have been a complicated feeling for them...


    I can relate a little, though. We got ourselves so worked up and now? It had all gone to waste, and we only got scolded. Life''s cruel sometimes.


    But like Fenna said, I should take this as a lesson. I had acted quite immature, in various ways. I should properly think it through the next time. And maybe I should actually listen to Karen next time.


    Smiling wryly to myself, I entered the camp and searched for a free spot to sit down at. But not before I found something quite unexpected.


    Nn? Those people over there. They look familiar...


    A group of adults, clearly neither soldiers nor mercenaries, was talking with Korwen. Lily was nowhere near so the lecture probably finished already.


    I''m a little curious... Ah, but it''d be bad to show up without having finished my work...


    Reluctant as I was, he''d probably only scold me again if I didn''t finish this task... Although, as luck would have it, there was a nearby free table. They were still quite a bit away, so I couldn''t eavesdrop, but I could still observe them a little while doing my own work. Two birds with one stone.


    Getting too distracted would be bad, though. Let''s make the corrections quickly and see what is going on for myself.


    The corrections were mostly rather simple anyway. The annoying man had nothing to say in regards to the calculations, in fact, I had the suspicion that he wasn''t able to calculate quickly enough to check anyway. He only corrected a few of the initial amounts and added some things to the list.


    Putting the cheat sheet that Lily made for me right next to the stack, I began the last part of my work.


    "Aaaand... Done."


    The work was done and over with. Screw this measurement system. I wanted a reasonable one, any reasonable system would have been fine. Not one that had a dozen different units for everything. And the worst? The way some units were used made no sense. If you got a three steps long piece of lumber that''s great and all... but what about the width and height? For all I knew, it could be a ten-metre width piece...


    Well, I can only hope there are standards to these... Like the piece of lumber being ten centimetre wide and high or so...


    Didn''t change the fact that I had no idea how much it was in reality. Then again, I didn''t really have any idea how to imagine the weigths and lengths anyway... Steps and feet were easy, so it helped a little with length, but for weight... I gave up understanding it after a while.


    So I calculated everything and done... Nobody had asked me to explain this to them anyway. The Captain, or whoever was going to deal with this afterwards, would surely figure it out themselves...


    Now, since I''m done here...


    It was time to take a look at those unknown, yet slightly familiar group of people. The Captain was still talking with them. There seemed to be some kind of problem. Honestly, from the looks of it, Korwen''s mood had worsened even more.


    Please don''t pop a vein, Captain. I don''t know what is going on, but you can do it.


    I grabbed the stack of papers and made my way to them. It didn''t take long until I could finally make out their words.


    "¡ªt''s not possible, good sir. We don''t have any people to spare and the trek through the forest is dangerous."


    "I don''t care about your little problems! They''re our future! Who cares if some measly humans die!"


    "... I already told you, they are safe and sound at the capital. Once we have finished our business here, we will escort you there."


    "Who would believe the words of some human! Bring us there! That''s an order!"


    "You are not my superior or anything, good sir."


    "You''re just a lowly human! Don''t you dare defy us!"


    Wow. No wonder his mood worsened. Seeing him argue with the pretty old man in front of him, I finally remembered why they were so familiar. They were the former refugees slash brigands that we had met on our way to the Hollow Bridge. I had completely forgotten they existed...


    "Good sir, we cannot comply with your... request. Please understand. If there''s nothing else, I would appreciate it if we could wrap this up."


    "It wasn''t a request! It was an order! Pah! A human like you can never get things done right. I''ll just get the men myself then!"


    "Please don''t let me stop you. Good luck."


    The old man walked simply past Korwen, without even giving him a single glance anymore. Instead, that glance was directed at me.


    "Filthy humans, even their children only know how to fight. Stay away from me!"


    He shoved me to the side. I nearly fell onto my butt from the force, yet he only regarded me with an unpleasant glance and walked, or rather stomped, away.


    At least apologise, you old fart...


    "Haa... Yumi... You''re... done?"


    "Ah, Captain... Yes, I''m finished with these."


    With a complicated expression, he walked up to me and put his hands on my shoulders. He looked veritably miserable with dark bags below his eyes.


    "Yumi."


    "Y, Y, Yes?"


    "I''m sorry."


    "... Eh?"


    "If I had known how unreasonable it was on you... I''m sorry..."


    Suddenly he aplogised! Why?!


    "The little ones made a huge ruckus and bawled their eyes out. Lily escaped and Karen, who I thought was the only reasonable one..."


    He shook his head in exasperation.


    Sis. The heck did you do to him?! And Lily did escape in the end... Wait, one of them is missing...


    "What about Rina?"


    "... She cried without saying a word. My wife saw that and I got hit."


    "..."


    Just... What the heck had even happened? It had barely been two earth hours since then? How did his day turn that bad in such a short time? I really felt sorry for him now.


    He... actually has a way worse day than I do... doesn''t he? Oh man, now I feel bad...


    What should one say in such a situation? Ehh...


    "Nevermind that, it''ll work out. Surely. Surely. Yes, it will..."


    He tried to convince himself...


    "... More importantly, those documents. You are done with them?"


    "Ah, yes... I talked with the soldier from the fort who was in charge... A few things had to be corrected, especially regarding the damage to the wall. Also... they wanted me to add cannons to the list but I have no idea how much one of those even cost..."


    "Cannons... They are pretty expensive... A cheap one goes for two gold coins but those bring more harm than good. Worst case they explode on the spot and kill everyone around them. But a good one is at least five. Probably more towards seven or eight."


    "That''s... really expensive."


    How many months would I have to work for even one of those? Quite a few...


    "That''s not even the worst. Cannonballs cost easily ten to twenty silver per piece. The glowpowder also costs around six gold per bag."


    "Six? That''s... a lot... Uhm, is this glowpowder the powder used to... ignite the cannon?"


    "Yes. Surprised you know how it works."


    "Ahaha..."


    Cannons existed in my old world as well, after all. And the stupid man from earlier didn''t even get the name right for the powder...


    "But, wouldn''t it be easier to use magic to launch the cannonballs?"


    "No. The amount of mana needed would by far exceed the capabilities of any normal person. You''d need a mage for that. And if you have a mage, it''s easier to have them actually cast spells instead of wasting mana on the cannon."


    "Ohhh..."


    That made sense. Even with magic, there was a use for weapons that didn''t rely on it. But with this much of a cost, no wonder that only a country could afford them.


    "How many cannons did he request?"


    "Four."


    "That''s going to be expensive... With that said, we have no connections to any cannon builders, so we can''t help either way. Strike it from the list and write it on a separate piece for now."


    "Okay."


    "... You know, you dropped the ''Captain'' pretty quickly."


    "Ah."


    Right. I forgot. I just wasn''t used to this at all but to think I had already forgotten this quickly.


    "It''s fine. As I said, I''m sorry about it too. I let out my own anger out at you..."


    "No, Captain. You were right about it. It was my fault. I should have thought things through."


    "Hoo? That''s probably the most mature thing I''ve heard you say so far."


    "Captain. I know I''m pretty immature, but I''m still an adult."


    "You don''t act like one, most of the time."


    "..."


    Couldn''t argue with that. I did feel pretty bad about it. I was trying my best, of course. Well, emphasis on trying.


    "Yumi. Do you know the most important difference between an adult and a child?"


    "The most important difference? One is mature and the other isn''t?"


    "No, not like that. More like, why is one mature and the other isn''t?"


    "That''s... I don''t know."


    The difference between an adult and child... was it... And their level of maturity... I couldn''t really think of an answer on the spot...


    A child was someone who wasn''t yet an adult going through puberty and learning things about the world and such things.


    "It''s the number of life experiences they have."


    "Life... experiences?"


    "Yes. A child who had a hard, horrible life might act as cunning and mature as an adult does. And an adult who never had to worry for a thing in life might act like a little naive child."


    "So... you are saying I lack in life experiences?"


    "You do. The other girls do, many of my men do, most of us lack in them, even I do."


    A lack of life experience. True, compared to the average inhabitant of this world, I had probably lived a rather worry-free life. Before I came here. That was, assuming that dream from back then was just a dream...


    "Mistakes happen. When you are still a child, people will usually forgive you. But once you become an adult, they expect perfection incarnate. Failure is not tolerated. But mistakes will happen. Even adults are unable to be as perfect as they believe to be. That''s why it''s important to learn from mistakes. This time your mistake was small, and nothing truly bad resulted from it. That was your luck. And that is why you should learn from it."


    "But... if it weren''t for this mistake, we might have ended up living in the capital..."


    "No... After talking with the other girls, I''m fairly sure you would''ve ended up with us anyway..."


    "Eh?"


    But... Karen was likely against it... Lily... probably would''ve wanted to stay so she can be with Greyward and Yumias. Emily, Maya and Sele very clearly wanted to stay as well. And Rina? Well, if the talk about revenge was to be believed, then staying with the mercenaries was her best bet as well.


    Eh? Seriously? Karen would''ve been the only one against it?


    "By the way, your dear sister Karen most likely would''ve been the one to take charge of staying here with us."


    "... Excuse me?"


    "That girl... the moment I told her about the average wages from a normal job in the capital she immediately changed her tune. The Academy pays pretty well but apparently, she got some bad impression of it... And there aren''t many other jobs that pay that well... Even more so if you lack connections."


    "..."


    Ah. Money. It was money. Right... Money... I knew money was important to her but... Really? Really, Karen? You had been so against it yesterday, and now you accepted it because of our wages?


    "Maybe I should''ve paid you girls less. That reminds me, if you do the accounting job properly I''ll raise your wage."


    "And now you added another reason for us staying."


    "It''s not like I want to chase you girls out, you know? There just are plenty of safer jobs around. Well, it was my mistake that I thought I could shove Maya, Emily and Sele away with you all. I underestimated them a little."


    "... Maya was crying quite a lot."


    She really had been crying a lot. Well, that was to be expected from a ten-year-old little girl. They are children, in the end. Reason wasn''t always going to work with children. In fact, thinking about it, I actually felt a little relieved about it. They acted too mature in these kinds of matters. Just like Korwen told me, they too had... quite the amount of life experiences already... Alas, that hadn''t changed the fact that I had acted like an idiot in response...


    "Haa... They''re really a piece of work."


    So he said, but there was a small smile on his face. He didn''t dislike it at all, that they cried out of worry for him and the others, did he? He wasn''t really true to himself either, huh...


    Or, maybe he was just relieved that they still had that bit of unreasonable childishness with them as well.


    "Well, be that as it may, it was still wrong of them to throw a tantrum like that. They''ll stay under house arrest as punishment for now."


    "Ahaha..."


    "I still have to think of what to do with the other three..."


    "Don''t be too hard on them..."


    "That''s impossible. It''s not punishment otherwise."


    That was true. But punishment could be too hard as well.


    "In any case, I''ll think about that later. I really don''t want to hear anything about that anymore for today! Seriously! First I had to deal with those Akkians, then Yumias made a mess, Ruben shoved his work on me, you girls made another mess and now those refugees we picked up think they are our superiors. I can''t deal with this shit anymore."


    "... Yumias made a mess?"


    "Don''t. Ask. Seriously. Don''t. Ask."


    "Nn... Understood..."


    That was some intense glare he directed at me.  Just what had she done this time...


    But at least now I finally had confirmation who those people were he had been talking with. They really were the refugees who had become footpads. We brought their children to the capital but it was good to see that the others were fine as well. They somehow made it through, huh.


    And then proceeded to make Korwen''s life harder...


    "Let''s talk about something more comfortable."


    "Uhm... Captain... Isn''t there still work left?"


    "I''m on break. Starting now. And you''re going to join me. That''s an order."


    "..."


    "Your answer?"


    "Yes, Captain..."


    He turned on his heels and walked away. With a wry smile, I followed after him. It didn''t take long until he sat down at the very same table where he had scolded me earlier. The mug with the Forest Fire was still there as well. And the contents hadn''t dwindled even the slightest bit. The fact that he shoved that abomination in my direction wasn''t making it any better.


    "Drink up, it''s yours."


    "... It surely has gone stale already, so I''ll refrain."


    "It won''t go stale just because you let it stand for an hour. Either way, this stuff won''t go stale even after a week."


    That wasn''t how a beverage should behave. I''d be seriously worried if it was still fine after an entire week.


    Reluctantly, I sat down, the terrifying mug right in front of me. The stuff had a slight green colour, similar to leaves. Nothing you''d expect to burn your throat into cinders.


    "That armour..."


    "Nn?"


    "Wasn''t that the armour that Lily used to wear?"


    "Ah, yes. Kohno from the Black Guards adjusted it for me."


    "Huh."


    He filled his mug with the greenish abomination.


    "I did talk with Greyward about the whole thing, but to think he''d already managed something to this level."


    "We were in a little bit of a hurry, so this still is only makeshift."


    "A hurry?"


    Korwen furrowed his brows.


    "A hurry? Why were you in a hurry?"


    "Well, Greyward said you told them to come back. And when they heard the rumbling, he hurried the preparations."


    "The rumbling? Did you hear the collapsing cliff in the capital?"


    "We did. It caused a little bit of a commotion in the city."


    He rubbed his temples.


    "I will pretend I haven''t heard that. I will have heard it tomorrow but I sure haven''t heard it now."


    "... Nn."


    The great escape from reality.


    "Haaa... Speaking of which... When we get back we''ll have to look for the magic craftsman."


    "Nn? The magic craftsman?"


    "Did you already forget? Your hair."


    "... Oh."


    "You completely forgot, didn''t you?"


    I actually hadn''t really forgotten. But I had been so preoccupied with the current situation, that it took me a moment to remember it.


    "How quickly does your hair regrow?"


    "Nn, nearly instantly."


    "Hmm..."


    He lifted his mug and stared at it for a while.


    "Maybe we could sell some of it."


    "Selling it?"


    "Yeah. It should be pretty popular as a material. As long as we keep the quantity low we can claim that we got it from a monster or somewhere. It should earn us some pretty coins."


    "Huh..."


    Selling my hair. I had some slight reluctance towards that. I mean, it was part of my body. Who would just say ''Yes, go ahead.''  to selling a part of your body. Well, it was better than selling my organs or so.


    "But we''ll discuss that when we''re back in the capital. Haa... Today is going to be a long night..."


    "... Today?"


    "Today. We''ll return to the capital overnight."


    "..."


    I stared at the alcohol in my mug. I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the inevitable.


    With all the enthusiasm I could muster, I brought the mug to my lips and downed the alcohol.


    "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Haaaa! Water! I need water!"


    "... Are you a retard? You are, aren''t you?"


    He handed me his waterskin. I didn''t even have time to thank him for it as I quickly cleaned my throat with that water.


    "Haaa... Haa... Thank... you..."


    "... You''re welcome."


    I returned the waterskin to the bewildered Korwen.


    Still breathing heavily, I turned my gaze to the sky.


    What! Was! The! Purpose! Of! Coming! Here!


    Ahhhhhh!


    We had literally come... for nothing.


    Rinne


    The new month is here and with that: I wish everyone a happy first Advent. Christmas is now slowly closing in.


    And like usual with the new month:


    If you enjoy the story, I''d be glad if you could take a look at my Patreon! I''d be really happy if you were to support me!


    This month is still a little short for the extra chapter too.


    Thank you all for reading! Have a nice week!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Ramblings

    "Yumi! Yu... Wake up!"


    "... Ugh."


    "Yumi! Ahh, what... do now?"


    "Let''s call... won''t like it but... she''s like this..."


    Distant voices were surrounding me. As if I was listening from underwater to others talking.


    "I''ll... and... Take care... okay?"


    "... wait here."


    I could vaguely hear some footsteps. They probably left, whoever it had been. But that didn''t matter to me. I just felt awfully tired and sleepy. I wanted to sleep, to sleep and forget everything...


    "Captain, why... her... until... this wasted?"


    "... break. Didn''t... would get this..."


    "Please... drink Forest... again."


    "...sorry. It was out... expectations. She... really fast."


    Couldn''t they shut up? I wanted to sleep. Seriously. It irritated me quite a bit. Ah, but wait. I needed a pillow. Yes, a pillow was definitely necessary for a good nap. Was there something nearby?


    "Hya?! Yu... you doing?!"


    "Mhmm..."


    "... go of... tail."


    I got a pillow. It was a really great pillow to boot. Fluffy and pleasant to touch. It only lacked in volume a little. With some more volume, it would make for a truly heavenly pillow. I kind of wanted a blanket as well now... Surely a blanket was close too.


    "...mi! Don''t... at this!"


    The blanket resisted. Blankets shouldn''t resist, usually. Something was wrong here. But getting the blanket to obey sounded like a pain. No choice then, had to sleep without one.


    "Li... Brought..."


    "Fina... using my... pillow."


    "Let me... take... look..."


    Two new voices joined in. Couldn''t they go away? They were disturbing my sleep. Oh, something warm was suddenly covering me. Was this a blanket? I couldn''t see one but it was still warm, so... it was fine? Time to sleep.


    "...odd. It''s... working."


    "Not? But... that be?"


    "... know... her constitution."


    "... troublesome."


    The warm blanket-like feeling disappeared. What was up with this? First, they gave me a blanket and then they took it away? They were just like Yuu. Damn prankster never let me nap in peace either. Except for the times when Father had been at home but at those times I wasn''t napping anyway. He''d get angry.


    "Who... talking about? She''s..."


    "... if you ask... know."


    "Nevermind... thing. We... to a bed."


    Speaking of which, I haven''t seen Yuu in a while. Hope she was doing well. She used to be such a crybaby... Always following her big brother around.


    "... can take my... with someone nearby."


    "... you, Captain."


    "I''ll... with her."


    Last I heard she was going north, wasn''t she? She really had become quite dependable, huh... Made me a little sad, to be honest. Ahh... Now I wanted to see her. I should visit her soon. Ah, but the trip would take quite some time... Well, I could take a little suffering for her sake. She was my precious little sister after all.


    "... talking about? She... no sense."


    "Maybe... her old..."


    "But... too weird."


    "... meaning of this?"


    "Didn''t... memories? How can..."


    Ah, seriously, could you all please shut up? Sleeping was hard like this. Wait, my pillow! My pillow left! Where did my pillow go?


    "... dream?"


    "Ramblings of..."


    "... pillow again... tail."


    "Let''s just... bed... later."


    The ground disappeared as well. I couldn''t sleep in the air! But... My only choice was to flail around. My head hurt when I did, though, so that wasn''t going to work. Did someone cast a curse on me? That would be a pain... I didn''t want to deal with a bunch of straw dolls again. Or whatever kind of curse that had been. For now, it was probably better to wait and see. Strike when there was a chance. I had to get my pillow back! And I''d bring out all my skills for this! Not like I had many.


    "... this bed?"


    "Yes... her down and... over her... leave in the... doesn''t wake... troublesome."


    "That''s... fault. Don''t make... blame..."


    "Yes... apologise... won''t... again."


    Oh? The ground returned to me and it was many times fluffier than before. How did that happen? Did the ground turn to pudding? That would be great. Maybe it was edible?


    "... don''t eat... mi!"


    "Gaha... haha! Did she... food?"


    "Seems... it."


    Conclusion: It wasn''t edible. Utter disappointment. But it was still great for a nap. Now, I only needed to get that pillow! There was no escape from me!


    "Hya! Again... my tail?!"


    "... did she even... that?"


    "... hair was..."


    "Impressive... really drunk?"


    "... sure she is."


    Pillow reacquired. Yes, this was perfect. There was something else here that was similar to a pillow and both together were perfect. The other one made up for missing volume. And there was even a blanket now. I had to protect it this time.


    "... her sleep."


    "Good... on her later."


    "Thank..."


    "... want to check... more before..."


    "Let''s... with her."


    Again, footsteps moved into the distance. The surroundings finally fell quiet. Ahh... Finally, I could sleep. Maybe I would dream of Yuu and Mira. It''s really been quite some time already since I saw them the last time. I''m sure they''d be surprised. I wanted to see them. Now I felt a little lonely.


    "Who... are... they?"


    Who was who? Yuu and Mira? They were my troublesome little sisters. Yuu was the youngest and Mira the second youngest. They were so adorable that I wanted to brag about them all the time. Ehehe, I''m sure you''d agree with me if you meet them.


    "Where... are... they?"


    Where? Good question, I hadn''t seen them for a while myself.  Seriously, they could at least call me once in a while. They really didn''t know how troublesome it was without their help. I still had to get used to so many things. But if I had to guess, Yuu wanted to check on something in the north or so? And for Mira... Probably running after her girlfriend again. Who knows where they are this time. I sure wasn''t going to look for them again. Others could bother about that.


    "Name... of... the... north."


    The north? What was it called again... Mh... no good. I couldn''t remember. But why? I was sure it hadn''t been that long since I was there last.


    "When... was... the... last?"


    Probably around... around... around? Weird... Around what? A day? A week? A year? A decade? A century? I couldn''t remember... Weird... Maybe cause my head hurt. It hurt a little too much. Impossible to concentrate with. Either way, I wanted to sleep so could we stop?


    "Only... a few... more..."


    But really only a few, okay? This was a pain in the ass, okay? Why were we even having this quizshow? If you wanted to know you should go and talk with those obnoxious believers. They were annoying but they''d tell you. After you had to listen to a few hours of sermons, of course. But that was better than interrupting my nap.


    "What... religion... believers..."


    What religion? Hell, if I knew, some kind of annoying almighty god. Not like I had ever seen the god in question. You just had to ask them yourself. Those sermons went from one ear in and out the other. Always talking on about how God was going to save you and everything. Sure was lazy nowadays with the saving, though.


    "What¡ª


    "Wait can... ask a.... too?


    "... you want... ahead."


    "Thank..."


    Could you let me sleep now? My head hurt like hell...


    "Did... you... have... a... girlfriend?"


    A girlfriend? Unfortunately not. Even my little sisters got me beat there. And thanks to that we were seen as a huge weirdo family. Seriously, how did this even happen? For all of us siblings to be like this. Wait, actually, I was safe. I was totally safe. I had been safe... Yeah, I had been... Well, for all I cared, men could all disappear. The world had only need for cute girls. Yeah.


    Then again, maybe it was the fault of her influence, that we ended up like this. Yeah, surely that was it.


    "... Her?"


    Well, her. That super annoying, never honest woman. She could be so cute. Always hiding her embarrassment. Too bad she rarely showed that side. And she was an even worse prankster than Yuu. Well, she was good at heart, though. Ah, but... I just can''t agree with her goals... I understood them, logically, but... Anyway, you should ask me some other time. My nap had priority. Why were we even doing this again? I wanted to sleep. Good night.


    "Wait... one... more... What.. year... is it?"


    That really was the last one okay? But the year? If I recalled correctly... Actually, what year was it right now? The year, the year... Ah, right...


    Somewhere around Year...


    "Uuuhh..."


    "Yumi? Yumi! are you awake?!"


    "Don''t shout. Please..."


    Holy crap, my head hurt. Like, seriously. It felt like my head would split open or someone had wedged an axe into my skull. It was a pulsating kind of pain. To make matters worse, the ground was moving and every little bit of shaking made the pain throb even more.


    What kind of hell did I just wake up to? Who hated me this much? Was this torture? It was torture, wasn''t it?


    "Are you fine?"


    "Like hell... I''m fine... Ugh... It hurts..."


    "Karen, give her some water. That should help a little."


    "Ah, right. Here you go, Yumi."


    "Thanks..."


    Karen filled a small mug with some water and handed it to me. I was really thirsty so the water was welcome. After a few gulps, I already felt a little better. Emphasis on a little. My head still hurt like mad.


    "Sis... What happened..."


    "You got drunk."


    "Ugh..."


    Drunk? Then... this was... A hangover? A hangover. God, why? Wait, that damn drink that Korwen had. It was all that drink from hell''s fault!


    "My heeaaad..."


    "Come, lie down again. It''ll be a bit better."


    "Uhh..."


    Karen gently pushed me back onto the bed.


    "Uhh... Where... is this?"


    "The Captain''s wagon. He lent it to us so you could recover."


    "Ohh..."


    I''d love to appreciate that kind gesture but he was also the one who made me drink that abomination. I''d have to burn it. Yeah, definitely had to. Every single drop of that abomination had to disappear from this world.


    "Just go back to sleep."


    "... I doubt... I can sleep... with this shaking..."


    "Ahh..."


    Why was the wagon shaking anyway? Did the wagon move? No... Wait... don''t tell me...


    "Sis... We aren''t leaving already... are we?"


    "..."


    Silence. I glanced over to her, squinting my eyes. Because the light hurt as well. I could only barely make out a strained smile.


    "... How long... was I out?"


    "... Around five hours."


    "..."


    Five hours. Speak ten earth hours. It was evening already. The whole point of this trip. Where was it? Someone, please...


    "When.. did we leave?"


    "Just now."


    Just now. In other words, I woke up at the absolutely worst possible time. At this point, I was willing to do everything to get this over with quickly.


    "Where is... Ria? Can''t she... do something?"


    "That''s..."


    "... You called?"


    A sleepy voice came from behind Karen. Ria''s voice.


    "Ah, Yumi asks if you can''t help her but..."


    "Mm... Impossible."


    "Impo... ssible? But... My head hurts..."


    "I already tried... But you... showed no reaction... to the magic..."


    "..."


    Seriously? The sober-up magic didn''t work on me? Of all the things that didn''t work it had to be that one? That was nice and dandy when you were actually drunk but with a hangover I really would''ve liked that magic right now.


    "Your body... is interesting..."


    "..."


    Did I just hear a very dangerous line? Surely, I was mistaken. Surely.


    "No bones... no liver... How does... your body work?"


    That was a question I''d like the answer to as well. But not now. For the love of everything that was holy, this pain...


    "Ria, please don''t scare her now. Just go back and help Lily."


    "Mm..."


    "Lily''s... here too?"


    "She is. We stayed here and took care of you.


    "Thanks..."


    They were really good to me. Way too good.


    "Just try to sleep if you can."


    "Probably... can''t..."


    Whoever could sleep with these headaches had nerves of steel. No, they were probably even harder and more durable than steel. And unfortunately, those headaches weren''t the only thing.


    "... I feel sick."


    "Yes, we can see that, Yumi."


    "No... I... My stomach..."


    "Oh... Oh, wait... Don''t! Hold it in! Hold it in, please!"


    "Don''t... shout..."


    Shouting only made it worse.


    Karen quickly lifted my upper body. From somewhere, a bucket appeared in front of me.


    And it was right on time.


    The following scene is not presentable. Please imagine a rainbow. My dignity is at stake here. Seriously.


    "Let it all out, Yumi. You''ll feel better."


    She gently tapped on my back after I was done. A sour taste spread in my mouth.


    "Here, some water."


    "Thanks..."


    I took the mug and cleaned my mouth. The bucket disappeared as well and it was as if nothing had ever happened. Yes, nothing had happened.


    Now, I probably vomited more times in the past two weeks than I did the entire year before... Ugh...


    At the very least, now my stomach felt a little better. Even a small improvement was very welcome right now. Didn''t help my head though. Hopefully, it would get better sooner rather than later as well. Whichever god thought to hand out hangovers... Please stop. I''m begging you here.


    Karen gently laid me back down into the bed and stroked my head. Despite my headaches, that actually made me feel a little better. A little better and a little worse...


    "Maybe we should just give Yumi some alcohol to fix it, Karen."


    "Lily, that sounds like an absolutely horrible idea."


    "You sure? The old men from the Black Guards do that every time."


    "... It''s surely better not to do that."


    To be honest, you did feel a little better. At least in my opinion. But you''d still have a hangover again after some time, so Karen was right. Better get it over with now.


    "Well, if alcohol is no good then... Actually, I don''t know... What else can you do?"


    "... Nothing?"


    "Mm... I heard... Apram Tea... can help.... alleviate the symptoms..."


    "Apram Tea? But, Miss Ria, we don''t even have that here, do we?"


    "We don''t..."


    Nice suggestion. Maybe it was better that wasn''t an option either. Most likely, the tea was just as sour as the juice was. Not sure I had the capacity to deal with something similarly disgusting as that juice at the moment.


    "Anything else?" asked Lily.


    "I can''t think of anything else. I never had to deal with a hangover so..."


    "Neither did I."


    "Alcohol is scary..."


    Yes, it was scary, dear Karen. But somehow, you''d still find your way back to it. Well, in moderation you wouldn''t get a hangover so quickly anyway. It only happened when you clearly overdid it. Which I did. No, I was forced to overdo it.


    "Just let her... rest for now..." suggested Ria.


    "... Sorry, Yumi."


    "Nn... It''s fine... Sis."


    Karen stroked my head again, a caring smile on her face. She reminded me of a mother taking care of her sick child.


    "I''ll let you rest then. If something''s up or you feel ill again, call us."


    "Nn... I''ll try..."


    With a smile, she stood up and disappeared behind the partition, leaving me alone. I could still hear their voices occasionally. I was more busy with the horrendous shaking though, so I had no idea what they were talking about. At least it was comfortably warm. There hadn''t been many chances to sleep in a proper bed, so at least that was welcome.


    Ugh... I''ll try to... sleep a little...


    There wasn''t much I could do right now. Albeit, it was unlikely that I could fall asleep with these headaches. Well, trying didn''t hurt at least.


    I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket up to me chin.


    I''ll never drink... again with the... captain...


    If it would end like this every time, I was better off not joining him. That Ria couldn''t treat me wasn''t making it any better either. It looked absolutely horrible as a treatment, but at least you got it over with quickly.


    The bed was warm and comfy. Maybe the road was better now or so but the shaking lessened a little as well. As long as I didn''t move and didn''t think too much, the pain was bearable.


    And just like that, I was biding my time, waiting for the hangover to slowly leave me alone. The whispers from Karen and the others and the sounds of the wagon made for soothing background music. There was also some odd scent permeating the wagon, reminiscent of herbs. This scent was quite calming as well. Slowly... Slowly, I could feel myself dozing off, back to the dreamland.


    "Yumi. Yumi?"


    "Mmgh..."


    "Yumi."


    "Mm?"


    Someone was calling for me. There was someone in front of me, staring at me. Silver hair, silver eyes... A very familiar face.


    "... Sis?"


    "Awake?"


    "Mm... Kind of..."


    "How are you feeling?"


    "... Better."


    The headaches were mostly gone. A slight throbbing was still left but that wasn''t really a big problem.


    I sat up and looked around. Karen sat on a chair right next to the bed. Lily and Ria weren''t to be seen. It was pretty bright, so I must''ve slept quite a long time. Probably close morning by now. Maybe we were even back at the capital already. Quite likely since the wagon wasn''t moving anymore.


    Seriously, why were we even there? We should''ve just stayed back... But, we did go with the Black Guards, so they made a useless trip too...


    It was just incredibly disheartening. You prepared, you put in the effort and when the time finally came... You were told that it was all for nothing. Was I the only one feeling like this? The others sure didn''t seem as disturbed by it... Though, only Karen was in front of me right now. I couldn''t see any of the others. Well, even if they were, I doubted they''d show it on their faces so easily.


    "Nn... Lily and Ria are..."


    "They''re outside right now. There''s a bit of a problem..."


    "A problem?"


    Karen nodded.


    "The road is blocked..."


    "Eh?"


    "The road is blocked. Trees got knocked over and now we''re stuck."


    "..."


    Seriously? Trees? But... It hadn''t been that long since we went to the fort. There had been no storm or anything either, so why were there trees in the middle of the road? We weren''t at the capital at all, we were fucking stuck in the forest...


    "So, we''re stuck..."


    "Yes. The captain and the others are trying to move the trees but it will probably take quite some time. Not to mention..."


    "Nn?"


    "Someone probably moved the trees there."


    "... Ah."


    Someone wanted us to get stuck here... And if this was deliberate...


    "I see..."


    I properly stood up from the bed and stretched myself. I had taken an unexpected nap, but it had been a very welcome one nonetheless. Nothing beat sleeping with Karen but it had still been quite comfortable to sleep in such a comfortable bed. I felt really refreshed right now. Still a little drowsy and a bit of a throbbing headache, but overall a lot better than before.


    "Nn? This scent..."


    "Oh, this? It''s from a scented candle that Ria brought along."


    Karen, who had stood up as well, led me into the main part of the wagon, the part I couldn''t see due to the partition screen slash wall. A small candle, nearly completely burnt, was still trying its best on the desk. There were some green spots in the wax which I assumed were herb leaves or so.


    "So that''s what I smelled..."


    "Ria said it had a relaxing effect."


    "Nn... I did feel quite relaxed..."


    A scented candle was indeed quite an idea. It didn''t help directly with the hangover but if it allowed me to sleep, it was quite good in my book.


    "Well, should we join the others?"


    "Nn."


    "Ah, but Yumi... You should first take care of your eyes."


    "Nn?"


    "They returned to how they were originally."


    Oh? Did that happen while I was asleep? Or while I was drunk. Hopefully not too many people saw the slitted pupils if it was earlier. It would only become a bother.


    "Nn, then, just a second."


    I closed my eyes and used the magic to change my eyes again. They had stayed as human eyes for the quite some time now so I had to get the feeling for it back first. A little troublesome, truth be told, but nothing that couldn''t be solved.


    "And that''s i¡ª


    I froze. I was completely, and utterly, frozen.


    "Yumi? Is something wrong?"


    "..."


    "Yumi?"


    "... To think this was it..."


    That had been a little out of my expectations, honestly.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "... Sis. What time is it right now?"


    "Eh? It''s in the middle of the night?"


    "..."


    Indeed, it was night. The wagon was pretty dark, only slightly illuminated by the still-burning candle and the weak moonlight shining through the gaps of the closed windows.


    I closed my eyes once more and changed them back to the slitted pupils. Everything turned bright as if it was daytime.


    "... Knew it."


    "Yumi? Mind telling me what is going on?"


    "Nn. Sis. I figured it out."


    "Figured out what?"


    "My eyes. I can see in the dark..."


    To think it had been this... That finally explained why Karen thought I had been able to see in the dark. Because I, indeed, had been able to. Although, I was fairly sure it still had been comparatively dark in the beginning, at night. Yet, right now, it was quite bright. How did I even miss this?


    "... Your eyes? You mean, your original eyes?"


    "Nn..."


    "That... actually makes sense."


    "It does..."


    I took a good look around me. It was really as if it had been daytime. Not too bright or anything, just enough that I could make out everything around me.


    But how did I miss this? Or rather, I am really sure I would''ve noticed before if it had been this bright at night...


    Not like I could travel back in time and try it out, though.


    "That''s quite convenient. But, you can only see in the dark like that?"


    "Nn."


    "Then it''s still better to keep it hidden... But at night, I doubt people are going to notice."


    "Nn, probably. But it''s really quite convenient, being able to see in the dark."


    Even with only a little bit of light, I could see everything around me. That was bound to be useful. Never again having to look for something in the dark. Never again worrying about having a candle, lamp, flashlight or whatever ready in the night.


    "It is, but you should still keep it hidden for now. There are many people around."


    "Nn..."


    How unfortunate. Well, she was right with that. Even if it was unlikely for someone to notice, that didn''t mean it was impossible. And we wanted to keep the number of people who knew as low as we could manage. So, I changed my eyes back, with round pupils. It instantly turned dark again. Too dark...


    "Then, let''s go."


    "Nn..."


    Karen opened the door and left the wagon. A cold wind blew into the wagon through the door, catching me by surprise.


    "Cold!"


    "It is in the middle of the night after all. Of course, it is cold."


    "Uhh..."


    I stepped outside and was greeted with an even harsher cold and even more wind. In fact, despite us being inside a forest, it was awfully windy. Looking around, I saw dozens of wagons, all standing still on the road. Some mercenaries stood to the side and were talking, but most of them seemed to be at the front, trying to get rid of a literal wall of trees that blocked the road. Dozens of them had fallen over. And not just small trees, but actually massive, old trees as well.


    "Sis, with so many... are we sure there won''t be more trees falling down?"


    "If those were deliberate we''re probably safe, for now. If not... I don''t know. The weather has been pretty good so..."


    If the weather was fine, what else could accidentally throw over the trees, after all? It was more likely to be a manmade incident.


    "They could still try to drop trees on the wagons."


    "I don''t think that would happen. The mercenaries are pretty alert, and Ria and the other magicians are on watch as well."


    "Nn... So, all we can do is wait?"


    "For now, yes."


    It was nice to know that things would be safe, or as safe as it was possible in this situation. Regardless, when I peered into the forest it was still a little scary. It was so dark that not a lot of moonlight was getting through and you couldn''t see past a few metres into the forest. Yet, despite it being night, there were constant noises, most likely animals, echoing through the forest. The night was surprisingly loud.


    At least, it''s not only animals making noise but the mercenaries too.


    No matter the time, they still were in a pretty good mood. It was a little envious. Banter and laughter from all around us.


    "Oh, right. Sis. I heard about your... talk with the captain..."


    "Talk? Which one?"


    "Was there more than one? Well, about us... staying with the mercenaries."


    "Ahh. That one. That was quite a surprise, yes."


    "Nn?"


    Wasn''t it a surprise for Korwen and not for Karen?


    "Why a surprise?"


    "Mh? Because I didn''t expect the financial situation to be that different. A single day here with the mercenaries is half a month''s wage for most other jobs. Even the non-magicians earn a lot better here..."


    "That''s... indeed, quite a difference."


    "I know, right? And we even get food and lodging mostly for free¡ªincluded, technically speaking."


    But half a month''s wage? Was it really that bad? Didn''t that mean that just the pastry from the market was... really, really expensive? Like, seriously expensive. That shocked me a little.


    "Sis, that still doesn''t change that this is a dangerous profession."


    "... Living in the slums was dangerous too. Saving Rina was dangerous too. Compared to that, this was pretty... relaxed?  So far, at least."


    "But I doubt it''ll stay that relaxed."


    "It surely won''t. On one side, I don''t want any of you being exposed to danger but on the other side... You know, when Lily told us about Rina''s goal, her revenge... I was wondering, what is my plan for the future. My goal."


    "Your... goal?"


    She nodded.


    "Right now, what do I want to do? In the slums, I had a goal. I wanted to save Rina. But now, after that, what do I want to do?"


    "..."


    Karen lifted her gaze, staring straight at the moon.


    "I thought about it for a while and... I want to know... About myself. About why we were exiled back then. I don''t think I want revenge like Rina wants it but... I want answers. Real answers."


    A sad smile floated on her face for but a moment.


    "That''s why... Staying with the mercenaries, we''re likely to travel around, right? And I''m sure, one day we''ll travel to Aldreigh. When that happens, I want to be able to confront this past of mine. Mine and Rina''s past..."


    "... I see. I''m sure, you''ll be able to do that."


    "I''d be glad if so."


    She flashed a new smile, more cheerful than the previous one. Yet, her expression quickly turned serious again.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Have you thought about what you want to do for the future?"


    "..."


    "Having a goal... I think, that''s important, isn''t it?"


    "Nn..."


    But... What did I even want to do? I kept saying I wanted to protect everyone but... What did I have to do for that? And... what else... did I want to do? Was there something else... I wanted to do?


    "You should at least think about it for a little."


    "... I''ll try to."


    "That''s good."


    Karen ruffled my hair.


    "Come, let''s take a look at what the others are doing over there."


    "Nn."


    She turned around and walked off, to the front where the trees had collapsed. I didn''t follow her immediately, watching her back slowly distancing itself.


    Plans for the future. What do I want to do... That''s... a hard question.


    Did I want to become a mercenary? I didn''t know. Was it necessary for me to become one? I didn''t know. Was there meaning in it? Maybe, maybe not. Was this the future I wanted to tread upon? I had no idea, not even the faintest of an idea. I hadn''t... thought that far. I had only thought of the present.


    Things I want to do in the future, huh...


    Staring at Karen''s back, I tried to imagine the future. A future with the both of us, with Lily, Rina, the three girls, maybe the mercenaries as well. How would it look like? I didn''t know. But I did know, that I wanted it to be a future with everyone.


    "Yumi? Is something wrong?"


    "No, I''m coming."


    With a small smile, I hurried after her.


    Rinne


    A happy second Advent! We''re closing in on Christmas more and more. I imagine many of you will be busy in the next weeks.


    The extra chapter hasn''t been reached yet for this month, so if you don''t mind skipping out on a coffee or two and instead read 3 chapters (or skip a few more coffees and read 6 instead), do take a look at my Patreon! I''d be happy if you did.


    With that out of the way, I wish you all a nice week!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: In the Dark Forest

    "Come on, are you little girls?! Get that fucking tree out of the way! We don''t have all night!"


    A few dozen mercenaries were cutting up the trees with axes, carrying the tree remnants away and cleaning up the path. Korwen stood a little to the side, shouting orders. Next to him, Ria was holding a piece of wood, scrutinising it quite closely.


    "Do you want us all to freeze to death! Get a move on!"


    He kept shouting at them, probably to prevent them from slacking off.


    "Captain."


    "Mh? Oh, you..."


    He frowned a little seeing me.


    "Yumi, I have to apologise to you again, it seems."


    "No, it''s fine, Captain. I should''ve controlled myself as well."


    I had completely overdone it as well with the drinking. He did kind of pressure me a little into it, but I still should''ve kept myself under control. That had been my own responsibility. Passing out like that was... embarrassing. And... From the looks of it, he already felt bad about it. That was enough for me.


    "I see. Then I won''t bring it up again."


    "Nn."


    "So, Captain. Did you make any progress?"


    "Nothing changed from when you asked the last time. The trees are beyond hard to remove."


    "Hard to remove?"


    I tilted my head curiously. I mean, they definitely were a bother but they had axes and everything, it shouldn''t have been too hard.


    "Look... at this..."


    "A branch?"


    Ria turned around to us and handed us the piece of wood she was holding. It was a small branch, an oddly stiff branch. Suspiciously stiff. I tried bending it but... Even with all my strength, it wasn''t bending at all.


    "The heck? What''s up with this branch."


    "Yumi, can I try?"


    "Nn..."


    I handed Karen the wood and she tried her luck at bending it. It took her a lot of effort to bend it¡ªhaving to bend it over her knee¡ªbut she actually did it. Much to my surprise, it really bent and didn''t break. Although, it stayed in its now bent position. The heck.


    "Every tree is like that. Hard beyond comprehension. We checked on the surrounding trees and every single tree here is like that. Ridiculous."


    Korwen shook his head.


    "At this rate, we''re stuck here for at least half a day. Yumi, go and fetch Greyward and his magician. Karen, since you''re free now, grab an axe and help those idiots out. You''re probably going to make more progress than most of them."


    "Understood, Captain."


    "Nn, got it."


    Korwen turned around to me, silently staring at me and narrowing his eyes.


    "Y¡ª Yes, Captain."


    He nodded, satisfied and then turned back to the mercenaries, shouting at them once more to hurry up. Karen only gave me a curious glance but didn''t say anything.


    "Yumi. If you feel worse again, don''t force yourself."


    "Nn, I''ll take care."


    "Then, I''ll go to help them. Until later."


    "Nn, good luck."


    Karen left as well, grabbing a nearby axe and joining the surprisingly merry mercenaries in their wood hacking endeavours. Some of them even started to sing now. Something about a lumberjack and a fairy princess. Would''ve liked to listen but I had to go look for Greyward and Wendl now.


    "Ria, where are the Black Guard wagons? At the end?"


    "Yes..."


    She nodded in response to my question.


    "As expected. I''ll go fetch them then."


    "Good... Luck..."


    "... Thank you."


    Not sure why I needed luck. Maybe I was overthinking it, but hearing those words made me a little wary. Especially since Wendl was involved once more.


    With that said, I left Ria, who was busy studying the now bent branch, and walked to the back of the caravan. Considering the sheer amount of wagons, it probably would take quite a while until I''d reach the Black Guards.


    Looking at it like this, the mercenary group really is large. Dozens of wagons and each wagon already has an impressive size...


    One single wagon was enough to house a good dozen people. That was considerably large. Size-wise they were closer to a train car. Not the really huge kind of train car, mind you. Still incredibly large compared to most kinds of vehicles.


    I wonder how many wagons there are even. Less than a hundred? Or maybe more than a hundred?


    The number of people was in the hundreds. If I recalled correctly, the Dragon Knights themselves were at around eight hundred people. Eight hundred. Just counting one wagon for ten people it would already be close to a hundred. And the Black Guards weren''t even among those. That didn''t account for supply wagons and the workshops either...


    That means... I''ll have to walk a good while, huh...


    True to my fears, I couldn''t see the end of the caravan.  Then again, it was dark, so I could only see the lamps past the second wagon anyway.


    Nobody... Is looking right? Just a quick look is fine, right?


    I glanced at my surroundings, but everyone was busy with other things. And people wouldn''t casually take note of someone''s eyes either, right? Especially not in the darkness of the night.


    With those thoughts in mind, I changed my eyes back to the slitted pupils. The surroundings brightened instantly.


    "Ohh..."


    Bright, as if it was day. The change was enormous. In the far distance, I could even spot the Black Guard''s wagons. Judging from that distance it would surely take... take...


    Wait a moment... I''m clearly looking way farther than I should be able to. Is... Is this again an effect of these eyes?


    How come I hadn''t noticed this? How? Being able to recognize something hundreds of meters away was not normal. But I just did that...


    Seriously... Just what happened to me?


    I let out a small sigh. Who knew how many more things I would discover. The night vision, the distance I could see now. It felt as if things were still changing.


    Well, let''s just see this as a boon for now. It is quite useful.


    Being able to see far ahead could come in handy for sure. Albeit I had to confess, judging the distance like this was... a little hard. Or rather, I just wasn''t used to this.


    I changed my eyes back, having confirmed that I''d have to walk for quite some time.


    "Oh? If it isn''t Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    I turned around to the person who called out to me.


    "I heard you collapsed, Yumi. Are you fine?"


    "Nn, I am, Merim."


    The Vice-captain, carrying a small box filled with tools in his arms, stood in front of me.


    "How about you? Are you fine already?"


    "Mostly. Still a little wobbly on the feet but that''s about it."


    "I see, that''s good to hear."


    It was a good thing that they hadn''t caught some serious disease or so. Still, they had recovered quite quickly.


    "Merim, have you seen Greyward or Wendl? Or preferably both."


    "Greyward was organising the watch in the back. And... Wendl... Wendl... who was that again? The name rings a bell."


    "He''s the Black Guard''s magician."


    "Oh... Don''t think I''ve met the man yet, so I don''t know. Sorry."


    "It''s fine. Thank you."


    Just having confirmation where Greyward was, was already good. Didn''t want to look for him all over the place now.


    "Still... You do look the part now, huh..."


    "Nn?"


    "Well, with that armour, you do give the feeling of a mercenary now."


    "Do I?"


    I looked down, at the armour dress I was still wearing. Did it make me look like a mercenary? It certainly didn''t feel like it did. Either way, just looking the part didn''t exactly change much anyway, did it?


    "That reminds me, the Captain said you should teach me how to properly salute."


    "Did he? Mhm... That means the Captain''s serious about it, huh..."


    "Nn?"


    "Nothing. When we''re back in the capital I''ll teach you. I''ll teach the other three as well then."


    Three? Was he... counting Rina as well? Well, that was fine... Probably?


    "Thank you."


    "No problem. It''s only a small thing anyway. More importantly, we''ll have to train you at least a bit. I hope you''re ready for that."


    "... I''ll try my best."


    Hopefully, it wasn''t some training from hell... Practising magic was one thing but the physical exercise was probably going to be... tough.


    "It won''t kill you, no worries. It''s quite a problem if our recruits run away after the first day."


    He laughed heartily.


    "Did some actually run away?"


    "Mh? Sometimes, yes. But mind you, they are usually the ones we had no hopes for anyway. Some children and young men come to us, thinking they could earn easy money behaving like bandits. Or get some fun with women. Plenty mercenary bands are like that, so I''m not exactly surprised at the notion..."


    "Are there really that many that act like bandits?"


    I had seen some bandit-like mercenaries when we rescued Rina. But the Black Guards and the Dragon Knights weren''t even remotely that bad.


    "There are. Many mercenary bands bring more trouble than they solve. They plunder, they rape, they do whatever they want, using the excuse that ''it is a job''. This is especially bad during wars. Thankfully, there haven''t been many in recent years."


    "Then, what do the mercenaries even do most of the time?"


    "Monster subjugation, disaster relief, caravan guarding, there are plenty of jobs. The first two are usually done by larger and more well-known bands, like us. Monster subjugation is also among the most profitable jobs. Small bands don''t have many options outside of getting hired as caravan guards, as skirmishers and things like that. That''s why many turn to banditry. And then get subsequently subjugated by a larger band or by the army."


    So, the ones I had seen in the slums weren''t that far off from the norm for small bands. That was... quite worrying.


    "As a small example, did you hear about the contract we have with the Academy in the Lafrian capital?"


    "Only a little."


    "It''s basically a mutual support contract. We provide them with labour, collect materials, subjugate or even capture monsters and things like that. In turn, they provide us with information, technology and some personnel. Miss Ria was originally from the Academy, you know? She simply decided to stay afterwards, since travelling with us provided her opportunities to study different things, or so she says."


    "Ohh..."


    Somehow, that was a little surprising. That Ria decided to stay with them on her own.


    "The Academy also provides education for the younger ones. Maya, Emily and Sele will probably go there for the duration of our stay this time."


    "Nn? I thought they didn''t want to stay there?"


    "They won''t. They just go there to learn. Only Sele can read, you know? Maya and Emily can do basic calculations but... Either way, depending on how they do during our stay, there''ll be plenty of options for their future."


    Plenty of options for their future? But...


    "They quite vehemently refused to leave the mercenaries, you know..."


    "Ah, I don''t mean it like that."


    "Nn?"


    "We have different jobs here too. We have someone responsible for the treasury and our logistics. We also have various craftsmen. Not everyone here swings a weapon to earn their bread. I already heard that the Captain made you his secretary now. Jobs like that are also here. And... They are also safer."


    A wry smile formed on his lips.


    "I am happy they are worried and that they think so much of us. But, that also goes the other way. We don''t want them exposed to danger. If they can find a job where they won''t have to stand on the front and risk their lives, that''s already enough for me."


    "..."


    "Unfortunately, the Captain doesn''t agree with me. He wants them as far away as possible, for their own safety. Just... Where is it truly safe? I rather take someone''s protection in my own hands than leaving it up to fate."


    My eyes went wide in surprise. He... had thought about this as well, huh.


    "... I can see why Helma fell for you."


    "Wha¡ª


    He froze on the spot.


    "You... You met her?"


    "Nn."


    "..."


    A moment of silence later, he turned to me.


    "Did she do something?"


    "..."


    "She did, huh."


    "Well, I didn''t know it was possible to become a father with four, so..."


    "..."


    Merim stared off into the far distance. A few seconds later, he let out a sigh.


    "So, this time I''m her father. Soon, I''ve gone through every possible family position except her mother."


    "Including being her sister?"


    "Yes."


    "..."


    How... How should I react to that even?


    "Uhm... My condolences?"


    "... Thank you. But..."


    He smiled weakly.


    "Even if she''s a little on the odd side, she''s still my wife. I already knew in advance it''d be like this."


    "Was she always like this?"


    "Yes, she was. Always doing things her own way in her own pace. She always dragged me into her mess, too."


    A small giggle escaped him.


    "But it''d be boring without it. I can''t imagine life without her, so... Yeah..."


    "Huh..."


    How precious. He was averting his gaze a little, looking clearly embarrassed. But... He was still smiling.


    "Don''t make her cry," I said, with a small smile.


    "... I''ll try my best."


    I nodded, satisfied. Helma was nice and I quite liked Merim as well. Hopefully, they''d get along well for a long time.


    "Still, how did you even meet her? She rarely comes over to the other mercenaries."


    "Nn? I was looking for Wendl and met her by coincidence. She helped me quite a bit."


    "Huh... So... She met this Wendl guy as well?"


    "Nn. And, she''s learning magic now under him too."


    He froze yet again.


    "Excuse me? Yumi, could you repeat that?"


    "I said, she learns magic from him now."


    "..."


    "Nn?"


    Merim was staring into the distance, his eyes unfocused and his expression blank.


    "Merim? Uhm, is everything okay?"


    "... Yumi."


    "Yes?"


    "Do you mind if I come along to meet this Wendl?"


    "Uh, of course, I don''t mind, but don''t you still have work to do?"


    "This is more important."


    How... was that more important than this whole situation, where everyone was alert and worried hell might break loose?


    Merim walked up to a nearby mercenary, pushed the toolbox into his arms and told him where to bring it to. Then he returned to me, with a smile.


    "Let''s go."


    "Is that... okay?"


    "It is."


    "Haa..."


    Why was he suddenly... He couldn''t be jealous, could he? Or was he the possessive type?


    He walked in front of me, rather quickly, so I was more like jogging after him.


    This man sure got his priorities straight...


    Guess I''ll find out soon...


    Around half an earth hour later, we still hadn''t found Wendl. We did find Greyward, though. It took us a bit because he was walking around, checking on the patrols, collecting the reports and such stuff.


    "Korwen wants me over there? That''s... Mh... I''ll need to take care of this first. If he didn''t say it''s urgent, then it''s not urgent."


    "Nn, well, that''s fine I guess?"


    Korwen hadn''t said anything about it other than wanting me to bring them over. Just finding Greyward already took quite some time...


    "And, Mr Greyward, have you seen Mr Wendl? We''ve been looking for him..."


    "Wendl? He should be in his wagon over there. Wanted to take a look at the wood or something. Lily is with him too."


    "He wasn''t at his wagon when we took a look just now."


    "Not? Mh... Then he probably is somewhere over there."


    Greyward pointed to the side of the road, the line of trees that marked the begin of the forest.


    "He won''t walk into the forest but he probably is taking a look at the trees."


    "Ahh..."


    Maybe it was in the nature of magicians to investigate odd things like these. Well, I was interested in why the trees were so durable as well. Not enough that I had to find it out right now, though.


    "With that said, I''ll quickly finish this and go to Korwen. I''ll leave Wendl to you, Yumi."


    "Nn, good luck."


    Greyward waved with his hand and left. Only took a few steps before he was stopped again by one of his men though. Truly a busy man.


    "Then, let''s look for this Wendl, Yumi."


    "... Nn."


    Yeah, right. Merim was still with me. He kept quiet most of the time, only watching me. I wasn''t quite sure what to think of this. On one side it felt like a supervisor making sure I kept working and on the other, I was a little scared that this was the calm before the storm. The storm being his soon-to-come meeting with Wendl.


    "Haa... Well, let''s take a look."


    I took the lead and walked along the side of the road, glancing into the forest at times. It felt like I could see someone occasionally in the forest, but every time I decided to take a closer look, even with my night vision eyes, there was nothing. The darkness really spurred on one''s imagination...


    "Yumi, is that them?"


    "Nn?"


    "There. Lily is there with some old man."


    After a few minutes, Merim drew my attention and pointed on the opposite side of the road. Between the wagons, he had spotted Lily. And Wendl.


    "... That''s them."


    Wendl was squatting down and doing something with the soil, while Lily stood next to him, holding some bag. She looked bored out of her mind.


    "Hey, Wendl, can''t you finish up?"


    "Lily, the more you hurry me, the longer it''ll take. Just let me concentrate."


    "Ehh... Oh?"


    Lily spotted me and Merim approaching. Instantly, a smile bloomed on her face.


    "Yumi! My saviour!"


    "Nn, Lily. I''m not your saviour, though?"


    "You''re saving me from this ordeal, so you''re my saviour."


    "Haa..."


    She rushed over, leaving the bag simply next to Wendl.


    "Are you feeling better already, though? You really looked like you were in pain."


    "Nn, well... It wasn''t great, but I already feel fine again. Though, still got a bit of a throbbing in my head. That''s all."


    "That''s good. You really made us worry."


    "... Sorry. I won''t do it again."


    I didn''t want to anyway. I had never liked the hangovers after drinking. And surely I was never going to like them either. Well, I very much doubted anyone liked them.


    "Oh, the brat and... Who the heck are you?"


    "I''m Merim Jockson. You are Mr Wendl, right?"


    "That I am. Can I help you?"


    "I heard my wife, Helma, has been in your care."


    "Mh? You''re... her husband?"


    "Yes."


    Wendl''s whole expression turned sympathetic.


    "You poor guy. So young and already caught in their claws and talons."


    "Eh?"


    He put his hands on Merim''s shoulders.


    "I''ll root for you. Good luck, young man."


    "..."


    "If you ever have any problems, you can come to me. I''ll help you."


    "I... see..."


    Merim, dumbfounded as he was, could only stare at Wendl. I could only guess the thoughts that had to be running through his mind... He was surely confused...


    "Nn, Wendl. The Captain, Korwen, wanted to see you. Mr Greyward went there already as well."


    "The Korwen guy? Mh... Guess it''s a good chance. Are the Dragon Knight''s magicians there too?"


    "I saw Ria there, at least."


    "Mh... One moment."


    He turned back to the spot he had been investigating, to fetch the bag.


    "Yumi... What is up with that man?"


    "He''s a womaniser that hates women."


    "... What?"


    "I don''t know."


    That was the best description I could think of.


    Seriously, his words and his actions were completely contradicting each other. He really didn''t seem to have an interest in younger women, so Helma should be safe from his womanising efforts, at least. Then again, with her personality, I doubted he''d try to anyway.


    "I see... Do you... think Helma is safe?"


    "Nn? So, you really were jea¡ª Ahem, worried?"


    "Haa, I know I''m jealous and overprotective, it''s fine to say that. But, yes. I never knew she even had an interest in magic, so this comes as a surprise. That only makes me more worried, though. What if he tried putting his hands on her, in the guise of practise?"


    "Nn... I think she''ll be fine? According to his own words, he''s only interested in older women anyway."


    "Older women, huh. I hope it''ll be fine..."


    She''d be fine. Surely. I seriously doubted Wendl had a death wish anywa¡ª


    No, he clearly had a death wish. Otherwise, he would have learnt already that women were also people and not some kind of alien race.


    "Yumi, could you do me a favour and sometimes watch over her?"


    "Nn, well, I don''t mind. Though I really don''t think you need to worry that much."


    "I still worry, even if you tell me that."


    "Hmm..."


    He was really quite worried, wasn''t he? Made me smile a little.


    "Brat, let''s go, I''m done here."


    "Nn, ahh, right."


    Wendl had returned with his bag and... another bag filled with some soil? Ehh... Okay.


    "I''ll go back to work as well, then. And, thank you, Yumi," Merim excused himself.


    "Nn, good luck."


    Good thing that ended without any incident. It would''ve been a pain if those two fought over this. Although I could imagine Helma being happy about this.


    "Lily, what about you?"


    "Mh, I''ll come along too. I''m interested in what is happening. Also... The forest is giving me the creeps. It feels like someone is watching us."


    "Ha! Little Lily is still scared of such things? Guess you never grow up."


    "What, got a problem with that?"


    Lily scowled at Wendl.


    "Nn, but I feel like someone is watching as well."


    "Brat, it''s not ''it feels like'', someone is watching us."


    "Eh?"


    "If I had to hazard a guess, I''d say those damn elves. Unfortunately, whether they are just keeping watch or are responsible for this, I can''t say."


    Then, it hadn''t been my imagination that I had seen people in the forest? That was a little scary by itself.


    "Let''s just get to... Mh?"


    Wendl interrupted his sentence, only to stare into the forest.


    "Wendl? Is something wrong?" Lily asked.


    "... Did you two not notice the mana?"


    "Nn? I don''t feel anything..."


    "... Maybe it was my imagination."


    I took a closer look but... There was nothing in that forest. At least, nothing I could see right now.


    "... Let''s better hurry. Just in case."


    "Okay..."


    "Nn..."


    And with Wendl taking the lead, we made our way back.


    "..."


    "..."


    "... Lily, why is he taking a bag full of soil?"


    "If only I knew, Yumi. He made me dig up some from various spots, then made me collect branches and other stuff, but even if you ask me why... I have no clue."


    It took us again around twenty minutes to return and meet up with Korwen and the others. Wendl quickly joined Ria and a few minutes later they were discussing their respective findings. I couldn''t really follow their conversation, though... Talk about the mana concentration in the soil and things like that...


    "Everyone is here now, that''s good."


    "So, Korwen, mind telling me what this is all about?" Greyward asked with a scowl.


    "Now, now, no hurry. Greyward, how much do you know about the recent incidents here?"


    "Mh? I only heard a little bit about disappearances in the villages or so, if you mean those."


    Those incidents with villages being wiped out or so? The ones that had been investigated by the fort''s soldiers.


    "Ruben gave me a little bit of a warning. Most likely someone instigated those incidents."


    "... You aren''t going to say they might be here?"


    "Personally, I doubt so. But there might be people that are involved here. After all... The elves were on alert."


    Were? They aren''t anymore? Ah, now that they say that...


    I took a glance at my surroundings.


    "The lights on the trees are gone..."


    "You''re a bit late in noticing that, Yumi. But yes."


    The forest was dark, really dark. But the two times we had passed through, the forest had been illuminated by the Fairy''s Light.


    "There are two scenarios I can think of. Either, the elves are gone or they are involved in this in some way."


    "I doubt you could wipe out an entire elven tribe in the span of a few hours," Greyward said.


    "So do I. That means they are likely involved. It''s also likely they are the ones that keep watching us."


    The elves had given me quite an odd impression, removed from the common sense they did what they believed to be right. Whether that was trying to take away Emily or to kill me.


    "Do you think they are after the high elf girl? Emily was her name, right?"


    "Probably. Also, the report mentioned they were quite upset about Yumi, right?"


    "Right..."


    All present pairs of eyes fell unto me, Korwen''s, Greyward''s and Lily''s.


    "Uh..."


    "They probably have two objectives. Finding Emily and getting rid of Yumi."


    Those aren''t words I want to hear!


    In the first place, why did they even want me gone?


    "Captain, Papa, why do they even want to kill Yumi?"


    "Greyward said they called her a Cursed or so? Probably because of that. Although I have no idea what that means in particular. But... Most likely, there were others like her."


    "Other... humanoid monsters?"


    "I guess so."


    There had been others like me? Really?


    Or... maybe there still were others like me?


    "Either way, we can worry about that later. For now, we have to think about what we''re going to do about this."


    "Mh, they''re waiting for something, aren''t they?"


    "Most likely. And I doubt we''re going to like whatever it is. That''s why, Greyward. I know you won''t particularly like me asking this but I have to regardless: What do you know about those monster experiments back in Arkesta?"


    "..."


    Greyward fell silent. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for his reaction. A few moments of silence later he sighed.


    "Those experiments, huh... Even if you ask me, I can''t tell you a lot. They kept monsters in the basement, but we didn''t have access to those. The actual experiments were also done out of our sight. We only guarded the cells and the hallways. That unlikeable Lord didn''t trust us. If it had gone after him, he wouldn''t have hired us in the first place."


    "Wait, Greyward, wasn''t it the Lord who hired you?"


    "It was, but I think it was someone else who told him to do so."


    "..."


    Korwen stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    "That''s about all I can tell you."


    "I see..."


    "You think these incidents are related?"


    "I''m at least not ruling it out, yet."


    Did he maybe think about those ogres from back then? The ones that had been equipped with simple armour and weapons.


    "Actually... There''s one thing..."


    "Mh?"


    "We also had to... dispose of the dead girls."


    "..."


    Greyward''s expression turned dark.


    "I don''t really want to remember it but there was something quite noticeable. The girls all had... mixed traits."


    "Mixed traits? What do you mean with that?"


    "You know, the different traits from the races. The Demonkin have horns and tails, sometimes wings, the beastkin have furry ears and tails. Some girls had both, and some were even a complete mess. There were also a few that showed signs of being manakin despite... clearly not having been one while alive. At least, while we guarded them."


    "..."


    Korwen closed his eyes, listening to Greyward.


    "If possible, please don''t talk about this in front of my men. They didn''t take the whole thing well."


    "... I won''t, don''t worry."


    "Thank you."


    Greyward bowed his head slightly.


    "We should keep quiet about this in general. Lily, Yumi, don''t talk about this unless necessary. That''s an order."


    "... Understood... Captain."


    "Nn... Understood..."


    So we couldn''t tell Karen about it. Maybe... Maybe that was better anyway.


    "... Greyward, get some men and have them build a simple barricade. The wagons are armoured, especially the smithy."


    "That''s going to be hard on such a narrow road. Worst case we might just confine ourselves and get surrounded."


    "It might. But I doubt the elves will pose a problem by themselves. They aren''t used to combat. That means, whatever they are waiting for is going to be the problem."


    "And as long as we don''t know what it is... Think it might be a possessed fairy tree?"


    "Probably."


    Korwen nodded to the question.


    "The wagons should provide enough protection even against a possessed fairy tree. As long as we can hold out until morning, we''re good."


    "Nn? Why until morning?"


    "Because the army will pass through here in the morning."


    The army? I thought they didn''t intend to help?


    "They might arrive earlier if a patrol found the tree blockade. Assuming they even manage to return. But in the worst ca¡ª Mh?"


    "Captain!"


    A mercenary ran up to us, interrupting Korwen.


    "Captain! Emily is acting weird and says she has to tell you something! She was in a panic!"


    "... I understand. I''m coming. Greyward, get the barricade up."


    "Will do. Be careful."


    Greyward turned around and left, clearly in a hurry now.


    "Ria! Wendl!"


    "Don''t... shout... Captain..."


    "I got no time for this. Prepare for combat, find Wenners and Krutz and then meet me at my wagon. Also, take Karen along."


    "... Understood."


    "Understood, Captain."


    Ria nodded and, together with Wendl, they made their way to Karen.


    "Lily, Yumi, you come with me. Let''s hear what Emily made so upset. I got a really bad feeling about this..."


    Rinne


    Many of you who are going to celebrate are likely going to be busy so I''ll say it now already: Wish you all a good time and a nice Christmas. Have fun!


    If you enjoy the story, please take a look at my Patreon! Thank you!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: What the Forest Hides

    "Yumi! Uncle!"


    "Woa¡ª


    A small ball of energy dashed towards me and jumped into my arms, nearly catapulting me back out of the wagon. Lily, who was right behind me, reacted quickly and caught us both in her arms.


    "Be careful, Emily. That''s dangerous," Lily chastised her.


    "Ah! Sorry, Big Sis Lily! Sorry, Yumi!"


    "Nn... It''s fine, just be careful next time."


    "I will!"


    Most likely, she wasn''t going to be careful next time either. Fairly sure she had said those very same words several times already. But that wasn''t important right now. Emily, together with Maya and Sele, had taken refuge in our wagon. According to Korwen, they should stay inside, lest the elves would figure out where she was. Assuming they really wanted to kidnap her, hiding her was the best option.


    Korwen, who was right behind us, only shook his head in exasperation.


    "Haa... Let''s just sit down. Mm? Oh, hello, Maya, Sele."


    "Mh... Good... Morning?"


    "Zzz..."


    Maya and Sele were huddled up in the corner with a blanket. Maya was dozing off, probably more asleep than awake, while Sele was sleeping peacefully already.


    "I''m envious how she can sleep through all of this..."


    "Nn..."


    Well, as long as they weren''t going to strip Sele naked just to wake her up now, she really would sleep through... Although, best case she''d just sleep through everything and wake up happy and full of energy tomorrow.


    Korwen pulled a few chairs from the corner and urged us to sit down.  Once everyone was seated he turned to Emily.


    "So, why did you call for me?"


    "Call? Ah! Right! Uncle! Uncle! The forest, uhm... The forest!"


    "Calm down, Emily, calm down. What''s with the forest?"


    His eyes narrowed, waiting for Emily''s explanation.


    "The forest, uhm... It went... silent?"


    "... Silent?"


    "Silent... Really, really silent..."


    Emily''s voice grew weak and she stared at the ground.


    "What do you mean, silent?"


    "The forest, there''s always noise. The animals, the trees, the flowers, they all talk. But now they are silent. Everyone is silent... Even when I ask, there''s no reply."


    "And what does that mean?"


    "I don''t know... I don''t know but... it''s scary..."


    "..."


    Korwen closed his eyes and leaned back, lost in thought.


    "The forest is silent? I wonder what that means..."


    "Nn..."


    Lily had no idea either, apparently. Obviously, neither did I...


    "Mh. I''ll have to talk with Ria about this..."


    "Captain, do you have an idea?"


    "No way. I''m no magician, much less a fairykin. But the ones most likely to know what this means are the magicians."


    He nodded to himself.


    Asking another fairykin would probably have been even better, but there were none outside of Emily here. Actually...


    "Nn, might Wormaz know something maybe? He''s a dark elf mixed-blood, right?"


    "Wormaz? That name rings a bell... From the Black Guards, right?"


    "Nn, he''s their smith."


    "Ah, I remember him. He was a mixed-blood?"


    Korwen''s eyes went wide with surprise.


    "True... Wormaz might know what Emily means. I mean, his mother told me sometimes about the forest and I remember that she was also talking about the forest ''talking'' with her," Lily added.


    "Nn? His mother?"


    "Yes, she was with the Black Guards until a few years ago, before Wormaz'' father died from old age. She was a rather quiet person but when I was small, she often told me stories about the forests and high elves and other fairykin."


    Oh, was Wormaz'' mother maybe the reason that Lily liked those stories?


    "Mh, I didn''t know there had been a dark elf among the Black Guards. Greyward never mentioned that."


    "They did keep quiet about her, mostly. A fairykin among a mercenary group would''ve only drawn attention. Like Emily."


    "That''s true. Mh, that decides it then."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen nodded once more to himself and stood up from his chair.


    "I''ll go and talk with the Black Guards'' smith first. Yumi, you come with me."


    "Nn, understood, Captain."


    This time I didn''t get it wrong.


    "Lily, stay with the girls for a while. If anything seems out of place, call me, Merim or Fenna immediately."


    "Understood, Captain!"


    "Emily, stay put and... don''t worry. I don''t know why the forest has gone silent but we''ll deal with it."


    "... Mm."


    Emily nodded weakly, gripping her shirt tightly.


    "Emily."


    "Mm?"


    "Thank you for telling me. It''s a big help."


    "...."


    Emily just stared at Korwen for a few seconds, then...


    "... Mm! You''re welcome, Uncle!"


    "If you notice anything else, tell Lily and she''ll call me."


    "Will do!"


    Her big smile was back.


    Satisfied with her response, Korwen nodded to her and then left.


    "Until later, Emily, Lily."


    "Until later, Yumi!"


    "Good luck, Yumi."


    I threw a quick glance to the corner but Maya was already dozing off again.


    Then I left as well and followed Korwen.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Those girls, they want to help us, right?"


    "Nn. They do."


    "Is that so..."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen walked along the road, passing the wagons. And he was walking quite quickly. A bit too quickly, since I had to walk twice as fast...


    He scratched the back of his head and stared into the sky, not even looking where he was walking... He''d bump into someone at this rate, wasn''t he?


    "... I''ll have to think of something, I guess. Haa, I''ll worry about that later."


    "Think of something? Captain, do you mean, how they can help?"


    "I do."


    "Nn, Merim said they''d learn at the Academy for a while, right? Also, Wendl tested whether they had any magical capacity for a mage."


    "... Wait, Yumi."


    Korwen stood still, causing me to nearly bump into his back.


    "Wendl did what?"


    "He tested their magic capacity."


    "... And what were the results."


    "Uhh... If I recall correctly, Emily filled out all of those testing spheres, Sele half and Maya one."


    "... I assume you mean those capacity sticks that they use?"


    "I think so."


    Korwen furrowed his brows.


    "Is something wrong?"


    "... Mh, no, I was just surprised. Even lighting a single sphere means you have enough talent to justify learning magic. So, those three could all learn magic..."


    He slowly resumed walking.


    "I hoped that I could put them into secretarial work, but if they learn magic... Well, I guess hoping for it was futile anyway, considering Emily already knows some magic and Sele as a demonkin would surely be able to learn it as well... But that even Maya shows some talent."


    "Is it that surprising?"


    "Maya is a beastkin from a cat tribe, so yes. I knew her parents and they didn''t have a shred of magic in them. Probably."


    "Probably?"


    "Most people never get the chance to even test out their magic capacity. There''s no way to know."


    Oh, right. If you needed that weird stick to measure your capacity, then most people''s lives would probably go by without ever seeing it...


    "Nn, doesn''t that mean that there could be a lot more magicians around?"


    "... That''s right. Many with even small talent go by unnoticed. You need quite some luck or a lot of money to get the chance. The Academy in Lafria offers a free test but not many actually go there. Every year it''s barely over a hundred, or so I heard. And the ones who pass are even fewer."


    "A free test?"


    "Yes."


    Korwen nodded, a smile forming on his face.


    "The current King of Lafria wants to have as many magicians as possible. That''s why they support the Academy financially, in the hopes of raising every talent they could possibly find. The results are... lacking, to say the least."


    "... Because nobody goes to take the test?"


    "Yes. Having a magician in the family would be a financial boon, but before it comes to that, training a magician is just an expensive expenditure. Not to mention that not all families have the leeway to send away a child for training in the capital in the first place. Which isn''t even guaranteed since they need to get tested first."


    "I see..."


    Korwen peered into the forest next to us.


    "With that said, some success is still better than none. There are a few children that would never have gotten the chance otherwise. And I hear they hold quite the expectations for some of them. For now, though. We got other things to do. You''ll see when we''re in the capital what I mean."


    "Nn."


    He was right, first, we had to figure out what Emily had meant.


    A little curious, I glanced into the dark forest. It didn''t seem much different from earlier. There were still animal cries and the rustling of the leaves. It was very far from silent or even quiet.


    Just what could ''silent'' actually mean here?


    Before I could figure it out, though, we arrived at Wormaz'' wagon. The owner of the said wagon was currently standing next to it, directing another man to move that wagon.


    "Is it the small man?"


    "Nn. That''s him."


    "Mm."


    Korwen walked up to Wormaz, not hesitating in the least.


    "Are you Wormaz? The Black Guards smith?"


    "Mh? What is it, I''m busy!"


    Wormaz turned around, complaining. Alas, his eyes went wide when he saw us, or rather, Korwen.


    "You''re... the Dragon Knights'' Captain?"


    "That''s right. I''m Korwen, the Captain of the Lomerian Dragon Knights."


    "I see. Then, how can I help Mr Dragon Captain?"


    "... Dragon Captain?"


    "Well, the Dragon Knights'' Captain, short Dragon Captain. I already got a Captain, so you''re the Dragon Captain."


    "..."


    Wormaz said so with quite the smug on his face. He must''ve been proud of this nickname... Unfortunately for him, Korwen decided to just ignore it...


    "Whatever. I heard you''re a mixed-blood, right?"


    "... And what business does that have to do with you?"


    His smug instantly turned into a glare. Although, Korwen wasn''t intimidated in the least, from the looks of it.


    "One of our girls said the ''forest went silent''. Unfortunately, I have no idea what this means. She''s a young fairykin child, so she doesn''t really know what it means either."


    "... A fairykin child? Mh... I see. If that''s the case... She said the forest went silent? Went silent?"


    After murmuring to himself, Wormaz took a look around himself.


    "Sounds pretty damn noisy out here, to me."


    "She talks frequently about animals and trees talking to her. I think she means those when she said that."


    "Talking trees? The fuck? I''m sorry, but I have no idea either."


    "I see."


    Korwen looked a little disappointed, but there wasn''t much we could do. If he didn''t know anything, that was it.


    "Ah, unless..."


    "Unless?"


    "No, this is just something I heard from my mother before. She used to tell me that forests, especially fairy forests, are teeming with the spirits of trees and animals, and everything alive in there."


    Spirits? Then, was Emily hearing those spirits talk? At least, that sounded like a more reasonable explanation than a tree talking by itself.


    "Spirits... I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Mr Wormaz."


    "No problem, Mr Dragon Captain. Ah, right. The banner for the girl, I''d like a flag from the Dragon Knights but I have no idea who to ask."


    "A flag? Mh, I''ll send someone to you later with one."


    "That''s fine too by me."


    A flag? For the banner? Right... The banner. But, was it going to have two flags then?


    "Yumi, remember that."


    "Nn?"


    "That I have to send someone to him."


    "... Why me?"


    "Because that''s your job. If you don''t want to do it, show me you can win against Merim."


    ... I''m totally going to need a notepad or so for the future, won''t I?


    Korwen turned back to Wormaz and thanked him once more. Then we left.


    We walked back the direction we came from, walking silently for a few minutes. Korwen seemed to think about something, occasionally murmuring to himself.


    "Spirits, spirits... Mm... Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Can you see spirits?"


    "I don''t think so, no."


    At least, I hadn''t seen anything that could qualify as a spirit so far.


    "Mh, if the spirits have gone silent, what do you think could that mean?"


    "Eh? Uhm..."


    I was a little stumped at the question. I had no idea about spirits, after all. The only thing I knew was, that they were somehow related to magic. If they had gone silent, that meant they either fled or... were gone. Dead. Assuming, a spirit could die in the first place. But why would they flee or... die? Either something scared them away or...  their environment changed? What did they need from their environment? Probably mana? Maybe they needed a lot of mana?


    I hadn''t really paid attention to the amount of mana in the forest, so I couldn''t say whether it had become less or more, though...


    "Nn, this is just an assumption but... Do the spirits maybe need mana? Then, maybe there''s not enough mana around for them?"


    "Not enough mana. Of all things, that''s what you thought of? Yumi, do you know, what that would imply?"


    "... No?"


    "Mana doesn''t just disappear. If the mana in the forest is gone, where is it?"


    "..."


    Korwen stopped in his tracks, then made a U-turn and walked back the way we came from. Or more like, he jogged back.


    "Eh? Captain?"


    "We''re going to find Greyward. We''re going to leave this place as fast as we can."


    "Ehh?"


    I ran after him. I had already gotten used to the weight of the armour but running full throttle was... a completely different matter altogether. Barely a minute latter I was wheezing for breath. At least we found our quarry just as quickly.


    "Greyward!"


    "Korwen? What''s going on?"


    "Change of plans. We''re getting out of here."


    "That''s... A surprisingly sudden change."


    Greyward stood on the side of the road, directing the wagons in a similar manner to Wormaz.


    "May I ask how you intend to do that?"


    "There are ways, my good friend. Though we might get into trouble for it later."


    "... Korwen, you aren''t thinking of using magic."


    Greyward''s eyes narrowed when he asked that question. Only to get a savage smile in response.


    "I am. Get everyone ready to leave on a moment''s notice."


    "I won''t take responsibility for that, you hear?"


    "That''s fine by me."


    I watched Greyward nodding and then turning to his men, shouting his new orders. Within but a moment, they were scrambling about, jumping into the wagons, bringing the things they unloaded back in and other stuff.


    Korwen watched for a few seconds before walking away again.


    "Let''s find Ria and the other magicians."


    "Nn... Uhm... Captain is... is this fine? I mean, uhm... It was just a guess?"


    "And?"


    "No, I mean... You said it might get you in trouble..."


    Korwen, still walking ahead of me, fell silent for a few seconds, before answering me.


    "Listen, Yumi. I don''t care if it''s just a guess or not. I found it a reasonable theory. And I got no fucking time to verify whether this is fine or not. Because if you are correct we are in some deep shit."


    Suddenly, he slowed down a bit and his large hand pressed down on my head, ruffling my hair.


    "You don''t have to think whether this is okay or not, clear? That''s my decision. You''re only here to give me your opinion. Understood?"


    "Nn..."


    "I asked if you understood? Answer clearly!"


    "Ah, uhm.... U¡ª Understood, Captain."


    He flashed me a grin.


    "Have a bit more confidence in yourself. Think critically about what you say and do, but also have confidence once you have reached a decision. Whether you are correct or not is something you can worry about later."


    "..."


    "With that said, you should put that as a goal for yourself. It might sound simple, but actually adhering to it is probably one of the most difficult things."


    "Difficult, huh... Captain, you really know a lot about these things..."


    "... Ah... Ahahaha!"


    Korwen broke out in loud laughter suddenly.


    "Ahaha! Knowing a lot, haha, you''re a good one... Haa..."


    "Eh? Uhm..."


    "Yumi. Those words, they''re words everyone here once had to hear."


    Everyone had to hear them? But...


    "Eh?"


    "Even I had to. And I still am unable to put them into practise myself. They''re a goal, an ideal. All those were things my old man used to tell me. Think critical! Be more self-confident! Don''t stop thinking! Think about your surroundings! And a ton more."


    "That''s... surprising."


    "Surprising, huh. Well, I''m just a human as well. A simple person."


    "I don''t think the captain of a mercenary band could be described as simple..."


    At the very least, this man in front of me was anything but simple...


    "Ha! If my wife heard that, she''d probably give you a list of stupid things I''ve done in the past. I''ve had my share fair of mistakes too, mostly because I was an idiot... And some of them didn''t end well in the least."


    "..."


    He stared off into the night sky.


    "Either way. Just keep those words in mind. They might be an unreachable ideal, but nothing prevents us from aiming for the ideal, right?"


    "... Nn."


    I nodded, not that he could see it. This man bore responsibility for the lives of hundreds. That... That couldn''t be an easy burden. Every mistake he made...


    "For now, we just have to get out of here. Whatever happens, happens. If nothing happens and we get in trouble for it later, we can still laugh about it later."


    "Nn."


    Shortly after, we found ourselves back at the front of the caravan. Ria, Wendl as well as Wenners and Krutz were all caught up in a heated discussion about the mysterious hardness of the wood. All the while dozens of mercenaries swung their axes, singing with gusto. Much to my surprise, they had actually made decent progress. A few trees were apart in the middle and dragged to the side. There were still plenty trees left in the way, though...


    "Ria."


    "Mmh.... Ohh? Captain..."


    "We''re going to do this the hard way."


    "Mhh... As expected..."


    "Expected?"


    Korwen raised his eyebrows. Apparently, he didn''t expect Ria to say that.


    "Captain, uhm... When you were called to Little Emily, we already thought it might come to this."


    "Hoo, that''s some good thinking, Wenners."


    Wenners smiled awkwardly at the praise.


    "Yumi, explain to Ria what we heard from Emily and Wormaz. I''ll go get those idiots out of the way."


    "Nn..."


    Korwen promptly left me alone with the four magicians, all of which stared at me now, waiting for me to tell them.


    "..."


    It made me nervous, really really nervous. But, I got to do this, I had no time for faltering. Taking a deep breath, I explained everything to them. The things we had heard from Emily, the things we had heard from Wormaz and what I had assumed to be a... theory? Idea? Whatever...


    Once I finished it all, they all kept silent, lost in thought. After some time, Wendl was the one to spoke.


    "Miss Ria, assuming the hardened wood really stems from the deprivation of mana..."


    "Mh... It''s bad..."


    "Deprivation of mana?"


    I tilted my head at those words. Why would the wood harden because of mana deprivation.


    "It''s a longer story, brat. To cut it short, one of our ideas was that the wood partly or completely petrified because the mana was taken away. It would be in line with your idea that the mana is gone from the forest."


    "I see..."


    "The question is, where did all the mana disappear to?"


    "... A... ritual..."


    Wendl nodded in response.


    "It''s the most likely case."


    "Ritual? You mean as in, ritual magic? But, what are they even trying to cast then?"


    "If we could answer that, we wouldn''t be making theories, brat. With that said, I already told you that ritual magic can be pretty much anything. The options are countless."


    Wendl sighed, shaking his head.


    "The... disappearances... And the... villages... Then... Arkesta''s slums... They are probably... the same..."


    "But they haven''t succeeded, even with the use of life sacrifices, have they?"


    "Mh..."


    "Well, whatever it is, we should get out of here. If those incidents are connected, it''s at least unlikely to be magic targeting the capital. Still, even if the ritual fails again, we don''t want to get caught in the aftermath."


    "Agreed..."


    Wendl and Ria looked quite composed, while they talked about rather terrifying possibilities. Wenners and Krutz though... I wouldn''t be surprised if they were to pee their pants any second now... They were pale and shaking... How did these two even end up with the mercenaries...


    Still... Ritual magic... Sounds scary... Wendl told me about what Ritual Magic actually meant but... I hope everything will be fine...


    But just like Wendl said, we didn''t even know what kind of magic it was in the first place. And that was all under the assumption that it really was the same group of people. For all we knew, it could be the elves messing around, or someone completely unrelated.


    "Ria, Wendl, did you hear everything from her?"


    While I was lost in my thoughts, Korwen returned, together with Karen.


    Much to my surprise, Karen was now clad in a black-coloured, simple armour as well. It kind of suited her, though it was maybe a little too big...


    "We did... Captain."


    "So, what is your opinion?"


    "It''s a reasonable guess. I am not too familiar with spirits to this detail either, so I have no idea whether it really is as the brat says or if it might be something else. At the very least, I''d suggest the chance is high that it''s right."


    Wendl stroked his chin, his eyebrows furrowed. Korwen closed his eyes for a few seconds, then opened then again, staring at something right behind us.


    "I see... And, what about your opinion? The annoying miss hiding over there?"


    "My, my, calling me ''miss''. This old lady is flattered."


    "I don''t care whether you are flattered or not."


    We all turned around, looking at the source of the new voice. Not like we didn''t already know who it wa¡ª


    "... Eh?"


    "It''s... not Yumias?"


    "..."


    The person standing there was apparently not Yumias. Albeit they looked similar to an astonishing degree, the young girl here was clearly in her midteens and not a little midget child. And an astonishingly cute girl, too.


    Karen, as well as Ria and her two colleagues, were clearly confused as well, staring at the unknown person. Only Wendl and Korwen weren''t surprised. Especially Wendl, who was just sighing and shaking his head.


    "Don''t make a mistake, Karen. That is Yumias."


    "What? But..."


    "Yes, yes, my child. I''m the very same Yumias. My, you''ve gotten quite big since I last saw you, haven''t you?"


    Except we saw you a few hours ago. And... What the heck?


    Her way of speaking at least was the same. So... Really? She could change her own age? Or, well, appearance.


    "Mm, seems you all are a little confused? Is this so weird? Do you prefer me small? Are your preferences like that? Is that so? My, then so be it."


    And with those words, she pulled down her large witch hat, hiding her entire face. Barely a second later, her whole body shrunk, down to the size of the normal Yumias. Which was like a head smaller than me. But... She very clearly used magic, just now. But there was nothing, the mana didn''t stir, didn''t move, nothing. I still couldn''t feel any mana inside her, so I couldn''t be entirely sure, though... Maybe it was hidden, or something.


    "Is it better like this? My, my, still confused? How odd. I even demonstrated it right in front of you?"


    Ria, who stood right in front of me, turned to Wendl and whispered to him.


    "Mr Wendl... I was... not aware that... such a thing is possible... with magic."


    "It''s not, Miss Ria. Well, theoretically it would be but... That''s not something a single person should ever be able to do. Or any number of people, really. To my annoyance, that''s not the only ridiculous thing she can do..."


    Wendl could only whisper back in exasperation.


    "My, it''s not that hard, really."


    Whispering was useless, apparently... She had heard it all.


    "Could we stop with the skit now? I''m a little busy..."


    "Sorry... Captain..."


    "Ahaha, Mr Captain is in a hurry, aren''t we? My, my, always these youngsters, so impatient!"


    "I don''t think someone closing in on his seventies could be considered a youngster anymore."


    "You still are, for me."


    Yeah right, with close to seventy you were closer to... a... Wait... Seventy?


    "Now, let''s get to the point, please."


    "Haa, really, so impatient. There''s nothing for me to say, my dear Captain."


    "... Nothing, you say."


    "Nothing."


    "... I see."


    Korwen nodded, then turned to Ria.


    "Ria, prepare to blast those trees away."


    "Mmm..."


    "Are you listening?"


    "I am... Will... do."


    He walked past us, a good distance away. Ria slowly wobbled towards the blocked road, Wenners and Krutz following behind her.


    All the while, I couldn''t wrap my head around what I had heard just now...


    "Yumi, is everything okay?"


    "Nn? Ah, Sis. Uhm. Sis. How... No, wait... Ehh... What... age do humans typically reach?"


    "What age? Typically around hundred-twenty? Although, there are some reaching hundred-fifty, from what I heard."


    "..."


    A human could reach 120 years? Excuse me, what? That was... lot older than... it should be possible? Not to mention a year was slightly longer here so in reality, it was even more...


    "Demonkin are pretty much ageless, you know? And beastkin usually live until around... three hundred? I think?"


    "That''s... long..."


    "Is it?"


    Karen stared at me wide-eyed. Not like she knew about how old people usually grew in my old world.


    "Nn..."


    I would''ve liked to talk with her about it, but we weren''t alone here. I should put it off until we had some time for ourselves.


    "Brat, if you think that''s long already, you should think about the ageless races or manakin. Long ago I met a human manakin who was already well over seven-hundred. Still looked like he was in his early twenties too."


    "Seven... hundred..."


    "Yes, seven-hundred. The guy was already becoming more than a bit forgetful, though. The body might be able to take it, but the mind simply can''t. Even among the ageless races, you very rarely meet someone older than five-hundred."


    "Not? Huh? Why that?"


    Being able to grow that old was astonishing for me. Beyond astonishing, really. And yet, there weren''t many making use of it? What the heck did that mean? Or were they simply victims of accidents and crimes?


    "People past the first two-hundred years generally become... rather detached from the world. Their mind, their spirit simply cannot handle it. Some wither away, some go crazy, and some others might even kill themselves. In various ways, many of them seek death after a certain point."


    "... I see."


    "My, my, it''s not that bad, you know? There are many tricks to living a long life."


    "Wah¡ª


    Some spoke right next to my ear, causing me to yelp out in surprise.


    "Hehehe. Should you talk about such a depressing topic now, though, my dear children? If you keep standing here you might get caught up in that, you know?"


    Walking past me, she stood in front of us and pointed at Ria, Wenners and Krutz.


    Karen and Wendl didn''t seem to understand what Yumias meant. Neither did I.


    "My, I see, you really want to get caught up in that? Well, don''t come complaining to me later. Have fun!"


    With a big smile, from one ear to the other, she waved and... disappeared. Literally. It took us a few seconds to process what we just saw, though we didn''t have time to wonder about it.


    "You girls... Mr... Wendl... Run..."


    "Eh? Huh?"


    "Nn?"


    Ria dashed past us, unlike her usual slow self. Same for Wenners and Krutz, who were in a bit of a panic.


    "Yumi, I don''t know what''s happening but we''re running."


    "Eh? Wah¡ª Sis?"


    Suddenly I found myself hoisted up on Karen''s shoulders, carried in a rather undignified state, like a sack. But, having a chance to look towards the blockade...


    "Sis... Run... Fast..."


    A bunch of... stones... was piled up there, glowing very very suspiciously. I didn''t recognise them, they didn''t seem to be fire stones, but they clearly didn''t look good. Especially the mana surrounding them. They kept drawing in the surrounding mana, becoming a literal clump of condensed mana. If something like that were to explode... I didn''t want to know what would happen.


    Hearing my slightly scared words, Karen ran even faster, leaving Wendl behind. A moment later we were behind a wagon... Same as a good dozen or two of other people, who also all hid. She put me down and breathed a sigh of relief.


    Barely ten seconds later, Wendl joined us, appearing from behind a corner. Once he caught his breath, he glared at Ria.


    "I''d like such info beforehand, Miss Ria..."


    "Mh... Sorry... Forgot to tell... you all..."


    "Haa... Seriously, even as magicians they never change. At least, it seems we had enough time to get into co¡ª


    Boom!


    A loud explosion reverberated through the air, followed by an incredibly strong gust of wind, throwing me into Karen''s arms.


    "Woah!"


    "What the¡ª!"


    Boom! Boom!


    A few seconds later a second and then a third explosion followed, the shockwaves enough to throw everyone off their feet, even the wagon itself shook and slid backwards. Wooden splinters and hubris rained down onto the wagons and us.


    Unfortunately for Karen, I was thrown onto her... At least nobody else fell on us. That would''ve hurt...


    "That... Miss Ria... What the heck did you do?!"


    "Mm... It should''ve... exploded only once..."


    "I don''t think that''s the issue here!"


    Wendl, his head covered in dirt and dust, shouted furiously at Ria, who was more bothered by the additional explosions.


    "Calm down, you two."


    "Captain..."


    "Seems the trees are out of the way, get to your wagons and let''s leave. You can complain later. Are we clear on that, Mr Wendl?"


    "... Yes. I apologise."


    Wendl wasn''t all too pleased with it, from what I could tell, but at least he didn''t continue making a ruckus.


    "Yumi, Karen, you two go to Lily. The girls are probably confused about what is happening."


    "Nn, understood, Captain."


    "Yes, Captain."


    They probably really were. A loud, sudden explosion would probably alert Lily quite a bit.


    "Now, and for you idiots you can¡ª


    "Captain! Captain!"


    "What I''m... busy..."


    A mercenary called out to Korwen, pointing into the distance. Everyone followed his gaze, into the dark night.


    "Well, fuck me sideways. Guess luck wasn''t on our side."


    "Captain, I don''t think we got time for that."


    "Oh, come the fuck... Everyone! Forget leaving, get behind the wagons, arm yourselves! NOW!"


    A gigantic tree rose up in the distance. Literally, rose up. It was moving. It was clearly moving. A second tree joined and then a third.


    "At least, it''s only three. We can deal with that."


    "Captain! Captain, the other side!"


    "Oh, fucking..."


    On the opposite side, in the distance, another tree rose up.


    "FENNA! MERIM! Get a squad to stall that bastard, everyone else, we''ll deal with those three. Move your asses!"


    All hell broke loose, the mercenaries ran around wildly, collecting their weapons, pulling the wagons to the side of the rode, bringing away the waroxen where they weren''t in the way.


    "Yumi, go and get Lily. Also, if you know any magic that helps against those things, I would mighty appreciate it."


    "Nn, I''m sorry but... What the fuck even is that? And how do you intend to stop that?"


    "That, my dear Yumi, is a possessed fairy tree. A piece of shit monster that we just woke up. Stopping it is easy, killing it is not."


    "..."


    "Get your ass out there and bring Lily over."


    "Understood, Captain."


    There was no time, Korwen''s expression made that clear. I nodded to Karen and then hurried away, to the direction of our wagon, where Lily and the girls were.


    Rinne


    Only a little more until Christmas. Since there won''t be any chapter before then anymore, I wish all of you who celebrate a good time!


    Merry Christmas!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: The Battles of Mercenaries

    I had to find Lily. Quickly.


    The mercenaries were all in a hurry, pushing the wagons to the side of the road, so they''d act as a barricade. The large, moving fairy trees were steadily coming closer and closer. They were slow, but that probably only barely gave everyone enough time to prepare. Hopefully.


    Let''s see, our wagon was... somewhere over there. Please be still there.


    That the wagons were moved around to act as a barricade made it a little hard to navigate through the convoy. Not to mention that I had no idea where exactly our wagon was now, either. They probably moved it somewhere to the side as well.


    "Move, move, move! If you don''t wanna die, move those wagons!"


    "Get the waroxen out of the way! Who''s the fucker who left them standing here?!"


    "Get your weapons over here! Hurry, hurry! On the double!"


    Uhh, it''s hard to get an overview with everyone running left and right. I think... around there? Please, be there.


    It took me a little time¡ªand a few times nearly getting run over¡ªbefore I reached the place I was aiming for.


    Let''s see... This does look like the place... But they aren''t here. Guess I have to ask someone.


    But who could I ask? I had my doubts whether most of the mercenaries here even cared right now where Lily and the girls were. They were busier with the approaching fairy trees. I looked around and... found a mercenary clad entirely in black. Not someone I knew, but it was obvious he belonged to the Black Guards. My best bet at asking someone, probably.


    "Excuse me. Have you seen Lily?"


    "What?! I''m busy, ki¡ª Oh? You''re Little Lily''s friend, aren''t you? Sorry about that, I think I saw her at Konno''s. That direction."


    "Don''t mind it. Over there, right? Thank you."


    I left the man alone again and walked in the direction he had pointed at. It was only a little further back. A short moment later, I spotted a familiar black wagon at the side of the road and around two dozen mercenaries crowding right in front of it.


    "No pushing, no pushing, you idiots!"


    "Konno, what about this crate?"


    "That''s the wrong one, Lily! The other one, with the copper mark."


    "Ah, this one..."


    Yeah, this was the correct place. I couldn''t see her, but that was Lily''s voice that was coming from inside the wagon. Even among the noise from the crowd and Konno''s shouting, I could make it out. Just barely.


    "You guys, take them and leave, for the love of¡ª


    Some of the mercenaries left the crowd, hoisting coils of rope over their shoulders. The other mercenaries grabbed their own coils and left as well, leaving Konno''s wagon deserted after around a minute. Konno heaved a sigh of relief before he spotted me approaching.


    "Finally they''re gone. Haa... Mh?"


    "Hello, Mr Konno."


    "Miss Yumi, don''t tell me you are here for rope too?"


    "No, I was told to fetch Lily. She''s here, right?"


    "Ahh, I see. Hey, Little Lily, someone''s here to fetch you!"


    He turned around to his wagon and shouted inside.


    "Eh? Who?"


    Lily poked her head out, looking around.


    "Yumi! Did someone need me?"


    "The Captain told me to fetch you as fast as possible."


    "The Captain? Mm... I see. Give me one moment."


    One moment wasn''t as fast as possible...


    She disappeared back into the wagon and a few moments later, she returned with a bag.


    "Let''s go."


    "Nn. By the way, where are Emily and the others?"


    "I left them in Wanda''s care. They should be safe with her."


    "I see..."


    Hopefully, nothing would happen to them with Wanda around.


    With a small smile, Lily rubbed my head.


    "Don''t make a face as if the world is ending, Yumi. This is just everyday business."


    "Everyday... business?"


    I glanced at the every so steadily approaching fairy trees. I couldn''t even guess how large they were. In fact, I wasn''t even sure how far they were really away from us, right now. It was just barely possible to make out their silhouettes in the dim light of the moon and the stars. But one thing I knew for sure: They''d be here soon. Very soon.


    "Everyday business. Those trees are by far not weak, but we know how to deal with them."


    "... How... to deal with them?"


    "Interested?"


    Lily peeked back, with a savage grin.


    "Didn''t you see what the others were carrying?"


    "Well, ropes."


    "Right. Ropes. What can you do with ropes?"


    "Uhm... Restraining? And tripping?"


    There was that image of using ropes to capture people in my head. Or using it as a trap to make people trip. But other than that, I only knew it as a construction tool or similar.


    "Those are things you can do with it, yes. Tripping those trees is probably impossible, though. You''d need something that would be strong enough to hold up against their pure strength. You''d need huge boulders or something, but those aren''t here, obviously."


    "Then, you''re going to restrain them?"


    "Now, I wonder about that?"


    A small grin appeared on Lily''s face.


    "You''ll have to see for yourself."


    "Haa..."


    She only left those dubious words for me, ending the topic. I was a little confused, not quite understanding the meaning. Though, apparently I was going to see it later...


    "Don''t let them get past! Hide behind the wagons! Don''t let them see you. Push! Hide and push!"


    A mercenary was shouting at his fellow men while they were pushing against the wagon. One of the trees was right on the other side, striking the wagon with its thick branches. Dull striking sounds echoed through the forest.


    "Don''t let it spot you! Stay behind the wagons!"


    The tree striked the wagon again, causing it to slightly lift up from the ground.


    "WOOOOOHHHH!"


    The mercenaries behind the wagon, pushed with all their might, keeping the wagon somehow from being flung away. Their feet burrowed deep into the ground. But despite their efforts, they were pushed back. Not a few centimetres, but a whole meter. Two mercenaries were unable to keep stable and fell over, screaming in pain, their legs bent in an impossible angle.


    "Get the supporting logs here! Hurry! Hurry! We got no time! And carry the injured away! Now!"


    The man-in-charge shouted orders left and right. For every injured man, two mercenaries ran over and pulled him away. The luckier ones fainted, but the less lucky ones kept conscious, screaming from the unbearable pain. The cries made me feel sick, and the view of their injuries even more so. Most of them had broken arms or legs, unable to bear the burden of the tree strikes. But some of those fractures were beyond bad, with the broken bones piercing their flesh and being out in the open, for everyone to see.


    "Yumi, get a hold of yourself. For the love of everything, don''t vomit now!"


    "I... I''m try... ing..."


    Lily gently pat my back in an attempt to alleviate my nausea.


    "Brace yourselves!"


    The man-in-charge shouted and a second later, the tree hit the wagon again, repeating the whole spectacle once more. Even though the wagons probably weighed a ton or more, the trees easily managed to push them back, even lifting the wagon into the air for but a moment.


    "Get the injured out! Where are the logs?! Get those logs over here!"


    A group of mercenaries ran past us, carrying multiple logs. With trained movements, they rammed the logs into the ground, to support the wagon. And they were just in time. The moment they finished, the tree stroke another time. The logs buried deep, deep into the ground and into the wagon itself, deforming the roof and splintering parts of the wooden frame.


    "You girls, now''s your chance, get going. Don''t let the tree spot you!"


    "Thanks! Come, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Lily pulled my hand and we ran past the group of mercenaries holding up the tree. Hidden behind the line of wagons, we ran as fast as we could. I glanced behind me, just in time to see tree hitting the wagon again. The logs¡ªburied deep into the ground and the wagon itself¡ªstood firm against the assault.


    "Are... Are you sure... they''re going to be fine?"


    "They are. They''re trained for this, after all."


    Could... Could someone even train for this? Especially, seeing those injuries... How could they keep this up? Their unwavering will... was beyond my comprehension. It impressed me, but I couldn''t understand it.


    "Yumi, rather than being worried, cheer for them."


    "Cheer?"


    "Yeah, cheer for them to do their best. Isn''t that what you were supposed to do?"


    "..."


    Cheering for them? In this kind of situation? But... How...


    "... Anyway, let''s get back to the Captain first. We''re nearly there."


    "Nn..."


    I faced forward. In the distance was another tree visible, similarly striking the wagon in front of it. But, one thing was different to the one we left behind.


    "Those are... the ropes?"


    Dozens of ropes hung over the tree, giving it a very... surreal appearance.


    "Yeah, they''re nearly ready I guess."


    "... Ready?"


    "Just watch."


    Some mercenaries threw more ropes onto the tree right after it struck the wagon. There were already logs supporting the wagon, so not many mercenaries stood behind it to push.


    "Captain! We got all the ropes on it now!"


    "Good. Ria, get to it!"


    "Mm..."


    We arrived just in time when Ria approached the loose ends of the ropes that were still on this side. She held up her hand over them and then... A short fluctuation of mana and... A blinding flash.


    "Woa¡ª


    When I opened my eyes again... The forest was alight. Or rather, the tree was. Flames covered the tree.


    "This is how you fight a tree, Yumi. You just burn it down."


    "..."


    Ria had ignited the ropes. If I had to hazard a guess, they were probably covered in oil or something similar. The now burning ropes covered the tree, setting it on fire.


    The tree in question haphazardly thrashed around in an attempt to extinguish the flames. But it only set the surrounding trees on fire as well. Within a minute, the entire area behind the wagons was burning.


    "Lily... Isn''t this bad? The forest is burning."


    "Better the forest than us."


    That was... true.


    "Lily, Yumi. You''re late!"


    "Ah, Captain."


    "Captain, we got held up by the other tree over there."


    Korwen had spotted us watching the spectacle.


    "Whatever. Lily, go and help Wendl out, he''s on the other side with Fenna and Merim."


    "Will do!"


    Lily saluted.


    "Until later, Yumi."


    "Ah. Nn..."


    She left, jogging to the group of mercenaries dealing with the tree that had come from the other side.


    "Mh. That leaves us three. Ria, Yumi, you come with me."


    "Nn... Ah, I mean. Understood, Captain."


    "Mm..."


    Korwen, not wasting a moment, turned around and walked to the group that just finished their fight with the tree. The tree was still nearby, thrashing around. Alas, judging from their faces, they weren''t worried about it anymore.


    "Men! Before you rest, this girl got something to say to you!"


    "... Huh?"


    Without warning, he pushed me in front of him. All the exhausted, tired eyes fell onto me.


    "Just say they''ve done a good job or so," Korwen whispered to me.


    "..."


    A good job. A good job, huh... They did. When I saw those trees... When I saw the surprised faces of everyone... I was worried. Scared. But they still took down a tree. Just like that.


    I took a deep breath and faced the mercenaries in front of me.


    "Everyone! Good job out there! Thank you! Now, get a good rest!"


    "..."


    A moment of silence. They all stared at me. Then, one of them cheered, and the others slowly joined.


    "Wahahaha! Ya heard that, guys. We did a good job, the girly said!"


    "Yeah!"


    "That''s not even half of what we can do!"


    They all shouted full of joy, started bragging or broke out in laughter.


    "Hey, you idiots. Don''t get ahead of yourself. After this we still have to get out. Once you got a short rest, help the other groups and prepare to leave. Move everything from the damaged wagons out into another one, got that?!"


    "Oooohhhh!"


    Korwen nodded, satisfied with their reaction.


    "Good. Well done, Yumi."


    "Ah... Haa..."


    I was... a little overwhelmed, to be honest. Unsure, of how I should even react to this. But... they were in a good mood again. That made me a little... happy.


    "Now come, we got more work to do."


    "... Nn."


    Korwen and Ria started to walk in the direction Lily and I had originally come from. For a short while, I watched how the mercenaries got back to work, once more full of energy.


    "Yumi. Come."


    "Ah, yes."


    I turned around and quickly followed the two.


    We walked for a few minutes, without anyone saying a word. Until Korwen broke the silence.


    "Ria. Your verdict?"


    "Mm... Yes... It happened... again..."


    "As I thought."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen stroke his chin a few times, looking forward with a stern expression. The sound of battle in front of us became slowly louder.


    "Yumi. You used magic again, didn''t you?"


    "Eh? Uhm... Did I?"


    "You did..."


    Ria confirmed Korwen''s words.


    "It''s subtle magic... but definitely there..."


    "Mm. But she doesn''t even notice it herself. Is that how it works for magicians, Ria?"


    "Not for... normal magicians... but... we don''t really... know how she uses... magic."


    "I see... Would be good to figure it out for the future. It''s useful, but not knowing if and how it works is bothersome and unreliable."


    Ria nodded slowly.


    "We''ll have to talk about this afterwards. For now..."


    Korwen looked up. We had considerably closed in on the site of the battle now. The tree was looming over the three or four dozen mercenaries hiding behind the wagons. The tree was covered in a few ropes, but not nearly as many as the other had before they set it alight.


    "Hey, why is the tree not covered yet?!"


    "Captain! We lost some of the ropes, the wagon fell on them!"


    A nearby mercenary reported in a panic. A quick glance over the place revealed one of the wagons had fallen over. Pieces of splintered wood covered the area.


    "Tsk. Guess that''ll have to do then. Ria, do you think those are enough?"


    "Mh... It might be doable... Mm... But it would be... better with more..."


    "I see. Do we have anything else flammable here?"


    Korwen opened a nearby wagon and peeked inside. He apparently found something since he entered it.


    "Ria, can you do something with fire stones?"


    "Outside of... throwing them... not..."


    "Throwing them, huh."


    "Nn? Throwing?


    I tilted my head in confusion. Korwen left the wagon, a wooden box filled with reddish stones in his hand.


    "Fire stones... don''t use up... all mana immediately... So you can... throw them..."


    "They''re better than nothing I guess. Let''s use them."


    With the box of fire stones in hand, he walked to the bundle of ropes that had gathered to the side.


    "Men! Everyone with some confidence in their mana, get some fire stones! We''re going to throw them!"


    """Ohh! Understood, Captain!"""


    The men answer all in unison and rushed to Korwen, each taking one or two fire stones from the box.


    "Yumi, you take some too."


    "... Ehh?"


    "Do it."


    "..."


    Apparently I couldn''t escape them, so, reluctant as I was, I took two stones from the box as well.


    "Ria, get ready to¡ª


    Wham!


    Before Korwen could finish his sentence, the tree hit the wagon once more. Just, this time, the wagon couldn''t withstand the force. The spots where the logs supported it splintered and broke, the logs fell down to the ground, throwing up earth and dirt, and the wagon tilted over. In our direction.


    "Run!"


    Everyone scattered, running away from the falling wagon. With an enormous crash, the wagon fell to the side, even more splinters flying through the air.


    "Ria! Ignite the ropes! Hurry!"


    "Mm."


    With the barricade was gone, the tree could walk onto the road unhindered.


    Then, a bright flash.


    The ignited rope set the tree aflame. Similar to the other one, it started thrashing around. Just, this time, there were fewer ropes, and some of them got flung away.


    "Throw the stones! Bring down the tree!"


    """Woooh!"""


    The first stones flew through the air, emitting flames making them seem like small fireballs. Although most of them hit the tree, they didn''t do much, at most setting the leaves on fire.


    "We need something else... Ria. Sorry to ask you this, but bring that thing down."


    "... I understand... Captain."


    "Nn?"


    Ria took a step forward, clutching her hands in front of her chest.


    "Get away from the tree! Ria will deal with it!" Korwen shouted.


    "Wha¡ª Shit! Guys, run!"


    Within seconds, the area around the thrashing tree was deserted. The men left in a panic as if Ria was scarier than the thrashing tree.


    "Yumi, let''s get in cover."


    "Eh? What?"


    Korwen pulled me away, leaving Ria near the tree. The mana around her was in turmoil. She was using magic. I had no idea what it was, but she was casting something. Something big. Korwen pulled me behind a wagon.


    "Captain? What about Ria?"


    "She''ll be fine. It''s better not to stay there¡ªfor us."


    "Eh?"


    I glanced around the corner of the cover to¡ª


    Boom!


    "Woa¡ª


    The sound of an incredibly loud explosion reverberated through the air. A strong gust of wind pushed me back behind the wagon. Wood and earth rained down on us.


    "And that''s another one down."


    A loud creaking sound could be heard from the other side of the wagon. It gradually grew louder and louder.


    Creak!


    The sound of something snapping followed and with a loud crash, something hit the ground. Anxious, I peeked behind the wagon and...


    "It''s down..."


    The tree was... dead? Broken? The middle of the trunk had splintered, the top half of the tree had fallen to the ground, where it was now lying motionlessly. Still on fire, though.


    "Let''s collect Ria quickly and check on the others."


    "Eh? Ah... Nn."


    Korwen left the cover and walked to the direction of the tree. Or rather in Ria''s direction, who had slumped down on the ground, breathing heavily. I quickly followed Korwen, worried about Ria.


    "Is... Is she okay?"


    "She should be just exhausted. She''ll be back up in a few days."


    He instructed a few nearby men to bring Ria to a place where she could rest.


    "That''s two gone, let''s see... Oh, that one is bright like a lantern."


    In the far distance to the other end, where the wagons of the Black Guards were for the most part, a bright, large flame illuminated the area.


    "And the last one... seems to be fine as well."


    "... Incredible."


    The large, splintered tree right in front of me, and three distant burning trees. They were all dealt with.


    "Don''t feel the relief too quickly. We still need to get out of here. We also lost some wagons and got a whole bunch of injured. We have to leave as soon as possible."


    "... Nn."


    Right, this wasn''t the end. It was just an interruption, in fact. We still had to leave the forest. And quickly at that, too.


    "Men! Get the wagons back on the road. The wagons that can''t be moved are to be left behind! Hurry!"


    After he shouted his orders, he grabbed a young man and told him to relay the same to the Black Guards.


    "Let''s get out of here before we get caught by the rampaging trees."


    "Nn..."


    A large, black piece of charcoal was lying close to the road. The first rampaging tree that Ria had burnt down, had stopped thrashing around and fell down to the ground at the side of the road. In its rampage, it had cut a literal swathe of devastation in its path, destroying trees and bushes with its long branches or the fire, as well as burning the ground itself.


    Mysteriously, the fire hadn''t spread much. Once the tree died, the surrounding fires slowly died down as well.


    "Yumi, come."


    "Nn, wait a moment, Sis."


    When I returned with Korwen, we found Karen and Rina helping to carry the injured into the wagons. Everyone was still on alert and in a hurry, the first wagons were already back on the road. The damaged ones had been pushed over onto their side¡ªif that was still possible¡ªand left next to the road.


    Korwen had gone to instruct the mercenaries. He told us to take one of the first wagons leaving the forest, so we were right now helping the last injured to lie down. We were supposed to take care of the injured until we arrived in the Capital.


    "... It''s a wonder nobody died."


    The injuries varied from mild to considerably heavy. Several dozen were injured, but the vast majority only got some minor cuts or a sprain at most. The ones who took it the worst were the ones pushing the wagons, holding up against the brute strength of the monster trees. Quite a few had a fracture and three had their bones piercing the flesh and sticking out. It was a horrific sight. Wenners and Krutz were caring for these men, making sure they wouldn''t lose too much blood.


    "We''re not quite in the clear yet, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Karen patted my head gently.


    "Ah, we''re moving."


    A gentle sway began as the wagon was pulled along by the waroxen. The beast had kept astonishingly calm as if the entire uproar hadn''t bothered them the least. None of the waroxen were injured either. Even though some of them got struck by debris... They were... sturdy. And calm.


    "Haa..."


    "Don''t make such a long face, Yumi. Smile, smile."


    "But... I feel tired, Sis. So, tired."


    The whole thing, the whole last day had been. Beyond exhausting. We had met elves who were after my guts, I got scolded and lectured by Korwen and now we had the whole possessed tree incident in this forest. I... just wanted to sleep. Preferably in Karen''s arms.


    "Only a little more, okay? You can take a nap later."


    "Nn."


    "Now, smile. Don''t forget what the Captain said. It''s your job to encourage them."


    "Nn... But how do I even do that?"


    I couldn''t just go and shout something happy, could I? Not with everyone in here so injured.


    "Mh... How about you just... Bring them something to drink and smile?"


    "... Is that enough?"


    "Well, I''d be happy if a cute girl like Yumi did that for me."


    Was that how it worked? It probably was... When I imagined Karen doing that for me. Yeah, that''d make me happy.


    "Nn. I''ll try."


    "Good luck."


    "Nn."


    I walked over to the barrel with... water? Alcohol? Judging from the smell, it was alcohol... Was it really fine to give this to the injured? Well, I had seen Wenners and Krutz handing out something to drink, so it should be fine. There were mugs here too. After I filled a mug, I walked over to the nearest man.


    "Uhm... Do you want something to drink?" I asked while trying to smile.


    "Oh? Ahaha, something to drink, eh? With pleasure, girl."


    I handed the mug to the man and he took a hearty sip.


    "Ahh! That hits the spot! Thank ya!"


    "Nn."


    He showed me a toothy smile as he thanked me.


    Even though... They are injured... They still smile and are happy...


    They didn''t even mind being injured. There was some groaning here and there when Wenners or Krutz took a look at their injuries. But despite that... they were surprisingly upbeat.


    I filled another mug and brought it to another injured man.


    "Ohh! Thanks! Man, this is really great! A cute girl bringing me alcohol, guess I have to get injured more often. Gahahaha!"


    "... Please try not to get injured that often."


    "That might be impossible!"


    He laughed, full of vigour. You wouldn''t think this man''s arm had been bent into the opposite direction barely half an hour ago.


    "Hey, girly! I wanna drink something too!"


    "Yeah, me too!"


    The surrounding men called out to me, demanding their own bit of alcohol.


    "Nn, don''t hurry, I''ll come over."


    I filled one mug after another, bringing each to a mercenary who in turn thanked me. Some were full of vigour and laughing, some thanked me more silently, one even gave some dirty comments. The latter quickly shut up when Karen nearly added another injury to the poor sod.


    "Girly, one more!"


    "Ah, wait, just a moment!"


    I filled another mug and brought it to the man, handing it over to him with a smile. At one point, I somehow felt glad, being able to help them. Even if it was just by smiling a little.


    "Hey, you all. We just left the forest!"


    The driver shouted through the small window at the front.


    "Really?"


    The wagon we were in had even small windows at the side, which Karen promptly opened. Fresh, cold air entered the wagon, together with the light of the moon.


    "We really left."


    "Nn."


    Behind us was the forest. More wagons from the wagons appeared in regular intervals from the road.


    "Hey, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Look, there. Aren''t people standing over there?"


    "Huh?"


    I took a glance in the direction Karen was pointing at, but it was too dark for me to really see anything. Since nobody was looking right now, I changed my eyes so I could see in the dark and...


    "No way."


    A large group was camping out in the middle of the road. A group we were familiar with.


    "Halt! Halt, human!"


    "Woa¡ª


    The driver¡ªhaving been unable to see them in the darkness¡ªyelped out in surprise, when someone appeared in front of the wagon. The wagon came rapidly to a stop.


    "What the heck? Are you suicidal? Do you want me to run you over?!" the driver shouted at the person in front of him.


    "Human! We request a talk with your leader!"


    "Eh, wait, aren''t you..."


    "Your leader! Where are they, human?"


    A familiar group of small girls was camping there. Outside of their supposed home, the forest.


    "What the hell are the elves doing here?"


    Rinne


    Christmas is over, hope everyone had fun Christmas days! Now, new years is the next destination.


    I hope everyone will have a good start into the new year!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Return to the Capital

    "Your leader! Where are they, human?!"


    The small elf repeated her question towards the dumbfounded driver.


    "Eh... Uhm... The... The Captain... isn''t here?"


    "Bring your leader here! Human!"


    "Ehh..."


    The driver was completely unsure how to deal with the pushy elf in front of the carriage.


    "I demand to talk to your leader!"


    "That''s impossible, right now..."


    "Bring them here!"


    "Haa..."


    The elf in question was apparently the same elf from earlier, the one they called ''Elder''. Behind her, hidden in the darkness, were dozens of other elves. Not just a few, but easily about a hundred or more.


    "Sis, what is that elf doing?"


    "Standing in the way."


    "Well that''s..."


    Technically not wrong. Not exactly what I wanted to know, though.


    "Nn, doesn''t seem like she''d leave without talking to the Captain, huh..."


    The sound of a door opening and closing came from behind us. Karen peeked through the window to take a look.


    "Oh, someone is coming here."


    A young man, his arm bandaged, had left the wagon behind us and walked towards us.


    "Oh, Merim."


    "Mh? Yumi, Karen. What''s going on there?"


    "The elves are blocking the road."


    "The elves? I was asking a serious question, Karen."


    "And I gave you a serious answer."


    He furrowed his brows.


    "You serious? This isn''t the forest, you know? This is the open road... In the middle of a field!"


    "But they''re there."


    Merim rubbed his temples.


    "... How do I deal with elves?"


    "How should we know?"


    "You''re magicians... But you don''t... Oh great. I''ve never had to deal with elves before..."


    And neither did we. Actually, we did. On the way here. But it had been mostly Greyward dealing with them.


    "Good luck."


    "Nn, good luck."


    He shot us a small glare in response to our nonchalant reaction and then sighed.


    "Will need it."


    He gave us a small wave with his wand and then proceeded onwards.


    "Bring your leader here, human! I will not repeat myself!"


    "Like I said¡ª


    "Kravitz, that''s enough."


    "Ah, Vice-captain!"


    The Elder turned to Merim, scrutinising him carefully.


    "You are their leader? A young human leading older humans? How curious."


    "I''m not exactly the leader but I will serve as a stand-in. Pray tell why you are blockading the road? We''re in a little of a hurry."


    "Human! We offer a trade to you!"


    "... A trade? I am sorry, but as I said, we''re in a hurry. You''re free to come back later with your trade."


    Merim shook his head and was already in the middle of turning back.


    "Human! You do not wish to know what happened in our forest?"


    "..."


    Those words left everyone frozen. Proud of the effects of her words, the Elder was showing off a smug grin, her arms on her waist. Like a cheeky child happy about their prank.


    With a sigh, Merim turned back to her.


    "Go ahead, continue. Tell me about your trade."


    "Hmpf! We will tell you what you want to know about what happened there! And you will help us find a new home!"


    "... A new home? Why?"


    "There is no need for you to know, human!"


    "..."


    A new home? Did that mean they were going to leave this forest?


    "... I see. Unfortunately, I can''t make that decision on the spot."


    "Human, are you not their leader?"


    "I am a stand-in for our Captain. He has to make such calls, not me."


    "I see. Then we will wait until they come!"


    "..."


    And we were back at the beginning.


    "Miss... Uhm... How should I call you?"


    "I am the elder of the elves! For you human, it is sufficient to call me the Elder!"


    "Miss Elder, I fear the trade won''t come to fruition no matter what if you keep blocking our way... We really need to pass through here, we have injured that need to be treated."


    "I cannot do that, human!"


    She was still showing her smug smile to Merim, making her more seem like a defiant little kid. Or a stupid kid.


    "Haa... What do I do now?"


    "Oh my, little Merim, do you have problems? Should I help you with that lovely cute gi¡ª


    "GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"


    "WOA¡ª


    The elder ran, screaming. With a speed that completely belied her small stature. The sudden action of the Elder and the appearance of another problematic girl caused Merim to shout out in surprise as well. Poor guy.


    "My, she fled. How odd."


    "... Miss Yumias. Could you please not suddenly appear right behind me? You even scared the Elder away..."


    "I don''t think she ran because of surprise. Well, you''ll get used to it."


    "I don''t want to get used to you appearing out of nowhere. Especially not behind me!"


    Merim stared into the darkness where the Elder had run off to. Her screams were still audible...


    "The Witch! The Witch is here! Run! Run!"


    The moment she shouted those words, the screams multiplied. Every elf present started screaming and running away in every possible direction. Like scared animals running away from a natural disaster. There was no coordination o anything. They just... ran.


    "Wait, there were more elves? Ahh... What do we do now?"


    "What do you do? My, you know. The road is free now."


    "..."


    "Still, even I feel a little hurt like that. Whatever did I do to them? I''ve never even met these elves here before."


    Her infamous reputation preceded her. By far.


    "Whatever. Let''s... just get going."


    With an incredibly tired expression, Merim turned around, told our driver to continue on and left, back to the wagon behind us, not saying a single other word.


    "... They ran."


    "Nn, they sure ran."


    In the distance, I could still see the various elves running away into the distance. Really hoped that wouldn''t become troublesome...


    I changed my eyes back to normal and returned into the wagon.


    "Everyone, we should be soon back at the capital!"


    "Ohh... Finally..."


    I stared blankly at towards the driver''s window at the front. It had been a considerable amount of time since the elves had stopped us. It didn''t seem like they''d try again for now, which was quite welcome.


    "This took quite some time."


    "Nn."


    "Gahaha, you girls, you should''ve just continued."


    "No thanks."


    The injured men had begun to play dice amongst themselves. At first, Karen and I had joined, curious about the game. It was just a simple game when you tried to get a higher total number of eyes than your opponent. One might think this game was just about luck but...


    It was impossible. It wasn''t that we didn''t win at all but... I couldn''t understand how we lost more than three fourth of the games... This was a game of luck, right? Right?


    "You idiot, because you went serious they aren''t going to play with us anymore!"


    "Pah! As if you held back when it was your turn!"


    "Of course not, when else do I get the chance to see a cute girl''s frustrated face?!"


    The girl in question was, by the way, Karen. The first games were fine but when she lost a few times in a row... Either way, they had quite some fun bullying us. I didn''t even feel sorry about their injuries anymore at this point. They clearly deserved them. It must have been divine retribution or something.


    "Jeez, then, let''s play cards, yeah?"


    "You''re only suggesting cards ''cause you''re good at it!"


    "Then you suggest something!"


    "How about the Mill Game?"


    "We don''t have a board for that, you genius!"


    They started bickering about the games we should play... It was in the middle of the night. These were injured men. They were arguing like little children about what to play.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "The old woman in the slums once told me: ''Men¡ªno matter their age¡ªare always children.'' Watching this I feel that''s true."


    "Nn..."


    I probably shouldn''t say that I was just slightly looking forward to playing... Games were always fun, especially with others.


    "Yes! Cards it is!"


    "Ahhh, damn, I lost!"


    "Hey, girlies, join us!"


    "Haaa... Yumi, shall we?"


    "Nn."


    We formed a small circle with the mercenaries. Obviously, there was a limit to the number of players we could have to keep it reasonable, so they formed multiple groups to play. They even had enough cards for each group. Each group consisted of five people, so it was me, Karen and three of the middle-aged mercenaries.


    The man who suggested to play cards in the first place held up the stack of cards and shuffled it.


    "Now, girls, do you know the rules of ''The Lying Pauper''?"


    "Nn, I don''t."


    "Neither do I."


    "Not? Mh, then let me explain."


    He gave everyone nine cards and then placed the remaining three in the middle, face-down.


    "But you do know how many cards there are and the colours, right?"


    "No," I answered without hesitation.


    There was no way it would be the same as in my world, after all.


    "Girl, what kind of life did you live before? I worry for you."


    "... I don''t think that matters right now?"


    "... Well, there are a total of forty-eight cards. Four colours with each colour having twelve cards respectively. Easy, four colours, each a dozen."


    "Nn..."


    That actually was easy to remember, yeah.


    "Then, let''s get into the rules¡ª


    It was an astonishingly simple game. Each player played a card face-down on their turn and called the value of the said card. The value had to be the same or higher than the previously played card. Any player who didn''t believe them could call them out on it. If they were correct, the liar had to take the stack of already played cards. If they weren''t, you had to take the cards yourself. The goal was to get rid of all your cards. That was it. The colour was by the way irrelevant. The game ended when only two players had cards left since it wasn''t possible to play with only two. The one with more cards left placed last.


    A game where you have to figure out whether your opponents lie or not... The rules sound familiar to a game I know, but they''re still a little different... Actually, this is a lot simpler in terms of rules.


    And with the rules explained, we began...


    "Eight."


    "Eleven."


    "Twelve."


    "Twelve."


    "Twelve."


    "Twelve."


    "Twelve."


    "Wait a second, there are only four ''Twelve''s in the game!"


    "Well, do you want to call it out, girly?"


    The mercenary, whose turn was right before Karen''s, grinned mischievously.


    "... Twelve."


    "That''s a lie!"


    "It''s not."


    "Gaaahhh!"


    I wasn''t sure if this planned by her but it sure had been effective. The mercenary took the stack with Karen''s Twelve begrudgingly and the game continued.


    We played for quite a while, often repeating similar situations like the previous one.  Until everyone finally got rid of their cards, except for the last two...


    "No way, I lost to a little girl less than half my age..."


    "Ahaha... Cheer up..."


    "Can''t read her expressions..."


    "Ehehe, I won."


    And quite one-sidedly too. It was a fun game. Although I felt a little like I was cheating. I hadn''t been doing it on purpose but the three men were unable to read my expressions and... as a result had to take the stack quite often during my turn. As the end result, I had won. Karen nearly lost, placing barely second last, despite successfully tricking them a few times.


    Much to our surprise, the man who had suggested the game came in last...


    "Still, this was quite fun."


    "Nn, it was."


    "Ha! Wanna play another round? I''ll get my revenge this time!"


    "Let it, we got no time for another round."


    "Tsk. Next time then! I''ll win, next time!"


    "Good luck."


    He clutched his fist in frustration. He was really a bad loser, huh.


    "Still, not only can you keep your liquor but you''re even good at games, girly. You''re perfect for the mercenary life! Wahaha!"


    "... I''m not sure if those criteria are fine."


    "They are! The most important thing in life is to have fun! Drinking and playing are all you need!"


    The three men all laughed.


    "Fun, huh..."


    "What? Didn''t have fun?"


    "No, I had a lot of fun. Thank you for playing with us."


    It was only for a short while but it had been really enjoyable.


    "It really was... fun..."


    "Nn? Sis?"


    I turned to Karen who was quietly muttering to herself. I was interrupted by someone else first though.


    "You guys, the heck you doing? You''re injured! Get back below your blankets! We''ve arrived!"


    The driver was peeking through the small window, watching the injured yet merry mercenaries.


    "Ahh, too bad, huh. Well then, girls, we''ll return to our alcohol and cheer for you while you have to work! Wahaha!"


    "You''re not going to the alcohol. You''re going to your bed."


    "Urgh, Wenners."


    The usually quiet magician Wenners had appeared behind us, grabbing two of the men by their scruffs and pulling them away.


    "Wait, Wenners! I''m sorry! Woah, shit! It hurts! My arm! My broken arm is hitting the floor!"


    "... That guy''s arm was broken?"


    "... Let''s not think too deeply about it, Yumi."


    "Nn..."


    Yeah, let''s not wonder about why this guy was playing cards with a broken arm... How...


    "Hey, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Is it fine... to have so much fun?"


    "Why shouldn''t it? Isn''t this quite normal?"


    "Normal..."


    Karen watched how the mercenaries got rounded up by Wenners and Krutz so they''d return to their beds and sleeping places. They had kept quiet during our games, probably out of kindness, but now they weren''t giving in anymore. And they were quite violent about it at times... Regardless of whether the man was injured heavily or not. If he didn''t behave they''d force him to.


    "Normal, huh... You know, this was the first time I played cards... or dice."


    "You never played with anyone else before?"


    "No, I didn''t. Back in Aldreigh, we didn''t really have other children our age to play with. And in the slums, it wasn''t really possible. Everyone was busy trying to survive."


    Karen turned to me and put her hand on my head, rubbing it with a smile on her face.


    "Playing leisurely like this with others... It''s fun."


    "... Nn."


    The sun was already rising when the wagons arrived at the capital''s gates, or rather the area in front of them. Unsurprisingly, said gates weren''t even open yet. A bunch of guards could be seen on top of the wall, watching us curiously.


    "It''s morning already, huh..."


    Karen watched the sunrise in the distance.


    "Sis, we should help."


    "Ah, I''m coming."


    After the convoy had arrived and the wagons had stopped, we helped Wenners and Krutz with the injured. Especially the ones with broken bones needed help leaving the wagon.


    In the meantime, a few healthy mercenaries were setting up a tent for the injured while some others went to the gate. Apparently the Academy had a number of healers and a small clinic, so they wanted to get someone here who could properly treat the men.


    We joined the others in bringing the injured to the tent they had set up. The ones with slight injuries had to go by themselves so it was mostly those with leg injuries, mainly fractures.


    "Nn, how do the mercenaries usually deal with... such heavy injuries?" I asked one of the men we played with earlier and now was helped by Karen and me.


    "The little Miss Ria usually treats everyone. But since she''s out cold that won''t work."


    "Nn? Because of that magic earlier?"


    "Yeah. Well, in an emergency Wenners and Krutz can cast some magic too, but they''re not particularly good at it. If it''s only on this level it''s better to wait and have someone with the proper skills look at it.


    Only at this level? They had fractures, some of which were definitely beyond bad. And he called it ''only at this level''?


    "... What would be an emergency for example?"


    "Any fatal wound. Anything that kills you within a few minutes or faster. Heavy bleeding, head injuries or injuries to the intestines, the lungs or the heart. Those would be emergencies. As long as you''re alive, you can recover with proper treatment, after all."


    So anything non-fatal wasn''t even treated as... a problem? I wasn''t sure whether I should be scared about this or not. I certainly didn''t want to imagine lying around with a fracture and have them say ''It won''t kill you, we''ll treat you later''. Or even worse injuries than a fracture.


    Although, from the looks of it I wouldn''t have to worry about fractures anymore anyway...


    "Now, lie down here."


    "Ah, thanks, girly."


    We had arrived at the tent serving as a makeshift infirmary. Karen gently let the man lie down on the prepared blanket.


    "Get well soon."


    "No worries, girly, I''ll be up in a few days again! Gahahaha!"


    "I hope so."


    We left the tent, walking back to the wagon with the injured.


    "I really hope they''ll get better..."


    "They will, Yumi. It''d be one thing if there wasn''t someone to treat them, but if a healer comes by, they won''t have to worry."


    "Are healers that good at treating them?"


    I recalled Korwen telling me that healers, in general, were rare. Or had it been Ria who told me? Well, no matter who had, the point was, they were hard to come by. That was why they had been so curious whether I was able to heal as well. Or at least, that was how I understood it.


    With that said, they had also told me that casting magic usually required an understanding of what you wanted to achieve. And that healers required knowledge about the body for treatment, except for spirit magicians.


    "I''m not quite sure about it either, Yumi. But, I think I heard that an established healer can treat a dozen or more before running out of mana."


    "A dozen or more..."


    So, a few healers might actually be enough to treat these men. If you only accounted for the ones with heavy injuries like fractures, you wouldn''t even get two dozen in total, after all. Most of them had only minor injuries or things like a sprain.


    "Is something the matter, Yumi?"


    "Nn? Ah, no, I was just thinking a little. That it''s impressive that they can treat that many."


    "Ahh. Yeah, it is impressive."


    Still, the required knowledge to cast that magic must have been difficult to attain.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Look over there, someone is running towards us."


    "Nn? You''re right. Oh? That''s Helma."


    Right, we had left the families and everyone here, so Helma was here too. Still, the sun was barely up, so the commotion must have woken them up.


    Helma jogged over to us, looking clearly worried.


    "Yumi, you are back!"


    "Nn, hello Helma."


    "Is everything okay? Why are you all back already?"


    "Some... things happened..."


    With a wry smile, I explained to her the things that had happened.


    "I see. It''s good that nothing bad happened."


    "Nn."


    "So, uhm..."


    "Nn?"


    "How... about Merim?"


    "Ahh..."


    She was worried about him, after all, huh. Fidgeting, she slightly averted her eyes. Even her cheeks went a little red... Watching her fidgeting around was pretty cute.


    I would''ve loved to watch it more but I knew that teasing someone about this wasn''t a nice thing to do, so I refrained. Even though I really wanted to.


    "He''s fine. I think he had some small injury on his arm but that''s about it. He returned with everyone so you sho¡ª


    "He''s back too?!"


    "Ehh... Yes."


    "... I''ll go find him! Thank you, Yumi!"


    Her expression turned serious and she dashed away, off to find her husband.


    "... So that was Helma?"


    "Nn. It was. Ahh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you properly."


    "It''s okay, it''s okay. I''m sure I''ll have another chance."


    "You should''ve just said something."


    "I didn''t want to interrupt."


    Karen ruffled my hair.


    "But that girl really loves Merim, huh."


    "Nn."


    "Her expression was cute when she asked about him."


    "Nn, it was."


    Seemed that I hadn''t been the only one who thought it was cute.


    "Would you make such an expression too in a situation like this?"


    "... Maybe."


    Karen wrapped her arms around me from the back and hugged me.


    "Sis?"


    "Yes?"


    "We still have to help."


    "... Ah."


    I really would''ve loved to continue but I knew... If I wasn''t going to put a stop to it immediately I wouldn''t be able to hold back either. And I honestly didn''t want to make Korwen angry again.


    "Haa... Then let''s help. The sooner we are done, the better."


    "Nn."


    Thankfully, everything went by without any major incidents. All the injured were now in the large infirmary tent, so we could finally catch a small breather.


    "Good work out there."


    "Thank you, Merim. But are you sure you shouldn''t be in the tent with the other injured?"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. I only got a scratch anyway. No need to waste space there."


    "Haa..."


    Merim took out a bag and handed Karen and me something.


    "Here, have something to eat. You didn''t eat anything yet, did you?"


    "Ah, thank you."


    "Nn, thank you."


    It was bread filled with meat and something else. This was clearly not a ration since it wasn''t hard. Oh, it was quite delicious too.


    "By the way, where are Lily and the other girls?"


    Merim looked around, eating his own bread while trying to find the other girls.


    "Lily and Rina stayed with the three girls."


    "Ahh... Right. Those three are still under house arrest too, I nearly forgot."


    "... Oh, right."


    I had forgotten, to be honest. That explained why they weren''t running around everywhere.


    "Yumi, look, the other wagons are coming too now."


    "Nn? You''re right."


    Karen pointed at the road. The injured men had to be escorted back first, so it took a little before the others caught up. In the end, there hadn''t been anything else happening except those trees. Maybe my guess had been wrong in the end. The elves couldn''t tell us anymore either. Because they had run away from Yumias...


    "Guess everyone is back together then."


    "Nn."


    The families, the Black Guards and a few others¡ªnamely us¡ªhad split up at the fort and come here. Then we left the families here and went to the fort to meet up with Korwen and the others again. Following that, we had returned again. That had been some serious back and forth...


    "Back together, huh..."


    Merim sighed for some reason, looking everything but happy about it.


    "Something wrong about that?"


    "Just something I heard from Helma earlier. Mh, did the Captain tell you about the plans we have from now on?"


    "The plans?"


    "With the families..."


    Oh, he probably meant that downsizing?


    "Do you mean the talk about... getting rid of the unnecessary people? Mr Greyward had talked to us about that."


    "Oh, Greyward did? Well, that''s okay too. But yes, exactly that plan."


    He sighed once more.


    "Honestly, I just want a break right now. First Arkesta, then this. And the question is still how much the Captain wants to get involved in this war. If we add our internal problems... Haa... And knowing the Captain he wants to finish that up as quickly as possible."


    "But, isn''t the war basically dealt with for now?" I asked, curious.


    "''For now'' fits well. Just because they can''t cross the Hollow ''for now'', doesn''t mean we''re safe. Effectively, this is still as good as a declaration of war."


    So, they''d still wage war in the end? Even though they couldn''t even meet each other? How was that supposed to work?


    "Well, it also depends on how the empire and the kingdom each will act now. Personally, I don''t want a repeat of the Triside war happening."


    He finished his last bite and then stretched his arms.


    "Oh well, it''s useless to talk about it for now anyway. You girls should take a break too. After you reported to the Captain, of course."


    "We''ll do that, Mr Merim. Thank you."


    "Nn."


    "Good luck. I''m going to sleep as well. Helma is going to talk my ear off if I don''t rest."


    He waved and left us alone again.


    "So, off to the Captain?"


    "Nn. The sooner the better."


    Karen grabbed my hand and we walked towards the newly arriving wagons.


    "So, everyone is accounted for, the injured are together, the healers on their way. The first good news today."


    Korwen crossed his arms in front of his chest, listening to our report, as well as the reports of a few others that had joined too.


    "The elves are a little concerning, but we haven''t seen hide nor hair from them on our way here. Who knows where they ran off to. Haa... Why did that nerve-racking girl have to scare them away?"


    He shook his head in exasperation, complaining about Yumias.


    "Whatever. Can''t change what happened already. Good job reporting. Go and take a break. "


    "Ah, yes, Captain."


    "Understood, Captain."


    "Ah, before you leave, Yumi, Karen. I''d like a word with you two."


    "Nn?"


    Karen and I exchanged glances, a little confused.


    "It''s nothing bad, no worries. It''s about Emily, Maya and Sele."


    "Those three? What''s with them?"


    "I might have talked about it before, but we got a small deal with the Academy. I talked with Merim about it a little, so I wanted to hear your opinions too. It''s mostly about sending the three to the Academy for a while for education."


    Oh, the thing Merim had told me about before? So they could help out here with the mercenaries.


    "That sounds like a good idea? Where''s the problem?"


    "... You might not know, but we did try to send them to the orphanage or the Academy before. And with the recent... incident, I''m not sure whether they would even willingly do that."


    "Ahh..."


    They might think they were trying to shove them away again, huh. I hadn''t even considered that...


    "Mr Captain, do you want us to convince them?"


    "Mh, that would be great, if possible."


    He nodded in affirmation.


    "I still want them to be somewhere where it is safe, but... I guess that won''t be possible. So, the best compromise would be to at least get them away from the front lines."


    "If you say it like that, they''re definitely going to refuse," Karen commented.


    "... I figured."


    "Nn, but Captain... You are in desperate need for people who can do work behind the lines, right? Since you wanted me to be your secretary so much."


    From what I remembered, there were only Korwen himself, Merim, the treasurer and the magicians who were involved in any way with the organisation. That was... incredibly lacking. More like a wonder that this group could even function, if someone asked me.


    "I am. The Black Guards don''t really have many who can do accounting and such things either, so we still need more."


    "Then, wouldn''t it be fine to just say that to them? They want to help after all."


    "... I guess... I could do that."


    The girls said they wanted to help as much as they could. The mercenaries didn''t want them on the front lines. Both sides were worried. It wasn''t the most perfect solution, sure, but it was better than the alternatives...


    "And, I think it''s better if you ask them, Captain."


    "Ah, I agree. I think it''s better if Mr Captain asks them himself too."


    He was their precious ''Uncle'' after all.


    Korwen scratched the back of his head, clearly unsure. This man usually decided over the lives of hundreds of people, and yet here he was, agonising about three children.


    "I can''t run from it either, huh..."


    "Nn?"


    "Nothing. I''ll talk to them. Thank you."


    "You''re welcome."


    "Nn, no problem."


    If this would help them out a little, then I''d always be glad to help.


    Korwen thanked us once more and then sent us away, telling us to take a break.


    Hand in hand, we returned to the camp.


    Rinne


    The card game mentioned might seem familiar to a few people. The rules apparently differ quite a bit depending on where you live.


    The busy time has ended, for now. I''ll try to get some more chapters ready for Patreon, now that I got a little more time. I''ll give it my best.


    If you want to support me, or just want to read ahead a few chapters, I''d be happy if you took a look at my Patreon!


    Well then, hope all of you had some nice days. Wish you all a good new year!

 Tale of Rainbow Memories: The Wolf Girl and the Cursed Witch (Part 2)

    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Golden Suns'' Day, Faithweek, Third Month of Spring


    Borderlands of Krohmea, A nameless forest


    The suns were blazing down on the camp, making it even hotter than the day before. As I woke up I was greeted with a pile of documents right in front of me. Yes, in front of my eyes. Why were these in front of me?


    Confused as I was I scanned the surroundings.


    I wasn''t in my bed. I had fallen asleep at this desk, in the middle of my work. And that wasn''t all. Two girls were sleeping peacefully in my bed. Slowly, the memories came back to me... Yesterday we had picked up these girls in the forest. After the Priest Maiden had convinced them to stay with us they had occupied my bed and slept nearly the entire time, likely exhausted from surviving in the forest.


    They only woke up once for dinner, though the Priest Maiden had to eat together with them away from everyone else.


    "Right... We picked up those two... Haa... And I haven''t finished these at all, have I?"


    At the very least, I had finished the letter and sent off the carrier bird yesterday night. That had been the most important thing anyway.


    "I''ll bother with these later..."


    Luckily, documents weren''t that good at escaping.


    I stood up from the desk and stretched myself, the bones in my arms and neck making cracking sounds. After I shot a quick glance at the two children in my bed, I left the tent. Into the blazing suns.


    "Hot..."


    "Oh! Captain! Good Morning!"


    """Good Morning!"""


    Some of my men were already up and exercising again, sweat glistening on their bare bodies.


    "Good Morning you all."


    I nodded to them, indicating for them to continue. Barely a second later, they continued, shouting full of energy. Walking through the camp, I approached the Priest Maiden''s place. Even when standing outside, you could still hear the groans from the injured.


    "Priest Maiden?"


    "Mh? Oh, Captain. Have you had a good night?"


    "As good as the wooden pillow could bring me."


    "The desk again? Haa... What about the two girls?"


    "Asleep."


    The Priest Maiden was crouching down next to one the lighter injured man, from the orc''s raid yesterday. She was applying something on the wounds on his arm, making the man groan in pain.


    "Captain, you shouldn''t leave sleeping children alone, you know? What if they wake up now? They''ll be scared."


    "... Is that so?"


    She brought out a cloth roll from her small medicine bag and bandaged the man''s arm.


    "It is. You should get back. Did you even finish your desk work?"


    "..."


    "See?"


    "... How are the injured?"


    "Please don''t try to divert the topic, Captain. They''re injured. Same as yesterday."


    "I see. Then, I''ll get back."


    "Ah, Captain."


    The Priest Maiden, having remembered something, rushed to a small shelf in the corner of the tent. Once she retrieved something, she returned and handed it to me.


    "Candy?"


    "Good children get candy, Captain. But only after breakfast."


    "Candy, huh..."


    "Also, don''t smoke in front of them. The smoke is bad for their health."


    Was there something else I had to remember? And now she didn''t even want me to smoke?


    "Then, good luck."


    "Thank you."


    I might need it. With the candies in hand, I returned to my tent. The two children were still fast asleep.


    "Children, huh..."


    A good friend of mine, a vice-captain from a different mercenary band, had married his childhood love years ago. They already had four children of their own and yet he was still travelling around, working as a mercenary. So, it was definitely doable, bringing family and work together.


    "Haa... Wonder if that''s her aim, making me think about this."


    The Priest Maiden could be sly at times... It certainly wouldn''t surprise me if she was trying to make me think about it on purpose.


    But that wasn''t important, really. For now, we had to think about what to do with these children.


    "Mh... If I remember, that idiot Korwen said there was a well-known orphanage in Lafria''s capital. Maybe that''s a start. Or we look for one in Kroh¡ª No, I can''t imagine that being a good idea. Haa..."


    This country, Krohmea, was by far not a bad country. It was an odd one, putting more importance on the individual cities'' independence. There were even skirmishes between their own lords. For mercenaries, it was a great place to earn money. Assuming the nobles actually paid you.


    "Mmm..."


    The young wolf beastkin girl¡ªif I recalled right her name was Lily¡ªstirred, rolling over and hugging the pink-haired girl. It was an adorable sight. A small smile floated on my face, while I kept watching them for a little.


    "Children... Huh... Haa..."


    Better get back to work before I started thinking about it for real...


    I sat down at my desk and began working. It wasn''t actually that much, most of my time had been occupied with writing that stupid letter. Nobles put a lot of emphasis on formalities, even a single wrong word could send you on their bad side. Even more important was it when you requested for something, like reinforcements in this case. The worst was, that every noble was different. And etiquette in different countries could vastly differ as well. In one country it was seen as unbecoming to be seen eating, in the next it was an insult if you didn''t heartily eat the dishes. It was beyond me, at times.


    "Mm... Mmm?"


    A little while later, the beastkin girl stirred again, but this time she was clearly waking up. A pair of sleepy eyes scanned the room and spotted me.


    "Good Morning."


    "Mh? Mhm... Mm! Eh?!"


    It took her quite a few seconds before she realised where she was, and who she was staring at. In a flash, she grabbed the blanket and hid in the corner of the bed.


    I had no words. Was... Was I that scary? I had to admit, I was probably quite sturdily built compared to most men, but that should''ve been all. Was it my face? Was my face that bad... I felt a little hurt.


    Unfortunately, feeling hurt wouldn''t solve this solution.


    "Mm, what to do... Ah."


    I had those candies I got from the Priest Maiden. She said they were for after breakfast, but maybe...


    "Lily... right? Look here."


    I held out the candy, waiting for the girl to peek in my direction from behind the blanket. Which she did, after a few seconds.


    "It''s the same candy you had yesterday. Mmh, the Priest Maiden said I should only give it to you when you''re a good girl until after breakfast. But if you keep it a secret, I can give you one now already. How about it?"


    Hopefully, she''d bite.


    And... she didn''t. She kept staring at it, but she wasn''t actually approaching me, or even moving in the first place. That was... disappointing. Just how had the Priest Maiden managed to convince her?


    "No luck, huh. Mh. What to do..."


    I scratched my head, unable to think of any solution. The only options I could think of... were dragging her out, shouting and similar things. But that was definitely going to make the poor girl even warier... I just wasn''t suited to this...


    "This is awkward... Ahh... Seriously... What do I do now?" I cursed quietly to myself.


    Lily and I simply continued to stare at each other. I needed help. I desperately needed help.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Mm..."


    A third voice echoed through the room. With very welcome, or maybe unwelcome timing. I didn''t know yet. The pink-haired girl, Yumias, rose up. Similar to Lily earlier, she glanced sleepily through the room first, maybe trying to remember where she was or what was going on.


    "Mm... Good Morning."


    "Good Morning."


    She took a good, long look at me, then turned to Lily right behind her. After a short while, her attention returned back to me.


    "When is breakfast?"


    "... As soon as you two get up."


    That question actually threw me through a loop for a second. This girl clearly didn''t care about my¡ªand possibly Lily''s¡ªpredicament. Or... maybe she didn''t understand it. They were just children.


    "Mh... Come, Lily."


    "Ah."


    The girl took Lily''s hand and pulled her out of the corner of the bed. Together with Lily, she walked up to me. The two had slept in some makeshift clothes that the Priest Maiden had lent them apparently. At least, they weren''t wearing the rags from yesterday anymore.


    "Then, let''s grab breakfast, yes?"


    A wry smile on my face, I returned the candy I had taken out into the small bag and led the two girls out of the tent. Neither of the two said anything to me, only following behind me. Yumias hadn''t said anything at all the day before, but now she was pulling Lily along. I was kind of grateful for that. Who knew how long we would''ve simply stared at each other...


    "Over there. We only got some bread, dried meat and fruits. Mh... Water is in that barrel, just take a mug from the table next to it."


    The men that had been responsible for the last night watch already prepared everything. None of us could cook anything beyond roasting meat over a fire, so this was all we had for breakfast. Usually, everyone only got a certain amount of food, since we only had limited supplies, but I kept quiet about that for now. They should just eat for now. Who knew how long they haven''t had anything decent to eat.


    "Captain! Good Morning!"


    "Good Morning."


    Some men were sitting around the tables having their breakfast, watching how I told the two where everything was.


    "Captain."


    "Mh? Ah, Rolan, you''re already back again?"


    "Yes, we returned just earlier."


    Rolan and his squad were sitting here as well, eating their breakfast. They had kept track, or tried to, of the orc''s movements. Those beasts weren''t really active overnight either, but they knew just as well as us how much a successful night ambush was worth. That''s why we needed to take be careful.


    "Captain, behind you are... Oh, the two girls. Hello!"


    Rolan, sporting a smile, greeted the girls behind me.


    "..."


    "..."


    And was subsequently ignored. Or well, Yumias didn''t even give him the time of the day and Lily hid behind me. It made me feel somehow happy that she chose to hide behind me if only she wouldn''t do so with a distance of two steps between us...


    "No luck, huh... Haa... not even kids look at me, huh."


    "Rolan... What about your report?"


    "Report? Oh, right, we wanted to go after breakfast."


    "Shouldn''t you first give the report and then eat breakfast?"


    "Ahahaha!"


    He just laughed it off. Maybe the long night got to him.


    Either way... If he hadn''t come immediately to me they probably didn''t find anything. That meant I could concentrate on my more immediate problem. Except...


    I had no idea what to do about the girls. None at all. I walked over to the food and put something on a plate, in the hopes they would come and get something themselves too. They didn''t. Yumias was grinning behind Lily. And Lily herself was warily keeping track of what I was doing, occasionally glancing to the side where the other men were.


    "Ahh, if you''re not getting something for yourself!"


    I was at my wit''s end. I walked over to the girls, making Lily flinch back a little. Then I pushed the plate with food into her hands and pointed at the table.


    "Sit down and eat."


    I walked back to the food and filled two more plates. When I turned around I saw that the girls had, in fact, sat down finally. Lily seemed even warier now, though. With the plates in hand, I sat down next to them and gave one plate to Yumias. Not waiting for another second, I ate my own breakfast.


    "So, Rolan, give me your report now."


    "Eh? Are you... sure?"


    "Yes."


    No need to delay it any further, after all. I also needed something to keep my mind busy.


    "I understand, Captain. Then..."


    He cleared his throat, expression turning serious.


    "We found multiple signs of orc scouts, but the main force seems to have left, moving in the opposite direction. I doubt they could fake it. They didn''t even have time to erase their tracks. Whatever it is they''re looking for, they found it over there, I guess."


    "Mh."


    They found what they were looking for, huh...


    The question was.... should we rejoice about this or not... I had no idea. We might find out, though...


    I continued listening to his remaining report while we ate our breakfast.


    Around two hours later, I was back in my tent. I had finally finished my own work with the documents, and after having handed them to Griess, I gained some unexpected but welcome free time.


    "Yes, yes, you place them like that."


    "Mh... Like... this?"


    "Yes, just like that! Hehe, you''re good!"


    "... Haa. What am I doing?"


    After breakfast, the Priest Maiden had taken off the two girls from me, much to my delight. Yet, now she was in my tent, together with the girls, playing a game. It was a simple board game that children and adults alike used to play. Wooden blocks needed to be placed on three square rings and you had to catch your opponents blocks. The Mill Game. It was a game that even I knew the rules of. And now I was forced to play with them...


    "Oh my, Captain, you don''t like playing with us? You''re free right now anyway, right?"


    "I am, but you know, I too have thi¡ª"Nothing to do, right?"


    A wide smile was directed at me. A smile that told me not to say another word...


    "... Haa, whatever."


    "Hehe, Captain, it''s your turn now."


    "... Here."


    I placed my block on a free corner, ending my turn. Since the game was only designed for two players, I was playing against the Priest Maiden and Lily and Yumias were playing against each other. Although... Both games were surprisingly one-sided.


    "Then, I''ll go here."


    "... Here."


    "Ah."


    "And that marks my sixth win..."


    She was bad at it. Incredibly bad. Prove enough that age didn''t necessarily equal more wisdom or knowledge or insight.


    I took a glance to my side and... saw a very similar, one-sided match. Much to my surprise, Yumias was... good. Really good. Lily didn''t even stand a chance. Heck, I wasn''t sure I could win against her either.


    "Uhh... Lily, play with me! This old man is mean to this poor maiden!"


    "Eh? Uhhh..."


    ''Maiden''? She was probably three or four times as old as I was. I very much doubted you could call that a maiden...


    "Ah, you don''t believe me, Captain?"


    "..."


    "It''s not a lie! I''m really a... Mai! Den!"


    She put her finger to her lips and threw me a wink.


    "... You shouldn''t do such crude jokes in the presence of children."


    "Rude, that wasn''t a joke you know?"


    "Haa..."


    Lily stared in wonder at the Priest Maiden, probably not understanding the hidden meaning. In the meantime... Yumias did her last turn and caused Lily to lose...


    "Well then, should we change now? Lily, come play with me! Here, here!"


    The Priest Maiden grabbed Lily''s hands and turned her around, so they were facing each other.


    "Seriously, now you''re trying to win against a child? Haa..."


    I could only shake my head in exasperation. Did she really want to put herself on that level? Well, if she wanted to...


    But that meant... I''d have an opponent who didn''t seem so easy to beat. I kind of looked forward to it a little.


    "Okay then, I hope you are ready, Yumias, I won''t hold back," I declared.


    Maybe, I too wasn''t the most mature right now... Getting serious against a child. Yumias nodded and we prepared the board. Next to us, Lily and the Priest Maiden did the same. And so, it was time to try again, this time with a new opponent.


    "..."


    "..."


    And time passed.


    "..."


    "..."


    And passed...


    "..."


    "... Are you serious?"


    And... passed...


    "..."


    "This is impossible."


    "That makes... my ninth win."


    I had lost. Nine times in a row. Overwhelmingly to boot. I did think I was pretty good at this game, but... To be beaten so one-sidedly was... A new experience.


    "Hahaha! That''s what you get for bullying me, Captain!"


    "... You don''t have the right to laugh, Priest Maiden."


    After all, she had lost four of her eight games with Lily and she was well in the process of losing the ninth one too... She was on the level as a child who just played the game for the first time. Then again... I had lost against a child who played for the first time... This was ridiculous...


    "Here..."


    "Ah!"


    And she lost the ninth game.


    "Ahh! Revenge! I''ll get my revenge! Let''s play again!"


    "Mm..."


    A small smile was on Lily''s face.


    They finally opened up a little to us. Guess that''s a step forward.


    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Dying Night''s Day, Spiritweek, Third Month of Spring


    Borderlands of Krohmea, A nameless forest


    Several days have passed since we picked up those two girls. Lily had finally warmed up to us, or more specifically, to the Priest Maiden and me. She was still hiding when someone else tried to approach her. Yumias was mostly indifferent like before, barely speaking, only smiling in the back. Still, the two girls even approached me or the Priest Maiden on their own now, sometimes asking if we would play with them. The Priest Maiden had taught them several games by now, so the games we were playing differed each time.


    Still, seeing their Captain playing games with two little girls was surely an odd sight for my men... Some of them cracked a few, mostly harmless, jokes about it. In fact, some of the men wanted to play too but they were always rejected, so they had to play amongst themselves with dice or so. Griess told me later that some of them had already bet their entire salary for the next two months away...


    Be that as it may, today was a little bit of a bad day... For me, for most of my men. The Priest Maiden stood in front of me, staring straight into my eyes.


    "Captain. Marim won''t make it."


    "... I see."


    "I''m sorry."


    "... No. You did all you could. Thank you."


    "..."


    Only a few hours after she told me, Marim passed away, silently. His body had lost too much blood, grown too weak to recover.


    Cigar in hand, I was taking a little break in a corner of the camp, next to the barricade. The Priest Maiden was with me and little further away were Lily and Yumias. Probably sensing that something was amiss, they kept their distance today.


    "Captain, smoking is bad for your health."


    "It''s only one."


    "I see."


    I puffed some smoke into the air and watched it rise into the sky.


    "Captain, I heard you got a reply from our employer."


    "Mh. I did."


    "... May I ask what they said?"


    "No reinforcements. Job is a failure. No payment."


    "..."


    "Also, implied that there''d be consequences for the failure of the job."


    The letter was long, unnecessarily so. Most of it was just insults hidden behind flowery words. It was easy to sum it up, at least.


    "What are we going to do now?"


    "..."


    "Going to give them a piece of mind?"


    "... No."


    There wasn''t anything to gain by doing that. Only more to lose. No matter how much I wanted to punch that asshole... It just wasn''t worth it.


    "We''ll return to the former Northerlands."


    "I see."


    The men that had gone missing never returned. We kept looking for them after we ensured the orcs were gone. Together with Marim... We had lost five men. Our band wasn''t large, not even a hundred men. Losing five was... an incredibly heavy blow. To the band itself, but also to our hearts.


    "What are we going to do about those two?"


    The Priest Maiden looked towards the children. They were... apparently trying to climb the barricade. They sure weren''t good at it, though.


    "... I don''t know. We''ll pass through Lafria, so maybe the orphanage there could take them."


    "Lafria, huh. Well, definitely a better place than here."


    "Mhm."


    "Captain."


    "What?"


    "Give me that for a moment."


    She took the cigar out of my hands. For a moment I thought she might throw it away or so but... instead, she took a drag on her own.


    "Now, that surprises me."


    "Ehehe, I used to smoke quite a lot too in the past."


    "And yet you still try to make me quit."


    "It''s not good for your health, really. But, I do understand... sometimes needing one."


    She took another drag and puffed the smoke into the air.


    "Keep that a secret, Captain."


    "... Not like anyone would believe me anyway."


    "Ahaha, true."


    "..."


    I took out another cigar and lit it up. Now, both of us smoking, we silently watched the sky and occasionally threw a glance to the children to make sure they were fine.


    The silence lasted for a long time, until my cigar was already nearing its end...


    "Hey, Captain."


    "What?"


    "Can I come over later?"


    "... Do what you want."


    "I see. Will do."


    A small, sad smile floated on her face.


    "It''s time to go back," I told her.


    "Already, huh..."


    "Ah. We have to bury him. And we should prepare to leave. There''s no reason to stay here anymore."


    "..."


    I extinguished the little stump, the cigar''s remains, and turned around, walking back to the camp. Behind me, I heard the Priest Maiden calling the two girls and following me.


    A few hours later, we were burying Marim''s body, together with his weapon, his armour and most of his personal effects. We only kept a small badge, inscribed with his name. His closest friends were the ones responsible for laying him down.


    Everyone else, including me, was standing in two lines in front of the grave.


    As the Captain, I had to take charge of the funerals too. I took a deep breath.


    "Men! Salute!" I shouted.


    In one fluid motion, we all saluted, paying our respects to our lost comrade. We remained in this position until they had finished burying him. His friends formed a line in front of us and saluted as well.


    The Priest Maiden passed us and walked to the grave. She was holding a small piece of wood, embedded with a crystal. It was a charm, said to protect the soul of the warriors and lead them to the great halls of the Lord of War.


    She kneeled down and buried the charm in the earth.


    "May you find honour and peace. You fought and died for the things you believed in, but now it is time for you to rest. Thank you, for all you have done for us. Farewell, that we might meet again."


    She stood up again and walked back the way she came from, passing us.


    "Draw your weapons! Honour our comrade!"


    Every man, every mercenary pulled their respective weapon. Spears, axes, halberds, crossbows, there was quite the variety. All the men slammed their weapons into the ground. A moment of silence, then, the first men stomped the ground. Slowly, everyone joined, stomping uniformly and then¡ª


    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"


    We screamed, shouted, with all our spirit.


    "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    A primal, unintelligible scream. There was no reason behind it. We just screamed at the heavens, screamed out our anger, hate, sadness, all our emotions. In a long, simple scream. All the while, stomping the ground.


    "WRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    My ears hurt, my throat hurt, my leg hurt, but we continued to scream and stomp the ground. We had to make sure that everyone knew, the Lord of War, our friends, our enemies, everyone.


    That today, we lost a dear comrade.


    "Good work out there."


    We were back in the tent after the funeral ended. The other men were preparing for a funeral celebration. Or in other words, the drinking-until-you-passed-out party. Considering most of the men were quite good at holding their liquor, it was likely to last well into the night, maybe even into the morning.


    "Mh, thank you..."


    "Want something to drink?"


    "... I do."


    The Priest Maiden handed me a mug with water. A very welcome gesture, as my throat burnt like hell.


    "Haaa... That hurts..."


    "If you shout like that, no wonder."


    "It was necessary."


    "... I guess so. Feeling better?"


    "Yes."


    Shouting with all you could and letting your emotions out... definitely made you feel a lot better. As if something heavy pulling you down was simply gone all of a sudden.


    "Want to join me for a drink?"


    "My, an invitation by the Captain? Now... I''d really love to but..."


    She glanced next to us. We weren''t alone... We still had to take care of these two girls, especially since we were the only ones they were talking with. Especially Lily, who seemed confused. It seemed like she wanted to say something but couldn''t. And I wasn''t the only one who picked up on that.


    "Lily, is there something you want to say?" the Priest Maiden asked her.


    "Ah... Uhm... Uhh... Why were... Mister and the others... shouting?"


    "Ahh. You see, because they lost someone important to them."


    "Important? Lost?"


    The Priest Maiden gently rubbed Lily''s head.


    "They cannot meet their friend anymore. And they''re sad about it. When you''re sad, you sometimes want to cry, right?"


    "Ah... Un."


    "This is quite similar. They were shouting because they are sad and frustrated. After all, they lost a dear friend, dear family."


    "Family?"


    "That''s right, family."


    The Priest Maiden pulled Lily over into her lap.


    "Everyone here is a big family. That''s why we''re sad if we can''t see them anymore."


    "..."


    Maybe that was a bit too hard for such a young girl to understand. Lily only looked back and forth between the Priest Maiden and me.


    After a short while, she stopped, her gaze, stuck on me.


    "Uhm..."


    "Mh?"


    "Me... too?"


    "Too?"


    What did she want to know?


    "Ehehe, if you want to, then, yes. You too."


    "Ohhh."


    Her eyes went wide and a small smile appeared on her face. She was kicking her legs back and forth while sitting on the Priest Maiden''s lap, clearly happy.


    It took me a little to realise.


    Oh. She means family, huh. Well... If she wants to be our family... I guess that''d be fine.


    Rinne


    And here ends the second part of Lily''s side story.


    I hope you enjoyed it!


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    Thank you for reading! Until next week!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Light from the Other Side

    "Ahh... This is bliss."


    "Nn..."


    The sun was shining down on us. A gentle warmth on our skin.  The mercenaries watched us curiously sitting here, enjoying our break out in the open.


    "Yumi, Lily... What are you doing..."


    "Big Sis, you don''t want to join?"


    "... I''ll think about it."


    She didn''t say no.


    The sound of water splashing around could be heard.


    "Rina, stop that, we''ll get wet."


    "Ehh? Like this?"


    "Wah!"


    And Lily was drenched...


    "Rina, you little... Take this!"


    Lily enacted her revenge and now Rina was drenched too.


    "Just because it''s warm you shouldn''t get wet, you two... You''ll catch something."


    "Karen, we won''t get ill that quickly, no worries."


    "Don''t blame it on me later, Lily. I warned you."


    Karen furrowed her brows while watching us from the side.


    "Sis, you really don''t want to join? It''s comfortable."


    "Mm..."


    For some reason, she looked a little troubled.


    "Let her be, Yumi. Can''t force the unwilling."


    "Nn..."


    Even though it felt pretty great.


    "Uhh, I get it, I get it. I''ll join..."


    Clearly, Lily''s comment didn''t sit well with her.


    "It''s... It''s really... safe... Right?"


    "Do you see any of us crying in pain?"


    "But there''s steam coming from it!"


    "Well, of course, there is. It''s hot water."


    It wasn''t boiling or so, though. Neither was it hot enough to actually scald us. It was hot, yes, and the first moment did hurt a little but once you got used to it, it was quite... comfortable. It warmed you up to your core, mysteriously.


    "Come on, Karen. It''s just your feet."


    "Nn, it''ll feel good."


    "..."


    Karen slowly moved closer before finally sitting down next to me. It took a few more seconds of her staring at the water. Finally, she removed her shoes and slowly, cautiously... testing the waters.


    "Hot! I knew it, this is hot!"


    "It''s only hot in the beginning."


    "Nn."


    "Uhh..."


    Her troubled expression was cute... But it was also a little annoying that she was making such a big deal out of it... It was just a footbath.


    Well, truth be told, this was my first time having one too. Probably. And much to my surprise, it was a lot more comfortable than I had expected. I mean, it was just warming your feet, that''s what I had thought at first when Lily suggested it.


    But after heating up some water and forcing me to try it out, I changed my opinion. It was nice.


    "Come now, Sis. You can do it."


    "... I''ll try."


    She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and plunged her feet in.


    "Ah, Karen! Don''t splash it everywhere."


    "..."


    "Sis?"


    "... It''s... hot."


    Well, yes. It was a hot footbath, after all.


    Karen winced a little and then stiffened up, clearly trying to endure it. Hopefully, it''d only take a little for her to get used to it.


    "Hey, Lily."


    "What is it, Rina?"


    "I''ve never heard of a footbath before, so how did you even think of this?"


    "Ahh, it''s not common around here, but a merchant from beyond the Wooden Sea once told me about this when I was little. I bothered Papa and Mama quite a lot to let me try it back then. And it was great. Especially in winter, or when you can''t set up a proper bath!"


    A happy smile floated on Lily''s face, probably reminiscing about the time.


    "Nn, speaking of which, I''ve heard the term ''Wooden Sea'' before already but what exactly is it?"


    It was probably some kind of forest, right? Judging from the name.


    "It''s a huge forest, Yumi. Like, a really huge one. It''s said that it takes around half a year or longer for someone to traverse it.


    "Half... a year?"


    Seriously? That... was some ridiculous distance... And that was one forest? Really?


    "Yeah. The western border of Lafria is along the Wooden Sea. Same for the western border of Krohmea north of here and the western and southern borders of the Akkian Empire. And there are even more countries bordering on it too."


    "Huh... Lily, do we have some kind of map or so?"


    I''d really like to see a map of this... world? Well, I doubted they had maps of the entire planet. But at least a map of the continent, or, at the very least, of the surrounding countries.


    "A map, huh. I think Papa has one. Korwen probably does too. Whether they''d let you see it though..."


    "Are they valuable?"


    "Of course they are. Knowing the lay of the land is important information. We''d probably have to save all our wages for the next twenty years to afford one single map. That''s how valuable they are."


    "Wah..."


    That was beyond expensive... That was plain ridiculous. No, it was completely beyond ridiculous.


    "Isn''t the sale of maps restricted anyway, though?" Karen asked.


    "Yes... Unless you''re a noble or with the military it''s nearly impossible to even see one, regardless of whether you are in the Empire, Lafria, Aldreigh, Krohmea, or really any country. At most you''ll find maps of the surrounding areas, like villages and so, but that''s not what Yumi wanted to see, I guess."


    "Nn. I wanted to see a big map."


    But it was that hard, huh... Maybe Korwen or Greyward would show it to me if I asked nicely? Better to keep that in mind.


    "So, Karen. How are your feet?"


    "... It''s not that hot anymore."


    "It''s still hot, you just got used to it."


    "... It''s a little comfortable."


    "That''s good."


    Karen pouted, not quite unhappy though.


    "Rina, don''t kick me."


    "Mh? Oh, that was your foot? Sorry."


    "With four people it''s a little small, huh..."


    We had kind of misused an iron washbasin for this footbath. Said basin wasn''t exactly large, so we frequently bumped each other''s feet.


    That wasn''t necessarily uncomfortable though, actually the opposite. It kind of gave me a close, warm feeling. Watching our four pairs of feet in the water was kind of... nice. Yeah.


    "Still, this is bliss."


    "Nn..."


    "You''re repeating yourselves, Yumi, Lily... Though, I think I can understand it a little now. I feel a lot warmer now. How come my entire body feels so warm..."


    "Ohh, another one converted! Yay!"


    Lily laughed happily and kicked her legs a little in the water, making small waves and hitting all our feet.


    "Lily, stop. Are you a little kid?"


    "I''m always a little kid!"


    "That''s nothing to be proud of!"


    "Isn''t it fine? Relaxing after such an incident is the best, after all."


    Lily leaned back and stared over to the forest. It hadn''t even been an hour since we returned, and here we were...


    "I wonder just what was going on there."


    "I don''t know, Yumi. But whatever it is, it got nothing to do with us anymore!"


    How irresponsible...


    "In the end, nothing happened except for those monster trees..."


    "If you ask me, those were more than enough."


    "Nn..."


    This had been the second time I saw the mercenaries fight. The first time with the ogres in Arkesta. Small squads fighting one ogre at a time, carefully.


    And then this time, with those trees. Groups holding up against a single tree.


    "What''s going to happen about those broken down wagons anyway?"


    "We might have to retrieve them at some point. I doubt the Captain is going to let those lying around there. I guess after he made sure it''s safe, though."


    I followed Lily''s glance to the forest. There was a small pillar of smoke rising up from it.


    "It''s... not going to burn down, is it?"


    "That''s... a good question. Pretend you don''t know about that."


    "Haa..."


    A forest fire wasn''t good. Neither the beverage nor this. I should definitely refuse to get drunk in the future. Drinking in moderation only!


    "I wonder what happened to the mana and the elves, though."


    "Nothing we can find out now... Mama really should think first about how the fairies see her."


    "Why do the fairies hate her anyway?"


    "Well..."


    A troubled smile appeared on Lily''s face.


    "You see... Mama likes cute, petite girls."


    "Nn..."


    "Most of the fairykin races are female-only races."


    "... Nn."


    I had a feeling where this was going...


    "You see... She became known as a sexual deviant to them at some point."


    "... I see."


    What?


    "Could you repeat that?"


    "Ahaha... The fairykin apparently think that she kidnaps them to... have fun. In a sexual sense."


    "... I have no words."


    What should one say in such a situation? If someone knew, I''d love for them to tell me about it, because I sure didn''t know. Maybe, somewhere deep inside me, I expected something actually... more ''scary''? Well, it was scary in its own right, sure, but a different kind than I thought of.


    Actually, it had to be really bad that they got scared to this degree...


    "I''m sorry..."


    "... It''s not your fault, Lily."


    One couldn''t choose their parents. And this sure would''ve been a bad one, if she could have chosen. At least her ''father'' was normal as far as I knew.


    "At least the dark elves don''t hate her... Not that I know whether I should be happy or not about it."


    "... I am a little scared about the answer but... Why don''t they hate her?"


    ".... Peas in a pod."


    "Sorry that I asked."


    That explained at the very least why the dark elves weren''t so averse to human settlements. To think that they were like that...


    "The dark elf I met in the slums wasn''t really that bad though..."


    "Was she married?"


    "Well, I think so, yes."


    "They only have one partner at any given time, as far as I understand. Male partner, that is. Surprised she didn''t try to make a pass at you. Guess not all of them are as bad."


    "..."


    Karen stared blankly at Lily for a few seconds before responding.


    "... I always thought she was joking when she told me how much she liked me and that I should hurry and grow up."


    """..."""


    Apparently, that one had been no exception in how bad they were. Sample size of one. I somehow felt bad for Karen. Her impression of the dark elves had worsened a lot now, hadn''t it?


    "What are you girls doing? I know I told you to take a break but... Aren''t you a little too relaxed?"


    "Nn? Captain?"


    While we enjoyed our footbath for a little longer¡ªsplashing and fooling around included¡ªKorwen had appeared behind me, watching our antics curiously.


    "It''s a hot footbath, Captain!" Lily answered him.


    "A footbath?"


    "It''s comfortable and warms you up."


    "Huh..."


    He stroked his chin, clearly interested in it.


    "And what are you doing here, Captain?"


    "I was talking with Ria and the other magicians. I was actually going to look for you now when I spotted you sitting here."


    "You needed us?"


    Korwen nodded, his expression turning a little more serious.


    "We still don''t know what was going on there. We missed the chance to talk with the elves thanks to that airheaded moron of a witch, though."


    "Mama is not a moron. And wouldn''t it be fine if you asked Mama? She probably knows about it, right?"


    Lily tilted her head in wonder.


    "... I actually didn''t. She disappeared around the same time as the elves and nobody has seen her since."


    "Nobody? Mh... Did she wander off again? Speaking of which, she quite likes footbaths too so I thought she''d come here..."


    Lily, you planned for that monster to join us? Please spare me...


    "That so. Mh, nothing we can do about for now. Anyway, finish up whatever... you are doing and come see me. In a timely manner, understood?"


    "Yes, yes. And Captain, it''s a footbath! A footbath."


    "One yes is enough, Lily."


    He turned around¡ªalas, unable to suppress a sigh¡ªand left us alone again.


    "Boo, if we have to wrap it up I can''t enjoy those wonderful legs and feet anymore. Haa..."


    "..."


    This girl clearly got her priorities straight...


    "We can just do it another time again, Lily."


    "Haa... I know, let''s try a steam bath next time!"


    "A steam bath?"


    "It''s a bath where you bath in hot steam. Really hot steam!"


    Wasn''t that like a sauna?


    "And where did you pick up that again?" Karen asked with furrowed brows.


    "It''s a traditional bath in the northern parts of Krohmea."


    "... Why do you have so much weird knowledge."


    Karen shook her head in exasperation.


    Although, since Lily''s memory was exceptional, it wasn''t that surprising...


    "Because it''s interesting! I haven''t done that steambath before either. Ah, but there''s also those thermal baths... Though we can''t do that here... Mmm... Oh, oh! I heard that there was a place where people bath in sand too."


    In sand? That sounded... interesting?


    "Lily, neither a steambath nor a sand bath are possible... So stop trying to divert the attention. We have to leave."


    Even though it was Karen herself who had asked where she picked that up...


    "Ehh... Haa... Do we really have to?"


    "Yes, we do. Come."


    Karen stood up and left the basin.


    "Ahh, so cold!"


    "See, that''s why I don''t want to leave..."


    Karen winced and fidgeted around, trying to get used to the comparatively cold air.


    I stared for a moment at the hot water and our feet. I''d have to leave as well...


    "Let''s get this over with... Hya!"


    Cold! The cold air caused me to shiver.


    "Uhh..."


    At least they''d dry quickly in the sandals... I still had to get proper shoes sometime but right now this was probably better than normal shoes.


    "Lily, Rina. Come. We have to clean up."


    "... Coming."


    "Mh? Me too?"


    Rina tilted her head curiously.


    "He only asked for you all so it''s fine for me to stay, right?"


    """..."""


    Three pairs of blank eyes stared at her.


    "I''ll clean up in exchange."


    She smiled at us, clearly not having any intention of leaving.


    "... How unfair."


    And a slightly disgruntled Lily joined us...


    All the while we couldn''t help but feel frustrated that Rina stayed behind...


    "You found an elf?!"


    Around ten minutes later, Korwen stood in front of us, together with a little girl in very distinctive clothing made of leaves. Just... The poor girl was shivering in fear. Probably due to the person right behind her.


    "Well, I caught her for you. I did feel a little bad that they ran away, okay? My, I''m not heartless."


    Judging from this scene it was hard to not call her heartless though. The elf in question was, in fact, again their elder. It was a surprising change, seeing her shivering in fear because of Yumias. And she had been so steadfast and even arrogant earlier...


    "Ugh... Could you, like, not kidnap them next time?"


    "My, how rude. I only borrowed her."


    "That is called kidnapping!"


    Korwen was close to blowing a fuse. Maybe more than one.


    "Just! I don''t know, do something else. Go play with the children or so! Don''t. Do stuff like this!"


    "So ungrateful, seriously. It took me quite some effort to nab her, you know?"


    "I. Don''t. Care."


    Yumias shrugged with her shoulders and turned around.


    "And here I only wanted to help. Haa..."


    Shaking her head she left the wagon.


    The Elder cautiously watched her leaving. Even after she was out of sight, she kept staring at the door.


    "Ahh... This girl is going to be my ruin, isn''t she? Lily, how did Greyward survive this? It''s been barely over a week and I already feel like throwing the towel."


    "Ahaha..."


    He only got an awkward laugh her.


    "Y, You humans! Y, y, you are in dealings with that witch?!" the Elder asked suddenly, heavily stuttering.


    "She''s travelling with us... more or less," answered her Karen.


    The Elder was still shivering but looked a little more composed now, that Yumias had left. Didn''t change that she stuttering like there was no tomorrow...


    "Ehh... Miss... Elf? I heard one of you talked with my Vice-Captain earlier. I am deeply sorry about Miss Yumias."


    "Y, you! Y, you''re... th, their leader?!"


    "Yes, I am Korwen, the Captain of the mercenary band, the Lomerian Dragon Knights."


    She scrutinised him, from top to bottom. Korwen patiently waited for her to calm down before they proceeded to talk.


    "I heard you elves wanted to propose a trade with us. I hope it is not too late to talk about that?"


    "Trade?! You talk about the trade we offered when you harbour the witch?! And after she... she kidnapped us?! Are you insulting us?!"


    The Elder suddenly shouted, infuriated.


    "I am sorry about the trouble she caused, but that''s something different. I cannot control what she does. But from what I heard, I doubt you''d readily find someone else willing to look for a home for you."


    She froze, staring at Korwen.


    "... What do you mean, human?"


    "Fairykin¡ªespecially elves like you¡ªrarely interact with the other humanoid races, right? There are plenty of people who''d try to take advantage of your little plight. The price you''d pay then might be a lot more than simply telling us a little information and bearing with that witch."


    Korwen leaned slightly forward, smiling, while the Elder was lost in thought.


    "If I recall correctly you are looking for a new home, probably a forest, right? We''ve travelled a lot so we might be able to point you in the right direction."


    "..."


    "You want the best for your fellow elves, right?"


    Her ears twitched at those words.


    "... So, human... You are saying you know of a place where we and our people can live?"


    "I cannot promise anything. For one, I don''t know what exactly you are looking for. But we will try to find something."


    "..."


    The Elder kept silent, closing her eyes. She was likely thinking about Korwen''s words right now.


    After a good while of silence, she opened her eyes again.


    "We understand. But we have one condition. Keep that witch away! If you do that, we will accept this trade."


    "... We''ll try."


    "... Well, that''s good enough for us for now. Human. As part of our bargain, we said we''d tell you what has transpired in our forest, our home."


    "... You''re already telling us?"


    Korwen''s eyes widened in surprise.


    "Hmpf, do not think lightly of us, human. We are not stupid. The worth of our information will only diminish with time."


    The elder walked to the window of the wagon. She opened the shutters, revealing the distant view of the forest.


    "Our home was visited by the devils themselves."


    "Devils?! You mean, the devilkin? But they should be living far away from here."


    "Not their kin, human. It is but a metaphor. Though those people clearly worshipped the devils, the Cursed. But that is of nought importance now."


    The Cursed? Wasn''t that... what she had called me before?


    "The Witch¡ªThe Bringer of the Curse¡ªis their idol."


    "... I see. I understand now."


    Korwen suddenly stood up, his face distorted. He walked to his desk, opened a drawer and retrieved a small book.


    "Tell me, were they wearing robes like this."


    He opened the book and showed her an illustration. Three humans, standing around a fire, their arms up in the air. Hovering above them the figure of a naked man with a face distorted in rage.


    The three humans all wore a very distinctive robe, adorned with an emblem of two flowers intertwining.


    "The robes look the same, yes. Do you know those devils, human?"


    "... I might. But please continue first."


    "Hmpf. They came to us, with an offer. Those cloaked ones offered information on our young, esteemed ancestor. And they offered to help us bring her back."


    The Elder snorted, shaking her head.


    "They said they only wanted to move in the forest, unhindered. There was no reason for us to deny it to them, there was no reason to reject their offer. In the first place, we elves avoid the living children. They might pass through the forest or take its fruits, as long as they do not do so in excess."


    "So, you took them up on their offer?"


    "We did. Like we had told you, there was no reason to reject it. But we had been naive. Preoccupied with our esteemed ancestor, we did not watch them when we should have."


    She turned around to us, her expression dark.


    "Like one plucked the fruits of the trees, they took the very soul of our home. Yet not satisfied with that, they searched for more, for a living sacrifice. In fear, we escaped our very own home. Yet, we were too late. They had already found their sacrifice."


    "Wait a moment, a living sacrifice?! What nonsense is that?"


    Korwen once more jumped out of his chair, only to be regarded with a stern stare by the Elder.


    "We do not know. It''s beyond our understanding, how they would attempt that. And soon, what they are doing will be completed."


    "Soon?"


    "Very soon. You''ll likely be able to see it from here."


    The Elder suddenly sighed.


    "Foolish cloaked ones. They waste lives for nothing."


    "... Excuse me, Miss... Elf. But if I get this right, they''re going to use some kind of large-scale magic soon?! That''s a bit lot to deal with!"


    Korwen grew more and more agitated.


    The sudden revelation was, after all, anything but good. Lily and Karen also grew visibly more anxious.


    "Calm down, human. There''s nothing for you to worry about. We may have been fooled once by them, but we won''t be fooled twice. Their spell is a failure. They do not understand the laws of nature, their magic will never succeed. It is but suicide in vain."


    "... Suicide? Are you saying... they''ll overload themselves and die?"


    "Overload? Is that how you call it? Destroying your very being with mana?"


    "Yes. When a person''s body cannot handle the strain anymore."


    "Mhm. Overloading... I will remember that word."


    The Elder nodded to herself.


    "... How can you be so sure they will fail?"


    "The cloaked ones attempt to bridge the veil between worlds. But they do not understand the ways of our world. In a metaphor you would understand: They are trying to fell a tree with the tiniest axe instead of just walking around the tree. It is not impossible, but foolish."


    The veil between the worlds? Does she mean...


    "Miss Elder, are they trying to travel to another world?"


    "Cursed child... That is correct. They want to travel to the world where the Witch was born in, according to legend. Whether it even exists, we do not know. But we know that their approach is unfeasible. Nigh impossible, even. They will die a cruel death, a death they deserve."


    She snorted once more, then turned back to the window, staring at the forest.


    "This is all we can tell you. Look, it has begun... The end of our beloved home..."


    "Nn?"


    Everyone followed her gaze, towards the forest...


    A weak, turquoise light illuminated the forest in the far distance. Small specks of light rose up, slowly growing denser in their numbers.


    "Is... Is that the ritual magic?"


    "The trees..."


    Even from this distance, we could see it... The leaves falling down, the trees slowly withering, birds rising up from the trees, only to fall down again, limp and unmoving.


    "They are killing our home and all that is in it. Stealing their very soul from them."


    We could only watch as the light slowly grew more and more intense, as the trees and the animals.


    "It''s a good thing we got out of there..."


    Korwen''s eyes narrowed as he watched.


    "Nn..."


    "Yumi, Karen, do you see that too? The... mana."


    "Ah."


    "Nn."


    The mana of the forest was eaten. I had no other way to describe it. It was sucked into the ground and... disappeared.


    "Miss Elf, are you really sure that''s... going to fail?


    "You needn''t worry, human. As I have said, it is impossible. Our home might boast in what you call ''mana'', but it will do nought but give them a glimpse of their goal. In exchange for their lives. They are but mere mortals, they shouldn''t dabble in the works of gods and the world itself. Look for yourself."


    The light dimmed, then grew stronger, then dimmer again. Completely unstable, as if it couldn''t decide which way it wanted to go.


    "It''s already failing. It''s a greedy spell, devouring everything, even the practitioners. For but a glimpse."


    "A glimpse?"


    "They might see a crack, a glimpse of their destination, assuming it even exists. But it won''t even last a moment. Less than the blink of an eye. Despite all the lives they just took."


    "Miss Elf, you said they had found their ''sacrifices''. Who did they... sacrifice?"


    True, it wouldn''t have been surprising if it had been either the elves themselves or us, to become their sacrifices. Yet, the elves escaped and so did we.


    "Many men came in the veil of the night, wearing noisy plates, walking a seldom trodden path. The cloaked ones took them by surprise, made them kill each other, cast strange spells on them. Similar men regularly used the common path, that you people have walked as well."


    "... Soldiers, huh. That explains why we never met them in the forest."


    Soldiers? Then... were they the ones that Greyward had asked for assistance? It couldn''t be... could it?


    "And so it ends. Our home..."


    The light slowly diminished more and more, until it finally vanished in its entirety. Only a barren, dead forest was left behind. Even from the distance... this wasn''t a forest I wanted to put a foot into anymore.


    "So... They really failed?"


    "Had they succeeded, you would see it, human. They failed and they likely paid the price for their sin. Trying to tarnish the works of those above you will never end well. They paid the price for their arrogance, of that I am sure."


    "... True, if they really overloaded... That''s not a pretty death."


    Korwen sighed and turned away from the window.


    "I''ll go talk with Merim, we''ll have to report this to the military. They''re probably in an uproar right now. You girls can go back to take a rest. And..."


    He glanced at the Elder.


    "If our guest needs anything, do help her out."


    "Nn..."


    "Understood... Captain..."


    Korwen left the wagon, leaving us alone.


    "Yumi, Lily... Let''s leave her alone for a bit."


    Karen peeked at the Elder who was still solemnly staring into the distance, at the place where the forest had once been. Her long ears were drooping down lifelessly.


    Tears ran down her cheeks.


    "Nn..."


    This elf, this girl... Just lost her home...


    "Uhm... Miss Elder... If you need anything... Feel free to ask us..." Lily told her.


    "... We... I... will be fine, young wolf. Just... leave me be... for a while..."


    We exchanged glances, then nodded to each and left the Elder, the elven girl, alone.


    Shortly after we closed the door...


    We could hear her quiet sobs.


    Rinne


    I didn''t find time to edit this, so I''ll probably do that tomorrow. If you find any typos or so, sorry about that!


    Feel free to tell me though.


    Have a nice week!

 Chapter of Heart Resonance: Our Hearts at Peace

    The Kingdom was at war.


    That was their official stance after the attempted assault on the Fort on the Hollow. Albeit I called it official, they hadn''t yet announced it, of course. That would likely come over the next days, according to Korwen.


    But, although it was called a war... There wasn''t really much to be done, right now. After all, the Hollow separated both countries and crossing it was... a difficult task¡ªwithout a bridge anyway. Blowing up the bridge might have saved many lives. For now.


    "There''s still the question of how they crossed the Hollow during the Triside War. Seeing how they still aimed for the fort, it probably isn''t the most efficient method, otherwise, they could''ve attacked the fort from behind. But that doesn''t change the fact that they can invade some parts of the country. Nonetheless, they aren''t likely to invade tomorrow or the day after. Or really, anytime soon. The earliest would be in a month. But realistically speaking, probably not within the next half a year."


    That was Korwen''s assessment.


    "So, we''ll have time?"


    "Time? Yumi, you seem to misunderstand something."


    "Nn?"


    "Who says we''re going to be involved?"


    I cocked my head, confused.


    "But, didn''t we support the fort already?"


    "Because we got paid. Quite well, in fact. Yumi, a mercenary fights for money. If there is no money involved, then neither are we."


    "So, if Lafria said they wanted to hire us..."


    "Then we would take the job, yes. But Lafria has a strong standing army. While some people in the military¡ªlike the fort''s commander Ruben¡ªare on good terms with us, they aren''t likely to hire us. At least, not for the war itself."


    Korwen twirled around the cigar, watching the burning tip create a glowing circle.


    "We value our life and we value our money. We don''t fight out of loyalty like the army. They cannot trust us, because we will always choose our life over our job. And they aren''t wrong about that. The most the military will do is give us some jobs for monster subjugations. Although, for now, we got our contract with the Academy anyway."


    "Nn... I see..."


    "Your hand is stopping."


    "Ah..."


    These documents were quite a pain... No wonder that Korwen wanted someone to deal with them. Never before would I have thought that I would have to look over a complaint ranting about how the waroxen''s shit stinks and makes them unable to sleep at night. Well, yeah, animals tend to smell... But everyone else had to deal with it too...


    "Captain, I thought that being able to read and write aren''t common skills, so how come we got so many written complaints?"


    "We got trusted people for various sections that write their complaints and bring them to me. Or they ask a friend who can write. Some write them themselves too. Occasionally I write them out myself as well when they come directly to me. Got to keep track, after all."


    "I see... but what do I do about... these... rather unique ones."


    "You ignore them. Put them on the ''solved'' stack."


    "..."


    Well, that was one way to deal with complaints...


    "By the way, how did that elf girl fare after I left?"


    "Nn? The Elder? Well..."


    I frowned a little.


    It had taken quite a while until the Elder calmed down, and immediately after, she had set out to collect her brethren, that had run all over the place because of that moronic monster. We hadn''t had the chance to really talk with her after. Nonetheless, her expression... spoke volumes. She had been everything but well.


    "I see... Haa... A home, huh."


    He let out a deep sigh after hearing what happened, a small smoke cloud rising into the air. After he had watched the smoke cloud for a while he stretched his arms and yawned.


    "Hopefully elves are more easily pleased than a bunch of Aldreighan refugees... Jeez, am I glad that we got those done with. I can finally take a day off. I don''t even remember when was the last time I could just sit back and not have to think about work."


    "..."


    Yes, because I''m doing the work.


    The shamelessness was impressive. Then again, I already had my break earlier... So I couldn''t really complain about it either. Still, it was a little mean...


    "Nn? This is... Captain, what should I do with this?"


    "What do you have there?"


    He took the sheet I was holding and skimmed over it.


    "Are these people stupid?"


    "Captain, even if you ask me, I don''t know."


    "How did this even make its way here?"


    "No, even if you ask me..."


    The paper in question was... A response? Or something like that. From another mercenary band. And it was actually addressed not at the Dragon Knights but at the Black Guards.


    "Who was ''The Little Company'' again? I feel like I''ve heard that name before..."


    Korwen rubbed his temples in an attempt to remember.


    "The Little Company, Little Company... Little... Little... Mh, can''t remember."


    He went over to his wagon, disappeared for a minute and then came out with a huge file folder. It was packed to the brim with files, documents, papers...


    "Let''s see... The Little Company... L... L... Oh, I actually have something about them."


    "Captain, what''s the file folder?"


    "A collection of information on various mercenary bands."


    He pushed the folder to the side before going over the file he had pulled out.


    "Let''s see... A group of eight young men... Seems they made a name for themselves in Lafria. Five of them are beastkin, three humans. No magicians. Mh, dated to... two years ago. Still alive after two years, huh."


    After some mumbling, he took another look at the letter.


    "So, why are they... requesting to talk with us, or with Greyward, and then just proceed to say a date where they come here? That''s... not exactly how it works. In the first place, why... a letter?"


    Korwen shook his head in exasperation. The letter was a little... arrogantly written? Something along the lines of ''We have heard of your urgent request for help. We will come then and then to discuss how our awesome band may help you!''


    Of course, it wasn''t written exactly like that but... It could have very well been.


    "How about asking them? If I read the date right..."


    "Yes, that''s today. Actually, that''s in less than an hour. What were these people thinking?"


    Probably... nothing.


    "Haa... Yumi, postpone your work. We''ll collect Greyward and... welcome them."


    "But, we don''t even need their support anymore, do we?"


    "We don''t. But they''re already on our way here, so it''s only common courtesy to say our greetings."


    Apparently, his day off would have to be postponed.


    He took the folder and the stack of my unfinished work and brought them back to his wagon. He came back, carrying a little badge.


    "Can you sew?"


    "... No, not really."


    "Why am I not surprised. Get someone to sew this on your armour. It''d look bad if you walk around in that armour with the Black Guards emblem but not the Dragon Knights emblem. No need to put it over Greyward''s work though, just put it somewhere visible."


    "Nn, okay."


    He handed me the small, metal badge.


    "Come to Greyward''s after you''re done."


    "Nn."


    I took a look at the emblem.


    A group of men¡ªKnights¡ªfighting a dragon. Rather than Dragon Knights, they looked more like dragon slayers.


    But for now... Who can sew?


    Swift movements with a needle. It took barely three minutes for the badge to be sewed onto the armour. And I didn''t even have to undress. Truly a seamstress'' work.


    "That should do it. But, kid, this armour needs a lot of fixing. That blacky boy did some temporary fixing but this really needs a complete overhaul. Actually, it''d be easier to just make a new one... Well, for makeshift armour it''s fine I guess. Most of the mercenaries here walk around in worse."


    Orbiting around me with a serious look was Wanda, who had just finished sewing the badge on it. Who better to ask to sew the badge on than an actual seamstress? Although I had to admit, I had nearly forgotten she was one...


    "Well, it''ll have to do for now. Used armour makes more of an impression than a new one anyway."


    "Thank you, Wanda."


    "You''re welcome, kid. If you''re free, come by sometime. I got quite a few clothes for you to try out."


    "... I''ll think about it."


    Clothes, huh...


    I only had a few clothes, as in, the one dress, a simple shirt and shorts, and the armour... I definitely needed a little more, didn''t I? Then again, I could also look around in the capital. We did have a little money now, so... Speaking of which, Karen didn''t really have much to wear, either.


    I said bye to Wanda and made my way to Greyward''s.


    The camp was... not as busy as usual. Many mercenaries obviously lazing around, taking breaks and so.


    Everyone is relaxing now, huh...


    It was honestly impressive, how they could switch gears so quickly. It had been barely a few hours since they fought for their lives, but now they were all relaxing and taking a break. Some were even drinking and making merry, already.


    A little bit of a walk later, the uniforms of the mercenaries changed, from a veritable mess to mostly black. Although, that was also the only thing that had changed. The Black Guards were lazing around just as much as the Dragon Knights.


    But, they all keep to themselves... There aren''t any groups of both really together.


    While I kept watching the mercenaries, I arrived at Greyward''s.


    "Nn?"


    Something... odd... was there. Right in front of me, hiding behind a wagon was a young girl, black hair, a wildly wagging, fluffy tail and fluffy ears, that seemed to glow in a rainbow sheen, depending on how the light was reflected.


    "Lily? What are you doing?"


    "Woa¡ª Yumi?! Ahh... Don''t surprise me!"


    "... Sorry. So, what are you doing, hiding here?"


    "Ah, right! Yumi, look! Look!"


    "Nn?"


    She peeked past the wagon again, pointing at the group of people. Obviously, since I was told to come here by Korwen, he was there, together with Greyward. But they weren''t all alone. There was another group of people, as well as... Fenna.


    "A group of women? Who are they?"


    They certainly weren''t the Little Company that Korwen had spoken of since those were men.


    "They''re the Flower Brigade! A famous mercenary group of women that has their base set here."


    "Huh..."


    I took another look at the unknown women. There was a demonkin woman speaking with Korwen and Greyward. A dog beastkin, a cat beastkin, two demonkin and... one where I wasn''t sure if she was a demonkin too... were talking with Fenna.


    "They''ve been active for nearly a century apparently, fighting in a few wars and slaying powerful monsters, they''re really famous! Haa..."


    Are these... signs of a fangirl?


    Lily stared at them with a dreamy expression, continuing to watch from a distance.


    "I see. Then, let''s go."


    "Eh?"


    I grabbed Lily''s hand and pulled her along. I had to go to Korwen anyway, and if these were her idols, then now was the chance to actually talk to them.


    "Wait, Yumi?! I''m! I''m not mentally prepared for this!"


    "It''ll be fine."


    They clearly were on good terms with Fenna, after all. I doubted Fenna had troublesome acquaintances... Probably.


    "Oh? Yumi, you''re finally... What is Lily doing?"


    Korwen saw me approaching and furrowed his brows, seeing Lily act a little... problematic. Namely, hiding behind me.


    "Nn, she was watching so I brought her along."


    "Yumi... You can be quite cruel, huh?" Greyward said with a wry smile.


    "Nn?"


    Cruel? Me? No way. I was just helping Lily out a little.


    "Hey, hey, Mr Korwen. Who''s that little girl?"


    "Ah, right. Let me introduce you. This is Yumi. We picked her up in Arkesta and she''s working as my accountant right now. Yumi, this is Tonna, the Captain of the Flower Brigade."


    "Nice to meet you."


    "Oh, so cute. Nice to meet you."


    She smiled and then took a look behind me.


    "And that girl?"


    "That''s my daughter, Lily," Greyward answered, instead of Korwen.


    "Oh-hoo?"


    Tonna walked over and tried to take a peek at Lily, who was hiding behind me. But... if she went left, Lily evaded to my right, and if she went right, Lily evaded to my left.


    "Jeez, no hiding!"


    With incredible speed, she dashed past me to grab Lily... and failed.


    "Woah! That girl is nimble! Hohoho, getting my riled up here!"


    "Lily..."


    Greyward hid his face behind his hands and Korwen sighed.


    "Nn, this is bothersome."


    "Wah, Yumi!"


    The simple solution to the problem? Just sidestep.


    "Ohh! Another cutie!"


    "Waaaahh!"


    Tonna, seizing the chance, caught Lily and hugged her.


    "Hello there! You''re Lily? You''re a cute one, huh? Such a waste among these burly old men!"


    "Hey, you''re way older than we are, Miss Tonna."


    "I don''t look like an old man, though! So I win by default!"


    A lively fellow, huh...


    "Captain, why are they here? I thought we were waiting for that other group?"


    "Mh? Ah, well. We are. They haven''t come yet. The Flower Brigade only came by coincidence to give their greetings."


    "Yes! We heard the Dragon Knights came over and got already in trouble with the military! Of course, we wanted to know what was going on. Glad to see everything''s fine, though."


    Tonna had completely seized Lily and was now hugging and petting her. That was a change for once. Usually, it''s me who was in that position.


    "Fine, huh. We got still some problems, but for now, everything is resolved."


    "Mh, but not sure what to think about the war with the Akkians. Maybe we should take a trip to Krohmea or Aldreigh. Oh, or through the wooden sea, I always wanted to travel beyond the wooden sea."


    "That''s going to be impossible without a guide."


    "True... We''ll have to figure something out. Don''t wanna get involved in a war again for now. Whatever, still got time till then."


    Tonna let go of Lily¡ªwho was as red as a tomato¡ªand walked back to Korwen and Greyward. Lily slumped down onto the ground, looking... embarrassed? And a little happy. Hopefully, Rina wasn''t going to see this.


    Greyward threw a worried glance at his daughter, before turning back to Tonna.


    "Miss Tonna, have you met the Little Company before?" he asked her.


    "Mh? Those idiots? I have, I have. We got into quarrels a few times over jobs. They don''t like that we hog the Academy''s requests. Don''t like them on a personal level, but can''t complain about their work. They''re reliable and by far one of the better bands that have been popping up over the last decades."


    Their work was good but their personalities bad? Well, wasn''t that comforting now...


    "Well, if those idiots come here, we won''t overstay our welcome. You probably won''t have a decent discussion with us around."


    "Mh, well. We''ll probably see each other anyway on the jobs. Until then."


    "Yeah, we''ll do. See ya!"


    She waved her hand and walked off to collect her companions. With a quick shout, she collected them and left for good.


    "Nn, Captain. They also work for the Academy?"


    "Yeah, they''re under the same contract we are. They''re only a small group, so large-scale work is beyond them, but their base is set here in turn. Small errands and specific requests are done by them. We worked quite a few times together before. It''d be good to remember them."


    "Nn, will do."


    Their leader was pretty lively and seemed nice, at least.


    "Now, we can only wait. Let''s see... They should arrive soon."


    He took a look at... a pocket watch.


    "That''s..."


    I had seen this before, somewhere... Oh right, Lily and Karen had one. What were they called again, though?


    "Mh? What, haven''t seen a Savonette before?"


    "No, I did."


    I just had forgotten about them for a little. Savonette, right, that was their name. What an odd name.


    "Speaking of which, you should probably get one too. They''re useful and it''d be useful for work. You girls got some money now, so you should take a look. I also don''t mind if you ask the treasurer for a bit in advance. Just keep in mind it''s deducted from your salary."


    "Nn, I won''t forget."


    In the first place, I didn''t like lending money. So, if at all possible, I''d like to get by without. But considering that I also needed some more clothes, the expenses might turn out to be a little much.


    "Uhh... That was so embarrassing."


    "Recovered, Lily?"


    "Yumi! I won''t forgive you! That was so embarrassing!"


    "Nn, well... I didn''t expect her to hug you either."


    "She didn''t just hug me, she petted me and touched me all over!"


    Wasn''t that exactly the same thing she had done to me? Maybe it would give her a little to think about...


    "Now, now, Lily. Wasn''t it good to have spoken to them once?"


    "That''s... Well..."


    Fidgeting around, she averted her gaze, slightly red.


    Really hoped, Rina wasn''t going to see this.


    "... I guess so."


    That was good. Glad, it hadn''t been a bad choice to pull her forward.


    "Yumi, Lily, I think our guests arrived."


    "Nn?"


    In the distance, a group of men approached, clad in armour and weapons.


    "Yumi, straighten up a little!"


    "Ah, yes, Captain."


    I stood as straight as a candle in response.


    "Mh. Good. Now then, I''m a little interested, let''s see how they are."


    And it hadn''t been them.


    It had been people from the military, in fact, requesting Korwen and Greyward to come to their headquarters. In other words... The people in question never arrived and even if they did, Korwen and Greyward were gone now. Way to go.


    Lily and I waited for a little, just out of curiosity, but the Little Company never came...


    A slight disappointment.


    "Guess it''s not worth waiting any longer."


    "Nn."


    "I''ll go back and look for Rina. What about you?"


    "I''m going to look for Sis."


    "Figured. Until later then."


    "Nn."


    Lily waved and left, on her way to Rina. I doubted it but... was Rina still in that footbath? Wouldn''t be surprised, to be honest.


    Well, if she still is, Lily can deal with that. For now... Where did Karen go again? She wanted to talk with Wendl about her magic training, didn''t she?


    Wendl''s wagon should be close, considering this was the Black Guards'' part of the camp.


    Let''s take a look, shouldn''t be hard to spot it either.


    Compared to the Dragon Knights, the number of wagons the Black Guards had was quite small. They had a few more than I would''ve thought, though. Maybe they had fewer people living in a single wagon.


    "Shadow, shadow, where you are?"


    "Nn?"


    There were voices singing something.


    "Fled the light, you fled the light!"


    A group of children was playing around, singing something that seemed to be a nursery rhyme.


    They danced in a circle while holding hands, their eyes closed. One child was behind them walking around the circle.


    A children''s game? Cute. But why is Wendl with them?


    His rough singing voice was... Well... Quite noticeable.


    Let''s pretend I didn''t see that.


    I walked past the singing children and knocked on the wagon''s door, before opening it.


    "Yes?"


    "Sis."


    "Oh, Yumi. You''re back already?"


    "Nn."


    Karen sat on Wendl''s desk, reading something that seemed to be a book.


    "Busy?"


    "Ahh... Mr Wendl said I should try to find out a little more about magic theory, before deciding on what kinds of magic systems I should try out."


    "Different magic systems, huh."


    "Yeah. He told me that combat magic like Lily''s might turn out to be useful, but it''d become useless in everyday life then. On the other hand, there''s also not a whole lot of everyday uses, outside of making Silver Moon metal. The stuff you called ''steel'', if I recall correctly?"


    "Nn."


    She put a small coloured piece of cloth between the pages and closed the book. Then she turned around and pat her lap.


    "Want to sit down?"


    "Nn."


    Who would say no to that?


    I quickly sat down in her lap and leaned back, resting my head on her shoulder. The comfortable, soft sensation on my back was great.


    "You certainly didn''t waste time."


    "Nn. There''s no way I would."


    Every second wasted was a lost second in her lap.


    Karen wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.


    "It''s been busy, but I heard Mr Captain saying that it''s going to be a lot calmer for now."


    "Nn. He said, they are officially at war now, but it''d take quite some time before things actually happen. He also said, that we aren''t necessarily going to be involved, so we shouldn''t worry either."


    "Worry... It''s good if it''s going to be calmer now, I guess."


    "Nn."


    Certainly, that was a good thing.


    "Sis, do you have any other clothes than... those?"


    "Others? Mh, no, not really. Wanda gave me some old stuff but..."


    She fell silent, slowly stroking my head.


    "We should get some clothes."


    "Nn."


    "If we bring some cloth to Wanda, she should be able to make quite some nice things. She''s pretty good at her work."


    "Huh... Aren''t there shops selling clothes?"


    Custom-made clothes sounded like it was going to expensive.


    "A shop selling clothes? Do you mean, pre-made clothes?"


    "Nn."


    "There''s no way there are. Everyone needs different sizes, after all. And the different races need a few extra things too. Haven''t you noticed how Lily''s clothes have a tail hole?"


    "Eh? Really?"


    I hadn''t. Then again, it should''ve been obvious, probably.


    "Yeah. It''s a slit at the top of the pants or the bottom of the dress, that you close with a button or something similar. Although, the cheaper ones only have a simple slit."


    I never noticed...


    "Is it the same for demonkin?"


    "More or less. Demonkin have many varying characteristics, some even have wings. In my case, I''d only need a tail hole like the beastkin. I''ve been going on for so long without that I completely forgot about it but..."


    Karen turned around a little, looking down her clothes.


    "I guess it''d be a lot more comfortable with an actual tail hole."


    "Huh..."


    The races needed different clothes... Thinking about it, that was kind of obvious...


    "Let''s take a trip into town tomorrow and look for some cloth for Wanda to use."


    "Nn."


    I wondered, what kind of clothes Wanda would make for Karen, though. Considering Karen was quite pretty and slender... Something cute would surely work but...


    ... Have I gone down the deep end? I just imagined Sis in male clothing... And I actually like it... Maybe I should make a request to Wanda...


    Handsome Karen in male clothing... That was going to be good. Yes, that was good. I had to make sure this was going to happen.


    "Yumi, that laugh is creepy."


    "Eh?"


    Had I been laughing? Seriously? I... hadn''t even noticed. And I sure didn''t remember doing it either.


    Scary...


    "So, what have you been imagining? That you got such a creepy laugh."


    "... Handsome Sis in male clothing."


    "... Excuse me?"


    "Handsome Sis in male clothing."


    "..."


    Silence.


    As expected. Maybe I shouldn''t have said it. But I wanted to see it. I really did. But, I also didn''t want to if she didn''t want to wear it.


    "I... see... That''s certainly not what I expected."


    "... Sorry."


    "... It''s fine. But, are you sure that would even look good on me? I can''t really imagine it..."


    "I''m sure it will."


    She wasn''t against it, yay.


    "Hmm... Well, I''ll think about it."


    "Ohh."


    Now, that was something I was going to look forward to.


    "In exchange, you have to join me."


    "... Nn?"


    "I want to see Yumi in male clothing too. I''m not going to do it if I''m the only one. Ah, but I also want to see Yumi in something cute..."


    "..."


    Me? In male clothing? Was that... even going to loo¡ª Oh, wait. Karen had just asked me the same thing.


    "Nn, okay. I''ll wear it too. The cute clothes too."


    If it was going to make her happy, I''d wear anything. And I liked cute clothes myself, so that wasn''t a problem in the first place.


    "Really? Like, really? Hehehee...  Ahh, I''m looking forward to that."


    She squeezed me strongly. Laughing and kicking her legs into the air, like an excited child.


    "Then, we''ll have to look for some good cloth, tomorrow. We should maybe ask Wanda first, what kind of cloth she''d need. Maybe she knows where to get some too."


    "Nn, that''s a good idea."


    "Then, let''s go later to her. Is there something else you need to buy? If we''re going to look around anyway..."


    "The Captain said I should maybe look into getting a... Savonette? Those pocket watches..."


    Being able to tell time would surely be convenient. Right now, I was always guessing... My inner clock was probably not bad, I was actually sure it was quite good, but it would never be as accurate as an actual watch.


    "A Savonette. Mh, a cheap one doesn''t cost much, but it might break down quickly. We should probably look for something better. Maybe I should look for one too."


    "But Sis, don''t you have one already?"


    "I do, but I honestly rarely use it. I was always scared someone might steal it, after all. I don''t think it''s going to be as likely as before but... I still worry."


    "Can''t you attach a chain to it?"


    Pocket watches in my old world sometimes had chains on it.


    "A... chain? That''s actually a quite good idea... I''ll ask Mr Wormaz if that''s possible."


    "Nn."


    Sure, it ''d be bad if someone were to steal it, but with a chain, it''d be a lot harder to do so.


    "I wonder if we can find a similar looking Savonette."


    "Nn, why?"


    "Then we''d look more like sisters if you have one looking the same."


    "Oh..."


    Shouldn''t she say stuff like this to Rina? I''d rather we looked like a couple. Then again, I was calling her ''Sis'' and I kind of liked her like an older sister, too. It was a bit of a complicated feeling...


    "Ah, speaking of which. I talked with Mr Captain, about the wagons."


    "Nn? The wagons?"


    "If we could get one of our own."


    "Oh? And?"


    If he had simply said no, Karen likely wouldn''t have said it like this, so...


    "He said, he''d think about it. A doll workshop would be an interesting idea, and they helped out quite a bit. But, it''d also depend on the result of the talk with the families."


    "I see. But he didn''t refuse, so that''s nice."


    "Right?! Ehehe, I hope that''ll turn out well. Then we''ll have our own place!"


    A private place just for us... Hehehe...


    "... There are many things to look forward to."


    "Nn?"


    "I''ve told you many times before already but... I still can''t believe it. Somewhere, I am still worrying that tomorrow, I''ll wake up back in the slums... without Rina, Lily, without you. But, this is the reality. I''m together with you all. I got a great family, I got work, I can make a living. There are food and drinks. I don''t have to eat that disgusting, salty jerky anymore."


    Karen burrowed her face in my hair, giggling a little.


    "To think it would turn out like this. It sure is different from what I had expected."


    "And it will surely stay like this, in the future."


    "The future... Yumi. Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"


    "What I want to do..."


    I had. I had thought about it... But it was hard... There were things that I wanted to do but... Of course, I wanted some more than others. And, not all of them were really important per se. That''s why...


    "I... gave it a little thought..."


    "Oh?"


    "There are two things, I guess? Nn, two things I want to do in the future. The first... The first would be, to live happily with you. A future where we can live happily, without worries. Of course, with Lily and Rina and the little girls as well. I want all of us together. I guess that''s what is most important to me? Where we are, or what we do, I don''t really care. But I want to be together."


    "..."


    Silence. A little worried, I turned my head back, to see a dumbfounded, but smiling Karen.


    "Really... You''re such a..."


    She squeezed me, strongly. Like, really strong.


    "Sis! Sis! Give! I give! Air! I need air!"


    My pleas fell on silent ears and I had to endure until she had her fill with squeezing me... How I survived... Was a mystery to me. Was it because I stopped conforming to normal biology? Like, having no bones and stuff? Was it that?


    "A future with all of us together... Really, Yumi... Of course, we''re going to stay together!"


    "Nn."


    "So, what is the second?"


    "... I guess that''s a more... personal one? You see..."


    I stared out the window close by. The wind was creeping through the gaps, bringing with it cold air and fresh smell, reminiscent of the forest, or nature.


    "I want to know what really happened to me. What really is the reason I am here... Was it really just her whim? In the first place, was it really Yumias who brought me here? Things... don''t make a whole lot of sense... Some of them. I simply don''t understand... I don''t know, what I should believe. Should I believe in Yumias words? The things she said about me, about my old family back there? Even if I do, I am certain she is hiding things but... What are they?"


    I took a deep breath.


    "I just want to know. To live without this... uncertainty. I... I think I can live with how I am, with how I turned into a monster. I don''t even mind it that much anymore, I think... Or that I turned into a girl. Honestly, I quite like how I am, right now. But that... that doesn''t change that there was something before all of this. And I want to know what it is. I''m sure, Yumias won''t answer all of it. That''s why, I have to find it out myself. I don''t know yet how, but... I will."


    "..."


    That was the conclusion I had come to. These two things were the most important right now. The things dear to me. And the things that once had been dear to me.


    "Hee... You really did think about it."


    "Nn, of course, I did."


    "A little surprising."


    "How rude. I had plenty of time to think about it."


    Mainly when I had been more than a little intoxicated, yes, but I could still think about it. At least, before I had completely lost consciousness, back then... It had also made it easier to ignore Korwen''s complaints.


    "But... I see... I guess, this doesn''t come as a surprise."


    "It doesn''t?"


    "It could''ve always been different but... at least for your second goal, I kind of expected it."


    "Nn... Is that so?"


    Had it been that obvious? Maybe it had been... It was a little hard to see such things yourself, so maybe it really had been.


    "And your first one... Well, it makes me happy?"


    "Why a question?"


    "I don''t know... I just feel all warm and giddy... Ehehe..."


    She burrowed her face once more in my hair and rubbed it with her cheeks.


    "It made me really happy, that you think so dearly of us."


    "Of course, I do! Sis, you''re the most important person to me."


    "..."


    Again silence. She had even stopped rubbing her cheek on my hair.


    "You know... When you say things like without any shame... I''ll feel all embarrassed and don''t know how to react..."


    "... Sorry?"


    "... No, it''s me who''s sorry. Thank you, Yumi. You''re the most important one to me too. I love you."


    "Nn..."


    Yes, that was... certainly a little embarrassing to hear. But also... made me smile. I couldn''t help but smile, and I really wanted to giggle and laugh too.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    I turned my head around and... Was promptly kissed by Karen. A deep, long kiss, that would last... for quite some time.


    Shadow, shadow, where you are?


    Fled the light, you fled the light!


    Shadow, shadow, here you are!


    Killed the light, you killed the light!


    In the dark and in the light,


    She will dance and dance around!


    In the light and in the dark,


    She will hunt and hunt them all!


    Light, oh Light! Oh, where you are?


    Fled the shade, you fled the shade!


    Light, oh Light! Oh, here you are!


    Killed the shade, you killed the shade!


    In the dawn and in the dusk,


    She will dance and dance around!


    In the dusk and in the dawn,


    She will curse and curse us all!


    A nursery rhyme that is sung by children in the Grand Arkestan Continent, specifically the area around The Hollow, the Wooden Sea and the Northern Lights'' Plains.


    It is suspected to be based around the Tale of the Curse-coloured Witch, often just called Tale of the Witch, Tale of the Demon or The Cursed Tale, among other names. What exactly the nursery rhyme references to is currently unclear. The most popular theory is the struggle between the two gods, which ended with their destruction after the Witch intervened.


    The first written instance of it can be dated back to the Year 112. The original author is unknown. Over the years, many variations have been found, often having minor differences in the rhymes or the words.


    The nursery rhyme is often accompanied by a game. Children dance in a circle with their eyes closed. One or two children are circling around the others. In the case of two, the children have to catch each other. The caught child has to tell an embarrassing secret. Some variations also offer the option to kiss the one who caught them or reveal their sweetheart. If they refuse to do so, they have to sit in the middle of the circle until someone else replaces them in the following rounds.


    In variations with only one child or in the case that neither child catches each other before the rhyme ends, the circle dissolves and all previously dancing children have to catch them. A designated safe spot, often a tree or similar, has to be decided on beforehand. The children have to escape to this safe spot. Should they get caught, the same rules as before apply.


    The children having to circle around outside are decided upon by random, usually going either clock-wise through the circle, by drawing coloured lots, by name, or any other method.


    To this date, the game and the rhyme remain popular with children.


    The Cruel Rhymes of Children written by #####,


    Year 301, First Edition, published by the Lafrian Academy of Magical and Physical Science


    Rinne


    There''s much I''d love to say now, unfortunately I am currently not feeling well so I''ll keep it short:


    Thank you very much for reading!


    I hope you will continue to enjoy the story in the coming arc!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Lafrian Tea Party

    "Run! Run, your life depends on it!"


    "Haaa... Haa... Have... Haaa... Mer... Haaa... Haaa... cy..."


    "No slacking! Run! Go, go, go!"


    I was dying. Most likely literally. My lungs hurt, my legs hurt, I was gasping for breath and felt like I''d fall over any second now and my vision was swimming.


    "Yumi, you can do it!"


    "Yumi! Yumi! Give it your best! Your best!"


    Three little girls stood to the side, cheering for me. While enjoying a break.


    Save me!


    "Hey, no slowing down! Keep up the tempo!"


    "Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..."


    "For every gasp, you get one extra lap!"


    Demon! A demon!


    Running... I never knew... running could be this cruel... this torturous...


    "Go, go, go! You nearly did it!"


    "Haa... Haaa...."


    The goal was in sight... Karen stood there, smiling. Heaven. It was the door to heaven. Ahh... I was coming!


    "Whoops, caught you. Are you okay, Yumi?"


    "Haa... Haaa... Haa... I... I... Haaa... Haa... Have... Haaa... Ascended... Haa... Haaa..."


    "... What? Uhm... Are you sure you''re alright? Yumi?"


    Ahh... I have reached heave¡ª Something was wrong. My stomach. My stomach feels...


    "Eh? Yumi? Woah, there, there, do it there!"


    Things I have learnt today: Extreme exhaustion might make you vomit.


    "Do you feel better now?"


    "Nn... Somehow..."


    After I had... relieved my stomach... and caught my breath, I was lying down on a bench, my head resting in Karen''s lap. She was gently stroking my head. In a way, I really had found heaven.


    "Still, to think it was... that bad."


    "Lily, she tried her best."


    "Well, yes, that''s kind of the problem, Karen..."


    Hey, I hadn''t been doing this on purpose! I didn''t know my stamina was this bad either!


    "Now, you two. It''s not all that surprising. If you don''t exercise that''s the natural result."


    "But... Merim... this bad?"


    "Yes. It could''ve been worse, you know? If you don''t exercise at all, a human would be out of breath after two minutes. But Yumi at least managed to finish her lap."


    It had only taken me like... eight minutes or so? By the way, Lily had only taken two minutes to finish a lap, and Karen just over three... They hadn''t even been out of breath either. Surely... If they wanted to, they could finish even faster...


    But, at the very least... I wasn''t the only one who had it bad!


    "Uhhh... Why do I have to do this too?"


    "Because it is healthy. Even if you don''t fight, you still need some stamina for your everyday life."


    "... It worked fine until now."


    A sigh was heard.


    Similar to me, someone was lying on the other bench and using Lily''s lap as a pillow.


    The person in question? Rina. Not to mention that she had just as bad stamina as I had... she couldn''t even finish the lap. Alas, it was understandable in her case. She had been imprisoned for years, after all.


    "Now, now. If you train a little you can do a lot more things than before, Rina. It''s only good for you."


    "Uhhh..."


    "Either way, you two need to get some basic stamina training behind you. Especially you, Yumi. If you get out of breath just by carrying that flag for three metres, you''re next to useless..."


    "..."


    I already knew I was next to useless, there was no need to drive more nails into my poor heart...


    "In any case, I''ll go report to the Captain, you four girls can take a break until dinner."


    "Got it, until later."


    "Until later, Mr Merim."


    Lily and Karen say goodbye to him, as he waved and left.


    "Still, until dinner?  That''s quite a long break."


    Karen gently stroke my cheek with her hand.


    "Considering how worn out these two already are, that''s going to be necessary, I guess."


    "Nn... My legs... hurts..."


    They hurt a ton, actually. My chest also hurt, but not as bad as my legs.


    "Mh... That''s troublesome, I planned to go into the city with you after training..."


    "... That''s impossible."


    I felt a little sorry but... It really was. Impossible. Absolutely and utterly.


    "Then, we''ll have to go tomorrow..."


    "I''m fairly sure we''re going to train tomorrow morning again so..."


    "Ah, right..."


    "..."


    Was I going to go through this hell every morning now? Really?


    How in the blazes was this ''moderate'' training that wouldn''t scare of new recruits? It sure did a good job in scaring me away. On the first day, even!


    "Do you have something urgent to do in town?"


    "Not quite... we wanted to get some cloth for clothes. And we wanted to buy a Savonette for Yumi."


    "... Why are you buying cloth for clothes? Can you sew?"


    "No. I wanted to let Wanda do that."


    "Ha?"


    Lily let out a stupefied sound.


    "Karen. Why... are you buying the cloth? Isn''t it Wanda''s job to have cloth?"


    "It''s cheaper if we bring her cloth."


    "... Haaaa, really? Kareeeeeeen."


    "Eh? Wha¡ª Stop it, Lily!"


    Lily was stretching over the table and pulling Karen''s cheeks.


    "Listen, Karen. Money exists to be used. So, use it! How much would you save anyway? Some copper coins? We earn enough that you don''t have to worry about those minor things!"


    "They aren''t minor! What if we suddenly need money?"


    "If we suddenly need more money than we could cough up, something else has likely gone really wrong before that, you know? Anyway, depending on it, the Captain might help you out in covering it too. Will just get deducted from your wage, of course."


    Lily pulled Karen''s cheeks to a comical length, then squished them back together and pulled again.


    "This is... quite fun."


    "Wiwy,  wouwd yuu pwease sdob?"


    Lily let go of her cheeks after Karen begged for it.


    "You got some surprisingly squishy and stretchy cheeks, Karen. Are you sure you aren''t Yumi''s real long lost sister or so?"


    "Uhhh... Unfortunately not... Ahh, now my cheeks hurt."


    "Anyway, back to our topic. Just, go to Wanda and done. That little bit of money isn''t worth the time you waste on it... You don''t even know how much you''d save anyway, right?"


    "... I don''t."


    "See, then just go to Wanda."


    "But..."


    Karen furrowed her brows, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of ''wasting'' that money.


    "Karen, why does money exist?"


    "Eh? Uhm, to buy things?"


    "Not that, why can we buy things with it?"


    "That''s... Because people decided on a value for the money and an appropriate value for other things so you can exchange them?"


    "Ahh, no, not that. Not like that. I mean, you could technically also just barter with other things. You give me a shirt and I make you a shoe. But we don''t. Why? Because it is inconvenient! Money exists to make it easier and more convenient. The same goes for the things we buy with it. We use money to make our lives comfortable!"


    Karen froze, thinking for a second.


    "Is... Is that how it works?"


    "It is!"


    "I... I see..."


    She nodded as if she had found enlightenment.


    "So, don''t mind such minor expenses!"


    "Mhh..."


    I had the subtle feeling that we shouldn''t let Lily handle money. Ever. It would be gone in a flash.


    "Sis. You shouldn''t think too hard about it. If it doesn''t hurt our savings too much, then it should be fine to let it go sometimes. Especially if it''s something bothersome and we barely save anything. Just... Don''t waste it on every minor thing."


    "So, this isn''t a minor thing? Mh..."


    She thought, going into town and looking all over for cloth, likely wasting an entire day in the process, wasn''t minor?


    "Well, uhm... Let''s just say if it takes a long time to do then it''s fine. We''d have to look all over for cloth right? That might take the entire day. Also, I am sure that Wanda knows better what kind of cloth is good and what isn''t, unlike us."


    "Ah... That''s a good point..."


    She paused for a second, then smiled at me.


    "I understand. Then, let''s leave it to Wanda."


    "Nn."


    "But for the Savonette we''ll have to look for ourselves."


    Well, the pocket watch wasn''t that urgent. It was convenient, but you could get the approximate time by looking up at the sky.


    "That reminds me. Savonettes are also made by magic craftsmen. The Captain was going to contact one, right? Because of your hair."


    "Ah."


    Right. Then, we could maybe ask that craftsman to make one, maybe? Having a pocket watch that was similar to Karen''s would be nice.


    "We''ll have to talk with them anyway, I guess."


    "Nn."


    "I wonder what they are going to make out of your hair..."


    "Nn..."


    That was actually a good question. I remembered that Korwen was quite ecstatic about it but... Outside of making it possibly into armour, we never talked about it in detail... Or did we?


    "Most likely armour and bags. It can probably replace most of the leather armours that are used here. I guess Korwen will want to make some bags too, most likely coin pouches."


    "... I hope I won''t go bald..."


    Just the imagination of how much would be needed for that... worried me.


    "I don''t think you''ll have to worry about that. If too much of it appears, people will grow curious. If I had to take a guess, at most a handful of armours and maybe two or three bags."


    "I see... That''s a bit of a relief."


    The immediate danger of turning into a material farm was alleviated.


    "Mmm..."


    "Sis?"


    Karen was furrowing her brows and groaning a little.


    "I kind of don''t like the thought that people will use Yumi''s hair..."


    "What are you saying this late... You should''ve thought about that earlier, Karen."


    "I know... I know it''s necessary and all... But I still don''t like it."


    She pouted. She was jealous.


    She was jealous that people would use my hair.


    "Ehehe."


    "Yumi?"


    "Sis, thank you."


    "Mh?"


    I wrapped my arms and my hair around Karen and squeezed her. I didn''t know if she could even feel that I did it with my hair too, but that didn''t matter to me right. I just wanted to hug her.


    "Yumi? Ah, you''re really spoiled, aren''t you?"


    Karen gently stroke the top of my head and my cheeks.


    "... Do you two never feel embarrassed about flirting in public?" Lily asked in an exasperated tone.


    I sure don''t want to hear that from you, Lily. Karen might not see it but I can clearly see Rina rubbing her cheeks on your thighs and hugging your tail.


    Two days ago we had returned to the capital and witnessed the literal death of the forest. In those two days, there had been quite a few incidents, mainly run-ins with the military, who wanted to know what had happened.


    Overall, it had been a lot less of an issue than expected. People were occupied with the looming start of the war. Yesterday, they officially announced it to the public. Of course, most people didn''t exactly rejoice at the news. Together with the quake from the forest that day, I doubted that they could keep calm and worry-free.


    The ones actually interested in what had happened in the forest were people from the Academy and a few other people. One of which was currently sitting right in front of us.


    "Hohoho, I see you two get along well just like before."


    An older woman sat there. She had watched with a smile when we entered, hand in hand. Thankfully, my legs had recovered to the point that I could walk, otherwise, who knows what she might think...


    She put a small cup to her lips and took a sip. When I took a closer look, it seemed to be tea. I only ever saw people here drinking water, ale or other alcoholic beverages, mostly from waterskins or large mugs, so seeing the small steaming cup was a little bit of a surprise.


    "It''s good to see the young generation getting along, isn''t it, Mr Korwen?"


    "It is, Lady Karker. But if I may ask, how come you know the two of them?"


    "Hohoho, we had a small meeting at the festival."


    "I see."


    The older woman smiled. Korwen had told us about her before we came but I was still surprised: She was the kind stall owner who had given us our bracelets. There had been a small incident later, so I already suspected she was someone with quite a public standing but...


    Lady Arias Karker, the current head of the Karker family. A family only second in authority to the King and the royal family. It sounded like something similar to a duke family or so, but apparently that was wrong. They weren''t related by blood or anything to the royal family, in fact, they kept their families separated as much as possible. According to Korwen, it was more appropriate to call them a second ''royal family'' with its own authority.


    It was confusing as hell when Korwen tried to explain it to me, though. I still didn''t get it...


    The only thing I got was, that the Karker family was closer to a supervisor, making sure the royal family doesn''t destroy the country and that no inappropriate person took the throne. In the worst case, they could even dethrone the King.


    "Well, it''s good if you already know each other. That makes things easier."


    "Hoho? Does it make things easier, though?"


    "... Please go easy on me, Lady Karker."


    "We''ll see, we''ll see."


    She giggled, but quickly returned to a serious look, her gaze piercing Korwen.


    "Now, Mr Korwen, I am sure you know why I am here."


    "... It''s because of the incident with the forest and the Academy contract, I assume? I doubt you have come because of the war."


    "Mh... You''re not quite wrong but... The war is part of the reason I have come."


    Korwen''s eyes widened a little.


    "Is this a job offer?"


    "Not for participation, if that''s what you expect, no. The military is full of egocentric idiots that wouldn''t let any mercenaries fight for them."


    She shook her head with visible exasperation.


    "But that is neither here nor there, no, I have a little request, rather than a job offer."


    "A... request?"


    "Yes. If I recall correctly, you employ several women as mercenaries, right?"


    "... We do."


    She took a sip from her tea, before continuing.


    "I''d like to hire them. There are currently some... squabbles between a few noble families. My second daughter fears that something might happen, just like it did ten years ago."


    "... So you want to increase your guards? But... shouldn''t you hire actual knights for that?"


    "Mh, we do, of course, hire them. And I am certain they are more than enough to protect my granddaughter. But the person I want you to take care of is not actually part of our family. Well, not yet."


    Lady Karker turned around, facing the two girls behind her.


    "You two, you should introduce yourself."


    "Ah, yes!"


    "Y, yes!"


    The two girls stepped forward shyly.


    "I, I am Elma, Elma Karker. Fifteen years old!"


    "I''m... Nela... Fifteen... Nice to meet you..."


    The smaller one, Elma, had black, long hair, and fluffy ears and a tail. She reminded me a lot of Lily, even the type of ears and her tail were the same. But her hair hadn''t had that rainbow sheen on it. It was just plain black.


    The taller one, Nela, had short, brown hair. She looked... quite plain. It was a cute plain, but there was nothing really outstanding. She seemed to be human? Probably.


    "Mh? No family name? Then..."


    "Yes, she''s a commoner. And also the girlfriend of my cute granddaughter."


    The two girls in question stared at the ground, hearing those words. Their faces were bright red.


    "Hohoho, adorable, right? Precious youth."


    "Lady Karker... Isn''t it in bad taste to tease them?"


    "Mr Korwen, you don''t understand. It''s the privilege of the elderly to poke fun at the young."


    "Haa..."


    A laugh escaped her. She really enjoyed this, didn''t she?


    "Now, now. But as you can surely surmise now, I want you to take care of little Nela. Only until the squabbles have calmed down. I actually wanted to ask if they could even stay here and commute to the Academy from here but..."


    She looked at Korwen for a short while, before continuing.


    "Mr Korwen, if I may be so rude, why are the Black Guards with you?"


    "... The Black Guards have recently come under us."


    "I see... I see..."


    "Is there a problem? They are good people."


    "Ah, no, no. I don''t doubt that. I know them myself. It''s a personal matter, so to speak."


    She shook her head.


    "I have a little history with little Greyward, you could say. But it might be troublesome, to involve the children with it. So, let''s refrain from that."


    "... I see. If that''s the case then it can''t be helped. Then, I will send Fenna''s squad along as an escort. But, Lady Karker, knowing you, you surely asked the Flower Brigade as well, haven''t you?"


    "I have and they agreed to the job. It was them actually who recommended to ask you as well, Mr Korwen. The Flower Brigade is a small group and to make sure nothing happens, they said some support might be helpful."


    "... That surprises me a little."


    "Hohoho."


    The Flower Brigade and Fenna''s squad, huh. If the Flower Brigade was really as capable as I heard, then, together with Fenna and her companions, that would make for quite the escort.


    "... Are you two girls also part of that squad?"


    "Eh?"


    Mrs Karker suddenly turned to us.


    "These two are still in training, so they aren''t. And Yumi works as my secretary currently anyway."


    "That''s unfortunate. It would''ve been a relief if they were part. But considering how open they are about it, I assume the women you will send don''t have an issue with it."


    "... I cannot speak for everyone, but I haven''t heard of any notable issues that they have with it. If anything does happen, please do inform me immediately."


    "Mm, I will. Then, should we talk about compensation?"


    She pulled out a bag... and opened it.


    "I assume this will be enough for now?"


    I had to make sure my jaw didn''t drop suddenly. A small mountain of gold coins was revealed.


    "These are... Mh, around a month''s pay."


    "I do not think it will take longer than a month. You can keep the rest in that case. If it takes longer, I will come back."


    "Understood. Then, Lady Karker, we will accept this job."


    "I am pleased to hear that."


    Korwen stuck out his hand and she took it, exchanging a firm handshake.


    "With that out of the way, do you mind if we take a small rest here? There aren''t many places where I am not hounded by those pesky fat nobles."


    "Lady Karker, that''s... a troublesome choice of words."


    "Hohoho, but it''s true isn''t it?"


    She took another sip and then turned to Karen and me.


    "Also, I''d like to talk with these two a little."


    "With... us?" Karen asked, hesitant.


    "No need to be scared. You helped me out quite a bit at the festival. I just want to hear a little about you. Call it an old woman''s indulgence. And it shan''t be your loss either."


    She took out another small bag and opened it.


    "How about it? Want to join me a little?"


    "Then, I will excuse myself. Lady Karker, if you need anything, just call for me."


    "I will, thank you, Mr Korwen."


    Korwen left, without saying another word.


    "Now then, how about it?"


    I stared at the contents of the bag. Inside was something familiar, very familiar.


    "I made them myself, so I am quite confident about the taste. Also, Elma, Nela, come and sit down too. No need to stand at attention anymore."


    The two girls, still a little reluctant, sat down next to Mrs Karker.


    "Go ahead and try one. No need to hold back."


    She urged us on... Karen was clearly bewildered and had no idea what to do. Most likely, she didn''t even know what it was that lie in front of her.


    "... Nn, then... I''ll take you up on it."


    I mustered my courage and took one. And after taking a good look, I took a bite.


    "... Sweet."


    "Hohoho, they are, right? They''re called cookies. They''re like a little cake, aren''t they?"


    "... Nn."


    Small, light brown cookies were in the bag. They were even still a little warm, so they likely were made today.


    "... Are they good, Yumi?"


    "Nn, you should try one, Sis."


    "Then, if you don''t mind..."


    Karen also took a cookie and...


    "Sweet. They really are sweet..."


    "Hohoho, you like them, I assume?"


    "Nn. They''re delicious."


    "They really are."


    "Is that so. Is that so. That makes me happy. Then, let''s enjoy them, shall we?"


    With a smile, she set down yet another bag with cookies on the table.


    "I see, you''ve had it hard too. Mh, to think that boy Korwen would actually do something good for once."


    "Uhm... Is... Is it that hard to live... in the slums?"


    "It is... I never knew when I could get my hands on food and most of the food... was pretty bad too."


    "Mh, this city has something like a district for the poor too, but it is not even comparable to the slums in Arkesta, Elma. Here, you can still get work and food rather reliably."


    An hour or two later, we still sat around the table, talking with Mrs Karker, Elma and Nela. The cookies were long gone, of course. They were really delicious.


    Karen had told them about her life in the slums, the things that happened and how we ended up with the mercenaries. None of them judged her for having come from the slums. Rather, it was the opposite. They were impressed that she managed to survive in such conditions. Not to mention Mrs Karker, but Elma and Nela also seemed to be good girls at heart.


    "Mrs Karker, have you been in Arkesta before?"


    "I have. Not like I enjoy remembering it. That was before the war and before the current emperor took the throne. The nobles of that country were slimy bastards, showering you with compliments while rubbing their hands in greed. The emperor at the time, the father of the current one, was nothing more than a puppet too. The country was completely under control of the nobles and they extorted everyone as much as they could."


    "The nobles? Not the emperor?"


    "Yes, the nobles. With the current emperor, things changed and the nobles lost a lot of their power but... in a way, it has only become worse, since the new emperor is a power-hungry warmonger. From one terrible pair of hands into the other."


    Mrs Karker took a sip from her tea. It was a mystery when she was even getting her refills...


    "But believe me, while the Akkian Empire is bad, it is not the worst this world has to offer. If you travel with the mercenaries, you will likely encounter many incomprehensible and cruel things."


    "..."


    "Let''s talk of something a little more happier. Rather than that, tell me more about how you two have met."


    "Ah, yes."


    And like that, Karen continued telling them. She told them everything that we didn''t mind them knowing. How Karen and I met in the slums, how we met Wanda, Lily and the mercenaries and how we rescued Rina. Karen also told them a little about what had happened at the fort and the forest, but she kept it vague, not knowing how much would be okay to say.


    Mrs Karker and the two girls listened, without interrupting or complaining that she withheld some things. It was a little hard for Karen to tell her about the confession though... And our nights together were completely left out, of course. I had been a little worried that Karen might get too much into it and that I would have to stop her.


    "Hohoho, I see, so that''s how you two met. What a cute story."


    Mrs Karker smiled gently when Karen finished and nodded to herself. Elma and Nela were staring at us, sparkles in their eyes.


    "Thank you, for telling us about it. It was a nice story to hear."


    "Ah, no, I am glad that you enjoyed."


    "Nn."


    It had been a very comfortable time. We had also heard a little about how Elma and Nela met at the Academy, so it was only fair to tell them about us as well. Admittedly, their story was quite plain. They had simply met at the Academy and Elma had approached Nela, who was intimidated by all the noble and rich children around her. They had gotten along and at some point fell in love. But even if it was plain, it was cute and heartwarming. They barely faced any problems and I hoped for them, that it would stay like that.


    "Excuse me, Yumi, Karen, are you here?"


    "Nn?"


    Someone interrupted us, opening the door to the wagon we sat in.


    "Oh! Lady Karker, I apologise. I wasn''t aware you were still here!"


    "Hohoho, it seems we''ve stayed for quite some time."


    Fenna stood at the door and saluted, the second she saw Mrs Karker still sitting here.


    "Hoo? Are you maybe Fenna?"


    "Ah, yes! It is an honour that you know my name!"


    "No need to be so stiff, girl. Relax a little. Mh, I heard from Tonna about you. I am looking forward to your work."


    Mrs Karker stowed away her bags and... her tea set mysteriously vanished as well... I hadn''t even seen her putting it away.


    "Then, Elma, Nela, let''s take our leave."


    "Yes, grandma."


    "Understood."


    "Then, it was a nice time. Until next time."


    She led the two girls out of the wagon after saying her goodbye.


    Seeing them gone, Fenna suddenly collapsed on the floor.


    "Fe, Fenna? Are you okay?"


    "I... How could I be okay? How can you two be so lax about it? That was Lady Arias Karker!"


    "Well, uhm..."


    Even if she said that... She was more like... Mh...


    "That... doesn''t really feel real, though. It''s more like... she''s a kind grandmother?"


    "Nn, she even told us before to call her grandmother as well, but..."


    "That''s a little much..."


    Even during our little talk just now, she told us a few times to drop the ''Mrs Karker'' and just call her grandmother.


    "... Seriously, you two are amazing that you can stay so relaxed around her... Don''t you know? She''s the most powerful person in this country after the King!"


    "We do know..."


    But as we said, it didn''t feel all that real. She even baked her own cookies.


    "I don''t get it... Ahh... I get all nervous when I think about that job..."


    "Ahaha..."


    Poor Fenna was overwhelmed by anxiety, it seemed.


    "Uhm, why were you calling us?" Karen asked, trying to change the topic.


    "Ah, right! We''re making dinner so I was looking for you to help out. Some idiots got their hands on tons of boar meat, so we''re going to make a big barbecue."


    "... Why are they idiots? Isn''t that a good thing?"


    "It would be good if they had thought in advance on how to store it, yes. Well, even so, it was apparently quite a bargain so it doesn''t matter really. And we haven''t had a celebration yet after the matter with the fort, so now is as good a time as any."


    Was it that problematic to store the meat, though?


    "Miss Fenna, how much meat are we talking about?"


    "Enough to fill a few wagons up to the ceiling and still have some leftover."


    Okay, yes, with such an amount I sure could see it being a problem...


    "Where... did they even get that much?"


    "Some merchants are getting rid of their stock so they can flee. Not everyone is looking positively at the coming war. Still, whoever stocked up on so much boar meat... I don''t know... It''s even fresh boar meat... Anyway, the Captain is leading a group to collect the meat and bring it over, while some others buy other ingredients, can''t have only meat. We have to prepare the fire and everything else."


    "Okay, we''ll help."


    "Great."


    A large celebration, huh. With barbecue. With barbecue!


    How did boar taste anyway? Hopefully good.


    Oh, that was something to look forward to.


    Rinne


    Quite a good timing because one year and two days ago I started writing Taboo Journal. On the 31st of January.


    Many things happened since then, some of which I mentioned in my (public) post on Patreon.


    There are also a few other things I mentioned in regards to the advance chapters, about Virtue Diary and about my search for an artist for a cover illustration. So do take a look!


    Speaking of, a new month and so, once again, if you like the story, please do take a look at my Patreon! Over the course of this month, I''ll increase both tiers to four chapters each. I was a little busy the past months, so this was long overdue, sorry about that.


    Thank you for reading!


    Have a nice week!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Barbecue Preparations

    There were a few things, everyone had to learn when it came to celebrations, parties and the like.


    The first and probably most important one was: Alcohol was fun. And alcohol had a splendid tendency to backfire.


    Other things included:


    Drunks are a pain to deal with.


    Look out for people urinating and vomiting where they shouldn''t.


    Take at least two looks at who is responsible for the food. This is important.


    Do not partake in suspicious substances. Especially not when drunk.


    And frankly, there were probably plenty of others. But these were important for me.


    Well, for some things I could pretend not to see it, as long as it was done in moderation... And it didn''t involve me or those close to me. Everyone had their own definition of fun, after all.


    "I get most of that but, Yumi... Why is there a need to check who makes the food?"


    "... Listen, Sis. Every person has their own sense of taste."


    "That''s kind of obvious, yes."


    "So, what if the person in charge is a fan of incredibly spicy food?"


    "... Spicy?"


    Karen tilted her head, directing a questioning gaze at me.


    So we had to start from there... I should make a mental note to give her something spicy once to eat in the future. Experience is important.


    "Ehh... Let''s take a different example. The jerky, right, the jerky."


    "... You mean that piece of old leather?"


    "It''s jerky. Technically. Now, imagine someone really, really loves that stuff."


    "I''m sorry but I can''t."


    "... At least pretend you do, I beg you."


    We''d never finish otherwise.


    "If they really love that stuff, they might put it in your dinner all the time."


    "... I see. To prevent that, you better check who makes the food?"


    "Exactly."


    Well, there were other reasons like people being unable to cook anything decent. Mostly the ones who never cooked before. Once upon a time I thought that everyone could at least manage to fry or grill a piece of meat. Yes, it shouldn''t be hard and yet, some people still managed to burn it...


    "Yumi, I don''t think we''re going to have to worry about who is cooking... It''s a barbecue, we cook ourselves," Lily commented.


    That''s... Well, true.


    "Nn, well, I guess you''re right about that."


    "The alcohol is mostly just ale too, it''s quite hard to get drunk from that. Even the children can drink that."


    "Also... What do you mean with ''suspicious substances'' even?"


    Lily furrowed her brows a little.


    "Nn, stuff that''s similar to alcohol, I guess? Just, a lot stronger."


    "Stronger?"


    Lily tilted her head.


    Were drugs also not really known?


    "I think Yumi means stuff like the Crystal Flowers."


    "Ahhh, that stuff? I doubt anyone wants to get caught with Crystal Flowers here, so that''s also nothing to worry about."


    "Nn. I see."


    That was good news.


    Still, to think that Karen didn''t know spicy food but knew what drugs were...


    "..."


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "You don''t have to look at me like that. I''m no Crystal Flower addict. It''s just that the stuff sometimes popped up in the slums."


    The slums, huh. Well, it was a fitting place for things like that.


    "In any case, that won''t happen either. Relieved?"


    "... Nn."


    Kind of, yes. Not that I knew what Crystal Flowers even were.


    "In the first place, there are children present, anyone dumb enough to pull some shit like that is going to see hell."


    "That''s relieving."


    "Perfect. Now. With that out of the way, how about you finally change your clothes?"


    "Can I refuse?"


    "No."


    In the dim light shining through the wagon''s window, I saw Lily holding up a dress in front of me, with a wide smile.


    "Can I leave?"


    "Only after you changed clothes. Come now, it''s not like it''s the end of the world."


    "..."


    "You said yourself you would help out where possible."


    "I did say that. I did. But I didn''t say I would go and play waitress."


    I wanted to enjoy the celebration too!


    Helping out before that was fine with me, but not when it was still going on!


    "Yumi. You don''t want to?"


    "Sis... It''s not like I don''t but..."


    Pleading eyes were directed at me.


    "Uhhh..."


    "Yumi. I want to see you as a waitress..."


    "..."


    Ahh, yes. Of course. This had been a foregone conclusion from the very beginning. There was no way I had any chance of winning against this. Those big, begging eyes, they were unfair.


    "... Haaa, I understand, I understand. I''ll do it."


    "Yay!"


    "..."


    "Ah."


    Karen quickly covered her mouth and averted her gaze, turning red. Seemed that someone here really wanted to see this, after all...


    I smiled wryly at the sight. And... If it made her that happy, then I''d gladly do it.


    "Lily, give me that dress, I''ll change."


    "Okay, here you go."


    "Nn..."


    Taking a good look at the dress, it was kind of cute. It was a green dress with a beige shirt beneath it. The dress itself was actually more like an apron, covering mostly the front part. The upper half didn''t cover the back. The shirt covered that, instead. Apparently, it was some kind of waitress uniform? There were even some beige short pants to go with it.


    "Lily."


    "Yes?"


    "Why do we have this in my size in the first place?"


    "... I don''t know? Maybe it belonged to one of the children before."


    The children, huh. Well, I could certainly imagine children helping out with such a thing.


    "Nn, then, let''s do this."


    Resigning myself to my fate, I changed my clothes.


    A minute or two later, I was donning the uniform. It was still a bit too large actually but otherwise, it fit pretty well.


    "Ahh, so cute. Yumi, Yumi, look here!"


    "Nn?"


    "... Yumi. Can I take you with me?"


    "Go ahead."


    I''d follow her either way.


    "You two, please don''t start flirting right now. I agree it looks good on you, though."


    "Nn, that''s good. So, what do I even have to do exactly? Running around all the time is going to be impossible. My legs still hurt."


    "You''ll have to ask Fenna that. But I don''t think it''ll be something unreasonable."


    Hopefully, that''d be the case.


    Sure didn''t want to imagine the torture of having to run around in this state. But it was sure better than having to help out with the more physical work, like setting up the tables and so.


    "Then, since we''re done, let''s go to Fenna. She''s probably already waiting."


    "Nn."


    A pair of eyes stared at me. Very intensely.


    "Can I take you away?"


    "No."


    I already belonged to someone else.


    "Miss Fenna, you can''t have Yumi."


    "... How unfortunate."


    She looked actually quite sad about it...


    "Haa... Then, I''ll explain your work to you, okay?"


    "Nn. But, first... Fenna, why are you wearing it too?"


    "Why? Of course, because I''m also doing it?"


    Fenna was wearing the same kind of beige-green uniform I was wearing.


    "... Okay."


    "Why did you pause, Yumi? If you have something to say, go ahead."


    "No, it was just... unexpected?"


    It certainly didn''t look bad on her.


    She had even put a small hair accessory into her short hair. I couldn''t quite see what it was, though.


    "Unexpected, heh. That''s what the old men always say too..."


    She looked a little sad, hearing my response.


    "Ah, but it suits you, Fenna."


    "Mh, does it?"


    "Nn."


    I nodded.


    It was a little bit of an unexpected sight, yes, considering she always wore more practical things or, well, armour and stuff like that. Her work clothes.


    "I see, I see. But even if you flatter me, I won''t reduce your work."


    "... Please go easy on me."


    "Hahaha, no worries, it''s nothing hard. Just go around and help out with the drinks and such, yes?"


    "Nn, nothing else?"


    "Nothing else. Don''t underestimate that. That''s already quite a lot to work on."


    It didn''t sound particularly hard, though.


    "Ah, but... Yumi, can you cook?"


    "Nn? Well, I can do some simple things, I guess?"


    "That''s actually good news, we''re lacking people doing the preparation work. How about you two, Lily, Karen?"


    Fenna and I turned to the two.


    "I never properly cooked before. At most I roasted things over a fire."


    "The Black Guards don''t have anyone who can cook a proper meal, so I had to do it usually. Guess that''d be a yes?"


    "Mh, then, Karen, experience is the best way to teach, so how about you come along?"


    "I guess I can. I don''t think I have anything else to do right now, anyway."


    "You can always help with the more physical tasks if you got nothing else."


    "I''ll come."


    Fenna nodded, satisfied.


    "Great. There are surprisingly few who can cook among the mercenaries, outside of simple roasting some meat over a fire. Even though it''s such a convenient thing to learn."


    "I wish the Black Guards had learnt to cook too... All they can do is, indeed, roasting some meat... And roasting bread. Roasting vegetables, roasting everything..."


    "How did they even survive before you learnt to cook, Lily?"


    "There was someone else to cook for them. They were the one who taught me how to cook as well. Unfortunately due to some circumstances, they''re not with the Black Guards anymore."


    So, once that person had left... It was all roasted, huh.


    Well, in its own way, that wasn''t that bad. Roasted meat, and roasted vegetables and so. Made me wonder what kind of vegetables even existed here.


    "Anyway, you girls, let''s get going. The sooner we''re done the better."


    "Ah, yes."


    "Nn."


    With a wry smile, Fenna took the lead.


    "What exactly do we have to do anyway, Fenna? I only know there''s lots of meat coming..."


    "Mh, we''ll have to prepare some vegetables to go along with. The meat also has to be prepared, most likely. And who knows what else they''ll bring over. Maybe someone is going to make a soup or a stew, too. We''ll also have to prepare the herbs."


    "Herbs?"


    "Yeah. They''re good for the taste. We have a few dried herbs stored, but some people probably went out to gather fresh ones."


    Herbs... All this talk about food and cooking made me kind of hungry... But I was also quite interested in the cooking of this world.


    "Oh, look, they''re already back."


    "Nn?"


    Fenna pointed forwards, towards a... Uhm... Yeah...


    "Fenna. What exactly is that?"


    "A boar."


    "No, no, no. That can''t be a boar. A boar is not... that huge."


    "What are you talking about? They''re always that large. Or are you talking about their young? Those are obviously not that big."


    "..."


    Around four boars were gathered together. Obviously, they were already dead. They were our food, after all. The problem was... They were gigantic. Like, really. Gigantic. Big enough that I had to crane my neck back to look up to its dead eyes. I could only guess but they seemed to be at least four or five meters in height... That certainly wasn''t the size of a boar I knew. And, that height was obviously without them standing up...


    "How do you hunt such a thing even..."


    "The most common way is with traps. They''re pretty stupid and charge at you immediately. Set up some spikes made from logs or thick branches and the whole thing is actually quite easy. Without traps, you hunt them with spears, aiming for their eyes, the belly and the legs," Lily explained to me.


    "That sounds dangerous."


    "As long as you are quick on your feet it''s not that bad. They can''t change the direction that well while charging. And they pretty much never flee. Jump to the side, stab, gain some distance, repeat."


    Even if she made it sound that easy... I couldn''t imagine it at all. We were talking about a giant that was probably seven or eight meters while standing. Just seeing such a monster charge at me would probably leave me paralysed.


    "But you have never seen a boar before, Yumi? That surprises me."


    "How so?"


    "Well, they''re pretty common food. You even had it in your dinner here before. Though that was dried meat."


    "Eh? Really?"


    This behemoth was common food?


    "... How many of these things are hunted if you consider it common?"


    "Probably dozens per month? They breed all year and if you leave them unchecked they can turn into a veritable disaster. It''s pretty much a staple food. Next to Earth Cucus."


    "... Is it bad if I ask what Earth Cucus is?"


    "It does make me question what experience you had with cooking before, at least."


    "Let''s say I am used to a very different set of ingredients."


    Ones that were not available in this world, of course.


    "Earth Cucus is a red, long vegetable that grows in the ground. They''re easy to grow, so you see them a lot. They were in dinner too before."


    "... I can''t remember anything red in my dinner."


    "They turn white to yellow when cooked."


    Oh, so those potato-like things were Earth Cucus? Interesting.


    "Maybe I should first teach you how to cook as well. You should know the ingredients... At the very least, know the food on your own plate..."


    Fenna threw an exasperated glance at me.


    It wasn''t my fault that the ingredients I knew didn''t match up with the ones from this world... Those were things I had to learn, it seemed...


    "Miss Fenna! Did you find more help?"


    A woman approached us. I recognised her as someone from Fenna''s squad. Seemed they were here helping out too.


    "More or less. I got two who are at least willing to learn a little. Lily seems to know her way around so give her something to do. And, is this all they brought here?"


    "They brought five boars and... They also brought us fish. Nearly a dozen baskets full."


    "... Could you repeat that?"


    "A dozen baskets full of fish. Wholly unprepared. They got them for free, apparently."


    Fenna clasped her hands over her head and groaned.


    "Are you for real?"


    "Yes, Miss Fenna. They''re over there. We also got some vegetables and some bird meat. And the group collecting herbs just returned too. Mis¡ª Mrs Helma is currently trying to go over the fish, but Mr Wenners and Mr Krutz aren''t back yet. And Miss Ria is still in bed."


    The woman let out a dry laugh.


    "... So much for that. Yumi, can you help out with the fish? You can see mana, right?"


    "Nn, I can do that."


    "Miss Fenna, I can see mana too," Karen added.


    "Then, help out as well. Sorry about that, we''ll have to postpone the teaching to some other time."


    Fenna smiled, looking a little relieved.


    "Lily, can you help prepare the meat?"


    "I can."


    "Then, let us go there. The more people that can, the better. I''ll leave the fish to you two, Karen, Yumi."


    "Leave it to us."


    "Nn."


    Fenna and Lily, as well as the other woman, left to join the... butchering team. They had carved a large chunk out of a boar already and were cutting it in smaller chunks right now. The women were all blood-covered... It looked more like some blood ritual that was prepared there.


    In contrast, where the fish baskets were... Two large tables with a few women cutting open each fish and removing the innards, then cleaning them. And in the middle of that, stood Helma.


    "Ah, this is impossible! Why can''t that stupid old man Wendl come and help us?! Got better things to do my ass! He just ran away. I''m going to gut him next!"


    A loud, cursing Helma.


    "Mrs Helma, please calm down. "


    "How can I calm down?! Why did they bring us all these fish?! Eleven large baskets filled to the brim! How many hundreds of fish are there?! How did they even manage to catch these many in that river? Are there even any fish left now?"


    She was furious... The surrounding women were trying to calm her down, but they didn''t really manage to do so.


    "Helma."


    "Mh?! Oh! Yumi! Yumi! Our saviour! The saviour has arrived!"


    "Eh? Wha¡ª


    Helma dashed towards me and hugged me, tears in her eyes.


    "Our saviour!"


    "Helma. Calm down, please calm down."


    Alas, she wasn''t calming down... Repeating how glad she was I came many times over...


    "This is... boring."


    "Nn."


    A few minutes after Helma calmed down and explained the situation to us, we sat at a table, sorting the fishes. Which ones were monsters and edible and which ones weren''t. Frankly speaking, it was incredibly boring. And we had barely even started.


    "I''m sorry, but we got nobody who can see mana here... We didn''t expect them to bring us this fish either..."


    According to Helma, the merchant who sold the boars gave the fish as a bonus along. The fish was fresh, but it had to be taken care of quickly. Just, there weren''t many people who could even deal with fish. As in, too few people could see mana and help.


    "It''s okay. It''d be a waste to throw all of this away. But, can we even use all of this?"


    "Depends how many are monsters, but we''ll probably smoke around half of the ones that are left over. They''ll keep a little longer like that."


    "What about the monster ones?"


    "We''ll likely have to throw them away."


    "Nn..."


    That sounded... like quite a waste. And they were quite delicious.


    "Helma, can''t a magician prepare them?"


    "I think they can, but Ms Ria and the others usually refuse, saying they can''t..."


    They can''t? Was there maybe something else to take note of when preparing them, outside of getting rid of the mana?"


    "Then we shouldn''t mess with it. Ria and the others probably know better than us."


    "Nn. But it''s such a waste."


    "What can you do, that''s how it is."


    "Nn..."


    Helma just shrugged her shoulders. She probably didn''t even think much about it, considering it was normal for them.


    "... We can keep a few at least. I can eat them."


    "... Yumi, that''s not a funny joke."


    "It wasn''t a joke."


    "Listen, no person could ever hope to stomach a mon.. ster fish..."


    She paused, staring at the fish. Her hands weren''t moving either. A few seconds later, she turned to me.


    "Are you serious?"


    "Nn."


    "... You''re going to be a boon to our food expenses."


    "I doubt one person makes that much of a difference..."


    Still, it was a difference, even if it was a small one.


    "Do they even taste good?"


    "Pretty good even."


    Yes, the roasted monster fish I ate back then was really good. Like, really, really good. Just thinking about it made me hungry...


    Nn... I want to eat something... Speaking of which, this fish is... fresh, right?


    I stared at the fish in front of me. I had already dug out the mana crystal with a small knife. Small chunks of its meats were in front of me too.


    I am fairly sure there were people who eat fish raw in my world... It should be fine, yes?


    Karen and Helma were both busy with their respective tasks so... Just trying it once wouldn''t hurt, right?


    And with those words, temptation winning me slowly over, I... didn''t try to do it.


    No, no, no. Raw food is bad. Bad. Keep the temptation in check, Yumi!


    "Something wrong, Yumi? You''re making a weird face."


    "No, Sis. Everything is okay."


    Yes, I barely managed to keep my temptation back.


    Still, there are foods that are more or less... safer to eat raw... Aren''t there?


    "Helma, is there any food, fish or meat or so, that can be eaten raw?"


    "Raw? Are you out of your mind?"


    Once again, she stopped her work, this time throwing an exasperated look at me.


    "I mean, if you don''t mind getting things like stomach worms, go ahead and try them."


    "... Stomach worms?"


    "Worms that live in your stomach. They can grow quite large. Thicker than my thumb and probably around half the length of my forearm? They''re also quite painful to deal with. Magic has a hard time treating them, too. Just imagine something that large wriggling its way around in your stomach."


    "... I think I''ll refrain."


    "That''s better so."


    With all my heart, I refused to imagine such a thing. Just the slightest thought already gave me goosebumps.


    "There''s also plenty of other things you don''t want to deal with, so make absolutely sure to properly cook everything you eat, okay?"


    "Nn..."


    "Are you sure you cooked before? You really got some weird thoughts."


    "Nn, well, I did..."


    But never without the help of the convenient modern world... Humanity really went a long way. To be able to to figure out so many things.


    "Oh? Miss Helma, what kind of fish is this?"


    An odd, purple-coloured fish was in Karen''s hands.


    "That? Oh? Now, that''s rare. That''s a manakin fish."


    "This? These fish can turn into manakin as well?"


    "Of course. Ah, but they''re inedible. Regardless of whether they are monsters or not. Just throw it on the monster fish pile."


    "I see, how unfortunate."


    Karen put the fish onto the monster pile.


    "Is it also because of the mana that they are inedible?"


    "Yes. They''re really rare, though. Although considering the amount of fish we have here, finding one probably isn''t that unexpected, I guess."


    Helma put another fish onto the yet-to-be-sorted pile. With practised movements, she gutted the next fish.


    "Are you helping out a lot with the cooking, Helma?"


    "I''m quite often on cooking duty, yes. At first, my mother forced me to learn it, saying that it''s a ''mark of a good woman'' and such things. But I love seeing people enjoy my food, so I kept at it. I got quite some confidence in my cooking, you know?"


    People enjoying her food, huh. Was she sure, she didn''t mean Merim enjoying it?


    "That makes me remember how she also tried to force me into sewing and other things. Too bad for her that never worked out."


    "Why that?"


    "Why she forced me into it or why it never worked out?"


    "Nn, both?"


    Helma smiled wryly at my response.


    "She wanted to turn me into ''good woman''. So that she doesn''t have to feel embarrassed when she would marry me off to some man. Of her own choosing, of course. I was quite a tomboy when I was younger, so that didn''t work out as well as she hoped. Only cooking really stuck with me."


    "She... was going to choose your marriage partner?"


    "Mh? Yes."


    I stared at her, slightly dumbfounded.


    "Uhm... And nobody said anything against that?"


    "Why should they? That''s pretty normal, you know?"


    "Is it?"


    I turned to Karen. A wry smile and a nod later, she confirmed it as well.


    "I... see..."


    "You didn''t know? It''s pretty common."


    "Well, but... You and Merim married out of love, right?"


    "We did."


    "And, what about the Captain and his wife?"


    "Oh, they did too. I mean, if you go with examples from the mercenaries, it''s kind of the other way round. Most here marry out of love, rather than necessity. We can afford to, after all."


    I tilted my head, confused. It was the other way round, she said? But... how?


    Maybe picking up on my confusion, Helma broke out in laughter.


    "Ahaha, you see. I like to call the mercenaries ''a group of misfits''."


    "Misfits?"


    "Yeah. Like, could you imagine that most of these people could live in a normal town or village?"


    Helma stopped and took a glance backwards.


    We were mostly surrounded by women right now, but a few men here and there were also helping out with the fish preparation. There were more men helping with the boar, carving it up in large chunks.


    "You got men and women thirsty for war, independence, knowledge, freedom. People like that don''t fit into a village. Everyone there has a role, and there are rules in place to make sure everyone behaves. For the sake of their survival, a single person''s happiness is worth nothing to them."


    "..."


    "That''s why you shouldn''t take the mercenaries as what is normal. They aren''t. Everyone here has their own long story. Especially the ones that decided to become mercenaries on their own, out of their own will. But, you know, I love the mercenaries, these people."


    Helma smiled brightly, watching everyone working on the preparations.


    "They accept who you are. Even if you are a little odd, they don''t mind. Once you are part of them, they will always consider you family."


    "... Family."


    "Exactly, family. You two are now part of this big family too. Don''t expect us to let the two of you go anymore, are we clear on that?"


    Karen and I exchanged a surprised glance, then we smiled.


    "Nn."


    "Heard you loud and clear."


    "Great!"


    A toothy smile was directed at us.


    But, a few seconds later, Helma''s expression turned a little sad.


    "But, that''s also why it''s a bit unfortunate what''s going on with the families. They don''t consider themselves part of the mercenaries. The mercenaries are one big family, but they see themselves as their own cluster of families..."


    "Nn?"


    "Haa... Let''s shelve that topic. Or I''m just going to talk your ears off. Sorry about that. Point being, I love it here. Everyone is open and nice."


    Helma turned back to her own work, gutting the fish in front of her.


    "I don''t mind travelling. But my mother didn''t want to travel. She wanted to leave the mercenaries. In the end, that''s exactly what she did. With a new man, in some city. No idea what she is doing now, nor do I really want to know."


    "I see... What about your father?"


    "My dad? He''s still quite lively, you know. Cried a whole river when Merim and I got married. You might''ve talked with him before already, you know? Old man, brown full beard and brown hair with some streaks of grey, rugged face. Full of muscles. Also got a scar on his cheek and some on his arms. Oh, and on his back, he got a big one, too."


    I half expected her to talk about Merim now. Glad to see she answered properly.


    Still, that description would probably fit at least half a dozen mercenaries. Or more.


    "He''s still kicking and doing well. He''ll probably survive Merim and me, with how well he''s doing."


    "Don''t say that. That''s a bad sign."


    "Ahh, you''re right."


    He probably didn''t want to survive you two. That might be a little too hard, seeing your own child dying before you do.


    "Well, I wish he would get over my mother sometime, though. There''ve been some asking why he doesn''t marry someone else, but he is quite stubborn. Saying he already has me to take care of."


    "Nn, you''d be fine with it if he found a new wife?"


    "To be honest, I want him to, actually. He loved my mother, sure, but she wasn''t good to him. Really, once she left, our lives got so much better. Hopefully, he''ll look a bit more at himself, now that I''m married."


    "Huh..."


    She got along quite well with her father, didn''t she? Made me feel all warm, listening to her.


    "You know, there''s a woman from Fenna''s group that seems quite interested in him. I''d like for that to work out, since I know she''s nice."


    "Fenna''s group? Her squad? But... Aren''t they all quite young?"


    "Mh? Most of them, yes. Well, young compared to my dad, at least. She''s a little over thirty. My dad saved her on a job once and she fell head over heels for him since then. Not that he noticed."


    That was still quite a bit younger than her father, probably. Well, if Helma was fine with that, then that was their thing to figure out, wasn''t it?


    "I hope it''ll go well, that''d be nice. He should live a little freer."


    "I''ll cheer for him."


    "Nn, I''ll cheer too."


    "Hahaha, thank you."


    A little cheering for her father.


    "Go, go, get that fire going. Come on!"


    A man shouted at his lackeys, attempting to light a bonfire. I didn''t know when, but some of the broken wagons had already been salvaged, and the remains were thrown onto a pile. It was enough for a sizeable bonfire. Just, the wood wasn''t dried or anything, so they had some trouble getting the fire going.


    "How about ya throw in some of Captain''s Forest Fire?"


    "Captain''s gonna kill me if I do! You go and do it!"


    "Bahaha! No way!"


    "Stop the banter and get fanning! No food for you until the fire''s nice and bright!"


    "Nobody gets food until then, leader!"


    "Better hurry then unless you want us to roast you guys!"


    Was this going to be fine? The two subordinates were wildly fanning the small fire with wooden boards. I feared they might actually extinguish it first, so vigorously they were fanning.


    "Are the tables all set?" Fenna asked.


    "Nn, plates and mugs are also all ready and on the tables!"


    "Good, then, the fire is all we need to wait for now. Ah, what about the alcohol?"


    "The ale is over there. The liquor is with Helma and the other women."


    "Good, good."


    She nodded satisfied.


    It had taken quite a long time¡ªmuch longer than everyone had thought¡ªbefore we got all the preparations done. The sun was already nearing the horizon. But, the fish was all ready and most of the boars were finished too.


    Most, they actually only managed to prepare three of the five. That was still an incredible feat, in my eyes. The other two were untouched for now. Fenna already told us, that tomorrow morning we might have to help out with preparing them. The longer they were lying around, the worse it''d be.


    "Now then, Yumi, you''ll be responsible for those two tables."


    "Nn? Only those two?"


    "You''re still tired from the morning practice, right? And we got more than enough people to help out."


    "Haa... Understood."


    I glanced at the tables in question. Karen, Lily and the others had already sat down on one of them. And Korwen sat there too, talking with Lily and Karen.


    Seemed I was going to care mainly for people I already knew.


    Fenna instructed the other women¡ªmostly from her own squad, interestingly¡ªwhich tables they should wait at.


    "Yumi, remembered where everything is?"


    "Nn. Alcohol is there. The soup is over there. Vegetables are right behind it. Water is right over there next to the alcohol."


    "Good. What do you do when someone is drunk?"


    "Give them water and let them lie down."


    She had made sure that everyone remembered those little things. For the sake of a smooth evening, she said.


    "Good, good. But get rid of that stiff face."


    "Nn?"


    "There''s no need to be nervous. In its own way, it can be quite fun, you''ll see. Just try to have a good time yourself."


    "Haa..."


    How was that supposed to work when you were doing waitress work, though?


    "Ah, but if someone tries something lewd, tell us immediately, okay? We''ll take care of it."


    "N¡ª Nn..."


    "We can''t risk casualties at a celebration, after all."


    "... I''m not going to kill someone for that, Fenna."


    "You won''t but..."


    She threw a glance at the table nearby. At Karen, in particular.


    "I''m not so sure she thinks the same way."


    "..."


    It... was going to be fine. She wouldn''t go and kill someone over that. Surely. Surely?


    "In any case. Like I already said, just try to have a good time and all is good. Also, don''t forget to eat and drink enough."


    "Nn."


    "Then, everyone! Let''s get this going!"


    """Ooohhh!!!"""


    Rinne


    If you enjoyed it, please take a look at my Patreon! Thank you!


    I will now huddle myself up and wait until the storm passes. Getting really windy out there.


    Until next week!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Bonfire Party

    "Yumiii! Hehe! Yumi!"


    "Sis, please let go of me. Sis? Sis."


    "I won''t! I! I! I won''t let go. Do you... hate me? Yumi, do you hate me?!"


    "No, I don''t hate you, Sis! But I can''t move!"


    "Then! Then... If you don''t hate me..."


    "Yes, Sis. I love you. I really do. So, could you please let me go? Pretty please?"


    "He! Hehe! Yumi!"


    Just a short while I warned Karen and Lily about drunks being a pain.


    Never did I expect it to end like this.


    "Rina! Rinaaa..."


    "I''m here, Lily. I''m here. Good girl, good girl."


    "Haaaa..."


    "Does this feel good? Does it?"


    Rina was busy patting and caressing Lily, mostly her ears and her tail, but also her stomach. Lily was clearly enjoying it.


    Although I wasn''t sure if she would still think like that tomorrow.


    "Yumi, don''t look to them! Bad!"


    "Ah, I''m sorry, Sis, I''m sorry, I won''t do it aga¡ªMmhm?!"


    Suddenly, my vision was blocked by Karen''s face. Because she was kissing me.


    "Mmhm?! Mmm!"


    "Wow, so bold!"


    "Ohoh? Nice!"


    Air. I needed air! She was squeezing me way too hard!


    "Mmm! Mmmmmm?!"


    "Hey, girl. I think the little one can''t breathe."


    "Doesn''t that look bad?"


    "Mhhh! Mm! Wahhh! HAAAA!"


    Maybe she had her fill, or maybe she actually heard the worried voices from close by. At the very least, she finally let go of me. With a satisfied expression, she giggled and rubbed her cheek on my hair.


    All the while, I was still breathing heavily.


    "Haaa... Haaaa..."


    "Hey, still alive?"


    "Haa... Some... Somehow... Haaa... yes... Haa..."


    I glanced at Karen, her face beet red from the alcohol.


    "Haa... What did you guys... even give her?"


    Everything had been fine until a short while ago. Everyone was eating and drinking merrily, I kept walking back and forth to refill the drinks and sometimes bring them something to eat, like the vegetables or the soup.


    But then, first Lily started acting strange, fawning all over Rina. And then I was suddenly caught by Karen as well.


    "We only gave her a little bit of the rune tea?"


    "... Tea?"


    "It''s not really tea. It''s a mix of several fruit juices."


    "Fruit juices. And what else?"


    "The Captain''s Forest Fire."


    I fucking knew it.


    "Ehehe, Yumi! Yumiiii! Yumi! Hehe!"


    "Ah, Sis, calm down a little."


    "Hehehe! Hehe! Yumiiii!"


    Nevermind how it had come to this, I probably should try to... calm Karen down. I was a little envious of Rina. Lily was completely under her thumb, enjoying the lap pillow and the caressing. Under different circumstances, I might have watched it with glee... No, to be honest, I really wanted to watch it. Alas...


    "Yumi! He! Hehe! You''re so squishy! Hehe!"


    "Wait, Sis, don''t squeeze me there. Woah! Stop!"


    "Hehehe! Soft! So soft! Hehe!"


    A little forceful, Karen pushed me down onto the bench. Her flushed face was smiling. All the while she started patting me all over. But, differently to what Rina did, this wasn''t even half as innocent. Nor a quarter, or anything even remotely innocent.


    "Sis. Sis! Not there! For the love of¡ª


    "Ehehee, hehe, hehehe."


    "Sis, cut it out. Seriously, I beg you, not in front of the whole world! Someone, help me!"


    My last resort. Calling for help.


    "Wohoo! Nice view!"


    "Go on, go on! Don''t mind us!"


    Cheers and whistling were the answer...


    I''m so going to get back at you all for this!


    "Yumi! I love you! Hehe. Hehehe."


    "Yes, great! I love you too! I really love you, but please, cut it out! Stop! Bad girl! Bad!"


    Her face was approaching my lower body and her hands were very clearly trying to get rid of the obstacles. Fortunately, in her drunken stupor she was unable to undress me. Although, it was probably only a matter of time.


    Think, Yumi! Think! What can you do to make her stop? I can''t push her down or anything, so something else, something else! Can I restrain her maybe? But I''d need to be able to move for... Wait... This might work!


    I couldn''t move my arms, my legs, or really anything. But there was one I could move. My hair.


    "Sis, sorry."


    "Hehehe... Hee? Yumi?"


    As fast as I could manage, I wrapped my hair around Karen. It didn''t have nearly enough strength to actually restrain her, but it was enough to entangle her. Add to that, that my hair was quite robust... And it worked out. Confused, she tried to free herself from my hair, but in her clumsy attempts, she only made it worse.


    "Uhhh... Yumi? Why? Why? I can''t move... Yumi? Why? Do you... Do you hate me? Yumi? Yumi?"


    "Sis, I don''t hate you, but this is neither the time nor the place for such things, sorry."


    "So... So you hate me... Yumi... Yumi hates me... Yumi hates me! Waaaahhh!"


    She broke out in tears, bawling loudly.


    This was... a different kind of problematic.


    "Waaaahhh! Yumi! Don''t leave me! Waaaahhh!"


    "Sis, I''m not leaving you, I''m still here, I don''t hate you either, I love you, so stop crying, yes?"


    "Wahhahh!"


    I sat up and hugged Karen, patting her back in an attempt to calm her down.


    "I''m here, yes? I''m here, no worries."


    "Waaaaahhh! Yumiiii! Yumiiii!"


    "Nn, I''m here, I won''t go away, I''ll stay with you."


    She hugged me back, squeezing me. Just like before, she wasn''t holding back in the least, but I did my best to bear with it.


    "It''s all good, it''s all good."


    She kept bawling, calling out my name, while I tried to comfort her. I had no idea what else I could do to calm her down...


    Note for the future... Don''t get Sis drunk.


    A considerable time later, Karen quietened down and... fell asleep in my arms. She literally cried herself to sleep. She was now sleeping in my lap, still hugging my waist and not letting go. Looking at her like this, she really was cute...


    "Haa..."


    "Yo, seems everything turned out well?"


    "Nn? Ah... Captain..."


    "No need to look at me like that, I even got you something to eat. That should be your job."


    "Ah... Nn, thanks."


    He handed me a plate with some meat. A roasted chunk of boar meat, still steaming slightly.


    "Well, didn''t expect them to get that drunk either, though."


    "Captain, I never want to see that liquor ever again near me..."


    "... Demanding, aren''t we?"


    Please think of all the trouble that damn stuff brought me already...


    With a sigh, I took a bite from the food. It was juicy. And delicious. Really delicious.


    "Whatever, there''s not much of it left anyway. Want a mug?"


    "No. Definitely not."


    "More for me then."


    Karen moved a little, rubbing her nose on my stomach.  A small smile appeared on her face. Maybe she had a nice dream or something?


    "Here, want a drink of this?"


    "Nn?"


    "It''s a fruit juice mix."


    "Really?"


    Korwen handed me a mug with some red liquid. It did smell quite fruity.


    "It tastes quite good, I guarantee it."


    "... Nn, I''ll try a little."


    I took a small sip and... It really was fruit juice. No hint of alcohol in its taste at all.


    "This is quite delicious."


    "..."


    Confirming that this was safe, I took another gulp. Somehow, this was just what I needed. Calming Karen down was a little exhausting. But thinking about how she was so emotional about me, it made me feel all warm and giddy. All warm and giddy.


    Nn? Warm?


    "... Captain."


    "Yes?"


    "This is alcohol, isn''t it?"


    "It is. It''s rune tea."


    I fucking... I fucking knew it!


    I felt all warm because of the alcohol in it. But... It didn''t taste like alcohol? It tasted completely like fruit juice.


    No wonder that Sis actually drank this. I nearly didn''t notice either.


    "Captain, how the hell did you even manage to make it taste like a fruit juice?"


    "Hahaha, it''s just a mix of various fruit juices and strong liquor. Nothing more."


    "But why can''t I taste the alcohol?"


    I stared at the half-empty mug. The warmth from the alcohol was slowly spreading through my body. Yet, knowing it was only tasting like a fruit juice was kind of... and odd feeling.


    "Even if you ask me why, I can''t tell you. That''s just how it is. But not many even notice until it''s too late. Like your dear sister there."


    "... That''s quite evil, you know."


    "Hahaha, see it as something like a rite of passage. Everyone needs to get wasted at least once in their lives."


    "Not everyone actually wants that though."


    At least they refrained from giving Rina some.


    "Now, now. It''s a celebration, you need to have some fun. If you''re so stiff, nobody will like you."


    "Haa... I''ll try."


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t help but worry.


    "Speaking of which, are Emily, Maya and Sele still under house arrest?"


    "Of course they are. But I''m no devil, I let them out for today. Under the condition that they also help out, like you did. They''re over there. Well, somewhere over there."


    He pointed in the general direction of... the middle of the crowd. Somewhere there could be pretty much anywhere.


    "Now then, I''ll go back doing my rounds. Looks like they''re trying to get Merim dead drunk again."


    "... Good luck. Don''t be too hard on them."


    "I won''t. Watching it is way more entertaining anyway."


    "..."


    Okay, so he wasn''t going to stop them. He wanted to watch it...


    He bade me a good night and left, disappearing into the crowd. A little ways off, I saw him sitting down a table with other mercenaries. Merim was there too. Albeit I had no idea what he was trying to achieve there, standing on the table, his upper body bare, and downing mug after mug. This couldn''t end well...


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? Sis? I''m right here."


    "Mmm..."


    Sleep talking, huh. I stroked her hair gently, caressed her cheek and traced the tear stains on them.


    She had been like a spoiled child. It was a little troublesome, but oddly... I didn''t mind it. This was just another side of her.


    I wonder... Maybe that''s what she was really feeling all the time...


    If so, I felt a little bad. She kept showering me with her love.


    Maybe, I should spoil her a little once in a while. Yeah, I definitely should. Seeing her lying in my lap, sleeping defenselessly, really made me want to spoil her and protect her.


    Nn, maybe I should do that tomorrow.


    I was technically the older one. Once in a while, it should be fine to show that side, right?


    Nn. But with that said, I should take care that she''s not getting drunk again so quickly. At least, not in public...


    After all, I had nearly lost my dignity in public...


    I continued to gently caress Karen''s hair while I took a look around. Merim was now lying face-up on the table and... from the looks of it, he was down for the count again. He hadn''t learnt at all from last time, did he?


    Korwen was enjoying himself with some of the other, older mercenaries. If I had to take a guess, they were continuing they''re drinking bout.


    Let''s hope they don''t all end up drunk on the table like Merim... But they didn''t last time either, so it''s probably going to be fine...


    A little further, near the bonfire, was...  Uhm... A certain other pink-haired little girl was standing on the table, shouting something while lifting up her mug and laughing. There was something wrong about this view. She was probably a lot older than any of us here, but she still had the appearance of a little girl.


    Speaking of which, I wonder if the elves are here too...


    The Elder had gone collecting her brethren but... I hadn''t seen her since the day her home... was destroyed.


    "Lil'' Sis, Lil'' Sis!"


    "Nn? What''s up, Rina?"


    Rina, who was still caressing Lily, called out to me. At some point, Lily too had fallen asleep, her chest rising and sinking rhythmically.


    "I have a problem!"


    "A problem? What kind of problem?"


    "I need to go to the bathroom."


    "... Nn? Then... go?"


    "But I can''t leave Lily!"


    "... I''m sorry, but I can''t help you there."


    That was a little too much for me.


    "But I really need to go... Can''t you take care of Lily for me?"


    "And how do you imagine that? Unless you can lift her up, neither of us can move, right?"


    "... Ah."


    Her expression turned into one of panic.


    "But, but, but! This is bad."


    "Nn..."


    It was... But... Neither of us could change... Us?


    "Nn? I got an idea."


    I looked around at my surroundings. If we couldn''t do it, then someone else could. Too bad, the others on our table had gone to join Korwen, so Rina and I were alone.


    "Ah, there. Fenna. Fenna!"


    Coincidentally, Fenna was nearby. How fortunate.


    "Fenna. Fenna! Fenna!"


    Ah, she turned around. I waved wildly, calling her over.


    "Yumi? Is something wrong?"


    "Nn, we need your help."


    "Miss Fenna! Uhm, could you take over for a moment here? I really need to... The bathroom!"


    "Eh? Ah, I''ll help, I''ll help!"


    Quick to understand, she lifted up Lily, freeing Rina. And with a flash, Rina ran. To the bathroom, most likely.


    "Haa..."


    "Thank you, Fenna."


    "No problem. But really, this girl is way too light. Is she even eating anything? Well, whatever, here you go."


    "Nn? Ah, wait what are you doing?"


    Fenna walked over with Lily and put her down on the bench, right next to me.


    "I still got work. Here, now you got two flowers on each side, aren''t you happy?"


    She placed Lily''s head on my lap. Now I got Karen to my right and Lily to my left.


    "Then, good luck."


    "Ah, wait! You can''t just... Ahh... She''s gone... What do I do now?"


    I couldn''t even readjust my position, or the two would bump their heads into each other... Well, they were sleeping quite deeply, so it wouldn''t wake them up probably. I caressed Lily''s hair and her fluffy ears with my free hand. Her ears were so nice to touch...


    Nn, maybe... this isn''t all too bad.


    A little time later, Rina came back.


    Going through some difficult acrobatics, we somehow managed to get her to sit right next to me and take Lily over again. The fluff was gone... Alas, seeing Rina petting Lily so happily made me forgive her.


    "So, Rina, how is it going? With Lily?"


    "Mh? What do you mean?"


    "Well, you getting along?"


    "Ah! Yes, we do!"


    She smiled happily.


    "Nn, that''s good."


    Karen and Lily were both sleeping peacefully. Occasionally, one of them stirred, but despite all the ruckus surrounding us, they didn''t wake up. Alcohol was quite scary...


    "Rina, you didn''t drink any of the alcohol, did you?"


    "Alcohol?"


    "Well, the stuff that Sis and Lily drank."


    "Oh, that fruit juice? That was delicious!"


    "... Eh?"


    I stopped and turned to Rina.


    "You drank that?"


    "Yes? Shouldn''t I? It was good!"


    "... And, you''re not feeling drunk or anything?"


    "No?"


    She tilted her head, staring at me, confused about my question.


    "Uhh, how much did you drink?"


    "How much? A few mugs, why?"


    "..."


    A few mugs sounded like more than two or three... That was probably too much for me already. Not to mention Lily and Karen, who were both not used to it. Well, Karen wasn''t at least. Judging from how quickly Lily was down, it was just likely she wasn''t used to it either.


    And yet, this girl... How was she still fine?


    "Lil'' Sis? Something wrong?"


    "No... Uhm, you are feeling alright, don''t you?"


    "Yes?"


    "Nn... Okay..."


    Let''s not think too deeply about this...


    Some things are better off left unquestioned. Not like anyone could probably give me an answer anyway.


    "Lil'' Sis, Lil'' Sis."


    "Nn?"


    "Uhm, you all are... going to help the mercenaries right?"


    "Nn, well, it''s more, like, we''re going to be mercenaries?"


    "Hmm..."


    Rina stared at the bonfire. The damaged wagons were burning quite well and a large smoke column was rising into the air. Much to my surprise, there weren''t any guards or anything coming over to ask what the heck was going on or so... Making a large bonfire was apparently fine...


    "Lil'' Sis, what do you think I should do?"


    "Nn? What do you mean?"


    "Like, should I also become a mercenary? Or should I do something else?"


    "That''s... What do you want to do?"


    "I don''t know."


    She turned to me, staring straight into my eyes.


    Now, that was a little bit... Mh...


    "Nn...But I don''t know either... Have you tried talking with Sis or Lily?"


    "Uh-uh, I didn''t."


    She shook her head.


    "Then, how about talking with them about it? Also, if you don''t know what to do, how about asking some other people too? Korwen needs people to help out with organising things. I remember Wormaz, a smith, looking for an apprentice. Maybe there are other things that you could do as well?"


    "... So, I should speak to others?"


    "Nn. And maybe try out some things? Some things you might have to experience first."


    Rina turned her gaze back to the fire.


    "Did you do that too, Lil'' Sis?"


    "Me? I did..."


    Did I do that?


    ... Not really. But...


    "Nn, I can''t say I did. But the future is long, so who knows? I''m currently helping the Captain with organising and stuff. Although it is mostly just going through complaints and calculating a few numbers, it still adds up to quite a lot of work."


    If someone told before how much work this actually was, I would''ve probably just laughed it off as a joke. But... Tomorrow I was definitely going to round up all the expenses we had today, the remaining food, how much alcohol they drunk and what we had to restock. That would probably take quite a while.


    And those were only the things Korwen entrusted me with for now...


    "I see... The future..."


    "Nn. I wonder what we all will do in ten or maybe twenty years. Or even further down the road... I... I am looking forward to it."


    Rina fell silent, her gaze dropped down. Even her hand stopped caressing the sleeping Lily...


    "Do you... think I will be part of that?"


    "Nn? Of course."


    "... I see."


    She continued petting Lily and let out a small chuckle.


    "Lil'' Sis, is smithing hard work?"


    "Nn, I''d say it is. Although I don''t know what exactly it entails, you probably need quite some strength for it."


    "Huh... Then, then, the things you are doing, what about them?"


    "Do you mean the organising and the work with the documents?"


    "Yes, that!"


    She once more turned to me, a big smile on her face.


    "Nn, I''d say it''s more tedious? You have to think more for that, calculate things and such stuff. It can get quite tiring."


    "I see... Then, then... Uhm... Ah, the guy that works with leather? What about him?"


    "Do you mean Konno? Nn, I don''t know much about that kind of work to be honest..."


    What was his profession even called? Was it like a tanner? Or something else?


    If I recalled correctly, a tanner''s work was quite dangerous actually...


    "Then, then..."


    "Rina, calm down. Even if you ask me, I can''t really tell you a lot. Like I said, you should ask them yourself."


    "But, I need to know a little so I know what to try first!"


    "... Is that so. Then, I guess I''ll try to answer what I can."


    I smiled wryly. Rina seemed quite excited, thinking about all the things she could try out.


    "Thank you, Lil'' Sis! Then, then, uhm... What else is there? Ah, that woman''s work, ehhh... Miss Wanda?"


    "Wanda''s? Wanda is a seamstress. She makes clothes. It''s... I guess a little bit more delicate work?"


    "Clothes... That sounds nice... Could I make my own clothes then?"


    "I think that should be possible."


    "Ohh..."


    Her eyes widened in astonishment.


    "Nn, want to go and ask Wanda about her job tomorrow?"


    "Is that okay?!"


    "Why shouldn''t it?"


    Wanda might be a little scary here and there, but she was generally kind. Although a little direct. She probably wouldn''t mind asking.


    "Hehe, thank you, Lil'' Sis. I''m looking forward to tomorrow!"


    "You''re welcome."


    She chuckled again to herself, her legs kicking forward as if she was a kid excited for its birthday the next day.


    "Be careful, not that Lily falls down."


    "Ah! You''re right."


    That would''ve been an unpleasant awakening for her.


    Rina readjusted her position, which caused Lily to move in her sleep a little, but she didn''t wake up. She stared at Lily for a little while, before smiling again.


    "They''re still sleeping..."


    "Nn. They might sleep through until tomorrow morning."


    Hopefully, without a hangover. Though, considering how wasted they were, they might not have that luck...


    "Even though everyone is so merry."


    "Nn."


    A few mercenaries passed us, dragging a bunch of wooden planks and similar behind them. One after another, they threw the planks into the fire.


    "It''s warm."


    "Nn. It''s slowly getting late, so this is nice."


    Well, Karen had my hair as a blanket, but the rest of us didn''t have one. I could probably wrap us all up but... Considering how Karen was entangled in my hair, that might become troublesome...Hopefully, we could get her out later...


    "Oh, Lil'' Sis, look."


    "Nn? What''s that?"


    A little in the distance... was a group of people, carrying something rather big. Curious, I changed to my monster eyes to see what it was.


    "A... tree? Oh, it''s the elves with a huge tree."


    "The elves?"


    We watched how the group of elves, together with some mercenaries, carried the huge tree trunk towards the bonfire. When they got closer, some of them stiffened up and didn''t move anymore...


    "Lil'' Sis, they stopped."


    "Nn... Did they spot Yumias? Probably..."


    An elf turned around and said something to her comrades. A short while later, they resumed and carried the trunk to the bonfire, albeit a little slower than before.


    Once they stood right in front of the fire, they heaved one side of the trunk up until it stood on the other end.


    """Woooohhhh!"""


    And with a loud sizzling and crackling, the trunk fell onto the bonfire, becoming part of the fire. It didn''t take long for it to light up in a bright fire column.


    "Ohhh! Such a big fire!"


    "Nn..."


    Rina was staring at the big fire with wide eyes. On the other hand, I watched the group of elves. Maybe someone had told them, or they did it by themselves, but all of them were wearing proper clothes. Well, as proper as could be, they were mostly lumps of cloth... Still... They solemnly watched the trunk burn.


    "I wonder if that tree was important to them..." I murmured quietly.


    We watched them for a few minutes. They didn''t move at all, only watching. At one point though, one elf moved and said something to the others. They slowly dispersed, although most of them crowded together a little away from everyone. Yet, a few elves walked around and even started talking with the mercenaries.


    Some also walked past us, to the spot where the food was. They asked the woman in charge and she showed them everything. The plates, the meat, the soup and all other kinds of things. The elves were listening and a little while later, they took plates and started roasting their own chunks of meat.


    "Never would''ve thought I''d see elves roasting meat on a fire..."


    "Why not, Cursed child?"


    "Woa¡ª


    A voice from behind called out to us. I nearly threw Karen of my lap in surprise...


    "Uhh... Oh? Miss Elder?"


    "Mhm. I see you are doing fine, Cursed child."


    "Nn? Ahh..."


    The Elder, standing right behind me, glanced at Karen in my lap.


    "Uhm... Miss Elder, what is that tree?"


    "... That''s the biggest and oldest tree, that once stood in our home. Now it is withered and dead. The only thing we can do is see it off with respect. Like this, it will return once more to the ground, becoming the energy for new life to thrive."


    The energy for a new life? Oh... Right, ashes could work as fertilizer or something, couldn''t they?


    "Be that as it may, Cursed child, why do you say it is odd for us to eat meat?"


    "Nn? Ah, well, because, when I think of elves, I think of a race that lives in harmony with nature? I guess you could say it like that."


    "We do live in harmony, as you might say. But we still have to eat and live, just like you all do. We eat the meat of dead animals and we eat the fruits of the trees and the earth. On happy days, we might fill our bellies more than we need. And on days like today, we might do so too."


    Days like today...


    I threw a glance at the elves who were roasting their meat on the fire. Some of them were talking with the mercenaries, some were staring at the meat with an intense gaze.


    "Do not feel sad for us. Every end is a beginning. We will find a new home. For a long time, we have lived there, protected our home. And ultimately, we failed. But our lives were good, they were fun. And we will find a new home, a new place to live."


    "I see. I''ll root for you."


    "Root?"


    "Uhm, I''ll cheer for you? Support you, in finding a new home."


    "Ahh. Thank you, Cursed child."


    She thanked me. That... was a bit unexpected.


    "Nothing to thank for. If I can help, please do not hesitate to ask."


    "... I will do that if I deem it necessary."


    "Nn."


    I smiled at her. She had opened up a little, didn''t she? Quite quickly, too. Was this the composure of those who were leaders?


    "Now then, Cursed child. I myself am quite hungry so I will go now. Do I go over there?"


    "Ah, yes. Over there to the group of women. They have plates for you to use. The soup and meat are right next to them."


    "Mhm, thank you. Until another time."


    And there she went.


    "Lil'' Sis, Lil'' Sis, that was the elder elf?" Rina asked after the Elder was outside the hearing range.


    "Nn."


    "Ohhhh..."


    Rina stared after the Elder, who was, quite clumsily, helping herself to some food. A woman from Fenna''s squad was helping her out, most likely explaining everything to her.


    Some of the elves earlier had now finished roasting their meat and were eating, delight visible on their faces. The group that stood a little to the side was watching... Slowly, ever so slowly, a few elves left the group and went to get their own food.


    Their hunger wins against their suspicions, huh...


    We silently watched, until even the last elf went to get some food. A few of them even sat down at our table. They kept a little distance, but they still tried to approach us.


    Jeez, Sis... And you''re asleep right now...


    Karen was peacefully sleeping in my lap, hugging me and occasionally murmuring my name or Rina''s. Once in a while, she also called out to Lily or someone else. Amusingly, when she did, Lily groaned right next to her, getting a chuckle out of Rina and me.


    Haaa... I hope it stays peaceful like this...


    Rinne


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    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Starlit Night

    "And here we are, I''ll let her down now."


    "Nn. Then, I''ll get the blankets and everything."


    "Okay.


    "Mmm... Yuu.... mi... Mm..."


    Fenna slowly lowered Karen down on the ground, onto the thin mattress. I pulled a blanket over her and watched her sleeping face for a little while.


    "And that''s two sleeping drunks taken care of. Are you going to sleep too, Yumi?"


    "Nn, not sure yet. Probably."


    "That so. Then, I''ll go back, for now. If you''re going to sleep as well, I wish you a good night."


    "Nn, thank you, Fenna. You too."


    I bade Fenna a good night and watched her return to the bonfire. It wasn''t even really that late yet, the mercenaries were pretty much just getting started. But Lily and Karen were already down and Rina had been dozing off as well. All three of them were now fast asleep in the wagon.


    "Nn, guess I should go and sleep as well... Or... Mhm..."


    I peeked out into the night. Despite the bright bonfire, a little ways away, you could see many, many stars and the moon up in the sky.


    "I could also take a small walk..."


    A little bit time for myself.


    I cautiously closed the door of the wagon and my way in the opposite direction of the bonfire.


    "There are so many stars you can see..."


    In my old world, unless you were far from civilisation, it was rare to see this many. Not many stars were bright enough to be seen in the artificial light of the cities. In my old world, this was a rare sight, an incredibly rare one. Unless you went to the rural areas, you''d never see this many...  But here, it wasn''t that rare. Probably. I didn''t exactly try to actively count them.


    But so far, the night sky had been quite beautiful.


    I wonder if the night sky is different here... Well, it probably is. It''d be kind of disconcerting if it was the same...


    Astronomy wasn''t a field I was comfortable with. I knew there existed different constellations but I probably couldn''t even tell you where the most well-known stars were... In my old world, of course. Nevermind this one.


    They probably have constellations and things like that too, don''t they? And maybe stories about them... I should ask Lily sometime. May¡ª


    "Nn?"


    I stopped. Something was pulling on my clothes... Thinking nothing of it I turned around and saw... nothing.


    "... Nn?"


    There was nothing. Then, another tug at my skirt, and another and...


    "You guys again. Haaa, I''m not a climbing tree, get off. Ahh, stop for the love of¡ª


    Yeah, the dolls had found me and were¡ªonce again¡ªattempting to climb me. Why, I had not the faintest clue.


    And just like the time before, I had to pick them off me one by one. At least, they didn''t try to climb me again once I removed them.


    A few minutes later, I pulled them all of me. Quite a pain since some of them actually managed to climb up to my shoulders. How did they even...


    Whatever, now they... formed rows in front of me and stared at me. As far as they could stare without eyes.


    "Seriously, why do you try to climb me? Tell me."


    "..."


    Of course, there was no answer... They kept staring at me...


    "Uhh... What do I do now..."


    "Why not just play with them?"


    "Wah!"


    "You get surprised way too easily."


    "..."


    How couldn''t I get surprised if people keep sneaking up on me and speaking right next to my ear?!


    "... What are you doing here? Weren''t you still celebrating?"


    "My, I was. I was. I''ll return there in a while too. But I first wanted... to have a little talk. Mind me tagging along?"


    A wide smile appeared on this fake little girl''s face.


    "... Do what you want."


    "My, I''ll do that then."


    I turned away from Yumias and... was faced again with the rows of dolls.


    "..."


    "Like I said, you should play with them, my child."


    "... Play? What do you mean?"


    "Play. Literally what I said. Aren''t you their mother? You should take care of your kids properly."


    My... kids? That was a pretty interesting choice of words, sure. And I should play with them? That was just like...


    "Wait, you mean, they... want my attention?"


    "Yes. What else could they want? After you neglected them so much, who''d be surprised that they act a little selfishly?"


    "..."


    What was the appropriate response here? Someone should tell me because I sure didn''t know.


    The dolls... I knew there was something up with them but...


    "Uhm... just to confirm. We''re talking about the dolls, right?"


    "Yes, of course, we do. Have you already gotten dementia, my child? Want me to check up on you?"


    "No, I''m fine. Uhh... How to say it... They... Do they... Think?"


    "..."


    It was her turn to fall silent and just stare at me. That... was probably the first time I had seen her being speechless.


    "... My child. Do you... Ahhh... Mm... Okay... I see the problem."


    "Nn?"


    "They don''t think per se like you do. But they do have emotions. They''re... more on the level of slightly more intelligent animals?"


    "Animals?"


    "Yes, yes. Like a pet cat or dog or whatever kind of animal you prefer. They have emotions, but they do not actually think like we do. They''re not sapient."


    So, they weren''t sentient... But they were...


    "They''re alive."


    "Of course they are."


    "..."


    The rows of dolls kept staring at me, motionlessly. I hadn''t pondered much about it. I just thought they''re moving dolls...


    "Well, guess that misunderstanding is out of the way. You should properly care for them from now on. You''re like a mother to them. And every child wants the attention of their mother, don''t they?"


    "I guess so..."


    I squatted down, to look properly at the dolls from close-up. Their small heads followed my movement.


    "Haa... If you want to climb up on me you can do it, just don''t get in the wa¡ª Woah!"


    Instantaneous regret.


    The dolls all jumped at me and climbed, clutching onto my arms, my legs, my hair, or sitting onto my shoulder...


    "Ahh... Whatever... Just, don''t get in the way..."


    They were hanging off me like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Good thing nobody had to¡ª Nobody except this girl had to see it. Who was, by the way, grinning from one ear to the other, watching me.


    "My, my, how precious."


    "..."


    I turned away and continued my walk, ignoring her. The dolls probably had found wherever they wanted to be and weren''t moving around, so they weren''t as much a hindrance as expected. Still, hopefully, I could avoid becoming a Christmas tree in future. Though, how did you... play with dolls? Well, living dolls. Really... living...


    "Hey," I addressed Yumias, who was trotting after me.


    "Yes?"


    "You say... they''re alive. But... how can that be?"


    "Didn''t you use Life and Soul magic? You created a living body with the first and gave it a soul with the second."


    A living body? But all we did was... moulding some wood? And... what even is a soul in the first place.


    "Curious?"


    "Nn... I don''t understand how it happened."


    "Hoho, well... I guess this is still fine so I''ll tell you. It''s not overly hard anyway. Raw mana of a certain attribute automatically tries to create, to turn into something more... material. Life-attributed mana attempts to create a living body at all times, and Soul-attributed mana attempts to create a soul."


    "Huh?"


    It attempted to create what... they were attributed to?


    "Does that mean, Steel-attributed mana would turn into... steel?"


    "No, it doesn''t. The laws of physics still apply, though they differ slightly from world to world, they are largely similar. Creating matter out of, well, pure mana, is next to impossible. Mana is in a way just energy. A unique, primal type of energy."


    "But it is not impossible at all?"


    "That''s right. It is not completely impossible. But, if the mana would be provided with the necessary matter already, it''s an entirely different... matter. Steel-attributed mana would draw in iron and carbon to create steel. The kind of steel that it represents, that is."


    So that''s how it was...


    In other words, whatever the necessary materials for a living body and a soul were... they were already... around us?


    "Well, that''s all I''ll tell you. Consider it a little parting gift."


    "... Nn? Parting gift?"


    "Yes, yes. After today''s little celebration ends, I''ll be on my own way again."


    "Huh..."


    So she''d be gone again. That''d make Lily sad, wouldn''t it... Wait, actually...


    "Didn''t you tell Lily you''d stay for a while?"


    "My, you remember that? I did. But something came up so I''ll have to take my leave a little earlier again..."


    The steps behind me stopped.


    "That''s why I wanted to have a little talk with you."


    "Nn? Why?"


    A talk with me?


    I turned around, curious as to what she meant.


    "Indeed. Do not worry, my child, it''s just a little... advice. Or a little tip.


    "... I''m not sure if I can trust advice from you."


    "Ahaha, do you now? But you do believe the other things I told you about? Like, our earlier topic, I could''ve lied to you. Or, I could have just bragged without knowing anything."


    "... Maybe. But it makes sense to me, so I''ll believe it for now. And I can still ask other people that I trust, who know more than me."


    "Hoo?"


    She smiled weakly.


    "To think it was just a few days ago where you simply believed me. My, how fast it goes."


    And whose fault exactly was that anyway? That I was forced to do so?


    ... Mine, mostly mine.


    But some of it was also her fault. Definitely.


    Suddenly, Yumias giggled.


    "Hehe, your face speaks volumes, my child. You don''t have to glare at me that strongly. Haa, truly, watching children like you never gets boring, no matter how often I see it."


    "... You''ve done things like this before? To other people?"


    "I did tell you before, that I sometimes grant a person''s deepest wish. Yours was one of those after all."


    Right... My wish...


    I wished to be reborn as... well, a young girl. I wondered... Just why had I actually wished for that? My memories were too hazy to really pinpoint a reason. Or, maybe there had been no reason? Maybe it had been just a whimsical thought, completely random and irrelevant. The only thing I knew was, that it really had been my wish at that moment...


    "So, how does it feel, living like a young girl?"


    "... How am I supposed to answer that?"


    "How, huh... For example, do you enjoy being treated like a girl?"


    "... Nn, well, I guess so?"


    It certainly didn''t feel bad, at the least.


    And, I certainly did enjoy some things... I didn''t hate dressing up in cute clothes, even if it was half forced. Nor did I hate playing with the younger girls.


    "I see, I see. That''s good news. That''s indeed good news. Hehee..."


    She spun around on the spot, her back facing me now. Her face directed its gaze up into the sky, at the moon. I did not know when or how, but suddenly she held a large witch hat, the very same one she wore on our first meeting, in her hands. With smooth movements, she put it on top of her head. The hat completely hid her head from my view, as well as most of her back.


    "Then, my next question... Do you feel comfortable¡ª


    She turned around, revealing her grinning face once more.


    ¡ªliving as a monster?"


    "..."


    A shudder ran down my back. Her grin, her eyes, they weren''t gentle. As if they weren''t looking at a person but at prey. That kind of expression.


    "Living as a monster is hard, isn''t it? You are different from everyone else, after all. You are not a per¡ª"Stop it."¡ªson... Ho?"


    I glared at her, interrupting before she could say anything else.


    "Whether it is comfortable, nice or whatever, I don''t know. But even if I am like this, they accepted me as I am. That''s what matters to me. That I''m not a human, or rather a humanoid, I already know. I don''t need you to tell me that."


    "Hoo?"


    She pulled her hat a little down, obscuring her eyes.


    "That must be nice, right? Hehe, my, forget I ever asked then. Clearly, that is not necessary."


    "..."


    Once more, she turned around so that her back was facing me.


    "But that you are different will not change. A monster and a mortal humanoid are very different. Their lifespans, their bodies, their souls."


    She giggled to herself.


    "You will soon find out what this difference really is."


    "... What do you mean with that?"


    "Now, now, it''d be boring to give you the answer straight. You really love asking questions, don''t you? Well, considering your circumstances, it''s not surprising, I guess. Let''s see, I''ll give you a hint."


    She disappeared. She was gone out of my sight, faster than I could realise.


    "The answer is right here."


    My chest was poked. Even though there had been no one here a moment ago. Yet, now, Yumias stood right in front of me, her finger poking my chest.


    "The soul crystal buried deep within. Why do you think it absorbs mana?"


    Soul crystal? She meant the mana crystal, didn''t she? Why did she call it a soul crystal anyway?


    "Why? How should I know? Don''t I need it to live?"


    There could be many reasons. I mostly thought I needed it to survive, seeing it as some kind of... basic sustenance?


    "My, my, that''s not wrong. You certainly do, but there are other reasons as well."


    "Other reasons?"


    "You''ll find out. Unfortunately, I won''t be here to watch, then."


    She sighed. Did she want to see it that much... That... made me feel a little wary.


    "And because I''m not here if there are any problems, you should go to the Prayerhouse in that city."


    "Prayerhouse?"


    "It''s something akin to a shrine. A religious place, where powerful entities and divine beings are worshipped."


    A religious place... And they could help me if something happened? In the first place, what was that something that could happen and become a problem?


    "Now then, did I miss anything to tell you. Mhm, I think that was all."


    Nodding to herself, she clapped her hands, as if she wanted to indicate the conversation is over. She slowly trotted over in the direction of the camp, towards the bonfire.


    "With that finally out of the way, I''ll go back and party some more. Maybe one of the elves is up to play with me, hehehe..."


    "... And you''re surprised they run away from you?"


    "I just have to stop them from running, don''t I?"


    "Please don''t..."


    The moment she switched gears she started saying some troublesome things...


    Just why did she want to talk with me anyway? And...


    "Are you going to say goodbye to Lily at least?"


    "My, my, saying goodbye doesn''t suit me."


    "She might cry."


    "She''s a big girl. And..."


    She glanced over her shoulder to me.


    "... I don''t like goodbyes."


    Leaving those words behind, she left. It was the last I saw of her this evening.


    "My head... It hurts..."


    "Ah, don''t move so much, that''s only going to make it worse."


    The next morning, a familiar scene repeated itself.


    Thankfully for me, the position I was in was different compared to last time.


    "Come lie down and drink some water."


    "Okay... Thank you..."


    As expected, Karen had a hangover. A pretty bad one too. Lily got off with some light headaches and Rina was completely fine. Life could sometimes be quite unfair. Even more so, since Wendl, who Rina had called, said he wouldn''t help, calling it a necessary experience. I half-expected him to enjoy it, though.


    "You better stay in bed, for now, Sis. Just sleep a little."


    "... I''ll try."


    I pulled the blanket over again, making sure she had it warm and comfortable.


    "Don''t they say you should start with the same drink you finished the night with... Does that help, Yumi?"


    "Lily, sure, it might help, and then it''ll only get worse later on. Just sit it out, you only got some headaches."


    It''s not like she had to vomit or anything.


    "Headaches are bad enough..."


    "If you don''t want them, then you''d better be careful next time."


    "... We didn''t drink it because we wanted to."


    Mhm, that was actually true. They didn''t want to get drunk.


    "Still, now you know to be more careful about drinks others offer you."


    "... Uhh, I''m never going to accept a drink from them again."


    "... Just make sure it''s not alcohol, or that you can handle it."


    Although the latter was very doubtful, considering their lack of experience with alcohol.


    "I''m never going to drink alcohol again..."


    "Eh?"


    Rina turned around staring at Lily.


    "You... won''t?"


    "Rina?"


    Lily could only tilt her head, confused. Did she not remember how she had acted when she was drunk?


    "But... it was so cute..."


    "... Cute?"


    "Cute. The way you nuzzled against me, the way you enjoyed being caressed behind your ears. And patting your tummy was so¡ª


    Rina began counting all the things she enjoyed doing to Lily... While Lily herself was growing redder and redder with each example...


    "Hehehe, I wish I could do that again."


    "Ahhh... Kill me now..."


    Lily squatted down and held her head, hiding her face.


    "Nn, well... Good luck..."


    And here was a prime example of the troubles that came with alcohol and getting drunk. The aftereffect.


    I couldn''t help but feel a little bit of pity for her... Although, i also agreed with Rina. It was cute. Karen and Lily had both been cute...


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "... Did I do some weird things?"


    "... Nn, well... Nothing overly bad..."


    "... So I did."


    Karen pulled the blanket over her face.


    Better not tell her how she tried to... do lewd things with me in the middle of the celebration... Within view of everyone.


    "You were a little clingy, that''s all. Nn. It was cute."


    "Uhhh..."


    I wanted to pat her head to comfort her, but I also didn''t want to make her headaches worse, so I refrained.


    "Just get to sleep for now, okay?"


    "... Okay."


    Karen nodded weakly.


    A few minutes later, she had fallen asleep. Hopefully, she''d feel better later.


    On the other hand, Rina and Lily were...


    "The heck happened with you two?"


    Rina, her face literally beaming in joy, was playing around with Lily. She had Lily''s head in her lap and was caressing her behind her ears, just like she did yesterday.


    "Lil'' Sis, Lil'' Sis!"


    "Not so loud, Sis is sleeping."


    "Ah, sorry. Lil'' Sis, Lily said she wanted to be spoiled! Look, look, isn''t it cute?!"


    "... Eh?"


    Lily''s face once again turned beet red...


    She had actually asked for it herself? How... unexpected. What kind of sorcery did Rina use to achieve that?


    "Uhh... I knew this was a mistake..."


    "Ahh, but Lily, it''s fine! Nobody minds, right, Lil'' Sis?"


    "... Nn. If Lily enjoys it, then it''s fine."


    That said, seeing them flirt so unabashed right next to me... I finally understood why Lily complained to Karen and me when we were flirting... It made me feel a little jealous.


    "Is... Is that so..."


    "... You should refrain from doing it in public though."


    "Uhhhhh..."


    A groan escaped her, but she made no attempts to move away or anything. In fact, her face slowly turned into an expression of bliss.


    "... Then, could you watch Sis? I''ll go out and report that you two are down."


    "Okay, until later."


    "... Later."


    "Nn."


    Leaving the two alone and going outside, the blazing sun greeted me. And a scenery of hell.


    "... Maybe reporting that Lily and Sis and are down is unnecessary."


    The bonfire was, much to my surprise, still burning. It was but a shadow of its former bright glory, but it was still going quite strong. The problem was its immediate surroundings...


    "My heeeeaaaad..."


    "Ughh... I don''t feel good..."


    "Kill me..."


    The aftermath of the drinking party was, of course, even more hangovers...


    Dozens of grown men were lying on the ground and the tables, groaning in their self-afflicted suffering...


    "It might be faster to report who isn''t down..."


    For now, though, I had to find Korwen. Or maybe Merim, although I feared Merim was more likely among these drunkards...


    "Ehh... Let''s see... Oh? Oh, you guys are here too, right."


    I squatted down and greeted the few dozen dolls that had... rested next to the wagon. Did they even need rest?


    "Nn, do you know where the Captain is?"


    I asked, mostly out of a whim, but much to my surprise, the dolls threw their arms up and pointed in a direction, some of them dashing forwards.


    "Ohh? Good that I asked you guys."


    They led me through the masses of alcohol corpses, towards a table near the bonfire.


    Where I found the Captain...


    "Urgh... Everything hurts..."


    "Captain..."


    "Haa? Ahh, it''s just you..."


    He had a hangover too... Great...


    "Captain, should I call Ria? It''s a little bad if you aren''t up, you''re the Captain."


    "Haa... It''ll be fine... It''ll be fine... Ugh... You go and deal with things..."


    "... Allow me to wholeheartedly refuse."


    No way in hell I would let him push all responsibility to me.


    "I''ll look for Wendl, just wait a moment..."


    I left the Captain alone and went to look for Wendl. With the help of the dolls, this turned out to be quite easy as well.


    "The Dragon Captain has a... hangover?"


    "Nn. He does."


    "... Guess all mercenaries are the fucking same in that regard. Bet my Captain is down as well. None of them know how to keep things in moderation, seriously."


    Wendl stood up from the table where he was eating breakfast, all on his lonesome.


    "I''ll take a look at him, brat. Do you know where Captain Greyward is too?"


    "No."


    "Haa, then, let''s take a look at your Dragon Captain first."


    "Nn."


    I led him to Korwen who was... face down on the table now.


    "Geez, I''m not even good at this, don''t expect much from me, brat."


    "Nn, as long as he feels good enough to work, it''s fine."


    "... You''re a cruel one, aren''t you? As expected of a woman."


    Yes, yes, As expected of me. He sure didn''t let the chance go to make another jab at women. His future prospects sure were bleak. At finding a significant other, of course.


    Or...


    "Wendl."


    "What? Don''t disturb me now."


    "... Do you actually swing the other way?


    "What?!"


    He shot up and stared at me in disbelief.


    "So you do?"


    "No way in hell, brat! I got no thing for men. I want to screw women and build a family, I don''t want to get my ass screwed!"


    With your attitude, I doubt that will happen anytime soon...


    An angry glare was thrown at me. Seemed I hit a nerve...


    "Nn, if you are a little nicer to women, that might be more likely to happen, you know?"


    "Ha? If they want me to be nice, then they should be nice too. All the fucking time they played me for a fool!"


    That... wasn''t how things worked... But I kept quiet, not wanting to agitate him further.


    He clicked his tongue, seeing that I wasn''t responding... Then he turned back to the Dragon Cap¡ª Now I was saying it too already. He turned to Korwen and treated him, to the best of his abilities, accompanied by painful groans.


    "Now, that''s all I can do, he should be up in a few minutes, hopefully. I''ll look for the Captain."


    Without saying another word, he walked past me.


    I made him angry, didn''t I?


    "Nn, nothing I can do about for now..."


    Should probably apologise later, though...


    "Hey, Captain, are you awake?"


    "Uhh... Yumi?"


    "Nn, the sun is up and laughing, it''s time to rise and shine."


    "... What are you, my mother?"


    He heaved up himself, holding his head. He still looked a little groggy and unwell...


    "Ugh... The fire... is still burning..."


    "Nn."


    "... My wife is going to kill me."


    "Please don''t get yourself killed."


    He stood up and stretched his arms.


    "My head still hurts... Why didn''t you call Ria?"


    "Isn''t she still, well..."


    "Right..."


    Ria had exhausted herself a lot a few days ago and she still hadn''t recovered. Too bad she was also about the only one who could properly treat the people with a hangover.


    "So, Captain... What do we do about this hell?"


    "Nothing."


    "Nothing?"


    "Nothing. They got themselves wasted. In time, they''ll wake up again, this is normal. Rather, ugh, good thing there''s no important work today."


    He surveyed his surroundings, looking at all the wasted mercenaries.


    "Nn, but Captain... What about Fenna and her squad? Wasn''t there that job?"


    "Mh? Ahh, yes... They already left, right before the sun went up... I think? Fairly sure they did..."


    "... I see."


    So in other words...


    "Then, I can go back to sleep?"


    "... There''s nothing planned to do for today, so what you do is up to you."


    "Ohh, that''s great."


    I got some free time. Unexpected, but welcome.


    Although, I still felt concerned about... just leaving this scenery of hell be.


    "I''ll go back and sleep. Ugh, that Wendl sure did a shit job at this."


    "Nn, good night?"


    "Good night..."


    It was morning but... well... If he said today was a break day, then today was a break day. Sure wouldn''t see me complaining.


    Korwen went to his wagon, or his tent, or wherever he was sleeping, while I returned to Karen and the others.


    Entering the wagon, I was greeted with Lily and Rina, both tucked below their blanket and sleeping while hugging each other.


    How cute... Maybe I should confront them sometime. They can''t tell me they aren''t going out, acting like that.


    With a smile, I turned to the other side of the room. Karen was sleeping peacefully, but alone.


    "Nn, don''t mind me."


    I crawled under her blanket until her sleeping face was right next to mine. I couldn''t quite enjoy it since it was dark, yesterday, but now I could.


    "Mm..."


    "Nn?"


    Karen rolled over and put her arm around me.


    With a smile, I hugged her back. Gently, making sure not to disturb her too much.


    Nn, let''s sleep a little more.


    Rinne


    Haven''t been feeling well for the past two weeks. Just the right season where everyone gets ill, so maybe it was to be expected. It''s even worse when you live alone.


    Thank you for reading! Until next week!


    Take care of yourselves!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Morning After the Storm

    "Wake up, you brats. Wake up! The day''s already half over and you''re still getting cosy here?"


    With a slam, the door opened and the warm light flooded the interior of the wagon.


    "Nnn..."


    "They''re really all sleeping. Can''t believe it."


    Steps echoed through the room.


    "Hey. You''re not asleep, aren''t you, kid?"


    "Nnn... Mm..."


    No, no, I was asleep, Fast asleep, in dreamland and everything. Quite literally enjoying heaven.


    "... Is she actually really asleep? Hey, wake up. Wake up!"


    The intruder went to the other side of the room, away from me.


    "Mm... These two are also asleep? I see..."


    After apparently having come to a conclusion, the person left the wagon.


    Safe. Time to further enjoy the soft and squishy texture of Karen''s chest.


    Ahhh... This is bliss... I could do this the whole day...


    It probably wasn''t that good of an idea to bother someone who had headaches just a little bit earlier... Alas, that wasn''t on my mind right now.


    The nap in Karen''s arms had been really comfortable. I wasn''t sleepy anymore, but the other three were asleep so... I just didn''t want to wake them up. Yes, that was it. I just wanted them to rest.


    Haa... Hopefully, nobody woke up from the ruckus Wanda made... Nn?


    The intruder, also known as Wanda, had returned. Well, probably. She didn''t say anything, she had just entered the wagon and walked towards Karen and me. Her steps stopped right next to us, yet she didn''t say anything. How odd. Just what was the mea¡ª


    "HIYAA?!"


    "WAH?!"


    Something cold was poured over my head. The sudden sensation causing me to jolt up in surprise. Karen, having been subjected to the same surprise gift, did the same.


    "Well then, now you two are awake for sure."


    "Wanda... What did you... Is that... a bucket?"


    In Wanda''s arms was a large bucket, water dripping off its sides.


    Slowly, the realization hit me... She had poured cold water over us...


    That''s an absolutely horrible way to wake someone up!


    "It''s already past noon and you all are still sleeping. Just because it''s break day doesn''t mean you can sleep all day."


    "That doesn''t mean you have to pour water over us..."


    "And you two could''ve just responded. Considering both of you were awake."


    ... Both?


    Karen had been awake too? Ohh... Well, guess I hadn''t been the only one enjoying a good time.


    "Anyway, here you go, kid."


    "Nn?"


    With an unpleasant expression, she pushed something into my hands. An envelope. This was the second time I had gotten a letter...


    "Nn, Wanda. Who wrote this letter?"


    "You can guess three times. You just might get it right."


    "Yumias."


    "Correct."


    Great...


    Karen peeked at the envelope in my hands... There were still water drops running down her cheeks and her hair. It looked a little alluring.


    "Why did she write a letter to Yumi? Can''t she just say it to her?"


    "Nn... Actually, I spoke yesterday with her so..."


    "Oh, you did? Did she say anything?"


    "We talked a bit but... Uhm... Wanda, did something happen?"


    Wanda''s eyes had narrowed when I mentioned my talk with that girl. She had done something again, hadn''t she...


    "She disappeared."


    "... Nn, that''s about what I expected. She did say she had to leave..."


    "Together with Korwen''s booze."


    "... Nn? The Captain''s... booze?"


    "His personal collection. She even left a note. Together with that letter."


    She... kidnapped his booze...


    "By the way, Korwen was bawling like a child when he saw his booze missing. He was close to just ripping that letter open himself."


    "... Do I have to open this now?"


    Something told me that I would regret doing that...


    "Unless you want Korwen to storm in and do it himself, yes."


    "..."


    Wanda told me that I would regret even more leaving it unopened...


    I stole another glance at the envelope in my hands. It was just... plain white. No decorations, no nothing. Only a ''To: Yumi'' written on it.


    A little reluctant, I opened the envelope under Wanda''s watchful eye. A neatly written letter revealed itself.


    "..."


    "... So, what does it say, kid?"


    "Nn, not really anything important... here."


    She took the letter from my hands and read through it. Then she threw a side glance to the two girls who miraculously were still sleeping. Although, by now I had the suspicion they just did the same thing we had. Pretending to sleep.


    "Can I take this to Korwen?"


    "Nn, feel free to."


    "Thanks."


    She turned around on her heels and left.


    "... Back to sleep."


    "Yumi, no. Get up."


    "Mrgm..."


    "Come... We should change our clothes... or maybe take a bath while we''re at it?"


    "A bath, huh. Did they set up the bathing tent already?"


    It hadn''t been up two days ago at least.


    "No idea. If they haven''t yet, we could borrow a wooden tub and at least wash our hair."


    "Mh..."


    True. The wet clothes were rather unpleasant and cold... At least they hadn''t turned see-through or anything. The fabric was way too thick for that.


    "By the way, Sis. How are your headaches?"


    "Pretty much gone now. I still feel a little dizzy, though."


    "Nn, that''s good to hear."


    She recovered quite fast from that hangover. Made me a little bit jealous, to be honest.


    Karen threw the blanket to the side, stretched her arms and stood up.


    "So, Yumi, what did the letter say?"


    She walked to a small wooden box where we stored the few spare clothes we had. After retrieving some for herself and some for me, she turned around, a questioning gaze directed at me.


    "Nn, not really anything. Only that she would leave and that I should tell Lily..."


    "... How irresponsible. And did she have to write a letter just for that?"


    "I don''t know..."


    It surely wouldn''t warrant a letter usually... Especially considering I had talked with her just yesterday evening.


    "Whatever, I don''t understand what she is thinking anyway..."


    I stood up as well and pushed the wet strands out of my face. Seriously, who would think of using cold water to wake someone up.


    "Should we wake up Lily and Rina?" I wondered out loud.


    "They''ll be fine, they can take care of themselves."


    "Nn, okay."


    Karen took my hand into hers, smiling a little.


    "Let''s go."


    "Nn."


    To our luck, the bathing tent had already been set up. We took a long and warm bath, scrubbing ourselves until we were clean.


    The only downside was, we weren''t alone. In fact, it had been quite crowded. I kind of missed having a small, private bath for yourself. But, I could be glad that there was a bath at all.


    "Ahh... That was good... I feel refreshed."


    "Nn. Same."


    We were now on our way to get something to eat.


    The bonfire had finally burnt out and most of the mercenaries that fell victim to the alcohol had woken up and left too. Probably to treat their hangovers...


    "They didn''t clean up at all, though..."


    "Nn, the Captain said not to mind it but... It looks bad."


    Remains of food, plates, mugs. Spilt drinks and... questionable remains where I sure as hell didn''t want to know the origin of.


    Sure looked like a tornado went through this place.


    "I can''t imagine it being good to just let all this sit until tomorrow..."


    "Nn, but as long as we don''t have to clean it up..."


    "Don''t say that or we''ll really have to."


    That''d be... tragic.


    "Nn, the breakfast was... at the family''s tents, right?"


    "Yumi, I very much doubt it is breakfast time."


    "Lunch?"


    "More likely."


    As long as it was something to eat, it could be breakfast or lunch or whatever.


    "Still, just what the heck happened? I don''t remember much from after we drunk that... stuff."


    "Nn... They celebrated quite... hard. Merim was dancing on a table and the Captain and the other mercenaries cheered for him."


    "... Why was he dancing?"


    "I don''t know."


    Like hell, I could understand the thought process of a drunk...


    At the very least, they were quite uninhibited with their... fun. Then again, being able to cut loose once in a while was kind of necessary too.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Just to make sure... I didn''t do weird stuff, right?"


    "... You were cute."


    She had been cute. I kind of wished she''d be a little more... uninhibited as well. Not as much as yesterday, of course. Being sexually assaulted in public was surely the last thing I wanted to experience.


    "Cute, you say. Yumi, what did I do?"


    "Nn..."


    I stopped in my tracks and looked at Karen. She stopped as well, looking a little confused.


    Karen had been acting quite spoiled yesterday. Maybe she had been trying too hard, to act like a big sister, or maybe that''s just what she wanted in the first place. Maybe it had been something completely different and I just interpreted something into it, when it had been just drunk ramblings.


    Either way, I did notice one thing. That I actually quite liked that spoiled side of Karen.


    "Squat down a little."


    "Eh? Uhm, like this?"


    "Nn. A little more."


    "This alright?"


    "Nn."


    She was now squatting down, eyesight level with my chest. I promptly hugged her, patting her head.


    "Eh? Yumi? What are you¡ª


    "Ah, hold still. Nn, good."


    I gently pat the back of her head.


    "You were acting spoiled and I hugged you like this. It was really cute."


    "Eh? Ahh, I''m sorry!"


    "Sis. You should be sorry. If you want to be spoiled, then you should just tell me. You''re doing so much for me, for us."


    "..."


    Karen fell silent, not saying a word. A few moments later, she gently hugged my waist.


    "I''m quite needy, you know?"


    "Nn, that''s fine."


    "Really?"


    "Nn."


    She buried her face in my chest, while I continued to hug her.


    To be honest, I expected her to put up a little more resistance. Well, this was fine, though.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "... I''m feeling horny."


    "Sis. I''m sorry but it''s neither the time nor the place right now."


    Not to mention that I was hungry.


    "I see... Haa..."


    "Nn, Sis. Let''s take a look later if we can find a place for us, okay?"


    "But I am horny now, not later."


    "... I can''t help you with that right now."


    "Can''t we just... look for a place behind a wagon or so? Where nobody will look."


    A frightening suggestion had been made.


    "Sis, let''s not fall down that rabbit hole. I beg you."


    "... Okay."


    She hugged me a little tighter in response.


    I didn''t dare to think about it but... Were Karen''s interests... like that? She did try to have fun with me when drunk and this suggestion now as well...


    Maybe we should have a proper talk sometime about it. It was better to clear up things like that. For all I knew, it could be just my misunderstanding.


    After a few minutes, Karen had apparently enough and let me go. She smiled, from one ear to another.


    "Ahh, I am full of energy again!"


    "Nn, that''s good."


    I took Karen''s hand in mine, responding with a smile of my own.


    "Let''s get something to eat, shall we?"


    "Yes, let''s go, Yumi."


    Hand in hand, we continued our walk. I hadn''t really thought about it in the heat of the moment, but a few people watched our little flirting act... How embarrassing.


    "I wonder what we''ll have for lunch."


    "Probably some leftovers from yesterday? There''s also all that fish. I didn''t see it yesterday so..."


    Shouldn''t fresh fish be eaten rather quickly? Hopefully, it''d be fine...


    "Didn''t they want to serve it for the celebration as well? I don''t remember seeing it either, though."


    "Nn... Maybe they had a change of heart?"


    It was a lot of food, after all. Like, a whole lot.


    Well,  we''d find out soon anyway.


    "I think it''s... over there?"


    "Looks like it."


    A group of women were distributing food. A large pot, probably with a soup or stew or something...


    Actually, so far it had been stew or soup nearly every time, hadn''t it? Outside of the times where we had a barbecue over a fire.


    "Oh, Yumi, Karen!"


    "Helma, good morning."


    "Good morning."


    "Good morning? You aren''t going to tell me that you just woke up, are you?"


    ""...""


    A judging gaze was directed at us.


    "To think the mercenaries rubbed off on you two that quickly. I''m astonished. Haa... I guess you''re here for... lunch?"


    "Nn. And lunch is..."


    "Fish stew."


    "... Fish stew?"


    I peered into the large pot that was behind Helma. Sure enough, it was a white stew with pieces of fish meat.


    "It''s a little bit of an experiment, but the reception has been well."


    "An experiment?"


    "Right, right! You know, the group tasked with groceries brought back waroxen milk. They were also told this stew recipe that uses that milk, so we figured we could try it."


    "Ohh..."


    Helma filled two plates for us with the stew. It smelled good. Really good.


    We took each a spoon and cautiously ate a bite.


    "Ohh, this is good."


    "Nn. Delicious."


    "Hehe, that makes us glad. Was quite hard to get it right."


    Helma was clearly very proud of this creation. The stew had a very strong taste, most likely due to the milk, but it still went well with the fish.


    "Now, don''t stand in the way and take a seat. The table''s over there."


    She shooed us away so that the next ones could get their lunch. Or breakfast. Probably breakfast.


    We sat down on the table, eating our lunch. From our spot, we could watch Helma and the other women handing out the food or asking for opinions on the stew.


    "They even work hard on a break day, don''t they.?"


    "Nn, well, someone has to work, after all. Or we wouldn''t have food."


    Even in my old world, not everyone had free on holidays. There were always people that had to work to make sure that things continued to work. Though they usually had free on other days in return. Or got paid more. Usually...


    "Oh, look, Yumi, Mr Captain is over there."


    "Nn?"


    Karen pointed into the distance.


    "Oh, he really is."


    He walked over towards Helma and the other women. Most likely to get lunch as well. He was followed by his wife and... another woman, who was more like running after him.


    "Korwen! Listen, you can''t just leave and not do anything! It''s your job to do something!"


    The woman shouted, being gloriously ignored by Korwen.


    "Nn, that woman looks familiar..."


    "Isn''t that one of the family''s women that were making trouble?"


    "Was she?"


    Maybe fed up with being ignored by Korwen, the woman grabbed his shoulders trying to jerk him around a hundred-eighty degree. Now, an untrained woman was rather unlikely to make this giant of a mercenary more than budge even a tiny a bit. Still, her intention got through and Korwen stopped, turning around by himself.


    "I am fairly sure I said it already. First, today is a break day. Second, this is not my job. And last, my order will not change. I have told you all time and time again, that the children need to work. Either, they could become apprentices among our own craftsmen or they could train to become mercenaries."


    Korwen stepped up to the woman. He was already towering over most men, having him come that close and glaring down sure made an impact. The woman stiffened up, clearly frightened. Surprisingly, she took hold of herself quite quickly though.


    "Tha, That''s why I told you, Korwen! Those horrible craftsmen aren''t taking my son or any of his friends as their apprentices! You have to tell them off!"


    "It''s their own decision who they take as an apprentice and who not. If they deemed them unsuitable for the work, then they can reject your son and his friends all they want. I don''t care."


    "You, you can''t do that! Are you going to force them to, to slaughter others for money?!"


    Ouch... Did she really just say that?


    "I am forcing them to nothing. If they don''t want to work, then that''s their own decision. Just know that we will not continue feeding them. If they don''t have work until we leave the capital, then we will leave them behind. Simple as that."


    "You! Are you serious?! You can''t do that!"


    "I can and I will. End of the discussion."


    Korwen turned around again, only to be blocked immediately again by that woman.


    "Then, what about those children you picked up?! They are fine? Or are you into that? Into young girls doing your bidding? I should have known when you picked up those non-human children in the last years! You''re forcing them to, to, to¡ª


    She stuttered, unable to finish the sentence. Instead, she turned to Korwen''s wife.


    "Miss, are you fine with a husband that takes advantage of young girls like that?!"


    Alas, she didn''t get a response from her, only a stoic smile. Korwen was once again the one who answered. He slightly bowed down, staring straight into the woman''s eyes.


    "Contrary to your stupid son, those kids are at least trying to work. Emily, Maya and Sele have been training for well over a year, and they are younger than your stupid son. They''re also going to learn at the Academy for the duration of our stay. As for the other girls, they already started training as well, and one of them is helping out with my work. Contrary to your son and his friends, who are only goofing around and haven''t even lifted a single finger for work."


    "My, my son is not stupid!"


    That''s what she was focussed on?!


    "He''s a great, bright child! He''ll become something way better than a lowly mercenary! I''m sure he will get a job and work you can only dream of!"


    "... I see. Since your son is that great, you''d rather stay with him then, right? Rather than a bunch of lowly mercenaries who fed your fat arse, I''m sure staying with him is better. You can do that, go ahead. I won''t stop you."


    "You, you can''t do that! My husband works for you, do you want to lose him as well?!"


    "Your husband? The one that hasn''t slept in your family''s tent in the past years? Sure. What he does is his own decision, I won''t stop him. Now, if you will excuse me. I am hungry, I want to eat lunch and I am in an exceedingly bad mood. Good day to you."


    He nodded once at the woman and walked around her, his wife following.


    "I! I! I won''t forget this, Korwen!" she shouted.


    She turned around on her step and walked away, her face beet red from anger.


    "What did we just watch, Yumi?"


    "Something where I am not sure if I should say it is amusing or that it serves her right."


    It did serve her right at least. Calling the captain of a mercenary band a ''lowly mercenary'' was a surefire way to get into trouble.


    Honestly, I was astonished how calm Korwen was during the entire thing. Well, calm might not be the correct word for it. He held himself back quite a bit, that much had been clear.


    "I knew it was bad with those families but... Aren''t the mercenaries the ones who provide for them? And then they can still talk like that?"


    Karen shook her head in disbelief.


    "Nn, well... Some people are like that..."


    Some people took their way of life as granted, unable to understand that many others worked hard to build up this life, their life. Nobody was perfect, by no means, but one would think that... insulting your husband''s boss is not a good idea.


    "She just truly believes that her child is special. That''s all."


    "Oh, Mrs Korwen, hello."


    "Hello."


    "Hello, you two. We haven''t had much of a chance to talk since you came over. I heard you''re doing quite well."


    "Ahh... Well..."


    Quite well was maybe a little too much... We tried, more or less.


    Maybe having picked up on my hesitation, Korwen''s wife chuckled.


    "Ahh, youth, youth."


    She patted my head gently.


    "Don''t let my husband bully you too much, yes? If he does anything, tell me immediately, understood?"


    "Ah, ahh... Understood."


    "Good!"


    "Hey, are you already badmouthing me again?"


    "My, only because there''s a lot I could say about you, isn''t there, dear?"


    "Ugh..."


    Korwen, carrying two plates, sat down opposite of us. He shoved a plate to his wife and begun eating his own.


    "Mh... This is good."


    "Right? Mavi and the others got the recipe from a local merchant."


    "How the heck did they get that recipe... I am fairly sure merchants are really tightlipped about those things."


    "I won''t have you underestimate us, dear. A housewife can do anything once she sets her mind on it!"


    Mrs Korwen answered with a smug smile.


    "Haa..."


    Korwen smiled wryly.


    After a few more bites of the stew, he turned to us.


    "I guess you saw that right now, didn''t you?"


    "Nn... What was up with that?"


    "That was Marga, the mother of Ludo."


    "... Ludo?"


    Who the heck was Ludo? I glanced to Karen but she just shook her head, unable to recall that name either.


    "You already forgot him? He''s that brat that keeps picking fights with the Emily, Maya and Sele."


    "Ah, the bully. I remember."


    So his name had been Ludo? That tall, idiotic child... Wait, that woman had been his mother? No wonder the brat grew up to be so... bratty. Cheeky? A pain in the ass. A real pain.


    "Haa... First I wake up to my booze missing and then this stupid woman runs after me. Today starts great."


    "Ahaha..."


    I kind of felt bad for him.


    "Uhm, Mrs Korwen, you said earlier that she truly believes that her son is so great but..." Karen asked.


    "Mh? Ahh, right. She often brags about her son. Every time he does something she makes sure that every single person gets to hear it at least three times, praising him beyond the heavens. It''s a little annoying so I wish she could just fall down a cliff or so."


    "..."


    That was a very unexpected wish. Especially since she was still smiling.


    "But in her own way, she''s got some charisma. Some of the other women, especially those that are on bad terms with their husbands, started following her. It''s become really troublesome in the past few years. Haa..."


    "I... I see..."


    "Still, that doesn''t free them from their responsibilities. I don''t care if she thinks her son is a prodigy because he can count to ten with his fingers or because his shit is a shade darker than waroxen dung. Those who don''t work, don''t eat. The end."


    "Dear, don''t use such crude language. Still, I agree. She recently keeps complaining about how the craftsmen are bullying her son and his lackeys. They even tried to go to the Black Guards craftsmen apparently, but got rejected too."


    Mrs Korwen shook her head. in exasperation.


    "Nn, that reminds me. Wormaz mentioned something about a boy and his mother coming to him."


    "Oh? That was probably them? My, do tell me, what happened?"


    Mrs Korwen inched closer to me, clearly very interested.


    "N, Nn... I think he only said that they had quite the attitude, demanding from him to take the boy as his apprentice. I don''t think there was anything else, but Wormaz was quite annoyed by it."


    "Ohh, well... That explains why nobody wants him though."


    Mrs Korwen nodded, apparently having come to an understanding.


    "I was surprised that they got rejected by everyone but if that''s how they tried to do it..."


    "Not exactly a clever attempt..."


    "Ahaha..."


    Nothing that could be done about it.


    "Haa... Anyway, what are you two girls going to do? Going out? Having some... fun?"


    Mrs Korwen smiled suggestively.


    "Ehh..."


    "We thought of going to Wanda and ask about clothes. We don''t have a lot. Then we also thought of going into the city and look for a Savonette for Yumi. Ah, but, if I recall correctly, Mr Captain wanted to talk with a magic craftsman, right? Should we wait maybe?"


    "Ohh, right. I planned to check at his shop tomorrow, you can come along if you want. He''s a pleasant fellow, but he is also quite expensive. You should be able to afford it, if you really want to, though," Korwen answered her.


    A magic craftsman, huh. It sounded like an interesting occupation.


    Meanwhile, Mrs Korwen was hung up on a different thing.


    "Clothes... Clothes... Hohoho..."


    "Nn?"


    "Do you mind if I come along to Wanda? I also still have a few old clothes from our daughter, if you don''t mind hand-me-downs."


    "I don''t mind..."


    "Nn, neither do I."


    If those clothes would fit, that would be fine by me too.


    "Good, good. Oh, that sounds like some fun. Hohoho."


    She laughed to herself, looking forward to it.


    "Then, let''s hurry up and get going, go, go!"


    She urged us to hurry up, eating her own stew with quite some vigour...


    Well, more opinions on clothes were fine by me. Maybe she had some nice ideas about cute clothes...


    Nn, I hope it''ll be fun... Wait... Hand-me-downs... Daughter? Korwen has a daughter?!


    Rinne


    This time I got a little more to say.


    I know I said I''d make more chapters for Patreon in February... Then I was ill for two weeks and I''m just glad I managed to keep the regular schedule. Life really likes to mess up your plans.


    With that said, I''ll do my best to get them done this month. Surely... Hopefully...Wish me luck!


    Well then, I hope you all stay healthy!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Another dress-up

    "Mmh... Hold still."


    "Nn, I''m trying."


    "Try harder."


    "... I''ll try."


    Karen and I had been swiftly abducted into Wanda''s wagon by Mrs Korwen after our breakfast, or rather, our lunch. Wanda, of course, was rather ecstatic about the chance of making clothes for us. I figured she would get excited about me, but she was also quite fervent about making Karen''s clothes.


    "Mm... This one, I guess. Okay, next one... Could you spread your arms out to the sides?"


    "Nn, like this?"


    "Yes, perfect. Now, hold still."


    The first thing she needed was obviously our measurements. Which she took with... wooden sticks. A whole assortment of wooden sticks was spread out on the table, all of them having different lengths.


    According to Wanda, it was a waste of paper to write the measurements. Wooden sticks could be reused many times and worked well enough for her purposes.


    "Uhh..."


    "Ah, I told you, hold still, kid."


    "It''s hard keeping up my arms that long..."


    "I nearly got it."


    Why was it so hard to keep up your arms that long...


    "Mh... I think... These ones..."


    "You think? That doesn''t sound very confident."


    "Because I can''t really feel your bones all that well, kid. They should be more or less right, though. I''ll give it some extra and then we can fix it later."


    "... I see."


    Wanda walked to the table, tied a small coloured band on the sticks and put them to the side.


    "Mh, I think I got all now. Ah, you can put down your arms now."


    "Ahh... Finally."


    "You should train those weak arms a little more."


    "... I''ll give it my best."


    It wasn''t like I wanted it to be like this...


    Anyway, it seemed that Wanda was now done with my measurements. She took a whole lot of them. I didn''t even know so many were necessary.


    "Mh, kid, you... aren''t going to grow anymore, are you?"


    "... I don''t think so, why?"


    "If you were still growing I''d have to make them a little larger or you would be unable to wear them in a few months time."


    "Oh, right..."


    Children grew up fast, so it was necessary to plan ahead in that regard... Well, not that it mattered for me. Probably. I wasn''t going to grow anymore, was I?


    "Now then, I got both of your measurements. Do you have any specific wishes?"


    "Specific wishes?"


    "Yeah. Like, a shirt and trousers, a sleeveless dress or a dress with sleeves. A shirt and a skirt, thick clothing for the winter. Socks, gloves, hats. Underwear."


    "..."


    I... honestly had no idea. Searching for help, I turned to Karen, who was sitting to the side, staring holes into the air.


    "Sis?"


    "... Mh? yes?"


    "Did you hear what Wanda said?"


    "Eh? Ah, no. Sorry... I was lost in thought a little."


    Wondered what she had been thinking about.


    Wanda frowned a little and repeated her question to Karen.


    "Mh... I think for the necessities, two pairs of socks, a pair of gloves, a hat and two sets of underwear should be fine for each of us. The other clothing... I don''t know. Should we already get thick clothing for winter now? Also, I completely forgot, but I think Rina needs those things too."


    "Mh, winter clothing should be fine for the kid, but you''re younger so you might still grow a little."


    "Aren''t I a little too old to still grow? I''m fairly sure I stopped ageing and growing already."


    Karen looked down at herself, probably checking her own body.


    "... Girl, when do you think you even stopped growing?"


    "Uhm... Around last year?"


    "If you had stopped last year you''d be shorter than your own sister right now."


    "... Eh?"


    Karen threw a quick glance to me, most likely to check my height.


    "The other sister."


    "Rina?"


    "Yes. Though, around two years you were probably around the kid''s height."


    Two years ago? Wasn''t she sixteen at the time? That was... What should I say... Quite short for a sixteen-year-old. Well, seventeen and a little extra if we go by my old world''s standard.


    "You''ve been growing quite a bit over the past two years. Like really quite a lot. In my eyes, you''re far from done with growing."


    "But... Rina is already..."


    "Rina is Rina and you are you."


    "..."


    Karen stared at Wanda, her mouth slightly open. Must''ve been quite a shock, apparently.


    "Anyway, don''t think too much about it. I''ve seen people still growing after they turned twenty. Admittedly, not a lot, but enough to force me to fix their clothing. And from what I heard, demonkin grow a little slower anyway, right? Then it''s not that strange."


    "I... But..."


    "No buts. We''ll see if you stopped growing in a year or not. Until then, I''m not convinced. Clear?"


    "... Yes."


    Wanda let out a sigh, a wry smile on her face.


    "Back to the winter clothing. I can just make them slightly larger. There''s no guarantee you can get thick clothing when you actually need it, so it''s better to get it done now. Especially when you are travelling. Who knows what Korwen planned as a destination after Lafria."


    "... Understood."


    Karen''s shoulders slumped down a little.


    "Then, what other clothing do you want? You can at least choose what you want there."


    "Uhm... What kind of options were there?"


    "I can do most kinds of clothing, shirts, trousers, skirts, dresses. Just pick whatever you want. Mind you that fancy dresses are possible but they''re expensive and take a lot of time."


    "Fancy, huh... Ah!"


    A bright smile appeared on Karen''s face.


    "Would it be possible to make a pair of, uh, more formal wear. With trousers."


    "... What?"


    Wanda put a finger in her ear, checking if there was any dirt in it.


    "Could you repeat that? You want formal wear with trousers? As in, male formal wear?"


    "... Yes. For me and Yumi."


    Karen, slightly blushing, nodded to Wanda''s question. While Wanda, her eyes wide and eyebrows raised in suspicion, turned her attention to me.


    "Kid, did you girls start to get into crossdressing? Just as a little bit of advice, it''s better to stop early."


    "Ahh, no. We didn''t start with crossdressing. It''s just..."


    I stopped. How should one explain this? That I just wanted to see a handsome Karen?


    Thankfully, guessing that it was a little embarrassing to explain, Wanda turned back to Karen, shaking her head.


    "If that''s what you want, I''m not going to stop you. Just keep in mind that wearing male formal attire in an actual formal occasion would be very unbecoming and disrespectful. So, if you want that, I''m not going to back down on you two getting a proper formal dress too, are we clear on that?"


    "That''s okay with me, what about you, Yumi?"


    "Nn, I''m fine with that too."


    To be honest, I agreed on that opinion anyway. This was mostly for our own enjoyment, after all.


    "Okay, do you have any specific wishes for either formal attire? Colour, decorations and so on."


    "I haven''t really thought about that..."


    "Nn, neither did I."


    "Then, is it fine with you two if I just go with what I think is good?"


    Well, it was probably better to let an expert handle that.


    "Nn."


    "Yes, that''s okay."


    "Good. I''ll just guess but you didn''t really think about the other clothing either, did you?"


    "... Not really."


    "Figured. How about two sets of a shirt and trousers for work and everyday use. Then, a dress and a shirt and skirt for a little more fun occasions. Sound good?"


    So, two sets for work and two sets for going out and breaks? Was that really enough?


    "I guess that''s fine with me."


    "Nn... Is that enough? What about when we do laundry?"


    "If you do laundry you wash one set and wear the other. That''s why you get two sets."


    "... I see."


    So we''d be washing clothes a lot...


    "Also, this isn''t all you''ll need anyway. For practice clothes, armour and all those things, you''re better speaking with the leatherworkers, tanners or whoever is responsible for that. I can make everyday clothing but I don''t know much about that kind of clothing. Never worked much with leather."


    Right, we needed those too. And I''d probably need to get proper armour for myself either. I kind of liked the hand-me-down from Lily but... It was probably better to return that one. In my opinion, at least.


    "Then, let me get you an estimate..."


    Wanda walked to the back of the wagon and brought over a small tool, reminiscent of an abacus.


    "Mh... For now, I''ll estimate it at around fifteen gold, total."


    "... Excuse me? Could you say that again, Wanda?"


    Now it was Karen''s turn to ask for confirmation. I was honestly shocked too at that price. Wasn''t that around the price of two cannons from the fort?


    "Uhm, Wanda, I think that might be a little impossible for us..."


    "Well, of course, it is. I''m not doing this to bully you two girls, but formal wear is expensive. You need good, expensive cloth, you need a lot of time and it takes a lot of skill to make."


    "... How much would it be without those formal clothes?"


    "Less than one gold coin, total."


    Apparently, our dress-up fun would have to get delayed a little...


    "The price changes of course if you can get me some good cloth, you know?"


    "But where would we even get such good cloth for cheap?"


    "... Weren''t you going to meet a craftsman here exactly for that?"


    Wanda smiled mischievously.


    "Ah, Yumi''s hair!"


    "Right. If you actually manage to turn that into thread, it might be good enough for formal wear. Magical threads are very expensive, after all. Although, I can''t guarantee it without seeing it myself."


    "I see... If that... would work out... Then..."


    "Then your total cost would be at around five gold coins."


    "..."


    That was still hella expensive!


    "Even if I have the cloth, it still takes a lot of work and other materials. That''s only appropriate."


    "I see..."


    "In exchange, girl, I''ll do all I can to make the kid look as cute as possible. How about it? I''ll even let you pay in rates."


    "Ngh..."


    Karen was looking really conflicted. Probably her desire clashing with her rather stingy nature...


    "Nn, we''ll do it."


    "Yumi?!"


    "Isn''t it fine? Wanda said it earlier, didn''t she? We don''t know when we will actually need it, and by the time we do, it might be too late already. We just need to work hard and pay it off, don''t we?"


    "... I guess so."


    Still, Wanda clearly knew how to make money... Forcing us to buy two types of formal attire... And I bet she really only deducted the cost of the cloth. If our meeting with the magic craftsman was going to work out, then not only did she save with the material costs for the cloth but also saved the time to find good cloth too.


    "Then, that''s decided. Do you have any other wishes or things you need?"


    "I don''t think so... If we do, we''ll come to you."


    Wanda nodded, seemingly satisfied with the result.


    "Then, let''s wait for Mrs Captain to come back and see what kind of clothes she brings."


    In other words, we were done for now.


    Since there was some time now, it was a perfect time to ask something I had been wondering for a while about already.


    "Nn, I''ve been wondering, Wanda, but how did you and Sis even meet?"


    "Our meeting?"


    "Ugh, Yumi, don''t!"


    ''Ugh''? That wasn''t... Quite the reaction I expected from Karen.


    "Hehe, our meeting, huh. You''re interested?"


    "Nn."


    "Wanda, please don''t."


    "Now, now, girl. She won''t look down on you because of that, will she?"


    "That''s..."


    Not a meeting that Karen was all too proud of, huh.


    "Well, long story short, your precious sister there tried to steal my purse."


    "Uhhh..."


    Well, no wonder Karen didn''t want me to know. Although, that made me only all the more curious. Just how did that turn around to their rather friendly relationship now?


    "Gave the girl a good scolding."


    "Scolding... More like, you beat me up."


    "Of course I''d beat up a runt trying to steal my purse. What do you expect?"


    "A little mercy on an eleven-year-old..."


    "Eleven? You''ve known each other that long?"


    That meant they knew each over to close to seven years already.


    "Yes. Although I was sure at the time that she was at most seven. She was quite a little midget. Well, she still is a midget."


    She beat up a girl she thought was only seven? That was... Well, it was probably necessary, or they''d just try it again. Still, that certainly was a little...


    Also, Wanda was quite tall for a woman so I bet most of us were midgets in her eyes... She was nearly a head taller than Karen, after all. And nearly two heads taller than me


    "After that... Well, I did feel a little sorry for her so I gave her some bread. Thinking back on it, she must''ve been really starved, she literally jumped at it, despite having just  gotten a good beating."


    Wanda let out a small chuckle.


    "I left her the remaining bread I had on hand and went my way, thinking I probably wouldn''t see her again. Next day, she lurked near my house... Seriously, children get attached so quickly if you show them a little kindness. They''re like pets."


    "... I hope you didn''t think of me as a pet."


    "Maybe? You certainly were a cute little runt. When you weren''t caked in mud, that is. She did that since back then already... Anyway, she frequently showed up near my place and I sometimes gave her some food. She didn''t try to snatch my purse again afterwards, either."


    "I just didn''t want to lose my precious food source... And I didn''t want to get another beating."


    Karen averted her gaze with an expression full of defiance, yet her cheeks red as well.


    "With time, we simply got to know each other a little more. I guess that''s about it."


    "I see..."


    So, that''s how they met, huh.


    "Now then, since I told you something, how about you tell me a little about yourself, kid?"


    "Eh?"


    "It''s only fair, right?"


    Wanda leaned forward, mischievously smiling.


    "Where do you come from, how have you lived, those things. I won''t let you back out of that now."


    "Ahaha... Have mercy..."


    She showed mercy. I told her vaguely about the things I could remember, but she didn''t poke deeper, maybe out of consideration, knowing that I couldn''t quite remember everything.


    By the time I had finished, Mrs Korwen had returned, carrying a large basket.


    "These are... all clothes?"


    "Yes. It took me a little to find some, and once I did, a few others said they had some old clothes of their children too. So it took some time."


    Quite a large amount of clothes was gathered on the basket, mostly shirts and trousers and a few dresses. And most of them in a grey-white or a beige colour. Only very few of them were in a different colour.


    "Ohh, some of these use quite expensive types of cloth. Isn''t this one from Aldreigh? I heard they use magic to weave it. And this one is from the southern regions, isn''t it?"


    "Hohoho, we did travel quite a lot, Ms Wanda. If you were to buy it here, some of these would cost three times or four times as much. Some even more."


    "I see... You have less of a reliance on merchants. Are you sure though that I can use these?"


    "It''s fine. It''s not going to get better in the corner of the storage. And the ones who want to keep them as memories didn''t put them in here anyway."


    Mrs Korwen took out one piece of clothing after another, sorting them into piles of dresses, shirts, trousers and so on.


    "Many of these are still good and can be worn as they are. At most a little fixing here and there."


    "If you have someone who can wear them, then that''s fine too. Just use whatever you can."


    "Mm, most of these are in a size for children. Are there no kids around that could still wear these?"


    "We used to have more children around so... These are kind of left over."


    She gave a troubled smile, stoically continuing to sort the clothes.


    "I see. Then I''ll gratefully make use of them. If there is any need for clothes, please don''t hesitate."


    "Hoho, I will do that. But for now..."


    Mrs Korwen turned around facing me.


    "Could you come here, dear?"


    "Haa..."


    I walked over to her just as she asked. There was this subtle feeling telling me where this was going...


    "Mh, let''s see. You''re... about as tall as Maya and the girls, aren''t you?"


    "Nn, that''s about right."


    There were a few differences, of course, but mostly we were about the same height.


    "I see. Then most of these clothes wouldn''t fit you, how unfortunate."


    "Haa..."


    Suddenly, she took one of the dresses, a light blue dress with long sleeves, and held it in front of me. Most likely so she could figure out if it would fit me.


    "Mh... As expected. This is about the largest one but it''d be a tight fit, I think. What do you say, Wanda?"


    "It seems to be barely fine around the shoulders but..."


    Wanda scrutinised the dress with a serious expression.


    "That won''t work probably.."


    "It won''t, huh..."


    They both smiled wryly. Curious, I followed their gaze but I couldn''t see what the issue was.


    "Uhm, what is the problem?"


    "It doesn''t suit you, kid."


    "... Ha?"


    "It doesn''t, right... How unfortunate."


    "..."


    In other words, it was actually fine but it just didn''t suit me? Really?


    I turned to Karen, hoping she would have something to say but... She was just nodding to herself, apparently agreeing.


    "Darker colours suit you better, in my opinion. The light blue colour clashes with your pink hair," Wanda explained.


    "I... see..."


    Was that the case? I didn''t know much about fashion and things like that so... But all three of them seemed to agree on it...


    "Anyway, seems nothing out of these will fit you... I''ll make you something from scratch that will fit you. Size-wise and appearance-wise. Look forward to it."


    "Nn, I will."


    Though I was still a little unsure, all I could do was to entrust it to her. Better let the professional sort out these things.


    "Ah, what should we do about paying, Wanda?" Karen asked.


    "I''ll get the money for the clothes except for the formal ones from Korwen later. As for the formal clothes, we''ll talk about that later."


    "Okay."


    Byebye our salary for the near future... Could really only hope that it''d work out tomorrow with that magic craftsman. Otherwise... How long would it take for Karen and me to pay that off?


    Too long... Even if we could get our hands on some cloth, it''d still take nearly three months. Was that really okay? Well, Korwen would put a stop to it probably if it wasn''t.


    "Then, if there''s nothing else..."


    "I got all I need. I''ll call for you if there''s anything."


    "Okay, thank you, Wanda. Yumi, let''s go."


    "Nn, bye, Wanda, Mrs Korwen."


    We bid the two women goodbye and left the wagon.


    "Now we got clothes out of the way too."


    "Nn. Albeit it turned out to be expensive."


    "... It did, didn''t it? Maybe we can aks Lily to lend us some money... Haa... And we should send Rina over to Wanda as well. She needs some clothes too."


    "Nn."


    Speaking of which, where did the clothes come from that Rina was wearing currently?


    "Mh, should we go to the city now?"


    "Nn, do we still have enough time?"


    It''d be a bit of an issue if the gate closed while we were inside...


    "We should have enough time. It''s still a few hours until the close the gates."


    "Nn, in that case, let''s go. Ah, but should we maybe tell the Captain that we''re going?"


    "Mh... I''m actually not sure... I guess maybe we should, just to make sure?"


    It might be a break day but just in case something was happening, it might be better for Korwen to know.


    Thankfully, it didn''t take all too long to find Korwen. He was still sitting at the table from earlier, talking with a few other mercenaries.


    "Captain."


    "Mh? You two, do you need anything?"


    "No, we just wanted to say that we were going to the city now. We weren''t quite sure if we should tell you that or not..."


    "Into the city? Mm, it''s better I know about it than not, so I''ll appreciate that. Did you hear that, you guys? You should tell me such things too. Then I can immediately send others out to collect you idiots."


    "Gahaha, sorry, Captain, no can do!"


    "Yeah, yeah, who''d want those guys to come for you! Give us some privacy!"


    The other mercenaries broke out in laughter at Korwen''s comment. Korwen sighed, shaking his head.


    "These idiots never learn. Seriously... Ah, Yumi, Karen, if you are going into the city, could you do me a favour?"


    "Nn?"


    "A favour?"


    Korwen turned around to his bag and pulled out a small envelope.


    "Could you go to the Academy and bring this to Fenna?"


    "A letter?"


    "Yeah. Could you do that?"


    "Nn, I think we can. Sis?"


    "Personally, I don''t really want to go there again... But I guess we could."


    Karen frowned a little. Right, she had been there with Lily before... Apparently didn''t leave the best of impressions, huh...


    "Thank you. Just give it to Fenna and that''s it. She''ll know what to do with it."


    "Nn, will do."


    I took the letter from Korwen and handed it to Karen, who promptly put it into her pouch.


    "Have fun in the city, and don''t forget to come back before the gate closes. You''re going to get hell if you aren''t here tomorrow morning."


    "We''ll keep that in mind..."


    With those words, we left Korwen and the other mercenaries, who also wished us a good time. We could hear their laughter for quite a while...


    "So, Sis... What are we even going to do in the city now, outside of bringing that letter to Fenna?"


    "There are still some daily necessities I want to get. We''re currently borrowing some things from Lily and the mercenaries. For example, the hair brush. Otherwise, since it''s our day off, we can also just enjoy strolling through the town. You said there was something like a park, right?"


    "Ahh, right."


    The park where I had found Maya, Emily and Sele when Maya had run away... There was also that graveyard and the monument for the Triside War in there.


    "So, let''s just take it slow there, okay?"


    "Nn, that''s fine with me."


    Karen held out her hand, which I promptly took. Hand in hand, we made our way to the city.


    The camp slowly growing smaller in the distance and the gate accordingly bigger. Many people passed us, some in carriages, some on foot. Most of them were walking away from the city.


    "I guess, many are scared of war, huh..."


    "Nn... It''s not like I can''t understand that, though."


    War was scary after all. And form what I heard about the Triside War, they couldn''t be entirely sure they were safe behind the Hollow either... Who knew if the Akkian Empire could cross it. Or they just might try to walk around... Either way, it wasn''t a great prospect.


    "It''s understandable, yes. I really hope, though, that it won''t turn out that bad..."


    "Nn..."


    I hoped for that too but... It might also be just an overly optimistic hope... After all, they already showed that they were willing to go to quite a few lengths, just to get the fort. In a sense, it had been pure luck that it hadn''t worked out for them. Pure luck...


    We continued to walk along the path until we reached the gate. Even here, there were many people attempting to leave, rather than trying to enter.


    While we waited for our turn at the gate, we watched the people trying to leave. Many of them were merchants, but some seemed to be relatively normal people, families and the like.


    "But, it''s really many people who leave..."


    "Nn, I wonder where they are even going to flee to?"


    "Good question..."


    Were they just going to live in the outskirts of Lafria? Were they going to a completely different country? Or were they just going without any particular destination in mind?


    Neither of us did know...


    But before we could keep wondering, it was now our turn to enter the city. We talked with the guard for a short moment, confirming that we weren''t suspicious, and he let us through.


    "It''s still red."


    "It is red..."


    And so, it was time to enjoy our day off in this overly red-coloured city. Getting things we need and a little bit time for ourselves.


    Thinking about it like this, isn''t this a little like... a date?


    A date.


    I liked the sound of that. Yes, it was now time for my date with Karen.


    Rinne


    Hope you all stay safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Academy Sightseeing

    "Should we head to the Academy first or should we buy groceries first?"


    "Nn, I don''t know where the Academy is... Whichever is closer, I guess?"


    Karen and I walked rather leisurely along the main street of the capital, holding hands. The city was quite lively, although it was arguable whether it was a good kind of lively.


    "I know where the Academy is but... I wonder where we can get other things..."


    "Should we ask someone?"


    "That might be a good idea."


    But who to ask?


    The people passing us were, for the most part, in quite a hurry. Some clearly equipped for travel, probably to leave. Although there were quite a few of them, the actual majority was busy with other things... With work. Like the group of men carrying crates or the small carriage loaded with goods passing us.


    I turned to Karen, wanting to ask her but...


    "Excuse me, would you have a moment?"


    She had already asked a middle-aged woman passing us, a basket in her arms filled with fruits.


    "What? Do you need something?"


    "We''d like to know if there is a place where we can buy groceries and everyday necessities."


    "... Girl, you from outside, huh?"


    The woman furrowed her brows... and sighed.


    "Something like that doesn''t exist. If you need something, you go to someone who can make it for you. The closest we got would be the market, but that one''s clearly closed already."


    "Eh? Uhm, there are no shops or the like, where you can buy things?"


    "None. Such a thing doesn''t exist. Anyway, I''m busy so if that''s all. Bye."


    The woman didn''t wait for an answer and just left.


    "... It doesn''t exist?"


    "Nn, seems so."


    Well, that was kind of understandable... I doubted most craftsmen could make things in advance and just sell them afterwards. They might sit on the leftovers for who knew how long, they''d waste space, materials and most importantly, time. Time that was better spent on work they knew would sell...


    "But... Does everyone go to a craftsman and orders things from them? Isn''t that... bothersome?"


    "Nn, well, I guess? But, Sis... Why are you the one who is confused about this?"


    It was one thing if it had been me, but Karen? She should know how these things work, shouldn''t she?


    "Uhh, well... Back in Aldreigh, we had shops like those... Small stores with all kinds of things you might need..."


    "... And when you were in Arkesta?"


    "... Do you think I could get any daily necessities in the slums even if I wanted to?"


    "Guess that''s true..."


    So, shops like that actually existed in Aldreigh? Curious.


    "Nn, anyway, I guess the plan to buy groceries... Uhm... Is done with?"


    "..."


    "Nn, just out of curiosity, but what kind of things were you hoping to get anyway?"


    I still had no idea what Karen even wanted to buy, after all.


    "All kinds of things. Many of us have quite long hair so I wanted to get a good brush for example. Also maybe a small waist pouch. I was also interested in that bathing soap from before. And I wanted a basket for our laundry."


    "Nn... Couldn''t we have just asked Wanda for the pouch? Or we could ask Konno."


    "I guess we could."


    "And for the basket... Couldn''t we try making one ourselves?"


    I had some vague memory of doing that before... Fairly sure they weren''t too hard to make, as long as you weren''t looking for the perfect basket.


    "Do you know how to?"


    "Nn, I think I do... I''m not sure, though. We could aks Lily if she knows, or someone else."


    There was bound to be someone who knew how to make a basket.


    "Then, that leaves the soap and the brush..."


    "There are more things I wanted to look for, you know. Those were only a few examples."


    "Ahh... Let''s think later about how to deal with them, then. I''m sure there are people among the mercenaries that can help us out."


    After all, they had those necessities themselves. Actually, quite a few things were lent to us, and those things had to come from somewhere.


    "Although I am not sure if we can find a solution for the soap."


    Soap was... How did one make soap again? I knew it was a rather simple process actually but... Yeah, it was simple once you knew how to make it. And I couldn''t remember it...


    So, the only solution was probably to find someone else who either knew how to make it or knew someone who sold it...


    "Nn, wait a moment. Sis."


    "Yumi?"


    "... Wouldn''t someone at the Academy know how to make soap?"


    "Would they?"


    Karen tilted her head.


    Making soap was... In my old world, I recalled making soap in chemistry class back in school. It was a vague memory, and I only remembered being impressed by the whole thing... Stupid brain, why did you not remember the actual process?


    Either way, I couldn''t help that right now. But it had something to do with chemistry, in other words, with science. Wasn''t the Academy a good place to start then?


    "Let''s try and ask them."


    "Mh, then... We''ll go to the Academy first, huh..."


    "Rather than first, it''s our only option now. Once we''re done, we can take a walk through the city, okay?"


    Just aimlessly walking around and sightseeing was nice in itself too, after all.


    "Let''s do that. Then, I''ll show you where the Academy is."


    "Nn!"


    A wall.


    A long, high wall. And red. With a metal fence on top of it. The wall went on for dozens of houses.


    On the other side of the wall, you could spy the roof of a large building. A really large building. Probably, I couldn''t actually see it yet. Only the roof.


    "How long does this go on, Sis?"


    "We''re soon at the gate. It''s over there."


    Karen pointed forwards, into the distance, where the wall was interrupted by two large pillars.


    A few minutes later, we stood at the gate, peeking into the area right behind it.


    "That''s... the Academy?"


    "It is... Be careful, when I was here with Lily, it took us quite long... I can only thank Lily that we didn''t get lost here."


    A truly humongous complex was in front of us. It wasn''t just a single building, but probably a dozen or more, each of them being at least half a dozen floors high. We actually couldn''t see all of them, too many buildings blocked the view.


    When I heard ''academy'' I had kind of imagined it to be a single large building, but this was closer to a rather large university campus.


    "How are we supposed to find Fenna here?"


    "That''s... actually a good question."


    There was no way in hell we could casually walk around and hope to meet her by coincidence.


    "We should ask someone. Mercenaries and guards are rather conspicuous. Maybe someone saw them."


    "Nn."


    We passed through the gate and entered the academy grounds. Contrary to the streets outside, not even remotely as many people were walking around at this place. Actually, we barely met anyone.


    A few students and some adults that were likely researchers or teachers or something similar. But none of them could help us. Except one.


    "Excuse me, the two girls over there!"


    "Nn?"


    Someone called out from behind us. A boy, probably a little younger than Rina. He was carrying a box with books in his arms.


    "Ah, it''s really you!"


    The boy smiled, apparently recognising me. That was nice and all but... I didn''t recognise him. That was awkward. Did I meet this boy before? But where? Should I ask him? That was a little awkward now... Better get it over with.


    "Nn? Do I... know you?"


    "Oh, I never introduced myself, did I? I''m Eward. We met at the Hollow Fort. Do you remember? You were lost and Lefa went with you."


    "... Ah. The two boys that were with Lefa."


    I remembered. When I had met Lefa, there had been two other boys, students like her. There was one that had been rather energetic and one who was absorbed in his books. And the latter was standing in front of us right now. A lot happened so they completely slipped my mind.


    "That''s right. The other one is Alf."


    He nodded, smiling.


    "So, what are you doing here? Ah, are you maybe going to be a new student? Lefa is going to be happy. She''s always alone since there are barely any female students here. It''d be nice if she has someone to talk with. Oh, but if you''re a new student, did you take the exam? That''s quite something at your age!"


    This was the boy absorbed in his books, right? I didn''t mistake him for the other one now, right? Right? I thought he was the quiet type for sure but... Guess first impressions can be quite wrong at times...


    "I''m not a new student. We''re looking for someone."


    "Oh... You aren''t? That''s unfortunate, really. Lefa was talking a lot about you. I was sure she''d be happy."


    His shoulders slumped in disappointment.


    "Ah, but if you can, go meet Lefa, okay? She''ll be really happy, I bet."


    "... I''ll try."


    "That''s good!"


    He smiled again. What an odd boy.


    "So, who are you looking for? Ah, if you''re looking for Lefa, I can guide you to her!"


    "... No, we''re not looking for her."


    "... Oh."


    And his shoulders slumped in disappointment again. What was up with this boy? He mentioned Lefa at every chance he could... Wait. Was it like that? How cute.


    "We''re looking for a group of mercenaries that are acting as guards."


    "As guards? How rare. Do you know who they are guarding?"


    "Nn... It should be Nela and Elma."


    "Oh, those two."


    Eward''s expression distorted a little.


    "So it''s come to the point where they need guards... I''ll guide you to where the two are. They share most of their classes with Lefa and the other female students."


    "That''d be much appreciated, thank you."


    "Thank you."


    We thanked him and he took the lead, guiding us through the corridors.


    "Has there been trouble with those two girls?" Karen asked him after we walked for a short while.


    "You don''t know? Well, I guess you wouldn''t... Do you know that those two are... Well..."


    "Together?"


    "So you know. There had always been some rumours about the two... And I heard that Nela is being bullied by the other female students because of that."


    She was being bullied?


    "Bullied? But why?"


    "... They apparently say that she is disgusting for liking other girls and that she should stay away, among other things. But I only heard that from Lefa, so I''m not sure if it''s true or not. Is that not why they hired guards?"


    "... We don''t know, we''re only here to deliver something," Karen answered him.


    "I see."


    We actually did know. It wasn''t because of bullying but... Maybe we should inform Fenna about it anyway? Or, maybe this was also Mrs Karker''s intention?


    "Is it only the female students that are bullying her? And only Nela?"


    "... So far, yes. Although, with what happened at the festival, some of the boys have gotten quite... I just hope they don''t do anything stupid."


    Eward sighed.


    "For Elma, nobody dares to hurt the daughter of the Karker family. I doubt she even knows about the bullying in the first place. She..."


    He stopped.


    "She''s got her head up in the clouds."


    He sighed again and continued to walk.


    A short while later, he pointed into the distance at a large double door.


    "We''re nearly there now. Over there is the classroom."


    "That was surprisingly close..."


    "Well, this is the classroom building, after all. Most of us students aren''t allowed in the other buildings."


    He walked up to the door and opened it, not hesitating in the least.


    A large room was revealed, several rows of tables and a male teacher at the front.


    "¡ªmeans that every element requires one additional resource. If you fail to provide this, the spell will not activate and the tool will malfunction."


    The teacher didn''t seem disturbed in the least that the door was opened and just continued his lecture. None of the students seemed to care either.


    "Ah, Fenna. There she is."


    "Oh, you''re right."


    Fenna stood at the back, vigilantly watching the classroom. She turned her head to us when we opened the door, a slightly surprised expression on her face.


    "So you found who you are looking for? Then, I''ll take my leave. Ah, and don''t talk too loudly in here or the teacher will get mad. As long as you aren''t disturbing too much, he shouldn''t mind, though."


    "Thank you, Eward. And sorry that we kept you away from your work," Karen said.


    "No, no. Don''t mind it. My professor won''t touch these within the next three days anyway, so it''s fine."


    "... Is, is that so."


    "Then, good luck."


    He said his goodbye and left.


    Once the door closed behind him, we scurried over to Fenna.


    "Karen, Yumi, what are you two doing here?"


    "We brought something for you. From the Captain."


    Karen took out the envelope and handed it over to Fenna.


    "A letter? Oh, I see, that''s probably for Lady Karker. Sorry for the trouble and thanks."


    "No problem."


    Fenna stowed away the letter and turned back to the front, watching the classroom.


    Following her gaze, I looked at the students, sitting at the tables, taking notes. There were barely twenty students. Lefa was here too, sitting at the very front with a concentrated expression. Elma and Nela were sitting pretty close to the front as well. Most of the other students sat further in the back.


    "It''s quite interesting," Fenna suddenly told us,


    "Nn? Interesting?"


    "This classroom. I''ve been watching for a few hours already and you quickly notice who wants to be here and who doesn''t. That red foxkin girl at the front, for example, she''s working really hard. On the other hand, those two girls in the back, the catkin and the human, they only paid attention to one teacher. Cause he was young and good-looking."


    Fenna pointed at the two girls, one girl with her head on the table and the other one, the catkin, was... playing? She had some weird tool in her hand and kept fiddling with it.


    "But, Lefa is working hard, huh..."


    I watched Lefa a little, who was vigorously writing her notes.


    "Oh, you know that girl?"


    "Nn, she was the fort as well. We met by coincidence."


    "She was that girl? No wonder she seemed familiar."


    Fenna nodded to herself, then fell silent again, watching the classroom. She was technically doing her job, so I probably shouldn''t disturb her. Especially since Karen and I weren''t working right now.


    Instead, I decided to listen to the class. I was a little interested in what they were learning. Just as I thought that, the teacher turned around and... The mana moved around him moved and an image was projected right next to him. An actual projection! Like, a holographic image or so? What kind of magic was that? Like, seriously, please tell me!


    "As you can see here in the diagram, The more extreme the physical change is, the more mana is required. This is true for all kinds of magic, even spirit magic. The mana input grows exponentially with the difficulty of the desired output."


    "Professor, does that include shapeshifting?"


    "Shapeshifting is just a different word for the same phenomenon, Miss Lefa. In principle, the shapeshifting of living beings and the material manipulation of inorganic matter are the same magic at its core. Therefore, the same rules apply. But that topic is not of relevance for us now. If you want to know more about shapeshifting, I recommend inquiring Professor Arta."


    The diagram that was projected into the air changed to a different one.


    "For us right now, only the physical change is of interest. Only very few magic tools deal with organic matter. Magic tools usually only handle inorganic matter. The most well-known one would be the Silver Moon Fountain. The principle behind the Silver Moon Fountain is trivial, so I won''t go into detail about it..."


    It seemed the class was about magic tools and... their uses, probably? I hadn''t really seen many magic tools and I certainly never even heard of the ''Silver Moon Fountain''. Certainly wasn''t trivial if I had never even heard of it, but maybe it was for Lefa and the other students.


    Well, maybe I''d manage to figure it out if I kept listening? Nobody seemed to mind us, so it was basically a free class for us.


    Let''s just keep listening for a little while.


    The result? Impossible. Seriously, impossible.


    Too much information where I was frankly missing the required knowledge for... Magic theories here, weird mathematical formulas there and at the worst of times both together.


    This reminds me a little of university...


    A wry, nostalgic smile formed on my face. In a way, I missed those days but also didn''t miss them. It was a conflicting feeling.


    "And that wraps up today''s class. Until next week."


    The projection in the air vanished and the teacher promptly left, not sparing another glance at the classroom. Most of the students quickly followed, leaving the room. A few threw glances at us, standing next to Fenna.


    Including a certain someone.


    "Yumi? Yumi! What are you doing here?!"


    "Nn, hello, Lefa."


    Lefa, having spotted us, rushed over with a big smile.


    "We were here for an errand."


    "Ohh! Are you done with your errand now?"


    "Nn, we are."


    "Yumi, Karen, we''ll leave now, we are still working. Tell the Captain that everything is okay," Fenna interrupted.


    "Ah, will do."


    Fenna and her group followed Elma and Nela out of the classroom.


    "Ohh, so the cool woman was from your mercenary group?"


    "... Cool woman?"


    "Yes, isn''t she cool? She is strong, right? And she is so self-confident! She didn''t even step back against those annoying boys earlier!"


    I glanced in the direction Fenna left...


    "Was there a problem earlier?" Karen asked.


    "Some boys wanted to pick a fight with Nela earlier. And that woman stood in between them, stopping them!"


    "Huh..."


    Right, we totally missed to tell Fenna about the supposed bullying but... judging from that, she probably knew by now anyway.


    "Oh, Yumi, what are you two going to do now?"


    "Nn... We haven''t really decided yet... We thought of maybe going to that park."


    "Park? The Gethmann''s Garden?"


    "If that''s what it was called... I don''t remember?"


    I had more troubling matters at the time so I didn''t try to remember the name...


    "Mh, then, if you aren''t in a hurry, want me to show you around the Academy?"


    "The Academy... Mh..."


    I glanced at Sis not sure what to do.


    "Yumi, isn''t this a good chance to maybe ask around a little. About monsters and so."


    "Oh, you''re right."


    This was indeed a good chance.


    "Lefa, are there any professors or researchers knowledgeable about monsters?"


    "About monsters? There are some, of course. Do you want to talk with one?"


    "Nn."


    "Then, I''ll lead you there!"


    "Thank you, Lefa."


    How fortunate that we met Lefa.


    "The monster section is in a different building, come."


    Lefa led us to a large building right next to the one we were currently in. I was a little worried if it was okay for us to be here, but Lefa claimed that it should be fine... Hopefully, she''d be right.


    She guided us to a pretty large room. Or, calling it a hall was maybe more appropriate.


    "Professor Marvim? Professor Marvim! Are you here?"


    Lefa shouted for the professor she was looking for. Alas, nobody responded.


    "Professor Marvim?! Professor Marvim! I know you are here!"


    Multiple small... pens with small monsters were set up in the hall. Some were even encased in something that seemed to be glass at first glance but was actually some kind of magic. Small animals like birds and critters, some humanoid ones with green or grey skin that were as large as a six or seven-year-old child. And then some very outlandish ones... A mass of tentacles, some floating ball with dozens of eyes. Another floating ball with dozens of mouths... Some weird plant-like thing stuck on the ground that was holding a dead animal in its grasp.


    "Are all of these monsters, Lefa?"


    "Yes, they are. Professor Marvim frequently asks mercenaries to catch some for him... They had to build this hall because he got too many... And these aren''t even all he... Ah! Found him."


    Lefa rushed forward to the corner of the hall. A young man sat at a desk, his head down... Probably sleeping.


    "Professor Marvim! Professor Marvim! Wake up or I''ll let the floating balls do it!"


    "Uhhh... Lefa? What are you doing here..."


    The man, a little groggy, slowly forced himself to sit up,  staring at Lefa in wonder.


    "I brought some guests!"


    "Guests..."


    His gaze wandered towards us.


    "Hello, I''m Yumi and this is my sister Karen. We heard from Lefa that you are knowledgeable about monsters so..."


    "Ohh... you are here to ask something? Are you students?"


    "Well... Actually not..."


    "They''re from the mercenaries."


    "Mercenaries? These two girls?"


    He scrutinised us intensely.


    "Mercenaries... Which ones are you affiliated to?"


    "The Lomerian Dragon Knights."


    "Oh, Mr Korwen''s group? Did he want something from me? I haven''t filled out the request yet, if that''s what he wants."


    "Ah, no we are here for personal reasons."


    So this was one of the researchers that made use of the contract between the Academy and the mercenaries? Quite the coincidence.


    "Personal reasons?"


    "Yes... Uhm..."


    Should I tell him about me? I kind of wanted to avoid that but...


    "We wanted to know where monsters come from, how they are alive and what makes a monster a monster," Karen explained in my stead.


    "Oh, so the ecology? I can help you with that, no problem."


    He stood up from his chair and stretched his arms.


    "Mm... But first, would you mind helping me out a little?"


    "Helping out?"


    "Yes, yes. It might prove beneficial for you two if you want to learn about monsters. You see, there are quite a lot of them here and... Unfortunately, we have to feed them. And doing that alone takes some time."


    "I don''t mind..."


    "Neither do I."


    If it was just helping them out with feeding...


    "Are you two sure..."


    "Nn? Is something the problem, Lefa?"


    "... I guess you''ll see."


    "Don''t mind, Little Lefa. She just can''t stand the goblins trying to jump at her with a boner."


    "..."


    That was quite understandable, that she didn''t like that. Heck, I didn''t want to see that either.


    "It''s not even only the goblins! The kobolds try that too and that pile of flesh is absolutely disgusting!"


    "Seriously, you''re just so weak at heart... Even though they''re so cute..."


    "..."


    Okay, another weirdo found.


    "Anyway, just get some food from that box there and throw it in. Ah, the Flesh Eater, that''s that plant over there, takes only living animals, so you can ignore that one."


    He pointed at a large box next to the wall. Lefa had already gone there and opened it... revealing lots of meat. A ton of meat.


    "That''s... monster meat?"


    There was a distinct feeling of mana coming from the meat.


    "You can sense mana? Yes, that''s all monster meat. It''s the best stuff to keep them fed. Monsters require a lot of mana, after all."


    "Nn? I thought they are fine with only the mana in the surroundings?"


    "If it''s about simply surviving they can live off of a very small amount of mana, yes. I''ll explain it to you after we''re done here."


    He joined Lefa and pulled out a large pack of meat.


    "Just throw some into the pen."


    "Nn, but how much?"


    "However much you want."


    "... Ehh?"


    That wasn''t the answer I wanted.


    "Take your gut feeling! Guts!"


    Weren''t these monsters related to his research? Wasn''t it important to keep track of such things?


    A little unsure I walked over to the box and...


    "What the heck, this is cold!"


    "Awesome, isn''t it? Professor Marvim has one of the newest magic tools for cooling! Meat keeps well really long in here."


    Wasn''t this basically a huge refrigerator?


    "And here we go!"


    "GYAARHHH!"


    An unintelligible scream echoed through the hall. The Professor had thrown the meat into one of the pens, the one with the large floating balls. The balls let out a scream, jumped at the meat and ripped it apart, devouring it in a flash. The whole thing barely took ten seconds.


    The balls immediately floated back up, as if nothing ever had happened.


    "Ahaha, lively, aren''t they? Here, another one!"


    "GYAAAAAAAARRRHHHHHHHH!"


    "Sis, what the hell am I watching..."


    "I don''t know..."


    He continued throwing pieces of meat into the pen, through the magic barrier, or whatever it was. Every time the balls screamed and jumped at the meat. How the one with only eyeballs even ate was beyond me. I honestly didn''t want to know either.


    "Professor, please don''t play with them. The other researchers keep complaining about the screaming."


    "Why should I care for those old geezers? They would complain either way. Even your nutcase of a professor is better than them. Although he keeps complaining too."


    "Because you keep calling me to help you, even when I''m not even your student."


    "What should I do then? Nobody wants to be my student after all!"


    "Go figure why!"


    Lefa sighed, a bunch of raw meat in her arms that she promptly dumped into a pen. The small critter-like monsters swarmed the meat. They reminded me a little of rats. Actually, they completely looked like rats. These were rats...


    "... Yumi, let''s get this done with quickly."


    "Nn..."


    Karen and I both took some of the meat from the large refrigerator and walked to the closest pen. The mass of tentacles was in there, squirming about.


    "Uhm, just dump this into the pen? Like this?"


    I threw the meat through the magic barrier. It landed with a ''Splat!'' right next to the tentacles. It slowly extended one tentacle and... rapidly pulled the meat towards it. It was so quick I didn''t even really see it... The meat completely disappeared so fast...


    "... That''s a little scary."


    "Nn."


    We moved to the next ones, a pen with... grey-skinned humanoid monsters.


    "Sis, are these... goblins?"


    "I think so. Although I have never seen grey ones before."


    "They''re called mountain goblins. They''re rather uncommon around here, but they''re goblins nonetheless."


    Lefa appeared next to us, explaining.


    "Be careful if you throw the meat. They can see what is behind the barrier if you throw something in so..."


    "... They can''t see anything like that?"


    "They can''t, thankfully..."


    "Huh..."


    I stared at the three goblins. I thought they''d be screaming and making lots of noise but they obediently sat there. One of them was holding a sharp stone and hitting... A dead animal...


    "What is it doing, Lefa?"


    "Playing."


    "..."


    That sure was a morbid way of playing around...


    Wanting to get it over with quickly, I threw in the meat. Little did I know, how much I would regret that.


    "GYAAARGAAAGRAAAA!"


    "GRAAAYAAAA!"


    "GYAGYAGYARRRGH!"


    "WOAH!"


    The goblins¡ªbefore the meat even hit the ground¡ªstood up and jumped in my direction, stopped only by the barrier. The sudden action surprised me so much that I stumbled backwards and fell on my behind.


    "What the hell?!"


    "GYAAAGYYAAAAA!"


    "GRAAAA!"


    "GYAAAARHH"


    A shudder ran down my back.


    The goblins kept screaming, scratching the barrier, and... humping the barrier wall. Quite literally.


    I wanted to ask Lefa what was going on but... She was nowhere to be seen.


    "Uahh... That''s disgusting..."


    Karen averted her gaze from the overly excited goblins.


    "Yumi, let''s quickly go to the next ones..."


    "Nn."


    Karen took my hand and pulled me up to my feet, before dragging me away. I was quite thankful for that because... That had been a little scary.


    "Let''s avoid anything with goblins..."


    "Nn..."


    A little shocked, we continued feeding the other monsters, clearly avoiding all the ones that seemed like they would get excited like the goblins.


    Thankfully, the Professor didn''t mind and decided to feed them himself.


    Interestingly, that didn''t stop the goblins from jumping in his direction. They didn''t care whether it was a man or woman, did they...


    Rinne


    Hope you are all safe and healthy and you stay that way! Take care of yourselves.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Monster in the Box

    "Finally done..."


    It took us quite some time until all the monster pets were fed. He had dozens of small pens filled with the most outlandish beings imaginable. The one that weirded me out the most was a monster that was called ''Shifter''.


    Like the name implied, it was a creature that was shapeshifting, never keeping the same form for longer than a few seconds. What it didn''t imply, was the kind of shapeshifting... It didn''t do something like copying a different creature''s form or something like that. No, it was more like... constantly mutating. It grew an arm and a leg, then it grew more eyes and mouths. The arms and legs devolved again, the mouths shifted to another place, something akin to wings grew in their place...


    I was unsure whether it was disgusting or just weird. It also changed in mass, at times growing so much in size that it became a cube-shaped mass of flesh... because the barrier was formed like a cube... Then it shrunk so much in size it became invisible to the eye.


    The fact that it jumped at the meat just like all the other monsters¡ªexcluding goblins and other humanoids¡ªmade it only weirder. It had perfect coordination between the limbs and its organs, showing no signs of issues at moving towards, and subsequently jumping at, the raw meat.


    It gave me goosebumps.


    "Thank you for your work, Yumi, Karen."


    "Nn, you''re welcome."


    Now then, with this finally out of the way, it meant we could start asking that Professor.


    I was a little excited, to be honest.


    "... Lefa, where is that professor?"


    "Eh? He''s not here? Uhh... Let''s look around, maybe he is occupied with some monster again."


    "Haa..."


    Quite the troublesome professor, wasn''t he?


    We walked once more through the dozens of pens with monsters. The goblins were still screaming at the wall and... busy pleasuring themselves with the barrier. The small pen became a mess of questionable fluids within minutes. How could this guy deal with that? I didn''t even want to look at it. Heck, I didn''t even want to know about this.


    "Oh, there he is."


    Karen pointed at a corner of the hall, where the professor stood, staring into one pen.


    "Professor Marvim!"


    "Oh, Lefa, Lefa, come, take a look!"


    He motioned us, or rather Lefa, to come closer. He didn''t even spare us a glance, watching whatever was happening in that pen.


    We came closer and saw... A dozen small monsters inside, each barely larger than a mouse. They had a brown-skinned body similar to a hedgehog, with spines on their back, but they also had a very long tail, easily longer than their remaining length.


    "Look, do you see those two."


    The professor pointed at two of these hedgehog-like creatures in the far corner. One of them was a deep purple, contrary to its otherwise brown comrades.


    "Ah, that manakin hoggy? What''s with it?"


    Hoggy? They''re called Hoggies? Cute...


    "Not that one, look at the other hoggy next to it!"


    "Mh?"


    We took a closer look at the one right next to it. It was brown like the others so... No, wait. It wasn''t completely brown, some of the spines were... purple.


    "Is that... a mana corruption?"


    "Yes, Little Lefa, you are correct. During your trip to the fort, it started slowly turning purple and now it''s already progressed this far! Incredible! Incredible, I say! Ah, I have to record it. Record it."


    He scurried away to his desk leaving, leaving us behind again.


    "He''s a rather... energetic professor."


    "He is. But he is still more bearable than many other professors. At least he doesn''t keep staring at my tail or my chest. He rather keeps staring at the goblins''... you know what."


    "..."


    I very much doubted that was better, but... Well, it was less annoying for one personally, yes. But still, I worried about this man. Just a little.


    "So, Lefa... What is mana corruption?"


    "Mm, it''s what we call a manakin monster corrupting the mana of another living being."


    "Haa..."


    That was... kind of what the name already implied. Thank you.


    "Do you know how manakin are attuned to various kinds of mana?"


    "Yes, I do."


    After all, that was kind of related to me and Karen too.


    "Then, do you know how monsters can manipulate mana outside their body?"


    "Nn."


    Which too, was kind of related to me.


    "Then, do you also know that it is theorised that the actual body of a monster is larger than their physical body?"


    "Nn... What? The body is larger than... the body?"


    That made zero sense, dear Lefa.


    "Ahh, you see. It''s not their physical body that is larger but... How should I say it... Their existence? Soul?"


    She was wildly gesturing, trying to find the correct words.


    "I don''t really understand it either. I don''t think anyone does."


    "Now, Lefa, are you implying that I, too, don''t understand it?"


    "Yes, I am, Professor."


    "Correct!"


    Lefa sighed and hid her face behind her hands.


    "Can I leave? I can leave now, right?"


    "Lefa, Lefa, Lefa, you can''t just leave me alone here! There are still things that need to be done!"


    "Can you please do them alone? I still have to study."


    "Oh, how unfortunate. And here I thought I might tutor you over the evening today. Ohh, how unfortunate, and I even heard what material will be on the exams. Oh, wait, I am the one creating the exam! Right!"


    "... Ugh."


    Lefa sighed once more, raising her arms in defeat.


    "I get it, I get it... I''ll help. Haa... If only my nutcase professor would be able to teach I wouldn''t have to do this..."


    "He can teach, Lefa. After you placated him with food spiked with some sedatives, that is."


    "..."


    Somehow... Well... Good luck, Lefa.


    "Anyway, dear Lefa, do me a favour and... Mm... Third floor, the second corridor on the right, second door to the left. Ms Arramari''s place. Go and bring her these documents. Oh, and if you''re already at it, bring me these books on this note. All of them. We''ll need them."


    "... That''s a lot."


    "I am sure my trust is well-placed."


    "..."


    She sighed for a third time before turning to us.


    "You heard him. I''ll have to run some... errands. Don''t let him mess with you."


    "... We''ll try."


    "Nn..."


    Lefa walked towards the door, waved one last time towards us, and left.


    Now, we were left alone with this rather... eccentric professor. Who was back to admiring the hoggies.


    "Did you two know? The mana corruption is not limited to monsters," he suddenly said after a few minutes of silence.


    "Not limited to monsters?"


    "Yes, yes. Animals can be corrupted as well. And humanoids too. I even heard it works on other manakin as well. Yes, let''s say... a humanoid manakin, a demonkin for example, would spend a prolonged time with another manakin, and the latter manakin exhibits traits similar to a monster, maybe they are even a monster themselves. What do you think would happen? Yes, the demonkin would slowly get corrupted! Oh, how I wish I could see such a case, oh, how I wish!"


    A small gasp came from Karen.


    This man... he noticed. He knew.


    "..."


    Odd, I thought I''d be more surprised. But I got found out by so many people already...


    At this point, I barely cared anymore that people found out on their own. As long as they didn''t turn it into a problem, which nobody did so far.


    Although, I vaguely recalled being warned about letting the Academy find out... Let''s hope this wasn''t going to turn into a problem.


    "But, alas, of course, such a convenient thing wouldn''t happen. Right, right, it''s far more likely someone was going to dye their hair. I heard it''s a recent trend among lovers? Damn happy people."


    "..."


    He gripped the fence of the pen so strongly that the veins on his hands became visible.


    "Ahh, I wish all those happy people would get caught by some ogre or a few goblins. That should teach them a lesson. Yes, that should do it! Hahaha!"


    He did know... right? He wasn''t just venting... He was... Maybe?


    At this point, I was fairly sure of one thing: This professor had more than a few screws loose.


    "Well, there are neither interesting monster nor happy couples here. I apologise for the random rant."


    "... It''s fine."


    "..."


    He exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.


    Honestly, I kind of wanted to say something, really, but... Was this his way of saying that ''he didn''t see anything''? If so, then I really should hold back.


    "Now then, I think I should keep up my side of our agreement, shouldn''t I? Yes, yes, you two want to learn about monsters, a truly fascinating, deep and mysterious topic. So much we know, so much we don''t know, so many questions, too few answers. I will happily answer any questions you have, assuming I am capable of answering them."


    He walked back to his desk and set on his chair but not before pointing at a few chairs at the wall.


    "Take a seat, take a seat. It''ll become uncomfortable, standing for too long."


    "Then... Thank you."


    Karen went to the wall and brought two chairs over for us to sit down on.


    "Good, great. Well then, let''s see, what was your question exactly again?"


    "We want to know what monsters are, where they come from and how they even live."


    "Mm, those are some very basic questions. Let''s see, we''ll start with the first one, the most fundamental one. What are monsters? Now, what do you girls know about monsters?"


    "Know? They have mana crystals, they absorb mana..."


    "They are often aggressive towards humanoids and animals. They come in pretty much any form you can think of."


    We both stopped, What else was there to say? Thinking about what we knew so far... It wasn''t a lot. I was sure more things would come to mind if we thought for a little longer, but the Professor didn''t wait for us.


    "Mm, yes, that''s about right. That''s what most people would answer. Then, let''s talk about the mana crystal. I am sure you both have seen them before, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Nn."


    "Good. Then let''s... Ah, wait, can you two see mana?"


    We both nodded in response.


    "That''s good, that makes it easier. Okay, then you know that a living monster continually absorbs mana, right? Well, the lower-ranked ones, that is."


    Once again, we both nodded. But... ''Lower-ranked'' ones? Weren''t the stronger monsters just hiding their mana?


    "Mhm, then, do you both know what ''Mana'' is?"


    "What mana is?"


    "... No."


    "As expected. Ahh, that would be a long topic for itself but... Generally, imagine it as a kind of energy. Like, a fire is a kind of energy, a violent energy. The blowing of the winds is also a form of energy, usually a tame one but sometimes a surprisingly destructive force."


    Energy. Well, that was already a little what I expected.


    "Fire burns things. The wind pushes things. But mana is a little different. Mana is a very, very unique kind of energy. Mana is a ''potential energy''."


    "Potential energy?"


    I tilted my head in wonder. Why ''potential''?


    "Yes, potential. Because mana by itself. Does nothing. Mostly nothing. High concentrations of raw mana can cause various interesting... incidents. Attributed mana and raw mana also differ heavily, but for the most part, mana has to be utilised by someone, or something, before it can turn into real energy. And that''s what we call magic."


    He took a sheet of paper, draped it over his hand and... Cast magic to make it float... A gentle stream of mana pushing the sheet up from below.


    "We can talk all day and night about this, though. As long as you understand it as a form of energy, for now, that''s enough. Then, the next question is. What are mana crystals?"


    "... Condensed mana?" I suggested.


    "A good guess. They are definitely materialised mana. But there has to be something else, something... more substantial. Like, let''s see... A soul."


    A creepy smile bloomed on his face.


    "Yes, a soul. The core of every living being, understood by none, but proven to exist, simply due to the fact that magic exists to influence it. An odd conundrum."


    "The mana crystal... houses a soul?"


    "Exactly. A soul."


    A soul.


    That reminded me. That person, that monster Yumias, she hadn''t called it a ''mana crystal''. Instead... She talked about a ''Soul Crystal''.


    "That''s what makes monsters so truly fascinating. They are living beings, like all of us, without a single doubt. But they differ in the simple thing that their very soul has been turned into a physical form with mana. This has very interesting implications, very interesting ones. For example... Immortality and resurrection."


    "... Resurrection?"


    Immortality I had heard about before. After all, that had been those hoodlums'' goal, back in Arkesta. But resurrection?


    Wait... If a monster ''died'' and their crystal was left behind...


    "Could you resurrect a monster with only their crystal?"


    "Oho? Yes, yes, exactly. Exactly! As long as the crystal is intact, a monster never truly ''dies''. It is still alive, just dormant. Well, in theory. Nobody managed to actually resurrect a monster. Nobody really cares about trying either so..."


    Seriously? You could, in theory, resurrect them?


    He shrugged his shoulders.


    "But there are monsters that are so powerful they can survive some of the most grievous wounds imaginable. Their hearts pierced, their heads smashed, their bodies mangled... And yet, they live and recover. They''re incredible. It basically renders at a form of resurrection at that point. Most of these monsters only die when their mana crystals are ripped out of their body or the crystals are smashed. Thankfully, those monsters, those walking catastrophes, are rare."


    Did my regeneration also fall under this kind of recovery? I wonder... What kind of wounds could I... survive? Well, nothing I wanted to find out. That was for sure.


    "Nn, so I understand that mana crystals house the... souls of the monsters. But, where do those crystals come from?"


    "I don''t know."


    "Eh?"


    "I don''t know. Not in the least. Nobody does. They just appear, out of thin air. As if someone was sprinkling them over the planet. They usually only appear in unpopulated areas, dense with mana, but it is not unheard of them appearing in the middle of a town square. The only thing we know is, that the denser the mana in the surroundings, the more likely a powerful monster will be born. So, the ones appearing in towns are small fry, often going unnoticed by everyone. But, that''s all."


    They didn''t know...


    How unfortunate, I hoped there was more they knew.


    "It''s the one question I honestly can''t answer you because I simply don''t know either. I wish I did, I truly wish."


    He paused, staring at Karen, then at me. After a short silence, he stood up and walked to the nearest pen with monsters, the floating balls with eyes and mouths.


    "But what monsters are, we know a little. Every monster has a mana crystal as a core. And then they also have a body that surrounds said core. Some monsters have surprisingly functional bodies, like goblins and ogres. They have arms and legs, they have mouths and eyes, they have genitals. They eat, they reproduce. And then you have monsters like these."


    He squatted down and picked something up that was lying next to the pen. A long metal rod.


    After picking it up, he reached through the barrier with it and... poked the floating ball.


    It wobbled.


    "Do you think this creature could live without its mana crystal? Without being a monster?"


    "No, I don''t think so."


    "Neither do I. They''re a living creature because of the mana crystal but without, they wouldn''t live. Their body is unable to support itself. That''s what makes monsters truly different. Their mana crystals support a body that would be utterly impossible otherwise. They are just... Like a child''s clay figure. It''s a mock creature. A fake."


    The floating ball continued to wobble with every poke. It didn''t react in any other way.


    It was actually kind of cute. Grotesque, but cute.


    "Haa... Anyway. That''s about all I can tell you about ''what they are''. Any questions so far, my students?"


    "We''re not your students, actually. Nn, but... Why do they absorb mana then? And why did you feed them"


    "Ah, right, right. The answer to that is actually quite similar. Mh, it''s easier to show you. Could you get some more of that meat. Like, bring around ten pieces of those big ones for now."


    ... Ten?


    I furrowed my brows, a little confused. Still, Karen and I stood up and walked to the huge refrigerator, retrieving the meat. It was quite heavy.


    "Good, now. Throw all of it in there."


    "... All?"


    "All."


    I exchanged a glance with Karen, who seemed similar unsure. Nevertheless, we followed his instructions and just dumped all of it into the pen with the floating balls.


    "Now, watch. Watch and learn!"


    The two balls immediately dashed towards the meat, burying themselves into the pile of meat. With astonishing speed, they devoured it and in less than two minutes, it was all gone.


    "Mh, was this not enough? Okay, then let''s bring some more me¡ª Ah! Forget that, look!"


    Before telling us to bring even more meat, he pointed at the floating ball with eyes. It... Grew. In length. Its shape turned oval, egg-like, then longer and even longer. Until.


    Plop!


    It split.


    No, seriously. It split. Like... What the hell?


    "... What?"


    "Ahaha, isn''t this awesome? It multiplied! When these monsters absorb enough mana, they multiply. If you gave them a large amount of mana, they could become an unstoppable swarm, burying everything!"


    "... So, monsters... Split?"


    "Mh, yes and no. These monsters do. A goblin wouldn''t split."


    "Nn? Then what does a goblin do?"


    He paused.


    "Good question."


    "..."


    "Now, now, don''t look at me like that, yes? I''ll properly answer. Some monsters change appearance, gain new abilities, grow stronger, there are a multitude of things that can happen. The only thing that always happens, though... Whatever it is, it becomes more dangerous."


    More dangerous... So, if I absorbed enough mana... What would happen? I still didn''t know. Would I become stronger? Or... would I split? Hopefully, not splitting. I had the subtle feeling that Karen would like the splitting but I sure as hell didn''t. I could very vividly imagine myself fighting with my split parts about Karen...


    "Ah, right, there is one thing we definitely know though, that always happens when they absorb mana."


    "Nn?"


    "Their crystal grows tougher. So tough it becomes impossible to break them by impossible means."


    "Impossible to break? But, then, what do you do about that monster?"


    "You can still rip out the crystal and deal with a monster that way. Of course, that''s infinitely harder to do than smashing it. But the amount of mana those crystals contain... It''s beyond comprehension. If such a thing were to be used as a weapon, forget destroying a country or two, you could easily sink the continent and probably the land on the other side of the oceans as well. Thankfully, there are only three recorded instances of such crystals. Although their whereabouts are unknown."


    The continent and... The one next to it as well? Wasn''t that likely half the entire planet you would wipe off the map? And such a thing was... lost? Somewhere? Whereabouts unknown?


    "Mh, so much to that. Then, what else did you want to kno¡ª


    "Professor Marvim! Professor! I returned!"


    "Oh come on, how is she back already?"


    A red fluffy foxkin girl came into sight, pulling a small trolley with... Piles of books.


    "Lefa, where the heck did you find the trolley?"


    "Ms Arramari lent it to me."


    "... How did you manage to... Haa... Whatever, thank you."


    With a small scowl, she pulled the trolley past us and started unloading the books on the disk.


    "That''s not a very nice way to thank someone. Do you know how much I had to walk around for these books?!"


    "That''s exactly why I... Ahh, yes, thank you, thank you."


    "One ''Thank you'' is enough."


    "That so? Thank me, thank me."


    Lefa stopped, turned around and glared at the man.


    "Maybe I should throw him to his goblins."


    "Lefa, dear, I am not so fond of experiencing pregnancy as a man, so I''d rather you choose something else."


    "The kobolds then."


    "That''s the same thing in green."


    She furrowed her brows, then continued to unload the books, shaking her head.


    "I really hope this is worth it... Why are all these professors so... Haa..."


    "Lefa, Lefa, Lefa, do you not trust me?"


    "You have given me no reason to trust you, I believe?"


    "Now, you hurt me, I''ve done so much for you when your dear professor wasn''t there to help!"


    "Haaa... When it rains, it pours."


    They were kind of lost in their own world now, completely ignoring Karen and me.


    "Sis, what should we do?"


    "I don''t know... To be honest, we already learnt a lot. We should come back some other time to hear the rest."


    "Nn, I agree."


    "Also, it''s hard to keep track of the time here... We shouldn''t linger for too long."


    True, it''d be really troublesome if we didn''t return. I sure as hell didn''t want my first experience being... collected... to be so quickly. Preferably, I never wanted to experience it.


    "Lefa, Mr... Marvim."


    ""Yes?""


    Quite in sync, aren''t we.


    "We were just talking about taking our leave for today. Would it be fine to come back another time?"


    "Yes, yes, why, of course! Students willing to learn are always welcome, always! Especially if you want to learn about monsters. Ah, but remember to come with Lefa, you might run into issues, if not."


    Issues?


    "You already want to leave? Then, let me accompany you to the gate. Professor, I''ll come back in a bit."


    "Yes, yes, no need to threaten me, no need to threaten me."


    "I will come back."


    She threw him a last glare and walked past him with firm steps, not sparing him another glance.


    "Ehh, then, until another time."


    "Bye."


    We said our goodbye and quickly followed Lefa.


    "You didn''t forget anything here, did you?"


    "Nn, we should be fine, right, Sis?"


    "We didn''t really bring anything after all."


    "That''s good. Ah, if you come by again, I''ll be either in class or in my dorm most likely. You can probably just ask around but... Avoid asking the guys if you don''t know them, especially the male professors. They can get... quite touchy if you know what I mean."


    I had heard from Lily and Karen that it would be bad and now even from Lefa as well, but... Nothing had really happened today. Not sure if I should take that as a sign that they are exaggerating or if it was just luck. Considering Lefa said it too, probably luck...


    "Was that what that Mr Professor meant with issues?"


    "Yes... There have been quite a few problems in that regard, especially towards the female students... So, do be careful, okay?"


    "Nn, we will be."


    Still, we said goodbye to Lefa with smiles.


    Karen and I now walked along that long wall, returning towards the inner part of the city.


    "That girl is really quite the hard worker, isn''t she?"


    "Nn. In her own way, she''s quite incredible."


    Despite her apparent lack of talent for magic, she still did her best at this place which was filled with magicians. And in such a serious manner too.


    "Hey, Sis?"


    "Yes?"


    "Do you have some mana crystals with you?"


    "I do, why?"


    "Could you give one to me?"


    She opened the small pouch where she carried some mana crystals¡ªfor whatever reason¡ªand handed me a few. I had asked for one but... Well, a few were fine too.


    "Are you curious about what that professor said?"


    "Nn."


    "You shouldn''t do this on the open street, though."


    "It''ll be fine, I won''t do anything conspicuous."


    Even I wouldn''t dare to do some weird things now in public.


    "Mm... Dormant, huh..."


    "Yumi?"


    "Well, I just wondered. He said they''re dormant, right?"


    "Yes, he said that."


    "But, can they really be resurrected?"


    I honestly had my doubts about that. There were many things that made us out as a person and the thing that was important for this the most... was our brain. But, what was our soul then? What was it capable of? Was it carrying our personality? Our memories? Or would these be lost?


    Memories, huh...


    My memories of my old world were still hazy at best. Fragmented memories, general knowledge... That monster had said that losing my memories was not intended originally... She had said that, right?


    Don''t tell me I am already starting to have trouble remembering that too?!


    Well, it had been a conversation and you couldn''t expect me to remember all the details of every talk, right? Right...


    Anyway, assuming she had said that, that would have meant that... Something went wrong. But what went wrong? Did she maybe mess with my brain and I lost my memories because of that?


    Actually, that thought was super scary... I didn''t want to imagine anyone messing with my brain.


    "Resurrection... I don''t know, it sounds so... unbelievable? That you could resurrect someone... Well, more like something," Karen murmured next to me.


    "Even the part with immortality sounds too good."


    Immortality and recovering from fatal wounds. Recovery bordering on resurrection.


    Those were all heavy words.


    "Nn... Well, I sure don''t want to find out for myself if those are true or not."


    "I won''t allow you to!"


    "Ahaha. I won''t, Sis. I''m more interested in what he said about absorbing mana."


    "Right... You said your crystal keeps absorbing mana, right?"


    "Nn. It feels like it''s a bottomless hole. Since I am hiding my mana it absorbs a little less, but it still absorbs a lot of mana from the surroundings."


    Still, so far, nothing had ever happened.


    "Also, I sure as hell don''t want to split in two. One of me is enough."


    "... But, I do wonder if something would happen if you absorb enough mana."


    "Nn. Also... Sis, do you have one of the mana eggs with you?"


    "Yes, I do."


    She pulled a peculiar, pink mana crystal out of her pouch.


    "... Doesn''t it have more mana than before?"


    "Does it?"


    "... Feels like it does, but I''m not sure. Well, whatever. I just remembered but... Should have asked him about these at least."


    A missed chance... Nothing I could do about now, though.


    "I kind of want to see what happens if I pump a mana egg full with all the mana we can find."


    "As long as it doesn''t explode..."


    "It won''t... Hopefully."


    Exploding eggs didn''t make for a good breakfast. Ah, did people even eat eggs here? Hadn''t seen any yet.


    "... Should we return to the camp? To be honest, I feel like trying out a few things."


    "If you want to, then let''s do that. There are a few other things we should investigate about too. Like that."


    Karen squished my upper arms a little. Did she... mean those? She did, didn''t she?


    "They''re intended for... those purposes, right? I''m sure we can have some fun with those."


    "... Lewd Sis."


    "I don''t mind being lewd if it''s about you, you know."


    "That''s unfair."


    A wry smile found its way on my lips.


    Seriously, this girl...


    I hugged her arm and leaned in close to her.


    "Yumi? We''re in public."


    "I don''t care."


    "Yumi... Haa..."


    Karen freed her arm and wrapped it around my waist, pulling me closer.


    "Let''s go back, shall we?"


    "Nn."


    Rinne


    Hope you all are doing well in these rather... messy times.


    Just came back from playing music from my window. Got to cheer up people a little.


    Whether it be through music or hopefully by writing as well.


    Take care of yourselves!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Embarrassing Talks

    "Hey, Sis."


    "Yes, Yumi?"


    "I just thought about it but..."


    "What is it?"


    "... We have barely done anything date-like, have we?"


    "... Date-like? What''s that?"


    After we strolled through the capital for a while¡ªtechnically on our way back to the camp¡ªI realized this little issue. I thought this would be kind of like a date but... In the end, we hadn''t done anything that would warrant calling this a date. Well, disregarding that we were currently walking very closely down the streets, earning us a few stares here and there.


    "Nn, a date, something like a date."


    "Like I said, what is a ''date''?"


    "..."


    Karen looked at me with her big, silver-coloured eyes, apparently confused.  She didn''t know what a date was, huh.


    "Nn... It''s when two lovers go out to have fun? That''s about the gist of it. Like, going out to eat something or going somewhere to play."


    "Ahh... But I don''t think we''ll have much time for such things anymore."


    "Nn..."


    It wasn''t all too late yet, thankfully. We probably could''ve still stayed a little at the university, talking with that professor. Yet, despite that, we had left.


    The things I heard already were quite interesting and it probably would take some time to... digest them. Especially the part with the mana crystals.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "We could try looking for an eatery or tavern and eat something."


    "... Aren''t those going to be full now?"


    "Are they? I think most people are still working right now, though."


    That could also mean that the eatery or tavern wasn''t even open, you know? Since opening when there weren''t any customers would be just a loss...


    "Nn, well, we can take a look at least. Not like we''ll lose anything by it."


    "True. But... where do we even go to look?"


    "No idea."


    And just as expected, our lack of knowledge about this city already put a stop to it.


    Alas, it didn''t take a lot of effort to find out whether there were any and where they were.


    "The ''Canal Plaza'' they said... Is there a canal here?"


    "I would think so? It''s probably either the river or a canal coming from the river."


    "... There''s a river here?"


    "What are you saying, of course, there is? Pretty much any big city is located at a river."


    Really?


    Mm... Well, if you thought about it, that was reasonable. A river did provide water and food. It wasn''t like they could manage a whole city only on well and rainwater.


    Actually, considering how they treated fish in general, it probably didn''t provide as much food as it could...


    "They said this way down, right?"


    "Nn."


    We walked through some small alleys in the direction we were pointed at.


    "Is this really the right direction... Sis, are you sure?"


    "It... It should be? Wait..."


    Karen stopped, looking at the sky, towards the sun.


    A large group of birds flew over the city in formation, cawing loudly.


    "This should be the right direction... Let''s just continue for a little."


    "Okay."


    It took a good another ten minutes until we found our way again.


    "Yumi, there, doesn''t that look like that could be it?"


    Karen pointed into the distance, at a line of green, lush trees.


    Slightly excited, we sped up towards them leaving the alleys.


    "Ohhh."


    A large plaza with a wide canal running straight through it spread out in front of us. Lines of trees ran along the canal, giving it a rather idyllic atmosphere.


    "There really is a canal..."


    Walking up to the side of the canal, I peered into the water.


    Alas, it was rather dark so I couldn''t see anything. Plants and other things were peeking out from the water.


    "Don''t fall in, Yumi."


    "Nn, I''ll be careful."


    There were no railings, so the danger of falling in was actually quite real.


    "But there really is a lot of space here... You could probably build dozens of buildings here."


    Karen looked over the large plaza. Calling it wide was probably an understatement. There really was enough place to build dozens of buildings here. As such, the plaza did look a little lonely. Although it wasn''t like there weren''t people around, not at all.


    "Yumi, over there."


    "Nn?"


    Karen pointed at a few shops close-by.


    "Are those taverns?"


    "Seems like it. Should we take a look?"


    "Nn."


    We approached the building, intending to take a look. Each of the taverns seemed to be rather well-visited despite it being in the middle of the day. If you peeked through the door, dozens of rough, muscular men could be seen, laughing, drinking and making merry.


    " ''Squirrel''s Home'', ''Broken Dishes'', ''The Rooster and the Kitten'', ''Market Tavern'', ''The Lafrian Worker'', "The Butcher''s House''. Quite a few around, huh."


    "Nn..."


    Most of them had quite normal names but... Why ''Broken Dishes''? Fairly sure most dishes were made of wood so they wouldn''t break as easily as porcelain dishes would. Actually, I hadn''t seen porcelain dishes even once here, yet. Maybe they didn''t exist here?


    Anyway, while I was happy to go eat out with Karen... It was still a little different from what I had imagined. A tavern was... Well... Probably not a very romantic place.


    "It''s all burly men..." I muttered while peeking through the doors of the taverns.


    "It is."


    It was also loud. Even just standing outside was already a little uncomfortable with that level of noise. Honestly, I didn''t want to go in there...


    "Sis, let''s look for something else..."


    "Might be better..."


    And as such, our little trip had come to a quick close. It was a little unfortunate but what could you do?


    "Then, let''s take a walk along the canal and then head back?"


    "Nn, sounds like a plan."


    We walked back to the canal.


    "Too bad we didn''t find a place to eat at."


    "Nn. I''m a little hungry."


    "I''m hungry too... We should try to get back in time for dinner."


    "Definitely."


    Dinner was important. Actually, we hadn''t eaten anything since the morning and it was already well into the afternoon now. We had completely missed lunch as well.


    "I wonder what Lily and Rina are doing right now."


    "Nn, good question. Speaking of which, did something happen? They sure have gotten intimate."


    They did sleep together today, just like Karen and I did. It made me happy to watch but... Damn, I was curious. I knew it was in bad taste but... I wanted to know.


    "I don''t know, neither of them said anything. Ah, but... They sneaked out two days ago in the middle of the night."


    "Eh? Really?"


    "Yes. I only noticed by coincidence cause I woke up and both of them weren''t around."


    Ohoh? Now, that was interesting.


    "Sneaking out in the middle of the night, huh. Wonder what they did."


    "Yumi, stop grinning like that."


    That was an impossible request.


    "Well, we shouldn''t pry too much, Yumi."


    "Ehh? But I''m curious."


    "I am curious too but we shouldn''t butt in unnecessarily."


    "... Lily did it too so I think it''s fine if we do the same, though."


    Although, Lily helped us quite a bit with her meddling.


    "I think it''s better for the two to sort it out themselves, Yumi. Have a little trust in them."


    "Mm... It''s not like I don''t trust them, you know..."


    I really was just curious.


    But, yeah... Maybe I shouldn''t bother them too much.


    "By the way, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Did Sele calm down a little?"


    "Ahh... I am not sure? I haven''t seen those girls since they are still under house arrest."


    I sincerely hoped that Sele calmed down though. Karen probably didn''t mean the whole situation we had with Maya, but rather, how Sele had become a little... Well, probably more than a little... jealous.


    Maya, Emily and Sele had been put under house arrest for a few days since the incident at the fort. Korwen had gotten really angry with them. Not only with them, though... With us too.


    "I hope she doesn''t come to hate me..."


    "I don''t think you have to worry about that, Sis."


    Despite all that, Sele did seem to have taken a liking to Karen. Maybe because they were fellow demonkin? Or because of their respective constitutions being similar?


    If Sele hadn''t gotten jealous, those two would probably get along really well. Though, I was fairly sure they''d still get along well if things calmed down a little.


    "You think so?"


    "Nn."


    "... I sure hope so... Haaa..."


    She let out a sigh with a worried expression.


    "How about we visit them later? If we ask Korwen, I''m sure he won''t mind," I suggested.


    "Visiting them... I guess we could."


    It was also a good chance to make sure they were alright. They apparently helped out yesterday at the celebration as well, though we hadn''t seen them.


    "Then let''s do that. When we get back."


    "Nn."


    "Speaking of getting back..."


    "Nn?"


    "... Where are we?"


    Yeah.


    That was something I wanted to know as well.


    "There are a lot of big houses here..."


    "There are."


    Massive properties surrounded us. Mansions with humongous gardens. Walled off properties with gates and guards. Everything pointed to it that this was the area where the richer citizens lived. This definitely wasn''t a place where we should be.


    "What do we do? Walk back?"


    "I think we should..."


    Alas, just as we were about to turn around...


    "Excuse me, you two. May I have a moment of your time?"


    "Eh?"


    A soldier walked up to us with a serious expression.


    "May I inquire what the two of you are doing here?"


    "Eh, uhm..."


    I was only able to stammer a little, surprised and a little intimidated. Never before have I been stopped by authorities and asked such a question.


    Probably.


    "We were taking a walk and somehow ended up here. We were just about to return."


    "A walk? Then, may I ask your names and where you live?"


    "I''m Karen and this is Yumi. We''re with the Lomerian Dragon Knights that are camping outside the city."


    "... The mercenaries? Ahh, are you the daughters of a mercenary?"


    "Ah, no. We''re mercenaries ourselves."


    "..."


    The man froze, then switched his glance between me and Karen, apparently unable to believe that.


    "I... I see... Achem."


    He coughed once, trying to collect himself again.


    "If you''re mercenaries, then are you here to see the Lady Karker by any chance?"


    "Eh? No, we were really just taking a walk... Wait, Mrs Karker lives here?"


    We exchanged surprised glances and looked around at the surrounding houses.


    "So you really were just taking a walk? Well, it''s no secret so... The Lady resides over there."


    He pointed at one of the large mansions nearby. Compared to the surrounding ones, it was actually quite a lot smaller. With that said, it still boasted at least three floors and a large garden. In my old world, a house like this would cost a fortune.


    "Nn? Someone''s coming."


    Another soldier approached us, jogging, right from the direction of the house we were looking at.


    "Excuse me. Are you Miss Karen and Miss Yumi?" he asked us once he arrived.


    "Eh, yes..."


    "The Lady Karker wishes to invite you two. Would you be so kind as to follow me?"


    "...Eh? Ah... Yes?"


    Once more, Karen and I exchanged glances, even more surprised than before.


    Nevermind that she lived in such a large mansion and things like that... How the hell did she know we were outside right now?


    The other soldier who had interrogated us excused himself, thanking us for our cooperation. Maybe he didn''t want to get in trouble or something, but he sure backed down quickly after the other soldier appeared.


    "Then, please follow."


    The man motioned us to follow behind him.


    Still a little perplexed, we walked behind him, towards the large mansion.


    At the gate, two other soldiers saluted the one leading us and then they opened the gate, allowing us to pass through.


    "It''s huge..."


    "Nn..."


    The garden spread out right in front of us. A field of flowers, small paths between them and even a water fountain in the middle, spewing up water.


    We were lead to the door, which opened, revealing an equally grand hall. A woman in some kind of uniform received us, her gaze lowered to the ground.


    "Welcome to the house of the Karker family. The Lady is waiting in the reception room. If you would follow me."


    The woman guided us to a room at the side. She knocked on the door, not opening it yet.


    "Milady, the guests have arrived."


    "Let them in."


    Now, she opened the door and motioned us to enter. The inside was lined up with bookshelves, filled to the brim with books. A large table stood in the middle and something like a couch on either side. Sitting on one couch was Mrs Karker.


    "Welcome, you two, to my humble abode."


    "Eh... Ah... Thank you?"


    We were still overwhelmed and confused, we could barely stammer a greeting.


    The woman who led us here scowled in displeasure but didn''t say anything.


    "Come, take a seat. Take a seat. Hilla, bring us something to drink."


    "As you wish, Milady."


    The woman left, closing the door behind her.


    "Now, don''t keep standing. Sit down."


    "Ah, yes... Ah, uhm... Thank you for inviting us?"


    Trying to salvage a little bit of our dignity, Karen tried to thank her, eliciting a smile from Mrs Karker.


    We sat down, still a little hesitant about the whole sudden situation.


    "No need to thank me. Please relax. I won''t eat you or anything, hohoho!"


    "I... see... Uhm, if I may ask... Why did you invite us?"


    "Mh, just a whim, really. I saw you two taking a walk and I thought to invite you. Nothing more, nothing less. I wanted to talk with the two of you a little more anyway."


    Mrs Karker smiled.


    At that moment, the door opened once more and the woman, Hilla was her name apparently, brought in a tray with tea. She put a cup with hot tea in front of us before excusing herself once more.


    "I don''t have any cookies this time, though, I am sorry. It''s quite hard getting your hands on the ingredients right now."


    "Ah, no... There is no need to apologise for that."


    "Nn."


    Those cookies had been delicious but I probably would have been more surprised if she did have them again. I couldn''t imagine the ingredients being cheap.


    "Have you heard of the waroxen''s milk before? It''s unfortunately not as well-known yet. It''s pretty important for the cookies and it''s hard to get your hands on it."


    It''s the milk that was the issue?!


    "Uhm... Is it that hard to get your hands on it? Aren''t waroxen pretty common?"


    "They are, dear. They are... But most of them are bred for labour or for the military. And for those, only the male waroxen are usually kept. There are very few who keep the female waroxen for the milk. It''s unfortunate."


    "Haa..."


    Mrs Karker took the teacup and took a sip.


    After putting down her cup, her relaxed expression hardened.


    "Well then. I''ll get straight to the point you two... How is that old coot Greyward doing?"


    "Mr Greyward?"


    "Yes, Greyward. Johnson Greyward, Captain of the Black Guards. Fifty-one-years old, single. Grey hair, rough complexion, around a head taller than the average man. Enjoys drinking and doting on his adopted daughter. And..."


    She paused for a moment.


    "Out for revenge against Yumias la Freyr, the Cursed Witch."


    "..."


    "Now, I don''t care about how his futile revenge is going. I just want to know how he is doing, right now."


    How he was doing, she said...


    "Uhm... I guess he is doing well?"


    "Well, huh..."


    She took another sip.


    "I guess that is good news. I feared he might have gotten too obsessed with his revenge."


    "His... revenge?" Karen asked.


    "Oh my, you don''t know?"


    Mrs Karker looked in surprise at Karen, then glanced towards me.


    "Nn, I know...  Well, more or less."


    I knew, at the very least, that he had more than just a single bone to pick with Yumias.


    "I see. Haa... I was hopeful for a moment that he had buried that stupid ambition."


    She shook her head and sighed.


    "Is revenge... a stupid ambition?"


    "Revenge by itself? No, not necessarily. Revenge against Yumias? Yes, definitely so."


    She put down her teacup, facing Karen.


    "Revenge, at times, is necessary. For the person itself, for the people around themself... There are times when revenge is inevitable. But that is only when you can actually take revenge. Yumias is not someone you can take revenge on. In the first place, he should rather focus on the people around him, that need him."


    A wry smile appeared on Mrs Karker''s lips.


    "Do you two know why Yumias is called ''The Cursed Witch''?" she suddenly asked.


    "Eh? Because of the tale surrounding her, no?"


    "The tale actually doesn''t give an explanation to the name. It tells of her journey in our world, how she fought the gods, how she brought ruin, death, disease and simultaneously saved the people. But it doesn''t tell the reason for that name."


    That monster... fought with gods?! Seriously?!


    "According to the person herself, it is because ''she was punished''."


    "... Punished?"


    "Yes, punished. She played with powers she shouldn''t touch. I have never found out what exactly she meant with that, though. Or how someone could punish a being with power rivaling a god''s."


    "So, her punishment was a curse?"


    "That seems to be the case."


    That sure wasn''t something I expected. Nevermind that I never actually expected to hear about Yumias right now.


    "The only thing Yumias truly cares about is this punishment and this curse. She doesn''t care for anything else. If she could free herself, she wouldn''t bat an eye doing everything and anything she could, even if it meant destroying the world or sacrificing every person she knows. Of that, I am certain. She doesn''t care for us. Even if a person she knows would die, she won''t shed a tear. She might not even feel anything anymore. That''s why revenge against her is futile. You cannot take revenge on someone you can neither kill nor hurt. That''s what I believe."


    Certainly, revenge would include hurting the target party in some way... If that was impossible...


    "Haa, let''s shelve such dreary topics.  If he is doing well, that is good enough for me. As long as he properly takes care of that girl, that is."


    "That girl? Do you mean Lily?"


    There weren''t any other girls that she could mean, were there?


    "Lily, huh. Yes, I mean that girl."


    "Do you know her?"


    "... You could say that. Although she probably doesn''t know me. I''d appreciate it if you could keep quiet about me."


    "Nn?"


    The heck? She knew Lily but Lily didn''t know her? Oh, maybe, since she knows Greyward, maybe she met with Lily before when she was small? That could be it. But why should we keep quiet then?


    "Really, let''s shelve those serious topics now. Actually, nevermind that, I am curious about one more thing."


    Leaning forward, her expression hardened once again.


    "Tell me. How do... girls do it with each other?"


    ""... Eh?""


    My mind froze.


    Did she... just ask that? Really? I didn''t hallucinate, did I?


    "I''ve only ever known my husband so... I never thought about that before. My granddaughter and her girlfriend, they are probably sleeping with each other, right?"


    "... Probably?"


    We hadn''t talked with those two girls outside of that one time at the camp. There was no way we knew how their relationship was going...


    Either way, it wasn''t like we could intrude on their privacy like that anyway. We barely knew them.


    "Probably, you say. Probably. So, how do... girls do it?"


    "..."


    Did we really have to answer that? That was a little too embarrassing a topic to just talk about.


    "Uhm... That''s how..."


    Karen glanced at me, her face turning red.


    She stuttered a few words, unsure of what to say. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.


    "That''s... With your fingers... and mouth... and I heard some use toys... Uhm..."


    "I see... So it''s really like that... Mm..."


    Ahh... I could feel my face turning hot from the embarrassment as well. Was this really necessary?


    "I... heard that some magicians also use magic for it."


    "Magic?"


    Now, that wasn''t something I expected to hear. How would you eve¡ª


    Actually, no, thinking about it, wouldn''t my stuff count as magic too? Not that we... Yet...


    "Well, outside of conception magic, there are also some types that apparently help to enjoy the night. You never heard of that?"


    "No... Can''t say I did."


    Karen shook her head. While neither had I heard about those, there was something else that caught my interest.


    "... Conception magic? What''s that?"


    "You... Did you... Not know about that?"


    Mrs Karker, for some reason, stared wide-eyed at me.


    "Uhm... To be honest, I haven''t heard of it either..."


    "... Neither of you did? And yet you... I must say... Ha... Hahaha! You two are quite brave! Seriously!"


    She broke out in laughter, holding her stomach.


    "You two are great. Haaa... Then, let me explain. Conception magic is a kind of spirit magic and it allows a same-sex couple to have children."


    "... Seriously?"


    "Seriously. If it weren''t, I very much doubt it would be allowed in this country. In the first place, my granddaughter is the only heir of the family. If she couldn''t have children, we''d be very much troubled."


    "Nn, she has no siblings?"


    Wasn''t that bad? If something were to happen to her... Well, hopefully, nothing would happen to her, but... Yeah...


    "She doesn''t. Her parents tried but she was the only child they were blessed with. And although she has a cousin, that girl has gone missing in an incident many years ago."


    "I see..."


    It would probably be too much to ask about that, so I refrained. Even I had a little tact.


    "With that said, conception magic is rather rare I guess... You need a spirit magician after all and it can get rather costly. Maybe that is why there are so few willing to come out with it nowadays. They just don''t know... I see, I''ll have to keep that in mind."


    Halfway through, she started to murmur to herself, nodding in between.


    "Mhm, this has been rather enlightening. Thank you."


    "Ah, no... We didn''t really do anything."


    "What are you saying, you talked with me about these things. That alone already deserves my thanks. There aren''t many I could ask about these, after all."


    Not many, huh. Well, it certainly wasn''t exactly common, that much was true.


    "Speaking of which... Were you two out to have fun?"


    "Nn? Yes, we were taking a walk before returning."


    "Oh, did you two have to go back? I hope I didn''t trouble you by inviting you here."


    "No, we''re on break today. As long as we get back before the gate closes, it''s fine."


    "That''s a relief."


    She took another sip of her tea, smiling.


    That reminded me, I hadn''t taken a sip yet myself. I took the cup and drunk a little.


    Oh, this is quite delicious. But is this really tea? It tastes like juice a little. Except hot. It''s a little odd but good.


    "Then, allow me to have someone guide you back later. We can still talk for a good while and if you miss the gate closing, they can let you through regardless."


    "Ah, no, we couldn''t trouble you that much."


    "Ohh, it''s no trouble, it''s the opposite. I''m already quite old so I rarely have the chance to talk with youths like you two. I very much enjoy this time."


    She smiled warmly. I felt a little bad for the trouble but...


    "Then... If you insist."


    "I very much do. I''d like to hear a little more about how you two¡ª


    At that moment, someone knocked on the door.


    "Milady, a messenger from the Allena''s has come."


    "Haaa... I hoped they''d at least not get on my nerves today. Hilla, send him to the other reception room. I will come in a moment."


    "As you wish, Milady."


    Steps could be heard from the other side of the door, distancing themselves.


    "Unfortunately, it seems we already have to cut it short now. This was a lot shorter than I hoped it would be..."


    Mrs Karker sighed and stood up from the couch. She walked to the bookshelf behind her pulling out a boo¡ª Wait for a...


    That''s not a book?! It''s a hidden stash!


    The book, or what seemed to be one, was actually just a book-shaped box with things inside.


    Mrs Karker glanced back, looking at me, a big grin on her face. It was clearly a bragging grin.


    "Hahaha, here you two. Take these with you. and give Korwen my greetings."


    She handed us a small bag. Curious I peered inside.


    "Ohh, it''s candies."


    "Enjoy them on your way back. Now, I''ll call someone to bring you to the gate, unless you have any other plans?"


    "Ah, no, we don''t."


    "Good, good, just a moment, then."


    She opened the door and waved to someone, calling them over. It was the guard who had led us inside.


    "Bring these two to the western gate. Make sure they get through safely, understood?"


    "Yes, Milady!"


    "Good. Now then, please do visit again. I''d be very happy if you did."


    "We will. Thank you. For the candies as well."


    "No need to thank me. Go and enjoy your remaining evening. Until next time."


    She smiled before leaving, probably to meet that messenger.


    "Then, my ladies, I will escort you back."


    Woah, he called us ladies!


    I was a little taken aback by the way he addressed us. Though, I couldn''t say it was a bad feeling.


    "Tha, Thank you."


    "Nn..."


    Karen seemed to be a little surprised as well.


    With that said, I wonder... Wasn''t Allena that guy that caused trouble at the festival? I hope everything will be fine.


    I wished Mrs Karker some luck in my mind before departing with Karen and our newly acquired escort. It was time to get back to the camp.


    Rinne


    Meanwhile... I am sleepy as hell. The ambulance waking me up at like 3AM sure didn''t help either. And just buying groceries has become a huge pain.


    This whole situation is a lot more mentally draining than I would have thought. And it''s probably far from over.


    Can only persevere through it. Still, I hope it ends rather sooner than later. Hope you all do better than me.


    Well, in other news, I am intending to set up a discord server, so I will probably put up an invite link over the week. Then you can harass me in person so I get to writing. That might actually help.


    I''m likely going to put the invite link on next weeks chapter too though, no worries.


    Until then!

 [April Fool’s] Chapter of New Frontiers: Onwards to the Academy!

    Rinne


    Of course, there won''t be any major changes or anything to the story like the announcement below said. All stays the same.


    As for the massive chapter? The one that is like three times the length of the regular chapters? Well, this is actually a chapter I wrote back in August. In fact, this was the original ending chapter for the arc.


    It was rejected for obvious reasons, I guess... The first part and the ending note are about the only things that stayed the same.


    As such, this chapter is entirely non-canon. That''s important to keep in mind. Since August, a lot of the settings changed and were modified.


    But I didn''t want to discard such a massive chapter entirely, you know. The chapter itself is nearly 13,000 words long. It''d be a shame.


    I''ve been thinking, once I get more time on my hands, I could maybe casually write a spin-off based on this chapter. Pretty much the kind that is mentioned in the announcement below.


    For now, though, it served its use as a small prank.


    I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!


    Rinn¨¦


    P.S.: Discord Invite is here!


    My dear readers! As always, thank you for reading!


    It has been a long time, well over a year by now. It was a fun ride. Over time, I started to see things in a different way. My opinions changed, my thoughts on certain matters changed, my tastes changed. That''s, after all, how life goes, right?


    So, with that said, there''s an important piece of news I have share with you all:


    The direction of Taboo Journal has to change. I am tired of writing realistic (lol) middle-ages fantasy (lol) isekai (the only true part). Ah, but we keep the MC genderbender''d cause I like it that way. We also keep the yuri. But we need more yuri so I am thinking of making it a yuri harem. Sounds good to me, right? Maybe I should also just go full smut, but that''s something I still have to contemplate about.


    Actually, how about we just turn the entire world into cute girls... Yeah... I''ll take note of that for future ideas. Maybe Yumias gets bored with the men at some point and just genderbenders everyone. Nice plot idea.


    Of course, with everyone, I mean all the men. Nobody needs those guys after all.


    Anyway, that idea came now too late so you will have to make do with this. We''re going to completely trash the last half a year of the story, okay? Yeah, I know, it''s annoying, but I know you guys can do it.


    We''re going to start back at the time when they just arrived at the Lafrian Capital. Speaking of which, did I ever name it? I don''t remember, someone, tell me, please.


    Basically, we''re replacing the second arc''s final chapter. Why there?


    Dude (or Dudette), of course, so we can go to school! Or the academy, actually.


    Now, now, so, for those who are going to dive in into this newest of chapters, you might need a refresher, yes? Been a while since you read this, probably.


    Okay, so, to sum it up. Our beloved group of little girls got bullied back in the fort¡ªfeaturing explosions, death and curses¡ªand now they fled to the capital of Lafria Kingdom! On the way there, they engaged in some questionable watersports games involving a wooden mug as well as a few unimportant discussions or so. Can''t remember. Then they arrived, unceremoniously, and are now entering the city. That''s where we are going to pick it up!


    Oh, and for those who manage to arrive at the end, there might be a little gift waiting for you all.


    And no cheating, you hear! Only good boys and girls get a cookie!


    On an ending note, the working title of this story for the future will be Academy Journal ¡ª Studying Sex Ed all day long in another world!


    I''ll get to changing it tomorrow, ''kay?


    Now then, here you go!


    Enjoy the chapter!


    Rinn¨¦


    Red.


    That was my first impression. A deep red. Look to the left and you could see red. Look to the right and you would still see red. It was everywhere. Every building was built with red bricks. Even the pavement was red. And yet, despite it being everywhere, it wasn''t overwhelming. If I had to describe the impression... it would be idyllic.


    "That''s a lot of... red," commented Karen, her gaze sweeping from left to right.


    "Nn. It''s red."


    "It really is red."


    The three of us surveyed the townscape. The door we left through led us straight onto the main street, right next to the gate. Maybe because it was morning but it wasn''t really crowded. It wasn''t entirely empty either, though. A good amount of people were still walking on the streets towards their respective destinations. The carriages that came through the gate disappeared somewhere in the distance.


    "It''s really different from Arkesta or Aldras."


    "Aldras?"


    "Aldreigh''s capital."


    "Ohh."


    I wondered how that one looked like. I hadn''t seen Arkesta from the inside, but the outside wasn''t pretty. It was dark, if I had to describe it. On the other hand, this city was bright. Bright red...


    "Let''s wait for Lily and the girls. It shouldn''t take long, probably," suggested Karen."


    "Nn."


    "Okay, Big Sis!"


    We walked towards a nearby corner from where we could overlook the gate. It didn''t take us long to locate Lily either. It was nearly their turn now. It was an odd sight, Lily surrounded by four girls. Like a group of young girls that were out to play and their guardian.


    Nn? Four?


    "Sis, is that Lefa?"


    "Mh? Oh, you''re right. I guess those boys behind them are the other students then?"


    I unfortunately couldn''t really see those. And without seeing them, I couldn''t affirm it either. Although it stood to reason that it were the other two students and maybe their professor as well. Then again, maybe their professor wouldn''t be able to handle this?


    "Oh, it''s Lily''s turn now."


    "Nn, seems like it."


    Lily talked with the guard in charge for a minute or so and then they were left through. It really was simple. I kind of expected some sort of entrance or exit fee.


    Karen waved towards Lily, calling them over.


    "That went a lot smoother than I expected to be honest. I half feared that we would get held up for some reason."


    Such was Lily''s first comment. I could somehow relate, as I was a little surprised as well at how smooth it went as well.


    "Lily, what did the guard ask you?"


    "Just some standard stuff. Why are you here? Where are you from? Such things."


    "Hmm. Well, as long as nothing is wrong. So, those three..."


    Karen looked past Lily, at the three little ones. They were kind of engrossed in the buildings. We weren''t the only ones who were in awe at the reddish scenery.


    Karen and Lily both smiled wryly at their reactions.


    "How about we leisurely walk towards the market? It''s a little walk, so we can look at the buildings for a while."


    "If you know where that market is, Lily."


    "Just leave it to me! Follow me!"


    With enthusiasm, Lily took the lead. It took a moment for Emily and them to register that we would move on. They hurried behind Lily and continued staring at the various buildings while walking. Hopefully they wouldn''t run into other people by accident.


    "Still, I expected it to be more crowded. It''s a capital after all," I wondered.


    There were  maybe two or three dozen people at most on the streets. It wasn''t empty by any means. But... I had expected it to be incredibly crowded.


    "Mh? Oh, well, today is the first day of the new season, so they are probably... Oh... Right. Yumi! Come here for a second!"


    "Nn? Wah?! What are you doing, Lily?"


    Lily had suddenly stopped, turned around and pulled me away to the side. Then she bowed down and whispered something in my ear. Everyone else stared at us curiously.


    But I was glad Lily did this. Because what she told me was certainly important. It would''ve been a problem if I hadn''t known this.


    "Nn, thank you for telling me, Lily."


    "Hehe, no problem! Now go."


    "Nn."


    I walked over to Karen, who was tilting her head at me, clearly not knowing what was going on. I couldn''t help but smile a little, looking forward to her reaction. Then I bowed to her.


    "I wish you all the best for the coming year, that we may be together for a long time to come and that the moon and the gods may bless you with happiness and good health. Congratulations!"


    "Eh?"


    Karen stared at me, dumbfounded. It took a moment for her to register what I had said. Then, for some odd reason, she blushed furiously and averted her gaze.


    "Eh, uh, uhm... Tha-, Thank you... Yumi..."


    Was she that surprised? Why was she so embarrassed? Lily said it was normal to say this on their birthmonth...


    I took a quick glance to the side, looking at the others. Maya was also blushing. She was red like a tomato. Sele on the other side looked crestfallen, mouth agape and ready to burst into tears any moment. And finally, Rina and Emily were clearly excited. Like, incredibly excited.


    This is odd. I only said exactly what Lily told me... Isn''t this about the same thing Karen had told me before?


    Still slightly confused, I turned towards Lily, who was grinning from ear to ear, looking absolutely proud of herself.


    She did something.  She absolutely did something. Whatever I said, there must''ve been something weird about it.


    "Yumi is so bold!"


    "She is. Lil'' Sis is really bold."


    "... Wow."


    On the side I could hear Emily, Rina and Maya giving their respective comments.


    "Lily. I want an explanation."


    "Ehh? Isn''t it fine?"


    "... Lily."


    "Well, I could, but..."


    Lily glanced towards Karen, who was now hiding her tomato-like face behind her hands.


    "Karen, shouldn''t you explain it?"


    "Eh? But... That... Eh... Uhh..."


    Karen was currently malfunctioning. Although she didn''t seem to dislike whatever I had said. She was clearly trying to hide her smile.


    Since I couldn''t expect an explanation from Karen, I turned back to Lily.


    "Guess I have to, don''t I... Well, Yumi. You see, only one person gives the full congratulations for your birth month every year."


    "Huh."


    "And it''s usually your closest relative."


    "Huh."


    "And the closest relatives are, well, lovers and married couples, in a way. Right?"


    "..."


    Ah, I had a little inkling where this was going.


    "And depending on how close you are to the person in question, the sentence changes."


    "Okay..."


    "For example, mentioning the blessings of the sun or the moon is reserved to only two, actually rather three, occasions."


    "..."


    A really wide grin appeared on Lily''s face. I was a little worried that she''d stretch out her mouth at this rate.


    "Mentioning the sun is either what the husband says to his wife or when you propose. In the latter case it can also be mentioned by a woman, usually when they are lovers already."


    "... And the moon?"


    "Wife to husband."


    "..."


    My face was slowly heating up. Or not slowly, it was already boiling.


    Lily! You tricked me! Ahhh!


    I wanted to crawl into the ground. Very deep into the ground and never come out again. No wonder everyone was blushing.


    Squatting down down, I held my head.


    "So, what are you going to do now? Want to try again?"


    "... I won''t."


    "Oh?"


    "I won''t."


    What was already said, was said. I couldn''t do it over. And anyway...


    "It''s fine."


    I took a deep breath and stood up again. My face still felt incredibly hot, but... It was fine as is. It was embarrassing, sure. But...


    Nn? Wait... What did Karen exactly say again back then? Did she mention anything specific? Ahh, I was so touched at that moment but I can''t remember the exact words. Wasn''t that right before the confession? Why can''t I remember something this important!


    I probably had been so focussed on the confession at the time that my useless brain didn''t bother to save that part to my memory. Stupid brain.


    Anyway! Anyway... Thinking about it...  Calmly... Did I... Did I just become the wife of this relationship? Shouldn''t it be the other way round? It should, right? Right?


    I was a former man after all. Wasn''t it odd that I was the wife?


    "You heard her, Karen? Aren''t you glad?"


    "..."


    I turned around to take a look at Karen. Which I couldn''t, since she had turned around, still hiding her own face. If it was possible for someone to release steam from blushing, then she was surely very close to it.


    It was relatable, though. After all, Lily just managed to casually make me declare myself as Karen''s wife. Well, obviously not really, but figuratively at least. Which obviously would imply that Karen was the other part of that relationship.


    It was quite embarrassing. And those excited yet innocent stares from Rina and Emily sure weren''t helping.


    But it doesn''t feel bad. It doesn''t... Rather... Ahh, don''t get ahead of yourself Yumi! Don''t jump the gun. All in due time.


    While the thought made me happy, it was still too early to think about that. Way too early.


    I took a deep breath, clutching my hands close to my chest. I could feel my fast beating heart. I took another deep breath. Alas, I didn''t calm down a single bit. Not a single bit. In fact, I had the feeling it only got worse.


    Ahhh, if that''s the case! Then... Then!


    If I couldn''t calm down, then I it didn''t matter anyway whatever I did now, right? My heart would surely jump out of my chest anyway, so who cared. Flawless logic!


    With newfound determination, ignoring how questionable it was, I walked around Karen so that I stood in front of her. Then I pulled one of her hands down, so she couldn''t hide her face anymore.


    Holding my newly acquired trophy, namely Karen''s hand, I turned towards the front.


    "O-, O-... Off! We go!" I shouted.


    Then I simply walked forward, pulling the frozen Karen along. I didn''t try to look back to check for the others'' reactions. I would probably die in an instant if I did.


    At least I can do what I want now! It''s okay! Totally! I won''t hold back anymore!


    Around fifteen minutes later the situation had turned completely around. Maybe Karen stopped caring about the stares as well. At least we were happily and giddily walking along the streets, hand in hand, smiles on our faces.


    It was still embarrassing, though. Well, most people around us probably thought we were sisters, so it was fine. Although the warm gazes from some housewives gave me a slightly complicated feeling.


    Nevertheless, we still had a proper destination, and obviously it wouldn''t take forever to reach it either.


    "This is the market? It''s... huge."


    There was a large plaza spreading out in front of us. And there were dozens over dozens of stalls, each one having their own products on display. Included came burly men shouting loudly to attract customers.


    But it was truly a bustling place, not even remotely comparable to the streets we had been walking along.


    "As expected of the first day of the new season. It''s really crowded."


    "Nn, first day of the new season? Is that a special day?"


    "It is. With the first day of the month the summer season starts now. Many places celebrate at this time to welcome the summer and the second half of the year."


    "Huh..."


    "Well, regardless of that, let''s look for some food stalls or similar. I want something other than jerky in my stomach."


    Yes, that was a good idea. I full-heartedly agreed. Jerky wasn''t a sufficient breakfast.


    "A food stall. What kind of food stall should we look for, then?" asked Karen.


    "Mh, anything that has something we can eat right now."


    "That... might be hard."


    Most stalls seemed to sell only a few products related to their trade. A butcher would mostly sell meat while a baker would of course sell bread. Much to my surprise I even saw a stall selling fish. And even a stall with honey products. So bees existed here.


    Still, how did the fish and meat stalls cool their food? Wouldn''t they go bad?


    "Oh, I think I found something."


    Lily pointed at a stall a little away. I couldn''t see anything through the crowd, though.


    Once more, Lily took the lead and led us to a peculiar stall.


    "Excuse me, are those Larfas Rolls?"


    "Oh? Yes, they are," answered the man from the stall.


    Lily had pointed at some kind of pastry in a basket. Apparently she knew what it was.


    "Lily, what are those?"


    "Mh? It''s a puff pastry with minced meat inside. It''s delicious and you can eat it on the spot."


    "Ohh."


    That certainly sounded good.


    "Are we fine with this then?" asked Karen.


    The others quickly agreed and a few minutes later we stood a little away from the market, each of us with the peculiar pastry in hand.


    "This is... quite delicious."


    "Nn, it is."


    I had been looking forward to it but much to my surprise it was even better than I had expected. Still a little warm, you could really feel how the baker put all their heart into it. Or maybe the butcher? I didn''t really take a look at the other things the stall had to offer...


    "Still, was that fine, Lily? Three silver coins was quite a lot."


    "We got one for free, so I don''t think it''s too bad of a deal, Karen. And you won''t get these that often anyway. Why not indulge a little today?"


    "If you say so."


    Despite what she said, Karen was still happily eating it. The pastry was quite popular among Emily and them as well. They had already finished theirs and now they were a little sad there wasn''t anything left for them. Unfortunately we couldn''t change that. Honestly, the pastry still was a little small for breakfast. Otherwise I might have given them a little bit of mine.


    "Well then, since we''re here... We should talk about what we''re doing from now on."


    I barely finished my own pastry and Lily already brought up the topic we all wanted to avoid a little. Karen looked a little reluctant to say anything, Rina seemed quite indifferent. Much to my surprise, Emily wasn''t really reacting either. Mainly Maya and Sele looked down.


    "We have roughly two choices. Either we stay with the mercenaries or we try to live on our own. Staying with the mercenaries comes with many risks. Such as battle, constant travelling and danger and such things. The pay is quite good, though."


    Although I was fairly certain she had said before that the pay for the magicians was quite bad...


    "On the other hand, if we don''t, we have to find some other work, work that pays well enough that we can live from it. But, while Lafria isn''t as bad as most countries, it might still be hard for women to find work on their own."


    "Ah, but didn''t Yumi get that letter from Mr Captain?" asked Karen.


    "That''s right but whether it would work out is a different matter, isn''t it?"


    "But it''s an option at least."


    "It is, but before we even get to that we still have to decide what we are going to do."


    Even if it was an option, if it didn''t work out we''d be at a loss at what to do. That was the truth.


    "And so, what do you girls think?"


    Lily turned towards Emily and the others. They all looked a little surprised at being suddenly addressed. Neither of them said anything for a moment, only looking around awkwardly.


    But after a little pause, Sele stepped forward. And hugged my arm.


    "Ehh... I guess that means you want to stay with Yumi?"


    "..."


    Sele nodded in response to Lily''s question.


    "That''s fine too, I guess. So, and what about you two? Emily? Maya?"


    Especially Maya, she kept staring at the ground.


    "Maya, you don''t want to leave?"


    "..."


    She slowly shook her head. Well, it wasn''t all too unexpected.


    "As expected, huh..."


    "I... I want to stay with uncle... But... I also want to stay with you..."


    Her voice was small, completely different from her usual calm and sometimes headstrong behaviour.


    Emily walked up to Maya and hugged her.


    "Maya, you see, the birds, when it''s winter, they all leave the forest."


    "Leave... the forest?"


    "They leave. It''s too cold for them so they go elsewhere. But, you see, when winter is over, they always come back."


    Maya tilted her head in confusion. Emily looked a little troubled that her analogy didn''t reach her. Whatever it was even supposed to mean anyway.


    "Birds... Oh! Emily, do you mean that even if you leave we will still be able to see each other?" asked Lily.


    "Yes!"


    With a smile Emily affirmed it. So that''s what it was about.


    "That''s why, Maya, even if we aren''t with Uncle anymore, we can still visit him and play with him!"


    "..."


    Maya stared at Emily, slightly dumbounded. Then she smiled and hugged Emily back.


    "You''re right, Emily. That''s right! We can still see him!"


    Well, whether he had time to play with them was a slightly different matter, though. Also, they would probably not stay here forever. But in any case, Maya seemed to be a lot better now.


    "I guess we got that cleared up then. Rina, what about you?"


    "Me? I''ll stay where you stay."


    "..."


    That was so blunt that even Lily didn''t know how to react to it. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed.


    "Then, Karen? Yumi? I have a suggestion."


    "Suggestion?"


    "Yes. The Dragon Knights will be staying for pretty long this time around I heard. If it comes to a conflict with the Akkian Empire even more so. So, it may be a little rude, but how about we set us a time limit?"


    "A time limit?"


    And what would we do within that time limit?


    "Basically, we still need to find work. The money that Fenna gave us will probably last us a little while but not forever. So, I suggest we try to find work and live on our own. If we can''t manage that until the Dragon Knights leave again or if we run out of money, then that''s it. And we''ll go with them."


    "That''s... I mean, it''s a good idea, but do you think they''d accept that?"


    "Korwen is soft-hearted, so I''m sure he will."


    Wasn''t that completely taking advantage of him now. She was right, it was a bit rude to him.


    "... I am okay with that."


    Karen readily agreed to it.


    I thoguht about it for a little bit... It was a good suggestion, but...


    "Yumi? Is something wrong?"


    Lily asked me who went silent.


    "Nn... Sis, Lily... Is this... fine?"


    "What do you mean?"


    Wasn''t this exactly what Yumias had warned me about?


    "Yumi?"


    "... No, it''s nothing. Sorry about that. I''m fine with this as well."


    I discarded my doubts and shelved them. What should even be the problem? If we weren''t even fighting, there''d also be no danger. Yes, surely...


    "Then, I guess that decides it. Then, there''s another thing I want to talk about. Since we decided to do this."


    Lily pointed and Rina, Emily, Maya and Sele.


    "You four. Obviously we can''t let you go work somewhere on your own. So I have another suggestion."


    A warm smile adorned Lily''s face.


    "The Academy is also taking in students, like Lefa. For Rina it''s a good option to learn many things, and for you three it''s also a chance to widen your horizons a little. There are many things you can do, and a little education will serve you all well in the future for that."


    All four girls stared blankly at Lily, maybe not quite able to register what she was even talking about. Seeing that reaction, her smile turned a little wry.


    "Well, we''ll talk with the Academy about that. For now, we should focus on the more immediate problems."


    "A place to sleep and food?"


    "Right, Karen. We have to find a place where we can sleep. I got a few ideas but whether they''ll work out is another matter."


    "Nn, what kind of ideas?"


    "For example, finding live-in work. That would be a little problem, though since we''re seven. The next would be finding an inn and rent rooms. The last would be renting a small place. Unfortunately we don''t have the money for the latter especially."


    Renting a little building was surely expensive in the capital. So renting a room had a higher chance of success. Wasn''t that the only real option among those anyway?


    "It''s still early though, so we can probably look for a place later. In the worst case, we go outside and sleep in the wagon for tonight."


    "Nn, but what do you want to do instead then?"


    "Simple. We''ll visit the Academy."


    "Eh?"


    "Better strike while the iron''s hot, right? For one, we already know a few people there who might be able to help us. Additionally, depending on the contents of the letter, they might be able to help us a little more."


    Oh, that was right. I had my doubts but if it was possible, it was certainly worth a try.


    "We all okay with that?"


    We certainly didn''t have any other idea. And so, it was decided that our first destination would be the Academy.


    "This is a long wall."


    "Only a little more, Yumi. The gate is over there."


    "Oh, you''re right. Still, to build a wall around the entire Academy... Are they that worried someone might break in?"


    "Yes. The Academy contains many secrets, everyone knows that. And that makes it attractive, of course."


    A forefront in science, huh. Technology was indeed attractive. Very, in fact.


    "Yumi, take out the letter."


    "Nn."


    I opened the bag and brought out the letter.


    We approached the gate and the guard already scrutinised us. He was clearly wary.


    Collecting all my courage, I stepped forward and held up we letter.


    "Uhm, we''d like to talk with the, uh... Headmaster?"


    "A letter? Excuse me."


    The guard took the letter and inspected it, front and back. There was a little wax seal on the front.


    "From the Dragon Knights? Seems genuine. Okay, you may pass."


    "Thank you. Ah, where do we have to go?"


    "Follow the road and enter the main building. Third floor is the headmaster''s office. You can''t miss it.


    "Thank you."


    I thanked the guard with a smile. He blushed and looked away. Too bad for him I wasn''t interested in men.


    Still, it was a little relief that a smile did work at least a little. Remebering the guard in Arkesta, he wasn''t reacting at all.


    "Then, let''s go. Main building, third floor, huh. Oh, are those students?"


    Lily pointed at a small field to the side. There was a group of around ten children varying ages. They were all surrounding an older man, probably their teacher.


    The students spotted us, and much to the teacher''s chagrin, we drew some attention from them.


    "Seems so. It''s the same uniform that Lefa was wearing," answered Karen.


    "Nn, speaking of which. Did Lefa get back here safely?"


    "I wonder. I hope so, though."


    We leisurely entered the main building and walked up the stairs on the side. The building was tall and there surely a few more floors past the third one. On the way we saw a few people, maybe researchers or teachers. They glanced at us curiously but without exception they quickly lost interest again.


    We arrived on the third floor without incident. Right in the middle of the hall was a large door. Scribbled right above it in a very awkward letters were the words ''Headmas'' Offise''.


    "That''s... Is that it? It is, isn''t it? What''s up with that sign?"


    "No idea. Let''s... Let''s pretend we never saw that.


    With a little of an awkward atmosphere, we approached the door and Lily knocked on it.


    "Enter."


    Nearly immediately we got an answer. Lily took a breath and opened the door. Bracing myself, I followed her.


    "Excuse us."


    "Oh? An odd group off girls came. You... aren''t students, right?"


    "No, we aren''t. We''re... Uh, travellers?"


    "Travellers? And what business do you travellers have with me?"


    An old man with white hair sat at a desk, quill and ink in front of him and scribbling on documents, not even stopping while he talked to us.


    "Yumi, the letter."


    "Nn. We have a letter for you."


    "A letter?"


    I walked to him and gave him the letter. The man, instead of bothering with the letter, inspected me from top to bottom instead.


    "You''re an odd girl. Are you alive?"


    "Eh? Uhm, I am?"


    "Hoo, curious. Well, let''s see what this letter says."


    He took a knife and swiftly opened the letter, clearly with practiced movements. Although he completely disregarded the wax seal on it. Was there even a point to it?


    Unfolding the letter, he read through it. I was a little anxious, since I didn''T know the contents of the letter either.


    "Hm, I see. I see. Curious, a monster, huh. That explains the odd feeling."


    "Eh?"


    The letter told him about me? Korwen, the heck did you do?


    "Mh, I see. So, since you delivered the letter to me, I assume you girls are looking for work. Mr Korwen said you had some significant education? You are Yumi, right?"


    "Ah, yes. I, I guess you could say that?"


    "Hoo then, among the other girls, who else received education in mathmatics and literature?"


    He directed his attention to the other ones. Lily and Karen awkwardly raised their hands.


    "I see, I see. The letter also states that some of your group might want to enroll in our school department, am I right?"


    "Eh? Well, yes. These girls."


    Lily pointed at Rina, Emily and the girls. Apparently Korwen had the same thoughts as Lily. How amusing. They really loved those girls, didn''t they.


    "Hohoo. So four students. That''s nice, that''s nice. Way too few people appreciate a proper education. Every single child wanting to learn about our world and its wonders is welcome. You''re free to enroll. In fact, I welcome you."


    He smiled and spread out his arms in a welcoming gesture.


    "The enrollment procedure is simple. We''ll go over that within a minute. First about the others though. I assume you want to work, here, right?"


    "Yes, ah, but if possible, I first wanted to ask at the military school. But that''s only me," answered Lily.


    "The military school? Ho, well, I guess that is suitable too. Let me pen a small letter to confirm that you worked as a mercenary. It might help you."


    "Eh? Is that fine? Thank you very much."


    Surprised at the friendly offer, Lily bowed in gratitude.


    "Don''t mind it. We are owing the Dragon Knights a lot. The Black Guards too. Speaking of which... You wouldn''t be that girl the Black Guards brought around seven years ago, hoping for her to enroll here?"


    "Ah... uh... Yes... That... Probably was me."


    "Hohoho, never would have thought that little crybaby would now come back, all grown up. How time flies, doesn''t it."


    "Uhh..."


    Lily blushed in embarrassment and averted her eyes. In contrast, the headmaster only smiled gently.


    "Then, the other two of you want to work here, right?"


    He directed his attention to me and Karen.


    "If we can, it would help us a lot."


    "Nn."


    "Well, whether you can or not, we will see. I hope you don''t mind, but I''d like you to take a little test. Our four potential students as well. Why not all of you take one?"


    He finally put down his quill and stood up.


    "Let''s see, let''s see. I remember we had a few positions we needed to fill, so if you qualify, that would in fact help us a lot. Give me a moment, who was in charge for those tests again... Who was it... Ohh, right. Right. Little Mortas was it. Speaking of which, you probably know her older sister, don''t you?"


    "Mortas? Can''t say I heard that name before."


    Karen shook her head in denial. I never heard that name either, so... Glancing at the others, nobody seemed to react to that name.


    "Not? Riava Mortas, sleepy woman, always on the verge of falling over."


    "... Ah. Ria. That''s definitely Ria."


    "Hoo, I see. She never was fond of her family name, so she kept it hidden. Well, that''s not of any consequence for me."


    He walked past us and opened the door.


    "Follow me, I''ll show you where to take the test."


    We were led into a small room with various desks. It reminded me of a classroom. In side was a lone young woman, probably having just reached twenty.


    "Mortas."


    "Mhh? Oh? Headmaster, how can I help you?"


    "I''d like you to test these girls."


    "Mh? Those girls? For enrollemnt?"


    "No, four for enrollment and the other three for work."


    The woman''s eyes widened then she looked over us.


    "I see, I see. I guess the four little ones are for enrollment?"


    "No, this girl is here for work."


    The headmaster motioned in my direction.


    "Eh? This little girl? Are you joking, headmaster?"


    "Now, now. She got recognition from your very own sister, how about giving her a chance."


    "From Riava? She met Riava? Seriously? And she acknowledged her?"


    "Yes, that''s exactly the case.


    The woman stared intensely at me. It was a little unpleasant.


    "I see. Then, I won''t hold back. Then, the girls taking the enrollment test, please sit on this side. The other three sit here please."


    She stood up and immediately split us up.


    I sat down and took a look around. It was somehow nostalgic, as if I was back in school. Although the entire interior was a little old-fashioned. Also, it was still red. The walls, the ceilings. All red. The floor wasn''t red here, though.


    "Then, I''ll leave it to you, Mortas. I wish you girls good luck."


    The headmaster left the room.


    Then, let''s see. The tests, tests were here. Ah, no those are the regular ones. Mh... Ah, right. Excuse me for a moment, I''ll be back in a moment."


    The woman, Mortas, stormed out of the room as well.


    "How energetic. Completely different fdrom Ria."


    "Nn. I kind of expected her to be just as sleepy."


    "Really, I expected that too. Oh, she''s back already."


    The door opened again and she returned with a number of sheets.


    "Good, good. Now, these here are the enrollment tests. Don''t worry too much, just fill out as much as you can, yes? Pens are here."


    She handed a bundle of papter and a pen to each of the four girls.


    "Then, the work qualification is here. Please do your best. And here''s a pen."


    Then she handed the remaining bundles, together with a pen to each of us.


    "Now, let me introduce myself again. I''m Mariele Mortas and I''ll watch over you for today. Please keep quiet, if you have any questions, raise your hand. Are we clear on that? You got one hour. Feel free to start now!"


    With a smile she sat down.


    The test had started now.


    I looked over the sheet and noticed a problem.


    I have trouble reading it. Uhh, I should have practised more. This''ll take some time. Oh, these are math questions. That looks... easy.


    There were a few papers solely with mathmatical equations and calculations. The first page was simple addition and substraction, but the later sheets became gradually harder. The last pages I had honestly no idea how to solve either. And I had a little confidence in my mathmatical abilities.


    No matter, I''ll try to solve as many as I can. Let''s do the math ones first.


    The first page was done within a minute, the second took around three and after a few more I slowly reached an impasse.


    Time was limited, so I decided to just solve as much as I could, including the other topics.


    All other sheets ranged from literature, something I had absolutely no clue about, over to biology and physics. The latter two were doable, albeit limited. Biology especially also concerned itself with monster and magic beast ecology in regards to magic. Obviously there was no way for me to answer such things.


    The last topic concerned magic. There were quite a few things I learnt from Ria and Lily, but it only helped me with the first few questions. I took a small peek at the advanced ones and I felt like my head would burst at those. Although, amusingly there was one question I could answer. It was about a monster''s ecology and the way they utilised mana. Well, or rather I tried answering it, based on my own experiences.


    All in all, I spent a good amount of time, deciphering the questions and trying to write my answers. I wasn''t quick about it by any means.


    Now then, I answered most of the simple things. The only things I can still work on are the mathmatical questions... They might take a while, but it''s better than doing nothing.


    I smiled wryly. I certainly never would have expected that I would once more sit in a school taking a test.


    Anyway, these questions are harder than I thoguht they would be. I''m a little worried now.


    There were, of course, quite a few trick questions, but some of them are genuinely hard to solve. And unfortunately I didn''t have the time to do so either.


    "And, time is over, girls."


    Mariele clapped her hands. I hadn''t noticed at all that it already had been an entire hour. Two hours earth time.


    Mariele walked to each of us and collected the tests. Then she sat down in front of us and started looking through them.


    "Let''s see, this is. Karen? Karewn is..."


    She looked through the room and Karen raised her hand.


    "I see, then let''s take a look."


    She feel silent again and flicked throguh the test, occasionally taking notes or writing something on the paper. Around five minutes later She closed it again.


    "Mh, pretty decent, I guess. It''s clear that you received some basic calculation. All topics'' basics are covered and they are mostly correct too. Albeit it also means you aren''t really proficient in any specific topic. Still, it''s better than I expected, so I commend you for that. Now, the next one."


    She took the next bundle.


    "Lily. Lily is..."


    "That''s me."


    Lily answered her.


    "I see, then let me take a look."


    Similarly to Karen''s test, she flicked through it leisurely, ccasionally raising an eyebrow and writing notes. It took her a little longer to finish through it.


    "Interesting. Magic theory, biology and physics are a mess. You are missing basics, but for some reason you know a number of pretty advanced topics. Mathmatics you covered the basics and interestingly you got the majority of literature completely right. Even I would take a while for some of those."


    She nodded approvingly.


    "Then, the last one from the work qulifications. Mh, Yumi? Did I read that right? Your handwriting is terrible."


    "... I''m sorry."


    I only learnt how to write a few days ago, please spare me.


    She flciked through the test.


    And started groaning. The she took notes, plenty of them.


    Is it, is it that bad? Uhh...


    After around ten minutes, significantly longer than the time she spent on Karen''s and Lily''s, she closed the bundle and stared at me.


    "Please, you need to practice writing. Really. It''s a headache reading through this. Your handwriting is beyond atrocious."


    "... Yes. I''m sorry."


    "Well, disregarding that, I''m a little astonished. Literature is basically nothing, not even surprised. Biology you covered pretty much anything that didn''t involve monsters and magic beasts. Physics was pretty good too. Magic theory gets barely a pass. And mathmatics was for the most part quite good too. A few mistakes here and there but you managed to solve even some advanced questions. I just wish it was easier to read."


    She leaned back and stared at the three of us.


    "There''s a few things you have to catch up upon, but other than that I got no complaints."


    "So, we passed?"


    "You did. If I wouldn''t let you pass, we''d have to fire a few professors here too. Especially for literature and mathmatics. Well, then again nobody would miss those, so maybe I should recommend it to the headmaster."


    I hoped she wouldn''t use us as an excuse to really fire some of those.


    "Anyway, you got my okay. There''s a few things you''ll have to catch up on if you want to work here, but it shouldn''t be too much of a hurdle."


    She smiled and then stood up.


    "Now then, the four enrollment tests go to a colleague, he''ll decide what to do with that. Ah, but don''t worry, the enrollment test is only to determine what classes are appropriate," she told the younger girls.


    They all looked a little anxious. Watching her commenting on our tests was probably nerve-racking.


    "Let''s go to the headmaster and report to him the results."


    And without waiting for us, she walked through the door, so we had to hurry after her.


    She really is completely different from Ria...


    "I see, I see. Those results are quite all over the place."


    The headmaster, sitting once more at his desk, stroke his chin while looking over the tests and listening to Mariele''s report.


    "Mh, mhh... It''s good enough for the assistant jobs. I guesswe can hire you two. Miss Yumi, Miss Karen. Are you interested in working here?"


    "Eh? ah, yes! Yes!"


    "Nn. We are."


    "That''s good, good. Haa, that''s a relief."


    The headmaster looked really pleased for some reason.


    "Ah, those assistant positions? The ones for astronomy?"


    "Yes, those."


    "Astronomy?"


    I tilted my head. That wasn''t a topic covered in that test at all.


    "Yes, astronomy is the science that studies the celestial bodies, such as the stars, the moon and the sun. There''s also an astrology branch within it, that covers the effect they have on humanoids. Specifically the magic influence. It''s a very interesting department and also one of two departments that research ritual magic."


    Ritual magic? I heard that before, didn''t I... Didn''T those criminals in the slums in Arkesta attempt that? Or the lord of the town? At least they tried something like that.


    "The assistants working there were stealing research materials, so we fired them and brought them before court. Now they sit in prison. Albeit we were unable to recover those materials. We don''t know who bought them... Anyway, since then we''ve been looking for assistants, but most of them had questionable backgrounds."


    "Questionable backgrounds? Uhh..."


    We didn''t even really have a proper background either, so...


    "Ah, don''t worry. Mr Korwen guaranteed your trustworthiness. That''s enough for me."


    Maybe he sensed that I was a little worried as he immediately reassured me it was fine. Really though, who was Korwen. So many people seemed to owe him favours... Ah, although he was the one who owed Wanda a favour, if I recalled right. So Wanda was the most mysterious one, after all...


    "Well then, when can you start working? Immediately?"


    "Ah, I think tomorrow would work best. We still need to find a place to sleep at. We only arrived today."


    "Oh? If you still lack a place, the Academy owns a few dorm buildings. They are right next to the grounds too. It''s a little more expensive than an inn, but it''s close and a little safer. Mortas, there should still be a few free, right?"


    "Ah, yes, Headmaster. There''s still quite a few open."


    A close-by place? That was indeed convenient. Assuming it wasn''t too expensive.


    "Ah, that''d depend on how expensive it would be... We don''t have a lot."


    "Is that so, how expensive were they again. Wait a moment. Ah, we can talk about the salary too then, right? You probably would like to know."


    The headmaster opened a drawer and searched throguh a few folders, until he found what he was looking for.


    "There it is, there it is. Right, the dorms. There are two options. A four person one was at twenty silver a month. The two person ones were at twelve silver a month."


    "That''s... really expensive."


    "It is, but in my opinion it is well worth the price. You have privacy, a safe location, and you''re close to your workplace. Also, just so you know, the military school isn''t that far from here either. It''s expensive, but a good offer."


    "Still, we all have to live from the money so... I don''t know if we can cover that all."


    The headmaster stroked his chin and let out an understanding ''Ahh'', before once more looking throguh some folders.


    "Assuming you manage to find work at the military school, you would probably be paid something around thrity to forty silver a month, simply based on pure physical abilities. But you''re also a magician, right? You will most likely earn at least twice that. Most likely a lot more. They are currently looking for magicians.  And for you two..."


    He flicked through the pages until he stopped at one spot.


    "Ah, there it was, assistant wages were at twenty silvers a month each. That covers also work-related expenditures, so you are free to bring recipes and get the money returned. Also, Yumi, if you are comfortable with it, you can get a little bonus if you can help us with some research. Someone with your... constitution, is rare after all. Let''s see, how about forty silver if you agree?"


    "That''s..."


    Assuming I accepted, Karen and I would each earn around sixty silver a month. That would indeed cover the costs for those rooms, should we take them.


    On the downside, I would have to reveal to others what I am...


    "I won''t force you, of course. You can let me know later how you decide. But at least feel assured that those are you options and what you would earn."


    "Nn, I see..."


    I turned to Lily and Karen, a little unsure on what to do.


    "Lily, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Karen?"


    "I think we should take those rooms. It would be safer for the others too if they don''t have to walk through the entire town. And we wouldn''t even know if we would even get any rooms at inns in the first place."


    "Well, that''s not wrong..."


    Lily scratched the back of her head. She didn''t seem to agree.


    "Lily, Sis and I would already earn enough to cover those rooms, so whatever you would earn would go into our normal expenses. I''m not sure how much we''d need to live comfortably with, but it should be fine, right?"


    "Mh... Well, I guess you''re right. Haa, we''ll take a look then."


    "Nn."


    I nodded. And just like that, our housing situationg already took a turn for the better as well.


    "So these are the buildings. They look quite nice."


    "They are, each of them comes installed with a kitchen and a washroom. They are even connected to the sewers, so you don''t have to use the communal toilets. Ah, but no bath. There''s a large bathhouse nearby though," explained Mariele.


    "That really sounds good... And those are really free with those conditions?" asked Lily


    "Yes. Most people using them are staff from the academy itself. A few students do too. Mainly those who come from the outside. There aren''t many that can afford to live here. And among those that can, we don''t accept everyone either."


    They didn''t? That surprised me a little.


    "Since the buildings are within the walls, we don''t want shady characters there. Well, we still get plenty troublemakers, but they get kicked out quickly. Thieves are incredibly rare. And usually it''s at most some unimportant stuff, so nothing that really matters. The academy is swarming with magicians, so there aren''t many brave enough to try their luck."


    Ah. Yeah. That was understandable. If your opponent was capable of exploding an entire building, it sure made you a little more reluctant to try...


    "Nn? Hey, Sis, Lily. Look, there."


    "Mh? Oh. Familiar face spotted."


    Once again, we met the only person we had actually known prior to coming here. She quickly spotted us as well and dashed over.


    "Eh? Eh?! Why are you guys here? Ehhh? How? Why? Ouch!"


    Her forehead got flicked. By Mariele.


    "Manners. I was fairly certain we talked about that before."


    "Oh? Miss Mariele! Ah, I''m sorry!"


    Lefa hectically bowed a few times.


    "Just don''t forget it next time. Anyway, since you are here, could you show them around? I still have work to do."


    "Ah, yes! I can do that! Leave it to me!"


    "... Are you sure?"


    "Yes!"


    Mariele rubbed her temples.


    "Haa, if you do something stupid, you can look forward to another lecture."


    "I... I''ll try..."


    "Good. Also, maybe take this opportunity. Maybe you can finally get some roommates."


    "..."


    And just like that Mariele turned around, and bid us farewell.


    "Then, uh, why are you here? And what do you want to see?"


    "Yumi and Karen will work here from today onwards. And we wanted to look at the rooms, hoping we could live here."


    "Ohh! Ohhh! So you will stay here? That''s great! Really!"


    Lefa was clearly excited, her ears twitching,


    "Then! Then, what exactly are you looking for?"


    "Best we''d be looking for two fo-""Lily."-ur person... Karen?"


    For some odd reason Karen interrupted Lily and pulled her to the side. She was whispering something to her with a grin. Lily looked dumbfounded and then blushed slightly. After a minute or so they returned.


    "We''re... looking for tw two-person rooms and one four.person room."


    "Eh? Sis? Lily? Isn-, Mh?!"


    Karen quickly covered my mouth before I could continue. Something was definitely up here.


    "Two two-person and one four-person? Okay, follow me!"


    Lefa turned aronud walked away.


    "Sis? What''S going on, weren''t we supposed to try and save money?"


    "Yumi. Think about it. Two two-person and one four person."


    "Huh?"


    What was special about that? We''d pay more and had to split us up... even... more...


    "I see. It''s like that."


    "It is."


    "Nn, I see."


    Yes, four silvers was a small price for this. Paying it was definitely worth. No wonder Lily did not resist.


    We followed Lefa a little while until we stood in front of a small building. Well, although I called it small, it was only compared to the surrounding buildings. It was still significantly larger than a normal house.


    "This is the building I stay at. Most of the rooms are free and they come in both varietes."


    "Huh."


    Lefa took out a small ball from a pouch and touched the door with it. A second later a click could be heard and the door opened.


    "A magical lock? Thast''s... surprising."


    "Hehe, the Academy doesn''t hold back on these things! Although they just make most of it themselves, so the locks are even better than most ones out there!"


    Lefa put her hands on her hands and stood proudly in front of us, as if she herself had contributed to this. She probably didn''t.


    "Now then, let''s take a look."


    She invited us in. A small hall spread out in front of us, each side having a dozen or so doors lined up. A few ones had small plates next to the doors. They looked like nameplates.


    Lefa led us to a door without one and opened it promptly.


    "This is a two person room!"


    It was small. That was my first impression. Still larger than Karen''s hut in the slums, but... it was small probably because of the furniture inside.


    "Are those proper beds? The academy really doesn''t hold back."


    "Hehe! It''s a great place to live at! Although expensive..."


    For some reason Lefa sighed.


    The room was pretty empty, two beds, two drawers and a desk. Nothing else. Well, except a small door leading to a toilet. And a window above the desk. In a sense, it was cute.


    "Nn, I thought Mariele said something about a kitchen?"


    "Ah, she meant the one in the main hall, probably. There''s a shared kitchen for the building. Barely anyone uses it though, since most of us don''t know much about cooking. Ahahaaa..."


    Lefa''s eyes stared into the far distance.


    "Anyway! The four-person room is basically the same as this one, just a little larger."


    She barged out of the room and opened a door in the corner, leading us into a slightly larger room.  It really was nearly identical.


    "So?"


    Karen turned around to us.


    "Well, I guess it''s fine?"


    "Nn."


    At least I didn''t have any complaints about it. It was more than enough.


    "Then, Lefa, could you bring us to whoever is responsible for renting them out?"


    "Will do!"


    It was comfy. Really comfy.


    "Yumi, don''t be a sleazebag, you''ll dirty the blankets if you don''t wash up."


    "Nn..."


    Never did I imagine I would be so glad to lie in a proper bed. It was soft and warm. So soft I might fall asleep.


    "Jeez, Yumi."


    "Nn? Wah!"


    A heavy weight suddenly pressed down on me.


    "Sis,, you''re heavy..."


    "That''s pretty rude, you know. Come, here. At least wash up."


    "Uhh..."


    Karen stood up again, pulling me up as well.


    "A bucket with water?"


    "I found it next to the toilet together with a water stone. There was also a small bar of soap and a towel, too."


    She put me down on the ground.


    "Now, let''s get you all clean."


    "Nn? Ah..."


    Once more, I was at the mercy of Karen''s incredible undressing skills. I was naked within a flash. Before I could even react.


    "Uhh, at least warn me."


    "No way, your embarrassed face is cute. Now, here, sit down, I''ll wash you."


    "Can''t I do it myself?"


    "No."


    "Figured."


    I sat down in Karen''s lap. She dipped the towel in the water and then began wiping me. The water was warm and comfortable.


    "Hehe, to think things would take such a turn."


    "Nn. But are you sure this is fine? Aren''t you worried that Lily will assault Rina in the night? They''re all alone as well."


    "I think Rina is more likely to assault Lily. Actually, I''m fairly certain she will. She was the one that asked me to arrange things like this."


    "Eh? Really?"


    That was surprising.


    "Well, I knew about it for a while already, but there wasn''t much I could do until now. She wanted to get closer to Lily. She also thought her surprise kiss completely failed."


    "... It didn''t."


    "It didn''t. But Rina doesn''t know that. In any case, they''ll be fine. I''m sure Lily will take responsibility."


    "Haa..."


    I could only wish her good luck. In various meanings.


    "You should be more worried about yourself."


    "Nn? Ah, Karen, where are you... Nn!"


    "Ehehe..."


    Karen''s hand moved towards my front, petting my tummy and then moving up towards my chest. Without a towel, of course, so she was clearly feeling me up.


    "Yumi. We''re all alone right now. And the walls are pretty thick so nobody will hear anything."


    "Si-, Sis? Weren''t we supposed to clean up?"


    "That''s right."


    "Nn? Ah?!"


    Something wet moved along my nape.


    "Tastes sweet. Do you even sweat?"


    "I, I don''t know? Probably?"


    It certainly wasn''t something I had given any thought at all.


    Then, I was suddenly lifted up into the air and put onto the bed. Without delay, Karen moved herself right above me. As if she was pushing me down. No, she was pushing me down. She clearly forgot her original goal.


    "Si-, Sis?"


    "Don''t mind me, Yumi. We have to clean up afterwards anyway, so this is fine."


    Weren''t you the one telling me not to dirty the bed?!


    Karen leaned down, her face closing in on mine. And she kissed me. A soft, short kiss.


    "Ehehe, Yumi. I, I can''t hold back."


    Then she closed in once more, kissing me, but this time strongly, her tongue invading my mouth.


    After what felt like an eternity, she pareted once more from and lifted herself up.


    With a large grin she began caressing my stomach and my chest with one hand.


    "Nn! Sis, that..."


    It felt pleasant. Warm and comfortable.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    Karen stood up and quickly undressed herself. With a dive she jumped onto the bed and pulled me into a hug. My face buried in her breasts.


    "Ahh, why are you so cute, Yumi."


    "Sis..."


    It was so comfortable. A fluffy feeling spread through my body. If I could, I''d want to stay like this forever.


    "Yumi, come here."


    Karen pulled me a little forwards and kissed me once more, while her free hand caressed my sides, my belly, my thighs and my ass.


    In the end, she even used her other hand, with which she had actually been holding me in place, to grope me chest.


    "Sis... Sis!"


    "Ehehe, does it feel good? It does, doesn''t it?"


    "Nn... It does... More..."


    I was completely lost in the pleasure. But it wasn''t enough. I wanted Karen to feel pleasure too.


    "Mh? Yumi? Ah. Ehehe, here."


    Karen presented her chest to me, which I had cautiously tried to grope. Then she led my hand, showing me how to.


    "Yes, like that, that''s right Yumi. Ehehe. Ahh, Yumi! Yumi!"


    Completely disregarding my attempt, she strongly hugged me again, burying my face in her chest. Obviously I couldn''t grope it anymore now. But I could do something else.


    "Oh? Oh my, are you a baby now? So cute. You can suck more strongly, if you want. Yes, just like that."


    Karen started squirming, despite my clumsy attempts. It made me feel happy, that she felt pleasure from it.


    "Ahh, Yumi!"


    Once more, she pushed me down, towering right above me, her face flushed. Then, much to my surprise, she moved to the side. No, not the side. She turned around, still towering above me, except upside down. Which also gave me a full view of Karen''s privates.


    "Ehehe! And here we go!"


    "Si-, Hya?!"


    A jolt ran through me. Then another, and another.


    "Mh, still tastes sweet, like candy. How odd. I expected something else. Mmm."


    "Wai-, Hya! Si-, Sis! Don''t!"


    I tried squirming free, but I couldn''t. Karen helf me firmly in place, not allowing me to escape while she licked me. My face, flushed and hot, I spotted once more the slit right in front of me. Something told me, that was important. It was an important thing, that I approached.


    "Mmm. Mm! Wah! Yumi?!"


    "Nn..."


    "Ehehe, so it''s like that. I won''t lose."


    Karen, a little surprised that I was licking her as well, let out a little yelp. She quickly returned to licking though.


    It''s... delicious. Not really sweet, but... delicious.


    Things were a little dizzy, not quite clear. But I wanted more of this taste. More and more.


    "Mm? Yumi, what are you? Is that your tongue? Ah, stop. Mm!"


    Karen squirmed around from the unexpected sensation.


    "I... I see... Hehe, well, that''s fine too."


    I didn''t know what kind of conclusion Karen reached. I was too engrossed in the scenery in front of me.


    More. More. I want more.


    I couldn''t think of much else. Even when Karen continued down there. Everything was hazy. But it was comfortable, warm, pleasureable.


    It was happiness. Pure happiness.


    And I wanted more of it.


    "Ouch! Ahh, Yumi, you''re a little greedy. Bad girl, aren''t you. Well, it makes me happy though."


    Something a little irony was mixed into taste.


    Nn? Iron?


    "Eh?"


    "Oh, you''re back?"


    "Sis... What?"


    "You were quite engrossed."


    Karen was, for some reason, sitting upright. She had moved a little forward so she could look over her shoulder at my face. She was grinning.


    "Nn? What happened?"


    "It felt good, Yumi."


    "That wasn''t the question."


    Karen giggled.


    "You were really focussed, weren''t you. Ehehe, feel free to continue."


    She wiggled her behind in front of me.


    "That''s..."


    "Don''t want to?"


    "... I do."


    Karen laughed heartily.


    After laughing, she once more dived forwards. In the process, she pressed her behind onto my face as well, clearly expecting something from me.


    A pleasant smell ran up my nose. A sweet smell.


    Ah, this smell is bad. It makes me want more.


    "Nn!"


    Karen had started licking me already again. I couldn''t dwell on this smell. Karen was waiting. I licked once over the slit right in front of me. The indescribable but delicious smell spread onto my tongue. I couldn''t really say whether it was sweet, salty, bitter or anything, really. But I knew one thing for sure. It was probably the most delicious thing I''ve ever tasted.


    "Ehehe, Yumi, you''re quite into it, huh."


    "Nn, Sis..."


    We continued licking each other for a good while. At some point, I had run out of breath, burying my face more than actually breathing. At the point, Karen once more sat upright. Curious what she was going to do, she returned herself to her proper position, lying down next to me. Then she pulled me into her embrace.


    "Sis?"


    "Yes?"


    "Aren''t we... going to continue?"


    "We are."


    "Nn? Ah!"


    Karen''s hand caressed my breasts, then my tummy and finally my privates.


    "I didn''t want to end it like that, is that bad?""


    ... No, no, it''s not."


    I smiled. And kissed her.


    Karen guided my own hand to her privates. I was a little hesistant to do it with my fingers, not wanting to hurt her. So, I tried to copy what I could her doing to me.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    Inbetween the kisses, she was callnig my name.


    It made me happy. This girl, she was feeling good. This girl, was making me feel good.


    A jolt ran through me. I would probably hit my limit soon.


    "Sis, Sis... Soon... It''s... Nn?!"


    Before I could tell her, she strongly kissed me, not letting go. I could barely breath. The lack of oxygen made me feel hazy.


    "Yumi! Yumi, I love you!"


    "Sis... Nn! Ahh!"


    And like that, we drowned in pleasure.


    A dream?


    A field was in front of me. Filled with pink and silver-grey flowers.


    A dream, definitely.


    Somehow, I clearly knew this was a dream. And unlike the last time, it was a calming dream. I didn''t mind this place. It was cozy, pleasant.


    Nn? Sis?


    After taking a quick look around to look at the scenery, I found Karen lying behind me. Naked. And so, I also realised that I was naked as well.


    I''m not an exhibitionist, you know. I don''t really want to be on a field all naked.


    I heard people claiming that dreams were visions of your own desires. While I certainly agreed that Karen would likely appear in my dreams, I was a little troubled that we were on a flowerfield. Naked.


    Huh? What''s this? My hair?


    Part of my hair was extending towards Karen. And for some reason it merged with Karen''s hair.


    Weird. What is the meaning of this?


    I tried tugging at my hair, but it only caused Karen to get tugged as well. Since I knew how unpleasant it was when someone forcefully tugged your hair, I immediately stopped.


    Oh well, it''s fine.


    I lied down and rested my head on Karen''s stomach. There wasn''t much feeling to it, unfortunately. Probably because it really was a dream.


    I''ll just have Sis give me a lap pillow or so later. Or a tummy pillow. Or, really, I just want to hug her. Ahh... Dream, can you end, please?


    "No, the dream can''t end yet, dear."


    "Eh?"


    A voice suddenly echoed through the fields. Surprised, I sat up and took a look around.


    "... You again."


    "My, my, what a rude welcome."


    "I don''t think one would usually welcome someone invading their dreams."


    "Ahaha, you would be surprised. But, yes. I guess it''s a little rude for me to just come in."


    In front of me stood a little girl. Pink hair, pink eyes, white skin. And in her birthday suit.


    "So, what do you want this time?"


    "Aren''t you really rude right now? I just wanted to congratulate you, dear."


    "Congratulate?"


    "Yes. You found a home, didn''t you?"


    Well, you could say I had. But why would she bother to congratulate me just for that?


    "There''s also a little more I wanted to tell you. No, actually I want to tell her. How about you sit up, I know you''re aware already."


    I turned around to the presumably sleeping Karen. Except her eyes were open. Wioth a isgh she sat and immediately pulled me into her lap.


    "Mh... It feels a little bland here. But still somehow comfy. How odd."


    "Sis, I''m not a measurement stick."


    Not that I disliked it, that I was used to compare how good the dream felt.


    "Well, it''s a dream, what do you expect, child?"


    "Something better. So, what is going on here? And... Yumi, what''s up with this."


    "I don''t know."


    Karen lifted the strand of hair that connected us.


    "Oh, I''m here to explain that a little. Or rather, I''m here to explain a number of things. I hope you don''t mind, do you?"


    "You know what this is?"


    Karen furrowed her brows in suspicion.


    "My, my, not so impatient. I do know about it, dear. It''s not the first time I see this, after all."


    A deep smile adorned the little girl''s face.


    "It''s proof of your connection."


    "Connection?" I asked.


    "Yes, dear. Your connection. Or rather, the connection of your souls."


    "Eh?"


    Our souls? What did she mean with that now?


    "You already know that your dear Silver Guide, Karen, is an odd child among the demonkin, right? The legend of the demons. Well, whether it is true or not, is another thing, but one thing is for certain. She certainly possesses traits unique to the old demon race."


    "Traits unique to the demon race?"


    The girl in front of me raised her hand put her finger tip onto her lip, tilting her head.


    "Now, my dear, what those could be? Ehehe..."


    Somehow, I felt really irritated.


    "My, I won''t bully you so much today. I promise. Let''s see, let''s see. Ah, yes."


    She held up her hands in front of herself, then, two glowing spheres appeared in her hands. One glowing in a deep silver, the other in a soft pink.


    "Let''s imagine that these two spheres are your respective souls. Souls by themselves are actually quite boring, they are more or less nothing to write home about. They are just something like, like a battery, that is giving the living creature the energy to work."


    The spheres were glowing stronger, then weaker and then stronger again, constantly changing.


    "A soul gets, let''s say, tainted, over the course of a creature''s life. This is what makes a soul unique. A soul is usually a blank slate, with nothing written on it. But the longer a creature lives, the more tainted and corrupted a soul becomes. And that, ultimately leads to this."


    Yumias held out the hand with the silver sphere. The sphere was glowing, rapidly changing in size, collapsing and the expanding again. And during all of that, it became darker and darker.


    "At one point the soul reaches its capacity. It cannot contain more. Still, it doesn''t really matter for the creature. The soul only reached its capacity but it doesn''t influence it in any way."


    But, if it didn''t even matter, what was the point of all of this?


    As if Yumias knew about my confusion, she continued after a short pause.


    "But long ago, there was a magic tribe that wondered what was happening with their souls, once they would die. Of course, they didn''t know about the source, that cleanses a soul and brings it back into the cycle of life. They were obsessed with their souls and so they came to an odd conclusion. ''Our souls are too weak. They cannot survive our death.'' It was a ridiculous conclusion, mind you. But they truly believed it."


    She returned her hands to her original position, holding both glowing spheres up at the same height, right next to each other.


    "So they devised a technique to strengthen their souls. But, how do you do such a thing? Simple. You take another person''s soul."


    "Eh?"


    "Wha-"


    Another person''s soul? What? What the heck? Wasn''t that, basically killing someone. Or rather, it was even worse than straightout killing.


    "Now, no panic, yes. Neither of you are in danger of dying or losing your sense of self."


    She tried to reassure us, but... was that really the case? She told us many things, but she also withheld information. That much was clear.


    "Anyway, back to the topic. That tribe started to employ a technique with which they could fuse another''s soul with their own, hoping their souls would grow strong enough and would survive even death. Only so they would be able to reincarnate, with their memories intact. Now, mind you, a soul is unable to carry memories, albeit a sufficiently tainted soul would be able to retain the owner''s magic and their personality. But that''s neither here nor there."


    Yumias slowly walked around us, staring at the spheres in her hands. She stopped right in front of us.


    "They succeeded in fusing their souls with the souls of others. But that brought about an unintended consequence. A soul cannot be simply inserted into any living being as is. The tribe''s souls changed. And the tribe died out. Their children were born dead, the cleansed yet enlarged souls unable to fit. Of course, usually that wouldn''t be an issue. Given sufficient time, there''d be new souls, the old souls would return to normal as well and the tribe would flourish once more. Alas, it shouldn''t be. They revolted. Scared at the sudden infant deaths, they blamed the techniques of fusing a soul. They revolted, and the tribe perished in flames."


    "..."


    A wry smile was on Yumias face.


    "A single spark was enough to doom the entire race. Such happens when the balance is tipped."


    "... The balance?"


    "Ah, don''t mind me. That''s not our topic. It''s about what is happening to you."


    Yumias coughed once, collecting herself.


    "Now, of course since the tribe perished in its entirety, there isn''t really much blood to inherit for the demonkin, right? In actuality, your ancestors found left behind material from that tribe they later called demons. They saw the research about strengthening your soul and they immediately thought they should try it as well. They modified themselves, capable of fusing with another''s soul through various means. Drowning in lust, drinking blood or even consuming parts of their body. Anything was fine as long as it brought the souls closer to attempt fusion. Alas, they never got far and died before ever finishing their work. But, their victims survived. The ones they tested those techniques on."


    "Wait, do you mean..."


    Karen''s eyes widened in shock.


    "Yes, albeit increasingly more seldom, their descendants sometimes display those very same traits. So much to the backstory of your unique traits. But you are more interested in what it actually means, right?"


    I could hear Karen gulp. She was anxious. Just as I was. This did involve us all.


    "Honestly, there''s not much of an effect. The techniques are imperfect and so, while both of your souls will fuse more and more they cannot fuse entirely. Those broken abilities are unable to overcome the taint contained within a soul. A newborn''s soul might work, but that''s about it."


    "You say there''s not much... but there are effects, right?"


    "That''s correct."


    Yumias held up the spheres in front of our eyes. Then she moved them closer together, that both spheres were touching. Some of the colour began mixing with the other sphere.


    "The effects are minor. Both of you take in mana and energy from each other''s soul. That will display in a few physical traits, like the change in colour from your hair."


    "That''s it?"


    She grinned, not answering Karen.


    "There''s something else, yes. It''s nothing that will ever bother you, though, rest assured."


    "So you won''t tell us?"


    "I won''t. That''s right."


    "That''s quite a bother..."


    "Well now, dear Karen, I could have just not told you anything, right? Then you''d be in for quite a surprise once you wake up."


    We''d be in quite a surprise? So, something happened after all?


    "My, my, no need to glare at me, you two. It''s not my fault, is it? I already told you, it''s nothing that will really ever bother. In fact, with time, you might actually come to like it."


    "Why not just tell us what it is about?"


    "That''d be boring, wouldn''t it? If I just tell you everything from the start, there''d be nothing left for you to do. And there''d be nothing left for me to watch."


    Ah, so this was also just a form of entertainment, after all. I knew it.


    Yumias giggled mischievously.


    "Anyway, your dream will end soon, so I will excuse myself now. Ah, right. You shouldn''t worry about the mercenaries. They are fine. For now. But, things will get interesting. See you later, my dear lost souls. Ehehehehehe..."


    Her silhouette slowly faded into the background, disappearing, her laughter echoing through the fields.


    "Is she always like this?" asked Karen.


    "From what Lily said... Yes..."


    "That sounds... really annoying."


    I leaned back, snuggling close to Karen.


    "Nn, a dream is no good."


    "It really is. We should wake up."


    "Nn, we should."


    Snuggling up to each other and cuddling were by far better outside of the dreamworld.


    "Nn..."


    Warm, cozy. Comfy.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    I slowly opened my eyes. A familiar face was right in front of me. It was very close. Close enough.


    "Yu-, Mm?!"


    "Mm... Ha..."


    "Yumi, don''t surprise me. Kissing me so suddenly."


    "Nn... More..."


    "Ah, wai-... Mm?!"


    Karen slightly pushed me away.


    "Ah, Yumi, you''re really greedy, do you know that?"


    "Nn. I know."


    Could she blame me for it? Who wouldn''t want to kiss their most important person? Probably only some oddball.


    "Yumi, look."


    "Nn? Oh."


    Karen slightly lifted her upper body, her hair falling down. There was a large, pink strand running through her hair. It definitely wasn''t possible to hide anymore.


    "Was that what she mean with surprise?"


    "I think so. Do you feel odd anywhere?"


    "Nn, no. I feel fine. Actually, I feel really good."


    I jumped into Karen''s chest, ,causing her to fall onto her back.


    "Nn."


    "Ah, Yumi, stop that."


    "But it''s so soft."


    "Well, of course, I''d be worried if my breasts aren''t soft. Ah, wait, Yumi? What the heck are you doing?"


    Obviously, I was rubbing my cheek onto her tummy now. It was so smooth, and the view was great too. It was a really lewd view. Regardless whether I looked down or up.


    Ah... I, uh... Now I want to continue from earlier...


    A little troublesome. It wouldn''t be a joke if I got horny all the time.


    "Yumi, is that fun?"


    "It is."


    "Haa..."


    Regardless of me being horny, I continued to rub my cheek on her tummy. It was so smooth and soft.


    After rubbing a while to get my fill, I rolled around, resting my head on Karen''s stomach.


    "Sis."


    "Mh?"


    "I love you."


    "I love you too, Yumi."


    "Ehehe."


    I felt like I would drown in happiness. Really. And yet, I wanted even more of it. I wanted more and more love. And I wanted to give more and more love.


    I sat up and turned around, crawling right over Karen.


    "Hey, Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "One more?"


    "... You''re so greedy."


    She put her arms around my neck neck and pulled me in for a kiss. A long and deep one.


    "Don''t regret it."


    "I won''t"


    We embraced each other once more.


    What do you treasure the most? Is it an object? Or a person? Is it your believes, your ideals or maybe your hobby?  There are many things you can treasure, but there is only one thing you can treasure the most. For many it might be an object, for most it is probably a person. Knowing what you treasure the most, what will you do? Will you protect it? Will you fight for it? Or will you care for it? Neglect it? Destroy it? Or love it?


    Lily and Maya protect what is most important for them. Sele fights for it. Emily cherishes it. Rina cares for it.


    Karen loves it.


    There are many ways to show your affection. How do you show it? Have you gone to them and told them "I love you"? Have you given them a hug, a pat on the head? Did you hold their hand, did you wipe their tears?


    Did you do all of them?


    Or did you do none?


    Show your affection. Show your love. Because we are scared. Worried. We will wonder ''Do you still love us''? We will think ''They don''t care for us''. That''s why, show it to us. Reassure us. So we can reply in kind and tell you "I love you". We will be waiting. For along time.


    For an eternal time.


    Forever, shall we wait.


    For the words of our most beloved.


    We love you.


    We love you the most.


    Rinne

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Heat

    Rinne


    A rare author''s note at the top today as I am sure not everyone checked the April Fool''s chapter or saw the author note I added the day after.


    Long story short, nothing big will change, of course. The (admittedly big) chapter that was used for this prank is a discarded chapter from August last year. Many things changed since then so it is entirely non-canon.


    I kept the chapter since it felt like a waste to throw it away. Glad it came in handy like this.


    Still, maybe some of you are interested in things like this, I don''t know. Feel free to write a comment to tell me about it.


    Or, you could, maybe, just maybe, come over and take a look at the Discord server I set up. You can throw your opinions at me in real-time.


    You can also tell me in real-time to go back to writing.


    That was already all, enjoy the chapter below.


    Keep healthy and stay safe, especially in our current time that is important. I hope this can bring a little enjoyment to you all.


    Rinn¨¦


    P.S.: Being on the pranking side for April Fool''s for once was an awesome experience. I had a lot of fun with this.


    "Ahh, we''re back."


    "Yeah. And barely in time."


    Technically, we hadn''t been in time, not even remotely.


    Only thanks to the guide provided by Mrs Karker could we leave the city. Today I learnt just how much power this woman truly held. The second the guide flashed the emblem¡ªat least I thought it was an emblem, I didn''t see it well¡ªthe guards panicked and immediately let us through. Fortunately for them, they didn''t have to raise the gate again, they could just let us pass through guard''s room, the same one where Karen and I had registered for that magical device.


    "It''s already a lot later than I expected..."


    "We did take quite long..."


    The sun was already nearing the horizon, much to my surprise. It had gotten quite late. Just where did the time go?


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "Should we ask the Captain about those leftover mana crystals? They had a whole bunch if I recall correctly."


    "Ohh, right. Nn. Let''s do that."


    We walked down the road to the mercenary camp. Bellowing laughter echoed through the camp. Slightly curious, we decided to follow the sound of laughter.


    "Gwahahaha! You old coot! Seems you got into some mighty fine trouble there! Gwahahahaha!"


    "That''s not funny. And who is the old coot here?"


    "Surely not me!"


    "Haaa..."


    Muscles. Lots of muscles.


    They had set up a long table in the middle of the camp. Sitting there were Korwen and a few other of the older mercenaries that I had met so far. And then there were... Muscles. Old men¡ªand this time they probably really were old with their grey hair and the wrinkles¡ªsporting some bulging muscles sat together with Korwen and co.


    One of them, a large man, sat next to Korwen, arm around his shoulders, bellowing heartily. He wore an eyepatch, covering up his left eye.


    "I''m still as fit as I was in my heyday! I''m no old coot like you brats!"


    "That''s right! How dare you to call him an old coot! He''s way too old for that!"


    "Hey! Want me to make a dent into your skull?!"


    "Come and try it, you relic!"


    "Haaa?! The hell did you just say?! You have a deathwish?!"


    "As if some stuttering old grandpa like you could harm a fly! Rather, the fly might harm you!"


    "Now you said it! Keep my grandkid out of this! Let''s settle this, just like in the old times!"


    The man next to Korwen and another one of those grey-haired old guys began to argue... Korwen buried his face in his hands. Clearly he didn''t wish to be here right now...


    "Hey, boy! Are the weapons still in the same wagon?"


    "..."


    "Hey, boy! Answer me!"


    "... Yes, yes... They are. Please don''t make a mess out of the camp..."


    "Ha?! I only got a bone to pick with that pretentious old gaffer! Then, let''s do this!"


    "That''s exactly what I am worried about."


    "Did you say something?!"


    "No. No, I didn''t..."


    The two men walked off, entering one of the wagons and disappearing.


    "Captain."


    Seeing the chance, we approached Korwen.


    "Mh? Oh, you two are back... Did you see that just now?"


    "We did."


    "Nn."


    "Haa... Sorry about that. They suddenly appeared and started making a mess..."


    Well, we hadn''t been looking for an apology. Actually, why was he even apologising to us?


    Maybe the whole thing ground too much on his nerves and he apologised out of reflex? If so... Maybe we should leave before we got inv¡ª


    "Hey, brat! Who are those cuties? When did the mercenaries become a childcare group?"


    "Urgh..."


    A different old man spotted us, walking up to us.


    He was... huge. Without a doubt a serious contender for the largest man I had seen in my entire life. In addition to the bulging muscles that were clearly visible beneath the thin shirt he wore. Even when he leaned forward a little to scrutinise us, I still had to crane back my neck to look up to the man. That''s how huge he was.


    "Mhm... Are they some of those glittery fools spewing fireworks?"


    "... You mean magicians, Gorman. Magicians. And yes, they are."


    "Hmpf. I see."


    He glared at us, wearing an expression as if he was angry. Not that I knew why he was angry.


    Leaning further down, he extended his arm and...


    "Nn?"


    Pat my head.


    "Take care of yourself, you kids, and value your life. Don''t you dare dying like some idiot out on the field."


    Then, he turned around, walking away without saying anything else.


    "That was... unexpected," I murmured, slightly perplexed.


    Korwen smiled wryly, seeing our short exchange. Or, well, we hadn''t even said anything, so exchange might be the wrong word.


    "Gorman is a good man. He looks like that, but he really means those words."


    "... Captain, who are these people?"


    "Well... They''re former mercenaries."


    "Former?"


    I watched the old men, making merry with some of the younger¡ªbut still middle-aged¡ªmen. They all had a very rough appearance. Muscles, scars, thick beards. They sure didn''t look like ''former'' mercenaries... Most of them had grey hair, a few were bald, but that was about the only indication that they weren''t in the job anymore.


    "They retired after the Triside War. Well, as mercenaries, that is. Most of them now work as instructors in the military school here."


    "Huh."


    "Hey, brat, isn''t that explanation a lil'' lacking?! We''re the ones who wiped your ass when you were just a wee lil'' baby!"


    Korwen once again buried his face in his hands. Seeing that, the old men started laughing, as if they got a kick out of embarrassing him.


    "You girls, we''re your seniors!"


    "Seniors? So, you belonged to the Dragon Knights before?"


    "Damn sure we did!"


    So they were retired mercenaries from this group. That explained why they were here. And why they got along with everyone. Well, and how they could make fun of Korwen.


    "For the love of... Why are you all even here?"


    "What, got a problem? We gotta make sure you keep the band together! Or ya intending on making your old man cry?"


    "Haa... That old man is currently digging through our supply wagon to arm himself with our weapons so he can settle his argument. He''s going to make me cry, not the other way round, for the love of everything that is holy."


    Korwen shook his head in exasperation. Not very happy about the whole thing, was he?


    "Gahaha! Let him have his fun! Also, wouldn''t it make a good spectacle? Those little brats of yours, when was the last time they even fought a person? Aren''t you mostly taking monster subjugations for work?"


    "... We also do bandit subjugations as well as guard duty and escorts."


    "And when was the last war you fought in?"


    "..."


    The old man questioning Korwen grinned widely.


    "And you don''t really intend to fight in this looming war either, do you? If I had to take a guess... You''re going to fulfil the contract with the Academy and then bail, probably either going through Krohmea or Aldreigh. Maybe you''re even intending to go east, past the Harrowed Mountains? Or north to the sea, shipping forth into the unknown."


    Korwen''s mimic soured with every word the man said. Seemed he was right on point.


    "Well, I''m not one to speak of what you should do or not do, brat. Just remember, you got mouths to feed. Doesn''t matter where you go as long as you got food. And booze! The booze is important!"


    "Haa... Is it that obvious?"


    "Gahaha! Don''t underestimate us! We''ve known you for decades!"


    "So... Are you here to lecture me about that?"


    Korwen furrowed his brows in displeasure.


    "Lecture? No way in hell! We just wanted to come and have fun! After all, if you take a long journey, who knows when we might meet the next time. Or if there''s even a next time!"


    The man took a hearty gulp of the mug in his hands.


    "Man! Sure hits the spot! Anyway, brat, we''re not here to lecture anyone. We just want to have fun with our friends. In the first place..."


    The man paused, then grinned.


    "... your old man surely would''ve done the same. He''s the same. Loves to scheme and trick outsiders but at the end soft to the core to those you let close. You sure got that part from him! Gahahaha!"


    At that moment, the door of the wagon where the other two men had disappeared into opened again, revealing the two, clad in some simple leather armour, both of them armed.


    The one who sat next to Korwen carried a large battle-axe, the other a spear with an axe blade at the end. A halberd.


    "Ohh! The good part is coming!"


    "Mr Captain, those two aren''t going to... fight with those weapons. Are they?"


    "Oh, they are, Karen, they are. They''re most certainly going to do that... Karen, could you do me a favour and deliver a message to Jockson? Tell him to round up the younger mercenaries. They''re right, it''s a good opportunity to watch a fight."


    "Understood. Yumi, I''ll be back in a bit."


    "Nn."


    Karen went off to fetch Merim after Korwen told her where she''d find him most likely.


    "Well then, let''s go."


    "... Nn."


    Around an hour later, the two men both were both lying on the ground, breathing heavily. They had both fought splendidly.


    Not.


    After they had both armed themselves everyone moved to the practice field where I had had my running practice yesterday.


    Then, once quite a crowd had gathered to watch the two, they fought.


    It had been spectacular.


    Their initial clash managed to break the weapons. Now unarmed, they continued to just beat each other up with their fists. We basically watched a bar fight.


    "Haa... Why did I even expect anything from these two? I feel like a fool."


    Korwen watched as Merim and a few others carried the two old men away. They had fought each other until they fell unconscious. To the bitter end.


    "Mr Captain... What were you expecting, if I might ask?"


    "Karen, have you ever seen two soldiers fighting each other?"


    "No..."


    "Then, what is the largest monster you have fought before?"


    "Monster? By myself?"


    Karen tilted her head.


    "By yourself or with others. Doesn''t matter."


    "Then... That ogre we met in the forest near Arkesta. Or the one we encountered in the slums."


    "Mh, ogres, huh. Ogres are known for their physical strength. You can probably imagine well how strong they are, right?"


    "Yes..."


    "Then, imagine those two old guys effortlessly winning an arm-wrestling match against an ogre."


    "..."


    Excuse me?


    "Mr Captain. They aren''t magicians, are they?"


    "They aren''t. But they are strong as all hell. That''s why I hoped to show everyone just what kind of monsters prowl a battlefield. Instead, we watched a bar fight."


    Good thing he judged it to be a bar fight as well.  My impression wasn''t off.


    "Then, do you remember the knights from the church? Those heavily armoured ones."


    "Yes."


    "Nn."


    They were kind of hard to forget. They were imposing. Really imposing.


    "They''re just as much of a monster. You cannot fight them head-on. The time at the bridge we mostly got lucky."


    "Nn? What happened there?"


    If he meant the bridge of the fort, then we hadn''t been there.


    "Oh, did nobody tell you two?"


    "No..."


    "Nn, we only heard that you blew up the bridge."


    With the help of my dolls. Speaking of which, I should look for them, lest they get lonely again.


    "Do you know what Yumias did, then?"


    "No."


    "We don''t."


    "... She walked into their camp."


    Korwen sighed, rubbing his temple. That memory didn''t seem to be something he wanted to recall.


    "She walked into their camp, right before we wanted to blow up the bridge. I don''t know what she said, but there was a commotion. Then one of those knights tried to fight her. There had been two of them. She... threw the guy."


    "... Excuse me? She threw him?"


    "She threw him. Literally. A grown man in plate armour made of sun metal. Total weight of five grown men. And she threw him as if he was some trash she picked up. That enraged the camp and the knight¡ªwho would have thought¡ªand they started chasing her. Over the bridge. Then we collapsed the bridge in a hurry and sunk the knight into the Hollow."


    "..."


    How should one even... I had no words...


    "That girl is a monster. She sure got a laugh out of it, though."


    "... Sure sounds like her."


    "Anyway, people like those are people you never want to fight head-on. We''re just normal humans, we''re not some once in a decade or a once in a century hero who can single-handedly fight a calamity. And I hoped to show this to our youngsters. There are gaps in this world that a normal person just cannot surmount."


    Normal people, huh...


    "Well, seeing as I have to explain this now, it kind of defeated the purpose, really. Nearly as bad as having to explain a failed joke."


    Ah, yes, that sure was an awkward situation.


    "Whatever. We''ll be around for a while so maybe we''ll get another opportunity to see them fight each other. Rather, I trust you two had a good day?"


    "Nn, we did. Ah, right. Mrs Karker told us to give you her greetings."


    "... You met her?"


    Korwen raised an eyebrow in surprise.


    "We did. We talked with her but then we got interrupted. Apparently some messenger or so."


    "A messenger. Do you know whose messenger?"


    "Ehh... I think it was.. Alle... Alla... Allena?"


    "Yes, it was Allena, Yumi."


    The messenger of that unpleasant guy from the festival.


    "The Allena family, huh. Mhm... What to do... Well, whatever, we''ll care for that tomorrow. You two should take a good rest. Tomorrow is back to a workday, which means you''re also back to practice. I heard Jockson put together a nice little training plan for all of you. Gwahahahaha!"


    "..."


    My legs were going to hurt like hell tomorrow, weren''t they?


    "Oh, right. Lily bothered me earlier today, asking me where the two of you went off to. Not sure what she wanted but you should probably go look for her."


    "Ah, will do. Thank you, Captain."


    "Just tell her to stop bothering me about such things and it''s fine. I''m not here to keep track of where everyone is."


    "Ahaha... Will do."


    With a wry smile, we thanked Korwen and set out to look for Lily. We also asked whether we could take the leftover mana crystals, for which we got permission. So, we went to fetch those first.


    As for Lily, she hadn''t joined the small spectacle of a fight, much to my surprise. It was fortunate that we found her and Rina very quickly at our shared wagon. Just...


    "My head hurts... Rinaaaaa... Do something, I beg you..."


    "..."


    Someone was still recovering from her hangover.


    "Rina, Lily."


    "Oh! Big Sis, Lil'' Sis! You''re back."


    "Nn. What is going on with Lily? Is she still..."


    She wasn''t in any state to take note of us, much less replying.


    "Mh... That is..."


    Rina paused, seemingly searching for words.


    "She moved around a little too much... maybe?"


    "..."


    Did she do some sport or training? Why would anyone do that with headaches... That was just asking for it to get worse.


    "Ah, right, Lil'' Sis!"


    "Nn?"


    "I''m angry!"


    "... Eh? Why?"


    "You broke your promise!"


    Promise? What promise?


    "You promised to go with me to that seamstress today!"


    "... Oh."


    Yesterday. Yesterday evening I had talked with her about visiting Wanda. I forgot. I had completely forgotten about that.


    "Ehh... I''m sorry, Rina. I forgot. Seriously, sorry."


    "Hmpf!"


    She pouted.


    It was probably the wrong time for this, but it was cute. I really wanted to poke those slightly inflated cheeks.


    "Go with me tomorrow!"


    "That''s... I''ll try to find some time. I can''t promise anything."


    "Mm..."


    She eyed me for a few moments.


    "I''m sure you will find the time."


    "That''s..."


    "I''m sure you will."


    "... I''ll try my best."


    I honestly felt bad about the whole thing so I should frankly try to find some time for her tomorrow...


    "... By the way, Yumi," Karen whispered to me suddenly.


    "Yes, Sis?"


    "Should we tell Rina about what we heard earlier? It does involve her as well, after all."


    "That''s... I don''t know? Maybe after we made sure of everything?"


    We had borrowed the large box with mana crystals for exactly that purpose after all. The large box Karen was currently carrying in her arms. And this was by far not even all they had... Did they really have that many?


    Either way, we sure weren''t going to run out of mana crystals to experiment with for a while.


    "Big Sis, Lil'' Sis, what are you whispering there? Let me join!"


    "Ah, it''s nothing, Rina. Yumi and I are going into the wagon and experiment a little, so take care of Lily, okay?"


    "Ehh? You''re leaving me alone already again?"


    "... We''ll be only in the wagon. You just need to call for us. Also, maybe you shouldn''t shout so much."


    Karen pointed at Lily, who was clinging to Rina while groaning.


    "Ah, sorry, Lily!"


    "Ugh..."


    My sincerest condolences. Your sacrifice shan''t be forgotten, Lily.


    While watching Rina desperately apologising to Lily, and only making it worse in the process, we entered our wagon. Karen put down the box with the mana crystals and sighed.


    "Haa... It was fun but... It''s relaxing to be back."


    "Nn. It sure is."


    Karen sat down on the ground, next to the box, and pat her lap.


    "Come here."


    With a smile, I sat down in her lap. Ahh, this warmth was bliss.


    "Mhm, nothing feels different."


    "I see... Maybe you need some more?"


    "Maybe..."


    After we enjoyed a little bit of alone time, mostly some skinship, we decided to start experimenting a little. I absorbed a few of the mana crystal. The amount was honestly rather small but it was still a lot more than what I absorbed from my surroundings.


    "I wonder how many are needed..."


    "Nn..."


    There wasn''t any way to find out, unfortunately. Maybe that monster Yumias knew more but... She wasn''t around. And she hadn''t really talked about anything like this, had she?


    No, wait... Didn''t she say something yesterday evening? About it being time soon?


    "Yumi? Is something wrong?"


    "Nn? Ah, no, I just wondered what Yumias meant..."


    "Yumias? Did she say something to you?"


    Oh, I hadn''t told Karen about my talk yesterday?


    "Nn. She mentioned that it was soon time for something. Although, I have no idea what, but maybe she meant exactly this?"


    "Time... Did she say anything else?"


    "Nn... Let me think..."


    What did she say again?


    Something about my mana crystal... Or soul crystal, as she called it... And...


    "She said, if there was anything wrong, I should go to the Prayerhouse?"


    "The Prayerhouse? Why there?"


    "... That, she didn''t say."


    She loved being cryptic. Well, I would probably notice when something was wrong so...


    "Well, for now, let''s just keep absorbing a few of these mana crystals."


    I took a bunch out from the box and extracted the mana from them.


    Now that I actually thought about it, this was actually kind of a pleasant feeling. Like, something was filling me. It was an odd sensation. Similar to how you felt after eating something yet still rather different. There was no real feeling of hunger, after all.


    "Still nothing?"


    "Still nothing."


    "Mhm..."


    I took another batch and took the mana again.


    Honestly, the more I actively thought about this, the more I worried that this might become addicting.


    "Really, just what is supposed to happen..."


    "Maybe it''s some change we don''t see? Or it''s something with your monster parts?"


    "Monster parts... You mean the... tentacles?"


    "And your eyes. How about you change to them and try absorbing then?"


    "Nn..."


    Should I do that?


    Karen had seen the tentacles before already so I wasn''t as reluctant anymore but still...


    "It''s worth a try, isn''t it?"


    "... Then... Okay, I''ll try..."


    She was right. There wasn''t really a downside to it either.


    Having come to that decision, I changed both my arms. My eyes as well.


    "There''s quite a few of them."


    "Ah, Sis! Please don''t touch them so much, it feels strange."


    Karen instantly grabbed one of the tentacles that replaced my arms right now and felt it up.


    "Yumi, is the sensation the same as with your normal arms?"


    "Eh? Uhm... It''s a little different."


    This, too, was honestly a hard-to-describe sensation. Where would one even begin to describe it? Seriously.


    "It''s like... I don''t know... Like having multiple, very sensitive arms."


    "Sensitive? Does this hurt?"


    "No, uhm..."


    I paused.


    It didn''t hurt. Actually... It was the opposite.


    "It... feels a little good."


    "Heee..."


    Karen grinned mischievously.


    "Ah, Sis, what are you¡ª


    "Does this feel good too?"


    Karen hugged some tentacles and... licked one.


    It quite literally made a shiver run down my spine. A pleasant shiver, mind you.


    "Does seem like it."


    Having figured me out immediately, she continued licking them, from the tips down to the base, slowly, ever so slowly.


    "Sis, please sto¡ª Hiya?!"


    "Ehh? Are you sure you want me to stop?"


    Now she even licked my nape.


    No good. If this continued, we were surely going to do something completely different from what we had originally planned. Something rather lewd.


    "Yumi... We''re currently all alone."


    "Wait, Sis, Rina... Rina and Lily are outside!"


    "It''s fine, it''s fine."


    "Mmgh?!"


    No, it wasn''t fine.


    Alas, Karen had already sealed my lips with hers, making me unable to protest.


    "Yumi... Isn''t it time we try these out?"


    Karen traced one of the tentacles with her fingers.


    "It''d be such a waste not to, right?"


    "Wait, Sis, you can''t seriously mean to..."


    "I am serious, Yumi. I really am."


    She hugged me and buried her face into my hair.


    "Is it so wrong for me to want to feel you as close as possible?"


    "That''s..."


    That was unfair. Such a line, how could I say no to that?


    "I... I understand..."


    "Ehehehe, Yumi, I love you!"


    Once again, she kissed me, invading my mouth with her tongue.


    Like before, there was a certain odd glow in her eyes. I wondered... Just why were they glowing every time we did these things?


    "Yumi!"


    "Ah, Sis..."


    Karen didn''t waste any time, touching me all over the place. My back, my thighs, my... tentacles. Her hand found its way below my clothing and to my stomach, rubbing it.


    But, this time she was slow with it, gentle. It wasn''t as intense, as fast, as the previous times.


    This was... quite pleasant too.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? Ah."


    Karen threw off her upper cloth and then stripped me of mine as well.


    "Yumi... I remember seeing a few interesting ones... Want to... try them out?"


    "Sis, do you... mean that?"


    "Of course I do."


    She squeezed me, her bare breasts pressing on my back.


    "Let''s see... I remember the one with the sharp tip... and the one with that lewd fluid. Both of which are probably... Let''s try something else first."


    "Ahahaha..."


    "There was also the one that you put in, right? What else was there?"


    "What else..."


    I was a little perplexed by Karen''s frankness about the whole thing... Honestly, I had just let Karen do her thing until now so I never noticed that much... but actually talking about this with the clear purpose of... having some fun... was quite embarrassing.


    "Yumi?"


    "Ah... Uhm... Well... Let me think for a moment..."


    The one with the needle and the aphrodisiac were out for now. The needle one I had absolutely no idea what it would do and the aphrodisiac sounded like something that was a bit too much as well.


    "Nn... There''s... give me a moment..."


    I concentrated on one tentacle to change it to what I was thinking of. A few moments later, it was swaying before Karen''S eyes.


    "This is... What does this one do?"


    "Well, uhm... It... sucks on your breasts?"


    "My breasts you mean, like this?"


    Karen took hold of the tentacle and put it right on her breast, over her nipple.


    "Mhm... nothing is happening."


    "Well..."


    Because I wasn''t doing anything. Because I was still perplexed by how nonchalant Karen was about this. But... It also made a happy. Karen seemed genuinely curious about the whole thing. Not disgusted, not turned off. Somewhere, maybe I had still been worried. Because, right now, this genuine curiosity made me happy.


    "Give me a moment... Uhm... do I move it like this?"


    "Ah, something is... Hya?!"


    Oh, seemed this about right. How I even managed to move this was completely beyond me, seriously, but I had succeeded.


    "This. Feels actually quite good. Mhm... Yumi, come here!"


    Karen grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me towards her chest, to her free breast. She quite literally pushed me into it.


    Well, if she was going that far, then, by no means was I going to say no.


    "Ahh. This is nice. Yumi, a little stronger. Yes, like that."


    Complying with her desire, I sucked rather strong on her breast. Both, with my mouth on one and with the tentacle on the other. In the meantime, Karen continued to caress me, mostly around my thighs and my butt.


    "Mhm, Yumi..."


    "Ngh!"


    Her hand found the place between my thighs. Simultaneously, her other hand took hold of one of the tentacles¡ªone which purpose was clear even to Karen¡ªand guided it down below, between her own legs.


    "Sis... Sis, are you... sure?"


    I stopped sucking on her breast and looked up, at Karen''s face.


    "What are you talking about? A little late for that, aren''t we?"


    With a smile, she leaned forward, kissing me.


    "Yumi, I want it, so... please."


    "... Okay."


    Karen guided the tentacle and then... it slowly, slowly entered.


    "Nmh?!"


    What the heck?!


    A weird, pleasant feeling, ran through my body. But rather than from below, from between my own legs, it came from the side, from the tentacle.


    "Ngah!"


    "Si... s..."


    Karen was breathing heavily, still holding the tentacle firmly with her hand. Then, she pushed it even further.


    "Nmgh!"


    "Sis, wa¡ª This is... too much."


    It felt good. Very much so.


    Karen still pushed the tentacle further, as if it was a toy, as far as possible.


    "Yu... mi... This... This is..."


    Having pushed the tentacle as far as she could, she put her arm around my waist and pulled me close.


    "This... feels a lot better... than I expected... Hehehe... Give... Give me a moment..."


    "O... Okay..."


    We stayed still, each of us trying to catch our breaths. After a few minutes, we had calmed down a little.


    "Yumi... This really feels... Ngh... Quite odd..."


    "It really does."


    Karen was fidgeting, rubbing her legs. Every single small movement sent a little bit of pleasure up my spine.


    "I... I think I''m fine now, Yumi..."


    "You sure?"


    "Mhm..."


    Karen kissed me once more and then rubbed her cheek against mine.


    "Let''s continue."


    "... Nn."


    I slowly moved the tentacle, wriggling its way through the narrow space it had invaded. Slowly moving out, and then back in again. Not fast by any means, slowly and gently.


    A few moans escaped Karen. I wanted to see more of that. See her moan more, see her feel good more.


    Karen''s hand was touching me down there as well, her fingers entering. Now, the pleasure came from two places.


    "Yumi... More, do it more..."


    "Nn... Ahh... Sis..."


    We kissed, our tongues entwining. My free tentacles wrapped around Karen, wanting to feel more of her.


    "Yumi! Haaa! Yumi! Haa! It''s... It''s coming."


    Suddenly, Karen cramped up, squeezing me with a lot of force, with her hands, and with her place.


    "Ahh!"


    The strong stimulation down there... The pleasure shot through my body.


    "Naaahh!"


    Leaving us both exhausted, lying on the floor.


    "Haaa... Haaa..."


    "Haa... Yumi..."


    "Sis..."


    Limp as we were, we lay side by side. The tentacle was still inside Karen, but neither of us had the energy to move right now and bother with that.


    "This was... Haa... Quite an... Haa.... enlightening experience..."


    "Sis... That''s an... odd choice of words..."


    "Ehehe... Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    Karen turned her head around and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.


    "Thank you... It felt good..."


    "... Nn."


    We smiled at each other.


    This was bliss.


    It wasn''t quite what we had planned to do, sure, but... That was fine. Now, we just had to calm down. My body was still hot. Especially my chest. It was hot. Really hot. Burning.


    As if my chest was on fire.

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Human Shell

    It''s hot. So hot.


    My chest was burning with incredible heat. It wasn''t painful. No, it wasn''t painful at all. But it was uncomfortable. And scary.


    A fire was burning in my chest, slowly spreading, expanding, reaching my tentacle arms and my stomach, then going down to my legs, and finally, even my face was burning.


    Everything was heating up. A blazing fire was consuming all of my body.


    "Yumi? Yumi, is something wrong?"


    Karen called out to me. It was Karen, right? Maybe she could help. I opened my mouth, trying to say something but no word ever left. Only a groan came out.


    "Yumi?! Yumi! Yumi!"


    Karen grabbed my shoulders, rattling me. And then, she froze, still staring at me.


    "... Yumi. I''ll go call help, wait for me."


    Karen, who was lying next to me, tried to stand up. She was leaving me. Leaving me alone. No... No. Everything, everything but that.


    Don''t... Don''t leave... Sis...


    "Yumi? What ar¡ª Hyah?! Yumi?!"


    I hugged her. With all the strength I could muster. I didn''t want her to leave me. It was scary. The heat, the fire, was growing stronger and stronger. Something was happening to me, that much I realised. But I didn''t know what. And not knowing... was scary. Incredibly scary.


    "Hot! You''re burning up, Yumi! ... Please, let me go, I''ll go call help!"


    No... Don''t leave...


    I hugged her even stronger. I didn''t want her to leave. It was scary. Frightening. I didn''t want to be alone.


    "... Yumi."


    Then, her arms wrapped around me, squeezing me gently. I could feel her hand slowly rubbing the back of my head.


    "It''s fine, calm down, Yumi. I''m right here. I''m right here."


    She whispered into my ear.


    And then, my vision went dark. My body was still hot... Everything was still burning... but Karen was here. Karen was here, together with me...


    That was all I needed.


    Time passed. And passed...


    Who knew how much time had passed since then. Maybe a year? Maybe a decade? Maybe close to an eternity? Or maybe just a few seconds?


    The fire burning my body gradually consumed everything. Continuously, never-ending. At least, that''s how it felt. I had lost the feeling in my limbs and most of my body. Only one thing I could still feel. One thing I was sure of. Karen was still with me. I could feel her right with me.


    Time passed... and passed... and passed. Occasionally, sounds could be heard all around us, but I didn''t know what they were. The sounds were distant. Maybe I was imagining them?


    But that was all. There was nothing else in this darkness, except Karen and me. Occasionally, I could feel a slight movement from her. Our faces were close, occasionally touching. It was the only confirmation I had. Wherever this was, whatever had happened... I wasn''t alone.


    After even more time passed, the heat died down, replaced by a stinging and cold sensation. The feeling in my body slowly returned. First the feeling in my chest, then my arms, followed by my stomach and lower body and finally my legs. Something felt weird, odd but that didn''t matter much right now. I tried moving my arm but it was sluggish. Something was hindering my movement. It felt as if I was moving inside a swamp.


    Slowly, I reached out to Karen in front of me. She twitched when I touched her. She was fine. Both us were fine. That was good. That was good...


    "....me. Go get..."


    "Und..."


    Voices. Those were voices. Someone was speaking. Was it Lily? Maybe Rina?


    I tried to open my eyes... I was sure I had managed to open them, but it was still dark... No, not quite.


    A small silver light shone in front of me. It was bright, so bright you would think it could illuminate everything around me... yet the surroundings were still pitch black. Then there was another light, even closer than the silver one, right where my chest was... A small, pink light. A small thread connected both of them, their colours slightly mixing. What were these lights?


    Even more lights came into my view, but these were further away. And they were moving. A rainbow-coloured light, a grey light and a dark green light. The grey light and the rainbow light were also connected by a thin thread.


    Are these lights... people? Are these lights right in front of me... Karen and me? Then, are those light I see there... other people?


    That was likely the case, wasn''t it? I couldn''t think of anything else and somehow... I was weirdly convinced of this. Those were people. People... I knew well. People... I loved.


    I wanted to see more, I wanted those lights to come to me. Connect with me.


    Ahh... This is... These are...


    My eyes widened in surprise. There were many, many lights around us. Hundreds. Maybe thousands of them. They filled the darkness like a starry sky. Each of them a different colour. Red ones, green ones, blue ones, grey ones, brown ones, even some shining in multiple colours.


    They were all around us. Everywhere.


    Something moved. Karen was squeezing me. Was she asleep? Or was she awake? I didn''t know. More lights appeared all around us. But... these lights were tiny, not even a fraction of the size of all the others. They swarmed all around us, covering us like a spotty shell.


    What''s going on?


    Then, something creaked. A sound like an egg that was being cracked. And finally...


    Light.


    IT HURTS!


    Blinding light.


    I turned away in a hurry, closing my eyes shut. I didn''t know how much time had passed but it was sure long enough that a little bit of light blinded the hell out of me.


    "Yumi! Karen!"


    A familiar voice called out to us.


    I forced my eyes open, squinting just enough to look in front of me.


    A young girl with fluffy ears on either side of her head¡ªwhich were twitching vigorously¡ªwas looking down at me, tears in her eyes. The relief in her eyes was apparent, accompanied by a small smile.


    "Li... ly?"


    My mouth felt numb and it was a little hard to speak. My entire body was numb and my, admittedly weak, attempt at moving failed.


    "Whad... happen''d..."


    I scanned my surroundings, trying to figure out where I was. Something pink and surprisingly solid was surrounding me and Karen. A hole, just large enough for a person to crawl through, was right above us. Through it, I could see Lily, as well as a wooden, familiar ceiling. Most likely, we hadn''t moved places, still in the wagon.


    "Ahh... Well..."


    "Mm. The cursed brat is fine as expected. What about the other one?"


    Another face popped up next to Lily, peering into... whatever Karen and I were stuck in.


    "Miss El... der?"


    "Mm. Yours truly."


    Her long drooping ears twitched in reply. The elder of the elves joined Lily, looking down at Karen and me.


    "Sleeping, still. See, I told you there was scant a need to worry, wolf child."


    "Well... You did say that but... I''m just glad they really are..."


    "Hmpf. No trust in your elders, have you?"


    The Elder moved closer. She grabbed the edge of the hole, breaking it off, with a sound that reminded me of a shell breaking. She continued breaking of parts, expanding the hole.


    "Mm. That''s quite a curious state you two are in."


    "Whad do... you mean?"


    My mouth still felt numb and weird. Like someone had put something in my mouth that was preventing me from speaking properly. Honestly more than a little annoying.


    "I recommend you to take a look at yourself."


    "... Nn?"


    I did as I was told and...


    "Eh?"


    Was more than a little shocked.


    First of all, I was buck-naked. The clothes, even if they were few, that I had been wearing before passing out, were gone. A thin arm was wrapped around my own arm and waist, and two legs around my own legs. From the corner of my eyes, I could see a bare shoulder. Judging from that, Karen was probably just as naked.


    While a little embarrassing, that actually wasn''t the problem. Instead, it was that Karen was hugging me. Or rather, how she was.


    "... Well... Id doesn''d hurd..."


    Both my arms and my legs were... bent in rather incredibly directions. Not anything a body usually should do. Not without a significant amount of pain, at the very least. My neck, too, was more than a little bent to the side. Although I had to admit, that the comfortable feeling on my neck was very well worth it. Not that it was the time nor the place for such thoughts but... You couldn''t help them sometimes, okay?


    Anyway... With that, the mystery why I couldn''t move was solved as well. Karen was restraining me. No chance I could break out of this on my own...


    "It''s great that it doesn''t hurt but..."


    Lily furrowed her brows a little.


    "You should also check your mouth."


    "Mouwth?"


    Why my mouth? Sure, it was a little numb and felt wei¡ª


    It felt weird, yes. It definitely felt weird... I got a bad feeling.


    As I was a little restricted in movement, the only way I could try to feel what was wrong with my mouth was my tongue. Feeling along my teeth with it quickly revealed... what was wrong.


    "Whad dwe hegg?!"


    Human teeth came in quite a variety. And they needed it. But exactly this variety... was currently missing in my mouth.


    "Mm. Sure looks like you shouldn''t bite anyone anymore, cursed child."


    I was never going to bite anyone!


    It was probably just a joke but... Actually, was this elf even capable of joking? I didn''t know. Sure hoped she was, right now.


    Regardless, I had a more pressing concern right now. My mouth was full of fangs, like a carnivore''s. Human teeth? Wish they were there.


    Seriously, what was I going to do about this?!


    "Ehh... What do we do about that?" Lily asked the Elder.


    "While I cannot speak with certainty, she should be able to change them, like she does her eyes."


    That was possible?


    Please, let that be true.


    I closed my eyes, imagining my normal set of teeth. After a few seconds, a rather unpleasant feeling appeared. My teeth were... literally moving and changing. As if someone was forcefully moving them through my jaw.


    But, at the very least...


    "Ahh... Ahh... Test. Test. Ohh..."


    So, it had been those teeth that made it difficult to speak. No wonder.


    And that this wasn''t some permanent thing... What a relief... Seriously...


    "So, uhm... Can someone finally explain what is going on?"


    I had asked once already but gotten no answer. Disregarding my curious entangled state, something else had happened. Like, I didn''t even know my teeth could end up like that. That was creepy as hell. Honestly, couldn''t recommend it.


    "Cursed child... Do you not even know about this?"


    The Elder raised her eyebrows in surprise.


    Was this something I should have known? Judging from her reaction, apparently so. I wanted to shake my head to deny it, but... Karen''s iron grip didn''t allow me to. And she was still sleeping too, her quiet breaths right next to my ear.


    "... No."


    "I had suspected that you do not understand what kind of being you are... but that you do not even know about this astonishes me, child."


    That was great and all, but I really wanted an explanation. Pretty please? Pretty, pretty please?


    "Mh, where to start... No. Before I explain it to you, you might want to leave that shell first. It''s hard having a disucssion like this, do you not agree?"


    The Elder, who had broken off quite a lot of the shell or whatever it was by now, reached inside and tried to free me from Karen''s grip.


    "This girl is... Wolf child, I need your support here. My strength does not suffice."


    "Ah, yes."


    Lily joined and helped the Elder. Or, at least, tried to. Even with the two of them, Karen didn''t budge, only letting out an occasional groan and... strengthening her grip instead.


    "... This girl has some incredible strength."


    "Miss Elder, this is not the time to be impressed..."


    "Haa... Let it be. We are unable to move her. She will wake up in time."


    They gave up.


    Congratulations, Karen. You won a test of strength against them without even being aware of it. The timing was a little unfortunate, though. I knew it couldn''t be helped but... Yeah...


    "Then we will have to talk like this. Child, do you know what the Cursed are?"


    "No, I don''t... Uhh... I remember... That they had to do something with the Witch..."


    "That is correct. The Cursed are her children, to be precise."


    Her children...


    Wait, since she kept calling me ''Cursed'' as well...


    "The Witch herself is a punished creature. Though even I do not know the why or how. That is a story from a time so long ago that not even the world itself remembers. Maybe, the world hadn''t even been born at the time."


    "... That sounds like... really long ago."


    Like, before ''the world was born''? How many millions or billions of years would that be?


    It... couldn''t be possible that this was really the case... Right?


    "It was long ago. But this is of nought importance. The Cursed, her children, were created by her. Materialising a person''s soul, changing their very physical being to accommodate their new existence... She created beings nigh immortal. Those are the Cursed."


    "... Immortal?"


    She paused for a moment, closing her eyes. She was probably thinking about my question. After a few more seconds of silence, she opened her eyes once more.


    "The Cursed cannot die, for as long as their soul, the crystallised stone in their chest, is unscathed. And the crystallised stone itself, possesses a hardness that makes it nigh impossible to destroy. And only very few beings possess this strength."


    That was... We had suspected that this was really the case... But to hear it from the Elder...


    "But do not misunderstand. This state of being is nought but a curse. Their bodies transforming into a form far removed from a living creature, they resemble a monster more than anything else."


    "Wait, but... Miss Elder, does that mean the Cursed and monsters are different?"


    "They are yet they are not. A monster is but a coincidental whim of the world. The Cursed are artificial, created by the witch. The core of their being, however, is effectively the same. A crystallised soul supporting a physical body."


    So, the difference was just that one was artificial and the other wasn''t.


    That was an interesting tidbit of knowledge, but still not what I wanted to know.


    "Miss Elder, but... What happened here? What is this?"


    "Metamorphosis."


    "... Excuse me?"


    "Are you familiar with the caterpillar becoming a butterfly?"


    "... Nn, I know of that."


    From caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly.


    Not exa¡ª


    "..."


    "Mh, seems you understood the situation, Cursed child."


    "... Really?"


    I took another look at the shell surrounding me and Karen.


    This was... a cocoon? That was a joke, wasn''t it? There was no way... Just now way...


    "This was your first time, judging from your reaction."


    "First... Is this going to happen more often?"


    "It will. Your crystallised stone will devour more mana. Once it has enough, you will enter the shell and transform again."


    That was... But...


    Seriously?


    Maybe my vocabulary was just lacking or so, but... Seriously?


    "What exactly has changed, you will have to figure out yourself. Every Cursed one I met was different. There was only one thing common about them."


    "One thing?"


    "Each and every one of them strayed further and further from the path of a humanoid being. That form was but a shell. Their real being anything but a person¡ªAn intelligent and honest-to-god monster. A walking nightmare."


    Around half an hour later, after I halfway digested the Elder''s words, Karen finally woke up.


    And this marked the begin of yet another explanation session.


    Much to my surprise, though, Karen wasn''t in the least disturbed by it. In fact, she was totally okay with the whole thing.


    Even though, she wasn''t exactly a bystander anymore either. Was this really fine, Karen?


    "So, you are saying, because I was caught by Yumi, I was affected as well?"


    "That seems to be the case, demon child. It is a most curious situation and I have no idea how it will affect you. Except, that it will affect you."


    Thus was the Elder''s verdict.


    After we were finally freed from the shell we checked if there was anything wrong with us, outwardly.


    The answer was... Yes, there was something wrong.


    "It turned pink."


    "It sure did."


    "I match with Yumi!"


    Contrary to Lily''s and my concerns, Karen was rejoicing. The pink strand in her hair had become impossible to hide now, having expanded enough to be easily spottable. Since her regular hair colour was silver, it turned out to be incredibly obvious... Not that Karen minded, of course.


    "I wish I could be as carefree as Karen about this."


    "Nn..."


    I was a little jealous of how she didn''t mind the whole thing in the least. She was even chatting with the Elder right now about what effects the whole thing could have on her.


    In the meantime, Lily and I were playing with the dolls, who were also around. They had covered, or at least tried to, the shell. They were apparently half the reason why Lily and the Elder had been here. Maybe they had sensed me waking up?


    "So, Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "... You are still just as tiny as before."


    "..."


    Thank you for the most valuable impression, dear Lily.


    "You... didn''t shrink even more, did you?"


    "I am fairly certain I didn''t."


    Actually, I was pretty sure I hadn''t shrunk.


    Lily and the Elder handed us our clothes, that they had apparently rescued when Karen and I got stuck in that shell. And those clothes still fit me just as well as before.


    That also meant I didn''t grow taller, though.


    Either way, there was something I had to know. After taking a deep breath, I stopped playing with the dolls for a moment and turned to Lily.


    "Lily."


    "Yes?"


    "... How long were we in there?"


    The one important question. The one I was honestly a little too scared to ask. Alas, there was no way around this... I had to know.


    "... Quite some time."


    "How much is ''quite some time''?"


    "...A few days."


    "... Excuse me?"


    A few days.


    Those words continued to echo in my mind for a minute or two. I had expected it to be quite some time but to be honest, I had expected it to be at most a day. Not several.


    At that moment, before I could continue to ruminate about this reveal, someone was knocking on the door of the wagon.


    The door opened and a large silhouette entered.


    "Yo, seems the two of you are fine."


    "Captain."


    Sporting a smile, Korwen walked over to us.


    "Don''t make everyone worry."


    "Ah, I''m so¡ª


    Before I could finish, Korwen''s large hand pressed down on my head, rubbing it.


    "Ah, Cap¡ª Please stop."


    "Still tiny."


    Why?! Is that the important part about me?!


    Korwen let go of my head.


    "How much did Lily tell you already?"


    "Tell me? About what?"


    I tilted my head.


    "Ah, we didn''t tell them anything yet, Captain."


    "Nothing yet? Mhm..."


    Did something happen in the time we were out?


    "We got a few problems on our hand."


    "... That doesn''t sound good."


    "It isn''t. I''d give you some time to sort out these things here, but unfortunately, we''re a little bit in a hurry. Do you remember the Allena family?"


    "Nn."


    That was the family that had made a ruckus during the festival and was apparently harassing the Karker family now. There was no way I would forget them this quickly.


    "They are trying to pin the blame on us. For the approaching war with Arkesta."


    "... What? But... Why?"


    "Because we''re an easy scapegoat."


    No matter how you sliced it, that hadn''t been our fault.  In the first place, hadn''t it been the fort''s commander who even hired us for help?


    "What about the people from the fort?"


    "The same as us. Commander Ruben was detained yesterday in the name of investigation. They say he should have attempted to negotiate and that his reaction was ''exaggerated and unnecessary''."


    "After they destroyed not only the gate, spread a curse around the soldiers but also sent an army to the weakened fort?"


    Even I knew that this wasn''t someone who was up for negotiations.


    "The gate was done in by a single individual without relation to Arkesta. The curse just some nightmares of the soldiers and nothing important. The supposed army was just a slightly large escort for the envoy. That''s their reasoning."


    "... The heck? Did they even see all the soldiers that were ''just suffering from nightmares''?"


    That was a lot worse than just having nightmares. It was a nightmare you couldn''t escape. And it had affected not just a few soldiers, but dozens over dozens.


    This, honestly, made me more than a little angry.


    "I know, I know, calm down, Yumi. This is clearly done on purpose."


    Korwen let out a deep sigh. Then, he turned around, pulled a chair out of the corner and sat down.


    "Since we picked you guys up, it''s just one thing after another. Are you two cursed by bad luck or something?"


    "... I sure hope not."


    "Sure pray so as well. Anyway, our current situation isn''t quite favourable. It wouldn''t be all that bad, to be honest... If a certain idiot hadn''t caused trouble in the city."


    "Nn?"


    A certain idiot? That... wasn''t me, right? I couldn''t remember having done anything bad.


    "You remember Ludo and his mother?"


    "Ludo? Ludo... Was that... the boy of that screeching mother from this morning?"


    "... I think you mean the morning three days ago. Yes."


    Oh, right. Three days ago.


    "He and his mother picked a fight with some merchants."


    "... Picked a fight?"


    "Well, you know how... They try to find work for him..."


    "... I do."


    Mostly in an attempt to force them to take him as an apprentice. Truly a novel way of finding work.


    "Usually that wouldn''t be a problem. Heck, I''d have to lie if I didn''t say that I expected something this to happen. Just, those merchants are related to the Allena''s in some way and now they also use that incident to prove that we are sabotaging the country."


    "..."


    Beautifully done, Mrs Idiot Parent and Mr Idiot Son.


    "So... What is happening now?"


    "For now? Not a whole lot. The Karker family is intervening on our behalf, so nothing big yet happened. But we might have to cut our stay short, depending on how it goes."


    "I see..."


    Lady Karker, huh... She really was a nice person.


    "Nn, but Captain... You said we''re in a hurry?"


    "Ah, yes. Well, it''s not the band as a whole that is in a hurry."


    "... Huh?"


    Korwen smiled. A wide, bright smile, that sure as hell didn''t suit him.


    "I hope you''ll be ready to work. I got a lot of stuff for you to do."


    "Back to sleep I go."


    "You slept three fucking days, that''s enough of a break."


    I unwillingly slept three days, mind you.


    "Whatever, once you are ready, come to my tent. There''s a whole lot of work that piled up."


    "... Nn, will do."


    "... Take your time, as long as it''s not too long."


    Korwen stood up with those words. Instead of leaving, though, he walked over to Karen and the Elder, who were kind of engrossed in their own little talk...


    "Karen."


    "Eh? Ah, yes, Mr Captain?"


    "About your sister..."


    "Rina? What''s with her?"


    Karen turned around to face Korwen, her expression hardening a little upon the mention of Rina.


    "There''s something I''d like to talk about to you later. It''s mostly in regards to her future. There''s no hurry now, but I''d rather have that talk out of the way sooner than later."


    "... Understood, Mr Captain."


    "Good. Then, I''ll leave now."


    He walked to the door but came to a stop right in front of it.


    After a short moment of silence, he looked over his shoulder, towards us.


    "It''s good to see you two back and healthy."


    Then he opened the door and left.


    "... Healthy, huh."


    A small smile was on my face. It was just a short while for me and Karen, but... Hell, if this had happened to Karen, Rina or Lily, I was certain I would go crazy for worry.


    And to know that Korwen was worried as well, even if he didn''t show it as much... Wasn''t quite unpleasant to know.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    Karen had walked over to me, standing right by my side now.


    "I''m a little worried about Rina so..."


    "Nn, it''s okay. Go ahead."


    About Rina''s future, huh. I''d actually wanted to come along but... There was a little something I had to do first.


    "Karen, could I come along?"


    "Lily? Uhm..."


    Karen paused. She seemed a little unsure, but after a few seconds, she smiled and nodded.


    "That''s okay."


    "... Thanks."


    Lily was also worried about it, huh. Well... Made me wonder... Did Lily and Rina have any progress over the last three days? I sure hoped so.


    "Yumi, do you want to come along too?"


    "Eh? Uhh... I... I''ll join a little later... I want to take a look at this stuff first."


    I pointed at the shell where Karen and I had been stuck in.


    "... I see. Okay. Then, until later."


    "Nn."


    With those words, Karen and Lily both left.


    "Hey, Karen?"


    "Yes?"


    "Did you shrink?"


    "No?"


    "Are you sure? Your clothes look a little loose..."


    "... So it wasn''t my imagination?!"


    Wait for a second, why do you start an interesting discussion right when you leave?!


    Karen shrunk?


    That was a joke, right?


    Don''t leave me hanging now! You can''t do this to me!


    "Cursed brat... What are you doing..."


    My attempt to follow them was quickly curbed by the resident elf who grabbed my shoulders...


    "If you are worried about the demon child''s height, do not worry."


    "So, she didn''t shrink?"


    That was a relief.


    While I did think about wanting to witness a smaller Karen¡ªit was bound to be cute after all¡ªthat didn''t mean I actually wanted her to shrink. I wanted to keep my big sister-like Karen, thank you very much.


    "Haa... What a relief..."


    "..."


    This day was already enough of a mess and it had just started... Actually, what time was it? Judging from the light shining through it wasn''t  too late, at least.


    No, that wasn''t important right now. First, I had something I had to make sure.


    "Miss Elder."


    "Yes, Cursed brat?"


    "I have one more question..."


    A very important question.


    "Miss Elder... What is this... What are these... lights that I see? That everyone has in their chest?"


    "... So you see it, as expected."


    "..."


    The Elder''s expression hardened.


    "What you see is the very thing that made the Cursed so scary. The very thing only the witch and the Cursed held domain over."


    She sighed... Then turned around, looking at the empty shell, then back to me.


    "They are our souls."


    Rinne


    Happy Easter!


    It''s getting warmer again. Someone is having a barbecue outside and the smell is making me hungry...


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    Stay healthy and safe!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Opened Box

    "Souls?"


    "Yes, souls."


    A leaf green, slightly unstable light flickered in the Elder''s chest. Her own soul, apparently, if her words were to be believed.


    I stared at my own chest. A similar light flickered there, albeit a little different. It was bright and soft pink in colour. But... It wasn''t flickering... It was bright and stable... Except for a small thread that extended from it, pointing into the distance.


    The direction where Karen had gone off to...


    "... Are you for real?"


    "... You truly have no idea, do you?"


    "If I had, I wouldn''t be asking what this means..."


    "Hmpf, that is true as well..."


    The Elder furrowed her brows a little.


    "Have you never attempted to ask that Witch? She might be fickle but isn''t she the one who you should be consulting?"


    "... That fickleness is the problem. I... I honestly don''t know whether I can trust her. Also... She scares me."


    "Scares you? Her own kin? Pff... Ahahahaha!"


    The Elder''s eyes went wide before she broke out in loud laughter, holding her own belly.


    This was the first time I heard her laugh like this, full of emotion.


    "Ahahahahaha! Hahahaha! Hahaha... Ha... Scaring her own child... As expected from the witch... I can scarcely believe it..."


    Shaking her head, the elf sat down on the ground, her back against the wall.


    "Scaring you... And yet, you still confide with me? Cursed brat, did it never cross your mind to doubt me?"


    "Doubt... Uhm..."


    Doubt...


    In the beginning, sure, I was even a little scared of her as well. Worried about what she might do. But when I saw how much she cared for her brethren, how she cried when she lost her home... I couldn''t help but sympathise with her. Those were my feelings, although it was a little hard to actually put into words...


    "Uhm... I don''t think you are a bad person, so..."


    "... Not a bad person. You''re quite naive, aren''t you?"


    "..."


    Yes, I was. Sorry about that...


    Maybe I should be more careful. But, in that case, it wasn''t only me, this time.


    "The others don''t really doubt you either, right? And the Captain wouldn''t allow you here if he was doubting you."


    "Mhm... Well, I guess those words are mostly true as well. But, your captain is a cautious one. He might not have reason to doubt us at the moment, but he sure doesn''t trust us."


    Well, it probably came with the job, not to trust everyone arbitrarily... Shouldering so much responsibility... I wouldn''t be able to do that.


    "Uhm, there''s one thing I still want to know, Miss Elder."


    "What, cursed brat?"


    "... You said that seeing souls is what made the Cursed so scary... But, why is that?"


    "..."


    The Elder didn''t immediately answer, only staring at me. After several seconds had passed, she let out a sigh.


    "... That is something I will not tell you."


    "You... won''t?"


    "Yes. Cursed child, you may not doubt me as much as you should, but the reverse is different. What I have told you so far is nigh inconsequential to me. In fact, I am certain you would be able to find out those things yourself, given time. But... That is a different matter."


    "So, you say... You don''t trust me enough to tell me?"


    "... That is correct, cursed brat."


    "I see..."


    Somehow, being told she doesn''t trust me, hurt a little. I understood what she meant but... Nonetheless, it hurt and made me a little sad to hear.


    "Brat, come closer for a second."


    "Nn?"


    The Elder gestured me to come closer. Although a little confused at the sudden request, I walked over and bowed down to face her, the green eyes staring straight at me.


    "Brat, let me give you a single piece of advice."


    "Nn?"


    "The Cursed are neither humanoids nor fairies, they scarcely even resemble people. With time, you will change, straying further from the path of the living. Do not reject that path, you cannot escape it either way. But no matter how far you stray, never forget your human heart."


    "..."


    A small smile formed on the Elder''s lips.


    "I will be watching for as long as we journey together. If you find yourself troubled, I am willing to listen. Let me repay the kindness you and your friends have showed us."


    With those words, she stood up and walked past me.


    "The elves are a race that is distrustful and withdrawn. But we will never forget those who helped us and those who showed us kindness."


    And then, she left, leaving me alone in the wagon.


    "Never forget my human heart... huh..."


    With a wry smile, I gazed at the door through which she had left.


    "I''ll try my best, Miss Elder."


    Well then, now onto the next problem... The more immediate one...


    "What do I do about this... egg?"


    The answer was exceedingly simple: Nothing.


    At least, there wasn''t anything I could do now about that egg and its remains. Although, it was quite interesting. The shell was hard but the inside had some fluffy, soft stuff that was quite comfortable to touch...


    Maybe we could make something out of this?


    But that''s something I can worry about later.


    I was a little tempted to go join Karen and Lily right now. The Captain wanted to talk with them about Rina, after all. But... While I sure wanted to know about that, I didn''t have the composure to just go there right now. In a way, I was astonished that Karen could just stand up and leave after we got stuck in there together for days...


    I sure couldn''t. Well, looking at it positively, I heard quite a bit form the Elder about my situation. There had still been various questions I wanted to ask but she already left so... Nothing I could do about now. Next time.


    For example, what the heck is this weird string of light that connects me and Karen? Or that connects Lily and Rina?


    If these were really our souls, then something had happened that connected our souls... Or something like that?


    "Haa..."


    Too many weird things were going on...


    Either way, I heavily doubted that being able to see souls and those fangs were the only things that had changed. The Elder told me that with time I would stray further from being a human... Together with what she told me about the other Cursed I had a bit of an idea of what else might have changed.


    "Mhm... does the door have a lock?"


    It actually had one. Well, not the kind of lock I was imagining, it was just a small piece of wood that was blocking the door from opening... Better than nothing, mind you.


    Now then, off these go.


    I threw off the clothes that I had put on just a little earlier. Depending on what would happen now, they might only get in the way.


    Mhm... Freedom!


    I stretched my arms, relishing in the newly acquired freedom.


    Hopefully, I wasn''t going to turn into some kind of nudist. Seriously. At this rate, I was going to turn into some kind of pervert. Well, maybe it was already a little too late for that. Just... Maybe...


    Mhm, I guess it''d be better to sit down.


    Didn''t want to hit my head or something. Even I was learning, okay?


    I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.


    "Here we go..."


    First, my eyes. The slitted pupils that I had. Then, my arms, the odd feeling of my arms splitting and turning into tentacles. My legs, just like my arms, they split.


    "Woaaaah! OUCH!"


    And of course, I lost balance. Falling backwards, the back of my head had an unpleasant meeting with the floor...


    Good thing I sat down... Ugh... My head...


    Yeah...


    Note for the future to be even more careful. Sitting with tentacles might be a little... hard.


    I waited for a while until the throbbing pain in the back of my head disappeared.


    "Nn... This is about the level that I already knew about... Before this little incident."


    Lying on my back, I lifted my arm tentacles as well as my lower tentacles, stretching them towards the ceiling.


    "Damn... This is creepy..."


    Wriggling around in front of my eyes were well over a dozen tentacles, all of them coloured in a fleshy pink... It was creepy. It was creepy but... Oddly, not as much as I would have thought. Heck, I was certain I would''ve thought of this as disgusting even back in my old world. But all it did was giving me some slightly uncomfortable feeling.


    Still... I wonder... Is this really all?


    To be honest, if you thought about it... A human body with the limbs replaced as tentacles. That was just... weird? Weird and incomplete. Like, something that''s not quite either. And, if that feeling was true...


    Then it means, this isn''t all there is to it.


    But, did I really want to try this out? Maybe... Maybe it was better to forget about this. To pretend this thought had never occurred to me.


    No... I''ll do this. Even the Elder said I shouldn''t reject this path. And even before that, I kept telling myself not to run away anymore. If I stop here, I''d be doing the same I have done before. Running away.


    This was something I had to do.


    It definitely was.


    I took another deep breath. I still had to brace myself. Bracing myself for the inevitable.


    "Here goes nothing!"


    I closed my eyes again. First, there was the one thing I already knew that had changed. My teeth.


    The feeling of my own teeth moving around in my jaw was beyond uncomfortable, like, seriously. I already knew that I effectively had no bones but that didn''t change that I got goosebumps from this...


    Ahh... Why the heck do I have these fangs?


    Just what kind of monster was I turning into? Well, I was going to find out soon. Probably?


    Actually, what was I going to do now? I went all the way and transformed everything. Everything I knew about, that is. But how was I going to figure out the things I didn''t know about? Assuming they existed.


    Mhm... Guess I''ll just have to try it out. Trial and Error and so... Haa...


    Not like anyone could teach me. Sure, Yumias was probably able to teach me. After all, she had done it before once. But I didn''t want to rely on her too much. She was just... Confusing. I seriously had no idea what she was thinking. Should I trust her? Should I doubt her?


    Whatever, I could continue those thoughts some other time.


    For now, it was time to figure this out.


    My limbs turned into tentacles... so... Guess I''ll try my lower body then...


    It felt like the next logical step. To me, at least.


    The question now, was, how was I going to do this? I might repeat myself but... I seriously had no clue. The most I could do was, trying to do the same thing I did for everything else.


    Oh well... What could go wrong...


    Yet again, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I concentrated on my lower body, specifically, from the part the tentacles connected to the rest of my body. My legs up to my thighs had turned into tentacles, but everything else, like my butt, was still normal. Now it was time to change this as well. Assuming it was possible.


    I''m going to cry if I do this only to find out later that there''s nothing more to transform...


    Not that long ago, I probably would''ve thought the complete opposite. Huma¡ª I mean, people sure are adaptable.


    Mmm... Nothing''s really happening...


    I had attempted to just do it the same way I had done it with... everything else, really. Yeah... Too bad this wasn''t working out. Too bad.


    Okay, that meant either it was impossible or it was something else. But, in what way was it different?


    Somehow, I really doubted it was impossible. I had the feeling that there was something, for sure. I just had to figure out what. And most importantly: How.


    "Haaa..."


    I stretched my... uhh... my tentacles... As far as I could stretch them, that was. They were quite long so I covered a rather big portion of the floor like this.


    The wagon feels a little smaller if I stretch out like this...


    I retracted the tentacles and instead tried to sit up. In other words, trying to lift my upper body.


    With a rather severe lack of results. They were way too weak.


    What point do they even have... Aren''t most of the tentacle monsters catching their prey with the tentacles? How is that supposed to work if I can''t even lift my own body? Even assuming I were to catch someone, which I''m obviously not intending to do, I couldn''t even keep them restrained.


    When Karen got drunk the only reason I managed to restrain her was because she had been drunk. Intoxicated as she had been, she had been simply unable to get rid of my hair and only entangled herself further. But at any other time, this wouldn''t have worked out. Maybe if they panic but that was quite a dangerous assumption to make in a situation that''d warrant this.


    Or... do they get stronger as well? With time. Or maybe with something else?


    Now that I actually spared a thought on this... Yeah, sure, they were intended mostly for sex and so... Actually, yeah... These were clearly not intended to grab hold of anyone. Then, maybe there was a kind of tentacle that could grab things?


    Right, once you consider their purpose... I don''t think a needle or a penis is that good at grabbing something...


    I''d seriously be creeped out if the latter was. The mere thought made a shudder run down my back.


    But... a tentacle that is good at grabbing things, huh...


    There was that sucking tentacle but... Yeah... That wasn''t going to work either.


    But... I never really checked all of them in detail and I sure didn''t try to find out if there was one stronger than the others...


    Well, now''s as good a time as ever. If I can make some progress that''s already something.


    And with that, it was time to... do some more tentacle experiments...


    Mhm... What to do...


    A thorough investigation of my tentacles led to... nearly no results, at least in regards to their strength. They were all about the same, strength-wise. Strong enough to do their respective jobs but not strong enough to hold anything.


    On the other hand, though... There were a few other results.


    It releases something... I can guess what this is but... Mh...


    A little bit of experimenting allowed me to find out that there were new kinds of tentacles I didn''t have before. How did I find them? Well, the same way I had found the others before. Somehow or another, I just knew about them. Most likely, this was yet another effect of what Yumias had done to me before. To think it would have such a far-reaching effect.


    I actually kind of like it when it''s this easy but... Haaa...


    Just like most others, they were mostly for sexual activities. Half of them were also in the form of a needle for injection... What did they inject? Something that sure didn''t sound reversible. Although, if someone ever had problems in their chest department, this might help them out. In exchange for their dignity and some other things.


    How did I know? That was a good question. One that I wasn''t quite able to answer either. It was something like... instinct. You simply knew. Like how one knew how to move their hand. You just did. Well, most of them, at least.


    Sure wished it were this easy with the other parts of my body as well. I was still some mixed thing of a person with tentacles for limbs.


    Anyway, the more immediate tentacle of interest was the one right in front of me, though. It mostly looked rather plain, except for multiple small holes in it. And those holes released some kind of gas.


    A sweet-smelling gas.


    Now I''m craving something sweet...


    Instinct told me it was just some sweet smell for baiting and nothing else. If that was true... Maybe I could make use of this in some way? It sure had a nice smell to it.


    Speaking of which, there was also that one tentacle with the aphrodisiac...


    I changed one of my tentacles to this particular kind. A small thin needle, secreting small, sweet-smelling droplets. The smells were actually quite similar...


    Grabbing a nearby small cup with a tentacle¡ªwith much difficulty, mind you¡ªI let a few drops fall down into it. A little dissatisfied with the amount, I concentrated on the tentacle. With a rather disgusting sound¡ªas if you were smacking raw meat together¡ªit released quite a lot. Barely a minute later, there was a small pond of liquid in that cup.


    It sure is a lot...


    This much of that liquid was bound to be working quite well... Made me wonder if we could do something with this. Selling was... I had a little bit of apprehension to selling this, so I''d rather not. Might be good to keep in mind, though. Just in case we were strapped for money.


    The small pond was swaying in the cup. Karen had noticed its effects nearly immediately, just through her skin. In contrast, even this much liquid did nothing even when I dipped a tentacle into it. It was just like scented water for me...


    Good thing that Karen noticed it. Otherwise, I might have really thought of it as scented water. That could''ve spelt disaster...


    I returned the cup back to the table in the corner. Had to remember to get rid of that stuff later. Although, maybe I should secretly give it to Lily or Rina. That surely might turn out to be interesting.


    No, Karen wouldn''t like that. Neither would the two of them, I bet. Better let it work out naturally between them... Maybe later down the line.


    "Haaa..."


    A deep sigh escaped me.


    While the new, and admittedly weird in parts, tentacles were nice and all, they weren''t useful in the least. I shouldn''t reject the path, but what was I even going to do with this? The only person I wanted to do anything sexual with was Karen. In other words, there was nearly no use for most of these. Well, unless Karen took an interest in some of these. While I wasn''t exactly against it, I was sure going to object about those that were injecting something.


    But... Maybe we can find some use for them in the future. Who knows? But right now, I just have no use for them...


    Well, anyway, for now, I still had no idea what kind of monster¡ªor Cursed, as the Elder called my race¡ªI even was. Although, I seemed to be related to ropers and their ilk, whether I liked it or not.


    But from what I knew, I wasn''t much more than an immobile body sitting around and waiting for prey to come by. That was assuming I would do such things in the first place...


    Immobile, huh... What am I, some kind of living trap? That''d be completely usele¡ª


    A trap.


    Yeah, no way. Most of the ropers I saw in those books were all mobile and could, in some way or another, move. But...


    I guess it is worth a try.


    What if I wasn''t the kind to move in the first place? I could, after all, move around as a person. And an immobile trap didn''t sound completely unlikely now, did it? There were plants that did similar things, after all.


    With those thoughts in mind, I decided to give it another try. Even if it was wrong, maybe a clearer image allowed me to figure it out?


    Once again, I closed my eyes after taking a deep breath. If I wasn''t mobile then maybe something was needed to keep me in place instead? Like... roots? Although that sounded a little wrong as well. Whatever, I concentrated on my lower body again, with the thought of rooting it in place.


    "..."


    Yeah, it would''ve been too easy if I were to succeed immediately now, right? Right...


    Well, guess it''s time to wrap this up then. I bet Karen and Lily are already wondering where I am... A little disappointed that I cou¡ª


    I froze once again. But not because of a sudden revelation. Although, in a way, it was a revelation.


    My lower body was stuck.


    Now, one might think, of course, it is stuck, you can''t even move away, after all. But it was different. Like it was glued to the ground.


    ... Seriously?


    "Haha... Hahaha..."


    I couldn''t help but let out a broken chuckle.


    Like, really? Really really?


    Yes, I had been trying to find out about myself. That didn''t mean, however, that I had to like it. And now, here I was, legitimately stuck to the ground because my wild guess had hit spot on.


    "..."


    I kept staring at the ceiling for a while. Quite a long while, probably. I had to digest this first. Though I had to admit... It was a lot easier to digest than I expected. In fact, I didn''t even mind that much after my initial shock ebbed away.


    Not sure if I''m just slowly growing resistant to these things or if it is just because this is my own body we''re talking about...


    My lips formed a wry smile, even though nobody was here to even see it.


    ... If I''m already here, let''s... let''s just see how far I can go with this.


    Right now, I was only a little stuck. Like my butt being glued to the floor. Nothing more. But it was some progress. Important progress.


    I concentrated on the spot where I was stuck to the ground. I wanted to transform, to expand it and do whatever else it might be able to do.


    Oh? Oh? Something is happening.


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t see it, since I was still lying on my back, but something was... expanding. Or rather, something grew? I could feel it creeping along my back. It was something fleshy, so it was definitely mine.


    It continued to grow and after a few minutes, my back wasn''t lying on the floor anymore, but instead on whatever just grew under me. The odd part was, while I could feel it with my back and my tentacles, I couldn''t actually feel it in another way. If I touched it, there was no sensation coming from it. It was just there.


    "Nn? Woooohhh?! Ouchouchouchouch!"


    I had decided to just continue with whatever was happening. At this point, I was far enough that my instinct was able to carry me the rest of the way.


    And that resulted in my finally leaving the ground sitting upright again. The spot I was stuck on had pulled me up. I was far from heavy but  I still had the weight of a proper person, so being pulled up like this actually hurt quite a ton.


    "Uhhh..."


    A groan escaped me.


    But, finally, I was seeing what was happening. My body sure was stuck and my lower body had turned into a wrinkly mass of tentacles as well. These tentacles looked distinctively different from all others. Their tip was far from something. Some formed mouths with long teeth, others split three-way and were adorned with rows of small but long teeth.


    Found the one for grabbing...


    "Oh? Ohhhh?"


    I hadn''t stopped the whole transformation, and so I was a little surprised at the next part. My arms had returned. Albeit coloured in an unnatural, soft pink from the tip of the fingers up to my shoulders. The tentacles, by the way, were still there as well, growing from my shoulder around the arm.


    And that''s where the whole thing stopped.


    Well, I sure don''t look human now anymore...


    Only my upper body, from just below my belly button upwards, was still human. The rest of my body was firmly planted on the floor. The new tentacles that had sprouted on my lower body were wriggling around. I was a little interested in what way I was even rooted in place, but obviously that was a little impossible to find out.


    That my arms had returned was a slightly welcome part though. Even if I clearly wasn''t human anymore... It gave me a little bit of relief that not my entire body turned into something completely monstrous.


    Now... Let''s see how these tentacles fare...


    Moving the tentacles that were once my legs and arms was a feeling I had become used to by now¡ªalthough the legs not as much. Even my hair wasn''t a big problem anymore. But the new tentacles that had grown out of me were... a little hard. To be honest, it was already weird that I knew how to move them¡ªeven if it was clumsily¡ªin the first place. One didn''t simply grow new arms and knew how to use them.


    Forget that. Don''t think too deeply about it, Yumi... Just be grateful for it.


    Albeit a little clumsily, I managed to make one of the tentacles move. Towards the previous cup with the liquid.


    My other tentacles could barely carry that much, after all.


    And here we¡ª


    Crreeeaaaakkkk!


    "..."


    Casualties: One cup.


    THAT''S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED?!


    Instead of grabbing the cup... The tentacle had effortlessly crushed it. Well, at least that solved the problem of getting rid of the liquid in there.


    Still, that was... a little bit too much of a difference.


    Okay, no grabbing with that mouth part for now...


    I might have to practise before I could use that. Although, I had no idea when and how I was going to practise...


    As the cup was clearly too easy for the tentacle, I decided to try something heavier. The chair at the table was the first thing that came into view for that.


    Carefully, I had the tentacle pulling on the closest leg of the chair, without using the mouth part.


    It''s moving... It doesn''t even feel really heavy.


    It was effortlessly able to pull the chair. I did feel some resistance, though. About as much as if I were to pull it with my arms. So, most likely, it was about as strong as my arm, in the pulling department. That... was at least something.


    At that moment, the door behind me rattled.


    "Huh? It''s locked? Yumi? Yumi, are you in there?"


    A familiar voice called out to me.


    "Shish?"


    Ah, I was still lisping because of those stupid fangs. Time to change them back... Hopefully, it wasn''t going to turn out that I couldn''t in my current state...


    Oh, they changed back without an issue...


    "Sis, you''re back already?"


    "Already? It''s been over half an hour already. I was worried something happened."


    "... Seriously? ... Ahhh, sorry, I lost track of time."


    "I see. Well, can''t be helped. Could you unlock the door?"


    "Nn, just a mo¡ª


    I froze.


    Unlocking the door... Was actually not an option right now, was it?


    While I didn''t mind Karen seeing me like this, I didn''t want anyone else to do so.


    "Ehh... Sis, right now is a little bad."


    "... Bad? Yumi, did something happen?"


    "Nn, no... Or well, it kind of did..."


    Actually, maybe I should just let Karen in...


    "Sis, is anyone else around you right now?"


    "No, not really."


    "Then, I''ll unlock the door. But close it immediately, okay?"


    "... Okay."


    Bracing myself, I loosened the small piece of wood blocking the door.


    Nearly immediately, the door opened and a person slipped in. The door was already shut again before I could even so much see more than a glimpse of the bright outside.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Did you turn into a flower?"


    "If a flower looked like this I''d be surely be creeped out more than just a little bit."


    Karen stood in front of the door, her eyes wide.


    Once her initial confusion seemed to have died down, she slowly approached, squatting down on the floor.


    "The heck is this..."


    "If only I knew..."


    With a wry smile, I explained to Karen what had happened and how I had arrived at this point.


    "I see... Well, Yumi is still Yumi."


    A smile on her face, she patted my head and ruffled my hair.


    "Nn, thank you, Sis."


    "Still... Uhm... Does it hurt if I touch those?"


    "No, I don''t even really feel them, actually."


    "Oh? Then, is it fine to sit down here?"


    "Nn."


    Karen slowly sat down right beside me.


    "This is... a weird feeling beneath me. It''s better than just the hard floor but..."


    "... Is that so."


    Really...


    I wasn''t looking for an impression on my use as a cushion. Regardless, if it was better, that''s good too.


    "That''s what the Elder meant, huh..."


    "Nn? Did you talk with her?"


    "Yes... She wanted to talk with me for some reason..."


    Karen stopped, then stretched out her hand and gently touched one of the tentacles.


    "She said that I should prepare myself for this, that you would become less and less humanoid with time."


    "I see..."


    "Well, as long as I get to see your cute face, I don''t mind such a minor thing."


    She stopped touching the tentacle. Instead, she spread her arms. And hugged me.


    "She also said that things might happen to me."


    "To you?"


    "Yes... She... knows about the demonkin that are like me... She refused to say anything specific, though. The only thing she told me was, that our situation is quite unique. Because the two of us are so close, we''d influence each other. And in that way, she has no idea what might happen to us."


    "I see..."


    "She... She even suggested it might be better for us to distance ourselves."


    "Eh?"


    Karen''s hug grew stronger, holding me firmly.


    "But I told her that wasn''t an option. I''ll stay with you. And if I turn strange as well, then so be it!"


    "Sis..."


    "That''s why, Yumi."


    "Nn¡ª Ouchouchouchouchouch!"


    Karen''s fists were suddenly grinding my temples.


    "Didn''t I tell you that you should call me for these times? I am here for you, aren''t I?!"


    "Ouchouchouchouch! I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I am sorry, Sis! I apologise!"


    The fist left my temples.


    "I hope you learnt your lesson."


    "Nn... I did... Sorry, Sis."


    Once more, Karen hugged me.


    "We''ll be together, Yumi."


    "Nn."


    "No matter what happens, I''ll stay with you. I promise you."


    "Nn. Thank you, Sis. And I''ll stay with you. I promise."


    We parted a little, facing each other. And then, we kissed.


    Rinne


    Everyone, keep safe and healthy! Wish you all the best!


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Her Wish

    "Hey, Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    Karen''s craned her neck back, her silver-coloured eyes looking up to me.


    Usually, it was me who was sitting in her lap but today Karen decided she wanted to be the one lying down. Although, in my current state I was unable to give her a lap pillow. Instead, she got a veritable tentacle pillow.


    "You can change back, right?"


    "Nn... I should be able to, yes."


    If I couldn''t, that''d be... just a little bit problematic. Disregarding that I was surely going to creep out a multitude of people, I couldn''t even move. I sure didn''t want to be stuck on the floor of this wagon for the rest of my life.


    Fortunately, I was fairly certain that this wasn''t going to come true. While Karen made herself comfortable, I tried to... Well... Grow? Expand? Either way, I tried to cover more of the floor.


    "Mhm... Are you sure?"


    "Nn. I can expand on the floor and also...Uhm... return it?"


    "You mean, like, retracting it?"


    "Yes, yes. Like that."


    "Huh."


    Karen returned her attention back to the tentacle she was hugging for some inexplicable reason. This wasn''t some plush toy or pillow or so... Although I happily admitted that I enjoyed it as well. The smooth sensation of her skin on the sensitive tentacles was... addicting.


    I wasn''t going to turn into some overly touchy pervert, was I? Or was I already one, considering how much I enjoyed touching and feeling Karen...


    "Hey, Sis. I want to ask you something as well..."


    "Yes, Yumi?"


    "... Why did you strip?"


    "So I can feel all of you!"


    Once again she craned her neck back, staring at me with a smug face.


    Just for the record, we hadn''t done anything lewd. We had done quite a bit of cuddling, yes, but it had stayed at that degree. We both knew it wasn''t the time for this. Or rather, someone might burst in just like Karen had done earlier.


    "... Are you sure we shouldn''t... get ready? Lily and the others might come back soon."


    "Ahh, no worries about that. Lily and Rina went off somewhere together after we were done at the Captain''s."


    "Ohh..."


    Well, in that case...


    "Ah? Yumi?"


    "Hehehe, take this."


    I moved all the tentacles¡ªexcluding my hair, of course¡ªand wrapped Karen up, covering every little bit of her body save for her face.


    Although, I didn''t exactly ''wrap'' her up. It was more like a blanket. A tentacle blanket. But it was still a little tight. Probably.


    "Woahhh... This... feels odd. Am I now going to be eaten?"


    "Nn, maybe? Who knows?"


    "Oh no! Please spare me!"


    "Nn, what should I do? What should I do?"


    I pulled Karen a little closer, the back of her head right below my chest now. Then, I leaned forward, approaching her face. Or rather, her lips.


    "Ah. Mm..."


    We kissed.


    "Mm... Hehe. Being on the receiving end is actually pretty nice as well."


    Karen smiled, her cheeks blushing.


    "Nn. We can do this more often if you want, but I really think we should stop here for today, Sis."


    I was sure the others wouldn''t mind if we slacked a little right now, after our accidental... timeout. But on the other hand, it was probably better if we didn''t slack too much. After all, it seemed there were more than just a few problems heading towards us.


    "No."


    "Eh?"


    Karen refused.


    She somehow managed to turn around, despite being entangled by the tentacles and was now lying on her stomach.  Then she wrapped her arms around me, hiding her face behind my stomach.


    "Ehhh?"


    This... wasn''t what I had expected. At all.


    "Sis? Uhm... Sis?"


    "Don''t wanna."


    "..."


    Her grip around me strengthened a little. She definitely had no intention of letting me go, did she?


    "Sis, did something happen over at the Captain''s?"


    "..."


    A short pause, then... she shook her head.


    Guess that hadn''t been it.


    "About Rina... It''s just that she''s going to work a little at the various craftsmen''s places... To see what she wants to do in the future..."


    "Ohh..."


    So, basically what I had talked with her about a da¡ª four days earlier. I felt a little sorry, I had promised to go with her and yet she probably had to do it on her own now. Though, Lily most likely had accompanied her. At least I hoped she had. I''d light a fire under her butt if she hadn''t.


    "Then, Sis... What''s wrong? Is it... about what happened now?"


    "..."


    A pause again. Then... a small nod.


    "I see..."


    I wrapped my arms around her head and gently pat it. Seemed that Karen hadn''t simply digested this situation as fast as I had thought. She just hid it, huh. Or maybe it had just happened all too quickly for her to process it. I could kind of understand that... This was... a lot to stomach.


    "... Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "... I love you."


    "... I love you too, Sis."


    Once again, her grip around me strengthened a little. In the meantime, I continued to gently pat her head. There wasn''t much else for me to do. I didn''t know what exactly was bothering her, outside of the... Well... Lost time. And maybe about the situation as a whole... Maybe she was anxious about the future? I didn''t know. And I didn''t ask either.


    After several minutes had passed, Karen''s grip slowly loosened. She kept on hugging me, though. Not that I minded.


    "Sorry, Yumi."


    "About what?"


    "... Nothing."


    "Nn."


    This wasn''t even remotely a bother to me. If anything, I was happy she was relying on me like this. There was nothing to apologise for.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Can I say something really, really selfish?"


    "... Nn."


    Karen turned around again, now lying on her back again. Her eyes were a little red.


    "I wish we would live somewhere far far away from everyone, just us two. Together like this."


    "... Without Rina and Lily?"


    "Mmm... I don''t mind if they''re around, I guess. But, I want Rina to live her own life. And that might not be with me necessarily, right?"


    "Well, yes..."


    "So, I don''t mind if they''re there. But occasionally I think I''d really like it if we could just live somewhere all alone, just the two of us. If I turn out like you, then we could just hide away somewhere far away, away from everyone else."


    Karen closed her eyes, a wry smile on her lips.


    "Well, I know that things aren''t that easy. We can''t just leave Rina and Lily alone... and I like quite a few of the people here... It''s just a silly wish I sometimes have..."


    "Sis."


    "Mm?"


    "It''s not a silly wish. Even if it might not be possible right now, it might be possible in the future. And once it is, if you really want to, then I''m fine with that."


    "... I see."


    It was a bit surprising, to be honest. No, not just a bit... But a lot.


    "I see... In the future..."


    "Nn."


    Living alone with Karen didn''t sound bad, actually. It sounded like it could become a rather carefree life. On the other hand, moving away from everyone else caused its own special set of troubles.


    "Then, in the future! Mhm, I''ll look forward to that."


    "Is that so?"


    "Yes. So, I''ll do my best until then!"


    She sat up, throwing the tentacles that covered her off in the process.


    "Ah."


    Suddenly, I didn''t have anyone to hug anymore... Karen turned around a little, directing an awkward grin at me.


    "Sorry. But I fear if I don''t get up now, I won''t be able to anymore..."


    "Haa... I can understand that but..."


    "Weren''t you the one who said we shouldn''t fool around more than necessary."


    "Nn... What I''m saying and what I''m actually feeling are different things, though. Haaa..."


    I grabbed Karen''s clothes that were thrown to the side nearby and handed them to her.


    "Thanks."


    Ahh... watching her getting dressed was always a little sad...


    "Now then..."


    "Nn?"


    "... Were you still trying things out when I came in?"


    "Nn... Not really? I think I was mostly done..."


    It was doubtful whether I could transform any further, at least at this point. And even if I could... I still wanted to keep at least some human parts.


    Probably not the most believable when more than half my body was consisting of tentacles. Most of it was tentacles... That reminded me...


    "Actually, there''s one thing I didn''t take a look at yet."


    "Oh?"


    "Well... I''m somehow stuck to the floor... But I have no idea how."


    It wasn''t something I could casually check either. I doubted that even some impressive acrobatics would help me here. Not like I could move for any kind of acrobatics...


    "Should I take look?"


    "Nn, that''d be great."


    Karen, noticing the small dilemma, volunteered and lifted the tentacle mass that was currently my lower body.


    "Huh..."


    "And?"


    "Well... It kind of looks like it''s... grown onto it?"


    "Grown?"


    "Yes... Do you feel anything if I pull here."


    Karen pulled a little on the tentacles she had lifted up. Alas... There was absolutely no feeling in them...


    "No. Nothing."


    "Mhm... Well, it kind of looks like they just... transition into the wood. Seamlessly."


    "That''s... okay..."


    So I actually was connected to the wood... Could I only connect to organic matter? I should try that out sometime.


    "Guess I really won''t move anywhere then, unless someone cuts out the wood."


    "Doesn''t look like it, yes."


    "Haa... Well, time to change back, I guess."


    We had fooled around quite a bit Even if Lily and Rina had run off somewhere together, they would surely come back at some point.


    "... Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "I just remembered but... What about the other three?"


    Last I heard, they were still under house arrest, after all.


    "That''s... a good question."


    "... Nn. Better hurry."


    If those three were to come right now, it''d be mighty... awkward.


    I retracted the mass of tentacles that had covered the ground, regaining my lower half. The lack of attachment was, of course, something I had forgotten about. How else could it be?


    "Woah!"


    "Yumi, be careful!"


    I fell forward, straight into Karen''s arms.


    "Thanks..."


    "Be careful, Yumi..."


    "I will... Next time..."


    I changed the tentacles at my lower half back, returning my legs.


    "..."


    "Yumi? Something wrong?"


    "Nn... Well... After being stuck like that, having my legs back feels a little weird. They''re tingling."


    Like, when your legs fell asleep for a long while and then the blood flow resumed. That kind of a rather unpleasant tingling sensation.


    A little wobbling, I stood up with Karen''s help.


    "But it feels good to properly stand again. Nn."


    Being mobile was, after all, more convenient.


    Also, we now confirmed that I could change back without an issue. And now that I had experienced this, it probably shouldn''t be too hard to repeat the whole transformation stuff. Maybe not inside the wagon next time.


    "So, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "What about your arms and those tentacles?"


    "... Eh?"


    Karen pointed at my arms. Those soft pink arms, the same colour as my hair. As well as the tentacles that grew from my shoulder, in addition to my arms.


    "... Well, this is... A bit unexpected."


    My lower half was back to normal so... Yeah...


    I concentrated on my arms and the surrounding tentacles and changed them back to normal as well. Somehow, for my arms, they didn''t first turn back into tentacles, the skin just changed back to normal and that was it.


    "Mm..."


    A little curious, I tried to change my arms once more into their pink version. Didn''t work out. It didn''t feel like it was impossible though, so maybe I just had to practise a little.


    "Normal Yumi is great too."


    "Ah, Sis..."


    Karen approached me and pulled me into a hug.


    "... Thanks again, Yumi."


    "... Nn, it''s fine. If you need me, I''ll always come."


    "Thank you."


    She gently patted my head, reversing our earlier positions.


    "Thank you..."


    Around ten to twenty minutes later, we had finally cleaned up the wagon.


    Made a bit more of a mess than I had expected, and getting rid of the spilt aphrodisiac turned out to be more than just a little... problematic. Karen couldn''t exactly clean it up and we had to make absolutely sure that none of it remained... My earlier thought that spilling it solved the problem already was mistaken. Probably would''ve noticed if I had spared a second to think about it, though. Got scolded by Karen...


    "Okay. Now, the only thing left is this... eggshell? It is an egg, isn''t it? Was an egg..." Karen asked, her eyebrows furrowed.


    "I think so? It has a hard shell on the outside and something soft and fluffy on the inside... I thought, maybe you can make something out of it? Like with my hair?"


    "Mm... I have no idea about that... Oh, it really is soft on the inside..."


    Karen had walked over to the shell remains and was touching the inside. There was a layer of a very soft... something... on the inside. Around as thick as my palm was wide. Maybe a little bit thicker. If you were to put it on the floor it would frankly make for a good mattress. And yes, that was my motive behind not wanting to throw it away. I was slightly fed up with the current situation. There were only a few beds around and we mostly slept huddled up and covered in a blanket. If we could fashion a mattress or two out of this...


    Seriously... Nothing gets wasted... I feel like this kind of thinking is slowly affecting me as well.


    It wasn''t a bad thing, though, mind you.


    "Right, the Captain mentioned that they had talked with the magic craftsman."


    "Oh? Ohh... We did kind of miss him, huh..."


    "Actually... He''s currently still in the camp. At least, Lily said that. Apparently he''s working with the leatherworkers from the Dragon Knights and the Black Guards as well as Wanda and a few other women that are good at sewing. To figure out what they can make from your hair."


    "Seriously?"


    Now, that was... Quite lucky.


    "Ah, but we should probably visit the Captain first. I think he was quite worried. Though he didn''t say anything, it was written all over his face."


    The Captain was worried, huh. Somehow, the thought made me smile a little. On one side, you didn''t want to make others worry. But on the other, it made you a little happy to hear that they were worried.


    "Nn, that''s fine with me. So, first, to the Captain, we go."


    I opened the door and left the wagon. Karen followed right behind me.


    "Huh... This place changed quite a bit suddenly..."


    "Well, they probably don''t like sleeping in the wagons all the time either. And we did see these before, you know. In Arkesta."


    "Nn, right..."


    The camp had changed quite drastically. The wagons had been moved to the side, forming rows. There was barely enough space between them to even enter.


    Instead, the freed up space was now filled with tents. A lot of them.


    "They also moved the camp a little. The place where they parked the wagons was apparently mostly intended for merchants and merchant caravans so they had to free it up."


    "I see..."


    It sounded a little weird, to be honest, considering that most of the immediate surroundings around the city were mostly fields and hills. There was more than enough space, after all. Maybe it was just a dedicated space that they kept clean or something like that? Probably.


    "To that large tent over there."


    "Nn, okay."


    Most of the tents were pretty large already, large enough that a few people of Korwen''s size could comfortably stand inside them. Albeit there were also some smaller tents, where I probably had to duck as well.


    With that in mind, there was one tent that still stuck out like a sore thumb simply because of its ridiculous size.


    "Hey, isn''t that the tent we were in back in Arkesta?"


    "It is."


    Right. I remembered being quite impressed, entering that tent. If you excluded, of course, the little incident we witnessed, with those church officials.


    It was probably intended for receiving guests, that''s why it was more imposing. Still, it lacked decorations and things like that, except for the banner that was hissed at the top. Wait, two banners.


    "They put up the banner of the Black Guards as well?"


    Just below the Dragon Knight banner¡ªa knight fighting a dragon¡ªwas another banner of a black knight in plate armour, holding a large black shield.


    "Oh, you''re right. Didn''t see that before. Probably because the Black Guards joined, I guess."


    "Nn..."


    We approached the large tent and the banners disappeared from our view. Karen pulled the cloth covering the entrance to the side and the two of us entered.


    "Oh? You''re back already?"


    A long table was placed in the middle of the tent and at the end of the table sat Korwen. Behind him, two banners were hung up, one of the Dragon Knights and one of the Black Guards. Right next to him sat Greyward as well in addition to another old man. Though I said old, he was still clad in thick muscles and sure looked like someone you didn''t want to mess with.


    If I recall correctly... Isn''t that one of the former mercenaries?


    The ones that had visited before, attempted to show us a fight only for it to turn into a brawl... Couldn''t claim they left the best of first impressions.


    "I see you two are indeed healthy. That''s at least some good news already," Greyward greeted us with a smile.


    "Mr Greyward, hello. Sorry for worrying you."


    "Damn right you are, Karen. So make sure we don''t have to worry the next time."


    "... We''ll try not to."


    "Nn, sorry for worrying you."


    He had been worried as well, huh. We should probably go around later to everyone we knew and tell them we''re fine.


    "Oh, the two girlies from a few days ago! Boy, did you get even more daughters? How come the girls end up so cute when their father is such a rough lumberjack that belongs in nightmares?"


    "... You''re wrong, old man. They''re not my daughters. We picked them up in Arkesta."


    "Oh, so they aren''t? Jeez, thought I got it right this time. Wanted to throw a party already if I got even more granddaughters."


    "... So you can get drunk on our alcohol? You got enough money so get your own."


    "Jeez, so cold, this boy."


    The old man shook his head.


    "Granddaughters... Eh? Then, you are..." Karen stumbled over her words.


    What''s wrong with Ka¡ª wait...


    I just noticed what she meant. If the man''s words were true then.


    "Oh, did I never introduce myself? Aldrik Korwen, the old man of this boy here."


    He slapped Korwen''s shoulders.


    "You can call me Aldrik. Oh, but if you want to call me grandpa... That''d be completely okay too! In fact, please do!"


    That was... quite a surprise. I had heard they were former mercenaries from this band, but to think Korwen''s own father was included in that.


    "Old man, stop messing around."


    "Huh? I''m not messing around, boy! When else do I get to dote on my grandchildren?"


    "They''re not your grandchildren. You only have one granddaughter. Go and dote on her if you want to."


    "How the heck am I supposed to dote on her?! She''ll kill me! In the first place, she''s literally on the other side of the continent, the journey alone will kill me!"


    "As if anything could kill you. Not even the grim reaper themself could kill you."


    Korwen shook his head in exasperation.


    "Whatever, let''s ignore this old man... Once again, it''s good to see the two of you are back and healthy. We can talk about everything sometime later when things calmed down a little. Did you come here for something?"


    "Ah, yes. Lily told me that the magic craftsman is still in the camp, so we thought we could pay him a visit. And ask about... Uhm... The stuff that was leftover from earlier... And some of the other things."


    Karen glanced at Aldrik a few times. We didn''t know how much he knew, after all, so she had to keep it vague a little.


    "Ahh... Yes, that''s right, the magic craftsman is still here. But... Well..."


    Korwen leaned back and scratched the back of his head.


    "I don''t mind you going. That person is just... a little bit weird."


    Really? Another weird person? Didn''t we have more than enough of the eccentrics already?


    "Ah, I don''t mean it in that kind of way. Personality-wise that person is completely normal. You will understand when you meet."


    "Haa..."


    "It''s just that that person doesn''t really understand... what personal distance is. It''s a cultural difference, so to say."


    "Nn?"


    That was a weird way of putting it... At the very least, it meant that he wasn''t from here or the immediate surroundings. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be much of a cultural difference... Or maybe his people or his family moved here but kept their cultural views, that could be possible too? To be honest, there were quite a few possibilities but they didn''t really matter anyway.


    "Also, you can tell that person as much as you are comfortable with. There shouldn''t be an issue. You''d get found out immediately anyway."


    Well, now, sorry for being so bad at hiding my secrets. I wasn''t doing it on purpose. And they kept noticing for the most stupid things. Although Karen was probably the most ridiculous one. Who the heck was paying attention to someone''s feet that much? Karen was.


    Wait a second... Did Karen have a thing for feet? I vaguely recalled her talking about things like that before...


    "Yumi? Something wrong?"


    "Ah, no."


    Unconsciously stared at Karen... Not good. I shouldn''t think about it. Maybe it was better to forget that entirely.


    Watching the small exchange between us, Korwen raised an eyebrow but he didn''t say anything.


    "Ah, also, one more thing. No negotiations. Leave those to me or Jockson. Or Greyward. Even if it is something you just want for yourself, you''ll get cleaned out down to your underwear if you aren''t careful. Worst case, not even your underwear will be left."


    "Nn, understood..."


    So we needed someone to negotiate for us... Great.


    "Should I come along with them?" Greyward offered.


    "Mm... If you''re fine with that, please do."


    "Got nothing else to do for now anyway. Not until we get word from Lady Karker or Mr Ruben. Also haven''t met them yet myself either and I''m a bit curious."


    "... If you have nothing to do you could''ve helped me with that mountain of documents."


    "... Ahaha, that is that and this is this."


    Greyward laughed. He had absolutely no intention of helping Korwen at all.


    "Haa... Well, now that Yumi is back it''ll get at least a bit better."


    Korwen shook his head and then faced us again.


    "But don''t mind that for now. Talking with the magic craftsman is more important. I doubt you will finish before dinner anyway, so you can worry about helping me tomorrow."


    "Nn, okay."


    The word dinner reminded me of something.


    We had slept for three days. That, of course, meant... we hadn''t eaten anything for three days either. Great. Now I was getting hungry. Got to hold out unti¡ª


    Grrrmmm...


    "..."


    "..."


    A stomach growled. A cute growl.


    It wasn''t mine. Not mine but the one right next to me.


    "Pff... Hahaha! Guess you girls are hungry after all. Then, you should look forward to dinner. Hahaha!"


    "Uhhh..."


    Karen, her cheeks blushing, averted her gaze. Couldn''t really blame her, I was hungry as well, after all.


    "The hungrier you are, the better dinner will be. Hunger is the best spice."


    "I''d rather not be hungry..."


    Karen let her head hang, hiding her face from the three men. All three were looking at her with a warm gaze.


    "Then, Korwen, Sir Aldrik, I''ll accompany the two."


    "Go do that."


    "Have fun. And drop the ''Sir'',  it makes my back itch."


    "Perfect. I''ll keep using it then."


    Greyward stood up from his chair and walked over to us, leaving the slightly annoyed Mr Aldrik and Korwen behind.


    "Then, let''s get going."


    "Ah... Yes..."


    "Nn."


    We said one more goodbye to Mr Aldrik and Korwen and left together with Greyward.


    "Now then, you two. Before we meet that craftsman I have a question for you two..."


    "Nn?"


    "Yes?"


    Greyward led us through the camp, towards the magic craftsman, when he suddenly said that to us...


    Was he going to ask us about what happened and why we were out for three days? Or was it something else?


    "How much do you know about the devilkin?"


    "... Devilkin?"


    "Not much..."


    Karen just shook her head but as for me... I didn''t even know they existed. Maybe someone had mentioned it before but I thought it was a different name for the demonkin...


    "I see. Then we''ll have to start at the beginning. The magic craftsman you''re about to meet is apparently one of the devilkin."


    "Are they... much different from demonkin?"


    "They are, Yumi. They''re completely different."


    "Huh..."


    Sorry for lumping the two together, then. Devils and demons just sounded a little like they''d be related.


    "I''m not blaming you. You rarely ever see a devilkin. Well, more often than seeing an elf at a bonfire barbecue."


    Greyward led us through the camp, navigating swiftly between the tents.


    "Devilkin are a rather odd bunch, and honestly I''m unable to tell you much about them myself. They''re secluded, rarely interacting with other races. But, the thing we do know... They''re rather unique. In a biological manner."


    "Unique?"


    From my point of view, pretty much all the different races had quite a few unique traits... But maybe that was just my impression as somone who came from a world with only humans.


    "Yes... You see... How to say..."


    Greyward stumbled upon his words. Then he sighed. A big tent was right in front of us... and Greyward stared at the entrance.


    "Well, to keep it simple... they''re a man and a woman at the same time."


    Rinne


    Hope you''re all doing well. Stay healthy and safe!


    Also, come visit the Discord if you got some time!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Magic Craftsman

    "A... man and woman at the same time?"


    I tilted my head in confusion. We were talking about a person, weren''t we? Well, a race, technically.


    "Yes..."


    Greyward let out a sigh before scratching the back of his head.


    "Haa... I think it is better for you to see for yourself."


    With those words, Greyward stepped forward, pulling the cloth covering the entrance to the side. Karen and I followed him inside, still confused.


    The inside of the tent was quite spacious. Several tables with various tools lined the sides and in the middle was another quite large table. Several people gathered around this table, two of which I recognised.


    "Oh, Mr Greyward?"


    "Captain!"


    "Mm?"


    The people inside lifted their heads and stared at us, the people invading.


    "Oh? The brats are there too."


    "Hey there!"


    "Hello, Wanda, Mr Konno."


    "Hello."


    Wanda and Konno smiled upon seeing us, visibly relieved. As for the other two people...


    One was an old man who only shortly lifted his head to spare us a glance, then returning to whatever he was doing there. As for the other one...


    "Oh? Oh, oh, oh? Could it be?"


    A young... woman? Large horns grew from the sides of her head, curving down along the short grey hair and then pointing forwards. Her face was more handsome than pretty, and overall she looked quite androgynous with her slender and tall build.


    There was a smile on her lips as she approached us with quick steps, her eyes wide.


    "Oh, it was true! Such a cute child!"


    "Ah, hel¡ª Mhmmgh?!"


    "Yumi?!"


    "It really was such a cute girl! I can''t believe it!"


    "Mmgh?! Mmhmmh!"


    Before I could even greet her or ask for her name, I had already been pulled into a hug, my face pressed into her breasts.


    "Eh?! Ahh... Ehhhh! Ex¡ª Excuse me?!"


    "Mh? Oh, you''re a cute one as well aren''t you?!"


    "Eh? Ah!"


    My vision returned as suddenly as it had disappeared.


    "Oh, you''re cute too! Can I take these girls with me? It''s fine, right? It''s fine, right?!"


    "Mmgh!"


    The woman had now caught Karen in her arms, hugging her just as fervently.


    So this is what he meant with not knowing personal space... Wait... Wait a second.


    If this was the person they had talked about...


    "Elina, you''re suffocating her," Wanda called out to the woman.


    "Mh? Ah, no worries! I''m leaving her enough space to breath."


    "That''s... not making it right, you know..."


    The woman finally let go of Karen, then turned to our third tent invader...


    "..."


    "..."


    "Those are some nice muscles."


    "Oh? Do you like them? They''re great, aren''t the¡ª


    "Yay!"


    And Greyward wasn''t spared either in her hugging conquest.


    "Ohh! These muscles are nice! You''ve been training a lot, huh. Good dedication! Oh! Those back muscles are awesome! Nice! Really nice! And your chest is good too! Ohhh!"


    "..."


    The woman, who was only a little shorter than Greyward, hugged him and was now touching all over his torso, especially his back.


    You could literally see how Greyward stiffened up from the sudden action.


    "Elina, space. Space! Give him some space!"


    "Ehh? Isn''t it fine? Not like I''m hurting him. Jeez, just the greeting and people already freak out."


    "Hugging someone as a greeting is not common here."


    "But why not? Isn''t it a good way to see if they could be a good partner?"


    "We had that discussion already. Four times to be exact."


    Wanda''s expression was scary as she reprimanded the woman. As if she was about to murder someone.


    "Haaa... I will never understand it."


    With those words, she let go of Greyward and returned to the table, before sitting down on top of it.


    "Hello, hello! My name''s Elinaris! Just call me Elina. Or Elly. Magic Craftsman by profession! If you need anything magical, I''m your man! Or was it woman? Hey, Wanda, what do I say here?"


    "... Whichever you prefer?"


    "Ehhh? I don''t get it... You''re all weird."


    "... From our perspective, it''s most of your kind that is weird."


    Elinaris shrugged her shoulders in response.


    "Anyway, anyway..."


    She glanced at us, first at me, then Karen and finally Greyward.


    "You''re out, you''re fine and you''re fine, too," she said.


    "... Out? Fine?" Karen asked, tilting her head a little.


    "Mh? Well, as potential partners, of course. What else could I mean?"


    "..."


    Wait, she was fine with Karen and Greyward? But I was out?


    Somehow, that hurt my maidenly... manly... heart... That I lost to Greyward. I mean, he wasn''t looking bad, no. If someone was into middle-aged men and muscular macho giants, he''d be prime material. Probably. I had no idea about that so this was just what I thought.


    It still vexed me a little.


    "Ehhh... I''m not sure how I should respond to that, but I already have someone I like."


    "Oh? And that''s a problem in how far?"


    "..."


    Karen blinked a few times, unable to process that reaction.


    "Elina... Stop messing with them," Wanda called out to her.


    "That was a genuine question, Wanda! It''s such a shame that you all only take one partner. I''d love to have a round with this silver one. Oh, and the muscly one too! People like this always get so shy when you do it from behind, hehehe."


    "Excu¡ª What?"


    Greyward''s eyes went wide and he took a step back, distancing himself. Then he glanced down at Elina, towards a certain place.


    "I''m sorry but I have no interest in taking anything from behind."


    "Not? Such a shame, even though it''s so good... I can give you trial run if you''re fine with that."


    "No, thank you!"


    This... person... Where in the blazes was she even remotely normal? Or he? I had no idea anymore.


    "Elina."


    Wanda called out to her again, with a deep, scary voice.


    "... Ahaha, Wanda, dear. I''m just having some fun, no need to get riled up about it, is the¡ª


    "Sit down. Now. And then, shut the fuck up."


    "... Yes, ma''am."


    Elina turned around and sat down on the chair, looking surprisingly meek all of a sudden.


    "Jeez, seriously. Don''t take what she said to heart. She means no harm or anything by it. That''s normal for the devilkin."


    "Ha, haaa..."


    Karen glanced at Elina, who sat there, meek as a kitten, staring at the table and not daring to glance at anyone. She seemed afraid. Of who? Well...


    I rather don''t want to know what happened between these two...


    "So, uhm... She really is a devilkin? Or, is... he better?"


    "Yes, she is a devilkin, brat. And she''s a girl. Through and through. Don''t let her deceive you."


    "... Ha?"


    I exchanged a glance with Karen.


    Through and through? But... Greyward had just told us...


    "Most devilkin have the genitals of both men and women. But most is not all. And that''s about all there is to say about it."


    "Ah."


    "Also, don''t be mistaken, but that girl is about Rina''s age."


    "... What?"


    Wait a moment, wait a moment.


    Rina was... Rina was... Ehhh... Sixteen? Yes, she was sixteen.


    ... I probably should try to remember everyone''s ages. Well, better than forgetting someone''s name... Who could blame me, there were so many new people I met, it was just impossible to keep track of every little bit of extra info I heard.


    Anyway, my personal dilemma wasn''t important right now.


    "... Wanda, are you serious?"


    Well, even Karen couldn''t quite believe what she had heard.


    I threw another glance at Elina. She was quite tall and looked to be around my age, to be honest. That was... my actual age. Not what I looked like on the outside.


    Speaking of which, was she going to continue staring meekly at the table like that? It was honestly a little creepy. What the hell did Wanda do to her?


    "Mh? Miss Wanda, I do recall the magic craftsman of this town was a little... older? And a man. I just thought that there was some kind of misunderstanding when I heard that... she is a devilkin but..."


    "You mean that old fart there."


    Wanda pointed at the remaining person in the room, who hadn''t said a single word yet. An elderly man, with a slightly hunched back but well-groomed short, white hair and fluffy ears, indicating he was a beastkin.


    Well, Konno was quite silent too, but those two men were both more immersed in their work when I threw a glance in their direction.


    "She''s his apprentice. Although she''s basically running his shop now since he''s growing old, so calling her a magic craftsman is not wrong here."


    "I see..."


    "Anyway, let''s shelve that dreary topic. Just treat that devil girl like a girl and all is good."


    "... Do I have no word in this?"


    Oh! She spoke.


    It was a really quiet voice, but she spoke!


    "Unless you grow a dick you don''t. The End."


    "Uhhh..."


    Ah... Tears gathered in the girl''s eyes. Probably a bad topic for her... Although I was a little curious about what was going on here...


    Didn''t want to make Wanda mad, though. If there was one thing I learnt in my time here... that Wanda is scary. I didn''t know in what way, but she was scary nonetheless. And I sure didn''t want to find out, seeing her victims.


    "Anyway, devil girl, show it to them."


    "Ah... Yes..."


    Elina stood up from the chair and slowly walked over to the back of the tent, retrieving something. It was a small spindle with yarn.


    "Wait, is that..."


    "It''s from... that girl''s hair. It''s possible to turn it into yarn, albeit with some... difficulty."


    "Ohhh..."


    It was a pink yarn. A thin, pink yarn.


    "If you want to take a look... Here..."


    "Ah, thank you."


    She handed me the spindle.


    I cautiously grabbed the end of the yarn and pulled a little.


    "Ohh... This is... a little odd if I''m honest."


    "Let me see too, Yumi."


    "Nn, here."


    "It really is yarn. To think it could change so much."


    "Nn. But, how did it even get this thin?"


    If I called it thin, I meant, really thin. It surely wasn''t thicker than a single strand of my hair. No matter how you looked at it, that wasn''t exactly doable, was it? Normally.


    "Uhm... For magic craftsmanship... The material conversion... Ah, that''s what we call it when we magically prepare a material... This conversion melts the material down and changes the basic properties... So instead of a bundle of hair, it is possible to turn it into yarn like this."


    "How curious."


    "Nn."


    It was.


    To think that my hair could turn into yarn like this. Or maybe just calling it thread was better?


    Karen tried to pull on the yarn, trying to test its strength.


    "Ouch! Ah... I cut myself..."


    "Sis..."


    Wasn''t it obvious that was going to happen? There was a small droplet of blood on the palm of her hand.


    "Girly... If you pull like that, even normal yarn will cut into your hand... Come here, I''ll show you."


    Wanda walked over to us and promptly took the yarn away.


    Then she revealed two small wooden sticks. With swift movements of her hand, she coiled up some of the yarn on both sticks.


    "Now, try pulling with these."


    "Okay. Then, here I go."


    Karen received the two wooden sticks from Wanda. First, she pulled a little, then increased the strength more and more.


    "Nngh. This is..."


    Crack!


    "Ah."


    One stick broke.


    "See, quite strong isn''t it?"


    "Quite, you say..."


    That was impressive...


    "Uhm..."


    Elina looked like she wanted to say something, drawing our attention.


    "Nn?"


    "Yes?"


    "Uhh."


    She shrunk back when Karen and I both turned towards. The heck...


    Where was the earlier enthusiasm? Where did that energetic girl go? Did Wanda bully her into submission already?


    "Brat."


    "Nn?"


    "She''s been like this from the beginning. The earlier stuff was just her trying to make an impression."


    "... Wanda. Can you¡ª


    "Read minds? No, I can''t."


    "..."


    I was worried.


    Even my mental privacy was slowly being invaded, wasn''t it?!


    "Hahaha, it comes with the age, brat. Figuring out what you want to say is easy. Especially for a girl like you who wears her emotions on her sleeve."


    Scary.


    Way too scary.


    The way she grinned at me, clearly knowing how much it bothered me, made it only worse. A vicious cycle.


    "Hey, Elina. If you got something to say, then go ahead. You should be the one to tell them. It''s your work after all."


    "Ah... Yes... Uhm..."


    Elina turned towards us and then began to explain.


    "The thread itself... Is incredible sturdy... And you can make a lot of things... with it. It won''t break easily. It''s probably one of the strongest threads... I know of. The problem is just... It slightly differs from normal monster materials... In its structure. So it''s a bit hard to make. If I have some time I could make even more out of it. It might be possible to make a thicker thread or even something like a sheet out of it!"


    "Ohhh..."


    "So, uhm... There''s... A request... I have..."


    Her gaze wandered around the room, avoiding directly looking in our direction.


    "Could... Could I have... some more?"


    "... Ah."


    Yeah...


    The hair we provided to Korwen wasn''t exactly a whole lo¡ª


    Wait, it had been actually quite a bit. Where did that all disappear to? It couldn''t be that this spindle was all that had remained...


    Or did Konno and that old man have it?


    "So... Uhm..."


    "Ah, sorry, I was lost in thought. Uhm..."


    I turned to Greyward. They had told us not to do any negotiation ourselves so...


    "Mhm. I think it should be fine as long as you agree that whatever results she has, it stays with the mercenaries. The payment can then be discussed with Korwen or Merim."


    "I see. Is that okay with you?"


    "Ah, yes, of course, it is!"


    Ohh, her energy returned.  It was obvious how much she liked her work when you saw her how she literally jumped up to her feet, eyes sparkling.


    "Then... Should we just do it now?"


    "Eh? Is that okay?!"


    "Nn."


    And once again, it was time to cut some hair.


    My past fears were slowly coming back. I could only hope I wouldn''t turn into a material farm.


    "Yumi, hold still."


    "Nn. Will do."


    Karen stood behind me, knife in hand and ready to cut my hair once again. Wanda had joined Konno and that other man. There was some more yarn after all than just that one spindle. Konno and that old man had just hoarded them all for their... experiments. Mostly just some sewing. Prolly what yarn was supposed to be used for anyway...


    "Uhm... Is, is that really okay? I mean, it''s about cutting your hair? Are you really sure?"


    "Nn, it''s fine, it''s fine."


    It would just grow back anyway.


    No reason to make a big deal out of it.


    "I''ll start now Yumi. So, if you could."


    "Nn, go ahead."


    Karen took some of my hair and started cutting it.


    Of course, with my help. If I didn''t push my hair against the blade, it''d become a real pain to cut for Karen. We already had enough of that. It was good we had noticed that it was easier like this.


    "Ahhh..."


    Elina watched how my hair got shorter, one strand at a time. It didn''t take long until Karen had cut off all the hair up to my shoulders. I wondered how I looked like with this comparatively short hair. Not like I could keep it at this length even if I wanted to, though...


    "It''s gone."


    "Nn. But not for long?"


    "Huh? Woah!"


    It grew back, after all. Even faster than Karen had cut it down, my hair was back to its previous length. Which was, frankly, really long.


    "It grew back..."


    "Nn."


    She stared with wide eyes at my regrown hair. Completely and utterly surprised at the sight. It was quite amusing to watch.


    "So, how much do you need? This doesn''t really take much effort."


    "Uhhh... Is it really fine to ask for more?"


    "Nn."


    It''d be more annoying if she asked later for more, honestly. Better get over with it in one go.


    "Then... A few times more?"


    "Nn, okay. Sis?"


    "Yes, yes."


    And now we just to repeat this again for a few more times.


    "Hey, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Where did you put the ribbons?"


    "The ribbons? Uhm... They''re probably in the wagon?"


    Why did she want to know about those now?


    "Well, I just wondered... What other hairstyles would suit you."


    "Haa..."


    Sorry, but that was probably the furthest from my mind right now, Karen. Okay, I just had thought about shorter hair but that was different. Yes, different.


    "Having your hair straight down like this is nice but when you wore that black armour and had those side-up tails, that was nice too."


    "I... see..."


    Why did Karen always start these topics that were hard to respond to?


    "Hey, Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "Rather than me, you could try something different as well."


    "Me? Mh... I''m quite fine with how it is, though."


    A while later, Karen stopped her hands that were cutting my hair.


    "Mh... Is this enough for now?"


    I craned my neck backwards, looking at the pile of hair behind me. It was... a lot.


    "Nn... Elina, is this enough?"


    "Eh?! Ah... Uhm... I think that should be good, yes."


    A surprised yelp came from Elina when I called out to her. Lost in thought or something, maybe.


    "Ohh... This is a lot. With this much, I''m sure I could make many useful things! Thank you!"


    "Nn..."


    Elina''s eyes sparkled like a child''s, happy about her new... material to play around with. She scooped up the hair and put it into a basket that she procured from somewhere.


    Wouldn''t it have been easier to just give the basket to us first? Well, whatever. Too late now.


    "Hmm, hmm, hmmm..."


    Humming, she sat down at the table with the basket. Not wasting any more time, she took several strands and laid them out in front of her, inspecting them.


    Before she could start though, someone interrupted.


    "Elina."


    "Mh?"


    The old man that had been working with Konno stood in front of her now.


    "I''ll go back, it''s getting late. What will you do? Stay?"


    "Oh, it''s that late already? Ahh... Mhh... I''d like to finish this first..."


    "I see. Wanda, I''ll leave her to you then. See you tomorrow, Elina."


    "Yes, see you tomorrow. Sleep well."


    "Mm."


    He grabbed his things, gave a quick nod in our direction and then left. Elina stared for a while at the entrance of the tent through which he had left.


    "Elina, you can sleep at my place for tonight then. Are you fine with that?"


    "Mh? Yes, yes. Thank you very much."


    "No problem. Now... Yumi, Karen, are you free now?"


    Wanda turned to us.


    "We? Uhm... Technically yes."


    "Sis, we didn''t ask about the remains yet."


    "Ah, right."


    Our original purpose was, after all, to talk with the magic craftsman, in other words with Elina, about those eggshell remains.


    "You still got something?"


    "Nn. It''s why we actually came here originally..."


    "Mh... Then don''t take too long, it''s soon dinner time."


    "Okay, understood."


    "Nn."


    Wanda nodded, satisfied, then turned back to Elina.


    "You too, it''s fine wanting to finish your work, but don''t neglect to eat something. Are we clear on that?"


    "... Yes."


    "Good. Then, I''ll bring this yarn to the others. Konno, what about you?"


    "Me? I''ll talk with Mr Karvas about what we can use this yarn for, I guess. We probably won''t need as much as you, though, so feel free to use it."


    Konno, in the middle of packing his things into a small wooden box, replied with a wry smile.


    "I had hoped we could use it for stuffing but it might be hard. The yarn is really strong though, so we''ll surely find a use. Well, not much I can do about for now."


    He heaved up this small box, carrying it with both of his arms.


    "I''ll go then, see you later."


    And then he left the tent.


    "Mhm... I''ll go as well. Yumi, Karen, when you are done, you should come over. We need every extra pair of hands. Greyward, take care of them."


    "Will do, no need to tell me."


    And now it was down to only the four of us.


    Well, in this case, though, fewer people wasn''t too bad.


    "Elina. There''s something else we''d wanted to show you."


    "Show me?"


    "Nn."


    Karen pulled out a part of the eggshell from who knows where. When did she even take that along?


    "This."


    "Mh? This is... A shell?"


    "... More or less?"


    Elina took the shell from Karen''s hands and scrutinised it closely, her eyebrows furrowed.


    "Is this... also from you?"


    "Ehhh... In a way... I guess?"


    There wasn''t really anywhere else it could have come from, probably. But explaining an eggshell was... hard.


    "We wanted to know if you can make use of this as well."


    "Mh... Let me take a look."


    She sat down on the chair again, looking at the shell from every direction.


    It was barely noticeable, but there was also a bit of movement in the mana at her hands. She probably used mana to look at it, if I had to take a guess.


    "Hoo... This is... an eggshell!"


    Yes, thanks. We know.


    Although I swallowed that comment. No need to sound snarky now.


    "Mhm..."


    "... So?" I asked after a moment of hesitation.


    "Mh? Ah, sorry, were you waiting?"


    "... Nn. Kind of."


    "Ehh, this might take a while though... I can''t really say much for now..."


    "I see..."


    That was a bit unfortunate.


    "Ah, but if it''s like similar materials, it should be possible to make something out of the shell. As for the soft inside, I don''t think I can make more than some stuffing out of it..."


    Stuffing, huh...


    Konno mentioned that earlier.


    "Konno mentioned stuffings earlier as well. Is it hard to make it out of the hair?"


    "Rather than hard, it''s more of a problem about how to do it. I might be able to make it if I take a look at this but... Just figuring out how to do it might take weeks. And even if I do, I might need way too much material."


    "Weeks..."


    That was a lot longer than I expected. Guess it was a bit more complex than I would have thought...


    Well, if it wasn''t, probably every magician could do this job, huh...


    "Weeks... I hope we''ll still be here by then."


    "Nn..."


    The current situation was troublesome, to say the least. For the mercenaries as a whole, of course. If everything went as planned then we could continue to stay here for that long. If it didn''t...


    "Sorry about that..."


    "Ah, no need to apologise. It''s nothing you can do about."


    Karen smiled at her in the hopes of placating her. Elina returned a smile after some hesitation.


    "I''ll do my best!"


    "Thank you. We''re counting on you."


    "Nn. Do you best."


    This girl was quite the oddball, far from ''normal'' as we were told by Korwen. But, seriously... She was a pretty sweet girl nonetheless.


    And she had overcome her initial shyness with us too, from the looks of it.


    "Oh, someone is here already?"


    "Nn?"


    A short time later, we decided to bring Elina to our wagon where the remaining eggshell remains were. Much to our surprise, someone else was already here, the door ajar. Karen pushed it open, revealing the intruder.


    "Ria?"


    "Miss Ria? You''re awake again."


    "Mm? Ohhh... I should... return those words... to you two... It''s good to... see you both..."


    A woman stood in our wagon, squatting down and examining the floor. Seeing us, she stood up again, directing a smile at us.


    "What are you doing here?" Karen asked her.


    "Mm... I was... looking at this..."


    "Nn?"


    She pointed at the floor. A little confused, I turned my direction back to Ria. There was nothing on the floor, after all.


    "I don''t see anything, though, Miss Ria."


    "Mm... Yumi..."


    "Nn? Yes?"


    "Come here... for a moment..."


    She gestured me to come closer. Following her request, I entered the wagon and approached her. Then she grabbed my shoulders and positioned me right at the spot she had pointed at earlier.


    "As I... thought... It''s the same..."


    "Nn?"


    "Yumi... Did you... do something here?"


    Ria stared at me with a serious expression, rather untypical of her.


    "Do something?"


    I stared at the floor beneath me. Had I done something here?


    ... I had. I definitely had. But there was no way she meant that, was there?


    "..."


    "So... There was..."


    "Ahahaha..."


    She did mean it, didn''t she?


    "Mr Greyward... I''m sorry but..."


    "... I understand. Miss Elina, I''m sorry but we''ll have to leave here."


    Greyward turned to Elina, who was understandably confused about the sudden turn of events.


    "Eh? Uhh... Eh?"


    "Come, this way."


    "Ehhh?"


    "I recall Miss Wanda wanting some extra pair of hands. So how about we help them."


    "Ehhhhhhhhhh?!"


    A little forceful, she was... removed by Greyward. My condolences. Really.


    "Now then... Karen... Come in..."


    Ria let Karen enter and then she closed the door, putting up the wooden lock as well.


    "Yumi... The wood... The floor... Take a look at it... Closely..."


    "Nn?"


    I couldn''t see anything but... Humouring her request, I squatted down, checking the spot.


    "Huh?"


    There was something. Something was inside that floor. When I put my hands over it, I could feel something squirm below it. Or rather, inside it? There was a distinct, weird movement of mana in there.


    "It''s the same..." Karen muttered suddenly.


    "The same?"


    Ria had just said that too.


    "The mana..."


    "Nn?"


    The mana? Could she possibly mean...


    "... No way."


    The mana inside that flooring... it was the same kind of mana as mine.


    "Yumi... You..."


    Ria started to say something, then paused, breaking off her sentence. She let out a long ''Mmmm'', probably thinking about what to say.


    "You marked... the wagon."


    Rinne


    Hope you all had a good start into the new month. Stay healthy!


    If you liked the chapter, take a look at my Patreon or come over to the Discord for updates!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Tentacle Growth

    "Marked... You mean, marked in the way animals mark their territory?"


    "Ohh... Yes... Surprised that... you know that..."


    Thank you for having so little faith in me. Even I knew about some common animal behaviour.


    "So... What exactly does that mean?"


    "... I don''t know?"


    "... Okay."


    Okay, so, there was mana inside the floor for some rea¡ª Okay, not some reason, I knew the likely reason very well.


    Anyway, there was my mana inside the floor, probably from... when I was stuck on there.


    "... So what do we do about this?"


    Yes, there was mana inside the floor. Great. Awesome. Now what?


    Were we just going to leave it? Were we going to get rid of it?


    "Mm..."


    Ria stared at me for a while, not answering.


    "I..."


    She started, paused, then stared at my feet, at the spot where the mana was.


    "I want to know... What this is..."


    "... I see."


    "So... Tell me... Why is there... mana inside?"


    "Ahhh..."


    Okay. I didn''t mind telling her but... How was I supposed to explain this even? How was one supposed to explain that you somehow transformed into some kind of tentacle flower that was rooted on the floor?


    ... Probably just like that, huh.


    "Yumi bloomed on the floor."


    "Sis?!"


    Karen was faster me... Although it didn''t quite seem to get through.


    Ria tilted her head, not saying anything. Then she lifted her hand... and cleaned her ear with her little finger.


    "I''m sorry... Could you... Say it again?"


    "Yumi was stuck on the floor, sitting there like a flower."


    "..."


    Ria turned her head towards me, then back to Karen.


    "... A flower?"


    A flower was probably not even remotely accurate... Well, whatever, probably the closest we could get...


    "Possibly..."


    She started to say something again... but stopped...


    Just once, I hoped she would talk in full sentences.


    "Mm... I''ll come back... In a little..."


    With those words, Ria promptly left the wagon, leaving us behind.


    "... She left."


    "Nn. She left."


    "Haa..."


    She could''ve at least told us why she left. Judging from her reaction she was probably going to look for something, bring something or maybe call for someone... Either way, now we had to wait for her...


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "What do you think that mana means?"


    "... No idea? For all I know, it could mean nothing. Or it could be something important..."


    I squatted down again, touching the floor.


    "Nn... I should probably wait for Ria before I try to do something. She might notice something."


    "What would you even try?"


    "I don''t know... I could try moving that mana. Or absorb it again?  Mhm... Can''t think of anything else right now. Any other ideas?"


    "No, not really."


    Well, maybe Ria had some other idea. Or maybe we could figure something out when I actually went and did one of those two options?


    "But... I didn''t notice at all when we were still here..."


    "Nn... I''m surprised Ria noticed this."


    Even when I stood right above it, I just barely managed to notice the mana. How had Ria even found this? From outside, even.


    She... had been outside, right? No, let''s not suspect her of entering the wagon without anyone here. Yeah.


    In the meantime, Karen sat down on the chair in the back and pat her lap.


    "Yumi, come here."


    "Nn."


    With quick steps, I made myself comfortable in her lap once again. Even though we were doing this all the time, I still hadn''t grown tired of it. Hopefully, I never would.


    "Oh, there they are."


    "Nn?"


    "The ribbons."


    "Oh."


    "... Hold still for a moment."


    Karen grabbed the ribbons of the table and then lifted my hair up. I couldn''t quite see what she was doing, though it wasn''t hard to guess.


    "Hmhmhmmm... Hmmhmmmm..."


    Humming to herself, she lifted my hair up in one bundle and tied the ribbon around it.


    "This is... Ah..."


    "Sis?"


    "Uhh... Let me try again."


    Apparently, she had some difficulty tying the ribbon... Well, we got some time until Ria returned, so whatever.


    "This is actually a little... Yumi, could you stand up for a moment?"


    "Ehhh? Do I have to?"


    "You are sitting on your hair and I can''t tie it like that."


    Where there''s a will, there''s a way, my dear sister.


    Although I had the subtle feeling that saying that would earn me a glare, at the least.


    With that in mind, I¡ªregrettably¡ªforced myself to stand up again, freeing my hair from my own weight. What a short-lived paradise.


    "Ah, now it works. Hold still."


    After a little bit of pulling and tying, she finished.


    "Mhm, this is quite nice."


    "Is it?"


    I looked back, where a really long ponytail went down my back.


    "Yeah, it''s cute."


    "Nn..."


    Karen walked around me a little, scrutinising me from every direction, nodding along the way with an approving expression.


    "I''m back..."


    At that moment, the lethargic voice of Ria was heard from just outside the door. The next moment, it opened and Ria entered again, holding a small bag in her arm.


    Not even sparing us a glance, she walked to the desk where we sat at and put down the bag.


    "Mhm... Here it... is..."


    "Nn?"


    She revealed the insides of the back. A thick book, similar to those monster encyclopedias I read through before, as well as a small box. Ria opened the book and flipped through the pages.


    "What kind of book is that?"


    I tried to peek past Ria but... It was written in a different language from the one we spoke here. I couldn''t read anything.


    "This is... A book about flowers..."


    "... Flowers?"


    That... sure wasn''t what I had expected. Karen had said that I bloomed like a flower but... it wasn''t like I was literally a flower.


    "Ah."


    Ria found something, judging from her gasp.


    "It knew it... It''s... similar..."


    Seemed like she had found whatever she was looking for.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Can you... do something... with that mana?"


    "Do something... Uhm... I could try to move it, I guess? Or to absorb it?"


    "Mmm... Try... moving it..."


    "Haa... Okay."


    following her directions, I squatted down at the spot with the mana and put my hand right above it. The sensation of the mana was still quite weak, barely noticeable. Still, it was more than enough to get ahold of it.


    "Nn... Then, here it co¡ª GYAAAHHH?!"


    Something nearly jumped into my face, causing me to scream out and fall onto my back, facing the ceiling.


    "Yumi?! Are you alright?!"


    "Hooo..."


    Karen ran over to me, worried.


    "Haaa... That... That surprised me..."


    I thought I''d get a heart attack.


    With Karen''s help, I sat up again, facing the... result of the mana.


    "What is that..."


    Something long and thin lied on the ground. It reminded me of a dried-up plant. Thin, long, and crumply. And brown.


    Don''t tell me it was really a flower...


    Why was there something like that inside the floor? And why did it come out when I moved that mana?


    "Hooo... This is... quite interesting..."


    "Ria? What the heck is that?"


    "Mm... Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    She turned her attention to me.


    "I want to see."


    "See? See what?"


    "Everything."


    "Huh?"


    "Everything. The tentacles, your appearance as a monster. Everything."


    "... Ehhhhh?"


    There had been no escape.


    None at all.


    Okay, I admit, I hadn''t tried to escape anyway, but... Yeah, it was still embarrassing.


    "Hooo... This is... Do you feel this?"


    "... Nn. I do."


    "This... as well?


    "Nn."


    As transforming entirely in front of Ria was still a little too much for me, we settled on just my arm. Whatever Ria wanted to see, it was apparently enough for her. Even though she demanded to see everything just a minute prior.


    "Mh... As expected."


    "Nn? Did you figure something out?"


    "... Not... quite..."


    Ria stopped groping the tentacles that had replaced my arm and walked back to the dried up... tentacles. Apparently, those things on the floor were tentacles. Or rather, had been. Because they immediately died.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Could you... try to give... those tentacles... mana?"


    "Those dried-up things? I can try I guess."


    Not like that was particularly hard to do.


    Like that, I sent some mana into those dried-up things that were apparently tentacles.


    "Oh? Ohhh?"


    "They''re... recovering?"


    A small mana injection later, the formerly dried-up tentacles regained their pinkish colour and now squirmed around on the floor, rooted firmly on the spot where they had emerged from.


    "No way."


    I cautiously poked the tentacles. They were squirmy and soft. Every poke caused them to shudder a little.


    "Mmm... "


    "Ria... Do you know what this is?"


    "... No."


    "..."


    Well, great.


    Although, I guess I couldn''t expect her to know everything.


    "It''s like... it is some... kind of offshoot..."


    "Offshoot?"


    "Mm... Can you... order them... to do something? Or... control them?"


    "Nn... Let''s see..."


    The dolls somehow reacted to commands. Maybe these did as well?


    "Lie flat on the ground."


    "..."


    No reaction.


    They were still squirming left and right.


    "Guess not... Then, maybe like this?"


    If it was similar to my usual tentacles, maybe I could control them with mana?


    "Oh? Ohhh? It works."


    A little unexpected, yes, but they moved. How odd.


    The moment I stopped the mana they started moving on their own again. But when I took hold of their mana, they stiffened up and only moved how I wanted. This was... actually quite interesting.


    "Mh..."


    Ria watched while I was playing around with those tentacles, not saying a word. On the other hand, Karen sat down next to me, poking the tentacles as well.


    "They''re just like yours."


    "Nn... It''s a bit wei¡ª Ah?"


    The tentacles suddenly stopped moving, falling down to the ground. And drying up. Just like before.


    "Did they... die again?"


    Judging from the fact that they revived with mana, maybe they ran out again? Should I just throw some mana at them again.


    "Whopp..."


    "Eh?"


    Something black flew past my eyes.


    "Let''s see... if that... works..."


    "Nn?"


    There was a small ball of mana in the midst of the tentacles now. Ria had thrown mana crystal at them.


    "Mm... Nothing?"


    "Nn..."


    There was no reaction from the tentacles.


    "Yumi... Wake them... up..."


    "Wake... Nn, okay."


    Waking them up was probably better than saying reviving. Albeit, looking at those dried up tentacles, reviving really sounded more accurate.


    Regardless, I gave the tentacles some mana to get them moving again. And lo and behold... They immediately grabbed the mana crystal and sucked the mana out of it.


    "Mm... Mmm..."


    With a lethargic expression, she stared at the once again moving tentacles.


    "Are they... some kind... of predator?"


    "Predator?"


    "Mm... They feast... on mana..."


    "Haa..."


    Apparently they did, yes. But did that make them a predator? Either way, what even were these? Did they... belong to me still? Or were they their own kind of being? If so, were they some kind of monster? Or an animal or a magic beast, as they lacked a mana crystal of their own?


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn? Yes, Ria?"


    "This... Is interesting..."


    "... I see?"


    Yes, it was, I agreed on that. But that didn''t help, right now.


    "Can you... make more of them?"


    "Ehh... More? I honestly don''t know... I don''t even know exactly how they stayed behind here."


    "Mm... Then... let''s feed them..."


    "Eh? Ah."


    Ria walked over to the tentacles, held up the small wooden box she brought along, and... dumped the contents on the tentacles.


    "Eh? Wait, isn''t that mine?"


    Dozens of small mana crystals poured onto the tentacles. Including a pink one that I knew very well. Where did she get that one from? From the dolls? Or was it one of the ones I had made some other time? I didn''t remember giving one to her, after all.


    Either way, now it was among the dozens of mana crystals that were dumped onto tentacles.


    With quick movements, the tentacles reached out to all the crystals and dragged them closer before feasting on the mana. And then... It slowly grew.


    "They''re increasing..."


    "Nn... Hey, Ria. Isn''t this a little bad?"


    "Mm... Why?"


    "Well, this is our wagon... What are we going to do if they all increase in number?"


    The few tentacles were slowly multiplying, splitting. The same way we had watched the monsters split back at the Academy. A dozen became two. Two dozen became three dozen. And so on... It barely took time until they covered a sizeable area...


    "... Look at them... They... kept the pink one..."


    "Eh?"


    Ria completely ignored my question and instead pointed at the ping mana egg. It had embedded itself into the largest tentacle of the bunch, but it was still visible. In fact... You could feel it subtly absorbing the mana from the surroundings. It was... active.


    "Hooo... Interesting..."


    "Sis. What are we going to do about this?"


    "..."


    "Sis?"


    I turned around, towards Karen, as she hadn''t answered me. She was sitting on the ground, patting a few tentacles that had come close. The tentacles wrapped themselves around her hands.


    "Ohh... Yumi... Look! Look! Aren''t they cute?"


    "... Cute?"


    Well, I guess... They were cute like a pet was, in a way... Were they?


    "They feel exactly like yours."


    Karen was completely absorbed in patting and playing with them. Apparently, I was the only one worried right now.


    Then, if nobody else cares, I won''t either! It''s just Lily and Rina anyway who might run into this...


    Hopefully, they wouldn''t be too surprised...


    Well, back to the problem at hand for now: The pink mana egg had completely disappeared into the tentacle, but I could still feel the subtle absorption of mana. Contrary to the other mana crystals, it hadn''t been entirely absorbed. They were using it just like a monster would use their own mana crystal. Albeit that made me wonder... The professor at the Academy said a mana crystal was like a materialised soul. Was it fine to just... take the crystal of something else?


    In addition, the tentacles had spread quite a bit on the ground. I had to be careful not to step on them by accident.


    "It''s like I''m infesting the wagon..."


    "Mm... That... might be quite... accurate..."


    "... Really?"


    "Yes..."


    I threw a doubtful glance towards Ria.


    "There are... a few monsters... doing similar things... Infesting their nest... with roots... and similar... Their domain... Is very dangerous... The entire nest... Can attack you..."


    "Nn... But I don''t think these are that dangerous... are they?"


    They were on the level where Karen was leisurely playing around with them. For all I knew, they could''ve actually tried to attack her, instead of playing around... Although, I surely wouldn''t like that.


    "Mm..."


    Ria stared at the tentacles, not answering. Probably lost in thought.


    "We might... have to try... a few things..."


    "Well, about what I expected..."


    "Also... We should... Tell the Captain... This... Depending on... what you can do... Might be very... very useful..."


    "Useful, huh... I guess it is..."


    Disregarding the rather grotesque appearance... If they were able to capture something, they might make a good trap...


    "You should... Grow these..."


    "Eh... But this is our wagon... I can''t exactly cover the whole wagon with them, can I? Actually, these alone are already a problem."


    "Mmm... Let''s talk... with the Captain..."


    "... Nn."


    At that moment, with fitting timing, someone knocked on the door.


    "You all, are you soon done?"


    "Greyward... Is something... the matter?"


    "Something the matter? It''s dinner time. If you don''t want to miss out on it, you should finish up. Whatever it is you''re doing."


    "Mm... Dinner... Is not necessary... For us..."


    "That so?"


    Wait, wait, wait! WAIT!


    Dinner was not necessary? Please, that was something I''d like to decide for myself. And I was hungry. Really hungry. Seriously hungry!


    "Miss Ria... Neither Yumi nor I have eaten anything yet... I''d really like to have dinner..."


    "Nn... So do I..."


    "You... Haven''t eaten?"


    "Nn."


    Ria stopped, then stared at me and then at Karen, tilting her head a little.


    "Both... of you?"


    "Nn."


    "Since... when?"


    "Before we... got stuck inside there."


    "... And you''re just hungry?"


    "Nn?"


    Just hungry? Wasn''t hungry bad enough already?


    "Both... of you?"


    "Yes? I''m hungry too."


    "... Curious."


    And why was that curious again?


    Maybe she noticed my confusion as she went on to explain it.


    "If you... haven''t eaten for so... long... There''s probably... more than... just hunger... Hunger... Thirst... The body... requires food... and water... If those aren''t... Supplied... The body... stops working..."


    "..."


    Three days.


    We had been stuck inside there three days...


    I finally realised what she was implying there. We hadn''t eaten nor drunk anything for that long and we were merely hungry... Nevermind me, I kind of expected something like that... but...


    "Sis... Are you... just hungry?"


    "Well... Yes... And thirsty too, I guess?"


    "..."


    Karen was the same. And that, at least in my opinion, was definitely not normal.


    "Mm... That shell... I wonder... If it nourished... you... Or... if you are... already..."


    With quick, firm steps, Ria hurried over to Karen.


    "Eh? Miss Ria? Ah?! What are you doing?!"


    With slightly hurried movements, Ria was parting Karen''s hair, looking at the pink strand, then she followed it along to the root, traced with her fingers down the back of her head and neck.


    "Miss Karen..."


    "Ye, Yes?"


    "You should... observe closely... What happens..."


    "..."


    "You have to... decide... You should... decide soon..."


    "... I know. The Elder already told me."


    "I see..."


    Decide? And... what the Elder had told her? In that case... It was without a doubt about Karen''s slowly body changing...


    "But I already decided. I''ll stay with Yumi, no matter what happens."


    "... I see. Then... forget what I said..."


    Ria took a step back, smiling wryly.


    "I... envy your strength..."


    "Huh?"


    "The resolution... to face such a future... The strength... to step forward... It is... It is truly... Respectable... I can... only envy... you..."


    "..."


    "I wish you... all the best... on this path..."


    "... Thank you, Miss Ria."


    Ria nodded, then walked towards the door and stopped right there.


    "Miss Yumi... You found... a good partner."


    "... Nn. I really am blessed with her."


    The four of us, including Greyward, made our way towards dinner. There was no large bonfire or anything this time, but many tables were set up. Dozens over dozens of burly men sat down, eating dinner and laughing.


    "It''s lively like always."


    "Nn... But isn''t that a good thing?"


    I had kind of come to enjoy this liveliness. They were enjoying their life with all they could. Watching them laugh was... nice. It made you want to laugh as well.


    "It is. There would never be such an easy-going atmosphere back in the slums."


    "Well... People probably had different worries there..."


    Like, securing your next meal. I was quite glad I didn''t have to eat that jerky and the stale bread anymore. It was only a short time, but I sure didn''t miss the bad parts of it.


    "Mh? Mr Greyward, what is that?"


    A large pot was sitting on a stone... or rather, a stove. My first thought was stew or soup, but watching the plates of the mercenaries, it didn''t seem to be either. There was a slightly black, jelly-like mass on the plates.


    "... That is... Oh..."


    "Oh?"


    "That''s blood stew."


    "... Blood... Stew?"


    "If I recall correctly... It''s a stew made from the boar blood and a plant called Jell Herb... It has a pretty weird texture... Tastes pretty weird too... Still better than the flat cakes, I guess."


    Flat cakes? Weren''t cakes quite delicious? Also, why flat?


    "What are flat cakes?" Karen asked.


    "Mh? It''s a flat cake... A cake that''s flat. Well, the ones I mean are actually called blood cakes, though. They''re round and thin and, personally speaking, quite disgusting."


    He grimaced, probably recalling it.


    "I know some folks like them but I just can''t understand it... I don''t like blood stew a lot either, but still more than the blood cakes."


    Blood stew... Blood cakes...


    I understood that nothing got wasted, but... Even the blood? Seriously?


    "Well, I''ll go to my men now. See you later."


    Greyward waved his hand and left, joining the other Black Guards who had put their table to the side. There weren''t that many of them so they actually all fit on one of these long tables. Seeing a few dozen black-clothed men together was a bit creepy though.


    "Miss Ria, what about yo¡ª Wait, where is Miss Ria?"


    "Nn?"


    Without us noticing... Ria had disappeared...


    She had been with us until just now... Of that I was sure... But now she wasn''t...


    "Nn... Well... She''ll probably get around on her own..."


    "I think so too but... Still..."


    "... Let''s find a place to sit at for now."


    "... Okay."


    Standing around wouldn''t help us. Ria was more than old enough to take care of herself. Probably.


    "Nn, do you see Lily and Rina somewhere?"


    "No... Ah, there''s the Captain."


    "Oh, you''re right. Wait... He''s waving..."


    He had spotted us and was waving us over now... Guess that decided where we''d sit.


    "Captain."


    "Hello, Mr Captain."


    "Hey. Good you''re here, I need you two for a moment."


    He... needed us?


    Korwen moved a little to the side, motioning us to sit down next to him.


    "Yumi. You''re... actually quite smart, aren''t you?"


    "''Actually''... Well, I don''t know if I should really call myself smart or anything..."


    "Disregarding that you got your head in the clouds, you are quite smart."


    "..."


    Why did you even ask then? Only to rub more salt into the wounds? I already realised that myself, I was doing my best to get better.


    "But that''s not important right now. I already know you are pretty good at calculating things. And the way you work with documents is also very neat and orderly. So..."


    He stopped for a second... Then took a deep breath...


    "Please do something about that."


    "Nn?"


    With the knife in his hand, he pointed into the distance. Well, not quite the distance, it was still quite close. A familiar group of girls sat there. Nearly a dozen of them. Though I said girls, not all of them were young enough anymore to be called that.


    "That''s... quite the group."


    "It is."


    Lily and Rina as well as the three little girls, Emily, Maya and Sele sat there, talking fervently with Mrs Korwen, Fenna and... Miss Karker.


    Apparently Miss Karker was telling them a story or something...


    "... then he came back crying, hugging his mother''s waist. Oh, that was such an adorable view. Of course, his mother then scolded the other children. ''You shouldn''t do things like that!'' she shouted at them, giving them an earful."


    "To think he was so different then..."


    "Really, he grew up to be such a fine man. He really got it together now. But, now, you won''t believe it but... I heard from his mother that he is still acting quite spoiled whenever he visits. Isn''t that right, Mrs Korwen?"


    "It is. But not only with his mother, when the others don''t see him... Hohoho..."


    "Is that so, is that so. My, such a naughty boy."


    I glanced to my side, to Korwen. I was currently unable to see his face. Most likely because he was burying his head in his arms. Now... What to say here...


    "I''m sorry Captain, but I cannot stop that."


    "... Ahhhh."


    Shouldn''t mention that I also didn''t want to stop it. Stories like that were interesting. Even if the party involved didn''t even remotely believe it to be interesting, but surely everyone had to go through that once in their life. I admit, I probably didn''t want it to happen at Korwen''s age. That was... torture.


    "Uhm... Mr Captain... I don''t think there''s anything wrong... with that..."


    "Nn. Nn. It''s quite normal."


    "Stop, you two. Please. Don''t comment on it. If you can''t stop that, just... just don''t say anything."


    ""... Okay.""


    Now, what to do about this... Oh?


    "Sis, Lily is waving."


    "You''re right. I think she wants us to come over."


    "Nn, looks like it."


    "Mr Captain... Is there anything else you need?"


    "..."


    He didn''t answer. If there was no answer, that meant there wasn''t anything.


    "Then, we''ll go over to Lily."


    "Nn. Until later, Captain."


    He''d survive the whole thing, surely. He was strong. And the surrounding mercenaries were directing warm smiles towards him. They''d surely comfort him.


    "Really?! Merim did that? How unexpected..."


    "Right? I couldn''t believe it when I saw that... From head to the toes drenched. And not to mention, the smell."


    Wait, they already moved onto the next one? You should wait for us! I wanted to hear those stories as well!


    "Yumi."


    "Nn, let''s go."


    Karen took my hand and we moved towards Lily and the group.


    "Yumi! Karen! Come here."


    Lily moved to the side, making space for us.


    "Eh? Yumi?! Yumi! Yumi!"


    Hearing my name, a certain trio all perked up and turned around. With one of them jumping up to her feet and... Yeah... We all knew where this was going.


    Time to catch her.


    "Yumi!"


    "Woah! Be careful, Emily."


    "Yumi! You''re back!"


    "Nn. I am. Guess we haven''t seen each other for a few days!"


    I gently pat Emily''s head, who was hugging me.


    "Yumi."


    "Yumi..."


    Maya and Sele also joined in on hugging me. Not with a jump like Emily, thankfully.


    "Yumi... you''re as popular as ever..."


    "Ahaha..."


    Well, couldn''t quite argue against that when I was being hugged by cute girls. If they were still doing this in a few years... That might not be too bad.


    "Yumi... You''re grinning..."


    "Ah."


    Not good, my thoughts leaked.


    Well, for now... Rather than Korwen''s and Merim''s embarrassing pasts... I should probably calm down these three first.


    With a smile, I pat their heads, taking a good look at each of them.


    "Emily, Maya, Sele. I''m back."


    Rinne


    Everyone, stay safe and healthy!


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Infested Wagon

    "Ohh? So you''re past the house arrest now? That''s great."


    "Right?! We can finally play with Yumi again!"


    "... Play."


    Maya sat to my left, a big grin on her face. They had just told me about their ordeal called house arrest that they finally weathered through. Although, it was a lot less severe than I had imagined it to be. They were eating well and most of the time someone was with them.


    But, they were also forced to study a little... Well, ''forced ''might be a bit of an overstatement. The three were surprisingly willing, judging from how they told me about it.


    "When I''m free, we can do something together, okay?"


    "Yay!"


    "... Play!"


    Oh, the two were happy.


    It had been quite a few days since I last saw them so spending some time with them should be fine.


    "Then, since you''re now free of your house arrest, I guess you are going to the Academy soon? To study."


    "... Uncle said we might not go to the Academy to study..."


    "Nn? He did? Why?"


    "I don''t know..."


    Maya let her head hang a little.


    "Nn... I see."


    Probably because of the trouble brewing up... Guess Korwen doesn''t want to take any chances. Or maybe it''s something else?


    I pat Maya''s head to cheer her up a little. She immediately snuggled up to my hand, squinting her eyes. Seriously, was she a cat? Oh, she was...


    It was cute so it was fine.


    "Well, he only said ''might'', right? So, with some luck, it can still work out."


    "You think so, Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    Either way, I''d hope the whole thing could get resolved fast.


    And with that said, I turned to the person who sat there, opposite of us, calmly drinking her tea with a smile.


    "Uhm... Mrs Karker? What exactly are you doing here?"


    "Mh? Me? Oh, don''t mind me, don''t mind me."


    "That''s... a little hard to do..."


    Still wearing a smile on her face, she put down the teacup.


    "Let''s see... Where do I even begin... A few hours ago I had to deal with various annoying people. Like, messengers from the Allena''s, from some nobles, from the king, and the like."


    Was it okay to call the king''s messenger annoying?!


    "Especially the messengers of those stuck up nobles are annoying. And so I ditched them and came here."


    "... I see."


    Basically, she ran away from her own work. This woman was quite the free-spirit...


    "My daughter and her husband can deal with them. It''s time they start learning how to anyway. I''m not forever on this world, after all."


    Her smile turned a little wry.


    "It''s time they let me have some fun on my own. And if they mess up, I can still step in.  And with that in mind, I came over."


    So, her definition of fun was embarrassing Korwen and Merim by telling everyone stories of their past?


    I liked that. She should tell more of them.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? Sis?"


    From behind, Karen appeared, holding two plates with food in her hands.


    "Maya, Sele, You have to let me go now or I can''t eat."


    "Ehhh..."


    "..."


    Reluctantly, they gave me some space. And...


    "... Here..."


    "Oh, thank you, Sele. Are you sure, though?"


    "... Yes."


    Sele moved to the side and pat the now empty space, gesturing for Karen to sit down. A rather unexpected move. Never would have thought she''d willingly move away.


    Thanking her, Karen sat down next to me.


    "Nn? What''s this food?"


    "That? That''s a blood cookie."


    "... Excuse me?"


    I definitely misheard that right now, did I?


    "It''s a blood cookie. Something wrong? Oh, do you not like them?"


    There was a completely different issue at hand, right now. My taste was irrelevant.


    A small, round, pancake-like... thing was on the side of the plate, among other things. It was distinctively... dark red. When I poked it, it was rather soft... Not exactly like bread but more like... something between bread and jelly?


    This... was completely like that thing I had seen earlier, wasn''t it? The blood stew, or what they called it.


    "Yumi... Did you maybe never eat it before?"


    "... No, I haven''t. So, uhm... What exactly is this?"


    There was no way it was actually made of blood, was there?


    "A blood cookie."


    "Well, okay, let me rephrase this. Is this really made of blood as well?"


    "Yes. Otherwise, there''d be no blood in the name, would there?"


    "..."


    And... It really was blood. Was this like some type of blood sausage then? Probably...


    Well, it was already here so... I could at least try it. I admitted that I was a little reluctant but... Karen was already eating it...


    "Then, here I go!"


    I took the blood cookie into my hand and bit into it.


    "... It''s good."


    We finished our dinner, consisting of the blood cookies, as well as the blood stew.


    Quite the bloody dinner but my stomach was literally euphoric, having finally stuffed itself to the brim. I was kind of used to it that the meat you''d eat was usually the kind of... muscle meat? Could you call it like that? Anyway, I wasn''t used to it that intestines and blood were also used in dishes like that blood cookie and that stew.


    What I also didn''t expect was, that these dishes were surprisingly good. Although I had to say, that intestines were... quite chewy. The stew was full of them and... Wow... Nothing for people with no teeth.


    Anyway, my impressions of food were fine and all but there were other things that I was more interested in right now. Namely, the stories Mrs Karker was telling. On that note, Fenna and Mrs Korwen had left as they had already eaten. I didn''t really get to talk with them...


    "Another story, you say... Let''s see... Right, around two decades ago, the Dragon Knights were staying in the capital for a short while. Aldrik was still running the band as a Captain at the time. You see, Aldrik was quite the womaniser. He was always chasing after women and his wife had to forcefully remove him from a brothel more than once. Oh, those occasions were great."


    Aldrik was Korwen''s father, right? That... I felt a little bad for his wife.


    "Ah, him getting beat up by her was always quite a show. Once, she chased him through half the city while he was only wearing his underpants. I will never forget how he ran to our house asking for my husband''s help, wearing only those underpants. The red-light district is on the opposite side of the town."


    Mrs Karker smiled, reminiscing in the memories.


    "My husband, having some pity actually gave him shelter. When Aldrik''s wife found the two, she dragged both men to the brothel and lectured them right in front of the women. Both in their underpants."


    Wow, that was...


    "Uhm, Mrs Karker, is it really fine that your husband was lectured as well?"


    "Ohohoho, it was, it was. He wasn''t much better than the old Aldrik, really. And after that, they never dared to go to the brothel again. So, it all worked out well."


    Well...


    I mean, it was their own fault but... That must have been really embarrassing for those two... No wonder they never returned.


    "Grandma Arias."


    "Yes, yes, dear?"


    Maya spoke up. Did she really just call Mrs Karker grandma?


    You are a brave girl, Maya.


    "What kind of person... was Uncle when he was our age?"


    "Uncle... Ah, you mean your dear Captain... When he was your age, huh... Let me think for a moment."


    Mrs Karker threw a glance in Korwen''s direction, a mean grin on her face. I felt sorry for him but I was interested too.


    "He was a rowdy brat but also quite the crybaby. He''d try to fight a grown man with only a wooden stick. Then would run away crying into his mother''s arms after he got hit only once. My, he was often playing pranks on everyone, got scolded, then ran back into his mother''s arms."


    "His mother..."


    Maya blankly stared at Mrs Karker, who responded to her with a warm smile.


    "Most boys love their mothers. I''m sure that most of those muscle-packed men listening in over there would be unable to go against their mothers, turning back into whimpering boys."


    She threw a side-glance to the surrounding men.


    They all averted their gazes in a hurry...


    "Hohoho... See? They''re all embarrassed."


    Taking a sip from her tea, she turned back to Maya.


    "With that said, he grew up to be a fine man. Time can forge even the hardiest of metals. He got scolded, he got beaten, he cried, he annoyed a great many people. But all those experiences made him the man he is today. I''m not saying one should be a rowdy brat like he was at the time, but you shouldn''t fear failure and punishment either. If you got scolded for something, take a step back and think about why you were scolded for it. If you were praised, ask yourself why you were praised for it. The key is to experience many different things."


    "Experience..."


    "Yes. So, don''t worry too much. In the first place, nobody would scold someone they don''t care about right?"


    Mrs Karker leaned forward and rubbed Maya''s head.


    "Experience many things and grow up to be a splendid lady. That''s a promise, okay?"


    "... Yes!"


    With a bright smile, like the sun, Maya replied to her.


    "Of course, that applies to you girls as well, yes? I expect a lot."


    She turned to Sele and Emily.


    "Yes! A promise!"


    "..."


    Emily was energetic as always and Sele gave a silent but also a quite fervent nod.


    "Good, good. I''m looking forward to it."


    I had to say, I was a little in awe. Did she... do this to cheer the three up?


    "Now then, it seems someone wants a talk with me."


    "Nn?"


    A little to the side stood Greyward, his arms crossed, staring at Mrs Karker. Or more, glaring.


    "Papa?"


    A little confused, Lily stared at him. She was probably wondering why he seemed rather unhappy about Mrs Karker sitting here with us. I had to admit, so was I.


    "Ohohoho, don''t worry. I''ve known him for a long time already."


    Mrs Karker stood up from her seat, her teacup and everything having vanished without a trace again. I hadn''t even seen it happen.


    "I wish you all a good evening. Take care of yourselves."


    She took another glance at everyone, then approached Greyward without another word. The two walked off and disappeared into the distance.


    "How weird... I wonder what that was about?"


    "Nn... I don''t know."


    She knew Greyward, huh... Actually, she had told me that before, hadn''t she? And that she also knew Lily?


    "Hey, Lily..."


    "Mh?"


    "Do you maybe know Mrs Karker?"


    "Hm? If you mean outside of sometimes hearing the name, no? First time I met her today... She was quite different from what I expected. She was like a friendly grandmother."


    "Nn. She''s quite a nice person, I agree."


    So Lily hadn''t known her before... Mh... What did Mrs Karker say again back then? Something about... Her knowing about Lily but not the other way round, right? Wondered what the reason for that even was but it seemed like that had really been the case. Made me all the more curious why she walked off with Greyward now, though.


    "She talked quite a lot with us. It''s really surprising how much she knows..." Lily muttered.


    "Huh... What kind of things?"


    "Mmm... She knew a lot about the mercenaries... not only the Dragon Knights but also various others that are among the more well-known ones. She also told us stories about nobles or merchants. Honestly, I have trouble believing that some are supposed to be true..."


    "... Now I''m curious."


    Yes, there were frankly more important things to worry about. But that was that and this was this.


    "Mm... The one I was surprised about the most... There was apparently a noble who bought up hundreds of baskets on the recommendation of a merchant."


    "Baskets?"


    "Yes, baskets."


    "Why baskets..."


    "That''s... The merchant said there would be a large need of baskets because of an incoming drought."


    What?


    What kind of relation did baskets and droughts have with each other?


    "Apparently he claimed, the baskets would be necessary to replace the buckets. There would be such a need for water that the wells wouldn''t be enough and they would have to bring water in from the distant lake. The existing buckets wouldn''t be enough and baskets are cheaper than buckets."


    "... And the noble believed that?"


    "... He did. Then he bought up every single basket he could find, even from other territories, investing a large sum."


    I had to say... I was impressed. No sane person would ever fall for such a thing, right? That just had to be made up.


    "So, what happened then?" Karen asked.


    "Mh, apparently there really was a drought but it wasn''t really a big problem. Cause it was a yearly thing and the people knew about it."


    "... So, the guy is sitting on the baskets now?"


    "... Yes."


    Well then...


    Thank you for your support for the economy, dear Mr Noble. It was very welcome.


    "See, that''s why I say it''s hard to believe that... The noble lived there himself, right? He should know about the drought. And, every person that has seen a basket should know that it''s... not exactly for transporting water anyway."


    "Well, maybe he never had?"


    As a noble, it wouldn''t surprise me if he had never come into contact with them. Still, even then, others should have warned him about it...


    Although...


    "Reality is stranger than fiction sometimes... Maybe he really was that stupid?"


    "Mm... Maybe... Not like we can ever find out."


    "True."


    There was no way to verify any of this. The only thing that made me wonder though... Why did the merchant even do that?


    "Yumi, Yumi."


    "Nn? Emily? What''s up?"


    "Uhm..."


    Emily suddenly called out to me, fidgeting a little.


    "Yumi... Would... Would it be alright if we sleep together today?"


    "Nn?"


    Sleep together? But we were always sleeping together in that wagon, weren''t we?


    "Uhm... Together... I mean, together together!"


    "Together... together?"


    "Yumi, she wants to sleep next to each other, not just in the same wagon."


    "Ahhh... Thanks, Sis."


    So that''s what she meant. Well, I didn''t really mind that.


    "I''m fine with that."


    "Ahh! Then, then!"


    "Nn?"


    Hearing my answer, she beamed up. Seemed like she had a little more to say, though.


    "Then, would... would Big Sis Karen sleep together with us too?"


    "Eh? Me?"


    Karen''s eyes widened when she was suddenly brought.


    "I don''t mind either but..."


    "Ahh! Yay! Maya! Sele! They agreed!"


    "Well done, Emily."


    "..."


    Huh?


    Did I miss something here?


    Karen, similarly confused, leaned over to me and whispered in my ear.


    "Yumi, what''s going on?"


    "I don''t know either?"


    "Mm... I didn''t expect them to invite me too..."


    She said that, but there was a happy smile on her lips right now.


    "Then, then! Uhm... Uncle told us to go visit Ria after dinner... So... Until later!"


    "Haa... Nn, until later."


    With big smiles, the three little girls walked off, holding hands.


    "The heck was that about..."


    "Aren''t they just happy that they get to see you two again? I''m a little jealous."


    "Lily, I expected that they would do that and invite Yumi but why me as well?"


    "It''s not like they hate you, you know... They actually really like you as well."


    "Is... Is that so..."


    "And just for the record, yesterday Rina and I were sleeping with the three..."


    Lily let out a sigh...


    "Maya''s sleeping posture is impressive... And when they stripped Sele... Why is the most energetic girl the only one who sleeps peacefully?"


    "I don''t think I can answer you that... Maybe she just spends all her energy over the day?"


    It was a blessing she was sleeping peacefully though... I didn''t want to imagine the mayhem she''d cause otherwise...


    "Anyway, I doubt you need to worry. They worked quite hard after the house arrest was lifted. They even asked Ria and Wendl to teach them, voluntarily. I think it''s fine to indulge them a little."


    "Huh..."


    Quite a few things happened in those three days we weren''t around... It really stung a little, having lost that time. It really did...


    "Uhm... Big Sis, Lil'' Sis..."


    "Nn?"


    "Yes, Rina?"


    "Why... Why exactly were you inside that pink ball?"


    Rina stared at us, showing a serious expression. I glanced at Karen but she only returned my glance, probably unsure how to answer as well.


    "Ah, Rina, we said not to ask at dinner, didn''t we?"


    "But... Lily... I... I want to know what happened!"


    "So do I, but we shouldn''t discuss that here."


    We watched Lily trying to calm Rina down, who was... very clearly really upset.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn."


    Karen threw a questioning gaze at me, most likely wanting confirmation from me. But, in my honest opinion, it was fine to tell the two. Really... Maybe I was just bad at keeping secrets... Yeah, at this point I should just admit that I sucked at keeping secrets and that I didn''t particularly want to keep secrets either. At least not towards those close to me.


    "Rina, Lily, how about we get back to the wagon. We''ll tell you. Or at least, what we know."


    "... Okay."


    "You sure?"


    "Nn. Let''s go. Ah, but let''s bring Ria along as well."


    There was a limit to how much we understood by ourselves... And while I did have a decent grasp about things by now, I''d really like to have Ria supplement anything we explained. Also... There was still the question of what those tentacles were...


    "The heck... are these..."


    "They''re cute, aren''t they?"


    "... Eh?"


    Lily was staring at Rina with blank eyes.


    "... Cute?"


    "Yes? They are."


    "... They are."


    Sorry, Lily, I know it''s hard.


    I couldn''t quite see how they were cute either. At least not from their appearance.


    The wriggling tentacles wrapped around Rina''s fingers as she continued to play with them. In the meantime, Lily had taken a little distance.


    "But really, I knew about the whole monster and tentacle thing but... This is the first time I actually see it..."


    Having taken enough distance, Lily once more stretched her arm forwards and poked a tentacle.


    "... I''m sorry, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I don''t think they''re cute."


    "... That''s okay."


    Not everyone had to like them. Actually, it might be weirder for someone to like them in the first place.


    "Ehh, Lily... How can you say that? Look closer!"


    "No. Rina. I''m good."


    "Lily... You got weird tastes..."


    "Karen?! Are you trying to say they''re cute as well?"


    "Of course they are?"


    The only thing Lily could do was blankly staring at Karen, mouth agape. I felt a little sorry for her...


    "Karen... Karen of all people said my taste is weird..."


    "Hey, Lily? What is that supposed to mean?"


    "Yumi, please stay like that. You''re a lot cuter like that."


    "Ahahahaha... I''ll try to."


    I couldn''t exactly walk around full of tentacles anyway, now, could I?


    "Mm... Yumi... Could you... come here... for a moment?"


    "Ah, yes, Ria. I''m coming."


    Ria, who had thankfully come along¡ªafter she forced some assignments on the three little girls¡ªcalled me over to the table she was sitting at. The tentacles had already spread through a significant part of the wagon and were already coiling around the chair legs, occasionally brushing past Ria''s legs. That didn''t bother her in the least, though. It was a little odd to watch her, engrossed into the book, all the while tentacles squirmed around her.


    "Look... I think... I found something..."


    "Nn?"


    She pointed at the book, or rather, a certain passage in the book.


    "Ria. I can''t read that."


    "Oh... You can''t?"


    "No, I can''t..."


    I was barely able to somehow read the language we were speaking right now... And this was one I had never even heard about before...


    "Mm... How unfortunate... Then... Let me summarise... What it says..."


    "Okay, I''m listening."


    "This passage here... Is about a certain monster... A large flower... Called the... Cave Eater..."


    "Cave Eater?"


    That... wasn''t the name a flower should have...


    "Oh, the Cave eaters? They''re quite infamous monsters..."


    "Nn? Lily, you know about them?"


    "Most people do. Cave Eaters are extremely dangerous monsters. Any area where one lives is basically entirely off-limits."


    "Huh..."


    I turned my attention to the book... Which I still couldn''t read, of course.


    "Cave Eaters... live in caves... and lure in... and prey on... animals... monsters... and... people... Many monsters... do that... But Cave eaters... infest the... entire cave... with small flowers... that release a... poisonous fog..."


    A poisonous fog? That... was definitely not good.


    "It''s nearly impossible to deal with them... If you get close to the cave, you get charmed and walk straight in. Even if you were to manage to avoid that, all that awaits you is a fog that kills you in a few seconds, turning you into its food. Any area where a Cave Eater lives is absolutely off-limits because of that."


    "I see."


    But... It was a flower, in the end, right?


    "Can''t you burn it down?"


    "People tried to... But even if you set it aflame, the fire dies after a while and the Cave Eater recovers. Sometimes it is even actively extinguishing the flames with magic."


    "That''s... quite the troublesome flower."


    "It is. But it''s not like they are impossible to fight. There exists special equipment to deal with the fog and the charm. Unfortunately... It''s extremely expensive. You might have to fill dozens of bags with gold coins and it would still not be enough..."


    Dozens... of bags... filled with gold coins? How... Just how ridiculously expensive was that?!


    "What is... more interesting... is something else..."


    "Nn?"


    Right, Ria wanted to tell me something.


    "The Cave Eater... infests... the cave... And spreads... its flowers... These flowers... are off-shoots... Born... from its mana... They act... independently... Based on their... instinct..."


    "Huh... You mean, they''re like those tentacles?"


    "Yes... But... There''s more... These flowers... They grow... even on stone... This book... Speaks of a sample... From a dead Cave Eater... The flower sample... Was clearly... a monster... But... it did not... have a mana crystal... Yet... It was not... Physically connected... to the main flower."


    "Haa..."


    Sorry for being stupid, but that meant what?


    "Yumi."


    "Yes?"


    "Let''s... grow them..."


    "... Excuse me?"


    Grow them, she said. Grow them. How many steps did she just go past to arrive at that conclusion?


    "These... tentacles... I think... They are... important... Like the... flowers... of the Cave Eater... They... probably serve... a function... I want... to know..."


    "I see... Okay, I understand. Let''s grow them."


    If they served a function, then I definitely wanted to know as well. So far, the only use they seemed to have was being Rina''s and Karen''s playmate. That surely wasn''t their intended use, though. At least, I sincerely hoped so...


    "But, Ria... Where do you want to grow them?"


    "Mh? Where... Of course... Here..."


    "... Eh? But, they''re already covering... Uhm... more than half the ground here... Any more and it might be impossible to use this wagon?"


    Lily stared at the tentacles coiling around the chair''s legs.


    "Ah... That is... Okay... Don''t worry..."


    "Nn?"


    "I talked... with the Captain... And with... Wendl... We can use... this wagon... for this... You should... move to another... wagon instead..."


    "... Seriously?"


    Captain Korwen, was it fine to just give up a wagon for such a purpose? I mean, I did kind of want a personal wagon to share with Karen, but... this wasn''t quite how I imagined it to turn out.


    "Guess we should pack our things..."


    "Nn... But where do we go then?"


    "... The Captain... said to... move to the tent... with Emily... and the others... for now..."


    "Nn? You mean the one they stayed in for their house arrest?"


    The three were in our wagon outside of that time, after all.


    Actually, they were in a tent now? That sounded quite nice too.


    "Yes... That one..."


    "I see..."


    So, we''d turn this wagon into a tentacle haven... Seriously? Like, seriously? No joke? I honestly had mixed feelings about this...


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "This... ability... You should... Keep quiet... About it... As much as... possible..."


    "Nn... I didn''t exactly intend to walk around and tell everyone..."


    "You don''t... understand... This ability... This kind of... infestation... or maybe... a nest... We don''t know... yet... Either way... It is... very dangerous... Given time... You could... compromise entire forts... Turn them... into a nest... Entire cities..."


    Cities? Forts?


    That... Was a lot larger than a wagon, you know?!


    "But Ria, no matter how I look at them, they don''t look very dangerous. They only look... grotesque..."


    "It''s only... assumptions... for now... Yes... But the... possibility... Is enough... We should be... careful..."


    "... I understand."


    Lily nodded in reply. Seemed she agreed with that assessment, huh...


    Was it... really that big of a deal? It probably was, huh... Talk of infesting a fort or a city with these was... Worrying, to say the least.


    Seeing how Wendl had also told me about ritual magic... If I were to learn more about these things... Honestly, the thought scared me. These things could ruin the lives of not just dozens or hundreds but maybe thousands or tens of thousands of people...


    That was way beyond the scope of something I could imagine... I... didn''t feel bad about those thugs in Arkesta... But even so... Killing them was... Not pleasant... Not pleasant in the least...


    "We should... wrap up things... for today... You all should... Grab your belongings... And move to... the tent..."


    "Nn, understood."


    "Karen, Rina. Stop playing with... those... Get your things."


    "Ehh? We''re leaving?"


    "Seems so..."


    Rina and Karen both... were messing around quite a bit... Did they like those tentacles that much? They were kind of cute in the way a pet was cute when it snuggled up to your hand that was petting them... But... That was it... Right?


    "Ah, Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "You should... sleep early... The Captain... needs you... tomorrow morning..."


    "The Captain?"


    "Yes... There will be... some important... work..."


    "I see..."


    Important work... Right, when we woke up from that longer-than-necessary slumber, Korwen had said they were kind of in a hurry, didn''t he? Maybe it was about that?


    Mh... I''d have to find out tomorrow.


    "Then, I''ll sleep early tonight."


    "Mm... I''ll come... and wake you..."


    "Eh? Is that fine?"


    "It''ll be... early... so it''s... fine..."


    "Haa... Then, please do."


    It had to be really early if she wanted to wake me up... Saying nothing else, Ria apparently deemed that she had said everything she should have, and got up to leave as well.


    "Until... tomorrow..."


    "Ah, yes. And, good night."


    "Good night..."


    And then she left...


    Well... For now, I should grab my things and get ready as well, huh...


    I had the subtle feeling, tomorrow was going to be a long day...


    Rinne


    Everyone, stay safe and healthy!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Meeting in the Morning

    When someone told you to clean up your room, wasn''t it often the case that instead, you started reading a book you haven''t touched in years, played with toys you completely forgot about and similar things? Basically, you didn''t progress. At all.


    "Hey, Yumi, look what I found!"


    "Nn? Oh... The crossbow. That was still here?"


    We actually didn''t have many belongings here, and yet we still found things we had kind of forgotten about. Like this crossbow.


    "But there are no bolts..."


    "Well..."


    Not sure if I should be relieved by there being no bolts or worried that Karen seemed kind of sad about it. Maybe both.


    "Mh, there''s some more stuff here... Ah."


    "Nn?"


    Karen froze as she was looking into the small box in front of her. Then, it slowly turned into a scowl.


    "What''s there? Let me see... Ah."


    Right... This one I really had all forgotten about.


    "Yumi. Let''s get rid of this."


    "Wait, Sis. We were told to keep it, weren''t we?"


    "I don''t care."


    "Well, but I do."


    Karen froze once more, then slowly turned around to face me.


    "... Yumi?"


    "Ahhh... Ehhh... Not like that, I mean, it''d be bad if we threw it away even though we were told to keep it, right?"


    "... Then I''ll talk to the Captain and tell him we''re going to throw it away."


    You''re not even giving him the option?


    Anyway, I had to calm down Karen. Otherwise, this purely innocent collar had to suffer her wrath.


    Okay, it probably wasn''t as innocent as I made it out to be, yes.


    "There might still be a situation which warrants it, right? What if there was another weird sensor like this city has? We might need it then."


    "... We can just borrow one when the time for it comes."


    Right. Of course. That was the logical conclusion.


    "And if we aren''t in a situation to borrow one?"


    "I believe that to be highly unlikely."


    Karen''s eyes narrowed as she stared at me.


    "Yumi. Do you... want to keep this thing?"


    "... Eh?"


    Did I... want to keep it?


    That... Did I?


    "Uhhh... Not... necessarily?"


    I just felt bad about it. Really. There were no hidden motives here.


    "Karen... I didn''t know you two liked that kind of play..."


    "Lily?!"


    "Lily, why does Big Sis have that collar?"


    "It''s something you don''t need to know, Rina. Let''s keep things normal. Normal is best. We got all our things, right? Let''s leave the two perverts alone."


    "..."


    The two girls, each holding a small sack filled with... correction, Rina holding a small sack and Lily heaving some huge sack filled with her stuff. Just what the heck did she even store here?


    The two of them left, Rina throwing a few confused glances back at us as Lily gently pushed her outside.


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m... a pervert?"


    Karen was completely shell-shocked from the revelation.


    "Yumi... Am I a pervert? I''m not, right?!"


    "Ehhh..."


    "I''m not, right?!"


    Okay, let''s recollect things a little. Think back on the stuff Karen did in the past, stuff like... playing with my feet while I was sleeping. That alone was already quite...


    And it wasn''t even all... She did quite like the idea of the tentacles and all so...


    "You are."


    "... No way."


    Fairly sure I had called her perverted before already. Maybe it was because it was Lily who called her a pervert this time? Or because it was in front of Rina? Whichever the case... Karen didn''t take it well.


    A blank stare was directed at me, then at the collar in her hands and back to me.


    "... Let''s keep it."


    And with those words, she threw it back into the box. The collar made a splendid landing inside, hitting the back with a loud clank.


    My feelings about watching this? Complicated. Very complicated.


    On one hand I kind of... like the thought of doing that kind of play with Sis. Not like I got any dignity left anymore that I could lose. But on the other hand, I don''t want to make Karen do things she doesn''t want to...


    We would probably need to have a long, good talk about this stuff. Maybe Karen had a few things she wanted to do as well. I once heard somewhere that it was better to come clean with these things.


    Nobody ever told me how to start this kind of conversation though...


    "Ah."


    "Nn?"


    Karen''s sudden gasp returned me to reality. Ignoring the previous incident, she had gone back to packing. And now, in her hands, there were a few sheets of paper that I knew quite well.


    "Those are... The pictures the dolls drew."


    "You kept them?"


    "Nn. Look, these are of Emily, Maya and Sele. We each kept one when we asked them to draw us. Ah, and here is one with all four of us."


    "Huh..."


    Karen seemed absorbed in the pictures now. A welcome distraction from the previous topic. Seriously.


    Time to get back to packing my stuff as well. Then again, I was basically done now, wasn''t I? No, wait, where were the ribbons?


    "Sis, Sis, where did you leave the ribbons earlier?"


    "Mh?"


    "The ribbons. When you played around with my hair."


    "Yumi..."


    With an exasperated sigh, she pointed at me.


    "You''re wearing them."


    "Eh?"


    I grabbed behind my head and... Right... I was sporting a ponytail right now. Or rather, a low ponytail? That''s what it was called, wasn''t it? Probably... But now that I thought about it... She hadn''t undone the ponytail back then, so it was only a matter of course...


    Wait, then... I was wearing a ponytail since then but nobody even bothered mentioning it? That''s a little disheartening.


    It''s not like I especially wanted someone to comment on it. After all, I had forgotten about it anyway... But still...


    Oh well, nothing I could do about now... Time to get back to reality.


    "Nn, then I think I have everything. Only need to put the pictures in the box, I think?"


    "Are you sure?"


    "Nn."


    As the lost ribbons had been found now, I was done now. Clothes, bags, the knife, the crossbow, the collar, all those things were stuffed in that box. Looking at it, I really didn''t have many belongings... Well, neither did Karen or Rina. Lily owning so much stuff actually surprised me a little. That sack must''ve been more than all three of us combined.


    "..."


    "Sis?"


    Karen started to flip through the pictures instead of putting them in the box.


    "... I''m a little jealous. Those dolls made quite a few pictures of you four."


    "Nn, well... Wait, I don''t know those."


    Peeking at the pictures in Karen''s hands, I spotted an unfamiliar picture drawn by the dolls. It featured me as well as Emily, Maya and Sele. In a familiar scene. That was the time when I had wrapped them all up in my hair and we had rolled around on the floor. Seeing it on a picture... was a little embarrassing. Embarrassing, but also cute.


    "You don''t know these? But weren''t these the ones you kept for yourself?"


    "Nn... Weird..."


    Karen flipped through a few more sheets and sure enough, quite a few of them were unfamiliar. Now that I was taking a good look at the stack of paper in Karen''s hands, it was significantly thicker than it should have been. The pictures I kept should have been barely a dozen.


    "There''s a lot... Did they secretly draw this?"


    "... They might have."


    Apparently, my dolls had taken up drawing as a hobby. And they were damn good at it. Wished they gave me a little of that skill. I probably could barely draw a stick figure.


    "Ah."


    "Nn?"


    Karen''s hands stopped at one certain picture. It was the first one that was featuring her.


    "Yumi, who is this?"


    "... Sis. That''s you."


    "Eh? Me?"


    Maybe the lack of colour made her fail to recognise it, but it sure was her. I''d always recognise that face of hers.


    "..."


    A little more slowly, Karen flipped through the images with herself. Many of them were together with me. When I was sitting in her lap, when we were holding hands, and such. And... such...


    "..."


    "..."


    The heck are you frigging dolls drawing?!


    They had drawn a multitude of scenes... including those where Karen and I were kissing or... well...


    There''s no way I can let anyone see these!


    Scenes of Karen and I making out.


    Not saying another word, Karen moved the stack of the previous pictures back on top of these, then silently placed them into the box.


    "Today is not my day..."


    "Ahaha..."


    After we had packed everything, we moved our few belongings to the tent where the three girls were staying at. The three in question hadn''t been told before that we were invading their tent, so they had to clean up in a hurry when Lily and Rina appeared. They were still at it, in fact.


    "Ohh, looks better than I expected."


    Karen put down her belongings and took a look at the surroundings.


    "Oh! Yumi! Big Sis Karen!"


    "Emily... No running..."


    "First we clean up, Emily. Come on."


    There was no tackling Emily this time. Poor girl nearly toppled over when Maya and Sele grabbed her by the scruff to prevent her from running to us and subsequently abandoning her task.


    "Yumi. Karen."


    "Nn, Lily. Have they been tidying up for long already?"


    We sat down next to Lily and Rina, joining them in watching the three girls. Sheets of papers lied around, full of awkwardly written notes or random scribbles as well as small wooden toys, pebbles and random... stuff. I didn''t want to call it junk, but it was junk. Stuff like rusted clasps, small metal plates, wooden sticks and so...


    "Not that long, no. It went pretty fast until now cause your dolls were helping. Didn''t they come back with you?"


    "... The dolls were here?"


    "Yeah. The three took care of the dolls while you two were out but they suddenly stopped and stormed out a few minutes before you two came."


    "... I see."


    Was this a coincidence? I wanted to have a serious talk with the dolls in regards to those pictures. I didn''t mind that they... continued with their hobby, you know. But I''d like my privacy to be respected.


    That they ran away just before we came couldn''t be a coincidence, could it?


    "So you didn''t see them?"


    "No, we haven''t seen them."


    "Weird..."


    Lily scratched the back of her head in wonder.


    "Lily! We''re done!"


    "Ohh? Ohh, looks already a lot better, doesn''t it? Good work, kids."


    Lily gave Maya a strong rub on the head, praising her. With three people, it really went pretty quick, huh. Made me wonder how it looked originally here. Then again, where children were, chaos ensued with certainty. Although, in the vague memories I had, I didn''t really remember my own room or my sisters'' rooms being that chaotic... Hopefully, they were doing fine.


    "Ehehe! We did our best!"


    "Our best..."


    "You sure did."


    Emily and Sele ran up to Lily as well, waiting for their turn to get a rub on their head.


    "You sure get along well..."


    "Mh? Well, we had some time to get along better, right?"


    "Yes! Yumi, Big Sis Lily is an amazing teacher!" Maya said, with a smug grin.


    "... Amazing!"


    "She is, she is!"


    A teacher?


    "Was it Lily who was teaching you three?" Karen asked her.


    "She was! She''s really good. At calculations, at writing and reading and at many other things!"


    "Ehh? I''m not good at all, though... I just remember a lot of things and I used to have a good teacher myself..."


    "But you are great, Big Sis Lily!"


    "... Great!"


    Huh...


    So it had been Lily who was teaching them? That surprised me a bit, I had thought it was Ria or one of the other magicians who did the teaching.


    "Anyway! It''s getting late so let''s go to sleep! Rina already dozed off!"


    Maybe to hide her embarrassment, Lily stood up and carried Rina¡ªwho was indeed sleeping already¡ªto their makeshift bed.


    "Come on, off to bed with you all."


    Lily lied down next to Rina, her back turned to us. How cute, she was getting embarrassed from being praised so bluntly.


    "Well, I guess it is a good idea to sleep."


    "Nn."


    "Yumi! Big Sis Karen! Let''s sleep together!"


    "Together! Let''s sleep together!"


    "..."


    Karen gave the three a small smile in response.


    "Let Yumi and me first get our things stowed away okay? You three can get ready in the meantime."


    "Okay!"


    "Yay!"


    "..."


    They dashed off to their corner, pulling out the blanket and stuff.


    "Yumi, let''s put our things away."


    "Nn."


    There wasn''t much to do in that regard, so we basically just put the box and other things into a free corner. Except for the blanket we had brought along. We''d need that one now, of course.


    By the time we finished, the three girls were... Well, changing into their sleepwear. Just simple shirts...


    Ahhh... Give them a few years and they will surely turn into quite some pretty girls. Yeah. I''m sure of that.


    With that said, I shouldn''t stare at them. Not like there was much to stare at.


    A smile on our faces, we lied down together with them, all huddled up together, talking a little, before finally falling asleep.


    Not in that egg, that cocoon-like thing. No, but together with these girls, hugging each other and feeling each other''s warmth. I was happy as long as Karen was with me. But I was even happier if everyone was together like this.


    ".. mi... Yumi..."


    "... Nngh... Mm..."


    "... Yumi... Wake up..."


    "Mmmgh?"


    Someone was gently rattling me... Forcing me to wake up...


    "... Awake?"


    "Mmm... Ri... a?"


    After forcing my eyes open, a familiar face was right in front of me.


    "... I came to... wake you up..."


    "Mm? Why...?"


    "I told you... There is work..."


    "Work... Ah..."


    I remembered. The Captain said there was something to do and that I''d have to wake up early... Thank god that Ria decided to wake me up. I would''ve completely overslept.


    "Mm... One moment... Nn? I can''t move..."


    "It is... impressive... How do you... get into such... situations..."


    "... Nn?"


    Craning my neck around, I saw what was restraining me. On one side, Karen was hugging me. On the other side, was Emily. Sele was hugging Karen''s back, much to my surprise, and Maya was... Ehh... Not in my field of view. Probably somewhere else. As for Ria''s astonishment? Well... The arm that Emily was hugging was... Bending in a slightly nightmarish way. As for my other arm...


    "... Seriously?"


    The arm that Karen was hugging... had turned into the tentacle arms... My leg on that side as well... I retrieved them cautiously, making sure not to wake Karen up, and turned them back. Then I gently moved Emily away and stood up. Keeping quiet, Ria and I left the tent.


    "Mm... Do things... like that... happen often?"


    "... That I transform in my sleep? That''s a first..."


    And it was troublesome. Troublesome and a bit of a shock. This had never happened before. To add on that...


    The three girls didn''t know what exactly I was. And to be honest, I didn''t want to tell them either. The vague idea they probably had was enough. But... if things like this were going to happen...


    "Mm... Uwahhh..."


    Despite my worries, I couldn''t stiffle a yawn. It was still quite dark, though the sun could already be vaguely seen at the horizon. Nonetheless, it was still way too early...


    "Mm... You should... be careful..."


    "Nn..."


    "... Come."


    "Nn..."


    Still considerable groggy from just waking up, I followed Ria to the Captain''s tent. It was so early, yet, many mercenaries were already up and about. Many of them had very serious expressions...


    "Ria... Just what does the Captain intend to do? Everyone looks so serious."


    "... He''ll tell you... in a bit..."


    "Haa..."


    "But first..."


    "Nn?"


    I had thought we were on our way to Korwen''s tent but... We weren''t. This was... someone''s tent. Yeah. Someone who wasn''t the Captain.


    "Konno... Are you... here?"


    "Who is there?"


    The young male voice echoed from within the tent and shortly after, Konno''s head popped through the entrance.


    "Oh, Miss Ria and Miss Yumi. Good Morning. Come in, come in."


    "Mm... Morning."


    "Good Morning, Konno."


    The inside of his tent was... basically the same as his wagon. A large desk, a table in the corner, pieces of leather and animal skin in the other corner. Unknown tools and other stuff as well.


    "Ehhh... Where did I leave it... Ah, there it is, there it is."


    "Nn?"


    Konno dug through a pile of... clothes and similar, revealing a big, black piece of clothing.


    "We still need some time before we can make anything out of the hair, so today you''ll have to go with this again, okay?"


    "Ahhh..."


    Yeah, it was the black armour dress I had worn before. On one side was the embroidery done by Greyward, on the other was the metal emblem I had gotten from Korwen before.


    "Okay, but... I still don''t know why... Just what is going on?"


    "Mh? Did nobody tell her, Miss Ria?"


    "The Captain... intended to..."


    "I see, I see. Well, it''s basically your formal wear as a mercenary for now, right? So, if you act in your position as a mercenary, it''s better to wear it, yes?"


    "Haa..."


    That still didn''t tell me what was going on. Except that it was apparently pretty important. Well, couldn''t be helped.


    We chased Konno out of his own tent and Ria helped me put on the dress again. After a quick check by Konno, I was good to go.


    And this time, I''m properly wearing underwear!


    After our stop at Konno''s, we walked towards the large tent where Korwen was right now. Curiously, it was surrounded by even more mercenaries. It was the usual kind of to and fro with crates, equipment and other things. Just, before the sun had even risen.


    As I was watching this, we entered the tent. Inside, Korwen sat at his usual spot at the table, accompanied by quite a few others. The other magicians were sitting at the table too, as well as Fenna, Mrs Korwen, and a few other faces I didn''t know.


    "... Captain."


    "Oh, Ria, Yumi. Good morning, good morning."


    "Morning..."


    "Good Morning, Captain."


    I threw a glance at the others that were seated around the table. Fenna and Mrs Korwen both nodded towards me and gave me a small wave, Wendl only threw a glance at me. Everyone else was mostly ignoring us, outside of a few glances in my direction.


    "Ria, take your seat over there. Yumi, you sit down there."


    Korwen pointed at an empty seat close to him. After I sat down, I turned back to Korwen.


    "Uhm... Captain... What exactly is going on?" I asked quietly.


    "Ahh, I didn''t tell you yet... Right... Let''s see. Where do I even begin... I already told you about the current... problems. Right?"


    "Nn. You mean the stuff with the Allena family, right? And that some angered a few merchants."


    "Right, right, exactly that. Well, we are here to deal with this, in a way."


    "Haaa..."


    At that moment, the front of the tent opened and more people streamed inside. Once again, for the most part, people I didn''t know of, except for Konno and Wormaz. They gave their greetings to Korwen and all sat down as well. Every single seat at the table was now occupied. A good two dozen people. And outside of Ria, Fenna, Mrs Korwen and me, only men.


    Also, while Konno, Wormaz, Wendl and some others from the Black Guards were here too, Greyward wasn''t for some reason.


    "Mm... Seems everyone is here then."


    With those words, Korwen stood up from his seat.


    "Good Morning to all of you. I hope you had a good night''s sleep. Most of you already know why I called this meeting together but a few of you don''t. With that in mind, I''d like to sum up what happened over the past few days."


    So I wasn''t the only one who had no idea what was going on? That was a relief, somehow.


    "Around a week ago, we had the clash with the Akkian army at the Hollow Fort. Due to the urgent job request of Commander Ruben, we provided workforces and armed men, as well as medical and logistical support. The final outcome was rather unexpected but it nonetheless doesn''t undermine the hostile action the Empire has taken towards the Kingdom."


    A few murmurs and sighs could be heard. Sighs of relief or sighs of disappointment, I honestly couldn''t make out.


    "After this incident, we travelled towards the Lafrian Capital of Larfas, accompanied by the elves, and made a stop here, with the intention of fulfilling our contract with the Lafrian Academy. Several days after our arrival, though, the army sent an envoy to us, declaring us a suspect in angering the Empire. We are currently restricted from leaving the Capital until further notice."


    Someone spat out loudly. Another clicked his tongue.


    Ria and Fenna silently listened. Wendl was wearing a grumpy expression.


    "Under usual circumstances, this wouldn''t pose a problem for us. It is by far not the first time this has happened. Unfortunately, a certain noble family has put their dirty fingers into this issue. The Allena family is attempting to turn us into a scapegoat. If they succeed at this, Lafria would join the list of countries we cannot frequent.  Due to their relations with other countries, it is likely that Krohmea and Aldreigh would prevent us from entering as well."


    So, Lafria had probably favourable relations with those two countries, huh? Interesting.


    "As that would be a severe hit to our income, I''d like to prevent this at all costs. The Karker family has agreed to cooperate with us, which is very reassuring. Our relation with the royal family is also good, but they have not given me a reply yet when I requested an audience. It is doubtful whether we can count on them. The political climate seems to have grown... problematic, in the time we haven''t come here. But as we are barred from even entering the city right now, it is not possible to investigate either. Our only source of information right now comes from Lady Karker."


    We couldn''t enter the city anymore? That... Wasn''t that bad?


    "Any questions so far?"


    Korwen paused and looked through the round.


    "Captain."


    "Taddick, yes?"


    "How long are our supplies going to last currently, assuming we cannot replenish them anymore?"


    "For food, if we ration everything, about two months at best. If we don''t, less than one. We were unable to restock completely. Maintenance supplies, weapons and other things should be fine for at least half a year."


    "Two months on rations..."


    The bulky man named Taddick leaned back on his chair, staring at the tent ceiling.


    "Any other questions?"


    Nobody reacted.


    "None. Good, then I''ll continue."


    Korwen nodded to himself once after affirming that nobody had a question.


    "We are currently unable to ascertain the state of the investigations among other things. As such, there''s not much we can currently talk about in this regard except waiting. If we were to do anything, we might only worsen our position. Should the worst come by, we will leave the capital on the double. As such, I hope that everyone can spread around this information: Be prepared to leave at a moments notice."


    At a moment''s notice... That did sound pretty serious.


    "Now, to the things that we can do... First would usually be our contract with the Lafrian Academy. Their request finally came to us yesterday, so we can move out to fulfil... most of it."


    For some reason, Korwen paused there. A few men started to snicker and then someone shouted into the room.


    "Captain, is it true some idiot there wants us to capture a fucking ogre?"


    "Haaa... Yes, yes, it is."


    An ogre? Those huge... wait, why did I have the feeling I heard this before?


    Ah! The weird professor from the Academy! He wanted an ogre... He really went and asked for it, wow...


    "An ogre? Seriously? What kind of idiot would request such a thing? They''d never let such a monster into the city."


    "Yeah, bet they''d just fuck up keeping it contained when it gets a boner."


    ... Why a boner? Why was that relevant? This... wasn''t an attempt at a lewd joke. Nobody was laughing...


    Ahh... Maybe they were getting uncontrollable when they got aroused? Like those goblins? That... Yeah, that wasn''t good. Definitely no good.


    "Captain, ya can''t tell me we gonna do that, are ya?"


    "We are."


    The room went silent.


    "The military school will keep it contained outside the city. This has already been worked out inside the Academy. As for capturing it... We''ll have to figure something out, but it should be possible."


    Possible, huh...


    "Back on topic, the request with the Academy is mostly around the usual outside of the issue with the ogre. Exterminating the monsters in the immediate surroundings, collection of certain materials and so on. You know the drill. As for the ones who will work on this... Let''s see."


    Korwen scratched his chin, looking through the room.


    "Fenna, Taddick, I want both of your squads to work on them except for the ogre capture. Take Yumi with you, I''ll give her the list of the assignments."


    ""Understood, Captain!""


    "..."


    Eh? Me?


    While I was still confused at being called out, Korwen threw a quick glare at me. He was waiting.


    "Understood, Captain!"


    With a satisfied nod, he turned frontwards again and begun distributing a few other tasks. Ria and Wendl were going to help with the ogre capture apparently.


    "Captain."


    "Fenna? What is it?"


    "If my squad is working on the stuff for the Academy, what about our current assignment, the guard work for the girlfriend of Lady Karker''s granddaughter?"


    "That assignment will continue. Lady Karker requested that her granddaughter, as well as her girlfriend, join you."


    "... May I inquire as to why? Isn''t this exactly the opposite of what we should be doing? Even if most of the tasks are simple, they are still dangerous. And we''re talking about the Karker family''s only heir."


    Those two were supposed to join us? Yeah, I could only agree with Fenna there. That didn''t seem right.


    "... That is exactly why. Lady Karker deemed the current situation to be more dangerous inside the city. Protecting the two girls from monsters should be easier than protecting them inside the city from unknown assailants. A city you can''t enter right now, if you remember."


    "... I see. Understood, Captain. We''ll protect the two of them."


    "Mm. Good reply."


    Easier, huh.


    "Now then, with the tasks regarding the Academy assigned... I''d like to ask for everyone''s opinions here. Especially from those who have interacted with the elves. What is your impression of them after several days?"


    The elves? The Elder and her kin, huh... I was actually quite curious about this as well.


    "Dear," Mrs Korwen called out to her husband.


    "Yes?"


    "Those elves, you know, they''re really good kids. Several of them are currently helping us with our regular duties. They also know a lot about household chores. So much, that even I''m learning many new things! If possible, I''d wish they would stay with us, they are a huge help to have around. They''re all really shy but also really friendly after they warm up a little."


    Mrs Korwen put her hand on her cheek and smiled as she told us this.


    "They are that much of a help, huh... But how are they getting along with others?"


    "Getting along... Mm... They mostly avoid the people they don''t know so... Ahh, but I''ve seen a few of the elf girls getting along quite well with some men, hohoho."


    "... Well?"


    Korwen furrowed his eyebrows and looked once more into the round. A few men were awkwardly avoiding their gazes...


    You weren''t doing a good job at hiding... You knew that, right?


    To their fortune, though, someone else was raising his hand.


    "Captain, may I?"


    "Balt. Go ahead."


    "Some of my men got... pretty close to the elven girls. Or rather, they got quite intimate. The language barrier is a little troublesome, but the elves are learning our language incredibly fast. Also, I heard a few of the elven girls were, in fact, considering to stay with us, while some of my men said they might want to stay with the elves."


    "... I see. This is honestly rather unexpected. It''s better than the other way round, though."


    The elves were getting intimate with some of the mercenaries? I was... quite speechless, that''s how much of a surprise it was. They seemed really secluded at first but... Maybe they really were a lot more tolerant than they might seem at first. Even the Elder was a lot more likeable than I had thought initially.


    But to get that close in a matter of a few days...


    "Then, judging from your reactions, the others are experiencing similar things?"


    The men who were initially avoiding his gaze nodded awkwardly.


    "I see. I''ll take this as good news for now. Unexpected, but certainly good news. I''ll have a talk with the Elder of the elves about what to do in regards to those who want to stay and vice versa."


    Korwen finally sat down in his seat again and leaned back, letting out a sigh.


    "That''s overall good news. Good news. Haaa..." Korwen murmured so quietly that I could barely hear it.


    Then, he sat up again, hitting the table and drawing all the attention back to him.


    "Good. The situation with the elves is great news overall. The jobs are distributed as well. With those out of the way, there is one last thing we have to discuss. That we, unfortunately, cannot avoid anymore at this."


    Korwen took a deep breath.


    "Cutting off the troublesome families."

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Academy’s Tasks

    "Cutting off the troublesome families."


    With a hardened expression on his face, Korwen looked through the room, at every person. A few stiffened in response to the declaration, some gave a wry smile, one person sighed.


    "They have caused trouble on several occasions already, and they were warned several times already. At this point, we cannot afford to keep them around anymore. They keep obstructing our work. We are mercenaries with a reputation to keep. And yet, they caused troubles with the merchants in the city. This wouldn''t be a big issue usually, but the merchants in question have ties with Allena family and refuse to take an apology or compensation."


    Korwen paused, looking through the round.


    "Captain."


    A lanky man called out to him.


    "What is it?"


    "In regards to cutting them off, you only mean Marga and her clique, right?"


    "That is correct."


    "So, you intend to make an example out of them?"


    "Correct."


    "I see..."


    The lanky man sighed.


    "I don''t think their husbands will take that lightly."


    "I have already talked with all of them in private about this."


    "... You have?"


    "Most of them decided to stay with us. Only two have voiced their intent to leave together with their families."


    Only two...


    I didn''t know how many families we were actually talking about here, but... that definitely weren''t many.


    "And what about the children?"


    "Most of them are no good. The ones who have taken an apprenticeship or are in training can stay with us. One decided to become independent and take an apprenticeship in the Capital as well. Around four of them are still too young and I decided to leave the decision to them with whom they want to stay."


    "Is that so... So, the decision to cut them off is already final?"


    "It is."


    Korwen nodded briefly.


    The atmosphere had become quite heavy and everyone was wearing a serious expression¡ªwith the exception of Ria, who seemed like she was going to fall asleep.


    "The decision to cut them off is final. I have discussed this with Merim and the mercenaries involved already. To repeat: They are discriminating against the other humanoid races, they have several times ignored orders. We have gotten complaints from the places we stayed at that they caused a ruckus, have verbally attacked someone and similar things. They also attempted to make purchases on account of the group as a whole. Most of their children have adopted similar behaviours and there have been many cases of discrimination among the children. as well as actual fights between them."


    That sounded like they had, after all, a bit of a track record in causing trouble...


    "To add, they completely refused to correct this behaviour in any way and have insulted the other humanoid races in my presence. Most of us are humans but we have many beastkin as well as a few other races in our midst. Many of our clients aren''t humans either. The last I want is full-blown discrimination and friction with our clients or inside the band itself."


    Once again, he paused watching the reactions of everyone.


    One man, the mercenary named Taddick, raised his hand. Korwen nodded in his direction, telling him to speak.


    "Captain, you said only Marga and her group, but... are you talking only about her close friends or... all of them"


    "Not all of them but a few more than just her close friends."


    "I see... I understand that cutting them off has become necessary but what are we going to do about the problems following that? Most of us can barely roast a chunk of meat on the fire, not to mention basic household chores. We cannot do all these things while keeping up our basic training. Wouldn''t it be better to only get rid of Marga and her close friends?"


    Wait, were we talking about so many that this might actually become a real problem?


    "I considered that at first as well. But, personally speaking, I am simply fed up with it. Every week there''s at least one or two problems that I have to deal with that are utterly ridiculous. These aren''t only from Marga''s close friends but all of them. I rather deal with that over their antics."


    ... Is it fine to decide such an important issue based on your personal feelings?


    "Well, I can certainly understand that..."


    You do?!


    "... but it might still become a problem. So, Captain, is it maybe possible to ask the elves to take over some of those duties? At least until we sorted them out ourselves."


    "Mh... I can probably ask them about it, sure."


    "That''d be a relief."


    Taddick nodded satisfied, as did several others.


    "So, Captain..."


    Another man spoke up. If I recalled correctly, he spoke earlier as well.


    "Yes, Balt?"


    "Who exactly are the ones being cut off? Marga and her close friends are obvious. Also, have they already been told?"


    "I discussed with Merim, my wife and a few other women as well as several of the involved mercenaries. The end result was just under two dozen families. As for their names, I''ll announce them later. And no, we haven''t told them yet, except for their husbands. We will do that soon."


    Two dozen? So a bit over twenty... Two mercenaries decided to stay with them... Huh? Was it just me or did that not sound like a lot? If you added their children that was probably barely forty people? Considering the size of this band that wasn''t even a tenth...


    "Two dozen... That''s a lot."


    "It is. It''ll become a little uncomfortable for a while. The only saving grace is, that most of them aren''t that involved with the various chores. But how much of a difference it will make, we''ll only know afterwards."


    Ehhh? So, it was a lot? Mh...


    Well, thinking about it... There were probably way fewer families than there were mercenaries... So if you only looked at them maybe it was a lot more than it seemed originally... And they were responsible for stuff like cooking and probably laundry and other things...


    Okay, once I spent a little more thought on this, it sounded a little more problematic.


    "Captain!"


    At that moment, the curtain at the entrance of the tent opened and a mercenary entered, calling out to Korwen while saluting.


    "Marga has arrived. Should I let her in?"


    "Mm... Are there any other questions? If not, then..."


    Nobody reacted.


    "Okay. Let her in."


    "Understood!"


    A middle-aged woman entered the tent with a sour expression.


    "Korwen! I hope you have a good reason for calling me here!" she shouted.


    "Oh, I do, I do."


    "Ho? Have you maybe finally decided to reprimand those stupid craftsmen? Took you long enough!"


    The sour expression turned into a smug smile quite quickly.


    On the other hand, several of the mercenaries in the room were sighing, Fenna was holding her head and Mrs Korwen was smiling.


    "I see, I see. So, who is it who will take my son as an apprentice?"


    "Haa... Nobody will."


    "... Huh?! What do you mean nobody will?!"


    And now the angry expression.


    This woman was changing her expressions quickly...


    "Oh? Oh... I see. I understand. You finally understood his worth, right? You realised that an apprenticeship isn''t good enough for him? So? What did you decide on? Who is it?"


    "It''s called ''The Great Outdoors''. It''s a wonderful place where you can enjoy nature in its full beauty."


    "Korwen, are you messing with me? Stop with your shitty jokes nobody is laughing about."


    "I can only return the same. When are you going to stop? I am still the Captain of this mercenary band. Yet, what the heck is with this attitude... Ahh, whatever. Thank the lord I don''t have to bear with this much longer."


    Korwen stood up from his seat, cleared his throat once and then addressed the woman.


    "I want to get this over with quickly, so... Marga, the Lomerian Dragon Knights have henceforth decided to remove you and your son from the mercenary band, effective immediately."


    "..."


    The woman stared at Korwen, not saying a single word, only her mouth agape.


    "You have until this evening to pack your things and leave. This decision is final."


    Before she could regain her composure, Korwen nodded to the man that had let her in. The mercenary took her by the arm and dragged her outside. Just as she had left the tent, she started screaming.


    "Korwen! KORWEN! You can''t do this! You can''t do this! My husband works for you! He will not let this slide! Is it them?! Is it because of those elves? Did they screw your heads? They''re brainwashing you all! They are¡ª


    And then she was too far away.


    With a sigh, Korwen sat down again.


    "Haaa... The meeting is over. Over, I say. Go back to your work for today. I will announce it later to everyone."


    Barely had those words left his mouths, the first people stood up from their chairs and quietly left. A few of them walked up to Korwen, giving him a tap on the shoulders or inviting him to a drink.


    Guess I should leave as well then?


    "Ria, Fenna, Yumi, Taddick, stay here. I got a bit to discuss."


    "Nn?"


    Didn''t even get to leave the chair. Well, if he still had something to say...


    And barely a minute later, everyone else had left.


    "Tad, bring me something to drink."


    "Got it, Cap."


    The burly man named Taddick walked to the corner of the tent, fetching a small barrel and a few mugs. He took the lid from the barrel and dunked a mug in.


    "Here ya go."


    "Thanks."


    Korwen took a swig from the mug, letting out a satisfied sigh after.


    "Be glad, Cap. Finally got it past ya."


    "I wish we didn''t have to go to such lengths, though."


    "She had it coming, that devil''s wife. You knew that. Everyone did. You saw it, didn''t ya? Nobody objected. None of them. Everyone''s fed up with them."


    He dunked another mug into the barrel and handed one to Fenna, then another to Ria.


    "Wasn''t that because I didn''t even let them object?"


    "If they wanted to object, they would have. You know them. Chances are, they would have objected if ya didn''t do this now."


    "That so..."


    Taddick dunked yet another mug in and handed it to me.


    "Ah, thank you."


    "Ya welcome."


    I was a little surprised, that he handed me one as well.


    Finally, he took the last mug, filled it and sat down again.


    "So, what are ya intending to do about the rest of them? Ya didn''t call them in like ya did with Marga for a reason, right?"


    "Mm... We''ll still leave them here. But being thrown out on such short notice would be troublesome right? I want to give them at least the chance to find themselves a lifeline first."


    "Captain, I very much doubt they will look for one," Fenna interjected.


    "If they don''t and they cause trouble because of it, then they can leave immediately. But they can''t claim I didn''t give them the chance."


    He put his mug on the table and stared at the tent''s ceiling.


    "Ya too kind to them, Cap. Should''ve just thrown them out, no questions asked. They deserved it. Ya know what they di¡ª


    "Tad."


    "... Sorry, got a little heated up."


    "Haa... It''s fine. I know where you are coming from. But whether they were even involved or responsible for that, nobody knows."


    ''That''? What was ''that''?


    "Haa... In a way, it was good timing that they pissed off those merchants. Gave us plenty of grounds to throw them out."


    "Right, right, Cap. Wanted to ask about that, but what the heck is even going on? Ya saying we can''t even enter the city now but..."


    "I already said it before, but I don''t know. I really don''t. There could be any number of reasons but we can''t even investigate ourselves."


    "Can''t investigate, ya say... But doing the Academy''s jobs is gonna be okay?"


    "As long as we only send the necessary personnel, yes. Though it also means I can''t come along. So, I''ll be counting on you."


    Korwen lifted his mug towards Taddick, sporting a wry smile. With a grin, Taddick lifted his mug and they clanked them together.


    "Gotcha."


    They both took a hearty gulp from their respective mugs.


    "Now then, there are a few other things I wanted to discuss. Ah, Yumi, can you fetch me those papers over there?"


    "Nn, those over there?"


    "Yes, yes."


    I stood up and brought over the stack of papers he had pointed at. Stealing a little glance, these seemed to be the assignment list from the Academy.


    "Thanks. Now, where was it... Ah, here, here."


    Korwen pulled out a single sheet of paper and put it on top of the stack.


    "There are a few troublesome requests other than the ogre capture that I wanted to discuss."


    "Did they ask for Slime Flowers again," Fenna asked him.


    "Yes. As well as materials from Armoured Lizards, Fire Boars, Swamp Ropers, Giant Dragonflies and so on and so on..."


    "Fire Boars? Captain, how are we supposed to do that?"


    Fire Boars... were they boars that were on fire?


    "Ehh, they added some information... Ahh, here. They suspect that destroying the mana crystal and quickly dousing it in water might extinguish the flames."


    "Captain. The last time they ''suspected'' anything we had goblins throwing poop at us."


    "... Fenna, don''t remind me of that."


    Fenna took a sip from her own mug while watching Korwen holding his head.


    "If it doesn''t work out, we tell them and that''s it. They pay good money for this, and we are not in a situation where we can just skip out on that."


    "I thought our finances look pretty good?"


    "They do, they do. But you know how quickly they can get used up. If anything serious happens our current savings might not suffice."


    "Ahhh... Like replacing those wrecked wagons?"


    Wrecked wagons? Did something happen over the days... Wait, no. Those trees wrecked a few, didn''t they? Right...That... sounded expensive.


    "No, there''ll be no need to replace them actually."


    "Not?"


    "With Marga and her underlings leaving, we''ll get around six wagons freed up. Three wagons broke down during the incident with the elves. That gives us three extra, in fact."


    Three extra... Speaking of which...


    "Nn, Captain. What about that wagon from... Uh... yesterday..."


    "Ahh... That one... I did take a proper look with Ria earlier. It looks interesting, so you can make use of that wagon how you see fit. Although I''d like to restrict access to it to only the people who know, understood?"


    "Ah, yes, understood!"


    We can make use of that wagon? Seriously? This easily?


    "We''ll also have to discuss your situation in general a little, but first let''s get back to the Academy tasks."


    Korwen turned the paper sheet around and pushed it towards our middle so we could see it.


    "Most of these tasks are relatively simple. Collecting herbs, cleaning out the monsters in the surroundings, and so on. But outside the routine tasks, we always get requests for materials as well."


    Materials, huh. That''s what he spoke about earlier, huh.


    "The ones that are the most problematic are probably the Fire Boars I mentioned earlier, as well as this."


    "Nn... Mirror Trees?"


    "Captain, is that a joke?"


    "I told you already, it isn''t."


    Fenna groaned.


    "This is going to be a pain!"


    Fenna heaved the mug up and emptied it in one gulp. This task must really annoy her...


    "Uhm... What is a Mirror tree?"


    "It''s a monster tree. It''s mostly harmless but its bark is mirroring its surroundings. It also tends to grow in dense forests with a lot of mana, not exactly a place where you can leisurely check your surroundings. As such, they are incredibly rare."


    "Only the bark? What about the leaves?


    "The leaves are the same as any normal trees. But in a dense forest, you can''t see them well. They blend perfectly into the other trees."


    "... That sounds like a pain."


    Yeah, finding a tree like that was surely going to take quite a lot of time...


    "It''s a huge pain, in fact. I think we only ever found one of them by accident before. Due to its rarity, they are worth a fortune though. And the Academy is going to pay even more should we find one."


    Korwen pointed at a small number at the bottom of the sheet.


    "... Captain, is this number real?"


    "It is. I confirmed it with the messenger as well."


    "Fifty... thousand gold... That''s an enormous sum."


    That was more than a lifetime of work, wasn''t it? I wasn''t going to bother to calculate it. It would probably just make me feel depressed anyway, seeing this sum.


    "It''s enormous, yes. It''s easily five times the regular price. Considering this number, it is likely that this is about a project that got the King''s approval. Even the Academy wouldn''t have such an amount of money readily available."


    "No wonder you didn''t outright reject that task, Captain..." Fenna mumbled.


    "With such a number I''d be stupid to outright reject it. Chances are low but it is not impossible to find them. With that said, the chances are low and I doubt we can manage to find one. Still, whenever you can spare the time, try to look for one."


    "Will do."


    Low, huh... But it was a monster, right?


    "Wouldn''t it be possible for a magician to find them?"


    "Apparently not. Ria, can you explain it?"


    Korwen turned to Ria who was... staring at her empty mug.


    I should maybe drink a little as well.


    It''s still early in the morning, though... Is it fine to drink this early already? Well, whatever... Ohh... This one is good.


    It was a rather sweet ale. A bit odd, but quite delicious nonetheless.


    "Magic Trees... All of them... Are undetectable... They do not... absorb mana... from the surroundings."


    "They don''t?"


    Ria nodded.


    "They probably... get mana... from the ground... or somewhere else..."


    "I see."


    How unfortunate... That might make it indeed hard to find them, huh... Maybe they worked similar to normal trees? Normal trees needed light and nutrients from the soil, right? And water, of course. Maybe magic trees took mana from those sources?


    "Now, with that out of the way... In regards to the Fire Boars, I''ll leave the exact method to you."


    "Are we really going to do that?"


    "We can at least try. Just bringing back the information whether it worked or not already gets us paid."


    Well, as long as just the attempt was already good enough for them...


    "One other request I wanted to discuss are these. There''s a request about the Swamp Ropers. They want the entire corpses of several Swamp Ropers."


    "Swamp Ropers, huh..."


    I recalled reading about them in the monsterarium about ropers. They were your standard variety of ropers, adapted to the swamp life. Good swimmers and even better divers. Mostly lives from ambushing its prey. Like, pretty much all other ropers too.


    "There''s not even a swamp nearby, is there?"


    "There isn''t, but there''s a cave half a day from here with a small lake. Apparently, Swamp Ropers were sighted there."


    "A cave with Swamp Ropers? That''s odd... It''s not going to be a roper nest, is it?"


    "It might be, so I want you to be extra careful on this one."


    "Understood."


    Fenna nodded with a serious expression.


    "Nn, what''s a roper nest?"


    That wasn''t a term I remembered reading in those books.


    "Some kinds of monsters like to band together occasionally and live at a place suitable for them. We usually call those places a nest. Due to them banding together, more of them are reproducing. That''s not particularly uncommon for monsters. But in the case of ropers, they tend to have a nest mother. Basically, a really, really big roper. They''re rather dangerous."


    "I see..."


    A nest mother, huh.


    "Insect monsters tend to have the same problem, by the way. On the other hand, goblin nests are easier to deal with than lone groups of goblins," Fenna added.


    "Easier? Why?"


    "For lone groups, you have to pick them off one by one. A goblin nest, you can just set it on fire and watch most of them die by themselves. Most goblins are beyond stupid and can''t deal well with fire, so many of them die in it. And for the rest, they''re all bunched up together, after all."


    So it wasn''t a difference in danger, but simply a difference of convenience.


    "Mm... Captain..."


    "Yes, Ria?"


    "Speaking of... Goblins... Have you... had any... ideas regarding... the ogre capture?"


    "The ogre capture... I am honestly not too sure about that either. I''d like you and Wendl to discuss this with the people from the Academy.  Right now, I have no idea either."


    "Mm..."


    Ria tilted her head, lost in thought.


    "Now then, that was everything for now. Taddick, Fenna. You should prepare everything you need today. Get everything ready to move out tomorrow morning."


    ""Understood, Captain!""


    The two of them saluted.


    "Ria, try to figure out what to do about the ogre issue. The people from the Academy will come by later as well."


    "Mm... Got it..."


    "Yumi, you stay here, we got a bit more to discuss."


    "Nn, understood."


    He still needed me? Made me wonder what it was about...


    "Then, keep ya head up, Cap."


    Taddick stood up from his seat, slapped Korwen''s shoulder once and then left. Ria and Fenna both excused themselves as well, leaving me alone with Korwen.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "What do you think about this whole situation?"


    "This situation? With the Academy tasks? Or with the stuff happening in the capital?"


    "The stuff in the capital."


    In the capital... So the things with the Allena family.


    "Nn... I don''t really know? It''s... odd?"


    "Odd, huh. You know, we''ve been always on good terms with this country. My father''s generation fought for this country for many years in the Triside War, and even before that. That''s partly the reason they decided to retire and live here."


    "Haa..."


    Korwen took a sip from his mug, then turned to me.


    "Something is going on and I am not sure whether any of us are going to like it or not. If you notice anything, even if it is minor, don''t hesitate to report it, understood?"


    "Nn, understood, Captain."


    "Good."


    He nodded, a small smile on his face.


    "So, let''s talk about something else. How are you feeling, after your rather long nap?"


    "Uhm... rather good, I think?"


    "Mm... Good... Ria did tell me a little about what happened and I have seen the inside of the wagon... While you two were asleep, I also talked with the Elder of the elves. To be honest, I am unsure what to do in regards with you all right now."


    "... Unsure?"


    So... He was troubled by it, wasn''t he...


    "Ah, don''t misunderstand. I have no intentions of throwing you out or anything. It''s mostly something like... How to say it... I am unsure whether I should have you train as a mercenary, or let you explore the less human side of yourself. That''s why I want to know how you feel about all of this."


    "How I feel..."


    I stared at the ceiling of the tent.


    How I felt, he said...


    "Nn... It''s a little weird, seeing what I am turning into... But it doesn''t feel too scary. Sis says she''ll accept me no matter what. As long as she does, I am fine with it."


    "... And you never thought of doubting those words?"


    "I have no reason to doubt them."


    "No reason... You both are really odd."


    With a smile, he let out a chuckle.


    "It''s nearly refreshing, seeing this kind of trust between both of you. Wouldn''t most people get scared?"


    "Nn, I can''t really speak for most people..."


    "And that''s fine. As long as you can speak for yourself, that''s fine. Most people can''t even do that."


    "Nn?"


    I tilted my head, slightly curious at those words.


    "Well then, Yumi. I got a task for you."


    "Ye, Yes?"


    "Find out all you can about what you are. If necessary, consult with Ria. Make use of that wagon as much as you want. With that said, I will ask Ria to install a decent lock, and I might have to ask our craftsmen to do some work on it first. That also means we''ll have to tell them about you. Also, only people who know about you are allowed inside that wagon. Understood?"


    "Understood, Captain!"


    "Mm. Good. Your responses are getting better. You should also discuss with Merim about your training plan. You won''t be getting around that one, no worries."


    "... Understood."


    Days of muscle pain, here I come.


    "Good. As for the othe¡ª


    At that moment, the curtain at the entrance opened once more.


    "Captain!"


    "... What is it?"


    Korwen furrowed his brows, being clearly unhappy about being interrupted.


    "I''m sorry for disturbing but there is someone requesting to meet you."


    "Meet me? And who is it?"


    "That is... I don''t know."


    "You don''t know? Didn''t they name themselves?"


    The mercenary that had stormed in, shook his head.


    "They have refused to say their name. They are also wearing a hood, so I couldn''t confirm their face."


    "And you didn''t turn them away, despite that?"


    "Yes, we didn''t..."


    The mercenary glanced a few times in my direction, then stood straight again, looking at Korwen.


    "The only thing we could confirm... The person in question is a woman with pink hair."


    Rinne


    Didn''t have much time so I couldn''t edit this much. Sorry about that.


    Stay safe and healthy everyone!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Pink-coloured Encounter

    "A woman with pink hair?"


    "Yes, Captain."


    "Mm..."


    Korwen scratched his chin, seemingly thinking about the news.


    "That annoying Yumias wouldn''t do such a roundabout way of appearing... She''d just pop up out of nowhere... Yumi, do you know any others that have pink hair outside of you and Yumias?"


    "No, I don''t. But Yumias can change her appearance, can''t she? Maybe it''s another of her pranks."


    "Maybe it is... Okay, I''ll go meet that woman. Bring her to the reception tent."


    "Understood, Captain!"


    The man saluted and promptly left the tent.


    There was an actual reception tent and it wasn''t this one?


    "Mh... You really don''t know anyone?"


    "I don''t."


    I''d sure as hell remember if I had met anyone other than Yumias with pink hair.


    "But who could that be then... Let''s first go to Ria. Come, Yumi."


    "Ah, okay. But, is it fine to keep them waiting?"


    "If you turn up unannounced, it''s normal that you have to wait."


    "Ahh... True."


    We left the large tent, making our way towards Ria''s. Not that I knew where she even put up her tent or anything. Didn''t they have some map? Or was there some kind of regular layout to the camp? There probably was some kind of pattern to it, I should ask about that sometime.


    "Hey, Ria."


    We stopped in front of a rather large tent, not as large as the one we had been in right now, but compared to most others it was pretty big.


    "Mm... Captain? Did we... forget to discuss... anything?"


    A sleepy-looking Ria came out a few seconds after Korwen called for her.


    "Not quite. We got a visitor and I''d like you to come along."


    "Mm... Visitor?"


    "Yes. Apparently a pink-haired woman."


    "... A pink-haired... woman?"


    Ria''s gaze shifted over in my direction, probably wondering if it had anything to do with me. I shook my head. I had no idea who it was, after all.


    "A pink-haired... woman... Captain... How about... asking the... Elder of... the elves?"


    "The Elder? Why?"


    "She might... know something..."


    "Mm... I guess asking her won''t hurt us. Do you know where she is?"


    Ria turned around, pointing at her own tent.


    "... Oh, were you talking with her?"


    "Yes... She knows... a lot... It''s a very... valuable experience... talking with her... I''ll call... her..."


    Ria turned around, entering the tent again.


    Around a minute later, she reappeared, the Elder following right behind her.


    "The Human Captain... and the cursed brat as well. Ria said you wanted to talk with me?"


    "There''s something I''d like to ask. Do you know of any other women with pink hair outside of Yumi and Yumias?"


    "... Others? What an odd question you ask. There are a few others that are children of the witch. Knowing them, though? No, I do not. Either way, most of her children are not around anymore."


    "There is a woman with pink hair who wants to meet me, though."


    The Elder''s eyes turned wide at his words.


    "A woman with pink hair? I see. That is why you have asked me."


    "You wouldn''t have an idea who it is, right?"


    "No, I do not."


    "I see... not much we can do then. Thank you, Miss Elder. Yumi, Ria, let''s go."


    Korwen nodded towards her, giving his thanks. He was already turning around, before the Elder called out to him once more.


    "Wait, Human Captain. You intend to meet that woman?"


    "Mh? I do. Is there a problem?"


    "With the cursed brat?"


    "With Yumi, yes."


    The Elder''s eyes narrowed for a short moment.


    "Cursed brat, come here for a moment."


    "Nn?"


    Korwen motioned me to go to her, so I did but... For some reason, she put her hand on my head.


    "Miss Elder?"


    "Quiet, brat. There, that should be good."


    "Nn?"


    The Elder took a step back and stared at me. Or rather, a little above me. I tried to check if there was anything on top of my head but... there was nothing.


    "Ohh... I didn''t know... you could do that..."


    "It''s a little troublesome but not that hard. Brat, do not reveal what you are to that woman. Absolutely don''t."


    "Nn? Why?"


    "If that woman is like you, then you shouldn''t trust her. Most of the witch''s children are dangerous. They cannot be trusted. And if they were to find you, your life might be cut short by quite a lot."


    "..."


    Wait, did she just say they might kill me?! That''s scary!


    "That''s why you changed her hair colour... How long will that keep?" Korwen asked her.


    Nn? My hair colour?


    I grabbed a strand of my hair and... It wasn''t pink. Instead, it was silver. The same silver colour that Karen had.


    Wait, the same silver? Seriously? Karen and I were actually matching now. How awesome was this? I''d have to ask her to teach me later.


    "It''s not only her hair colour. Her eye colour as well. It won''t keep long but it should be fine for a least an hour."


    "An hour... that should be more than enough time. Thank you, Miss Elder."


    "You are welcome. It would be troublesome for us as well if they were to find this child."


    With those words, she turned once more to me.


    "Cursed child. If that woman is truly one of the witch''s children, observe well. Observe well and be careful. If she is truly one of them, she might suspect you even with this disguise. Be aware. The colour of your inner light can never be disguised. But the same holds true for them as well."


    "Inner light?"


    The Elder smiled wryly then, pointed straight at my chest. Right where the pink light floated, that was apparently my soul.


    "Ah."


    "Now then, I wish you luck."


    She turned around and disappeared into Ria''s tent.


    "Ria. Yumi. Let''s go."


    "... Eh? Ah, yes, Captain."


    Not giving me any time to think, Korwen and Ria started walking. Better follow them quickly.


    ... I wonder what kind of person that woman is.


    "They are inside?"


    "Yes, Captain!"


    "Mm. Good work."


    In front of the reception tent, two mercenaries stood guard, saluting when Korwen, Ria and I appeared.


    "Then, let''s see who they are. Ria, Yumi, stay right behind. And don''t say anything, even if they address you directly. Understood, Yumi?"


    "Nn, understood."


    "Good. Then, here we go."


    Korwen took a step forward and pulled the curtain to the side.


    The inside was similar to the tent where we held the meeting. A table stood in the middle, a chair on each side of it.


    Across the table in the chair sat a hooded person, behind them were two more hooded people, standing at attention. You couldn''t make out their faces as they were covered, but the person in the chair... Strands of her flowed down along the chest. Pink hair.


    Nn? What is that?


    Their lights... or rather, their souls... No, the person who was sitting in the chair. The soul was... murky. Dark. A murky pink with dark spots covering all over it. And the ones behind her...


    "Welcome to the Lomerian Dragon Knights, Miss. I apologise that you had to wait."


    "No, it is fine. I have not waited for long. I thank you for allowing us an audience with you, Mister."


    A high but soft voice replied, indicating the person sitting there was most likely a woman.


    Korwen sat down in the chair opposite of her while Ria and I stood behind him, much like the two hooded figures behind the woman.


    "Then, how about we start with introductions? I am Korwen, the Captain of the Lomerian Dragon Knights."


    "Korwen... So you are the famous Dragon Killer Captain."


    "Might I hear your name as well?"


    "Ahh, I apologise, Mister. I am who they call Yumelia."


    The woman, Yumelia, reached out to her hood and lowered it.


    Long wavy pink-coloured hair going down slightly past the shoulders and pink eyes. A pretty, smooth face. She sure was quite the beauty. She was smiling... Yet, it felt like someone plastered the smile on. It wasn''t a real smile by all means.


    "So, Miss Yumelia, are you here to offer us a job? Or is there another reason?"


    "A job... I guess you could say that? Though, rather than a job, I guess we are more looking for... information."


    "Information?"


    Yumelia leaned forward, her the edges of her lip raising ever so slightly..


    "I am looking for several people. And I''d like to know about their whereabouts or if possible, to hire you to search for them."


    "Information is one thing but... Miss, I hope it doesn''t sound rude, but do you even possess the means to hire us?"


    "The means... You mean money?"


    "Money or something of equal value."


    "Equal value..."


    The woman''s gaze wandered towards me, then towards Ria.


    "Seeing these girls, I guess offering myself wouldn''t be enough, would it? Mister seems like he already is surrounded by pretty flowers."


    "..."


    "Ohh... I guess a great man such as yourself would naturally have no need. But whatever shall I do?"


    Her eyes narrowed eyes and she spoke with a slightly seductive voice.


    I couldn''t see his expression from behind so I didn''t know what he thought of this behaviour but...


    "Money or something of equivalent value. Nothing else. No favours, no services."


    "... I see, how unfortunate."


    With a small sigh, she sat back upright, then gestured towards the figures behind her. One of them stepped forward, putting a fist-sized bag onto the table and opening it. Forth spilt the several silver coins from it.


    "I believe this is enough as compensation?"


    "... That depends on who you are looking for."


    "Who... I am looking for my family, you see. And as they are family, they should look similar to me, especially our hair and eye colours are the very same. I am sure such individuals would attract plenty of attraction... right?"


    Wait, wait, wait... That woman was looking for people like her... in other words, she was looking for me? Seriously?


    "Hmpf... In that case, I guess that payment is enough."


    Captain?! Are you serious?


    "Ooh?"


    "You are the first person I met with those hair and eye colours."


    "..."


    He didn''t tell her about me!


    Scaring me like that wasn''t good for my heart.


    "... None?"


    "None. In the first place, I don''t want to sound rude, Miss Yumelia, but aren''t those hair and eye colours the proof of being a manakin? I find it a little unbelievable that your entire family would share these."


    "... Yes, my entire family is composed of manakin."


    "That sounds like quite the coincidence."


    "Right? We''ve been told so quite often."


    Yumelia chuckled slightly.


    "But if you have no information about them... That is unfortunate, truly unfortunate. In that case, maybe we could hire you to look for them? I''m sure we can work something out."


    Nn? What the heck?


    The very moment she had finished her sentence, the mana around her... it didn''t stir but... more like it was vibrating? Throwing waves, as if someone threw a pebble into a pond.


    Wait, did she just use magic? But what did she do?


    I threw a glance to Korwen, but with his back turned towards me I couldn''t notice anything. And Ria was standing next to me so I''d have to turn around to check on her. Should I do it? Or shou¡ª


    "Money or something of equivalent value. Nothing else. No favours. No services."


    "..."


    "If you want us to look for someone, you have to pay. That''s how business works."


    "... I understand."


    The woman was still smiling. It didn''t crack in the slightest. Maybe the magic had been just my imagination?


    "Then, how about I offer you some information in exchange?"


    "Last I checked, information was neither money nor something I could hold in my hand."


    "... You don''t want information? Even if it... might relate to your... unfortunate situation?"


    "I don''t."


    "... That''s too bad."


    For the first time, the smile disappeared from her face, replaced by an unpleased expression and a glare.


    "Then we have nothing else to discuss."


    She stood up from her chair, shoving it back with a loud thud. A quick gesture and the two men behind her followed her as she walked towards the exit of the tent.


    "Good day to you, Mister."


    Without waiting for a reply from Korwen, she left, together with her lackeys.


    I turned around, staring at the curtain of the tent through which they had left.


    "Haaa... Even though I already got more than enough on my plate..."


    "Mm... Captain... You know... how it is... Trouble... Is rarely alone..."


    "That''s not helping me a lot right now, you know... Haa... I want to smoke..."


    Korwen stretched his arms and leaned back on his chair.


    "So, Ria, what are you making of this?"


    "Mm... I don''t... know... She was... odd..."


    "Odd... That she sure was. Yumi, how about you? Noticed anything?"


    "Me? Uhm..."


    Something I noticed? Well...


    "The two men behind her... I don''t think they were people..."


    "They weren''t?"


    "Nn."


    Because... neither of them had a light, a soul. Only the woman had one.


    "Ria, is that possible?"


    "It is... Especially... if it''s those people..."


    "... As expected, huh."


    "Nn? Those people?"


    Did they notice something I missed maybe?


    "Mm, I guess it''s a good lesson for you... Yumi, what were the three of them wearing?"


    "Eh? Uh, robes. Brown robes."


    "Is that all?"


    "... I think so?"


    There wasn''t much you could see below the robes, right?


    "They were wearing the robes inside-out."


    "Eh? Uhh... Okay? But why would someone do that?"


    "As a disguise. Those robes are sewed in a way that doesn''t make it too obvious if you wear them inside-out. It''s enough to fool people who don''t take a closer look."


    "Uhm... Couldn''t you just bring a different set of robes?"


    "And keep carrying it around?"


    "Ah."


    That''d be a problem, yeah. Robes were annoyingly bulky...


    "You can just take it off, turn it around, and wear it again. Suddenly, you''re someone else. Robes also hide your face and your body shape, so it''s unlikely people will notice."


    "I see... So, those people had something to hide?"


    "Yes. It was only a glimpse, but you could see something embroidered in the woman''s hood. They''re most likely ritual robes or garments worn for prayer. Or whatever else those fanatics are doing."


    "Fanatics?"


    Were they some kind of religious group then if they needed garments for prayer?


    A religious group... A religious group? Fanatics? And pink hair?


    "Ah. The Witch Worshippers?"


    "Ho? You figured it out, count me surprised."


    "So it was really them?"


    "Probably, yes."


    Huh...


    I read quite a bit about them from those books but... Considering how they had been portrayed in them, this exchange had been a lot more civilised than I would have expected from them. Guess one shouldn''t rely too much on what the books say.


    "Is that why you refused to take anything other than money?"


    "No, that''s standard practice. I don''t know the other party, after all. There''s no telling if I can trust them. And hard money can''t betray me that easily."


    "I see..."


    That was reasonable. Counterfeiting coins was probably more bothersome than telling a lie.


    "Anyway, Ria, did that woman use magic towards the end?"


    "She did..."


    "I knew it."


    "Nn... So she really used magic? But... it didn''t feel like it did anything?"


    What was the point of it if it did nothing?


    "Because we took precautions. There are magic tools that can protect you from magic to a certain degree. I noticed that it activated, so..."


    "There are such tools?"


    I didn''t know. Bet it was really expensive...


    "Not many and the effect it gives is limited. How else do you think I was unaffected from your Charm magic?"


    "Ah..."


    Now that he mentioned it...


    Back then he somehow noticed that I had used magic. Even though I hadn''t even noticed it myself. So that tool had been the reason...


    "Anyway, she probably used the same kind of Charm magic or something similar. Either way, it didn''t work."


    "Did she really want your cooperation that much?"


    "Probably not."


    "Huh?"


    Even though she used magic in an attempt to force him to compliance?


    "Don''t you think it is strange that someone comes to a mercenary group and asks them for information or even asks if they can find people? We''re soldiers for hire. If she wants information or wants to hire someone, the Traders'' Guild would be a better spot."


    "Even if they want to hire someone?"


    "Yes. Merchants tend to have a vast social network. Way larger than what a measly group of mercenaries has."


    I very much doubted this measly mercenary group''s networking skills should be underestimated, though. You got along quite well with the second most powerful family in this country.


    "She probably was here to get her hands on information about us."


    "Nn, but why us?"


    "... Yes, why us. Why us, indeed. Haaa... I hope you two won''t mind if I smoke one."


    Before we could reply, he pulled out a cigar from somewhere and lit it up. After taking a long drag from it, he puffed some smoke into the air.


    "Try to remember what the Elder told us. About the people with whom they had made a deal with."


    "The people they had made a deal with?"


    A deal? Deal... What was that about again... Some robed people came to them and offered them information about Emily... But, the Elder hadn''t really told us anything else about them. In the first place, it didn''t seem like she knew anything about them.


    Wait... Robed people? Ahhh... No, but... Weren''t they supposed to have died in that ritual magic?


    "Nn... Captain, are they related to the people the elves made a deal with? But she told us they had died in that ritual magic, right?"


    "Probably. And if they did, it would give that woman a good reason to look for us. After all, not only are we the last people that were in that forest but we also shelter the elves currently."


    So she was most likely just scouting out the mercenaries and this ''job offer'' was simply a bonus... if they had taken it.


    "So... Captain, are we going to do something about that?"


    "Doing? There''s not much we can do, right now. We are mercenaries. If I were to send someone after them, they''d get found out quickly or they''d lose them just as fast. Or both in the worst case. It''s not worth the effort. Either way, we aren''t allowed inside the city and if the army hears we sneaked in regardless, our position will worsen faster than you can blink."


    So, we couldn''t do anything? Nothing at all?


    That... That was a little frustrating... They could just walk in here, knowing we couldn''t do anything...


    "Well, it''s not all bad. The fact that we know who it was is already worth something. Just..."


    "Just?"


    "Mh..."


    Korwen took another drag from his cigar before continuing.


    "Things are getting confusing. We got the Allena family making a ruckus and now we got the Witch Worshippers running around here as well. Maybe the two are connected, too. Or maybe not. I don''t quite know yet what to make of it."


    "Nn..."


    "Either way, there are too many questions right now, but answering them is impossible at the current state. All we can do is, doing our job."


    He puffed some smoke into the air, the grey cloud slowly rising towards the tent''s ceiling.


    Though he said it like that, he didn''t seem too bothered by it. More like... he barely even cared.


    "... Captain."


    "What?"


    "Aren''t you worried? Or, frustrated? Being unable to do anything?"


    He said there was nothing we could do except our job. Didn''t that bother him at all?


    "Frustrated? Wahahahaha!"


    Suddenly, he broke out in laughter.


    "Ca, Captain?"


    "Hahaha! Ahh, frustrated, huh... I guess that''s how you youngsters tend to feel..."


    "Nn?"


    "Yumi, what are we?"


    "Eh? Uhm... Mercenaries?"


    "Exactly."


    He turned around, showing me his wide, toothy grin.


    "We''re mercenaries. And what are mercenaries doing?"


    "Uhh... Doing jobs? As soldiers..."


    "Exactly. We are soldiers for hire. Sellswords without a country. Faithless and disloyal, backstabbing, traitorous, double-crossing goblins."


    "That''s... Uhm..."


    "That''s exactly what most think of us. And that''s fine because it isn''t entirely wrong. If the price is right, we do nearly every job. On the other hand that also means: If there is no money to gain, we will not lift a single finger. Not a single one."


    "... Ah."


    I remembered. He had told me this before, hadn''t he? I... forgot.


    "Well now, don''t feel bad about that. It''s not like this doesn''t concern us at all. But we have to decide what to prioritise. Right now, it is more important for us to stay out of trouble and do the jobs we are being paid for. Understood?"


    "... Nn, understood, Captain."


    "Mm. Good response."


    There was still a lot I had to learn, wasn''t there?


    "Mistakes are our best teachers."


    "Nn?"


    "It''s something my father used to say. In our line of work, any and all mistakes can cost someone their life. But mistakes are unavoidable. We''re not some infallible magic. We''re people. We make mistakes and we learn from our mistakes. But just knowing the potential gravity of a mistake is different from actually experiencing it. And the more grave the mistake, the worse the experience is. And, unfortunately, the better teacher it is."


    He turned around again, his back facing me.


    "The first time someone died under my command, I was just around your age."


    "Eh?"


    "Twenty-three. I was the squad leader. A standard monster subjugation. Or, it should have been. There were more monsters than we had anticipated and we got surrounded. One of my men was injured. A leg wound, of all things. We had to leave him behind to save ourselves."


    "..."


    Korwen fell silent. All of us were silent, not saying a word...


    A few drags of his cigar later, he continued.


    "That man, you know, was Maya''s grandfather."


    "Her... grandfather?"


    "Yes, her grandfather. He left behind three children and his pregnant wife. So, actually four children."


    "..."


    "His wife died during the childbirth together with the child. Of the remaining three children, two died of diseases. The last child was Maya''s father. And nearly four decades later, he died as well, under my command. Together with his wife. Maya was their only child."


    Korwen leaned back staring at the ceiling. His cigar was already nearly down to its stump.


    "Does... Maya know that?"


    "She does."


    "..."


    "She does... and yet, she still wants to become a mercenary, just like her parents and her grandparents. Haaa... Maybe it runs in the blood. Idiots, all of them.."


    He extinguished the remaining stump of his cigar and stood up from his chair, stretching his arms.


    "None of us are infallible. Not even that witch who has apparently lived for aeons is infallible. And the higher your position, the more authority you have, the higher the gravity of this mistake will be."


    With the sound of his bones cracking, he stretched once more, before turning around. His muscle-packed arms crossed in front of his chest, he smiled at me.


    "Yumi, what is your position here?"


    "Eh? Uhm... being a magician?"


    "Apprentice. A magician apprentice, at best. Also my secretary. Now, what will happen if you make a mistake?"


    "Eh? Uhm... It''ll be a bother?"


    "And what else?"


    "Eh?"


    What else? Uhh...


    "Nothing. It''ll be a bother, and that''s it. If you make a mistake as an apprentice magician, you might hurt yourself, or you might hurt someone else. But dying? Unlikely. If you make a mistake on the documents, I''ll fix it. And if I miss the mistake? Well, that''s my fault as well then. Then we can just both go together and apologise. Not my first time getting chewed out by our treasurer for putting an additional zero on the purchase certificate."


    "..."


    "Nobody will die, nobody will have their lives ruined if you do something wrong. It might be a bother, but that''s normal. Just by living together, we are already bothering each other. You are aiming too high, Yumi. You are taking everything too seriously. Heck, it actually bothers me that you are so skilled with secretarial work."


    "Eh? It, uh, bothers you?"


    Wasn''t he saying how much of a help it was before?


    "You clearly had a good education. Most administrative work is rather boring and repetitive, but not many can actually do it. Being able to read the supply list and understanding it are compeltely different things. Being able to read it is already rare enough. And then you''re also obedient, you''re cautious, trying not to make any mistakes. Hell, you''ve been obediently listening to my lectures without a word of complaint! I feel like a fool, talking your ear off and you are seriously listening!"


    "Eh, uhm? So, sorry?"


    "Haa... When I was twenty, I skipped work and fooled around at the whorehouse, you know. We drank alcohol until we passed out only to have a horrible hangover the next day. When my father lectured me, I wasn''t even listening most of the time. In one ear and out the other. And now there''s this good, obedient kid. Well, at least you do drink alcohol and flirt around with Karen. Otherwise, I would''ve already asked if you''re a saint."


    Uhh... What was I supposed to say to this? Was he lecturing me? Or was he trying to praise me?


    "Haaa... I guess it is partly due to your circumstances, but still... If you aren''t a little selfish once in a while, you''ll get crushed. Mercenaries are by nature selfish and greedy."


    "I.. I see?"


    Selfish and greedy. Guess you could say that about mercenaries...


    "I''m not telling you to completely turn into a delinquent. But you try to be too much of a good child. You try to avoid mistakes too much and if one happens, even a small one, you clearly take it way too hard. At this rate, people will just take advantage of you until you break."


    "Haa..."


    "Jeez... Guess it''s too much to ask someone to change on such short notice... Hey, Ria, do you have any... Wait, did she fall asleep?"


    "Nn?"


    We both turned around to our silent third member. Whose head was rhythmically bopping up and down as she was sleeping... While standing. I had to repeat this: While standing. She did grab one of the tent poles as support but still...


    "See, Yumi. That''s how... No, actually, falling asleep is maybe a bit too much..."


    Korwen shook his head and sighed.


    "Anyway, I''ve been ranting and lecturing you out of nowhere for quite a bit now. So, let''s end this here now. It''s just the ramblings of an old man anyway. I''m not expecting you to change over night, but I do mean what I said."


    With those words, he stepped up to me.


    "And... Let me just say this: Yumi, this mercenary band is a large family. We aren''t going to kick someone out just because they were a little selfish. Rather, you''re just going to worry everyone if you aren''t. If you are going too far, we''re going to kick your ass until you fix it and that''s it. You''re still young, so try not to take everything so serious. Enjoy life a little more. Understood?"


    "... Nn."


    "Good."


    "Wah?!"


    He pressed his large hand down on my head, patting my head.


    "Now then... Work is a different thing, though, so let''s first have some fun and then get back to it."


    "Nn? Fun?"


    "Come with me."


    "Ah, yes."


    Leaving Ria behind, I followed Korwen outside the tent where he stopped and looked around.


    "Mhm, looks like we''re good. Okay, Yumi, go over to that corner of the tent."


    "Uh, this one?"


    A little unsure what he was going to do, I walked over to the corner he was pointing at.


    "Yes, yes. Now, you see the rope and at the bottom that wooden stake?"


    "Nn, I do."


    "Good. I''m going to count to three and at three, you pull that out"


    "Haa..."


    Wait... Pulling it out?


    "Okay? Ready? I''ll start counting now."


    "Eh? Wait, Captain?!"


    "One. Two¡ª"Wait?! Ah?!"¡ªthree! Here it goes!"


    Confused and a little under panic, I pulled the stake as he told me to do. And he similarly pulled his corner as well. So, what was going to happen if you were to pull those supports? Usually, you''d think, nothing, right? Even if it would lose those supports, it''s not like it''d crash without any external force. Usually.


    "Ah."


    "... Ehhhh?  AhhhhHHWWARGHGHMHMMGGHGHGGH!"


    Thud!


    And there the tent went... First one corner collapsed and then the sides followed... Burying Ria underneath them.


    Yes, usually, it would probably continue to stand... But Ria was supporting herself on one of the tent poles... And without the support, she pulled it down with her...


    "Ahahahaha! See! You got to have a little bit of fun!"


    "... Captain!"


    "Ohhh, she''s angry."


    From underneath the tent, Ria''s head emerged. Her usually sleepy expression completely replaced by a look of anger. Her hair was a little disheveled and dirt was on her face.


    In the meantime, Korwen was laughing.


    "Pfffff... Ehehehe..."


    I couldn''t help but chuckle, the view of the dirt-covered Ria glaring at Korwen. It was too good.


    "Captain! I''ll remember this!"


    "It''s your own fault for falling asleep. Did you think I''d let that slide so easily?"


    And now they started to bicker and argue. You wouldn''t think one of them was already in his seventies. But, neither of them seemed too displeased. Ria was annoyed, but not truly furious or hateful. Although, seeing her shouting at Korwen like a machine gun was a... rather unique view. And Korwen knew that she wasn''t truly mad so he just kept laughing.


    Ahh... Letting loose a little... Maybe that''s what he wanted to tell me?


    That... was probably easier said than done. But, maybe... Maybe I should try to aim for it. Just a little, you know...


    Rinne


    Thank you all for reading! Stay safe and healthy! Take care of yourselves!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: Tentacle Threads

    "Yumi, before I forget to ask, did you talk with the Magic Craftsman already?"


    "Nn? Ah... More or... less? We didn''t actually get to talk about the shell remains..."


    "That so? You should probably do that fast."


    "Nn, will do."


    With a steady rhythm, Korwen hammered the wooden stake back into the ground.


    "Mhm... Should be fine. Yumi, you can let go now."


    "Okay."


    I let go of the tent''s corner and took a step back. The tent we had collapsed was once again back and ready to be used.


    "Good, good. Back in service again. That went faster than expected."


    "Nn."


    "Now we can go back to work again."


    Korwen nodded, looking quite self-satisfied.


    Made me wonder just a little bit who it was that had collapsed the tent right now...


    Well, I had to admit, it had been rather funny.


    "Yumi, you should go and talk with the magic craftsman. According to Ria, their progress is going quite well and they might finish today or tomorrow."


    "Ah, yes. Will do, then."


    That was quite fast. Probably. Not that I had anything to compare it to.


    "Captain. Won''t they need me afterwards then anyway?"


    "Mm? Ah, not yet, no. It depends on the results what we will do, really. Though, if it goes as Ria expects, they might need you, yes."


    So, we''d do the haircutting business, after all... I knew it''d come to that eventually but... I still hadn''t quite sorted out my feelings about that.


    "Also, bring the shell remains to her. Until we know more about your situation, we shouldn''t add people that know too much."


    "Nn, understood."


    That was a lot to carry around so I''d probably go and ask Karen and Lily for help. They were probably awake by now, right?


    "Captain!"


    A mercenary ran up to us, stopping in front of Korwen and saluting.


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Captain! Marga is refusing the order to leave and is sabotaging the breakfast preparations!"


    "... Haa, that woman never knows when to stop, does she... I''m coming. Yumi, you got your work so get to it."


    "Understood, Captain."


    That woman wasn''t going to take being thrown out that easily, huh. Korwen didn''t seem all too surprised, just exasperated. After watching him and the other mercenary disappearing between the tents, I made my way towards the tent where we had slept.


    If I remember right... Ah, yes, yes, it was this way.


    Scurrying my way through the maze of tents, I arrived at my destination in no time. Thankfully, the camp wasn''t as bad as the slums had been. Yes, the slums had been a mess and a gigantic maze...


    Well, as long as I recalled how to get back to that small hut it was fine though.


    With such thoughts, I entered the tent.


    "Sis? Lily? Are you awa¡ª The heck?"


    Right in the middle of the room was a person... Black hair with a rainbow sheen, fluffy ears and a tail just as fluffy... Also lying face-down... The rhythmic breath of a sleeper could be heard from her, so she definitely wasn''t dead... Though I certainly wondered how the heck she ended up in that position.


    "Ohhh? Yumi?"


    "Good Morning, Sis."


    "Mm... Morning."


    This one wasn''t quite awake yet either... In contrast, the people I would''ve suspected more to be still sleeping weren''t even here anymore... Namely, Emily, Maya and Sele. Much to my surprise, Rina wasn''t here either. At least, Karen was up. Or rather, sitting. The blanket was still partly covering her, too.


    "Yumiii..."


    "Yes, yes, I''m here."


    Karen stretched her arms in my direction so I walked over to her. Barely had I come into range, did she hug my lower body pulled me closer.


    "Ah, Sis!"


    "Mm..."


    Such a spoiled child at times.


    I pat her head a few times until she was satisfied. Or, that was what I intended to do...


    "... This isn''t good?"


    "Nn? Sis? Eh? Ah?! Sis?!"


    For some reason, Karen lifted the skirt of the dress armour and hid below it. Having found her goal, this time she hugged my legs without the skirt in the way.


    "Ahh... This is better?"


    "Sis? What are you doing?"


    Karen proceeded to rub her face against my legs.


    "Recharging."


    "Couldn''t you have done that without going under my skirt?"


    "Mm... That skirt... is uncomfortable... It''s hard."


    "Hard? Ohh, the leather plates, probably..."


    This was technically armour, so the skirt was pretty hard. Completely slipped my mind but yes, that probably wouldn''t be comfortable.


    "Still, uhm... Do you have to do it like this?"


    "Yes."


    "..."


    As usual, Karen wasn''t even going to pretend or find an excuse.


    "Then, what if Lily wakes up? That''s going to be embarrassing."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. If she wakes up, I''ll just tell her how she was clinging to Rina earlier."


    "..."


    Did I want to ask what happened or not? There had to be a reason Lily was lying face-down in the middle of the room, after all. Especially if they had been awake...


    Yeah. Better let sleeping dogs lie...


    The last thing I wanted was to end up as collateral damage.


    "Karen, are you soon done there?"


    "Mm... Just a little more."


    "... But only a little, okay?"


    Maybe I was too soft on her... But just letting her have her way for a bit wouldn''t hurt anyone. Also, she was always soft on me as well.


    Oh. I wonder, is it this kind of stuff that Korwen meant earlier?


    Actions we couldn''t help but forgive with a smile...


    Ah but... it wasn''t like it bothered me, though, so it was probably different.


    Still, I wish she''d finish soon... This is really embarrassing...


    Some ten minutes or so later, Karen had finally enough of feeling up my legs.


    It was hard. Really hard. Keeping my composure was a herculean task. Seriously. At this rate, we''d surely someday make the fatal mistake of flirting around a little too much in the presence of someone else.


    Fortunately, Lily was asleep. Or at least, she seemed to have been asleep. I couldn''t imagine her sleeping through our ruckus so I silently thanked her for her consideration.


    I also silently wished that I was wrong and she had been asleep.


    "So, that Yumelia woman just left afterwards?"


    "Nn, she just left."


    "... Do you think she noticed?"


    "Mm... I don''t think so, no."


    After Karen got up I had given her a short rundown of the meeting with the other mercenaries and the odd encounter with that Yumelia woman.


    Although, I wasn''t entirely sure she had listened through even half of it. Karen was more busy playing around with my dyed hair right now.


    "I think I like your pink hair more."


    "Huh, you do?"


    "Yes. It''s more... I don''t know... Yumi-like?"


    "I see..."


    "Ah, but... Like this, we look like actual sisters so it is a little hard to decide between them... Uhhh..."


    Ahh, yeah, I could relate to that. It was just a disguise and it''d disappear soon enough but... It did make us look like proper sisters. Still... This was just a one-time occasion. I could ask the Elder to teach me how to do it, but in the end, it would be nothing more than a disguise.


    "Even if we don''t look like sisters, I''m still happy to be with you. In the first place, we''ll be together either way, right?"


    I lifted up my arm towards her. The arm that was still wearing the bracelet from the festival. I had taken it off only when we had been washing ourselves.


    "... You''re right."


    A small chuckle escaped Karen.


    "You''ll be my little sister and my beloved forever, Yumi."


    "Ah."


    My face heated up, hearing those words.


    That was just plain unfair, being so direct.


    "Ehehehe."


    Karen hugged me from behind, embracing me tightly.


    "I won''t let some random stranger have my Yumi. You''re mine and mine alone."


    "I technically belong to myself, Sis."


    "No, you''re mine."


    "Ehhh..."


    Was I just denied my freedom?


    "My Yumi."


    Karen buried her face in my hair.


    "Even if that woman is related to you or not, I won''t let her have you."


    "Nn. I didn''t intend to leave you anyway, Sis."


    "I won''t allow you to."


    "Hehe, that''s fine."


    I put my hands on Karen''s as she was embracing me. There was a big smile on my face for sure. Who could help it, in such a situation?


    "Err... I don''t want to ruin your fun but... Uhm... It''s a little hard for me to watch...


    ""... Ah.""


    The up-to-now silent person¡ªstill lying on the ground¡ªdecided to speak up. Now, my face was heating up for a completely different reason.


    "Li¡ª Lily?! How... How long have you been watching?!"


    "Uhhh..."


    Lily sat up, fixed her dishevelled hair a little and thought for a moment about Karen''s question.


    "I guess around the time where Yumi started explaining what happened?"


    "... Really?"


    "... Really."


    "..."


    Lily continued to fix her hair, not looking at either of us.


    This girl... she definitely had been awake before already, right?


    "Ahhhh..."


    Groaning, Karen''s grip on me strengthened, most likely cause she figured it out as well...


    "Ahahaha..."


    Lily! Such a dry laugh is only going to make it more obvious!


    Well, it could have been worse. For now, only Karen''s weird obsession with my legs had ben on display.


    Okay, that might be bad for Karen, though...


    Prolly was better not think about it too much.


    "A, anyway! Yumi!"


    "N, Nn?"


    "You.... didn''t perhaps see Rina on your way here... did you?"


    "Nn... No, don''t think I did."


    "I see..."


    Lily smiled wryly at my answer. Had something happened between the two?


    "If I recall correctly, Rina mentioned yesterday that she''d go to Wanda''s. Why not go and look for her?"


    "Eh? She did?"


    "Yes."


    "To Wanda''s... Well, I''ll go to her then."


    After forcing herself to stand up, Lily did some stretches.


    "What about you two? Going to go get breakfast?"


    "Nn, no... Actually, I wanted to get the shell remains together and bring them to the magic craftsman. I came here first to ask you two for help."


    "Ahh... That person, huh..."


    For some reason, Lily furrowed her eyebrows.


    "Something wrong, Lily?"


    "Mm... No, not really."


    She quickly relaxed her expression and smiled at us.


    "Anyway, I''m going to look for Rina now. I don''t want to enter that wagon again if I can, sorry... Karen should be enough to help you, right?"


    "Nn, probably? Sis?"


    "It should be fine."


    Seemed that Lily really couldn''t deal with the tentacles. It made me a little sad but also weirdly relieved to see such a surprisingly normal reaction from her.


    "Good, good. Then, guess we''ll see each other at breakfast then?"


    "Nn."


    "Yes, until later."


    Lily waved and left the tent but... Was she fine leaving like that? Her hair was still a complete mess... Well, it was her problem. Not mine.


    "By the way, Sis, where are Maya and the girls?"


    "Ahh, those three were already gone by the time I woke up..."


    "Gone?"


    "Yeah... Don''t know where they went off to, though."


    "Huh..."


    Maybe they had something to do? Surprised they managed to wake up before Karen and Lily. Especially Sele.


    "Mm... Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "Do we have a bag large enough for the shell?"


    "A bag? I... don''t think so?"


    Now that she mentioned it... That egg was large. After all, it had to keep Karen and me inside.


    "Then, let''s first try to find a bag. here surely are some between the supplies."


    "Ahh, probably."


    "And, let''s bring the shell here then."


    "Nn, why here?"


    Wasn''t that going to be a pain?


    "We can''t let too many people know, right? And there are probably quite a few people working with her."


    "Mm... You''re right... Okay, let''s bring it here first."


    It was better to play it safe rather than feeling sorry about it afterwards. It wasn''t like it was too troublesome anyway.


    "Then, let''s go."


    "Nn."


    We stood up, took hold of each other''s hands, and made our way to the mercenaries'' supplies.


    "Yumi, careful, careful."


    "Nn... Like this?"


    "Yes, that looks good."


    As expected, the supplies yielded us some results. Most supplies were stored in wooden crates but not everything. The waroxen couldn''t exactly carry a crate on their back. Instead, there were many pouches and bags made for them. And among them were a few really large ones. I wondered what they were used for so I asked but...


    "Ah, those bags? We only really use them for subjugation jobs, you know. For bandits and for monsters. It''s easier to just throw everything into the bag. Not our job to sort the pieces."


    In other words, they''re body bags. And since some monsters were a lot larger than a human, some bags were really large. And everything that went even further in size wasn''t carried in bags apparently either way. Instead, they''d carry it with a vehicle, something akin to a sledge.


    Either way, I had mixed feelings about these bags but beggars can''t be choosers, so we took them...


    "Yumi, can you hold this?"


    "Nn."


    "Thank you. Okay, I''ll lift it now."


    "Nn."


    With the bags in hand, we made our way to the wagon to stuff the shell inside. Right now, I was holding the bag open with the shell half inside and Karen pushing the shell. A short while later and we had somehow managed to get it inside.


    "Good, now we only need to throw in the small pieces as well and we''re done."


    "Nn. This went a lot faster than expected."


    "Then, I''ll bring this back and you go looking for that girl, okay?"


    "Nn... Okay."


    Karen heaved up the large bag with the shell after we threw in the remaining pieces. Even if it wasn''t exceedingly heavy, that huge shell surely still weighed quite a bit... Seeing her lift like it was nothing... I wish I was as strong as she was...


    With the large bag in her arms, Karen made her way back.


    Well then, I should look for that girl... What was her name again? Uhm... Elina! Right...


    I left the wagon and made my way to the tent where Karen and I had met the girl yesterday. No idea if she was actually there but if not, someone there would probably know.


    Should be... this way, right?


    I was slowly getting a feel for the layout of the camp... Well, it''d be bad if I would get lost all the time even after walking around for a while.


    The camp was already wide awake by now. Wide awake but not as busy as they were usually.


    Oh. An elf. Oh? Oh, oh, oh? What''s this?


    A little off the way I spotted a cute elf girl talking with a mercenary. It wasn''t possible for me to hear what they were talking about. Which was a bit unfortunate.


    The small elf girl tried to convey something to the mercenary, looking rather awkward. She was blushing a bit as well. It was cute. Seriously.


    This must be what they were talking about earlier, huh? Wonder if it''s like that with those two. That man doesn''t seem to be too unhappy, grinning like that.


    It was probably no good to peep too much, though. But, it was nice seeing them get along. This might turn out to be rather interesting.


    Lost in my thoughts, it didn''t take long for me to arrive at the tent.


    "Oh? Yumi."


    "Wanda, good morning."


    "Good morning. need something from us?"


    "Nn, a little. Is Elina here?"


    Wanda was sitting just outside the tent at a table, drinking something. Hopefully not alcohol.


    "That girl? Yes, she''s inside."


    Oh, found her quickly. How convenient.


    "Kid, come here for a bit."


    "Nn?"


    Wanda pointed at the chair opposite her.


    "It''s about that girl, Elina."


    "Is something wrong with her?"


    "Mh... I wouldn''t say wrong... No, maybe there is."


    "Nn?"


    A little confused, I took a seat, waiting for Wanda to explain what she wanted.


    "That girl worked nearly the entire night through."


    "The entire night? Seriously?"


    Wanda nodded and then let out a sigh.


    "I forced her to take a rest. She''s sleeping right now."


    "Ohh..."


    That was some bad timing, huh... Found her quickly but she was sleeping...


    "So, I don''t know what you need her for, but you better come back later."


    "I see... Guess it can''t be helped."


    Working throughout the night... That was some admirable dedication, but taking proper rest was important as well.


    "On the other hand, we''re basically done with our work on your hair, thanks to her work."


    "Oh? Already?"


    "Yes. We still need to test how durable it is, though."


    "I see. That''s still quite quick."


    I had heard from Korwen that they had made quite the progress but that they were nearly finished already... That was impressive.


    "Better than taking too long, right?"


    "Nn, that''s true."


    "We''ll count on you."


    "..."


    Ah. Right. Material farm, here I come.


    "Wanda, what are the plans for the yarn anyway right now?"


    If it was durable, which was likely the case, then it could have countless applications, after all. But I doubted Korwen was planning on replacing everything with this.


    "Plans? Do you mean, what we''re going to make with it?"


    "Nn."


    "Mh, let''s see... Give me a moment."


    Wanda suddenly stood up from her seat and entered the tent, cautiously and slowly, probably so that she wouldn''t wake up Elina. A short moment later she returned, holding some paper sheets.


    "Here you go. From top to bottom, ordered by importance."


    She handed me the document. A vast list of things...


    "Rope? Rope is at the top? Why?"


    I had expected stuff like protective clothing to be at the top, but not rope. I hadn''t even thought of rope at all.


    "Rope has a lot of applications, kid. And a rope with high durability is precious. One of the biggest obstacles for monster hunting is transporting the corpse. Many monsters are outrageously heavy, and a durable rope would make life a lot easier. It would also keep the cost of snapped ropes down. Makeshift barricades also use ropes. Traps, too. Want me to go on?"


    "No, I think I get it..."


    She was right... Even the tents used ropes to stabilise themselves. If you looked closely, they were used quite a lot.


    "Then... the second one is... a net?"


    "The net is probably for a job. I heard they got a troublesome one."


    "Ohhh..."


    The ogre capture. That was actually a good idea, assuming the net could withstand it. But if it could... You''d still have to get it inside the net first... Well, it wasn''t my job to figure that out anyway.


    "The rest is... armour underclothes... robes... tent cloth... There''s a lot, huh."


    Everything else on the list looked closer to what I would have expected. Clothes, bags, large sheets of cloth, and so on.


    "We won''t even get through half of that list, don''t worry, kid. We''ll likely only make the ropes, the net and some clothes. Anything more would be too much."


    "Why too much?"


    "Because if it lives up to our expectations, people will grow interested in it. And if we have too much, people will find out."


    "Ah."


    And if people were to find out that it came from me, then... Yeah, that''d be no good. I''d like a quiet and peaceful... Okay, probably not that, but a comparatively safe life should be doable.


    "Mm, wait a moment."


    "Nn?"


    Once more, Wanda left her seat and went into the tent, only to return a short while later, carrying a basket.


    "That is?"


    "Our results."


    "Ohhhh? But, Wanda... Is it fine to bring them out, though?"


    "Don''t worry, kid. I''m a seamstress so it''s not weird for me to talk with someone about yarn and cloth, right?"


    "Well... That''s true, I guess."


    Inside the basket were a few spindles with yarn as well as a small piece of cloth.


    Wanda picked up five spindles and showed them to me.


    "That girl and her old man managed to make a few different ones. Take a look."


    "Nn?"


    Each spindle had a slightly different yarn. From an extremely thin one to a yarn several millimetres in thickness. And, except for one, they were all smooth. They looked more like cords to me. Maybe I should ask for a knife to check if there were metal wires inside the thick one.


    The remaining one was also rather thick but rough, with visible fluffy offshoots. This one looked more like how I figured knitting yarn would look like.


    "Why is this one not smooth?"


    "This one? That was on my request. I''d rather work with something that feels more familiar to me. Also turned out to be the hardest one for them to make."


    "Ahh. Makes sense."


    I couldn''t imagine how you''d even go about making it look like this... Then again, I had no idea of their craft anyway, I wasn''t able to imagine how they made the smooth one either. But between them, the smooth one seemed easier.


    "It is still just as durable, though. If I had more of this, I could make winter clothing of it but that seems unlikely for now. The thin yarn is fine but the others... Well, they''ll probably make good ropes, so that''s fine I guess."


    "Huh..."


    While I stared at the different types, Wanda also took out the cloth piece. This one made me a little curious as well, to be honest.


    "This is something that might be interesting as well. Here."


    "Nn?"


    She handed me the piece of cloth. It felt smooth to the touch. Really smooth.


    "Nn? Is this... a single piece?"


    Upon closer inspection, this wasn''t some kind of woven cloth or anything. It was a single piece of... Yeah, what was this even?


    "It is. That''s not yarn or cloth, it''s more like leather."


    "... Leather?"


    Weren''t we talking about yarn and stuff? Why suddenly leather?


    "Well, kid... For some reason, they say it''s easier to make stuff like leather out of it. Even the yarn is closer to leather, they said. Not like I really get it either, though, but it is apparently easier for them to make it like that."


    "..."


    Leather... Yarn... My hair...


    Ahhh, it was... because of that, right? Because my hair wasn''t exactly hair... It was made from tiny tentacles... Tentacles were probably mostly flesh, maybe skin too... Never bothered to check if they had any skin.


    Yeah... I''m certain that''s it... That''s definitely it... This is just a piece of skin.


    Not like I could say that out loud, though.


    "That boy, Konno, was overjoyed, though."


    "Haaa..."


    Ahh, well... for someone like him, it was probably more interesting than yarn. Yeah.


    "They were already talking about how useful it could turn out for armour. Though, if you want to know what the heck they were on about, you''d have to ask him yourself. Leather isn''t my speciality."


    "Nn... If I get the chance, I will."


    It was my hair, so of course, I''d be interested in what they make from it.


    "So, kid, what''s your impression?"


    "Nn? My impression?"


    "Yes, your impression, what else? This is still about your stuff, after all."


    "Nn..."


    My impression, huh. That was a bit hard, honestly...


    "I don''t really know what to say... Mh, like, I have no idea about yarn and everything, so... It seems like they''re doing a good job, I think? For this piece of ski¡ª leather, too... I guess it''s neat?"


    "Neat, huh. Well, that''s true."


    For some reason, Wanda smiled wryly. Then, she collected the spindles and the piece of ski¡ª leather and returned them to the basket.


    "Right, kid, we talked about using this for the clothes you and the girly wanted..."


    "Nn?"


    "I''ll have to discuss it with Elina but we might not be able to make enough to spare any for that."


    "Ahh..."


    That... was unfortunate, but certainly understandable...


    "Either way, until I actually worked with it, I don''t even know if it''s useable. And considering we can''t enter the city right now, I wouldn''t be able to get any other decent cloth. Sorry to say, but it might be impossible for now."


    "I see..."


    Impossible... I had been looking forward to seeing Karen in a fancy dress or some male clothing but... The reality was cruel. Although this was without a doubt a rather luxurious worry.


    "For the other stuff, I''m mostly finished though. You should come by with the girly later to fetch them."


    "Ah, yes, will do."


    That was fast.


    Or, was it? She did have a few days time already...


    "Now then, I''ll put this back and return. Rina should be soon done as well."


    "Rina? Oh, right... What is she doing?"


    Karen had said that she wanted to go to Wanda''s place, but Wanda was here and Rina wasn''t...


    "Mm? Ahh, I gave her a few tasks to work on before breakfast."


    "Huh... So, I guess she''s helping you for now?"


    "For today, yes. Tomorrow, she is going to the Black Guards'' blacksmith, I think. No idea about the ones after that."


    So she was looking at what kind of work she could do, huh...


    "Well then, kid, I''ll go now. Can''t leave her alone all day and the Walking Disaster surely found her way there by now as well. Never thought I''d see the day where that girl acts like a love-struck maiden... Makes me shiver."


    "Ahaha..."


    So Wanda knew already about it, huh... Not too surprised.


    "Then, until then, kid."


    "Nn, bye."


    Wanda returned the basket inside the tent and then went on her way back to her own one.


    Now then, what should I do?


    The magic craftsman¡ªin other words, Elina¡ªwas sleeping and out for now. It was probably best to return to Karen and tell her. After that would be breakfast and... Probably should ask Korwen what else there was to do.


    Now then, off I go as well!


    Rinne


    On the plus side, I got out an extra chapter for Patreon this week. Better late than never... So, if you want to support me, now you can read 4 chapters ahead. Or 7 if you feel generous. Later this month that will also increase to 8.


    Thank you for reading!


    Everyone, stay healthy!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Living Nest

    "Ah... It''s back to normal..."


    Accompanied by a sad voice, this was the first thing I heard when I returned to Karen.


    "But pink is still the best. Mm."


    "... Oh, my hair?"


    At some point, my hair had returned to its normal pink colour. Didn''t even notice when that had happened...


    That aside, Karen had been waiting patiently for me to come back with Elina and was a little surprised to hear we''d have to delay it after all.


    "Sleeping, huh... Did she really work the entire night through?"


    "Nn, apparently so."


    There wasn''t much we could do about Elina sleeping, so we went on our way to get some breakfast. Hopefully, the commotion with that woman from the families had calmed down by now.


    "Then we should let her rest. The shell isn''t going to run away either way."


    "Nn. I''d be worried if it would run away."


    "... Maybe we should have tied it up."


    "..."


    Karen, that sounded as if that might actually happen. Saying such things was only going to bring bad luck. I''d rather not have it actually running away.


    "Should we go back?"


    "... No, it won''t run away. It won''t."


    Please stop making me anxious now.


    It was just a shell, it couldn''t move on its own. It was more likely someone else would take it or move it away, in which case no amount of tying it up would help. Probably, that was. Kind of depended who it was.


    "By the way, Sis. Where did Maya and the others go off to?"


    "Those three? I vaguely recall them saying they were supposed to help with breakfast... I think? I wasn''t quite awake yet when they left..."


    "Ahh, maybe we''ll see them then."


    Speaking of breakfast, I had the vague feeling that I had forgotten something... What was it again?


    Mhm... I''ll probably remember it if it was important.


    And if not, maybe I''d remember it when we actually got there.


    Little did I expect that I''d be reminded barely a few minutes later what it was... Right after we arrived in front of a row of small tables with a board right next to them...


    "''Take care of it yourself.'' Yumi, what is this?"


    "... Self-service breakfast?"


    A hand grabbing bread was drawn on the board and below it the words that we should make breakfast ourselves... On the tables were several baskets with bread and a little further baskets with meat and some other stuff... This wasn''t a hotel breakfast, right?


    "Yumi! Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    As we stood in front of the board, someone shouted out to us. The urge to immediately sidestep hit me but knowing better, I just decided to turn around and catch the little tornado storming into my arms.


    "Yumi! Good Morning!"


    "Nn, good morning, Emily."


    "Good Morning."


    "Ah! Good Morning, Big Sis Karen!"


    Emily gave us a big smile. A huge big smile...


    I couldn''t get mad at her like this... I couldn''t...


    "Emily. It''s great that you''re so energetic but jumping at Yumi is dangerous. If she hadn''t caught you, one of you would have gotten injured for sure."


    "Ah."


    Instead of me, it was Karen who sternly reprimanded Emily.


    "Uhhh... I''m sorry..."


    "Don''t do it again, understood?"


    "Yes..."


    Her smile was gone... Ahh...


    "As long as you understand it''s fine."


    "... Big Sis Karen... Are you angry?"


    "A little. Because I''m worried about you. I don''t want you to injure yourself."


    "... Ah."


    Emily blushed in response, quickly burying her face into my shoulder and hiding it.


    Sis, seducing children is a big no-no.


    Although, this was still better than her looking sad about being scolded. I didn''t want to see a sad Emily this early into the day.


    "Ehehe... I got scolded..."


    A nearly inaudible laugh escaped Emily.


    "Emily... Did you listen to what I said?"


    "Ehehe, I did. I did, Big Sis Karen."


    Emily peeked at Karen, again laughing a little. It couldn''t be... Did Karen just seduce her for real?


    Even if it''s you, Emily, Sis is mine. I''m not sharing her with you!


    Well, speaking seriously, that probably wasn''t the case. At least, I hoped it wasn''t.


    Karen seemed a little confused at Emily''s reaction as well.


    "Nn, Emily, where are Sele and Maya?"


    "Mh? Eh? Ahh, Sele walked off with a book. Don''t know where Maya is."


    That was just a roundabout way of saying you didn''t know where either of the two were...


    Having maybe finally enough of hugging me, Emily let go of me. Her face was still a bit red. She smiled, different from her usual big smile. A small, slightly shy smile.


    "Yumi? Why are you patting me?"


    "Ah. Reflex, sorry."


    It looked cute so I couldn''t help myself...


    "Reflex? What do you mean?"


    "Ehhh..."


    Dear Emily, in situations like this you should pretend like it was nothing. Making me explain wasn''t exactly something I could bear with right now.


    "Yumi thought you were cute so she just did it."


    "..."


    "Is that so, Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    I could only nod in defeat.


    At least, it made Emily even happier.


    "Ehehehe! Yumi!"


    "Ah!"


    And back into my arms she dived. Oh well...


    I could indulge her a little, right?


    "So, Emily, what actually happened to breakfast?"


    A short while later we had grabbed some food and moved to the side. There were no tables or anything to sit down, so we just had to eat while standing.


    "Ah! Uhm, you see! Aunt Marga was shouting so everyone had to go and calm her down! Then, Uncle told us to put the baskets on the tables because it would be bad if nobody had breakfast!"


    "... Marga?"


    The name rang a bell but... I was sure I heard it not too long ago.


    "Aunt Marga! She''s the scary aunt who always shouts at Maya, Sele and me! And her son Ludo always says means things to us!"


    "Oh! Her!"


    The woman that got kicked out just earlier. I had already forgotten her name. Although, I probably had no need to remember it anymore now anyway, considering she''d be gone soon.


    "In other words, she caused a ruckus and everybody had to deal with it so they couldn''t spare time to prepare breakfast?"


    "Yes! Yes! Like that!"


    That woman really couldn''t stop causing problems even on her last day, huh.


    How annoying.


    "Haa... At least it''s only for today. Good riddance."


    "Riddance?"


    Emily tilted her head at my words.


    "Nn? Ah, you don''t know yet? Ehh... That woman and her son are going to leave."


    I was a little reluctant to say that they were rather thrown out but... Alas, it seemed that worry was necessary...


    "Eh? Yumi, Yumi, did they finally get angry with her? Did Uncle get angry?"


    "... Well, in a way, yes."


    "Will she be scolded for being mean to everyone?"


    "... I guess so?"


    "Ah! They''ll leave?! Really? Really really?! I have to tell Maya and Sele!"


    Leaving those words behind, she turned around and stormed away into the distance. Ever the hyperactive little tornado.


    "... I feel a little conflicted seeing her so happy about this."


    "Yumi, they had a hard time because of them, right? I think it''s fine for them to be happy."


    "Nn... Is that so?


    Korwen was clearly also looking forward to the nuisances being gone... Seeing as how this woman even went out of her way to sabotage breakfast, surely quite a few were glad to see her gone.


    "Well, I guess I won''t miss them either."


    I couldn''t deny that it was good riddance, seeing how that brat and his underlings had bullied Emily, Maya and Sele. And I only really had seen a single instance of that happening, there was no telling how often that had occurred already...


    Children also didn''t always tell these things to others.


    Maybe, simply that we have seen it happening means it wasn''t exactly rare, huh...


    I probably should feel happy for them that they could continue their life without these bullies from now on.


    "Oh, Yumi, the Captain''s over there."


    "Nn?"


    Karen pointed in the direction in which Emily had run off to. A small group of mercenaries with Korwen at the centre were walking in our direction. Merim was with him as well.


    Speaking of which, I haven''t seen Merim at that meeting...


    He was the person with the second-highest authority, so you''d think he''d be present for such a meeting...


    With that said, the group with Korwen and Merim was unexpectedly cheerful. A little curious, Karen and I watched as they got their breakfast.


    "Guess they resolved the matter?"


    "Nn, seems so..."


    Otherwise, they surely wouldn''t be this cheerful, right? Couldn''t deny that I was curious as to what had happened there. As I thought that, Merim split from the group and walked up to us.


    "Yumi, Karen, good morning."


    "Good morning, Merim."


    "Good morning."


    "Are you two free after breakfast?"


    "Nn? Hitting on us already?"


    That was fast. And so early in the morning, too. Merim, the sun was barely up, was this really okay?


    "Spare me the jokes, Yumi. It''s not funny if Helma hears that."


    "She''ll surely understand her husband''s need for some company."


    "... Yumi, I just remembered, but we still need to get you trained. I guess we''ll start with a few extra laps today."


    "I humbly beg for forgiveness."


    Why did he have to remember that now? He was right, that was actually a thing, and I had forgotten about it, too... But please, no extra laps. I was going to die for sure.


    "Haaa... In all seriousness, the training is, of course, important, so I won''t let you skip out on that."


    "... Too bad."


    "But that''s not what I was going to say. There are a few things we need to discuss."


    "Nn? Discuss?"


    "So far, the two of you did whatever work there currently was, right? But neither the Captain nor I will always have the time to give you work and we can''t have you always running around looking for us either, right? Ria was supposed to take care of you two but you see how well that works..."


    Ah. That kind of made sense...


    Ria was technically our direct superior. But she never really gave us something to do, so it had been Korwen and Merim who did.


    "So, we decided to include you two as well as Lily into the regular duty plans instead."


    "Duty plan?"


    Not something I expected to hear right now.


    "You mean a plan like, who is going to make breakfast and so?" Karen asked.


    "Exactly. Although it includes a few other things. We usually aren''t on cooking duty but rather on guard duty and the like."


    "..."


    Guard duty? Great, that sounded like it''d be the epitome of boredom...


    "You said Lily as well, but what about Rina?"


    "That girl is going to be included in the duty plan for the families for now."


    "Oh, so she''s going to be on cooking duty?"


    "That''s right, that will likely happen."


    Rina''s cooking, huh...


    Wait... Did that girl ever cook in her life? Ehh... Well, there are others around, so they''ll surely teach her. Yeah.


    "I didn''t know there was a duty plan..."


    "Nn... I''ve seen it mentioned when I helped the Captain before..."


    Since I had also helped with some complaints, I knew about it as it had been the topic occasionally. When I asked him about it, he gave me a quick explanation about it and said I shouldn''t have to worry about that for now.


    "So, are you free?"


    "Ah, yes. We are, right, Yumi?"


    "Nn."


    "Good. Then, we''ll come by to your wagon later. If you see Lily, tell her as well."


    "Nn, understood."


    And like that, Merim returned back to Korwen and the others.


    "Duty plan... I wonder what we''ll have to do," Karen mumbled quietly.


    "Good question. I don''t think I could keep my focus on something like guard duty..."


    "... I can''t imagine them putting you on guard duty."


    "Nn?"


    I tilted my head, confused about why Karen said that.


    "You don''t exactly look like a guard, Yumi."


    "... Ah. True... Well, but we won''t know for sure, right?"


    "We don''t."


    With that said, I wasn''t going to complain if they weren''t intending to put me on guard duty. Sure as hell wasn''t.


    "But I do wonder what kind of duties we''re talking about... Other than guard duty."


    What were the mercenaries usually doing?


    ... Running around without any clear aim, bringing supplies from A to B, what else? Standing guard.


    Yeah, no, that surely isn''t all, right? It can''t be.


    There''d be no point to a duty plan if this was all they were doing.


    "... Well, guess we''ll find out soon."


    "I guess so... Yumi, should we head back?"


    "Nn, that''s fine by me."


    We had finished breakfast anyway by now, so we could just go and wait at the wagon. Though it seemed that Merim would take some time until he''d come by. Whatever, not like we were in a hurry anyway.


    "Then, let''s go."


    Karen took my hand and we made our way to the wagon. In the end, we hadn''t seen the troublemaker making a ruckus. They probably dealt with her already but I couldn''t deny being curious.


    Not like it really matters anymore now. As long as they are gone, that''s fine.


    A few minutes later, we arrived at the wagon without anything notable happening. We hadn''t seen Lily either, though. As it would likely still take time until Merim would come by, we decided to wait inside the wagon for now.


    "Sis, did they increase again?"


    "Seems like it. Look, they''re at the wall there as well now."


    "..."


    What awaited us were dozens of tentacles. The entire ground on the right side was covered by now and it started to spread up the walls there as well. When the tentacles lay flat on the ground, they looked more like a grotesque mass of flesh... This was more the home of a nightmarish monster.


    "Is it just me or is the mana denser inside here?"


    "Nn?"


    Now that Karen said it... The mana felt a little weird, didn''t it?


    "Let me take a look outside."


    I walked to one of the small wooden windows and opened it, peeking outside for comparison.


    "Nn... It does look like it is a little denser here..."


    "So it really is denser? "


    "Nn. Surprised you noticed, Sis."


    The difference was so small that I definitely wouldn''t have noticed if she hadn''t said anything.


    "Well, when we entered, something felt weird... Like it was a little warmer inside here..."


    "Huh..."


    Warmer? Was mana warm? Maybe? It wasn''t for me, though.


    "But why is there more mana here?"


    The tentacles were absorbing mana, so it couldn''t be them. But, there was nothing else here, right? So, maybe it was the tentacles fault, after all?


    Well, but, there''s nothing else except the tentacles here... And yesterday, everything was still normal. Proba¡ª


    "Hyah?!"


    "Sis?!"


    I turned around in a hurry, after hearing Karen scream.


    "Ahhh, don''t surprise me like that."


    A wooden doll was in her arms...


    "... Where did that guy come from."


    "Ahh... he suddenly jumped through the window."


    "... The window?"


    The window, which I had opened just a little prior... A dozen or so little wooden heads peaked through the window, observing us.


    ... Hell, that''s creepy!


    Good thing they didn''t have some glowing eyes or anything, really.


    Having been found, the dolls now started to climb inside the wagon, making their way towards Karen and me.


    "Nn, that... Is that a bag?"


    A few dolls struggled to heave something inside, so I walked over and picked it up for them.


    "What''s that, Yumi?"


    "Nn, give me a moment... Are these... mana crystals?"


    Tiny, glistening mana crystals filled the small bag to the brim...


    Why did the dolls have a bag full of mana crystals? And where did these come from?


    "You all... You didn''t pouch them from somewhere, did you?"


    The dolls surrounding me started wildly flail with their arms, probably trying to deny it.


    "Then, where did you get these from?"


    They paused for a moment, then continued flailing around. Yeah, I wasn''t going to get an answer like this, was I?


    "Yumi, the dolls are similar to monsters, aren''t they?"


    "Nn, I think so? Probably."


    At least they should be kind of similar. Probably? Maybe?


    Well, they were probably close to being monsters...


    "Then, couldn''t it be that they use them to grow stronger or something?"


    "Grow stronger?"


    "Stronger, or maybe they start splitting."


    "Ah, like... that monster..."


    That floating ball creature we saw at the Academy. When the oddball of a professor fed it enough mana, it suddenly split into two. They could multiply in numbers or grow stronger and stuff like that if they had a sufficient surplus of mana.


    "Wait, but... No way... Seriously?"


    I stared at the dolls.


    Who once again started flailing around.


    "Huh, that''s not it?"


    Communication was seriously hard here... But it seemed it was a bit different from what we thought.


    A few dolls walked right under the bag I was still holding, raising their little arms trying to reach for the bag.


    Do they want to show it to me? But... We still don''t know where these crystals even came from.


    I was a little reluctant to give it to them, we might get in trouble after all...


    Trouble, huh...


    "Yumi?"


    I squatted down and gave the bag to the dolls. They swarmed around it, heaving it up and carrying it away.


    "Was that fine, Yumi?"


    "Nn. If it isn''t I''ll go and apologise to the Captain."


    He was the one who said it was fine to cause a little bit of trouble, after all.


    We watched the dolls carrying the bag... towards the tentacles. Yes, towards the tentacles. And then they stopped in front of the largest one. Coincidentally, the one with the pink mana egg.


    "Nn?"


    I tilted my head, curious as to what they were doing.


    They had put down the bag and opened it, revealing the contents, right in front of the tentacles.


    "Ah, the tentacles are moving."


    "Nn... They''re taking the mana crystals?"


    The large tentacle thrust itself right into the bag, absorbing the mana crystals, while the surrounding tentacles shoved the mana crystals towards it.


    It didn''t take long for all the crystals to disappear.


    "Yumi, are the dolls bringing mana crystals to the tentacles?"


    "Seems so. That explains why they expanded so much."


    Having accomplished their task, the dolls jumped up and down, most likely expressing their joy. In the meantime, the tentacle growth once more expanded, covering a little more of the wall now. It wasn''t much, probably because the mana crystals were all tiny little pebbles, but it still grew.


    "Ah, Yumi! Look!"


    "Nn? Wait, no way."


    Right after the tentacle growth finished expanding, it released a small pink cloud. Mana. Lust-attributed mana.


    "And that explains why there''s more mana here, huh..."


    They consumed the mana crystals, grew a little in size and then released the remainder as lust-attributed mana. That seemed to be about it.


    At that moment, while I was still lost in thought, someone knocked on the door.


    "Yumi, Karen? Are you inside?"


    "Nn? Ah, Captain? Yes, we''re inside."


    "That so? I''m coming in."


    "Ah, ri¡ª Eh?"


    The door opened before I could say anything else. It was so sudden that I completely failed to react.


    And as such, Korwen entered the wagon. Right behind him were Merim and Ria.


    "So, this is what Ria was talking about, huh. They really multiplied."


    "I can see why she said it was interesting but..."


    Korwen stroked his chin, watching the tentacles. On the other hand, Merim made a rather conflicted expression.


    "Anyway, let''s get in. Ria, close the door."


    "Mm..."


    The door closed, preventing anyone from getting a peek inside.


    "Now then... Yumi, Karen."


    "Ah, yes?"


    "Yes?"


    "... Aren''t there any chairs here?"


    "... There are."


    Only two, but there are. I pulled them from the corner and Korwen as well as Merim quickly sat down, leaving Karen, Ria and me standing.


    "Let''s see, did Merim tell you what we wanted to talk about?"


    "Ah, yes, the duty plan, right?"


    "Right, right. There are some other things but let''s first get that out of the way."


    He produced a two sheets of paper from somewhere and handed them to us.


    "... These are?"


    "Your schedules for now."


    "Haaa..."


    Each paper had a schedule, one for Karen and one for me.


    "Usually we have a schedule depending on whether you are a recruit, a regular and so on. But since your position is a little unique, Ria made those for you two."


    "I see..."


    So, instead of actually giving us work herself she made this...


    My schedule was divided into three major parts. The first part was training. That was about to be expected. Although, it didn''t seem to only include physical training but also some other stuff.


    The second part was ''Workshop''. Nothing else was written about it, so I had no idea what it actually meant.


    The final part was ''Weekly Duties''. There was a list of things depending on which day it was. Interestingly, it included cooking duty on pretty much every day. I thought that was the families'' job?


    "Mr Captain, what is this ''Workshop'' part?" Karen asked.


    She had a rather similar schedule, though there was less training and a bit more on weekly duties for her.


    "It''s this," he said, pointing with his finger to the ground.


    "... This?"


    "This. This wagon."


    "Eh?"


    This... wagon?


    "I''ll go over it later since I wanted to talk about it as well, but it basically means that you do work here."


    "I see..."


    "Are there any other questions?"


    "Nn. Captain, Merim said cooking duty was for the families? It''s on every day here, for me."


    "Ah, that..."


    Korwen smiled wryly at my question.


    "It was a request from my wife, Helma and some others."


    "Huh?"


    "Yumi, you can see mana, so they want you to help out. It''d be a great help for them if they can work with fish and similar. Also..."


    He paused for a moment, before continuing.


    "I recall that you said that you could eat monster meat, right?"


    "Nn, I can."


    It didn''t pose an issue for me, in fact, it was delicious.


    "Then, the meat we would usually throw away can instead go to you. And if you are on cooking duty, you can set aside what you want to eat for yourself."


    "Eh? Is that fine?"


    "We''d just throw it away anyway or give it to the tamers. But rather than throwing it away, we can save on your food expenses. A single person''s food expenses aren''t much, but it''s better than nothing."


    "Is... is that so... Then, I''ll gladly do that."


    After all, who was going to turn down the offer to have free delicious food, right?


    "Then, any other questions?"


    "Yes. Mr Captain, these duties include stuff like maintenance but... We''ve never done these things."


    "As have many others before you. You won''t be alone on duty, so have the others teach you. Things like weapon maintenance are important, so it''s good for you to learn it anyway."


    "Ah, understood. Also, uhm... Mr Merim mentioned guard duty but..."


    Now that she said it, there wasn''t a single instance of guard duty on my schedule either.


    "Are you saying you want to be on guard duty, Karen?"


    "Ah, no, that''s not it... I mean, ehhh..."


    Korwen smiled, before letting out a small chuckle.


    "I know, I know, guard duty is boring. There''s no need to feel flustered."


    "Uhh... Sorry..."


    "It''s fine."


    Karen looked at the ground, embarrassed that he noticed she didn''t want to do it.


    "It''s still important, though, so we can''t skip on that. But for simple guard duty, you two aren''t suitable. People will look down on you and subsequently also look down on us as a mercenary group. On the other hand, you do not yet have the skills for guarding the more important things. That might change in the future, though, so don''t be too relieved. Hahaha!"


    So, we might actually end up with guard duty if we got stronger? That... Well... On one hand, it''d mean we''d be recognised for our skills then but... On the other hand, it''s guard duty... Not sure what to feel about that. Although, that might still be far off for now anyway.


    "We''re putting Lily on guard duty, though. While you two were out for days, we decided to check on her capabilities a little."


    "Oh?"


    They had been testing Lily? And we missed that? Ahhh, too bad.


    "You girls have quite the capable protector, you know? She''s surprisingly strong for her age. There''s still much she has to learn, but it makes sense that she managed for a while without the Black Guards. She definitely belongs to the more skilled mercenaries."


    "So, she''s strong?"


    "Mm... I guess you could say that she''s ''pretty strong'', yes. She''s not on the level of a monster like my old man or our Dragon Knights, but she can certainly hold her ground. With some polishing, I''d even consider letting her go through the Dragon Knight training."


    So, she was really that skilled? I knew she was strong but to see even Korwen acknowledge it. I bet she was happy when she heard such an evaluation.


    "For now, she''ll be mostly training under Ria though. Her magic is..."


    Korwen scratched the back of his head. Speaking of Lily''s magic, we never had seen it yet, right? Actually, Lily was a manakin as well, right?


    "Is something the issue with it, Mr Captain?"


    "Well, it''s certainly combat magic. The annoying type, too. But she can''t use it regularly, so that''s an issue."


    "Haa..."


    She had told us she could only use magic while she was fighting... Now I was even more curious about it. Actually, I was a little tempted to ask Korwen about it but... I felt like I should ask Lily herself, rather than Korwen. She had never told us so far, though we also never asked.


    "Right, Lily has no workshop duty, nor does Rina. So, it''s only you two."


    "Ah, okay."


    Lily didn''t exactly like these tentacles so... Yeah, not surprised there.


    "Good, good, then, any other questions?"


    "Nn, Captain, the training part here... There''s... a lot of stuff."


    "Ahhh, right, right. Merim and Ria are mostly going to be responsible for those, although you two will also learn about basic combat behaviour from Taddick. Yumi, you met him earlier."


    "Nn, I remember him."


    At the meeting, he asked a few questions regarding rations and supplies like that. He was also responsible for some of the jobs from the Academy, so I tried to remember his face.


    "Merim is going to train your body, Ria is responsible for your magic training and Taddick will teach you the basics of combat and group combat. He''ll also teach you more about your job carrying a banner. As for Karen, you''ll also learn how to wield various weapons from him. And Yumi..."


    He stopped, staring at me for a moment.


    "You need to get your body in shape first before we can even think about that."


    "... Understood."


    "There aren''t many occasions where you will need to wield a weapon, so it''s not as much of a priority for you anyway. For now, it''s already good if you can carry the banner on your own and use magic to protect yourself."


    "... I''ll do my best."


    Sorry, I knew I wasn''t strong nor that I had any stamina. Yeah...


    "Was that all for your questions?"


    "Nn... I don''t think I have any others..."


    The schedule also mentioned where we''d have to go and with whom we''d have to speak for everything. Ria seemed lazy as heck but this schedule was really well-done.


    "Good, good. Then, we can go to our next topic."


    Korwen leaned back and threw a glance behind him.


    "Time to figure out what we are going to do with this wagon and those tentacles."


    Rinne


    Hope everyone is doing fine.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Blooming Fate: The Flower’s Fate

    "Time to figure out what we are going to do with this wagon and your tentacles."


    Korwen stared at the tentacles that covered the ground and the wall behind him. The dolls had all gathered right behind him as well, waiting for... something.


    "Now that I see them, there are a few more things I want to talk about. Like the dolls."


    "The dolls?"


    "Yes. But let''s put that for later. First of all..."


    He turned back towards us, a serious expression on his face.


    "Ria gave me another simple rundown about what happened yesterday evening. To be honest, I am still not sure what to make of this. It could become useful. Or it could turn into a huge pain. These tentacles aren''t something you can casually show off, which severely limits their use in the field."


    We couldn''t show it off... True, this probably wasn''t something others should see, if possible... But...


    "Mr Captain, isn''t that the case for Yumi in general?"


    "To a degree, yes. But if it''s a single person and a small scale, you can talk your way out of it or worst-case bribe a few people to keep quiet. The use outweighs the risk attached. But for something like this, the risk is on a completely different level. This isn''t something you can simply talk your way out of anymore."


    He sighed, scratching the back of his head.


    "Imagine you could make this useable for a siege. Taking over part of a fortress or at least making it unusable to the enemy. That''s a completely different scale at that point. Hundreds of people would see it, if not thousands or even more. And people will remember that ''it came from those mercenaries''. That''s impossible to keep a secret anymore. At that point, we''d be questioned what we did... And whether we can talk our way out of it then... The only other option would be to kill everyone who knows."


    Impossible to keep a secret...


    And if it became known that the Dragon Knights were involved, it would be mostly their reputation that would suffer.


    "With that said, the use this might have could still be worth it. Nonetheless, it is imperative that we keep quiet about it and involve as few people as possible. As such, one of the first things we have to talk about... Is the wagon itself."


    "The... wagon?" Karen asked, tilting her head a little.


    "Yes, the wagon."


    Korwen stood up from the chair and walked over to the currently opened window.


    "As it is, if someone were to come by and look around the camp, they could¡ªeven accidentally¡ªfind this. If you were to cover the entire inside of the wagon with... those tentacles, then we can''t have anyone looking inside now, can we?"


    "Ahh... That''s true."


    "And if someone were to purposefully look around to get some dirt on us, they might even bring a magician along. Then there''s no way they wouldn''t find it."


    That was... When Ria had initially noticed it, I was surprised by it. But now... I hadn''t actually taken a look but it would be surely easy to notice as it was currently. Especially with all this mana. But...


    "Captain, is there a way to prevent them from noticing?"


    "No, there isn''t."


    "Ehhh..."


    Then, what the heck were we supposed to do?


    "Mm... If I... might... Captain..."


    "Go ahead, Ria."


    "Mm... Yumi... Karen... It might... not be possible... to prevent them... from seeing that... something... is inside... But... we can prevent... them from... knowing what... is inside..."


    "What is inside..."


    In other words, they knew something was inside but not what?


    "It''s the same we are doing for the Ria''s and the other''s workshop. Greyward''s magician also has the same. To prevent peeping toms or overly zealous idiots from breaking in as well as to... Ria, what was it again... That mana thing?"


    "It''s... concealing... mana."


    "Nn? Concealing?"


    Concealing huh.


    So, like a disguise or a camouflage? Or hiding it?


    "It scatters... attributed mana... around... the wagon... making it impossible... to determine... what is... what?"


    "Ohh... So, like a camouflage?"


    "It''s... similar..."


    Scattering mana around...


    That sounded familiar... Wasn''t there something in my old world like that? Something scattering around little parts to... to hide something... Yeah, uhh, whatever.


    "So, Mr Captain, Miss Ria... What exactly is it you''ll be doing? We only heard what it does..."


    "Ahh, sorry, Karen... It''s a magical tool, a magical tool."


    "A magical tool... Aren''t those expensive, though?"


    "They are hella expensive, so don''t you dare break it. Haaa... Luckily, Greyward''s group has a spare one for some reason so we''ll be using that."


    I probably didn''t want to know how expensive exactly it was... Better be careful.


    "That''s not the only thing, though. The wagon needs to be reinforced as well. And we got to prevent unwanted break-ins, so that''s two magical tools needed."


    "There are tools to prevent break-ins?"


    "Kind of. It prevents those who aren''t authorised to walk through. It''s like a small version of the monster barrier that the Capital uses. Though it would be possible to force your way through this one, but that''d be impossible to hide."


    So, such a thing existed even in small...


    Something like a magical alarm system, huh. Another thing I didn''t want to know how expensive it was.


    "We don''t have any spares for those, though... We might be able to get one from the Academy if we''re lucky, though."


    "Nn, the Academy? Do they sell those?"


    "No, they don''t exactly sell them or make them for that manner. But the Academy owns a great variety of magical tools for their research and many of them are... put aside after they are done with them. A little bit of flattery here and treating someone to a nice meal there and they might give you one of those leftovers."


    "For cheap?"


    "For free."


    For free.


    Weren''t they expensive as hell?


    "Captain, wouldn''t they get in trouble for that?"


    "If those people had a proper sense for money, maybe. Most of them don''t."


    They... didn''t?


    Were they living behind a mountain, or what? I really couldn''t claim to be all that knowledgeable but even I already understood the worth of them.


    "Most of the researchers come from noble families. They never had to particularly worry about money. Add to that that a lot of the funding for the Academy comes from the royal family and you get a group of people with absolutely no idea how money works."


    "... Mr Captain, aren''t you scamming them?"


    "That''s rude, Karen. I am not scamming anyone. They''re still happy afterwards."


    "..."


    That... didn''t make it okay. He was still cheating them.


    But... Well... It wasn''t like those people would suddenly lose their livelihood from that... Time to pretend that I hadn''t heard anything.


    "... I''ll pretend I never heard that, Mr Captain."


    "Hahaha, that''s fine too, Karen!"


    Karen shook her head and sighed, having come to the same conclusion as me, apparently. Behind Korwen, Merim was shaking his head as well.


    "Captain... Please keep yourself a little more restrained... What will you do when our reputation turns sour because of things like this?"


    "It won''t, Merim. It won''t. They''re happily giving it away after all. There''s nothing to complain!"


    "... I hope you know what you are doing... Haaa..."


    Merim started rubbing his temples as if he had a headache...


    "Let''s talk about something else before Merim starts a lecture."


    "Whose fault do you think that is, Captain?"


    "The researchers'', obviously!"


    "... Ahhh! Whatever! I don''t know anything! I haven''t heard anything!"


    He gave up, huh...


    Poor Merim.


    "Going back to the things about the wagon... I''ll send the craftsmen over and have them work on it. They''ll reinforce it so that even if something were to explode¡ªwhich I hope won''t happen¡ªit''ll be fine."


    "... I don''t think anything is going to explode."


    The heck was he worrying about?


    Those tentacles did a lot of questionable things but... They weren''t going to explode, right?


    "... Those exact words were once spoken by our esteemed Ria here as well. Around three days later we had to purchase a new wagon."


    "..."


    "Reinforcing a wagon is a lot cheaper than building a new one. Believe me, I know. I signed off the payment."


    "... We''ll try to be careful."


    Right, I vaguely recalled that the magicians tended to have their wagon away from the main camp because of such incidents... The heck did she do?


    "I sure hope you will be. As for the magical tool, you should fetch it later from the Black Guards'' magician. He''ll also tell you how to install it properly."


    "Nn, will do."


    "Now... Did I forget anything in regards to the wagon... I think that was all... Ah, wait, wait... Yumi, you''ve been at the Black Guards'' craftsmen. right? What were their names again..."


    "Wormaz and Konno?"


    The blacksmith Wormaz and the leatherworker Konno.


    "Right, those two. I''ll leave matters in regards to the wagon to the Black Guards, so you should talk with their blacksmith."


    "Okay."


    "Nn, got it."


    That was fine by me. I already knew them, after all.


    "Now then... I think that wraps up the talk about the wagon itself..."


    Korwen exhaled and leaned back on his chair.


    "Now we just got to... talk about that, huh..."


    He threw a glance behind him, at the still slightly wriggling tentacles.


    The dolls had all bunched up right in front of them as well... Literally forming a pile of dolls. What happened to waiting in a line?


    "Let''s start with the easier one, the dolls."


    Turning back again, he faced us once more.


    "They''re a huge help, that''s for sure but... Yumi... How do I say this..."


    "Nn?"


    "Mh... Well, Yumi, did you... make any new ones?"


    "Uhhh, no? I don''t think so."


    "I see..."


    He scratched the back of his head, then throwing a quick glance at Ria and Merim behind him.


    "They''re... increasing."


    "..."


    Increasing...


    I directed my attention to the currently unmoving pile behind Korwen...


    They were... increasing... In numbers, probably.


    "Mr Captain, do you mean, they''re making more dolls by themselves?"


    "That''s correct, Karen. They seem to be increasing on their own... I thought at first that Yumi made more of them in her spare time but... They still increased in numbers while you two were asleep."


    "..."


    Having maybe noticed that our discussion turned towards them, the pile finally started to show signs of movement. Some of the dolls crawled out, then pulling more dolls out of the pile.


    "Huh? But... Mr Captain, how do you know they increased in numbers?"


    "Mh? Well, like this..."


    He turned around, to the pile of dolls.


    "Hey! Line up immediately!" he shouted.


    Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, all the dolls suddenly sprang into action, the pile collapsing nearly instantly and the dolls lining up in front of Korwen. It was a little surreal, seeing the small doll army lined up and a middle-aged, muscle-packed man sitting in front of them.


    "I see... That''s how..."


    "Mh? Ah, it''s not over yet, you know."


    "Nn?"


    It''s not over yet? Aren''t they all lined up already?


    While I pondered such things... Sounds of wood crashing against each other came from behind me... From the window, to be precise.


    "Wha¡ª What the hell?!"


    "Ehhhh?!"


    The sight made me scream out in surprise...


    I mean, who wouldn''t? Dozens of dolls crawled through the window, joining the already lined up dolls. Like a stream of ants, they gathered up from who knew where. Right in front of Korwen. Dozens of dolls... Far, far more than I had ever made... They even ran out of space to properly line up and were now squished together... Some dolls even started fighting for their spot, throwing other dolls to the side.


    "Hey, no fighting! Are you little kids, or what?!"


    And they stopped fighting when Korwen shouted at them.


    What in the blazes was I watching?


    "... Yumi, did you make dolls while I wasn''t around?"


    "No, I haven''t made any others, Sis..."


    I did make quite a few and if someone were to ask me how many... I didn''t know. Two, three dozen? Maybe more? Maybe less?


    Either way, I didn''t create this... army of dolls... Not literally hundreds.


    "And there you have it."


    "..."


    "As you can see, they increased."


    "..."


    Yes, they increased...


    They increased substantially! Dear Captain, this wasn''t the time to nonchalantly tell me they multiplied!


    The heck were we going to do about this?! This wasn''t a matter of a few dolls were added! There were a few times as many now!


    "Ah, right, Mr Yuu doesn''t listen to me for some reason. He only listens to the Black Guards."


    "... Who the hell is Mr Yuu?"


    And why did it have such a name?


    "Yumi, isn''t that the one doll that stayed with the Black Guards?"


    "... The one doll? Who stayed with the... Ah. I remember."


    Right, who was it again... Lily told me about that, didn''t she?


    That they voted for its name and it somehow turned out like that...


    "All others listen to me and Merim, so it''s not exactly a big issue. A little shouting and they behave."


    "... I see."


    "There''s just one problem... No, actually two..."


    Korwen''s expression hardened, staring intently at the dolls.


    "First, we don''t have enough mana crystals currently to keep them fed. One of them doesn''t consume much but with this number, we''re going to burn through the stash quickly. Especially if they increase even more."


    "... Wait, Captain, you give them mana crystals?"


    "Mh? Of course, I do. They stop moving if I don''t."


    "..."


    That explained the mystery of why they were still moving...


    "Nn... Couldn''t you just... stop giving them some, then?"


    "But then they can''t help out anymore, can they?"


    "..."


    Captain, only one thing was going to work here. Either they stopped moving, or they continued burning through the mana crystals.


    Don''t let convenience blind you, Captain! Not that I know how much they are helping, though...


    "Anyway, I know that there are some dolls with... their own mana crystals? Those don''t need any, right? So, can you do that for the other dolls as well?"


    The mana crystal? Oh, he meant the ones with the pink mana egg, didn''t he?


    That... certainly would work but...


    Wait, the pink mana egg? The ones I made all should have one, shouldn''t they?


    They didn''t. Most of the dolls in front of me had no mana egg. In other words, they really weren''t made by me. But... If I were to make a mana egg for every single one of these...


    "I do need quite a few mana crystals for just one... And with this many..."


    "I see... Well, I''ll tell someone to bring you some of our stash, so just make as many as you can with that. We''ll have to stock up on them anyway so we might get more in the future."


    "... Okay."


    He wasn''t going to give up on the convenience, was he?


    The heck were the dolls doing...


    Weren''t they already more useful than me?! No way?!


    "Now, the second problem might be a little bigger... It''s also not really something we can do much about, right now."


    "Nn?"


    "Some of the families are a little... disturbed by them. Some dolls apparently wander around and then get picked up by the children. There have been a few unlucky occasions where they found a moving doll in their wagon or tent... Needless to say, it involved a lot of panicking and screaming. You can be glad you were asleep."


    Yes, I would panic and scream as well if I found a moving doll in my home. Was this some kind of horror story? I didn''t even want to imagine their horror... Just thinking of it made me shiver.


    "I already told the dolls not to move around in such a situation but the story still spread quite a bit among them... So now we have some families that are telling me to hand some over and others that want nothing to do with them..."


    "Ahaha..."


    So some of them wanted the dolls, too?


    "I guess it''ll take some time for them to get used to it but do be careful. And if you have any ideas that might help, they''re welcome."


    "Nn, got it..."


    Not that I had any ideas right now.


    At most, we could dress them up or something? Though that would probably just make it worse...


    "So, Captain... Should I tell them to stop... Uhm... multiplying?"


    "Mmm... No, leave them for now. If we run out mana crystals they''ll just stop moving, so there''s no big downside to it for now. And even with these numbers, it is not like they take up a lot of space."


    "Haa... If you say so..."


    If he said it was fine, who was I to stop him...


    "Mm... Okay! Dismissed!"


    The dolls scattered immediately, most of them leaving through the window again... climbing over each other, throwing others who were in the way to the side... Yumias had told me they were basically my children and that they were very much alive... But weren''t they a little too lively?


    "Mh... Before I forget it, Yumi."


    "Nn? Yes, Captain?"


    "I should probably explain first what I want you two to do here, right? I messed up the order a little..."


    "Nn?"


    The workshop duty... was it...


    "Do you two know what Ria, Wenners and Krutz do?"


    "Nn... No, not really... They''re apparently... Uhh... Testing? Experimenting? I think..."


    "That''s not too far from it. They are researching things for the most part, yes. But do you know what they are researching?"


    "No, I don''t."


    I glanced at Ria who was still standing behind Korwen. Much to my surprise, she wasn''t sleeping. She still wasn''t listening anymore and was instead staring at the tentacles behind them.


    "Magic and magical tools, magic weapons. Anything that might help strengthen the band. Anything that can be used for battle and for war."


    "Weapons..."


    "It''s not only weapons. Medicine and tools as well. You know about how we destroyed the bridge over the Hollow, right?"


    "Nn... You used the dolls and placed an explosive under the bridge."


    Which caused the entire bridge to fall down into the Hollow, together with whoever was on the bridge...


    "Exactly. And that explosive we used was something made by Ria."


    "Huh? Really?"


    "Yes."


    "I see..."


    Was it fine to let Ria handle such strong explosives? She... blew up her wagon at least once already, right? And I very much doubted that even a reinforced wagon could withstand an explosion that destroyed a bridge...


    "So, what I want you two to do is pretty much exactly the same. Find things that are useful. You already have two good starting points, after all."


    "... Starting points? Ah, the dolls and the tentacles?"


    "Right. Find ways to improve them, make them useful to the band. That''s what your job will be."


    The dolls and the tentacles, huh.


    But the dolls were plenty useful already... Though it was clear there were still some issues to even out.


    "Of course, that''s not all you should be working on, but I guess those two are the more immediate ones."


    Even if he said that, though... What was I actually supposed to do? No idea... Well, Karen was here as well, maybe she had some ideas. Should ask her later.


    "With that said, the dolls are one thing but... those tentacles... Mmm..."


    Korwen rubbed his chin, seemingly thinking about something.


    "... No, let''s not rush things. As I''ve said before, keep quiet about the tentacles as much as possible. And whatever you find in regards to them, report it to Ria. Understood?"


    "Nn, understood, Captain."


    "Good."


    He nodded, satisfied with the answer.


    "For now, we''ll keep it at that. Anything else can be discussed once we know a little more about those tentacles."


    So, our jobs were to figure out things with those dolls and the tentacles...


    That did come quite in handy, now that I thought a little about it. After all, it was something I had planned to do anyway in my free time. If it was treated as work, I could spend more time on it.


    But on the other hand, it also meant I couldn''t escape it anymore either...


    "I think that was all. If you need anything, discuss it with Ria. She''ll stay as your superior, even if she isn''t very diligent, so be sure to report things to her."


    "Nn, understood."


    "Understood, Mr Captain."


    "Good, good. Now, that''s one thing out of the way. Haa... Do you have anything else you want to talk about?"


    "Nn..."


    Anything else...


    Ah, there was one thing.


    "Captain, earlier, the dolls carried a small bag with mana crystals and fed the tentacles with them..."


    "... They fed the tentacles?"


    "Nn. After that, they grew a little but..."


    "Mm... Hey, Ria, what do you think of this.?"


    "..."


    "Ria!"


    "Mm? Captain?"


    Clearly not listening, was she...


    With a sigh, Korwen repeated to her what we told him.


    "Mmm... The dolls... The tentacles... Mmm... It reminds me... of a hive..."


    "A hive?" Korwen asked, his eyebrows furrowed.


    "Mm... Like... an insect hive... The dolls... are the workers... The tentacles... are the nest... And Yumi... Yumi would be... the queen?"


    While I personally didn''t like the analogy of insects... It really did look like that, huh... The dolls were feeding the nest...


    "I see... What do you think we should do?"


    "Mm... As long... as Yumi... keeps it controlled... It should be... fine to... let them... continue... I think..."


    "... Aren''t you just saying that cause you are curious?"


    "..."


    Ria fell silent, not answering...


    So, she was curious...


    "Well, I''ll let you decide what to do about this. As long as you can make sure it stays hidden, I won''t stop you."


    "But... Uhm... Is it fine that the dolls took those mana crystals?"


    He did, after all, just say that they were using up a lot of them.


    "For now, yes. We can''t do much with those small mana crystals and it''s not like they are expensive."


    "Nn, I''ve been wondering, but why are you even hoarding so many small ones?"


    "Why? Ahh, you see, they might not be expensive but it''s not like there are no uses at all for them. The Academy uses them for some experiments and I heard that some tamers use them for their pets. Apparently, some farmers use them as fertilizers too. Then there are also some artisans using them for accessories and the like. We''re neither selling nor buying them but we do keep the ones we get our hands on during jobs and the like."


    "Ahhh... That explains it. So, they just accumulated over time?"


    If you collected them over the years but didn''t use up all of them...


    No, still, did they never think of getting rid of them? They did have a lot of them, evidently...


    "Exactly like that. Although, now it seems that we have some rather convenient use for them, so we might buy some."


    "Isn''t that going to be expensive? Even if they''re cheap."


    "One crate full costs only a silver coin. I did say they''re cheap. The bigger problem is how much we should stock up on."


    "One silver coin..."


    Now I wanted to know even more why they even kept that many... Was it the kind of thing where he thought that maybe they might become useful and it''d be a waste to throw them away? Well, he was right if he had thought like that. Unexpectedly...


    "We''ll still be here for a while so we got time to figure that out. For now, there''s no need to hold back on using those small mana crystals."


    "Okay, if you say so, Captain."


    Then I wasn''t going to hold back...


    "Then, anything else you want to talk about?"


    "Nn, I don''t have anything. Sis?"


    "I have nothing else, either."


    "Okay, then we''ll take out leave."


    Korwen stood up from his chair and stretched his arms.


    "Merim, Ria, let''s get a mo¡ª Merim, are you alright?"


    "Eh? What?"


    "You''re bright red."


    "I''m fine! I''m fine! Everything is fine!"


    "..."


    The bright red Merim was vehemently denying something was wrong but... Clearly something was wrong.


    Though, what Ria dropped after that was surely not making it better.


    "Captain... He''s... aroused..."


    """..."""


    Ah, he turned around and hid his face. Was she... Was Ria actually right?


    "Merim. You''re still young so I won''t say I don''t understand how you feel but... I think you should stay with Helma."


    "You''re wrong, Captain! I''m not doing this on purpose, I''m not!"


    "Yes, yes, let''s leave. I understand."


    Korwen put his arm around Merim and pushed him outside, continuing to comfort him while saying that he understands. And Merim actively denying it, still red as a tomato.


    "Mmm... I think... There is... a misunderstanding..." Ria muttered as she watched the two leave.


    "A... misunderstanding?"


    "Mm... Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "There is... Lust-attributed... mana... in the air..."


    Lust-attributed... mana?


    "Ah."


    Did he get horny because of the mana? Seriously?


    "Huh? But, Miss Ria, aren''t you and Mr Captain fine? And I don''t feel much different either."


    "Mm... The Captain... has a tool... to protect him... I am... a magician... I know... how to deal... with this... As for you..."


    Ria stopped, staring intensely at Karen.


    "... Who knows?"


    She shrugged her shoulders a little, then turned towards the door, before we could continue the topic.


    "''I''ll... go back now... as well..."


    "Ah, yes. Bye."


    "Bye, Miss Ria."


    And there she went, leaving me and Karen alone. Not even the dolls were around anymore, only the patch of the floor covered in tentacles.


    "Not affected... Ah, but maybe that''s what felt weird when I came in?"


    "Nn, maybe?"


    I sat down on the floor and leant on the wall. The paper with the schedule was still in my hand. This was going to be my new daily life, huh... Well, it seemed a little more orderly, so maybe that was a good thing. Until now we just did whatever they told us to, but that couldn''t continue forever.


    Actually, weren''t we supposed to work under Ria? Though she never really told us to do anything...


    Maybe that was the reason for the schedules...


    Well, whatever was the case, I wasn''t going to complain about it. This was probably easier for everyone.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "Do Emily and the girls know that they shouldn''t come in here anymore?"


    "... I don''t think so."


    "... Maybe we should look for them before they turn up here suddenly."


    That... could turn out a little problematic, yeah...


    Korwen had just told us to keep the tentacles off-limits to everyone so...


    With that in mind, I stood up again.


    "Nn, we should look for them..."


    "... We should but..."


    "But?"


    "... I don''t think we should leave the wagon unsupervised."


    That... That was a good point. It''d be also troublesome if we missed them. Those three were really likely to just suddenly appear, weren''t they? And I sure didn''t want that to happen right after Korwen told us to keep it a secret.


    "We should''ve mentioned that to Korwen..."


    "Now it is too late, Yumi."


    True...


    He was gone already.


    "How about I''ll go look for Mr Captain again and you wait here?"


    "Nn, guess we''ll have to do it like that."


    If we were to start with the schedule today already...


    Well, the practice was something I could worry about tomorrow. Merim didn''t seem to be in a state for it anyway. And after that was the workshop stuff anyway so we got plenty time.


    "Then, I''ll try to be quick."


    "Nn, I''ll wait here, Sis."


    And now, Karen left as well, leaving me all alone.


    Haaa... What do I do now...


    Waiting was boring. Especially if you had nothing else to do.


    I could have actually started working on something, like Korwen told me to, but... Well, for now, I just wanted to catch a bit of air, so I went outside, waiting in front of the wagon. If someone wanted to come in, it was better to stop them before they opened the door anyway.


    That doesn''t change that I got nothing to do now.


    The camp wasn''t exactly all that busy right now either... And although there had been that uproar earlier, it was rather quiet right now.


    There isn''t even anyone around right now... At breakfast probably, huh...


    Nothing I could do about now.


    I leaned against the wagon, staring up at the blue sky. A small flock of birds passed by above me, traveling towards the sun. It was still quite early, so the sun hadn''t risen all that much.


    I wonder if the cardinal directions are the same here... Or the seasons... This world already has two suns so maybe there are differences in the seasons as well? But then they separate the months into four seasons too...


    Time was probably going to tell me about it either way... It wasn''t like I could just go back to my old world anymore. Even if I could... I didn''t want to leave Karen. I was a little curious about my family over there but... I could only hope they were doing fine.


    Not like I remember much anyway...


    In the end, there hadn''t been any more dreams nor did anything else happen in regards to my mostly missing memories. Not that I complained, mind you. If nothing bad happened, that was a good thing.


    Maybe I should ask that monster about it again, though... Like... It''d be at least good to let them know that I am fine and safe, right? My family over there...


    "Haaa..."


    Speaking of which, where did that monster run off to anyway? She might know about what happened to me, right? The Elder knew a little but... It wasn''t exactly a lot. And she did refuse to speak about some parts of it. From the way she spoke, though, it seemed to be a dangerous thing... I probably wouldn''t say anything in that case either, huh... Nothing I could do about, may¡ª


    "Nn?"


    Absorbed in my thoughts, I hadn''t noticed someone approaching. It was probably just Karen or maybe a mercenary who had come back from breakfast but...


    No. Something is wrong. Really wrong!


    A shudder ran down my spine. The urge to hide or run away overcame me like a flood. I had no idea what this feeling was... Instinctive fear? Whatever it was... it was already too late... Three hooded people appeared, walking right towards me. The middle person grabbed their hood pulling it down.


    "Good Morning, little miss. So we meet again."


    "You are... the woman from earlier."


    A woman, probably in her early twenties appearance-wise, with wavy hair going down to her shoulders. Pink hair and pink eyes. She was accompanied by her two hooded companions again.


    "Yumelia is my name. May I ask for yours?"


    "..."


    "Silence, is it? Well, that''s fine too."


    The woman chuckled, causing me to shudder once again. I still felt the urge to run. I knew this person was more than just bad news.


    But I could barely move... As if something was forcing me to stand right here. Maybe it was my panic, maybe my surprise... maybe something else.


    "I am glad I am finally able to meet you, little miss. Those pesky mercenaries nearly fooled me, I admit. It''s fortunate I decided to stay around a little longer."


    Fortunate? More like, unfortunate...


    "What... What do you want from me?"


    I forced myself to squeeze out the question.


    The woman, Yumelia stared me for a moment... Then, her eyes turned wide.


    "Want? Want... Want! Right, right! Little miss! I am here to pick you up! I apologise for taking so long! Our inability to locate you in a timely manner has caused you undue distress, hasn''t it?! Ahhh! How horrible! How terrifying! All alone among these humans! But! BUT! Now everything is going to be fine! You can be relieved!"


    The woman stepped forward, approaching me without care, her arms spread wide as if she was welcoming me.


    Her eyes, her wide smile... The whole impression I got from her... She was scary. Scary... And somehow, I felt disgusted as well.


    "... Little miss?"


    She stopped in her tracks. I had involuntarily backed away from her. Much to my surprise. The disgust was so strong... I didn''t want anything to do with this person...


    And that wasn''t received well, obviously.


    "I see... Have those humans already tarnished your mind? That''s a problem. A problem. Ahhh, but that means we''ll have to rectify it! That! That might be wonderful, too! Ahh, we''ll spend a lot of time together, little miss! Yes! Maybe I should thank them instead?"


    The hell was up with this woman? What was she even talking about?


    "Who... Who the hell are you even?"


    "Huh? I thought I introduced myself? I am Yumelia! Yumelia, an ardent follower of our dearest Witch! Little miss! You have met her, haven''t you? You met our dearest, our beloved witch! Haven''t you?! Ahh, I am so jealous! I wish I could catch but a glimpse of her!"


    The woman stared at the sky with a euphoric expression, as if she was experiencing bliss. Unfathomable bliss.


    "The... Witch Worshippers?"


    "Ahh, you know of us? I am honoured! But please, do not use that crude name! Those pesky humans gave it to us. We have no need for such a name! We are simply followers! Simple, humble followers of the almighty witch!"


    Humble? More like fanatical.


    Seeing her like this... I was still scared but there was something else... Something... Something... I didn''t want anything to do with her... I wanted to get away, if anything... I felt as if I had to... a strong... urge. An urge... rejecting this woman.


    "But do not worry, we will teach you, my dear little flower. You will learn of all that is necessary for your task! There is no need to worry!"


    No, there wasn''t any way in hell that I wanted to learn anything from this woman. This morning, she had seemed like a completely different person! Not like this... crazy fanatic. I never imagined meeting such a person and after meeting her I wanted to meet them even less! I was convinced of that.


    "Is, is that so."


    Could this woman please leave? She wouldn''t, would she? Not voluntarily, at least.


    What should I do now? This woman was scary as hell. Yet, she wasn''t as scary as Yumias. And somehow, that relieved me. And calmed me down a little. As calm as was possible, probably.


    Unfortunately, that didn''t solve my predicament. At all.


    Waiting for help... Might work? But...


    There had been nobody around when this woman appeared. And there was still nobody here. Did she... do something? Most likely she did. At least, I should probably assume so. Waiting until I was alone was probably futile... Even if there were few mercenaries around, there would still be some. In other words, she definitely did something.


    Which means, she is probably a lot more dangerous than she looks like... There are also those two behind her...


    The people without a soul... So, probably they weren''t humans...


    Waiting might work... But there was no telling how long I would have to wait. And I doubted I could keep this woman busy that long.


    So, my only other option is to escape, isn''t it?


    While I was busy sorting out my thoughts, the woman had continued ranting on about the greatness of Yumias, the despicable humans and who knew what else. Although, by the time I finished my thoughts... Her monologue finished as well. Unfortunately, so.


    "I think it''s time now, little miss. Let us be on our way."


    "Do I get no say in this?"


    "Say? No, no, I just said it, haven''t I? It''s fate."


    "... Fate?"


    The heck did she talk about while I was a little busy. I should have listened... But listening as well as thinking about what to do was a little hard to do at the same time. At least it wasn''t as easy as it sounded. Not for me.


    "Yes, fate! It''s your fate to come with us and guide us! Guide us to our paradise!"


    "I''m sorry but you''ll have to look for someone else to do that for you."


    "... Haaa, as expected, you have been among humans for too long already, haven''t you? Are you refusing our paradise?"


    She shook her head as she sighed.


    "But it''s fine, we will teach you slowly."


    She stepped forward again, approaching me. There was no other choice. If not now, I''d probably get dragged away and never meet the others again. That was the feeling I got from her. From her ''fate.''


    "I''m sorry but I don''t want to."


    With those words, I turned around and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn''t have anything on me I could use as a weapon so this was really the only option I had. If I had at least a mana crystal or something. Or one of those elemental stones.


    "... Dolls, catch her."


    Barely a second after I heard those words... The hooded people¡ªno, the hooded dolls¡ªstood in front of me.


    No way?! Did they teleportor what?!


    So much to me running away.


    This... What do I do now?


    The dolls were in front of me, Yumelia behind me. Even if I were to run in a different direction, those dolls would catch up to me immediately again. This wasn''t even an issue of being a slow runner or anything anymore. That was simply impossible to outrun.


    I dreadfully watched the human-sized dolls approaching me, stretching their wooden arms towards me.


    Eh?


    But then, something weird happened. The dolls... fell to the ground, as if the string had been cut.


    "... As expected, it wasn''t going to be that easy," Yumelia muttered behind me.


    Small leaves were peeking out from the robes of the dolls, slowly growing into branches. The wooden dolls... Were growing branches, leaves and the like, as if they were trees.


    "To think that elf would really protect you. How soft she has grown with the millennia passing. How troublesome..."


    "..."


    That elf? Was this... the Elder''s work? Did the Elder... protect me?


    "It seems that it is my loss this time. It isn''t the time to aggravate that elf. I would have loved it if you were to join us willingly but..."


    "... I won''t."


    I turned around, facing that woman again. She kept her distance now, maybe wary of whatever had happened right now. Not like I could explain it either.But I understood... The tables had turned on her...


    Still, her fanatical expression was gone, replaced by a calm, serene smile. Yet again... It wasn''t the facade I had seen from her this morning... Nor the fanatical behaviour from before... A serene smile.... Like a saint''s.


    "I understand. I hope you will change your mind."


    She turned around, walking away with slow steps.


    "But remember, little miss flower.


    A flower''s fate is to wither. No matter how beautiful their blossoms are, no matter how strong their roots, they will inevitably wither and die. No flower can ever hope to escape this fate."


    Fate.


    The inevitable. The future. The predestined.


    The desired. The wish. The coveted.


    The path forged for us.


    The path forged by us.


    If you look back on your life, do you think it was fate that brought you to this point?


    If you look ahead of your life, do you think it is fate that will guide you to your final destination?


    What do you think fate is?


    Is it something you create with your own two hands or is it something that was already created for you?


    Do you want it to be forged by your own power?


    Or do you want it to be forged by someone else?


    Or maybe neither of them?


    What is it, that you desire?


    What is the Fate that you yearn for, my flower?


    Rinne


    Depending on one''s viewpoint, a situation might change drastically. For Yumi, it was an unwelcome surprise. For Yumelia, it was prepared and planned since the moment they met. And for you?


    As some might have expected, this is the ending arc chapter, albeit it happend a little sudden. Things are always in motion and things never stop being in motion. No matter what you say, the world moves. And many things started moving or continued moving. But I wonder... where are they heading towards? And where will they stop?


    Maybe I shouldn''t write author notes in the middle of the night...


    Anyway, as always, thank you so much for reading!


    I truly hope you all are safe and healthy. And stay cautious. Wash your hands, keep your minimum distance. All thoe things. It''s not yet time to stop.


    I hate being cooped up at my place as well in this nice weather... Then again it''s just too hot anyway.


    Rinn¨¦

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Bonds of the Mercenaries

    "Mm... As expected, nothing, huh..."


    "... Nothing... is it?"


    "Nothing."


    "I... see..."


    "I''m sorry, Yumi."


    "No, it''s... it''s fine..."


    Korwen looked at me, his expression apologetic.


    "Whatever she did, she left absolutely no traces... Probably either magic or something else was at play here."


    "..."


    "For now, we''ll keep the guard up as much as possible. You know what that means."


    "Nn... I do... Haa..."


    I glanced behind me, at the huge man who was supposed to guard me. Noticing me gaze, he gave me a thumbs up...


    Several days had passed since my unfortunate encounter with Yumelia and... somehow or another Korwen forced a guard on me at all times for our remaining duration at the capital. That wasn''t a problem in and of itself. Heck, I welcomed it...


    Just... the first day it was a normal relatively young mercenary, clad in leather armour, carrying his weapon. The next day it was someone from Fenna''s squad. The day after it was a man wearing metal armour. And from the day after that one, it had been this huge man, wearing black armour, from top to bottom and armed to the teeth.


    Actually, I didn''t even know if it was the same man. The face was hidden by the helmet...


    "If possible, stay close to either Karen, Lily or Ria as well."


    "Nn... Will do."


    "Don''t worry. We won''t let that happen again."


    "Nn..."


    I could only hope it wouldn''t...


    Right after that woman had left, the Elder came rushing over to me, having noticed that her protection or whatever had triggered. And just a short while later, the whole mercenary camp was up and running, trying to find that woman. Unfortunately, with no success.


    "Haaa..."


    "Yumi? Still worried about what Mr Captain said?"


    "Nn... A little."


    "I see... I''ll be here for you! Even if she comes again, I''ll chase her away!"


    "Nn. Thank you, Sis."


    Karen squeezed my hand, trying to cheer me up. I was blessed to have her with me, wasn''t I?


    "But I rather she doesn''t show up again in the first place."


    Back then I hadn''t noticed, but I had been a lot more scared than I realised. Once that woman had left, all the tension was gone. Simply gone.


    Or to say it in other words, I had a bit of a breakdown. No worries, I was fine now, for the most part. Although, I had to admit, that I didn''t want to be alone if possible. It wasn''t on the level where I would break down again but I did feel a little anxious.


    But right afterward Yumelia had left... It had been pretty bad. Like, really really bad.


    The only welcome part of it was that it had been the Elder who found me first. As expected of someone living such a long live, she knew how to comfort someone... Although I did feel a bit sorry that she had to see me like that. She even helped me preserve my dignity as an adult. I couldn''t even begin to describe how thankful I was to her.


    "... That would be for the best but... Yumi, I doubt she will leave you alone."


    "Probably..."


    A vain hope... But, maybe, just maybe... Something happened and she wouldn''t come back again. Yeah, wasn''t that the most optimal outcome?


    Yeah, probably not... She clearly wanted something from me. Or rather, she wanted me to do something. Because of who I was...


    And that also means... She knew about me... And about what I am...


    Maybe I should have tried to pry some information from her... In hindsight, in hindsight... What was done, was done. Either way... whether she would have told me anything would have been a completely different matter altogether.


    Either way, at the time, I had been more concerned about myself, trying to get to safety. There was no leeway to worry about such a thing.


    "Haaa..."


    Sitting in Karen''s lap, I leaned back, resting my head on her chest and enjoying her warmth. A second later and I could feel her arm wrapping around me and squeezing me gently.


    "Nn..."


    "I''m sure it will turn out fine."


    "Nn... I hope so... But... She did manage to run away without leaving any trail..."


    "That''s..."


    The mercenaries were no detectives, investigators, hunters or anything else that required specialised tracking skills. Of course, there were a few that were rather adapt at it but according to Korwen, they were average at best. I did not ask what kind of average.


    "If they had at least let them into the city, they might have managed to dig something up."


    "Nn... The Captain mentioned that it''s unlikely that would have changed anything."


    "Really?"


    "Nn."


    She kind of tricked us, after all... She was probably a lot more proficient in magic than we had thought at first. The Captain was still cautious that it might have been a trick at our initial meeting but... He vastly underestimated the degree.


    I wasn''t too sure about the details but Ria suspected she had cleared the area around me with very subtle magic. So subtle, that we wouldn''t notice. Although, because it was so subtle it probably didn''t affect anyone with sufficient inherent mana and a certain level of control. In other words, magicians. That was probably why she had to wait for Karen to leave on her own before she appeared before me.


    Quite the scary magic... You won''t even realise that she forced you to go away...


    But Ria emphasised that this was, in the end, just a theory. It made sense when you listened to it but it was ultimately just a theory with no hard evidence to support it. That, of course, didn''t change the horror the mercenaries felt, understanding they had likely become the target of such magic. Who wouldn''t feel horrified there?


    Korwen was trying to implement protective measures against magic like this in the future, but that was a lot easier said than done. They never had to deal with such a situation before, either.


    To add on that, before these protective measures were set up, even if they had managed to track her down... She might have been capable of just turning them away, thinking they had the wrong person. And we would be none the wiser...


    The only saving grace was, that Korwen had a pretty good idea on how to prevent this in the future. The only problem was apparently money...


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "To change the topic a little, did Mr Wormaz call for you already?"


    "Nn? No, he didn''t. But he did say he should finish around noon latest."


    "Then he should finish soon, right?"


    "Nn..."


    I looked up at the sky, searching for the sun. It wasn''t yet quite noon, the sun still closer to the horizon than the zenith.


    "I guess so. Want to go take a look, Sis?"


    "We can. But don''t you have your training with Merim soon?"


    "Not today. He gave me off for a day because the Captain called me."


    "Oh? How nice of him."


    "Nn... He''ll definitely make up for that tomorrow, though..."


    It wasn''t purely because he was nice, either. He was still the vice-captain, so he did have his own work as well. Surely... He always seemed awfully free but that was probably just my imagination.


    How come the vice-captain was stuck with training us, anyway?


    "But Sis, what about you?"


    "Me? We finished while you were at Mr Captain''s. Rina and Lily were there too."


    "Oh..."


    So diligent, those three. Karen could have asked for a day off as well. Though she and Lily were currently learning about combat  and magical theory from Ria and some older mercenaries, which wasn''t as physically taxing. They still had normal practice, of course.


    Meanwhile, I was stuck at pure stamina and muscle training... Because my stamina was so bad that Merim was actually astonished at how fast I was out of breath... And it didn''t seem to get better at all either.


    At least Rina was about the same as me. If I should be happy about that considering her past... Well... At least we weren''t alone.


    "Should we go check up on Mr Wormaz then?"


    "Nn. Let''s do that. I''m curious about the result."


    "So am I."


    We stood up from the bench we had occupied and slowly made our way to our destination. Like always, mercenaries were running to and fro, busy with work. There were jobs to do after all. Adding that incident with Yumelia and the camp wasn''t making it any better either.


    That obviously also included the guard silently following me and Karen right now.


    "Nn, that reminds me. Did they figure out what to do about that ogre capture?"


    "I heard from Ria that they intend to trap it. It seems they don''t yet know what they should do after they trapped it..."


    "After?"


    I tilted my head. Didn''t they just need to deliver it to the Academy?


    "There''s no way the ogre will sit quietly around, right? And they don''t have any cage or something to contain it."


    "Ohh..."


    That was indeed a problem. A raging ogre would likely just instantly break out of any regular cage.


    "In a way, it''s good that things got delayed with the jobs, especially with the ogre."


    "Nn, true."


    The incident took priority, after all. Thankfully, the Academy wasn''t in a hurry either, so they didn''t mind. I had the feeling they still wouldn''t mind even if it took a month longer...


    Though, it wasn''t like all of it was put on hold.


    "Reminds me, I saw Fenna and her squad at the Captain''s."


    "Oh?"


    "Those two girls were with them as well. Apparently they''ll stay here for a few days."


    "I see."


    The two girls seemed rather anxious, most likely because of the unfamiliar environment. Not all too surprising. This was a mercenary band, after all. And most of them didn''t have the best of reputations.


    They might also be worried about the situation in general... Not that there had been any news so far... Haa...


    So many things were going on... Couldn''t they come one after another and not, like, all at once? Was that too hard?


    Probably... Such was life. One problem rarely came alone.


    "Oh, Yumi, look."


    "Nn? Ohhh."


    We had arrived at our destination. The wagon, our future workshop.


    "Huh? Fucking hell, are you daft?! I told you to bring me that metal window! Metal! Do you understand? Metal! It''s that hard as fuck shit with screws in it! What am I supposed to do with this? Huh?!"


    And there he was, a tiny, muscle-packed man, the literal incarnation of how I imagined a dwarf. Except, he wasn''t a dwarf.


    "But, I thought this works too?"


    "No! It fucking doesn''t! Stop thinking and start listening, you peanut brain! No, forget it! Just leave, I''ll do it myself! And don''t fucking come back!"


    "But..."


    "No buts! You can go! Shoo, shoo!"


    The boy he was shouting at turned around dejectedly and left. He barely seemed to be around fourteen or so.


    "Mr Wormaz."


    "Mh? Oh, you two. Sorry, but I''m not done yet. Still a few parts missing. Haaa..."


    He shook his head, letting out a deep sigh.


    "Nn, who was that boy?"


    "That brat? Don''t fucking remind me. He''s one of those problem kids from fucking Korwen''s group. Came crawling asking for apprenticeship. I really want some help around so I figured, hey, let''s give him a chance. Worst decision I made, I tell you! Doesn''t move unless you tell him to, has a brain the size of a peanut at most and worst of all, he doesn''t even come to me on his own, I have to fucking call him for work! I''m not his fucking caretaker nor his babysitter! Gah!"


    Wormaz threw the hammer in his hand at the ground while shouting. His sudden scream made me flinch back in surprise.


    "Is, is that so..."


    "Ah. Sorry, you girls, got a little too angry there. Not at you, of course."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine."


    He picked up the hammer that was buried in the ground and cleaned it up.


    "Either way, that brat caused me more fucking work than he helped, so it got delayed. Still need to fix some up some stuff on the outside, but it''s mostly finished. Ah, the inside is done already. And no worries, I didn''t let anybody else in."


    "Thank you."


    The wagon had changed significantly from a few days. There were black metal plates covering it, rivets along the ends of each plate, securing them. The emblem of the Dragon Knights was drawn on one plate, large enough to be visible from quite a distance. The emblem of the Black Guards was similarly displayed, albeit a little smaller.


    "Reinforced the outside with magic iron and some Silver Moon metal. It should be able to withstand most attacks from people and small monsters. It can''t hold up long against magic, though, keep that in mind. Monsters with a lot of strength like the ogre can probably trash it as well given enough time. Anything larger and don''t even try to hide in there."


    That was already quite a lot, to be honest. After all, the ogre couldn''t break through it immediately.


    "Had to remodel some parts, especially the windows, the door and around the wheels. Made a cover protecting the wheels, the door and the windows are both completely made of metal now. Still got to fetch the windows and install them, but you won''t be able to open them entirely anymore. Only partly."


    "Nn? Why only partly?"


    "Cause you don''t want people to peek a glance inside, do you? For the door I had to get creative a little. There''s a partition behind it so you can''t look inside now. Had quite a hard time installing that. I''m no carpenter, after all."


    Ohh. I hadn''t even considered those things.


    "There''s a few other things but I don''t want to bore you with the details. The inside I mostly got rid of everything unnecesary. How about you take a look inside?"


    He walked to the door and entered the wagon, motioning us to follow him.


    Curious, we peeked inside and sure enough, I couldn''t see anything through the door. A black metal partition blocked my view and I had to walk inside first.


    "Nn, it got really spacious."


    That was my first impression upon seeing the inside. Shelves, benches and stuff were all gone. Only two desks, a few chairs, a small table and one bed remained. Though, the bed was actually an addition. There were a few crates in the back as well.


    "What are those?"


    "Mh? ah, the crates? Your captain had them brought over yesterday. Full of those tiny mana crystals, they are?"


    "Nn?"


    I walked to a crate and lifted lid.


    "Woah..."


    It really was full with them... Each crystal was barely as large as my fingernail.


    "That''s a lot."


    "It is, you better fucking believe it! And those crates are heavy!"


    They surely wouldn''t move from this spot within the foreseeable future, then.


    "Doesn''t look like we''ll run out of them anytime soon..."


    "Nn... But this is a lot more than I ever imagined."


    Just one of these crates was already enough... But there was half a dozen of them now.


    "Now, the other side, though."


    Wormaz pointed at the black wall. Yes, a black wall. To prevent them from taking over the entire inside of the wagon, Wormaz had installed a wall in the middle, effectively separating the wagon into two halves. The wagon was by no means small, so it wasn''t a big issue, thankfully.


    I walked up to the wall and opened the metal door.


    "Ahh..."


    The other side was... Well... Rather lively.


    "I removed any furniture from that side. There''s nothing else in there now."


    It was indeed compeltely barren, outside of the tentacles that already covered the entire floor as well as a significant portion of the walls. They had grown a ton and there sure didn''t seem to be an end in sight either.


    "Thank you, Wormaz."


    "You''re welcome. It''s my job after all. In exchange, if you find anything useful, I hope you''ll share it with me! Hahaha!"


    "Nn, we''ll do that."


    "Right, right. Karen, how about you become my apprentice as a thanks?"


    "... I am sorry but that''s not possible."


    "Gah! Figured!"


    Still hadn''t given up on it, huh.


    "Still, if you learn how to make Silver Moon metal, I hope you won''t mind making some for me."


    "... I will try to remember it."


    "Better than nothing. Well, if there''s anything else you girls need, just call me."


    "Nn. Thank you, Wormaz."


    He had been a huge help, really. He had done a lot of work, improving the wagon, turning it into a workshop.


    "Ah, right, before I forget it. This here."


    Wormaz pointed at a corner where a weird-looking metal contraption stood.


    "I originally wanted to fix it on the ceiling so it wouldn''t be in the fucking way but I didn''t get to it yet. I''ll do that when we get that other fucking tool, until then, you shouldn''t touch that."


    "Is that the mana scrambler?"


    "Exactly. It''s running fine for now, but it was a pain to set up properly. Don''t make me do it again."


    "We''ll try to be careful."


    So that was the mana scrambler, huh. Better not touch it.


    "Good. I still got some work to do, though, so I''ll get back to it. I won''t mind it if you two stay inside but it might get a little loud."


    "Okay."


    "Nn."


    And like that, Wormaz left the wagon again, leaving Karen and me alone inside.


    "Nn..."


    A little curious, I approached the bed that was added to the room. Though it was really just a mattress in a wooden box on the floor.


    "Yumi?"


    "... It''s hard."


    The mattress was, of course... It was a lot better than sleeping on the floor with a blanket but... I kind of wanted a bed from my old world...


    "You think so? Seems pretty normal to me, though? Just having a mattress in the first place is already quite a luxury."


    "Nn... Is that so?"


    Were mattresses that rare?


    "They take up quite a lot of space, they''re not something you can casually carry around."


    "Ah, you meant it like that."


    Not the price was the issue but space was.


    True, usually you don''t have the space for these things...


    Reminded me a little of the things I had heard about ships. There was so little space that only very few people had the luxury of a bed or even any privacy in general. It was by far not as bad as it was on a ship, but we didn''t have an infinite amount of space either.


    "But, how come he added the bed in here then?"


    Not to mention, it was only one bed. It was... only one...


    "Oh, Wormaz asked me about it. The Black Guards still had one or two leftover mattresses and since there was space left, he asked if we were interested."


    "... Good job, Sis."


    Unfortunately, I had the vague feeling we wouldn''t be able to make too much use of the bed. Emily, Maya and Sele wanted to sleep together with everyone, after all.


    But occasionally... Occasionally... Yeah, I was looking forward to this. This was actually a huge leap forward in terms of privacy.


    Finally, we can have some alone time!


    Nobody would notice if we hijacked a little bit of our work time for some other stuff, right?


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? Sis?"


    "Did you hear what I said?"


    "... No. Sorry, I wasn''t listening."


    "... I suggested that we should go and bring our stuff here."


    Our stuff? Well, there certainly was enough space for those.


    "We can do that I guess?"


    "... I don''t want the girls to find a certain collar or a certain stack of images."


    "... Let''s fetch them immediately."


    It''d definitely become troublesome if they found those. Lily and Rina knew about the collar but not about those images...


    Speaking of which, I completely forgot to ask the dolls about those pictures.


    Should do that sooner rather than later, lest they create even more questionable art I couldn''t show to anyone.


    With that in mind, we left the wagon again. Wormaz was already back, having fetched the things he needed by himself.


    "You leaving already again?"


    "Nn, we''re just going to bring our stuff here."


    "Ah, I see. Good luck with that."


    He gave a quick wave and then returned to his work.


    Without further ado, we made our way towards the tent we were currently occupying.


    "Mr Wormaz is impressive, isn''t he?"


    "Nn? Yes, he is."


    Most of the remodelling and reinforcing was done completely by himself. That was a lot of work. Obviously why it took him several days. He even had to do some stuff he wasn''t familiar with, although that didn''t seem to bother him much.


    In addition, he was also rather calm when he saw those tentacles. He wasn''t told anything, but he also didn''t ask anything. Only commenting that ''he had seen weirder stuff from his mother.''


    Just what the heck was up with that mother of his...


    "I hope he can find an apprentice soon."


    "I''m not going to do it, Yumi."


    "That would be a problem for me anyway so that''s fine. I don''t want our time together to decrease."


    "Ehehe, is that so?"


    "Nn."


    Karen took hold of my arm, pulling me closer to her side.


    "I won''t let you take that back."


    "That''s fine. I have no intentions to do so."


    Our time together had actually increased a lot in the past days. Karen had become really overprotective and kept being around me at all times. I felt a little bad about taking advantage of it since it was out of worry but I very much welcomed her staying around.


    Although, it is a little embarassing... After all...


    I threw a glance behind me.


    Accompanied by the clanking of metal pieces, the fully armoured guard followed us, watching us silently. The time with Karen increased, but our time alone decreased a lot.


    "Haaa..."


    It wasn''t even possible for me to see the reaction of the man beneath all that armour. And he kept completely silent as well. It was a little creepy.


    Still better than the guy on the first day, though. The guards were supposed to be with me at all times. Of course, not literally all times. When nature called, when I was sleeping or when we were in that wagon slash workshop, they wouldn''t follow me but keep close.


    But the first guy took the job a little too literally... Well, he got what he deserved. It certainly wasn''t his brightest idea to follow me to the bathroom in Karen''s presence...


    What happened to him... Well... He surely wouldn''t come close to Karen or me in the foreseeable future. It was one of the comparatively younger mercenaries that I had barely interacted with outside of Merim and Fenna.


    "Yumi? Is something the matter?"


    "Nn? Ah, I just wondered... How do they decide the guard?"


    "Mm... Did you not ask them?"


    "Well..."


    Once more, I glanced at the man behind us. I hadn''t asked them, no. It was a little hard to strike up a conversation... They just followed you quietly, always looking... It honestly made me feel uncomfortable, though I knew why it was necessary.


    "Should I ask?"


    "Nn... Could you?"


    "Leave it to me!"


    Maybe she noticed my dilemma, having offered to ask in my stead. Karen turned around, facing the mercenary.


    "Hey, how do you guys decide who keeps watch over Yumi?"


    "... We draw lots. Or play dice."


    "... Lots?"


    The two of us exchanged a confused glance.


    "Why lots? Or dice."


    "... To keep it fair."


    "Uhh... Fair? Like, the winner is free, or what?"


    "No. The other way round. The winner is allowed to take the guard job."


    "..."


    The winner? Was it something they wanted to do? Wasn''t... Wasn''t guard work rather boring?


    "Ehhh... Why the winner and not the loser?"


    "..."


    "Hey?"


    "..."


    Not saying another word, he fell silent.


    Curious, we stopped in our tracks and turned around to the guard. We had arrived at the tent now anyway.


    "Why the winner and not the loser?" Karen repeated the question to the unmoving guard.


    "Because..."


    ""Because?""


    "..."


    Once again, he fell silent.


    The heck was up with this? Was it something he couldn''t say?


    "Because Miss Yumi is a good chil¡ª person."


    "..."


    "And everyone wants to help her."


    Ah, I see... They saw me as a child they needed to protect? Was it that?


    "Just for the record, I''m an adult."


    "But you are still young, right?"


    "That''s..."


    "You both are young enough that you could be their daughters."


    "I see..."


    I had a little bit of a mixed feeling about this, to be honest.


    "Please don''t hold it against them. They just mean well."


    "Nn... Still... I feel a little bad about making them worry..."


    It might be a bit rude but I had only talked with few of the mercenaries. In the first place, the band was several hundred men large. It was impossible to know everyone. With that said, they were, rudely said, mostly strangers.


    "It''s not worry, Miss Yumi. They are angry."


    "... Angry?"


    "Yes. Someone tried to harm a mercenary, a member of our band, our comrade, our family. And it had been our own blunder that allowed it to happen. How couldn''t we be anything but angry?"


    "... Ah."


    The mercenary band was one large family. I had been told that a few times.


    It''s not just lip service. They really mean it.


    They really believed it. And as such, they were angry that someone tried to harm me. It didn''t even matter to them that I hadn''t spoken to them before.


    "I see... Then, I guess I should say thank you."


    "... You''re welcome, Miss Yumi."


    "Nn."


    Just a little, the uncomfortable feeling vanished. The person following me was not doing it because it was simply their job. They did it because they wanted to.


    That... rather than making me feel bad... I felt happy. It was odd. If it had been out of worry, I would feel bad. But they were angry, and I was actually thankful for it. It made me happy.


    They got angry on my behalf...


    Once again, I was reminded, just how much these people cared for each other.


    Rinne


    Seems it caused quite a bit of an uproar. But at least Yumi saved her dignity as an adult. If nothing else.


    Not like there was much else to lose at this point. Yeah...


    Thanks for reading! If you want to read ahead or just want to support me a little, take a look on my Patreon!


    You know the drill, only two coffee and so.


    Until next week, stay healthy!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: A Growing Relationship

    A little later and Karen and I finished bringing our belongings over to the wagon. There wasn''t much after all and thankfully, it didn''t seem like anyone had found the pictures the dolls had drawn. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I had the vague feeling the stack grew again, though.


    I desperately needed to have a talk with the dolls in regards to this.


    "Hey, you girlies. You came at just the right fucking time."


    "Mr Wormaz?"


    "I finished with the windows. Come and take a look."


    "Nn?"


    Karen and I walked up to Wormaz who had stepped down from his ladder and pointed at the newly covered window. It was honestly a... rather odd contraption. Simply said, it was a metal plate covering the opening. This metal plate could be opened just a little, so that a slit opened at the bottom, barely as wide as my palm.


    "Nn, why does the bottom side open? Why not the upper side?"


    "Because you sure wouldn''t be the first lucky one getting a fucking arrow into your face, standing behind that window."


    "..."


    That...


    Yeah, point taken.


    It did sound extremely unlikely, to be honest, but it seemed I wasn''t the first one to think it was unlikely as well... And I sure didn''t want to follow into their footsteps.


    "Also, two things I got to tell you."


    "Nn?"


    "First, you probably want to go looking for a lamp. Since I covered everything up now, it''ll be rather dark inside."


    "Oh... Nn, we''ll get one. What''s the other thing?"


    "... It''s going to be hot inside."


    "... Excuse me?"


    Hot? Well, yeah, it sure would get hot inside when the sun is up for... a while... and...


    Ohhh, fucking hell...


    "Did you get it?"


    "Nn..."


    "Just a tip, but a basket with water helps a lot on such days. Though, seeing as it is summer, you might want to get one now already. Nothing''s better than wiping down after sweating."


    "... Nn, we''ll take a look."


    Wormaz gave us a big grin.


    "Now then, I''m done here so I''ll clean up. If you got any problems, just call me. Granted I''m not busy, I''ll take a look."


    "Okay. And thank you, once again."


    "You''re welcome! It''s my job, after all."


    He heaved up his tools, gave us one last wave and then he made his way back. Though he''d probably have to take a few trips, cleaning up everything.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn? What is it, Sis?"


    "... What did he mean? With hot?"


    "Nn? Ahh... Well..."


    Karen hadn''t noticed yet, huh...


    "You know how things heat up when they are in the sun for a while?"


    "Of course I do."


    "Nn. Well, and black objects heat up the most."


    "..."


    "Also, we can''t properly air it even if we keep those windows open. They''re not exactly wide, after all."


    "..."


    Karen''s expression made an impressive turn from curious over to absolutely horrified. It was a sight to see.


    "Miss Yumi, Miss Karen."


    "Nn?"


    "... Yes?"


    Our escort suddenly spoke up for some reason.


    Speaking of which, this guy was wearing black armour... I was astonished they didn''t get heatstroke, walking around with that. Sure as hell didn''t want to be in their place.


    "Most wagons have a small door in the roof that can be opened. It''s actually for emergencies when the wagon topples over, but it can also be used to air the wagon."


    "Eh? There is one?"


    If that was true, it''d help a lot. Hot air had the fortunate tendency to go upwards, after all.


    "There should be one, yes."


    "Ohhh."


    We should definitely look for it. Or ask Wormaz in case we couldn''t find it.


    "Yumi, let''s take our things inside and look for it."


    "Nn."


    I followed Karen inside the wagon after thanking the guard once more. It had been relatively bright before but with the windows mostly closed, it had become rather dim inside. We put everything down and then we checked the ceiling for the opening. And sure enough, there was something right above us. Just... there was a problem.


    "It''s too high."


    The ceiling was rather high so Karen couldn''t reach it. Of course, neither could I. Though, if the wagon toppled over, that wasn''t an issue, but if we just wanted to get some fresh air inside, it was.


    "Yumi, try climbing on my shoulders. It should be close enough for that."


    "Nn, okay."


    Karen squatted down, waiting for me to climb on her shoulders.


    "Nn, here we go."


    "Okay, I got you."


    "... Don''t let go."


    "I won''t. And here we go."


    "Waaahhh."


    The ceiling was coming closer! But before that... I was quite high up in the air.


    "... Please, don''t let go."


    "I won''t, Yumi. I won''t let go of your legs. Ehehe..."


    "... Sis, what are you doing?"


    "Just enjoying the situation."


    "I can see that..."


    Seriously... Sitting on her shoulders was rather unnerving, to be honest. I preferred to have ground on my feet. It wasn''t like it bothered me a whole lot, but I couldn''t claim that I was perfectly fine with it either. With that in mind, I turned my attention upwards.


    "Nn... Oh, I got it!"


    With a gentle push, the door opened. Only as wide as my palm, though, same as the windows below. Nonetheless, it should be a lot more effective than the windows. It did make me question whether it could even function as an emergency hatch like that but Karen could just break it open in the worst case.


    "Ehehe..."


    "Sis..."


    Meanwhile, Karen was completely occupied by rubbing her cheek on my thigh. Was it just me or did Karen become rather... shameless? She wasn''t even trying to hide it anymore.


    "Sis, it''s great that you like my thighs that much but I''d like to return to the ground, if possible."


    "Ehhh?"


    "Sis... Mhm..."


    Karen was holding my thighs, pushing both sides towards her cheeks. It sounded as if she was close to ascending to heavens...


    "Sis, you can do that when I''m on the ground, so, please."


    "... Eh? It''s fine to do that?"


    "... When we''re alone, of course."


    I''d rather not have this happening in front of everyone.


    "Woah?! Sis! Stop shaking!"


    Even if she was happy, I didn''t like being shaken left and right by... whatever she was doing below me.


    "Ah, sorry. I''ll let you down."


    "Haaa... Thank you."


    The ground returned to my feet! Or rather, my feet returned to the ground.


    "Sis, you really like my legs, huh..."


    "Of course I do!"


    She became quite unrestrained... Huh?


    "Sis... Your eyes are glowing again."


    "Eh?"


    It was subtle, but they certainly were glowing again. Did my legs excite her that much?


    Maybe... Maybe I should ask her, finally. About those things...


    "Hey, Sis."


    "Yes?"


    Karen turned her attention back to me, tilting her head.


    How should I ask this... Should I just be upfront about it? I already got her attention so...


    Well, here goes nothing.


    "Sis. Do you have a leg fetish?"


    "A leg... fetish?"


    "Nn."


    "... What''s a leg fetish?"


    We had to start there?!


    Not quite what I expected...


    "Nn... You see... When you get... Uhm... Aroused by someone''s legs..."


    Hopefully, this was enough of an explanation.


    "I see... Then, I don''t think so."


    "Nn?"


    That also wasn''t an answer I was expecting here...


    "The only legs I want are yours."


    "..."


    That still made it a leg fetish... It also sure was effective in making my face heat up.


    "That''s still a leg fetish..."


    "I see..."


    Anyway, with this, I pretty much confirmed it now... Probably...


    "But, why are you asking about that, Yumi?"


    "Nn? Well..."


    I paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.


    "I thought that we should talk about these things at some point."


    "Talk... about?"


    "Nn. Like, what each of us... Uhm... likes."


    "... Ah."


    This kind of talk sure wasn''t easy, though... At least, it wasn''t for me.


    "I... see... What each of us likes..."


    "Nn."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence. The worst situation possible.


    Or not.


    "Then, uhm, we should talk about the things we want to do? Or..."


    "Well, what you want to do or just in general what you like. Like, how... how you like my legs."


    "I see..."


    Karen nodded a few times, probably confirming in her mind once more what I just said.


    "So, Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "You''ll also tell me what you like?"


    "... Nn."


    Even if it was embarrassing, talking about those sexual desires. Even if it was embarrassing, we had to... No, I wanted to talk with her about this. I wanted to know what she liked and I wanted her to know what I liked. It was embarrassing, but I wanted her to know.


    Such complicated feelings, seriously. Did everyone have to suffer through?


    "So you''ll tell me..."


    Karen suddenly walked past me and sat down on the edge of the bed. Then, she patted the spot next to her, much to my surprise.


    "Not in your lap?"


    "... I don''t think I can control myself then."


    "Ahhh..."


    That... would be an issue, yeah. Although I had a vague feeling I knew exactly how this discussion would end. Not that I minded. I welcomed it.


    With those thoughts in mind, I sat down next to her.


    She averted her gaze a little, before speaking up.


    "Yumi..."


    "Nn?"


    "Uhm... You... aren''t going to hate me... right?"


    "I won''t, don''t worry."


    This surely wasn''t going to make me hate her, regardless of what she was going to say.


    Though I had to admit, I wasn''t exactly up for everything. I still had limits to things I was comfortable doing with her. But even if she did like such a thing, it wasn''t going to make me hate her. Surely.


    "I see... Then..."


    Karen took a deep breath.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "..."


    "..."


    She still looked away from me, so I couldn''t see her expression all that well. Alas, that didn''t hide how her face turned beet red up to her ears.


    Nn... I guess even for Karen it is hard to talk about this...


    I felt a little relieved that I wasn''t the only one thinking it was embarrassing. With that said, I could smile now, but I sure as hell was going to stammer as well, wasn''t I?


    In the meantime, Karen took another deep breath but was still unable to speak. It made me feel a little bad...


    Well, now... Maybe I should help her out... It was me who started the topic, after all.


    In that case, I should just take responsibility for starting the topic. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face Karen. She was still averting her gaze, though.


    "Sis."


    "Ye, Yes?!"


    "Sis, I like your tummy."


    "... Eh?"


    Karen turned back around, staring at me, her expression blank.


    "I want to rub my face on your tummy."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence...


    She didn''t react. At all.


    Please, say something!


    This was more than just a little uncomfortable.


    Especially, since I wasn''t exactly done. Well, no time like the present. This wasn''t going to stop me.


    "Also, uhm... I... Even if it''s just pretending to... Uhm..."


    My face was so hot I sure was going to explode any second now. I couldn''t stop here, though. Not now.


    "That... That collar."


    "... The collar?"


    "Nn. Even... Even if it''s just pretending... Uhm... I... I don''t... dislike the thought... of being yours... entirely..."


    "... Eh? Ehhhh?!"


    Once the realisation hit, her eyes grew wide at my confession.


    "Yumi... You... You want to wear it?"


    "... Nn. As long as it is with Sis."


    Now it was my turn to avert my gaze in embarrassment. But, I finally said it! I finally said it!


    And now that I said it, it made me realise even more just how messed up that was! But, now it was said. It was too late to take it back now.


    "Pff... Aha... Ahahaha!"


    "Si, Sis?"


    Without any warning, Karen broke out in laughter, holding her belly.


    "Sis? What''s wrong?"


    "Ahahaha! Hahaha! Ahhhh..."


    She finally stopped. Then she looked at me, a smile on her face and small tears in the corners of her eyes, probably from laughing.


    But then, her expression turned serious.


    "Yumi."


    "... Nn?"


    "I want to put that collar on you."


    "... Eh?"


    "Like... Uhm... If it''s... just pretending to. Then... Then I want to do it."


    "I... I see."


    She wasn''t against it like I had expected. Because...


    "But... Sis, didn''t you say you didn''t want me wearing it?"


    Albeit it hadn''t been related to this kind of topic, Karen was rather vehement against me wearing that collar.


    "That''s... Because... I don''t want you to be seen as a slave... or a pet... I don''t like it. Yumi is Yumi."


    Ahh... So, rather than me not wearing it, she didn''t want others to think of me like that?


    "Then, Sis, it''s going to be our little secret."


    I lay down on Karen''s lap.


    "Secret..."


    "Nn. The only one who is allowed to look at me like that is you, Sis. I don''t want others to see me like that either."


    To be honest, I hadn''t even thought about that all that much. I wouldn''t have minded it that much a few weeks ago, but now... Yeah, imagining others seeing me like that was uncomfortable. I didn''t want it.


    "Nn... Maybe I should call you ''Master'' instead?"


    "Wah?!"


    "You don''t like it, Master?"


    "Uhhh..."


    Karen furrowed her brows.


    "... Let''s keep that restricted to those times only."


    "Hehehe, okay, Sis."


    Karen gently ruffled my hair while I was enjoying my lap pillow.


    "To think you liked that stuff, Yumi."


    "Nn. Surprised? Do you hate me now?"


    "I don''t hate you. Though, I''m... a little surprised, yes. I did think in the back of my mind about it... If... If you wanted to do that stuff... You were rather hesitant to throw away that collar. But to hear it is... Mm..."


    Surprising, huh?


    Well, now that I came clean with this, not only with Karen but also with myself, I did feel... relieved. Like a weight was lifted.


    Simply being honest sure has quite the effect...


    I was glad I came out with it. Really.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I... want to do many things with you."


    "Nn."


    "Like, with the collar... To be honest... I did want to... do that as well... Just... Just a little."


    Oh?


    Maybe that was why she asked if I would hate her.


    "Also... Your... Your tentacles."


    "My tentacles?"


    "Yes... I want you to do... lots of stuff with them... I mean, there are many kinds, right? So, it''s fine to use those... on me..."


    "..."


    The tentacles, huh...


    "Nn... There are some that I think are a little... problematic."


    "Problematic?"


    "Nn. For some of them, I don''t even really know what they do. And for some others, they are a little... Well... They affect the body... Probably permanently."


    "Ah."


    Some tentacles could make someone''s body grow or change in rather... questionable ways. It didn''t seem to be a quick change or anything like that, though. Affecting a body permanently wasn''t simple. It was more like they could stimulate growth. Not that I ever tried them out.


    "There aren''t many where I clearly know what they do. And for the ones where I don''t know what they do... I''d rather not use them. They might change your body."


    I loved Karen the way she was. I would still love her even if she changed a little, of course, but that didn''t mean I wanted to mess around with her body as I pleased.


    "Permanently... That might be a problem."


    "Nn..."


    "But, the others are fine, right?"


    "... Nn. If that''s what you want."


    We had already done it once with the tentacles, after all. As long as we kept it to those that were safe, I didn''t mind.


    "Also, there''s one more thing, Yumi. Actually, no. There are two."


    "Nn?"


    "Uhm... If we find out what some of those tentacles do. Even if they change something permanently, uhm... It doesn''t mean I necessarily mind... such a thing."


    "Eh? Wait, Sis. We''re talking about your body here, your body. We can''t just go and mess around with it."


    Honestly, I''d rather not touch that area at all. Like, at all! Changing someone''s body was scary.


    "I think it''s a little too late for that, Yumi?"


    "Nn? What do you mea¡ª Ah."


    I looked up at Karen, only to see her playing with the pink strand in her hair.


    "Also, of course, I''d properly discuss that with you first. It''s just, we don''t yet know what all of them do, right? Maybe it''s something we are both okay with. Then, don''t you think it''s fine?"


    "Uhh... To be honest, I''d rather not touch that... But... I think I can see what you want to say."


    There might be a beneficial change or something we both wanted. In other words, Karen just didn''t want to dismiss all of them without knowing what they did... Something like that?


    "Let''s talk later about those, Sis. I''ll tell you about the ones I do know so far."


    "Okay."


    "So... What was the other thing you wanted to say?"


    "Ahh..."


    Karen stopped playing with the pink strand of hair, staring upwards at the ceiling.


    "Mm... Yumi, could you sit up again?"


    "Ehh? Nn... If I have to."


    Byebye, my beloved lap pilloooooooowwwwww?!


    "Sis?"


    I sat up and Karen lay down, switching our positions. From the one enjoying a lap pillow to the one giving it.


    "Yumi."


    "Ye, yes?"


    "Could you... spoil me?"


    "... Eh?"


    Spoil her?


    "I do like spoiling you and caring for you but... Sometimes..."


    "... Nn. That''s fine by me."


    I gently pat her head, a smile on my face.


    It reminded me of when she had been drunk, how spoiled she acted. So, she really wanted to be spoiled at times as well.


    "I''ll spoil you all you want, Sis."


    "... Ehehe."


    It was time to return the favour.


    "Mm..."


    "Sis?"


    Before I could though, Karen sat up again, looking a little disgruntled.


    "That skirt... hurts."


    "Ah."


    The skirt of the armour dress... I had the subtle feeling she had said something similar a few days ago.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I want to feel your legs."


    And there it came. The one thing everyone already expected.


    I could just lift the skirt, of course, but... Well...


    "... Got it. Then, can you help me out of this."


    "Leave it to me."


    I stood up and with Karen''s help, quickly undressed, leaving me with only my underwear. Well, the bottom part of my underwear. Not like I was wearing anything above. It didn''t seem like anything existed for that either way. Or maybe it did and I just didn''t know about it?


    "Ahh, Yumi!"


    "Woah?! Sis!"


    Barely had I taken the dress off and Karen was already jumping into my chest.


    "Ehehe. Spoil me, Yumi!"


    "Geez..."


    I sat down again, Karen''s head on my lap.


    "Ehehe... I''m glad I said it..."


    "... Nn, I''m glad I told you everything as well."


    It really was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Honesty was amazing.


    Even if you think everything is fine... Just some few words and a good talk can make quite the difference.


    I sure didn''t regret bringing it up. It was embarrassing, yes. It definitely was. But, from now on... From now on, neither of us had to hide these things.


    "Hey, Sis."


    "Yes?"


    "If there''s ever anything else, we should definitely tell each other."


    "... We should, I agree."


    I gently combed through her hair with my hand. The strands of hair that touched my tighs tickled slightly.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "I love you."


    "Nn. I love you too, Sis. I love you too."


    Karen turned around, laying on her back and looking up at me.


    "Yumi."


    "Nn?"


    "... I want to try sucking on your breasts."


    "Eh? I... I don''t have all that much though."


    I wasn''t completely flat but... Could as well have been.


    "I still want to."


    "Nn... If you want to, that''s fine by me."


    "Ehehe! Yumi!"


    "Woah!"


    Once again, Karen jumped at me, making me fall backwards onto the bed.


    "Sis, be a little careful."


    "Mm..."


    Karen sat up again, then threw off her own clothes before diving into my arms again, our naked skin pressing against each other.


    "Then, here I go."


    She rubbed her cheek a little against my stomach before turning her attention to my chest.


    "I think they''re fine as is, Yumi."


    "Nn... It''s not that I have a proble¡ª Hya?!"


    "Hehehe."


    Rather than sucking she started to lick them.


    "Mm... Tastes like Yumi."


    "... And how the heck does that taste."


    "Mm... It tastes good."


    So I tasted good? Guess I had to be careful in the future, or a certain someone was going to eat me up.


    I gently ruffled Karen''s hair while she was busy licking around my chest. Then, after a while, she stopped, focusing her attention to the protrusion she had ignored until now.


    "Ahh... Mm!"


    "Ah! Nn?!"


    Karen had caught my nipple, sucking on it gently. I could feel how her tongue slid around.


    "Nn! Sis..."


    "Mmmhmm."


    This felt surprisingly quite nice. Her tongue sliding around was a nice feeling.


    In addition to that... Looking down, I could see Karen sucking and licking my nipple while I was still caressing her hair.


    "Ehehe... Sis..."


    The usually so reliable big sister was now being spoiled by me, like a cute little child.


    "Mmmm... Yumi!"


    "Nn?"


    After a short while, Karen stopped sucking on my nipple,, lifting her upper body a little. I could see the saliva where she had sucked. The area around the nipple had become a little red as well.


    "Yumi... Let''s do more."


    She crawled up, towards me. Her eyes were glowing again, this time a little stronger.


    "Yumi. Mm."


    "A¡ª Mmh?!"


    Our lips met. I wrapped my arms around Karen, hugging her.


    "Ngh?!"


    My mouth was forced open, only to be invaded by her tongue.


    "Mm! Yumi. Ah, mmgh!"


    Her arms wrapped around my, pressing our skin against each other.


    "Ngh! Yumi... Ehehe..."


    "Haa... Si... s..."


    Our lips parted, leaving me gasping for air. I could feel Karen''s hand caressing my cheeks as she looked down at me, a smile on her face.


    "Hey... Yumi..."


    "... Nn?"


    "I love you."


    "Nn, I love you too, Sis."


    "Ehehe... Then..."


    Karen''s embrace became a little tighter.


    "Then... is it fine if I... make you mine entirely?"


    "Nn? What do you¡ª Ah."


    Did she possibly mean...


    "Nn... Please do... Sis. Or should I call you Master?"


    "Ngh! I won''t be able to hold back if you say that, you know?"


    "Then it''s all the more reason to do it."


    "... You''re so sly, Yumi."


    I let out a chuckle in response.


    "Ah."


    "Wait just a moment, I''ll be back in a second."


    "Nn..."


    Karen left the bed and walked to the desk where we put down our stuff. Facing with her back to me, I could see her black tail twitching left and right a little. Her tail never moved all that much but at times like this, it did show how excited she was.


    "Mm... Where did you put it, Yumi?"


    "It should be somewhere among my stuff."


    Karen leaned forwards, rummaging through the bag with my stuff. It was probably unintended by her but... her butt was sticking out in my direction, giving me quite the view.


    Mm... Nice... Thanks for the treat.


    I sat up as well, watching Karen still being unable to find it. The very thing I had wanted to happen was going to become a reality in just a little bit more. My body was heating up at the thought of it. And, well... not only heating up...


    I should get rid of this thing...


    My underwear had become a little uncomfortable, honestly. And so, off with it.


    "Yumi, I can''t find it."


    "Nn? Wait a moment, I''m coming."


    I left the bed as well and joined Karen in looking through my stuff. Sure enough, the collar... wasn''t there.


    "Huh? That''s weird. Where did it go?"


    "Mm... Maybe it ended up with my stuff. I''ll take a look."


    Karen turned around, walking up to her own bag with stuff. Once again, she had to lean forward to pick it up.


    "..."


    "Hyah?! Yumi?!"


    Ahhh... Her tail was so smooth. And the way it twitched in my hands was cute as well.


    "Yumi! Don''t surprise me like that!"


    "Ahh, sorry. I couldn''t hold back."


    "... Tell me in advance next time, okay?"


    Eh? So, it''s fine to do this?


    I was already expecting that I''d have to let go of her tail but... Apparently not.


    "... Nn, I''ll tell you next time in advance."


    "Wah! Yumi! Don''t, don''t rub it!"


    "Nn... No."


    Her reactions were cute after all. She had told me before that her tail was sensitive but... It wasn''t as perky as Rina''s or as fluffy as Lily''s, so it was easy to forget that it was around. I should treat this cute little tail better, shouldn''t I?


    "Uhh... Yumi!"


    "Ah."


    The tail escaped. How unfortunate.


    "Seriously... Do that when we''re on the bed. It''s dangerous to do that while we''re standing."


    "Nn. Okay."


    "Anyway, I found it. It was in my bag for some reason."


    Karen held up the collar she had found.


    "Ohh..."


    It was time, it definitely was time now.


    "But, Yumi."


    "Nn? Nn?"


    "... How do we even use it?"


    "... Ehhh?"


    Use it? Well, you... put it around my neck, for starters? Although, I had the subtle feeling that wasn''t what she meant.


    "I mean, it''s a magic collar, right? But how does it exactly work? Do we have to do anything specific with it?"


    "Ahh... That''s... A good question."


    It was designed to enforce obedience to the owner, after all. There might be something like a registration or so.


    Although, Ria had told us that it probably wouldn''t work all that well with me anyway.


    "... Should we just try it as is?"


    "Nn. We can ask Ria or so some other time."


    "... But, how are you going to ask? You can''t just go and say ''Ria, please tell us how the collar works for our sex plays!'' or something like that, right?"


    "Tha¡ª that''s... Nn... We could just say we wanted to know just in case? Or we were simply curious... I don''t think Ria is going to mind that."


    She probably wasn''t going to doubt why we wanted to know it if we didn''t explicitly tell her.


    "Mm... I guess we can do that later..."


    "Nn... So, uhm..."


    Talking about that was nice and all but... Yeah... We could still talk about that later.


    "... Yumi, sit down on the bed."


    "... Nn."


    I did as she told me, sitting down in the middle of the bed.


    "... I feel like I''m about to do something bad."


    Karen approached me, the collar in hand.


    "Then, Yumi, here, I go."


    "N, Nn..."


    She opened the clasp of the collar. Then, with slow and cautious movements, she put it around my neck. The cold sensation of the leather and metal parts was transmitted through my skin.


    "... The, there we go."


    It was... She put it on. Karen put the collar on me. Now... Now I wa¡ª


    "Ngh!"


    "Yumi?"


    "..."


    A small shock went through my spine for some reason. I didn''t know what had happened, but the collar definitely did something.


    "Yumi, are you okay?"


    "Nn... I thiiiiiii¡ª


    Another shock ran through me, this time a little stronger.


    "Ahh... Yumi. Lie down on the bed."


    "Nn? Ngh!"


    Another shock. So that''s what it was. It was trying to make me obey. Unexpectedly, it seemed to work fine even without us asking for Ria''s help.


    Still, this was quite the uncomfortable feeling, so I did as Karen told me and lay down. There wasn''t much point if I didn''t do it, after all. That''s why we were doing this.


    "Does it hurt?"


    "No, it doesn''t. Just a little uncomfortable."


    "... That''s good."


    Karen was still worried, huh.


    We did this simply for our pleasure, so there was no point if it hurt or was uncomfortable, after all. And while I did... Yeah... Want to do this, I wasn''t a fan of pain. The shocks were uncomfortable but not bad. In a way, they were just right.


    "Yumi. Spread your legs."


    "... Eh? Agh!"


    This... This was incredibly embarrassing. Karen stared at me, a grin on her face.


    "Hehe. Yumi."


    She crawled on top of me, looking down, straight into my eyes.


    "Yumi, you''re completely mine now."


    "... Nn."


    "Mine and mine alone."


    And then, she hugged me.


    "Nn, I''m yours."


    I returned the hug, indulging in the warmth that came from Karen.


    "Yumi, Yumi!"


    "Nn?! Si¡ª Ah?!"


    Her tongue was crawling along my nape, while her hand was caressing my chest.


    "Yumi! Ehehe!"


    She continued for several minutes until I was left gasping for air once again. Before I could recover, turned around. She was still on top of me on all fours, but now her butt was facing me.


    "Yumi... Could you... No, that''s wrong. Yumi. Lick me down there."


    "... Nn."


    I stretched my hands out, grasping her butt and pushing it down towards my face. Though, with that said... Karen''s private place was right in front of my eyes. A cute slit, that was distinctively moist.


    "Ngh?! Si¡ª Ah!"


    While I contemplated on what to do, Karen decided to do the same thing to me down there. I could feel how her tongue was sliding across.


    "Yumi. What are you waiting for? Lick me."


    She took a more commanding tone now. The sensation from the collar also told me, I shouldn''t think about what to do too much. I had never done it before, no matter how much I thought about it, it wouldn''t change that I was a beginner.


    "Nn... Mhm..."


    "Ah! Yumi..."


    I stuck out my tongue and cautiously licked Karen''s privates. I was a little hesitant to start right in the middle of it, so I first licked the immediate surroundings. It tasted weird. A little salty, like sweat, but not quite like it.


    Karen also continued to lick me down there.


    "Ngh?"


    "Yumi, hold still."


    "Mgh! Sis... Sto¡ª Ah!"


    The pleasure once again ran through me when Karen licked me. She had spread it open and I could feel the air touching the parts that were usually hidden, only to be once again covered by her tongue.


    "Yumi, don''t stop."


    "... Nn."


    Karen was spreading that part down there so...


    Trying to copy what I could feel her doing to me, I tried to spread Karen''s vagina open.


    Ohhh... It''s... pink.


    This was... This was Karen''s place. A spot nobody had seen before, probably not even Karen herself.


    I stuck my tongue out, cautiously licking it.


    "Hya?!"


    A cute yelp escaped Karen. It seemed that this was the right spot.


    "Nn... Mhmm... Mm..."


    "Ahh, Yumi!"


    I was burying my face in her crotch, licking every spot. Karen did the exact same to me.


    "Yumi, ah! That''s, that''s... Right there! Mmh!"


    "Haaa... Haaa... Sis... Hyah!"


    Suddenly, a strong jolt of pleasure made me shudder, incomparable to before. And it didn''t stop there. Another came and then yet another.


    "Si¡ª Sto¡ª Ah¡ª


    I couldn''t even protest as my body cramped up, unable to resist the pleasure.


    "Yaah!"


    And then it peaked. I came.


    After convulsing for a few seconds, my body fell to the bed, completely limp.


    "Haaa... Haaa... Haaa..."


    "Hehe, Yumi, we''re not done yet."


    "Heee... Ehhh?"


    Karen once again turned around, facing me. Except that she was now mounting me, sitting upright.


    "Yumi, lick me more."


    Karen moved closer to my face, then pressed her crotch towards me, prompting me to continue. Despite still feeling overwhelmed from the pleasure, I stuck out my tongue, licking her crotch again.


    "Mhm! A little higher, Yumi. Yes. Ah!"


    "Mhmnn. Nm."


    "That''s... That''s good, Yumi!"


    Following her instructions, I moved my tongue upwards, to the top of her slit.


    "Ah, Yumi, more, right there."


    "Nhmm... Nhh..."


    "Mmmm! Ahhh!"


    "Ngh?!"


    At one point, Karen''s body cramped up, her thighs squishing my face in between them.


    "Yumi! Ahhh!"


    After several convulsions, her body collapsed on top of me.


    Karen... Karen had...


    "Yumi."


    She rolled to the side, freeing me. Then she pulled me up, into her arms.


    "Ahhh... Yumi."


    Her glowing eyes stared at me as if she was intoxicated. She squeezed me, her arms and her legs wrapping around me. Even her black tail wrapped around my leg.


    "Yumi..."


    "... Nn?"


    "Want... to do more?"


    "... Nn."


    "Ehehe..."


    We moved closer, kissing each other.


    Indulging even more in each other''s warmth, in our bodies. More and more. Forgetting all about our worries for a brief moment and simply loving each other.


    "Sis, I love you."


    "Ehehe... So do I, Yumi. I love you."


    Rinne


    Hope you all are safe and healthy.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Slow Change

    ¡°Mhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t you have enough by now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never have enough, Sis.¡±


    Lying on top of a naked Karen, I was currently burying my face in her breasts. And since I was similarly naked¡­ Being able to feel Karen with all of my body¡­ There was no way I could have enough of this indulgence, was there?


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ This is bliss. Pure bliss.¡±


    I knew I couldn¡¯t enjoy this forever. As such, the only choice was to enjoy it for as long as I could, right?


    Karen¡¯s smooth skin, her slightly squishy tummy, her soft, modest breasts¡­


    ¡°Ehehehe.¡±


    If this was heaven, I never wanted to leave.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ If we weren¡¯t naked, I would¡¯ve wondered if you¡¯re a little child.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind that if it means that I can enjoy this more often.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a small price to pay in exchange. Who needed dignity in the face of this heavenly place.


    ¡°Also, Sis¡­ Don¡¯t pretend I¡¯m not noticing that you keep fondling my butt.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Both of her hands were firmly grabbing my butt cheeks, squishing them without pause. She was enjoying herself quite a bit as well.


    ¡°Do you have a thing for my butt, too?¡±


    ¡°... A little, I guess?¡±


    My butt, huh.


    Well, I didn¡¯t mind if she was fondling it. It was a rather pleasant feeling.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Seriously. What are we even doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? What do you mean, Sis?¡±


    ¡°You do know we are technically supposed to work right now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    This was officially the time we should be working in the wagon, figuring out stuff. About me, about the tentacles, and stuff like that.


    Instead, Karen and I had used that time to spend some quality private time. Or to put it more bluntly, we had sex. And I was still wearing that collar to boot. We were rather far removed from working...


    ¡°Haa¡­ What¡¯s done is done, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s not like anyone has to know anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure the Captain won¡¯t mind such a small thing.¡±


    ¡°Small thing¡­¡±


    The Captain knew full well about our relationship. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me in the least if he already expected us to do such stuff in the wagon in private. As long as we actually worked as well, it shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue.


    He was the one who told me to be a little free anyway.


    ¡°Nn. So, don¡¯t worry about it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try to.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°But we should still work at least a little today, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    To be honest, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to do any work right now. I¡¯d rather continue spending my time with Karen. Alas, I understood as well that we shouldn¡¯t overdo it.


    ¡°Also, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Is it just me or is it getting rather hot here.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s getting pretty warm.¡±


    The wagon finally started to heat up. It was standing in the sun, after all. Fortunately, tt wasn¡¯t too hot yet. For now.


    ¡°We should¡¯ve brought a bucket or water or something like Wormaz suggested.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Now is too late. I¡¯m not going to fetch one now.¡±


    ¡°... I guess we can just keep the clothes off to cool down.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And if we didn¡¯t move, it¡¯d be even better. Perfect.


    ¡°Yumi, can you get up?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Hyah?!¡±


    The world suddenly turned around. My comfortable breast pillow was gone as well. Instead, Karen was looking down at me.


    ¡°Si¡ª Mmghgm?!¡±


    She was kissing me, shutting me up before I could protest.


    ¡°Mnnmnghh¡ª Haaaa! Haa¡­ Haaa¡­ Si¡­ s...¡±


    ¡°Mm. That¡¯s what you get for not listening.¡±


    Satisfied, Karen stood up from the bed, leaving the heavily breathing me behind.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ That was unfair, Sis.¡±


    ¡°What, so you don¡¯t want a kiss?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    Karen grinned, hearing my reply.


    ¡°Then everything is fine, right?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re quite mean today.¡±


    I fiddled with the collar around my neck and averted my gaze, to hide my embarrassment. It wasn¡¯t possible for me to remove it myself, it seemed. Well, I didn¡¯t mind wearing it anyway in private. At some point, it stopped shocking me as well. Weird thing.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What was actually the point of you wearing that collar?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen stared at the collar on my neck, furrowing her brows.


    The point? Didn¡¯t I tell her already? I did. I wanted to belong to Karen and the collar made me feel that way rather strongly.


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­ We just did it like usual. And you immediately switched back to calling me ¡®Sis¡¯ as well.¡±


    ¡°... Ah. You¡¯re right.¡±


    I looked down, trying to see the collar. Which was harder than I expected, since it was around my neck. Only a small part of it was visible. But¡­ I could clearly feel it around my neck.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think this was fine. Just wearing it is fine.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head, probably unsure what to think about my reply.


    ¡°What about you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Nn. You¡­ wanted to do this as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Me¡­ I don¡¯t know. I think I¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    She averted her gaze, fumbling with her words. Even though we both came clear with what we wanted, it was still a little hard to say such things¡­ Patience, patience.


    ¡°Mmhh¡­ I think¡­ I think I¡¯d like to do it properly¡­ Sometime¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine. Then, we should probably ask Ria how the collar works, huh. It kind of stopped reacting somewhere halfway through.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure we can?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    While I was perfectly fine with just wearing it¡ªfor the atmosphere, in a way¡ªKaren apparently wanted to do it properly sometime. So, in other words, a proper slave roleplay? Seriously, I had said that I wanted to wear the collar but I never actually thought about the stuff that came after that. Guess that just meant I was fine with whatever as long as I was wearing it.


    ¡°... Are you really sure?¡±


    ¡°Sis, I think that it is already a little late to ask that, after we went halfway in that direction already.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen wanted to play with my tentacles and wanted to do some slave roleplay. I wanted to wear the collar.


    ¡°In the first place, it¡¯s not that I dislike doing it. Rather, I¡­ guess I¡¯m quite interested as well. Nn.¡±


    But¡­


    We should make the boundary clear. This was, in the end, just a play-pretend game. It wasn¡¯t reality. And I was honestly worried that¡­ we might forget that boundary. Or at least, I was worried that I would forget it. Because, after I had started wearing it, I was sure I wouldn¡¯t mind at all doing it for real.


    But that¡¯s no good¡­ It would completely destroy our current life¡­


    We weren¡¯t alone. Other people were here as well. Our friends and family. And Karen also said she didn''t want others to see me as a slave or pet. Neither did I. Thinking about how others might think of me like that¡­ Made my skin crawl. Therefore, bringing it into our normal life was a big no.


    But¡­ If we ever lived alone¡­ No, that¡¯s something we should think about then. Not now.


    I shook my head, chasing away the thoughts swirling around in my head. Earned me a confused stare of Karen as well.


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh¡­ Just¡­¡±


    I paused for a moment, unsure if I should mention it to Karen. On one side, I didn¡¯t want to ruin the fun but¡­ It was important, so it was better to mention it.


    ¡°Nn, you see. I just thought that we should be careful that it stays as roleplay and we don¡¯t forget ourselves.¡±


    ¡°... Forget? Mh? You mean, that we do it outside of sex?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re right, we should be careful about that.¡±


    Karen nodded in agreement.


    Yeah, it was good I mentioned it. I stretched my arms and then stood up from the bed as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s really quite warm¡­¡±


    Oddly enough, I wasn¡¯t really sweating. Or rather, I wasn¡¯t sweating at all.


    My body sure was weird. The heat wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant but it also didn¡¯t bother me all that much. Didn¡¯t seem like I was all that affected by temperature differences¡­


    On the other hand, Karen was¡­ sweating quite a bit. And the smell of her sweat reached my nose as well. Together with another slightly lewder scent.


    ¡°Yumi, what are you sniffing around for?¡±


    ¡°Nn, just enjoying your scent.¡±


    ¡°... Do I smell?¡±


    ¡°You smell good.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should take a bath later.¡±


    ¡°Ehhhh?¡±


    What a waste.


    ¡°Yumi, even if you like it, I don¡¯t want to smell sweaty around everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Nobody will notice. The mercenaries are always sweating as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Just because they are smelling of sweat doesn¡¯t mean I should too.¡±


    ¡°Mrmm¡­ Then I¡¯ll have to enjoy it as much as I can until then.¡±


    I hugged Karen, burying my face once again in her chest. From this close, not only could I enjoy Karen herself but also her scent. I really was quite needy, wasn¡¯t I?


    ¡°Yumi...Haaa¡­ There¡¯s no helping you, is there?¡±


    ¡°Nn, there isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a troublesome little pervert. But I guess you¡¯re my little pervert.¡±


    Karen returned the hug, patting my head.


    ¡°Only for a little, okay? We still got things to do.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And like that, I managed to indulge myself for a little more.


    ---


    ¡°Sis, I finished over here.¡±


    ¡°Really? Give me one second, then I¡¯ll be done as well.¡±


    After we had finally managed to separate¡ªmuch to my chagrin¡ªwe unpacked and stowed away our belongings. Since neither of us had a lot of stuff, it actually took more time deciding where to store them.


    In the end, we postponed the problem and just decided which desk each of us would take. After I stuffed everything into the single drawer attached to the desk, I was done.


    ¡°Okay. That should be fine for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I sat down in the chair, leaning back and staring at the roof.


    ¡°... We¡¯re really going to stay here, huh.¡±


    ¡°We are. We really should thank Miss Ria and Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Wormaz as well.¡±


    They¡¯ve done a lot for us. I still wasn¡¯t quite sure what Korwen had originally thought when he picked us up. Was it really just because we could use magic? I had no idea.


    Either way, he had done a lot for us. They all had.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We should do our best.¡±


    ¡°We definitely should.¡±


    Karen smiled in my direction. Maybe she had figured out what I was thinking of.


    ¡°Then, since we still have some time left, we should probably start doing some work.¡±


    ¡°Work¡­ But, Sis¡­ I still don¡¯t really know what it is that we should be doing.¡±


    Saying we should do some independent research about me was easy. But actually doing it¡­ Where should we even start?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe we should start with collecting ideas.¡±


    ¡°Ideas, huh... ¡°


    ¡°Then we can try to work on each idea. It¡¯s better than just blindly doing something, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s true.¡±


    But ideas¡­ Ideas¡­


    ¡°So, Yumi, since we¡¯re mostly talking about you¡­ Is there anything you want to know or try out?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    There were tons of things I wanted to know, just without any way to get an answer.


    But things I wanted to try out¡­ There might be some.


    ¡°Things I want to try¡­ Maybe, like¡­ feeding those tentacles in the other room and see what happens after a while?¡±


    ¡°I get the feeling that¡¯s not going to end well¡­¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t explode. Probably¡­ Okay¡­ Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s try to be careful.¡±


    Fairly certain Korwen wasn¡¯t going to be the only one getting angry if we managed to blow up the wagon after it was reinforced.


    And while the tentacles themselves might not explode¡­ If they started growing uncontrollably, they might burst the wagon nonetheless.


    ¡°Okay, noted. So anything else?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking notes¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯d just forget it later if I don¡¯t.¡±


    Good point.


    That would probably happen.


    ¡°So, any other ideas?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Give me a moment.¡±


    Thinking of ideas on the spot wasn¡¯t so easy. There should be a few things for sure, though.


    ¡°Maybe if there are different types of tentacles among them? Actually, if I can grow those, maybe I can grow other kinds of tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Other kinds¡­ Mm, noted. What else?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Other things we could do¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t think of anything else for those tentacles for now... ¡°


    ¡°No worries, if you get any other idea later, that¡¯s fine as well. You just need to tell me so I can take notes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But only two ideas I could think of¡­ That wasn¡¯t a lot.


    ¡°How about you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Me? Mmhh¡­ I think we should probably observe the dolls a little. They are multiplying for some reason, after all. Also, the Captain asked you to make some mana eggs for the new ones, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    That had completely slipped my mind. The dolls needed mana crystals to function, but the ones with the mana egg got their own mana from the surroundings. In the longer term they were cheaper.


    ¡°Then, we should also see what some of those tentacles of yours do. You don¡¯t know about all of them, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can find some references among ropers as well. Mr Wendl had a few books regarding them, right? And I am sure Miss Ria has some as well.¡±


    Comparing them with ropers? That hadn¡¯t occurred to me at all.


    ¡°We should also see what you can do fully transformed. You only fully transformed that one time, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That one time I had been stuck on the floor.


    I didn¡¯t have much time back then to test out everything, so that was indeed a good idea.


    ¡°And after that¡­ There are also some other¡­ things I¡¯d like to figure out.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen stared at the sheet of paper where she had written the notes on.


    ¡°It¡¯s more¡­ about me.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    ¡°For one, I want to know what exactly happened with me. And is still happening. There are a few things I wanted to talk about with you anyway. Also, I want to know more about everything else as well. Like, why are my eyes glowing. And what kind of demonkin I actually am. The things that were already different before we met.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    It was easy to forget but¡­ Karen had a lot of mysteries surrounding herself as well. She didn¡¯t even understand them herself.


    The Elder seemed to know about it but¡­ She didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    In other words, it might be a dangerous topic¡­


    ¡°Speaking of which, Yumi, are my eyes still glowing?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they are. It¡¯s not as strong as earlier, though.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t even feel particularly different.¡±


    Karen blinked a few times, staring into empty space.


    ¡°Mm...It¡¯s really just like always.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    It always happened when we were doing lewd stuff, though. So it surely had something to do with that.


    Actually, couldn¡¯t we say that us having sex was part of our work? Since it was related to Karen¡¯s problem. Not that I¡¯d ever actually say that to anyone.


    ¡°Mm, it sure is troublesome that I don¡¯t even notice it myself. I hope they stop before we have to finish up.¡±


    ¡°Right, we still have work later¡­¡±


    Later today we were going to feed and care for the waroxen as part of our duties. Lily and Rina would be there as well. It was pretty simple work. Although it wasn¡¯t so simple when one of the waroxen tried eating you instead of the feed.


    They kept mistaking my hair for food for some reason. And only mine¡­ It was honestly horrible. All the drool and other stuff¡­ Ugh¡­ I didn¡¯t want to think about it.


    ¡°Sis, you said you wanted to talk with me about something?¡±


    Best way to get rid of those thoughts was to change the topic.


    ¡°Ahh, I did. Well¡­ It¡¯s actually not really much or so, it¡¯s just that I noticed a few things.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember when we woke up in that shell? The first day? We hadn¡¯t eaten anything for quite a while and neither of us was hungry.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t going to end up being what I thought, was it?


    ¡°Well¡­ I noticed that I haven¡¯t really felt all that hungry since then. Or rather, I did feel hungry. But only very little. And I was still hungry after I ate something.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You were still hungry? Then, you¡¯re hungry even now?¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not, right now.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t? But, she just said that eating didn¡¯t help much.


    ¡°... After we had sex, I somehow feel rather filled.¡±


    ¡°After¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Did her hunger get replaced with that kind of hunger?


    ¡°It¡¯s odd¡­ I really feel quite filled right now.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That certainly is weird.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hey, Yumi. Are you not feeling hungry either?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    I looked at Karen, who sat in the chair opposite of me.


    ¡°I actually feel hungry and want to eat something¡­ And after I ate something I feel full.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t say whether I could starve anymore if I didn¡¯t eat anything. I sure wasn¡¯t going to try it out either.


    Regardless, I felt hungry over the day and wanted to eat. That much hadn¡¯t changed. The only thing that had changed since I came here was the amount I ate. But that was probably to be expected as well, considering I was rather short. I probably weighed like half as much compared to my time in my old world.


    Not that I could even weigh myself, here. Even if I could, they used different measurements so it was impossible to compare.


    ¡°... Even after we woke up?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m still getting hungry like normal.¡±


    That¡¯s why I thought at first that the day we woke up, our stomachs simply hadn¡¯t caught up with everything yet and we forgot our hunger. Or that the shell somehow nourished us. Apparently I was wrong.


    But why is she feeling filled right now? It.... It couldn¡¯t be that¡­ Right?


    That might have been a little...


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Ahh¡­ Wait a moment.¡±


    I stood up from the chair and walked to the crate with mana crystals, picking up a single pebble-sized crystal before returning.


    ¡°Sis¡­ Do you feel like you want to swallow this?¡±


    I help up the pebble in front of her.


    ¡°The¡­ mana crystal? Yumi, a person cannot eat that. It¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but I thought¡­ Maybe it is mana that your body wants?¡±


    ¡°... Mana?¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Mana¡­ That¡­ might actually be the case.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... I still don¡¯t want to swallow a mana crystal on a hunch.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    At least, she didn¡¯t have any craving for them. That might mean it wasn''t mana, after all.


    I sat down in the chair again and threw the mana crystal into my mouth, swallowing it down.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Just so you know, it tastes like nothing.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Not to mention the amount of mana inside one was miniscule.


    ¡°So, why did you swallow it?¡±


    ¡°... I just felt like it.¡±


    Mostly because I was too lazy to walk back and return it. And I already knew I could swallow them. Though¡­ Actually¡­ This was actually still quite dangerous, wasn¡¯t it? Regardless of whether the mana was dangerous or not, it was still a solid crystal and not some candy. The mana might be one thing but what if I choked on the crystal itself?


    Better not do this again.


    Unless they suddenly turned super delicious, it wasn¡¯t a good idea to just swallow them...


    ¡°But if it¡¯s not mana¡­ I wonder what else it is then.¡±


    ¡°I wonder...¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Uhm¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ You know¡­ My¡­ Sexual desire?¡±


    Her¡­ sexual desire¡­


    That certainly was the option but¡­


    ¡°... Does that really replace hunger and nourishment?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s your sexual desire¡­¡±


    I smiled at the thought of what this implied.


    ¡°... then you need to do it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yumi... Haaa...¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Why was she sighing now?


    ¡°You really want to do it that much? I rather do it without such a string attached, you know?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°... Although, since we finally got a place for ourselves, we¡¯d do it more anyway so I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Asking whether I wanted to do it that much¡­ Of course I did. There was nothing wrong with desiring the person I loved, right?


    Also, she didn¡¯t really mind that much, seeing how she was smiling to herself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say for now it¡¯s probably that. We¡¯ll see next time if it still is the case. I didn¡¯t have any problem with being ¡®hungry¡¯ per se either.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Still, in my opinion, if she was feeling hungry it was better to fulfill that hunger, right?


    ¡°I wish Miss Elder would tell me more about this stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You did talk with her about it before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ The few things she told I already knew about. There was just one thing she told me that I didn¡¯t know about yet.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    So there was something she had learnt after all?


    ¡°What was it again¡­ She said that it isn¡¯t anything dangerous, that we are just¡­ Uhm¡­ Closer to our roots? Than other demonkin.¡±


    ¡°Closer to your roots?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what she said. I don¡¯t know what she means either, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Closer to her roots.


    Maybe they were something like throwbacks? The kind where an old trait reappeared in some? But¡­ Well, if it was a genetic issue, then it would also explain why Karen and Rina were the same in that regard.


    It might be something completely different as well, though.


    ¡°But, if it¡¯s about your roots¡­ Maybe we should have asked the Academy about you as well. They might know something about the demonkin.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We sure didn¡¯t expect that we can¡¯t go there right now, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, let¡¯s ask Ria and Wendl later. They might know something as well.¡±


    Both were quite knowledgeable after all. They were a little eccentric but they were good people at heart.


    Except, Wendl would stay single for sure with his behaviour. But that wasn¡¯t my problem.


    ¡°Right¡­ We¡¯re at Ria¡¯s after we feed the waroxen anyway, so might as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It really was quite a bother, being unable to enter the city. Fenna and her group had been allowed inside as part of their job but only to accompany those girls to the Academy for their classes. Apparently, a soldier had to escort them to make sure they didn¡¯t go elsewhere. They really put in a lot of effort at keeping us away...


    ¡°So, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°With which one should we start?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    With which one¡­


    The dolls were¡­ not around right now. They might come if we call for them, though.


    Still, if we skipped them the only things we could do right now were related to the tentacles.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s take a look at those tentacles, I guess? The dolls aren¡¯t here and I have no clue how we¡¯d even start with your issues.¡±


    ¡°The tentacles¡­ Should we get dressed first?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Karen glanced at the door behind her.


    ¡°Won¡¯t they do something to us if we enter there naked?¡±


    ¡°... I honestly don¡¯t know.¡±


    With that said, I really didn¡¯t want to get dressed right now¡­


    ¡°They¡­ probably shouldn¡¯t attack as. I think? Also, the heat doesn¡¯t bother me too much but, Sis, you¡¯re sweating quite a bit already.¡±


    It was surprising how much an enclosed space could heat up. If the windows hadn¡¯t been open, you could have probably cooked us.


    ¡°Well¡­ But if they do something, they have to attack both of us, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡±


    It was a little doubtful if those tentacles would attack me though. Also, I¡­ probably wasn¡¯t yet ready to get attacked by them in that meaning. The thought was more than a bit scary. That Karen had actually done it... impressed me a little.


    ¡°...¡±


    For some reason, Karen squinted her eyes a little, looking directly at¡­ No, behind me.


    I followed her gaze, seeing the open window.


    ¡°Sis? Is something wrong with the window?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No, it¡¯s probably¡­ maybe¡­ fine... ¡°


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. Let¡¯s go to the tentacles and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    I tilted my head, wondering what was up. Still, I decided not to ask, instead standing up and walking to the door to the small room with the tentacles.


    Having both parts separated was really a good decision by Wormaz.


    The wagons were kind of spacious for just two people and even if you cut it in half, it was still quite comfortable. Although most of the space was for storage and the two desks plus the bed. But, we had a bed! I still couldn¡¯t quite believe it.


    Kaching!


    ¡°Huh? Sis?¡±


    I turned around at the odd sound behind.


    ¡°... Why are you closing the window? Isn¡¯t that only going to make it hotter?¡±


    The window was only open facing the ground, so it wasn¡¯t a lot of heat that could escape, but it was better than nothing.


    ¡°... No, you see. We don¡¯t want anyone to overhear us, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    The tentacles were a secret, after all.


    ¡°Nn? Wait¡­ Open win¡ª


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ahh¡­ Nn.¡±


    Karen walked past me and opened the door to the room with the tentacles.


    I followed her inside. Something was bothering me about the windows but I couldn¡¯t quite place it¡­


    Well, whatever. I can think about that later.


    I decided to discard the thought for now. We had work to do.


    ¡°Seems they¡¯re still lively¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen stepped inside, her feet making contact with the tentacles.


    ¡°Waaahhh¡­ This is¡­ This feels a little weird.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Since they covered the entire ground by now we were forced to step on the tentacles. And as they were basically just flesh, it created a rather squishy floor. And to add on that, the surrounding tentacles brushed our feet, tickling us.


    ¡°... It was a good idea from Mr Wormaz that he decided to wall them off. Look, they¡¯re already covering part of this wall, too, Yumi.¡±


    As the ground had been fully occupied by them already, the tentacles started expanding onto the walls. And that included the new wall in the wagon as well now.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Are the dolls still feeding them?¡±


    ¡°Did you tell them to stop?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I did¡­¡±


    Maybe I should have, thinking about it now.


    ¡°Not like it changes much if we¡¯re going to do it ourselves now anyway.¡±


    ¡°True..¡±


    Karen stopped in the middle of the room, staring at the ground. There was one particular tentacle slightly bigger than all others.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Should we start?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Rinne


    And there goes the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed reading.


    Everyone, stay healthy and safe! Until next week!


    And yes, I forgot to press the Schedule button for this. Sorry.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: The First Tentacle Research

    ¡°So, what should we do first?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen stared at the thick tentacle in the middle of the room.


    It was the one that had absorbed the mana egg that Ria had dumped on it.


    ¡°Maybe we just feed them some mana crystals for now and watch what happens?¡±


    I squatted down next to the thick tentacle and poked it a little. It was squishy and quite lively as well, moving back and forth in reaction to my pokes.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll start with that then. I¡¯ll go fetch a few.¡±


    With those words, Karen left the small room.


    A short while later she returned, holding a leather bag with some mana crystals.


    ¡°Should I just dump them on the tentacles?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so? The dolls did the same, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Maybe still a bit cautious, Karen threw a few of the mana crystals at the tentacles, instead of just dumping the contents of the bag.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re disappearing.¡±


    ¡°Nn. They absorb them quite fast, don¡¯t they?¡±


    Seeing as the entire ground was covered with them, the tentacles didn¡¯t even go out of their way to catch the mana crystals. They were simply absorbed the moment they hit the ground.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Nothing happens, does it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Should I throw a few more?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Seeing how the tentacles didn¡¯t expand in the least, Karen poured the contents of the bag into them.


    ¡°Oh, now they¡¯re expanding again.¡±


    It was barely the width of my finger but you could clearly see the tentacles shift slightly upwards on the wall.


    ¡°They really might need a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen walked up to the wall, checking the border of the tentacle growth.


    ¡°Look. Don¡¯t these look a little¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ less energetic?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    The tentacles at the border were significantly smaller than their counterparts further in. They also seemed considerably less lively, hanging down and not moving at all. Were these even still alive?


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ But why?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    The dolls should¡¯ve given them quite many of the mana crystals. I was already wondering why they hadn¡¯t expanded even further but¡­ Maybe there was some kind of problem?


    ¡°Nn¡­ Odd. Just a little further down and they¡¯re energetic again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring some more mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Maybe we could see something if we gave them even more mana crystals. A little bit of a brute force approach, but if it worked? Hopefully, it¡¯d work.


    A moment later, Karen returned, this time with even more of the crystals than before.


    ¡°It¡¯s good that Mr Captain brought us so many of these crystals¡­ But it still feels like a waste¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis, it¡¯s not like the mana just disappears, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right... ¡°


    Karen once more poured the mana crystals over the tentacles as we watched.


    Just as quickly as before, they were all absorbed into the tentacles, leaving nothing behind. Curious, I tried to see if I could make anything out from the movement of the mana but¡­ It just disappeared into the rather thick mana of the tentacles, making it impossible to observe.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Sis?¡±


    ¡°The ones at the border didn¡¯t grow at all this time¡­ But look, here¡­ The ones around the center.¡±


    ¡°Oh? So¡­ they stopped expanding and instead grew thicker in the middle?¡±


    The tentacles right around the center tentacle with the mana egg had become quite a bit thicker. This was also where the mana was the thickest, so¡­ Wait¡­ The thickest?


    ¡°Sis, I have an idea. Can you bring more mana crystals? About as many as before.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    For the third time, Karen left the room and fetched some crystals, bringing them to me.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Taking the bag, I took one of the slightly thicker mana crystals and then started transferring the mana of the remaining ones into this crystal. A short while later and I was holding a small pink crystal in my hand.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if I¡¯m right.¡±


    I walked to the corner of the room and put down the mana egg. Or rather, I tried to. But before I even got that far, the tentacles snatched it out of my hand.


    ¡°Woah! Quite aggressive...¡±


    ¡°... They didn¡¯t react at all to normal crystals but they reacted to that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    One tentacle absorbed the mana egg, growing thicker than the surrounding ones. And then it began absorbing mana from the surroundings as well, just like the one in the center of the room did.


    ¡°Nn¡­ The ones around it grew larger as well.¡±


    The tentacles around the new mana egg grew thicker, similarly to the ones in the center. Within a short time, this spot looked exactly the same as the original one.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, at the wall! They¡¯re expanding.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh.¡±


    Right above the corner, the tentacles started expanding again, crawling up the wall up to the ceiling before they finally stopped again.


    ¡°So that really was it. I guess they can only expand a certain distance away from one mana egg.¡±


    ¡°From the mana egg¡­ I see. But¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°Nn... ¡°


    That was the big question. The only thing I could think of was that the mana egg couldn¡¯t keep the tentacles alive past a certain distance. The tentacles needed mana and the mana egg absorbed mana from the surroundings and provided it to the tentacles.


    ¡°I think the mana egg can only sustain a limited amount of tentacles. It can¡¯t absorb a whole lot of mana, after all. And the more tentacles are around, the more mana is needed.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That makes sense.¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows while staring at the newly expanded tentacles. Was she not satisfied with that explanation?


    ¡°Is something wrong, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I just thought¡­ If that¡¯s really the case, you¡¯d need a huge amount of those mana eggs to cover a large area, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    If we took the distance from the corner up to the ceiling¡­ The ceiling of the wagon was quite high but still close enough that I could comfortably reach it while sitting on Karen¡¯s shoulders. The distance from the center mana egg to the middle of the wall was a little more, though. Probably. Measurements taken by the eye and so. Not exactly what I¡¯d call accurate.


    ¡°Do we have any measuring tools, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Measuring tools? Mh¡­ I don¡¯t think there are any in here but the craftsmen should have some.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ We should borrow one sometime.¡±


    So there were measuring tools around. That made me curious how tall I was in this world¡¯s measurements. Then again, the measurements here were an absolute mystery to me.


    I should probably remember them sometime¡­ There is nobody around who knows the ones from my world anyway.


    Except maybe Yumias, but that one was mostly irrelevant anyway.


    Either way, without a measuring tool at hand I could only take a rough guess with the eye. The distance from the center egg to the previous border was¡­ around twice my height? And the wall height was probably around one and a half times my height.


    ¡°That¡¯s really not a lot¡­ You¡¯d need hundreds just to cover the camp.¡±


    Not that I wanted to try that out, of course. Nonetheless, making hundreds of those eggs would be quite a lot of work. And since I was the only one who could make them, it¡¯d be my job to do it¡­ Yeah, that sounded like a huge pain. Nothing I wanted to do.


    ¡°Good thing the wagon isn¡¯t that large.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yumi, do you want to cover the whole room?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know. If you ask me personally, it bothers me that it¡¯s now so uneven. But whether it is actually a good idea¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    I was also a little curious if those tentacles would grow on the ceiling. Wormaz had plugged the windows and everything in this room, so there was no chance for them actually getting outside. So, why not just cover everything?


    ¡°Nn¡­ If we wanted to cover the whole room, I guess we need at least one mana egg in each corner?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ seven more including the ceiling?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Want to do it?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Let¡¯s try it out.¡±


    I was curious. I was curious therefore we tried doing it. Korwen wasn¡¯t going to press us for results on the first day anyway. Seeing how free Ria was acting, it probably wasn¡¯t a big issue as long as we actually tried out stuff and got results at some point in time.


    ¡°Here, Yumi. Are these enough?¡±


    Karen carried a rather large bag full of mana crystals into the room.


    ¡°That¡­ should be more than enough.¡±


    More like, that was way too much.


    I scooped up some mana crystals and began my work. Seven mana eggs, one for each corner, floor and ceiling. Making one mana egg took me maybe a minute or so, so a few minutes later I finished.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go for it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Just putting them into the corner is fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen took two crystals and put one down in a corner. Similar to before, the tentacles literally snatched the egg from her hand. A few moments later, the tentacles once again began to expand.


    ¡°Nn¡­ It really is like that.¡±


    After confirming that my guess was most likely correct, I took one of the mana eggs and walked up to another corner. I dropped the stone on the tentacles and once more they¡­


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Yumi. They aren¡¯t expanding anymore?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Over here as well.¡±


    The remaining two corners only expanded the growth a little, not up to the ceiling like the previous two.


    ¡°Odd¡­ But it worked with the other two.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything different right?


    ¡°Yumi, maybe there isn¡¯t enough mana for them?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why wouldn¡¯t there be?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering¡­ Where did the mana go from the crystals we dumped first. Couldn¡¯t it be that the mana egg was storing that mana to expand later? I don¡¯t think all that mana was used up for making the tentacles in the middle a little thicker...¡±


    ¡°It was storing it? Wait, Sis¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that mean the egg knows that there are other mana eggs around now?¡±


    In other words, those eggs were connected in some way? That¡­ was convenient? Actually, it was surprising but¡­ That could very well be the case, huh¡­


    ¡°I still have some mana crystals in this bag. Should I try it out?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. But, dump them on the one in the center first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    If it grew despite the fact that the one in the middle absorbed the mana crystals...


    ¡°Here I go.¡±


    Karen emptied the contents of the bag over the central tentacle and its mana egg. There were still quite a lot inside yet, they all disappeared in a flash. And after they disappeared¡­


    The tentacle growth expanded once more.


    ¡°It really worked.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The tentacles were now covering the entire floor as well as the walls. Karen had closed the door when she came back so that the tentacles wouldn¡¯t expand outside the room¡­


    Although I sincerely hoped the door would still open now¡­ Maybe we should¡¯ve been a bit more careful there.


    ¡°Sis, does the door still open?¡±


    ¡°The door? Oh! Let me check.¡±


    She walked to the door, pushing it. Fortunately, it opened just fine.


    ¡°Mm? Yumi, the door is trying to close itself.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I can feel a little pressure. Let¡¯s see.¡±


    Karen abruptly let go of the door and stepped back. And then the door closed itself. Very slowly, but it closed.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, guess the tentacles don¡¯t like to keep it open?¡±


    ¡°I doubt they can think that far ahead, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Probably. But as long as we can still open it, that¡¯s fine. Maybe we can teach them to lock the door even when we aren¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen scowled, apparently she wasn¡¯t quite convinced they would do that. Okay, I doubted that they would do that, too. But who knew? With some training? Maybe?


    ¡°Anyway, Yumi, how do we get the mana eggs up there?¡±


    ¡°The ceiling, huh¡­ I climb on your shoulders again?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯d rather not with this unsteady footing.¡±


    Unsteady footing, huh. Since we were stepping on the tentacles, it was indeed rather far from an even floor. On the other side, it was a soft floor.


    ¡°If we fall, they¡¯ll probably cushion us, won¡¯t they? The ones on the floor grew¡­ quite thick.¡±


    I shoved a few tentacles to the side, trying to bury my foot as deep into the growth as I could. My foot was disappearing quite quickly and even my ankle wasn¡¯t visible anymore. That should be more than enough to cushion us, right?


    Actually, considering how soft they are¡­ Wouldn¡¯t sleeping on them be more comfortable than on that bed?


    If we disregarded that these were, well, tentacles¡­ Then it should be rather comfortable.


    ¡°Still¡­ Something might happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯ll be fine, come, Sis. Squat down.¡±


    ¡°... Okay, okay, I got it.¡±


    Karen did as I asked and squatted down. I brushed her hair to the side so that it wouldn¡¯t tickle me afterwards.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, Sis.¡±


    And after saying such, I climbed onto her shoulders.


    Oh? This is¡­


    Once firmly sitting on her shoulders, Karen grabbed my legs and slowly stood up again.


    ¡°You okay there, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°N¡ª Nn. I am.¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but fidgeting a little. With my legs.


    ¡°Yumi¡­I can feel something brushing against my neck.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    We were still in our birthday suits. As such, it was probably only to be expected¡­ That my crotch was being pressed against her head. It was a rather¡­ stimulating position to be in. Although for sure one of the weirdest ones. I was sitting on her shoulders, after all¡­ Not the most appropriate place for such stuff.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Yumi¡­ Just get the mana eggs up there.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Karen handed me the remaining four mana eggs and walked towards one corner. After giving the tentacles the mana egg, the growth expanded as expected. It really could grow on the ceiling but...


    ¡°Yumi¡­ This is¡­ a little creepy, even for me.¡±


    ¡°... I agree.¡±


    It was one thing on the floor and the walls¡­ But the ceiling was a little¡­ Gravity was doing its work. In other words, the tentacles were hanging down¡­


    On the other hand, it really completed the slightly nightmarish view¡­ Fleshy walls and floors and tentacles hanging down from the ceiling¡­


    ¡°If I were to encounter this in the wild it¡¯d surely haunt me in my dreams¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be worried if your own magic causes you nightmares, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Was this still considered magic? Somehow, my image of magic was a little different from this. But, yeah¡­ Technically, it was kind of magical¡­ Magic, huh...


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to the next corner now, Yumi. Hold tight, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    With slow and steady steps, Karen approached the next corner. She really was worried about falling with me on her shoulders, seeing how slowly she walked¡­ I felt a little bad now that I forced her to do this just to sate my curiosity.


    ¡°Here we are.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm? You¡¯re welcome?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I could feel how she was tilting her head a little, as her hair brushed along my thighs. It was ticklish¡­


    Anyway, after giving another mana egg away, we watched the ceiling getting covered a little more, but then it stopped earlier than the other one.


    ¡°Out of mana again?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it¡­ Let¡¯s first put the other mana eggs at their place, Sis. Then we can feed them more.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But, I feel like we¡¯re using quite a lot of those crystals¡­¡±


    ¡°The Captain told us to use them. And there are a whole lot of them.¡±


    A single crate contained a huge amount alone. These were mostly discarded mana crystals, so they were cheap as hell, thankfully. Regardless of the price, though¡­ Even with these many that we had used already, it was probably still only very little compared to the amount we had stored here.


    ¡°There really are a lot¡­ And the ones we have here aren¡¯t even everything.¡±


    ¡°Eh, they aren¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No, apparently not. I heard that Mr Captain bought a huge amount from a merchant for a pittance. The ones we have here are only the first shipment, apparently.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Just how many did he buy? And¡­ a pittance? Even if they were cheap¡­ If it was a pittance when they were already so cheap¡­ He didn¡¯t get them for free, did he?


    Well, nothing for me to worry about. If we could use them, that was only good for us.


    ¡°How did he even buy them, though? We can¡¯t enter the city, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask Mr Captain, Yumi. I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I was curious but¡­ It didn¡¯t really matter now. Karen was once again slowly making her way to the next corner where I handed the mana egg to the tentacles. Finally, we made our way to the last corner.


    ¡°The last two didn¡¯t grow at all¡­¡±


    ¡°They still took the mana egg, so isn¡¯t it fine? We just have to give them more mana crystals and they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    At least we had put the mana eggs at their respective places.


    ¡°Sis, you can let me down now.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm... ¡°


    For some reason she was hesitating. Her hands were squeezing my legs a little stronger than before.


    ¡°Sis, you can touch my legs all you want later.¡±


    ¡°... That doesn¡¯t make it easier to part with them.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Karen and I¡­ we both were seriously quite needy, weren¡¯t we? After we became a little more honest to our desires, I felt like it only got worse.


    Okay, maybe it just felt like it got worse since we could now honestly say we didn¡¯t want to stop.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s unfortunate but I have to, I guess¡­ Haa¡­ Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Can we sleep here tonight?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we can. I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    In fact, if she hadn¡¯t asked, I would have probably.


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ Then, I¡¯ll let you down now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen squatted down so I could climb down. It was oddly comfortable on her shoulders but having proper ground to stand on was rather relieving after all. Okay, this floor probably wasn¡¯t exactly proper ground but nobody would mind that detail.


    ¡°Okay. Now, we only need to feed them some mana crystals again and we¡¯re done, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    And then we¡¯d have a literal tentacle room.


    Karen had for the fourth or fifth time or so left the room now to fetch some mana crystals. It was a good thing it was only a few steps away¡­ We couldn¡¯t exactly store them inside this room anyway.


    ¡°Are these enough?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder. Let¡¯s just see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen and I fed the crystals to the tentacles. The tentacles on the ceiling expanded, covering every little bit of it.


    ¡°... It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The room was now covered entirely in tentacles. Honestly, seeing them hanging down from the ceiling was more than a little creepy, especially since they weren¡¯t exactly keeping still but twitching left and right occasionally¡­


    Regardless of this little issue, we had finished now.


    ¡°So, Yumi. What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°... Feed them more?¡±


    ¡°I wonder if anything will happen then¡­¡±


    ¡°No idea, that¡¯s why we could try it, right?¡±


    As long as we were careful not to overfeed them and cause an explosion or something¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Can mana explode?¡±


    ¡°Explode? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ For example, if we overfeed the tentacles and they collect too much mana.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that will happen. At least, I never heard of such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Maybe we should, after all, delay it for now and ask Ria.


    ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s give them some more mana crystals and see what happens. And if it looks like nothing happens or the mana grows really dense, we¡¯ll stop and ask Ria.¡±


    Honestly, I was too curious right now to stop. It was weird. Watching the tentacles grow and messing around with this...  I quite enjoyed it. Or in simpler words: It was fun.


    To think that one day I¡¯d start enjoying watching tentacles grow from the ceiling¡­


    Made me wonder a little if I would¡¯ve enjoyed that before as well. Not that I would have ever gotten the chance to, in my old world.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m going to carry that crate over here, okay?¡±


    Apparently, Karen had finally gotten fed up with leaving only to fetch more crystals¡­ But, even with Karen¡¯s strength¡­ A large crate filled with stones was probably too much even for her, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°And, here we go.¡±


    ¡°... Of course, shoving it works too.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering how you¡¯d carry the crate but it slipped my mind that you could just shove it.¡±


    Why do it the hard way when this worked too, right?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I could carry this alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen moved the crate right next to the door. Now, I could just grab some crystals as well.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s see what happens.


    And like that, we started feeding them more and more crystals.


    The tentacles devoured them, absorbed them without pause. First, the tentacles grew slightly thicker and longer. I could feel even the ones I was standing on squirming a little and growing the more crystals we fed them. At one point though, they stopped.


    ¡°Did they finish growing?¡±


    ¡°Nn, maybe?¡±


    Once again, I shoved a few tentacles to the side and tried to see how deep my foot could go.


    ¡°They grew quite a bit, though.¡±


    The tentacles reached a bit higher than my ankle. Around the width of my palm higher, to be precise. Each tentacle was also around the thickness of my wrist. Each and every one of them¡­ The ones from the ceiling had grown as well. Especially in their length¡­ They stopped right above Karen¡¯s head, occasionally brushing against her hair.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re growing any more, though. But they still keep absorbing mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Maybe they¡¯re just going to store the remaining mana now? Like before.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like they were expunging Lust-attributed mana anymore either. Maybe because the air was already filled with it?


    ¡°Probably¡­ Huh? Yumi, doesn¡¯t that one in the middle look larger than before?¡±


    ¡°The one in the middle?¡±


    I followed Karen¡¯s gaze to the middle of the room. The tentacle with the first mana egg¡­ was still growing.


    ¡°Nn. The other ones aren¡¯t growing, though. Only this one.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how big it can grow¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Weren¡¯t you the one who wanted to be careful?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s only this tentacle growing, right? We¡¯ll quickly see if it grows too large.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ Yes, but¡­ Nn, whatever. Let¡¯s do it.¡±


    And we fed it more and more¡­ Honestly, at this point I really didn¡¯t want to know just how many mana crystals we had fed them. And this crate still had around two-thirds left. To boot, it wasn¡¯t even the only crate¡­


    Just how many of these mana crystals did the Captain buy¡­ And why the hell did the merchants even keep that many? There are barely any uses for them, right?


    Not that I could answer that question myself, really. And even though the question bothered me a little, I was still grateful that we had them.


    ¡°Sis, isn¡¯t it growing a little too large, though?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    We kept feeding it and it grew and grew and grew even more. It was now around the thickness of my thigh and if it stretched, it was probably around as long as I was tall¡­


    Seeing it growing so much, we stopped feeding it.


    ¡°Nn¡­ It still looks just like a regular tentacle.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about it except for its size.¡±


    ¡°Then, why did it grow that much?¡±


    A small mystery, really.


    ¡°Because we fed it, of course.¡±


    ¡°I meant, if there¡¯s a reason behind it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°If you ask me, I am curious about the reason for any of these tentacles.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Good point. I wanted to know that as well.


    ¡°Yumi, you can control them to a degree right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    Karen stared at the tentacle, seemingly lost in thought. She¡­ wasn¡¯t going to get any strange ideas now, was she? That tentacle was a little too thick to play with! You were just going to hurt yourself really badly!


    ¡°Maybe you can sit on it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Ahh, sit on it¡­ Sit on it¡­¡±


    It was a rather normal idea. That was good. I got worried there for a moment.


    Actually, no, this wasn¡¯t a normal idea either. Why would you think of sitting on a tentacle? But it was better than the other stuff I could think of...


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    I walked up to the tentacle and put my hand on it, taking control of the mana. It¡­ didn¡¯t stiffen up or anything like the time when I tried it before. In fact, it was still moving on its own.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Ah, but I can still move it.¡±


    The tentacle bent down so I could sit on it. I was a little worried whether it could even carry me¡ªmy own tentacles could barely lift a cup after all¡ªbut it proved to be an unnecessary worry. Even when I put my entire weight on it, the tentacle still held up just fine. Seeing as it was safe, I sat down¡­


    ¡°Woah. It works¡­¡±


    A little unstable, yes, but the tentacle was sure carrying me just fine. In fact, seeing as how I could move the tentacle from this position¡­


    ¡°Sis, Sis! I¡¯m taller now!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not taller, you¡¯re just higher up in the air¡­¡±


    Well, yes¡­


    I wasn¡¯t even allowed to dream for a moment, was I? Not that I even wanted to grow taller. I was quite happy with my current situation.


    ¡°But¡­ I don''t think the point of this tentacle was to make it into a chair.¡±


    It was convenient but¡­ I was fairly sure this wasn¡¯t the intended use.


    ¡°Yumi, I want to sit on the tentacle as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, just a moment then.¡±


    I moved down again and returned to the ground. In my place, Karen sat down on the tentacle now.


    ¡°Wahhh! This is¡­ a little wobbly.¡±


    She had to grab hold of the tentacle beneath her, trying to steady herself.


    ¡°Ohhh! It¡¯s¡­ a little like I¡¯m floating? Ahh! Ca¡ª Can¡¯t you keep it a little steadier?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but this is the best I can manage.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Okay¡­ Then, try to lift me up. But, slowly! Slowly!¡±


    Karen was still firmly holding onto the tentacle. It was a little adorable, seeing how she couldn¡¯t deal well with the unsteadiness. And yet she still wanted to be lifted up.


    ¡°Ohh! Can it go higher?¡±


    ¡°No, this is the highest.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Honestly, it wasn¡¯t really all that high. When I was on it, I could just barely look over Karen. And she wasn¡¯t exactly the tallest person around, either. By far not. If it had been Korwen standing there, he probably wouldn¡¯t even notice the difference. He¡¯d still have to look down at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to let you down now.¡±


    ¡°O¡ª Okay¡­¡±


    The tentacle moved down and returned Karen to the ground. Alas, Karen still felt a little unsteady on her feet. To add, the ground wasn¡¯t even here¡­


    ¡°Wahh!¡±


    ¡°Ah? Sis?!¡±


    And she dove headfirst down onto the ground.


    ¡°Sis, are you okay? Are you hurt?¡±


    ¡°I, I am fine¡­ I am fine¡­ That surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Don¡¯t scare me like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry... ¡°


    Falling to the ground could be quite dangerous if you were unlucky, after all. Thankfully, the tentacles probably cushioned the fall for her.


    ¡°Ohhh, Yumi! This is actually really comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen rolled around, lying one her back and spreading her arms and legs. Whether intended or not, she gave me quite the view of her naked body right now.


    ¡°Yumi, come and lie down as well. They¡¯re really soft and nice to lie on. Although, they tickle a little.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The tentacles below her were moving, adjusting their position to¡­ Wait¡­


    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re sinking.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    The tentacles below her were moving away and instead wrapping around her arms and legs. It didn¡¯t seem like they were firmly holding her in place or anything. I got more the impression that they were acting like a blanket.


    Realising that, my initial panic quickly subsided again.


    ¡°They¡¯re warm¡­ Ahh, I feel like I could fall asleep like this.¡±


    ¡°We still have work after this, Sis. Don¡¯t fall asleep now.¡±


    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t fall asleep. Yumi, come and join me.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    What should I do¡­


    It wasn¡¯t that I was scared of the tentacles or anything. They came from me, originally. One might even argue that they were just an extension of myself. Albeit, an extension that moved by itself.


    Nonetheless, I was still a little worried about simply laying down on them¡­


    Fortunately, there was a simple solution.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You¡¯re right, this is nice.¡±


    ¡°... I wanted you to lie down on the tentacles, not on me.¡±


    ¡°Should I move away then?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re unfair.¡±


    Karen freed one of her arms and wrapped it around me, hugging my waist.


    ¡°Only for a little, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Only for a little would we enjoy each other¡¯s warmth. We still had work after all. But such thoughts didn¡¯t even enter my mind right now. I just wanted to be with Karen, after all.


    This is bliss. Really.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Elven Troubles

    Knock! Knock!


    A soft knocking sound could be heard just barely from inside the tentacle.


    ¡°Yumi, did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Seems someone is knocking¡­¡±


    How unfortunate.


    I wanted to enjoy my time in Karen¡¯s embrace a little longer. Couldn¡¯t they have chosen some other time to disturb us?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and check¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to keep the door closed, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have any exhibitionist fetish, after all.


    Slightly miffed about the interruption, I left the tentacle room.


    Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Miss Yumi? Miss Karen?¡±


    Judging from the voice, it was the guard who kept watch outside.


    ¡°Yes? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Miss Yumi? It¡¯s getting pretty late. If you don¡¯t leave soon, the tamers will likely finish by themselves.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Is it that late already?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    We had completely lost track of time¡­


    I looked up the hatch in the roof and¡­ It was already quite a bit darker outside. It really had gotten late.


    ¡°Okay, thank you for letting us know.¡±


    ¡°Always a pleasure to help, Miss Yumi!¡±


    I could vaguely hear the guard moving away from the door again. How lucky that he thought to remind us.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi, who was it?¡±


    ¡°The guard. It¡¯s getting pretty late and we still have other work.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? It¡¯s that late already?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    The tentacle room was pretty dark so it was hard to notice how much time had passed. We should remember that for the next time. The only indicator of time was the hatch in the main room, as well as the windows here. The time was rather hard to gauge with the latter, probably, but it was still better than nothing. We needed a clock...


    ¡°Haa¡­ Guess everything has to come to an end at some point¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Sis, we¡¯ll have the entire night for us.¡±


    ¡°... Something to look forward to.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen joined me in the main room and began collecting her clothes.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Is it just me or is this room even hotter¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    The tentacle room had been really warm as well, of course. The drops of sweat were slowly running down Karen¡¯s skin. But this room¡­ It did feel even warmer, somehow.


    ¡°We should take a bath later.¡±


    ¡°We can go after dinner.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s still some time until then, though.¡±


    ¡°Skipping work to take a bath will really get us into trouble, Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°I know¡­¡±


    Reluctantly, the two of us got dressed. Karen also removed the collar from my neck. It felt a little lonely without it, somehow.


    But now, since we were dressed again... I wasn¡¯t sweating, so it wasn¡¯t that bad for me.


    For Karen, though¡­ Her mood sure plummeted in a flash, scowling at her sticky clothes and sniffing herself.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t worry, Karen, you don¡¯t stink.¡±


    Rather, I like the smell of your sweat.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s still uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    I knew the feeling only too well¡­ And I wasn¡¯t unhappy in the least that I didn¡¯t have to deal with it anymore. Sure, my body was weird as hell, but it did have a few advantages.


    Shouldn¡¯t say that to Karen, though, who still had to suffer through it.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Let¡¯s go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen took the lead and we left the wagon, returning to the outside.


    ¡°Ahh! Fresh air!¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Karen stretched her arms.


    ¡°This is a lot better. It¡¯s nice that we have the wagon for the two of us but it really gets warm inside. And rather stuffy, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it does.¡±


    Actually, I was a little surprised how cool the outside air felt. It was in the middle of a summer day, right around afternoon. It should still be pretty warm right now. Yet, it felt comfortable. It really warmed up inside that wagon...


    ¡°Haaa¡­ We really should have brought a bucket with water or so. It would¡¯ve been nice to cool down.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Next time, Sis.¡±


    It was too late to regret now anyway.


    ¡°Now then, first we had to work with the tamers to feed the waroxen, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn. After that we¡¯ll help Ria and finally I still have cooking duty.¡±


    ¡°Okay. To the tamers first, then. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We slowly made our way to the pens where the waroxen were. It was a bit of a walk since the pens weren¡¯t in the immediate vicinity of the camp. Instead, they were close to the city gate, right next to the area where the band had taken up camp first.


    ¡°There are quite a few other groups there now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Are those merchants?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    Camping there instead was a small caravan of maybe half a dozen wagons. A few armed men surrounded the wagons and were accompanying a few other men, dressed in regular clothing for traveling.


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Are those all the guards they have?¡±


    ¡°Seems so.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    At most maybe a dozen guards stood there. There might be a few more that weren¡¯t around right now, though.


    ¡°Something wrong, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Aren¡¯t that too few guards?¡±


    ¡°You think so? It should be enough for most monster attacks.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ What about bandits?¡±


    ¡°Bandits? Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head at my question.


    ¡°I wonder. Depends how strong the guards are, I think?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    As we wondered about them, we arrived at the lone tent of the tamers of the Dragon Knights. Others had already started to prepare the feed for the waroxen and a few mercenaries had begun feeding them as well.


    ¡°Ohh, the girls have arrived. Then, everyone is accounted for, great.¡±


    ¡°Nn, are we late?¡±


    ¡°Not really. We just started.¡±


    The leader of the tamers greeted us with a smile. A lanky man. And tall. Like all the other men around here, he was tall. Made me wonder if this was a common trait among mercenaries¡­ I knew for sure that shorter men existed as well. I had seen them in the city and back in Arkesta in the slums as well.


    ¡°Gloves are over there. Feed is here. You two are responsible for that pen there. Be careful, though. The old sir there can be quite moody. Don¡¯t let him bite you. Your hand won¡¯t survive it.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    There were around two dozen or so waroxen in the pen we were responsible for. Feeding them wasn¡¯t exactly the most accurate term for what we were going to do. We had to fill a trough, check if they had any wounds and a few other things, like cleaning the pen. Tasks that we could do after a little practice but could be surprisingly time consuming for the few tamers. Hence the need of help from the others.


    Anything more complicated was of course handled by the tamers themselves.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯ve been wondering but are female waroxen around as well?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, staring towards the pen.


    ¡°Female waroxen? Ah, is this about that milk business?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry to tell you but no, we don¡¯t have any female waroxen. We looked into it whether it is worth it to keep some female ones but we decided it is too troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Karen thanked the tamer and we made our way to the feed for the waroxen.


    ¡°Sis, did you want some of that milk?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I mean, if we can get it, it¡¯d be nice after all¡­ But I already expected that answer from him.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It was too bad but I wasn¡¯t surprised by it either. The mercenaries were no farmers nor shepherds and they were travelling all the time. They didn¡¯t have the leisure to feed animals that had only limited use.


    Karen and I filled some bags with the feed, equipped ourselves with the thick leather gloves¡ªone had to protect the hand from playful waroxen¡ªand made our way to the pen. It didn¡¯t seem that Lily or Rina were assigned to the same pen. On the other hand, some elves were here.


    ¡°Yumi,¡± Karen whispered, leaning over to me.


    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Look. Over there. It¡¯s Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I followed Karen¡¯s gaze to the back of the pen. A familiar elven girl stood there, facing off with one particularly large warox. She was holding something in her hand but from this distance I couldn¡¯t make out what it was. The thick gloves she was wearing were probably partly to blame as well, hiding the small object.


    ¡°What is she doing, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The Elder took a step forward, very slowly approaching the warox. And even though the warox wasn¡¯t moving at all, it was still watching her every step.


    Once the Elder was within an arm¡¯s reach, she slowly circled to the side of the beast, still being watched by it.


    She seemed to say something to it but we were still too far away. Nothing seemed to happen for a short moment¡­ Until¡­


    Moooooooo!


    The Elder suddenly jumped at the warox, clinging to its side. The beast was clearly disturbed by it, screaming and shaking violently in an attempt to get rid of the attacker.


    ¡°Hey, Sis, that doesn¡¯t look good.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah. Ehh?¡±


    Before I could process what was going on, Karen was already running towards the Elder and the warox.


    Oh for fuck¡¯s sake¡­


    Honestly, approaching a mad animal seemed like the worst kind of idea. Still, I didn¡¯t want to leave Karen alone so I followed quickly.


    ¡°Miss Elder!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh?! Ohhh! It¡¯s you two, I see. Wait just a moment. I am slightly occupied with this rascal.¡±


    That doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re just occupied, though?!


    And then, the warox began charging towards the edge of the pen.


    ¡°Ohhhhhh! You are a wild one, aren¡¯t you? Now, now. Mh? Ahh!¡±


    The warox suddenly came to a stop. And the Elder didn¡¯t come to a stop, finding herself sailing through the air.


    ¡°¡±Miss Elder!¡±¡±


    Scared of what was happening, I shut my eyes out of reflex. I heard a dull thump, followed by a gasp from Karen. Then silence.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    I slowly opened my eyes again, looking at Karen. She was staring forward, her mouth agape.


    ¡°Ahaha! You¡¯re a hundred years too early to throw me away! You¡¯re just a cheeky rascal of an ox! Grow for a few more centuries and I might break a sweat!¡±


    ¡°... No way.¡±


    There she stood, completely unharmed, looking triumphantly at her opponent.


    ¡°Sis, what happened?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. She just suddenly moved in the air and landed on her feet¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    She¡­ moved in the air?


    While I was confused, the Elder had apparently enough of mocking the warox¡ªwho had by the way already moved away from us¡ªand came over.


    ¡°I apologise, you two. That child there is a little bit wild.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think that¡¯s just a little bit. Are you really fine?¡±


    ¡°What, are you worried about me, Cursed child?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you ask like that, of course I am.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I am fine, there is no need to worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    She really seemed unharmed. But¡­ what was she even doing?¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ Uhm¡­ What did you do to that warox that it got so angry?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ahh, it is nothing big. That child was injured. The human men were unable to treat it so I volunteered. It is partly our fault it got injured, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Your fault?¡±


    Did she do something to the warox?


    ¡°It was injured while they fought with the protector trees of our home, Cursed child. You surely remember.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    When we ran from the forest. Those spirit trees¡­


    Then, she felt bad about it and went out of her way to treat it?


    That¡¯s a bit unexpected¡­


    Sure, she didn¡¯t seem like she was mean or anything. But I did get the impression that she was very calculative.


    ¡°Now then, there¡¯s more work to be done. You shouldn¡¯t idle your hands, you girls.¡±


    The Elder smiled wryly.


    ¡°Come, I will help you a little.¡±


    With those words, she took one of the bags Karen was carrying, making her way to the trough.


    ¡°Miss Elder, are you fine with this kind of work?¡±


    ¡°Mh? What do you mean?¡±


    The Elder tilted her head at Karen¡¯s question.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s rather dirty work¡­ Especially if you take a wrong step into their droppings ¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? This is nothing for me. If anything, I quite appreciate this kind of work. Animals and magical beasts are honest creatures. They do not try to deceive me. It is very relaxing, if you ask me.¡±


    She cautiously emptied the bag with the feed into the trough, using her gloved hands to spread it out evenly. Karen and I did the same, one bag at a time.


    ¡°... Uhm¡­ Did Mr Captain do something to you?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Why do you¡­ Ahh¡­ No, girl. I apologise, I didn¡¯t mean to be unclear. Your Captain is a cunning man. But I do not think that is a bad thing. He protects what he believes is precious to him. And he does not hesitate to use any means necessary. Wouldn¡¯t you say that is a rather laudable trait, in fact?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows at the question.


    ¡°Hahaha, do not mind it that much, girl. But to answer your question¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ It is not a single person by itself. It is everyone.¡±


    ¡°Every¡­ one?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Everyone. The more intelligent the creature, the more cunning it is. The more likely it is to deceive and stab you in the back.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Elder took another of the bags and emptied it out into the trough.


    ¡°But animals are upfront. They act on their emotions. They do not consider whether being nice to you can profit them in a few years time. They do not hide behind polite words and empty phrases. That¡¯s what I like about them. If they are angry, happy or sad, you will know immediately.¡±


    A bitter smile appeared on her lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am happy to do work like this. It gives me a moment of respite. Before I have to return to my position and my responsibilities.¡±


    We emptied the last bag into the trough.


    Now the waroxen had enough to eat again. Not like any of them were particularly interested in the trough right now.


    ¡°Mm. Good, good. Now the only thing left to do is the cleaning.¡±


    ¡°Only the cleaning?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We have done everything else already. Or, mostly me. My children aren¡¯t¡­ getting along all that well with these beasts¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I looked around, at the other elves that were in this pen.


    They¡­ looked tired. Veritably exhausted, in fact.


    ¡°They are not used to this kind of work. It is unfamiliar to them. The forest accommodates us, makes our lives easy. Actual work is foreign to them.¡±


    ¡°... I always thought living in a forest is rather troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! It sure is, Cursed child! For you all, that is. But the elves are fairies, born from the very forest itself. Just a wave with the hand and we have all we need carried to us.¡±


    ¡°... That does sound very convenient.¡±


    I¡¯d just laze around all day if I could so something like that. And the elves just did that, judging from how the Elder spoke.


    ¡°With age naturally comes a certain amount of wisdom. We know the subtleties of a convenient life like the tree knows the earth it resides in. Yet, the moment they step outside they become but a little sapling once more. Very few of us have ever known the meaning of work.¡±


    ¡°... But I heard from Mrs Korwen that you all are a great help for her.¡±


    ¡°A great help, you say? That is a nice thing to hear¡­ Maybe, more of my kin are becoming interested in the outer world now.¡±


    The Elder lifted her head towards the sky. Few clouds travelled the sky, covering the sun occasionally.


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ Are you sick of living in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    With a dumbstruck face, she stared at me.


    ¡°Am I¡­ sick of the forest?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe. Maybe I am.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She told us about the troubles, about their inexperience and that she wants more of them to venture into the world. I wondered¡­ Didn¡¯t it sound like she didn¡¯t like the forest?


    And¡­ sick of dealing with other people¡­ I first thought she meant the other humanoid races but¡­ She means her fellow elves as well, doesn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Hehe, to think I still harbour such desires. Life never takes the turn one expects.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She shook her head and turned her back to us.


    ¡°Let us not keep with the idle talk. There is still work to do.¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­¡±


    In the end¡­ she didn¡¯t say another word about this.


    We finished our work with tamers and made our way to Ria. The Elder had disappeared at some point. Maybe she had finished as well or maybe she just went away¡­ I had no way of knowing. She seemed lost in thought, though.


    Not even the Elder is free from her desires nor her responsibilities...


    If I had to hazard a guess¡­ She herself wanted to travel the world. But she couldn¡¯t. She had others to take care of. She couldn¡¯t leave them behind.


    It makes me feel a little bad for her¡­


    Losing your home was one thing. Being unable to act on your desires, having no freedom at all, was another.


    ¡°Miss Ria? Are you here?¡±


    Karen pushed the curtain of Ria¡¯s tent to the side, peeking inside.


    The last stop for today before dinner was here.


    ¡°Karen¡­ Yumi¡­ You come¡­ at a good time¡­¡±


    With her usual sleepy expression, she motioned us both to enter. We were technically supposed to help her out but¡­ Every time she was doing different things. Once she was testing various weird tools, half of which either exploded or did absolutely nothing. The other time she just gave us some books to read and called it an extension of our training. Well, the books were interesting but¡­


    Anyway, today was a little different, though.


    ¡°What are those, Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ some medicine¡­ against stomach ache... And this is¡­ against headaches¡­ This is for¡­ diarrhea¡­ and this¡­ for back pain¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ they¡¯re medicines?


    ¡°In a way¡­¡±


    Wooden bowls with ground herbs, salves and ointments were spread out in front of her.


    As one might have figured it out already, Ria was taking care of the injured and the ill usually. And once a week she also offered a check-up in the late afternoon, when most mercenaries had time to come by.


    ¡°Ria, are those bandages?¡±


    Next to the bowls with various medicinal stuff was a bunch of bandages. It surprised me to see those, actually.


    ¡°Mm¡­ They are¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ But can¡¯t you heal wounds?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t really a need for her to use them, was there¡­ Except¡­


    ¡°Or are you conserving your mana?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ correct...  Even a¡­ little wound¡­ needs a substantial¡­ amount of mana¡­ Any small wounds¡­ are taken¡­ care of by¡­ other means¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Then, the suspicious bottle next to the bandages¡­ That wasn¡¯t going to be alcohol, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not for drinking¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I could stomach whatever it is anyway.¡±


    In other words, it was alcohol¡­ And probably a very strong one, as well.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ taste good¡­ anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°... So you tried it.¡±


    But looking at all the stuff she had here¡­


    She really gave the impression of a doctor like this. She knew her way around a lot of things, didn¡¯t she? If only she would speak a little faster.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Are you¡­ interested¡­ in this...¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­ A little?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But right now¡­ Is work¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, I understand.¡±


    There was plenty of time for her to teach me about various stuff. No need to do it now.


    Ria returned her attention to her work, grinding herbs and mixing them with various other things.


    ¡°Mm¡­ This should be¡­ enough¡­ Yumi¡­ Karen¡­ Help me.. Carry these¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a tray¡­ here¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, this?¡±


    Karen retrieved the wooden tray from the corner. Ria lined up the wooden bowls in neat rows. I saw it only now, but there was a small coloured stripe on each bowl. Probably so she knew which one had which contents.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Yumi¡­ Carry the¡­ bandages and¡­ the alcohol¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    Ria herself was carrying a bag with some weird utensils that I didn¡¯t recognise. Equipped with all we needed, we went on our way.


    The spot where she was doing the examinations was a small tent close to the tables where we held dinner.


    ¡°Mm¡­ This will do¡­¡±


    Ria started setting up everything she needed inside the tent. Meanwhile, Karen and I brought her other things she still needed, like a bucket of water and such.


    ¡°Ria, is this enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s good¡­¡±


    We put down the heavy bucket with water.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Okay¡­ Then we¡­ finished everything.¡±


    In other words¡­ it was about time to start?


    Or, that¡¯s what I thought. Instead, Ria sat down on the chair and gestured to us, telling us to sit down as well.


    A little confused, Karen and I both sat down as she wanted us to.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°How much¡­ do you know¡­ about the¡­ disease spirits?¡±


    ¡°Disease spirits?¡±


    Ria nodded.


    Disease spirits¡­ Where had I heard that before¡­


    ¡°Ah. That time with the ill people¡­¡±


    Right after we had left Arkesta there had been a group of demonkin who fled from Aldreigh¡­ And some of them had been ill. At the fort as well¡­ Ria had me help her in treating them and mentioned these disease spirits at some point.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I can¡¯t really say I know anything about them¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    For all I knew, the way illnesses worked here could be different from my old world. And even if it was the same, it wasn¡¯t like these people had no knowledge at all. It was better leaving such serious problems to the experts, really.


    ¡°When a person¡­ gets ill¡­ They might¡­ have contracted¡­ a disease spirit¡­ Most¡­ cannot see them¡­ even with¡­ mana sight¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    But it seemed I could¡­


    I vaguely recalled that I had seen some weird mana when I examined the patient¡¯s mana¡­ According to Ria back then, that had been a disease spirit.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ If you notice¡­ anything weird.... Tell me¡­ immediately¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it. I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    Ria could probably see them as well but two pairs of eyes were less likely to miss something.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ one more thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­ remember¡­ how you¡­ strengthened¡­ their bodies¡­ with mana?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, I do. With the Life-attributed mana.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I might¡­ ask you to¡­ do that again¡­¡±


    Again, huh¡­


    It should be fine, though. Back then, I had to do it for a lot of people so I got a little bit of practice. Not like it was particularly hard to do anyway.


    ¡°Understood. But, do we have some mana crystals here I can use?¡±


    ¡°I do¡­ have a few¡­¡±


    Then, that was fine.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    But¡­ She could have just told me when she needed me to do it, right? It felt odd for her to go out of her way to talk about this¡­ That wasn¡¯t what she usually did...


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°How are you¡­ holding up¡­ After what¡­ happened¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    After what had happened¡­


    The incident with Yumelia¡­


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t quite know¡­ to be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Sure, you could say that I got out of the whole thing without any injuries or lasting trauma or anything¡­ Well, except that I felt a little more uncomfortable now when I was alone¡­ I was glad that Karen stayed by my side at nearly every convenience since then.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°... Uhm, why are you asking that?¡±


    ¡°... We have¡­ examined¡­ those puppets¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The two human-sized puppets. The ones that suddenly grew like a tree due to the Elder¡¯s interference.


    ¡°They are¡­ very similar¡­ to what your¡­ dolls are like.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°But there are¡­ also differences¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ria grabbed the bag she had brought along and retrieved something from it¡­ A small piece of wood.


    ¡°Look¡­ At this¡­¡±


    She handed it to us. It was a smooth and slightly rounded piece of wood, likely part of the arm or the hands or something?


    Yet, something felt¡­ different from the wood that was used in my dolls.


    ¡°Miss Ria. Is this wood carved?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Carved?¡±


    This? You could carve it this smooth and round?


    ¡°The worshippers¡­ are not able¡­ to mold it¡­ like you are¡­ Do you understand¡­ what that means?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t¡­ able to?¡±


    I furrowed my brow, thinking about it for a moment, staring at the wood.


    They weren¡¯t able to do it like me¡­ Like me¡­


    ¡°... That woman is different.¡±


    ¡°Correct¡­¡±


    That woman claimed to be part of my family¡­ Well, rather the witch¡¯s family. But she couldn¡¯t freely mold the wood like I could. It wasn¡¯t even a particularly hard method, considering that even I could do it. But it still required you to be able to use Life-attributed mana. In a free manner.


    ¡°That woman¡­ Is probably not¡­ one of the witch¡¯s¡­ one of Yumias¡¯... children¡­ She is only an¡­ imitation¡­¡±


    ¡°An imitation... ¡°


    The muddy pink soul I had seen... Was that¡­ Did that woman force herself¡­ to change?


    ¡°It might still¡­ be a trick¡­ to lead us¡­ astray again¡­ But for now¡­¡±


    ¡°... For now it¡¯s safe to assume she isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    That¡­ That was rather good news¡­ wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Still¡­ She knows¡­ about you¡­ now¡­ You should¡­ still¡­ be careful¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. I will.¡±


    And for that¡­ I had to be able to protect myself as well¡­ As for the training, Merim told me that it would take a considerable amount of time before I could defend myself from anyone. Especially considering that I was¡­ far from being the athletic type.


    That meant that magic and my¡­ unique constitution were my best shots¡­


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ which¡­ Yumi¡­ Are you¡­ interested¡­ in those puppets?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Those puppets¡­ Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to see them¡­ They gave me quite a good scare¡­


    ¡°You might¡­ find something¡­ Something¡­ That makes it¡­ possible¡­ for them to¡­ fight¡­¡±


    ¡°To¡­ fight?¡±


    To fight¡­


    Right¡­ She used them as bodyguards¡­ Didn¡¯t she?


    Then, if I could replicate that¡­


    ¡°Ahhh. Let me see them, Ria. I want to see them.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But first¡­ we still¡­ got work¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Was it just me or did people keep reminding me to work today¡­ Probably just me.


    ¡°Okay... Yumi¡­ Karen¡­ Let¡¯s get¡­ to work.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Ria.¡±


    Rinne


    And also a new month so bear with me advertising my Patreon again! If you can spare a coffee or two or so, you can read ahead a few chapters! Both tiers now offer 4 chapters each.


    Anyway, thanks for reading. All of oyu, stay healthy and safe!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: A Peaceful Evening

    ¡°And there we go¡­ Ria, I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria nodded in reply, sitting down in her own chair. Karen and I both sat down behind her.


    Now¡­ We were going to wait.


    Most of our work with Ria was just helping her with the preparation it seemed. She never talked all that much, which did make it a little hard to work with her¡­ Especially on your patience.


    After all, not knowing what she wanted or waiting until she finally managed to say what you were supposed to do¡­ Was a little straining.


    ¡°Oh? You are already done?¡±


    Only a short moment after we sat down, the curtain opened and someone entered.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain!¡±


    ¡°Mm. Good evening. Seems you started quite early today, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ They are¡­ helpful¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Korwen came in and sat down in the chair opposite of Ria.


    ¡°Then, since I¡¯m already here already, go ahead and give me a check-up.¡±


    ¡°Mm... Will do...¡°


    Ria leaned forward, extending her hand to Korwen¡¯s chest, stopping only a little before touching it. Then she didn¡¯t move at all. I was a little confused for a moment until it dawned on me.


    She¡¯s probably examining him with magic, huh¡­ But I can¡¯t see any mana moving at all.


    It could¡¯ve been just her mana sight, of course. But while mana sight wasn¡¯t exactly a form of magic and wasn¡¯t noticeable simply from the movement of mana, there also wasn¡¯t a point in extending her hand, was there?


    Oh, suddenly, Ria moved. Down to the Captain¡¯s stomach. After a while she went to the sides then to his arms. Slowly, she examined every corner of his body.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Having finished, Ria sat back up and stared at the Captain for a while.


    ¡°Is something wrong, Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°... Y, yes?¡±


    Oh, even our stalwart Captain was nervous in such a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re lacking¡­ sleep¡­ Aren¡¯t you?


    ¡°... It¡¯s not like I can help it, you know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no good¡­ If it continues¡­¡±


    She turned to the tray with the medicines and picked up a bowl as well as a small wooden container. She filled some of the ground powder from the bowl into the container and handed it to Korwen.


    ¡°Take this¡­ Before sleeping.¡±


    ¡°... It won¡¯t make me oversleep, will it?¡±


    ¡°Before sleeping... Take it... With water... No alcohol¡­ today...¡±


    ¡°... Will do.¡±


    Korwen sighed, giving up surprisingly quickly.


    ¡°Good¡­ Now¡­ Captain¡­ Strip¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Strip? Did she just say¡­ strip?


    I hadn¡¯t misheard that, have I? Ah!


    Korwen stood up and started undressing., just as he had been told by Ria.


    ¡°Ohh?¡±


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    This was¡­ Impressive.


    I knew Korwen had a good build but¡­ His upper body was effectively muscles. Muscles, muscles and more muscles. If I tried to hit him, those muscles probably would break my hand. Not like I could break it.


    Anyway, you could very clearly see every bulging muscle on his body, from his chest, to his arms and his legs and more.


    There aren¡¯t any scars at all¡­


    I honestly had expected to see a scar-ridden body from him. Instead, there wasn¡¯t any scar at all. Not even one. Usually, every person had at least one or two, right? Yet¡­ Nothing. In fact, his body had no blemishes at all.


    Having stripped down to his underwear, he addressed Ria again.


    ¡°Good enough, Ria?¡±


    ¡°... I said¡­ strip¡­¡±


    Eh?


    He was already down to his underwear, wasn¡¯t that enough?!


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... You can do it just fine like this.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Why did she sound a little disappointed there? Ria, he¡¯s a married man¡­


    Although I do agree that looking at him like this is quite something. Although, it was more a sense of admiration. For me, at least.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Any discomfort¡­ Recently?¡±


    ¡°Except for being rather stressed? No.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­¡±


    She motioned for Korwen to turn around, showing his back. And once again, no scars at all, only his well-defined muscles.


    Muscles, muscles, muscles. I hope I wasn¡¯t going to dream of muscles today. If every mercenary was even half as muscled as Korwen, it would end up turning into a veritable muscle macho festival.


    Time to look for something that was more comfortable to look at.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly staring at me?¡±


    ¡°Purifying my soul.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows at my reply. It probably did sound like nonsense to her but¡­ It really was purifying my soul.


    ¡°Hey, you two, could you stop flirting there?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Impossible. Captain, you got too many muscles.¡±


    ¡°Too many? How is this too many? You can never have enough muscles! Can¡¯t you see these awesome back muscles? Look!¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to look though. Especially now that he was starting show them off to me.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Calm down¡­ Hold still...¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    He didn¡¯t click his tongue now, did he?! Were those muscles that important to him?!


    ¡°Mm¡­ Okay¡­ You can¡­ dress again¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    Seemingly a little bit disgruntled, Korwen put on his clothes again. The muscles finally disappeared beneath the clothing. I had never noticed just how well-trained he was below those clothes. They hid it quite well.


    ¡°So, Ria. Your verdict?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ The very¡­ picture¡­ of health¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°... You might want¡­ to hold back¡­ a little¡­ Your night¡­ activities¡­ with your¡­ wife¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen froze.


    ¡°Or are you¡­ intending to¡­¡±


    ¡°... Haa. Yes. Yes, we are.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Good luck.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    Korwen nodded silently and left the tent.


    ¡°Huh? Uhm, Miss Ria? What did you two mean with that?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ They want¡­ To have another¡­ child¡­¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    A¡­ child?


    Ah. Ahhhhh¡­


    That¡­ It was like that, huh¡­ Like that¡­


    Good Luck, Captain.


    I heard he already had a daughter but¡­ Well¡­ I sure hoped they would succeed in that case.


    Just¡­


    ¡°Nn, Ria. Is that going to be fine, though? For Mrs Korwen. She¡¯s¡­ not that young anymore, right?¡±


    The people here seemed a lot more healthy and lived quite a bit longer than in my own world. Maybe it was the presence of mana that caused this or something. Nonetheless, age was still something that would inevitably catch up with them even in this world.


    ¡°Mrs Korwen¡­ She should be¡­ fine¡­ The bigger¡­ problem for her¡­ is getting¡­ pregnant¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t dig too much here, should I? This sounded a little bit too personal, after all.


    ¡°I hope¡­ They will¡­ succeed¡­ May the Great Spirits¡­ bless them¡­¡±


    Ria put her hands together and closed her eyes, in a gesture of prayer. This was the first time I had seen her doing this. She never striked me as the religious type¡­


    Then again, those Great Spirits¡­ might very well exist, right?


    While I was lost in that thought, Ria had finished her prayer and the next person entered the tent.


    ---


    ¡°Thank you very much, Miss Ria!¡±


    The last man Ria treated left the tent, holding the small wooden container with the medicine tightly in his hand.


    ¡°Haa¡­ That was the last one, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn...¡±


    Korwen had been the very picture of health. Outside of the fact that he was rather stressed and exhausted.


    But most people didn¡¯t come here for a simple check-up like Korwen had. They came because they had actual problems.


    In general, what Ria had done to them was mostly the same she did with Korwen. A general check-up to locate the problem and the administering medicine.


    ¡°Mm¡­ You two¡­ Don¡¯t have... to clean up¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°You still got¡­ work left¡­ Don¡¯t you?


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Cooking duty, it was¡­


    Technically, that was only my job, though. Karen still helped out since she wanted to stay with me and was free.


    ¡°Miss Ria, are you sure we don¡¯t have to help? I mean, that¡­¡±


    Karen glanced at the buckets in the corner. One of which was stuffed with red pieces of cloth. Deep red¡­ Or in other words, bloody bandages. The immediate surroundings of the bucket were also quite blood-coloured¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I am used¡­ to this¡­ Go...¡±


    ¡°Okay...  Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Karen forced me to turn away from the bucket and we left the tent.


    ¡°Nn¡­ That sure was quite the experience.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ You sure can say that.¡±


    Ria was treating a quite large selection of various maladies. Things like stomach aches, headaches or back pain were one thing, but also injuries, and even problems regarding someone¡¯s diet. To boot, there were even things I never knew about, like the mana sickness. There was also one couple that came to Ria to consult about their¡­ night activities. Or rather, the problems regarding it.


    Sure didn¡¯t expect Ria to be able to make something like an aphrodisiac¡­


    Obviously, she hadn¡¯t made any in advance, so she¡¯d make it later and give it to the couple.


    Still, what really surprised me the most were the mana-induced illnesses.


    Raw mana was rather harmful to the bodies of most living creatures. As such, they had to defend themselves against the natural mana in the air. But just like all body functions, sometimes they didn¡¯t work as well as they should, resulting in too much raw mana being accumulated in the body and thus turning into the so-called mana sickness. And from there, many various other illnesses could occur if it was left untreated.


    Ria gave us a few examples of what could happen and¡­ they weren¡¯t nice. Most of them were fatal, too, if left untreated.


    ¡°But, we learnt a lot, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We sure have.¡±


    It was definitely a valuable experience. Ria was also glad she had some help, and that I could treat others a little with Life-attributed mana was also rather convenient. I used up quite a few mana crystals in the process, but Ria said I shouldn¡¯t mind it.


    ¡°So, now we only have dinner left and then we¡¯re free?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I honestly want to take a look at those puppets later, though. Ria said I could just come by whenever I had time so¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Then, should we do that after dinner? Although, I still want to take a bath, if possible¡­¡±


    Karen looked down at her body, stretching her clothing where it was clinging to her body.


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll try not to take too long.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t, you have to deal with the smell.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not bath today.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?!¡±


    What did she expect after such a statement? I even told her earlier that I quite liked her smell, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°Haa¡­ You¡¯re seriously a pervert, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We both are.¡±


    ¡°... I still want to take a bath if we have time, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Oh? So it was fine if we didn¡¯t have time? Great. I was sure I could delay the whole thing long enough.


    ¡°Ah. That¡¯s right, in the worst case we can just take a washbasin again and use that. Better than no bath at all..¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Right. That was an option. That was totally an option. But why did you have to think of that right now, Karen? Couldn¡¯t you just forget about that.


    ¡°Speaking of washbasins. Didn¡¯t Wanda say she¡¯d be done with our clothes tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°How did you go from a washbasin to Wanda?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re for laundry as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, we should go pay her a visit as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It had taken surprisingly long for Wanda to finish. She couldn¡¯t enter the town to buy cloth which had delayed it unnecessarily. She also didn¡¯t want to use old clothes for everything.


    ¡°I wonder if she made progress with¡­ Those clothes as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I don¡¯t think she will manage those anytime soon, Yumi. Elina did say it would take quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Too bad. Elina had managed to somehow reliably make the thread but the process was still slow. We could give Wanda only a small amount of it until Elina figured out how to make more.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just have to ask her tomorrow. We¡¯ll probably see her anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn. True.¡±


    No point in wondering about it right now.


    For now, we arrived at the place where the cooking was done.


    Time to work again.


    ---


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m stuffed! I¡¯m stuffed!¡±


    ¡°Lily, that¡¯s bad manners.¡±


    ¡°Not like anyone really cares, Karen. Today was tiring. Let me relax a little.¡±


    After dinner, we made our way to Ria¡¯s place again to look at the puppets. Lily and Rina were rather interested as well, so they decided to join us. Despite both of them being rather tired.


    ¡°Hey, Lily, how was the guard duty?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Boring. Nothing happened. And the guy I was working together with didn¡¯t say a word at all either. I stood there for half the day not doing anything.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t envious of that in the least. Poor Lily.


    ¡°I was glad when it was over¡­ It¡¯s good that I don¡¯t have guard duty that often. But rather than me¡­ Yumi, you said you wanted to take a look at those puppets again, but you didn¡¯t yet say why.¡±


    ¡°Nn? I didn¡¯t? I want to know how they were made and if I can copy that. If I could make puppets like that, wouldn¡¯t it be convenient?¡±


    They could serve as a means to defend myself, or even more.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ But, aren¡¯t they just a large version of your dolls?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they are. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to take a look.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    Lily squinted her eyes a little, her ears twitching.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. Just wondering how strong those puppets even were.¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­ They were at least quite fast on their feet¡­¡±


    Also, that woman used them for her own protection after all. The moment they were out of commission, she left me alone. It was quite possible they were her only means of attack. Otherwise, she surely would have forced me to come along.


    ¡°But how strong they really were, I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think I could judge their strength anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see when you try to make them yourself. I¡¯m quite curious about that.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    While we kept talking, we arrived at Ria¡¯s tent once more.


    ¡°Miss Ria, are you inside?¡±


    ¡°... Karen? Ohh¡­ It¡¯s¡­ you girls¡­ come in...¡±


    Ria poked her head outside when Karen called for her and then invited us inside. We had been here just a little earlier, but she had cleaned up the mess from earlier already. The medicines and everything were gone. Instead, on the table was a large puppet.


    ¡°Oh? The Cursed Brat and her friends? Are you also here for this?.¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­¡±


    Much to my surprise, the Elder was also present.


    ¡°I guess we have good timing.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria, were you also investigating the puppets?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ The Elder¡­ was telling me¡­ about the magic... she used¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean, the magic that protected me?¡±


    Ria nodded in reply to my question.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really impressive on the level you people would call a spell. I have simply asked the trees to observe and protect the Cursed Brat, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Observe¡­¡±


    I¡­ probably could let that slide, right? They did protect me after all¡­


    ¡°What surprised me more is the manner in which they decided to protect her.¡±


    ¡°Nn? The manner?¡±


    ¡°Brat, do you have one of your dolls here?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I can call one if you want?¡±


    They weren¡¯t always around me, after all.


    ¡°No need. The dolls of yours are made from the remains of the trees, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yet, no matter how much I would ask them, they would never obey me. The spirit of nature has left them.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Well, they were my dolls, so I¡¯d be troubled if they would suddenly obey the Elder¡­


    ¡°But the puppets of this woman you met. They, too, are made with the remains of a tree. And yet, watch.¡±


    She put her hand on the wooden arm of the puppet. A second later, a small branch grew out from it, growing larger, forming leaves and the like.


    ¡°... These are mere imitations. They are not under the thrall of that woman.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait, you mean, you could control these puppets?¡±


    ¡°If I willed it, it would be very much possible, yes.¡±


    And she couldn¡¯t do it with my dolls. Was that what she was trying to say?


    ¡°Brat, the magic you use is close to the origins of mana. One of the most basic, most primal magics. But you know yourself, how hard it is to use, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°What you call Life Magic might not be a primal magic, but it is close to the root as well. It is powerful, and similarly hard to use. The abilities of us elves could never hope to interfere with this type of primal magic. Assuming it was cast in the proper way.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ That woman wasn¡¯t one of Yumias¡¯ children¡­ is what you want to say?¡±


    The Elder nodded at my question.


    ¡°At the very least, these puppets were not created by one of her kin.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, the Elder thought so as well.


    ¡°But it is curious¡­ I had heard that those worshipping the witch existed since long ago but I never expected they would ever be able to use any of her powers. Even should it be a mere imitation.¡±


    ¡°Nn, is it bad that they do?¡±


    ¡°No, not in particular. Magic is but a tool. There are many kinds of magic out in the world that are far more dangerous.¡±


    I honestly wasn¡¯t too sure what to think about it being shoved aside simply because there were more dangerous ones around¡­


    It still meant that it was dangerous, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Anyway, Cursed child. What do you think, as a child of the witch, of these puppets?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­¡±


    I stepped forward to take a look at the puppet. It was mostly featureless, just a smooth piece of wood. Although, it was far better crafted than my dolls. It had joints, proper limbs and no roughness at all.


    ¡°It¡­ has no mana crystal?¡±


    There was no mana coming from the doll at all.


    ¡°Mm¡­ There was¡­ one¡­ but it¡­ broke¡­¡± Ria answered from behind me.


    ¡°It broke?¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ already broken¡­ by the time¡­ we found them¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So it had a mana crystal, huh.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Other than that, it just¡­ looks like an ordinary puppet?¡±


    It was crafted well but¡­ That was also everything. I couldn¡¯t feel any mana coming from it anymore nor were there any other notable features. It was just a large piece of wood. With fresh branches sprouting from it, thanks to the Elder.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really see anything else¡­¡±


    Oh, there were a few damaged portions on the side¡­ Probably where Ria had shaved off a piece.


    ¡°Nothing¡­ So even the Cursed child says there¡¯s nothing else about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­ there really¡­ isn¡¯t anything¡­ we can do¡­ with this¡­¡±


    The two hadn¡¯t figured anything else out from it either, huh¡­


    ¡°Yumi, can¡¯t you try and use your magic on the puppet?¡± suggested Karen.


    ¡°Nn. I could¡­ Miss Elder, Ria, is it fine if I try that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­ by me¡­¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Cursed child.¡±


    Having gotten permission from both of them, I took another look at the puppet. It was a large piece of wood, saying it bluntly. But, it was pretty large.


    ¡°Sis, do you have some mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°I do. Are these enough?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    Karen handed me the small pouch with the crystals. Now then, it was time to see if this worked.


    Draining the mana from the crystals, I converted it to the Life attribute and then slowly inserted it into the puppet. I could feel the wood turning soft below my palm. But, I didn¡¯t want to knead it this time, I only wanted to animate it.


    Nn¡­ This is a little tiring¡­


    The puppet was large and I had to keep draining more mana crystals. At this rate¡­ They might not be enough¡­


    ¡°Nn... This is difficult¡­¡±


    Another problem showed itself quite quickly. I was controlling the mana myself. And until this thing started to move¡­ I had to keep the mana under my control.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Not now, Sis.¡±


    Uhhh! Come on, start moving.


    The mana crystals were nearly all used up by now, only few of them remaining. There was a sizable amount of Life mana inside the puppet by now but¡­ It still didn¡¯t move. It probably needed enough mana to fill the entire body.


    Only a little more.... Ah¡­ No crystals left.


    And then, I had run out of crystals.


    What to do now...


    ¡°Yumi! The mana! The mana!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah.¡±


    Yes¡­ That short lapse in attention was more than enough¡­ More than enough that I had lost control over some of the mana.


    ¡°Get down!¡±


    ¡°Eh! Ah!¡±


    Something pulled me down to the ground.


    And then the next thing I saw was a bright, pink light filling my vision.


    ---


    ¡°Is¡­ Is everyone fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    My head hurt¡­ I probably hit the ground a little too hard.


    ¡°Oh¡­ my¡­¡±


    I forced myself to sit up and take a look at my surroundings¡­


    Well, to keep things brief.


    The sun was shining down on us.


    Or in other words¡­ The roof of the tent was gone¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I need¡­ a new tent¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The walls of the tent collapsed as well, having lost their stability from the roof. The puppet wasn¡¯t on the table anymore¡­ Parts of it were strewn in the surroundings. Some other things inside the tent had collapsed as well or fallen over¡­


    ¡°... Did it¡­ explode?¡±


    ¡°As you¡­ can see¡­ It has¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.


    It exploded?! The mana I had been controlling simply exploded cause I lost control for a moment? Just like that?


    And now¡­


    ¡°Wait. Sis. Lily. Rina. Are you okay?!¡±


    In a panic, I turned around, looking for them. Karen was lying on her back, staring at the sky. She seemed fine, except for the momentary shock. Lily had covered for Rina and the two were lying behind me. A weird shimmer lay over them. Though it was quickly disappearing. Maybe Lily had used some magic or so. Still, both of them seemed safe as well.


    ¡°Haa¡­ They¡¯re safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Cursed brat. You could at least worry for me a moment as well. Or at least thank me.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A voice came from¡­ below me?


    ¡°Miss... Elder?¡±


    For some reason¡­ I was sitting on top of her stomach¡­


    ¡°Ah. I¡¯ll get off.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ Why was I...¡±


    ¡°I pulled you down. I do not believe you wanted to get blasted by your very own magic. Or did I assume wrong?¡±


    ¡°... No. Thank you, Miss Elder.¡±


    She had saved me there, huh¡­


    ¡°What are you smiling about, Cursed child?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ahh, that is¡­ I¡­ I was happy that you saved me, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re quite blunt, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She averted her eyes, seemingly embarrassed.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Are you trying to flirt with her?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Sis? No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°... Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    I only wanted to thank her properly. And it wasn¡¯t wrong to be happy when someone saved you , right?


    Right¡­


    Okay, maybe I was a little too direct there¡­ I didn¡¯t think all that much about it at that moment.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Anyway, you sure¡­ did quite a thing¡­¡±


    ¡°... What do we do about this?¡±


    Karen sat up and looked around the mess I caused¡­ I did have a history of making elemental stones explode into my face but this was¡­ a completely different level.


    ¡°Hey! Are you all safe?¡±


    A voice called out from behind us. A group of mercenaries had gathered, probably due to the noise, looking worriedly.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ This was Miss Ria¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°... So she did it again?¡±


    ¡°And here I was worried¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that. Seriously¡­¡±


    Some mercenaries spotted Ria and started murmuring and shaking their heads¡­


    ¡°Hey, are you all okay?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes¡­ I think so¡­¡±


    The mercenary asked again so I answered in a hurry.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You should maybe come out of there, before everything else collapses.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Everything else?


    There were¡­ some crates stacked¡­ a shelf... All looking a little¡­ No, quite a bit damaged¡­


    Yep. Let¡¯s get out of here.


    ¡°Lily, Rina. Can you stand up?¡±


    ¡°... I think so¡­ Rina?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll carry her.¡±


    Lily slowly forced herself to stand up and carried Rina¡ªwho was completely out right now¡ªin her arms.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming.¡±


    The Elder and Ria were already on their way out. Well, not really ¡®out¡¯ since we weren¡¯t inside the tent anymore. The tent was, after all, gone¡­


    We followed them and¡­ got a clear view of what had happened¡­


    ¡°... I think this is bad, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s going¡­ to be fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria¡­ I don¡¯t think it is.¡±


    The remains of the tent had flown all over the place. The puppet, too, had burst into pieces and had flown quite some way away from the former tent¡­ Some parts of it had struck other tents, though, luckily none seemed to have damaged them.


    As for the other stuff¡­ Glass¡­ Paper¡­ Weird stones¡­ A book¡­ Parts of a shelf¡­ Everything had turned into a mess and was all over the place.


    I didn¡¯t even know where to start describing it. Like¡­ It was¡­ Simply¡­ a mess. What else could I say?


    At the very least, nobody was injured.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Mr Captain is coming over.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    This¡­ wasn¡¯t going to end on a nice note, today, right?


    I really did it this time...


    Rinne

 Chapter of Living Dreams: A Story of the Past

    ¡°So, to sum it up: You tried animating a puppet with your mana?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°And then you lost control?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°And then the puppet exploded, obliterating everything here?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not all gone.¡±


    ¡°Is. That. Correct?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Korwen sighed, holding his head in clear exasperation.


    ¡°Here I thought I finally found someone who can use magic without making everything explode¡­ Yet you go ahead and do this?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°... The next time this happens I won¡¯t let you off so easily. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Now then... ¡°


    He turned to the person standing right next to me.


    ¡°Ria. Please be so kind and list all the times in the past three months where something exploded.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm? Mm¡­ All¡­ seventeen?¡±


    Seventeen?!


    ¡°... Nevermind. Tell me how many times you were present among those.¡±


    ¡°... Seventeen?¡±


    Another deep sigh escaped Korwen.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell me that is just a coincidence, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°... It wasn¡¯t¡­ My fault¡­ In all....¡±


    Ria averted her gaze. Just like a child that had done something bad would do when it got scolded.


    ¡°Because the other times you instructed either Wenners or Krutz and then it exploded. Just like this time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can sweet talk your way out this time, Ria.¡±


    Well, seventeen times was¡­ rather impressive¡­ in three months¡­ Wasn¡¯t that like more than once every week?


    Then, seeing as there hadn¡¯t been any incident in the time since we joined¡­


    ¡°Now¡­ The last one¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    Korwen turned his attention to the last person standing in front of him.


    ¡°... Miss Elder. You are not one of my people. But you are currently under our protection. Causing trouble is not exactly what a guest should do. I¡¯d appreciate it if this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°I apologise for the trouble we have caused, Mr Korwen.¡±


    The Elder slightly bowed her head to Korwen.


    ¡°... Just make sure it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    Korwen sighed a last time and then took a look at the mess we had left behind.


    ¡°... At least not a whole lot is damaged except for the tent. You three can clean that up by yourself, understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes¡­¡±¡±¡±


    Oh, everyone in sync, albeit a little lifeless. More or less in sync.


    Really though, after Korwen had appeared he immediately assessed the damage done. As expected of someone used to this. And thankfully, the damage was rather low. Most of the force went upwards and to the side, ripping apart the tent and damaging a few minor things here and there. But everything else survived, much to my surprise.


    Although the table was also in a rather pitiful state...


    ¡°Good. For now, I hope you will reflect on your actions a little. After that, you three clean that up. I don¡¯t want to wake up tomorrow and see anything that might even hint at this having happened, are we clear?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes.¡±¡±¡±


    Korwen nodded at our response.


    Then, he turned back to Ria, his expression hardening.


    ¡°Also, Ria¡­ Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll forget this. I¡¯ll think very carefully about your punishment, no worries.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s all for now.¡±


    He turned around, showing his back to us and leaving without saying another word, leaving the three of us standing there.


    We got scolded, huh¡­


    Well, scolding was probably not quite the right term for this. It was a little more severe. Fortunately, the Elder and I were let off the hook since it was the first time this had happened for us.


    Suddenly, a small chuckle could be heard from next to me.


    ¡°Nn? Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Cursed child?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Why were you laughing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you heard that? My apologies. I was just wondering how long it had been since someone scolded me the last time.¡±


    Wait¡­ She was laughing because she was scolded?


    ¡°In my position, it rarely happens. Or rather, even if I weren¡¯t the Elder of my kin, rarely anyone among us elves would bother scolding someone. It was a little nostalgic.¡±


    ¡°Nostalgic?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Long ago, someone used to scold me over many little things. I simply remembered them.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Her past¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ You¡­ You used to travel, right?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Yes, that is correct. I traveled this world a long time ago.¡±


    So she really had been traveling¡­ Then, she really longed to travel once more, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Why did you stop traveling?¡±


    ¡°Why¡­ There was no other choice but to stop.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°... Are you maybe interested?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Now that I thought about it¡­ I had never really heard a lot about this world. Or rather, I knew the names of several places, I knew of the relationship between the Lafria Kingdom and the Akkian Empire.


    But there were many other things I didn¡¯t know about. For example the religion, the culture. What other places, what other countries existed. Stories of the past, history and all the like. They were unknown to me.


    And most of all, she had probably met Yumias long ago as well, right?


    ¡°I see¡­ It might be a bit of a long story.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ A long story, you say¡­¡±


    We still had to clean up¡­


    ¡°Nn, I still want to hear it.¡±


    Worst case, we¡¯d just clean up on the side. No, technically we had to clean up first anyway but¡­ I might miss the chance to hear this, then.


    ¡°I see. Then, yeah¡­ A long time ago....¡±


    The Elder¡¯s gaze went upwards, to the sky.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... Where do I begin? Are you familiar with the Great Spirit War?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Then, let¡¯s start there, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The Elder smiled weakly, then moved to the remains of the tent and lifted up the chairs that had fallen over. Then she sat down and motioned us to do the same.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    ---


    Elves were a long-lived race. Different from the humanoid races, we were closer to the fairykin. As such, our ways only change little with the passing of decades and centuries, or even millenia.


    I was born in a forest not unlike this one. Elves are born from the trees in a blessed forest. We call the tree we came from our Mother Tree.


    The elves pride themselves with the tree that gave birth to them. The older, the more magnificent the tree, the higher their pride. Usually, only the old trees birth an elf. But sometimes, even a young tree could birth an elf. Such was the case for me. My Mother Tree was more sapling than tree, having lived less than a decade. One like me was called ¡°Child from a Child Tree.¡± Maybe because of this, I felt life in the forest was¡­ suffocating. Boring.


    There was no special reason, no incident or anything. Just, one day, I took the few belongings I had and left the forest, hoping to find a place that wasn¡¯t as boring and stale. Thinking back, it was a pretty trivial reason, wasn¡¯t it? If you could call it even that. But I¡¯d soon learn that the world could be moved by even more trivial reasons.


    The first time I met a humanoid was¡­ relatively odd. Having no knowledge of the outer world, I didn¡¯t know their customs either. As such, my first impression was¡­ They¡¯re weird. A small group of wanderers let me join them. They were nice people, they taught me many things. About bartering, about their customs, about the different races. Learning all these, the young me was excited.


    Not for long.


    There was one thing they avoided talking about: Monsters.


    Monsters were everywhere, so they thought I was familiar with them as well. Little did they know¡ªnor I, at the time¡ªthat the elven forests protect us from wild monsters. Many elves live their lives without ever seeing one threatening their very lives.


    And thus¡­ Came my first encounter with such a beast.


    I was horrified, scared. Such a being that could only be attributed to be the product of nightmares¡­ Stood in front of me. The wanderers, though, were well-acquainted with these monstrosities and slaughtered the beast with little effort. It was the first time I had seen a life being taken right in front of my eyes. I remember well the sight and the stench of blood and innards. It overwhelmed me, made me sick.


    To my luck, the wanderers were kind to me, albeit surprised at my shock. They told me all about the monsters. And I grew fearful of the outer world.


    But¡­ traveling with these wanderers. Was fun. The monsters scared me but I also had found friends. My first true friends.


    It was a wonderful time I experienced with them. They were wanderers without a place to call home, traveling from one town to another, doing odd jobs or surviving on the bounty of nature. We never stayed long at a single place. Countries existed but they were small. Incomparable to a country like this one. They were more colonies of villages and towns. Sometimes, you could travel through the entire country by foot within two days.


    With time, I also learnt of the more fearful sides of the humanoid races. Discrimination and hate were rampant in some places. In one place, every race except the native one was looked down upon. In the next, one gender stood above the other. Some also fought simply because they lived on the other side of a river. The reasons were often so trivial that I could not comprehend them.


    Maybe as an elf I had a different view on these things. The humanoids were all different from me, that was my belief. And I ventured into the world hoping to see many things different from me and from my home.


    But ultimately, these were just minor problems in my eyes. I had fun traveling with the ones I called friends.


    Just sitting around a fire with them and eating the food you gathered by yourself was¡­ fulfilling.


    ---


    The Elder paused.


    ¡°It is a shame, that our life spans are so inherently different. The time we travelled together was short. I was young, so my perception of time was barely different from theirs. But time doesn¡¯t slow down for anyone. They started to grow old and weaker while I stayed the same. After a few decades, they settled down and they lived their lives to their end there. Only I remained.¡±


    There was a smile on her lips despite those words. But even though she smiled¡­ I had the feeling that she still felt sad.


    ¡°Afterwards, I avoided traveling with others. The shock of losing my friends was deep and I understood¡­ If I were to find someone else to travel with, they too would likely one day pass on ahead of me. It¡¯s the curse of the ageless races.¡±


    The curse of the ageless races¡­


    That was quite the heavy description but¡­ Assuming I would live for such a long time as well¡­ Korwen, Maya, Ria¡­ and many others would pass on¡­


    That thought was¡­ rather depressing.


    ¡°Of course, there were other races that were essentially ageless, like the demonkin and other fairykin. Manakin also had significantly longer lifespans, although they weren¡¯t necessarily ageless. Still, I traveled alone, avoiding any lasting relationships. Until¡­ I met the witch.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Until she met the witch? Wait¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that imply¡­


    ¡°Yes, Cursed brat¡­ Although it was only for short, I have traveled with the accursed witch. At the time she did not have her¡­ unsavory reputation yet.¡±


    Ahh¡­


    I somehow had a feeling that I knew where this was going¡­


    ¡°Yumias, the witch¡­ A being so out of the world that even the Great Spirits feared her. And¡­ a being not of this world.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Not of this world¡­


    ¡°Yumias is an enigma. Something no living being can understand. She is a saint. And she is the devil incarnate.¡±


    A saint yet the devil¡­


    That was quite the contradiction.


    ¡°To this day I only know few things for sure about her...¡°


    The Elder shifted her gaze to me.


    ¡°Cursed brat¡­ Yumi. You are¡­ a surprisingly good child.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I will tell you this. So that you understand a little of the true terror that is called the Great Witch Yumias.¡±


    ---


    My first encounter with the witch was¡­ rather peaceful. I was doing some odd jobs in a city, helping out in a store or running errands. One such errand took me to a different village. There, I temporarily joined a small group of travelers. All four of them were women, young and beautiful women.


    The country I was located in was one of the first large countries. They created magical fortresses that absorbed mana to become stronger and more powerful. A marvel of their time.


    Thanks to these fortresses, traveling within the country was incredibly safe and it wasn¡¯t too rare to see women traveling on their own as long as it was within their borders. Still, these four were¡­ different. They traveled everywhere, including the dangerous places, uncommon for women at the time. Some of the surrounding countries weren¡¯t kind to outsiders and even less to women. Even I avoided them. Yet, these four braved them nonetheless.


    They were cheerful, full of life. As if they had no care in the world and feared nothing. They¡­ charmed me. With their liveliness. With their energy. With everything. Including the witch herself.


    There were several more occasions where I joined them for work after and we gradually grew closer. They were doing odd jobs to earn money, just like me, so it wasn¡¯t a big surprise to meet them. At one point, they invited me to join them in traveling. At the time I thought that¡­ maybe, with them I can have fun for a long time. After all, they¡¯re all ageless, just like me.


    And thus we traveled. All five of us. Including Yumias, all four of them were manakin. White, pink, blue and golden. They were kind to me. The white-haired girl was always scolding us over the most trivial things. The golden-haired girl did whatever she felt like doing, usually lazing around.  The blue-haired girl was trying to calm down the white-haired one. It was fun. And Yumias was in the middle of it all. Even then, I never understood her. Sometimes she was full of life, sometimes rather gloomy, then she behaved mature, the next time like a child. Her expressions and her moods were as rich and different as the colours of the rainbow. Beautiful to look at but impossible to grasp.


    And over the time, I understood why they never feared anything. They were strong. All of them. And they were nigh immortal. They weren¡¯t just ageless but they truly¡­ They were at a point where no wound, no matter how severe, could kill them. At first, it scared me, then I admired them.


    Their strength¡­ was incredible. I wanted to become like them.


    But¡­ One day they picked a fight¡­ I don¡¯t even remember the reason¡­ And Yumias¡­ She got angry. So angry, that she didn¡¯t just kill the other party. She devoured them.


    Every being has a soul. Humanoids, fairies, the Great Spirits, animals, even plants. We instinctively understand that there is something that makes us us. Something deep inside. And a soul persists even after death. Physical damage can not destroy it, nor can magic. But the witch¡­ The witch and her three companions¡­ her children¡­ They could destroy and devour them.


    ---


    ¡°She¡­ devoured the souls?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ria and I both stared at the Elder in wonder.


    ¡°She devoured their very soul¡­ It was horrifying to watch¡­ The witch claimed it would make no difference whether she took their life or destroyed their soul but¡­ I couldn¡¯t accept it¡­ The soul¡­ It¡¯s your innermost¡­ The most precious part of yourself. And she simply robbed them of it.¡±


    The Elder shook her head.


    ¡°I was by no means a soft girl. The world didn¡¯t allow me to be soft. If someone attacked me, I¡¯d retaliate, even if it meant the other¡¯s death. Yet it is simply unfathomable to me, what the witch did.¡±


    ¡°... What happened then?¡±


    ¡°... I left them. I was weaker than any of them and even if I were to fight and win¡­ what would I do then? Would I kill them? If so, how would I do that? They were practically immortal. Either way, I still counted them as companions and friends at the time¡­ There wasn¡¯t any other choice but to leave or to stay.¡±


    She had been too weak to stop them¡­ But she couldn¡¯t agree with their way of doing things and so she left¡­ was it?


    ¡°Destroying and devouring souls¡­ Goes far beyond just killing a person. At the time, I decided I would do everything I could to find a way to stop them. But¡­ It was basically impossible.¡±


    ¡°Impossible?¡±


    ¡°There is nearly no knowledge about souls. Their mere existence is a mystery. Nobody could perceive them, after all. Even I only stumbled upon it by coincidence, having watched the witch. At the time I was only able to perceive it for a short instant. Not even the blink of an eye.¡±


    There was¡­ no knowledge about them?


    ¡°Knowledge about magic was fragmentary at best at the time. And those who had knowledge guarded it fiercely. Fairly few even heard of Soul Magic before. Marvels like the magic fortresses were secrets beyond compare.¡±


    They kept it secret¡­ No wonder nobody had knowledge then.


    ¡°Maybe someone knew what I was looking for at a different place. But before I ever found out anything¡­ her companions perished.¡±


    ¡°Eh? They¡­ perished?¡±


    ¡°The Great Spirit War. Her children were strong¡­ But not strong enough to fight a Great Spirit and survive.¡±


    ¡°A Great Spirit¡­¡±


    The festival in Larfas, this city, had been dedicated to these Great Spirits. They seemed to be like¡­ god-like creatures?


    ¡°Only the Witch lived through it. She gave life to many children during the Great Spirit War but scarcely any survived.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ What exactly was this Great Spirit War?¡±


    ¡°The Great Spirit War was¡­ a war between several Great Spirits. A fight for supremacy and power. Great Spirits were far more common at the time but then¡­ many perished¡­ were destroyed.¡±


    The Elder lifted her head, leaning back on her chair.


    ¡°In the name of the Great Spirits, the humanoids fought each other as well. Even many fairykin joined. It was a truly calamitous war.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ you fight as well?¡±


    ¡°I did. If I hadn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t be alive anymore.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even the Elder had fought¡­


    ¡°... I apologise, Cursed brat, Miss Ria¡­ But¡­ I think I will stop here. I know I promised to talk but...¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Why the heck did she suddenly stop now?


    The Elder stood up from the chair and pushed it away. Meanwhile, Ria leaned over to me, whispering, so that the Elder wouldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ It¡¯s probably¡­ a hard topic¡­ for her¡­¡±


    ¡°A hard¡­ Ah.¡±


    It was a war. And wars weren¡¯t pretty. People fought and died, even those you might know. It was likely a traumatic experience¡­ for the Elder.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I had to admit that¡­ I still wanted to hear more about this Great Spirit War¡­ But not on the Elder¡¯s expense.


    ¡°We have¡­ books about it¡­ You can¡­ read them¡­ if you want...¡±


    ¡°Books¡­ Nn, I will, Ria.¡±


    Back to the books¡­ I didn¡¯t dislike books but¡­ There was a difference between reading it from a book or listening to someone who actually experienced it.


    ¡°Cursed brat, Miss Ria. I am certain we still have to tidy up this place. We should probably do so, before the sun sets.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ We still have to clean this up¡­¡±


    Well, it was kind of our punishment¡­ And our own fault, too. So it was only right that we would clean it up¡­ That didn¡¯t mean I¡¯d like doing that, though.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to¡­¡±


    ---


    Around half an hour or so later¡­


    ¡°Cursed brat, hold it tight.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ done¡­ You can let go now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    I slowly took a step back and¡­ The tent was standing. It was back to normal.


    ¡°We¡¯re done¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We are¡­¡±


    Cleaning up everything was thankfully not that bad. The tent and the table were beyond saving but for everything else, the damage was surprisingly little. Picking everything up and then setting up a new tent, as well as getting a new table, and most of the work was already over with.


    ¡°... But, what do we do about those scraps, Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Can you make¡­ use of them?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ take them¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We collected the remains of the puppet as well and put them into a bag. It was just wood but¡­ Maybe I could still figure something out of it. If not, well¡­ I could still recycle it.


    ¡°Then¡­ Is it okay if I fetch them later?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll just leave¡­ them here¡­¡±


    Great.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll¡­ go and take a bath.¡±


    All the dust, splinters and all the other stuff made me quite dirty¡­ I wanted to bath together with Karen but since the others were effectively just bystanders, they already went ahead and took a bath. I was a little jealous¡­ Albeit they had to force Karen to leave me behind. She resisted rather vehemently but Korwen knew no mercy...


    ¡°Mm¡­ Have fun¡­¡±


    ¡°Cursed brat.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°The story I have told you¡­ Do you understand why I did not want to tell you about it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The matter with devouring souls¡­ was it¡­


    ¡°Nn. I think I do.¡±


    ¡°... Good. Then let me tell you one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    There was something else?


    ¡°Let this matter not steer your sight away from what you are. Power is not inherently evil. But should you ever turn to the path that misuses this power¡­ I will stop you with all my might.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Having gotten my answer, the Elder turned around and disappeared into the newly erected tent.


    I stared silently after her for a few seconds, my thoughts dwelling about her words. Power wasn¡¯t inherently evil, she said¡­ I could agree with that.


    Was she¡­ trying to motivate me with that?


    Leaving behind the tent, I made my way towards the bath at a leisurely tempo. My escort guard, who had simply watched our clean-up from a distance, followed me.


    I felt a little happy that she started telling me a little about these things. Also, hearing about her past was slightly interesting. Albeit¡­ Much to my disappointment she hadn¡¯t told us much about her specific adventures¡­ Just a summary...


    But she wasn¡¯t a storyteller or something, so maybe it had been inevitable. Either way, I was glad I had heard her story.


    The Great Spirit War¡­ What are Great Spirits even¡­ I probably should read up on these things¡­


    I was lacking a lot of historical and common knowledge¡­ Unsurprisingly, really. There was much I had to learn about¡­ Unfortunately, I had to set priorities. And after the incident with Yumelia¡­ My priority definitely was magic for now.


    It¡¯s too bad that there is barely any information about Life Magic¡­ Or Soul and Lust magic, for that matter.


    Speaking of which¡­ the Charm Yumelia had used was¡­ Lust magic, right? And the way she got rid of everyone there was likely Lust magic as well¡­ But how did one even do that with Lust magic? Lust was¡­ well, sexual desire, right?


    Maybe she lured them away with their sexual desire¡­ No, that doesn¡¯t feel right. Nobody could quite explain why they avoided that place. It was more like¡­ They didn¡¯t even think about going there.


    Not thinking, huh¡­


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Huh? Sis?¡±


    A familiar voice had called out to me¡­ Standing in front of the bathing tent was Karen. Next to her stood Lily and Rina.


    ¡°What are you all doing here?¡±


    ¡°We were waiting for you so we could take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You didn¡¯t take one yet.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t.¡±


    My eyes went wide at Karen¡¯s words. These three had waited for me¡­ Probably for pretty long.


    ¡°It was a compromise with Karen, Yumi. She would¡¯ve run back otherwise¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis! Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Rina walked up to me, a big smile on her face. Then, for some reason, she hugged me.


    ¡°Rina?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, lil¡¯ Sis, you know¡­ Let¡¯s all bathe together!¡±


    ¡°... Nn, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Yay! We have the bath for us four all alone, you see!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did everyone else finish already?¡±


    ¡°They did!¡±


    The large bath for only the four of us¡­ That was going to be pretty nice.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry about that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why sorry.¡±


    I tilted my head at Lily¡¯s sudden apology.


    ¡°Well, you¡­ could have had the bath all alone with Karen, you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was unfortunate¡­ But¡­


    ¡°Lily. You two could have had the bath for you alone as well.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers at my retort. And Rina, who was still hugging me, stiffened.


    ¡°Tha¡ª That¡¯s! Still too early! Too early!¡±


    Too early? But, didn¡¯t these two¡­


    ¡°Lily! Next time, let¡¯s bath together, only us!¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡±


    ¡°... Uhh.¡±


    Ahhh¡­ Yeah¡­


    It was clear that this proactiveness ran in the blood of these two sisters¡­ Rina was quite forceful, huh.


    And Lily was surprisingly shy about all of it. But also happy, seeing how her fluffy ears twitched so much. Too bad I couldn¡¯t see her tail in the dark all that well, but it seemed to be moving as well. Rather furiously.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Today, let¡¯s have lots of skinship with the four of us.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s oka¡ª


    Wait¡­ skinship? She wasn¡¯t suggesting¡­ what I was thinking of¡­ was she?


    ¡°Rina... That¡¯s a little too much¡­


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, uhm¡­ You should only do that with Lily.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Now it was Rina¡¯s turn to tilt her head in a confused manner.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ She doesn¡¯t mean what you are thinking of.¡±


    ¡°... She doesn¡¯t, Sis?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t. She just wants us all to get closer.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see¡­ That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°... Is it really?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen was furrowing her brows, seemingly suspicious.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, what did you think I mean?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ahhh¡­. Nothing important! I just misunderstood it in a stupid way!¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you pervert.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you, Lily.¡±


    She was at the very least just as much of a pervert. Same for Karen. I didn¡¯t know about Rina and I honestly didn¡¯t want to, either.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ You all¡­ Let¡¯s just get into the bath, okay?¡±


    Karen suggested, looking a little exasperated.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s bath. Rina, could you let go of me?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    And with a bit of a commotion, we went to take a bath.


    Needless to say¡­ Karen was later interrogating me quite a bit about my misunderstanding.


    Rinne


    Hope you are all doing well. The heat here is killing me but otherwise I''m still alive for now.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Doll Research at Night

    After we enjoyed our bath full of skinship, Karen and I made our way back to our wagon. Rina first wanted to come along and join but thankfully, Lily was able to read the mood and stopped her.


    Seriously, after she enjoyed touching everyone all over in the bath she still wanted more? Rather greedy she was.


    ¡°Yumi, what did you want to fetch from Ria¡¯s place anyway?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, we collected the remains from the puppet and I wanted to bring them along.¡±


    ¡°The remains?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Everything we found, at least.¡±


    Seeing how some splinters were the size of my fingernail, we weren¡¯t able to find everything. And who knew how far they really flew around. Not like it mattered, really. Not even Korwen would complain about that¡­ right?


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You¡¯re still curious about them?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, of course I am¡­ Those puppets seemed pretty dangerous to me. But they¡¯re similar to my dolls, so I wonder what the difference was¡­¡±


    The size was of course one difference then. And they were carved. But was that enough to make such a difference in performance?


    Also, how did they even manage to animate those puppets? When I tried I completely lost control of the mana and it also needed quite a bit of it too.


    To be honest, how couldn¡¯t I be curious about all this? Although, having it explode into my face sure wasn¡¯t pleasant and still worried me a little.


    ¡°Dangerous, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°... Sis, I know I¡¯m not the best person to judge that. But even I could see that they were pretty strong. Also, if they weren¡¯t strong, she wouldn¡¯t have brought them in the first place.¡±


    After all, they seemed to be her bodyguards. And she immediately retreated the very moment they were out of commission. Maybe she was a bad fighter as well, just like me.


    ¡°I guess you got a point¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Glad she agreed.


    Then again, she had seen neither the puppets nor Yumelia herself, so her doubt was quite reasonable.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°When you filled that puppet with mana, did you notice anything strange?¡±


    ¡°Strange? Well¡­ It kept wanting more and more mana. As if it was bottomless. And the mana didn¡¯t settle down in the least.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t settle down?¡±


    Her head turned around and her silver eyes stared at me in wonder.


    ¡°Nn¡­ How to say it¡­ See, when I¡¯m giving mana to the dolls, the quantity doesn¡¯t feel like it matters, but the mana stays inside. I didn¡¯t really think about that when I tried it with the puppet, but it was like¡­ the mana wasn¡¯t accepted at all?¡±


    The dolls were fine even with very little mana. They¡¯d just immediately stop moving again without a mana crystal. But the puppet didn¡¯t take my mana and I could really feel how the mana was trying to slip away.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t accepted?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It was weird, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe the problem isn¡¯t the amount of mana?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡±


    That thought had crossed my mind as well. But then, what had been the issue?


    The more we talked about this, the more I wanted to find it out.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s Ria¡¯s tent. But it doesn¡¯t seem someone¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°She said she¡¯d leave them there so¡­ Ah, there, that bag.¡±


    A rather large bag was right next to the entrance. Karen approached it and then peeked inside.


    ¡°Lots of wood. Seems this is the right one.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s take it back with us then.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen lifted the bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. She made it look so simple but¡­ That bag was quite heavy¡­ I really was a bit envious of that strength.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After we arrived at our wagon we said good night to my escort. He apparently would stay around a little longer, though, so if there was something wrong we shouldn¡¯t hesitate to call on him. He wasn¡¯t going to stay there the entire night, was he?


    ¡°Ahh¡­ This bed is great¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ And here I thought you would immediately try something with those wood remains¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? This is this and that is that.¡±


    A bed, how long had it been since I could just let myself fall down onto a bed in the evening? Barely a month. Or already a month, depending on how you looked at it. Either way, it was a long time for me.


    ¡°So, you want to sleep now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ No, I¡¯ll just lie down a little¡­ I¡¯ll come in a moment.¡±


    ¡°... I have the feeling that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t tell her that I thought the same thing¡­


    But on the other hand, once laid down¡­ It was so hard to get back up. And the longer you were laying there, the worse it¡¯d get.


    Probably should force myself up then¡­


    Realising the small predicament I was in, I sat up and quickly left the bed. The temptation was strong. But thankfully there was something even better around.


    ¡°Sis, could you sit down?¡±


    ¡°I can? Why do you¡­ Ahhh...¡°


    With a wry smile, Karen sat onto the chair in front of the desk and patted her lap, telling me to sit down.


    ¡°Nn¡­ This is the best place, after all.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re quite spoiled, you know? What should I just do about you?¡±


    ¡°You could spoil me even more.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. If I do, you won¡¯t ever do anything.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not that bad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Right?¡±


    Hey, this silence scared me? I wasn¡¯t that bad, was I? Sure, I could admit that I was a little lazy but I would surely not turn out that bad. I wouldn¡¯t turn into a useless bum just because of a little spoiling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep it at that. There¡¯s no need to find out anyway, right, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    True, there wasn¡¯t¡­ How unfortunate. I¡¯d put it as my future goals to get Karen to spoil me rotten.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°You know, I love seeing you spoiled, but I also love it when you work hard.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re really unfair. Aren¡¯t you the one who is sly?¡±


    If she said something like that I had no choice but to work, did I?


    ¡°I¡¯ll be as unfair as I have to be if it¡¯s for you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really unfair, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    No, laughing isn¡¯t going to cover that up.


    Really¡­ I was going to hug her really hard for the entire night after this for sure. And I was going to bury my face in her chest and all the other stuff. Yeah, that sounded good. Now I was really motivated.


    ¡°Sis, can you give me some of the wood. I can¡¯t reach it from here.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, one second. Here, take as much as you need.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    After taking an armful of wooden pieces from the bag, I spread them out on the table. Cautiously, of course. Splinters could hurt quite a lot.


    There were all kinds of sizes of splinters. Most were actually decently large, a little larger than my fist. You could still see the smooth, carved parts on some of them. And you could obviously also see the places where the puppet was ripped apart¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, what kind of wood is this?¡±


    ¡°What kind of wood? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ It looks different than the trees around here, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    The wood was quite a bit darker than the wood I had gotten in the forest or from the mercenaries for the dolls. Rather than brown it was more a dark grey.


    ¡°I might be able to tell you if I could see the tree but¡­ I think Ria or the craftsmen know more about that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess so¡­¡±


    Well, the wood might have been one reason for the difference after all. With that said, I¡¯d probably find out soon enough if it was. I only had to mould this now and¡­ Huh? Uhhh¡­


    ¡°Mmm¡­ This is weird¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°One moment¡­¡±


    I was trying to mould it with Life mana again but¡­ The wood was still hard. I couldn¡¯t mould it at all.


    ¡°Sis, can you try moulding it again? I¡¯ll keep the mana up.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Okay?¡±


    I handed Karen the piece of wood while making sure it was still close enough for me to keep up the mana supply.


    ¡°Huh? This¡­¡±


    Karen grabbed the piece of wood with both her hands and squeezed it as strong as could. It was changing in form but¡­ Even Karen¡¯s strength was barely enough.


    ¡°This is quite hard.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Actually, maybe that¡¯s why they were carved instead?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Can¡¯t you try using more mana?¡±


    ¡°Not without a mana crystal.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, let¡¯s try with some.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Karen took a few mana crystals from her bag and handed them to me.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can keep that up for long, though.¡±


    ¡°As long as it won¡¯t explode again.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ won¡¯t.¡±


    The amount of mana I had used with that puppet was significantly more than the amount we were going to use just for moulding this. I still should be careful. Even if the amount of mana was less, an explosion from point blank would hurt for sure, no matter how weak it was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start now, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After extracting the mana from the crystal, I tried to add it to the already existing mana in the wood. Proved to be a little harder than expected. I never really paid attention to the amount of mana I used for this and adding mana suddenly was¡­ It felt like stuffing an already full bag even more. I was worried it might actually burst for a moment but despite the slight difficulty of adding the mana, it still accepted it for the moulding. Odd that this worked, more or less.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s gone softer.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ So the amount of mana makes a difference.¡±


    ¡°Seems so. So, what should I do with this now. It¡¯s become softer but it¡¯s still pretty stiff.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Let¡¯s use some more wood and make a doll out of it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Of course, adding more wood also meant adding more mana. I had the subtle feeling that I understood how difficult making a human-sized puppet actually was. The more wood was used, the more mana I had to use to soften it. And if that was the case¡­


    ¡°They might have just carved it because it¡¯s too difficult¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, sorry. Let¡¯s finish this first.¡±


    I had to concentrate. Stray thoughts would just get in the way right now.


    It took us a short while, but we finally managed to make a doll. Probably due to the hardness it was a little rougher than the others, though.


    ¡°So, Yumi, what did you mean with difficult?¡±


    ¡°Nn, Ria and the Elder theorised that they are just imitating this kind of magic, right? But with wood this hard, wouldn¡¯t it be possible that they just decided it was too troublesome and they carved them instead?¡±


    If Karen wasn¡¯t here, I would have had no idea how to process this wood at all. Even with more mana added, I still couldn¡¯t even make a dent into the wood.


    ¡°And with such a large amount of wood, they¡¯d need a lot of mana to soften it, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That might be true¡­ But Yumi, can¡¯t you soften only a part of it?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Yes, I could.


    That slipped my mind.


    ¡°Nn¡­ They¡¯d still need someone with quite a bit of strength to mould it, though.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t. But at that point, they still might rather opt for the carving, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°... They might.¡±


    I sure hoped there was a good reason they used this hard as hell wood, though.


    Like, come on, the wood I used was significantly easier to deal with.


    ¡°We should tell them tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We might find out more as well.¡±


    ¡°True. So, are you trying to animate it now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    This time, I had to be more careful, though. If it didn¡¯t seem to accept the mana, I¡¯d first have to look for a different method. No brute force approach this time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see...¡°


    I provided the doll with some mana in an attempt to bring it to life.


    ¡°... It¡¯s not working, huh.¡±


    ¡°The same as with the puppet?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It doesn¡¯t work at all.¡±


    This was weird¡­


    The wood was taking the mana if I intended to mould it but if I tried anything else¡­ Nothing happened. Well, even moulding proved to be difficult, but it worked at the very least.


    ¡°Maybe you should try with a mana egg?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Guess so.¡±


    That would lower the chances of it exploding as well. That alone was already quite a bit better. Should¡¯ve thought of that earlier with the puppet as¡­ Huh?


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did the puppet have a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Why?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ How did it work without one? Even assuming it would have accepted my mana¡­ How did it continue working?¡±


    ¡°... Ah. You¡¯re right.¡±


    If the puppet had no mana crystal it shouldn¡¯t be able to run for long. In fact, if the consumption was larger with the size as well, it probably would barely run an hour, if at all. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if it would stop moving within a few minutes.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ How was it moving?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it had a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I am sure Ria or the Elder would have mentioned that, though¡­ Or did they mention it? No, wait, didn¡¯t they say something that it had one but it broke?¡±


    ¡°... I think they might have said that.¡±


    It sure felt like they had told us that¡­ Well, no use in speculating about whether they had or not. We could just ask them again later.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just try it out for now with the mana egg¡­ Sis, can you hand me some more mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    After making a mana egg from the crystals she handed me, I tried to insert it into the newly made doll. Only for me to fail¡­


    ¡°... Sis, can you do it please?¡±


    The mana egg didn¡¯t just sink into the doll and I had nowhere near enough strength to push it inside.


    Thankfully, Karen could do it just fine.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not moving, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why¡­¡±


    It had a mana crystal, the form of a doll and so on. But it didn¡¯t work. Were we overlooking something? Was I simply unable to do it with this wood? Or was there some other reason?


    ¡°Haaa...¡°


    I held up the doll in my hand and looked at it from all sides. It simply looked like all the other dolls, albeit a little darker in colour. That was all.


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s something else we need?¡±


    ¡°Something else¡­¡±


    But what could that be?


    ¡°Yumi¡­ This might be a little far fetched but¡­ maybe the other dolls can help?¡±


    ¡°The other dolls?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They made more by themselves, right? So, maybe they know what the problem is.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s actually a pretty good idea.¡±


    I could also take the opportunity to figure out how in the blazes they were multiplying anyway.


    ¡°But¡­ Are any of them here?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any¡­. But you could try calling them.¡±


    ¡°Calling them¡­ What do I say? ¡®Hey, dolls, come here!¡¯ or something like that?¡±


    Then again¡­ It had worked when Korwen called them. But how¡­ no, it was better not to question this part. I felt like I would regret questioning it.


    ¡°Okay, then¡­ Dolls! If you hear me, some of you should come here! Mm¡­ That good?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully¡­¡±


    We waited for a minute or two when suddenly something knocked on the window.


    ¡°They really came¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    After opening the window, a whole bunch of dolls dropped into the room. They quickly stood up and lined up in front of me. All the while even more of them dropped through the window¡­ Within a minute, more than two dozen dolls had lined up in front of me.


    Thankfully, it stopped at that number.


    ¡°Okay¡­ You dolls, I need your help.¡±


    I squatted down and put the lifeless doll made from the puppet remains on the floor.


    ¡°I want to animate this doll but it¡¯s not working well. So I¡¯d like you all to he¡ª Woah?!¡±


    Before I could even finish my request, the dolls swarmed their yet lifeless comrade.


    They didn¡¯t seem to be doing anything, though, only standing around it. Maybe they were taking a look?


    How do they even see? How do they do anything, seriously?


    Then, some of the dolls separated from the group, walking to the crates with the mana crystals.


    ¡°Nn? Do you need some?¡±


    The dolls bobbed their heads up and down, probably as an attempt to nod.


    I opened the crate and scooped up some mana crystals for them. The mana crystals were quickly taken from me and brought to the lifeless doll¡­


    And then, something¡­ odd started.


    ¡°Yumi. What¡­ are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    The dolls had formed a ring of mana crystals around the lifeless doll. Then, they stood in a large ring around it and started to¡­ dance¡­ They were¡­ dancing....


    ¡°Is this some kind of ritual dance?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Yumi¡­¡±


    They continued to dance. It was a very simplistic dance, they simply circled around the lifeless doll, jumping, raising their legs and arms and stuff like that. In a clear, simple rhythm.


    ¡°Oh? Look, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°... No way.¡±


    Whatever kind of demon summoning ritual they were performing there¡­ Something was definitely happening.


    ¡°The mana is¡­ Sis, does that actually mean¡­ The dolls can use magic?¡±


    ¡°It does seem like that¡¯s the case.¡±


    The mana from the mana crystals was mysteriously flowing out and into the lifeless doll¡¯s mana egg. The mana crystals that slowly lost all their mana turned brittle and broke apart. But even when all the mana was gone from them, the dolls continued dancing around.


    ¡°Are they still using magic?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see any movement in the mana anymore, so I was a little confused.


    ¡°Probably? Let¡¯s just wait for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen and I both sat down on the bed and watched the dolls. They continued dancing and dancing for several minutes without any change.


    ¡°Weird¡­ Maybe they can¡¯t do it either?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That might be the case.¡±


    Karen tilted her head as if she was lost in thought.


    ¡°Sis? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If neither you nor the dolls can do it¡­ Just how did the worshippers manage it? No matter whether they are using the same kind of magic or just an imitation, it still means that you should be able to copy it¡­ That¡¯s what I think at least.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong there¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I hope you are right.¡±


    There was nobody who could tell me, so I had to figure it out myself. It was bothersome for sure but it couldn¡¯t be helped. The only person who could help me would be Yumias¡­ Who also hasn¡¯t come back for quite a while now.


    ¡°Yumi! Look!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen suddenly stood up, looking at the dolls.


    Following her gaze¡­ I saw something¡­ Something like a shadow surrounding the lifeless doll and entering inside.


    Don¡¯t tell me this really was a demon summoning?!


    Once the shadow or whatever it was disappeared into the doll¡­ The doll started moving. Slowly, clumsily, it stood up. The other dolls stopped dancing, throwing their arms up in the air as if they were celebrating.


    ¡°Sis¡­ What¡­ happened there?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, Yumi.¡±


    Either way, the doll had¡­ somehow come to life now. I still had absolutely no idea how, though.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Okay, let¡¯s ignore the how for now¡­ Uhm¡­ The new doll there, come here.¡±


    With staggering steps, it slowly made its way to me. It didn¡¯t look like it was any stronger than the other dolls. In fact, seeing it stagger so much, I felt like it was a complete failure.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Ehh¡­ Show me what you can do.¡±


    A little vague but it would probably work. Surely. The dolls were clever, after all.


    The doll stopped moving for a moment before straightening it¡¯s back and saluting¡­


    Seemed that their weird military-like hierarchy was still strong in this one as well.


    The next move it did¡­ surprised me, though. It was tottering towards the desk for some reason¡­


    Once it finally arrived there¡­ it jumped. It jumped. From the ground, straight up onto the desk.


    ¡°It jumped.¡±


    ¡°It sure did¡­¡±


    ¡°The others can only climb.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    On the desk¡­ The doll moved to the large bag with the wood that Karen had left there. It grabbed onto it and then pulled. It pulled¡­ and actually moved the bag. The bag¡­ The one that was quite heavy for me as well.


    ¡°... So, it¡¯s the wood?¡±


    ¡°It sure seems like it¡­ Or maybe the thing the dolls did?¡±


    ¡°... I feel like I got more questions than answers.¡±


    Watching the doll pulling and pushing the bag off the desk was surreal for sure. Once the bag was down on the ground, the other dolls swarmed around the bag and pulled on it while the dark doll instead moved towards the crates. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like its movements were slowly becoming smoother.


    It jumped onto the crate and actually managed to lift the lid.


    ¡°Nn¡­ It definitely is stronger than the other dolls. But¡­ I still feel that¡¯s not quite right...¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Those puppets¡­ They moved smoothly and they were fast¡­ I couldn¡¯t even see them moving. But that doll is still moving like the others, it is just a little stronger. That¡¯s all.¡±


    It was an upgrade over the dolls. But it wasn¡¯t enough of an upgrade.


    ¡°Maybe the size makes a difference?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder.¡±


    How the heck was I even going to animate a puppet as large as that? Could the dolls do the same weird ritual on it?


    ¡°Speaking of which, what happened to the other puppet?¡±


    ¡°The other puppet is with Elina. She took an interest in it for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Maybe she figured something out.¡±


    ¡°Nn, maybe.¡±


    While we talked about the other puppet, the dolls had started to collect mana crystals in the middle of the room as well as small wooden splinters. The splinters were each small, the size of my fingernail at most. They completely ignored anything larger in the bag. Then, they made a new circle of mana crystals and one of the regular dolls positioned itself right in the middle of it, holding one of the splinters above its head.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t going to¡­ do this again, are they?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And they were¡­ They started dancing again, around the circle of mana crystals, around that one doll holding the splinters.


    This time it went a lot faster though. The mana from the crystals flowed into the doll relatively smoothly. Then, after a minute, the weird black shadow appeared again around the doll and the splinter. I honestly had no idea what in the blazes it was but it probably was some form of mana. It couldn¡¯t be a soul since it had been Karen who noticed it¡­ And she couldn¡¯t see the tiny souls of the¡­


    The¡­ souls?


    The souls¡­ The souls of those puppets... There were none¡­ That¡¯S how I noticed they weren¡¯t living, after all... But the dolls had tiny souls. Including the now slightly darker doll.


    ¡°... This becomes weirder the more I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I just keep wondering how those puppets worked.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    No souls. No mana crystals.


    Seriously, they were a mystery. And then they were high-performance dolls nonetheless.


    ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s turning dark.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The doll that had been holding the splinter was turning the same dark grey as the other doll. The splinter in turn had vanished, as if it had been absorbed.


    ¡°Now there are two of them.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ So, they can¡­ uhm¡­ upgrade the dolls?¡±


    ¡°Upgrade?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Like, making them better.¡±


    That sure was convenient if they could do that themselves. They could multiply on their own. They could upgrade themselves on their own¡­ They were feeding the tentacles¡­ If you ignored for a moment that one doll was actually rather weak on their own, they were quite impressive.


    ¡°Ah, look, Sis, they started with the next one.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t going to do this for all of them now, are they?¡±


    ¡°... Well.¡±


    They probably were going to do that, weren¡¯t they? No, they definitely were¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder if there is enough wood though¡­¡±


    ¡°I think we should maybe stop them there. If that¡¯s some wood we can¡¯t get again, it¡¯d be a bit of a waste to use it all up now.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡¯s true.¡±


    The other puppet was still intact, after all. If we somehow managed to figure out what to do, we might be able to animate that one.


    ¡°But, at least we figured out quite a bit already. The material actually makes a difference.¡±


    We definitely should ask what kind of wood this was. If we were able to prepare more of it, we could upgrade all the dolls. Korwen liked them because they were convenient, and even if they were just a bit stronger, it would probably help quite a bit.


    But I also have so many more questions now¡­ The only one who knows anything regarding souls is the Elder, so I¡¯ll have to ask her in regards to that. As for everything else, Ria probably knows about it. And if she doesn¡¯t, she might know who can help me.


    Now¡­ There were still a few things I had to find out, though. But honestly, it was getting late. The stars were up and shining outside¡ªnot like I could even see them from inside the wagon.


    Either way¡­


    After we stopped the dolls from upgrading another one for a third time, we kind of threw them out of the wagon. We did want our privacy now.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Shall we¡­ go to bed?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Of course, we wouldn¡¯t just go to sleep¡­


    We finally had a night for ourselves¡­ And we sure would enjoy that time plenty.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: The Nest Grows

    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I have a¡­ a request.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What kind of request?¡±


    Just as we prepared to go to bed, Karen stopped me from laying down.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I wanted to ask if we could¡­ do it while you are transformed¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Karen wanted¡­ to do that with¡­ Mm¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ I mean, I¡¯m okay with that but¡­ Do you mean¡­ fully transformed?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Basically, where I was stuck on the ground¡­


    ¡°We can¡¯t do that on the bed, though.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it¡¯s no good?¡±


    ¡°Nn, like I said, I¡¯m fine with doing that. But... ¡°


    I couldn¡¯t exactly do that on the bed. It felt like there was way too much that could go wrong if I attempted to do it there. But on the other hand, the floor wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ We¡¯d have to do it in the other room then, I think.¡±


    I glanced at the door, behind which the tentacles were. The floor covered in tentacles wasn¡¯t as hard and uncomfortable, so it¡¯d be a lot better¡­ On the other hand¡­


    ¡°I just have no idea what is going to happen if we were to do it there¡­ Are you still okay with it then, Sis?¡±


    ¡°What would happen there? How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s not exactly like I am always in control of those tentacles¡­ And you know¡­ They are kind of intended to do¡­ sexual things¡­ They might attack you.¡±


    They might actually see Karen as some form of prey and assault her¡­ That¡¯s what I was worried about the most.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Having realised what I meant, Karen furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Mm¡­ They are still technically part of you, right? So, in other words, it would be like you were assaulting me. Then, everything is okay!¡±


    ¡°No, Sis¡­ That¡¯s not how it works¡­¡±


    It was more like they used to be a part of me. And as such it wasn¡¯t me who was assaulting her.


    ¡°Mm¡­ But I think it¡¯ll be fine. I mean, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll act against your wishes¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­¡±


    ¡°If it turns dangerous, I¡¯ll defend myself, no worries. I very much doubt your tentacles could keep me restrained.¡±


    ¡°... That somehow ticks me off.¡±


    Sure, I agreed that it was unlikely that they could actually harm Karen or restrain her¡­ But the way she phrased it annoyed me. Even if it was correct. Even if it was correct!


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t look at me like that, Yumi. I¡¯m sure in the future it won¡¯t be that easy anymore. You just have to keep at it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Keep at it, huh¡­


    ¡°Rather than that, are we going now or not?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ If you are sure it¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°I am. In the first place, I trust you will keep them under control by yourself.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Apparently, I wouldn¡¯t get to experience the precious comfort of a bed today. Okay, it wasn¡¯t as soft and comfy as the beds in my old world but I still had been looking forward to a wholesome and warm night in Karen¡¯s arms.


    And the tentacles were rather far removed from what I considered wholesome.


    ¡°Hm, hm, hmm¡­ hm, hmmm....¡±


    After we had decided what to, Karen entered the tentacle room, humming to herself.


    ¡°Ahh, they¡¯re still squishy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be worried if they stopped being squishy¡­¡±


    The only other options were they had dried out or they had become rock hard¡­ Neither of which sounded like a good state for tentacles to be in.


    With a wry smile, I followed Karen into the room and closed the door behind me. There was little light in this room in the first place but now I could really not see anything without changing my eyes for the night vision.


    ¡°It still looks like something straight out of a nightmare¡­¡±


    With the tentacles covering everything and even hanging down from the ceiling, it didn¡¯t give the impression of a place you¡¯d ever see in reality. It was flesh and tentacles in every direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a cave of tentacles¡­ Well, except it¡¯s not a cave.¡±


    It was inside a vehicle¡­ Definitely not the right place for tentacles.


    ¡°Speaking of caves, did Lily tell you about tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°... So she didn¡¯t. Fenna was apparently planning to take her squad tomorrow to that cave with the ropers for reconnaissance. Lily thought maybe you¡¯d be interested in seeing a roper for real.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ No, she didn¡¯t tell me about that.¡±


    Seeing a roper for real, huh¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re just going there for reconnaissance?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Since they¡¯re still unsure if there is a nest mother. In case there isn¡¯t, Fenna apparently intends to finish the job immediately.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Nn, but is it okay if I just come along?¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed help with those tasks anyway?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Nn. But¡­ after that incident things got delayed.¡±


    The Captain decided to put a priority on finding Yumelia as well as securing means to protect ourselves from her magic. The magicians didn¡¯t need them but everyone else did.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Right. Well, anyway¡­ Lily said that if we were interested in coming along, we should just tell Fenna tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Yeah, I think I¡¯d like to go with them.¡±


    I¡¯d probably never stop having mixed feelings about being close to ropers but¡­ There might be something interesting to learn from them.


    ¡°I see. Then, we should go to her before breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen sat down on the floor¡ªor rather, the tentacles¡ªand let herself fall back.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I really like this soft and warm feeling. It¡¯s like being enveloped by Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re being enveloped by tentacles, though.¡±


    I sat down as well, right in front of the rather thick tentacle in the middle of the room and used it as a backrest.


    ¡°I can¡¯t really get used to this¡­ It¡¯s comfortable but¡­¡±


    Ignoring that it was a little ticklish having them move beneath me, they also¡­ brushed past my more sensitive areas.


    ¡°You think so? I like it.¡±


    Karen was smiling, enjoying the situation to the fullest.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Then, Sis¡­ I¡¯ll change now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait, I want to watch.¡±


    Before she had even finished her sentence, she was sitting upright again, looking at me. Having her watch me was a little embarrassing, but fine by me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start now.¡±


    First would be¡­ my legs. If something were to happen, I could still catch myself with my arms.


    Once my legs had turned into tentacles and I could confirm that I wasn¡¯t falling over yet, my arms were next. And after my arms, I had to deal with the bo¡ª


    ¡°... Yumi? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You said, these tentacles are all just part of me in a way, right?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    These tentacles had grown because I had transformed and stuck myself on the floor of the wagon. But, why had they grown there? Just because of some residue mana? What if¡­ What if there was an actual reason for it?


    ¡°Sis. I¡¯m going to try something.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    Not just connecting with the floor. No, the floor wasn¡¯t the goal. After all, this was a room full of tentacles. Then¡­ Then¡­ Could I instead connect with them? With the tentacles?


    No, rather than could¡­ I feel like it definitely should work out¡­


    Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on my lower half¡­ And on the tentacles surrounding me, even the tentacle I was leaning against. Rather than getting stuck on the floor I should¡­ shou¡ª


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Yumi?¡±


    Karen was moving, leaning forward, her weight shifting onto her arms. She called my name, then moved closer, crawling on top of¡­ of¡­


    ¡°Yumi?!¡±


    Information. Lots of information. Dozens of tentacles, each and every single one, moving and feeling. Karen touching and squishing the tentacles beneath her. My own body doing the same. A large amount of information surged into me, overwhelming me without any prior warning.


    So much that I couldn¡¯t comprehend it, deal with it. Until all went black.


    ---


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    A familiar voice called for me¡­ From right above me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Yumi, are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen was¡­ Was Karen mounting me? She was sitting right on top of me¡­ I could clearly feel her butt and her legs.


    Still a little groggy, I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    She¡­ wasn¡¯t mounting me. She sat right next to me. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even lying down, I was still upright, once again rooted on the ground. There¡¯s no way she could have mounted me like this.


    Then¡­


    ¡°... Hyah?! Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°... I can move them.¡±


    ¡°Did you have to try it like that, though?¡±


    I thought she liked the tentacles, so why was she mad now? Well, okay, I¡¯d probably be mad too if the person I worried about woke up and grabbed my butt within half a minute.


    ¡°How long... was I out?¡±


    ¡°Barely a minute.¡±


    ¡°Huh... ¡°


    That was a bit shorter than expected¡­ Honestly, this was¡­ a very weird situation. I had¡­ not yet completely transformed, but mostly. The important part was that I was connected with the tentacles of this room. And every tentacle''s sensation of touch was directed to me. This was¡­ Overwhelming. And a weird and alien situation. I could move and feel every tentacle in this room. Without the need of moving them with mana or anything. As if they were part of my body.


    It was a little similar to how I moved the tentacles that replaced my arms and legs but¡­ Just with dozens over dozens more tentacles.


    ¡°So, Yumi¡­ What happened?¡±


    ¡°... I seem to have joined the tentacles. Or more like, they joined me? Either way, they¡¯re¡­ like a part of my body now.¡±


    I moved a few tentacles, caressing Karen¡¯s legs. It was incredible. The tentacles were as sensitive as if I was touching her with my hands. I could feel every little bit of her skin.


    ¡°And the first thing you do is feeling me up?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s great.¡±


    Also, I still had to get used to this a little. There were just¡­ so many tentacles¡­ Getting used to the overwhelming sense of touch was one thing but¡­ I could also move them. And moving was...


    If someone asked me to tap dance, juggle with both hands, recite a poem from memory and follow a moving point with the eyes, it still wouldn¡¯t do justice to this¡­ Disregarding that following a moving point was probably about the only one I could do. Never remembered any poems, really.


    ¡°This is a little too much¡­¡±


    ¡°What is? Did you get tired of my butt already?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d never get tired of it. But¡­ there are too many tentacles. I can¡¯t control all of these.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a matter of saying ¡®Practice more!¡¯ anymore either. This was simply impossible. What kind of mind was needed to deal with this many tentacles?


    ¡°You say that, but you still keep touching my butt.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Of course I do.¡±


    Her butt, her thighs, everything of her resting on top of the tentacles¡­ Who could tell me not to enjoy this?


    ¡°Pervert.¡±


    ¡°Says the person who wanted to come here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both perverts.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We are.¡±


    Right, we were just two rather perverted girls that actually intended to do something else.


    Yet, here I was, trying once again to figure out what was happening. Even if I was tired and wanted nothing more than to hug Karen.


    But, there was something else bothering me, apart from my complete lack of ability to control this mass of tentacles. Something that seemed too much to ignore right now, even if I wanted to.


    ¡°Nn¡­ There¡¯s a lot of mana¡­¡±


    ¡°Mana?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Like, inside the tentacles¡­ It feels like¡­ they stored it? A lot of it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I had thought that they used most of the mana from the mana crystals for growth but seeing this¡ªor more like, feeling this¡ªkind of threw me for a loop. Did they really use the mana for growing at all? Or¡­ did they maybe just grow to store even more mana?


    ¡°I can¡¯t really see all that much mana.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think a lot of it is stored in those mana eggs but there¡¯s also a real lot in the tentacles themselves. It feels¡­ Similar to how I hide the mana from my mana crystal.¡±


    But, why did they even store that much mana? A normal monster would probably use it for propagation or for growing stronger, right? This mana, though, was left completely untouched. Maybe they¡¯d just suddenly use it up all at once when it reached a certain threshold. Or¡­ there was something else.


    Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see if I can access that mana.


    Technically, this was part of my body now. So I should be able to do this.


    I reached out to the mana below me and¡­ I could, indeed, access it without any issue. But, now what? Should I take the mana for myself? That¡¯d feel a bit like a waste, though. Not like I got any stronger from it anyway so far. Then, maybe the tentacles could do something with it?


    Let¡¯s try pushing it to one of the mana eggs.


    They could contain a lot of mana, so that should be okay, right? Taking grasp of the large amount of mana, I pushed it to the nearest mana egg, the one to my left. Why the left? Cause Karen was to my right. Better safe than sorry.


    Nn? This is...


    Barely had I pushed the mana into the mana egg, an odd¡­ sensation¡­ overcame me. Something like an intent. This¡­ This wasn¡¯t the same as when I knew something from instinct. It was more like¡­ the mana egg itself was trying to tell me something. It¡­ wanted me to decide. Decide on its¡­ nature?


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°If you imagine a cave with tentacles and traps¡­ What kind of trap would you think of?¡±


    ¡°Trap?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen tilted her head at my sudden question, repeating the word ¡®trap¡¯ several times.


    ¡°Something like a pitfall?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think a pitfall is¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    The moment I imagined a pitfall, I could feel the mana being drained from the other mana eggs and the stored mana as well. Even a little bit from me was taken away. Not a lot though.


    ¡°No, no, no! This is bad! Really bad!¡±


    A pitfall meant someone had dug into the ground. In other words, if the tentacles tried to make a pitfall here¡­ That¡¯d be absolutely catastrophic.


    Oh for the love of¡­. Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t destroy the floor!


    I closed my eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable sound of the floor breaking.


    But it never came¡­ Only the distinct sounds of the tentacles squirming, growing and¡­ doing something. Which finally came to an end as well.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ What is that?¡±


    Forcing my eyes open in response to Karen¡¯s question, I took a look at the tentacles, the spot where the mana egg had been.


    A pink and fleshy yet smooth plate was on the floor. No tentacles were covering it. There were two slits in the form of a cross. I could feel it, as it was still connected to me. And¡­ I could also open what looked like a plate.


    Taking a deep breath, I braced myself for the inevitable.


    ¡°... It¡¯s a pitfall.¡±


    ¡°... Ahhh¡­ I screwed up. I screwed up really bad.¡±


    Korwen was going to tear me apart¡­ First that explosion, now this.


    ¡°Did you not want this, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s¡­ the floor, Sis.The floor.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ Ah!¡±


    Realising what I meant, Karen shot up on her feet, then ran to the door, opened it, and dived for her clothes. It took less than a minute until she was clothed again. Then, she dashed out of the wagon, probably to check from the outside.


    Ahhh¡­ What do I do now? Can I get rid of this thing? Actually, I¡¯d have to get rid of all of this, wouldn¡¯t I? Before someone notices.


    Just then, I could hear someone knocking. Probably Karen. Another knock. And another. And...  Wait...


    Did she knock against that pitfall?


    The sounds came from there. Was the outside of the pitfall solid? That¡¯d be a little weird.


    Just then, the door from the wagon opened again and Karen entered.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? How screwed am I?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing outside.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Nothing? But the pitfall was right there?


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing outside. The floor is still intact.¡±


    ¡°No, Sis, look. There¡¯s a huge hole there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not there on the outside.¡±


    ¡°... Then what is this hole?¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t visible from the outside¡­ Where was the space of this hole?


    ¡°... Sis, is there magic that can distort space?¡±


    ¡°There is.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, seriously?¡±


    ¡°What are you surprised about, Yumias keeps using it, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°... That monster is not normal, though.¡±


    But she was right, Yumias not only kept moving between worlds, but she also appeared out of nowhere. But that was more akin to teleportation, wasn¡¯t it? Well, it was in a way related to space, so that was fine. No, it wasn¡¯t. Messing with space sounded like something that could only end catastrophically if you made a mistake. And that was really scary.


    ¡°Well, I have no idea if this is normal either¡­ But either way, the hole is here so¡­¡±


    ¡°So it has to be like that. Seeing is believing.¡±


    I sighed. If I had my arms right now, I¡¯d probably rub my temples.


    ¡°Yumi, what exactly did you do anyway?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, when I moved the mana to the mana egg over there I¡­ I had this kind of feeling like I could tell the mana egg to¡­ grow something. Or change into something? Rather, the mana egg told me to do it? I¡¯m not quite sure how to describe it¡­ But when I thought of the pitfall you mentioned, the mana egg immediately used up all the mana and¡­ changed into that.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t quite like the urges I had had before. Rather than an urge guiding me to do something specific it was closer to an intent telling me there was something I could do.


    ¡°So, you can change them into¡­ different things?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Seems like it. Though, I didn¡¯t exactly expect this to happen.¡±


    Karen walked up to the pitfall and peeked inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty deep. And there are a lot of tentacles inside.¡±


    There were¡­ I couldn¡¯t see them but I could feel them. The depth was¡­ probably a bit under two metre? I could only guess though. But if Korwen were to stand inside there, he¡¯d probably still be visible, if just barely.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi, can I go inside there?¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Sis. Disregarding whether you want to be in there or not, what happens if that is some weird unstable magic and you get injured or worse?¡±


    There was a space that shouldn¡¯t exist. Who could tell me not to be suspicious and cautious about it?


    ¡°... Then, let¡¯s test it out.¡±


    With those words, Karen undressed again and promptly threw her clothes into the hole. The clothes landed softly on the ground. They were still warm.


    ¡°Seems fine to me.¡±


    ¡°... I still don¡¯t like that idea.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully confident about that today.¡±


    This was the second time within less than an hour where she said that things were going to be fine.


    ¡°Well¡­ how to say it¡­ I simply have this feeling that there is no danger? Also, I trust you, Yumi. And you can feel those tentacles, too, can¡¯t you? Then, if something were to happen, you¡¯d surely notice.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    Leaving her own security up to a feeling¡­ I was relying a little on these questionable feelings and instinctive actions as well but¡­ I was a rather odd creature already. And chances of me dying were probably lower. Not that that made it any less scary.


    But¡­ Maybe Sis started having these weird feelings as well after she got stuck with me?


    It was just a possibility, of course. We didn¡¯t know the full extent of how Karen¡¯s body would change. Or how it had already changed. Except for the weird issue with her hunger.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have any further complaints, I¡¯m going now.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Just as I was contemplating what to do, Karen was already slowly climbing down into the hole. The tentacles on the walls were brushing past her as she steadily lowered herself, until her feet reached the bottom.


    ¡°Woah¡­ Yumi, this is¡­ Actually quite spacey.¡±


    Karen was touching the walls to both of her sides. She couldn¡¯t stretch out her arms but it was still rather comfortable. As comfortable as a tentacle pitfall could possibly be. Which seemed to be quite a bit, actually. For Karen.


    ¡°Yumi, can you do anything interesting now?¡±


    Pieces of clothing were thrown into the air from inside the pitfall, landing right in front of me. Then, Karen sat down, leaning against the wall.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t really know. Give me a moment.¡±


    I only really imagined it to be a pitfall. There might be something I could do, though. After all, there were plenty of the tentacles inside.


    ¡°Tentacles¡­¡±


    The strong tentacles that grew when I first rooted myself onto the floor¡­ They hadn¡¯t come out this time, maybe because I was already stuck with the others. But maybe I could make them come out? Or rather, maybe I could change any of the tentacles inside there.


    ¡°Nn, Sis, do you see one tentacle, uhh, peeking out?¡±


    ¡°You mean this one?¡±


    Karen grabbed the one tentacle that I was moving separately.


    ¡°Yes, that one. Could you tell me if something changes with it?¡±


    ¡°Changes? Okay, I can do that.¡±


    Okay, now¡­ Time to concentrate. Changing my limbs and the tentacles on my body had been something I could easily do. But this time I was trying to change one specific tentacle among¡­ hundreds of them. This posed to be a little challenge¡­ Singling out the tentacle and then trying to replicate that feeling of transformation onto it.


    ¡°Oh, it looks like that breastsucking tentacle now.¡±


    ¡°... It works, huh.¡±


    Somehow, I succeeded. Then, next wa¡ª


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll come out.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Already?¡±


    Just after she had declared to leave, Karen quite literally jumped out of the hole. How the heck was this pitfall supposed to restrain anybody if everyone was a superhuman who could just jump two metre into the air? Who was the monster here, really.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s do the rest tomorrow. Or the day after.¡±


    ¡°Nn? That¡¯s a bit surprising. I thought you¡¯d like to continue.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I just realised I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t like it?¡±


    Now, those weren¡¯t words I expected from this resident pervert taken by the tentacles.


    ¡°Yes. I couldn¡¯t see you. And then I noticed, if I can¡¯t see you, there¡¯s no point, even if it¡¯s technically part of you.¡±


    Karen squatted down in front of me and hugged me.


    ¡°I like you the most, not the tentacles. And I only like the tentacles because they belong to you. So, if I can¡¯t hug you and feel you close, there¡¯s just no point.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Is that so¡­¡±


    I finished the transformation I had left somewhere in the middle halfheartedly, so my arms were back and I could return the hug.


    ¡°Yeah, this is what I like the best.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I felt a little sad that I couldn¡¯t see you either.¡±


    In the end, we still liked each other the most just as we were, huh.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I know this is a little late but¡­ Let¡¯s do some more fun things, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We shared a short but warm kiss, then we broke out in small giggles.


    ¡°Seriously, the heck are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    Karen backed away a little and then pushed away the tentacles below me.


    ¡°Sis, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°... I want to know how much of you is still there¡­ Ah.¡±


    A disappointed look appeared on her face. Well, just below my navel, my body quite literally became a mass of tentacles. In other words, the part she was looking for below that wasn¡¯t there right now.


    ¡°Yumi. Let¡¯s go back to the bed.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no point if I can¡¯t make you feel good as well.¡±


    That was¡­ It did make me happy to hear that. Though, as often was the case, she really tended to be quite blunt about something I was writhing in embarrassment with.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are¡­¡±


    Apparently, I would, after all, get my wholesome night on the bed with Karen.


    ¡°I mean, we just started to do different things anyway. And¡­ That¡¯s not quite what I wanted to do.¡±


    ¡°Nn. True.¡±


    ¡°Also, it¡¯s late.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true, too.¡±


    We did have to get up pretty early. Especially if we wanted to join Fenna. And about this whole thing, we¡¯d just tell Ria and Korwen tomorrow. It was late and this wasn¡¯t planned anyway. This wasn¡¯t work time.


    With that in mind, I undid my transformation. Except for one part.


    ¡°Yumi, what is up with your arms? Why are they pink?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I have no idea why or how, but when my arms are like this, they¡¯re a bit stronger.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Karen turned and grabbed my hand, abruptly pulling it upwards.


    ¡°Wah! Sis, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it really is stronger.¡±


    Clearly, it wasn¡¯t strong enough.


    Karen let me go again after confirming that she was still the stronger one.


    ¡°Can you do that only with your arms?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Haven¡¯t figured out how to transform only my arms to this either. But weirdly, I can keep them like this.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    We left the tentacle room with the new addition of a pitfall, returning to the regular room with the bed. Karen made a beeline to said bed and let herself fall down on it.


    ¡°Mm¡­ The tentacles were comfier but I guess a bed is good too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than the floor.¡±


    I laid down next to Karen, or attempted to. Karen immediately pulled me into her embrace on top of her.


    ¡°Ehehe, caught a Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, whatever am I going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Mh, if you are a nice kid and become my pillow, I might let you go.¡±


    ¡°I guess I got no choice.¡±


    A big grin on her lips, Karen hugged my waist and pulled me as close as she could, then kissed me.


    ¡°Mh, I like this the best, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°That it is.¡±


    I liked this more as well. Being close, feeling her body heat as well as hearing beating heart. This was the place I felt the safest and the warmest.


    ¡±Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I love you, too.¡±


    We shared another kiss and then indulged for a short while in each other¡¯s embrace. Then, finally, we fell asleep. A long, comfortable, and warm sleep.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: First Mission Preparation

    After a delightful and comfortable sleep in Karen¡¯s arms, the next morning arrived. We went through our usual routine of me refusing to leave Karen¡¯s warm embrace before we decided what to do about yesterday¡¯s little surprise.


    Well, honestly, there wasn¡¯t much of a choice other than calling for Korwen and Ria. Especially Ria, since she might know¡­ what the heck was actually going on with that pitfall.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mmm....¡±


    And now, the four of us stood right in the room of tentacles, waiting for Ria to finish inspecting the pitfall.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°... Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ignoring Karen¡¯s call, Ria kept staring at the pitfall, touching it, throwing things inside and the like. She had been doing this for several minutes already. The longer it took, the more nervous I felt, awaiting her judgement.


    It took a few more minutes until Ria finally stood up and faced us again.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s¡­ not an illusion¡­¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    Karen tilted her head at the out-of-place statement. Seeing how we could touch it and even jump inside, it was quite obviously not an illusion. Not sure why she had to go out of her way to state the obvious.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I admit¡­ I have¡­ no idea¡­ what it is¡­¡±


    ¡°... None at all?¡± I asked for confirmation.


    ¡°None¡­ It is¡­ likely¡­ Space Magic¡­ But¡­ I don''t¡­ really know¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That was unexpected¡­ There was actually something she didn¡¯t know about either.


    ¡°Is Space Magic that unusual, Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ Space Magic is¡­ very rarely¡­ used by¡­ humanoids¡­ There are¡­ a few monsters.... who use it¡­ Or rather¡­ we believe¡­ they use it¡­¡±


    They believed they used it¡­ So they couldn¡¯t really confirm it?


    ¡°Most magic¡­ requires a certain¡­ amount of knowledge¡­ of the phenomena¡­ you want¡­ to invoke¡­ But¡­ space is¡­ barely understood¡­ And only¡­ very few are¡­ able to use¡­ it¡­ Spirit Magic¡­ is the sole¡­ exception¡­¡±


    Spirit Magic, huh¡­ The more often I heard about it the more amazing it felt¡­ Like, couldn¡¯t it do just about everything? And yet, it seemed that Spirit Magic was also rather rare.


    ¡°Ria. That¡¯s all fine and dandy but I have two questions. First: Is this magic safe to use?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It does¡­ seem to be¡­ stable¡­ Captain¡­ It¡¯s not¡­ Yumi who¡­ controls this¡­ But these¡­ tentacles¡­ Monsters who¡­ use this¡­ type of magic¡­ do so by¡­ instinct¡­ Or¡­ No...¡±


    She stopped for a moment, furrowing her brows¡­


    ¡°It might be¡­ closer to¡­ how we breathe¡­ We do so¡­ automatically¡­ There is¡­ no need to worry¡­ about controlling it... ¡°


    ¡°In other words, you believe there is little chance of it going out of control or somehow breaking apart or whatever else could happen with magic?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ correct¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh. I see.¡±


    He nodded a few times in confirmation.


    ¡°Then, the other question: What would happen if this wagon moves?¡±


    ¡°Move¡­ you say? Move¡­ I think¡­ It should stay¡­ fixed on this¡­ floor?¡±


    ¡°Mh. Then, could this be used for transporting the ogre?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The.. ogre? Wait, he wanted to transport it with this pitfall?


    ¡°Mm¡­ No¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ that is¡­ possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Karen¡­ Yumi¡­ Could you¡­ demonstrate?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Demonstrate?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What do you mean?¡±


    What did she want us to demonstrate now?


    ¡°Mh¡­ Karen gets¡­ trapped and¡­ tries to escape¡­ And Yumi¡­ tries to¡­ prevent it...¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    How the heck was I supposed to prevent that, though? Did she want me to transfo¡ª No, wait¡­ Maybe I could remotely take control of this pitfall?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that but¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think it should be doable for me to take control of it.¡±


    I squatted down and tried to perceive the pitfall¡¯s mana. Which was done quicker than I expected. Maybe I was slowly getting the hang of things. Either way, I took hold of the mana and sure enough, the pitfall was under my control.


    ¡°The opening closed, huh¡­ You know, for a pitfall it¡¯s kind of visible, though.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ It¡¯s not like that because I wanted it to¡­ Ah, but maybe the tentacles around it can cover it up.¡±


    Then it should be pretty hard to see if the surroundings were also full of tentacles.


    ¡°Sis. Do you want to jump in by yourself?¡±


    ¡°If possible¡­ I don¡¯t really want to step on something I know is going to give in¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Relatable.


    I opened the pitfall again so that Karen could jump inside.


    ¡°Then, here I go. Ho!¡±


    With a cute yelp, she jumped inside. Honestly, while not wanting to step on the opening was one thing, she sure was brave to jump into such a weird space. Even if Ria said it was fine, something inside me just screamed at how ridiculous this was.


    But everything seemed to be okay. Karen was inside the pitfall¡ªinside the weird space¡ªonce more.


    ¡°Yumi, should I just come out now or are you going to do anything?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, wait¡­ Uhm¡­ let me see¡­¡±


    How to prevent her from escaping, huh¡­ That was easier said than done¡­


    Okay, let¡¯s try this¡­ I hope this will work.


    There wasn¡¯t much I could do in that pitfall. I could only close the opening and attempt to restrain her with the tentacles inside the pitfall. But the normal tentacles would never be able to restrain her. But, maybe those strong ones could? With that thought in mind, I tried to change the tentacles inside the pitfall to exactly these strong ones.


    ¡°Ohh? Ohhh?¡±


    A surprised sound came from Karen, seeing how the tentacles attempted to restrain her now inside the darkened pitfall.


    ¡°Mhm, that is a little... Yumi, is it okay if I use all my strength? I might hurt the tentacles¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t think I can get out without severely damaging them...¡±


    ¡°Eh? All your strength? Uhh¡­¡±


    If she used all her strength¡­ and would severely damage them¡­ wasn''t she going to rip them apart? I¡­ I wasn¡¯t sure I could stand seeing that¡­ Actually, I didn¡¯t even know what was going to happen if those tentacles were ripped apart¡­ And what if she accidentally destroyed the pitfall and the magic there?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Karen¡­ Do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria? Is it fine?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria¡­ Uhhh... Sis, it¡¯s... Okay¡­ I think?¡±


    If Ria said she should do it¡­ Well¡­ I dearly hoped nothing would go wrong there. I¡¯d like to trust Ria about this but I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    No. No, after all, I couldn¡¯t risk something happening to her! I had to sto¡ª


    ¡°Then here I go.¡±


    Before I could do anything, the unpleasant sound of something being ripped apart echoed in my ears. Then, with surprising force, the pitfall opening broke open and Karen jumped out. Covered in pink blood. The sight made me feel faint a little.


    ¡°Mm¡­ As expected¡­ It¡¯s too easy¡­ to escape from¡­¡±


    ¡°I actually feel a little¡­ Yumi, are those tentacles okay? Mm? Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Ehh¡­ What?¡±


    ¡°The tentacles. Are they okay? I did, uhm¡­ hurt them a little.¡±


    Snapping back to reality, I processed Karen¡¯s question now. The tentacles. Right¡­ The pitfall seemed to be stable but what about the tentacles inside? I totally hadn¡¯t expected Karen to be¡­ using that much brute force.


    ¡°Nn, let me¡­ Huh?¡±


    The opening of the pitfall¡­ had already recovered and looked exactly the same as before. I opened the pitfall and peeked inside¡­


    Yeah¡­ It looked the same as before?


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ nothing wrong with them?¡±


    ¡°Eh? No way.¡±


    But there were no damaged tentacles at all inside the pitfall nor any blood.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hold back, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Did they¡­ recover that fast?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it¡­¡±


    Scary¡­ They recovered just as fast as my hair did, didn¡¯t they?


    ¡°I see. Certainly, if Karen can escape this easily, then there¡¯s no way the ogre couldn¡¯t. But, Ria, what if the ogre is bound already? The biggest problem was that it might thrash around.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It might¡­ work¡­¡±


    ¡°Might work, huh. That¡¯s better than nothing. Okay, if we don¡¯t find an alternative, we¡¯ll go with this plan, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°You heard that, Yumi?¡±


    They were¡­ going to use this pitfall? To transport the ogre?


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes, I did! I understand, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He nodded with a satisfied expression.


    ¡°Now then, I still have work to do so let¡¯s quickly get to the next point. Yumi, Karen, were you planning on joining Fenna¡¯s mission?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes. We were planning to go to her before breakfast¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think it should be fine if it''s Fenna¡¯s squad.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I tilted my head at the weird murmur.


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk with Fenna after this. Yumi, try to get some experience in making use of these abilities there. Whether it is this pitfall or something else.¡±


    ¡°Experience¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no point if you know what you can do if you don¡¯t know how to apply them. And experience is the best teacher for this. Fenna and her squad are trustworthy and shouldn¡¯t babble about whatever you do.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Experience, huh. That¡­ That was true. Maybe if I had had more experience, I could have defended myself properly against Yumelia without being saved by the Elder. As it was right now¡­ I probably really needed it, huh¡­


    ¡°Ah, also¡­ Just in advance but you shouldn¡¯t worry about leaving behind evidence or stuff like that. Nobody is going to link a pitfall filled with tentacles to a mercenary group. Not in a cave that was inhabited by ropers anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even thought that far ahead yet¡­ Actually, I didn¡¯t even know if I could just place a pitfall right there¡­ I¡¯d need some mana crystals for that first, anyway.


    Still, it would probably worry me once we were there, so it was reassuring to hear it in advance.


    ¡°Now, before I forget, one last thing. Yumi, how much mana can you put into those pink crystals? Or rather, how many of those small mana crystals can be turned into a single pink crystal?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t quite know how many¡­ why?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Word got around that we were buying up the mana crystals that are mostly considered worthless and a merchant approached us. He has a huge amount of those mana crystals he wants to get rid of and is selling them for pretty much a pittance as long as we buy up everything.¡±


    I had a bad feeling about this¡­


    ¡°... How much is everything?¡±


    ¡°Way too much. Even if we tried to make as much space as possible, we wouldn¡¯t even be able to store half of it. Maybe not even a third.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ so you want me to make more of the pink mana crystals to save on space?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Good thing you¡¯re so quick on the uptake.¡±


    Great... That sounded like a lot of work.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you have to do it immediately, but the faster, the better.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I understand. Captain, may I ask what you even paid for them?¡±


    ¡°Three bronze coins per crate.¡±


    Wow.


    That was¡­ pretty much nothing.


    ¡°But we had to buy up everything for that price. Since it seemed like a worthwhile investment I bought them all up. Hahaha!¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t something to laugh at. Okay, maybe it was from his perspective. But if it was that much¡­ That meant dozens over dozens of crates, right? I didn¡¯t even want to imagine dealing with that¡­


    ¡°Anyway, I lingered here already for too long. Fenna is probably with her squad right now, so go over to her. Also, don¡¯t forget to tell Merim that you two are joining them so he can deal with the duty plan. We probably won¡¯t see each other until you are back so¡­ Mm...¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows, then grinned mischievously.


    ¡°Karen! Yumi! Line up!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes!¡±


    ¡°Yes?!¡±


    ¡°Mm. You have a mission to fulfil, understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡±


    ¡°Then, go out there and make the Dragon Knights proud! Good Luck!¡±


    Karen and I froze, staring at him dumbfounded. We exchanged a quick glance, then grinned.


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    Seeing our response, Korwen laughed out loud, then pressed his large hands down on our heads.


    ¡°But don¡¯t forget. Your own lives have priority. Come home alive.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll be looking forward to hearing the report.¡±


    With those words he walked past us, still laughing, and left the wagon.


    ¡°Mm¡­ He¡¯s¡­ in a good¡­ mood¡­¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡±


    ¡°He is¡­ anyway¡­ I too¡­ wish you¡­ good luck¡­ Ahh¡­ do you mind¡­ if I¡­ research these¡­ in your absence?¡±


    ¡°The tentacles? I don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    If it was Ria, she might find something we had overlooked after all¡­ Although¡­ Hopefully, she didn¡¯t blow up the wagon¡­ She wasn¡¯t going to¡­ right?


    ¡°But¡­ I am going¡­ to get¡­ breakfast now¡­ So¡­ Until you¡­ come back¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, bye, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Until then, Miss Ria.¡±


    And Ria left as well, with significantly slower steps than Korwen.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After our meeting with Korwen and Ria, we had gone to Fenna and talked with her about joining the reconnaissance team. She happily accepted. There was just one problem.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ walking?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re walking.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    The cave was quite far away and it¡¯d take approximately half a day to get there on foot. The whole reconnaissance mission was expected to last a total of three days barring any issues.


    The first day we¡¯d walk there, set up camp and make a preliminary search of the cave and the surroundings.


    The second day would be mostly spent with a thorough reconnaissance or even the extermination of the ropers should there be no nest mother.


    And the final day would be the return trip.


    That¡¯s going to take a lot longer than I had expected¡­


    I thought the whole thing could be done within a day¡­ And now it turned out that I had guessed wrong.


    ¡°We have a lot of time, so if you can¡¯t take it anymore, don¡¯t hold back and tell us. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to hold everyone back though¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t like we were running there, so I should be fine anyway. I walked most of the day back in the slums as well and it was fine.


    Afterwards, we had breakfast¡ªwhere we found Merim and informed him as well¡ªand then went back to the wagon to prepare for the trip.


    ¡°Yumi, are you sure you¡¯ll be fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I hope so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry you if you can¡¯t walk anymore, so tell me when it gets bad, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Back at the wagon, we dressed ourselves. In gear. Well, I was in gear. Karen only had some random assortment of mercenary clothing for now. Meanwhile, I was wearing the armour dress again. And only now I remembered the problem¡­


    It¡¯s heavy¡­


    The armour dress was, after all, armoured. And weighed quite a bit. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t so heavy that I was unable to leisurely walk around. Alas, walking around the entire day with this might be a slightly different issue.


    ¡°Nn, I wish I had at least decent shoes¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ But there¡¯s not much we can do about that, is there? Not until we can enter the city again.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I had gotten some old hand-me-down shoes from Mrs Korwen, replacing the oversized sandals I used to wear. But even so, these shoes were more of an emergency solution since neither were they a good fit nor were they made with the intent of mercenary work. Instead, these were made for children that were playing around.


    I¡¯d have to visit a proper shoemaker sometime in the future to get proper ones.


    Karen was luckier than me though. Unlike me she wasn¡¯t a midget, so the mercenaries had some fitting shoes that were her size.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ If I can¡¯t bear with it, I¡¯ll tell you.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re surprisingly honest.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s better than me collapsing or hurting myself, right?¡±


    I already knew that I wasn¡¯t as strong as Karen. Neither was I a properly trained mercenary. My stamina was absolutely horrible and I was physically rather weak. Of course, I wanted to change that. But things didn¡¯t change from one day to the next so for now, I had to live with this.


    ¡°Huh... ¡°


    ¡°Nn? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, just a bit surprised. And happy, I guess?¡±


    ¡°... Why happy?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Because I might get to carry you around?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If it made her that happy, maybe I should just ask her to carry me from the beginning?


    No, seriously though¡­ She just wanted to have an excuse to grope me all she could, didn¡¯t she? I bet that was it.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Do we have everything?¡±


    ¡°I think we have packed everything else we need. You only need to finish whatever you wanted to try out.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen had reminded me of something earlier. The mana at my disposal was rather lacking so I had to compensate with mana crystals for it. But space was, of course, a little problem. I couldn¡¯t carry a few dozen mana crystals around and until now, it was Karen who always carried some. Which had proven to be rather fatal when Yumelia appeared, since Karen hadn¡¯t been with me at the time.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ We really used up quite a lot of them already, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    The crate I was peeking in had already lost a substantial amount of mana crystals¡­ Well, seeing that Korwen had apparently bought an enormous amount already, there was probably no point in me trying to save any.


    ¡°What are you going to do, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I want to make a mana egg and store as much mana inside as I can.¡±


    ¡°... Is that going to be fine?¡±


    ¡°... Probably. I mean, that mana crystal Lily showed me before contained a huge amount of mana. So it¡¯ll probably be okay.¡±


    Mana crystals could contain enormous amounts of mana, according to Ria. Their size and hardness differed with more mana, but even the largest ones could still be carried by a single person. All the while having enough mana to devastate the continent. Truly scary.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s start.¡±


    I scooped up a few mana crystals and transferred the mana into one of them, creating the initial mana egg. Then I scooped up more, transferred the mana again and repeated the process. Then repeated it again and again and again¡­ and again¡­ and again¡­ and¡­


    This is too slow!


    The mana egg took the mana without any problem but it was just a really slow process¡­ At this rate we wouldn¡¯t even finish with one crate before we had to leave.


    Okay, let¡¯s do it this way.


    Instead of scooped up the mana crystals¡­ I dumped the mana egg into the crate. Yeah, this was better. Now I could just drag the mana into the mana egg from inside the crate. Perfect. And a lot faster.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ decreasing fast¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The crate steadily emptied itself, dozens of the pebble-sized mana crystals breaking apart after having their mana taken. Just like that, more and more mana was packed into the tiny crystal with no end in sight.


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    After a minute, the crate¡­ was empty, safe for that one pink crystal lying at the bottom. And the remains of the other crystals.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like there¡¯s all that much mana inside, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    If I tried to probe into the mana crystal, I could feel the rather large amount of mana. But just relying on mana sight itself, the mana egg seemed as if it had only little mana. Still more than those tiny crystals but compared to the real amount it was little.


    ¡°... Should we try another?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s going to be fine, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    The mana egg actually felt a little larger compared to before. As if it had grown from all the mana. Likely, it was just going to grow more if I fed more mana into it, right?


    ¡°Sis. Can you carry down that crate?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    The crates, safe for the one that was now emptied, were stacked on top of each other. Only thanks to Karen could I even get to another one.


    ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sis.¡±


    And once more, I threw the mana egg into the crate and began the process anew. Dragging mana from the regular crystals and transferring it into the pink one. The mana crystals crumbled and disappeared one after another as I fed them to my little pink egg.


    Around halfway through, the pink mana egg¡­ started to significantly grow in size, causing me to come to a halt.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ getting rounder?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It is.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t shaped like an egg anymore... A little disappointing. It was now nearly round. If I fed it more, it¡¯d probably become perfectly round.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s finish this.¡±


    Once more I dumped the mana egg¡ªor more like, mana ball now¡ªinto the crate and continued. A minute or two later, this crate was empty as well. And the pink mana crystal was now perfectly round.


    ¡°Nn¡­ See, it can perfectly fit all that mana.¡±


    ¡°I can see that¡­ But I don¡¯t even feel all that much mana from it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still there, though.¡±


    It was there. A lot of it. Honestly, the pure amount scared me a little. It was nearly two crates worth of mana crystals. That wasn¡¯t a small amount. It was a lot. Honestly, I had no comparison what the hell you do with this much but¡­ Yeah¡­ My own perception said it was a lot. Good enough.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re not going to add another, right?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I could try but¡­ I think this is enough for now¡­¡±


    I felt a bit intimidated by the amount, to be honest. I shouldn¡¯t take my random experiments too far when we had somewhere to go.


    It¡¯s a good thing it didn¡¯t explode.


    Thinking over it again, maybe I should have spent a moment to think about it again¡­ I just had blown up something after all.


    ¡°Well, anyway, this should be more than enough mana for whatever I am going to do over there.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this even way too much?¡±


    ¡°... We might need it.¡±


    I could make it explode if I had to¡­ Oh right, I completely forgot I could make them explode¡­


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, I just remembered. They can explode.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re a little late. A little too late.¡±


    ¡°... True.¡±


    The memory of the unfortunate ogre with its boner hissed had been buried very far away. But yeah¡­ They could explode¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should explode this one...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. I would recommend against that as well.¡±


    But¡­ Nn¡­ I shouldn¡¯t forget that again.


    ¡°Sis, is there anything else like this that I forgot about?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t think so?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, if it¡¯s the only thing¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ You did try to grow those flowers before, though. If that counts.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    That evening where I found out that flowers are goddamn carnivores here. Yeah¡­ Rather than having forgotten about that, it just didn¡¯t seem to be as important so far¡­ Growing things didn¡¯t seem like an effective way of protection. Except what the Elder did¡­ The Elder¡­ Huh? Wait¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis. What kind of magic does the Elder use?¡±


    ¡°The Elder? I thought she uses elven magic.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but, what kind of magic is it? Like, she can make things grow, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yes¡­ Huh? Wait¡­¡±


    I might have found someone who can teach me about Life magic¡­ Although, whether she was willing to teach me was a different issue. But asking wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°This might be great news¡­¡±


    Seriously good news. Why did I even miss that? I already knew that she had a lot of knowledge but...


    Maybe I had resolved myself too much that there would be nobody except maybe Yumias who could teach me anything¡­ And then I completely overlooked it. But¡­ maybe there actually were people who could teach me about these things.


    ¡°Yumi, I hate to tell you, but that will have to wait until after we come back.¡±


    ¡°... Sis, couldn¡¯t you have waited a little more until telling me that?¡±


    I had been in such a good mood, just now.


    ¡°But you¡¯re right, it¡¯ll have to wait until after we come back. For now, I think we¡¯re really done now, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I have everything.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    After locking up the wagon, we made our way to the spot we would meet up with Fenna and her squad. It was just right next to the camp so it was hard to miss. We parted with the escort following us and walked up to them.


    ¡°Oh, Yumi, Karen. There you are,¡± Fenna said, having spotted us.


    ¡°Nn, did you wait?¡±


    ¡°No, not in the least. You¡¯re right on time. We¡¯re still waiting for two others anyway. Once they¡¯re here, we can depart.¡±


    That was good. At least we weren¡¯t the last ones.


    ¡°Still, seeing you all dressed up like a mercenary does feel a bit weird.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°A bit. The biggest problem is¡­ that armour suits you as well.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Now, that wasn¡¯t something I had expected to hear. More like, I thought for sure she¡¯d say I¡¯d look like a kid playing mercenary. And not that the armour suits me.


    ¡°Speaking of which, you¡¯re not going to bring the banner?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No way in hell I was going to bring that. Did she want me to die from exhaustion?


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s the first time I saw you making a clear expression and it¡¯s a look of disgust¡­¡±


    ¡°... I wonder why.¡±


    ¡°I was just joking anyway, so don¡¯t look like the world is ending, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As long as it really was a joke¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no point in bringing such a large thing anyway for a reconnaissance mission. I¡¯m actually more interested in Karen¡­ You didn¡¯t bring any weapon?¡±


    Speaking of which¡­ Karen was wearing some armour but no weapon at all¡­


    ¡°Ah, I do actually.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°These.¡±


    She lifted her arms that were covered in gauntlets.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to tell me those gauntlets are¡­¡±


    ¡°They are¡­ For now¡­¡±


    ¡°For now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I consulted with Mr Vice-Captain and Mr Wormaz. To make the most out of my strength, something heavy would be the most appropriate¡­ And Mr Wormaz then insisted on making it himself. So, until then I¡¯m supposed to make do with these. Mr Vice-Captain said that it would be more effective for me to just punch things than swing a weapon I am not accustomed to.¡±


    A punching Karen¡­ Those metal gauntlets sure did look like it¡¯d hurt a lot getting punched by them¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ Right, you got quite a lot of strength, I almost forgot. I guess it¡¯s okay then. Well, you should leave most of the fighting to us for now anyway. Make sure you protect your Yumi for now.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    ¡°Mm, good response. You both are slowly getting the hang of living with us, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Getting the hang, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn, we try our best¡­¡±


    ¡°Your best, huh. Well, that¡¯s good. Just keep at it and time will do the rest.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Oh, seems like the last two slackers have arrived as well.¡±


    Fenna looked into the distance. Between the tents, two women were rushing in our direction.


    ¡°Good, good. Then we¡¯re all accounted for. Time to get a move on!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhh!¡±¡±¡±


    And like that, our first reconnaissance mission was going to start.


    Rinne


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    Thanks for reading. Everyone, stay healthy and safe!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Travelling to the cave

    Travelling all the way to the cave would take us several hours. I had already prepared myself¡ªmentally, at least¡ªfor a horrifying trip in full gear through a forest, hills or other types of rough terrain. Alas¡­ Here we were, following an actual road. A paved road, I might add.


    ¡°Uhh... My feet hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Yumi?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­ More or less.¡±


    Nonetheless, walking around with the armour dress was quite tiring¡­ Really tiring.


    Thankfully, after around two hours¡ªor one hour in this world¡ªof walking in the sun, we stopped to take a break, giving me the chance to rest a little.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Want me to carry you?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that bad yet, Sis¡­ I think.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I won¡¯t. But for now, I¡¯m still fine.¡±


    Sure, my feet hurt, but it wasn¡¯t unbearable at all. And taking a rest now would surely help as well. It wasn¡¯t going to kill me. Yet.


    ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d be following a road. A paved road, even.¡±


    ¡°Fenna told me that we¡¯re going to follow the road for most of the day.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    If that was the case, I might actually manage up until we arrived on my own.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi, Karen. If you don¡¯t get your share we¡¯ll eat it all up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re coming! Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I put the shoes back on and stood up. It hurt¡­ It was only a little, but it still hurt¡­


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It was only a few metres over to Fenna and the others. That definitely wouldn¡¯t be an issue, now, right?


    Anyway, Karen and I joined the others in their small circle.


    ¡°Here you go. Your share of bread.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Bread. And only bread. That was going to be our lunch today, it seemed.


    ¡°Doing fine so far, Yumi? Holding up?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s tiring. But I¡¯m still fine. Thanks to the road.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Don¡¯t forget to inform us if it¡¯s too much, though.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Fenna was worried about that as well, huh.


    ¡°Is it still far, Miss Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Far¡­ I think we got around a third of the way already behind us.¡±


    ¡°That much already?¡±


    ¡°We made some good progress. But the hard part comes when we leave the road.¡±


    In other words, we were going into rough terrain¡­


    ¡°Because the cave is in the middle of a small forest and we¡¯ll have to search for it first.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, we had to search for it, too? That was the first I heard of this!


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where the cave is exactly?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been there myself, after all. I know where we have to leave the road but that¡¯s all. I don¡¯t think the forest is particularly large but you never know for sure.¡±


    ¡°... What if we can¡¯t find it?¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to ask someone from the nearby village to guide us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a village?¡±


    That was convenient, then.


    ¡°There is, but I¡¯d like to avoid going there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°Mercenaries are far from welcome.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Not welcome¡­


    Was it because they were dangerous?


    ¡°Especially women mercenaries. The large cities and towns aren¡¯t a problem but villages are rarely welcoming of us.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡±


    ¡°Why, huh¡­ Unless we¡¯re there for work, we¡¯re not exactly of any use to the village, are we? Worst case we¡¯d even threaten them and take their supplies. That¡¯s what they think. As a matter of fact, some mercenary bands do exactly that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Are they bandits, or what?¡±


    After all, wasn¡¯t that basically stealing?


    ¡°For many villagers, mercenaries are just glorified bandits, so it¡¯s not too far off.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But why are women mercenaries especially a problem?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ That¡¯s a bit more complicated¡­¡±


    Fenna leaned back, nibbling on her bread and staring at me.


    ¡°Yumi, I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking, but where do you come from?¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    The heck was with that sudden question?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t grow up in the slums of Arkesta, did you?¡±


    ¡°... No. But¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her that I came from another world, now, could I?


    ¡°... Well, if you don¡¯t want to say, that¡¯s fine. Forget that I asked.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise on me now. Ahhh, anyway! I guess you grew up at a place that was rather¡­ let¡¯s say, free?¡±


    ¡°Free?¡±


    I guess you could say that it was rather free? Probably.


    ¡°Like, you are not expected to follow your father¡¯s every word even down to who you marry.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Usually not, no¡­¡±


    Most likely, at least. The fragmented memories did hint that my parents, or at least my father had been¡­ strict, to say it positively. But it was probably not the kind that Fenna was talking about here. Society at large was¡­ a little more forgiving.


    ¡°I thought so. You grew up in a good place, then.¡±


    With a wry smile, Fenna looked up towards the sky.


    ¡°Did you¡­ experience that?¡±


    ¡°Me? No, no, I didn¡¯t. I grew up with the mercenaries after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Right, quite a lot of them grew up with the mercenaries didn¡¯t they¡­ Right¡­


    Please give me back that momentary sympathy I felt there.


    Either way, there probably were places where things were like that¡­


    ¡°But many expect things like that from us. Especially those villagers who never stepped outside their little area, their little kingdom, so to speak. They tend to be quite stubborn and look down on us.¡±


    I nibbled at my piece of bread while listening to her.


    ¡°Thankfully, they also don¡¯t want trouble, so it usually stays with being unfriendly towards us. Occasionally, they refuse to help, though¡­¡±


    Fenna let out a small sigh, scratching the back of her head. Then, she suddenly straightened her back, eating the remainder of her bread.


    ¡°Whatever, don¡¯t want to spoil the mood with such a dreary topic now. The day is still long. Let¡¯s just hope we can find it ourselves and that¡¯s it. Rather than that¡­ Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°The Captain told me that you were going to try out some magic.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The tentacle pitfall, to be exact. Not sure whether it really counted as magic but¡­ Well, it was close enough, probably. Technically it was magic?


    ¡°So, what kind of magic is it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I guess some kind of¡­ trap?¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    While I¡¯d love to explain exactly what it was¡­ How the heck did you explain to someone that you were going to summon a tentacle pitfall? You didn¡¯t, that was how. Okay, maybe you did when it was urgent but¡­ It wasn¡¯t. She¡¯d have to see. Please, I didn¡¯t want to explain it.


    ¡°A trap, huh. Guess I¡¯ll see it then.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Thankfully, it seemed that she noticed my unwillingness to explain.


    ¡°Are you going to need help with that magic?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Help¡­ Probably not. I had to figure out how to make the tentacles grow but for the stuff after that, I only needed the pink mana crystal.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need help.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Huh? Was it just me or did she seem a little disappointed? Did she actually want to help me?


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t blow anything up, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a huge bother if it caves in.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It probably wouldn¡¯t cave in even if I did make it explode. Probably. The only time I made something explode was that puppet and¡­ Wait, the mana egg exploded too¡­ Either way, neither of the two seemed strong enough to cause a cave-in. Although¡­ This mana egg¡­ or orb¡­ had probably enough mana to actually do that¡­ And more.


    Yeah, better be careful.


    At that moment, a woman from Fenna¡¯s squad walked over to us.


    ¡°Fenna, we should probably set out soon or we¡¯ll arrive when it¡¯s dark,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ohh, did we take that long? Better get moving then. Karen, Yumi, finish up so we can get a move on.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen and I quickly ate up and then continued our little trip.


    ---


    We continued following the road for a pretty good while. The sun was now at its highest point and making our lives quite a bit harder. It had been hot the past days at noon but today it was especially bad. Well, for the other. It was hot and not exactly pleasant but despite the black armour, I didn¡¯t mind it all that much. Even now I still wasn¡¯t sweating.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Why did it have to get so hot today¡­¡± groaned Fenna.


    She and her squad weren¡¯t doing all that well with the heat. They had removed every piece of armour, stuffing them into their bags in the hopes of making it a little more bearable. Yet, it was still quite an ordeal for them.


    The situation sure has changed, huh¡­


    They had all been worried about me and offered to help if I couldn¡¯t keep up with the trip¡­ But looking at it now, I was the one who had it still good. The heat bothered me little and the only problems were my hurting feet. And even with those, it hurt, but it didn¡¯t get much worse than that. At all. Which was a little weird but certainly welcome.


    ¡°Sis, are you doing fine?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡¯m still fine¡­ Although, I really want to take a bath later¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ probably won¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Figured¡­¡±


    Karen had removed the random assortment of armour as well and stuffed them into her bag, leaving her in simple pants and a shirt. And an oversized bag hoisted over her shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little jealous, Yumi. Even dressed like that you still don¡¯t sweat¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But I do wonder¡­ If I don¡¯t sweat, aren¡¯t I just going to heat up more and more?¡±


    The heat wouldn¡¯t just disappear, would it? The body was sweating so it could cool down. But mine wasn¡¯t. So¡­


    ¡°Yumi, you are quite hot already.¡±


    ¡°Am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You are.¡±


    ¡°Wait. Sis. Is that why you suddenly keep your distance?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No way.


    To think¡­ To think the heat would result in this.... The worst. The absolute. Worst.


    ¡°Now, now, you¡¯ll surely cool down later. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°... I sure hope so.¡±


    ¡°If you heat up even more, maybe we can cook on top of you.¡±


    I¡¯m not a portable stove!


    This was bad¡­ Seriously¡­ But unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much I could do right now. We had to arrive before it got dark to set up camp. And another break could delay us too much.


    ¡°Haa¡­ How long until we arrive anyway?¡±


    ¡°Miss Fenna mentioned earlier that we are already halfway there.¡±


    ¡°Halfway, huh¡­¡±


    So still around¡­ two or three hours.


    ¡°That reminds me, we haven¡¯t met many others on this road, have we?¡±


    ¡°Now that you say it...¡°


    This was a paved road, so usually, you¡¯d think that it was well-used, right? Despite that, we only met two or three other groups on the way here. It was far from lively.


    ¡°There¡¯s been that one peddler with his cart and¡­ an older couple and that group of men, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Don¡¯t remember anyone else either.¡±


    The peddler came from the capital and passed by us. The older couple came from the other direction. They didn¡¯t have much luggage so they were probably from nearby. Same for the group of men.


    ¡°Nn, speaking of the peddler, why didn¡¯t we use the wagon? Why are we even travelling on foot?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a good question.¡±


    It was a little late to ask that but¡­ It did bother me a little.


    Time to ask Fenna.


    ¡°Why we¡¯re not travelling with a wagon?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Because it might become troublesome. Or so the Captain said.¡±


    ¡°Troublesome?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You know how some people in the capital are refusing to let us in and making trouble for us, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Which was a huge bother...


    ¡°Well, if we travel with a wagon it might anger them. Thinking we got something planned, or so. That¡¯s why the Captain told us to go on foot, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    That made sense. It was annoying, but it did make sense¡­


    ¡°Wish we could¡¯ve gone by wagon as well. Especially with this damn heat.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Screw those idiots, seriously. We didn¡¯t even do anything wrong and because of them, we have to deal with this damnable heat. Tsk.¡±


    Fenna¡¯s expressions showed her annoyance quite well.


    ¡°At least we¡¯re not that far away anymore.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Do you see the windmill over there?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I followed Fenna¡¯s gaze into the distance. Sure enough, there was something that looked like a windmill there. It was still really far away, though...


    ¡°I can see it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Right behind the windmill start the fields.¡±


    ¡°The fields?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Farming fields. Wheat, vegetables, all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Now that she said it, we hadn¡¯t come by any fields so far.


    ¡°The fields belong to the village that¡¯s the nearest to the cave. Right before the village, we¡¯ll have to cross the fields and then we¡¯re already in the forest.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I thought it would still take an hour or so until we¡¯d arrive.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It¡¯s still going to take some time, you know? Getting through the forest is a lot slower than on a paved road.¡±


    ¡°... Great.¡±


    Fenna showed me a wry smile at my comment.


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. But we¡¯re actually doing well in regards to the time so I think we can take a break before we trek through the forest.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good to hear.¡°


    The others were surely going to welcome it as well. The forest was likely a little cooler and also offered some shade. There was very little in the ways of shade around the open road here.


    We continued walking along the road until the fields came into view. Large earthen patches with tall plants. The plants were all sporting blue blossoms, indicating they were the same plant.


    ¡°Fenna, what are they growing here?¡±


    ¡°That? Blue flowers... should be Earth Cucus. It¡¯s grown a lot around here.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Earth Cucus, was it¡­ That was this odd vegetable that tasted a little like a potato, right? They even looked like a potato once cooked. Only raw were they long and red. And it was a staple food. Pretty much every dinner contained it.


    ¡°Are they only growing Earth Cucus here?¡±


    ¡°I wonder... They should also grow wheat on some other fields I think.¡±


    Well, we had been eating bread as well, so there had to be some wheat. Or something similar, at least.


    ¡°Mh, seems these fields all grow Earth Cucus. Ah, there are some people.¡±


    I followed Fenna¡¯s gaze to one field. A small group of men and women was walking around the field, checking the flowers of the plants.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ Probably checking if they grow properly? Or for a disease or something? I¡¯m not a farmer.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Right, of course, she didn¡¯t know¡­ Too bad.


    Oh, they spotted our group as well. They didn¡¯t seem particularly interested, though, and immediately returned to their work.


    ¡°The Captain would know more about this.¡±


    ¡°Huh? He does?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He knows a lot about many different jobs and their work. Apparently, because he doesn¡¯t want to be deceived because of a lack of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°Though, if you ask me, he was simply curious. At least I have never seen a case where a farmer was trying to deceive him.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t quite imagine a farmer trying to deceive the captain of a large mercenary band either. You¡¯d need a lot of guts for that.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try asking him some time.¡±


    There probably weren¡¯t many among the mercenaries that knew anything about farming.


    ¡°If you¡¯re curious, you definitely should.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    We continued our banter while we walked towards our destination.


    ---


    ¡°Is that it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I wonder? It sure looks like a cave...¡±


    The remaining part of our trip was pretty uneventful. Okay, technically, the whole trip was rather uneventful.


    We reached the forest a short while later, took another break and ate a little bit before we made our way through the undergrowth. We found a small clearing where we decided to set up camp. And how luck would have it, the cave we were looking for wasn¡¯t all that far away.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters here, though.¡±


    The cave was inhabited by Swamp Ropers so I expected to see some monsters close by. Alas, there was nothing. I couldn¡¯t see far into the cave either, though.


    ¡°Swamp Ropers usually live in swamps as their name implies. They don¡¯t usually leave the area around their home unless there¡¯s prey to hunt,¡± explained Fenna.


    ¡°Nn¡­ So, they¡¯re probably inside near the lake?¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    Fenna left the undergrowth in which we were hiding and approached the cave entrance. She scrutinised the surroundings for a while and then motioned us with her arm to come.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s safe, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Swamp Ropers aren¡¯t exactly known for their combat prowess.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°Rather, try looking there, at the ground.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Fenna pointed at a small patch of earth near the entrance. There were¡­ weird markings, long and irregular, on the ground. As if someone had dragged a thick rope back and forth along the ground.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Tracks from ropers.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tracks from ropers?


    Those were? Oh, maybe from the tentacles?


    ¡°So this is definitely the right cave.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well, good thing we found it quickly.


    ¡°Now is the question of how deep this cave goes¡­ I¡¯d like to take a look but let¡¯s first return to the others. No need to hurry and it¡¯s getting late anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Following that decision, the three of us returned to the camp to the other women of Fenna¡¯s squad. They had already set up some simple tents. Since there were around two dozen of us¡ªKaren and me included¡ªwe¡¯d have to share the tents with the others.


    Nothing we could do about¡­ No private time today.


    Oh, they already started making dinner, too.


    Although it was just a small campfire and¡­ some small animal being roasted over it. Did they catch that while we were away? They even gutted it already.


    Well, anyway, it seemed dinner was secured and the camp was set up already.


    ¡°Fenna, what are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Not much, really. It¡¯s too late to investigate the cave now. We¡¯ll have to keep watch over the night but outside of that¡­ Nothing.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, would it be alright to ask about those ropers?¡±


    ¡°You want to know about them?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I had learned about them from the books that Wendl had but¡­ They were partly vague, had no illustrations or barely any information at all. It was more often just a summary of them, a description of their physical appearance and so on. Only little was written about their behaviour.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ Where to start¡­ Do you want to hear about ropers in general or about these Swamp Ropers?¡±


    ¡°Nn, the Swamp Ropers.¡±


    They were the most relevant, right now.


    ¡°Then, do you know why they¡¯re called Swamp Ropers?¡±


    ¡°Cause they live in a swamp.¡±


    It literally was in their name¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s no Swamp here, though.¡±


    ¡°... The exception that proves the rule?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    Fenna grinned at my response.


    ¡°Well, they do live mostly in swamps, that¡¯s actually correct. I also heard stories that they can even create a swamp themselves, though.¡±


    ¡°They¡­ make the swamp?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. If that¡¯s true, it might very well be the reason they are here.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    So, if nobody dealt with them they¡¯d turn this area into a swamp?


    ¡°Whether it¡¯s true, I don¡¯t know, though. But you do meet them practically only in swamps. Which is why it¡¯s rather weird they are here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Because Swamp Ropers hunt by ambushing their prey, pulling them into the swamp and drowning it. This place isn¡¯t all that suitable for that lifestyle.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    They could pull them into the lake but¡­ For one, there probably weren¡¯t all that many living beings near the lake. Fish, maybe. And then, if the lake water was clear enough, it¡¯d be quite hard to pull off an ambush.


    ¡°Prey that is suitable for mating, though, is kept alive. Ropers usually have something similar to a nest where they bring back the victim and then violate them. That¡¯s true even for solitary ropers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Violating them¡­ That sure didn¡¯t sound nice. At all.


    ¡°... Do you think there are some like that here too?¡±


    ¡°Definitely. The question is whether there are humanoids among them.¡±


    ¡°Nn? They also do this to animals?¡±


    ¡°Animals, monsters, magic beasts, humanoids. Everything is fair game to them.¡±


    Everything¡­ They didn¡¯t really distinguish between other races and just unilaterally attacked and violated them all.


    ¡°Animals are by far the most frequent victim of ropers. But it¡¯s unfortunately not rare for them to catch a humanoid so¡­ If this nest is indeed as large as we fear¡­ Better prepare yourself to see something unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Understood.¡±


    I had to prepare myself for that¡­ Still, I hoped it wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    ¡°Outside of that, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to tell you about them. They¡¯re physically not that strong but the tentacles are a huge bother. Once you¡¯re caught, you probably won¡¯t escape without help. Keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    Although, I had to admit I was a little curious how they were restraining their prey¡­ I might be able to learn from that. But I sincerely doubted anyone was willing to play the guinea pig for me.


    ¡°The biggest problem will be if there is a nest mother, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn, what exactly is a nest mother?¡±


    ¡°Mh, it¡¯d be better to ask that Miss Ria. I can only tell you little about them myself. Even for me, it¡¯d be the first time seeing a roper nest mother.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    How unfortunate.


    ¡°Well, I can tell you what I do know, though. They¡¯re something like the leader of the monster group. A group with a nest mother is rather organised and might do things the monsters would never do by themselves. For insect monsters, the nest mother makes them build a large hive. Large enough that they can all live inside. Solitary monsters care only about themselves firstmost.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ How large of a hive would that be?¡±


    ¡°For insect monsters? I only saw it once and it was around the size of a small fort.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª


    A small fort? That was a little too large, wasn¡¯t it?!


    ¡°Such a large hive is usually dealt with by large mercenary groups or even the country¡¯s army. That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing reconnaissance. If the entire cave has been turned into a nest, it could become pretty troublesome.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    True¡­ Two dozen mercenaries didn¡¯t have a chance against a fort filled with monsters. No matter how strong you were, they¡¯d just overwhelm you with pure numbers.


    ¡°Nn, but¡­ If it is a nest, what will the Captain do? If I recall correctly, the job was only to bring back the corpses of some ropers, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It likely won¡¯t fall to us to deal with the problem. Unless, of course, they give us the job to do it. But considering the situation, I kind of doubt that will happen.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°But just having information can work as leverage. It might also improve our position. The Captain doesn¡¯t want to destroy the relationship we have with the country, after all.¡±


    Well, his own father was living here, right? It would be bad if he couldn¡¯t even visit him anymore. At least, I wouldn¡¯t like that.


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, wouldn¡¯t it be pretty dangerous for us to camp this close to the cave, then? If it really is such a large nest.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s dangerous. That¡¯s the nature of our job!¡±


    Fenna broke out in laughter, seemingly thinking my comment was amusing. It took a moment for her to calm down.


    ¡°Seriously speaking, though. Yes, it¡¯s dangerous. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll have a night watch. But looking at it optimistically, it¡¯s unlikely to turn dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I said it earlier, didn¡¯t I? These ropers hunt by ambushing its prey. They won¡¯t dare a frontal attack. Even with a nest mother, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll come to that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. That makes sense.¡±


    So, the night watch was mostly insurance for the one-in-a-million exception?


    ¡°Miss Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Karen?¡±


    ¡°What about other monsters in this forest, though?¡±


    ¡°Mm, to my knowledge, there aren¡¯t many dangerous monsters here. The worst that could appear here is an ogre.¡±


    An ogre¡­ In my opinion, that thing was already plenty dangerous by itself. But¡­ These people fought ogres before already. And I knew they were strong. Even against those weird, armed ogres back in Arkesta, they didn¡¯t suffer a single casualty.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If this was really dangerous, I would¡¯ve been against you two coming along anyway.¡±


    Now, that was a little¡­ blunt. Even if she was right with it.


    ¡°But since it¡¯s a relatively easy mission it¡¯s good to earn some experience for you two.¡±


    ¡°... I see. Thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me. I¡¯m always glad to help out a little. I know how hard it is in the beginning.¡±


    Fenna ruffled Karen¡¯s hair with a grin.


    ¡°Fenna, was it hard for you in the beginning too?¡±


    ¡°Of course it was. I don¡¯t want to remember how often I collapsed during training back then. Or how often I tried to run away. And when I started joining the actual work, it was even worse for a good while.¡±


    So, even Fenna went through such times, huh.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ To be honest, I¡¯m a little worried.¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those three girls, Emily, Maya and Sele. They worry me. They are extremely serious. They don¡¯t complain at all, they train diligently. They¡¯re completely different from most of us who skipped training at every perceivable chance.¡±


    Ahh¡­ True, the three were training quite diligently. When Rina and I were training with Merim, I spotted them occasionally, training as well. Merim told us they were doing simple weapon training for a while already. In other words, they already had all the stamina and strength needed to focus on this. For their age, of course.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m glad you girls came along. They look a lot better since then.¡±


    ¡°Do they?¡±


    ¡°Yes. By far. You probably don¡¯t know since you never saw them before this but¡­ They could be quite aggressive. Especially Maya. It got to the point where Merim was actually refusing to deal with her. Probably got a trauma being bitten.¡±


    ¡°... She bit Merim?¡±


    The heck did he do that she would bite him?


    ¡°She sure did. And you know, most beastkin got quite the set of teeth. That¡¯s really nothing you want to get bitten by.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to get bitten in general by anyone. But yeah¡­ That sure wasn¡¯t a good experience for him.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, but why did she bite him?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? I never heard the details but according to the Captain, he reaped what he sowed.¡±


    Then he definitely did something wrong, huh¡­ Made me all the more curious now, though. Maybe Maya would tell me if I asked her?


    ¡°But now, they softened up a little. And even Merim talks with Maya again. I still worry a little that they overdo it, though. So, do me a favour and look out for them, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    I liked those three as well, after all. I¡¯d look out for them either way.


    ¡°... That relieves me a little. Take good care of them.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Having gotten my confirmation, Fenna smiled and then turned around, facing the camp again.


    ¡°Well, with that out of the way, let¡¯s get dinner going and then rest. We got a lot of work tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Advancing into the cave

    The remaining evening was pretty uneventful. We ate dinner and then spent the remaining time talking. One of the women had secretly brought some alcohol along much to our enjoyment and Fenna¡¯s annoyance. In the end, she decided to let it go. As long as they weren¡¯t too wasted for the night watch. Not like we even could get wasted from two bottles shared among everyone.


    Still, with some alcohol at hand, the evening turned out to be quite lively. And pretty unrestricted, seeing as there were no men around. I didn¡¯t exactly need to know their taste in men nor their preferences for the lower part. Nonetheless, it was a pretty fun evening.


    The next morning, we prepared for the actual reconnaissance. There had been no incidents over the night and the morning was also relatively peaceful, so the preparations went by without a hitch.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do a last check. Rieke¡¯s team will enter the cave first. You are responsible for scouting ahead and clearing the path should there be any obstacles. In the case you encounter the ropers, you¡¯ll retreat and wait for us to catch up. Understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±


    The six women in front of Fenna responded with a salute.


    ¡°Good. Next, Sina¡¯s team will guard the entrance. Prevent anyone from entering, be it humanoid or monster. You got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±


    Just like the previous group, the women¡ªeight of them, this time¡ªanswered with a loud voice and a salute.


    ¡°Good. My team will enter shortly after Rieke¡¯s team and map the area. We will maintain some distance behind you. Everyone else will remain on standby at the camp. But be ready to move out at any time.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡°Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    Having confirmed that everything was in order, it was now time to actually move out.


    Karen and I were joining Fenna¡¯s team so we watched as the first group entered the cave.


    ¡°And there they go¡­¡± muttered Karen.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m a little nervous.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    We weren¡¯t even the first group but it was still a little nerve-wracking. The cave was dark and there was little light to work. That wasn¡¯t actually a big issue for me nor for Karen but it didn¡¯t make me feel any better in the least. It was probably even worse for the others, whose only light source would be the lamps.


    At that moment, Fenna came over to us after having spoken with the woman responsible for drawing the map of the cave.


    ¡°You two, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Kind of.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°What, are you two nervous?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Fenna showed us a wry smile, not all that surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s not much that could go wrong.¡±


    ¡°... What if we get lost in the cave?¡±


    ¡°That probably won¡¯t happen, Yumi. To our knowledge, the path doesn¡¯t diverge at all until the lake.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It doesn¡¯t.¡±


    So there was no way to get lost, at least. Seeing as our objective was at the lake there anyway, we probably weren¡¯t going to enter further into the cave.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ But, why do we need to make a map then?¡±


    You couldn¡¯t exactly get lost if there was only one path.


    ¡°It¡¯s insurance. We also don¡¯t know how long the path is or how much it twists or turns. The more prepared we are, the better.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Insurance, huh.


    ¡°Also, the Academy is likely going to pay us for the map, so it¡¯s a little bit of extra income.¡±


    ¡°The Academy is?¡±


    That was a little bit surprising to hear. Why did they need a map of this cave?


    ¡°Yes. From what the Captain told me, this isn¡¯t actually a natural cave but an artificial one.¡±


    ¡°Eh? This cave is artificial? It was made by people?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Might have been monsters, might have been humanoids. Not something I would know.¡±


    Fenna shrugged her shoulders, seemingly little interested.


    ¡°What I do know is that the Academy was studying it when they encountered the swamp ropers. The man in charge fell victim to the ropers and they lost the only map they had of the cave.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Nn? But, they asked for the corpse of a swamp roper right? And not to get rid of them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. They do want to clean up the whole place as well, though. That¡¯s why, if we have the chance to do it with our numbers, we might just go ahead and do it. If not, we¡¯ll just return after we finished scouting.¡±


    So it was more like the priority was on getting the body of a swamp roper rather than cleaning up the place? That was a little odd, in my opinion. Well, not something I would know, to borrow Fenna¡¯s words. They¡¯d likely know what they were doing and why they were asking in this way.


    ¡°Right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°That magic stuff you want to try out, how long will it take you to prepare it?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a good question? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    There were a few parts I didn¡¯t know how long it¡¯d take me to go through them. Or if they would work at all.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, huh¡­ Are all magicians like this?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why do you ask?¡±


    Not sure how this was related to being a magician.


    ¡°Because, everytime when Ria, Wenners or Krutz accompany us, it¡¯s always ¡®We don¡¯t know, might take some time, protect us, please!¡¯ or something similar.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, and hell if you are going to disturb them. Ria only gets grumpy but Wenners and Krutz actually flip out.¡±


    ¡°... Wait. Wenners and Krutz? Those two?¡±


    They barely ever said anything. Even now, I hadn¡¯t had a proper conversation with either of the two even once. Mostly because they avoid us but¡­ Yeah¡­ They were far from talkative. Very far.


    ¡°Yes, those two. I think that day they spoke more words than the entire year prior combined. And most of it was curses, too.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine that at all...


    ¡°They did apologise afterwards, knowing it wasn¡¯t our fault. But they were quite mad.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had seen that,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Nn. Sounds like it was quite something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was a sight to behold, you two, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    Most likely remembering the incident, Fenna chuckled quietly.


    ¡°Anyway, what I actually wanted to say with that: We¡¯ll try to give you as much time as possible, but if it puts us at risk, we¡¯ll withdraw immediately. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±


    It was just an experiment, so that was perfectly reasonable. We had to try not to take too much time, huh.


    ¡°Good. Now then, I think we waited long enough. Get your things. We¡¯ll move out now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Fenna returned to the remaining women of the team and spurred them on to get ready as well.


    It¡¯s time, huh¡­ To see a real roper.


    The inside of the cave was damp and dark. Just like you would imagine a cave, really. Except for the fact that the path was quite unnatural. It was a completely straight line. This really didn¡¯t feel like a natural cave. I could understand why the people from the Academy would say that it was artificial.


    But how do you make the walls look so¡­ cave-like then?


    The walls were smooth, with sharp rocks jutting out here and there. If this was man made, how did they manage this? With magic?


    If I meet someone from the Academy, I¡¯d really like to ask them.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have much time to ponder about the cave itself. Something else drew my attention instead.


    ¡°Victims, huh¡­ They got quite a few,¡± muttered Fenna.


    Bones were littered all over the place. Bones of all sizes. Even pretty large bones, that surely came from a creature far bigger than any humanoid.


    ¡°... This might be pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°Fenna?¡±


    ¡°These are ogre bones. Ropers would usually never hunt ogres. Even if they were to try, there¡¯d be no way for them to win against it. And even if they were to ambush it, ogres are physically strong and could just shrug them off. Usually, that is.¡±


    Then, something¡ªor maybe someone¡ªpossessed enough power to kill this ogre. And¡­ it might not have been a roper.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a good chance that the ogre was wounded and unable to fight. Or that the bones are here for longer than the ropers. But either way, we should be careful.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    We left the piles of bones alone and continued further into the cave. Every single step echoed, creating a cacophony of stepping sounds.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really come across anything yet¡­ Yumi, Karen. How is the mana around here?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Normal? I think...¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nothing really different with it compared to outside.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good news, at least.¡±


    Fenna nodded at our reply, looking a little relieved.


    ¡°But still¡­ Usually I would¡¯ve expected to see something¡­ anything by now¡­ The team in front of us is also still advancing.¡±


    She stared at the right wall where a white line of chalk was drawn. Courtesy to the other team, who was marking their path.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue. If you see anything that catches your attention, tell me immediately.¡±


    And like that, we continued advancing through the dark and rather cold cave.


    ¡°Nn, Sis, is it just me or is it getting colder?¡±


    ¡°No, it really is getting colder¡­¡±


    While I didn¡¯t mind heat all that much, this coldness was still quite unpleasant. And it gradually got colder, the further we advanced.


    ¡°Oh? Everyone, stop!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A little surprised at Fenna¡¯s shout, we stopped and turned towards her. One of the other women walked up to Fenna.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Look at that.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fenna pointed at a spot near the wall. Close to a pile of bones was something long and brown. It looked a little like a withered flower but¡­ I knew better¡­ I had seen this before.


    ¡°... A tentacle?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Correct. That at least confirms that there are ropers here.¡±


    ¡°Fenna, do you think it met the other team?¡±


    ¡°No, probably not. This one has been here for a little longer already. Hard to say how long, though. Not my area of expertise.¡±


    ¡°But, then¡­¡±


    ¡°Something else cut that off. Not too long ago.¡±


    I gulped at the realisation. The ropers were clearly one thing but if something else was here as well¡­ That wasn¡¯t good. That wasn¡¯t good at all.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Sanna, how is the map?¡±


    Fenna turned to the woman holding a large wooden tablet, drawing utensils and the like.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ To be honest, Miss Fenna, I¡¯m doing my best but¡­ It¡¯s hard to grasp the distance when the path is so straight.¡±


    ¡°I see... Anything we can help with?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not¡­ I¡¯d need a surveyor¡¯s wheel or at the very least a chain to get anything remotely accurate. And time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ There¡¯s no way we have any of those. I see, that¡¯s too bad. Anyway, continue. Even if it isn¡¯t accurate.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    I never heard of a surveyor¡¯s wheel¡­ Was a bit curious what that was.


    ¡°Nn? Fenna, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What am I doing, you ask? Bringing this along.¡±


    ¡°... That dried up tentacle?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Woah¡­ She actually put it into a bag. At least, it seemed to be a separate bag from where her other stuff was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    Having declared so, Fenna took point and led us further into the cave. We continued for a good while, maybe ten or twenty minutes again. It was honestly quite nerve-wracking since something could happen at any moment. Yet, nothing actually happened. In a way, that only made it worse, though.


    Uhhh¡­ How long does this cave go on?


    We had easily walked over half an hour by now but outside of the occasional pile of bones, the cave was empty. Too empty, if you asked me.


    ¡°Hey, Fenna. How long is this cave?¡±


    ¡°... I wish I knew. I was told that it¡¯s going pretty deep but not this deep.¡±


    She furrowed her brows in response to my question.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do about that for now except advancing. Mh? Ohh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Fenna looked into the distance, deep into the cave. A small light had appeared there.


    ¡°Seems like we¡¯re finally there.¡±


    With a smirk, Fenna hurried us to walk faster and catch up with the light. Which was probably from the advance team.


    It didn¡¯t take long for us to arrive there. The entire advance team was waiting for us. Seeing us approaching, one woman¡ªthe team leader Rieke, if I recalled correctly¡ªran over to us.


    ¡°Miss Fenna!¡±


    ¡°Rieke. Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, well¡­ In a way?¡±


    The woman scratched the back of her head.


    ¡°We met a roper.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Did you have to fight it?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s the weird thing. It seemed to be hiding between a crevice in the wall but the moment we approached, it jumped out and ran away.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Fenna let out a stupid sound, mouth agape.


    ¡°It¡­ ran away?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°... It didn¡¯t fight?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°... The heck?¡±


    Was it that unusual for them to flee? Fenna just mentioned that they wouldn¡¯t usually attack an ogre either, so¡­


    ¡°... If these weren¡¯t monsters I¡¯d think they were trying to lure us in.¡±


    ¡°But if they have a nest mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Then they might actually do that? Maybe.¡±


    Fenna started to scratch the back of her head.


    ¡°What to do about this¡­ Mhm...  Mmm¡­ How long did you all wait here?¡°


    ¡°Quite some time¡­ around a quarter hour?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really a pretty long time¡­ Nothing happened in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°No. It was so quiet it was honestly a bit eerie.¡±


    ¡°I see. Okay, let¡¯s do it like this. We¡¯ve come quite a long way so the end of this path should be close. We¡¯ll advance the remaining way together, but more slowly and in formation. Everyone, get to it!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±


    Affirming Fenna¡¯s order, all the women got into formation¡­ Which, unfortunately, left Karen and me¡­


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, come over to me.¡±


    Fenna motioned us to come over to her.


    ¡°You two should also pay attention to the surroundings, but stay by my side, understood?¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good. then, let¡¯s get a move on!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡±


    The women holding melee weapons surrounded us, while the ones with bows and crossbows were in the middle of the formation. Everyone had their weapons drawn, including Fenna. They might look like a ragtag group of untrained female mercenaries with their pretty random assortment of weapons and equipment, but seeing them move in formation like this completely betrayed that impression.


    There¡¯s clearly a method behind the formation¡­ The ones with heavier equipment are at the front, the lighter equipped to the sides and the back and the ones with ranged weapons in the middle.


    I was honestly quite impressed. Fenna had only told them to get into formation, after all. And half of Fenna¡¯s squad wasn¡¯t even present right now.


    Anyway, being a little careful, I changed to my night vision, just in case. Nobody was going to look at my eyes now anyway. Even if they were, I could chalk it up to magic. Well, it was magic.


    ¡°Miss Leader, there¡¯s something in front of us,¡± someone shouted.


    ¡°Advance slowly, don¡¯t hurry!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Understood!¡±¡±¡±


    After a short while, something came into view. An entrance¡ªor maybe an exit¡ªinto a large hall.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    With a single shout from Fenna, everyone came to a stop.


    ¡°... This should be the path to the lake, huh. What to do¡­ Yumi, Karen, is there still nothing to see with mana?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wait, let me take a look.¡±


    I faced the entrance once more, paying attention to the mana in the air. Until now, the mana hadn¡¯t shown anything worth noting. But¡­


    ¡°It feels like¡­ the mana is getting thicker. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I think so too¡­ The further it goes in. Around here, it¡¯s still normal.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen confirmed what I saw. Maybe it began around the entrance, where the mana slowly started to thicken the more we looked into the hall in front of us.


    ¡°What about the entrance?¡±


    ¡°It looks normal, right, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Nothing notable.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Okay, everyone, advance slowly. We¡¯ll go into that room. If we¡¯re attacked, we¡¯ll immediately retreat, regardless of the enemy strength.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Miss Fenna!!¡±¡±¡±


    And with that out of the way, we continued moving. One step at a time, careful of the immediate surroundings, we closed in on the entrance. And then¡­ we passed through.


    With nothing happening¡­ Except for our astonishment at seeing the inside.


    ¡°... This is a little beyond what I imagined.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s¡­ huge.¡±


    A gigantic cave stretched out in front of us. So large I couldn¡¯t see the walls in any direction save for the one behind me, despite having changed to my night vision. And in the middle of all of this was a similarly gigantic lake.


    ¡°... But there¡¯s still nothing here. Except for the lake.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Fenna, doesn¡¯t the lake look a little weird?¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The water in the lake wasn¡¯t clear. It was dark and muddy. Having heard this was an artificially created cave, I kind of expected a lake with clear water. Maybe those were just my unreasonable expectations but¡­ something about the lake bothered me.


    I explained those thoughts to Fenna. Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°Weird, you say¡­ Let¡¯s take a closer look. Everyone, stay focused!¡±


    We slowly walked up to the edge of the lake until it was illuminated by the lamp in Fenna¡¯s hand.


    ¡°This¡­ I see... Everyone, back off!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wah?!¡±


    Fenna suddenly grabbed Karen and me by our hands and pulled us away from the lake. Everyone else also rushed away, back to the entrance.


    ¡°Fenna? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lake anymore.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? That some people say that the Swamp Ropers create the swamps themselves.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Eh? You mean?¡±


    They turned this lake into a swamp?!


    ¡°Exactly. And that¡¯s why it¡¯s dangerous to stay close to the lake. We already confirmed that the ropers are here, after all.¡±


    ¡°... So they might pull us into the lake if we get too close?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ quite dangerous.


    Better to stay away from the lake, then.


    ¡°But this is surprising¡­ This lake should be pretty large. To think that the ropers could turn the entire lake into this. Sanna, the rope.¡±


    ¡°The rope, is it? One moment, Miss Fenna.¡±


    Sanna, who had been drawing the map until now, put away her drawing utensils and retrieved a rope from the bag she was carrying.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a lot of rope, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need it, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Need it? What for?¡±


    ¡°To catch a roper.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    She wanted to catch a roper?!


    ¡°That was a joke. We¡¯re not really going to catch a roper. But we¡¯re still here on reconnaissance and we honestly haven¡¯t found anything yet except one roper, a bunch of bones and a lake turned swamp.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t that plenty already?¡±


    ¡°The Captain will have my head if we come back with only this.¡±


    Her head, huh¡­ Well, he sure would prefer to have more information. But¡­ No, Fenna knew what she was doing. Surely.


    ¡°Now then, Rieke, you go.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Punishment for sneaking alcohol along. Or do you want me to report it to the Captain?¡±


    ¡°... I got it, I got it. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Nn? What are they talking about?


    Fenna received the rope from Sanna and with the help of some others¡­ they started to tie up Rieke?!


    ¡°Miss Fenna? Just what¡­¡±


    Karen was just as bewildered as me, it seemed.


    ¡°I told you, we¡¯re going to catch ropers, Karen.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was a joke?¡±


    ¡°It was, but it¡¯s not completely wrong. Since we¡¯re like going to catch one. Ah! Hey, Rieke, stop struggling!¡±


    ¡°No way! Why do I have to do this?!¡±


    ¡°So you want the Captain to hear all about it?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Giving up her last bit of resistance, the woman, Rieke, let herself get tied up obediently. Well, it wasn¡¯t as if she was tied up in a manner that made it impossible for her to move. Rather, it was tied around her waist and her shoulders. Also, only one end of the rope was actually used. The remaining rope was held by everyone else.


    ¡°Okay, this looks good. Now then everyone, grasp the rope and don¡¯t let go. Yumi, Karen, you as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but, what is this?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, what do ropers want the most?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhh, prey?¡±


    ¡°Correct. So, what do you think the ropers are going to do when there¡¯s a woman walking right next to their home?¡±


    ¡°... Wait.¡±


    Wait a fucking moment¡­


    They were using her as a bait?!


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it. Time for some roper fishing.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Fenna handed us the end of the rope so we could grasp it as well. A little reluctant, I still grabbed onto it. I wouldn¡¯t be able to change their mind now, was I? Then it was better to just do as she said and help out. Someone¡¯s life was at stake here. And her dignity probably as well.


    ¡°Now then, Rieke, have fun and make us proud!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget this, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still ¡®miss¡¯ for you when we¡¯re working.¡±


    ¡°The pipsqueak calls you without ¡®miss¡¯ too!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not part of the squad so she¡¯s okay. Now, stop complaining and move your butt. Or did you gain so much weight you can¡¯t move it anymore? I know you¡¯ve been snatching food.¡±


    Rieke was grumbling something in response but she still moved to the edge of the lake. Then she faced the lake and took a deep breath...


    ¡°Come on, you shitty ropers! Get out so I can beat you up!¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t understand you. Just shut up and move. You¡¯re being noisy.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    The heck was I watching here?


    Either way, with Rieke walking right next to the lake and everyone else at a small distance, we started moving around the lake.


    ¡°Hey, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... When should I even test out the magic and stuff?¡±


    ¡°... Ah. I forgot, sorry!¡±


    Well, that happened¡­


    ¡°Mh¡­ You said it¡¯s a trap or so, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, kind of like a pitfall?¡±


    ¡°... I might have an idea then. But for now, let¡¯s focus on this first.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    An idea, huh.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Fenna! I think I saw something move!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Isn¡¯t that great for you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not grea¡ª Woah?!¡±


    Things happened in the blink of an eye. Tentacles shot out of the water, wrapping themselves around Rieke¡¯s waist and trying to drag her into the lake. The sudden pull on the rope we were holding nearly made me fall over.


    ¡°The heck?!¡±


    ¡°Pull! Don¡¯t let go of the rope! Pull! Pull!¡±


    I pulled with all of my meager strength. Karen and everyone else as well pulled on the rope with all their might. Yet, somehow, we couldn¡¯t pull Rieke back.


    ¡°Woah, shit, shit, shit! You¡¯re killing me!¡± shouted Rieke.


    ¡°If you got the energy to complain, it¡¯s still fine.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not! Fucking hell, come out you piece of shit!¡±


    Somehow, hearing such words from a woman made me feel conflicted. She was quite good-looking, so that made it only worse¡­


    ¡°Come on, pull! Pull!¡±


    ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s not giving in at all.¡±


    Rieke was trying to resist the tentacles pull as well. Thinking about it, she was being pulled from both sides, wasn¡¯t she¡­ With all their might. No, I could think about that later, for now, I had to help.


    ¡°Pull! We can do this, pull! Pull!¡±


    In the rhythm of Fenna¡¯s shouts, we really did our best. Pulling with all our strength. Yet, it felt like there was no end in sight.


    ¡°Tsk, this thing is tenacious. Come out, you shitty¡ª Woah?!¡±


    ¡°Hyah?!¡±


    All too sudden, the roper loosened its grip. With the force opposing us gone, we all fell backwards onto our behinds.


    ¡°What the¡­ Rieke! Come back immediately!¡±


    ¡°Tsk, seriously!¡±


    Rieke, who had fallen down as well, suddenly drew her sword and cut off the tentacles with a single swing. Then, she quite literally jumped towards us.


    ¡°The rope! Loosen the rope!¡±


    ¡°On it!¡±


    The next moment, she tried to cut the rope as fast as she could, hacking and sawing on it with her sword. That was far from loosening it, but¡­ It was the correct decision. A second later and a tentacle shot out of the water, grabbing the rope and pulling it in with enormous strength, ripping it out of our hands. And the rope thankfully snapped right at the spot where Rieke had cut it.


    ¡°What in the blazes¡­¡± muttered Rieke.


    Everyone was staring at the lake where the rope had disappeared into, dumbfounded.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s return to the entrance. This isn¡¯t a place we should stay at.¡±


    After muttering those words, everyone stood up and we moved back to the entrance. Slowly, cautiously and close to the wall. Nobody said a single word until we arrived at the entrance and left the large cave with the lake.


    ¡°... This place should be safe for now.¡±


    ¡°Fenna! What the heck was with that?!¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew, Rieke.¡±


    Fenna shook her head, also at a loss for words.


    ¡°Whatever it is, it¡¯s quite intelligent for a monster. And strong. That¡¯s not something we can fight head-on.¡±


    Intelligent and strong¡­


    ¡°Fenna, could it be that nest mother?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Chances are pretty high that it is the nest mother, yes.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll first take a break. The lake is off-limits, though. Too dangerous. After that, we¡¯ll try to at least catch one roper here.¡±


    ¡°Catching a roper? But how do you want to do that now?¡±


    With a smile, Fenna pointed at me.


    ¡°With that magic or whatever you were going to attempt.¡±

 Chapter of Living Dreams: How to trap a Roper

    ¡°The idea is simple, your pitfall or whatever, place it right behind the entrance. And that¡¯s it already.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ ¡®s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I listened to Fenna¡¯s suggestion, more than a little bit dumbfounded. It was¡­ simple, to say the least. Completely simple. Actually, I couldn¡¯t even really call it a plan.


    ¡°Nn, won¡¯t they notice it is a trap then, though? I mean, you said they seem to be quite intelligent, right? Also, what if that nest mother or whatever comes through? I don¡¯t think the pitfall could contain that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pitfall made by magic, right? So, shouldn¡¯t it be hidden?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not?¡±


    Rather than hidden, in a place like this, it would stick out like a sore thumb.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a problem¡­ Well, maybe they¡¯re stupid enough to still get caught but¡­ Actually...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°It might still be fine. I don¡¯t think there is any other exit. At least, the Academy people didn¡¯t talk of any other exit. If this is the only exit, they¡¯ll still be forced to move through here.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That makes sense but¡­ They could still just walk around it.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s worth a try.¡±


    Well, yes¡­ It was better than not doing anything but¡­ I sure as hell doubted it would work out.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if we covered the entire entrance with¡­ you-know-what? Then we could hide the pitfall as well.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s an option.¡±


    At least, it definitely had a better chance of succeeding than just randomly placing it.


    ¡°But¡­ Fenna, do you¡­ know what kind of magic I use?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t remember if I had told Fenna about my magic. I did keep track more or less of who knew about my real nature but¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡­ what was it¡­ tentacle magic? Yeah¡­ I heard that¡¯s also why you wanted to come along¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    So she knew... Well, that was at least one weight off my mind.


    ¡°The Captain told us to keep quiet about it, so don¡¯t worry. But if you¡¯re still worried, I can tell the others to go back. Though I¡¯d like at least a few to stay with us, just in case.¡±


    ¡°... I think that¡¯s better.¡±


    Korwen wanted to keep the number of people in the known as low as possible. Of course, so did I. This offer was therefore quite welcome.


    ¡°Okay, I deal with that. Then, prepare whatever you need to do.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thanks.¡±


    Fenna left Karen and me alone so she could send the others back. Except the minimum necessary personnel. A few moments later, a little over half of the women went back.


    ¡°So, Yumi¡­ What are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°... Somehow figuring out how to get the tentacles growing here¡­¡±


    This was, honestly, the hardest part. There was no way I could transform here, with everyone watching. Even if I did, there was no guarantee it would grow again. The only choice I had was figuring out how to do it without transforming.


    Let¡¯s think¡­ The whole thing started when Ria pointed out there was some mana in the floor, right? Then, if I were to pump some mana into the floor, maybe that¡¯d be enough already?


    It¡¯d be nice if it was that simple. But first, I had to ask Fenna something.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Fenna. Where should I do it?¡±


    ¡°Where? Mm, right behind the entrance. Ah but, can you later remove that pitfall again? Or do we need to cover it up?¡±


    ¡°Thaaaat¡¯s¡­¡±


    That¡¯s a tough question.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°... Okay then, leave enough space that we can walk around it. Let¡¯s hope it works out regardless.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Then, a little behind the entrance into the large cave would be the best. I walked to said spot with Karen, taking a look towards the lake.


    ¡°... I hope they won¡¯t try to attack us here.¡±


    ¡°I will make sure nothing will happen to you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Sis.¡±


    We were right behind the entrance so in the worst case, Karen could just pull me to the side. That would probably be enough. Having seen how fast those tentacles were, there was no way I could dodge them on my own.


    I should¡¯ve brought some dolls along for this trip¡­ Wait, speaking of which, they would¡¯ve been perfect for reconnaissance, right? Ahhhh!


    ¡°Yumi? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Sis, I just remembered¡­ The dolls would¡¯ve been good to bring along for this.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    Well, too late now.


    Why did nobody notice this?


    ¡°If this doesn¡¯t work out, we can still go back and make new dolls for this, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wish I had thought of it sooner.¡±


    ¡°Nothing you can do about now. Let¡¯s focus on this.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I took out the mana crystal we had prepared back at the camp yesterday. It wasn¡¯t really in the shape of an egg anymore so calling a mana egg felt a little weird¡­


    Maybe I should just think of a new name.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see... I hope this works.¡±


    I gathered some mana from the crystal and pushed it into the ground. Without success.


    ¡°Nn? How odd¡­ Ah. Right.¡±


    I forgot to change it into Lust-attributed mana. Silly me. Stop being an idiot.


    ¡°Okay another try. Here we go!¡±


    I took some mana, changed it to the Lust-attribute and then pushed it into the ground. Full with the intention of growing some tentacles.


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    ¡°It worked.¡±


    ¡°Nn. That was¡­ quite fast.¡±


    Nearly anticlimactic.


    It worked immediately and now some little tentacles were growing on the floor. On the positive side, this got rid of my biggest worry for now. It wouldn¡¯t have been funny if I had been unable to make them grow.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Sis, give me one of the mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment¡­ Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    The mana crystal in my hand contained a huge amount of mana, sure, but I still needed other mana crystals to make new mana eggs. I couldn¡¯t create them from thin air, unfortunately. But, as long as I had a mana crystal, even if it was a tiny one, I could make a pink mana egg.


    ¡°Okay, one mana egg done.¡±


    I put the newly created mana egg down on the ground next to the tentacles. It quickly got absorbed by them. With this, they wouldn¡¯t wither anymore as long as there was mana around.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Is that your magic, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, yes, Fenna.¡±


    Fenna had come over to take a look at what we were doing. The other women stood a little away and also watched. Some seemed curious, others a little disgusted. Not that I could blame them, really. Tentacles were probably more like a mortal enemy to them.


    Hopefully that wasn¡¯t going to include me anytime soon.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Mind me asking what exactly you¡¯re going to do?


    ¡°Nn? No, not really. Mm¡­ I¡¯ll probably have to increase the area this growth covers first. If we want to hide the pitfall, it might be better to cover the entire area around the entrance.¡±


    ¡°The entire area around the entrance?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... You can get rid of that later on, can you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Honestly? Maybe. Maybe not.


    ¡°... I get the feeling we¡¯re going to hear a lot of complaints later on.¡±


    Please, I was purposefully trying to ignore that.


    I was told to try my magic out by the Captain, so it¡¯s not my responsibility.


    Problem solved.


    Whatever would come up after this wasn¡¯t my business. All complaints should be forwarded to Korwen.


    Well, in the worst case we can just blame this on the ropers. Nobody will notice the difference.


    While I was absorbed in my thoughts, I fed the yet small tentacles with mana, making them grow and grow. Seeing as this was the second time I did this, I didn¡¯t need to spend all that much time on it. There was no need to test out anything this time in regards to their growth or anything. Not that we had the time anyway.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, can you give me some mana crystals again?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    To expand the area, we needed more mana eggs again. It also seemed that I needed a mana egg to create the pitfall anyway. Probably. I could try it first without one, just to check.


    ¡°Good, one in each direction.... and done.¡±


    Since it wasn¡¯t constrained by the walls, the tentacle growth had a wonderful circular shape. And now, with a mana egg in each direction, it would grow even more. Not circular, though.


    ¡°This is¡­ quite creepy to watch,¡± commented Fenna.


    ¡°Nn, sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ Uhm¡­ I wonder but¡­ Why did you choose¡­ this kind of magic?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s say I didn¡¯t exactly have a choice in that matter.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    That I didn¡¯t have a choice was actually a fact. If I had been only a normal manakin, it might have been different. From what i had read, even those witch worshippers didn¡¯t use any magic that utilised tentacles. Alas, I wasn¡¯t a normal manakin but¡­ Yeah, apparently not quite a monster either, seeing how the Elder called me a ¡®Cursed¡¯ and so. Close enough, though?


    ¡°Nn, Sis, should we cover the walls and the ceiling as well?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The cave corridor was quite wide. If Fenna, Karen and I were standing next to each other with our arms spread out, we¡¯d probably not even reach half of it. Maybe if three or four of the other women joined we¡¯d reach either wall.. As for the height¡­


    ¡°Even if we¡¯d try to do it up to the ceiling¡­ I have no idea how to get the mana eggs up there.¡±


    It was far too high. Even if I sat on Karen¡¯s shoulders, I wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the ceiling.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s first focus on the stuff on the ground. Maybe we will get an idea later.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Not much we could do about for now.


    I filled the tentacle with more mana until it stopped growing once again. Now the growth had the shape of a plus, huh¡­ Well, whatever. Next would be¡­ the pitfall, huh. The part I understood the least.


    Okay¡­ I can¡¯t exactly go and transform here so I¡¯ll have to somehow manage without¡­ Hopefully this is going to work.


    In the worst case, we¡¯d have to shoo Fenna and the others away. But with only Karen and me at this place, I¡¯d definitely worry. If the ropers attacked us, it¡¯d be quite a dangerous bet if we could hold on until Fenna and the others came to our rescue. We definitely had to avoid that.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Back then, I had noticed that the tentacles stored a significant amount of mana for unknown reasons. When I tried to access that mana, I had this odd feeling that I could¡­ grow something with it. Somehow, I had to replicate this situation without transforming.


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t feel the mana¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, remember back then? I mentioned that they stored a lot of mana, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I remember that.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t feel any mana being stored¡­¡±


    This wasn¡¯t good¡­


    ¡°Maybe they just don¡¯t have enough mana yet? They did use it all up for growing right now, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°... Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t really a lot of mana wasted since we knew the procedure. That meant, there was also no mana they could have stored.


    ¡°Nn, okay. Then, more feeding them.¡±


    The question now was how much mana was actually needed for the pitfall? There had been a significant amount stored last time but it still had to take mana from the other mana eggs and even from me. That might have been because of the weird Space Magic stuff but¡­ I should better play it safe.


    So, more mana than they had stored at the time, huh¡­ Good thing we stuffed this mana crystal with tons of mana.


    If we hadn¡¯t there¡¯d be no way I would have enough mana for this. I poured in a quite large amount of mana into the tentacles. Just like back then, rather than expanding, the tentacles grew thicker. Maybe it was like a sign of getting stuff¡ª


    ¡°Hyah?!¡±


    ¡°Ahh?!¡±


    ¡°Yumi?! Karen?!¡±


    My entire vision was dyed pink all of a sudden, taking me completely by surprise. Judging from Karen¡¯s yelp, the same happened to her.


    ¡°Are you two fine?¡±


    ¡°N, Nn¡­ That sure surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that was¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I had forgotten¡­ The tentacles were trying to fill the area with Lust-attributed mana. When they suddenly expunged the mana, Karen and I were blinded for a second, since we could only see that mass of Lust-attributed mana.


    ¡°Nn, this is a bit of a problem¡­¡±


    If they tried to fill the area with Lust-attributed mana¡­ There was no way I¡¯d have enough mana for that. Even now, the mana they expunged was slowly drifting through the cave and getting thinner.


    ¡°You two, what just happened?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, sorry, Fenna. Something unexpected happened. It¡¯s nothing ba¡ª Wait¡­¡±


    No, it might be bad.


    ¡°Fenna, do you feel any different, right now?¡±


    ¡°Eh? No, not really¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Maybe there wasn¡¯t enough mana to really affect them for now. Well, that was good.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s fine¡­ But what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, can¡¯t you stop them from doing that?¡±


    ¡°I can try but¡­¡±


    I¡¯d probably have to take control of the tentacles for that¡­ But without transforming and connecting to them, I was only able to control a small portion of them. The ones whose mana I could grasp.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    I motioned Karen to come closer. I didn¡¯t want Fenna or the others to overhear so much. Probably having picked up on that, Fenna went back to the others.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, without transforming, I don¡¯t think I can stop them from doing that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s a little bad, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    If we couldn¡¯t stop them, then we¡¯d just needlessly waste mana on this.


    ¡°You need to connect with them, you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Can you maybe only connect with a part of you? Like, your hand. Or maybe even your hair?¡±


    ¡°... My hair, huh. Might be worth a try.¡±


    At least, my hair would be the least conspicuous. Thinking about it, this might be good to keep in mind for the future. Assuming that it works, of course.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s try that.¡±


    I sat down near the tentacles. Thanks to my long hair, I didn¡¯t even need to do anything for it to reach down when I was sitting.


    Okay¡­ Let¡¯s see if I can do this¡­


    I was a bit worried, though¡­ Last time, the pure mass of information that had flooded into me caused me to faint. While I got used to it after a while, it¡¯d be bad to faint again. Even if it was just for a short moment.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s hope this works out.¡±


    I tried to concentrate on the ends of my hair and moved it towards the centre of the tentacle growth. In a way that shouldn¡¯t attract too much attention. Good thing my hair was so long. Nobody would notice if the end was moving around inside that growth.


    Okay¡­ Now, what do I do?


    I was still a little worried about the whole information overload thing so I¡¯d rather go at it slowly. I wrapped a single strand of hair around the base of the tentacle with the mana egg for now.


    Now, I had to connect them but¡­ How exactly? I somehow managed before since I was transforming my other body parts anyway but¡­


    ¡°Yumi, how is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, I have no idea? Give me a moment.¡±


    Speaking of which, before we had met with the mercenaries, we had tried out some things with my hair. Cutting it, growing it. Maybe¡­ I could, like, grow the hair into it? Well, worth a try.


    Here we go!


    I concentrated on the single strand, causing it to grow. Into the tentacle. Or, well, not¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, we¡¯ll have to cut some hair later¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows at me. Well, she didn¡¯t complain at least.


    ¡°Still¡­ Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know. It might not work with my hair.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Then, maybe you should try with your arm only?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid doing that but¡­¡±


    Might be the only way to do it, huh.


    Still, I¡¯d prefer it if it would work with my hair. Really. Well¡­ Maybe I can do it the other way round?


    It was a bit of a wild idea but¡­ If I couldn¡¯t make my hair grow into the tentacle, maybe I could grow the tentacle into my hair? Or something like that¡­ Well, to say it in more simpler terms, maybe I could take control of the tentacle¡¯s mana and try to connect it that way.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll try one last thing, Sis. If that doesn¡¯t work...¡±


    ¡°Okay, good luck.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    I took hold of the mana in the tentacle, causing it to stiffen instantly. Then, I tried to expand the mana towards my hair, so that it cou¡ª


    ¡°Waah!¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°It worked? I think¡­¡±


    My hair was¡­ definitely connected with the tentacle now¡­ And I could feel the tentacles around us, but to a lesser degree than back then. The sensation was weak. Better than being overwhelmed by it but this was a little too weak, maybe. Or it might actually be just right. I only wanted to make that pitfall, after all, and not grope Karen with the tentacles.


    ¡°So? Yumi? Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it did. The connection is pretty weak but I think it should be enough.¡±


    Now then, since I finally got connected to them, I only had to suppress them from expunging Lust.attributed mana. That¡­ should be doable. I poured mana into the tentacle growth again, a little slower so that I wouldn¡¯t miss when the tentacles would do it. And after a short while of pouring mana in, I could feel the tentacles trying to do something. Whatever it was, I quickly put a stop to it.


    ¡°Nothing is happening¡­ Yumi, did it work?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so. I could feel them doing something so I stopped it.¡±


    With the weak connection, it was a bit of an odd feeling, controlling the tentacles Or, well, stopping them. It was more like holding your breath this time. A momentary stop to something that would have happened automatically.


    ¡°Ohh, it gathers the mana.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I continued to pour mana into the tentacles until it had a substantial amount of it. Quite a bit more than back in the wagon. To be on the safe side.


    Okay, and now taking a hold of the mana and¡­ A pitfall, a pitfall, at the mana crystal in front of the entrance¡­


    I kept repeating those words in my mind for a while. Maybe because of the weak connection, it took a while before I managed to get them moving. Maybe I needed a stronger mental image or something? I had absolutely no idea how the heck they even did this so¡­ Well, I could verify that some other time.


    ¡°Ah, there it is¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn, there it is.¡±


    There it was. After using up most of the mana I had poured into the tentacles, the mana egg I had aimed for had changed its surroundings into another pitfall.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m glad it worked out.¡±


    ¡°Good work, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We¡¯re not completely done yet, though.¡±


    We still had to cover the surroundings here¡­


    ¡°Yumi, Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ the pitfall you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°.... I see.¡±


    Fenna made an expression as if she had no idea how to react. Whether she should be astonished, disgusted or something else.


    ¡°As¡­ As long as it works¡­¡±


    ¡°... I hope so.¡±


    I stood up and stretched my limbs. After taking a fleeting glance into the large cave with the lake, I took some mana crystals that Karen handed me. We still had a bit of work left.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see how much we can co¡ª GAGGUH!¡±


    ¡°Yumi?!¡±


    Making a rather unladylike sound, something jerked my head back and I fell on my bottom.


    ¡°It hurts! Uhhhh!¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    The back of my head felt as if it was on fire. That was everything but okay. The heck just happened?


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Your hair is still¡­¡±


    ¡°... Uhhh, I¡¯m an idiot.¡±


    And I paid the price like an idiot. Good thing we didn¡¯t have to run away but¡­ It HURT. It seriously HURT. Like someone grabbed your hair and then jerked your head around.


    And no, I wasn¡¯t crying. I definitely wasn¡¯t crying!


    ---


    ¡°Still nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Still nothing.¡±


    Around half an hour later, we had filled the surroundings of the entrance with the tentacle growth. Thanks to Fenna¡¯s idea of just throwing the mana eggs, we even somehow managed to cover the ceiling. It was a little disturbing to watch as the tentacles fished the crystals out of the air.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re still too close?¡±


    Currently, we were waiting for a roper to get caught by the pitfall. To not scare them away again, we had taken some distance and were watching from afar now. Too bad that the path was completely straight or we could have hidden behind a corner or something.


    ¡°Maybe¡­ Miss Fenna, are you sure this is enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it should be enough. I don¡¯t know about the nest mother or so but regular ropers don¡¯t have good eyesight. They won¡¯t notice us from this far.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    Hopefully, that was really the case. Otherwise, we¡¯d sit here forever.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if it takes too long we¡¯ll return. Something probably should happen overnight:¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But wouldn¡¯t we stay another day then?¡±


    ¡°I would rather stay another day for now. Especially if we can get our hands on a roper.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    If one of them would actually fall for this, that was¡­


    ¡°In the best case, we can catch two or three of them and bring them back. That would already fulfill the job. Cleaning this mess won¡¯t be our problem then.¡±


    ¡°And if that won¡¯t happen?¡±


    ¡°Good question. The Dragon Knights could probably deal with this situation but it¡¯d be hard to send them off under these circumstances.¡±


    The Dragon Knights¡­ That elite squad of heavily armoured mercenaries.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ve been wondering but¡­ Are the Dragon Knights that strong?¡±


    ¡°They are. They really are. A single one of them could easily deal with my entire squad.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really. Speaking of which, I heard that the Captain was considering letting Lily go through their training.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. He told us as well.¡±


    While  Karen and I had been stuck in that weird egg, they had tested Lily¡¯s capabilities.


    ¡°I watched when they tested her. That girl is strong. And if she goes through that training, she¡¯ll only get stronger¡­ I really hope you girls will stay on our side. It¡¯d be scary to fight against you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well, Lily and Karen are quite strong¡­¡±


    Karen was physically really strong. And Lily was also experienced in fighting already.


    ¡°Yumi, I count you among that as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Or are you telling me that magic over there isn¡¯t quite scary?


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡±


    Fenna was giving me a strained smile, seeing my hesitation.


    ¡°Anyone who would face that would hesitate. That magic is like boldly proclaiming that this is your territory. And if there are traps inside there, nobody would want to to trek through that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    Boldly proclaiming this was my territory¡­ I¡­ Actually never really thought of it that way.


    That spot is mine, huh¡­


    True, when a large area was covered like that and filled with traps to boot, then it could turn out to be quite dangerous.


    ¡°I guess, the only problem is that you need time to do it, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can¡¯t move them elsewhere either.¡±


    Although, it seemed that the wagon would probably still move. But I couldn¡¯t move them away from where they currently were so...


    ¡°Yumi, can you hide those tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Hide? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, like hiding them in the ground, or something?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I never tried to¡­ But why?¡±


    ¡°Because, as they are, there¡¯s no way you can walk around and use that magic in public, is there?¡±


    No, there wasn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°But if you could hide them, you could claim the area without people noticing, right? For example, if you claim the area around our camp, it would work as a defense, wouldn¡¯t it? Or you could claim other areas and make less noticeable traps.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I never thought of it in that way¡­ But, I think a magician would notice them¡­¡±


    On the other hand, if I could manage to fool magicians as well¡­


    ¡°Nn, I think I¡¯ll try that out. Thank you, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    If I did it like this, I was boldly proclaiming my territory. But if I could hide all of it, then it would work a lot better for traps.


    ¡°If that actually works, there¡¯s so much you could do with it. The Captain made a good call inviting you girls.¡±


    ¡°Re, really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Really.¡±


    Fenna nodded, completely unperturbed.


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Hearing that made me quite happy, to be honest.


    There was much I could do with this, huh?


    ¡°Yumi! Miss Fenna!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Look!¡±


    Karen suddenly called out to us. She had continued watching the entrance while Fenna and I were talking. And now, she was pointing towards the entrance.


    ¡°Oh? Oh? There¡¯s our first guest?¡±


    Fenna stood up, trying to look through the darkness of the cave.


    ¡°Can¡¯t see it¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish I could see in the dark as you two¡­¡±


    Right near the entrance, something was¡­ moving¡­ Wriggling. Tentacles were slowly creeping around the corner of the entrance. They were a deep red, contrasting my pink tentacles quite a bit.


    ¡°Is it¡­ probing around?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    The tentacles were moving around, slowly touching everything around the entrance. And then, they came into contact with the tentacle growth.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not running away.¡±


    I honestly expected it to run. Yet, the tentacles instead slowly revealed themselves. Or rather, the entire body slowly came into view¡­


    ¡°The heck is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ a roper?¡±


    A messy ball of intertwining tentacles with a sole eyeball in the middle. This eye was looking around furiously. It seemed true that their eyesight wasn¡¯t that good, since it didn¡¯t spot us.


    ¡°It looks like it came straight out of a nightmare¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Ahh, it started to move over the tentacle growth. The pitfall was right in front of it now. Only a little more. Only a little more! Just a bit!


    ¡°KIYEEEEEEEEE¡ª


    A high pitched scream. That ended just as abruptly as it had come¡­ And the roper was gone from sight.


    ¡°Judging from that sound, did it fall in?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It did.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s take a look. Everyone, get moving!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Still a little bewildered over the roper, Fenna chose to immediately check the pitfall.


    ¡°Come, you two.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    We followed Fenna to the entrance with the pitfall. Said pitfall was¡­ closed¡­


    ¡°Yumi, can you open it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Are you sure that¡¯s safe?¡±


    ¡°A single roper won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    If she said so¡­ Still, all of them alert and ready to draw their weapon at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°I¡¯ll open it now.¡±


    I only needed to grasp the mana and open the pitfall, nothing else. It did require me to stand quite close, though, so I couldn¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t nervous. Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and¡­ opened it.


    ¡°Uwahhh¡­ That¡¯s not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Inside the pitfall was the roper¡­


    Just that it was dead. One of the tentacles in the pitfall had pierced the eyeball, killing it. That must have been why the scream stopped in the middle.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a pitfall I want to fall into for sure. But this is actually good in a way¡­ Rieke, get the corpse bag ready. We¡¯ll retrieve that one.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Fenna.¡±


    The woman Rieke brought out a large empty bag that had been folded and stuffed into her own bag.


    ¡°Also, someone go back and bring two more of the corpse bags.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Seems we might have our best case at hand. Although, I would¡¯ve loved to see it alive and how it would react. But no matter, as long as we can get those corpses, everything else isn¡¯t our business.¡±


    We watched as the women dragged out the roper corpse and threw it into the bag. The blood inside the pitfall disappeared for some reason.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, look, that tentacle¡­¡±


    The tentacle that had killed the roper¡­ was covered in something like a hard shell at the tip. As if it was a spear or so¡­ Ah, the shell dissolved and the tentacle moved back into the wall, disappearing among the others.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that kind of tentacles existed¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, neither did I.¡±


    But¡­


    ¡°It immediately killed the roper, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°... I wonder how it determined whether to kill it.¡±


    When Karen had jumped down that pitfall, the tentacles hadn¡¯t tried to do anything. But these ones had instantly decided to kill the roper. And they also knew exactly how to kill it. That¡­ was a little scary.


    ¡°Who knows¡­ Although¡­ Yumi, is it just me, or do they look a little¡­ restless?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Restless?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Look, they¡¯re not moving around all that much. Even the ones on the ceiling. Back then, the others kept swaying around and moving around, right? But these tentacles¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ they seem quite¡­ alert?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Alert, huh¡­


    Hopefully¡­ Hopefully, that wasn¡¯t a bad sign. I had a bad feeling about this.


    Rinne

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Mother Roper

    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you, like, do something about this?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no. I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Seriously.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Fenna, who sat right next to me, let out a deep sigh. The roper that we had trapped¡ªand that subsequently got killed by the tentacle pitfall¡ªhad been carried away by some of the other women. As a result, Except for Karen, Fenna and me, only three others were still here. And since we were so few, we decided to keep even more distance from the pitfall trap. As a precaution.


    ¡°... Maybe we should get closer again?¡±


    ¡°Fenna, wasn¡¯t it you who wanted to stay on the safe side?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ How long have we been waiting here already?!¡±


    ¡°... Quite a while.¡±


    Honestly, it probably wasn¡¯t even half as long as Fenna made it out to be. But with nothing to do except waiting, time passed even more slowly than usual.  I couldn¡¯t blame her for feeling irritated. Especially, because it wasn¡¯t like the ropers hadn¡¯t shown themselves at all. They had. They just¡­ kept passing by the entrance. Completely ignoring the tentacle growth that lay right behind it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you, like, use those tentacles to pull them in or something?¡±


    ¡°If I could, I would have done that already.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Useless.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sure, I usually would admit myself that I wasn¡¯t exactly useful. But this time was different. This time, I was sure I was of use with that pitfall. If it wasn¡¯t for that pitfall, we would probably have to return already because we couldn¡¯t investigate properly.


    Actually, now that I think about it, that would have meant less work for her¡­ Is that why she¡¯s annoyed?


    Well, whether that was the case or not, it wouldn¡¯t make any sense to get annoyed as well now.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, I don¡¯t think calling her useless is nice when she is already using her magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re right, Karen. Sorry ¡®bout that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Right when I decided not to dwell on it¡­


    ¡°But really, don¡¯t they ever leave the cave or so? Even if we aren¡¯t close-by, they still need to go out sometime, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are alarmed because of what happened to the other roper?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of ropers being that intelligent, though. Ah, but this one probably has a nest mother, so maybe¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Fenna buried her face in her knees and groaned.


    ¡°Going out, huh¡­ That reminds me¡­¡±


    Back when I read that monsterarium, several general traits had been listed among the monsters. It was mostly useless, due to how vague it was or how unsure it sounded. Yet, a little bit of info could be gleaned from it nonetheless.


    ¡°The book that Wendl gave me before¡­ I think it mentioned that ropers are mostly nocturnal¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nocturnal?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They seem quite lively in that cave over there, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ True¡­¡±


    Maybe these ropers were different? Or¡­ because we had woken them up?


    ¡°Or¡­ maybe they just hunt during the night?¡±


    ¡°Hunting during the night? I see¡­ That might be possible¡­¡±


    Fenna squinted her eyes a little as she thought about my words.


    ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll sit here for a long time.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯re going to wait?¡±


    ¡°Of course we are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Great. In other words, if I was correct with that assumption, we¡¯d wait through the entire night?


    ¡°Oh, and no napping here, of course. We might have to move in a hurry and we won¡¯t have the time to wait for you to wake up.¡±


    ¡°... Awesome.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t serious.¡±


    ¡°Neither was I.¡±


    No sleep, nothing to do¡­ Was she serious? What kind of torture was this?


    ¡°Hey, Sanna, don¡¯t you have some dice?¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    The woman Fenna had addressed shrieked in surprise.


    ¡°H, h, ho, how¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see them yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Just bring them out. I won¡¯t tell the Captain nor Merim.¡±


    ¡°U, understood¡­¡±


    Sana opened the bag where she stored the drawing utensils for the map and retrieved a cup and several dice from it.


    ¡°Nn, Fenna, is there a problem that she brought dice along?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not exactly relevant for our work, are they? Also, while the Captain doesn¡¯t exactly forbid it, gambling during work hours is frowned upon. It¡¯s a good way to kill time in situations like this, though, so he pretends to look the other way.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Right, this was technically for gambling¡­


    ¡°Not like we really have anything to gamble with right now¡­ Mhm¡­ The loser strips?¡±


    ¡°Fenna¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, that was a joke, okay? I wasn¡¯t serious about that!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it really a joke, though?


    ¡°Miss Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen people play with dice before but I¡¯ve never done it myself¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? You never played dice?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Fenna¡¯s eyes grew wide in astonishment.


    ¡°I see, huh¡­ Then you need an explanation, don¡¯t you? Wait, Sanna, how many dice do you have?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh, five.¡±


    ¡°Five, huh. Should we start with a simple game, then?¡±


    I hope nobody could blame me for feeling a little worried there.


    ¡°One of us takes the cup with three dice and is serving as the house, taking the bets. On your turn, you choose one number between one and six and then the house rolls the dice. If your number is on the dice then¡­ Ahh, wait¡­ We don¡¯t have money to gamble with right now¡­¡±


    Fenna groaned in the middle of the explanation.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, it¡¯s a gambling game so you usually bet money, you know? I have no idea how to play this without money involved. It¡¯s all about betting, after all.¡±


    ¡°Miss Fenna, I can keep track of the bets if you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice, Sanna. But that still doesn¡¯t solve the problem¡­ Mhm, okay, if you keep track of the bets, then we can place bets I guess and call it a debt.¡±


    A debt¡­ Wait, were we going to gamble for real?


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it like that. Would be better if we had some coins but we¡¯ll make do.¡±


    Fenna nodded to herself and then continued her explanation.


    ¡°Anyway, after the house rolled the dice, for each number on the dice that is the same as the one you called before, you get your bet back and additionally get the same amount for each dice that shows that number. If no dice show the number, the house takes the bet. Simple, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, so, if I guess on a three and there¡¯s a single three among the three dice, then I get back twice the amount I bet?¡±


    ¡°Correct! And if it shows up two times, then you get back triple, and for all three showing the same number, you get back four times the bet!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    If Karen¡¯s eyes could sparkle now, they surely would. She seemed utterly impressed by Fenna¡¯s words but¡­ This was a gambling game¡­ There was no way it didn¡¯t have a catch¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to calculate it through on the spot now, but I was certain that you¡¯d lose money on average.


    What do they say again? The house always wins.


    The question was, who would be the house?


    ¡°So, since I¡¯m the leader here, I¡¯m going to be the house, okay?¡±


    Of course¡­


    ¡°Ah, but let¡¯s limit the bets to five copper at most, okay? Can¡¯t have anyone falling into debt here and hold a grudge.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With a big grin, Fenna took the cup and three dice, getting ready to start. Only to be interrupted by Sanna.


    ¡°Miss Fenna. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I wonder what the Captain will say if he hears about this¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ugh, you¡¯re right¡­ But what are we supposed to do then?¡±


    ¡°How about if the loser has to fulfill the request of the winner? Kind of like a punishment, or something?.¡±


    ¡°... Oh?¡±


    In other words, a punishment game?


    That didn¡¯t sound all that much better, to be honest.


    ¡°I see, a punishment, huh. That¡¯s a good idea, Sanna. That might be even better, in fact!¡±


    ¡°Glad to help.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get to it!¡±


    And as such, we started our questionable gambling session.


    The results were about as much as I expected¡­ We lost¡­ Sanna already expected as much and kept her bets low. In fact, she was actually going positive somehow. It was only a little but nonetheless positive. On the other hand, I wasn¡¯t doing that well¡­ But at least I wasn¡¯t as bad as Karen¡­


    Note for the future: Never let Karen play gambling games.


    She definitely was the type to fall into gambling addiction. Maybe still calling the points as copper coins made her greedy side wake up. And her greed for the figurative money completely blinded her and she kept trying to win high. That worked once in a while but¡­ Overall? She lost quite a bit.


    The only saving grace in all of this was that we didn¡¯t really lose money. I wasn¡¯t sure why they decided not to, though. But if we had actual money¡­ Yeah, better not to think about that.


    ¡°Miss Fenna!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    We were still in the middle of playing around when one of the other two women¡ªboth had volunteered with much vigor to keep watch over the cave entrance instead of playing¡ªcalled out to Fenna all of a sudden.


    ¡°There seems to be some movement!¡±


    ¡°... You girls, we¡¯ll end the games here today. Grab your things and get ready.¡±


    Leaving those words behind, Fenna jumped up on her feet and rushed over to the woman who had called her.


    ¡°Ahhh, too bad. Time for work again¡­¡±


    Sanna trotted after Fenna, seemingly sad that the game was being disrupted.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We joined the others as well, taking a good look at what was going on.


    ¡°Nn? Those... are ropers, right?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Of course they are?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At the entrance was a veritable mass of tentacles, peeking into the corridor with three large eyes, each around the size of my torso, maybe a bit larger even. What bothered me a little was the difference in appearance among them. The one we caught before was a single large eyeball embedded into a body of tentacles. But these were different¡­ One had a limbless body made of flesh with the eye inside it and then the tentacles grew from this body. Another had the tentacles directly growing out from the large eye. Really creepy, if you asked me. The last one was similar to the one we first caught.


    Is this difference in appearance normal? Fenna doesn¡¯t look surprised at least...


    ¡°Three, huh. Let¡¯s see what they are going to do.¡±


    The three ropers extended their tentacles towards my tentacle growth, touching it cautiously. The tentacle growth didn¡¯t really react to their approach, simply doing nothing in response.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡± asked Karen after a while.


    ¡°Nn, no idea. Maybe they¡¯re cautious because of what happened to the other roper?¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re trying to figure out if it¡¯s dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    The three ropers kept standing there, their tentacles creeping along the area and feeling up the entire floor in front of them, as well as the walls.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if they could hurry up, though. Wait, are they moving?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ hard to make out from this distance but I think they¡¯re moving a little forward?¡±


    It was only a bit, though. They were by far not moving fast at all.


    ¡°But they¡¯re moving. Then it¡¯s only a matter of¡­ huh?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ moving towards the wall?¡±


    The ropers were pressing themselves close to the wall. If they moved like that, there was no way they¡¯d fall into the trap.


    ¡°Tsk, the heck is going on with these ropers? I¡¯ve never seen or heard of ropers being cautious like that.¡±


    ¡°Fenna, what are we going to do now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only three ropers but¡­ No, let¡¯s watch for a little more. If they pass the trap completely, we¡¯ll retreat. I don¡¯t want to take any chances.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    So, we weren¡¯t going to fight them, if they came to us. Seeing how they exhibited more intelligence than they should, Fenna probably didn¡¯t want to take the chance that they were also stronger than expected.


    ¡°Nn? They... stopped?¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t moving anymore?¡±


    ¡°Nn. They stopped right next to the pitfall.¡±


    The three ropers were now surrounding the pitfall¡­ Did they maybe notice it? No, they definitely noticed it, they were extending their tentacles towards it right now!


    This¡­ I got a bad feeling about this¡­


    Whatever those ropers were intending to do, it wasn¡¯t going to be anything good.


    Alas, right before they touched the area around the pitfall¡­ The tentacle growth stirred into motion, grabbing the ropers with its own tentacles.


    ¡°KIIIYYEEEEEEEE!!!¡±


    ¡°KYEEEE!!!


    ¡°KIIIIII¡ª


    Strange screams echoed in our ears as we watched one of the ropers collapsing. The other two ropers fled back into the cave, still screaming. All the while the tentacle growth dragged the collapsed one into the pitfall where it disappeared.


    The whole thing ended just as fast as it had begun¡­ Barely having taken a few seconds at most.


    ¡°¡±What in the blazes¡­ Yumi, what happened there?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I have no idea...¡±


    The whole thing happened way too fast¡­ I had barely processed what the heck I had even seen.


    ¡°Did¡­ Yumi, did those tentacles¡­ defend themselves?¡±


    ¡°... That might be the case.¡±


    They defended themselves?


    That was¡­


    ¡°Whatever it is¡­ It¡¯s our chance now.¡±


    ¡°Chance?¡±


    What did Fenna mean... Ah, she had drawn her weapon, same as the other two women whose name I still didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to take a look, if possible retrieve that roper and then we¡¯re going to get the hell out of here.¡±


    With those words, the three advanced with quick steps, not quite running but pretty close. We watched as they arrived at the tentacle growth, slowing down and peeking through the entrance, as well as at the pitfall. After a short moment, Fenna beckoned us to come over.


    ¡°Yumi, can you open that pitfall again?¡±


    ¡°Nn, one moment¡­¡±


    The other two women kept looking into the cave, wary something might come over. Meanwhile, I opened the pitfall¡­ The roper inside came into view.


    ¡°Dead again¡­ Yumi, these things are quite ruthless, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Once again, the tentacles had pierced the roper¡¯s fleshy body and killed it¡­ Blood was oozing out from the wound.


    ¡°Anyway, Sanna, give me a bag. We¡¯ll take this one with us and leave.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Fenna.¡±


    Having gotten a bag from Sanna, Fenna dragged the roper corpse out from the pitfall, not minding her hands getting dirtied.


    ¡°And there we go¡­ I¡¯ll carry this. Time to lea¡ª¡±Miss Fenna!¡±


    One of the women shouted all of a sudden. Everyone¡¯s attention turned towards her¡­ and the cave. Or rather, the lake.


    Something was glowing in the lake. A blue hue was spreading out on the surface of the lake.


    ¡°Take cover! Behind the wall.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Woah?!¡±


    Right after Fenna¡¯s shout, someone grabbed my collar and pulled me towards the side of the entrance. Looking behind me, it was Sanna, who gave me a quick smile before she peeked around the corner into the cave.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, what is that?¡±


    ¡°No idea¡­ Never heard of a glowing roper, though¡­ We¡¯ll take a quick look when it surfaces. After that¡­ Get ready to run, are we clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Understood¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah. Nn¡­¡±


    I peeked into the large cave hall, at the glowing spot on the lake.


    ¡°Eh? Fenna that¡­ That thing is huge.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see it is huge. Huge and glowing.¡±


    ¡°No, no, not that¡­ There¡¯s¡­ There¡¯s a huge shadow around that light¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Fenna stared at me in wonder.


    ¡°You had night vision, right... That doesn¡¯t change what we¡¯re going to do, though. It might be a bit dangerous, so I hope you¡¯ll forgive me. But if it¡¯s really that large¡­ Ahhh...¡±


    Before Fenna could finish the sentence, the glowing something began to surface. It wasn¡¯t fast, or anything, it very slowly surfaced, causing some ripples on the water surface.


    ¡°Is that¡­ a crystal?¡±


    ¡°A crystal with tentacles growing from it? No, a roper attached to it? Oh my¡­¡±


    The creature continued to rise up from the water, steadily revealing its titanic body. A mountain of flesh and tentacles, large eyeballs covering it¡¯s surface¡­ and in the middle of it, a large glowing crystal. The crystal was probably larger than I was and yet it seemed so tiny on the large body.


    ¡°The nest mother, huh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ a little bigger than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Fenna¡­ shouldn¡¯t we¡­ run?¡±


    I stared at the nest mother¡¯s body¡­ Honestly, I had no idea how large it was¡­ I knew that in my old world some animals could become truly large but¡­ This thing probably dwarfed all of them. It was so large that it blocked the entire view through the entrance now, and it kept getting larger as it tried to¡­ to leave the lake?


    ¡°We¡¯re leaving. Everyone, run!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, Sis?!¡±


    Right on Fenna¡¯s command, everyone turned around and ran. Except for me¡­ Karen grabbed me by the waist, hoisted me over her shoulder and carried me. Probably the smarter choice than having me run by myself¡­ But¡­ Ahhh, serious, beggars can¡¯t be choosers, no need to complain with this timing.


    As we ran, the entrance and the nest mother''s body slowly faded into the distance. It didn¡¯t seem to take up any intent of pursuing us¡­ Then, it slowly extended a tentacle. A large tentacle, as thick as I was tall, if I had to guess. Then, it lifted the tentacle¡­


    BOOM!


    And smashed it into the ground.


    ¡°The heck was that?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care, just run!¡±


    I had no idea who even shouted that as I watched the tentacle rise yet another time¡­


    BOOM!


    The ground shook from the tremendous impact.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s trying to destroy my tentacles?¡±


    The ground it had hit was where the tentacle growth was. Or rather, had been, as it was now smashed and probably dead¡­ The mana went into a turmoil over there from the massive creature, so I wasn¡¯t able to see whether they had survived or not. But¡­ there was no way they could have, right?


    ¡°Are we¡­ safe?¡±


    ¡°... Who knows. First, is everyone here?¡±


    Fenna took a look at everyone as we approached the exit of the cave to check if we hadn¡¯t left anyone behind.


    ¡°Everyone accounted for. Good. Slow down, everyone!¡±


    The bumpy ride finally came to an end. I was grateful for Karen carrying me the entire way back but I couldn¡¯t call it a comfortable ride at all. I actually felt a little sick. Just a little.


    ¡°Miss Fenna. What was that?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Who knows? I sure don¡¯t. We¡¯ll report back what we saw and then we¡¯re done with our job.¡±


    Done with our job¡­ We were here for reconnaissance and for the roper corpses. We achieved both, somehow.


    ¡°Although, to be honest, I¡¯d love to know what that was too. We can only hope Ria or someone from the Academy has an idea. Never seen a crystal like that before either¡­ Yumi, Karen, was that a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°A mana crystal¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It might have been something similar, though.¡±


    For one, I had never heard or seen a glowing mana crystal like that. Not saying they couldn¡¯t exist or so. Maybe they were glowing at that size. But¡­ The crystal released only a small amount of mana. That mana wasn¡¯t even close to the amount it probably should release at that size. Unless the mana crystal had such an enormous amount, it was still leaking that much when they attempted to hide their mana.


    ¡°Similar¡­ Maybe it¡¯s the cause of why the ropers are here.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ cause?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Remember what I said before? This is an artificially created place that the Academy was studying. Maybe some idiot fucked up and lured in those ropers? Or some ropers stumbled upon that crystal and grew like that? There are many possibilities. Although they all come back to one thing: That thing isn¡¯t something we want to fight with so few.¡±


    ¡°With so few¡­ You mean, you could fight something that large with more people?¡±


    That creature didn¡¯t seem like it was something humans should ever challenge in their entire lifetime.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It depends but if I had to guess¡­ If the Captain mobilised the whole band, we might be able to subjugate it. Although, I don¡¯t think without casualties.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In other words, the Captain is unlikely going to accept the job to subjugate, unless they offer a fortune. We did our job, the rest is the country¡¯s problem. That¡¯s my take, at least.¡±


    The country¡¯s problem¡­ They¡¯d have to dispatch the army for that kind of thing, won¡¯t they?


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get back to the others. Even if it doesn¡¯t look like it wants to pursue us, I want to get out of here rather sooner than later.¡±


    Fenna turned back around and walked towards the exit of the cave. We had actually run the entire way up to here, huh¡­


    A few minutes later, the setting sun was greeting us once more, together with the other women from Fenna¡¯s squad.


    ¡°Miss Fenna! You are safe!¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I am. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°We heard a tremor from the cave. We were preparing right now to look for you all.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, sorry about that. We¡¯re safe and all right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    The other women also seemed relieved that we returned. All of them were carrying their equipment already. If we had taken a little longer, we might have run into them inside the cave. Although, somehow a few of them threw some glances towards me and Karen. Wonder why?


    ¡°But it¡¯s good that you already prepared to move out. Because we¡¯re going to return.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Hearing what Fenna had said, all the women suddenly returned to the camp in a hurry, probably to pack up everything.


    ¡°Fenna, we¡¯re going to return now? Even though it¡¯s dark already?¡±


    ¡°We are. You mentioned it yourself, didn¡¯t you? That the ropers might hunt during the night. And if that huge thing comes out when we are sleeping, we¡¯ll be in major trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Honestly, whether that thing could even leave that cave with its size was questionable. But the ropers had proven to be quite smart somehow. If it was similarly as smart, or maybe even smarter¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be weird for it to find a way to get out of there. Worst case, it might force its way out.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be a good experience for you, trekking through the night.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think that¡¯s an experience I want all that much.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it too much. The worst part isn¡¯t the trek through the night but the lack of sleep.¡±


    Thank you for making it even worse¡­


    Awesome. Who wouldn¡¯t want to skip out on their good night¡¯s sleep in favor of a trek through the dark? I sure didn¡¯t.


    But it probably wouldn¡¯t be the last time this was going to happen, judging from her words¡­


    ¡°Just collect your things and get ready to move out for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Also, when are you going to come down from there, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Right, Karen was still carrying me. That explained the odd glances earlier. And why my point of view was so strange.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°One moment.... Okay, can you get down from here?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen squatted down and let me off her shoulder.


    ¡°Now, go and get ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And so, Karen and I walked back to the camp.


    There actually wasn¡¯t much for us to do, since we already carried all our possessions with us. Instead, we helped the others with taking the tents and everything else.


    It took a while until everything was stowed away. The sun was nearly gone by now and we had only the little light from the lamp left.


    ¡°Okay, everyone. We finished our job so we¡¯ll return now. Be careful during the trek through the forest. Remember, don¡¯t lose sight of the person right in front of you. If you can¡¯t see us anymore, stay where you are and light a lamp or fire. Don¡¯t shout or you¡¯ll attract monsters. Everything clear?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good! It¡¯s time to return!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhhh!!!¡±¡±¡±


    Fenna let out a sigh and regarded them with a wry smile as she watched them shouting in unison. Right after she told them not to shout.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhh!!!¡±


    ¡°You all¡­¡±


    Seeing that they would just reply with another shout if she said something, Fenna just shook her head and took the lead.


    And like that, the end of our little reconnaissance mission came.


    Rinne


    Since it has been a while and the new month has just begun: If you enjoyed reading, please take a look at my Patreon! For a small bit, you can read ahead some chapters.


    Thank you for reading. Stay safe everyone!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Night Report

    The trek back to the camp during the night was¡­ quite exhausting. Getting out of the forest was the worst. We could only move at a snail¡¯s pace to make sure we wouldn¡¯t lose anyone. And also so we wouldn¡¯t lose our bearings. The sky was barely visible through the trees as well but it was still the best choice to figure out the directions.


    With that said, the sky¡­ it should be different from my old world, right?


    I was never big into astronomy or whatever. I would have struggled to even find the more well-known stars¡­ Probably. With that in mind, I couldn¡¯t really compare the skies of both worlds. It did make me think a little about the differences in each world for a while. Magic, the suns, probably the night sky, too...


    ¡°Yumi. Yumi!¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep now, we¡¯re soon back at the camp.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    Ah! The world was shaking. The world was shaking!


    ¡°Si, Sis! I¡¯m awake, I¡¯m awake!¡±


    ¡°... Good.¡±


    There was no need to wake me up this violently, though....


    No, in the first place, I wasn¡¯t asleep. Only lost in thought. Probably not that far away from sleeping, though¡­


    ¡°... We¡¯re there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ can I finally sleep?¡±


    It was still dark outside with the sun nowhere near. The moon and the stars were quite bright today so at least we didn¡¯t need the lamp to light the way.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ We¡¯ll have to report to the Captain first and if we can get some sleep after that¡­¡±


    ¡°... We have to report to the Captain? In the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you listen earlier? Fenna told us.¡±


    Maybe I had listened, maybe I hadn¡¯t. Either way, it hadn¡¯t stuck around in my memories.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I just want some sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°I did offer you that I¡¯ll carry you while you sleep.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, but there was no way I could actually do that now, could I? Even if I was sleepy and kept complaining, that was still a little too much for me. I would feel seriously bad if I made Karen walk the entire night without a wink of sleep while I was sleeping in peace. No way.


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re so stubborn about the weirdest things, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That so?¡±


    I didn¡¯t think it was all that weird. But maybe that was just me? Either way, now it was too late. The lights from the city and the camp were already in sight.


    ¡°Should I carry you the remaining way?¡±


    ¡°... I think that¡¯s quite pointless by now. And if I actually fall asleep, my mood will be horrible if you wake me up later.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That sounds a little interesting.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    Seriously, don¡¯t. Don¡¯t put people into a bad mood just because you¡¯re curious. You¡¯re not a child.


    In an attempt to find a different topic, I turned to Fenna and the others. Alas, I quickly decided against it¡­ I wasn¡¯t the only one tired, the others were too. Oddly enough, Karen was still quite energetic¡­ Just, the same couldn¡¯t be said for Fenna and the other women.


    ¡°I guess we all need some sleep¡­¡±


    The whole trip had turned out to be a lot shorter than planned but it had also become a little more serious. At least, judging from Fenna¡¯s reaction. Otherwise, we probably wouldn¡¯t march the entire way back in the middle of the night.


    ¡°Of course we do. I want to sleep as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you still look pretty lively, Sis.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m not tired.¡±


    ¡°True...¡±


    Hopefully, the Captain would allow us to sleep for at least a short while. Some sleep was still better than no sleep at all. Although, my prediction of waking up in a bad mood would hopefully turn out to be false.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    I let out a deep sigh as I resigned myself for a turbulent night.


    ¡°Captain, Captain! Captain!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m awake, I¡¯m awake. Damnit, who the hell is waking me up in the middle of the night?!¡±


    Cursing, a large man appeared out of the tent, wearing nothing but a simple cloth tunic and pants.


    ¡°Captain, the reconnaissance team has returned!¡±


    ¡°... Ha?¡±


    Korwen stared at the mercenary with a dumbfounded look on his face. Then, he looked around, spotting us a little behind the man who had woken him up.


    ¡°... Why in the blazes are you already back? No, before that, give me a moment to get dressed. Get to the tent for the meetings and wait for me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain!¡±


    Fenna replied with vigour, belying how tired we actually were.


    ¡°And you, go wake up Merim and tell him to come, too. Oh, and Ria as well. Drag her over if need be.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir!¡±


    The mercenary saluted and then dashed away. Having confirmed that he was gone, the Captain disappeared back into the tent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and wait for the Captain. Sanna, Yumi, Karen, you three come with me. Everyone else is on standby for now. Rieke, keep them in order.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Miss Fenna!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    So, only the four of us would report to Korwen?


    ¡°Mi, Mi, Mi, Miss Fenna?! Me too?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sanna, you too. Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?!¡±


    Sanna stared at Fenna in utter disbelief. Or maybe panic? Not quite sure which, but Fenna didn¡¯t mind it at all and just walked off. Maybne she just didn''t have the energy to care anymore either. With a wry smile, we followed after her.


    A few minutes later, the four of us plus Korwen¡ªnow in his regular mercenary attire¡ªsat in the meeting tent at the large table, giving him a rundown of what had happened.


    ¡°As large as a dragon, you say. We¡¯re still talking about a roper, aren¡¯t we, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was definitely a roper. Just enormous in size. And holding a weird crystal.¡±


    ¡°A weird crystal...¡°


    Korwen stroked his chin, lost in thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a monster holding a crystal or whatever. Except for their food.¡±


    ¡°It certainly didn¡¯t seem like it was food, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ How odd.¡±


    Not even Korwen had seen or even heard about such a thing, huh¡­


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s some kind of artifact? Some long lost civilization¡¯s magic tool, or so?¡±


    ¡°Captain. Such things only exist in fairy tales.¡±


    ¡°Then do tell me what else it is.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Fenna faltered at his response.


    ¡°Seriously, though. It might really have something to do with those ruins. I, unfortunately, do not know what the Academy was exactly researching there. I didn¡¯t ask either. I slightly regret that now.¡±


    He sighed, leaning back on his chair and staring at the ceiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to call in someone from the Academy first thing in the morning. And I have to report this to the army¡­ Mhm¡­ This might actually be fortunate.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Fortunate?¡±


    ¡°Yes, fortunate. Let¡¯s say, they¡¯ll owe us a little for this information. Ahhh, but in the current situation, that might backfire on us as well.¡±


    Korwen sighed again, his shoulders slumping.


    ¡°Seriously, couldn¡¯t you just come back at a normal time with normal news? Preferably having retrieved some ropers so the job is done with? Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain, we did bring those two roper corpses.¡±


    ¡°I still have to deal with everything else, though. Well, it¡¯s better than not having them, I guess.¡±


    At that moment, the curtain from the entrance was pushed to the side. Merim and Ria both entered, looking like they were just kicked out of their bed. They probably were.


    Contrary to Korwen, they hadn¡¯t bothered to properly dress. Merim was only wearing a tunic and pants similar to what Korwen was wearing earlier.


    On the other hand, Ria¡­ was wearing only a long tunic. Didn¡¯t look like she was wearing pants¡­ The tunic also didn¡¯t hide the things it should be hiding all that well either¡­ Mainly her breasts¡­ Honestly, that get-up was a little¡­ suggestive.


    ¡°You two¡­ It wouldn¡¯t have hurt to at least wear some proper clothes, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm.... Bother¡­ some¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh... I thought something happened so I came here in a hurry... So, what is going on? Does it have anything to do with why the reconnaissance team is back?¡±


    Ria still looked half asleep as she sat down next to us, her eyes still half-closed. At least, Merim looked more awake than she did.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite important but sit down first. Fenna, could you repeat what you told me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    Fenna turned to Ria and Merim and told them of what we had found in the cave. Again, some minutes later, she had finished the retelling. Merim looked a little confused. Ria, though, was suddenly quite awake.


    ¡°A... crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A large crystal. I couldn¡¯t get a good grasp on the size but it was probably a little larger than a grown man.¡±


    ¡°Merim... Bring me¡­ the map... The large one¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Merim, utterly surprised by the sudden request, could only stare at Ria in wonder.


    ¡°Merim, do it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Captain.¡±


    He stood up and quickly left, to fetch a map. A map.


    Wait, a map?!


    Would I finally be able to see a map of this world?!


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mr Captain¡­ Should we leave?¡±


    Sis, what the hell are you saying?!


    ¡°No, stay. It won¡¯t be the only time you¡¯ll see a map.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ aren¡¯t they quite¡­¡±


    ¡°Confidential? Well, sure they are. But a map has no use if nobody uses it, right?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Well, it was meant to be used, sure¡­ But¡­ Oh well, I wasn¡¯t going to complain. I really wanted to see a map.


    ¡°Captain, I brought it.¡±


    Right on cue, Merim returned, holding a large leather container. It was long, nearly as long as I was tall, but only as thick as my arm.


    He opened the container and pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper. Or was this parchment? It looked a little different compared to the paper I had seen and used before.


    Whichever it was, Merim put it on the table and rolled it out, revealing a large map. A seriously large map.


    This¡­ I wonder how much of the world this map actually shows.


    It probably wasn¡¯t a world map or anything anyway. It couldn¡¯t be, seeing how the entire western side was cut off by¡­ a forest? And part of the southern border of the map as well. The eastern end seemed to end in a mountain range for the southern half and the ocean for the northern. Finally, the northern side was entirely cut off by the ocean.


    ¡°Nn, and where are we?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re right there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen, having heard my murmur, pointed to the western end of the map, close to the southwest corner of the map.


    ¡°See this black line? That¡¯s the Hollow. Right above is the Lafrian Kingdom and below that is the Akkian Empire, which stretches from the Hollow down along the Wooden Sea.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is this forest the Wooden Sea, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Large, right?


    The forest covered a good third of the entire border of the map. Regardless of how large the map really was, it wouldn¡¯t change the fact that this forest was quite sizable.


    ¡°The Akkian Empire covers the entire southwest corner. North of them is the Hollow and to the northeast past the Hollow they border the Kingdom of Aldreigh. On the east side they also border the Federation of Bruven. To their southeast are a few independent counties and cities.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Nn? Wait, is that why they want to wage war against Lafria?¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re quite perceptive. That¡¯s right. The Akkian Empire has pretty much no space to expand to anymore. So, to gain territory, they have to wage war. And among those, the Lafrian Kingdom is the easiest target.¡±


    Huh? The easiest one?


    ¡°But what about those countries to the east? And the independent cities?¡±


    ¡°Aldreigh is well-known for its magician army. Even if they could win the war, they would suffer so much damage that they would be unable to fight anyone else for years to come. As for Bruven, it is a highly military state. Even more so than the Akkian Empire. It¡¯s not a good place for mercenaries so I can¡¯t really tell you much about it, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why is it not good? If they are so militant.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t you think it was a good place to earn money for mercenaries?


    ¡°Because they forcefully conscript mercenaries. Of course, for free. And if you refuse, you are worthless and should be disposed of.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ pretty extreme.


    ¡°But their weapons are good. They don¡¯t have much in the way of more modern weapons like cannons and firearms but their traditional weaponry is one of the best.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, the independent cities are by themselves not a problem but if it came to a siege on every single city it¡¯d become an expensive venture for them. The soldiers need food too, after all.¡±


    ¡°And so, they instead attack Lafria?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Korwen nodded in response.


    ¡°To add on that, north of Lafria lies Krohmea. If they were to conquer Lafria and, following that, Krohmea as well, they could gain access to the sea. That alone is worth a lot.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Access to the sea¡­


    ¡°Nn, but what about this forest? Couldn¡¯t they get through that as well?¡±


    ¡°They could¡­ But the Wooden Sea is known to be extremely dangerous. Many different tribes of humanoids and fairykin live in this forest and if you stumble into their territory by accident, they¡¯re going to make sure you will regret it. Not to mention that moving a large army through a forest for that long is arduous beyond comparison. That¡¯s why you usually need a guide.¡±


    ¡°A guide?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There exist guides who can lead you through the forest. But they are incredibly expensive and the journey itself takes a long time as well, so they are pretty rare to meet.¡±


    Well, if the journey takes long they¡¯d have to charge an appropriate price to survive¡­


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria, are you done?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ah, I nearly forgot why the map was even here. Ria had asked for it to check for something. Not for the Captain to teach me about it¡­ Unfortunate.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Do you know¡­ about the original¡­ Empire?¡±


    ¡°You mean the Garm Empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I believe¡­ the crystal¡­ is one¡­ of their relics¡­¡±


    ¡°Their relics? I know the Garm Empire was the forerunner in magic tech during their height but that was thousands of years ago, right?¡±


    Ria nodded at his response and then smiled a little.


    ¡°Their technology¡­ is the basis¡­ for today¡¯s¡­ technology¡­ for magic tools¡­ But their tools¡­ were slightly¡­ different¡­¡±


    ¡°Different? Didn¡¯t they use magic crystals?¡±


    ¡°They did¡­ But¡­ our magic tools¡­ use them¡­ for fuel¡­ But for the¡­ Garm Empire¡­ The crystal¡­ was the tool¡­¡±


    ¡°The crystal? But wouldn¡¯t that make it useless once it runs out of mana?¡±


    Korwen scowled at Ria¡¯s words. Sure enough, if there was no way to refill the mana crystals, you could only make a disposable tool.


    ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ technology went¡­ to use them¡­ as fuel¡­ The crystal¡­ being the tool¡­ is not feasible¡­ But¡­ I spoke with¡­ the Elder¡­ She has¡­ actually lived¡­ in the Garm Empire¡­ before... it was destroyed¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? She lived¡­ Ria, are you telling me the Elder is thousands of years old?!¡±


    Once again, Ria nodded, confirming it. Korwen could only slump into his chair, holding his head and letting out a sigh.


    ¡°I knew the elves were long-lived but I never expected her to be that old¡­ I thought at most a few centuries¡­ So, what did she say?¡±


    ¡°She had¡­ once the¡­ opportunity to¡­ visit one of the¡­ magical fortresses¡­¡±


    ¡°The magical fortresses? You mean, those fortresses?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Give me a break¡­ I have the feeling I know where this is going but continue.¡±


    The magical fortresses? The Elder mentioned them when she told us of her past, didn¡¯t she? Although, she didn¡¯t say much except that they were ¡®marvels of their time,¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°These fortresses¡­ were powered¡­ by a large... crystal tool¡­ Capable¡­ of absorbing mana¡­¡±


    ¡°... They figured out how to refill a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ They did¡­ It was¡­ one of their¡­ most guarded¡­ secrets¡­ So¡­ I have no clue¡­ about how¡­ But¡­ I can imagine¡­ What would happen¡­ If such a crystal¡­ continued to¡­ absorb mana¡­ for thousands of¡­ years...¡±


    ¡°... In other words, you are implying the crystal they saw was one such crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Korwen leaned forward, arms crossed onto the table. After a short moment of silence, he let out a deep breath.


    ¡°A crystal, huh¡­ A crystal of a magical fortress¡­ A crystal of a magical fucking fortress¡­ Ria, how dangerous is that thing?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ If it¡­ is really¡­ as large as¡­ Fenna and Yumi¡­ said¡­ Probably¡­ enough¡­ to rival¡­ a dragon¡­ And similar¡­ catastrophic¡­ creatures¡­¡±


    ¡°... Fucking awesome. Not. This is turning into a headache, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Korwen buried his head beneath his arms, groaning.


    ¡°What do we do about this?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Can¡¯t we just leave this to the army?¡±


    ¡°We could. But considering the size of this¡­ problem... roper¡­ they might try to force us to help out¡­ On the other hand, we could also try to deal with this ourselves, keep quiet and poach that crystal¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Poaching¡­¡±


    He wasn¡¯t even trying to mince words this time¡­


    ¡°This is why I hate it when someone wakes me up in the middle of the night. It never comes with good news.¡±


    No, if there were good news, there¡¯d be no need to wake him up, was there?


    ¡°... I¡¯ll have to think about this. When the sun rises, we¡¯ll hold a meeting and discuss what we¡¯re going to do.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Do we¡­ have to attend?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Mm¡­ No, go and take a rest. You¡¯re free for the day after this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±


    We were free? Yes! Sleep!


    ¡°You did a good job, so you deserve it. Ah, but don¡¯t forget to leave the corpses in Ria¡¯s care. Ria, should we call for the Academy already or do you want to take a look at them first?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯d say¡­ that depends¡­ on our¡­ course of action¡­ But¡­ if possible¡­ I¡¯d like someone¡­ from the Academy¡­ to help¡­¡±


    ¡°Not just handing over but help instead, huh¡­ Do you know any trustworthy people that would be willing to help you, though? As far as I know most of the researchers are quite¡­ eccentric.¡±


    That they were¡­ at least the ones we had the pleasure of meeting.


    ¡°A trustworthy¡­ I know¡­ one¡­ He is¡­ a monster researcher¡­ a little eccentric¡­ but willing to do.... almost anything¡­ for his research¡­ He is¡­ the one who¡­ put up the¡­ ogre request¡­ I think¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Wait, wasn¡¯t she talking about that guy we had met before? She definitely was, right? There was no one else who would put up that request for the ogre, after all.


    ¡°That sounds to me more like someone with a few screws loose. But as long as he can keep quiet we could try contacting him. If it is someone who won¡¯t blabber about it, there should be no issue, regardless of what we do, right? It might also help in making a decision in the first place..¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is fine¡­ by me¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Captain, is that fine?¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Well, what if he still accidentally talked about it or so?¡±


    By accident or on purpose. He hadn¡¯t met the man, after all. And Ria described him as someone who would do anything for his research. Couldn¡¯t that also be applied the other way round?


    ¡°Ahh, of course I¡¯m going to talk with him myself first. I won¡¯t trust just anyone. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If he said not to worry, then, who was I to do otherwise?


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll send someone to fetch that man. Just give me his name Ria. The meeting will be right after the sun rises. At worst, we¡¯ll just inform them of what is going on. I¡¯ll leave the details to that to you.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Understood.¡±


    ¡°And you all are free for the day. If you want to come to the meeting you¡¯re welcome to do so but I won¡¯t force you. Just get a good rest. Resting is also part of your job.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    Such a relief¡­ I already feared that I had to completely skip today¡¯s rest.


    ¡°Also, you¡­ your name was¡­ Sanna, if I recall right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, y, y, yes?!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I vaguely recall you were a surveyor¡¯s apprentice before, right?¡±


    ¡°Y, yes! I¡­ I studied under my father¡­ before the¡­ Orick Raid¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. I remembered correctly. Fenna said you have drawn a map.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I have! Er, here, here you go!¡±


    Stuttering, Sanna presented him the map she had fished out of her bag.


    ¡°Oh? This is¡­ a single corridor? Fenna, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Until the lake it was a straight corridor. It only changed once from a slope to even ground.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Considering that, this is¡­ quite long¡­ How long did you walk?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I honestly don¡¯t quite know¡­ maybe an hour?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Korwen stroked his chin as he seemed to think about something.


    ¡°Sanna, how accurate is this?¡±


    ¡°Err, I tried to¡­ to make it as accurate as possible. But¡­ it was hard to grasp the distance¡­¡±


    ¡°So we shouldn¡¯t take the distance as accurate. Got it. Anything else I should keep in mind?¡±


    ¡°Not, not that I know of?¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, Ria, give this to Wenners and have him make some copies. We might need them.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    Korwen nodded to himself once, then turned his attention back to Sanna.


    ¡°You have done a good job. Now, go and take a rest.¡±


    ¡°Y, Yes! Thank you!¡±


    Sanna smiled at his praise and then left, humming happily to herself.


    ¡°Cute girl. I remember she was quite gloomy when we picked her up?¡±


    ¡°She was. But that was right after the Orick Raid where she lost her family, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Considering that, she made a good recovery.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She does have the habit of messing around and slacking off, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha, that¡¯s just fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Korwen chuckled for a little before he turned his attention back to the map in front of him.


    ¡°Really, though. She¡¯s done a good job with this. It¡¯ll help a lot in deciding what we should do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be happy to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Now then, you three can go as well. Take a good rest. Don¡¯t worry about work for today.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain. Yumi, Karen, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Good night, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good night? Ah, I see, good night to you, too.¡±


    And with that, the report to Korwen came to an end.


    ¡°Ahhh, the bed! Sleep!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s bad manners¡­ At least change clothes first.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I could feel myself already drifting off into dreamland¡­


    ¡°Yumi! Don¡¯t fall asleep now! It¡¯s only a little more.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The torture. I just wanted to sleep.


    ¡°Come, out of that armour.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Help me¡­¡±


    ¡°... Did you suddenly turn into a spoiled child, or what?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    If that was what it took to get spoiled by Karen, I¡¯d do it any day.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Come, face that way.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It actually worked¡­ Ah, now I felt a little bad. Karen was also tired after all. Too late now. Karen was already in the middle of undressing me.


    ¡°And there. You can do the rest yourself, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Not like there was much. After throwing off the remaining clothes I had on me, I jumped onto the bed. The soft and warm bed. Except, it wasn¡¯t soft. But I digress, it was still a bed.


    ¡°Move a little to the side or I can¡¯t come in.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Already half into dreamland, I rolled towards the wall. A moment later, Karen laid down next to me, wrapping her arms from behind around my waist and hugging me.


    ¡°I wonder what they are going to do now¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain said they might decide based on their findings on those corpses¡­ Hey, Yumi¡­ That researcher Ria was talking about, that¡¯s the one we talked with, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Are you listening?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    More or less. I at least registered what she was saying. Just no energy to reply anymore. It was weird, the moment you were laying down, all energy just dissipated into thin air and you couldn¡¯t move anymore. Or reply, for that matter.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Seriously, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, I love you.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­. Nn?!¡±


    Something was pressing on my nape. Did she¡­ just kiss me on the nape?


    ¡°Ehehe¡­ Good Night, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Good Night, Sis. I love you too.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe!¡±


    Karen buried her face in my hair and my nape. Then she rolled over on her back, still hugging me tight so I was laying on top of her.


    ¡°Yumi, turn around.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    A little sluggish, I did as she told, now facing her directly.


    ¡°Mm, this is more comfortable, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is...¡±


    ¡°Then, once more. Good Night.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Good Night.¡±


    And so, we greeted the dreamland slightly belated.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Fluffy Visitor

    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    The inevitable morning came, waking me up from the dreamland.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Arguably, that wasn¡¯t bad. Being awake meant I could enjoy this situation to the absolute fullest.


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    Cute.


    Usually, it was me who woke up later. Or we weren¡¯t alone. In other words, I couldn¡¯t usually enjoy Karen¡¯s sleeping face. But today, I could. And there was no need to hurry and get up either.


    ¡°Mm¡­. Yu¡­ mi....¡±


    Cute. Period.


    Made me wonder a little what she was dreaming of. Seemingly, I was in her dream. That made me a little happy.


    But it¡¯s rare for Karen to wake up after me¡­ She must¡¯ve been really tired.


    That just told me how much she hid her exhaustion. Hopefully, she could recharge to her fullest today.


    Better not wake her up.


    In the meantime, I¡¯d just enjoy her sleeping face. Not like I could do anything else. She was still holding onto me like a body pillow. Even her legs were wrapped around me¡­


    Yes, body pillow Yumi at your service. Offering supreme sleeping comfort. Exclusive use for Karen only.


    ¡°Mhmhm¡­ Yuuu¡­¡±


    Was she trying to kill me with her cuteness?


    ¡°Hehe. Sis.¡±


    Unable to hold back anymore, I poked her cheek. She always called me squishy, but her cheek was quite squishy as well. And it was pushing back my finger, like a spring. This was¡­ a little fun.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Didn¡¯t seem like she¡¯d wake up anytime soon. Maybe I should just go back to sleep either, huh¡­ Although, how late was it? Probably not morning anymore.


    Nn¡­ I could open a window but¡­


    Unable to leave Karen¡¯s embrace meant I couldn¡¯t¡­ I could. Stupid me. If my arms couldn¡¯t reach the window from here, I just had to do it with my hair.


    And¡­ open!


    At times like this, it was really quite convenient, wasn¡¯t it? There wasn¡¯t usually much of a point doing something with my hair instead of my hands. But in this situation? Perfect.


    ¡°... mean I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, you need permission from the Captain.¡±


    ¡°But why?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Nn?


    Someone was arguing right in front of our wagon?


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ And I came all the way along, too¡­ Can you at least tell me when I can meet them?¡±


    ¡°They have the day off so I am sorry, I do not know either.¡±


    ¡°... And you just keep standing here even if they never come out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my job.¡±


    The soft voice of a young girl and the rough voice of a man¡­ Actually, I knew both of those¡­ But¡­


    Ah, where do I know those voices from again¡­ Nn, I think the man is the guard, isn¡¯t he?


    During the reconnaissance mission, I had been with Fenna and the others all the time so it hadn¡¯t been really necessary. Probably. But since we¡¯re back, they were back at guarding me, huh¡­


    ¡°Huh? Was that window open before?¡±


    No, it wasn¡¯t obviously. I just opened it.


    Nn? Wait¡­


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Are you awake? It¡¯s me, Lefa! Come out!¡±


    It was Lefa. What the hell was Lefa doing here? And why was she shouting?!


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Ah, don¡¯t close the wi¡ª


    Wonderful, silence has returned. It was a little noisy outside. Well, it was clearly into noon or so already and I just wanted to check how late it was. There was no reason to keep the window open anymore.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Good, Karen was still asleep as well. Maybe I should go back to sleep either? Or I could just continue to indulge myself in poking Karen¡¯s cheek. I could do this all day long.


    Knock! Knock!


    So springy and soft. Ahh, this must have been heaven.


    Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!


    Springy, soft cheeks. Bouncing back with every poke.


    Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­. Yumiiii?¡±


    ¡°Everything is fine, Sis. Sleep.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    In the middle of waking up, Karen tightened her hold around me and rolled to the side, burying her face in my hair in the process.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Smells¡­ nice¡­¡±


    What was this, heaven? And the obnoxious knocking finally stopped as well. Now I could enjoy this to the fullest. Wonderful.


    Except, Karen was actually waking up now. She rubbed her face a few times on my hair, then separated for a little. She opened her eyes with a groggy look on her face.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Good¡­ Morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, morning.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    And they closed again.


    Knock! Knock!


    And they were opening again¡­ A little. Did you have to knock with this timing?


    ¡°Mh¡­Yumi¡­  Is someone¡­ there?¡±


    ¡°No, no, there isn¡¯t, Sis. let¡¯s sleep some more.¡±


    ¡°Mm.... Don¡¯t¡­ let them wait¡­ Mm...¡±


    No, that one could wait for all I care right now. Either way, I couldn¡¯t do anything unless Karen woke up properly, seeing that she had a firm hold of me.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    She was still there, huh¡­


    Couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Sis, could you let me go for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ Nooo¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And just like that, Lefa¡¯s fate had been decided. That door wasn¡¯t going to open anytime soon. Although, I had to take off my hat in face of her perseverance. I would¡¯ve stopped knocking after the second time. Actually, I wouldn¡¯t have started knocking in the first place in that situation. Wasn¡¯t me closing the window enough of a sign?


    ¡°Mm... ¡°


    From the looks of it, Karen was back to the dreamland again. The knocking had finally stopped for real as well. Maybe I should get back to sleep again. Yeah, that was a good idea. Back to enjoying Karen¡¯s warmth a little more.


    ¡°You¡¯re so mean, you two!¡±


    Quite a while later, Karen, unfortunately, woke up and we had to get up. Well, while I would have loved to spend the entire day in bed hugging with Karen, I knew full well that wasn¡¯t possible. My stomach, for one, wasn¡¯t all too keen on being ignored. And a few other bodily needs had to be taken care of as well. Nature was cruel in this regard.


    ¡°Lefa, Lefa, Lefa. I am impressed. You really thought someone on their day off would wake up in the morning?¡±


    ¡°I wake up every morning even when we have no classes, Professor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are weird, dear Lefa. Most others would sleep for as long as they could. And then you go and wake them up. You can be glad they aren¡¯t holding a grudge. Grudges about sleep run deep.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m the weird one?!¡±


    Yes, you were. See, even Karen was nodding in agreement while stuffing her face with her breakfast. Or rather, dinner? It was quite late.


    ¡°So, uhm, Lefa, why are you and your professor even here?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know?¡±


    If you didn¡¯t know, that made me even more curious.


    ¡°The Professor asked me if I knew about the mercenaries camping outside town. I told him that I had met you all at the fort and about you two, so he said I should tag along.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Then¡­ It was probably that, right?


    ¡°Yes, yes. This morning, some rough guy appeared right at my doorstep, telling me to come here. Didn¡¯t tell me anything except that Lady Mortas was calling. So, I brought Little Lefa here along.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mortas? Who is that?¡±


    I thought this was about the issue from tonight and he had been called on Ria¡¯s word¡­ Seemed I had been wrong. But who the heck was Mortas?


    ¡°Lady Mortas. Riava Mortas. Isn¡¯t she the chief magician here?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Wait¡­Ria wasn¡¯t her actual name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her nickname but her proper name is Riava Mortas. Eldest daughter of the Mortas family. Formerly one of the most renowned professors of the Academy of Larfas. Left the Academy some dozen years or so ago and has been with these mercenaries since.¡±


    One of the most renowned professors? That sleepyhead, responsible for the frequent fireworks¡ªnot that I really knew about that¡ªin the camp?


    ¡°Uhhm¡­ You called her with ¡®Lady¡¯ but¡­ Is Miss Ria from an important family?¡±


    Oh, good question, Karen.


    ¡°The Mortas family? Who knows? I don¡¯t think they are nobles? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to ask her yourself?¡±


    ¡°I was just curious why you were calling her ¡®Lady¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Because she is someone I respect. And even if she isn¡¯t holding her former title and position anymore, that doesn¡¯t change much for me. For many of us, mind you.¡±


    Someone he was respecting¡­ Could it be that Ria was actually someone really amazing?


    ¡°Anyway, I am a little surprised you didn¡¯t know about her past.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we never asked.¡±


    ¡°We only knew she had some relation with the Academy before.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, knowing her, she probably just never thought it important enough to talk about.¡±


    That¡­ was quite likely the case.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going to get back to work.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Professor. What should I do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Do what you want? Go play with your friends?¡±


    ¡°Why did you even bring me along?!¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Lefa, listen here. If I need anything from the Academy, who else could fetch it for me? Do you think my wrinkly old legs could survive the march back to the Academy and then coming back here again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your errand girl!¡±


    ¡°Well, then, until later.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡±


    Despite her protest, her Professor left us alone without another word, making his way back to Ria¡¯s probably. Meanwhile, Lefa was absolutely fuming.


    ¡°This stupid Professor¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for his help I wouldn¡¯t need to go through this¡­ Ahhhh!¡±


    ¡°Now, now, calm down¡­ Want some¡±


    With a wry smile, Karen attempted to sooth Lefa, offering her some bread.


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mh? This bread is good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Nibbling on the piece of bread and stuffing her cheeks, she sure looked like a little hamster. Despite being a fox. Well, a fox beastkin.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ As if I didn¡¯t have enough worries already¡­ Hey, Yumi, Karen. As mercenaries, what do you two think of this situation?¡±


    ¡°Nn? This situation?¡±


    ¡°... Do you mean the looming war with the Akkian Empire?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that!¡±


    What to think about it, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s scary?¡±


    ¡°So even you think like that? Even though you are a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I never participated in a war¡­ and rather than a proper mercenary, we¡¯re more like recruits? Rookies?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, you did tell me about that... Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡±


    Considering she was asking about the looming war, there probably was something on her mind, at the very least.


    ¡°Mh, my family is considering leaving the capital.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going away?¡±


    ¡°I might. It¡¯s not decided yet. Well, if there really is a war, it might be for the better. Even if I can¡¯t really use magic, they still might try to conscript me. But if we leave, that¡¯s obviously not going to happen. But I also don¡¯t really want to leave¡­¡±


    Lefa slumped down on the table, sighing another time.


    ¡°Many students have already left with their families in the past week¡­ Even some professors left¡­ Ah, right, you remember the professor that was with us at the fort?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we do. The panicky guy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. He left! He ran away! Yesterday, he left a note in his office, saying he was going to visit his relatives in the north! You¡¯re my supervising professor! You can¡¯t just leave and disappear! Ahhhhh!¡±


    He clearly could...


    Lefa had already tears in her eyes from her grumbling. The frustration must have been quite bad...


    ¡°This is the worst¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to do anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°What to do, huh¡­¡±


    Couldn¡¯t it be¡­


    ¡°Hey, Lefa.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you do on your days off?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhm, I study?¡±


    ¡°... Figured.¡±


    Her professor¡ªor rather, Professor Marvim¡ªhad asked her first about us, right? And then he left her here without anything to do, telling her to ¡®play¡¯ with us¡­ Wasn¡¯t he kind of trying to force her to take a break, maybe? She did seem like the type who was so earnest that she forgot to take a rest.


    ¡°Sis, I was thinking of going to visit Wanda after this? How about we take Lefa along?¡±


    ¡°We could but¡­¡±


    Karen frowned a little, then leaned closer and whispered to me:


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea? You know how Wanda is¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯ll be fine. That¡¯s just right.¡±


    It would help Lefa get a little distracted. And maybe she liked to dress up a little once in a while as well? That would all depend on the kind of clothing Wanda still had in store, though... Even if there wasn¡¯t anything to wear, Wanda would surely find something. After all was said, Lefa was still a pretty cute girl. And why did it have to be me who got dressed up all the time? Someone else could take my spot for once, yes.


    Her professor said that sleeping grudges run deep. Oh, how right he was.


    Unfortunately, Wanda had been too busy to play around with us¡­ She was also a little miffed that we hadn¡¯t told her we¡¯d join the reconnaissance team, waiting in vain on the day of our departure¡­ Really, sorry about that. But it had been so sudden, so I completely forgot to tell her about it.


    Still, we received our clothes, bags and all the other stuff and were sent away. The formal clothing was, of course, excluded since she was still lacking materials to make anything of better quality.


    ¡°What do we do now, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We could look for Lily? Or we could look for Maya and the girls.¡±


    ¡°Lily doesn¡¯t have the day off.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ Wonder what she is doing right now.¡±


    ¡°I heard she took over the guard duty from Fenna¡¯s squad.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The guard duty? Which guard duty?


    ¡°You know, for Miss Karker¡¯s granddaughter and her girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡±


    So that was why we hadn¡¯t seen them¡­ And why Fenna¡¯s squad wasn¡¯t busy guarding her. Now that I thought about it, I should have noticed that earlier.


    ¡°Then, should we look for Maya and the girls?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they busy as well? With training.¡±


    ¡°... Then, what are we supposed to do?¡±


    It was our day off for once!


    ¡°We can¡¯t go into the city either so¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wanted to have Lefa enjoy herself for a little and yet here we were, not a single bit better than her. We didn¡¯t know what to do in our free time either. Well, okay, if it had been just Karen and me, we would¡¯ve surely found some¡­ activities we could do.


    ¡°We could play a game.¡±


    ¡°No gambling, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I never even suggested gambling, though? Well, quite a few games were probably used for gambling here, so she might have taken it that way. Speaking of which, did she reflect on her experience with Fenna? Sure sounded like it.


    ¡°Oh, right¡­ Sis, don¡¯t you still have the debt from that game yesterday? You did technically lose¡­¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t remind me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Well, but it existed nonetheless, even if she didn¡¯t want to remember it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know why I agreed to that yesterday. Something must have been wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I am fairly sure everything was all right.¡±


    Did she maybe not realise herself that she was pretty money hungry?


    ¡°I am sure Fenna won¡¯t ask something unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so¡­¡±


    It was Fenna, so I very much doubted she¡¯d ask for something really problematic. That said, she¡­ Fenna had a thing for cute stuff, right? Fairly sure she did. Maybe she¡¯d ask for something in that vein.


    ¡°You two¡­ gambled?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, more or less. Although, rather than gambling, it was more of a game with the winner being able to make a request of the loser.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lefa was staring at me, wide-eyed. Did I say something weird?


    ¡°... Are you two still fine?!¡±


    ¡°Er, yes?¡±


    ¡°Really?! You haven¡¯t been taken yet?!¡±


    ¡°I think so? What¡¯s up, Lefa?¡±


    ¡°... I was always told that gambling is the entrance to hell and that I should never get involved with it.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    That¡­ technically wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Nn, Lefa, there¡¯s something called gambling addiction. When you gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, right? But people want to win so they tell themselves that they will definitely win the next time. And so, all their money and belongings disappear. You could certainly call that a kind of hell.¡±


    ¡°That sounds scary¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. So, be a good girl and don¡¯t gamble, yes?¡±


    Leave being irresponsible to us bad adults. Grow up into a fine lady that never touches the filthy abyss of the world, yes.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    I stretched my arm up and patted Lefa¡¯s head, praising her. Considering she was taller than me, that was actually a bit of a challenge.


    Oh, her tail was swishing around. She liked being pat, huh. Noted for the future.


    ¡°You really are an adult, huh.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s with that so suddenly?¡±


    ¡°No, you just reminded me of my father a little¡­¡±


    Hey, I might have been older but I wasn¡¯t that old. And I wasn¡¯t a man anymore, either¡­ Not that she knew about that. But really, shouldn¡¯t I remind her of her mother instead?


    Although, I wasn¡¯t sure whether I should complain about that part or not. I wasn¡¯t a man anymore but I used to be¡­


    Well, I am most likely not going to turn back into a man¡­ and I like my current self anyway¡­ But honestly speaking, whichever is fine, I guess?


    Not that it even mattered, right now. Wasn¡¯t like it really bothered me anyway.


    ¡°My father also pats me on my head when he says stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°Huh, is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    That sounded like a gentle father to me. And that he was warning her about things like gambling was also a good thing.


    I gave her head one last pat before I returned my attention to our problem at hand.


    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Mhm...Huh? Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Look, over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen pointed towards a nearby tent. Or rather, the ground before it. A group of my dolls had come out of the tent, carrying a small bag. That by itself wasn¡¯t all too interesting, though.


    ¡°... They¡¯re all grey.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you stop them from¡­ what did you call it again¡­ upgrading?¡±


    ¡°... I did.¡±


    There should only be two dolls that were a dark grey. But, all the dolls in that group were dark grey¡­


    ¡°Is something wrong? Yumi? Karen?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Just a little something¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it about those small moving magic tools there?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Magic tools? That seemed a little far-fetched, right?


    ¡°Those must have been expensive with all that Greywood¡­¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Greywood?


    ¡°Lefa, you know that wood?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Of course I do. I mean, it¡¯s hard to mistake it for something else with that grey colour. And it¡¯s often used for magic tools.¡±


    Often used in magic tools? Was that why she thought they were magic tools?


    ¡°Lefa, what do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Not a lot¡­ We only covered it in class for a short while¡­ You would have to ask a magic craftsman for that, I think.¡±


    A magic craftsman¡­ We could ask Elina. Speaking of which, the second doll was with her as well. But¡­ While I¡¯d like to go and ask her immediately, we had Lefa with us right now. It was probably better not to involve her too much...


    Well, we got a bit of information, so that¡¯s great¡­


    We still had to talk with Ria about the dolls. Especially about this weird ritual they performed. Originally, I wanted to talk with her about it on the morning of our departure but I hadn¡¯t seen her that early. It hadn¡¯t been because I forgot, yes? I hadn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°This group of mercenaries, they are doing some jobs for the Academy, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°... Did you receive a request for capturing an ogre?¡±


    ¡°... We did.¡±


    Hearing my answer, Lefa¡¯s expression turned sour.


    ¡°So he really went ahead and asked for it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, seems like it. So it really was him?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Just as expected¡­


    ¡°Lefa, what does he even want with an ogre?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°He wants to study it, of course. You remember all those monsters he is keeping? Just like those¡­ He says that if he can study it, he might find out more about their behaviour. Which in turn could help either in avoiding them or taking them down.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I heard that ogres are pretty common monsters¡­ So that sure might be helpful.¡±


    ¡°It would be¡­ There are a lot of ogre victims, after all¡­¡±


    Lefa frowned a little.


    ¡°Are there that many ogre victims?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think they are one of the most common causes of deaths caused by monsters. Right next to mana poisoning from monster meat¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t it a good thing he wants to study them?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ But how is he even going to study it? Ogres are known for their ferocity, there¡¯s no way a regular pen can keep it contained. The monsters he is keeping are all not particularly dangerous, but an ogre is completely different, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    But¡­ didn¡¯t Korwen say something in regards to this? If I recalled correctly¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr Captain say that the Military School offered to keep it contained?¡±


    ¡°I think so, yes.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ Military School, you say?¡±


    Once again, Lefa frowned upon those words.


    ¡°Is something wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Uhm¡­ this might be a bit rude but¡­ I was told not to go near that place¡­ My father told me they¡¯re just like mercenaries¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Speaking of which, she did have some¡­ strong opinions about mercenaries.


    ¡°I mean, I know not all mercenaries are bad¡­ I like you two, really. But¡­ I am still a little worried¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    She always thought they were people she should avoid, so that was probably expected to happen.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. They should know the best on how to keep it safe, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, I think the Captain¡¯s father is working at the Military School.¡±


    ¡°Your Captain¡¯s¡­ father?¡±


    ¡°Nn. He seemed a little rough, but if you need someone to help you out, maybe you could try it with him?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    At least, it would be better than relying on someone she didn¡¯t know at all. Speaking of which, did Lefa ever talk with Korwen?


    ¡°I guess¡­ If I need someone, I will try to ask him. Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    If it helped ease her mind a little, then I was glad I told her.


    But, her father was¡­ quite overprotective, wasn¡¯t he? Oh well, with a daughter like Lefa, maybe that was to be expected¡­


    A little while later, the three of us had returned to our starting point, where we had parted with her Professor. In the end, we just walked around, talking about various things and the like. Lefa also asked us a lot about the mercenaries, the various craftsmen working here, our training and some other stuff. This wasn¡¯t really what I had in mind originally but¡­ Lefa seemed to have a lot of fun, especially when we talked about the craftsmen¡¯s work. It was too bad that everyone was busy, she probably would have loved to talk with some of them.


    ¡°I already feel tired again¡­¡± I mumbled in a quiet voice.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ You are probably still tired from yesterday, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I threw a glance to Lefa who was eyeing the person sitting with us with suspicion. I couldn¡¯t even really blame her for it¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Sitting there, slumped down onto the table, was Ria¡­ She and Professor Marvim were taking a break right now and Ria had joined us while Professor Marvim had gone off elsewhere, apparently looking for Korwen. Talked about wanting permission for something, or so.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen¡­ Is that¡­ really her?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s Ria.¡±


    ¡°The Professor said she was some really amazing person but¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say she lives at her own pace¡­¡±


    An admittedly slow pace, too.


    ¡°... Is she always like this?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Kinda?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ You two¡­ I can¡­ hear you¡­¡±


    Ria turned her head in our direction, staring at us.


    ¡°So, is there progress, Ria?¡± I asked, ignoring her complaint.


    ¡°Mm¡­ There is¡­ some¡­ It was right¡­ to call¡­ Marvim¡­ He knows a lot¡­ about them¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°There are¡­ some odd¡­ parts¡­ That we¡­ can¡¯t¡­ explain¡­ We¡¯re¡­ at a loss...¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t¡­ explain?¡±


    That surprised me a little. Ria knew a lot, after all. Even more so now that I had heard that she was apparently quite amazing.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ they are¡­ just extensions¡­¡±


    ¡°Extensions?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It reminds me¡­ of your¡­ dolls¡­¡±


    ¡°My dolls? You mean, they were created by that nest mother?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ likely¡­ the case¡­¡±


    Created by that nest mother¡­ And it reminded her of my dolls¡­


    ¡°So, what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We don¡¯t¡­ know¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Great¡­


    ¡°Then, what are you going to do now?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We¡¯ll¡­ have to¡­ discuss¡­ with the¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    But, the nest mother was creating ropers¡­ and it reminded her of my dolls, she said¡­ So, were those ropers like workers and the nest mother was the queen? That was a little similar to my situation, after all.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ you have¡­ the day¡­ off¡­ but¡­ I¡¯d like you¡­ to help me¡­ with something¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if I can help then I¡¯ll be glad to do so but...¡±


    I threw a glance towards Lefa, who had silently listened to our conversation.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s fine¡­ That girl¡­ can come¡­ too¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, is it fine?!¡± Lefa asked, surprised.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    If Ria said it was okay, then that was it.


    But¡­ what did she need me for, though? Considering that she allowed Lefa to come along, it was probably not about my monster nature but...


    Guess I had to wait until they ended their break, didn¡¯t I?


    Rinne


    Hope you''re all doing fine. Remember to stay careful, especially now. Things aren''t over yet and growing careless can end really bad.


    Thanks for reading! Until next week!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Corpse Investigation

    ¡°Ugh¡­ What¡¯s this smell¡­¡±


    A disgusting smell akin to something rotten assaulted my nose the very moment I entered the tent.


    ¡°Mm¡­ You get¡­ used to it¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to get used to this, though.¡±


    Ria and Professor Marvim had finished their break, so we followed them to their tent but¡­  The heck had they done here?


    ¡°It smells like¡­ rotten flesh¡­¡± commented Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for me to find the culprit of the horrifying smell. It was propped up right in the middle of the room, after all. Lying on a table¡­


    ¡°Is that¡­ the roper?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ That can¡¯t be...¡±


    Right there was the corpse of one of the ropers. The wound the tentacle trap had inflicted on it was still visible¡­ and looking several times as disgusting. Why? Because¡­ the corpse had signs of decay. Rotting. No wonder the smell of hell was coming from it.


    ¡°It has barely been a day¡­¡±


    How could something rot¡­ this fast?


    ¡°This¡­ Uh¡­ Urgh...¡±


    ¡°Nn? Lefa? Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°... The¡­ The stench¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m sorry but¡­ this is¡­Mgh¡­ Impossible!¡±


    With her face distorted in disgust, she turned on her heel and ran out of the tent¡­


    Her¡­ nose must have been pretty sensitive, being a fox beastkin and so¡­ My condolences¡­ Truly.


    ¡°Hm. Odd. She doesn¡¯t usually mind bad stench all that much.¡±


    Professor Marvim raised his eyebrows in surprise at Lefa¡¯s reaction. Speaking of which, wasn¡¯t he a beastkin too?


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind the smell?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Me? No, no, no. I don¡¯t. I am used to stuff like this.¡±


    ¡°Even as a beastkin?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you meant it like that? No, I don¡¯t have that good of a nose. Even if I had, it¡¯s not like having a good nose automatically makes a stench like this worse, you see? Those people are used to having a good sense of smell. They grew up with it after all. So, individual differences. You don¡¯t exactly find this one pleasant either, right? So, there you have it.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    Individual differences, huh¡­


    ¡°Anyway, a little explanation. I will handle it, I hope you won¡¯t mind. Otherwise we might¡­ need a while¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The professor glanced a few times towards Ria, most likely hinting at her slow way of speaking. Sure, if she were to explain, it¡¯d¡­ take a while. Well, she didn¡¯t seem to mind, not protesting, just nodding.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see. Honestly, there¡¯s not much to tell. By the time we received the corpse, it already started rotting, you know?¡±


    ¡°It was already starting to rot?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, yes. It wasn¡¯t that bad yet, though. But it got worse. Slowly, but visibly. I must confess, this is the first time in my life I have ever witnessed the decomposition of a body like this. It¡¯s fascinating, seeing how it slowly breaks down.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Not sure if I ever wanted to witness something like that¡­


    ¡°Oh, oh, oh, before I forget. You shouldn¡¯t touch the body. Even without the worry of contamination, it¡¯s quite hot.¡±


    ¡°... Hot?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hot. Quite hot, in fact.¡±


    Why in the blazes was the corpse hot? Not that I even wanted to touch it in the first place. I really didn¡¯t.


    ¡°With that said, there¡¯s no need to touch them anyway with those little helpers. I recall Lady Mortas saying that you made these?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Little helpers?


    I followed the professor¡¯s gaze down to the ground¡­ where a familiar bunch of dolls was greeting me.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Yes, I made them.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating. They exhibit all the signs of being monsters yet they listen to your commands. No, not only listen, they clearly understand human speech. Signs of intelligence. I have never seen anything like them.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I am swaying away from the topic again. I apologise. I¡¯d love to talk with you in length about them but first things first.¡±


    He walked past the table to the back of the tent. There, he picked up something and brought it over to us.


    ¡°If you could take a look at this. What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is this¡­ a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Why is it red?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we want to know.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The professor held up the mana crystal into the air, against the light from a lamp. The light shined through it, illuminating his face in red light. Rather than a mana crystal, it was more like¡­ a red gemstone? Or maybe red-coloured glass?


    ¡°You know how mana can be attributed to various elements, materials and even concepts, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I do.¡±


    ¡°This is mostly something we talk about in relation to free-flowing mana, mana that is in the air, regardless of whether it is inactive or active in a spell. But that¡¯s not the only form it comes in. There have been rare findings of mana crystal exhibiting the same signs as attributed mana.¡±


    The same signs as attributed mana? Was it possible that¡­ the mana crystals I was making would fall under that as well? Although, I wasn¡¯t really using attributed mana to make them¡­


    ¡°Unfortunately, there have been a lot of discussions about their origin but it never went past hypothetical theories. The sheer lack of material to work with showing itself.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°But, Lady Mortas had an interesting¡­ analogy to make. Those little helpers of yours, they run on a mana crystal, is that right? A coloured one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I glanced towards Ria, not sure if I should confirm it. She just nodded, telling me to go ahead. Well, it¡¯d be weird for her to stop me after she told him that much already, but still¡­


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s right. They¡¯re pink-coloured mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true! Then, Lady Mortas¡¯ theory might really be correct!¡±


    ¡°What kind of theory?¡±


    ¡°That these mana crystals are created by monsters. And that the monsters carrying them are offshoots of this monster. Or maybe subordinates? Slaves?¡±


    ¡°Subordinates?¡±


    Is that why Ria meant they were similar to my dolls?


    ¡°Yes! Subordinates. Subordinate monsters. Basically, like your little helpers who listen to your every command. They fulfill whatever need the mother creature has of them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Subordinate monsters¡­


    But, how did that large roper even make them?


    ¡°The issue at hand is just that we have obviously no way to verify this theory. And we can¡¯t exactly drag you to the Academy either, am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Since that would likely reveal what I am¡­ Better not.


    ¡°Another problem is¡ªas you can see and most likely smell¡ªthat the corpse is decomposing at an alarming rate. We can¡¯t exactly dissect a half-rotten corpse. This might be a byproduct of it being a subordinate monster.¡±


    Marvim scratched the back of his head with his free hand as he continued staring at the mana crystal in his hand.


    ¡°But enough of this for now. Lady Mortas mentioned you were able to manipulate mana to a degree, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, may I bother you to try manipulating the mana in this crystal?¡±


    ¡°In¡­ this red crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    He handed me the crystal, watching me with a look of excitement on his face. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t quite sure what he was expecting¡­ or even asking. Manipulating the mana¡­ Well, I could try drawing it out and the¡ª


    ¡°Nn? Huh?¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    That¡­ couldn¡¯t be, right? That¡¯d be a first.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean? You can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I can¡¯t.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t grasp the mana in this crystal at all. As if it was something slippery, it evaded me, slipped through my control. The mana in our surroundings? All fine, I tried. That wasn¡¯t the problem. I could still manipulate mana. Except for the mana inside this crystal.


    ¡°It¡¯s like¡­ it¡¯s slipping through my hands? I can¡¯t take hold of it.¡±


    ¡°Now that¡¯s¡­ a bit surprising.¡°


    Sure was.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    This annoyed me a little. It felt like I could grasp it but then¡­ It just slipped away at the very last moment.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ That¡¯s too bad but in a way that¡¯s not too surprising.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sorry I can¡¯t be of help.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, that was plenty helpful. Plenty, plenty.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ But¡­ Is it just my imagination or is the amount of mana in this crystal pretty¡­ low?¡±


    While it was sure evading me, I could still clearly see the amount of mana in this crystal. And it was¡­ low. No, really. It was low. Not as low as those tiny pebbles of mana crystals that we were using but¡­ it wasn¡¯t exactly much more either.


    ¡°Yes, yes. I mean, you can clearly see it, right? The mana crystal¡¯s density is so low that you can look through it. Actually, this is the mana crystal of the second corpse. Because the first one broke. It shatters quickly. A bit too quickly.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Is this also because it¡¯s made by the nest mother?¡±


    ¡°Maybe? It might have used the absolute minimum necessary to create these offshoots.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The absolute minimum necessary. Made me wonder, what was the necessary minimum for my dolls? Well, to stay self-sufficient, of course.


    ¡°Anyway, with this we pretty much exhausted our options, I believe. Do you agree, Lady Mortas?¡±


    The professor turned to Ria who had watched us in silence, together with Karen.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ think of anything¡­ else either¡­ We should report¡­ to the Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°... Your Captain, Mr Korwen, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ right...¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go. I assume, the sooner the better. I have yet to meet with him either so I am looking forward to this.¡±


    A short while later, the five of us¡ªLefa had been waiting outside for us¡ªhad come to the Captain¡¯s tent. Technically, the three of us weren¡¯t needed right now, but Ria wanted to talk with me about something else afterwards. We didn¡¯t have anything better to do either, so we agreed to come along.


    ¡°They are like Yumi¡¯s dolls, you say¡­ That could be troublesome.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed after hearing Ria¡¯s and Professor Marvim¡¯s conclusion.


    ¡°An organised group of monsters isn¡¯t something to take lightly. Haaa¡­ That decides it. We¡¯ll report this to the army and let them deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like that.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    He sure reached the conclusion quickly. Was the prospect of fighting an organised group of monsters that bad? Okay, now that I actually thought of it like that, it might be pretty bad. Especially with the nest mother right behind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say it¡¯s my guts that tell me this is not worth sticking our noses into. If it was a job with according payment I might think about it. But it¡¯s doubtful the army will consider that. Especially in the current situation.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    But, in other words, if the army was going to offer a suitable reward, he might actually fight it?


    ¡°Mr Korwen, if I may interrupt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Professor¡­ Marvim, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am not too informed about your situation but you are currently experiencing trouble with the officials, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Rather than trouble, they are trying to blame us for the incident at the Hollow Fort.¡±


    ¡°... Then, you are acquainted with Sir Ruben?¡±


    Ruben? That¡­ was the name of the forts commander, if I recalled correctly.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    ¡°... I thought so. This is just hearsay but I heard that just yesterday they found Sir Ruben guilty of collaborating with rebel forces and attempting to start the war with the Empire.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me, but could you repeat that? I am not sure I heard right.¡±


    ¡°They found Sir Ruben guilty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, wait, wait.


    Wasn¡¯t that man someone pretty amazing in the military?


    ¡°This is bad. Commander Ruben would never threaten the peace. I know the man well enough for that. But he is also not naive enough to sit by idly¡­ You wouldn¡¯t happen to know the punishment?¡±


    ¡°No. Like I said, it¡¯s just hearsay. Nothing but rumors that suddenly came up yesterday. I don¡¯t even know if it is the truth, nor did I care at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I see. But rumors don¡¯t appear out of nowhere. There¡¯s bound to be something behind.¡±


    Korwen crossed his arms and leaned back on his chair.


    ¡°Thank you for informing me of that, Professor.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s my pleasure. It¡¯d be a problem for the Academy if our valuable work partners would be chased away. There are too few trustworthy mercenaries. At least, that¡¯s what our rector has said.¡±


    ¡°Your rector, huh. He should be careful of his words lest he gets targeted as well.¡±


    ¡°... I was explicitly told by him to deliver those words to you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. He didn¡¯t expect to hear that, did he?


    ¡°Furthermore, the military school has a similar opinion.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Do you know what you are saying?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I am just delivering the message I was told to deliver.¡±


    ¡°... What is going on? Really?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I am repeating myself but I am just delivering a message. The rector threatened me with freezing my funds after all.¡±


    ¡°... Ha!¡±


    Hearing that, Korwen let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. It is reassuring to hear that nonetheless. Once again, I thank you, Professor Marvim.¡±


    ¡°If you want to show your gratitude, I¡¯d be very happy to hear about the progress of capturing the ogre.¡±


    ¡°You... Are you the fu¡ª Ahem, the man who requested that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. That would be me. A live ogre would be an excellent subject for study, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Woah, Korwen¡¯s expression went from gratitude to full on annoyance in a span of seconds. That¡¯s quite something.


    ¡°We¡¯re still thinking of ways to capture one. It might take a while.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s too unfortunate¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    The Professor was slumping his shoulders in disappointment, all the while Korwen smiled at him as he told him that it would take more time. A fake smile, mind you. The corners of his lips were twitching. He was holding back, wasn¡¯t he? He really was holding himself back right there.


    ¡°Well, I do hope it will succeed. The things we could do with it. It¡¯ll be wonderful. It might benefit you, as well!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I am looking forward to the good news. Now then, I assume there is no further need for my assistance, is there?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re all done here.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, I¡¯ll bid you a good day.¡±


    With those words and a smile on his lips, the professor turned around and was in the middle of leaving, only to stop right before Lefa.


    ¡°Right, Lefa. What do you intend to do?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I do not mind if you stay here for a while longer to play with your friends.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Her eyes were wandering back and forth between the professor and us.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like to stay a little while longer.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. But don¡¯t stay too long. The gate isn¡¯t open forever. Well then, goodbye!¡±


    With a wave of his hand, he left the tent.


    ¡°That man¡­ is quite something¡­¡± murmured Korwen.


    ¡°Uhm, I am sorry! I really am sorry for his behaviour!¡±


    Lefa bowed down to Korwen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. It¡¯s not the job of the student to bear the consequences of their teacher¡¯s faults. Even if I don¡¯t like the job, we still accepted it since the pay is good. There¡¯s no reason for you to apologise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°End of discussion. You¡¯re our guest. Who would we be if our guest keeps apologising.¡±


    ¡°... Uhm, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s lips curled into a smile, this time a genuine one.


    ¡°Now then, I still have some work to do. You girls should go and play somewhere. Shoo shoo.¡±


    He gestured with his hand for us to leave. Alas, before we could leave, someone interrupted.


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria? Is something the matter.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you¡­ don¡¯t mind¡­ There are¡­ a few things¡­ I¡¯d like to¡­ talk about¡­ With Yumi....¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    She had told me there was something she wanted to discuss but¡­


    ¡°... Is it about that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Karen, take Lefa out for now. We¡¯ll send Yumi your way afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    Following his words, Karen left with Lefa right behind her. It was something he didn¡¯t want to discuss with her present, huh¡­ Then, it could only be about so many things¡­


    ¡°Since we¡¯re already at it I got something to talk about as well. Yumi. I¡¯ll get straight to the point. What in the world did you do with those dolls?¡±


    ¡±Eh? Ahhh¡­¡±


    The dolls...


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s¡­ a bit of a story?¡±


    I had completely forgotten to tell them about the dolls with all the worry about that tentacle pitfall. Something I had to fix now¡­ And so, I explained to him the¡­ rather suspicious process of the dolls turning into that¡­


    ¡°A suspicious ritual and the wood from the bodyguard puppets, you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria, do you have any idea?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Improvement¡­ maybe?¡±


    ¡°Improvement?¡±


    Improvement¡­ That¡¯s what I had thought of as well.


    ¡°The ritual¡­ is probably¡­ a replacement¡­¡±


    ¡°Replacement?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ The dolls¡­ individually¡­ are not¡­ able to create¡­ more dolls¡­ Instead¡­ they use¡­ a ritual¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ A ritual¡­ It sure felt like something scary possessed it, though. And they also did it on the doll that was already alive.¡±


    ¡°It might¡­ be a¡­ spirit¡­¡±


    ¡°A¡­ spirit?¡±


    A spirit, she said.


    That reminds me. Back when we were in Arkesta, that woman from the orphanage had used magic and something¡­ something had appeared there. Appeared...


    If I recall it correctly, she had said that anyone could do that kind of magic but¡­


    ¡°Ria, what exactly are spirits?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯s a tough¡­ question¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Spirits are¡­ living entities¡­ composed entirely¡­ of mana¡­ They come in¡­ many forms¡­ It is possible¡­ to call them¡­ and use their power¡­ Rather than¡­ magic like we¡­ use it¡­ it is more¡­ like asking¡­ someone else¡­ to cast it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    So, rather a proper magician, they were more an¡­ intermediary?


    ¡°Nn, when we were in Arkesta, that woman from the orphanage used magic and¡­ I recall something¡­ bird-like coming¡­ composed of mana...¡±


    ¡°Orphanage¡­ you say?¡±


    Ria tilted her head. Instead of her, Korwen spoke up.


    ¡°You mean Luneria, the orphanage girl?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Little Lune¡­ Yes¡­ That girl¡­ isn¡¯t a proper¡­ magician¡­ but¡­ she can¡­ call on some¡­ spirits¡­ for minor¡­ things¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, that really was a spirit?¡±


    ¡°Most¡­ likely¡­¡±


    A spirit¡­ That was really a spirit, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ But I feel like it was¡­ different from that. That one had a proper form but what the dolls did was¡­ an eerie mass of something?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll have¡­ to observe that¡­ myself¡­ first¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well, my vague explanation probably wasn¡¯t going to help her much¡­ Seeing it was better in that case.


    ¡°Ria, I don¡¯t really care if those are spirits possessing her dolls or not. I only want to know if it could turn into a problem or not.¡±¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No¡­ They are¡­ obedient¡­ to Yumi¡­ They shouldn¡¯t¡­ do something¡­ against her will¡­¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s fine. With that out of the way: Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ye, Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Next time, you won¡¯t forget to report this, will you?¡±


    ¡°... I won¡¯t.¡±


    Scary. He was glaring at me. And it was scary as hell!


    ¡°Good. Haa¡­ You really are a high-maintenance kid, aren¡¯t you? Anyway, Ria. You wanted something from her too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I did¡­ It is¡­ also related¡­ to the dolls¡­ but¡­ in a little¡­ different¡­ way¡­¡±


    ¡°Different?¡±


    Ignoring Korwen¡¯s remark about me being high-maintenance¡ªI already knew that myself¡ªI turned to Ria.


    ¡°While you¡­ were away¡­ I have taken¡­ a look¡­ at your¡­ tentacles¡­ Your dolls¡­ helped me¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡­ helped you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ In fact¡­ I mostly¡­ observed¡­ their behaviour¡­ It was¡­ interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Interesting, she said? To my knowledge, they were mostly helping out around the camp, though?


    ¡°I think¡­ they are¡­ trying to build¡­ something¡­¡±


    ¡°... Build?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ You know¡­ how some insects¡­ build hives?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Bees came to mind first for that. Though I didn¡¯t know if they existed here, she probably meant something like that.


    ¡°I think¡­ they are¡­ like workers...  of a hive¡­ like I¡­ told you¡­ before¡­ They feed¡­ the tentacles¡­ with mana crystals¡­ They clean¡­ They help¡­ everyone¡­ But¡­ I think¡­ they believe¡­ that everyone¡­ is part¡­ of their hive¡­ and that¡¯s¡­ why they help¡­¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    The dolls thought that all of this belonged to the ¡®hive¡¯?


    ¡°They also¡­ listen¡­ to the Captain¡­ and Merim¡­ They follow¡­ the hierarchy¡­ of the mercenaries¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s true that they listen to all I say. While the heavy labour is impossible for those dolls, they can do almost all other tasks. In fact, they clean a lot better than all others. Haven¡¯t seen our storage so free of dust in years,¡± interjected Korwen.


    They were pretty small so they could probably clean in the spots that were hard for us to reach¡­ I had already heard how they were helping around but¡­ almost all tasks, he says¡­


    ¡°At this rate, your dolls are going to take over that majority of menial tasks in the camp. Not that you¡¯ll hear me complaining about that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    In other words, the tasks nobody else usually wanted to do. Sure, I wouldn¡¯t complain either in that case.


    ¡°There is¡­ just one¡­ problem... ¡°


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°The dolls¡­ I get¡­ the feeling¡­ that¡­ they want to¡­ expand¡­ the area¡­ that¡­ the tentacles¡­ cover¡­ Or¡­ they want¡­ something else¡­ But¡­ there seems¡­ to be a reason¡­ behind their¡­ behaviour¡­ and why¡­ they feed¡­ the tentacles...¡±


    ¡°A reason¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ That pitfall.... Is it¡­ the only¡­ thing you¡­ can make?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no¡­ I think so, at least. When I, uhm, made it the first time¡­ It was like something was¡­ telling me to¡­ change it into something¡­ It didn¡¯t specify what so I am certain there are other things it can turn into¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria rubbed her chin as she stared at me, pondering on my words.


    ¡°I think¡­ it is part¡­ of the hive¡­¡±


    ¡°Part of the hive, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ You are¡­ kind of¡­ like a roper¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°We talked¡­ about this¡­ before¡­ I think¡­ About how¡­ your dolls¡­ your tentacles¡­ reminded me¡­ of a hive¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That had been right before the incident with Yumelia, hadn¡¯t it? Although, we hadn¡¯t exactly talked much about, had we?


    ¡°I¡­ have discussed¡­ this with¡­ Marvim¡­ earlier¡­ He told me¡­ that some¡­ types of¡­ ropers¡­ build¡­ elaborate nests¡­ hives¡­ when in¡­ a group...¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ I assume¡­ the things¡­ you are doing¡­ or rather¡­ can do¡­ They are¡­ related¡­ to creating¡­ a hive¡­¡±


    ¡°Creating¡­ a hive?¡±


    That¡­ didn¡¯t come as a surprise. We had talked about it before so¡­ I couldn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t have an inkling about it.


    ¡°The dolls¡­ the workers¡­ they are¡­ propagating¡­ your influence¡­ Strengthening¡­ the hive¡­ And¡­ changing¡­ those tentacles¡­ is probably¡­ related to¡­ building¡­ the actual¡­ hive¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Building¡­ things for the hive¡­


    ¡°Wait a moment, Ria. You say, she could build a hive?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯s¡­ what I¡­ said¡­¡±


    ¡°... Do you know the implications of that?¡±


    Korwen¡¯s expression hardened, staring right at Ria. The person in question just tilted her head, though, unable to understand what Korwen wanted.


    ¡°If she can build whatever she wants with those tentacles, she¡¯d be able to build traps or even siege weapons all by herself. At a fixed location she could build a fort with only herself.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡­ might be¡­ possible¡­ In fact¡­ it could be¡­ even more¡­ The pitfall¡­ uses Space Magic¡­ She could¡­ expand¡­ storage space¡­ It might¡­ even be possible¡­ to connect¡­ multiple¡­ locations¡­¡±


    ¡°... As if I didn¡¯t have enough headaches already.¡±


    Korwen buried his head in his arms, groaning.


    ¡°But¡­ She is¡­ likely¡­ limited¡­ by the¡­ mana¡­ Yumi¡­ you¡­ used most¡­ of the crystals¡­ for the¡­ tentacles¡­ am I¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yes. We needed quite a lot for the pitfall¡­ and for growing the area of the tentacle growth¡­¡±


    ¡°As I¡­ thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°The mana¡­ consumption¡­ is large¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ yes¡­¡±


    But it was only a one-time investment so¡­ Ah, wait¡­


    ¡°... Things like a siege weapon would need a lot of mana. Assuming I could build it even.¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­¡±


    In other words¡­ It was probably not a whole lot better, huh¡­


    ¡°A lot of mana, you say¡­ It would still have plenty of applications¡­ This just adds another reason not to leak your existence to too many people. But, there¡¯s one thing that I am interested in. Ria, you said it might be possible to connect two locations?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Although¡­ Yumi would¡­ need to test¡­ that out¡­ Considering¡­ they already use¡­ Space Magic¡­ for the pitfall¡­¡±


    ¡°... That. Yumi, do you think that is possible?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I honestly don¡¯t know? It sounds¡­ a little too incredible for me, though¡­¡±


    That was a little too magical¡­ Even though it was magic.


    ¡°It is incredible. Space Magic is a rarity beyond comparison but it is not unheard of. If we could connect two places¡­ Then you could build an entire hive somewhere and connect it to the wagon. It would be possible to use it for storage and other things. It would also be possible to hide things there we don¡¯t want to be seen. Furthermore, it would also be possible to act as a shelter. In fact, there is so much that is possible to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    A hive¡­ connected to the wagon? Honestly, that¡­ was going a little above my head. Korwen seemed to be getting lost in his fantasies of possible applications and the like.


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ria?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ want to¡­ ruin your¡­ mood¡­ but¡­ That might be¡­ very hard¡­ to accomplish¡­ The pitfall¡­ needed a lot of¡­ mana¡­ And¡­ I can¡¯t even¡­ imagine¡­ how much mana¡­ such an undertaking¡­ would require¡­ We¡¯d need years¡­ maybe decades¡­ to make that¡­ a reality¡­¡±


    ¡°Decades, huh¡­ Mhm¡­ In the first place, we won¡¯t even know if it is possible for her to do that. I am sorry, I got a little too excited there. But, Yumi, I¡¯d like you to focus on that for a while. Ria might be right that it would take a long time. But, if nobody starts it, that time won¡¯t get any shorter either.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    He¡­ really wanted to do this?


    ¡°Captain, uhm¡­ are you sure¡­ about that?¡±


    ¡°Sure? Well, I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t have doubts but¡­ this is most likely the only way we can make the most out of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Things like charming-magic or building traps, they are helpful, yeah. And those dolls are a blessing. But, most of the things you can do aren¡¯t things you can openly use. But if there was a place you could always visit and where there was nobody, you could use all your abilities, all the magic without restraint.¡±


    ¡°Without¡­ restraint¡­¡±


    That¡­ He was right. That really would be¡­ a convenient situation.


    ¡°The most immediate concerns for this are, however, whether you can even do something like connecting two places, as well as a place where you could even build such a hive.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It¡¯d have to be somewhere quite isolated¡­ And¡­ honestly, I still couldn¡¯t picture something as ridiculous as connecting two places. That was something for fairy tales and not¡­ Well, okay, considering my situation wasn¡¯t that far off from a fairy tale with all this magic and so.... Maybe? No¡­ But¡­


    ¡°It might¡­ be helpful¡­ to look¡­ at the¡­ Academy¡¯s¡­ library¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°They should¡­ have books¡­ about¡­ Space Magic¡­ Also¡­ Marvim¡­ might know¡­ more¡­¡±


    Books about Space Magic, huh¡­ Well, I was interested, yeah¡­ But seeing how those tentacles could do it by themselves¡­ On the other hand, if they didn¡¯t know¡­ it might be helpful?


    But there¡¯s no point speculating until I actually try it out¡­


    First, I had to try whether they could do it or not¡­ No matter how outlandish it seemed to me, it might actually work, after all. Everything else could be discussed afterwards.


    ¡°Very well, if Yumi has troubles, we¡¯ll have to investigate there. Is what I would like to say¡­ Unfortunately, we might not get the chance to search the Academy¡¯s library.¡±


    ¡°Not?¡±


    ¡°We still have our current problems to solve, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡±


    ¡°And those come first. If all of this works out it might be incredible but it won¡¯t matter if we¡¯re all dead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Dead?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Captain¡­ is the situation that bad?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, no, it was a bit of an exaggeration, sorry. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much danger to our lives currently. The army will soon have their hands full with the nest mother. Not to mention the preparations for a possible war. Even if they tried to harm us, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d have the manpower to prevent us from escaping.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s most likely also why they still aren¡¯t acting. They are probably wary.¡±


    ¡°Nn, isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°It is. For now. I¡¯d like to get everything here finished before that changes. Which would be mostly in regards to the jobs we got from the Academy.¡±¡±


    So there was no immediate danger but it could turn dangerous if we overstayed our welcome? Something like that.


    ¡°Speaking of those, while we don¡¯t have any fixed plans for the ogre yet, we¡¯ll send some men out tomorrow to deal with the others. You and Karen will join them.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    We had to go out again?


    ¡°I planned to send someone to tell you but since you¡¯re here, that makes it easier. Tell Karen as well. You¡¯re going to leave tomorrow after breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Un¡­ Understood¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    Couldn¡¯t say I was all that enthusiastic to go out again so soon¡­ But, well¡­ If that was his order¡­ He was the one who had the last word¡­


    ¡°Good. Well then, I got some other work to tend to so you should join your sister and that girl. You are still on break. Don¡¯t worry about what we discussed right now, we¡¯ll come back to that another time.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood. Then, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡±


    I took my leave and left the tent. Ria still had something to discuss with Korwen, so she stayed.


    ¡°Ah, there she is. Yumi! Over here.¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    Barely had I left the tent, Lefa and Karen were waving and calling for me.


    Nn, he¡¯s right. Still on break for today so¡­ Let¡¯s try to have some fun.


    It might be a good idea to get a little bit distracted and forget about all those many things for a moment anyway.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: The Protected Couple

    ¡°Ahhh¡­ everything hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°I warned you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I know, Sis, I know.¡±


    ¡°Here, something to drink.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Some cold water was just what I needed right now, after all. I had underestimated them. Sure, we had come here to play around but I confess¡­ I didn¡¯t imagine that Fenna and her squad were doing a mock battle¡­ Or, well, more something like Capture the Flag with teams. How mercenary-like. A game that was also functioning as training, huh...


    ¡°Yumi, hold still. You got some dirt in your hair.¡±


    ¡°Some? I am fairly sure it¡¯s a lot¡­¡±


    And you¡¯re not looking a lot better either¡­ Nearly feels nostalgic.


    Thinking so, I drank some of the water while Karen was patting on my hair, trying to get the worst of the dirt out of it.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Lefa tripped.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That one had even more of a need for a bath than I did.


    And right then, someone was making use of that opportunity and restrained Lefa on the ground.


    ¡°Guess we lose again?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Wait, Sis¡­ Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Fenna caught me.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Too bad¡­ We hadn¡¯t won even once so far.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, Lefa.¡±


    Heavily breathing, Lefa was slowly tottering towards us. Then, she collapsed onto the bench right next to me.


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t move¡­ anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, you did your best.¡±


    Right at that moment, Fenna was picking up the spear and declaring her victory. For the sixth time. The other team, consisting of Rieke, Sanna and another woman I didn¡¯t know the name of, lay collapsed a few steps away from her.


    ¡°And they win again.¡±


    ¡°It was quite one-sided.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The difference in experience and stamina really showed. The goal was simply picking up the spear but¡­ you could, of course, hinder the other teams. And as long you didn¡¯t hurt anyone seriously, anything was fine. To boot, if you caught someone and they were unable to escape, they¡¯d get disqualified for that round. Case in point: Us.


    ¡°Miss Fenna doesn¡¯t hold back at all.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But it really shows how strong she is.¡±


    ¡°It really does.¡±


    Her position as the squad leader wasn¡¯t just for show. Nobody could hold a candle to Fenna and her two teammates were mostly just for show. Okay, maybe not that bad but Fenna was contributing the most to her team¡¯s victories. And out of eight games they won six.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m seriously beat now, though¡­ I can¡¯t do this again¡­¡±


    ¡°You held up well, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen was hugging me from behind as she said that. Ahh, just for this, it was all worth it. Yeah.


    ¡°But I hope you won¡¯t have muscle aches tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯d be bad.¡±


    ¡°It would.¡±


    I¡¯d probably be fine but¡­ Exhausting myself on our rest day was probably not the smartest idea. Especially since we¡¯d move out tomorrow again. But now it was too late anyway. And, even if it had been exhausting¡­ It was actually pretty fun, this. I had my doubts when Fenna told us to join them but running around like this had been pretty great. Even if we lost literally every game.


    ¡°Should we go and take a bath, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ How late is it anyway?¡±


    ¡°I think we should have enough time before dinner.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, I guess?¡±


    I really wanted to get all the dirt off me.


    ¡°Hey, Lefa. What about you?¡±


    ¡°... Mm?¡±


    Lefa lifted her head and looked at me, the exhaustion clearly visible in her eyes.


    ¡°Want to join us in the bath?¡±


    ¡°Bath¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, the bath.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Before I got an answer, her eyes closed and her head slumped down again.


    ¡°... Lefa?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, Lefa?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    No, please¡­ You¡¯ll definitely regret falling asleep now if you don¡¯t immediately open your eyes!


    Alas, Lefa was already halfway into dreamland. So carefree¡­ She did know that if she was going to fall asleep now, then she¡¯d most likely miss the closing of the gate, right?


    Well, her problem. Not mine. Actually, it was likely to turn into my problem, too.. Better wake her up for real.


    ¡°Lefa. No sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    No good. She was definitely going to fall asleep at this rate. What would be a good way to wake her up?


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s just bring her along. She¡¯ll wake up in the water.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s pretty cruel, you know?¡±


    ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡±


    ¡°... Tickling her?¡±


    That was pretty cruel on its own¡­ Although, it might work too.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Don¡¯t¡­ tickle¡­¡±


    ¡°... See? She prefers the water.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the correct conclusion, Yumi.¡±


    Karen¡¯s lips formed a strained smile as she squatted down and stretched Lefa¡¯s cheeks.


    ¡°Wake up. Lefa, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It hurts¡­. Stop¡­¡±


    ¡°Open your eyes and I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    With clear reluctance, Lefa finally opened her eyes, staring right at Karen.


    ¡°If you sleep here, you¡¯ll miss the gate later. So, up with you.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Do I have¡­ to?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lefa groaned in response. After a few more seconds, she finally forced herself to sit up again.


    ¡°Tired¡­¡±


    ¡°You did run around a lot, after all.¡±


    I was actually impressed she managed to keep up for a whole eight games. With my lack of stamina in mind, I had frequently taken breaks and avoided running for too long. Even so, I was still exhausted. Lefa, on the other hand, had run with all her might. Not conserving her stamina at all. Little wonder that she was even more exhausted than me.


    ¡°Want to join us taking a bath?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I guess.¡±


    She stood up and stretched her arms, only to groan in pain. She¡¯d definitely wake up with muscle aches tomorrow¡­


    ¡°It hurts¡­ Haaa¡­ But it was¡­ fun.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was.¡±


    It was exhausting, but the kind of exhausting that made you realise how much fun it had been. Really, we might have lost every time, but it still was fun.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go tell Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen walked up to Fenna who was still standing on the small dirt hill. Spear in hand and a smug smile on her face, she was looking down at Rieke and Sanna and laughing.


    ¡°I always thought¡­ mercenaries were bloodthirsty¡­. murderers¡­ I never thought they could have fun like this.¡±


    ¡°Nn, they¡¯re just people as well.¡±


    ¡°... Yes. It was fun.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The conversation stopped there and we watched as Karen talked with Fenna and then returned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    We had a pretty delightful bath with Lefa. Despite her being pretty young and only a bit taller than me, she was clearly¡­ growing quite well. In the chest area. This girl had quite the future ahead of her if she continued to grow like that. Definitely.


    Anyway, after we washed up and got rid of all the dirt, we had dinner and then said our goodbye to Lefa. Hopefully, we¡¯d get to see her again. With all the stuff going on, we never knew when we¡¯d have to leave.


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Emily, calm down. I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe!¡±


    Glomped onto me was our resident little elven girl, Emily. Right behind her were Maya and Sele fidgeting and waiting for their turn. What was I, a hugging pillow? Apparently I was.


    ¡°But, but, it¡¯s been a while! Since we all slept together!¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    After Karen and I got the workshop wagon, we had been sleeping there. It was a safe haven for our privacy. And a bed was definitely more comfortable than the hard floor.


    Alas, these three really wanted to sleep together with all of us again¡­ so there was no choice but to do it.


    ¡°Ehehehe!¡±


    Much to Emily¡¯s delight, as one could see. Alas, somehow¡­ our sleeping group had¡­ grown in our absence? Lily and Rina were here as well so that was nothing new. Currently they were talking with each other, letting Emily and the girls have the chance to get spoiled by us. Or rather abusing me as a pillow?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ is it alright¡­ for us to be here too?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so?¡±


    The two slightly timid girls that had joined were... Elma Karker and her girlfriend Nela, if I remembered correctly. The two girls that were currently under the Dragon Knights¡¯ protection. What were they doing here? I had no idea.


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Emily?¡±


    ¡°We made friends! With El and Nel!¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With a big smile, Emily told me of her new friends.


    ¡°Emily, calm down.¡±


    ¡°But Maya, we can finally sleep together again! Aren¡¯t you happy?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    So much for calming down.


    Anyway, we had¡­ quite the crowd this time around. And the two girls, Elma and Nela, were standing to the side, clearly unsure about what to do.


    ¡°Nn, your names were Elma and Nela, right? We met before.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ When grandma was here with us... You two¡­ were the girls we met then?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    So they remembered us as well. How nice.


    If I recalled correctly, Elma was the small black haired beastkin girl¡ªbarely any taller than I was¡ªand the granddaughter of Miss Karker. And Nela was the brown-haired girl, a head taller than Elma.


    ¡°Have you been doing well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thanks to you all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Emily?¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe! You know, Elma and Nela, they¡¯re really amazing! They can do lots of awesome magics!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Magic? Ah, right, they were studying at that Academy, so them being magicians wasn¡¯t all that surprising.


    ¡°Tha¡ª That¡¯s¡­It¡¯s¡­ not that great...¡± stammered Nela in response.


    ¡°Huh.... What kind of magic did they show you, Emily?¡±


    ¡°You see, you see! She made lots of pretty lights flow around!¡±


    Pretty lights?


    I directed my gaze towards the two girls in question.


    ¡°What kind of pretty lights?¡±


    ¡°Er, it¡¯s called Festival Lights¡­ It¡¯s a spell that produces coloured lights that flow around¡­ Ah. Want me to show you?¡±


    ¡°Coloured lights?¡±


    That sounded interesting.


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯d love to see it.¡±


    ¡°Then, Nela, let¡¯s do it?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ Are¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Pretty please?¡±


    Elma smiled at Nela. Ah, I knew this kind of smile¡­ It was the type where one couldn¡¯t say no...  Yeah, I knew who was in charge among those two.


    ¡°O¡ª Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay! Then, we¡¯ll show you now, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I was kind of looking forward to what they were going to do now. Emily also turned her head around, watching them all excited already. Same for Sele and Maya.


    ¡°Here we go!¡±


    All smiles, Elma held Nela¡¯s hand and then they both started to recite¡­ something? What language was this?


    Anyway, after the relatively short¡­ chant? After that the mana moved in response to the invoked spell. Not even a second later, a small light appeared right in front of us. A small blue light. Then another joined, a red one. Then orange, yellow and so on. Slowly, the air filled with dozens over dozens of small lights, all in various colours. The entire tent was illuminated by them in all the colours of the rainbow.


    ¡°He-hee, now look at this!¡±


    With a swing of her hand, a smug Elma stirred up the lights, causing them to move rapidly around.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The light dots started to stick to each other, forming stars, rings and various other things.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all yet! How¡¯s this?¡±


    Yet again, she swung her hand through the air. The light patterns broke apart, only to reform. Into people and animals. Moving ones. Honestly, I was astonished. I expected just a little light show but now she had dozens of people and animals walking and moving around. All two-dimensional and made up of light, of course.


    ¡°He-hee!¡±


    ¡°This is amazing.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I agreed with Karen. This really was quite amazing. Emily and the girls were also watching with wide eyes and big smiles. Sele was trying to poke a man made of light, only for him to break apart and reform into an animal.


    ¡°Are you impressed? Are you? Are you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    With her hands on her hips and a smug smile, Elma sure seemed satisfied with herself.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Then, suddenly, the lights broke apart and disappeared one after another.


    ¡°Ahh, the spell ended.¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ How unfortunate.


    But magic can also do things like this, huh¡­


    Most of the magic I had seen so far was more of practical use. Including my own, of course. But this was simply magic for entertainment.


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi! See! It¡¯s really pretty, isn¡¯t it?!¡±


    ¡°Nn. It really was.¡±


    Emily had been right. It was quite amazing.


    ¡°Did you learn this at the Academy?¡± asked Karen.¡±


    ¡°No. Grandma taught me this magic before.¡±


    ¡°Grandma? You mean, Miss Karker did?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    So Miss Karker was also a magician?


    ¡°Grandma is really amazing! She can fill the entire sky with lights and make them dance! It¡¯s really¡­. Really! Really, really! Amazing!¡±


    Elma threw up her arms into the air, likely to show just how amazing it was.


    ¡°The entire sky with lights like this?¡±


    ¡°Not just like this! They look a lot more real! I can only make flat figures but grandma can do all kinds of stuff with them! They can look like real people, even!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    Now, that was something I really wanted to see now.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know Miss Karker was a magician.¡±


    ¡°Nn, neither did I.¡±


    Karen was just as surprised as I was. At least, I wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°She¡¯s not just any magician! She¡¯s a really, really amazing and powerful magician!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    An amazing magician, huh¡­ Somehow, I sure could see that¡­ She did seem quite mysterious, after all.


    ¡°If she wanted to, I¡¯m sure she could even take over the entire country!¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°E, El! You can¡¯t say such things.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? The stupid magicians at the court don¡¯t hold a candle to her, after all.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t call them stupid, they are important people!¡±


    ¡°Boo! I don¡¯t care!¡±


    ¡°El!¡±


    Court? Magicians? She wasn¡¯t talking¡­ about high-ranking government officials and the like¡­ was she? No, considering who she was¡­ she was¡­ talking about them....


    In the meantime, Elma was inflating her cheeks like a child while Nela tried to scold her. Emphasis on ¡®tried.¡¯


    ¡°Those people don¡¯t even care about magic, that¡¯s why they are so bad at it! Nel, you are way more amazing than them!¡±


    ¡°There, there¡¯s no way I could compete against those, El!¡±


    ¡°You can! Have more confidence in yourself!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Tha¡ª That¡¯s...¡±


    Now it was Nela who was backing down, unable to argue against her.


    ¡°Uhh! No fighting!¡± shouted Emily.


    ¡°Eh? We¡¯re not fighting, though?¡±


    ¡°No fighting!¡±


    ¡°O, Okay?¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Yeah, there was no winning against Emily.


    In the meantime, Sele had walked up to Elma and pulled on her shirt.


    ¡°Eh? Sele, what is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    Elma made a face as if she had no idea what to do. Yeah, I could relate to that¡­ Sele, however, just continued pulling on her shirt.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And now they were staring at each other¡­


    Sele, please, speak up!


    Alas, there was no way something that convenient would happen, was there?


    ¡°I think she wants to hear more about Grandma Karker¡­¡±


    ¡°She does!¡±


    ¡°Maya, Emily¡­ It¡¯s good you two are here.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Emily tilted her head and Maya just laughed dryly. How the heck had they known what Sele wanted to say? And judging from her nodding, they had been right, too.


    ¡°You want to hear more about grandma? He-hee! Then, I¡¯ll tell you all about it! What do you want to hear? About her amazing past? About her magic? Or what else?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t going to work. Reminded me how Sele barely said anything to us in the beginning as well. Time to help.


    ¡°Sele, want to hear about Miss Karker¡¯s past?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was shaking her head, much to my surprise. I thought for sure¡­


    ¡°Then, her magic?¡±


    A nod. She wanted to hear about her magic, huh¡­ Ah, maybe¡­


    ¡°Because of the lights?¡±


    Another nod. She liked those lights, huh. Understandable. I did, too.


    ¡°You want to hear about grandma¡¯s magic? Then, I¡¯ll tell you all about it! You see, grandma can use all kinds of amazing magic but the one she is especially good at are illusions. The lights from before technically belong to that type of magic as well!¡±


    ¡°Those were Illusion Magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes! They were!¡±


    ¡°... Illusion?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    An unexpected voice came from the side. From Lily.


    ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, it just sounded interesting. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    If she said so...


    ¡°Lily, don¡¯t be such a stranger. If you want to hear how awesome grandma is, you just have to say so!¡±


    ¡°... No, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?!¡±


    Completely baffled by her reaction, Elma stared at Lily.


    ¡°El.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°How about you continue?¡±


    ¡°Ah! You¡¯re right, I was talking about grandma! Where did I stop?¡±


    ¡°You were talking about her Illusion Magic.¡±


    With a gentle smile, Nela brought Elma back to the actual conversation topic.


    ¡°Her Illusion Magic! Right, you know, you can do really amazing things with Illusion Magic! You can trick people and show them things that aren¡¯t there. Or you can hide things even!¡±


    ¡°Hide? Like, going invisible?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ It¡¯s not quite the same but similar? Nel, do you remember the difference?¡±


    Elma tilted her head, unable to explain it well.


    ¡°Invisibility magic can turn things see-through. But in the case of Illusion magic, the appearance mimics the surroundings.¡±


    ¡°Right, that was it!¡±


    Elma paused suddenly, not continuing. After a short pause, she turned to Nela again.


    ¡°Hey, Nel¡­ What¡¯s the point of distinguishing them anyway?¡±


    ¡°El¡­ They have different applications. We learnt that in class. Invisibility Magic can turn a container see-through and reveal what is inside. And Illusion Magic can also disguise things which might be a better choice than going simply invisible.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°... You learnt that too.¡±


    ¡°I forgot!¡±


    ¡­ Was this girl doing okay?


    ¡°Haa¡­ Don¡¯t blame me if you fail the exam again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, I¡¯ll just make up for it in the practicals!¡±


    ¡°... It won¡¯t. And I promised your grandma that I¡¯d help you study for the exams.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t mind that much. In the first place, the exams are likely to get cancelled anyway.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Elma shrugged with her shoulders.


    ¡°Nn, because of so many people taking a leave of absence?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know about that?¡±


    ¡°Lefa told us just earlier.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Lefa was here? Why did nobody tell me?!¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! Everyone knows her!¡±


    Everyone did?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Miss Lefa is pretty famous around the Academy¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? She¡¯s one of the best students if it¡¯s about theoretical stuff yet she can barely use minor spells. Even though the red foxkin are famous for their magic.¡±


    That¡­ I wasn¡¯t quite sure if that was a good kind of fame¡­


    ¡°I never really talked with her much, though¡­ It would¡¯ve been a nice chance.¡±


    ¡°Why was she even here?¡±


    While Elma seemed sad at missing her opportunity, Nela was curious about why she had been here.


    ¡°She accompanied the professor that the Captain had called for.¡±


    ¡°Professor? Which one?¡±


    ¡°Professor Marvim.¡±


    ¡°Eh? That monster-obsessed nutcase?¡± shouted Elma.


    ¡°El, that¡¯s rude.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, though.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nela shook her head, seemingly giving up.


    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s too bad we missed her.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Next time, then!¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯ll get to meet her, that is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine!¡±


    ¡°Nn, are things that bad at the Academy? It didn¡¯t sound that bad from what Lefa said.¡±


    Students being absent and a few of the professors leaving as well. Well, the professors leaving definitely would be bad but it didn¡¯t sound like it was having a big impact yet.


    ¡°It is. Quite a few classes had been cancelled already before we came here. By now, it¡¯s probably even worse.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to the Academy currently?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s too dangerous, they said. So we are on leave as well, right now.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Too dangerous¡­ Well, they were here for protection, after all.


    ¡°And yet, grandma told us to go along and watch them fight monsters¡­ Isn¡¯t that dangerous too?¡±


    ¡°Less dangerous than people attacking us. Although, I do agree¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? You two, you wouldn¡¯t happen to come along tomorrow, would you?¡±


    ¡°We will. Your¡­ Captain, was it, I think? He told us to go along and watch them fight monsters.¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    So they¡¯d accompany us.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Emily, Maya, Sele. What are you three going to do tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°We? We¡¯re also going! Finally!¡±


    Finally?


    ¡°Uncle told us to join and get some experience.¡±


    ¡°... First¡­ Time¡­¡±


    First time?


    ¡°It¡¯s your first time joining them?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Uncle always told us to stay in the back, even though we kept training. But now he said, if we¡¯re serious about this, we should go along.¡±


    ¡°Serious, huh¡­¡±


    Well, he wasn¡¯t exactly happy with the three of them trying to become mercenaries. Maybe he was attempting to scare them off as a last measure? Or he actually conceded to their wishes.


    He did want them to study and learn something else¡­ And I thought that was just what they were going to do now? Guessed wrong, it seems.


    Not that I knew why Korwen was telling them to go along, really.


    ¡°Nn, then, How about you two, Rina, Lily?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come along too. My job is still to keep those two safe, after all¡± answered Lily.


    ¡°Nn, I see. And you, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m coming along too, Lil¡¯ Sis,¡± she answered, her tone rather dull.


    ¡°I see?¡±


    Somehow, she didn¡¯t seem all that energetic today. I was surrounded by girls that had more energy than they could use up, so seeing one of them being all listless was pretty surprising.


    ¡°Sis, is something wrong with Rina?¡± I whispered to Karen, making sure she couldn¡¯t hear us.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Couldn¡¯t straight-up ask her either now, could I?


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi! Everyone is going tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Nn, seems like it, Emily.¡±


    ¡°Yay! I hope it¡¯ll be a lot of fun!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re technically there to work, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe!¡±


    What to do about this bundle of pure energy¡­ Well, it¡¯d be fine.


    ¡°Most of the mercenaries are going out tomorrow, so it¡¯s not all that surprising,¡± commented Lily.


    ¡°That so? I thought we shouldn¡¯t do any big movements for a while, though?¡±


    ¡°I think the Captain wants to finish things up as fast as he can now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That so?¡±


    Did he expect things to go south now? Well, after hearing about the fort¡¯s commander¡­ That rumor, huh¡­


    ¡°Elma, Nela, did you two hear about the rumor that Mr Ruben was detained and found guilty?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Ruben? Eh? He was?!¡±


    ¡°No, Elma, I¡¯m asking if you heard anything about that.¡±


    And she¡¯s calling him uncle?


    Probably met him through her family, or something like that.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I didn¡¯t hear anything like that¡­ Also, you can call me El!¡±


    ¡°... Okay, El.¡±


    I was a little taken aback that she suddenly requested me to call her by a nickname, even though we only really talked twice. And once was with Mrs Karker present, where the two had been a lot more reserved than right now.


    ¡°You can call me Nel as well, if you want.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay. El and Nel¡­ El¡­ and Nel¡­ Elnel?¡±


    ¡°... Please don¡¯t combine our names.¡±


    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s cool! Nel, I think it¡¯s cool!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I deeply apologised in my mind to Nela but that was really the first thing I thought of¡­ Their nicknames were way too similar, after all. And they combined perfectly, being a single syllable and all that. And Elma¡­ El seemed to like it too.


    ¡°Elnel¡­ pfff¡­¡±


    In the corner, Lily was stifling a laugh, earning her a glare from Nel.


    ¡°It¡¯s cute, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... Is it?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was arguable whether it was really ¡®cute¡¯ or anything¡­ I might have done something bad. What if that name stuck with them from now on?


    ¡°Mm¡­ You know, I like it, Nel¡­ It¡¯s like, we¡¯re one and always together...¡±


    ¡°... As long as you are fine with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    That¡­ was actually a pretty cute reason for liking it. Always together, huh.


    ¡°Back to your question, Yumi¡­ I hope it¡¯s okay if I call you just Yumi? Or should I add Miss?¡±


    ¡°Nn, of course it is. No need for Miss.¡±


    It¡¯d be really awkward if they started calling me Miss while I called them with nicknames¡­


    ¡°Okay. So, regarding your question¡­ I haven¡¯t heard about Sir Ruben being declared guilty but I did hear about him being detained.¡±


    ¡°Eh, you did, Nel?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard the Professors talk about it. But that¡¯s already all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I see.¡±


    So they didn¡¯t know anything else either. No, considering the Professor Marvim had only heard about it yesterday and these two hadn¡¯t been to the Academy for a few days, it was probably normal.


    Right at that moment, I heard someone stifling a yawn right next to me.


    ¡°Maya?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m a little¡­ tired.¡±


    ¡°... Should we go and sleep?¡±


    Honestly, I was exhausted as well, after all. Playing around with Fenna¡¯s squad and Lefa had done quite a number on me.


    ¡°Uhm, I¡¯ve been wondering that for a while but¡­ is¡­ everyone going to sleep here?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... But there¡¯s not enough space, is there?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    There was more than enough space, though? Sure, the tent wasn¡¯t as big as some others, but it was large enough, in my opinion. More than enough for nine people to sleep, all huddled together¡­ Wait¡­ Ahh, I saw the problem.


    ¡°Nn, you¡¯ll see. Sis, let¡¯s get the blanket. Emily, could you let go of me for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Finally free! Not for long, though.


    Karen and I fetched the large blanket and spread it out.


    ¡°Ehehehe, all together!¡±


    The three little girls dove under the blanket, Rina and Lily promptly joined them.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure I understand¡­ Eh, El?! Wa¡ª Don¡¯t pull me!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s everyone together, Nel! Together!¡±


    ¡°... Ehhhh?¡±


    Why was the seemingly sheltered, aristocratic girl more comfortable with sleeping under one blanket with us than her commoner girlfriend? That shocked expression actually hurt my heart a little.


    Alas, Nel was forcibly dragged under the blanket by Nel and they laid down right in the middle.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll be coming in too.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And as the last ones, Karen and I got under the blanket too. With nine people, the large blanket barely managed to cover all of us¡­ or not.


    ¡°Ah, Sele, what are yo¡ª


    Sele crawled under the blanket, disappearing from my sight. A moment later, something was grabbing onto my waist and nuzzling her face against my neck. She was kind of the wrong person to act like a cat¡­ Fairly sure that should be Maya¡¯s job.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Warm...¡±


    ¡°Ah, I want too!¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Well, I kind of expected this was going to happen¡­ The three little girls all came over to me, hugging me.


    ¡°Nel, Nel, let¡¯s do that too!¡±


    ¡°Eh, wa El?!¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    What I didn¡¯t expect was that El joined in hugging me. Was that okay, right in front of your girlfriend? Not that I minded at this point anymore but she did realise that she should mind personal distance a little. Though, like I said, not that I minded.


    ¡°Wahh! You¡¯re so soft! How is that possible. Nel, come here! It feels super good to hug her!¡±


    ¡°Eh, but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess it is. Nn.¡±


    Yes, body pillow Yumi at your service.


    ¡°Then, excuse me¡­ Ohh¡­ You¡¯re right. She¡¯s really soft.¡±


    Now I had five people hugging me from every direction.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ You¡¯re too popular,¡± mumbled Karen, her brows furrowed.


    ¡°Popular as a pillow?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re my pillow.¡±


    But I was still a pillow. Alas, this was¡­ Woah, there!


    ¡°Sis, that¡¯s not going to work out.¡±


    ¡°It will!¡±


    No, trying to hug me like this¡­ Ah, it was impossible. As a compromise, she just hugged me together with Emily, squeezing her between us. Much to her delight.


    ¡°So warm! Ehehe!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Emily, don¡¯t move. That tickles.¡±


    While I was trying to find a halfway comfortable position, the last two girls kept watching us¡­ and did the inevitable.


    ¡°Lily, let¡¯s join them!¡±


    ¡°No, Rina, no matter how you look at it, that¡¯s not possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡±


    Pulling Lily along, Rina joined our big sleeping pile. Although, she couldn¡¯t hug me, obviously. I had no idea who she was hugging now. It was impossible for me to move anymore. I wasn¡¯t even laying on the ground anymore but on top of somebody. Not that I minded. I mean, how could I? Surrounded by cute girls as I was. If only I wasn¡¯t used as a pillow.


    ¡°So warm...¡±


    ¡°It really is warm, Nel! I think I like this! It kind of makes me feel all¡­ safe?¡±


    ¡°I think I like it, too¡­ But¡­ I can¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°Neither can I!¡±


    The two new friends had acclimated awfully quickly to this situation¡­ Well, as long as they liked it.


    ¡°Then, we should sleep. Good night, everyone.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good night, Sis. Everyone.¡±


    We wished each other a good night and then slowly dozed off into the dreamland, hugging each other as close as we could¡­ It was a night full of warmth.


    Rinne


    Now, with the exclusion of the April Fool''s chapter, this is now the 100th chapter! Yay!


    I hope you will continue to enjoy it for the next 100 as well (and hopefully beyond that, too).


    If you want to support me, you can do so on my Patreon! You can also read ahead a few chapters there, so do take a look!


    Thank you for readin! Everyone, keep safe and healthy! Take care of yourselves!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Before the Job

    The next morning came, together with the usual wake-up routine when everyone slept together. While I wasn''t being hugged from all dimensions anymore, my body was twisted in every possible inhumane manner in exchange, causing a slight disturbance¡­ Much to our surprise, Elma woke up first, witnessing a little girl with her arms and legs and even her spine bent into impossible directions. Said girl being me. Took a lot of convincing until she believed I was fine. Although, it did raise some questions that we couldn¡¯t explain to them¡­


    Except for that little disturbance, the morning was relatively peaceful as we begun the last preparations to set out for the day.


    ¡°Hey, girlie, ya seen the Cap?¡±


    ¡°Nn? He just went to check up on the other groups. You just missed him.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? And we just noticed that we¡¯re missing materials for the traps¡­¡±


    ¡°The materials for the traps are all transported together until the edge of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what it was?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As one might have guessed, I was back to my secretary job. Korwen had pushed a list of assignments onto me and with the help of Taddick, the burly mercenary who was also teaching me combat theory in the mornings, we were trying to get these people moving.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Something wrong, girl?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Taddick¡­ Just astonished how smooth it is. I thought this would be more of a mess.¡±


    Honestly, when I heard that we¡¯d prepare only now, I had half a mind to just walk away, fearing the worst. There were over a dozen jobs on the list in my hands. You¡¯d think that would require a lot of preparation... But instead, everything went so quickly....


    ¡°Ha, can¡¯t have ya underestimate us, girl. These men have been doing this their whole long damn life, they know what to do even if ya don¡¯t tell them.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Be glad ya aren¡¯t with the young¡¯uns. Those are probably in a real mess right about now.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I sure was glad. But I did feel a little useless, seeing how they all knew what to do. Then again, even if there were problems, for most serious ones I¡¯d have to ask Taddick anyway.


    ¡°¡®Scuse me, girly! Could ya come over and take a look at this?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s calling for you, go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Returning back to reality, I ran over to the mercenaries who had called for me. They were surrounding a large cart that we¡¯d use to transport equipment and material. It could be pulled by a single waroxen and was pretty convenient for short day trips. And they could be taken apart and stored in the large wagons. They were still bulky so there were only a few of them around.


    ¡°Yo, girly. Take a look here, at the cart.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is something wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°The wheel is a little loose, though it seems to fit just right on it. Checked it twice over. Axle might be damaged. I think it should be fine for today but it definitely needs some repairs.¡±


    He rattled the wheel, showing me that it was indeed a little loose.


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll write it up. Although, wouldn¡¯t it be better to move the stuff to another cart then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome though! It¡¯ll be fine! It¡¯s just for today, girly. Can¡¯t bother the others to lend us a new one, either.¡±


    ¡°Ehh...¡±


    That sounded really irresponsible¡­ What if it broke down in the middle of it? I had no idea how damaged it really was but I couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    He said it¡¯d be fine for today, though, so I guess¡­ No¡­ If the cart breaks down after all, we¡¯ll have to carry all of it on our backs. No way I¡¯m going to do that. That¡¯s tiring. Let¡¯s not do that. Even if there were only a few of them around, we should still have a spare or two. I saw them in the supply wagon for sure.


    Disregarding that I¡¯d frankly collapse under the weight anyway, if I had to carry that equipment. I¡¯d die.


    ¡°Nn, if the cart breaks down we¡¯ll all have to carry it all the way to the forest and then back. I¡¯d rather not do that. Just putting everything onto a different cart now won¡¯t take that long. And I saw a spare in the supply wagon.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Guess ya got a point there. Okay, ya heard the girl, men! Let¡¯s get this over with!¡±


    The mercenary turned around and got his friends moving, immediately starting to unpack the cart and bringing over a new one. Seeing that they were back to work, I returned to Taddick, who had been watching with a smile on his face.


    ¡°Good job. Little surprised you didn¡¯t budge there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Thought ya¡¯d be the type to give in there, ya know?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    I was nearly inclined to just say nothing so he wasn¡¯t exactly wrong.


    ¡°I just figured it¡¯d be a huge bother if the cart would break down. And I don¡¯t think I could carry that stuff all the way to the forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, if ya hadn¡¯t said anything, it would¡¯ve likely ended that way, yeah.¡±


    Good thing I said something. Saved my life there.


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah! Emily, don¡¯t run!.¡±


    ¡°We brought the stuff! The big stuff!¡±


    Carrying a bag over her shoulder, Emily came dashing right in my direction¡­ She¡­ She wasn¡¯t going to jump at me now, right? Oh please, Emily do¡ª Ah. She stopped.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi! Look!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can see it.¡±


    ¡°Did we do good?¡±


    ¡°Nn, you did well.¡±


    I pat her head, still thanking her in my mind that she didn¡¯t jump in my arms for once.


    ¡°Emily, I told you not to run!¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Karen, Yumi said we did well!¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Right behind Emily, Karen and the others appeared, all of them carrying some bags.


    ¡°Yumi, we brought all the nets we found in the supplies.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good. I think we¡¯re done now. Mr Taddick?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done, alright. Just gotta wait for those guys to finish moving the equipment from that cart to a new one.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡±


    We had to wait for that too. From the looks of it, they were already nearly done. Wasn¡¯t that way too fast?!


    ¡°Well then,let¡¯s do a last check up, girl. By the time we¡¯re done they should be finished with packing there. Let¡¯s just go down the list.¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I held up the list to take a good look at it. Next to the jobs, we had listed all the equipment we needed. Or the necessary personnel. Well, Taddick listed them and I had written them up. He was the one who knew what we needed.


    ¡°All you guys, line up right here now. ¡®Cept the guys packing that cart there. And pronto! Come on, your parents been snails, or what?!¡±


    As he Taddick shouted, the men all scrambled together, lining up in their respective groups in front of us. Before I noticed, Karne, Emily and the girls had moved away from us as well, lining up at the end.


    ¡°Now, Yumi, gimme a rundown on the list. Top to bottom, ya know how. And loud enough that they can hear ya.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay¡­ Then, let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Best we¡¯d go per job, right? Then, the first one was...


    ¡°For the Fire Boars we have¡­ three six-man squads with a box of elemental water stones. Bags, saws and disassembling knives for each of them, as well as buckets. Also a coil of rope.¡±


    I took a short look around the line until I saw the group that just checked if they had everything, then they turned to me and Taddick.


    ¡°All accounted for, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Wow, they called me ma¡¯am.


    I felt a little moved by that.


    Still, to think they need all that stuff...


    It was quite interesting to hear what they needed. The elemental stones were for dousing the fire the boars cloaked themself in. The disassembling knives and bags were easy to guess: They were for taking apart the boars and carrying them back. The saws however? To saw off the tusks and spikes. It was hard to notice due to the flames but the boar was covered in spikes. They were actually what was emitting the flames, it seemed. Not that I ever saw one before, mind you.


    Anyway, it was hard to work with the boar if the spikes weren¡¯t removed. They also tended to cause injuries as well during the disassembly. The rope was to suspend the boar for draining its blood and the buckets to catch the blood.


    All that was rather irregular equipment that they definitely needed. The actual hunting was left up to them. Of the six men in each group, five were carrying metal spears and the last one was carrying either a bow or a crossbow. Taddick told me that due to the thick hide as well as the flames, regular arrows or bolts weren¡¯t enough to hurt it. So they needed special metal arrows and bolts but only a few mercenaries were adept enough with these weapons to use those. Plus, they were expensive.


    ¡°Mm, good. Next one, girl.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Uhm¡­ The next is for the Armoured Lizards. An eight-man squad, bags and nets.¡±


    Once again, I took a look around to find the group in question. They also did a quick check before turning to me.


    ¡°All¡¯s all right, miss!¡±


    This time it¡¯s ¡®miss¡¯, huh¡­.


    This group sounded comparatively lightly equipped to the groups responsible for the boars but¡­ They carried heavier weapons. True to their name, those lizards were incredibly resilient. So resilient, in fact, that they had to bring them back to the camp to take them apart.


    ¡°Next.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Next are the Giant Dragonflies¡ª


    And just like that, we kept continuing our last check-up. There were a total of nineteen jobs on this list. Of those, there were ten requests for simple monster extermination. These groups didn¡¯t need any special equipment, technically, but some of those monsters were still worth a little. In the end, this turned into a huge hunting party. Only four requests were for the collection of herbs or plants and the like. Of course, our group was responsible for those collection requests¡­ Not because they were easy and safe. They were far from it, otherwise the Academy would just do it themselves or hire local civilians. It was just¡­ that we had the resident high elf in our group¡­


    I can only hope this will work out fine...


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi! Look, it¡¯s the forest! The forest!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Emily, I can see it. Now, sit down or you¡¯ll fall out.¡±


    ¡°But the forest!¡±


    ¡°Sit. Down.¡±


    I grabbed Emily by the shoulders and forced her to take a seat again. These carts were far from a comfortable ride and if Emily leaned out, she was bound to fall down and hurt herself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon enough Emily, It¡¯s only a little longer, okay?¡±


    ¡°But, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°No buts.¡±


    The little bundle of energy finally sat down, albeit still glancing towards the forest in question. I¡¯d bet that if I wasn¡¯t careful, she¡¯d just stand up again immediately.


    ¡°Yumi, is everything okay up there?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, yes. Everything¡¯s fine, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s okay.¡°


    For now, at least.


    I looked down from the cart at Karen and the others. It was only the three girls and me who were riding the cart. And no, it wasn¡¯t because I was tired or anything. I was simply taking care of these three. Which was probably more exhausting than just walking alongside the cart¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Maya, how is Sele?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s¡­ not okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Great...¡±


    Sitting opposite of me were Maya and Sele, with Sele laying down on Maya¡¯s lap. The idiot girl had tried to read a book and then got motion sick. Can¡¯t say I was surprised at that in the least. The wagons were quite comfortable rides but with all the shaking and bumping around in these carts, there was no way you could read something.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a little more, Sele. We¡¯re soon there.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Sele groaned in response. At least, she was still alive. And she hadn¡¯t emptied her stomach yet, either. Hopefully, that wouldn¡¯t change.


    With Sele feeling sick and Emily unable to sit still, it had been a rather turbulent ride.


    ¡°Oh well¡­¡±


    I threw a glance forwards, towards the forest. This was, obviously, a different forest from the one we had travelled through on our way to Larfas. The one that had been home to the elves was to the south. And this one was to the west. I first thought that it might be connected to the Wooden Sea but¡­ I was told that it would take weeks until one would reach the Wooden Sea from the capital. Nothing you could reach in a day trip. This was just a local forest.


    ¡°Why is it always forests anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you say something, Yumi?¡± asked Karen, having overheard me.


    ¡°Nn? Ah, just thinking to myself¡­ We¡¯ve been to a few forests already but not really anything else¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that not because there¡¯s only forests around here?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Only forests, huh¡­ Honestly, I would have liked a little bit of variation. Like¡­ Hills and plains, maybe a lake¡­ Not the roper lake, of course. Or a rocky area.


    There were many kinds of landscapes. Yet, it was all forests here¡­ There were a few hills around the capital but not exactly many.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi, do you not like the forest?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no that¡¯s not it, Emily. But you see, I would like to see something different in a while.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t like it¡±


    ¡°No, like I said, I do like them¡­ Ehh¡­ See, if you ate the same food all day, you¡¯d get tired of it, right? It¡¯s similar.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But I can eat meat all day!¡±


    Okay then, little carnivore¡­ I had no idea how to explain it in that case.


    ¡°Anyway, people get tired if it¡¯s always the same. I was just wondering if there are some other places around.¡±


    ¡°The cave,¡± mentioned Karen.


    ¡°Except that one.¡±


    Admittedly, it wasn¡¯t a forest. But it had been inside a forest.


    ¡°I see¡­ So, Yumi, you want to see different places?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I guess you could say it like that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The heck was going with Emily now? She was staring at me¡­ and her face was slowly turning sad with her ears drooping down.


    ¡°Then¡­ If you want to see different places¡­ will you¡­ leave us?¡±


    ¡°Eh? What? Uh? No... No, no, how the heck did you even come to that conclusion? Of course, I¡¯ll stay with you all.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡±


    ¡°Really really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really really. I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°...Ehehe.¡±


    Ahh, she was smiling again, a shy and small smile. Yeah, that suited her a lot better.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Stop flirting and get ready. We¡¯ve arrived?¡±


    ¡°Eh, Sis? I¡¯m not flirting though?¡±


    ¡°Yumi is flirting with me?¡±


    ¡°No, Emily, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°... Not?¡±


    And her ears were drooping again...


    ¡°Wait, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, okay? Of course I am.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe! Yumi is flirting with me!¡±


    Do you even know what that means? And for the love of everything that is holy, please don¡¯t run around saying that.


    On the other hand¡­ Karen was staring at me, judging me.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Sis, don¡¯t look at me like that, you clearly saw I had no choice there!


    What did I do to deserve this?


    ¡°Kids, stop fooling around. We¡¯re here for work, not to play. Unless ya don¡¯t need dinner today, that is.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±We¡¯re sorry.¡±¡±¡±


    And now the driver of the cart was scolding us¡­ This hadn¡¯t even been my fault, right? Why did he scold me too?


    Haa¡­ Whatever¡­ We had arrived at the edge of the forest, so the cart came to a halt. I jumped down so I could take a good look around. Emily was right behind me as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty vast¡­ I know I helped with the preparations and all but how are they even supposed to find some of those monsters?¡±


    Even if the monsters had their own territories, it wasn¡¯t like you were guaranteed to find what you were looking for. Actually, you might run into the monsters that others were looking for. What did you do then?


    ¡°Simple, girl. Even solitary monsters got their own nests and plenty smaller ones live in groups. Especially those close to animals. Well, takes some experience to find them, but it¡¯s not that hard,¡± explained the mercenary who had driven the cart.


    ¡°Huh¡­ And do we know where those nests are?¡±


    ¡°Most of them, yeah. The monsters we just have to get rid of, we just gonna sweep through the forest and clear it out, killing all the ones we find. Not like anyone really cares ¡®bout the number, long it turns lower. Only the guys hunting for materials really gotta worry about finding their quarry.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So that was why the squads for exterminating monsters had roughly the same equipment.


    ¡°Most squads are also gonna bring back their kills here anyway. Even if it didn¡¯t go as planned, just gotta hope someone else ran into them and brought it back. Happens only once a moon, though.¡±


    ¡°That they don¡¯t find their target or that someone else finds it?¡±


    ¡°Both, of course! Wahahahaha!¡±


    Was this really okay? Sounded like a recipe for disaster¡­


    ¡°Now then, gotta go. Ya kids better get moving too if ya don¡¯t wanna skip on dinner.¡±


    ¡°Nn. And thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ya welcome.¡±


    The mercenary left, leaving us only with a quick wave of his hand.


    Now then¡­


    I turned around to Karen and the others. They had already started to unpack the things we needed from the cart. Lily and Rina were helping her while Elma and Nela were helping Sele get down from the cart. Her face was even paler than usual.


    ¡°Sele, you okay?¡± I asked.


    ¡°...¡±


    She shook her hand. Very slowly, probably to not make herself feel even worse.


    ¡°Then, you should sit down and rest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll watch over her.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Maya.¡±


    At least one of them could be counted upon.


    ¡°Me too!¡±


    ¡°Emily, we still need your help.¡±


    ¡°My help?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She was technically the most important person in our group. None of us had a clue about herbs, flowers and so on. And while Emily didn¡¯t exactly know their name or anything, she did know the plants we were looking for.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    Emily started to look back and forth between Sele and me, clearly unsure what to do.


    Thankfully, a saviour came right at that moment.


    ¡°You girls, are you all ready?¡±


    ¡°Merim? You¡¯re already done there?¡±


    ¡°Those old men barely need my help. They know what to do even without me telling them.¡±


    He looked around our group, until his gaze rested on Sele.


    ¡°Motion sickness? Or something else?¡±


    ¡°Nn, motion sickness.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Should hopefully subside in a little.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She already looked a little better than during the ride, at least.


    ¡°Now then, Emily, you know which plants we¡¯re looking for already?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! I do! Yumi told me all about them!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. We¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    After nodding with a smile on his lips, Merim then turned to Karen, Lily and Rina, who just finished getting down the equipment we needed.


    ¡°You girls got everything?¡±


    ¡°Mr Vice-Captain. I think we have everything. Shears with long and short handles, bags for everyone, a saw and a shield.¡±


    ¡°Good. That should be all. Then, all of you, line up.¡±


    Following his words, the nine of us lined up. Well, Sele was still leaning onto Maya, but she was trying her best despite her condition.


    ¡°Jeez, what kind of group am I babysitting here. The men to women ratio is all wrong.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to lead around a group of beautiful girls?¡±


    ¡°Lily, first, I am a married man and second, you¡¯re all too young. Grow a few more years first. Then we can talk.¡±


    He sighed once before moving on.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the point. Our group is going to look for four plants. First are the Slime Flowers. They are large, blue flowers, about half as tall as a grown man. If you get too close to them, they attack you with a spray of acid, so be careful.¡±


    Been wondering about that before already, when I checked the list the first time but¡­ Why weren¡¯t they called Acid Flowers? They had absolutely nothing to do with slimes.


    ¡°The acid isn¡¯t going to kill you but it hurts a ton. Every time we have several people suffering injuries from them. And I can tell you from experience, that¡¯s nothing you want to go through. Also, if it gets into your eyes, you¡¯ll be blind until Ria can treat you. I repeat, be careful.¡±


    So he was one of those casualties¡­


    And acid in the eyes¡­ Yeah¡­ More surprised that Ria could actually treat that.


    ¡°The next one is a flower called the Purple Queen. True to its name, it has a purple flower. The flower itself isn¡¯t dangerous, but sometimes monsters are attracted to it.¡±


    At least the flower itself wasn¡¯t trying to kill us.


    ¡°The third one is the fruit from a tree called the Elven Trap. The tree is carnivorous. Get too close and it tries to eat you. Be careful.¡±


    Oh great, so this one was trying to kill us too? That I didn¡¯t know. Though I half suspected it with that name.


    ¡°The last one is a plant called Silver Moon¡¯s Grace. It¡¯s a magical herb and rather hard to find during the day. Except for it being elusive, there¡¯s not much to say about it, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn? During the day?¡±


    That was a slightly odd way of phrasing it.


    ¡°Yes, the day. The blossoms of the Silver Moon¡¯s Grace only open up during the night and only when the moon shines on them. They¡¯re easy to find then but you also don¡¯t want to be in the forest at those times.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    A flower that only blossomed at night, huh. Sounded nice.


    ¡°With that said, thanks to Emily here we should be able to find them even during the day. Emily, can you do it?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°... I thought Yumi told you all about them? Shouldn¡¯t that be enough?¡±


    ¡°She did! But I don¡¯t know about this forest. I¡¯ll have to ask them first if they can help.¡±


    ¡°... Please do.¡±


    Merim rubbed the bridge of his nose while sighing.


    ¡°Be that as it may, do you have any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mr¡­ Merim?¡±


    ¡°Yes? You¡­ Your name was¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Nela.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, Nela. Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Karker told us to come along and help but.... Is this safe?¡±


    Nela glanced along our line, specifically towards Emily, Maya and Sele. Was she worried about those three? Or was she worried that this group wasn¡¯t able to protect themselves?


    ¡°No job is perfectly safe in our line of work. With that said, it¡¯s a lot safer than directly fighting with monsters. I know that you two are just guests helping out, but for those girls, a job like this also doubles as their training. That¡¯s why I am the only one coming along.¡±


    Huh¡­ So that was the reason he was our sole supervisor.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Nel. It¡¯s just some flowers and plants.¡±


    ¡°But El¡­ He said some were dangerous¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still just flowers.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you say so.¡±


    Apparently, that argument somehow managed to convince Nela. But it was only Nela who got convinced by this. Unsurprisingly, Merim started to grin, hearing that short discussion. This¡­ I had a bad feeling about this.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°I do, Mr Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Karen, what is it?¡±


    ¡°For¡­ what do we need the shield?¡±


    Hearing that question, Merim¡¯S grin only grew wider.


    ¡°I told you about the Slime Flower and the Elven Trap, right? You need that shield if you want to get close to them.¡±


    ¡°But will this shield even survive the acid?¡±


    ¡°No worries about that, there. That shield is durable enough.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows but didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°¡®Kay then, anything else?¡±


    Silence¡­ Nobody said anything.


    ¡°Great. Then let¡¯s get a move on. Lily, Karen, Yumi, Rina, you four carry the equipment. Lily takes the shield. Emily, we¡¯re counting on you. When we enter the forest, you¡¯ll have to tell us where to go.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Uncle Merim!¡±


    Emily replied, full of energy as usual.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    Lily handed us bags and shears. The equipment we needed. Then, she leaned a little forward.


    ¡°You two, be careful. Merim is planning something.¡±


    ¡°... You think so too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is probably not telling us something. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be really dangerous, but be careful.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We¡¯ll take care.¡±


    ¡°Good then!¡±


    Lily grinned at my response, then turned around and went back to Rina, handing her the equipment as well. Those two were spending a lot of time together recently¡­ I felt a little lonely, to be honest.


    ¡°Yumi, something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, it¡¯s nothing. Just glad to see Lily and Rina getting along.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ They get along a little too well¡­ I barely talked with Rina since we came back¡­ Or Lily, for that matter... Haaa...¡±


    Karen watched Lily and Rina with a wry smile on her lips.


    ¡°Feeling lonely?¡±


    ¡°A little, yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ Nothing we can do about, though.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ I don¡¯t really want to get between them either.¡±


    Karen scratched the back of her head and then turned to me.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The two of us did a last check-up, making sure that everything was in order.


    Right when we finished, Merim was clapping his hands to get our attention.


    ¡°Okay, you girls. Let¡¯s get going! Don¡¯t forget to be careful and make sure not to get separated. If you see a monster or something else that is dangerous, tell me immediately! You got that!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good! Then, let¡¯s do this!¡±

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Flower Hunting

    ¡°Mm¡­ That way! I think!¡±


    ¡°That way?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Okay then. That way we go.¡±


    With Emily deciding our direction, we slowly made our way into the forest. There wasn¡¯t a lot of undergrowth so advancing was pretty fast. Faster than in the forest around that roper cave.


    Nonetheless, visibility was still quite limited.


    ¡°Merim, are you sure it¡¯s fine to just¡­ leisurely stroll around? Shouldn¡¯t we be careful of monsters?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now. The edge of the forest isn¡¯t particularly dangerous. And if we already start keeping up our guard from this point on, we¡¯ll just get tired quickly and start jumping at shadows. That¡¯d be even more dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Well, you couldn¡¯t be on guard all the time, but this was still a forest with monsters, right?


    ¡°Yumi, he¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Nn? You think so too, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even if we were to encounter anything here, there shouldn¡¯t be any strong monsters. Those are deeper into the forest. Also, the Vice-Captain probably knows what type of monsters are in this area.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I do indeed know.¡±


    ¡°So there are monsters here, after all¡­¡±


    Well, but if he deemed it to be fine even with the three little ones¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying they aren¡¯t dangerous but they are something all of you can handle with ease. We actually passed some of them already.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    We passed them already?


    Frantically, I watched my surroundings but¡­ there was nothing in sight¡­


    ¡°A little lower.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Your sight. Watch the ground.¡±


    The ground?


    On the ground wasn¡¯t anything of note, though¡­ While there was little undergrowth, it was still filled with small bushes, leaves, even mushrooms and other things. Small animals as well¡­ A brown rabbit, it seemed. It was watching us, not shy at all. I always thought rabbits were easily scared away.


    Other than that, there was nothing here.


    ¡°... You aren¡¯t going to tell me it¡¯s that rabbit, is it?¡±


    ¡°I am going to tell you that it is, indeed, the rabbit.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°By the way, that¡¯s the fourth rabbit we passed. The other three are following behind us.¡±


    Great¡­ Monster rabbits.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t strong but they can still take a decent bite out of your arm, so don¡¯t let them take the jump at you. They hunt in packs though and prepare ambushes. They won¡¯t attack yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly relieving me, you know?¡±


    I returned my gaze to Emily, Maya and Sele. Together with Nela and Elma, they were making their way through the forest, laughing all the while. They treated it as if it was a field trip¡­


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we get rid of them?¡±


    ¡°We will, but not now. Or rather, you girls will. On one side, I want to see what you and Karen are capable of in an actual combat situation. On the other, it¡¯s good training. Everyone has to start small and Demon Rabbits are a good start.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    A good start, huh¡­


    Well, if he phrased it like that. My life in the future was sure going to be dangerous, so getting used to things like this¡­ was probably a necessity.


    ¡°We¡¯re also going to see if we can find other monsters around to practice on, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I fear that I¡¯ll worry anyways.¡±


    ¡°Figured you would.¡±


    Merim gave me a strained smile, then pat my head.


    ¡°Being overly careful is at least a better starting point than being foolish and reckless.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, Demon Rabbits aren¡¯t all that dangerous. Don¡¯t let them bite you and you are good. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Merim nodded, satisfied.


    ¡°Ah, Emily, Maya, don¡¯t stray too far away!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    What the heck were those girls doing¡­


    Ah, they were running back, carrying something.


    ¡°Uncle Merim, Uncle Merim! Look! We caught one!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In Emily¡¯s arms¡­ was a rabbit¡­ Yeah, the exact kind we were just talking about.


    ¡°You girls¡­ Don¡¯t just approach them, they¡¯re still dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But look! They¡¯re so fluffy and cute!¡±


    Emily and Maya started patting and fluffing it.


    ¡°Kshaaaa!¡±


    ¡°Wah! It got angry!¡±


    Holy shit, those teeth!


    Rabbits should be vegetarians and not possess a set of fangs! Scary!


    And yet, she was still holding the rabbit, even as it tried to struggle from her grasp and bite them¡­ A clearly futile attempt¡­


    ¡°Merim, I feel stupid for worrying.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯d prefer it if you still worried a little. Emily, give me that rabbit, we can¡¯t have it hurt you girls.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, but Uncle Merim¡­ Ah, don¡¯t!¡±


    Without mercy, Merim grabbed the rabbit by the scruff of its neck and pulled it out of Emily¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Uhhh! Uncle Merim, you meanie!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a monster, not a pet¡­ Woah!¡±


    The rabbit was now reaching out for Merim and trying to bite him. All the while it was flailing with his legs. Quite the¡­ lively rabbit. It would¡¯ve been cute if it wasn¡¯t baring those fangs at us that looked utterly out of place for a rabbit.


    ¡°Jeez, what do I do with this one now¡­ Can¡¯t have you get in our way yet, so off you¡­ GO!¡±


    Today I learnt: Rabbits could fly. Of course, only with sufficient arm strength. And Merim had more than enough of that. I didn¡¯t even see it landing¡­ Actually, that it didn¡¯t just hit a tree was even more surprising.


    ¡°Ahhh! It¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Merim¡­¡±


    ¡°Maya, don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m responsible for you girls and if that thing takes a bite out of you, that¡¯s not funny. For neither of us.¡±


    ¡°... Meanie.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ so unreasonable.¡±


    He sighed, shrugging with his shoulders.


    ¡°You can complain all you want later. But we¡¯re working now¡­ Emily, are we still walking in the right direction?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Emily?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf! We are!¡±


    Emily turned away from Merim, took Maya¡¯s hand and walked off, leading the way together with the other girls.


    Was she¡­ sulking?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ why are children always like this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t have flung that rabbit away?¡±


    ¡°What else was I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°... Explain it to them and then let it go elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°It would¡¯ve just attacked us immediately if I didn¡¯t throw it.¡±


    ¡°Tough luck.¡±


    Life was unreasonable. And children even more so.


    ¡°Karen, could you go and watch those girls for me? Wait, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Sis, ran after them already.¡±


    She, Rina and Lily had watched the short exchange as well. And right after Emily stormed off, she ran after her. Most likely to calm her down.


    ¡°So reliable.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Hey, Lily. Did anything change with the rabbits following us? I lost track of them.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still following us. A total of seven now. The one you threw ran away, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Good. Worst case, it would¡¯ve scared the other rabbits away as well. Seems we got lucky.¡±


    ¡°... Was that really lucky?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    Merim sighed once more. And probably not the last time today either¡­


    ¡°Uncle Merim! Uncle Merim! We found it!¡±


    ¡°Already? That was quick.¡±


    Only a short while later, the three girls all came running towards us again, reporting their new find with big smiles. As if the previous incident had never happened.


    ¡°The Slime Flowers, huh. And you didn¡¯t approach it either. Good girls.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! The trees said not to touch it because it doesn¡¯t like to listen. So we stayed away!¡±


    ¡°... That so?¡±


    Merim raised an eyebrow for a moment, then dismissed the whole thing and turned to Karen.


    ¡°Lily, take point, shield up. Yumi, stand behind Lily and the shield. You just need to knock the flower over with your hair, no need to do anything complicated. Everyone else, step back a little.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    Lily heaved up the rather large shield, holding up in front of her. It wasn¡¯t covering her whole body but still quite a bit. Then, she faced the single flower that was standing lonely between the trees. I heard it was tall but it was¡­ really tall. About as tall as I was. The blue blossom was accordingly as large as a person¡¯s head. It didn¡¯t look particularly noteworthy otherwise.


    ¡°Yumi, get behind me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I did as she told me and stood behind her. Together, we slowly approached the flower. It didn¡¯t react until we were maybe two or three steps away from it. A small rustle could be heard from behind the shield.


    ¡°It noticed us, huh. Yumi, get ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Feeling a little nervous, I wondered how close we¡¯d approach. Until¡­


    Bong!


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I think it spit some acid at the shield. Yumi, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Acid, huh¡­


    I stood as close to the shield as I could. I only had to knock it over. That wouldn¡¯t require a lot of strength, probably. Plus, I could feel the flower¡¯s position thanks to the mana it contained, even through the shield.


    ¡°Then, here I go.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, I moved my hair, around the shield towards the flower. The easiest thing to do was obviously just trying to sweep around the general area.  Hopefully, that¡¯d knock it down.


    I swung my hair at the flower and¡­ beautifully failed.


    ¡°A little more strength is required, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... I noticed.¡±


    Guess, this flower wasn¡¯t that easy to knock down¡­


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ What to do...¡±


    ¡°How about just pulling on it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Bong!


    Oh, it hit the shield again.


    ¡°Preferably before the shield gets too damaged.¡±


    ¡°Nn....¡±


    Pulling it, huh¡­


    I moved my hair towards the flower. Not being able to see it directly was actually a bit of a challenge¡­ Sure, I could see the mana, but it was different from actually seeing it. Still, I somehow managed to wrap my hair around it. Now, hopefully my hair had enough strength to pull it down.


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Come on, you¡¯re just a flower. An acid-spitting flower, sure, but just a flower! Fall down!


    Alas, unable to receive my complaints, the flower kept standing¡­ My hair wasn¡¯t even enough to pull a flower¡­ Really?


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°The heck are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Trying to knock over the flower?¡±


    ¡°... You do know that you¡¯re making this more complicated than necessary, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    More complicated than necessary?


    While I wondered what the heck she was talking about, Lily was just smirking at my confusion. Until she finally revealed it.


    ¡°You do know you could just pull with your hands, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Ah.


    Ah.


    ¡°You never saw that.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I think everyone watched you, though.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, something like this had to happen, didn¡¯t it?


    I took hold of my hair that was wrapping around the flower on the other side and promptly pulled it. There was a surprising amount of resistance. Still, a few seconds later, I could feel the resistance ebbing away and the flower falling over on the other side.


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s get the flower and move on.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Lily peeked behind the shield, making sure that the flower wasn¡¯t going to harm us anymore.


    ¡°Looks good.¡±


    She put the shield away, revealing the scenery behind it. The flower that had been standing there just a little prior was now on the ground, the blossom facing down into the ground. The fact that it was twitching gave me the creeps, honestly. Flowers weren¡¯t supposed to move like that.


    ¡°Mm, that went quite well for the first one, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Merim.¡±


    The others had come over as soon as they saw that the flower wasn¡¯t a danger anymore. Merim took the small saw and went over to the flower, cutting it off at the root. With a last few twitches, the flower finally stopped moving.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first Slime Flower done.¡±


    ¡°... The first?¡±


    ¡°We need a few of them.¡±


    So I had to do this a few more times?


    ¡°Will the shield hold up that long?¡±


    ¡°It will, no worries. You were rather fast so it¡¯s no¡ª Woah!¡±


    Merim, who was in the middle of picking up the flower, suddenly jumped backwards. Something fell down from the blossom in the flower¡­ The corpse of a small critter.


    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s quite¡­ disgusting¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The corpse was half digested already, so it wasn¡¯t a pleasant sight. The halfway molten bones and organs¡­ Uhhh¡­ It made me feel a little sick¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s what I hate about these jobs. Haa...  Let¡¯s move on quickly.¡°


    Merim stowed the flower into a bag and beckoned us away from the scene. Our two guest companions, Elma and Nela, had both already turned away, looking a little sick.


    ¡°Emily, there should be other flowers close-by. Do you know where?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think over there is one!¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    We went into the direction Emily had pointed at and sure enough, a few minutes of walking we found yet another Slime Flower.


    ¡°Good, good. Hopefully there are enough of these in the area. Now then¡­ Karen, you go this time.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Huh, so it wasn¡¯t me doing it this time?


    ¡°Take the shield and get the flower.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Should I knock the flower just over with the shield?¡±


    ¡°How you do it is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Karen received the shield from Lily. I only saw it now, but there was a darkened spot right in the middle of it. That must have been where the acid had hit it earlier.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good luck, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    With a smile, Karen held up the shield and slowly approached towards the flower. At a steady pace.


    Bong!


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    She tumbled a little backwards.


    Much to my surprise. It hadn¡¯t seemed like Lily had any problems with it. She didn¡¯t budge. Yet, Karen, who was physically quite strong, was forced back.


    ¡°Mm¡­ As expected,¡± murmured Merim.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Merim?¡±


    ¡°Karen has a lot of strength but her own weight is that of a normal girl. You don¡¯t need a lot of strength to force her back. And no matter how strong she is, she¡¯ll just get forced back by anyone¡ªor anything¡ªheavier than her.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Her own weight, huh. But how did Lily manage then?


    In the meantime, Karen had approached even closer to the flower, standing right before it now. With a Bonk she knocked it over. A little anticlimactic, to be honest¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s get that flower.¡±


    Merim walked up to the flower and retrieved it promptly. This time, no critter corpse fell out, thankfully.


    Once finished, he turned to Karen.


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything about what he told me just now. Well, he¡¯d probably talk with her about it?


    ¡°Now then, off to the next. Emily, lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Uncle Merim!¡±


    We proceeded from one flower to the next, always someone else having to take care of it. Merim decided whether they should do it alone or with someone else. The ones who could carry the shield on their own¡ªnamely Karen, Lily and Rina¡ªjust walked up to the flowers and knocked them down. Although, Rina actually lost her footing and on her back. The shield covered her so she didn¡¯t get injured by the flower but still.


    Everyone else had to get¡­ a little more creative.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s enough of these.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I peeked into the bag where Merim had just stuffed in the final Slime Flower. A good dozen of them were stuffed inside, stem and flower all. He wasn¡¯t exactly gentle with them either¡­ Was this fine?


    ¡°Now then, that¡¯s the first of four done. It¡¯s the most troublesome too.¡±


    Merim was holding the shield, looking at the front of it. The repeated hits of acid had done quite a bit of damage after all. He poked the darkened spot and¡­ stabbed through the shield.


    ¡°Guess this one¡¯s a goner, huh. At least it didn¡¯t break earlier.¡±


    ¡°Mr Vice-Captain, was it really okay to use the shield for this?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Yes, it¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it, Karen. We¡¯ll just hand this over to the blacksmiths and they¡¯ll recycle it somehow. I think.¡±


    ¡°... Is that really okay?¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows at his nonchalant reply.


    ¡°Rather than that, Karen, what did you think after using this shield?¡±


    ¡°My thoughts?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ It¡¯s hard to see the surroundings and what is directly in front of you if you hold it up. Also, I was a bit surprised at how strong the impact was.¡±


    Karen had taken the shield two more times after this, and each time, she was tumbling a little when the flower shot the acid at the shield.


    ¡°Projectiles have a lot of strength behind them. An arrow would be even worse, not to mention a crossbow bolt. It¡¯s easy to mistake the danger they pose. Don¡¯t forget that feeling.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Vice-Captain!¡±


    ¡°Mm. We¡¯ll talk a little more about this when we are back at the camp again. Next¡­¡±


    After talking to Karen, he turned towards me.


    ¡°Yumi, do you like rabbits?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhm¡­ they are cute, so I guess I do?¡±


    Assuming there were normal rabbits around.


    ¡°Mm. I wonder if you still like them later.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You got a bit of a problem with your attention span¡­ or maybe your awareness of your surroundings. You completely forgot that the Demon Rabbits were still following us, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    He was right. They¡­ did slip from my mind.


    ¡°Lily, how many are following us?¡±


    ¡°They increased to fourteen a while ago, then two left. Just now, one of them came back so it¡¯s thirteen. They¡¯re still keeping their distance and watching.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, good job.¡±


    Merim nodded, satisfied with her answer.


    ¡°Having a lack of awareness of your surroundings can be fatal in combat. The Captain mentioned that you also keep forgetting other things, like with reports.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for apologies, Yumi. It¡¯s not really anything you have to apologise for. It would be better, of course, if you could fix that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    Korwen did scold me before for forgetting stuff, didn¡¯t he¡­ And that wasn¡¯t the only time...


    ¡°Oddly enough, the Captain said that you do secretarial work just fine. I wonder why that is¡­ It might have to do with how you approach this work so I¡¯m fairly sure we can do something there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? How I approach it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, this is just my guess, judging from my experience training other recruits before. Some of them were quite sloppy early on but improved a lot later on. You might just have to get used to things and it might get better on its own.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Getting used to this, huh¡­ Well, I certainly couldn¡¯t claim that I was used to everything yet.


    ¡°Other than that, there¡¯s not much to say for me. Just, don¡¯t forget the simple solutions, yes?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I¡¯d try not to forget that I could just pull with my hands the next time, yes.


    ¡°Good. Well, let¡¯s see¡­ Lily¡­ Not much to say to you.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit?¡±


    ¡°Not even a little bit.¡±


    Merim sighed and turned around, before Lily could continue to annoy him.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Let¡¯s continue this talk later. Emily, we¡¯ll go look for the Elven Trap. Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Emily?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Merim, what is the Elven trap?¡±


    ¡°... Your memory needs to get fixed too.¡±


    He rubbed the bridge of his nose and then explained to her once more what we were looking for.


    ¡°A fruit? From a tree that eats?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me, Uncle Merim!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    Now, with the Emily Radar once again working, we went our way, deeper into the forest.


    A short while later¡­ we had a little bit of an encounter.


    ¡°Vice-Captain, there are some people over there.¡±


    ¡°People? Oh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    A little further, a group of five men was making your way in our direction. They were all armed and raising their hands in a greeting.


    ¡°Vice-Captain, Sir!¡±


    ¡°You all¡­ the group hunting for the Armoured Lizards? Weren¡¯t there more of you?¡±


    The squad was supposed to be eight men. And I was fairly certain they had been eight before.


    ¡°Yes, in regards to that¡­ We had some injuries.¡±


    ¡°Injuries? Against Armoured Lizards?¡±


    ¡°No, we actually haven¡¯t found any of those yet. No, we were attacked by people.¡±


    Merim¡¯s expression hardened the moment the man said that.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°A group of four hooded men ambushed us, shooting arrows in our direction. We suffered a few injuries before we could take cover. After that, the men simply vanished.¡±


    ¡°They randomly attacked you and then vanished?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The man reporting this seemed to be just as confused as Merim.


    ¡°They hadn¡¯t said anything, they only shot arrows at us and then disappeared. We could make out it was four men before we took cover but that is all.¡±


    ¡°... Harassment, maybe? No, then they would have continued for longer... Mm¡­ How bad are the injuries?¡±


    ¡°Minor cuts, for the most part. We have one arrow wound from the initial surprise, but nothing more. Just¡­ it seems the arrows were laced with a paralysing poison.¡±


    ¡°Paralysing? I see. Okay, you and your squad, return to the makeshift camp before the forest. Send a messenger to the Captain informing him. Go.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Vice-Captain.¡±


    The man saluted before leaving with his comrades. Even after they had left our sight, Merim was still staring into the air, seemingly lost in thought.


    ¡°Merim?¡±


    ¡°... One moment, I am thinking.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    We kept quiet after that, until he finally opened his mouth again.


    ¡°Things might get serious soon.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Change of plans. We¡¯re going to meet up with the other squads in the forest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I kind of expected him to say that we¡¯d return as well. But meeting up with the others?


    ¡°I think I have an idea what is happening. They might actually look for our group.¡±


    ¡°Our group? But why?¡±


    ¡°Did you forget?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Merim looked over his shoulder, towards the two girls in the back.


    ¡°Remember what the Dragon Knights job was with those two?¡±


    ¡°... Protecting.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    The two girls, having realised what Merim was talking about, gasped.


    ¡°Yo, You mean¡­ They¡¯re looking for El and me?!¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t we return immediately?¡±


    ¡°No, that is the most dangerous option.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The most dangerous option.


    ¡°They¡¯d wait for us at the edge of the forest?¡±


    ¡°Correct, Yumi. Getting back to the camp would indeed be the safest, but our way back is predictable. They¡¯d just have to intercept us on our way back and attack. On the other hand, the forest is a natural maze. It¡¯s hard finding us here. But¡­¡±


    Merim broke out into a grin.


    ¡°Emily, can you lead us to the other squads?¡±


    ¡°The others? I think I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Ah. Emily could easily find and navigate her way through the forest. Being the elf she was, the forest accommodated her.


    ¡°And Emily.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... I might have to ask you to use magic.¡±


    ¡°... Eh? I can use magic?!¡±


    ¡°I might ask you to. Don¡¯t do anything until I give you permission, understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes! I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Just make sure to be ready for it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Emily was grinning, a big smile on her face. She was really happy to be told that she could use magic. Maya and Sele though¡­ They turned pale.


    No, what the heck? Is Emily¡¯s magic that scary?


    They stopped her from using it before as well¡­


    ¡°For now, lead the way. Lily, you guard Emily. Karen and Yumi, you take the rear. Everyone else stays close to me. Maya, Sele, I know you have your crossbows with you, so get those ready.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, Uncle Merim.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone quickly took their positions.


    ¡°Stay aware of your surroundings. This isn¡¯t training anymore. If you notice anything, immediately inform me. No matter how small or irrelevant it seems.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡±


    With the exception of Elma and Nela, everyone responded to Merim. He nodded, then directed his gaze to me.


    ¡°Yumi. Should it come to it, use your magic without restraint.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    In other words, it was better having the secret revealed over¡­ dying, for example. But, whether I could actually¡­ No, I had to, if it came to it. I told myself to get a grip.


    Of course, preferably, we wouldn¡¯t encounter anyone.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s move out. Emily, you give the directions.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°Also, avoid any people that don¡¯t belong to the mercenaries. Taking a long detour is fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Uncle Merim!¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    And so, with Emily in the lead, instead of hunting for flowers, we were searching for the other mercenaries.


    Still, I hoped, we wouldn¡¯t have to encounter those hooded men.


    Rinne


    Thanks for reading. Stay safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Walking Disaster

    ¡°Mhm¡­ I think these are from the others we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Merim?¡±


    ¡°Fairly sure, Yumi.. The footprints are deep and the shape looks similar to the greaves we commonly use. Also the footprints are fairly deep. I don¡¯t think our¡­ pursuers would use heavy equipment in a forest.¡±


    I¡¯d like to ask why the heck the other mercenaries are using heavy equipment then but¡­ Well, they were hunting monsters and not other people.


    ¡°We should have taken someone along who has hunting and tracking experience¡­ They¡¯d probably know more than me.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We didn¡¯t, though.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t¡­ Seriously, why don¡¯t you or Karen have some experience with that? Didn¡¯t you live on your own?¡±


    ¡°The slums aren¡¯t exactly a forest for hunting.¡±


    And the one time we decided to go there to procure food, we only walked along the edge of the forest. We only entered it with Lily back then.


    ¡°Guess nothing I can do about¡­ Anyway. Emily, how is it looking?¡±


    ¡°Mmhhh? Mh¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I shouldn¡¯t have thrown all that responsibility to you.¡±


    Merim pat Emily¡¯s head in an attempt to cheer her up.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s follow these tracks. Just tell us when you notice anything, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡±


    She nodded a little, barely noticeable.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue. If you see anything, don¡¯t forget to mention it immediately, understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes!¡±¡±¡±


    We answered in a chorus. Everyone took it quite seriously.


    In a slow but steady pace, our group made its way through the forest. But considering how vast it was¡­ I walked ahead a little, to Merim.


    ¡°Merim¡­ Are you sure we can find them in here?¡±


    ¡°... We will. I do have a general idea of where we are, after all.¡±


    ¡°Eh? You do? In this forest?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Who do you think I am? Traversing a forest isn¡¯t a first for me. Also, this forest is known territory for us. We frequently do jobs for the Academy here.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So he did know where we were. And probably, where the other groups had their areas as well. As expected of our vice-captain. Suddenly, he beckoned me to come closer.


    ¡°With that said, it¡¯s nonetheless not easy at all. Don¡¯t let her hear that but I really counted on Emily.¡±


    ¡°Nn... ¡°


    I glanced a little behind us, where the others were. We had changed our formation a little after Emily had met some troubles. Since Merim was now leading us, he was walking in the front. Lily was making up the rear and everyone else was kind of huddled up in the middle, with Karen and I making up the flanks. Though I was walking next to him right now, since he called me over.


    ¡°¡±The forest doesn¡¯t know what to look for¡­ Seriously¡­ If you have anything that could help us, now¡¯s a good time to pack it out.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Something that might help us¡­


    There was something I could think of but¡­


    ¡°I¡­ could try something but¡­¡±


    ¡°... But?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have to concentrate for it, I guess? I don¡¯t even really know if it would work.¡±


    ¡°Concentrate, you say. Does it take long?¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work out, I should notice it quite quickly. I don¡¯t think it will take long.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see his expression very well from my position, but it seemed like he was thinking. Then, he lifted his hand, telling everyone to stop.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t take long, I¡¯ll bet on it for now.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, understood.¡±


    The others seemed a little confused why we already stopped again and Karen walked up to us.


    ¡°Mr Vice-Captain, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yumi will try something, so we¡¯re making a short stop.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi?¡±


    With an expression of doubt, Karen¡¯s glance wandered to me.


    Thank you for the trust, there.


    ¡°Sis, could you hold my hand?¡±


    ¡°... Yumi, what are you going to try?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later. I just don¡¯t want to walk into something.¡±


    It¡¯d be a little hard to explain this to everyone else here right now.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Okay. Here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I took the hand she offered me, then faced forwards. And closed my eyes.


    Everything became dark around me. Except¡­ Not quite.


    It¡¯s really easier to see them like this¡­


    When my eyes were open, it was most of the time barely noticeable. And it wasn¡¯t exactly something that could help me most of the time anyway. Actually, it probably could¡­ But with my eyes closed like this¡­


    Those are¡­ animals, I guess? Their souls are pretty small¡­ So they have them too...


    I figured that monsters weren¡¯t directly visible to me, considering that I hadn¡¯t seen anything from Yumelia¡¯s puppets either. Nor from the Demon Rabbits a while earlier. In that case, the small souls that were moving around without any order, in various directions and even up into the sky, probably were all animals. Seeing them like this¡­ The forest was really full of life. It¡¯d be pretty hard to find what I was looking for in this¡­


    Something a little larger, maybe¡­ A little larger¡­ Oh?


    It seemed I found something. A small group of souls that wasn¡¯t moving. And in fact, right ahead¡­ of us?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Merim?¡±


    ¡°Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ think I did. There¡¯s a group¡­ right in front of us¡­ Still a little away but¡­¡±


    How should I say that¡­


    ¡°Four people, forming a pretty large half-circle. The open side facing us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He fell silent.


    Well, I could understand his feelings. This was beyond my expectations too.


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Yet, he first asked this.


    ¡°Uhm...I think even further away is another group? I am not quite sure but they don¡¯t seem to be moving either. And¡­ It¡¯s a pretty large group. Like, around two dozen of them.¡±


    ¡°... That could be them. Haaaa.¡±


    Merim let out a really, really long sigh.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m really glad I bet on this. Why can¡¯t every magician use magic like that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Probably because normal people weren¡¯t supposed to see souls.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I won¡¯t pry. Not now.¡±


    ... So you will later.


    ¡°The immediate problems are those four waiting ahead. I thought they weren¡¯t all that skilled, seeing that they showed themselves to the other group.... Wait¡­ Yumi, do you see any other groups like that around?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhm¡­¡±


    I looked to the sides, trying to look through the sea of souls for anything worth noting.


    ¡°... There¡¯s another, in that direction. Four people, forming a half-circle. But, facing away from us.¡±


    ¡°Any more?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Ah, there are again four?¡±


    ¡°Another half-circle?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Facing to the right.¡±


    ¡°... I see. That¡¯s their plan.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, try to find all of them and tell me where they are.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Okay...¡±


    I was a little confused but Merim seemed to have gotten an idea. And so, I told him where they all were. I was fairly sure I got them all after checking each direction twice over. A total of fourteen groups. Fourteen. And there probably were more even further away. But I couldn¡¯t make them out that well so¡­


    ¡°Mr Vice.Captain, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s simple, really. Human wave tactics. Honestly, it¡¯s a little surprising but it still fits what we expected. They¡¯re setting up ambush points throughout the forest along paths and trails, hoping that one squad gets the right target. They probably have a hunter or a tracker among them to know our likely routes.¡±


    Wait, all these people were the ones we wanted to avoid?


    ¡°Yumi, one squad, you said, wasn¡¯t forming a half-circle but instead moving about. Right behind us.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Those were probably the ones that our other squad met earlier.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    They had already ambushed a group so they either had to set up a new ambush or they were taking a break. Maybe they were even packing and going home.


    ¡°This is really convenient¡­ Really convenient.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A wide grin was adorning his face. And it wasn¡¯t the gentle kind. No, it was the face of someone who had a really, really bad idea. A bad idea for his victims.


    ¡°Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice-Captain?¡±


    ¡°I have a job for you. One that you will like.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to advance as planned until we are barely out of sight of our ambushers. Lily, you¡¯re going to take Yumi along and attack them.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    Lily was literally beaming at those words. Contrary to me, obviously. Why should she take me along?!


    ¡°Yes, really. Let one of them escape and take one captive. Don¡¯t care about the other two.¡±


    ¡°What if the guy refuses to escape?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find a way. You¡¯re a mercenary, you know what to do. Scare him away.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Scare them away, he said? That¡­ I had a bad feeling about that.


    ¡°Mr Vice-captain, I wi¡ª¡±You will stay here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine. But if anyone unexpectedly attacks¡ªor if a monster shows up¡ªI don¡¯t want all our fighting strength there. Speaking of which, Yumi. Can you locate monsters like that too?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ But I¡¯m not sure. I think I can see other animals but...¡±


    Thinking about it, I could see my own soul¡­ And the little strand connecting it with Karen¡¯s. I had also been able to see the dolls¡¯ tiny souls. But not the ones of those puppets. I¡¯d have to take a closer look at a monster to know that. Shame I hadn¡¯t done that when we were at the roper cave. But I probably would¡¯ve noticed if I could see them...


    ¡°Mm. Then I won¡¯t count on it for now and assume you can¡¯t. In that case, we should still stay careful. Emily, rather than looking for people, can you have the forest look if monsters approach us?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Yes, I can!¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    A small, evil-sounding chuckle escaped Merim.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this. Let the ambushers turn ambushed.¡±


    A short while later, we had approached the ambusher group as far as we could. Or at least, as far as Merim deemed it safe. Even if they should be among the more experienced, they¡¯d have trouble knowing that we were here at this range. Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°We will wait here. In the off-case that things go awry, we¡¯ll take a detour towards the large group Yumi found. Lily, Yumi. Should we get separated for whatever reason, the first potential stop is the large group. Second is the base at the forest and final is the camp. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°All clear, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, may the Blessings of the Lord of War and the Great Spirit of the Dragons be with you. Go and make us proud.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The blessings of the Lord of War and the Great Spirit of the Dragons¡­


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Lily saluted to Merim and I copied her to the best of my ability. Needless to say, that got me a little laugh from Merim.


    ¡°You still got to practice that a little,¡± he commented.


    Anyway, with that done, the two of us made our way towards our ambushers together. For the record, Lily was carrying her large Zweih?nder, resting it on her shoulder. I was a little worried about that way of carrying it, but it was safe according to her. The blade wasn¡¯t so sharp that it would cut into her clothing and armour without pushing it. Barely any sword could do that through their own weight alone, apparently.


    ¡°Is it really fine to go from the front, though?¡±


    ¡°We want to make an impression on the guy escaping, of course we go from the front.¡±


    ¡°Why do we even need to have one escape?¡±


    That part felt a little odd to me.


    ¡°They won¡¯t mess with us if they know we got methods to track them. It¡¯s a show of force, so to say. That¡¯s half the reason you¡¯re here too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here as a show of force?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll be showing me where they hide, right? Obviously, they¡¯ll see that as well. And if we boldly bring you along, they might suspect your ability isn¡¯t unique. They likely know we have multiple magicians.¡±


    So, we were making them believe that we had simple methods of tracking them. In which case, an ambush might definitely not work in their favour.


    ¡°Assassins and the like aren¡¯t good at direct combat. Although, these are probably just some thugs with a little bit of experience in hunting or killing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still pretty scary.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m scarier.¡±


    ¡°If that was supposed to calm me down. It didn¡¯t.¡±


    Who the heck would say something like that?


    ¡°Well then, I think we¡¯re close enough now, aren¡¯t we? They should¡¯ve noticed us by now. But really, I can¡¯t see them at all¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Give me a moment.¡±


    They were indeed close. If I ran, it wouldn¡¯t take more than a few seconds to reach the closest one. They were still hiding, though.


    ¡°Blatantly point where the four are.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Okay then: There, behind that tree. Then, over there, in the tree top. That one is also in the tree top and the last one is behind that tree.¡±


    ¡°Two on the ground, two in the trees. Simple enough. Stay right behind me. Also, watch the trees.¡±


    Watch the trees? What was that supposed to mean? Well, whatever.


    ¡°Nn, I wi¡ª Lily?!¡±


    All of a sudden, this girl broke out into a sprint, heading directly for the first guy I pointed at. She grabbed the Zweih?nder with both hands and prepared to swing it. A large swing. In the middle of the forest? There were trees all around her?!


    ¡°Lily, wait, the trees!¡±


    Since she told me to stay right behind her, I ran after her. Quite a bit slower, thanks to the undergrowth. I wanted to warn her that the trees were in the way but¡­ An ear-deafening sound of crushed wood echoed through the forest as Lily mercilessly cleaved through entire trees. An inhuman show of strength.


    Wait, is this what she meant when she said to watch the trees?!


    With the crushed trunks, the trees fell down one after another, in every possible direction. Including mine.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°First one down. You fine there?¡±


    ¡°Ye, Yes¡­¡±


    I expected a lot but not that I would have to dodge a tree of all things¡­


    ¡°Now then, guess they figured it out. Be careful.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She said the first was down¡­ Did she actually¡­ There was blood on her sword¡­ And something was behind the¡­ Yeah. She actually cleaved through the tree the guy hid behind.


    I chased away the thought. Having confirmed that one was¡­ dealt with was enough for now. The other three¡­ The other guy on the ground had come out of hiding and was aiming with a bow at us. Or rather, at Lily.


    The other two hadn¡¯t moved from the tree tops but they probably were doing something as well.


    ¡°Now then, give me at least a bit of a challenge, will you? The first one was a bit¡­ of a letdown.¡±


    With a grin, Lily leisurely walked towards the man with the bow.


    ¡°Come, shoot.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As if responding to her, he let go of the bowstring, setting the arrow loose. It was fast. Not as fast as a crossbow bolt, but nonetheless fast. And deadly. And yet.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The man also made a dumbfounded face, the same as me. Because¡­ She hadn¡¯t even dodged the arrow. The arrow just flew past her, disappearing into the forest behind us.


    ¡°Not so good at aiming, are we¡­ This isn¡¯t even a warm-up. Come on.¡±


    The man had missed a target that was leisurely walking towards him and not even attempting to dodge. Yet, he had¡­ missed¡­ But¡­ Huh?


    The mana around Lily was¡­ moving a little. It was very subtle but¡­ Did she¡­ use magic? She said her magic was only applicable in combat but¡­ If she had done something, I had no idea what. Was it related to how the guy had missed?


    ¡°Oh, another try? Feel free to.¡±


    The man drew his bow again and let another arrow loose. Even I could see that the arrow wasn¡¯t aimed well, missing her by a wide berth. The panic was slowly getting to the guy.


    ¡°Well, guess your friend needs to pitch in, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Lily was just passing the tree where one of the men had hid himself in. Those words should have warned him probably. Likely too late. With rustling of the leaves, a person in a brown robe jumped down, a shortsword in his hand and aimed downwards. A textbook attempt of dropping down from above and stabbing your victim. Except, he stabbed the ground next to Lily.


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    With those words, Lily swung her large sword in a wide arc once more, bisecting the man as well as the surrounding trees.


    I quickly averted my gaze from the man¡­ It wasn¡¯t my first time seeing someone die but¡­ The bisected man¡¯s guts were spilling out, making for a not-so-pretty view. And that was putting it nicely.


    ¡°Another down. Come on, this is boring. You¡¯re even worse than I expected. Are you even real assassins?¡±


    The man with the bow took a step back, then turned around and broke into a run.


    ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t good. You can¡¯t just run away. Haaa...¡±


    Lily was shaking her head. She was genuinely disappointed, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll just have to¡­ Oh?¡±


    The sound of metal clashing against each other was suddenly entering my ears.


    ¡°Three smallfry and one who is a bit more skilled, huh.¡±


    A small dagger was embedded in the ground. I honestly wasn¡¯t sure, but Lily had probably swung her arm to swat it away.


    ¡°Come down there or I¡¯ll make you.¡±


    Lily hastened her pace and advanced towards the tree in question. For the third time, she swung her sword, cleaving the surrounding trees, including the one the last man had hid himself in. The trees fell down, though some got stuck in other trees, worsening my sight to what was happening. Still, I could faintly see the man in a brown hood that had jumped out of the tree. He was brandishing a shortsword and taking a stance, facing Lily.


    ¡°Good, good. At least one seems to have some guts here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The man kept silent, keeping his distance and watching Lily.


    ¡°Guess no guts either? Haaa¡­¡±


    Sounding disappointed, Lily jumped forward, slashing at the man.


    ¡°Gaaahhh!¡±


    I do not know what prompted the man to attempt to block her sword after seeing her cleaving through the trees¡­ Yet he did¡­ and paid with his arm.


    ¡°Mh, well, guess you¡¯ll do. Oh?¡±


    The man jumped backwards, then turned around and ran. After a short moment of silence, I walked up to Lily, evading the fallen trees. Despite the relatively short battle, the scene was quite disastrous with the fallen trees and the crushed trunks.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°He ran.¡±


    ¡°Nn. He ran.¡±


    I took a look at Lily, who had a really disappointed expression. The sword she was now again resting on her shoulder was covered in blood. Some of her armour got covered with splatters of blood too. What surprised me the most though¡­ Her hair usually had a rainbow-coloured glow. It tended to be quite weak so it was easy to dismiss and forget about it. But right now, it had intensified, and the ends of her hair looked actually rainbow-coloured right now...


    It¡¯s already disappearing again, though¡­


    Speaking of which¡­ Did Lily ever tell us what kind of manakin she was?


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s collect the other guy and head back.¡±


    ¡°Nn, oka¡ª Other guy?¡±


    ¡°The guy with the bow.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he run?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ignoring my apparent confusion, Lily walked right in the direction that man had disappeared into. Walking. And not at a speed that would suggest she was pursuing someo¡ª Ah.


    ¡°... Lily. Why is that man laying there?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know¡­ Running into a tree at full speed is not exactly healthy.¡±


    ¡°No. Lily, why did the man run into a tree?¡±


    ¡°Because of magic.¡±


    Lily smiled at me.


    ¡°Remember what those two girls showed us yesterday? It¡¯s the same kind of magic.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­ the Illusion Magic?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I can make other people see Illusions for a short time. It¡¯s nothing great but it works quite well as you saw.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, that¡¯s why they missed you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    No way... Quite well, she said¡­ But wasn¡¯t that¡­ really dangerous.


    ¡°People with good observation ability or mana sight can see through them, though. Like that man from earlier. But everyone else?¡±


    She shrugged her shoulders, then squatted down and grabbed the man¡¯s collar with her free hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head back.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I took a look back¡­ Fallen trees, some of them on the ground, others hanging half-suspended in the air, held up by their neighbouring trees. And two corpses in the middle of it, as well as a cutoff arm. As if a storm had hit this place.


    ¡°... I can see why Wanda calls you a walking disaster.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re starting with that, too?!¡±


    ¡°... Maybe I should.¡±


    This was really as if a natural disaster had hit. And seeing how one-sided the battle was.


    ¡°But you¡¯re really strong.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, of course I am!¡±


    She puffed out her chest and looked all smug. Then, though, it was replaced by a wry smile.


    ¡°But I still have a long way to go. I knew that many of the Black Guards were strong. I can¡¯t hold a candle against Papa or one of the older men. They¡¯re strong and have a lot of experience, even without needing to rely on cheap magic tricks like me. But it¡¯s the same among the Dragon Knights. No, maybe even more so.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You see, while you two were asleep for a few days, I had the chance to practice with some of the Dragon Knights. I got beaten blue and black. Haha¡­¡±


    Those men were¡­ that strong? That this walking disaster got beaten?


    ¡°It¡¯s no wonder they¡¯re such a famous and large mercenary group. With men like that. I¡¯ll have to train a lot more until I get there.¡±


    Now she seemed to be all fired up again.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll cheer for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, thanks, Yumi. But you know, you¡¯ll have to train a lot as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Honestly, even imagining reaching something like Lily¡¯s level already seemed utterly impossible to me at first. But¡­ there were many things I still didn¡¯t know about myself. Or about this world and its people.


    ¡°You should join me.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll die so I¡¯ll stay with Merim¡¯s training for now.¡±


    ¡°Too bad¡­ Rina is with you as well there, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She seemed to be lost in thought a little.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take her away from you.¡±


    ¡°... I wasn¡¯t thinking that.¡±


    Well, not that it¡¯d be possible anyway.


    ¡°What, are you lonely without her around during training?¡±


    ¡°... A little.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, that was¡­ honestly quite relatable.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Well¡­ Are we walking in the right direction, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes, we are.¡±


    There was a group of eight souls a little in the distance.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s deliver this guy. Still a little disappointed in these guys¡­¡±


    ¡°... It was a little one-sided.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re little more than thugs that were trained a little. I must say, they were surprisingly quiet, though. That honestly bothers me a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it their job to, well, keep quiet?


    ¡°They completely kept silent even when I provoked them a little. That attitude was way more professional than their actual skill so it bothers me a bit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite harsh¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s weird, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    More professional than their actual skill suggested¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that simply because their ambush didn¡¯t work out and they got ambushed instead?¡±


    ¡°... You think so?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Lily lifted the unconscious guy up to take a look at him. He seemed to be a middle-aged beastkin man. About as much as we expected. There wasn¡¯t really anything else noteworthy about him, though.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll leave that to the others¡­ I don¡¯t know, they just seemed pretty weak to me.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t know either how skilled they were. I only saw them being overwhelmed by Lily, after all. And judging from Merim¡¯s behaviour, they were¡­ at least not really bad.


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Guess so.¡±


    She attempted to let down the unconscious man again¡­ Then¡­


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I felt something hit my shoulder.


    Rinne


    Oh well... Hope you all had a better week than I did. My computer broke. It''s fixed now again but that was... really bad timing. Really bad. Because of that I still haven''t gotten to edit the past chapters. And I saw that there are a few things that definitely need fixing... I hope I can find the time to fix at least the worse parts this week. With that said, the backlog of things I have to do keeps increasing, so I''ll have to see. And my computer breaking down sure didn''t help.


    Enough of me ranting, you probably aren''t here to hear that anyway. Would be weird if you were.


    The past few chapters aren''t edited but this one is, more or less. Much to my surprise I actually got quite a bit done today. Still, if you spot anything that needs fixing, don''t hesitate to tell me. I always appreciate that.


    Thank you for reading! Everyone, stay healthy and safe! Don''t forget to wear your masks!

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Captive Interrogation

    ¡°Woah!¡±


    I stumbled backward as something hit me in the shoulder, tripping over something and falling on my backside.


    ¡°Oh no, you. Don¡¯t!¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Lily¡¯s fist sinking into the man¡¯s abdomen. His eyes went wide, so wide it seemed they might pop out of their sockets any second now. His mouth was closing and opening and it seemed like he was¡­ struggling to breathe. A moment later, he collapsed.


    ¡°Well then, now he¡¯s down for real. Yumi, you alright?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah. Nn¡­¡±


    I checked my shoulder when she asked but there was nothing.


    ¡°Sorry for shoving you. Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°Ah. No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Lily had shoved¡­ I hadn¡¯t seen her doing that at all¡­ Until she told me, I had absolutely no idea what had hit me at that moment.


    ¡°That.. man¡­ he pretended to be unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, well¡­ I am fairly sure he was at first. I think he woke up somewhere around the time we picked him up, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that nearly the entire time?!


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Let¡¯s take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Lily crouched down, stabbing her Zweih?nder into the ground, and picked something up from the ground. A long knife. No, rather than a knife¡­ A dagger?


    ¡°A dagger, huh¡­ But this kind¡­¡±


    Lily furrowed her brows as she scrutinised the dagger in her hands.


    ¡°Is something wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°No, not directly, just¡­ No, let¡¯s get back to the others first. Merim will likely say something.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Disregarding my confusion, Lily picked up her sword, securing it on her back, and then once again grabbed the unconscious man by his collar.


    ¡°Where to, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, one moment¡­¡±


    I was still sitting on the ground. I stood up and took a look at our surroundings, searching for the others.


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    ¡°There? Then, let¡¯s go and hand this guy over.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With Lily taking the lead, we made our way through the undergrowth of the forest. She didn¡¯t speak up while we walked and her expression was¡­ quite serious.


    She keeps glancing at that dagger in her hand¡­ It doesn¡¯t really seem special, though?


    If anything, the dagger seemed really plain¡­ Just an oversized and long double-edged knife, from what I could see.


    ¡°Oh, I can see them, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, true.¡±


    It really hadn¡¯t been that far anymore to the others. Barely two minutes on foot.


    ¡°Vice-Captain! We¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Lily, Yumi. It looks like you had some success.¡±


    Visible relief could be seen on Merim¡¯s face.


    ¡°We had. But they were a bit of a disappointment¡­ I hoped they¡¯d put up a fight but¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess they didn¡¯t? Well, I am honestly not too surprised by that.¡±


    ¡°Fighting monsters would have been more thrilling.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t send you for the thrill¡­¡±


    With a wry smile on his lips, Merim¡¯s eyes glanced to the dagger in Lily¡¯s hand.


    ¡°... That is?¡±


    ¡°This guy¡¯s dagger. He played unconscious and tried to attack Yumi. Take a look, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Similar to Lily¡¯s reaction, Merim had a look of surprise upon seeing the weapon.


    ¡°This mess might be a lot deeper than I expected.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Lily, Merim¡­ What is the issue with that dagger?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Karen, could you watch the others for a moment?¡±


    Merim turned around to Karen, who was at the other end of the group. While not quite sure what was going on, she nodded.


    After having confirmed that Karen was keeping watch, Merim led me and Lily a little to the side, probably to make sure nobody would overhear him. Lily still dragged the unconscious man along, though.


    ¡°Yumi, what do you see here?¡±


    ¡°A dagger.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°... No? Seems like a normal dagger to me?¡±


    Not that I knew much about daggers.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a normal dagger. A completely normal and average dagger.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The heck was he going on about?


    ¡°Yumi, there are many types of daggers,¡± added Lily from the side.


    ¡°Types of daggers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Most daggers are stabbing weapons, often carried along as a secondary weapon. In other words, they usually aren¡¯t a primary weapon.¡±


    ¡±Nn, well, but this man carried a bow, right?¡±


    Lily nodded to my question.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That was probably his primary weapon and the dagger was for self-defense.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I still don¡¯t get the problem.¡±


    Merim smiled when he heard me.


    ¡°Can¡¯t blame you. The type of dagger isn¡¯t really the problem after all. Well, not quite. Daggers like this are easily accessible and quite common among bandits, thugs, assassins as well as bodyguards. Usually.¡±


    ¡°Usually? Then, this one isn¡¯t common?¡±


    ¡°Not here, in Larfas. This dagger is of Akkian make.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Akkian make. But then¡­


    ¡°This weapon isn¡¯t something you¡¯ll see here all that often. And there¡¯s little reason to go out of your way to get such a hard-to-acquire weapon. Unless, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°They got it for free?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems you understand the problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Who would provide these people with such weapons? Most likely, the place where this dagger was made.


    ¡°This might mean that the Akkians are a lot deeper involved than we expected.¡±


    Merim shook his head in exasperation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it is all that surprising anymore at this point. It is still pretty bad news. Also, you might have figured already, but don¡¯t tell this to the other girls. Informing Karen is okay later but right now, it would only serve to make them uneasy.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    I nodded. It would probably really just make them feel unsettled.


    ¡°One more thing. Lily, was there anything notable about their other weapons?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. Common arms you can find anywhere. Only the dagger was different. They also seemed quite used.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, probably their own weapons then.¡±


    He paused for a moment, then nodded to himself.


    ¡°Very well then. Good work you two. You did well.¡±


    ¡°Glad to have helped, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And with that, the discussion ended and we returned to Karen and the other girls.


    ¡°So, what do we do with this guy?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll drag him along. Karen, could we ask you to carry him?¡±


    ¡°... Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Slightly reluctant from the looks of it, Karen took over dragging duty. Quite literally.


    ¡°What if he wakes up, though?¡±


    ¡°I punched him pretty hard so I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to wake up any time soon. I hope he is going to wake up at all...¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Karen didn¡¯t ask further. Probably better so.


    ¡°Well then, with that out of the way. Yumi, which direction?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhm¡­ One moment¡­ Ah. That way.¡±


    ¡°That way. Okay, let¡¯s go and meet up with the others.¡±


    And like that, we made our way to the other mercenaries.


    ¡°Vice-Captain!¡±


    ¡°The Vice-Captain¡¯s come!¡±


    Well over two dozen armed men welcomed us with cheers as we came out of the forest onto the clearing.


    ¡°Seems you¡¯re all doing well here. Maybe we didn¡¯t need to come.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha talkin ¡®bout, Vice-Captain. There¡¯s no way we wouldn¡¯t need your lead here. Now we won¡¯t need to take responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Hey, your true thoughts leaked there.¡±


    The men burst out into laughter at the exchange between them.


    ¡°More importantly. Give me a report of what led to this.


    ¡°Very well, Vice-Captain.¡±


    The man who seemed to be in charge until now saluted and then started to explain. To keep it short, just about all of the groups had a run-in with at least one group of our attackers. An especially unfortunate squad managed to encounter a total of four of them. Quite some luck there.


    Despite that, the injuries were mostly minor and nothing life-threatening.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know what their aim was so we decided to group up with the other squads. With Vice-Captain¡¯s group, this should be just about everyone in our area. Think one squad is still missing.¡±


    ¡°We encountered them before. They¡¯re already on their way back to the camp.¡±


    ¡°Back?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyebrows rose in surprise.


    ¡°Their aim is most likely the two girls in my group, our guests. They¡¯ve set up ambushes at points where we are most likely to pass through. That also means that a single group is unlikely to engage a squad for long. They¡¯re not exactly skilled in direct combat.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess it was fortunate of us that we grouped up together then. But Vice-Captain, won¡¯t they group up as well and try to attack in force?¡±


    ¡°That depends on how good their communication network and their leader is. At least, our captive there had no communication devices with him. Might still be that only the group leader had some but judging from their other equipment, that¡¯s unlikely.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Sounds like they¡¯re third-rate at best¡­¡±


    ¡°In exchange, there¡¯s a lot of them. Can¡¯t expect too much from thugs around these parts.¡±


    Merim shrugged with his shoulders and the other man burst out in laughter once more.


    ¡°Gahahaha! That¡¯s true! Guess we shouldn¡¯t expect that much!¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Suddenly, Merim turned around to us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, Lily, you stay here. The others go take a break. You¡¯ll be safe here.¡±


    The mercenaries had set up a small resting place with a fire in the middle of the clearing. Some of the men were also taking a rest while the others stood watch.


    With slight reluctance among the three little ones, they still left and took a break. This had been still quite a trek through the forest and with having to watch out, it was probably mentally quite exhausting for all of them. Or rather, all of us.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes, Merim?¡±


    ¡°Is there any movement among our attackers?¡±


    ¡°Nn, one moment.¡±


    Karen offered me her hand again so I wouldn¡¯t stumble as I took a look around. The mercenary next to Merim sounded a little surprised when I closed my eyes and started to look around. Was probably an odd sight, but what could you do?


    ¡°Nn¡­ Mhm¡­ Not that I can see anything. They¡¯re still scattered all over the place in small groups.¡±


    ¡°I see. If they had any communication equipment, they would have started to move already. I feel a little disappointed.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t it a good thing they don¡¯t?¡±


    First Lily, now Merim. What were these people, battle maniacs? Well, they were mercenaries, after all.


    ¡°Mhm, the girl can detect those people? Now, that¡¯s some convenient magic if I ever saw one.¡±


    ¡°It really is.¡±


    Go ahead and praise me more. It was fine to do that.


    Jokes aside, though, it was indeed quite convenient.


    ¡°Thanks to that we managed to get us a captive to interrogate. Now we only need to wake him up¡­¡±


    Merim glanced at the  unconscious man that Karen was still dragging behind her.


    ¡°Karen put him down.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Now then.... Woah, that¡¯s quite the face. Lily, what did you do to the poor sod?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Punched him. A bit above the stomach.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that spot, huh. No wonder he looks more dead.¡±


    Merim opened the robe of the man and rummaged through his belongings. Once done, he started to check the robe in detail.


    ¡°Mh, no hidden pouches or anything. A little bit of money, nothing else. Oh, what¡¯s this?¡±


    For some reason, he started fumbling with the man¡¯s shirt. Probably found something. Having some trouble, he took out a knife that was on his belt and cut the shirt apart.


    ¡°The heck is this?¡±


    A small piece of leather had been hidden inside the shirt. It seemed like an ordinary piece of leather so¡­ the heck was it doing in there?


    ¡°You girls, is this maybe some magical thing or something?¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t see it having any mana.¡±


    ¡°Odd. Oh, you can open it. Oh? Ohhh?¡±


    Turned out the piece of leather was actually two layers that could be split apart. And on the inside was a symbol embroidered.


    ¡°Some kind of mark? Never seen this one before. Lily, you recognise this?¡±


    ¡°No. Never seen it either.¡±


    ¡°Well then¡­ Let¡¯s put it aside for now. Seeing anything else on him?¡±


    He continued checking the man from top to bottom, mostly the clothes. If I didn¡¯t know any better, he would¡¯ve looked like a robber turning his victim¡¯s belongings upside down to find even one more coin.


    ¡°Nothing else. Then, last spot¡­¡±


    Having finished all others, Merim turned to the man¡¯s face, or rather... his mouth?


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    He grabbed the man¡¯s jaw and forced his mouth open, taking a look inside. After an initial look, he picked up a small branch from nearby and started poking inside the mouth.


    ¡°Nothing hiding here either. Well, not that I expected much.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Merim, why are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Taking a look there? You¡¯d be surprised where people start hiding stuff.¡±


    ¡°Like¡­ poison?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Well, that sure is a possibility. Not that I ever found someone hiding poison in their mouth. But we did find someone hiding a magic tool before inside their mouth. Man, that wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. We had quite some injuries that day.¡±


    A magic tool, huh¡­ Did that man¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll never forget that ridiculous look when the guy started spitting flames out of his mouth. Who the heck thought that was a good idea. Not to mention, he burned his own mouth as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A magic tool to spit flames¡­ My head hurt¡­


    ¡°In the end, the Captain punched the guy straight in his face, breaking the magic tool and just about every single tooth. That was a mess.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s why I rather take a look. It has become pretty common since then for us to check there as well.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Honestly, that sounded like a pretty¡­ unique experience¡­ There sure were odd people around.


    ¡°But this guy has literally nothing. Only this patch of leather. Guess we can wake him up now¡­ I think one of the squads brought along some water stones, didn¡¯t they?¡°


    ¡°They did. I¡¯ll bring them.¡±


    ¡°Then, in the meantime, let¡¯s tie this guy up.Would be a problem if he started attacking us.¡±


    While the other mercenary with us left to fetch the stone, Merim produced a rope from his bag and tied the attacker up. A short moment later, the mercenary came back with a small blue-coloured stone in his hands.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Then, let¡¯s wake him up.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Somehow, I had a bad feeling about this¡­ Merim held the stone above the man¡¯s face. A moment later, water streamed out of the stone, straight onto the face. At first, there was no reaction, then, he started twitching. The second he saw him twitching, the volume streaming out of the stone increased.


    ¡°Grplwghfgwaa! Haaaa!¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s awake.¡±


    Desperately trying to catch his breath, the man looked around, his eyes wide in fear. It took a moment before he realised the situation he was in.


    ¡°I, I am not saying anything! I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wonderful.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be boring if you immediately spilled the beans.¡±


    ¡°Hiii! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A look of disappointment washed over Merim¡¯s face.


    ¡°Seriously? Come on, aren¡¯t you an assassin? Assaulting a mercenary band? Do you have no pride as a man?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a thug! I¡¯m no assassin! An ordinary thug! Please, don¡¯t kill me! I, I have a family!¡±


    ¡°So do other people. Start talking and you might get to see them again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk!¡±


    Merim let out a sigh as he was dealing with the man. That¡­ was awfully quick for an interrogation.


    ¡°So, who are you guys and who hired you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a thug! No idea about the others, but probably they are too! Saw some familiar faces here and there. Some, some odd guy approached me, saying he got some good business for me. Paid well, he said. Just got to get rid of some little girls, he said. How should I know we¡¯d take on mercenaries! I would¡¯ve never taken the job then!¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re just disposable, huh. Thought we dealt with some small organisation, not just a ragtag group of hired thugs¡­ Are those people even trying? Assuming what you say is true.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true! I swear on the spirits!¡±


    The man looked utterly desperate. Honestly, he didn¡¯t seem to be lying to me.


    ¡°Then, explain to me how come you guys are all over the forest? Seems a little too organised for some random thugs, to me.¡±


    ¡°They... They send some guy to take charge of us. Small groups, just a stakeout. And we¡¯d get paid even if nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°... We captured the wrong one, huh.¡±


    Merim furrowed his brows when he heard that.


    ¡°Okay, next question. This dagger. Where did you get this?¡±


    ¡°That? Got it from the guy in charge. Is, is there a problem with it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes darted left and right between Merim and the other mercenary, waiting for the inevitable judgement. Or further questions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Why did you attack this girl and pretended to be unconscious?¡±


    ¡°That, That¡¯s¡­ She, she seemed to know where we were hiding and that¡­ that other girl¡­ No way I could fight that monster! I¡¯d die!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Merim¡¯s eyes narrowed. He didn¡¯t seem all that convinced. It was a bit of a weak reason, yeah¡­


    ¡°Last question: What is this piece of leather?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡¯s! That¡¯s the charm! Ah, please, please return it!¡±


    ¡°Charm?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ My daughter made it¡­ To keep me safe¡­ and wishing me luck...¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Then, what are these symbols supposed to be?¡±


    The piece of leather thrusted before his eyes and Merim staring down at him, the man fell silent¡­ It took a little before he opened his mouth again.


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ flowers, I think?¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t know either?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know either? I see.¡±


    He returned the piece of leather into his puch, then stared down at the man.


    ¡°Mh, that¡¯s enough for now.¡±


    ¡°The¡ª Then, are you going to let me go?¡±


    The man seemed hopeful that this questioning was already at an end.


    ¡°Letting you go? No. We don¡¯t even know if you are telling us the truth. You¡¯ll come along with us and we¡¯re going to hand you over to the authorities in the city.¡±


    ¡°No, no!  Please, don¡¯t! They¡¯re, they¡¯re going to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Tough luck.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Ahhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Take care of this guy.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Vice-Captain.¡±


    The mercenary grabbed the collar of the man and dragged him away. Nobody really thought of carrying him or anything, did they?


    ¡°Mr Vice-Captain¡­ That¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill him, Karen. And if others kill him for his failure, that¡¯s only his own responsibility. That is a grown man and not some child. He is responsible for his own actions.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ wasn¡¯t he basically tricked?¡±


    ¡°If what he says is true, yes. And I am a little doubtful about that.¡±


    Merim sighed as he watched the mercenaries in the distance, continuing to scare the poor sod. I honestly doubted the guy would be able to keep up lying¡ªassuming he was lying¡ªwhile surrounded by several mercenaries, every single one an intimidating giant.


    ¡°We need to get back and contact the Captain. All of this is completely getting out of hand¡­ There¡¯s something really really bad going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You think so?¡±


    ¡°Too many problems at once. The incident at the fort and the following accusations. The war. We can¡¯t reach the king either. Issues with the army and that Allena family. The attack on the girls from Lady Karker with the Akkians involved. You can¡¯t tell me anymore there isn¡¯t something foul going on. There¡¯s just one thing¡­¡±


    He narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch his men.


    ¡°I am not quite sure where to place the incident with you girls. I mean, with that Yumelia woman.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the only one I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s related to all of this¡­ Though, it seems likely. But¡­ The Akkians and the Witch Worshippers? That¡¯d be one odd combination¡­¡±


    ¡°Why that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Witch Worshippers place the Witch as their saviour and the one most important to them. The Akkian Empire, though¡­ Most of them put the emperor at the top, outside of those religious fools, I think? They don¡¯t mix well. Especially with those religious fools.¡±


    The Witch Worshippers and the Akkians, huh¡­


    ¡°Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lily?¡±


    ¡°You think the stuff in Arkesta might be related as well?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe. Maybe they are. Haa¡­ This has turned into a fine mess¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s take a short break and then return to the camp. With a group this large we shouldn¡¯t have any issues going back..¡±


    With that, he dismissed us for now. A short break¡­ was surely needed right now.


    Something foul is going on, huh¡­


    A short while later, Merim rounded up everyone and we made our way back, with the three girls as well as Rina, Elma and Nela being protected in the middle. Merim, Lily and I were at the front, leading. Well, Merim was leading. I only told him where the ambushes were located. Never thought that seeing souls could turn out to be this convenient.


    ¡°Nn, there¡¯s another group in that direction and one over there.¡±


    ¡°There and there, you say. Okay, this way.¡±


    Surprisingly enough, Merim knew the forest well enough to lead this large group past most of the ambush points. We had to engage two groups so far, since it wasn¡¯t possible to sneak past them. With that said, the engagement was¡­ really short. A few mercenaries rushed forward, taking them by surprise and incapacitating them in an instant. All made possible thanks to them knowing their exact hiding locations.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back at the camp soon already, huh. This went a lot smoother than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but¡­¡±


    ¡°There are more over there, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn...¡°


    Merim had already suspected that they¡¯d put more men close to the camp in the hopes of catching us on our return trip. And indeed¡­ There were quite a lot of them there.


    ¡°Just how many did they hire¡­ They really picked every scoundrel and thug they could find for this, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    So far, we had encountered a few dozen already. And in front of us were again two or three dozen men spread out.


    ¡°Merim, should we maybe take a detour and leave the forest at a different spot?¡±


    ¡°We could¡­ They¡¯re only in the vicinity of the camp, you said?¡±


    ¡°Nn. A little away and there are no others.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Then, let¡¯s do that. No need to engage them more than necessary.¡±


    Merim then led us towards the edge of the forest. There weren¡¯t any other ambushes set up at this point anymore. Still, we kept vigilant. We could still get attacked by monsters, after all.


    Thankfully, though, nothing happened and the thick forest came to a rather sudden end.


    ¡°We¡¯re out. Oh, I can see the camp from here, huh.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    We really got out without much trouble. In the end, coming back in such a large group hadn¡¯t really mattered all that much, seeing that we barely had to fight anyway. Still, it was better than going separately and people getting injured or even killed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Without much delay, we marched straight towards the makeshift camp in front of the forest. Several mercenaries had stayed back here to keep the camp up and running and as soon as they saw our large group approaching, some men left the camp and walked up to us.


    ¡°Vice-Captain! What is going on?¡±


    ¡°Quite a lot. Did the other group return already?¡±


    ¡°They did. We escorted them back to the main camp to treat their injuries.¡±


    ¡°Well done. Any news from the Captain?¡±


    ¡°None, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°... None?¡±


    The man shook his head in response to Merim¡¯s surprised question.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten any news from any of the squads that went along with the Captain.¡±


    ¡°Well now, that¡¯s¡­ odd.¡±


    No news from Korwen? At all?


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s get the injured to safety. Thankfully, there are no serious injuries among our group. Also, send someone to the main camp and inform Fenna and Ria.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Finally, we had returned to the camp. Well, the makeshift camp. This had been surprisingly exhausting¡­ Seriously.


    ¡°Yumi, you okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Somehow, Sis.¡±


    We watched as the mercenaries began to execute Merim¡¯s orders, treating the injured and preparing to send a messenger back to the main camp. Merim seemed satisfied with it as well, as he nodded to himself.


    ¡°Now the, as for you girls. Yumi, you¡¯ll stay here, everyone else should prepare to return to the main camp.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I should stay here, he said?


    ¡°Uhm, Mr Vice-Captain? Why should Yumi stay here?¡±


    ¡°Because we might need her, simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°You girls go back. You and Lily are one thing but we can¡¯t keep the others here. Especially those two girls¡­ They¡¯re safer at the main camp. And they would probably appreciate it if you girls went along. They don¡¯t really know anyone except for you all and Fenna¡¯s squad, do they?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Karen seemed reluctant to accept that reason, looking back and forth between me and Merim.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to send Yumi back along with you but we really might need her. Especially since her ability to locate people in the forest is a lot more reliable than Emily¡¯s so far. In the worst case¡­ We might have to go back and look for the Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Mr Vice-Captain¡­ You think something happened there?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd that he didn¡¯t send word back yet. I very much doubt those thugs were only in our area. And the squads in the Captain¡¯s area are mostly our younger mercenaries who don¡¯t have much experience yet. It¡¯s unlikely that something happened to the Captain himself but there¡¯s no telling what those greenhorns might do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So Korwen went along with the younger mercenaries? Probably similar to how Merim went along with us, huh¡­


    ¡°Either way, I rather take Yumi along than Emily, not only because she¡¯s more reliable. I¡¯m sure you know why.¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, get ready to go back. Also¡­ Stay vigilant, even when you are back at the main camp. This isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Then, Merim smiled at Karen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to bring her back in one piece. Now, go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Sis.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°Merim¡¯s here and all the other mercenaries as well.¡±


    ¡°... If you say so.¡±


    She still seemed reluctant, so I took her hand and squeezed it, hoping it¡¯d reassure her, even if just a little.


    ¡°Take care of the others, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With Lily and Karen watching, I had little to worry about.


    Now¡­ If only the same could be said about Korwen¡­


    I hope nothing happened over there¡­ But like Merim said, something probably did.


    But for now, we¡¯d wait some more and send off the injured as well as Karen and the others. And then¡­ Then we could worry about Korwen and the other mercenaries.


    Hopefully, nothing bad had happened.


    Rinne


    As always, thank you for reading! Been a little busy and my backlog doesn''t get any shorter... Oh well.


    All of you, stay safe and healthy! Keep your distance, wear a mask and all. Now even more so than ever.

 Chapter of Living Dreams: Reality

    Karen, Lily and the other girls had left, making their way to the main camp together with an entourage of mercenaries. Merim had made it very clear to them that Elma and Nela needed protection and that they shouldn¡¯t let anyone near them until we returned with the Captain. He even went so far as telling them to have Wenners and Krutz as well as the Black Guards join in protecting them. That was quite a lot of fighting power.


    ¡°Still nothing, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Merim and I were standing at the edge of the forest, waiting. While I was able to see souls, the forest was way too crowded for me to make out anything worthwhile. Not while we were observing from the side, at least. The only thing I could confirm was, that there were people in the forest.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ We¡¯ll have to make a search party, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Having reached that decision, Merim turned around to gather the remaining mercenaries. It didn¡¯t take long before I could hear him shouting behind me.


    The Captain¡­ is probably going to be fine. Merim said so too. The issue are the other mercenaries. Nn¡­ Nope, can¡¯t find them...


    Try as I might, there were just too many souls¡ªpeople and animals alike¡ªin my line of sight. I had no idea which were mercenaries and which weren¡¯t. Neither could I single out the Captain among all of them. Not that I had even an idea how I¡¯d go about that. While there seemed to be some minor individual differences between souls, they just looked way too similar. You¡¯d need Lily¡¯s memory to distinguish between them.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned to Merim, who had come up to me from behind. Following him were two or three dozen mercenaries. Most of them seemed to be from the group that had returned with us earlier.


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave now. You stay by my side and try to look for the other mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    With Merim and me in the centre of the formation, we entered the other part of the forest, where the Captain was. Thankfully, Merim had a rough idea of the areas we had to search. Or rather, where the mercenaries were supposed to do their jobs.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet¡­¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    Now that he mentioned it¡­ While I certainly could spot the odd animal around us, the forest was surprisingly silent. Outside of the rustling leaves, nothing. No animal cries, no sounds from the birds¡­


    ¡°... You could only make out humanoid people, right?¡±


    ¡°And animals. There are animals around us but¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They kept quiet¡­ As if they were scared¡­ Scared of¡­ what?


    ¡°Keep your guard up.¡±


    ¡±Nn.¡±


    ¡°Any people you can find? Where are the nearest ones?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    The nearest ones¡­ The nearest ones¡­ Probably¡­ there? Since we entered, it slowly became easier to search but it was still a bit hard since we weren¡¯t that deep into the forest yet¡­ Most of them were far away and just looked like a messy blob of souls.


    ¡°Over there¡­ Four people.¡±


    ¡°Four, huh¡­ In a half-circle?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ No. I think they¡¯re¡­ just scattered around?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, Merim redirected our group in the direction I had pointed. Honestly, that they managed to keep something halfway resembling a formation in the middle of the forest with so many people was astonishing.


    We walked a few minutes in silence until we arrived at the spot with the¡­ people¡­ I had spotted...


    ¡°These are¡­¡±


    ¡°Dark brown robes¡­ Our attackers, huh¡­¡±


    We did find four people¡­ Laying on the ground, motionless. The immediate surroundings stained in blood. But, I could still see their souls so...


    ¡°They¡¯re dead, vice-captain,¡± shouted a mercenary who had gone to check on them.


    So much to that¡­ Maybe souls didn¡¯t immediately disappear when someone died?


    ¡°I see. The wounds?¡±


    ¡°Stabbing and cutting wounds. Definitely weapons, not monsters.¡±


    ¡°Anything else on them?¡±


    ¡°One moment¡­¡±


    The mercenary started to search the corpse. After Merim did a quick motion with his chin, three others went to the other corpses and searched them as well. And a short while later, they had finished.


    ¡°Only weapons, vice-captain.¡±


    They carried the weapons they had found to us. A broken bow, two shortswords, a handax and four daggers.


    ¡°They all don¡¯t look special but¡­¡±


    Merim picked up a shortsword, inspecting the hilt.


    ¡°Akkian make¡­ As expected¡­¡±


    I followed his gaze onto the hilt but¡­ there was nothing of note there. How did he even manage to figure that out?


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. Yumi, where¡¯s the next closest group?¡±


    ¡°Ah. Ehh, in that direction. Four¡­ no, five people, huddled together.¡±


    After a quick look around, I spotted the next group of what seemed to be people.


    ¡°That direction¡­ Well then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Merim ordered everyone to get back into formation, so we could head to the next group.


    ¡°Dead, vice-captain.¡±


    ¡°Again¡­ This makes the sixth group already.¡±


    Merim sighed as he looked at the corpses in front of us. All groups we had found so far had been from the assailants. And they all had been dead. Except for two groups, it had always been four people. One group had five and another only three. Merim assumed that someone tried to run in the hope of getting some reinforcements, which caused the slight discrepancy.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure this is the work of our men but in that case, why did none of them report back? Mhm¡­¡±


    It was odd, that was true¡­ We hadn¡¯t found a single mercenary yet, after all.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°... Merim?¡±


    ¡°Yumi. What do you think of this?¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me...They probably encountered them and fought them off? I don¡¯t know why they didn¡¯t send someone to report back...¡±


    ¡°You have no idea either, huh¡­ Well, I got a bit of an inkling but¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    So, he did have some idea?


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think it odd that we also didn¡¯t encounter any monsters yet?¡±


    ¡°Monsters? That is¡­¡±


    We hadn¡¯t but¡­ I also had no idea about the supposed encounter rate for monsters¡­ Though, guessing from those words, it wasn¡¯t odd to encounter some monsters here and there. Maybe those assailants had done something to keep the monsters away?


    ¡°Monsters rarely stay away from territories like this without a good reason. One reason would be a monster far more powerful that is occupying the area.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°An ogre would be¡­ No¡­ Maybe¡­ Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Merim?¡±


    He started to mumble something as he kept looking down at the ground, clearly deep in thought. It didn¡¯t seem like he was going to snap out of it anytime soon so I decided to take another look at our surroundings. Or rather, the souls in our surroundings.


    Another group of four there¡­ and there another¡­ They also¡ª


    ¡°Vice-Captain!¡±


    At that moment, one of the mercenaries who was keeping watch called out.


    ¡°Vice-Captain! I found something!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Merim rushed over to the man. I followed behind him, curious as to what the man had found.


    ¡°Take a look at this, Vice-Captain.¡±


    ¡°A slope? That is¡­ No, but¡­¡±


    Fallen trees, large footprints¡­ Something very large had made its way between the trees, causing a path of destruction that coincidentally passed along this slope.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s take a look. You keep watch. Yumi, come.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Nn.¡±


    Merim and I cautiously descended downwards to take a look at this¡­ destruction. Just what in the hell passed by here? Not even the ogre back in Arkesta could have caused this¡­


    ¡°A stone¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    For some reason or another¡­ Merim had picked up a stone that was on the ground¡­ It certainly looked a little odd, one side smooth and the other rugged, as if it had been broken off.


    ¡°But¡­ in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Merim?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, the largest group of people you can find. Where is it?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wait a moment.¡±


    I closed my eyes in a hurry and tried to look for as many people as possible¡­ There were quite a few groups still around as, but they were all likely just more dead assailant groups. In the distance, there were more groups but I couldn¡¯t really make out how big they were. They just seemed like a large blob to me. Although, there was one that was¡­ a little larger.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I think¡­ There? But I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Not sure, huh. Better than looking around aimlessly.¡±


    Merim stowed the stone away into his bag and then climbed up the slope again.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to move a little more quickly now. All of you, double time!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Understood, Vice-Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    As I tried to follow him¡ªhaving just slight trouble climbing back up the slope¡ªMerim was already getting the men back in formation. He seemed to be in an odd hurry, all of a sudden.


    ¡°Merim, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°... We might have a slightly troublesome monster roaming around.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    As I positioned myself next to him, we began to move towards the large blob I had ponited out earlier.


    ¡°Is it that bad of a monster?¡±


    ¡°Quite. At least, it is far too much for the less experienced mercenaries. We could take it on with this group but I¡¯d still rather not. That is, of course, assuming that my hunch is right¡­¡±


    He glanced at the bag where he had put the stone in.


    ¡±... If it really is a troll.¡±


    ¡°... A troll?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a troll. Large, humanoid monsters. Well-known for having a taste for humanoid flesh. Think of them as an ogre just at least three times the height.¡±


    ¡°Three times¡­¡±


    That¡­ was definitely large.


    ¡°If that thing meets those greenhorns, it¡¯ll be a massacre.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No wonder he wanted to hurry up.


    ¡°... What about the Captain?¡±


    ¡°If the Captain encounters that troll? Well, he won¡¯t die to a troll, at least.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A wry smile adorned his face as he talked about the Captain.


    ¡°That man survived way worse. Doesn¡¯t mean we should test his luck more than necessary, though.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Not sure if I should feel more worried now or not¡­


    ¡°Either way, we should hurry.¡±


    ¡°Nn.


    And hurry we did. The closer we came to the large blob of souls, the more clearly I could make it out. And sure enough, around two dozen people were gathering there. Now was the only question whether they were the people we were looking for.


    ¡°We¡¯re close¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Anything of note?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ most of them are in the middle and then there¡¯s some people surrounding them in a large circle.¡±


    It did remind me of how we encountered the other large mercenary group earlier today. Merim nodded in response to my words, then motioned with his arm to keep moving, pointing in the direction of the large group.


    ¡°Keep quiet for now. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As we approached, Merim ordered one of the mercenaries to go ahead and take a look at the people. The man quickly approached the group, peeking through between the trees. After a short while, he came back, nodding. We had found them, it seemed.


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s try to find out what is going.¡±


    Merim took point now, leading us towards the group. The trees parted, revealing a large clearing.


    ¡°Wh¡ª Who goes there?!¡±


    The sounds of weapons being drawn and armour moving.


    ¡°Is that how you greet your vice-captain? That¡¯s not exactly stellar discipline here.¡±


    ¡°... Vi¡ª Vice-captain?! Ah! I¡¯m so¡­ I apologise!!¡±


    The man closest to us, a young man probably barely twenty, quickly tried to put away his weapon and also attempted to salute. And not exactly successfully either¡­


    Merim frowned a little but nothing more.


    ¡°Report, what happened here.¡±


    We glanced over to the other mercenaries, who had finally realised that it was their fellow mercenaries who had appeared. They were all young men¡­. And they sure looked haggard. An expression of relief overcame them as they slowly seemed to process our arrival.


    Alas¡­ The captain, Korwen, wasn¡¯t among them.


    ¡°Tha¡ª That¡¯s¡­ Uhm¡­ We...¡±


    ¡°Calm down. First things first. You encountered the hooded men?¡±


    ¡°Ye, Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°You engaged them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! They.. They suddenly attacked¡­ Some of¡­. Some of us were chased even¡­ And¡­ and¡­¡±


    The young man glanced behind him, towards the centre of the group. Some men were sitting there, bandages covering their arms, legs and their torsos. Then there were also¡­


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    Merim¡¯s eyes narrowed at the sight of the three motionless men laying there¡­


    ¡°Next. How did you gather everyone here?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ The Captain, he¡­ he suddenly appeared with others, telling us to follow him here. He told us not to leave from here under any circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That probably saved your lives.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes went wide at Merim¡¯s comment.


    ¡°Did any of you find the monsters you were supposed to deal with for the jobs?¡±


    ¡°The.. monsters? Uhm, no¡­ We were still searching when the Captain came.¡±


    ¡°And the others?¡±


    ¡°I.. don¡¯t know?¡±


    The man turned around to look at the other mercenaries. Said mercenaries exchanged looks and then all of them were  shaking their heads.


    ¡°As expected. Okay, next. Where¡¯s the Captain now?¡±


    ¡°He, he went off suddenly. He hasn¡¯t returned since.¡±


    ¡°How long ago was that?¡±


    ¡°A, Around an hour?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    An entire hour since the last contact with Korwen? That...


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    I was a little surprised as Merim suddenly turned around and called out to me.


    ¡°Are there sole people in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ One moment.¡±


    I closed my eyes and started to look around. I heard some murmurs from in front of me, probably from the young mercenaries. Didn¡¯t have time to bother with them right now, though. Now, to look for a person¡­ A person¡¯s soul was a little larger than most animals but it was still hard to differentiate¡­ Ah.


    ¡°Nn. There is one.¡±


    ¡°Far from here?¡±


    ¡°No, not that far.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Merim fell silent for a moment, once again lost in thought.


    ¡°Mh, these guys seem to be fine for now, so our group is going to look for the Captain.¡±


    ¡°Vi¡ª Vice-captain, wha¡ª what should we do?!¡±


    ¡°Stay here for now. Keep to the middle of the clearing and stay away from the edge of the forest for now. Understood?¡±


    ¡°U, Understood!¡±


    The man saluted, this time properly. Seeing that, Merim nodded and turned then to us.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to look for the Captain. Don¡¯t forget to keep your guard up. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhh!¡±¡±¡±


    With a cheer, we left behind the group. To the next stop: Korwen.


    And hopefully, the last stop. We¡¯ve been walking from one stop to the next one now¡­ Not like I could change that much.


    But still¡­ I really hope the Captain is alright.


    The soul I was seeing wasn¡¯t moving at all¡­ Which did make me feel worried.


    Only a little more¡­


    Right behind those trees¡­ I took a deep breath, following Merim¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ohh, you sure took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Captain!¡±


    There he was, leaning against a huge¡­ something¡­ His armour bloodied and in his hand a broken handle from a weapon¡­ That¡­ Was he¡­


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me  like I¡¯m dying here. I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll have you know. Outside of some minor wounds, that is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Captain, what happened?¡±


    Merim sighed as he stared at Korwen. I only saw it now but there was a cigar in Korwen¡¯s hand, from which he quickly took a drag and puffed the smoke into the air. He even carried them around with him?


    ¡°Quite a bit. Was a little stressful recently, so I figured it was time for some stress relief.¡±


    ¡°I am not sure that fighting a troll alone can be considered stress relief anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had my fun though. Feeling a lot better already.¡±


    He broke out in laughter. He was laughing¡­ With the corpse of a giant monster right behind him¡­ Even laying on the ground like this, it was still easily two or three metre. Just how tall was this thing when standing? And this man had¡­ killed it. On his own.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I feel stupid for worrying.¡±


    ¡°Now, now¡­ I was counting on you coming, you know? Also, how are those greenhorns? Are they still there?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Now then.¡±


    With those words, Korwen extinguished the cigar on the ground and stood up, stretching his arms and back. Judging from his movements, he really didn¡¯t seem injured all that much. Although, he sure was covered in a lot of blood.


    ¡°Ahh, that felt good. Barely even had time for training recently.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Captain, just out of curiosity, but how did you even manage to kill it? And¡­ are those cloth scraps?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This guy apparently had his fill on those robed men already.¡±


    ¡°... No wonder we found none killed by monsters.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course not. Anything killed goes straight into its stomach.¡±


    Korwen walked around the large corpse, towards what I assumed was its head. There was a large, bloody wound with something stuck in it¡­


    ¡°Still, we shouldn¡¯t linger for too long. I want to know what is going on and I don¡¯t want to run into another one.¡±


    ¡°... Another? Captain, are you saying...¡±


    ¡°Exactly that. At least two more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Two more¡­ of these monstrosities?


    ¡°Are you sure about that, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I am. Because I saw them. Well, even I¡¯m not stupid enough to fight two or three of these at once, mind you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure¡­¡±


    Merim shook his head in exasperation.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m more interested in how you found me. I expected you to take at least two more hours before you¡¯d arrive. At worst I expected you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yumi led us here.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    Korwen raised his eyebrows and stared at me.


    ¡°You certainly are versatile, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask about the details later. Just give me¡­ No, let¡¯s delay that for later after all. While I am curious, we got some more pressing matters.¡±


    He directed his stern gaze towards Merim.


    ¡°Merim, did you figure out who those people are?¡±


    ¡°More or less. They¡¯re likely connected to the Allena family. They¡¯re also using weapons from the Akkian Empire.¡±


    ¡°The Akkians, huh. This is getting quite messy now¡­ Well, no matter how many weapons they have, it doesn¡¯t matter if they just hire run-of-the-mill thugs with next to no skills. Even if they got quite a lot of them¡­¡±


    There¡­ were many of them, that was for sure. Likely in the three-digits if I had to guess. Hiring that many was quite an undertaking. And organising them even more. To boot, they utterly failed.


    ¡°What else did you find out so far?¡±


    ¡°Not much. Only that their targets are most likely the two girls from Lady Karker.¡±


    ¡°As expected, those two.¡±


    ¡°We captured one of them but¡­ I am doubtful about how trustworthy that information is.¡±


    ¡°Mh, a captive.¡±


    Korwen stroked his chin, pondering about what Merim had told him.


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    ¡°We sent them back to the main camp. Together with the injured and an escort.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe. We should hurry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Merim seemed a little confused at Korwen¡¯s sudden need to hurry.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain on the way.¡±


    Korwen turned to some of the other mercenaries that had accompanied us.


    ¡°You six, get back to the greenhorns and ensure they get back safely. Understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    The men saluted before immediately going back to the other group.


    ¡°The rest of you, we¡¯re hurrying back. No breaks.¡±


    ¡°Captain, what is going on?¡±


    ¡°Merim, when is the best time to attack?¡±


    ¡°Huh? When their guard is do¡ª


    He stopped.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly that. The return trip.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m a fool.¡±


    The return trip¡­ he said? Wait, he means, Karen and the others¡­ They might get attacked?!


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re just the vice-captain and I¡¯m the captain, you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hurry back. Before this girl here runs off on her own.¡±


    Well, could he blame me?


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    Could we just please get back now?! Otherwise, I¡¯d really run off on my own.


    ¡°Jeez, one is getting depressed and the other is panicking. You two, even if they are getting attacked, my men aren¡¯t going down that quickly. And Lily is there too, isn¡¯t she? That girl got a surprisingly good instinct in these regards. They¡¯ll be fi¡ª


    Suddenly, Korwen broke off and fell silent. Even as panicking as I was, I stopped and stared at his unnatural action. Then, without a further word, he suddenly moved forward, grabbing me by the scruff of my neck.


    ¡°Cap¡ª Wha¡ª


    ¡°Shhh! Quiet!¡±


    ¡°Mmmhm?!¡±


    With his hand covering my mouth, he dragged me behind a tree. The other mercenaries followed suit, hiding behind the trees for some odd reason.


    Silence ensued. Disturbing silence. As if everyone even held their breath. I couldn¡¯t even turn around. In fact, I had some slight trouble breathing, Korwen¡¯s large hand covering my mouth and even my nose. Then¡­


    ¡°WOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±


    A deep groan echoed through the forest, so deep I could feel it tingling deep in my stomach.


    ¡°WOOHHH...¡±


    Another one.... Those sounds¡­ they came from right behind us. Then, the sound of something large breaking could be heard. Followed by the sound of a tree falling down¡­


    ¡°WOOoooohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°WOOOOHHHHHH!¡±


    ¡°WOOHHH.¡±


    Then, it was quiet again¡­ The disturbing silence¡­ I had no idea how long it continued to be like this¡­ seconds? Minutes? Even longer?


    ¡°Run! Now!¡±


    Without any warning, Korwen shouted. He didn¡¯t waste a second to grab me at the waist, carrying me under his arm as he sped up. The other mercenaries also started running. Barely a second later an ear deafening sound of splintered wood and a dull impact reached us. My vision filled with the wooden splinters. The tree we had been hiding behind was no more. A large rock had smashed right through it. And behind the cloud of wood splinters¡­


    ¡°Wha¡­ What are those?¡±


    ¡°Trolls.¡±


    Those¡­ those were trolls? Two enormous, grey-skinned creatures stood right beside the corpse of the one Korwen had killed. I couldn¡¯t even see their heads. They were so large, that they were partly hidden in the treetop.


    ¡°Shit. Can¡¯t things go our way at least once? Why the heck are trolls in a forest anyway?¡±


    While Korwen cursed, the trolls finally noticed that we had run. They immediately set out to pursue us. Despite their slow movements¡­ they were fast. Their enormous size allowed them to keep up even with their slow steps.


    ¡°WOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!¡±


    More trees creaked and fell down as they were pushed away with a single swing of these monsters¡¯ arms.


    And¡­ And such a thing was killed by Korwen?


    It was utterly beyond me. How could a single person ever hope to fight such a monstrosity?


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Just run! Hurry!¡±


    One troll suddenly stopped next to a large rock, ducking down. I could finally see its head. Not that I ever wanted to. But what it was doing¡­ was even more astonishing¡­


    ¡°Captain.... Captain, one of them is lifting a rock. A huge rock.¡±


    ¡°Oh fucking hell!¡±


    The troll lifted the rock as if it was a small pebble. A rock the size of one of the band¡¯s wagons. It lifted the rock above its head and¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s, It¡¯s coming!¡±


    ¡°Incoming! To the side!¡±


    The large rock flew through the air, mercilessly crashing through the trees in its way as if they were thin sticks. The only saving grace was that the troll wasn¡¯t that good at aiming, having missed us by a wide margin. And now, it was far behind. Only the other troll was still in pursuit.


    ¡°Captain, the one that threw the rock is gone.¡±


    ¡°Gone from sight, maybe. But definitely still chasing us.¡±


    Probably. The troll that was still in my sight groaned again. This¡­ This was just like that time¡­ with the ogre chasing us. Except, these ones were out to eat us for sure. Well, I¡¯d be gone in a single bite.


    Sis.... If only¡­


    I was worried about Karen. Unfortunately, the reality in front of my eyes didn¡¯t allow me to do so for long. I wanted to see her¡­ I really did.


    ¡°Shit, they aren¡¯t letting us go at all.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hungry and they¡¯re mad. Of course they aren¡¯t!¡±


    Thankfully, Korwen and the mercenaries were quick on their feet. And the trolls were slow. For their size. But at this rate¡­ Would they let us off if we left the forest? Or would they continue to chase us?


    What do we do? What do we do?


    It really was just like back then with the ogre¡­ except, with the ogre we got lucky¡­ No¡­ Rather than lucky¡­ It was lucky, but¡­


    The mana crystals¡­ The mana crystals!


    Just before they left, Karen had left me with the mana crystals she carried around for me. Just in case, she said.


    ¡°Yumi, stop moving! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Just, just one moment!¡±


    The pouch, I just needed to reach into the pouch. There!


    Got them! Now I just need to throw¡­ them? Wait¡­


    I had managed to retrieve the pink orb and a few smaller crystals. Though, thanks to the shaking I had lost a few. I could throw the pink orb but¡­ If my guess was right... It¡¯d kill us as well. In that case¡­


    A mana crystal with little mana won¡¯t be enough. But If I use too much, we¡¯ll get hit too¡­


    The mana orb would probably obliterate all of us and half the forest if I made it explode. Even the relatively weak mana crystal back then was enough to kill an ogre. I only needed a little more firepower than that.


    A little more¡­ I don¡¯t really remember how much mana it had, though! Uhh¡­


    It didn¡¯t have a lot¡­ Well, it¡¯d¡­ it¡¯d be fine?


    With some worry, I transferred some of the mana from the mana orb into one of the other crystals.


    Okay, that¡¯s enough¡­ No, is it? Uhh¡­ Just¡­ a little more¡­ to be safe¡­ Okay!


    If it wasn¡¯t enough, I just had to do it again, after all.


    ¡°Captain, the other one caught up again!¡±


    ¡°These damned¡­¡±


    Ah, the one that had thrown the rock was indeed back to chasing us. It had actually caught up again.


    ¡°... Captain. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going to try something! Might be a little loud.¡±


    ¡°Loud? Hell, you can be as loud as you want if it gets those off our backs!¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Here goes nothing. I held the mana crystal up¡­ But how did I do it back then...


    That¡­


    That odd feeling from back then¡­ This kind of¡­ instinct? I just needed to throw it¡­ imagine the mana¡­ to¡­ to rampage? Just¡­ Just like back in the tent¡­ with the puppets¡­


    I see...


    The rampaging mana. That¡¯s what caused it to explode even back then.


    I get it. Then¡­ Uhm, what did people say again in these moments? Ah, right.


    ¡°Fi, Fire in the hole!¡±


    ¡°What hole?!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    The small crystal threw out of my hand towards the large trolls. It was an awkward throw, but the best I could manage in my position. I quickly lost track of it, seeing as we were running with quite the speed. For a moment, nothing happened, the trolls steadily closing in on us. Then, my vision was dyed pink.


    An explosion. Falling trees. The pain filled screams of the trolls.


    No, this isn¡¯t an explosion.


    This time, I saw it clearly. The plants withered. They fell apart. They¡­ melted. All kinds of things happened to them, before something like a shockwave ripped it all apart. The trolls were right in the middle. The one closest to us¡­. Its stomach burst open, its skin wrinkled and dried up. Blood streamed out of its orifices. Then, finally, it collapsed. All the while continuing to¡­ rapidly rot away.


    I¡­ I don¡¯t think I can eat any meat for a while¡­


    At the very least, I managed to keep the contents of my stomach inside. This¡­ was definitely not a pleasant sight.


    ¡°WOOOOOoooooOOOOOooooohhhh!¡±


    The remaining troll came to a stop, trodding over the fallen one. It had been outside of the range, it seemed, and had come out unscathed. Nonetheless, it seemed¡­ oddly concerned with its fallen comrade. It completely gave up pursuing us, only groaning with its deep, deep voice. We continued to hear it¡¯s wail for a pretty long time.


    A short while later we exited the forest. Despite having shaken off our pursuers, the trolls, we didn¡¯t stop even once afterwards. We had no idea if the remaining troll wouldn¡¯t resume its pursuit, after all. Alas, once we had lost sight of them, they didn¡¯t return.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Finally out¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    After catching his breath, Korwen let me down.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    The sudden return of the ground was¡­ a little too much for my legs. I instantly fell down to my bottom. There was absolutely no strength left in my legs.


    ¡°To think we¡¯d encounter not only one troll but three in a single day¡­ Just our luck again¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    Korwen collapsed right next to me. Sweat was running down his face.


    ¡°I think I slightly overexerted myself today¡­ Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have fought one of them on my own.¡±


    That did sound slightly tiring, yeah¡­ To think even Korwen would get tired for once¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Look, there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    My gaze wandered towards the direction where Korwen pointed. Towards the makeshift camp. A group of people was running towards us.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°... Sis!¡±


    Right there, Karen, Lily and some other mercenaries came running towards. She was fine. Nothing had happened to her, after all!


    I forced myself up on my feet and rushed over to her.


    ¡°Sis!¡±


    ¡°Yu¡ª Woah! Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°Sis! You¡¯re fine!¡±


    ¡°Ye, Yes? Wait, that¡¯s what I should be asking! What happened?!¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After I quite literally tackled her and hugged her, I really could feel the relief coming over me. And while I really wanted to answer her, I¡­ didn¡¯t have the energy left for it anymore. Maybe picking up on that, she returned the hug.


    ¡°Seriously, what were you all doing again?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I was worried when I saw the light coming from the forest.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Ahh¡­ I really wanted nothing more than falling asleep in her arms right now.


    ¡°Jeez, those two are flirting immediately again and I have to watch it. Is there nobody who wants to help up this old man?¡±


    ¡°Captain, if you¡¯re fine with me! I¡¯m not a cute girl, though!¡±


    ¡°... Beggars can¡¯t be choosers, can they now?


    I heard some laughter around us as they started joking. At least they still had enough energy to joke around.


    ¡°Anyway, I thought Merim told you guys to return to the main camp? Why are you all here?¡±


    ¡°Captain, after arriving at the main camp and ensuring those girls were safe, we came back. You might need us after all!¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re idiots, you know? Did nothing happen on the way?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Guess I was worried for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    I could hear Korwen starting to explain his thoughts to the other mercenaries. Karen seemed to listen too. Her embrace slightly strengthened the moment he mentioned to us that we thought they might get attacked.


    ¡°Well, if nothing happened, all is well. Anyway, I really need some alcohol and a good break.¡±


    ¡°But Captain, what in the hell happened to you all?¡±


    ¡°To us? Nothing special. We just went troll hunting. Or rather we got troll hunted?¡±


    ¡°... Troll¡­ hunting?¡±


    The man stumbled over the words.


    ¡°Captain, please stop joking. There¡¯s no way there are trolls in a forest.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, there were.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°They might have been driven out from their habitat. And I already got a feeling from where¡­¡±


    Driven out of their habitat?


    ¡°But that¡¯s something we can worry about later. First, we got some assassins to deal with. You lot, we¡¯ll take down the camp and return. Today. So get your gears running and move.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    I could hear the mercenaries around us leaving, running back to the camp.


    ¡°Karen, take your little sister there and get some rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Are you sure, Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°She saved our hides there earlier, so yes.¡±


    ¡°She¡­ did?¡±


    ¡°Sure did.¡±


    I¡­ did?


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about that some other time but for now¡­ Let¡¯s return. We had a rather hectic day and I really want some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ah, understood¡­¡±


    The footsteps, presumably Korwen¡¯s, passed by us and disappeared towards the camp as well.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Ah, this¡­ this was where I belonged to¡­ I had told myself before I definitely wouldn¡¯t leave her side anymore¡­ But this time¡­ this time I really wouldn¡¯t¡­ Nothing had happened, sure, but something might have¡­ The pure thought had scared me a lot more than I expected¡­


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I squeezed Karen as much as I could, unwillingly to let go. But rather than complaining, she just returned the favor¡­


    Are we dreaming?


    Is reality¡­ a dream?


    Or is the dream reality?


    Are we asleep or awake?


    Questions we might never be able to answer.


    For who truly knows if they are ever awake or asleep.


    Maybe, we¡¯re all sharing just the same single dream. Maybe.


    Or maybe we are all just fictional people, created by a single, solitary being¡¯s dream.


    But then¡­ whose dream is it?


    Who is the lonely child?


    Rinne


    This chapter ends the current arc, though it might be more suitable to say it was the most fitting spot to end it. But I don''t want to say too much. Lots of things are going to happen soon, after all.


    And since the month just started: If you enjoy it, please consider taking a look at my Patreon! You can read ahead if you support me a little, for up to eight chapters currently.


    Thank you for reading! Stay healthy and safe! I hope everyone will have a good month!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Man in Hiding

    A few hours later after our less-than-friendly meeting with the trolls, the makeshift camp had been completely taken down and everyone had returned to the main camp. In a way, you could say that our jobs had ended in a beautiful failure. Not like anyone really had the leisure to complain about that currently.


    ¡°We¡¯re back¡­¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t been away for that long, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sure felt like an eternity, though¡­¡±


    First that cave exploration with the roper, then a forest day trip with trolls. Except for the one day break in between, we had been mostly away the past days. Really exhausting days.


    ¡°I want to sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want dinner?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll manage without sleep. I wonder what dinner will be.¡±


    Korwen had told us to rest for the remainder of the day so there wasn¡¯t any need for me to turn up and help out with dinner. Though, he did ask us to come by later. Probably to ask me about what had happened and what I did to those trolls¡­


    ¡°Dinner will probably still be a while¡­ Want to check up on Elma and Nela first?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After all, those two had it pretty bad, too. I was quite worried about them so going there first was fine with me.


    Having come to a decision, we asked around a little to figure out where they currently were and made our way there.


    ¡°They said over here, right? Probably¡­ that?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I guess so? But¡­ they sure went all out¡­ Oh, I found Fenna.¡±


    A single wagon, rather isolated from all others, was surrounded by dozens of mercenaries. Really, dozens of them. Most of them were also quite heavily armed. Among the guards we also spotted Fenna¡¯s squad.


    ¡°Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Yumi! Karen! You¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I only heard that there were some problems, so I was quite worried.¡±


    A smile crept on Fenna¡¯s lips as she saw us approaching.


    ¡°Are Elma and Nela fine?¡±


    ¡°They are. At least outwardly.¡±


    That was good news.


    ¡°Then, can we see them?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Listen here. They¡¯re under protection. We can¡¯t let anyone enter without the Captain¡¯s permission. Or the Vice-Captain¡¯s, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Nobody, huh.


    Okay, she was right with that but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re alone. Lily and Rina are with them.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I see¡­ What about Emily and the girls?¡±


    ¡°Those three went back to help out with work.¡±


    So diligent.


    ¡°Either way. Since it is now very clear that someone is out for their lives, we have to do all we can to protect them, right? It¡¯s not exactly fun for any of us but it can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I guess so.¡±


    It really wasn¡¯t fun¡­


    ¡°Still, it is good to know they are fine, right, Yumi? Even if we can¡¯t visit them.¡±


    ¡°Nn. True.¡±


    Fenna was right, their safety had priority. But as long as they were safe, that was fine.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope things get resolved quickly.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Although, whether it would end quickly was quite¡­ doubtful. But at the very least, it¡¯d be nice if things could get to the point that those two could go outside again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how fast they get resolved. More importantly, I want to hear what happened. We only got a quick rundown that they were attacked, nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ People were hiding in the forest and attacking the groups. They¡¯ve set up ambush points all over the forest, waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Waiting? That forest is rather large, they¡¯d need dozens of men to cover the whole thing... Sounds rather ineffective, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I totally agreed on that. They didn¡¯t exactly achieve anything with this either, outside of making us wary. And that certainly didn¡¯t seem all that smart.


    ¡°I heard we had some casualties, however¡­ Were they that skilled?¡±


    ¡°... Lily trashed a group and was left slightly unsatisfied so no. As for those¡­ The groups that the Captain led encountered trolls.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence.


    Fenna stared at me for a second before lifting her hand and cleaning her ear with her little finger.


    ¡°Excuse me. My hearing must be getting bad.¡±


    ¡°They encountered trolls in the forest.¡±


    ¡°... So that wasn¡¯t my hearing.¡±


    She furrowed her brows as she pondered about my words.


    ¡°Trolls in the forest¡­ Rock trolls, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Rock trolls?¡±


    ¡°... Rock trolls.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There were¡­ different kinds of trolls?


    ¡°... The large, grey monsters that look like oversized ogres. The most common kind of trolls.¡±


    ¡°Nn. They were large and grey. And had the look of oversized ogres.¡±


    ¡°Then those were rock trolls¡­ Haa, don¡¯t you know the different kinds of trolls at all?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought that was still common knowledge.¡±


    Maybe in this world but surely not in mine. That was the first time I even heard that trolls existed here. Not that it surprised me at this point anymore.


    ¡°Listen, there are several types of trolls. The most well-known ones are rock trolls. Large, slow and immensely powerful. And not very clever. They usually dwell in mountains, however.¡±


    ¡°In mountains? There wasn¡¯t really a mountain there, though?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what is odd. But¡­ There are mountains north of here¡­ Did they get chased out of there? But what could¡­ Oh.¡±


    Her eyes lit up as if she had thought of something.


    ¡°The roper. They might have been driven out from the nearby hills in fear of it.¡±


    ¡°The huge roper? They were scared of it, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Monsters are, after all, very territorial. And that mother roper¡¯s territory probably covers quite a lot of ground. It might have extended to their habitat. That still means that there was a rock troll habitat close-by without anyone knowing, though. That could have ended up a lot worse.¡±


    Ahh¡­ There was a village nearby as well¡­ And if the trolls lived close to that village¡­ Didn¡¯t need a genius to figure out that couldn¡¯t end well. With that said, the roper wasn¡¯t likely welcome there either.


    ¡°Not sure if I should say that it was lucky or not. They might have appeared rather recently there as well. What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°Nn, one was killed by the Captain.¡±


    ¡°By the Captain? You mean, by him alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... Wish I could have seen that. I always knew he was quite something but¡­ taking on a troll on his own¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t see it either. And he was quite exhausted afterwards. Yet, he also seemed to feel refreshed. Stress relief by way of fighting a troll¡­


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a troll before but are they that strong?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°A single troll is¡­ More than humanoids can usually handle on their own. Few can ever hope to compete with one in a fight. With that said, they aren¡¯t so strong that an experienced squad can¡¯t take them on without casualties.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    He had said that I saved their hides but¡­ They probably would have been fine even if I had done nothing¡­


    ¡°The problem is usually that trolls sometimes live in small communities of up to ten. Such a small community of trolls can be very devastating. We¡¯ve done troll subjugations before and I can tell you from experience¡­ One of them isn¡¯t a problem, but half a dozen? You want a lot of space, many men and be well-prepared. Otherwise it¡¯ll end in a disaster. They cooperate and if you kill one of them, the others only get more ferocious.¡±


    Now, that explained why those two trolls chased us down so persistently¡­ They were mad, huh...


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll certainly see trolls again. Hopefully in a more controlled environment, though.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    Honestly, I was fine not meeting any in the near future.


    ¡°Going back to what I was explaining, though¡­ Rock trolls are the most common type of trolls and usually, when someone mentions trolls, they are the kind they mean. There are, however, some other types of trolls. For example, the human trolls.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ human trolls?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Have you heard of the phrase ¡®eaten by the mountain¡¯ before?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    I had a subtle feeling I knew where this was going¡­


    ¡°Human trolls look exactly like most humans do. They even share a similar level of intelligence, at least outwardly. However, they usually live away from humanoid communities, in secluded mountains or forests. They trick travellers or even sneak into villages to kidnap people. When someone disappears inexplicably, some regions say that they were eaten by the mountain. Or, well, eaten by the trolls. They are man-eaters.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay, I knew this was coming but it¡­ was nonetheless disturbing to hear.


    ¡°Uhm, is there nothing they can do about that, Miss Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Well, human trolls have their own distinctive human appearance. It¡¯s not like they are mimicking someone specifically, so one shouldn¡¯t trust a stranger that easily. Human trolls are quite rare, though. They¡¯re also apparently not good at hiding from the eyes of someone with mana sight, or so Ria told me before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so we could actually notice, huh¡­¡±


    That sure was a relief to hear.


    ¡°Then, the last notable type of trolls are the Elder Trolls. They are¡­ a little special among the troll-kind.¡±


    ¡°Special?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They are not directly hostile towards anyone. They¡¯re really large trolls. And I mean really large. The size of a castle at the very least.¡±


    ¡°That certainly is large¡­¡±


    But why were they not directly hostile?


    ¡°Elder Trolls are also sometimes called mountain guardians or the like. Or protectors of the forest, since they appear in forests as well, contrary to rock trolls. Really depends where you are. And they¡¯re still dumb as a rock. Also, while they are not directly hostile, they are still man-eaters. They just don¡¯t actively hunt anyone, but if you walk up to them, you¡¯re as good as done for.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In the end, they were still dangerous.


    ¡°Anyway, those are the major types of trolls. There might be others but I never met those¡­¡±


    ¡°... You met an Elder Troll before?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ A few years ago¡­ I think it was¡­ the outskirts of¡­ Not Aldreigh¡­ Was it Krohmea? Or¡­ Well, either way¡­ Far away from the nearest village. A rebel army had hidden themselves there and established a base, or so we were told. By the time we arrived, half of them had already been eaten and the remainder had no idea where their comrades were.¡±


    ¡°Huh? They had no idea?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. A sleeping Rock Troll or Elder Troll is easily mistaken for a rock or a small cliffside. The Elder Troll woke up in the night and only had to reach out for a small snack. Then it went back to sleep and they were none the wiser.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A small snack, she said¡­


    ¡°Our job completed itself so it wasn¡¯t like we really had a problem with it. But seeing an Elder Troll yourself¡­ They¡¯re really massive. And it even had trees growing on it¡­ Anyone would think that was a cliff or a rocky hill. Can¡¯t fault them. But it sure was unlucky for those rebels, since they are rare. Even the old captain never met one before.¡±


    ¡°The old captain? You mean, the Captain¡¯s father?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, him.¡±


    Then, they probably were really rare¡­ Or, maybe they weren¡¯t that rare, just nobody could find them because they looked like giant rocks? Maybe¡­


    ¡°So much to trolls. Hope that helped a little.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I learnt a lot.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be of help. But since we¡¯re finished now¡­ I¡¯m happy you came over and we got a little chat out of it, but I am technically at work, you know. And paying attention to our surroundings and talking is a little hard, even for me.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Oops¡­ We were totally obstructing her work, weren¡¯t we?


    ¡°Ahhh, we¡¯re sorry, Miss Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, don¡¯t panic, Karen! If it was a big issue, I would¡¯ve told you immediately. But any longer and I might really grow careless. We can talk more after my shift is over, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine. When will your shift end?¡±


    ¡°Until dinner. We¡¯re going to change shifts with the Dragon Knights for the night.¡±


    ¡°... With the Dragon Knights?¡±


    Weren¡¯t they the elite of our group? Was it fine to¡­ Okay, one of them had escorted me around too, but¡­


    ¡°The night is the most dangerous part. No one better than our best to keep watch. And they got nothing else to do anyway. They¡¯ll grow dull at this rate, or so the Captain would say, I bet.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That made sense.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s continue later, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, take a good rest. Until then!¡±


    ¡°Nn, later.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Miss Fenna.¡±


    With that, we left Fenna to her work. Our spontaneous visit had ended in failure but well¡­ At least we heard that they were doing well. And Lily was with them.


    ¡°So, to the Captain then, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I guess so?¡±


    He had told us to come by so now was as good a time as any.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ---


    A few minutes later, we arrived at the Captain¡¯s work tent. Two men stood guard in front of it, which was kind of unusual.


    ¡°Excuse me, is the Captain in?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any business with him?¡±


    ¡°He told us to come by.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡±


    The guard had a confused look on his face for a moment, then glanced over to the other guard. A short nod from the other guard later, he turned back to us.


    ¡°If you could wait a moment.¡±


    And he disappeared into the tent.


    ¡°The heck¡¯s that about?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe Mr Captain is busy with something?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Maybe. It was a rather problematic situation so¡­ Yeah, that made sense.


    Right when I thought that, the guard returned.


    ¡°You can enter. Behave yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes?¡±


    Behaving ourselves? We usually were behaving ourselves so it probably wasn¡¯t a problem¡­


    We entered the tent through the curtain.


    ¡°Captain, we¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. You two got quite the timing, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The Captain sat not at his usual desk. Instead, he was sitting on a long bench with a low table in front of him. And opposite of him¡­ sat two other, unknown men. A relatively young beastkin man wearing a brown leather coat with so many pockets I had to wonder what he even needed them for, as well as a large boulder of a man, larger than Korwen, probably. He only wore a thin shirt so his muscles were for all to see. He sure could compete with Korwen in the muscle department.


    Nn, no¡­ that muscled man, I feel like I have seen him before¡­


    But, where¡­


    Oops, he was glaring at us.


    ¡°Take a seat, you two. Standing there won¡¯t do any good.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±


    We took a seat on the bench next to Korwen. The boulder-man kept glaring at us, while the other one¡­ He watched us with interest, wearing a smile but¡­ Something made me feel a little uncomfortable around this man. More so than the glares from the other.


    ¡°Ruben should already know them but these are Yumi and Karen, who I mentioned earlier.¡±


    Ruben?


    ¡°Mh, the two girls you picked up in the Empire, you said? They¡¯re so cute, if I didn¡¯t know you better, I would¡¯ve thought you picked them up for more¡­ unpleasant reasons,¡± the man in the coat said.


    ¡°Stop joking, I already had to deal with my father¡¯s teasing. That¡¯s more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, the old man is just lonely. And his granddaughter is who knows where. Nothing worse for an old man if he can¡¯t spoil his grandchildren.¡±


    Huh, this man knew Korwen¡¯s father?


    And they mentioned Ruben¡­ Ah! The boulder-man! He was that commander from the fort at the Hollow! But¡­ Wait¡­ Didn¡¯t they say¡­


    ¡°But looking at them¡­ Mhm¡­ They¡¯re curious¡­ Pink girl, your name was Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes.¡±


    Suddenly, he was addressing me.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Something feels weird about you¡­ Pink¡­ Manakin¡­¡±


    His eyes narrowed and he kept staring at me, murmuring random words for a short while.


    ¡°I see¡­ Are you related to the Witch?¡±


    ¡°... In a way.¡±


    ¡°I thought so. But I never thought I¡¯d meet one of her children in the flesh. Should I say it is an honour?¡±


    ¡°Eh? An honour?¡±


    The heck was he going on about now?


    ¡°Please don¡¯t startle the girl, Will.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Shouldn¡¯t she be used to this by now? I mean, it¡¯s a descendent of the Witch we are talking about. That¡¯s not something you come by any old day.¡±


    ¡°You might think so, but for most people, the Tales of the Witch are nothing but a fairy tale. Unless you want those worshippers to get even more on our nerves.¡±


    ¡°That would certainly be a bother. Hey, girl¡­. Yumi. Would you be interested in working for Lafria?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What the heck was going on?!


    ¡°Could you stop trying to steal my recruits away? Right in front of my nose?¡±


    ¡°How about it? I¡¯ll pay you at least three times what the old geezer there pays. And it comes with lodging, three meals a day and a large bath.¡±


    ¡°Stop ignoring me!¡±


    ¡°Could the old geezer there shut up a moment. Is this what happens when you turn old, Ruben? It¡¯s just like food that you left alone for a few weeks too many.¡±


    ¡°This fucking brat.¡±


    Woah, that man had quite the tongue¡­


    ¡°I should maybe tell you in advance, Will, but Yumi is twice the age of your son.¡±


    ¡°... Oh? She¡¯s of age already? Mhm, then, maybe I should instea¡ª¡±Finish that sentence and I¡¯ll slug you one for real.¡±


    Korwen suddenly stood up and stared down at the man called Will, looking not exactly amused.


    ¡°Calm down, friend, calm down. It was a joke. Well, half of it, maybe. If she would agree to it, I would¡¯ve followed up on it, of course. But I¡¯d never force anyone, yes? So please stop raising that fist, okay? And Ruben! Aren¡¯t you here to protect me? Could you stop stifling that laugh and help me out?¡±


    ¡°I am terribly sorry, Sir, but¡­ Pfff¡­ I believe you caused that yourself¡­ Pfff¡­ Hahaha¡­¡±


    With Korwen staring down on him and Ruben having the time of his life right next to him.... Well, I couldn¡¯t say I pitied him. I had an idea of what he wanted to say and yeah¡­ Deserved that one.


    It took a little time before they all calmed down, however.


    ¡°Jeez, you all¡­ I already got enough troubles on my own¡­¡±


    ¡°Will, half of them are of your doing. Haaa¡­ Anyway, you should take a look at her arm.¡±


    ¡°Arm? What is the¡ª Ohh?¡±


    My arm? I followed his gaze and¡­ Oh, the bracelet.


    ¡°Ohh? Then the girl next to her is¡­ I see¡­ It seems I really do need to apologise. I shouldn¡¯t have made advances on a taken woman.¡±


    He put his right arm in front of his chest and bowed to me. A rather elegant bow.


    ¡°N, No, it¡¯s uhm¡­ Fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it? Then I assume you will forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    What an odd fellow.


    ¡°My, it seems that your beauty even extends to your heart, willing to forgive a rude fellow such as I.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Someone, stop this guy, please¡­ That I felt a little happy being called a beauty only made it worse. He was overdoing it quite a bi¡ª


    ¡°Yumi is mine. Please stop.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    My vision had suddenly shifted as Karen had pulled me into her arms, a scowl on her face.


    ¡°Hahaha, I am truly sorry. Her reaction seemed amusing. Even if she can keep her expression from faltering, her voice made it easy to notice. I couldn¡¯t help but tease her a little. Please forgive me. And this time, I mean it.¡±


    ¡°... If you don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°It is a relief to hear that, my lady.¡±


    Once again, he bowed, but this time towards Karen.


    ¡°Guess that matter was cleared up. Well, Yumi, Karen, you can count yourselves lucky. Not many can claim that a country¡¯s sovereign apologised to them.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me what?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A country¡¯s¡­ sovereign? Sovereign¡­ As in¡­ the ruler?


    ¡°The King?!¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha! In the flesh!¡±


    The king, Will, laughed heartily as he watched our reactions. While I had shouted out loud, Karen was so shocked, her mouth was hanging open.


    ¡°Let me reintroduce myself: I am Willrich Larfias, the current ruler of the Kingdom of Lafria. My full name is rather long and I don¡¯t expect anyone to remember it on the first meeting, so I¡¯ll spare you the torture. Feel free to call me Will at this private meeting.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    The King of this country¡­ What in the blazes¡­ and didn¡¯t they say that they couldn¡¯t contact him? No, rather than that, why was there a king here?!


    ¡°Oh, but you¡¯re also free to call me Big Brother or something like that! I always wanted cute sisters!¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    Karen shot him down quite quickly¡­


    ¡°How unfortunate. It seems I¡¯m not well-liked, am I?¡±


    ¡°Will, that¡¯s your own damn fault. I don¡¯t even know where to start.¡±


    ¡°That so? Oh well¡­ I won¡¯t give up so quickly however. A connection to the Witch is too precious to just leave it in your hands.¡±


    ¡°And too dangerous to leave it in yours.¡±


    Korwen shook his head and sighed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic, yes?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. But¡­ You called those two in here, but aren¡¯t they just recruits, with all said and done?¡±


    ¡°They are. But I kept them on a tight leash since they have come here. Right now, they belong to the few I am truly sure are not the culprits. I have watched most of their interactions myself. Also, they are smart and by far not entirely unrelated.¡±


    ¡°I see. If you go that far, then I will not question that. It is true that the more pieces we have in play, the better. But, to think you trust your own mercenaries that little, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about trusting them. I am talking realistically.¡±


    Korwen crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared at the table.


    ¡°I cannot oversee hundreds of men. And I know that some have¡­ problematic habits. Women. Alcohol. Gambling. The three great disasters in a man¡¯s life. I trust all my men out on the battlefield. But neither are they politicians nor are they bureaucrats. I cannot expect them to be flawless in these matters too.¡±


    ¡°That truly is a very realistic approach. And these girls are different?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t trust them on the battlefield yet but they are clever and Yumi is well-educated. Enough to help with my work. Although, she is sometimes lacking common knowledge. Nothing that can¡¯t be fixed with a quick explanation, however.¡±


    ¡°Hooo¡­ Now I want her even more.¡±


    ¡°Stop. I caught her first.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t some fish or animal that needed catching, though¡­


    ¡°Anyway, considering that I have overseen a lot of their work and interactions in the past month, I can say with confidence that they aren¡¯t involved in any problematic way. Outside of having become a target of the worshippers.¡±


    ¡°... The worshippers, huh. Well, it¡¯s not unexpected that they would take note of a descendent of the Witch. But I always thought that, despite their admiration for the Witch, they don¡¯t have any actual ties to her. Ahh, they thought to change it with that, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Likely.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Even if they had caught her¡­ There¡¯s no way that that Witch would sit around and let them be.¡±


    Huh, she wasn¡¯t? She didn¡¯t feel like someone that would care that much¡­ Well, maybe she did? She was¡­ hard to read.


    ¡°Will, what makes you say that?¡±


    ¡°I only had a few chances to meet with the Witch. Only because she took a liking to my mother in her youth and later towards my own daughter. Nonetheless, during those few interactions I am rather sure that she has some type of agenda behind her actions.¡±


    ¡°An agenda? That¡¯s... interesting.¡±


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? Who do you think are those she interacts the most with?¡±


    ¡°... The few times we had to deal with her it was in regards to Yumi. And for the Black Guards¡­ It was with Lily.¡±


    Lily and me, huh¡­ Lily was her adopted daughter, in a way and I was¡­ Well, what was I, to her? The others kept calling me a descendent or a child of the witch. Would that make her my mother?


    Woah, that thought sent a shiver straight down my spine¡­


    Yeah, no way¡­


    ¡°Mhm, and what do they have in common?¡±


    ¡°In common?¡±


    Korwen furrowed his eyebrows and then stared at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really anything hard. It¡¯s actually very simple: Cute, young girls.¡±


    ¡°... Are you joking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m completely serious.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Willrich chuckled at Korwen¡¯s reaction, then went on to explain himself.


    ¡°She always interacts with young girls below the age of twenty. She herself assumes the form of a young girl. We know she can change her appearance if she so wishes but she never changes from that form outside of messing around once in a while. And even if she does, it¡¯s always still a young girl, just at a different physical age.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You make her sound like she has¡­ some rather troublesome interests.¡±


    ¡°... I won¡¯t comment on whether she does or does not. Just, that she never harmed any girl to my knowledge. Not in jest and certainly not with firm intent. My male guards however have suffered quite a lot on the rare visits she has conducted.¡±


    Ahhh¡­ She also stole Korwen¡¯s alcohol, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Oh, but I do know for sure that she has messed with the growth of girls before.¡±


    ¡°... Their growth?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know my mother, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I see. And you claim that¡¯s why...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s why.¡±


    ¡°She had it hard, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sure had.¡±


    Suddenly, the two nodded to themselves, having come to an odd agreement¡­ I never saw his mother, for obvious reasons, but¡­ Judging from the contents of the conversation was she¡­ either really petite or¡­ No, not ¡®or¡¯, she most definitely was petite¡­


    ¡°Mh... But why are you so sure about that, Will?¡±


    ¡°Simple. I had the unfortunate luck of having to deal with her far earlier than you had and I¡¯ve seen her interacting with various people on her visits. And for some reasons, just about any girl she took a liking to¡­¡±


    ¡°... I see. We¡¯ll have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you can be careful against. I only noticed by chance as well.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­¡±


    Yeah, how would you even notice that¡­ Speaking of which, that pretty much confirmed it for me that I wasn¡¯t going to grow in the future¡­


    ¡°People with that much power are quite troublesome, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They could change the whole world if they so wished. I think we can be glad that it only amounts to this. Personally, I don¡¯t find much issue with it anyway. My mother still looks like she might be in her early teens. Much better than watching her grow old and wrinkly. Not that she agrees.¡±


    ¡°You know, talking like that¡­ Your father was quite the deviant.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. He got quite literally devoured by her. He¡¯s not the one wearing the pants.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Information I certainly didn¡¯t need to know.


    ¡°Sir. Could we get back to business?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We strayed from the topic, haven¡¯t we? You¡¯re right, Ruben. Well then... Korwen.¡±


    Willrich coughed once before returning to the actual topic. He straightened his back and stared directly into Korwen¡¯s eyes. I could feel myself tense up at the sight.


    ¡°I, Willrich of Larfias, formally request the aid of the Lomerian Dragon Knights in the subjugation of rebel forces inside the kingdom. The payment shall be ten thousand gold coins and a single wish, as long as it is in my power to fulfil.¡±


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Grim Reality: Military Meeting

    ¡°I, Willrich of Larfias, formally request the aid of the Lomerian Dragon Knights in the subjugation of rebel forces inside the country. The payment shall be ten thousand gold coins and a single wish, as long as it is in my power to fulfil.¡±


    With a serious expression, devoid of even the tiniest hint of a smile, the king, Will, stated his request. Next to him, Ruben was watching us, or rather Korwen, for his reaction¡­ As for Korwen himself¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Then I shall explain.¡±


    Will smiled at Korwen¡¯s reaction then swiftly started explaining the details of his request.


    ¡°As you know yourself already, there have been various¡­ incidents around the Kingdom, involving either our own aristocracy, the Akkian Empire or the Witch Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°Great! Then you also understand that the current situation is rather precarious for our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Seeing that the King is requesting mercenaries without a nation, yes, that much was obvious. I¡¯d like it if you could get to the point.¡±


    With a wry smile, the king shook his head.


    ¡°So impatient. But I can¡¯t blame you, I guess. You are right, you have no nation, you do not owe us any loyalty and as long as you get paid, you will do any job. As king, there is nothing worse than having to rely on nationless and faithless vagabonds.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re saying that to my face?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what everyone will see. I know you are trustworthy, of course, but my personal opinion doesn¡¯t matter. The military, the army is the incarnation of a nation¡¯s might. That I, as king, have lost control to part of it is inexcusable.¡±


    After letting out a sigh, Will turned to Ruben, then pointed at a bag that was right next to the man. Seemingly understanding what Will wanted, Ruben opened the bag and handed him. A stack of¡­ papers.


    ¡°Those are?¡±


    ¡°Investigation reports, financial reports, contracts, quite a lot of different things, actually. And these are just a small part of what was unearthed during the investigation into the Allena family.¡±


    ¡°... Illegal activities, then?¡±


    ¡°Worse. Well, they are illegal so¡­ Ah, whatever. Point is, the Allena family, you could say, is a little¡­ unhappy with the rulers of the kingdom. My father and me especially.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Korwen received the stack of papers from Will and skimmed through them. A few seconds later, he stopped and then¡­ handed the stack to me. Ehhh¡­


    I was a little confused for a second but Korwen had already returned his attention back to Will and Ruben. Well, nobody seemed to complain so¡­ it¡¯d be fine to take a peek, right?


    Don¡¯t mind if I do.


    In the meantime, the two continued. As for Karen, she was also peeking at the papers in my hands.


    ¡°So, that noble family wants to overthrow the current sovereign? Are they planning a regicide?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to kill me off quite quickly, aren¡¯t you? But yes, that¡¯s what it¡¯s likely turning out to be. But it¡¯s a lot more complicated. The Worshippers and the Empire both threw their lot into this as well. And even now I have no idea what those fanatics are planning. As for the empire, it should be obvious enough.¡±


    I put the stack of documents on the table, seeing as I¡¯d rather listen than skim through those right now. Karen didn¡¯t seem interested in them either anymore. Whoever wrote those reports sure had a thing for writing in the most unclear and confusing manner they could. No time to decipher a whole paragraph that was just saying they saw someone suspicious at night...


    ¡°The Empire clearly wants the entirety of the kingdom. They likely made a deal with the Allenas and other influential figures. We have confirmed several merchants and some nobleborn to have had contact with the Empire in a regular manner.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ And so? Your plan is to purge those?¡±


    ¡°They still have value so I¡¯d rather have them captured alive. Either way, I still have more than enough forces under my control to deal with the local problems myself.¡±


    ¡°That sure doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, staring at Will.


    ¡°It has been barely a few hours that we returned from our failed expedition into the western forests, attacked by unknown thugs who were after the life of Lady Karker¡¯s daughter and her companion.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t look to me like you have things under control.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence overcame them, each staring at the other, not even blinking. After several seconds, maybe even a minute, Will closed his eyes and sighed.


    ¡°Are they safe?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Will let out another sigh, then a smile appeared on his lips for just a few seconds before being hidden by a serious, hardened expression.


    ¡°You don¡¯t make it easy on me, are you? I cannot¡ªand will not¡ªdiscuss your incident. However, I am pleased to hear that they are safe and thank you on Madam Karker¡¯s behalf.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to stay quiet on that?¡±


    ¡°That I will.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Now it was Korwen¡¯s turn to sigh.


    ¡°Then I will not press it further. Let us return to the important part. Honestly, while I am interested in all the problems and the overall situation, I still do not know what your¡­ job offer actually entails.¡±


    ¡°Mh, I wanted to get to that soon¡­¡±


    ¡°I apologise if this sounds rude but I had a very draining day and am not in the mood right now to listen for half an hour to your lengthy explanation. Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°... Haaa, so impatient. Well then, I¡¯ll keep it short as you requested: The request is about the extermination of the Witch Worshippers, which presumably have a base in a village in the north.¡±


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. But a village occupied by the worshippers?¡±


    ¡°Rather than occupied, the reports suggest either indoctrination or that they were even¡­ replaced entirely.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Replaced? How could you replace a village population?


    ¡°Ruben has the details. Ask him anything you need. Is that enough?¡±


    ¡°Hardly. But it¡¯s something. Then, I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking another question.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°... The payment. You mentioned a single wish. What does this entail? Is this a wish you will fulfill as king or a personal one.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ As the king. I will listen to one request. Only one. As long as it does not violate our laws, we will do our utmost to accommodate this wish.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something you would casually offer. You know full well that we could request treasures or dangerous tools¡­ In other words, there¡¯s something problematic enough that you are willing to put this much on the line.¡±


    Treasures or dangerous tools¡­ Wait, then¡­ he could request that an entire country moves a single time in accordance to his will? That¡¯s¡­


    ¡°... I truly wish you were easier to deceive at times. You are half correct.¡±


    ¡°Only half, huh.¡±


    ¡°Only half. There are two reasons I go out of my way to offer this: First, I know you well and I can roughly guess the kind of wish you would make. Rather than money, you are more interested in something that is not simply obtainable through ordinary means. Magic tools, forbidden books, weapons or who knows what. Losing such a thing is not necessarily a loss for my country and our coins can be spent elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ And the second reason?¡±


    ¡°... We have reason to believe that they have a very troublesome magician among their numbers.¡±


    ¡°In other words, there¡¯s accordingly danger mixed in.¡±


    A dangerous magician¡­ Among the worshippers¡­ That¡­ wouldn¡¯t happen to be her, right?


    ¡°The monetary compensation wouldn¡¯t be enough for a job of this scale. That is why it includes the single wish.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Did that answer your question?¡±


    ¡°It did, indeed.¡±


    Korwen closed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. A short moment of silence later, it was Will who spoke up again.


    ¡°So, Korwen. Will you take the job?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something I can decide so quickly.¡±


    ¡°Usually, I¡¯d let you take your time. Unfortunately, I do not have that much time. I¡¯d like you to decide quickly before the chance is lost.¡±


    ¡°... Chance? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Part of the army set out in an emergency. A large monster was sighted and they went to subjugate it.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    A¡­ large monster?


    The only large monster I could think of right now¡­ was that huge roper. Did Korwen already inform the army about it?


    ¡°With that said, I¡¯ll leave you alone for a while to think about it. Ah, is there somebody who could show us around? I always wanted to take a look at a place like this.¡±


    ¡°Karen, go and bring Merim.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    Ah, she left.


    ¡°Will, would it be all right if Ruben stayed here. I wanted to talk about some things with him.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll take a look around on my own then. Oh, right, I saw those interesting familiars. What were those?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s nothing I can talk about.¡±


    ¡°That so. How unfortunate. Even if we pay you?¡±


    ¡°Even with payment.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, no choice but to observe them on my own!¡±


    At that moment, Merim entered the tent with Karen right behind him. She found him quite fast, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Captain, you called?¡±


    ¡°Merim. Show this man around the camp for a while. Make sure to treat him well.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Then, until later, Korwen. I am awaiting a positive reply.¡±


    With a wave of his hand, Will left together with Merim.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ He¡¯s still as much work as always.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Korwen. He¡¯s a politician at heart. He¡¯s neither a military man nor a merchant.¡±


    ¡°Which is quite noticeable. He talks a lot.¡±


    ¡°Talking is his job, after all.¡±


    Korwen stood up from the bench and walked over to his desk. It was hard to spot from here but he had a small barrel filled with ale next to his chair, which he lifted up now, showing it to Ruben.


    ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°... With pleasure.¡±


    ¡°What about you two, Yumi, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, a little.¡±


    ¡°... No, thank you.¡±


    Karen grimaced at the question as she sat down next to me again.


    ¡°So only the three. Got nothing else here, though.¡±


    Korwen filled three mugs and brought them over, handing one each to Ruben and me. Ruben quickly downed half the contents down his throats.


    ¡°Haa! That¡¯s some good ale.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re drinking it like water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it should be.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you think so.¡±


    Korwen sat down next to us and sipped on his own mug.


    ¡°So, I heard you were found guilty? The kingdom¡¯s hero turned criminal?¡±


    ¡°Hey, hey, where did you hear?¡±


    ¡°A little bird told me.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Those stupid nobles. Sure, found guilty of provoking the Empire. Or rather, the Empire claims that I ordered the attack on their envoy and they demand the kingdom to hand me over. Utter bullshit!¡±


    Handing him over? That sounded more like they plotted to get rid of an important military figure to me.


    ¡°But it worked. The nobles that wanted to get rid of me jumped onto it and the remainder was unsure what to believe. If the king hadn¡¯t bailed me out in secret I would still sit in that cell and rot away.¡±


    ¡°... Then, is the situation that bad?¡±


    ¡°... I am honestly not sure whether it is just bad or really bad. I don¡¯t understand politics but the king said it is nothing he can¡¯t deal with. As long as the Empire keeps out.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    So, if the Empire wasn¡¯t in the picture, this all wouldn¡¯t have happened. Well, that much was probably obvious.


    ¡°It also seems like the Worshippers are in cahoots with the Empire. Did I tell you about the occurrences in the surroundings, incidents at villages and the like?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I recall hearing about that a few times.¡±


    ¡°Investigations suggest that the Worshippers are to blame. No idea what the damn fanatics are doing, though.¡±


    Ruben once more down the contents of his mug until it was empty.


    ¡°Haaa! Where the heck did you get this stuff?¡±


    ¡°Mh, took a liking to it? It¡¯s from Jeva.¡±


    ¡°Jeva? Where¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°North of Krohmea. Small town that makes its income from brewing that stuff. It¡¯s pretty common up there actually.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s quite some distance. Tsk, no way I could afford that. Too bad. Another!¡±


    ¡°Get it yourself.¡±


    Without delay, Ruben stood up and walked to the small barrel, filling his mug again.


    ¡°Maybe some merchant is carrying it, might want to look around.¡±


    ¡°I could look around once things calmed down, I guess.¡±


    Well, if it was from an area past Krohmea even¡­ Yeah, well¡­ Good luck.


    ¡°Enough about the ale for now, though. Ruben, you said the Worshippers work with the Empire¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, how else can you explain this? Sure, it might be coincidence that the Empire is causing trouble and the Worshippers join in. Might be just each of them jumping at their chance. But worst-case they work together. And¡­ you remember that magician that caused the problems in the fort?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. The king managed to get the documents from the preliminary investigation. Likely, that man had some connections to the Worshippers. It sure would fit their fanatic way, too.¡±


    That magician¡­ Wasn¡¯t it the one who blew himself up? Destroying the gate?


    ¡°... I see. If that¡¯s true, there¡¯s little doubt about it.¡±


    ¡°Right? I bet their original plan was something like taking over the fort in the name of medical relief or some shit. Cause we all thought it was some dangerous illness. Then, from there they¡¯d have a straight way into the kingdom, right to this city. Don¡¯t need to tell you, of all people, what that would mean, right?¡±


    ¡°There wouldn¡¯t even be a siege.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. But, thanks to some coincidences and your band being around, it didn¡¯t work out all that well for them. This is likely a backup plan.¡±


    A backup plan¡­ Then¡­


    ¡°Nn, is that why they only hired those mostly useless thugs? They couldn¡¯t prepare?¡±


    ¡°That might indeed be the case, Yumi. But they still managed to round up quite a lot in that short amount of time.¡±


    ¡°Thugs? Are you talking about the thing you mentioned, about being attacked?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We were planning to fulfill our contract with the Academy and bring them the things they requested. The whole thing got blown off when dozens, maybe over a hundred even, of thugs were sitting around and ambushing our squads.¡±


    There were only a few injuries caused by those thugs. With that said, the¡­ casualties¡­ were they from the trolls? Probably.


    ¡°That many? Mh¡­ What happened to those thugs?¡±


    ¡°We killed whoever crossed our way but we didn¡¯t hunt them down, if that¡¯s what you want to know.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll look into that matter. That many thugs, they can¡¯t appear out of thin air. The town is relatively safe and only has few issues with criminals anymore. I can¡¯t imagine them rounding up that many thugs from only there.¡±


    ¡°They also used imperial-made weaponry.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Few criminals¡­ Maybe they¡¯ve come from surrounding places as well?


    ¡°Korwen, we are truly in your debt. If it hadn¡¯t been for your band arriving, the kingdom might have already disappeared.¡±


    ¡°Thank me once everything is over. And I hope you¡¯re going to invite me to some good alcohol.¡±


    ¡°The best brew you¡¯ll find in the whole of Lafria. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I¡¯ll hold you unto that!¡±


    With a big grin, Korwen lifted his mug, towards Ruben. Smiling wryly, Ruben lifted his own mug and the two of them clanked them together.


    ¡°Cheers!¡±


    ¡°Cheers.¡±


    A hearty sip later, they put down their mugs.


    ¡°Still, things need to get done first.¡±


    ¡°That is true. So? I successfully threw Will out before he could talk my ear off with irrelevant nonsense. Tell me, what do you know about the Worshippers for that job. And what do you know about the operation as a whole.¡±


    ¡°... Haa, there¡¯s a lot going on. A lot.¡±


    Ruben was shaking his head as he sighed again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a rundown of the whole operation first: Currently, part of the military is away, investigating a large-scale monster that appeared to the north. Thanks to a very quick-witted subordinate, the responsibility for the investigation was pushed to our opponents. In other words, most of their military forces are currently away.¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s no way they¡¯d allow that to happen? How in the blazes¡­¡±


    ¡°Lots of convincing, from what I heard. Or rather, as bad as it sounds, fear-mongering. A bit of embellishment about a Large Dragon-class monster was more than enough to scare the ones high up. They sent away their ¡®most trusted¡¯ men to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like idiots.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re idiots, all right.¡±


    They scared the people in charge, huh¡­ Not exactly a nice way but... If it works, why not?


    ¡°The details on how he did it don¡¯t matter. The important part is that he did. And that gives us a chance. The remaining men under my command will take control of the city. We even got Lady Karker¡¯s cooperation.¡±


    ¡°The old Karker, huh¡­ That¡¯s quite reassuring to hear. For you all.¡±


    ¡°It is. But unfortunately we do not have men to spare during this part. We need to purge the city and bring back the order as fast as possible. But if the Worshippers attack during that time, it¡¯ll turn into a bloodbath. You know as well as I do how little they think of humanoid lives.¡±


    ¡°... Even if you could fight them off, it¡¯d turn into a massacre for the civilians. I see. That¡¯s why you want us to deal with them first.¡±


    Ruben nodded at Korwen, affirming his words.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. The Worshippers number at least fify and there is word going round they even have monsters under their control.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ogres, it seems.¡±


    ¡°... They wouldn¡¯t happen to wear equipment?¡±


    ¡°... An odd question. But yes, they do. Korwen, you know those?¡±


    ¡°Fought some in Arkesta. Just prior to our escape from there.¡±


    Wait, those scary, well-equipped ogres?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surely not a coincidence. Mind asking what you did there?¡±


    ¡°We busted up some criminal organization researching immortality through the use of mana crystals and monster research. Definitely something on the bigger end of the scale, not some little group doing research. The Black Guards got forced into a job guarding them, that should say enough. We got them out, together with that girl¡¯s sister there.¡±


    He pointed towards Karen with his chin.


    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for her request, we might still sit in Arkesta, though. Now I¡¯m twice as glad that I accepted that job back then.¡±


    ¡°A criminal organization¡­ In other words, their cooperation goes for far longer than just this occasion.¡±


    ¡±Likely.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ It scares me to think what would have happened if not for your timely intervention.¡±


    ¡°What, the hero of Lafria, scared?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. If I wasn¡¯t scared, I¡¯d be laughing in my grave right now, yearning for you to join me on the other side.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s some scary love. I¡¯m married already, please stay away.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen backed away with an expression of disgust adorning his face.


    ¡°That was a fucking joke, Korwen. To hell, can¡¯t even make a joke around you.¡±


    ¡°Make a better one next time.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. This fucking idiot. Haaa¡­ More importantly, there are still some things to say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Leaving behind the disgust, Korwen¡¯s serious expression returned again, his eyes narrowing as he waited for Ruben to continue.


    ¡°First of all, the monster subjugation will likely be close to the village. Maybe even less than two hours away.¡±


    ¡°... I would¡¯ve liked to hear that earlier.¡±


    ¡°The king didn¡¯t deem it all that important so he dismissed it.¡±


    ¡°... Good thing he¡¯s king and not a general.¡±


    ¡°I wholeheartedly agree. With that said, it¡¯s unlikely you will encounter the monster or the subjugation forces. The monster was apparently headed southwest. Not really away from the capital but neither is it coming closer.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Mind asking what kind of monster it is?¡±


    ¡°Apparently¡­ A giant roper.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A¡­ giant roper?


    ¡°A giant roper, you say, huh¡­ That¡¯s interesting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bother, that¡¯s what it is.¡±


    There was¡­ only one roper that he could mean, wasn¡¯t there? But¡­ Korwen didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of mentioning that.


    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it and that¡¯s it. Also, that monster is the Academy¡¯s fault anyway. They triggered some trap or so and woke up that thing. Nothing to do with the Empire nor the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, it¡¯s safe to assume it won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s fairly sure. Just to be on the safe side, however. Should you find yourself engaged with it, just get away. Preferably away from the capital, don¡¯t fucking bring it here, you hear?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... I hope so.¡±


    Ruben eyed him with some suspicion but he didn¡¯t pursue it further.


    ¡°Long as you deal with the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t accepted the job yet. I still have questions. For example, how many magicians do the Worshippers have?¡±


    ¡°... At least three. Plus that dangerous individual.¡±


    ¡°... A woman with pink hair. Hair the same colour as Yumi¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°That girl there? Yes, it¡¯s the same. I mean, they¡¯re the Witch Worshippers, so it¡¯s obvious.¡±


    ¡°Mhm... ¡°


    So, it probably¡­ really was her.


    ¡°That individual, the woman, we probably had a run-in with her before as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are you involved in everything here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I asked for it, you know?¡±


    ¡°... So, what happened?¡±


    ¡°She used magic in a large radius, influencing everyone but our magicians and those of us with a protection tool. It was only to make us stay away from an area for a short amount of time but...¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s troublesome. But a simple protection tool helped?¡±


    ¡°Yes. No idea if it still works if she were to go all-out, though.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll requisition the tools from the army supplies and send them over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be helpful.¡±


    Oh, then, the question of how to deal with that issue had already been solved, huh¡­


    ¡°With that out of the way¡­ Fifty worshippers, three magicians. That¡¯s a lot less than I expected for such a job.¡±


    ¡°The problem is mostly the dangerous individual. A complete unknown, after all. For the other Worshippers... It seems that someone has been going around disturbing their activities.¡±


    ¡°Disturbing their activities? That¡¯s not something I expected to hear.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I. It worried me so I wanted to investigate but¡­ The king assured me that everything was fine and not to worry about it. He didn¡¯t want me to look into that, for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Hee¡­ Now, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    A person who was disturbing the Worshippers? Or, not necessarily a person, maybe a group?


    ¡°Can¡¯t tell you much about it either. Only know that several villages were protected by an unknown entity, killing the Worshippers left and right. Whoever they are, they got my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well then, I think we talked about the most important points now? How about you tell me your decision?¡±


    ¡°My decision, huh¡­¡±


    Silence fell once more, everyone watching Korwen and awaiting his answer.


    ¡°Ten thousand gold coins isn¡¯t much in the way of payment. However, the single wish Will promised intrigues me¡­ Depending on what he is willing to do to fulfill it, we might accept the request. Although, depending on his answer, we might not.¡±


    ¡°... In other words, you are fine with leaving the civilians to die?¡±


    ¡°I am a mercenary first and foremost. I¡¯m not running a charity. The lives of my men are my first priority.¡±


    ¡°... And that¡¯s why I hate you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Korwen only chuckled at his rather unfriendly response.


    ¡°And yet, you are sheltering elves. You got quite some screwed priorities.¡±


    ¡°That, too, is but a job. Although, I¡¯d very much welcome it if they stayed. They¡¯ve been quite a blessing.¡±


    ¡°Those familiars running around everywhere. Are they some elven invention?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Hmph¡­ Not telling, huh.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    An elven invention¡­ Ahhh¡­ They weren¡¯t but¡­ If people thought the elves made them, that wasn¡¯t actually such a bad thing, was it?


    ¡°But to mingle with elves¡­ You must be the first mercenary band ever to do that. They¡¯re known to hate humanoids. How in the blazes did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Secret.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, are you willing to say anything at all?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Am I stupid? You think I¡¯m willingly blabbering about our work secrets? I¡¯m not your king who spits out all the nation¡¯s secrets if the day is long enough.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ At least give me something!¡±


    ¡°I gave you ale.¡±


    ¡°... Tsk.¡±


    Much to my surprise, he didn¡¯t complain anymore and just sipped on the ale Korwen just mentioned.


    ¡°Wish he would talk less sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Your king?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He¡¯s not stupid, but he loves to hear himself talk. Especially in informal settings where he doesn¡¯t have to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, it makes me question whether the king and Will are really the same person.¡±


    ¡°Not only you, Korwen. He is a good king and a good man. Just¡­ Well, no man is perfect.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s true. So, I¡¯ve been wondering for a while already but¡­ To my knowledge, Will should¡¯ve met the witch at most... two or three times? He made quite some bold assumptions there.¡±


    Huh? Bold assumptions?


    ¡°He somehow convinced himself like that¡­ Not even his mother believes that the witch is the cause of her being¡­ small-statured. I mean, have you ever met that family? Quite a few of them are pretty small, some even more than she herself is. That¡¯s definitely running in the family.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ As expected.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wait, so¡­ The things he mentioned earlier were wrong?¡±


    That¡­ surprised me a little.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯ve met her yourself. What was your impression?¡±


    ¡°A monster.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ Not entirely wrong. She sure got more than a few screws loose but do you think she would meddle with someone¡¯s body just like that?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    I was, after all, the prime example. Right here, in front of them.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Well, I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s not like that. Just, his observations are based on two or three meetings over his entire life. People are quick to convince themselves of the weirdest things.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°The Elder mentioned before, that¡­ the reason the fairykin don¡¯t like her is partly because she would chase after the young girls¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, maybe his assumption is not¡­ all that wrong.¡±


    Ahh, she sure did tell us that¡­


    ¡°... Okay, maybe he is correct. But maybe he isn¡¯t. Making assumptions like that is pretty dangerous¡­ Haaa¡­ Don¡¯t let Greyward or Lily hear of this, okay? Under no circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Nn, got it¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Why those two? It¡¯s not like we were talking about anything problematic or related to them, were we? Greyward obviously not but for Lily there was¡­ n¡¯t¡­


    Lily¡­ Is about as old as Karen¡­ Karen isn¡¯t exactly considered tall for her age... And Lily... is even shorter¡­ to the point she tried to hide it¡­ with that magic tool that made her appear taller...


    If¡­ Just talking hypothetically¡­ If Yumias was really influencing the growth of young girls around her so they would stay small¡­ Then¡­ Lily, who was closest to her¡­


    ¡°Nn. We won¡¯t tell them.¡±


    No reason to start up some family disturbances there. We should¡­ bury this. Yes, bury it¡­ Far, far, into the depths of our memories...


    Rinne


    On a small note, a few might have noticed a small blunder of mine this week. Last year, I had the beginning of an unfinished side chapter saved on SH. I accidentally scheduled it and then put the scheduled date to some far off date, thinking it wouldn''t matter. I planned to release it in a short while after all and then I''d fix the scheduled date. Well, long story short, the chapter got trashed and I... forgot to delete the chapter on SH. And the scheduled date was a few days ago. Whoops...


    It didn''t seem that many people even found it but sorry to the ones that did and were confused about it... Also sorry to the guy whose comment got deleted together with the chapter.


    And that''s already it. Wish you all a happy week. Thank you for reading and stay safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Seamstress’ Work

    After a little more banter between Korwen and Ruben, the latter decided to go and check up on Will, leaving Korwen, Karen and me alone.


    The very moment we were alone, Korwen leaned back and let out a huge sigh, closing his eyes.


    ¡°Captain, is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s okay, Yumi. Nothing. Hell, I am exhausted and tired, I just wanted to get work over with quickly and now here I am. Couldn¡¯t they have come tomorrow? Or rather, couldn¡¯t they have come at all?¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    I could only let out a dry laugh as he started venting.


    ¡°But it¡¯s also such a good opportunity¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    Korwen started to massage the bridge of his nose as he groaned and shook his head.


    ¡°The kingdom has plenty of treasures which could be a real boon for us. Or rather, the military has. Magical research and weapon technology are tremendously valuable and just as much of a secret. On the other hand, we could also demand invaluable magical tools, on the level of the capital¡¯s barrier.¡±


    ¡°Nn, there are more tools like that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Not necessarily a tool like that barrier, which he would never give up, but many others. But as powerful as they are, they are national treasures. That¡¯s why it could be a good idea to ask for such a thing. Mm¡­¡±


    National treasures¡­ Made me wonder what those tools could do.


    ¡°Mm¡­ We still have to clear up the question of the spoils as well¡­¡±


    ¡°The spoils?¡±


    ¡°If we were to fight those worshippers, what happens to their belongings? It¡¯s common sense that the ones who fought acquire the spoils of their battle but you do sometimes have people that say afterwards that we never agreed to that and demand those spoils. I know Will wouldn¡¯t do that but it¡¯s still safer to make it clear.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°The worshippers, in particular, might have some strange tools and it¡¯s not often you get the chance to fight them. But, most people don¡¯t want to fight them anyway.¡±


    They didn¡¯t want to fight them? Well, most people would probably like to avoid fighting in general but that wasn¡¯t what he meant, probably.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The Worshippers are¡­ brutal. They do not fight with conventional methods. Poison, bombs, traps. They¡¯re troublesome, to say the least. And they don¡¯t shy away from attacking and killing non-combat personnel.¡±


    ¡°... Poison?¡±


    ¡°Poison. You know, the stuff that makes you feel all bad and might even kill you if left untreated.¡±


    No, I knew what poison was.


    ¡°I was more like... Nn, a little surprised.¡±


    ¡°Surprised, huh.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But isn¡¯t that really dangerous then?¡±


    After all, poison was hard to deal with, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Dangerous¡­ Mhm, well, they are. But it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t deal with them. Arrows coated in poison can be blocked by shields, after all. And most melee weapons have to get through your armour first.¡±


    ¡°Nn? So¡­ They aren¡¯t a problem?¡±


    ¡°The local poisons shouldn¡¯t be. Unless they bring something out that they acquired from far away, but that¡¯s doubtful. Of course, not getting poisoned in the first place is still the best option.¡±


    Huh¡­ Local poisons¡­ So, poisons that were made with local ingredients?


    ¡°The most likely one would be Moonseed Poison, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Moonseed Poison?¡±


    What an odd name. Was it made from a seed?


    ¡°Ah, I know that one.¡±


    ¡°Nn? You do, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I heard that it¡¯s used for hunting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a common poison for hunting. It paralyses and a large enough amount can kill you. Animals that were hunted that way can still be eaten so it¡¯s quite popular and the tree is often grown on purpose for the bark. It¡¯s mostly useless on monsters, however, and magicians can treat it easily, too.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    A hunting poison¡­ But why was it fine to eat those poisoned animals? Was it maybe fine to eat it but it was dangerous if it got into your blood?


    ¡°Anyway, while they use some troublesome methods for fighting, it¡¯s not like they can compete against professionals. Their general fighting abilities tend to be low. They can¡¯t stand up to mercenaries and trained soldiers. The actual problem is¡­ that woman.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yumelia, huh¡­


    ¡°We have no information about her capabilities at all outside of the stunt she pulled here. What we do know is that she avoided conflict when the Elder interfered¡­ Mhm¡­ But she simply might have been unwilling to play her cards there¡­¡±


    I took a sip from the ale that I had barely touched until now while Korwen continued to mumble to himself.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ explosion you did back there. Can you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can but¡­ it probably uses a lot of mana so¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Can you also do it remotely?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so? Not that I tried.¡±


    I could only manipulate the mana close to me, after all. If the mana crystal left my reach, there was nothing I could do.


    ¡°I see. But that¡¯s good enough for now.¡±


    Did he want to blow them up?


    ¡°Mr Captain, are you thinking of accepting it?¡±


    ¡°I am. The reward is enticing, after all. The gold reward is quite lacking but I already have some ideas for that wish. Also, if we keep the spoils¡­ Hahaha, with a little luck we can get some rather nice things into our hands. It¡¯s a good opportunity.¡±


    Was it a good opportunity? Well, I had no idea what kind of treasures the kingdom was keeping but¡­ Something on the level of that town-wide barrier did sound enticing.


    ¡°So yes, I think we¡¯ll accept it. The jobs the Academy gave us are likely not possible in the current situation anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why not?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it mostly hunting or capturing monsters?


    ¡°This is just an assumption of mine but the trolls were likely driven out of their habitat by that roper. In turn, however, the trolls also drove out the monsters in the forest. We pretty much found none of our targets. The only things we got are the herbs but those jobs aren¡¯t exactly paying all that well. The only reason we do them is because they¡¯re good training for our recruits, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    That made sense¡­ Although, Emily made that job a little too easy, in that case¡­


    ¡°Overall, we made quite a loss already and I would like to finish at least one job that was worth it. And it just so happens that one with a juicy reward fell into our hands.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, if we made a loss already, are we going to be fine? It¡¯s not like it pays¡­ that much money?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no worries about that. While it¡¯s not like we can just overlook it, if we didn¡¯t have enough savings for situations like this, we¡¯d be bankrupt long ago already.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That made sense.


    ¡°I still got a few questions for Will first, though. As for you two, I¡¯d love to tell you to take a rest but we most likely won¡¯t have the time.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    No rest? Seriously?


    ¡°Since we¡¯ll likely accept this job we have to prepare. Go to Ria and inform her of what happened. Of course, tell her that we¡¯ll likely accept this. After that, I¡¯ve been informed that Elena and Wanda wanted to talk with you, Yumi. It¡¯s about that matter that they¡¯re working on so help them out.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Wanda had told us before that they were pretty much done. In other words¡­ They likely needed me for the material. Ah, I¡¯d really turn into a material farm¡­ But this was something I knew would happen¡­ Nothing to do about it.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to tell them about this as well. Wanda might have some ideas. Tell them to change their priorities accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Priorities? Ah, he meant what to make, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Anyway, off with you two. Things are going to get hectic soon enough.¡±


    ¡°... Weren¡¯t they already hectic?¡±


    ¡°They were¡­ Can¡¯t argue with that. But even more things are going to happen. At the very least, things should finally settle down afterwards, so take it as the last spurt.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The last spurt, huh.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, Captain, we¡¯re off.¡±


    Korwen raised his hand in acknowledgement and then we left him. The first stop was Ria¡¯s.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Worshippers¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria was staring at the ceiling of her tent after we told her about the news. Nothing else.


    ¡°The Worshippers¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Why are¡­ they doing¡­ this?¡±


    ¡°... I have no idea?¡±


    How the heck should I know? This was apparently something that had been on-going even before I came to this world so it wasn¡¯t like they were after me. They probably were also after me, though, judging from what Yumelia had done.


    ¡°The Akkian Empire¡­ wants territory¡­ The nobles... Probably power? But¡­ What do... the Worshippers¡­ gain?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    What did they gain?


    ¡°Nn, the support of the Empire?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Then¡­ Why attack¡­ villages?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably for experiments?¡±


    ¡°What kind¡­ of experiments?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Like I said, how should I know?!


    ¡°Something¡­ related to¡­ the Witch¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ ritual magic¡­ That¡­ destroyed the forest¡­ What did¡­ the Elder say¡­ again¡­ They want¡­ to reach¡­ the Witch¡¯s¡­ world?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­. I think that was it?¡±


    Right. They had also used ritual magic in the forest. But, they had failed. Probably. Not like we could really confirm it.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Their¡­ objective¡­ is it¡­ to travel¡­ to her¡­ world?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡±


    The Witch¡¯s¡­ Yumias¡¯ world. What kind of world was it? I had to admit that I was curious but on the other hand, if it was full of monsters like her, I¡¯d rather stay away from it.


    With that said, I just noticed but¡­


    ¡°Ria, do you believe her world exists?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ know¡­ If it¡­ does¡­ or not¡­ But¡­ I think¡­ it is¡­ possible¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Possible, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe we should ask the Elder about this?¡±


    ¡°She probably knows a little about this but¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... No, nothing. Just wondered if she¡¯d be willing to talk about it. Because, you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    She had some history with Yumias. And I could clearly remember how the loss of her home had hit her. That¡­ certainly wouldn¡¯t be easy for her.


    ¡°Nn, but I think we should try asking her. If she doesn¡¯t want to tell us, she¡¯ll say so, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    Karen looked a little worried, so I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. It¡¯d be fine, for sure.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes, Ria?¡±


    ¡°What are¡­ you going¡­ to do¡­ after this?¡±


    ¡°Ehh... The Captain told me to meet Elina and Wanda after this.¡±


    ¡°And after¡­ that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, as of yet.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ come back¡­ once you¡­ are done¡­¡±


    That was fine by me but¡­


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be dinner time around then?¡±


    ¡°Skip it¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a little unreasonable¡­¡±


    Even I knew that working on an empty stomach wasn¡¯t going to give good results.


    ¡°Then¡­ eat here¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I guess that¡¯s doable?¡±


    Who knew how dinner time would end up anyway. Korwen told us things would become hectic, after all. Even more hectic than before.


    ¡°Good¡­ We will¡­ have to¡­ practise¡­ something¡­¡±


    ¡°... Practise what?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ charm¡­ magic¡­¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Why?¡±


    The charm I had unconsciously used back then to¡­ motivate the mercenaries. That was something I didn¡¯t quite expect to come up now.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Because¡­ it might¡­ be useful¡­ for this¡­ and¡­ the more¡­ options¡­ we have¡­ the better¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ Karen¡­ You should¡­ come too¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We need¡­ someone she¡­ can use it¡­ on¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ Wait.¡±


    She wanted me to use it on Karen?!


    ¡°Is¡­ something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... Why Sis? I¡¯d¡­ Uhm¡­ Rather not¡­¡±


    What if I messed up and¡­ and¡­ ruined our relationship?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Because¡­ It should be¡­ more noticeable¡­ on her¡­¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ that so? Still, I¡¯d rather not...¡±


    ¡°Yumi. Let me do it.¡±


    ¡°Eh, Sis?¡±


    I could feel Karen squeezing my hand in turn now as she looked right at me.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We don¡¯t have much time anyway and¡­ I¡¯m a little curious, to be honest...¡±


    ¡°... Curious?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ What will happen¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s cheeks blushed and she averted her gaze. This was¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ If you say so¡­ But, are you really really sure?¡±


    ¡°... I am.¡±


    With a nod, she once more affirmed it. If she really wanted to then¡­ Okay.


    ¡°In the first place, I can¡¯t allow anyone else to get charmed by you and assault you. ¡±


    ¡°... Hey.¡±


    So it was fine if she was the one assaulting me?


    Yes, it was fine. She was right.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I understand¡­ But, we¡¯ll be careful, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Seriously¡­ It did make me happy, though.


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you¡­ two have¡­ cleared that up¡­ then it¡¯s¡­ fine¡­ Was there¡­ anything else?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no I don¡¯t think so. Sis?¡±


    ¡°No, that was all. Mr Captain didn¡¯t say anything else.¡±


    Something else might come up later but for now, that had been all.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Then¡­ I will¡­ prepare¡­ Thank you¡­ For informing¡­ me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem. We¡¯ll come by later then.¡±


    ¡°Until¡­ then¡­¡±


    With that, Karen and I left Ria alone to her preparations. I had no idea what she was going to prepare, though. Hopefully, nothing that would explode here¡­


    ¡°Then, the next stop is Elina and Wanda?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­ did they finish?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wanda told me that they were close to finishing so¡­ Probably, yes.¡±


    Holding hands, Karen and I made our way to Elina¡¯s temporary workshop. For now, things still seemed relatively calm among the mercenaries that walked past us. No rushing or running around. Korwen was probably still talking with Will, the king, and Ruben.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, what do you think of¡­ that job offer?¡±


    ¡°What I think¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I think it¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it definitely is.¡±


    There was no way fighting wasn¡¯t dangerous¡­ But it was way too late to complain about that now. This was the work mercenaries did.


    ¡°And I feel that it¡¯s¡­ too fast.¡±


    ¡°Too fast?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ How do I say it¡­ things are happening too fast. We just came back from being attacked in the forest and then this happens. I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s all happening so quick.¡±


    ¡°Nn, certainly¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, life wasn¡¯t waiting for you.


    ¡°But if we wait, the chance might slip away. And¡­ if they had planned this out from the beginning and then had to improvise¡­ It might be more dangerous to leave them be for too long.¡±


    This might have been just me but it felt like¡­ That attack on us was rushed. Korwen also said someone was obstructing their rituals. Maybe¡­ they were panicking? In that case, wasn¡¯t it better to strike now before they could recover?


    ¡°Nn¡­ But¡­ I guess if it hadn¡¯t been for the king offering a job, the Captain probably wouldn¡¯t have interfered either.¡±


    ¡°Yumi? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I was a little lost in thought. Er, you see, I was just thinking about what the Captain told me before. If there is nothing to gain, he won¡¯t interfere. And I just thought that if Will hadn¡¯t come with that offer, we might have just protected El and Nel and done nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That might have been the case.¡±


    In that case, however¡­ In the worst case, many people might have died in this town, in the capital. Even people we knew. I couldn¡¯t say that I was all too happy with that thought. So¡­ It made me feel a little relieved that Korwen was thinking of accepting the job proposal.


    Then, I also have to do my best. I need to¡­ do my best. And that¡­ means hurting¡­ or killing those Worshippers¡­ and Yumelia.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the ogre from back then? The one that¡­ I blew up?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°Earlier¡­ I tried to replicate what I did back then¡­ When those trolls chased us.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that light we saw¡­¡±


    I nodded. It was most likely the light from when the crystal exploded.


    ¡°I think I am going to make¡­ more of those crystals. For throwing them. And I want to ask Ria if she has any ideas if I could make them explode from far away.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ We should discuss that with her later when we¡¯re at her place again.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Those mana crystals probably needed quite a bit of mana but they were¡­ destructive.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°This might sound¡­ a little bad but¡­ Can¡¯t the dolls explode the crystals?¡±


    ¡°They might be able to, but...¡±


    It did sound bad, indeed. Honestly, in the beginning, I most likely wouldn¡¯t have minded those words but after Yumias had told me they were pretty much like my children¡­ and that they did possess a certain amount of intelligence¡­ It was hard to see them as expendables anymore.


    ¡°Ah, but maybe¡­ Mhm¡­ I¡¯ll have to try that out.¡±


    A sudden idea came to mind. Sure, the dolls might be able to do it, but wasn¡¯t there a better option?


    ¡°Maybe the tentacles could do it, too.¡±


    The tentacle growth was¡­ probably more resilient than the dolls. It seemed to regenerate quite fast as well so it probably would be fine even if it got caught up in it. And even if it wasn¡¯t fine¡­ The thought didn¡¯t bother me as much as it did for the dolls.


    ¡°Those tentacles¡­ Are you sure they could do that?¡±


    ¡°Nn, who knows? They do seem to¡­ understand what I want them to do, at least.¡±


    If they could detonate the mana crystal that¡­.


    Wait, wouldn¡¯t that make them effectively mines? That¡­ was quite scary. But, it was useful. It was useful, so¡­ I¡¯d try it. I had to.


    ¡°They definitely understand you¡­ Actually, aren¡¯t they pretty smart as well? They attacked the ropers on their own but left us alone.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Who knows?¡±


    Did they attack the ropers because I saw them as enemies or was there some other reasoning?


    ¡°I wonder which it is¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Could be anything. But you should discuss that with Ria and Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Right now, let¡¯s focus on this.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    This?


    I followed Karen¡¯s gaze and¡­ remembered what we wanted to do. Right in front of us, we saw Elina and Wanda together with two unfamiliar men. The two men were facing off, each holding a rod. A thin, pink-coloured rope was hanging between them, either end wrapped around the rods.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me.¡±


    The two men suddenly pulled the rods back, straightening the rope.


    ¡°Come on, you can do better than that. Put your muscles to use. Or are you little girls? Never carried something heavier than a stick?¡±


    ¡°Nnngghhhh!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh!¡±


    Wanda shouted at the two men who were desperately pulling on the rods on their ends. You could clearly see their faces turning red and their muscles bulging from the endeavour. Nonetheless, the thin rope was holding.


    ¡°Miss Wanda, maybe we should have used some static object after all and let them pull there. Not that I mind watching those muscles but¡­¡±


    ¡°They would¡¯ve just pulled it out by now already. And I sure don¡¯t feel like looking for a tree who-knows-where. They might just uproot it anyway.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. I¡¯ll watch the muscles some more then.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re supposed to watch that rope, not the muscles! Damn muscle fetishist.¡±


    At that point, the two finally couldn¡¯t keep it up anymore. One of them lost his grip and fell over. With a surprised scream. the other men followed immediately. At least they had the foresight to do this around somewhere with plenty of space and no rocks around. Otherwise, they might have hit their heads now.


    ¡°Ahh, no luck, huh.¡±


    ¡°I expected them to not be able to tear the rope but to think they couldn¡¯t even tear the yarn itself¡­ This is impressive.¡±


    ¡°They could¡¯ve kept it up for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, pervert. Also, it seems we got guests.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Ah, Wanda had spotted us.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come at a good time.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Wanda, Miss Elina.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Was that¡­¡±


    ¡°It was. We were just doing some more tests to kill time but as you can see, it¡¯s quite impressive. These men are by no means weak and yet they couldn¡¯t even tear apart a thin thread.¡±


    With a wry smile, Wanda walked up to the two men, both breathing heavily, and retrieved the rope. Or, actually, just like Wanda had said, it wasn¡¯t even a rope. It was just a bundle of loose threads.


    ¡°This rope is going to be extremely useful. I thought that if we kept it thin like this, we could test its durability more than sufficiently. Turns out that it completely blew apart our expectations.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ve rarely seen a material this durable before! It¡¯s too bad we have no way of confirming how much it can hold¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    That was good¡­ Probably? Not being able to confirm exactly how much it could hold was a little bit of an issue if I had to guess but otherwise?


    ¡°We do know for now that a regular-sized rope of this thread should be able to carry several times the load a rope with normal materials could carry. That¡¯s already quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I see.¡±


    Several times that of a normal rope¡­ That was impressive, yes.


    ¡°Anyway, let me get to the point why we called for you. Although, you probably already know why don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... You want more of it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Material Farm Yumi, reporting for duty.


    I knew it would end up like this.


    ¡°Nn, but before we do that, the Captain said that we should tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I threw a glance to the back, towards the two exhausted men. It would probably be fine but Korwen had only mentioned Elina and Wanda.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside, you can tell us there.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Wanda collected the things they had brought outside for the test and disappeared inside the workshop tent. As for Elina, she walked up to the two men and thanked them for helping out. And asked if she could touch those muscles but I probably was better off pretending that I hadn¡¯t seen that.


    Everyone has their own preferences, yeah¡­


    Karen and I followed Wanda inside the tent, where she had already sat down on the work table.


    ¡°Sit down and tell me what¡¯s up.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After Karen and I took our seats, Elina also joined us.


    ¡°So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, the captain¡­ was approached with a job offer.¡±


    ¡°A job?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Fighting off a group of Worshippers that are occupying a village.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Wanda didn¡¯t seem surprised at all. Or even impressed in the slightest¡­ Elina however was tilting her head.


    ¡°Worshippers? You mean the Witch Worshippers?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Is it related to those rumours that villages are being attacked?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Nn.¡±


    She only knew about it as rumours?


    ¡°I see. Worshippers, huh¡­ Never met one before. Does the Witch even exist? Isn¡¯t she just a fairytale?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was¡­ probably a good thing¡­ that she didn¡¯t know. Better to keep it that way.


    ¡°Whether she exists or not is irrelevant, girl. But if they got a job to get rid of those pests, then that old man probably wants us to change priorities.¡±


    ¡°Changing priorities?¡±


    ¡°Fighting humans doesn¡¯t need rope all that often. Not on an open field anyway and not against a small group of people. At most for tying them up but even a regular rope can accomplish that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see. Then, we¡¯re going to focus on¡­ what?¡±


    ¡°I would say the frizzly thread as well as those leather patches. No, the leather patches first. Kid, do you know how much time we have?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t, but probably soon.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s assume tomorrow for now. That¡¯s not enough time for me to make anything decent out of the threads. Konno and his ilk should be able to make use of the leather patches, however¡­ In that case, the leather patches first. Once we get some of those sent over to Konno, we¡¯ll need some thread. While I can¡¯t make anything from scratch, I can probably try and improve some of the existing ones.¡±


    Wow¡­ We had only told her a little and¡­ she was already up and about on what to do. Even Elina stared at Wanda with wide eyes.


    ¡°What? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no¡­ I was just impressed by how quickly you decided on what to do.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Comes with the experience. With that said, Elina! Stop gawking and get to work, you¡¯re the only one here who can make the materials!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll do it! Let me do it!¡±


    What in the world did a seamstress have to go through for her to have experience with a situation like this?


    ¡°Kid.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Strip.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Strip.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Ah, stop it!¡±


    Seeing my inaction at her sudden command, she decided to just strip me herself. Even if we were all women and girls here, this was a little much for me!


    ¡°Wanda?! What are you doing to Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°Stripping her. I need the armour she¡¯s wearing.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t just!¡±


    ¡°I can and I will, girl.¡±


    And she sure did. Mercilessly and with skilful movements, Wanda stripped me down to my underwear, which was just some underpants. And Karen had been unable to prevent her from stripping me. Now, I was sitting on the ground, trying to cover myself at least a little bit with my arms.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop crying, kid. I¡¯ll give you that armour back later.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ When¡­ When is later?¡±


    ¡°... Tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And what was I supposed to do until then?!


    ¡°Is there anything I can wear here?¡±


    ¡°Here? No.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She wasn¡¯t expecting me to leave looking like this, was she?


    ¡°Sis¡­ What do I do?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what?¡±


    She¡­ was staring at me. Yeah¡­ I knew that kind of stare. Unfortunately, now wasn¡¯t the time for this.


    ¡°Sis¡­ I need something to wear¡­¡±


    ¡°... Do you have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. I can¡¯t leave looking like this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen wasn¡¯t replying anymore! What should I do?


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯d be bad if someone saw you like this. I¡¯m going to fetch something. Wait here.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Sis.¡±


    Leaving those words behind, Karen went out to bring me something to wear. All the while, the culprit behind all of this was focused on her work. Which coincidentally didn¡¯t seem to include the armour she had stripped me off yet. Couldn¡¯t she have¡­ let me change first?


    A demon¡­ Definitely¡­ a demon...


    Rinne


    I hope you all had happy holidays and a good few days. The year is now nearly over, isn''t it? Time really flies, huh...


    In other news, over at my Patreon, the available chapters increased by one over Christmas, putting the total advance chapters to nine now. I hope I can get the tenth one out soon... Speaking of which, with this chapter, the $1 tier can also now enjoy one advance chapter.


    Anyway, it''d be boorish of me to talk more about money at this time so I''ll end it here.


    All of you, stay safe and healthy! Take care of yourselves And, since this is the last chapter of the year:


    Have a good start into the new year! Take care! We''ll see each other next year!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Hairy Troubles

    ¡°Yumi, I have a request.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª What is it? Can¡¯t that wait?¡±


    While I was doing my best to cover myself as much as possible, seeing how I was only in underwear, Elina came up to me, an expectant gaze staring right into my eyes.


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long! I just, uhm, want your hair.¡±


    Honestly, that sounds pretty wrong¡­


    But, we did come here originally for that so¡­ Her request, rather than reasonable, wasn¡¯t it something we¡¯d do anyway? The timing was just a little¡­ inappropriate, wasn¡¯t it?


    Either way, not something we can do without Karen.


    Someone had to cut it, after all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not interested in your flat body.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re awfully blunt, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t my worry anyway. We have to wait for Karen before we can do that.¡±


    Elina stared at me, then tilted her head, looking slightly confused.


    ¡°... I got scissors here? Or do you not want me to touch your hair?¡±


    ¡±Nn, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want you to touch it but¡­¡±


    I was a little worried she didn¡¯t have the strength to do so¡­ No but, after I figured out how to make it easier for Karen, maybe others could manage to do that as well now?


    ¡°Well, we can try¡­ I guess?¡±


    ¡°Great! Then, come and sit¡­ Ah, here.¡±


    Seeing the lack of chairs, Elina instead stood up from the one she occupied and offered it to me. It had become a little hard to refuse now, hadn¡¯t it? With that said, Karen wouldn¡¯t come back faster just because I was feeling embarrassed.


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    Deciding that it was better to get things done, I sat down, making sure not to sit on my hair, and watched as Elina quickly stood behind me, scissors at the ready.


    ¡°Eh, is there any specific length? Or a limit to how much I can cut or so?¡±


    ¡°Not really? Just cut and it grows back.¡±


    ¡°... Is that how it works?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I could hear her pondering and murmuring for a short while until she just said a ¡°Well, whatever!¡±


    A moment later, the feeling of someone touching my hair reached me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start now¡­ okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, go ahead.¡±


    Time to pay attention now. Actually, she was using scissors, right? Should I¡­ push to the left or the right? Well, I could try both¡­ Or rather, I probably had to since I couldn¡¯t see it.


    Just then, Elina was taking hold of some of my hair strands, getting ready to cut. I heard her sharply drawing in the air.


    ¡°... Huh? Ehhh? Mhm?¡±


    The sounds of the scissors closing and opening¡­ And the considerably confused noises Elina made as she attempted to cut my hair. I tried to help out by pushing my hair against the cutting edge of the scissors, in both directions, but¡­ No luck.


    ¡°Ehhhh? Why doesn¡¯t it¡­ Wait a moment, I¡¯ll figure it out in a second.¡°


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Most likely she was trying in vain, though¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think scissors are going to work here, Elina.¡±


    ¡°... It seems like¡­ that is the case¡­ Uhh, okay, uhm¡­ Karen used a knife right? Wait a moment then¡­¡±


    Elina went up to her workbench and retrieved a small curved knife.


    ¡°Okay, attempt number two. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Once more standing behind me, Elina took a strand of my hair again. Again, a sharp breath was audible behind me.


    Hopefully, for her, it¡¯d work this time¡­ I could only cheer in my mind for her¡­ Well, outside of trying to do my part, of course.


    A weak tug informed me that Elina was starting to¡­ not cut the hair. Even when I pushed my hair against it, nothing happened¡­ In other words, the same result as before.


    ¡°Huh? But¡­ Why doesn¡¯t it work? Uhh, it¡¯s so tough¡­ How did Karen do this?¡±


    ¡°Sis is pretty strong.¡±


    Although, I was a little surprised that it didn¡¯t work even with my help.


    ¡°But that much¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    She was doing something, fiddling with my hair¡­


    ¡°Okay, surely this will work! Ngh!¡±


    A slightly stronger tug pulled my hair this time¡­ Hopefully, that wasn¡¯t her entire strength pulling me there. I threw a glance behind me to see what the heck she was even doing. After forming a loop with my hair, she had inserted the knife and was now pushing it outwards, using all her strength.


    ¡°Nnnnngghh¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hrnnnngh!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work.¡±


    ¡°It will¡­ Haa¡­ work¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    No, seeing this, it most definitely wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°One more! Here we go!¡± Ngggghhh!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh! Ouchouchouch! Stop pulling! Elina! Stop pulling! Ahhh!¡±


    This girl¡­ she completely forgot who the hair was attached to, didn¡¯t she? There wasn¡¯t much point of forming a loop with my hair and holding it in place if she was jerking me around with said loop. Geez, now the back of my head was hurting.


    ¡°Sorry! Is everything okay, Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It hurts¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I really am!¡±


    ¡°... Haa¡­ But at least now it¡¯s clear it won¡¯t work, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Dejectedly, she admitted it wouldn¡¯t work. Finally. Now more head-jerking hair cutting attempts.


    ¡°But how did Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, you¡¯ll have to ask her, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ But what do I do until she comes back?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know? Is there nothing else to do?¡±


    ¡°... We used up all we had already. And working on the materials I already crafted once is not a good idea. Might impact their durability and so.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Too bad.


    ¡°Nn, but I thought we gave you quite a lot already.¡±


    ¡°We used up a lot already on prototypes. And after that, I changed most of the raw materials I had at hand into the ones we¡¯d need, mostly for ropes and all. I kept a small spare amount but when Wanda said we¡¯d call you for more I already worked on that too earlier.¡±


    So, most of the materials had already been turned into the raw materials for ropes, huh¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ Nothing we can do then.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Changing the raw materials, huh¡­ The magic craftsmen¡¯s work¡­


    ¡°Nn... Elina.¡±


    ¡°Yes? What is it?¡±


    ¡°What exactly are magic craftsmen doing?¡±


    ¡°What we do?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I know you change monster materials into something others can work on but¡­ What is it exactly you do there?¡±


    A patch of leather was after all quite a jump from¡­ Okay, it wasn¡¯t, seeing how my hair was basically made up of tiny tentacles and therefore not actually ¡®hair¡¯ in the traditional sense, but still¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­ That might be a little hard to explain¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? You can try. Not like we got much else to do until Sis is back.¡±


    ¡°Well, in that case¡­¡±


    Elina sat down on the floor next to me, staring at the tent ceiling.


    ¡°You see, all materials consist of very, very small parts. If you were to cut a wood splinter a dozen, a hundred or maybe even a thousand times, you still would end up with something that is not small enough.¡±


    Small enough? That sounded¡­ pretty familiar.


    ¡°Do you mean atoms?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ toms? Who is Toms?¡±


    ¡°Atoms. Just atoms. They¡¯re very small parts that make up pretty much all matter?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I didn¡¯t know they were called that. But you know about that?¡±


    Her eyes went wide as she stared at me. Definitely not something she expected.


    ¡°Nn, more or less? I know the basics, in a sense.¡±


    ¡°I see. That makes things a lot easier, though. Then, the rest is actually quite simple¡­ Well, explaining it is simple... I think. The job of a magic craftsman is to rearrange the base matter¡­ the atoms...  into something more suitable for our needs, without damaging the mana purity of the material.¡±


    ¡°... Mana purity? What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Every material, or well, rather, every tiny piece of matter contains mana that is relevant to its nature. Of course, mana is not only contained within this matter but also everywhere else. Err, how do I explain this part¡­ You see¡­ These materials have a lot of mana in between the matter¡­ the atoms. Uhhh¡­ Do you understand what I mean? The matter pieces don¡¯t touch each other but are connected by mana instead. It¡¯s like¡­ like glue, I guess?¡±


    ¡°... I think I know what you mean.¡±


    I was a little surprised to hear the mention of atoms but from the looks of it, they didn¡¯t fully understand the topic yet. Unless, of course, the basic physics were different in this world but¡­ judging from my experiences so far, it was at least similar to my old world¡¯s physics. It was probably safer to assume it was the same as it was in my old world, barring the existence of mana. Then again, the only one who could probably give me a definite answer to this¡­ was that monster, Yumias.


    ¡°Great! I was a little worried about that part being confusing. Anyway, so, this glue-like mana is often raw, unattributed mana. And we call this mana a mana impurity.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, mana purity means how little raw mana there is in between?¡±


    That made sense. Or not? They considered it like glue, right? Then draining it wasn¡¯t...


    ¡°No, not quite.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Or rather, it¡¯s not wrong but you probably misunderstood it a little. While you can change the amount of mana flowing between, it is nearly impossible to get rid of all the mana. Even if you could do that, the material would become weak and brittle. Mana purity doesn¡¯t exactly refer to the amount of mana but the relation between raw mana and attributed mana flowing between the atoms. The more attributed mana to the raw mana, the higher the purity.¡±


    ¡°O¡­ kay¡­¡±


    The relation, huh¡­


    ¡°The amount of mana in general between those atoms is what we call mana density.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That already made more sense¡­ Not that it didn¡¯t before but¡­ Ehh, anyway¡­ She was explaining it to me. Better listen. I asked for it after all.


    ¡°Monster materials generally have a very high mana purity in that regard. And mana density, too, of course. That is what makes them so incredibly strong. And depending on the attribute of the mana, some might even have special characteristics.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Can different attributes mix in there as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they can and they usually do. Most often they are related attributes, though. Like¡­ Silver Moon? It¡¯s Silver Moon for her, right? A material with mostly Silver Moon attributed mana can also contain iron and diamond mana but rarely contains other types of mana. Rarely you see metal-attributed mana or even jewel-attributed mana.¡±


    Metal and Jewel¡­ Anything was fine if it was about attributed mana, wasn¡¯t it? Also, did she make that example because of Karen?


    ¡°Sometimes... Very rarely, there are very interesting mixtures of attributed mana causing a special characteristic to appear on the material that wouldn¡¯t happen without both types.¡±


    ¡°Nn, so you could mix them?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re able to create more of that type of mana, sure. But that¡¯s not something a regular magic craftsman could ever hope to do, you know? There are too many attributes and most of us aren¡¯t all that good at using actual magic. Hence, we¡¯re often not counted as actual magicians.¡±


    But, what they were doing was basically magic?


    ¡°Anyway, to get back on track: When we magic craftsmen work on a material, we use mana to shift around the matter in a way that turns it into a material more suited for processing. Though I say it like this, it¡¯s not even remotely as complex¡­ It¡¯s usually just connecting things and smoothening them out. However, because we also use mana, there¡¯s the danger that it leaks into the material itself and lowers the purity. Furthermore, unskillful manipulation of the arrangement can also damage the material and cause it to break apart. It takes a lot of effort, diligence and training before you can even turn a single material.¡±


    That meant¡­ They were manipulating the atom arrangement in the material to something else¡­ It sounded¡­ quite crazy, honestly.


    Also, while it didn¡¯t quite surprise me to hear that those materials were jam-packed with mana, I hadn¡¯t really considered that it was mostly attributed mana...


    ¡°Ah, while it isn¡¯t as common, we can also do a little more than just rearranging it. For example, we can form additional matter to make the material heavier. Or we change the shape a little to fit better with the other pieces of matter.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Then, it was more like the manipulation of atoms in general? Wasn¡¯t that actually quite dangerous?


    ¡°Could you turn it into any kind of material then?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. If it doesn¡¯t fit with the attributed mana, we¡¯ll just break the material. That¡¯s why your hair is so weird. Usually, you can¡¯t make leather out of hair-type materials. They¡¯re too different.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    Totally not because my hair wasn¡¯t proper hair.


    ¡°Nn, anyway¡­ You said you could also change the weight?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We create new matter with the attributed mana.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You¡­ create new matter?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And that¡­ sounded just as dangerous as the other one¡­ But apparently, there were restrictions to it so maybe it wasn¡¯t that dangerous.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you be able to create really strong materials if you can increase their density?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ No. The most strength comes from the mana itself. Creating the matter uses up a lot of the mana inside so it actually weakens the material and more often than not damages the mana purity. It¡¯s only useful in case you need to create something with a lot of weight.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Is that so.¡±


    If these things were possible in my old world¡­ That¡¯d be pretty crazy. And dangerous. If this world reached that level of technology¡­ That was a scary thought. But with magic in the mix, the moment they reached that level of technology, things would go really badly anyway in a war¡­ On the other hand, knowing what was possible even in my old world, whether there was magic or not would probably make little difference. Even without magic, they could devastate their planet. And honestly, while I hadn¡¯t seen any¡­ large-scale battles or anything, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even now magic could be a devastating weapon. The fact that the Empire was seemingly scared of Aldreigh¡¯s magician army was probably proof enough of that¡­


    ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You seemed lost in thought.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry. Was just thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I guess that wraps up about everything in regards to this part of a magic craftsman¡¯s job anyway so¡­ Any questions?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. ¡®This part,¡¯ you say¡­ There¡¯s more?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t all that they were doing?!


    ¡°Ahahaha, of course, there is!  Magic craftsmen also create magic tools, you know?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ That sounds like it¡¯d be quite different, though.¡±


    ¡°It actually isn¡¯t that much different. They share a lot of techniques.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, since Sis is still not here, I want to hear about magic tools then.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    It was.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Do you know what magic tools are?¡±


    ¡°Tools that cast magic.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, that¡¯s¡­ not quite right, but I guess that¡¯s how most see it.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t right?


    ¡°A tool by itself cannot exactly cast magic, you know? Magic needs something like an intent. A tool doesn¡¯t have that.¡±


    ¡°Now that you say it¡­ But it still does something.¡±


    ¡°It does. Well, let me try to sum it up without going too much into details.¡±


    Elina started fishing around in her waist pouch and retrieved a small apparatus, barely as wide as her palm.


    ¡°This is still a work in progress. It¡¯s something I worked on in my free time for fun. You know those magical lanterns, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do.¡±


    The lanterns that lit up. Well, obviously a lantern would light up, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be one. Just, it did so without a flame. It was a magic tool for creating light.


    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll explain it with them as an example. There are, in general, only two key components in a magic tool: The mana crystal and monster materials.¡±


    ¡°Monster materials? In the tools?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A magic tool is actually very simple in structure. You have a mana crystal that sends mana into the monster material. The attributed mana inside the monster material activates and in this case creates light with the supplied mana.¡±


    ¡°... It activates?¡±


    ¡°It does. Don¡¯t ask me about why it does, though. If you connect the mana crystal with a monster material, a processed one, and then send mana through it, the attributed mana usually activates. However, it only works with mana from a mana crystal.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Curious¡­


    ¡°From there, you can do many things. Depending on the attributed mana, you can create things, burn things, light it up and so on. As long as you got the materials, of course.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Still sounds quite magical to me.¡±


    ¡°It still is done without a magician, though.¡±


    True. But for me, it was still magic. The whole thing surprised me a little. Hearing about atoms and things like that in an explanation about a magical profession¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad that it only works with a mana crystal¡­ Well, but it works as a storage for mana too so we¡¯d probably do it like this anyway.¡±


    Elina poked the little lantern in her hand.


    ¡°The mana crystals grow in size the more mana they have so it is nearly impossible to make a tool this size. It just immediately runs out of mana.¡±


    ¡°Nn, so that¡¯s why you want it to work without?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Haaa¡­ Anyway, there¡¯s not much I can do about it, really. Got to find another way then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Elina smiled a little awkwardly and scratched the back of her head.


    ¡°Still, the job of a magic craftsman is quite diverse.¡±


    ¡°It sure is. And you need to know a lot of things. Probably also a reason why it¡¯s an unpopular profession. Even though it pays really well.¡±


    ¡°Does it pay that much?¡±


    ¡°Well, a simple magic tool can easily go for a silver or even more. And I could make dozens of them in one day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s, indeed, rather profitable.¡±


    And she wasn¡¯t a full magic craftsman yet. Still in training, and so.


    ¡°If you¡¯re skilled, you can easily earn several gold coins a day.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Several gold coins¡­


    That was a lot of money.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Well, less competition is better anywa¡ª¡± Yumi!¡±¡ªy for us¡­¡±


    A shout interrupted our little talk and the curtain of the tent flew open with Karen storming inside. For some reason, she looked a little dishevelled¡­


    ¡°Sis? What happened?¡±


    ¡°I found your clothes.¡±


    ¡°... Ah, right.¡±


    I nearly forgot about this¡­ Scary, how quickly you could get used to some things...


    ¡°Here you go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Sis.¡±


    I quickly donned the one-piece dress that Karen handed me.


    Thank god or whoever else that nobody else had come in or something like that while we talked. Wanda was busy working on her stuff and completely ignored us anyway.


    ¡°Mh? Yumi, what were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, Elina was trying to cut my hair and she couldn¡¯t manage it. We were waiting for you to come back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it even damaged my knife.¡±


    Elina held up her knife to show it to Karen. There¡­ really was a nick in the blade. Did that happen when she tried it with all her strength?


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work?¡±


    Karen raised an eyebrow and turned to me. I shook my head to affirm Elina¡¯s words.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ A little.¡±


    Even Karen had some problems in the beginning before I figured out how to help out. And she was a lot stronger than any of us. Not all that surprising that Elina would have problems. But seeing her fail had surprised me a little as well.


    ¡°Let me do it then. Is that okay, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Of course, it is.¡±


    I faced forward on the chair so that Karen could get to work behind me. Before I turned around, I saw that she took out her knife from a small leather sheath on her waist. When did she get that? Together with the other equipment, maybe?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand stroked my hair a few times before getting to work with the knife. I could feel the knife pushing against my hair and I responded in kind.


    ¡°Ah. So easily...¡±


    Strands of my hair fell to the ground the more Karen cut off. A short while later and I was sporting significantly shorter hair. Down to the shoulder, which was still longer than most people. Not for long though.


    ¡°And there it is again¡­ Does it always just¡­ regrow like that?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Didn¡¯t she watch us before already?


    Well, not like it mattered all that much. Karen continued to cut the hair that regrew and slowly but surely a small pile grew below her feet.


    ¡°Elina, how much do you need?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ A little more than that, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do one more, okay, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Good thing that it just grew like a weed. Seriously, would it ever stop if we continued? I had the subtle feeling I¡¯d starve first.


    ¡°And we¡¯re done, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen tussled my hair gently and affectionately, stroking it and playing around a little.


    ¡°To be honest, I am a little glad.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That she didn¡¯t manage to cut it and that I had to. Like that, I get to keep it all for myself.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a rather odd thing to keep for yourself, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The privilege to cut my hair couldn¡¯t be that important, right?


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m still glad it¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡±


    No more experimenting with other people either then. Not that I had even planned to after this. It wasn¡¯t likely anyone else would manage either way. I was curious why Karen had a relatively easy time, though¡­ Was it really just because of her strength?


    ¡°For now we should scoop this up, though.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Seeing so much of my hair on the ground¡­ I had thought that before but it really was astonishing. Not something you¡¯d ever get to see usually.


    ¡°Let that girl do that herself,¡± interrupted a voice from behind suddenly.


    I turned around and saw Wanda looking towards us, having turned on her chair.


    ¡°You two still got places to be, don¡¯t you? We kept you more than long enough, I think.¡±


    ¡°Nn, are you sure?¡±


    Not that I¡¯d complain but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I can do it. If you still have things to do, then leave this to me!¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so¡­¡±


    I threw a glance at Karen and she nodded to me.


    ¡°Then¡­ Until later, Elina, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°Until later! Was nice to talk with you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was.¡±


    Wanda had already returned to her work, completely ignoring us. After Karen said bye as well, we left the tent, into the fresh air.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The first thing that I noticed¡­ was the surprising activity in the camp. Men scuttling about left and right. The news must¡¯ve gotten around now, huh¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s always impressive seeing the camp so busy all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°Especially when it was relatively quiet before.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    They could switch gears so fast that I felt a little jealous, to be honest.


    ¡°So, where to now, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, dinner? And then Ria¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fine to me.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I took Karen¡¯s hand into mine and we started to make our way through the camp towards dinner. We walked for a while in silence until Karen suddenly spoke up.


    ¡°Hey, what did you talk about with Elina?¡±


    ¡°Nn? She told me about her work as a magic craftsman.¡±


    ¡°Her work as a magic craftsman?¡±


    ¡°Nn. How she processes monster materials and how the magic tools work.¡±


    They had been quite interesting topics. Furthermore¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°After we¡¯re done at Ria¡¯s¡­ Or actually, we can ask her too when we¡¯re there¡­ I want to try something.¡±


    ¡°Try something?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Talking with Elina gave me a bit of an idea.¡±


    Especially the talk about magic tools.


    ¡°Did you know that magic tools only work with the mana from magic crystals?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Yes, I did.¡±


    ¡°So you did¡­¡±


    Well, I hadn¡¯t known until Elina told me¡­


    ¡°She also explained that what magic tools do is strictly not magic.¡±


    ¡°Not magic?¡±


    ¡°Nn. The mana from the crystal travels through the monster materials and activates the attributed mana¡­ or so she explained.¡±


    ¡°I see?¡±


    Karen tilted her head a little, probably confused.


    ¡°So, I thought¡­ if it needs a mana crystal to work¡­ Maybe the way monsters use their magic is similar to how magic tools operate?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe it was a bit of a stretch¡­ Or maybe it was actually quite close. I¡¯d have to look into it to find out.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Even if it does, what would that change?¡±


    ¡°Change?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡±


    Yeah, even if it was similar¡­ How would that help me?


    ¡°How to say it¡­ Maybe it¡¯s more of how I imagine it?¡±


    ¡°Imagine?¡±


    ¡°Nn. To be honest¡­ Outside of changing my body and directly manipulating the mana, magic feels a little¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ abstract, to me?¡±


    My body as well as the mana I could directly control, they were both things I could actually feel. There wasn¡¯t a real need to understand it in detail. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t say no if someone was able to teach me.


    Just, everything else I was doing was¡­ Not going so well. Okay, the tentacle growth was doing quite well even without my help. Point being, it wasn¡¯t really a solid feeling in my head. It was more like something vague that somehow works¡­ Thinking about it¡­ There wasn¡¯t much I did besides that one time I used that Charm magic. And even that had been unintentional. Most of the things I did were the dolls and the tentacle growth. Neither of which was easy to understand.


    Speaking of the dolls, they were running all over the place as well, helping out.


    ¡°Nn, I wonder. Maybe it could help me figure out a few things that feel a little vague to me. Also, there¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    ¡°One more?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That one is probably a little less of a¡­ vague idea. You see, Elina told me what monster materials made so strong.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s the attributed mana inside. It¡¯s what gives the material the strength.¡±


    ¡°The attributed mana?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°You see, maybe that also applies to, well, me too. Most of the mana in my body is being absorbed, right? So, in other words, there¡¯s not much mana in my body since it always gets dragged into the mana crystal inside me.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi, are you saying that you¡¯re so weak because your mana gets drained?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s just an assumption for now, of course. That¡¯s why I want to try it later.¡±


    The area where dinner served finally came into view. I couldn¡¯t quite see what dinner was today but seeing how the mercenary men were quite motivated to get their food, it was probably something good. Maybe courtesy to the job. A nice meal before we had to move out and couldn¡¯t afford one.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I want to try stopping the mana crystal from absorbing all my mana. If I can do that¡­ maybe I can do a little more.¡±


    Rinne


    I wish you all a good new year and hope you will continue to support me over the next year! A big thanks to you all!


    Rinn¨¦

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Charm and Morale

    ¡°No...¡±


    ¡°... No?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh¡­ So, I shouldn¡¯t do it?¡±


    I tilted my head in slight confusion, staring at Ria.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ that you¡­ shouldn¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s more¡­ That there is... no time¡­ for it...  You should¡­ focus on... the things... that will help¡­ right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    So, rather than my sudden inspiration I got from Elina I should rather focus on getting the hang of using that charm? Mhm¡­ That made sense. Time was limited right now. No choice but to delay it until we came back¡­ Too bad¡­


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll practise that charm, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only¡­ the Charm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need¡­ to gather your¡­ dolls¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh. Nn.¡±


    Well, that was relatively easy to do.


    ¡°But first¡­ we practise¡­ that Charm¡­ of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. Okay.¡±


    The Charm¡­ The Charm, huh.


    I turned around and looked at Karen. She was munching on her food while listening to Ria and me but when I turned to look at her, she returned the look.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Nothing.¡±


    It was hard for me to let go of my worries about using that Charm magic on her. But she had already made her point in regards to that so I should accept that¡­


    ¡°First, we should eat, though.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That would¡­ be a good¡­ idea¡­¡±


    With a small sigh, I picked up my dinner¡­ We had gotten a weird kind of stiff bread filled with meat and vegetables that we could carry around. In other words, it was the type of food you could bring around and eat at work. There was no relaxed dinner. You really could feel their work ethic here¡­ Thankfully, this wasn¡¯t the norm.


    ¡°... Ria, should I already call for the dolls while we eat?¡±


    If it was just the dolls, I could do it while eating. Probably.


    Oh, this bread was actually quite good.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Mm¡­ No¡­ Not yet¡­ Later¡­ The Captain¡­ had something planned¡­ until then¡­ Let them... help out¡­ with preparations¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, if you say so.¡±


    They were helping out? Then, it was probably bad to call them over now, yeah.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Do we at least know when we will be moving out now?¡±


    We only knew that we would do the job but not when.


    ¡°Mm¡­ The Captain¡­ will probably¡­ gather everyone¡­ later... and announce it¡­ Right now¡­ we should work¡­ assuming it¡­ to be at¡­ the earliest¡­ possible time¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So that¡¯s why everyone was in such a hurry to get things done.


    ¡°Ria, don¡¯t you have anything to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ Or rather¡­ my preparation¡­ is to rest...¡±


    ¡°To rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ We are¡­ magicians¡­ We aren¡¯t¡­ allowed¡­ to help out¡­ because it tires¡­ us out¡­ And we¡¯re needed¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh...¡°


    In that case, Wenners and Krutz were probably also resting right now¡­ And Wendl, too.


    ¡°Everyone has¡­ their own work¡­ to do¡­ You two¡­ have to prepare¡­ in your own way¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Which meant getting that Charm to work.


    ¡°I am... looking forward¡­ to it¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    Ria smiled when I asked her.


    ¡°Do you¡­ remember¡­ what kind¡­ of position¡­ the Captain¡­ wanted you¡­ to take?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhm¡­¡±


    Position? Position¡­ She probably didn¡¯t mean our position as magician apprentices¡­ Then¡­ Oh¡­ There was¡­ one thing.


    ¡°... The banner?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    I see¡­ The banner, huh¡­ So that¡¯s why Ria wanted me to practise the Charm now. Korwen had said it would be helpful for morale if I would carry the banner.


    ¡°This time¡­ we are fighting¡­ against other¡­ humanoids¡­ Rather than forming¡­ small squads¡­ tasked with¡­ different jobs¡­ We work more¡­ like an army¡­ this time¡­¡±


    ¡°An army¡­¡±


    I nibbled on my food as I let those words sink in.


    ¡°Are you¡­ scared?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well...¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ It is¡­ normal¡­ to feel so¡­ No¡­ It¡¯s probably¡­ good¡­ to do so¡­¡±


    ¡°Good? Why?¡±


    ¡°Someone¡­ who lost¡­ their fear¡­ of fighting¡­ against others¡­ against people¡­ can never¡­ be a good¡­ mercenary¡­¡±


    They can¡¯t be a good mercenary?


    ¡°Those who lose¡­ their fear¡­ die an early¡­ death¡­ Fear¡­ is paramount¡­ to your¡­ survival¡­ But¡­ being too¡­ scared¡­ is also¡­ not good¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The most important¡­ thing to a¡­ mercenary¡­ is their lives¡­ That¡¯s why¡­ fearing death¡­ is normal¡­ We all¡­ fear it¡­ That¡¯s¡­ what makes us different¡­ from the army¡­ and their¡­ soldiers¡­ They fight¡­ for their country¡­ and the¡­ country¡­ is the most¡­ important¡­¡±


    Fearing death but not being controlled by fear¡­ That¡¯s what she was trying to say, right? Well, I sure didn¡¯t intend to die so¡­


    ¡°Karen¡­ the same¡­ goes for¡­ you too¡­¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ You don¡¯t want¡­ to die¡­ or Yumi¡­ to die¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ As long¡­ as you don¡¯t¡­ forget that...¡±


    Ria nodded, satisfied with Karen¡¯s response.


    ¡°Then¡­ We should slowly¡­ start¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? But we¡¯re still¡­¡±


    I threw a glance to Karen, expecting her to still be eating as well. Well, she wasn¡¯t¡­ Sorry that I was so slow¡­ Ugh¡­ Time to eat a little faster. I quickly finished the remainder of my food, stuffing it into my mouth.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Done¡­¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ Now¡­ Karen¡­ Sit over¡­ there¡­ and Yumi¡­ over here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We sat down on the chairs Ria prepared, facing each other.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember¡­ How you used¡­ it back then?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no. To be honest, I didn¡¯t even know that I had used it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Unconsciously¡­ Then¡­ Just try¡­ to cheer for¡­ Karen¡­ for now¡­ Also¡­ Just in case¡­ Don¡¯t say¡­ something¡­ That could have¡­ a lasting¡­ effect¡­¡±


    ¡°A lasting effect?¡±


    What did she mean with that?


    ¡°Yes¡­ For example¡­ If you¡­ told her¡­ to hate you¡­ She might¡­ really do so¡­ In the future¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll be really careful, I promise.¡±


    I definitely wouldn¡¯t survive that.


    ¡°Good¡­ Then¡­ Mhm¡­ How about¡­ You do a simple¡­ ¡®Do your¡­ best today...¡¯ or something¡­ like that? ¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That sounded doable. Having decided what to say, I turned to Karen. I was a little nervous. Seriously. I cleared my throat once and then looked directly into her eyes. And after taking a deep breath...


    ¡°Sis, do your best today!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence. Nobody said anything...  And I even threw my fist into the air! I¡¯d really like it if they could stop just staring. It was embarrassing!


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Nothing. Karen?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t think it did anything? It was cute so I¡¯d do my best anyway but¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... The only thing I feel is this need to burrow myself.¡±


    ¡°So... nothing.¡±


    Yes, nothing.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Do you have¡­ any idea¡­ why... it did¡­ nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ No? Not really.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That is¡­ unfortunate¡­ Then¡­ You just have¡­ to do it¡­ until you can¡­ do it¡­¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Even once was really embarrassing¡­ And she wanted me to do it even more? I mean, I totally understood that in my head but my emotions told me otherwise¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Try to¡­ recall¡­ The situation¡­ back then¡­ Or¡­ Mhm¡­ what about¡­ the time¡­ Yumelia¡­ used the¡­ Charm?¡±


    ¡°... Yumelia?¡±


    Oh right, she had used the Charm as well back then. Although it didn¡¯t work at all on us¡­ What happened back then again¡­


    If I recall it correctly¡­ She was suggesting something to the Captain¡­ Oh right, it was about her ¡®request¡¯ and that she wanted to¡­ Uhm... service the Captain¡­ Yeah¡­ Then¡­ I saw the mana¡­ vibrating, right?


    Usually, the mana was thrown into a small turmoil when magic was cast. But that time, it was vibrating. Like, when you threw a pebble into water and the small waves extended from there¡­


    Maybe it has something to do with the reason it was vibrating?


    ¡°Ria, if I remember it right, that Charm at the time was more like¡­ vibrating the mana in our surroundings. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That¡­ Mhm¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Ria stood up from her seat to the side and walked to her pile of books.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t¡­ quite my¡­ area of¡­ expertise¡­ but I¡­ remember having¡­ a book¡­ discussing this¡­¡±


    A few seconds later, she pulled a book out of the pile and sat down again. She started to flick through the pages of the book, looking for something.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Where was¡­ it¡­ Ah¡­ No¡­ Not that¡­ Mm¡­ Ah¡­ Here¡­¡±


    After she found the page she was looking for, she silently read it. A short while later, she nodded and turned to me¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­ It is¡­ likely¡­ because it is¡­ a vocal¡­ magic¡­¡±


    ¡°A vocal magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ The researcher¡­ who wrote¡­ this book¡­ assumes¡­ That magic¡­ that is¡­ invoked¡­ through sound¡­ Or rather¡­ where¡­ the effects¡­ are carried¡­ by sound¡­ And those¡­ types of magic¡­ cause the mana¡­ to vibrate¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Carried by sound?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that¡­ like how normal sound was just vibrations in the air?


    Now that I think about it¡­ That does make sense somehow¡­ But the more I hear, the more I feel that magic is actually not that far from physics and science...


    Maybe I had distanced myself too much from it. It wasn¡¯t even the only thing¡­ Ria and the others had told me a few times that you needed a clear understanding of the magic, didn¡¯t they? The magic I could use instinctively¡­ My instinct did whatever I needed to know¡­ But¡­ for everything else¡­ Maybe I need a clearer understanding of how they work?


    ¡°Vocal magic¡­¡±


    With that said¡­ There was no way I could ever understand how I was affecting someone¡¯s emotions with magic¡­


    Wait¡­ maybe I don¡¯t even need to? Lust mana affects emotions either way¡­ And I doubt Yumelia understood the intricacies of such a thing herself¡­ Then¡­ It might be worth a try.


    Either way, the first step was probably to get the mana into the air¡­ In that case¡­


    ¡°Nn, Ria, can you use any magic like that?¡±


    ¡°No... I can¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well, worth a try¡­ Then I had to figure it out myself¡­ Mhm¡­ If I treated it similar to sound¡­ the vocal cords? Where were the vocal cords? Somewhere around the throat? Yeah¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, I¡¯ll try it again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I probably should focus on the area in my throat when I wanted to use the Charm magic. In other words, while I was speaking.


    Once more, I cleared my throat, then took a deep breath.


    ¡°Sis, do your best today!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence¡­ Did¡­ Did it not work? Apparently not¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­ It felt¡­ like something¡­ happened¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ But it was¡­ already¡­ a step¡­ forward¡­ Maybe...¡±


    A step forward, huh¡­ So I wasn¡¯t too wrong? Mhm¡­ If only I knew where exactly the vocal cords were¡­ Maybe I could find out? I tried gathering some magic in my throat for a new attempt. If I paid attention to that mana, maybe I could notice something.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll try again.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then¡­¡±


    Clearing throat and a deep breath.


    ¡°Sis, do your best today!¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah¡­ Uhm¡­ Give me a hug? Wah?!¡±


    My vision disappeared as I was suddenly hugged by Karen. A full-blown, strong hug.


    ¡°Sis? Sis!¡±


    No reaction. It¡¯s just a Karen hugging me.


    ¡°No, Sis! I need air! Air!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah! Yumi?! Sorry!¡±


    Finally, she let go.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I can breath again¡­¡±


    Well¡­ That¡­ Did that mean it actually worked?


    ¡°Mhm¡­ There definitely... was something¡­¡±


    ¡°So, Yumi charmed me?¡±


    ¡°Seems¡­ like it¡­¡±


    So it worked¡­ While that made me a little happy, I didn¡¯t have the chance to really take note of what happened to the mana in my throat. Karen¡¯s sudden question threw me a bit for a loop.


    ¡°It was a bit¡­ strong though¡­¡±


    ¡°Strong?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Rather than¡­ a Charm¡­ it was more¡­ like you¡­ compelled her¡­ to action¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    True¡­ Though, being hugged forcefully like that was quite nice¡­ Ehehe...


    ¡°Did you¡­ figure out¡­ the difference?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ You said that it was similar to sound, right? So, I thought maybe the magic is cast at the vocal cords?¡±


    ¡°The vocal¡­ cords?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It¡¯s a part in our throat that allows us to speak.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That makes¡­ sense¡­ Mhm¡­ Interesting¡­ I will take¡­ note of this...¡±


    Ria took out a notebook and wrote some notes into it. Not sure which part she was thinking was interesting, though¡­ The vocal cords or that I cast the magic there. Or both.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Guess I¡¯ll need to try using less mana this time then¡­ Sis, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen was blushing for some reason as she was looking at me.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    She was fidgeting a little and rubbing her thighs against each other¡­ Her¡­ thighs?


    ¡°Sis¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Ah?! I, I can¡¯t help it, Yumi! It just happened!¡±


    ¡°Well, but¡­ Later, okay?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    We weren¡¯t alone right now¡­


    ¡°Nn, are you ready? Or¡­ should we stop?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Okay. But say if it¡¯s too much, okay?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As long as she did.


    Well then, another attempt. I used less mana this time, not even half. Probably should be enough considering Karen¡¯s strong reaction. Mhm, speaking of which, maybe I could¡­ Yeah, I could try that. Now then...


    ¡°Sis, calm down a little!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m calm, though?¡±


    She tilted her head in confusion. Did it not work But I could feel the mana moving. Or rather, since I properly paid attention this time¡­ A part of the clump of mana in my throat was clearly vibrating. So, there, huh¡­ That was a really small area. Maybe a little larger than my thumb.


    ¡°Nn, but how about¡­ That¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­ You¡¯re right, I feel a little better.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°... Is it really good?¡±


    She seemed a little disappointed actually¡­ Well, we were at work. Even if she felt horny, there was no way we could do it right now.


    Wait, how come she was even feeling horny? She had no problem with the Lust mana in our wagon, did she? Weird...


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Nn, I think I figured it out more or less.¡±


    ¡°That was surprisingly fast.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Admittedly, it was fast. I expected us to take way longer as well. Not that you would hear me complaining.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­ You have enough¡­ time to practise¡­ it now¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? But¡­¡±


    ¡°You might have¡­ figured it out¡­ how to do¡­ it¡­ But¡­ that is¡­ all¡­ How strong¡­ The effects¡­ and so on¡­ Those need to¡­ be considered¡­ as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    So much to ¡®fast¡¯ and all that¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ Guess we¡¯ll be at it for a little more¡­¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    ---


    Around an hour or so later, Ria finally released us. After I more or less grasped how to use the Charm magic, we practised the entire time. By now, I had a good enough feel for it that I could control how strong the compelling force was. Somewhere in between, Ria had called someone else to help out and play my target. What we noticed was, that the effects were a lot weaker on someone I barely knew.


    It reminded me of the book I had read at Wendl¡¯s place: The effectiveness of some types of Lust magic are determined by the affection the target has for me.


    In other words, Karen was really receptive to the Charm magic, while others weren¡¯t so much. If someone was wary of me, they probably wouldn¡¯t be affected at all unless I used an enormous amount of mana.


    Another thing we noticed was that I could use the Charm as long as I gathered mana at my vocal cords with the intent to use the magic. There was no need for anything else. Even normal everyday speech would be fine, just that it didn¡¯t have any large effect. Ria said that it would likely make others more open and friendly towards me if I used it like that, as long as they weren¡¯t outright averse to it. Not that we could test it.


    With that said, right after we finished, we were told to gather. Korwen had an announcement to make, just as Ria had expected to.


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Nearly all the mercenaries are gathered here right now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It was similar to that time in the fort when Korwen made his speech. Just, this time there wouldn¡¯t be any annoyances around to complain.


    ¡°Nn, I can¡¯t see¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything either¡­¡±


    The curse of small people. We had just arrived and among the large mercenaries, neither of us could see what was happening.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Excuse me¡­¡±


    Ria tapped the mercenary in front of us on his shoulder


    ¡°Mh? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Could you¡­ let those¡­ two to¡­ the front?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Huh? Ria pointed at Karen and me as she asked the man. He looked towards us and then immediately made way.


    ¡°Of course, no problem. Hey, you bastards, make some way. We got some coming through!¡± the man shouted towards the people in front of him.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, no problem!¡±


    ¡°With pleasure! Go ahead girlies!¡±


    ¡°Make way!¡±


    A second later, there was a small path made by the mercenaries as they waved us through¡­ Seriously?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I guess we should go, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    A little embarrassed, we took them up on the offer nonetheless, thanking them on our way through. They only replied with smiles and telling us that it was no problem or that we were welcome. Not long after and we were right up at the front.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ There¡¯s the Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mr Greyward is with him too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. And Mr Ruben.¡±


    The three of them were waiting a little in the back while some other mercenaries were carrying a large table into the middle. Will, the king, wasn¡¯t present, though.


    We waited for a few minutes until they had set up everything. Korwen and the other two climbed onto the table so that everyone could see them. After a cursory glance at the crowd, he nodded to himself and began.


    ¡°Men! Attention!¡± he shouted.


    Not even a second later, everyone fell quiet, their gazes directed at Korwen.


    ¡°A lot of things happened the past few weeks! The incident at the Hollow Fort. The skirmish in the forest right after! The accusations made towards us here at the capital! And finally, we were outright attacked just today! Cowardly ambushers aiming for our men and those we were protecting!¡±


    He paused, letting the words sink in. A few murmurs could be heard from here and there but nothing much.


    ¡°We even lost some of our less inexperienced. In combat against trolls, lured in by the cowards! They fought with their lives on the lines. It makes me proud to say they fought with honour! But it shames me to say that we couldn¡¯t save their lives.¡±


    Lured in? Weren¡¯t they there because they were driven away? Oh, everyone seemed to be getting riled up in response to Korwen¡¯s words. Was that why he said it like that?


    ¡°We cannot let this slight go by idly! They are looking down on us!¡±


    Another pause. A little further away from us, some mercenaries were getting quite loud. From the looks of it, they seemed to be some of the younger mercenaries. Korwen threw them a glance and they quickly calmed down, though.


    ¡°We have to repay this slight. And the chance to do so has come to us! Ruben, the commander of the Hollow Fort and hero to the Lafrian people has come to us, asking for aid! Aid to extinguish the enemies within their nation! Rotten nobles and merchants! Spies of the Akkian Empire! And...¡±


    Korwen looked over the crowd.


    ¡°... the Witch Worshippers.¡±


    Again, the mercenaries started murmuring, mostly in surprise this time. I could hear even the older ones close by voicing their surprise.


    ¡°You all know of our elven guests! We might have had a little falling out in the beginning but now we know that they, too, were just victims of circumstances. These circumstances being the fanatic worshippers! They have been tricked and attacked us! And the Worshippers are likely involved in the other incidents just as much as they were in this one! They might even be the ones who called those trolls!¡±


    They definitely were involved, from what we knew already¡­ But the trolls? Well, bending the truth a little... Not my place to complain about.


    ¡°And so, we were asked to fight these fanatics! They have taken over a village to the north, planning even more atrocities! I have accepted this job! It presents us to make right for our fallen comrades!¡±


    Shouts and bellows followed those words of his.


    ¡°We will show those worshippers what it means to mess with us! With the Dragon Knights of Lomeria!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhhhh!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°We will move out by dawn! Prepare well! We will not hold back!¡±


    Cheers erupted from the crowd. Seeing the reaction, Korwen nodded and then turned around, stepping down from the table. Ruben and Greyward followed him.


    The cheers continued for a good while but slowly died down as more and more of the mercenaries left to make their preparations. After a short while nearly everyone was gone, only a few remaining.


    ¡°Nn, that was quite¡­ a thing.¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    The way he delivered it was astonishing. You could really feel the trembling and the anger in his voice at certain points. I didn¡¯t know if it was on purpose or if those were his true emotions leaking out¡­ but it sure made an impact.


    ¡°Nn¡­ What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I really feel like doing something, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Considering how I had just practised the Charm magic, seeing Korwen make this speech hit even closer. He didn¡¯t even need magic to make people listen to him and spur them into action.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi! Karen!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Merim?¡±


    ¡°Finally, I found you two. Where were you?¡±


    ¡°Right here. The entire time.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Merim, who had just rushed over to us, let his head hang.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve known it¡­ Well, whatever, could you two come along?¡±


    ¡°Nn, of course we can.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    For some reason, Merim grinned mischievously.


    ¡°We have to dress you up for the occasion, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Dress me up?


    ¡°You heard me just right, Yumi. So, come on, we don¡¯t have all night.¡±


    ¡°Wait, shouldn¡¯t that happen, like, tomorrow morning?¡±


    ¡°You are expecting to sleep? You got quite the nerve.¡±


    ¡°... Can I cry? Hey, I can cry now, yes?¡±


    ¡°I was joking, okay? It was a joke.¡±


    Thank the lord¡­ I really would¡¯ve cried. Probably.


    ¡°Wanda needs to make sure she got everything right. And the Captain wants to get an impression as well. He also has some other things to discuss.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. If that¡¯s all.¡±


    Seriously. I hated being scared like that. I¡¯d definitely repay that sometime.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go then. They¡¯re waiting already.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    And so, Karen and I followed Merim. I first expected him to lead us to Wanda¡¯s place but¡­ much to my surprise, we were at Wormaz¡¯ place. And his black wagon was still here as well. Korwen and Wormaz stood in front of it and were discussing something. Several weapons and some armour were laid down on a table nearby, including the large banner that I had carried before.


    ¡°Captain! I brought them!¡±


    ¡°Finally.¡±


    Korwen, his arms crossed in front of his chest, turned around.


    ¡°Now we only need Wanda to turn up.¡±


    He regarded us with a quick nod and then looked at Wormaz again.


    ¡°I guess there are no problems with what I asked you of, right?¡±


    ¡°Hmpf, should be doable. Just don¡¯t complain to me later on if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°You have my full trust that it will work out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a real slaver, aren¡¯t you? Tsk, I¡¯ll see what I can do about it. But I¡¯ll need some measurements to work with first.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Yumi.¡±


    Suddenly, he turned to me.


    ¡°Call all the dolls over here, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can do that but¡­ are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    I already knew full well how many of them were around¡­ And I really wondered how many they were now already¡­ We¡¯d find out soon enough, wouldn¡¯t we?


    ¡°Ahem¡­ Then¡­ Dolls! Come here!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And now we had to wait¡­ Not for long, as expected. The first dolls already came running towards us.


    ¡°Quick as always, aren¡¯t they.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Dragon Captain.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Been wondering for a while. You¡¯re one brave bastard to keep someone with such odd magic around, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Just between us, I¡¯ve seen much weirder magic already.¡±


    He saw even weirder magic?


    ¡°At least, this magic has a lot of uses. Even now, I have yet to grasp the point of making a fart sound like a growling goblin. Not like the natural sound is much different.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right. That sounds pretty pointless.¡±


    Well, uhh¡­. You could maybe make others believe there¡¯s a goblin around and cover up the fart that way? The inventor was probably just embarrassed to be heard farting, wasn¡¯t he?


    In the meantime, a large amount of dolls had gathered around us. And they were still coming¡­


    ¡°Ah, stop, don¡¯t climb me now! You can do that later, okay?¡±


    And of course, some of them were impatient and immediately tried to climb me¡­ Well, I could indulge them later but not now.


    ¡°Yumi, tell them to form rows and stand at attention.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Okay¡­¡±


    He could do that too, though, right?


    ¡°Dolls! Form rows and stand at attention!¡±


    Good. They immediately followed the orders. Once they had joined the formation, they all stood straight and saluted to me¡­


    ¡°Ten¡­ Twenty¡­ Twenty-nine¡­ Mhm¡­ Is that about all of them, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I think so? Doesn¡¯t seem like any more are coming.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But to think they¡¯ve already become so numerous¡­ Three-hundred and seventy-seven.¡±


    ¡°Nn? So many?¡±


    That was¡­ a lot of dolls¡­


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s interesting. You didn¡¯t say anything other than forming rows and yet they formed lines of exactly thirteen. With twelve saluting and the frontmost standing at attention.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    The frontmost dolls were the only ones not saluting. Although, they did have their arms behind their back and their heads liften, as if they were looking at me.


    ¡°Maybe your dolls are possessed by former soldiers or mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    Would former soldiers or mercenaries try to climb me though?


    ¡°Anyway. Wormaz, this good enough?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, yes. Just need to take some measurements, then. Just saying it in advance, there¡¯s no way I can make that many.¡±


    ¡°As many as you can do is good enough. You have other things to do as well, right? Just do as much as you can in between.¡±


    ¡°If you are fine with that.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    What were they talking about?


    ¡°Mr Captain? Do you have something planned for the dolls?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, right, I should explain. You remember about what happened in Arkesta, right? In the underground, what those dolls did.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I do.¡±


    They had swarmed inside and¡­ Killed some of those thugs and criminals. In rather¡­ unpleasant ways.


    ¡°So I thought, if it is possible to make something like a weapon for those dolls.¡±


    ¡°A weapon? Like a sword?¡± I asked in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. Not a sword however. A sword that size is probably nothing more than a toothpick.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t even know how to fucking make one that size!¡± commented Wormaz.


    ¡°That anyway. But it might be possible to do other things. Spikes are one thing but maybe they can also make use of something a little larger if they work in tandem. Do you know of battering rams?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really?¡±


    I vaguely recalled hearing that before, though¡­


    ¡°You can think of them as large logs used to break open gates and the like, usually used by many people at once. They aren¡¯t used that much anymore since cannons are similarly effective but possess more range.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Dragon Captain, it probably won¡¯t work like that, though. The battering ram is strong because of its weight. If I give them a spear, it still won¡¯t have the weight to pierce armour. It might barely injure an unprotected person.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, maybe a battering ram was a bad example¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to think of something, but I won¡¯t make promises, you hear? Those dollies seem to understand what you say anyway. If they¡¯re smart enough for that, maybe they know what works too.¡±


    They¡­ actually might know, yeah¡­


    ¡°Well, even if we don¡¯t find something, if you can make some kind of protection for them that will already help. My primary plan for them isn¡¯t combat anyway.¡±


    ¡°Will see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    His primary plan?


    ¡°Captain, what did you plan for them?¡±


    ¡°Working in the rear supplies. They can do a lot of menial tasks like resupplying crossbow bolts and arrows, medical supplies or even transporting the injured. It should help out a lot since we don¡¯t have many men doing that kind of work. It¡¯s mostly done by the older women from the families, those who have some experience. But with the dolls, we can keep them away from the combat.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Could I apply for that work as well?


    ¡°And no, you got other things to do.¡±


    ¡°... Are you a mind reader?¡±


    ¡°No, but I know how you work by now. And you wouldn¡¯t be the first one to ask anyway.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Was worth a try. Actually, I didn¡¯t even try, he just denied me before I could¡­


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s wait for Wanda and then we can go over your part of the job.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    He was grinning at me, just like Merim did earlier. These guys totally enjoyed this, didn¡¯t they? Although, I had to say¡­ I might enjoy it a little as well¡­ The dressing up part, at least...


    Rinne


    Not much to say today. If you enjoyed reading, please consider taking a look at my Patreon! Thank you!


    Like always, I hope you all stay healthy and safe! Do your best!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: For Our Future Goals

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s once more go over your part. Or rather, what do you remember of what I had told you was your job, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, you mean, with the banner and the armour?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°To¡­ inspire morale.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. That¡¯s right.¡±


    Korwen nodded in satisfaction at my answer.


    ¡°Between two equal forces, if one has high morale and the other one low morale, the force with high morale will win. Overwhelmingly, even.¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ that much of a difference?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Morale can be a truly scary thing. In actual combat there are many factors deciding the outcome, of course, but morale is without a doubt one of the important ones.¡±


    Morale being important was something I could understand easily. It was a bit surprising to hear, however, that he placed it as such a high priority.


    ¡°And having a cute flower to protect in the back is a surefire way to keep the morale up.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Being praised was always nice but the way he was bluntly using me still irked me. Even if I had already accepted this. More or less, at least. Or, maybe it was just embarrassing...


    ¡°So, how did your practice with Ria go?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I guess you could say it was a success?¡±


    ¡°A success, huh. Count me surprised.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s an awful lot of trust in me.¡±


    ¡°Give me reason to have it and you¡¯ll get more trust.¡±


    Uhh¡­ Hard to argue against that¡­


    ¡°Well, no matter. That¡¯s something that comes with time. Only the heroes in the bard¡¯s stories could be perfect the first time they pick up a sword. If you ask me, your progress is¡­ kind of average?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How comforting he was¡­


    ¡°But I¡¯ve told you already more than enough about this. The rest is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Up to me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, to you. Especially about this.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    About this?


    ¡°The job carrying that banner. Being a standard bearer. Also about the use of your magic. Those are things you will have to figure out yourself and none of us can help you with that. We can give you our thoughts and ideas but everything past that is on you.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, I was on my own with those?


    ¡°Think of words to say that will encourage them. That¡¯s not something I or anyone else here can teach you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, even though you delivered a speech just earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°That? That barely qualifies as a speech! It¡¯s just a bit of encouragement from their captain. Though, now that you say it, I guess they¡¯re not too different. Well, if it helps you a little, you can just borrow my words if need be.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    His words, huh¡­


    ¡°Hey, Dragon Captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Wormaz?¡±


    ¡°That might be just my opinion, you know, but the important point isn''t the words you say but the way you say them, isn¡¯t it? At least, that¡¯s how my old mum did it. Always looking imposing and never retreating. Damn sure made you admire her. And when she said something, it sure stuck with you. Even if it was utter nonsense.¡±


    ¡°You mean, to show confidence?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that. Exactly that.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Korwen threw a questioning glance at me as he pondered Wormaz¡¯ words. The intense stare felt a little uncomfortable, to be honest.


    Some seconds later, he shook his head.


    ¡°Confidence, mh. Maybe that¡¯s it. I¡¯ll consider that for the future but not today. Too little time. Speaking of time...¡±


    He directed his eyes towards the busy centre of the camp.


    ¡°Where in the blazes is that damn Wanda? I told her to come here quite a while ago.¡±


    Oh, right, we were waiting for Wanda.


    ¡°Dragon Captain. Might not be the best but I got the banner right here. We could have her take a look at that already.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, well, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha. One moment.¡±


    Wormaz returned to his wagon¡¯s side and pulled something from the undercarriage. A long¡­ banner. Yeah, that seemed to be the one he handed me before. Probably. There were a few differences compared to before. For one, the entire thing was painted in black¡­ And there was a piece of cloth wrapped around the tip.


    ¡°Now then, I made a few adjustments for that girlie there. First of all¡­¡±


    He slammed the end into the ground where it was now stuck.


    ¡°Gave it an overhaul on the looks. Gotta look the part, right? Also, girl, come here.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I walked over to him as he asked me to.


    ¡°Now, grab here.¡±


    ¡°There? Nn? That¡¯s¡­ a grip?¡±


    A patch of leather was wrapped around the shaft, right at a pretty comfortable height.


    ¡°Yeah, looks good. Comfortable?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s right at the height where I¡¯d grip it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Next, try lifting it.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Last time I couldn¡¯t even get it out of the ground after he slammed it into the ground¡­ Well, he asked me to so I¡¯d try anyway.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Nngh!¡±


    Using both hands, I grabbed the shaft and pulled it up with all my strength.


    ¡°Nn! Ah! Woah! Waahhh!¡±


    Much to my surprise, I actually pulled it out of the ground, only to be swung around by it¡¯s rather topheavy weight.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Steady¡­ Steady¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you got it out so I consider that a success. Still, do you have water in your arms? You have to train a little more, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I will¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, arm strength wasn¡¯t built up in a few days or weeks. It took time. And of course it also would need me to actually do some exercises. Merim kept most of our training towards stamina currently, though. Because Rina and I were so lacking in that department that any regular training would just exhaust us too much.


    ¡°Hoo¡­ Wormaz, what did you do with that banner that she could get it out?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, honestly. Just reduced some unnecessary weight. There were a bunch of useless decorations that were actually quite heavy. We can put those back some other time but I thought with that girl¡¯s strength, they¡¯re just a bother for now.¡±


    ¡°That was a good call¡­ But that can¡¯t be all.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t. Asked around a little in my freetime and that idiot Wendl gave me some weird stuff. Told me to smear it to the end of the shaft.¡±


    The end of the Shaft?


    I looked down to check what he meant. There was a lot of dirt obscuring the view but something was shimmering through it¡­ Something like a thick glaze or varnish.


    ¡°Hoo¡­ May I take a look?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    Korwen crouched down and scrutinised the end of the shaft, patting away the dirt and touching the varnish.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ It¡¯s pretty smooth. But¡­ Is this also something temporary or¡­¡±


    ¡°If I want to get rid of it I¡¯d have to scrape it off but it can be done. When that girl can manage on her own we can do that just fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but isn¡¯t it better like this?¡±


    If it was easier to get out of the ground, why would you remove it again?


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s better if you are moving around a lot, I¡¯d say,¡± said Wormaz.


    ¡°Nn? Then, it¡¯s not if you aren¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s less firm in the ground. You don¡¯t want it to get knocked over, do you? Weather isn¡¯t always as pleasant as today. When you got a fucking storm brewing over your little head, you¡¯ll thank me a few times over that it stays in the ground.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    But, even if i was firm in the ground¡­ Fairly sure a storm would knock it over either way¡­


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not fight a battle in the middle of a storm¡­¡±


    ¡°Dragon Captain, you can¡¯t always choose the time, can you?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t, as unfortunate as it is. There are occasions when you can take advantage of it but most of the time it¡¯s just a bother. At least, it¡¯s a bother for both sides.¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows in annoyance. He probably had to fight in a storm before, huh¡­ Can¡¯t imagine that as being even remotely pleasant.


    ¡°Yumi. Mr Captain. I think Wanda is coming.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What? She¡¯s finally here?¡±


    We both turned to Karen and followed her gaze in response to those words. Right there, Wanda was appearing in the busy mercenary crowd, carrying a basket. Following her were a few other women, including Helma, Elina and even Mrs Korwen. Also a few of the older women I knew from the cooking duty.


    In short, a whole group of women was making their way over to us.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a crowd she got there¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Korwen didn¡¯t seem to know why she got that many following her either. We¡¯d probably know soon enough but¡­ it still made you wonder about it.


    ¡°Korwen, we brought what you requested.¡±


    ¡°Last I checked I only told you to bring the stuff for Yumi and Karen over. When did I order a whole swarm of you to come here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rude, you old coot. You should be thankful to them. They¡¯re helping me out.¡±


    ¡°... That so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s so. In the first place, the stuff for the little kid is one thing but how do you expect me to magically fashion the other stuff? If you had told me, like, a week ago, I could¡¯ve comfortably worked through all your requests. No way can I do all that in a single day. Or rather, a single evening no less. So, be thankful that they offered to help out.¡±


    The heck did Korwen request from her¡­ When I saw her earlier she was still in a pretty good mood but that was definitely in the past now. Nothing left of a good mood¡­


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get this over with quickly. Hey, kid, get over here.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Suddenly, she was addressing me. Since I didn¡¯t want to get scolded as well, I obediently walked up to her.


    ¡°... Wanda?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, guess it¡¯ll do for now.¡±


    What will do for now?


    Somehow I had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Okay. Follow me. Hey, Wormaz! We¡¯ll borrow your wagon for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. Just don¡¯t fucking touch anything.¡±


    And so, we entered the wagon with Wormaz¡¯ permission. It was full of tools, a large workbench, an anvil and a furnace and a bunch of other tools I didn¡¯t know. But despite all those tools and work utensils, there was quite a bit of space inside.


    ¡°Mhm. Good. Now, change into this, kid.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ the armour?¡±


    The black armour that she had stripped me of earlier. It didn¡¯t really look any different compared to before, did it?


    ¡°Nn¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°... No, nothing.¡±


    I really wanted to change in peace but¡­ I had the feeling I¡¯d regret saying that now. Bracing myself, I changed out of my clothes and donned the armour, except for the breastplate.


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡­ doesn¡¯t really feel any different?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if it did. I didn¡¯t exactly get much work done on it yet. But let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Wanda crouched down so she could inspect the armour from close-up, tugging at it here and there.


    ¡°I only fixed up a few parts that I could in that short time but it seems to be fine. Also, that.¡±


    ¡°Hiya?!¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what a cute shriek.¡±


    ¡°Wanda¡­¡±


    She completely caught me by surprise when she poked my sides. Why the heck¡­ Wait, there was something sewn on there.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You can attach a bag here. It¡¯s bothersome to carry bags on a sling, right? I¡¯d have preferred to get a leather belt for that attached but we¡¯re a bit in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see.¡±


    Wanda produced a small bag from somewhere and promptly attached it to the armour.


    ¡°There, all good.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That was¡­ quite convenient.


    ¡°Good. You can wear that breastplate now. Check if you can move freely once you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    I picked up the breastplate and put it on. Then, I moved around a little, stretched in various directions to see if there were any problems.


    ¡°Nn, I think it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Wanda?¡±


    ¡°Hey, kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    For some reason, Wanda was now staring at me really hard. Did I¡­ do something wrong?


    ¡°Hold up your arm in front of you for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And now move it up.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°And now to the back.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wanda?¡±


    I had absolutely no clue what was going on here¡­


    ¡°Okay... Now, grab your arm with your free one behind your back.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Bend forward a little and stretch your arms upward.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡±


    This seemed more like a stretching exercise suddenly. This was actually pretty hard to do because the armour was, frankly said, in the way.


    ¡°Kid.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You can relax again.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ What was that about?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wanda was lost in thought and not responding¡­ Great.


    ¡°Can you lift your leg? Like, grab it and stretch it up as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡±


    Did she mean like this? Standing on one leg and holding the other one stretched out and up in the air, so that my foot was at the same height as my head?


    Woah, this was a little hard to balance.


    ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    ¡°... Oh, you¡¯re wearing underwear.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am!¡±


    Seriously, because I was lifting my leg up, the armour skirt got lifted as well and exposing me¡­ I¡¯d have to remember to be careful about this in the future...


    But was she only doing this so that she could check on my underwear? No, wait¡­ She knew about me going¡­ without them?


    ¡°... How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got my ways.  But glad to see I was right about it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Did she just trick me? No... I just walked into that on my own¡­


    ¡°Anyway, you can put it down again and relax.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­ So, why did you have me do that? Hopefully not so that you could check my underwear¡­¡±


    ¡°That was part of the reason.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Great¡­


    ¡°But the main reason was¡­ I¡¯ve seen a lot of limber people but you certainly beat them all. That¡¯s some impressive range of movement you got there.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Courtesy to being squishy.


    ¡°Have you had any kind of acrobatic training before?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So you¡¯re naturally limber like that? Mhm¡­ But it¡¯s good I learnt that now.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°Most armour and clothing is designed in a way that allows the standard range of movements. I bet that Korwen plans to eventually make use of that limber body of yours so I should make any future clothing with that in mind. You probably noticed the armour tugging at you towards the end, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I did.¡±


    So the armour wasn¡¯t designed for that type of stretching? Good to know.


    ¡°Also¡­ Just going to ask, but can your entire body bend like that?¡±


    ¡°Bend like that? Nn, I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean like now¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ No, let me just try it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, Wanda¡¯s imposing form was standing in front of me, a mischievous grin adorning her lips.


    ¡°Wait, Wan¡ª Wah!¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how much you can do.¡±


    ¡°Wanda? Why are you holding my arm like that? No, wait, Wanda!¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    ¡°Wanda, stop! Please! People aren¡¯t supposed to bend like this!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, they aren¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Then stop bending me! Ahh!¡±


    Alas, my pleas only met deaf ears and she stretched and bent me in every possible direction. My legs, my arms, even my back wasn¡¯t spared. The breastplate I had put on just a little earlier was taken off again, so that she could quite literally bend my back.


    It took a good amount of time before she finally let me go, leaving me more than just a little exhausted. Mostly mentally.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ This is a problem¡­ I doubt I can design something that can allow all that stretching.¡±


    Much to my surprise, Wanda didn¡¯t ask at all about my body. Okay, she already knew quite a bit but nonetheless, not a single question came up.


    ¡°I will have to discuss with Elina if she has a solution for that. Mhm¡­ Ah, right, we¡¯re done now, kid. You can go and take a rest.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ very much¡­¡±


    Too tired to argue, I grabbed the breastplate and opened the door of the wagon, returning to the outside world.


    Only to find Karen, Korwen, Wormaz and the other women staring at me.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Well, more or less.¡±


    Karen looked at me with worry in her eyes. Maybe having sensed my confusion, Korwen moved in to explain.


    ¡°We heard a little bit of your¡­ struggle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Glad to see you¡¯re still alive.¡±


    Seriously¡­ They heard that?


    ¡°You could¡¯ve helped me¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not get into Wanda¡¯s way right now. Although, your sister was close to storming the wagon by herself.¡±


    Too bad she didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Well, no matter what happened there, glad to see you¡¯re still in one piece. Looking good there.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you¡­¡±


    A bit of a forced topic change but¡­ I appreciated it too so that was fine.


    ¡°Now, sorry for immediately bothering you again, but could you hold the banner?¡±


    ¡°Nn, one moment.¡±


    With a sigh, I quickly put on the breastplate on again and then picked up the banner where I had left it.


    ¡°Ah, wait one second.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We should unfurl it first.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡±


    The actual banner was still wrapped around the shaft, after all. Korwen moved up to it and quickly helped out while I was holding the banner.


    ¡°And there we go. Now, hold it up.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I did as told and held up the banner. From my position, I unfortunately couldn¡¯t really see it.


    ¡°Mhm, okay, hold it with stretched out arms.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, perfect. Now, shift it a little forwards. Yes, good, good. And keep your legs spread at shoulder-width.¡±


    ¡­ Was I posing for everyone today?


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s good. You¡¯re already looking the part. And that¡¯s already half of what you have to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ I can¡¯t really see it from my position¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really change that you know?¡±


    We¡¯d need a pretty big mirror for that, didn¡¯t we? Now I really wanted to see it, though. Too bad that there were no photos in this world. Wait, that annoying witch could take photos, couldn¡¯t she? Where in the blazes was she anyway? Maybe I should ask her next time¡­ No, owing a favor to that monster was probably a bad idea but¡­ Decisions¡­ I really wanted to see...


    ¡°Mm, okay that¡¯s good enough for now. Then, the next one is Karen.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you.¡±


    Wait, Karen was getting something too? Speaking of which¡­ He did mention stuff for Karen as well when Wanda came¡­


    ¡°But¡­ I already have armour and all, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Sure. A random assortment of things we cobbled together. At least we had things in your size, as opposed to Yumi. But that¡¯s it, a random assortment. And¡­ You¡¯ll have to look the part as well if you want to stand next to your little sister.¡±¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Next to me? Speaking of which¡­ We often talked about me and my place among the mercenaries but¡­ did we ever talk about Karen¡¯s?


    ¡°Mr Captain, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, let me ask you like this: What do you think your job is going to be tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow? Uhm¡­¡±


    Karen was at a loss for words and unable to answer him.


    ¡°Seriously, these sisters¡­ You¡¯re both high maintenance in your own ways. You¡¯re not much better than Yumi in this regard.¡±


    Korwen sighed as he threw an exasperated look at us.


    ¡°You¡¯re both obedient but you really lack initiative. Both of you. Not like I can¡¯t relate to that but¡­¡±


    Lacking initiative?


    ¡°Right, since we¡¯re already at it, let me ask you this: You two, what are your goals? And I mean, outside of keeping yourselves and those close to you safe and happy. Something more concrete, something tangible.¡±


    ¡°Our¡­ goals?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ I want to know more¡­ about myself¡­ I guess?¡±


    I got scolded and taught by him quite a bit in the past already and thought about it in response. I had told Karen about it as well. But¡­ we never talked about her goals, did we?


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s a reasonable goal, I guess. Then, have you thought about how you can achieve it?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, there might be books around or people who can tell you something. You¡¯d have to seek out those. And books might also be expensive to get a hold of. People too, depending on their¡­ nature. So, you¡¯ll have to work to get money. We¡¯ve been staying at the capital for a while but on our travels, you can spend your free time towards that goal.¡±


    Well, he wasn¡¯t wrong with that¡­ Honestly, I had a little doubt about someone knowing something considering how¡­ oddly weird I was. But the Elder knew about me. So, it was probably not unreasonable to believe that there were more out there. I just had to look for them. With that said, we did go to the Academy as well.


    ¡°Nn, but that doesn¡¯t really have to do with taking initiative, does it?¡±


    ¡°Oh it does. If you work for something, it¡¯s only natural to grow more proactive in other areas too. I¡¯m not telling you to make being a mercenary your goal and only live for this kind of life. You might not have noticed, but you are changing, little by little.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I am fairly sure a few weeks ago you wouldn¡¯t have been bold enough to blow up some trolls. That was a good call that I can only praise. Although, I might¡¯ve liked to know in advance that you could do things like that.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    But¡­ A good call¡­ that he can only praise¡­ Those words¡­ They made me a bit happy.


    ¡°I guess preaching to you at every opportunity helped.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, yeah¡­ Even I wasn¡¯t so dense that it wouldn¡¯t get into my thick skull if he hammered it in that often. Ignoring whether I even had a skull in that sense.


    ¡°Still, it relieves me to see that it worked. That means I can now focus a little elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like your sister over there, that has stayed silent until now. And? Have you thought about your goal?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ goal¡­¡±


    Karen looked a little distressed as he asked again.


    ¡°It can be anything. A childhood dream for example. Have you ever thought about getting something specific, doing something specific? I¡¯m sure you have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t really know...¡±


    She glanced towards me, as if she was looking for help. That was¡­ very much surprising to me, considering how she was always quite¡­ protective and active.


    ¡°Mhm, don¡¯t ask Yumi to decide for you now. That¡¯s something you have to do by yourself. Well, I won¡¯t tell you to give me an answer right now but do think about it. You can take a look at others if you want. Your other sister, Rina, for example... she clearly has a goal, doesn¡¯t she? Outside of flirting around with Lily.¡±


    Ah, so even he noticed already about those two. But, he was right. Rina did have a goal¡­ Although it was hard to call it a ¡®good¡¯ goal or anything like that. After all, she wanted to take revenge¡­ But, she was quite proactive, that much was true.


    ¡°Having something to strive forward to is important, outside of keeping your family safe. Well, you¡¯re free to discuss it with others. I¡¯ll ask you after this is over again, got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Karen nodded weakly while she was brooding over his words.


    ¡°Nn, Captain¡­ I do have one question¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, I know that people are usually kind of content with striving towards the safety of their family and loved ones¡­ So, asking us for a different goal¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ It strikes me as odd.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Does it now? Well, you aren¡¯t completely wrong. But you see, we are mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Nn...¡±


    ¡°Keeping your family and loved ones safe is a matter of course for us. We all do. But speaking bluntly, being a mercenary is not exactly a good profession for staying safe. That¡¯s why, having a tangible goal that you can achieve through our work is a bit more reasonable, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    That¡­ was kind of true¡­


    ¡°Then, everyone here has such a goal?¡±


    ¡°Most do, of course. It can range from a lot of things. Some want money, others want to experience the world. Many of us strive for combat, lethal combat to boot. But without being bound by the incessantly grumbling higher-ups of a country. Not to mention, who knows how often some armies ever get to see combat? A lot of work is left to mercenaries. Keeping a standing army is expensive, after all. Mercenaries, in comparison, aren¡¯t. They aren¡¯t loyal either, though, and won¡¯t usually take jobs that almost certainly would kill them. And lots of them are just bandits with a better name.¡±


    Combat, huh¡­


    ¡°Yumi, have you ever thought about using the magic and powers you have completely unrestricted?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Not really?¡±


    ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t it be fun?¡±


    ¡°... Fun?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You can do quite a lot of things after all. I know for sure that if I could wield magic and the like, I¡¯d want to use it like I wanted to. Too bad I got no talent so that was a dream that got crushed while I was still a brat.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Without restraint¡­


    ¡°Think about it. We talked about this before, but you could even create your own little fortress with that magic of yours.¡±


    ¡°It seems so¡­¡±


    Wait, was it okay to talk about this here with everyone else listening?


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it would be pretty cool to make that?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I guess so, yes.¡±


    Well, it certainly was kind of cool to call a fortress your own. Couldn¡¯t really deny that.


    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t that all the reason you need?¡±


    ¡°Huh? But¡­¡±


    ¡°Take this as one of my last preachings: If you think you¡¯d enjoy it, that¡¯s a good enough reason. I¡¯ve got a good enough grasp on your personality by now that I can fairly sure claim that you should think about it like that. It would help us anyway so there¡¯s little reason for me to be against it anyway.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Is that really okay¡­ I mean, what if people find out?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that the main worry of his anyway?


    ¡°People will eventually find out. I mean, we¡¯re talking about it here in the open now anyway. I gave it a bit of thought as well over the past days. Simply said, the things you can offer us are at a level where I am willing to take a few questionable looks aimed at us. Not to mention, I got a few¡­ ideas of my own.¡±


    He grinned at me, showing the white of his teeth.


    ¡°You can look forward to it for sure. Anyway, to get back to it. So, if you could, would you choose to do it? Making your own little fortress.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, I guess so? It¡­ does sound like fun.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then that¡¯s decided.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Was it¡­ okay to base this on whether it could be fun or no¡ª


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    Without a word, Korwen flicked my forehead.


    ¡°Thinking too deeply that you got a wrinkle between the brows will only ruin your pretty face. Anyway, I will stop here. Wanda is already glaring at me because I¡¯ve kept you two away.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Oh¡­ Ohhh¡­ That wasn¡¯t a pleasant sight, standing there in the door of the wagon. And she was mostly looking in Karen¡¯s direction.


    ¡°... Have fun, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Yumi¡­ Don¡¯t abandon me!¡±


    ¡°Nn, good luck. Hey, Captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Do we have a large mirror?¡±


    ¡°We do. What do you need it for.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I want to know how I look with that banner.¡±


    While Karen was dragged away by Wanda¡ªGood luck, dear sister¡ªKorwen¡¯s eyes went wide as he heard my request. Then, he suddenly broke out in loud laughter.


    ¡°Bwahahahahaha! Now, that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! Of course we do, let¡¯s get someone to fetch it, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t let him complain about this now anyway. He was the one who told me to be more selfish before. Sure, people didn¡¯t change in a heartbeat, and I surely would get lost in thought again in the future¡­ But, little by little¡­ He already told me that I had changed a bit, so¡­ It had to work, right?


    Nn, but for now, I just want to see how I look like with that banner. Thinking about it, I quite enjoy dressing up, don¡¯t I?


    Much to my surprise, did I¡­ awake to a hobby for fashion? Fairly sure I didn¡¯t have that kind of hobby before¡­ Probably? No, I didn¡¯t remember enough of my past to say that for sure. Maybe I enjoyed that before as well. Men generally had their own kind of fashion, after all. Not like it really mattered in the present.


    Nn, although, I also enjoy Karen dressing up and looking pretty. Speaking of which, I¡¯m looking forward to what Wanda is doing there.


    After she abducted Karen, she had also told Wormaz to get his things ready. Not that he really could, seeing how his wagon was occupied¡­ Still¡­ Korwen said she had to look the part¡­


    Wait, he never told us about Karen¡¯s job for tomorrow! We discussed completely different things!


    Oh well¡­ We could discuss that when Karen was back. For now, I waited for the poor sod that got told by Korwen to bring a mirror. And then we¡¯d see about everything else.


    Rinne


    Not much to say today. Stay healthy and safe!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Path to the Future

    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Not satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I am, though?¡±


    A good while later, around three men carried one of the large mirrors over to us. I thought it was the one they used in the bathing tent but apparently there were spares of that one. Mirrors were rather fragile after all.


    ¡°Then, what are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I looked towards Korwen who was watching me with interest in his eyes.


    ¡°How to say it¡­ I didn¡¯t really have much of a chance to look at myself like this¡­¡±


    The only time I had the chance to really look at myself dressed up through a mirror was back in Arkesta, wasn¡¯t it? Not to say I didn¡¯t take a good look back then but it had been a while and we also had been a little preoccupied with different matters. Though, we were occupied with some problems this time as well.


    ¡°Is that so? But there¡¯s a mirror in the bathing tents, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there is, but¡­ Mhm¡­ It¡¯s different.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really use that one to look at myself when dressing up like this, could I? It¡¯d be a bother for everyone else too. And outside of that, there wasn¡¯t much point of looking at myself naked. The only ones really using that mirror were some of the older ladies applying cosmetics¡ªat least I thought they were cosmetics¡ªto themselves. Or those with longer hair used it when combing their hair, like Karen and Lily.


    ¡°If you say so...¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I returned my attention back to the mirror in front of me. On its surface it was reflecting a petite girl with long pink hair, dressed in black armour and holding a banner. In other words: Me. Not like that hadn¡¯t been obvious.


    ¡°Nn¡­ This looks better than I would have thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that some self-praise I hear?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hey, I could praise myself at least once in a while, okay? Even if it was just about my looks.


    ¡°Being serious though, of course it looks good. There wouldn¡¯t be much point in you doing that if you weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ I guess so? But, aren¡¯t standard bearers relatively common?¡±


    I didn¡¯t know all that much about warfare but I vaguely remembered that medieval armies were often depicted with standard bearers.


    ¡°Common? Mh, I don¡¯t know if I should call them common. Armies tend to have them since it increases morale and also helps keeping track of numbers.¡±


    ¡°Keeping track of numbers?¡±


    How in the blazes¡­


    ¡°A well-organised army usually has certain squad sizes and battalion sizes and so on. And if you have, say, one standard bearer per one hundred soldiers, it makes it relatively easy to track, right?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    True. You just needed to count the flags. And they were pretty obvious.


    ¡°Nn, but since you said it like that, we¡¯re not exactly an army so¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re not an army. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t use flags and standards and so on, mind you. But your case is a little special.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Wait, they were using them? That¡¯s the first I heard of this.


    ¡°So, there are others carrying banners?¡±


    ¡°There are¡­ more or less. We use them more for identification, though. There¡¯s not much point in tracking numbers with them since we got variable squad sizes. And the only time we really need them is in actual warfare. It¡¯s more of an extra responsibility some take rather than their sole job.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That made it sound a little disorganised.


    ¡°But back to the point, in your case it¡¯s a little different.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°... How much do you know about history?¡±


    ¡°History?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    If it was about my own world¡¯s history¡­ Well, I couldn¡¯t remember all that much about it but I did remember some major events here and there. But he was probably asking about this world¡¯s. Actually, I knew a little about Arkesta¡¯s and Lafria¡¯s history with each other but outside of that...


    ¡°Pretty much nothing.¡±


    ¡°... It somehow bothers me how you say that with so much confidence for once.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I should refrain from commenting¡­ I¡¯d just dig my own grave anyway.


    ¡°Nothing, huh¡­ Well, that¡¯s a little bit troublesome. What kind of education did you go through?¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case, I guess I¡¯ll have to explain a little first¡­ Mhm¡­ It¡¯d be easier to show you on the map but¡­ No, we don¡¯t have that much time so I¡¯ll keep it short for now. We can do that some other time.¡±


    That was fine by me. We were only killing time until Karen finished anyway.


    ¡°Occasionally, in history, there are a few famous people. You know at least that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, in warfare, those types of people exist as well. They¡¯re sometimes even extolled as heroes. You remember those religious knights from Arkesta? They¡¯re nigh invincible and tremendously powerful. In the eyes of the common soldier, they¡¯re nothing short of salvation, a hero, a guarantee of victory. The effect on the morale they have is unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    But, didn¡¯t they bury one of those when they collapsed the bridge? Also...


    ¡°What exactly does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty simple, actually. I want you to become a figurehead.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ figurehead?¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°Yes. Mhm, how can I explain it well¡­ I want you to be our face in combat and battle.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Wait, what did he just say? The face?


    ¡°... Captain, I don¡¯t quite follow, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­ Well, let¡¯s see. If I mentioned the Lafrian army, who is the first person you think of?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhm¡­ I think Mr Ruben?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s their commander? Also, the only person I talked with from the army.¡±


    I had talked with a few others in the fort and so but none of them were really notable. Heck, I didn¡¯t even know their names.


    ¡°Well, as the commander he shows his face everywhere important. He is also a person of integrity and a war hero. Pretty much everyone knows him here in Lafria. In other words, he is the public face of the army.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    He had a lot of fame¡­ But that was completely different to me, right?


    ¡°When people talk about our group, our band of mercenaries, then the most likely face they think of is either me or my father. But my father already long retired and try as I might, beating my father¡¯s achievements is not something feasible.¡±


    ¡°I see?¡±


    ¡°How do you think our new recruits reacted when they found out that my father wasn¡¯t even here anymore?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The new recruits?


    ¡°They were disappointed, being unable to serve under one of the most famous men. Many of them left.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, they need a little different bit of motivation to stay, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    I had a feeling I knew where this was going¡­


    ¡°If we have a cute girl like you around, they might be more inclined to stay. Thinking stuff like ¡®once she grows a little older, maybe I have a chance¡¯ and so on. We don¡¯t need to tell them that you already got someone and aren¡¯t even interested in men anyway. Plus, that you¡¯re already past your growing phase.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that scamming them?¡±


    ¡°Hey, we won¡¯t tell them to think like that, okay?¡±


    ¡°But you already assume they do. That¡¯s just as bad.¡±


    ¡°Their own fault. We need new recruits, you know? And you¡¯re actually pretty popular among our younger ones already.¡±


    Wait, I was?


    ¡°So are Karen and Lily, by the way. Why do you think I keep assigning you with the old men? Or Fenna¡¯s squad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡­ Seriously? That was the reason?


    ¡°But being a little more serious, that trend isn¡¯t exactly something restricted to new recruits. When my father left, several of our veterans joined him. Most stayed sure, but we still lost quite a lot. I mostly kept them together afterwards but there I noticed a rather simple problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn? A problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I cannot replace my father. My father was skilled at combat and by far the strongest in our entire band. I am by no means weak but there are plenty of men in this band who are stronger than me. I also can¡¯t compare to my father¡¯s natural charisma.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But, that speech earlier was quite impressive¡­¡±


    He riled them up quite well, in my opinion.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing compared to my father. That¡¯s why I want someone to take that place.¡±


    ¡°And that person¡­¡±


    ¡°... is you.¡±


    ¡°... No way. That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    Why in the hell did he believe I could fill the shoes that were too big even for him?


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I do think so. I mean, I already¡­ caused a few problems anyway, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Not to brag but I already had caused more than enough trouble¡­ How did he think that was a good idea?


    ¡°Hm, I think you could, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re smart and you have good looks. Even without the Charm you are quite popular. You are polite and can get along with others. You also don¡¯t discriminate against others. If you gain some more confidence, it would surely be possible for you. You could surely become a figurehead. Maybe even something more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was that really¡­ possible?


    ¡°Of course, if you really don¡¯t want to, I can¡¯t force you. There¡¯s no point in this if you are unwilling to do it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡ª¡±


    ¡°You should think well before you say anything.¡±


    He immediately interrupted me.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more, since I just told you I wouldn¡¯t keep preaching anymore. But you should decide this for yourself. I know it¡¯s not something easy. But I am convinced it is something you can do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Convinced, he said¡­ Really?


    I looked at Korwen, unsure what to do. Just, what did this man see in me? Or really, in any of us? I knew he was scheming and quite sly and that he was totally leading me on the nose. He definitely was¡­ But¡­ He didn¡¯t do it to hurt us or anything. Rather, the opposite. So, should I let him¡­ trick me?


    But¡­ is that something¡­ that I can really do? He¡¯s really asking for a lot, isn¡¯t he?


    It was beyond daunting¡­ He was effectively asking me to be their morale support. That¡­ was a ridiculously large responsibility.


    What do I do¡­


    As I kept pondering, I glanced over to the wagon where Wanda and Karen were. At some point, Wormaz had disappeared as well. Their voices could be heard from the inside¡­


    Just¡­ what should I do, Sis?


    I really wished she could tell me¡­ But¡­ This was something I had to decide myself, right? Just how he had asked Karen to look for a future goal to strive towards. Without relying on my opinion.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I turned towards the mirror, where I was still reflected in. Even though I was quite distraught, my face was rather neutral in expression. Was this why they kept telling me I was expressionless? But still, could this girl, reflected in that mirror, really do such a thing?


    ¡° A war maiden¡­¡±


    The story Helma had told me about suddenly popped into my mind. The companions of the witch who had led armies to war. And the story the Elder had told me about earlier¡­ were those war maidens maybe the girls she had met then?


    Does he want me¡­ to be like that?


    The face in the mirror stared back at me, unmoving. He said he was convinced that this petite girl that kept being lost and unreliable, an emotional mess without common sense, someone who could barely do what they were told to do¡­ He was convinced that this girl could do that?


    He¡­ trusts me? That I can do it?


    Korwen was an impressive man. And he said that I could do it... But¡­ I couldn¡¯t get rid of these doubts in my head¡­ It just felt¡­ scary¡­


    Ah¡­ That¡¯s right¡­ It¡¯s¡­ scary¡­


    What if I failed? What if I didn¡¯t do a good job? Those thoughts suddenly kept whirling around in my head. After all, how couldn¡¯t they? How couldn¡¯t I be scared when the last time¡­ the last time¡­


    The¡­ last time?


    What was... the last time?


    No good¡­ I can¡¯t remember¡­


    Then, it was something that happened back then, in my old world? Did I¡­ fail? But¡­ what?


    ¡­ Even though I already said to leave the past behind.


    Shaking my head, I tried to think of something else. I had already determined to leave the past behind, all that had happened with my family. I didn¡¯t remember much anyway. This girl in the mirror¡­ She didn¡¯t have any relation anymore to that world. And it was probably good like that. She wasn¡¯t a man and the only family she had were Karen and the girls. That was fine.


    It¡¯s fine.


    Things had changed. And I¡­ I was changing too. I had changed. Not only outwardly. Then¡­ Could I¡­ Could I maybe¡­


    ¡°Can I¡­ really do that?¡±


    ¡°I told you already, you can.¡±


    ¡°Hyah?!¡±


    I had been so lost in thought that I completely forgot Korwen watching me. Suddenly hearing him speak really surprised me. He grimaced a little when he saw me shriek but he let it slide.


    I can¡­ huh¡­


    Once more, I glanced into the eyes of the girl in the mirror. He said she could take that kind of responsibility. She could stand confidently with the banner in hand. That I could¡­


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ can I really become like that?¡±


    ¡°Like what? The War Maidens? Sure can, if that¡¯s your goal.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    For some reason, the girl in the mirror was smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    If he said I could, then, maybe, I really¡­ I really could do it.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot of work, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°You might regret it. This is the only chance I¡¯ll give you to back out.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°... Then I won¡¯t say anything else, that¡¯d be just boorish of me.¡±


    Korwen stood up from his spot and then walked up to me.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    With a raised voice, he called my name, catching the attention of quite a few others around us.


    ¡°Will you be the Dragon Knights¡¯ own War Maiden? Be the face of the band and lead the men to battle?¡±


    ¡°Nn! I will!¡±


    After all, being called a war maiden, wasn¡¯t that pretty cool?


    ¡°Nn? Wait¡­ Lead the men? To battle?¡±


    That¡­ wasn¡¯t something he mentioned before?


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s part of it. Or are you saying there¡¯s a problem?¡±


    He asked me, sporting a mean grin. This, he totally omitted it on purpose!


    ¡°... No, there isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Well, if I had thought about that part for a second, I could¡¯ve figured it out myself. My own fault. But even if I had, it probably wouldn¡¯t have changed my decision.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see¡­ You¡¯re going to be quite busy from now on. Let¡¯s see, your first task is to get your companion ready.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ companion ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t have you run around alone, can I? Even without the incident from before, the more people know your face, the bigger a target you will be. Even more so in battle. Nothing is more devastating than losing the person in charge. It breaks morale and the chain of command. And the higher up the person, the more devastating it is. If you really become our very own ¡®War Maiden¡¯ you will have a huge target painted on your back. Maybe even larger than my own.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    In other words, I had to stay alive. Well, I wanted to stay alive anyway but people would target me, huh¡­


    ¡°Just saying, but if you had refused you still would¡¯ve become a large target.¡±


    ¡°Huh? How so?¡±


    ¡°We just talked about building a fort, right? I am not expecting it to be finished within a year or two or anything but depending on the extent of what you can do, even in the middle of the battlefield, this could become an incredibly valuable asset. And just as big a target for the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So, it didn¡¯t even matter¡­ Great.


    ¡°Anyway, having Karen look appropriate is now your job. I won¡¯t interfere in that part now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The same goes for Lily. For now, you three will work together. We¡¯ll expand on that of course with time.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Wait, uhm¡­ Only the three of us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll have Merim supervise you to a degree but outside of that, you¡¯re on your own.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Take good care of those two.¡±


    He¡­ thrust a lot of responsibility to me just like that, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°That¡¯s what you signed up for. You can¡¯t back out anymore.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I guess I did.¡±


    The three of us, huh¡­ But¡­


    ¡°Nn, Captain. What about the other things we were responsible for? Like, the workshop stuff. We were supposed to research things we can do with my magic, right?¡±


    ¡°First, it¡¯s a workshop and not a laboratory. You make things. Of course, before you make things you have to be able to do so. But, let¡¯s say, the time where you do that is different.¡±


    ¡°Different?¡±


    ¡°You will have mostly time to do that when there¡¯s nothing else to do. In other words, when we have few jobs or when we are travelling. When we are camping near a city or similar, we will likely have to deal with people and I¡¯ll have you accompany me for that as well, so there won¡¯t be much time either. Also, once you can reliably build a variety of things, you¡¯ll most likely only work when we need something specific, or to expand that fort, if we can get that working.¡±


    Huh, so it wasn¡¯t exactly interfering with each other.


    ¡°Also, to be able to realise the question of the fort, you will have to get that magic for travelling ready. That Space Magic, was it.¡±


    ¡°That, huh¡­ Uhm, just out of curiosity but¡­ where would we even build that?¡±


    ¡°Where, huh¡­ There are a few candidates I can think of but most likely near the border between Lafria and Aldreigh. There¡¯s an old castle that hasn¡¯t seen much use after the two countries became more amiable with each other. It would be a good candidate if we can get it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Captain, is that what you want to use the wish on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it. There¡¯s a chance the country is willing to sell it to us. The idiot Will let out a lot of information, after all. And if they are in financial straits, they might do it.¡±


    Ahh, he had mentioned that they were offering the wish as payment due to the lack of funds...


    ¡°But, do we even have that much money?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be expensive, yes, but not out of reach. If we were to buy it, it¡¯d definitely use up the majority of our funds. But only a few mercenary bands can claim to own their own castle as a base. It¡¯s a bit of a dream for every decent band. Also, it will make overall logistics a lot easier, especially with that Space Magic. The families wouldn¡¯t need to travel anymore, we will have an easier time building up connections and trade with merchants on a regular basis. With time, we might even become a regular spot on their route.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    He had thought a lot about this, it seemed.


    ¡°Nn, but why the border? Wouldn¡¯t it be better closer to the capital of a country?¡±


    ¡°It would, but one thing I am hoping for is to declare it as neutral territory.¡±


    ¡°Neutral territory? You mean, that it isn¡¯t part of the country?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Belonging to a country can be convenient but also comes with its own set of problems. If we were to settle in Lafria, the moment Lafria goes to war, we¡¯d be pretty much forced to join, lest they try to rescind our ownership and attack us in turn. As mercenaries, that¡¯s a bad deal. But if we can keep it as neutral territory outside of the jurisdiction of a country, we can decide our actions entirely on our own.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That sounds more like you¡¯re trying to found your own country.¡±


    Well, since we¡¯d be independent we kind of would be our own country, no? A tiny one.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    For some reason, Korwen had fallen silent, staring at me.


    ¡°Captain? Hello?¡±


    ¡°... Let me think for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Okay?¡±


    Well, I wasn¡¯t one to stop him from that.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ You raised an interesting point.¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t think much about that but others might see it as founding our own nation, won¡¯t they? In that case, we¡¯d have to talk with the Aldreighan government first. Mhm¡­ I hoped to be able to manage without using the wish but in that case, I probably won¡¯t be able to get around that. There¡¯s no way Will wouldn¡¯t notice the implications. He¡¯s an idiot but still sharp in these matters.¡±


    Good I mentioned that, huh¡­


    ¡°Build a house in a day, a village in a week, a town in a month, a fief in a year and a nation in a lifetime and beyond.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a proverb, about the difficulty of building something. Not only in regards to a nation but in general. Everything you do has to begin somewhere, right? And from there, you build it up, until it you have thousands and tens of thousands of houses making up the nation.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I see.¡±


    The kind of proverb like how a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, right?


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll have to look over that a little more in that case. I admit, I was a little blinded by the possibility of obtaining our own permanent base that I didn¡¯t consider that part. Haaa¡­ Good thing you made me notice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    If I was of help to him, that was great.


    ¡°See, I sometimes make mistakes as stupid as that too.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    Rather, it hadn¡¯t yet turned into a mistake, right? He noticed early enough.


    ¡°Well, enough of that now. Do you have any other questions for now?¡±


    ¡°Anything else? Nn¡­¡±


    What other questions¡­ It probably wouldn¡¯t take much longer for Karen and the others to finish so¡­ What to ask¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Why me? Or rather, why us?¡±


    ¡°Mh? I¡¯m not sure I get the question.¡±


    ¡°Well, how much did you plan all of this¡­ Me taking that¡­ job, and about Karen. And Lily. I mean, you¡¯re asking me to take a lot of responsibility. But, for better or worse, we¡¯ve only been here for a month...¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see what you want to know.¡±


    He smiled wryly at me when he realised my question.


    This¡­ had bothered me for a while. He was very amiable towards us, to the point I honestly had no idea how to even repay it. Sure, he made the point that we were magicians. Well, in training. But now, what he was asking was¡­ way beyond that.


    ¡°There are a few reasons. And no, I didn¡¯t plan it to the extent you think of. Originally, I really only thought of you as potential magicians to raise. The scarcity of magicians for mercenaries is very real. Everyone who can use magic either takes a job with the government, for an influential person, the Academy, in Lafria¡¯s case, or the army. I also admit that you being rather¡­ useless¡­ stumped me a little.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Not mincing words now, was he¡­


    ¡°But despite that, you tried your best for your sister back in Arkesta. That made a bit of an impression on me. Regular people who are not used to war tend to freak out. But only the fewest are willing to tackle war to ensure their survival. And you already experienced what it means to kill a person.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Why does that part matter?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what the largest difference between an experienced soldier and a recruit is?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, their training?¡±


    Korwen shook his head.


    ¡°In a way, it¡¯s important, but not quite. The largest difference is whether they have killed someone or not. That is the unmistakable turning point that decides whether someone can survive in our line of work or not.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really. Someone who has never killed can never understand the dreadfulness that comes with it. Most regular people will break. If not immediately, then in the future. An experienced soldier knows this dreadfulness and is less likely to hesitate. It is either their life or the enemies¡¯.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was it really like that?


    ¡°Well, let me ask you something. Merim told me about your actions in the forest. When you accompanied Lily to fight the ambushers. What did you think?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What I thought? Well¡­ Not much? It was¡­ bloody...¡±


    Lily killing them was¡­ not a sight I could easily forget.


    ¡°And yet, you showed Lily where they were without hesitation, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Nn, I guess I did?¡±


    ¡°Even though you knew it would spell their death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Not something I could deny¡­


    ¡°I am not saying this to scold you. It¡¯s the opposite. You did well. But your actions contributed just as much to their deaths as did Lily¡¯s. You might not have killed them with a weapon in your hand, but you killed them by pointing your finger at them.


    ¡°Tha¡ª That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I¡­ killed them? I.. did¡­ didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°You did it to protect your own life and the lives of your comrades. There¡¯s no reason to blame yourself for it. Understood?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°But I think you understand now, right? I¡¯m sorry if this was a little harsh to you, but understanding that part is important. And that they won¡¯t be the last.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There are many more people who will die by your hand in the future. Many more. And there will surely be many people holding a grudge against you. Against me, against all of us.¡±


    My eyes went wide in wonder¡­ How could he say that so calmly?


    ¡°We kill for money or to protect ourselves. We aren¡¯t a group of warriors fighting in the name of justice. But we don¡¯t do it indiscriminately. We only fight if we have a reason. Keep that in mind. The people that died through your hand today, died because they threatened us. Nothing more, nothing less.¡±


    ¡­ This was, what it meant¡­ to fight¡­ to kill as a mercenary¡­ Wasn¡¯t it? I thought I had prepared myself for it but¡­ once he pointed it out, it still came as a shock.


    I took a few breaths, trying to calm myself.


    ¡°I¡­ understand, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s good. Seems I didn¡¯t have to worry that much.¡±


    ¡°... I thought we were done preaching?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Caught me red-handed, didn¡¯t you? But you were the one asking, so I couldn¡¯t quite help it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Even if it hadn¡¯t been directly, more people had died at my hand. And not to save someone like in Arkesta. Sure, it was to protect ourselves. But¡­ we didn¡¯t have to go that far to actively attack them. But we did. And I hadn¡¯t questioned it.


    Maybe it was for the better that I hadn¡¯t¡­ Maybe¡­ that really was what Korwen meant¡­ The dreadfulness that came with killing.


    But¡­ I chose this path¡­ No, now I have chosen an even worse path, haven¡¯t I?


    A bloodied path¡­ But¡­ I gazed at the wagon¡¯s door. Right then, it suddenly opened, and three people came into view.


    ¡°Ah, guess we¡¯re out of time. They really took their sweet time. Well then, to fully answer your question. You have experienced quite a few things already. Yet, your personality is good and friendly, you do not relish in killing nor combat. You are a bit of an idiot at times and way too docile for your own good, but you think of those important to you and aren¡¯t completely averse to protecting them even through violent means. You are educated and can deal with more difficult discussions. You don¡¯t discriminate. There are many things that I can complain about but that¡¯s true for everyone. That you are a magician is also an important factor. Though your nature is a bit of a difficult matter to deal with, it offers many opportunities. Honestly, there are plenty of reasons why I decided on you. But, well, I guess one of the most important ones is that I feel like I can work with you.¡±


    ¡°Work with me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Simple, right?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ too simple¡­¡±


    ¡°For that, I got all the other reasons listed, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    He did list quite a few reasons¡­ But it really felt like the last one was the real one. It was just a gut feeling, of course, but¡­ Well, it made me happy if he felt like that. I didn¡¯t dislike him either, after all.


    ¡°Just saying, but I¡¯m already devoted to sis.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say such things that are easily misunderstood. Also, I¡¯m married happily and have a daughter. There¡¯s nothing past being friends here.¡±


    ¡°Well, friends it is then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but grin at our exchange.


    ¡°But now, work is calling. Well, your work.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, when jobs like this are over, I tend to have a little celebration with Merim and some others. Got some good alcohol around so if you want to join, you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    That was something to look forward to, huh.


    Maybe this path I had chosen just became even bloodier but¡­ I couldn¡¯t feel any regret at it right now. More like, I felt a little bit freer, to be honest.


    I wonder what will happen in the future.


    Rinne


    Thank you for reading! Stay healthy and safe!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Elven Choice

    Right now, a slightly teary Karen was standing in front of me, after she endured the combined harassment of Wanda and Wormaz. And just when she had thought she had managed to get through it all...


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Muttering only my name, she stared at me. She stood completely still. Of course, it was so we could take a look.


    ¡°Nn, looks good there, Sis.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her random assortment of armour had been entirely replaced with a new one. Now she wore a  long dress with a metal breastplate¡­ or, actually, a cuirass. That¡¯s what it was called, right? Similar to what I wore but hers was actually made of metal.


    At her waist was a long, wide metal skirt that reached down to her knees. Although, it was open at the front and the back, so it wasn¡¯t quite a skirt?


    ¡°Hey, Wormaz, what¡¯s that¡­ skirt-like thing called?¡±


    ¡°Skirt-like thing? Ah, The tassets you mean?¡±


    ¡°Tassets¡­ That¡¯s what they are called?¡±


    ¡°Yes. These are a little modified, though.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯re not normal ones?¡±


    Wormaz nodded with a surprisingly serious expression.


    ¡°Tassets exist to protect the hips and they usually only go partway down the thigh. You won¡¯t see tassets that long often.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, why that long?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause it looks good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t argue with that.¡±


    It definitely suited her. The long dress was entirely black, covering her from top from to bottom, with long sleeves covering her arms. It was rather featureless by itself but the cuirass and the tassets made it look a lot more like proper armour. The lower portion of the dress¡ªin other words, the skirt part¡ªwidened a little towards the ground. And the tassets followed along smoothly. Probably to prevent the skirt from tangling with her legs.


    Finally, there were also the gauntlets that were covering her arms. Her temporary weapon.


    Overall, it looked quite good but¡­ something bothered me a little. It was¡­ too featureless. Like, my armour had the emblems on it. Yet, this one had absolutely nothing. Only the black dress and the metal-coloured armour.


    ¡°Nn...  it somehow feels¡­ only half finished?¡±


    That¡¯s what I thought, at least. Hearing me, Wormaz let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°... That it is. Wish I could argue around it, though. Was supposed to get finished within the next two weeks, so we only got basic parts done. Still better than that random stuff she wore before, mind you.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, most of the work that¡¯s left is mostly for the appearance. For me, that¡¯s only colouring the metal black. Konno¡¯s done too. That woman has to do most of the remaining work. Might change of course if we mess with the design but for now, it¡¯s practical already.¡±


    So that¡¯s why it was rather bland¡­ They didn¡¯t have time to do the decorations and accessories¡­ With that said, it wasn¡¯t that it looked bad. Not in the least. It suited Karen well. But that may also be just me speaking¡­ Frankly, nearly everything would look good on her. Yeah, that was definitely me speaking. I definitely wasn¡¯t a good judge when it came to her, was I?


    ¡°And Konno worked on this, too?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Sure did. You don¡¯t want to wear metal plates without cushioning, let me tell you. Hurts like hell. Usually thick cloth or leather is worn beneath it for that reason.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I nodded. That definitely wasn¡¯t something that sounded pleasant.


    ¡°Well, we still got to work on it a little but it can do its job for now. If you have any wishes, feel free to tell us. I¡¯d rather you do it now than later.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    I¡¯d have to think about it. After all, this was my job now, right? Right?


    Actually, isn¡¯t this pretty awesome? Dressing up Karen turned into my work. What else could be better?


    I was going to thoroughly enjoy this.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi¡­ Mr Wormaz¡­ Are you done now? This pose is a little uncomfortable¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Guess we¡¯re done¡­¡±


    If it became uncomfortable, there was nothing much I could do about. I had to admit, her position did look a little uncomfortable to hold. Especially on the arms that she was holding up a little to the side. Even if it was me who asked her to do it so I could appreci¡ª inspect her armour.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Finally¡­¡±


    Karen relaxed her body and came over to us. As she moved, I noticed that there was some¡­ slightly weird noise¡­ Some¡­ high-pitched rustling?


    ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°The sound? Should be the hauberk, I guess,¡± said Wormaz.


    ¡°Hauberk?¡±


    Another term I couldn¡¯t quite place came from Wormaz¡¯ mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s chainmail. She¡¯s wearing that beneath the dress. Though you can¡¯t see it, you sure can hear it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    So that was it.


    ¡°Anyway, I still got some more work to do so I¡¯ll take my leave. Also, Karen. Remember, if you have any issues, tell me immediately, understood? And with immediately I mean immediately and not next fucking month.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Thank you, Mr Wormaz.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, see ya.¡±


    Wormaz turned on his heel and left the two of us alone.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I already feel exhausted before anything even happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s your fault, you know? Wormaz and Wanda were both¡­ a little too much into it earlier. They didn¡¯t let me go until they checked every little thing and had me strike various poses...¡±


    To be honest, that was totally relatable. I¡¯d definitely do the same in their position. Although, my motives were likely less pure...


    ¡°Right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to ask¡­ Wormaz and Wanda said something about looking pretty was half the reason for the armour design¡­ But when I asked why they dodged the question¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    Thinking about it, those two definitely knew what Korwen had planned, didn¡¯t they? They had to. After all, there was no way they could have worked on this without knowing, right?


    ¡°How to say it¡­ Uhm... Korwen asked me to be the face of the band.¡±


    ¡°... The face of the band?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    With a wry smile, I explained to her what Korwen had told me a little earlier. Her expression went from surprise to a rather conflicted one.


    ¡°And¡­ you accepted that?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I did.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    After a short moment of deliberation, she heaved a sigh. Then, she hugged me all of a sudden.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to protect you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I returned the hug. It wasn¡¯t really comfortable, seeing how we were both in full gear, but it still felt warm and happy.


    ¡°Mr Captain really threw quite some work at you¡­¡±


    ¡°That he did.¡±


    But I accepted it willingly. Sure, he definitely led me around the nose so that I would accept it, but even knowing that, I didn¡¯t really mind.


    ¡°Should I call you Miss Yumi from now on?¡±


    ¡°... Please, Sis, in the name of everything holy and not holy and whatever else is out there, don¡¯t do that to me. I beg you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite dramatic.¡±


    Karen giggled and released me from her hug, looking at me with a warm smile.


    ¡°But it seems like you¡¯re my superior now, right?¡±


    ¡°... You think so?¡±


    ¡°Well, you said that he left me and Lily in your care, right? That sounds to me like you are.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Looking at it like that, she was right.


    ¡°So, my little sister became my superior, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Guess so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to work hard in that case.¡±


    ¡°We both have to.¡±


    What Korwen wanted from me was quite the task, after all.


    ¡°Then, Yumi, what should we do first now?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a good question, actually.¡±


    Even though I was told to, well, do something¡­ It wasn¡¯t like I had any idea how to. In the first place, there was the matter of coordinating with just about everyone else. We couldn¡¯t just barge into the group and do whatever we wanted.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Did the captain leave already?¡±


    He had been here until just a bit earlier, hadn¡¯t he? When I was appreci¡ª inspecting Karen¡¯s new outfit, he was talking with Wanda¡­


    ¡°Over there, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    I turned around and looked at the direction Karen pointed at. Korwen stood a little away and was talking with a rather young mercenary.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and ask him.¡±


    The two of us walked up to Korwen and arrived just as the young mercenary left.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, you two. Are you done already?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fast. Well then, let me take a proper look as well.¡±


    Korwen stepped back a little and scrutinised Karen from top to bottom.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ A little meagre but considering the time restraint I guess it turned out decently. If you ask me, maybe some pauldrons or similar might be good to add. Would improve on the knightly look. But that¡¯s something we can discuss after this is over. How¡¯s it feeling?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s comfortable. More so than the armour I had before.¡±


    ¡°... That actually surprises me. You are also wearing a hauberk below that, right? The whole getup should be a lot heavier now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t mind the weight that much.¡±


    Korwen raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    ¡°If you say so. As long as it doesn¡¯t tire you out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it will.¡±


    ¡°... Guess we¡¯ll see soon enough whether it will or not.¡±


    Was the stuff she was wearing really that heavy?


    ¡°Anyway, you wanted something from me, right? I got somewhere to be so let¡¯s get that done fast.¡±


    ¡°We wanted to ask what exactly we should be doing¡­ Like, I have honestly no idea where to start or what we¡¯re going to do tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Sorry, I forgot to go over that, didn¡¯t I? There¡¯s honestly not much you have to do now. You should do your preparations for combat, of course. That¡­ bomb-like mana crystal, for example. Other than that¡­ Well, think of something to encourage the men, I guess. Everything else you can leave to us tomorrow. Merim will take care of that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ all?¡±


    ¡°It is. What, you want more work?¡±


    He laughed at my surprise. Of course, I didn¡¯t want more work. But, it just¡­ didn¡¯t seem like a lot.


    ¡°Nn, well, the mana crystals are¡­ rather quick to prepare I guess¡­ Sis, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything else to prepare either¡­¡±


    In other words¡­ There wasn¡¯t anything to do?


    ¡°In that case, how about you two join me?¡±


    ¡°Join?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It might actually be good to have you two around for this. It¡¯s about the elves, you see¡­¡±


    The elves?


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m about to find out. So, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Not even going to give us the option to refuse anymore, he turned around and went his way. Karen and I exchanged a quick glance and then followed him.


    ---


    ¡°What the heck¡­ What are they doing?¡±


    A crowd of elves was in front of us. They seemed a little upset, judging from the expression on their faces and the noise they made.


    ¡°We¡¯re about to find out. Can you see the Elder?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see her either¡­¡±


    There was no way I could spot the Elder in that crowd, could I? Sure, they were quite petite, but so was I¡­


    ¡°I think I spotted her already. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We followed behind Korwen. As we approached, the crowd of elves noticed us and quickly parted, making way. Some elves seemed bewildered, some had angry expressions and others were just staring towards the front of the crowd, where we were headed to. The Elder stood there and on her side was another elven girl.


    ¡°There he comes. Now, my children, think well about what I told you. The decision is yours to make. No, it¡¯s one you have to make. But for now, return and rest.¡±


    The Elder announced in a loud voice so that all the elves around us could hear it. The noise increased a little in response but quickly died down again. In fact, the crowd around us slowly dispersed. We watched for a moment as the elves all left, even the girl who had stood next to the Elder was gone after a short while.


    ¡°Miss Elder, mind me asking what is going on here?¡±


    ¡°It is a simple matter. I asked my children to decide what they want to do. We both know that some of the fairer maidens have¡­ gotten a little infatuated with your fellows¡±


    The Elder chuckled as if she actually enjoyed it.


    ¡±But in the soon-to-come future, parting may become a difficult matter for them. You humanoid races¡­ Or rather, this group, you are traveling around. Not only that, you live by spilling the blood of monsters and even your fellow races. This is a very¡­ hard reality for some of my kin. They have to make a choice, sooner or later. Will they brave a new life and ask to accompany you and your fellows or will they settle a new forest to call home.¡±


    ¡°I see. So, you want them to make a decision now? Isn¡¯t that a little fast?¡±


    ¡°Ha, you know little of our ways, Mr Korwen. We elves are a sluggish folk. If they do not begin to decide now, it will be too late by the time the parting will come.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Sluggish, huh¡­ Well, it certainly was better than being forced to suddenly decide. In a way, it was probably good that she had asked them to think now. But¡­ on the other hand, right now?


    ¡°Miss Elder, why did you ask that right now, though?¡±


    ¡°... Mr Korwen, can you imagine what my children have said when they heard that those, who ravaged our home, will appear before you all?¡±


    ¡°... I can imagine it.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, in these matters, fairykin and humanoids sure are similar, aren¡¯t they? They wanted to fight back, make them pay for the loss of our home. And do you know what, Mr Korwen? My heart agrees. But my mind knows better. This will not resolve our problem. Thus, I did not allow them to have their way.¡±


    The Elder was still smiling, despite the topic.


    ¡°Then, what will you do now?¡±


    ¡°... My children will have to decide. Judge, what is going to happen. Will they decide that it was but a passing fling or that they truly yearn for those they set their eyes on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite what I was asking, Miss Elder. I want to know what you will do.¡±


    ¡°... Haaa, you are a merciless one, Mr Korwen.¡±


    She turned around, her back facing us.


    ¡°The Cursed child asked me before¡­ Whether I longed to travel once more. For a great many suns and moons I did. I never wanted to become the elder of a forest. I am but the child of a child tree. The elf that will never be an adult.¡±


    Never be an adult? What the heck did that mean?


    ¡°Hehe, but life sure turned strange. My home is lost, my children are confused and helpless and I¡­ I just want to travel once more.¡±


    She paused.


    Seconds later, she turned around, facing us once more.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bad elder, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°... So? What will you do?¡±


    ¡°... Not even commenting, are you? You hurt this old woman¡¯s heart, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    The Elder froze, then straightened her back, followed by a bow.


    ¡°Mr Korwen, this foolish elf requests that she and her sisters may join your band of wandering sellswords. We may not be worth much but we will work with our whole hearts. My sisters know little of the way of war but I can assure they can handle the simple matters of life. As for me, I believe my experience in the matters of war can be of some value to you.¡±


    Wait, what? Did¡­ the Elder just ask to join the mercenaries?


    ¡°I admit I am surprised. For the elves that attacked us not long ago to ask now to join us.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, I hope you can find it in your mind to forgive that little¡­ misdeed.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well, nobody actually got hurt too badly but you did damage some of our equipment. I hope you understand that just having you as guests was already stretching the limit.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The Elder straightened her back again, standing upright. Yet, her gaze was fixed to the ground.


    ¡°It seems that our hope was in vain.¡±


    ¡°Your name.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Your name. Your name isn¡¯t ¡®Elder¡¯ or something like that, right?¡±


    Her gaze left the ground, now directed at Korwen.


    ¡°So, what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What? It¡¯s a bit troublesome if I don¡¯t even know the name of our newcomers, right?¡±


    ¡°... Hehe.¡±


    A chuckle escaped the Elder and then she smiled. A wide smile.


    ¡°You are a horrible person, Mr Korwen. Leading us on like that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first one to tell me that. And you won¡¯t be the last either. So, can I get an answer?¡±


    ¡°... That is a little troublesome.¡±


    ¡°... Since when was giving your name troublesome?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simply a matter of¡­ I cannot remember it.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What? She didn¡¯t remember her name?


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ been so long since anyone would ask for my name. My children always call me Elder or Mother.¡±


    ¡°How long would it take for one to forget their own name¡­¡±


    ¡°A few centuries can do a lot.¡±


    ¡°And yet you claim to remember all those other things from the past? Or did you tell Ria some fairytale?¡±


    ¡°There are a few things that stay better in memory than others, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Certainly but¡­ your own name?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Well, maybe some things are better left forgotten.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I can agree with that. Some things are better left lost in the times.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s still a problem. I need a name for you. And I hope you aren¡¯t going to tell me that your sisters all ¡®forgot¡¯ their names as well?¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that will be an issue. They all know theirs and in case they claim otherwise, I can provide you with it.¡±


    ¡°Too bad there¡¯s nobody around to provide yours.¡±


    ¡°A shame, yes.¡±


    Uhm¡­ For some reason, the two of them were both smiling at each other?


    ¡°But for my name¡­ Well, I wouldn¡¯t mind taking up a new name. However, I admit, this is not a matter I gave any thought about. Whatever shall I do?¡±


    ¡°... Guess we¡¯ll have to think of a solution for that. For now, we¡¯ll stay with ¡®Elder¡¯ until then.¡±


    ¡°Well, it is probably better to solve it sooner rather than later. It might become a confusing situation for my children.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ If you leave, then someone else will take your spot?¡±


    The Elder nodded to his question.


    ¡°Yes. But, rather than having the oldest child take it, I entrusted it with the child I thought the most capable. Of course, I gave her the choice to refuse. It would be a hypocrisy of me to lament my lack of choice yet force the same unto those that came after me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I see. Was it by any chance the girl that stood next to you earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That was indeed her.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Once more, she nodded.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ And you are really fine with just leaving your position and coming here. You do understand that you have to follow what I say? It¡¯s not the leisurely traveling you may dream about.¡±


    ¡°Are you mayhaps worried? The stern captain turns around quite fast, doesn¡¯t he? Well, if you were to ask me¡­ it¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°A relief?¡±


    ¡°For hundreds of years I have assumed responsibility and protected the life of the forest. And in the end, I failed. Can you blame me for wanting nothing less than leaving it to someone else?¡±


    ¡°In other words, you are tired of it. And in worse words, you just want to run from it.¡±


    ¡°... That might be so, yes.¡±


    A wry smile came over Korwen, once she affirmed his assumption.


    ¡°Guess that inevitably happens. In that case, I won¡¯t ask again. I¡¯ll work you to the bone, just so you know. Also¡­ You won¡¯t get a full salary until all that equipment you destroyed is paid back, understood?¡±


    ¡°But I still get something? That¡¯s more than I could hope for already.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯d just become problematic otherwise. Anyway, now to the more important parts.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed and his expression hardened as he prepared to ask the next question.


    ¡°... You say you have experience with warfare.¡±


    ¡°... That I do. However, it has been long since I took a weapon to fight. There were only a few times we needed to after I became the elder. Still, I am certain that I can hold my ground more than sufficiently. At the very least, I won¡¯t let those young children beat me just yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite some confidence you got there. I¡¯d love to verify it myself but the day is nearly over. I assume you intended to join us tomorrow.¡±


    The Elder didn¡¯t answer him, only smiling vaguely. I had no idea what she was trying to say with that but Korwen¡­ He let out a sigh, as if he understood.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ ¡®The heart agrees,¡¯ was it? But this is a little troubling¡­ Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the Elder join you two for tomorrow. If she¡¯s only half as proficient as she claims, she should be a good addition. Well, considering what she did before with Yumelia, there¡¯s little doubt that she is a valuable addition.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Mr Korwen, in regards to that.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The Elder frowned at his mention of that incident.


    ¡°That time was a matter for the protection of my kin¡­ and of nature herself. Please do not expect me to ask for nature¡¯s helping hand. While she may be ruthless and even more brutal than the intelligent races, asking her to shed blood is not something I wish to do. In the first place, if I were to do so, the Esteemed Ancestor might invalidate all I do.¡±


    ¡°... You mean Emily? She can stop you?¡±


    ¡°That child is even more beloved by the forest than any of us. No matter what we do, the forest will always listen to her rather than us. If I were to ask for a fruit and the Esteemed Ancestor asked for one as well, only she would get one. Our request would be ignored and forgotten.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Beloved by the forest, huh¡­ That sure sounded impressive¡­ The Elder had saved me for sure back then¡­ But if Emily had somehow interfered, that could¡¯ve gone¡­ quite awry¡­ That¡¯s actually quite the scary thought.


    ¡°In that case, how are you going to fight?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I might not look like it, but I have some experience in martial arts. I mentioned it but I have fought with a weapon in hand before.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Just so you know, there¡¯s no way we can provide you any equipment with this little time.¡±


    ¡°That is not a problem. The forest can provide me with what I need. It is a shame that I do not possess my old gear anymore. Nonetheless, I shan¡¯t be ill-equipped.¡±


    ¡°The forest, huh¡­¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes widened a little. Being able to get equipment simply by asking a forest¡­ That¡­ was definitely convenient.


    ¡°In that case, I shall trust you for now. The matter being what it is, however, I will watch the situation.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mr Korwen. I am grateful simply for having the opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Good. Then, there¡¯s one last matter I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What are the criteria a forest needs to meet for the elves to live in?¡±


    The criteria a forest needed to meet? That¡­ What kind of question was that now?


    ¡°An odd question you ask there. However, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something you can understand. If I had to describe it in a sufficient manner¡­ A forest rich in spirit and life.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite vague, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°I apologise, this isn¡¯t something I can really explain¡­ I believe the closest would be a forest with little presence of monsters. Fairykin and monsters are at odds and a forest that can be a home for us fairykin is one that can protect us from the monsters. They know and avoid it in turn.¡±


    ¡°A forest with few monsters¡­ Mhm, that¡¯s indeed not something I can easily find out without a local.¡±


    The Elder tilted her head, watching Korwen muttering and thinking to himself.


    ¡°May I ask why the interest, Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, well¡­ Depending on the outcome of this situation, we might be able to gain a permanent home base. I know that one of the most likely candidates has vast forests nearby, so I wondered if those would qualify for you elves.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ permanent¡­ home base?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s eyes went as wide as saucers and with her mouth agape, she stared at Korwen. A moment later, she crouched down, holding her head and groaning.


    ¡°Mr Korwen! You! You are truly a terrible person!¡±


    ¡°What? Because I was thinking of solutions as well?¡±


    ¡°... How much¡­ How much was planned?¡±


    ¡°To be honest, I completely forgot about your situation until you called for me.¡±


    ¡°... But you still knew when you came here?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Still crouched down, she groaned once more.


    ¡°This was a mistake! This definitely was a mistake! The devil¡­ This man has to be the devil incarnate!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little odd having an elf speak about the devil, you know? I thought you worshipped the Great Spirits.¡±


    ¡°We do but¡­ That¡¯s irrelevant now! You! Why did you not tell me earlier!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha!¡±


    ¡°Do not laugh it off!¡±


    The Elder stared at him from her crouched down position. Her tone suggested she should be angry but¡­ Her expression definitely wasn¡¯t. Why was she smiling? Seriously, what was going on with these two?


    ¡°Haa¡­ Tricked¡­ This man tricked me¡­ Do I have no choice but to get tricked by you humanoids?¡±


    ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you want to believe, I won¡¯t stop you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But, didn¡¯t you still get all you wished for this way?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her gaze lowered and she stared at the ground.


    ¡°I guess I did. But still, that doesn¡¯t change that you are a terrible man. I will never understand how some of my sisters can find any appeal in men when they are like you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite rude now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yet,it is the truth, isn¡¯t it...¡±


    She finally stood up again, patting her legs that had gotten a little dusty.


    ¡°I will overlook the matter this time. Still, know that I cannot approve of the way you do things. Even if they are for the other¡¯s sake, it makes it hard to show gratitude.¡±


    Nn?


    Suddenly, the Elder bowed once again towards Korwen.


    ¡°Mr Korwen, once more, I am grateful that you have accepted my request. We elven sisters shall serve with all our heart. That the future may offer us a sweet fruit to share in sisterhood. Though, I guess in comradery is the better term, here.¡±


    ¡°... You make it hard to respond when you are so upfront about it.¡±


    ¡°Take it as my little bit of revenge.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    With a big grin, Korwen spread his arms wide.


    ¡°I welcome you and your elven sisters to the Lomerian Dragon Knights.¡±

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Night Before

    ¡°With that said, the formalities are something we have to discuss some other time. I still have a long night ahead of me, even without this. I hope you don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I apologise for taking your time. Of course, I won¡¯t be as unreasonable to ask for more.¡±


    ¡°That helps. As for tomorrow¡­ Mm¡­ There¡¯s not much choice outside of sending you along with Yumi and Karen. They¡¯re closer to the back and preferably won¡¯t see much action but I can¡¯t have a newcomer messing up any other squads.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ While it isn¡¯t quite what I had hoped for¡ªthat much I will admit¡ªI can still at least verify with mine own eyes the outcome.¡±


    ¡°Good. Glad to hear that.¡±


    Korwen looked like he was quite relieved that the Elder wasn¡¯t demanding otherwise. Judging from the way he said it¡­ Ahh, even I could understand it now¡­ The Elder¡­ She wanted to¡­ fight them herself¡­


    ¡±Then, Yumi, Karen. I¡¯ll leave her in your care. Get your preparations done and get a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget anything. Yumi, especially those exploding mana crystals. While I preferably don¡¯t want to rely on something we haven¡¯t tested much yet, it is still better to be prepared to use it. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Well, there was no time to test it so there wasn¡¯t much we could do in that regard¡­ Although¡­


    ¡°And, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need for me to say it, but no testing or anything tonight. Getting a good night¡¯s rest is more important than a little bit of experimenting this late.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    ¡°... Be happy that you can take a good rest.¡±


    He directed a wry smile towards us. Now that he said it¡­ He had wanted to take a break after the troll incident but instead, he had been working without a single break since then¡­ Yeah, I should appreciate that we could take a rest.


    Sorry for thinking of actually testing them out now¡­


    In the best case, there was no need for them anyway. And, it wasn¡¯t like there was absolutely nothing left to do.


    ¡°Anyway, if the Elder has nothing else to say¡­¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t. I have said all that I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Great. I¡¯ll leave you to those two then. If there is anything urgent, you can still look for me or Merim, of course.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mr Korwen.¡±


    With a final nod, Korwen turned around and left the three of us, no doubt on his way to work even more¡­ Hopefully, he could get some sort of rest, too.


    But now¡­ What do I do?


    I glanced at the Elder who was still watching Korwen¡¯s back. He said that he would leave her in our care but¡­ Yeah¡­ What was I supposed to do now?


    ¡°Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, no¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case... Mr Korwen has left me in your care but I know little about the ways of the mercenaries. I would appreciate it if you could guide me.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    I threw a glance towards Karen, looking for a little but¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss here, Yumi.¡±


    Geez, thanks¡­


    She was right, though. No, wait, was she? Was it now set in stone that I was¡­


    ¡°... Well, let¡¯s see¡­ I don¡¯t think we can tell you either. We haven¡¯t been here that much longer either¡­ In fact, I think you probably know more than us¡­¡±


    She was, after all, not just a few centuries old. If her age really went back to those stories thousands of years ago¡­


    ¡°My, but I¡¯m following you now, and mercenaries all have different customs and traditions. They all work differently. But I guess I should be a little more specific, am I understanding it correctly? My interest lays more with the job of you two¡­ and subsequently, with mine.¡±


    Ahh¡­ Okay, that was a reasonable point to start at¡­


    ¡°Well, how to explain it¡­ We¡¯re supposed to carry the banner and motivate the mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°... Are you saying you¡¯re standard-bearers?¡±


    The Elder¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m just surprised.¡±


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    I tilted my head.


    Was it that odd for us to do that?


    ¡°The flag, the banner or the standard, whichever name you want to call it¡­ It¡¯s the heart of the group, their pride, their lifeblood. It is a very important job. I am rather surprised to hear that you carry the flag.¡±


    ¡°Haa... ¡°


    I did understand that it was an important job but¡­


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s that big of a reason to be surprised about.¡±


    ¡°... It is. At least, long ago, when I was still traveling, it was considered a big honour to carry the flag. I admit I know more about an army¡¯s customs than the mercenaries. At the time, mercenaries were little more than vagabonds making a little money by offering their sword.¡±


    ¡°Back then¡­ You mean, when you were traveling with Yumias?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Then¡­ things were probably quite different, considering how much time has passed. But, seeing how there were people living that long, maybe¡­ not that much?


    ¡°But let this be a topic for another time, Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t call me that. Just Yumi is fine.¡±


    ¡°... If you wish so.¡±


    I just turned down Karen in regards to calling me that. Admittedly, we were a lot closer but it still felt¡­ wrong¡­ being called with ¡®Miss¡¯ by the Elder.


    ¡°To return to the topic at hand, what would be my task? Mr Korwen has already declared that he is unable to procure equipment for me. While that is in itself not an issue, as long as all I need is equipment for combat, I don¡¯t think I can fashion a banner that quickly. Unless, someone would have the cloth prepared already.¡±


    ¡°No, the only one carrying it will be me. Uhm, your task¡­ I guess it¡¯ll be the same as Karen¡¯s? For now, that will be just guarding the banner.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So, in other words, our task is simply to protect you.¡±


    ¡°... I guess so, yes.¡±


    Protect me¡­ I wasn¡¯t going to get hung up on that. I wasn¡¯t. I¡¯d just need a little more time to live with it, yes? People can¡¯t change their thoughts that fast¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ Is there anything else I need to know?¡±


    ¡°Anything else? Nn¡­¡±


    What else could there be¡­ Oh, right¡­ Her appearance was¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    I scrutinised the Elder from the top to the bottom. Then I threw a glance at Karen next to me¡­ and finally at myself.


    ¡°Sis, I think there¡¯s a problem.¡±


    ¡°A problem?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We don¡¯t have anyone with a proper adult charm.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Karen stared at me with incredulous eyes.


    ¡­ Hey, it¡¯s not wrong, isn¡¯t it?


    There were Karen, Lily and me plus the Elder for now. I agreed that none of us were hard on the eyes, not even remotely. But, there was a problem.


    ¡°Sis, do you consider yourself tall or short?¡±


    ¡°Me? I¡­ am rather short, if we talk about average height¡­ Are you trying to pick a fight about my height now, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No, I love the way you are, Sis. But think about it¡­ Even if we include Lily¡­ You¡¯re the tallest among us.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    My stature was probably the furthest removed from an adult as you could be. Well, okay, not that far, I did have a little bit¡­ At least, I wasn¡¯t completely flat like the Maya and the girls were¡­ No, actually, they already had a little¡­ er, nevermind that.


    As for Lily¡­ She was taller than me but she also was very far from being tall. Actually, if you excluded me, her height was a little abnormal, considering how everyone else was quite a bit taller. It reminded me how the king, Will, suspected that that monster was messing around with others¡¯ height¡­


    Although, whether it really is true, I don¡¯t know¡­ Wouldn¡¯t put it past her¡­


    Then, we had the Elder¡­ Her height was pretty similar to my own. She had a bit more in the way of curves than I did, though¡­ Nonetheless, she wasn¡¯t exactly exuding an adult charm either. Then again, neither did she  give off a childish impression, maybe because of her mannerisms.


    With that said, she¡¯s also definitely more ¡®cute¡¯ than she is ¡®pretty¡¯ or ¡®sexy¡¯ or something like that. As long as you don¡¯t know how old she actually is.


    And finally, there was Karen¡­ The tallest among us¡­ Even as the tallest, she was still a bit shorter compared to, say, Fenna. And a lot shorter than some of the taller women in Fenna¡¯s squad. Yet, among us, Karen was by far the most adult-looking¡­


    But the Captain decided upon this knowing that, didn¡¯t he? So¡­ maybe this is fine? Maybe it¡¯s on purpose¡­ Or just a coincidence¡­ No, there are some¡­ pretty adult-looking women around as well, so...


    Well, it wasn¡¯t something I could change now anyway. Unless I suddenly gained the ability to grow. Then again, even if I could, I wasn¡¯t sure if I even wanted to. I was pretty comfortable in my skin, after all. Well, if you ignored the trouble I had with my¡­ nature. Though, I was slowly warming up to that, too. I wanted to believe that, at least.


    ¡°Yumi? Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Yes?¡±


    ¡°You were spacing out. Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Sorry, I got a little lost in thought.¡±


    Not good. I could ponder about those things later.


    ¡°So, what were you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Nn, what I just mentioned. That you¡¯re the tallest among us¡­ But, well, the Captain knows that so I think it should be fine?¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing we can really change anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true, yes.¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows. Well, I couldn¡¯t exactly tell her body to hurry up with growing¡­ Wait, was she even growing anymore? Mhm, didn¡¯t we have that discussion with Wanda before?


    ¡°With that said, Miss Elder, I guess the only thing to note is to look, er, fashionable?¡±


    ¡°Mm, you mean, to dress in a way so that it stimulates the men.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t wrong but¡­ the phrasing. Couldn¡¯t she put it in a less direct way?


    ¡°It might be a little bit extra work but I am sure I can manage something. It won¡¯t be a problem to adjust either, as well, should my¡­ attempts fail to meet expectations.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ How are you even going to get equipment?¡±


    ¡°I will ask for it from the forest¡­ Or rather, there isn¡¯t much of a forest here, but there are still a few trees. I should be able to work with them.¡±


    ¡°The trees¡­ Then, it¡¯ll be wooden equipment?¡±


    A weapon was probably one thing but¡­ was the armour going to be fine?


    ¡°It will be. Wood is resilient and strong. Even the humanoids should know this, shouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s true. But¡­ Isn¡¯t it going to be uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s true that I cannot claim it to be the most pleasant to wear but it is nothing that I cannot bear for a single day. Rest assured, I know the¡­ disadvantages it brings with it.¡±


    If she claimed that it was okay¡­ Well, she probably knew more about it than I did.


    ¡°If you say so. Well, I think that about sums it up?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much else to discuss right now. The specifics would be given to us tomorrow. Well, I hoped they would¡­


    ¡°Hmm¡­ If there is nothing else, I shall go and procure my equipment. It wouldn¡¯t do to delay this. The trees are few and it will take some time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, uhm, I guess we¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Actually, wait.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is there something else?¡±


    The Elder opened her mouth, wanting to say something, only to close it again. She stared at me for a few seconds, not saying a word.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°May I ask a quick favor of you? Well, it¡¯s not so much a favor as I want to look into something.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Depends on what it is¡­¡±


    ¡°... Could you give me your hand for a moment?¡±


    My hand? That much was fine but¡­


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s nothing else¡­¡±


    I stretched out my hand towards her, expecting her to take it. Although, she stared out my outstretched hand for a few seconds before grasping it with both her hands.


    ¡°This¡­ could be a little uncomfortable¡­ Forgive me.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Hyah?!¡±


    Right after she finished her sentence she¡­ started messing with the mana in my arm. It was an incredibly unpleasant feeling, as if someone was stirring around the flesh in my arm.


    Ugh¡­ My stomach¡­


    A truly gut-stirring feeling.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ As I expected¡­ Try and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡°


    That was easier said than done, considering my stomach felt like it would expel its contents anytime soon. Still, I forced myself to look her way¡­


    ¡°That¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    The Elder¡­ She wasn¡¯t actually moving the mana in my arm¡­ It was more like she forced her own mana into my arm¡­


    ¡°This should be enough.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ It¡­¡¯s over?¡±


    ¡°Yes. One more, I apologise for the sudden¡­ request.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ So¡­ So, what was that¡­ about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ You are severely lacking mana¡­ I think.¡±


    Lacking mana? What was this about now¡­


    ¡°You absorb mana¡­ in quite a voracious and uncontrolled manner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not like I do it on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I have thought as much¡­ But I don¡¯t believe this is normal¡­ I don¡¯t know what the cause is either but you should keep that in mind....¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t normal?


    ¡°Nn, but I thought monsters absorb mana though into their crystals¡­¡±


    ¡°They do¡­ But not with such force. They only absorb the excess mana in the body. They don¡¯t absorb continuously, depriving the body of mana it would need. A monster¡¯s body, and of course a Cursed¡¯s body as well, requires the mana to function. It is a source of their strength.¡±


    ¡°A source of their strength¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Miss Elder. Does that mean that Yumi is so weak because her body has no mana?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°That is likely the case.¡±


    Wow¡­ So, that¡¯s the reason¡­ But¡­


    ¡°Even if I absorb some mana from crystals or so¡­ it just disappears instantly when I leave it out of my control. And it feels more like I¡¯m throwing it into a bottomless hole¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ It is odd¡­ Unfortunately, even I cannot help you with that. After this ordeal has been dealt with, you might want to find the cause. I can offer my help, although I hope you don¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ would be a good idea, I guess.¡±


    It reminded me of what Elina had mentioned before¡­ About how mana was the source of the monster materials¡¯ strength. Maybe she knew something that could help as well. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to ask her after this was over.


    ¡°Thanks, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Mh? What for?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you hadn¡¯t tried to check, I probably wouldn¡¯t have known about this¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I merely shortened the path a little, if you ask me. It would surely be unavoidable to notice at one point. You know your body is akin to a monster¡¯s. It would have been but a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°Well, it still would have taken who knows how long. So, thank you.¡±


    The Elder smiled at me, then suddenly let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°You are very welcome. Hehehe, you are a well-mannered child for someone related to the witch.¡±


    ¡°Er¡­¡±


    Well-mannered? Was I?


    ¡°Be that as it may, I have already taken more time than I intended to. I, too, wish to have a good rest before the coming day, and surely so do you. And the day won¡¯t grow any younger.¡±


    She directed her gaze towards the horizon, where the sun was. It had been a long day but even this day would end at one point. And the sun was already close to the horizon¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be much longer until it was dark.


    ¡°Now then, I bid you two a good night.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I hope you have a good night as well.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    With a final nod, the Elder left, probably in search for some trees. Was she going to be fine doing that this late, though?


    ¡°Yumi, we should return too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We still have a little bit left to do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not much, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still a little.¡±


    We watched the Elder disappear before we both made our way towards our wagon as well, enjoying the last moments of the sun.


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s bad manners.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Nobody¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, though.¡±


    ¡°Sis is fine.¡±


    The moment we went back and entered the wagon, I let myself fall down onto the bed. It¡­ still hadn¡¯t become any softer. I wanted a soft bed¡­ It was better than just a blanket but¡­ Yeah¡­


    ¡°I wish you would consider me a little as well, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sorry, did you want to jump onto the bed, too?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    Karen sighed and sat down at the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Come, up with you. Didn¡¯t you say just a little earlier about how we still had something left to do?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to show a little bit of restraint.¡±


    ¡°But when can I relax then if not around you?¡±


    I moved around on the bed, shifting my position so I could hug Karen¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ You¡¯re too spoiled, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    But getting spoiled by her was great. With that said¡­


    ¡°It hurts.¡±


    ¡°What does?¡±


    ¡°Your gear¡­ I can¡¯t hug you like this.¡±


    ¡°... You know, they probably didn¡¯t think that was the point of the armour¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    I enjoyed hugging Karen¡­ It was definitely high up on the list of things I enjoyed the most. Being deprived of it because of some stupid armour¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Well, I guess there¡¯s no point wearing it here anyway. Come, Yumi, you should get out of your gear as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    My armour wasn¡¯t quite as uncomfortable but it was true that it was in the way. Mine wasn¡¯t as heavy anyway. Not like I could wear anything heavier than this for long.


    Thinking about it¡­ I would have expected it to wear me out a lot more over a long time¡­


    Not that I was complaining. It definitely was one of those points that were striking me as odd, though, in regards to my body. They were mostly pretty good points, though. Even my squishy body wasn¡¯t exactly a bad point. At least, Karen and the other girls seemed to enjoy it¡­


    ¡°Yumi. Don¡¯t go dozing off.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I forced myself up in response to Karen¡¯s exasperated voice. She had already removed everything except for the black dress. Huh, she was stripping that one too?


    ¡°Si¡ª Ah.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Right¡­ she was wearing that¡­ hauberk. Under the dress. I forgot. Well, it would¡¯ve been nice if she was inviting me for something more intimate now but even I understood we wouldn¡¯t get any work done if we did it now.


    Later. It¡¯s a reward for later.


    Something to look forward to.


    Oh, she was wearing an undershirt beneath that, huh.


    ¡°Need help?¡±


    ¡°No, I think I can manage. Can you already get some mana crystals over?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The faster that was done with, the earlier I could get my reward. Yeah.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Nothing.¡±


    It was probably bad to get too distracted by the reward¡­ Well, for now, I had to get rid of this armour.


    ¡°Nn¡­ And there we go¡­¡±


    Ah¡­ free, at last. It was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Okay, technically, it really had been.


    ¡°Yumi, are these enough?¡±


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡±


    On the desk , Karen had piled up quite an amount of the tiny mana crystals. Actually, that was probably too much but¡­ Well, making a little more couldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°Ah, speaking of which.¡±


    I picked up the armour I had just taken off, looking for something.


    ¡°Where was it again¡­ Ah! There.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that? A bag?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    A small bag attached to the dress, at the height of my waist.


    ¡°Wanda made this so I can carry a small bag there. Isn¡¯t this perfect to carry the mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Huh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    I could probably fill it with enough of those mana crystals that were meant to explode. And maybe even some others, too¡­ No, wait, that was probably a bad idea. I didn¡¯t want to accidentally grab the wrong crystal and throw it.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s see¡­ I think filling it should be enough, right?¡±


    ¡°If you ask me, if every single of them explodes like that, it¡¯s¡­ probably a little too much.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ Ah, but I don¡¯t think I should make them as strong as that one¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°We were running and the captain was carrying me. If I just threw it with my own strength, I¡¯d definitely get caught up in it¡­¡±


    The least I wanted to happen was killing myself, after all.


    ¡°He¡­ carried you?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    Whoops, maybe I shouldn¡¯t have said that¡­ She stared right into my eyes as if she was trying to peer into my soul.


    ¡°Uhm, just to make it clear, it was an emergency, okay? An emergency.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Definitely! Absolutely!¡±


    ¡°.... Haaa. If you say so.¡±


    She let out a sigh. Dodged a bullet there, didn¡¯t I?


    Was it just me or was she getting more possessive recently? I was actually a little scared there¡­ Those weren¡¯t eyes that knew the meaning of peace. But¡­ The worst part was that it actually made me a little happy...


    ¡°Ahem, let¡¯s, er, make some of those mana crystals.¡±


    I sat down at the desk. Time to make some exploding mana crystals¡­ Exploding¡­ Mhm¡­


    ¡°Mana Grenades?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I just thought of a name for them. Well, they explode so I thought it¡¯d be a fitting name.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ What is a grenade, though?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Had to start there, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°It¡¯s a weapon from my world¡­ Well, maybe it exists here too. It¡¯s a little explosive that you throw at the enemy to blow them up.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I guess that does fit.¡±


    Right? It definitely did. Well, with that out of the way.


    ¡°Time to make some.¡±


    And thus, I started to change the pile of mana crystals in front of me into the mana grenades. Okay, they were still regular pink mana crystals. As much as you could call them ¡®regular,¡¯ that was. I kept the amount of mana in them relatively low. It was still more than the mana crystal that blew up the ogre had, but it was also quite a bit less than the ones from earlier today. Most likely, it was still plenty dangerous, though. But since I really didn¡¯t want to blow myself up by accident¡­ Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°I think this should be enough¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, we might need them.¡±


    Although, she said that it was a lot, the bag could still fill more of them. That would really be overkill, though. It¡­ would, right?


    Maybe¡­ I should make some more?


    Better safe than sorry, right?


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s make some more.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ that¡¯s enough, don¡¯t you think? Or are you planning to blow up the entire village?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not. No.¡±


    Well, if the Captain asked me to do it¡­ Would I do it? I didn¡¯t know. I¡¯d probably hesitate but¡­ I would still do it¡­ That¡¯s what I thought. Or maybe, that¡¯s what I wanted to think.


    It¡¯s not like he¡¯s really going to ask me that anyway, right? Actually¡­ He might.


    Korwen¡¯s top priority was the safety of his men. And if there was an easy solution¡­ He¡¯d probably go for it.


    ¡°... Sis, let¡¯s make more. If the captain actually asks me to blow the village up, I really might need them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not impossible¡­ Okay, let¡¯s make more.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Glad to see she agreed with me there.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Keep in mind to not fill the bag too much.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°If it gets too heavy, it might fall to the ground when you run.¡±


    Ohh¡­ That could happen¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    But I could still make a few more. There was still plenty of space left in the bag and it wasn¡¯t like the individual crystals were that heavy.


    With that decided, I continued making some mana grenades until we both decided that more wouldn¡¯t be worth it.


    ¡°And done¡­ Finally, it¡¯s over. Let¡¯s go to bed!¡±


    My reward was waiting. Today had been really exhausting.


    ¡°Yumi, wait. There¡¯s still more to do.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously? Can¡¯t that wait?¡±


    ¡°If we do it now we can sleep without worries.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Guess so.¡±


    That was a good point.


    ¡°But, what else do we even have to do?¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are carrying those mana grenades in that bag, there¡¯s nothing else in there, right? But what about the other mana crystals. And that pink ball.¡±


    ¡°Ah, the orb¡­ Mhm¡­


    If I was carrying another bag on a sling, that was completely defeating the point of having this bag attached to the armour. But there wasn¡¯t any other way to carry things around.


    ¡°Well, how about Sis brings them along?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that but are you sure you don¡¯t want them at hand?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been carrying some around either way all the time, right?¡±


    ¡°... Because you never thought of doing it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Another good point¡­


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind but again, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s not like I can do anything with them that would require me to immediately have it at hand, right? And you¡¯ll be by my side anyway.¡±


    ¡°If you are sure¡­ Then I¡¯ll bring them along.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The most I could do was using them for making more dolls or tentacle growth. Oh, actually. The Charm needed mana, too. I could use it even without the crystals but it was probably better to do it with one if I needed a stronger effect. Well, I wasn¡¯t planning to use it suddenly anyway... Outside of when I was doing the¡­ speech?


    ¡°... I still have to think of what to say tomorrow.¡±


    But, I honestly had no idea what to¡­ I never held a speech before, after all.


    ¡°Won¡¯t something simple be enough? Even the captain himself kept it relatively short and simple, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think you need to think that hard about it. Just say what you feel.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    What I was feeling, huh¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s better than awkwardly trying to recite some words you don¡¯t really mean. That¡¯s what I think.¡±


    ¡°... You think so, huh. Well, if you say so. If the captain complains, I¡¯ll redirect him to you.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to put the blame on me?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    ¡°This little!


    ¡°Hyah! Ah! Sis, sto¡ª Not there! Hya!¡±


    Karen hugged me from behind and started tickling my sides.


    ¡°Take this!¡±


    ¡°No, not! Ahahaha! No, not the¡ª Ahahaha!¡±


    Karen kept tickling me until she was thoroughly satisfied, leaving me behind heavily breathing.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ That¡­ Haaa¡­ was unfair... Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Says the one who wanted to sell me out¡­¡±


    ¡°That was¡­ Haa¡­ a joke¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it really?¡±


    ¡°Of¡­ course¡­¡±


    I straightened myself after I finally managed to catch my breath again.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Hey, Sis¡­ Let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. We¡¯ve finished with our preparations, so let¡¯s take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    Finally.


    I laid down on the bed and quickly stripped myself of the last few pieces of cloth on me.


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    With a wry smile, Karen too removed the undershirt she was wearing. Ahh, a feast for the eyes.


    ¡°Yumi, we¡¯re just going to sleep, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Wait¡­ Only sleeping?¡±


    ¡°... We can¡¯t afford to be out for a few days again, you know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then¡­ But¡­ My reward?


    ¡°We can still cuddle, but nothing more.¡±


    ¡°... My reward.¡±


    ¡°Reward?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to¡­ After we finished¡­¡±


    ¡°... You should¡¯ve said that earlier.¡±


    I probably should have¡­ But she wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ If we got stuck again in a shell¡­ I kind of doubted it would happen that fast again but we didn¡¯t know for sure¡­


    ¡°... Yumi. When everything is over, let¡¯s ask the Captain if we can take a day or two off and enjoy our time leisurely? Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Come here.¡±


    Karen laid down next to me and pulled me into her arms. The familiar feeling of her skin was transmitted to me.


    ¡°When things are over and we can afford to be suddenly gone for a few days again, let¡¯s do it a lot, yes?¡±


    ¡°Nn! It¡¯s a promise!¡±


    ¡°A promise it is. Hehe.¡±


    I returned Karen¡¯s hug and buried my face in her bosom. The way she worded it¡­ She was already assuming that she got stuck inside there with me again, didn¡¯t she? That made me a little¡­ No, it made me quite happy.


    ¡°Nn, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Yumi.¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand stroked the back of my head. Even with all said and done, this was still plenty for a reward. I loved this feeling of hugging each other and feeling her naked skin and her warmth, this direct show of affection.


    ¡°Nn, Sis. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Yumi.¡±

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Imminent Departure

    ¡°... up and get ready! All men! Wake up and get ready! We will move out in one hour! I repeat! Wake up and get ready!¡±


    Stop shouting¡­ Let me sleep¡­


    Whoever it was that kept shouting outside, his shouts slowly disappeared into the distance.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Still half asleep, I nuzzled against Karen¡¯s body, enjoying her body heat that was trapped beneath our blanket. Everything would¡¯ve been fine up to this point and I probably would¡¯ve dozed back into my dreams again, if not for the hand that suddenly pat my head.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis?


    ¡°Ah. Sorry, did I wake you up?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ No¡­¡±


    The one who woke me up was the guy shouting just a minute earlier, after all.


    ¡°Warm¡­¡±


    Karen shifted her body a little, so she could pull me close and hug me.


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I love you¡­¡±


    Her embrace tightened, pressing my face into her chest. If she continued doing this¡­ a different kind of warmth was going to rise.


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    This was bliss¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but giggle. If possible, I wanted to stay like this forever.


    ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re so spoiled.¡±


    With a giggle of her own, Karen nuzzled her face against my hair.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Just wanted¡­ to call you¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    While we embraced each other, something suddenly wrapped around my leg. It wasn¡¯t Karen¡¯s leg, it was way too thin for that, like a rope. A little confused, I shifted my leg in an attempt to free it.


    ¡°Mya?!¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Why did¡­ Karen shriek?


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t¡­ That one is¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah¡­ That¡­ was her tail. The thing that wrapped around my leg was her tail...


    ¡°Sorry¡­ Didn¡¯t know¡­ what it¡­ was¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t notice it either, after all.¡±


    How did she not notice her tail wrapping around my leg? Well, not that it really mattered¡­


    Even so, she didn¡¯t attempt to remove the tail from where it was¡­


    Locked in our embrace, we silently laid in the bed for some more time. Occasionally moving our bodies a little to make it more comfortable, but nothing more.


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure how long we stayed like this. Half asleep as I was I probably dozed off somewhere in the middle again. But,  just like all things, it had come to an end at some point.


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Wake up and get ready. We¡¯ll move out soon and you¡¯ll miss breakfast if you don¡¯t come out soon.¡±


    Knock! Knock! Knock!


    The person in front of the door kept knocking and calling out to us, probably not going to give up until we responded.


    ¡°Noisy...¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, it is. Yumi. Wake up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Don¡¯t wanna¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either. But we have to. Come, up with you.¡±


    Ignoring my complaints, Karen removed the blanket covering us. The cold air washed over our skin, startling me.


    ¡°Cold...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll help you wake u¡ª Ah! Yumi! Stop that!¡±


    In an attempt to get a little more warmth, I clung to Karen as tightly as possible. Unfortunately, no matter how warm and comfortable Karen was, without a blanket, parts of me were still cold. Lucky me, that I only had to wrap us up in my hair for that. Who needed blankets anyway?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Do you hate getting up that much?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Even though I was so impressed with you yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I didn¡¯t think you would forget that so soon...¡±


    That¡­ was unfair¡­


    ¡°Just a little¡­ I¡¯ll get up¡­ But just a little more...¡±


    ¡°... But really only a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I was too easy, wasn¡¯t I? I couldn¡¯t even offer a small bit of resistance¡­ Then again, even I understood that insisting on staying in bed was wrong. Not like we could anyway, with someone desperately knocking on the door.


    ¡°Yumi, can you at least let me open the window and tell them we¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ If you have to¡­¡±


    I loosened the grip around us, allowing Karen to open the window over the bed.


    ¡°We¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Karen! I was already wondering what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry. We had a small¡­ problem to take care of. We¡¯ll get ready.¡±


    ¡°Great. Breakfast is already prepared so once you grab some, you should go to Merim.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do that. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Then, good luck!¡±


    The person outside disappeared. I felt like I had heard that voice before but whose was it¡­ Oh well, not like it mattered.


    ¡°And that¡¯s that... ¡°


    Karen closed the window again and returned to her original position. She wrapped her arm around my head and patted it gently.


    ¡°Seriously, you¡¯re too spoiled.¡±


    Said the person who was indulging me.


    If only this could last forever.


    Sometime later, Karen forced me to finally let go of her so that we could get dressed and prepared. After I put on my armour dress I helped her with her own armour. It was quite troublesome¡­ And that hauberk¡­ It was heavy. Incredibly heavy. I was utterly unable to lift it. Sure, I was weak, yes¡­ But even then I would have expected that I could, at the very least, lift it. In reality, though? No chance¡­ I was honestly in awe of how she could walk around with that thing completely unperturbed.


    Then again, it didn¡¯t seem like it was regular metal¡­ It also looks kind of blueish...


    I tried lifting the hem and¡­ The pure weight was shocking. I was only lifting a small part and it felt like I was heaving up a pretty heavy rock.


    Wormaz did say they had to balance practicality and appearance¡­ Considering this hauberk isn¡¯t noticeable when she wears it, maybe this is what really protects her?


    Of course, that was just my assumption but I couldn¡¯t explain any other reason why he made her wear this heavy thing. Unfortunately, he hadn¡¯t said anything about the hauberk. Nor did Wanda, for that matter. Either way, Karen wasn¡¯t really bothered by the extreme weight. Even though the thing was probably heavier than she herself was¡­ Probably.


    Anyway, after we got dressed, we fetched breakfast and went on our way to look for Merim.


    ¡°There he is. Merim!¡±


    ¡°Mr Vice-captain.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Yumi, Karen. You sure took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Despite his little complaint, it didn¡¯t look like he was actually all that busy. He was leaning against one of the few remaining wagons in the camp, watching the mercenaries getting ready to leave.


    ¡°Breakfast was delicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear¡­ Whatever. I heard from the Captain. So you actually accepted his suggestion, huh.¡±


    ¡°You knew about it?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did. I am the vice-captain around here, you know? I sure am surprised you accepted, though.¡±


    Was it really that surprising?


    ¡°I do admit I am happy you did, though.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Now I have another person I can shove all that annoying work to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t something he should say to the person in question¡­ Did he even realise that?


    ¡°Uhm, Mr Vice-captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°I have heard the gist from Yumi already but I still have a few questions.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear them. I can¡¯t promise you an answer, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    She still had questions?


    ¡°The captain said we¡¯d be in Yumi¡¯s care, Lily and I. Ah, and the Elder, temporarily. Does that make Yumi make my superior?¡±


    Wait, that¡¯s what you wanted to ask?!


    ¡°...¡±


    Merim froze as well, staring at her with dumbfounded eyes.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ That¡¯s not quite the kind of question I expected, I have to say.¡±


    Neither did I¡­


    ¡°But, I think I get what you want to know. Well, let¡¯s see, do you know the general hierarchy among us?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, the captain is at the top, then the vice-captain¡­ the squad leaders and then the regular mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close, yes. To be precise, we adopt a similar system compared to most armies. Of course, we¡¯re not as large as a nation¡¯s army so we took some liberties here and there but in general, we are divided between the regular mercenaries and the officers.¡±


    Merim directed his gaze to the front, back to the bustling camp where the mercenaries were still running all and about.


    ¡°The officers include the captain, me and several others. Everyone is responsible for various things among us. You two already know Taddick, right? He oversees the general combat groups. All the squad leaders report to him. He¡¯s probably the busiest among us right now, excluding the captain himself.¡±


    Taddick was responsible for the general combat groups?


    ¡°Does instructing us also fall into that kind of work?¡± I asked Merim.


    ¡°Ahh, no, that¡¯s a bit of a special case. Instruction is actually my work. Or, was my work before I became the vice-captain.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You are an instructor?¡±


    ¡°Sure am. I actually went to an army school for a while¡ªnot the one in Lafria, mind you¡ªand earned my qualifications there. The captain approved of my work later and well¡­ Here I am now¡­¡±


    That was quite surprising to hear¡­


    ¡°Now I am mostly overseeing others. Since we are lacking in instructors I am still doing that as well, though. Anyway, each of us usually has a few subordinates who work as our assistants. If we also go by technicality, Mrs Korwen also holds that officer rank, you know?¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes, seriously. We are a mercenary group and for formalities sake and all that¡­ She is the one responsible for the families. Outside of our work, you could even say she¡¯s the one who holds the most authority here. So, make sure you don¡¯t get on her bad side. Although, I don¡¯t think I need to worry about that happening.¡±


    The more you knew.


    ¡°After that, the squad leaders report to us or our assistants. And last but not least, the regular mercenaries are under the squad leaders. This also includes the recruits, by the way. Actual combat experience is important so if we have the chance, we try to have them join early. Even today, most of the young ones are going to join.¡±


    Merim paused for a moment before he continued.


    ¡°The exception to the whole hierarchy are the magicians. They report directly to the captain and me, with Ria at the top among them. So far that was never an issue but¡­¡±


    His gaze suddenly landed on us and he frowned.


    ¡°Lily is the type that fights directly. And Karen will clearly end up similarly. Although, I do hope you don¡¯t copy her battle maniac personality.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°That would be great. One of those types is more than enough, really. And then we got Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°After I heard from the captain what happened in the forest, I honestly know even less where to place you. Right now, you are utterly useless in direct combat and¡­ I don¡¯t feel like that is going to change.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, yes, I already knew that too¡­


    ¡°To add on that, you aren¡¯t like Ria and the others where you lock yourself into your room for days to come up with some weird magic stuff. Well, I think you¡¯re better off like this. I never know what Ria is thinking but at least I understand your priorities pretty well¡­¡±


    ¡°... I feel like that wasn¡¯t a compliment.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha, it was, though! No, really, I meant it. I have an easier time understanding someone who is acting for their loved ones over someone whose only interest is some research that would cause smoke to come out of my ears.¡±


    Yeah¡­ That¡­ Okay, that was pretty reasonable¡­ I¡¯d have an easier time with the former as well.


    ¡°So, to sum it up, all three of you have some peculiarities that make it a little hard to place you. Lily is clearly someone who needs to work in the field and Karen would eventually join her. But then, what? Placing them into a regular squad is¡­ not going to work. We focus on group combat and not an individual¡¯s strength. However, forcing you to give up on your strengths would be a waste. There would¡¯ve been no point in having you girls join us then. So, the solution to this dilemma is this¡­¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The idea is to form a new squad with you girls. For jobs like this, we can have you work in the back. As long as you show your face, say some nice words and hold the banner up high, that¡¯s already more than enough. Eventually, there might be more things to do but that¡¯s something we can discuss in the future. For other kinds of jobs, we¡¯ll have to decide based on your suitability with it. We¡¯ll likely handle you similar to Fenna¡¯s squad in that regard. A smaller one.¡±


    They put quite a bit of thought into this, didn¡¯t they? I¡­ Honestly, it was quite surprising. I hadn¡¯t thought about it that much at all¡­


    ¡°Well, when all¡¯s said and done, most of these things are still in planning. We won¡¯t know what the future will bring, after all. But I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll find yourself with quite a variety of work. As for your position among us¡­ Yumi would be the formal leader of your squad. And among our hierarchy, it would be among the officer positions. I¡¯d like to say that your responsibilities will be less compared to the others but¡­¡±


    ¡°... But?¡±


    ¡°Well, you already got yourself into the secretary position and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever get out of that either. Lucky me since it means I won¡¯t have to do it.¡±


    ¡°... The captain said if I can beat you he¡¯ll let me go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I said you won¡¯t get out of that. You won¡¯t beat me in this lifetime anyway.¡±


    Woah, he sure was confident, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°As for you, Karen, and Lily¡­ Well, Yumi would be your superior, formally. I don¡¯t think that will be an issue for you girls, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ I just wanted some clarification, so that helps a lot already.¡±


    ¡°Well, to be honest, this isn¡¯t quite the right time for that but¡­ I guess I can see where you are coming from. There are many other things we¡¯ll have to discuss as well after this job is over. But since we¡¯re at it, there¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like to add.¡±


    Merim¡¯s eyes narrowed suddenly when he finished the sentence.


    ¡°The three of you are directly under the captain and me. You don¡¯t take orders from anyone else unless we have permitted them to do so. In general, most of our men are pretty amiable so I doubt it will become a frequent issue. Some of the younger ones might still try to do something, though. The responsibilities you have aren¡¯t small but with it also comes a little bit of authority. Yumi, your authority will only extend to Karen and Lily under normal circumstances. But in the case that someone was to try something that could harm either of you or the band as a whole, you have the right to do something about it. Including self-defence or even punishment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°It sounds heavy, I know. But that¡¯s the kind of world you stumbled into, you know? With that said, this isn¡¯t something that will come up anytime soon, I think. But it¡¯s something that had to be said.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I accepted a lot more responsibility than I thought¡­ A lot more.


    ¡°To be honest, not much will change in that regard, so don¡¯t worry about it. But if the need should ever arise, keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Great. Oh, and of course, I don¡¯t need to remind you that abusing it will put you into a bad spot very quickly, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mh. Good. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need to worry about that with you but, you know, formality.¡±


    He really liked the word formality today, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°So yeah, to sum it up: Nothing much will change for you girls. At least, not yet. Did that answer your question, Karen?¡±


    ¡°It did, and much more. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    With a small chuckle, he smiled at the two of us.


    ¡°Reminds me a little of the time I got my instructor position, so I certainly understand you are worried about it. But trust me, there¡¯s not much to worry about.¡±


    ¡°... Understood, Mr Vice-captain.¡±


    ¡°Still so serious, aren¡¯t you? Well, that¡¯s good by itself.¡±


    Merim turned his gaze back to the busy mercenaries that he had been watching before.


    ¡°It should be about time for us to get going as well. Ahh¡­ Right...I heard the elves officially joined us as well?¡±


    ¡°Nn, the Elder talked with the captain about it yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I see. Honestly, that one surprised me way more than you girls did. Who¡¯d ever think that elves would join up with a band of mercenaries... Anyway, we¡¯ll have to move out soon. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    And where to? He hadn¡¯t said anything. Actually, I had no idea what was going to happen now¡­


    ¡°Merim, what is the plan¡­ Uhm, the schedule for today?¡±


    ¡°You mean, how things will go down?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll pick up the Elder and your banner. Then, the captain will give a departure speech and we¡¯ll move out. Not much more to do until we arrive near the village.¡±


    ¡°And then?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ will depend a little on what we will find.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What we will find?


    ¡°The worshippers are¡­ not quite subtle in their methods. We will likely camp near the village and scout it out first. They could hold some villagers as hostages. In that case, we will have to determine whether it is possible to rescue them or not.¡±


    ¡°... And if not?¡±


    ¡°... Then there¡¯s little choice but to ignore them. Our job is to eradicate the worshippers and not save the survivors. It sounds cruel but we have priorities. And hostages that are unrelated to us rank pretty low on that list.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, if we can save them without endangering us more than necessary, we will do it, of course.¡±


    That was a relief, even if only a small one.


    ¡°However, the chance that there are hostages is¡­ quite low.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°As I said, they are not quite subtle¡­ If anything, it is more likely the entire village was already killed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Killed, huh¡­


    ¡°But yeah, we¡¯ll see at the time. After that, it will mostly depend on the captain¡¯s orders so I can¡¯t tell you what we will do then either.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I understand¡­¡±


    But that was already quite a bit more that I knew now.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Merim?¡±


    ¡°Hee, I have a nice idea.¡±


    An¡­ idea?


    ¡°Well, we need you to get used to your new work, right? And I think I know something you can do.¡±


    ¡°Something¡­ that I can do?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not much.¡±


    He smiled as if he had just thought of the best idea ever¡­ Well, not that much, but he still seemed pleased with himself.


    I hope it¡¯s not something problematic¡­


    After talking a little more with Merim, we fetched the banner and went to the meeting point. We didn¡¯t know where the Elder was so Merim sent someone to fetch her and bring her over.


    Right now, however, dozens of mercenaries were lined up right in front of me. No, not just dozens¡­ A total of nearly two hundred mercenaries. A small podium was erected next to me with the captain standing on top of it.


    Two hundred mercenaries¡­


    That was quite a large number¡­ Although, only around half of them would apparently be the actual fighting force, from what I was told, and everyone else was backup. The king and Commander Ruben delivered small magic tools to protect against simple charm magic and other magic that could influence a person, but the supply was still limited.


    ¡°Yumi, you ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Just wait for my sign, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I steadied myself and the banner that I was holding. With my back straight, I tried my best to keep a proper posture. Merim showed me earlier how to do it but since it was on such short notice, I obviously had no practice with it. Still, he said it was fine like this for now.


    Makes me wonder how I look to others, though¡­ Oh, those men over there, aren¡¯t they the first group we encountered in the forest yesterday¡­ And those men over there look familiar too¡­ Oh, we played games with them after the battle with the trees¡­ Are their injuries already healed?


    It was quite a sight to see all those mercenaries lined up in front of us. And the more I looked around, the more I saw some familiar faces here and there. And although there was nobody I was really close with, I was still a little surprised how many of them were familiar faces to me already.


    Nn¡­ But Fenna and her squad really aren¡¯t here. Well, they did say that they would stay behind to protect El and Nel. Together with Lily.


    I had the subtle feeling Lily would¡¯ve loved to join us, though. Not much I could do about. El and Nel barely knew anyone apart from us and Lily was by far the strongest among us. She was pretty much the only choice there was as a guard.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Now¡¯s as good a time as any. Yumi, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Finally¡­ It was now my turn¡­ I gathered a little mana around my throat and took a deep breath.


    You can do this. You can do this!


    I exhaled to calm myself¡­ Then, I faced forward, taking another deep breath and opening my mouth.


    ¡°Attention, men! The captain will speak now!¡±


    I shouted with all my might. In an instant, the rowdy mercenaries fell silent, directing their eyes towards Korwen. I didn¡¯t know how effective the Charm magic was for something like this but it seemed to work out fine. Everyone was paying attention to Korwen.


    And with that, my job was already over here. This was all I had to do. Now, it was Korwen¡¯s turn.


    ¡°We will now depart towards a village north of here! The worshippers have likely taken over the village. We will set up camp around half an hour away from the village and from there conduct our operation. This means we will scout the village and, if the situation permits, engage them in combat.¡±


    In other words, today was going to be really busy.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much else to discuss at this point apart from that. Keep in mind to be alert at all times! Don¡¯t forget your training and this will be a simple job!¡±


    A simple job, he said¡­


    ¡°Now, for this job, we have been supplied with magic tools by the Lafrian army. I will now explain how to use this tool.¡±


    From the corner of my eyes, I could see Korwen moving, most likely showing them the magic tool. I barely managed to hold back turning around and taking a look. Merim stressed that it was important to face forwards the entire time. Easier said than done when your curiosity was at work¡­


    ¡°These tools are in the form of bracelets. Wear them on your left arm, supply them with magic like you would with other tools and elemental stones. When it activates, you will feel it warm up. At that point, the tool will be active for several hours.¡±


    Several hours¡­ If they activated it now, it might not last until we arrived at the village, huh¡­


    ¡°The worshippers have magicians among them that are capable of simple mind manipulation. If these tools are not active, you will be susceptible to their magic. Those of you who have not received a tool are not to engage the worshippers directly until the magicians have been eliminated. Did I make myself clear?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Mm. Do not forget to wear the tool. And don''t forget how to activate it either. We do not know what awaits us. The job might end today or in a week. Be ready for anything!¡±


    A week was¡­ probably not going to happen, right? Right?


    ¡°That¡¯s all. We will depart shortly. This is your last chance to check your gear. Make it quick and get ready! Dismissed!¡±


    Korwen turned around and jumped off the podium, disappearing from my sight. The mercenaries in front of me did their last-minute checks on their gear now. As for me¡­ Well, I was told to keep this position until told otherwise, so¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, Captain?¡±


    Thankfully, it seemed that I didn¡¯t need to wait long.


    ¡°That was pretty good for the first time. You did well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Hand the banner to Karen and come with me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±


    He faced away from me and left already, being replaced by Karen almost immediately.


    ¡°Good job, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you. And here you go.¡±


    I stepped a little to the side so that Karen could retrieve the banner. It was still too heavy for me so Karen would be carrying it whenever it wasn¡¯t needed. It probably was nothing compared to that super-heavy hauberk but¡­ I really wanted to know now how much Karen could actually lift¡­


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks. I¡¯ll go to the captain then.¡±


    ¡°Take care. Oh and, the Elder has come.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Where was she?¡±


    ¡°Seems she fell asleep after she got her equipment and was outside the camp.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Heck, glad she was fine.


    ¡°Mr Vice-captain already scolded her for it. Though, she seemed rather happy about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    That one was also quite the oddball.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll wait with the Elder for you.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll come when I¡¯m done.¡±


    We parted ways and I made my way towards Korwen. The departure was imminent so I was wondering a little what he wanted to talk about. Well, I¡¯d see it soon.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Marching

    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi. Come here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen was standing to the side and watching the mercenaries doing their last-minute checkups. He beckoned me over, so I joined him to watch the spectacle in front of us.


    ¡°And? How was your first experience standing there? In front of the men?¡±


    ¡°Er, kind of¡­ nerve-racking. Standing in front of all of them.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Well, you¡¯ll get used to it in no time!¡±


    Would I? Maybe. If I did it often enough, I¡¯d probably get used to it¡­ But until then. It¡¯d definitely be a strain on my nerves¡­


    ¡°Once more, for the first time you did quite well I¡¯d say. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Thank you.¡±


    Even though I only had to say a single sentence¡­


    ¡°Mhm, I admit I was a little worried whether it would work on such short notice when Merim suggested it but there were no problems at all. In fact, I have the feeling that they were paying better attention than usual.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Well, that was my impression at least. But you used your Charm magic as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I did. But I have no idea how effective it was...¡±


    There were so many mercenaries after all that I had no way to measure how much it affected them¡­ Or whether it even affected them at all. It could have been possible that the magic was way too weak to make a difference. If I were to be honest that felt more likely to be the case, even¡­


    ¡°At the very least, it didn¡¯t make things worse so for now there¡¯s no reason to hold back on it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That was also one way to look at it.


    ¡°So, Captain, did you just want to ask about that?¡±


    ¡°... Of course not. There¡¯s something I am a little concerned about.¡±


    ¡°Concerned?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll be frank. Do you think it is possible for you to remove the effect of someone else¡¯s Charm magic?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Someone else¡¯s¡­ Charm magic?


    ¡°Are you talking about Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know. But don¡¯t we have those magic tools to protect us?¡±


    ¡°... There simply aren¡¯t enough.¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ enough?¡±


    I turned to Korwen, surprised at his words.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have enough to outfit half the men coming with us. Ruben gave us all the ones they could scrounge up and they even requested the ones the Academy had in store. But even then we come just a little short of a hundred.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I heard about that.¡±


    They told me that only around half the mercenaries would be able to fight directly.


    ¡°According to what they told us, there will be at least fifty worshippers and three magicians, including Yumelia herself¡ªassuming she is that troublesome magician they spoke of. To add on that, they also have an unknown number of monsters under their command.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°One hundred men are simply not enough to take care of that in a frontal assault.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you want to know if it would be possible for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But if you don¡¯t know, there¡¯s nothing to do about it. We¡¯ll have to forego the frontal assault and think of something else then.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    A frontal assault would have likely been the fastest way of resolving this job¡­ With that out of the picture¡­


    ¡°... It might take longer than a day.¡±


    ¡°That it will. In the worst case, we¡¯ll have to wear them down over several days.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Over several days, he said. The whole thing might take longer than I had expected¡­ Then again, hoping it would be finished today was¡­ Wait.


    ¡°Nn? Captain, but¡­ didn¡¯t they say that right now was the only chance because part of the army was away? If we take several days¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quick on the uptake today, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s right. The longer we take, the worse our position is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°In the worst case, we could get assaulted from behind.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that¡­ really bad?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing. It can go the other way as well.¡±


    ¡°The other way?¡±


    ¡°When Ruben and the army dealt with the issues inside the capital city, they could send reinforcements.¡±


    ¡°...Will they?¡±


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t.¡±


    The heck were you telling me then?!


    ¡°Now, now, please don¡¯t glare at me like that, okay? That was a joke, a joke I say.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Really. Haa¡­ Or at least, half of it was a joke. They might send them. I wouldn¡¯t bet on it, though. On the other hand, the chances that we get attacked by the other army from behind are slim as well. They shouldn¡¯t know we are that close, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That all sounded¡­ a little¡­ unsafe.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not too rare in our line of work. There¡¯s rarely a time we can say that things will go as expected. There¡¯s also a very real chance¡­ that the army sent to subjugate the roper fails.¡±


    ¡°That they fail?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Think about it. You have seen it yourself, haven¡¯t you? A monster that size is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that maybe why they spoke of the possibility that we¡¯d¡­ encounter it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think Ruben and Will both don¡¯t believe they will succeed in subjugating it. Judging from your and Fenna¡¯s report, I agree with that sentiment.¡±


    That severely diminished the chances we¡¯d encounter the army, sure, but on the other hand¡­


    ¡°We might encounter that roper again.¡±


    ¡°Chances are pretty high, yes.¡±


    That huge thing¡­ was going to appear again?


    ¡°... Is that something we can even fight?¡±


    ¡°Not if we are busy with the worshippers as well, at least. But if we can concentrate all our fighting forces on it I¡¯d say we stand a very good chance.¡±


    ¡°But then¡­¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    It was up to chance, to say it frankly. And in that case, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t be worried, right?


    ¡°Understandable. If you only look at the problems, there are plenty of them. That¡¯s what happens when people get involved. But it¡¯s not like there are no solutions, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Solutions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are plenty of options we have to deal with this situation. We could¡­ Mhm¡­ You know what, how about you think about it yourself for a little.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to do while we march to the village so let¡¯s say that¡¯ll be your assignment until then.¡±


    He wanted me to think about it?


    ¡°Speaking of which. If you have the option between a carriage or walking¡­¡±


    ¡°Carriage.¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡±


    Korwen grinned when I replied nearly instantly. Seriously, who would willingly walk the entire way? Surely not me. Especially not when I had a different option available.


    ¡°Good, good. Then come. The men should be done with their last check so we¡¯ll have to get a move on.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Around an hour later I was on a carriage, together with Karen and the Elder. I was a little surprised that it was only us but¡­ There was a very good reason. An unfortunate but good reason.


    ¡°Hey¡­ Can I sit down?¡±


    ¡°The captain said no so no.¡±


    ¡°... Please? My legs are killing me.¡±


    I was on the carriage, sure. But I wasn¡¯t sitting down. I was standing. I was standing and holding the banner.


    ¡°Not only yours.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ If I had known this, I wouldn¡¯t have said the carriage¡­¡±


    Walking was preferable over this any time. The quite rough ride was doing a number on me. All that shaking¡­


    ¡°Then you would have needed to carry the banner, though.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe the carriage was better after all.¡±


    Carrying the banner wasn¡¯t just pure torture, it was probably impossible for me with my current strength and stamina.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    I looked up at the banner, watching the mercenary flag flutter in the wind. Honestly, from down here, it didn¡¯t feel all that impressive. Although, Korwen and Merim had tried to reassure me that it looked pretty good from a distance.


    ¡°I want to sit¡­¡±


    ¡°The more you complain the worse you will think it is.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°You just need to hold out for a little more. We were going to take a break soon, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope...¡±


    A break I desperately needed.


    I directed my gaze back to the front. There was only one other carriage in front of us, namely the one with Korwen and Merim. I was a little surprised we even had carriages like these but it seemed they were used for marching like this.


    A little like the general on a horse¡­


    You couldn¡¯t exactly ride a warox all that well, so these were probably the only other option they had. People needed to see their general¡­ er, their captain.


    And unfortunately, since I was supposed to be the ¡®face¡¯ of the band in the future¡­ Yeah, I had to suffer the same fate. I could only be thankful that they told me not to mind my posture all too much for now. As long as I wasn¡¯t slouching, of course.


    I fear I¡¯ll have to stand completely still in the future¡­ I¡¯m definitely not looking forward to that¡­


    At least, this time I still had some leeway. With that said, I was trying to keep my posture as straight as possible. It was the job I accepted so I better had to do it as well as I could¡­ Excluding my complaining, of course. But once in a while you just had to vent to someone¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I wonder how far we are already.¡±


    ¡°Around¡­ a fourth, I think?¡±


    ¡°A fourth¡­ That¡¯s pretty slow, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°We are moving quite a bit slower than last time, Yumi. We have to move at a speed where everyone can keep up, after all.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it me who was the most likely to lag behind, though? And we moved faster last time. Ah, but they also needed to conserve their stamina so maybe that was a reason as well.


    ¡°And the slower we move the longer I have to keep this up¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one suffering, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen and the Elder were both standing as well, a little behind me. Karen didn¡¯t seem like she had any problems at all with this. As for the Elder¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... I am fine. I am fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Clad in brown and green armour, the Elder had it just as bad. Maybe even worse than me, despite not needing to hold the banner. On the other hand, the banner was a nice support for me. Sweat was running down her forehead, a sign of her exhaustion.


    Her armour suited her quite well, even though it was entirely made of wood. Not that you would notice if you didn¡¯t know in advance. Her torso as well as her arms and legs were covered in thin sheets of armour. On her head, she wore a circlet made of leaves with a few leaves standing up on the right.


    But on the downside, it apparently wasn¡¯t all that comfortable. And since she had to stand next to me as well, she couldn¡¯t take a rest. Although, we did tell her that she could take a break. Honestly, it was mostly me who was necessary for this and Karen and the Elder were more like extras. Bonus eye candy. Nonetheless, she was quite vehement in staying next to us.


    ¡°If I had known about this¡­ I would have prioritised comfort¡­ It feels like the suns above want me grilled...¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I directed my gaze back upwards, but this time not at the banner, instead it was directed at the sky. It wasn¡¯t like the twin suns were shining down on us, though. That¡¯d be tomorrow. The last day of the month, if I understood the calendar correctly.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What about the stuff the captain wanted you to figure out? Did you think about that already?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That¡­¡±


    The stuff about how to deal with this overall situation, huh¡­


    ¡°I did think about it a little, yes¡­ Hey, Sis, do you have any idea?¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    He never said I couldn¡¯t ask others for their opinion after all.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about this stuff either¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Letting out a small sigh, I threw a glance at Karen only to see her frowning a little.


    ¡°Did you have any ideas, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, I do but¡­ I don¡¯t know how effective they are, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Oh? What kind of ideas were they?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, the biggest issue is the fact that Yumelia might influence the mercenaries that aren¡¯t protected, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so, yes.¡±


    Karen nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Well, in that case, what if we fight Yumelia away from the other worshippers? In that case, there shouldn¡¯t be a worry about her Charm. But, I have no idea how we¡¯d even lure her away.¡±


    ¡°Ahh... That could work, I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    But if we couldn¡¯t lure her away, there simply was no point to it. On the other hand, if we could do it¡­


    ¡°I mean¡­ It would probably work if she was after me¡­¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t allow that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Figured.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t too keen on putting myself in danger either. But, it was an option.


    ¡°Mr Korwen will likely not allow that either, Yumi,¡± added the Elder.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°You have taken an important position. One that cannot be filled easily. You are part of the future this man envisions. An irreplaceable part, even.¡±


    ¡°... I feel that¡¯s exaggerating it a little.¡±


    Knowing at least a part of his future plans, it was easy to believe that I was important to them. But irreplaceable?


    ¡°Hehehe, if you want to believe that, I will not stop you. But regardless of whether that be the case or not, I am certain you know other options, do you not? Many approaches can yield the desired result.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    She was right, I did think of other options¡­ But they were a lot less¡­ Honestly, I was a little worried that I even managed to think of them in the first place¡­


    ¡°There are other ways as well?¡± asked Karen the Elder.


    ¡°Indeed. Countless ways, one might even say. But first, let¡¯s listen to what Yumi has to say. I am a little curious about what her mind has thought of.¡±


    Putting the pressure on me, was she?


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­¡±


    I stammered, a little unwilling to tell them. But¡­ I knew they wouldn¡¯t let me go until I told them¡­ So, better get it over with.


    ¡°I thought of¡­ a few less direct, er, ways¡­ Like¡­ If we can¡¯t attack from the front¡­ We could, like¡­ poison them¡­¡±


    ¡°Poison¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Even I knew a little bit about history in my old world. It was spotty, sure, but I still remembered some stuff.


    ¡°Mhm, poison, you say,¡± murmured the Elder.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, what kind of poison? And how do you distribute it? What about possible survivors among the villagers?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    That was¡­ a good question. Poison was indiscriminate. Any survivors among the villagers might fall victim to it as well¡­


    ¡°I am not saying it is a bad idea. But remember, poison is dangerous and poison does not distinguish between friend or foe. There is also the aftermath. Imagine you poison a well. The village, nay, the entire surroundings might turn contaminated. The river is not too far from here. In the worst case, you might poison even the river. The victims would be countless.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was¡­ a little shocked. I admitted I didn¡¯t think that far ahead. Not at all. If we had gone with that suggestion¡­


    ¡°There are types of poison that might work. Many plants and animals are poisonous to he humanoids. Some can kill, others paralyse, and a few upset the stomach at most. Some poisons stay for long, others decay within the hour. Those that show an effect when eaten and those that only show an effect when wounded with them. You need someone who knows well what they are doing. Lest you severely regret it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, ultimately, the worshippers have monsters under their thrall, do they not? Few poisons would ever affect a monster.¡±


    In other words¡­ It wasn¡¯t feasible¡­ That¡¯s what she probably wanted to tell me.


    ¡°Still, when Mr Korwen asks, you should still suggest it to him.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But¡­¡±


    ¡°He surely considered the topic as well. I might have told you all the problems it has but I never said it was impossible. A well-chosen poison can save your lives.¡±


    Then, it wasn¡¯t entirely...unfeasible?


    ¡°Yumi, was that the only other thing you have thought of?¡± the Elder asked.


    ¡°Nn? There was one other thing but¡­¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and tell us.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, maybe ambushing them at night when they sleep. But they¡¯ll have guards, right? So...¡±


    When the guards found as and ringed the alarm, then the advantage was gone again.


    ¡°A night assault, you say. Certainly, it might work. As for guards¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be so sure.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why not?¡±


    ¡°The worshippers are, for better or worse, not trained soldiers. They are amateurs in the ways of combat. Even if they have guards, would they be capable of sounding an alarm? Do they even have an alarm? The village is not their home, it is but a temporary lodge.¡±


    So, they might not be prepared for such an attack? That would be convenient¡­


    ¡°The monsters might be awake, however. But even if they would wake the fanatics, it is the night. They will be sluggish and slow to react. Tired. It will, without a doubt, give an advantage.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So a night ambush is actually a pretty good idea?¡±


    ¡°It is. I would be scarcely surprised if they are planning for this already. They likely plan to reconnoitre with an ambush in mind.¡±


    A night ambush, huh¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, won¡¯t we be tired as well at night?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Right. Just as Karen said, we had to stay awake as well until then¡­


    ¡°I recall Mr Korwen saying that we will camp some distance from the village, has he not? Resting and sleeping in preparation is possible then.¡±


    ¡°But, won¡¯t the sun still be up?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°What, have you never slept during the day?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I have done that often¡­¡±


    Sleeping during the day, huh¡­


    ¡°Is that the case? Mhm¡­ Still, just try to rest as best as you can then. Even if you do not sleep, your body can still rest a little if you lay down.¡±


    ¡°I will try¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well. Alas, we talk as if it is set in stone but we are merely talking in assumptions. Mr Korwen might have something entirely different planned. I am not as well-versed in the ways of the mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°From my perspective, you already know a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She clearly had experience with these situations. It was noticeable, to say the least.


    ¡°... One picks up a few things with age. And lest you forget, I had the¡­ unfortunate experience of seeing war myself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡±


    She did mention that once before¡­ But she stopped before she told us anything.


    ¡°But forget my own past. We were discussing Yumi¡¯s task. Were those three the only solutions you thought of?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I couldn¡¯t think of anything else.¡±


    ¡°That so?¡±


    I threw a glance over my shoulder to the Elder. She grinned a little at me.


    ¡°Do you know of any others?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°I sure can think of some more. But it would defeat the purpose of Mr Korwen¡¯s task if I were to tell you, would it not?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    That was¡­ right¡­ He did tell me to think about it for myself¡­ But there were still other ways?


    ¡°Hehehe, you have time to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s a little hard with my legs hurting like this, though¡­¡±


    ¡°... I have just managed to forget about it. Why did you have to remind me about it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    No, how did she even manage to forget about it? Wait, I didn¡¯t notice earlier but she looked rather pale, too¡­


    ¡°I hope the break is soon.¡±


    ¡°So do I. So do I...¡±


    A while later, we finally stopped to take a break and a rest. The Elder instantly collapsed to the ground, sitting on her behind and stretching her legs. All the while she got rid of the armour covering her, revealing her sweat-soaked clothes beneath.


    After I put down the banner, I sat down next to her, stretching out my legs as well. Finally, they could rest, these jelly legs of mine.


    ¡°Yumi, Miss Elder, do you want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°It would be¡­ much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°... Here you go.¡±


    Karen handed a waterskin to each of us so we could rehydrate. I removed the stopper and greedily gulped its contents down.


    ¡°Ahhh! Finally¡­¡±


    Felt like heaven, without a doubt. Even without sweating, the water was a welcome boon.


    ¡°Good work, you two.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen sat down next to me and watched our surroundings. Korwen and the others that were in front of us already stepped down and were back at work, giving orders. I had no idea what orders, they were too far for me to hear them.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ And we¡¯re only halfway¡­¡±


    ¡°At least we can rest when we arrive.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I moved a little closer to Karen and leaned on her shoulder.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    She wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me closer.


    ¡°Bliss¡­ If only my legs wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Need a massage?¡±


    ¡°A massage¡­¡±


    That was a rather tempting offer¡­ But, to be honest, I just wanted to lean on her right now and not move at all.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine like this.¡±


    ¡°I see... If you want one, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    A massage, huh. Maybe she¡¯d do it at some other time as well? That would be¡­ nice.


    ¡°... Watching you two, I feel like honey is coming out of my eyes,¡± commented the Elder who was watching us.


    But why honey?


    Honey¡­ Honey was¡­ quite sweet¡­ Usually. Oh.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°... You must be the first person to thank someone for such a comment.¡±


    ¡°That just means Sis and I get along, right?¡±


    ¡°... Awfully optimistic.¡±


    The Elder let out a sigh and then stood up, stretching her legs.


    ¡°I shall take a small walk. I am tired for sure but I need to stretch them a little. I do not desire for them to stiffen up and make matters worse. I will come back later.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    ¡°Until then.¡±


    She climbed down from the carriage, leaving Karen and me alone again.


    ¡°There she goes¡­ Want to take a walk too, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I just want to sit here like this.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I closed my eyes and leaned onto Karen a little more. It was astonishing how tiring it could be to simply stand. Alas, the shaking and the constant need to balance yourself did quite a number on the legs¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you really want to do this?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s quite random.¡±


    After all, we discussed this yesterday already.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ When you talked with the Elder about how to fight the worshippers¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I felt worried¡­ Especially when you mentioned being the bait¡­ I mean, that woman¡­ She still is after you, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably, yes.¡±


    ¡°... I just hope nothing is going to happen.¡±


    So did I.


    But that was her worry¡­


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, sis. And this time, I have you with me, don¡¯t I? And the Elder is there as well. The captain and everyone else too.¡±


    ¡°But she tricked us already once¡­ What if they are expecting us already?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Not an impossibility. It was definitely possible. But...


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    I looked up at her face, a little surprised to see her frowning.


    ¡°Sis, you are ruining your cute face with that frown.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Her eyes turned wide at the unexpected comment. At least the frown was gone now. A lot better already.


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Will you stay by my side?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    What a quick reply...


    ¡°Then, isn¡¯t it fine? In the worst case, we can just run to safety. In the first place, the captain said we¡¯d be in the back, right? That¡¯s, like, the safest place, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°Just think of it, she¡¯d have to go through the captain, Merim, Ria and the other magicians and all those mercenaries to reach me. And even if she did, she¡¯d still have to go through you. After all, I won¡¯t leave your side either.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯ll be fine, okay?¡±


    I reached up with my hand and patted her head to reassure her. Usually, it was me getting my head patted¡­


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why are you apologising?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a stupid worry but¡­ I just can¡¯t help it¡­ When I heard that earlier¡­ and then I kept thinking about it...¡±


    Ah, so that was it¡­ The spiral of worry, where once you started you kept going down with even more worry¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Rather, thank you for worrying about me, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    A slight smile reappeared on her lips, giving me some relief.


    ¡°See, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. And if not, then we¡¯ll just have to make it fine!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not really reassuring, coming from you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rude.


    Sure, it probably wasn¡¯t, but one wasn¡¯t supposed to point that out. I was trying to cheer her up after all...


    ¡°Thank you, Yumi. I already feel better.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s fine then.¡±


    ¡°... You are right. There are a lot of amazing people around us. Especially Ria and the magicians...¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We only saw Ria using magic a single time and it was¡­ outright devastating. If she did that again¡­


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I think I know another way of dealing with the worshippers.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ think about it¡­ if Ria can use that kind of magic¡­¡±


    Even if she couldn¡¯t wipe out all the enemies, not many would be left over after such an attack¡­


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That could work¡­ But if we go with that¡­ couldn¡¯t your mana crystals work as well? The¡­ mana grenades?¡±


    ¡°... They could, maybe. But I can¡¯t throw them far.¡±


    They definitely were a very effective means of self-defence, however.


    ¡°I could probably throw them far enough to hit Yumelia, though.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯ve become quite brutal. I thought that earlier already when you mentioned poison.¡±


    ¡°... I have no idea what you could mean.¡±


    And Yumelia kind of deserved it¡­ She caused us a lot of trouble.


    ¡°... At this rate¡­ you soon won¡¯t even need me anymore at your side¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis, what the hell are you talking about? Of course, I need you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ You can now defend yourself already¡­¡±


    ¡°Implying I can even throw them reliably. At worst, I might blow myself up as well¡­¡±


    The heck was this girl going on about now? Just when I thought her worries were gone, she started with this.


    ¡°But¡­ it¡¯s only a matter of ti¡ª Mguh?!¡±


    Without mercy, I squished her cheeks before she could continue her nonsense.


    ¡°Sis, please snap out of it. There¡¯ll never be a time where I won¡¯t need you at my side, okay? Never.¡±


    After I let go of her cheeks, her eyes were downcast, averted from me.


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Are your nerves getting to you?¡±


    ¡°... Probably.¡±


    ¡°... Sis, come here.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I pulled her upper body towards me and forced her head onto my lap. With one hand, I took hold of her arm and with the other, I gently patted her head. I didn¡¯t say a word, only continuing to stroke her hair.


    After several minutes, Karen finally opened her mouth again.


    ¡°... It¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear an apology.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Better.¡±


    Her chest was heaving up and down in rhythm with her breathing.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°... Isn¡¯t this where you deny it?¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I giggled when her face contorted in discontent.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m not any better, after all. To be honest, I also worry about this¡­ But I have you by my side, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... You really know how to sweet-talk me. You¡¯re so sly.¡±


    ¡°... Am I that sly?¡±


    She told me that a few times before already¡­ Was I¡­ really that bad?


    Karen chuckled at me, apparently thinking it was amusing.


    ¡°You are. And I¡¯m stupid for feeling happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re both stupid then.¡±


    ¡°We are¡­ Haaa¡­ Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you are welcome.¡±


    If she felt better, then it was worth the trouble, after all. Or rather, it didn¡¯t even feel troublesome to me. Although I had to admit, I was a little angry when she said I wouldn¡¯t need her at my side anymore. No way that was going to happen, ever.


    Without a doubt, I¡¯d break down if she wasn¡¯t with me.


    I continued to stroke her soft hair and let her enjoy my lap, glad that we sorted that out. Plus, I was certainly no stranger to this kind of feeling. Especially now¡­ I was worried just as much. But I had to see my decision through. And I needed Karen at my side for that.


    ¡°I love you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... I love you, too.¡±


    Unbeknownst to us, we had already become a bit of a spectacle to the surrounding mercenaries with our little spat and the following flirting. No need to mention how they teased us when we noticed¡­


    But no matter how embarrassing it was, I wouldn¡¯t want to forget it.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Near the Village

    ¡°We¡¯ve finally arrived!¡±


    The carriage stopped next to the field and our driver hopped off to take care of the warox.


    ¡°It¡¯s already late again¡­ This took quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But now we¡¯re finally here.¡±


    Just like Karen said, noon had passed quite a while ago already and the sun was already hanging a little lower in the sky. It wasn¡¯t like it was going to be dark in an hour or so, but most of the day had passed by now.


    ¡°But, I wonder if it is okay to camp here¡­¡±


    I surveyed our surroundings with worry. The village we were aiming for wasn¡¯t yet in sight, likely hidden behind some hills and trees. But considering that we were camping near the fields of the village, it couldn¡¯t be far anymore.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine¡­ I mean, that village probably has completely different problems right now.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    It¡¯d be quite funny if a villager came up to complain to us about it. What, with their village being occupied by fanatics.


    ¡°More importantly, should we go to Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    After I set down the banner, the two of us hopped down from the carriage, thanked the driver for his work and walked up to the only other carriage. Korwen and Merim were already busy giving out orders again. Keeping a bit of distance, we waited for the two to finish.


    ¡°... teams to the village. One to the west, one to the east and the last one from the south. Left, right, front. That clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good. Get going, we don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir!¡±


    The man Korwen was talking to saluted and promptly left in a hurry.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, Yumi, Karen. Had a comfortable ride?¡±


    ¡°... That a joke?¡±


    ¡°Half. Better get used to it because you will need to do that more often.¡±


    ¡°My legs will die.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t, that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    Korwen gave us a strained smile, clearly knowing the troubles we had to endure.


    ¡°How¡¯s the Elder? Is she feeling better now?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t checked up on her yet¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t even know which wagon she is resting in...¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you can do that later. Merim probably knows which wagon she is in. I doubt she collapsed again but come back and tell me if she feels better.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    He was worried as well, huh¡­ Well, I¡¯d worry as well when someone suddenly falls to the ground in front of you...


    But, hey, another person with no endurance. Rina and I won¡¯t be alone anymore!


    It was probably not exactly nice to say, but I did feel a little happy about it¡­ Of course, her collapsing wasn¡¯t anything to feel happy about and we sure could do without.


    ¡°So, Mr Captain¡­ What will happen now?¡±


    ¡°Not much. I¡¯ve sent some squads out to scout the village. Until then, we¡¯ll wait and rest. Not much else we can do anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But aren¡¯t we setting up camp?¡±


    That¡¯d require us to set up tents and all that as well, after all.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yes and no.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not setting up camp in the way you might think. We¡¯ll sleep in the wagons today. In case the situation changes, we need to be ready to move at any time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    No comfortable bed today¡­ Well, our wagon wasn¡¯t here so we¡¯d have no bed either way.


    ¡°Oh, right, before I forget...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You two, that forest over there. Is that the one you were in?¡±


    He pointed at the other side of the large field. Right behind it was the road to the village and then yet another field. And behind that started the forest¡­


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s the one. I think. Sis?¡±


    ¡°Should be the right one, yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thanks, you two.¡±


    Korwen suddenly turned away from us and called over another mercenary.


    ¡°Yes, captain?¡±


    ¡°Get together a squad and scout that forest over there. Look for anything that looks like the trails of a large monster or an army.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    With a salute, the man left.


    ¡°I think that is all we need to do for now. Time to take a break. You two should rest as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    We were already half turning around when I remembered something.


    ¡°Ah, captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Still have something?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about that assignment you gave me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He stared at me, blinking a few times.


    ¡°Remind me again, what assignment?¡±


    ¡°... You told me to think about what to do in situations like this.¡±


    ¡°Situations like this? Mh? Mh¡­ Ah! What we talked about this morning?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    He forgot. He completely forgot¡­


    ¡°Right, right. We can talk about that now if you want. A good way to kill time. But first, let¡¯s fetch some dinner.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s okay¡­¡±


    Fetching dinner? But someone had to make it first. Did they cook on the way?


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Dinner was served. A cold dinner. Bread and preserved meat.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Dinner. What, expected something warm?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°You think anyone here can cook?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At the very least, you should be able to warm up something. Or grill meat. That¡¯s not even that hard.


    ¡°A fire is no good anyway. It might give us away. So, cold dinner it is.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    A little sad, I bit into the bread. It was hard¡­ But better than nothing. Korwen sat down on the ground, leaning against the wagon behind him and started eating as well. We continued in silence until each of us had finished our food.


    ¡°Mh. Now then, let¡¯s listen to what you managed to think of, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°What, is there some problem?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Simply didn¡¯t know how to start with it. He just unceremoniously asked me the moment I finished my last piece of bread. He couldn¡¯t blame me for being a little stumped, okay?


    ¡°Then¡­ I had a few ideas so¡­¡±


    ¡°Just give me one after another and I¡¯ll give my opinion about it.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Okay. Then¡­¡±


    Which one should I start with? The one where I suggested being the bait? Though, we already kind of rejected that one already¡­ In that case, the idea with poison first. Having decided which one to go with first, I gave him a rundown of it, including what the Elder had told me about it.


    ¡°Poison¡­ Mhm¡­ The Elder is right about that. It¡¯s a difficult approach. The only person who even remotely knows anything about poisons among us is Ria. Well, maybe one or two others know a little from their hunting career but that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°So, we have nobody who could make that work¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it is. But by itself, it¡¯s not a bad idea.¡±


    That still didn¡¯t change that it wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°I admit I am, however, more than just a little surprised.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°That the first thing you¡¯d suggest would be something that savage.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    What else did he expect me to suggest then¡­


    ¡°Not many would even think about that. It¡¯s cruel but also extremely effective if done right. Maybe you¡¯re more suited to this than you think.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know how to feel about that.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Well, what else did you expect from such a suggestion?¡±


    Good point.


    ¡°But let¡¯s be serious. There are indeed times when a poison is used to¡­ great effectiveness. Poisoned weapons are especially dangerous. The problem is that you need people who know how to handle poison and, of course, a poison that works well enough.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°However, poison is almost exclusively used against humanoids. It has little effect on monsters. You can count the poisons that work on them on one hand. And we also have monsters to deal with this time.¡±


    But at least, with that approach, it would be only monsters that were left.


    ¡°Well then, from the way you spoke, you have more than just this, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The next one, huh¡­ The next one¡­ the night assault. Once again, I told him what I had thought of.


    ¡°Mh. That¡¯s a pretty good idea, overall.¡±


    He nodded in approvement of my idea.


    ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not unlikely that we will attack them tonight. Depending on the report of the scouting squads.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    How surprising¡­ I had thought of the right one? To be honest, that surprised me quite a bit.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to say about night assaults. The attacker pretty much always has the advantage. Even if they wake up from an alarm, they are not yet in position and they are tired. On the other hand, we could rest in advance and prepare. But it only gives an advantage, it doesn¡¯t mean you win because of it. They could set up traps and the like that are hard to see at night. It probably won¡¯t be relevant this time, but keep that in mind. When you attack a well-prepared force at night, the night assault can come biting back hard. Especially when they are fortified.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    Traps, huh¡­ Those were a thing as well¡­


    ¡°Now then, what else?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ The last one is¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can¡¯t say I really thought it out¡­ that one¡­¡±


    ¡°Just tell me anyway.¡±


    Well, if he wanted to hear it¡­


    ¡°The last one I thought of was, well¡­ overwhelming them with a single person¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Well, for example, if Ria were to cast that magic again. That could deal with quite a lot of them all at once.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Korwen didn¡¯t say anything, just sitting there and thinking. After a short while, he spoke again.


    ¡°That certainly is a possibility. Ria could probably burn down half the village on her own.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But you already know yourself that there are problems with that, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Ria can only do it once, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Well, if she were to miss¡­¡±


    We¡¯d be screwed.


    ¡°Using a single person¡¯s skills is certainly not a bad idea. Ria could certainly make it easy. And if Ria were to miss, Wenners and Krutz are also around. As well as Wendl from the Black Guards. You, Yumi, are also among those.¡±


    ¡°... Huh? What?¡±


    ¡°Think about it, if you were to use those exploding mana crystals, you could decimate that village relatively quickly.¡±


    That¡­ was true¡­


    ¡°And not only those. It might take a little longer but you could also use those growing tentacles to slowly take over the village. If you surround the entire village and then grow them inwards, there¡¯d be no escape.¡±


    ¡°... That would take a lot of mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Mana crystals are cheap. That approach however would almost guarantee us to get through this without casualties. Life cannot be returned, no matter how much money you have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I furrowed my brows a little¡­


    ¡°Uhm, Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ have been thinking for a while¡­ but¡­ you always put safety first, so¡­ why are you all working as mercenaries? Isn¡¯t that a little contradicting?¡±


    Now that she mentioned it¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between throwing away your life and risking your life.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We do jobs nobody else wants to do and our primary means of solving things is through violence. But we don¡¯t foolishly risk our lives. Money is useless once you are dead, right? So, if we have a way of doing it without risking our lives, we¡¯d be stupid not to take it. That doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t dangerous. Things can always go wrong. Take what we just mentioned as an example.¡±


    What he just mentioned? About me surrounding the village with the tentacle growth?


    ¡°Yumi growing that stuff, how long would that take? Days. Days we don¡¯t have. We are at risk here and the longer we stay, the worse it gets. We could be attacked by the army or by that roper. That means we have to solve this as fast as we can. Preferably within the day. Tomorrow latest.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ so¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. We are mercenaries. We fight and kill for our own sake. Some to survive, some because they enjoy combat, and some because they simply don¡¯t have any other choice. But all of those require us to be alive. We aren¡¯t battle fanatics that don¡¯t care about or own lives and want to die in glorious combat. In fact, if there is anyone like that, I¡¯d throw them out without hesitation. A suicidal man is only a danger for everyone.¡±


    I glanced between Karen and Korwen as he explained it to her. He had quite a serious, stiff expression on his face right now.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°... I think.¡±


    ¡°... Just remember why you two are here. You don¡¯t want to die either, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not!¡±


    ¡°Then, where¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s none.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    He grinned at her now, showing the white of his teeth.


    ¡°You¡¯re by far not the first one to ask me that, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Now, back to what we were talking about¡­ Er, where did we stop.¡±


    ¡°... About Yumi using the tentacles.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡±


    With the short interrupting solved, he returned to our previous talk.


    ¡°Mhm, well, to sum it up, using a single person¡¯s skills, especially magic, is a very effective means for an attack. As long as you can ensure that it hits and does enough damage to give you a deciding advantage. On the other hand, if they manage to prevent it, you are screwed.¡±


    So even that approach had issues¡­


    ¡°Was that the last one?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, you sure surprised me. I didn¡¯t expect you to think of more than one solution. And even less that all three were reasonable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rude as always, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°So, uhm¡­ What will we be doing?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I said it earlier but it depends on the result of our scouting team. If they don¡¯t have any defences in place, which is quite likely, then we will attack tonight. Speed is of essence. Also, our most important task is to eliminate the three magicians, including Yumelia. In a way, they¡¯re the deciding factor.¡±


    ¡°The deciding factor?¡±


    I tilted my head, pondering those words.


    ¡°The worshippers are known for using very¡­ unconventional means of attack. Exploding puppets and traps especially. These are controlled and maintained by their magicians. Remove the magicians from the picture and the worshippers are nothing more but poorly trained fanatics.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I read about that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you did?¡±


    ¡°Nn. In a book that I got from Wendl.¡±


    It had been a while since I read that book but I did remember reading about those exploding puppets in it.


    ¡°But, how are we even going to find those magicians then?¡±


    ¡°There are a few ways. The easiest is seeing them use magic, of course. For example, when they do maintenance on the puppets or the traps.¡±


    ¡°Maintenance? Do they even need that?¡±


    ¡°They do. Their puppets aren¡¯t as smart as your dolls are, they cannot replicate on their own nor do the maintenance themselves.¡±


    Wait, my dolls were doing maintenance on themselves?!


    ¡°So, a magician has to do it. However, I don¡¯t know how often they have to do that. In the worst case, they might be fine going several days without.¡±


    ¡°And what will we do then?¡±


    ¡°Hoping we get them right based on other things. Magicians usually have a higher position than others, right? So we have to look for individuals that seem to have a higher position.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But that still had room for error¡­


    ¡°In the first place, we don¡¯t know how many magicians there are. Ruben told us there are three, but there might be more. Or less, which is also annoying.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t less good?¡±


    ¡°It begs to question where the others are, though. Of course, it makes things easier, but you have to deal with this unpleasant feeling of not knowing where the last one is. Being alert is of course a good thing... It¡¯s simply annoying.¡±


    Ahh, yeah¡­ That could be annoying.


    ¡°Mr Captain, how are they going to find that out? I don¡¯t think they can just walk into the village, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. They have to observe from a distance. That makes things pretty hard but it¡¯s doable.¡±


    Hard, huh¡­


    ¡°There are also Yumi¡¯s dolls that we sent alongside the scouting teams. They probably have an easier time getting closer. Wish we could communicate better, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    It surprised me more that they actually could communicate¡­ Well, it used to surprise me. By now, I had already gotten a little used to them¡­ And they could draw astonishingly well so they likely would make portraits of every suspicious person they found.


    At that moment, someone approached us from the side. Turning around, I saw Merim, an exasperated expression adorning his face.


    ¡°And here he is, our slacking captain, playing around with two pretty girls¡­¡±


    ¡°Slacking, he says. Do you know how much I worked the past two days? Give me a break!¡±


    ¡°I worked as well! Haa¡­ Whatever¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, did you just come here to complain or got something?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I wanted to ask Yumi and Karen if they could help out a little and hand out dinner and refreshments. The men would surely perk up more getting it from them over another burly man.¡±


    That was relatable. I¡¯d prefer that too. Wait...


    ¡°Sure, we just finished our talk anyway. Ah, when you two are done, go and take a rest. If you can, try to get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°Understood, captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh. Now then. I¡¯ll take a break as well. Merim, don¡¯t forget to send the men to rest as well. Whoever finished with their work. No partying or other stupid things.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    Korwen stood up and stretched his arms and back. You could hear the bones beneath his muscles creak a little¡­ He waved with his hand once more and took his leave.


    ¡°Then, Yumi, Karen. Come with me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it, Merim.¡±


    ¡°... You know, when will you call me vice-captain?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe, someday?


    ¡°Not answering, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll remember it someday.¡±


    ¡°... I wonder why so many just call me by my name.¡±


    No, that was¡­ He didn¡¯t feel all that much like a vice-captain so¡­ Especially next to Korwen, the captain¡­ I sure couldn¡¯t blame them.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen and I helped out with serving dinner and refreshments for the mercenaries at work. It¡¯s simple work but you always get thanked for it, so I kind of liked doing this. Just a little.


    After we had finished, most mercenaries were already done with their preparations and work. It wasn¡¯t like there was much left to do anyway. Almost everyone went to take a break, except for a few poor souls condemned to guard duty and the like. Of course, that included us. Taking a break, that was.


    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s really fine that we get the entire wagon¡­¡±


    ¡°Merim said it¡¯s fine so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    We closed the door behind us and locked it. The only other person inside was the Elder, who was currently sleeping. Her complexion had been really bad at the time she collapsed, but her face had already recovered it¡¯s usual pink colour.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be too loud¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    There was no need to wake her up. She should just rest until we were needed again. Merim told us that we¡¯d likely get a report within the next hour. Depending on the captain¡¯s decision, we had less than an hour and a half at most to rest. Or three earth hours. The time to rest wasn¡¯t long but it was better than nothing. With that in mind, the Elder had it better than us. She could properly rest.


    ¡°Yumi, come here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With a blanket covering us, we cuddled up together on the other side of the wagon.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I love this¡­¡±


    ¡°You say that every time¡­¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll say it in the future as well.¡±


    I wanted Karen to know how much I loved her and how much I loved being by her side. Sure, my vocabulary wasn¡¯t the most extensive but it was better than just keeping quiet. There were some things you just had to say.


    ¡°No wonder we get teased by everyone.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Don¡¯t remind me. And that was mostly your fault, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I know. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t want an apology.¡±


    I hugged her arm and leaned my head on her shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about that.¡±


    ¡°... Okay. If you say so, Yumi.¡±


    I said so. Everyone had moments like that and there was no point in digging it out. That was totally my fault for digging it out¡­


    ¡°We should try and sleep a little.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can sleep like this. I mean, I¡¯m tired as hell but¡­¡±


    It¡¯d be a little hard to sleep like this. One part because it was still bright outside, two parts because of nervousness and seven parts because I wanted to enjoy the moment with Karen. At least, that¡¯s what I told myself.


    ¡°Still, even if we can¡¯t fall asleep, we should try to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, but¡­¡±


    ¡°No buts¡­¡±


    In response, Karen pulled me a little closer.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... The armour is in the way.¡±


    ¡°Deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to deal with it, though.


    ¡°You know how long it takes to wear it again and we might need to move immediately. Remember, that¡¯s what Merim told us as well.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it¡¯s still in the way¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯d like to do it without it, as well. But there¡¯s no choice except enduring right now.¡±


    Karen let out a small sigh and then nuzzled her nose against my hair. Her breath was tickling me as she rubbed her nose and cheek against my scalp.


    ¡°Remember what I told you yesterday evening? When this is over, let¡¯s ask for a few days off.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°And then we can do lots of things. Going into town again, for example. That was fun.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was.¡±


    ¡°We could also visit Lefa at the Academy again. Or Lady Karker.¡±


    Karen began stroking the back of my head with her hand.


    ¡°But will Lefa even be there? I heard many students were evacuating the town.¡±


    ¡°Lefa too?¡±


    ¡°I think so? Didn¡¯t she say something like that?¡±


    ¡°Did she?¡±


    Now I wasn¡¯t sure about it anymore either¡­


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see if she is still around. Right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    If she wasn¡¯t we might be able to find out where she went, though. If she wasn¡¯t in the capital anymore, I¡¯d at least wanted to send her a letter¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ How do people send letters?¡±


    ¡°Letters?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Well, that depends¡­¡±


    She stopped stroking for a moment, seemingly thinking about my question.


    ¡°... Uhm, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Why did she apologise, suddenly?


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t know if you can send a letter here¡­¡±


    ¡°... What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ in Arkesta, I heard you could pay a courier to take along your post¡­ It¡¯s really expensive, though, so I never did that. Not that I even had someone to send letters to.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Expensive, huh¡­


    ¡°Well, and in Aldreigh¡­ I am not sure how it worked but there was some way of sending letters. When I was still small, I remember seeing my father receiving mail¡­ I have no idea how that system over there works, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wait, you mean, the postal services depend on the country?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    No wonder she had no idea. No, rather, I completely missed that¡­ It was obvious¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it different in your wo¡ª where you came from?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There were postal services and you just had to write a letter, put it in an envelope and buy a postage stamp and give it to the postman.¡±


    ¡°What is a postage stamp?¡±


    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s a small piece of paper that is glued to the envelope. It shows that you already paid the delivery fee. It wasn¡¯t even much. It was easily affordable for everyone to send a letter.¡±


    It was quite convenient. Furthermore, with technology advancing, letters became slowly more obsolete.


    ¡°That sounds nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is there no way to send letters with the help of magic?¡±


    ¡°I think there is¡­ But it¡¯s probably even more expensive than regular mail.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡±


    Thinking about it, there was space magic¡­ That could make it easier to send along letters. But apparently, their users were a rarity and the ones that existed probably had other things to do over sending letters¡­


    Oh, but if I really manage to make those tentacles connect to other places, it would make it easier to send letters as well¡­ Or, well, visit someone.


    There were many benefits to space magic¡­ It was little wonder that Korwen wanted me to get that working¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... The free days off might get delayed.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Karen stiffened up when she heard my words.


    ¡°Well, remember the¡­ pitfall?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°... The captain wanted me to work on that stuff, right? And he wanted me to do it fast.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    There was no way he was going to give us days off when that wasn¡¯t resolved. After all, he really needed to know if I could make that work or not. It would apparently decide his course of actions after this job. The wish, whether he would get that abandoned castle or some other place¡­ and so on.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°When we get back, let¡¯s work on that and get it done as fast as possible so we can take some time off.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    A wry smile appeared on my lips. She didn¡¯t even try to hide what she wanted. And that made me feel all warm inside.


    ¡°We have lots of things to do, don¡¯t we, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... But first, let¡¯s rest. And let¡¯s ask Mr Captain about the letters later.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that.


    Once again, we pulled a little to each other. We didn¡¯t say another word, simply letting silence fall over us. Closing my eyes, I spent my time half-awake, half-asleep. Once in a while, one of us moved a little, to make it a little more comfortable but outside of that, nothing else happened.


    Who knew how long we spent our time like that until someone knocked full force on our door.


    The scouts had returned.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Bloodstained Report

    ¡°Miss Yumi! Miss Karen!¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    An incessant knocking tore Karen and me out of our relaxing cuddle time. Slightly annoyed, I opened my eyes and stared at the door.


    ¡°Miss Yumi! Miss Karen!¡±


    The knocking continued without an end in sight. Behind me, Karen stirred as well. On the other side of the wagon¡¯s room, the Elder sat up, too.


    ¡°So loud¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ll go check what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Do that¡­¡±


    Karen let me go from her embrace so that I could get up and open the door. A relatively young man stood on the other side.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Yumi! The captain is calling for you and Miss Karen and Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll come. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°The scouts have returned.¡±


    Ohh¡­ That meant, Korwen would likely decide what we were going to do now¡­ I looked past the man in front of me and saw that quite a lot of the mercenaries were up and about again.


    ¡°Miss Yumi, I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, yes¡­¡±


    The man saluted and quickly left from whence he came.


    Feels a little weird having someone salute to me¡­


    I couldn¡¯t even return a proper salute of my own¡­ After this, there were many things to practise, weren¡¯t there? Including doing a proper salute.


    ¡°Yumi? Who was that?¡±


    ¡°Err, someone who came to tell us to meet with the captain.¡±


    ¡°A messenger?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Pretty much a messenger. Did you call them messengers even in this case?


    In any case, we had to get going, it seemed. Karen, however, was still under the blanket, making no attempts to leave.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m coming.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can see that you aren¡¯t.¡±


    Maybe, she was more tired than she had let on¡­ She usually was the one to get up first, after all.


    ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ll really come¡­ I¡¯m not like you¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, in that case, there¡¯s no problem if I take that blanket, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah! No!¡±


    Karen helplessly reached out with her hand to take back the blanket from me. She never showed mercy to me either so neither would I today.


    ¡°The blanket¡­¡±


    ¡°The blanket is safe and sound, Sis¡­¡±


    Just in my hands and not hers.


    While I wondered about what to do, a giggle came from the opposite end of the wagon room. Namely, from the Elder.


    ¡°Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°... Apologies. I just thought it a little amusing. ¡°


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, it was amusing. Or rather, I personally thought it was quite cute of Karen. If it was any other time I might have continued watching but¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis, you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Stifling a yawn, Karen finally forced herself to stand up.


    ¡°It appears you are not quite accustomed to such an irregular time. Well, you will wake up after a while,¡± commented the Elder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­¡± came the languished answer from Karen.


    The three of us quickly got ready, wore our armour and the like and left the wagon to make our way to Korwen and the others.


    ¡°Miss Elder, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Me? I am feeling well, thank you. I am deeply sorry for leaving the two of you alone there. I¡­ seem to have lost some of my stamina.¡±


    ¡°... Some?¡±


    ¡°... If you live a lavish life in the forest, the body deteriorates. It¡¯s unfortunate but nothing some practise cannot fix.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    True, practice could work wonders¡­ Now, if only you could see the results a little faster. It didn¡¯t feel like my training was doing anything in regards to my stamina.


    ¡°Nn? Wait¡­¡±


    Something felt a little odd about that¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, when we first met, you all were¡­ rather energetic, I¡¯d say¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    The Elder frowned when I brought up that topic.


    ¡°As you know, we elves revere our esteemed ancestors quite a lot. Few high elves exist in this age¡­ Many lost their lives a long time ago, in the Great Spirit War. It has been many centuries since the last time I have met an esteemed ancestor.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Our reverence was¡­ used. We were tricked. As shameful as it is to say. We thought of nothing else but rescuing our esteemed ancestor. The little girl Emily. We forgot our tiredness, succumbing to our fervor.¡±


    ¡°So, you were pretty much on adrenaline¡­¡±


    Good to know that even fairykin could experience that.


    ¡°Uhm, Miss Elder¡­ I have a question as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°... What are you going to do in regards to Emily?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Elder fell silent for a moment, opening her mouth, closing it again. She seemed to ponder what to say.


    ¡°That is a¡­ difficult question, dear. The esteemed ancestor is but a child. A young child. She cannot lead us, she cannot save us. And furthermore, even if she could¡­ she already has found the place she belongs to. It is not our right to dictate her future. That is what I believe. Some of my fellows might disagree, however¡­¡±


    Disagree, huh¡­ Hopefully, they weren¡¯t going to do something.


    ¡°On the other side, I also do not think that she can bloom into the flower she could be among the humanoids. We might look familiar, we might share sentiments at times, but fairykin are different beings. That is why, as presumptuous as it might be, I would like to help guide her.¡±


    ¡°Guide her?¡±


    I tilted my head.


    ¡°Yes. I can see the girl is truly happy among you, her family. Even I am not that blind. But there are matters you cannot teach her. High elves are the beloved of our great mother nature. The forest protects her, the animals adore her, the wind leads her. If she does not learn their meaning, I fear that she might bring calamity to those around her.¡±


    ¡°Calamity? Is that not a little over-exaggerating?¡±


    ¡°I fear it is not even close, Yumi. To tell the truth, she is, right now, a much larger danger than you could be.¡±


    ¡°... I honestly feel a little conflicted there.¡±


    She called me a danger and¡­ Well, I slowly could understand where she was coming from¡­ Not that it made me happy. I had no intention of going out of control anyway.


    ¡°My, are you jealous?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯d be a little odd reason for jealousy.¡±


    ¡°I agree. It would be considered rather weird. But I digress. Returning to the girl, Emily. I heard that Mr Korwen has banned her from using her magic, has he not?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I heard about that as well¡­ And Maya and Sele were quite¡­ upset at the thought of her using it.¡±


    Not that I had ever seen Emily using magic. In that regard, I couldn¡¯t quite understand the panic about it.


    ¡°I see. I suspect that her magic has gone out of control once before. That is, by itself, a bad sign already.¡±


    ¡°... How bad?¡±


    This didn¡¯t sound good. If it was that serious...


    ¡°Mm? Ahh, I apologise.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    Why did she apologise now of all times?


    ¡°You were worried for the girl, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course I am.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you for that. But there is no need to worry too much about it. It is not an urgent matter that needs to be taken care of. It might be even better to take sufficient time and teach her. If she does not use her magic, her right to nature, nothing much will happen. And the girl is a smart one. She won¡¯t do something stupid.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, but I admit, this is a relief.¡±


    I turned to the Elder, who was giggling once more.


    ¡°A relief?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Your face, your expression, it is hard to read. Yet, your worry was so strong that, this one time, it showed strongly. Thank you, for caring so much about the girl.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Seriously? It showed that much?


    ¡°Hahaha! And now, you are embarrassed about it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I could control my face and stop it from turning red¡­


    I¡¯d like it if she could stop laughing, though. Ah, now Karen was giggling as well!


    ¡°... I hate you two.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I apologise but¡­ I can¡¯t help it!¡±


    ¡°Pfff¡­ Sorry, Yumi¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Great that they were amusing themselves on my costs¡­ The nearby mercenaries were already taking glances in our directions, wondering what was going on. And worst of all, it took a little while before they finally calmed down.


    Speaking of mercenaries, where was Korwen¡­ We had walked to the end of the temporary camp now, where he last was¡ªand where we were told we could find him¡ªbut he wasn¡¯t here at all¡­


    ¡°You done?¡±


    ¡°We¡­ We are, I believe. I apologise. It wasn¡¯t mature of me to laugh at you.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s okay.¡±


    If she gave me such an upfront apology, it was hard to stay mad. Even I wasn¡¯t that childish. Well, it still miffed me a little but not enough to bother.


    ¡°I am glad to hear that. Now then¡­¡±


    The Elder looked around as well, searching for Korwen.


    ¡°I believe this is where he was supposed to be, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    And no Korwen to find here. There was a nearby mercenary, though.


    ¡°Excuse me, the captain called us and we were told we could find him here¡­¡±


    ¡°The captain? He¡¯s there, in that wagon. Better wait outside, though, until the poor sods got a grip on themselves again.¡±


    ¡°Poor sods?¡±


    ¡°The scouts. Came back all pale and scared. No idea what they saw over there but it sure wasn¡¯t pretty it seems.¡±


    Pale and scared? Why did I not like the sound of that¡­


    ¡°Gonna get back to work. Good luck, lassie.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    That was the first time someone ever called me ¡®lassie.¡¯ Didn¡¯t know someone actually used that word.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± I asked Karen and the Elder as we watched the mercenary return to work.


    ¡°We can¡¯t do much besides waiting, right?¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s true...¡±


    After a short moment, we decided to wait in front of the wagon for the captain. Since we were at the end of the camp, we could leisurely watch the other mercenaries going on about their way. Some were doing maintenance on their armour or weapons, others were talking with their friends, and a few were taking care of the supplies and things like that.


    ¡°I¡¯m always impressed that they know what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°They know what needs to be done, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Makes me feel bad when I watch them and just stand here.¡±


    Although, there were others with nothing to do. It wasn¡¯t just us. There were probably more mercenaries inside some of the wagons, resting and so on.


    ¡°Mr Captain told us to come so there¡¯s not much we can do about that. We are technically working as well.¡±


    ¡°Who calls waiting ¡®work?¡¯¡±


    At least, I didn¡¯t. Alas, before I could say anything else, the door of the wagon opened and Korwen stepped out, still in the middle of talking with the people inside.


    ¡°... and make sure they get enough water and rest. I¡¯ll send someone to bring them food later.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Good. Take a good rest. You¡¯re done for the day.¡±


    Korwen nodded to the man inside and then the door closed. The moment the lock was setting in, he let out a small sigh and turned around.


    ¡°Mm? Oh, there you girls are. Sorry, did you wait long?¡±


    ¡°No, not really, Captain.¡±


    ¡°... So you were slacking and coming late, huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A trick! He tricked me into saying that! Admittedly, it was smart but¡­


    ¡°Whatever. Not like it matters anyway. Could I bother you girls to bring them some food and cheer up those guys later?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess that¡¯s fine but¡­ What happened?¡±


    If they needed to be cheered up, it really had to be quite bad.


    ¡°... They saw hell.¡±


    ¡°... Hell?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You know, the thing those priest idiots keep talking about. The place where the horrors of the underworld torture the sinful souls and stuff like that.¡±


    ¡°No, I know what hell is, I wanted to know what they saw.¡±


    Although, the hell I was thinking of didn¡¯t quite come from that religion. But that explained why I heard some people using that word. But, which religion¡¯s priests?


    ¡°... Come, let¡¯s sit down first. Also, let me call Merim and the others. I don¡¯t want to tell you all twice about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine...¡±


    Korwen called a man over and told him to fetch Merim, Taddick and Ria. While we waited for those three, we prepared a table and enough benches for us all to sit down. Just as we finished, the three arrived already.


    ¡°Captain, you called?¡±


    ¡°That I did. Sit down first, sit down.¡±


    He waved his hand, telling the three to sit down on the three spots. It was time to get back to the serious side of life now¡­ I steadied my breath and straightened my back.


    ¡°Is this about the scouts?¡±


    ¡°It is, Taddick. We got a bit of an¡­ issue.¡±


    Great¡­ Yeah¡­


    ¡°What happened? The village empty? Or what?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ How to say this... The worshippers are definitely inside that village. There¡¯s little doubt about that.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s one worry taken care of, no? What¡¯s the problem then?¡±


    ¡°... The state of the village.¡±


    The state¡­ of the village?


    Apparently I wasn¡¯t the only one who was confused as everyone else also exchanged glances, hoping someone knew what Korwen was talking about.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be blunt: They have slaughtered the village and piled up the corpses in the centre.¡±


    Everyone stiffened immediately and you could feel how they tensed up. As for me¡­ I was confused for a moment and had to let those words sink in first¡­


    ¡°The¡­ They slaughtered them¡­ and piled them up?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi. That¡¯s exactly what¡­ No, not quite. According to the scouts, they haven¡¯t just piled them up. They erected a pillar and pierced the corpses on stakes, letting them hang to rot on the pillar.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No¡­ No way¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ beyond morbid. The heck do they think people are?¡± groaned Taddick.


    ¡°And that¡¯s apparently not all. They also¡­ ¡®decorated¡¯ the houses with the limbs and corpses¡­ the men, the women, the children¡­ All of them.¡±


    Everyone was speechless... None of us had likely an idea how one could even respond in this situation. At least, I didn¡¯t¡­ It was just¡­ I had no words. No words.


    ¡°To make it even worse, several armed ogres were spotted inside. And¡­ ogres are man-eaters. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you the rest.¡±


    Korwen leaned back and stared into the sky. The sun had gone down and the stars were lighting up one by one now. It was still relatively early but¡­


    ¡°... Cap¡­ Korwen. Why are they doing that? The fanatics are crazy but not that crazy. They¡¯re not like some evil cult from a fairy tale.¡±


    ¡°If you ask me, they pretty much are one of those. But I know what you mean. They¡¯re not mindlessly slaughtering people. There¡¯s purpose behind it...¡±


    ¡°... Stop skirting the issue. Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°... Crystal Flowers.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s it. I¡¯m out of here.¡±


    Eh? Taddick suddenly threw up his arms up into the air and declared he¡¯d get out. What even were Crystal Flowers?


    ¡°They are growing those? But¡­ What is the point?¡± asked Merim.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have no idea what those fanatics need them for. I heard they can temporarily strengthen someone so maybe it has something to do with that?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    I awkwardly raised my hand. Everyone seemed to know what they were talking about. Except for me.


    ¡°What is it, Yumi? Do you know anything?¡±


    ¡°Err, rather¡­ What are Crystal Flowers?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Everyone stopped and turned to me. Did¡­ Did I ask something bad?


    ¡°... I forgot how sheltered you are. To think you didn¡¯t even know about those.¡±


    Korwen let out a sigh and chuckled in amusement.


    ¡°Crystal Flowers are a drug.¡±


    ¡°A drug?¡±


    The worshippers were concocting drugs? That was¡­ a little unexpected, I had to admit.


    ¡°Yes. And not just any drug. It¡¯s grown with the corpses of humanoids. Relatively easy to do as well from what I heard, making it a¡­ an unfortunately widespread drug among the poor.¡±


    ¡°Grown on¡­ corpses¡­¡±


    A shudder ran down my spine.


    ¡°The only things you need are a humanoid¡¯s corpse and a mana crystal. That¡¯s it, from what I know. It¡¯s not a particularly strong drug, mind you. Euphoria and hallucinations are the most notable symptoms. Usually. They also apparently strengthen someone for a short time. Or, well, during their high. Might also be because they just go crazy, though.¡±


    But it was ¡®easy¡¯ to make. And that made it widespread¡­


    ¡°Lafria charges you with murder when you are found in possession of Crystal Flower drugs. And the punishment for murder is the drop. Many other countries do the same.¡±


    ¡°... The drop?¡±


    ¡°Hanging on the gallows.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Not exactly a pleasant way to die¡­ That made me wonder a little how they even defined murder in tihs world¡­ Wasn¡¯t our work¡­ effectively murder as well?


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria? You have something to say?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ About¡­ the worshippers¡­ I heard¡­ the flowers¡­ can be used¡­ for magic¡­ rituals¡­¡±


    ¡°In magic rituals? What kind of rituals?¡±


    Ria shook her head in response to Korwen¡¯s question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know¡­ The topic¡­ is forbidden¡­ after all¡­¡±


    ¡°... And now we don¡¯t know what we are dealing with because it is forbidden. Great.¡±


    That was also one way to look at it.


    ¡°At least, that makes sense enough for the why¡­ As great as that is, it doesn¡¯t help us deal with the situation.¡±


    ¡°How are we going to deal with it then, Cap?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll attack.¡±


    ¡°Tonight?¡±


    ¡°Tonight.¡±


    So, in the end, it really came to a night assault, huh¡­


    ¡°Right now, we have the advantage. They don¡¯t know yet that we are here. To add on that, it is night. The scouts have confirmed two magicians and approximately twenty worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Two and twenty? That¡¯s only, like, half? Where¡¯s the rest?¡±


    ¡°They might be inside the houses. According to the report, only three houses were left in habitable condition and I doubt they crammed thirty people inside small village houses. Some of them might be out right now. Only serves us.¡±


    The enemy force was less than expected but that still begged one question¡­


    ¡°Captain, did they see Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°They did not, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Was that good news? Or bad news?


    ¡°Less people is good for us but the state of the village is a problem by itself. I wanted to let the young recruits gain experience but this might be too much for them.¡±


    ¡°Gotta agree there, Cap. They¡¯ll lose their nerves for sure. No chance they can deal with that.¡±


    Taddick nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Figured that. With that in mind, we¡¯ll change the assault force to only contain the experienced men. The young ones stay behind as a reserve. Taddick, can you manage that?¡±


    ¡°No problem. Leave it to me.¡±


    ¡°Good. Make sure they all wear the protection tools.¡±


    ¡°Got that.¡±


    Only the older ones, huh¡­ Wait¡­ Did that mean we had to stay behind as well? In case it wouldn¡¯t clear up I should ask him later.


    ¡°Also, distribute the robes to everyone. Merim can help with that.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Robes? Why robes?


    ¡°Last, Ria.¡±


    ¡°... Mm?¡±


    ¡°I know that you just recovered but I have to ask nonetheless. Can you use that magic again?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No problem¡­ Wenners and¡­ Krutz can¡­ help me¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. It might become necessary so keep yourself ready at any time. But not without my signal.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria would blow something up again? With that ridiculous blast? It wasn¡¯t yet set in stone it seemed but¡­


    ¡°Okay, then I will explain our course of action. First, we will approach the village. The magicians are reportedly near the ogres. According to the scouts, it looked like they might be necessary to control them. That means, if we take them out, the ogres might rampage inside the village.¡±


    ¡°... So, the crossbows?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The crossbowmen will shoot the magicians. As long as they are not aware of us, this should be an easy matter. The next course of action depends on how this turns out. If we succeed and the ogres rampage, we will out their rampage and assault them afterwards. If we succeed and they do not rampage, we kill the ogres and then lure the worshippers out and fight them in a frontal assault or¡ªfailing to lure them out¡ªpelter them from afar with crossbows and magic. If we fail to kill the magicians or get spotted, Ria blows the ogres and the magicians to high heavens.¡±


    So there were three possible courses of action, huh¡­ Or four, kind of.


    ¡°What I am worried about is that the magicians are needed to control the ogres. They have to sleep as well. In other words, there¡¯s almost guaranteed to be at least one more magician around. Likely, this magician is Yumelia. But she might not be the only one.¡±


    ¡°So, we get rid of the initial two but still got three magicians to deal with?¡±


    ¡°Likely, yes.¡±


    How did he get to three now?


    ¡°Mr Captain? Why three?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah... Because their leader is likely a magician. And no leader would bother to take care of the pets now, would they? And that they have two magicians controlling them means either they are necessary or they got the leeway to do it like this.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even thought of that¡­


    ¡°Hope it is necessary and not because they got the leeway,¡± commented Merim.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out. In the worst case, we¡¯ll retreat.


    ¡°... Worst case, indeed. That means we¡¯re marching back to the capital in the middle of the night, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Better warm up now.¡±


    Merim sighed and slumped down onto the table.


    ¡°No way. I hate jobs like this. I prefer the ones where we don¡¯t need to hurry. Can¡¯t we just rest and do this tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°You just said it yourself, we need to hurry. The night is still long but I would rather finish this before the sun rises. And you got enough sleep already.¡±


    ¡°People need the sun, Captain. The sun. I still feel tired even after resting.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fix that, get used to it.¡±


    Only regarding Merim with a wry smile, Korwen returned his attention to the topic.


    ¡°As for how we deal with the magicians¡­ If we needed Ria to help out, then the Dragon Knights have to engage them. Otherwise, Ria, Wenners and Krutz are to engage them. Ria, are you confident enough you could fight someone like Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Should be¡­ no problem¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring. Still, be careful. We don¡¯t know what they have up their sleeves.¡±


    ¡°Got it¡­¡±


    So Ria would take care of Yumelia, huh¡­ I¡­ would like to see that. I wanted to see what would happen to her. Even if¡­ it wasn¡¯t ending well for her. No, I should stop skirting around words. Even if it would mean her death. I wanted to see it.


    ¡°The last point is that we have to be careful about possible traps.¡±


    ¡°Traps, huh¡­ You think those fanatics make them?¡± asked Taddick.


    ¡°They do. They definitely do. You know Yumi¡¯s dolls, right? The worshippers have something similar and they use them as walking bombs.¡±


    ¡°... Well, shit.¡±


    Taddick grimaced, most likely imagining those worshipper dolls blowing up.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if this group has these but seeing how Yumelia ran around with two large puppets, we should expect those and other traps. Warn everyone to only approach the village with utmost caution.¡±


    ¡°... Do you want a frontal assault or do you want us to be cautious?¡± asked Merim.


    ¡°I want you to be cautious. The situation at hand will likely change. We¡¯ll only assault them directly when we lured them out or the ogres rampaged enough to deal with possible traps.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Got that.¡±


    Korwen looked once more into the round, then nodded a final time.


    ¡°Any questions?¡±


    Silence.


    I looked to my sides to look at Karen and the Elder, but neither of them made an attempt to do anything. Nobody else seemed to want to ask anything either so¡­ I raised my hand.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, what should we do? Should we stay behind?¡±


    ¡°You girls? Mh¡­ Yumi, you¡¯ll come.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Karen and the Elder, you have to decide for yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Wait, they got the option to decide?


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave Yumi¡¯s side.¡±


    ¡°Neither will I, Mr Korwen. I have to see what will happen to the tricksters and betrayers.¡±


    ¡°Mh. Then, the three of you will come with me. We¡¯ll stay in the back. Miss Elder, can you cast any light magic?¡±


    ¡°Light magic?¡±


    ¡°I just need something that can make a light bright enough to make Yumi and the banner visible.¡±


    Oh great, wouldn¡¯t that make me a huge target?


    ¡°Unfortunately not. There are plants that can create light, however. I can prepare such plants in advance and hang them on the banner.¡±


    ¡°That works as well. Better than wasting a hand with a lamp.¡±


    Plants that made light? I was a little curious about that¡­


    ¡°Uhm, Captain, won¡¯t I turn into a¡­ rather big target if we do that?¡±


    ¡°Sure you will. I thought you were prepared for that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With a grin directed at me, Korwen chuckled and leaned forward.


    ¡°No worries, we¡¯ll protect you. Your job is to be the target but your job is not to be the decoy. The worshippers will likely see you. If they are just half as fervent as Yumelia was, they will surely try to come to you. We have to lure them out somehow, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, I¡¯ll... do my best.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate anything less.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Putting the pressure on me now¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t let that get to me now. I knew what I had to do.


    ¡°Do you have any of those exploding mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I do.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Keep them ready but do not use them without my permission.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    Considering how dark it would get, I would have to be careful anyway lest I hit a mercenary. And that wouldn¡¯t be great¡­


    ¡°Now then, questions? Any? If not, we¡¯ll move out in an hour. Don¡¯t forget to get a robe. Dismissed.¡±


    With that, Korwen stood up from the table and we all followed suit. Merim and Taddick went off to do their work and Ria, walked up to the Elder, seemingly wanting to ask her something. As for the captain, he actually approached us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Can you bring the scouts some food?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure can do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Try to cheer them up a little. They¡¯ll need it.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll try.¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t really know¡­ Or rather, could barely imagine what they had seen¡­ I wasn¡¯t quite confident I could help them.


    ¡°Use your Charm if necessary.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhm, are you sure about that, Captain?¡±


    ¡°I am. Or do you rather want them to get traumatised from this experience?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly at us, then promptly patted my head and ruffled my hair for some reason.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good kid, you know? So you don¡¯t have to worry. It¡¯s not like you are brainwashing them really, are you? You just help them out a little with some magic and comfort. Just think of it as some mental health treatment.¡±


    Mental health treatment¡­


    ¡°Can I count on you?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. If it¡¯s necessary, I¡¯ll use it.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    His large hand left my head again, only leaving some lingering warmth.


    ¡°On another note, are you girls going to be fine? You already heard what expects you but I know I am asking quite a bit. Such a sight is hard on anyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ To be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯ll come nonetheless. I made a decision and I don¡¯t want to step back again.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then forget I asked, that was rude of me.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t rude. Thank you for worrying, Captain.¡±


    Rather, I was happy he worried about us.


    ¡°... You really are serious about it, huh.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Well, guess I¡¯ll raise my expectations then.¡±


    ¡°... Please have mercy.¡±


    ¡°And there you already step back again. Hahaha!¡±


    Korwen laughed loudly at me, believing it was amusing.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll only expect you to do things I know you can do. Well, it wouldn¡¯t be you if you suddenly became all confident and capable so I guess this fine. Take it one step at a time.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I will.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, you know what to do. Get those men back on their feets.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood, Captain.¡±


    A slight smile on the lips, Korwen once more pat my head¡­ and Karen¡¯s as well. And then he left, probably off to do his own work.


    Now then, we got a job to do. First, time to get some food.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Sighting the Village

    The scouts of the Dragon Knights were usually sent out in small groups with half of the group being older, more experienced mercenaries that were guiding the younger ones. And this time had been no exception.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ya worry, girls. They¡¯ll get back up in no time.¡±


    An older scout, a thin man, tried to reassure us as we watched the three young scouts eating their food in silence.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Will they?¡±


    ¡°Sure will. They just need to¡­ process it. Give ¡®em some time and ya will see.¡±


    Hopefully, they would¡­ There wasn¡¯t much we could do for them¡­ Korwen told us to cheer them up again but¡­ how?


    ¡°Ya two still got places to be, don¡¯t ya? No need to hang around here.¡±


    He gave me a soft pat on the shoulder, giving me a small push towards the door.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen took my hand and we walked to the door. I really wanted to help those three but¡­


    What can I even say¡­


    I had yet to see what these men saw. And even if the older scouts seemed relatively fine, none of them were smiling or cheerful either. It affected them just as much¡­


    ¡°Sis, wait.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We stopped right at the door¡­ It might be just in vain but¡­ if it could help them at least a little¡­ Korwen had allowed me to. Or rather, he told me to do it if necessary. Having come to a decision, I gathered a little bit of mana and faced the scouts once more.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Please cheer up again soon!¡±


    I tried to smile. There wasn¡¯t much else I could do for them. Some of them lifted their heads, looking at me. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was out of surprise or because of some other reason...


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go, Sis.¡±


    Turning around again, we left the scouts alone. The moment the door fell shut, I let out a deep sigh¡­ Mostly out of helplessness.


    ¡°Well, that went about as well as I expected.¡±


    ¡°... Captain?¡±


    Korwen stood next to the door, waiting for us. Much to my surprise.


    ¡°You used the Charm?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ If it helps them at least a little.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good call on that.¡±


    Korwen stared at the door of the wagon for a few seconds before turning back to us.


    ¡°Things like this are never easy. Some can take it, some don¡¯t. At least, we know what will expect us.¡±


    ¡°... Are things like that common?¡±


    ¡°No, thankfully not, Yumi. We¡¯d all be insane by now if that was common. Then again, maybe we already are.¡±


    That was at least a little bit of a relief.


    ¡°... Monster slaying can get bloody and once in a while you get some¡­ unpleasant situations. Monsters butchering an entire village and the like, for example. We always have a few people dropping out after jobs like that. They can¡¯t handle it. Can¡¯t blame them either. It is¡­ bad.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why... don¡¯t forget why you are here. We got a job to do. Don¡¯t lose sight of that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Not losing sight of it¡­ He had said that as a warning, didn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s get you two ready and then we¡¯ll move out soon.¡±


    The only thing we needed was¡­ the banner, wasn¡¯t it? Speaking of which, the Elder wanted to prepare glowing plants, right?


    I already did what I could for those men¡­ Now I have to take care of this.


    While it bothered me, I couldn¡¯t let it distract me either. When this was over, I could check up on them.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mr Captain, is it alright for you to be here right now?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. We already decided on our course of action so everything else I can leave to the others for now.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he was waiting for us. He simply didn¡¯t have anything else to do for now¡­


    ¡°Instead, I can make sure our newest additions to the group get their work done properly.¡±


    ¡°... That sounds like you don¡¯t trust us, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    No, that wasn¡¯t a laughing matter. Oh well¡­ Wait, he didn¡¯t deny it!


    ¡°But speaking honestly¡­ Trust is good. Confirmation is better. I have to make sure things go smoothly and the ones with the least experience are you girls. Something can always go the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well¡­ That, I could understand.


    ¡°This is also a whole new experience for me as well. There might be complications none of us expected and it¡¯s easier when I am present at those times.¡±


    Right¡­ He always went around as if he knew what to do but¡­ this was also new for him¡­ I hadn¡¯t really thought about that at all.


    ¡°Oh right¡­ Speaking of complications¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I wanted you to do a little speech, remember?¡±


    ¡°... I remember.¡±


    And I couldn¡¯t claim that I was all that prepared for it¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to skip it.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°See, we¡¯re going to attack them at night.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point to it if we alert them now already.¡±


    Oh¡­ True, that¡¯d completely defeat the purpose.


    ¡°Will they even hear us from that far away, though?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised how far the noise of a cheering crowd can travel. And there¡¯s no way I can keep those idiots quiet after a speech¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Cheering crowds could really get noisy...


    ¡°So, instead, I¡¯d like you to do a few other things.¡±


    ¡°Other things?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Simple stuff like giving the order to move out and the like.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Well, if that was all, then it would probably be fine. Even I should be able to handle that fine. I more or less managed when we moved out as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s still some time until then, however. First, we will check on the plants the Elder wanted to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Glowing plants, huh¡­¡±


    I never saw plants that were creating light before so I had to say I was a bit curious.


    ¡°Ah, right, before I forget it. Did you get your robes already?¡±


    ¡°Robes? No, we haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s first fetch those. They¡¯re just over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen took a turn and we walked towards a nearby group of mercenaries. Taddick was among them as well. Plus, a large pile of cloth next to them.


    ¡°Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Oh, Captain. Need something?¡±


    ¡°These girls need some robes.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    Taddick turned around and grabbed two robes from the pile next to him.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Taddick.¡±


    The robes were quite heavy¡­ Dark brown and thick cloth.


    ¡°Ah, give us one more. The Elder needs one too.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We got more than enough.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ How many have come already?¡±


    ¡°Quite a lot. I think nearly everyone should have one by now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news. Seems we won¡¯t need to get new ones either yet.¡±


    Korwen watched the other mercenaries handing out the robes for a short moment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to get your own ones later, Taddick.¡±


    ¡°No way we¡¯d forget that.¡±


    ¡°How odd, I vaguely recall that that happened before.¡±


    ¡°Surely you remember that wrong.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Anyway, don¡¯t forget. We¡¯ll go now.¡±


    Korwen waved his hand and the three of us left Taddick to his work.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Why do we even need robes?¡±


    Everyone was getting them¡­ But I hadn¡¯t yet heard the reason for it.


    ¡°To cover us. It¡¯s harder to spot us with those robes, which makes it perfect for a night assault.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    In other words, camouflage.


    ¡°But, wouldn¡¯t black robes be better?¡±


    Korwen turned his head around and looked at me, a frown on his face.


    ¡°... Well, am I glad you haven¡¯t walked into any wagon yet at night.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What did the wagons have to do with this?


    ¡°Yumi, darker colours are harder to spot in the dark most of the time. However, black is an exception. It¡¯s surprisingly pretty easy to spot.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That was news to me.


    ¡°Just think about it, have you ever had a problem seeing the wagons? Especially the ones from the Black Guards.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ But usually there¡¯s light nearby.¡±


    ¡°The night isn¡¯t exactly without light either. The moon and the stars can be pretty bright. Just look up now.¡±


    He pointed at the night sky. True to his words, the moon was up and about, gracing us with a little bit of light. Together with some stars.


    ¡°It has to be really dark before you can¡¯t see black anymore. And at that point, the colour won¡¯t matter anyway. Dark brown is harder to see, especially from the forest side. And the robe obscures your body shape as well. As long as we are careful, they won¡¯t spot us.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Another thing learnt¡­ And good that I had.


    ¡°Nn? But, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°... Wasn¡¯t I supposed to draw attention?¡±


    ¡°In the second part of the assault. First, we have to approach without being spotted, take out the magicians and after that, you can draw attention.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Okay, that made sense. Well, he did tell us earlier, just slipped my mind for a second. Yeah...


    ¡°Ah, Mr Captain, Yumi, there¡¯s the Elder.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen pointed forward at a small silhouette crouching down.


    ¡°I hope she finished already...¡±


    We approached the Elder who seemed to concentrate on her¡­ work? Whatever she was doing on the ground¡­


    ¡°Are those¡­ flowers?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    A patch of small, purple flowers, their blossoms closed, surrounded the Elder. They were perfectly spread around her in a circle so most likely, she was the one responsible for growing them.


    ¡°Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°... Oh? Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Quite well if I may say so.¡±


    The Elder, who had turned around when Korwen addressed her, stood up and faced us.


    ¡°These flowers provide more than enough light I believe.¡±


    ¡°... They¡¯re not making any light.¡±


    ¡°Not until I tell them to, no. Look.¡±


    The Elder crouched down again in front of us and stretched out her hand over the nearest flower. The moment she touched it, the flower bloomed, revealing the inside. A small, glowing orb. And despite it being so small, it emitted quite a lot of light¡­


    ¡°Hooo, this is interesting.¡±


    ¡°I believe these are sufficient, are they not, Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°They are. As long as we can pluck them, that is.¡±


    ¡°That will be no issue. The flowers can glow a whole day after you pluck them.¡±


    ¡°More than enough.¡±


    So, we¡¯d put these flowers on the banner and make it light up? Well, it sure would draw attention... That much was sure.


    ¡°These flowers should be more than enough. I¡¯ll send someone to collect them.¡±


    ¡°No need, plucking a few flowers shan¡¯t be an issue for me, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°You still need something to transport them in so I have to send someone anyway. Who knows how long it¡¯d take otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see. Very well, in that case, I shall appreciate the help.¡±


    Korwen nodded at the Elder and then handed her the robe.


    ¡°Take this as well.¡±


    ¡°A robe? Ah, I recall that you have mentioned it at the earlier occasion.¡±


    She received the robe and spared no time to actually throw it over herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s warm. How long has it been since I wore garments like these, I wonder.¡±


    ¡°... Actually, you were supposed to wear them later. But as long as it doesn¡¯t hinder you¡­¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Then, good.¡±


    The robe was a bit too large for the Elder, though. She tried to lift up the hem but¡­ It was still too large.


    This is definitely going to be my problem as well, won¡¯t it?


    The Elder was of a similar height as me¡­ So, unless my robe was smaller¡­ Great¡­ Why did all these mercenaries have to be so tall¡­ Then again, even the shorter ones were still taller than us. Outside of Wormaz, maybe. Made me wonder how he dealt with these things. Maybe he didn¡¯t have to, as the blacksmith.


    ¡°This is a little troubling¡­ Are there no smaller ones, Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ They¡¯re all the same size. You¡¯ll have to use a belt or rope or something to hold it up.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate¡­ Well, I shall look for something then.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯re moving out soon, so you should rather do it now. Don¡¯t worry about the flowers.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that is true. I understand. In that case, I shall go now.¡±


    With a small sigh, the Elder lifted the overly long robe so she could step out of the circle of flowers.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, I assume you will have a similar problem so I will look for you as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, if you could. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­ but you should focus on yourself and Yumi. It probably won¡¯t be as bad for me.


    While I definitely would have problems, I wonder how bad it¡¯d be for Karen.


    ¡°Do not underestimate this, Karen. Even if it is only a slight bit too long, running will become hard. You don¡¯t want to step on the hem and fall over when you want to the least, right?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so. Then, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry, I already know what to do.¡±


    The Elder gave us a smile and then went off, away on her search for something to bind the robes for us.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡± murmured Korwen as he watched the Elder trot away.


    ¡°... Captain?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get someone to collect those flowers. When we¡¯re done it¡¯ll be time to move out. Are you two ready for that?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We are, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    A short while later, I was standing at Korwen¡¯s side, overlooking the hundred-odd mercenaries, all clad in robes. Behind me were Karen and the Elder, also wearing their robes. The only ones who had yet to wear them were Korwen and me.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Everyone¡¯s here now.¡±


    Korwen did a last check over the men in front of him. The only remaining light was a lantern in Korwen¡¯s and the sparse light from the night sky.


    ¡°Yumi, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Now it was my turn¡­  Korwen had already told me what to do but nonetheless, it was still quite nerve-racking. But there was no time left to feel nervous now. I took a deep breath, calming myself.


    ¡°Everyone! We¡¯re moving out!¡±


    With a loud clack, Korwen closed the shutter of the lantern and extinguished the light from the tool.


    ¡°Yumi, the robe.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen threw his robe over his shoulders. Copying him, I also covered myself with mine. It was¡­ large¡­ Way too large. No wonder the Elder had a problem with this. The hem was dragging on the floor, easily the whole length of my own arm¡­


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll tie it up.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you, Sis.¡±


    Fortunately for us, the Elder had grown some vines we could use to tie the robes. I was a little impressed with how quickly she got those. They made for a decent rope substitute.


    ¡°Karen, take the banner. Miss Elder, the flowers.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Let¡¯s go. Time to get a good look at this village.¡±


    Korwen turned around to the side, gesturing with his hand to a few men, standing at the side. They were the scouts that were supposed to lead us to the village. Seeing the signal, they immediately stepped in front to take the lead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to keep quiet. If there¡¯s something important, tug on my clothes instead of speaking up. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    After giving us a last glance, Korwen faced forwards and followed the scouts. We kept right behind him. In the back, I could see Merim and Taddick coordinating the other mercenaries to follow us. All of it in complete silence, only the ruffling noises of the robes and the cluttering of the equipment. Which was still quite noisy.


    The village, huh¡­


    I still had no idea what exactly would expect us. Of course, outside of the things we knew. The magicians, the worshippers and the equipped ogres. But the scouts hadn¡¯t seen Yumelia.


    And then there¡¯s that sight¡­ that the scouts reported¡­


    The corpses piled high in the centre of the village¡­ growing those drugs on them¡­ The whole thing was more than just a little bit¡­ crazy¡­


    Honestly¡­ I don¡¯t want to see that¡­


    Just imagining what it would look like was already turning my stomach around. Good thing that dinner was on the simple side today¡­


    But¡­ I am part of Korwen¡¯s plan¡­ I can¡¯t back out¡­ Who knows¡­ Who knows what would happen if I did...


    Nothing good, that was sure. The worshippers¡¯ victims would just increase in numbers.


    I peeked around me, looking for Karen. I stepped a little closer, causing her to look up.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    Speaking with a hushed voice, she tilted her head.


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Just want to be here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen stepped a little closer too. Her hand found it¡¯s way into my robe and grasped my own.


    ¡°... I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    A little bit of relief came over me. I wasn¡¯t alone. Karen was here. Korwen and the mercenaries were here. Even the Elder was.


    I¡¯ll do my best¡­


    I kept telling myself to do my best while we continued to march in silence. We passed the fields, crossed the road and walked along the edge of the forest. The forest was the best hiding spot near the village, so we would approach while keeping ourselves hidden inside it. The fields and the plains leading to the village would just make it easy to spot us, after all.


    Ah¡­ that over there¡­ is that the village?


    In the distance, I could make out a small light. It was obviously not much but it was there. If I tried looking for the souls, I could probably make sure. In that case, it was easy.


    So many¡­


    A few dozen souls were there¡­ Definitely more than the barely twenty worshippers they had reported on. At least, that¡¯s the impression I got. They were hard to make out from this distance.


    Maybe I should tell the captain about this¡­


    It was probably better to¡­ He was walking right in front of us so I just had to tug at his robe and he turned around.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The village. There¡¯s definitely more than twenty people there.¡±


    ¡°... How many?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t know. Maybe forty?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see. Tell me when you know more.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With that, he turned back forward. Guess it was the right call to tell him.


    Still¡­ they¡¯re really there, aren¡¯t they? The worshippers¡­ Maybe Yumelia as well...


    If I changed my eyes¡­ Would I be able to see the village even more clearly? Probably¡­ Not only would I be able to see well in the dark, but I¡¯d also be able to see a little further.


    But¡­ I don¡¯t know exactly how much farther I can see¡­ In the worst case...


    In the worst case, I¡¯d already see the state of the village now...


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Your hand¡­¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Apparently, I unconsciously strengthened my grip around Karen¡¯s hand when I was pondering what to do¡­


    ¡°... A little something.¡±


    We were still pretty far away from the village now. Maybe I should do it¡­ But¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s grip around my hand got stronger as well. When I looked at her, she was smiling at me.


    Seriously¡­ You¡¯re wasted on me, Sis¡­


    After I returned her smile, I once more faced forward and pulled on the robe in front of me.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ I can try looking at the village but... I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ll see¡­ obviously¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°... You can look that far?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡±


    ¡°... One moment.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    For some reason, Korwen turned back forwards, quickening his steps to reach out to the scouts leading us. He stopped them, then turned to the mercenaries behind us and gestured for them to stop as well¡­


    Did he seriously stop the entire group because of this now?!


    That was a little too much, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Let me say this first.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you see, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. I know.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked at the light in the distance. It was still far away. Quite far away. I doubted I¡¯d be able to make out any details but I couldn¡¯t be sure¡­ I rarely needed to rely on my monster eyes to see in the dark or in the distance.


    Well then¡­ Here we go.


    I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and prepared myself. The moment I¡¯d open them, I¡¯d see the village more clearly. That much I was sure of.


    You can do it¡­ You can do it¡­ Go!


    I opened my eyes wide. And saw white.


    ¡°Gngh!¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    I barely managed to keep myself from crying out¡­ Unlucky me got simply blinded. How stupid¡­ Utterly stupid¡­ I squinted with my eyes, making sure to get used to the brightness first. It was just¡­ such a stark contrast to the night that I had seen before¡­


    ¡°... I can see it.¡±


    There it was, the village¡­ Maybe I was luckier than I thought since it still wasn¡¯t clear enough to make out the details¡­ But¡­


    ¡°I can see some¡­ destroyed buildings¡­ Something¡­ in the middle of the plaza¡­ It¡¯s¡­ red¡­¡±


    It had to be that¡­ Thank everything holy and whatever else that I wasn¡¯t able to clearly make it out yet¡­


    ¡°What else? Can you see people?¡±


    ¡°... There are a few large¡­ silhouettes¡­ And some small ones¡­ Maybe six small ones¡­ and ten large ones¡­ The large ones¡­ Are probably monsters¡­¡±


    After all, they didn¡¯t have a visible soul on them. But the small ones did¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ a lot of people in one building¡­ Not sure how many¡­ and fewer in the other two¡­ Maybe around ten in each¡­¡±


    ¡°Twenty-five plus an unknown number in the last building. Can you make out anything else.¡±


    ¡°... No. We¡¯d need to get closer first.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Then let¡¯s do that. And Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Korwen nodded at me then faced the scouts, giving them a signal with his arm to continue, then did the same with the men behind us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s continue. When you see anything else, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We followed behind him. As we walked, I kept a good look at the village. There wasn¡¯t really anything happening there. None of the silhouettes seemed to be moving around at all. Of course, as we closed in¡­ more details presented themselves to me¡­ Especially, from the centre of the village¡­


    What¡­ What is that?


    A large red mass¡­ Not just simply a pile¡­ It was an upright structure forming a large T. Something was¡­ dangling down from the arms of the structure¡­ and things were piled up at the bottom. I didn¡¯t really have to ask, what those were, of course¡­ They became clearer with every step we took.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ I am not¡­ But I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Every single step, the silhouettes became more clear¡­ Every single step¡­ it was easier to realise what I was looking at¡­


    Corpses¡­ Human corpses...


    Once we had approached a good distance, Korwen led us deeper into the forest, so that we wouldn¡¯t get spotted prematurely. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the trees interrupted my view frequently, preventing me from getting a clear image of the scenery in the village. It still didn¡¯t prevent me from seeing them¡­ the dead¡­


    So¡­ So many¡­ dead¡­


    It wasn¡¯t like the times in the slums, the thugs when we rescued Rina or when Lily had killed those assailants. This was¡­ like looking at a mass grave¡­ one that was still bleeding.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Suddenly, Korwen addressed me, having turned around to look.


    ¡°Anything new? From the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°... Ah. One moment.¡±


    Right, I wasn¡¯t only looking at the village to look at the dead. I was doing it to look at the living.


    ¡°There is one man standing with the ogres¡­ The ogres¡­ They¡¯re all wearing armour¡­ and carrying a weapon. Their¡­ skin¡­ is a dark blue¡­ Like the ones in Arkesta.¡±


    ¡°... Only one man?¡±


    ¡°Yes, one. There are¡­ five others. I think they¡¯re¡­ standing watch. They look in different directions. They stand at different spots, too.¡±


    ¡°Guards then. Can you see any odd structures containing magic or puppets?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    Korwen turned to look at the village. It was probably still quite some distance for most here but even they should be able to make out the buildings and the¡­ structure in the middle now.


    ¡°But only one man at the ogres¡­ Mhm¡­ ¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I tried to look over it again but¡­ only one man. He wouldn¡¯t increase into more just because I kept looking.


    His soul¡­ it also looks a little¡­ muddled? And a little dark¡­ Just like Yumelia¡¯s¡­ but hers was also pink¡­


    What did the muddled and dark soul even mean?


    No, wait¡­ Yumelia¡¯s soul¡­ was quite distinctive...


    A pink and muddled soul¡­ Where is it¡­ Where¡­ Where¡­


    Nothing¡­ It wasn¡¯t there¡­ There were two other souls that looked muddled but none of them were pink.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Yumelia doesn¡¯t seem to be there¡­ And¡­ I¡¯m not sure but I think there are two other magicians there. In the buildings.¡±


    ¡°... Two and no Yumelia, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That¡¯s how it was, most likely.


    ¡°That gives us a good idea what to expect then¡­ Now, I got to ask a little harder question.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Can you see the Crystal Flowers?¡±


    ¡°... I can.¡±


    The crystal flowers¡­ Something that could grow on corpses¡­ And it was grown right there, on the corpses in the city centre¡­ Crystal-like structures were covering some of them¡­ Not a lot but¡­ They were there¡­ A good dozen or so spread out on some of the bodies.


    ¡°I see. Good work. You should stop now.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Take a rest. Until we are in position.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I reverted my eyes and the dark night greeted me once more. I glanced at the village and I was unable to discern any details now. I could still see the pile of corpses and the buildings but we still had quite some distance to cover. I thought we were closer already.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. More or less.¡±


    We were quite some distance away, after all. And I had known what would await me. Maybe, especially because I had known in advance, I could take the sight a little better. But... nonetheless¡­ it had been a hard sight.


    Bones¡­ Guts¡­ Torn limbs¡­ That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s not a sight¡­ you can just look at¡­


    The villagers hadn¡¯t died a happy death. That much had been clear.


    And we¡¯re here to stop more of that happening¡­


    I had to keep telling that myself. We were here to stop this. We¡­ We didn¡¯t have to¡­ That much I knew. Korwen told me, this was a job. Something we were paid to do. But¡­ at least I knew that we prevented it from happening again. That gave me at least a bit of relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m here, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you, Sis.¡±


    Karen put her arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer, just close enough that we could still walk fine. It wasn¡¯t for long, but it gave me a bit of strength. I wasn¡¯t alone here.


    We kept walking like this until we arrived. The edge of the forest near the village.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Ambush on the Village

    ¡°They haven¡¯t spotted us yet from the looks of it. That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Only a matter of time until they will, Captain.¡±


    Korwen and Merim watched the occupied village from behind the trees, keeping their profile hidden as much as possible. Similarly, everyone else was either crouching or outright sitting on the ground.


    ¡°That they will. That they will for sure¡­ But not in a pleasant way. For them, of course.¡±


    The distance to the village was¡­ still quite far. Not so far that it would take hours to reach. It was close enough that anyone could now see into the village reasonably well. Just¡­ it was still too far.


    ¡°The magician is too far away¡­ We can¡¯t reach him from here. Haaa¡­ Things are never easy.¡±


    ¡°Even if we could, the other guards would notice the bolt.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem. If the ogres rampage like we hope them to, they¡¯ll have other issues.¡±


    ¡°That means... we need to get closer.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    With furrowed brows, Korwen stared at the village for a few seconds, completely in silence. At one point, he turned around and beckoned someone to come over. A mercenary came over, crouching, as to not get spotted.


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Get Ria and her two lackeys here. And be quiet.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain!¡±


    The man, still crouching, saluted and left. Seeing a man saluting while they were crouching was¡­ weird to look at. Though I was slightly impressed he could keep his balance like that.


    But still¡­ If he calls for Ria, will we go with the brute force approach then?


    I peeked over the bushes hiding us. The sight still made me uncomfortable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at it directly unless you need to.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    With a bit of surprise, I turned around, only to see Merim crouching next to me.


    ¡°We can¡¯t have you barfing right now.¡±


    ¡°... I won¡¯t.¡±


    Such little faith¡­ But I couldn¡¯t say with all my confidence that I wouldn¡¯t. I was thankful that the plan didn¡¯t include me storming into the village but keeping away a little. I was confident that a close-up of the¡­ dead villagers wouldn¡¯t do well on my stomach.


    ¡°Seeing anything new?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Still the same¡­¡±


    A few guards, one magician and the ogres. It was surprising to see how few guards they had. As if they weren¡¯t worried about getting attacked at all. I opened my mouth to ask Merim but then thought better of it. Talking too much would only raise the chance of getting spotted prematurely.


    Unless they have someone with night vision, that probably won¡¯t be an issue¡­


    In that case, we¡¯d be screwed anyway¡­ Actually¡­ night vision was unrelated to sound¡ªobviously¡ªso even if they had someone with it¡­ Ah, but they might have someone with good hearing? Maybe¡­


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Just then¡­ something happened over at the village. The door of one of the buildings opened and a few people walked out.


    ¡°Merim, look.¡±


    ¡°Saw something?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That building.¡±


    I pointed at the one where some people had just walked out of. It was in the back, the one with only a few people inside. But the door was in good sight from our position.


    ¡°New ones¡­ Did they wake up? Keep watch.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Merim turned around and scurried over to Korwen, most likely to inform him. A moment later, he returned, together with Korwen.


    ¡°Let me see¡­ Those four in the centre?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The new people stood near the door, talking with each other. The guards had turned around, to look at the new arrivals. They seemed to have said something, because a moment later, some of them started laughing. Loud enough that we could hear them.


    ¡°... I hope they aren¡¯t going to start some nighttime ritual or something.¡±


    ¡°Do the worshippers do that?¡± I asked Korwen.


    ¡°How should I know? Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they did. Ria might know but¡­ she would have informed me ahead in that case. Anyway, keep the unnecessary questions down.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    And moments ago I held back to keep quiet¡­ that was a little short-lived... Habits¡­ Habits die hard¡­


    ¡°Yumi, did the door open again?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, it did. Someone is coming¡­ out?¡±


    What in the blazes¡­ something came through the door¡­ something big¡­ Or rather, something huge.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s a rare sight¡­ A giant.¡±


    ¡°... Giant?¡±


    That was¡­ a giant? Okay, that¡­ person¡­ was twice as large as anyone else there¡­ In fact, they could use the building¡¯s roof as an armrest if they wanted to.


    ¡°It¡¯s a race from beyond the ocean. We call them giants¡­ for obvious reasons. Strong and heavy. And as smart as any other person.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Great¡­ just when we thought the magicians were our biggest problem.


    ¡°Yumi, can you make out anything on that giant. From the clothing or something? Weapons, equipment, anything.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, one moment¡­¡±


    To check for such details, I had to change my eyes back... Would be hard without.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ The mantle¡­ Wait, that¡¯s the worshipper¡¯s robe, isn¡¯t it? Too small so they wear it like a mantle, huh¡­ The clothes are¡­ just common clothes¡­ Oh, it¡¯s a woman.


    Despite her size, she sported a rather meagre chest¡­ At least, compared to her overall height. But it was still enough to be notable.


    Other than that¡­ Nothing¡­ No, wait.. .that belt¡­ An emblem?


    ¡°There¡¯s an¡­ emblem on her belt. A red¡­ animal? I think¡­ On a round shield¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t say.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Did Korwen know that emblem?


    ¡°Merim, do you recognise an emblem with a red-coloured animal on a round shield?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Too bad.¡±


    So he didn¡¯t actually know¡­


    ¡°Yumi, do any others wear the emblem?¡±


    ¡°Err, let me check.¡±


    I returned my attention to the people in the village. While trying to avoid the view of the corpses as much as possible, I gave each of them a look over¡­ Although, the guards were all wearing their robes so there was little to see. The new arrivals, however, were wearing those robes in a relatively casual manner or not at all. But that was all. No emblems.


    ¡°No, Captain. Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, you say¡­ Then¡­ A runaway noble from beyond the ocean?¡±


    ¡°Huh? A runaway noble?¡±


    ¡°That or something similar. Like a clan. Some military families have emblems too. Anyway, have you seen any weapons?¡±


    ¡°No. No weapons on the new people. The guards¡­ I am not sure. Maybe under their robes¡­¡±


    While I could exclude any heavy or bulky weapons, they could still wear swords or daggers below the robe.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Odd¡­ They¡¯re a little too casual about this¡­ Mm? Yumi, what are they doing now?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ They¡¯re¡­ switching positions, I guess? Nn, the previous guards are entering the building.¡±


    ¡°So it was a switch of the watch. Well, as long¡­ Yumi, what¡¯s that now? Oh shit! Quiet!¡±


    ¡°Nngh?!¡±


    I wondered what he was talking about but I found myself immediately muffled by a hand covering my mouth. From the corner of my eyes, I could barely see him waving with his hand to the mercenaries behind us.


    ¡°Say nothing. You see those two over there. Nod if you can.¡±


    Those two over there? Which two¡­ Ah, there!


    A pair of two was leaving the village and walking right towards the forest. The guard they had passed by was shouting something after them, then laughing.


    Since I spotted them I nodded to Korwen.


    ¡°Keep an eye on them and down on the ground. Slowly. And get ready to move. No sound now.¡±


    I nodded again and he finally let go of my mouth. Then, I slowly laid down onto the ground.


    This is¡­ pretty bad, isn¡¯t it?


    Korwen laid down on the ground next to me. Same for Karen behind me. And all the other mercenaries as well. But¡­ would that be enough?


    If they actually go into the forest, they¡¯ll definitely see us. There¡¯s no way they won¡¯t.


    And then they¡¯d alert the others¡­


    Unless¡­ they can¡¯t¡­


    I followed the two people, or rather their souls, with my eyes. They¡¯d enter the forest a little away from where we were. Since there were so many of us, however, they¡¯d still see plenty of mercenaries hiding there.


    Everyone was silently waiting for something to happen, with nobody saying even a word. The rustling leaves, the wind and the occasional animal cry were the only sounds surrounding us.


    They¡¯re¡­ inside the forest now¡­


    The two people continued to walk and then suddenly stopped. Had they seen the mercenaries? Or were they doing something else? There were plenty of mercenaries around them, after all. They might have made some space but they were maybe half a dozen steps away from each other.


    Can¡¯t see¡­ but I can¡¯t hear anything either¡­


    If they had seen someone, they¡¯d probably either raise a fuss or run back to the village. Neither happened, however. In fact, nothing happened for a good minute or two¡­ until a dull snapping echoed twice in succession.


    Was that¡­ a crossbow?


    As I wondered, what the sound could have been, the two souls dropped to the ground¡­ their light dimmed a little but it was still there¡­ It might have been just my imagination though, that¡¯s how small the difference was.


    But the surrounding mercenaries moved in on the two worshippers, so I was fairly sure they had done something.  In my attempt, to get a better overview I reflexively raised my head and was promptly pressed down to the ground by Korwen.


    ¡°Captain. They¡¯re dealt with,¡± whispered a mercenary behind us.


    ¡°... Well, that was a surprise for sure. Do you know what they were doing?¡±


    ¡°Nighttime fun.¡±


    ¡°... Figured.¡±


    Night¡­ time fun? Seriously? They had gone into the forest for that? When they were in the middle of¡­ Okay, they couldn¡¯t know that we were here, but they were seriously carefree¡­ At the very least, you could say that they had a¡­ happy end¡­ A pretty final happy end.


    ¡°Get everyone ready. And bring me our two best shots.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Quiet, you idiot.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    With a salute, the man left, being replaced immediately by someone else. Someone, I knew well.


    ¡°Ria. That took a while.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I judged¡­ it better to¡­ keep low¡­¡±


    ¡°Which was right. Anyway, we have a problem.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Korwen beckoned her to come over to us so that he could point at the village.


    ¡°The magician keeping the ogres in check is too far away. The crossbows won¡¯t reach him.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I see¡­ You want me¡­ to help them¡­ reach?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ It should¡­ be fine... but they¡­ will likely notice¡­ if I do¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought as much.¡±


    They¡¯ll notice¡­ So, the moment she casts her magic, we have to move quickly¡­


    ¡°Very well. They¡¯ll notice the absence of those two before long. We need to get everyone into position and then we¡¯ll start the attack.¡±


    So, it¡¯d begin soon¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Captain?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all stay behind for now. But once we begin, I¡¯d like you, Karen and the Elder to prepare the banner.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Understood.¡±


    The preparations went by incredibly quickly. Or rather, it¡¯d be bad if they wouldn¡¯t. Most of the mercenaries already had been in position along the edge of the forest. To my left and my right, I could see several mercenaries preparing their crossbows.


    ¡°So, you think you can reach that?¡±


    ¡°Mm, normally? No way. But with dear Ria¡¯s support, sure we can. Leave it to us, Captain.¡±


    ¡°As long as that dude keeps still, that is.¡±


    Korwen was exchanging a few words with the two crossbowmen that would attempt to snipe the magician. Most mercenaries had other weapons along with the crossbows, but these two only carried a crossbow as well as a quiver filled with bolts.


    ¡°Good, get ready and shoot on my signal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Captain.¡±


    The two immediately began to prepare their crossbows. Seeing them, Korwen nodded to himself once and turned to Ria. Behind her were now Wenners and Krutz as well.


    ¡°You three ready as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Captain.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ria answered in her usual lethargic voice, while Wenners and Krutz simply nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Good. On my signal, then.¡±


    Korwen faced towards the village, staring at it for a few seconds.


    ¡°This part always gets me nervous as well¡­ Haaa¡­ Here goes nothing.¡±


    He took a deep breath, straightened himself and lifted his arm.


    ¡°On three,¡± he announced, his voice lower than usual.


    Soon, it¡¯d begin for real¡­


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Three.¡±


    Ria, Wenners and Krutz started muttering words, and the two crossbowmen took aim. The mana stirred, moved violently like a storm. There was no way the magician in the village wouldn¡¯t notice. And noticing he did.


    He¡¯s looking here!


    But he was only looking, not moving or anything. Most likely, he was confused. Not for long. The chant behind me finished and the mana stirred in waves, spreading out in front of us.


    ¡°We¡¯re done¡­ May the fortunes of the wind carry the stake to victory.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Korwen quickly acknowledged it then turned to the two crossbowmen.


    ¡°Take aim.¡±


    The magician in the village seemed to have understood something was going on. He walked to the centre of the village. That¡­ might not have been the wisest of his choices.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    With the dull sound of the band snapping back into place, the crossbows let go of the bolt. With astonishing speed, they flew straight into the village.


    A second passed, then another and another¡­ And then¡­ the dirt behind the magician got thrown into the air.


    Did they miss?!


    I was worried. If they missed now... but just then, the magician toppled to the side and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Hit confirmed, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Both hit.¡±


    Both? But one hit the dirt behind the magician, did he not? I glanced at the magician and quickly understood why that had happened¡­ Blood was spreading out from the chest but there was no bolt in sight at all¡­ It had punctured through. Looking for the other bolt, I could see it lodged in his head, at the top half of the forehead¡­


    They both¡­ hit him at the most lethal points¡­


    I couldn¡¯t imagine that the man had even realised what was happening to him¡­


    ¡°Yumi. The ogres. Check the ogres.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, right.¡±


    The ogres¡­ We had targeted the magician because of the ogres¡­ Those monsters had been just behind the magician¡­


    ¡°... They¡¯re looking¡­ at the magician¡­¡±


    ¡°Looking?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    They stared, their gaze not wavering a single bit. As if they were fixated on something there. Alas, another, inevitable worry came up. The other guards obviously had seen what happened. The giant woman was stomping her way towards the dead magician. She lifted the man with one hand and scrutinised his wounds from close up. Her gaze suddenly snapped in our direction. She threw the magician corpse down on the ground and dove into cover, likely scared of follow-up shots.


    ¡°Still nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nn. They followed the corpse with their eyes but none of them are moving.¡±


    This was bad¡­ They weren¡¯t rampaging at all, were they?


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    He clicked his tongue and watched the situation in the village. The other guards had positioned themselves in the front entrance. They didn¡¯t take cover, for some reason, and just watched intensely in our direction. The only guard that hadn¡¯t either jumped into cover or was watching the forest, ran towards the house where the other worshippers were sleeping in.


    ¡°You two, can you do another shot?¡±


    ¡°Sure can, Captain.¡±


    ¡°All clear.¡±


    ¡°Shoot the ogres. But aim at a non-vital point. On my signal.¡±


    ¡°¡±Understood!¡±¡±


    The two men aimed once more.


    ¡°On three.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Three! Fire!¡±


    For the third time already, the dull sound of the snapping string entered my ears¡­ The bolts flew through the air. This time, I could follow them a little better, as they flew through the air¡­ Whatever magic Ria and the others had used, it still seemed to be in effect. The bolts were¡­ riding the waves of mana¡­ That''s how it seemed, at least.


    The two bolts each hit a different ogre. One got hit in the shoulder, the other was strafed on the leg. In an instant, the ogres stopped staring at the corpse of the magician, instead, their face contorted in anger. A deep deafening roar shook the surroundings, all the way over to us. Not only from the wounded ogres but also the other few behind them.


    ¡°Finally. Now, let¡¯s watch what happens.¡±


    A wide grin was on Korwen¡¯s lips. He clearly enjoyed watching his¡­ But it wasn¡¯t surprising he did. With only a few shots, the village was about to turn a little more chaotic. The enraged ogres grabbed their weapons and flailed them around. They hit the debris of the collapsed buildings, launching wood into the air. They roared and ran towards the guards. One of the ogres smashed a guard with his club-like weapon before the latter could dodge or defend themselves. Only the legs were left of the man. The swing was so fast, I hadn¡¯t seen where the remainder of the guard disappeared to. Assuming, there even was anything else left¡­


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to look away, for now, Yumi. We¡¯ll watch out,¡± said Korwen.


    ¡°... No. I¡¯ll watch.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I had to get used to this¡­ Or at least, I had to be able to deal with it. Thankfully, we were at quite a distance. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to bear it otherwise. Just now, another guard got smashed by an ogre.


    ¡°Good, good, this is going well.¡±


    Korwen chuckled to himself as he watched the door of a building slammed open and several worshippers running outside. As well as from one of the other buildings, where the front was facing away from us. Some armed worshippers attacked the ogres. They stood in front of the pile in the village centre as if they were defending it.


    ¡°Captain, are they¡­ defending that¡­ corpse pile?¡±


    ¡°Mhm? That¡­ might be the case¡­ They¡¯re probably protecting the Crystal Flowers rather than the corpses.¡±


    Right, those drugs¡­


    ¡°More importantly¡­ Can you see the other magicians?¡±


    ¡°Err, one moment.¡±


    The other magicians¡­ were likely those that had a similarly muddled soul. I had seen two of them before¡­


    ¡°Ah, there. He¡¯s trying to¡­ get to the corpse of the other magician.¡±


    ¡°Hee, then it probably is just as I expected.¡±


    ¡°Nn? As expected.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re controlling the ogres not necessarily with magic, but with the help of a tool. You¡¯d think they¡¯d take back the control, otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    That was true¡­ But they hadn¡¯t taken back the control...


    ¡°You two, can you take that magician out?¡±


    ¡°... No chance, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even know who it is. Can¡¯t see as far as the girl.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, well, can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Well, the ogres and the worshippers were now engaged in a rather chaotic melee¡­ Much to my surprise, the worshippers held themselves rather well¡­ I¡¯d seen about two or three more getting killed by the ogres but after that, the armed men managed to defend and keep the ogres busy.


    ¡°Captain, isn¡¯t this bad? If they manage to get them back under control¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad but I would like it if they don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows, then turned around to Ria and her two followers.


    ¡°Ria, is that magic effective for the other crossbowmen as well?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It should¡­ work for¡­ everyone¡­ close by¡­¡±


    ¡°How close.¡±


    ¡°Around¡­ twenty steps¡­ I think¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Nodding once, he then raised his arm, gesturing towards the mercenaries on our right.


    ¡°The next ten of you, get ready!¡±


    Having confirmed that the men followed his command, he did the same on our left. The two crossbowmen next to us also took aim.


    ¡°Take wild shots, just disturb them as much as possible. Fire at will!¡±


    A second later, a cacophony of crossbow shots echoed through the forest. Nearly two dozen bolts soared towards the village. Some fell short and never even reached the village, some hit the buildings or the debris. Only a few actually reached their target area, where the armed worshippers were fighting the ogres.


    The worshippers noticed the attack, but they couldn¡¯t do much other than defending themselves. The magician that was trying to get to the other man¡¯s corpse crouched down, his arms in the air. It was hard to see but I was fairly sure he was using magic right now. Not that I could discern its effect, right now. Considering the situation, he probably was defending himself.


    But where¡¯s the other magician?


    I was fairly sure there had been two in the buildings¡­ For a total of three¡­


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t find the third magician.¡±


    ¡°... Nowhere at all?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    The muddled soul was nowhere to be found. I checked another time, just to be sure, but still nothing.


    ¡°Look out for him. Immediately report when you see him.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    Just then, the crossbowmen had finished reloading and were taking another shot at the village. This time, however, the shots weren¡¯t all going together, probably because the men were reloading at slightly different speeds. Or maybe it was intentional. It still achieved its effect. The unarmed worshippers took cover, trying to stay out of sight. The armed worshippers, however, didn¡¯t have the choice. They couldn¡¯t run away while fighting the ogres.


    This¡­ If it keeps going like this, maybe we won¡¯t even need to fight them directly¡­ Woah! Those crossbows are scary.


    I watched in horror as a bolt penetrated a piece of wood, injuring the man behind. The bolt stuck in his upper arm, he fell to the ground, flailing wildly and screaming in pain.


    ¡°It¡¯s like the cover doesn¡¯t even matter¡­¡±


    ¡°It does matter. But it¡¯s not definite protection. A crossbow can even puncture regular armour and shields up to a certain distance.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s quite scary.¡±


    ¡°But effective, as you can see. It also needs less training than a bow. They¡¯re great weapons. Whoever invented them, they¡¯ve got my thanks.¡±


    Just then, a loud roaring sounded through the village. Not the roar of an ogre or a monster, however, it was the roar of a weapon.


    ¡°Now, colour me surprised. They got firearms.¡±


    ¡°... Firearms?¡±


    ¡°Like that pistol. Can¡¯t see the one who took the shot though. Yumi, look for him.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Someone with a firearm¡­ A firearm¡­


    ¡°There, on the left¡­ I think. He¡¯s holding something that looks like a long rifle. And he¡¯S facing in our direction.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Any others there?¡±


    ¡°No, only that one person.¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll need to keep an eye on him but at that distance, he¡¯s not a threat.¡±


    Not a threat? But it was a ranged weapon, wasn¡¯t it? He was bound to hit someone given time.


    ¡°Won¡¯t he hit someone soon, though?¡±


    ¡°That thing isn¡¯t accurate enough to hit us. We¡¯re hidden behind the bushes and trees as well. As long as he doesn¡¯t come closer, that is¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain, should we aim at him?¡± asked one of the crossbowmen.


    ¡°Mhm, actually, yes, if you can, do that.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    And not even half a minute later, the man carrying the rifle was on the ground, dead¡­ The difference in effectiveness was¡­ scary¡­ Really...


    But you still need to be pretty skilled to hit someone at that range¡­


    Those two were good at this¡­ The other mercenaries were shooting mostly blind into the village, hoping for a lucky hit. But these two were able to take proper aim and hit someone.


    ¡°Mhm, seems they¡¯ve given up on the ogres.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    My thoughts were brought back to the present by Korwen¡¯s comment. My eyes wandered back to the village, just in time to see an ogre falling to the ground, dead.


    ¡°Eh? What is happening?¡±


    Just a moment ago, the ogres were still attacking the armed worshippers, forcing them to defend constantly. And then, the sides turned in a single moment.


    ¡°They¡¯ve stopped trying to retake control. You should be able to see it better than me, however. Too dark, too far.¡±


    Well, that was true¡­ Wait, right, it was dark for them as well¡­ I barely noticed because I could see as clear as in the day right now¡­


    That makes those crossbowmen even more impressive¡­


    Respect¡­ Seriously¡­


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to get ready, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Korwen stood up and stretched his arms.


    ¡°Karen, Miss Elder, prepare Yumi¡¯s banner.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Mr Korwen.¡±


    The two behind me stood up as well, Karen lifting the banner from the ground.


    ¡°Wenners, Krutz, protect us from any attacks.¡±


    ¡°¡±... Yes, Sir.¡±¡±


    ¡°Ria, keep in the back and prepare yourself to fight.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Understood¡­¡±


    Still a little wary, I also stood up. Soon, it would be time for my part in all of this¡­ I had to prepare as well¡­ Although, Karen and the Elder were already getting the banner ready for me¡­ But I still had to prepare myself mentally as well...


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Captain?¡±


    ¡°Stay right at my side, understood?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He grinned, then pressed his large hand onto my head.


    ¡°Now the fun part will begin.¡±


    ¡°The¡­ fun part?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure if I could call that fun¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡±


    Err, would I?


    ¡°Mr Captain, should we pull off the cloth as well?¡±


    ¡°Will it light up when you do?¡±


    ¡°No, it will not. They will only glow in accordance with my will, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    The two girls pulled off the cloth that was covering most of the banner and its shaft. Several plants were fixated on it. The glowing plants the Elder had prepared.


    ¡°Yumi, here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sis.¡±


    I received the banner from Karen. It was still heavy and I had some trouble keeping it straight up like this¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Sis.¡±


    Clutching the banner in my arms, I returned a smile to her kind words. Seeing me like that, Karen smiled as well, then bowed down a little.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    A slightly wet sensation on my forehead¡­


    ¡°... Thank you, Sis.¡±


    I was sure, my smile had turned into a full-width grin. I felt happy. Despite the time and place, I felt happy. All my nervousness and my worries were gone in an instant.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m going.¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be right behind you.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    By the time, I turned around to catch up with Korwen, the situation in the village had drastically changed. The ogres were dead and the few armed worshippers¡­ had grown in numbers... The buildings were mostly empty now, with nearly all the worshippers out. Armed and wide awake.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s send them off to some¡­ pleasant dreams, shall we?¡±


    Rinne


    I got a slightly important announcement to make, mostly in regards to my Patreon. If you don''t care about that, you can ignore this.


    First of all, the total advance chapters have finally reached ten. With that, my initial goal for the tiers has been reached. Took way too long but well...


    Anyway, since the tiers are finally filled with some chapters, I decided to change the currency on my Patreon next month. I live in Europe so the dollar isn''t the currency I usually use. And Patreon made it possible now to change the currency to another, so I''ll change it to the Euro. This saves me quite a bit on conversion fees.


    So, why do I even mention this here? Because this change will make pledges a little bit more expensive across the board. But existing pledges will remain unchanged. So, if anyone has been playing with the thought of supporting me, doing so before the 5th of April would save you some money.


    Well, whether you do or not is up to you all. But I thought it''d be important to let people know about this.


    I also made an announcement post on Patreon if you are interested in it: Click here.


    Well then, that''s already all I had to say.


    Thank you very much for reading! I hope everyone stays safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: March and Fight

    It was time¡­ Time for the actual fight¡­ The actual battle¡­ against the worshippers¡­


    ¡°Okay, Yumi, you¡¯ll stay right next to me. Karen and the Elder, you two stay behind us. Ria, you come too. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Korwen gave us some last-minute instructions. The banner was up and ready, only waiting to be lighted up by the Elder. The other mercenaries had stopped firing their crossbows at the village, so I could clearly see what was happening. Several worshippers had taken control of the situation, coordinating the others so that they could kill the ogres. Much to my surprise, the worshippers hadn¡¯t lost many people except for the initial few deaths.


    ¡°Miss Elder, at my signal you¡¯ll light it up..¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    I could hear someone gulping, close to me. I didn¡¯t know who but¡­ at least I wasn¡¯t the only one nervous.


    ¡°... They¡¯ve about cleaned now, huh. Quicker than expected.¡±


    ¡°... Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°Not really. We still outnumber them two to one at the very least. Maybe even three to one. Yumelia still isn¡¯t in sight. The ogres are dead. No traps or dolls in sight. I doubt they¡¯ll be able to put up much of a resistance, but¡­¡±


    Korwen scratched his chin as he stared at the village and the worshippers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this. Where is Yumelia? And the other magician? Haa¡­ Stay on alert all the time, got it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know either where Yumelia and the other magician were¡­


    ¡°... Merim.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Take a few men and scout the surroundings. If you find anything, immediately come back.¡±


    ¡°... Captain?¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Merim saluted, and turned around, calling out to a few men close-by and preparing a scout team.


    ¡°Yumi, keep an eye out on whatever is in your field of vision. Don¡¯t look around too much when the light is up.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    He was worried about the people that were missing¡­ Well, I was curious as well as to where Yumelia was¡­ Although, I wouldn¡¯t complain if she wasn¡¯t going to show up.


    ¡°It¡¯s nearly time.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The last ogre fell down to the ground with a roar. All the ogres had been killed by the worshippers¡­ And that meant, their attention was going to turn to us now. A few worshippers instantly turned their sights on us and were up and about to rush towards us, only to be held back by some others. One of them shouted a few words and then¡­ They all took cover behind the buildings?


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Not rushing towards us, huh¡­ Seems they got at least one or two people with a working head. Too bad. Miss Elder, light it up.¡±


    ¡°In just a moment, Mr Korwen.¡±


    Behind me, the Elder crouched down and grabbed a vine that was lying on the ground. A few seconds later, the flowers hanging from the banner opened up and emitted a small glow. Ever so slowly, the light¡¯s intensity grew, until they illuminated us well enough.


    They¡¯re looking...


    The worshippers noticed and peeked their heads out from behind the cover, watching us. I could spot a few of them pointing in our direction and saying something. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know what.


    ¡°Ria, if you could¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Next to me, the two exchanged a glance and Ria began to cast some magic. Korwen cleared his throat as if to confirm something. After a nod to himself, he took a deep breath and stepped forward, facing the village and the worshippers.


    ¡°We are the Lomerian Dragon Knights! Worshippers of the Witch! Surrender and we will spare your lives! Resist and we will slay each and every one of you!¡±


    A voice much louder than I had expected came from Korwen. My ears felt like they¡¯d burst. It took me a moment to recover from the unexpected noise¡­


    Nn? Something¡¯s happening over there¡­


    A few robe-clad worshippers, around five of them, walked out of cover and shouted in our direction¡­


    ¡°Faithless dog! The Grand Witch will protect us! We do not fear you!¡±


    ¡°Take that unsightly impostor and leave!¡±


    ¡°The Grand Witch shall show no mercy!¡±


    ¡°Go all to hell!¡±


    Their voices were barely audible but a few things could be understood. They were throwing insults at us¡­ Like, really? They just lost some people, got shot at us by crossbows and¡­ they were throwing insults? Were these people children? Did they have no sense of danger?


    ¡°How convenient,¡± muttered Korwen with a hushed voice.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He raised his arm¡­ and threw it forward, pointing at the insult-throwing worshippers.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    A cacophony of strings snapping back into position, crossbows launching their arrows and sending them straight to the men.


    ¡°Wahh!¡±


    ¡°Cover! Cover!¡±


    ¡°The Grand Witch will prote¡ª Grhg!¡±


    ¡°Gyaahh!¡±


    ¡°Hii!¡±


    No, the witch wasn¡¯t protecting him. An arrow pierced right into his throat. He clawed at the arrow, desperate to get it out. It seemed like he was trying to gasp for air¡­


    The others were luckier, mostly, and came away with superficial wounds. Now, they were behind cover again, watching their comrade suffocating and dying a painful death...


    ¡°Well, only one of them actually had enough faith to keep standing. So much to that.¡±


    And now that one was dead¡­ Yeah¡­


    Korwen took another deep breath, preparing to call out to them, but before he could, some worshippers took out bows and shot in our direction.


    ¡°Ca¡ª Captain?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move. They won¡¯t reach.¡±


    And true to his words, most of the arrows fell short by a long shot¡­ The majority barely reached half the distance, only two arrows actually landed relatively close to us. Nonetheless, it was pretty scary seeing arrows flying at you¡­ A few worshippers attempted another shot but the result was the same.


    ¡°That¡­ That was scary¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it show. Stand firm.¡±


    ¡°O¡ª Okay¡­¡±


    I took a few breaths to calm my nerves and faced forward again.


    ¡°Ria is behind us protecting us. You can trust in her. She won¡¯t let an arrow hit us.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them startle you. Look at their weapons. How do they look to you?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Like bows?¡±


    They sure looked like bows to me, at least.


    ¡°Simple bows? Recurve bows? Composite bows? Both?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uh¡­ Simple? I think? They don¡¯t look all that well-made.¡±


    Rather, some of them were pretty crude but I spotted bows that had a pretty sleek and neat appearance. Only two, though. Maybe it had been those archers that shot the furthest.


    ¡°Then they won¡¯t reach us. A skilled archer might reach us with a good bow but actually hitting us is another question altogether.


    Safe¡­ Huh¡­ Considering we were still being shot at, that felt a little weird. But true to his words, none of the arrows even got close to our position. The archers that had shot the furthest didn¡¯t seem to attempt another shot either.


    ¡°Most of them are probably entirely unskilled with a bow and with weapons in general. But since they managed to fight the ogres, there are some among them with combat experience. They will be the biggest issue.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So we had to be careful of them.


    ¡°But I¡¯m surprised they¡¯re still keeping at it. They should¡¯ve realised they are wasting arrows.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ The ones still shooting seem pretty mad¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Mad, huh¡­ That only serves us. Well, let¡¯s bring it up a notch, shall we? Ria, another time, if you could.¡±


    ¡±Will¡­ do¡­¡±


    The lethargic voice behind us cast another spell. This was likely to make Korwen¡¯s voice louder, so they¡¯d actually understand him. That reminded me¡­ I couldn¡¯t cover my ears¡­ Even though I knew what was coming now¡­


    Ahh, here we go again¡­


    ¡°Worshippers! No witch will come to save you! No witch will come and mete out punishment. Surrender now and you can keep your lives!¡±


    His shout continued to echo in my hurting ears for a few seconds¡­ Next time I¡¯d ask for ear plugs.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Didn¡¯t work, did it?¡± commented Korwen, once again in a hushed voice.


    The worshippers didn¡¯t come rushing at us or anything. They actually even stopped shooting arrows at us. Instead, they were¡­ continuing to stare at us.


    ¡°Yumi, can you see anything of note?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Guess this is about it, then.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I could see Korwen gesturing with his arm.


    ¡°Everyone with a shield to the front! Spears behind the shields.¡±


    From behind us, dozens of mercenaries emerged, weapons drawn and wide grins on their faces. Some of them walked up in front of us, carrying large shields.


    ¡°Yumi, we¡¯re moving. Keep the banner up high. If you have trouble, let Karen help you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Captain.¡±


    It took me a moment to realise what was actually happening. What Korwen meant with ¡®this was it.¡¯ It was simple. The bait tactic didn¡¯t work that well, and so we¡¯d assault them. From the front.


    ¡°Oh, and, keep yourself behind the shields and the other mercenaries. You don¡¯t want a stray arrow to hit you.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Yes, I didn¡¯t want that. I definitely didn¡¯t want that.


    ¡°Well, looks good. Then, Yumi, want to do the honours?¡±


    ¡°The honours?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just shout what I¡¯m about to tell you.¡±


    Korwen bowed down to me and whispered something in my ear.


    ¡°You good?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Then, do it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Bracing myself, I opened my mouth and inhaled the air.


    ¡°Lomerian Dragon Knights! The enemy is before us! Show them no mercy! March and fight!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±OOOHHHH!!!¡±¡±¡±


    The mercenaries all roared in unison. And with the roar, they took their first step forward. With us right in the middle, I was obviously also forced to lift the banner and move.


    ¡°Ah, ah, ah!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Ah! Ahh¡­ Sis, thank you.¡±


    Karen caught the banner before I accidentally let it drop to the ground, holding it up with me. She probably heard that Korwen said she could help me.


    ¡°Should I carry it?¡±


    ¡°... No, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°But your help is welcome.¡±


    Karen regarded me with a wry smile and kept her left hand on the banner to keep it stable, helping me carry it.


    We faced forward, the direction we were slowly walking to. Or rather, marching to. The mercenaries walked in practised unison and it wasn¡¯t hard to find the rhythm and speed to match them. Two rows of mercenaries stood right in front of us, with the front row holding up shields and the row behind carrying spears.


    ¡°Crossbowmen! Prepare to fire!¡± shouted Korwen.


    He raised his arm again, so that he could signal them.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    A moment later, a volley of arrows flew over our heads, straight at the village. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t confirm what was happening there, with all the mercenaries blocking my view now.


    ¡°Prepare for a second volley!¡±


    Behind me, I could hear the mercenaries getting the crossbows ready to fire once more. Korwen hadn¡¯t raised his arm this time so the reload would probably take a short while. In the meantime, we continued to march forwards. I wondered if we¡¯d just continue to approach like this, until a high-pitched sound came from my right.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Ria! Do it!¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ May the¡­ blessing of the spirits¡­ grant us fortune¡­ May the winds¡­ protect us¡­¡±


    A soft breeze caressed my cheeks as it rose upwards. The next moment, something flew over my head and past me, disappearing out of my sight.


    Was that¡­ an arrow?


    It was too fast for me to recognise it but¡­ There wasn¡¯t much else it could have been. In that case, the loud noise before¡­ Had that been an arrow as well?


    So, they can reach us already¡­ Then, Ria is protecting us, right now?


    The soft breeze I felt was probably protection against the arrows. I could still see the mana doing its work above me. It looked a little like a soft and fluffy cloud, stretching all over our heads. Another arrow flew past us, riding the soft mana clouds and disappearing behind us. As we continued to march, the number of arrows increased ever so slowly. And once in a while, a loud-pitched sound came from the front row, as some arrows hit the shields.


    Some of the arrows¡­ They actually pierce through.


    A few shields were damaged with arrows sticking in them. Only a few but it still gave me cause to worry. To think that an arrow had so much force behind it.


    ¡°Crossbowmen, prepare to fire!¡±


    Once more, Korwen raised his arm.


    ¡°Fire!¡±


    Another volley of crossbow arrows flew above my head at the worshippers.


    ¡°Lomerian Dragon Knights! Show them worshippers what you are made of! March and fight!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±March and fight! March and fight! March and fight!¡±¡±¡±


    With Korwen¡¯s instigation, the mercenaries started chanting those words like a spell. More and more joined until it drowned out all other sounds.


    ¡°¡±¡±March and fight! March and fight! March and fight!¡±¡±¡±


    They continued chanting, loud and full of vigor. And we were right in the middle of it.


    ¡°¡±¡±March and fight! March and fight! March and fight!¡±¡±¡±


    It grew louder and louder as more mercenaries joined the chant. The force, the vigor¡­ Something about it made me want to join in¡­ Join these mercenaries¡­ Join the rhythm of their chant.


    ¡°¡±¡±March and fight! March and fight! March and fight!¡±¡±¡±


    Before I knew it, Karen and I were shouting too. Something inside me just¡­ compelled me to. I didn¡¯t think all too deeply about it, I just shouted together with them. The only thing on my mind at this moment was to move forward and to shout.


    ¡°¡±¡±March and fight! March and fight! March and fight!¡±¡±¡±


    Before long, we had covered most of the way to the village. The number of arrows shot at us had decreased but maybe I just couldn¡¯t hear them over the deafening noise. From the corner of my eye, I saw Korwen watching what was happening, his expression stern. Then, he raised something. Not his arm, but his weapon, his axe.


    ¡°Lomerian Dragon Knights! Attack the worshippers! Charge!¡± he shouted, barely audible over the noise.


    ¡°¡±¡°OOOHHHHHH!¡±¡±¡±


    The mercenaries raised their weapons and roared, the formation loosened up and they picked up the pace, starting to run. Karen and I followed, as best as we could but the trained mercenaries quickly left us behind. Only now I realised how close we really were to the village. Maybe a few dozen steps away from the first building.


    ¡°Yumi! Karen!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?¡±


    As we ran after the mercenaries, Korwen stopped us at the entrance.


    ¡°Come with me.¡±


    ¡°... Ah. Yes.¡±


    It took me a moment to process what Korwen wanted. The other mercenaries were already inside the village, fighting the worshippers.


    No, that¡¯s not a fight¡­


    They were running, trying to flee, only to be cut down by the mercenaries chasing them. This wasn¡¯t a fight. It was a one-sided slaughter.


    ¡°Then, don¡¯t stand there in a daze and come.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I clutched the banner a little harder. This was¡­ This was our job¡­


    Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I tried to focus on what was going on before me. Seeing that we were ready to move, Korwen turned around and led us into the village. Not running, just¡­ casually strolling in.


    ¡°Tha¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Karen suddenly stopped next to me, staring at something in the village¡­ In the village centre¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    It¡­ was a horrible sight¡­ Dead men and women of various ages¡­ piled up, fixed in place by stakes¡­ They all had horrible wounds¡­ Some missed even their limbs or¡­ other parts of their bodies¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    Neither of us knew what to say¡­ After a few seconds, Karen averted her gaze, her expression pale.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    If I had a hand free, I would¡¯ve tried to take hers and comfort her a little¡­ but I couldn¡¯t, right now. We both directed our gaze to Korwen, who was patiently waiting for us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    He led us through the village, towards a large building.


    ¡°Mhm, this should be it¡­¡±


    ¡°... Captain?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, plant that banner here.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhm¡­ here?¡±


    I walked to the spot he pointed at and let down the banner. Since he said to ¡®plant¡¯ it there, I tried to push it into the ground but¡­ Well, no comment.


    ¡°Sis¡­ Could you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Karen took hold of the banner and pushed it into the ground, fixing it in place.


    ¡°So, uhm¡­ Captain? What¡¯s the point of that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to show that we have taken over.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Taken over, huh¡­ He didn¡¯t even question what the result would be¡­ I turned around and watched what was happening in the village. Most of the worshippers had already been killed¡­  This wasn¡¯t a fight. It was a one-sided slaughter. Within a few minutes, there was only a single group left that put up resistance, including the giant woman and the magician. Everyone else had already been killed¡­ It happened in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°The only ones who didn¡¯t lose their nerves.¡±


    ¡°Lose their nerves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Do you remember what I told you back in Arkesta? Fear is a very effective tool. And a coordinated group of heavily armed men three times your numbers, marching straight at you, shouting and roaring. Not many people can keep their nerves.¡±


    Then, the other worshippers were trying to run¡­ because they were scared?


    ¡°Then, that chanting¡­¡±


    ¡°Scare the enemy and motivate your allies. Simple, but effective. As you surely noticed yourself. You were quite into it.¡±


    That¡­ was true¡­ It just felt like¡­ I had to join them¡­


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll talk about that another time. Taddick and Ria can deal with the few ones that remain. Come, let¡¯s take a look at this house for now.¡±


    With those words, Korwen opened the door and stepped into the building. We followed behind him, entering a large room that¡­ desperately needed a clean-up. A few lamps barely illuminated the inside.


    ¡°Looks like a robber went through this place¡­¡± I commented.


    ¡°The worshippers are basically like robbers, so that¡¯s not too wrong.¡±


    Furniture was destroyed, damaged or flipped over. Scraps of wood and food were one the floor and clothes were lying around on the floor.


    ¡°If you see anything of note, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    It felt a little anticlimactic, how we went from charging into the village straight to searching the building¡­ With that said, Korwen seemed to have a reason to do so.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Can¡¯t see anything notable¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a regular home¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    There was a space in the middle of the room where blankets were covering the ground. Probably their sleeping place. But that was about the only thing noteworthy.


    ¡°Huh... Yumi, look at this.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I walked over to Karen to look at what she had found. In her hands was a small bag, filled with a glistening grey powder.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. At least, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s salt.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask the captain.¡±


    Taking the bag with us, we went to Korwen who was looking around the other side of the room.


    ¡°Captain, we found something.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    He stopped and turned around to look at us. Karen presented him the bag with the powder, which he promptly took.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what it is, though¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    He didn¡¯t answer, just staring at the bag. A moment of silence later, he looked up from the bag again.


    ¡°Was this the only one you found?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I think so?¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Captain, what is that?¡±


    ¡°... Crushed Crystal Flowers.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Crushed Crystal Flowers? Those things they were growing on the dead bodies?


    ¡°Then¡­ those are drugs?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re drugs.¡±


    I stared at the bag that was now in Korwen¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Then, those are¡­ from outside?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe. But maybe not. If they¡¯re from here there should be a place where they processed this.¡±


    ¡°A place where they processed this¡­ Wouldn¡¯t a mortar and pestle be enough?¡±


    ¡°Then find me that mortar and pestle.¡±


    How demanding¡­


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s in one of the other buildings? Might be.¡±


    ¡°We can take a look around those afterwards.¡±


    Great¡­


    At that moment, the door opened and a mercenary man entered.


    ¡°Captain! The worshippers have been subjugated!¡±


    ¡°Mh, good. Any casualties? Prisoners?¡±


    ¡°No casualties, sir! Only minor injuries. A few worshippers have been taken captive!¡±


    ¡°Good. Have Taddick get two teams together and search the other intact buildings.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir!¡±


    The man saluted and left as quickly as he had come.


    ¡°So¡­ the job is over?¡± asked Karen, turning to Korwen.


    ¡°... I wonder about that.¡±


    He furrowed his brows in response to her question.


    ¡°We are still missing the other magician and Yumelia. To add on that, there were too few worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Maybe they fled?¡±


    ¡°That magician maybe but what about Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    Good question¡­ If I recalled correctly, Will said that the biggest problem of this job would be a particularly dangerous magician. We assumed that this was likely Yumelia. But neither was Yumelia here nor was there any other notable magician. It might have been the one who fled or the one who died immediately but¡­


    ¡°I doubt this is over yet¡­¡±


    Korwen stared at the powder in his hands again.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go outside and take a look at the situation for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Outside, the mercenaries were already beginning to clean up, collecting the bodies of the dead worshippers. Barely two minutes ago they had killed these people and now¡­


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Taddick. Did you already get those teams ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There are only two other buildings standing, so it shouldn¡¯t take too long for them to search it. Was there anything in that building?¡±


    ¡°This.¡±


    Korwen handed over the bag with the powder to Taddick, who inspected it.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Crystal Flowers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Taddick¡¯s eyes narrowed at those words. Then, he silently returned the bag to Korwen.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Ria?¡±


    ¡°Over there. She¡¯s inspecting the¡­ err¡­  pillar¡­¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get back to work.¡±


    Taddick saluted and left. Maybe it was just my imagination but he looked a little paler suddenly. Korwen watched after him for a bit, until he let out a sigh and walked off towards Ria. She was standing near the¡­ pile of corpses and inspecting the flowers growing on them. Nearby were Wenners and Krutz, taking notes and discussing something. I tried not to look at their subject of study as much as I could¡­ It was hard to deal with...


    ¡°Ria!¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Captain? Is something¡­ the matter?¡±


    ¡°There is. Take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Just like Taddick before, Ria received the bag from Korwen and took a look.


    ¡°Crystal Flowers¡­ Crushed¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°That much we thought as well. Can you tell us anything else?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Wenners¡­ might¡­¡±


    ¡°Wenners?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Korwen raised his eyebrows at the unexpected name that came up. The person himself was raising his voice in surprise at the mention of his name.


    ¡°Captain¡­ Do¡­ Do you need me?¡±


    ¡°Wenners, what can you tell me about that powder here?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ powder?¡±


    Wenners received the bag from Ria, his hands shaking. Not quite sure if it was because he wasn¡¯t comfortable or because he received it from Ria.


    ¡°Crystal Flower drugs¡­ They¡¯re already processed.¡±


    ¡°Yes, what else can you tell us?¡±


    ¡°... They¡¯re not from this village.¡±


    ¡°... They aren¡¯t?¡±


    Not from this village¡­ Then¡­


    ¡°Crystal Flowers need to¡­ well¡­ dry after they are picked. They don¡¯t really dry in the sense that flowers do but rather, the mana composition has to settle down. That can take several days. Crystal Flowers also take many days to grow in the first place¡­ And this village wasn¡¯t destroyed that long ago.¡±


    ¡°Then, they¡¯re from another village¡­ Guess they really were behind the disappearances of the other villages then. But why do they even need this stuff...¡±


    Wenners shook his head, indicating that he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°There are many reasons they could use it¡­ Maybe they¡¯re after the strengthening effect of it?¡±


    ¡°The strengthening¡­ Mhm¡­ How strong is that effect?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ that much¡­ It depends on the person but usually it¡¯s only a very small increase in physical strength.¡±


    ¡°But is that not simply because they lose all restraint?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Maybe¡­ It¡¯s not really a common research topic¡­ considering the origin of the drug...¡±


    All restraint, huh¡­ A person with no restraint could be quite strong, to my knowledge. So that was the most plausible explanation. But that still wouldn¡¯t answer why they were growing this drug.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ In any case, we¡¯ll confiscate this stuff and hand it over to Will and Ruben. They can deal with the aftermath. Good work, Wenners.¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes, Captain!¡±


    His eyes lit up at the praise from Korwen. He looked like a happy child that got praised for helping their parents out.


    ¡°Now then, the only thing left for us to do is to clean up and wait for Merim to return¡­¡±


    Right, he sent Merim out to scout the surroundings. But rather than that¡­


    ¡°Captain, are you not going to interrogate those prisoners?¡±


    ¡°Taddick will take care of that. Though, now that you mention it, I am a little interested in who they caught. Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Korwen surveyed the surroundings until he spotted the group of worshippers that had been caught. Surrounding them were several mercenaries, including Taddick. They were standing very close to the prisoners, their arms crossed and an expression on their faces that made me think they¡¯d murder those worshippers any second now¡­


    ¡°Oh, that giant woman was caught too.¡±


    Among the three or four prisoners was one woman. A woman so large she was still at eye height with the men surrounding them, even though she was sitting on the ground.


    ¡°Seems like Taddick got that under control, though. Mhm, Yumi, is the magician among those?¡±


    ¡°Eh, one moment¡­ No, he isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good. They¡¯re a pain to deal with. Can¡¯t really keep them captive.¡±


    In other words, it was good that he was dead.


    ¡°So, changing the topic a little. What was your impression so far? Regarding all of this?¡±


    ¡°Eh, my impression?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I thought for a moment, pondered over what I had experienced just now.


    ¡°It ended quickly. Or more like, one moment we were running to the village and the next it was already over¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ I feel a little...¡±


    ¡°... Unsatisfied?¡±


    ¡°Err, I don¡¯t know if I would call it that¡­ It bothers me, though¡­¡±


    It was like an itch you couldn¡¯t scratch¡­ If this was me feeling unsatisfied¡­ Then what was it that I had been expecting? A grand melee, mercenaries fighting, combat to the death¡­ And me standing in the back having to watch it¡­ Such things?


    ¡°I think I just expected something a little different¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so. Well, that¡¯s what happens when you overwhelmingly beat down the other party. How about you, Karen? Feeling the same?¡±


    I glanced at Karen next to me and saw her nodding to his question.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to do my best protecting Yumi and possibly fighting those worshippers¡­ In the end, I haven¡¯t¡­ done a single thing.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ But isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°A good thing?¡±


    She tilted her head at Korwen¡¯s question.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have to step in, that means things went well up to that point. I mean, think about it. You two are both still completely green behind the ears. If we needed you two to fight at all costs, then we clearly failed at our job.¡±


    That¡­ was one way to look at it.


    ¡°Of course, I do intend to make use of you all the same. And we¡¯ll get you trained up to the point that you two as well can at least shoot a crossbow.¡±


    Hopefully, well enough that I could actually hit something too¡­


    ¡°And with that out of the way¡­ Yumi, I want you to do something.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Those tentacles growing from your mana crystals. I want you to cover each entrance of the village.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    He wanted me to make the tentacle growth grow here?


    ¡°According to what Fenna told me, they can attack and fight to a degree, right?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, they did kill the ropers in the pitfall but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s already good enough. If you can get some pitfalls set up as well, that¡¯d be even better.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ But, may I ask why?¡±


    ¡°... Because we might need them in the worst case. This job isn¡¯t over yet.¡±


    In the worst case¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain... What do you mean with that?¡±


    ¡°The same as before, Karen. Where is Yumelia? Where is that other magician? Where are the other worshippers? The ones we fought here are not even remotely as many as Will told us.¡±


    ¡°You think they might come back here?¡±


    ¡°... They might.¡±


    Then, this really wasn¡¯t over yet¡­


    ¡°Nn, understood. Uhm¡­ But, the other mercenaries will definitely notice them¡­¡±


    ¡°Just say it¡¯s your kind of magic. We already discussed our plans, didn¡¯t we? The more of my men already know in advance and can get used to it, the less they will complain afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    If that¡¯s what he had decided. Good thing I had brought along my mana crystals for such a case.


    ¡°Ah, and¡­ if you see the Elder, have her help you out.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The¡­ elder? Speaking of which¡­ where was she? When did she disappear?


    ¡°Will do¡­ When we see her.¡±


    ¡°Good. Get to it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    Rinne


    Don''t forget to switch to DST on your clocks, for those who had it today.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Aftermath

    ¡°They¡¯re watching¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ They sure are watching¡­ Well, can¡¯t blame them... Okay, where next?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Over there. Then we covered all the major entrances.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Covering each of the entrances to the village with tentacles was more exhausting than I had expected. This was probably the first time I had grown this many tentacles at once. The main road into the village was considerably wide so that it could allow carriages, wagons and other vehicles passage. It was in fact wide enough to allow two wagons to pass by each other. That was a lot of space to cover¡­


    Thankfully, not all places are that wide¡­


    Except for the main road, there were of course dozens of other, smaller paths into the village. It was questionable if we could finish this before the sun would rise¡­ Or rather, I might run out of mana crystals first¡­


    ¡°But really¡­ They destroyed the village quite badly.¡±


    Nearly every single house in the village had collapsed, leaving nothing but a large pile of wood and stone rubble.


    ¡°Was there a need to destroy so much of the village?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe there was a reason for it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ A reason, huh¡­¡±


    Just what kind of reason could there be to destroy all of the buildings?


    ¡°Actually, maybe it¡¯s because of the ogres?¡±


    ¡°The ogres?¡±


    I tilted my head a little, pondering about Karen¡¯s remark.


    ¡°The ogres, huh¡­ That might be the case.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anything else could destroy the buildings that thoroughly¡­ Maybe those magicians could have done it or that large woman but¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    The other worshippers didn¡¯t seem to have the means to even destroy an entire building. In that case, the ogres were the most likely cause. Even if they did have it, that would still beg the question of why they would do all that.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I hope nothing else happens¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Merim still hasn¡¯t returned, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ And it¡¯s been quite a while now...¡±


    Even if a problem would occur, Merim was more than capable enough to handle it¡­ Probably. I never actually saw him fight properly yet but I¡¯ve been told he¡¯s pretty strong¡­


    ¡°Yumi, I think around here is fine, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Probably.¡±


    We stopped near the end of the village, at the last main entrance we had to cover up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to it, shall we?¡±


    Though I said that, the work mostly fell onto me¡­ Karen didn¡¯t really have anything she could help with, outside of removing the occasional piece of rubble that was in the way.


    I put down the first mana crystal on the side of the road and transferred the mana from the mana orb into it, growing the tentacles. It didn¡¯t take them long to grow out of the ground, covering our immediate surroundings.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering but¡­ do we have to clean this up later?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exactly leave them out in the open, could I? And I still didn¡¯t have a way of making them hide¡­


    ¡°That might happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, it might¡­¡±


    Actually, I didn¡¯t even know if I could remove them¡­ Well, then again, I also left the tentacles back in that cave¡­ Oh, but they were smashed by the large roper so that matter solved itself already.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I am happy when this is over and we get a break¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ But I think Mr Captain is even more tired than we are.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Probably.¡±


    Korwen had to deal with one thing after another for a few days now already¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he wanted a break just as much as we did. Maybe even more.


    ¡°Nn¡­ And another one¡­¡±


    ¡°Will you be fine with the mana crystals you have?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Should be good. It¡¯s a good thing I brought extra¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ If you run out, I brought some with me as well.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you brought some?¡±


    Seriously? And here I was trying to be a little conservative with my use due to the limited amount¡­


    ¡°I did. Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡±


    ¡°... Did you?¡±


    Couldn¡¯t remember that¡­ Maybe she had¡­ Maybe she hadn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll take them. I¡¯d rather not use up all the ones I prepared as grenades for this¡­¡±


    ¡°Grenades? Ah, you mean those exploding mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Those.¡±


    I brought quite a lot of them so it wasn¡¯t exactly that much of an issue, but I¡¯d still have to make new ones later to replace the ones I used.


    Note for future me: Bring two bags of mana crystals, one with regular mana crystals and one with the mana grenades.


    Turned out that while the mana orb had a tremendous amount of mana, I still needed other mana crystals as a base. Even those tiny mana crystals were good enough as a base so I could just fill a bag with them. Next time I¡¯d know in advance.


    ¡°Here you go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you.¡±


    I received the small bag with the mana crystals from Karen. Opening it, I peeked inside. These were more than enough. Great.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, look. Over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah.¡±


    Karen pointed towards the village centre. The mercenaries were¡­ removing the unsightly pillar¡­ taking down the corpses of the villagers and laying them down in front of the large building, right in front of where my banner was. Korwen was overseeing them, looking rather solemn.


    ¡°May they find salvation in the veil beyond¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Surprised by the words, I stared at Karen, who was clutching her hands in front of her chest, eyes closed.


    A prayer¡­ is it¡­ How unusual of Sis...


    I faced forwards and similarly closed my eyes.


    May you all rest in peace.


    Neither of us moved for a good minute or two, just silently praying for the deceased, paying our respects.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s continue, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Having finished praying, we both returned to our work.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One mana crystal after another, slowly covering the width of the road¡­ One after another¡­ Until we finally reached the end.


    ¡°Haa¡­ The last one.¡±


    ¡°Good work, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Good work to you as well.¡±


    ¡°I barely did anything.¡±


    ¡°You removed that rubble, that is something.¡±


    There was no way I could move that rubble on my own, after all.


    ¡°But first, you still need to make some pitfalls¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Right.¡±


    Nearly forgot about those¡­ Oh well¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s make two again and then we should report to the captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The main road was covered but there were still plenty of other entrances into the village. Actually, weren¡¯t my tentacle pitfalls more suited for those entrances than these? Well¡­ Too late now.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Here and here, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Looks good to me.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Well then.¡±


    I crouched down and held my hand over the mana crystal. Having done this procedure a few times now, it had become more familiar to me now. As such, it only took a short while before there was a pitfall right in front of my eyes¡­


    ¡°As usual, it¡¯s pretty deep¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Don¡¯t fall inside.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I could get out on my own anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true, I guess.¡±


    She could still hurt herself with an unlucky fall, so I¡¯d rather not have her fall inside.


    ¡°And the next o¡ª Huh?¡±


    Just after I wanted to make my way to the next mana crystal, a mercenary approached us. His eyes were darting around between us and the tentacles behind us. He was the perfect image of nervousness...


    ¡°¡®Scuse me, girls... Are those¡­ things safe?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, the tentacles? As long as you don¡¯t hurt them?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    He eyed the tentacle growth next to me. Behind the man, I could see several other mercenaries watching us curiously.


    ¡°So, they¡¯re tentacles? Like, roper tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ They are...¡±


    ¡°... And they won¡¯t attack us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Probably only if you hurt them.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The man crouched down, looking at the tentacles from a little closer.


    ¡°Err, is it safe to touch them?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    He stretched out his arm, approaching the nearest tentacle to prod it.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nothing happened¡­ He just kept prodding it.


    The heck¡¯s up with this situation?


    While I was at a loss at what to do, the mercenary suddenly stopped and stood up again, turning around to us.


    ¡°Well, uhm¡­ Sorry to have been a bother¡­ I¡¯ll take my leave now...¡±


    ¡°Ah, no problem¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And he left just as quickly as he had come¡­


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°No idea¡­¡±


    Glad I wasn¡¯t the only one confused¡­


    ¡°A¡ª Anyway¡­ Let¡¯s finish¡­¡±


    There was no point in wondering what that man had wanted to achieve¡­ Maybe he really just wanted to know if they¡¯re safe¡­ Or something¡­


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    I crouched down at the other mana crystal and created a pitfall at its spot. The tentacles covered the opening and then it wasn¡¯t visible anymore.


    ¡°Nn, you know¡­ The tentacles won¡¯t hurt them but they can still fall into the pitfall, can¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They can¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure the captain warned them¡­ Or will warn them.¡±


    It¡¯d be slightly ironic if the only serious injury was due to friendly fire¡­


    ¡°Yumi, we can tell Mr Captain when we report now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be for the best, huh¡­¡±


    With that said, the two of us made our way to Korwen. Most mercenaries were busy cleaning up and removing the corpses from the pillar. They had made quite some progress already, having taken down more than half of it in no time. They also collected the strewn out remains and sorted them to their¡­ original owners. If they could recognise them, of course. A few others were scouring the ruins of the houses, digging out a few other¡­ more unfortunate villagers that got buried under their own home.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, Karen. Did you finish already?¡±


    Korwen saw us approaching and called out to us.


    ¡°The main road is done, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°I see. Any problems?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. Ah, but it¡¯d be better to warn everyone about the pitfalls, I think...¡±


    ¡°Will do. Good that you remind me.¡±


    He nodded and then faced forward again, watching the mercenaries working.


    ¡°Captain, should we do the other paths into the village as well?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No. That would take too much time. By the time you¡¯d be done with that, I¡¯d like to leave already.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay then.¡±


    Leave, huh¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain, are we going to bury them?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll leave that to the Lafrians. We¡¯re only going to clean up a little.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    Cleaning up a little, huh¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do. These people did nothing wrong, they were just the worshippers¡¯ victims. They shouldn¡¯t have to suffer this¡­ indignity.¡±


    The mercenaries laid down another corpse to the others, forming rows over rows¡­ The mercenaries covered them with blankets and the like that they found in the ruins but¡­ It was still unpleasant to look at.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get inside. It will take a bit before they¡¯re finished with this.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Korwen turned around and entered the building, waiting for us to follow. Once inside, we sat down on the floor. There were no chairs or tables in here. They were probably taken out to make space for all the worshippers.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ To think those worshippers would leave behind such a mess¡­ Haa¡­ And we still have no idea what they were trying to accomplish.¡±


    ¡°No clue at all?¡±


    ¡°None, Yumi. None. The only thing we found that¡¯s worth noting were their supplies.¡±


    ¡°Their supplies?¡±


    He nodded in response to my question.


    ¡°Enough food supplies to last them for months with a group of this size. But other supplies were also in larger numbers than should be necessary¡­general goods, clothes and the like.¡±


    ¡°Then, the group actually was larger?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s little doubt about that.¡±


    So, we had pretty much confirmed¡­ that there were worshippers missing.


    ¡°Still no idea what they¡¯re up to, though. Ah, but we figured out the cause of death of the villagers.¡±


    ¡°Their¡­ cause of death?¡±


    Weren¡¯t they killed by the worshippers? With weapons, or the like?


    ¡°Mana overload.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Mana overload? Wasn¡¯t that¡­ err¡­ when their body couldn¡¯t handle the mana anymore?


    ¡°Most of the dead had no visible wounds. The injuries that were visible were mostly done by the ogres when they got¡­ hungry. And the injuries from that¡­ pillar¡­. Effigy¡­ or whatever it was supposed to be.¡±


    But what did that mean? Why would they die from mana overload? That made no sense¡­


    ¡°Captain, why would the worshippers go out of their way to kill them like that?¡±


    ¡°... The most plausible answer would normally be as living sacrifices for a ritual. I don¡¯t know how it works so you¡¯ll have to ask Ria about that, but mana overload is the usual cause of death in those cases.¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows as he explained to us. Something told me, he didn¡¯t really think that was the case, though.


    ¡°But if you ask me, this time feels a little different. Ria also said there were no traces of a ritual that was cast¡­ Although, she also told me that the traces could¡¯ve disappeared by now¡­¡±


    He really didn¡¯t think that was the reason.


    ¡°Mr Captain, if there was no ritual, why would they kill them like that then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the big question I wish I could answer. But I feel like it is related to the crystal flowers. They feed on mana, don¡¯t they? Maybe there¡¯s a relation¡­¡±


    Well, if the crystal flowers needed mana¡­ and if someone died from mana overload, there was probably a whole lot of mana inside them, right? That did make sense¡­


    ¡°But then we¡¯re back at the question of what they intended to do with those crystal flowers¡­¡±


    And we still had no clue about that, either.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Well, we¡¯ll leave that investigation to Ruben and his men. I¡¯ll make sure he gives me the results, though. They might come in handy.¡±


    ¡°Handy, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°If we know what they were trying to do, we can have actual countermeasures in case we encounter it again.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Honestly, I¡¯d prefer not having to encounter this again, though. It was quite hard to stomach¡­ But I might have to¡­


    If only there was someone who could tell us¡­


    Alas, only the worshippers would¡­ know¡­ Wait.


    ¡°Captain, did those prisoners say nothing?¡±


    ¡°Those, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, those.¡±


    He suddenly wore a complicated expression at my question.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t told us anything we can actually use¡­ It¡¯s mostly insults or delusions about how the witch is going to save them.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Truthfully, I don¡¯t think they really understand what they were doing anyway. The magicians were leading them and they knew the details of their¡­ activities.¡±


    ¡°Two of which are dead¡­¡±


    ¡°With the other remaining missing, yes.¡±


    Great¡­


    ¡°And Merim hasn¡¯t returned yet either¡­ I can only hope he found something.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ He¡¯s taking quite some time, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He is. If there were no problems, he should¡¯ve been back already.¡±


    So, there were problems¡­ Probably.


    ¡°For now, we¡¯ll wait until the cleanup is dealt with. If Merim still hasn¡¯t come back by then, we¡¯ll return.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to leave him behind?¡±


    ¡°He can find the way back on his own. He¡¯s not a lost child.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    He wasn¡¯t, yeah¡­


    Good luck, Merim¡­


    He¡¯d survive, I believed in him.


    But well, there really wasn¡¯t anything else to do now, was there?


    ¡°Nn... Captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°This all happened in a hurry because Will wanted to clean out the troublesome nobles, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. They sent out a part of the army to subjugate that mother roper you girls encountered. While they are away, Ruben and Will plan to clean up inside the city. In fact, they¡¯re probably at it right now.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    We weren¡¯t the only ones busy fighting currently¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s also quite possible that some people are targeting the two girls and are attacking our camp.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that bad?!


    ¡°Calm down. Why do you think we left so many men back at the camp. And Fenna is there as well. She¡¯s a smart one and knows how to deal with such a situation. And Lily and Greyward are there as well.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Relieved?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    He was right¡­ The Black Guards were there, Lily was and Fenna, too. They were all capable in their own right.


    ¡°I do wonder how things will turn out. Even if part of the army is away, not everyone follows Ruben¡¯s command. There are bound to be some battles inside the city.¡±


    ¡°... I hope they¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d take a lot more to take out Ruben. He isn¡¯t called a war hero without a reason.¡±


    But a battle inside the city¡­ That couldn¡¯t be good. There were a lot of civilians there, people that had little to do with all of this.


    ¡°Still, we will find out how things played out upon our return.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Hopefully, not in the Akkians, the worshippers and those nobles favour¡­


    ¡°Take a bit of a rest for now. We¡¯ll have to move soon enough again.¡±


    ¡°A rest, huh¡­¡±


    I glanced at the door. Outside, the other mercenaries were, without a doubt, still cleaning up.


    ¡°Just try to. Close your eyes, and just try to relax. It¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t sleep. Knowing when and how to take a rest is something you have to learn anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It was a bit hard to relax, though, knowing what was right outside those doors. And that I was still a little¡­ high-strung.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll leave you two to yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Nn? You aren¡¯t going to take a break?¡±


    ¡°The men need to see my face. I can¡¯t be away for too long.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    He really couldn¡¯t catch a break, huh¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone call you when something comes up.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Korwen stood up, waved once at us and left through the door. I could see him take position right next to my banner again, before the door fell shut.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can really relax in this situation, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little hard, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Still, he told us to rest up as much as we could¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡±


    Karen moved back until she was leaning against the wall and patted the spot right next to her. However, my eyes were firmly locked onto her thighs instead.


    ¡°... I want to sit in your lap.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s not quite possible right now.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­¡±


    It totally was possible. Really. We would just need to get rid of all our armour¡­


    Yeah, no way¡­


    As unfortunate as it was, that really wasn¡¯t going to work out right now¡­ Seriously, when this was over, I¡¯d have to make up for all the missed opportunities to hug and cuddle with Karen.


    ¡°And there we go¡­¡±


    I moved closer to Karen until my shoulder was touching her arm.


    ¡°Let¡¯s at least try to rest.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I leaned a little towards Karen, resting my head against her shoulder, and closed my eyes. It was unlikely I could sleep, but¡­ a bit of rest probably wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Loud¡­¡±


    The two of us were dozing for quite a while until some noise outside disturbed us. I heard some shouting and before I could understand what was happening, the door of the room was slammed open by an upset Korwen.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Get out.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yes?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    He immediately walked out again, not even bothering to check if we were actually coming.


    ¡°Yumi, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Come, Sis.¡±


    ¡­ Okay.¡±


    Korwen seemed to be in quite a hurry. I was a little surprised how quickly my mind woke up¡­ It didn¡¯t take long for both of us to find ourselves outside again. The first thing I noticed was that the pillar was now completely gone and all the dead had been laid down in rows in front of the building, each of them covered in a blanket. The next thing I noticed¡­


    ¡°Merim and the others. They¡¯re back.¡±


    Korwen and some other mercenaries were welcoming Merim and the scouts back. It seems they just returned.


    Korwen must¡¯ve immediately told us to come out when they saw them coming back¡­


    Quick as usual¡­


    ¡°... It seems they¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As we approached, we could see that they were a little bit roughed up, but nobody was seriously injured.


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s join them. I wonder why they took so long.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two of us hurried over to Merim and Korwen, just in time to hear Merim begin with his report to Korwen.


    ¡°Quick rundown, Merim.¡±


    ¡°We found Yumelia and the other worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°In the forest. Near a large cave¡­ surrounded by dozens of corpses. Soldiers.¡±


    A large cave? And the corpses of soldiers?


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Some dead worshippers, several monster corpses¡ªropers¡ªand¡­¡±


    Merim stopped, seemingly looking for words.


    ¡°And the mother roper.¡±


    ¡°... Dead?¡±


    ¡°Alive. It was following Yumelia.¡±


    ¡°... If you¡¯re making a joke, now is a good time to stop.¡±


    ¡°I wish it was.¡±


    The mother roper¡­ was following Yumelia? What?


    ¡°The mother roper spotted us and we had to take a detour. I hope they¡¯re thinking of us as soldiers from the army but¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Korwen nodded, his expression not changing in the slightest.


    ¡°Do you know where they were moving towards?¡±


    ¡°... Here.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that great?¡±


    Yumelia was¡­ coming here? With that mother roper in tow?


    ¡°I got a lot of questions about all of this but we need to prepare first.¡±


    Prepare?


    Did he¡­ No way¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain, you want to... fight that thing?¡±


    ¡°Karen, what was our job?¡±


    ¡°... Getting rid of the worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Right, and Yumelia is one such worshipper.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    And that one worshipper had a huge monster as a pet now?


    ¡°I am not picking a fight we can¡¯t win, Karen. In fact, I am picking this fight exactly because we can win.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ How?¡±


    ¡°There are quite a few ways as to how. I got a rough idea of the monster¡¯s size from Fenna¡¯s report but¡­ Let¡¯s see, you two have seen it as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We did¡­ That was exactly why we were so worried.


    ¡°Then, can that roper fit on this road?¡±


    ¡°Eh? The road?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the road, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    The road was wide but probably not even half as wide as that mother roper. Then again, maybe even less. Back in that cave, we had been unable to see the mother roper in its entirety. It was just that huge,


    ¡°Then, that means it will have trouble traversing this terrain.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Trouble traversing the terrain?


    ¡°It can¡¯t just ignore the houses entirely, can it? It can shove them to the side or attempt to move over them but either way, it will be slowed down, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s good to know. In that case, we will lure it into the village, preferably to the centre. It¡¯ll be troublesome for it to move away from there.¡±


    Apparently, Korwen had come to a decision and turned around to address his men.


    ¡°Get the bodies out of the village and remove every obstacle on the plaza! Taddick, get some men and reinforce the surrounding buildings, just pile up some of the rubble. Make it as hard as possible for the roper to get through there, but leave this road open. And get me someone to check on the other group, they¡¯re running late! Get to it!¡±


    Without delay, the mercenaries around us went on the move, executing Korwen¡¯s orders. Some of them ran to other mercenaries that weren¡¯t here to hear him, to inform them of the orders. Others immediately began to carry the corpses of the villagers away. And so on¡­


    ¡°Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Go and help Taddick. Your strength should help out a lot.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    Karen nodded in acknowledgement, then turned to me.


    ¡°Good luck, Sis.¡±


    ¡°To you too.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And with that, she left. I preferred it if she stayed by my side but¡­ Even I know the time and place. Right now, wasn¡¯t the time to be spoiled. And Karen understood that as well.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Those... grenades of yours. How long does it take until they explode?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I am not sure¡­ A few seconds?¡±


    ¡°A few seconds¡­¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he stared at me.


    ¡°Uhm, just for the record, I don¡¯t think I can get close enough to that roper to throw them at it before it attacks me¡­¡±


    ¡°Nor did I expect you to. I¡¯d be glad if you can throw them far enough that you won¡¯t blow up yourself.¡±


    ¡°... How encouraging.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t wrong, though¡­


    ¡°I got a bit of an idea I want to try out. But first, we need to prepare everything else¡­ You can¡¯t possibly make those pitfalls large enough to trap a roper, can you?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think so. And definitely not until they¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Figured. Someone, get me Ria!¡±


    A nearby mercenary saluted and ran off.


    ¡°Merim, how long do you think she¡¯ll need?¡±


    ¡°... An hour, at most. Half, at least. We rushed back without stopping and the cave is quite some ways from here. To add on that, the roper is mowing down every single tree in its way.¡±


    ¡°Now, how convenient. At least we¡¯ll know long before when it returns. Falling trees are pretty hard to miss.¡±


    You¡¯d have to be blind and probably deaf as well to miss them¡­


    ¡°Merim, you and the scouts should take a break. Once you recover a little, prepare for combat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    With a salute, Merim returned to the other scouts to tell them, leaving me and Korwen.


    ¡°Captain, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    Korwen didn¡¯t answer immediately and instead stared at me for a good while.


    ¡°How many of those¡­ grenades do you still have?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, still quite a few¡­ But I used up some for the tentacle growth.¡±


    ¡°Can you make more?¡±


    ¡°I can¡­ Sis gave me some normal mana crystals she brought along.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then you know your job.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Just what in the hell did he want me to blow up? The roper? I couldn¡¯t throw them that far, that was impossible¡­


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s another thing I¡¯d like to know.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Can you fashion a trap with those mana grenades?¡±


    ¡°A trap? No¡­ I need to activate them by hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do that remotely?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    It was possible for me to manipulate mana outside my body but not at a large distance. Or more like, it was only in my immediate vicinity. To activate them over a large distance, there¡¯d need to be a different kind of trigger¡­ A trigger...


    ¡°I could try activating them through the tentacle growth¡­ I guess? But I don¡¯t know if that will work.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t know, then forget about it for now. I don¡¯t want to waste valuable ammunition on something like that.¡±


    ¡°Nn...¡°


    Ammunition, huh¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to know. You know your job.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Understood.¡±


    Time to make more mana grenades¡­ I really wanted to know what the hell he wanted to do with them considering I couldn¡¯t throw them far¡­ He wouldn¡¯t make me do some suicide bombing, of that I was sure.


    No clue¡­


    Well, whatever, time to get to work...


    Rinne


    I hope you all are safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Grim Reality: A Long Night

    And another one done¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    With a sigh, I replenished the mana crystals in front of me and began to create another mana grenade¡­ It was utterly boring. Of course, I still continued with it but it didn¡¯t change how boring it was.


    And everyone else is busy.


    Maybe, because I was rarely alone I never minded things like this all too much. There was usually someone around with whom I could talk, making this kind of work a lot less¡­ bothersome. But right now, Karen was busy helping to reinforce the surrounding rubb¡­ err, buildings. Korwen and Merim were both busy directing the mercenaries and Ria and the other magicians were taking a break.


    Oh, but I had finally spotted the Elder. She had vanished at some point and it turned out that she was watching the interrogation of the prisoners. And considering what had happened¡­ Well, if it made her feel better.


    But I still got no one to talk with¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Oh, oops.¡±


    That mana grenade got a little too much mana, didn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t want to blow us all to high heavens so I had to return some of the mana.


    I wonder how many we even need¡­ Korwen said as many as possible but¡­ I could probably blow up the entire village with this.


    Actually, he only told me to make more. He never told me how many I should make. In that case, I¡¯d just make as many as I could until he told me to stop. It wasn¡¯t like anyone else could use them. And the mana wasn¡¯t lost even if they were left unused.


    It¡¯s still bothersome¡­


    But not like I had anything else to do¡­ I¡¯d probably be just in the way for any other work. I simply didn¡¯t have the physical strength to help out with most of those tasks. And Korwen apparently had some idea¡­ He did say these were ammunition, didn¡¯t he?


    Ammunition, huh¡­ But it didn¡¯t look like he wanted me to throw them, did he? Then¡­ maybe¡­ the crossbows?


    Was it possible to tie the stones onto the bolts and shoot them? It... probably was? No, that sounded really unsafe¡­ But I couldn¡¯t think of anything else where it could be used as ammunition¡­ We only had crossbows here. No firearms like the worshippers...


    No, but if we use their rifle¡­ It¡¯s not like they need it anymore, do they?


    That was also a possibility. Alas, without Korwen¡¯s confirmation, I had no idea what it could be. He had said nothing about it earlier.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Should I ask him?¡±


    He was busy¡­ Even right now, he was directing the mercenaries, freeing up the plaza and piling up rubble on the other main roads.


    Well, for now, let¡¯s continue with these¡­ There¡¯s still some time apparently.


    Glancing at the forest, I still couldn¡¯t see nor hear anything that would indicate Yumelia¡¯s return. Nothing at all. She was so far away I couldn¡¯t even make out her soul. Then again, it was probably just somewhere in between all those animals and who knows what else roamed that forest.


    ¡°And another done¡­¡±


    Once more, I replenished the pile in front of me with some mana crystals that I got from Karen. Heck, putting all that mana into this one little crystal that was now more like an orb was definitely one of my better ideas so far. Albeit, I had to say¡­ seeing how I had already used up a lot of mana on the tentacle growth as well, it was probably only a matter of time before it was used up.


    Too bad I can¡¯t really measure how much mana is still inside¡­ Mhm¡­ I could probably get a feel if I transferred all of it to another mana crystal. Might do that when we are back.


    For now, however, I had more pressing matters. Either way, the moment we would return I¡¯d let myself fall into bed and go straight to sleep. Preferably together with Karen. We might have gotten a little bit of sleep at the makeshift camp and some rest here as well, but the exhaustion was still pretty notable.


    Just how can these men all be so energetic¡­ They had even less time to rest compared to me, right? And there¡¯s no sign of them being tired¡­


    They were hardy. Seriously. Sure, they were trained for it but it felt honestly a little unfair. Nothing I could do about except to grit my teeth and deal with it. Maybe in the future I¡¯d be able to do this too.


    I sure hope so¡­ There¡¯s no way it won¡¯t, right?


    Merim would never let us off easy at our training. He was quite spartan in a way¡­ Contrary to his otherwise rather easy-going personality. With training like that, no wonder all the mercenaries were so buff and rough¡­ Then again, it was a life and death matter for them as well.


    But¡­ Buff¡­ and rough?


    The training was making them all muscle-packed and so on¡­ didn¡¯t it? And we were doing that training as well¡­  including Karen. Then, would Karen¡­ in the future?


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t want that¡­¡±


    ¡°What do you not want?¡±


    ¡°A buff Karen¡­¡±


    I wanted to indulge myself in that soft body of hers¡­ if that training¡­ took that away from me¡­


    ¡°I do not believe that will happen, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    So it wouldn¡¯t? What a relief¡­


    ¡°So, Miss Elder, what do you mean? It won¡¯t happen?¡±


    Stopping my work for a moment, I lifted my head to look at the person who had suddenly appeared next to me.


    ¡°Because she has high natural strength already as a manakin.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s strong, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It was quite something watching her helping the mercenaries out there with the rubble¡­ She could easily compete with them in raw strength alone.


    ¡°Those with high natural strength rarely ever gain muscles. She¡¯d have to train so much that even Mr Korwen or those elite mercenaries¡ªDragon Knights, I believe they were called¡ªwould look weak like children next to her. And even then, the muscles wouldn¡¯t be prominent¡­ it¡¯s more like¡­ well-toned, I believe.¡±


    ¡°More than the captain¡­ That¡¯d be hard¡­¡±


    ¡°It would, right? So you shouldn¡¯t worry. At most, she would lose the fat on her body¡­ I guess that would make her less soft.¡±


    So it was doomed after all?!


    ¡°Then again¡­ she already is rather thin. I heard the two of you were living in the slums prior to joining the mercenaries, is that true?¡±


    ¡°Nn. The slums of Arkesta. Well, I was only there for a little over a week, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Considering that, she may actually gain some fat. I doubt the two could eat well in those conditions.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    We only really ate hard bread and jerky there¡­ Sometimes you found something that was a little more edible, especially when those old men were around, that distributed food at times.


    ¡°But, Miss Elder, we are getting quite a bit of exercise, so I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll get fat.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, of course she won¡¯t. But she might fill out a little more in various places, now that she can eat well. And she¡¯s still in her growing phase. Who knows, she might experience a sudden growth spurt. She¡¯s not yet too old for that to happen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A growth spurt¡­ So, Karen could grow taller? Really? No, wait¡­ Didn¡¯t Wanda say that she growed very little over the past few years? But¡­ Mm¡­


    ¡°... I guess, what will, will happen.¡±


    Not like I could influence it. But I liked Karen the way she was. Of course, I¡¯d still like her even if she were to grow but¡­


    ¡°Well, such growth spurts are pretty rare at that age, though. With that said, I do believe other parts of her will fill out a little more with time as she gains a more healthy physique.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Other parts, huh¡­ Those parts¡­ They¡¯d grow? And she¡¯d become softer? That actually¡­ didn¡¯t sound so bad, did it? Maybe I should secretly sneak her some extra food on the plate during dinner.


    But more importantly...


    ¡°Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why are we even talking about Sis and her body?¡±


    ¡°If I recall correctly, you didn¡¯t want her to become buff and asked me about it.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Yeah, that was totally my fault¡­


    ¡°Ah, need some new ones again¡­¡±


    And another refill of mana crystals was due¡­


    ¡°Those mana crystals¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Why are you making so many of them?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, they can explode if I throw them, yes? So, the captain asked me to make more for the confrontation. I don¡¯t think he wants me to throw them¡­ Maybe I am supposed to shoot them with the crossbow or a firearm but¡­¡±


    He was still quite busy and it was hard to get there and ask him¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ If you were to tie them to a crossbow bolt, you could shoot them farther than you could throw.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but that¡¯s just what I think he wants¡­ I wanted to ask him when he¡¯s a little less occupied there.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Do you want me to go and ask for you?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I looked up from the work in front of me and looked at the Elder in surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much else to do. And I believe, clearing that up should be important. While I am no expert on those weapons, mana crystals this large might be hard to properly shoot with the bolts. They¡¯d need to be a little smaller and lighter, I think. Even then, the bolt would be unstable and unable to reach far. Not like that matters much with our target.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, that was true. I sure didn¡¯t want to shoot the bolt only for it to land at my feet because the crystal was too heavy. That¡¯d be a fatal mistake. Literally fatal.


    ¡°If I could bother you, then¡­¡±


    ¡°... With pleasure. And¡­ I have to apologise to you.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What for?¡±


    ¡°Because I left without notice.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. That. I don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    It¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t understand it anyway. Seeing what she had gone through, it was little wonder she wanted to listen to what the captured worshippers had to say. They were the cause of¡­ quite a bit of misfortune for her.


    ¡°I think you should mind, though. Well, Mr Merim has scolded me about it already as well.¡±


    ¡°Then, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left for me to say, is there?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t even like I minded it that much¡­ Although, it was probably not good that she just left, now that I spent a little thought on it. But seeing how Merim had already scolded her, then that was fine, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°... I think I can slowly see why Mr Korwen chose you.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I will go ask him.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    What was that supposed to mean?


    I could only tilt my head in wonder¡­ She could see why Korwen chose me? That¡¯s what she had said, right? But why? Because I let it go? I wasn¡¯t even upset about it, after all¡­ In fact, I hadn¡¯t even thought about it all that much until she brought it up¡­ I had other things in my mind¡­ Other things than worrying about Karen¡¯s body, of course...


    Well, whatever it was¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t feel so bad when someone approves of you¡­


    There was a part of me that felt a little happy about those words as well.


    ¡°Your hands stopped.¡±


    ¡°Wah?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked up in surprise to find Korwen standing right in front of me.


    ¡°Scarce a moment left out of sight and you begin grinning to yourself while neglecting your work¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Even grinning? I hadn¡¯t noticed at all¡­


    ¡°That was a joke. You only stopped for a few seconds.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°The Elder informed me about what you wanted to ask.¡±


    Korwen sat down next to me, watching my hands as I continued to prepare one mana crystal at a time.


    ¡°Your thought about the crossbows was right. I was thinking of replacing the tip of the bolts with the mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°The tip¡­ Is that going to be fine?¡±


    ¡°The biggest problem will be actually attaching them. It¡¯s not like you can form them into these tips for the bolts, right?¡±


    He held up a small metal piece, likely taken from a crossbow bolt.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, no¡­ I never tried to have them take a specific form, though, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevermind it then. Even if you could, you¡¯d need quite some precision to fit them well on the arrows.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Yeah, at worst, they could fall off mid flight¡­ And to high heavens we¡¯d go. The more I thought about this, the less I liked this idea as a whole¡­


    ¡°With that in mind, we¡¯ll have Wenners attach them to the bolts with a bit of magic. He already confirmed that it won¡¯t be much work for him.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Aren¡¯t they resting right now, though?¡±


    ¡°They are. He¡¯ll do that when they¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    So, the mana crystals¡­ the mana grenades would be attached to the crossbow bolts in place of the tips¡­


    ¡°So, Captain¡­ You want to shoot the roper with them?¡±


    ¡°If possible, yes.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s impossible?¡±


    Impossible? Well¡­ It should be fine, all things considered? I had to admit that it was a bit worrisome but¡­ Frankly said, these were like explosives. Or rather, they were explosives. I had my doubts that many people could stay calm around those. But even then, it shouldn¡¯t be impossible. It was just a matter of shooting them rather than throwing.


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s possible, I think. As long as the bolt is actually shot¡­¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s good news. I know I¡¯ve said no experiments, but considering the situation, it would help out quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Well, then we¡¯re gonna do it the conventional way. Hacking it into pieces until we hit the mana crystal.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hacking it into pieces? That thing was monstrous. How did he intend to hack it into pieces?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not putting all my hope on you succeeding with this. We got a few ways to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Do we?¡±


    ¡°Of course. In the first place, look there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He pointed at one of the main roads that was already half blocked by rubble.


    ¡°Huh? Those men¡­¡±


    Dozens of mercenaries marched down that road, in our direction.


    ¡°We called them over. We still have to lure Yumelia away since they don¡¯t have charms to protect themselves with but they¡¯re invaluable manpower against that roper.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    All the mercenaries that we left at the makeshift camp had come to help. Just like that, our numbers doubled against that roper.


    ¡°We¡¯d be pretty pitiful if we couldn¡¯t subjugate one monsters and one woman with two hundred-odd men. Our reputation would be ruined.¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    Honestly, he was right¡­ It would be quite pitiful. But these weren¡¯t just a simple woman and a simple monster. It was a magician that could use Charm magic and a giant roper.


    ¡°Nn, wait, Captain. Wasn¡¯t the original plan to use me as bait to lure away Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It still is.¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t split myself. And I don¡¯t think anyone else can use these mana crystals.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t be the bait to lure away Yumelia and shoot the roper with mana grenades. Physically not possible.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to do both at the same time. First, we¡¯ll lure Yumelia away. After Yumelia is locked in combat with Ria, you will return and shoot the roper. Of course, only if it is necessary to lure Yumelia away.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why wouldn¡¯t it be necessary?¡±


    ¡°I talked with Merim a little more and it seems likely that Yumelia and the worshippers fought the roper first, before turning it into a pet.¡±


    They fought it? Ah, right¡­ Merim did say he saw several worshipper and roper corpses.


    ¡°Yumelia is either alone or only brings back very few worshippers. Either way, they¡¯ll be exhausted and injured. There is still the matter of the magician that fled but Merim and the scouts didn¡¯t encounter him. We still don¡¯t know what happened to him.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see¡­ And if they are exhausted there might not be a need to fight them?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. We can take other worshippers as captives but Yumelia would be nigh impossible. We don¡¯t know how she uses her magic but we do know she needs very little mana for it.¡±


    In other words, it was too dangerous because she could use her magic and free herself¡­


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    She was a fanatic but I still exchanged some words with her¡­ It was a little different compared to all these people I never even spoke with. Knowing that she would likely¡­ get killed, was not exactly comfortable.


    ¡°Ah, that reminds me, Captain. What about those puppets? What if she can make use of more of those?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find anything among their supplies that would indicate they had more of those. I am not ruling it out but it¡¯s very unlikely they have more of them.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That was good news. I wasn¡¯t an expert on combat but they did give me the impression that they could actually fight. Better than the¡­ more unfortunate worshippers in this village.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll have to get back to direct those guys. I¡¯ll send someone over in regards to the crossbow bolts.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Sorry about that, I should¡¯ve made that clear from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    Not like it would have changed much in the end.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Back to work I go.¡±


    Leaving those words behind, Korwen went over to receive the mercenaries that had just arrived.


    Well¡­ Back to making more of these¡­


    He said he¡¯d sent someone over but¡­ Who? Or rather, for what exactly? The crossbow bolts¡­ Wenners would attach the crystals so... Wait, who would shoot them? Even if the target was large¡­ I wasn¡¯t so sure if it was a good idea to let me shoot them. But I also had to activate them so¡­ How troublesome.


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around, looking for the source of the voice.


    ¡°You are¡­¡±


    ¡°Name¡¯s Bolard, Miss Yumi. Crossbowman, at your service.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see.¡±


    In front of me stood a lanky mercenary man, saluting with a serious expression. I had seen this man before. He was one of the crossbowmen who had taken those long range shots on Korwen¡¯s order.


    ¡°Captain told me ¡®bout the task. Wants me to do the shooting. Supposed to help with the preparation, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°O.. Ohh¡­¡±


    He was really, err, formal¡­ Wasn¡¯t he? I probably would have to get used to this, right? He wouldn¡¯t be the last one calling me with ¡®Miss¡¯ or even with ¡®Ma¡¯am.¡¯


    ¡°Then, err¡­¡±


    He was still standing there, saluting at me¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­ At ease?¡±


    ¡°Understood, Miss Yumi.¡±


    Ah, he stopped it. It actually worked.


    I probably look like an idiot now to him, don¡¯t I¡­ Ahhh, whatever.


    Too late to worry about that. I wasn¡¯t used to this, that much was true. He didn¡¯t show it on his face, at least, that he was bothered by my awkward reaction.


    ¡°Uhm, you said you will do the shooting? That means, you¡¯re going to shoot the roper with these?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct, Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, the Captain said that Wenners would attach them later to the crossbow bolts¡­ Well, take a look at them. Do you think you can shoot them?¡±


    I handed him one of the crystals I had finished to look at. He seemed quite curious as he received the crystal from me, looking at it from close up. After staring at it from all sides, he closed his hand to a fist, feeling the crystal and then threw it up into the air a few times.


    ¡°A little smaller and lighter would be more appropriate, Miss Yumi. But these should work nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°A little smaller and lighter, you say¡­ Nn¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a hard problem to solve. It would also reduce the strength, most likely, but it was better than him missing the shot. With that in mind, I made a new mana grenade. Slightly smaller and lighter. I didn¡¯t know how much smaller and lighter, so we¡¯d have to test it out a little.


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    After handing him the new crystal, he once more checked it by throwing it up in the air and closing his fist around.


    ¡°The weight is fine now. Is this as small as it can get at this size?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Right now, I can¡¯t make it smaller without affecting the weight and the mana inside.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then this will be fine, I assume.¡±


    That was a relief to hear.


    ¡°Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Would it be possible for me to do a test shot?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ How do you plan to do that?¡±


    Wenners was still resting so we couldn¡¯t attach them to the bolts, after all.


    ¡°By taking a shot at one of the wooden buildings. Plenty targets to practise with.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I meant, how do you plan to attach the crystal? Wenners is still resting.¡±


    ¡°I got some glue. Should be enough for a few arrows to prepare. As long as the crystals don¡¯t explode, I could take a few shots.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t explode, don¡¯t worry. Uhm, in that case, you can practise with them, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Yumi.¡±


    I prepared a few more mana grenades for him to attach to his bolts and then sent him on his way. Having him practise a little was likely a good idea. Although, I had my doubts that he could even miss that giant roper, there might be a need for a little more precision at some point.


    For example, when they find its mana crystal. A well-placed shot would probably make it a lot easier¡­


    Thinking about it that way, it was little wonder that Korwen wanted to  try this out. The monster was absolutely massive and we needed to either secure or destroy the mana crystal inside it. But just due to its ridiculous size, finding it would be no easy task. And even if we found it, I didn¡¯t know how many methods they even had to deal with it¡­


    Then again, Korwen said he had a number of methods to deal with this situation...


    I was quite curious what those other methods were¡­ I might see them during the fight. In fact, I had only seen a few mercenaries fight with their full might. Mainly during the battle with those spirit trees. Even during that battle, we had quite a few injuries.


    The roper¡­ This monster is probably a few times as dangerous¡­


    And yet, Korwen intended to confront it. It didn¡¯t feel to me that it was just about the job and Yumelia. He probably wanted to gain something from this fight. The monster materials? Or¡­ that strange, large crystal that was embedded inside the roper?


    I just hope we¡¯ll all get out of this safe and sound¡­


    The mercenaries were hardy but not immortal. Heavy injuries would still kill them.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Nn?¡±


    As I was pondering about the situation, I suddenly heard a distant sound. As if something was¡­ crashing? It couldn¡¯t be¡­ In a slight panic, I focused my gaze towards the forest, fearing the worst.


    ¡­ Nothing?


    I couldn¡¯t see anything that was noteworthy¡­ No giant roper. No Yumelia. Maybe it had been my imaginati¡ª


    ¡°Ah. Again.¡±


    The mercenaries around me stopped for a second, turning towards the forest. They had heard it as well¡­ At that moment, I saw the Elder running down the main road in our direction, towards Korwen.


    ¡°Mr Korwen!¡±


    ¡°How long do we have left?¡±


    ¡°Around a quarter hour, Mr Korwen.¡±


    The Elder stopped in front of Korwen. They weren¡¯t far from me so I could hear them clearly¡­ A quarter hour, the Elder had said. Converted to my old world¡¯s time, it¡¯d be around half an hour. They had to be quite a distance away if they¡¯d still need that long.


    That sound was probably trees crashing down¡­ I guess that noise would travel far.


    I was a bit relieved to hear that we still had time. On the other hand, it also meant that it was now inevitable. She was coming here. The confrontation¡­ was guaranteed.


    ¡°Wake up Ria, Krutz and Wenners. Everyone with a magic tool against charm magic takes position at the front half. Use the rubble and broken houses as cover. Stay away from the main road. Everyone without the magic tools, take position in the back. On the double! Go!¡±


    Just like always, the mercenaries immediately moved to action, executing the orders.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?! Yes?!¡± I answered, startled at being called out.


    ¡°Take Karen and get your banner up here.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even spare me another glance as he continued giving out more orders. I stood up from my small workspace, collected the mana crystals and looked for Karen.


    ¡°Sis!¡±


    ¡°Yumi. There you are.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Did you hear what the Captain said?¡±


    ¡°I did. Your banner, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded to her. The two of us quickly fetched the banner and moved to Korwen. There, right next to him, Bollard was already making preparations to shoot his crossbow.


    ¡°Captain, we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Yumi. Plant that flag over here.¡±


    ¡°Here¡­ Err, you mean¡­ On top of that?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen was pointing at a small pillar and the surrounding wooden rubble. Most likely a collapsed roof or something similar. Due to the rubble, it was pretty easy to climb, at least.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Like this, Captain?¡±


    I straightened my back and held the banner firm in its place.


    ¡°Looks good. For now, stay there.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    For now¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t make such a worried expression. The men will see it. And if you look worried, they will get worried too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    No worried expression. Standing firm and ready.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Now, let¡¯s see you keeping that up for a while.¡±


    ¡°... Have mercy.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no mercy when your life¡¯s on the line.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    Having confirmed that I was in position, Korwen returned his attention to other matters. Namely to Ria and the other two magicians who had just come out. He sent Krutz on the other side of the village and had Wenners start with attaching those mana crystals. Things were going fast now¡­


    ¡°Ah, right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Look out for Yumelia. If you see anything, report immediately.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Looking out at the forest, huh¡­


    A weak wind was blowing, pulling the flag along it. I gazed up, watching it flutter in the wind. And behind it, the moon and the stars, shining down on us. This night was a long one¡­ And it hadn¡¯t ended yet.


    She¡¯s coming¡­ Soon, she will be here¡­


    Not long and I would meet her¡ªYumelia¡ªonce more.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Mountain of Flesh

    ¡°What in the blazes is that thing?¡±


    ¡°A roper.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking then?¡±


    ¡°Because I want to know what that is¡­¡±


    No, Merim, no matter how often you asked me, the answer wouldn¡¯t change. That was a roper. Sure, it might be a little bit on the bigger side, but that¡¯s all. Wouldn¡¯t you say it was actually pretty well-fed? Wasn¡¯t that a good thing? Whoever was the owner, they deserved some praise here. How many people could take care of a pet that was literally the size of a fucking mountain?


    ¡°Also, didn¡¯t you see it when you were with the scouts?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference to seeing it from up close compared to seeing it from the top of a building.¡±


    ¡°... Point taken.¡±


    From the top of the pillar, I had a pretty decent overview over the village and towards the forest. But even so, it still took quite a while before I could actually see the roper with my own eyes.


    ¡°Merim. Is that really something you can beat?¡±


    It was¡­ gargantuan. It wasn¡¯t the size of a skyscraper or a large building complex but if I had to compare it to a building¡­ Well, probably as big as a decent-sized mansion or villa? Maybe even larger. It was hard to gauge its size from a distance.


    ¡°Mh¡­ Honestly, I¡¯d prefer to know a little more about that thing. But as long as it doesn¡¯t cast large-scale magic, it should be fine.¡±


    ¡°And if it does?¡±


    ¡°If it does? If it does, then we¡¯re goblin feed. Actually, there won¡¯t be enough left of us to feed to the goblins.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t reassuring¡­ At all¡­


    ¡°I doubt it can do that, though.¡±


    ¡°... Why?¡±


    ¡°There are extremely few creatures that can cast magic on that scale on their own. And the ones that can are well-documented. It seems that this case is a little irregular but it should still adhere to the basic abilities of a nest mother.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, we have no intention of even allowing it to get that far.¡±


    Not even allowing it, huh¡­


    I glanced at the mercenaries around me. Now, from my elevated position, I had a better view of what they had been preparing all the while. Ropes. A lot of ropes. Mercenaries must love ropes, don¡¯t they?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, I was just looking around a bit¡­ I see a lot of ropes¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need them, after all. Ropes are incredibly versatile. Especially the new ropes.¡±


    Merim grinned as he crouched down and picked up a coil of rope that was nearby.


    ¡°Hard to believe when you know what it originally was, right?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The coil of rope was¡­ pink. As expected, most of the ropes were pink. The mercenaries were quite curious about them at first but they quickly realised that these ropes were pretty good. With that said, not all the ropes were the new kind. There were still many regular ropes. But considering the sheer amount they had brought¡­ That would have been impossible for Wanda to prepare.


    ¡°How many of them do we have?¡±


    ¡°Err, I think fifty coils?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite surprised Wanda managed to prepare that many. Oh, and about eighty coils of regular rope.¡±


    The fifty was in regards to the pink ones?!


    ¡°And we really need that many?¡±


    Once more, I looked around at a group of mercenaries that was still preparing. They were tying the rope ends around heavy pieces of rubble and pillars and anything else that was heavy. The other ends were tied around short spears. A different group was tying both ends around rubble, stretching it out over the road.


    ¡°We do. Ropes are one of the greatest tools against large enemies. Especially, when you can prepare in advance. If we can tie it down in place and hinder its movements, then the rest will become pretty easy. But you can probably guess yourself just how much rubble we¡¯d need to tie on that monster to hinder its movement.¡±


    ¡°... A lot.¡±


    ¡°Yes, a lot.¡±


    So that¡¯s how they were planning to deal with it¡­ It was, in a way, similar to what they did with those spirit trees.


    ¡°There¡¯s also one thing that we can¡¯t use the pink rope for¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? There is?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It doesn¡¯t burn well.¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t burn well. Like, at all. Before we set out, Korwen told us to try a few things. It¡¯s better than regular rope in nearly all aspects. Except, that it barely burns. Well, that can also be an advantage but...¡±


    Merim frowned a little.


    ¡°So, either way we have to keep some regular rope around, you see?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That was a bit unexpected. But, I never thought about burning it either. That said, it made me recall how they had burnt down the spirit trees. If these ropes didn¡¯t burn well, then that wouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s still a boon, let me tell you that. The worst part of these types of subjugations is the beginning. When the damn ropes snap¡­ Hopefully, this won¡¯t happen this time.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Right, that could happen too, couldn¡¯t it? With a monster that size, a few single ropes probably wouldn¡¯t be able to immediately withstand its enormous strength.


    ¡°Well, enough of that. Let¡¯s see, how is it looking?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhm¡­¡±


    I lifted my gaze and directed it towards the forest. The large roper was slowly making its progress here. The trees in its way got crushed without mercy, creating a rather nerve-racking background noise.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess it is making progress¡­¡±


    ¡°It sure is. Thank the gods for that forest or they would¡¯ve been here long ago.¡±


    With that said, it wouldn¡¯t take long anymore. Maybe fifteen minutes at most. Probably even less¡­


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll wake up the other members from the scout team now,¡° said Merim.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Good luck and stay alive.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    He turned around and left to wake up the other mercenaries that had gone to take a rest.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t really anything else for me to do except to wait. Karen was nearby, helping Bolard with the preparations for the crossbow. As for the Elder, she was at the edge of the village, keeping watch over the forest.


    And I¡¯m only standing here, looking pretty¡­ Well, I get that it is my job but¡­ It¡¯s a little frustrating.


    Everyone was busy with something and I was just¡­ overlooking everything. Honestly, it was pretty hard not to come down and ask for something I could help with. The itch for it was pretty strong. Even though I knew better¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    All I could do was to endure¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Ah? Oh¡­ Captain.¡±


    No, he didn¡¯t catch me lost in thoughts. He didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°You can come down now. Karen! Help Yumi get down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t want me to stay up here? Why did I get up in the first place then?


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry, Sis. I¡¯m coming.¡±


    First, I handed Karen the banner. Very slowly, of course. Then I sat on the pillar, coming down with Karen¡¯s help.


    ¡°Good. Come with me. We¡¯ll need to find a good spot.¡±


    ¡°Err, a good spot?¡±


    ¡°To watch, of course.¡±


    He wanted to watch?


    Well, either way. Slightly confused we followed him. Seemed that Bolard also got his stuff and followed behind us.


    ¡°Mr Captain. Weren¡¯t we going to stay there?¡±


    ¡°No, of course not. We¡¯d be too conspicuous.¡±


    ¡°Conspicuous? Aren¡¯t we¡­ rather conspicuous already?¡±


    Karen tilted her head as she asked him.


    ¡°Sure we are. But that doesn¡¯t mean we have to show ourselves immediately. Think of it as an ambush.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    An ambush¡­ Well, it kind of was an ambush, yes.


    ¡°Mm, here is good. Let¡¯s get up there.¡±


    Korwen pointed at a collapsed building. The rubble wasn¡¯t that high but it was piled up on one side. If I had to guess, he wanted us to hide behind that wall of rubble.


    ¡°Well then, I guess you two will need a bit of a rundown of how we will proceed now. Bolard, you can set yourself up here, can you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Captain! No problem ¡®bout that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Having gotten his orders, Bollard immediately prepared to set himself up at the small wall of rubble.


    ¡°Okay. There¡¯s not much time left so I¡¯ll keep it short. When Yumelia leaves the forest, there¡¯s a few situations that could happen. Mhm¡­ Karen, what do you think she will do?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Probably come to the village and look at what is wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. And how will she do that?¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Yes, how.¡±


    Korwen positioned himself behind the wall and looked over it, probably confirming what he could see from here.


    ¡°... I am not quite sure what that means, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh, I see. Yumi, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I guess it is a bit of a weird question for someone not used to this.¡±


    He glanced back at us for a moment, grinning.


    ¡°You see, what I want to know is the following: Will she come alone, leaving the roper behind? Will she come together with the roper? Will she send the roper ahead and stay behind herself? Will she abandon the idea altogether and return to the forest? Or will she straight out attack the village from there? Do you understand what I mean now?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    In other words, he wanted to know her course of action when she left the forest¡­ That was¡­ pretty hard to say.


    ¡°So, what do you think she will do? Karen?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­ I guess she¡¯ll¡­ watch?¡±


    ¡°Hoo¡­ I didn¡¯t list that one, good thinking. That might happen, too. Then, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Coming together with the roper, I guess?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Korwen nodded to himself, having heard our answers. He still was looking over the wall, watching the village.


    ¡°The thing is, we don¡¯t know what she will do. With that in mind, we have to prepare for several likely outcomes. The best case would be her leaving the roper behind and coming alone. Then we can shoot her before she even knows what happened. Afterwards, we can deal with the roper. Clean and simple. Best case.¡±


    ¡°Then, the worst case?¡±


    ¡°Her coming together with the roper. We¡¯d have to deal with both. Furthermore, we can¡¯t have Yumelia near us. She¡¯s too dangerous for the mercenaries without a magic tool to protect themselves. Worst case, she could turn the entire situation around with little effort. If they both come together, we¡¯ll have to separate her from the mother roper as soon as possible. I can only hope she will take the bait that is you, Yumi. If she doesn¡¯t, we¡¯ll have to retreat.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Retreat. So, in the worst case he wasn¡¯t going to take the chance and instead retreat as early as he could, was it?


    ¡°All other cases, while not optimal, should be easy enough to handle. It¡¯ll be problematic if she decides to run away but it is better than us having to retreat. But...¡±


    Korwen suddenly paused, his eyes narrowing.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°... That all still assumes she really comes.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The roper is coming, though?¡±


    ¡°Then, Yumi, can you spot Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­ I can take a look.¡±


    I turned around to face where the forest was. A nice thing about being able to see souls was that apparently, obstacles didn¡¯t really matter. After I closed my eyes, I tried to search for the muddy pink soul of hers.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can¡¯t really make out anything that looks like her, sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm... ¡°


    The forest was full of animals and their souls were, honestly, in the way. I could make out the general area where the mother roper was, due to the animals escaping, but it was still not enough to see Yumelia. Then again, Korwen hinted that she might not even come¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain, isn¡¯t it pretty assured that Yumelia is coming?¡±


    ¡°No. Only the roper is assured to come. We haven¡¯t spotted Yumelia yet, have we?¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Karen stopped, most likely to think about what to say.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Captain, you think she won¡¯t come?¡±


    ¡°At this point, seeing how you are still unable to spot her, yes. The roper will come out any moment. You could make out the assailants from quite a distance, too.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ It is true that I can¡¯t spot her¡­ Why wouldn¡¯t she come, though?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll return that question: Why should she come?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Why should she come? Because her comrades, the other worshippers, were here, right? And they wanted to¡­ do something, with that drug. There were enough reasons for her to come back, right? It wasn¡¯t like she knew we were here. Right?


    ¡°... Captain. Do you think she knows about us?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ How?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty simple, actually. Remember? There was one other magician.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    He suggested that that magician warned her?


    ¡°Of course, she could still decide to appear from somewhere. I ordered a few men to look out in other directions for her. But if it was me in her situation, I¡¯d escape. So, let¡¯s see¡­ I¡¯d say seven out of ten she¡¯s gone. No, seeing how you still haven¡¯t spotted her, eight out of ten.¡±


    So that¡¯s what it was¡­


    ¡°Then, what about the roper?¡±


    ¡°Something like a final payback? She can¡¯t really take that thing with her so she probably ordered it to do a suicide attack. Or she hopes it kills us all and retrieves it later. In fact, she might be watching from afar how it plays out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Watching, huh¡­ So, in the end I wouldn¡¯t meet her again?


    ¡°She also retreated extremely fast when she¡­ visited us¡­ Well, we¡¯ll see how it is. For now¡­ It seems it is here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Huh? Did time pass that quickly already? Wow¡­ But, it is better for my nerves¡­


    ¡°Quiet now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Karen and I affirmed his order and kept quiet. I could feel my body tensing up, nervous of what was going to happen now. In the meantime, Korwen was watching a mercenary on the other side of the road. The man was signaling with his hands. Although, I had no idea what he was signaling.


    Probably, what they were seeing¡­


    The sound of the trees being crushed was still audible for a few seconds and then¡­ it suddenly stopped.


    Are they out of the forest?


    Nobody said anything. On the other side of the road, the man was still giving signals. I clutched the banner that was in front of me, trying to calm myself. Somehow, I was even more nervous than with the assault on this very village. Even the mana crystal in my own body felt tense. If it could beat like a heart, it would probably do so really fast now.


    ¡°... They seem to be waiting.¡±


    ¡°Waiting?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Mm¡­ They can only spot the mother roper but it definitely has left the forest and is now waiting there.¡±


    I¡¯d like it more if it wasn¡¯t waiting, to be honest. The tension was killing me¡­


    ¡°They can¡¯t seem to see Yumelia.¡±


    ¡°... Then she¡¯s not here?¡±


    ¡°... I wonder.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen frowned, his gaze still locked onto the mercenary giving signals. I was a little surprised they could convey that much information with only hand signals.


    ¡°I hope this won¡¯t turn into a battle of endura¡ª Mh? I see.¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°They found Yumelia.¡±


    ¡°... That so.¡±


    ¡°I guess the Elder found her. Surprised she spotted her before you could. Guess I shouldn¡¯t underestimate her.¡±


    Korwen lifted his body up a little and began to signal back to the other man. Once he was done, he went back down, hiding behind the wall and only peeking over it.


    And after that¡­ pretty much nothing happened for a while. The men didn¡¯t give any other signals, probably because there was no change to the situation, nor did Korwen give out any other orders. This inactivity¡­ was killing me. It was seriously killing me, just sitting down, waiting for the inevitable change, the signal for the fight to begin. All this nervousness was probably why I didn¡¯t hear someone approaching from behind.


    ¡°Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Hii?!¡±


    My body jumped and a whole bunch of eyes laid their gaze on me immediately¡­ Nobody said anything¡­ and I could feel the heat rising up to my face.


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    Korwen rolled his eyes at me but didn¡¯t comment, instead turning to the person behind us.


    ¡°Miss Elder. Report.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve found Yumelia. She¡¯s watching from within the forest, together with someone else.¡±


    ¡°I see.... With someone else¡­ Good job. Stay with Yumi and Karen now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He turned back forwards, watching the mercenary for signals. The Elder sat down next to Karen and me, nodding shortly. We returned the nod and focused our attention back to Korwen and the other mercenary.


    Still nothing¡­ What is Yumelia doing?


    The Elder said she was watching and there was someone else with her¡­ The other magician, huh¡­ So they actually found each other.


    So much to our ambush¡­


    Well, they still didn¡¯t know if we actually were in the village or not, unless Yumelia had a similar ability available like mine.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Korwen lifted his head all of a sudden. There was a signal.


    ¡°Get ready! It¡¯s coming!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes.¡±


    It was coming. The mother roper was coming¡­ I clutched the banner in my arms and took a deep breath. It was time. And I had to calm down. But even so, my body was tense, showing no sign of loosening up.


    ¡°Bolard, Yumi. Get ready. When the roper gets into your sight, shoot without hesitation. No need to wait for my signal.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Captain¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Bolard was completely calm. Even in this situation he readied his crossbow with no hint of nervousness.


    ¡°Yumi, you can do it.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you.¡±


    After taking a deep breath for the last time, I scurried over to Bolard. The bolt was already inserted, the mana crystal peeking over the edge a little in place of the regular tip.


    ¡°When I give the ready, give me the signal when to shoot.¡±


    ¡°Nn, what kind of signal?¡±


    ¡°From three to zero fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The signal. From three to zero. A simple countdown. But first, there was a small¡­ issue that I had overlooked. I had to be near the mana crystal to activate. And, well¡­ I couldn¡¯t touch the mana crystal while the crossbow was loaded, obviously. Or, well, we probably could but I¡¯d rather not take that chance. But¡­


    I think I can do this.


    Stretching out my hand, I touched the crystal, taking hold of the mana. Then, I separated my hand. I knew I could take control of mana from a short distance, of course, but I never activated one of these grenades without directly touching them. Or rather, I only ever used them twice anyway. With that said¡­ It should be fine. I knew what to do. I had to make the mana rampage, just like back then, with the trolls. But not yet, not yet. We had to wait. Wait...


    ¡°Calm down, girl. Take a deep breath. A deep breath. No need to tense up.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I followed his advice and once more started to take deep breaths. The mana was already under my control. There was no need to worry, no need to worry.


    ¡°Good, good. Think you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I can.¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s what I like to hear.¡±


    Bolard chuckled, showing me the white of his teeth. Then he returned his attention to the front, the open road, waiting for the roper to come. I followed his gaze, cautious to keep the mana under my control. The man signaling was waving his hands, then he lifted his hand high up, all five fingers stretched out.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°The countdown. It begins.¡±


    The man¡¯s pinky retracted, leaving four fingers stretched out. The ring finger joined, leaving three. The middle finger, then the index finger. And finally¡­ dozens of crossbows shot their small payload at once, going straight towards our enemy, the mother roper.


    ¡°GYEEEE!!!¡±


    An ear-piercing scream resounded through the village, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground with tremendous force. Hearing those sounds, Korwen broke out into a smile.


    ¡°It felt that one, huh. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good.¡±


    He signaled something to the other side again. The mercenaries that were in my field of view reloaded their crossbows and took aim once more. A few seconds later, they started a new countdown.


    But, will this work?


    The enemy was huge. And the crossbow bolts were tiny. I had my doubts whether they would inflict much damage. On the other hand, they were probably not intended to kill it anyway.


    I glanced towards Korwen who was watching the countdown, quietly muttering to himself.


    ¡°¡ªve¡­ Four¡­ Three¡­ Two...One¡­¡±


    Once more, the bolts sailed through the air, disappearing out of my view.


    ¡°GYEEEEEEEE!!! GYEEE!!!¡±


    And just like before, it was followed by a scream from the mother roper.


    It¡¯s angry¡­


    That was what my guts told me. It was angry. Angry at being hurt¡­


    Suddenly, the other side signaled something, looking a little panicked.


    ¡°It¡¯s rushing towards. Get ready. It¡¯ll come into view any moment now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Yes, Captain.¡±


    It¡¯d come into view soon, he said.  From our position, we could look over the entrance of the village but not much further. I could only see partly the tentacle growth that had been hidden behind rubble.


    ¡°There it is.¡±


    Something large, something incredibly large entered our view. It was a single, giant tentacle, lifted high up into the air.


    ¡°What is it do¡ª¡±


    The tentacle sped down, smashing into a building right next to the road. The sound of the impact and the collapsing building was deafening, and a large dust cloud obstructed our view. But not for long¡­ Because no matter how much dust it could whirl up into the air, it would never fully hide the monstrosity that entered our view immediately after.


    ¡°What in the great spirits¡¯ name¡­ That¡¯s¡­ huge¡­¡± muttered Bolard, looking at the roper.


    His astonishment was relatable. Even from this distance with several buildings between us, I had to crane my neck back a little just to look up at it. Yet, I still couldn¡¯t see the roper in its entirety, hidden by the buildings. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tentacles, wriggling and moving around. A veritable mass of flesh and tentacles. Several large eyeballs poked out in between them, covered in crossbow bolts. And in the middle of it all was a large crystal, glowing and illuminating the night.


    ¡°Yumi! Bolard! Do it!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±


    Snapping back to reality, I turned around to look at the crossbow right next to me. The mana was still under my control. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t lose control over it despite forgetting myself for a moment.


    ¡°Ready when you are.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll start the countdown.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    I took a deep breath, focusing on the mana crystal serving as a grenade.


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    I stirred the mana in the crystal, making it whirl around a little.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    The intensity increased, but it was still under control.


    ¡°One¡­¡±


    Any moment now¡­ Any moment now¡­


    ¡°Zero!¡±


    I let go of the mana, letting it whirl and rampage out of my control. And not even a moment later, the bolt with the crystal disappeared.


    ¡°Payload on the way, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s see if it worked.¡±


    Turning around, I looked at the giant roper. Bolts from every direction rained down on it. They had stopped coordinating their fire, and instead hailed it with an incessant rain of bolts. Somewhere, the bolt that Bolard had shot was there too. Alas, I couldn¡¯t locate it. Nor could I see the mana.


    ¡°...Did it fail? Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I¡¯m sure I did it ri¡ª¡°GYEEE!!!¡±


    A pink light and another scream interrupted me. The light was subdued, but it came from inside the roper, likely damaging whatever was inside..


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s what I like to see. Yumi, continue with the barrage.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! Understood!¡±


    It had actually worked. It had really and actually worked! The explosion was by no means large, but it hurt the roper without a doubt.


    ¡°Still reloading.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Bolard forced the string back, snapping it into position. Then he inserted the prepared crossbow bolt. After a final check to see if everything was in order, he readied the crossbow and got into position, aiming at the roper.


    ¡°Ready when you are!¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    Another attempt. I stretched out my hand, touching the mana crystal and taking control of the mana. Then I retracted my hand, making sure to keep my control. After a deep breath for the umpteenth time, I began counting down.


    ¡°Three¡­ Two¡­ One¡­ Zero!¡±


    ¡°Payload on the way!¡±


    This time, I followed the bolt with my eyes as¡­ good as I could. The bolt was so fast that I lost track of it within a second¡­ For several seconds, nothing happened. Nothing at all except for the roper being attacked by the other mercenaries. It had covered the large eyeballs, protecting them from the bolts. Then¡ª


    ¡°GYEEEEE!!! GYEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡±


    A scream and a pink light coming from inside its body.


    ¡°Good! It¡¯s working. Next one!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    Bollard was already half-finished with reloading by the time the mana crystal had actually exploded. He didn¡¯t even waste time to check if he had hit or not. Then again, missing a target as large as this was probably harder than hitting it.


    ¡°Ready when you are!¡±


    ¡°Nn, then...¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Suddenly, Korwen stopped us, his gaze still fixated on the roper. I followed his eyes and¡­ The roper had uncovered one of its large eyeballs. And it was staring¡­ right at us.


    ¡°Into cover! Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    Korwen jumped up and ran down, Karen grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and dragged me away, Bolard abandoned his supplies and jumped to the side, down the building we were on, the Elder followed behind us.


    ¡°Cover! Into cover!¡±


    Similar shouts could be heard from the nearby mercenaries, everyone scrambling away, getting away from whatever was going to happen.


    ¡°GYEEEEEE!¡±


    Something was crushed¡­ With enormous strength, the roper had swiped away the building between the road and us, debris flying through the air, crashing into other buildings and damaging them.


    ¡°Shoot! Shoot it!¡±


    ¡±Don¡¯t let it leave the road!¡±


    ¡±Throw the spears! The spears!¡±


    The mercenaries were shouting, screaming and doing all they could to stop the roper. They threw their spears, connected to the ropes. They attempted to shoot the eyeball, staring straight at us. To no avail. The mana was stirring. A tremendous amount of mana.


    ¡°Captain! Captain! It¡¯s using magic!¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ disperse! Disperse!¡±


    Korwen ran to the side, splitting up from us, the Elder following right behind him. Karen decided on the other direction, running around a building and obstructing my view. But I could still feel it. The mana, it was moving. Something was happening.


    ¡°GYEEEEEEE!!!¡±


    The next moment, my vision was covered in a muddy pink light. A light devouring everything.

 Chapter of Grim Reality: The Bright Dawn

    ¡°Cough! Cough! Ugh¡­ It hurts...¡±


    My whole body hurt. Just now, a bright light had covered my vision and the very next instant everything hurt as if someone had thrown me into a thresher and minced me into meat paste.


    ¡°Cough¡­ Sis¡­ Cough¡­ Are you here?¡±


    I forced my eyes open, hoping to get an understanding of what had happened, but I was only met with darkness. Which was odd, considering I could see in the dark.


    Just what¡­ happened?


    My body wouldn¡¯t move either. I tried to get up but neither my arms nor my legs would move. It was like something heavy was pressing down on me and restraining my body. Or maybe it was pressing me up? I couldn¡¯t quite get my bearings. Or rather, I had no idea where was up and where was down.


    ¡°Sis? Uhh¡­ You there?¡±


    ¡°... Mnngh.¡±


    Just as I was beginning to worry, a groan entered my ears. Oddly enough, from right next to my ear.


    ¡°... Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Sis!¡±


    ¡°Ngh¡­ What happened? Mh¡­ Can¡¯t move...¡±


    Karen tried to move, squirming around.


    ¡°Wait, Sis, don¡¯t move. Ahngh! Hurts! It hurts!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Yumi? What hurts?¡±


    ¡°That! Your leg!¡±


    ¡°... Ah? Ah!¡±


    Grinding the hauberk into my unprotected side was anything but pleasant¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°So, uhm¡­ What is this? I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°Neither can I.¡±


    The most I could move were the fingers on my hand¡­ Though¡­ My hair should be able to reach around, shouldn¡¯t it? Well, let¡¯s se¡ª


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°... Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°I will free you in but a moment. Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Free us?


    Just as I was wondering what the Elder was talking about, light pierced into my eyes, blinding me for the second time tonight.


    ¡°You two seem unharmed. That is pleasant to see.¡±


    I opened my eyes, squinting at our surroundings. Tree barks, rubble, a paved road and a pair of thin legs. The latter being attached to the Elder, who was peering down on us in relief. And then there was Karen who was apparently below me.


    ¡°I would recommend getting up soon, lest you get hurt for real, this time.¡±


    The Elder reached out a hand to help me get up. Once I was up on my feet again, I could finally discern what was happening¡­ and what had happened. There were several thick tree roots at the spot Karen and I had been, covering us and likely shielding us. Judging from the large amounts of rubble, the building next to us had collapsed. However¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ What was that bright light I saw?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, you¡¯re better off seeing for yourself. Look, over there.¡±


    She pointed in the direction we had come from¡­ probably come from. A thick pink-coloured fog prevented us from seeing anything.


    ¡°What the¡­ What is that?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. But it is dangerous so do not go in there. Everything inside that fog has lost its form and collapsed.¡±


    ¡°... I see. What about the Captain and the others?¡±


    ¡°Everyone got out fine. Nobody has been hurt, but I wager we have lost some supplies. The mercenaries are still engaged to the roper, though.¡±


    ¡°So they¡¯re fine.¡±


    I heaved a breath of relief, hearing this news.


    ¡°How long were we out, Miss Elder?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Scarce a moment. I hurried over and freed you as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you for protecting us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Think nothing of it.¡±


    Karen threw a glance at the fog and furrowed her brows.


    ¡°We should return to Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, he is on the other side of the fog and I have my doubts you two could traverse it.¡±


    We could walk around it but¡­ We had no idea how far the fog extended. In the worst case, it could go far beyond the village borders. As I thought about that, Karen let out a small gasp and turned to the Elder.


    ¡°Miss Elder, didn¡¯t you follow behind Mr Captain? Did you go through that fog?¡±


    ¡°I did, indeed. If it is just for a short while, I can protect myself. Long enough to carry my own self through the fog.¡±


    She could protect herself from that fog? Then¡ª Ah, but we couldn¡¯t protect ourselves, so¡­ Yeah¡­ Upon closer inspection, the equipment the Elder was wearing was damaged in some parts, as if someone had poured acid on it and watched it dissolve.


    ¡°The Captain has orders for you two as well. Rejoin with the nearest mercenaries or preferably with Bolard. In the case of the latter, continue the barrage. Otherwise, support the nearby mercenaries however you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Support them¡­¡±


    How would we even support them, though?


    ¡°I believe finding the crossbowman named Bolard would be more advantageous right now. Nonetheless, nothing will change as long as we keep standing here.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right. Sis, Miss Elder, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°That we shall.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The three of us nodded at each other and then made our way through the village¡¯s buildings, back to the battle against the roper.


    ---


    ¡°There. Over there.¡±


    I pointed at the nearby group of mercenaries. Half a dozen men, three of them holding onto ropes, two shooting with their crossbows and the last one observing the battle.


    We approached them and the observing man turned around to us.


    ¡°Oh. You three¡­¡±


    The man raised his eyebrows in surprise at seeing us, then broke out into a smile.


    ¡°Good to see you are fine. Any injuries?¡±


    ¡°None, Mr Bolard.,¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Good to hear.¡±


    Bolard nodded, then turned his eyes back to the roper.


    ¡°Take a look at that bastard. After it spewed out whatever the hell that was, this happened.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Curious, I followed his gaze and¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ curled up?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. No idea what the hell it is doing. But it hasn¡¯t attacked since then. On the other hand, we can¡¯t do jackshit about it either.¡±


    The mountain of a roper had used all of its tentacles to cover itself up. Looking at it like this, it was quite clear how it had three or four tentacles which were exceedingly larger than all the others. And a lot tougher as well¡­ The crossbow bolts that had struck it were falling out one after another, leaving not even a single scratch.


    ¡°It¡¯s regenerating?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it. We¡¯re just wasting ammunition like this if you ask me. Well, we got plenty to spare but if it keeps this up for longer¡­ Anyway, have you girls seen a good vantage point? ¡±


    ¡°A vantage point? No¡­¡±


    We didn¡¯t look for one either. The Elder and Karen were also shaking their heads.


    ¡°Too bad. I¡¯d rather not stand in the alleys when it decides to spew that fog again. And all these buildings look like they¡¯d collapse the second I climb up. Well, beggars can¡¯t be choosers.¡±


    Bolard scratched the back of his head as he continued to watch over the roper. The roper that still hadn¡¯t moved away from that point¡­ Speaking of which...


    ¡°... Hey. Wasn¡¯t the plan supposed to lure it into the centre of the village?¡±


    ¡°It was, yes. No clue why it still stands there at the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Some men already moved up the road to get a decent shot at it. Doesn¡¯t look like it plans to move away from there either.¡±


    Curled up as it was, it surely wasn¡¯t going to¡­


    ¡°Right. Do you girls have any clue as to why it is curled up? I dunno, some magic or something?¡±


    ¡°Magic? Nn¡­ Doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    It didn¡¯t really look like it was using any magic¡­ It was just curled up and doing¡­ nothing. Well, it was being a pain since the mercenaries couldn¡¯t do anything against it either¡­ At least, not with the crossbows.


    ¡°Nothing, huh. Well, in that case, we should hurry up and get a few more shots out.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you leave behind your stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sure did, but I kept some in reserve. And I doubt we¡¯ll get many shots out if we don¡¯t hurry.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think all we do is shoot at it with crossbows, right?¡±


    Err, no, I didn¡¯t. But what could they do with it being curled up?


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll see, so let¡¯s get up here and shoot some more.¡±


    He pointed at a nearby building with a grin. It was a little taller than the other buildings. But before we could set off¡­


    ¡°GYEEEEHHH!!!¡±


    The roper screamed, uncurling and revealing itself once more. Its large eyeballs were bloodshot, looking around the area haphazardly¡­ before they all settled to look in a single direction¡­


    ¡°Girl.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Did you kill that roper¡¯s parents or what?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I think not...¡±


    Its eyes were all directed at us. No, they were directed at me. A piercing glare, completely ignoring everything else.


    ¡°GYEEEEHHH!!!¡±


    The large tentacles stretched out in our direction, high up in the air, casting a shadow on us.


    ¡°Oh sh¡ª Run!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn. Wah!¡±


    Karen grabbed me, this time by the waist and ran away, carrying me along. The Elder was next to us and the other mercenaries, Bolard included, scattered away, disappearing into the alleys between the buildings¡­


    ¡°Incoming! Protect your head!¡±


    The first tentacle smashed down, straight into the alleyway we had just occupied. The walls of the surrounding buildings got flattened and debris flew through the air. Then, as if it wasn¡¯t enough, it swept to the side, through the buildings and clearing the area entirely, leaving only some meagre remains of the foundation.


    ¡°GYEEEEHHH!!!¡±


    Before the dust could settle, I heard several more impacts. Likely the other tentacles having crashed into and cleared the surroundings.


    After gaining some more distance, Karen stopped in her tracks and let me down.


    ¡°... What the hell? Why is it after me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Neither Karen nor the Elder answered. Or more like, they couldn¡¯t answer. None of us knew why it was attacking.


    ¡°It¡¯s not coming after us¡­ is it?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t look like it will. Mayhap it cannot follow us?¡±


    As the dust cleared away, we once more could see the large roper, rooted at the same spot as before¡­ and its eyes still trained on me.


    ¡°GYEEEEHHH!!! GYEEEHH!!!¡±


    It screamed¡­ but it didn¡¯t move¡­


    ¡°Are we¡­ actually safe here?¡±


    The large tentacles were stretched out on the ground, trying to reach towards us. But the distance was too great. On the other hand, the mercenaries weren¡¯t letting this chance go to waste, shooting at the opened eyes.


    ¡°GYEEEHHHHAAA!!!¡±


    It retracted its tentacles in an attempt to protect the eyes from the barrage. Alas, plenty of them still got through and hurt the roper in the process.


    ¡°Yumi. Look there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Where?¡±


    ¡°Below the roper.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I tried to follow where the Elder was pointing at. Below the roper? The ground, she meant? What was with the¡­


    ¡°... What the hell?¡±


    I was seeing things, wasn¡¯t I? Yeah, I definitely was. There was no way that huge mountain of a roper was stuck to the ground because of the tentacle growth, right? Actually, why was part of that tentacle growth covering the lower side of that roper?!


    ¡°I am not seeing things, Miss Elder? Am I?¡±


    ¡°You are not seeing things, Yumi. The roper is stuck, literally, on your tentacle growth...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Seriously¡­ At least, now we knew why it wasn¡¯t moving away from its spot. It really couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°GYEEEEHHH!!!¡±


    Stuck at that spot and only able to defend itself¡­ Bolts and spears sticking out of its body, the latter attached to ropes. I could see several more spears stabbing into one of the large tentacles, tying it down to the ground.


    ¡°GYEEH!¡±


    The roper attempted in vain to lift the tentacle and before it could free itself with the others, they were tied down as well, immobilising the roper entirely.


    ¡°... They¡¯re actually keeping it restrained.¡±


    It couldn¡¯t move. It couldn¡¯t attack. It was completely at their mercy now.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. The fog seems to have lifted.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°... We should look for Mr Captain then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I agree.¡±


    The roper couldn¡¯t do anything in its current state. Unless, of course, it tried to use that magic fog again but there were no indicators to that. But nonetheless, it was still alive and well. Its wounds kept regenerating.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Having decided that it¡¯d be best to return to Korwen, the three of us made our way through the area that had been covered in the fog. Looking at it like this¡­ What in the blazes was that fog? The entire area was¡­ empty, except for a small part of the building we had stood on originally. Everything behind it was just¡­ gone. Not even rubble remained as if everything had just¡­ disintegrated.


    Scary¡­ It¡¯s a little like the mana grenades, leaving nothing behind.


    The mana crystals, when exploding, also seemed to disintegrate their surroundings, rather than exploding with a shockwave and all that stuff.


    ¡°Yumi, I can see him.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, that was quick.¡±


    Korwen stood atop a building, overlooking the fight with the roper. We quickly climbed up to join him.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh? What, you three are here? What happened to that¡­ It¡¯s gone?¡±


    He stared at the area with the fog, his eyes wide in surprise.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ So it doesn¡¯t last long. That¡¯s good. That¡¯s good.¡±


    After nodding to himself with a satisfied smile, he turned to us.


    ¡°Yumi, take your banner and get up here.¡±


    ¡°Nn? But I couldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°There.¡±


    He pointed at the ground next to him. Much to my surprise, the banner was there, even though I couldn¡¯t save it when we were attacked by the roper. But¡­ it looked a little damaged.


    ¡°It got roughed up a little but it survived, same for Bolard¡¯s crossbow and all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°... How did you even manage to get it out of there?¡±


    ¡°By virtue of the woman next to you.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The woman next to me? Karen had been with me the entire time so¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°Mm. Even without a forest at my bidding, I can still do some minor things. Bringing some items out of there without entering was not particularly hard. Your magician friend can do the same, I wager.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    As amazing as ever¡­ Not only did she protect us from a collapsed building without even being present, but she also collected our things and managed to traverse that fog on her lonesome.


    ¡°Anyway, get up and do your job.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Captain.¡±


    My job... was it¡­ Yes, that was my job. I walked up to the banner and lifted it¡ªalbeit with some difficulties. Looking over it, I could see that Korwen was right. It took a slight beating. The shaft was damaged and the flag itself had some holes. But despite all that, it was still in one piece. I somehow could imagine Wormaz screaming already, though¡­


    It¡¯s not my fault, though¡­ This was completely out of my hands¡­


    Suppressing a sigh, I stood next to Korwen, holding the banner straight. Seeing that I was back at my spot, Korwen nodded and returned his attention frontwards again.


    ¡°If you see it using magic, inform me immediately.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I will do that.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now then... Miss Elder.¡°


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Do you know if Yumelia is still watching from the forest?¡±


    Right, Yumelia was watching the situation from afar¡­


    ¡°... I apologise but I am too far from the forest to say for sure. I believe she hasn¡¯t moved, however.¡±


    ¡°Hasn¡¯t moved, huh. Mhm.¡±


    Korwen rubbed his chin, lost in thought from the looks of it.


    ¡°In that case, I guess it¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Time?¡±


    ¡°To finish this.¡±


    To finish this, he said? He wanted to finish the roper? Before I could ask what he was planning, he lifted his arm, signalling the other mercenaries.


    ¡°Captain¡­ How are you planning to kill that¡­ roper?¡±


    ¡°With brute force.¡±


    He smirked at my question as if he thought it amusing.


    ¡°You will see it soon. Look.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He gestured with his chin towards the village centre. A group of just under two dozen mercenaries was lining up, heavily armoured with large weapons like axes, halberds and hammers at the ready.


    ¡°So, how about it? Want to give the signal?¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you. It is part of your job.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°What, not good enough for you?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Forceful, wasn¡¯t he. It was such an important thing, though, wasn¡¯t it? And that made me all the more nervous. Although, I really had to get used to it, so¡­


    ¡°Nn, I understand. I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, just repeat what I¡¯ll tell you for now, just like the other times.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I just had to repeat his words¡­ Nothing else. Bracing myself for it, I turned my gaze to the mercenaries who were getting ready.


    ¡°Well then, you ready?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I took a deep breath, waiting for Korwen¡¯s words.


    ¡°Dragon Knights! Now is the time to show this monstrosity what we are made of! Show no mercy and make us proud! Fight, fight and kill! For the Lomerian Dragon Knights!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±WOOOHHHH¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°GYEEEEEEHHHHH!!!¡±


    The twenty-odd men roared and charged at the bound roper, still unable to free itself. The first few jumped up, despite their heavy armour, and landed on top of the large tentacles. Their weapons promptly sunk into the flesh, cutting through. Chunks of flesh and pink-coloured blood flew through the air as they mercilessly hacked the tentacles. The roper could only scream in pain as the first tentacle was completely severed from its body, lying limp on the ground and the stump flailing in the air.


    The other mercenaries similarly jumped onto the tentacles and hacked them to pieces, until none of the large tentacles remained.


    ¡°... Amazing.¡±


    That was all I could say to it. With roaring shouts, they swung their weapons and systematically stripped the roper down. The cut-off tentacles were immediately pulled away by the other mercenaries, keeping them out of reach of the mother roper.


    ¡°Mhm, looks good, doesn¡¯t it. Maybe we won¡¯t even need Ria¡¯s help.¡±


    Having cut the large tentacles off, the mercenaries turned their attention to the roper¡¯s main body. They surrounded it and hacked into the body, cutting off the smaller tentacles covering the body. One mercenary dared to jump up and thrust his halberd into the large eyeball.


    ¡°GYEEEHHH!!! GRYEEEEEEIIIIIHHHH!!!¡±


    Screams of pain echoed through the air as the mercenary ripped the eyeball out of the mother roper¡¯s body. A feat of inexplicable strength, defying all I knew and expected. I thought that Lily was already utterly ridiculous, being able to cleave through a tree. But these men¡­ They were even further removed from what I deemed common sense.


    ¡°GYEEEEE!!!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Suddenly, I felt something happening¡­ odd.


    ¡°Captain, it¡¯s doing something.¡±


    ¡°Again that fog?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t think so. Huh?¡±


    The mana wasn¡¯t centred around a single eyeball. Instead, it was flowing to the large crystal that was embedded in its body.


    ¡°Something¡­ It¡¯s doing something with that crystal.¡±


    ¡°The crystal? I see¡­¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed, watching the crystal. Yet, he made no indication of ordering the mercenaries back.


    ¡°Captain, shouldn¡¯t we call them back?¡±


    ¡°Their armour protects them from most magic. Even if it should cast that fog again, they¡¯ll have enough time to get out. And in the first place¡­ Watch.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Returning my attention to the roper, I could see several mercenaries jumping and climbing the roper, en route to the large crystal. They hacked their weapons into its body and used them as crutches, pulling themselves up, bit by bit. The roper was still gathering mana by the time the first mercenaries reached the crystal. Without delay, they began to hack into the surrounding flesh. Just like digging, they scooped out the surrounding flesh.


    ¡°GYEEEEHHHH!!!¡±


    The mountain of a roper wobbled to the sides, in an attempt to shake off the mercenaries. To no avail, they weren¡¯t even the slightest disturbed by the unsteady ground.


    ¡°GYAARRHHHHH!!!¡±


    The crystal moved, sliding down just ever so slightly. Maybe the mother roper realised that it wouldn¡¯t finish whatever it was doing in time as the shaking and wobbling grew intenser.


    ¡°Mm? Yumi, what¡¯s that, above the crystal?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Above the crystal? Ah there¡­ There was something¡­ A small muddy pink stone, rapidly growing in size.


    ¡°... A mana crystal?¡±


    It was slightly see-through from the looks of it but it was without a doubt a mana crystal, wasn¡¯t it? Actually, I felt like I had seen that before¡­


    ¡°Ah! Captain, it¡¯s trying to create more ropers!¡±


    ¡°... I see. That would be a bother, wouldn¡¯t it. Someone, get me Ria. And tell everyone to get ready for combat! We might have more enemies incoming!¡±


    A nearby man saluted and then ran off, shouting all the while to get combat-ready. As for the mother roper¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s coming¡­¡±


    The mana gathering stopped, disappearing into the mana crystal that was the size of a soccer ball. Then, this muddy crystal¡­ exploded, spreading its splinters everywhere.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°Careful there!¡±


    Korwen¡¯s hand was right in front of me, having caught one of the crystal splinters that flew in my direction.


    ¡°Wait, what the hell!¡±


    The splinter in Korwen¡¯s hands suddenly grew tentacles, wrapping around his arms. He grabbed the crystal with his other free hand, ripped it off and crushed it in his hand, causing the newly grown tentacles to dry up and fall to the ground.


    ¡°Tsk, that¡¯s quite a bother.¡±


    All around us, we could hear mercenaries shouting, weapons being drawn and flesh being torn into. Dozens of small ropers had grown rapidly from the crystal splinters and were now engaged in combat with the mercenaries.


    ¡°WOOOOHHHH!¡±


    ¡°GYIIIIIRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    Meanwhile, the mercenaries climbing the mother roper let out a shout of victory, as the large crystal slid down the mother roper¡¯s body and hit the ground.


    ¡°Tsk, so it really wasn¡¯t its main crystal, huh.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°GRYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!¡±


    The mother roper screamed, shaking with an intensity unlike before, causing the mercenaries to finally lose their balance and tumble down. One mercenary was caught on the leg by small tentacles, jerking him back up. The force of which bent his entire leg in an impossible direction.


    ¡°AHHHHH!!!¡±


    And a scream of pain escaped him, followed by him hacking randomly into the tentacles around him until they finally let him go. A nearby mercenary ran up to him, grabbed him under the shoulders and pulled him away to safety. A trail of blood followed them...


    ¡°Urgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look away. This, too, is your job.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Averting your eyes won¡¯t change what is happening. And as long as he is not dead, he can be saved.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    How could he watch this, without even twitching?


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, Ria. Took a while.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Some ropers¡­ were in the¡­ way¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Korwen finally turned around to look at the woman behind us.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ No signs¡­ of her¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Do you think it is safe for you to act?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria looked at Korwen for a few seconds, then her gaze wandered to the roper and finally to the forest.


    ¡°She missed¡­ the best chance¡­ The suns¡­ will raise¡­ soon¡­ I doubt¡­ she plans¡­ to act¡­ She lost¡­ her advantage¡­ So¡­ Even without¡­ my help¡­ she¡¯d get caught¡­ easily...¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s unfortunate in itself but nothing we didn¡¯t expect. In that case. Ria, I order you: Rip that mana crystal out of the mother roper¡¯s body!¡±


    ¡°... Acknowledged¡­ Captain.¡±


    A rare smile crept up Ria¡¯s lips. Similarly, Korwen smirked then faced back to the roper.


    ¡°Yumi. How about it, want to give the next order too?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Just copy my words.¡±


    ¡°... In that case¡­ Nn, I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Warming up to it, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    It was making me seriously nervous, shouting such important orders. But I noticed¡­ somewhere inside¡­ That I actually kind of wanted to¡­ Seeing them act on the words I shouted¡­ It was a hard-to-describe feeling. I knew I was just shouting the order¡¯s Korwen had already decided upon but¡­ It made me feel like I was doing something. Accomplishing something. As stupid as it sounded. I knew it wouldn¡¯t change much whether it was me or Korwen who gave the order. I was just doing it right now to get used to it. But on the inside, it was still a pleasant experience.


    ¡°... I might be warming up to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Well then, let¡¯s get this show on the road.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    I took a deep breath, waiting for Korwen.


    ¡°Men, into cover! Magic incoming! Into cover! Magic incoming!¡±


    Exhausting all the air in my lungs¡ªassuming I had them¡ªI shouted the warning with all my might. Not even a second later, the mercenaries ran away from the mother roper¡­ Some of them looking a little too scared. They were more scared of Ria shooting them accidentally than they were of a monster of this size. Watching it was a little¡­ ironic?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well then¡­¡±


    Ria stepped forward, taking out a small flask with a yellow-brownish liquid. She removed the stopper and emptied the flask in front of us, pouring the liquid onto the ground.


    ¡°*****! *****! **** *** ***** ** ***** ** ** ** *** *****! ******* *** **** ***** *****!¡±


    ¡°Huh?


    Unfamiliar words left Ria¡¯s mouth. Like a chant for a spell. It wasn¡¯t my first time seeing it but it was the first time I could make out the words. Not that it helped, seeing as I couldn¡¯t understand them in the least. Then, not even a moment later, the liquid she had poured on the floor rose into the air, absorbing an absurd quantity of mana from Ria and gathering around her hand. She  waved her hand a little and the liquid obediently followed her motions.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­¡±


    With a wide swing of her hand, Ria flung the liquid towards the roper. It scattered into small drops, making me wonder what in the hell it even was¡­ At that moment, the roper screamed yet again, in pain.


    ¡°GYWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    Incomparably loud to all the other times, it screamed without letting off. I had to press my hands over my ears because it felt like my eardrums would burst. Squinting my eyes, I looked at the roper. Despite the screams, there were no additional wounds on its body.


    While I was wondering what had even happened, Ria had begun to cast yet another spell, this time without any odd liquid. Her words were completely drowned out by the screaming roper so I had no idea anyway whether it was even the same chant. Ria motioned something with her hand. Wondering what was happening, I gazed at the roper again.


    ¡°GYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    But except for it shaking and shouting in pain, I couldn¡¯t see anything that wasn¡¯t normal. That was, outwardly. Watching the mana, however¡­ I saw something¡­ that honestly scared the hell out of me. Small blots of mana were rapidly moving inside the roper¡¯s body. They slowly gathered a certain spot inside the body, forming a small sphere around it. And then¡­ the screaming stopped.


    What.. just happened?


    An eerie silence fell over the village, nobody was daring to make a sound. Slowly, ever so slowly, the large roper¡¯s body lost its strength and slumped to the ground.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡± muttered Korwen after a while.


    ¡°It is¡­ Captain...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The large roper¡­ The mother roper¡­ had breathed its last¡­ I turned around to look at Ria, only to see her pale complexion with sweat dripping down from her forehead. The magic had seemed simple but it was clear that it had drained a large amount of mana from her.


    ¡°Miss Elder. Can you sense Yumelia in the forest?¡±


    ¡°... With the mana settling down, it has become a little easier, yes. However¡­ Yumelia has left, the moment the roper died.¡±


    ¡°... She left? Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen sighed and then, much to my surprise, let himself fall to the ground, where he sat with his legs outstretched.


    ¡°Praise the Lord of War in heaven¡¯s high¡­ It¡¯s over.¡±


    It¡¯s over¡­ he said. I looked over the village. The mercenaries slowly came out of between the buildings, approaching the corpse. Some of them kicked against the body, only to jump back immediately in fear of retaliation. Yet, nothing happened. The body, the corpse, did not move. Once they realised that, the mercenaries raised the weapons high.


    ¡°¡±¡°WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHH!!! VICTORY FOR THE DRAGON KNIGHTS!!! WOOOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!¡±¡±¡±


    They roared, they shouted, celebrating their win. They were nearly as loud as the final screams of the roper. But this time, I didn¡¯t mind the noise. It was their way of expressing victory, after all. It¡¯d be crude to cover my ears. Albeit, it still hurt a little.


    It¡¯s over, isn¡¯t it? All of this...


    Yumelia had fled but that was unavoidable. If she had been in the village when we attacked, things might have gone differently. Right now, I was just glad things had finished without the worst-case scenario happening.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Is it¡­ Is it really done?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I think so, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Karen stared at the roper, her eyes wide. Maybe she couldn¡¯t quite believe it. The mercenaries¡­ They had veritably overwhelmed the roper in the end.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I need¡­ a break¡­¡±


    Ria slumped down to the ground, sitting next to Korwen. Her face was still pale and sweat was slowly soaking her clothes.


    ¡°Good work, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care of everything else. Take a break.¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡±


    Ria nodded vaguely, her eyes barely open. A moment later, they shut down and she slumped to the side, against Korwen¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, now¡­ Ahh¡­ I didn¡¯t mean you can fall asleep like this¡­¡±


    Despite that, he smiled at Ria.


    ¡°You did a good job. Sleep well.¡±


    He cautiously moved her away from his shoulder, laying her down with her head resting on his legs.


    ¡°Seriously...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What are you three grinning for?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Nothing.¡±¡±¡±


    He grimaced at our answer that was completely in sync.


    ¡°Tsk¡­ Whatever, we¡¯re still not done here, you hear¡­¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. We have to clean this mess up. Especially that huge corpse. Getting that back will be a pain and I can already hear Will complaining to me even if we do.¡±


    ¡°Why would he complain?¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t he be happy that we dealt with this one as well?


    ¡°Because he¡¯ll want those materials and those crystals. Well, depends on what he¡¯ll offer. Either way, we got a lot of work left. Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Well, he wasn¡¯t saying he wouldn¡¯t give them away. If the offer was good enough¡­


    ¡°Oh? Well now¡­ Guess that¡¯s a good omen, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen looked over to the forest, so I followed his gaze and¡­ A large string of light was rising up over there, flooding the forest in an ephemeral light. The two suns just barely peeking over the forest, bathing everyone¡ªthe mercenaries, the roper¡¯s corpse, the ruins of a village and, of course, us¡ªin soft red light. The night was slowly turning into day.


    ¡°Right at dawn¡¯s time. If that¡¯s not a good omen, then I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±

 Chapter of Grim Reality: Grim Homecoming

    ¡°Now then¡­ What do I do about this one?¡±


    Korwen looked down at the sleeping woman. It was a pretty cute sight, seeing Ria peacefully resting and using his lap as a pillow.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is much you can do about that, Mr Korwen. Though you could have her carried away, I assume.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ No choice, I¡¯ll have someone carry her later.¡±


    He sighed, shaking his head, before turning his attention to the large corpse in the middle of the village. Even though it had slumped down and wasn¡¯t as a mountain like before, it still towered over every single building here. Then again, the village only seemed to have one-story buildings anyway.


    ¡°The village is a lost cause without survivors so we can leave things as they are. Will can deal with that. That leaves us¡­ with the roper corpse and the worshippers¡¯ belongings.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, what can we even do with that corpse?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Well, you can turn these things into quite a lot of money. If you exclude the special reward that Will offered us, the corpse alone will net us more than the entire job. Magic craftsmen can turn just about any part of it into money, after all. Figuratively speaking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth that much?¡±


    More than the entire job¡­ wasn¡¯t the payment a few thousands of gold coins? And this thing was worth even more?


    ¡°It sure is. If we sell the mana crystal as well it¡¯d be even more but¡­ considering our current options, I am considering keeping it instead. But even without, the corpse will earn us some pretty coins. Can¡¯t be sure how much exactly without someone appraising it, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes went wide in astonishment and her eyes wandered to the corpse. She kept looking at it for a good while¡­ or rather, she was more like staring a hole into it.


    ¡°Sis, you can¡¯t pilfer materials from it, you hear?¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t plan to.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, she avoided my eyes. Seriously¡­


    ¡°Hey now, I don¡¯t think we pay you so little that you got to do that, you know? In the first place, everyone who participated gets a bonus anyway, depending on how much we sold it for.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°... Yes, really.¡±


    If her eyes could sparkle they¡¯d probably do that just about now, that¡¯s how much she to welcome the news. With a big grin on her lips, she stealthily pumped her fists. This greedy sister of mine¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll be keeping a close watch. If anything is missing, I¡¯ll deduct it from your bonus, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?! I said I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope that¡¯s true! Hahaha!¡±


    Korwen laughed heartily, watching Karen¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Honestly, though¡­ It¡¯s a good thing that it went as well as it did.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That could have gone quite awry¡­¡±


    I glanced once again at the swath of destruction that odd fog had left behind. If we had been any slower, we wouldn¡¯t be able to stand here. Or sit, in Korwen¡¯s case.


    ¡°Mh, yes¡­ Frankly said that was quite unexpected. It wasn¡¯t on the level where it could have become truly dangerous but it could have turned out problematic if it had repeated that attack.¡±


    ¡°Problematic, you say¡­¡±


    That felt like a small understatement, in my opinion¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain, I don¡¯t think you can keep it at calling it problematic.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°We could have died.¡±


    ¡°We could have. Just like we could on any job.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Right¡­ It was always dangerous¡­


    ¡°This subjugation was by far not that dangerous, generally speaking. If Will, the king, wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the internal struggles, we wouldn¡¯t even be needed for a job like this. Even less with that kind of reward. In case Yumi hadn¡¯t noticed that breath, I am certain that Ria or the other two would have and dealt with it. Although, that would have meant that one of them would be unable to use magic afterwards.¡±


    So, if we hadn¡¯t noticed it early enough to run away, Ria would have protected us? Or Wenners or Krutz.


    ¡°In the worst case, I still have a bit of insurance for such situations as well. I am the captain of this mercenary band, it wouldn¡¯t do for me to get killed that easily, you know? If that was all it needed, I would have died a few dozen times already.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, with that said¡­ Nobody has to know that, right?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    What did he mean with that now?


    ¡°You know, we did have to deal with an unexpected guest and we did have a pretty dangerous situation there. I¡¯m sure I can squeeze out some hazard pay out of Will for that.¡±


    Hazard pay¡­ Seriously? He was going to squeeze the poor guy out of all of his money, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Seeing how we dealt with another one of his problems, I think it¡¯s only fair for us to receive a bonus on top of it, right? It was dangerous and we were utterly unprepared to deal with such a large monster. We were stuck in the village when it attacked and it was only due to pure luck that we got away with no casualties. On the other hand, some men did suffer serious injuries. How about it? Sounds good? Sounds good to me.¡±


    Korwen grinned as he looked at us for confirmation. And the only thing I could do was staring at him utterly exasperated.


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not a lie, technically speaking.¡±


    ¡°¡±...¡±¡±


    ¡°They might just slightly differ in severity depending on your point of view.¡±


    ¡°¡±...¡±¡±


    Oh well¡­ I knew nothing about this. Yeah, if someone asked me, I knew nothing.


    ¡°Of course, part of the money I squeeze out will be given out as bonus pay.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a wonderful idea and I completely agree with what you said, Mr Captain!¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that!¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    These two greedy...


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Whatever¡­ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s wrong anyway.¡±


    It had been dangerous, that was true. And we weren¡¯t perfectly prepared for it. Although, now that I thought back on it¡­ I had the feeling that Korwen was betting on fighting the roper straight from the start, didn¡¯t he? He said we were unprepared but that was maybe the one and only real lie. He was anything but unprepared¡­ There had been no need for the massive amounts of ropes and ammunition we had brought along just to deal with those worshippers...


    But it was a pretty profitable idea he had there¡­ it¡¯s not like I know how profitable but judging from his satisfied grin, it must have been worth a lot¡­


    In that case, it was probably fine¡­


    ¡°Captain! Captain!¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    At that moment, a mercenary ran up to us.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to report!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, right. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Understood!¡±


    I tilted my head at the newcomer. Report? Oh, was it an after-battle report or something like that?


    ¡°We have confirmed that the roper is¡ªwithout a doubt¡ªdead. The recovery of the mana crystal might take some time, however. The other crystal that was attached to the roper has been secured and loaded on a cart.¡±


    ¡°Mh, good job. Casualties and injuries?¡±


    ¡°No casualties, sir! There were several injuries, however. Four of them are major. Two mercenaries were struck by flying debris. One man suffered a head injury and fell unconscious. Another one has several broken ribs. The latter also suffered a punctured lung according to Wenners and he is currently being treated with magic.¡±


    ¡°Will he make it?¡±


    ¡°He is in need of treatment but Wenners reported that he will make it, assuming we bring him to a dedicated healing magician as soon as possible.¡±


    My eyes went wide, hearing the report. There was actually someone who got injured that severely¡­


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Prepare for him to leave with the first group.¡±


    ¡°Will be done, sir!¡±


    ¡°What about the other two?¡±


    ¡°One man that engaged the roper in close combat has suffered severe fractures in his limbs, most notable his left leg. It¡¯s not life-threatening. However, he requires treatment from a dedicated healer as well to make a full recovery.¡±


    That must have been the one we had watched slide down¡­ It was a relief to hear that it wasn¡¯t life-threatening but his wounds must have been still really bad.


    ¡°Mhm, we¡¯ll take him with the first group as well. Continue.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! A man has suffered wounds akin to heavy burns from the magic fog.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Didn¡¯t we all get away in time from that fog? Even Korwen seemed a little confused as he raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    ¡°He was walking into the fog believing it was just harmless fog, at most poisonous if breathed in, despite the warnings of his comrades. Several wounds on all his limbs, his upper body and his face, including the eyes. He is currently blinded. Mr Wenners is unsure about the severity, whether it is temporary blindness or needs dedicated treatment.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He was¡­ blinded?


    ¡°I¡¯ll dock that guy¡¯s pay for being stupid. Get him ready to depart with the first group as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Anything else to report?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! Regarding the roper¡¯s corpse, it seems that part of the body has fused with Miss Yumi¡¯s magic offspring. Mr Krutz said that this was likely already the case before the fight had started?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    While my head was still thinking about the guy who had lost his sight, the next part of his report was actually concerning me.


    ¡±Before the fight already? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°According to Mr Krutz, the propagation inside the roper¡¯s body advanced too much for it to be new. He suggested that it likely started several days ago already.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Is it inside the roper¡¯s body only?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! They were not visible from the outside!¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Korwen threw a glance at the roper corpse, narrowing his eyes as if he was thinking about something.


    ¡°Mh¡­ Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good job. Dismissed.¡±


    The mercenary saluted and promptly left. I still hadn¡¯t yet wrapped my head around what the hell I had just heard. The¡­ magic offspring? Did he really call them like that? Err, anyway¡­ The tentacle growth had somehow¡­ invaded the roper¡¯s body. That¡¯s how I understood it, at least. But¡­ Eh? Huh? What? How in the fucking hell did that even happen?!


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Yes?¡±


    ¡°You know anything about this?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t.¡±


    If I knew anything about this I probably would have informed him about it. In the first place, how did that even happen? If it hadn¡¯t happened today then¡­ It couldn¡¯t be¡­


    ¡°... Captain.¡±


    ¡°What? Got an idea?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ think? We¡­ did leave the tentacle growth¡­ in that cave¡­¡±


    ¡°... So, you¡¯re saying the tentacle growth that you created there somehow attached itself to that roper?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ At least, I can¡¯t imagine anything else. It was the only time we met the roper other than today.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, so it¡¯s as expected¡­ ¡±


    Korwen let out a sigh before looking down at Ria, who was still sleeping peacefully on his lap.


    ¡°Judging from what Merim and the scouts saw and what we heard just now, the roper might have been quite exhausted already by the time it arrived here.¡±


    ¡°Exhausted?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At the very least, it definitely fought with either Yumelia or with the subjugation force. Possibly both. And then it was infested with those tentacles of yours. I can¡¯t imagine it being at full strength. Considering that¡­¡±


    He paused, staying silent for several moments.


    ¡°If it really was infested back then, then part of its behaviour might make more sense.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Its behaviour? You mean¡­ that it was targeting me?¡±


    ¡°That too but I actually mean before we even arrived here. Do you remember what Will told us?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    That person had told us quite a bit, so¡­ Not sure what part of it he was referring to.


    ¡°It was spotted outside the cave and because of that, they put together an emergency subjugation force. But, why did it leave the cave?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    If it got infested¡­ Maybe it had been looking for me, to get rid of it?


    ¡°You get it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    The roper had left the cave in search of me. Then, it likely got spotted by someone, maybe the villagers, assuming they had been alive at the time. Or someone travelling the road, we didn¡¯t know. The news made it to the capital where they hastily put together a subjugation force and sent it out. Thanks to the quick thinking of someone, the majority of this subjugation force consisted of problematic soldiers, the ones that were likely to support a rebellion. And none of this would have happened if I hadn¡¯t grown that tentacle growth then and there?


    ¡°... It¡¯s unbelievable.¡±


    It had been an action I barely thought about at the time. It had been more of an experiment after all. And yet, the consequences had been¡­ far-reaching, to say the least.


    ¡°All this¡­ Only because I grew those tentacles?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    It was.


    ¡°Throw the dice on eyes of six, bring might and riches fix. Throw the dice on eyes of one, life and love will be undone.¡±


    ¡°... The heck?¡±


    ¡°It means that a single roll of a dice can change your entire life, giving you riches or ruining everything. But you can¡¯t predict the outcome of the roll of a dice, can you?¡±


    ¡°Well, no.¡±


    Maybe some people could if they were exceptionally good either at throwing or at watching the dice¡­ But that was neither here nor there.


    ¡°Right? In the end, you don¡¯t know what could have long-lasting consequences in the future. Anything could. It just so happened that this one time, things turned out as they did because of your actions. And I¡¯m quite satisfied with the result.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t wrong to say it like that¡­ But nonetheless, it still astonished me.


    ¡°Well, actually¡­ I¡¯m not yet satisfied with the result.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We still have to return safe and sound. And especially get the injured treated as quickly as we can. Only when everyone is safe can we really say it was a job well done.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    The injured¡­


    ¡°... Will that man really make it?¡±


    ¡°Mh? You mean the one who had his lung punctured?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°He will. Wenners might not be as good as Ria but he can keep him alive until we get back to the capital. There we can contact a dedicated magician and get him all fixed up.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Honestly, when I heard he had a punctured lung, I already expected the worst. But Korwen didn¡¯t look all too worried at all and even Wenners said he would make it. Magic was really amazing, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°The first group will leave as soon as we can, with the injured in tow. The ones staying here will collect everything else we need and follow us later.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So we¡¯d have to split up, huh¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll be joining the first group on the way back. Merim will stay here and coordinate everything else.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We¡¯ll return already?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Though, if you want to stay and work instead of taking a break, be my guest.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll take the break.¡±


    We literally stayed up most of the night¡­ A break was honestly more than welcome. Especially if we could take a nap. I was in desperate need of sleep.


    ¡°Good, good. Then, let¡¯s get ready for that, shall we? Karen, could you do me a favour and carry Ria?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Karen walked up to Korwen and gently lifted Ria, freeing him and his previously occupied legs.


    ¡°Ah, geez, now my leg is all numb¡­ Ugh¡­¡±


    And then he immediately complained when he tried to stand up¡­ Well, even he couldn¡¯t escape that fate, huh¡­


    At least it won¡¯t kill him¡­ Mh? Hey, Ria, the hell are you doing, clinging to Sis?! Only I am allowed to do that! Ahhh!


    While trying to suppress the rising need to wake up Ria and chase her out of Karen¡¯s arms, we made our way down. It was torture watching her clinging to Karen¡­ I didn¡¯t think I could feel so jealous about something so simple¡­


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Want me to carry you later?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Karen chuckled as she watched me, slightly fuming in my own stupid jealousy.


    ¡°You two, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could keep the flirting to a minimum while you are on the job.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t flirting, Captain.¡±


    ¡°But you were about to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That might have been possible¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Well, let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, there they are. That was quick.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Wondering what Korwen was talking about, I tried to peek past him in the distance.


    ¡°Ah, the wagons?¡±


    Three large wagons pulled by the waroxen were approaching the village. They were still some ways away but it wouldn¡¯t take long for them to arrive anymore.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that way too fast? It hasn¡¯t been that long since the roper died, has it?¡±


    Even if they had sent out someone immediately, there was no way for him to reach the temporary base in that short amount of time...


    ¡°Mh? The heck are you talking about. Of course, I told them before the fight to come here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, of course, he did. I needed to sleep. Yeah, that was it. Definitely.


    ¡°Mhm... The injured will take two wagons and we take the other one. That should be fine I guess.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take the other one?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Unless you don¡¯t want to sleep. That¡¯s fine by me. But I want to sleep. Do you know when I last slept?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I want to know.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    If we could finally sleep, then that was all fine by me. In fact, I heartily welcomed it. Honestly, since the roper died, I could feel myself gradually getting sleepier. Maybe the tension had kept me awake until now¡­


    ¡°Good, good. You¡¯ll have to share the space with me so don¡¯t start flirting, you hear that?¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Korwen shook his head when I answered him sullenly. But honestly, we probably didn¡¯t have the energy left to even flirt all that much anyway¡­ And the Elder and Ria were around, too.


    It¡¯s really over now, isn¡¯t it?


    It still hadn¡¯t quite sunk in but the job was finished and we could finally take a rest and get some well-deserved sleep.


    And when we¡¯re back, I¡¯ll have Sis spoil me lots. And I¡¯ll spoil her lots. Nn, let¡¯s do that¡­


    While thinking about what we should do upon our return, we waited for the wagons to arrive.


    I¡¯m looking forward to it.


    ---


    A good while later, the three of us¡ªthe Elder, Karen and me¡ªwere huddled up together under a blanket, ready to doze off to sleep. Ria was lying on a bench, still sleeping, and Korwen was sitting at the other end of the wagon, his eyes closed.


    Since it was only the five of us in the wagon, the wagon was packed with various items that had been dug up and found in the village to properly utilise the space. Most of it were the belongings of the worshippers, while the remainder included stuff like the Crystal Flowers and the crushed powder counterpart¡ªas evidence, of course. All in all, the wagon was pretty filled up, leaving only a little amount of space for us to rest. But it wasn¡¯t like we were going to run around inside the wagon anyway so this space was more than enough.


    After we had gotten rid of our armour, we had taken the blanket and huddled up in our corner. Honestly, seeing how often we slept like this, I was beginning to worry that I¡¯d have trouble falling asleep if I wasn¡¯t hugging...  err, being hugged by someone. Not that I had any issues with that.


    People can get used to things surprisingly fast¡­


    That was my honest thought when Karen had locked all my movement away by hugging me. The Elder was more prudent and wasn¡¯t hugging me. Still, she was close enough for me to hear her quiet breaths.


    Watching the two of them slowly dozing off to their well-earned sleep warmed my heart. Chuckling to myself, I also closed my eyes and nuzzled against Karen. In response, her embrace tightened. Somehow her arm had also found its way beneath my clothing, settling around my waist.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She was already halfway off into her dreams as she muttered my name, wasn¡¯t she?


    I guess I should join her.


    And with that, with the slow, rhythmic shaking of the wagon as a lullaby, I sunk into sleep as well, dozing off into a dream¡­ A long-forgotten dream¡­


    ---


    It was a dream from long, long ago at a faraway place. No, a faraway world. A world where science was prevalent and magic a mere fairy tale.


    ¡°Yuu, the jam.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, Yuu!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the magic word?¡±


    ¡°... Please.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yuu, could you please give me the jam?¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Mira.¡±


    ¡°Thanks! Yuu is the best!¡±


    Three youths, sitting around a table, having a happy breakfast. A young girl, not even in her teens, took the jar of jam that was handed to her, gleefully putting the jam onto her toast and eating it. A normal, everyday scene.


    An exasperated sigh escaped from the other girl who was a few years older. A deep scar ran across her cheek, marring the beauty of her smiling face.


    ¡°You¡¯ve become so spoiled¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    The older girl chuckled and pat the younger girl¡¯s, Mira¡¯s, head.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good sign, after all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Yuu is a meanie and won¡¯t tell me...¡±


    The younger girl pouted before stuffing herself with the toast, her cheeks puffing out.


    ¡°... I hope things will stay like this forever.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Of course, they will, Yuu!¡±


    ¡°... Yes, I sure hope they will.¡±


    With a wry smile, the older girl turned around, looking at me.


    ¡°When will you come home? You have your part-time job today, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Late.¡±


    ¡°I see. Don¡¯t overwork yourself.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... You really should stop with that habit, you know? Answer properly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Jeez¡­¡±


    Seeing that there was no use in rebuking the third party at the table, the older girl stood up and cleared up the table. Once they finished, she and the younger girl took a bag each and turned to me.


    ¡°We¡¯re off to school. See you later.¡±


    ¡°Later!¡±


    ¡°Nn. Later.¡±


    The girls left the apartment, holding each other¡¯s hand.


    Ahhh¡­ I remember this¡­ This was¡­ the last time I saw them¡­


    The girls would not return that day.


    ---


    ¡°Yumi. Yumi, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I forced my eyes open, the eyelids as heavy as lead, and was greeted by Karen¡¯s face.


    ¡°You awake?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll soon arrive, so we should get up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Karen looked down at me, her expression displaying some curiosity.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... You were mumbling in your sleep earlier. Did you have a bad dream?¡±


    ¡°... Kind of. I think.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    She tilted her head at my answer.


    ¡°... Can¡¯t remember much but¡­ I think it was about my past.¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    Her eyes went wide at my sudden request.


    ¡°... Seriously, you¡¯re quite spoiled, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With a smile, Karen¡¯s face closed in on me, until our lips met. At the same time, her arms wrapped around me, pulling me in closer. Several moments later, we parted again.


    ¡°... Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why my girlfriend is so spoiled¡­ Just where did I go wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel like I am sometimes.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed as she stared at me. Feeling a little guilty, I tried to avert my gaze but Karen took hold of my chin and forced me to look at her.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it is a bad thing anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°So, take this!¡±


    ¡°Ngh?!¡±


    Once more, our lips met, taking me by complete surprise this time. An even longer kiss that lasted quite a while until Karen was thoroughly satisfied and I was out of breath.


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis, don¡¯t do that so suddenly¡­¡±


    ¡°I will do it, though.¡±


    ¡°... So willful.¡±


    Who was the one who was spoiled here¡­


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Uhm¡­ About your past¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Did you remember anything?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ A little¡­ Maybe?¡±


    The dream had already mostly faded from my memory again. I was unable to recall their faces and their appearance, even though I was sure I had seen them then and there. But some pieces and bits stayed¡­


    ¡°The dream¡­ I think it was about my siblings¡­ younger sisters¡­¡±


    ¡°... Do you want to see them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I don¡¯t know. That monster of a witch told me they were fine but¡­ I guess I am still a little worried after all. It¡¯s not like I could see them again even if I wanted to but it¡¯s a little sad to think that I am gone from their point of view.¡±


    The witch had made it clear that I wouldn¡¯t be able to see them again¡­ If I recall correctly, she said that even if I could return to that world, the ordeal would kill me if I wasn¡¯t strong enough. And until I was strong enough, they wouldn¡¯t be around anymore¡­


    ¡°Nothing I can do about¡­ I wish I could at least tell them that I was fine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was just something minor but¡­ maybe because of the sudden dream, that wish had made itself clear again. I wanted to make a clear break from my past, seeing how it was impossible to connect to it again. But it seemed that no matter how much you tried to, it would still occasionally haunt you back.


    ¡°... Couldn¡¯t you ask Yumias to tell them?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Asking Yumias to¡­ deliver a message? That¡­ That could¡­ No, wait¡­


    ¡°... I am not sure if that is a good idea. You do remember how I even ended up in this world in the first place? Because of her whim¡­ She might pull them over, in the worst case.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Karen nodded to herself¡­ Then, her eyes went wide as if she thought of something.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Would that be really the worst case?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°If they come here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The heck was she talking about? Maybe calling it ¡®worst case¡¯ was a little exaggerated but it was still bad. This world wasn¡¯t as nice to people as my old one was. Sure, it could allow me to reunite with them but I doubted it was worth risking their lives for my selfishness.


    ¡°It¡¯s at least bad. This place, this world isn¡¯t safe.¡±


    ¡°... But it is over there?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    It was safe¡­ wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Hey, Yumi¡­ I¡¯ve been thinking.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You see, Mr Captain told me to think about my future, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah. Nn.¡±


    Karen lowered her gaze, a small, self-deprecating smile on her lips.


    ¡°Honestly, I still have no idea what to do¡­ But¡­ I know I want it to be a future together with you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The feelings of embarrassment from those blunt words caused my face to heat up.


    ¡°You know, we both don¡¯t have much in the way of family¡­ Blood-related family¡­ But we still do. And¡­ I know how Rina feels about our parents but, you see¡­ When I thought about it, I just wanted to go to them with you, tell them ¡®This person is my lover. I will find my happiness, even without you!¡¯ and then leave.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡±


    My face was burning hot at this point. She¡­ Wasn¡¯t this basically saying that she wanted to introduce me to her parents?


    ¡°Well, and then, you know¡­ When you mentioned your past¡­ I thought that I¡¯d like to meet your family at least once¡­ So¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This time it was Karen who averted her gaze, looking a little awkward.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­ It was a little selfish of me.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    I was still in Karen¡¯s arms, so I just needed to lean a little forward for our cheeks to touch.


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t remember all that much¡­ I think my parents weren¡¯t that... great... but my sisters were nice girls¡­ probably¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯d get along if you could meet¡­ But I honestly don¡¯t know if that would be a good idea if it meant they¡¯d have to stay here as well, you know¡­ Sorry. There¡¯s just too much I don¡¯t know¡­ That I can¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t apologise. It was my fault for being selfish.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡±


    If there was a chance, I¡¯d like to introduce Karen to them as well.


    ¡°Well, I guess I could ask that monster of a witch if she ever shows up again¡­ Though, I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    I had the subtle feeling that asking her would lead to its own set of problems so if possible I¡¯d rather not. But this time, if she spoke true, then there wasn¡¯t anyone else I could ever hope to consult about this¡­


    ¡°Guess asking won¡¯t hurt¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    All this just because of a little dream I had¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ You won¡¯t ever leave my side, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. Never.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    I hugged Karen with all the strength I could muster. This was the person I loved with all my heart.


    ¡°Sis, I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    The two of us giggled, hearing each other¡¯s declaration of love. No matter how often I heard these words from her, I¡¯d never grow tired of it.


    ¡°... Hey, that married couple over there.¡±


    A sudden voice came from behind Karen.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you two, but¡­ I¡¯d rather you continue that in private. You know, the second-hand embarrassment is quite something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two of us looked to the back of the wagon, where the voice had come from. Three people stood there. The Elder and Ria, their faces a little red, looked away from us, while Korwen stared right at us, an expression of utter exasperation on his face.


    ¡°... How long have you been standing there?¡± I asked Korwen.


    ¡°Since the beginning.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No way?! They heard everything?!


    ¡°Haa¡­ With that out of the way, we¡¯ll be arriving shortly. Get ready, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    This was¡­ incredibly embarrassing¡­ My head was close to overheating¡­ And Karen wasn¡¯t much better off, judging from how red she was.


    ¡°The worst¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It truly was the worst¡­


    ¡°Hey now, that married couple there. Get up and ready.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯re not married.¡±


    Yet, at least¡­


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Korwen looked at me as if he was confused, blinking several times. A few seconds later, he let out a short ¡®Ahh¡­¡¯ and grinned. I had a sudden bad feeling about this.


    ¡°Yumi. Karen.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you think marriage is?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    What was he on about now?


    ¡°How about it?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Lifelong partners, that exchanged a vow to be together? And are officially recognised.¡±


    ¡°Mh, mh¡­¡±


    Korwen nodded at my attempt at explaining it.


    ¡°That sounds about right. Different countries have different customs in this regard, so that¡¯s the closest you could get with a simple explanation. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t you two just go and finally pick a surname?¡±


    ¡°¡±... Eh?¡±¡±


    Wait for a darn¡­ What did he just say?!


    ¡°That¡¯s about the only thing missing, isn¡¯t it? Neither of you intends to carry on with your previous surnames, right? So, if you two bear the same surname, that¡¯d be all you needed. As an official witness, I am around. You could probably even ask Lady Karkas or Will for it.¡±


    I was frozen solid, unable to even think of a reply¡­ What¡­ This man, didn¡¯t he skip way too many steps?


    ¡°You see, in this kingdom, partners traditionally gift each other a certain bracelet at the Summer or the Winter Festival. Henceforth, they are considered lovers. It¡¯s probably the closest you can get to being official lovers in Lafria. Only one step away from an official marriage, really. Per Lafrian tradition, it¡¯s already as good as marriage. And, look at that.¡±


    With a diabolical grin, he pointed at Karen and my arms, where a certain bracelet was.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t force you into it. But if you ask me, there¡¯s no reason for the two of you not to do it. There are honestly more reasons to do it. Give it some time to think.¡±


    With that, he winked at us and then faced away from us, looking out of the window. Still completely perplexed at what Korwen had suggested just now, I tried to steal a glance at Karen, only to see her doing the same. Our eyes met¡­


    Marrying¡­ Karen? Seriously?


    My face grew ever hotter and this time I was, without a doubt, close to overheating. My heart couldn¡¯t bear all of this and I hurriedly averted my gaze. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Karen also averting her face in a hurry. But even then, we didn¡¯t part from each other¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°These two damn lovebirds¡­¡± muttered Korwen in a quiet voice.


    He sighed audibly, while someone else was chuckling, giving, either the Elder or Ria.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Look at that, there¡¯s Larfas. Hey, that not-yet-married couple there, you should take a look outside.¡±


    ¡°... Outside?¡±


    And what the heck is with the ¡¯not-yet-married?¡¯


    The small doubt, that he was maybe picking on us, grew in my head. Still, I welcomed the distraction from that topic right now, so I decided to open the window next to us and look outside.


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡±


    The city of Larfas¡­ Several smoke columns rose from the city¡­ Even from this distance, I could make out some buildings that had been burnt down. They might only number a few, but they showed proof that there had been fighting inside the city.


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­ The city is¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh. They couldn¡¯t settle it peacefully. I doubt there have been many civilian casualties¡ªif at all¡ªbut Will sure didn¡¯t show mercy.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was¡­ Will¡¯s doing? This was what it meant to fight the corrupt nobles?


    ¡°Are¡­ Are they all right?¡±


    ¡°They should be, Yumi. After all, there are no fires anymore. The fighting is without a doubt already over.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My gaze wandered over the parts of the city that I could make out from our window. Most of the city was still in the same pristine state as we had left it. Though, I couldn¡¯t see the places where the smoke rose from here.


    ¡°We¡¯ll hear soon enough how things worked out for him. Chances are high our camp was attacked as well. Though it doesn¡¯t look like there had been any issues.¡±


    The mercenary camp was also visible through the window but, true to Korwen¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t look like it had been attacked.


    ¡°Now then. Just in case, get ready to move. And this time for real, Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    We watched on through the window as we slowly approached the camp and the city with the smoke columns. Our job had ended well¡­ But did it end well here as well? Hopefully, everyone was safe...


    ---


    A letter to my Big Bro:


    Dear Big Bro,


    Are you doing well? Are you healthy? Is the other side scary?


    I am doing fine. Yuu is taking care of me, together with Big Sis.


    When Father came to bring us back, I was scared and cried a lot. I wanted to stay with you and Yuu. Father was really scary. Even scarier than the time Mama left. But then Big Sis came home. She brought a lot of scary men in uniforms with her. She hit Father and then the scary men hit him too. They were all angry at Father, I think. Big Sis took us with her to her home. It¡¯s small and Yuu and I share a bed, but it is really warm. Big Sis says we can stay with her but I am worried that Father will come again. But Big Sis says that won¡¯t happen anymore. She apologised a lot to us because she didn¡¯t come earlier. And that it is her fault that Big Bro went away. But it isn¡¯t her fault, I know that! When I told her that she hugged me and cried.


    Hey, Big Bro, can I really not see you again? I wish I could. Yuu and Big Sis are doing their best but I know they want to see you, too. Maybe, if I pray really really hard?


    I will do my best, I promise you! I will be a good girl, so you don¡¯t need to worry about us. I will write you again.


    Byebye,


    Mira


    P.S. by Yuu: We¡¯ll be fine, Big Bro. Big Sis helped us when Father took us back. Thanks to her and her acquaintance¡¯s help we can live freely now. I just wish you could be here with us. Wherever you are, take care. One day, we¡¯ll see each other again. We¡¯ll live to our fullest until then.


    Yuu


    A small pastel pink letter, written with big childish letters. Several wet stains and dirt cover the paper. Slightly crumpled.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Returning Home

    We stepped out of the wagon, into the fresh and clean air.


    ¡°We¡¯ve returned, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°That we have.¡±


    Despite Korwen¡¯s warning, nothing much happened. We leisurely got into the mercenary camp and were greeted by the other mercenaries.


    ¡°Korwen. You¡¯re back early.¡±


    ¡°Greyward.¡±


    A familiar man in black armour walked up to us. Lily¡¯s foster father, Greyward.


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d need a lot more time over there.¡±


    ¡°We managed to settle everything over the night. We also got our hands on some nice bounty. But first things first, how did things go over here?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the full picture yet but if you are fine with that.¡±


    Greyward turned his eyes towards the city and the smoke columns rising up from it.


    ¡°According to the report I got, the king has sent his forces into the town the previous night, apprehending several aristocrats and merchants suspected of treason. Some of them resisted and it turned into a skirmish inside the city. I don¡¯t know the extent of the damage but at the very least, several mansions were burnt down in the process.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the smoke comes from, huh.¡±


    ¡°Likely.¡±


    Korwen narrowed his eyes as he watched the smoke.


    ¡°Did they at least finish the job?¡±


    ¡°According to the report, yes. The gates are closed so we can¡¯t send someone to investigate. The only information we have came from the gate¡¯s guards. And I have my doubts about its reliability.¡±


    ¡°Better than not knowing anything.¡±


    ¡°True that.¡±


    After a short silence, Korwen removed his attention from the smoke and instead turned towards the camp.


    ¡°Any problems here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all. It was so quiet I regret not coming along you guys.¡±


    ¡°We needed someone to take command here so I wouldn¡¯t have let you go anyway.¡±


    ¡°As expected¡­¡±


    With an unsatisfied expression, Greyward turned to look at us.


    ¡°How was it over there? Dealt with everything?¡±


    ¡°With most of it. Yumelia slipped through our fingers, though.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, there were no casualties but we have some injured. We need a dedicated healer.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ might be hard.¡±


    We turned to look at Greyward in surprise. If we didn¡¯t get a dedicated healer then¡­ The outlook of at least one of them was bleak.


    ¡°As I said, the gate¡¯s are closed and they don¡¯t let anyone in nor out.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Then I will make them get someone out. If one of my men dies because of this¡­¡±


    Korwen didn¡¯t finish his threat but his expression made it clear that it wouldn¡¯t be pleasant.


    ¡°Best you can do is making a ruckus at the gate then.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I will make a ruckus if they don¡¯t get us a healer.¡±


    I had my doubts that it would stay at ¡®making a ruckus¡¯ when one of his mercenaries was at risk.


    ¡°But first we need to get the injured to a safe place. Ria, can you help Wenners with the injured?¡±


    ¡°... Yes¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Then go and do so.¡±


    Leaving a sluggish salute, Ria made her way to the wagon that had been in front of us. I could see a few mercenaries carrying a stretcher.


    ¡°Miss Elder. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know any healing magic, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do not. However, I know a little about herbal medicine. It might not be much but¡­¡±


    ¡°Herbal medicine, huh¡­ I don¡¯t know if it helps but go and support Ria.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Korwen.¡±


    The Elder saluted to him¡ªa more elegant one than Ria¡¯s¡ªand then made her way over to the injured. Finally, Korwen turned to us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°... You can go ahead and take a break for now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that fine?¡±


    Didn¡¯t he need our help?


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing for you to do right now, so yes. I will call for you later. Until then you are free to do what you want.¡±


    ¡°Got it, Captain. Then we¡¯ll take a break.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t say no to a break. Although, we had basically just woken up earlier.


    ¡°Good. Greyward, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Yumi, Karen. Until then.¡±


    The two men then went on their way and disappeared somewhere between the tents.


    ¡°So, Yumi¡­ What should we do?¡±


    ¡°... Good question. How about we return to our wagon?¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    With that decided, we went our way as well. Past the dozens of tents and the odd wagon here and there, until we found the wagon that belonged to us.


    ¡°We¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, that¡¯s bad manners.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t care.¡±


    The moment I stepped inside, I threw off the breastplate and let myself fall onto the bed.


    ¡°... I feel like I could fall asleep again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You won¡¯t be able to sleep at night.¡±


    ¡°... Would that be a problem?¡±


    I glanced at Karen, standing behind me and looking down at me.


    ¡°Yes, it would.¡±


    ¡°We might not be able to sleep either way, though?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen raised her eyebrows, not quite catching my drift. It took her several seconds before she finally let out a small gasp and her face turned red.


    ¡°Pervert.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ You¡¯re impossible sometimes.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    Well, with that the problem was solved, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Ah, but didn¡¯t Mr Captain invite you to the after-job party?¡±


    ¡°... Oh, right. He did.¡±


    He had said something about that¡­ I forgot about that. Wait¡­


    ¡°Sis, why do you know about that?¡±


    ¡°Because you mentioned it.¡±


    ¡°... I did?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    Damn, I couldn¡¯t remember that¡­ But since she knew about that, I probably had said it in passing or so and then didn¡¯t give it any further thought. Oh well¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, want to come along then?¡±


    ¡°... He didn¡¯t invite me, though?¡±


    ¡°Then we can just ask him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll mention it later.¡±


    Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t even know the when and where, after all. When he did, I could just ask him.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I guess I can come along. I won¡¯t drink any alcohol, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    Nobody would force her to drink it. At least, I would hope so.


    ¡°Nn¡­ The bed is nice¡­¡±


    I rolled on my back and stretched my arms and legs. A bed was still vastly different compared to the hard floor of the wagon. Even though the wagons didn¡¯t shake and rock to the point that you couldn¡¯t sleep, it still was rather uncomfortable.


    ¡°Yumi, at least get out of your armour.¡±


    ¡°Sis, undress me.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, that didn¡¯t work out now, did it? Oh, Karen was undressing.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re staring.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    And it was quite enjoyable. This wasn¡¯t a scene anyone could see. Karen and me all alone, changing clothes and lazing around on the bed after we returned from work¡­ It was a cosy, homely feel. I wondered if this was how married couples felt. Casual and warm.


    Married, huh...


    The words from Korwen were still echoing inside my head. What even was marriage? Judging from his words, there wasn¡¯t any grand ceremony or anything. Then, was it just partners deciding to stay with each other? If that was the case¡­


    Maybe that idea isn¡¯t that bad¡­


    When I woke up in this world, having a lover and a partner for life wasn¡¯t something I was worried about. But now, here I was¡­


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong? You seemed lost in thought¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ No, I was just thinking about the captain¡¯s words¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain¡¯s words¡­ Uhm, you mean¡­ What he said about marriage?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡­¡±


    Karen made a complicated expression when I confirmed her question.


    ¡°Marriage¡­ I can¡¯t really imagine it¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t?¡±


    That surprised me a little.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I am against it, you know? Just¡­ I always lived worrying about the next day¡¯s meal¡­ So, suddenly talking about marriage feels unreal to me¡­ Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise for that, Sis.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°How were marriages in your world?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a little hard to say¡­¡±


    I forced myself to sit upright so that I could properly talk with Karen.


    ¡°You see, just like how it is here, depending on where you lived, the customs for it were different. Most of the time it included a large celebration, though.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ A large celebration¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    A lavish ceremony to celebrate a very special day.


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ Are they not celebrating here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure¡­ I think in Aldreigh they celebrate with their family and close friends? I think I was at one such ceremony when I was still small. As for the empire, I never had the time to think about it so I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    At least in Aldreigh, they did celebrate to some degree then.


    ¡°Maybe we should ask someone who knows about this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°But who?¡±


    ¡°... Lily?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was the most likely among the people close to us to know anything about this topic.


    ¡°We could also ask the captain or Merim but¡­¡± I muttered.


    Korwen would likely tease us and Merim¡­ maybe as well. It¡¯d be embarrassing to ask them, too. I¡¯d rather ask Lily.


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s ask Lily.¡±


    ¡°Okay. But¡­ what about her job guarding Elma and Nela?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ They didn¡¯t let anyone go to them.¡±


    I was already thinking of looking for Lily once we took a short break here but that was likely not happening¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait until things calm down, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I hope they will.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do too.¡±


    Considering we hadn¡¯t seen or heard of any fighting still going on, things likely had finished inside the city now. Once they cleaned up and dealt with everything, the guarding probably shouldn¡¯t be necessary anymore. Probably. And once that was done with, we could ask Lily how people commonly celebrated marriages.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Can I lie down next to you?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can.¡±


    With a smile, Karen laid down next to me, using my outstretched arm a pillow.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d be fine with it, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Marriage.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I averted my face, hoping she wouldn¡¯t see it burn up. Talking about blunt.


    ¡°But what would makes it different compared to now?¡±


    ¡°... Good question.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    We were already close lovers and we had promised to stay with each other. Of course, the future was unknown but I, at least, intended to stay by her side. In that regard, marriage was maybe just an extension of such a promise?


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯d share a surname.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have one right now¡­¡±


    ¡°Technically, I do, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Speaking of which, she did have a surname, right? The one Rina introduced herself with. I heard it was actually a pretty well-known one too.


    ¡°But do you want to keep that one?¡±


    ¡°No, not really.¡±


    ¡°Then, it¡¯s as good as not having one.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like surnames were all that important for most people. I had no idea what Fenna¡¯s. Same for Wanda. And Lily didn¡¯t introduce herself with her foster father¡¯s surname so I didn¡¯t know if she actually carried it. As for Ria, I only heard it in passing once from someone else.


    ¡°Yumi, do you remember your old surname?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even remember my original name so of course I don¡¯t remember my surname either¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    My old surname, huh¡­ Yeah, no dice. Couldn¡¯t remember it.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t leave me, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Even if you were to remember everything?¡±


    I smiled wryly and rolled onto my side, facing her.


    ¡°Even then, I won¡¯t leave you. I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Karen rolled onto her side as well to face me, our faces so close that our noses were nearly touching.


    ¡°Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯ll stay by your side whether you want it or not.¡±


    ¡°... How reassuring.¡±


    She giggled in response to my proclamation. Even though I was serious¡­


    ¡°... Yumi. Please, stay by my side.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I will.¡±


    Karen hugged me, pulling me closer. She looked me straight into the eyes, her lips approaching.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    I returned the hug, wrapping my arms around her waist and kissing her. Her eyes widened at my bold action but soon enough she returned the kiss.


    Several seconds later, we parted again.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really happy, right now.¡±


    ¡°So am I. I¡¯m incredibly happy.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, but you know, I¡¯m sure I¡¯m happier.¡±


    ¡°No, no. I¡¯m way happier.¡±


    ¡°Lies, I¡¯m the happiest person in the world.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m the happiest person ever.¡±


    We looked at each other, completely serious.


    ¡°Pfff¡­ Ahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    And finally, we broke out in laughter at our stupid, childish argument.


    ¡°We¡¯re both the happiest ever.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    If only times like this could go on forever.


    ---


    ¡°Miss Yumi! Miss Karen!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The captain is calling for you!¡±


    ¡°Okay. We¡¯ll come soon.¡±


    Karen closed the small window and turned to me.


    ¡°You heard him, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ehh, do we have to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to either, Yumi, but we have to.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Even though we finally had time for ourselves again. The last few days were so hectic, after all.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna¡­ Sis, let¡¯s ditch him.¡±


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    I hugged Karen¡¯s waist and buried my face in her belly.


    ¡°Smells nice.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Yumi¡­ You¡¯re like a child.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what it needs for me to indulge in this happiness, then I¡¯ll happily be a child. Should I call you ¡®mama¡¯ or ¡®mom¡¯ from now on?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Seriously, don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    It could have worked. The thought of her as my mother was¡­ quite nice, actually. Seeing her in an apron. Scolding me when I was bad. Praising me when I was good. Breastfeeding me.


    Okay, the last one is probably not quite right¡­ Although, I would be interested in it.


    But she¡¯d need to make milk for that first¡­


    ¡°Yumi? Why are you staring at my breasts?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering if milk will come out if I suck on them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll throw you out.¡±


    That probably meant it wouldn¡¯t come out. Maybe in the future, when she¡­ Well¡­


    But that¡¯ll be far in the future¡­ Even farther than marriage would be¡­


    Maybe one day in the far future... Well, I also had to account for the possibility that it wasn¡¯t Karen but me who would¡­ That¡­ That thought would need some time to get used to¡­ Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t really consider that¡­ Or maybe I shoved it away¡­ But that could happen now, huh, now that I was a girl.


    ¡°Yumi, get up.¡±


    ¡°Kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Will you get up if I do?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With a sigh, Karen leaned over me and kissed me on the lips. Warm happiness spread through my body.


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    It was wonderful.


    ¡°Now, get up. Mr Captain will get angry.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯m coming.¡±


    I forced myself to get up from the bed. It had been so nice until now.


    ¡°Yumi, should we put on the armour?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to¡­ Actually, I¡¯m not sure either.¡±


    ¡°Well, the captain isn¡¯t usually walking around fully armoured either, so it should be fine?¡±


    ¡°He does wear some armour, though.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t particularly much but enough to make him out as a man of the sword¡­ or axe, in his case.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure, he would¡¯ve told us to put on the armour if it was needed.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°At least, he did when he called for me.


    Thinking about it, Karen hadn¡¯t worn her new armour all that much yet. In that regard, I had a bit more experience.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go like this?¡±


    ¡°Should be fine.¡±


    Both of us were linen pants and a linen shirt. It wasn¡¯t anything fancy at all, rather it was extremely simple. But they were quite comfortable and robust.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t check on them.¡±


    ¡°Who? Oh, them¡­¡±


    Karen pointed at the door next to the exit. The door that led to the tentacle growth that we were caring for inside the wagon.


    ¡°We should probably do so when we get back.¡±


    ¡°Right. But first, let¡¯s find Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We opened the door and returned to the warm outside world. Holding each other¡¯s hand, we then made our way to Korwen¡¯s tent. Of course, we asked a nearby mercenary if he was there first. Would be annoying if he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Captain, we¡¯ve come.¡±


    Entering the tent, I saw Korwen sitting at his usual desk, working his documents away.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, Karen. Good timing. I was just thinking about sending someone to call you again.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry.¡±


    A roundabout way of saying we were late¡­


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Did you have a good rest?¡±


    ¡°We did.¡±


    ¡°Until it was interrupted.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    With an exasperated look, Karen stared at me, judging me.  But, hey¡­ I was a little annoyed that we got interrupted. I had to vent once in a while too.


    ¡°Well, sorry about that. You¡¯ll have enough time to rest later on. For now, sit down.¡±


    Enough time, huh¡­


    ¡°Let me first bring you up to date. We managed to get a dedicated healer here to treat the injuries of our wounded. They¡¯re all safe now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great news.¡±


    ¡°It is. With that, I can finally say that it was a job well done. We finished our job, took down the mother roper and all of that without casualties. I¡¯m quite satisfied with this result.¡±


    It was a good result, that much was definitely the truth.


    ¡°We also got some experience with the new ropes now which is valuable as well.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean the ropes made from Yumi¡¯s hair?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those. They don¡¯t burn well but except for that, they perform incredibly well.¡±


    Well, usually you wouldn¡¯t consider burning a rope anyway¡­ Okay, they did burn them for the trees. But ropes, huh¡­ So many ropes¡­ It¡¯s always about ropes.


    ¡°I am always surprised at how much you all like ropes¡­¡± I commented.


    ¡°Ropes are great, after all. They have their uses in combat, for traps and for field construction. I can promise you that you will see them a lot more often.¡±


    ¡°Even for construction?¡±


    ¡°Sure. It depends on what it is, though. But as long as you have ropes, you can even build a bridge.¡±


    A bridge? That was¡­ Yeah, that could be useful.


    ¡°The only downside is the difficulty in procuring a magic craftsman. I had thought of recruiting Elina but she already declined.¡±


    ¡°She declined? Or rather, you were trying to recruit her?¡±


    ¡°Of course I was. But alas, it didn¡¯t work out. She did seem to have a hard time resisting when I flaunted my muscles but it didn¡¯t work out nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He flaunted his muscles? Sure, Elina loved muscles but¡­ Would this be considered seduction? I wasn¡¯t quite sure¡­


    ¡°But as long as we don¡¯t have a magic craftsman it¡¯ll be hard for us. Right now, we can skirt the costs thanks to it being a new, unknown material for them but once the interest is gone, we¡¯d have to pay.¡±


    ¡°Would it cost that much?¡± Karen asked.


    ¡°Mm¡­ No, if anything, it should be affordable. But if I have the choice between paying and not paying, I¡¯ll obviously take the latter.¡±


    Okay, so would I¡­


    ¡°However, if we settle down at a base, not having a magic craftsman could become an issue. Depending on where it would be, the next town with one could be several days away.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ sounds bad.¡±


    ¡°It does. And so, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°How far did you get with those tentacles? Whether you can connect two spaces or not.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    That, huh¡­


    ¡°Not really anywhere yet? We didn¡¯t exactly have time to look into it since then.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ No, sorry, I should have known that¡­¡±


    Korwen sighed as he put down the document he had just signed. Then, he stood up from the desk and came over to us, sitting down on the couch with us. The other couch was still free so I was a little confused why he sat there¡­


    ¡°Many things would be possible if we could instantly travel large distances. It¡¯s not like it wouldn¡¯t work if we can¡¯t but¡­ Frankly put, a base in Lafria is not the most appealing under normal circumstances for mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    The kingdom seemed quite amicable and nice overall¡­


    ¡°Simply put, there¡¯s too little conflict.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two, don¡¯t look at me like that. We are mercenaries. We make money from conflict.¡±


    It still sounded quite bad, the way he phrased it. Kinda sounded like he wanted people to bash in their heads.


    ¡°Lafria is surrounded to the most part by free countries: The Kingdom of Aldreigh, to the east, the Krohmean Alliance to the north, and the Akkian Empire to the south. To the west, they border the Wooden Sea. Aldreigh and Krohmea are both more or less friendly towards Lafria. There won¡¯t be a war between them anytime soon.¡±


    ¡°Then, the only one left is the Akkian Empire.¡±


    ¡°Correct. And they have to cross the Hollow first. It depends on how they will react to the newest developments but I believe they will pull back with war.¡±


    So, Lafria was currently at peace and there were no fights between people.


    ¡°The only source of income here would be weeding out dissidents and similar, like the worshippers, or monster subjugations. Sure, they bring money but considering our expenses they won¡¯t make us rich. We won¡¯t go bankrupt from it either, though.¡±


    Well, it was reassuring to hear we wouldn¡¯t go bankrupt from it.


    ¡°However, if we can travel large distances, then we could set up one end at our base and travel freely without having to restrict our area of operations, you see.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    In other words, no matter how far away we were, we could still return at the drop of a hat. That would make things convenient, yes.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s why I would have liked to know if it is possible in advance.¡±


    ¡°Nn? In advance?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.


    ¡°Together with the healer came a message that Will and Ruben will be coming by to discuss the results.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll come here?¡±


    Karen seemed a little surprised at this.


    ¡°Uhm, should we be here then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have you here. You¡¯ve already met him after all. Merim isn¡¯t here right now and Greyward doesn¡¯t want to meet Will for some reason. Ria is busy with the injured and Fenna is still guarding those two girls. In other words, everyone else is busy.¡±


    ¡°... Greyward didn¡¯t sound busy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. He was quite against it, you know? Seems something happened between them, some personal stuff apparently.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    And so, here we were.


    ¡°Also, I already told you we needed you to show your face so I would have called for you either way. You¡¯ll have to accompany me for this a lot more often in the future.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Speaking of which, yeah, that was right. Oh well, if that was the case¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped then.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound like I am forcing you. You agreed to it.¡±


    ¡°... I did.¡±


    Maybe I was still a little annoyed that we got interrupted¡­ Haaa¡­


    ¡°Well, to change the topic a little. I had Ria take a look at that crystal we pilfered from the roper.¡±


    ¡°Ohh? If I recall correctly, she said it might be some, err, magical fortress crystal or so?¡±


    ¡°You recall it correctly, yes. The Garm Empire¡¯s infamous magical fortresses. They were marvels of their time and one reason the Garm Empire spanned the continent and beyond. However, they were all destroyed when the empire collapsed.¡±


    ¡°Except for this one?¡±


    ¡°No, this one too.¡±


    Huh? This one was destroyed as well? But it was right here, though?


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s more like, they were made unusable. According to Ria, the control mechanism has been destroyed thoroughly. Too thoroughly for it to be a result of decay or accidental destruction.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ And without the control mechanism, it is useless.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    That was quite unfortunate. If they were used for fortresses, it could have been possible to make use of it in the base Korwen planned to get.


    ¡°There is no hope of recovering the control mechanism of the crystal. However, it still stores a vast amount of mana. We¡¯ll need to find ways to extract it and¡­¡±


    Korwen looked at me, a grin on his lips.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to try if you can make use of the mana.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Who else? You¡¯re our best bet. Especially considering that the roper did use the mana in that crystal.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If we could harness that mana, it would be quite convenient, yes. It had absorbed and stored mana since the fall of this empire, so it should be a tremendous amount.


    ¡°The only problem to all of this will be Will¡­ He¡¯s likely going to object against us keeping that crystal.¡±


    ¡°He will?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen. The suspected amount of mana inside it is simply too high. We did agree that we can keep the spoils but he will, without a doubt, try to prevent that. He is a sovereign, in the end. And his priority is his own nation first and foremost. That¡¯s why neither of you two should mention that Yumi might be able to absorb the mana.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t he suspect if we will keep the crystal without having a way to make use of it, though?¡±


    Karen tilted her head as she asked Korwen.


    ¡°He will, without a doubt. He¡¯s annoyingly sharp at times like these so it won¡¯t slip past him. It¡¯s still better than him knowing about it, though. And he owes us. Quite a lot, in fact.¡±


    Not quite convinced, Karen hummed a ¡®Hmm¡¯ and glanced at the tent¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡±


    ¡°I think someone¡¯s there.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did he finally come? Sure took his time. Well then...¡±


    Korwen leaned down, low enough to look under the table. We watched him with curious eyes as he pulled a small box from beneath the table.


    ¡°Some snacks go a long way in discussions,¡± he said and put the box on the table.


    ¡°Ohh?¡±


    Those were¡­ dried fruits. Some of which I hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°Feel free to take one while we talk. Just keep your manners and don¡¯t be greedy, are we clear on that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Good girls.¡±


    With a satisfied chuckle, he put the lid of the box under the table and straightened up, getting ready to welcome the guest. Seeing this, Karen and I both straightened up as well, making Korwen chuckle again. Before he could say anything though, the curtain opened and two familiar men entered.


    Rinne


    If you enjoyed reading, please consider taking a look at my Patreon and read up to ten chapters ahead!


    It''s hot outside. I''m dying. Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Negotiation with the King

    ¡°Korwen, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you again in good health. And the little ladies from last time have graced us with their beauty today as well, what a pleasant surprise.¡±


    A familiar young beastkin entered the tent, followed by the just-as-familiar boulder Ruben.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you as well, Will. Come in, take a set.¡±


    Korwen gestured with his hand to the bench opposite of us.


    ¡°That I shall. Oh, are those dried fruits from the Beyond? A rarity here. Even I rarely get to eat them.¡±


    With a smile, Will sat down opposite us, eyeing the fruits in the bowl.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have more of these, do you?¡±


    ¡°No. They¡¯re only for rare occasions.¡±


    ¡°What a shame. Goods from the Beyond are so rare.¡±


    ¡°You have more than enough money to import them yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, a good joke Korwen! There¡¯s no way I have that kind of money.¡±


    Will laughed out loud at Korwen¡¯s comment, seeming genuinely amused. Once he calmed, a self-deprecating smile came over him.


    ¡°If we had that kind of money, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this situation in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Are your finances that bad?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not bad but they aren¡¯t rosy. Thanks to this little uproar, we¡¯ll have to keep expenses down at least for this year. But with the assets that were confiscated, we shouldn¡¯t have a need to raise the taxes.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    The commander on Will¡¯s side turned around, looking at Will with a serious expression, and started chiding him.


    ¡°Sir, please do not divulge state matters to the mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°What¡­ Ruben, I beg you, with a little bit of thinking he would have figured it out on his own. Or more like he would have assumed it to be worse if I didn¡¯t say anything. Am I right, Korwen?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you could mean.¡±


    ¡°That so? Well, whatever. This isn¡¯t what we came here for anyway.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s expressions hardened and the atmosphere felt like it got all serious now.


    ¡°Korwen. If you would.¡±


    ¡°Mh. First, I¡¯ll report to you the results: The village was eradicated down to the last. Two magicians from the Worshippers have fled. All other Worshippers have been dealt with. In addition, the large-scale monster has been subjugated by us. We presume that the army detachment sent to investigate was overwhelmed and crushed, either by the monster or the Worshippers¡¯ magicians that fled.¡±


    Korwen paused, gauging the other side for their reactions. Ruben didn¡¯t bat an eye but Will¡¯s eyes narrowed, as he leaned forward and supported his elbows on his legs.


    ¡°There is also one other thing I have to report.¡±


    Right when he finished the sentence, something at the other side of the tent began to move, making its way towards us with slow unsteady steps. A few dolls carrying a leather bag. Once they arrived, Korwen reached out to the leather bag and put it on the table.


    ¡°We found this and more in the village. I recommend handling it with care.¡±


    Will eyed the bag for a few seconds and then threw a glance at Ruben, who promptly took the leather bag and checked the contents.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it, Ruben?¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­ It¡¯s crushed crystal flowers.¡±


    ¡°... Korwen, you said there¡¯s more where this came from?¡±


    ¡°We have recovered at least two crates full of Crystal Flowers. The Worshippers used the remains of the villagers to grow them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The expressions of Will and Ruben turned ever so slightly grave as they listened to Korwen.


    ¡°We¡¯ve brought all the ones we could find but there is no guarantee there won¡¯t be more. Large portions of the village have been destroyed and turned into rubble.¡±


    ¡°Ruben.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send men as soon as we return.¡±


    Nodding to Ruben¡¯s words, Will straightened his back again and looked straight at Korwen.


    ¡°You are sure only two magician Worshippers escaped?¡±


    ¡°They were the only other living Worshippers we could confirm. However, one of them is likely the ¡®troublesome¡¯ magician you mentioned before.¡±


    ¡°Hoo? They were skilled enough to escape from you?¡±


    ¡°We never directly engaged her.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t present when we attacked.¡±


    Seeing the confusion in Will¡¯s eyes, Korwen recounted everything. From when we arrived, got the scout reports, attacked the village, investigated the remains and finally dealt with the Mother Roper. At the mention of the corpse pillar the worshipper¡¯s had erected, the two grimaced.


    ¡°They¡¯ve become a true menace¡­ Do they have no respect for the deceased?¡± muttered Ruben after the report ended.


    ¡°Mh¡­ We already long knew the Worshippers would become a problem if left alone. But this is far beyond their usual actions. You said they hadn¡¯t used any exploding puppets or traps either, Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ It¡¯s weird. But we know too little about them, so maybe they had a lack of resources or manpower.¡±


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders at Will¡¯s assumption.


    ¡°There could be so many reasons why that there¡¯s little use in thinking about it. It¡¯s good to keep in mind when you get additional information but that¡¯s it. You could investigate it, for example.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ I guess you are right.¡±


    With a sigh, Will turned to Ruben next to him.


    ¡°So, Ruben, I¡¯m not an expert on this topic at all. They vanquished that monster as well. What do you make of this?¡±


    ¡°A large-scale monster like this could have caused a large number of losses to our army, as proven by the detachment that got wiped out. As a military man, I believe that this should be considered a substantial achievement.¡±


    ¡°Even though they did so with no casualties?¡±


    ¡°My apologies if this sounds rude, Sir, but the Lomerian Dragon Knights are highly-trained mercenaries with more than just a few large-scale monster subjugations under their belt. Rank-and-file soldiers could hardly be compared to these men.¡±


    ¡°Huh, it¡¯s rare for you to go out of your way to praise someone.¡±


    It was quite the praise, on that I could agree.


    ¡°That¡¯s simply what I believe. With sufficient preparation, I have little doubt that they could handle the monster with only some injuries.¡±


    ¡°Hey, there. Some of those injuries were life-threatening. And because you closed off the city, we nearly lost them. That¡¯s not only ¡®some¡¯ injuries.¡±


    Wow, Korwen seemed genuinely annoyed at those words.


    ¡°I apologise. I did not intend to make light of them.¡±


    ¡°Mh.¡±


    Ruben bowed his a little in apology to Korwen.


    ¡°I think I get the gist of it. In that case, I guess there¡¯s no choice. Ruben, what¡¯s the going rate for such subjugations?¡±


    ¡°... Unfortunately, I do not have knowledge of those matters.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, we will pay you twice the original monetary reward. Is that enough for you, Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Twice, huh¡­ So, you intend to pay us twenty thousand gold coins?¡±


    His eyes narrowed as he glared at Will.


    ¡°The monster was an unexpected enemy that could have easily lost us dozens of men. It was a lucky fortune that none of them died.¡±


    ¡°... Twenty-two thousand then. I am also remembering that we agreed that you keep the spoils collected over the job. Don¡¯t think I forgot that.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-two thousand it is then, out of kindness I¡¯ll accept since nobody died.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I will prepare the reward accordingly.¡±


    Will let out a deep sigh, his eyes downcast for a moment before he caught himself and looked up again.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Have you considered the wish already?¡±


    ¡°There are a few things I am considering. However, I have yet to make a final decision.¡±


    ¡°... I hope you won¡¯t wait for too long with it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    He sighed again, slumped forward with his arms resting on his knees.


    ¡°Sir, that¡¯s unbecoming.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, right now. Give me a moment. I¡¯m stressed enough as is already.¡±


    He sure had been busy with the nobles in his own country, the Empire and the Worshippers. I didn¡¯t want to imagine the amount of work he had to go through.


    ¡°Well, guess Korwen hadn¡¯t yet heard what happened here. Ruben, give him a rundown.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Oh, we¡¯d finally learn what had happened here.


    ¡°The day you departed¡ªyesterday¡ªwe mobilised all the manpower we could muster. As soon as night fell, we surrounded a total of twelve mansions belonging to four different noble houses and three influential merchants. The ensuing skirmishes went by fairly one-sided and ended within less than half an hour. Except for two, where unknown forces occupied the mansions and staged a defensive battle. Those two battles went on until morning. They ended with only a few casualties on our side.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like we both got out relatively well.¡±


    ¡°You guys came out well¡­ The kingdom has taken a major loss¡­¡±


    Now it was Ruben¡¯s turn to sigh. As we wondered what had happened, it was Will who spoke up instead.


    ¡°One of the noble houses involved in this were the Karastra.¡±


    ¡°... The Karastra?¡±


    ¡°Tell me if you know any others cause I¡¯d love it if they were the ones.¡±


    An unfamiliar name had popped up. Judging from their reaction, it had to be a rather important noble house, though.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know if it was the entire house who was cooperating in this, though. We still have to gather evidence but the majority of the house was apprehended in one of the mansions. Doesn¡¯t bode well if I may say so.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure they weren¡¯t there for some dinner occasion?¡±


    ¡°I wished they did. But we already found transaction details that involved at least the current head¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty bad¡­¡±


    Even Korwen was now making a grim face.


    ¡°Well, nothing I can do about anymore. Other than them, the other notable ones are the Allena¡¯s. Nearly the entire family is involved in their machinations. There are loads of evidence in their mansion¡­ It might take forever to sort that out.¡±


    ¡°The Allena¡¯s, huh¡­ Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    ¡°Who was?¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    So, the Allena¡¯s go caught as well¡­ That reminded me of those two young men from the festival. Were they involved as well? Probably not but¡­


    ¡°For now, we believe the Allena¡¯s were the middlemen between the other nobles and merchants and the Empire. Maybe even the Worshippers. It looks pretty bleak for them, now that they were caught.¡±


    ¡°But at least it¡¯s one pest less.¡±


    ¡°You will not believe how comfortable the future will be with all those nagging all basta¡ª Actually, most of those nagging ones are still there. Either way, it¡¯s going to be more comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Sir, you shouldn¡¯t say such things.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Ruben. My mood is horrible. Our coffers are empty, we lost several influential nobles and merchants and still have to deal with tons of investigations. Cut me some slack at least today.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, he was in a bad mood¡­


    ¡°Coffers empty¡­ Will, I might have a suggestion for you.¡±


    ¡°Spare me. You want to suck me dry even more?¡±


    ¡°No. I want to buy something from you.¡±


    ¡°... Those are the worst words you could have said. I¡¯m listening.¡±


    Korwen grinned when Will showed his willingness to hear him out. This was... about that, huh¡­


    ¡°You see, we are wandering mercenaries, travelling from one country to another, looking for work and living on the road. It¡¯s a pretty hard life, you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So, we have been considering for a while to maybe settle down somewhere, you know?¡±


    ¡°Come to the point.¡±


    ¡°So impatient.¡±


    No, he totally would have continued extending this for a while, right?


    ¡°Well, since you want to know. We want to buy one of your country¡¯s forts.¡±


    ¡°... Can you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°We want to buy a fort.¡±


    ¡°... This a joke?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m entirely serious.¡±


    Will closed his eyes, his chin resting on his closed fist as he pondered.


    ¡°You are asking for a lot, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something I can just say ¡®Yeah, sure.¡¯ and sell it to you. The forts are critical for our nation¡¯s defence. That¡¯s just outright impossible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the ones in use, Will. I know there are several abandoned forts.¡±


    ¡°Then, you want to buy one of the abandoned ones?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was no reaction for several seconds. Then, Will opened his eyes and looked at Korwen.


    ¡°That will have to depend on which fort. If there¡¯s anything we wouldn¡¯t miss in the first place. Knowing you, you already thought of some, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    With a grin, Korwen stood up and walked to his desk, picking up a leather container, long and round. He opened it and pulled out a large piece of paper. Once he placed it on the table, I realised that it was the map we had seen before.


    ¡°Hey, Ruben. How does a mercenary have such a good map?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The two were quite shocked when they realised what they were looking at.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a map of the Beyond, do you?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Well, we can talk about that some other time. Show me which one.¡±


    Once Korwen sat down next to us, he put three small wooden figures on the map. They looked like simplified soldiers, holding a shield and a spear.


    ¡°First, the Rahlban fort at the northern border, near Krohmea, far to the west of the Grand Spirit Lake, near the Wooden Sea. It¡¯s been abandoned since the Triside War, as far as I know.¡±


    He pointed at the northernmost figure on the map, next to a large lake. Will followed his fingers and his expression turned into a grimace as he looked at the spot in question.


    ¡°Second, in the east to Aldreigh, is the Aldas fort, close to the Northern Lights¡¯ Plains. That one¡¯s been abandoned even longer.¡±


    The fort was right in the middle of the border to Aldreigh. This time, it was Ruben who grimaced when Korwen pointed at it.


    ¡°Last, there¡¯s the Auria fort to the northeast. It¡¯s right next to the Grand Spirit Lake, south of the Sleeping Forest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Will stared at each of the figures on the map, then sighed. Afterwards, he looked to Ruben, asking for his opinion.


    ¡°Ruben, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°... Rahlban fort is not an option. It was abandoned during the Triside War only because of a lack of soldiers. There are plans to recapture it in the next years even. Although, that might be put on hold for a few more after this. Either way, the fort is necessary to keep some military presence near the Krohmean border and to prevent monsters from the Wooden Sea from entering the kingdom. We can¡¯t keep it abandoned for much longer.¡±


    So, that one was already out, huh¡­


    ¡°Next, Aldas fort is along the Aldreighan border. It was abandoned after the construction of several other forts near the border. Rather than a lack of soldiers, it was abandoned to prevent provoking the Aldreighans.¡±


    ¡°Mh. And if we were to give it away, the Kingdom of Aldreigh might complain. They won¡¯t take a ¡®We sold it!¡¯ as an answer either. Haaa¡­¡±


    Ouch, already two were denied¡­


    ¡°What about Auria fort? I don¡¯t think I even heard that name before¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not surprising. It¡¯s a very old fortress. And it has been in disuse since before we were born. While it is south of the Krohmean border, that border area is the Sleeping Forest¡­ And to the west of the fort is the Grand Spirit Lake. Even if we would wage war with Krohmea, it is not in a strategically important position.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ The Sleeping Forest¡­ Wasn¡¯t that the forest that one Krohmean lord wanted to have?¡±


    ¡°I believe that was the case.¡±


    They didn¡¯t seem to be too averse for this one at least. Maybe that was good news.


    ¡°Mh¡­ The Sleeping Forest¡­¡±


    ¡°I believe the entirety of the forest is within our borders.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ This might not be so bad.¡±


    Will smirked as he thought of something.


    ¡°Korwen, the other two are no good but we can talk about Auria fort. Will that be acceptable for you?¡±


    ¡°Auria fort¡­ Well, I guess we can talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. But first I¡¯d need to know what you are going to offer in exchange. I will tell you, but your reward is not sufficient as payment.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I know that. Since it is Auria fort, well¡­ how about a One hundred and thirty thousand total? Subtracting the reward and we will pay you a One hundred and eight thousand .¡±


    Will froze at the number¡¯s Korwen just recited, his jaw dropping down.


    ¡°A hundred and eight thousands¡­ Ruben, I should tax mercenaries more.¡±


    ¡°... I doubt that most mercenary bands have such a stash of money¡­ For the Dragon Knights, though, this might not be all that much.¡±


    ¡°Ruben, could you not tell Will such things? That¡¯s a fortune, even for us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Apparently, what Korwen had offered was a rather good deal¡­ Or not? Will seemed up and about to take it but Ruben, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem that happy. They both seemed to have their own thoughts on the matter. After a while, Will leaned back, close to falling off of the bench.


    ¡°A hundred thousand gold coins¡­ We¡¯re still talking in Famiu gold, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. of course.¡±


    ¡°... Thinking about it, it¡¯s a whole fortress. A whole fortress. Wouldn¡¯t you agree that a hundred thousand is actually rather little?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a fortress that hasn¡¯t been in use for decades, Will. In the middle of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Middle of nowhere next to the lake. Ruben, what¡¯s the closest town?¡±


    ¡°The closest town would be¡­ Auria.¡±


    Well, at least we now knew where the fort got its name from.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that place. I¡¯ve been there before. Not a very large town but it is well-known for its fish industry, I think. The fish was great.¡±


    Fish, huh¡­ Wasn¡¯t fish a rarity due to needing a magician to identify it? Or at least someone with mana sight. They had to have quite a few if they could survive on fish then.


    ¡°Mh¡­ I¡¯d love to say that we got a deal but selling a whole fort to a mercenary band has also a lot of problems attached to it, Korwen. While a hundred thousand is certainly quite a sum, I do believe it is a little meagre. Even if it is not a strategically important place, it is still right next to Krohmea and the Aldreighan border isn¡¯t that far either. In fact, it¡¯d be closer if you circumvented it, is it not, Ruben?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. The Sleeping Forest spans quite some territory, so you¡¯d travel longer to Krohmea than to Aldreigh.¡±


    Will nodded and then let out a sigh.


    ¡°The longer I think about it, the more issues there are¡­ We¡¯d have to explain not only to Krohmea but also to Aldreigh that mercenaries would occupy that place. Even if our relations are good, I cannot risk them for the sake of money.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s a no?¡±


    ¡°A no it is. And I won¡¯t listen to the ¡®wish¡¯ either if it is about this. That¡¯s not something ¡®in my power,¡¯ after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    Eh? Then, there¡¯d be no base and fort for us, after all?


    ¡°However, Korwen. I have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m listening?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there are two. I can try and contact both Krohmea and Aldreigh and discuss the matter with them. Knowing your reputation, they might be willing to overlook it. That would be my first suggestion.¡±


    ¡°... And the other one?¡±


    ¡°Just go and look for some unsettled territory and build your own fort.¡±


    ¡°If that was possible, I¡¯d have done it long ago.¡±


    Korwen rubbed his temples when he heard Will¡¯s questionable suggestion and then sighed.


    ¡°Well, I had a feeling things would turn out like this.¡±


    ¡°I can only apologise, Korwen. The matters of my nation have priority.¡±


    Apparently, negotiations had failed¡­


    ¡°I understand, Will. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is.¡±


    ¡°You back down surprisingly quickly¡­¡±


    Will narrowed his eyes at Korwen. Was it that odd for Korwen to back down?


    ¡°Sir. May I?¡±


    ¡°Ruben, what is it?¡±


    ¡°While I understand the concern about our relations with Krohmea and Aldreigh, having the Dragon Knights within the country would be a boon for our military might, as loath as I am to admit. Considering just this incident, it might be preferable to keep them inside the country. And since they are mercenaries, Krohmea and Aldreigh might even welcome them, as they could take jobs for them as well.¡±


    ¡°...Haaa. That¡¯s true as well. I see that this is something that needs some more consideration. Also, we will have to contact Aldreigh and Krohmea about this matter and discuss it first. Until then, we cannot continue this. Understood?¡±


    Korwen nodded, a strangely satisfied grin on his lips.


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    ¡°... Good. Then, the matter is on hold for now. Haaa...¡±


    After having come to that conclusion, Will visibly relaxed. Same for Ruben.


    ¡°Do allow me one question, Korwen. If the mercenaries are that well-off, why have you never breached this topic before?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Because we are, at heart, wanderers, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Wanderers, huh¡­ And now the wanderers want to settle down. So you give up wandering?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that so...¡±


    It seemed that the topic had come to a conclusion now¡­ Korwen was probably satisfied with the results, judging from his expression.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Seriously, you mercenaries are always such a piece of work. I¡¯ll need at least a week off after dealing with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite rude, Will.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I haven¡¯t seen a wink of sleep in the past two days. I¡¯m not like you inhumane monsters that can swing an axe for two weeks straight and still have energy left.¡±


    Will smiled bitterly and shook his head.


    ¡°Whatever. Ruben, let¡¯s go. We still got work left.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sir.¡±


    The two stood up from the bench and Korwen followed suit. Figuring we should probably as well, Karen and I stood up as well.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure, Korwen. And this is just from me personally, but you have my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be of help. We¡¯ll see each other again soon, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Too soon if you ask me.¡±


    Both of them laughed as they shook hands.


    ¡°As for the two ladies here, it was a pleasure to see you again. May your beauty persist until the stars fall from heaven. I hope you will bless us with your presence soon again. Farewell.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Farewell.¡±


    ¡°Farewell.¡±


    A little stumped by his words, we awkwardly said our goodbye as well.


    ¡°Ruben, don¡¯t forget you owe me some ale.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, you didn¡¯t forget that, did you¡­ Sure. When everything¡¯s over, I¡¯ll come by.¡±


    After finishing his farewells with Korwen, he nodded once to Karen and me, giving a curt ¡®Bye.¡¯ and then following Will. A few moments later, they were both gone.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ That went well, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Is that so, Captain? It felt like they would say no, though.¡±


    ¡°Will actually did say no. But that was about what I expected. If Ruben hadn¡¯t said anything, one of his advisors would have likely spoken up at a later date. Either way, I didn¡¯t believe the topic to be over.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    So he had considered that already?


    ¡°And none of you even touched the fruits. Really?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I felt it would be rude to take them first¡­¡±


    ¡°... Why do you have to know manners at a time like this?¡±


    With a sigh, Korwen grabbed some fruits and threw one each to Karen and me.


    ¡°Take one. You won¡¯t often have a chance.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Karen and then bit into the fruit.


    ¡°Nn? It¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It really is.¡±


    A pleasant taste spread in my mouth. This wasn¡¯t quite what I expected from dried fruit.


    ¡°Right? They¡¯re great even dried. And fresh they¡¯re even better. But if you import them they cost you an arm, a leg and probably half your organs.¡±


    ¡°Is it fine for us...¡±


    ¡°It is. Here, take another¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    Taken by surprise, I barely managed to catch the dried fruit he threw with my free hand. I hadn¡¯t even finished the first one¡­


    ¡°If we went by our regular route we would have gone through Krohmea after Lafria. Krohmea is close to the sea and their merchant ships regularly travel to the other side. Buying the fruits in the port cities costs a fraction of what they would here, so you don¡¯t need to worry about it that much.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But they¡¯re still expensive, right?¡±


    ¡°They are. But they¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. They are.¡±


    I continued to nibble on the first fruit, the sweetness spreading through my mouth. Just eating this made me feel a little happier.


    ¡°Mr Captain, if the deal with the fort works out, then won¡¯t it be more difficult to buy them?¡±


    ¡°Mh, that depends on a few things. First, even if we get a fort for ourselves, it is more like¡­ Mhm¡­ A home base. A place to return to. We would have to change our regular routes but we would still travel around.¡±


    Korwen picked up one fruit and bit into it.


    ¡°Mh, as good as I remember.¡±


    He nodded, satisfied.


    ¡°In the case that Yumi manages to make the Space magic work, this would become even easier. In fact, I¡¯ve been playing with the idea to extend our area of operations to the other side if possible.¡±


    ¡°Um, the other side is the place beyond the sea, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Will called the Beyond. It¡¯s a large continent with many unexplored areas. There are some countries over there but only two or three, plus some independent cities. It¡¯s said that the Beyond has a high concentration of ambient mana which makes it hard for humans to live there. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true but one thing is for sure: It¡¯s a paradise for monsters.¡±


    A paradise for monsters¡­


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just tingle your inner explorer when you hear that? Who knows what could be found out there?¡±


    ¡°So, you want to become an explorer?¡±


    ¡°Ha! I¡¯d love to but that¡¯ll be difficult. I got my own responsibilities, after all. But if this works out, I might get a little closer to it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, it all depended on me to get figure out the Space magic, huh¡­


    ¡°Captain, I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! That¡¯s what I like to hear!¡±


    He grinned and pressed his hand down on my head ruffling my hair.


    ¡°But don¡¯t let the pressure get to you, okay? There are still other things we need you for.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡­ probably won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring. Hahaha!¡±


    Yes, I¡¯d try my best. Korwen had done a lot for us, and if it was just to repay him a little, I¡¯d try my best.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: A Priest’s Creed

    Later, after we had indulged ourselves in the rare fruits, Korwen was about to return to his work.


    ¡°Now then¡­ We got everything urgent dealt with so you two are free to do what you want for the remainder of the day.¡°


    ¡°We didn¡¯t even do anything except sitting¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s important in and of itself already, you know? Just showing you are present can have a lot of meaning. And seeing Will¡¯s reaction, it sure worked.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, he said some odd words at the end¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, those, huh¡­¡±


    Korwen smirked as I recalled how Will had said his goodbyes.


    ¡°I think he was a little frustrated.¡±


    ¡°Frustrated?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But how about we talk while we move. I wanted to check up on the injured. Care to join?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way.¡±


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll join. I am a little worried about them as well.¡±


    ¡°Ha, that might cure them in an instant if you told them that, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Would it, though? Well, I guess being told by a girl that they were worried would be quite nice.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We followed Korwen out of the tent, back to the fresh air.


    ¡°Back to the topic, though¡­ Let¡¯s see, where should I start¡­ From Will¡¯s point of view, the negotiation didn¡¯t go all that well. He was blinded by the sum at first but he quickly realised that a mere hundred thousand is way too little for an entire fortress. Even if it is an abandoned one.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ But why would that frustrate him?¡±


    ¡°Because he is forced to consider the offer nonetheless. I don¡¯t know the exact state of their finances but they can¡¯t be rosy. Lafria is prosperous but it¡¯s not outrageously rich. He was already unhappy enough that he had to increase our reward.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ So, because they don¡¯t have enough money he has to consider the transaction simply to have any money at all?¡±


    ¡°Correct. In a way, we¡¯re offering to buy something absolutely useless to him at a time where he needs money. Even if our offer isn¡¯t good by any means, the amount of money he would get is nonetheless substantial.¡±


    A bad deal at a bad time, huh¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s why he was actually relieved when he realised that troubles could pop up with Krohmea and Aldreigh. In that case, the deal was over and done with. But Ruben ruined that. And now he has even more problems to deal with.¡±


    Hearing this, I couldn¡¯t help but pity the poor guy a little¡­


    ¡°He might have solved this internal crisis for now, but it¡¯s not over for him yet. He has to fix up the mess left behind. And he doesn¡¯t yet know how the Empire will react either. If he keeps us here, we might become a valuable force in case the war breaks out for real.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain. I have one question.¡±


    ¡°Shoot, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Empire, or the nobles here, intend to blame us for what has happened at the Hollow fort? Wouldn¡¯t us staying only aggravate them further?¡±


    Right, that was also a thing¡­


    ¡°Ha! You noticed the part that Will missed. That¡¯s right, that could happen. But if it does, then we¡¯ll bail. It¡¯s unfortunate but Lafria is not the only country where we could get ourselves a base. This is a golden opportunity, though, so I¡¯d like it if it works out.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Bail, huh¡­


    ¡°Either way, we don¡¯t know what the future holds. It all depends on how Will decides. Things rarely go as planned, after all.¡±


    ¡°I feel like it always goes how you plan it, though.¡±


    ¡°I just consider plenty of possibilities and prepare accordingly. Just because you don¡¯t see it doesn¡¯t mean it went according to my plan.¡±


    Sure¡­ If he said it like that, there wasn¡¯t really anything I could argue there¡­ Not like it mattered.


    ¡°Still, for now, most things should have been resolved for us and the only thing we have to do is wait for the results.¡±


    ¡°Guess it¡¯ll be less busy again.¡±


    ¡°It will. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s always this busy, you know? These are exceptional circumstances.¡±


    That didn¡¯t change that it had been busy.


    ¡°Ah. Over there¡¯s the tent with the injured.¡±


    Korwen pointed at a tent in the distance. It was larger than most other tents and also further away from all others. Several mercenaries ran to and fro the tent. And a man wearing colourful clothes stood next to the entrance, talking with a mercenary. His face was covered by an animal mask with antler-like horns protruding from the top. The white surface was painted with red markings, giving it a tribal impression. The man looked completely out of place here.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi, isn¡¯t that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ The one from the festival.¡±


    ¡°Oh right, you were at the festival¡­ And here I was looking forward to your reactions when you saw him.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Well, we had been startled quite a bit as well at the time.


    ¡°Oh? Oh? Oh!¡±


    The masked man spotted us and promptly walked in our direction. Actually, he walked straight towards Karen and me.


    ¡°What a joyful surprise, to see the bonded couple once more at this place! The Great Spirits must have guided me here for this!¡±


    Yes, he was walking towards us, completely ignoring Korwen.


    ¡°I pray you have been in good health and nurtured your love well!¡±


    ¡°Err, I guess so?¡±


    ¡°Wonderful! Magnificent! The Great Spirits couldn¡¯t be more pleased to hear that.¡±


    I threw a glance at Karen, unsure what to do about this man. Alas, she only threw a confused glance back, just as helpless.


    ¡°High Priest, please don¡¯t startle them.¡±


    ¡°Ah! I forgot myself. Apologies, bonded couple. That was rude of me.¡±


    He bowed in apology, lowering his head¡­ and nearly hitting us with those antlers.


    ¡°It is just rare for me to witness a couple once our festival has passed. I am beyond pleased to see their relationship going well. And so are the Great Spirits, of course!¡±


    ¡°I guess it is rare for the High Priest out and about¡­ May I ask how the injured are?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, the injured. I am pleased to tell you that they are fine. Now they require rest as even I cannot relieve them of their fatigue.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. We are in your debt.¡±


    Ah, so it was him, who had healed the injured?


    ¡°Hahaha, worry not about it. It was my job, a mutual agreement. The Great Spirits would scorn me if I did not honour it.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, you have my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Your thanks are well-received. If you ever encounter trouble, hesitate not to call upon our aid. We can do nought but pray and heal but that, we do well.¡±


    ¡°... We will.¡±


    Korwen smiled bitterly at the High Priest. Such a service was likely not for free so¡­ Well¡­


    ¡°It brings me joy to hear that. Now, Mr Korwen, I have a presumptuous request, I¡¯d be honoured if you would hear me out.¡±


    ¡°If it is something I can do.¡±


    ¡°It is. I simply wish to take a look around. The Great Spirits demand a lot of my attention so I do not often have the opportunity to learn of matters beyond my abode. It would delight me to learn more about your world.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all, please do not hesitate. Do you need someone to guide you?¡±


    ¡°I would like to enjoy a stroll on my own if it does not impose. Being unrestricted and letting curiosity run its way are part of the charm, would you not agree?¡±


    That somehow elicited a chuckle from Korwen and he readily agreed with a nod.


    ¡°You are free to take a look around. I just hope you could try not to interfere with the work.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I shall not. However, I would ask the bonded couple to entertain me before I let my curiosity get the better of me.¡±


    He wanted to¡­ talk with us? He was a nice person and he helped Miss Karker out back at the festival but¡­ He was quite¡­ eccentric.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t make them hate you.¡±


    ¡°The Great Spirits forbid! I just want to hear a little about them. An old man¡¯s meddling, so to speak.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it¡¯s fine¡­ Yumi, Karen, I¡¯ll go on ahead. We¡¯ll continue our discussion some other time, okay? Behave yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡®Behave yourselves,¡¯ he said. He apparently had quite some respect for the High Priest, considering he didn¡¯t even say that when Will visited.


    ¡°A fine man, he is, your captain, is he not?¡±


    ¡°Nn, he is.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain takes care of us a lot.¡±


    ¡°I see. It is wonderful to see that you are in good hands. Seeing a bonded couple like you two doing well even beyond the festival brings delight to me. This pure happiness makes me wish the festival could be celebrated every day, alas, the Great Spirits would tire of it if we did.¡±


    The High Priest nodded several times, the antlers swishing through the air.


    ¡°Mr¡­ High Priest¡­ You remember us?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do! It would be hard not to, for you are the two brave girls, who did not let foul traditions and believes deter them from announcing their love. The Great Spirits and I are truly thankful to you.¡±


    ¡°Is, is that so?¡±


    Once again, the High Priest nodded.


    ¡°That it is. For a great many years, a bonding couple like yours did not dare to dance on the day of love, fearing the repercussions and disdain of their peers. To the two who broke the unspoken taboo, I hold nothing but gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ We just did it because we wanted to¡­¡±


    It felt like he was overpraising us and it made me a little uncomfortable, to be honest. We weren¡¯t even going to be here for long. In the first place, we didn¡¯t even know it would cause trouble at the time.


    ¡°And that¡¯s how it should be! Love should not be deterred by the little things in the world. Simply enjoying yourself with your partner is all you need. Tell me, my children, do you enjoy being with each other?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then there is nought else you would need to worry about. Care for each other and the Great Spirits will watch over you for sure. They were filled with rapture at this year¡¯s festival. The world is a beautiful place as long as you can see its wonders. This time¡¯s festival has reaffirmed this belief deep in my heart.¡±


    He laughed, sounding genuinely happy. An odd man if I ever met one¡­


    ¡°Love is always such a precious thing. Keep it dear, my children.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s reassuring!¡±


    If we could look behind the mask, he surely would have a gentle smile right now, that¡¯s the impression I got.


    ¡°My children, may I state a presumptuous request of mine?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I would like to hear your story and how you two have met.¡±


    ¡°Our¡­ story?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Of course, I do not ask you to tell me your secrets, of which I am sure you have many. Especially the little lady. I just want to know how you came together. Could you indulge this old man?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I glanced towards Karen, unsure of how to react to this request. He seemed to be aware of my circumstances, at least to a certain degree¡­ But if he didn¡¯t intend to pry...


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a little embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Karen returned the glance, accompanied by a wry smile.


    ¡°If you are fine¡­ with us¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh! Truly? This has to be the greatest news I have heard this day. Thank the Great Spirits for this fortune!¡±


    The High Priest clasped his hands and raised them towards the sky, profusely thanking the Great Spirits. Was it¡­ really something to get this happy about?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to sit down! Ahh, how brilliant an idea it was to take along my utensils for notes! How blessed I am!¡±


    We watched on as the High Priest begun to rummage through his belongings.


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ quite energetic¡­¡±


    ¡°That he is, Yumi¡­ But he doesn¡¯t feel like a bad person.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t. But he is a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Eccentric?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen chuckled and I soon joined her. In the meantime, the High Priest had found his utensils and was watching us, probably wondering what was going.


    ---


    ¡°I see, I see. An interesting tale.¡±


    Around a whole hour later, we had finally finished our storytelling session with the High Priest. He had taken several sheets worth of notes¡ªmuch to our embarrassment¡ªasked dozens of questions and listened to our ramblings. Reciting the past month like this truly made me realise how much had happened in this little time. It was astonishing.


    ¡°I truly thank you for your time, my children. It has been a fascinating time for me.¡±


    The High Priest nodded at us, signifying his gratitude.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing you need to thank us for, Mr High Priest...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! But it is! It is, dear child.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head, looking a little uncomfortable as the High Priest continued to give us his thanks. He was¡­ overdoing it a little¡­


    ¡°One should give his thanks where thanks are due, no? The Great Spirits would scorn me if I took your goodwill as granted.¡±


    Well, it was nice being thanked, sure. But he was thanking us way too much¡­ Albeit, even if we told him that, I was sure he¡¯d just continue anyway.


    ¡±Mh, this is truly a most wonderful day. I will take care of these notes and the story you have entrusted me with, I swear on my faith in the Great Spirits.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see?¡±


    The High Priest was clutching the notes he had taken in his hands, looking at them and nodding several times.


    ¡°Err, Mr High Priest? It might be a little late to ask, but why did you want to hear about us?¡±


    ¡°Oh, did I not tell you? It is a bit of a pastime of mine to collect stories like yours. Stories about happiness, love and all the wonders of our beautiful world. Many others may record history as they see fit, but history is inevitably linked with tragedy. And it saddens me beyond belief that it is the tragedy that people remember. That¡¯s why I want to collect the little stories so that even the people after us can remember that there was happiness to be found in our times.¡±


    That was¡­ quite a surprise. I had thought that he just collected them out of curiosity but he actually had such a reason for it.


    ¡°Even if someone else records your history, your struggles and the path you take¡­ Even then, at this place, there will be a story about your love. That¡¯s what I want to gift our future generation. An encouragement. a look at our past where no matter the time and age, we can be happy. A look at those who braved the troubles of our time for their own small piece of happiness. It might be a rose-coloured view, but I do not believe that is a bad thing. We mortals forget too easily what it means to be happy. Would you not agree with me, Fairy Lady?¡±


    The High Priest turned to the side, addressing someone hidden behind the tents.


    ¡°... I suppose it is hard to disagree.¡±


    ¡°... Miss Elder?¡±


    Our resident elf, the Elder, appeared from beyond the tents, coming towards us.


    ¡°It fills me with joy that you agree, Fairy Lady.¡±


    Shaking her head, the Elder smiled wryly at the High Priest.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t changed at all, old man.¡±


    ¡°... I have changed plenty, Fairy Lady. So much that you are calling me old already while you remain the same, never-changing beauty of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Stop that. Even I change given time, old man.¡±


    ¡°... I suppose so. I have seen the forest.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­¡±


    The Elder¡¯s expression darkened at the mention of her former home.


    ¡°It is a tragedy. I pray the Great Spirits will punish the evildoers and imprison their souls in the eternal void.¡±


    ¡°... So do I.¡±


    With a sigh, she sat down at the table, next to Karen and me.


    ¡°But it has also given my kind an opportunity. The loss of our home is¡­ It¡¯s hard. The Great Tree is gone. Yet, now the elves have the chance to see the world. Fate¡¯s irony, is it not? We will find a new home, plant a new Great Tree, and find new happiness. Of that, I am sure. We have lost our home but not our lives.¡±


    ¡°... I pray you will find your happiness, Fairy Lady.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, old man.¡±


    The High Priest clasped his hands in front of him as if he was in prayer, lowering his head ever so slightly. The Elder smiled gently at this gesture.


    ¡°If you want to thank me¡­ Fairy Lady, might I request you to show me around this camp? I fear this old man might get lost, yet my curiosity wants to be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Elders eyes widened at his request. And it confused Karen and me as well. He told Korwen he didn¡¯t need anyone showing him around, after all.


    ¡°... I guess I can indulge the little boy for once.¡±


    ¡°Truly, today is a most wondrous day... ¡° muttered the High Priest, a hint of surprise in his voice.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. I hope you won¡¯t mind me taking this bothersome old man off your hands.¡±


    ¡°Not at all, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Having gotten my reply, the Elder stood up from her spot again. The High Priest followed her suit, but not before turning to us once more.


    ¡°Apologies that I have been so bothersome, my children. Alas, I hope you can forgive me one last request.¡±


    ¡°A request?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I know that the mercenaries have been involved with the recent matters of our dear kingdom. And among those matters, there are the Witch¡¯s Worshippers.¡±


    He had wanted to request something in regards to those fanatics?


    ¡°If, only if, you continue to run into those Worshippers¡­ You might meet a certain young girl¡­ no, she would be a young woman by now¡­ She is someone driven by revenge¡­ She has put aside the path to her own happiness. Should you ever run into this girl, I hope you could treat her well.¡±


    With a deep bow, he stated this rather¡­ odd request.


    ¡°Now, I hope that didn¡¯t sour the mood. It¡¯d be a most unpleasant situation! My dear children, I pray the Great Spirits will guide you along your path. They will watch over you. May we see each other again in good health.¡±


    Not even waiting for our reply, the High Priest turned around and walked off with a ¡®Let¡¯s explore this most curious camp!¡¯, leaving us behind in wonder. The Elder quickly ran after him, looking a little exasperated.


    ¡°What a weird person¡­¡±


    ¡°But he wasn¡¯t a bad person, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s hard to hate him.¡±


    Eccentric and over-the-top but grateful and friendly. A weird person if I ever saw one. But you couldn¡¯t help but feel that he truly meant his words.


    ¡°Still¡­ He was a little exhausting to be with¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you shouldn¡¯t say things like that...¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true, right?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ a different matter.¡±


    So she agreed with me. Really, we hadn¡¯t yet recovered from the ordeal at all¡­ Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have accepted to tell him about us and taken a rest instead¡­ Too late now.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ What should we do now, Sis? Want to go back to the wagon?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know. It shouldn¡¯t be long until dinner is ready, I think?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Now that you say it.¡±


    After we had returned to the camp we had a little break, then the meeting with Will and now our little talk with the High Priest. Quite a bit of the day had already passed by now. It¡¯d still take a bit before dinner but it¡¯d be hard to really relax until then.


    ¡°We could look for the others then¡­ Lily and Rina are still busy with guarding, I guess? We could go and take a look, though¡­ Emily, Sele and Maya are probably somewhere as well, but...¡±


    Those three were energetic. Too energetic. I liked all of them, really, I did. But I just didn¡¯t have the energy right now¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll probably see those three at dinner..¡±


    ¡°Ahh, now that you say it¡­ What to do¡­¡±


    I¡¯d really like to take a break before meeting up with those girls.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s just take a break at the wagon.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We¡¯ll see those three girls at dinner. And I guess Wanda as well. Either way, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t blame us for wanting some rest first.¡±


    Those three were surprisingly understanding, after all. For which I was quite thankful now. They probably already knew we had come back, after all, yet they didn¡¯t come to our wagon. That alone said a lot already.


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you say so.¡±


    ¡°I do say so. You¡¯re tired as well, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I am.¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    Thankfully, we were free to rest now. Unless Korwen called for us again but I doubted that would happen anytime soon again.


    ¡°Ah, but, Yumi¡­ We wanted to check up on the injured.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I completely forgot¡­ Then, let¡¯s go there first and then get back?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With that decided, we made our way to the tent where we parted with Korwen earlier. Much to our surprise, he was still there, together with Ria and discussing something with another woman I had never seen before. She wore a mask, just like the High Priest¡¯s.


    ¡°... and enough rest and they should recover fine. Lady Mortas should be able to handle everything else.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. On behalf of the Lomerian Dragon Knights, thank you.¡±


    ¡°This is our job, Sir Korwen. If you ever need our services again, do not hesitate to call on us. Well then. I¡¯ll take my leave.¡±


    The woman with a mask bowed before Korwen and Ria, picked up a brown leather bag and then left. The two watched her leave in silence, so we took the chance to walk up to them.


    ¡°Captain. Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Oh, are you two done entertaining the High Priest?¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡­¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly at our reply. Maybe he had expected that we would have to deal with him for a while.


    ¡°I know you were exhausted but making a connection with him is not a bad thing. He¡¯s a very powerful and influential man. Albeit a little touched in the head.¡±


    ¡°... Only a little?¡±


    ¡°Only a little. Be careful what you say, he¡¯s infamous for picking up on things people say about him.¡±


    ¡°Captain, you were the one who started it.¡±


    ¡°Did I now?¡±


    Yes, he did.


    ¡°Still, we owe him a lot. They¡¯re all on the way to recovery. They¡¯re asleep now, though.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Then we can¡¯t see them¡­¡±


    ¡°You should check up on them later. They¡¯ll be happy about it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    But it was good news that they survived that. Those wounds weren¡¯t a joke.


    ¡°Healing magic sounds really impressive. To think they can heal such severe wounds.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s one of the most coveted, if not the most coveted, of the magic skills.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also¡­ one of the¡­ hardest ones¡­ to learn¡­¡± added Ria.


    That someone could recover from such severe wounds¡­ Little wonder they were coveted¡­


    ¡°Ria, can you use healing magic?¡±


    ¡°I can¡­ use a little¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t¡­ be able to¡­ heal those¡­ wounds¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If even Ria could only use a little, then it really had to be quite hard¡­


    ¡°And what about Spirit Magic? It usually can do similar things, can¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not¡­ impossible¡­ but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Ria¡¯s expression darkened for some reason.


    ¡°Spirit Magic¡­ requests a¡­ spirit¡­ to cast the¡­ magic¡­ Spirits¡­ have a deeper¡­ understanding¡­ than we¡­ do¡­ But¡­ their magic¡­ in general¡­ is rough¡­ Too rough¡­ for healing...¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    A surprising revelation. To think that there actually was something Spirit Magic couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°Spirit Magic¡­ is versatile¡­ but not¡­ all-powerful¡­ Healing¡­ is one thing¡­ it cannot do...¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Though, with all that said, the only Spirit Magic I had ever seen was the one in the orphanage in the slums¡­ I¡¯d like to see an actual Spirit Magician once. Speaking of which, even though healing wasn¡¯t possible, according to what Mrs Karker told us, something like conception magic existed for them¡­ Mhm, I¡¯d like to ask her about that but¡­ Probably not out in the open where everyone can hear us¡­ Yeah...


    ¡°Not like we had to fall back on that. Spirit Magicians are a rarity anyway and you are better off not relying on them except for things that nobody else can do.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That was good to know.


    ¡°Well, I still got some stuff to do so I¡¯ll take my leave now. Yumi, Karen, don¡¯t do anything stupid while you¡¯re on break. Oh, and before I forget it: Remember that I told you that we¡¯d celebrate a little after the job?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Depending on when Merim and the others come back, it¡¯ll be either tomorrow or the day after. I¡¯ll tell you more when it¡¯s decided, though. Either way, you two should keep the evenings free.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    If I recalled correctly, he said it¡¯d be a small celebration with only a few people¡­ I was wondering if it was all right for us to intrude on that but it¡¯d be rude to decline, too. Well, we¡¯d see at the time.


    ¡°Ah, and one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I think Wanda was making clothes for both of you, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That she was¡­ Although, she had encountered some difficulties with procuring materials and having a change in priorities. We still didn¡¯t really have much in the way of clothing.


    ¡°Mh¡­ More formal wear was also among the things you requested, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Good, good¡­ You might need that soon. I¡¯ll inform Wanda about it as well.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why would we need it?¡±


    Was something going to happen?


    ¡°I imagine Will is going to call on us when he decides what to do about our deal. He also has to give us our reward, too. And since it¡¯s a good occasion, you two should come with me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, if Will was going to call on him¡­


    ¡°Err, Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°... Where does Mr Will live again?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! He has a pretty big place. Look forward to it.¡±


    Oh fucking great¡­


    ¡°Anyway, that was the last thing. Now, I really got things left to do. Enjoy your break.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Mr Captain¡­¡±


    We watched how Korwen left us behind, laughing all the while at our dumbfounded faces. He seriously pulled us into something¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ Good luck¡­ Yumi¡­ Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Thanks¡­¡±


    With a strained smile, Ria patted each of our heads and then left as well. Now, only Karen and I were still standing in front of the tent with the injured¡­ We couldn¡¯t visit them right now, though¡­ So...


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s do that¡­¡±


    Feeling even more exhausted than before, Karen and I went back to our wagon...

 Chapter of Bottled Love: The Sisters and their Time off

    ¡°And we¡¯re back!¡±


    Utterly exhausted, I threw myself on the bed.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Haa¡­ You¡¯re such a child.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am.¡±


    After all, I already looked like one. At least when we were alone it should be fine to behave like one too, right?


    ¡°Should we take a nap?¡±


    ¡°Another one?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Karen seemed to ponder whether we should or not.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired but I don¡¯t think I can sleep right now¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Nn? Sis, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Undressing you.¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡±


    ¡±Why are you asking then?¡±


    ¡°... Good point.¡±


    She had grabbed the hem of my clothes and pulled the shirt off, before doing the same with my pants.


    ¡°It¡¯s breezy.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Curious, I looked behind me, only to see that Karen was also undressing. Once bare, she grabbed the nearby blanket and joined me on the bed.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to nap.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. But I want to do this.¡±


    Karen pulled me into her embrace and then threw the blanket over us. It didn¡¯t take long for it to become cosy and warm beneath it.


    ¡°Mh, I love this.¡±


    Hugging me close, Karen rolled onto her side and wrapped her free leg around me. All the while my face was buried in her breasts.


    ¡°I¡¯ve completely turned into a body pillow, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Do you dislike it?¡±


    ¡°No. I like it.¡±


    Being hugged like this gave me a safe and warm feeling. If possible, I¡¯d want to stay like this forever.


    ¡°So, you wanted to hug me like this? Or...¡±


    ¡°Yes. I thought we could just lie down and relax like this. Was that wrong?¡±


    ¡°... No, it wasn¡¯t¡±


    Although, I had to admit that I thought for a moment that she had other intentions. Which would have been fine with me if I wasn¡¯t so tired.


    ¡°Yumi, I love you. I really, really love you.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to say it.¡±


    ¡°... I love you, too, Sis.¡±


    I shifted my position a little, trying to move up higher. While I enjoyed being wrapped in her breasts, I really wanted to see her face.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, one moment. Okay. Now I can see you.¡±


    Karen looked at me, a little surprise. But it was quickly replaced by her usual smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little harder to hug you like this, though.¡±


    ¡°... Is that a complaint?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Mm.¡±


    ¡°Mgh?!¡±


    This girl¡­ While I was wondering how to react to that, she stole a kiss from me¡­


    ¡°Ehehe. Yumi, you¡¯re warm.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ You are warm as well, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Oh well. She could steal as many as she wanted.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I really like things like this; Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Just lying on the bed and doing nothing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She strengthened her hug a little before quickly loosening up again. Shifting her body a little, she seemed to look for a more comfortable position. After a while, she gently caressed my back.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel any¡­¡±


    ¡°Feel what?¡±


    ¡°Bones. There¡¯s something that feels a little harder but it¡¯s too soft.¡±


    ¡°... I think I already made peace with the fact that I don¡¯t have bones.¡±


    It made me wonder how in the hell my body even managed to stand up¡­ But it did. Honestly, so far it didn¡¯t bring me any inconvenience. And everyone seemed to enjoy how squishy I was¡­


    ¡°I wonder if bones are the only thing.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re closer to a monster, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°So, if you¡¯re missing bones, maybe there are other things you don¡¯t have either?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡­ might be the case¡­


    ¡°I guess¡­ that¡¯s possible. I refuse to be cut open to check, though.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t intend to.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The last thing I needed was someone a little too curious to open up my stomach and checking if I got all my organs¡­


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything inconveniencing me so far¡­¡±


    The initial shock in regards to my body changes had long passed already. And by now, I didn¡¯t feel all that uncomfortable anymore when I dealt with my tentacles.


    ¡°Guess you can get used to everything with time.¡±


    Honestly, I had begun to take a liking to my current situation even. Though, that was mostly thanks to Karen. Without her, I¡¯d probably still be unable to accept this.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine the way I am¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Yumi. You¡¯re fine like this.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    A smile crept up my lips. It was an incredibly happy thing, having someone accept you the way you were.


    ¡°Insecure, lacking in common sense, always curious and a bit of an idiot at times. But kind and always caring and thinking of those around you. I love this Yumi. All of it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have fallen for you. I would have never imagined that I could fall in love with another girl. But I did and I don¡¯t regret it.¡±


    ¡°... Sis.¡±


    Ahh, this girl¡­ Making me tear up now¡­


    ¡°So, you are perfectly fine like this.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Always.¡±


    Karen caressed my hair and hugged me even closer.


    ¡°And there are many more parts that I love about you. Like this small butt of yours.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Nyah?!¡±


    Her hand that had been wrapped around my waist suddenly went down and squeezed my butt.


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing.¡±


    She continued to squeeze my butt, looking at me with the most innocent eyes she could offer¡­ Which probably would have worked if she had managed to hold back her grin.


    ¡°You can be quite mean sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Only with you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Jeez¡­ And I¡¯m stupid for being happy about it.¡±


    Well, if she enjoyed squeezing my butt¡­


    ¡°That reminds me, Sis.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ How to say it¡­ Are you feeling¡­ Well¡­ Hungry again?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Her butt squeezing stopped for a moment.


    ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t accidentally absorb any mana or something without noticing now, did I?¡±


    ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. Not that I would have minded.¡±


    ¡°... You should mind.¡±


    But it wasn¡¯t like she could help it. Nor did it hurt me anyway.


    ¡°And? Are you?¡±


    ¡°... I was.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ were?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Her hug tightened a little as her body stiffened slightly.


    ¡°I see. But if you aren¡¯t anymore, I guess that¡¯s good. Although, I really wonder what exactly it even is...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If she could satisfy her hunger simply by us hugging naked, then¡­ Well, we assumed that it might be her sexual desire that needs to be satisfied, but maybe that wasn¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°As long as it¡¯s gone I guess it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I returned the hug by wrapping my arms around Karen and then buried my face in her neck. A slightly sweaty but familiar smell entered my nose.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Smells good¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    With a sigh, she once more caressed my hair, tracing its length with her fingers. Feeling a little mischievous, I moved the strand she was touching and wrapped it around her fingers.


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    A surprised yelp escaped her, giving me a reason to chuckle.


    ¡°Pfff¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But your reaction was nice.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously.¡±


    As if to return the favour, her tail wrapped around my thigh, tickling me a little. To which I responded by wrapping more of my hair around her legs and her waist.


    ¡°Caught a Karen.¡±


    ¡°How terrible, I¡¯ve been caught. Just what is going to happen to me?¡±


    ¡°Mh... I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    I closed my eyes and rubbed myself against her body.


    ¡°You¡¯re like a little animal.¡±


    ¡°So now I¡¯m not even a person anymore?¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    With a chuckle, Karen poked my cheek as she teased me.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Just relaxing like this might be quite nice as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Agreed.¡±


    Just letting ourselves relax in each other¡¯s arms.


    ¡°A lot has happened.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That it has. But for now, it¡¯s over and done with.¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Sis?¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand stopped caressing my hair for a moment as if she was pondering about something.


    ¡°I was a bit scared, after all.¡±


    ¡°Scared?¡±


    ¡°Of what would happen at the village. The Worshippers, the Mother Roper and Yumelia¡­ All of it.¡±


    ¡°... It was the same for me, Sis. It was scary.¡±


    Having seen the large roper and the destruction it could deliver¡­ There was no way I wouldn¡¯t be scared. But¡­


    ¡°But seeing the mercenaries and Korwen in action¡­ I think it was amazing.¡±


    They dealt with such a powerful foe, suffering no losses at all. If that wasn¡¯t amazing, then what was?


    ¡°And Ria¡¯s magic as well. I still don¡¯t quite understand what that even was.¡±


    The curious liquid Ria had used. The only thing I understood was, that she had turned it into some kind of weapon through her magic, with which she killed the roper.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ They¡¯re strong¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, they are.¡±


    Korwen could fight a troll and win. Ria could cast incredible spells, turning the tide of battle on her lonesome. The mercenaries as a whole were well-coordinated and strong.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do our best as well.¡±


    ¡°We do.¡±


    Karen¡¯s arms strengthened their embrace, her leg that was wrapped around me tightened it¡¯s grip as well. Her body¡¯s warmth transferred over to my skin.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I have decided¡­¡±


    ¡°... Decided?¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes looked straight into me, her expression conveying her seriousness.


    ¡°I want to be a magician. A real one. Not just what my body¡­ my manakin nature brought me.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    She had decided¡­ Decided what she wanted to be¡­


    ¡°You know, when I see Ria casting her magic¡­ or even when you do your stuff with the dolls and the tentacles¡­ I always thought ¡®That¡¯s amazing!¡¯ in my head. Every time¡­¡±


    My eyes went wide at her confession. She thought it was amazing? Ria I could understand, but even the stuff I was doing?


    ¡°Ria is like a great magician from a fairytale, with amazing magic. I think¡­ I think I want to be able to do things like that as well. To be able to cast amazing magic like that.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you want to be like one of those great magicians?¡±


    ¡°... I guess... you could say that?¡±


    A great magician¡­ I had to admit, it was a bit surprising¡­


    ¡°It sounds a little childish if you say it like that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine, Sis? Even if it¡¯s childish, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s an unattainable dream.¡±


    ¡±A dream, huh¡­ I guess it is a bit of a dream.¡±


    Karen smiled when she repeated my words, looking slightly happy about it.


    ¡°So I still had a dream, after all... Yumi. I decided.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Didn¡¯t she decide on something before already?


    ¡°I want to be a magician. But not just any magician, I want to be like those great and powerful magicians from the fairytales! I want to be able to use amazing magic, even more amazing than Ria!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty lofty goal.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what dreams are all about?¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    A magician that was even more amazing than Ria. That would likely take a lot of work.


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s a splendid dream, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe, you think so?¡±


    ¡°Of course. And I¡¯ll help you with all I can to achieve it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Thank you.¡±


    She hugged me a little tighter and buried her face in my neck, nuzzling against my hair.


    ¡°Really, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I returned the hug and caressed the back of her head, gently patting her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to work hard.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask Ria to teach me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll help you.¡±


    While Ria was a bit spacey at times, she was quite serious and I had little doubt that she¡¯d be willing to teach her.


    Actually, since we were counted as magician apprentices, she kind of had to teach us anyway¡­


    There hadn¡¯t been a lot of time for her to teach us anything, with all the things that had been happening.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Huh? But, won¡¯t you have your own work to do? Like, your tentacles and the dolls.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t know if I can be there all the time, but I think it¡¯d be a good idea to learn at least a little about regular magic. Even if I end up being unable to use it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Maybe the elemental stones won¡¯t explode in your face anymore if you do.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s not talk about those little devils.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re stones, not devils.¡±


    They were devils. Without a doubt. And they had it out for me. Why else would they explode every single time?


    ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t know what the captain planned for the near future. I guess it also depends on whether Will would accept that deal.¡±


    ¡°... Do you think he will?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know. But the captain seemed to be rather hopeful about it. I guess it¡¯d be nice if he does?¡±


    If he did, we¡¯d have a home to return to, after all. The wandering mercenaries wouldn¡¯t be homeless anymore. This probably had a lot of meaning for many of them who travelled since their childhood. Especially seeing how adamant Korwen was about this.


    ¡°I wonder what kind of place that fort is¡­ Hey, Sis, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°What I think? I don¡¯t know¡­ It¡¯s been abandoned for a long time, right? I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be in a good state¡­ We can probably be lucky if it didn¡¯t fall apart yet.¡±


    ¡°... Way to destroy my expectations.¡±


    Not that I could even argue against that. It had been abandoned for so long that Will didn¡¯t even know about it.


    ¡°Well¡­ But he said it¡¯s close to the Grand Spirit Lake, right? And next to a forest. So, I think it¡¯ll be a nice place.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ What kind of lake is that even?¡±


    ¡°The Grand Spirit Lake?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I first thought it¡¯d be Great Spirit Lake and not Grand Spirit Lake, considering how they worshipped the great spirits. Slightly confusing. I better had to keep that in mind lest I mixed it up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it¡­ I only heard that it is a really large lake, so large that you can¡¯t see the other shore.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? That is large, all right.¡±


    Then again, I didn¡¯t really know how large a lake usually was supposed to be.


    ¡°And, well¡­ That¡¯s already all I know. Actually, I heard the river that flows through the city is connected to that lake¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ That¡¯d make sense I guess.¡±


    Rivers, lakes and the ocean more or less went hand in hand quite often, after all.


    ¡°I wonder if we can catch any fish in that lake¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Haa... We probably can.¡±


    Why was she sighing now?


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°You glutton.¡±


    ¡°... Hey, it¡¯s delicious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    Calling me a glutton¡­ I didn¡¯t even eat that much. My stomach had shrunk a lot. That¡¯s why I had to make sure that the little I could eat was delicious.


    ¡°Still, a lake sounds like it¡¯d be nice to have around,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It does. And a forest as well. We can get food from the forest and water from the lake. And fish, too, of course.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯d save a lot of food expenses¡­ Makes me wonder if that was part of the reason why Korwen chose that one.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t he select three total?¡±


    Well, he did, but¡­


    ¡°I might be wrong but I think he expected them to get rejected. I mean, I can¡¯t imagine that he would have missed the problems with those. Also, I recall him saying that he had a particular fort in mind already. He also told the Elder about it.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That could be. But then, why did he even suggest them?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Maybe to make it look less like he really wanted this one in particular?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    The only way we could get an answer to that was by asking Korwen.


    ¡°I hope it works out...¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯d be nice.¡±


    ¡°You got a lot of work as well, then.¡±


    ¡°... Right, I do.¡±


    After all, I was part of the reason why Korwen wanted to get a fort now.


    ¡°He said that he wanted to get people used to my tentacles¡­ But I don¡¯t know, can people get used to those? Lily didn¡¯t like them already...¡±


    ¡°Maybe if they have enough time? Although, I agree¡­ It might be hard.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    They were pretty grotesque and not something people would casually approach¡­ Some people might be fine with them but I just couldn¡¯t imagine most of them accepting it¡­ Then again, the mercenaries at the village seemed curious when I used those tentacles but not disgusted or similar¡­ Maybe there was some hope, after all?


    ¡°There was also that thing with connecting space, wasn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh¡­ There was¡­¡±


    Space¡­ Connecting space¡­ It sounded ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. But after having seen those pitfalls, I couldn¡¯t deny that space was somehow¡­ bendable?


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start with that, though¡­¡±


    ¡°How about trying to connect the pitfalls?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But how? I mean, I barely even understand how the tentacles are doing all that.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think you have to.¡±


    That was¡­ Not wrong but¡­ If possible, I¡¯d like to know¡­


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°When you make those pitfalls, how do you do that?¡±


    ¡°How? I¡­ kinda imagine that I want a pitfall? When I give them the mana.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Karen fell silent, likely thinking about what I said.


    ¡°Yumi, how are the tentacles different from the dolls?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, the dolls¡­ They have a soul, I guess?¡±


    ¡°But they also do what you want them to, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, do you want to say that the dolls and the tentacles are the same?¡±


    ¡°Maybe not the same¡­ but similar?¡±


    Similar, huh¡­


    ¡°I mean, they do what you want them to, right? So, you could try to ask them to make¡­ A door? A door that connects to another one?¡±


    ¡°A door that connects to another one¡­ I guess I could try that.¡±


    Like the dolls¡­ Maybe Karen was onto something there. Honestly, seeing the dolls being incredibly independent, maybe I had stopped to question how they did everything. Well, except that cursed-looking ritual they used to¡­ upgrade themselves. That one freaked me out a little, to be honest.


    ¡°I guess if I think of it as asking the tentacles, it¡¯s not that¡­ No, I think it would still bother me how the hell that works¡­ Space isn¡¯t something you can just bend¡­ At least, it shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should give up and accept it?¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ I know, but I can¡¯t help it¡­¡±


    There were some things that would bother you even if you knew you wouldn¡¯t ever get an answer to it. Okay, maybe I could get an answer if I asked Yumias or maybe a Space magician¡­ But neither was around for now¡­


    ¡°And I don¡¯t really want to ask her, either¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, sorry¡­ I was just thinking that¡­ maybe that witch would know the answer.¡±


    ¡°You mean Yumias? I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. I mean, she does¡­ appear out of nowhere¡­ and in your case...¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    She took me from a different world and brought me to this one¡­ That was similar to Space magic, maybe it was the same even...


    ¡°Ah, maybe the Elder knows something about it?¡±


    ¡°Nn? The Elder? Maybe¡­ she does?¡±


    Well, asking her wouldn¡¯t hurt so I could do that next time.


    ¡°I might ask her then. It would be convenient if she did.¡±


    ¡°It would.¡±


    The Elder had lived a long life and she knew a surprising amount of things, despite being stuck in a forest for so long.


    ¡°Space magic, huh¡­ Now I¡¯m curious about whether the tentacles would do it¡­¡±


    ¡°We can try a little after dinner.¡±


    ¡°After dinner, huh¡­¡±


    Not now, but later. After dinner.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just thought you were cute, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re cute, too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I slightly tightened my arms that were wrapped around her. Her soft body and her skin pressing against me were so pleasant and her warmth transmitted to me was comfortable. I could feel her stomach and her breasts against me, making me aware of how we were still naked.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t want to do it now, either. I hope dinner still takes time.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ The sun is still pretty high¡­ I think we still have some time.¡±


    ¡°Great. I won¡¯t move away from here until then.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, and I won¡¯t let you go anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Not that I intended to.¡±


    We hadn¡¯t had much time for ourselves for the past few days¡­ So I was even happier that we could spend time like this. Just relaxing in each others¡¯ arms.


    ¡°This might be a little sudden but¡­ Yumi, you¡­ you like my tummy, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes, I do. I love it.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    That was indeed a pretty sudden question, though. But I really loved her tummy. If possible, I¡¯d want to rub my cheeks against it all day.


    ¡°Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We¡¯re hugging like this¡­ and I noticed that you were rubbing yourself against me occasionally.¡±


    ¡°... I did?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Scary... I hadn¡¯t noticed that at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I mind. I was just a bit curious.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I didn¡¯t realise I was doing that. Guess my body already yearns for you without my conscious input.¡±


    ¡°Yu¡ª Yumi¡­¡±


    Ah, her cheeks were flushed red.


    ¡°You have to take responsibility now, Sis. My body cannot survive without you anymore.¡±


    ¡°... I intended to, anyway.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now it was my turn for my cheeks to turn crimson.


    ¡°After all, my body cannot survive without you either. So you have to take proper responsibility, too.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe.¡±


    Karen rubbed her cheek against mine, giggling happily.


    ¡°Yumi, you know¡­ There was another dream I had.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°To live together with the person I love, build a family and spent our time together. I guess, marrying them would be part of that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Her words surprised me, catching me off-guard. But the shock soon faded, replaced by a feeling of warmth.


    ¡°That¡¯s a splendid dream, Sis. I¡¯ll support you with all I have to make it a reality.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, is that so. But that¡¯s not necessary.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Not necessary?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After all, I realised that it¡¯s impossible. Or rather, it¡¯s no good.¡±


    The heck did she mean with that? Impossible?


    ¡°I mean, think about it. If marriage is part of it, then it¡¯s simply no good.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ What do you¡ª¡±


    ¡°There¡¯d be no point in marrying my sister.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already family. Even if we¡¯re not related by blood, we¡¯re sisters, right? And rather than just a promise to stay with each other¡­ A promise could be broken. But since we¡¯re sisters, we¡¯ll always be family. No matter what happens.¡±


    My eyes went wide when she explained it to me. I was¡­ flabbergasted.


    ¡°No matter what, we¡¯ll always be together. You¡¯re my sister, Yumi. And you always will be.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Although, I guess sharing the same surname would be pretty nice.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, it would.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to think about it. Ah, we should talk with Rina as well. After all, she¡¯s our sister as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Tears were welling up as I buried my face in her shoulders. Somehow, I felt so happy. So incredibly happy. I didn¡¯t even know how to describe it anymore. It was just¡­ overwhelming happiness.


    ¡°But I do want to¡­ Well, expand our family one day.¡±


    ¡°Ex¡­ pand?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you know¡­ with you¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    My face instantly went as hot as if it was on fire, realising what she was implying.


    ¡°That¡­ That would be great. I¡¯d like that too, one day.¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe, it¡¯s a promise, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is.¡±


    ¡°One I won¡¯t let you break.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any intention to.¡±


    It was probably still far off in the future¡­ We¡¯d have to settle into our new life first, deal with who knew how many problems and then¡­ then¡­


    ¡°But¡­ would that even be possible?¡± I wondered.


    ¡°It should be possible, right? Mrs Karker told us about that magic.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I remember that. But¡­ I mean, I¡¯m not quite a normal person.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Hmm¡­ I think it should be fine. I mean, most of your body is pretty much the same as ours.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But most¡­ wasn¡¯t all. I didn¡¯t have bones, for starters.


    ¡°Also, you¡¯re similar to a roper, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I guess so¡­¡±


    ¡°Ropers procreate with many other races, don¡¯t they? So I¡¯m sure you can do something similar.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true. It¡¯s not unlikely that I could.¡±


    There were still a few things about me I didn¡¯t quite grasp. Especially in regards to some tentacles. But anyway, since ropers were known for¡­ their breeding capabilities¡­ it made sense to assume that I could do that, too.


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if we tried to find out¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only allowed to with my help,¡± Karen declared.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, what if something happens and you unexpectedly¡­ you know¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it. Only when we¡¯re together and alone. Then, there¡¯s no way something could happen, right?¡±


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile. While I¡¯d prefer if nothing happened by accident¡ªafter all, if it happened, I wanted it to be on purpose¡ªthis way we could make sure that, at the very least, it wouldn¡¯t turn into the worst-case scenario.


    ¡°Ehehe, it feels like we¡¯re getting ahead of ourselves a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, it¡¯d still take some time before we should consider it¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ But¡­ I feel really happy talking about it, about the future. I¡¯m really¡­ really looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°So am I.¡±


    A future with Karen... Of course, I was looking forward to it. To all the happy things that would come to us. Even the bad things, that we¡¯d overcome together. I was sure, it¡¯d be a wonderful future.


    ¡°Nn, we got a lot of things to prepare for that, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We do. Hey, if we¡¯re going to live in the fort, do you think we¡¯ll get our own room?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I didn¡¯t really think about it. That would depend on how large the fort is, right? But we might.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ A room in the fort¡­ That might a good home for us as well, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... It does.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it¡­ Sure, the wagon was our place right now, but strictly speaking, it was hard to call it ¡®home.¡¯ A home to return to. After all, this home moved together with us wherever we went. And with all said and done, it wasn¡¯t a large home. Nothing where a whole¡­ family, could live in¡­ Which might be a little rude, seeing how most of the mercenaries and their families lived in tents¡­ But if we had our own place in the fort¡­


    ¡°It does sound more appropriate. Let¡¯s bother the captain and get our own room when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that. And we have to make sure it¡¯s big enough, considering the future.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    We looked at each other and burst out laughing.


    ¡°I wonder what the future will bring.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But I know it¡¯ll be a lot of fun with you.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    Releasing my hand from the embrace, I gently touched and stroked her cheek.


    ¡°At the very least, we¡¯ll be together for it. No matter what it will bring, right? After all, just as you said, we¡¯re already family. And nothing will tear us apart so easily.¡±


    ¡°Yu¡ª Mgh?!¡±


    I sealed her lips with mine before she could respond. Savouring our kiss for quite some time, indulging in each other¡¯s presence. Once we parted, we both smiled.


    ¡°Just what am I going to do with you, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know? How about another one?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Once more, we approached each other¡¯s lips.


    We kissed, hugged and caressed each other for a long time¡­ A time so happy that I felt like I was on cloud nine.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: A Dress for Two

    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    You can do this. You can do this, Yumi. There¡¯s no need to worry, you can do this!


    ¡°Yumiiii!!!¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    ¡°Wah, be careful, Yumi!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do it.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, we¡¯re back, Emily¡­¡±


    Smiling wryly, I gave the girl that had barreled into my arms a gentle pat on the head.


    ¡°Emily, didn¡¯t you promise us not to rush like that anymore?¡±


    Karen, who had caught Emily and me in her arms, asked her, sounding slightly exasperated.


    ¡°... Ah! You¡¯re right! I¡¯m sorry, Big Sis Karen!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t forget it next time.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m worried.¡±


    Considering she hadn¡¯t managed to restrain herself even once so far, that worry was rather understandable¡­ I could only laugh dryly, imagining the next time already.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ But it¡¯s good to see you are fine as well, Emily. Where are Maya and Sele?¡± Karen asked her.


    ¡°Maya and Sele? Uhm¡­ They were right behind me¡­¡±


    ¡°Behind you?¡±


    We looked into the direction from which Emily had stormed towards us¡­ A little in the distance, we could see two small silhouettes, trying to make their way through the merry-making mercenaries.


    Correction, Maya is trying to save Sele who is unable to get through and is now stuck somewhere¡­ or something like that?


    After some struggling and the help of the nearby mercenaries, they managed to get out and come to us.


    ¡°Emily! Don¡¯t run off like that¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Maya! Sele! I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    Sele looked slightly disgruntled, probably because of what had happened just now. Alas, she quickly perked up when she spotted Karen and me, rushing right past Emily and trying to squeeze her way in.


    ¡°Ah, Sele, wa¡ª Geez¡­ Come here.¡±


    Karen freed one arm and pulled Sele right into our hug. With a satisfied murmur, Sele made herself comfortable next to me.


    ¡°Sele¡­ Emily¡­ That¡¯s unfair¡­¡±


    Maya, who was the only one left out, stared at us, unhappiness spreading on her face. Alas, Karen could only hug so many people at once¡­ In that case¡­


    ¡°One moment¡­ Maya, come here.¡±


    I copied Karen, freeing one arm and inviting Maya to join in. Without delay, Maya perked up and rushed over, squeezing herself next to Emily into my arms.


    ¡°Ehehe!¡±


    With a happy giggle, Emily watched Sele and Maya coming into the little group hug.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Why did I expect things to turn out this way¡­¡± Karen whispered.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Because it wasn¡¯t exactly hard to guess.¡±


    These three girls seriously loved getting their fair share of skinship.


    ¡°Big Sis Karen, Yumi, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back again¡­¡±


    ¡°Glad¡­¡±


    ¡°Maya¡­ Sele¡­ thank you. We¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Were you good girls while we were away?¡±


    ¡°We were!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile at Maya¡¯s vigorous response. Even Sele seemed to nod fervently next to me, asserting that they behaved while we were gone.


    ¡°We helped Mrs Korwen and the others! We helped with dinner and breakfast, we helped with the laundry... and many other things!¡± Maya told me.


    ¡°Hee, seems you girls were busy, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    With a smile, I pat Maya¡¯s and Emily¡¯s heads. They weren¡¯t really any smaller than me so I had to raise my arms quite a bit, but seeing their happy smiles was worth that little bit of effort. Next to me, Sele was squeezing her eyes shut, silently enjoying Karen¡¯s hand stroking her.


    ¡°So, uhm¡­ Yumi¡­ Big Sis Karen¡­ Is everything¡­ over already?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh, it is.¡±


    ¡°Uhm...¡±


    Maya seemed like she wanted to ask something but she seemed a little troubled whether she should or not. Seeing that she didn¡¯t speak up, Emily sprung in for her.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Did everyone make it back? Did they? We saw those healers¡­ And only some returned... Did anyone¡­¡±


    ¡°... No, everyone is healthy and alive. There¡¯s no need to worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Nn, really.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s great!¡±


    Maya and Emily both looked relieved when they heard that nobody had died.


    ¡°There were some injuries but they are already better. That¡¯s why the healers came over. And for the ones that haven¡¯t returned yet, they still had a few things left to do. That¡¯s why we returned first.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, they¡¯ll come back?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I guess tomorrow or the day after the latest.¡±


    These girls were worried, weren¡¯t they? Seriously, to make these kind girls worry so much¡­ Not that it could be helped, considering our job. But I was also happy when they worried so much about us coming back.


    We might not have a permanent home or anything like that¡­ But we do have people caring about us, don¡¯t we?


    It really made me happy.


    ¡°Really, you girls.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    I embraced the two and squeezed them. They were both surprised a little, but they quickly returned the hug, giggling.


    ¡°Thank you for worrying about us. We¡¯re back.¡±


    ---


    A little later, the five of us calmed down and dissolved our group hug. Karen and I had come here because it was time for dinner and just as we had expected, we met with the three girls. We all got our food¡ªa delicious-looking stew with bread¡ªsat down and enjoyed our dinner.


    The three girls were interested in hearing about what had happened, so we told them about our encounter with the Worshippers and the Mother Roper. Of course, excluding the less pleasant parts with the Crystal Flowers, the corpses and so on. In turn, we might have embellished the rest a little. It wasn¡¯t my fault, okay? Really.


    Once dinner was over, we sat down a little, continuing our talk, listening to what had happened here while we were gone. Which was¡­ mostly nothing. Well, that was good by itself. We had been only gone for a short time but nothing bad had happened during that time.


    ¡°So, you haven¡¯t seen Lily and those girls either, Emily?¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh¡­ They didn¡¯t let us visit them.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ They must have it hard, huh¡­ Hopefully, they can relax a little now that they dealt with everything inside the city¡­¡±


    It seemed that Lily and Rina were still stuck with guarding El and Nel. The mercenaries really took their protection seriously¡­ At least, Fenna¡¯s squad was keeping watch in shifts.


    But if they are still guarding them now, that means they haven¡¯t judged it to be perfectly safe yet, right?


    That was something that worried me a little¡­ But once I thought about it a little, I realised that they probably still had to make sure that no noble had slipped through their grasp. Or that they dealt with thugs and the like that might still aim at them. Maybe even possible spies from the Empire¡­ There were actually plenty of things they likely had to consider first.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Nothing we can do about now, can we? Let¡¯s hope they¡¯ll stay safe.¡±


    Lily would surely be happy if we praised her a little for holding up for so long.


    ¡°Do you think anything is still going to happen, Yumi?¡± Emily asked me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Of course, I hope it won¡¯t but we shouldn¡¯t dismiss it completely¡­ I think? I mean, they haven¡¯t lifted the guard yet for a reason, right?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I hope nothing won¡¯t happen, too!¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    While we probably shouldn¡¯t dismiss it completely, I very much doubted that anything big was still going to happen at this time. If what Will had told us was true, then they should have most likely caught everyone who was involved already.


    ¡°Either way, they can surely deal with it even if anything does happen, right? The mercenaries are strong after all.¡±


    ¡°... They are!¡±


    ¡°Right? They are.¡±


    I patted Emily¡¯s head as she beamed at me with a big smile, happy that I was praising the mercenaries.


    ¡°So, there¡¯s no need to worry. Those four will be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    ¡°And when they do, we¡¯ll welcome them back.¡±


    ¡°We will!¡±


    Good, good. A smiling Emily was the best Emily.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Maya?¡±


    While I was still busy patting Emily, Maya called out to me from the side.


    ¡°Are you and Big Sis Karen going to be busy again as well?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, we¡¯re free for now, unless the captain says something different.¡±


    ¡°Then, uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Maya was fidgeting a little, averting her eyes.


    ¡°Would¡­ Would it be fine if we all slept together today?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s...¡±


    She stared at me with her big eyes full of anticipation, her fluffy ears twitching a little.


    What do I do?


    Under normal circumstances, I would¡¯ve said ¡®Sure, it¡¯s fine,¡¯ but today was¡­ I was looking forward to spending some time with Karen.


    I probably should have expected them to ask this, though... Ahh¡­


    ¡°Is¡­ Is it no good?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s not that it¡¯s no good¡­¡±


    I glanced towards Karen, looking for help. She was watching our little exchange with a strained smile.


    Haa¡­ Can¡¯t be helped, can it¡­


    There was no way that I could go against those expectant eyes. Not only from Maya, but Sele and Emily were looking as well¡­


    ¡°Hey, you girls, don¡¯t be selfish. Give them some time to rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    An unexpected voice came from behind us¡­ It was Wanda.


    ¡°They¡¯ve just come back. They¡¯re tired and need some rest, so don¡¯t bother them too much.¡±


    ¡°Ah! You¡¯re right¡­ Sorry, Yumi, Big Sis Karen.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They apologised, looking a little disappointed.


    ¡°... Tomorrow, okay? Let¡¯s sleep all together tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Really. Is that okay with you girls?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°It is!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was too easy on these girls¡­ I definitely was¡­


    ¡°Well, if you girls are fine with that,¡± Wanda commented, her eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Thank you, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Rest is important as well.¡±


    That it was, without a doubt.


    ¡°So, uhm, did you need something from us or¡­¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Affirming my question, Wanda sat down next to us.


    ¡°I wanted to talk about the clothes for you girls.¡±


    ¡°The clothes?¡±


    Speaking of which, Korwen had mentioned that.


    ¡°Is it about the matter with the formal clothes?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you were already told about it?¡±


    ¡°Only that we¡¯ll probably need them¡­ and where...¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    If we really were to join that celebration, we¡¯d definitely need some decent clothes¡­


    ¡°Wanda, didn¡¯t you have trouble with getting fabric for the clothes?¡± Karen asked.


    ¡°Girl, I sure did. Hell, I still do. But it¡¯s not like it¡¯s impossible. That old coot Korwen said we should be able to get into the city again soon. Then I can get all I need. Also¡­¡±


    Wanda stopped for a moment, then glanced at me.


    ¡°There¡¯s also another kind of cloth that I can use.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    My hair¡­ Or rather, the materials they could get from my hair... Those were an option as well. But wearing clothes made from my own hair¡­ The thought of it was¡­ a little weird.


    ¡°But that¡¯s not what I wanted to talk about.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What then?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the design.¡±


    ¡°The design?¡±


    The design¡­ I vaguely recalled that we left it up for Wanda to decide? Probably?


    ¡°Are there any problems?¡±


    ¡°No. I wanted to confirm if you are fine with what I thought of.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    So, she had already thought of a design and just wanted to confirm with us if she could go ahead and do it.


    ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like you to to come with me to my place and discuss it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m fine with that. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I am too.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Wanda stood up from here seat already, looking ready to go.


    ¡°Emily, Maya, Sele, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I want to join, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Emily, we still have to help out¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah! I forgot¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They wouldn¡¯t join us in that case.


    ¡°Then, good luck with your work. And have a good night.¡±


    ¡°We will! You too, Yumi, Big Sis Karen, Ms Wanda!¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°... Night.¡±


    And so, we followed Wanda back to her place¡­


    ---


    ¡°You can sit down there. Give me a moment, I¡¯ll bring everything.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Wanda pointed us to the table in the middle of the tent.


    ¡°Where is it¡­ This¡­ Right, it was this¡­¡±


    She rummaged through a stack of large papers, retrieving two single sheets and bringing them to the table.


    ¡°Here we go.¡±


    ¡°Nn? This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Designs for the dresses for both you and the girl. This one is for the kid and this one for the girl.¡±


    Both sheets were quite large, with an intricate drawing of a dress on each of them.


    ¡°They¡¯re black.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Both were black sleeveless one-piece dresses. The shoulders were bare, with only the shoulder straps covering them. The hem ended at around the knees. In short, it was quite short and¡­ a little revealing.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many colours fitting for you two, you know? Pink and silver don¡¯t mesh well if you ask me. But they both work with black quite well. That¡¯s why I decided to make the base colour black.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Pink and silver didn¡¯t mesh well, she said¡­ Then¡­ These dresses¡­ They were designed as a pair¡­


    ¡°Kid, stop grinning, it¡¯s disgusting.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    But I couldn¡¯t help it¡­


    ¡°Anyway, back to it. The base colour is black but the accessories and embroidery will be a different colour. For the kid, it¡¯ll be in silver and for the girl, it¡¯ll be in pink.¡±


    ¡°Accessories and embroidery?¡±


    ¡°These. Here and here. As for the embroidery, I am still considering some options. It won¡¯t be anything big, however.¡±


    Wanda pointed at various spots on the dress where she apparently planned to add decorations. They were written on the paper as well but, honestly, I could make little sense out of all of this. As for the embroidery¡­ I knew next to nothing about that either¡­ Hell, seeing these designs on the paper was overwhelming me a little.


    ¡°At the very least, we¡¯ll embroider the emblem of the Dragon Knights on it. While the black colour should be a good indicator already, you can never be too careful.¡±


    ¡°The emblem¡­ Wasn¡¯t that a knight fighting with a dragon?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can¡¯t quite imagine how that would work¡­¡±


    The emblem wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ Well¡­ The most peaceful. As expected of a mercenary group, but it did feel a little¡­ too aggressive for a dress.


    ¡°The easiest option would be the hem.¡±


    ¡°The hem?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We could embroider it alongside the hem as a recurring pattern.¡±


    ¡°... That sounds like a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°It is a lot of work. This is something I¡¯d usually spent weeks, if not months on. Having to rush this is not quite what I envisioned. I don¡¯T even know how much of what I planned I can actually finish in time. But Korwen pays me extra for it, so I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±


    She was getting a bonus for it from Korwen? Was that okay? We were the ones who needed the dress in a hurry after all¡­ Not that they¡¯d see me complaining.


    ¡°The other option I was thinking of was¡­ splitting the design.¡±


    ¡°Splitting?¡±


    Wanda grinned at me, showing her white teeth.


    ¡°One of you has the dragon and the other the knight.¡±


    ¡°... I see. So, it¡¯d be split in two parts.¡±


    ¡°Right. Unfortunately, that one¡¯s a no-go.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Too much work and it¡¯s too experimental. We¡¯d have to adjust it to make sure it works well and we¡¯d have to embroider samples first. We would have to with a recurring pattern as well, but it¡¯s still less work.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was¡­


    ¡°The last one was that we¡¯d just embroider the emblem once along the hem. That¡¯s currently the most likely and easiest option.¡±


    ¡°Once, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Karen and I both mulled over Wanda¡¯s suggestions¡­ but honestly, I had no idea.


    ¡°Sis, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I. In that case, Wanda, we¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°You two sure about that?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Neither Karen nor I knew much about dresses, clothing design and all that. Of course, I appreciated that she told us about it and asked for our opinion.But Wanda was the professional here so we¡¯d leave it to her. And from what I saw so far she was doing a good job. Good enough that I was looking forward to it quite a bit.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll do as I see fit.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I looked once more at the dresses drawn on the large paper sheets. A sleeveless one-piece. Rather than elegant, it was¡­ cute. Although, it was kept rather simple overall, even with the accessories she likely planned to add.


    ¡°Is the colour for the embroidery the only difference between the two?¡±


    ¡°For the most part. There are some adjustments because of your different builds. And the girl is better endowed than you. But outside of those, I¡¯ve kept them as similar as I could.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The corners of my lips raised on their own when I heard that. We¡¯d really look like a pair like that.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t forget to wear your bracelets as well. You have to make it absolutely clear that you are a couple, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhh, okay?¡±


    I never took off my bracelet anyway. Same for Karen.


    ¡°Wanda, would there be a problem otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Of course, there will. You girls are both beautiful and cute. If someone thinks you are single they¡¯ll approach you without a doubt.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Being¡­ called beautiful¡­ Err, well¡­ I didn¡¯t want anyone approaching Karen, so I¡¯d take note of that.


    ¡°Well, Korwen will be with you so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to worry much. And I doubt many would have the guts to woo a mercenary¡­ Still, you can¡¯t be too careful, are we clear on that?¡±


    ¡°Nn, loud and clear.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She looked at us as if she still wanted to say something but then gave up with a sigh.


    ¡°Well, come what may, Korwen will probably deal with it. I can only pity the men who try.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Wonder why I could vividly imagine Korwen glaring down any would-be flirts¡­


    ¡°Anyway, if you don¡¯t have anything else to say, I¡¯ll go ahead with this design. That fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I honestly liked it. It was cute. And when Karen was wearing that¡­ I was looking forward to it. And for me, well¡­ I was also looking forward to wearing it. I couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°Good. Then, for the materials¡­ Kid, I might call for you tomorrow, is that all right?¡±


    ¡°It should be. Unless the captain calls for us, we should be free.¡±


    ¡°Free, huh. Lucky you.¡±


    Sorry... but you got paid extra for rushing... Hopefully, she could forgive us with that.


    ¡°Currently, I¡¯m planning to at least make the embroideries with the materials from your hair. Elina should be able to change the colour as well, so that won¡¯t be much of an issue. If I can¡¯t get into the city tomorrow, I¡¯ll likely have to make everything out of those materials. I¡¯m not quite sure how I will do that, but there¡¯s little choice¡­ Other than that¡­ That should be all, I think.¡±


    So that was it, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll do what I can, kid.¡±


    I was cheering for her in my thoughts. She¡¯d surely be able to do it.


    ¡°Hey, Wanda. What are those other papers?¡± Karen asked her.


    ¡°Mm? They¡¯re designs as well. I¡¯ve got a few others who are in need of clothes, including formal ones. Oh, right¡­¡±


    Wanda went back to the aforementioned stack of papers and retrieved once again two, bringing them over to the table.


    ¡°These are¡­ Ah.¡±


    Once again, they were drawings of formal clothes again. Just, this time¡­ They were designed with male, suit-like clothing in mind. However, these were clearly still a work-in-progress. Notes and struck out scribbles were covering the paper. Proof of how much she had thought about this.


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been working on the requested clothes for your crossdressing hobbies. This is surprisingly tricky, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t our hobby but whatever. We did ask for it after all.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I wanted to ask you girls about this. How do you want it to appear?¡±


    ¡°To appear?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be seen as a girl in men¡¯s wear? Or do you want to actually give the impression of being a man?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I hadn¡¯t thought about that. But if it was me¡­


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯d say as a girl in men¡¯s wear. Sis, what about you?¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡±


    ¡°A relief?¡±


    Tilting my head in wonder, I looked over to Wanda, curious about what she meant.


    ¡°Adult men and women have very different builds. Not only about your chest but also the waist, the hips, the shoulders and so on. If you wanted to appear like a man, I would have to design it in a way that gives the illusion that you have the build of a man. And frankly, I fear that is beyond me. At the very least, I¡¯d need to experiment and try out a lot of things first.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Now I understood her issue¡­ That did sound pretty tricky.


    ¡°But if you are still intending to look like a girl, then I can design them in a normal way, fitting your build. That makes it easier for me.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Well, I wanted Karen to still look like a girl, to be honest. I mean, she was a girl. But a girl could also look handsome and that was what I was aiming for. I didn¡¯t know if Karen shared my thoughts on that but since she agreed with me, she probably did¡­ I should ask her later.


    ¡°Good. This will still take time, however, so don¡¯t expect it to be done anytime soon. I got a lot of work piled up and frankly, this is pretty low-priority on my list.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine. Thank you, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°No need to thank me, just doing my job.¡±


    Even so, she still spared a thought or two about it. Or even more, if the scribbled notes were any indication.


    Speaking of those notes¡­ There¡¯s so much¡­ She even took into account the possible hairstyles¡­


    I had no idea how skilled Wanda was at her work. The only clue I had was that she was well respected by Korwen and plenty of other people. Now, however, I could see that this respect was well-earned.


    ¡°Do you still want to look over it?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, I¡¯m done¡­ Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Would it be fine to look for a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    Having gotten permission, Karen returned to staring at the design paper in front of her, completely absorbed in her thoughts.


    Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand it¡­


    Imagining how Karen would look like in these clothes¡­ Whether they be the dress or the male clothing¡­ It was fun. And the dress wasn¡¯t that far away anymore either.


    ¡°Hey, Wanda. When do you think they would hold the celebration?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That depends. Usually, such a celebration would be planned months ahead. But this time is a little special since it is celebrating a current event¡­ The old coot Korwen said he¡¯d expect it within the next few days. Three days earliest, a week latest.¡±


    ¡°In three days? That¡¯s quick¡­¡±


    When they usually planned these events months ahead, then three days was¡­ extremely fast.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be as lavish as a properly planned celebration if I had to guess. In the first place, it also serves as an award ceremony for the mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°An award ceremony?¡±


    ¡°Basically the payment for the job you took.¡±


    ¡°... Why a whole ceremony, though?¡±


    Didn¡¯t he just request something? And then he should just pay us? Or did I miss anything?


    ¡°He¡¯s a king. The sovereign of a country. He has to make his decisions look like they were the best possible choice for the sake of the country. In other words, it¡¯s all for show.¡±


    ¡°A show, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s pretty normal when a mercenary finishes an important job for the country. Especially one that was requested by the king personally. If it was the military who made the request, this wouldn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    But still¡­ Knowing it was a show irked me a little¡­ Then again, most celebrations were mostly for show, weren¡¯t they? And if it bothered me every time, I¡¯d never get to wear that dress together with Karen.


    ¡°Well, as long as I can see Sis in a dress.¡±


    ¡°You sure got your priorities straight.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be food, too.¡±


    ¡°Good food?¡±


    ¡°Things so good you can¡¯t even begin to imagine them.¡±


    Well now¡­ My expectations were growing splendidly. If I ended up disappointed, I¡¯d blame Wanda for it.


    But, food¡­ Haa¡­ I can¡¯t even eat that much anymore¡­


    If the food really was that good, then it was a bit of a shame¡­


    This is a stupid idea but¡­ Maybe I can make my stomach larger¡­


    Then I could eat more. That was worth some consideration. We had planned to try some things out before hitting the bed. I should keep it in mind for later.


    ¡°Is there anything else interesting?¡±


    ¡°Interesting, you say? No clue. If you are lucky, the company might be good. If you aren¡¯t lucky, it can be an annoying kind of company. But in the worst case, you could just pretend to be a wallflower with your sister and enjoy the food.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯d say that the king here has at least enough in his head to ensure it will be halfway enjoyable. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have to worry much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    Well, in the end, there probably wasn¡¯t much point in worrying about it. In the first place, it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed that they¡¯d hold a celebration¡­ Although, I was a little interested in how those nobles were holding their parties. We could expect at least a little something, right?


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Are you done, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes.¡±


    She nodded, her cheeks a little flushed. I had no idea what exactly she had been imagining but¡­ I could take a good guess. After all, I could totally relate to that¡­


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll clean up now.¡±


    Wanda quickly sprung to action when she saw that Karen was done and collected the sheets of paper.


    ¡°You kids are free to go. And thanks for coming. That was a big help.¡±


    ¡°No problem. We¡¯re looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put too much pressure on me. I might make it a size smaller around the chest by accident¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    If she made it any smaller, I¡¯d probably not even fit into it because it got stuck elsewhere, not around the chest¡­


    ¡°Should we go, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you, Wanda. Until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Until tomorrow.¡±


    We waved to Wanda and then left the tent.


    ¡°... Should we go back?¡± Karen asked after a short pause.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She took my hand and we made our way back, to our wagon.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to those dresses.¡±


    ¡°I am too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll look great in it.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, and you will look great in yours too.¡±


    We both giggled, hearing each other¡¯s words.


    ¡°She made them a pair.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to thank her.¡±


    ¡°We should.¡±


    Holding each other¡¯s hand, we slowly walked through the camp. The light at the horizon was slowly receding, flushing the surroundings in the short-lived crimson light of the sunset.


    I hope it¡¯ll turn out well¡­ I really do.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Tentacle Tunnel

    ¡°We¡¯re home.¡±


    After lazily striding into the wagon, I threw myself on the bed. Despite resting at noon already, I still felt pretty exhausted. Maybe we should call it a day¡­


    ¡°Yumi... I guess I should get used to this, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Get used to what?¡±


    ¡°That you immediately dive into the bed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, I did that a lot when we returned, didn¡¯t I? I never really thought about it¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ The bed has this magical attraction that I simply can¡¯t avoid, I guess?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe the bed was actually some kind of magic tool, specifically designed to lure me in?


    ¡°Stop spouting nonsense, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Oh well¡­ That didn¡¯t work out¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ It¡¯s not like I was going to scold you, you know? I can relate to it a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh? Then join me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we want to check up on those tentacles? And who was it who said they wanted to do some work after dinner?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah. Yes. Past me.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Give me a minute¡­¡±


    ¡°The longer you stay the harder it¡¯ll be to leave.¡±


    ¡°Then carry me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No response¡­ Guess I really had to get up on my o¡ªOoohh?


    ¡°And there we go. Satisfied?¡±


    Supporting my back in one arm and carrying my legs in her other¡­ Performing a wonderful bridal carry, Karen looked down at me with a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°What? Are you embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, I was. I was seriously embarrassed and just as seriously happy about it.


    ¡°And you call me sly¡­¡±


    ¡°Once in a while, I have to return the favour, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    But this was just plain unfair¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re mean,¡± I muttered.


    I hugged Karen from my position in her arms, securing me firmly.


    ¡°You really are.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Shall we?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, hold tight.¡±


    Karen carried me through the room and opened the door skillfully, without loosening her grip on me. What entered our sight was a familiar, pink-coloured room, full of wriggling tentacles.


    ¡°I guess they are lively enough.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    The tentacles stirred when we entered the room but soon enough returned to the ground as if saying that they were going back to sleep. What nerve.


    ¡°No, Yumi, look at the ceiling!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Huh? What the¡­ They¡¯re dried up?¡±


    My eyes widened at the unexpected view. The tentacles on the ground and the walls were looking healthy but the ones on the ceiling were all dried up. They looked exactly like the ones that were lacking mana. And a quick glance with mana sight confirmed that there didn¡¯t seem to be much mana present. I¡¯d have to confirm directly to make sure but I doubted it¡¯d give a different result.


    ¡°Sis, can you lift me up high enough?¡±


    ¡°Sure. This fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    The way she lifted me by holding my waist reminded me of how people sometimes lifted children up high in the air... That was¡­ Err, anyway, first things first.


    I stretched out my hand and touched the nearest mana egg.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°... They¡¯re really out of mana. The crystals are still absorbing it but¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Which was quite surprising to me. I didn¡¯t have the impression that the tentacles required a lot of mana, considering how they could feed themselves on those tiny pebbles of mana crystals. And the amount they absorbed from the air was many times that of such a pebble. Yet, here we were, with dried out tentacles.


    ¡°Sis, you can let me down again.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A moment later, I was seated back in her arms. Sure, if she didn¡¯t mind I wouldn¡¯t tell her to let me down unless I had to¡­


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. Nothing.¡±


    I was happy enough in her arms, so I really shouldn¡¯t complain. Hell, I was sure I¡¯d be disappointed if she let me down. I should just accept it, just like all the other things I had already come to accept. No point in pushing away something I enjoyed.


    ¡°Nn, everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t look fine to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to help them.¡±


    ¡°It helps me.¡±


    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Ouch!¡±


    She hit me with her forehead¡­ I was scolded.


    ¡°So, what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ They should recover if we feed them mana¡­ But just what used up all that mana...¡±


    Although, that still wouldn¡¯t tell us why they consumed so much mana¡­ Each of the mana eggs absorbed mana from our surroundings in a not negligible quantity¡­ To add to that, the last time I checked the crystals had stored quite a bit of mana away already.


    Did I mistake the amount of mana they needed? No, to be honest, I didn¡¯t even pay that much attention to that since it didn¡¯t seem like it would matter¡­


    Apparently, I had miscalculated and it did matter. Nothing I could do about...


    ¡°Yumi. Maybe it¡¯s this.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    As I was thinking to myself, Karen pointed with her chin towards the ground.


    ¡°You mean¡­ the pitfall?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Also, the tentacles on the ground had thickened when you fed them mana, right? But they¡¯re all back to normal.¡±


    ¡°... That might be it. Okay, Sis, let me down.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    ¡°You can carry me later again if you want.¡±


    At least, I¡¯d love to. And preferably without the layer of cloth in between.


    While I was starting to think of completely unrelated stuff, Karen let me down to the ground, right next to the pitfall.


    Well, something to think of for later¡­ For now, I have to take care of these.


    Snapping back to reality, I turned my attention to the pitfall next to me and then to the mana egg in the centre of the room. First, I¡¯d like to check that mana egg.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Yeah, there are no mana reserves left¡­¡±


    All the mana had disappeared into nothing¡­


    ¡°Next is the pitfall¡­ Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°It seems to have enough mana. At least, it¡¯s not starved like the tentacles.¡±


    The amount of mana wasn¡¯t much by all means. But it felt like a little mana was indeed flowing towards the pitfall.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s really the pitfall that used up all the mana¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then, what are you going to do, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Good question¡­ For now, can you fetch me the mana orb? It¡¯s on the table.¡±


    ¡°When did you have time to do that¡­¡±


    I never had¡­ It¡¯s just that the mana orb had been in my armour and that armour was on the table after Karen undressed me at noon. She herself was the one who put the mana orb there¡­ She probably had other things on her mind then. Not that I could blame her. I didn¡¯t think much of it either.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Nn?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s finally running low on mana¡­¡±


    It should still have enough to feed the tentacles here for now but it definitely was in need of some refilling.


    ¡°Let¡¯s first fill these up again.¡±


    Holding the mana orb in one hand and holding the other over the mana egg in the centre of the room, I began to transfer the mana from one to the other. Seconds later, the tentacles gradually returned to life once more.


    ¡°Nn. Good.¡±


    ¡°But like this, it¡¯ll just be a repeat from before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s likely the case¡­ But honestly¡­ We don¡¯t need that pitfall, do we?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    It was a pitfall made inside a wagon. Disregarding that usual physics wouldn¡¯t even allow this, it was utterly out of place. There was nobody we¡¯d need to trap here¡­ Although¡­


    ¡°Nobody would expect to fall into a pitfall when they enter a wagon¡­¡±


    ¡°Neither do you really need a pitfall in your wagon¡­ Yumi, at that point, there are surely better options than trapping your own home.¡±


    ¡°Guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    The thought was a little exciting, for some reason¡­ I enjoyed playing around with the tentacles, didn¡¯t I? Not that it was a bad thing.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s see if I can remove it¡­¡±


    The pitfall, huh¡­ Would it work if I just wanted those tentacles to return to their previous state? That was how I ended up with this pitfall in the first place, after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try it.¡±


    I held my hand against the pitfall and focussed on it, telling it in my mind to return back to a mana egg.


    ¡°... Yumi?¡±


    ¡°One moment.¡±


    It didn¡¯t work¡­ So much to that¡­


    But it¡¯d be a problem if I couldn¡¯t remove it¡­ in the first place, what would happen if it ran out of mana?


    That wasn¡¯t something I should try without consulting Ria. Or maybe the Elder. This was magic that bent space and it scared me to think what kind of horrific results I¡¯d end up with if something went wrong¡­


    Great, now I¡¯m thinking about how dangerous this is again¡­ Haa¡­ Get yourself together, Yumi! Ria said it was safe as long as the tentacles were controlling it! And they clearly refuse to do anything if it doesn¡¯t work.


    In the best case, they understood perfectly well what they could and couldn¡¯t do. Not like I could ask them.


    ¡°But what can I do to return it back to normal¡­ Sis, any ideas?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you tried.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ I tried thinking of turning it back into a mana egg again but as you can see¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    A grand nothing.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you imagine them to just return to tentacles first?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s probably the next best one. Okay, let¡¯s do it.¡±


    Once more, I held my hand against the top of the pitfall and imagined the floor to return to a mass of tentacles.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    And obediently turning back into tentacles it did.


    ¡°... The mana egg is gone.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Did it consume the mana egg to turn into the pitfall? Apparently so¡­ So that¡¯s why there was no trace of it afterwards¡­


    And I probably can¡¯t just create mana eggs and mana crystals out of nothing¡­


    The Mother Roper, it had created smaller ropers as well, didn¡¯t it? And those ropers also had those see-through mana crystals in them¡­ Those had to come from somewhere.


    Well, at least, for now, this worked. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a problem for now but it¡¯s probably something I should keep in mind.


    With that, the out of ordinary mana consumption should be dealt with for now. Hopefully.


    ¡°But it¡¯s a problem if they actually use up mana¡­ No, I probably should have expected that after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you know now¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Better late than never.


    ¡°Anyway, with that out of the way¡­ What did I want to test again¡­ Err, whether the tentacles can take the form of whatever I want them, right?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Mm¡­ Well, it¡¯d be hopefully a straightforward issue, right? After all, I just had to do the same as before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s fill the mana orb first.¡±


    I immediately intended to stand up¡­ Alas, Karen picked me up first, once more carrying me in her arms.


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing.¡±


    The way she smiled at me in response to my question and then slightly squeezed me against her body¡­ Well, it made me happy too. I was repeating myself, but there was no way I¡¯d ever say it enough.


    ¡°To the crates with the mana crystal.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    She carried me out of the room to the other end of the wagon where we had crates sitting. Two of them were already completely emptied while the other four were left untouched.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, should I empty them all?¡±


    ¡°... Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know either....¡±


    They could explode, after all. In theory. On the other hand, they had only exploded when I lost control or wanted them to explode. Outside of that, they just¡­ grew in size. Even this orb, which had now turned a shade darker, had grown from a tiny pebble.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty daring today.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it before I change my mind.¡±


    Before I decided that it wasn¡¯t as safe as it looked. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Calm, calm.


    ¡°Here I¡­ Sis, I can¡¯t do it like this.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Slightly reluctant, Karen let me down to the ground. I was disappointed as well but some things were just not going to work out.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s drop the mana orb in there and start.¡±


    Gathering the mana of the surrounding crystals, I steadily poured it into the mana orb. The mana crystals in the crate turned to dust one after another, emptying the crate at a steady pace. Halfway in, I had to lean into the crate to reach the mana orb and the crystals because it had sunk so deep into the crate.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it. One empty crate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really quick, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Better than taking too long. Sis, next one.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Here you go.¡±


    Karen made space for me so I could reach the other crates. After repeating the process another three times¡ªthankfully without any explosions¡ªthe mana orb had once again grown a little in size. Its diameter was maybe around the length of my thumb. Considering my hands were pretty small, it was still not exactly something you could call big. The mana it contained, however, was no joke¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ See? Nothing happened.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Admittedly, this had been just a little nerve-racking. It was like you were working with a ticking time bomb, that would go off the moment you lost concentration. My respect for people who could calmly handle explosives. I wasn¡¯t one of them.


    ¡°But now this orb should have plenty of mana again. But, for now, let¡¯s limit it to four crates.¡±


    Considering the enormous difference in space, this should be good enough already.


    ¡°Nn¡­ But we also used up all the mana crystals now.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the captain buy more from a merchant?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I think he did.¡±


    He had mentioned that he had bought a ton of mana crystals from some merchant who wanted to get rid of them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask him about it tomorrow.¡±


    It surely would make him happy if we told him we could diminish four crates into this handy size. Although, we probably should leave at least one crate untouched, now that I thought about it. After all, I needed some pebbles to grow the mana eggs and orbs¡­ That was an oversight¡­


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get back to the tentacles. Sis, carry me. And let me take that bag with the mana crystals for exploding.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    After she ensured that I was comfortably nestled into her arms, we fetched the small bag on the table and returned to the tentacle room. Once we were inside, Karen suddenly sat down on the ground in front of the mana egg in the corner and placed me on her lap.


    ¡°Sis¡­ It¡¯s a little hard to work like this.¡±


    ¡°Do you hate it?¡±


    ¡°You know very well that I don¡¯t. Oh well¡­¡±


    Maybe we were messing around a little too much but I could manage somehow. I could still lean forward so it wasn¡¯t really that big of an issue.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see¡­ Nn¡­ Sis, any ideas on what I should ask them to make?¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Good question¡­ Maybe a table and chairs?¡±


    ¡°A table and chairs, huh¡­ That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    At the very least, those had little potential to backfire.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do that. The table first.¡±


    A table¡­ The easiest would probably be a table with one leg in the centre for now. Yeah¡­


    Then let¡¯s imagine it¡­ A table¡­ A table¡­ Make a table...


    Focussing on the mana egg in front of me, I imagined the table.


    Come on¡­ A table¡­ Go make a table, tentacles!


    A table¡­ A table made of tentacles¡­ Of tenta¡ª


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    The moment I specified what it was made of, the mana egg started to absorb mana from the surrounding tentacle growth. I quickly supplied it with more mana from the orb in my hands to prevent the tentacles from drying out again. And several seconds later...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a table.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t exactly how I had imagined it but there was a round table in front of us with a single leg in the centre supporting it. It did look pretty grotesque since you could still make out the form of the tentacles¡­ Albeit the top was completely smooth.


    ¡°It really worked.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, now we need some chairs.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. But I really can¡¯t do that in your lap, Sis...¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    Yes, I wanted to cuddle as well but she was the one who had insisted on doing some work. Only one thing was possible¡­


    ¡°Okay... ¡°


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s cuddle a lot later, okay, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you sleep tonight.¡±


    ¡°Have mercy¡­¡±


    Even if we were on break, messing up our sleeping schedule even more was probably not the smartest idea.


    But we won¡¯t sleep by ourselves tomorrow¡­ We should probably make the most out of it tonight¡­


    While I thought about tonight, I placed two mana crystals next to the table and transformed them into mana eggs. The surrounding tentacles swiftly took hold of them.


    ¡°Then, a chair¡­¡±


    The tentacles hadn¡¯t reacted until iI thought of a chair specifically made of tentacles¡­ Maybe they needed that specific kind of image from me...


    Let¡¯s try it out¡­ First, I¡¯ll think of a wooden chair¡­ A chair, a chair¡­ A chair made of wood¡­


    Just as I had expected, the tentacles didn¡¯t react at all.


    Nn¡­ Then, let¡¯s think of a chair made of tentacles¡­ Ahh¡­ But a four-legged chair, would that even work? Uhh¡­


    A single legged chair was basically just a block, though¡­ But it was many times better than making a chair that would collapse beneath us¡­


    A chair¡­ A single chair of tentacles! Ohh!


    The tentacles instantly reacted to the image, taking in more mana, growing in mass and forming a single chair. Although, it was really more like a block. Or a stump. Yeah, just like a wooden stump.


    ¡°Sis, I did it.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Yumi.¡±


    Karen patted my head in praise, ruffling my hair.


    ¡°Hehehe¡­ Now, let¡¯s do the other one and then we can sit down.¡±


    I was curious how it¡¯d feel to sit on these tentacle chairs. Repeating the procedure on the other mana egg resulted in a chair that looked pretty much the same as the previous one.


    ¡°Nn. Sis, let¡¯s try them out.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    A little cautious, we sat down on the chairs, sinking into the soft flesh.


    ¡°Oh, ohh¡­ This is¡­ Quite comfortable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Mm¡­ These are nice.¡±


    ¡°Now, all they need is a back rest.¡±


    Then they¡¯d be perfect¡­ They really were comfortable to sit on. And just high enough for my feet to still reach the ground.


    They¡¯d definitely be too small for Korwen and the others¡­ But for us, they¡¯re the perfect height.


    I could get used to this¡­ On the other hand, there was also something charming about higher chairs where my feet couldn¡¯t reach the ground¡­ How troublesome.


    ¡°But this confirms that you can turn them into other things as well, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it does¡­ But I guess they also use up more mana like this. I¡­ doubt that a table and two chairs are going to use much compared to a pitfall that literally bends space¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if we could somehow confirm how much¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Unfortunately, I had no idea how we could do that. We¡¯d likely have to observe it over a longer period of time but considering the lacking space, there was no way we could afford to hold such an experiment.


    ¡°Maybe we could once we get the fort and more space¡­ Nn¡­ We should discuss that with the captain.¡±


    ¡°Or we could ask Ria.¡±


    ¡°Or that. Let¡¯s first ask Ria if she has some ideas. If she doesn¡¯t, let¡¯s ask the captain.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    Still, these chairs were really quite comfortable. Even if you were used to a solid chair. It was like you were sitting on a soft pillow.


    But it needs a back rest¡­ Let¡¯s see if I can add one.


    I leaned forward and touched the chair I was sitting on, earning me a confused stare from Karen.


    ¡°Yumi, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°One moment¡­¡±


    A backrest¡­ A backrest¡­ Chair with a backrest¡­ A tentacle chair with a nice backrest!


    The chair below me started to wobble and squirm, draining mana from the orb again. Tentacles rose up behind me, forming the backrest I had wished for.


    ¡°This really is convenient¡­ Yumi, can you do that for me, too?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    A moment later, Karen and I both leaned back in our chairs, sinking into the back rest. Rather than chairs, they might be closer to a couch.


    ¡°This is nice.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°I might be fine with this furniture if it¡¯s this comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    The biggest problem was the appearance¡­ After all was said and done, they were still pretty grotesque, the tentacles. They definitely weren¡¯t suited for some elegant room interior. But they were just so convenient. If not for their appearance. If not for their appearance!


    ¡°Well, technically speaking they do use up mana, though¡­ If we made a lot of these, they¡¯d probably use quite a bit of mana it,¡± I said.


    ¡°The number would make the difference, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to enjoy these on our own then.¡±


    Well, I had my doubts that many people would be interested anyway, so we could probably keep it to people close to us¡­ Although, Lily wasn¡¯t a big fan of the tentacles¡­ But Rina liked them¡­ Oh well, she¡¯d have to live with it if Rina wanted it... Though, I probably shouldn¡¯t decide that now already¡­


    ¡°I wonder what else you could make.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ As long as it isn¡¯t anything too complicated, I think it should be fine¡­ Well, we¡¯d have to try. Anything in particular you want me to try, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head and closed her eyes, lost in thought.


    ¡°No idea. The only thing that comes to mind is the Space Magic but¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Ria said it should be safe if the tentacles control it. I don¡¯t know¡­ Should I try it?¡±


    I glanced behind me into the otherwise empty tentacle room. So far, the tentacles had done nothing that would be a danger to us. Maybe it was fine to trust them a little more? Maybe¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that decision to you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ugh...¡°


    ¡°They are yours, Yumi. And it is your ability by extension.¡±


    ¡°My ability, huh¡­¡±


    Closing my eyes, I ruminated on Karen¡¯s words for a moment before coming to a decision.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it.¡±


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn. The tentacles will probably not do anything if it won¡¯t work out, right? I¡­ will trust them. You said it¡¯s my ability by extension, right? So, I¡¯ll try to trust myself a little as well.¡±


    ¡°I feel that¡¯s a little wrong, you know¡­ But, well¡­ If you say so, then let¡¯s do it.¡±


    All of a sudden, Karen chuckled for some reason.


    ¡°Sis? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Just, you really are quite daring today.¡±


    ¡°... Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Not necessarily? I like it either way, I guess. Whether you are a scaredy-cat or daring like this. But I guess, I¡¯m a little proud?¡±


    ¡°Proud¡­¡±


    Karen smiled at me, happiness written all over her face. I averted my gaze out of embarrassment¡­


    ¡°We¡ª Well, anyway! Let¡¯s, err, see how we do this.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, yes, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    She stood up from her chair and walked over to me.


    ¡°Sis? Nn? Wah!¡±


    ¡°Got you.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Ah, well¡­¡±


    And once more, I found my way into her arms. She really took a liking to carrying me like this now.


    ¡°So, how do you plan to do this?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Well, I guess¡­ The captain wanted to connect two spaces, right?¡±


    ¡°He said that, yes.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Two places¡­ Two end points¡­ I guess I¡¯d have to make two ¡®doors¡¯ or the like? That¡¯d be the simplest solution.¡±


    Two doors¡­ Then I¡¯d have to decide on where to place them. Well, since the room wasn¡¯t exactly large, I should probably just use the opposing walls on either side.


    ¡°First, the right one.¡±


    ¡°To the right. This good?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then, next would be¡­ Nn¡­ How do I imagine this?¡±


    I needed two doors¡­ Thinking of connecting them sounded pretty easy but¡­


    Uhh¡­ Let¡¯s just try it out first¡­ But maybe I should keep it small first¡­ Just in case something goes wrong.


    Still a little unsure, I held up one mana egg at the wall and the mana orb close by. I had to admit, I was a bit nervous, after all¡­


    ¡°Here I go!¡±


    A door. A tiny door that connects to other doors! Come on, you tentacles!


    Much to my surprise¡­ The mana egg lit up, sinking into the wall¡­ The surrounding tentacles moved to the side, revealing a flat pink surface with a cross cut into it. It was maybe large enough to fit my hand in at most.


    ¡°Something actually happened¡­¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shocked.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who wanted to try it and trust them?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I honestly didn¡¯t expect it to work. Much less on the first try.¡±


    Although, it wasn¡¯t working just yet¡­ There was obviously only one door¡­ Or, opening. This didn¡¯t even qualify as a door.


    ¡°Sis, do we have something like a stick here?¡±


    ¡°Err, let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    We returned to the main room to look for something stick-like. After some deliberation and searching, we decided to use some of our equipment for this. Namely, some metal straps form Karen¡¯s armour. I had the feeling Wormaz would shout at us if he saw that¡­


    ¡°Okay, just poke it for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karen poked the fleshy surface with the leather strap. I was impressed how she managed that while still holding me in her arms.


    ¡°... Feels like I¡¯m hitting the wall, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°So, it doesn¡¯t open.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Guess we won¡¯t have any unfortunate accidents where someone falls into nothingness.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ does sound quite scary.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    Made me wonder if that kind of space actually existed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s good to see that won¡¯t happen. Next is the opposite side, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Time to repeat it on this wall as well.


    ¡°First, the mana egg...Okay¡­¡±


    The moment of truth, you could say¡­


    ¡°Sis, just in case something happens, get ready¡­¡±


    ¡°We can still delay it, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt me¡­¡±


    Karen giggled in response. That wasn¡¯t amusing, really¡­ But I could forgive her.


    Nn¡­ A door, though¡­ Or opening¡­ Connecting¡­ Okay, I think I got it¡­ Time to do this.


    I breathed in, and out, calming myself.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    ¡°Then, here I go.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I conveyed the image of a door to the tentacles. A door with a corridor connecting the other door. A passage through space. A subtle tugging inside me informed me¡­ Something was starting¡­


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s¡­ Uhh?!¡±


    ¡°Yu¡ª Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°What¡­ What the¡­ Ugh.¡±


    My vision swam. I could feel something draining out of me. Mana. An enormous amount of mana was travelling through me, from the mana orb to the mana egg. And it showed no signs of stopping. The mana orb¡¯s reserves were diminished in an instant, and I could feel it crumbling in my hand. But the mana egg still wanted more. In a hurry, I tried to let go of it but like an electric current it held my hand in place.


    ¡°Sis! My hand!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    Karen let one arm down, my feet swinging down and hitting the ground with a thump. She held me with only one arm close to her body. Then, with her now free hand, she forced my clenched hand open and pulled it away from the mana egg. In an instant, the feeling of mana being drained vanished, only leaving me with an uncomfortable feeling of dizziness.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, are you okay?!¡±


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis¡­ Haa¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ I¡¯m fine... I think¡­ Just¡­ Just a little surprised...¡±


    A moment later, Karen embraced me in her arms, tightly holding me. She squeezed me with her hand on the back of my head.


    ¡°Just... give me a moment to catch my breath...¡±


    It took me a few moments to calm down. If I had a heart, it would likely beat like crazy right now. Returning her hug, I tried to calm Karen, who was just embracing me even tighter in response.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m fine now.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She looked at me, worry in her eyes.


    ¡°You idiot¡­ You big, big idiot¡­ Don¡¯t worry me like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    I hugged her a little tighter, doing my best to comfort her¡­ I was fine, I tried to tell her¡­


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Are you really okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sis¡­ Sorry for worrying you.¡±


    ¡±Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her eyes bore into me, trying to discern whether Ireally spoke the truth.


    ¡°It was¡­ Uhh, how to say it¡­ Like when you tumble down a slope and then feel all dizzy? I¡¯m still feeling a little rattled but it¡¯s already better now. I think, most of it was just surprise.¡±


    That, and the enormous amount of mana that had travelled from me to the mana egg. That had really been unpleasant.


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    She embraced me again, holding m silently.


    ¡°...¡±


    I gently pat her back, hoping it would make her feel better.


    ¡°Next time, we should probably consult with Ria first. For safety. Is that okay, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    A weak nod came in response.


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just¡­ I guess you need to keep it balanced after all¡­ Being cautious and being daring¡­¡±


    ¡°Definitely. Don¡¯t scare me like that again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this where you should say you won¡¯t and not just try?¡±


    Probably, yes¡­


    ¡°Sis¡­ Should we at least take a lot at it?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t do anything stupid. If you do, I¡¯ll immediately restrain you.¡±


    ¡°Have mercy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you out of my arms ever again then. I¡¯ll carry you for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    That might be overdoing things a little, after all¡­ I did want to keep some independence and freedom. Guess I couldn¡¯t afford something like this happening again.


    ¡°... I wish I could do it instead of you.¡±


    ¡®¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I know¡­ It¡¯s impossible¡­¡±


    Nn¡­ Is it?


    Actually, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she could¡­ But if I said that now and it¡¯d turn out to be true, she¡¯d never let me do it again on my own¡­ And we just had this little incident. Even if nothing had happened, it still caught us by surprise. It was a reminder, that not everything was as perfectly safe as we might believe. Better not try anything funny for today.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Where¡¯s the mana orb?¡±


    ¡°The mana orb?¡±


    ¡°I want to replenish some mana¡­ I think the mana egg still drained a little out of me¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t actually feel that ill but I was still feeling a little dizzy from the experience.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Is that it?¡±


    Karen pointed at the ground, at several black-coloured splinters covering the tentacles¡­ Right, I remembered it crumbling in my hand...


    ¡°Are you serious¡­¡±


    I glanced above us and¡­ The tentacles were wilted again.. In fact, it was even worse than last time¡­ The table and the chairs had also fallen apart into a mass of dried up flesh.


    ¡°Sis, I really am glad you got me free.¡±


    ¡°Did it¡­ absorb all that mana?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Seems like it¡­¡±


    There was a pink-coloured surface on the wall, just like the one behind us. A cross cut into it, dividing it into four equal parts.


    ¡°Four crates of mana crystal¡­¡±


    ¡°All gone.¡±


    But¡­ had it actually succeeded?


    ¡°Sis, can you poke it with the strap again?¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    She picked up the metal strap that had fallen to the ground and prepared to poke the pink surface.


    ¡°Here I go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The strap touched the surface and¡ª


    ¡°... No way.¡±


    ¡°It opened.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way¡­¡±


    In response to the poke, the pink surface retracted, opening the view of what was behind us. Peeking through the hole¡­ We saw two girls embracing each other, facing away from us¡­ A slightly taller one with silver hair and a smaller one with pink hair¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re joking¡­ It actually worked? Like¡­ seriously?¡±


    ¡°It did¡­¡±


    ¡°You gotta be kidding me¡­¡±


    I seriously couldn¡¯t believe my eyes¡­ The tentacles really had managed to connect space between two points. I saw something I would have disregarded as fiction and utter nonsense a mere two months ago¡­


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s closing!¡±


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t touch it, Sis.¡±


    Stopping Karen from trying to open it again, we watched the surface close, our own backs disappearing from view. The moment the surface closed, it dried up¡­


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, try now.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s a wall.¡±


    ¡°A wall, huh¡­¡±


    The small tunnel through space was gone from sight, leaving behind only a complete mess of dried up tentacles.


    ¡°... Where do I get some mana from for now?¡±


    The mana orb was clearly empty. Or rather, there wasn¡¯t even anything left of it.


    ¡°You could use the other mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­ Praise Sis for the reminder.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re praising me now?¡±


    ¡°Always. I¡¯ll start the Holy Karen Faith from now on.¡±


    ¡°Stop. Right there. I won¡¯t allow that.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Keeping up the banter, I fished out some mana crystals and took in their mana. After reducing a few of them to empty shells, I started to feel better. A few more and I felt pretty good again.


    ¡°I think this is the first time I felt ill since I became like this... ¡°


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have to regularly feed you mana, don¡¯t I? Or you¡¯ll feel bad again.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works¡­ Or maybe it does¡­ Anyway, we don¡¯t have that many mana crystals anymore.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain is going to scold us.¡±


    ¡°He definitely will.¡±


    I shuddered a little at the thought of it.


    ¡°Maybe we can placate him by saying it was a success?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him what happened during that.¡±


    ¡°Wait, then I¡¯ll be the only one who¡¯s going to be scolded.¡±


    ¡°I think you deserve a scolding. But don¡¯t worry, I do too. I should have stopped you. We should have consulted with Ria first. Especially since we knew the pitfall used up a lot of mana...¡±


    Karen¡¯s expression fell, her smile disappearing. I didn¡¯t want her smile gone¡­ I understood why but¡­ I didn¡¯t want her to be sad. How could I cheer her up?


    Guess I can only do that.


    The one surefire way to keep her happy.


    ¡°Yumi? What are yo¡ª Mhm?!¡±


    ¡°Nm¡­ Nhm¡­¡±


    The answer: A kiss.


    ¡°Mhg..  Mh¡­ Haa! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, feeling better?¡±


    ¡°... Really. You¡¯re impossible.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to see you sad. I¡¯ll feel sad too.¡±


    ¡°... Might be a good experience for you once in a while.¡±


    The heck did she mean with that? I wasn¡¯t the happy-go-lucky type, right? I wasn¡¯t¡­ Right? Heck, now I was unsure myself. But I wasn¡¯t! Yeah.


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s apologise to the captain together, tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°And for the future, let¡¯s consult with Ria.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    A wry smile. Definitely better than no smile.


    ¡°Just what am I going to do with you, haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, well¡­ How about we wrap up for today?¡±


    ¡°I definitely don¡¯t need another scare today.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    Once was enough. We¡¯d have to think of a countermeasure for the future to prevent something like this happening again. That could have ended in quite an unpleasant result if we had been just a little less careful.


    ¡°Then¡­ How about we go to bed?¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    ¡°Woah.¡±


    My feet left the ground as Karen lifted me up again. But not in a bridal carry this time.Instead, I was facing her as she supported my butt with one arm and my back with the other, putting my waist right at her eye level.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to let you sleep tonight after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡±


    She carried me to the bed and sat down on its edge, placing me right in her lap.


    ¡°But I think I¡¯m not quite tired yet. Actually, I¡¯m wide awake now...¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, same for me, Yumi.¡±


    We smiled at each other, followed by a deep and long kiss.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    I shelved the incident in the back of my mind and concentrated on the person in front of me. Or maybe I was just trying to ignore what had happened.


    ¡°Then, how about we stay up a little longer?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    And so, we kissed once more. A long and deep kiss, that wouldn¡¯t end for a while...


    Rinne


    Original: Quite the scare they got there... But they got out of it with just a scare, thankfully.


    Tomorrow, I''ll get my vaccination, the first shot. Hurray! Finally!


    This won''t matter for most here but my Patreon will likely get no update next week since I''ll take the week off.


    Also, the Patreon upload day will be moved forward from Sunday to Thursday. Once I made up next week''s chapter, patrons will get the new chapters half a week earlier, too.


    Thank you for reading!


    Stay healthy and safe! And get your vaccinations once you can!

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Night’s Desire

    After our little incident stifled any desire to continue, we had decided to finish for the day and call it a day. In regards to the tentacles. And only that.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Nm...¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Mmnnh...¡±


    Sitting in Karen¡¯s lap, I kissed her, pushing our bodies together and enjoying each other¡¯s lips, our previous experience already shelved into the back of our minds. Once we parted, Karen stared into my eyes, her cheeks flushed bright red.


    ¡°Yumi...¡±


    ¡°Nnmm?¡±


    ¡°More...¡±


    Karen squeezed me, pressing me into her chest as she asked for more.


    ¡°Ehh? I wonder what I should do?¡±


    ¡°You should kiss me, of course.¡±


    Feeling a little mischievous, I grinned as I gave my answer.


    ¡°I wonder what I should do?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Si¡ª Mngh?¡±


    A tongue pried my lips open and entered my mouth.


    ¡°Nghh¡­ Mm! Ha! Si¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nnn.¡±


    Karen invaded further, our tongues touching and rubbing against each other as our kiss deepened.


    ¡°Nmmgh! Nn! Ahh! Mmn!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Nnh. Pfaah! Haa...¡±


    ¡°Mnaa¡­ Si¡ª Sis¡­¡±


    The area around my lips was wet from our saliva and I was left gasping for air, all the while Karen smiled at me.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you get for not listening to me. Did you forget, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Forget?¡±


    ¡°Yumi. Who do you belong to?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Right. I had forgotten...


    ¡°I belong to Sis.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. So you have to listen to me, all right?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    Karen stroked my head, praising me.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Stand up and strip.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    It took me a few seconds to process her words.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, Yumi? Stand up and strip.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Sure, we had seen each other naked several times and all that, but stripping in front of her was still embarrassing.


    ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why you should do it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi. Who do you belong to?¡±


    ¡°... Sis.¡±


    ¡°Whose order should you carry out?¡±


    ¡°Sis¡¯ order¡­¡±


    She flashed me a grin that seemed so innocent that I thought for a second there had been a mistake.


    ¡°Then strip.¡±


    ¡°... Understood.¡±


    Alas, I hadn¡¯t. But, well, it was her order, so I couldn¡¯t help it, right?


    I stood up and positioned myself in front of Karen. Her eyes were glued onto me, full of expectations.


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll start.¡±


    After a deep breath, grabbed my trousers and slowly slid them down. Karen¡¯s eyes were firmly fixed onto my legs as I did, following every move. When the trousers hit the floor, I shoved them away with my feet.


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Clad in only a shirt and my underwear, I threw a glance towards Karen, looking at her reaction. But she was simply smiling and keeping silent as if telling me to keep going.


    Uhh¡­ There really is no choice, is there¡­ Sis, you meanie¡­


    My cheeks flushed a little when I took hold of my shirt¡¯s hem. I wore panties but, obviously, there was no underwear covering my chest. Not that I knew whether something like that even existed¡­


    When I lift this, Sis is going to see¡­


    I would have thought that exposing myself to Karen wouldn¡¯t be embarrassing anymore. Oh, how wrong I had been. Being naked casually was fine but¡­ I was stripping right in front of her. And not because I was changing clothes, but for the sole purpose of showing her.


    ¡°Keep going, Yumi. But slowly, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    With a nod, I lifted the hem of my shirt a little, raising it ever so slightly. At first, only a tiny bit. Slowly, I revealed more of my stomach. When my navel was finally in view, Karen stopped me.


    ¡°Stay like that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Come closer.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen beckoned me to approach her. When I stood right in front of her, she touched my tummy with her hand.


    ¡°Nah?!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Nmh?!¡±


    Her fingers gently traced along my sides, sending shivers down my spine.


    ¡°Yumi. You¡¯ve got a cute tummy.¡±


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis¡­ Ngah?!¡°


    She poked my belly button and dug into it with her finger.


    ¡°Nnn?! Sis! Sto¡ª Mnah!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, how does this feel, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s! Mmn! Wei¡ª Weird! Nngh!¡±


    An indescribable feeling ran through me, coming from my belly. In part ticklish and in part a little uncomfortable. Yet, for some reason, heat spread through my body.


    ¡°Nah! Haa! Sis! Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, how about this?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Mnaaaahh!¡±


    A wet sensation came from my belly button as Karen licked it.


    ¡°Tastes like Yumi. Mm.¡±


    ¡°Stop¡ª Sis! Please! Sto, Stop!¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡±


    ¡°Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    My arms and legs squirmed from the unknown feeling and I finally lost hold of my shirt¡¯s hem.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi¡­ You can¡¯t let go. But well, I¡¯ll forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Sis...¡±


    ¡°So, how about you continue?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Stripping.¡±


    She, she wanted me to continue just like that?


    ¡°Go on, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    Still feeling a little wobbly on my feet, I took a step back so that Karen could properly watch me. Once more, I grabbed the hem of my shirt, lifting it slowly. After a few seconds, my belly button returned into view, just that it was drenched in Karen¡¯s saliva now. I could feel a slight chill running through me as it came into contact with the air.


    She¡¯s watching¡­ Sis is watching me¡­


    With a smile, Karen stared at my belly button as it revealed itself to her again. This time, however, she didn¡¯t stop me. Only a little more and¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Keep going, Yumi.¡±


    I took a deep breath and raised the hem further up to my collarbone, putting my chest on full display. Then, I slowly slipped through it, completely revealing my upper body.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hide it. Show me.¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes¡­¡±


    With my cheeks flushed red, I moved my arms to my back, so that I wouldn¡¯t reflexively cover myself. Karen¡¯s gaze bore into me and my body slowly heated up. Not only from embarrassment anymore.


    ¡°There¡¯s more, isn¡¯t there? To strip.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    More¡­ There was only one thing left, my panties.


    ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡±


    Readying myself, I moved my hands towards my panties.


    Uhh¡­ This is¡­ This is bad¡­ But I can¡¯t stop now¡­


    Not only because Karen had told me to do it. But somewhere deep inside, I wanted to. My hands slid into the panties and slowly dragged them down. With every little bit, it revealed what laid beneath them. Finally, my panties slid to the ground, where I shoved them away, just like the trousers before.


    ¡°Oh? Yumi, are you aroused?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    There was no denying it anymore. Heat spread through my body the moment Karen laid eyes on me and my lower body felt a bit moist as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really cute, you know that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I averted my gaze, feeling even more embarrassed than before. She was looking at me while I was completely naked¡­ and then she called me cute? How couldn¡¯t I feel embarrassed?


    ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly bad with this, aren¡¯t you? Ehehe, I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I will. It¡¯s about my beloved Yumi, after all.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    Her beloved Yumi, she said. Her beloved! I couldn¡¯t help but grin in response, forgetting for a moment that I was still exposing myself right in front of her.


    ¡°And I have an order for my beloved little Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Eh? An order?¡±


    ¡°Right. An order.¡±


    Karen¡¯s smile grew wider and I had a bad feeling.


    ¡°Yumi. Touch yourself.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Touch yourself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My mind blanked out for a moment, unable to process the meaning.


    ¡°... You¡­ You want me¡­ to¡­ masturbate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I glanced down my body. My small chest, my slim waist, and my crotch, albeit hidden from my sight.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Did you never touch yourself?¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes widened a little from surprise, seeing my reluctance.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Uhh¡­ Not since¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Since then.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    When I had still been a man, of course, I had¡­ Well¡­ But since I had become a girl¡­ I never had the time nor leisure to do that. It wasn¡¯t like it never crossed my mind but¡­ I was a little scared about it¡­ Men could easily see what they were doing down there but it wasn¡¯t so simple anymore now¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ So this will be the first time you touch yourself? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She absolutely had no intention of letting me go¡­ I threw another glance back down my own body.


    But¡­ How do I even¡­


    Even if I ignored for a moment my nervousness and the distress caused by the thought of doing it right in front of Karen¡­ Even if I ignored those, I didn¡¯t have a lick of a clue of how to do this.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi. Why not start with your chest?¡±


    ¡°... My chest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at my breasts. After a short deliberation, I raised my hands and touched them. They were a little firm but still soft. Since they were far from big, it was easy to cover them with my palms. The nipples touching my palms were hard and stiff, poking my hands.


    ¡°Nmm¡­¡±


    Touching my nipples sent a small jolt through me.


    ¡°How about you massage them?¡±


    ¡°Massage¡­¡±


    Following Karen¡¯s instructions, I gave them a soft squeeze. After confirming that it didn¡¯t hurt, I started to massage them a little, rubbing them in a circular manner and squeezing them a little.


    ¡°Nmmn¡­ Nhaa¡­¡±


    After some time, my breast massage had begun to feel¡­ quite pleasant¡­ And all the while, Karen kept watching, observing every little movement I made.


    ¡°Does it feel good, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... It¡­ It does¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that so. Hehehe.¡±


    Karen giggled, seemingly pleased.


    This¡­ This isn¡¯t enough¡­


    No matter how nice it felt to massage and fondle my breasts, it simply wasn¡¯t enough.


    ¡°Sis¡­ How¡­ How do I¡­¡±


    ¡°... How do you?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to tell me, Yumi, or I won¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ I want to feel¡­ more¡­ More...¡±


    Another chuckle escaped Karen.


    ¡°How about you try playing with your nipples?


    ¡°The¡­ nipples¡­¡±


    Right, I kept massaging my breasts but the part that felt best was my nipples, whenever they rubbed against my palms. Thinking like that, I released my right hand and pinched my nipple between my fingers.


    ¡°Nmgh!¡±


    Another jolt ran up my back, making me stiffen up from the unexpected sensation.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Nhaa¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    This felt good¡­ Rubbing and pinching my nipple felt good.


    But it¡¯s still not enough.


    I glanced to Karen, who was still watching with glee.


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis¡­ Nhaa¡­ What¡­ What next¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I wonder about that¡­ What could be next?¡±


    She swayed left and right on the bed as she teased me.


    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ll have to touch down there, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Down¡­¡±


    My hands stopped and my gaze wandered downwards.


    ¡°Down¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, down there.¡±


    With my breathing rugged, I released my left hand and slowly reached down¡­ but then stopped midair. I still felt nervous and a little scared of touching that place. It was a delicate part, after all. After several seconds of hesitation, I finally reached down to my crotch.


    ¡°Nnngh!¡±


    ¡°Right, right. That¡¯s the place, Yumi.¡±


    My hands touched something wet and soft and the next moment, a wave of pleasure caught me off-guard. Yet, I didn¡¯t retract my hand. I wanted more.


    ¡°Nnmm!¡±


    My fingers stroked the soft wet flesh. Straining my ears, I could hear the wet sounds I made whenever my hand moved.


    This¡­ This feels good¡­


    My body shivered when I stroked myself down there. But I wanted to feel even better¡­ and¡­ and I wanted Karen to see more, as well. That¡¯s why, my fingers spread out, searching for the most pleasurable parts.


    ¡°Ngh! Nmah!¡±


    And I quickly found one such spot, a small bump situated just a little higher. Whenever my fingers slid over it, I could feel my body tense up from the pleasure streaming into me.


    ¡°Naahh¡­ Ahhh! Haaa! Ha¡­ Ahh?! Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe, keep going, Yumi. Keep going.¡±


    My movements quickened as the pleasure built up. Then, suddenly, my fingers slid inside, only adding to the pleasure.


    ¡°Haa! Si¡ª Sis! Ahh! Nmgh! Ahhh!¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes¡ªshimmering in the dark now ¡ªwere still firmly locked onto me, watching as I drowned myself in this warm pleasure.


    Sis is watching me¡­ She¡¯s watching me!


    I wanted her to keep watching¡­ That¡¯s what I thought at that moment. The pleasure kept growing and my movements quickened more and more.


    ¡°Sis! Sis! Ahhh! Haa! Sis!¡±


    ¡°Are you coming, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis! Naaahh! Haa¡­ Ahh!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and do it, Yumi. Do it.¡±


    ¡°Sis! Ngh! Nmgh! Ah¡­ Ahhhh!!!¡±


    Electricity ran through my body, my limbs cramped up and I lost my balance.


    ¡°Woah, there!¡±


    Instead of the hard ground, however, I feel into someone¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Haaa¡­ Sis¡­ Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m right here¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    With my body having lost all control, I laid in her arms, all limp and catching my breath¡­


    ¡°Sis¡­ I love you¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    I nudged my head towards her, rubbing my face against her arm that held me.


    ¡°Sis¡­ Did I do well?¡±


    ¡°You did. You¡¯re a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe¡­¡±


    A warm hand stroked my head. This was pure bliss.


    ¡°You really did well,¡± she whispered into my ear.


    Karen lifted me up and laid me down onto the bed. She waited for a moment for me to calm down.


    ¡°Caught your breath?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°You gave me quite the show.¡±


    ¡°... Meanie.¡±


    My face felt incredibly hot once I realised just what had happened right now¡­ In the heat of the moment, I just wanted her to watch me¡­ But now, after I had calmed down a little, it was just¡­ super embarrassing.


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be even meaner, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I turned my head towards Karen, who was standing next to the bed. With a wide grin, she began to undress.


    ¡°Si¡ª Sis?¡±


    ¡°You had all the fun but I¡¯m not yet satisfied.¡±


    ¡°But I¡­¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you who wanted me to feel good as well?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    That was true¡­ I felt bad when I was the only one feeling good¡­ I couldn¡¯t argue against that, even if I was a little tired right now.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you won¡¯t have to do much, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Karen had undressed herself, her bare body right in front of me. The next moment, she climbed onto the bed and straddled me. Her tail moved between my thighs, tickling me a little.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    She took my hands and guided one to her breasts and the other to her crotch. But instead of letting go, she pressed my hands into her breasts and her crotch, guiding them where she wanted to them.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi! Do you know what you are touching right now?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ That¡­ Your...¡±


    Again, she grinned at my reluctance and embarrassment.


    ¡°Tell me, Yumi. What are you touching?¡±


    ¡°... Your¡­ Your breasts¡­¡±


    ¡°And what¡­ Nmm! And what else?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her hips moved to and fro, with my right hand fondling her breasts and my left rubbing into her lower body.


    ¡°Go on and say it, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ I¡¯m touching your vagina¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, that¡¯s right¡­ But isn¡¯t there something else you could say?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    She¡­ Did Karen want me to say¡­


    ¡°Say it, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ Your pussy¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct!¡±


    Pleased, Karen leaned forward and laid down on top of me.


    ¡°A good girl needs a reward, doesn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    A little curious what she meant with reward, I was lost in thought for a few seconds. Not for long, as suddenly something touched my down there.


    ¡°Nah?! Sis? Not! Not there!¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ My¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me, no need to be shy.¡±


    ¡°My¡­ My pussy¡­ Nah?!¡±


    It took me a moment to realise just what was touching me there. After all, my right hand was still on her breast and she still rubbing her pussy against my left hand. It would have been more likely for my own hand to touch me there in this position. But Karen had a small advantage in this case.


    ¡°Mnn! Sis?! Sis, it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s going in! Your tail! Your tail is!¡±


    My legs tried to close and bar the path towards my pussy. Alas, there wasn¡¯t really much point to it, seeing that her tail could easily slip through. And in the first place, the tip was already half-buried anyway.


    ¡°Ehehe, how is it, Yumi? Does it feel good?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ Sis! Ahhh!¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ Haa! It¡­ it does...¡±


    I couldn¡¯t go against her. In the end, I could only obediently answer as the jolts of pleasure assaulted me one after another.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Haa¡­ Yumi¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ But I can¡¯t¡­ Ahhnn¡­ hold back!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah! Ahhh!¡±


    With those words, her tail suddenly pushed further inside me, the tip completely entering. I could feel it burrow inside and going deeper, as deep as it could possibly go.


    ¡°No¡­ No way¡­ Sis¡­ It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°How is it¡­ Haa... Yumi¡­ Tell me¡­ Ngh!¡±


    Karen¡¯s breaths grew more rugged as she pleasured herself with my hand and her tail moved and squirmed around inside me. I couldn¡¯t help but squirm, yet Karen had me firmly in her grasp, locking me in place with no way to escape.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sis¡­ Sis! This¡­¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Yumi¡­ Haa¡­ Ha¡­ Tell me... How it¡­ feels¡­¡±


    ¡°Go¡ª Good! Ahh! It feels! Haa! Good!¡±


    ¡°Ehehe! Yumi!¡±


    She licked my collarbone, working her way up my neck. But I barely had the capacity left to register what she was doing to me. My mind was completely taken by the pleasure that was overwhelming me.


    ¡°Sis! Sis! Ahh! Sis!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s do it¡­ Haa¡­ Come! Ngh! Ahh! Haa!¡±


    ¡°Sis! Ahh¡­ Haaa¡­ Nn! Naaahhh!!!¡±


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi! Mngh! Ahhh!!!¡±


    My body lost its strength and slumped into the bed, with Karen lying limp on top of me, both of us gasping for breath.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Haaa¡­ Yumiii¡­¡±


    Karen somehow still had the strength to embrace me. Her body was burning up and sweating.


    ¡°Yumiii¡­¡±


    She rubbed her cheek against mine like a little animal. There was no trace left of the lewd atmosphere from earlier¡­ Except for the fact that her tail was still¡­ Well¡­ But it wasn¡¯t moving much anymore.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Ehehe...¡±


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Did you enjoy it?¡± she whispered her question into my ear.


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ I¡­ I did...¡±


    ¡°That so!¡±


    She giggled happily at my answer, squeezing me just a little stronger.


    ¡°Sis¡­ You know, you were quite mean¡­¡±


    ¡°But you liked it, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then isn¡¯t it fine? And in the first place, this was your punishment for making me worry earlier.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    If she put it like that, I couldn¡¯t really argue against it¡­ Not that I intended to.


    ¡°Still¡­ Sis, you¡¯ll have to take responsibility for this?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Responsibility?¡±


    ¡°... If I¡¯m taking a liking to this.¡±


    ¡°... Pfff. Ahaha!¡±


    For some reason, Karen broke out into laughter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yumi. I was serious about it.¡±


    ¡°Serious?¡±


    ¡°That you are mine and mine only. I won¡¯t let you go anymore. Maybe I should really put that collar on you so you don¡¯t do any stupid stuff anymore.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, you know? So, if you don¡¯t want that, don¡¯t make me worry again.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile out of happiness.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sis. I belong to you. If you want to put a collar on me, then you can do that.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t tempt me.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I just might.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Seriously¡­ Did you even get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡±


    ¡°... I do. I won¡¯t worry you anymore. Well, I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t help but feel even more worried when I hear that.¡±


    She let out a sigh and then tightened her embrace.


    ¡°Let¡¯s shelve those things for tomorrow. For now, we still have to continue your punishment first.¡±


    ¡°... Eh? We¡¯re not done?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I won¡¯t let you sleep this early.¡±


    With a grin, Karen pushed her body up with her arms, looking down on me.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to make sure you thoroughly remember who you belong to, down to your core.¡±


    ¡°... Please have mercy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Her lips approached me and she planted a kiss on my lips.


    ¡°Ehehe, prepare yourself, Yumi.¡±


    ---


    When we woke up, the sun was already high up in the air and the mercenaries were running to and fro, doing their work. In other words, it was well into noon. We had enjoyed ourselves deep into the night and while I wasn¡¯t quite sure when we actually drifted off to sleep, it had been really late, without a doubt.


    But it had been a pretty wonderful night¡­ And a pretty intense one.


    ¡°I think we need to air the wagon, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We definitely do. And we should probably take a bath as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ We smell¡­ Haa...¡±


    We were still lying in bed with Karen hugging me like a body pillow.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯m glad we are on break today¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we can laze around all day.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What else would it mean then?¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Haaa¡­ If I¡¯m not careful, you¡¯ll immediately turn into a lazy bum, won¡¯t you?¡±


    How rude. I just wanted to enjoy my break time with my lover.


    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to take good care of me then, Sis.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want a reward for being a good girl?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s unfair.¡±


    ¡°Not really. Ehehe.¡±


    Well, if I was going to be rewarded by Karen, then I¡¯d do my best.


    ¡°But I can understand not wanting to get up¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? Let¡¯s just stay in bed for today.¡±


    ¡°... You do remember that you promised the girls that we¡¯d sleep together today, right?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh...¡±


    ¡°And I think it would be appropriate for us to take a bath before that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That might be a good idea¡­ It probably wasn¡¯t good for their education if they ran into us while we still reeked of sex.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I get it, Sis¡­ I¡¯ll get up¡­¡±


    ¡°Good girl.¡±


    ¡°But first¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I looked up into Karen¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°... Your tail is still inside.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t get up like this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At some point, I had gotten quite used to the weird sensation of having something inside me¡­ But I sure didn¡¯t expect to wake up like this. It was a little¡­ troubling. Mostly because I was feeling aroused because of it.


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Want to continue where we left off?¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Nyah?!¡±


    Right at that moment, her tail¡ªstill lodged firmly inside me¡ªsquirmed around, surprising me.


    ¡°So, how about it?¡±


    ¡°... Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    With a smile, I nuzzled my face in her breasts, enjoying the soft flesh.


    ¡°Good thing today is a break.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ---


    After another two or three rounds, I was lying on the bed with my arms spread out. We hadn¡¯t stopped until both of us were completely satisfied¡­ which did take quite a while. But now, I really felt happy and fulfilled...


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯d like to check something, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What do you want to check?¡±


    ¡°... Remember what I told you before? That you had a hymen.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Right, there was something like that.¡±


    That discussion had been quite a while ago so it had slipped my mind¡­ But why did she mention it now? Unless¡­


    ¡°Well, with what I did with my tail¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It might be gone now?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    She had done quite a number on me with her tail so I¡¯d be surprised if it was still there¡­ With that said, nothing had hurt or anything and if she hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I would have completely forgotten about it¡­


    ¡°If you want to check, go ahead, I guess?¡°


    ¡°Then, excuse me¡­¡±


    Karen stood up from the bed and moved to the other end, leaning over my lower body.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll look now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Her hands extended to my crotch, touching me. She carefully spread the lips of my vagina and peered inside¡­ which was actually quite embarrassing, once I properly spent a thought on it.


    ¡°Nngh¡­ It¡¯s a little cold...¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I can¡¯t see it anymore.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­ Well, seeing how wild you were with your tail, I¡¯d be surprised if you could¡­¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t notice it, did you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    There had been no pain. At least, not to the degree that I would have actually taken notice of it in the heat of the moment.


    ¡°Sis went so wild on me that she took my chastity. Now I can¡¯t be a bride anymore. Ahhh, woe is me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be my bride so there¡¯s no problem there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡­ That might have been true but how could she always be so blunt at times like these? Seriously¡­


    ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no problem I guess.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Karen left my lower body alone and stood up, stretching her limbs.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I wish we could have times like this more often.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But I bet in a few days things will be back to normal. We might not be able to laze around like today but we¡¯ll still have the evenings for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    With the Mother Roper dealt with and the Worshippers gone for now, things should calm down. I did wonder a little if our training and our schedules would change, now that Korwen had a proper plan for us. But that¡¯d be something we¡¯d have to discuss with him.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I just remembered because we talked about your hymen but¡­ You¡¯ve been a girl for well over a month now, right? Because, there was also the thing about periods.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡±


    Nothing resembling a period had come to me so far¡­ Considering it had been well over a month already, it was probably safe to assume that I didn¡¯t have them?


    ¡°Guess you are like the long-living races.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    Karen and Rina were demonkin so they didn¡¯t have them either¡­ I didn¡¯t know about Lily, though, who was a beastkin. At the very least, she never mentioned it or showed any signs of it.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll have to count myself lucky then, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ve only heard about it a little but are they that troublesome?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much either but I was told they can get pretty bad. Like, really bad.¡±


    And if they were that bad, I could happily do without them. Sorry to the people that had to deal with it.


    ¡°I see¡­ Good we don¡¯t have them, then.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    Karen collected our clothes that were thrown to various corners of the room and put them on the desk before turning to me.


    ¡°So, what should we do now?¡±


    ¡°Take a bath.¡±


    ¡°... We really need one, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We did go at it, err, rather intense¡­ And honestly, if we don¡¯t ventilate this place, I feel like I¡¯m going to get aroused in no time again¡­¡±


    The smell was stimulating, to say the least.


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯d be a problem. Then, first we¡¯ll take a bath, then breakfast?¡±


    ¡°More like lunch.¡±


    ¡°Whichever. What do we do after that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    After that, huh¡­


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing, I wanted to ask Ria about something,¡± Karen suggested.


    ¡°Ria? About what?¡±


    ¡°... If she has any idea how we could prevent incidents like the one from yesterday.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want a repeat of that either. I was fine now after I got some mana back but that had been the first time in a while I really felt ill. And I sure as hell didn¡¯t want to imagine what could have happened if Karen hadn¡¯t slapped the crystal away.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, after lunch let¡¯s go talk with Ria. Oh, and we should talk with Korwen about the mana crystals¡­ and about our result from yesterday¡­ We still got some results out of it.¡±


    The simple fact that it was possible for the tentacles to create connections between two points with Space magic. It used a humongous amount of mana but it was doable. Given enough mana, it was likely possible to make long-distance travel a reality.


    But it does use an enormous amount of mana¡­ What we did yesterday was barely large enough for my hand to go through. To make one the size of a person, or even the size allowing a wagon to pass through¡­ That¡¯d need an incredible amount of mana.


    However, it was possible. Maybe not exactly feasible, however¡­ Although, we¡¯d still likely need to test more first. And all of that wouldn¡¯t matter if we couldn¡¯t find a way to feed it mana enough mana. I¡¯d rather not get drained again because of a lack of it.


    ¡°Then, the bath first, then lunch. After that we talk with Ria and then with Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Great. Up with you then, so we can go and bath.¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    Unfortunately, leisure time had come to an end. But it had been a great time.


    I still feel like there¡¯s something inside me¡­


    Something had entered that place for the first time after all¡­ It had been an¡­ interesting experience. And, of course, it had felt great.


    But it really drives home the point that I¡¯m a girl¡­ No, I understood it before already but¡­ I don¡¯t think I can ever forget this feeling.


    With a wry smile, I forced myself out of the bed, joining Karen in getting dressed.


    ¡°We should do our laundry too, I think¡­¡±


    ¡°... Probably.¡±

 Chapter of Bottled Love: A Merchant’s Secret Stash

    ¡°What did you say¡­ You actually succeeded...¡±


    After Karen and I took care of ourselves¡ªincluding a bath, laundry and lunch, in that order¡ªwe searched for Ria, in the hopes to get some advice. Conveniently, we found her with Korwen, whose eyes were as wide as saucers right now.


    ¡°Nn¡­ But it needs a lot of mana. We used up all the mana crystals we had and it only opened up for a short amount of time. Plus, the most you could probably do was putting your hand through it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ The mana consumption does sound like it would be a problem. But it¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be dealt with. This is good news. Hehehe, this is really good news, Yumi, Karen! Hahaha!¡±


    He was grinning like a madman, completely losing himself in laughter. Elated to the max.


    ¡°That means¡­ As long as we can get a sufficient amount of mana crystals, we really could travel large distances, after all. This is truly amazing!¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is¡­ But¡­ We don¡¯t know how much mana that would take¡­ It might be way more than we could afford.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ You¡¯re right, I guess.¡±


    Hearing my warning, he finally calmed down a little. I didn¡¯t expect him to get this excited about it. This was more like a little boy who got the toy he always longed for.


    ¡°Ria, help them out with whatever they need to do. We have to find out if it is feasible to travel in this manner.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    ¡°As for the mana crystals to use¡­ The mana crystals we bought up from that one merchant are stored in a warehouse in the city. We should still have enough time after this, so we¡¯ll go there and collect them. Yumi, how many crates did you say could you fit into that mana orb?¡±


    ¡°Four and a little. Maybe even more but I¡¯d rather not experiment too much with such a large amount¡­ in case something goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t fill them with too much mana. If you keep it at a reasonable level, they¡¯ll be less conspicuous. People might put their eyes on them should they spot you using one and should one get stolen, it won¡¯t be a complete catastrophe. So, let¡¯s say four crates.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even thought of that situation in particular. It would be hard to completely hide those mana orbs in the future whenever I used them. If someone saw me using them, they might try to steal them¡­ And I didn¡¯t have much confidence I would be able to stop them. But Karen could, probably.


    ¡°Four crates is still a significant difference. If you take care of all the mana crystals like that, we should easily be able to fit it all in a single crate. An easy way to clean up. Saves us the transport cost.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, they were more compact, as well¡­ They were¡­ Anyway, there was something I just realised while we talked about this. I didn¡¯t really have a clue about how much mana was¡­ well¡­ considered ¡®a lot.¡¯ The mana crystals Korwen had bought were barely as large as a pebble and the amount of mana was minuscule in a single one. The only reason it had ended up being a significant amount of mana was that there was a literal crate full of them¡­


    ¡°Captain, what will happen to the roper¡¯s mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°That one? We¡¯ll likely sell it. Don¡¯t even think about trying to use it for that. We can just buy up smaller crystals instead.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to¡­ I wanted to know how much mana it has.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s only that, you can check it later. Just don¡¯t mess around with it. It¡¯s a valuable source of income for us.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Mana crystals that large were probably rather uncommon. And it was surely containing an amount of mana that was considered huge. Probably way too much to take as a baseline but it should still be good to get a vague understanding. Other than that, yet another question to ask our teacher Ria.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s not dillydally. That warehouse is not going to empty itself.¡±


    ¡°... I feel like our day off miraculously disappeared, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s mostly our own fault¡­¡±


    True¡­ It was our own fault, without a doubt. I shouldn¡¯t have gotten overeager yesterday.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Maybe I should cut your days off short, seeing how you girls are killing time with work anyway.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. Seriously.¡±


    Just because we had done it this time didn¡¯t mean we would next time. We just did it because it was something we had talked about even before the job. It meant by no means that we were workaholics that didn¡¯t need a break. On the contrary, I¡¯d prefer only days off to laze around and have fun with Karen, but I digress.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t. Was a joke.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°If you got other plans we can delay collecting the mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine with that. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either.¡±


    ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll take Ria along later and go to the warehouse. It might get a little late, though.¡±


    Personally, I didn¡¯t mind that but on the other hand¡­


    ¡°Ah but¡­ once we are back, you girls will take a proper rest, understood?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    ¡°Resting is part of your job. I understand the feeling of doing something¡ªanything¡ªafter a job like this, but if you don¡¯t properly rest, you start doing stupid things and just end up getting yourself killed. Don¡¯t give in to that temptation. Overeagerness just gets you killed.¡±


    His eyes narrowed in my direction. Yeah, he totally referred to the incident from yesterday¡­


    ¡°You got that? When we¡¯re back, if I see you lift a single finger for the next four days, I¡¯ll lock you up. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Satisfied with our response, he nodded and his expression softens again.


    ¡°Seriously, I never know if you girls are lazy or not. Decide on one, not both.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    I could only let out a dry laugh¡­ We had screwed up a little¡­ Just a little.


    ¡°Haa¡­ That¡¯s enough scolding. As long as you got it, don¡¯t do it again. And in the future, if you do any practical experiments, consult with Ria first. Ria, make sure they don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯ll try¡­ Captain¡­¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows, probably not quite sure whether Ria had understood it or not.


    ¡°I probably asked the wrong person to look after them... I hope this won¡¯t turn into trouble in the future¡­ Whatever, let¡¯s get going. The sooner we get this over with, the better.¡±


    Korwen stood up from his chair and stretched his arms and back.


    ¡°Time to empty a warehouse!¡±


    And with a smile, Korwen led us out of the tent and the camp.


    ¡­ Speaking of which, did we get more days off just now?


    ¡°Hey, Captain, I just thought about it but is it fine for you to be away at this time?¡±


    ¡°As long as we don¡¯t take too long it shouldn¡¯t become an issue. Merim and the others might get back and I left Greyward and Fenna in charge for the meantime.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    We didn¡¯t have much of a chance to speak with Fenna yet after the roper job¡­ She was still busy guarding El and Nel with her squad.


    Should be fine if they¡¯re still there, though¡­


    Either way, it was too late now, since we were already wandering down the paved road in the city, accompanied by a few other mercenaries and Ria. As usual, the dark red bricks they used in their construction here gave the place a rather bright impression.


    ¡°Mr Captain, can I ask something?¡±


    ¡°Sure you can, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Why did we not take any of the Black Guards along for the village assault?¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s quite unexpected.¡±


    He grinned, pleased at the question.


    ¡°There are a few some reasons but the most important one is because they could protect the camp. Greyward is also a capable leader. If things had gone awry, I can trust him to get everyone to safety. Fenna has potential and I want her to take more important roles in the future¡ªAh, to the left here¡ªbut Greyward is far more experienced than she is.¡±


    We walked down the road, approaching what seemed to be¡­ a harbour?


    ¡°Also, Fenna still had her own job to attend to. And since our supplies of those protection tools were limited, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to take along everyone anyway.¡±


    ¡°The charms that never saw a use¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is at times. But it¡¯s better to be prepared than not. We didn¡¯t even confront Yumelia. If we had been an hour or two earlier, we might have caught her. On the other hand, things might not have gone as smoothly in that case.¡±


    There really was a harbour here¡­ And a wide river. Several warehouses were lined up right next to it.


    ¡°Mr Captain, we wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with the roper then, though.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we still aren¡¯t sure of Yumelia¡¯s capabilities. What if she was a magician of Ria¡¯s calibre? We would¡¯ve seen casualties without a doubt. Or if she could charm people despite the protection tool.¡±


    ¡°And now we still don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    ¡°Right. Not much we can do about now, though¡ªTo the right here.¡±


    The river came into full view now. A large wooden sailing ship was anchored there. Sailors were unloading one crate after another with something that seemed to be a primitive crane.


    ¡°Well, enough about that, we¡¯re soon at the warehouse. It¡¯s that one over there.¡±


    He pointed at a rather large building at the end of the row of warehouses we were currently passing. It was a little more worn down. The sign at the top of it, which should usually declare whose property this was, had the name scratched out for some reason. If I recalled correctly, Korwen mentioned the merchant left town so maybe he got rid of this place as well? But wasn¡¯t that a little weird when there was still stuff left inside that he sold to others?


    ¡°Guess that merchant doesn¡¯t intend to come back to Larfas anymore, huh¡­ Is he that scared of a war?¡±


    Korwen raised his eyebrows in surprise, seeing the scratched out sign hanging over the large double door or maybe gate was a more apt description.


    ¡°Whatever, not my problem. Let¡¯s get inside.¡±


    He walked up to the gate and touched a metal piece that was locking the doors in place. A short moment after, it glowed in dim blue light and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Captain, what was that?¡±


    ¡°A magical lock. Without the key piece, you can¡¯t open them no matter what. But they¡¯re quite expensive, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    After picking up the magical lock that had fallen to the ground, he pushed open the wide doors.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s what I like to see.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of crates.¡±


    ¡°Makes me wonder what he planned to do with these.¡±


    Korwen, Karen and I expressed our impressions of the view in front of us. A wide space that was filled with dozens over dozens of wooden crates, stacked up on top of each other.


    ¡°Captain, are all of these¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This¡­ would take a lot of time. Even if I could empty a crate in a minute¡­ We might be working here for hours¡­ That¡¯s how many there were here.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not stand around for too long. You guys, get those crates up there down. And disassemble any crate that was emptied. Can¡¯t have them in the way.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The ten or so mercenaries that had come along immediately set out to take down the crates.


    ¡°Yumi, the rest is up to you.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­¡±


    The first crate was brought before me and opened up, revealing the sparkly pebbles insides.


    ¡°Well, here I go¡­¡±


    I picked up a single pebble that would serve as the mana orb¡¯s base and had it absorb all the mana from the surrounding pebbles. Once it was distinctively larger than the surrounding crystals, I dropped it inside, put my hand inside the crate and dragged all the mana towards the mana orb. The crate¡¯s contents slowly diminished as the mana crystals turned to dust one after another.


    ¡°Hoo, so that¡¯s how you do it. That¡¯s pretty quick. We might actually finish this today.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    It was fast, yes. But considering the amount stored in here¡­ Just what had that merchant planned?


    Nn? What¡¯s this?


    After I had finished around seven mana orbs, something odd happened.


    ¡°What the heck¡­ Huh?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t grab the mana anymore after I emptied half of this crate¡­¡±


    I retracted my hand and stared at the sparkly contents inside. These crystals seemed a lot smaller than the pebbles¡­ Did someone grind up the mana crystals? But even if they did, I should still be able to collect the mana¡­


    ¡°Let me take a look¡­¡±


    Karen peered over my shoulder into the crate.


    ¡°That looks more like powder¡­¡±


    ¡°Right? But I should be able to collect the mana¡­ But something¡¯s weird about these.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll go call the Captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    In the meantime, a pair of mercenaries brought another crate, so for now I turned my attention to that one. Now I had to keep in mind that there was only half a crate inside this mana orb¡­ How bothersome.


    ¡°Here we go¡­¡±


    By now, I had gotten pretty used to the procedure already. Throw in the mana orb, drag the mana towards it and done. After repeating it so often, I was also growing more accustomed to controlling the mana, making it even easier. A little surprising, but very welcome nonetheless.


    Practice makes perfect, after all¡­


    And in that regard, this was good practice.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    My hands stopped¡­


    ¡°Another one?¡±


    This crate also had powdery crystals inside it, making up for half the contents. Sure, now my problem with half a crate was gone, but this was still an issue...


    ¡°That crate there?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Let me take a look.¡±


    In the meantime, Karen had returned with Korwen.


    ¡°Captain, this one has it too.¡±


    ¡°Two crates you can¡¯t empty?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    He walked up to me, then past me looking at the crate. His eyes grew wide, then his expression turned into one of confusion until it finally settled on a stern one.


    ¡°Yumi. Go wash your hands.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Now. We got a problem.¡±


    ¡°Err, okay?¡±


    Karen and I exchanged a confused glance but before we could ask Korwen what the hell was going on, he had already moved to the other crate, to check the contents. Then, he sped away, flagging down a mercenary and sending him out.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s wash your hands like he said.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­ But where?¡±


    ¡°The river outside?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good idea.¡±


    I had no idea why he wanted me to wash my hands¡­ Were the crystals a problem?


    But I feel like I¡¯ve seen those before, haven¡¯t I?


    Yet, I couldn¡¯t quite pin down where I could have seen them before. It kept haunting my thoughts while Karen and I left the warehouse and approached the river bank.


    ¡°The river¡¯s really wide¡­¡±


    ¡°I heard they dug the banks to widen it for this river port.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    That must have been a lot of work¡­ Then again, it might not be that much work if they could get some magicians to do it.


    While pondering about that, I squatted down next to the water and dunked my hands into the water.


    ¡°Ohh, cold.¡±


    The coldness from the river water me shiver a little as I washed my hands.


    ¡°But nice¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right, it is cold.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    Even though the sun was blazing, the water was still cool to the touch.


    ¡°Swimming would be nice¡­¡±


    ¡°In this cold water? Are you sure about that, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯d be nice for a hot day, right?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    Now I only had to find some proper bathing attire for us. And I had subtle doubts that that would be easy¡­


    Maybe I should ask Wanda about it.


    I made a mental note before I finished up washing my hands.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Wonder if this good enough?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get back. I want to know what is going on.¡±


    Korwen wouldn¡¯t make me wash my hands for no reason¡­ Was that powder maybe poisonous? Or otherwise dangerous?


    Wait¡­ Dangerous powder?


    Wasn¡¯t there one such thing we had seen just yesterday that was like that?


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Did that powder seem familiar to you?¡±


    ¡°... A little. Yumi, do you know what that is?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe. Let¡¯s ask the captain first.¡±


    I dearly hoped I was wrong about that, though.


    But if I¡¯m right, then I don¡¯t want to touch that powder more than necessary¡­


    The two of us went back to the warehouse where Korwen had already assembled the other mercenaries as well as Ria. The latter was currently peering into the two crates, her brows furrowed.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Back? Washed them properly?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Captain, that powder¡­¡±


    ¡°... We might have found a missing link by chance.¡±


    A missing link¡­


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria, how is it?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ without a doubt¡­ Crystal Flowers¡­¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    Korwen cursed under his breath while holding his temples.


    ¡°As if things couldn¡¯t get any worse anymore.¡±


    So, it really was¡­ Crystal Flower powder¡­


    ¡°This damn merchant¡­ He was smuggling Crystal Flower powder of all things and then left it just sitting here? Are you kidding me? Ahh, damn it! You three, go and look around the warehouse. Find anything that might shed light upon this. You two, go to the Traders¡¯ Guild and get all the information about this merchant that you can. The name of the merchant is Kehlwa. Might have been an alias, if there is no information, flag me down someone from the guild and bring them here.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Understood, Sir!¡±¡±


    The five mercenaries dashed away, two out of the warehouse and the other three to the back, entering the other rooms attached to the warehouse.


    ¡°And you two, go to the barracks and bring Ruben over here. And only Ruben, no replacement.¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±


    Korwen let out a deep sigh as he watched the mercenaries run about and execute their orders.


    ¡°Yumi, continue with your work. We need to find as many as of these crates as possible before Ruben comes.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°And make sure not to touch it too much. Wash your hands repeatedly. Also, don¡¯t let anyone else touch that stuff.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­ But why?¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem like just touching it was dangerous, after all.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t want to accidentally ingest any of it. And the less people touch it, the better.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Good point.


    ¡°Everyone else, get back to your work. We¡¯re going to clean this up.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The remaining mercenaries saluted and returned promptly to their work. They carried the crates with the powder out of the way, replacing them with new, untouched ones.


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll bring a bucket with water.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Sis.¡±


    And while Karen brought a bucket, I probably should get back to this¡­


    Honestly, I don¡¯t really want to touch that stuff if I can help it¡­ Knowing how they are made¡­


    Alas, I also understood that it was necessary to do this. And so, I plunged my hands once more into the crate and continued unearthing one powder crate after another¡­


    Around an hour later, the door to the warehouse opened up and a familiar large man entered.


    ¡°Korwen! What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear.


    Korwen quickly ran over to him to explain what was going on. I was still busy dealing with the crates, so I couldn¡¯t quite pay attention to what they said but judging from the way Ruben¡¯s expressions experienced the same roller coaster Korwen had earlier¡­ I got a good gist of it.


    ¡°And another one... There you go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Yumi!¡±


    The mercenaries on standby heaved up the crate with the powder and carried it away. Then I washed my hands and started on the next one.


    ¡°I feel like this is never going to end¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, how many of those powder crates did we find already? I didn¡¯t keep track.¡±


    Mind you, I did keep track how much mana was in a mana orb. This one, for example, was now full.


    ¡°Err, we had thirty-three crates since we found the first two crates with powder. And twenty-six of these were ones with powder, including those two.¡±


    ¡°So many¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to know how much it took to create such a vast amount of this powder¡­


    ¡°Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Captain?¡±


    ¡°Come over here for a moment.¡±


    Korwen beckoned us over so we joined him and Ruben. After I washed my hands, of course.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really taken a liking to those two, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t prefer cute girls over guys like you? Haa¡­ Jokes aside, Yumi, how is it going?¡±


    ¡°Most of the ones we found were full of powder¡­ They were all filled the same way. Half with powder, half with mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Korwen turned to Ruben, asking for his opinion.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°What do I think, you say¡­ But you know as well as I do what this means. The merchant smuggled vast amounts of the drug by disguising it as mana crystal shipments. Pretty clever, if I may say so.¡±


    ¡°Sure was. And he fled town early on already.¡±


    ¡°Cutting the problems off as fast as he could¡­ Tsk, we¡¯ll never get one. What do you know about that merchant?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot. I heard he was a well-known mana crystal merchant. He approached me wanting to get rid of his mana crystal stock when he heard we were buying them up regardless of size. Of course, I checked his reputation among other merchants first, but he seemed well-liked and known.¡±


    Ruben raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    ¡°Well-liked and well-known. And then he got this much baggage to leave us with.¡±


    ¡°I was a little surprised to see the sign scratched out. He clearly has no intention of returning.¡±


    ¡°... He knew we¡¯d catch on so he fled before that could happen. Hell, that man was a lot smarter than those nobles and other merchants.¡±


    ¡°He might not be the only one.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean with that, Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Remember when the news of a potential war spread? Many merchants fled the city at the time.¡±


    Just like this particular merchant.


    ¡°Shit! Are you serious?! We¡¯ll never catch any of those!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯d be no point in running away if you could.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get smart with me now, Korwen!¡±


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders while Ruben suffered a literal breakdown, cursing the merchants and shouting less-than-proper insults through the room. It took a few minutes before he finally calmed down.


    ¡°Fuck all those merchants¡­ Shit.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t yet know if there were any involved, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not. But you do know that most merchants except for peddlers are attached to our local Traders¡¯ Guild, right? In the worst case, this might go deeper than I¡¯d like it to.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t jump to conclusions too early.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ Just because it¡¯s not your problem¡­¡±


    If even hat Traders¡¯ Guild was involved¡­ That could become a problem.


    ¡°You already knew in advance you¡¯d have to dig deep to find all the problems, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I still held hope that it wouldn¡¯t be like this.¡±


    ¡°Well, sorry to dash your hope. But now you got at least something you can work with. Crystal Flower smuggling is no small offence. And seeing the scale¡­¡±


    ¡°... Justifies if we go at it a little rougher than usual, you mean? Haa, you¡¯re not wrong. But I still don¡¯t like it. Fuck... Fucking hell!¡±


    Ruben stomped the ground in anger. He really was outraged at this.


    ¡°Now, calm down. Getting angry won¡¯t solve it. What will you do if your men saw you like this?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not here, so why should I care?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here, though¡­ Haa, whatever. I¡¯ll treat you to a drink later, I guess.¡±


    With a wry smile, Korwen patted Ruben¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll hold you to that. I¡¯ll drink every last keg empty.¡±


    ¡°Have mercy to our stores.¡±


    Ruben took a deep breath, calming himself. Once he had composed himself, he walked up to the crates that were lined up at the wall.


    ¡°These the ones with the powder?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... Shit, there¡¯s so much.¡±


    ¡°And we haven¡¯t even gone through a third yet. The first few crates at the front had nothing but I suspect most of the crates deeper in are filled with powder.¡±


    ¡°... Do you think this has been going on for long?¡±


    ¡°No. If I had to guess, this was probably a one-time occurrence. There aren¡¯t many drug problems in Lafria, right?¡±


    Ruben shook his head in response.


    ¡°Not many still means there are some. And we never found out where the drugs came from. But if they were smuggled in through the front door like this¡­ No wonder we couldn¡¯t catch them.¡±


    He clicked his tongue in annoyance as he inspected all the crates.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate more first¡­ Whether this was only once or a recurring deal. Did you find anything else in here?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still searching the warehouse, but so far nothing has come up.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°We also send some men to the Traders¡¯ Guild. They haven¡¯t returned yet, though. Shouldn¡¯t be long anymore, though.¡±


    Karen and I watched as Ruben checked every single crate and then came back.


    ¡°... I won¡¯t ask you how you do it. Just get me all the crates with that powder. I don¡¯t care about the mana crystals, they¡¯re yours.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf¡­ You can have all the secrets you want. As long as you¡¯re our ally, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Ruben glanced in my and Karen¡¯s direction for a moment, before turning his gaze back to Korwen.


    ¡°Although, I guess I¡¯ve caught a small glimpse of what is going on behind the curtain. Some things start to make more sense now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... I know, I won¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re grateful for your understanding.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t get smart with me, Korwen. Haaa¡­ Just keep them out of trouble. I¡¯ll trust you on that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a tall order¡­¡±


    While they exchanged some more bantering, the door to the warehouse opened once more. Two mercenaries entered, followed by a thin man, wheezing and ringing for breath.


    ¡°Captain! We¡¯ve returned and brought someone from the Traders¡¯ Guild!¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    Korwen nodded to the two mercenaries.


    ¡°Go take a break.¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. You go back to work as well. I¡¯ll call for you if we need you again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    With Ruben in tow, Korwen walked up to the thin man and talked to him. They were too far for us to hear anything, though.


    ¡°Should we get back to it, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Sure. There¡¯s still a lot left.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t remind me¡­¡±


    I stared at the literal mountain of crates before us.


    Time to get back to work...

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Idle Gossip

    An hour or two later, we finally finished up collecting all the mana crystals and unearthing all that Crystal Flower powder. The end result wasn¡¯t as horrific as we feared, though. Only around seventy crates total contained the powder. Which was significantly less than the somewhat three-hundred... four-hundred crates in the warehouse. Nonetheless, it was a substantial amount.


    ¡°Good work, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We did it.¡±


    As he was praising me, Korwen threw a glance around the now rather empty warehouse. All the empty crates had been taken apart and piled up in a corner. The powder crates had been filled  to the brim now, leaving us with around half of those as well. The warehouse was really¡­ empty.


    ¡°Mm, I guess, despite the trouble that came with it, we got a pretty good deal out of it in the end,¡± commented Korwen.


    We got a lot of mana crystals out of this so it certainly was good. But...


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to those drugs, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Well, Ruben has his men coming to pick the contraband up and transport it. No idea what they¡¯re going to do with it, though. They probably don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Having such an amount of drugs appearing was likely hard for them as well, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Well, it won¡¯t really concern us anymore once they collected that stuff. Leave that to the people who know what to do with this.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Right, this wasn¡¯t our territory. Well, it¡¯d be different if they hired us to do something about this. Only then should it concern us. But outside of that, we only happened to find it, hand it to the authorities and that was it.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    With that said, it wasn¡¯t easy not to be concerned. In an attempt to divert my thoughts, I posed a question to Korwen.


    ¡°So, Captain, what will we do now?¡±


    ¡°Wait for Ruben¡¯s men to come, then bring back those mana orbs of yours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it. After that, you go back to your break. And don¡¯t thoughtlessly use up those mana crystals again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    Not like I could even if I wanted to¡­


    We had put all the mana orbs in a separate crate. It was far from full. Frankly, not even half of it was. But a single mana orb alone contained a huge amount of mana. Or at least, what I perceived to be a lot.


    ¡°Ahh, there are Ruben¡¯s men. I¡¯ll be back in a moment and then we can go home.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen moved to the entrance, welcoming the dozen or more soldiers coming in. Ruben had returned with that man from the Traders¡¯ Guild at some point, so he wasn¡¯t here anymore.


    After watching them for a few seconds, I turned away and walked up to Karen and Ria, who were discussing something nearby.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ah, Yumi. Where¡¯s Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Greeting the soldiers. After that, we¡¯ll go home.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen raised her eyebrows in surprise as she threw a glance towards Korwen and the soldiers.


    ¡°So, how about you?¡±


    I looked at Karen and then at Ria in turn, wondering what they had been discussing.


    ¡°We¡¯re also done. Miss Ria, thank you for listening.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s fine¡­ If that¡¯s¡­ what you want¡­ then I¡¯ll¡­ teach you¡­¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Ria was going to teach her? Was this¡­


    ¡°Sis, is this about wanting to become a proper magician?¡±


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    So that¡¯s what they were discussing.


    ¡°Miss Ria agreed to teach me a little more seriously. I already asked Mr Captain and he allowed me to use some of our work time for it.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows for some reason, seemingly not quite content.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to leave you alone during that time¡­ I can¡¯t help but worry¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not a little child.¡±


    ¡°You might as well be. Also, did you already forget what happened with Yumelia?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Because nobody was around, Yumelia had managed to approach and attack me¡­ There was no way I could have forgotten that.


    ¡°But Sis, the captain arranged someone to escort me around, right? There¡¯s always someone in front of our wagon now, for example.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­¡±


    ¡°You should do what you want to. And I¡¯m sure the captain got that covered already. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ When did you get so good at arguing?¡±


    Was that a complaint?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I know, of course¡­ And I¡¯ll do it. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t worry, does it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t. Just, there¡¯s not much to worry about.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    She still didn¡¯t look like she was satisfied with it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to worry too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Guess that¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    Our emotions didn¡¯t always agree with our head, after all. Sometimes you couldn¡¯t help but worry. But Korwen knew what he was doing. So if he said it was fine, it was likely fine.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You know some stuff about the Silver Moon metal, right?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You mean about steel?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it was called in your place?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Mix iron with carbon and you got steel, to say it slightly simplified. I wasn¡¯t a metalworker or anything so that was the most you could expect from me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about it, to be honest¡­ I know what it consists of and that it was frequently used in my old wo¡ª old place as well. But that¡¯s already about it.¡±


    Nearly stumbled my worlds there. We were in public and Ria was also listening¡­ Should be a bit more careful.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking?¡±


    ¡°Because Miss Ria mentioned that¡­ because I¡¯m a manakin, it might be difficult or even impossible for me to use magic attributes outside of my nature. And that there were exactly many good applications for Silver Moon magic outside of, well, creating it.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Speaking of which, didn¡¯t Lily tell me that before as well? Since my main attribute is Lust, followed by the Life and Soul attributes, it would be next to impossible for me to use magic outside of those areas. I had tried to conjure a fire before and it certainly didn¡¯t work at all.


    ¡°Nn¡­ If I recall it right, it was Silver Moon, Iron and Diamond... or rather, carbon, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ You told me about that before¡­ You said diamonds and coal are the same.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they¡¯re made of the same parts, just arranged differently.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s a little hard to imagine.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true...¡±


    Without an illustration of some kind, it probably didn¡¯t really make much sense. With that said, while I knew that they were ¡®arranged differently,¡¯ I didn¡¯t remember the specifics. It was superficial knowledge I remembered from my old world¡­ You couldn¡¯t expect me to remember all of that perfectly. Alas, unexpected help came from the side.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Is that¡­ the same¡­ things that the¡­ magic craftsmen¡­ learn about?¡± asked Ria.


    ¡°Mm? Oh, now that you mention it, Elina did say something to that effect. I think they should be the same.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That is¡­ curious¡­ Arranged¡­ Mm¡­ What did you¡­ call it? ¡­ Carbon?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s called carbon.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria closed her eyes and was lost in thought. Karen didn¡¯t really know about it but it seems that Ria had at least some knowledge¡­ Was it just me or was the spread of knowledge really skewed? Although, guess that wasn¡¯t too surprising in a world without widespread education¡­


    ¡°I think¡­ We might have¡­ some materials¡­ in the¡­ Academy¡­ that could¡­ help¡­ with imagery...¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Now, that was a bit of a surprise.


    ¡°If you¡­ want to¡­ we could visit¡­ tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re free anyway. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m okay with that as well.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then it¡¯s¡­ decided...¡±


    Part of me wondered if it would be so easy to look up those materials but on the other hand, I had heard that Ria was quite known in the Academy, so it would probably work out fine.


    ¡°But that still doesn¡¯t solve the problem that I don¡¯t really know what kind of magic would be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±


    But what could you even do with steel in that sense? Outside of¡­ making it.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Ria, is it possible to control materials with magic? Like what you did when we fought the roper.¡±


    The memory of Ria slaughtering the roper had been firmly embedded in my memory. That wasn¡¯t something I could forget so easily.


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ impossible¡­ But it is¡­ very difficult¡­ The further apart¡­ The more mana¡­ And the consumption¡­ grows¡­ exponentially¡­ It¡¯s barely¡­ feasible¡­ What I used¡­ was a special¡­ concoction¡­ to alleviate¡­ that problem...¡±


    So that wasn¡¯t an option¡­


    ¡°But¡­ you could create¡­ projectiles¡­ and launch them¡­ I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Then it wasn¡¯t completely impossible?


    ¡°That sounds like it could work¡­ But is there magic like that?¡± muttered Karen.


    ¡°There is¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at her acknowledgement. Wasn¡¯t that a good thing?


    ¡°Silver Moon¡­ is not¡­ the most¡­ flexible¡­ but it¡­ can still be¡­ quite powerful¡­ if applied¡­ correctly¡­¡±


    ¡°Really? I always thought it was only used to create that metal...¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ I even¡­ heard that¡­ there are tribes¡­ in the Beyond¡­ that make use¡­ of it¡­ as combat¡­ magic¡­¡±


    ¡°The Beyond¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, that was a little far away to ask them¡­ but if they could use it for combat, then there was nothing against Karen being able to as well¡­ Although, she might need to get creative¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ What about Iron magic and Diamond magic?


    ¡°Iron magic¡­ suffers the same¡­ problem¡­ As for¡­ Diamond magic¡­ It is¡­ effectively useless¡­ Although¡­ If what you¡­ said is true¡­ There might be¡­ applications¡­ but that¡¯s¡­ something for¡­ future discussions¡­¡±


    Effectively useless, huh¡­ Well, people didn¡¯t usually have a diamond at hand¡­


    ¡°This is troublesome, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. But I won¡¯t give up just because of that. Although, I admit I can understand now why these attributes aren¡¯t¡­ well-liked in Aldreigh¡­ Haaa...¡±


    ¡°Nn? I thought you made that part up?¡±


    Didn¡¯t she make that up as a reason when she told me why she got exiled from Aldreigh? Before I knew about her nature...


    ¡°Huh? Ah, no¡­ It¡¯s not quite that bad but it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong that people look down on those¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Well now¡­ Maybe that actually did add to the reason they had thrown her out, huh¡­


    ¡°Anyway! Enough about that. Let¡¯s talk about something else.¡±


    Karen frowned, wanting to change the topic. Probably not the most welcome topic for her.


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well¡­¡±


    But what¡­ Oh, there was one thing I wanted to know.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering, but Silver Moon magic is named after a tale, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering why nothing else I heard so far was named after one¡­¡±


    They called Diamond magic as, well, Diamond magic. Iron magic as Iron magic. Lust magic as Lust magic. And so on. Only Silver Moon stuck out like a sore thumb.


    ¡°I think there are some others named after tales¡­ Like the Crimson Sea magic.¡±


    ¡°The what magic?¡±


    ¡°Crimson Sea magic.¡±


    ¡°... What does it do?¡±


    ¡°... It controls blood.¡±


    Now, that¡¯s not the name I expected for it¡­


    ¡°How the hell did it end up named like that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a tale of a great demonkin hero. He fought for the rights of the demonkin, against the beastkin. It says that he slaughtered so many enemies, the nation drowned in a sea of crimson of blood, wiping it off the world for eternity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a bloody tale.¡±


    Pun not intended.


    ¡°And then there¡¯s the Witch¡¯s Dream magic, which is said to give happiness to any affected by it.¡±


    ¡°Happiness?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Success in life, in your occupation, in love. It¡¯s said to give you what you need to become happy.¡±


    Now, that one was pretty obscure¡­ That sounded a little like a fairy tale¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡­ is just¡­ a legend¡­ Karen¡­ that magic¡­ does not¡­ exist¡­¡±


    Figured.


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes went wide, her mouth gaping open as she stared at Ria.


    ¡°It¡­ doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    Apparently, this was a bigger shock for Karen than I had expected¡­ She actually believed that? Well, magic could do plenty of inexplicable things so maybe it wasn¡¯t too far off¡­


    ¡°I see¡­ It doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    She looked down to the ground, genuinely disappointed.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Also¡­ Yumi¡­ I think¡­ the confusion¡­ comes partly¡­ from the magicians¡­ mixing names¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Mixing names?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Aldreigh¡­ used to¡­ name magic¡­ according to¡­ tales¡­ and myths¡­ Others¡­ followed¡­ In the past¡­ at least¡­ Then¡­ Aldreigh¡­ Lafria¡­ and other¡­ countries¡­ their magicians¡­ decided¡­ to use... unique names¡­ and replace¡­ the names¡­ based on tales¡­ Because¡­ countries¡­ had different tales¡­ and different names¡­ Sometimes¡­ even in¡­ the same country¡­ the tales¡­ differed¡­¡±


    Ria smiled wryly as she continued her explanation.


    ¡°The Blackened Weight¡­ became Iron magic¡­ The Mortal Star¡­ Diamond magic¡­ The Spirits¡¯ Tears¡­ Soul magic¡­ The Gift of Life¡­ simply Life magic¡­ and the Witch¡¯s Heart¡­ Lust magic¡­ All those names¡­ are based... on tales¡­ and myths¡­ But as¡­ an example¡­ while Iron magic¡­ was called... Blackened Weight magic¡­ in Lafria¡­ they called it¡­ The Executioner¡¯s Penance¡­ in Krohmea¡­ Although¡­ the tale¡­ it stems from¡­ is the¡­ same...¡±


    ¡°That really makes me wonder what kind of tale could produce those names¡­¡±


    Those two names didn¡¯t exactly sound like they had much in common, after all.


    ¡°... It is¡­ a tale¡­ about a man¡­ working as¡­ an executioner¡­ One day¡­ his work¡­ forced him... to kill... his beloved¡­ She was¡­ used as¡­ a scapegoat... The true¡­ perpetrator¡­ laughed¡­ at his misery¡­ as he swung¡­ his axe... Then¡­ the grieving man¡­ murdered¡­ the people¡­ responsible¡­ Finally...  as penance¡­ he shackled¡­ his arms¡­ and legs¡­ with heavy¡­ blood-stained iron¡­ and then¡­ threw himself¡­ into the Grand¡­ Spirit Lake¡­ hoping to¡­ join his beloved¡­ on the¡­ other side¡­ It is... a well-known¡­ tale¡­ There are¡­ performances¡­ of it¡­ once in¡­ a while...¡±


    Okay, now I felt bad for asking¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a really dark tale to take inspiration from¡­¡±


    ¡°Many tales¡­ are tragic¡­ Many¡­ of them...¡±


    But still¡­ to take inspiration from this¡­


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Most names¡­ for magic¡­ have strayed¡­ from their¡­ original names¡­ The common¡­ populace¡­ doesn¡¯t know¡­ about the¡­ difference¡­ But¡­ for some¡­ it wasn¡¯t¡­ possible to¡­ make people¡­ adapt¡­ a new name¡­ Silver Moon magic¡­ is one¡­ of the most¡­ well-known¡­ especially¡­ among craftsmen¡­ Asking them¡­ to use... a new name¡­ would be¡­ like asking¡­ an ogre¡­ for a handshake¡­¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not like there isn¡¯t an actual name for Silver Moon magic¡­ It just wasn¡¯t accepted and the old one stuck?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Ria tilted her head, staring at me.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Did you¡­ use¡­ the word¡­ steel¡­ without¡­ knowing?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? What?¡±


    What did she mean?


    ¡°Steel¡­ is the¡­ name¡­ they tried¡­ to use¡­¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Huh? But¡­ wasn¡¯t ¡®steel¡¯ a word from my old world? Or did unintentionally use the words of this language even in this case?


    ¡°I¡­ I guess I did¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well¡­ Anyway¡­ Did that¡­ answer your¡­ question?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. It did. Thank you, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you¡­ are interested¡­ in the tales¡­ We could¡­ check the¡­ library¡­ tomorrow¡­ The Academy¡­ should have¡­ collected most¡­ of the tales¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Do that¡­¡±


    Finally, I knew why Silver Moon magic had kept that out-of-place name¡­ Unfortunately though, now I had even more questions than before...


    Why the heck did I know a word in this language that didn¡¯t even take hold among most people? But then again, I have no idea how I can speak their language in the first place¡­ Or did that monster maybe mention anything about it? Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t think she did...


    At that moment, Korwen returned and shouted that it was time to get back. The other mercenaries lifted the crate with the mana orbs, prompting us to get a move on as well. I had to shelve these thoughts for now, it seemed. We moved out of the warehouse, leaving Ruben¡¯s men to deal with the rest of the aftermath.


    ---


    The return to the camp was pretty uneventful, as well as what came after. We stowed away the crate with the mana orbs in our wagon and then were left alone with our free time. Because we were technically having a break for a few days¡­


    With that said, there wasn¡¯t much we could do outside of killing time. Lily and Rina were still busy guarding El and Nel, and so was Fenna of course. Greyward and his men were busy as well, not that I knew with what. Wanda was nowhere to be found either. The only ones not busy right now were the ones who had returned since we all got freed from work for a few days. With the sole exception of Korwen, who had to slave away without pause.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you bother me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m technically busy with cooking dinner.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll watch without getting in your way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in the way just by watching¡­¡±


    The woman¡ªHelma¡ªcast a slightly annoyed gaze at us, then muttered a ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡± and returned to preparing for dinner.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m jealous that you two get to have a break¡­ I don¡¯t even remember when the last time was we got a day off.¡±


    ¡°You never get a break?¡±


    ¡°Who makes dinner if we take a break? The men? Have you seen Merim¡¯s cooking?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t¡­ Is it bad?¡±


    ¡°Hardly qualified as cooking.¡±


    Maybe he should fix that¡­ Even I could cook well enough that I could help out. Although, I was absolutely no match for these women when it came to preparing dinner for hundreds of hungry men. There was a lot of effort and work involved in this.


    ¡°Well, on the other hand, we shift around our responsibilities so that nobody gets overworked¡­ It got a little harder after Marga and her circle of cackling crows left.¡±


    ¡°... Who is Marga?¡±


    ¡°... That dumb woman with her even dumber son who was kicked out by Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her.¡±


    I had already forgotten about her¡­ Not that it bothered me. For once, this wasn¡¯t someone I wanted to remember.


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t only she and her son kicked out, Miss Helma?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But a few others left as well. Also, stop with the ¡®Miss¡¯ if you could. It feels so distant. And it¡¯d be ¡®Mrs¡¯ anyway for me. I may not look like it and it¡¯s easy to forget, but I am married!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯ll try¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡±


    Helma regarded us with a short smile before continuing to cook.


    ¡°Back to the topic, after they left, we had to assign everyone to a little more work. It¡¯s not too noticeable but if you take a good look¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s not all bad. The atmosphere has become so much better now! Think about it, if Marga saw us happily chatting like this, she¡¯d definitely butt in, telling us to go back to work. Behaving like she was the queen herself. Without doing any decent work, too. Then, Mrs Korwen would show up and refute her. Oh, you can be glad you didn¡¯t have to see those arguments¡­ That¡¯s all in the past now.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I knew it was bad but¡­¡±


    ¡°It really was. I bet with you, if this had gone on for another half a year, blood would have flown. And in no small quantity.¡±


    Scary¡­


    ¡°Thank the Spirits she is gone now. You wouldn¡¯t happen to know what has become of her, do you?¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. Too bad¡­¡±


    Helma swung her knife with gusto, cutting up the meat in front of her, shoving it into a big pot, then cutting more meat and throwing it in as well. Her movements were fluid and well-practised, not slowing down even as she talked with us.


    ¡°So, I guess, overall it got, like, a little better. We got a bit more work to do but work in itself got a lot more comfortable. Everyone¡¯s pretty happy about it.¡°


    ¡°Korwen will be happy to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can tell him if you want to. It was a good decision to kick them out. I mean¡­ Even her husband¡­ Well¡­ former husband now¡­ He¡¯s also doing better.¡±


    ¡°Her husband?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Helma nodded vigorously before continuing.


    ¡°It seems that he actually had an affair with one of the younger girls. And that didn¡¯t start just recently. Now that Marga¡¯s gone, they decided to make it official and get together. I haven¡¯t seen that man so happy in my entire life.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t leave together with that woman, huh¡­


    ¡°Oh, and before you ask. He actually offered his son to stay here. He wanted to plead to Korwen so that he could at least help his son get back on track. Alas, not only Marga, even his own son refused. And they weren¡¯t exactly micing their words, from what I heard. But on the sunny side, he¡¯s, like, completely free now. Wish my own father could get his butt moving, too.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like he had quite the ordeal.¡±


    ¡°Right? But I¡¯m happy for him that it¡¯s now over and he can live a better life.¡±


    Overall, it seemed that it really had been a good decision¡­ The fate of Marga and her son was up in the air but that wasn¡¯t anything for us to bother about anymore. They clearly didn¡¯t even want the help, if what Helma told us was true.


    ¡°Hm, hm, hmmm¡­ And there.¡±


    Humming a little, Helma finished up cutting all the meat.


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That elven girl that I saw walking around with you¡­ What¡¯s her name¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean the Elder?¡±


    ¡°The¡­ Elder? That¡¯s an odd name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more her title than her name¡­ She doesn¡¯t remember her actual name anymore apparently...¡±


    Which did suggest that it had been either a really long time since she last used it¡­ or that she didn¡¯t want to be associated with that name anymore.


    ¡°A title¡­ Then, she¡¯s actually really old?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not a nice way of putting it but I guess so.¡±


    ¡°I see! Elves are amazing, aren¡¯t they? I would have thought she was in her teens at most. And she¡¯s cute, too.¡±


    She did look young, yes¡­ But not all of the elves did¡­ Just like with everyone else, some were blessed with looks while some weren¡¯t¡­ And the Elder definitely belonged to the ones that were blessed.


    ¡°So, what did you want to know about the Elder?¡±


    ¡°Mh, I saw her with the High Priest yesterday. They seemed to get along well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ She was offering to show him around the camp. Or rather, the High Priest requested her to. It seems they knew each other before already.¡±


    ¡°Ohh?¡±


    For the first time, Helma¡¯s hands stopped as she turned around to us.


    ¡°Maybe some unsuccessful romance? Or a budding one?¡±


    ¡°... Helma, do you like romance stories?¡±


    ¡°As much as the next person.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me, I don¡¯t know. You should ask the Elder herself.¡±


    Also, I didn¡¯t really want to stick my nose into it. It was her privacy.


    ¡°How unfortunate. Might as well ask her when I get the chance.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry, Miss Elder, we couldn¡¯t stop her.


    Well, she¡¯d know how to deal with that.


    ¡°Is it really that interesting, though?¡±


    ¡°Sure is! And there¡¯s not really much else that¡¯s interesting. It¡¯s not like we run around town hunting villains, criminals and monsters like you do. Not like I¡¯d want to. Haaa¡­ And Merim isn¡¯t around either.¡±


    She let out a sigh for some reason.


    ¡°If he was, I could mess around with him¡­¡±


    ¡°... Please don¡¯t bother him too much.¡±


    ¡°Then he shouldn¡¯t skip out work.¡±


    Point taken.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s doing important work but I do feel a little lonely. Haaa...¡±


    Another sigh escaped her.


    ¡°Well, they should come back soon,¡± offered Karen as consolation.


    ¡°I know. But ¡®soon¡¯ is not ¡®now.¡¯ I mean, I know it won¡¯t be long anymore. Haaa...¡±


    And now she was the one who was all lovesick. This was probably something Merim wouldn¡¯t ever get to see, would he?


    ¡°And done!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Now, Yumi, Karen. I¡¯m sorry but I have to shoo you away. I need to concentrate on this.¡±


    Helma patted the pot next to her which was containing our dinner.


    ¡°I see. Well, was nice talking with you.¡±


    ¡°Same! Come back anytime. Well, I¡¯ll see Yumi when she¡¯s back at cooking duty but you can come by as well, Karen.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Great! Until then.¡±


    She lifted the pot up and carried it away, over to where the others were already busy with cooking and preparing.


    ¡°So, what now, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­ Nn, dinner is soon and Merim and the group should come back by then as well¡­ Guess we could wait for them?¡±


    They were bringing back the roper corpse after all. Now that we had a decent rest and all, I really wanted to see that thing once more.


    ¡°They¡¯ll surely be happy to have you waiting for them, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°I see. But you know, I¡¯ll always be waiting for you to be at my side.¡±


    ¡°I do wonder how you can say lines like that without going red.¡±


    ¡°Only because I¡¯m saying them to you.¡±


    Anyone else was impossible.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She grasped my hand and we made our way to the edge of the camp, in the direction of the village.


    Rinne


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    Thank you for reading and stay healthy!

 Chapter of Bottled Love: The Return

    Karen and I sat down on a nearby crate at the edge of the camp, me in her lap as she slung her arms around my waist. There weren¡¯t many people here, which was quite comfortable for us. Karen hugged me like a child would a plush toy, rubbing her cheek against my hair at times. And I would lean back, enjoying being wrapped in her arms, feeling safe and secure. If someone saw us like this, they¡¯d surely shake their head at this couple that was flirting around with no regard for their surroundings. Not like we really cared about that.


    We spent quite some time like this, flirting and just enjoying our moment of peace. The sun was already drawing near the horizon when we finally saw something in the distance.


    ¡°Yumi, look. Is that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh¡­ Yes, Sis. It¡¯s them. They¡¯re back.¡±


    In the far distance, I could see several wagons, mercenaries with no uniform equipment whatsoever sitting on the waroxen and a large carriage, transporting a massive mountain of flesh.


    ¡°Merim and the others are back.¡±


    The wagons slowly proceeded along the road, approaching the city.


    ¡°Should we inform the others?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on break, Yumi. Someone else will notice.¡±


    ¡°... Guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    Sitting on the crate, we enjoyed the evening air a little longer as we watched the caravan of mercenaries coming closer. They moved a lot slower than usual, likely because of the massive corpse they were transporting. By the time they had covered half the distance, the other mercenaries in the camp had spotted them as well, forming a crowd close by. A lot of ¡°Wow!¡± and ¡°Woah!¡± could be heard as they beheld the massive roper for the first time.


    ¡°But it really is big, isn¡¯t it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Seeing it again now, it truly makes you realise that¡­¡±


    But now it was just a corpse, only leaving behind a memory of the battle.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re waving.¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    They were still quite a distance away so it was hard to make out for the others who couldn¡¯t see as far. But sure enough, some of the mercenaries sitting on the waroxen were raising their arms and waving.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wave back, Yumi.¡±


    While I was smiling at the view in front of me, Karen raised her arm and waved as well, returning the gesture.


    ¡°Might as well.¡±


    I joined her and waved towards them. Some nearby mercenaries saw what we were doing, and they joined in as well. The noise grew as the mercenaries got more and more excited, the closer they came.


    And soon enough, they stopped on the road. The doors to the wagons opened and dozens of mercenaries returned under the sun. Several wagons were turned around and driven to the field where most of them were parked, while the remainder left the road and approached the camp, accompanied by the men.


    ¡°Oh, Sis, I spotted Merim.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    Merim was sitting on a warox, leading the group. He sure looked like someone of his position for once.


    ¡°Should we go and join the others?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, we did wait here for them. We might as well.¡±


    I jumped down from Karen¡¯s lap with the usual twinge of regret. Once Karen jumped down from the crate as well, we joined the crowd of mercenaries, shouting and cheering with all their vigour, welcoming their comrades back.


    ¡°Everyone! We¡¯re back!¡± shouted Merim, lifting up his weapon high into the air.


    The cheers and roars intensified in response, many mercenaries lifting their own weapons in response. Cheers, roars, the ear-deafening sounds filled my ears, telling only one thing:


    The mercenaries had returned. All of them. And they were¡­ Victorious.


    ---


    ¡°Do you know how much trouble it was to get this thing back, Captain? I can tell you: A whole lot.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, Merim. But now you¡¯re back and we can all take a break.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Spirits, we can.¡±


    Around half an hour later, Merim, Korwen, Ria and her fellow two magicians, Karen and I, as well as some others, all of us sat around a large, long table, having dinner. Merim took the chance to regale us with his outstanding tale of¡­ transporting that corpse.


    ¡°Captain, we really need something to transport large monsters like that. Just because we can tuck some carriages on another, doesn¡¯t mean that works well.¡±


    ¡°But it works.¡±


    ¡°It broke down at least five times! We would have been back by noon if we didn¡¯t spend most of the time fixing that.¡±


    Merim downed the mug in his hands in one large gulp and slammed it on the table. This was probably his sixth or seventh... and it showed¡­


    ¡°And Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Those tentacles, you know, sure they were super helpful when dealing with the roper. But we had to dig them out! We had to dig the whole ground out because it fused with parts of the corpse!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wow, my condolences.


    ¡°And you know what the worst was? When we finished, they dried up and turned into mana crystals! What the hell did we dig them up for?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Merim, calm down, I think you got enough ale for the night.¡±


    ¡°I sure as hell don¡¯t. I need at least three times as much before I am done!¡±


    ¡°By the time you chugged another ten, you¡¯ll have passed out and wake up with one hell of a headache.¡±


    ¡°Like I care!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you tomorrow.¡±


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders as he sipped on his own mug.


    ¡°So, seeing that Merim is probably not in a state to tell me how things have been going¡­ Taddick?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Which part you wanna hear? The number of times the carriages broke down, wearing our vice-captain¡¯s patience thin?¡±


    ¡°No, he made that point pretty clear by himself. Did you find anything of interest in the village?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sure did...¡±


    Everyone¡¯s attention turned to Taddick as he began to explain what they found.


    ¡°You remember how that roper swept clean some buildings, don¡¯t cha? Turns out that the building had a basement. A workshop, to be precise. Wood carving tools and weird magic tools. Also plenty of scriptures praising the witch to high heaven¡¯s and back. But the most interesting part was a book about magic.¡±


    ¡°... A book about magic?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Took a peek but sure as hell didn¡¯t understand a lick of it. We brought it back with us, so Ria and them can take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­¡±


    They found a book about magic¡­ Was it just a regular old book about magic? Or was it about the magic the Worshippers used?


    ¡°Ria, I¡¯d like you to take at least a short look at it after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. So, Taddick, what else did you find?¡±


    ¡°Well, after we found that basement, we scoured the place for similar places. Saw some unpleasant stuff¡­ But everything else was clean. Nothing about the Worshippers. Just regular, old villagers. Except that none survived.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Korwen took another sip of his mug.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate what happened to them¡­ But that workshop, do you think it was a recent addition?¡±


    ¡°Some stuff was so dusty, I¡¯m sure it didn¡¯t see a cleaning the last three decades. So no, that wasn¡¯t a recent thing.¡±


    ¡°Then there was a Worshipper there since the beginning¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure seemed that way.¡±


    Then, did they select that village because there was a Worshipper there?


    ¡°Might mean that village wasn¡¯t a random selection. We¡¯ll report that to Ruben. Could be important. As for the book, we¡¯ll decide what to do with it after Ria took a look. And you found nothing else of interest?¡±


    ¡°The workshop had quite a few books but they were mostly very common ones with fairy tales and the like, most of them about the Witch. I think they collected anything there that had even the tiniest mention of her. There were also some books in languages I can¡¯t read, though. Ah, but we brought all the books with us anyway. Feel free to check them. Also took the tools.¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Taddick grinned before biting into the meat in front of him.


    ¡°I do have to wonder, though¡­ A village is usually not a place where you find many books¡­ Either he must have been important, a traveller from afar or the collection was something that was gathered over generations¡­ Then again, books about fairy tales are not exactly something that would people make you suspect as a Worshipper either¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh, most of them can¡¯t read, so they could have been about anything.¡±


    ¡°But some people do. I can¡¯t imagine the entire village being illiterate. This isn¡¯t the empire.¡±


    ¡°True that. But, Cap, not like you can ask them anymore.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Korwen shook his head subtly.


    ¡°Be that as it may¡­ How did everything else go?¡±


    ¡°Mostly fine. The prisoners have been docile, way too docile in my opinion. That giant woman, though. Seems she was hired muscle. Realised too late she mixed with the wrong crowd.¡±


    ¡°Mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that formal. Handymen. Travellers who did guard jobs on the side. They were offered good money to protect the Worshippers. Didn¡¯t work out well as one can see.¡±


    He chugged down his ale as if he wanted to forget what had happened.


    ¡°Not going to recite half their life story. Lots of shit went down after they joined. But she knew about at least two other villages that they had¡­ harvested before this one.¡±


    ¡°Is that really what they called it?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it. The woman¡¯s cooperative at least, compared to the other prisoners. We got mostly insults from them or nothing at all.¡±


    Taddick shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn¡¯t care less.


    ¡°We tied them up and gagged them. Their nonsense hurt my head way too much. And little made sense at all.¡±


    ¡°Mh, and I guess the woman didn¡¯t know what they were planning here?¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. She was only told the most necessary things. Heck, she didn¡¯t even know what to do with the ogres. She said there were certain people keeping them in line but she had no idea how.¡±


    Korwen frowned a little, seemingly disappointed there wasn¡¯t more information.


    ¡°I see. But at least she knows something. Ruben will be glad to hear that. If she¡¯s lucky, she might be pardoned if she helps out.¡±


    ¡°And if she¡¯s not, she¡¯ll still hang from the gallows. She still contributed to that tragedy just as much as the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s not our problem.¡±


    ¡°Right. It isn¡¯t.¡±


    Both of them smiled wryly at each other before continuing.


    ¡°Well then, outside those two issues, nothing much happened. We cleaned up what could be cleaned. Buried who could be buried. After that, we¡­ tried to prepare the corpse for transport. That was one hell of an undertaking, Cap. Merim¡¯s got all rights to be mad.¡±


    ¡°And I am!¡± shouted Merim in agreement, visibly more intoxicated than he should be¡­


    Sure¡­ Anyway, first things first: The thing¡¯s not only massive, it¡¯s way heavier than it had all rights to be. A miracle the carriages didn¡¯t break under that weight if ya ask me.¡±


    He glanced to his back, where the giant mountain of a roper corpse was lying. Following his gaze, I could see Emily and the girls running around it, inspecting it with all the curiosity those children could muster.


    ¡°And Merim already said it, but Yumi¡¯s tentacles sure made it hard on us as well. They didn¡¯t resist or anything¡­ But they had one hell of a grip on the corpse. We dug up half the road so we could load them on the carriage as well. When we were done, they just decided to wilt and leave behind those round mana crystals. You can believe me when I say that I was pretty mad at that point.¡±


    ¡°Somehow¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know they would¡­ make so much trouble¡­ I should have collected them before leaving.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just, next time, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick them up next time first.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that. Doubt many would be willing to dig another hole for nothing the next time.¡±


    Yeah¡­ I could relate to that a little.


    ¡°Anyway, after we got it freed and all that stuff, we went on to collect the mana crystal. Took some time but we got it. One huge thing, I tell ya, Cap. Haven¡¯t seen one that large since we took down that Landeater.¡±


    ¡°That certainly sounds large.¡±


    Unfortunately, I had no idea how large the mana crystal of a Landeater was. What even was a Landeater in the first place? I could take a guess from the name but¡­ Nothing good, probably.


    ¡°Right it does. Thankfully, wasn¡¯t too hard to get it out. Ria sure carved it clean out. After the girl¡¯s tentacles dried up, we basically only had to dig it out. We transported it with the wagon and I left some people to guard it.¡±


    ¡°Mh, a crystal that size invites more trouble than it is worth keeping for¡­ We might be able to sell it to Will or Ruben. I¡¯d rather not keep that thing around for too long. Especially since we got alternative ways for mana crystals now.¡±


    Korwen threw a glance in my direction. Well, yeah¡­ He¡¯d definitely have me make more mana crystals and mana orbs.


    ¡°Anything about the corpse itself?¡±


    ¡°Not much I could say about it, honestly. Seemed like standard roper fare.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We¡¯ll have the magic craftsmen take a look at it tomorrow.¡±


    Standard roper fare¡­ I had to wonder, what did they make out of regular roper materials? Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t the only one curious.


    ¡°Mr Captain, what can be made out of a regular roper?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Mh? A regular roper, huh¡­ I¡¯m not an expert on this so take it with a grain of salt. The most common way and the only one I am more or less familiar with would be leather. Roper leather is very elastic and flexible while still retaining some durability as a kind of leather. It¡¯s often used for high-class clothing. For us, it¡¯s interesting as a material for our tents. It¡¯s weatherproof and doesn¡¯t degrade easily. Plus, it¡¯s light.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, our tents...¡±


    ¡°We have several ones made with roper leather but most of them are made of smoked cloth or linen. We have to replace them once in a while and tents of roper leather are pretty costly.¡±


    So that¡¯s how it was¡­ Made me wonder if his reception tent was made of that leather. It looked like all the others to me. I¡¯d have to check next time.


    ¡°Mh¡­ And what else can be made out of it?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ I heard you can make some kind of drink out of to increase a man¡¯s vigour at night.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Ah, Karen instantly lost all interest¡­ Well, couldn¡¯t fault her. That wasn¡¯t really something she was caring for.


    ¡°I heard it also works on women¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So much to that loss of interest.


    ¡°Maybe. In the first place, I have never seen that myself. I mostly heard about it from my men once in a while.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, some of the younger rookies occasionally talk about stuff like that after they had some fun in the city. Not sure how true it is. They wouldn¡¯t notice the difference between such a drink and plain coloured water,¡± added Taddick.


    ¡°Pretty much that.¡±


    The two nodded solemnly.


    ¡°I see¡­ Maybe we should ask Elina,¡± wondered Karen.


    Well, Elina sure might know about that¡­ Although, I wasn¡¯t sure why Karen would want that. In the first place, we already knew that I could, uh, produce something similar.


    Makes me wonder if we could sell that stuff¡­


    If people were interested¡­ But before we did that, I wanted to make sure that wasn¡¯t actually some poison in disguise.


    ¡°Well, I think that about covers it up as far as I know, though. Either way, since roper leather is quite valuable, we stand to make a tidy profit from the corpse. Depending on how they evaluate it, it might be worth even more.¡±


    ¡°In other words, it¡¯s a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Right, Yumi. That it is. Together with the mana crystal, it¡¯s an amount that¡¯s not insignificant.¡±


    Even if Will decided not to sell us the fort, we still profited that much from this job, huh¡­ Korwen seemed really pleased with himself, after all. But¡­


    ¡°Captain, what are you planning to do with all that money?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Mm¡­ That depends, honestly.¡±


    ¡°On Will¡¯s decision?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As expected, huh¡­


    ¡°If we get a positive reply, most of the money would likely be spent on restoring the fort. After all is said and done, it has been in disuse for a long time. We¡¯ll need stonemasons, carpenters and many other craftsmen to bring it back into shape. That¡¯s going to need a vast sum of money. If possible, we¡¯ll also hire an Earth magician to fix the more severely damaged parts.¡±


    ¡°An Earth magician? Not Ria?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    He glanced towards Ria who was sitting opposite of us. She just shook her head in response.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not good¡­ at that¡­ type of¡­ magic¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±


    She was good at so many other things¡­ I would have thought that Earth magic would be among them.


    ¡°Krutz is pretty good at Earth magic but nothing compared to a skilled Earth magician who specialises in it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So we¡¯d have to hire craftsmen and even a magician to restore the fort¡­ And knowing that magicians could demand exorbital sums¡­


    ¡°After restoring the fort, I am thinking of hiring some craftsmen on a more permanent basis. Having a place to return to also means we can hire people who do not or cannot travel. A blacksmith willing to go out is a rarity. Not only because of the troubles travelling brings with it, but also the difficulty of working in a moving workshop.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So it¡¯d be possible to hire blacksmiths to work in the fort?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Not only can we increase their number, but we can also provide better work tools for them. And not only blacksmiths. Tanners, weavers, bowmakers. There are quite a few I¡¯d like to hire if possible.¡±


    Mh¡­ That was going to be quite a lot already.


    ¡°Well, and anything after that is still under consideration, so to speak. At the very least, I am still thinking about the details.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    But he had a plan for what would happen after that. Which was¡­ likely to travel beyond the areas he knew of¡­ he did mention he wanted to see the Beyond, the place north, past the ocean.


    ¡°Also, a lot of the money is also going to everyone involved. So you should think about what you use your money for as well.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Using our money, huh¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much I really wanted¡­ Actually, there was one thing. That pocket watch¡­


    ¡°I wanted to get savonette¡­ I should talk with Elina about that, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°If you want one, that would be a good idea¡­ Mm¡­ Did you have anything special in mind for it?¡± asked Korwen.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    I glanced towards Karen next to me.


    ¡°We wanted to get her one that looks similar to the one I have.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I see. Well, in that case, I won¡¯t butt in.¡±


    Apparently, he wanted to suggest something in regards to the design¡­ Too bad, I wouldn¡¯t budge on this. Probably.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how good of a savonette you want, but if you want a good one, you might have a better time with that girl¡¯s master. He¡¯s extremely skilled as a magic craftsman. But¡­ if you want something beyond that, you might actually want to get one in Aldreigh.¡±


    ¡°In Aldreigh?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Aldreigh has very skilled craftsmen. They also charge accordingly, though, but if you save some of your wages until then, plus the bonus, you might be able to afford it.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    But that sounded like it¡¯d be extremely expensive¡­


    ¡°That sounds a little bit too much¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave that up to you.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, we aren¡¯t in Aldreigh anyway so¡­¡±


    ¡°The fort would be close enough to the border that you can make it to the royal capital within a week. That¡¯s why I planned to get certain supplies from there. And even if we don¡¯t, our next stop would be Aldreigh anyway, barring any other incidents.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    So, we¡¯d stop by in Aldreigh next, huh¡­ I glanced next to me, to Karen, gauging her reaction. Alas, she didn¡¯t really react. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was just because there was nothing to react to or if she was just hiding it.


    ¡°You should look forward to it. Aldreigh is a sight to behold.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Lafria is in a way relatively rural and small. You could say, it¡¯s a cosy kingdom. The empire is the exact opposite, oppressive and dark. Especially in the darker corners of it. And Aldreigh¡­ Aldreigh is¡­ magical.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Magical? How was I supposed to interpret that?


    ¡°Its magical technology is ahead of any other country¡¯s and it is full of capable magicians due to the demonkin¡¯s natural aptitude. Thanks to that, there¡¯s no shortage of magic craftsmen and magic tools. But what really sets it apart is the fact that they use magic as a tool of art.¡±


    ¡°Art?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Statues and paintings are among the more classic examples but they also create many other things, like flowers or even trees entirely created out of a magical crystal. There¡¯s a famous sight in the capital called the Crystal Forest. An entirely artificial forest created by magic. It¡¯s said to be breathtaking when witnessed at either sunrise or sunset.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A forest made of crystals¡­ That sure sounded like something I¡¯d like to see.


    ¡°At least, the sight of the forest itself is already beautiful enough that you can enchant even these lazybones with it, right?¡±


    Korwen turned to the people next to him. Or, rather, towards Taddick, who was nodding in agreement. Merim was¡­ slumped onto the desk. When the heck...


    ¡°Only saw it once but even I had to say that it was well worth the visit. It¡¯s unfortunate we couldn¡¯t see it at sunset back then.¡±


    ¡°We might get a chance this year. We¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Mh, if you do, I¡¯d gladly tag along. And I imagine, many others would love to as well.¡±


    ¡°If we show up with a large crowd again, the authorities are just going to get angry again.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, right, that would happen. We might be better off going individually or in small groups, huh...¡±


    Was this some vacation planning now? Sure felt like it. Suddenly, Korwen and Taddick started to discuss what they should do on the next visit to Aldreigh¡¯s capital¡­


    Guess I won¡¯t be getting anything out of those two anymore¡­


    With a wry smile on the lips, I turned around to Karen.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°If¡­ If we actually go to Aldreigh¡­¡±


    ¡°... Are you worried?¡±


    ¡°Well, a little.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With a smile, Karen put her arm around my waist and pulled me into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I told you, I will become a great magician and then show my parents how I have grown. Well, that won¡¯t happen in such a short time, though¡­ I guess I¡¯m a little worried¡­ But on the other hand, I can show you around the city. Mr Captain and Mr Taddick are right, it¡¯s a very beautiful place.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Then, I¡¯ll have you guide me.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, with pleasure.¡±


    The Aldreighan capital¡­ I was going to look forward to seeing it. But before that could happen, there were other things to look forward to.


    ¡°Hey, captain.¡±


    ¡°¡ªld you¡­ Mh? What, Yumi?¡±


    Seemingly a little annoyed that I interrupted his discussion with Taddick, Korwen turned his eyes towards me. Maybe I should have waited, after all¡­ Too late now.


    ¡°Did you hear anything from Will again?¡±


    ¡°... Ahh, well¡­ I did.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He plans to hold a celebration the day after tomorrow. We can bring up to eight people total.¡±


    ¡°Eight?¡±


    ¡°Right. Me and Merim are obvious. Greyward will come as well. After that you two and Fenna. For the remaining two, I am not sure yet. Might invite the Elder.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    So he had decided on six people to come, huh¡­


    ¡°We should talk with Wanda tomorrow, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we definitely should.¡±


    I could already imagine her displeasure upon hearing she only had one day left¡­ Was it even possible to do it in that short amount of time?


    ¡°Oh right, Lady Karker is going to come tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll pick up the two girls. Then, we¡¯re done with pretty much everything here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±


    Lily and Rina would finally be released tomorrow morning, wouldn¡¯t they? The time without those two was a little¡­ lonely, in a way. I was happy we¡¯d see them again tomorrow.


    ¡°It is. I¡¯ll be glad when all of this is dealt with. Really, I prefer it when people just give us a job, telling us to slay some monster and that¡¯s all. Even if it was profitable. Anyway, Taddick, what I was saying¡ª¡±


    And then he returned to his discussion with Taddick¡­ about planning their vacation. Well, if they had fun with it.


    ¡°Guess tomorrow is going to be lively, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s going to be lively as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh?!¡±


    Did she mean¡­


    ¡°Emily and the girls aren¡¯t going to let you sleep so easily.¡±


    ¡°... Right.¡±


    Forgot about that. Sorry, Emily, Maya, Sele. Really.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m not really that tired yet, though¡­¡±


    ¡°We did wake up late.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We did¡­¡±


    But those three would go and sleep pretty early¡­


    ¡°Well, more time to enjoy hugging them.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it you who will be hugged?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Body pillow Yumi, at your service. I was getting used to this. And I was enjoying it. A rather conflicting feeling but in the end, since I enjoyed it, I decided to let it go.


    ¡°Well, since we¡¯re done with dinner¡­ How about we join those girls and take a look at the roper? I haven¡¯t seen it from close up yet.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it. Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    With that decided, we both stood up and then said our good night to Korwen, who was too engrossed in his vacation planning to notice, and everyone else as well. Merim was completely out now¡­ Helma would have a hard time tending him.


    Well, not my problem¡­ For now, let¡¯s take a look at this.


    ¡°Emily, Maya, Sele!¡±


    We called out to the three girls and waved towards them. Noticing our approach, the three returned with an energetic waving of their own. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at the view. Time to humour those three a little.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Rain, Storm and Reunions

    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Look! Look how big it is!¡±


    ¡°Super big!¡±


    ¡°Nn, it really is big.¡±


    Emily and Maya looked at the giant roper¡¯s corpse, awe in their eyes.


    ¡°And you really fought it, Yumi? Big Sis Karen?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We kind of did?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Well, kind of¡­¡±


    We mostly just stood at the side and that was it. It was hard to say we ¡®fought¡¯ it like the other mercenaries did.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°Yumi is strong!¡±


    ¡°... Strong.¡±


    The girls including Sele now looked at me with awe in their eyes.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t really¡ª¡±


    ¡°Maya, didn¡¯t someone say it was as strong as a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Molrov said that.¡±


    They weren¡¯t listening¡­ And who was Molrov?


    ¡°Then, Yumi and Big Sis Karen are as strong as a dragon slayer?¡±


    ¡°Dragon slayers!¡±


    ¡°Girls, we didn¡¯t really do anything¡­¡±


    ¡°¡±So strong!¡±¡±


    They weren¡¯t listening!


    ¡°Sis, help me¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­ Maya, Emily, Sele, the strong ones are Mr Captain and Miss Ria and all the others¡­ Ria is the one who finished it off. We were¡­ Right, we were cheering them on.¡±


    ¡°¡±Cheering?¡±¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three girls tilted their heads, completely in sync.


    ¡°Yes. You know how, when someone cheers for you, you want to do your best?¡±


    ¡°We do!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we did.¡±


    ¡°¡±Ohhhh!¡±¡±


    And once more, they looked at us with awe...


    ¡°So, they did their best because you cheered for them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d be happy if that was the case.¡±


    Karen smiled wryly at the three, who were making a bit of a ruckus and shouting ¡®Amazing!¡¯ full of excitement. Well, mostly Maya and Emily.


    ¡°Yumi! Big Sis Karen! Was it strong? As strong as a dragon? Tell us, tell us!¡±


    ¡°Tell us!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well now¡­ Maybe they were a little too excited. But maybe it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Calm down, you girls. We¡¯ll tell you, okay? But how about we sit down first?¡± suggested Karen.


    ¡°Ahh, then!¡±


    Emily ran off to the side and stopped near the roper. She climbed on top of the carriage where the roper was still lying on. She shoved some of the limp tentacles away, freeing enough space for all of us.


    ¡°Here! Here!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Before we could say anything, Maya and Sele had run over to Emily and joined her. Honestly, I had some¡­ reluctance, sitting right there and using the roper corpse as a rest spot¡­


    ¡°Those girls¡­ What should we do, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much we can do except humouring them¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen¡¯s face told me that she also was a little reluctant to sit there in the shadow of that humongous corpse. Still, those three girls were still waiting for us, oblivious to our inner turmoil.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll work if I pretend it¡¯s a big Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can grow that big.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s something you should try out?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go to them.¡±


    I¡¯d rather not be forced to grow so many tentacles that I¡¯d look like this tentacle mountain. Even slumped down, they had to chain together several carriages and it was still spilling over the edges at some points¡­ I honestly thought it was a miracle that they had even managed to transport it like that but I digress.


    Let¡¯s forget about that for now. For now, I should think about what to tell these girls¡­


    Still pondering, Karen and I joined the three girls on the free spot and began to tell a small tale.


    ¡°Now then, listen well¡­¡±


    By the time we had finished, the sun was already nearly out of sight. The three girls had been listening rather obediently, only interrupting once in a while to pose a question. It was pretty adorable whenever they voiced their excitement, so we might have embellished the story just a tiny little bit. Of course, we also didn¡¯t tell them about some of the gorier parts, like what happened to the dead villagers.


    ¡°Mmmgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Emily?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep on me now.¡±


    ¡°Mmhh¡­¡±


    Now that we had finished, the three girls quickly went into their bedtime mode, looking all sleepy. They had finally spent all their energy. It was quite amazing how they went from superpowered energy bundle to utterly drained in just a few minutes.


    ¡°Nngh¡­ Huu¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s only a little more, Emily.¡±


    Tottering, Emily forced her eyes to open a little more. I had to hold her hand or she¡¯d probably walk to who-knows-where. Seeing that, Sele, immediately seized my other free hand, so now I was escorting these two back.


    ¡°Look, we¡¯re here, Emily.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Karen, who had taken the lead, held open the tent entrance, allowing Emily to teeter inside. Barely a few seconds later, she was lying on the floor, hugging the blanket, dead asleep.


    ¡°She really exhausted herself¡­ Maya, Sele, are you two still okay?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯m awake¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maya, who had held Karen¡¯s hand on the way back, was sleepily rubbing her eyes. Her ears twitched with every rub. Sele was the only one still going strong, which she showed us by nodding to Karen¡¯s question.


    ¡°Well¡­ Not for long, from how it looks. Come, get inside.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Maya went inside, and lied down next to Emily. Then, she tried to free the blanket from Emily¡¯s grasp¡ªwithout success¡ªbefore giving up and just hugging Emily instead.


    ¡°... Sele, are there any other blankets.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A nod.


    ¡°There are?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Another nod. Followed by Sele pointing to the corner of the tent.


    ¡°Oh, there really are some.¡±


    Karen picked up two blankets, one to cover Emily and Maya and one for us. The blankets were pretty large so there shouldn¡¯t be any fighting for the blanket at night¡­ Hopefully.


    ¡°Sele, you should lie down as well¡­ Yumi and I will join you in a bit as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She didn¡¯t nod, instead just staring at us. Honestly, I was just as confused since I expected us to lie down as well and create yet another pile of sleeping girls using me as a body pillow. Maybe she wanted to talk with me about something first?


    ¡°Sele?¡±


    ¡°... Not¡­ sleepy?¡±


    ¡°Us?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Well, we woke up pretty late, so I don¡¯t think we can sleep yet¡­¡±


    Ahh, so that¡¯s what Karen had intended to do. It was true that I wasn¡¯t sleepy at all yet and it¡¯d likely take some time before I could fall asleep¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll be just outside, okay?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll join.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Outside.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Apparently, Sele wanted to join us¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ But are you not sleepy?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Well¡­ But if you are feeling sleepy, you have to sleep, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A nod. Well, if she was fine with that.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s leave these two sleeping.¡±


    Making sure not to make too much noise, we left the tent.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Is there anywhere we can sit down¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a bench there.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Someone had generously placed a bench and a table nearby. Well, they were placed all over the camp, so it wasn¡¯t a big surprise. The three of us sat down on the bench, with Sele in the middle. The horizon was coloured in a deep red and the shape of the sun was already disappearing behind the roofs.


    ¡°Sis, are those clouds?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Oh, you¡¯re right. It might rain tonight.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Rain...¡±


    Rain, huh¡­ It had been mostly sunny since I had come here. This would be the first time I¡¯d see any rain.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Weird question: Does it rain often in summer?¡±


    ¡°Well, let me think for a moment¡­ In Arkesta it was nearly always sunny for most of the Summer¡­  We rarely had rain. But when autumn came it would rain a lot. Many in the slums would fall ill and die...¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That really made me wonder how they even survived winter, when Autumn was already that hard on them.


    ¡°... South.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Sele spoke up, taking me by surprise.


    ¡°Autumn¡­ Rains a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, how about Lafria?¡±


    ¡°Less rain¡­ More sun¡­ Hard winter¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. You know a lot, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I had just asked out of curiosity but she really answered me. She even smiled at my praise, looking a little smug.


    ¡°I wonder if it¡¯ll snow when winter comes.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ You want it to snow?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s pretty and you can play around with it.¡±


    ¡°... Are you really sure you aren¡¯t a child? Usually, snow isn¡¯t all that welcome. It¡¯s cold and people get ill.¡±


    Right, that could happen¡­ That would happen even back in my world when someone forgot to dress properly for the cold. Although, a simple cold wasn¡¯t as likely to kill someone.


    ¡°Rude, I¡¯m a proper adult, right, Sele?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She cocked her head to the side, staring at me.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like she agrees with you.¡±


    ¡°... Sele! You traitor! I believed in you!¡± I exclaimed in an exaggerating, theatrical voice.


    ¡°... Hehe.¡±


    Sele giggled, so quietly that I barely missed it.


    ¡°Well, putting aside your maturity for a moment¡­¡±


    That¡¯s not something you should just put aside.


    ¡°... I guess I won¡¯t have to worry about the snow as much anymore now.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because I have a warm bed and warm clothes now. Both weren¡¯t something I could easily come by in the slums.¡±


    Karen had a strained smile on her lips, maybe remembering that time.


    ¡°But now, where else could I have such a luxurious bed with all these cute girls around me?¡±


    ¡°Well, it certainly is going to be warm.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    Karen pulled Sele and me into her arms, placing Sele on her lap in the process.


    ¡°Waaahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh? Something the matter.¡±


    ¡°... No, nothing.¡±


    Well, Sele seemed to be really happy, sitting on Karen''s lap. So unfair, that was my spot¡­


    Only for today, Sele. Only for today!


    Seriously¡­


    Autumn, winter, spring and the next summer, huh¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to them.


    It didn¡¯t take all that long for Sele to feel sleepy in the end. Once we brought her to bed, we decided to just call it a night and sleep as well. With Sele still clinging to Karen, that was pretty much our only choice anyway. For once, it wasn¡¯t me who was the body pillow! Not for long, of course.


    The next morning, we woke up to heavy rain coming down from the sky. Thick droplets splashing the ground and turning the earth into mud. The first rain since I came to this world. And it was quite some heavy rain. Mercenaries ran to and fro, covering their heads with pieces of cloth or whatever else they could find to protect themselves from the rain.


    Breakfast was, for once, distributed to the tents, so that people didn¡¯t have to grab it by themselves. After we finished, we split up with the three girls, who didn¡¯t want to go out. Or rather, Maya and Sele didn¡¯t want to. Emily was wet down to her underwear within seconds¡­ And now sitting wrapped up in a towel in the tent.


    ¡°It¡¯s really coming down¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Fenna, is it always this bad?¡±


    I turned to the woman standing next to us.


    ¡°In Lafria? No, usually not. Down in the empire it gets often like this in autumn but I don¡¯t think we often had days like this while we were in Lafria.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°It might get stormy so don¡¯t leave if you have to.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±


    Karen and I moved away from the tent entrance and sat down. We were in the reception tent, together with Fenna. Miss Karker was coming to pick up El and Nel so we were waiting here for them. Korwen and Merim were picking her up at the city gate right now.


    ¡°Are the tents and all that going to be fine if it gets stormy, though?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. But we moved most stuff already back to the wagons.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°We did that yesterday, you know?¡±


    Ah, they probably noticed the clouds yesterday already?


    ¡°Did you already know it might turn into a storm just from the clouds?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t, if that¡¯s what you want to know. But there are some men that come from Lafria and they said that so many rain clouds in the middle of summer might mean that a summer storm is coming. And so we already moved most valuable things away, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Turns out they were right.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The wind was pulling in the curtains of the tent, flapping it open and letting the cold wind flood inside.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Yumi, we need more clothes. To pile on.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ We do.¡±


    It probably wasn¡¯t the time to say that the cold didn¡¯t bother me as much. Just like with the heat, it seemed that I was rather resistant to the temperature changes. It was weird, though. I knew it was cold, but it was just¡­ unpleasant at most. Uncomfortable. But not really freezing, per se. It was hard to describe.


    ¡°We should talk with Wanda about that later.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    Once more, the wind blew through the camp, dragging on the tents and making the mercenaries outside panic. Really panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little ironic.¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°When they fought against the roper, they were so calm¡­ But now they are all panicking because of the storm¡­¡±


    Trained men capable of fighting off humongous monsters. Yet, here they were, desperately trying to keep the camp in one piece as the storm ravaged whatever it could reach out to.


    ¡°Monsters are things you can fight. Weather is not,¡± commented Fenna.


    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, it really was hard to do anything about it¡­


    ¡°I wonder if Ria could do something about this.¡±


    ¡°You mean with magic?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure on the details but she said that messing with the weather tends to have very unpredictable results. And that she¡¯s more likely to make it worse than better.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate.¡±


    But wasn¡¯t that also implying she could mess with the weather if she wanted? The more I heard, the more impressed I was at Ria. At least, it didn¡¯t seem like this kind skill she showed was a common thing, seeing how everyone treated her with respect and trusted her.


    ¡°All we can do is sit it out. Not really anything else we can do.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Right at that moment, a light flashed through the curtain at the entrance.


    ¡°Was that¡­¡±


    We waited several seconds until a loud thundering noise bore down on our ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s really a storm.¡±


    ¡°It is. And summer storms are the worst¡­¡±


    ¡°Will Miss Karker even come in this weather?¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­ If she doesn¡¯t show up, she¡¯ll probably send someone to inform us.¡±


    Fenna just shrugged her shoulders at my question. I really couldn¡¯t imagine anyone being willing to go outside in this weather¡­


    ¡°Hey, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You said Lily and the girls wanted to take a bath?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°... In this weather?¡±


    ¡°In this weather.¡±


    They had to be crazy¡­ The baths were also inside a tent¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re probably just wiping down in a wagon¡­ I hope. But they were kind of locked up so they¡­ Well¡­ Didn¡¯t have much chance to clean up.¡±


    ¡°My sincerest condolences. And you didn¡¯t give them something to wipe down with?¡±


    ¡°We did but you can¡¯t really do much against the smell after a while.¡±


    ¡°Really, my condolences.¡±


    They had suffered¡­ And when they finally got released¡­


    ¡°I hope they¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t get blown away so easily. Doesn¡¯t yet look like the storm picked up that much¡­ As long as the tent doesn¡¯t collapse, that is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not exactly helping with my worries, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! For real, though. Lily knows what she¡¯s doing, so they¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m more worried about Emily and the girls.¡±


    Emily and them, huh¡­


    ¡°They said they¡¯d stay in the tent but¡­¡±


    ¡°The captain sent someone to bring them to the wagons before you two came.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    As thoughtful as ever he was.


    ¡°Woah, another one.¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes went wide as another flash illuminated the sky.


    ¡°Twenty-one¡­ Twenty-two¡­ Twenty-three¡­ Twenty-four¡­ Twenty-five¡­ Twenty-six¡­ Twe¡ª¡±


    And a loud thundering noise before I could count to Twenty-seven.


    ¡°Around two kilometres away, huh...¡±


    ¡°¡®Kilometre?¡¯ What¡¯s that?¡± asked Fenna.


    ¡°A unit of distance from where I am from. It¡¯s, uhh¡­ quite a bit away.¡±


    ¡°... And why did you count numbers?¡±


    Fenna, as well as Karen, both stared at me, incredulous about what I did.


    ¡°Eh, well¡­ sound travels at a certain speed, you see. So if you know how long it took for the sound to arrive, you can guess how far away it is. And sound travels really fast.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, I didn¡¯t know¡­ You learn something new every day with you.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t even put much thought into it when I started counting. It was something we had done back home whenever there was a storm. Good ti¡­ mes?


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    We¡­ did that, back then, didn¡¯t we? But¡­ ¡®we,¡¯ huh¡­


    I remember that we did count the numbers when we were small¡­ But¡­ not much else¡­


    Who I counted numbers with¡­ their faces and names were still¡­ black¡­


    ¡°Yumi, something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... No, just¡­ Nothing.¡±


    I smiled in an attempt to reassure Karen, who was now looking at me with worry. Thankfully, Fenna decided to butt in before she could continue.


    ¡°So, this ¡®kilometre¡¯ thing¡­ How far is it?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Well¡­¡±


    How did one measure that distance without any tools? No clue.


    ¡°The closest I can think of¡­ If you walk at a normal pace, you walk around five kilometre in an¡­ in half an hour.¡±


    Nearly forget the length of their ¡®hour¡¯ was twice what I was used to¡­ Probably. Also not something I could measure but it probably wasn¡¯t something I had to anyway.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I see¡­ At a normal walking pace¡­ That¡¯s pretty far... I guess. A little hard to imagine.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Sorry, I couldn¡¯t think of anything better.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Just then, another flash came. This time, I counted the numbers in my head and sure enough¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s getting closer, slowly.¡±


    ¡±Mh, I see. That¡¯s a good way of figuring out whether it comes closer or moves away.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, yes.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t something I had thought of, to be honest¡­ But she was right.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that. Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    The wind only got stronger and the tent slightly tilted to the side.


    ¡°We¡­ are safe here, right?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. This tent is very robust. The wagons flipping over is more likely.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something I¡¯d like to hear either¡­ Does that happen?¡±


    ¡°Once in a while¡­ We usually turn the wagons so they don¡¯t bear the brunt of the wind but when the wind suddenly turns, there¡¯s not much you can do about that¡­ That¡¯s why we move anything loose into wagons where nobody takes shelter in.¡±


    They thought that through already, huh¡­ Or maybe it was just experience teaching them.


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    At that moment, Karen and Fenna both turned to the entrance of the tent. A second later, the curtain flapped open and several silhouettes ran inside.


    ¡°We¡¯re safe! Ahhh, screw this weather! Ah, Yumi! Karen! Long time no see!¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    In ran Lily and Rina, closely followed by Elma and Nela, all four of them drenched to the toes.


    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s been so long. Let me hug you!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mi¡ª Wait, stop! You¡¯re completely drenched, Lily!¡±


    ¡°Karen!¡±


    ¡°Woah! Sto¡ª COLD!¡±


    And the first thing she did was dragging Karen into her arms and sharing all the rainwater with her¡­


    ¡°Ahh, now I¡¯m wet, too! Lily!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really Karen¡¯s angry face! We¡¯re finally out of that thing.¡±


    Pleased with herself, Lily nodded several times, completely ignoring Karen.


    ¡°Lily, Rina. It¡¯s good to see you are fine.¡±


    ¡°Yumi! I heard about it, you went with the mercenaries, didn¡¯t you? And I saw that roper.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, we did.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. You did your best, too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Nn¡­¡±


    Lily was smiling broadly, patting my head.


    ¡°It¡¯s really great to see you two again. Seriously.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Was it hard?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t believe it¡­ You completely loose your sense of time after a while¡­ I mean, we played just about any game we could with four people in such a small space but it was seriously boring. And my nose was killing me after a while.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that¡­ My condolences¡­ Did you take a bath or¡­¡±


    ¡°Wiped down as good as we could. Not like it made much difference in this rain.¡±


    She scowled as she threw a glance to the entrance.


    ¡°You girls, I got some towels here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Fenna. Thank you.¡±


    Fenna handed a towel to each of the four girls plus Karen, so they could wipe themselves dry. Rina was apparently talking with Karen and El and Nel had sat down. They looked really exhausted.


    ¡°It was especially hard on them,¡± said Lily, looking towards the couple.


    ¡°I can only imagine. And Rina?¡±


    ¡°I was more worried about her saying that ¡®she was used to it,¡¯ you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was indeed worrying.


    ¡°I just wish it wasn¡¯t raining right when we leave¡­ This is already a storm isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, seems like it.¡±


    ¡°What timing¡­ I was looking forward to lazing around outside¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen now.¡±


    Lily sighed as she finished drying her hair and then reached down with her towel to dry her tail.


    ¡°Stupid weather¡­¡±


    Once she finished drying her tail as best she could, she sat down on a chair and leaned back. Then she looked at me, scrutinising me from top to bottom.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I heard from Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Heard about that?¡±


    ¡°... The War Maiden thing.¡±


    Lily grinned as she looked at me.


    ¡°Never did I think that you would end up my boss. Life sure is strange, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    So she had heard already¡­


    ¡°But a squad with you and Karen, huh¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°Sure am.¡±


    She was.


    ¡°The Elder is also with us, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I heard she joined us for good, so that was true?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see. So it¡¯s the four of us. But the Elder. Not something I would have expected, considering our first meeting.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    We were fighting each other, after all¡­ And they did sic those spirit trees on us.


    ¡°The four of us¡­ Mhm, a squad full of cute girls. Hehehe, if only Rina would join us, it¡¯d be perfect.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to happen.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ She¡¯s still thinking about what to do herself. But she did say she didn¡¯t want to join the fighting team.¡±


    Well, that was probably the most sensible choice for her.


    ¡°Well, but on the other hand, she¡¯ll wait for you to come back, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me¡­ Wait for me¡­ I think I like that.¡±


    This one was pretty simple and straightforward, too.


    ¡±Mhm, that sounds good! Hehehe, now I¡¯m looking forward to it even more.¡±


    ¡°Lily¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    If it made her happy, that was good enough.


    ¡°Ah, but¡­ Our squad will mostly protect you, won¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Mh? That¡¯s probably going to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, can¡¯t have everything, I guess.¡±


    She shrugged her shoulders. I got a good idea of what she wanted to say¡­ She just wanted to fight...


    ¡°Ah, but if you get more famous, then strong people will aim for you. Patience, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather they not aim at me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll protect you!¡±


    So much to that.


    Ahh, I really missed this. Talking with you and seeing Karen and the others.¡±


    ¡°... We missed you too, Lily.¡±


    ¡°That so? That makes me happy.¡±


    Lily swayed left and right on her chair, grinning happily at my words.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    When she was so unabashedly happy, it made her seem quite a bit younger than she really was.


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad I¡¯m back, too. Ahh, finally the confinement is over. Hey, do you know when they¡¯re coming? Or, if they come?¡±


    I sat down on a chair next to Lily as she posed her question.


    ¡°No. The captain and Merim wanted to fetch her at the gate but¡­¡±


    The storm was growing stronger and the tent kept tilting to the side every few seconds. By now, it was also really noisy outside.


    ¡°Fenna, don¡¯t we have blankets here?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, we don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. It¡¯s getting a little breezy.¡±


    ¡°¡®A little,¡¯ you say¡­¡±


    Fenna sighed as she was rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm up.


    ¡°It¡¯s the middle of summer and here we are, feeling cold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just the wind and rain making you feel cold. It¡¯s still warm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not making it better.¡±


    It was probably even worse for Lily and the girls who were still damp from the rain¡­


    ¡°Yumi, want to sit on my lap? I need someone warm.¡±


    ¡°Ask Rina.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t let me.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Lily¡¯s shoulders slumped down in disappointment. I didn¡¯t really have much reluctance towards sitting in Karen¡¯s lap, but apparently, Rina wasn¡¯t so keen on it. Too bad for Lily.


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°I hear someone coming.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Everyone perked up at Lily¡¯s words and turned their attention to the entrance. Several seconds later, the curtain opened, and two familiar men entered. Merim entered first, followed by Korwen behind him, who stopped in the entrance and held it open.


    ¡°There we are, Lady Karker.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Korwen. You are quite the gentleman, just like your father, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    A familiar-looking, older beastkin woman entered, followed by a younger woman, who was holding something resembling a primitive umbrella.


    ¡°Oh my, so many young girls here. Mr Korwen, you are a sinful man.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t joke around.¡±


    With a gentle smile, she turned to two girls in particular.


    ¡°Elma. Nela. I¡¯ve come to pick you up.¡±


    ¡°Grandma!¡±


    ¡°Lady Kar¡ª¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    "Gra¡ª Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Elma immediately ran up to Miss Karker and hugged her, while Nela stood a little behind her, before being pulled by Miss Karker and hugged as well.


    ¡°No need to be shy. Really, I¡¯m glad the two of you are safe. Truly, I am.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile when I saw this. It was just so heartwarming.


    I guess this is also the kind of conclusion for a job, isn¡¯t it?


    The mercenaries didn¡¯t only fight and kill, they could also protect others. And this happy, warm scene might not have happened if they didn¡¯t protect the girls.


    Just for this, I¡¯m glad I joined the mercenaries.


    That¡¯s how I truly felt.


    Rinne


    For once, an early chapter and an author note at the top because of a rather important topic. And a personal one.


    As many of you may or may not know, Germany currently has to fight with floods and damages caused by them. In fact, this involves the very region where I live. Thankfully, I and everyone in my family are safe and we didn''t suffer (m)any damages. The street I live in was closed down for a day or two but that was basically the extent of it for me. However, many didn''t have that luck. Even now at the time of writing, there are still dams in danger of breaking due to the damages caused by the rain.


    That''s why I would ask all of you, if you have some money to spare, to donate a little and help the victims of the flood.


    You can do so here at Germany''s relief coalition Aktion Deutschland Hilft (and for the lazy, the donation page). Just select the "Germany Flood" project for the donation. Even if it is only a small amount, every little bit can make a difference and help the victims.


    Of course, Germany is not the only place where this flood caused such devastation. As far as I know, Belgium and the Netherlands suffered similarly. If anyone knows where to donate for them, please let me know so I can add them here. (It might take a little before I can add them here since I''m not home right now, so preferably post them in the comments so that others can take a look there if I haven''t added anything here yet.)


    I''m sure you can easily look up the damage the flood caused here on the internet, so I will spare you any detailed accounts. But just as a personal note, seeing the river you grew up at grow to several times its regular size, flooding the nearby fields and carrying so much debris and other things along with it, was a very surreal experience.


    Thank you for your time.


    P.S.: That this chapter is also about rain and would go public under such circumstances is something I could never have imagined two months ago...

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Midst of the Summer Storm

    ¡°I am truly grateful to you and your mercenaries, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°We merely did what we were paid to do.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, if you say so, then that¡¯s how it shall be.¡±


    Still hugging the two girls, Mrs Karker thanked Korwen.


    ¡°I, for one, am glad that my judgement was not wrong. Have there been any issues I should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°No further attempts on their lives have been made during their stay, after the initial attack in the forest.¡±


    ¡°I see. I see¡­ I apologise, my girls. It must have been hard for you.¡±


    Mrs Karker gently patted the girls¡¯ heads with a smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, grandma¡­ It was only a little boring!¡± asserted Elma.


    ¡°Boring, huh? Then I¡¯ll have to make it up to you. Mm, I know. Maybe we should visit the Grand Spirit Lake for a small vacation. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°The Spirit Lake?!¡±


    Elma¡¯s voice rose when she heard her suggestion.


    ¡°Ahh, but¡­ what about the Academy?¡±


    ¡°The Academy will temporarily close its teaching facilities. Many students and even several professors are¡­ on a break, so to say.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    A break¡­


    ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s decided. Hohoho, of course, Nela will come as well.¡±


    ¡°Eh? But I¡­¡±


    ¡°I will inform your parents.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    With that, she let go of the two girls. Elma was smiling from ear to ear while Nela¡¯s face was flushed from embarrassment.


    ¡°I will need to talk with Mr Korwen for a moment. The weather is still bad so how about we wait until the rain lets off a little?¡±


    ¡°Okay, grandma!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s¡­ okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Good girls.¡±


    With a final head pat for the two, Mrs Karker turned to Korwen, who motioned her to sit down on a chair at the end of the table. Korwen himself quickly sat down on the chair at the end opposite Mrs Karker.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Lily!¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Just as we were ready to listen to Mrs Karker and Korwen, Elma and Nela approached us, or rather, Lily.


    ¡°Thank you so much for staying with us!¡±


    ¡°Thank you!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily stared at the two, dumbfounded by the sudden gratitude directed at her. But after a few seconds, she smiled at them-


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I hope it was a little more bearable with Rina and me around.¡±


    ¡°It was!¡±


    Elma asserted strongly her fists clenched in front of her, while Nela was nodding in agreement.


    ¡°If you ever need our help again, be sure to come by.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sure we will.¡±


    ¡°More like your grandma will, El.¡±


    ¡°Same difference!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It actually was quite different but¡­ Whatever. They were happy with it.


    After delivering their gratitude to Lily once more, the two went off to Karen and Rina, probably to thank Rina as well.


    ¡°Mh, they¡¯re cute girls, aren¡¯t they, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Don¡¯t cheat on Rina.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. But I can at least appreciate cute girls, can I?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s something you should ask Rina, not me.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get a positive answer from her, though.¡±


    Then she should seek a positive one even less from me. I didn¡¯t want to get involved in that.


    ¡°By the way, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the Elder?¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t know. She was speaking with the High Priest yesterday and I haven¡¯t seen her after that yet.¡±


    ¡°... The High Priest? That High Priest?¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes went wide in surprise.


    ¡°Are there other High Priests here?¡±


    ¡°... No. But, huh¡­ Not something I expected.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Seems they know each other.¡±


    ¡°She knows the High Priest? Well¡­ Thinking about it, I guess it¡¯s not surprising they know each other but on the other hand, the elves are pretty reclusive¡­ Or were. I wonder what the story behind that is.¡±


    So did I. But it was hard to ask the Elder if she wasn¡¯t actually present.


    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t do anything stupid, Lily.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I¡¯ll just ask her abou¡ª¡±


    A thunderous roar interrupted Lily. The unexpected ear-shattering thunder made both of us jump in surprise. A moment of silence ensued before Lily smiled wryly.


    ¡°That sure surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ The weather really turned¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure did. Hopefully, it won¡¯t last for days¡­¡±


    ¡°Days¡­¡±


    It¡¯d be a little problematic if it would last for days. The celebration at Will¡¯s place was slated for tomorrow after all. With this weather¡­ It¡¯d be a bit of a damper.


    Another flash, followed by a thunderous roar mere seconds later. The storm had approached us to the point it was very near now¡­ The wind hadn¡¯t slowed down any bit either and was still forcing the tent to tilt to the side regularly. The incessant rattling worried me quite a bit.


    ¡°The tent will hold, right?¡±


    ¡°... Probably.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very reassuring.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we don¡¯t often have storms like this¡­¡±


    And the first weather other than sunshine that I was experiencing in this world, turned out to be one such storm¡­


    ¡°Well, the captain doesn¡¯t look too concerned, so it¡¯ll surely be fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    We both glanced towards Korwen, who was discussing something with Mrs Karker. We kind of missed the chance to listen in and by now I had no idea what they were talking about. Either way, they seemed like they were about to finish anyway.


    ¡°So, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Did you and Karen have any work left for today?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re on break for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Her eyes went wide and she grinned after a few seconds.


    ¡°A break, is it? Since I¡¯m now in your squad, that means I¡¯m on break, too, right?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe you should ask Korwen or Fenna about that.¡±


    Speaking of Fenna¡­ Ah, there she was, behind Korwen. She had assumed her position behind him just like the woman accompanying Mrs Karker had.


    ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ll surely get one if you ask for it.¡±


    Knowing Korwen, he probably would force her to rest either way. He surely knew how mentally taxing that guard job had to have been.


    ¡°I hope so¡­ I¡¯ll definitely need some sleep¡­ Albeit, with this noise, I¡¯d be hard-pressed to sleep¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Hopefully, it¡¯ll be over soon...¡±


    ¡°Hopefully.¡±


    If it continued until tomorrow, it¡¯d be really a bother¡­ And we still had to visit Wanda as well, for the dresses. Could she even work in this weather?


    ¡°Oh, seems they are done.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around and saw that Korwen and Mrs Karker had finished their talk, the latter standing up from her seat.


    ¡°Thank you for your time, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Will you already return or do you want to stay here until the weather gets better?¡±


    ¡°The storm should let off later in the day, so I would like to indulge in your hospitality for a little while longer.¡±


    ¡°In that case, feel free to stay here. However, I hope you apologise that I have still work I need to attend to.¡±


    ¡°That is of no problem whatsoever, Mr Korwen. The girls surely can keep me some company.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t bother them too much. Greyward will complain to me if you do.¡±


    Mrs Karker only laughed it off, causing Korwen to shake his head before he also stood up from his chair and walked over.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain?¡±


    Karen, who was talking with Rina, El and Nel, turned around when Korwen called out for us.


    ¡°You still need to see Wanda, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We wanted to see her but in this weather¡­¡±


    I glanced towards the curtain. Through the gap, I could see the rain hammering down outside, turning the usually dry earth into a swamp of mud.


    ¡°Mh, I agree that this isn¡¯t the best of times¡­¡±


    Another flash followed by an immediate thunderous roar.


    ¡°Right above us. Wait for a while until the storm travelled a little away and then be off on your way.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Korwen nodded and then turned to Lily.


    ¡°Lily. I didn¡¯t yet have the chance to tell you: You did a good job. Take a break with Yumi and Lily. Did you already hear about the new assignment?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain. I have.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Having confirmed that, Korwen finally turned to Fenna.


    ¡°Fenna, take care of them. I still have some things to attend to. Merim, come with me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Sure, Captain.¡±


    Fenna saluted and Merim, who had been waiting at the entrance of the tent, gave a leisurely reply before he and Korwen left the tent, disappearing into the storm. A few seconds later, we heard some cursing and that was the last we heard of them for now.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi, he praised me!¡±


    ¡°Nn, he did, Lily. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, you think papa will praise me too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he will. You didn¡¯t meet him yet?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s busy with something¡­¡±


    Lily was smiling happily at being praised. She reminded me a little of Maya or Emily. Then again, who wasn¡¯t happy about being praised? Now, if only Greyward could praise her too. Well, he surely would once they met. Of that, I was sure.


    ---


    For a good while, we spent our time in the tent, talking with Mrs Karker, El and Nel. At some point, the storm let off a little, so Karen decided it¡¯d be a good time to visit Wanda now.


    Since we weren¡¯t sure if we were going to see El, Nel and Mrs Karker again anytime soon, we said our goodbyes, only for Mrs Karker to send us off with an ¡°Until tomorrow.¡± and confusing half the room. So, we¡¯d see her at the celebration tomorrow¡­ I wondered if El would come too.


    ¡°Ugh, this weather¡­¡±


    ¡°Come, Yumi, the faster we get to Wanda, the less you have to stand in the rain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming bu¡ª Woah?!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    The slippery ground suddenly gave way and caused me to tumble forwards, straight into Karen¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Thanks, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Jeez¡­ Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Holding my hand, we pushed through the rain, towards Wanda¡¯s tent. One of the few that weren¡¯t taken down and stored away. We literally sprinted the last bit, storming into the tent.


    ¡°Safe!¡±


    ¡°Woah, the heck are you girls doing?!¡±


    Wanda, sitting at her work desk, turned around in shock at seeing our drenched appearances.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come¡­ Wanda¡­¡±


    ¡°I can see that. Spirits above, look at you.¡±


    She stood up and fetched a towel, throwing it towards.


    ¡°Go and dry yourselves off before you catch something. Don¡¯t need you getting ill now of all times.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    We gratuitously accepted the towels and began to dry our drenched clothes. And especially my utterly drenched hair. It felt like a heavy weight was pulling my head, that¡¯s how much water it had soaked up.


    ¡°Just what in the Spirits¡¯ name drove you to dash through the weather here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We wanted to visit you because of the dresses¡­¡±


    ¡°Getting ill would defeat the entire purpose, though. Haa, out of those clothes. Wear this.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    She threw two baggy, oversized robes towards us. They were big¡­


    ¡°Hang the drenched clothes over there to dry.¡±


    ¡°... Thank you, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°Next time, think first.¡±


    ¡°But we had no idea when the rain would let off so¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true but¡­ Haa, you could¡¯ve at least brought something to shield you from the rain.¡±


    Unfortunately, the only thing that had been in the reception tent was Mrs Karker¡¯s umbrella. And we couldn¡¯t exactly ask for that one¡­ Either way, we had been fated to get wet anyway.


    Wanda returned to her desk, her back turned to us so we could change in peace. A rare moment of consideration from her. Karen and I stripped out of our wet clothes and slipped into the oversized, baggy robe.


    ¡°Ohh, this is surprisingly warm.¡±


    The robe was made of thick fabric with only an opening for the head and in the sleeves for the hands. Excluding, of course, the bottom. Wrapping my arms around my body, I could immediately feel a comfortable warmth enveloping me. Even if I didn¡¯t mind the cold as much as the others, I still preferred it comfortably warm.


    ¡°So, you girls came to checkup on the dresses?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see. Well, I¡¯m making good progress so I should finish in time for tomorrow. With the lack of time, I couldn¡¯t make anything elaborate, though. If you want, I can work on that some other time, though. Anyway, take a look if you want.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    With her arm, she gestured towards her left side. Two black dresses, held up by several strings attached to a bar and covered in threads and a few thick paper pieces keeping them in form.


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°These are¡­¡±


    Both of them were relatively simple in design. Both kept the shoulders free except for the straps and had no sleeves. Aside from that, neither allowed for much skin exposure, as they seemed to be long enough to reach down to our ankles.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still need to do some things like adding simple decorations.¡±


    ¡°Nn...¡±


    So, we¡¯d be wearing these tomorrow. Karen¡¯s was a little different in form, probably because she had a different physique. But both of them were relatively loose-fitting dresses from the looks of it. Like a child¡¯s fancy summer dress. Especially in my case. Imagining us in them¡­. Yeah, it was something to look forward to.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯d like you to wear them as a test. I still need to do some work first, though, so feel free to wait until then.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And with Wanda¡¯s permission, Karen and I admired the dresses for a good while longer until we were satisfied. The more time we spent on it, the more I was looking forward to this. And Karen seemed to share my feelings in this regard.


    ¡°I hope the weather is going to be fine tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯d be a shame if it was still like this then.¡±


    With that in mind, how would we even get there tomorrow?


    ¡°Sis, we¡¯re¡­ not going to walk there tomorrow, are we?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know?¡±


    Great¡­


    ¡°Did that old coot tell you nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No¡­¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Wanda stopped her hands and turned around, looking at us, exasperated.


    ¡°He said nothing at all?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... He should have at least given you a rundown on basic etiquette and the schedule¡­ That idiot¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    Now she was rubbing her temples. Apparently, this was¡­ pretty bad?


    ¡°Okay, listen you two.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Even if it is informal and you aren¡¯t expected to know etiquette so well you could perfectly recite it in your sleep, you are still expected to know at least some of it.¡±


    ¡°¡±...¡±¡±


    Korwen! You should have told us that!


    ¡°And now I¡¯ll have to drill at least the basics into you until tomorrow. This idiot, making my work even worse.¡±


    Ahaha¡­ I felt a little sorry for her but¡­ if it really was that important, there probably weren¡¯t many people we could turn to. Mrs Karker might be able to teach us, or El and Nel¡­ But on the other hand, it felt wrong to ask Mrs Karker to teach us¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯ll finish this first so you can wear the dresses. Then you can at least practise a little in the dress.¡±


    Scratching her head, Wanda returned her attention to her work, grumbling all the while.


    ¡°Ah, right, you brats, go wake that girl up. Over there.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ girl?¡±


    I looked towards the direction Wanda pointed at. There was a large bundle of blankets but nothing else...


    ¡°Since I¡¯ll probably have to teach her as well.¡±


    Now, that confused me even more¡­ I exchanged a quick glance with Karen before she walked to the corner of the tent, where the said pile of blankets was.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    A little unsure about what to do, Karen pulled the blankets away, revealing a small figure underneath. Much to our surprise.


    ¡°Miss Elder?!¡±


    ¡°Mmgh¡­ Mh?¡±


    And a sleepy-looking elf rose up from the pile of blankets, yawning.


    ¡°Karen? Mm... Good morning¡­ What is the matter?¡±


    She stared blankly at Karen, who was taken completely by surprise. After she collected herself, she smiled wryly.


    ¡°Slept well?¡±


    ¡°That I did¡­ But¡­ Oh, Yumi is here, too. Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning¡­¡±


    A little awkwardly, I replied to her greeting, still confused about what she was doing here. No, in the first place, it wasn¡¯t morning anymore¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, what were you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ahh, I was talking with Wanda here¡­ However, I must have fallen asleep at some point, did I not?¡±


    And then Wanda buried her in blankets¡­ Well, she said she slept well so it probably wasn¡¯t that bad.


    The Elder stood up and stretched her arms, then her sides by leaning to the left and then the right.


    ¡°So, what is the matter? Did you need me for something?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no¡­ Wanda just mentioned that we should wake you up¡­¡±


    Karen explained to her what we had just talked about with Wanda.


    ¡°Etiquette, you say? It¡¯s true that I am not well-versed in humanoid etiquette, so I would appreciate it.¡±


    So, the three of us were going to learn from Wanda, huh...


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°Karen?¡±


    ¡°If you are also joining the celebration, will you also be wearing a dress?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. Us elves do not have something akin to the dresses you humanoids wear. Or rather, we do but they are more¡­ something we don¡¯t wear on formal occasions. However, there are traditional clothes we wear for our rituals and celebrations, which I will be wearing this time.¡±


    So, traditional elven wear? I wondered what it¡¯d look like.


    ¡°One reason I am here is that I was consulting with Miss Wanda here about it. I am not familiar with the¡­ dress codes that you humanoids have. Luckily, it seems that our ritual wear is good enough.¡±


    ¡°At the very least, it is better than your casual wear. Who in their right mind walks around half-naked?¡± interjected Wanda.


    ¡°So you say, but for most elves, you humanoids covering most of your body strikes them just as odd. Why cover your body that you were born with? Are you ashamed of your own body? That¡¯s what most of them think.¡±


    Ashamed of our own body? That¡¯s how they looked at it?


    ¡°Miss Elder, you say what most think¡­ Then, what do you think?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Me? I know why humanoids wear clothes so it doesn¡¯t strike me as odd. Also, I have lived a long time among them, so¡­ returning to our elven customs was initially a slight challenge for me as well.¡±


    The Elder chuckled as she continued to reminisce.


    ¡°We elves are all born as females. There are no males. We are born from the forest, so there is no need for males. Our race will survive as long as the forest exists. As such, the complex relations of man and woman are something beyond most elves. Hehe, as such, it is a little amusing for me to watch them experience these feelings for the first time now.¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me have that little enjoyment. Anyway, as you may have surmised, even if we don¡¯t have a need for men as a race, our bodies can still serve those functions. They can still fall in love and bear a man¡¯s child all the same. And now, they are slowly discovering this little truth. They¡¯re like children, stumbling through their first steps towards adulthood. How could I not enjoy watching them?¡±


    She chuckled once more, amused as she was.


    ¡°Be that as it may, we still have some ritual clothes. They¡¯re made from our forest and are supposed to symbolise our life in harmony with the place that gave birth to us. I assumed they would be appropriate for this occasion.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Now I was even more curious about how she looked in them, though¡­


    ¡°But, I must say, what happened to the weather while I was asleep?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the storm? It started overnight and has been going on like this for a while¡­¡±


    ¡°A storm¡­ In the midst of the summer heat. Those are the most ferocious ones.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But it seems to have passed over us already so it should slowly get better now.¡±


    There was the occasional thunder roaring through the sky. The delay between it and the flash it followed after grew more and more with the passing of time.


    ¡°Is that so? It seems the worst has passed then, and this abode is still standing. We might have been in luck, then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think sitting in a storm is lucky, to begin with.¡±


    ¡°Storms are a natural phenomenon. They come if you want to or not.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡±


    They could¡¯ve come when we weren¡¯t here, though¡­ Ah, but considering the area they tend to cover, we¡¯d still get hit no matter where we were¡­ Was that what the Elder meant? Probably¡­


    ¡°We can just wait for it to calm down on its own. At least, a storm ends on its own.¡±


    With that, she seemed to have lost interest in the weather, instead turning to Wanda, who was still busy at her desk. She watched her for a few seconds before directing her attention to me.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What did you think of the High Priest?¡±


    ¡°The High Priest?¡±


    I stared blankly at the Elder for a few seconds, stumped by the sudden question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ He did seem like a good guy¡­ I guess?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ A good guy.¡±


    Why did she want to know about that?


    ¡°As you remember, I have talked with that brat who is now a High Priest.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She did. She even showed him around.


    ¡°While we talked, I discreetly consulted with him about¡­ your situation.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She had talked with him about me? She said she did it discreetly but...


    ¡°Would you consider getting yourself examined?¡±


    ¡°... Examined?¡±


    Once more, I could only stare at the Elder who suddenly threw such an odd suggestion at me. The Elder nodded in response before answering, her voice lowered so that Wanda wouldn¡¯t overhear her.


    ¡°According to what he told me, the priests manage most of the healing magicians of the country. And that most healing magicians act as priests themselves. And that includes the High Priest himself. A healing magician needs extensive knowledge about the body so that they can use their magic to diagnose the problems. He might be able to shed some light on your situation.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    I could barely contain my surprise when she told me that. He might be able to tell me about my body? Seriously?


    ¡°And I would suggest that same examination to that girl, Rina. Actually, I would say that she needs it even more than you. Either way, I know that brat since he was a child. He¡¯s good at heart, albeit a little¡­ touched in the head. I believe you can trust him. According to him, he is bound to silence by his oath to the Spirits when it comes to another¡¯s ailments.¡±


    Bound to silence¡­ And considering how frantic he was going on about the Spirits¡­ He probably would honour it, would he not?


    ¡°Of course, whether you do or not, I will leave that decision to you. And obviously, you will need Mr Korwen¡¯s permission as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was left speechless¡­ I did wonder often about my body¡­ But I always thought that the only one who could shed light on it would be Yumias at most. The healing magicians¡­ Ignoring that I did not even know of their existence, I didn¡¯t even consider getting examined by them once I learnt of them. Well, I did intend to keep my existence as secret as possible but as Korwen had said, that wouldn¡¯t be easy in the long term.


    They¡¯re like this world¡¯s doctors, aren¡¯t they? And she said they had extensive knowledge about the body¡­


    That professor had helped us with some general knowledge about monsters and how they worked. But obviously, I didn¡¯t get examined by him. But if it was a healing magician¡­


    ¡°Think about it. But it¡¯d be better to decide before we move on from this place. I believe you can trust the High Priest but that doesn¡¯t mean you can trust any healing magician. Furthermore, I know well that he is skilled enough.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ You say, if I want to, this would be the best chance?¡±


    ¡°That I do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In that case, there was little choice, was there?


    ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I¡¯d like him to examine me.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi. Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am, Sis.¡±


    I wanted to know what I was. And this was maybe one of the best chances I had to do so. Even if he couldn¡¯t tell me what I was exactly, he¡¯d probably be able to tell me what was going on with my body. Like, my bones, for example.


    ¡°That was a quick decision. But I have to ask as well: Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn. You said this is the best chance, right? And honestly, I think he is a good person, too. Albeit a weird one.¡±


    ¡°... In that case, we should ask Mr Korwen for permission once we see him.¡±


    The Elder smiled gently. To me, it seemed like she was relieved that I accepted her suggestion. Maybe she had been worried in her own way about me. It made me happy to know that.


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Elder. I probably would have missed that opportunity myself.¡±


    ¡°You are very much welcome, Yumi.¡±


    Rinne


    Hope everyone stays healthy, and thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Visiting the Spirit Faith

    ¡°Yes, just like that, just like that. You¡¯re doing well, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Am¡­ Am I?¡±


    ¡°Yes, considering you knew nothing about it. And this much should be good enough.¡±


    Wanda nodded, satisfied with my meagre efforts at ¡®etiquette.¡¯ If she was fine with it¡­ Far be it from me to say otherwise.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ But seriously, is all that really necessary?¡±


    ¡°There are even more rules I didn¡¯t teach you about, you know?¡±


    ¡°There are even more?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jeez, even this was already more than enough. How to give a greeting, how to eat, how to do anything. Okay, maybe not that much. The greeting and the eating part were really the only things. But they were important, according to Wanda. If we didn¡¯t even pay attention to those two things, people might look down on us and therefore the mercenaries as well.


    ¡°But they¡¯re not things you really need to worry about. I doubt Korwen would allow too many nobles to approach you girls. And I bet that¡¯s why he figured you didn¡¯t need to know about these things¡­¡±


    She shrugged her shoulders as if to say how stupid it was.


    ¡°Anyway, with this, you girls won¡¯t embarrass yourselves unnecessarily. Hopefully. Don¡¯t do anything stupid and you should be good.¡±


    We would try our best not to do anything stupid. Surely.


    With a little bit of uncertainty settling in my heart, I looked down at my body. The black dress that Wanda was working on was now donned by me. It was still not finished but it was already wearable. And I had to say, it was more comfortable than I had expected. Although, I was thankful that the greeting we had to do wasn¡¯t something like a curtsy. But more than that¡­


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    Karen, standing next to me, looked at me in wonder while I was fully enjoying the view. It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Magnificent. Maybe I should have tried to be a little more clumsy while learning about etiquette, so I could enjoy it a little longer. But Wanda would probably have noticed and I wasn¡¯t brave enough yet to face her fury.


    ¡°It really suits you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    Frowning, Karen looked down at herself, twisting her upper body left and right to get a better look.


    ¡°Nn, I do.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t seem like she was convinced by my words. Even though I really thought so.


    ¡°What, girl, you don¡¯t trust my judgement?¡± asked Wanda.


    ¡°I do. Of course, I do¡­¡±


    ¡°But? Anything not fitting? Anything you¡¯re not satisfied with?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing of the sort. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Does this really fit me?¡±


    Still frowning, Karen turned to Wanda with her question.


    ¡°It fits you well. Even the kid says so.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Anyway, before you continue to ponder about something so pointless, go and change your clothes. I need that back so I can finish it.¡±


    ¡°Pointless, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Pointless. What else is it if not pointless? Now, go and strip. All three of you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Looking a little reluctant, Karen fetched her other clothes and started to change out of the dress. The Elder, who had watched us silently and with obvious amusement, was already changing as well.


    Speaking of the Elder, the ritual dress she wore was rather interesting. A mysterious, white-beige garment, adorned with leaves and embroidered with colourful flower patterns. Especially the sleeves and the hem were incredibly colourful. I had to wonder just how much work had gone into this single garment.


    ¡°Yumi, you should change as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. Will do, Sis.¡±


    So far, lovely dress. We would see each other again soon but it was still nice for the short while it lasted.


    After changing our clothes, we handed them to Wanda.


    ¡°Good, good. I¡¯ll have them finished by tomorrow. And, you should come visit before evening so we can do a last check if everything¡¯s fine. You wouldn¡¯t want to be late tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s all from me. You¡¯re free to stay here until the weather clears up, just don¡¯t get in my way.¡±


    With that, Wanda returned to her workplace, completely ignoring us.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis, Miss Elder, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The three of us exchanged glances, unsure about our next course of action. Not like there was much to do anyway. The weather was bad and everyone was hiding in the tents and wagons for now. The wind had already calmed down a little but the rain hadn¡¯t abated at all.


    ¡°I guess we should wait and hope for the rain to calm down. At least, I don¡¯t want to get wet again.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case, I have a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder?¡±


    Karen and I both turned to the Elder, who held up something in front of her chest. A small ornamental box.


    ¡°Wanda has taught me about this humanoid pastime. Wouldn¡¯t it be a good opportunity to play and wait for the rain to pass?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ card game?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Inside the box was a stack of cards. Yes, just cards.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind. Sis, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Neither do I. But¡­ Miss Elder, which game did Wanda teach you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®The Lying Pauper,¡¯ apparently.¡±


    At the mention of the name, Karen¡¯s face turned into a grimace. It took me a moment to remember why.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Isn¡¯t that the game we played with the mercenaries, Sis?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    Right¡­ The game where you placed cards face-down and called out their value. And the point of the game was, that you couldn¡¯t call out a value lower than the previous card that was played, so you inevitable had to lie at some point. And if you were caught lying, you took all the cards. And if someone mistakenly thought you were lying, they would take the stack. A simple enough game, really. Just, Karen nearly placed last at the time.


    ¡°So you both know the game?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we do.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! So, how about it?¡±


    The Elder was looking at us with eyes full of expectation. Iv was a bit surprised to see her this excited about a game. Maybe the elves didn¡¯t usually play?


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with playing it,¡± I said.


    ¡°... I¡¯m fine too. I won¡¯t lose this time.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Oh, even Karen was now fired up, huh? Maybe that near-loss back then hit her more than I thought.


    ¡°Hehe! I won¡¯t hold back!¡±


    ¡°NN, neither will I.¡±


    ¡°Same here.¡±


    The Elder distributed the cards and the first game of one in many had begun moments later.


    ---


    The storm had passed. Finally. It only took over a whole day. A while after the three of us started playing games, the storm calmed down enough that we could leave Wanda alone and make our way to our wagon, where we spent the remaining evening playing games with the Elder. One thing I learnt from this evening was that Karen wasn¡¯t really good at card games. And she was a sore loser. A bad combination. As for the Elder, she wasn¡¯t really good either but she enjoyed it even though she lost frequently.


    All in all, we had a pretty enjoyable day. The storm picked up again after we relocated to the wagon, though. That meant that dinner turned out to be cold food again, just like breakfast.


    After dinner, we continued to play and talk and waste time until it was time to sleep. The Elder left and Karen and I spent a comfortable night in bed. A very comfortable one, indeed. And then, the next morning, the storm had passed. Praise be.


    Which, however, brought us to the current situation. Karen, Lily, the Elder and me, discussing a certain topic with Korwen.


    ¡°An examination? For Yumi and Rina?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows as he contemplated the Elder¡¯s suggestion from yesterday.


    ¡°Mm¡­ He is a healing magician, so he would likely be able to help¡­ But that is assuming he won¡¯t give us trouble when he finds out what you are, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But the only other option would be to wait for Yumias to return.¡±


    ¡°If she returns at all. Who knows where that one disappeared to.¡±


    He leant back on his chair, staring at the tent¡¯s ceiling.


    ¡°Miss Elder, you really think he is trustworthy enough?¡±


    ¡°That I do, Mr Korwen. I cannot speak for his fellows but the High Priest himself would never divulge such a secret. He is bound by his oath to the Great Spirits and he takes this oath very seriously.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­¡±


    Falling silent, we waited for him to think about it for a little.


    ¡°Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea where Yumias disappeared to?¡±


    ¡°... No. I wish I did.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you have any idea when she returns?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either. For all I know, she could stand outside the tent and listen to our conversation right now. Or she won¡¯t show herself for months.¡±


    Lily smiled wryly. It was likely not easy for her either.


    ¡°But I think she will definitely return at some point. She always does. I just don¡¯t know when.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s just a matter of when¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡­ don¡¯t know if she would talk about Yumi¡¯s¡­ situation.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Korwen groaned, holding his head as if he was enduring a headache.


    ¡°Is there even any other choice then¡­¡±


    Probably not¡­


    ¡°At the very least, I believe this to be a good chance, Mr Korwen. The High Priest is skilled in the healing arts and, in my humble opinion, trustworthy. And if the witch herself cannot be relied upon, then I believe there is little choice, indeed.¡±


    ¡°And there wouldn¡¯t happen to be people who know more about Yumi¡¯s¡­ race, right? You told us there used to be others like her, after all.¡±


    ¡°Every Cursed¡¯s fate is unique, Mr Korwen. Their traits manifesting in different ways. Even if there were others like me, who knew about them, it would be doubtful whether they could help.¡±


    In other words, they weren¡¯t an option either.


    ¡°At the very least, none of the Cursed I met were alike, sharing only few similarities.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Once more, he fell silent, lost in thought. After a while, he looked up again.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s possible, I want to get examined. If the High Priest really can figure out something about my body¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He sighed, then straightened his back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll allow that examination. But only with an escort accompanying you girls. Also, I¡¯ll have Ria tag along as well. As long as you can abide that, I¡¯ll allow it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Seriously¡­ Don¡¯t you dare come back with no new insights, you hear?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try our best.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, Miss Elder, when can she get that examination?¡±


    ¡°As soon as she wants to.¡±


    Korwen blinked a few times, not quite understanding what the Elder meant.


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ Could you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°As soon she wants to. The High Priest told me that we are welcome to visit him at any time.¡±


    ¡°... Miss Elder. What exactly is your relationship with the High Priest?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Why?¡±


    Now it was the Elder¡¯s turn to be confused.


    ¡°The High Priest is not someone you can meet so casually, you know?¡±


    ¡°But he came here to treat the injured, did he not?¡±


    ¡°Because it was an emergency situation and the temples got instruction from above to help us. And without the High Priest, they wouldn¡¯t have been allowed to leave the city at the time. The city was under lockdown for the day.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he actually came along?


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am curious about your relationship with him.¡±


    ¡°My relationship with him¡­ I think it would be more appropriate to ask him instead of me. It wouldn¡¯t be proper of me to divulge this. But I can assure you it is nothing troublesome. We have simply known each other since he was a child.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t proper for her to divulge it? So¡­ it was something regarding the High Priest¡­ Maybe something embarrassing?


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it at that. If I have to ask him myself, asking I will do. Whenever I get the chance to meet him again.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, you will not come along?¡±


    ¡°If you wait for a few days, I could. But in a few days, I¡¯d rather be on the road already. There are still some things I have to deal with first.¡±


    When would he ever catch a break? Really¡­


    ¡°More importantly, we discussed Yumi already but what about Rina? She¡¯s¡­ different from Yumi, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    Rina wasn¡¯t here with us right now, mostly because Karen wanted to avoid confronting her about that past more than necessary.


    ¡°If I may, Mr Korwen¡­ That girl¡¯s situation is¡­ very unique, to say the least. She is not like the Cursed, neither is she like a monster nor a normal humanoid anymore. Outwardly, she seems to have no issues at all and the mana crystal has no influence. Miss Ria told me that she is the very picture of health, except for her lack of exercise. Considering her situation, that is something¡­ I wouldn¡¯t expect to be the case.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Rina was imprisoned for a long time. Even if you ignored for a moment how traumatic such an experience was, it was weird how healthy she was.


    ¡°So, you think there might be something more to it?¡±


    ¡°That I do.¡±


    Another groan escaped Korwen.


    ¡±Honestly, considering what the girl went through, I¡¯d prefer if she could take some distance from everything that happened¡­ But since this concerns her health¡­ Try to keep an eye out for her, okay? If you can do that, it¡¯s fine to bring her along. Of course, as long as her big sister allows it.¡±


    He glanced towards Karen.


    ¡°I do. I am worried about her as well, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then, that settles it.¡±


    So, we got permission to have Rina and me examined by the High Priest.


    ¡°That only leaves the question of when.¡±


    ¡°Nn, would it be possible to do it today?¡±


    As long as we were back by the time we had to meet up with Wanda, it should be fine, right? And I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Before my head had the chance to decide otherwise out of nervousness.


    ¡°Today, huh¡­ If you leave immediately after this and make sure you are back at noon, it should be fine¡­ Mm...¡±


    Although he said it was fine, he didn¡¯t exactly look thrilled at my question.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I guess the result won¡¯t change whether you go today or tomorrow. I¡¯ll trust you girls on this. Don¡¯t make a mess of things.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so. Haa¡­ If nobody else objects, I¡¯ll call for Ria and your escort. And Rina.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    ¡°I do not have any issues with it either.¡±


    Korwen stood up and promptly left the tent, telling the mercenaries outside to go and deliver the message. Moments later, he returned inside.


    ¡°And that¡¯s done with as well¡­ Seriously, why did you have to come and tell me this today of all days.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny, Yumi.¡±


    My deepest apologies.


    ¡°Looking at it positively, if we can shed some light on this mystery, it might benefit us in the long run¡­ I can only hope the High Priest keeps to his oath as you say, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°He will.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. I sure hope so.¡±


    Korwen was way more conflicted about this than I had expected, to be honest. I would have thought he¡¯d be happy about the chance¡­


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so worried about this?¡±


    ¡°Because we are talking about the High Priest. The High Priest. I know the man and I do trust him in his capacity as a healing magician. But faith and religion are tricky things.¡±


    So, he was worried because the person in question was a priest¡­


    ¡°Furthermore, the High Priest has a lot of influence. He always struck me as very rational despite his eccentric behaviour but in the end, I know too little of him outside of our work relationship. That¡¯s why I can only put my trust in the Elder¡¯s opinion.¡±


    And that worried him only more¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s just pointless worrying about something I can¡¯t change anyway. If you want to make it easier on me, report back to me as soon as you can and give me the results.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it. Will do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll help.¡±


    If it was just that, then that would be easy enough to do.


    ¡°Anyway, I shouldn¡¯t be more worried and negative than the people who actually get examined. Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine, Captain.¡±


    He was just worried for the mercenaries and for us. And that was his job, after all.


    ¡°Mm. I hope you will find out a little about your body, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°So do I¡­¡±


    I really hoped so as well.


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s one question I have. Miss Elder, Karen.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Mr Korwen?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Suddenly being addressed, Karen took a moment to respond to him.


    ¡°If the High Priest is able to shed some light on Yumi¡¯s situation, do you think he would know anything about Karen¡¯s and Rina¡¯s situation as demonkin? And Sele¡¯s as well.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    The Elder paused, lost in thought for a moment.


    ¡°I admit I did not consider asking him about that. And I, unfortunately, don¡¯t know if he could...¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Maybe you should bring Sele along as well and ask him about it. If he examines Rina, I wager the topic will come up anyway.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, that might happen.¡±


    ¡°Right? Then, take her with you. If you can, have him take a look at Karen and Sele as well. Especially Karen should get examined as well, considering that it¡¯s going to be hard to talk it off as dyed hair at some point.¡±


    He glanced at Karen, or more accurately, at the strand of pink hair that peeked out.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°It might be better to get that out of the way as well, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    Karen nodded weakly.


    ¡°It seems that the High Priest will have his work cut out for him today.¡±


    ¡°It might. But don¡¯t force the issue. If it is not possible, then leave it be. Rina and Yumi are the most important in this.¡±


    ¡°I understand. Although I doubt it will be an issue.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll see.¡±


    At that moment, the curtain of the tent opened, and Ria strolled in, followed by Rina.


    ¡°Captain¡­ You called?¡±


    ¡°That I did. I got some work for you.¡±


    Shifting his attention to Ria immediately, he explained the circumstances to her and to Rina as well. Shortly later, several mercenaries had gathered outside, fully geared and armed to the teeth.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I understand¡­¡±


    ¡°Take good care of them and make sure they get back safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­¡±


    Satisfied with her reaction, he turned to us again.


    ¡°Now then, off with you all. And don¡¯t forget to fetch Sele first. I wish you luck.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Captain.¡±


    He shook his head when he heard our replies that were all over the place, eliciting a chuckle from us.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Now, off with you all. Shoo, shoo.¡±


    Only to make us laugh even more.


    ---


    ¡°So¡­ This is it?¡±


    ¡°Seems so.¡±


    A while later, with our escort, Sele and Rina in tow, we arrived at the headquarters of the Spirit Faith in Lafria. Why headquarters? Because I wasn¡¯t sure whether you could this a temple or a shrine. It wasn¡¯t quite what I had imagined this place to be.


    It was a large building complex that spread out in front of us. In pure terms of space, it probably dwarfed even the Academy. However, every single building¡­ was only one story tall. One story. Not a single building was higher.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t really what I imagined it to be,¡± I muttered.


    And who could fault me? I expected some impressive building or the like. But this was¡­ rather subdued. If Ria hadn¡¯t told us, I would have never expected this to be where the High Priest worked.


    ¡°I heard they are building only small buildings in deference to the Great Spirits. Because it would disrespectful to try and reach the heavens where the Spirits are making their home,¡± replied Lily to my muttering.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°It coincidentally also helps the ill and injured who are here. This way they don¡¯t have to walk any stairs up.¡±


    Oh, that was true.


    ¡°So, this is more like a hospital?¡±


    ¡°A hospital? You mean like those care centres they have in Aldreigh?¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Well, they are medical care centres so I guess that¡¯s about right. But it is still a place of faith.¡±


    A place of faith¡­ It didn¡¯t seem like one. The buildings didn¡¯t look much different from everything else in the city. The largest difference was the plant decorations that were hanging down from pretty much every single roof as well as some statues and ornaments depicting what I believed to be the Great Spirits.


    ¡°That is fine and all but where do we find the High Priest now¡­¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Nn, good question.¡±


    There were plenty of people around, some wearing similar animal masks to the one the High Priest was wearing. Admittedly, not one of them was as imposing as the one he wore, but they were still rather¡­ creepy. Sele was already hiding behind me and Karen, peeking out and staring at the priests. We had kind of kidnapped her away from Emily and Maya and since then, she spoke even less than usual, clinging closely to me or Karen.


    ¡°There is a reception where you can state your business. It should be right over there unless they changed the place.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s convenient¡­ Lily, have you been here before?¡±


    ¡°Long ago, with Papa.¡±


    Lily¡¯s smile disappeared for a second at the mention but soon returned.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go.


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    We entered the building Lily had pointed us to. Considering how large our group was, we were attracting quite a few surprised stares. Some seemed even worried. If I had to guess it was because of how heavily armed our escort was.


    There really was no need to send the Dragon Knights along, was there?


    Although, they happily volunteered to do it, from what we were told. Didn¡¯t the elite of mercenaries have nothing better to do? Well, as long as it kept us safe...


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    As I pondered about our escort, the Elder had walked up to one of the animal-mask people.


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes? How may I help you?¡±


    Much to my surprise, there was a female voice behind the mask. Even if it was a little shaken.


    ¡°I am the Elder of the elves. I would like to meet with the High Priest, who graciously invited me.¡±


    ¡°The, the High Priest did? Uhm, if you could wait one moment!¡±


    The woman dashed away as if she wanted to flee¡­ The armed men were scary, huh¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, I heard you gave up the title of Elder, though?¡±


    ¡°I did, Lily, but how else do you want me to introduce myself?¡±


    ¡°With your name.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡±


    ¡°Lies.¡±


    ¡°I long forgot about it.¡±


    Lily frowned at the Elder¡¯s vague reply.


    ¡°Does that really happen?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Either way, whether I am or was the Elder, is not important. As long as that brat knows it is me, that shall be enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong but¡­ Whatever.¡±


    With a shrug, Lily dismissed the topic.


    ¡°More importantly, I hope this is going to work.¡±


    ¡°She went to inform him, so shouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡±


    ¡°Seeing how scared she was, maybe she¡¯s calling the guards instead.¡±


    Hopefully not. That¡¯d be exactly the type of trouble Korwen didn¡¯t want.


    ¡°For now, we shall wait and see. But let¡¯s move out of the way so that others can pass through.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    We were blocking traffic. Right. Upon the Elder¡¯s mention, our group moved aside, freeing up the space again.


    ¡°Now that I can take a look around¡­ The inside already looks more like a¡­ temple. Or shrine.¡±


    A long spacious hall with dozens of painted statues lining the wall opposite the entrance, each depicting a different creature. A masked priest was currently washing one of them, carefully scrubbing each nook and cranny. Once he was done, he clasped his hands in front of him and gave his thanks, probably to the spirit depicted. After that, he moved to the next statue.


    Except for the statues, the room didn¡¯t contain much else. Although, those statues used up a lot of space already anyway. In front of some statues were flowers, maybe meant as offerings or so. As for either end of the hall, they most likely led deeper into this¡­ temple.


    ¡°Sis, are all of those statues the Great Spirits?¡±


    ¡°I think so? I don¡¯t know. Lily, do you know?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the Great Spirits, you¡¯re right about that.¡±


    So they were¡­


    ¡°All of them?¡±


    ¡°All of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ There are a lot.¡±


    If I had to guess, maybe forty or fifty statues were lined up next to each other.


    ¡°There are¡­ If you want, I can tell you alter about it if you want. Or you ask the High Priest or some other priest here. Because the priest is coming back.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Already?¡±


    I followed Lily¡¯s gaze and sure enough, there she was. The female priest had returned already.


    ¡°Excuse the delay. If you would follow me. The High Priest is expecting you.¡±


    The woman bowed in front of us once before gesturing with her arm as if to invite us in.


    ¡°Well, that was a lot easier than I expected¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    At least, she didn¡¯t call the guards.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s follow her.¡±


    Time to meet the High Priest. And hopefully, I would be able to find out a little more about myself.


    Rinne


    Again, sorry for the delay and thank you for reading!


    Everyone, stay safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Bottled Love: The High Priest’s Judgement

    ¡°Hey, Ria?¡±


    ¡°... Mmm?¡±


    As we followed the woman leading us, I decided to ask Ria a question I had been pondering for a while.


    ¡°You can examine others too, right? So, what¡¯s the difference between what you do and what the healing magicians here do?¡±


    I knew for a fact that Ria could examine others with mana. She even taught me how to do it, albeit what I could do was probably very rudimentary. But, since it had never come up so far, that meant that Ria couldn¡¯t do what the healing magicians here could do¡­ or at least, I thought so.


    ¡°That is¡­ a difficult¡­ question¡­ What I¡­ do¡­ is very¡­ basic¡­ compared¡­ to their¡­ work¡­ I can¡­ treat¡­ disease spirits¡­ and¡­ simple¡­ ailments¡­ The¡­ skill itself¡­ is the same¡­ They are¡­ just much¡­ better than¡­ I am¡­ at it...¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So the reason she never examined me was that she didn¡¯t have the requisite skills?


    ¡°I did¡­ try to¡­ examine you¡­ once¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? You did?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ When you¡­ were drunk¡­ and had¡­ a hangover¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    The¡­ hangover¡­ That one wasn¡¯t pleasant¡­


    ¡°But¡­ I couldn¡¯t...¡±


    ¡°You¡­ couldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Mana¡­ is used¡­ to examine¡­ someone¡¯s body¡­ But¡­ all mana¡­ that enters¡­ your body¡­ is absorbed¡­ immediately¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t that mean the High Priest would have the same problem?¡±


    ¡°He might¡­¡±


    Great¡­ And I didn¡¯t know how to turn it off either¡­ Just great...


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m sure¡­ he will¡­ able to¡­ do it¡­ nonetheless¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The High Priest¡­ is very¡­ skilled¡­ as a¡­ healing magician¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Hopefully, she was right and he could do it despite my body draining the mana¡­


    ¡°Dear guests. If you could wait here for a moment.¡±


    The woman stopped in front of a large double door and bowed to us.


    ¡°We will wait,¡± replied the Elder.


    ¡°Thank you very much. Then, excuse me.¡±


    The woman opened the large door and disappeared inside, leaving us alone.


    ¡°Is this where the High Priest is?¡± I asked the Elder.


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    While I talked with Ria, the had priest led us through multiple hallways, then to the outside and into a different building before finally stopping right here. Except for the supposed reception hall, everything was¡­ very modest, in appearance. The most you could see were decorations of large creatures, likely the Great Spirits again. The only exception was this overly large door, probably twice my size in height alone. Dozens of creatures were depicted on it, seemingly¡­ fighting something.


    Unfortunately, I knew too little about the Great Spirits and the accompanying faith to say what it was that they fought.


    Wait, didn¡¯t the Elder tell me about that Great Spirit War before? Maybe it is related to this?


    Although, she kept herself short with a slightly basic summary¡­ That the Great Spirits fought each other and that that monster, Yumias, was also involved somehow.


    ¡°Excuse the wait.¡±


    Just when I was thinking of asking Ria again, the door opened and the woman reappeared again.


    ¡°The High Priest is ready to see you. However, I must ask your guards to stay behind and that you leave any weapons you carry with you here.¡±


    Not like I was carrying any weapon anyway¡­ I did have some mana crystals but they probably didn¡¯t count as a weapon, right?


    ¡°That is fine. Yumi, Karen, Rina, Lily, Sele, Miss Ria. Shall we?¡±


    The Elder turned around, asking for our response. Everyone promptly agreed¡­ except for Lily¡­


    ¡°Do I really have to leave my weapons behind?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We cannot allow any danger to approach the High Priest. Please disarm.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Rather reluctant, Lily handed over her weapons to one of our escorts¡­ Well, it was only a small dagger and a¡­ shortsword. Not even Lily would bring along her huge sword to this place.


    ¡°Okay, ready¡­¡±


    ¡°... Then, you may come in.¡±


    The woman held open the door and ushered us in. Just behind this door, the High Priest was waiting. I was nervous. Really nervous. And completely ignoring my nervousness¡­


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The Elder strode onwards, entering the room first.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I know, Sis¡­¡±


    Karen looked at me, slightly worried. Did my nervousness actually show?


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After taking a deep breath, Karen and I followed the others inside. A small room. Shelves with books lined the walls and in the middle of the room, a table with several chairs were placed. Little else was in the room.


    ¡°Welcome! Welcome, my friends! Welcome to this humble abode of mine!¡±


    With widespread arms, an animal-masked man welcomed us, his voice energetic as usual.


    ¡°It is to my utmost pleasure to welcome you to these grounds, Fairy Lady and her friends. Ohh, and I see even the bonded couple here. Welcome, welcome! Come in. Don¡¯t be shy.¡±


    Once everyone entered the room, the woman priest left and closed the door behind her, leaving us alone with the High Priest.


    ¡°Old man, you¡¯re as energetic as usual.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! How couldn¡¯t I be when the Fairy Lady herself comes to visit? But first, sit down. It is tiring to just stand around. Take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Then, if you allow¡­¡±


    We all took a seat at the table. Astonishingly, it had just enough chairs to seat us and the High Priest, as if it had been prepared beforehand.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ It couldn¡¯t be¡­ Might you be Milady Mortas? The esteemed Milady Riava Mortas?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That is¡­ my name¡­¡±


    ¡°... To think I would be blessed with your presence as well. Ohh, truly, a wondrous day! Thank you, Great Spirits, for granting me this meeting!¡±


    He clasped his hands and gave his thanks towards the ceiling¡­ I mean, the sky and the Great Spirits.


    ¡°Yumi, he called her ¡®milady,¡¯ didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ He did¡­¡±


    That Academy professor had also called her ¡®Lady¡¯ but this was even a step above¡­


    ¡°Maybe she really is from a noble family after all¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±


    We were told she probably wasn¡¯t but¡­ She did seem to be famous here and there¡­


    ¡°To think so many blessed meetings could come in a single day! I am truly fortunate! Ahh, but I digress! You have come here for a reason, have you not? Is this about the matter you consulted me about, Fairy Lady?¡±


    ¡°It is, indeed.¡±


    The Elder nodded and right after, the High Priest seemed to¡­ calm down, looking straight at the Elder. It was impossible to read his expression beneath the mask, though.


    ¡°So, you wish for me to examine one of these girls?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. Although, if possible, we would like you to examine some of the other girls as well.¡±


    ¡°Troubling circumstances, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    The High Priest nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Whether I examine one or more makes little difference. There is little else to do for me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Old man, aren¡¯t you the High Priest? And you say you got nothing to do?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Fret not, I truly have little to do. The youngsters do most of my work nowadays.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve really gotten old, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°None can escape the ever-present grasp of time, Fairy Lady.¡±


    The High Priest laughed heartily once more as if it wasn¡¯t a problem at all.


    ¡°Well then, there¡¯s a small room where I can examine you in peace. Who wants to go first?¡±


    He turned to us, looking around and waiting for someone to speak up. And, well, since we have come originally because of me¡­


    ¡°Nn. I guess I should go first¡­¡±


    ¡°That will be fine by me. Follow me.¡±


    I hesitated a little, still nervous and unsure.


    ¡°Uhm! Would it be okay for me to come along?¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°... If she herself allows it, I see no reason why not.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    Taking the offered hand, Karen and I followed the High Priest, who was quietly chuckling.


    ¡°Mh, well then, sit down.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I sat down on the chair he offered while he sat down on the opposite one. Randomly reminded me of when I helped out Ria with the regular checkups, except this time I was the one receiving the checkup.


    ¡°Now then, I know from the Fairy Lady that your situation is presumably very unique and possibly troublesome even. However, from the way she said it, it is not exactly a disease that ails you. I admit I have little idea what she could mean.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s¡­ You could say my body is a little¡­ unique¡­¡±


    ¡°Unique¡­ Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Not being able to see his expression was¡­ making me a little nervous, to be honest. Especially now that he had decided to take things seriously and his feelings couldn¡¯t be heard from his voice anymore.


    ¡°Well, I suppose I will see. Before we start, however, I¡¯ll have to inform you how we will proceed. I will send mana into your body and examine its state. That means I will examine your muscles, skeleton and your organs, including all sensitive parts. Are you fine with that?¡±


    All of it¡­ Well, he was like a doctor, so that was about expected, right?


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Great. Shall we start then?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, your hand, please.¡±


    I took a deep breath, readying myself. Then, I stretched out my arm to him.


    ¡°Okay, this might feel a little uncomfortable.¡±


    He took my hand and a short moment after he voiced his warning, a weird¡­ uncomfortable feeling ran through my hand and then my arm.


    ¡°Oh? Mh?¡±


    Then it immediately disappeared again.


    ¡°Now, this is odd. Let me try again.¡±


    The weird feeling reappeared, travelling through my arm before disappearing once more.


    ¡°Mhhh? Hmm¡­ I assume this is related to the uniqueness of your body, but the mana I sent in keeps disappearing.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, one moment¡­ I need to fetch something.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He let go of my hand, stood up and walked to the back, to a cabinet. He opened it, revealing tools and the like of which he took one.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try this again, shall we?¡±


    The tool was a small bracelet that he put on his wrist.


    ¡°That is?¡±


    ¡°A tool to help with mana control. This should prevent my mana from being lost so easily.¡±


    Such a tool existed? How convenient¡­


    ¡°Your hand.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I presented my hand to him once more and we repeated the whole spiel. Just, this time, the uncomfortable feeling¡ªwhich was, in fact, just his mana ploughing its way through my body¡ªdidn¡¯t disappear.


    ¡°Mh? Mm?¡±


    The High Priest suddenly tilted his head, when the mana reached my torso.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    The small blob of mana moved around, exploring every nook and cranny in my body, but mostly my torso.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    He suddenly stopped moving the mana, seemingly thinking about something. After several seconds of silence, he decided to speak up.


    ¡°Frankly, this might be a little out of my expertise¡­ Then again, I would be hard-pressed to name someone who could call this their expertise¡­ Mh¡­ Might I trouble you to tell me what you know of yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­¡±


    I exchanged a quick glance with Karen, and she nodded. She probably thought as well that he was trustworthy enough. Since that was the case, I decided to tell him what we knew about me and my body. About the mana crystal, the relation to the witch and my, frankly, very... squishy self. Of course, we kept quiet about pretty much everything else, like me not being from this world.


    Once we finished, the High Priest fell silent again, likely pondering about what we had told him.


    ¡°Mh¡­ So that is the story behind it¡­ That more or less fits with what I saw.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°To keep it short, if you were a humanoid, I would have to question how you are even alive in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Well, someone with no skeleton was¡­ Yeah¡­


    ¡°Having no bones is one thing¡­ Instead, there seems to be condensed¡­ flesh, mimicking bones.¡±


    That¡¯s pretty much what I expected but¡­ hearing it from him¡­ It completely destroyed that little stupid hope that my bones were just a little on the soft side, yeah¡­


    ¡°Then, humanoids have various organs to keep themselves alive. I won¡¯t go into what each does because¡­ Nearly none of them exist in your body anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The only organs that I could make out were your digestive system and your reproductive organs. However, the former seems¡­ not quite functional.¡±


    Repro¡ª So that¡¯s what he meant earlier with sensitive parts? Ahhh! Okay, he was just an old doctor, nothing more. No need to be embarrassed. Just a doctor! Anyway, what was that about my digestive system?


    ¡°So, what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d have to examine it in detail with your permission.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    As long as we kept it at the examination with mana¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ Wait a moment¡­¡±


    The High Priest stood up and walked to one of the bookshelves in the room, skimming through the book titles.


    ¡°Which one was¡­ Ah, there.¡±


    He fished out a single book.


    ¡°As you said, your state is similar to that of a monster but it is also different I believe. Do you know about magic beasts?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I think magic beasts were a cross of animals and monsters?¡±


    ¡°Most of them are, that is correct. There are some creatures that are classified as magic beasts despite them not being such a cross. Dragons are a famous example of this.¡±


    ¡°Dragons¡­ But how does this relate to this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to check.¡±


    Confused, I tilted my head but the High Priest just ignored us, skimming through the book instead.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Nothing, it seems. Haa...¡±


    He closed the book and returned it to its place on the bookshelf, before returning to his chair.


    ¡°Frankly, I am stumped. Your body is lacking most functions a humanoid body usually possesses. In fact, even the few it does have might not be vital to it. I hoped there¡¯d be something about magic beasts that might be similar but¡­ nothing...¡±


    ¡°Not vital?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s take your digestive system as an example. The digestive system is complex and we barely know how it works. However, we know that it is, of course, vital to a humanoid¡¯s body. The food we take in turns into nourishment for our body. But what I am wondering is, whether that is true for you as well. Your core is the mana crystal. So, isn¡¯t mana what you need as nourishment? In which case, what purpose does the digestive system in your body serve?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ something I never actually thought about¡­ I knew my body was weird but I never really thought about, well, my stomach.


    ¡°Of course, I might be all wrong about that and you actually do need the nourishment of some sort¡­ This is hard to determine and not something I would be able to do. At the very least, monsters are known to survive without regular nourishment. They possess digestive systems solely for the purpose of taking in physical substances with mana.¡±


    ¡°Physical¡­ like mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. Or the flesh of monsters.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay, so swallowing a mana crystal was actually¡­ normal, in a way. For me.


    ¡°But when asked whether it is necessary for monsters to do so, the answer would be no. They absorb enough mana from the atmosphere to survive. Well, you would probably find out more about that when you ask someone who knows about monsters. I¡¯m a specialist in people.¡±


    Like the guy from the Academy. Well, we did learn quite a bit from him.


    ¡°Either way¡­ I have to apologise but there¡¯s little I can do to help¡­ Even just clearing things up is impossible for me¡­ The closest I can think of would be¡­ That your body mimics the appearance of a humanoid.¡±


    ¡°Mimics?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Mimic¡­ I could transform my body into something else, so¡­


    ¡°Since you can control mana to a degree, have you never tried examining yourself?¡±


    ¡°Nn? You mean, with mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Not really¡­ And my own mana...¡±


    I could sense where my mana crystal was but that was the extent of it. Most mana was just instantly absorbed and that included mana I was taking control of myself. As long as it was within my body. The closest I could think of was how I was hiding my mana. It was a little like¡­ a switch, within me, that I could flip on and off. Admittedly, I had little idea of how it worked either.


    ¡°Ahh, right. The absorption¡­ That is one very odd thing¡­ You cannot control it either?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    If I could, I would¡¯ve stopped it long ago.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Could you give me your hand once more?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The High Priest suddenly took off the bracelet from his arm and instead put it on mine.


    ¡°This tool supports the control of mana. Try to examine yourself with this once.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Okay¡­¡±


    With the help of this tool? Could it really do that?


    Curious, I gathered some mana in the hand wearing the bracelet¡­ It did feel¡­ easier? But I couldn¡¯t quite examine myself¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s easier, I guess, but¡­ I have no idea what to do with it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have much practice with using mana to examine someone¡­ I see¡­ Of course not...¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, feel free to try around a little if you want¡­ I once more apologise I cannot be of further help.¡±


    ¡°No, this is already something, at least.¡±


    Knowing that I lacked most organs and a skeleton for a fact was¡­ Well, not really eye-opening, but it did give me some¡­ closure, you could say. Maybe his analogy of saying I was mimicking a human¡¯s body was pretty close to the truth? It did sound¡­ reasonable, somehow. Otherwise, I couldn¡¯t explain it either. But then again, monsters were¡­ mimicking living beings. Didn¡¯t that professor say something to that effect?


    ¡°Ah, right. There¡¯s one thing I noticed¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Again, I am not an expert on the matters of monsters and their mana crystals. But according to my knowledge, the more mana a crystal contains the tougher it grows. And it also changes shape to a degree¡­ The weaker the less¡­ symmetrical its shape is.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    While I didn¡¯t know about the shape but I did hear several times that the crystals grew tougher.


    ¡°The crystal I could feel in your body was¡­ very symmetrical¡­ It wasn¡¯t quite a sphere but something¡­ close, I believe. Either way, it felt like the amount of mana such a crystal should exhibit should be far larger than the mana your body actually contains?¡±


    ¡°It should be¡­ larger?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Assuming what you said is the truth and the Witch Yumias had her hands in this, maybe the crystal that formed was intended for a far larger amount of mana. But it doesn¡¯t have as much mana as it should, so it voraciously absorbs it from the surroundings¡­¡±


    It voraciously absorbed mana because it was lacking¡­


    ¡°Again, this is just my theory. And who knows how much mana it truly would need. The strongest monsters in existence possess more mana than the entire country¡¯s stockpile of mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot¡­¡±


    If I actually needed that much mana, this probably would never end, would it?


    ¡°Anyway, that was the last thing I wanted to add.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    This already helped a lot. It felt a little like¡­ a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Yes¡­ I did feel a little relief. Odd. Here we were, and the final nail was hammered into the coffin. But, surprisingly, I was relieved¡­


    ¡°Mhm, well¡­ I believe this is all I can do for now. Or, did you also need an examination?¡±


    The High Priest, ready to wrap up, turned to Karen.


    ¡°Eh? Well, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh. Is it related to this?¡±


    ¡°Not quite¡­ But a little, maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm? A little related¡­ Well, I¡¯ll take a look. Could you switch seats?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Following his request, I left the chair I occupied and switched with Karen. Sitting down on the chair she just sat on, I could feel the residue of warmth on the seat.


    ¡°Your hand, please.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The High Priest took her hand and started with the examination. Honestly, seeing him holding Karen¡¯s hand did bother me. Just a little. But it bothered me¡­ Maybe I was a little possessive too.


    ¡°Mh. I see. A demonkin that awakened to its roots.¡±


    ¡°Awakened to its roots?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we call them. It¡¯s a peculiar condition of demonkin. Extremely rare, as far as I know.¡±


    So rare that we actually had three of them here¡­ Two were still waiting outside. Well, assuming Sele really had the same condition.


    ¡°Alas, I admit this, too, is something I am not perfectly familiar with. The demonkin aren¡¯t fond of the ones with this condition. I assume your life wasn¡¯t easy either, seeing that you are with mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Be that as it may, there is a little I can tell you.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    The High Priest nodded, much to both of our surprise.


    ¡°Do you know of the story that proclaims demons as the progenitors of today''s demonkin?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Mh, as I thought. So, the question is what actually are demons? And that, unfortunately, is something I know very little about. I heard it used to be a research topic in the Academy before it got forcefully stopped since it hurt relations with Aldreigh.¡±


    ¡°It was stopped?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was. Aldreigh wasn¡¯t fond of our kingdom looking into their past, you could say. To prevent relations from deteriorating, they stopped the research.¡±


    Karen frowned when she heard about that.


    ¡°However, there are a few things we did learn. Demons are¡­ varying, in appearance and abilities. In a way, they are similar to monsters, which might be where the discrimination stems from.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ similar to monsters?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They do not possess a mana crystal and they are functional living beings. At least, the demonkin are, including the ones that supposedly awakened to their roots. But very, very old accounts of demons tell of creatures not too dissimilar from monsters. However, they were highly intelligent and possessed no mana crystal.¡±


    The High Priest paused for a moment before continuing.


    ¡°The problem is that these accounts date to far before even the Great Spirit War. It is said that a large war eradicated all demons in the world. Very few beings from that time are still alive. And if we keep it to the ones we can converse with¡­ the only one alive might be the Witch herself.¡±


    ¡°... What about the Great Spirits?¡±


    ¡°Ahh! The Great Spirits! I am pleased to know you would ask for help from them! However¡­ They rarely talk to us¡­ and they do not respond to requests of this nature. Unfortunately, you wouldn¡¯t be the first to try so.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    His momentary elation aside, it didn¡¯t seem like that was an option either.


    ¡°But¡­ Aldreigh might know something. I mean, the people high up. They, even more than Lafria, are a nation that pursues knowledge. They extoll self-discovery and knowledge about magic of any kind. Yet, their own past is something they keep under the coffin¡¯s heavy lid. I cannot explain it in any other way than¡­ that they know something.¡±


    ¡°Aldreigh¡­¡±


    So, the only option was that we tried to find a clue in Aldreigh?


    ¡°Well, that aside, do you have any particular discomforts?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Eh, no¡­¡±


    Stumped by the sudden question, it took Karen a moment to respond to him.


    ¡°Mh. That is good. Some demonkin like you experience various troubles. The symptoms they have are as varied as they could ever be. If you have no discomfort, that is a good sign.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That she was having no troubles was a good sign, he said. That was a relief.


    ¡°Still, I probably should tell you what I do know about demons and the demonkin. However, since this might be a little long, we should first finish everything else. Is that acceptable?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, it is. There are also two other girls who would like to hear that, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Three of you. Even for me, so many in one spot is a first. Mhm, then we shall discuss this after.¡±


    He nodded a few times, before changing the topic.


    ¡°Now, to the other part. The pink strand in your hair, do I presume right that it is not dyed?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°As I thought.¡±


    I could feel my body tense up. This¡­ So he noticed something when he examined her.


    ¡°Do you know of the term mana corruption?¡±


    ¡°Uh, I think it was when one monster manakin¡¯s mana corrupted another being¡¯s mana, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know about it? That is admittedly a surprise.¡±


    ¡°A professor in the Academy told us about it.¡±


    ¡°You visited him? I see, I¡¯m not the first you consulted. That makes sense.¡±


    As best as we could consult that odd guy.


    ¡°Then, I assume you already understand yourself that this is, without a doubt, such a case. Right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Well, as long as you know, that is good. Although, there¡¯s nothing we can do against it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t look so concerned. mana corruption is technically nothing¡­ troublesome.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t?


    ¡°In fact, for some people, it might even be a boon. A person who wasn¡¯t a manakin before could turn into one. Which is, without a doubt, the most common reason for its occurrence among humanoids as well. And as a manakin, they also enjoy the benefits it brings. Most notably a longer lifespan. Although, most attempts end in vain since monsters strong enough to corrupt a humanoid aren¡¯t known for being docile.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What I don¡¯t know is, how it would affect someone who already is a manakin¡­ By all rights, mana corruption shouldn¡¯t occur in this case, yet it does.¡±


    He held his chin, staring straight at Karen while pondering.


    ¡°The only thing I can recommend is observing it. Since you said there were discomforts earlier, I assume this extends to this as well?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­.¡±


    ¡°... Is there something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly something of a discomfort.¡±


    Karen averted her gaze, glancing awkwardly in my direction. Was it related to me? Ah, was she talking about...


    ¡°It¡¯s, uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Heightened desire?¡±


    Karen nodded at the question. Apparently, I was wrong? I didn¡¯t know that she experienced that.


    ¡°Mhm, that could be an influence of the corrupting mana, yes. Since the mana in question is of a rather peculiar nature. However, it could also just be because of your newfound relationship.¡±


    The High Priest chuckled, causing Karen to inch back a little in embarrassment.


    ¡°If it¡¯s just that, there is nothing to worry about. That is a normal part of everyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Are there any other problems?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel hungry¡­ Even when I eat, I don¡¯t really feel filled¡­ Only when¡­ then¡­¡±


    Once more, she glanced in my direction, hoping he would get the gist. She was likely more than a little troubled at discussing this with him. I could only cheer her on in my mind.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ That is an issue, all right. Did you have trouble because of the lack of hunger?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Even when you didn¡¯t eat?¡±


    She nodded. Which only caused the High Priest to tilt his head.


    ¡°I guess I have to apologise once more. I have little idea what could be the reason for that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Apologies.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Thank you.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know either¡­ then¡­ who could know about this? It seemed, there was no other way than actually asking Yumias, after all¡­


    ¡°Are there any other things you would like to talk about?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Then, it seems we have finished.¡±


    The High Priest clapped his hands once as if to mark the end of it.


    ¡°Let us return to the others for now. Ahh, to think the Fairy Lady is waiting just outside. Truly, I thank you, Great Spirits, for this day!¡±


    Leaving those words behind, he went to the door, leaving ahead of us... Exchanging a wry smile, Karen and I followed behind, marking the end of our slightly odd examination.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Self-inspection

    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°That we are, Fairy Lady!¡±


    ¡°So, how did it go?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    As we returned to the main room, the Elder immediately inquired about the situation, which caused the High Priest to pause.


    ¡°I very well understand the need for secrecy now. Alas, I fear this is beyond my capabilities. Either way, since I cannot very well speak about my patient¡¯s situation, you best ask her yourself.¡±


    ¡°That is true...¡±


    The Elder frowned a little, but didn¡¯t inquire any further.


    ¡°Now then, who should I examine next?¡±


    Looking over the group, the high Priest seemingly tried to find the next patient. And the only two left were Sele and Rina. The former was completely oblivious to the situation as she was dozing off in her chair. The latter, however, had nervousness written straight in her face. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t quite ready to speak up, the Elder interjected once more.


    ¡°There are two more. Rina over here and Sele, who is dozing off.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I see. Then, Miss Rina, would you like to go first?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­ I¡­ guess?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Do you want someone to come along?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    Rina¡¯s eyes instantly darted over to Karen and then to Lily and back to Karen.


    ¡°Lily, could you go with her?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Huh? Is it fine for me to?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you are fine with me¡­ Rina?¡±


    ¡°Yes! That¡¯s fine!¡±


    Nervousness replaced by delight¡­ Even Karen was a little surprised.


    ¡°Very well. Then, let¡¯s go, shall we?¡±


    The High Priest immediately turned around and held open the door for Rina and Lily.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go. Rina, come.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    And the two disappeared into the room where Karen and I had just been.


    ¡°Mm. Then, we¡¯ll return shortly. Ah, Miss Yumi, feel free to make use of that tool during your stay here but I would appreciate it if you could return it before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, of course.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The High Priest regarded us with a nod and then entered the room, closing the door behind him. After staring at the closed door for a few seconds, Karen and I sat down on the chairs we had occupied earlier. While we did, the Elder turned her attention to us, asking about the examination.


    ¡°So, Yumi, Karen? How was it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ It was¡­ ?¡±


    ¡°Revealing?¡±


    The Elder tilted her head at my impression. Similarly, Ria, who had silently listened, appeared confused as well.


    ¡°Well, maybe not revealing¡­ How do I say it¡­¡±


    It was a bit hard to put into words¡­ I was at a loss.


    ¡°I guess¡­ It gave me some closure? He confirmed most of what we already knew or suspected¡­¡±


    ¡°He confirmed it¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I gave the two a quick rundown of what the High Priest had told me.


    ¡°So, you really have no bones and are missing most organs¡­ Then, your body really is kept alive by the crystal.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case¡­ But the High Priest said that¡¯s outside his expertise.¡±


    Not like that was surprising. He was basically a doctor for humanoids. And I¡­ was decidedly not a normal humanoid.


    ¡°Yumi, maybe we should pay that professor another visit?¡± suggested Karen.


    ¡°Nn, we could¡­ But that would depend on how long we¡¯ll stay here in the capital, I think.¡±


    Korwen had made it clear that we wouldn¡¯t be here for long anymore. Although I doubted we¡¯d move on the very next day, it was still possible that we¡¯d have no time to visit the Academy.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to ask the Captain.¡±


    He might give us the time to visit the Academy. He was interested in clearing this up as well, after all. At least, I believed so.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ria?¡±


    ¡°The tool¡­ What is.. .that?¡±


    ¡°This?¡±


    I lifted my hand with the bracelet. I just thought about it, but it was right in front of my other bracelet¡­ Somehow, this irked me.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°He said it¡¯s a tool to help with mana control¡­ He suggested that I use it and try to examine myself. It¡¯s what he used to prevent his mana from being absorbed¡­¡±


    ¡°Hoo¡­¡±


    Ria eyed the tool curiously.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know of this tool?¡±


    ¡°I did¡­ but it¡­ can only¡­ be used for¡­ weak spells¡­ like the¡­ examination¡­ magic¡­ Stronger magic¡­ breaks its¡­ threshold¡­ That¡¯s why¡­ we don¡¯t have¡­ one...¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    A tool that was mostly useless to them, then? Well, it was useful for the High Priest.


    ¡°But¡­ examining¡­ yourself¡­ is a¡­ good idea¡­ you should¡­ try¡­ as long as¡­ we are¡­ here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess so.¡±


    I¡¯d have to return it when we leave, after all¡­


    ¡°Did he¡­ say anything¡­ else¡­ important?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah¡­ No.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria nodded with an absentminded look.


    ¡°Then, what about Karen? That old man examined you as well, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    Having finished my part in this, the two now turned to Karen and asked her about her examination. Since attention strayed from me¡­ Well, I could try to practise now. Ria was right that it sounded like a good idea. And since I had to return it soon¡­


    With that in mind, I closed my eyes and gathered some mana¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything to see. At all. I just had some mana gathered and that was all I could feel. How did this examination magic even work? He had used mana to send it through my body, exploring every nook and cranny. And somehow, that had allowed him to see what was going on in my body. But when I wanted to try that myself¡­ Well, it was far easier said than done.


    Yeah, no chance¡­ Even if I don¡¯t have any trouble gathering the mana inside my body thanks to the tool, there¡¯s no point if I don¡¯t learn anything from it.


    I let out a sigh and opened my eyes again, staring at my own hand where I had gathered the mana before. It looked like an ordinary, albeit small, hand. Despite that, there were no bones inside this hand. It was as soft and as squishy as everything else.


    But it¡¯s not like I can see it¡­ Mm¡­ Back when Ria taught me about this¡­ Well, I was just looking at the mana directly, wasn¡¯t I?


    That hadn¡¯t even required gathering much mana. Actually, I had just tried to feel for the mana¡­ I could hardly call that magic. At least, not like the kind the High Priest had used.


    Okay, then, let¡¯s try to take a look just by sensing mana¡­


    And¡­ this proved to be pretty difficult as well¡­ Too difficult¡­ Sure, I could vaguely sense my mana inside my body. But when I tried to take a closer look, it turned out to be next to impossible. Because the mana was moving. Where? Towards my crystal¡­ And since it was constantly moving, there wasn¡¯t really much I could do¡­


    If only I could actually stop it¡­


    Alas, it was like an untamed river, flowing mercilessly towards its destination. Then again, you could tame a river with a dam¡­


    A dam¡­ If it¡¯s only for a short moment, maybe I could manage that?


    If I could block the passage, at least temporarily, I might be able to examine it. Sure, my mana crystal wouldn¡¯t care much about what I wanted, but that didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t just stop the mana itself.


    Okay, let¡¯s do this! Let¡¯s try it on my arm first.


    I gathered mana inside my body and had it move towards my shoulder, filling the path towards my arm. And just like a dam, it actually stopped the flow of mana from my arm. Albeit, at the cost of an incredibly uncomfortable feeling in my arm, akin to it falling asleep. Was this maybe like constricting the blood flow? Except, that one wasn¡¯t a one-way street. As puzzled as I was, I couldn¡¯t quite explain the sensation.


    It¡¯s¡­ only like it fell asleep, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t move my arm or anything actually happens¡­ But I should probably hurry up.


    Having decided so, I focused my mana senses on the arm. The mana was, as expected, stagnating. Exactly what I wanted.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ Now I should be able to sense something, right?


    The answer? Yes, but no. Yes, I could take a better look. No, I didn¡¯t see anything of significance. I could see a little more but it was still just¡­ a bunch of mana. And this state was increasingly uncomfortable. As such, I had little choice but to stop with the dam and let the mana flow again. Once the mana flowed again, my arm slowly felt better as well.


    Guess I really need to practise before I can make sense out of it...  How unfortunate¡­


    But I did find out something. It was more than a little troublesome, but I could halt the mana flow. Controlling the flowing mana directly might work as well, but considering I would have to do this for my whole body¡­ No way I could muster up that concentration.


    Nn, but maybe I can figure something out with this.


    Like, maybe I could create this dam-like mana around my mana crystal? However, I had no idea what might happen if I suddenly restricted the entire flow to the mana crystal. I should clue in Ria before I would try to attempt anything like that. Even I learnt from past mistakes. Then again, I probably should have clued her in about what I did just now¡­ Korwen did prohibit me from making experiments on my own for now¡­ Well, as long as she didn¡¯t know.


    Not to mention, I really don¡¯t want to experience that feeling as if my limbs fell asleep. How come it feels like that anyway? It can¡¯t be because of a lack of mana¡­ The mana was constantly flowing away, after all.


    No clue¡­ Maybe it was the opposite? That it had too much mana and my body wasn¡¯t used to that? It did feel worse the longer it went on but¡­


    That¡¯d be quite something¡­ I¡¯m literally only alive because of mana but having too much mana makes me feel uncomfortable. The irony.


    Although, that was just a guess, so far. And maybe I could get used to it.


    Anyway, it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯ll make much more progress. The tool made it pretty easy to keep the mana in place to act as a dam but unfortunately, I have no idea what to do about everything else.


    Releasing another sigh, I decided to stop for now. Once I opened my eyes, I was greeted with the sight of Karen, the Elder and Ria still discussing the examination from earlier. However, once they saw me looking at them, they paused. After a moment, Karen asked me about what I was doing.


    ¡°Yumi. Did you use that tool the High Priest lent you?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I did. Didn¡¯t learn anything, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Well, there wasn¡¯t much I could do about it right now. Maybe if I practised it more. At the very least, it seemed like something that might prove useful in the future, so it was likely good to practise it.


    ¡°Honestly, I just don¡¯t really understand how this examination is supposed to work¡­ I can sense mana but that¡¯s different from what the High Priest did.¡±


    ¡°He used mana to look, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head, probably also wondering how it even worked.


    ¡°Ria. Do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    My eyes went wide from surprise. That was¡­ That was really unexpected.


    ¡°Since I¡­ cannot do it¡­ either¡­ I only¡­ know little¡­ about it¡­ I am¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine! Rather, thank you for always teaching us.¡±


    I flew in a bit of a panic when she suddenly apologised. Even when I told her it was fine, she still seemed a little disgruntled.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It seems we might ask the old man about it later.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    He might be able to give us some pointers at least.


    At that moment, the door opened and the High Priest stood there, right as we thought about it.


    ¡°Milady Mortas. Might I be so presumptuous to ask you to join us for a moment?¡±


    ¡°... Mm? You need¡­ me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­ I¡¯ll come¡­¡±


    With that, Ria stood up and joined the High Priest in the small examination room. After a nod towards us, the High Priest closed the door again.


    ¡°There she goes¡­¡± I muttered with a small voice.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ You think it¡¯s about Rina?¡±


    ¡°I guess...¡±


    Karen looked at me, worry in her eyes. Maybe it would have been better if she had gone along with them but alas¡­ I¡¯d love to comfort her but I had to admit, I was feeling a little worried too. Rina was usually really energetic but if you thought about it, her situation was very¡­ unique. Maybe even more so than mine. At least, there were precedents of my case¡­ Not like we had managed to learn much about them yet. But as for Rina?


    ¡°Fret not. The old man is capable and if it was something life-threatening and beyond his ability, we would know already.¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­¡±


    True to her words, the Elder seemed perfectly calm. A complete contrast to Karen who was looking more and more worried, as she stared at the closed door.


    ¡°No matter how much you stare at the door, time will not pass by any faster.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    The Elder couldn¡¯t help but shake her head exasperatedly as she watched Karen worrying. Seeing as there was no use in trying to hold a conversation with Karen so focused on the door, she instead turned to Sele, who was still sleeping serenely.


    ¡°One is worried to no ends, the other is peacefully sleeping without the slightest care. There¡¯s never a dull moment with you girls.¡±


    ¡°I think being worried is pretty reasonable right now.¡±


    I could agree that sleeping in this situation was rather weird, though.


    ¡°I suppose it is. But as I have said, the girl is the picture of health. Miss Ria confirmed it and even if she isn¡¯t as capable in this particular field compared to that old man, she is still pretty skillful.¡±


    ¡°Even if you say that¡­¡±


    ¡°The emotions don¡¯t necessarily agree?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Understanding it in your head was different from believing it from the bottom of one¡¯s heart. Emotions were sometimes annoyingly hard to deceive with logic.


    ¡°That is understandable, I assume. Unfortunately, we can do naught but wait.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Which was exactly the problem. And honestly, I needed something to distract myself with as well. Looking at karen worrying only made me feel anxious as well.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering for a while already¡­. But the High Priest and you seem to know each other from before, right?¡±


    ¡°... I was wondering when that question would come up. Yes, I have known him for a few centuries, since he was a child.¡±


    So she knew him from that long ago? Wait¡­


    ¡°Centuries?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, indeed. Centuries. I am not calling him old man without reason.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ centuries¡­¡±


    That was a lot older¡­ than I had expected¡­ First I found out that Korwen was old enough to be my grandfather and now the High Priest had lived even longer.


    ¡°How old do people even get¡­ Centuries¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, I suppose people from your home don¡¯t get that old?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ people above seventy were usually considered rather old already¡­ and not many would reach a hundred.¡±


    ¡°I see. No wonder you find this puzzling then.¡±


    Her eyes still exuded some confusion even as she said that, though.


    ¡°With that said¡­ Even humans, one of the shorter lived races, can easily reach a hundred years, given that their life was not claimed by accident or disease. And beastkin races can grow even older. Some races like the High Priest¡¯s can live for several centuries.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re nothing compared to the demonkin who have virtually no lifespan.¡±


    That didn¡¯t make it any less amazing to me, though¡­ How was that even possible? In my old world, advances in medicine and science allowed people to grow older but of course there was a limit to it. Then, how come people here lived that much longer? From what I saw, they did understand a surprising amount about medicine and the like¡­ but I had my doubts that that alone was enough.


    In that case¡­ is it the existence of mana?


    Mana didn¡¯t exist in my old world, or in very low quantities. Maybe it was related to what that monster Yumias had told me about¡­ Now I wish I had listened a little better.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°You fell quiet. Is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°... Ah, yes. Sorry. I just wondered about something.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The Elder stared at me for a few seconds, but didn¡¯t pursue the matter. Much to my delight, an unexpected voice chimed in.


    ¡°Uhm, Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°... Karen? What is it?¡±


    ¡°What race is the High Priest? He¡¯s a beastkin, right? But I don¡¯t know any beastkin like him¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Well, it¡¯s no big secret according to him so it should be fine to tell you. He¡¯s a deerkin.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ deerkin?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re among the rarest beastkin tribes at all. The horns aren¡¯t from his mask but his own.¡±


    ¡°Eh, seriously?¡±


    Those horns were actually real?!


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, are the other priests here also deerkin?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°The one who led us here, at the very least, is not. I am not sure on the particulars but he told me that his tribe has managed the faith in the Great Spirits for a long time and that it is customary now to wear their masks and horns as a sign of priesthood.¡±


    A sign of priesthood, huh¡­


    ¡°The deerkin always had a strong faith in the Great Spirits, even long before the High Priest¡¯s time. Just, it was exactly this very faith that drove them nearly to their extinction as they followed the Great Spirits into war¡­ And now, the once numerous tribe has been diminished to but a few survivors. It¡¯s a sad tale.¡±


    The Elder shook her head, her eyes downcast.


    ¡°But let¡¯s talk about that some other time. You wanted to know about our relationship, did you not?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    They knew each other well. And it was clear from his behaviour that he¡­ favoured the Elder quite a bit.


    ¡±Let¡¯s see¡­ You could say we are friends from long ago. When he was small, he got lost in the forest and stumbled upon our home. Hehehe, I will never forget those eyes as wide as the moon in the night¡¯s sky.¡±


    The Elder giggled, reminiscing in the memory.


    ¡°After we safely returned him to the edge of the forest, we thought nothing more of it. Then, just a few days later, he was once more in our home. From then on, without fail, every few days he¡¯d stumble into our forest and we returned him. A weird child, that¡¯s what we thought.¡±


    I¡¯d think it weird too when he came back every time just so that you would return him.


    ¡°Little did I know that it would go on for years and decades, as he grew up into a man. He came without fail and we returned him, even if we already knew well that he had memorised the path long ago. He wouldn¡¯t leave on his own.¡±


    ¡°Quite persistent.¡±


    ¡°Persistent indeed!¡±


    ¡°But, why did he come back¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think, that¡¯s a tale you should ask him yourself. It wouldn¡¯t be fair of me to reveal that.¡±


    She grinned as she denied me an answer. Not like I couldn¡¯t guess the rough reason from his behaviour.


    ¡°So, Miss Elder¡­ Did you and Mr High Priest¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite frank today, aren¡¯t you, Karen? But like before, that is something you should ask him, not me. I do not mind talking about it but I know little of what he thinks of it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    But¡­ that meant that there was something¡­ the Elder and the High Priest? That¡¯s¡­ quite a surprise, if that¡¯s really the case.


    ¡°What is this about me, dear Fairy Lady?¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you back?¡±


    ¡°We are, indeed.¡±


    We must have missed the door opening, since the High Priest had already entered the room, Rina, Lily and Ria behind him.


    ¡°So, what was this about me, dear Fairy Lady?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a curious one.¡±


    ¡°Haha! Of course I am!¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ They asked about our relationship and I told them they should ask you about it.¡±


    ¡°Our¡­¡±


    The High Priest froze when he heard her answer.


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­ Well¡­ That is¡­¡±


    He cleared his throat, trying to get a grip on himself again. Apparently, this was a bit of a sore topic.


    ¡°Mhm, our relationship¡­ It is less than what I wish but more than I could have hoped for.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°That is all.¡±


    And with that, the topic was cut short, unexpectedly. In the corner of my eyes, I could see the Elder stifling a laugh. The High Priest had to clear his throat again to gain back the attention.


    ¡°More importantly. There¡¯s one more girl I was supposed to examine, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­ Sele, hey, Sele. Wake up¡­ Sele...¡±


    Karen was trying to shake Sele and wake her up. To no avail. Yes. To no avail. Sele was sleeping.


    ¡°Sis, we screwed up.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Sele is sleeping.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡±


    ¡°... Then remember that she doesn¡¯t usually wake up so easily.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Right. There were generally only two options to wake her up¡­ And one of them was an absolute no go.


    ¡°Mm, she is not waking you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, waking her up is a little¡­¡±


    ¡°In that case, I can examine her while she is asleep. It shouldn¡¯t detract much from the examination but I¡¯d need someone to come along¡­¡±


    The High Priest sounded a little troubled. He did try to respect our privacy so having the patient sleeping was¡­ less than optimal.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then... I¡¯ll go¡­¡±


    Ria walked up to Sele and lifted her up in her arms. This seemed to elicit a reaction at least, as Sele squirmed a little and then grabbed onto Ria¡¯s clothes. She didn¡¯t wake up, though.


    ¡°I did¡­ her health¡­ checkups¡­ so¡­ I should¡­ be fine¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose that is agreeable. Knowing her health history would help me as well. Very well.¡±


    The High Priest nodded and the two of them disappeared into the examination room, likely for the last time today.


    And the moment they vanished, everyone¡¯s attention immediately snapped onto Rina and Lily.


    ¡°Rina¡­ Uhm...¡± Karen stammered.


    ¡°Mh? Is something wrong, Big Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ How did¡­ the examination go?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ He says I¡¯m all healthy!¡±


    Rina stroke a pose, asserting her health with a vigorous voice.


    ¡°Is, is that so¡­¡±


    And Karen let out a sigh in relief.


    ¡°Rina, that¡¯s not all he said¡­¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the important part, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not wrong. But I do think you should explain it to her more clearly¡­¡±


    ¡°Boo, you do that, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    Rina planted her butt on the chair and stretched out on the table. Maybe she was a little more exhausted than she let on.


    ¡°Well¡­ If you are fine with me telling them.¡±


    Lily sat down next to Rina, scratching her head with a troubled expression.


    ¡°Lily? Is there a problem after all?¡±


    ¡°No, Karen, there isn¡¯t any real problem.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But then...¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to sum it up as much as I can.¡±


    Lily took a deep breath before continuing.


    ¡°First, she¡¯s perfectly healthy. She just lacks exercise. A lot of it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Lack of exercise was¡­ about as much as we expected. She was just as lacking in the stamina department as I was.


    ¡°Second¡­ The mana crystal inside Rina¡¯s body has become already a part of her and there¡¯s little to no chance of ever removing it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t hinder her in any way, however. In fact, as long as her body can tap on the mana, it would become more resilient to disease and wounds. It¡¯s likely part of the reason why she had no troubles so far. Physically.¡±


    It was helping her out then? That was a relief¡­


    ¡°But why did he call Miss Ria in?¡±


    ¡°... Because she knew about what Yumi did to that mana crystal. I don¡¯t know how much he knows so I told him to ask Ria¡­¡±


    Then, she did that because of me?


    ¡°... Thank you, Lily.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Ah, she averted her gaze. Sometimes, she could really be quite precious. As long as she wasn¡¯t messing around, but since Rina had come to be around her, she hadn¡¯t messed around with us that much anymore. Now I felt a little nostalgic, even though it had been only for a short time.


    ¡°A, Anyway. He said that whatever you did was likely a good thing. And¡­ Uhh¡­¡±


    Lily glanced towards Rina a few times. She seemed to want to say something but not in Rina¡¯s presence? Well¡­ After a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to drop it.


    ¡°Well¡­ At the very least, she shouldn¡¯t have troubles, yeah. Although, she should take care that the mana crystal won¡¯t run out of mana. Since it absorbs mana on its own that shouldn¡¯t be an issue in normal situations. But¡­ At the very least, he can¡¯t guarantee there won¡¯t be problems if that were to happen.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Karen frowned as she threw a glance at Rina.


    ¡°But that¡¯s the only thing. She¡¯s healthy. Right, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Mm! I am! So, Big Sis, Lil¡¯ Sis! Don¡¯t worry, okay?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s written all over your faces.¡±


    Eh, seriously? I brought up my hands and touched my face, trying to ascertain what kind of expression I was making. Obviously, that wasn¡¯t something I could get a feel off with just my hands. As for Karen, well, I knew she was worried. It was written on her face. Rina was right about that.


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Mhm! It was.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But, thank you for worrying, Lil¡¯ Sis. I¡¯m fine and healthy!¡±


    She flashed me a toothy grin, all the while still stretching out on the table.


    ¡°... That¡¯s good to hear. Right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    Guess we actually had worried Rina with our behaviour¡­ That was a little opposite from what we intended. Karen and I exchanged a wry smile, both of us understanding that.


    ¡°Mm! Lily is, by the way, also the very picture of health!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª Rina!¡±


    Did¡­ Lily also get examined?


    ¡°Well¡­ You see¡­ He asked and since he offered¡­ It, it¡¯s better to know early if there¡¯s some problem, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Mm, it seems we¡¯re all healthy. That¡¯s a good thing.¡±


    Now, we only needed to wait for Sele to come back as well.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Before the Celebration

    ¡°Well then, I am happy to announce that all of you are healthy. No troublesome diseases, no chronic ailments. If that isn¡¯t a happy thing, then I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    The High Priest announced, sounding quite satisfied. His examination of Sele, which resulted in a ¡®She¡¯s as healthy as can be,¡¯ had ended a few minutes prior. It was quite a relief to hear that everyone was in good health.


    ¡°Though I admit, the Great Spirits sure deemed today a surprise for me.¡±


    He glanced over to Karen, Rina and the still sleeping Sele. After resting his gaze on them for a few seconds, he then glanced over to me, before returning his gaze to the group looking at no one in particular.


    ¡°Now, if you have any lingering questions, I would be happy to address them now, before you have to leave. I believe you all are tied up with another appointment soon, are you not?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Wait, did he know about the celebration this evening?


    ¡°That is correct but¡­ how did you know?¡± asked the Elder, surprise audible in her voice.


    ¡°Ahaha! Fairy Lady, of course, I would know! I am the High Priest, fervent servant of the Great Spirits! Naturally, an invitation has been extended to our grounds as well!¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Of course¡­ They had been involved as well since they had taken care of the wounded. No wonder they were invited as well.


    ¡°Ahhh, how am I looking forward to witnessing the ever-beautiful fairy lady in an evening gown! Such joy!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Although, I had my doubts if this was a good idea...


    ¡°Seriously, you never change, do you? Only your body gets older yet your mind stays a child all the same.¡±


    ¡°So cruel, Fairy Lady!¡±


    With theatrical gestures, he showed how heartbroken he was, eliciting the Elder to shake her head and sigh.


    ¡°Let¡¯s stop with the jokes. Old man¡­ No... Mr High Priest. Thank you for taking your time for us.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it was a pleasure. I have seen many a curious thing today, that is reward enough.¡±


    The two faced each other, bearing serious expressions as if their previous banter had never happened.


    ¡°Then, I assume there are no further questions from me?¡±


    ¡°Are there?¡±


    The Elder and the High Priest both looked at us as they posed their question. Well, since we were at it, I raised my hand.


    ¡°Oh, the little one from the bonded couple, what is it you wish to ask?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, well¡­ You mentioned to me about inspecting myself¡­ I did try with the tool you lent me but, honestly, I have no idea what to look for or what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm? Pray, tell me, how are you examining yourself?¡±


    ¡°I try to look at the mana¡­¡±


    He tilted his head as if he wasn¡¯t sure what I was saying.


    ¡°... With mana sight?¡±


    ¡°Nn, with mana sight.¡±


    ¡°No spell?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I can¡¯t really use spells.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Behind the mask, I could see his eyes widen in surprise.


    ¡°I see. That makes things a little difficult. We use a specialised spell to help examine the state of whatever we touch¡­ If it had been just not knowing I would have happily taught you but¡­ This makes it difficult.¡±


    Right, difficult it was.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I am deeply sorry, but I have no idea how to relieve this dilemma.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    Well, it was worth a try. But if he didn¡¯t know anything either, then there wasn¡¯t much I could do. I¡¯d have to try and figure it out myself.


    ¡°The most I can tell you is the feeling.¡±


    ¡°The feeling?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    The feeling, huh¡­ Maybe that would help?


    ¡°Then, if you could¡­¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    With a nod in response, he began to explain.


    ¡°The spell we use is given to us by the grace of the Great Spirits. With it, we can see the make-up of a living being¡¯s body. The skin, the muscles, the skeleton, the organs. We see the flow of the blood in our mind¡¯s eye, the beating heart and the mana pulsing through our very fabric. It is akin to viewing a painting, but the subject of it being inside the body. The more skilled you are, the more detailed the painting.¡±


    He paused for a few seconds, before continuing.


    ¡°Healing magicians need to learn the meaning of the painting they are looking at. But I do not believe such knowledge would be of much help in your case.¡±


    ¡°Because there¡¯s not much to look at?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! That is true! Admittedly¡­ As someone who has done this for a long time, it was¡­ shocking.¡±


    Who would expect to find just about nothing when they expected a regular person¡¯s body, after all¡­


    ¡°Now that I have explained thus, I have to say, putting the feeling into words is hard.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    He sighed, probably out of helplessness.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mr¡­ High Priest¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Milady Mortas?¡±


    ¡°The way¡­ the spell¡­ works¡­¡±


    ¡°... You mean, the theory behind it?¡±


    Ria nodded and the High Priest let out a short gasp.


    ¡°I see. Yes. If it is the method then I can explain that¡­ Maybe I should have begun with that? Ahh, the fool is me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now, the method. Yes, yes, Great Spirits be thanked that I have been instructing our new faithful. The method behind it is exceedingly simple. The mana is a medium, recording¡ªor rather, taking the shape of¡ªwhat it touches. This image, we return to our mind, visualising it.¡±


    Now, this already sounded a little more helpful.


    ¡°I pray hope this explanation is a little more useful.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll try to figure something out.¡±


    ¡°That is a relief to hear. Then, if you don¡¯t mind me asking¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The High Priest stared at me.


    ¡°I have one¡­ Nay, two requests. I have lived many years but even then, I still encounter things I never deemed possible before. Especially now, with the advances Aldreigh is making, the times are changing. The wind of change is blowing, they say. But I believe the wind will be little less than a storm. In this storm, I wish to help as many people as I can. As such, one request is, should you find a solution to your problems, that you could share them with me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Sharing them? He meant if I managed to inspect myself?


    ¡°Not just this one matter but the problems you encounter in the future as well. The other request is¡­ that I share this knowledge with my fellows, so that should we ever happen upon another like you, that we can help them, that this knowledge, your experiences won¡¯t be lost to time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He fell silent, waiting for my reply, my answer.


    ¡°... If that is all, then please do.¡±


    ¡°... I cannot thank you enough. In the name of the Great Spirits, I will make use of this knowledge.¡±


    He bowed as he gave his thanks.


    ¡°Although, I very much doubt you will find another like me¡­ and¡­ We won¡¯t be here in the capital for much longer so I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to tell you anything.¡±


    ¡°I understand that much. Should you ever return here, I hope you could remember this place and our request.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I honestly doubted someone like me would pop up anytime soon again¡­ But I wasn¡¯t the first one either. That monster Yumias had been doing this before. Who could say she wouldn¡¯t do it again? And if that was the case, if it helped even if just a little, then I didn¡¯t mind. The High Priest seemed like an honest person.


    ¡°Old man.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Fairy Lady?¡±


    While I was still caught up in our previous exchange, the Elder drew his attention to her.


    ¡°You mentioned a storm¡­ What were you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The Akkian Empire starting another war. Aldreigh¡¯s breakthroughs in magic research. The internal political struggles and the assassinations in Krohmea. The independent cities forming a council. The Federation of Bruven mobilising its armies. And among them all, there are talks about the fanatical worshippers of the Great Witch.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A stunned silence followed. After several seconds, Ria finally broke the silence.


    ¡°...High Priest¡­ That information¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha! Whatever could you be talking about, Milady Mortas?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Nothing.¡±


    After a sigh, Ria just shrugged her shoulders instead of pursuing the matter.


    ¡°High Priest¡­ We thank you... for your time... but I believe¡­ it is time¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it already? I wished to tell you a little more but if it is already this late... Ahh, such a shame. But before you leave!¡±


    With vigour, he turned around and disappeared into the small examination room. After a short moment, he reappeared, carrying something. With this something in hand, he approached the Elder, a spring in his step.


    ¡°Fairy Lady!¡±


    ¡°I refuse.¡±


    ¡°Agh?!¡±


    He nearly tripped over his own feet at the Elder¡¯s curt refusal. Not that I even knew what she was refusing¡­


    ¡°Fairy Lady! I haven¡¯t even made my request!¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be any good.¡±


    Did she just refuse him without even waiting for his request? And here I thought she knew what this was about...


    ¡°I just wished to ask if you would allow me to be your partner for tonight¡¯s celebration.¡±


    ¡°And in the end, you still ask¡­¡±


    The Elder rubbed the bridge of her nose, reminding me of Korwen when he was troubled.


    ¡°Just for this single night, oh Fairy Lady! Grant me just this one wish!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Just this once!¡±


    He dove to the ground, pleading to her on his knees.


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Apparently, the Elder had some troubles refusing this¡­ extremely vigorous request.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Why not¡­ do it?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria?!¡±


    ¡°Why not¡­ stay here¡­ until tonight¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria, please do not joke around.¡±


    There was a faint smile on Ria¡¯s lips, likely the reason she assumed Ria was messing with her.


    ¡°I am¡­ serious¡­ though¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have¡­ someone deliver¡­ your clothes¡­ Then¡­ that shouldn¡¯t¡­ be a problem¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t¡­ be here¡­ much longer¡­ You, too¡­ should enjoy¡­ the time¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Elder fell silent. After a few seconds, she finally let out a sigh.


    ¡°I give up.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh?!¡±


    Hearing this, the High Priest jumped to his feet, arms raised in the air, letting out a roar full of joy.


    ¡°You¡­ Grow up a little. Haaa¡­ Seriously¡­ Then again, men never grow up, do they?¡±


    Yet, despite her complaints, a smile adorned her lips as she watched the High Priest expressing his joy.


    ¡°Miss Ria, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Enjoy your¡­ time¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take¡­ our leave¡­¡±


    With those words, the end of our little excursion came. The High Priest had gone from simply shouting to praising the Great Spirits to high heavens. Well, since he was clearly not in a state to talk with us anymore, I just left the magic tool on the table and our group went our way. The Elder waved us goodbye as we left through the large double door.


    ¡°That was¡­ a surprise¡­¡± muttered Karen, once the door fell shut.


    ¡°Nn¡­ You could say that.¡±


    Even through the closed door, we could still hear the shouts of the High Priest¡­ Hopefully, his vocal cords were going to be fine tonight.


    ¡°Time to return.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And yes, we tactfully ignored the poor priest standing next to the door, looking completely bewildered from the High Priest¡¯s shouting¡­


    ---


    Nothing much happened on our return trip. We peacefully arrived at the mercenary camp. Busy mercenaries ran to and fro, like usual. Although I had to note that a lot more of them were lazing around than usual.


    After reporting to Korwen that we had returned, the four of us¡ªLily, Rina, Karen and me¡ªfound a free table to sit down at. Ria had parted with us after reporting. And Wanda hadn¡¯t called for us either. The only thing she reported to Korwen was that she was making good progress and that Karen and I should come by later for the finishing touches. In other words, we were free until it was time to leave.


    ¡°I guess the Elder and the High Priest really are¡­¡± said Lily.


    ¡°It is a bit of a surprise...¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Lily and Karen smiled wryly at each other.


    ¡°You mean about her being the High Priest¡¯s partner?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yumi, do you know what that means?¡±


    ¡°No, not really¡­ But I guess it¡¯s important?¡±


    A partner¡­ On this occasion, it probably meant more than just being a dance partner¡­


    ¡°Well, it does leave an impression if they turn up together. And as far as I know, the High Priest is unmarried. So, him coming together with the Elder...¡±


    ¡°Is going to be taken pretty seriously?¡±


    ¡°You could say that.¡±


    Well, the Elder didn¡¯t seem all that against it either¡­ and she probably knew that as well¡­ She did¡­ right?


    ¡°Coming together¡­¡±


    I imagined the Elder and the High Priest entering a large hall, arms linked and in evening clothes.


    ¡°Yumi? Is something funny?¡±


    Apparently, my expression gave my thoughts away immediately. At least, to Karen.


    ¡°... I just imagined the Elder and the High Priest linking arms.¡±


    ¡°Mh? And why is that funny?¡±


    ¡°The height difference.¡±


    The High Priest was¡­ quite the tall man. And the Elder was just as short as I was. Rather than a couple, wouldn¡¯t that look like a father escorting his daughter?


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, they¡¯ll¡­ manage.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Likely thinking the same, Karen also couldn¡¯t hide a small grin. I could hear an exasperated mutter from Lily, about how we shouldn¡¯t be ones to talk, but kind as I was I ignored it.


    ¡°Hey, Big Sis. Will that man also wear the mask there?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I think so?¡±


    Speaking of that mask¡­ Did the Elder know what he looked like beneath that mask? She probably did, unless he had worn it since he was a child.


    ¡°Huh...¡°


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see tonight, I guess.¡±


    ¡°... I wish I could go too. I don¡¯t want to stay behind.¡±


    Rina slumped onto the table, resting her chin on her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here too, Rina.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    With a strained smile, Lily patted Rina¡¯s head and ruffled her hair.


    ¡°More¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, Madam Spoiled.¡±


    If she could purr, she¡¯d likely start anytime soon now¡­ A content smile plastered all over her face.


    ¡°Lily, you aren¡¯t joining either?¡±


    ¡°Mh? No, I¡¯m not. Papa didn¡¯t want me to, for some reason¡­ I think it¡¯s because Mrs Karker and her family will be there but¡­¡±


    Then, only Karen and I would go? Well, and the Elder.


    ¡°He really seems to dislike her, doesn¡¯t he? Even though she¡¯s been so nice to us,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Nn. Lily, do you have any idea about why?¡±


    ¡°None... I did try to ask some of the others but the only thing I found out is that it is some grudge from long ago. I was still small back then so I don¡¯t really remember much from that time...¡±


    Not that she had grown much taller¡­


    ¡°I think it is related to why he dislikes Mama so much¡­ But I don¡¯t know much more.¡±


    Greyward wanted revenge on Yumias and he also disliked the Karker family¡­ And Mrs Karker knew about both of those things as well.


    ¡°Well, he never talks much about either of those topics. Ah, but don¡¯t mistake him for someone who hates everyone, yes? He usually doesn¡¯t hate people without a reason.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ We won¡¯t, Lily, we won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°As long as you understand.¡±


    Satisfied, Lily nodded before returning her attention to ruffling Rina¡¯s hair, until it was a complete mess. The heck was she doing?


    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t be coming along. It¡¯s only a few who will go anyway, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so?¡±


    Who was it again¡­ Korwen, the Elder, Karen and me. Then¡­ Merim and Greyward? Oh, and Fenna as well, if I recalled correctly. Who else? I forgot. Either way, not many.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let some unsavoury nobles approach you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure nobody will approach her, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Karen, hearing that makes me even more worried¡­ Don¡¯t be too overprotective of her. And don¡¯t punch anyone.¡±


    ¡°Who do you take me for, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Someone who can only see red when it comes to Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    I watched as Lily teased Karen and Karen raised up in protest. Meanwhile, Rina, her hair a complete mess, had stealthily moved closer to Lily, leaning against her. Watching the three of them bicker like this really made me happy.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Am I, am I that overprotective?¡±


    ¡°... No?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Letting out a sigh of relief, Karen, reclined on her seat.


    ¡°As long as there won¡¯t be any casualties.¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    ¡°Waah! Scary! Rina, save me! Wait, Rina, the heck are you doing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Rina?¡±


    While Lily tried to tease Karen again, Rina had fixated her gaze on Lily¡¯s chest. Or actually, slightly below it.


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a bath!¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t mind, but can I ask why?¡±


    ¡°I want to see your belly button!¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    Her¡­ belly button?


    ¡°Rina, could you repeat that?¡±


    ¡°I want to see your belly button!¡±


    ¡°... Why.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡±


    Yeah, everything¡¯s normal over here¡­


    ---


    In the end, the four of us actually went to take a bath, allowing Rina to have her eyeful of Lily¡¯s admittedly adorable belly button. We had more or less planned to take one anyway before visiting Wanda, so this was fine. Afterwards, we parted ways with Lily and Rina, since it was about time for us to visit Wanda. Right there, at her tent, we were now looking at her handiwork with eyes full of astonishment.


    ¡°¡±Ohhhh!¡±¡±


    ¡°Feast your eyes on this.¡±


    ¡°Wanda¡­ you¡¯re awesome.¡±


    I just couldn¡¯t describe it in any other way than awesome. She really had managed to finish in time. In front of our eyes were two finished dresses. Each was a black one-piece with embroidery along the hem. On the right side of the chest was another embroidery, colourful and designed like a crest. The mercenary¡¯s emblem.


    ¡°It was quite a lot of work finishing this in time. I¡¯m glad that Mrs Korwen and the others helped out. Thank them later, you hear.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    They had done a really good job, after all.


    ¡°Now, we don¡¯t have much time left, so get into those clothes. Get going.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    On Wanda¡¯s behest, we changed our clothes, putting on the finished dresses. They even came with a pair of sandals each that fit surprisingly well. Overall, the dress was light and fluffy, a completely different feeling than the time it was still a work in progress. Likely because it had still been rather rough on several patches.


    ¡°Mh. Looks like this one fits well. Any discomfort?¡±


    ¡°No, none at all.¡±


    ¡°Good. Hold your arms up.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    I did as I was told so that Wanda could look all around and check if everything was fine.


    ¡°Good, good. Everything seems in order.¡±


    Nodding to herself, Wanda then turned to Karen, who had finished changing as well.


    ¡±Yumi... Don¡¯t stare like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s impossible.¡±


    There was no way I could tear my eyes off this wonderful view. Her bare shoulders, her alluring collarbone, her legs peeking out below the hem. All the while the dress accentuated her curves, which were more mature than mine. Averting my eyes would be a sacrilege. I had to burn this image in my mind and feast on it forever.


    ¡°Sis. You¡¯re beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yu, Yumi!¡±


    Ah, watching her blush was also good.


    ¡°Looks like everything¡¯s good here too. Haa¡­ Finally, this is done.¡±


    Having skillfully ignored our idiotic display of love, Wanda sat down on her chair, leaned back and sighed. Hearing her mutter, the two of us returned to reality. Right, we weren¡¯t alone...


    ¡°Good work, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    From her position on the chair, Wanda looked at us once again.


    ¡°Have to say, though¡­ It really looks good on both of you. Is this because you¡¯re still young? Or is heaven just that unfair?¡±


    ¡°You were the one who designed it, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°No matter how much work I do, clothes can only do so much. Ahh, I nearly forgot.¡±


    Wanda stood up and went back to her work utensils, retrieving something.


    ¡°Here, wear this.¡±


    ¡°These are¡­ flowers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m glad I asked the Elder yesterday for them. Didn¡¯t expect she wouldn¡¯t come back either. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Rather than just handing me to wear them, Wanda approached me and fiddled with my hair.


    ¡°Now, this is good. Next, girl, come here.¡±


    ¡°Me too?¡±


    ¡°Of course, you too. Now hold still.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold still, I said.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Moments later, Wanda stepped back and looked at her work. A small, pink-petaled flower was resting in Karen¡¯s hair.


    ¡°This flower¡­¡±


    I felt like I had seen it before¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s the Witch¡¯s Flower. Since you two are already treating each other as family, I figured this would be the most appropriate.¡±


    The Witch¡¯s Flower¡­ Ahh, wasn¡¯t that the flower I had been given before once?


    ¡°The Witch¡¯s Flower¡­¡±


    ¡°Devotion to the family and perseverance for the sake of your loved ones. It also symbolizes a young blossoming love. Isn¡¯t it the perfect flower for the two of you?¡±


    Was, was it really?


    ¡°Well, now you two look good to go. Seriously, you¡¯ll have to be careful or you¡¯ll draw all the men¡¯s eyes to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you can be careful about¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Too late now anyway. If it happens, just hide behind that idiot Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    I sincerely hoped it wouldn¡¯t come that far.


    ¡°Now, my job is finally over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Wanda.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. I know, I know. Just go and have your fun, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we will.¡±


    We certainly would. After all, I was accompanied by Karen wearing a pretty dress. Ahh, I had been looking forward to this a lot. I¡¯d definitely make sure to have a lot of fun. Yes, with Karen this prettied up, there was no way I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Our eyes met as we both stared at the other and we averted our eyes in a hurry. Being caught staring was¡­ a bit embarrassing...


    ¡°You girls¡­ Aren¡¯t you a little past that stage?¡±


    Even Wanda couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as she watched us exchanging furtive glances at each other.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Well, guess I can understand that a little¡­ Mh? Hey, your escort has come.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Our escort?


    ¡°Wanda, are Yumi and Karen here?¡± came a familiar voice from outside.


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°Great. We¡¯re about to leave so tell them to come out.¡±


    So, it was time now¡­


    ¡°You both heard him. Get out. And have fun.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you, Wanda. Really.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Get out, I said. Go, go.¡±


    Blushing ever so slightly, she threw us out of her tent. And outside, we were greeted by a small group of familiar people.


    ¡°Oh my¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s a sight for sore eyes.¡±


    ¡°Miss Wanda did quite a good job.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Captain?¡±


    In front of us was a tall man, hair and beard groomed so well, I had trouble recognising him at first.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s your captain, all right. I know this doesn¡¯t suit me.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I was just surprised.¡±


    He wore black clothes accentuated with red and a few other colours. The clothing did little to hide his muscles, as usual¡­ Looking closer, he actually wore the chest piece of an armour, as well as greaves and armoured gauntlets. The emblem of the mercenaries was proudly displayed on the chestpiece as well.


    ¡°... Is it all right to wear armour?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries, it¡¯s only right for us to do so.¡±


    That was¡­ quite the argument. Also, neither Karen nor I wore armour¡­


    ¡°Well, this is just armour for show anyway, so no need to worry.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Well, if he said so¡­ Rather than caring about that, I peeked behind him to look at the others.


    ¡°Everyone really did their best.¡±


    ¡°Of course we did. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t take them along, you know?¡±


    ¡°How rude, Captain. Weren¡¯t you the one who didn¡¯t want to get ready until your wife dragged you away?¡±


    ¡°Merim¡­ You shouldn¡¯t talk like that about your captain.¡±


    Merim was wearing armour and clothes in a similar style to Korwen. Since he was on the more slender side, however, the clothes weren¡¯t stretched by mountains of muscles. His hair was also groomed and he looked like quite the stunning young man.


    ¡°Clothes make the man, don¡¯t they, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they do.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two, why are you looking at me when you say that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°You know¡­¡±


    If he always took care of himself like this, he probably would be quite popular. Then again, he already was married so maybe he had no need to. But Helma would surely enjoy it if he did¡­


    Either way, we left Merim alone and looked at the remaining group.


    ¡°Ohh, Fenna looks quite good as well.¡±


    ¡°You, you think so?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Fenna, like us, wore a dress. However, different from us, a sense of maturity exuded from her. Something, we could never achieve. Her dress, like Korwen¡¯s and Merim¡¯s clothes, was mainly black with a red accent.


    ¡°I bet they will flock to her, right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°They definitely will.¡±


    Maybe something would even come out of it tonight?


    ¡°Then, last is Greyward¡­ He¡¯s black.¡±


    ¡°Black.¡±


    ¡°Really black.¡±


    The only thing I could make out except for his face was¡­ black.


    ¡°If he wore a helmet he¡¯d be completely black.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°You girls¡­¡±


    The person in question wasn¡¯t all that amused by our lackadaisical judgement.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you say something nice about me too? Look, don¡¯t I look awesome?!¡±


    And now he was posing.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better if you ask Lily for that.¡±


    ¡°I already did.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ did¡­¡±


    Somehow, this was sad¡­


    ¡°Well, that aside¡­ Is that everyone, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Except for the Elder, yes.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, didn¡¯t you want to bring someone else along?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ahh, I couldn¡¯t decide on the last person. Ria refused, Greyward doesn¡¯t want Lily to come along, and most of the men don¡¯t really care either. They¡¯d come at most for the food. I was thinking of taking someone from Fenna¡¯s squad but¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll only trouble them, Captain,¡± interrupted Fenna.


    ¡°You heard her. So, with the Elder, it¡¯ll be just the seven of us.¡±


    Seven, huh¡­


    ¡°Anyway, we should be on our way. We got a carriage waiting for us. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s get going.¡±

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Celebration Greetings

    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where¡­ It¡¯s huge.¡±


    ¡°Really huge.¡±


    My eyes went wide as I leaned out of the carriage¡¯s window, looking straight at our destination. Karen gently tugged my arm, trying to get me back into my seat while muttering ¡°That¡¯s bad manners, Yumi,¡± to me.


    ¡°Of course, it is huge. This is where the king himself lives. Did you think he would live in a small house, or what?¡± replied Korwen, sitting opposite us with a smile on his lips.


    ¡°No, but¡­ It¡¯s a lot larger than I expected¡­¡±


    The mansion of Miss Karker was already quite big. And considering how important of a family they were, I had expected the place we would visit would be of similar proportions. Maybe a little bigger, at most. Oh, how wrong had I been.


    ¡°I wonder how much it took to build something like that¡­ in such a place...¡±


    A large, castle-like building, sitting in the river. Yes, in the middle of the river. The river parted to the sides, giving space for the castle, before joining again on the other side. There was little to no visible land left around the castle, only the foundation¡¯s stone slopes disappearing into the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very old castle, from what I know. Built either right after or during the Garm Empire¡¯s collapse. So, there are few records left of its construction. Or, at least, they¡¯re not public.¡±


    ¡°Captain, I recall you saying once that that empire existed thousands of years ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. I just said it¡¯s very old, right?¡±


    But¡­ thousands of years ago? And it was still standing? In the middle of the river? Was it because of magic? It had to be¡­


    ¡°Well, the history of this place is pretty vast and interesting but we¡¯ll have to postpone that talk for another time. You could easily fill out an evening just talking about this castle.¡±


    ¡°I can only imagine¡­¡±


    If it was that old¡­ it sure had its fair share of history.


    ¡°Anyway, you should go back into your seat. You don¡¯t want to come off as a country bumpkin, do you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I basically am¡­¡±


    Still, I returned to my seat, albeit only reluctantly. The view was really nice with the castle in the river, after all.


    ¡°Even if you are, that doesn¡¯t mean you should write it in big bold letters on your chest and tell everyone, right?¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Well, I could still look out of the window from my seat. Or so I thought, but the carriage was already slowing down as it approached the gate. So much to that.


    Outside, we could hear someone talking, then the screeching sounds of the gate opening before the carriage passed through.


    ¡°Finally arrived, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    Once the carriage came to a stop, Korwen stood up from his seat¡ªas much as the low ceiling allowed him to¡ªand left for the outside. Then, he turned around towards us.


    ¡°Now, my ladies, if you would allow me to¡­ Ah.¡±


    He stretched out his hand to help us out¡­ conveniently ignored by Karen who had already followed him outside.


    ¡°Yumi. If I might.¡±


    Only for Karen to copy him, her hand stretched out to me. Seeing her smile and Korwen¡¯s shoulder-shrugging, I couldn¡¯t help but giggle.


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    Grasping her hand, I also left the carriage.


    ¡°Seriously, you girls¡­ Oh well, I guess I can let it pass.¡±


    How magnanimous of him.


    ¡°Mh. Seems the others arrived as well.¡±


    Still holding Karen¡¯s hand, I threw a glance behind our carriage, where a second was just coming to a stop. When the doors opened, Merim and Greyward appeared. Greyward then, just like Korwen, offered his hand to Fenna inside. Just, he wasn¡¯t ignored and she actually took it.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°The Elder isn¡¯t¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll arrive with the High Priest and I don¡¯t know when that¡¯ll be. We can¡¯t wait here for who knows how long. We got places to be.¡±


    True that.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh, Merim. Had a good ride?¡±


    ¡°As good as you could expect from an official pick-up. I wish we had them as well.¡±


    ¡°If you feed those, be my guest.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll pass.¡±


    The ride had been comfortable, that was true¡­ And these carriages that had picked us up, they were pulled by horse-like¡­ creatures¡­ I had seen them before when we first came here. The army had used these monsters as mounts. But I actually knew nothing about them¡­ They did look ferocious and judging from Korwen¡¯s words¡­


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Ah, there they come.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen seemed to want to say something but stopped once he saw a small group of beastkin trotting over to us. Likely the servants of this castle, as they all wore a uniform. They stopped a short distance from us before speaking in our general direction.


    ¡°Esteemed guests. We hope you had a pleasant ride. The celebration will begin shortly. If you could follow us.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The servants bowed very slightly then gestured us to follow them into the building. The entrance hall was quite large, easily big enough to fit two or three wagons side by side. But it wasn¡¯t as large as I would have expected, to be honest. Nonetheless, it was just as fancy as you could expect. Colourful walls and large windows with ornate frames flooding the hall with light. Flags and banners hanging from the ceiling, depicting various crests and emblems. One large banner was straight ahead of us, exceptionally larger than any of the others, the crest depicting various animals forming a circle.


    ¡°Captain, those are¡­¡±


    ¡°The royal family¡¯s crest. And the country¡¯s flag is over there and there. The others are also crests of important families. That one is the Karker¡¯s, for example.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Although, a few of the banners have disappeared compared to last time I was here. Guess they were the ones involved.¡±


    Even so, there were well over two dozen banners with different crests.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare around so much. It¡¯s time. Look to the front.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    It took me a moment to realise what he meant. Below the banner in front of us was a large door. And it was opening, revealing a large banquet hall behind.


    ¡°The Dragon Knights of Lomeria have arrived!¡± one of the servants shouted into the hall.


    Showing no hesitation, Korwen stepped forward, entering the hall.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Karen gently tugged on my hand and we followed Korwen and the others. The moment we stepped over the threshold, dozens of eyes landed on us. Curious gazes, amused gazes, unfriendly gazes. The reactions varied.


    ¡°I thought this was going to be a small celebration¡­¡±


    As I muttered, I cautiously scanned the room. There were so many people around us. Not just ten or twenty but way more.


    ¡°Sir Korwen.¡±


    A middle-aged man approached us and called out to Korwen. With his back as straight as a match stick, he gave off an aura of confidence and authority, even when facing Korwen.


    ¡°Lord Karker. It has been a while.¡±


    ¡°I believe the last time was three years ago. How is your father doing?¡±


    ¡°He is as healthy as can be.¡±


    ¡°That is pleasant news, although to be expected of one of such stature.¡±


    Lord Karker? That Lord Karker? Then, this man was¡­


    ¡°Alas, let us not stand in the middle of the room, Sir Korwen. We are drawing attention. Would you like to join us for the evening?¡±


    ¡°It would be a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    The man, Lord Karker, turned around, leading us to a high table on the side.


    ¡°Ah, Sis, look. It¡¯s El and Nel. And Miss Karker.¡±


    Standing at said high table, were two girls we were quite familiar with, together with their gently smiling grandmother. As expected of such an occasion, they all were dressed up to the nines as well. Although, Nela seemed more than a little uncomfortable. Next to them was another woman, who bore an uncanny resemblance to El, the same black hair and fluffy ear. Her smile reminded me a great deal of Miss Karker. It was the same gentle smile.


    ¡°Sir Korwen, if I may introduce you to my wife.¡±


    Lord Karker gestured to the woman. So, as expected, she was his wife? That meant, she was El¡¯s mother. No wonder they looked so similar to each other.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet, my Lady.¡±


    ¡°It is my pleasure as well, Mr Korwen. My daughter has been in your care, I heard. On behalf of the Karker family, I give you my thanks.¡±


    ¡°I am honoured.¡±


    Korwen slightly bowed his head in response.


    ¡°My, so well-mannered. If only my husband could be a little like that.¡±


    ¡°Honey, please¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    El¡¯s mother chuckled as the two men¡¯s expressions became a little uncomfortable. Lucky for them, her attention was drawn elsewhere quite quickly. Namely, towards us.


    ¡°And are these the lovely ladies I heard so much about? My, they are adorable, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡±Eh, uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking care of my daughter and her friend. Your names are...¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yumi and Karen, is it? I will remember them. I hope you will enjoy the evening.¡±


    She chuckled again, seemingly pleased, before going on to greet the other members of our group. We watched her as she left before we were called out by someone else.


    ¡°Yumi. Karen. Good to see you again!¡±


    With a big smile, El came over, dragging Nel behind her. Both of them were dressed in green dresses. Just looking at them and you could see that these weren¡¯t run-of-the-mill clothes, but really expensive. And they suited them well.


    ¡°El, Nel. It¡¯s been some time.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Were you fine?¡±


    ¡°We were! We¡¯re staying at grandma¡¯s for now, though. Just in case, she says.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s a relief to hear.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    El puffed out her chest a little, proud of¡­ something. Not that I had any idea what, though. A moment later, she peeked past us, looking a little confused.


    ¡±Are Lily and Rina not here?¡±


    ¡°... No. They stayed behind.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ But why?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There were some circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Circumstances mostly being that Greyward didn¡¯t want her to come here. But saying so would just antagonise them.


    ¡°I was looking forward to talking with them, though¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll get another chance.¡±


    ¡°I hope so!¡±


    Then again, we were leaving in a few days¡­ Ah, but if they were staying at Miss Karker¡¯s, then it¡¯d be possible to visit them, right? Well, maybe.


    ¡°You can visit them for as long as they stay here, dear. Just make sure you take someone along, okay?¡±


    ¡°Really? Grandma, is that, okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    Miss Karker patted El¡¯s head from behind, reassuring her.


    ¡°Ah, but where are my manners. Yumi, Karen, I wish you a good evening. Hohoho, those dresses certainly suit you well. They¡¯re very cute.¡±


    ¡°Tha¡ª thank you, Miss Karker.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    I could feel my cheeks warming up a little at the praise. It was just flattery but it still made me feel a little embarrassed.


    ¡°Right?! They look really cute!¡±


    ¡°El¡­ You and Nel also look pretty.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe! Don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°... You do.¡±


    Again, she puffed out her chest proudly. Behind her, Nel flushed red and averted her gaze. Good to know I wasn¡¯t the only one feeling embarrassed.


    ¡°Hohoho, we¡¯re certainly blessed with plenty of cute ladies this evening.¡±


    Miss Karker laughed as she watched the four of us.


    ¡°Be careful that those carnivorous men don¡¯t bother you, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll try to be careful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s well. I doubt you would be seduced by some honeyed words, but do be careful. They can hold quite a grudge.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I¡¯d rather not have some people holding a grudge because we turned them down, though¡­ Hopefully, those people wouldn¡¯t come.


    ¡°Ah, look, the next group has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Like Miss Karker mentioned, the large door opened again, letting the next guests in. A pair.


    ¡°Oh my¡­ That is a surprising combination,¡± muttered Miss Karker.


    ¡°The High Priest and the Elder of the elves have arrived!¡±


    In came a tall man wearing a familiar animal mask. Next to him, a petite woman accompanied him.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ They¡¯ve really come together.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re linking arms.¡±


    ¡°They sure are.¡±


    They definitely weren¡¯t holding back. The High Priest was escorting the Elder as if it was the most natural thing in the world and sure enough¡­ The two looked perfectly comfortable and natural next to each other.


    ¡°My... Little wonder our esteemed High Priest never showed interest in romance. He already had his heart set on someone, didn¡¯t he? Hohoho, I can only imagine all the broken hearts today.¡±


    ¡°Grandma, that¡¯s a pretty bad hobby¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me have that little fun, dear.¡±


    The Elder and the High Priest were immediately caught by some women and trapped in a conversation. That seemed like it would take a while¡­


    ¡°Mh, but are they really like that? Yumi. Karen. You two know the elven Elder, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we do but¡­ Well, I¡¯m not sure either¡­¡±


    ¡°It did seem a little complicated¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Unfortunately, we couldn¡¯t give El the definite answer she was looking for. There clearly was something between them but whether it was of romantic nature or not, I didn¡¯t know.


    Well, it¡¯s hard to imagine it being something else, though¡­ Oh well¡­


    That reminded me that Will hadn¡¯t made an appearance yet.


    ¡°Hey, El.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°Where is Wi¡ª I mean, the king?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll come last. And I think there are still some that haven¡¯t arrived¡­ Like Sir Ruben.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    So, Ruben was coming as well? Well, probably not much of a surprise, considering he was also involved.


    ¡°That means we got plenty of time to talk!¡±


    ¡°... Nn, that¡¯s good as well.¡±


    ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to talk with us?¡±


    ¡°No, of course, I¡¯m happy about it.¡±


    El inflated her cheek to a pout. I had to hold back the urge to poke them¡­


    ¡°El, stop that.¡±


    ¡°Bfuh!¡±


    Nel did it instead.


    ¡°Pfff¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t laugh!¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    That was just too cute.


    I had to desperately hold my laughter, making El only more annoyed. Albeit it was clear that she wasn¡¯t really angry, as she started grinning after a while as well. Making merry like that, we passed the time in quite an enjoyable manner.


    ---


    After we had enjoyed our small talk with El and Nel for quite a while, Karen and I had to join Korwen in giving our greetings to the various nobles. I really wished we didn¡¯t have to but¡­


    ¡°We can¡¯t have our future face be a wallflower.¡±


    And with those words, my fate had been sealed. Much to my chagrin, as it quickly became apparent how¡­ annoying some of these people were.


    ¡°Ah, what a beautiful flower gracing us with her presence. My lady, may I present you with my noble name of¡­¡±


    Rest omitted.


    ¡°What, little girls playing at mercenary? You¡¯re at the wrong place, kid. How low the Dragon Knights have sunk. Listen well, kid, for I am¡­¡±


    Rest omitted.


    ¡°Be honoured to be in my presence! I am¡­¡±


    Omitted.


    ¡°Such a waste for a beauty like you to play with the mercenaries. Hey, how about it, why don¡¯t you work for me? I will take¡­¡±


    His fate omitted.


    Long story short, some were simply a pain in the buttocks and grinding down my nerves. As such, I was really glad when most of them had finally finished their obligatory greetings or their business with Korwen.


    ¡°Good work, Yumi. Need something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I do¡­¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Wearing a wry smile, Korwen handed me a glass of water which I gulped down immediately.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Captain, is it always going to be like this?¡±


    ¡°At occasions like this? It¡¯s often like this.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Not like you imagined it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    I definitely didn¡¯t imagine that I¡¯d have to stand next to Korwen with a fake smile plastered on my lips and having to greet dozens of strangers. Sure, quite a few were amiable and simply wanted to greet us or congratulate Korwen for the recent success. But the few that came either reluctantly or simply tried to hit on me soured the whole thing.


    ¡°You could have warned me beforehand, Captain.¡±


    ¡°If I had, you probably would have tried to find an excuse to stay behind, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I might have.¡±


    Now that I was here, I couldn¡¯t exactly escape the responsibility. But I couldn¡¯t guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t have tried if he had told me beforehand. Slightly vexing.


    ¡°At least, now you can relax. You got the worst part behind you. And you did quite well, I have to say. Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d know anything about etiquette.¡±


    ¡°Wanda taught us a little.¡±


    ¡°Wanda did? Now I have to thank her again, don¡¯t I¡­¡±


    She¡¯d appreciate it if you thanked her, at least.


    ¡°So, no more greetings?¡±


    ¡°No more greetings. Ah, but some people might try to talk with you. Or hit on you.¡±


    ¡°... Why would anyone want to hit on me¡­ I got Sis already anyway.¡±


    I lifted my arm where I was wearing my bracelet. Did they not see this? Or did they just, like, ignore it? Even when Karen gave them the stinkeye, they just continued without care.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say there are a few with a very high opinion of themselves. Or they think relationships like yours are just a pretend-play.¡±


    ¡°Pretend-play? Seriously?¡±


    Just hearing that annoyed me already.


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunately how it is. You¡¯ll hear similar things when it is about mercenary life, as well. People who never experienced our way of life but believe they know what is best for us. But if you get annoyed at each and every one of them, you¡¯ll only wear yourself out.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s easier said than done.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. I don¡¯t really like it either.¡±


    Korwen gave me a few pats on the head, careful for once so that he wouldn¡¯t ruin my hair or the flower.


    ¡°Oh, Ruben has arrived.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I followed his gaze to the other end of the hall where a group of muscled men entered, led by Ruben.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Where to?¡±


    ¡°Ruben.¡±


    Without waiting for me, Korwen approached the newly arrived group.


    ¡°Ahh, wait. Sis, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    We hurried after Korwen, just quick enough that we wouldn¡¯t have to run. Running would probably be bad in this place anyway.


    ¡°Ruben.¡±


    ¡°Korwen. So you¡¯re here, after all.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. What else did you think?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? No idea what goes on in that head of yours.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you greet me?¡±


    ¡°Sure is.¡±


    Despite the questionable exchange, the two of them exchange and a firm handshake.


    ¡°And those girls¡­ No, I should say ladies now, shouldn¡¯t I? Korwen, I really have to suspect you are basing your recruitment criteria on looks. You¡¯re making all the nobles green with envy for sure.¡±


    ¡°Ha! If that¡¯s all it takes, then they deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t disagree.¡±


    Was it really all right to have this kind of topic in the middle of those nobles, though?


    ¡°Korwen.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come with me. Your girls, too.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Ruben gestured to the men behind him to stay behind and then led us to the side of the hall, where not many others were around.


    ¡°You got something to discuss?¡±


    ¡°I sure do.¡±


    ¡°The warehouse?¡±


    ¡°The warehouse.¡±


    The expression of both of them hardened at Ruben¡¯s words.


    ¡°Thanks to the documents we found in the warehouse, we uncovered a few more stashes.¡±


    ¡°... Even more of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A total of six additional warehouses filled with drugs.¡±


    ¡°... But as far as I know, Lafria doesn¡¯t have such a severe drug problem, does it?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, that is right. Occasionally, the public order department finds a group or two dealing in drugs but the overall number of incidents is pretty low. Nothing compared to what goes on in some territories of Krohmea or the Empire.¡±


    ¡°... Then, were those drugs intended to change that? Or¡­¡±


    Korwen fell silent, thinking about his next words.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t intended for Lafria.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Gleaning from the confiscated documents, they were intended to be shipped west.¡±


    ¡°West? But that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°The Wooden Sea.¡±


    What the hell would they want in the Wooden sea with drugs?


    ¡°And no, we have yet to understand the purpose. There seems to be someone there buying the drugs at high rates, however.¡±


    ¡°In the Wooden Sea?¡±


    ¡°In the Wooden Sea.¡±


    Ruben confirmed it with a nod, causing Korwen to groan.


    ¡°There are several merchants involved with this. While we raided some warehouses, we suspect that even a whole trading guild might be involved in this.¡±


    ¡°A whole trading guild? And they could do their business without anybody noticing?¡±


    ¡°As loath as I am to admit, yes. They likely bribed their way through or threatened the opposite parties into silence. The merchant you dealt with belonged to that trading guild.¡±


    That warehouse did?


    ¡°But then, why would he¡­¡±


    ¡°Guilty conscience, maybe. At the very least, he purposefully let you find the drugs and fled the country. Likely not because of the war but¡­¡±


    ¡°His fellow merchants.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    So, he sold Korwen the mana crystals for low in the hopes that we would find the drug and then inform Ruben and the army? And before we did, he¡¯d flee the country in fear of retaliation from his fellow merchants?


    ¡°And, you¡¯re investigating this entire mess now, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Of course. That is my job, after all.¡±


    ¡°And what is your goal with telling us all of this?¡±


    ¡°What, you weren¡¯t interested in what became of the investigation?¡±


    ¡°Even if I say I was, you wouldn¡¯t be telling me that simply out of favour.¡±


    It was a little odd when I thought about it. We were mercenaries and now aligned with a country. And this concerned rather sensitive information, didn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Well, I am not. I have a favour to ask of you.¡±


    ¡°A favour, you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, a favour. Not a job, just a favour.¡±


    ¡°Mh, then, let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Korwen.¡±


    Ruben smiled briefly before continuing.


    ¡°If you encounter any clue that could help us, please inform us without delay.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I expected you to ask us to investigate on our own.¡±


    ¡°I would love to but you know already that the country¡¯s coffers aren¡¯t lined with an infinite amount of gold. That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking a favour.¡±


    ¡°I see. Does Will know about this favour you are asking?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen scratched the back of his head, ruining his well-groomed hair a little.


    ¡°Well, if we find anything, we¡¯ll let you know. But since you are asking like this¡­ You want us to let you know directly?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If they really bribed officials and other people, it might not be possible to clean this up through an official channel. And our resources are already spread thin thanks to the Empire¡¯s incessant provocations.¡±


    A frown formed on Ruben¡¯s brows, showing his annoyance at the situation.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me before I did anything. Either way, you¡¯ll owe me one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll owe you even if you find nothing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it means.¡±


    ¡°No mercy, I guess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    The both of them erupted in laughter, grabbing each other by the wrist.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    Exchanging a final nod, they let go of each other¡¯s wrist. And just as they did, the sound of a bell being rung echoed through the hall.


    ¡°Well, damn time, is it.¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°Will¡¯s coming.¡±


    The entire hall quietened down when the bell rang. Korwen narrowed his eyes to the end of the hall, opposite where we had entered. A group of fully armed soldiers formed two rows facing each other in front of the door, forming a small path.


    ¡°Announcing: The King, Willrich of Lafria!¡±


    The door opened and a man, clad in lavish blue garments, entered, followed by two women behind him. The soldiers readied their weapons, their swords, in a salute. With confident steps, Will strode forwards, before coming to a stop. Only now did I realise that the other end of the hall was slightly elevated, allowing him to look over everyone present.


    ¡°We welcome you, friends and nobles of Lafria! Today is an auspicious day. We are happy to announce that the corrupt nobles festering in our kingdom have been purged! The evil worshippers have been driven away and their beasts slain. What more could We wish of you all? You have shown your strength and your integrity throughout this crisis. Lafria¡¯s unity has been preserved! We could not be happier. This king is euphoric at your accomplishments. And as thanks, We dedicate these celebrations to today¡¯s heroes: Sir Ruben and Sir Korwen. Cheers!¡±


    Will lifted a golden cup high up in the air, and a moment later, many of the nobles copied him. Korwen stealthily handed Karen and me a cup before raising his own.


    ¡°¡±¡±Cheers!¡±¡±¡±


    And so, the toast that signalled the start of the party ended.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Whole-Roasted Boar

    Honestly, nothing exactly changed after the king, Will, made his little speech. He disappeared right after in the back again and the celebration continued as before.


    Okay, I lied a little. There was a difference. The food had come. Yes, the most important part of the evening had finally arrived!


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t start drooling.¡±


    ¡°Sis, even I have that much self-control, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I sure hope so.¡±


    Karen knit her eyebrows. I didn¡¯t say anything wrong, did I? I had some self-control. Surely I did. Right?


    ¡°Woah! Look, Sis!¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    I had the feeling I didn¡¯t want to see Karen¡¯s expression right now, so, instead, I watched the servants carrying in myriads of food in all kinds of variety. Vegetables, meat, fish, fruits and so on. There was so much I had never even seen before.


    ¡°He sure went all out on this.¡±


    ¡°Of course he did. You know how they are, all show.¡±


    ¡°Well, appearances are important. Not that someone exalted as a hero would understand.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I can tell you that ain¡¯t even half as glorious as it sounds!¡±


    And behind us, the two old men continued their own little talk. But for now, the food was more important than them.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Thankfully, we weren¡¯t the only ones interested in the food, as several other people had already come to take a look. Us joining in wouldn¡¯t be too noticeable¡­ probably.


    ¡°Yumi, they¡¯re staring at us¡­¡±


    ¡°So much to that¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Ignore them, Sis, ignore them. Imagine they are potatoes.¡±


    ¡°... What are potatoes?¡±


    Huh? What did she mean what are¡­ Oh, right¡­ They didn¡¯t exist here. But there was something similar, wasn¡¯t there? What was their name again¡­


    ¡°Earth Cucus, imagine they are Earth Cucus.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I can imagine people to be a vegetable.¡±


    Well¡­ I tried.


    Nonsense aside, they really were staring at us¡­ It was a little hard to look at the food if we were under such scrutiny.


    ¡°What to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Get used to it. That¡¯s what you should do.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    Even though we thoroughly left them behind, Ruben and Korwen had come up to us from behind to join in.


    ¡°Attention will follow you and so will the gazes of the people. Take this as a little bit of training for the future.¡±


    Training for the future¡­ Well, as long as they were just curious gazes like the ones aimed at us right now. Although, the moment Korwen and Ruben joined us, they had become the centre of those gazes instead. I could even hear some whispers about ¡®that mercenary¡¯ and ¡®Sir Ruben¡¯ and such. Yet, neither of them even seemed to be bothered the least bit.


    ¡°Your best bet is really just getting used to it. Weather through it and you learn to live with it. It¡¯s not like you can prohibit them from being curious.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t... ¡°


    As long as they were just curious¡­ Which seemed to be the case for most of them¡­


    ¡°Guess we can¡¯t change it¡­ Sis, let¡¯s take a look at the food.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Not very energetic. I couldn¡¯t force her to just ignore the gazes. Hopefully, she could distract her mind from it. With food, for example.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s take a look at what Will got us¡­ Oh, they got Apram fruits. He sure knows what I like.¡±


    Korwen, taking the lead, went up to the table where the servants were still lining up the food. A few of the servants bowed to Korwen even, before continuing with their work.


    ¡°You never change, do you? To think you still love Aprams so much¡­¡±


    ¡°Why should it change? Let me have that bit of luxury in my life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s less about the luxury and more about the taste¡­ I don¡¯t think many can stomach those fruits. Or the undiluted juice.¡±


    Wait, so it wasn¡¯t normal that he could chug that extremely bitter stuff down like it was nothing?


    ¡°That¡¯s because your taste buds are broken, Ruben. You should train them more.¡±


    ¡°Taste buds aren¡¯t something you train, usually. Well, I admit they¡¯re healthy and we do have them as rations in the army, too. In addition, they¡¯re easy to store. But that doesn¡¯t make them very popular among the soldiers.¡±


    Enough about those unlikeable fruits, what else was there? Although, I didn¡¯t even know what I was looking at. Fruits of a variety of colours. Weird vegetables I had never seen before. Unknown meat. Unknown fish. Honestly, there was nothing I recognised. Except for those Apram fruits.


    ¡°Sis, look at that vegetable. It¡¯s a star. They cut it into a star.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I wonder why¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably for appearances? What even is that vegetable anyway?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Well, in that case, the man behind us¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s a Water Cucus.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°A Water Cucus.¡±


    ¡°... Are they in any way related to Earth Cucus?¡±


    ¡°Despite the name, no.¡±


    Then why were they named so similar?


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re named like that, either.¡±


    Great.


    ¡°By the way, there is also Wind Cucus and Fire Cucus. They¡¯re over there and there.¡±


    ¡°What in the blazes¡­¡±


    He pointed at two other bowls filled with vegetables. They, too, were cut into shapes. One in cubes and the other in long sticks.


    ¡°Is there any point in those shapes, Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just for looks.¡±


    ¡°What a waste of food¡­¡±


    Well, there probably was quite a lot of leftovers from that, yes¡­ But that didn¡¯t mean they threw the remainder away. Maybe the cooks made something else with it.


    Well, vegetables are fine and all but what is this meat? It looks¡­ like meat¡­ Wait, why the heck is that meat green? It is meat, right?


    On one plate was a big chunk of green meat sliced into thin pieces.


    ¡°Captain, what¡¯s that green¡­ meat?¡±


    ¡°Which one? That?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That looks like¡­ some kind of monster meat. Ruben, do you know what that is?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s from a Warulk, I think?¡±


    I see. A Warulk.


    ¡°What is a Warulk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a floating monster. Looks like a ball. They¡¯re as big as a person, too.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A floating, ball-like monster¡­


    ¡°Sis, were those the monsters we saw in the Academy¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ They were a lot smaller, though.¡±


    That professor was keeping weird monsters, including floating balls. Which, by the way, were carnivorous. Like most monsters, probably. Watching them devour the meat we fed them was a very¡­ unique experience. And now, something akin to them was on our dinner plate?


    ¡°If they were smaller, those were likely Warulka. They¡¯re similar, though. Really, just a size difference.¡±


    Their names are especially similar...


    But a floating ball¡­ That was one kind of meat I was already a little apprehensive about. But I was also just a little bit curious. Well, I was already planning to eat a little bit of anything that seemed interesting.


    ¡°Oh, he got quite a variety of fish for us as well. Anything intere¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fresh from the local river.¡±


    ¡°Guess not.¡±


    Korwen sighed as if disappointed.


    ¡°Fish is hard to come by. You know that yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yet you got some obscure monster meat.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    At that moment, the large door to the front opened up again. I thought for a moment some had come a little too late but, alas, how wrong I had been...


    ¡°Wow, they sure are making a show of it.¡±


    Even Korwen sounded impressed as a huge metal vehicle was shoved through the door. Although I called it a vehicle, it was just an oversized table. And on this table was a boar. A whole, roasted boar.


    Now, a whole roasted boar wouldn¡¯t usually sound so impressive. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that this world¡¯s boars were several meters in height alone, to say nothing of its length and width. And the whole thing was roasted in one piece.


    ¡°This is crazy.¡±


    That was the only thing I could say at this point. A giant behemoth of a boar on a table, fully roasted and ready for consumption. If this wasn¡¯t crazy, then what was?


    ¡°Whole-roasted boar. That Will really didn¡¯t spare any effort, did he?¡±


    ¡°At least it¡¯s a local boar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if you start importing your boars.¡±


    Even the people around us were sounding quite impressed by the appearance of the boar. Or they just got hungry from the smell of roasted meat.


    I admit a roasted boar was not what I expected to see today.


    But I had to wonder how we were even going to eat this thing. And especially, who¡­


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Who is going to eat all of that?¡±


    ¡°We will, of course.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was¡­ way too much¡­ Even with all of the people combined, we¡¯d need someone with a black hole for a stomach to fit in all of this. Especially that boar.


    ¡°Well, someone will surely eat the leftovers. Don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°If not, I¡¯m sure we can bring it back for the others.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t treat my castle as a pub or restaurant where you can take the food back home.¡±


    A sudden voice echoed from behind.


    ¡°Well now. Not making another grand entrance, Will?¡±


    ¡°Not even surprised, huh... Once is enough. And I¡¯d also appreciate it if you could go with the proper address at this occasion, Sir Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, your majesty the king.¡±


    ¡°How insincere¡­ Well, it wouldn¡¯t be you if not.¡±


    Right behind us, having sneaked up on us, stood Will, the king, grimacing a little at his failed attempt on surprising Korwen. Although, he sure surprised me.


    ¡°Will. Aren¡¯t you supposed to make another grand entrance when you enter?¡±


    ¡°Spare me that, please. This is a small celebration, no need to make a big thing out of everything today.¡±


    And now the person drawing the most attention in the entire hall appeared at our side¡­


    ¡°But back to the topic. You shan¡¯t worry about the food. Enjoy it to your heart¡¯s content. And whatever is left over, won¡¯t be wasted. I am sure the servants are already all licking their lips in anticipation.¡±


    Ah, they¡¯d get whatever we wouldn¡¯t eat? How envious. Would they always get the leftover food from such occasions?


    ¡°Hm. How generous of you.¡±


    ¡°For I am a magnanimous king. Their magnanimous king.¡±


    ¡°Well, since you¡¯re so magnanimous you won¡¯t mind me eating now, will you?¡±


    ¡°... Are you making fun of me?¡±


    ¡°Payback for trying to sneak up on me.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I suppose I can let this pass for once.¡±


    When did Korwen even have time to shovel food on his plate already?


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s get something too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Following our captain¡¯s example¡ªmuch to Will¡¯s chagrin¡ªwe took a plate and a fork and selected whatever food seemed interesting. Conveniently, all the food was cut into sizes just right for the fork, allowing us to eat while standing. And it was still warm as well. On the other hand, I had no idea what half of this food even was but¡­ Nothing ventured, nothing gained.


    ¡°Oh, this is tasty.¡±


    ¡°This too.¡±


    As expected of a king¡¯s party, the food was delicious. Seriously.


    ¡°Sis, what¡¯s that you have there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Some kind of meat. Want to try a bite?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    Karen put a piece of the meat on her fork and held it out to me.


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Oh, this really was delicious. Extra delicious because Karen fed me.


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s good.¡±


    Yes, this was the reason I was here. So much food. And so much variance in it.


    ¡°Yumi, can I try a piece of that?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Here.¡±


    Just as she did to me, I fed Karen a piece of meat from my plate. Ahh, this was bliss.


    ¡°Good, right?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Great, Karen was enjoying the food.


    ¡°Hey, Korwen, are they always like that? Don¡¯t they have some sense of shame?¡±


    ¡°They do but it takes a break at times like this.¡±


    We can hear you, you know?


    They probably meant for us to hear it, though. And here I just managed to divert Karen¡¯s attention from all the gazes gathered at¡­ not us?


    A quick glance at my surroundings and I found what caught the crowd¡¯s attention this time. The Elder and the High Priest. Who were, similar to us, currently enjoying the food. They weren¡¯t overly intimate but they did make for a nice view together.


    ¡°So, Will¡­ The matter we talked about before¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We have come to a decision regarding that. Would you like to hear it now?¡±


    ¡°Might as well.¡±


    Before I could continue enjoying the view of the Elder and the High Priest, the conversation next to me drew my attention. What did he say? The matter from before? That could only mean the fort, right?


    ¡°Mhm. Well, I will keep it simple then: We accept the offer.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s lips drew a smile the moment the words left Will¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°However, there are two conditions.¡±


    ¡°Conditions? Let¡¯s hear them.¡±


    ¡°First: Should Lafria wage war, you shall not fight on our opponent¡¯s side. Second: You will be taxed. That is all.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°That is all.¡±


    Now it was Will¡¯s turn to smile.


    ¡°While the initial payment is questionable, in the long-term we profit from it. Let¡¯s call it an investment.¡±


    ¡°An investment, huh. Into mercenaries? Quite bold of a king.¡±


    ¡°If you are even just half the man your father was, then it will be an investment worth the wait.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What exactly did Korwen¡¯s father even achieve? I only heard he fought in that Triside War? Probably.


    ¡°Furthermore, I did hear a little through the grapevine¡­ Things I believe might be worth investing in. In addition, the elves have taken a liking to you. A feat even we couldn¡¯t do over many decades and centuries, despite being their neighbours.¡±


    ¡°... At the cost of their home.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ A tragedy. One we failed to prevent. On this Lafrian ground.¡±


    ¡°There was a whole lot of stuff coming up at the same time.¡±


    ¡°That it did. But it lessens not the fact that we failed at preventing it. They are people of my country and it should have been my task to protect them.¡±


    Will cast his gaze over to the Elder, who was very clearly enjoying her time with the High Priest.


    ¡°Anyway, matter being, the elves are with you and should they settle in the Sleeping Forest, even better. The elves evidently have interesting magic we would be very much interested in.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I know, I know, I won¡¯t pry. I just hope that you would be willing to share some of the benefits it brings, at least.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something, at least.¡±


    Will didn¡¯t pursue the matter anymore, instead directing his attention to the food now, joining us in eating.


    ¡°Korwen, a fair warning.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Things are happening in Aldreigh and Krohmea as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Putting it nicely, they both had similar incidents to the one here. An unknown group causing havoc among minor settlements and villages.¡±


    Will paused for a few seconds before continuing.


    ¡°We got plenty of refugees from Aldreigh and Krohmea already. It might be even worse over there than it was here. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Did you know we also have refugees from beyond the Wooden Sea?¡±


    ¡°Refugees from beyond the Wooden Sea? But that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite a distance for someone fleeing.¡±


    Didn¡¯t you need to travel for a really long time with a dedicated guide or something? Was that really a path you were willing to take if you wanted to flee? Or did that mean¡­


    ¡°Things are that bad?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? We know too little of the places beyond the Wooden sea. Even less so compared to the Beyond. The latter is at least easily reachable by ship.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make the place itself more hospitable.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s true I suppose.¡±


    One end was easy to reach¡ªby comparison¡ªbut the place itself was dangerous, while the other one was probably not as¡­ wild but even getting there was a challenge.


    ¡°Well, that is enough of that matter for this evening. I am not here to discuss work with you all. As for the transaction¡­ Let¡¯s do that tomorrow. You know where you can meet me. We can discuss the remainder then and there as well.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Tomorrow it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Incidentally, assuming everything goes smoothly and the matter will be dealt with tomorrow, when do you plan to leave the capital?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been staying for quite a while already¡­ The day after tomorrow at the earliest.¡±


    ¡°Not wasting any time, are you?¡±


    Wait, we might leave the day after tomorrow already?


    ¡°Things rarely go smoothly, though, so I doubt we¡¯ll manage that quickly. Probably a day or two later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still quite quick.¡±


    ¡°We have clearly overstayed our welcome here, already. And there¡¯s not much to do for us now. The Academy is pretty much on break and whoever else would hire us already ran away long ago. I am honestly surprised you managed to gather that many people here.¡±


    ¡°We Lafrians won¡¯t fear the Akkians. Not everyone is fleeing at the slightest hint of danger.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    At least, these people were still here.


    ¡°By the way, where did Ruben disappear to?¡±


    ¡°Ruben? He¡¯s busy with the ladies over there.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Will stared at the military man, disbelief in his eyes. Admittedly, I was surprised too, seeing the boulder of a man surrounded by young girls who were all over him. And some of them were clearly out for more than just his signature.


    ¡°The popularity of a hero. I wonder if this is what he meant with it not being all that glorious.¡±


    ¡°Captain, wouldn¡¯t most men be pretty happy in such a situation?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the young boys would be. At our age, it¡¯s honestly a little uncomfortable.¡±


    Was it like that?


    ¡°Yumi, would you enjoy it?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Nn? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    If it was Karen and the other girls, I probably would. But the situation Ruben was in?  I had no idea. Probably not. After all, I already had Karen.


    Ah, is that what Korwen meant? He¡¯s married and Ruben is¡­ probably as well? Yeah, that had to be a little uncomfortable.


    Somehow, I wasn¡¯t quite sure that it really was how Korwen meant it, though¡­ Whatever.


    ¡°Well, with Ruben gone, I suppose I will greet the other people now. Then, I wish you a good evening. Korwen. Yumi. Karen.¡±


    Will nodded once at each of us and then turned around, greeting the next person. But, he sure caught me by surprise this time. While we did introduce ourselves to him before, I didn¡¯t expect him to actually remember our names. After all, he mostly spoke with Korwen. And this was probably the first time he called us by them.


    ¡°There he goes. Well, with this out of the way and the good news received, how about we go and destroy that boar. My treat! Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, it¡¯s technically the king¡¯s treat.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the details, Karen. Come, let¡¯s go.¡±


    As if shooing us away with his hands, he led us to the large boar. Several servants were at the ready next to it, preparing to cut whatever the people wanted.


    ¡°Looking at it from close up, it really is massive, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    How did they even manage to roast this behemoth whole?


    ¡°My ladies, Sir, which parts would you like?¡±


    ¡°Mm. From there.¡±


    ¡°Understood. One moment, please.¡±


    While I was still in awe of the boar, Korwen had already directed the servant on where to cut.  Standing so close to it, I could feel the heat radiating off from it now.


    ¡°Ohh, look, Yumi.¡±


    The servant thrust the knife in the boar and skillfully cut out a chunk of meat. Then he proceeded to slice it into thin pieces of meat. The whole thing was over so fast I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Korwen presented his plate and received parts of the meat. After he gestured with his eyes for us to do the same, we gratefully received the meat that had still steam coming off from it.


    ¡°Wah! It¡¯s hot!¡±


    Piping hot, in fact.


    ¡°What did you expect when there¡¯s still steam coming off from it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I blew on the meat a little to cool it down before trying again.


    ¡°Nn! It¡¯s good.¡±


    Ahh, the food really was the best part of this evening.


    ¡°You¡¯re really easy to please, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As long as I have Sis and something delicious to eat, I¡¯m happy.¡±


    Yes, I was just that simple.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯ll be especially happy today, then.¡±


    ¡°I am. So much good food. Even though, I have absolutely no idea what most of it even is.¡±


    Except for the boar. And the Apram fruits. And the newly discovered Water Cucus.


    ¡°Sure doesn¡¯t seem to stop you.¡±


    And why would it? As long as it wasn¡¯t poisoned.


    ¡°Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°So¡­ What the king just said¡­ The mercenaries are going to own a fort now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Auria fort will be ours as soon as tomorrow. Surprised?¡±


    ¡°... He didn¡¯t seem all that enthusiastic to me, last time.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t but he carefully thought it over. And he was smart in executing it too. Seriously.¡±


    Korwen sighed before stuffing his mouth again and chewing vigorously.


    ¡°The two conditions he imposed on us are pretty much nothing to us. But they¡¯re good enough for him in the long-term. If he had been a little more restrictive, I would have used the favour he owes us. Well, that¡¯s assuming those really are the only restrictions he put on us.¡±


    ¡°Then, why didn¡¯t you now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it for us. There are many things we can use such a wish for. Things we can make more use of.¡±


    Then, Will intentionally chose lax conditions that benefited him instead of using restrictive ones and then having Korwen call in the favour?


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t we save money if we weren¡¯t taxed?¡±


    ¡°We would. But the tax money is, hopefully, used to better the lives of people. And if Auria benefits from us paying tax, even better. Plus, rather than removing the tax, we can just use the wish on something else that simply allows us to make more money, you see?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Yes.¡±


    So it was investing rather than saving.


    ¡°Then, do you have any ideas on what to use the wish on, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. There are plenty of things we could do. But, let¡¯s not talk about that in public too much. You won¡¯t know who listens in on us.¡±


    ¡°... Weren¡¯t you the one who was discussing it with Will earlier?¡±


    ¡°All for show. We are more or less the guests of honour. He has to show that he is doing good business with us.¡±


    ¡°Always these show-offs¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s a good one. Yes, we¡¯re all show-offs here.¡±


    Korwen broke out in laughter for some reason.


    ¡°But you know, that would certainly include you two as well. Well, we are showing you off to the world.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    He was right¡­ Not that I really liked it.


    ¡°But don¡¯t worry. At least you won¡¯t have to deal with more greetings anymore.¡±


    ¡°Praise be!¡±


    ¡°You really didn¡¯t like that, did you?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Well, most of them were okay but a few were¡­¡±


    Those flirts, for example. Those were bad.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to get used to it.¡±


    ¡°It seems I have to get used to a lot.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, you do. That¡¯s what it means taking up a new path in life.¡±


    ¡°A new path in life, huh¡­¡±


    Certainly, it was very different from what I had been doing before. Back in my previous world. Not that I remembered much but it certainly wasn¡¯t anything violent. No weapons, no travelling. But also no love.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m glad I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? The food that good?¡±


    ¡°Well, the food too. Nn! Sis! Let¡¯s get some more food!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, don¡¯t pull me!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you two, don¡¯t make a mess!¡±


    Ignoring our captain behind us, Karen and I once more dove into the unknown mountain of food, experiencing whatever flavour we could, feeding each other and generally enjoying a good time.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Farewell beneath the Stars

    We ate. A lot. A whole lot. Probably a lot more than we should have. But the food was so good, so delicious. It was hard not to eat as much as you could. Seriously.


    But, alas, if you ate too much, you had a price to pay. The stomach could only hold so much. As unfortunate as it was, trying all the food that was offered here would be impossible.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Are you done already?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­ I think so¡­¡±


    My stomach was filled to the brim, my hunger gone. My stomach would cry out in protest if I tried to eat more. For a mock stomach, it sure wasn¡¯t doing a good job.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Want the rest?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t, sure.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    At least, Karen would find some more enjoyment out of it.


    ¡°Mm. Delicious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Karen smiled happily as she ate my leftovers.


    As long as she enjoys it.


    Watching her eating with such a big smile was quite fulfilling as well. Really, it eased my heart.


    ¡°Haa. This was good, too.¡±


    Karen put down the cleaned plate, looking quite satisfied.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad we came.¡±


    ¡°Nn. There was a lot of interesting food.¡±


    Monster meat, vegetables and fruits from far away, pastries and many other things. Honestly, the variety was so large it¡¯d take hours just to describe half of them. Eh? What else is there other than food? Nothing. There definitely wasn¡¯t anything going on right now. Really.


    ¡°Hahaha! Come on, is that all you can do?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ You damn monster¡­ ¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Nothing¡¯s going on.


    ¡°Ah. Yumi, look. Another one gave up.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Just what are these people doing?


    The answer was¡­ drinking. Right, what kind of celebration would this be if it didn¡¯t have some alcohol? So far so good, they got alcohol. A lot of it. And what happened when alcohol was around? Well, people were drinking. A lot.


    ¡°Korwen, you damn bastard¡­ Urgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re a few decades too early to drink me under the table!¡±


    The celebration had turned into a chaotic drinking bout between the mercenaries and the Lafrian nobles. Much to my surprise, quite a few of the Lafrian nobles could hold their liquor well enough to compete with Korwen. Merim was, of course, already down for the count.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ Burp...!¡±


    Ah, and another one was gone.


    All these people whose names I didn¡¯t even know¡ªor rather, couldn¡¯t remember¡ªwere desperately trying to down just one more mug.


    ¡°These spirits are quite something, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°They sure are. We should thank Will for bringing out the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Mr King, thank you for treating us to such fine spirits.¡±


    All the while, these particular people were completely unfazed by the others around them dropping to the floor and being carried away by the servants.


    ¡°Hahaha! Fairy Lady, these go well with the drinks. Have some!¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Let me try as well.¡±


    Really, what were these people doing¡­ Where was all that noble and tactful attitude from earlier? Even Will, the king himself, had joined them. Although, he, too, was holding up quite well.


    Well, as long as they are having fun.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re not joining?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I feel like it won¡¯t end well if I were to¡­ And I¡¯d like to end the day on a good note.¡±


    I¡¯d also like to keep all this nice food inside my stomach, right now. It¡¯d be a tremendous waste to, err, get relieved of it through less conventional means.


    ¡°Ah, but I would like to try a sip at least. It seems that the drinks are pretty good, after all.¡±


    Judging from the rate they were downing it, at least. Then again, it was alcohol, so that didn¡¯t necessarily mean that it was good just because people poured it down their mouths like water.


    ¡°Not going to join, you two?.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, Fenna. No, we aren¡¯t.¡±


    Just when I was thinking of asking someone if I could have a mug of whatever they were drinking, someone else came over to us.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, what about you?¡±


    ¡°Me? I already had some earlier, that¡¯s enough for me. And I¡¯d rather not get drunk under the table like Merim. I¡¯d last longer but against the captain, I¡¯ve got no chance.¡±


    So she said with a strained smile on her lips.


    ¡°And I sure didn¡¯t expect the Elder or the High Priest to join in and keep up with the captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that sure is surprising.¡±


    I would have never expected the Elder of all people to enjoy her liquor that much. Then again, she did have quite a taste for the more worldly things¡­ if you could say it like that. Still, seeing those three together with Ruben and Will drinking merrily was quite a sight. Although, Will¡¯s face was already flushed red and he was clearly not quite sober anymore. It was only a matter of time until he was going to join the people who had already passed out.


    Ahh, he¡¯s already swaying¡­ That¡¯s no good.


    Was it really all right for the king to join a drinking bout and get utterly smashed?


    ¡°Anyway, I wanted to tell you to finish up.¡±


    ¡°Finish up?¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion. Finish what up?


    ¡°We¡¯re heading home soon.¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Already?¡±


    ¡°Already? Go take a look outside the window.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Doing as I was told, I turned around to look out the window.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s dark.¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡±


    Where the hell did the time go? The moon and the stars were high up in the air,  illuminating the night sky.


    ¡°I thought it was still early¡­¡± muttered Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Me too.¡±


    All the lights in the hall probably messed up our internal clock.


    ¡°Well, just get ready to leave soon. I¡¯ll go and inform the others.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Fenna.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Fenna lifted her hand in acknowledgement and then went off again.


    ¡°It¡¯s already over, huh...¡±


    Time went by a lot faster than I thought¡­ And we had been occupied with eating for most of it¡­


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll join them, after all. If it¡¯s only for a little while¡­¡±


    Then I probably won¡¯t end up dead drunk, right?


    ¡°... Haa, if that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    Time to see if this booze they had was as good as their food.


    ---


    ¡°My head¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop complaining and get moving.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡­ I think it¡¯s coming¡­ up¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait, don¡¯t you dare! Don¡¯t you dare!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ shake me¡­ Ahh¡­ Burp.¡±


    ¡°There, do it over there. There!¡±


    And another casualty was added to the list. At least, it wasn¡¯t me.


    ¡°Seriously, Merim. How weak can you be? Aren¡¯t you ashamed to be this weak to alcohol?¡±


    Korwen was shaking his head as he watched Merim discarding his stomach contents into a corner of the courtyard.


    ¡°Not everyone has an iron stomach like you, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Ha. As if you should talk. You kept up just fine, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What kind of superior would I be to my men if I couldn¡¯t drink some booze?¡±


    ¡°Damn right.¡±


    Well, Merim was technically our vice-captain and he was¡­ Yeah, if it was Korwen instead, it would probably shatter my entire image of him.


    ¡°And you, Greyward, why did you not join us? I was looking forward to sharing a drink.¡±


    ¡°I had some business to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ With the old lady Karker?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Still not getting along?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­ It¡¯s a little complicated.¡±


    Greyward sighed, looking quite exhausted.


    ¡°That so? Well, I hope we¡¯ll get another chance in the future then.¡±


    ¡°I hope so as well. It would be an honour to share a drink with you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get all polite on me now. You know I hate that.¡±


    Ruben laughed heartily, only eliciting another sigh from Greyward in response. Well, he¡¯d survive it.


    I drew away my attention from those three and directed it towards the people in front of me. The two girls and the older lady, with the former two rushing towards us.


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Are you already going to leave?¡±


    ¡°We are, El. It¡¯s getting late and we need to return to the camp.¡±


    ¡°Is that so...¡°


    Elma¡¯s eyes were downcast, a look of disappointment in her expression.


    ¡°How long will you stay in the capital?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ We might leave in two days already but¡­¡±


    Karen threw a glance over to Korwen and the others.


    ¡°Depends a little, I guess?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then we probably won¡¯t have another chance to meet before you leave.¡±


    Likely hard to, that was right.


    ¡°Promise me that we¡¯ll meet again!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sure we will.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we will.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    Once she heard our promise, Elma grinned from ear to ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise, you hear! We¡¯ll definitely meet again!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Since the fort trade had been dealt with, we surely would get another chance to meet these two. While I didn¡¯t exactly know how far the fort was from the capital, it was definitely easier than however long it would have taken if the mercenaries went their regular route. As far as I knew, that one would take a few years, after all.


    ¡°Now, now, Elma, calm down a little, will you?¡±


    From behind Elma and Nela, Miss Karker finally reached us as well, putting her hand on Elma¡¯s head.


    ¡°Yumi. Karen. Please continue being friends with these girls.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Grandma!¡±


    ¡°Nn, we will.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Elma¡¯s face went red from embarrassment, causing all of us to chuckle a little. Even if she hadn¡¯t asked, Elma and Nela were kind girls. If anything, I hoped they¡¯d stay friends with us.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad, Elma? They¡¯ll stay friends with you.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Grandma¡­ Stop that.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    Her entire face coloured crimson, Elma averted her gaze. I couldn¡¯t quite see her expression anymore, but it felt like she was hiding a smile there...


    ¡°Ahh, right. I have something for the two of you.¡±


    ¡°Nn? This is?¡±


    Miss Karker suddenly handed us a small bag. It was light.


    ¡°They¡¯re cookies. I hope you can enjoy them together.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is it really okay for us to have these?¡±


    Weren¡¯t cookies quite expensive?


    ¡°It is. Don¡¯t worry about it. As long as you can enjoy them, that¡¯ll be enough for me.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Polite as always. Old Korwen really is blessed to have you two.¡±


    We did cause him quite some headaches as well, though¡­


    ¡°Ah, and please give Lily my regards.¡±


    ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can...¡±


    ¡°That would be much appreciated. Oh, and greet the little ones as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    I was a little surprised at first but she did talk with them when she visited before. And the girls had taken quite a shine to Miss Karker. They¡¯d surely be happy.


    ¡°Well then, I hope we will meet again in the future. I wish you a good journey, Yumi, Karen. Take care of yourselves.¡±


    With a last smile directed at us, Miss Karker gave us her farewell. It was a little sad to think we wouldn¡¯t see her for a long while.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Take care.¡±


    ¡°Nn. You too, El. And Nel, too.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, right, Nel?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    We said our goodbyes to the two of them and headed towards the carriage that would return us to the camp. Fenna had already brought Merim back and Korwen and Greyward were still talking with Ruben. They exchanged a last firm handshake and then parted.


    We might not see Ruben for quite a while either¡­ Ah, we didn¡¯t get to say bye to Will...


    The king had managed to get so smashed he had passed out. After a while, a pretty, petite woman had come and ordered the servants to take him back. Korwen later told me that had been his wife.


    Oh? That is¡­


    While I was slightly absentminded, Miss Karker had approached Greyward.


    ¡°Greyward.¡±


    ¡°... Karker. Did you not have enough?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, just who is it that is so hostile?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I just hope you take my words to heart. That is all I wanted to say. No, that¡¯s not right. I also wanted to give you this.¡±


    ¡°... That is?¡±


    With a weak smile, Miss Karker handed a small envelope to Greyward.


    ¡°I wonder?¡±


    ¡°... Stop the games, Karker.¡±


    ¡°Hohoho, but where would be the fun then?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Greyward seemed to click his tongue in annoyance, causing Miss Karker only to chuckle even more.


    ¡°It is a letter, of course. For a certain very elusive person.¡±


    ¡°... Her, huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes, her. It¡¯s not easy reaching out to her, after all. Ah, but it¡¯s just a letter of gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Tsk¡­ she¡¯s not even around currently.¡±


    ¡°Then, just hold onto it until she comes by the next time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Greyward sighed and stowed away the letter. I was a little surprised seeing that, considering he wasn¡¯t exactly on good terms with Miss Karker.


    ¡°Thank you, Greyward. For all you have done.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t remember doing anything that would warrant your gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Haha, you don¡¯t, do you? That is fine. That is fine.¡±


    After a short pause, Miss Karker turned around.


    ¡°Think about what I told you, Greyward. Farewell.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And with that, Miss Karker left the courtyard.


    ¡°Yumi, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Ah, Miss Karker was there, talking with Greyward¡­¡±


    ¡°With Mr Greyward? I thought they don¡¯t get along?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think you can call that getting along¡­¡±


    Admittedly, I didn¡¯t really know what they had been talking about. I could hazard a guess regarding the recipient of the letter, but that was all¡­


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, Sis, let¡¯s get in.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of us entered the carriage and made ourselves comfortable. I threw a last glance outside the window, looking at the imposing scenery in front of us. Even in the middle of the night, it was something to behold. The moon was right above it and together with the stars, it shone down on it, illuminating the walls and the spires. It was a mystical view.


    ¡°Nn. Until next time.¡±


    Maybe we¡¯d get another chance in the future to come here. As I thought so, the carriage went on its way, leaving the castle.


    ---


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    As soon as we entered our wagon, I dove straight onto the bed, as was customary for me already.


    ¡°Yumi. Don¡¯t wrinkle the dress!¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    In a hurry, I stood up again. It¡¯d be a shame to treat the dress too roughly like our usual clothes.


    ¡°It¡¯s already over, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°It was fun.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    We mostly just ate the food but, oh well, that was fine. Or, well, I mostly could only remember the food. Probably because I enjoyed that a lot. All those greetings with strangers were¡­ Troublesome, at best. Ah, but meeting the remaining Karker family was nice, even if we barely spoke with them.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a shame that we¡¯re back already. I really would have loved to wear the dress some more.¡±


    The dress was too pretty to wear casually. Well, it obviously wasn¡¯t something intended for casual wear, after all. And there probably wouldn¡¯t be too many chances to wear a dress like this again. It was a bit of a shame. Especially, since it also meant that there weren¡¯t too many chances of seeing Karen in a dress.


    Let¡¯s burn her image into my memory while I still can.


    Yes, Karen wearing a dress was great. It was cute but also a little on the mature side. Although, that might be due to it being black.


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi... ¡°


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    For some reason, Karen looked at me, exasperated. Did I do something?


    ¡°Come, Yumi. Get out of the dress before it wrinkles.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ A shame.¡±


    With Karen¡¯s help, I undressed, leaving myself in only my underwear.


    ¡°Bye, dress, it was nice while it lasted.¡±


    After folding it slowly and putting it on the desk, Karen undressed as well.


    ¡°I''m sure we¡¯ll get another chance, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so. I want to see Sis in a dress again.¡±


    Ah, but Karen in her underwear was also pretty nice. But that wasn¡¯t something I could show off to others.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    I laid down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving soon, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Seems so. Mr Captain did say we would leave in a few days.¡±


    ¡°And then we¡¯ll go to the fort.¡±


    The Lomerian Dragon Knights had acquired a fort. A base of their own. From that day on, they wouldn¡¯t be wandering vagrants anymore. They would have a place to come back to. And so would we.


    ¡°A home, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean the fort?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen laid down next to me, joining me on the bed.


    ¡°To be honest, I am looking forward to seeing the fort.¡±


    Just what kind of place was it going to be? The only things I knew about it were that it was close to a large lake and a forest¡­


    ¡°Sis, do you know about the place where the fort is?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhm¡­ It¡¯s in the north of Lafria, right? Then, I don¡¯t think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Too bad.


    ¡°Are you curious?¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, I am. It¡¯ll be our new home.¡±


    ¡°If you put it like that¡­ But we¡¯ll have to wait for a little more. It will take some time to reach there anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn, true.¡±


    So much to that.


    ¡°But, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be a nice place.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Even if it was likely in disrepair. According to Ruben, it hadn¡¯t seen use in some hundred years or so, right?


    It¡­ does still stand, right?


    They probably wouldn¡¯t sell us a fort that had collapsed¡­ right? Right¡­


    We¡¯ll have to see¡­ But I guess it¡¯ll definitely need at least some maintenance and repairs.


    But really, we couldn¡¯t do anything but wait and see.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sis?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Confused at the lack of response even though she called out to me first, I turned my head to the side, only to be met with Karen staring straight at me.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yumi. We didn¡¯t get to dance.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Dance? What in the hell was she coming up with now?


    ¡°Dance. We didn¡¯t dance during the celebration.¡±


    ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    There hadn¡¯t been any occasion to do so. After the king¡¯s speech, there had only been the dinner followed by the drinking bout. Which the Elder won. By a landslide.


    ¡°Even though I was looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°You were?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, in that case.¡±


    I forced myself to stand up from the bed, then turned around facing Karen. Slightly bowing towards her and holding out my hand, I called out to her.


    ¡°My Lady, would you give me this dance?¡±


    ¡°... Pfff.¡±


    ¡°... Hey.¡±


    Here I was, mustering all my courage to ask her for it¡­ Okay, not really, but still¡­


    ¡°Sorry, sorry¡­ Of course.¡±


    She took my hand and stood up from the bed.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little cramped to dance here. And there is no music.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can only do so much, Sis¡­ We could go outside.¡±


    ¡°No, this is fine.¡±


    With a smile on her lips, Karen slung her arms around my waist, pulling me towards her.


    ¡°Just saying, I¡¯m not really good at dancing, Sis.¡±


    ¡°You managed fine during the festival, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, as long as it is something simple.¡±


    And was accompanied by music. But we didn¡¯t have any¡­ What to do.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Wait one second.¡±


    I stretched my hand out to the window and opened it.


    ¡°Hey, any of you do¡ª Woah!¡±


    Before I even managed to finish my sentence, a doll crawled inside through the opened window.


    ¡°Did it wait outside¡­ Well, whatever. You dolls¡­ wouldn¡¯t happen to be able to make music, would you?¡±


    They were oddly multi-talented so I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they could¡­ And, just as expected, the doll was saluting which I assumed meant yes. Then, it climbed through the window again, disappearing into the night.


    ¡°... Okay, what is it doing now?¡±


    ¡°Who knows¡­¡±


    We decided to wait for a few minutes and sure enough, after a while, around two dozen dolls climbed inside the wagon, holding various small things like stones and sticks and the like.


    ¡°I guess this means we¡¯ll be getting some music.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t even know what to say, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Neither do I.¡±


    Seriously, who would think that dolls could play music¡­ Ah, but first, we¡¯d have to actually hear them play something. They might still be tone-deaf.


    ¡°Okay, then, err, play something we can dance to.¡±


    They saluted. I assumed that meant they¡¯d actually do it. And sure enough, they started making sounds. Clapping the rocks, banging the sticks, slowly, rhythmically. All in a very coordinated manner and soon enough, you could clearly hear that this was, in fact, a song.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    I¡¯m proud of you, my dolls!


    To think they really were playing music.


    ¡°So, Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°My lady, would you give me this dance?¡±


    ¡°... Wasn¡¯t that my line?¡±


    And she was already hugging my waist anyway.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s mine.¡±


    ¡°... Well, it would be a pleasure.¡±


    Both of us chuckled, and then, she took my hand in hers and in the rhythm of the doll¡¯s music, we slowly moved. It was a slow dance, only a few steps. More swaying to the music than actually dancing.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°For dancing with me.¡±


    Karen grinned, looking really happy.


    ¡°Always, Sis. No matter when or where, I¡¯d always dance with you.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re too good for me, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying, Sis. Isn¡¯t it the other way round? You¡¯re far too good for me if anything.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not really that good. I¡¯m really selfish and possessive, after all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind that.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t say she was all that selfish, anyway.


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Yumi. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She tightened her embrace around my waist, pulling me a little closer to her. As she did, the rubbing of our skin intensified a little, making me more acutely aware of a small problem.


    ¡°You know, maybe we should have dressed first.¡±


    ¡°Now is too late.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    That it was but¡­ I couldn¡¯t help but be distracted a little when her breasts were right in front of me in full view. Or rather, they were basically being pressed into me.


    ¡°Lewd Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m lewd too.¡±


    She tightened the embrace even more.


    ¡°Sis, this is¡­¡±


    She only chuckled in response.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Really.¡±


    Couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Sis, I love you.¡±


    I stood on my toes, rising to meet her lips. Karen¡¯s eyes went wide at my surprise attack but soon enough, she closed her eyes and met my kiss in kind.


    Several seconds later we parted again.


    ¡°You¡¯re sly.¡±


    ¡°Always a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°... Take this.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Woah?!¡±


    Suddenly, I was lifted into the air, ending our swaying little dance.


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    Karen was holding me up in her arms, my eye level just a little higher than hers. For once, she was looking up at me. And I was looking down.


    ¡°Yumi. I don¡¯t think I can contain myself anymore."


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can either.¡±


    ¡°In that case...¡±


    Karen approached the bed, putting me down on it and then climbing up herself.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you sleep tonight.¡±


    ¡°Have mercy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    With those words, she bore down on me, kissing me, parting my mouth and letting her tongue through.


    ¡°Mm, mm!¡±


    ¡°Nn! Hn! Nah! Haa¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    Karen, with a big smile on her face, hugged my waist again and rubbed her face against my chest.


    ¡°Yes, I love Yumi¡¯s chest the most.¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s so flat?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too soft to be flat.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it soft because my whole body was? Well, whatever.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen suddenly stopped rubbing my chest with her cheek, instead she laid there hugging me, motionlessly.


    ¡°Soon, we¡¯ll leave the capital.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss everyone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Me too.¡±


    ¡°We still have to say goodbye to Lefa.¡±


    ¡°We should.¡±


    She was probably at the Academy if she was still in the capital.


    ¡°We won¡¯t see Elma and Nela for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°They were kind girls.¡±


    ¡°Nn, they were.¡±


    I gently stroked the back of Karen¡¯s head while she buried her face in my chest.


    ¡°Miss Karkas was nice to us, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. She even gave us cookies.¡±


    ¡°Mr Ruben was a little scary.¡±


    ¡°Pff¡­ I guess he was.¡±


    ¡°And that professor at the Academy¡­ He was weird.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    That one had been really weird, yeah.


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll see them again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we will.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is.¡±


    Karen fell silent, hugging me without saying another for a while. I kept stroking her head, as gentle and slow as I could. After a few minutes had passed I called out to her again.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ Sis?¡±


    No reaction¡­ Did she not¡­ Ahh¡­


    ¡°Really? You fell asleep?¡±


    A quiet sleeper¡¯s breath escaped her. She actually fell asleep while burying her face in my chest.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    With my free arm, I pulled the blanket over Karen and me, making sure we were both warm and covered. Then, I turned to the dolls in the corner of the wagon.


    ¡°Thank you for playing. Close the window when you leave, yes?¡±


    The dolls saluted and promptly climbed out. And yes, they closed the window.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Good night, Sis.¡±


    I gently stroked her silver hair, enjoying the smooth texture in my hand.


    ¡°I love you, Sis. No matter how selfish or possessive you are, I will always love you. I mean, I¡¯m also quite possessive, you know? After all, I¡¯d never want to share you with anyone. You¡¯re mine and mine alone. And I¡¯m yours and yours alone. That¡¯s why, be as possessive as you want to be. Be as selfish as you want to be. And¡­ be as sad as you want to be.¡±


    I kept stroking this gentle girl¡¯s hair.


    Seriously, just what should I do with this girl?


    So I wondered to myself, chuckling a little. Who could have known that she was actually this sad about leaving?


    ¡°I¡¯ll always be there for you, Sis.¡±


    Under this star-lit night, I kept caressing the girl in my arms, who seemed even younger now than she actually was. Until the sleep took hold of me as well, I kept going on and on...

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Crystal Investigation

    ¡°The crystal? From the roper?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ve been curious about that one for a while so... ¡°


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind letting you see it¡­¡±


    The next morning, after Karen and I discussed what to do for the day, we decided on taking a look at the large crystal that the roper had been carrying around. And so, we went to Merim to ask him if we could go and see it. Incidentally, Korwen wasn¡¯t around. He left early in the morning to finalise the deal with Will.


    ¡°But why do you want to see it? If you don¡¯t mind me asking. Just curiosity?¡±


    ¡°Mainly that, I guess.¡±


    And there was a chance we¡¯d be working with it. Plus, the captain clearly wanted to get that thing and while I could understand why, I still wanted to see it up close. After all, people fought for it. Fortunately, nobody died but there were still injuries.


    ¡°Well, in that case, let me bring you there.¡±


    Merim put down the documents he was working on and stood up.


    ¡°Uhh, don¡¯t you have work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not my fault if the captain gets angry.¡±


    ¡°Nah, he won¡¯t. This is technically your work that I¡¯m doing because you girls are on break.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, doesn¡¯t that mean if you skip out on this I¡¯ll have more to do?¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    So it was my turn to get angry? That was fine, right?


    ¡°Jokes aside, it¡¯s not much so taking a small break won¡¯t hurt. Since you helped the captain with this stuff, all the piled up documents have mostly been dealt with already.¡±


    ¡°That so?¡±


    Well, I had been wondering once in a while how the mercenaries had so much paperwork to do¡­ But it was mostly piled up work?


    ¡°Yes. Well, when we¡¯re camping near a town like this, there¡¯s still a lot of it.¡±


    Merim sighed as he stared at the desk for a few seconds.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to that crystal.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After leaving his work tent, he led us through the camp, towards one of the few wagons we kept here in the camp. Two guards stood outside. Upon spotting us with Merim, the two immediately straightened their backs and stood at attention.


    ¡°¡°Vice-Captain!¡±¡±


    ¡°Good work. We¡¯ll take a look inside. Is Ria still inside?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Vice-Captain. She hasn¡¯t left since yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°... She did eat and sleep, yes?¡±


    ¡°The captain¡¯s wife brought her something to eat.¡±


    ¡°At least something¡­ Seriously...¡±


    After a quiet complaint, Merim opened the door and led us inside.


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    A large crystal was deposited in the middle of the room, sitting on a large table and fastened with ropes. The even surface shimmered slightly in the dim morning sun, giving off a mysterious feeling. However, the person who should be here was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Ria? Are you here? Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Vice¡­ captain? Good morning...¡±


    ¡°... Morning.¡±


    And there, behind the crystal, Ria¡¯s face appeared¡­


    ¡°Seems you slept at least... ¡°


    ¡°Of course... I do... If I¡¯m¡­ too sleepy¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ work¡­¡±


    So she said, stifling a yawn. After blinking a few more times, she disappeared for a moment again behind the crystal, only to stand up from behind it. Her clothes and hair were a mess¡­


    ¡°... So¡­ Yumi and Karen¡­ are here¡­ as well¡­ Good morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Good morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Miss Ria.¡±


    ¡°What have you¡­ all come¡­ here for?¡±


    She stretched her body a few times, likely to wake up properly, and then looked at us curiously.


    ¡°These two wanted to see the crystal. And since you¡¯re here I figured I¡¯d come as well and ask if there has been any news.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Her attention quickly turned to us, then she beckoned us over to her.


    ¡°If you¡­ want to look¡­ feel free¡­ But it¡¯s... not much... different¡­ from a¡­ normal¡­ mana crystal....¡±


    ¡°Then, if you don¡¯t mind us.¡±


    Since she gave us permission, I decided to walk up to the crystal and take a look from close up. As a result, I could really realise how large this crystal was.  During the fight and back in the cave, we had only seen the crystal from a distance. And even afterwards, I hadn¡¯t had the chance to take a proper look at the crystal. Next to me, Karen was cautiously touching the surface of the crystal.


    ¡°It¡¯s smooth¡­ and cold...¡± said Karen.


    Copying her, I touched it as well. And just as she said, it was smooth and cold. It was similar to touching a piece of metal or a smooth rock. It was¡­ a little different from the usual mana crystals. Most of them were uneven and rough. Even the mana orbs didn¡¯t have a texture as smooth as this.


    But the amount of mana in this crystal¡­ is mind-boggling.


    Touching the crystal, I could sense the mana flowing inside. And it was¡­ an unimaginable amount¡­ An ocean of mana, so deep and abundant, that I couldn¡¯t even fathom the total amount. Even if I were to get all the mana orbs that we had now together, it would be a drop in the bucket at most. That¡¯s how it felt, at least.


    ¡°So, Ria¡­ Anything new?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We can¡¯t¡­ use it¡­¡±


    Huh?


    What did she mean we couldn¡¯t use it? It had so much mana just sitting inside¡­


    ¡°As we figured¡­ What if Yumi tries it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ She¡¯s on¡­ break¡­ so I wanted¡­ to ask her¡­ later¡­ but if she¡¯s¡­ here¡­¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    I tilted my head as the topic of the discussion shifted to me.


    ¡°Can you¡­ try to¡­ take some¡­ mana¡­ of the.. .crystal?¡±


    ¡°I can try, sure¡­¡±


    If that¡¯s all that was needed¡­ But if she said we couldn¡¯t harness it, then there had to be a catch to it, probably¡­ Well, I¡¯d see.


    I concentrated on my hand and the ocean of mana in front of me, grasping some of the mana contained in the crystal. There seemed to be no problem at all though¡­ Then, I moved the mana I had grasped over to my body and¡­


    ¡°Nn? Hey, wa¡ª¡±


    The mana I had grasped¡­ was stuck. Literally. It was like pulling on something that was stuck in between two heavy objects. No matter what I did, it just didn¡¯t cross the boundary of the crystal.


    ¡°... It didn¡¯t¡­ work¡­ I assume?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t drag it out of the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ As expected¡­ These crystals¡­ prevent¡­ improper use¡­¡±


    Improper use? So, the mana inside was contained and¡­


    ¡°But how did the roper use it, then?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ The magical¡­ control system¡­ in the¡­ crystal¡­ is gone¡­ The roper... likely¡­ absorbed mana¡­ through this¡­ hole¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, can¡¯t we do the same?¡±


    ¡°We can¡­ Probably¡­ I just¡­ need to¡­ find the¡­ hole¡­¡±


    Ria scratched the back of her head as she stared listlessly at the crystal.


    ¡°I see¡­ But that means it¡¯s possible as soon as you find it, right?¡±


    ¡°... Mm¡­ In a¡­ way¡­ yes...¡±


    ¡°In a way¡­ So there are still caveats?¡±


    ¡°Nothing I can¡­ be sure of¡­ right now¡­ It needs¡­ time¡­¡±


    ¡°Time¡­ Well, thankfully, we got plenty of time. And I guess the control system can¡¯t be repaired?¡±


    ¡°Impossible¡­Because¡­ it doesn¡¯t¡­ exist¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Merim made a stupid sound, not quite understanding what Ria meant.


    ¡°This crystal¡­ was likely¡­ a spare¡­ It never¡­ had the¡­ control system¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ A spare¡­ Well, that¡¯s too bad. But maybe it¡¯s also a good thing if it isn¡¯t around.¡±


    It was a good thing?¡±


    ¡°Merim, why is it a good thing?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Well, if it was working, people would have their eyes on it. The magical fortresses are said to be amazing but they still fell in the end. We wouldn¡¯t be able to protect it, but countries and similar would still have their eyes on it. I guess the only reason we get away with this thing is because of that, anyway.¡±


    ¡°They could not... keep up... with the... advances¡­ in magic¡­ Magic tools¡­ of today¡­ replaced¡­ the old¡­ technology¡­¡±


    The old technology had been replaced by the new one, huh¡­ That was a little sad.


    ¡°Well¡­ There are¡­ still secrets left¡­ Mmm¡­ I will do¡­ what I can¡­ So¡­ Merim¡­ send me¡­ Krutz and¡­ Wenners¡­ and Wendl¡­ as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Krutz and Wenners are still busy with other work. You should know that best. As for Wendl, he¡¯s on an assignment from Greyward, as far as I know.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Useless...¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    The look of utter disbelief on Merim¡¯s face¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault they¡¯re all busy¡­ Ahhh¡­ Whatever. I¡¯ll tell them to help you as soon as they are done with their current work. Satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡±


    He shook his head, still wearing that look of disbelief.


    ¡°Guess I should go back to my own work¡­ Haa¡­ Yumi, Karen, you¡¯re free to come and go here, I¡¯ll tell the guards outside. Just don¡¯t disturb Ria.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, see you later.¡±


    Immediately after, he opened the door and left. As for Ria...


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    She was still staring at the door.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ even mean¡­ him¡­ I meant¡­ the others¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well¡­ That was a little awkward¡­


    ---


    We watched Ria working her magic on the crystal for a good while and asked her some questions as well. Unfortunately, the topic of this crystal went completely over my head. As well as Karen¡¯s. She started talking about crystal composition and artificial crystal growth, theories about alternative mana containment measures and who knew what else¡­ At least, she did answer whatever questions we had. Including one, that had been bothering me for quite a while.


    ¡°Ria, this crystal contains a lot of mana, right?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It does¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ How does it compare? I mean, how big is big...¡±


    ¡°... Big?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As soon as she heard my question, Ria stopped with her work and seemed to ponder the issue.


    ¡°If I had to¡­ compare it¡­ I would say¡­ it is¡­ one of the¡­ largest sources¡­ of mana¡­ I have¡­ ever seen¡­¡±


    ¡°One of¡­ But not the largest?¡±


    Ria nodded, confirming the dreadful question. This mana crystal contained a lot of mana. But there were crystals out there containing even more mana¡­ Just what in the blazes¡­


    ¡°I had¡­ the chance¡­ to examine¡­ some¡­ very special¡­ mana crystals¡­ They were¡­ large¡­ Larger than a person¡­ And the mana¡­ it contained¡­ so much mana¡­ that you could¡­ probably power¡­ the magic tools¡­ of the entire¡­ Aldreighan kingdom¡­ for decades¡­ Maybe even¡­ longer...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    While I had absolutely no idea how common most magic tools were, they probably had to exist to quite some extent among the general populace. After all, she wouldn¡¯t bring up the example if only a few people had access to them. Plus, since she mentioned Aldreigh in particular, which even I knew was a paragon of magic research, then they had to be quite common over there. If it could power that many for decades¡­ it had to be an unimaginable amount.


    ¡°But¡­ most of¡­ these crystals¡­ are not¡­ usable... ¡°


    ¡°Because they contain too much?¡±


    Ria nodded.


    ¡°We can¡­ only draw¡­ from their mana¡­ through the¡­ use of¡­ tools¡­ and special¡­ types of¡­ magic¡­ Any ritual¡­ or tool¡­ would be... overwhelmed by¡­ the large amount¡­ flooding in¡­ and then¡­ they would¡­ break¡­ or go¡­ out of¡­ control¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If such an amount of mana went out of control¡­ I didn¡¯t even want to imagine it¡­


    That¡¯d be like a bomb going off¡­ A very big bomb¡­


    Even the mana crystals that I had caused to explode had already caused quite the devastation. And they were incomparable to the amount of mana in this crystal in front of me¡­


    A shudder ran down my back as I imagined it nonetheless.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Other than¡­ that one¡­ I recall¡­ the mana crystal¡­ of an¡­ extremely powerful¡­ monster¡­ That had¡­ been hunted¡­ in Aldreigh¡­¡±


    ¡°A monster in Aldreigh?¡±


    And they just let her see it?


    ¡°I was¡­ still working¡­ as a¡­ professor here¡­ in the¡­ Academy¡­ At the time¡­ I was on¡­ an exchange¡­ in Aldreigh¡­ That was¡­ a good time...¡±


    Ria closed her eyes and was likely reminiscing about whatever memories she had of the event¡­


    ¡°Those two¡­ had contained¡­ vastly more¡­ than this one¡­ But¡­ this crystal¡­ also has¡­ the ability¡­ to absorb¡­ mana¡­ And that¡­ makes it¡­ very valuable¡­ if we¡­ can harness it¡­¡±


    ¡°If we can¡­¡±


    Unless Ria figured out this hole, there¡¯d be no chance to do so¡­ While we talked I kept trying to drag mana out of it but to no avail. No matter where I tried to absorb the mana from, it never worked. Even when I spread out the mana as much as I could, hoping to find the leak that way. It was contained perfectly¡­ I told Ria that as well but she told me not to worry about it and that the hole definitely existed. Because otherwise, the roper wouldn¡¯t have existed either.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I will¡­ try my¡­ best¡­¡±


    ¡°... Good luck.¡±


    Honestly, there wasn¡¯t much else I could do to help anymore¡­ At least, for now.


    ¡°Ahh, right¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ mana crystals¡­ Those round ones¡­ They¡­ contain quite... a lot¡­ of mana¡­ much more¡­ than most¡­ non-combat¡­ tools would... ever need¡­ But¡­ if we¡­ compared them...  to monsters¡­¡±


    She paused for a second, before smiling a little.


    ¡°They are¡­ not especially¡­ powerful¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Not especially powerful¡­ Really?


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡­ you wanted to¡­ know... right?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°But even¡­ if I say¡­ it like that¡­ Don¡¯t mistake¡­ that they still¡­ contain more¡­ mana than¡­ most people¡­ would need¡­ regardless if... it is¡­ a tool¡­ or magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±


    In other words, it was a lot of mana but they were not on the level that they were incredibly rare among monsters...


    Is that so¡­


    It was still a little vague but at the very least, I got more of an idea about the whole matter now. And seeing how many mana orbs we had stored up now, it was still a lot.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sis?¡±


    I turned around to look at Karen, who had been silent until now. She was knocking against the crystal, for some reason...


    ¡°Since we¡¯re speaking about mana crystals¡­ What about the roper¡¯s mana crystal?¡±


    Ah, that one¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the captain say he was thinking of selling it?¡±


    ¡°He did. But I thought they¡¯d keep it here with this one as well¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Maybe he didn¡¯t?¡±


    It would be reasonable to keep these crystals together but¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That crystal¡­ was here¡­¡± confirmed Ria.


    ¡°Then, where is it now?¡±


    ¡°The captain¡­ had it brought¡­ along to¡­ his meeting¡­ with the¡­ king¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    Was he going to sell that crystal to Will?


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. I would have liked to see that one¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    At least, if he could use it in the negotiations, he might be able to barter the price down in exchange for the crystal, right? Speaking of which¡­


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he say we would get a bonus if he could sell it?¡±


    ¡°... He did.¡±


    A bonus, huh¡­ We had barely touched the money we had gotten so far¡­ That made the bonus kind of pointless, didn¡¯t it?


    No, that¡¯s a dangerous line of thought, you are starting Yumi¡­ But, it is true that maybe spending a little of it should be fine¡­ And it might be our last day here...


    While we didn¡¯t know for sure when we would leave and the captain hadn¡¯t ordered us to pack yet¡­ Honestly, I had my doubts about leaving tomorrow. Just taking down the camp and getting everything prepared would take a long time already. But since that would occupy us, maybe we should think of today as our last free day.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We still wanted to visit Lefa, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, how about we go into the town after that and eat out?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Karen stared at me, slightly dumbfounded at my suggestion.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a bit of money, after all.¡±


    It was fine to spend just a little bit.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We still need to pay Wanda for the clothes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Ehhh¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ right¡­¡±


    I forgot. Okay, no, I didn¡¯t forget. I just hadn¡¯t thought that far. Yes.


    ¡°But, well¡­ I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t mind if she gets it a few days later¡­¡±


    ¡°... Sis!¡±


    Karen averted her gaze, looking a little embarrassed with her flushed cheeks.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Didn¡¯t¡­ she set¡­ you a¡­ deadline¡­ for payment?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, not really¡­ We don¡¯t even know the exact price yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ you shouldn¡¯t¡­. worry about¡­ that yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria¡­ Nn, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Once we knew the price, we could tell her how long it¡¯d take for us to pay her back.


    ¡°Hehe. But, Yumi, do you even know where to eat out?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    How could I, after all?


    ¡°Ria, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know any good places to eat, do you?¡±


    She had been a professor here. She had lived here. Surely she¡­


    ¡°No¡­ not really¡­¡±


    Of course.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to ask someone else then¡­ Or we¡¯ll just look on our own.¡±


    There was a sense of exploration when you just looked around with no prior knowledge¡­ Alas, it probably was better to ask for recommendations, lest we stumble upon a landmine. And I didn¡¯t have confidence in my ability to avoid that on my own.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s do that. Maybe Fenna or someone else knows a place.¡±


    However, at that moment, someone knocked on the door, with impeccable timing.


    ¡°Miss Ria, Miss Yumi, Miss Karen, the captain is calling for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The captain?¡±


    He was back already?


    ---


    A short while later, the three of us, together with quite a few others, had gathered in the large tent where we had held the meeting before.


    ¡°Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yumi, Karen. You¡¯re here, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Do you know what this is about? I thought the captain went out this morning?¡±


    ¡°He came back just a moment ago and immediately called for everyone¡­ But as you can see, the person himself¡­¡±


    Wasn¡¯t here yet. How untypical of him.


    ¡°So, what happened to Ria?¡±


    ¡°... She¡¯s exhausted.¡±


    Ria had sat down and immediately slumped onto the table, taking the opportunity to take a nap¡­


    ¡°Did she stay up all night again?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, I guess?¡±


    I had my doubts whether she was actually exhausted or just taking the opportunity to nap now so she could stay up longer later on¡­ Whatever, that wasn¡¯t my problem.


    ¡°Miss Fenna. Do you know any places to eat out at in town?¡±


    ¡°Eat out? That¡¯s quite a sudden question, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I see. I see.¡±


    Fenna grinned as her eyes went back and forth between Karen and me.


    ¡°Well, there are a few places with good food¡­ But they¡¯re a little on the more¡­ rustical side? If you¡¯re fine with that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It can¡¯t hurt to know about them.¡±


    I would prefer a place that wasn¡¯t a loud bar, at least. After that, as long as the food was good¡­


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll note them down for you later. That fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Also, if you want to know some of the more refined places, you should ask Mrs Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Korwen?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t someone I was expecting to come up now in the discussion.


    ¡°She used to go out with the captain on their days off. She knows good places to eat or to do your shopping in pretty much any town we have been to so far.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Mrs Korwen and the captain together¡­


    ¡°At least, that¡¯s what she says all the time. They didn¡¯t get to take time off that much after they had their daughter. And even less when the captain took over from his father.¡±


    Fenna smiled wryly as she noted down a few places on a note.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, I¡¯ve been wondering, but why is Mr Captain¡¯s and Mrs Korwen¡¯s daughter not with the mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°... Well, that girl is¡­¡±


    The moment Karen posed this question, Fenna¡¯s expression froze.


    ¡°That girl is a very free living person. Maybe a little too free. Haaa¡­¡±


    What in the world did she do to cause that reaction?


    ¡°She decided to travel alone and do work as a solo mercenary a few years ago¡­ No idea what drove her to that wild idea suddenly¡­ At the very least, she immediately set off a week later and¡­ here we are...¡±


    ¡°I see...¡±


    ¡°The girl¡¯s quite strong so there wasn¡¯t really a need to be worried but¡­ She is a little impulsive. She actually decided to leave the day after her decision and it took the convincing of half the group to keep her for just one more week and prepare her. I wonder what she¡¯s doing now¡­¡±


    Fenna stared into space as if she was looking at something distant¡­ Until she suddenly let out an ¡®Ah.¡¯ and returned to us.


    ¡°You might actually meet her in the not-so-far future.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We might?¡±


    ¡°I mean, the moment she finds out about the fort, she¡¯ll definitely rush back¡­¡±


    But, how would she find out¡­ Oh, maybe they were exchanging letters? Korwen and his daughter.


    ¡°If she does, I¡¯ll hope you¡¯ll get along with her. She¡¯s a good kid. Even if she¡¯s a little touched in the head, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°... Is it fine to talk about her like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how else I am supposed to describe her¡­ An idiot, impulsive...¡±


    But¡­ there were surely better ways. Mhm? Uh-oh...


    ¡°... stubborn, likes older men, irrational¡­ Well, basically, a lot of things¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Yumi? Karen?¡±


    At our lack of response, Fenna turned around to look at us, only to be confronted with.. .the cold, hard truth.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how you think of my little girl, Fenna. I see, I see. An idiot, huh. Impulsive, huh. Irrational. I see, I see. Maybe you need some more work, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Ca¡ª Captain¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you plenty of work. You surely will be satisfied by the amount.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    At some point during our conversation, Korwen had crept up on us from behind, patiently listening to Fenna¡¯s recounting. Still repeating how much work he¡¯d give Fenna, he went over to his end of the table to sit down. Meanwhile, Fenna was...


    ¡°Well, how to say this¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t say anything, Yumi. Please.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was just¡­ pure bad luck¡­ But, well, she probably could have phrased it better¡­


    In the meantime, Korwen had sat down on his seat, spreading out a large paper roll in front of him.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ That little incident aside, we got a few things to discuss. Namely, this.¡±


    Those documents? What were they?


    ¡°Captain¡­. Are those¡­ blueprints?¡± Merim asked, peeking at the papers.


    ¡°¡­ They are.¡±


    Blueprints¡­ Could they be¡­.


    ¡°These are the blueprints of Fort Auria, our new home.¡±


    So they really were!


    ¡°To keep it short. The king has graciously sold us one of their unused forts. From now on, the Lomerian Dragon Knights will once again have a place to call home.¡±


    A place to call home¡­


    ¡°These blueprints were provided to us by the king. They also include the entire floor plan and other things.¡±


    ¡°Then, the reason you called for us is related to these?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    With a big grin, Korwen spread out his arms.


    ¡°We will need to discuss a lot of things. Fort Auria is more than large enough to accommodate us all but it hasn¡¯t seen maintenance in decades. While it is still a military structure and Earth magicians were enlisted to construct it, it is likely in a state of heavy disrepair. The last time it was actually used was over two hundred years ago, after all.¡±


    ¡°Two hun¡ª¡±


    Holy, that was quite a long while ago.


    ¡°We will need to discuss which areas to prioritise. Then we will need to discuss the room distribution, the warehouse and supply storage, workshops and all other kinds of things. And since I know you people¡­¡±


    He smirked as he said the next words.


    ¡°How about we start with discussing this one.¡±


    He revealed one particular sheet of paper, showing something that seemed to be a floor plan.


    ¡°Fort Auria has more than enough rooms to sleep in, so let¡¯s discuss the room distribution first, shall we?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡±


    A moment of silence¡­


    ¡°¡±¡±... Wooooohhh!!!¡±¡±¡±


    Followed by deafening shouts. Some of the most energetic shouts I had ever heard from these people¡­


    Guess, we¡¯re not the only ones that would like a room for ourselves.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Evening Plans

    The room distribution went surprisingly smoothly. While everyone wanted a place for themselves, most of them weren¡¯t really picky about where the room was. In the first place, this was more of a preliminary discussion and nothing final. After all, we had no idea in what state the fort ultimately was. The rooms we chose might very well be completely inhospitable.


    Nonetheless, everyone was quite excited about it. The floor plan that Korwen had spread out was huge. Honestly, you could probably let half the mercenaries stay on that floor alone. Fortunately for us, that meant that there were enough nice rooms and thanks to most of them being everything but picky, precious little competition.


    ¡°So, you girls are fine with this one?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well then, let me take a note. Okay, done. If nothing else comes up, that room will be yours.¡±


    Karen and I watched Korwen marking the room on the floor plan. It was one to the westside of the fort, facing the lake. We hoped to have a nice view from the room. Whether we would have that or not was, of course, something we¡¯d only find out upon our arrival.


    After we had decided on our room, Korwen had to mark down a few more before everyone had settled upon one. Or had decided it didn¡¯t particularly matter for them.


    ¡°Good. With that out of the way, let¡¯s see¡­ Let¡¯s discuss the kitchen and the dining hall next¡­ and then...¡±


    In other words, all essential facilities were next on the list. Workshops, storage rooms and whatever else was needed. Of course, a wine, err, ale cellar was also included. It actually stood quite high on the list of priorities. Whether it really was an essential facility¡­ Well¡­ It was something you could argue about.


    ¡°Hey, captain sir, this floor plan has some stairs marked on it going down. But this is already the basement, no?¡±


    A mercenary whose name I didn¡¯t know was pointing at the floor plan for the basement.


    ¡°Ahh, yes¡­ There is no floor plan for what is down there.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not? The hell? Why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either. It was likely lost when they abandoned it. Or they destroyed the floor plan to keep whatever used to be there a secret, Not like it matters now anymore.¡±


    There was another floor below the basement we knew nothing about? Seriously? Was this going to be fine?


    ¡°Mr Captain, it¡¯s not going to¡­ cave in, right?¡± asked Karen, voicing out my concerns.


    ¡°It won¡¯t. Even back then, they had the help of Earth magicians to construct forts like this. Without outside interference, it¡¯s very unlikely to collapse by itself.¡±


    All hail the Earth magicians.


    ¡°I do understand the concern, though. That¡¯s why one of our first tasks upon arrival will be to explore and chart the area below the fort. It¡¯s also a place that¡¯s likely to turn into a monster nest.¡±


    ¡°Monsters might nest in the fort?¡±


    ¡°It has been abandoned for over two hundred years, after all. I¡¯d be surprised if there weren¡¯t any.¡±


    So, other than charting that unknown area, our primary task would end up getting rid of any monsters living in there¡­


    ¡°Sounds bothersome.¡±


    ¡°It is bothersome, but what can you do? We can¡¯t just let them stay down there.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Well, I¡¯d rather not share an abode with a bunch of aggressive monsters either.


    ¡°We¡¯ll also need to get rid of any monsters living near the fort as well. At the very least, the path to the town needs to be safe.¡±


    ¡°Nn, how far is the fort from the town anyway, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Should be around an hour by foot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ close.¡±


    Much closer than I had expected. I would have thought it¡¯d be half a day or something like that.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much point having a fort far away from civilization. The further off it is, the worse it is to ship supplies to it.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Transportation took a lot of time. Just getting from one town to another could take several days and then the amount they could carry was limited as well.


    Now that I think about it, are we going to be fine?


    Transportation costs weren¡¯t as big an issue for wandering mercenaries since they could just go there themselves. But if we settled down, that was a different matter.


    ¡°Captain, will we be fine with getting supplies at the fort?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good question. And one that¡¯s a little hard to answer. Getting general supplies like foodstuff and the like shouldn¡¯t be much of an issue. But military supplies will likely be a different matter¡­¡±


    ¡°Military supplies? Like weapons?¡±


    ¡°Weapons, armour and even raw materials like iron. Despite Auria being close to the border, the Sleeping Forest covers the border area and is generally considered unpassable. That¡¯s why Auria itself isn¡¯t really considered as a border town and not as fortified. Military supplies are going to be small in number. And they likely only import as much iron as the town itself needs.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that pretty bad?


    ¡°Then, what are we going to do about that?¡±


    ¡°For the first few years, we¡¯ll have to either get by with what we have or travel ourselves for it. After a year or two have passed, the merchants should realise that a large group of mercenaries needs an appropriate amount of supplies as well.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll wait for the merchants to adapt to the new situation?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, yes. They definitely won¡¯t pass up the opportunity to make plenty of money through us, after all.¡±


    Better hope they¡¯d adapt fast, then.


    Well, it¡¯ll be a problem if they won¡¯t¡­


    After the short interruption, the discussion about the distribution for the facilities continued for a good while.


    ¡°Anything else we¡¯ll discuss when we are actually in Auria and have seen the fort.¡±


    Korwen collected the sheets of papers, indicating the end of the discussion and the nearing end of the impromptu meeting.


    ¡°For that matter, we¡¯ll leave in two days at the latest. For the remainder of today, you can take a break and tomorrow, we¡¯re going to start packing. Relay that to everyone. The earlier we are done, the earlier we can leave.¡±


    Then, today really would be the last free day¡­ As expected.


    ¡°If there are no further questions, you are dismissed.¡±


    In an instant, most of the people attending left their seats and went their way, discussing how to spend their last day here.


    ¡°Fenna, you stay. I¡¯d like a word with you.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Seriously.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, Fenna was going pale. Maybe it hadn¡¯t been such a good idea to talk about Korwen¡¯s daughter earlier¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m not hung up on earlier. I know you didn¡¯t mean ill. But please try to keep the gossip in moderation when other people are around, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He had a strained smile on his lips as he watched Fenna apologising meekly. A moment later, his eyes turned towards Karen and me.


    ¡°So, any reason you two are still here? Did you need anything?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ Today is the last day, right? So, Karen and I wanted to go into town and eat out. And, well, Fenna mentioned that the captain might know some good places.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Places to eat out, huh...¡±


    With a wide grin, Korwen looked at us, quickly understanding what our plans were.


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you just care about the food, there are plenty of good eateries around in the capital. It¡¯s hard to go wrong just choosing one that is decently crowded.¡±


    ¡°Nn, are there any that aren¡¯t¡­ that crowded? And have good food? It¡¯s fine if it''s a little more expensive, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit of a tough request.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I stared at Korwen, unable to think of a reason on the spot how that¡¯d be a problem.


    ¡°Because eateries are mostly for the common people.¡±


    ¡°... Are there none that cater to the, uh, more accomplished people?¡±


    ¡°Why would there be? Those people just hire a cook anyway.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, in other words, it wasn¡¯t that they were, maybe, too expensive or, maybe, didn¡¯t even let us in. They just didn¡¯t exist in the first place.


    ¡°Not what you expected?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    How unfortunate¡­


    ¡°There are taverns that serve food but they¡¯re probably not what you are looking for either.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    So much to that plan¡­


    ¡°Actually, I might know something¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh?¡±


    My ears perked up at that.


    ¡°There is a certain tavern close to the river. It serves good food and isn¡¯t as crowded. Most of the customers are people of certain repute.¡±


    ¡°Huh, that sounds nice.¡±


    And more like something we were looking for.


    ¡°There¡¯s just one problem.¡±


    ¡°... They won¡¯t let us in?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡±


    Of course, that was going to be the problem.


    ¡°As I said, they only let in known people with a good standing. If someone unknown tries to get in, they¡¯ll just show them the door.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    I let out a sigh in defeat. If that was the only place Korwen could think of, then we were probably screwed. And here I wanted to enjoy a nice evening date with Karen.


    ¡°Now, now, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s no chance for you to get in.¡±


    ¡°... Not?¡±


    ¡°Look, who is in front of you?¡±


    With his arms crossed and a smug smile on his lips, he waited for our answer¡­


    ¡°... The captain.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°... You girls really are no good for a joke.¡±


    If he hadn¡¯t tried to be so smug about it, we might have actually played along. But, alas¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Anyway, I can write you a recommendation for that tavern. They should let you in with that. As long as you can abide by a few conditions.¡±


    ¡°... Conditions?¡±


    ¡°Yes. First, don¡¯t cause a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t intend to.¡±


    It¡¯d just ruin our evening as well.


    ¡°Second, that both of you go in armour. Of course, only the most necessary parts of it but enough for people to know who you are. Keeps the trouble at a minimum.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ okay? Will they even let us in like that?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, they will.¡±


    That was a rather weird condition¡­ And even weirder that they¡¯d let us in but¡­ If that was all he wanted from us.


    ¡°Can you promise me to keep those two?


    ¡°... Nn, we¡¯ll promise.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. Just give me a minute and I¡¯ll get it ready.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    It seemed that thanks to Korwen, our planned evening date was saved.


    ¡°Mh¡­ And there¡­¡±


    Korwen wrote a short letter, then put it into an envelope, stamped it and finally handed it to us.


    ¡°Don¡¯t lose it.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t. Thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Enjoy your day.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we will.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, shoo shoo. Go and have your fun.¡±


    We were promptly kicked out of the tent...  Oh well¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Before we would enjoy our day off in town, however, we had decided to visit Lefa. She was the only one we hadn¡¯t had the chance to say goodbye to yet. And so, after changing clothes and fetching some funds from the treasurer, we were now standing in front of the Academy once more.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little¡­ deserted¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The only people around were the two guards at the gate. The plaza behind them was completely deserted with not a single soul in sight. Hearing our mutter, the nearby guard spoke up and told us what¡¯s going on.


    ¡°The classes for students were cancelled. That¡¯s why barely anyone is here right now.¡±


    ¡°Were they cancelled because so many are absent?¡±


    ¡°Probably? Don¡¯t know the details. Better ask someone else.¡±


    ¡°Then, are there no students here currently?¡±


    ¡°As far as I know, no.¡±


    Well, what to do now. If Lefa wasn¡¯t here, we¡¯d have a problem.


    ¡°Sis, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe her professor knows where she lives?¡±


    That professor, huh¡­


    ¡°Are you looking for someone?¡± asked the guard.


    ¡°Nn. A student.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    We¡¯d sorely need it.


    After thanking the guard, Karen and I made our way into the Academy. Fortunately, Karen remembered the way to that professor¡¯s¡­ workplace. If you could call it that. Once we arrived at the hall¡¯s door, we knocked and waited for a response.


    ¡°... Is he not here?¡± muttered Karen.


    There was no response at all, so Karen knocked again, this time with a little more force.


    ¡°... I think I can hear something.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Karen put her ear on the door, trying to listen to the sounds.


    ¡°Yes, someone¡¯s there¡­ Ah.¡±


    She stepped back from the door and a few moments later, the door opened.


    ¡°Sorry, the professor is not here right now! Really sorry!¡±


    ¡°... Lefa.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Huh? What? Karen? Yumi?¡±


    The red foxkin¡¯s eyes went wide as she realised that it was us who had bothered her.


    ¡°What are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°We were going to visit you¡­¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We both nodded, causing only more confusion for poor Lefa.


    ¡°Err, let¡¯s¡­ let¡¯s not stand in the hallway? Come in?¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    Lefa led us into the hall. The familiar sight of dozens of small pens with monsters in them greeted us. Pretty little had changed since our last visit.


    ¡°Are the monsters doing well?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°They¡¯re as lively as they could be, unfortunately. The professor is in high spirits because of it¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    Lefa sighed as she threw a glance at the pens we were walking past, her fluffy ears drooping low. A look of exhaustion painted her face.


    ¡°I just wish he would be a little more considerate of his humanoid assistants.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    We arrived at the other end of the hall, the place where the professor had his workspace, where Lefa told us to sit on the nearby chairs.


    ¡°So¡­ We heard your classes were cancelled. We already thought we wouldn¡¯t find you here...¡±


    ¡°They were¡­ Most of the students have already left to return home, after all. And some professors left, too. It¡¯s¡­ gotten quiet¡­¡±


    ¡°... Are you going to return home?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As far as I knew, she was only here because she was a student of the Academy.


    ¡°Probably, yes. With classes out, I don¡¯t really have any reason to stay here. And I¡¯m only here to help Professor Marvim out anyway.¡±


    ¡°The professor is staying here in the capital?¡±


    ¡°More like, who would care for the monsters if he is not here? He can¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°... True.¡±


    It¡¯d be a catastrophe if the monsters were let loose.


    ¡°I just hope he¡¯ll be fine on his own if I go home¡­¡±


    ¡°... He did probably manage even before you started helping him, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°... I think so.¡±


    Not very reassuring¡­


    ¡°Well, not my problem¡­¡±


    Lefa leaned back in her chair, sighing again.


    ¡°Maybe you should take a break¡­¡± suggested Karen.


    ¡°I will. I¡¯ve been here since yesterday¡­ I want to sleep...¡±


    ¡°Since yesterday?!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Maybe we should give that professor a piece of our mind. No, not maybe, we definitely should next time we¡¯d see him.


    ¡°Going back home¡­ Now I really want to go home¡­¡±


    She stared at the ceiling for several seconds before straightening her posture and looking at us.


    ¡°Mm. Going home sounds like a good idea. I think I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably a good decision.¡±


    ¡°Nn. You should take care of yourself, Lefa.¡±


    Lest she¡¯d just make us worry.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Speaking of which, how long will you two stay here?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of why we wanted to visit.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Lefa adorably tilted her head, not knowing what we were implying.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving the day after tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°The day after tomorrow¡­ So soon?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With a nod, I confirmed it once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite sudden¡­. I thought you¡¯d stay for a while longer...¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ there are some circumstances¡­ our captain managed to purchase a fort from the king. We¡¯ll use that one as a base in the future.¡±


    ¡°I think Mr Captain just wants to get there as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    He likely thought nobody would notice but that look of excitement he had on his face today betrayed him. The look a young boy would have whenever they found something of interest. And, well, he wasn¡¯t the only one¡­ Many of the other mercenaries were similarly excited. Having a home base was just that important to them.


    ¡°A fort? Like¡­ Something like the Hollow Fort?¡± asked Lefa.


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen the fort ourselves yet, though. We don¡¯t know the state it is in.¡±


    Probably not a good one.


    ¡°Then, then, you are going to stay in Lafria?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, I think we¡¯ll come back here more often?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    All of a sudden, her drooping ears shot up in excitement. The heck.


    ¡°Then, we can see each other more often! Hey, where exactly is that fort?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the Auria Fort near the town of Auria. Close to the Sleeping Forest, the Grand Spirit Lake and the Krohmean border,¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°... That¡¯s, err, northeast? Right?¡±


    ¡°... I think so.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    If I recalled correctly, to the west was the lake, to the north the forest and to the east the Aldreighan border. As for the town¡­ Maybe in the south?


    ¡°Lefa? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. I was just wondering how far away that was.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a few days from the capital.¡±


    ¡°Ah, not the capital.¡±


    ¡°Not the capital?¡±


    From where else, then?


    ¡°Our village, the red foxkin¡¯s territory, is to the south of the Grand Spirit Lake. I don¡¯t know the exact distance but I think your fort would be closer than the capital, actually.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Well, that sure was a surprise. If it was close enough, we might be able to see each other more regularly.


    ¡°At the very least, I think we have a caravan visiting the town of Auria regularly. To buy fish.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite unexpected¡­¡± muttered Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­ If it¡¯s close enough, we might be able to visit each other.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡¯d be awesome!¡±


    Yes, it definitely would be awesome.


    ¡°Maybe I should return home as soon as I can as well¡­ Then I can come to visit you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to be busy cleaning up the place¡­¡±


    For a long while.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡±


    No, Lefa, that¡¯s not the issue here!


    Even if she didn¡¯t mind, others would¡­


    ¡°Lefa, Yumi meant that we¡¯ll be busy even if you do come and visit.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right¡­ Then, what if I help out?¡±


    ¡°... I think Mr Captain would scold us if we made a guest help out.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    On the other hand, I could imagine Korwen giving us a break if she came to visit¡­ And then work us twice as hard to make up for it¡­


    Okay, probably not the last part.


    ¡°Mh¡­ But then I won¡¯t know when to visit¡­¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll figure something out, so just come when you want to. Right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°You say that so easily¡­ But I guess it¡¯ll work out somehow. It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll work all day.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll come to visit as soon as I can!¡±


    Something to look forward to. But all this talk made me a little curious.


    ¡°By the way, Lefa¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What is your home like?¡±


    ¡°My home? The red foxkin¡¯s village?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I heard they were quite adept at magic, which was quite uncommon among the beastkin. But apart from that, I didn¡¯t know anything. Well, I knew they were fluffy if Lefa was any indication.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing really special. A small village, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, err, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm? Something the matter?¡±


    ¡°I did hear a little from¡­ others¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to directly point out what I had heard from Elma and Nela. Still, Lefa seemed to understand what I was hinting at.


    ¡°It¡¯s all wrong!¡±


    ¡°... Wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yes, wrong! Whatever you heard in those rumours, the red foxkin are all nice people!¡±


    ¡°... Sorry, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wasn¡¯t that what you meant?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Apparently, my attempt at subtly hinting had splendidly failed?


    ¡°I probably meant something else.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, is that so¡­ That¡¯s a relief!¡±


    She let out a sigh, her body relaxing from the sudden excitement.


    ¡°I thought you had heard that unpleasant rumour¡­¡±


    ¡°What unpleasant rumour?¡±


    ¡°It seems some people say that we are tricking merchants out of their goods with magic. Or that we are threatening harmless travellers. Things like that. But I tell you, such things would never be allowed!¡±


    ¡°I, I see¡­ That¡¯s good.¡±


    Those sure were some unpleasant rumours, though¡­ Rumours didn¡¯t appear without reason, though. Either there was some truth to it, or someone had a malicious intent towards the red foxkin tribe. But, Lefa was a really kind girl. While I couldn¡¯t say anything about her relatives, it did give me a reason to believe her over rumours like that.


    Nonetheless, I was still curious where they came from but that wasn¡¯t an appropriate topic now.


    ¡°But if that wasn¡¯t what you meant¡­ Then what did you mean, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Well¡­ I heard that the red foxkin were really good at magic.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, they are! Most people in our village can use magic! It¡¯s really incredible. And we use magic everywhere we can. Some people can make plants grow really big overnight. And others can conjure large fires with the snap of a finger! Like, that!¡±


    She snapped her fingers, conjuring a flame. A very adorable flame, the size of a fingertip.


    ¡°Uhh, just bigger, of course!¡±


    ¡°Nn. Bigger.¡±


    ¡°Yes, bigger! As big as a person!¡±


    ¡°That sounds dangerous.¡±


    ¡°... They don¡¯t usually do that, it just needs to be enough to light the stove.¡±


    Figured as much. If they started conjuring flames of that size without restraint, the village would have likely burnt down ages ago.


    ¡°I wish I was a little bit better at magic¡­ I envy you two, you both can use magic, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ More or less¡­¡±


    What I was using just wasn¡¯t regular magic. But it was still classified as magic, at least. And for Karen¡­


    ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t,¡± replied Karen, causing Lefa¡¯s eyes to widen in surprise.


    ¡°Huh? You can¡¯t? Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, not yet. I¡¯m learning.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ It takes time¡­¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    Just for the record, Karen was diligently doing her exercises in the morning. And the training would likely resume in earnest soon again. It had just been put on hold due to the roper job.


    Of course, that included our physical training¡­ I was not looking forward to it, even if I knew it was necessary¡­


    ¡°Then, as fellow trainees, let¡¯s support each other, Karen!¡±


    ¡°Uhm, sure?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided!¡±


    Lefa grabbed Karen¡¯s hands, holding them firmly while the determination burned brightly in her eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show everyone what we¡¯re made of!¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Ya¡ª Yay?¡±


    Lefa lifted hers and Karen¡¯s hands in a shout, repeating the action several times. With each repeat, Karen¡¯s expression went from severe confusion slowly to¡­ embarrassment. Maybe it was better if I helped her out a little.


    ¡°Lefa. Lefa. What about me?¡±


    ¡°You can already use magic so you are rejected!¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    Unexpectedly, I was denied.


    ¡°Unfair¡­¡±


    But, well, if Lefa had found a comrade in Karen, that was fine with me. While she was busy converting Karen to her side, I decided to look around the hall a little. The monsters in the various pens were doing pretty much the same things they were doing last time. The floating balls were floating, the weird plant wasn¡¯t moving and the goblins were¡­ doing something I had precious little interest in knowing what it was. Couldn¡¯t be any good.


    But those floating balls¡­ They¡¯re¡­ edible?


    Honestly, if someone told me you could eat them¡ªafter removing their mana, of course¡ªI¡¯d probably wonder if they were a lunatic. I mean, how could you eat something that was covered in eyeballs or mouths¡­


    Wait, actually, now that I think about it. Are those two the same kind of monster? Or are they different? And which one is edible? The one with eyeballs or the one with mouths?


    It¡¯s not like the difference made them any less¡­ hard to look at.


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Are you for real?!¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes¡­¡±


    For some reason, Lefa was more than a little shocked, her eyes going back and forth between Karen and me.


    ¡°Sis, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, I just told Lefa of our plans later.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Is it that surprising?¡±


    She probably meant the tavern, right? But it was just a tavern, even if you needed a recommendation¡­ Korwen didn¡¯t make it sound like it was anything special beyond that¡­


    ¡°It is! That place, that is where the big people in the world go to! Nobles and big merchants! It¡¯s said that the king himself would visit there on occasion!¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    Now it was my turn to be surprised. Did he actually send us to a rather¡­ high-tier establishment?


    ¡°Seriously! Seriously! Waaahhh! To think you would go there!¡±


    The initial shock in her eyes had now been replaced with awe. I still had no idea how big of a¡­ thing this was, though.


    ¡°Err, Lefa, you said nobles and merchants go there¡­ But our captain told us earlier there were no eateries and the like for the¡­ higher class.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong. Eateries are mostly frequented by labourers or students like me. But, in eateries, you only eat! But taverns are a place where the people socialise over drinks! And that place, in particular, is famous! It just happens to serve food, too, I guess.¡±


    It just happened to serve food¡­ I did expect that there was something off when Korwen gave us those conditions but¡­


    ¡°Lefa, you said it¡¯s a place for socialisation?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°With nobles and merchants visiting it?¡±


    ¡°And supposedly even the king!¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Did he maybe give us the recommendation because of that? After all, it was my job to be the future face of the mercenaries.


    Haaa¡­ I¡¯ll just ask him later. I can kind of guess what his intent was but¡­ As long as we¡¯ll have an enjoyable evening, I don¡¯t really mind.


    Shoving those thoughts aside, I once more joined the conversation with Lefa. We didn¡¯t know when we¡¯d see each other again, so it was better to enjoy this for as long as we could.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Bottom of the Bottle

    After around an hour, we wrapped up our small talk with Lefa. She still had some things to do and we didn¡¯t want to bother her for too long. We did promise to meet again, of course. Lefa had decided to return home as well since the Academy put the classes on hold for the time being. And after that, she wanted to visit us at the fort. It¡¯d be nice if that would work out.


    Once we left the Academy, Karen and I made our way through the town, following the directions Korwen had given us. With that said, the day was still young, so we were just leisurely walking at our own relaxed pace.


    ¡°Look, Yumi, a ship!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ I wonder where it is going.¡±


    A small ship was moving slowly through the river. It didn¡¯t have sails and was just gently pulled along the river¡¯s current. Occasionally, the people on it would use oars to adjust the direction it was facing, but that was all they were doing. Laughter and banter were echoing over to us.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I don¡¯t know. But I don¡¯t think they¡¯d go far with that small ship.¡±


    ¡°With that speed, they probably wouldn¡¯t even reach the end of town by evening¡­ But maybe they¡¯re transporting something downstream that they can¡¯t transport easily?¡±


    ¡°Or they just want to relax on the river.¡±


    ¡°Or that.¡±


    Relaxing on the river¡­ That sounded like a nice idea.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever been on a ship before?¡±


    ¡°A ship? Nn¡­ I think so, yes.¡±


    There were some vague¡­ impressions of being on a ship left in my memory. Nothing concrete, only vague thoughts like ¡®It¡¯s swaying.¡¯ or ¡°The sea is vast.¡± and things like that. It wasn¡¯t really clear to me but I probably had been on one before.


    ¡°Is it true that some people get ill on a ship?¡±


    ¡°You mean seasickness? That¡¯s true. Some people start feeling sick when the ship sways.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So it was true.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As we continued walking, Karen watched the small ship making its way down the river as well. It wasn¡¯t really any slower or faster than us, so we could watch them as we walked.


    ¡°Sis, you¡¯ve never been on one?¡±


    ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡±


    That explained her interest.


    ¡°Want to ride one?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m a little worried that I will get sick.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Nn¡­ Seasickness makes you feel bad but it¡¯s not like catching a disease or anything. It¡¯ll go away when you get down from the ship.¡±


    Or when it stops swaying maybe.


    Although it wasn¡¯t going to kill you or leave any long-lasting troubles, it probably wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience.


    ¡°It¡¯ll go away when you leave the ship?¡±


    ¡°Nn, pretty much.¡±


    ¡°... Are ships cursed?¡±


    ¡°... How did you come to that conclusion?¡±


    That¡¯d be a little too scary to be real.


    ¡°I mean, you say they feel ill only when they are on the ship¡­ That means something has to be on the ship that makes people feel ill?¡±


    Karen looked at me, with such a serious expression. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little seeing that together with the kind of adorable misunderstanding she was making.


    ¡°Yumi...¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. I¡¯ll explain it, I¡¯ll explain it.¡±


    Better resolve that quickly.


    ¡°... I see where you are coming from but that¡¯s not the reason people feel ill. If I recall correctly, it has to do with our bodies and the fact that the ship is moving and swaying. This swaying movement creates a, well, dissonance with our senses. And this dissonance causes us to feel ill, I think.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ But wouldn¡¯t that happen with other vehicles as well, then?¡±


    ¡°It does, for some people.¡±


    ¡°... I never heard of people getting ill in a carriage or a wagon, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rarer. Probably.¡±


    But it was true that it was a little odd that we hadn¡¯t seen anyone who had gotten motion sick yet. The Dragon Knights were a large group, so I would have expected at least a few to get sick¡­ Maybe it wasn¡¯t as common as it had been in my world? There were differences, after all. Like, nobody in my old world would believe me if I told them that Korwen was already an old geezer.


    ¡°Or maybe it doesn¡¯t exist here,¡± I added, after concluding my thoughts.


    ¡°Here? Here¡­ Ah, you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. My knowledge is based on that, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria would probably know.¡±


    ¡°Like always.¡±


    Well, not always, but more often than not, yes.


    ¡°Ah, look Yumi. They¡¯re moving.¡±


    ¡°Seems they¡¯ve arrived at their destination?¡±


    The men on the boat had begun rowing, directing it towards a small pier. Once it had settled next to the pier, a man jumped off and tied a rope to the pier to anchor the boat.


    ¡°Guess they¡¯re done with their trip.¡±


    ¡°Nn. And so are we.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As luck would have it, the small boat had the same destination as us. Above the pier stood a tall building. Wide glass windows, uncommon for this area, were lined up along the wall facing the river, and above them was a large wooden board with an image drawn on it. A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat, showing her back to the viewer to face the horizon and the rising sun.


    ¡°¡®The Witch¡¯s Dawn.¡¯ Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to think of that name...¡±


    The owners of this pub probably had little to no relation to the witch. Still, to choose that kind of name¡­


    ¡°The tale of the witch is famous, after all¡­ I think there are many places named after her.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They even exist in the empire.¡±


    Even that empire¡­ She really was known all over the place.


    ¡°You know, I still never heard that story about her.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it, I wanted to tell you about it, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°I completely forgot¡­¡±


    ¡°That happens.¡±


    We had been quite busy with so much else, that it was only natural to forget a few things here and there. We were just people as well.


    ¡°Then, how about I¡¯ll tell you about it tonight¡­ No, how about the day after tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°... Why the day after tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We¡¯re here to enjoy the day, right? And tomorrow we¡¯ll be busy with packing.¡±


    ¡°... And we won¡¯t have much else to do during the actual trip either.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    That was a good idea. We¡¯d have plenty of time then.


    ¡°That is assuming we¡¯ll actually leave the day after tomorrow¡­¡±


    ¡°We probably will. The captain did announce it to everyone already. And the only thing we actually have to do is cleaning up the campsite.¡±


    Supplies had been replenished as early as possible already. There weren¡¯t any things left to do for the mercenaries either. Everything was dealt with. Probably?


    ¡°Wait, Sis¡­ The roper corpse...¡±


    ¡°... Didn¡¯t he take that along with the mana crystal earlier?¡±


    ¡°Did he?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Well¡­ I hadn¡¯t seen it, at least. Earlier, that is.


    ¡° Mh¡­ But Mr Captain brought along the mana crystal, so it would make sense, right? And then he probably sold them.¡±


    ¡°That might be the case.¡±


    Then, only that weird fortress crystal was left with us. And we couldn¡¯t even use that one, currently.


    ¡°Yumi, should we go in?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    No point in standing in front of our destination all the time. Karen and I made our way to the entrance of the tavern.


    ¡°Excuse me, little ladies. You cannot enter here.¡±


    Only to be stopped by a mean-looking, muscle-bound man.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a place for children to play.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Excuse me, mister. Me aside, Karen isn¡¯t looking that young, you know? Probably¡­


    Before I could actually voice out my thoughts, Karen produced the small letter that Korwen had written for us and handed it to the doorman slash bouncer.


    ¡°Eh? A letter?¡±


    The man stared at the letter in question for a few seconds. In particular at the seal on it. After that, his glance went towards us, then back to the letter and once more to us.


    ¡°Apologies, if you could wait for a short moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    After Karen replied to the man, he immediately went inside the building, together with the letter.


    ¡°Do you think this will really work, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, either. But he didn¡¯t tell us to leave. So he might actually have recognised it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Not like we could change the result in any way.


    A minute later, the doorman returned.


    ¡°I deeply apologise for the wait. You are welcome at our humble establishment. Please, come in.¡±


    It actually worked, wow. And he was even holding the door open for us. We thanked the doorman and went inside. A light-flooded room greeted us, followed by loud banter.


    ¡°Huh¡­ So this is the place.¡±


    A wide room with dozens of long tables. A small bar where several men were seated, making merry. The smell of beer and something else entered my nose. Most of the customers seemed to be middle-aged men, dressed in expensive clothes but there were also a few women here and there. Although, it seemed they were mostly accompanying the men, probably their husbands. As such, we garnered a little bit of attention when we entered. Only for a few momentary glances, though.


    ¡°So¡­ What now¡­¡± I mumbled, more to myself than to Karen.


    ¡°Finding a place to sit at. Hey, Yumi, how about there?¡±


    Karen pointed at a small corner table, near the windows. The view outside was nice so it did seem like a good choice.


    ¡°Nn. Looks good to me.¡±


    And with that, we made our way¡­ to the bar counter?


    ¡°Sis, what about the table?¡±


    ¡°Mm? But we need food and drinks?¡±


    ¡°Well, we do¡­¡±


    Prompted by Karen¡¯s visible confusion, I decided to look around the room, only¡­ to find that this place had no waiters. Only this bar counter was at the end of a room with a sole man standing there and serving the customers. Once he spotted us, he slightly bowed his head and greeted us.


    ¡°Welcome, ladies. What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d like something to drink and to eat.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Then¡­¡±


    Karen and the bartender began to talk about our drinks and food. For drinks, the options were mostly alcoholic, something Karen wasn¡¯t too happy with. The only non-alcoholic option seemed to be a specific hot beverage. Food-wise, there wasn¡¯t much variety either. Simple dishes were offered, nothing exceptionally outstanding.


    After ordering with the bartender, we made our way to the table we had decided upon and sat down.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Now we have to wait, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°We do. But Yumi, are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Nn? About what?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ You like alcohol, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I do. But there¡¯s no point if I¡¯m just drinking on my own. And I¡¯m curious about that drink.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Alcohol was best with good company. Of course, Karen was the best company I could ever get, but I didn¡¯t want to drink myself into a stupor when we just wanted to enjoy a nice evening together.


    ¡°But really, I¡¯m a little surprised¡­¡± I said.


    ¡°By what?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡­¡±


    I glanced over to the bartender¡­ who was now preparing our meals. The kitchen wasn¡¯t in some other room. It was right behind the bar. You could actually stand there and watch him cook. In fact, except for the doorman, he seemed to be the only employee present at all. No waiters or other staff.


    ¡°At¡­ my old place, many eateries had waiters who would come, take your order and then bring everything to your table.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ pointless.¡±


    ¡°Pointless, huh¡­¡±


    Such cruel words.


    ¡°It¡¯s just how things were¡­ But it¡¯s not like I mind this all that much. Doesn¡¯t really make much of a difference. Plus, it¡¯s kind of nice to be able to watch him cook our food.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    With that said, I wasn¡¯t intent on watching him cook for who knew how long.


    ¡°But that difference aside, I would have thought it¡¯d be a lot more¡­ rowdy and loud.¡±


    ¡°I thought that, too, to be honest¡­ It¡¯s a little unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Guess we really have to thank the captain¡­¡±


    Unless something bad happened in regards to the food or the drinks, of course. And so far, my impression had been good enough that I wasn¡¯t expecting such a problem. And if there were, Korwen wouldn¡¯t recommend this.


    ¡°Oh? Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen nudged me in the side, gesturing towards the bar. The bartender had left his spot and was carrying two pots¡ªone the size of a kettle and the other a little smaller¡ªand two cups to our table.


    ¡°Ladies, your drinks. Are you aware of how to drink Forest Ale?¡±


    Forest ale? Wasn¡¯t this non-alcoholic?


    ¡°Ale? I thought this wasn¡¯t alcohol,¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Ahh, excuse the misunderstanding, lady. This drink will not make you feel drunk, so do not worry.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still quite the odd name¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, I agree with that. Is it safe to assume this is your first time, then?¡±


    ¡°I guess so.¡±


    The bartender laughed subdued while putting down the pot and placing the ups in front of us. Then, he placed a smaller cup on the table next to the put.


    ¡°The large one is the forest ale. You can fill your cups with this tap. The small one contains the herb to spice it with. You are free to mix it as you like. For newcomers, I recommend two pinches on half a cup. Enjoy.¡±


    And with that, he left. Curious, I gazed into the pot, now that my attention was free.


    ¡°So this is¡­¡±


    A reddish liquid was steaming inside the pot. It reminded me distinctively of tea, just judging from the appearance. The spices in the other pot, however, were¡­ a garish green mass of ground powder. It didn¡¯t smell all that pleasant either. It stung in my nose. Honestly, it didn¡¯t look very good.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Is this stuff safe?¡±


    ¡°... Good question.¡±


    Maybe some other customers were drinking it, too? Ah, there were¡­


    ¡°Sis, look, others are drinking it as well.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    A group of men a little away from us had a similar pot on their table, each of the men enjoying the mysterious drink. They seemed to be in a pretty good mood as well. Judging solely from that group, it didn¡¯t seem to be dangerous or unpleasant¡­


    ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s try this, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    I filled the cup with the tea-like liquid and then cautiously pinched some of the spices between my fingers. The spice was floating on top of the tea-like liquid, making it look pretty¡­ weird. Lifting the cup, I gazed at the liquid. And now I noticed that¡­ the smell had changed a little. The unpleasant, stinging smell was gone and replaced by a more pleasant one. The smell of roasted herbs.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ Here goes nothing.¡±


    Forcing myself, I brought the cup to my lips, downing the liquid.


    ¡°Nngh?!¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°... Sis.¡±


    I put down the cup and stared at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn. But it¡¯s spicy. Really spicy.¡±


    My tongue was on fire. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have even claimed that it was literally on fire.


    ¡°My tongue hurts.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But it tastes nice.¡±


    It was a weird flavour, reminding me a little of coffee. But also tea¡­ If someone mixed tea, coffee and then threw some hot spices into it, maybe this would be the result.


    Probably not. That thought sounds horrible.


    Nonetheless, it was quite interesting. And without a doubt, good.


    While I was lost in thought about how to describe this within my mind, Karen had also filled her cup and was sipping on it.


    ¡°You were right. It¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Told you so.¡±


    ¡°And now my tongue burns.¡±


    ¡°Told you so¡­¡±


    Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t too spicy. I definitely had tasted spicier things before. And as long as it was at this level, it was quite delicious.


    ---


    Karen and I enjoyed a good amount of time simply sipping on the ¡®Forest Ale¡¯, which honestly had nothing to do with ale and probably nothing with a forest, either. At some point in time, our food was done, so after Karen fetched it, we enjoyed a leisurely meal. It was good but compared to the day before, it wasn¡¯t anything outrageously special. Although, that was probably an unfair comparison.


    Once we finished eating, we spent our time leisurely drinking and talking.


    ¡°This was good¡­ The food was good. The drinks are good. Mm...¡±


    ¡°It was, yes.¡±


    Outside the window, the sun was slowly getting closer to the horizon. We probably shouldn¡¯t stay all that much longer, lest we wouldn¡¯t get home. Still, we should still have enough time to stay relaxed for now.


    ¡°Oh, another boat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Another boat was slowly making its way down the river. But similar to the previous one, it stopped at the pier belonging to this tavern. We still had no idea what their purpose was.


    Maybe you can take a small trip with those? Nah, probably not¡­


    A small day trip with Karen on a boat¡­ would sound nice for a date. Alas, that was probably not an option. Probably.


    ¡°Mm¡­ The pot is empty. Yumi, should we get another?¡±


    ¡°You took quite a liking to that drink, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s weirdly addictive.¡±


    Much to my surprise, Karen had drunk a lot more of this stuff than I had. She had really taken a liking to it, hadn¡¯t she? Downing one cup after another.


    ¡°So, should we?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess one more won¡¯t hurt. But we shouldn¡¯t stay for too long. We don¡¯t want the gates to close on us.¡±


    ¡°... Spending the night outside doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Admittedly, the nights in that small hut back in the slums weren¡¯t much better either.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll¡­ Oh.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen was about to stand up and bring the pot to the bartender, only to find him standing next to us with a new one prepared.


    ¡°I happened to overhear you. I heard that another one was desired?¡±


    ¡°... Ah, yes.¡±


    Working fast, wasn¡¯t he?


    The bartender replaced the old pot with the new one with practised movements.


    ¡°Uhm, Mr Bartender. Where does this Forest ale come from?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are interested?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a beverage from beyond the Wooden Sea in the west. It was brought in many years ago by immigrants and merchants who happened to chance upon it.¡±


    Beyond the Wooden Sea? Wouldn¡¯t that make this a real rarity, then?


    Oh please, don¡¯t be outrageously expensive.


    Maybe we should have inquired about the price beforehand¡­ Now I was worried. Really worried.


    ¡°Then¡­ It¡¯s imported?¡±


    ¡°Oh no, cease the thought. It¡¯d be impossible to sustain the costs of import. We are growing the ingredients ourselves. As to what they are, those are a secret.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Hearing that, the bartender laughed.


    ¡°I am happy that you enjoy it so much. The ladies can come by whenever they wish to taste it again.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll remember it when we get the chance again.¡±


    ¡°It would be an honour to serve the ladies again in the future.¡±


    Unfortunately, we likely wouldn¡¯t get the chance again anytime soon.


    ¡°Then, please enjoy your time.¡±


    The bartender returned to his post, attending to the next customer.


    ¡°Hehe¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis...¡±


    The moment I returned my attention, I was already seeing Karen filling her cup with the liquid again, all smiles.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    It was probably good that she found something she was enjoying so much.


    ¡°This stuff is way too addictive, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Enjoy it while we still can.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s a shame this isn¡¯t more widespread. I never knew something like this existed.¡±


    ¡°Neither did I. But there are probably many things we don¡¯t know exist.¡±


    This likely wouldn¡¯t be that last one.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you think there are other things like this out there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? Probably, yes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Chances were pretty good for that.


    ¡°... I think I can understand Mr Captain a little. If things like this Forest Ale are out there, I¡¯d like to know, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve really taken a liking to it.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Hopefully, she could actually part with it later. Although, I had the subtle premonition that the moment we had to pay, the parting would miraculously become a lot easier for her.


    ¡°Yumi, why are you grinning?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Nothing, just thought of something amusing.¡±


    ¡°... Weird Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Always a pleasure.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t praising you.¡±


    Too bad. I¡¯d rather get praised.


    ¡°But exploring, huh¡­ The captain¡¯s mostly interested in the Beyond but there are also clearly things past the Wooden Sea.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, they are in the opposite directions.¡±


    ¡°Nn. And traversing that forest with the mercenaries would probably be nigh impossible.¡±


    After helping Korwen out, I had come to see the logistical needs a little clearer. And just the thought of traversing a forest like that gave me a shudder. Wagons and other vehicles wouldn¡¯t be able to get through that. Hundreds of people walking on foot through there. What else could that be but a nightmare? We relied so much on the supplies we brought along, after all.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ Sis, if we really travel that far, we¡¯ll probably have to go by ship, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°The Beyond is past the sea, so that sounds logical.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s hope nobody gets seasick.¡±


    They¡¯d have a horrible time, otherwise.


    ¡°... It will be fine, right? Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Probably. If you get sick, I¡¯ll take care of you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen suddenly froze for some reason, not reacting in any way.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry. I was torn whether I should get seasick or not, right now.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not something you can really decide on your own. And I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t. If you want I can take care of you even if you aren¡¯t sick.¡±


    ¡°That sounds very tempting.¡±


    If she really wanted to¡­


    ¡°But I think that will have to wait until later.¡±


    ¡°I can spoil you as much as you want tonight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    So was I. So was I.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Karen was still giggling happily as she drank the Forest Ale.


    ¡°Yumi. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What for?¡±


    ¡°For inviting me out. For being with me. Everything.¡±


    She grabbed my hand and squeezed it, all the while with a bright smile on her face.


    ¡°Somehow, I just feel really happy right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    If she was happy, then it had been a good decision to come here today.


    ¡°Yesterday was nice as well¡­ but, you know, I think I prefer it if it¡¯s just the two of us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let that king hear that.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll have to live with it.¡±


    ¡°Poor guy.¡±


    Not like he actually would hear it, though. Even though Lefa said that this place was frequented by him as well, we had spotted no sign of him among the customers. In fact, there had been no familiar faces among them at all. Which probably was a good thing for us.


    ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s already nearly empty again¡­¡± I noted after refilling my cup.


    ¡°Already?!¡±


    With shock written on her face, Karen peeked into the nearly empty pot. Maybe if she hadn¡¯t drunk so much of it, it would have lasted longer. Well, the pot wasn¡¯t exactly that large, so it didn¡¯t last long with two people.


    ¡°Yumi, how about another?¡±


    ¡°Sis, we need to get back soon.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I understand.¡±


    Karen filled the remainder of the pot into the cup, put some of the spices into it, and gulped it down. No wonder it had disappeared in a flash¡­


    ¡°Too bad. It¡¯s already over.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Time flies, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It does. Even though we didn¡¯t even really do much.¡±


    We had simply sat here, drunk the Forest Ale, ate some food and talked about whatever came to our minds. It wasn¡¯t anything special. In fact, it had been quite ordinary. But it was our ordinary. And honestly, I very much enjoyed this leisurely time where we could simply relax and didn¡¯t have to worry about anything. Even if nothing else happened.


    ¡°But it was fun. If we come to the capital again, we should visit once more.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Then, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After a last glance enjoying the view on the river, the two of us made our way to pay and then leave, to go back home.


    It was a little short but it was fun.


    Thinking like that, I watched Karen speaking with the bartender.


    ¡°Then, that will be thirty-seven silver coins.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-seven silver coins please.¡±


    ¡°... Here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯re looking forward to your return.¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    A little stiff, Karen turned around and walked towards the exit. Once we were outside, she stopped, taking a deep breath.


    ¡°Thirty-seven?! What the hell?!¡±


    As expected, the price would make the parting a lot easier.

 Chapter of Bottled Love: Love in a Bottle

    After we left the tavern, Karen and I strolled through town for a little more, enjoying the evening atmosphere, the setting sun accompanying us. Several boats passed us by, going down the river. Small boats but also larger ones, clearly transporting something. We hadn¡¯t really thought much about it, but the warehouses where we had collected the mana crystals were likely downstream as well. Admittedly, the town was quite large so I wasn¡¯t too sure.


    This is probably our last time walking through these streets¡­


    At least, for a good amount of time. Who knew when we would have the chance to come back here again. It had only been just over a month, yet, so much had happened during our stay. The uproar at the fort and the encounter with the elves, the discovery at the cave, the assault of the village. Accompanied by the troubles behind the scenes, especially the Worshippers but also the no-good nobles that tried to pin the blame on us. Truly, much had happened. Including good things, of course.


    We¡¯ve met many people. We met the kind foxkin Lefa and the couple El and Nel, students at the Academy. The magic craftswoman Elina, who is obsessed with muscles. Miss Karker, an older lady with a lot of influence and just as many mysteries, posing as a grandmother. We met the High Priest, a good-natured but hyperactive clergyman. Will, the very king of this country and Ruben, the military man standing at his side. And finally, we also met the Elder, who will accompany us on our journey.


    Most of them we wouldn¡¯t meet anytime soon again. But, I was sure we would meet again in the future.


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No? Why?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spacing out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I was thinking about all the people we met during our stay.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    We walked down the streets, holding our hands. The gate was already coming into sight, signalling the end of our date.


    ¡°We won¡¯t be seeing them for a while¡­¡± muttered Karen after a while.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. But I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll meet again in the future. I mean, we already made such plans with Lefa now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±


    I smiled wryly, seeing Karen¡¯s hesitation.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss them.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    We stood right in front of the gate now. Soldiers stood guard, checking every traveller coming in or going out. Even at this time of the day, the gate was still busy.


    ¡°Hey, you girls, are you trying to leave town?¡±


    ¡°Huh? We are¡­¡±


    A soldier called out to us, coming over.


    ¡°You should think that over again. The gate will close soon and you don¡¯t want to worry your parents, do you? So hurry up back home, will you?¡±


    ¡°Uhm, we¡¯re living outside¡­¡±


    ¡°Outside? Are you¡­ Are you serious?¡±


    The soldier was taken aback at Karen¡¯s slightly ambiguous reply.


    ¡°Hey, ya idiot, what are ya doing?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª Sir! These two girls were trying to leave so I stopped them, sir!¡±


    ¡°Look what they¡¯re wearing.¡±


    An older soldier rebuked his younger colleague as he pointed at our clothes. The younger one quickly followed his advice, looking more than a little confused.


    ¡°Uhh... Sir?¡±


    ¡°The emblem, ya idiot! Are ya that daft? Ya got stones for eyes?¡±


    ¡°Huh? That¡­¡±


    Finally noticing the small embroidered emblem on the clothes I was wearing, his gaze wandered out the gate, then back to us.


    ¡°... These girls?¡±


    ¡°If ya understand, go back to ya post.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, sir!¡±


    ¡°Hey, what should ya say to these ladies first?¡±


    ¡°I apologise for the trouble!¡±


    The young soldier bowed his head and then rushed back to his post.


    ¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, new blood and all that shi¡ª err, stuff..¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a relief to hear!¡±


    The soldier laughed heartily. But something was weird when I looked at this man¡­ Somehow, I felt like I had seen this man before.


    Ah, he¡¯s the soldier who registered us on our first day.


    It had been nearly a month but this was the first time we had seen this man here on duty again. He was complaining and venting quite a bit so he left a bit of an impression at the time¡­ And the other soldier who kept trying to scold him and stop venting.


    ¡°Nn? Is the soldier who worked with you not here?¡±


    The soldier¡¯s expression froze in an instant. Did I say something I shouldn¡¯t have?


    ¡°Well, to think ya remember me¡­ Not sure if I should be happy or not¡­ But, Tross¡­ that bastard won¡¯t be coming.¡±


    ¡°Did he quit being a soldier?¡±


    ¡°Nah, the dork volunteered for a subjugation mission. Didn¡¯t come back.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Subjugation mission¡­ That could only mean¡­ The roper subjugation¡­


    ¡°Stupid bastard, getting himself killed before me. The world¡¯s really messed up. The young ¡¯uns keep dying and we old pieces of shite still sit on our lazy asses watching it all happen. What¡¯s the world if not fucked up?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The soldier shook his head, sighing repeatedly.


    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t want to curb ya mood.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise, I asked, after all¡­¡±


    ¡°But I should. Ya mercenaries are the reason we all can still sleep soundly. Ya should be proud of what ya did.¡±


    Proud?


    ¡°Meanwhile, those nobles and what they call themselves, they were fucking each other up instead, then sending the young ¡¯uns to die. Really, it¡¯s fucked up, I tell ya. Fucked up!¡±


    A few passersby looked towards us in confusion because of the soldier¡¯s outburst. The gazes centred on him allowed him to quickly regain his composure.


    ¡°Tsk, I shouldn¡¯t get all worked up in public. Sorry, seriously. It¡¯s all just too much for an old hare like me. Everything¡¯s gone to shite.¡±


    He sighed a last time, before straightening his back.


    ¡°Now, little ladies, the gate¡¯s gonna close soon, so ya should hurry and get back home. And tell ya, friends, that ya saved a whole buncha life. We¡¯re not like those stuck-up noble asses, we¡¯re grateful, ya hear. If ya ever got a problem, just give a holler. Now, get going.¡±


    With an awkward grin, he chased us out before we could even properly reply to him. Confirming we had left the gate area, he shouted up to some soldiers standing on its top to let down the gate. A short moment later, the heavy iron lattice was lowered, barring all entry and exit.


    ¡°... Hey, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°The world¡¯s pretty cruel.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Glancing a last time at the gate, the two of us made our way back to the camp. Somehow, our little evening date had ended on a slightly sour note. But¡­


    ¡°He was grateful¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And he told us to be proud. Proud that we saved lives¡­


    We¡­ can¡¯t save everyone¡­ Just like the villagers¡­ and those soldiers. We also have our own lives and our own people to protect¡­ Korwen told me as much...


    But, the lives we saved beyond the bare minimum¡­ Could we take pride in that? I had no idea¡­


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I lightly squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. With slow steps, we walked over to the mercenaries¡¯ camp.


    ---


    After we got back, we reported to Korwen what had transpired at the gate. He was quite surprised. ¡°That soldier¡¯s a good man,¡± he had said. Once we had finished giving him that report, Karen and I decided to take it easy and relax for the remaining evening. We already had dinner so we weren¡¯t particularly hungry anyway.


    ¡°Home, sweet home. We¡¯re back.¡±


    After opening the door of our bed, I immediately let myself plop onto the bed, causing the wooden frame to cry in protest. The bed was still working that mysterious gravitational force to the bone. It was impossible to resist.


    ¡°Home, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    Karen sat down next to me before gently patting my back.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    The warm touch of her hand was comfortable.


    ¡°Oh? Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, the dolls are here.¡±


    ¡°The dolls?¡±


    I rolled on my back and forced myself to sit up again. Right there on the window were a few dolls peeking through the gap in the window. If I didn¡¯t know better or wasn¡¯t used to them by now, it probably would¡¯ve looked like something straight out of a horror movie¡­ Actually, it still looked like it, I just wasn¡¯t scared by it anymore...


    ¡°What do they want?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know?¡±


    Karen tilted her head at my question, unclear about their intent as well.


    ¡°Uhh, you can come in¡­ No need to peek through the wi¡ª Woah!¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even finished the sentence before the dolls climbed through the gap into the room. No, climbing wasn¡¯t the proper word for it. They poured into the room by the dozens. And not just the one window we had watched, but also the other ones¡­ Before long, the room was filled with wooden dolls to the point we couldn¡¯t even see the floor anymore. And the worst part¡­


    ¡°Sto¡ª Stop climbing me! Ah, Sis, help!¡±


    ¡°I, I can¡¯t!¡±


    Somehow, Karen also sounded quite panicked. A quick glance showed me, that the dolls were also climbing her. Now, this was new¡­ So that¡¯s what it looked like from the outsider perspective¡­ Wait, that wasn¡¯t the time for this.


    ¡°Ahh, stop, come on! Don¡¯t climb on us! Behave yourselves!¡±


    The dolls all froze, not moving even the tiniest bit.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Seriously, you are quite troublesome kids as well¡­¡±


    But that was probably my fault, wasn¡¯t it¡­ Even Yumias had told me they just did this to get my attention.


    ¡°Sorry that I¡¯ve been neglecting you. But don¡¯t cause trouble because of that, okay? Do you understand?¡±


    The unmoving dolls regained their life, lining up on the floor and saluting. That¡­ probably meant they understood it, right?


    ¡°As long as you behave it¡¯s all good.¡±


    The dolls threw up their arms into the air, jumping up and down, all giddy and happy. Maybe I was too quick to forgive them.


    ¡°But tell me, why were you climbing up Karen as well?¡±


    Getting my attention was one thing but¡­ Ahh, they were tilting their heads. Did they not understand my question?


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe they want my attention as well?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    But the question as to why they wanted to climb her remained.


    ¡°Well, whatever¡­¡±


    I let myself fall back onto the bed. Somehow, I was quite tired.


    ¡°You poor dolls, your mother is always ignoring you, isn¡¯t she? What a no-good mother, right? Right.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can hear you¡­¡±


    Was I supposed to go hug them now? Maybe if they were a little softer¡­ like the tentacles.


    ¡­ Maybe I can make a doll out of the tentacles?


    A weird idea popped into my head¡­ Well, it¡¯d be fine if it worked but in the worst case, it might look more than just a little grotesque, wouldn¡¯t it? I wasn¡¯t exactly that good with sculpting the dolls¡¯ bodies.


    But they can do the sculpting themselves¡­ as long as they don¡¯t create some weird abomination.


    It was probably something worth keeping in mind.


    ¡°Oh? Ohhh?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Your dolls¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    I forced myself up once more, only to see the dolls all surrounding Karen¡¯s feet, holding up their arms like children wanting to be picked up.


    ¡°What are they doing¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    At times like this, it was really a little troublesome we couldn¡¯t communicate with them¡­ The only thing they could do was draw.


    ¡°... Sis, do we have a pen and paper here?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I¡­ think so?¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°They should be in the drawer from the desk. I think.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ One moment.¡±


    I slowly got up from the bed, careful not to squish any dolls by accident. Mostly because it¡¯d hurt me more than them if I stepped on one. After wading my way to the desk, I checked the drawers and the immediate surroundings of the desk. The pen was actually on top of the desk.


    ¡°Okay, you dolls. Here you go. Why are you flocking to Sis? Draw it here.¡±


    The dolls crowded around me, snatching up the pen and some sheets of paper before drawing on the paper.


    ¡°Mh? This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    We¡ª Well¡­ This isn¡¯t quite what I expected.


    ¡°So¡­ They think I¡¯m also their mother?¡±


    On the sheet were two girls drawn. Obviously, they were Karen and me. Then, two lines went down from both our portraits, leading to dozens of small dolls. The, honestly, looked like a family tree¡­


    ¡°Guess they do. Congratulations, Sis. Now you¡¯re a mother.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No response. How weird. I expected her to react to my attempt at teasing her, but she was just blankly staring at the sheet for a good while until she finally broke out into a big wide grin.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi, they¡¯re our children! Even the dolls think we belong together!¡±


    ¡°Nn, they do.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    So, she was happy about that. Well, I could relate to it. Having the dolls recognise it as well made me just a little bit happy.


    ¡°Oh, what are they doing now?¡±


    Some dolls crowded around the sheet of paper, facing each other and gesturing wildly. It seemed as if they were arguing about something. Only the sound was missing. After a minute or so, they had come to an understanding and resumed their work on the sheet.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± mumbled Karen.


    ¡°The tentacles?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve drawn them, too¡­¡±


    The dolls had added a bunch of tentacles next to their own image as if saying the tentacles and the dolls were siblings to the same parents. Well, that wasn¡¯t quite wrong.


    ¡°Well, Sis, looks like our children include some tentacles.¡±


    ¡°... Seems like it.¡±


    Somehow, the whole thing seemed so ridiculous that I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at it. As for the dolls, after finishing their masterpiece of a picture, they were celebrating. Then, some dolls suddenly lifted the sheet and ran over to the door. A few other dolls followed them and then jumped up and down in front of the door as if trying to draw our attention to them.


    ¡°... Well, let¡¯s open it.¡±


    While I had absolutely no idea why the dolls would want to show them that picture now, the least I could do was open the door for them and watch whatever would happen.


    The moment the door opened wide enough for the dolls to pass through while carrying the sheet, they stormed inside, jumping on top of the tentacle floor and making their way to the centre tentacle. Having arrived, they held up the sheet in front of it, showing it the picture. Some dolls were once again gesturing as if possessed.


    ¡°Yumi, are they¡­ communicating?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew. Really.¡±


    It did seem like the communication was rather one-sided, though. With only the dolls doing the talking if you could call it that.


    ¡°Speaking of which, Yumi, do the tentacles have enough mana?¡±


    ¡°Mh? They¡­ should? Maybe?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything left to drain a lot of mana... But now that she mentioned it, did we even recover their mana after our failed¡­ experiment? I couldn¡¯t remember whether we did¡­ So we probably didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Good thing we already got new mana crystals¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re feeding them?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t think we gave them anything after the last time.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ We didn¡¯t? Did we?¡±


    Even Karen wasn¡¯t sure anymore. Well, it wasn¡¯t a waste to feed them anyway. They could store the mana. And since we were planning on resuming our experiments soon¡­


    ¡°One¡­ should be enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t tell me you want to feed a whole crystal to them?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They did have a lot of mana, didn¡¯t they? She was right.


    ¡°... Guess that¡¯s too much, yeah. I¡¯ll see how much to give them.¡±


    I entered the room with the tentacles and the dolls that were still making a silent ruckus made space for me. Squatting down, I transferred the mana from the mana orb over to the tentacles. They did have quite a bit of mana after I took a good look but it was probably mana they had absorbed from our surroundings.


    ¡°Nn, that should be enough.¡±


    The centre tentacle wiggled around as if happy. Was it always this expressive?


    Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    I stretched out my hand to the tentacle.


    ¡°Paw.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nothing happened. Was I wrong?


    ¡°Yumi, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering whether the tentacles can understand us. Too¡­ Doesn¡¯t seem like they do.¡±


    ¡°... No, I mean. What is ¡®Paw¡¯ supposed to mean? The tentacles don¡¯t have paws.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Did she not know about dog tri¡ª Oh, wait¡­ Mm¡­ Apparently not.


    ¡°Err, forget what happened¡­ Okay, attempt number two. Come here.¡±


    I opened my hand again and tried a more direct approach. And, as if it finally understood what I wanted, the large centre tentacle put itself into my hand and nestling against it.


    ¡°They understand us?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, Karen was staring at me as if I was an utter idiot. That hurt¡­ That gaze, it hurt.


    ¡°Yumi, sometimes, I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re just pretending or actually stupid.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite rude, aren¡¯t you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I was pretty serious, you know?¡±


    ¡°Wait¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡­ Okay. I decided to just not think about that for now. My fragile heart couldn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°But in all seriousness, I expected they could understand us to a degree¡­ They were communicating with the dolls before as well. And, they can distinguish between your enemies and friends.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ And if they have some form of intelligence, it¡¯d be no wonder they could, you mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite reasonable. I was wondering about that part, too, to be honest.¡±


    Seeing the tentacle pitfalls accurately attack only our enemies did give me cause to wonder. And they had been intelligent enough to stop the roper back in the village.


    ¡°Intelligent, huh...¡°


    I gently squeezed the tentacle that was nestling in my hand. It quivered slightly in response.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ What troublesome children I have.¡±


    The dolls and the tentacles, they were so¡­ weird.


    ¡°Take care of me from now on as well, okay? The dolls, too.¡±


    The group of dolls was once more jumping around, while the tentacle simply wrapped itself around my arm. Although I said ¡®simply,¡¯ it was still quite¡­ restrictive. Nonetheless, I couldn¡¯t help but smile at their eccentric behaviour.


    For a while, we played a little with the dolls and the tentacles until it had become completely dark outside. Deciding it was time to hit the hay, we gave our goodnights to the tentacles and the dolls. The dolls disappeared somewhere, leaving Karen and me alone in our bed.


    ¡°It¡¯s been quite a long day, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It has, Yumi. But it was fun for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was fun.¡±


    I snuggled against Karen¡¯s naked skin. It really made me wonder sometimes how her bare skin could feel so comfortable. At this point, it had to be an addiction.


    ¡°Yumi, that tickles.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but it feels good.¡±


    Resting my head against her chest, I could hear her heartbeat, echoing rhythmically in my ears.


    ¡°Yumi, you pervert.¡±


    ¡°Nn? But I haven¡¯t done anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Do you plan to?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    There was never another option.


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±Nn?¡±


    Karen moved towards my ear, whispering.


    ¡°I planned to as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Once Karen let those words sink in, she gently bit my ear and nibbled on it.


    ¡°Nnah?! Sis, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehehehe, Yumi.¡±


    Her hand gently stroked my stomach, reaching towards my belly button. A gentle shiver ran through me as she traced my midriff with her finger.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Si, Sis?¡±


    ¡°One day. One day, in the future, let¡¯s have children.¡±


    ¡°Sis?!¡±


    I cried out in surprise. Did she just?


    ¡°Let¡¯s have lots of them. We¡¯ll find a magician who can use conception magic. And if that doesn¡¯t work, then we¡¯ll look for another way. And once we find one, then I hope you¡¯ll give me a lot of cute children.¡±


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯ll be me who¡ª Nn?!¡±


    ¡°Of course, it¡¯ll be you.¡±


    She bit into my ear and gentle pain ran through it. But not an unpleasant one. It was weirdly¡­ comforting.


    ¡°You¡¯re mine, after all. All mine.¡±


    I could feel her hand embracing my waist and gently stroking my back.


    ¡°And then we¡¯ll have a big family. I bet Lily and Rina are going to have children as well in the future. And who knows what will happen with the dolls and the tentacles until then. Ahh, I wonder what will be with Emily, Maya and Sele then¡­ They¡¯re sure to grow up into some pretty women. And if they find someone too...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very big family you are planning there, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... I have to make up for it, after all. For all the time I was alone.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you better work hard.¡±


    Working hard? At¡­ That was a bit of a mental hurdle. I had been a man in the past and¡­ Sure, I knew that was possible in the future. But having to confront it so suddenly¡­ I¡¯d need some time getting used to the thought. Oddly enough, I wasn¡¯t that against it.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s still going to be a long time until then.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But, when the time comes, I¡¯ll, err, do my best? Probably.¡±


    ¡°... Pfff.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what are you laughing at now?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Just¡­ I guess I should be happy.¡±


    Karen pulled me a little closer and squeezed me as gently as she could.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be together forever, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    I returned the embrace. It was warm. So wonderfully warm and happy.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s think of one. Our surname.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Surname? How did she come to that?


    ¡°After all, if we¡¯re together forever, we¡¯ll need one, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Somehow, I had the feeling that Karen was grinning broadly right now.


    ¡°Sis, was that¡­ Just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm? Maybe?¡±


    Are you kidding me?


    Honestly, I hadn¡¯t even thought that far. It just felt¡­ so natural to accept it.


    ¡°... What happened with staying as a family?¡±


    ¡±Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll always be my little sister as well. But it¡¯s not like we can¡¯t have both, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll be greedy. I¡¯ll be as greedy as I can when it comes to you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sounds scary.¡±


    Did her possessiveness increase even more now?


    ¡°Having second thoughts?¡±


    ¡°As if I could ever have those. If anything, I feel all the happier for it.¡±


    ¡°Then, I guess I don¡¯t need to hold back.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you don¡¯t.¡±


    In fact, I didn¡¯t want her to hold back at all.


    ¡°In that case¡­¡±


    Karen grabbed my shoulders and rolled me on my back before mounting me.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll fully indulge tonight.¡±


    With a predatory smile on her lips, she looked down at me. I felt my body heating up in anticipation. Stretching out my arms, I returned her smile.


    ¡°Sis. I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you too, Yumi. Now and forever.¡±


    Needless to say, we had a rather eventful night. Karen played with my body for most of the night. If I had proper muscles, I probably would have been sore all over the next morning.


    ---


    In the end, morning came without mercy, ending a very passionate night between the two of us. After breakfast, we helped out with packing things, taking down tents, bringing over the parked wagons and stowing everything away. Caring for the waroxen and helping people who had troubles. There was a lot that needed to be done.


    Especially in regards to our additional passengers, namely the elves. Frankly put, there was too little space. After ousting the troublesome families, some wagons had been freed up, but it was still not quite enough. Especially because Karen and I had kind of taken over one of them. Plus, some wagons had been damaged in our scuffle with the elves or even been destroyed. As such, everyone had to squeeze closer just a little more. And since not many knew about my situation, the number of people that could travel with me and Karen were a little limited. Basically, it was only Lily and Rina. And someone had to drive the wagon. Which meant that Karen and I still ended up alone, since Lily was the only one who knew how to steer the waroxen and Rina would obviously join her. Plus, Lily had her own living place with the Black Guards anyway.


    ¡°Good boy, good boy, yes. Here you go. Woah!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, be careful.¡±


    ¡°I try to but¡­ This one¡¯s really greedy.¡±


    I patted the large warox on its back as it munched on the feed I had just given it.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care tomorrow.¡±


    I stroked the back of the magic beast. The fur was smooth to the touch and quite pleasant. As I was patting its back, a sharp clap resounded through our former camp.


    ¡°Everyone, listen here!¡±


    The source of it, Korwen, drew the attention to himself.


    ¡°First of all, good work to everyone! There are only a few things left but we mostly finished packing. Tomorrow, we will leave Larfas and make our way to Auria. From the town of Auria, we will also reach the fort, our new home!¡±


    Clamour and cheers erupted from the audience.


    ¡°We will set out before sunrise! Finish what you are doing and then get an early rest. If I see anyone going out to town in an attempt at getting laid I¡¯ll leave them behind, you got that?¡±


    Laughter echoed all around us, amused at the threat.


    ¡°You¡¯re dismissed! Good job everyone. Get a good rest!¡±


    He clapped again, ending his short announcement.


    ¡°Tomorrow, huh¡­ Already.¡±


    It was finally time to bid this place goodbye. I was going to miss it.


    Until next time.


    ---


    Love has as many shapes as there are lives in the world.


    No one shape is inferior to another, no one shape more equal than another.


    Love is equal to all, cruel to all.


    For love is what makes the world truly turn.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Departure from Lafria

    ¡°I. Am. Bored!¡±


    I declared in a loud voice, throwing up my arms in the air and letting myself fall back.


    ¡°I am seriously bored!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one, Yumi, but you shouldn¡¯t shout like that.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s frustrating, Sis!¡±


    It had been three days since our departure from the capital Larfas of Lafria Kingdom. Three days with so little to do it was frustrating. Even though our break time had ended now, we were, in a way, still on a forced break. Outside of our regular duties like cooking, there was nothing we had to do.


    ¡°Then, what do you want to do about it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so frustrating. Haaa¡­ If only Ria was here, we could do some work at least...¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s busy with her own research.¡±


    ¡°I know that¡­¡±


    But without her, we weren¡¯t allowed to do our own experiments. Sure, that was pretty much our own fault it had ended up like that. And right now, I deeply regretted my stupidity from back then.


    ¡°I wish we could already be at the fort¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not even halfway, Yumi. Not even remotely.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I thought Lafria was a lot smaller than the empire?¡±


    ¡°It is. But you can¡¯t travel to the border in just three days nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that far from Arkesta to Larfas.¡±


    Admittedly, that also took longer than three days. But there had been many other things on our minds at the time, so it hadn¡¯t been as boring as it was right now.


    ¡°Because we crossed the Hollow. If we had to take the regular route it would have taken even longer than the trip from Larfas to Auria.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Miss Fenna told me about their regular travel route yesterday. The mercenaries used to take the long route before the fort and the bridge had been established.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Where else did they travel?¡±


    ¡°From Aldreigh the Akkian Empire to Lafria and Krohmea, then to Aldreigh. After Aldreigh, they¡¯d travel a few countries to the east of Aldreigh before returning.¡±


    That was quite a long route.


    ¡°Miss Fenna also said that route would take them around three years on average.¡±


    ¡°Years?!¡±


    ¡°Yes, years.¡±


    ¡°Holy¡­¡±


    Correction, it was an incredibly long route.


    ¡°Three years¡­ That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget they can¡¯t really travel during winter, either. That¡¯s why it takes so long.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Still, I could barely imagine needing that long. In my old world, travelling had become so fast that spending years just seemed so¡­ unbelievable. Not that I wasn¡¯t believing it, of course.


    ¡°Travelling is surprisingly cumbersome.¡±


    On the plus side, we had plenty of time for ourselves during the trip. And since it was only us in the wagon, our privacy was secured as well. A very welcome boon. Nonetheless, while we¡­ had spent a lot of time fooling around, we couldn¡¯t exactly do it all the time. Or rather, at some point, the mood for it was just gone. As a compromise, we spent most of our time cuddling like we were doing right now.


    Being able to spend time like this is also nice¡­


    But it was still a little boring. The downside of being by ourselves. In the other wagon with everyone else, there was always something keeping you busy. Mostly those three¡­ Children had too much energy.


    ¡°Haaa... Sis, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s something we could do, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how we talked about language before?¡±


    ¡°... Did we?¡±


    That had to be quite a while ago then.


    ¡°We did.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But what does that have to do with our current predicament?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think boredom is enough of a problem to call a predicament. But whatever. I was thinking of teaching you the Aldreighan language.¡±


    ¡°The Aldreighan language?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, they had a different language¡­ Lafria and the Akkian Empire shared a language, so I forgot about that.


    ¡°I think it will be useful for you if you know at least a little about it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess it would be good.¡±


    But learning a language was easier said than done. Which was probably why Karen was suggesting it now already. Considering we¡¯d be travelling for a while longer, it was a good use of our time.


    However, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m all that thrilled about it¡­ Then again, it¡¯s better than doing nothing and it will definitely come in handy.


    Especially considering how we were travelling all over the place. But¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ If Aldreigh has its own language¡­ then what about the other countries?¡±


    ¡°The other countries? You mean, whether they also have their own languages?¡±


    ¡°Nn. And the elves also have their own language.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not something I know anything about. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine. But if other countries also have different languages¡­ And, if we actually do travel to the Beyond¡­ What language do they speak there?¡±


    This might actually turn out to be quite a problem, wouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Mr Captain already considered that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That still left the question of other languages that were out there¡­ But for now, if Karen was going to teach me about the Aldreighan language, that¡¯d keep me likely busy for a good amount of time already.


    ¡°Anyway, I guess that means you¡¯re fine with me teaching you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Thinking about it, Aldreighan was actually her mother tongue, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start.¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    My viewpoint suddenly rose as Karen lifted me from behind. She walked over to the desk and sat down, placing me in her lap once more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ How about we start with something simple first¡­¡±


    And so, Karen had begun teaching me about the Aldreighan language.


    ---


    ¡°So, Karen is now teaching you?¡±


    ¡°Nn. She is.¡±


    A few hours later, our little caravan finally took a break near a small village. It was still just barely noon but the waroxen needed a break and it was a good time for lunch. The Elder joined us for it, so the three of us now sat on the ground, using our wagon as a backrest while eating.


    ¡°Learning a new language is a pretty good idea, maybe I should join you two. Knowing another language is always convenient, especially while travelling. But I didn¡¯t know she could speak another language.¡±


    The Elder looked towards Karen, surprise in her eyes.


    ¡°I did live in Aldreigh at first, after all.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Aldreigh is the nation next to this one, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Nn. You didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I have heard names of countries in passing but where they lay and what culture they have, I do not. We had little contact with the outside world. There is also the issue that countries do not exist forever. Even this kingdom of Lafria is scarce a few centuries old, I believe.¡±


    ¡°Most people would say that¡¯s pretty old¡­¡±


    In the eyes of the Elder, it still seemed quite young¡­ I knew she was old but this made me even more curious how old exactly.


    ¡°That might be so. But the point is, that time changes the world in many ways. And secluded as we were, the world could have very well turned into a completely different one without our notice.¡±


    ¡°You still speak the Akkian language, though.¡±


    ¡°It is not like we had no contact at all. How do you think we allowed them to construct a road through our beloved forest?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡±


    So she learned the language out of necessity to converse with the people coming to them?


    ¡°Fairykin are also quite blessed learners. It is of little trouble for us to learn a new language. Compared to most humanoids, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°... That makes me a little jealous. Please teach me how you do that.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Much to my surprise, the Elder didn¡¯t outright deny my half-joking request, instead quietly staring at me.


    ¡°... Miss Elder?¡±


    Even Karen was now worried, seeing how she just silently stared at me. After a good while, she finally opened her mouth again.


    ¡°Apologies, I was thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°About how to teach me to learn faster?¡±


    ¡°In a way¡­ I was wondering¡­ You are closer to us fairykin in nature than you are to humanoids, are you not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even know much about the differences between humanoids and fairykin outside of the latter being born from nature.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think you are. Like us, you are closely attuned to mana¡­ However, judging from the way you spoke, you are learning as fast as before you became a Cursed?¡±


    ¡°I think so? We only studied for less than a day, after all. And I didn¡¯t really notice anything odd either with other things.¡±


    All that wasn¡¯t exactly a good indicator.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess we will find out in due time.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    In the end, there wasn¡¯t really a shortcut to learning a language. Only diligent studying and actually using the language. Although, the latter was accompanied by some embarrassment coming from my odd pronunciation. Not that I realised it myself. I had no idea why, but Karen was nearly keeling over at some point from laughter. And she had only taught me some very simple phrases so far, mostly greetings.


    ¡°Speaking of which, the elves also have their own language, right? Is it a language all elves speak?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, it is not. However, I believe most fairykin on this part of the continent should speak this language.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s the language of the fairykin and not just the elves?¡±


    ¡°That is right. Most fairykin are capable of speaking this language. Some humanoids used to speak it as well, long ago.¡±


    A language used by the fairykin and the humanoids¡­ That had probably made things a lot easier in terms of communication. A little unfortunate that it didn¡¯t stay like that.


    ¡°I wonder why they stopped using it.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The humanoids.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ The humanoids I spoke of were low in numbers, even at that time. They were mostly refugees, seeking solace in our homes for they lost their own. It¡¯s not that they stopped using it but there was simply no necessity to learn it anymore, once the Spirit War found its end.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    But it would have been quite nice if they just all spoke a common tongue¡­


    ¡°Well, there might still be some out there who speak it among the humanoids. There are always curious people around, after all. As long as they can find a teacher among the fairykin, that is.¡±


    ¡°Would that be hard?¡±


    ¡°I believe I told you before, but most fairykin are not fond of humanoids and their civilization. They¡¯re secluded and do not welcome any interlopers, be they friendly or not.  So much even, that they do not shy away from force if it is to keep them away.¡±


    In other words, they¡¯d attack us like the Elder and the elves did before¡­ Probably shouldn¡¯t say that out loud, though.


    ¡°The only option I believe one would have would be to ask a dark elf to teach them.¡±


    ¡°The dark elves, huh¡­¡±


    That reminded me, wasn¡¯t Wormaz¡¯ mother also a dark elf?


    ¡°They¡¯re the only fairykin I know of that are fond of the humanoids. But finding one would be a challenge as tall as convincing other fairykin¡­¡±


    ¡°In the end, it wouldn¡¯t be easy either way.¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    Good thing we didn¡¯t really need to learn it anyway.


    ¡°Miss Elder. If we asked you to, would you teach us the fairykin language?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°... Ha. I might indeed. But wherefore would you like to learn it?¡±


    ¡°No, I was just curious if you would.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ If you truly would like to learn it, I wouldn¡¯t be disinclined to. Albeit, it might be easier for you to ask one of my fellow sisters. Their memory of learning your language is fresh, after all.¡±


    A quiet chuckle escaped the Elder.


    ¡°Ah, finally I found you. Here you all are.¡±


    At that moment, a familiar voice came from next to the wagon.


    ¡°Oh, Lily. Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to tell you that we¡¯re going to continue soon. Also, the captain wanted something so he called for you.¡±


    ¡°All right, we¡¯re coming.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    After a short nod towards us, Lily disappeared behind the wagon again. We could hear her voice for a few more seconds, accompanied by a second voice, likely Rina¡¯s.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not keep Mr Captain waiting.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll also go back. I have to care for the estee¡ª I mean, Emily.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been getting along with her quite well, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Mm. It is a pleasure to be able to teach her all about our customs. Especially with how diligent she is.¡±


    Emily and diligent? Really? Somehow, I had trouble imagining that little bundle of energy sitting still and studying. It reminded me of how she fell asleep rather quickly when Korwen read a book to them.


    But it seems the Elder is having no problems teaching her¡­ Guess you can¡¯t judge a book by its cover.


    We quickly finished the remainder of our food so that we could go and look for Korwen. The Elder also left to look for Emily.


    ¡°Now, where is he¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Ah, Yumi, over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, found him.¡±


    Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take us long to find him. Not like there were many places he could be in the first place.


    ¡°Captain. You called for us?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here. I did, I did.¡±


    He motioned for us to sit down opposite of him, on a small wooden bench they had brought out.


    ¡°So, how is it, travelling in your own little wagon? Doing well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice having a space for ourselves but¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to do?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Korwen grinned at my slightly hesitant reply.


    ¡°I thought as much. So, I got something to do for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Korwen turned around, picking up something that was behind him and handing it to me.


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Hey now, didn¡¯t you want something to do? You could stand to look a little happier.¡±


    ¡°Captain, work is not exactly something people are always happy about.¡±


    I sighed, staring at the bundle of documents in my hands.


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be like that. Thanks to you, the piled-up documents have been nearly entirely dealt with already. These are mostly related to the acquisition of Fort Auria.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ These are¡­ suggestions?¡±


    ¡°More like requests. The moment the men heard of this, everyone started requesting one thing after another. It¡¯s a mess.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Guess they were simply just as thrilled about it as Korwen was.


    ¡°Some of the requests are pretty reasonable, like a large-sized cold storage for food. But most of them aren¡¯t really important. Or stuff we just can¡¯t really approve of.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    I skimmed through the stack of paper, scanning some of the requests.


    ¡°A beer cellar¡­ sounds reasonable¡­ A pier? Are we even that close to the water that we¡¯d need one? And wouldn¡¯t there be one already if so? This is¡­ They want a troupe? Like a musical one? Dancing one?¡±


    Well, it was entertainment. And entertainment was quite well-sought after. But...


    ¡°So¡­ What am I supposed to do with these? Sieve through them and sort out the unreasonable ones?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much, exactly that. There are plenty of ridiculous requests where you will see at a glance that they are not doable. Mostly the ones from the young men whose entire reason dropped into their pants.¡±


    ¡°What a nice way to phrase it.¡±


    Though I certainly could see it. Men had their needs and the young men doubly so. Well, as long as they kept it out of my sight, I didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go through them.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like the stack was humongous or anything. I¡¯d likely be done by the time dinner came.


    ¡°Good, good. That¡¯s one thing less I have to deal with. Now, onto the next thing.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I was expecting him to continue with some documents or the like but instead, he turned to Karen.


    ¡°Karen, do you hate Aldreigh?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Hate?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Not really?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head, rather confused at the question.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Why the question?¡±


    ¡°Because Auria is rather close to the Aldreighan border. We¡¯ll inevitably have to deal with the Aldreighans. Yumi will accompany me wherever possible and that means, you will likely come along as well. If you held some grudge towards Aldreigh, it would be troublesome.¡±


    Karen let out a small ¡°Ahh.¡± in understanding, then made a conflicted expression.


    ¡°The people in Aldreigh don¡¯t really have anything to do with what happened. That¡¯s¡­ only something related to that family.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Then, do you hate that family?¡±


    ¡°I.. don¡¯t. Although, I can¡¯t say I like them very much.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s reasonable, I guess. Then, what if the people we had to talk with would be that family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Karen froze, unable to respond. It took her several seconds until she managed to catch herself and reply to Korwen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well, it¡¯s a difficult topic. It was just a hypothetical question anyway, so it¡¯s fine not to think about it too deeply.¡±


    ¡°I understand¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we have anything to do with them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Korwen nodded in response to her question.


    ¡°That reminds me, you probably don¡¯t even know all that much about them, do you?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ was a long time ago when we left. We were still small.¡±


    ¡°Yet you still managed to reach Arkesta. It still baffles me.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    It was really quite the feat, that much was true.


    ¡°Now then, with that out of the way, it¡¯s about time we got a move on.¡±


    So, the break was over now¡­ Back to the wagon then...


    ¡°Ah, captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°How long are we even going to need until Auria?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Did nobody tell you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really think much about it either, to be honest. It was only now, when I was faced with the excruciating boredom of sitting around and doing nothing, that I was wondering about it.


    ¡°About a week and a half until Auria. Assuming nothing interrupts, of course.¡±


    ¡°A week and a half, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Already feeling bored again?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just a little¡­


    ¡°If you got nothing to do, why not help out Ria? She¡¯d probably appreciate your help.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is she still working on that big crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes, thankfully.¡±


    ¡°... Why thankfully?¡±


    ¡°As long as she works on that, she can¡¯t blow up anything.¡±


    And if she managed to blow up that thing, none of us would come out alive anyway, right?


    ¡°But helping Ria¡­ Nn¡­ We actually wanted to ask her for help as well...¡±


    ¡°That will probably have to wait until she finishes her work, though.¡±


    And until then, we couldn¡¯t even do the work we were supposed to do¡­


    ¡°... As long as you promise me not to do anything stupid and consult with Ria, I¡¯ll allow you to do stuff on your own.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really. As long as you can promise me that.¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    Finally, we had something to do again!


    ¡°So quick¡­ Whatever, just don¡¯t blow anything up or get yourself killed. Anything that relates to your previous little incident is off-limits until Ria can supervise you, are we clear on that?¡±


    ¡°Crystal clear.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ are you sure? You wanted us to figure out the issue about Space magic as quick as possible, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    It was a little weird for him to backpedal on that.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I guess that really was how it came off, huh?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What?¡±


    ¡°Just a bit of self-reflection, nothing important.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    If he said so¡­


    ¡°Anyway, realistically speaking, even if you manage to figure out everything perfectly until we arrive in Auria, there would be no use for it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because first, we need to get the fort up and going. And we don¡¯t have a lot of time for that.¡±


    ¡°Time?¡±


    That was a problem?


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ Ahh, come with me first.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Before I could ask what was going on, Korwen was already on the move. With hurried steps we followed after him, slightly confused.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to talk with you in length but we really need to move on before those people lose their minds over us.¡±


    ¡°People?¡±


    I followed Korwen¡¯s gaze towards the nearby village. Several men had gathered near the entrance, watching us.


    ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Being suspicious of us, that¡¯s what. They don¡¯t want us camping nearby.¡±


    He let out a sigh, shaking his head in annoyance.


    ¡°That¡¯s how most villages are. Suspicious of strangers and not very welcoming. We informed them we¡¯d camp here for lunch but the longer we stay, the more likely it is for some of them to forget about that. The sooner we disappear the better.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even though we didn¡¯t even do anything.


    ¡°Not like any of them would actually have the guts to, of course. But I still don¡¯t want undue trouble. So¡­¡±


    Korwen clapped his hands, drawing the attention of all the nearby mercenaries.


    ¡°Get your things together and put the waroxen into the harnesses. We¡¯re leaving!¡±


    Without delay and in the usual orderly fashion, the mercenaries followed his command, preparing to leave.


    ¡°Now then, you two can join me if you want to continue our discussion.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Sis and I exchanged a quick glance. Honestly, our discussion was mostly over anyway so¡­ And I wanted to finish this stuff he gave me as well. Preferably while working from Karen¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Ah, I get it already, I get it. Let¡¯s just continue that some time then.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sorry, captain.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise. You two should just enjoy your time together.¡±


    ¡°Nn, Thank you.¡±


    We were really quite lucky to have such an understanding boss, didn¡¯t we?


    ¡°In return, I expect those to be done by evening, you got that?¡±


    ¡°I will do my best.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then¡­¡±


    He raised his hand and went over to his own wagon. Mrs Korwen was already standing in the door and welcoming him back in.


    ¡°So he said but he is also enjoying his time together with his wife, isn¡¯t he?¡± I muttered to Karen.


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    Seriously. The pot calling the kettle black.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back. Lily is probably already waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen and I turned around towards our wagon, weaving our way through the mercenaries preparing to leave once more. Which, honestly, was just the tamers taking care of the waroxen and everyone else hurrying back inside.


    ¡°Lily. Rina.¡±


    ¡°Ah, finally you¡¯re here. Did everything go well with the captain?¡±


    ¡°Nn. He gave me work.¡±


    I held up the stack of papers to Lily, who eyed the topmost one for a moment.


    ¡°A beer cellar?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re requests from mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Wait, we could hand in requests?¡±


    ¡°... I think they just did it because they felt like it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I should request something as well then.¡±


    Somehow, I had the feeling like her eyes lit up from sudden excitement.


    ¡°Mind me asking what you were thinking of?¡±


    ¡°A durable training area! And, and¡­ Mh¡­ What else could I request? Ah.¡±


    Apparently, she thought of something. Something not quite proper, seeing how she instantly went red. Albeit with a smile on her lips.


    ¡°Just for your info, the captain will read those requests, so think carefully before you submit something. There are probably enough weird things already among them¡­¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re right¡­ Well, I doubt something like that would get approved anyway. No choice but to save my money.¡±


    If it was something she could buy with her own money, it¡¯d definitely get ignored. Although, now I was curious what she had been thinking of.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Well, I¡¯ll think about whether I¡¯m going to request something. You two should hop in so we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Nn. And thank you, Lily. For driving again.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡±


    That she wasn¡¯t getting tired of it¡­ We probably should learn sometime how to steer the waroxen so that lily didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°Rina. Come, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! Big Sis, Lil¡¯ Sis, later!¡±


    ¡°Nn, later!¡±


    Rina jumped on top of the driver¡¯s bench, followed by lily climbing up from the other side.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care again, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Time to get back inside. At least, this time I had something to do until evening.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: En route

    Two more days passed and we were close to the halfway point.


    We had only reached the halfway point¡­ There were still so many days to go¡­


    ¡°Sis, can you give me two more?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    After I took the mana orbs from Karen, I absorbed the mana from them before feeding it to the tentacles. The tentacle growth quivered happily, devouring the mana.


    ¡°These little gluttons¡­ Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°Good work.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I let myself fall back onto the tentacle floor. The tentacles below me were squirming in protest, but they made for a pretty comfortable bed.


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ Did we feed them too much?¡±


    The tentacles definitely had grown in size over the past few days. They had become really squishy and comfortable, so I didn¡¯t mind it that much but...


    ¡°We should probably hold back a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯d be troublesome if they didn¡¯t fit into this room anymore.¡±


    Before, when I tried to stand on the actual floor, the tentacle growth would reach a little over my ankles. Yet, now they reached halfway up my calf. We fed them every day until they were full and that was probably the reason why they had grown so much. Each and every day, they needed more mana, too.


    ¡°At this rate, they¡¯ll starve even if we don¡¯t make any pitfalls or do anything else with them. That¡¯d be a problem. On the other hand, I am a little curious how much they would grow if we just kept going¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ You do know we¡¯ll get a place in the fort, right? Let¡¯s do stuff like that there.¡±


    ¡°... Guess you¡¯re right. Oh well.¡±


    Time to put them on a diet.


    ¡°You heard her? You guys have to thin up a little.¡±


    I pat the thick tentacles below me, causing them to squirm around. It seemed like they were a little less energetic after my words but that might have been just as well my imagination.


    ¡°I wonder if there are any exercises we could make them do.¡±


    ¡°Would that even work, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they are working for you, at least.¡±


    ¡°... Good point.¡±


    The training Rina and I had to go through hadn¡¯t borne any fruit so far. At least, for me.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll really have to feed them less then. Too bad for you guys.¡±


    Ah, they were squirming again. They definitely didn¡¯t like that. I wouldn¡¯t like it either so I could relate a little. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t change the problem.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re done feeding them. What¡¯s next on the list, Sis?¡±


    ¡°That was the last thing we had to do.¡±


    ¡°Already?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Well now, that was good news.


    ¡°Should we go back to studying then, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, actually¡­ I wanted to ask if we could take a break from it today.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    We had been studying every day after we finished our chores. Honestly, while it was nice making progress in learning the Aldreighan language, it was¡­ also quite tiring. Learning a language was, without a doubt, not an easy feat. And I needed a little bit of change once in a while.


    ¡°I mean, we can¡­ Did you have something in mind, though?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Remember that the captain gave us permission to do a bit of research on our own again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much point in having permission if we don¡¯t find the time for it. And I need a change of pace.¡±


    Korwen had told us that there wasn¡¯t that much of a hurry with getting the Space Magic stuff working. Either way, we definitely wanted Ria around for that next time. Alas, that wasn¡¯t everything we could look into. There was the stuff Elina had told me about that had given me an idea about something. Plus, there were still plenty of tentacles I knew nothing about. Many of them seemed to have more¡­ sexual purposes. But not all of them. Some of them had needles for injecting fluids. There was that weird tentacle that seemed to rapidly absorb my mana as well.


    Actually, now that I think about it, the latter one is definitely a no-go without Ria¡¯s help.


    In other words, there were still things I had to look into. And wasn¡¯t now the best chance I had? There was nothing else to do, after all. Plenty of time and no particular hurry.


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯s fine with me, Yumi. Then, what did you want to do?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think I¡¯d like to try strengthening myself.¡±


    ¡°... Strengthening? You could do that?¡±


    Karen furrowed her brow, clearly confused.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I can? But Elina told me about, err, mana purity and mana density. That gave me an idea. If the amount of mana in a monster material determines its strength, wouldn¡¯t that also apply to the monsters when they are alive? And, of course, to me.¡±


    ¡°Then, you want to increase the amount of mana you have?¡±


    ¡°Kind of?¡±


    ¡°But it gets absorbed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem.¡±


    As long as my mana crystal kept absorbing mana like a broken vacuum, there was no way for me to strengthen myself in the long term.


    ¡°But if I am consciously keeping the mana from being absorbed, it should work out. At least, for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think I get that...¡±


    That was as good as agreement, right? Great.


    ¡°But how do we test that you actually got stronger?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s actually a good point.¡±


    Relying on just intuition wasn¡¯t a good idea here. Especially since I wanted to know how much stronger I would get. Assuming I did at all.


    ¡°Do we have anything I can squeeze with my hand?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so?¡±


    ¡°Well, great.¡±


    Something to squeeze, something to squeeze¡­


    ¡°You could also try to lift something, no? Wouldn¡¯t that be easier?¡±


    ¡°I guess it would but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°If I lift something large, I think I¡¯d be using a lot of my body for that, right? I mean, I can try but I don¡¯t know if I can keep enough mana around inside my whole body.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    So, nothing, huh¡­


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s first just get an impression, I guess? I can just squeeze some of the tentacles.¡±


    They were resilient enough, after all.


    ¡°They probably won¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t change that.¡±


    Better than trying to test out my grip strength on something that might break.


    ¡°Either way, first, I¡¯d have to see whether anything changes at all. So, Sis, could you give me one mana orb.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    She handed me one fresh mana orb, brimming full of energy.


    ¡°Well, here goes nothing.¡±


    I extracted some mana and let it flow into my arm. It was still under my control so the mana crystal wasn¡¯t going to absorb it anytime soon.


    ¡°Mm, doesn¡¯t feel like anything has changed.¡±


    I moved my arm and¡­ Nothing of particular note happened.


    ¡°Okay, time to give them a small squeeze. Paw.¡±


    The tentacles¡­ didn¡¯t do anything. Dog tricks weren¡¯t working, huh?


    ¡°Yumi, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Realising that we have to train them.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Evading Karen¡¯s stare, I took one tentacle into my hand and squeezed it lightly. It was squishy.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°No idea. One moment.¡±


    I gripped the tentacle, keeping a little bit of strength and removing the mana from my arm.


    ¡°Oh? Ohhh.¡±


    It became just slightly harder to grip. It¡­ actually worked?!


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    I moved the mana back into my arm and¡­ Yeah, it became slightly easier. I moved some more mana from the orb into my arm and it procedurally got easier to squeeze and keep up the grip.


    ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think it actually did. But it does need quite a bit of mana¡­¡±


    The moment I released the control, the mana in my arm was slowly absorbed into my crystal. It only took seconds for my grip strength to return to normal.


    ¡°Hey, knowing about it is already something¡­¡±


    ¡°But can you actually make use of it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I do have to concentrate on it quite a bit. But there might be occasions where I need a bit of strength for a moment so, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But until you find a way to stop it from absorbing mana¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It won¡¯t be super useful. It¡¯s a step forward, at least.¡±


    At least, I might be able to get the flag out of the ground now without Karen¡¯s help.


    ¡°I wonder why it even absorbs so much mana in the first place¡­ it never stops, after all. And mana doesn¡¯t just¡­ disappear.¡±


    ¡°Probably to get stronger, no? That¡¯s what that professor told us, at least.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess that¡¯d be the case. Maybe I¡¯ll get stuck in some egg again?¡±


    Chances were pretty high for that.


    ¡°But I¡¯m a little worried about what exactly is going to happen then¡­ Either way, I¡¯d be stuck in it for days again¡­ Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    If I was stuck inside that shell for days again, then I didn¡¯t have to get bored all the time.


    Great case of misguided motivation, myself!


    Be that as it may, it was something to think about¡­ Honestly, I was worried about it. But I couldn¡¯t afford to worry about these things forever. I had to face them at some point. It totally wasn¡¯t because I was so bored out of my mind that I was jumping at the chance to just skip the whole travelling process.


    ¡°No¡­ Let¡¯s ask Ria later what she thinks about it.¡±


    ¡°About the egg thing?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I mean, I¡¯m worried about what will happen to me, sure¡­ But I can¡¯t evade it forever, right? At some point, it¡¯s going to happen anyway.¡±


    As long as I couldn¡¯t find a way to stop the mana absorption, at least. But if I just left it alone, it might happen again at some rather unfortunate time. But if we could force it to happen, wasn¡¯t this trip a pretty good opportunity?


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you think so. I don¡¯t particularly mind.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine for a few days without me, Sis?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Yumi? Of course, I won¡¯t. But I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Wait, you...¡±


    She was intending to get stuck inside it together with me again?


    ¡°It was fine the last time.¡±


    ¡°Sure but what if it isn¡¯t this time?¡±


    ¡°But I could say the same about you. We don¡¯t know if you will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°So, give up.¡±


    So forceful¡­ But that was just like her, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll be together, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°But first, we should ask Ria. For all we know, it might not even be the same as last time.¡±


    Korwen told us that we shouldn¡¯t do anything potentially dangerous without Ria. And this probably counted among those. Plus, if we really were going to be gone for a few days, we should inform Korwen either way. I didn¡¯t want another scolding.


    ¡°Okay, first we ask Ria about what she thinks about it. If she says it should be fine, we ask the captain for permission. Songs good?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Hurray for skipping the boredom!


    ¡°But, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Assuming, that actually works out¡­ Then you likely will¡­ change a little, again, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ probably going to be the case.¡±


    Last time, there, thankfully, weren¡¯t any outside changes. I was hoping it would be the case in the future, too, but whether that wish was going to be granted¡­ I had no idea.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be only reasonable that you figure out the changes from the first time before you do that, then?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    That¡­ probably was a very reasonable idea, in fact¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true¡­¡±


    ¡°The trip is still going for quite a while, so how about we figure things out first?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    But¡­ even if she said that¡­


    ¡°How do we even go about that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There were several tentacles you never really tried out, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Actually, we did¡­ attempt to, once. It just, very quickly, devolved into a different kind of activity. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if something similar was going to happen if we were to try again. Not that I minded.


    ¡°A few have needles and seem to secrete or inject something and there¡¯s that one that is always absorbing mana. How do we even go about testing what they inject? And no, Sis, I¡¯m not going to let you try it.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we don¡¯t know what they will do.¡±


    With that in mind, how would you go about trying them out? Inject a monster with it? Or an animal? Actually, that probably was the best idea¡­


    ¡°Are there any others you haven¡¯t tried out yet?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ There are but...¡°


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re clearly for sexual reasons¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t that much need to try those out, thanks to that.


    ¡°That reminds me, there was that one tentacle that sucked on my chest.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Like that.¡±


    ¡°Then, we could try those out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just why did I expect this to turn out like this? Probably because it wasn¡¯t actually hard to predict.


    ¡°I guess¡­ we could try them out tonight?¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    Yeah, someone was definitely motivated for that.


    ¡°Haa¡­ But outside of that, what else is there¡­¡±


    ¡°What about when you were stuck on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­ But I think I tried everything I could think of.¡±


    The most notable thing about it was that I actually gained some strength during it. Especially with those tentacles. But I was completely immobile and probably not exactly a welcome sight for most people either. I was interested in why I actually had some power in that form but¡­


    Too bad that we can¡¯t ask that professor again...


    It was a shame we had already left the capital. That monster-obsessed professor might have had some pointers for us. He knew a lot about monsters, after all. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t get the chance to talk with him before we left.


    ¡°Then¡­ we¡¯re stuck?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think so?¡±


    Most things we could think of needed either Ria¡¯s help or weren¡¯t doable on such short notice. We¡¯d have to wait at least until lunch break.


    ¡°Haa¡­ In that case¡­ Sis, do you have some thick cloth and a container?¡±


    ¡°I think we do. I¡¯ll bring them.¡±


    Karen stood up and disappeared into the other room. I could hear her rummaging behind the door for a while, before she returned carrying a shirt and some mugs.


    ¡°Are these okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think they should be fine.¡±


    ¡°So, mind telling me what you are planning?¡±


    ¡°Well, none of the things we could think of are things we can do right now, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But even if we can¡¯t do them completely, we can prepare for them.¡±


    Once in a while, even I might have one or two good ideas. Okay, most of them backfired and I got scolded but¡­ Ehh, this time it would surely work out fine. I had reflected properly on my past mistakes.


    Definitely the kind of thought someone would have before screwing up, right?


    Still, I hoped for the best. And with that in mind¡­


    ¡°Do we have something other than mugs? Something with a lid?¡±


    ¡°With a lid? A lid¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait, actually, we do.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Once more, Karen disappeared through the door. Not long after, she returned, holding a leather bag. Or rather, a waterskin.


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure I want to use those for that.¡±


    ¡°I got a few spares from Mr Kohno.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, it¡¯s better than the mugs, I guess.¡±


    ¡°So, now that I brought them, could you tell me what you are planning?¡±


    Ah, right, I forgot to answer that.


    ¡°The tentacles that inject¡­ something, right? That should be a fluid, so I was thinking we could collect it and have Ria take a look at it.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But would there even be enough liquid to put into the waterskin?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How about we first collect it in the mug and then pour it into the waterskin?¡±


    First in the mug, huh¡­ As long as we were careful not to spill it, it was probably fine. And the mugs could be washed later.


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s probably fine.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s do it like that.¡±


    ¡°Okay. And what do you need the cloth for?¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know if I can just let them squeeze out whatever liquid it is so I was thinking I could pretend to stab something with cloth?¡±


    Whether it¡¯d work was a different question, though.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Karen sat down next to me gain and spread otu the mugs, the waterskin and the cloth.


    ¡°Then, here you go.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    I took one of the mugs with one hand and then changed my other arm into a bunch of tentacles. As usual, it looked utterly misplaced on my body but what could you do? I checked the tentacles and changed them all into different ones, four in toal with a needle-like appendage.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s try it first without the cloth...¡±


    I moved one of the tentacles to the mug, holding the tip right over it. Then, I tried to squeeze the tip.


    ¡°Oh? It actually comes out.¡±


    How convenient. The cloth was probably not necessary then. But¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s slow.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    One drop every few seconds fell into the mug.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear liquid. Are you sure it¡¯s not water?¡±


    ¡°Water isn¡¯t that viscous.¡±


    When I tilted the mug, the liquid moved very slowly. No way that was simple water.


    ¡°Can I touch it?¡±


    ¡°Sis, what did I say about not making yourself the guinea pig?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what a guinea pig is but just touching probably won¡¯t do anything, will it?¡±


    Karen looked at me with a pleading gaze. Just why did she want to do this so much?


    ¡°... Only tou¡ª No, wait. I won¡¯t get tempted again. We¡¯ll bring this to Ria as is. No touching.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    I had to be firm here. These were the kinds of decisions that had led to disaster every single time in the past. I was capable of learning, too, you know?


    ¡°Anyway, seeing how viscous it is, it probably wouldn¡¯t spill even if the mug flipped over.  And there¡¯s too little to put into the waterskin.¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That liquid contains mana.¡±


    Wait, really? Wow, she was right. The liquid really contained mana. Whenever I tilted the mug, you could watch it move very slowly. And if you watched it through mana sight, you pretty much saw the mana doing the same thing.


    ¡°Weird. I didn¡¯t know liquids could contain that much mana.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is its purpose?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. It¡¯s Lust-attributed mana, not raw mana¡­¡±


    The liquid itself was clear but the mana had a distinctive pink hue to it. Maybe the mana was what gave it its effect? Whatever said effect might be.


    ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t think I need to squeeze out more of this stuff. Let¡¯s try the next one. Err, where do I put this?¡±


    I shoved some tentacles aside and placed down the mug, then told them to keep that mug in place and, most importantly, steady. Didn¡¯t want it to spill.


    Actually, if the tentacles can hold them steady, maybe I didn¡¯t have to worry about spillages?


    Now we had the waterskins, though. And they probably were safer for this.


    ¡°Okay, next one.¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I received the mug from Karen and then repeated the same thing with another tentacle. This time, the liquid was way less viscous, looking perfectly like¡­ water. Several drops fell into the mug, forming a small puddle. Karen peered into it for a few seconds, then furrowed her brow before addressing me.


    ¡°Yumi, I think I know this one.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the aphrodisiac one.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°The smells.¡±


    The smell? I didn¡¯t really smell anything... Oh, actually, it did smell slightly sweet.


    ¡°Yumi. The waterskin.¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m getting horny.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahhhh...¡±


    In a hurry, I poured the liquid into the waterskin and closed it, sealing the aphrodisiac. Karen sighed in relief, seeing it gone.


    ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d like that one, Sis.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of me? Well, it¡¯s true I do¡­¡±


    Wasn¡¯t I thinking exactly the right thing then?


    ¡°But we¡¯re working right now.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯d be fine with it later?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s try the next one.¡±


    I can probably take that as a yes.


    With a smile on my lips, I received the third mug from Karen. Repeating the progress again, a liquid gathered at the bottom of the mug. It wasn¡¯t as viscous as the first one nor was it as thin as the second one. Somewhere right in between. Also, it was pink. A beautifully pink liquid with beautifully pink mana. No smell or anything else.


    ¡°So, any ideas?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Great. Next one then.¡±


    The final liquid was¡­ again pink.


    ¡°Not sure what I expected other than clear or pink¡­¡±


    It was as thin as the aphrodisiac one, just pink. And it also contained mana. By the way, the aphrodisiac also contained mana.


    ¡°All four of them are mysterious magical liquids. Great.¡±


    We filled the third and fourth liquid into the waterskins, finishing up our work. Except for the first one, we could fill them just fine.


    ¡°Hopefully, Ria can somehow work with that.¡±


    ¡°She should be able to. She is a proper researcher, unlike us.¡±


    We just did whatever we could think of, after all.


    ¡°We probably should make notes about what we just did, for future reference.¡±


    ¡°Should I do that, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it together, after a short break.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Now that we had run out of things to try out on the spot, we couldn¡¯t do much more than laze around until lunch. It probably wasn¡¯t that much longer until lunch anyway. I let myself fall backwards again, lying on top of the tentacle growth.


    ¡°... They might have grown fat but they¡¯ve also become a lot more comfortable.¡±


    If we could grow a single tentacle large enough, maybe it could serve as a comfortable bed?


    ¡°But they take too much space.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    I poked the tentacles nearby, watching them shiver and squirm in response.


    ¡°Yumi, you can change these tentacles as well, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I can. I think I can have them do the same things I could.¡±


    ¡°Then, you wouldn¡¯t even need to do that yourself, would you?¡±


    ¡°... Now that you mention it.¡±


    I sat up again and beckoned one of the larger tentacles over. Taking it in my hand, I changed it into one of the needle-like ones. Notably, the first one with the viscous liquid. Then, I picked up the mug and held it in front of the tentacle.


    ¡°Drop some of the liquid in here.¡±


    And sure enough, it did. And a lot more compared to when I did it, too. Much, much more.


    ¡°Stop, stop. Too much! Ahh, safe¡­ Safe.¡±


    Just barely, the tentacle stopped. The mug that had only a small puddle at the bottom, was now filled to the brim with this jelly-like stuff.


    ¡°Err, this is bad¡­ Where are¡­ Ah.¡±


    I picked up a second mug and filled it with some of the liquid. I really didn¡¯t want any spillage.


    ¡°Seriously, why can they squeeze out so much of this stuff¡­ Next you tell me they know what it is used for¡­¡±


    Wait¡­


    ¡°Maybe they do? Sis, can you hold these for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Okay, you guys. Left hand is yes, right hand is no. Tap one to answer. Understood?¡±


    They tapped both.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, I was an idiot.¡±


    What did I expect? But the dolls were weirdly smart. So why couldn¡¯t the tentacles follow suit?


    ¡°Yumi, look closer.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The tentacles in my hand were¡­ No, only the one in my left hand was squirming a little. Was this¡­ a yes?


    ¡°Count me surprised.¡±


    ¡°Now you can ask them.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Okay, then¡­


    ¡°Do you know what that liquid does?¡±


    Left one squirmed. Yes.


    ¡°Will it do something when injected or consumed?¡±


    Left. Yes.


    ¡°Is it harmful?¡±


    Right. No.


    ¡°Mh¡­ But what will it do then?¡±


    While it was nice they could answer with yes and no, we weren¡¯t able to get any details. But at least knowing it wasn¡¯t harmful was already good. Although, what the tentacles would consider harmful was a different matter.


    ¡°Yumi, can I try?¡±


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then¡­ Will it affect the body?¡±


    Left. Yes.


    ¡°Is it temporary?¡±


    Both squirmed.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it has temporary and permanent effects?¡±


    Right.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem so.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ maybe the amount is important?¡±


    Left.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Then, a little only does something temporarily and much has a permanent effect?¡±


    Left. Yes.


    ¡°The amount in one of the two mugs. Would it have only a temporary effect?¡±


    Left.


    ¡°If drunk?¡±


    The left ones squirmed. So, the liquid had some kind of temporary effect. And if a lot of it was consumed, it would be permanent.


    ¡°Yumi. Can I?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯ll try it out on something else first.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    Why the heck was she so adamant on taking these? It was beyond me¡­


    ¡°Anyway, we figured out a little thanks to the questioning. But in exchange, I got a new question.¡±


    ¡°That would be?¡±


    ¡°How the heck can tentacles be so smart. And the dolls, too.¡±


    I had gotten used to this, sure. I wasn¡¯t going to get creeped out by them anymore. But it still baffled me nonetheless. They were smart enough that you could have a conversation with them. More or less, at least.


    ¡°You could try asking Ria.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she was wondering about that as well.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I don¡¯t know. Maybe Yumias?¡±


    ¡°Before I can ask her¡­ Where is she anyway?¡±


    She mentioned she was.. .taking care of something or so. But that had been quite a while ago already.


    ¡°She¡¯ll surely pop up sometime again.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    Speaking of which, she had raided Korwen¡¯s alcohol stash. She wasn¡¯t keeping away out of fear of his wrath, was she?


    ¡°Anyway, can¡¯t ask someone who¡¯s not there. I already got more than enough questions I could potentially ask her. Maybe I should make notes of all of them.¡±


    Although, I was certain she wouldn¡¯t even answer half of them. And the other half, who knew if she was going to say the truth.


    ¡°Haa¡­ For now, I need a break.¡±


    ¡°After we get ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re stopping.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is it lunch time already?¡±


    Time sure flew.


    ¡°Lunch is as good as a break.¡±


    ¡°We wanted to talk with Ria. Did you forget that already?¡±


    ¡°No, even I don¡¯t have that short of a memory.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Probably.¡±


    Karen chuckled, then ruffled my hair.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s get ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Monster’s Horror

    Once we had eaten our dinner, Karen and I went over to Korwen and Ria in order to discuss with them what we should do about the questionable liquids I had created.


    ¡°Okay, let me sum this up: You squeezed out some weird liquid, are pretty much clueless about what it might do and now want Ria to figure out what it is?¡±


    ¡°Uh, well, pretty much, yes?¡±


    Korwen was staring at the waterskins and the mug we had shown him, keeping a certain distance from it.


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯re pretty sure one of them is an aphrodisiac¡­¡±


    ¡°An aphrodisiac¡­ Honestly, I am not sure what I should even say anymore. Probably ¡®I¡¯m not even surprised.¡¯ or something like that.¡±


    While Korwen was keeping a safe distance, Ria had come closer, looking at the liquid in the mug and¡­ sniffing it. Was that safe?


    ¡°Ria, any idea what to do about this mess?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We would¡­ need some¡­. test subjects¡­ These are¡­ magical¡­ in nature¡­ It might¡­ not even¡­ work on¡­ animals¡­ or monsters¡­ Or it¡­ could have¡­ different effects...¡±


    ¡°In other words, we would still need people to test this out?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ correct¡­¡±


    Err, but who would willingly try to drink a suspicious substance like this?


    ¡°It¡¯s too bad we already left Lafria¡­ Otherwise, we could have requested Will for some ¡®volunteers.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, who would volunteer for this?¡±


    ¡°Oh, plenty of people, in fact. They just need a little persuasion from the guards and they¡¯d surely choose to drink some suspicious substance over the gallows.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not what ¡®volunteering¡¯ means, Captain.¡±


    That was just plain threatening them into doing it. Not like I was going to feel sorry for criminals. For them, it most likely was the better choice anyway.


    ¡°I wonder¡­ Did Auria have a prison? Hey, Merim! Come here!¡±


    Korwen turned around, calling for his second-in-command. And said person immediately rushed over.


    ¡°Yes, Captain? You called?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember if the town of Auria had a prison?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think so. At least, nothing beyond some rudimentary cells.¡±


    ¡°Figured it¡¯d be like that. In that case, what to do¡­ Maybe paying some people to try it would work.¡±


    Paying people, huh¡­ In my old world, there were people testing medicines for cash rewards, so maybe this was similar? It was just that there were some risks attached to it¡­ Or more like, we had just no idea what would happen at all. In the worst case, they might die.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Yes?¡±


    ¡°You can make more of this stuff, right?¡±


    ¡°Err, yes. I can even have the tentacles make it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s convenient. Then¡­ Merim, get three men, find two or three monsters in the vicinity and capture them.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? Do I¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, you have to. Now stop complaining and move your lazy ass.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­¡±


    With a sigh, Merim went away. He called out to the closest three mercenaries and roped them into this unfortunate assignment. I could hear their complaints but there wasn¡¯t anything I could do either...


    ¡°We¡¯ll first try it out on some monsters and see what it¡¯ll do. Unless Ria wants to do something else?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No¡­ If she¡­ can make¡­ more¡­ then it¡¯s¡­ a good idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Great. That settles it.¡±


    Maybe he should have ought to ask her before he sent Merim away? Even if she said it was fine.


    ¡°But to think you could even produce stuff like this¡­ Mh, how much could you produce of these liquids?¡±


    ¡°How much? How much¡­ I don¡¯t know? It felt like I used up a little mana but it wasn¡¯t really much. And when the tentacles filled the mug, I was honestly too surprised to check.¡±


    At that moment, I had completely different thoughts going through my head. Checking how much mana they were using wasn¡¯t even remotely as important as making sure they didn¡¯t accidentally flood the wagon.


    ¡°So it uses mana?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ We¡¯ll have to ascertain what their effects are first. But this might be an unexpected windfall.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why?¡±


    I had a feeling where this was going¡­ A very bad feeling.


    ¡°Aphrodisiacs are pricey. If we sell it, we could make a pretty buck on the side. And if the other ones have useful effects as well, there are bound to be a few people wanting them.¡±


    Yeah, I knew it! I knew it! I knew this was how it was going to end! Hurray, Yumi! You¡¯ve taken one more step towards being a material farm! Aren¡¯t you proud of yourself?!


    ¡°Haaa...  But first, we have to know what they even do, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course. That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to capture some monsters, aren¡¯t we? And once we arrive in Auria, we¡¯re going to look for some test subjects. Ah, maybe it¡¯d be better if we did it in another town? Mm¡­¡±


    Korwen fell into deep thought, his eyes closed and his arms crossed.


    ¡°There¡¯s a town we¡¯ll pass by in a few days so we¡¯ll look there. Mh, good.¡±


    Seemed like he had come to a decision. But in a few days, huh...


    That might be inconvenient¡­ Assuming he permits the other request we had¡­


    Well, we¡¯d likely discuss that now¡­ And just as expected, he brought it up.


    ¡°Now then, with this topic out of the way, there was something else you wanted to discuss with us, is that right?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I explained to Korwen and Ria what I had been thinking of, causing both of them to stare at me in surprise.


    ¡°You want to absorb mana until you end up in that eggshell again?¡±


    ¡°Nn, pretty much¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t know if that would happen again¡­¡±


    ¡°As far as I understood it, you barely know anything about that at all, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°And yet you still want to risk that?¡±


    Ahh, of course, he wasn¡¯t going to like it. I better shouldn¡¯t tell him that my main motivation was because I was bored to death¡­ Err, scratch that. Of course, I was purely motivated by intellectual curiosity, nothing else. Yes, for sure. Boredom and all that had nothing to do with it.


    ¡°But, it will surely happen sooner or later anyway. I can¡¯t stop myself from absorbing mana, after all.¡±


    I didn¡¯t even know if I really wanted to stop absorbing it since it was likely mana that was sustaining me.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess¡­ Ria, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It is¡­ a hard¡­ question¡­ To be honest¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know either, huh?¡±


    ¡°It might be¡­ a good idea¡­ it might be¡­ a bad idea¡­ We simply¡­ won¡¯t know¡­ until then¡­ Or¡­ if we could¡­ ask her¡­¡±


    Korwen grimaced at Ria¡¯s alternative suggestion.


    ¡°Her. You mean that witch, don¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure she would know but would she even be willing to tell us?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ not¡­¡±


    ¡°Thought as much¡­ After all, where would the fun for her be? Seriously, this is quite a troublesome thing you brought up¡­ Even if I knew you would bring it up sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ knew?¡±


    I cocked my head, a little surprised.


    ¡°Of course. Even I can add one and one together, you know? Your situation won¡¯t change itself and I expected you to bring it up at some point. Although I have to admit, I expected it at the earliest when we would arrive at the fort.¡±


    Add one and one together¡­ It was pretty obvious, after all, wasn¡¯t it? Yeah¡­


    ¡°Then again, I guess it is also a good sign you are willing to confront these things now.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wha¡ª¡±


    For some reason, Korwen¡¯s large hand pressed down on my head and ruffled my hair.


    ¡°You have my permission, as long as you are absolutely sure about this. And preferably, don¡¯t change too much. It would be troublesome if I had to adjust my plants again because someone decided looking human was too boring, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    I wanted to keep looking like this too, after all. I¡¯d probably be quite heartbroken if not. After all, I had gotten quite used to this appearance of mine. It was cute.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ria, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Would it be¡­ all right¡­ if I were¡­ to study¡­ what happens¡­ to you?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ You mean, while we¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ all right, I guess?¡±


    Not like I was going to notice it anyway. And honestly, Ria might have a solid chance at understanding what was really happening to me.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I won¡¯t¡­ disappoint¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay? Good luck, I guess.¡±


    She might need it. Good luck.


    ¡°Did you have any plans on when you are going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Honestly¡­ the sooner the better? Sis?¡±


    ¡°We could do it before going to sleep?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    ¡°Me as well.¡±


    ¡°Then before sleep it is.¡±


    Now that we had decided on a time¡­ I honestly felt a little more nervous, all of a sudden. After all, things might end up like last time¡­ They also might not. We had no way to know for sure. But something was bound to happen.


    ¡°You talk as if you were just going to sleep afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Well, we kind of are?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just not the normal kind of sleep, probably?


    ¡°Seriously, you two? Haa¡­ Either way, we¡¯ll stay on standby in case something goes wrong. Maybe it¡¯d be better if you have Ria along as well.¡±


    ¡°Eh? That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, uhm¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really go and tell him that we were going to¡­ have some nightly fun first¡­ Before doing the mana absorbing stuff¡­ Ahh, but I could completely understand that Ria should stay with us. It would be better, wouldn¡¯t it? Would we need to delay our fun then? But¡­


    ¡°Captain¡­ I think¡­ They should¡­ be fine¡­ on their¡­ own¡­ If something¡­ goes wrong¡­ I can¡­ still go...¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that, Ria?¡±


    ¡°They have¡­ to learn¡­ to do¡­ things by¡­ themselves¡­ don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but¡­ Well, if you believe they¡¯re fine on their own.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­ I will¡­ study these¡­ in the¡­ meantime¡­¡±


    Ria took the mug, peering into the liquid. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would have bet that she was doing to down the whole stuff any second now, that¡¯s how intently she was staring. Obviously, she didn¡¯t do that, but¡­


    ¡°... Don¡¯t make it explode, Ria.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°... You say that every single time, you know?¡±


    Korwen shook his head before returning his attention to us.


    ¡°I assume you won¡¯t immediately head off now, will you?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, it¡¯s still¡­ early.¡±


    ¡°Then, I would appreciate it if you could wait until Merim comes back with some monsters and we can do at least some tests. You probably would want to see it as well, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I¡¯d prefer seeing whatever havoc this stuff was going to cause with my own two eyes.


    ¡°Good. Was that all you wanted to discuss or is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    We were only going to ask about the liquids and request permission for our experiment. Wait, there was something else.


    ¡°Nn, actually, there¡¯s something. It¡¯s more of a report though? We did some other experimenting earlier and¡­ We found out that I can strengthen myself with mana.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Elaborate.¡±


    Once more, I explained to him about our earlier findings. I also told him about the things Elina had told me and how I had even gotten the idea to try this out.


    ¡°Strengthening yourself with mana. That¡¯s quite interesting¡­ It would be quite something if you could maintain it, though.¡±


    ¡°Not as long as my mana crystal absorbs everything¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that why you thought of feeding it?¡±


    ¡°Well, more or less.¡±


    If we fed it enough mana, it might stop devouring mana like a starved dog its food.


    ¡±I see. If it stopped absorbing your mana, you could use mana to make yourself stronger. I am impressed, Yumi. You might actually have found the way to make yourself as strong as an ordinary person!¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    There was no need to drive in the point of how weak I was, was there? That really wasn¡¯t necessary! I already knew that myself.


    ¡°But that does make me wonder¡­ Yumi, Merim has been training you girls for a while now. Did you ever notice any changes?¡±


    ¡°Changes?¡±


    ¡°Like being able to run longer before getting out of breath and things like that.¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ really?¡±


    Honestly, I had my doubts that anything had changed since Merim had begun training us. Then again, I had the feeling Rina was getting a little better each time while I was left behind¡­ That was just my imagination, right? Right?


    ¡°Mh¡­ I see. Well, do your best.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try to.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to give up just yet¡­ Not like I had much choice in the matter anyway. Then again¡­


    ¡°Captain, why is Merim not training us while we¡¯re on the trip? I saw others running and training yesterday under his instruction¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the reason. He¡¯s busy with the others. And I¡¯d rather not have you girls train with those youngsters.¡±


    ¡°... It can¡¯t be that bad, can it?¡±


    ¡°It can, trust me. We used to train everyone together. There¡¯s a good reason we don¡¯t anymore.¡±


    In other words, some stuff actually happened in the past¡­


    ¡°Anyway, for now, just be glad you won¡¯t be getting any training. Taddick is in a similar situation as you probably noticed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he is?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Not like it¡¯s going well, though, but that¡¯s a different issue.¡±


    Was that fine? Wasn¡¯t Taddick teaching them about combat theory and group battles and all those things? Wasn¡¯t that important?


    ¡°Point is, until we arrive at the fort, you¡¯ll be free of training. Mm, in that sense, it¡¯s probably a good thing you brought that stuff up. If you do it on the trip, you¡¯ll miss out less on the training.¡±


    ¡°I have this sudden epiphany that it might be better to delay our experiment until we are at the fort.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Well, since you are missing out on training then, I¡¯ll tell Merim to ramp it up to, let¡¯s see, five times each day. For each day you are missing out. Ahh, but maybe we could even do a few additional days. Yeah, two days for each day missing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we¡¯ll do it now.¡±


    ¡°Good decision.¡±


    He really would do that. He definitely would do that. And I didn¡¯t want to die this early. There was no choice if I wanted to live¡­ Ahh, so cruel¡­


    We continued to talk with Korwen and Ria for a good while, until Merim finally returned, bearing news of his endeavour.


    ¡°Captain! We have returned.¡±


    ¡°Merim, you sure took your sweet time. Did you capture some monsters?¡±


    ¡°We did, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°We found a goblin nest nearby. It¡¯s not particularly large so I was thinking of taking our recruits and getting rid of it.¡±


    A goblin nest? The same kind of goblins that monster-obsessed professor kept?


    ¡°A goblin nest? Well now, we can¡¯t have that. You have my permission. Get some men and clean it up. And take Fenna and her squad with you.¡±


    ¡°Fenna? I don¡¯t mind but why?¡±


    ¡°It might be good for the recruits to see them in action. Hopefully, it can prevent future trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I see. Will do.¡±


    Merim saluted and left immediately to collect the recruits. Several seconds later we could hear the loud complaints from the young men, who very obviously had little to no motivation to deal with goblins this late in the day.


    ¡°Now then, it would have been nice if he told me what monsters they caught¡­ Guess they¡¯re going to be goblins. Goblins of all things¡­ Yumi, I hope that stuff of yours works quickly.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I don¡¯t know? Why? Are goblins a problem?¡±


    ¡°Little bastards have a knack for escaping and causing trouble, despite being dumber than a brick. And you don¡¯t want the kind of trouble goblins bring. Anyway, let¡¯s go take a look, shall we?¡±


    With Korwen in the lead, we went over in the direction Merim had come from, bringing the mugs and the waterskins along. A minute or two later, we saw him giving orders to the young men and Fenna¡¯s squad in preparation for their raid. Nearby, three mercenaries were watching over several small creatures.


    ¡°As I thought, goblins.¡±


    Tied up in rope were five small, green-skinned humanoid creatures. They kept screaming in a high-pitched voice, struggling to break free from their restraints. Green skin, wrinkly and distorted, thin limbs where you could clearly see the bones, foul yellow teeth and large eyes, frantically observing the surroundings. Honestly, I didn¡¯t want to look at these things. Their appearance was several times worse than the ones the professor kept. And not only their appearance¡­


    ¡°It stinks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s goblins for you. There¡¯s little else that stinks as much as goblins do.¡±


    Even Korwen was holding his nose, unable to stand the smell.


    ¡°Seriously, couldn¡¯t they have brought something else? Anything would have been fine that¡¯s not goblins. Hell, I would even take an orc, or an ogre or spirits forbid a troll.¡±


    ¡°Captain, sir, a troll would be impossible.¡±


    The nearby mercenary responded with a wry smile, without taking away his eyes from the struggling goblins.


    ¡°Ehh, let¡¯s get this over with. Yumi, give me that mug.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Here you go.¡±


    I handed Korwen one of the mugs with the suspicious liquid. He took a step forward, then stopped. His eyes went to the mug, then to the goblin, and back to the mug. After several seconds of repeating this, he turned around, facing Ria.


    ¡°Ria, can we just pour that stuff on them? Or do they need to drink it or something?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea either. But, err, it comes from a needle that seems to be for injecting¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, you god enough of that stuff.¡±


    Korwen took another step forward and then promptly dumped the mug¡¯s contents onto the closest goblin in the middle. After swinging the mug a few times to get the residue out, he promptly stepped back, as if to escape.


    ¡°Spirits above, the smell! Don¡¯t these things know the meaning of a bath?¡±


    ¡°I fear they don¡¯t, Mr Captain.¡±


    Yeah, they definitely didn¡¯t. Anyway, what was happening? The screeching had immediately become louder as the goblins grew weirdly excited. The goblin who got the liquid dunked on it was vigorously licking up the liquid from the ground. The other goblins were similarly trying to get to the liquid.


    ¡°What the¡­ is that stuff some kind of monster bait, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡±


    Seeing the goblins go crazy over it was¡­ unsettling. It reminded me of how the goblins had gone crazy back at the Academy.


    ¡°Ah. Maybe that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they think it is food? The monsters the professor in the Academy kept were going really crazy over the monster meat that he was feeding them with.¡±


    Actually, the goblins had at first ignored the meat and had tried to hump the person behind it¡­ Thankfully, the barrier had kept them away but still¡­ These goblins were probably more occupied with getting out of the ropes, though. Until Korwen had dumped that stuff on one.


    ¡°Mh, so you¡¯re saying they see it as food because of the mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, it¡¯s probably just a side effect, huh? Mh? What are they doing now?¡±


    The goblin that was dunked in the stuff was still licking the ground like crazy. But the other four had given up and were now trying to reach the fluid on the other goblin¡¯s body. One goblin had somehow managed to twist itself so much that it was actually reaching there. The foul mouth with the yellow teeth opened wide and¡­


    ¡°Gyaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!¡±


    ¡°What in the?!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. My eyes went wide as I was staring at the scene in front of me, unable to process what had just happened. The goblin licking the ground was screaming with n unbelievable energy. Screaming in pain, as the other goblin had ripped out a piece of flesh from its side.


    ¡°Ca¡ª Captain? What is¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The other goblins had managed to reach the middle one as well, opening their mouths wide with glee in their eyes. Their victim screamed in pain, thrashing around with all it had.


    ¡°They¡­ They¡¯re eating¡­ each other¡­¡±


    The goblins kept biting, chomping, ripping out their kindred¡¯s flesh and devouring it. Once my mind had finally processed the sight in front of me.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    I turned around, escaping from the scene, unable to bear the sight. My knees went weak and I fell to the ground. The goblin¡¯s screams behind me continued. They went on and on. Until¡­ Until they finally fell silent. Only the sound of something munching remained.


    ¡°Get them apart! Hurry!¡± shouted Korwen.


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes, sir!¡±


    The goblins made a ruckus and screamed at the mercenaries. I couldn¡¯t see what was happening nor did I want to.


    ¡°You little¡­ Keep quiet!¡±


    ¡°Keep still you little bastard!¡±


    The mercenaries cursed at the goblins for a good while.


    ¡°Get them somewhere else! Or better yet, get rid of them! Go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The screams of the goblins became quieter, farther away until they stopped, never to return.


    ¡°This was¡­ Not good,¡± muttered Korwen.


    Steps came from behind me, closing in. Then, something warm wrapped around me, embracing me. And a familiar voice whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Sis.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything else, only called my name as she gently embraced me from behind. We stayed like this, silently trying to deal with what had just happened. At some point, Korwen came up to us, sitting down on the ground next to me. From the corner of my eye, I could spy his face, uncharacteristically pale.


    ¡°Sorry, you had to see that. I¡­ I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    His voice was quiet. He took a deep breath, then leaned forward, holding his forehead with his hand as if he had a headache.


    We simply sat there for several minutes, accompanied only by the mercenaries around us that had gotten active after a while. At some point, Korwen stood up again, patting his legs to get rid of the dirt.


    ¡°This is going to give me nightmares¡­ Karen, you two should go and call it a day. Forget about your plans for later and all that, you can do that tomorrow or whenever. Take a rest. You¡¯ll need it¡±


    ¡°... Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    With that, Korwen left again. Behind us, he gave orders to the other mercenaries to ¡®clean up.¡¯


    ¡°Yumi, shall we go?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Karen and I stood up. Or rather, tried to. My legs still felt wobbly and I quickly lost balance, holding onto Karen to prevent myself from falling face down.


    ¡°... Here we go.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    The next moment, my legs had left the ground. Karen had lifted me, carrying me in her arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I held onto Karen, burying my face in her bosom. I just wanted to forget that scene. I wanted to forget all about it.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±


    I could hear the wooden door of the wagon open and close behind us. After a few more steps, Karen let me down on the bed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ sleep, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    With a wry smile on her lips, she patted me, ruffling my hair. Her expression was stiff and she was just as pale as Korwen had been.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    I grabbed onto her clothes, then hugged her waist, gently stroking her back. Her body stiffened up for a second.


    ¡°It¡¯s all¡­ fine¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Karen returned the hug, squeezing me.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all fine. It¡¯s all fine now. Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s just forget what happened.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We saw nothing. Nothing at all.¡±


    We laid down on the bed, still hugging each other. We quickly undressed, seeking each other''s warmth and security in a desperate attempt to drown out everything that happened moments prior. We were just¡­ tired. Too tired.


    It took a long time until both of us fell asleep. Fortunately, neither of us had any nightmares.


    Rinne


    Who needs to slay goblins when they can just slay themselves... Preferably out of sight, though.


    It''s been a while since the last author note. Been quite busy recently. Life is busy. I hopefully have some good news soon, though.


    If you enjoy the story, consider supporting me on Patreon. You can read up to 10 chapters ahead and even get new chapters half a week earlier on Thursdays!


    Thank you for reading! Stay healthy and safe!


    And don''t forget to change your clocks, to those that are being greeted by DST once more.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: A Couple’s Debauchery

    The next morning came, greeting us with subtle rays of light shining through the gaps of the windows. Yesterday¡¯s incident was still fresh on my mind when I woke up... but, thankfully, I had calmed down by now. A good night of sleep did wonders, after all. We all had been just too shocked. Even Korwen hadn¡¯t expected something like this to happen. It had been just¡­ too sudden.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    And now we¡¯ve also delayed our plans¡­


    We had originally planned to try out what would happen if I consumed the mana crystal in the evening. But thanks to what had happened, we had delayed it.


    ¡°Yu¡­ mi¡­ Mmm...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Opening my eyes, I was greeted with Karen¡¯s sleeping face right in front of me, still fast asleep.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Hehehe...¡±


    Seems like someone has a good dream. Doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll have to be worried about her.


    If she could smile like this while dreaming, then there was probably little to worry about.


    ¡°Mm...¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    I gently stroked her cheek, pushing away some strands of her that had fallen down her face.


    But what do I do now? Go back to sleep? Or watch Karen¡¯s sleeping face?


    As long as she was asleep, I couldn¡¯t even leave the bed. Karen had me firmly in her grasp.


    ¡°Mm¡­. Mm?¡±


    Just as I thought that it¡¯d be better to go back to sleep, Karen opened her eyes.


    ¡°Yu¡­ mi?¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Morning...¡±


    And they closed again. Did she actually wake up or was she still half-asleep?


    ¡°Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Am¡­ awake¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That reply didn¡¯t inspire much confidence. Well, it was fine if she wanted to sleep some more. Since I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether she was actually awake or not, I decided to just watch her for a while. After what felt like a few minutes, her eyes opened once more.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it? Sis?¡±


    ¡°Kiss me¡­¡±


    Before she could even finish her request, her eyes had fallen shut again¡­ I chuckled a little, before giving Karen the kiss she desired. It was a simple, short kiss, but when I parted away from her, I could see her smile.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I love¡­ you¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, I love you too, Sis. Hehe.¡±


    Yes, there had been nothing to worry about, after all.


    ¡°I really, really do.¡±


    Once more, I stroked her cheek. It was soft. Everyone kept saying how squishy I was, but Karen was quite squishy as well, wasn¡¯t she? Not only her cheeks, of course.


    So soft.


    At some point, I found myself poking her cheek. It was a weirdly satisfying sensation. Unfortunately, it only served to wake her up faster.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Stop that¡­¡±


    ¡°But¡­ This is fun. Somehow.¡±


    Usually, I was at the receiving end. Having the chance to be on the other side for once was pretty nice. I might get addicted to this.


    ¡°Yumi. My cheeks are not playthings.¡±


    ¡°Awake?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Too bad. Playtime¡¯s over.


    Guess she really was awake now. Maybe I should feel bad for waking her up¡­ Then again, the sun was already up in the sky so we probably wouldn¡¯t have had much time left anyway.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay together, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, of course. Why?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I had a nice dream. I think.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t quite remember.¡±


    Ah, yes. The moment you were distracted by anything, you had already forgotten about the dream. I knew that too well.


    ¡°But I think it was a very nice dream where we were together.¡±


    ¡°I see. You did seem quite happy while you were asleep.¡±


    ¡°... You were watching me?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s bad manners.¡±


    I was pretty sure she had done something similar before, though.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Wah?!¡±


    Suddenly, Karen rolled onto her back, pulling me along so that I was lying right on top of her.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s stay like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind but¡­¡±


    If we stayed like this, we were bound to miss breakfast.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yesterday was¡­ That really happened¡­ didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. It did.¡±


    Unfortunately for all of us, it really had.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­ Why would they do something like that¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ but probably...¡±


    The most likely cause was¡­ the liquid. They had been so desperate to get to it, that they...


    ¡°You mean¡­ that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s fine, I think. Honestly, I don¡¯t want to get it.¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ I can agree on that.¡±


    A forced laugh escaped Karen as she agreed with me.


    ¡°I hope we won¡¯t have to see such a thing ever again.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Nobody would ever want to see such a thing, surely.


    ¡°... Yumi! What are our plans for today?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The sudden change in topic stumped me for a moment since I hadn¡¯t expected it.


    ¡°Well, the plan got a little messed up so¡­ I guess we¡¯ll eat breakfast and then we do our experiment?¡±


    ¡°The experiment, huh¡­ I wonder what will happen.¡±


    ¡°So do I. That¡¯s why we¡¯re doing it after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll grow more tentacles.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That scenario wasn¡¯t even that unlikely. Especially since, in a way, I had gotten more tentacles the last time.


    ¡°I¡¯m more worried if we actually have enough mana orbs.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, I think that¡¯d be a little scary by itself.¡±


    ¡°It would be¡­¡±


    Either way, the only way to know was to try it out.


    ¡°Well, should we go get breakfast?¡±


    ¡°... Can we stay like this for a little more?¡±


    ¡°... Just a little. We¡¯ll have a lot of time for this later, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    A mischievous grin surfaced on her face. She wasn¡¯t going to get any strange ideas, was she? Ahh, she definitely was.


    We spent some more time just¡­ lazing around. Afterwards, we had breakfast before we searched for Korwen. We both had gone straight to bed so we had no idea what had happened after that.


    As usual, it didn¡¯t take particularly long for us to find him, overseeing the mercenaries getting ready for departure.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning. How are you two feeling?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re somehow fine, I guess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±


    Korwen looked genuinely relieved at hearing this. He must have been quite worried about us.


    ¡°Guess the initial shock was the worst part. For all of us.¡±


    ¡°Nn, maybe¡­¡±


    If it was just about¡­ gruesome sights¡­ then the sight of the village had been by far the worst. That had been something I probably would never be able to forget. That didn¡¯t mean the sight from yesterday wasn¡¯t bad¡­ If possible, I¡¯d rather not have to see goblins¡ªcreatures that were, if only vaguely, reminiscent of humanoid beings¡ªcannibalise each other.


    ¡°I talked with Ria after you two left, but she doesn¡¯t have much of an idea what caused that behaviour either. Either way, we decided we¡¯re definitely not going to use goblins for any future experiments again for now. Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    But, what if other monsters would behave the same?


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad we sent the recruits away to deal with that goblin nest.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I thought that back at the village already, but you are quite careful about what they see.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am. We have to let them slowly get used to such things or they just end up traumatised and quit the job. Then again, it¡¯s not often we have to deal with¡­ such things.¡±


    I¡¯d be very worried if such things were common¡­ I¡¯d have second thoughts as well then. Still, they could count themselves lucky to have such a thoughtful captain around. I knew I was.


    ¡°Well, be that as it may, you wanted something, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ahh, we wanted to ask what happened after we left yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Not much, really. We cleaned up and I let the men have some off time to forget about that. A few good drinks and they were back to their usual antics. Merim and Fenna came back later as well. They cleaned up the goblin nest. Oh, speaking of which.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen suddenly turned around and disappeared into his wagon. A moment later, he came back, holding a leather pouch.


    ¡°Here you go. The mana crystals they collected. Make good use of them.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    I opened the bag and peeked into it, spotting dozens over dozens of small crystals. They came in completely different sizes, some so small they were barely the size of a pebble while the largest one was nearly the size of my fist. I picked up the large one, checking how much mana it contained.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No. I was just surprised, these mana crystals have more mana than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re just goblins but on the other hand, they still are goblins. Not exactly a foe to be trifled with. The big one is probably from the oldest goblin in that nest.¡±


    ¡°Huh. They didn¡¯t look that strong to me.¡±


    The only goblins I had seen so far were the ones in the Academy and the ones from yesterday so there wasn¡¯t much to go off from, considering they all had been held captive. Nonetheless, that professor kept goblins around but when he wanted an ogre people were alarmed about it. So, at the very least, a goblin was weaker than an ogre¡­ Might be obvious but, err, whatever.


    ¡°Individually they aren¡¯t terribly strong. The problem is that they are numerous and comparatively smart. At least, compared to most monsters. To boot, they actually form groups, build nests, make tools and weapons and more. Most monsters remain lonesome in their territory, killing anything that might disturb it, even monsters of the same kind. But goblins don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°That does make them popular sources of mana crystals, though. Since, as you can see, a single raid on a goblin nest can net you quite a few. And they¡¯re easier to deal with than larger and more dangerous monsters.¡±


    Yes, indeed. If this was the loot gained from a single nest, this would be quite substantial. These mana crystals were quite a bit larger than the ones from the warehouse. This bag alone was probably enough to contain mana comparable to a few of those crates.


    ¡°I guess the goblin nest was quite a lucky find, then,¡± I said.


    ¡°That it was, without a single doubt. Good training and you get something out of it. Can¡¯t complain.¡±


    Actually, if I had one complaint¡­ I would have preferred if they had cleaned the crystals¡­ They were still covered in bloodstains. Hopefully, it was only bloodstains¡­ I would probably find out later.


    ¡°Captain, should I make them into mana orbs as well, then?¡±


    ¡°Do whatever you think is fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Thank you.¡±


    More mana crystals was never a bad thing, after all.


    ¡°Mr Captain, is that really fine?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. Ria finally has something to keep her busy without blowing something up, so she won¡¯t need them. And the others got their own supplies. They don¡¯t go even remotely as fast through them as Yumi does, though.¡±


    My, sorry about burning through them¡­


    ¡°And you might need them later already, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... We might.¡±


    ¡°Just, don¡¯t use up everything, okay? Or I¡¯ll be depressed.¡±


    So would I. No kidding.


    ¡°I guess you two will do whatever it is you¡¯re doing once we set off?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that was the plan.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Will it be fine if we send Lily or Ria to check up on you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    Both of them knew about me. There shouldn¡¯t be any issue if they came by. Probably.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll do that. With that out of the way¡­ I don¡¯t know. Good luck, I guess? Try to wake up before we reach the fort.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to miss that, so we¡¯ll do our best.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be a shame if you did.¡±


    That it would be.


    ¡°Well, guess there¡¯s not much else to say. I wish you well.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He laughed heartily as we both thanked him. Karen and I exchanged a glance, grinning. It was reassuring to know that he was here. He, and all the other mercenaries.


    ¡°We¡¯re moving again¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After our talk with Korwen ended, we went back to the wagon. Lily and Rina were already busy preparing so we had to fill them in about our little plan. It had slipped my mind but¡­ we completely forgot about that. They would have been in for a surprise if we had done it yesterday already.


    Either way, once we had done so, and asked them to tell the Elder¡ªon account of us being unable to find her¡ªwe went into our little home and began with the preparations. Not like there was much to prepare.


    ¡°Yumi, what should we do with the mana crystals Mr Captain gave us? Should we leave them be for now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Probably better. Although considering how dirty they are¡­ Maybe we shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    The last thing I wanted was to wake up to the stench of blood¡­


    ¡°We could clean them.¡±


    ¡°I feel that would be putting the cart before the horse¡­ or before the ox? Whatever, let¡¯s just make them into orbs and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°Or you could just absorb them as is.¡±


    ¡°Or that.¡±


    When the mana crystals lost their mana they would conveniently crumble. And that, conveniently, made cleaning them kind of pointless if their purpose was to get drained in a few minutes anyway.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll just absorb them first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Before I even finished the sentence, Karen had grabbed the hem of her shirt and began undressing. Someone was, uhhh, quite eager. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that my priorities and Karen¡¯s priorities in this were a tiny bit different. Not to say that cuddling wasn¡¯t high on my priority list. It was. Just... It was more of a side effect than the main purpose.


    ¡°Now, Yumi, come here.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen, having sat down on the bed, naked as the day she was born, was spreading her arms wide open, welcoming me in.


    ¡°... Guess I can¡¯t say no now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d cry if you did. I¡¯d really cry.¡±


    ¡°I never planned to anyway.¡±


    With a strained smile, I also undressed. After neatly folding my clothes and putting them on the desk, I took the bag with the mana crystals and went over to Karen, before sitting down in her lap, moving my hair out of the way so it was falling down my shoulders and to the floor. It wasn¡¯t really the most hygienic thing to do, but even I had my priorities here. And there was no helping that it was so long.


    ¡°Ehehe, I caught a Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    She hugged me, a sleazy chuckle escaping her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Just don¡¯t forget there¡¯s a reason we do this.¡±


    ¡°Of course I won¡¯t.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t so sure about that right now. Well, it¡¯d be fine. Karen was responsible and diligent. At least, most of the time.


    ¡°Then, you won¡¯t mind if I start, right?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    That pause bothered me a little¡­ Either way, I couldn¡¯t let this distract me too much. Even if her breasts pressing against the back of my head were tempting. Even then!


    ¡°Yumi, didn¡¯t you want to start?¡±


    ¡°... I will now.¡±


    Karen was trembling, holding in her laughter. Yet, her only course of action was to embrace me a little stronger, consciously pressing her breasts against me.


    ¡°... Sis, you¡¯re unfair, you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have to repay you once in a while, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Or do you want me to stop?¡±


    ¡°Please continue.¡±


    If she stopped now, that would be nothing short of depressing for me.


    ¡°Hehe, then I¡¯ll continue.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I was going to savour it. I did enjoy having sex with Karen but just hugging like this was also very enjoyable to me. And we were going to stay like this for several days from now. Even if we weren¡¯t exactly conscious for most of it.


    ¡°Hey, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I know this is a little late to ask but¡­ are you really sure you want to stay with me through this again?¡±


    ¡°It is quite late to ask that, Yumi? Honestly, if you left me behind now, I¡¯d be quite angry at you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to be angry, so I guess there¡¯s no choice¡­ It¡¯s just¡­ I mean, we more or less know what might happen to me but¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t suppress the worry about Karen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Yumi. I don¡¯t know what will happen either but I¡¯ll accept whatever it is. Maybe we¡¯ll become inseparable?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like it could become slightly bothersome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be fine with it being bothersome if it means I can stay with you at all times.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Even when I had to use the toilet? No, knowing Karen, she wouldn¡¯t mind that at all. But I did mind.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not that.¡±


    ¡°... Is that so. How unfortunate.¡±


    A sudden weight pressed down on me from above as Karen rested her chin on top of my head.


    ¡°I really wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I really really wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    How should I respond to such a weird¡­ opinion? Was there even anything I could say? Something...


    ¡°Sis, assuming that really would happen, then we wouldn¡¯t be able to wear clothes. How would we even wear them? I don¡¯t want others to look at you.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    Karen stiffened for a moment, before suddenly hugging me with all her might and rubbing her cheek against mine.


    ¡°You¡¯re too cute for your own good!¡±


    I was only saying what I really meant. But getting hugged so vigorously made me happy as well.


    ¡°Gee, Sis. You¡¯re overreacting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Anyway, if you put it like that, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Also, I¡¯d like to see you wear many cute clothes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Wanda is going to make some for us.¡±


    ¡°Those dresses were nice.¡±


    ¡°They were.¡±


    It was unfortunate there weren¡¯t many occasions to wear them. Surely, in the future again.


    ¡°Hey, Sis... Should I start?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    I opened the bag that had been sitting on my lap and took out the first few mana crystals.


    ¡°Then, here I go.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Taking a breath, I slowly absorbed the mana, guiding it directly to my core, to my mana crystal. And, as you would expect, it disappeared, while the crystal in my hand crumbled to dust.


    ¡°And?¡± asked Karen, her voice a tinge nervous.


    ¡°... Nothing, really? I don¡¯t think just one crystal would make a difference.¡±


    If it would, it¡¯d be quite a surprise.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I took another crystal and absorbed its mana.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Sis, please don¡¯t ask every time. Nothing¡¯s changed yet.¡±


    ¡°I wonder how many are needed until something does happen¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows? We don¡¯t even know if something will happen.¡±


    That reminded me¡­ The first time, Yumias had warned me in advance. She had already known what would happen.


    Speaking of which, didn¡¯t she say something¡­ If I had troubles, to go somewhere?


    No good, I had forgotten what she had said back then. There hadn¡¯t been any troubles but thinking about it, it could have been worth it to check it out nonetheless. She wouldn¡¯t have advised so without reason.


    ¡°Yumi? You stopped?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, sorry, I was thinking about something?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Well, Yumias, the last time we spoke¡­ She said I should visit somewhere in case I had troubles but I can¡¯t quite recall where¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late to remember that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Leave it, I had a lot on my mind.¡±


    Way too much. I still had, to be honest. But, I had probably sorted out most things by now.


    ¡°Ah, I remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°She mentioned a, err, Prayerhouse?¡±


    ¡°A Prayerhouse?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    No idea what that was. Sounded religious.


    ¡°Never heard of that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe it has something to do with the Spirit Faith? It sounds religious, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ But I don¡¯t think they have any places with such a name.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­ The Worshippers? Couldn¡¯t be them, right?¡±


    Apparently, she didn¡¯t have a very amicable relationship with them. Kind of ironic, that the worshipped didn¡¯t like their worshippers.


    ¡°Maybe you should make a note and ask the Captain or someone else at some other time?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±


    Leaving Karen¡¯s lap for a few seconds¡ªa very unfortunate few seconds¡ªI went to the desk, retrieved some paper and wrote a short note.


    ¡°Okay, now I won¡¯t forget. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should keep more notes.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ might be a good idea.¡±


    Like I mentioned before, I had a lot on my plate back then¡­ Although I said that, I was still prone to forgetting a few things here and there, wasn¡¯t I?


    ¡°Ahh, whatever! Let¡¯s continue.¡±


    I plopped back down into Karen¡¯s lap, leaning against her. In response, Karen let herself fall backwards.


    ¡°Waah! Sis, don¡¯t surprise me like that.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. But isn¡¯t it more comfortable like that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    While I very much enjoyed that, lying down on my back like that was weird.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can work like this.¡±


    ¡°That so¡­¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    With slight reluctance, Karen sat up again together with me.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have a lot of time to spend together later.¡±


    ¡°Except, we won¡¯t even be conscious. If something happens at all.¡±


    ¡°Something¡­ probably will.¡±


    I took another mana crystal and absorbed it. Still, nothing changed.


    ¡°I really hope we won¡¯t be using up all of them¡­ The mana orbs, I mean. Not these.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that you would need that much¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But who knows?¡±


    Now that I had remembered that Yumias had talked to me last time, I tried to remember if she had said anything in regards to this¡­ But there hadn¡¯t been much. She only mentioned that something would change, that I would find out why it would absorb mana. And that she was sad she couldn¡¯t witness it.


    Hey, if things work out, she won¡¯t witness the second time either.


    With that said, I still didn¡¯t really know why it absorbed mana¡­ Judging from those words, it really was that¡­ I was changing, once I had absorbed enough mana.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Ah, this is bothersome.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    I put my hand into the back with the mana crystals. I got some practice with this back in the warehouse, so I drained all the crystals at the same time. The mana was quite substantial, to be honest, yet it disappeared without a trace.


    ¡°And the bag is empty.¡±


    ¡°... Did something change now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    I sighed as I concentrated on my mana crystal.


    ¡°Well, the orbs are next. Sis, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Here.¡±


    We had collected a considerable number of mana orbs and put them into our bags so that we had them ready on the bed. Yes, our preparations were, in essence, so that we didn¡¯t have to get up. Saying it like that, I felt like¡­ we were indulging in debauchery. Which might not be that wrong either.


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Are we¡­ perverts?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence. She didn¡¯t deny it nor confirm it.


    ¡°Oh well. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I was quite fine with that anyway. It was quite likely that it was the truth. It wasn¡¯t something I¡¯d regret, though.


    ¡°Then, first one orb¡­¡±


    Taking one orb from the back, I absorbed the mana inside. Since each orb actually held a considerable amount of mana, it took me a while to drain it completely until it fell apart.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, I feel a little warm?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Might be just me getting horny, though. Karen¡¯s breasts were rubbing against me. And her thighs were quite comfortable beneath me as well.  I could even feel her stomach touching my back. Yeah, that was definitely the cause...


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    I continued on, draining another orb. Once it fell apart, I went for another. Once that one broke, I¡¯d take yet another. And so on, and so on.


    The whole process repeated itself several times and I could gradually feel myself getting warmer with each orb I absorbed. At this point, even I understood that my getting aroused wasn¡¯t just because I was being hugged by Karen. The mana was actually affecting me, much to my surprise, even though it shouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Yumi, are you okay? You¡¯re burning up.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ Sorry, Sis, but, uhh¡­ The mana¡­ it¡¯s affecting me.¡±


    ¡°Eh? What do you¡­ Ah.¡±


    It took Karen a moment but she still got my hint.


    ¡°I see. Then everything is fine. Though, I feel a little left out.¡±


    ¡°Want me to pass some over to you?¡±


    ¡°... Would that actually work?¡±


    ¡°Err, I don¡¯t know?¡±


    I recalled that Merim was getting aroused simply from being inside this wagon, due to the Lust mana inside. But Karen was usually fine, same for me. In the first place, I wasn¡¯t sure if that would be a good idea¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s shelve that for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Well¡­ I guess I should relieve you a little then?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Myah?!¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand circled around, touching my side. I was feeling a little ticklish and couldn¡¯t help yelping in surprise.


    ¡°Sis¡­ Not now.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Mnh?!¡±


    A finger traced along my sides, to my stomach and finally towards my chest. There, her hand cupped my left breast and gently massaged it.


    ¡°Sis¡­ Mh!¡±


    Now, her tail was travelling along my legs, lovingly caressing my thighs before making its way towards their base.


    ¡°Sis, not¡­ Ah! Not now¡­¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rather worry about the mana orbs, Yumi? They don¡¯t get absorbed on their own. Maybe I¡¯ll do some more if you do a good job?¡±


    This really wasn¡¯t the time for this¡­ But¡­ But I couldn¡¯t help but want more¡­ I already felt incredibly horny from all the mana I had absorbed and what she was doing now wasn¡¯t going to make it any better. But at the prospect of feeling better¡­ I simply couldn¡¯t help myself. I grabbed another orb and slowly absorbed the mana. I had to be careful¡­ And Karen messing with me meant I had to go at it even slower than before.


    ¡°Good job, Yumi. You¡¯re such a good kid, aren¡¯t you? Ehehe?¡±


    ¡°Nah?!¡±


    The tip of her tail rubbed against my crotch, stimulating it even more.


    ¡°Yumi, go on. Do more.¡±


    Above me, Karen was urging me on, her warm breaths touching my neck. Only now did I notice that Karen was breathing quite hard.


    So... it wasn¡¯t just me?


    I had no way of knowing, nor did I care enough to find out right now. The most important thing in my mind was to be closer with Karen, to feel better together. And for that, I took yet another orb and absorbed it.


    ¡°You did well, Yumi.¡±


    A hand rested on my head, gently stroking it.


    ¡°Ah?!¡±


    Then, without a forewarning, her tail¡­ invaded, went inside me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Si¡ª Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop, Yumi.¡±


    Her hand was right in front of my eyes, holding a mana orb. Her tail was moving inside me, and her other hand had never once stopped massaging my chest. Slowly, I reached for her hand, touching the mana orb and absorbing it. After what felt like an eternity, it finally crumbled.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    My body lost strength, going limp in Karen¡¯s arms. Somehow, I felt really warm. Warm and happy. I lifted my head with my remaining strength, to look at Karen¡¯s face, to look her into the eyes.


    ¡°Sis¡­ I love you.¡±


    ¡°I do too.¡±


    With a sensual smile one her lips, her face came closer. Her lips touched mine. Her glowing eyes were looking right at me. There was something about them that drew me in. I felt like I could lose myself in them. In the subtle glow, not quite silver, not quite pink.


    Then, my eyes closed. But I could still feel her warmth. Her warmth never left me, not even for a single moment. I felt¡­ safe.


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Dream of a Distant World

    When I opened my eyes¡­ I was greeted by yellow.


    Yellow to my left. Yellow to my right. Yellow right in front of me. Yellow up high. Everything was stained in yellow.


    The heck is going on? Why am I here?


    Hadn¡¯t I been in the wagon just now? Together with Karen. We had been¡­ doing a small experiment, right? Then¡­ What then? I could vaguely remember that we were suddenly more fooling around than bothering with the experiment. But we still kept up and then¡­ My memory went blank.


    ¡°Sis? Sis, are you here?¡±


    No response. But it was strange¡­ It felt like I was still wrapped in Karen¡¯s warmth as if I had never left her embrace. In that case¡­ was this a dream? It might be a dream. In other words, Karen and I were probably asleep right now¡ªor at the very least unconscious¡ªand this was just something my mind was making up.


    Makes me wonder how screwed I am in the head to dream of a place like this.


    This was no joke. Seriously, who could dream of a place that was only yellow? It was hurting my eyes to look pretty much anywhere.


    Wait¡­ Can you even feel blinded in a dream?


    It¡­ was a dream, right? It had to be. I raised my hand and pinched my cheek. They always said you didn¡¯t feel pain in dreams, after all.


    ¡°Ouch?!¡±


    This wasn¡¯t a dream?!


    No way¡­ But¡­ What?


    I was absolutely certain that I was still with Karen, right now. But I couldn¡¯t see her anywhere nearby. There was¡­ a disparity between what my body told me and what I was seeing right now.


    Okay¡­ Is this a dream then, after all? Or not?


    It was a little odd how calm I felt, right now. Karen¡¯s presence, even if I could neither see nor hear her, was reassuring. In the end, maybe it didn¡¯t matter what I was seeing here. The most important part was, that I was with her.


    Still, I would prefer if she was simply right next to me, though¡­ Or actually, I¡¯d rather not be in this place Like, at all.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d go anywhere anytime soon. Considering the timing, this might have to do with our experiment.


    If it is related to what we did¡­ Well, I don¡¯t know¡­ Hopefully, it¡¯ll be over on its own at some point? But if not...


    I surveyed my surroundings, hoping to gain some kind of inkling about this place. It was¡­ still yellow. That impression hadn¡¯t changed in the least. But looking at it a little closer¡ªafter my eyes got used to the burning bright torture that called itself yellow¡ªit was more than just that. This was¡­


    ¡°... A wasteland?¡±


    This place was the very image of a wasteland. Dry earth with small cracks running over it. No plants, no life. Nothing was thriving here. It was¡­ dead. The only difference to a normal wasteland was that even the ground was a glaring yellow. The stones that were jutting out of the ground were yellow. Some of them were even emitting smoke plumes out of small holes. Of course, they were¡­ White. Not yellow.


    Even so¡­ It¡¯s like someone dropped a yellow paint bucket on this place¡­


    There was really no exception except for the smoke. Behind me, in front of me, to my left, to my right. Even the sky was just a slightly darker yellow. No clouds were in sight but I could very well imagine how they¡¯d look if there were any. Probably yellow. Or maybe white, like the smoke?


    Whatever¡­ I have no idea where I am¡­ Or why I am here, for one¡­


    But just standing around wouldn¡¯t change anything either¡­ So I walked over to the nearest stone emitting smoke. These stones were about the only movement in the entire surroundings, so they naturally caught my interest. Plus, the smoke wasn¡¯t yellow. Well, it was smoke.


    But they¡¯re just stones, aren¡¯t they? They look a little blocky but they¡¯re still stones, I think. No, of course, I knew that, but¡­ Nn? Woah?!


    The stone suddenly spewed a thick smoke cloud right into my face.


    ¡°Ughhhh! It smells!¡±


    I fell backwards, grimacing from the unbearable stench.


    What the hell? How can something smell this bad?


    It was incredibly unpleasant. Reminiscent of rotten eggs, just several times stronger. And as such, several times more unbearable.


    I¡¯m not going to get close to these again for sure.


    Taking my distance from the stone, I glared at it, quite annoyed at the unpleasant experience it had given me.


    Ugh, this is horrible¡­ Not only do I not know where I am, the only stuff around smells like rotten eggs¡­ What is that anyway?


    Something that smelled like rotten eggs¡­ There was something that came to mind. Something that, coincidentally, was quite¡­ yellow.


    ¡°Is this¡­ Sulphur? Are you kidding me?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure but I was pretty sure that sulphur was the cause of the stench in rotten eggs. And while it definitely had been a while since I last had to¡­ smell this stuff, it was striking enough that I¡¯d never mistake it. At the very least, this probably ruled out that this place was a dream. At least, I couldn¡¯t remember a single dream where I could smell something. Then again, neither could I remember a dream where I could feel pain.


    ¡°But everything is yellow¡­ Then¡­ is all of this¡­¡±


    I stared at the ground again¡­ then at the stone emitting the plumes. I had already noticed before that it had some oddly blocky appearance but I didn¡¯t think much of it at first¡­ But a natural stone didn¡¯t look like that, did it? The ground, however, really looked like regular ground that was just weirdly yellow.


    Great¡­ So I am stranded in some weird place full of sulphur? Wait, was sulphur toxic? I¡¯m pretty sure it was...


    The more I understood about this place the less I wanted to be here. Even if I was sure that this wasn¡¯t per se ¡®real,¡¯ there was no way of knowing whether I could get ill, in the worst-case poisoned. But even if I didn¡¯t want to be here, there was no way for me to leave right now, was there?


    Am I¡­ screwed?


    This was bad. I had no idea if I could even get poisoned by sulphur but I wasn¡¯t all too keen on finding that out either. What would happen if you got poisoned by sulphur? Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know.


    Let¡¯s¡­ get out of here¡­


    While it seemed like there was no escape from this yellow hell, standing around definitely wouldn¡¯t change that either. With that in mind, I began to move. My first thought was to look for the sun and just walk in that direction but¡­ there was no sun. At least, none that was visible.


    With the lack of any decent landmarks and orientation points, my only choice was to go down a random direction¡­


    Yeah, I¡¯m definitely screwed¡­ I want to go home¡­


    Back to Karen and the others¡­ Preferably right now in this very instant. Alas, my prayers went on deaf ears. Nothing changed. The horrible monotonous scenery remained. It would¡¯ve been nice if someone had added a different colour to this place.


    Guess I have no choice¡­ Time to¡­ explore?


    Left with no option, I decided to walk towards the horizon.


    In other words, I walked.


    And walked.


    And walked...


    ---


    Time went by incredibly slowly when nothing was happening. A little ironic considering my attempt at fleeing boredom had brought me here. Probably.


    At some point, I had found something that reminded me of a road. Or that¡¯s what I wanted to believe it was. I followed it for quite a while until I finally found a change in the scenery. It was¡­ a single yellow sign. From the outward appearance, it reminded me of wood. Except, it was dyed in the same colour as everything else.


    ¡°But as expected, this is a road¡­ Nn¡­ What does the sign even say¡­¡±


    Something was written on the sign, obviously, but it wasn¡¯t in any language I had ever seen before. Not even the script seemed similar.


    ¡°At any rate¡­ It probably will be fine to just follow the road then. I¡¯ll just hope that whatever is written there is the name of the place.¡±


    With a sigh, I resumed my unfortunate journey in this single-colour hell.


    I hate this¡­ I want to go home¡­


    Couldn¡¯t I have a happier dream or whatever this was? Or actually, I just wanted to snuggle with Karen right now. Feeling her but not seeing her was a rather unpleasant discrepancy. No need for a dream or anything.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Alas, no matter how much I wanted to complain, it wouldn¡¯t change anything.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hug Sis a whole lot when I wake up¡­ Haaa¡­ Nn?¡±


    Right then, something became visible in the distance. It was only a little but something was jutting out there.


    Finally, something else! And probably it¡¯ll be a town, right? Hopefully.


    Not like I could imagine anyone living in this place. And even if there was¡­ would they be even human? I didn¡¯t know. But, I¡¯d find out soon.


    I walked just a little faster, eager to reach that place. After a while, the shape appearing from behind the horizon became more distinct. It was a yellow wall. Wasn¡¯t this a town wall?


    Hurray! Civilization found!


    After a while, I could make out the gate. Whatever was behind it, though, was hidden behind the wall. Nonetheless, I hurried towards it. The distance shrunk quickly until I finally stood in front of the closed gate. There was just one problem. Nobody was to be seen.


    I have a bad feeling about this¡­


    It couldn¡¯t be¡­ right?


    ¡°Excuse me? Is anybody here?¡±


    My voice echoed into the distance, completely unhindered by anything else. No reply. Only silence followed.


    ¡°Hello? Hello?!¡±


    I kept shouting yet no one answered. There wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit of sound or noise.


    This is¡­ This town is totally going to end up empty, isn¡¯t it?


    The bad feeling only grew stronger. But even if this town was empty, there was no way for me to enter and make sure anyway. Feeble me would never be able to open that gate on her lonesome.


    But maybe there¡¯s somewhere else I can enter?


    I approached the gate, examining it from close up. It looked like a normal town gate except for its colour. Unfortunately, no doors either.


    What to do¡­ I don¡¯t want to be stranded out here...


    Wasn¡¯t there any way for me to get past this? Maybe I could climb up?


    No way¡­ I could probably lengthen my hair long enough to abuse it as a rope, but there¡¯s no way I could get up without help.


    With a sigh, I dismissed that option. In that case¡­ The tentacles? No¡­ For one, I had no mana crystal with me here and without a crystal, there was no chance for me to grow them enough that they could help me out.


    Maybe a doll? They could at least scout what is past it but¡­ I got no materials¡­


    The dolls so far had always used wood. I didn¡¯t know if I could make use of other materials in the same way, though. I had my doubts about that.


    Wait, what material is the gate made of¡­ or was made of?


    Once more, I examined it closely¡­ This¡­ might have been wood?


    That could work¡­ But¡­


    Destroying the gate would probably get me into trouble if there were people behind it. I was pretty sure there weren¡¯t, though. Still, I could at least warn them in the off-case I was wrong.


    ¡°Err¡­. Excuse me?! Please open the gate! If you don¡¯t, I might damage it, okay?!¡±


    Still no reply.


    Well, in that case¡­


    I held my hand up against the gate and concentrated on the mana within me. Only to remember¡­ This wasn¡¯t reality¡­ The mana I wanted to tap into¡­ Wasn¡¯t there¡­


    You kidding me¡­


    Great¡­ No mana, no magic. I was powerless.


    ¡°Ahh, come on! Eh? Wahh!¡±


    Annoyed, I kicked the gate and my foot got stuck in it. Losing my balance, I stumbled backwards.


    ¡°Ouch¡­ Ugh¡­ What the heck¡­¡±


    My foot was firmly stuck in the gate, having kicked a wonderful hole into it.


    ¡°...¡±


    At this point, I didn¡¯t know if I should be exasperated or annoyed. Somehow, I just felt¡­ deflated.


    ¡°So the gate is brittle. Haaa¡­¡±


    Unable to suppress a sigh, I pulled my foot out of the hole. It was a splendid hole¡­ Large enough that I could peek through it.


    ¡°Oh, there really is a town¡­ with nobody in it.¡±


    In fact, the town didn¡¯t look like it was in a good shape. Many buildings had collapsed.


    ¡°At least, nobody¡¯s going to get angry, right? Right. Then, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    Since I didn¡¯t want to injure my hands, I kicked the gate, enlarging the hole until it was big enough for me to crawl through.


    ¡°No one here, huh¡­ But maybe there¡¯s something that tells me how to get back¡­ or wake up.¡±


    Or, at the very least, something that told me what this place even was. If you ignored the colour and the collapsed buildings, the townscape was actually quite beautiful. A wide well-paved street, large buildings with delicately ornamented fronts, remnants of what might have been trees lining the middle of the road¡­ Whatever happened to this place, it probably had been quite nice before then.


    I wonder what happened to this place, though¡­ This yellow¡­ All this sulphur, it¡¯s probably not natural, is it?


    I walked down the road, taking in the sight around me. After following the street for a while, I arrived at what had likely been a plaza. A large fountain was right in the middle with the remnants of a statue on top of it. And then¡­ a barricade had been built, splitting the plaza into two sides. It was damaged all over the place, parts of it were even crushed flat. And among all the rubble and remnants¡­


    ¡°No way¡­ Are those¡­ skeletons?¡±


    In the same sulphur colour as everything else¡­ Skeletons, whether whole or scattered, were all over the place.


    This looks like¡­ like the aftermath of a battle¡­


    I walked around the plaza, looking around. I wasn¡¯t going to freak out about skeletons at this point anymore¡­ Although, I would prefer no skeletons at all.


    ¡°Nn? That statue¡­¡±


    Looking above the fountain, I stared at the statue, or what was left of it. Right below it, words were written. It was the same unfamiliar language from earlier. But, this time¡­ I felt like I knew what was written there. As if I could hear someone tell me its meaning.


    ¡°Glory to our eternal nation.¡±


    ¡°... The hell?¡±


    That eternity didn¡¯t seem to last¡­


    This is really creeping me out¡­


    My desire to go home was slowly reaching a critical point. I just didn¡¯t want to be here anymore. In the first place, why was I here? I had absolutely no recollection of this place. And I was pretty sure a place like this wouldn¡¯t exist in my old world either. Then, why was I here? Because we fed my mana crystal? In that case, how was this related to me?!


    I just want to go back to Sis¡­


    But I was still here.


    ¡°...¡±


    I sat down at the edge of the fountain and closed my eyes. I wanted to go back¡­ but for now, I had to calm down. I was still feeling Karen¡¯s warmth. It was still there. It was just that my mind wasn¡¯t quite with my body right now. Nothing more, nothing less.


    Okay. I¡¯m calm. I hope¡­


    First, what did I know about this place? It stank like sulphur and was yellow. The town was ruined and the surrounding land was pretty much a wasteland. I had absolutely zero recollection of this place, too. But I was still here, for some reason. Probably because of my mana crystal. Maybe, this place wasn¡¯t real but something my crystal was showing me. That would explain why it wasn¡¯t quite like a dream. And why I was still able to feel Karen.


    However, that begged the question as to why I was seeing it. It wasn¡¯t something that seemed to have any relation to me whatsoever, after all.


    But, maybe it¡¯s not about me?


    There was someone else who might be related to this. Her. That monster. The witch Yumias.


    Maybe this is a memory of hers?


    That was the only reasonable explanation I could think of. But if it was her memory, I still didn¡¯t understand why she was showing me this. There had to be a reason.


    ¡°If this place is related to her¡­¡±


    I opened my eyes again, before closing them on reflex again. The yellow stung¡­


    ¡°Can I complain to whoever is at fault for this?¡±


    Complaining would surely lift my spirits. Alas, nobody to complain to.


    Whatever¡­ Let¡¯s look around some more.


    Leaving my seat, I searched the surroundings for a little more. Behind the barricade, there was a lot of rubble. Judging from its proximity to the fountain, this might have been the statue. Unfortunately, it was so damaged there was no way to identify who it had shown. Or what.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything else to see here¡­ Nn? Wait¡­¡±


    The back of the statue¡­ or rather, of the pedestal on the fountain. There were more words written on it. These didn¡¯t look like they had been carved by a professional. No, these were very clumsily carved into the stone. And there was a lot of it.


    ¡°This is the result of our hubris.


    We have betrayed the world.


    We have betrayed the one who gave us life.


    We have betrayed our children.


    Our conceit bred contempt. And our contempt led to their tragedy.


    We have failed all we stood for.


    For we were unable to give happiness to our children.


    The Morning Shroud will claim us soon.


    The Evening Shroud will burn our sins.


    All hail our eternal nation.


    Death to us all.


    Death to us all.


    Death to us all.


    Death to...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Once again, something told me what was written there. But even then¡­ Just what was this?


    Is this what she wanted me to see?


    If so, this was¡­ quite in poor taste. Whoever had written this¡­ was probably not sane anymore. The last line was repeated over and over again, filling most of the back of the pedestal. As if it was some kind of twisted wish.


    More like a curse¡­


    I averted my gaze. This wasn¡¯t something I wanted to look at for long. It felt like I¡¯d go crazy as well if I read all of that.


    But, there were a few things that made me curious¡­ Did this nation destroy itself? Did¡­ people create this¡­ hell?


    It reminded me a little of something I had heard in my old world. Humanity already had the power to wipe itself out. Maybe¡­ Maybe this was a possible outcome of having attained such power¡­


    Sure gives you food for thought¡­


    I left the fountain behind and continued searching the place. There were no more mad carvings around, fortunately. On the other hand, it still didn¡¯t tell me in the least what was going on. It was frustrating. Seriously and utterly frustrating. In a way, this place was an emotional rollercoaster without even doing anything.


    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you let me leave already?¡± I shouted at no one in particular.


    No reply, as expected. Who would have thought?


    I¡¯ll really go crazy at this rate...


    If it wasn¡¯t for the warmth surrounding me the entire time, that might have been a very real possibility.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Left with no other choice, I kept up the search for anything of note. But no matter how much I walked around, the plaza didn¡¯t offer anything new. Since there was no point to keep walking around here, I decided to follow the road opposite the one I had come from, deeper into the town.


    The street was basically the same as the one before. Tree remnants adorned the middle, collapsed buildings stood on either side. Depressing, really.


    After walking for a while, I finally stumbled upon something new. Another plaza¡­ Actually, it was more like a large crossing.


    ¡°More skeletons¡­¡±


    There was no escaping them. They were just everywhere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Maybe there¡¯s something of note here?¡±


    I looked around the crossing but except for piles of bones, there wasn¡¯t anything here. Maybe I¡¯d have to take the plunge and enter one of the buildings? But¡­ I was a little reluctant to do that, even if the owner likely wasn¡¯t alive anymore.


    ¡°Be that as it may, I might have no other choice¡­ Oh? What¡¯s that?¡±


    Something was hanging from one of the trees. A¡­ sign?


    ¡°Nn¡­ There¡¯s something written on it¡­ But¡­¡±


    This time, nothing came to mind when I saw it. Just unfamiliar letters. It made me wonder what the condition was for me to ¡®understand¡¯ what was written. Since it felt like a voice was telling me, then maybe it was intentional and only certain things would be readable.


    This makes less and less sense¡­


    There was just too little information. Way too little. I¡¯d really like it if Yumias had just shown up in front of me and told me whatever she wanted to. Preferably as short as possible, so I could go back to have fun with Karen. Yet, here I was, having to humour her ridiculous fancies.


    What even was her relation to this place?


    That reminds me¡­ Didn¡¯t the Elder talk about her before¡­ About the ¡®Witch¡¯s World¡¯ and stuff like that?


    I had some suspicions that this was a memory of Yumias. Then, maybe this was¡­ what remained of her world? And then there were the things Miss Karker had told us about. That Yumias had been¡­ cursed.


    Those¡­ Those would fit¡­


    I looked up to the sky. Was this¡­ her home? Or, what remained of her world? If so¡­


    ¡­ I don¡¯t know.


    I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. There was no guarantee that this was really her world. But it was likely related to her in some way.


    I feel like I am only walking in circles with this.


    Slightly annoyed at my lack of information, I continued down the street. In an attempt to find any sort of clue, I even tried opening some doors of the surrounding buildings. Alas, not even one of them budged. At all. As if it was fixed in place. It was just like the pebbles from outside this town. In that regard, the gate had been odd since I actually broke it...


    ¡°Gee, what the hell is up with this place¡­¡±


    Just as I complained though, I found something. There was a small bag in the middle of the street. Curious as I was, I tried to pick it up. Lo and behold¡­ I really picked it up.


    ¡°And here I expected so much that it would just be stuck in place again¡­¡±


    Way to destroy my expectations. Either way, I scrutinised the bag from all sides. It was, like everything, yellow. However, the material felt like it was leather. I opened it and¡­ found a small doll inside. Not one of wood but one made with cloth. A soft one, a doll a child would have.


    ¡°... I got a bad feeling about this.¡±


    I took out the doll and looked at it. Outwardly, there wasn¡¯t anything strange to it.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s something sewed on there¡­ Is that¡­ a name tag?¡±


    The unfamiliar letters again. And this time, once again, I heard that voice telling me.


    ¡°Mina la Freyr¡±


    As expected, a name¡­ Wait, ¡®la Freyr¡¯? Wasn¡¯t that¡­ Yumias¡­ So it really had something to do with Yumias. But who was ¡®Mina¡¯ then?


    At that moment, a sound echoed nearby. Something falling to the ground. It was the first sound I had heard since coming here. In a hurry, I turned around, looking for whatever had come down.


    It was a stone. A red stone. The kind of stone I knew full well. A fire elemental stone.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It took me a moment to understand what I was seeing. A moment that would take me by surprise once more.


    A red flash. Then, the ground turned blue. The air became blue. Everything turned blue as my surroundings were doused in blue flames. It wasn¡¯t hot. It didn¡¯t hurt. But somehow I knew that this would be the end of this surreal trip. A weird sense of calm overcame me as the scenery around me broke apart. Literally. Replaced by a black void. I could sense Karen¡¯s embrace around me, becoming more clear.


    Ahh, finally this is over.


    Hopefully, this would be the only surprise for me this time. Ahh, I could feel myself falling asleep again. This time, I hoped for more pleasant dreams¡­


    ¡°My, my, such a naughty child you are. Peeking is a bad habit. A very, very bad habit. Ehehehe.¡±

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Leaving the Sealed Room

    Warmth filled my chest. A comfortable, familiar warmth. The warmth of someone embracing me.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    My hazy consciousness demanded to return to sleep, to indulge in my dreams once more and not to lose myself in this embrace. Alas, the reality was different. Once you began to wake up, there was no stopping it.


    ¡°Nnmm¡­¡±


    Is this¡­


    I slowly opened my eyes, still half asleep. It was dark. But the sleeping face in front of me was clear as day to me. With a hoarse voice I called out to her.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Nmmgh¡­¡±


    She stirred a little in response, so I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle quietly.


    It seems I woke up¡­


    Everything was still a little hazy but¡­ I could still remember where I was. This was the wagon. And Karen and I, we¡­ We had done a little experiment, right? Yes, and after that¡­ What had happened after that?


    This place¡­ is the wagon, right?


    What I could see behind Karen was a pink wall. The wagon definitely wasn¡¯t pink. Then, this wasn¡¯t¡­ the wagon? What the¡­ Where were we?! Ah. Wait.


    Isn¡¯t this the eggshell again?!


    Right, it was probably just the shell. Just the shell.


    That surprised me.


    I sighed in relief. I definitely wasn¡¯t quite awake yet¡­ How long had we been asleep anyway? Last time, it had been a few days, so probably it was the same this time.


    ¡°Nm¡­ Yu¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    Karen moved a little, muttering something. From the looks of it, she was still asleep. Even in this darkness, I could see her smiling.


    But what do I do now? Do I wake up Sis?


    I tried to look around but I couldn¡¯t exactly see much. The shell wasn¡¯t something you could call spacious. And with Karen and me squeezed in, there was basically no room to move at all.


    Nah, let¡¯s just stay like this for a while.


    It was really comfortable inside this shell. Hell, it was even better than the bed, to be honest. Karen was embracing me really tight and wherever our skin wasn¡¯t touching, the soft insides of the shell were supporting us. If you couldn¡¯t call this comfortable, then what could you?


    Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a hurry. We did expect to need a long time.


    In the meantime, I would enjoy Karen¡¯s sleeping face. A pastime I really enjoyed. Karen had a lot of different expressions to show, but this relaxed expression was one she would only show while asleep.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    While looking at her face, I noticed something with her hair. Over time, the pink strand in her hair had grown quite a bit to the point it was hard to miss. But now, you couldn¡¯t even call it a single strand anymore. There was a patch of hair on her right side that was completely pink now.


    So it affected her after all¡­


    I knew she chose this herself and I couldn¡¯t deny that it made me happy. But I also couldn¡¯t deny that it worried me a little. Would Karen become like me? Or would something completely different happen to her? We didn¡¯t know. Yet, she chose to join me, knowing full well how much it might change her.


    ¡°Really, you¡¯re so brave, Sis¡­¡±


    If I was asked to do the same, I honestly didn¡¯t know if I could do it. I was probably too much of a coward for that. I wished I could be as brave as her. It made me feel a little jealous. Just a little.


    ¡°Yu¡­ mi¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sis, I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    I had to do my best so she wouldn¡¯t leave me behind. But, right now, I didn¡¯t need to be brave. I could simply indulge myself in watching her sleep.


    I wish this would go on forever¡­ Mh? Something¡¯s weird¡­


    Right as I thought that, Karen stirred a little. There was a sense of¡­ not quite discomfort. Actually, it was quite comfortable but there was something out of place. At my lower body.


    It¡¯s like there¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t belong to me? It¡¯s warm and¡­ Wait, this isn¡¯t¡­


    I concentrated on my lower body, trying to get a feel of what was there. Something with a slightly wide shape¡­ was inside. At that moment, I remembered just what we had been doing before we fell unconscious. And with that, what the foreign object there was¡­


    It¡¯s her tail! Her tail¡¯s still inside me?!


    Assuming we really had been asleep for days then¡­ That sure explained all the erot¡ª err, sensual dreams I had. Excluding that one really weird dream. Not like I could recall much of them. I only remembered that they had been¡­ quite nice.


    We¡ª Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s hurting anyone. Rather, the opposite.


    But this was still a bit of a problem¡­ At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t be able to contain myself¡­ Fortunately for my sanity, Karen wasn¡¯t really moving so it was just occasionally twitching. Alas, just knowing and feeling it inside me was already quite pleasant.


    A¡ª Anyway¡­ I¡¯m quite surprised I¡¯m not feeling sore from that¡­


    Not like I wanted to, really. I was quite happy like this. Only meant I could enjoy it for longer.


    Let¡¯s just hope it won¡¯t be permanently lodged in there now because of this¡­ That¡¯d be¡­ awkward. Very, very awkward.


    I didn¡¯t want to imagine that¡­ Oh well, judging from how it was twitching once in a while, that didn¡¯t seem to be the case anyway.


    ¡°Mmmhh¡­¡±


    For now, I didn¡¯t really have to worry about that. What was important for now, was to enjoy gazing at Karen¡¯s sleeping face. Yes, that was important. Very much so.


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    ---


    After I gazed at Karen for who knows how long, it was, unfortunately, time for her to wake up. Her sleepy eyes open just a little staring at me.


    ¡°Yu¡­ mi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Morning, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Well, and back to sleep she went. Was it just me, or was she progressively getting worse with waking up?


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Morning¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, morning.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Were we going to repeat this again?


    ¡°Mnn¡­¡±


    ¡°... Are you awake?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­¡±


    At least, she wasn¡¯t asleep again yet.


    ¡°Just¡­ a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°... Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like we were in a hurry anyway. Though if we were going to take much longer, my sanity would be in danger. Awake as she was now, her tail also got a little more active down there.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi¡­ Where?¡±


    ¡°Where? Where we are?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    ¡°In¡­ our wagon, I think?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It was. I couldn¡¯t even blame her for not wanting to wake up. I had been the same just a while earlier.


    Maybe we could turn the eggshell into a bed or something? After all, this is really soft and nice.


    But that¡¯d be something for after we got out.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°Morning. Awake?¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I¡¯m awake.¡±


    Her eyes opened, not quite as sleepy as earlier anymore. Yes, she was awake now.


    ¡°It¡¯s dark.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is¡­¡±


    ¡°Is this¡­ the shell?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s gaze darted around the interior. Not like there was much to see here.


    ¡°Sis, how are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Warm. Really warm. I could go back to sleep immediately.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should just stay in here.¡±


    ¡°While I can totally relate to that¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be a problem?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like we were in a hurry, sure. But there were people waiting for us, most likely.


    ¡°I see¡­ Guess we¡¯ll have to get up then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, as unfortunate as it is.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunate¡­ By the way, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... My tail is stuck somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Not somewhere. Inside.¡±


    Good she noticed it on her own.


    ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s why¡­ Uhm¡­ I can¡¯t get it out like this¡­¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s just get out of here first.¡±


    We could worry about the tail afterwards.


    ¡°Okay. How?¡± she asked me.


    ¡°Err, I don¡¯t know. Just break it open.¡±


    ¡°It feels a bit like a shame to break it...¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be able to leave otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll just push, okay?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We were really close right now so I could immediately sense Karen¡¯s muscles tense up and pushing against the shell. As expected of her strength, the shell gave in quickly, and a hole formed.


    ¡°Ah, light!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s binding!¡±


    The first light in some time. And it sure hurt. After a while of getting used to it, Karen broke more parts of the shell, until we could finally stand up.


    ¡°Ah, freedom.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... It does feel good to stretch again.¡±


    ¡°That so?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that uncomfortable for me that I need to stretch¡­ But I probably wasn¡¯t really a good reference anyway with my squishy body.


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll take out my tail now.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Please do.¡±


    I looked down and sure enough found a black chord between my thighs, leading to Karen¡¯s back. It wriggled a little, causing me to gasp.


    ¡°And¡­ there.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    ¡°Are you fine, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Kind¡­ Kind of¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    It felt really empty now, though. As if something that should have been there wasn¡¯t anymore.


    Even though it¡¯s more the other way round¡­ Guess that¡¯s what happens if it is stuck there for so long. But it was nice...


    Anyway¡­ Shaking off my rather sensual thoughts, I returned to reality for now.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Are we really in the wagon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Said reality was still pink. Or rather, yes, there was the eggshell we were still standing in. But our surroundings¡ªthe walls, the floor, the ceiling¡ªwere also died pink, covered in some fleshy substance. Strands reached from the ceiling and the walls to the egg, making it look more like a cocoon than an egg.


    ¡°I think it is¡­ Look, that¡¯s our desk, no?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pink, though.¡±


    ¡°It is. Err, and the crates there...¡±


    ¡°Are also pink.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What in the hell had happened here? Everything had become pink. It was still better than yellow, though. I didn¡¯t really feel like seeing anything yellow for a while.


    ¡°This is going to take a while to clean up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    An unexpected mess¡­


    ¡°But first. Yumi, do you feel¡­ any different?¡±


    ¡°... Not really.¡±


    The mana crystal¡­ was still doing its thing. Same as usual. I really had some hopes but it didn¡¯t seem like this was enough to make it happy. Maybe there were some other changes I wasn¡¯t noticing right now, but at least in that department, nothing had changed.


    ¡°And how about you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... I feel hungry.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°But I mean, the real hungry. I want to eat something.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Wait, you do?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Now, that was a surprise. But how come she wanted to eat proper food now? I had expected it to go in the other direction again, not go backwards.


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s a good thing. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She closed her eyes, ruminating for a while.


    ¡°Something¡­ feels different, yes¡­ But I can¡¯t quite pinpoint it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Maybe Ria will know.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Either Ria could find out, or she¡¯d notice at some other point in time. But neither of us felt bad, at least, so there wasn¡¯t really any sense of urgency, to be honest. I was much more interested in what was going on outside at the moment. After all, whatever had happened inside this wagon had probably not gone unnoticed...


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Karen threw something towards me. A shirt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get dressed and see how it is outside.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I smiled wryly. Truth be told, I was a little sad. While I couldn¡¯t quite remember the time we had spent in there, I did know it had been one of the most comfortable times I had so far. Seeing it coming to an end was making me feel down.


    Well, it already is over, though. Haa¡­


    Slightly reluctant, I got dressed, shirt and everything else. Once I checked that I was good to go, I turned back to Karen, who had also finished getting dressed. She looked at me, a smile on her face, and reached out with her hand.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Grasping her hand, we went to the door, opening it and returning to the outside world¡­ not.


    ¡°Errr¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The door¡­ wasn¡¯t moving.


    ¡°Sis¡­ The door is stuck.¡±


    ¡°I can see that¡­ wait, I¡¯ll open it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t break it.¡±


    Karen pushed against the door. Her enormous strength made the door creak but¡­ it didn¡¯t budge¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t! This isn¡¯t funny¡­ The door is not moving at all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We were trapped¡­ inside our own wagon? But¡­ Why?


    Before I could continue that train of thought, someone knocked from the outside against the door.


    ¡°Hello? Miss Yumi, Miss Karen?¡±


    Surprised at the sudden voice, Karen and I exchanged a glance. He knocked again, calling for us once more. Karen turned to the door and called out.


    ¡°Hello! We¡¯re stuck in here.¡±


    ¡°Understood. Please wait a moment.¡±


    The knocking stopped and the person likely went his way. The voice was vaguely familiar, too.


    ¡°I think that was one of the Dragon Knights, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    The Dragon Knights were often guarding our wagon so I remembered a few of them by voice. I didn¡¯t know any of their names, though. I should ask sometime.


    We waited for a while until several voices appeared outside the wagon. The man from just earlier as well as another man¡¯s voice. Wendl¡¯s.


    ¡°One moment¡­ Err, okay. There we go. Hey, you girls, you can come out.¡±


    Karen pushed against the door and¡­ it opened, just like it should usually.


    ¡°Good Morning, you sleepyheads. Or rather evening.¡±


    Three men came into view, standing in front of the door. Wendl, a man in full armour as well as Korwen who greeted us with a smile.


    ¡°Captain. Good Evening.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Looks like you girls are fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn. We are.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. You had us worried for a while, you know?¡±


    Worried?


    ¡°You slept for well over a week.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Seriously.¡±


    Wow¡­ Last time it had only been a few days.


    ¡°But first things first, are you girls fine? Anything amiss?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I feel fine. Just hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, too. And hungry.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you got an appetite, that¡¯s already a good thing. Let¡¯s get you something to eat first. Wendl, can you lock it up again?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    Wendl went right past us, closed the door of the wagon and¡­ Actually, what was he doing? There was some weird thing drawn on our door. Like someone threw a bunch of geometrical figures together.


    ¡°We had to look your wagon up. Whatever was happening inside was trying to get outside.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Despite his complaint, Korwen laughed and then beckoned us to follow him.


    ¡°So, feeling any different?¡± he asked, after a while of silence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Not really.¡±


    ¡°I see. What about Karen?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Something feels different but I don¡¯t really know what¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Maybe it got something to do with that hair of yours?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Her hair? Sure, it had spread even more but that wasn¡¯t much different from before. And he should know about that, right?


    Still, out of confusion and curiosity, I turned my eyes towards Karen¡¯s hair. Or rather the pink strand. Then, I finally understood why he pointed it out. In the dark wagon, it hadn¡¯t been noticeable, but the pink strand had changed colour. It had become a slightly darker, silverish, or maybe even metallic looking pink.


    ¡°We should get Ria to take a look at that. Well, at the two of you. But first, let¡¯s get you something to eat, right?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    We were quite hungry but¡­ I also was curious about what was going on with Karen. But, we were also hungry...


    ---


    As dinner had already passed, we had to wait for a little while before we could get any food. But once we did, well¡­ We ate a lot. It really made you realise just how starved you were once you got the first bite into your mouth.


    And so, once we had stuffed ourselves to the brim, it was time to talk about the important things. Without Ria, unfortunately. She was already asleep it seemed. In exchange, Wendl was here to take a look at us. Since we couldn¡¯t do it out in the open, we were holed up in his wagon right now.


    ¡°Mm¡­ This is¡­ This is weird. Just what is this?¡±


    Wendl was staring at Karen¡¯s pink hair strand, utterly confused. After a while, he scratched his head and shook his head. We could only watch him anxiously as he tried to figure out what was going on. At some point, he threw up his hands in the air as if he was giving up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± asked Korwen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t! Hell, I doubt anyone would know. It¡¯s like... Hell, it¡¯s like the different types of attributed mana mixed. But what it is, Spirits take me, I don¡¯t know!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Only thing I can say is she¡¯s healthy. At least, as far as I could determine.¡±


    If she was healthy that was at least one good discovery.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll need to have Ria take a look then,¡± muttered Korwen.


    Which would happen tomorrow, unless she¡¯d wake up suddenly.


    ¡°Since that¡¯s the case¡­ Yumi, what about you? Want to let Wendl take a look at you?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ I guess it can¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Hey, girl, that doesn¡¯t sound very trusting.¡±


    He was the one who had just failed to determine what was going on with Karen, so there was little reason to be hopeful. But he still might find something I wasn¡¯t able to notice. Nobody had said anything but if, for example, my outward experience had changed, I wouldn¡¯t be very quick to notice it. Unless, of course, if the change was impossible to miss.


    ¡°Well, whatever, lemme take a look, girl.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Wendl went behind me and put his hand on my back. A moment later, I could feel a movement among the mana in my body. However, it wasn¡¯t quite the same sensation as when the High Priest had examined me.


    ¡°Gee, for all the mana we saw being sucked up, I can barely sense any in you. Just where did you put all that stuff, girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know myself.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Anyway, can¡¯t sense anything wrong with your mana. Same old stuff.¡±


    So much to being hopeful.


    ¡°But what did you mean with mana being sucked up?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, the Dragon Captain didn¡¯t tell you yet? Seriously, you girls caused a huge commotion, you know?¡±


    ¡°Eh? We did?¡±


    Eyes wide, Karen and I turned to Korwen for answers.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a magician, better ask him what was going on.¡±


    And back to Wendl.


    ¡°Over a week ago, guess the day when you did your thing? Don¡¯t know what it was about, they didn¡¯t tell me. So, anyway, something inside your wagon was sucking up huge amounts of mana from the surroundings. Some people even collapsed when they go close.¡±


    ¡°Wait, they collapsed?!¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re fine, no worries. Just a fainting spell from getting mana sucked out.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    But still, people collapsed¡­ That wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°Hell, nobody could have known that might happen. With that said, some hours later, those fleshy things started creeping out of your wagon. Dragon Captain here told us to seal it shut. So I shut it. Better at that than the Lady Ria.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so that was why we couldn¡¯t open the door?¡±


    ¡°Sure was. I¡¯d be heartbroken if you had managed to open that.¡±


    Well, since Karen with all her strength hadn¡¯t even managed to make it budge, it sure had been a good one. That said, I had mixed feelings about our wagon being literally sealed to prevent stuff from coming out¡­ Although, it was understandable.


    ¡°Mr Captain, we¡¯re sorry for the inconvenience we have caused.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise, Karen. Nobody could have known what might happen. In the first place, I gave you permission to do it, knowing full well things might not go as smoothly as you thought.¡±


    ¡°Captain, you knew something might happen?¡±


    ¡°Considering your history, that¡¯s only to be expected, right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    As much as I hated to admit it, he was right¡­


    ¡°In that sense, what actually happened was on the tame side. Things never go smoothly anyway. It¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to learn as a mercenary. Or you won¡¯t be a mercenary for long.¡±


    He laughed, clearly not even minding the little trouble we caused.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in what your experiment changed now. Since, clearly, something happened. So, I hope you¡¯ll dedicate some time to find that out and keep us up to date.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±


    Korwen nodded, satisfied with my answer.


    ¡°That said, it¡¯s late and you two only just got up as well. So you can just start tomorrow. Ria¡¯ll surely help you two as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Tomorrow, huh¡­ Honestly, I doubted I could wait until that long¡­ In the first place, it was evening but¡­ We just woke up. I wasn¡¯t tired in the least. Rather, after having eaten something, I felt quite energetic.


    ¡°Dragon Captain, I absolutely hate to disturb you, but might you take your small talk elsewhere? This still is my place and I¡¯d also like to rest.¡±


    ¡°Wendl¡­ You know, technically, I¡¯m your superior now.¡±


    ¡°My only boss is Captain Greyward.¡±


    ¡°...  I¡¯m pretty sure I saw you taking the same attitude to Greyward. Haa¡­ Whatever, we¡¯ll get out of your hair. Yumi, Karen, I¡¯m sure you want to hear what else happened, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we do.¡±


    Since we had been asleep for so long, we surely weren¡¯t that far from Auria anymore.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get somewhere else. Wendl, good work.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡±


    With that, we were, more or less, kicked out of Wendl¡¯s place. He really had quite the attitude, didn¡¯t he?


    Korwen led us through the rows of wagons and the few mercenaries that were still up towards a table to sit down at. After telling us to sit down, he disappeared for a short while, coming back with a small barrel.


    ¡°Here, have something to drink.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, is this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not alcoholic. Fruit juice.¡±


    Unsurprisingly, that made Karen recoil even more. We all knew Korwen¡¯s weird obsession with that super sour Apram Juice.


    ¡°Hey, you hurt me. Even I know that not everyone likes it. It¡¯s not Apram. It¡¯s a local berry that some men collected today to press into juice. Don¡¯t know the name but it¡¯s quite good.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Oh, it really is.¡±


    It was rather sweet but not too sweet. It was a taste I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°A local berry?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s not all that widespread apparently but this close to the lake they seem to be rather common.¡±


    ¡°Close to the lake¡­ Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. Welcome to the town of Auria. Or, well, in its vicinity. We¡¯re about half a day from it. You woke up at just the right time.¡±


    So the journey was nearly over already? That was a surprise. Actually, considering we had been out for over a week, didn¡¯t it take longer than we had anticipated?


    ¡°We¡¯re not there yet?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, probably wondering about the same thing.


    ¡°We got delayed a little due to some incidents. We had, well¡­. An attempted robbery?¡±


    ¡°A¡­ robbery?¡±


    Why a question?


    ¡°Some people tried to sneak into our camp and snatch from our supplies. Obviously, they were caught. Children, boys, from a nearby village. Not really a big problem but the boys got hurt and then we got in some trouble with the village.¡±


    Korwen shook his head as if he was exasperated.


    ¡°Then, we obviously had the incident with you two, which was thankfully solved rather quickly but still delayed us a little.¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯re sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry, knowing we inconvenienced them. Especially since I mostly did it out of pure selfishness.


    ¡°What else did we have¡­ Oh right, we had to take a two day stop in one town. Things got a little¡­ Well...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    What the heck happened?


    ¡°You see, there was some family trouble.¡±


    ¡°Family trouble?¡±


    Didn¡¯t we solve the issues with the families?


    ¡°One of my men was caught going to the brothel by his wife while we stopped at a town.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t take it lightly. Or rather, that woman used to be a mercenary as well before she retired when they married and she got pregnant. But, by the Spirits, she beat the poor man up. We had to stop for two days so that we could have a local healer take care of him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Honestly, I had no idea what to say to this. I was just¡­ speechless.


    ¡°She beat him until he was black and blue, then strung him up on their communal wagon and had him hanging there for half the night. You don¡¯t want to know my shock when I was woken up by the morning guards.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think I want to.¡±


    God, that was scary¡­


    ¡°Listen, Yumi, never cheat on Karen. Women are really scary when they get angry.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Never intended to anyway.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m listening? Also, Yumi is a woman, too¡­¡±


    Right, I was. But I couldn¡¯t imagine doling out that kind of punishment if Karen cheated on me. Or, just imagining it¡­


    ¡°Karen, if you ever cheat on me, I¡¯ll never stop crying.¡±


    ¡°... I never intended to? Wait, why are you crying already?!¡±


    ¡°Just imagined it.¡±


    Karen immediately hugged me, comforting me.


    ¡°I¡¯d never do that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    Despite her seeming annoyance, she was giggling a little.


    ¡°I am most impressed at how easily you two begin flirting in public.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me. Continue, continue.¡±


    ¡°¡±...¡±¡±


    No, even if he said that, there was no way we could continue like that. And he knew that!


    ¡°Back to the topic, that incident honestly delayed us the longest. So, no need to feel bad about the inconvenience you two caused. Others are worse. Hell, stuff like that wasn¡¯t even the first time.¡±


    A wonder this company of mercenaries hadn¡¯t been destroyed yet by the rage of a betrayed wife.


    ¡°Do things like that really happen that often?¡± asked Karen, a worried look on her face.


    ¡°Once in a while. Thankfully, not too often. The two this time also made up after he recovered. Guess it was a lesson to him.¡±


    Yes, I¡¯d sure hope so¡­


    ¡°Well, thanks to those incidents, we took a little longer but we¡¯re already nearly there. Auria isn¡¯t far anymore and the fort is only a little further. As I said, you got great timing.¡±


    ¡°Nn, guess we do.¡±


    Right before the journey ended. We wouldn¡¯t miss out on seeing Auria as well as the fort for the first time.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± I said.


    ¡°Haha! You definitely aren¡¯t the only one. Quite a few men asked me to just travel through the night this one time, actually.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Expectations were high, weren¡¯t they?


    ¡°But, yes, we¡¯re all excited. It¡¯s a big thing for a company like ours to receive their very own base of operations, after all. It¡¯s nothing short of a dream, a goal we all worked towards. Seeing it finally realised¡­¡±


    Korwen grinned, like a little boy receiving a toy he always wanted.


    ¡°... is just the best.¡±


    Rinne


    Thank you for reading! Stay safe and healthy!

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Two at Night

    Karen and I returned after talking with Korwen for a while.  He told us some more about what happened during the trip, or rather, what didn¡¯t happen. Except for one or two incidents, nothing noteworthy had happened and they had been just gazing at the scenery. In other words, they had been pretty bored. The difference compared to Karen and me was simply, that they were used to travelling and didn¡¯t really mind it as much as we did.


    Nonetheless, some others weren¡¯t as used to travelling either. Namely, the elves. Oh, and Rina, but apparently she had used the time to appeal to Lily with all her being. Seeing how it had been Korwen who told us about it, she probably wasn¡¯t exactly reserved with it.


    Just what the heck were you doing, Rina?


    I was torn between wanting to ask Korwen or just pretending that I heard nothing.


    Either way, we had a nice time talking with our captain. Unfortunately, it was already night and even Korwen was in need of sleep now and then. He bid us a good night and left. Having lost our conversation partner, there wasn¡¯t really anything left for us to do either. We asked Wendl to open up our wagon and we returned for the night. Same as the other mercenaries that were in resting mode. Except for the guards and some few guys drinking the night away, most were asleep.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t feel like sleeping either¡­¡±


    ¡°We did just wake up, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°And even if we did want to¡­ Yumi, can you sleep on that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Honestly? Probably, yes. I had become so desensitised to tentacles, that I probably could sleep on that fleshy mess that covered our bed. That didn¡¯t mean I really wanted to, however.


    ¡°Should we clean up?¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, Sis. How do we clean this up?¡±


    ¡°... I thought you had an idea?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    At least, nothing concrete.


    ¡°I could try removing the mana but they¡¯ll probably just dry up then¡­ I guess we could remove them like that.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Karen stared at our bed, or what once had been our bed. Remains of the egg were covering it and surrounding these remains were fleshy tentacles. Our room had become dyed in pink during our sleep. Considering how it was supposed to be only in our little side room, this wasn¡¯t a very welcome development.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have any other ideas, so let¡¯s go with that.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Having come to the decision, I immediately set off to drain the mana of the tentacles on our bed. They withered, they shrunk and seconds later they had, well, died off.


    This is a little sad to watch¡­


    They had grown so much and here I was, ruining all their work¡­ But it couldn¡¯t be helped¡­ It was our bed.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    Karen called out to me, bringing my thoughts back to reality. Just in time for me to witness the tentacles I had just drained returning to life.


    ¡°... Well, that sure worked out well.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    To be honest, I couldn¡¯t deny that I felt a little relieved. But this was a problem. Was I going to feel bad about the tentacles whenever they¡¯d get hurt?


    Actually, what part of the tentacles would even be the¡­ heart? Core? Or whatever that makes them them?


    Food for thought. If I had to say, the tentacles in our side room seemed to act like they were one being. So, rather than killing them, it was probably just us cutting off a part of them? Maybe, like I was cutting my hair?


    Yeah, let¡¯s go with that. It¡¯s just a haircut.


    Problem solved.


    ¡°Well, what to do about this...¡°


    If I couldn¡¯t readily drain them¡­ Unless they moved away out of their own accord¡­


    ¡°... Actually, maybe they would?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, you think they might free up the room if we ask them to?¡±


    ¡°... They might.¡±


    And if they didn¡¯t¡­ Well, our nights would become a lot more tentacle-y. Not necessarily in a good meaning either.


    ¡°Nn. Then¡­¡±


    I turned to the tentacles covering the bed.


    ¡°Please free up the bed.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The tentacles froze, stopping their wriggling and squirming.


    ¡°So, uh, is something supposed to happen now?¡± I asked.


    We watched the tentacles for a while. Just before were thinking of trying again, they began to move. The tentacles on the bed stretched towards the sides of the beds, literally pulling themselves across the surface. They actually¡­ moved away. At a snail¡¯s pace, sure, but they moved.


    ¡°It works, Sis. Our bed is saved.¡±


    ¡°... Seems so. I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    Neither did I. Neither did I.


    ¡°But that¡¯s great, Yumi. Now you only need to free up the entire room!¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Oh great, this was definitely going to take a while¡­


    ---


    ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    After what felt like an eternity, we finally managed to move all the tentacles out of our bedroom into the side room. It took a really long time. Not only did it take the tentacles forever to even move in the first place, but they also moved so slow a snail was without a doubt faster. I had been curious why that was but it seemed they were actually trying to, well, move by growing.


    In the same way that the tentacles sprouted on the ground, they used their mana to grow in a certain direction, then release the part that was on the other end. It was a very surreal sight once I figured out how it worked. On the other hand, I was worried they would be running out of mana. They never did, though. They didn¡¯t actually grow larger either so maybe they just reabsorbed the part that they released from the ground? I had no idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Lying on the bed, I spread my arms and relaxed. We also had to clean up the remains of the eggs¡ªwhich was a lot easier since it didn¡¯t seem to have any kind of will and was just some dead shell¡ªbut once we had finished so, our bedroom had returned to its usual state.


    ¡°Good job, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen sat down next to me on the bed and gently stroked my cheek.


    ¡°That took an awful lot of time¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s still dark outside, though.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I had somehow hoped it¡¯d be morning now but¡­ Well, we basically woke up right around the time everyone went to bed and, as everyone knew, people were sleeping for quite a long while¡­ It was probably naive of me to hope for it to be morning already.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like sleeping yet, though¡­ Hey, Sis, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I rolled to my side and hugged Karen¡¯s waist. Her tail slapped against me as if to chide me for my behaviour.


    ¡°Stop that Yumi.¡±


    ¡°No. I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Gee... ¡°


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Her tail was still slapping me at regular intervals. It used to be so unresponsive but recently, it really had become lively. But that wasn¡¯t important now.


    ¡°Look, your tail.¡±


    ¡°My tail? What about it?¡±


    ¡°The tip.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Her tail stopped moving, before reaching around her waist so that she could take a look.


    ¡°...¡±


    She silently stared at it. Moments later, she poked her tail tip.


    ¡°It has become pink¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The formerly silver-coloured tip was now pink. The same slightly metallic pink that her hair was currently sporting.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Are my eyes still the same?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they are.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Her eyes hadn¡¯t changed. But judging from her question, she was already expecting that it wouldn¡¯t stay that way¡­


    ¡°I wonder if they¡¯ll change as well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If she kept this up¡­ Probably.


    ¡°Sis, are you really fine with this?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, are you still worried?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I couldn¡¯t be worried.¡±


    ¡°... If I wasn¡¯t fine with it, I would have put a stop to it immediately.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her hand landed on my head, stroking me.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not sad at all. This silver colour has been with me for my whole life. And it¡¯s also an important colour I share with Rina. But, your pink is just as important to me, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just mean the colour¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, I know. But Yumi, this was my choice. I thought about it quite a lot, you know? But in the end, I decided by myself that I want this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I peeked up at her face. She was smiling brightly.


    ¡°Really, I¡¯m no match for you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what makes me the older sister, right?¡±


    ¡°Ha, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    Really, it was just like back then, I could never match¡­ Mh? Wait?


    ¡°... Yumi? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I just felt like I experienced something similar before. With the older sister part¡­¡±


    ¡°What, Yumi? Are you hiding other older sisters from me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something I can hide, can I?¡±


    Karen giggled at my response. Well, she knew about my situation and she sounded more like she was joking, just now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to do my best so you forget about any other older sisters apart from me.¡±


    ¡°That actually sounds a little scary.¡±


    ¡°I have to do my best to protect my little sister from all the bad things in the world.¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like they¡¯re bad.¡±


    ¡°Of course they are, Yumi! I won¡¯t allow anyone else to call you their little sister.¡±


    Good thing I didn¡¯t intend to gain any more older sisters.


    ¡°Ah, but what about Rina?¡±


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°Well, she calls me ¡®Lil¡¯ Sis,¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen froze. Wait, wasn¡¯t this bad? I wasn¡¯t going to start some unexpected bloodbath among those sisters, was I?


    ¡°... Well, I can forgive it if it¡¯s Rina.¡±


    Praise be, we narrowly avoided a fight between them.


    ¡°But I might get jealous of her. Will you comfort me if I do?¡±


    ¡°Of course I will.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Karen giggled again.


    ¡°Rina already has Lily anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Those two had always been together since then. Honestly, I still wondered a little what had happened between them while we weren¡¯t looking.


    ¡°Sis, do you know how Rina managed to win Lily over?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°Well, knowing her, I guess she just kept at it until Lily gave in? She has always been like that if she wanted something.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m kind of curious now.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    Maybe they would tell us if we asked?


    ¡°But, I think we should leave them to themselves.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    My eyes widened in surprise at Karen¡¯s statement.


    ¡°Rina didn¡¯t have the chance to experience a normal happy life until now. I¡¯m a little sad she doesn¡¯t pay me as much attention but I¡¯m also really happy that despite everything, she found someone she can love without restraint. That¡¯s why I want to watch over her and wish her the best.¡±


    ¡°That so.¡±


    ¡°And, well, I guess the same goes for me? That¡¯s why I¡¯ll love you without restraint, Yumi.¡±


    With those words, Karen let herself fall onto the bed and hugged me.


    ¡°That¡¯s why... I just want you to accept my love and not worry about trivial things.¡±


    ¡°Trivial, huh.¡±


    The way she just dismissed something that life-changing as trivial¡­


    ¡°Sis, your love is quite heavy.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready to carry it. I won¡¯t allow you to get buried.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best...¡±


    I closed my eyes and let myself sink into Karen¡¯s embrace. I could feel her stroking the back of my head as if soothing me.


    Karen smells nice. Maybe it¡¯s good I¡¯m not sleepy so I can enjoy this.


    We embraced each other for a while, not doing anything except enjoying each other¡¯s company.  After some time, Karen spoke up again, her voice tinged with a little worry.


    ¡°Yumi, is my love really that heavy?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Just a little? I think? Not that I mind.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Opening my eyes, I looked up at Karen, seeing her frowning a little.


    ¡°You know, it makes me happy, Sis. Really, incredibly happy.¡±


    That was, without a doubt, the truth. I was happy.


    ¡°That¡¯s why... Don¡¯t stop.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Her frown transformed into a little smile as if her worries had turned into smoke and disappeared.


    ¡°Got it. But, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You have to properly tell me if I go too far.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯ll really put a collar on you and keep you at my side forever.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind that.¡±


    Hearing my response, Karen giggled again.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you if there¡¯s something. So, if there¡¯s anything you want to say, don¡¯t hold back either.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    I closed my eyes again and snuggled against Karen, burying my face in her chest.


    ¡°Lewd Yumi. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I am.¡±


    There was no point in denying something that was true. Karen¡¯s breasts were simply the best.


    ¡°Just what am I to do with you?¡±


    Despite her words, she made no attempts at stopping me either, just gently patting my head.


    Yes, this is definitely the best.


    No matter how often I did this, it would always be my favourite pastime.


    ¡°You know, Yumi, we probably should be doing some work right now and not laze around.¡±


    ¡°Work? But we just woke up¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t really in a mood to work now. In the first place, what did she¡­ Ahh, well, probably about me¡­


    ¡°Nn, I really don¡¯t feel like it, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Maybe we should have delayed cleaning up.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d be even less motivated, then.¡±


    Always having to think about how I¡¯d also have to clean up afterwards would surely put a dent in my motivation.


    ¡°Nn, let me recharge for some time¡­¡±


    ¡°But only for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ---


    In the end, we stayed on the bed for way too long. Unsurprisingly, really. And just for the record, I wasn¡¯t the only one who was reluctant. As a compromise, we decided to have a lot of fun time tomorrow. After all, we might see the fort tomorrow and have a new place to sleep at. Wishful thinking probably, seeing how there were so many problems that were likely to crop up but well¡­ Hope dies last and all that.


    But I was straying from the actual topic. Right now, Karen sat on the bed and looked at me standing in the middle of the room, ready to experiment.


    ¡°Well, what should we start with?¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­ Does anything feel different?¡±


    ¡°No. Not in the least.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Karen tilted her head, thinking for a little.


    ¡°I guess I should just start off with transforming?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any other ideas for now either.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    I stripped off the clothes I was wearing, handing them over to Karen. Then, I sat on the ground and closed my eyes. First, my arms turned into tentacle appendages, then my legs followed turn. So far, nothing was different from usual. I concentrated on my lower body, feeling it change and connecting itself to the ground. After that, I reformed my arms, the pink ones. At this point, I opened my eyes to look at myself.


    ¡°So far, the same as before¡­¡±


    Tentacles surrounded me, following my will. My pink arms stood out a little among the tentacles, contrasting the rest of my body.


    ¡°Flower Yumi returned.¡±


    ¡°Sis, I don¡¯t think flowers are supposed to look like this.¡±


    The only similarity was that we were both stuck in the ground.


    ¡°Anything changed?¡±


    ¡°Still not¡­ I think¡­ Well, that might be just my imagination or something else, but it did feel a little smoother than usual.¡±


    Not that I had transformed up to this state that often. I might be just getting used to it.


    ¡°Weird¡­ Can you change anything else?¡±


    ¡°Anything else, huh¡­ I can try.¡±


    Closing my eyes once more, I concentrated on my various body parts in an attempt to further the transformation. But nothing changed. There wasn¡¯t really any feeling that something could change, either.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± I answered.


    After opening my eyes, I once more looked down on myself. It was, honestly, a weird state to be in¡­ Most of the tentacles were weak, just like I usually was. Except for some tentacles at my base and my new arms. They were for some reason weirdly strong...


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I want to try something. Or, look into something. Although, I don¡¯t think it has much to do with what changed but¡­ Anyway, give me a moment!¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    Karen looked really confused but I couldn¡¯t bother right now to explain it to her. That was how excited I was right now.


    Elina taught me about monster materials. And the High Priest taught me how to check my own mana. Maybe, maybe I can figure this out.


    I ignored for a moment that I hadn¡¯t been really successful with looking at my own mana¡¯s state and all that but that wasn¡¯t too important. Because there was something else I wanted to look at. Yes, the mana that was inside my arms right now. I concentrated on them and...


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis. I think I realised something.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°My arms¡­ The mana isn¡¯t being absorbed.


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Taking a look at my tentacles, the same was true for them. The mana inside them was locked inside and not absorbed. The weaker tentacles only had little mana but even for them, the mana was undisturbed.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°To think the answer was that close.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, admittedly, even if we knew about this, it was hard to utilise. But¡­ Maybe Ria could help figure out what the difference was between my normal body and this.


    ¡°It¡¯s really surprising¡­¡±


    But at the very least, it confirmed one thing: If I could make the mana stop from being absorbed, I wouldn¡¯t be so pathetically weak anymore. Body-wise.


    ¡°Sis, is it for me to return for now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you can¡¯t transform further, then there¡¯s little to do¡­¡±


    As unfortunate as it was, there really wasn¡¯t. I returned my lower body to normal and the tentacles disappeared. However, I kept my arms as they were. This was something I had managed before already as well but since I had to fully transform to reach this state, it turned out to be rather bothersome. Too bothersome to be useful.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Just like this, they don¡¯t feel any different, though. I know they¡¯re stronger like this but¡­ Having to fully transform is a pain.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do it without?¡±


    ¡°Well, last I tried I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, I can try.¡±


    I sat on the ground and returned my arms to normal. But not before trying to remember the feeling of the mana staying inside them. I also observed the moment they returned to normal. It was¡­ interesting.


    The mana¡­ is dispersing. Ah, now it¡¯s being absorbed.


    It was¡­ odd. I had trouble describing what I had seen. As if a card house had been hit by a vacuum and then sucked up? Right, it had been like a structure¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis. You were practising magic, right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Well, I was practising mana control. I can¡¯t really do anything yet.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    This was just my theory but¡­ what if the mana formed a structure that simply couldn¡¯t be absorbed? Spells and the like hadn¡¯t been absorbed either. For example, when the High Priest had done the check-up.


    Then, if that kind of mana structure would be a spell¡­


    If I could figure out that part, I might be able to finally be of use. At the very least, I¡¯d be able to lift the banner on my own.


    Now I¡¯m getting excited. If I can do it without fully transforming, too, then¡­


    But first, I¡¯d have to figure that part out. Which¡­ proved to be more than a little hard. At the very least, no matter how hard I tried, the only thing my arm was doing was cramping up. Considering my bodily constitution, that was actually a little impressive.


    ¡°Yeah, doesn¡¯t work¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you transform them to tentacles first?¡±


    ¡°Nn, let me try.¡±


    The result? A four-times cramp. How in the hell could tentacles even cramp up?


    ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Doesn¡¯t work at all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    A little disappointed, I returned my arm to normal. I could only hope that Ria had some ideas.


    ¡°A little disappointing. Well, at the very least, I guess I can say nothing¡¯s wrong with me.¡±


    ¡°Unless it¡¯s something we don¡¯t know about.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ could be. But, honestly, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    It would be a little counter-productive if absorbing mana harmed me when I was pretty much living on it.


    ¡°I guess, if Ria can¡¯t find out, then maybe I¡¯ll figure it out with enough time. For now, I think¡­ The bigger worry is you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    Her hair turned a weirdly dark shade of pink. Same for her tail. Wendl had no idea what was going on either. Outwardly, she seemed totally fine. Heck, she even regained her appetite. But, her change had been way more pronounced than mine. If anything changed in my case at all.


    ¡°Maybe Sis absorbed all the changes and the mana herself, that¡¯s why nothing happened to me.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    She probably wanted to say that wasn¡¯t true but then stopped herself. She couldn¡¯t deny the possibility.


    ¡°That might be true¡­¡±


    ¡°It might be.¡±


    Karen looked a little remorseful as she said that. She looked at me. Then, for some reason, she grinned a little before closing her eyes and wiping the grin off her face. She spread her arms, her expression fell and she spoke to me in a sad voice.


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯m sorry, I took away your chance at redeeming yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, no need to apolo¡ª Wait, why do I need to redeem myself?!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, Yumi, will stay forever weak now!¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s. That¡¯s not true. It can¡¯t be, right?!¡±


    ¡°I will take responsibility and take care of you forever.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not so bad. I¡¯m okay with that.¡±


    Actually, wasn¡¯t that a pretty good outcome? Karen was just messing with me but that was honestly okay with me.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how you were supposed to react, Yumi. Do you want to be a freeloader?¡±


    ¡°Well, no, but¡­ It is a pretty tempting offer.¡±


    ¡°I worry about you, Yumi. What if you really turn into a freeloading bum?¡±


    ¡°Have some faith in me. I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?!¡±


    Silence fell upon us. Karen¡¯s shoulders were shaking until she finally couldn¡¯t hold it in and broke out in laughter. I could only smile wryly. It was hard to be mad about something like this. After she laughed for a while, she calmed down and apologised to me.


    ¡°Sorry, Yumi, I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m just a lazy bum who is freeloading off her girlfriend, after all.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t. And even if you were, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind. Probably.¡±


    Once more, she giggled before bringing me into her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not lazy, am I?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A little, huh¡­ Well, I probably couldn¡¯t deny that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to be that lazy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d worry if you suddenly became all hardworking.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s human nature to find the easy way out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Is that so?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Pretty sure it was.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis? Wah?!¡±


    Still hugging me, Karen let herself fall onto the bed. I yelped in surprise.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Then, I guess it¡¯s just humanoid nature if we say we¡¯re done for now?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­ I guess you could say that?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Truth be told, there really wasn¡¯t that much we could do¡­ Okay, actually, I could still think of some things. The tentacle growth had been a little weird and out of control, for example. We had stuffed all of it into the side room now but it, well¡­ I even had some suspicions that, maybe, the changes hadn¡¯t been with me but instead with the tentacle growth. Not like there were many other candidates.


    Well, we¡¯ll find out tomorrow, I guess.


    For now, the night was going to come to a close. There were many things to do tomorrow.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Want to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    This time, I felt like I could fall asleep. It likely wouldn¡¯t be much more than a nap, but it¡¯d be a pleasant map in Karen¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Spirit’s Lake

    The next morning we woke up like usual, had breakfast and whatever else one did in the morning. Quite a few of the men were surprised seeing us back up again and asked if we were all right. Most of them we had never even talked with before. It was a bit surprising.


    After we had breakfast, we went to Ria, to consult with her. Which was pretty much what we were doing now.


    ¡°Ria¡­ Anything you can tell us?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria, standing behind me, wasn¡¯t answering me. Instead, she kept making incomprehensible sounds and mumbling to herself once in a while. It was slightly unnerving.


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    ¡°... Quiet.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    And so, I kept quiet, waiting for her to finish.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I see¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Oh, did she find something?


    ¡°... I have... no idea.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Or not.


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Has there¡­ been anything¡­ that has¡­ changed?¡±


    ¡°No? Not really. I told you that already, though.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    If I had noticed anything I wouldn¡¯t be sitting here in the first place. Well, okay, I probably would but I would have told her about it first.


    ¡°Absolutely¡­ nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ that is even¡­ mildly¡­ strange?¡±


    ¡°Not really?¡±


    We woke up yesterday, talked with Korwen, lazed around in our wagon, experimented a little on the side and then went to sleep. In the morning, we had breakfast and then went straight to Ria. Nothing really strange had happened during that time. The only strange thing was that the tentacles had been all over the place inside the wagon but we already told her about that one.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°... Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    I really wished she¡¯d say something and not just make these thoughtful hums all the time.


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ find anything¡­ different¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So, Ria wasn¡¯t able to find anything either. If that was the case, maybe it really had been taken all by Karen instead. After all, that something had happened to her was obvious to everyone who had seen her before.


    ¡°We should¡­ observe¡­ for a while¡­ It might¡­ not be¡­ an easily¡­ discernable¡­ change¡­ I doubt¡­ that nothing¡­ happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ So, wait and see?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    Not like there was much else we could do if nobody could find something.


    ¡°Karen should¡­ also pay¡­ attention¡­ It might be¡­ something you¡­ wouldn¡¯t¡­ notice yourself¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay close attention to her, Miss Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Something I might not even notice myself, huh. But it¡¯d be something rather minor if that was the case¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Oh well, nothing I can do about. I guess I should be happy that nothing bad happened.¡±


    I threw my arms up in the air as a sign of giving up. I should look at it positively, after all.


    ¡°Then¡­ Next is¡­¡±


    Ria turned around to take a look at Karen. Seeing that the attention had now been directed at her, Karen instantly stiffened up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take¡­ a look¡­¡±


    ¡°U¡ª Understood¡­¡±


    Looking a little meek, Karen let Ria approach and touch her hair.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s darker¡­ than Yumi¡¯s...¡±


    Ria¡¯s eyes narrowed as she scrutinised Karen¡¯s hair, letting it flow through her fingers, pinching small strands and all that. Watching her touch Karen¡¯s hair so thoughtlessly actually annoyed me a little.


    ¡°Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Keep your... eyes open¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wha¡ª¡±


    Ria¡¯s face closed in on Karen¡¯s as she stared right into her eyes, stopping barely the width of my palm away. Even from here, I could see Karen freeze in place, confused by the sudden action. Even I was too perplexed to react and I was just watching from the side.


    Only that extreme feeling of annoyance was growing at a very rapid rate right now.


    It¡¯s just a check-up, Yumi! Just. A. Check. Up.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see.¡±


    While I was trying to busy myself with staying calm, Ria withdrew from Karen, then walked around her to touch her back. At this point, Karen finally caught herself again and directed a question at Ria.


    ¡°Miss Ria¡­ Just¡­ What were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Do you¡­ know of¡­ mana¡­ encroachment?¡±


    ¡°Mana encroachment?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Or was it¡­ called differently¡­ Mana corruption? Mm¡­ I can¡¯t¡­ remember¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    I felt like I had heard one of those terms before, though¡­


    ¡°Mana¡­ of an attribute¡­ especially¡­ in the case¡­ of manakin¡­ It¡­ encroaches¡­ and corrupts¡­ their surroundings¡­ Or at least¡­ that was¡­ the theory¡­¡±


    ¡°The theory?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ proven¡­ I think¡­ someone is¡­ working on that¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Ria,¡± I interrupted her, ¡°do you mean Professor Marvim and his monster research?


    If I remembered it correctly, there were those small critters¡ªWell, technically, they were monsters¡ªthat he kept. One being a manakin and one not¡­


    ¡°Ahh¡­ You met him¡­ Right¡­¡±


    ¡°So, you say it¡¯s this encroachment he was looking into?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s¡­ close? But no¡­ Not quite...¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    While I would have understood if it had been exactly that case, considering our situation was very similar to that one, Ria apparently thought differently.


    ¡°Rather than¡­ encroaching¡­ Mm¡­ No¡­ It is¡­ encroaching¡­ But¡­ it is¡­ also¡­ mixing¡­¡±


    ¡°Mixing¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡¯s¡­ mana and¡­ Karen¡¯s¡­ mana¡­ Both are¡­ attributed¡­ The Primal attribute¡­ Lust¡­ and the¡­ Silver Moon¡­ attribute¡­¡±


    Ria removed her hand from Karen¡¯s back and stepped away.


    ¡°Those two¡­ are mixing¡­ and forming¡­ something else¡­ but¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ know what¡­ it is...¡±


    ¡°So, instead of being Lust or stee¡ª Err, Silver Moon, it created a new attribute?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ what I¡­ just said¡­¡±


    And Ria didn¡¯t know what kind of attribute it was¡­ But what the heck could you get from mixing Lust, which was a human desire and need, with steel, which was material. A Lust Steel? Lustful steel? Like, what would that even be?


    ¡°It might¡­ be interesting¡­ to test¡­ what it is¡­ But before¡­ we do that¡­ there is¡­ another matter¡­ that needs¡­ to be¡­ addressed¡­¡±


    ¡°Another matter?¡±


    Ria nodded, her expression becoming more and more serious.


    ¡°Her mana¡­ is being changed¡­ This has¡­ obviously¡­ effects¡­ on her body¡­ and these¡­ will only¡­ grow more¡­ pronounced¡­ with time¡­ The hair¡­ and probably¡­ her eyes¡­ will change¡­ even further¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Honestly, that wasn¡¯t surprising to hear. We both were expecting that to happen already.


    ¡°But¡­ it might¡­ not stop¡­ at only¡­ visual changes¡­ But¡­ we would¡­ need someone¡­ like the¡­ High Priest¡­ to determine¡­ whether there¡­ are any...¡±


    ¡°So, you can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡±


    Changes, huh¡­


    ¡°Miss Ria¡­ Would that mean I might change into something like Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡­ could be...¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°You already¡­ knew¡­¡±


    ¡°More or less. It¡¯d be¡­ hard to miss¡­. Ahahaha...¡±


    Karen laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment from Ria.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see¡­ However¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°You might¡­ change in¡­ other aspects¡­ too¡­ Like your¡­ peculiarity¡­¡±


    ¡°Peculia¡ª Oh. That.¡±


    Karen frowned at the mention of the, as Ria called it, ¡®peculiarity.¡¯


    ¡°Mm¡­ We¡¯ll have¡­ to observe¡­¡±


    ¡°Same as me then,¡± I commented, to which Ria nodded once more.


    ¡°Too much¡­ we don¡¯t¡­ know about¡­ For now¡­ as long¡­ as you know¡­ what you are¡­ dealing with¡­ I believe¡­ there is¡­ little reason¡­ for concern...¡±


    ¡°You say that so easily¡­¡±


    We were talking about our own bodies changing. And in Karen¡¯s case, it was quite extreme even. We both knew, of course, that these things would happen. And we had come to terms with it, otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have done this in the first place. Still, you couldn¡¯t get rid of all concerns so easily.


    ¡°Not much¡­ we could do¡­ either way¡­¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s true.¡±


    I sighed. In the end, we hadn¡¯t really found anything else with Ria¡¯s help either.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Oh well¡­ Guess we really can¡¯t do much else other than keeping an eye out for any changes.¡±


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    So much to that¡­ At least, with this out of the way, we could bring up the other topic we wanted to discuss.


    ¡°... Hey, Ria¡­ Changing the topic a little, there was something else we wanted to talk about¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Ria perked up immediately. Seeing her reaction, I really thought it was great that she was so willing to help us. I knew it was mostly curiosity that drove her but it sure helped us out.


    ¡°Something else¡­ you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn. You see, since we woke up a little late yesterday¡­¡±


    I gave Ria the rundown of what had happened while we were experimenting on our own. And, most importantly, about what I had noticed about my own body while I was transformed.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ That is¡­ certainly¡­ interesting¡­ It only¡­ happened while¡­ you were¡­ transformed?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Ria stared at me, seemingly in thought.


    ¡°I have¡­ a few ideas¡­ as to why¡­ but we will¡­ need to talk¡­ about those¡­ at a later¡­ time¡­¡±


    Momentarily surprised at her saying we should delay this, I wanted to ask her about the reason. Before I could, however, I noticed Korwen walking around behind her, clapping his hands and calling everyone to get ready for departure.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Auria is¡­ close¡­ They don¡¯t¡­ want to¡­ delay it¡­ any longer...¡±


    ¡°I can relate to that, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­¡±


    Ria smiled as she watched the mercenaries getting ready.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Let¡¯s stop¡­ here¡­ for now¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    I really would have liked to discuss this with her a little more but there was no way we could delay the whole mercenary band just for this¡­


    ¡°You two¡­ should sit¡­ on the bench¡­ today¡­¡±


    ¡°We planned to do that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡±


    Leaving only those as her parting words, Ria went back to her own wagon, disappearing right inside. Even though she just suggested that we should be outside¡­ she herself didn¡¯t seem to care in the slightest.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I grasped Karen¡¯s outstretched hand and we made our way back to our own wagon.


    ---


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis! Big Sis!¡±


    The silver demonkin ran over, a beaming smile spreading her joy upon seeing us.


    ¡°Rina. We¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Took you long, Big Sis! We were worried!¡±


    ¡°Ahh, sorry about that.¡±


    A wry smile on her lips, Karen patted Rina¡¯s head in an attempt to soothe her.


    ¡°Well, well, look who graces us with their presence. You two sure took your sweet time.¡±


    ¡°Lily.¡±


    Behind Rina, the ever familiar beastkin appeared, busy readying the waroxen.


    ¡°Good to see you two are healthy.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sorry for worrying you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Just, try to wake up a little earlier next time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try¡­¡±


    Not something I could easily promise. It wasn¡¯t like we knew why we had been sleeping so long in the first place.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s good enough for me. So, I guess you two woke up in the middle of the night, or something?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I think just about when everyone went to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, yeah, that¡¯d be pretty late already.¡±


    Lily nodded in understanding. She probably had a good grasp around what time the mercenaries regularly went to bed. Well, most of them.


    ¡°Then, do you already know about what happened in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°The captain filled us in about the most important things. We¡¯re about to reach Auria, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We are. Ah, one moment. Let me finish this.¡±


    Lily grasped the harness of the warox and pulled at it. The large beast let out a low growl in response, stomping the ground a few times.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°... I have no idea what you even did.¡±


    I just saw her pulling on it.


    ¡°If you did, you wouldn¡¯t need me to drive your wagon, would you?¡±


    ¡°... I have no excuse.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. I just secured its position so that it won¡¯t slip.¡±


    Lily slapped the warox on the back a few times and the beast let out another low growl in response.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re good to go. Hey, Rina, Karen. We¡¯re about to leave.¡±


    The two sisters that were busy catching up both let out a surprised ¡®Ah.¡¯ and turned to Lily.


    ¡°Lily, it¡¯s good to see you.¡±


    Karen sounded a little embarrassed as she greeted Lily, probably because she had been so busy with Rina she kind of ignored Lily.


    ¡°Good to see you, too. But you two should get in so we can leave.¡±


    ¡°Nn, about that, Lily. Could we join you outside for today?¡±


    ¡°Huh? I mean, sure you can but what brought that up?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re about to arrive in Auria, right?¡±


    Lily stared blankly at me for a few seconds until it clicked.


    ¡°... Ahhh, you want to see the town.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course, you can join us. Right, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just going to be a little cramped.¡±


    Well, we already knew it¡¯d end up cramped. But it wasn¡¯t the first time all four of us would be on the driver bench so we knew it was doable.


    ¡°Okay, then. Let¡¯s get up and leave. We don¡¯t want everyone to leave us behind.¡±


    With that, Lily jumped up on the bench and sat down in the middle. Rina immediately ran on the other side and climbed up, too. That left Lily¡¯s other side for us, with me sandwiched between Lily and Karen.


    By the time we settled down, other wagons were already on the move, on the way to Auria. Lily, holding the reins, spurred the waroxen on and our wagon soon followed the others. Not wanting to interrupt Lily as she joined the caravan of mercenaries, we kept quiet for a good while. Until she spoke up herself.


    ¡°And? How was your overly long nap?¡±


    ¡°Quite good, I¡¯d say. We slept well, right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you can call it sleeping...¡±


    What else should we call it? Being in a coma? Fainted?


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    Lily kept her eyes focused to the front, occasionally stirring the waroxen left or right, adjusting the path.


    ¡°And how was I for you?¡± I asked after a short while.


    ¡°How it was, huh¡­ Nothing really happened. We made stops at some villages and towns here and there to resupply but outside of those¡­ Well, there was that incident with the guy who cheated on his wife.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, the captain mentioned that¡­¡±


    The man who went to the brothel got caught by his wife and was then beaten black and blue.


    ¡°You should have seen the guy. His wife completely rearranged his face.¡±


    ¡°That sounds quite scary.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it sure was, it sure was. Would¡¯ve been even worse if the captain hadn¡¯t stopped her.¡±


    ¡°He stopped her?¡±


    That¡¯s something he hadn¡¯t told us about.


    ¡°He did. Together with that other man, Taddick. Don¡¯t want to know what would¡¯ve happened if they hadn¡¯t intervened.¡±


    Probably nothing good¡­ If he already needed to be taken care of for two whole days with Korwen interrupting¡­ He might have gotten quite lucky, there.


    ¡°Mr Captain said they reconciled, though? I can¡¯t really imagine that if things were that bad¡­¡± added Karen.


    ¡°Err, reconciled¡­ Well, they more or less did? Looked like it at least, last I saw them. I didn¡¯t exactly go up and ask them, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, it was probably not our business anyway¡­


    ¡°But if the captain said they did, well, I guess they did.¡±


    Lily shrugged her shoulders as if saying she didn¡¯t really care.


    ¡°Anyway, I think that was about the only interesting thing that happened. It was pretty boring.¡±


    ¡°Boring, huh¡­¡±


    I gazed forward, looking at our surroundings. The never-ending scenery of trees, forests and meadows. The same-looking scenery they had probably watched for days without an end in sight.


    At that moment, I felt someone poking my side with their elbow.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The only one who¡¯d poke me right now would be Karen. As I turned around, I could see her grinning and holding a finger up to her mouth, telling me to keep quiet. Then, she pointed with her chin over to Lily. Following her gaze, I wasn¡¯t quite sure she was trying to tell me¡­ Lily sat there, holding the reins in her hand and looking forward.


    Doesn¡¯t look there¡¯s anything wrong¡­ Maybe Sis meant Rina?


    I leant a little forward, to look past Lily.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    And right there, I could see the reason Karen was grinning. Lily was holding the reins in her hand. In one hand. And with the other, a little out of our sight, she was holding hands with Rina, their fingers intertwined. The latter was also slightly leaning against Lily.


    Oh? Ohhhh? Well, well¡­


    Was that what they had been up to in the meanwhile?


    Hehe. Lily, I very much doubt it was all that ¡®boring¡¯ as you make it out to be.


    Noticing we were staring at them, Lily turned around to look at us. We quickly repositioned ourselves so that it wasn¡¯t obvious what we had been looking at, earning us a confused stare.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Karen and I exchanged a gaze, grinning. It must have been quite confusing for Lily, though, but we didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°You two are weird¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure are.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ignoring the confused Lily, we giggled at each other. We were simply happy that the two got along so well. Yes, that was all.


    ---


    A good while later, the area slowly began to clear up with fewer trees around to bar the view. The wind picked up and a fresh breeze carrying the smell of fish and water came over us.


    ¡°We should see Auria soon,¡± commented Lily right afterwards.


    The four of us were staring at the horizon as the wagon slowly ascended a slope. From the front end of the caravan, we could hear the first cheers. I could feel Karen¡¯s grip on my hand tightening as she watched the slope¡¯s end coming closer and with it, the mercenaries¡¯ cheers.


    And then¡­


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°... Wow.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A lake came into view. A blue line at the horizon stretching from one end to the other.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the Grand Spirit Lake.¡±


    Lily sounded cheerful as she said those words to us, who hadn¡¯t ever seen the lake before.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ huge.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I had probably seen a lake here or there back in my old world as well but¡­ I was sure I had never seen something¡­ this gigantic. From this distance, we couldn¡¯t even guess the size of the lake.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Grand Spirit Lake for nothing, you know?¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Hey, Lily, are lakes usually that big?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only seen a few lakes but this is by far the largest I know of, Karen. And I was told by Papa that it was the largest one known, too.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    But¡­ just how large was it really? This didn¡¯t look like a lake to me, it was more like the sea.


    ¡°Ohh, if you look closely, we can also see Auria from here.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Where?¡±


    ¡°There, there. Right in front of the lake. A little to the right. No, a little more to the right.¡±


    ¡°Ah, there¡­¡±


    Just like Lily said, there was a town, bordering right at the Lake. It was still quite far away so I couldn¡¯t see many details. Even though I had gotten quite good at looking at things far away. Still, I could make out the walls and a few towers or large buildings peeking out among the remaining blur. But with all that said...


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty¡­ tiny.¡±


    Having seen the capital before, it was just¡­ incomparable.


    ¡°Mh, you think so? It¡¯s pretty big if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Big, huh¡­ Well, I only had seen, like, three cities in this world so far. Arkesta, Larfas and now this one. Everything else had been a village. Not like I have seen many villages either, of course¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ Anyway, can you see any fort from here?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A little perplexed by her question, it took me a moment to turn forward again and look into the distance.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That means it¡¯s still going to be some distance from Auria itself, huh... ¡°


    ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll see it today?¡±


    ¡°Today? No, I doubt so. We¡¯ll probably take a rest at Auria first. I guess the captain will have to talk with the people high up in the town first. Ahh, but he¡¯ll probably send some people ahead to the fort. If you ask, maybe he¡¯ll let us go too?¡±


    That might not be a bad idea at all. I really wanted to see the fort. Ahh, but others probably wanted to, as well¡­ Well, asking wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    ¡°But first, we¡¯ll have to cover the last bit of distance. It won¡¯t be that long anymore.¡±


    I looked towards the massive lake and the small town in front of it. Looking closer, I could make out several dots nearby the town in the lake. Probably ships.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Lily, I heard that Auria has a fishing industry¡­ Does that mean there are many magicians here as well?¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case. Or more like, for sorting, people that have mana sight are enough.¡±


    Ahh, right, people with mana sight were needed to sort out the fish. Was that even a profitable job? I couldn¡¯t imagine it¡­ You learnt magic only to end up as a sorter for fish¡­ But it probably had to be or people wouldn¡¯t be doing it.


    ¡°For preparing the monster meat, actual magicians would be necessary. Since Auria also deals with that, there should be quite a few magicians working in that town.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Monster meat¡­ Monster fish¡­¡±


    The monster fish was quite delicious. Maybe we¡¯d get a chance to eat it again.


    ¡°Hey, Lil¡¯ Sis.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Are monster fish delicious?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they are. Incredibly so.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Rina¡¯S eyes seemed to sparkle from excitement, hearing that.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi, stop telling her that. Prepared monster fish is seriously expensive. We can¡¯t just wolf it down like you,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°... Ah. Err, well...¡±


    Oops, I got scolded. I completely forgot about that for the moment.


    ¡°Ahaha! Karen, if we can¡¯t buy it, we should just get it ourselves!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Well, we just go fishing. The fort¡¯s close to the lake, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°... Will it be that easy, though? It¡¯s not like with the river, is it?


    ¡°It¡¯s a lake, so it¡¯s different, yes. But it should be possible for us to catch some fish close to the shore. We can ask some of the old mercenaries to teach us.¡±


    Oh, right¡­ The mercenary band was large and there probably were a few that had been living either here or otherwise close to a lake. Chances were quite good that someone knew how to fish.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well, if we catch it ourselves¡­ But can anyone actually prepare it?¡±


    ¡°... Can¡¯t Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Me? I have no idea how to do that.¡±


    ¡°... Damn.¡±


    Sorry to shatter your dream, Lily.


    ¡°Maybe Ria or Wendl do?¡±


    ¡°The old man doesn¡¯t. I asked him before.¡±


    ¡°That still leaves Ria.¡±


    Although I had to admit, I was a little surprised to hear that Wendl didn¡¯t know about that.


    ¡°If Ria knows, maybe she can teach me how to do it.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that would be perfect.¡±


    Optimally, I would only need to remove the mana inside the monster. At least, that¡¯s what I hoped for. But I really couldn¡¯t imagine that something as ¡®simple¡¯ as that wouldn¡¯t be possible for Wendl, so there might be something else necessary.


    ¡°Ahh, now I¡¯m looking forward to that. To think we¡¯d be able to enjoy such a luxury.¡±


    ¡°Lily, we don¡¯t know for sure if that¡¯ll work out yet.¡±


    ¡°It will, it will. Let me dream a little.¡±


    She could dream as much as she wanted but I hoped she wouldn¡¯t blame me if things didn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do your best!¡±


    ¡°... I will.¡±


    Oh well, now it would be even harder for me¡­ I had to do my best.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And finally, of course, Karen joined in, her excitement visible to all.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re counting on you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They were counting on me, huh¡­ That was nice to hear. Although¡­ I had some mixed feelings about being counted on this of all things.


    Girls, technically, we¡¯re mercenaries, not fishers¡­


    Still, maybe this wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can. But first, we¡¯ll have to get to town, you know?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we know.¡±


    Well, the town was still some distance away. And getting to the fort had priority as well. Who knows when we would actually be able to realise these plans?


    But, I¡¯m still going to look forward to that. Yes, I am.


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Town of Auria

    A wall of dark red bricks towered above us. It was red. Clearly visible even from a distance in the green and blue background. That was the town of Auria, located right at the Grand Spirit Lake. A port town.


    I feel like I had the same impression when we arrived at Larfas. Guess it¡¯s only to be expected that the style of architecture is similar¡­


    Even so, it was still quite a peculiar sight for me. The bricks weren¡¯t uniform in colour, some darker, some lighter. And even the lighter ones weren¡¯t a glaring red.


    ¡°Yumi, are you going to keep staring at the wall for the rest of the day?¡±


    ¡°... No, I didn¡¯t intend to, Sis.¡±


    Having just arrived in this town, there were quite a few things to do. And one of them was informing the local governor of our coming. For that matter, Karen and I were accompanying Korwen. And now, the three of us plus Taddick had come to the gate of the town of Auria, hoping to gain entry.


    ¡°You girls, don¡¯t dilly-dally. You can admire the townscape another time.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Captain. We¡¯re coming.¡±


    I threw a final passing glance to the wall, before following Karen and the others. We passed the gate with little trouble entering the town proper.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Hey, Captain.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°This might be a little late to ask but¡­ In the capital, we had to get registered to that device or something. Is that not necessary here?¡±


    ¡°This town doesn¡¯t have a warding barrier. If it had, you probably would have alerted just about the entire town by now. Well, the soldiers would have actually stopped you before that would happen.¡±


    Well, I should have asked earlier, maybe. Good thing there wasn¡¯t one.


    ¡°Are those barriers rare?¡±


    ¡°Most towns won¡¯t have one. Only the large towns usually have one.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Without one, they¡¯d need to fight any approaching monsters, didn¡¯t they?


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going. I¡¯d like to get this done with as fast as possible,¡± said Korwen.


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯re coming.¡±


    With Korwen in the lead, we walked down the main street from the gate. The town scenery was pretty much the same as it was in Larfas, even past the gate.


    This town¡­ We¡¯re going to live near it from now on, aren¡¯t we?


    With the fort nearby, we¡¯d have to get everything we¡¯d need from this town. Supplies and food, for example.


    Thinking about it like that, it was a little like was part of our new home. The mere thought made me smile a little. After all, while the town wasn¡¯t exactly big it was¡­ cosy. That¡¯s the feeling I got from it.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi, look.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ohhh.¡±


    As it happened, the main street led towards the harbour. The lake was in full view, several small ships were anchored at the harbour and dozens over dozens of people walked around. It seemed that there was a small market going on here. And, of course, it was all about fish.


    ¡°Now, now, isn¡¯t that quite the sight. Haven¡¯t seen that much fish in one place in a long while.¡±


    Korwen seemed just as impressed, looking all over the market.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look when we get back later, shall we?¡± he suggested.


    ¡°Nn, sounds good.¡±


    Maybe we could find some delicious fish¡­ And I was a little curious what kinds of fish there were¡­


    Just looking over it from here, there seem to be some curious ones¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡±


    It seemed that I had stopped again, earning me an exasperated call from Karen.


    ¡°We can look later.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I know¡­ Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help it.¡±


    I should focus on the task at hand¡­ which was just working those two legs of mine. For now.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect such a large fish market. I thought they had to be sorted first?¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡±


    Vaguely, I could recall similar fish markets back in my old world. But since fish had to be sorted¡­


    ¡°Maybe the fishers have someone with mana sight on-board. Or there is a place they can do that nearby after they return,¡± said Taddick.


    ¡°On-board¡­ you say?¡±


    If they were on-board, that would probably allow them to sort through the fish while they were still out on the sea. But I couldn¡¯t imagine someone with mana sight being that cheap to hire either.


    ¡°Hey, Cap. You know how they sort through the fish?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Being called out by Taddick, Korwen turned around to look at us, then over to the market. All the while not stopping his legs from moving forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you mean to ask about mana sight, right?¡±


    ¡°When they do that, or where. They¡¯re selling all that fish there, right? They gotta have someplace or someone to check.¡±


    ¡°Ahh. Do you see that large building over there? The one with the fish sign.¡±


    Korwen pointed at the other end of the port. A house, twice as tall and easily three or four times as wide as the other buildings surrounding it stood there. An image of a large fish was drawn right under the roof. It was a pretty massive drawing, impossible to miss.


    ¡°That should be the sorting hall. The fishers bring their catch there to be sorted. I think larger fishing companies might have their own workers with mana sight but in general, that¡¯s how it works for most towns like this.¡±


    ¡°I see. And after it gets sorted they can sell it on the market¡­ What happens to the monster fish?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it is in Auria but usually it is either they are sold directly to the town management or they hire their own magicians to process it and then sell them to merchants, nobles, or whoever else might be their client.¡±


    The difference between being managed by the authorities or dealing with it by yourself, huh¡­


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the merchants complain if they had to leave it to the town, Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily. In fact, they might prefer it. Monster fish, if it wasn¡¯t treated properly, is poisonous. That makes it hard to sell since there¡¯s the question of trust. And rather than keeping unsold fish, they are guaranteed to make some profit by just leaving it with the authorities. And since the town authorities are generally more trustworthy, they have an easier time selling it. The merchants make a profit and the town does too.¡±


    Everybody wins, huh.


    ¡°Cap, why the hell do you even know about it in that much detail? You clearly got the wrong job, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Contrary to you, Taddick, I went around and tried to learn what I could about Auria before actually coming here. There are several among our men who come from fishing villages and towns. You could have just asked them, too.¡±


    ¡°... Guess I can¡¯t refute that, can I? So, we actually have people that come from here?¡±


    ¡°No, not from Auria itself, unfortunately. But there¡¯s a group from the western side of the lake and they told me all about it.¡±


    The western side¡­ So, opposite of this town? We should be somewhere to the¡­ east? Southeast? Of the lake¡­ I really wanted to see the map again to see exactly where we were.


    ¡°Hmm, makes me wonder why they left it behind. I know quite a few who¡¯d love to live in a fishing village. Stable job and good money. Tad exhausting from what I heard, though.¡±


    ¡°People have their reasons.¡±


    ¡°They sure do. Well, not my business.¡±


    Taddick shrugged with a laugh, clearly not intending to dig deeper into it.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s not our business. Either way, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°Huh? We have? Where?¡±


    ¡°There.¡±


    We stood in front of a house. A¡­ very regular house. It was a little larger than the others but it didn¡¯t particularly stand out either¡­


    ¡°This?¡± asked Taddick, with an incredulous tone in his voice.


    ¡°This.¡±


    ¡°Hell, I expected some huge mansion. This is almost disappointing. There aren¡¯t even guards. Only a fence. Sure this the house of a highborn?¡±


    ¡°They probably have a mansion elsewhere, out of town. This is more like the governor¡¯s workplace.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, got it.¡±


    Without hesitation, Korwen walked through the gate, entering the grounds, the three of us following right behind him to the door. A large doorknocker in the form of a vicious animal adorned it. Korwen rapped the doorknocker, then stepped back and waited.


    A few moments later, the door opened and the face of a woman peeked through the crack.


    ¡°Who may you be?¡±


    ¡°I am Korwen, captain of the Lomerian Dragon Knights. I wish to speak with Governor Tollmann. Please take this as our invitation.¡±


    Korwen handed a small letter to the woman. She only glanced at it for a moment before turning her attention once more to Korwen.


    ¡°... One moment.¡±


    With an almost emotionless tone, she closed the door, letter in hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope this moment won¡¯t take hours...¡±


    ¡°It surely won¡¯t, will it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate aristocracy, Yumi. ¡®Just a moment.¡¯ can very well mean several hours, if you are unlucky.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t a ¡®moment¡¯ in the least, though¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to happen this time, though. I heard that the governor is a very hard-working man and not very interested in the superfluous relationships of the aristocracy. It still might take some time since we came unannounced.¡±


    And until then we¡¯d¡­ wait in front of the door? That wasn¡¯t very welcoming. But as if to answer my doubts, the door opened once more. And fully, this time, revealing the interior of the house and the person behind it.


    ¡°Esteemed guests, the master of the house will make time for you shortly. Please wait inside as he gets ready.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Thank you.¡±


    The woman, presumably a servant working here, bowed deeply as she welcomed us in. There was a hall behind the door, nothing extremely big, considering the building itself wasn¡¯t. The servant woman led us through the hall into a guest room.


    ¡°Please take a seat, esteemed guests. The master will be with you shortly.¡±


    The woman bowed again and then left the room, leaving the four of us completely alone.


    ¡°Well, then let¡¯s take her up on her offer.¡±


    Korwen strode towards the table in the middle of the room and sat down on the couch. Taddick followed him, sitting down on his left side. That left the right for Karen and me. After we sat down, I scanned the room. It was a relatively subdued room. Bookshelves with dozens of books lined up on them, some flowers in a vase. Then there was the table in front of us, with two couches on either side, one of those was occupied by us now. And that was already all that was in the room.


    Just then, the door opened once more and a man entered. He stood tall, not as tall as Korwen but still taller than most. Short black hair, a neatly trimmed moustache and eyes that seemed like they would understand not a single joke. He gave the impression of a very serious man.


    Seeing him enter, Korwen stood up from the couch.


    ¡°Mr Korwen, I presume?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is an honour to meet you, Mr Tollmann.¡±


    ¡°So? What business do mercenaries have this far in the north? Especially bearing a letter with the royal sign.¡±


    The man, Tollmann, sat down on the couch opposite us. He didn¡¯t smile at all, only an unmoving serious expression. Still, his eyes wandered over us, scrutinising the people before him.


    ¡°His majesty the king has graciously allowed us the purchase of the Fort Auria. We have come here today as a greeting.¡±


    ¡°... Say what?¡±


    The governor froze for a moment. He was likely shocked by the sudden and unexpected announcement.


    ¡°The Fort¡­ Auria? Fort Auria? What fort?¡±


    ¡°Fort Auria to the north at the Sleeping Forest.¡±


    ¡°There¡­ is no fort?¡±


    ¡°... There should be.¡±


    Clear confusion on both sides.


    ¡°Mr Korwen, if you could excuse me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The governor left his seat and disappeared, leaving the four of us alone again. He had left as quickly as he had come.


    ¡°Cap, I got a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡°How strange. You are not the only one.¡±


    Honestly, you would have to be quite an oblivious person if you weren¡¯t getting a bad feeling here.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that this is a misunderstanding.¡±


    After that, we fell silent, nobody saying anything as we waited. It was rather nerve-racking.


    Fortunately, the governor didn¡¯t make us wait for too long, as he appeared after several minutes once more.


    ¡°I apologise for making you wait, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°... No, it¡¯s no problem.¡±


    ¡°There, indeed, seems to be a fort in the north but¡­ It has been abandoned for who knows how long¡­¡±


    ¡°We already know that and we acquired the fort knowing full well about that.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The governor sighed before continuing.


    ¡°As long as you are fine with that and not causing trouble to our town, you may do whatever you want. It is not my place to judge his majesty¡¯s decisions.¡±


    ¡°... I apologise if this sounds rude, but did his majesty not inform you of the fort¡¯s purchase through the letter?¡±


    ¡°He did not. His majesty merely stated that you had business here and that I should accommodate as necessary.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    There was a visible twitch in Korwen¡¯s cheek as he listened to the contents of the letter.


    ¡°Back to the topic at hand, Mr Korwen. If you require assistance with the forest, you are free to request the services of my citizens, as long as you do not coerce them and pay them appropriately. And, of course, as long as it does not interfere with the town¡¯s fishing business.¡±


    ¡°... Assistance with the forest?¡±


    ¡°Clearing the path through the forest, of course.¡±


    Another clear twitch in his cheek.


    ¡°... I see. Thank you for your understanding but we will try to solve it on our own for the time being.¡±


    ¡°That would be preferable.¡±


    The governor nodded in approval.


    ¡°Are there any other matters to discuss?¡±


    ¡°There is the matter of supplies and what-not¡­¡±


    ¡°You might want to discuss that with the merchants.¡±


    ¡°I will take that as permission to conduct business with them.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Then, if there¡¯s nothing else...¡±


    ¡°That was all.¡±


    Hearing Korwen¡¯s reply, the governor stood up from the couch.


    ¡°I will excuse myself then. I wish a fruitful endeavour to you, Mr Korwen. And of course, to the young ladies as well.¡±


    He directed that final part towards Karen and me. However, before we could respond he had already made his way to the door.


    ¡°Willa, the guests have finished their business. Escort them to the door.¡±


    ¡°Understood, master.¡±


    As if replacing the governor, the woman from before entered.


    ¡°Esteemed guests.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Korwen stood up and left the room. We hurriedly followed after him. I was a little perplexed at how¡­ abrupt and dry the conversation had been. Or rather, everything had been quite cut and cry. Even the woman, as she led us to the front door, wasn¡¯t smiling and every word she spoke was monotone.


    ¡°I hope your enjoyed your stay, esteemed guests. Farewell.¡±


    And those were the last words we heard before the door closed.


    ¡°Well, I guess you can say we finished what we came for¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Cap¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Taddick, let¡¯s get going first.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    After leaving the governor¡¯s estate, we walked down the street we had come from. It didn¡¯t take long before we once more passed by the market. As if remembering what he had said earlier, Korwen stopped and stared at the market.


    ¡°Cap.¡±


    ¡°We got a problem.¡±


    ¡°Sure sounded so.¡±


    A problem?


    ¡°Captain, what problem?¡±


    ¡°Simply put, the fort is not quite where we thought it is.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t where he thought it was? Wait, was this about the thing with the forest? I didn¡¯t quite get what they were talking about at that moment but¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s in the forest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°I assume the forest expanded in the two-hundred odd years after the fort had been abandoned. Or in simpler words, nature reclaimed it.¡±


    That was¡­ Well¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to clear a path to the fort. And I fear¡­ we¡¯ll have to get weeding.¡±


    ¡°Captain, can you really call it weeding when it¡¯s about a forest?¡±


    ¡°What, do you want to call it ¡®deforesting a fort¡¯ or what?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That sounded ridiculous, too.


    ¡°Anyway, semantics aside, there¡¯s going to be a lot of work, it seems¡­¡±


    That sure seemed like it was the case.


    ¡°Can¡¯t change that. We¡¯ll need to send some people to¡­ find the fort, for now. There are surely old paths we can find.¡±


    ¡°Cap, you might wanna think about that back at the camp.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right. I did promise we¡¯d take a look at the market, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    With a wry smile on his lips, Korwen turned around, clapping his hands once as if to dispel the gloomy atmosphere.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look, shall we? No point in fretting over something we can¡¯t change anyway. Could be worse.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better, Cap!¡±


    Taddick laughed heartily while slapping Korwen on the back. It looked¡ªand sounded¡ªlike it¡¯d really hurt but as expected of Korwen, he didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We¡¯re lucky the talks ended so quickly.The market¡¯s still lively and maybe we can find something nice for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh? We can buy something?¡±


    ¡°From your own money.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ahh, and here I was hoping¡­


    ¡°Well, next time. Let me treat you for today.¡±


    ¡°Ohh!¡±


    ¡°What, really, Cap?!¡±


    ¡°You pay for your own share, Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    With Korwen in the lead, we went off to the market and the nearest stalls in order to look for something nice. Walking down the stalls and looking at what each of them had to offer¡­ I noticed¡­ there was¡­ a lot of fish.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What kind of fish is that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    There was a lot of fish. And I had no idea what kind of fish this even was. The one I was looking at was large. Longer than my entire arm, with deep red scales and huge teeth in its mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s a Red Devil, little lady. A real treat of a fish! You won¡¯t come by another specimen as splendid as this one! How about it? Only four silver!¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re good. Let¡¯s go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Karen grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the stall. The stall owner heartily told us to ¡®come by whenever¡¯ and promptly lured in his next potential customer.


    ¡°Four silver¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    Well, I had to admit, that¡­ was a lot of money for a fish.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Well, Captain¡­¡±


    Seeing Karen¡¯s blank stare accompanied by her muttering, Korwen, who hadn¡¯t seen what happened, asked me about it. After a quick explanation, he only laughed.


    ¡°What, that¡¯s all? Fish is expensive, after all!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s funny.¡±


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t be if you had actually paid.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Why wouldn¡¯t that be funny?


    ¡°Take a look. Taddick, come.¡±


    With that, Korwen went back the way we came, to the stall we had been at. Karen and I waited a little away, just far enough to be still in earshot.


    ¡°Hey, mister, that¡¯s some nice fish you got there.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Good sir, you got a keen eye! That¡¯s a Red Devil! A beautiful specimen isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It sure is. Haven¡¯t seen one this good in a while.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good sir, are you two new sailors?¡±


    ¡°No, not quite. But I have come around my share of fish before.¡±


    The two conversed quite happily, but there was a bit of a change in expression when Korwen mentioned he knew about fish. I just couldn¡¯t quite place what it was.


    ¡°Then you surely know how rare of a find a Red Devil this beautiful is, good sir. So, how about it? Want to buy it? As you know, buying here on the market is a lot cheaper than from the merchants! And you won¡¯t come a fine one such as this any time soon again.¡±


    ¡°Mmm, I¡¯m not sure. Depends. How much?¡±


    ¡°Well, just for you good, good sir, how about eighty bronze?¡±


    What?!


    ¡°Eighty, huh¡­ Still seems a little much, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Guess I can¡¯t trick a man like you, good sir! Sixty!¡±


    ¡°Sixty it is, then.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your patronage!¡±


    The stall owner took the fish, wrapped it up in something and then handed it to Korwen, who handed him the money. After saying their goodbyes, Korwen came back to us, newly acquired fish in hand.


    ¡°And that¡¯s how you do it.¡±


    ¡°¡±...¡±¡±


    We could only stare at him in disbelief¡­ It was¡­ completely different from what had happened to us.


    ¡°... Captain¡­ How¡­ Why...¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! He tried to trick you girls, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Two young pretty girls at the fish market. You¡¯re easy prey for the people here. That¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, he nearly tricked us into paying way more than the actual price¡­


    ¡°Admittedly, four silver would be about the right price if you bought the fish from merchants outside this town. But these people sell only to the locals and fish is a staple food for them. Sixty bronze for a fish is already a luxury.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Somehow, I couldn¡¯t even be mad. Korwen got the fish in such a simple way, it was¡­ it was just ridiculous.


    ¡°I recommend only accompanying someone who knows his way around when coming to the market. At least, until you two know your fish enough not to be tricked.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it to heart¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get disheartened. He would have tried to trick me as well. Well, he more or less did, actually. I bet that even sixty is a little over its market price.¡±


    It was still a world¡¯s difference compared to four whole silver.


    ¡°But to think that the captain even knows about fish¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm? I don¡¯t, though.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°I have no clue about the market price of fish. But I do know about how to deal with sellers like that. And I do know what kind of fish there is, of course. But that¡¯s all.¡±


    So, despite knowing nearly nothing just like us, he got it for¡­ a fraction of the price.


    ¡°As long as you give them the impression that you know your stuff, they won¡¯t trick you that quickly. See, the moment he heard I knew about fish he lost all interest in trying to advertise the fish to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, it did help that we could be mistaken for sailors. Anyway, we got some good fish. I heard Red Devil is quite good. Look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. We will.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t something we could change, though.


    While it was a little disappointing to see that we were nearly tricked, the end result had given us a nice dinner. All¡¯s well that ends well, or something like that.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s keep going and see what else we can find.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen ahead, we continued our path down the market, through the myriads of stalls. Having learnt my lesson this time, I didn¡¯t blatantly ask about what fish they were. Instead¡­


    ¡°Captain, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a Thunder Eel.¡±


    The fish sure looked like an eel¡­ It probably was. Just¡­ way longer than any eel I could remember.


    ¡°They¡¯re quite delicious, too.¡±


    ¡°I see. And that one?¡±


    Pointing at the next fish, I asked him. It was a small brown fish.


    ¡°That¡­ A Brownling. Relatively common but good tasting. Also quite affordable.¡±


    ¡°Is that another way of saying it¡¯s cheap?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    For someone claiming he had no idea about the market price¡­


    Oh well, I didn¡¯t expect anything less from our captain.


    We continued walking down the market stalls, with Korwen answering most of our questions. There were a few he had no clue about but most of the time, he at least knew their name. Even Taddick joined in asking whenever he encountered something he hadn¡¯t seen before.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m chaperoning three kids¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Cap, what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Exactly what I said, Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Want to carry these yourself then?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Over Taddick¡¯s shoulder, he had slung a large bag, filled with our spoils. Korwen had bought a lot of fish, whatever seemed interesting or whatever he knew was good. It was too much food for us, of course, so we¡¯d share with the others back at the camp. Still, we could surely say that we had gotten a good harvest out of this trip. A very fruitful¡­ or maybe fishful harvest.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Excitement Before

    ¡°Dear.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Tell me. What are we supposed to do with all of this?¡±


    ¡°Eat it?¡±


    ¡°Who will?¡±


    ¡°... Us?¡±


    ¡°And pray tell me one thing, dear¡­ Who will prepare this?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s us. It¡¯s us, dear. And now, dear, do you know how to prepare a Red Devil?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that so? Did you buy it knowing that the Red Devil has poison?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Dear.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ are¡­ a BIG IDIOT!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª Ugrf!¡±


    The large red-coloured fish flew from Mrs Korwen¡¯s hands straight into our captain¡¯s face, nearly knocking him over.


    ¡°And you three there! Why did you not stop him?!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Tell me, why did you not stop him?!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡±


    The three of us could only awkwardly avert our gazes as Mrs Korwen glared at us.


    ¡°Did none of you think ahead? At all? We have food stored up as well that needs to be eaten! Who do you think manages our food?¡±


    Without waiting for an answer, Mrs Korwen snatched the fish back from her husband¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Be glad that I actually know how to prepare these. Next time, think who you are troubling with this, got it?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    A sigh later, Mrs Korwen turned to us once more, or more accurately, towards Taddick.


    ¡°Follow me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Taddick stared at her, unable to answer to the abrupt order.


    ¡°Do you want me to carry all that fish you bought?¡±


    ¡°No, err¡­¡±


    ¡°Then move!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    And so, Mrs Korwen with Taddick in tow left us alone¡­


    Once they were out of sight, Korwen sighed in relief. He was freed from his wife¡¯s scolding.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think we bought enough fish to bother our food supplies,¡± he whispered, barely audible.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Gee, that was scary...¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It was.¡±


    The first thing we did upon our return was presenting our spoils to Mrs Korwen and the other women in charge of cooking. This turned out to be met with many very unhappy stares. Because, well, they were in the middle of meal preparations and then some idiots, namely us, came around and told them there¡¯d be food that¡¯d need to get prepared. Yeah, that wasn¡¯t a way to get popular. Maybe in the negative sense.


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t wrong, though¡­¡± I muttered.


    ¡°That only makes it scarier.¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly. Being unable to argue against it¡­ didn¡¯t make the scolding any better.


    ¡°So¡­ What happens now?¡±


    ¡°To the fish or us?¡±


    ¡°... The fish.¡±


    Not sure I wanted to know about the other thing¡­ It sounded too ominous.


    ¡°She¡¯ll cook it, from the looks of it. Well, I guess she¡¯ll make it in the evening for dinner and not for lunch now. I didn¡¯t know the Red Devil would be troublesome to prepare¡­ And there might be other fish like that too¡­¡±


    Right, there might be¡­ Lesson learnt for the future.


    At that moment, a voice called out from behind.


    ¡°Captain! The lecture¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°Merim, it sure is. It sure is. If you were here, you could have helped us, you know?¡±


    ¡°No way I¡¯m going step willingly into the line of fire, Captain. I value my life.¡±


    ¡°This damn¡­¡±


    Let¡¯s be honest, I¡¯d stay away as well¡­ You¡¯d have to be quite masochistic in nature to willingly get in the way.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The men are just a little excited. They want to know what happened.¡±


    ¡°What are you? Little kids?¡±


    Korwen shook his head in exasperation.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Since you¡¯re here, Merim. Call for Fenna and Greyward. And look for people who have experience with cutting trees. Former lumberjacks or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Cutting¡­ trees?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Cutting trees. Removing underbrush. And whatever else could work in that regard.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°... Understood, I¡¯ll gather them.¡±


    Likely having understood what Korwen implied, Merim didn¡¯t pursue it any further and made off to gather the people.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Yumi, Karen, you come with me.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Understood.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    We followed Korwen as he made his way through the provisional camp. Before we had left, there were only the wagons around but now, the mercenaries were busy setting up the tents and everything. And they were quick about it.


    ¡°Oh, they set up the big one already, that¡¯s good. Now we just got to wait.¡±


    ¡°... Does Merim know we¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°He does. Not many other places we could meet up at.¡±


    That so? Well, this was kind of his work tent so¡­ The three of us went inside the tent, only to be greeted by¡­ absolutely nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Not like they had time to change that yet.¡±


    True¡­


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t be worth it to bring out the furniture anyway¡­ Unless the fort is inhabitable¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain, should you really be saying that?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°After I heard that it¡¯s literally in the middle of the forest, I¡¯m expecting everything. Nature is quick when it¡¯s about retaking its place.¡±


    ¡°... Is it even going to be still standing?¡±


    That¡­ was a legitimate concern¡­


    ¡°The fort was built by Earth magicians. Even if everything¡¯s overgrown, the structure itself should be unharmed.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Karen cocked her head to the side a little, staring at the ceiling as if she was lost in thought.


    ¡°Really. Structures made by Earth magicians are incredibly durable. There are buildings from hundreds of years ago that are still standing, looking as if they were built just yesterday. If they weren¡¯t, you¡¯d have one hell of a time when a magician decides to bombard the place. Or a large-scale monster decides on its next meal.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s a good point¡­¡±


    Didn¡¯t want to imagine sitting in a brittle fortress waiting for some magician to dismantle it¡­ Or imagining that mother roper ploughing through the building. That massive monster probably wouldn¡¯t even notice any less firm structure in its way.


    ¡°There still is the possibility of some damage here and there, of course¡­ Depending on the extent, we¡¯ll need to hire a magician to fix it, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Are Earth magicians common, Captain?¡±


    ¡°I wish. They sure as hell aren¡¯t. And they ask for a premium for their work, too.¡±


    Great, more expenses. Were the mercenaries¡¯ finances going to be okay at this rate? They did spend a whole lot on acquiring this fort¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll see how it¡¯ll be¡­ Mh? Oh, that was quick.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    We followed Korwen¡¯s gaze towards the tent¡¯s entrance. A second later, right after he had said that, the curtain was pulled to the side and Greyward and Fenna entered. For some reason, Lily followed behind them.


    ¡°Korwen, we came.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Take a¡­ Ahh, no seats available.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, we can stand.¡±


    Greyward chuckled at Korwen¡¯s little mishap, only to return immediately to his serious demeanour.


    ¡°So? You¡¯re not calling us just for fun, are you? You came back from the governor, does that have anything to do with this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, glad you¡¯re quick on the uptake. Simply put, we confirmed the fort¡¯s existence, at the very least. And informed the governor of our presence. During our talk, we stumbled upon a little problem.¡±


    ¡°A problem, you say¡­ I can already guess it, but go ahead.¡±


    ¡°The forest has expanded and reclaimed the area around the fort.¡±


    Hearing that, Greyward let out a deep sigh.


    ¡°Of course, that had to be it...What else could it have been?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, things are never easy, Greyward!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Korwen. So? What are we going to do about that?¡±


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll need to know where the fort is exactly. I want Fenna to take a few from her squad and scout out the forest.¡±


    ¡°Will be done, Captain!¡±


    Fenna saluted immediately upon receiving his order.


    ¡°Good. Greyward, do you have anyone with experience as a lumberjack or forest clearing in general?¡±


    ¡°Forest clearing, eh? We did some odd jobs before that required us to clear forest paths for ambushes and the like. That should be enough, right?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me. I want you to take command of the group that¡¯ll clear the path once Fenna¡¯s squad determined the location. I strongly suspect there are paths and roads leading towards the fort but¡­¡±


    ¡°Considering how long it has been, they might very well be buried beneath the underbrush and earth.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Greyward grimaced as he spoke. Clearly, this wasn¡¯t the kind of news he enjoyed hearing.


    ¡°Can¡¯t things be simple for once?¡±


    ¡°Life would be too easy then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want it all the time, just once would be nice¡­ Guess I¡¯ll have to gather my men and get ready then. Ah, before I do, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can we borrow some of your equipment?¡±


    Equipment? Borrowing?


    ¡°... Greyward. I know that situation is a little new for everyone but our equipment is also your equipment, too. Take whatever you need.¡±


    ¡°... Right, just wanted to make sure.¡±


    Oh, the two groups still had separate equipment¡­ I forgot about that.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re on the topic, Greyward. What should we do about your old band¡¯s money?¡±


    ¡°The money, huh¡­ That¡¯s a good question... Why do you ask, though? Broke after overreaching yourself and buying a fort?¡±


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t. Not yet, at the very least. But it¡¯d be good if we had some more leeway. Repairs might be in order, after all.¡±


    Greyward closed his eyes for a few seconds, likely thinking about the money issue. After some seconds of silence, he opened his eyes and smiled a little.


    ¡°Well¡­ Guess it¡¯s my turn to say ¡®Take what you need,¡¯ huh?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll help. Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No need. We¡¯re the ones benefitting the most from this whole deal anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ha! That¡¯s true. Look at you, getting a fort with no effort spent.¡±


    ¡°If I told my old man, may the Lord of War bless his soul, about that, he¡¯d laugh at me all day for daydreaming.¡±


    Right, since the Black Guards had been integrated into the Dragon Knights, they also got to live at the new fort now.


    ¡°Err, Captain, sir¡­¡±


    ¡°Fenna, what is it?¡±


    ¡°I hate to interrupt but, if possible, I¡¯d like to gather the women and scout ahead.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can. Go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Fenna saluted and promptly left the tent.


    ¡°She¡¯s a good woman,¡± commented Greyward after watching her leave.


    ¡°She is. But don¡¯t you dare lust after her.¡±


    ¡°Korwen, you know I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha! I know, I know. I¡¯d simply hate to lose her. She¡¯s skilled and has a lot of experience already. Responsible and has a knack for taking command. Her squad is one of our best.¡±


    If only Fenna could hear all this lavish praise.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    Korwen turned his attention away from the tent¡¯s entrance back to Greyward. Or rather, the person behind him, who had been uncharacteristically quiet.


    ¡°I guess you brought her here for a reason? Is this about what we discussed last time?¡±


    ¡°... Lily.¡±


    Greyward stepped to the side and pushed Lily¡¯s back. I could only wonder what was wrong since she looked really nervous.


    ¡°Eh¡­ I¡­ Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily fumbled a little as she tried to articulate her words. And Korwen simply waited for her in silence.


    ¡°I¡­ err...  I¡­. Nnnm! Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I will do it!¡±


    ¡°You thought it through?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Then there¡¯s nothing else for me to say. See Taddick first thing tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    Lily saluted, beaming from one ear to another.


    ¡°Good for you, Lily.¡±


    ¡°... Yes!¡±


    Greyward smiled affectionately as he pat Lily on the head. I had no idea what was going on but it seemed something good had happened just now.


    ¡°Well then, Greyward, I¡¯ll leave the forest clearing to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Merim has already gone around gathering people who might be of use.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Then, I¡¯ll go and start preparing. Going to be a lot of work.¡±


    ¡°That it will. We¡¯ll join you soon.¡±


    ¡°Mm, got it. Lily, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m coming!¡±


    Greyward and Lily left the tent together. Lily had been all smiles. I really wondered if she had even realised that Karen and I had been here. First, she had been super nervous and then super happy¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­ What was that about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll assume you mean with Lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well, let¡¯s say I gave her an offer.¡±


    ¡°An offer?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I think you should ask the rest herself, shouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    Korwen laughed heartily, enjoying the situation.


    ¡°All I can say is that it¡¯s going to be quite something for sure. Look forward to it.¡±


    Okay? I didn¡¯t know what I was looking forward to, but I¡¯d try to do that.


    ¡°Anyway, we have places to be as well, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Are we joining Greyward?¡±


    He did mention we¡¯d join him soon.


    ¡°We will, but first we got somewhere else to be.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°The tamers.¡±


    A short while later, the three of us were visiting a certain group among the mercenaries. These men were, different from most of the mercenaries, not quite as buff and intimidating. That probably didn¡¯t make them any less intimidating if they told their pet to sic you. More to the contrary¡­


    One of these men spotted us and came over in a hurry, saluting before Korwen.


    ¡°Cap! What¡¯s the honour of yer visit for?¡±


    ¡°A little bit of business. Are the waroxen in good health?¡±


    ¡°They sure are. Healthy as can be, sir!¡±


    ¡°Good. We got some heavy work coming up. The fort is inside the forest and we¡¯ll have to clear the path.¡±


    ¡°The forest?¡±


    The man sounded rather perplexed as he listened to Korwen.


    ¡°Yes. The thing is, we¡¯ll need to get rid of all the lumber, as well.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we gotta get it out?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Can you do it?¡±


    ¡°No problem, sir. We just gotta get some carriage or whatever. Something that can withstand that weight.¡±


    ¡°Are the ones we have not enough?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t fill them too much, sure. But that¡¯s gonna take days depending on how big of a pile ye want us to move.¡±


    Korwen rubbed his chin as he thought about the words.


    ¡°Mm¡­ The distance I¡¯d like you to move them isn¡¯t too far, only that they are out of the way. We haven¡¯t quite decided yet what to do with the lumber.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just out of the way, then we wouldn¡¯t need a large carriage. Or any carriage at all. Just need some rope.¡±


    ¡°Which we have more than enough of.¡±


    ¡°But if we gotta move it farther, I¡¯d really appreciate some larger carriage. It¡¯ll be easier on the animals.¡±


    The man glanced behind his back, towards the large waroxen. Many of them had the harness removed and were left alone to allow them some freedom. Most of them either sat around or were grazing. It reminded me of cows¡­ Then again, they probably weren¡¯t too far away from cows.


    ¡°Got it. When it comes to that, we¡¯ll contact the Trader¡¯s Guild and rent an appropriate carriage.¡±


    ¡°Much appreciated, sir! I gotta say I¡¯m surprised, though. They got a branch here?¡±


    ¡°Fishing business is profitable, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see. Where money is, there are the traders.¡±


    Well, that was more or less the merchants¡¯ job, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Traders aside, Cap, anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, that was all. Greyward is getting ready so that we can begin with clearing the forest path. Go to him and coordinate as necessary.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The man saluted. Seeing that the order had been received, Korwen turned to us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    We followed him away from the tamers. Behind us, I could hear the man from earlier shout orders to his fellows about getting the waroxen ready.


    ¡°Next, we¡¯ll go visit the elves.¡±


    ¡°Huh? The elves?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who better to talk about a forest than elves?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    They were quite the forest people, I guess.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll meet with the Elder?¡±


    ¡°Mh? No¡­. Or maybe yes?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The Elder isn¡¯t their elder anymore, as far as I understood it. So, we¡¯re not going to see her but the elf who replaced her.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    Right, she did hand over that spot.


    ¡°But we¡¯re still calling her the Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t really want us to tell her her name, after all. And everyone just refers to her as the Elder anyway. Even her fellow elves still do.¡±


    Ahaha¡­ Stuck with the title she had been using for so long.


    ¡°Mr Captain, I thought she didn¡¯t remember her name?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You believed that?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    It took me a moment to understand why Karen even asked but then I remembered the talk we had. She did say she didn¡¯t remember her name. So, why did Korwen say that, then?


    ¡°The Elder clearly remembers things from who knows how long ago but can¡¯t remember her own name. No matter how you slice it, that¡¯s not going to fool anyone.¡±


    ¡°But why would she even decide to hide it?¡±


    ¡°Because her name would give away her identity, obviously.¡±


    And why would that even be a problem?


    ¡°The Elder knows the Witch. And she has clearly quite the history with the Witch. It may very well be that the Elder¡¯s name can be found in history. There never were many elves active in humanoid society. Or more like fairykin in general. The few that are often left behind many traces. If we knew her name, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to track her past.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I¡­ had never even thought of that. She did tell us about how she used to travel with that monster, Yumias. And the story of Yumias, the witch, had been passed down even until today in the form of the Witch¡¯s Tale. It could be, that the Elder¡¯s name was even mentioned in that very tale.


    ¡°Still, I thought you noticed that. The Elder didn¡¯t really make a secret out of it.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    And here we were, not having noticed at all.


    ¡°Whatever. I assume her past isn¡¯t something she wishes to be known to everyone. And honestly, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Despite my first impression, she¡¯s quite an honest hard worker. Whatever her past was, is, well, in the past.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Still, I was surprised he didn¡¯t really care about her past¡­ Then again, neither did he bother me about my past.


    ¡°So, don¡¯t bother the Elder about it, got it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we won¡¯t. Right, Sis?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. I¡¯d hate to get in trouble with the elves, after all. Speaking of the elves¡­¡±


    Korwen came to a halt, looking at his surroundings.


    ¡°Where the hell are they?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen had walked with complete confidence so I never even questioned where were going. But the elves were obviously not here.


    With a slightly annoyed expression, Korwen walked up to a nearby mercenary.


    ¡°Ah, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t the elves supposed to be here? Where did they go?¡±


    ¡°The elves, sir? They heard about the forest clearing from the Black Guard¡¯s captain. They went to gather there.¡±


    ¡°... Got it. Go on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The mercenary saluted and resumed his work. In the meantime, Korwen rubbed the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Seriously? Well, I guess that saved me the trouble of explaining things to them but I just wish they could have told me¡­ Haa¡­ Okay, back to Greyward we go. Back to Greyward we go¡­¡±


    Back to Greyward, it was.


    Several minutes later, we found the elves together with Greyward, the other Black Guards and a few of the Dragon Knights¡¯ mercenaries.


    ¡°Korwen. That was fast.¡±


    ¡°Not because I wanted it to be, mind you.¡±


    Korwen glanced towards the elves. Over half of the people gathering were the fairykin¡­ Or, in other words, all the elves had gathered here.


    ¡°So, why are the elves here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯d like to know myself.¡±


    ¡°... Then let¡¯s talk with them.¡±


    He marched over to the elves. Seeing the massive man among the diminutive girls was a¡­ weird sight. Like a giant among the people.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with your elder.¡±


    He announced to them, making sure not to speak too fast and pronouncing each word more clearly than usual. A moment later, one elf walked up to him, replying in slightly broken speech.


    ¡°Mister Human. How can. The forest children. Serve¡­ Eh¡­ Help? Help!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know why you gathered here. Do you intend to help clearing the forest?¡±


    ¡°Forest children¡¯s. New home. Maybe. Want to. See. Want to. Help. Help. Forest keep. Life¡­ Life? Lively!¡±


    The elf smiled, happy about something. The other elves seemed oddly happy as well. Maybe they were excited about seeing the forest?


    Still, considering they couldn¡¯t speak a word a few weeks ago... They learnt the language incredibly fast¡­


    Honestly, it made me jealous. My lessons with Karen were going well but I couldn¡¯t see myself holding a decent conversation that quick.


    ¡°I see, so you want to see the forest. And you want to help us.¡±


    ¡°Yes! We do!¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. But what do you mean with lively?¡±


    ¡°Forest. Forest is. Living. Clearing. Hurts. Want to. Help. Hurt less. Trees. Move. Make way.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Try. Not good. Like ancestor. And Lady Elder. But help!¡±


    ¡°Mm. Well, we¡¯ll appreciate any help we can get. That¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    The elf happily shouted out of joy, and the other elves joined in. They really were all smiles. Was this how they usually were? Or did something happen in the two weeks we were out?


    Considering everyone said nothing big happened, there sure seem to be some changes¡­


    Though they seemed to be good changes.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite excited.¡±


    Even Korwen seemed a little surprised by their unbridled joy.


    ¡°New home! New place! New experience! Much water! So much! Lake¡­ Lake, it was?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a lake.¡±


    ¡°Lake is. Amazing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it is.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Something was comical about watching the giant man among these girls being taken aback at their enthusiasm.


    ¡°A¡ª Anyway, we¡¯ll look forward to your help.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Korwen turned around, returning to us. His face was full of confusion.


    ¡°They¡¯re like children¡­¡± he whispered once he was out of earshot.


    ¡°They were holed up in a forest all their life. What did you expect, Korwen?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The Elder is completely different.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s also the only one who knew the outside, didn¡¯t she say that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­¡±


    It was probably a little unfair to compare them to the Elder, Korwen seemed to understand that.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ If they¡¯re happy, that¡¯s good. Better than them being depressed like before.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Were they not like this before?¡±


    ¡°At least not that cheerful.¡±


    So it hadn¡¯t happened during our sleep. In that case, it had to be the excitement that got to them. Even now, they were cheerful and noisy. It was like watching a school class before a school trip.


    ¡°Now then, since the elves already intend to help, that¡¯s good for us.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Then, we should get going. The earlier the better.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    So it was time to make a path to our new home, huh¡­


    ¡°By the way, Korwen. You are coming along? What¡¯s the point of me taking command?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, because we won¡¯t stay with you all the time. As soon as Fenna¡¯s squad comes back, we¡¯ll survey the fort.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ You just want to see it as soon as possible, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do! What else did you think?¡±


    ¡°If anyone¡¯s the child here it¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°Men are just big children, according to my wife anyway.¡±


    And why did Korwen think that was a valid argument? It wasn¡¯t wrong but¡­ Ehh¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Seriously, this damn idiot.¡±


    ¡°Greyward, so you don¡¯t want to see it?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do!¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Tsk.¡±


    Did these two get along or were they actually arguing¡­ I had no idea. But if this went on any longer it¡¯d be bothersome¡­


    ¡°Once we figured out a path, you can just take a look when you take a break anyway.¡±


    ¡°... I guess I can. Haa¡­ Let¡¯s get a move on so we get this over with as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Greyward, I doubt we¡¯ll be able to clear the path in one day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a challenge. Watch me.¡±


    ¡°... Just don¡¯t let anyone get hurt.¡±


    With newfound motivation, Greyward ordered everyone to move out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done with! Time to see our new home!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhh!!!¡±¡±¡±

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Fort in the Sleeping Forest

    Our group of mercenaries and elves made their way around Auria towards the Sleeping Forest. It was a bit annoying that we had to circumvent the town but walking straight through it was prone to causing trouble, according to Korwen. Incidentally, Fenna and her group had already left a while ago so they didn¡¯t join us.


    Well, I¡¯d be quite worried as well if a huge group of buff men accompanied by an even larger group of small girls walked through the streets.


    At least, the elves weren¡¯t walking around in their mostly naked get-up anymore. That would have raised more than just a few questions. Actually, while their current appearance wasn¡¯t as sensual anymore, it was still quite questionable. Some of the elves wore proper clothes now but most of them wore a random assortment of clothes, most of them way too large. As a result, quite a few elves wore nothing but an oversized shirt. Sure, it hid the important parts but it left little to imagination.


    Yeah, thinking about it, this isn¡¯t really better¡­


    This was quite a problematic view after all. And the elves didn¡¯t even seem to mind it at all¡­


    ¡°Yumi, stop staring at them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Sis? Wai¡ª Don¡¯t cover my eyes!¡±¡±


    Suddenly, everything went dark. Karen covered my eyes from behind and the elven crowd disappeared from view.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at them like that, Yumi.¡±


    I was confused for a few seconds before I realised what was going on.


    ¡°Sis, I only wondered about their different clothing, I didn¡¯t look at them like that.¡±


    ¡°Their clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karen¡¯s hands moved away and light once more entered my eyes. Hurray.


    ¡°Why are you thinking about their clothes?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... I figured that those oversized clothes aren¡¯t that much better than their original clothes. And that it¡¯d cause quite a stir if they wandered into town like that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wondered for a moment if I should really tell her but in the end, I decided to be truthful about it. It wasn¡¯t like I was scared about what would happen if I didn¡¯t tell the truth. Really.


    ¡°... They would, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they would.¡±


    While I did have the feeling that people were relatively open about nudity and the like, there were bound to be limits to it. Then again, they weren¡¯t exactly nude either¡­ Anyway, it was probably a good idea that we went around town.


    ¡°But some wear normal clothes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Wanda made them? Or the other women.¡±


    ¡°That might be.¡±


    Wanda was a professional seamstress but quite a few women among the mercenaries¡¯ families could do sewing and the like.


    ¡°But the other elves need some proper clothes, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, agreed.¡±


    With that said, it wasn¡¯t like this was our problem. Or at the very least, it wasn¡¯t something we could help with. Sewing wasn¡¯t part of my skill set.


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Can you sew?¡±


    ¡°Huh? A little¡­ Why?¡±


    ¡°You can? Surprising.¡±


    ¡°... Wanda taught me a long time ago. But only a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    That made sense. Wanda had been taking care of Karen back in the slums. If you could call it ¡®taking care,¡¯ of course.


    ¡°How about you?¡±


    ¡°Me? Not really. At least, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think so...¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Though, I was pretty sure that I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just leave that problem to Wanda and the others.¡±


    Like I had mentioned before, it wasn¡¯t our problem.


    ¡°More important¡­ Sis, is that it?¡±


    I pointed towards the front, the place we were approaching with our group. A dark green curtain slowly showed itself behind the town.


    ¡°I would guess so.¡±


    ¡°Another forest¡­¡±


    ¡°You already knew that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    Forests were nice, though.


    ¡°But you can¡¯t really see into the forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The underbrush was so thick and the trees so close to each other, that you couldn¡¯t really look into the forest. There was really just a long curtain of trees.


    ¡°... I feel like it¡¯s going to end up a huge pain to get through that.¡±


    Clearing the underbrush was one thing but with how close the trees were to each other, we would have to cut quite a lot of them. Even with the elves, I couldn¡¯t imagine them making a wide path through that.


    ¡°Oh well¡­¡±


    This was going to be a lot of work¡­


    ¡°Mr Greyward! I found it! I found the road!¡± shouted a man some distance away.


    ¡°Thank the heavens, finally.¡±


    Once we had arrived, Greyward had ordered everyone to find the old road or any other kind of path that would lead into the forest and potentially to the fort. Unfortunately, two hundred years were more than enough time for the forest to reclaim that road. Much to everyone¡¯s chagrin, since they had to search for it now.


    As luck would have it, a mercenary found it after a while, without any big trouble. And so, with Korwen in the lead, the three of us joined everyone else in taking a look.


    ¡°Let me see.¡±


    ¡°Here, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ stones¡­ a paved road. This is it. Good job.¡±


    Small square stones were hidden under the grass. They were discoloured, a dark green surface telling of how long they had been hidden.


    ¡°Okay, everyone, get to work. The road doesn¡¯t free itself. Come on, get to work!¡±


    Greyward clapped his hands to draw the attention of everyone before giving out the order. The men saluted and promptly began work. The mercenaries carried over tools and small carts.


    ¡°As for the elves¡­ Well, do whatever you can to help out.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    The elf serving as the new elder replied before gathering her fellow elves and helping out the mercenaries. I would have thought they¡¯d try to make the forest move or whatever else they could but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Maybe being similarly confused, Greyward asked her about it.


    ¡°Say, didn¡¯t you want to move the trees out of the way or something like that?¡±


    ¡°We did. But. Forest thick. No space. Needs to¡­ to¡­ trim? Remove trees. Make forest healthier.¡±


    ¡°I see? Well, if it doesn¡¯t work it doesn¡¯t work¡­ As long as you help out that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡±


    The elf smiled before rushing off to join the other elves with their work.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know that removing trees would make a forest healthier¡­ I¡¯ll remember that. So, Korwen and his two little ladies¡­ Are you three just going to stand there and watch?¡±


    ¡°Oh, are we in the way?¡±


    ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°Greyward, you know¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know you are technically my superior. But that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t be in the way.¡±


    ¡°What a rude fellow.¡±


    Despite his choice of words, Korwen was clearly amused by it.


    ¡°So, are you going to keep standing in the way?¡±


    ¡°For a while. We¡¯re just waiting for Fenna to come back.¡±


    ¡°So that you can go and take a look?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. What other reason could there be?¡±


    ¡°So impatient¡­ Well, not like I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Greyward shrugged his shoulders before turning his back to us to shout at the mercenaries to ¡®hurry the hell up¡¯ and things like that.


    ¡°Mr Captain, is it really okay if we¡¯re not helping?¡±


    ¡°It is. So you two just stay here.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Honestly, I was worried a little about whether we should help as well but if Korwen said no¡­ Well, by now, I could more or less guess what his intentions were. He¡¯d probably tell us something about getting used to watching people work and supervising them or things like that¡­ Well, probably not supervise.


    ¡°Still, I knew it¡¯d be bad but if the path is already overgrown like this, I dread to think how the fort is going to look like¡­¡±


    It probably turned into a hill of trees already.


    Let¡¯s hope Fenna can actually find it. If it turned into a literal tree fort, it might be a little¡­ hidden.


    Then again, I knew that Fenna had some experience with reconnaissance and the like. I was sure she¡¯d manage.


    ¡°But this is going to take a while¡­ isn¡¯t it?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Of course. What else did you expect?¡± answered Korwen, chuckling.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe some magic that could clear the area in a flash?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s not that it¡¯s impossible¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t?!


    ¡°... but those four alone wouldn¡¯t get far on their own. And we¡¯d lose out on the lumber. Lumber that might come in handy later. Ria would probably just burn half the trees down, after all. And hiring magicians would be far too expensive to be worth it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So we can only wait and do it the regular way?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the case.¡±


    How bothersome¡­


    Oh well, that there¡¯d be problems was to be expected.


    Honestly, as long as it was just this, it was something we could solve with time. Not that much of a problem.


    Yeah, I¡¯m only saying this because it¡¯s not me who is out there cutting the undergrowth and the trees¡­ I¡¯d sing a different tune if I had to do that, wouldn¡¯t I?


    For once, I was very grateful I could stand next to Korwen and watch the mercenaries work. Really grateful. Even if standing around and just watching wasn¡¯t something you could call exciting either.


    Either way, the three of us watched the mercenaries work for a good while. First, they unearthed the part of the road that led to the forest. They didn¡¯t clear up the entire road up to the town, only what was nearby. This alone already took a while but once they were finished, the old paved road was once more seeing the light of the day.


    After they had managed to unearth this part, they began working on clearing the undergrowth between the trees along the path the road went. All the branches and twigs and whatever else they pulled out was now piling up on the side. A mountain of twigs and branches, growing steadily.


    It was at this point, that people appeared from within the woods.


    ¡°Well, well, look who has come back.¡±


    Korwen grinned happily as these people made their way over to us.


    ¡°Captain! We have returned!¡±


    ¡°Good work. Have you found it, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°We have, Captain.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s grin only grew wider at Fenna¡¯s declaration.


    ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ impressive, Captain. How come such a large fort was simply abandoned?¡±


    ¡°Plenty of reasons. But first tell me, what was its condition?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    Fenna frowned a little before continuing her report.


    ¡°From what we see, there was no outward damage to it. It was also not as overgrown as we had expected. It still is very much the picture of overgrowth, though, with trees and other plants growing all over the walls.¡±


    ¡°Mh, so about what we expected already. What else?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it, Captain. We haven¡¯t entered so we don¡¯t know the situation inside.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Good work, Fenna. And everyone else, too, of course.¡±


    The for was overgrown, after all, but at least outwardly it seemed to be fine, according to Fenna. That was good news.


    ¡°Okay. Fenna, lead us to the fort. It¡¯s time to take a look myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    And just as expected, Korwen immediately decided to see it for himself.


    ¡°Hey, Greyward, I¡¯ll be leaving things here to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Get going.¡±


    Greyward gestured with his hand and shooed us away. Seeing his dismissing attitude, Korwen chuckled again. He clearly got some amusement out of this.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get going, before Greyward throws half the forest in our direction. Fenna, lead the way. Yumi, Karen, stay behind me.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    And so, with Fenna and her squad leading us, we ventured into the forest.


    ¡°How in the blazes can people manage living here with this forest next to them¡­ Ugh, Sis, help me...¡±


    ¡°If you want me to help, hold still, Yumi. I can¡¯t do it if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    The forest was as untamed as expected. Thick undergrowth, trees so close to each other you could barely stretch out your arms without touching one. And, of course, I got stuck everywhere. Every. Fucking. Where.


    ¡°Okay, there we go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Thanks¡­¡±


    Karen let go of my untangled hair. My hair kept getting tangled up in branches and twigs wherever I went. If it was just a little, I could simply move my hair and untangle it myself. But occasionally, I got stuck so badly that Karen had to help me. And this had been like the fourth time Karen had to help.


    ¡°Ha! A troublemaker wherever you go, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing this on purpose, Captain.¡±


    While Korwen was making fun of me, I wrapped my hair around my waist again, hoping it would at least protect me a little from more trouble.


    ¡°Done?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Despite the trouble I caused, Korwen remained patient, only laughing whenever I got stuck. I knew how much he wanted to hurry up and see the fort, so I was quite grateful he was that patient.


    Let¡¯s just hope that patience won¡¯t run out¡­ Ah, it¡¯s stuck again¡­


    As we continued our way forward, a branch hit me in the side, swiping up my hair once more. It wasn¡¯t bad enough that I had to call for help but it still cost me some time getting it untangled.


    ¡°Ugh, I hate this forest¡­¡±


    ¡°Need help, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, Sis.¡±


    After untangling my hair once more, I hurried after Karen, careful not to get caught in any branches again.


    ¡°But why is this forest so¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°Untamed?¡± asked Korwen, hearing my complaint.


    ¡°I guess?¡±


    The forest near the village, the one where we had gone through with Fenna for reconnaissance, wasn¡¯t even remotely as bad as this one. Sure, it wasn¡¯t exactly the easiest trip either with unsteady footing and annoying undergrowth, but compared to this one, it had been a walk in the park.


    ¡°If I had to guess, it is because the locals don¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t need it?¡±


    ¡°Most forests are hunting and gathering grounds for anyone living nearby. But Auria survives on seafood and field crops. It also doesn¡¯t seem to be monster territory. There¡¯s nothing living here that could make large paths. Well, except for a few animals.¡±


    Did the Aurians not eat any meat whatsoever? Wasn¡¯t that unhealthy in its own way? Or maybe they lived from livestock¡­


    ¡°Well, it might be that there is a completely different reason, too¡­ After all¡­ Fenna, was the forest like this the entire time you were here as well?¡±


    ¡°It was, Captain.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    What were they talking about?


    ¡°Yumi, the forest is quiet,¡± explained Karen.


    ¡°Quiet?¡±


    I shut my mouth and tried to listen to the sounds of the forest¡­ There were leaves rustling in the wind¡­ but that was it. No bird¡¯s singing. No animals crying. Nature could be quite noisy but there was nothing to hear of that right now.


    ¡°No wonder they call it the Sleeping Forest. I admit it¡¯s a little disturbing.¡±


    Only our own sounds and the sounds caused by the wind¡­


    ¡°... I¡¯m glad it¡¯s bright outside.¡±


    ¡°What? Scared a ghost comes out?¡± laughed Korwen.


    ¡°...¡±


    With the forest like this, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me. Especially, if it had been dark.


    ¡°Captain. We¡¯re close now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Thank god for Fenna changing the topic. Everyone¡¯s attention returned back frontwards. We walked for a minute or so and then¡­ A large, white wall revealed itself in the thicket.


    ¡°Ohhhhh! It¡¯s the fort! Fort Auria!¡±


    Korwen stepped forward, his excitement palpable. He walked up to the wall and touched it.


    ¡°Fort Auria¡­ We did it. We really did it.¡±


    He stepped back again, looking up at the wall. It was high. Higher than the town¡¯s wall. Maybe even twice as high. Maybe even more. Creeper plants covered it from top to bottom and on the top of the wall, I could make out something else growing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s look for the entrance. Fenna? Do you know where it is?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain. We returned immediately upon finding it. We do know it¡¯s not nearby, at least.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s look for it. Fenna, lead the way.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    Fenna led us along the wall through the forest. Having something so big next to us made it at least easy to know where we were going. That said, if I got lost here, I was one hundred and twenty per cent sure I wouldn¡¯t get out of this forest on my own. I didn¡¯t even know how Fenna manage to guide us here in the first place. Everything about this forest looked the same.


    We followed the wall for a few minutes in silence which actually¡­ made me wonder a little.


    ¡°... Hey, is it just me or is this a really long wall?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay¡­ If this was just one side of the fort, it really had to be massive¡­ Unless it had some weird triangle shape and this was the longest of the three sides¡­ Which, obviously, would be pretty stupid.


    In the first place, we did see those blueprints¡­ Those did suggest it would be pretty big.


    And, obviously, not a triangle.


    ¡°Oh, I see the gate, Yumi,¡± said Karen, bringing me back to reality.


    ¡°Nn? That there?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    At the far end of the wall, or at least as far as we could see, was something that seemed to be a hole in the wall. Probably the entrance.


    We approached said hole and, sure enough, it was the gate. Or rather, what remained of it. Plus, it wasn¡¯t just one hole in the wall, but two.


    ¡°Hey, Captain, I thought this was sturdy and wouldn¡¯t be likely damaged?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The rust-covered metal lattice was on the ground, bent in every way possible. Honestly, even I could see this wasn¡¯t the work of plants. Something had destroyed the gate.


    ¡°Fenna, you didn¡¯t enter, right? Did you hear anything that might be inside?¡±


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t heard anything¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen went over to the metal lattice and crouched down, touching it and looking all over it. After a while, he stopped at the edges of the lattice, looking at the parts that had likely been inside the gate.


    ¡°... This gate wasn¡¯t destroyed very long ago.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It wasn¡¯t destroyed that long ago? Was he saying¡­


    ¡°Whatever destroyed it, might still be inside.¡±


    This¡­ wasn¡¯t good.


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    ¡°Captain, what should we do?¡± asked Fenna.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s take a look inside. Fenna, Karen, protect Yumi. I¡¯ll take the lead from now on.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    The two of them saluted and Fenna came over to me and Karen. The rest of her squad also spread out a little, their hands grasping the hilts of their respective weapons.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Be careful.¡±


    Korwen walked over the lattice, entering the fort. We followed closely behind, entering the overgrown fort.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s massive.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    A courtyard spread out in front of us. An incredibly wide courtyard. There was so much space, that I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the mercenaries could just use it to camp regularly here. Several buildings were among the walls, some of them collapsed. A large red-bricked building was at the other end of the courtyard, dwarfing all other buildings.


    ¡°It¡¯s so big¡­¡±


    Was this really the fort we would be living in in the future? It might be overgrown with creeper plants and a few wild trees but if you cleaned it up, it would be really impressive.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Nothing to see¡­ For now.¡±


    Korwen was also keeping his hand on the hilt of his axe as he surveyed the surroundings.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the main building and look there.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Captain.¡±¡±¡±


    Our group walk across the courtyard, keeping close to the wall. We walked past the collapsed buildings, inspecting each and every one of them. It seemed that they had been built with wood and regular stone and had been unable to withstand the passage of time. But nothing of note was inside. They were, in fact, conspicuously empty, except for rubble. But that could have been a simple result of the fort being abandoned and the soldiers clearing out everything.


    ¡°There¡¯s no one here¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick about that, Karen. They might be hiding.¡±


    We continued on, very slowly, and finally approached the main building. We still hadn¡¯t seen anything noteworthy at all. We hadn¡¯t seen anything, but¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis, does it smell?¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    There was a rotten smell entering my nose as we approached the main building. It was beyond unpleasant and made me retch.


    ¡°Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Yumi, Karen, stay behind a little. Fenna, come with me.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    We stepped backed, leaving the area with the rotten stink. Fenna¡¯s squad stayed with us, visibly glad they didn¡¯t have to join Fenna and Korwen. As for those two¡­ They had their weapons drawn and approached the large double door. The door was made of wood as well and was half-collapsed. Korwen stuck to the wall, looking past the corner and into the building.


    ¡°Well¡­ Shit¡­¡±


    ¡°This¡­ ugh¡­¡±


    Fenna peeked past Korwen and the moment she spied inside the building, she turned around, holding her hand over her mouth.


    On the other hand, Korwen relaxed a little, and walked up to the double door, pulling the broken remnants apart and making space for entry.


    ¡°Fenna, stop clamming up and help me.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ Understood...¡±


    With clear reluctance, Fenna removed her hand from her mouth and helped Korwen remove the remains of the doors. It didn¡¯t take them long to get the broken door out of the way. Having nothing to bar the view, we could finally see what had Fenna clamming up.


    ¡°Corpses¡­ And so many¡­¡±


    Dozens of unmoving bodies lay on the floor, their garments shredded, revealing the rotting flesh beneath.


    ¡°Bandits, probably. Guess they thought this would be a good place to call home. Well, clearly they didn¡¯t last long. But, man, the smell...¡±


    Unperturbed, Korwen entered the building, walking up to the windows and opening the wooden covers. After that, he came out again, rejoining us with Fenna, who had finally regained her composure.


    ¡°At least we found the ones who destroyed the gate. Would have preferred some wild beast, though.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ Were they attacked? Or what killed them?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, Fenna. Ria would need to take a look. But it didn¡¯t seem to be caused by an animal. Maybe infighting. Either way, they¡¯ve been dead for a while.¡±


    Korwen frowned as he glanced back to the main building.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to search the buildings. There¡¯s still the unlikely possibility someone survived and stayed here. Fenna, send someone back and have them call a few people over.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    Fenna saluted and then gathered her squad, likely to discuss who to send back and who had to search.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, will you be fine helpin?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I¡¯ll try to.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Try to be careful. They might have boobytrapped the place. Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Actually, I wasn¡¯t fine, I¡¯d sit this out¡­ wasn¡¯t something I could say now, could I?


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you search alone. Fenna¡¯ll accompany you. They really might have boobytrapped the place, after all. Doubt it¡¯d be anything sophisticated, though.¡±


    That¡¯s not very reassuring, though. Even if it wasn¡¯t sophisticated, if it could kill, it could kill.


    At that point, Fenna also returned to us, her squad already spreading out and entering the buildings in groups of two or three.


    ¡°Captain, I sent someone back.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Good. Then, accompany Yumi and Karen and help with the search. I¡¯ll stay here and take a look outside.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡±


    Having gotten her orders, Fenna turned around to us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, shall we?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Leaving Korwen behind, the three of us walked over to the main building, where they had just found the bodies. The smell of rotten flesh immediately overcame us once more.


    ¡°You two okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Barely¡­¡±


    ¡°Somehow¡­¡±


    Even if we weren¡¯t, we had to deal with the smell either way.


    The three of us entered the main building proper and began our search.


    Rinne


    I hope everyone who is celebrating has a nice time!


    Take care of yourselves and your family! I wish you all the best!


    Rinn¨¦

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Slumbering Fort

    ¡°Ugh, the smell¡­¡±


    I honestly had to take back my earlier statement. I was not fine. The three of us walked through the main hall, passing by the dead bodies. It was hard to stand the smell already and it was even worse to look at them. The bodies were rotting. It didn¡¯t seem like animals had found their way inside here, at least.


    ¡°This is quite horrible... ¡°


    Fenna, holding her hand over her mouth and nose, approached a corpse and looked down on it. The body was wearing worn leather armour, a breastplate, boots and a helm. A deep cut bore into the breastplate and a deep dent could be seen in the helm. A rusted sword was stuck in the body, dispelling all doubts one might have had about his death. Thankfully, the helm covered his face and we couldn¡¯t see the expression. I was fairly certain that I didn¡¯t want to see it.


    ¡°Looks like they fought a person, at least. These obviously aren¡¯t wounds an animal would leave.¡±


    ¡°... Unless an animal learnt how to use a sword.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be pretty scary, Yumi.¡±


    Agreed, that¡¯d be pretty scary.


    ¡°I wonder if they really died from infighting¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Fenna?¡±


    ¡°... Do you see this man¡¯s weapon?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    His weapon? I took a look around but¡­ there were plenty of bodies here and just as many weapons strewn around. That said, there wasn¡¯t anything you could clearly claim to belong to this man.


    ¡°... This isn¡¯t going to be pretty, you might want to close your eyes.¡±


    ¡°What do you¡ª¡±


    Before I could ask her about it, Fenna grabbed the sword in the man¡¯s body and pulled it out.


    ¡°Fe¡ª Fenna?!¡±


    ¡°Miss Fenna?!¡±


    Karen and I could only stare in shock as the blade slid out of the corpse. Our shock was quickly exchanged with disgust, as a clear, questionable fluid spilled out of the wound. Even the black-coloured tip of the blade was covered in it. To make matters worse, the smell only intensified. So much, in fact, that even Fenna stepped back, averting her face.


    ¡°This is¡­ not pretty¡­ Spirits, what a smell...¡±


    She waved with her hand in an attempt to get rid of the smell but, alas, that was quite pointless¡­


    ¡°Fenna¡­ Why did you do that?¡± I asked, holding my hand over my nose and blocking it.


    ¡°I¡¯m regretting it already.¡±


    Fenna once more approached the corpse, similarly blocking her nose, and then¡­ flipped it over with her foot.


    ¡°Ah, as I thought.¡±


    She squatted down, grabbing something that had been buried beneath the corpse.


    A scabbard?


    An empty scabbard was now in Fenna¡¯s hand. With practiced movements, she slid the sword into it. It was clear even to me that it was a perfect fit.


    ¡°He was killed with his own weapon. Talk about ironic.¡±


    ¡°His own weapon? But how?¡±


    I tilted my head in wonder. I very much doubted he casually slipped with his weapon drawn and impaled himself. That only left a single choice¡­


    ¡°Someone stole his weapon and killed him with it.¡±


    Killed by his own weapon¡­


    ¡°The question is whether it was only for this one or if it is the same for everyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I glanced at my surroundings. The momentary distraction of Fenna¡¯s eccentric actions made me forget completely about it but¡­ The bodies didn¡¯t go anywhere, obviously.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°... ¡±


    Why did I suddenly have this really dreadful premonition?


    ¡°We¡¯re going to check the others, too.¡±


    ¡°I fucking knew it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    Fenna raised an eyebrow at my reaction but didn¡¯t comment on it.


    ¡°But¡­ do we really have to?¡±


    ¡°You managed not to barf yet so you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very reassuring.¡±


    ¡°If you really can¡¯t handle it, you can wait outside.¡±


    ¡°... No, I¡¯ll¡­ at least try.¡±


    Compared to what I had seen back at the village, this wasn¡¯t nearly as bad. Although, I personally felt the smell was significantly worse. Probably because we were inside a building.


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll count on you, then.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Wait, why was I agreeing to do something that Fenna herself claimed that it made her regret it?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go over here and start then.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Great¡­ Too late now.


    I looked over to Karen only to find her frowning. Not really thrilled either. Still, she didn¡¯t say anything and the two of us began to take a look on the opposite side. A dozen or so corpses, right in front of me, rotting on the floor.


    Uhhh¡­ Yumi, just think they¡¯re pumpkins! Think they¡¯re pumpkins!


    The self-suggestion did not work. Left with no choice, I decided to focus my eyes as much on their clothing as I could. With no other choice left, I approached the nearest body:


    A¡ªprobably¡ªrugged man, wearing similar worn leather armour to the previous man. He wasn¡¯t wearing a helmet but at least he was face-down. A knife was stuck in the back of his nape, angled upwards into the skull. He wore a belt with several pouches. Each pouch contained a similar-looking knife.


    But was this knife his own?


    Since the man was laying face-down, the body covered up part of the belt. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and preparing for what I was about to do. Only to regret it immediately, as the horrible smell made me retch once more.


    Once I calmed myself for real, I went down on my knees and cautiously pulled on the belt. It took a little effort but eventually, I could see the front pouches¡­


    ¡°One¡¯s missing.¡±


    This man, too, had been killed by his own weapon.


    ¡°Yumi, how is it over there?¡±


    Karen called from next to me. She had taken a look at a different body. She held something that seemed to be a mace in one hand and in her other a piece of leather.


    ¡°His own weapon, probably.¡±


    ¡°Same here¡­¡±


    I stepped away from the dead man. Korwen had said these were likely bandits but I still felt a little bad about doing all this.


    But only a little, huh?


    It felt a little scary to see how much I got used to these things, even though I knew well that it wasn¡¯t something I could avoid. It wasn¡¯t the first time I had realised this. Maybe I should actually feel grateful about it, that I could get used to it.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Off to the next one...¡±


    After a while, we had finished checking every single body in the hall of the main building. The result?


    ¡°Each and everyone one, killed with the weapon they carried¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s clear that some of them died in ways that would make suicide impossible. That means, someone actually killed them all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is that really possible? Against so many?¡±


    Since we had gone through all the bodies, we knew how many there were. Forty-three. That wasn¡¯t a small group of bandits.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, at the very least. The one who did it has to be quite skilled. Bandits aren¡¯t usually very strong but with these numbers, you have to be quite good nonetheless. There¡¯s also the chance it was more than one person. But if you ask me, it¡¯s more likely they were poisoned prior.¡±


    ¡°Poisoned?¡±


    That would be possible¡­ but why bother killing them then at all and not let the poison do the work?


    ¡°Yes. If they were poisoned, it would make it far easier to kill them.¡±


    ¡°But then, why not just kill them with the poison?¡±


    I posed the question I just wondered about.


    ¡°Mm¡­ there could be many reasons. Maybe they didn¡¯t have a weapon? They might have been captives trying to escape and only had limited choices. Or they were interrogating the bandits? I don¡¯t know, really. Could be anything.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Those were possible, too.


    ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll find out either. These bandits clearly died a while ago. Unless the captain or the others find something, of course.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine them not finding anything. The bandits lived here. Even if they didn¡¯t stay here for very long, there had to be traces of their life.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll just report this to the captain later. For now, let¡¯s search the remainder of the building.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    With Fenna taking the lead, we began searching the other rooms. The main hall was a mess with all the dead, so I honestly expected the other rooms to be in a similar state.


    ¡°Stay behind me, I¡¯ll open it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We stood in front of the first room, ready to face whatever was behind it¡­


    ¡°And here I go. Woah?!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah!¡±


    ¡°Uhh!¡±


    A grey cloud hit our faces the second the door opened, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the floor. The three of us began coughing because of the unexpected assault. An assault¡­ of dust.


    ¡°Spirits! What in their name¡­¡±


    Once the dust settled, the three of us finally stopped with our involuntary coughing fit.


    ¡°... Did nobody ever clean this?¡±


    ¡°Clearly not, Yumi¡­ Gee, and the door is done for, too.¡±


    The door that fenna had pushed open was not on the floor. The wooden frame had rotten away and the door simply fell over without the hinges.


    ¡°This is going to be a lot of fun to repair¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s get in.¡±


    Fenna stepped inside and the two of us followed behind. The room we entered was¡­ Actually, what was this? There were broken chairs and tables as well as a few shelves. Books and vase shards were strewn over the floor.


    ¡°Fenna, what¡¯s this room?¡±


    ¡°Maybe a reception room? Or a break room? Probably something like that. There¡¯s a door at the other end, too.¡±


    Avoiding the shards, we approached the other door. Fenna warned us to take some distance and then lightly pushed the door. And like the previous door, it fell over instead of swinging open, releasing another dust cloud. At least, this time we were warned.


    ¡°A hallway¡­ Yeah, I think that¡¯s a reception room.¡±


    ¡°Why so?¡±


    ¡°The hallway has no decorations. This is probably the servants¡¯ work area.¡±


    ¡°... In a fort?¡±


    Why would a military building need something like that?


    ¡°I imagine it¡¯s for high-ranking guests. There are aristocrats visiting places like this. I¡¯m fairly sure the Hollow Fort had something like this, too.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it¡­ And we had been there, when we visited Commander Ruben.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    We followed the hallway and checked the next few rooms. We found small bedrooms, a large kitchen and even a food storage room. It wasn¡¯t a particularly large storage room so it was probably not intended to feed the whole fort.


    ¡°Definitely the servants¡¯ area. But I¡¯m surprised the bandits didn¡¯t pilfer this place.¡±


    ¡°For food that¡¯s hundreds of years old?¡±


    I frowned. We had found some food stores but¡­ There wasn¡¯t even a need to ask whether that was still edible. Not like there was much left anyway.


    ¡°Who knows? They¡¯re bandits. The devil eats flies in desperate times.¡±


    That¡¯d be very desperate, then.


    ¡°Miss Fenna, there¡¯s a large forest just outside. With nearly no monsters. Surely there¡¯d be something to eat there.¡±


    ¡°If they could find food there, they wouldn¡¯t be bandits. Then again, they didn¡¯t come here so they actually might have?¡±


    Fenna tilted her head as she pondered over her own question. After a while, she just shrugged her shoulders with a ¡°Whatever,¡± and kept walking.


    ¡°At least, we haven¡¯t found any more bodies.¡±


    ¡°Nn, and the smell¡¯s gotten better, too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just you getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°... I hope not.¡±


    That was the last thing I wanted to get used to.


    We kept going for a while but in the end, we didn¡¯t find anything noteworthy in this area. After a good while, we had searched the entire ground floor, servants¡¯ area and the other areas, as well. No other bodies turned up. Theys had all been in the main hall, which raised questions on its own. Fenna figured they might have actually moved there, either before or after their death. Some rooms had clearly been in use, yet there were no bodies. It was quite unlikely that all bandits just happened to be in one place.


    But like Fenna said, we probably won¡¯t ever get to know about it.


    The bandits were dead. Their assailant unknown. And we were basically just searching the fort for any potential dangers. Once we determined that nothing was wrong, we¡¯d probably just clean up the space and that¡¯d be it.


    Can¡¯t say I¡¯m thrilled about this type of welcome, though¡­


    Part of me wished we hadn¡¯t come along with Korwen. Too late now. What was done, was done.


    ¡°Anyway, should we take a look upstairs, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°No, let¡¯s first go outside and report to the captain. I¡¯m sure some of the others have already returned, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Leaving the remaining search for later, we went outside.


    ¡°Ahh, fresh air!¡±


    Such a pleasure. Fresh air! No smelly bodies either! Yes, this was far more preferable over the insides of that place.


    Nearby, we found Korwen talking with a few women from Fenna¡¯s squad. His expression was quite grave.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Fenna. How was it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve searched the ground floor but found nothing out of ordinary. Most of the rooms don¡¯t seem like they were touched in a very long time. As for the bodies¡­ we believe they were all killed with their own weapons.¡±


    ¡°Their own weapons?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And it probably wasn¡¯t suicide, either.¡±


    This seemed to surprise Korwen quite a bit.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite something. We¡¯ll need Ria to take a look at this then, just in case. Haaa¡­ One thing after another.¡±


    ¡°Did something else happen?¡± I asked, curious about that mutter.


    ¡°The ground collapsed in one building.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    That was bad.


    ¡°Mr Captain, wasn¡¯t this place supposed to be, err, sturdy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit where it hurts, Karen¡­¡±


    Korwen sighed, clearly not very happy.


    ¡°At least, we found no bandit survivors yet. As long as there¡¯s nothing else, we can fix this place just fine.¡±


    ¡°Including the collapsed ground?¡±


    ¡°Probably. I¡¯m going to take a look, want to join?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­¡±


    I peeked to my side to Fenna. We just went out to report to Korwen without finishing the remaining floors of the building.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯ll just take some others along when more people come.¡±


    In that case, as long as Fenna didn¡¯t mind¡­


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯d like to see. What about Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s take a look then.¡±


    With the woman who had reported to Korwen leading us, we entered one of the side buildings. It didn¡¯t take us long to find the place she had talked about.


    ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s a huge hole¡­¡±


    In a relatively large room, the entire floor had given way to gravity. The hole had fortunately not reached the walls but this still didn¡¯t look really good.


    ¡°Wooden floor, huh¡­ Maybe I should complain to Will about his country¡¯s building practices. Haaa... ¡°


    Korwen approached the edge of the hole and peeked downward as he complained.


    ¡°A basement. Did you find any stairs leading down?¡±


    ¡°We did, captain, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mh, show me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±


    The stairs weren¡¯t all too far from the hole. We went down but¡­ There was no room with a hole in the ceiling.


    ¡°... Weird. Were those the only stairs?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. We searched thoroughly but there was nothing.¡±


    ¡°... But there¡¯s clearly a basement there.


    A little confused, we all went back to the hole in the floor. Korwen once again peered down the hole from right at the edge, completely unperturbed by the creaking floor.


    ¡°Captain¡­ The floor¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ahh.. just one moment, I¡¯ll take a look down there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What?¡±


    Before I could process his words, Korwen took action and¡­ jumped into the hole.


    ¡°Ca¡ª Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?!¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    Karen, the other woman and I rushed to the edge, ignoring for a second the insatiable floor and tried to find Korwen. As if nothing had happened at all, he stood on the ground, looking around.


    ¡°Cap¡­ tain¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ You three, wait up there. It seems this isn¡¯t quite a basement but a tunnel.¡±


    He stomped the floor a few times and we could hear something splashing. Was that water?


    Korwen didn¡¯t wait whatsoever and just disappeared into the tunnel. We could hear his steps from up here but¡­ he sure wasn¡¯t one to get scared easily, huh¡­


    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Nn, good question. Waiting, I guess, like he asked us to.¡±


    We walked away from the hole, just in case the floor would give in again. I didn¡¯t want to fall down involuntarily. Actually, neither did I want to do that voluntarily.


    ¡°Miss Yumi, Miss Karen, may I inform Miss Fenna about this?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The woman who had led us here was standing straight as a pole as she asked us. I wondered for a second why she would even ask us in the first place but¡­


    ¡°Ah, ahhh, sure you can.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The woman saluted and went her way.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Why did she even ask us?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, isn¡¯t that because you are someone with authority now?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    I forgot again. This really was something I still wasn¡¯t quite used to so I forgot for a second there.


    ¡°Well, even if you say I have authority, it¡¯s just for show¡­¡±


    ¡°But even if it¡¯s just for show, it¡¯s important to keep up with appearances.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess that¡¯s true. Well, it mostly took me by surprise.¡±


    Either way, there wasn¡¯t anything to do for now except to wait. Korwen¡¯s footsteps became quieter by the second but they were still barely audible. Whatever that tunnel was, it had to be pretty long.


    It took quite some time until Korwen returned. We could hear his footsteps approach again and after some time, his massive frame jumped out of the hole. He jumped. Out of the hole. Just like that.


    People in this world are crazy¡­ crazy strong¡­


    Although I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether it was just the mercenaries who were trained or whether that also applied to normal people to a degree¡­


    ¡°Captain, welcome back.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m back.¡±


    He stretched his arms and his back, confirming that everything was all right after his landing.


    ¡°That took quite a while, Captain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s long. Really long. But at least I have an idea what it is now.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    So the tunnel had a purpose. Well, obviously it had one.


    ¡°It seems to be connected to the lake. It¡¯s an underground water canal.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ canal?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. An underground one.¡±


    That¡­ wasn¡¯t what I had imagined seeing the hole¡­ Oh, but if it was a water canal, that made sense why the floor here had been rotting.


    ¡°Mr Captain, there¡¯s no water, though?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s what bothers me, too. It¡¯s clogged up at the other end. Rubble and wood and other stuff. Some water still trickles through¡­ We¡¯ll have to figure out what to do about that¡­¡±


    If water trickled through, then there was water on the other side¡­ If he unclogged it¡­ Yeah, no¡­


    ¡°Another problem on the list¡­ But this seems to be the only place where a wooden floor is above it. Maybe this building was built later. Or it was just an oversight during construction. Still a pain that we have to repair it now.¡±


    But we all knew it was likely going to be in a state of disrepair¡­ We all knew¡­


    ¡°At least we won¡¯t get around hiring an Earth magician anymore. The tunnel was built with Earth magic and if we want to plug that hole we¡¯ll need someone to fix it. What a pain.¡±


    Korwen scratched the back of his head as he stared at the hole that he just jumped out of.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get back. Not much we can do for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But is it all right to just leave it here? What if someone gets injured?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll order people to stay away for now, I guess. I don¡¯t think anyone would be dumb enough to but¡­ Yeah, you¡¯re right, better safe than sorry.¡±


    That¡¯d be good, probably.


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can you use your tentacles to block the entrance?¡±


    ¡°... I could, probably?¡±


    It was honestly not that hard.


    ¡°Then do that.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ Should I block the whole door or just enough that people don¡¯t just walk in but can see through?¡±


    ¡°The latter. We might have more things to block off so it¡¯s better if we know what is there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    I retrieved a mana crystal from my bag and got to work. I let a tentacle grow at around the middle of the entrance¡¯s frame and had it reach to the opposite side where it stuck to the wall, effectively blocking regular entry. Then I repeated that two more times at lower heights in case someone wanted to crawl beneath it. Once I was done, three tentacles stretched across the entrance.


    ¡°This good enough, Captain?¡±


    ¡°... That works surprisingly well. Looks good.¡±


    Korwen poked the tentacle barricade a few times, making sure it was secure enough. Once he was satisfied, the three of us went outside to the others.


    ¡°Oh, did I take that long down there?¡±


    Korwen asked in surprise as he spotted the people outside. He had sent for others to join us but, unexpectedly, they were already here. Several dozen had gathered, looking around in awe. Excited like a little boy about his new toy.


    ¡°Captain! You are back.¡±


    Having spotted us, Fenna ran over immediately. The other mercenaries heard her shouting and immediately turned in our direction to salute.


    ¡°Ahh. We blocked off the room in that building. Make sure everyone knows they are not to enter that room.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Well then¡­ Guess quite a few gathered.¡±


    Korwen walked past Fenna and approached the crowd of newcomers. He stopped a few steps away, addressing them in a loud voice.


    ¡°Listen, men! This is our new home. Your job is to search the entire premises for anything out of ordinary, as well as any damages to the structure. You got that?!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. Begin!¡±


    The men saluted again before setting off in groups to search the fort. Seeing the men doing their work, Korwen returned to us.


    ¡°Fenna, I¡¯ll leave the command here to you.¡±


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to return. There are still plenty of things to do, after all. Don¡¯t disappoint me, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain! I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    Seeing Fenna salute, he turned his attention to us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, I would like you two to stay here and help Fenna. There might be other areas that need to be blocked off or other situations where your magic might come in handy. Can I leave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring. I¡¯ll return for now. Don¡¯t forget the time and come back too late.¡±


    He raised his hand and then left towards the gate we had entered from. We watched him until he was out of our sight.


    ¡°Well¡­ Fenna? What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Whatever should we do¡­ That¡¯s a good question, Yumi¡­¡±


    Fenna had a strained smile as she thought about our next course of action.


    ¡°The answer would be waiting, I guess. We¡¯ll wait for reports and if there¡¯s something going on, we¡¯ll take a look. And depending on it, I¡¯ll need your help. Other than that...  I guess you could cheer them on?¡°


    ¡°Cheer them on... ¡°


    That was¡­ not exactly the most exciting option. But hey, it was better than having to search through that building with the bodies again. Speaking of which¡­ I glanced over to that building and saw a few mercenaries trying to¡­ enter it. They weren¡¯t very fond of it, though, and it seems there was an argument about who had the ¡®honour¡¯ to do it¡­


    Hey, at least I¡¯m not the only one who really disliked that¡­


    It was a bit reassuring to see that they had the same issue with it¡­ Oh, it seemed that one group lost the argument and now they entered the building.


    ¡°Well¡­ In that case¡­¡±


    I cleared my throat, watching the people that were now in front of the collapsed double door. I took a deep breath.


    ¡°Do your best!¡±


    The group of men turned around in surprise.


    ¡°You can do it!¡±


    Hearing my cheers, their faces instantly lit up and I could hear them shouting back things like ¡°Leave it to us!¡± and other things. And the group that stayed behind actually seemed like they regretted not going now. It was a little embarrassing, seeing how happy they were about such simple words. On the other hand, I was glad it helped them a little.


    And for you guys staying behind, believe me, you really got it better than them. Really.


    Either way, if this worked then that was good.


    ¡°Is this fine, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. Although I hope this won¡¯t have any side effects¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh? Side effects?¡±


    Why would there be?


    ¡°Nothing. Being oblivious is best.¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡±


    It clearly wasn¡¯t just nothing but it didn¡¯t seem like Fenna wanted to explain any further. I was curious now, though.


    ¡°So, should I continue?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Not like there¡¯s much else to do.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    And with that decided, I cheered on the men¡ªand, of course, the women, too¡ªas they had the very unfortunate task of going through the entire fort.


    Rinne


    I hope you all had a nice change of the year!


    Take care of yourselves!


    Rinn¨¦


    P.S.: The title of this chapter is a little different from the one on Patreon. Reason being that it was a little confusing with the previous chapter''s title. The original chapter title was "The Sleeping Fort"

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Dream’s Returnee

    Searching the premises took¡­ time. A lot of time. As one might have expected, the fort¡¯s grounds were ridiculously large. There¡¯d be no issue at all housing six-hundred-odd mercenaries and their families here. Hell, I¡¯d even say you could keep twice that here and still have room to spare. At the very least, that was my impression.


    During the search, the mercenaries reported back to us¡ªor rather to Fenna¡ªabout the progress of the search. Most of the buildings seemed to be something like barracks. Dozens of small rooms lined up, each room just barely large enough to fit a bed, a dresser, a trunk and a small desk. I couldn¡¯t stretch out my arms in a room without touching either wall. They were tiny. But in exchange, there were many of them.


    This might be a problem, though. After all, not every mercenary lived alone. Quite a few of them had their own families. When I mentioned this to Fenna¡­


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ that might become a problem, you¡¯re right. Well, soldiers don¡¯t usually bring their families along so maybe that was to be expected¡­¡±


    That''s what she said. She didn¡¯t really have much of a solution, either. Guess it¡¯d depend on how much space we¡¯d actually need in the end.


    In that way, our work continued. Apart from the barracks, we found a ridiculously large storehouse, several armouries, a kitchen and a dining hall and whatever other necessities for daily life were required. Needless to say, the mercenaries were voicing their excitement every time they figured out what use a building had. Well, with the exception of the latrine. I would have questioned their sanity if they had cheered there anyway.


    I mean, sure, it¡¯s a necessary part of life, we all have to go, but I don¡¯t think people enjoy making a big deal out of it. I¡¯d be worried if they did.


    The sun was steadily going its way and at some point, Fenna decided to wrap work up. We probably hadn¡¯t even searched half the area but there was nothing we could do. If we returned too late, we would just lose our way in the forest.


    Unexpectedly, the return trip wasn¡¯t as much of a pain as before. The mercenaries had waltzed through the forest and made a sizable path in the process where I wasn¡¯t entangling my hair every three steps.


    ¡°We have returned!¡±


    With raised arms, I stepped out of the forest, happy to be released from the eternal brown and green scenery.


    ¡°We only left the forest, Yumi. It¡¯s still some way until we are back at the camp.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re back in civilization, sis! That¡¯s the important part.¡±


    Although said civilization was just a fishing town. It was still better than the untamed wilderness behind us.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Yes, I said so.


    ¡°Either way, we¡¯re out of that forest now¡­ Nn, where are they¡­¡±


    Since we had come out of the forest we should be able to see the men working on the road from here, shouldn¡¯t we?


    ¡°Ah, there they are.¡±


    ¡°Looks like they made some progress.¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s take a look.¡±


    Fenna had told us we were free for the remainder of the evening unless Korwen had work for us to do, of course. That meant, we didn¡¯t need to stay around with the others and we could comfortably make our way to Greyward¡¯s group.


    ¡°Ohhh! You can see the road again.¡±


    ¡°You really can.¡±


    At the place where there was nothing but grass, earth and foliage, there was now a paved road. Thick stones set side by side into the earth. They were discoloured, sporting a dark green from all the years covered in plants and dirt.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s Mr Greyward.¡±


    Close to the unearthed road stood Greyward, supervising the men as they pulled out plants, bushes and trees one after another and carried them to an ever-growing pile of lumber and plant remains.


    ¡°Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, it¡¯s you. You already got back?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Just now.¡±


    ¡°You sure took a while there. Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    We told him about our findings, about the dead bandits we found as well as how overgrown the place was. And, of course, of the damage we found, too.


    ¡°Bandits aside, I gotta say I expected worse. The biggest problem might just be making the road serviceable again.¡±


    ¡°How are you coming along with that?¡±


    ¡°About as well as you can see. This is going to take months¡­¡±


    ¡°... Months?¡±


    Did he just say that? It¡¯d take months?


    ¡°We barely uncovered a small part of the road in one day¡¯s time. And we¡¯re not magically going to speed up inside the forest.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ that¡¯s true.¡±


    Getting rid of grass and earth was one thing, but getting rid of the foliage and trees in addition¡­


    ¡°So, we¡¯re going to be stuck here¡­ for months?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to know, too.¡±


    Greyward sighed as he watched over the men. I just noticed I hadn¡¯t seen the elves yet but after looking into the forest, I could see them pacing about and helping.


    ¡°I hope Korwen has some plan. We¡¯re not lumberjacks or engineers. It might be easier to hire the townsfolk and find some other work in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be expensive, though?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s the problem.¡±


    Figured it¡¯d be. Money was making the world turn, after all. And with the fort purchase, Korwen probably wasn¡¯t all too willing to pay for things that we could do ourselves.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Korwen¡¯s problem to deal with. Hahaha!¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders and then broke out in loud laughter. A few of the men and the elves turned around in wonder, surprised by the sudden noise.


    ¡°To think there¡¯d be a time when I could leave problems like this to someone else. I have to thank that old coot for once.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be very happy hearing that,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°That¡¯s the entire point. I¡¯m not around to make him happy.¡±


    How nice of him¡­ A real charmer.


    ¡°That aside, since your group has come back, I guess it¡¯s about time to wrap things up.¡±


    Greyward stared into the sky, checking the sun¡¯s position.


    ¡°You girls should go back as well. Oh, and could you do me a favour?¡±


    ¡°A favour? What kind of?¡±


    ¡°Could you look after Lily today? I worry she might get a little overexcited and oversleep tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Lily? I mean, sure, we can¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks, that¡¯d help a lot.¡±


    I mean, I was curious about what had happened anyway. But if she was really that excited, then she¡¯d probably be unable to fall asleep anyway, no? At least, that¡¯s what¡¯d happen in my case. Pretty sure about that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you two then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Greyward then called for the mercenaries and the elves, gathering them around. We could hear him giving out orders about dealing with the piles of wood they had already amassed.


    ¡°Shall we go, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The return trip to the camp was as uneventful as the trip to the forest. Karen and I went around the town, the same way we had taken earlier. Part of it was because we didn¡¯t know the town all that well yet so we didn¡¯t want to risk getting lost. But for the most part, we simply wanted to enjoy some time with just the two of us around.


    Today had been rather eventful, after all. So we very much welcomed a short break where we could leisurely walk through the meadows, holding hands.


    ¡°But months, huh¡­ Sis, do you really think that¡¯s going to take months?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that I couldn¡¯t imagine things taking a long time but hearing just how long was still a bit of a shock.


    ¡°I think so. The path to the forest was quite long. They¡¯ll have to clear the entire road¡­¡±


    ¡°But months¡­ Hey, when winter comes¡­ It¡¯ll snow¡­ Will we be all right?¡±


    If it would take that long, there was no way we¡¯d finish before winter came. And winter was known to be a cruel time, where the cold claimed countless lives. Or something like that.


    ¡°Winter¡­ I think it should be all right. It¡¯s not their first winter, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, if you say it like that.¡±


    But, in a way, it was my first winter. My first winter in this world, at least. Not like I remembered much from my old world¡¯s winter, anyway. And even if I did, it was probably not a very good example for this world. With the few memories I had, I didn¡¯t connect winter with trouble and danger at all.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to get new clothes for winter, though. Ahh, maybe we should ask Wanda now already.¡±


    ¡°Winter clothes? Nn, we would need them.¡±


    ¡°... Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Would you need them?¡±


    That was a hard question to answer¡­


    ¡°Maybe? Maybe not? I can differentiate the temperature, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m not feeling it at all.¡±


    I was just not particularly bothered by it. Actually¡­


    ¡°Wait, Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not bothered by heat, but what if the cold bothers me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was possible¡­ Weren¡¯t there animals that slowed down when they got cold? Considering my unique circumstances, what if I belonged to that category?


    ¡°Even if you do, we won¡¯t find out until winter. Unless you want to pour cold water over your head and try it out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    Plus, just talking about comfort, then I¡¯d like some warm clothes, too. There was a difference between not needing something and not wanting it.


    ¡°But if you¡¯re cold, I¡¯m happy to warm you up, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Maybe I should forgo the winter clothes and just live in yours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the jump¡­¡±


    I¡¯d be fine with that. No, honestly speaking, I¡¯d be quite happy with that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the captain will allow that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­ Wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°If he allowed it, you¡¯d be fine with that?¡±


    That¡¯s basically what she meant, right?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s just for a short time, I might be okay with it.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh?¡±


    ¡°Actually, never mind, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Ahhhhhh¡­¡±


    That was so unfortunate¡­ I wish I could be with Karen all the time¡­ Living in her clothes would be nice¡­ If that¡¯s not possible¡­


    ¡°... How about I become the clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re not running a fever, are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Then stop spouting nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    It was nonsense, but one could dream¡­ Okay, it was a stupid one. And thoughts like that were the reason I even ended up here. Thanks to that monster peeking into my head.


    ¡°Yeah, I better stop having such thoughts or someone might actually make them come true.¡±


    ¡°Who might?¡±


    ¡°Yumias.¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Karen frowned a little at my mention of her.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think she¡¯d actually do that¡­¡±


    ¡°She did change me after peeking into my head.¡±


    ¡°But you were on the verge of dying, right?¡±


    ¡°... I was.¡±


    Even now, I wasn¡¯t quite sure of what had happened back then, though. Only that I had gotten into an accident and then Yumias intervened before I could kick the bucket.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯ll do something like that without a reason.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°She also protected and cared for Lily.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a little odd and mischievous but I think she¡¯s a good person at heart.¡±


    Was she? There was also that suspicion about her messing with Lily¡¯s growth, though. And potentially even with others¡¯ growth. And then there was the issue with the elves, who were incredibly scared of that monster. Which wasn¡¯t just simple suspicion but something we confirmed with our own eyes. She did chase the elves around¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, she¡¯s at least not a completely bad person, I guess. But I feel, the more we talk about her the higher the chance she¡¯ll actually pop up again.¡±


    ¡°... Didn¡¯t you have questions to ask her anyway?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    But that didn¡¯t mean I was outright thrilled to see her again. This and that was different.


    Best case she just appears to answer my question and then disappears again¡­ Ahh, but that¡¯d make Lily sad so that¡¯s no good either¡­


    Truly a conundrum.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Did you dream when we were in the shell?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty sudden question¡­ But yes, I did.¡±


    Most of them were quite, well, sensual dreams about Karen¡­ I could barely remember their contents, though, except that I very much enjoyed them. Of course, having the real Karen here with me beat any dream.


    There was only that one dream that was a little weird but it was hard to say whether it was a dream at all¡­ Especially, since I could still remember it.


    ¡°You know, I also had a dream¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? What was it about? About me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    Oh? It really was? Now I could feel my cheeks getting warmer from embarrassment.


    ¡°There was a town. It was¡­ a weird town.¡±


    ¡°A weird town?¡±


    Karen nodded.


    ¡°Grey buildings with smooth walls, formed like a box. A wide street with weird colourful carriages on it. They were incredibly fast. And people pacing about. Many, many people in good clothes.¡±


    ¡°Sis, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    A grey townscape¡­ colourful, fast carriages¡­ and people with good clothes¡­ It reminded me immediately of my old world.


    ¡°It was weird. I have never seen such a place before. Neither Arkesta nor Lafria look like it. Nor does Aldreigh. But while I was wondering what kind of place it was¡­ I saw you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ You were at my side, smiling. We walked through that town. I think you were showing me the town.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Showing Karen my old world¡­ That¡­ That did sound like it would be nice. Even if it was impossible.


    ¡°So, what did I show you?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    Why did she suddenly clam up? And why was she blushing?


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember it all that well.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ That¡¯s a shame.¡±


    That still didn¡¯t explain the blushing, though¡­ But I felt it¡¯d be rude to inquire too much about it.


    Dream-me, just what the hell did you do to Sis? Tell me! Now!


    Of course, nothing would answer a stupid complaint like that. I was just getting jealous all on my own towards my dream self. I was being quite stupid, wasn¡¯t I?


    ¡°A¡ª Anyway!¡±


    Why the stutter?!


    ¡°Towards the end of that dream¡­ We saw Yumias.¡±


    ¡°... Way to ruin it, stupid Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ That¡¯s rude.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t she ruder for interrupting our dream date, though?


    ¡°So, what did she say?¡±


    ¡°... ¡®Peeking is a bad habit.¡¯¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    What the hell?


    ¡°And then the dream ended.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Just like that.¡±


    ¡°The heck?¡±


    Why would she even say something like that? Not only did she interrupt, she even said such weird words.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Was I peeking? Into, well¡­ your memories?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I guess you could say that?¡±


    So, Karen too had determined that it was part of my memories.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? You don¡¯t have to apologise, Sis.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind if it is you who is peeking.¡±


    I really didn¡¯t. Rather, she might have seen something that I didn¡¯t consciously remember. In that sense, maybe she could even help?


    ¡°But wouldn¡¯t there be things you would rather keep quiet about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If there are, I don¡¯t remember them. And in that case, it¡¯s as good as not existing.¡±


    It was nice to hear her being worried about that. Everyone had their own little secrets here and there. It still surprised me that she was considerate in that regard, though. I usually shared everything with her anyway. And currently, I didn¡¯t have any intention of changing that either.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    Somehow, though, Karen gave me a strained smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re so carefree¡­¡±


    ¡°Only when it comes to you.¡±


    ¡°... Hehe.¡±


    She chuckled. Seems I said the right thing if that cheered her up.


    ¡°It makes me quite jealous,¡± she said.


    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It does.¡±


    That surprised me. Was that something to be jealous about? And in the first place, it wasn¡¯t like I was completely carefree. I was fretting about plenty of things all the time.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I worried about nothing in the end.¡±


    ¡°You were worried?¡±


    ¡°A little. It seems that it wasn¡¯t necessary, though.¡±


    She chuckled again. A smile spread on her lips, exuding genuine happiness.


    ¡°But I do wonder then¡­ What did Yumias mean with that? I can¡¯t imagine that dream being related to her in any way. At least, I don¡¯t remember anything special... ¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe I wasn¡¯t supposed to see that townscape?¡±


    ¡°Might be. Was there anything notable when you walked around the town?¡±


    ¡°Not really. I didn¡¯t really pay much attention either, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh, why not?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t someone pay attention in such a strange unknown place? I would. Definitely.


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    She was blushing again.


    ¡°Did I do something?¡±


    ¡°He?! No, no, you didn¡¯t!¡±


    Suspicious¡­ I really did something, huh.


    Damn you, dream-me. Stop seducing my girlfriend.


    That aside, since Karen didn¡¯t even remember much of it outside of whatever the dream-me did, that begged, even more, the question of what her words meant. It wasn¡¯t like she had as strange a dream as mine.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Sis?¡±


    ¡°You said you dreamt, too. What were your dreams about?¡±


    ¡°... Most of them were about you, Sis.¡±


    Ahh, and her furious blushing was back. Yeah, that was exactly how I felt earlier, too.


    ¡°Many fun dreams¡­ It¡¯s a shame I don¡¯t remember much of them.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t. As unfortunate as it is. But I know they were nice. That said, having the real Sis with me is better than any dream!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh!¡±


    Karen averted her gaze. Her entire face was going red, including her ears.


    ¡°So unfair¡­ I already told you about mine¡­¡±


    ¡°Not much I can do about when I can¡¯t remember them¡­ Well, except for one dream.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you do remember one?¡±


    ¡°Nn. But I didn¡¯t see Sis there. I wished I had, though. There was absolutely no one there.¡±


    ¡°...No one?¡±


    I nodded. That yellow landscape¡­ It had been empty. Dead. Devoid of any and all life. Not a very pleasant place to be.


    ¡°It was a yellow wasteland, full of sulphur. It stank.¡±


    ¡°... Sulphur?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sulphur. The entire place.¡±


    ¡°No, Yumi, what is sulphur?¡±


    Oh, I had to start there of all things?


    ¡°Well¡­ Do you know how rotten eggs smell?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay, how did I explain to someone what sulphur is?


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ You know, everything is made up of a lot of small things. And sulphur is, well, basically one of the more elemental building blocks that makes up everything?¡±


    ¡°O¡­ kay?¡±


    Yeah, that wasn¡¯t going to work with a quick explanation. I¡¯d likely have to explain it to her later in detail. Gee, I didn¡¯t envy teachers having to wonder about how they teach things like this.


    ¡°Well, this, err, sulphur also can exist alone. It takes on a yellow appearance and it smells. It smells bad. I guess you could say it¡¯s a yellow, bad-smelling rock?¡±


    ¡°A yellow, bad-smelling rock. Got it.¡±


    ¡°... Great.¡±


    I sucked at this, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°And everything was made up of that yellow, bad-smelling rock?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Everywhere, as far as the eye could see. And rather than it looking like the place was made up of sulphur from the get-go, it was more like¡­ everything turned into sulphur. You see, I walked around and I found a road and a sign and later even a town. Everything was made up of sulphur, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ sounds quite weird?¡±


    ¡°You can say that again.¡±


    But more than weird, it was discomforting. It was obvious that people had lived in that town. But no matter how magical things could be, I very much doubted you could subsist on sulphur alone. Unless the creatures living there were sulphur as well. Sulphur golems?


    ¡°In the end, I walked around the town, trying to find a way home or to wake up. Then¡­ what happened at the end again?¡±


    I had found something if I recalled it correctly. Right¡­ And then there had been a name¡­


    ¡°Ah, I remember now!¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°I found a bag with a doll inside. And it had a name tag sewed on it¡­ Right, I remember now...¡±


    The name that had been sewed on it.


    ¡°¡®Mina la Freyr¡¯ was written on it.¡±


    ¡°... La Freyr? But isn¡¯t Yumias family name?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. I think so.¡±


    In other words, that name and that dream had some connection to that monster. Well, I already figured it had something to do with her but that particular part cemented it.


    ¡°After I read the name tag, everything went up in flames¡­ Then I think I heard a voice¡­¡±


    ¡°... Peeking is a bad habit?¡±


    ¡°Nn. The dream ended there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That dream¡­ I really didn¡¯t like that dream. It had been discomforting, creepy and most of all strange. The fact that it had felt so real only made it worse. I was incredibly glad once the dream had been over.


    ¡°Then, maybe she said that in my dream because of what you saw?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only explanation I have, at least.¡±


    The voice that had told me not to peek¡­ I couldn¡¯t really remember how it sounded like all that well but it did remind me of Yumias. Might be all in my imagination, though. Either way, who else but her could it have been?


    ¡°But peeking¡­ You have no idea what that dream could have meant, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No, none at all. It might have been her memory.¡±


    ¡°Similar to what I saw from yours?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Karen gazed forwards, towards the horizon. While we had walked leisurely, we still had come quite a way already and the camp had entered our view a while ago.


    ¡°In the end, we only got more questions, didn¡¯t we?¡±


    That we did¡­


    ¡°Maybe we should write them all down?¡± I suggested.


    ¡°We¡¯d fill a whole book with them.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯d get answers for maybe three. Awesome.¡±


    It annoyed me to no end that we had so many questions but the person to ask was never around.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Either way, we made it back now.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if they are already preparing for dinner.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Ohh, I¡¯m looking forward to the fish.¡±


    There had been so many interesting ones. I feared I wouldn¡¯t be able to taste all of them. Damn my tiny stomach. Digest faster, or something!


    Mm¡­ Maybe I can force it to digest faster? What does my stomach even do with the food anyway, considering that my body is not exactly functional. From a normal living being¡¯s point of view.


    If it just absorbed it, maybe I could do something¡­ I¡¯d try that later. If I could enjoy some more food that way, it¡¯d be worth the effort.


    ¡°¡ªmi. Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn? What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been calling you a few times¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I was lost in thought. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Look.¡±


    Karen pointed towards the camp. I saw a huge crowd having gathered. Lots of murmuring, hushed whispers and some laughter could be heard.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s ask.¡±


    As we approached the crowd, someone spotted us from within and ran over in our direction.


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    Oh no, don¡¯t you dare. Give me a second to prepare myself.


    I spread my arms in a hurry, ready to receive the rocket barreling towards me. I closed my eyes, awaiting impact.


    An impact that never came.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi! And Big Sis Karen! You¡¯re back!¡±


    I opened my eyes, confused about the lack of impact. When I opened it, I saw our energetic energy bundle by name of Emily standing in front of me. I was shocked.


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong? Did you get hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, Emily, I¡¯m fine¡­ Uhh, I was just surprised. Actually, I should ask if you are fine.¡±


    She didn¡¯t barrel straight into my gut. That was alarming. I put my hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever but she wasn¡¯t burning up. She was quite warm, though, but nothing out of ordinary.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good to hear.¡±


    Was¡­ Was she learning how to hold back? Our Emily? Seriously? Or was she an impostor after all? I¡­ I was feeling a little sad now.


    ¡°So, Emily, what¡¯s up with that commotion?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Ah, she came back!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, please, no¡­


    ¡°Who¡­ came back?¡±


    ¡°Yumias!¡±


    ...


    ¡°I fucking knew talking about her wasn¡¯t a good idea.¡±


    Needless to say, I got hit on the head by Karen for that undiluted remark in front of Emily.


    Curse you, Yumias.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Reunion

    The witch, Yumias la Freyr, had come back from her business, whatever that had been. Having just returned, she caught quite some attention from everyone, including from the three little girls, or so Emily told us. How that had become a whole crowd forming around her was still a mystery, however.


    ¡°It just happened!¡±


    ¡°It just happened?¡±


    ¡°It did!¡±


    Maybe it had been my fault for expecting something¡­ Emily had clearly been more occupied with the candy in her hands. Candy she¡¯d gotten from Yumias, of course.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Emily tilted her head as she looked at me, her eyes staring in wonder. Was I scowling? Maybe I was¡­ But this was¡­ difficult. In front of me was a large crowd. I could hear some laughter in between the boisterous noises. Most of the people here didn¡¯t know much about Yumias. Even if they had heard about the whole witch thing, not many would even believe it. But for me, that one was a¡­ difficult person.


    ¡°Sis. What do we do?¡±


    I averted my gaze from Emily, turning to Karen instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s something you have to decide on your own, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Support request denied¡­


    ¡°But¡­ what if she is here because of that, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... I think it¡¯s very likely that¡¯s the reason.¡±


    ¡°... Figured.¡±


    If she had really come because we saw those dreams¡ªor more like, because I saw that dream¡ªthen approaching her¡­ While I wanted to know what I had seen there, Yumias interpreted it as peeking. That alone worried me. Not to mention, she scared me. They were conflicting emotions and I really had no idea what to do. I was at a loss. All of this, it was just¡­ too sudden.


    Even though, already know I won¡¯t be able to pretend nothing happened¡­


    If only I could do that¡­


    ¡°Yumi? Yumi? Are you okay? Does something hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t, Emily. Everything¡¯s okay. I, err, just need some time. To prepare?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Emily was still tilting her head. Or maybe again. With a wry smile, I put my hand on her head and ruffled her hair, hoping it¡¯d relieve her a little. And lo and behold, she broke out into a grin.


    Ahh, seeing her smile is great.


    It was like her smile was infectious, making everyone around her happy as well. It was, in a sense, quite magical.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s wait for the crowd to disperse.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen nodded, a gentle smile of her own forming on her face as she watched Emily and me.


    That said, this might take a while¡­


    We had no idea what was going on within that crowd so there was also no way for us to know when they might leave.


    Since we couldn¡¯t really stand around the entire time and wait, we decided to sit down nearby. As usual, the mercenaries had placed tables and benches here and there for others to sit down.


    ¡°Emily, are you fine with staying with us? Aren¡¯t Maya and Sele still over there?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Rare enough for the three to not be together.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi! Uncle said Big Sis Karen and Yumi took a long nap. Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well you could say we took a bit of a nap.¡±


    ¡°Ohhhh! That¡¯s awesome!¡±


    ¡°It¡­ is?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sleep that long!¡±


    I would be worried if she could sleep for over a week. Very worried.


    ¡°Sleeping so long sounds nice! But Mrs Korwen will scold us if we oversleep¡­ Oh, oh, and Miss Elder also scolded us once because we overslept¡­¡±


    ¡°The Elder did that?¡±


    ¡°She did! But she was really nice about it. Mrs Korwen is really scary when she scolds you! Don¡¯t make her angry, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to do that.¡±


    Oh, but she scolded us this noon¡­ Mostly her husband, though. Better not tell Emily that.


    ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± she said, oblivious of my inner dilemma.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    We spent a good while talking with Emily, mostly answering random inquiries she had about the time we napped, when we had gone to the fort and stuff like that. Of course, it was a little hard to tell her about our dreams. Most of them were too sensual for a child like her and the remainder wasn¡¯t something we could talk about either. Not in the presence of Yumias, at least. Even if she wasn¡¯t exactly in earshot.


    ¡°Yumi, Emily, look. The crowd¡¯s dispersing.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    At some point, Karen, who had kept watch on the crowd, informed us about the people leaving. I could hear some tidbits about it being time for dinner and all that. Once the crowd was gone, it only left behind a handful of people. Lily and Rina as well as Maya and Sele. And a small girl, with pink-coloured hair in a witch costume. She was looking in our direction, her creepy never-fading smile directed at us. I could feel a shiver running down my spine.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    She was waiting for us.


    ¡°Yumi? Yumi, is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, Emily. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    I gave a pat on the head again, eliciting a smile from her. This bright, innocent smile calmed me.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    We stood up from our spot and walked in the direction of the small group. The others had already noticed that Yumias was staring in our direction, so they obviously noticed our presence as well.


    ¡°Yumi! Karen!¡±


    Lily was the first to call out to us. Moments later, Maya and Sele rushed over to us as well, shouting our names¡ªor Maya was, at least.


    ¡°Yumi! Big Sis Karen! You¡¯re back, too!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    The two rushed into my arms for a hug, nearly toppling me over. I briefly wondered if they had taken over from Emily, but dismissed the thought.


    ¡°We were worried, Yumi. Uncle only said you were taking a really long nap. He didn¡¯t allow us to see you, either.¡±


    ¡°... Mm. Napped?¡±


    ¡°You could say we had a really long nap, yes¡­¡±


    I smiled wryly. Just like Emily had told us, they had been quite worried, huh?


    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯ll tell you next time in advance.¡±


    ¡°Promise!¡±


    ¡°I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡±


    Maya¡¯s furry ears twitched in delight when she heard me promising her.


    ¡°Then, next time we can nap together.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    Sele nodded enthusiastically at Maya¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°That¡­ probably won¡¯t be possible. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ehhhh? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    What could one say here?


    ¡°Maya, Sele, Lil¡¯ Sis and Big Sis need their adult time together. Don¡¯t bother them,¡± interjected Rina.


    ¡°¡±¡±Adult time?¡±¡±¡±


    The three little girls stared at Karen and me, waiting for an explanation.


    ¡°Err¡­ You¡¯ll understand when you are a little older.¡±


    Maya and Emily scowled, probably not happy that I was blatantly evading the issue. Sele, however, was blankly staring at me, her cheeks slowly flushing¡­ She tugged at Maya¡¯s and Emily¡¯s clothes, drawing their attention to herself.


    ¡°Sele?¡±


    ¡°Mmm?¡±


    ¡°... Leave¡­ be¡­¡±


    Sele was staring at the ground, her whole face flushed now. She definitely knew what was up¡­


    ¡°Ehh¡­ But if Sele says so¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi, tell us next time!¡±


    They hadn¡¯t given up¡­ But at least, Sele saved me from a quite uncomfortable situation. Right when I thought that, a chuckle came from behind the little ones. A high-pitched voice, clear like a bell.


    ¡°... It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°My, it sure has. Were you lonely? Did you miss me? Come here, I¡¯ll give you a big ol¡¯ hug.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, I was rejected. I can¡¯t believe it. Is it puberty? It has to be. Making me sad. You shouldn¡¯t do that, my dear. This little girl¡¯s heart is fragile. Oh so fragile. So fragile a breeze might break it.¡±


    ¡°... As if.¡±


    Yumias put a hand on her cheek, shaking her head as if she was sad. If only her smile would fade.


    ¡°But my, it is still good to see you growing up safe and healthy. It¡¯s been a while so I was worried. So very worried.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°And I heard from the cute ones about how you overslept. You shouldn¡¯t do that, dear. You have to wake up on time. Do you need me to come and wake you up?¡±


    What was she up to? Was she trying to play at being my mother?


    ¡°Giving me the silent treatment, yes? That¡¯s not very nice.¡±


    I opened my mouth to say something but stopped myself just in time. It had barely been a minute and I was already feeling irritated. But no matter how irritated I felt, I shouldn¡¯t lash out at her with the girls here.


    ¡°My, that reminds me. Lily dear, I heard these cute children have work to do. Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Hearing the sudden change in topic, Maya, Emily and Sele remembered as well about it. While I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was about, she probably meant how they were helping out with dinner.


    ¡°That¡­ is the case, yes.¡±


    ¡°I see. Could you take them there for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, mama!¡±


    With a big smile, Lily leapt onto her feet.


    ¡°Come, you three, you don¡¯t want to be scolded by Mrs Korwen again, do you?¡±


    ¡°¡±Nooo.¡±¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    With the little girls¡¯ cries echoing in her ears, Lily quickly brought them away. Albeit with slight resistance. As for Rina, she kept looking back and forth between Yumias, Karen and Lily, before jumping up as well.


    ¡°I¡¯ll join her! Miss Yumias, later!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, later, my dear.¡±


    Rina hurried after Lily, leaving only Karen, Yumias and me behind.


    ¡°Now we can talk undisturbed, dear. My, your face is quite a sight. Your mother is hurt.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve told you before, you¡¯re not my mother.¡±


    ¡°How could you say such things to me¡­ Of course, I am. Look, you have my face. And my eyes. And even my hair! You¡¯re my child through and through.¡±


    And just as always, her smile never faded, even though she was speaking as if she was sad or had regrets.


    ¡°But I guess that¡¯s not what you want to hear. Ahh, just when will my love be returned? Patience is a virtue but just how long do I need to wait? It¡¯s troubling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll never happen.¡±


    ¡°I see. Even though I¡¯ve done you such a big favour. To think I was all for nought.¡±


    ¡°... Favour?¡±


    What kind of favour did she ever do for me? There wasn¡¯t¡­


    Okay¡­ Calm down, Yumi. She did save your life, actually¡­ It¡¯s not like she only hurt or messed with you¡­


    I took another deep breath in an attempt to calm myself. She was just messing with me, trying to rile me up. Maybe she enjoyed people being troubled or annoyed. It was in bad taste but I¡­ couldn¡¯t deny she had helped me out. She also troubled me a lot, though.


    ¡°What favour were you talking about?¡±


    I asked once more, seeing that she had just silently watched me without answering. Had she actually waited for me to calm myself?


    ¡°Mh, I spent some time in your old world.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    My eyes went wide and behind me, I could hear Karen gasp in surprise, too.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, let¡¯s see. Right, your family, you see. The family over there, of course. I helped them out a little. Just a little.¡±


    ¡°What happened there?¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ Actually, never mind¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be good to bother you with matters you have no influence on. Yes, that¡¯d be just in bad taste.¡±


    ¡°You little¡­¡±


    One of these days¡­


    ¡°Just¡­ tell me.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is my teasing getting less effective? That¡¯s boring.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s boring or not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d assume so. But that doesn¡¯t change that it¡¯s boring for me. Maybe I should tease your little girlfriend instead?¡±


    Yumias¡¯ eyes wandered to my side, to Karen.


    ¡°Speaking of your little girlfriend, she¡¯s changed a little, hasn''t she? I see, you¡¯re sharing with her. My, and you think me cruel, yet you do the same.¡±


    ¡°... I did this out of my own will.¡±


    ¡°Own will?¡±


    Yumias tilted her head at those words.


    ¡°How weird. To think anyone would choose that on their own.¡±


    So you know how messed up all of this is, after all!


    I just barely managed to not voice out those thoughts. Holding back could be hard at times¡­


    ¡°Well, enough teasing for now. My little Lily will scold me if I overdo it. I couldn¡¯t bear that.¡±


    Yumias snapped her fingers and out of thin air, a table and three chairs appeared.


    ¡°Take a seat, take a seat.¡±


    Yumias sat down, gesturing with her hands towards the two free chairs. I exchanged a glance with Karen and then we sat down as well. Not like we had much of a choice.


    Yumias snapped her fingers once more, making a glass appear in front of each of us, filled with a bubbly blackish liquid.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°My, do you believe me now? I just mean well, dear.¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think people are that easily convinced?¡±


    Nonetheless, I¡¯d still accept with gratitude.


    ¡°Of course not, of course not. It¡¯s just a little bit of goodwill.¡±


    ¡°Goodwill, huh¡­¡±


    Bold words of someone who changed someone¡¯s entire life on a whim.


    ¡°Yumi, what is this?¡± asked Karen, eyeing the suspicious liquid.


    ¡°Err, a sweet drink¡­ I guess?¡±


    ¡°Mm...¡±


    Karen cautiously picked up the glass and sipped just a tiny bit. Her eyes widened in surprise before she suddenly entered a coughing fit.


    ¡°Sis?!¡±


    Karen coughed a few times before stopping, tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Went down¡­ the wrong way.¡±


    ¡­ Don¡¯t scare me like that!


    I slumped down on the chair, all tension leaving me. That had been a little bit too much for me¡­


    ¡°Hahaha! My, what an innocent display. Be careful next time,¡± said Yumias.


    ¡°I¡­ I will.¡±


    Karen averted her gaze, flushed red from embarrassment.


    ¡°My, what a cute girl. Dear, take good care of her, not many are as adorable as your girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°... I would even without you telling me.¡±


    ¡°So feisty! But that¡¯s a relief, yes.¡±


    Yumias chuckled once more, finding amusement in our situation.


    ¡°Even if I am not around, it seems there¡¯s little to worry about.¡±


    Was she even capable of worrying?


    ¡°Now then, I believe we have played around enough. We should talk about more important matters, should we not, dear?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I could feel my body tense up at those words. The time for her messing with us had ended now, that much was clear from the way she gazed straight at me.


    ¡°Where should I begin, now? Ah, yes¡­¡±


    Yumias smile widened a little as if she had thought of something amusing.


    ¡°... I played a lot with your sisters.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°I played a lot. With your sisters.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It took me several seconds to process her statement. This¡­ wasn¡¯t what I had expected.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just ask me what I did over there, my dear?¡±


    ¡°... I did.¡±


    I slumped back on the chair. I gave up. This person was too much for me.


    ¡°Those children are so cute and well-behaved. Completely different from this rebellious girl I have. Haa¡­ Why couldn¡¯t you inherit some of that playfulness?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that mostly because they didn¡¯t know who she even was?


    ¡°They do miss their dear brother, though.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I sighed. They missed me, huh¡­


    ¡°Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear?¡±


    ¡°... Thank you. For checking up on them.¡±


    ¡°Oh my! My daughter thanked me!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not your daughter.¡±


    Not that she would listen to it, no matter what I said.


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    But they were doing well, huh¡­ That was good.


    ¡°Nn? Wait. Did you seriously leave for several weeks¡­ to play around?¡±


    ¡°My, what is the issue there?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, I felt sorry for Lily.


    ¡°But, of course, that¡¯s not all I did. I am a busy person, believe it or not. But, yes, most of what I did was for your sake.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Or, no, that¡¯s wrong¡­ It wasn¡¯t quite for your sake. You see, I was thinking. Your sisters, your family on that side. They miss you oh so much.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They wish they could see you again. And I have to say, they begged me so much, I am quite liable to help them out.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ I told you not to involve them in this!¡±


    This place, this world wasn¡¯t a place where they should be.


    ¡°That you did. But is that your decision to make?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    I stopped. Was it¡­ Was it my right to make that decision for them? If they knew what to expect and they still decided to do it...


    ¡°My, seeing your troubled face is adorable. Worry not, I did not bring them here.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    So they weren¡¯t¡­ I breathed in deeply, once more calming myself. I knew it¡¯d be like this but¡­ Talking with her was exhausting. Really exhausting. This little gremlin really enjoyed riling me up and I hated it with all my heart.


    ¡°For now, those children live a worry-free life. Well, except for their worry about their missing sibling¡¯s well-being. But enough teasing. They¡¯re doing well, dear, and they will find their way in life. Hehehe, I am expecting much from them.¡±


    The hell could she expect? There was no magic or anything over there, was there? Somehow, those words worried me.


    ¡°But I believe this is enough about that side of life. I was busy on that side. I simply returned a favour to someone there, that is all there is to it.¡±


    ¡°A favour?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a favour. But you need to know no more.¡±


    Yumias lifted her glass and sipped on the drink, indicating she had no intention of continuing. Or that¡¯s how I interpreted it.


    ¡°There is a more important topic we should discuss, though, do we not, my dear dear child?¡±


    ¡°... You mean¡­ that dream.¡±


    ¡°A dream, you say¡­ Yes, it would be akin to one, for you.¡±


    So it really was about that¡­


    ¡°But, unfortunately, that is not what I wanted to talk about. Make no mistake, we will talk about it. But first¡­¡±


    Yumias eyes wandered away from me and to Karen.


    ¡°My dear Yumi probably thought nothing of it, but your little game of staying together at all times¡­ It¡¯s showing.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait, you mean¡­¡±


    I turned towards Karen as well. She didn¡¯t want to talk about the dream¡­ but about Karen?


    ¡°Miss Yumias, I already said that I did it out of my own will.¡±


    ¡°That you did. But you don¡¯t even know what will happen to you nor to Yumi.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. But we wouldn¡¯t know what difference there is either way.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, yes, you wouldn¡¯t. Yumi did not follow my advice, after all.¡±


    Her advice?


    ¡°I have told you to go to the Prayerhouse.¡±


    Ahhh¡­ The thing we talked about before she left¡­ I could only vaguely recall what we talked about, though. The matter of the Prayerhouse did come up later again, though. Only while we talked, though.


    ¡°At the Prayerhouse was someone close to me. She waited and waited and waited to no avail. She¡¯s quite angry now.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t know they were actually waiting, though.


    ¡°She was supposed to tell you something, but, alas, you all were busy with other things. Mh, but I forgive you. I am in a good mood today.¡±


    ¡°I... see¡­¡±


    Was that a good thing, though? That she was in a good mood.


    ¡°Yes, let¡¯s see¡­ Where to begin¡­¡±


    Yumias leaned back on her chair. I could see her kicking her legs under the table. She didn¡¯t even reach the ground with her feet, did she?


    ¡°I guess a demonstration would be more effective?¡±


    ¡°... A demonstration?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Dear, could you stand here?¡±


    She pointed at a spot next to the table, pretty much right next to her. Hearing she wanted to demonstrate¡­ I had a bit of a bad feeling. It reminded me of the last time she¡­ messed around with me. Sure, it helped me in the end but¡­ I wasn¡¯t a fan of her way of doing things. But¡­ if this would help me¡­ Maybe I should trust her, just this once? She was the one most knowledgeable about my situation. And while I wasn¡¯t sure whether I could trust her statements all that much, a demonstration would be¡­ Well, hard to fake?


    ¡°Dear, stop dilly-dallying. You¡¯re making your mother wait.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re not¡­ Ahh, whatever, I¡¯m doing it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, whatever she says! So you finally accepted me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Patience was a virtue, patience was a virtue¡­


    ¡°Is here okay?¡±


    I stood on the spot she directed me to, right next to her.


    ¡°Yes, yes. Wonderful, dear. Now keep still, yes?¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Oh, something fun. But don¡¯t be too surprised, yes? Especially your little girlfriend. She might get a bit of a shock, forgive me in advance.¡±


    ¡°A shock?¡±


    Why did that sound even more ominous now? What the hell was she going to do?


    ¡°Now then, Yumi dear, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°... I guess.¡±


    ¡°Great. Oh, by the way. I¡¯m going to cut off your head.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Before I could even process those words, I saw her move her hand. At that moment, my body moved faster than my mind, jumping to the ground. Something passed above me and I could hear something tear. The next moment, my face landed in the dirt.


    ¡°Ahhh, dear! Don¡¯t dodge!¡±


    ¡°... Who the hell wouldn¡¯t?!¡±


    I sat upon the ground, glaring at Yumias, who, for once, looked actually disappointed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just try to behead people! Are you trying to kill me?!¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not, Yumi dear. Losing your head wouldn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Losing my head¡­ wouldn¡¯t kill me?


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I just said: Losing your head wouldn¡¯t kill you.¡±


    ¡°... Are you for real?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, please don¡¯t dodge this time.¡±


    ¡°I will dodge! Don¡¯t try to cut my head off!¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter whether it would kill me or not. It was just hella scary. It¡¯d traumatise me for sure. Just the thought sent shivers down my spine.


    ¡°Mi¡ª Miss Yumias! Please don¡¯t hurt Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Well, if both of you insist, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    Yumias shrugged with her shoulders, her hands on the table again. Danger passed.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t fucking scare me like that.¡±


    Never before was I this glad that Taddick and Merim had taught me a little about combat. There was no doubt I wouldn¡¯t have been able to save myself without that. Needless to say, it probably wouldn¡¯t work a second time.


    I¡¯ll have to thank those two¡­ And probably take that training just a little more seriously.


    I climbed back on my feet and sat down, keeping Yumias in my field of view. Just in case she tried again. Once I sat down, I saw something on the desk...


    ¡°Nn? Is that...¡±


    ¡­ my hair?


    Yeah, that was a very, very close safe¡­ She cut my hair¡­


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Miss Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Why did you¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Try to cut her head?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen nodded. I only now got a chance to look at her, but her complexion was unusually pale. She was probably just as shocked...


    ¡°Because seeing is believing or something like that? It¡¯d be hard to believe just hearing it, right?¡±


    ¡°... That doesn¡¯t mean you can just cut off someone¡¯s head,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You tried to¡­ Whatever, just¡­ Didn¡¯t you want to talk about Sis? And don¡¯t try to cut her instead!¡±


    I¡¯d never forgive that.


    ¡°I won¡¯t. The Silver Guide might be resilient, but even she will die without her head. Well, at least, for now, anyway.¡±


    ¡°... For now?¡±


    ¡°Yes. For now. After all, she will slowly become the same kind of being you are. But I believe that you two knew at least that much already.¡±


    We did suspect it¡­ But hearing it from her only confirmed that suspicion.


    ¡°With that said, the process to that point will take a long long time. Not just months or years, but decades and maybe even centuries.¡±


    ¡°It might take centuries?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Yes. Granted you and my daughter aren¡¯t up to more mischief.¡±


    Centuries¡­ That was¡­ a time frame I could barely even imagine. Especially, when I didn¡¯t even know for sure how life would be in a month from now.


    ¡°The problem is more¡­ Intricate. Yumi, dear, you can already see them, can¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°See what?¡±


    ¡°Souls.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    The floating light balls in everyone¡¯s chests. It wasn¡¯t something I was actively looking at but I could see them. Although, I didn¡¯t really know what point there was to it¡­ That said¡­


    ¡°Is this¡­ about that, err, thread?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Thread?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, not knowing what we meant.


    ¡°The souls of you, Silver Guide, and Yumi are connected. Irrevocably. The thread, as Yumi calls it, is going to strengthen in time. Until your souls are so strongly connected, that, well¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even be able to separate for longer distances.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was all?!


    ¡°And you would share life and death. Which, technically, would make your girlfriend about as near-immortal as you, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that actually good?¡±


    ¡°I guess so? But if you ever get into a fight and start hating each other, life¡¯s going to become really miserable for the both of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen.¡±


    It¡¯d be miserable either way if Karen started hating me.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, it won¡¯t happen, Miss Yumias.¡±


    ¡°My, such trust in each other. How precious youth is.¡±


    I could feel my cheeks getting warmer upon hearing Karen. It was a little embarrassing but it also made me happy to know we shared the sentiment.


    ¡°I pray for your love to be everlasting.¡±


    The ever-smiling Yumias put her hands together and closed her eyes, praying. I could feel myself blushing even stronger from embarrassment. And next to me, Karen was furiously blushing as well.


    ¡°Hehe, really, so precious. Just seeing this made it worth it all.¡±


    I really wished she would stop embarrassing us¡­ Really...

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: A Witch’s Innocence

    ¡°Well then, enough blushing, the two of you. There are more important things to discuss, I believe.¡±


    Yumias clapped her hand twice, seemingly ignoring that she was the cause of this in the first place.


    ¡°I believe some questions might come up. Your dear Karen is surely confused about all of this.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯d be a lie if I said I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mm! I thought as much. Go, ask away! I just might answer!¡±


    So she might not¡­ Haaa, at this point, I had already resigned myself to her eccentricities. It wasn¡¯t worth getting worked up over. It really wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ Yumi¡­ What should I do?¡±


    Karen turned to me, whispering quietly.


    ¡°Just¡­ ask her something, I guess?¡±


    As unfortunate as it was, there didn¡¯t seem to be many people who had knowledge of this particular topic. The Elder didn¡¯t know anything about it, nor did it seem that Ria would. And they were by far the most knowledgeable people around us. Whether we could trust her answer, though¡­ Not like we had a choice, though.


    ¡°Then¡­ Miss Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Yumias is fine.¡±


    ¡°Miss Yumias.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite a spoilsport, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Oh, her voice was slightly sad for once.


    ¡°You said that we were connected through our¡­ souls¡ª¡±


    ¡°That I did.¡±


    ¡°¡ªthat this connection would grow stronger and that we wouldn¡¯t be able to separate for certain distances¡­ did I get that right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, teacher is proud of you!¡±


    Yumias clapped vigorously.


    ¡°So, err, what kind of distance are we talking about? And what do you even mean we can¡¯t be apart? Is there some force keeping us close?¡±


    ¡°Oh, good questions!¡±


    They were indeed good questions. It was making me wonder how it would actually show itself.


    ¡°Let¡¯s answer your first one, shall we? The matter of distance¡­ To be precise, there is no set distance.¡±


    ¡°There... isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It changes. And in the first place, even I can only give you an approximation. It might differ completely. That said, yes¡­ Let¡¯s start with the distance right now.¡±


    Right.. Now?


    ¡°Wait, it¡¯s already happening now?¡± I asked, my voice loud from surprise.


    ¡°Yes, dear. But, frankly, the distance is so large that it doesn¡¯t even matter. After all, you could make a round trip from this place to the sun, then to the other sun and then back to this place and still have some to spare.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Okay, yes, that definitely wasn¡¯t going to affect us¡­


    ¡°It does prevent you from being thrown into a different world, though. So, if I whisked one of you away, well¡­ You¡¯re better off not knowing.¡±


    I could already imagine what kind of horrific fate would await us if she didn¡¯t want to tell us¡­


    ¡°But apart from that, it¡¯s irrelevant. Anyway, with more time, this distance gradually shrinks. Even right now it does. Give it a few hundred years¡­ Let¡¯s say about five hundred? That¡¯s a nice number. So, in five hundred years, the distance¡­ would still be enough to go from here to the moon.¡±


    Great. So, in five hundred years it still wasn¡¯t relevant for us.


    ¡°But a hundred or two hundred after that, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to be apart from here to the other side of this world. And another hundred it¡¯d be around half that. And the final hundred it¡¯d mellow out at¡­ Mhm, the distance from here to what the people call the Beyond? If you were that far apart, then you¡¯d reach the limit?¡±


    That was still a huge distance¡­ Albeit, admittedly one that wasn¡¯t impossible, anymore.


    ¡°But that¡¯s so far in the future I can¡¯t even imagine it,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°It really is¡­¡±


    Yumias only shrugged in response. If the stories were true, she was unimaginably old¡­ Maybe a thousand years or two weren¡¯t that much for her.


    ¡°That all assumes the current rate, though. If you do your little mischief¡ªand with that I mean intruding on Yumi¡¯s little beauty sleep¡ªthen it¡¯ll accelerate far, far faster. Assume it shaves like fifty years off each time.¡±


    Each time?


    ¡°And how often will that even happen to me?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? There¡¯s no limit, technically.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a limit?


    ¡°Your questions come later, dear. Everyone has a turn and it¡¯s not yours right now.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I really wanted to ask her right now, though. Still, I swallowed my question and waited for her to finish first¡­


    ¡°Right, where was I? Oh, your second question. I remember. What was your second question again?¡±


    She didn¡¯t remember at all!


    ¡°... What would happen if those distances are reached?¡±


    ¡°Right, now I remember. Well, that one is pretty boring. You will feel lethargic and ill which gradually worsens. You won¡¯t die, you¡¯ll just feel so bad you wish you could.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly tame.¡±


    To be perfectly honest, I half expected something along the lines of instant death, being forced back by some invisible force or just one of us instantly falling unconscious until they returned into range.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a string that instantly snaps, you know? It¡¯s more like a really incredible rubber band. One that won¡¯t break even if you two were a few solar systems apart. Although, the pain you¡¯d feel at that distance is nothing I¡¯d ever want to imagine, mind you. It¡¯s already bad enough that you¡¯ll want to die if you¡¯re just a few steps over it. Imagine a few solar systems between that.¡±


    No, I wasn¡¯t going to imagine it. In the first place, I never planned to be that far away. Or how would I even?


    ¡°Well, pain aside, there¡¯s nothing really detrimental to it.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good news.¡±


    Not having to worry about this was a good thing. And even if it wasn¡¯t in the really far off future, it was probably still not something we¡¯d have to worry about anytime soon.


    ¡°Did that answer it all?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°So polite. Can I adopt you?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    Karen inched away from her a little, glancing towards me. If I had to guess¡­ she needed help.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask her troublesome questions that are hard to reply to.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I was serious. And wouldn¡¯t that be good for you anyway? Then you¡¯d be real sisters! And I¡¯d have another adorable daughter. One that¡¯s not so snappy.¡±


    That was still her assuming that she was my mother, though. Just because she was the cause of my situation¡­


    ¡°Ah, but I¡¯ll have to refrain from making it a blood-related adoption, you know? I¡¯m not in the mood for giving birth.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­ I don¡¯t think that was ever an option?¡±


    Karen was already standing here. The hell was she talking about?


    ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a relief. Well, I guess you wouldn¡¯t want to wait two decades until she¡¯s grown-up again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay¡­ Time for a topic change. A quick one.


    ¡°More importantly, you said I could ask some questions.¡±


    ¡°More important? That¡¯s not more important than increasing the family, is it?¡±


    Oh, for fuck¡¯s sake, don¡¯t stir it back.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll need to teach you your manners again. Just where did you go wrong?¡±


    Wondering that, too. For different reasons, probably.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, ask away. Mama Yumias will answer all.¡±


    ¡°... You mentioned earlier that there was¡­ no limit to that¡­ ¡®beauty sleep.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Ahh, I did? I did. My, where do I start?¡±


    Yumias cocked her head a little, her hat shifting accordingly, nearly falling off.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much to say, to be honest. You just keep doing it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What a helpful explanation.


    ¡°I mean, I understand that it¡¯s something like¡­ Err, evolving? But what¡¯ll happen if that keeps going on? I mean, I don¡¯t even know what really happened this time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no limit to evolving, though? Living beings always evolve. Even I can¡¯t tell you what¡¯ll happen exactly.¡°


    ¡°So you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    No convenient way of knowing in advance, huh¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t. Isn¡¯t that what makes it so exciting?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Exciting for her, she meant.


    ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll stay as the cute little girl you are, no matter what. I do honor my promises, after all.¡±


    ¡°A girl that transforms into a monster¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, nobody said you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Nobody said they should either.


    ¡°Maybe I should make another wish and ask this time for me to stay a normal person.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh, only one wish per person!¡±


    ¡°So you could¡­¡±


    Well, I knew in advance she wouldn¡¯t do it. If she¡¯d do it so easily, I wouldn¡¯t be in this situation in the first place.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s enough questions for today! I don¡¯t want to sit around all day and answer whatever questions you have.¡±


    ¡°... I wonder who the root cause for those questions is.¡±


    ¡°Certainly not me.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Certainly her.


    ¡°Karen. Karen dear, my daughter¡¯s mean to me! Comfort me!¡±


    Before I could even blink, Yumias had disappeared from her seat and sidled up to Karen, hugging her waist.


    ¡°Eh? What? What¡¯s happening?!¡±


    ¡°Comfort me!¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    ¡°Hey, let go of Sis!¡±


    ¡°Look! She¡¯s mean!¡±


    This damn little gremlin. I was the only one allowed to get comforted by Karen.


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ Yumi¡­ Don¡¯t bully her?¡±


    ¡°...Why a question?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Neither did I...


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Whatever...¡±


    As if someone had let the air out of a balloon, my anger¡ªannoyance, really¡ªdeflated. I leaned back in the chair and took a sip from the soda that Yumias had brought out. It was good. A slightly nostalgic taste. I might be able to forgive her if she brought this out once in a while.


    That¡¯d be a little too easy, though. But¡­ it¡¯s not like I¡¯m really mad at her, anyway. I do enjoy my current life a lot. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s a little too skilled at annoying me.


    I definitely wasn¡¯t good with her type. And I didn¡¯t like how she trampled all over my feelings.


    Let¡¯s stop there before I start being self-depreciative¡­


    With another sigh, I turned to my side, to look at what the two were up to. For some reason, two pairs of eyes stared right back at me.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Mm, my dear, you just suddenly turned around all, going all gloomy that I feared for a moment you might smash the glass and slit your throat with a shard.¡±


    ¡°Who the hell would do something like that so randomly?¡±


    ¡°There are always people like that. From one moment to the next they snap, reaching the end of their patience and then¡­ Wham! Gone are they. Then again, it wouldn¡¯t even matter in your case since it¡¯d heal right away, no matter what you tried.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    If losing my head wasn¡¯t going to kill me, then slitting my throat would be even less of an issue, after all.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m just exhausted, that¡¯s all. Contrary to you, we had a long day.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! I heard about that! The castle stuff!¡±


    ¡°... A fort.¡±


    ¡°Same thing in green.  But that¡¯s so cool, your own little castle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the mercenary band¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°To which you belong, my dear. So, by extension, also yours.¡±


    Actually, that wasn¡¯t entirely wrong, was it? At least the feeling was right.


    ¡°So, did you already see it? How was it?¡±


    Yumias leaned forward, inching closer to me. She was still next to Karen, though, so she was actually leaning right over her¡­


    Who was it that complained about my manners again?


    But, I had to admit, like this she looked just like an innocent kid that was a little bit too excited. This person was way too random.


    ¡°It was¡­ big, I guess?¡±


    ¡°How big?¡±


    ¡°...The wall was a few captains tall. Like four or so?¡±


    ¡°Like Korwen? Mh, that¡¯d be quite tall. And what was inside?¡±


    ¡°... Old abandoned buildings. Oh, and dead bandits.¡±


    ¡°Yikes. Did you at least clean them up?¡±


    Hey, those had been people before¡­


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t¡­ We only searched the premises today.¡±


    ¡°My, but they¡¯re going to smell. Clean up quickly, would you?¡±


    ¡°... I think you want to tell that to the captain.¡±


    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll do that later.¡±


    Apologies, Korwen¡­


    ¡°So, what else?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ There¡¯s not much else to say that¡¯s really interesting¡­ I guess that the forest is surrounding it and some buildings have plants growing inside?¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, that really sounds like ruined buildings! Now I want to see it.¡±


    ¡°Well, go ahead?¡±


    Knowing her, she shouldn¡¯t have trouble hopping over.


    ¡°My, Yumi, I can¡¯t just go there. Where¡¯s the fun in that? Of course, I¡¯ll leave with you all and look at it with you all.¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡±


    ¡°The excitement before is part of the fun! Ehehe, I can¡¯t wait. I wonder if they¡¯ll let me have a room.¡±


    If they did, please not next to ours. Maybe I should goad Emily and the girls into occupying the ones to our sides. Right, Emily, Maya and Sele on one side and Lily and Rina to the other. Perfect defense.


    ¡°I still have some stuff in my stash I need to get rid of. I¡¯m sure Korwen will be more welcoming then. Better be quick about it!¡±


    ¡°... Stash?¡±


    What kind of stash was she trying to bribe Korwen with?


    ¡°Alcohol stash.¡±


    ¡°... You got my interest.¡±


    ¡°... I wonder when I raised such an alcoholic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an alcoholic. I just enjoy a good drink once in a while.¡±


    Once in a while, eh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, once in a while.¡±


    I already learnt my lesson, thank you very much. Alcohol is evil. An evil temptation.


    ¡°... That reminds me, didn¡¯t you raid the captain¡¯s alcohol stash?¡±


    Wait, wasn¡¯t this bad?


    ¡°Oh, it was delicious!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear!¡±


    ¡°He already forgave me.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    No way¡­ He did? I heard he had been furious about it when he realised it was all gone.


    ¡°No matter how rare a brew is in this place, it¡¯ll never be as rare as one from another world!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She bribed him. With otherworldly alcohol.


    I can¡¯t believe it¡­ and that worked?!


    But otherworldly alcohol...


    ¡°Is there anything I know?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Anything good among them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t?


    ¡°Why do you think I want to get rid of them? I couldn¡¯t be so mean and give you something like that, dear. I¡¯ll bring you something better next time, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    She¡­ bribed Korwen with alcohol she simply didn¡¯t want¡­ It was alcohol from another world and all that, sure, but that didn¡¯t mean it was good. I had to wonder what she had told Korwen when she handed him those bottles.


    ¡°Miss Yumias, you gave the captain drinks from Yumi¡¯s world?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Not only from hers.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°There are many worlds out there, and alcohol consumption isn¡¯t that uncommon among them. And if they don¡¯t, they usually have something similar.¡±


    Alcohol from other worlds¡­ Honestly, I¡¯d be interested too. Even if she said they were awful.


    ¡°Some of that stuff has been sitting in my stash for who knows how many centuries or millennia. It¡¯s great that someone finally wants it.¡±


    Taking that back. Not interested.


    ¡°Are those¡­ still fine?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Alcohol only gets better with time.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a limit to that. Don¡¯t believe her, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I checked it all beforehand. He shouldn¡¯t get fatally poisoned by any of them.¡±


    I¡¯d better hope he didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll have to pay little Korwen a visit now and bribe him. Ah, but before that¡­ Yumi, be a dear and help me out.¡±


    ¡°... With what?¡±


    ¡°Refilling the bottles. I can¡¯t hand him a plastic bottle, can I? And whatever other weird bottles people came up with.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Have fun.¡±


    Environmental pollution was bad. She was doing well to uphold that ideal.


    ¡°Guess that was a no then. Haa¡­ I wish my daughter would at least help me out once in a while.¡±


    Yumias stood up and stretched her body. Then, with a swing of her hand¡­ the glass cups with the drinks disappeared.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be busy for a while. Later.¡±


    She adjusted her oversized witch¡¯s hat, before pulling it down until her entire body disappeared behind it.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    No, she really disappeared, only leaving the hat behind¡­ The one that was now¡­ not on the floor.


    ¡°... She¡¯s too skilled at the weirdest things.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    I sighed in resignation and lay on the table, stretching out my arms.


    ¡°And she¡¯s exhausting the hell out of me.¡±


    ¡°But at least we got a few answers.¡±


    ¡°A few¡­¡±


    It was better than nothing. In fact, you could say it was even quite a good outcome.


    ¡°Unable to be apart, she said¡­ I just can¡¯t imagine hundreds of years into the future, though.¡±


    ¡°It is a little overwhelming, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Not just a little.¡±


    Hell, she had alcohol bottles around that were older than me. That actually was a little depressing, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I mean, we¡¯re already busy enough with the present. I don¡¯t even know how things will be in a single year. Or more like, in a month.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ In a month we¡¯ll be¡­ Still busy repairing the fort.¡±


    ¡°I feared that. But hey, it might be habitable at that point already. We might already live inside at the time.¡±


    ¡°If they prioritize the living areas, that¡¯d be quite possible.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine them not focussing on those.¡±


    The mercenaries probably wanted to live in a proper home as well and not just in a wagon all the time. They finally had the chance to make that dream a reality.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I want a large bed. A really big one where we can sleep together. Preferably where we can stretch out full without reaching the sides.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like it¡¯d be a really large one.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can fit such a large bed inside¡­¡±


    No good, huh¡­ But it sounded so nice. We could roll together on the bed and make ourselves really comfortable.


    ¡°And I don¡¯t even know where we would get such a large bed from.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But wouldn¡¯t that be a problem in general? I mean, we probably need other things, too.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ They¡¯d probably hire a carpenter to make furniture in bulk. Or maybe some of the mercenaries have experience with carpentry themselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve thought about this since a while ago but¡­ Mercenaries are quite versatile, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°They do come from all over, after all.¡±


    And with such a large number of them, there were bound to be a few who knew a little about it.


    ¡°By the way, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Should we laze around like this? Isn¡¯t it dinner time now?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    I shot straight up, realising our predicament.


    ¡°The fish will be gone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Should we go?¡±


    ¡°We should.¡±


    I stood up from my seat and stretched my body. Honestly, there wasn¡¯t really a reason I needed to stretch, considering my lack of bones and whatever else. I didn¡¯t really get stiff like I used to, anymore. Still, it was a bit of a habit.


    ¡°Nn? Something wrong, Sis?¡±


    When I turned around, I found Karen staring at me with a bemused expression.


    ¡°Well¡­ I just thought that you and Yumias look really alike when you stretch like that.¡±


    ¡°... You kidding me?¡±


    We looked alike?


    ¡°Sorry, it was just a random thought that came to me.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­ Alike... Alike¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t making me happy in the least.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and fetch dinner.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen took me by the hand and led me through the camp, which was busy as usual.


    ¡°Yumi, do you remember your mother?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a sudden question. Not really, no.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Do you ask because of what Yumias said?¡±


    She kept claiming to be my mother, at least.


    ¡°A little. But I just became curious about your family situation.¡±


    ¡°Family situation, huh¡­ If you mean from my old world¡­ I had a useless father, two cute little sisters, an older sister and a mother.¡±


    A women-dominated household. Make no mistake, I really liked my sisters. While I didn¡¯t remember much, I at least got the feeling that they were important to me. But I also had the vague feeling that this brought its own type of trouble at times¡­


    Probably better that I don¡¯t really remember those parts¡­


    Would surely only mean trouble for me.


    ¡°I see. You had a lot of girls around you, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well, you could technically say that.¡±


    But they were my sisters¡­ Probably not convincing when I was saying that, who called her girlfriend ¡¯Sis.¡¯


    ¡°What about other relatives?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ They probably existed? You might remember that my memories are a little...¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t remember.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Not out of choice, mind you.


    ¡°Do you miss them?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Hard to say. I am sure I would if I remembered more? Maybe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, even if I did, I¡¯m still very happy here with you.¡±


    I squeezed her hand a little to reassure her.


    ¡°But¡­ what Miss Yumias said, if they came to this place¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m trying not to think about that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ Well¡­¡±


    With another sigh for good measure, I glanced up at the sky. Several clouds were slowly making their way through the sky. Seeing so many of them, it might rain again soon.


    ¡°My old¡­ home, while not exactly always great, is a pretty peaceful place. There are no dangers like bandits or monsters around to ruin your day, or your life. In that sense, I want them to stay where they are safe.¡±


    I really thought so. This was just my guess based on my vague memories, but I couldn¡¯t imagine my two little sisters coping well with this world. As for my older one, I remembered even less about her so I had honestly no clue.


    ¡°Anyway, Yumias did say that it¡¯s not necessarily my right to decide over that¡­ I just hope they won¡¯t think of asking Yumias.¡±


    ¡°But if they do, they might actually¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows? Yumias might do it, or she might not.¡±


    As long as she thought it might be amusing, she surely would. But, was it amusing? Well, it might be amusing to watch considering my current¡­ state. That would without a doubt raise questions. To add on to that, my lack of memories.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi, to be honest, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need to worry about that.¡±


    ¡°Nn? How so?¡±


    ¡°I think Yumias actually does care about you. And about your family back home.¡±


    ¡°... Does she?¡±


    ¡°I think she does. She seems happy when she talks with you¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s what it feels like? I¡¯m sorry if that¡¯s a little vague.¡±


    Happy, huh¡­ With that ever-smiling face¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like it never wavered but¡­ It was hard to gauge her real emotions.


    ¡°How about you try to be a little nicer to her?¡±


    ¡°Only if she stops teasing me at every turn.¡±


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    For some reason or another, that got a chuckle out of Karen.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Will it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So it would.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯ll try to. Can¡¯t make promises if she gets on my nerves again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡±


    There was a big grin on her face now. Seriously, was it such a big reason to be happy about?


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess she¡¯s okay as long as we aren¡¯t talking about my situation and all that.¡±


    ¡°She seemed really innocent when we talked about the fort.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Would be nice if she was always like this.¡±


    Even I thought it was cute to watch. It made you forget for a second just who you were dealing with.


    ¡°She does look the part, already.¡±


    ¡°Nn. She definitely does. Why does she even choose to look like a little child?¡±


    There had been one time where she had appeared older. It had been only for the sake of surprising us probably, but it definitely was possible for her to do that.


    ¡°Who knows? There¡¯s surely a reason for that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to pry, though.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Probably.


    ¡°I am curious, though.¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I already said I won¡¯t pry.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good.¡±


    Really¡­ Wasn¡¯t she curious? I definitely was.


    ¡°If she can change her age, I wonder if she can change her general appearance as well,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Probably? I mean, she can mess with people and their very being. Would be weird if she couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen stared at me as if she tried to bore a hole in me with her gaze.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing. I just thought¡­ You never met Yumias before, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe you did but didn¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°If she can change her appearance¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    That was certainly possible. Except¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure I¡¯d remember someone as eccentric as her.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she was acting?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ but then she could be anyone? Even right now.¡±


    ¡°Even me?¡±


    ¡°No, not you. I¡¯d notice that, at least.¡±


    Yes, the person in front of me was without a doubt my beloved sister Karen. The thread connecting us proved it. And surely Yumias wouldn¡¯t be able to mess with that, right? Right? I sure hoped so¡­.


    ¡°Hehe. So you say that you¡¯ll always recognise me?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We¡¯re connected, after all.¡±


    ¡°Gee, I didn¡¯t mean that.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m just a human¡­ person, after all. Without it, I wouldn¡¯t trust myself enough to be able to notice if she was extremely good at acting.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, shouldn¡¯t this be the part where you say you¡¯d always recognise me?¡±


    I averted my gaze quickly.


    ¡°Nn, it was.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ For someone who enjoys romantic things so much, you sure aren¡¯t going for the chances.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I know what is realistic and what not¡­ I think. I¡¯m not infallible, after all. And I would rather have some kind of reassurance.¡±


    ¡°Reassurance¡­ I guess that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Karen pulled me a little closer and linked her arm with mine. It was a little hard to walk like this with our height difference.


    ¡°If it reassures you, then that¡¯s fine. But you know, it¡¯s unfair that only you can see that.¡±


    ¡°Even if you tell me that, I don¡¯t know how I could teach you that. I simply could after the first time in that shell.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe I can learn it if we repeat that a few times.¡±


    ¡°... You just might.¡±


    She also might learn a plethora of other things¡­ That was in a way worrying as well.


    ¡°Now that you say that, we never really talked about why she wanted to talk with us¡­ about you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Was it not the stuff about the distance?¡±


    ¡°Was it really?¡±


    There are still a lot of other questionable things about our situation¡­


    ¡°Ugh, there¡¯s still so much we have to ask her¡­.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll surely get another chance. After all, she¡¯s around again for now.¡±


    ¡°Who knows for how long¡­ But I guess you¡¯re right. And we never talked about those dreams, either.¡±


    Really¡­ This was a bit of a problem by itself. I would have much rather gotten over the whole thing.


    ¡°Next time, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, guess there¡¯s no other choice. For now, let¡¯s focus on this delicious smell of fish.¡±


    The slightly notable smell of grilled fish wafted over to us. I could see several women buzzing around several small fires with fish over them. Fish in all sizes, colours and shapes.


    ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Nn!¡±


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Supervising for the first time

    After our little talk with Yumias, we went to have dinner. The fish we had bought in the morning had been prepared by Mrs Korwen and some of the other women who knew about preparing fish.


    As for our captain, he had been roped in to help as punishment for the shopping spree. There was something about him in an apron that was quite amusing. And the other mercenaries sure let him know they thought it was funny. Well, it was funny. That said, he was a surprisingly¡­ average cook. Neither terrible nor very skilled but at least he knew more than just roasting a piece of meat.


    Dinner itself was quite delicious. The wide variety of fish forced me to only eat small portions of them but¡­ most of them were good. Even that large fish, the Red Devil, was quite delicious. It was intimidating to know that it had actually been poisonous, though. There were people falling from their seats but that was probably the alcohol and not dinner¡­


    Once dinner was over, Karen and I went to sleep. It had been a long day after all. And it would continue like this for a good while¡­


    Yeah, this isn¡¯t going to end anytime soon. Definitely not¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong?¡± asked Karen, who was sitting on my left.


    ¡°... Just thinking they¡¯re not making any progress with the trees¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that. They¡¯re making progress. Just very little.¡±


    I sighed again, watching the mercenaries hack away at the trees in a desperate attempt to clear the path. They were using machete-like swords as well as axes to decimate whatever wood got into their way. Then they cleared the path from all the twigs and branches and whatever else they had littered it with before starting anew. And each time they barely made half a step progress, that¡¯s how thick the thicket was.


    ¡°We should have insisted on going with the other group to the fort¡­¡±


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t. Mr Captain gave us a job.¡±


    ¡°Can this really be called a job?¡±


    I furrowed my brows when I heard that. We were literally just sitting on the side on a small log the mercenaries carried here, letting the men do their thing. Officially, our job was to supervise them. No idea how that idea got into Korwen¡¯s head but here we were. He said it¡¯d be easy and I would need to get used to this type of job. Never did I expect to be bored out of my mind.


    ¡°If nothing is happening, that¡¯s a good sign.¡±


    ¡°Guess it is¡­¡±


    We were told that, if there was nobody watching them, they might slack off. In that way, us being present prevented them from doing that. It did make me wonder if they really would slack off, seeing how motivated they were while hacking away.


    ¡°Oh well, nothing I can do about this. What is the other group doing?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re making some progress.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around, looking at the group on the opposite end of the road. They were unearthing the old path towards the town, so that it could be used again.


    ¡°Oh, wow, they really are making progress. Well, guess that¡¯s to be expected with Ria helping.¡±


    Technically, calling it a group was wrong. It was just Ria working and the others were cheering her on¡­ Okay, that was a little mean, they were cleaning up behind her. The main bulk of the work fell to Ria, though, who was utilising Water Magic to clean the road. She used it like a high-pressure cleaner, which was quite surprising.


    ¡°Miss Ria really is amazing. I didn¡¯t know you could use water like that.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m surprised, too.¡°


    That said, her progress was still slow. And I had to wonder how long she could keep that up. After all, she was continuously using her magic. She wasn¡¯t even using an elemental stone.


    ¡°They still got a long way to go, though¡­¡±


    Even if Ria continued at this pace until the evening, I seriously doubted that she would even clean up a tenth of the way today.


    ¡°They¡¯re still faster than the others.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but I¡¯d be shocked if they weren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Karen smiled wryly as she returned her gaze towards the front again, looking at the group clearing the forest.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing their best. We shouldn¡¯t make fun of them, considering we¡¯re just sitting around.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    But sitting around was our job¡­ Oh well¡­ She was right¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ I wish we could speed this up somehow.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ You could try asking Yumias? She might be able to help.¡±


    ¡°Yumias, huh¡­¡±


    Just thinking about her made me sigh again. We hadn¡¯t yet talked to her again after our small meeting yesterday. I was quite thankful to that, though, as it gave me time to process everything that we had talked about.


    ¡°Sis. What do you think about what she told us?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean, about¡­ our future. About what she told us.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s gaze went upwards, looking at the blue sky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know? It¡¯s something so far off in the future, I can¡¯t imagine it¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Nn.¡±


    So, she felt the same as I did.


    ¡°But, even if it was something that would be happening very soon, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d mind. I don¡¯t have any intention of leaving you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    I leaned against her, snuggling close and hiding my flushed face. I was too easily embarrassed, wasn¡¯t I?


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to leave you, either. But there might be a situation where we might be forced apart.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do our best where that won¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Even if it wasn¡¯t for this weird issue about being apart, I would do my utmost to prevent something like that.


    ¡°Ah, but I do  wonder what will happen to me. Yumias couldn¡¯t tell us exactly what either, after all,¡± added Karen.


    ¡°I wish she would¡­¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like it would become a problem, at least.¡±


    ¡°... I guess that is a relief, yes.¡±


    I still wasn¡¯t sure if I could trust Yumias. She was troublesome¡­ And even if Karen told me that Yumias seemed to have good intentions, it was still¡­


    But I guess, it is unfair if I only blow up in her face¡­


    Even though she teased me, I shouldn¡¯t have been that mean¡­ Yes, I was reflecting on it.


    Okay, I¡¯ll try to be a little nicer to her next time.


    Even if she was messing around and teasing me, she had saved me and it was only thanks to her that I had met Karen. Maybe I should show her a little gratitude for once. But only once.


    ¡°Yumi, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Look over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh? Oh¡­ Speak of the devil and he shall come¡­¡±


    Ah, but this devil is female.


    Without us noticing, Yumias had actually appeared among the mercenaries clearing the thicket. She was tiptoeing, looking past the mercenaries in an attempt to see what they were doing. Considering how¡­ vertically challenged she was, she probably didn¡¯t see much.


    ¡°The heck is she doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Now she was jumping up high, trying to see past the mercenaries. At this point, some of the men had noticed her as well, and were a little confused. Maybe mistaking her for a child, the men in front made some space so she could look¡­ Whatever she was looking at.


    Yumias then walked up closer, looking around. After a short while, she started talking with one of the mercenaries. Her expression fell and she looked disappointed, her shoulders slumping.


    No, really, what is she doing there?


    Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t figure it out. Once she finished talking with the mercenary, she turned around and left them to their work. Obviously, since we were just behind those men, we immediately entered her field of view as well. Seeing us, she raised her arm and waved energetically. A little surprised, we returned the wave¡­


    Ah, there she comes running¡­ what the fuck she¡¯s fast?!


    ¡°Yumi dear!¡±


    ¡°Woah, stop! Stop!¡±


    Responding to my desperate plea, Yumias made a full stop right in front of me¡­ That was close.


    ¡°Yumi dear!¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes?!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the castle?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    You kidding me?


    That¡¯s what she was after?


    ¡°Tell me!¡±


    ¡°... In the forest?¡±


    ¡°Where in the forest?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    She fell to the ground, holding her chest as if someone had just her heart. I couldn¡¯t understand her¡­ I just couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I was looking forward to it. I was looking forward to it!¡±


    ¡°... You could have joined the captain in the morning. He went to the fort.¡±


    ¡°I fear that might not be possible, dear.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°That boy, yesterday evening, he drank the alcohol I brought him.¡±


    Ah. I knew where this was going.


    ¡°It seems that it wasn¡¯t to his taste. And here I only wanted to do him a favour. Haa¡­¡±


    She brought a hand to her cheek, shaking her head all the while.


    My condolences, captain. May your alcohol rest in peace.


    I gave a quick prayer to our captain¡¯s deceased alcohol stash.


    ¡°He was really upset, somehow. I hope he is taking care of himself. He¡¯s not the youngest anymore and high blood pressure could be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I think she should first ask herself why he had high blood pressure in the first place.


    ¡°Oh well.¡±


    Yumias stood up again and patted her knees to get off the dirt. Looking at her like this¡­ she really was small. Even as I was sitting, she was only slightly taller standing in front of me. And I was already anything but tall.


    ¡°Is something the matter, Yumi dear?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing.¡±


    I wanted to ask her why she stayed this small when we already knew she could make herself taller. But something told me that it was a dangerous question. One I shouldn¡¯t ask. Might be just my imagination but¡­ Better safe than sorry.


    ¡°My, are you shy?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, sure, sure, dear. Well, I won¡¯t interrupt your work for any longer then. Later then. Mh, I wonder what little Lily is up to.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Un¡ª Huh?¡±


    She was gone. I turned around, looking behind me, but there was no one there.


    ¡°... How is she doing that?¡±


    Seriously¡­ It was a mystery.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Yumi, but¡­ Maybe she is using that Space magic?¡±


    ¡°... Ahhh, that¡¯s possible.¡±


    It might not be that it simply seemed as if she was teleporting. She might really be. Having seen what the tentacles could do, it was entirely possible she could do the same. No, actually¡­


    ¡°Thinking about it, she can wander into other worlds¡­ Teleporting is probably the last thing I should be surprised about.¡±


    ¡°Now that you say it.¡±


    I never really connected those dots before¡­ but it certainly made sense now.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Why can¡¯t she just teleport into the fort?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ she just wants to share everyone¡¯s excitement?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is that it?¡±


    Excitement, huh¡­ It might be¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t get her.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders, giving up. For now, we should probably concentrate on our ¡®job.¡¯


    Karen and I kept watching the mercenaries as they hacked and cut and felled. We didn¡¯t really need to do anything, really. Noon passed, we had a lunch break and then the whole thing continued on. It took until late noon until there was a change.


    As the mercenaries kept clearing the path with minimal progress, a large group came from the direction of the town. Burly men with arms as thick as a trunk.


    ¡°Sis, those are not our men, are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t recognise anyone among them so I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    The group approached Ria and her cheerleaders. One of the burly men¡ªjudging by his grey hair the oldest one¡ªseparated from the group and started talking with one of the mercenaries. After a while, the mercenary pointed him elsewhere. Just this elsewhere was¡­


    ¡°Why is he pointing at us?¡±


    The unknown man turned into our direction. Since I could still see really well from that distance, I saw his expression change into confusion. He turned back to the mercenary, frowning. Only to be once more pointed towards us.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯re the supervisors.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that man want to talk with the people in charge here?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oh fucking hell¡­ I wished he¡¯d send them to Ria, not us.


    ¡°He is coming, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°He sure is¡­¡±


    I repressed a sigh and stood up from our log, patting away the dirt. If he really wanted to talk to us because we were ¡®in charge¡¯ then I probably shouldn¡¯t stay seated. Although, we were only technically in charge¡­ Well, time to do my best as the ¡®person in charge,¡¯ huh...


    ¡°¡®Scuse me, lady. Are you calling the shots here?¡±


    ¡°We are the supervisors, yes.¡±


    The man directly addressed me and not Karen. I was a little surprised that he did, to be honest.


    ¡°Great! Glad I got the right people. Ahh, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m Kelrev, chairman of the Craftsmen¡¯s Guild.¡±


    ¡°The Craftsmen¡¯s Guild?¡±


    ¡°Ahh. We¡¯re a guild to support all our local craftsmen in Auria. Small town, so we gotta help each other where we can.¡±


    So, these burly men were all craftsmen?


    ¡°I see. And what does the Craftsmen¡¯s Guild need from us?¡±


    ¡°Rather than need, the lord gave us orders to restore the old road. But from the looks of it, you¡¯re already working on that.¡±


    They came for the road? But I thought, if we wanted help from the populace we¡¯d have to pay and hire them ourselves. Or did the road not fall under that?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we didn¡¯t expect anyone from town to work on the road and it is a rather high priority.¡±


    ¡°I see. Guess that¡¯s understandable. But this is a bit of a problem...¡±


    He scratched the back of his head before throwing a glance back, towards the road where Ria was still cleaning up..


    ¡°Can¡¯t be as efficient as a mage after all.¡±


    No, that was probably just Ria who was way too efficient.


    ¡°Even then, the lord gave us the order and the pay. If possible, we¡¯d like to take over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not something I can decide.¡±


    ¡°Then, who can?¡±


    ¡°The captain or the vice-captain. The captain is currently in the forest and will come back later. The vice-captain is at our camp on the other side of the town.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? Lady, can¡¯t you do something? Come on, give me something to work with.¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me to, I can¡¯t.¡±


    The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. Not that it¡¯d change anything.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    With that, he went back to his group. He could¡¯ve at least said bye or something¡­ At least, he retreated quickly and didn¡¯t keep going.


    ¡°Well, what do we do now?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We should tell the captain when he comes back.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The old craftsman was talking to his group and after a short while, the whole lot of them turned back. Glad that got solved quickly but¡­Wait, the old man stayed behind. He was talking with the mercenary from before.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on now?


    ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­ Are they arguing?¡±


    The old man was saying something to the mercenary, while the latter just shook his head repeatedly. We watched the two for a while, until the old man stomped the ground and then left, following after his group.


    ¡°The heck was that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°We probably should ask¡­ don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°I think that would be for the best, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Knew it¡­¡±


    Sure, just watching the men doing their work was boring but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted problems cropping up¡­


    Karen and I made our way over to the group working on the road. All the while, Ria had continued her work, completely unperturbed by everything happening around her. I was a little jealous, to be honest. Either way, we approached the mercenary and asked him what happened.


    ¡°What did that man want?¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am!¡±


    Seeing me, the mercenary immediately saluted. I still wasn¡¯t really used to them doing this¡­


    ¡°He demanded to speak with the captain or someone else who could make decisions.¡±


    ¡°I knew it¡­¡±


    That man wasn¡¯t satisfied with the way things were¡­ Well, it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand that. From how he phrased it, they had already been paid by the lord. If they couldn¡¯t work on the road, what would happen then?


    ¡°Did he say anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°I see. Good work. Keep it up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    I nodded in appreciation. Seems they had everything under control then. That said, I had this feeling that it wasn¡¯t the last we heard of them¡­


    Nothing else had happened for the remainder of our job. Karen and I watched the mercenaries, flirted around and stuff like that. Of course, we paid attention even while we were flirting. Really.


    At some point, Korwen and the other mercenaries finally returned from their trip to the fort. It also marked the end of our workday. The mercenaries were already cleaning up everything and getting ready to leave. But first, we¡¯d have to report to Korwen what had happened.


    ¡°The craftsmen¡¯s guild, you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a surprise¡­ Didn¡¯t expect them to show up at all.¡±


    ¡°... Was it all right for us to turn them away?¡±


    I was honestly a little worried we did the right thing there. Not that I even knew what else we could have done.


    ¡°It was. It was simply unlucky for them to show up now. Maybe they should have gone to our camp first.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, either way¡­ If they offer to unearth the street for nothing, we should take them up on it. Less work for us.¡±


    ¡°Should we say that to them next time they show up?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡­ Actually, you won¡¯t get to that.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Why wouldn¡¯t we? Oh¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re not supervising tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I got a different job for you two.¡±


    A different one, huh¡­ Well, I wasn¡¯t going to miss this one.


    ¡°We made some progress going through the fort, you see.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Remember the blueprints I¡¯ve gotten from Will?¡±


    ¡°The ones back when we were selecting our rooms?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those.¡±


    Was there some problem with them?


    ¡°For the most part, they turned out to be accurate. Well, a few parts turned out to be different and there¡¯s a whole section that¡¯s not on them, but that¡¯s something to worry about later.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that actually important¡­¡±


    ¡°It is. But we don¡¯t know what¡¯s down there. I¡¯d rather not run a search party that has to go the whole way from our camp to the fort and then down there. So, with that in mind, we¡¯ll be setting up a small camp in the fort. Or really, we¡¯ll just get settled into our new places already a little.¡±


    ¡°... Huh? Wait, we¡¯re moving in already?!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that way too soon? Just getting there was an ordeal already.


    ¡°What exactly we¡¯ll be doing will depend a little. At minimum, we¡¯re just going to move some food over there and sleep on the floor.¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound fun, though.


    ¡°At best, we¡¯ll be able to move more things and get settled in properly. Well, most of that is going to depend on you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... On me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want you to try and use that Space magic. If it works, we should be able to comfortably get into the fort.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    That didn¡¯t even come into my mind¡­ That might actually work but¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much mana that¡¯s going to need¡­ Even that one time already took a huge amount...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Ria help you out. Do you still have mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we do.¡±


    Plenty, in fact.


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t worry about using them up this time. We can always get more.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°We need to test out that magic of yours either way, don¡¯t we? This is a good opportunity to try it out. Even if you mess up, unless you send us into the sky, it¡¯s a distance you can walk.¡±


    A good opportunity¡­ It was, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Nn, then I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. What exactly do you need to do for that?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t quite know? At the very least, I¡¯ll need the tentacle growth at both places.¡±


    ¡°That stuff¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll show you where you can make one in the camp later. Then, we¡¯ll make the other one in the fort tomorrow. We¡¯ll bring food along so if it doesn¡¯t work out, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Sounded like a plan to me.


    ¡°If that really works out, we can already move everything important into the fort as well. With an easy way inside, we should make far better progress than now.¡±


    Korwen turned to the side, looking at the road. Even he was worried about how slow the progress was, huh?


    ¡°Leaving the road to the Craftsmen¡¯s Guild would be quite convenient for us, too. More manpower we can focus on getting the fort back into shape.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯ll depend on me¡­¡±


    ¡°If you mean our course of action, then yes, it¡¯ll depend on you.¡±


    Great¡­ So much responsibility¡­


    ¡°That said, it¡¯s not like we can flaunt that magic of yours. We¡¯ll need to keep it under wraps as much as possible. That¡¯ll limit us a little. I¡¯d rather not have the recruits know about it, for example.¡±


    ¡°The recruits? Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because we won¡¯t know who will even stay with us. They barely have experience with the work of a mercenary nor did they ever kill a person in their life. Most of them will quit.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    That was a bit of a surprise.


    ¡°It is. But that¡¯s simply how things are. Our job is not something anyone can do. But enough about that.  We¡¯ll have to keep your magic, if it works, hidden from prying eyes. We¡¯ll move whatever we need to conduct a search and also everyone I know can keep their mouth shut. It¡¯ll help us out but it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll change everything. We¡¯ll just have to move in a little later if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Was he¡­ trying to put me at ease?


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try my best, captain. I can¡¯t promise anything, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough.¡±


    Korwen nodded, satisfied with my answer.


    ¡°We¡¯ll discuss the details tomorrow. But don¡¯t stay up too late. We¡¯ll move out early tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Is the search going to be taking that long?¡±


    ¡°... Frankly, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°... Captain, the hell did you find?¡±


    ¡°An underground basement. We don¡¯t know how large it is but preliminary reconnaissance suggests we won¡¯t be able to get through that in one day.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he wanted to set up camp¡­


    ¡°It might lead to a secret storage room, a prison or maybe just secret exits. We don¡¯t know. It might have been constructed after it was abandoned, too.¡±


    ¡°Afterwards? But why would anyone build that and then leave the fort alone?¡±


    ¡°Good question. That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to try to figure out.¡±


    Korwen shrugged with his shoulders.


    ¡°It could be anything for all we know. It might also be just another water canal that got clogged up.¡±


    ¡°That sounds more likely than the other ones, at least¡­¡±


    Then again, it had been a fort¡­ A secret basement, huh? That¡­ sounded a little cool.


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s a water canal, then that¡¯s that. But if it¡¯s something else, this might be either a problem or a boon. If it¡¯s just a large storage¡­ It¡¯d be the perfect location to keep some things hidden, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Korwen grinned mischievously at me. Did he mean¡­ me?


    ¡°Mr Captain, do you want to use that basement for Yumi¡¯s¡­ research?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. It¡¯d be convenient, wouldn¡¯t it? I was already wondering how we¡¯d deal with that so this could be convenient for us. Depends if it¡¯s really like that, though. And¡­ if it really was a secret storage room¡­ Then what happened to whatever was stored there?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t they have taken it with them when they abandoned it?¡±


    ¡°They might have, they might not.¡±


    Once again, Korwen shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out tomorrow, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I glanced upwards at the sky. The sun was already setting. Today had been quite an uneventful day, hadn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Oh right. If you do well, you might be able to move into your new room tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Now someone¡¯s motivated!¡±


    Of course, I was. We were looking forward to living in a proper room as well.


    ¡°Then, you better keep it up tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I will.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡±


    Tomorrow was surely going to be a great day. Definitely!

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: A Busy Evening

    After a while, the mercenaries finished cleaning up for the day and our group made its way back to the camp. This signalled the end of the day¡¯s work. The merry mercenaries around us showed no sign of fatigue, talking with each other, wondering what we¡¯d have for dinner and all that stuff.


    ¡°I wish they¡¯d share some of that energy with me. I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Seriously, they did a whole day¡¯s worth of manual labor. They were drenched in sweat. And yet, they showed no signs of exhausting their energy.


    ¡°Yumi, we only sat around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still tired.¡±


    It was probably more a kind of mental fatigue, though.


    ¡°I blame it on those craftsmen.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Hey, if they hadn¡¯t come, I probably wouldn¡¯t be quite as tired as I was right now. That wasn¡¯t my fault.


    ¡°But really, I wonder what they did after that. They didn¡¯t wait around for the captain, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll come back tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°That might be.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t going to be fun¡­ Oh, wait¡­


    ¡°Right, I won¡¯t have to do this again tomorrow. Ohh, then it¡¯s not my problem anymore.¡±


    What a wonderful coincidence.


    ¡°Even if they had come, couldn¡¯t you just repeat what Mr Captain told us to them?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ But what if they aren¡¯t satisfied with that or there¡¯s something else?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯d be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯d happen. And even if it did, you could just defer to Mr Captain again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, yes, but that was exactly what I didn¡¯t like about the whole thing.


    ¡°Anyway. It¡¯s not my problem anymore. Someone else will have to deal with them. We have other things to do tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Like getting the Space magic to work?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Just thinking about that made me nervous¡­ I know he tried to calm me by saying that it wasn¡¯t too important¡­ But I knew that he was counting on me and that it would make things much simpler.


    ¡°By the way, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could ask Yumias for help?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Asking Yumias for help? That was¡­


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I mean we could but¡­¡±


    I did have my doubts whether she¡¯d answer that¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t think asking her would hurt. At worst, she¡¯ll just keep quiet about it.¡±


    Well¡­ That was probably right. I doubted that she wanted to harm me so she probably wouldn¡¯t mislead us by saying something wrong. Probably...


    ¡°... I guess we can ask her.¡±


    ¡°You sound really reluctant.¡±


    Of course, I was reluctant. But I had told myself to be a little nicer to her just earlier. With that in mind, I wasn¡¯t going to immediately dismiss her.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to find her first, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true. But I think she¡¯ll be quite easy to find.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    How did she come to that conclusion?


    ¡°I mean, she¡¯s probably with Lily.¡±


    ¡°She did say she wanted to go to her earlier.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    But we¡¯d have to find Lily first for that. So, in the end, it only changed the target of our search¡­ Then again, knowing Lily, she wouldn¡¯t skip out on dinner. We¡¯d just have to look for them at that time.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see how it turns out, huh.¡±


    If they weren¡¯t there at dinner, we¡¯d have a problem. Either way, that meant we still hadn¡¯t finished our work for today¡­


    That reminds me, being a mercenary is basically a job you do all day long, isn¡¯t it?


    No labor laws that limited the time you spent on work. In other words, nobody would care if you worked the entire time from morning to evening. That was¡­ pretty bad, wasn¡¯t it? Well, there wasn¡¯t exactly much in the way of proper work most of the time for mercenaries.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    ¡°There are people at the camp?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Without my noticing, the camp had come into view as we trotted along the town¡¯s walls. And just as Karen said, I could see people at the camp. Unfamiliar people, of course. It seemed that there was a commotion.


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Wonder what¡¯s going on. Maybe Yumias did something again.¡±


    Unfortunately, I had to dismiss that possibility quite quickly. Thanks to my eyes, I could see quite far, so I could make out the odd people. And unfortunately¡­


    ¡°Sis, I know who that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°... The craftsmen from earlier.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes widened in surprise.


    ¡°Nn¡­ And¡­ I think the one they¡¯re talking with is Merim¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Much to our surprise, they had actually heeded our words and come here.


    They don¡¯t seem like they¡¯re very happy, though¡­


    This might be a little¡­


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s catch up to the captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We quickened our steps to catch up with Korwen, who was taking the lead of our group. By the time we reached him, the other mercenaries, Korwen included, realised that something was wrong at the camp.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mh? You two, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well, we saw the commotion at the camp¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Right, Yumi had good eyes. So it really is a commotion?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded in confirmation.


    ¡°Can you see what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°Merim is arguing with the craftsmen.¡±


    ¡°Craftsmen? You mean, the ones you mentioned earlier?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see... How do they look to you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? How they look?¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion.


    ¡°I mean, are they calm, upset or whatever.


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Yes, of course, that¡¯s what he meant.


    ¡°They seem upset.¡±


    ¡°Great¡­ Just what I needed.¡±


    Korwen sighed in resignation, slumping his shoulders.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they come some other time?¡±


    ¡°Probably not¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Guess dinner will be delayed a little. Okay, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°NN¡­ Nn? Wait, us, too?¡±¡±


    ¡°Of course. You two were the ones who talked with them first.¡±


    Oh, seriously? Just when I was happy that I didn¡¯t have to...


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I could see Karen smirking, stifling a laugh. Good thing that at least one person had her fun here.


    ¡°Oh well¡­¡±


    So much to that.


    A little later, Korwen, Karen and I had finally arrived at the camp. After Korwen dismissed everyone else, we made a beeline straight to the commotion. There we found Merim, a few mercenaries I wasn¡¯t familiar with and the craftsmen from earlier.


    ¡°Jockson, what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    Merim and the other mercenaries turned around immediately and saluted the moment Korwen called out to them. It took me a moment to remember that Jockson was Merim¡¯s last name. Korwen never used it usually, after all. Was it because this wasn¡¯t a private situation?


    ¡°Captain, these men are from the Craftsmen¡¯s Guild. They want to work on the road to the fort.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, where¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Before Merim could continue, one of the craftsmen stepped forward. Old, white hair and so on. The one we had talked with this noon.


    ¡°You the boss here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the captain of this band, yes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here about the road. The Craftsmen¡¯s Guild is here to take over freeing up the road. That¡¯s what the lord wants.¡±


    ¡°The lord, huh¡­ The lord said nothing about this to us, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you doubting me?¡±


    The old man narrowed his eyes at Korwen.


    ¡°No, not in the least. I¡¯m just surprised. After all, he told us that if we required help from the citizens, we¡¯d have to get it ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Guess he changed his mind then.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Then, I hope you understand that I¡¯d like to confirm this with him first before making any kind of decision on this.¡±


    ¡°... Do as you want.¡±


    The old man turned around without saying another word and walked away. He beckoned his fellows to follow him and within a moment, the whole group left.


    ¡°What was up with that?¡± I asked, watching them disappear into town.


    ¡°¡­ There seems to be something wrong here.¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s something even I noticed.


    At least, the other mercenaries were just as bewildered, with looks of confusion on them.


    ¡°Merim, how long did they stay here?¡±


    ¡°For a good while. Enough to make me feel rather annoyed.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I don¡¯t think this¡¯ll be the last we saw of them.¡±


    It¡¯d surprise me if not.


    ¡°Mr Captain, will you go to the governor to confirm things?¡±


    ¡°... It didn¡¯t seem to me that they were on order of the governor here,¡± I added.


    Korwen nodded promptly, confirming.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I think they¡¯re not on the order of the governor here either. But that does beg the question why they would want to work on the road. There¡¯s no benefit of it if they aren¡¯t being paid¡­ That means there¡¯s something else¡­ Either there¡¯s something that they can turn into profit or something personal¡­ Something they might want to hide¡­¡±


    He stroked his chin as he narrowed his eyes, still gazing at the town¡¯s gate, through which the craftsmen disappeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s fairly odd. Merim.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Go to the governor¡¯s place and inquire about this.¡±


    ¡°Under¡ª Wait, captain¡­ Do you mean now?¡±


    ¡°Well, now¡­¡±


    Holding up a hand above his eyes to shield his eyes from the sun, Korwen directed his eyes away from the gate and to the sky.


    ¡°Sun¡¯s still up. Better move your behind if you want to have dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­ Captain...¡±


    ¡°Did you say something, Mr I-barely-had-any-work-today?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m going.¡±


    With a sigh, Merim passed us and went back into the midst of the camp. He probably went to get ready and presentable for that visit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see soon enough if the craftsmen really came on order of the governor.¡±


    ¡°... Mr Captain, couldn¡¯t he have gone tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°And give those guys a chance to strike a deal with the governor?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Did he suspect they¡¯d do that? Well, they might¡­ Actually, it probably was their only way of doing this, wasn¡¯t it? They already knew that Korwen wanted to check up with the governor. They¡¯d have to discuss this with him, unless they gave up on working on the road and giving a bad impression to us. Which, honestly, didn¡¯t seem like a very likely scenario.


    ¡°This might be some unexpected trouble¡­ If we knew what they were after, at least.¡±


    Their goal, huh¡­ It was just getting the road ready, was it not? What point was there in taking over that work? Maybe there was some benefit we didn¡¯t know about¡­ That really didn¡¯t seem likely. It¡¯s just a road.


    Maybe they have something to hide?


    That could be it¡­ Maybe they were required to maintain the road and didn¡¯t want to get into trouble? Could be¡­


    ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s get some dinner. And while we do that, Yumi, you¡¯ll tell me again what happened at noon. Every little detail.¡±


    ¡°... Understood, captain.¡±


    So much to our plans for dinner¡­


    ¡°Did you already have plans for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­ We wanted to look for Yumias and Lily¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Lily is one thing but I¡¯m surprised you¡¯d want to eat dinner with Yumias.¡±


    ¡°... We wanted to ask her about tomorrow. Maybe she could help.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see¡­ Mm...¡±


    Korwen closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about something.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s no hurry with this. Go and look for them.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°We can talk after dinner or tomorrow. We won¡¯t be able to do anything either way. For now, that is.¡±


    ¡°For now, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Depends on what information Merim brings back. If it¡¯s urgent, I can still call for you two.¡±


    Guess that was an advantage, huh¡­ He really was flexible in times like this.


    ¡°Now then¡­ I better get going before my wife gets angry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Why would his wife get angry?


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to sleep early. It¡¯s going to be an early start tomorrow.¡±


    Before I could ask him what he meant, he was already on his way, giving us a quick wave as a goodbye. Alas, I didn¡¯t even need to ask what he meant anymore¡­ since he was walking towards Mrs Korwen. Apparently, she had been waiting for him a little ways off.


    ¡°Yumi, do you think he¡¯ll help with cooking again?¡±


    ¡°... That might be it.¡±


    Would we see him in an apron again? That¡¯d be interesting¡­


    ¡°Yumi, you haven¡¯t helped out with cooking in a while either, have you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, mostly because we were busy. I¡¯m guessing I¡¯ll soon help out again.¡±


    In a way, we¡­ skipped our regular work for a good while, haven¡¯t we? Mostly because we just slept through the whole journey. And now we had come to Auria and there was the stuff with the fort and the road. Well, it was quite welcome that we were exempted from these duties if other work conflicted with it.


    But helping out with the cooking was actually quite nice¡­ The women there were all friendly and taught me patiently about this world¡¯s cooking.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, I just thought about it but¡­ We¡¯re going to be living in the fort, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯ll also move out for jobs and the like.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who is going to cook?¡±


    After all, bringing all the families along the trip would more or less defeat the fort¡¯s purpose.


    ¡°... I hope some mercenaries know how to cook.¡±


    ¡°... I vaguely remember Lily saying that nobody among the Black Guards could, at least.¡±


    This didn¡¯t bode well¡­ Not at all¡­


    ¡°So, either we will have roasted meat every day, preservatives or¡­ We¡¯ll be forced to cook. Either everyone for themselves or for the group as a whole...¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t really feel like eating preservatives.¡±


    ¡°Nn, neither do I.¡±


    There was a world difference between preserved food and food fresh from the pot. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Karen didn¡¯t want them either. She probably had more than her fair share of that stuff, already.


    ¡°We should bring this up with the captain. At least, it¡¯ll still be a good while before this is going to happen...¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    There were several factors that might change everything anyway¡­ If I could make the space magic work relatively reliably, the issue of fresh food probably wouldn''t be that big. Then again, it¡¯d also depend on how much Korwen wanted to reveal.


    Well, he did say it¡¯d be impossible to keep my abilities under wraps for long if we were to make use of them¡­


    Either way, if we made it work, it could only improve the situation.


    ¡°Guess I really have to make it work now if I don¡¯t want to eat preserved food.¡±


    ¡°I feel like that motivation is a little odd¡­¡±


    ¡°At least I am motivated.¡±


    The source didn¡¯t matter as long as the motivation was there. Well, though I said that, it wasn¡¯t like food was my only motivation. Instantly travelling around was more than just convenient.


    ¡°I just hope it doesn¡¯t consume a ridiculous amount of mana every single time¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡­ might be a little much to ask for.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It was to be expected that such amazing magic required an appropriate amount of mana, right? Unfortunately¡­ Even that tiny gate I made nearly messed things up badly.


    ¡°It¡¯d be nice if we could use the mana from that huge crystal. But I think Ria hasn''t made much progress yet¡­¡±


    With such an obscene amount of mana, it¡¯d probably take a really long time until we exhausted it. That¡¯d be nice.


    ¡°Anyway, we should¡­ probably stop standing around here.¡±


    ¡°... Probably.¡±


    The mercenaries that had been with Merim had left already as well. We were the only ones left standing around here.


    ¡°We could look for Yumias while we wait for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sounds good to me.¡±


    With that decided, we turned around, only to see someone running in our direction.


    ¡°Mr Vice-captain?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yumi, Karen. You¡¯re still here?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Are you leaving now?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll have to hurry if I want dinner¡­ Ah, but¡­ You wouldn¡¯t be so nice and set something aside for me?¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯ll relay it to Helma.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s fine, too.¡±


    Merim smiled wryly at me. I didn¡¯t actually mind doing that for him since he always helped out but we were probably busy as well. And Helma surely would do it for him as well.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be on my way. I¡¯m counting on you!¡±


    ¡°Sure. Good luck.¡±


    Merim hurried past us, making his way to the gate. He really didn¡¯t have it easy, did he? He even went and made himself quite presentable, changing into better clothes.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope he brings good news back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he can do it.¡±


    He knew what he was doing so I didn¡¯t doubt that.


    ¡°Okay, now we should go and look, shouldn¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Time to look for that little gremlin.


    ¡°So¡­ What happened here?¡±


    ¡°Things got a little heated.¡±


    ¡°A little heated?¡±


    ¡°Heated. A little.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Just a little.¡±


    In front of me was a battlefield. A veritable battlefield. Several corpses were in front of me sprawled across the tables. The culprit? Several bottles provided by a certain someone. Emptied by the unsuspecting victims. Never did they suspect that it¡¯d be the last thing they¡¯d drink.


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­ Is this¡­ a plastic bottle?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t read it.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not from your place. I mean, it is from your place. But a slightly different place.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    I put the bottle back on the table. This was¡­ Well¡­ Quite something, you could say.


    ¡°Okay¡­ I can¡¯t pretend that I didn¡¯t see anything, can I?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be good, I believe,¡± replied Karen.


    ¡°Figured¡­¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to get involved in this mess. It was definitely going to be bad for my mental health.


    ¡°But what do we do with these bodies? Bury them?¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not dead.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Well, they sure were going to wish they were dead, though. Tomorrow morning.


    ¡°So, Yumias, I¡¯m going to guess that this was either a drinking competition or something similar?¡±


    ¡°My, you¡¯re close. We played dice and the loser had to take a shot.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Drinking games. No wonder they were passed out.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking too sober for that, though¡­ Did you cheat?¡±


    ¡°How rude! I¡¯d never cheat, Yumi dear.¡±


    Was that really the case, though?


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t!¡±


    As if this little gremlin had read my thoughts, she denied it once more, with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out. Like a child trying to look all smug, which, admittedly, was quite cute. If only it wasn¡¯t all about alcohol.


    ¡°Well, whether you did or didn¡¯t, I guess it¡¯s not like it matters¡­ Still, what do we do about this now? We can¡¯t just leave them here, can we?¡±


    Actually, we probably could¡­ But leaving someone dead-drunk outside wasn¡¯t good. Even if it was warm right now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask the captain. Maybe someone can carry them into their wagon.¡±


    ¡°My daughter¡¯s really kind. You bring a tear to my eye.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maybe she needed some time for self-reflection¡­ Though she clearly had no intention of doing that.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Seriously¡­¡±


    Well, it wasn¡¯t like it was completely her fault, since these men clearly were out to get her drunk as well. In a way, maybe it was good they passed out?


    ¡°Sis, can you call for the captain?¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I watched Karen hurry to fetch Korwen. Knowing her, she probably didn¡¯t want to leave me alone for long.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Let¡¯s at least collect these bottles¡­¡±


    We couldn¡¯t exactly leave plastic bottles around in this world. Environmental hazard and such.


    I picked up the bottles to my feet...


    ¡°... Just where did you pick these up?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that one is also from your place.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t read it, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, not that place. The other place.¡±


    So, not where I was born.


    ¡°And this one?¡±


    ¡°That one is from a different place. Very refreshing one.¡±


    That literally didn¡¯t tell me anything. Except that it probably was a completely different world?


    ¡°You drank a lot, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we had a lot of fun. They make for good drinking buddies.¡±


    ¡°... Good for you.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows, looking at the collapsed ¡®buddies¡¯ of hers. Wonder whether the thought was mutual.


    ¡°So, my dear, you two were looking for me, were you not?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°What is it about?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, let¡¯s collect the bottles first?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯d be better.¡±


    Glad she was quick on the uptake.


    We collected all the bottles that were scattered around, gathering them all on the table. Around the time we finished, Karen returned, a few mercenaries in tow. They quickly heaved up the collapsed men and carried them away. The whole thing went so smoothly it made me suspect that this was a regular occurence. It probably was.


    ¡°Great¡­ That¡¯s one thing dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your help, Yumi, Karen. My, I was in quite a bind there, you saved me.¡±


    ¡°Sure¡­¡±


    Yumias sat down at the table, beckoning us to join her. Fortunately, there wasn¡¯t anybody else around anymore so we could probably talk here.


    ¡°So, my dear Yumi. What is it you needed me for? Did you finally come around and accept that you are my daughter? Oh, I see, that¡¯s wonderful, indeed! Right, I¡¯ll have to make a note.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what this is about¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t? Unfortunate. So I have to be patient for a while longer.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She could be as patient as she wanted¡­


    ¡°We wanted to ask you about the Space magic that the tentacles are using.¡±


    ¡°Ohh! Mh? Didn¡¯t we talk about that before already? Or is my memory failing me again? Getting old is scary.¡±


    ¡°... We might have. But I wanted to ask anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well, then: Shoot.¡±


    Yumias¡¯ smile widened, as if she was actually pleased.


    ¡°The captain is planning to try it out tomorrow¡­ And we wanted to ask if you could help out.¡±


    ¡°Help out? With the experiment.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. Among other things.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. No.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Guess I wasn¡¯t even surprised.


    ¡°Helping out sounds boring so I won¡¯t. Answering questions is one thing but asking for my help is boring.¡±


    ¡°Figured it¡¯d be like that.¡±


    So much to that.¡±


    ¡°Uhm, Miss Yu¡ª¡±


    ¡°No ¡®Miss¡¯ please!¡±


    ¡°... Yumias, asking questions is fine?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. A question costs nothing. Except your dignity, maybe.¡±


    Nothing I had to lose then.


    ¡°Then, Mi¡ª I mean, Yumias, if Yumi uses Space magic with the tentacles, it uses up a lot of mana. ¡°


    ¡°Mm, it does.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way around that?¡±


    ¡°I assume you didn¡¯t test it out all that much yet, then. It¡¯s something you¡¯d realise pretty quickly anyway so I¡¯ll answer it for you. The magic your tentacles use would require magic to bend Space, connecting two different places. Once Space is bent, however, it only requires mana to maintain this state. Think of it like bending a wooden stick. Bending it requires more energy than keeping it in the bent position. However, the stronger the bent, the bigger the force pushing it back.¡±


    From somewhere, Yumias conjured up a wooden stick just like in her example. A perfectly smooth piece of wood. Then, she pinched either end with her fingers and bent it a little.


    ¡°The same is true for this magic. The farther away the two end points, the stronger the bent required. As such, it would require more mana to set up and more mana to maintain.¡±


    ¡°As expected, huh¡­¡±


    The farther away, the more mana I¡¯d need¡­ Depending on how much this difference was, it could very well turn out to be unfeasible.


    ¡°Oh, but, you probably won¡¯t have much trouble at the distances you work at. If you prepare accordingly, it won¡¯t kill you. Well, even if it would drain you dry, you won¡¯t die from it.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I wouldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Mh? You won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be as good as dead, though. After all, you might survive but you¡¯d but you¡¯d turn into a vegetable. Well, not forever, mind you, but surely for a few hundred years until you recover the lost mana.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    One more reason to bring as many of the mana crystals as we could. Korwen was strong, so he could surely carry them all through the forest.


    ¡°Anyway, prepare well and you shall not be disappointed. Probably.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Honestly, this made me breathe a small sigh of relief. Knowing that it wasn¡¯t something entirely impossible was¡­ a weight off my shoulders.


    ¡°Well then, I answered your question. So I guess now it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    ¡°Nn? You have a question?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. My dear Yumi, I have been wondering for a while now...¡±


    She paused, leaving us hanging onto her words for a few seconds.


    ¡°... isn¡¯t it inconvenient with your hair being that long?¡±


    Seriously?


    What did I expect¡­


    ¡°... You get used to it.¡±


    People, after all, could get used to just about anything...

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: To a Craftman’s Delight

    ¡°Well, my dear, was there anything else you wanted to discuss with me?¡±


    Yumias tilted her head, smiling like usual.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°I see, I see. Well, as I just told you, there¡¯s little to worry about you as long as you are prepared. Yes, yes. I pray for your success.¡±


    She giggled, narrowing her eyes a little. She reminded me a bit of a cat like this. At least, she was just as whimsical anyway. Seeing her like that, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. It was fortunate we had gotten some¡­ more or less actual answers out of her. So, in a way, this was quite a success. Now we knew a little more about our chances of success and about the danger should we fail. I guess¡­ I couldn¡¯t get around this, huh?


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­ Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes? Is something else the matter?¡±


    ¡°... Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, you are very much welcome, my dear.¡±


    Her smile widened ever so slightly, giving me the impression that, this time, it was a genuine one.  She was¡­ hard to read so I still wasn¡¯t sure if it was genuine or if she just pretended that it was.


    ¡°Now then! If that is all, I will look for new drinking buddies. Unless, dear, you want to join me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll refrain, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Too bad! Another time then.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t afford to get drunk today and have a hangover tomorrow morning. That was just asking for trouble.


    ¡°In that case, ¡®til another time!¡±


    ¡°Nn. Huh?¡±


    Before I could even say bye¡­ she was already gone.


    ¡°... She¡¯s always so quick to appear and disappear.¡±


    Maybe I should have asked her to teach me that¡­ Maybe she would actually teach me?


    ¡°Yumi, was it all right not to ask her about the dreams?¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    ¡°... Did you forget?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ might have.¡±


    That matter hadn¡¯t even crossed my mind right now. I was too occupied with tomorrow. If Karen hadn¡¯t said it right now I wouldn¡¯t even have noticed.


    ¡°Well¡­ She knows we saw those dreams so she¡¯ll talk with us on her own if she wants to. Nn.¡±


    ¡°Shifting responsibility is not a good thing to do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    But she was the one who cut us off last time¡­ Is probably not something I should say right now.


    ¡°... I get it, I¡¯ll ask her next time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Karen nodded, a satisfied smile on her lips.


    ¡°Then¡­ Dinner?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Sounds good to me.¡±


    We had done what we came for so might as well.


    ¡°Nn¡­ What about talking with Ria, though?¡±


    ¡°We might as well ask her while we eat?¡±


    ¡°I guess we could.¡±


    There were still some preparations to be made, after all.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Having decided on our next course of action, Karen and I took off to have dinner.


    ¡°Oh, but I wonder if dinner¡¯s already done?¡±


    ¡°If not, we¡¯ll just wait.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I guess that¡¯s what we¡¯ll have to do.¡±


    Frankly, we hadn¡¯t spent all that much time on Yumias right now. It had been over quicker than I had expected. It was a little surprising but, well, she had her own things to do. Like, drinking. It¡¯s not like I couldn¡¯t understand that sentiment but I did have some apprehension, seeing how she drank those men under the table until they passed out. All the while she didn¡¯t even seem remotely drunk.


    ¡°I really wonder what her body is made of¡­¡±


    ¡°Whose?¡±


    ¡°Yumias. She wasn¡¯t drunk at all. At least, she didn¡¯t look drunk. And the others were all passed out.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ impressive?¡±


    ¡°... In a way?¡±


    Could you call it impressive? Having a high alcohol tolerance? Probably, yes?


    ¡°Well, I¡¯d love some of that tolerance for myself.¡±


    Getting wasted isn¡¯t great. Then again, sometimes you wanted to, so having too much of a tolerance was probably not that awesome either.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you don¡¯t drink too much¡­¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try not to overdo it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll really try not to.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    After a short pause, Karen sighed and shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite similar to Yumias in that aspect¡­¡±


    ¡°... There are many others who like alcohol.¡±


    We just happened to both like it¡­ Also, I didn¡¯t have a penchant for collecting cheap alcohol that I wasn¡¯t even going to drink myself.


    ¡°Look at all those men over there, they¡¯re all dri¡ª Wait¡­¡±


    I pointed at the closest group I could find that was making merry and drinking¡­ Only to realise the devil herself had already found new drinking buddies.


    ¡°She¡¯s fast¡­¡±


    Even Karen was surprised, seeing the group. It hadn¡¯t even been a few minutes¡­ Yet, there she was, holding up her own mug and laughing together with those men.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ I¡¯m not the only one who likes it.¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    Karen still frowned, likely not quite convinced. Or just not all that happy about it. I didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Just promise me not to cause a problem for others again.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Future drunk me, I sincerely hoped you weren¡¯t going to do something stupid.


    ¡°That aside, we should look for Ria now. Doesn¡¯t look like they finished dinner yet.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    While we talked, we had finally arrived at the large dining area. Alas, most tables were still empty and the women were still running to and fro, preparing food.


    ¡°Nn¡­. Do you see the captain?¡±


    ¡°You think he helps out again?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Korwen did fetch him, after all. So, I¡¯d think so.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not quite why we came here.¡±


    Just taking a quick look wasn¡¯t going to be much of a problem, was it?


    ¡°Oh, there he is.¡±


    In between the busy women was one single man wearing an apron. He was slouched forward, seemingly working on something on a table. He was completely focused on his work that it was actually quite impressive.


    ¡°... Hey, Yumi, can you see what he is doing?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Uhh¡­ Give me a moment.¡±


    They were all quite busy so it was hard to see. Once you thought you had a free view someone else passed right in front of him. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t take all that long for me to find out what he was working on.


    ¡°He¡¯s cutting meat into pieces.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ How big?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why do you want to know that?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to know.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    What a weird thing to be curious about.


    ¡°I think¡­ they¡¯re cubes about this big?¡±


    I motioned with my hand the approximate size. That said, it was only a guess. It was quite some distance, after all.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned to Karen, seeing her staring right at me.


    ¡°... Did your eyesight improve?¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even see what he is doing from here.¡±


    ¡°Well, but you know I have good eyesight already?¡±


    ¡°But not with your normal eyes, right?¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    Huh? Wait¡­


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    That was¡­ quite shocking, actually. But now that she said it, she was right. Right now, my eyesight was the same as it was with my changed eyes. At least, how it had been before our little nap.


    ¡°Sis, how did you figure it out?¡±


    ¡°... When Yumias attacked you, you dodged it.¡±


    ¡°Nn? But that was out of pure luck and reflex? I¡¯m fairly sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to do that again.¡±


    Not only that¡­ I was quite sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge it even once if she tried it a hundred times. She had been lenient with that attack and I was simply lucky enough to have reacted in time.


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t have had the chance to dodge if you couldn¡¯t see it, right?¡±


    ¡°... I mean, yes, but¡­ Sis, did you not see it?¡±


    ¡°I did. But I was still surprised that you managed to react to it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    If she said it like that¡­ Still, personally, I thought it was pure dumb luck. But maybe for Karen, it looked like there was more to it? She did notice this so there had to be something about it¡­


    ¡°Then, next I noticed it with the craftsmen. You could make them out from a large distance.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ That¡¯s¡­ also something I didn¡¯t notice at all.¡±


    ¡°And then, just now¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Is that why you were asking me that weird question?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m glad.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Seriously, it was such a weird question out of nowhere, I was a little worried there.


    ¡°But my eyes, huh¡­ Well, I guess my eyes are quite a neat change.¡±


    ¡°... I wonder if they get even better if you change them.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That was possible, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Another thing to try later, I guess.¡±


    Well, in a way, my entire life had become a series of experiments, questions and new experiences anyway. It probably wasn¡¯t going to suddenly stop.


    ¡°For now, we still need to find Ria. We probably shouldn¡¯t talk about this out in the open that much anyway.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right. Sorry, that slipped my mind.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    For once, it wasn¡¯t me who forgot about that. Made me feel a little better.


    ¡°Still, Ria¡­ I can¡¯t seem to find her?¡±


    Finding Korwen had been relatively quick. But Ria wasn¡¯t around.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s still working?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that might be¡­ Should we check for her at her wagon?¡±


    ¡°I think it won¡¯t take long until dinner, so we could just wait here.¡±


    ¡°Well, either way is fine for me.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s wait.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    The two of us looked for a place to sit down at. Coming early was actually quite nice, we could choose any seat we wanted.


    ¡°Hehe, let¡¯s sit over there, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    I pretended not to hear the accusatory tone in her voice and pulled her hand towards our seats. The seats that were the closest to the cooking area, of course.


    ¡°If we have the chance, we have to make use of it.¡±


    Some of the women saw us approaching and some greetings were directed towards us, including from Mrs Korwen. We sat down and returned the greetings.


    ¡°I wonder what dinner will be. I wonder what it¡¯ll be.¡±


    It didn¡¯t look like there was going to be fish again. Which was, in a way, quite unfortunate. Yesterday was great.


    Hope it¡¯ll be good. Nn, I¡¯m sure it will be.


    While feeling a little excited for dinner, we waited for them to finish.


    A good while later, dinner was prepared and ready, the dining area began to fill itself and the time to eat had come. Of course, with all the people coming, Ria¡­ had not appeared. We asked a few mercenaries but nobody had seen her. We even asked Korwen once he had a little break but neither did he. In the end, she didn¡¯t show up for the entirety of dinner.


    And so, here we are, in our desperate attempt to find Ria.


    Or, in other words, we had come to her wagon. Karen was standing at her door, knocking on it while calling out for her.


    ¡°Miss Ria? Miss Ria, are you here?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Is she not here either?¡±


    Karen frowned, knocking again and calling out for Ria.


    ¡°Miss Ria? Hello?¡±


    Alas, no response.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like she is here¡­ What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°No idea¡­¡±


    Asking Ria and preparing for the next day had been the last thing on our list.


    ¡°The captain said we shouldn¡¯t worry too much if we can¡¯t find her but¡­¡±


    He was the one who wanted to leave early¡­ And if we didn¡¯t do the things we could do now, we¡¯d just leave all the later.


    ¡°Guess she¡¯s not here, after all. Yumi, what do we do? Wait here or go back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the question¡­ The captain did say we shouldn¡¯t worry too much¡­ I guess we should head back.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t quite what we had planned but there was nothing we could do if the person in question wasn¡¯t available. And, in a way, wasting our energy on searching for her the entire evening wasn¡¯t exactly very resourceful either. We were better served just getting to bed early.


    Actually, it¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have anything else to do either.


    We could get our own things ready. And¡­


    ¡°Nn? Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°For that magic, I¡¯d need two points with the tentacles.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°One in the fort and one¡­ where?¡±


    I just remembered¡­ We still had something to do.


    ¡°... Back to the captain we go?¡±


    With a wry smile on her lips, Karen nodded in affirmation.


    ¡°Not like there¡¯s much else to do. He¡¯d just call for us later anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That would have been a little¡­¡±


    Worst case, the timing could have been really¡­ really bad.


    ¡°Good thing we noticed early enough. Oh well, back we go.¡±


    Today wasn¡¯t my day, was it? First, we had to do a job that nearly bored me to death. Then we got into trouble with those craftsmen. Yumias was¡­ not that bad today. Okay, those drunkards were an issue but it wasn¡¯t me who had to carry them later. Then we were unable to find Ria and now we realised just in time that Korwen still wanted us to do something.


    Yeah, today¡¯s not my day¡­


    At the very least, tomorrow promised to be quite interesting.


    ¡°Yumi, maybe we should go back to our wagon first to fetch the crystals.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    No point in walking back again. Now, that would¡¯ve made me depressed.


    ¡°I wonder how many we¡¯ll need, though¡­ Nn, just setting them up¡­ didn¡¯t need much, did it? It was only when I connected them that it was using up a lot.¡±


    ¡°I think so. But we should still bring a few more, just in case.¡±


    ¡°Nn. They¡¯re easy enough to carry anyway. And we don¡¯t know how big we¡¯d have to make it.¡±


    Suppressing another sigh, we slowly made our way to our own wagon to fetch the crystals. Thankfully, our wagon was¡­ pretty close to Ria¡¯s so we only really needed to walk less than a minute and we were in front of our door. Once inside, we went straight for the crates in the back with the crystal.


    ¡°How many should I take, though¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, put them in here.¡±


    Karen handed me a pouch, slightly bigger than the one I usually stored the crystals in.


    ¡°I guess I can just fill it, huh¡­¡±


    Pouch at the ready, I scooped up the crystals in the crate and filled the pouch until it was filled to the brim. No way in hell was this not going to be enough. Right? Right?


    ¡°Great. With that done, we can now go to the captain.¡±


    And with our newly acquired crystals, we left the wagon, walked through the camp and back to the dining area. Thankfully, finding Korwen was, once again, relatively easy. He was at the table, talking with¡­ Merim.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°¡ªat so¡­ Oh? You¡¯ve come at the right time.¡±


    ¡°Did we?¡±


    ¡°I was just thinking of calling for you.¡±


    Well, that was convenient. Merim and Korwen both made some space for us to sit down, unfortunately forcing me to sit opposite Karen. Well, there wasn¡¯t enough space so it couldn¡¯t be helped¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s quite the face you¡¯re making for sitting down next to me, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I wanted to sit next to Sis.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m your captain, you could do with some more respect.¡±


    Despite saying that, he didn¡¯t look particularly angry.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s that bag Karen¡¯s carrying about?¡±


    ¡°We brought some crystals. For the preparations for tomorrow,¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s convenient. One less trip to make after this.¡±


    Good for him¡­


    ¡°Captain, with Merim back¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Merim, how about you tell them?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, Captain.¡±


    Oh, did something interesting happen, after all?


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been to the governor¡¯s place, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Ran as fast as I could. And, lo and behold, I wasn¡¯t the only one there.¡±


    ¡°The craftsmen?¡±


    ¡°Their leader, at least. Stood there, arguing with a servant. She didn¡¯t want to let him in apparently.¡±


    That was already a start¡­ What the heck did he do? No, wait, actually¡­ It¡¯s already quite late, the governor probably just didn¡¯t want to be bothered at this time of the day.


    ¡°So, when I approached and announced myself, the servant promptly let me enter.¡±


    ¡°In front of that man?¡±


    ¡°Right in front of him. The expression of his was worth the entire trip.¡±


    That was quite easy to imagine¡­ but that probably meant that Korwen¡¯s suspicions were right. He had gone there to fix the holes in their story.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take long for the governor to turn up either. Explained to him everything and just as we expected, he hadn¡¯t contacted the Craftsmen¡¯s Guild at all.¡±


    ¡°As expected, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just as expected. Honestly, it¡¯s actually a little funny when you¡¯re right on the mark.¡±


    Was it funny? A little, maybe?


    ¡°Anyway, since the governor had no idea what was going on either, he called that man in.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Well, since the lie had been exposed already, he couldn¡¯t talk himself out of it anymore either. Not to mention, the governor clearly wasn¡¯t quite amused at their actions. Judging from his expression, though, this was quite unusual for the guild, too.¡±


    ¡°Then, there was a special reason, after all?¡±


    Merim nodded, affirming it. Seconds later, he broke out into a grin, reminiscing at the memory.


    ¡°The governor¡­ Let¡¯s say, he didn¡¯t take any explanation at all. In the end, the man had to explain the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Now, we finally got to the interesting part.


    ¡°Turns out, the chairman¡¯s son had gone into the forest. Or more like, to the fort.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The fort? I thought it was mostly forgotten by the people here. At least, the governor didn¡¯t remember it at all. Seemed like there were at least some who knew about it, though. It was a little weird that the craftsmen knew about the road if they hadn¡¯t been involved by the governor. But if they knew about the fort beforehand, that made sense.


    That said, what could a craftsman¡¯s son want in an abandoned fort?


    ¡°Turns out that the boy saw some things he probably shouldn¡¯t have. He was a little evasive about the content of it, but the governor was quite insistent. So, after a while, he folded and finally told us. Or more like, he showed us.¡±


    Merim took something out of his bag and put it on the table. It was a piece of cloth. A damaged piece of cloth, full of holes and tears. Its blue colour was still very vibrant, indicating that it wasn¡¯t very old. A single emblem was sewn right in its centre, large enough to cover most of the cloth.


    ¡°Mr Vice-captain, is that a flag?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite right, but close enough. It¡¯s probably a cape.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s this¡­ cape about then?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the problem. This cape is from Krohmea. Or more accurately, it¡¯s the emblem of the lord on the other side of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    The hell did that cape do in the fort?


    ¡°The whole situation is quite unclear, honestly. We don¡¯t know why the cape was there. But there has been some bad blood between Auria and that lord since both sides claim the Sleeping Forest. Where Lafria is completely in the right, though.¡±


    ¡°Krohmea traded away the Sleeping Forest in an agreement a few years ago it seems. It should have settled all possible disputes. I also heard about it from Will during the negotiations. It¡¯s not exactly public knowledge,¡± added Korwen.


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know whether this cape ended there before that deal was over or after. I can¡¯t imagine that lord being very happy about this outcome.¡±


    A cape with questionable meaning, huh¡­


    ¡°But how did that lead to those craftsmen going there?¡±


    ¡°Well, the old man knew the implications of that find. And he also knew, it¡¯d be really bad for them if it was found in their guild. So, he really just wanted to return it as fast as possible. Turns out, the son only found the fort by pure chance and had no idea how to get back there.¡±


    ¡°How the hell did he return from the fort¡­¡±


    ¡°Something I was curious about, too. Apparently, he roughly knew where the lake was, so that¡¯s where he headed to. Then he followed the beach back to town.¡±


    Ahh, then it was no wonder he didn¡¯t know the way back¡­ He probably had no idea where he left the forest.


    So, since they didn¡¯t know the way to the fort, they hoped to find it while freeing up the road. Then, they wanted to return the cape to where they found it, before it got the whole guild into trouble.¡±


    ¡°... All that¡­ just to return that cape?¡±


    ¡°All that just to return that cape. What fathers do for their sons, huh? It¡¯s quite something.¡±


    You could say that. It was crazy. We all knew how long it would take to unearth that road.


    ¡°I also think he partially wanted to prevent others from reaching the fort before they could return it. That probably played a part as well.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s still¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier to search for a way to the fort?¡±


    ¡°Probably. Didn¡¯t cross his mind, though. Might have been because everything happened so quickly. The son watched us going into the forest yesterday. He got incredibly worried and told his father everything. This morning.¡±


    This morning. That really wasn¡¯t a lot of time. They really had been in a hurry.


    ¡°Well, now everything¡¯s known to us and the governor. In the end, the governor decided that it was a relatively minor incident and the first time in a long while the guild had caused trouble. As punishment, they¡¯ll have to do the entire road for below market value pay.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Nn? Wait, they wanted to do it basically for free already before that, so isn¡¯t this actually good for them?¡±


    They suddenly got paid, after all, without expecting to be paid.


    ¡°The governor asked us to pay at least half of those costs as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    I turned to Korwen, curious about that.


    ¡°Mm. We¡¯ll pay that bit. Honestly, we¡¯ve unexpectedly got some good deal out of the whole situation without even doing anything. The governor seems to have some trust in that guild so we have little reason not to.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Well, they didn¡¯t cause any problems. The most they did was get on Merim¡¯s nerves for a while.


    ¡°The old man was quite grateful for the lenient punishment. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have to worry much about them causing trouble in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is. Also, they owe us now which could come in handy in the future. We¡¯ll be living here for a long while so building up some good connections is convenient. Especially if they just fall into your lap like this.¡±


    He really was looking positive about this, wasn¡¯t he? It was a pretty good result, though. That old man¡¯s attitude had bothered me, true, but it wasn¡¯t like he really annoyed me or attacked me. That said, it didn¡¯t make me like him much.


    ¡°But why do you have the cape cloth with you,¡± asked Karen after a short while.


    ¡°Well, here comes the next part. As I just told you, the governor has no idea what the cape is about. But the problem is also that the cape was found in the fort which, by right, belongs to us now.¡±


    ¡°So the cape is ours now?¡± I asked.


    That couldn¡¯t be it, right? That¡¯d be a little silly.


    ¡°Good take but no. The governor wants us to investigate and search the fort if there are any other clues about the cape and their owners.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ So, we got a job?¡±


    ¡°We got a job. Nice, right? And we get paid even if there are no results. Since we¡¯re planning to skim through the entire fort and its surroundings anyway, it¡¯s basically free money.¡±


    No wonder they were both in such a good mood. Things had gone a great way for them.


    ¡°The only issue in the whole thing is¡­ the bandits¡¯ bodies.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I nearly forgot about those.¡±


    The bandits had been there as well¡­


    ¡°The guild chairman¡¯s son didn¡¯t say anything about bandits so they might not have been there at the time. But he also might not have encountered them. There¡¯ll be some more questions for him but for now, we¡¯ll assume they weren¡¯t there yet. The governor didn¡¯t know anything about those bandits nor did the chairman. If they came after, we still don¡¯t know what happened there at the fort. If they came before, they might have something to do with this cape.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If they were involved¡­ Maybe they were hired by that lord to cause trouble here? Or they had fought with soldiers in Krohmea and it was part of their loot¡­


    ¡°Nn? What happens if those bandits looted that cape from the Krohmean lord?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem¡­ If they did, Auria would be expected to return the cape and whatever other belongings were found. But if not, we¡¯d pretty much just give back the evidence,¡± grumbled Korwen.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst but it¡¯s an annoying issue. That¡¯s why I hate politics. You¡¯re stuck between a troll and a dragon.¡±


    Great¡­


    ¡°That said, it¡¯s not exactly our issue. While we want to maintain a good relationship with Auria, we¡¯re not part of the town. But we¡¯ll be stuck between the two if they happen to throw some stones at each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not get hit by a stone.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I, Yumi. We¡¯ll just hope we can find something in the fort that can be a little more conclusive.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    So, in the end, it came all back to us searching the fort.


    ¡°Oh, but there was something interesting,¡± interjected Merim.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Until a few weeks ago, there was a travelling female mercenary in Auria. The governor wasn¡¯t too interested so we don¡¯t know her name but she might have been the one to deal with the bandits. Unfortunately, she left town already.¡±


    ¡°A female mercenary? Alone?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s quite uncommon but there are a few. It¡¯s too bad we don¡¯t have her name, though.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine myself travelling alone as a mercenary, at least. Well, I probably would just get lost somewhere and never return¡­ Actually, I did end up in the slums really quickly¡­


    ¡°The governor will probably ask around and try to find out who that was. It¡¯s not something we¡¯ll have to concern ourselves with too much.¡±


    ¡°But captain, what if it turns out to be your daughter?¡±


    ¡°Then she wasn¡¯t the one to deal with the bandits. Too clean of a job.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not wrong but captain, should you really say that about your own daughter?¡±


    ¡°She is how she is¡­¡±


    The hell had his daughter done?


    ¡°Merim, parents don¡¯t have it easy. She¡¯s old enough and I can¡¯t tell her anymore what she should do and what she shouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re much better, right?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s hard to argue against that, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how it is. You better remember that, Merim, so you won¡¯t be too surprised if the same happens to you.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll just hope it won¡¯t come to that..¡±


    ¡°I held that hope, too, once.¡±


    Korwen nodded solemnly to himself as if he was trying to convince himself.


    ¡°A¡ª Anyway! We¡¯re not planning on having children yet so I can think of that in the future. Shouldn¡¯t we focus on the present now?¡±


    ¡°Not much to focus on the present, though. After this, I¡¯ll take our two girls here and prepare for tomorrow. Then all we need to do is sleep. We can¡¯t do much about the rest now.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I guess.¡±


    Merim slouched forward, resting his chin on his arm. Seeing Merim so listless, Korwen smiled wryly before turning towards Karen and me.


    ¡°We should get done with those preparations soon. How about we head off now?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Good. The faster we are done the earlier we can sleep.¡±


    And the earlier we could get up in the morning, right?


    With that implicit reason in mind, we followed Korwen, who stood up and led us away, leaving Merim behind.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Fort’s Underground

    ¡°So, what do you think of this spot?¡±


    ¡°Inside here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Korwen had led us to a large solitary tent at the edge of the camp, surrounded only by a few wagons. Coincidentally, the wagons were used for storing equipment and supplies, which meant that there was nary a soul in sight at this time of the day.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind but is this¡­ safe? What if someone walks in?¡±


    Nobody being here also meant that there wasn¡¯t even a guard at this tent. If I were to grow the tentacles inside this tent, any mercenary might accidentally stumble inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone guard this place, of course. I don¡¯t want anyone getting lost on the other side either.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If that¡¯s the case then I don¡¯t think there should be any issues.¡±


    At the very least, I couldn¡¯t think of anything else on the spot. Then again, you could also say that finding an appropriate place wasn¡¯t even my job. Korwen got that covered already. Or whoever he ordered to set this up.


    ¡°Then, if there¡¯s nothing else, let¡¯s get this started before the sun¡¯s down.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen and I followed Korwen into the tent. Unsurprisingly, it was quite empty.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. Although, it¡¯s not completely empty.¡±


    Korwen turned to the corner to the right of the entrance. A single small table with a chair was set up there.


    ¡°Odd¡­ I thought she¡¯d be here.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    ¡°... She was here?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Korwen looked around but, alas, no matter how much he scanned the surroundings, there wasn¡¯t any place in here to hide. Ria wasn¡¯t here.


    ¡°Well, what to do now¡­ Ria wanted to watch so I told her to come¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll come later?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Maybe. Or she fell asleep somewhere again. Or she simply forgot.¡±


    But, would she forget it if she was the one who wanted to watch in the first place? She probably just fell asleep somewhere.


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t find her earlier so she probably fell asleep¡­ Wait, maybe she went to have dinner now?¡±


    ¡°That could be it¡­ We might have missed her on the way.¡±


    How unfortunate¡­ assuming it really was like that.


    ¡°Nn¡­ So, Captain,  what do we do? Wait for Ria? Or look for her?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll call for her. I think it would be better if she watched, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay. We¡¯ll wait here then.¡±


    ¡°Nothing to prepare?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    Truth be told, the whole thing would be over in a minute or two. It really wasn¡¯t anything time-consuming, lest something went wrong. Of course, there could be unforeseen circumstances since this time would be slightly different compared to the tiny hole I made before. That said, there still wasn¡¯t anything I could really prepare for. Or¡­


    ¡°Nn, actually¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can make it work on the ground as it is¡­ Having something to grow the tentacles on would be convenient.¡±


    ¡°Would a wooden plate work?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that should be fine, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring one along.¡±


    It probably was possible for me to grow a door with the tentacles. But, after repeated failures, I had learnt not to do anything simply because I thought that ¡®This should work, too!¡¯ and then fall flat on my face because it didn¡¯t work.


    ¡°Nn, much appreciated.¡±


    Korwen nodded in reply and then made his way to the tent¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°You two should wait here until I¡¯m ba¡ª Oh?¡±


    Right when he wanted to step outside, the tent¡¯s curtain moved to the side and someone entered.


    ¡°Ria?!¡±


    ¡°... Mm? The captain¡­ and you two¡­ as well¡­ You¡¯re here¡­¡±


    ¡°We are. You¡¯re a little late. I was just on my way to call for you.¡±


    ¡°Wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°Wrong?¡±


    ¡°I waited¡­ for a while¡­ already¡­¡±


    Right then, my gaze went downwards, spying a small plate with food in Ria¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Oh, I guess it¡¯s my fault for making you wait then. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No worries¡­¡±


    As if she didn¡¯t really care, Ria walked to the small table and its chair and sat down, immediately beginning to chow down on the food.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Anyway, I¡¯ll still need to bring the plate then. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    Shrugging his shoulders, Korwen stepped outside and left. Only the sounds of Ria chewing her food remained. And she was so focused on said food, she didn¡¯t even give us a side glance.


    ¡°Guess we can only wait,¡± I said.


    ¡°Looks like it.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with Karen, shrugging my shoulders. Since we couldn¡¯t really just stand around, we moved to the opposite corner of the tent, leaving Ria behind with her food. Not like she minded. She probably didn¡¯t even notice.


    ¡°Yumi, come here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen sat on the ground and patted her lap, prompting me to sit down.


    ¡°Nn, warm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re warm, too.¡±


    With a giggle, Karen embraced me and nuzzled against the back of my head.


    ¡°There we go.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before we could even continue flirting around, the tent¡¯s curtain parted and a large wooden board was pushed through it. Seconds later, Korwen came into view, carrying the board under his arm. He stopped at the entrance, looking first to us, then to the other side to Ria.


    ¡°... Why am I the one working here? Aren¡¯t I your superior? Is this my job?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And Ria was still eating, judging from the clattering of dishes.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Whatever¡­ Is this board good enough, Yumi?¡±


    Dismissing it with a sigh, Korwen propped up the large wooden board and turned around to ask me about it. The board was a little taller than Korwen and about as wide as twice his shoulder width. It was quite large. And it didn¡¯t seem very thin, either. That strength that effortlessly carried it here made me feel a little jealous.


    ¡°I think it should be.¡±


    ¡°Good. Give me a moment then.¡±


    Korwen turned his back to us so that he could fiddle with the board. Or rather, he was lifting it a little and then pushing it into the ground, where it sank in, securing it in place.


    ¡°There. Is that everything you needed?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could start sooner rather than later. You can have all night to flirt around after this.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, but getting up now was such a shame¡­ wasn¡¯t something I should say now, huh?


    ¡°Uhm¡­ What about Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°... She¡¯ll be done soon enough.¡±


    Answering Karen¡¯s question, he pointed towards Ria, who was, indeed, just about to finish up.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯m done¡­¡±


    ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    So, I had to get up already¡­ Even though I just sat down. Cruel reality¡­


    ¡°Come, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Still, no matter how reluctant I was, it wouldn¡¯t change anything, so I obediently got up.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Let¡¯s get this over with quickly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a stupid mistake, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, Captain¡­ There¡¯s not really much to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Korwen raised an eyebrow, seemingly curious about that.


    ¡°Yumi, the crystals.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Sis.¡±


    Receiving the mana orbs from Karen, I walked over to the wooden board and crouched down. Korwen and Ria were to either of my sides, watching intently. Being watched like this was probably a way bigger bother than me just wanting to finish quickly¡­


    Whatever¡­ First, the mana orbs¡­ to grow some tentacles¡­


    Without tentacle growth, there wasn¡¯t anything I could do, after all. So, I used one of the mana orbs, filled the surface of the board with its mana and watched several tentacles emerging from it.


    ¡°No matter how often I see that, it still feels¡­ odd,¡± commented Korwen.


    ¡°I got used to it.¡±


    People could truly get used to just about anything.


    Okay, next I give them an orb as a core¡­


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Greedy as they were, the tentacles literally snatched the mana orb out of my hand. A little later, the tentacles grew in size, more sprouted from the edges andthe quickly proliferated, covering the board.


    ¡°Ah, not the ground, the board. Grow on the board.¡±


    With my hands, I blocked the tentacles from growing on the ground. Honestly, it was probably useless if they actually wanted to grow that way but they heeded me nonetheless and instead focused on growing upwards along the wooden board.


    ¡°Well¡­ I guess this is good enough?¡±


    I stood up, beholding my work. The entire wooden board had disappeared from view, covered in its entirety by the wriggly tentacles.


    ¡°... Was that everything?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    Looking to my side, I saw Korwen rubbing his chin as he stared at the wooden board in wonder.


    Well, not like the next part is really interesting either¡­


    With a wry smile, thinking about his possible reactions, I fished another mana orb from the bag and held it towards the tentacle growth.


    Okay¡­ What did I think about back then again? A door, right? A door to connect to other doors. A door that connects through space. Big enough to let a person walk through it.


    The mana orb slipped into the tentacle growth, melting away into the fleshy mass. The surrounding tentacles joined it, squirming, moving away or sinking into the board. A pink surface slowly emerged from within the growth, perfectly smooth, safe for one long horizontal slit, as well as several horizontal ones at even distances.


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I nodded towards Korwen¡¯s question. His eyes had grown wide in astonishment.


    ¡°Is it safe to touch?¡±


    ¡°I think¡­ it is? Until the other one is finished, there shouldn¡¯t be anything happening.¡±


    A little hesitating, Korwen reached out to the tentacle growth, touching the smooth surface on it.


    ¡°It still feels like there¡¯s something solid behind it. Are you sure this is it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s how I did it last time, as well.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Maybe he had enough from touching it as he stepped back, crossed his arms and stared at it now, seemingly lost in thought. In exchange, Ria had now stepped forward, touching the surface as well.


    ¡°... This is¡­ interesting¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Ria, did you notice anything?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ There isn¡¯t¡­ anything special¡­ going on¡­ yet¡­ I believe¡­ They simply¡­ formed the¡­ door¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    So, Ria couldn¡¯t notice anything yet either¡­ Or there really wasn¡¯t anything to see in the first place. Honestly, I didn¡¯t understand the mechanics behind it either. It simply worked¡­ Frustrating as it was.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to wait until tomorrow then.¡±


    Maybe she would notice something then. Preferably something that wasn¡¯t going to nearly kill me three seconds afterwards.


    ¡°Well, this really was over faster than I expected. Good job, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to guard this place then. The rest we¡¯ll do tomorrow. With that, you¡¯re dismissed. Don¡¯t forget to sleep early, okay?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take care.¡±


    ¡°Good. Ria, what will you do?¡±


    He turned around to ask Ria, who was still scrutinising the tentacles.


    ¡°I¡¯d like¡­ to stay here¡­ for a¡­ little longer¡­¡±


    ¡°Got that. I¡¯ll inform the guard.¡±


    Having gotten his reply, Korwen ushered us outside and took our leave. Once outside, we could see that the sun was already about to take its leave as well.


    ¡°Again, good work, you two. Don¡¯t sleep in tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°Ha, if you do, I¡¯ll send Yumias to wake you up.¡±


    ¡°... Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Better wake up on time then.¡±


    Yumias waking us up would probably just ruin the day. Although, Korwen apparently thought that would be amusing, judging from that wide grin.


    ¡°Then, I still got work to do. Good night.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night, Mr Captain.¡±


    And just like that, we were left alone.


    ¡°... Should we go and sleep, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Sounds good to me.¡±


    Hand in hand, we made our way to our wagon, our moving home, flirting on the way and continuing even once we had changed and gotten into bed.


    ---


    The next day, we woke up far too early for my liking. The sun was just about to rise. Still, considering the things we were planning for today, it was inevitable we had to wake up at this time.


    After we had a quick breakfast and finished our preparations, Korwen called for us and everyone else who was about to depart. Apart from us, there were Ria and Wendl, Fenna and three women from her squad, Taddick and about a dozen men I didn¡¯t know. The latter especially were carrying large bulky bags filled with equipment.


    With this group, we made our way to the fort. It was still quite a way and the path through the forest had only gotten marginally easier. At least, the path had cleared to the degree that I didn''t have a need to stop every ten steps or so to untangle my hair anymore.


    Not that it made the journey much easier¡­ Gee, am I glad when the road is finished and we don¡¯t have to trek through the entire forest anymore. Or if we can just travel through with Space magic. Either works.


    Still, we made it halfway unscathed through the forest and to the forest. And I didn¡¯t even have it that bad, compared to others, though. The men with their bulky bags had it far worse, they kept getting stuck between the trees.


    ¡°Still, we¡¯re finally here¡­¡±


    In front of us was a wide open space and right behind us the fort¡¯s gate. However, before I could enjoy the sight, a clapping sound drew my attention elsewhere.


    ¡°Okay, everyone. Listen up.¡±


    Korwen stood in front of us, calling out to everyone.


    ¡°Taddick and the men are going to set up the camp. Fenna and her group will see to our water supply. Wendl, help out where you can. Ria, Yumi and Karen, you come with me. Get to it.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    Everyone saluted and acknowledged their orders. Which, for us, just meant following Korwen like so often.


    ¡°Well then¡­ Yumi, do you have everything you need?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do. Right here.¡±


    I patted the bag hanging at my waist, filled to the brim with mana orbs. We had no idea how much we would need so we quite literally brought everything we could. Just to make sure we wouldn¡¯t have a repeat of last time. And, Yumias words ringed in my ears, that proper preparation should be enough. And since there wasn¡¯t all that much to prepare, we could only go all out on this part.


    ¡°Good. Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    With Korwen taking point, we wandered through the fort, approaching one of the large buildings. Or more like¡­ a tower.


    ¡°Inside this tower?¡± I asked, staring at the impressive height of the structure.


    ¡°Yes, right here.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ I thought it¡¯d be underground¡­¡±


    He had told us about the underground area we were supposed to search. And that he was considering making it a place where I could freely mess around with the tentacles and everything. In that light, I had expected the place where we¡¯d create the other door to be close to it.


    ¡°Mhm, well, that¡¯s not wrong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°Just because it¡¯s a tower doesn¡¯t mean it has to go only up, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Korwen led us into the building, but instead of going towards the stairs, he entered a nearby room. Given that the tower wasn¡¯t exactly wide, the room was, frankly, tiny.


    ¡°In here?¡±


    ¡°No, no. Of course not. Watch and be astonished!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    While I was mulling over the reason I¡¯d have to be astonished, Korwen was already taking action, putting his hands against the wall, pushing with all his might. His muscles bulged through the clothes and soon enough, the wall¡­ moved.


    ¡°Eh? What?¡±


    ¡°This¡­ Huh?¡±


    Karen and I stared blankly at the wall that had sunken¡­ Well, into the wall, you could say. A perfect square, disconnected from the surrounding wall, kept sinking into the wall as Korwen pushed through with pure muscle strength. After it had sunk in a considerable amount, a loud mechanical sound, as if something was clicking into place, could be heard and seconds later, the wall moved to the side, all by itself.


    ¡°Woah, this is quite tiring, I have to say.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­ Is this a secret passage?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Karen. Look, isn¡¯t it cool? Hahaha!¡±


    Korwen posed in front of the door, clearly delighted about the whole thing. Karen smiled wryly, not offering any other response to it.


    ¡°But how did you even find this? I mean, you couldn¡¯t even see it just from looking at the wall, right?¡±


    Even if I didn¡¯t have the time to look around closely, I very much doubted I¡¯d be able to spot that entrance.


    ¡°That is, well¡­¡±


    Korwen had a strained smile as he said that. The heck had happened when they found it?


    ¡°Some men were slacking off and messing around in here. While they did, they apparently heard some strange sounds. They thought it was a ghost from one of the soldiers who died here and made a huge ruckus.¡±


    ¡°A ghost?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we didn¡¯t find a ghost. But we still decided to take a closer look here and then we found this entrance. It¡¯s right in the corner of the tower, between the outside wall, this room and the hallway, so it was a bit hard to notice. And, look¡­¡±


    Korwen stepped aside, showing us the space behind the hidden door.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a tiny space with a ladder down.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    It really wasn¡¯t big. In fact, it was just wide enough that a grown man could climb down there.


    ¡°The ladder wasn¡¯t functional anymore so we¡¯ll need to use a rope to get down.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, Captain, is this the space you were talking about you wanted to investigate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. We only took a brief look yesterday, but what we saw suggested that there¡¯s quite a large area beneath the fort that wasn¡¯t documented. Including some tunnels that went off into the far distance. They might be emergency escape tunnels or the like. Whatever they are, though, we¡¯ll have to find out for sure.¡±


    Emergency escape tunnels? For important people coming to this fort, maybe?


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    Korwen took out a long rope out of the bag he was carrying. There wasn¡¯t anything to secureit on inside the room so he had to fix it to the tower¡¯s central pillar in the hallway. Thankfully, it was long enough.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get down first. Then Karen and then Yumi. Ria, you go last.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    Having decided on the order, Korwen grabbed the rope and pretty much jumped down, holding the rope. He was moving so smoothly and quickly that I had to wonder if there was even a point to the rope.


    ¡°Next one!¡±


    Came the voice from down below after some seconds.


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good luck, Sis.¡±


    Karen took hold of the rope and cautiously but decisively made her way down. Once she disappeared in the ground, we waited for quite a while.


    ¡°Yumi, you can come!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I peeked down the black hole. It was¡­ deep. Even with me being able to see in the dark, it was hard to make out anything down there. I could barely catch a glimpse from Karen and korwen down there.


    ¡°Ria, I¡¯ll go now.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    Barely a reply and a meek nod but it was a reply nonetheless. I grabbed the rope and closed my eyes for a second, steeling myself. Climbing down a rope was¡­ not exactly something I was good at.


    ¡°Here I go¡­¡± I said, in an attempt to encourage myself.


    I slowly stepped into the whole, grabbing onto the rope with all my might. I wasn¡¯t very strong but at least, I wasn¡¯t heavy either. That said, this was quite a strain on me nonetheless, only saved by the fact that the walls were rough enough to find some support for my feet. Like that, very awkwardly, I made my way down.


    ¡°This¡­ This is¡­ hard¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you can do it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing¡­ my best¡­¡±


    Why of all things did they have to use a rope? Was a staircase not far better for a possible escape tunnel? Why, of all things, a rope?


    Okay, sorry, the rope came from the captain and they had a ladder¡­ Which would have made it easier¡­


    Even so, that was of little comfort as I forced myself down. At one point, the surrounding walls disappeared and the wall I was using for support became a little smoother, making it harder for me to find a place to put my feet on.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°One moment¡­ I¡¯ll be right down¡­ with you¡­¡±


    Alas, there¡­ wasn¡¯t a place I could use for support anymore. Down below, I could hear someone chuckling¡­ something that wasn¡¯t very amusing to me.


    ¡°Ugh¡­  won¡¯t give up this late.¡±


    I glanced downwards, to check how high up I was. It wasn¡¯t that far anymore, but just high enough that Korwen wouldn¡¯t be able to reach me. Alas, that wasn¡¯t something to discourage me.


    It¡¯s not that far anymore¡­ I can just slide down, can¡¯t I?


    As long as I kept hold of the rope to break my speed, it should work out. Worst case, Karen was right below me, ready to catch me the moment it seemed I¡¯d fall.


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯ll slide down.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Ah, okay!¡±


    I moved my hair to cover my arms and my hands with some difficulty. Since I wasn¡¯t wearing gloves, sliding down like this was just going to hurt like hell. But with my hair in between, it should work fine.


    ¡°Okay, here I go.¡±


    I jumped away from the wall, and let myself slide down, pulled by gravity. My makeshift hair gloves weren¡¯t comfortable by any means as they rubbed over the rope but at least it didn¡¯t hurt or chafe my hands.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    Unexpectedly, something caught me as I descended downwards.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Sis, I got down!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did¡­¡±


    Karen, a look of relief on her face, smiled at me as she held me in her arms.


    ¡°Well, well, that was¡­ quite the adventure you had, huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah, captain¡­ Uhh, I¡¯m down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that. Now, you two should get away from there. Ria still needs to get down.¡±


    ¡±Ah, yes!¡±


    Still holding me in her arms, Karen moved away from the rope.


    ¡°Ria, you can go!¡±


    And Korwen called for the last member of our group.


    ¡°Okay, you two, be very careful now.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°If you thought Yumi was bad, you haven¡¯t seen Ria yet.¡±


    It¡­ couldn¡¯t be that bad, could it?


    ¡°Ah, she¡¯s coming.¡±


    Korwen frowned as he peeked up into the hole. Did he do that when I came down as well? I¡­ was wearing my armour dress¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yumi, I didn¡¯t let him look up.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    That would have been really embarrassing otherwise.


    ¡°Yumi, can you tell me what she is doing? I can¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, one moment, Captain.¡±


    Karen let me out of her arms and finally, I had solid ground below my feet again. I walked up to Korwen and peeked up high, to look for Ria.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ She¡¯s not moving.¡±


    ¡°Not moving?¡±


    ¡°Nn. She¡¯s just hanging there.¡±


    That was all I could make out from here. Just an unmoving Ria hanging on the rope. She wasn¡¯t even using her feet to support herself or anything like that. She just¡­ wasn¡¯t doing anything.


    ¡°Ria, is everything okay?¡±


    Several seconds of silence.


    ¡°... fine¡­ Take¡­ a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, isn¡¯t that encouraging.¡±


    That said, she still wasn¡¯t moving even after we waited for a while. Then, after we waited for way too long, Ria finally moved. Or rather¡­


    ¡°Captain. Ria is using magic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, you can¡¯t be serious! Yumi, Karen get away from there!¡±


    ¡°Yes?!¡±


    Slightly confused, we heeded the order and stepped away. Not a moment too soon as we could hear something reminiscent of a rock being crushed. Probably, because that¡¯s more or less what happened. Pieces of stone fell down, up to the size of my fist. Then again, the sound repeated itself, followed by more pieces coming down. And then again, and again, repeating endlessly. By the time the entire floor was littered with broken pieces of stone, Ria finally came into view again.


    ¡°What the¡­ hell?¡±


    A fluid was flowing through the air surrounding Ria, accelerating abruptly into the stone and carving out literal steps which Ria used as a foothold. Until she finally came down to the ground.


    ¡°Ria¡­ Have you ever heard of descending like a normal person?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But.. I did?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think many people would waste magic like this¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡­ worked¡­¡±


    ¡°It sure did.¡±


    An exasperated sigh came from Korwen, probably realising that this was a discussion in vain.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I guess it¡¯s better than the alternative.¡±


    With a shrug of his shoulders, Korwen turned his back to us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going. We already wasted too much time here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really take a look at our surroundings before but¡­ We were in a small tunnel. It wasn¡¯t long, leading to a door.


    Korwen walked up to said door, gripping the handle and pushing it open.


    ¡°Well then, welcome to the underground of Fort Auria.¡±

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Beyond the Boundary

    ¡°Welcome to the underground of Fort Auria.¡±


    With a big smile, Korwen opened the door leading us into a small cavern, just large enough that two wagons could stand in here side by side. Several doors led to other places, so it was hard to guess how large this place really was.


    ¡°This is the¡­ below the fort?¡±


    ¡°That it is. One moment.¡±


    Looking to my side, I could see Korwen holding a metal lamp in his hands, fiddling with it. A few seconds later, a bright light shone from its inside.


    ¡°Okay, now I can see something as well. Karen, be careful of the flooring. It¡¯s unsteady.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    The surrounding walls, ceiling and floor might have been all paved but time had clearly worn them down. Holes in the walls, damaged floor tiles and the stone bricks in some sections of the ceiling had dropped down, piling up on the ground.


    ¡°Captain, rather than unsteady, doesn¡¯t this look like it could collapse anytime?¡±


    ¡°The only damage we found was to the stone tiles. The walls and the ceiling themselves appear undamaged. It might be different if we go in deeper but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need to worry here.¡±


    ¡°Nn, if you say so¡­¡±


    I had my doubts about this but¡­ Well, it did survive up to this day without the entire tunnel collapsing. And looking around, the walls really seemed undamaged¡­ for the most part. I could spy a few small holes at floor level in the walls.


    ¡°What about those holes in the walls?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Holes? Where?¡±


    ¡°Over there. And there. And there¡¯s one as well.¡±


    I pointed Korwen in the direction of the holes. Approaching one, he crouched down and looked at it. Ria followed him, looking over his shoulders at the hole..


    ¡°You¡¯re right, there¡¯s one. Mh, doesn¡¯t look very big. Maybe some critters live here.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It looks¡­ smooth¡­ old¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean, it¡¯s been here for long?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ Well, we should get it checked out before doing anything big in this part, then¡­¡±


    Korwen stood up again and then checked the other two holes together with Ria. Once they were done, Korwen turned to ask me something.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Apart from those holes in the walls, can you see any other damage here?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, it¡¯s only that¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ If you spot anything, tell me immediately. We probably can¡¯t spot it as quick as you.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay?¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t spot it that quickly? But¡­ Oh, right, I could see in the dark without the lamp even¡­ He didn¡¯t light the lamp because it¡¯d get dark once we moved further in¡­ It was dark already.


    ¡°That said, we won¡¯t go far now. Keep this in mind mostly for when we are going to go deeper.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, follow me.¡±


    We walked down the small cavern, towards the door at one end of the cavern. Without hesitation, Korwen pushed it open and walked through, revealing another wide tunnel behind it.


    ¡°The heck is this place, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Hell if I know. If you want me to guess, it might be a storage facility. Or maybe some magic research facility. Heck, it might even be a place that had been used for secret trades by the government.¡±


    ¡°Secret trades? Here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hidden from the public¡¯s eye and one of its tunnels might even lead all the way to Krohmea.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    If he said it like that, it really could be¡­


    ¡°That aside, here we are.¡±


    We stood in front of the door at the end of the tunnel. A large double door.


    ¡°... This?¡±


    ¡°This.¡±


    Honestly, I had expected some small secret room. Not the room with literally the largest door of all of them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get in.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Captain.¡±


    Still a little surprised, I watched Korwen open the door. The room behind it¡­ was large. Incomparably large. The previous cavern was nothing in comparison. Smooth walls and a smooth floor. No stone bricks to be seen, unlike the tunnel before.


    ¡°This is huge¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the largest room in the immediate surroundings.¡±


    ¡°But why here? Wouldn¡¯t a small room be enough?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you need to think ahead a little.¡±


    Ahead? So, there was a reason he chose this one, after all.


    ¡°Assuming things go well, we won¡¯t be able to keep the whole thing under wraps. I already told you that before, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I remember that.¡±


    ¡°Good. So, if we can¡¯t keep it under wraps anyway, then there¡¯s no need to go out of our way to hide it anymore. In fact, rather than that, we can think about making it as useful as possible instead.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ and that¡¯s the reason for using this large room?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Korwen nodded, affirming what I thought.


    ¡°If your Space magic is successful, it means we will have a far easier time with logistics and travel. Logistics especially. We could move large amounts of supplies without a problem. But moving supplies in such amounts would be difficult if it was some remote corner in a hidden area, you see?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I think I get it.¡±


    Moving a single crate would already become difficult if you had to somehow get it through a door. Moving many more crates would just become bothersome then.


    ¡°Furthermore, there is always the chance someone might misuse the magic. From what I have seen and what you told me, those doors connecting are static, right? This area is wide enough that we could set up some simple defences for that case.¡±


    Someone might misuse it? I hadn¡¯t even really considered it that much¡­ The tentacles only really reacted to me, after all¡­ But there was no guarantee someone wouldn¡¯t be able to force their way through, huh¡­ After all, Space magicians did actually exist. They were just very rare.


    ¡°It¡¯s an unlikely case but it won¡¯t hurt preparing for it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think I got it.¡±


    ¡°Great. Then, how about we start?¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    The time¡­ had come, huh¡­


    ¡°Captain, where should I do it?¡±


    ¡°At the end of the cavern. On that large wall.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    Basically, the furthest point from the door. I walked through the cavern, once more realising just how large this place was. I moved towards the middle of the wall, looking at its surface. It was smooth with hardly any protrusion.


    ¡°Nn, around here, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯d be a good spot.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    So, right here¡­ Right here, I¡¯d have to set up another tentacle door and then connect them. Just thinking about it made me nervous. Calming myself with a few deep breaths, I turned around to Karen, only to see her already holding a mana orb for me at the ready.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Here you go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thanks.¡±


    With a smile, I took the mana orb, holding it in my hand.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll start now.¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After hearing Korwen¡¯s reply, I held out my hand with the mana orb, drawing some mana from it and sending it into the wall to grow the tentacles. The wall was large, far larger than the wooden board I used back in the camp. Still, while I had plenty of space, I only grew the tentacle growth to around the same amount as said wooden board. Just in case different sizes weren¡¯t compatible. Worst case, I could probably adjust it later anyway.


    Once I finished with the tentacle growth, I commanded the tentacles to form the door.


    ¡°... Now comes the hard part, huh¡­¡±


    I took a step back, looking at the smooth pink surface, surrounded by wriggly tentacles.


    ¡°Mm, can¡¯t you make it any large, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can but¡­ The door in the camp is around this size and I don¡¯t know if there might be a problem if they are of different sizes. Also, if the mana consumption rises with the size of the door¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Korwen nodded in understanding.


    ¡°But you can change it later, right?¡±


    ¡°I should be able to.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s fine. Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That said, this was now the hardest part of it all¡­ And I really didn¡¯t want a repeat of last time.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Here you go.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    Once again, Karen had already anticipated what I wanted, holding the bag with the mana orbs in her hand and holding it out to me. I took the bag and faced the door once more.


    Well¡­ Here goes nothing. Hopefully, Ria is watching properly.


    If something went wrong, she was pretty much the only one here who would be able to do something¡­ Not that I wanted something to go wrong.


    I held the bag in one hand and held it towards the door before closing my eyes. With my eyes closed, I could concentrate on the mana in front of me. The orbs contained a tremendous amount of mana, after all. I gathered some of it and sent it to the tentacles, strongly thinking of the door back in the camp. Thinking of connecting this door to the door over there. And seconds later, the mana flowed.


    ¡°Something¡­ is happening.¡±


    I opened my eyes when I heard Ria¡¯s mutter. The mana from the orbs flowed into the door, even without my intervention. It sucked it up all on its own. Last time, I had been too occupied to properly watch this but¡­ The amount it absorbed was¡­ dreadful. The bag in my hands was slowly getting light as one orb after another turned into dust. And it showed no signs of stopping either. It was a slow process but at this rate¡­ It¡¯d be only a matter of minutes.


    ¡°Hey, we¡­ We do have enough¡­ Right?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nobody answered me. What to do¡­


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Put the¡­ bag on¡­ the ground¡­¡±


    ¡°Eh? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I followed Ria¡¯s advice, putting the bag down very slowly and then letting go of it.


    ¡°It still keeps going¡­¡±


    The mana was still siphoned out of the orbs at a steady pace. The crackling sounds of the orbs disintegrating one after another echoed in my ears.


    ¡°... Yumi, Karen, Ria, to the back.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    The four of us hurried to the other side of the room, far away from the door.


    ¡°Ria, what will happen if that door doesn¡¯t have enough mana?¡±


    ¡°It will¡­ likely¡­ absorb mana¡­ from its¡­ surroundings¡­ Without¡­ care¡­ for the¡­ source¡­¡±


    ¡°... I guess that¡¯s happened to Yumi before?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I assume¡­ that is¡­ the case¡­¡±


    Well, wasn¡¯t that great news?


    ¡°If it collects from its surroundings, what about us?¡±


    ¡°It probably¡­ absorbs¡­ the largest¡­ source of¡­ mana¡­ in its¡­ immediate¡­ surroundings¡­ It would¡­ depend¡­ how far¡­ its range¡­ would be¡­ But¡­ I doubt¡­ we are¡­ in range¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, we¡¯ll observe from here. If anything goes awry, we run immediately. Got that, Yumi, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    He nodded, satisfied with our response.


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s hope we won¡¯t have to.¡±


    So did I. But the door showed no signs of stopping with absorbing the mana. Even at the other end of the cavern, I could hear the mana orbs cracking and the flow of mana had gotten stronger and stronger by the second.


    And then it all stopped.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but let out a dumbfounded sound. It just stopped all of a sudden. Abrupt and unexpected.


    ¡°Is it¡­ over?¡±


    ¡°It looks¡­ like it¡­ finished¡­¡±


    While I was still perplexed, Ria stepped forward, casually making her way to the door.


    ¡°Thank the spirits, this didn¡¯t end in more trouble. I might have underestimated this a little, after all¡­¡±


    With those words, Korwen simply followed Ria to the door.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi¡­ Is it really over?¡±


    ¡°It¡­ looks like it is?¡±


    The two of us, maybe a little traumatised from the last incident, were watching Ria and Korwen warily. But even when they were right in front of the door, nothing else happened.


    ¡°I guess¡­ It really is¡­¡±


    ¡°Should we take a look?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    While I was still dubious, Karen and I approached the door. All that mana it had absorbed¡­ Most of it simply disappeared. Or, at the very least, I couldn¡¯t detect it. The only notable source of mana was the remaining orbs in the bag.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn? Captain?¡±


    ¡°Those orbs¡­ were they all the ones you brought?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We brought as many as we could, after all. It wasn¡¯t like we could carry the entire crate down here, so we filled a large bag with as many as possible. That said, I believed that it¡¯d be overkill to bring that many. Now, I was standing corrected. The bag had barely any mana orbs left.


    ¡°How many are left back in your wagon?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Err, I guess enough to fill the back two or three times more? I¡¯m not quite sure. Sis?¡±


    ¡°That does sound about right.¡±


    ¡°Two or three, huh?¡±


    Korwen stroked his chin, staring at the mostly empty bag with wide eyes.


    ¡°That aside¡­ Did it work? Or did it fail?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­¡±


    The door was still closed so it was hard to know¡­


    I put my hands on the tentacle growth and asked it to open the door.


    ¡°... Something¡¯s happening.¡±


    The tentacles and the door shivered, so I quickly stepped back to watch. Seconds later¡­ The door, once more, siphoned mana from its surroundings. But far, far less than before. Then, the pink surface of the door shivered¡­ and parted.


    ¡°... No way. It fucking worked?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I stared at the door¡­ Or rather, the place beyond the door. The insides¡­ of a tent.


    It was¡­ Unbelievable. Even though¡­ Even though I knew¡­ had seen it¡­ Back at our first attempt¡­ I still couldn¡¯t believe it. The wall¡­ had a door now¡­ leading to another place¡­


    ¡°Ha¡­ Haha¡­ Hahahaha! Yumi! I can¡¯t believe it! Hahahaha!¡±


    ¡°Capt¡ª Oof!¡±


    Bellowing loudly, Korwen slapped my back, nearly making me fall over.


    ¡°This is wonderful! Awesome! Hahaha! This! This is it! Hahahaha! Just think of what this means! Think of the possibilities! We can do it! We really can do it! Yumi!¡±


    I desperately tried to stay on my feet as he repeatedly slapped my back over and over again out of excitement. This hurt.


    ¡°Ria, she did it! She really did!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It is¡­ astonishing¡­¡±


    ¡°It really is! Then, let¡¯s try it!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Try it? What?


    It took me a few seconds to process those words. A few seconds too many, as Korwen boldly stepped straight through the door without a care in the world.


    ¡°Captain?!¡±


    And then¡­ he was on the other side. He looked around, still wearing a large grin on his face, then went to the curtain and pulled it open.


    ¡°Huh? Captain?! What the?! What are you doing here?¡±


    A familiar, albeit shocked, voice echoed over to us.


    ¡°Haha! You won¡¯t believe it, Merim. It worked!¡±


    ¡°What worked?¡±


    ¡°Come in and look!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Korwen pulled the person, Merim, by the arm inside the tent. Bewildered, he looked around until his eyes fell on the literal hole in the room.


    ¡°... Yumi? Karen? Ria? Wait? What is this?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at his bewildered expression¡­ Only now, it really sunk in¡­ It worked. It really had. No accidents, no trouble. It simply¡­ worked.


    ¡°Well, Merim! Take a guess what it is.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Well, I¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a door! A door from the fort to here!¡±


    ¡°... Captain, you drunk?¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha!¡±


    Merim looked at Korwen, completely bewildered by his outright euphoric mood.


    ¡°Come and see for yourself, Merim!¡±


    ¡°Eh? Wha¡ª Captain?!¡±


    Pulling Merim again by the arm, Korwen walked once more through the door, returning to us.


    ¡°Where¡­ is this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a hall below the fort!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re underground?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! We are!¡±


    Merim observed the surroundings, illuminated only by the dim light of the lamp and the light shining through the door.


    ¡°This has to be a joke, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Spirits take me, it isn¡¯t, Merim! It¡¯s real!¡±


    ¡°... This is too crazy. Ahh, I know. I fell asleep again at work and this is just a dream. I see. That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I believe we¡¯ll need to talk about your work ethic sometime, Merim.¡±


    Truth be told, I¡¯d believe I was dreaming as well if I was suddenly pulled through a door leading to a faraway space.


    ¡°That aside. Merim. I have work for you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°First, take this list. They¡¯re things we couldn¡¯t bring but might be useful. Also, get a few people to help you. Choose from the old guys, with a family. Someone we can trust. Have one of them take up guard and the rest help you with this. Got that?¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°Merim! You have your orders!¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Captain!¡±


    Snapping out of it, Merim saluted and then rushed out. Through the tentacle door and the tent, of course.


    ¡°Mhm. Good. Good. Very good.¡±


    Korwen watched as Merim left, with his arms crossed and a wide grin on his face.


    ¡°Ria! How long do you think this portal will stay open?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Hard to¡­ say¡­ It still¡­ absorbs¡­ mana¡­ I think¡­ around¡­ an hour¡­ at most.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ If we bring more mana crystals, will it stay open for longer?¡±


    ¡°That should be¡­ the case¡­¡±


    ¡°Merim should also bring mana crystals. We¡¯ll use them to extend the time it stays open. How much mana does this even consume?¡±


    Ria pondered for a few a while before answering his question.


    ¡°Approximately¡­ two medium-sized crystals¡­ per hour¡­ Assuming¡­ the current¡­ rate is¡­ constant¡­ Even then¡­ it is¡­ at most¡­ an estimate¡­¡±


    ¡°An estimate is all I need. But that might be quite expensive, after all. Just activating it seems to use up a lot of it, too. It might be better to keep it open unless it will stay unused for a long period of time. Mh¡­. two mid-sized¡­ Let¡¯s say fifty a day¡­¡±


    Korwen began mumbling some numbers to calculate the cost of keeping this door working. The moment he mentioned that it might be ¡°at least one gold coin per day¡± was already enough to make me feel faint. Sure, it might be something affordable for the mercenaries but¡­ That door devoured money¡­


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Captain?¡±


    ¡°That crystal we got from that job in Lafria. Could it be used to power this?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I am¡­ not sure¡­ it could¡­ be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°If it is, how would it be able to power it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Ria just shook her head, unable to provide Korwen with the answer he wanted. Or any answer at all.


    ¡°That crystal¡­ absorbs from¡­ its surroundings¡­ I have¡­ yet to¡­ determine¡­ how much¡­ Depending¡­ on that¡­ It might¡­ be able¡­ to power it¡­ indefinitely¡­ But¡­ at the very¡­ least¡­ it should¡­ work for¡­ a few¡­ years¡­¡±


    ¡°Years! Now, that¡¯s something I like to hear.¡±


    I knew that crystal contained a lot of mana but¡­ Years? So, a medium-sized mana crystal¡­ that probably wasn¡¯t small, obviously. With fifty a day¡­ that¡¯d be five hundred in ten days already¡­ and five thousand in a hundred¡­ It¡¯d come close to twenty thousand per year.


    Crap. That¡¯s a lot¡­ That¡¯s seriously a lot¡­


    Just the thought gave me shivers already.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to figure out if we can make use of it then. But before we can get to that, there are many other things we need to do first. We¡¯re going to be quite busy. Hahaha!¡±


    Why did I not like the sound of that?


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Y¡ª Yes?¡±


    ¡°You did a good job!¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    ¡°Really! This opens so many possibilities for us. Ahh, we might really be able to expand our area of operations to the Beyond. Hahaha! This is the best!¡±


    He really was ecstatic about this, wasn¡¯t he? Jeez, watching him, even I was starting to share that excitement.


    ¡°That said, I can still barely believe it¡­¡±


    I walked up to the door, stopping right in front of it. I look down at the ground. My feet were on the stone floor. A little further were the tentacles, forming the frame of the door and behind them was the beige tarp for the floor of the tent, with grass below it. It was crazy. Seeing this clear division¡­. Knowing that I was literally looking at two places far removed from each other¡­


    ¡°But it¡¯s real, huh¡­¡±


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I took a step forward, passing the threshold of the door.


    After a few seconds, I opened my eyes again and turned around, looking at the ground once more. My feet were on the beige tarp, behind me were the tentacles, and further behind was the stone floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s real¡­¡± I muttered once more.


    It was just¡­ just too incredible to believe.


    I walked to the curtain of the tent and pulled it to the side, looking outside. There were wagons surrounding the tent and in the distance, I could see several mercenaries hurrying to and fro.


    ¡°Yumi¡­.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh, Sis¡­¡±


    Behind me stood Karen, looking just as astonished as I was.


    ¡°Is this¡­ really the camp?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It seems like it is¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stepped back, the curtain falling shut and barring the view.


    ¡°I guess¡­ We just did something quite incredible.¡±


    ¡°You did, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done it without you, Sis. Without anyone here. Hell, it doesn¡¯t really feel like it¡¯s something I did. It¡¯s the tentacles who did all that work.¡±


    If you asked me about how this worked, I had no clue as to how to respond, after all.


    ¡°The tentacles are a product of your magic. Therefore, this is an extension of your magic. It¡¯s your achievement and you should be proud of it.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    At some point, Korwen had calmed down again and joined us on the tent side.


    ¡°In fact, you should be very much aware that this is your work. This ability is, frankly said, something that many would covet. I know I am putting a huge burden on you by making use of this ability. You will be in the public eye. People will know about this and a few may draw the connection to you. That is likely inevitable.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Are you scared?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to stop using it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Did I?


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because this is part of my job.¡±


    ¡°... Ha¡­ Ha¡­ Hahahahaha!¡±


    Korwen burst out in laughter once. Even louder than the previous ones, holding his stomach and bending over.


    ¡°... Captain, aren¡¯t you exaggerating a little? It wasn¡¯t that funny.¡±


    Actually, I had been serious about it¡­


    ¡°Haha! Sorry! But it was just too unexpected. Haaa¡­ Really.¡±


    With a gentle smile, Korwen rubbed my head, with so much strength my head was jerked around.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s your job. And it¡¯s my job to make sure that no one will take advantage of it. Ha! Let them come all they want!¡±


    He finally released me from his furious rubbing, still grinning.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s true when they say that youngsters grow up faster than you can look.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Come, we still got work to do. And don¡¯t peek out too much. It¡¯ll be troublesome if someone spots you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    I tilted my head a little, slightly wondering what he meant. I was growing up? Was I?


    ¡°Now then, we got the portal working. We should return to the others and see how they are coming along. Ria, you can stay here and look at the portal.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Will do¡­¡±


    ¡°Not that I expected anything else.¡±


    Ria was crouching down next to the door, closely looking at the tentacles. She was probably looking at the mana if I had to guess.


    ¡°Just, don¡¯t do anything to break it, yes? It¡¯ll be a huge pain if you do. At least wait until Merim brings the mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡¯ll¡­ try¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t just ¡®try.¡¯ Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders as if it couldn¡¯t be helped.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave Ria alone and check up on everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    With a nod, he turned around and began to walk to the exit¡­ or rather, the entrance of the hall we were in. With a smile on my lips, Karen and I followed him.

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Break at the Fort

    Karen, Korwen and I returned back to the entrance of the underground cave, leaving Ria behind so she could study the portal. I was a little worried whether it was okay for me to just leave but Korwen told me to just leave it to Ria and she¡¯d handle it. With that in mind, I decided to shelf that matter for now. Either way, I had a bigger problem in front of me right now.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi. If I told you to climb up here, what would you say to that?¡± asked Korwen as he stared at the rope we had used to climb down with.


    ¡°That it¡¯d be faster for me to leave through the portal and walk the entire way to the fort again. Sounds less painless as well.¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡±


    I very barely managed to get down on my own. Expecting me to get up again was just not happening.


    ¡°Do you prefer being pulled up with the rope or being carried on someone¡¯s back?¡±


    ¡°Are there other alternatives?¡±


    ¡°None.¡±


    ¡°... I think being pulled up would be better.


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    While I would mind Karen carrying me on her back, that didn¡¯t sound like it¡¯d be very safe. If she slipped up because of me, it wouldn¡¯t end pretty. So, being pulled up was clearly the safer way¡­ Even if being treated like immobile luggage made me feel a little¡­ It was true but still¡­


    ¡°In that case¡­ Karen, you probably don¡¯t know how to properly secure a rope, do you?¡±


    ¡°A rope? With a knot?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­  With a knot isn¡¯t wrong. But there¡¯s a little more to that if you don¡¯t want her to drop down again when she is already halfway up. Anyway, you should go up first and pull Yumi up. I¡¯ll make sure the rope is secured.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    After saluting to Korwen once, Karen then made her way up. With quite the speed, as she pulled herself up in fluid motions, as if her body weighed nothing to her. Which probably wasn¡¯t that far from the truth either. Barely a minute later, she had already arrived at the top.


    ¡°Quite quick, isn¡¯t she? If only she could spare a fraction of that strength for you.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Now then¡­ It¡¯s your turn. Well, even if I say that¡­ First, we have to make sure that rope holds.¡±


    Korwen walked up to the rope and tugged at it twice.


    ¡°Okay, Yumi, stand here, and arms up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Like this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, perfect.¡±


    A few seconds later, his thick arms were going around my waist with the rope and then making a thick, complicated looking knot.


    ¡°Okay, Yumi, listen now.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You have to hold the rope to keep your balance. Don¡¯t, for the love of everything, ever let go. You hear?¡±


    ¡°N¡ª Nn. Got it¡­¡±


    ¡°If you do, we will stuff you into a box in the future and then pull you up.¡±


    I¡¯d really become luggage then¡­


    ¡°Good. Then, hold on the rope now.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like that. Okay, hold tight, I¡¯ll check if it¡¯s safe.¡±


    While I was holding the rope in front of me with all my strength, Korwen grabbed it a little higher and then lifted me up into the air.


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°Mm, looking good.¡±


    He tugged at the knot and the rope around my waist a few times before nodding, satisfied.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re ready to go. But one thing first.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Yumi. You really need to eat more. You¡¯re way too light. Small wonder you can¡¯t build up any muscle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I sincerely doubted that was the problem why I wasn¡¯t building muscle¡­ and I was really trying my best at dinner time. My stomach just couldn¡¯t handle more.


    ¡°Well, that aside¡­ Karen! You can pull her up. But slowly!¡±


    ¡°... Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    The rope moved, lifting me up a little higher. Then again a little bit.


    ¡°Up you go.¡±


    With regular movements, Karen pulled me up, slowly making me ascend through the narrow path. Looking up, I could see Karen holding the rope.


    Actually, this is way easier than going down¡­ If it¡¯s like this, I don¡¯t even mind using a rope. It¡¯s even better than a ladder.


    Although, I could only say that because I literally had nothing to do except keeping my balance. Karen and Korwen were the ones doing the actual work here.


    After a short while, I finally arrived at the top, the small room in the tower coming into view again. With Karen¡¯s help, I could return to the ground once more.


    ¡°Hehe! I¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi, you did. But why do you look so smug about it?¡±


    ¡°Just proud of myself for actually managing to arrive safely?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even do anything¡­¡±


    Yeah, I didn¡¯t¡­


    ¡°Oh well¡­ We should get the rope back to the captain. But¡­ How do you untie this knot?¡±


    While I had watched him tie it, I really hadn¡¯t committed the whole thing to memory and now I had absolutely no idea what to do about this. I knew a little about different knots but I sure didn¡¯t know this one¡­


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Let me try it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Karen squatted down and tugged at the rope, checking how to unwind the rope. And much to my surprise, she seemingly figured it out after several seconds as she began to untie it.


    ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°... I am impressed, Sis. I have no idea how you did that and I was watching the whole thing.¡±


    Seriously, I had no idea how she did that.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really that hard¡­¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡±


    ¡°... You just need to try it yourself next time.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll do my best when the time comes.¡±


    That said, untying a knot in a rope was probably easier compared to a small thread.


    ¡°Anyway, we should throw the rope down again so Mr Captain can climb up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    It was probably not a good idea to let him stay down there waiting for us¡­ Although, I was half-convinced he would be able to climb up without the rope, too. It¡¯d probably be easier for him with the rope.


    Karen took the rope and let it fall down the hole. Several seconds later, we could see the rope tense up from something pulling it down. The two of us stepped back, watching the hole for a little while until Korwen appeared and climbed up.


    ¡°There we go. Haa¡­ We probably should get a ladder as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Do we even have ladders, though?¡±


    ¡°He, he. Don¡¯t underestimate me, Yumi. Fetch me a rope from that bag there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sure.¡±


    In the corner of the room was a bag with ropes, so I took one coil and carried it over to Korwen. While I was doing that, he had turned around and, for some reason, was pulling up the rope.


    ¡°Mr Captain, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll switch the ropes. Ah, there¡¯s the end. Look here.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Curious, Karen and I both stared at the rope in Korwen¡¯s hand. There was a knot at the end that hadn¡¯t been there earlier but¡­


    ¡°With this we know how deep this hole is. More or less, at least. Knowing that, we can make a ladder.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ make it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°How, you ask? Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡±


    He lifted the rope with a grin.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s going to be a rope ladder¡­¡±


    What else did I even expect?


    ¡°It¡¯ll take a while, though¡­ Maybe it¡¯s better if I have Merim check if there are some ladders in our storage that we could use.¡±


    ¡°How long would it take to make one?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ With this length¡­ an hour to an hour and a half?¡±


    ¡°... Captain, I think asking Merim if there are any would be better.¡±


    At least, I wasn¡¯t fond of the possibility of sitting around for that long and making a ladder out of rope.


    ¡°Probably. But that¡¯s something we can worry about later. We should check up on how the others are coming along.¡±


    As long as he wasn¡¯t worrying about it after someone made that ladder¡­


    Our group returned to the large open area of the fort, the courtyard. A group of men was busy setting up small tents and a few other things.


    ¡°Oh, Captain¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°How are you coming along, Taddick?¡±


    ¡°Just fine. We¡¯re nearly done now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. What about Fenna?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s some issues on that front. Sir Wendl went with them, said the water here isn¡¯t safe to drink or something like that. They¡¯re now looking if they can draw water from the lake.¡±


    Korwen furrowed his brows as he received the report, not quite happy about it.


    ¡°Mh¡­ Did he say why it¡¯s not safe?¡±


    ¡°Well, he did but he threw out a lot of words that I had no idea what they meant¡­ Only thing I got from him is that it would make us ill.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ So it¡¯ll take a while until they are done with that.¡±


    ¡°Sounded like that¡¯d be the case.¡±


    We had some water in our waterskins but if we wanted to stay here for a while, it¡¯d be necessary to have clean water¡­ And I sure didn¡¯t want to walk to the lake everytime to refill those waterskins.


    ¡°No choice but to wait then. When you¡¯re done setting up the tents, you can take a break.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing, Captain!¡±


    Taddick saluted and then went back to his group to relay Korwen¡¯s words.


    ¡°Now then, what to do¡­ Mm¡­ Yumi, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You two can take a break as well until Fenna solved the water issue. You¡¯re free to explore but be careful if you do.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay.¡±


    Exploring did sound nice¡­ Although, I wasn¡¯t quite sure if I could really enjoy that right now. My mind was still occupied with that portal.


    ¡°Then, take care.¡±


    Leaving those words behind, Korwen made his way back to the tower we had just come from. No doubt to ask Merim to find that ladder or have someone make one.


    ¡°Sis, we got a break.¡±


    ¡°We did.¡±


    ¡°... So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Breaks were nice and all but, well¡­


    ¡°Is there even somewhere we can take a rest¡­ The tents? But which one is which?¡±


    ¡°How about we ask Mr Taddick?¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    We walked over to Taddick who was supervising the other men as they built up a tent. Presumably the last one, as some others were watching them as well. As we approached, I heard someone shout ¡°Finished!¡± followed by loud cheers from the others.


    ¡°Good job, everyone! Take a break now, you all deserved it!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhhh!¡±¡±¡±


    The men cheered again and immediately dispersed, some disappearing into the tents, others going through their few supplies to eat something.


    ¡°Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Oh, you two again. Something I can help you with?¡±


    ¡°We wanted to ask if there¡¯s somewhere we could take a break¡­ Or well, which tent we can use.¡±


    ¡°If you want to know where you sleep, that¡¯d be over there, third tent from the right. Otherwise, we also set up some benches and a table over there if you¡¯d like some company. Since we¡¯re on break, I bet some will play dice or something else.¡±


    Playing around a little did sound quite nice as well, actually.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind either way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the most troubling reply you could give¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ Let¡¯s take a rest in the tent.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After saying our thanks to Taddick, we entered the tent he had directed us to. It was a very small tent but for just the two of us it was big enough. The tent itself was empty except for a large blanket.


    ¡°Oh, that looks warm. Yay.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What?¡±


    After I dived towards the blanket and hugged it, Karen stared at me with exasperation in her eyes. Wonder why.


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    With a wry smile, Karen sat on the ground and let out a sigh.


    ¡°... I¡¯m glad everything went well.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Me too.¡±


    I spread the blanket and then claimed my space in Karen¡¯s lap before covering us with the blanket.


    ¡°Oh, this really is warm.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    I leaned back, resting my weight against Karen and closing my eyes. This familiar warmth that I so loved encompassed me once more. As if moving in response to this, Karen¡¯s arms tightly hugged my waist.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe everything went all right¡­¡±


    ¡°I was worried for a little while there, though.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Yes¡­ But it still worked out in the end.¡±


    And now, there was a portal leading through space itself.


    ¡°Mr Captain was really happy.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen him that happy before.¡±


    His small outburst of joy was¡­ quite surprising. I had known before already that he was expecting a lot from this but when he actually saw it realised, his unbridled joy was quite something to behold.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The captain mentioned that with this, it might be possible for us to travel to the Beyond, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    I looked back, looking at Karen before posing my question.


    ¡°What kind of place is the Beyond?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure either. I only heard a few rumours so if you would like to hear those...¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s better than knowing nothing so, sure, why not.¡±


    And rumours usually did contain at least a grain of truth to them.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s see¡­ I heard that it is a very, very vast place. The countries are rich and the people don¡¯t suffer any hunger. That people living there are happy, eating good food everyday and things like that. I think that¡¯s what you most commonly hear.¡±


    ¡°That sounds a little bit too utopic if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°It does¡­¡±


    If such a place really existed, everyone who could move there would have already done so, after all.


    ¡°But it is true that there are many very expensive things being imported from the Beyond. When I was still living in Aldreigh, I saw my father once bragging that he had acquired clothes made in the Beyond.¡±


    ¡°Clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Well¡­ Err¡­ I don¡¯t know if it was the truth but those clothes¡­ really didn¡¯t suit him.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The way Karen crunched up her face told me that she was probably still very nice about the way she worded it.


    ¡°They were very colourful but it just looked like a mess to me¡­ Back then, I thought he was dressing like a clown but maybe he didn¡¯t know how to actually wear them¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Now I was a little curious just how bad it had been.


    ¡°Other than that¡­ Well, only what we heard from Mr Captain before.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Did he tell us something about it?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡±


    Oh, he did¡­ What did he say about it, though? I could remember him telling us on a few occasions that he wanted to travel there if possible but apart from that¡­


    ¡°He said that there were only a few countries there and that it was a paradise for monsters.¡±


    ¡°A paradise for monsters, huh¡­ That¡­ Doesn¡¯t that sound actually a little bit bad?¡±


    Where was the utopia people talked about there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it¡¯s trustworthier than the rumours I heard, I think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s of course the case. I don¡¯t think the captain would listen to some rumours making that place out to be a utopia.¡±


    Korwen had more sense than that.


    ¡°I agree. Mr Captain usually knows what he is talking about, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    And if he didn¡¯t it seemed that he made a point to research it. Just like how he informed himself about Auria before coming here.


    ¡°But I wonder what Mr Captain hopes to find there.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Unknown riches and wonders?¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ interesting?¡±


    From the corner of my eyes I could see Karen tilt her head a little, confused about this kind of motivation.


    ¡°Well, yes, I¡¯d say it is. I mean, if there was something hidden below a blanket, you¡¯d like to know what¡¯s beneath it, too, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess I would?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s similar to that, in a way.¡±


    ¡°I see. I think I can understand that a little.¡±


    Maybe Korwen wanted to be an explorer who travels to unknown places. No, I felt like I could vaguely remember him telling me that he wanted to be one. Well, either way, it was quite an exciting thought, admittedly.


    ¡°I do wonder if the portal works for such a distance as well. I mean, what if we end up at the other end of the sea and it doesn¡¯t work suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Miss Yumias say that the distances wouldn¡¯t be an issue?¡±


    ¡°Nn, she did¡­ But I don¡¯t think she meant the distance from here to the other side of the sea. Well, maybe she did but¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t specify it, at the very least, so we had no way of knowing for sure. Unless we asked her again, of course. She had been surprisingly forthcoming with our questions so maybe she¡¯d really answer truthfully. After all, it really worked out, just like she had said.


    ¡°I guess we should mention that to the captain.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better if we do.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Also, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll correct you again if you call her with ¡®Miss.¡¯¡±


    Karen¡¯s arms stiffened the moment those words left my mouth.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ She will¡­ But she¡¯s not here so she can¡¯t correct me.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like you¡¯re forecasting her appearance.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Last time she also showed up just after we talked about her¡­ Ah, but now she was with the mercenaries again, so her showing up was more than likely. She was also aware of the portal, or rather the experiment, and as such a person that was more likely to be involved.


    No, wait¡­ Do the captain and the others even know that we consulted with Yumias? And thinking about it, it¡¯s something the captain wants to keep under wraps so maybe we shouldn¡¯t have talked with her about it in the first place¡­


    That was¡­ probably something we should take into consideration for the future.


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I just realised that we should have asked for the captain¡¯s permission before asking Yumias about Space magic¡­ I mean, it¡¯s something he wanted to keep quiet about as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Now that you mention it, I didn¡¯t think of that either.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    While I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether we had talked about this with Korwen afterwards, it was already too late for it now anyway¡­


    ¡°Nothing to be done¡­ We should talk with him about it, though.¡±


    ¡°That might be good¡­¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Strength left my limbs and I slumped against Karen.


    ¡°I think I am a little more tired than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to take a nap?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I kind of want to. How about you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that tired so I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So I¡¯d have to sleep alone? That was¡­ I was already so used to sleeping with Karen, could I even fall asleep without her anymore? Or would I lay awake in bed unable to fall asleep?


    I¡¯ll have to try, I guess¡­


    My motivation for a nap had diminished instantly to nearly nothing. But I was still tired. Knowing that it was better to at least attempt and get some rest, I tried to stand up from Karen¡¯s lap¡­ only to be pulled back in immediately.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°You can sleep like this, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I looked back, only to find her smiling at me.


    ¡°If I feel sleepy, I might lie down as well. So don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­ Then I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±


    Moving a little to make myself comfortable, I closed my eyes and leaned against Karen.


    ¡°Good night, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, night.¡±


    Hearing the quiet rhythmic beat of Karen¡¯s heart, I fell asleep.


    ¡°...mi¡­ Yu¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    When I opened my eyes a little, I could see Karen¡¯s face right in front of me. She was shaking me gently to wake me up but it just made me feel sleepier instead.


    ¡°Come, Yumi, open your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    The next moment, something soft touched my lips. I opened my eyes in surprise, only to find Karen¡¯s face right in front of me.


    ¡°Awake?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure. I think I need another one.¡±


    ¡°Seems you¡¯re plenty awake.¡±


    Karen chuckled as she straightened up again, drawing away from me.


    ¡°And I slept so well¡­¡±


    ¡°You sure did.¡±


    Once more she chuckled. Had I done something while I was asleep?


    ¡°Do I have to get up?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain called for us so yes, you do.¡±


    ¡°Damn you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him hear that.¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t suicidal enough to do that.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped¡­¡±


    With slight regrets, I forced myself to sit up. It seemed that at one point I had moved from sitting in her lap to sleeping on it as she gave me a lap pillow.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Mmh?!¡±


    Since she called my name I turned around, wanting to ask her what was up. But before I could, my mouth was blocked once more.


    ¡°Mmgh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ngmm¡­ Ah.¡±


    ¡°Na¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    Our lips parted as we both tried to catch our breath again.


    ¡°Yumi. Are you awake now?¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Nn, I am. I¡¯m completely awake now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Hehe.¡±


    Really¡­ It couldn¡¯t be helped. Taking me by surprise like that.


    ¡°Sis you meanie.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Why am I now mean?¡±


    ¡°Because.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no reason.¡±


    ¡°It is. From now on it is.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe I should just keep going then?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    I really wouldn¡¯t mind that, actually.


    ¡°Hehe, unfortunately, we¡¯ll have to delay that until later.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s indeed very unfortunate.¡±


    We stared at each for a few seconds before we both broke out in laughter.


    ¡°Just what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Hehe, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm? What is it?¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Ah, yes, this was happiness. I sincerely wished this would never end. But as things stood, we had to get up now.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. The others are waiting already.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Karen crawled out of the tent and I followed right behind her. It was still quite bright outside so I probably hadn¡¯t slept too long.


    ¡°Sis, how long was I asleep?¡±


    ¡°Mh, about an hour?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That was longer than I had thought. But that explained why I felt quite refreshed. Taking a nap had been a good decision, after all.


    ¡°Oh well, where are the captain and the others¡­ Oh, over there.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for me to find them, as everyone had grouped around a table. Much to my surprise, Merim was also there. As well as¡­


    ¡°Oh my, oh my, my dear children have come.¡±


    ¡°... I knew this would happen.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not your fault, Sis. It¡¯s not your fault.¡±


    Whether she had said something or not, this little girl called Yumias would have appeared either way. At least, this way I was expecting her already.


    ¡°My, so rude. Is that how you should talk about your mother, dear?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother so it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Would she ever give up calling me her child? Probably not¡­


    ¡°But that said¡­ Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, well, you see¡­¡±


    Yumias giggled as she looked at us.


    ¡°I just thought that you two really get along well, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Of course we do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course you do. But you know¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    She giggled again, not saying anything, only staring straight at me.


    ¡°You might want to take care in the future. Those tents don¡¯t really have thick walls, you know?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait¡­ Wait, wait, wait¡­ They heard that from earlier?!


    In a panic, I turned around to look at Korwen and the others present only to find them smiling at me warmly.


    They absolutely heard that¡­ They totally did¡­


    Someone, kill me¡­

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: Begin of the Underground Search

    ¡°Well, you two getting along aside, it¡¯s good to see you two have woken up.¡±


    While suppressing a chuckle¡ªand not doing a very good job at it¡ªKorwen welcomed us back. I had half a mind to say something about Karen and me getting along and everyone else here eavesdropping on us, but I swallowed my complaints. It would only serve to prolong the whole thing and I really wanted to pretend that nothing had happened.


    Plus, seeing how Yumias and Merim had joined us here¡­ and that Korwen had called for us.


    ¡°Captain, did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Mm, a little something.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, didn¡¯t that just sound foreboding? I could only hope that it wasn¡¯t something too serious. At least, it didn¡¯t seem to be anything too urgent.


    ¡°But first, you should sit down. Miss Yumias, too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    With a lackadaisical reply, Yumias returned to her seat at the table. At least, she didn¡¯t interrupt Korwen for her shenanigans.


    Aaand¡­ Of course, the only free seats are next to her¡­ What else did I expect?


    I stopped myself from sighing and sat down next to Yumias, while Karen sat down on my other side.


    ¡°Want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    One of the mercenaries offered us a mug with water, which we gratefully accepted. I just woke up so I was a little thirsty anyway.


    ¡°So, Captain, what happened?¡±


    ¡°Where to start¡­ First off, you remember how we wanted to search the underground area, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, of course, I do.¡±


    That was the whole reason we had come here, after all.


    ¡°It turns out that something¡­ Well, something lives down there.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Seriously. Ria confirmed it.¡±


    ¡°Ria did?¡±


    Speaking of Ria, she wasn¡¯t at the table with us¡­


    ¡°She noticed some ¡®fluctuations in the surrounding mana¡¯ or something like that. At the very least, she suspects that something used magic at the time.¡±


    ¡°A monster?¡±


    ¡°Possible.¡±


    Great. The fort not only became a base for bandits¡ªhowever long they actually lived here¡ªbut was also home to monsters now?


    ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure yet but chances are quite high. Haa¡­ We really didn¡¯t expect monsters to live here, in the Sleeping Forest of all places. But it would still be better than the alternative.¡±


    ¡°The alternative being¡­ people?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°You can reason with people.¡±


    ¡°I very much doubt any decent person would willingly live in an abandoned fort. Heck, they might be survivors from that bandit group.¡±


    Oh right, that was possible.


    ¡°Anyway, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°The situation being how it is, I would like to bring some reinforcements in and have them accompany us.¡±


    ¡°I see. Sounds fine?¡±


    If he had decided to do that, why was he telling me about it as if he would need my permission?


    ¡°That would also mean that we¡¯d have to bring them in through a little¡­ shortcut.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    He really was asking for permission¡­


    ¡°Captain. I think I said this before, but I¡¯ll leave that matter to you. If you have decided on that, then I have nothing else to say.¡±


    ¡°... I see. Haa¡­ Sorry, I simply wanted to make sure once more after you had some time to think about it again.¡±


    Rather than spending that time thinking, I spent it sleeping on Karen¡¯s lap. Not like it would have changed my decision even if I had time to think. I already knew for a long time it would come to this but¡­ I guess, now that it really was time to let others know, it did make you a little nervous. Probably why Korwen wanted to make sure one last time.


    ¡°Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem.¡±


    ¡°Merim, you heard her. You know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Captain. I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Merim, who had been waiting for his cue, stood up and saluted, then promptly left us. I watched him for a little until he disappeared into the tower.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ That¡¯s one thing dealt with¡­¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that.¡±


    It was probably a load off his shoulders or so. At times like these, I was glad that it wasn¡¯t me in that position. While I was thinking about that, Korwen had collected himself again and addressed the other mercenaries.


    ¡°Now then¡­ You lot. Get the preparations done. We¡¯ll go in as soon as Merim returns, you got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    The surrounding men all saluted and promptly carried out their new orders. With everyone gone, it was now only Korwen, Yumias, Karen and I left at the table. Speaking of Yumias¡­ Why was she here anyway?


    ¡°By the way, Captain¡­ What is Yumias doing here?¡±


    ¡°Sightseeing,¡± answered Yumias, who I hadn¡¯t asked.


    ¡°You heard her¡­ She followed Merim, saying she wanted to see the fort.¡±


    Oh, she did mention wanting to see it, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°My, and it¡¯s really something. It¡¯s so big, a veritable castle, is it not? To think it was such an amazing and cool place!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! You really get it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Of course!


    Korwen nodded vigorously, happy that she was praising the fort. And Yumias seemed quite happy to indulge him.


    I mean, a fort is¡­ pretty cool, I guess¡­ Nn.


    But I didn¡¯t want to say it out loud in front of these two.


    ¡°Oh, before I forget it. Now that Yumi is here, I have something I wanted to ask, Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Oh my, what is it?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s about the woman named Yumelia.¡±


    I froze the moment that name left his lips. Yumelia¡­ The worshipper woman who had caused us quite some trouble back in Larfas, the capital city.


    Glancing to my side, I looked out for Yumias'' reaction to it. However, as she cutely tilted her head¡­


    ¡°Who is that?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s honestly about what I expected, yet I still feel quite disappointed.¡±


    So did I¡­


    ¡°I am sure you already know about what we did back in Larfas, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Yumelia is the one who instigated the whole problem¡­ or, at the very least, she was a major part of it.¡±


    ¡°I see. But what does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Well, those people are part of the Witch Worshippers¡­ People who worship¡­ the Witch.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±


    Yumias hit her palm with her fist, as if she had just understood what the connection was.


    ¡°So you thought I might know something because they worship me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about it, yes.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, I have to disappoint. Those freaks are nothing short of bothersome and I have nothing to do with them, thus I cannot help you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    So even the person they worshipped thought of them as bothersome¡­


    ¡°But that woman, Yumelia, had pink hair like you and Yumi. And then there¡¯s her name¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, she is certainly not one of my children. Though, are you sure that she was a manakin and did not simply dye her hair?¡±


    ¡°According to what Ria and Yumi said, there¡¯s little doubt of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Now I am interested. Yumi, what did you see?¡±


    Suddenly, the conversation steered towards me. I didn¡¯t even know what Korwen meant for a few seconds until I remembered¡­ about what I had seen of her soul.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Her soul was¡­ a murky pink¡­ as if someone mixed some other colours into it.¡±


    ¡°... Oh my, that¡¯s interesting.¡±


    Was it now?


    ¡°If that is the case, then she really is a manakin. How surprising.¡±


    ¡°So, can you tell us anything?¡±


    ¡°Not really?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Korwen rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t know her and have no idea where she came from?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Not even any thoughts? For example, what about the muddy colour thing Yumi mentioned? Or what she could do, her skills, her magic, anything.¡±


    ¡°Mm, maybe I do? But even if I do, I have no intention of sharing them.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Maybe realising it was pointless to get anything out of her, Korwen leaned back, with a look of resignation on his face.


    ¡°Too bad. Well, at least we know she has nothing to do with you, which is a good thing. Then we won¡¯t have to worry about earning someone¡¯s ire at least.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. In fact, I¡¯d encourage you. Those people have been annoying for a while already. They keep poking holes where they aren¡¯t supposed to poke, it¡¯s a bother and I¡¯m the one who has to fix it.¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t that be some motivation to give us some hints to help us then? No? Apparently not.


    Then again, what holes was she even talking about?


    ¡°... Wouldn¡¯t you be able to deal with them by yourself?¡±


    ¡°Oh, certainly. If I blow everything up they¡¯ll be gone for sure. But then I have to listen to others nag for so long and that¡¯s equally bothersome.¡±


    ¡°... That so.¡±


    Maybe it was better if we didn¡¯t ask her what exactly ¡®blowing them up¡¯ would actually entail. I had the feeling it wouldn¡¯t be pretty. Korwen also seemed like he didn¡¯t want to ask about it. It was easy to imagine the scale her ''blowing them up'' would be...


    ¡°Well, anyway, thanks for answering my questions.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, always a pleasure. Ah, but if you really want to thank me, you could treat me to something nice.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    Considering that he barely got any answers, it was a rather expensive conversation if he actually had to treat her.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Oh well¡­ Before I forget it, Yumi, Karen, you two should eat something and get ready as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Will we be leaving soon?¡±


    ¡°As soon as Merim comes back.¡±


    Right, he did say that earlier, too. And it wouldn¡¯t be so good to search around on an empty stomach, huh¡­


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll do that then.¡±


    ¡°Sure, food¡¯s over there.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sis, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    A while later, after we had eaten our rations and killed a bit of time talking with Korwen, Merim finally returned.


    ¡°Captain, everyone¡¯s briefed and on standby.¡±


    ¡°Finally, sure took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I had some explaining to do¡­¡±


    Merim shrugged with his shoulders in exasperation. Seemed like it took quite some time to explain that portal, huh¡­ I could only imagine.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, we can finally get to searching. Call everyone and lead them down.¡±


    ¡°... I feel like I¡¯m an errand boy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it means to be the vice-captain, Merim. You¡¯re my personal errand boy so get moving.¡±


    His personal errand boy¡­ He did send Merim all over the place so¡­ Yeah, he kind of really was an errand boy, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Oh, I see someone thinks that¡¯s amusing. Guess I won¡¯t have to hold back when we resume your training regimen, do I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Only this one time.¡±


    Safe. That was close. I nearly screwed myself over there.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be going then, Captain. Down in the first hall?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There is fine.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Merim nodded and then went off to collect the other mercenaries.


    ¡°We should go as well. Are you two ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Yumias, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Me? My, how nice of you to ask. Alas, I have no interest in that dusty basement so I will explore the fort itself.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t the fort just as dusty, though? Nobody had been here for so long¡­


    ¡°I see. Then it¡¯ll be only the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, have a nice trip.¡±


    Waving with her hand, she sent us off. With Korwen in the lead, we once more entered the tower and the small room leading down into the hidden underground.


    ¡°Now then, I am sure you can manage to get up and down by yourself now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is that a ladder?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Instead of the rope from before, there was now a ladder hanging down and leading downwards. That said, it was still a rope¡­ just as a ladder. How the heck did you turn a rope into a ladder?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first then.¡±


    Korwen graded the first rung and then slowly climbed down. Or actually not so slowly, as he moved down with experienced steps. It didn¡¯t take him long to actually arrive at the bottom.


    ¡°Next one!¡±


    ¡°Yumi? Should I go first again?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll go first this time.¡±


    Even I could climb down a ladder¡­ and even in the off-chance that something were to happen, Korwen was still down there. Although, if Yumias was to be believed, I probably wouldn¡¯t die from falling anyway. Not that I wanted to try that one out.


    I grabbed the first rung stepped on the ladder.


    ¡°Woah¡­ This is actually a little¡­¡±


    It was swaying¡­ The ladder was swaying¡­ It was only a little but it was more than enough to make me feel a little insecure. I¡¯d have to take it one step at a time like this.


    ¡°Okay, here I go¡­¡±


    One step at a time¡­ One step after another, I climbed down the ladder. My pace was slow but I made progress at least. After a while of climbing, the ground came into sight and with a final step down, my feet returned to the ground.


    ¡°Done! I did it!¡±


    ¡°Not sure why you¡¯re so proud of that but good job.¡±


    Leave me be. This was actually a little nerve-racking.


    An unstable ladder like this was vastly different from a fixed ladder. It really was noticeable once you climbed down yourself.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Next one!¡±


    I shouted up, expelling all the air in my lungs.


    Actually where does the air come from when I breathe out? Do I have lungs?


    While I was thinking that, the ladder swayed and I could see Karen climbing down as well.


    ¡°Something wrong, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Nothing. Sis is coming down.¡±


    ¡°Good. But you should move away from there, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to look up like that.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like Karen was wearing a skirt, though¡­ and she was my lover so surely I got a pass? Uhh, well, I probably still shouldn¡¯t do that, so I stepped away a little.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to be lectured by the captain about that¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also quite rude, you know? In the first place, unless you can catch her in case she slips up and falls down, you shouldn¡¯t stand below a ladder either way. Can you catch her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be a pancake.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t. And really, don¡¯t say that to her, okay?¡±


    I didn¡¯t intend to. Seriously.


    ¡°Mm? Is that her?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    As we were busy making small talk, Karen had reached the last part of the ladder. With quick movements, she made her way down and arrived at the floor.


    ¡°Mr Captain, Mr Merim has already come as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Then go on and tell them they can go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±


    Karen turned around, facing the hole in the ceiling.


    ¡°... Next one!¡±


    Korwen nodded, satisfied. Now that Karen was down, we moved to the hall¡­ and were greeted by the reinforcements.


    A dozen fully-armoured men were lined up, saluting the instance they spotted Korwen.


    ¡°The Dragon Knights?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Wow, he really was bringing out the big ones for this¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re trained to respond to any sudden ambushes, even if they are of magical nature. They¡¯ll keep everyone safe.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Right, if there was someone or something that could use magic, then falling for an ambush would be even more dangerous, wouldn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Nn, glad to see them here.¡±


    ¡°You heard that? Don¡¯t disappoint her!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    At the very least, whoever was down here, now knew for sure we were coming¡­ Shouting like that¡­


    ¡°Where is Ria?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria is still in the pink magic room!¡± answered the left-most mercenary.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Pink magic room¡­ It wasn¡¯t wrong but¡­ The name¡­


    ¡°Go and tell Ria to come. After that, we¡¯ll wait for Merim and the others and then we¡¯ll divide the groups.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The man who had been answering about Ria left to fetch her. We waited for them for a while until he returned with Ria. Coincidentally, Merim arrived with everyone else right afterwards. With the Dragon Knights here, we had quite the crowd in this hall. It even seemed a little cramped now.


    Everyone, including Karen and me, lined up on Korwen¡¯s orders while he stood in front of everyone, with Merim standing next to him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll divide into four groups. The people heading the groups will be as follows: The first group by me and Ria, the second group Merim and Wendl, third group will be Fenna and Rieke, fourth group Taddick and Yumi. As for who is in which group¡­¡±


    Korwen stepped a few steps to the side and then made a cutting motion with his hand in front of us.


    ¡°First group.¡±


    Then he stepped a few steps to the side again and repeated it¡­


    ¡°Second group.¡±


    And, of course, he repeated the same with the third and the fourth.


    ¡°Now then, we have four doors. Each group will take one path. Be aware of potential ambushes. Each group has at least one person with mana sight and every group except the third has a magician, so consult them as necessary. Any questions!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Fenna raised her hand immediately.


    ¡°Should we handle split paths as usual?¡±


    ¡°Yes, prioritise the left as usual. We will search for one and a half hours. Should any group not return, we will make a search party. If you are late because you forgot the time, you will have to treat everyone to dinner. Got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    Everyone saluted in one fluid motion.


    ¡°Good. Move out as soon as your group is ready! That¡¯s it.¡±


    Korwen clapped his hands once more before moving to join his own group. Which left us with¡­


    ¡°Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yumi, excited already?


    ¡°... You could say that.¡±


    Rather than excited, I was nervous and a little worried, though. That said, seeing this line-up for our made me wonder if I was worrying for naught. Four large armoured men and several men from the original group that came to the fort with us.


    In addition, there were also two women from Fenna¡¯s squad with us, one of them being Sanna. The girl who had drawn the map back when we had been in the mother roper¡¯s cave. This time, too, she was holding her drawing utensils and a sheet of paper at the ready¡­ more or less, as her eyes darted back and forth between the members of our group. Someone was even more nervous than I was, huh¡­


    But a map would be quite useful. Captain said there were no blueprints of this area and we¡¯d definitely need a map anyway.


    With that in mind, I approached her to ask whether she¡¯d draw one.


    ¡°Sanna, are you going to draw a map again?¡±


    ¡°Hyah?!¡±


    ¡°Wah?!¡±


    But instead of a response, I got a shirek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t surprise me like that, Miss Yumi!¡±


    ¡°... I wasn¡¯t trying to.¡±


    Seriously, I was the one surprised here.


    ¡°So, err, are you drawing a map again?¡±


    ¡°Y, yes¡­ I, I got the order to.¡±


    She stammered a little but at least I got an answer.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best!¡±


    She saluted vigorously, making me smile wryly. I still wasn¡¯t quite used to this treatment so it felt a little awkward.


    ¡°Okay, are we all ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Behind me, Taddick called for our attention.


    ¡°The captain assigned a path to us, so we¡¯ll now move out and search the area. Our four Dragon Knights will take the front and back. Stay in line-of-sight of at least one of them at all times. Anything suspected of magical nature will be brought to Yumi. As usual, no pilfering, no loitering. If you need a bathroom break, you better be ready to shit your pants.¡±


    That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear¡­


    ¡°No questions? Good. Move out.¡±


    With two of the Dragon Knights in the lead, we entered into our assigned area. A long pathway with several doors to each side.


    ¡°Remember, left room first, right room second. The Dragon Knights take point at all times.¡±


    Just as Taddick finished the reminder, our group already stopped at the first set of doors. One Dragon Knight from the front and one from the back moved to one door respectively.


    ¡°Ready?¡±


    ¡°Ready. Open.¡±


    The Dragon Knight pushed the door open and entered, bracing himself with his weapon drawn¡­


    ¡°... Clear.¡±


    ¡°Okay, next. Open.¡±


    The other Dragon Knight repeated the same with the left door, entering the room.


    ¡°Clear!¡±


    ¡°Okay, search. Again, left before right.¡±


    With Taddick in the lead, we entered the first room. Stone walls on all sides, caked in dust and mold.


    ¡°Taddick, the room is empty.¡±


    ¡°It sure is.¡±


    The room was quite large but there was nothing inside. No furniture, no animals, no monsters, no people. Nothing at all except a thick layer of dust. Or mold. Probably mold from the looks of it.


    The mercenaries spread out, kicking up the dust as they searched for anything amiss. It didn¡¯t take long for a huge dust cloud to fill the room.


    ¡°We should¡¯ve¡­ brought something to cover our mouths¡­¡±


    Taddick coughed as he tried to fan his face and get rid of the dust. Obviously without much success.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    With a groan, he turned around and went back into the hallway where he coughed like mad. Karen and I followed him, half out of worry from the intensity of his coughs and half to get away from that dust as well.


    ¡°Spirits, how long has this place been abandoned!¡±


    ¡°Two hundred years or so.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they have cleaned up at least once since then?¡±


    ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be abandoned!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for logical replies!¡±


    Then don¡¯t ask questions¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say but, well, I could understand his feelings. Behind us, I could hear several mercenaries coughing as well from the dust. All that coughing only served to make the situation worse, too.


    ¡°Ugh, if you¡¯re done, get out of there. And don¡¯t stir up more dust than necessary, got that? No dinner if you do!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unreasonable!¡± someone shouted from inside the room.


    ¡°Stop complaining and work faster!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here!¡±


    ¡°Then next room. Go, go.¡±


    The mercenaries poured back into the hallway one after another, catching their breath and coughing out the dust. Several of them were covered in dust themselves now. And this was only the first room¡­


    ¡°Okay, next one.¡±


    Taddick pointed at the room and everyone poured into said room this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty!¡±


    ¡°No shit! I can see that, too!¡±


    Yes, it was empty.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Anything unusual on the magic side of things?¡±


    ¡°No, everything looks normal.¡±


    ¡°I see. The previous room, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I was quite sure that nothing magical was happening in this room right now. Which didn¡¯t necessarily have to mean much. There could also be mechanical passages and the like. In fact, considering this was a fort, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if mechanical traps and hidden passages were preferred, since a magician wouldn¡¯t detect them so easily.


    ¡°Nothing to see here, Leader!¡±


    ¡°Okay, come back then. We¡¯ll move on to the next ones.¡±


    We waited for everyone to come back and then moved to the next set of doors, where we immediately repeated the whole spiel. As I watched the mercenaries touch the room in the hopes of finding something, I turned to Taddick to ask him a question.


    ¡°Taddick, why the left one first?¡±


    ¡°There are several reasons, actually. First, having a determined pattern makes it easier for us to search and know what we already searched, as well as for others searching for us, in case we don¡¯t return.¡±


    Ah, they could retrace our steps in that case, huh?


    ¡°Second, do you know how to get through a maze?¡±


    ¡°A maze?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Probably not what you want to hear.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Probably.¡±


    Taddick chuckled at my response. Mazes were annoying¡­ But a maze¡­ I felt like I could vaguely remember that there was something to ensure you could get through a maze¡­


    ¡°If you follow one wall in a maze, you will get to the exit. It can be time consuming but it works for most mazes.¡±


    ¡°One wall? You mean, the left or right wall?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Easiest way is to just keep your hand on the wall and follow it to the exit. As long as you strictly follow it, it works.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Searching a place like this is not much different from treading a maze. There¡¯s a goal somewhere and we¡¯re looking for it. If we follow one wall, we¡¯ll never get lost.¡±


    That was actually smart¡­ but¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re looking at both sides, though?¡±


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t exactly ignore them now, can we? Imagine there was someone trying to hide from us and we¡¯d miss them. Or someone hiding to ambush us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    But really¡­ I was a little surprised how even this was structured in a simple and clear way.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a reason why we choose left first instead of right.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Most people are right-handed. It¡¯s easier to respond and attack around a left corner than it is to a right one. Not too important if we have to search both sides anyway, but in case when the path splits, it can be important at times.¡±


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t even think of that.¡±


    Now that he mentioned it, swinging a weapon when there was a corner in the way¡­ would be difficult. Not everyone could claim to just cleave through the wall, like Lily. Though Lily could also back up that claim, if her cleaving through trees was any indication.


    ¡°Leader, sir, it¡¯s empty!¡±


    ¡°Like I said, tell me something new!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done!¡±


    ¡°Great, to the next one!¡±


    Rinne


    Thank you for reading!


    If you enjoy the story, please take a look at my Patreon! You can read up to 10 chapters ahead while supporting me! Every bit helps!


    And I really have to get around it sometime soon to properly edit the last chapters here...

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: The Rainbow beneath the Earth

    ¡°It¡¯s empty!¡±


    ¡°Next one, next one!¡±


    It had become already a rather familiar sight by now, the mercenaries rushing into a room, complaining about the mountains of dust and then flooding outside again only to enter the next room and repeat the whole thing. And yet, we were still in the very first corridor, even after we had repeated this well over a dozen times already.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is. Bah! Next!¡±


    And once more, the dust-covered mercenaries rushed into the next room¡­


    ¡°But there really isn¡¯t anything at all here, is there?¡± I muttered.


    ¡°What are you expecting? Some super secret storage room that they conveniently forgot to clear out?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe?¡±


    ¡°Would be nice.¡±


    Taddick glared into the room they were searching, not even hiding anymore that he wasn¡¯t going to take a single step inside. Which was a little enviable¡­


    ¡°Whoever made use of this place made sure to clear out everything. Not expecting to find a whole lot anymore. At least, nothing valuable.¡±


    ¡°So, they might have left behind things that aren¡¯t as valuable?¡±


    ¡°Possible. But let¡¯s be honest. If we could find this place in a matter of a few days, then other people could as well. And if there was anything valuable left behind, then they would¡¯ve run off with it long ago.¡±


    That was¡­ probably quite likely. The fort had been abandoned for over two hundred years. That was more than enough time for people to plunder whatever might have been left here. And there definitely were people here after it was abandoned. Those dead bandits pretty much proved that. And even the townsfolk had been here, like that craftsman¡­¡¯s son.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mr Taddick, wouldn¡¯t it be possible that the people who looted this place might have used it as a hideout and left things of their own?¡±


    ¡°Sure might have. Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not food that has already gained sentience from being left to rot for so long in the dust.¡±


    Let¡¯s hope not. That¡¯d be more than a little freaky and I¡¯d like to eat dinner without worrying whether my food would jump from the plate any second¡­


    ¡°More likely than that would be some other¡­ unlikable stuff.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Unlikable stuff?¡±


    ¡°Contraband. Illegal goods. The things people don¡¯t want others to find. Things bandits, thieves, smugglers and the like really like to hide but also stuff they can¡¯t exactly carry around so easily. This place would be a good place to hide stuff like that. But more than that, keep in mind that the fort belonged to the country.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Why did the country matter now?


    ¡°This place was built for a reason and it was kept off the records for a reason. It¡¯s far too vast for a mere escape tunnel, if you ask me. And this area at least, even if you ignore all the dust, is clearly not a living area. This is a storage space.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    The country used this for something they didn¡¯t want others to find.


    ¡°But, then¡­ Why would they even sell the fort?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they forgot? Maybe they don¡¯t even know about this? Or they don¡¯t care because they already cleaned up everything. You¡¯d have to ask them.¡±


    If the king knew about this¡­ I couldn¡¯t imagine it being something he didn¡¯t want us to find. That¡¯d be contradictory. On the other hand, if he didn¡¯t¡­ Well, either way, it wouldn¡¯t be something that he personally did so¡­


    ¡°Leader! It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Then stop dallying and get to the next one. We don¡¯t have all day!¡±


    With familiar motions, the men moved to the next set of doors, opening one door and then the other, confirming they were empty at first sight.


    ¡°Yumi, stop daydreaming and do your job.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡±


    Holding my breath, I followed the men inside to take a look. Just like with every other room, there were no abnormalities in the mana, so I quickly made my way outside again.


    ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Gee, how boring.¡±


    While I could understand the sentiment, it wasn¡¯t something I could change.


    ¡°Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Returning to our discussion¡­ If the country made use of this, what do you think it was used for?¡±


    ¡°Ha! No idea. Why would anyone need so many storage rooms hidden away? If these were cells it¡¯d be one thing but these are just old regular rooms.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Then again, I didn¡¯t have an idea,,,,


    ¡°Actually¡­ Let me take that back.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I can think of.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Food storage.¡±


    ¡°Food¡­ storage?¡±


    All of these rooms?


    ¡°It nearly slipped my mind but this is a fort, built for border defense. If it would come under siege, the amount of food stored away would be critical for their survival. After all, the longer they can hold out, the higher the chance for reinforcements. And since this place is underground, it¡¯s quite cool making it quite good for storage.¡±


    ¡°A siege¡­ That would have been possible, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not as well-versed in history as the captain but it wouldn¡¯t surprise me. I mean, even nowadays, Krohmea, Aldreigh and Lafria don¡¯t always look eye to eye.¡±


    ¡°Huh? They don¡¯t?¡±


    I thought they had a rather amicable relationship.


    ¡°Of course not. They¡¯re different countries. Different laws, different values, different languages, different people. What¡¯s normal in Lafria might be scorned in Aldreigh and ridiculed in Krohmea. That¡¯s how life is.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, enough about that. That¡¯s a topic that¡¯s more suited to the captain than me. Point being, the fort existed for a reason here. It¡¯s a fort, after all. So this place being a food storage is quite likely, I¡¯d say. Although, it¡¯d be really boring if it was.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the point of it was being interesting¡­¡±


    But a food storage¡­ Now that he said it, it did make sense. Since it was cool underground, you¡¯d be able to keep certain types of food for quite a long time here. There was no need for magic tools, either. Hell, if you used a magic tool, you could have built a freezer in here¡­ They might have done that, actually.


    ¡°It¡¯s empty!¡±


    ¡°And to the next one.¡±


    For the umpteenth time, we left one room and entered the next one¡­


    Just when would this end?


    ¡°Okay, everyone, it¡¯s time to take a break!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Ooooohhhh!¡±¡±¡±


    A whole hour later, we were finally given a break. I slumped to the ground, the cold wall in my back.


    It had been just one empty room after another, each and everyone filled with dust and nothing else. Nothing. Else. Not even the tiniest thing. The whole place had been swiped clean. Well, except for¡­ Surprise! The dust.


    But now, we had finally reached the end of the corridor.


    ¡°I am really glad this is over¡­ Seriously¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a little exhausting¡­¡±


    Karen, who sat down next to me, frowned as she watched the mercenaries happily sitting down and getting rest as well.


    ¡°I would have never thought that going into empty rooms could be so draining.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Neither did I.¡±


    Halfway through, we more or less lost most of our tension, but that didn¡¯t mean it had been gone entirely. We still checked every nook and cranny and since Karen and I were the only two people with mana sight in our group, we had to check carefully as well. But there had been absolutely nothing¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ How many rooms did we even check in the end?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I didn¡¯t keep count¡­¡±


    Neither did I. But there was someone who surely had.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sanna.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Wha¡ª What is it, Miss Yumi?!¡±


    ¡°How many rooms did we search?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhh¡­¡±


    Surprised by my sudden question, Sanna immediately checked on her mad and began to count¡­ Now I felt bad for asking.


    ¡°Thrity-eight!¡±


    ¡°Thirty-eight?¡±


    ¡°Y¡ª Yes? Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­It¡¯s a bit of an odd number.¡±


    I would have understood if it was forty¡­ Or thirty-six, since that would have been three dozen. But thirty-eight was right in between that¡­


    ¡°Miss Sanna, would it be all right for us to see the map?¡±


    ¡°Ah? Of, of course! Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Sanna handed Karen the map she had drawn. It was a very simple map but drawn with straight, clear lines. Even to me, it seemed like this was made with a practiced hand.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t anything interesting to see. The rooms were all the same size, spaced at even intervals. Nothing out of ordinary¡­


    ¡°Miss Sanna, are you sure that every room is the same size?¡±


    ¡°Ye, yes! I walked along each wall to make sure it was the same number of steps. And, and I counted them for the space between each door, too!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite amazing.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for letting us take a look. Here you go.¡±


    Karen returned the map to the momentarily stunned Sanna.


    ¡°Nn, but it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything hidden in this corridor either¡­ Makes me wonder why they stopped at that number.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they simply didn¡¯t need more? Or they were restricted by the length of the corridor.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Possibly.¡±


    Could be anything¡­ Oh well, it wasn¡¯t overly important anyway. Not like we could ask the architect from back then. Actually, considering the life spans of some races and some people, maybe the architect was actually still alive¡­ But I wouldn¡¯t go out of my way to find out, to be honest.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Let¡¯s just take a rest for now.¡±


    I leaned towards Karen, resting my head on her shoulder. Closing my eyes, I let my consciousness drift off for a little, listening to the merry mercenaries all the while.


    After a few minutes, Taddick once more called out to everyone.


    ¡°Now that everyone has caught their breath, we¡¯ll make our way back. Up with you all. Back in formation.¡±


    If he had waited for another minute, I might have actually fallen asleep¡­ maybe it was good I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Back, huh¡­ I wonder what the others found.¡±


    One of them had to find something, right? After all, Ria had noticed mana being used somewhere down here. Unless, it had been a false alarm, of course. Though, I couldn¡¯t imagine that being the case with Ria.


    But I haven¡¯t seen anything out of ordinary in the entire time we were here. The mana¡¯s quiet as could be.


    Well, we were going to find out if someone found something soon enough. Karen and I took our positions in the formation once more and our whole group marched back. This time, we didn¡¯t make any big stops. We had left all doors open so the mercenaries only briefly glanced inside as we walked past them. It took us a whole hour to get through this place, yet, the way back only took a few minutes at most. It felt a little weird, to be honest. But either way, we made our way back into the hall where Korwen had sent us off from.


    ¡°Nn? We¡¯re not the first ones back,¡± I mumbled to myself.


    ¡°Mh? Oh, Taddick. You returned as well?¡±


    ¡°Fenna, huh¡­ You¡¯re already done, too?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It didn¡¯t take us long. There were only a few rooms in there. But, say, Taddick¡­ What in the Spirits¡¯ name did you guys do? You look like you jumped into a mountain of flour.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A mountain of flour¡­ was quite appropriate.


    ¡°The dust¡­ was amazing.¡±


    ¡°... My condolences.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    Judging from how Fenna and her group looked, it didn¡¯t seem like they had it as bad as us. Though, there was still enough dust on them that you could return to the words, to be honest.


    ¡°So, found anything of interest?¡±


    ¡°Not really. A few empty rooms. Apart from dust and rock pebbles, nothing.¡±


    ¡°So the same as us.¡±


    ¡°Whoever cleaned up here was very thorough.¡±


    In other words, we still had nothing. Great. But maybe the other two groups had something to share¡­ But¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder how long it¡¯ll take for the captain and the vice-captain to come back¡­¡±


    ¡°They should come back soon. It¡¯s been nearly an hour and a half now,¡± answered Karen.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Although the whole search had been quite boring, it had still taken considerable time, hadn¡¯t it? Then again, it would have taken even longer if the mercenaries weren¡¯t so trained in this.


    Right at that moment, one of the doors to the hall opened and a group of people entered.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re all already back? You didn¡¯t skip your work, did you?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t, Captain.¡±


    Korwen, who was leading the returning group, smiled wryly at Fenna¡¯s reply.


    ¡°Would¡¯ve been surprised if you did. So? Did you already finish your areas?¡±


    ¡°We did. There was nothing to find there.¡±


    ¡°I see. Taddick? How about you?¡±


    ¡°Same for us. Nothing but tons of dust.¡±


    Taddick shrugged with his shoulders


    ¡°I see. Guess we¡¯ll have to wait for Merim to come back then.¡±


    Wait¡­ That sounded like¡­


    ¡°Captain, there was nothing there either?¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I found something?¡±


    Korwen spread his arms wide, showing how he had literally nothing to show.


    ¡°You look like you fell into a mountain of flour.¡±


    ¡°Well, now, aren¡¯t we cheeky today, Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Those were Fenna¡¯s words.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Fenna, you¡¯re really raring to get more work, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I said that to Taddick¡¯s group, not yours, Captain!¡±


    Seeing Fenna panic, Korwen started laughing.


    ¡°Well, admittedly, we all look like we¡¯d desperately need a bath after this. Just where did all that dust even come from?¡±


    Wasn¡¯t it because nobody had been here for so long? Though, dust had to come from somewhere¡­


    ¡°Anyway, Fenna, Taddick, tell me in detail what you¡­ Oh? Look who¡¯s the last one to come.¡±


    The final group returned right then, with Merim and Wendl¡­ Uhh¡­


    ¡°Merim, what in the blazes happened to you guys?¡±


    ¡°... We found a tunnel.¡±


    ¡°... I see¡­ How did that lead to¡­ this?¡±


    Korwen looked at Merim from top to bottom, with an amazed look. After all, the entire group was¡­ black.


    ¡°It¡¯s black sand.¡±


    ¡°... I can see that. But how did that lead to you being covered in it? I¡¯d like it if you don¡¯t start playing human torch underground.¡±


    ¡°Because some! Some idiot! Piled up all that stuff in a room! To the brim! And when we opened the door it all spilled out!¡±


    He broke. Merim broke.


    ¡°I see. Well¡­ Calm down for now and give me your report.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­ Sure¡­¡±


    With a tired expression, Merim began recounting the escapades they had to go through in their area. Meanwhile, I turned to Karen, wanting to ask a question.


    ¡°Hey, Sis. What is black sand?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ If I recall correctly, it¡¯s sand that burns if you light it.¡±


    ¡°Sand that burns?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not very familiar with it either, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Sand that burns. Honestly, that reminded me of black powder


    Well, it might actually be black powder¡­ Mm¡­ The captain is busy with listening to Merim¡­ looks like Merim¡¯s mostly ranting about his horrible experience now. Ria is dozing off¡­ Who else might know about¡­ Huh?


    As I was looking around, I saw some movement in the corner of my eye. I turned around in a hurry, just in time to spot a small creature paddling through the room into a hole in the wall. The whole thing went by so fast I wasn¡¯t quite sure if it had been a hallucination or if something had really been there¡­ After all, whatever it had been, it had looked like a hedgehog. A hedgehog with spikes in all the colours of the rainbow.


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis, did you see that just now?¡±


    ¡±See what?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ I don¡¯t know. The hedgehog.¡±


    ¡°... Hedgehog?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, clearly not understanding what I was trying. As I was confused and wondering what to say, I remembered that there was something more important to do first.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Yumi, just wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°Captain, I saw something going into the wall.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    The moment the words left my mouth, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to me. While I had gotten used to being looked at a little more, it was still uncomfortable when it happened so suddenly.


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°Err, a hedgehog.¡±


    ¡°... A hedgehog?¡±


    ¡°... A small critter with spikes on his back. Just, they were in all kinds of colours.¡±


    ¡°.. A small critter¡­ with spikes¡­ Where did you see it?¡±


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    I pointed at the hole in the wall.


    ¡°Someone give me a lamp.¡±


    Oh, right, there was a slight lack of light here.


    ¡°Okay, here, you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen, with a lamp in hand, crouched down next to the hole and peered inside, moving the lamp so its light shone inside it.


    ¡°Can¡¯t see anything¡­ Yumi, do you have a mana crystal with you?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I have some, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Karen, huh. Give me one.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Before I could even check my pouch, Karen had already handed one to Korwen. He put the mana crystal right in front of the hole and then stepped back, staring at the hole all the while.


    ¡°Captain? Err, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    While I was the one who had spotted the creature, I really didn¡¯t know what he was even trying to do right now. It seemed to me that he had an idea as to what the creature had been, after all.


    ¡°Well, watch and learn. If your eyes haven¡¯t gone bad, this might be a little interesting.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He said it¡¯d be interesting but¡­ Why the mana crystal?


    ¡°Shh, quiet now.¡±


    Korwen raised his hand and everyone in the room immediately held their breaths, staring at the hole. There was¡­ a sound. Barely audible, but it was there. And it was coming from the hole. Then, a few seconds later, a small, brown snout with a black nose peeked through the hole, sniffing the surroundings. After it sniffed around for a while, the creature stepped out of the hole, approaching the mana crystal.


    It really is a hedgehog!


    A hedgehog with crystalline spikes in all the colours of a rainbow. It was¡­ actually quite adorable. It sniffed the mana crystal with its nose, then grabbed it with its small claws, turning it around.


    ¡°A rainbow hoggy. That¡¯s not something I expected to find here.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ rainbow hoggy? Is that a monster?¡±


    They kind of reminded me of those monsters we had seen in the Academy in Lafria. Weren¡¯t those called hoggies, too?


    ¡°No, they¡¯re magic beasts. They live underground and eat magic-infused rocks. Thinking about it, we should have expected some of these, huh¡­¡±


    Apparently, they were different¡­


    We continued to watch on as the rainbow hoggy turned the mana crystal around and around. The heck was it doing? Just as I wondered that, it stopped and¡­ bit the crystal.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I was shocked. How couldn¡¯t I? The small creature¡­ had taken a bite out of the crystal. And now it was chewing it. You could hear the sounds of the crystal being crushed.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ some terrifying jaw strength.¡±


    ¡°There are stories of people losing fingers and other things to them so be careful. Biting through a bone is nothing to them.¡±


    ¡°I mean, they just crushed that crystal¡­¡±


    A bone really was nothing to that. Not like I had any. Even more of a reason not to get caught between those teeth.


    ¡°So, err, what now, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Karen, give me another crystal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    While the rainbow hoggy was eating the mana crystal, Korwen took another one and held it out on his hand to the rainbow hoggy.


    ¡°Captain, is that safe?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Look.¡±


    The rainbow hoggy had just finished its latest snack, before it already turned to Korwen, sniffing with its nose. It slowly paddled over to his hand, then sniffed his hand and carefully hit his fingers with its claws a few times.


    ¡°Oh, there, there.¡±


    Maybe having been satisfied with hitting Korwen¡¯s hand,  the small creature climbed on top of his hand and grabbed the mana crystal. Though I say that it climbed on his hand, the rainbow hoggy was too big actually to fit on his hand entirely. But it was still half on top of his hand and was now snacking on the second mana crystal.


    ¡°See, it¡¯s all good. Rainbow hoggies are very docile creatures. As long as you don¡¯t hurt them, they¡¯re very peaceful.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Watching the small creature as it sat half on Korwen¡¯s hand¡­ It was cute. As long as you ignored the terrifying sounds of the crystal being crushed.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good little hoggy.¡±


    With his free hand, Korwen scratched the side of the small creature. I felt a little jealous. The creature was docile and cute, after all.


    ¡°Want to try, too?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. But don¡¯t touch the crystals on its back.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Like this?¡±


    Cautiously, I poked the hoggy¡¯s side and scratched it a little. Its fur was smooth, much to my surprise. And it felt quite good.


    ¡°Yes. Like that is fine.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    This was¡­ addicting. The smooth texture of its fur felt good and seeing it eat like that was adorable. Unfortunately, it had finished its meal now and was climbing down from Korwen¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°Guess it¡¯s full now.¡±


    The rainbow hoggy, having filled its belly, returned to the hole and disappeared from our sight.


    ¡°Well, to think we¡¯d have rainbow hoggies down here¡­ Ria, could they be the ones that you caught?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Did he mean regarding the mana fluctuation that Ria saw?


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ impossible¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like you believe it is, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ impossible¡­ but unlikely¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. Either way, we¡¯ll have to think about what we¡¯re going to do about them¡­¡±


    Do about them?


    ¡°Captain, what do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Rainbow hoggies might be docile but they eat mana-infused stones. Just think about it. Why do you think they live here of all places?¡±


    ¡°... Because of the fort?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was constructed by earth magicians, therefore there is a lot of mana in the stone around here. The rainbow hoggies probably eat that. While it doesn¡¯t look like they caused much damage yet, if we just leave them be, they¡¯re going to turn the whole fort into rubble given enough time.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That¡¯d be a problem¡­ but¡­


    ¡°On the other hand, they¡¯re easy to keep, so maybe I¡¯ll have Ria help make a cage for them. Then we can keep them here in the fort.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Is that fine?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. So those idiots over there who looked all disappointed a moment ago, you can stop grinning to yourself now.¡±


    The idiots¡­ I turned around and saw several of the mercenaries averting their gazes. Ahhh¡­ Well¡­ Cute things were cute.


    ¡°Seriously, you all are way too true to your desires. As long as someone cares for them I don¡¯t mind that much.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhh! Captain¡¯s the best!¡±¡±¡±


    And now they cheered for him.


    ¡°Just where did I go wrong that I get praised for allowing them to keep a pet but not for other things actually related to our job?¡±


    ¡°So you say, Captain, but you clearly enjoyed yourself there, too.¡±


    ¡°Merim. I think I have a firestone with me. I always wondered whether a person could survive being covered in black sand and then being lit up. Care to test it for me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like it if you didn¡¯t kill me off that easily, Captain.¡±


    Was nice to have known you, Merim. We¡¯d miss you, probably.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll decide what to do exactly at a later time. We¡¯ll need to find out how many of them are here, too. And how extensive the damage is. We might need to hire quite a few Earth magicians for this¡­ Just thinking about it is making my head hurt. But first, we¡¯ll need to find the source of that mana Ria sensed earlier. If it¡¯s not the rainbow hoggies¡­¡±


    Korwen turned towards Merim, a wry smile on his lips.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s probably down the only path where it wasn¡¯t only empty rooms.¡±


    ¡°So, Merim actually found something?¡±


    ¡°Mm, well, he was still in the middle of his report¡­ Merim.¡±


    We all turned to Merim, who was scratching his head now.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We found some old supplies, black sand and some other things. We didn¡¯t even get through half the rooms so there¡¯s probably a lot more but¡­ The most notable stuff we found were¡­ old tools.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of tools?¡±


    ¡°... Torture tools.¡±


    ... Eh?

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: A Trace of the Distant Past

    ¡°Torture tools? Well now, that¡¯s not what I imagined we¡¯d find here¡­ At least, not down here.¡±


    And I sure as hell didn¡¯t expect to find such things at all. Whether it was down here or up there.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Anything else other than those?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain. But it seems that the area beyond where we found the tools is¡ªor was¡ªinhabited.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Korwen rubbed his chin, lost in thought. After a short while, he turned around, addressing everyone in the room in a loud voice.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a break first, after that we will split up. One group stays here and continues the search. The other group goes back to the surface. There¡¯s some stuff I¡¯d like you to do. Now then, as for who will stay down here¡­¡±


    He continued to call several people¡¯s names, including Karen and mine. After he called up everyone¡¯s names, he dismissed us so that we could take a short break. The people who weren¡¯t called earlier already made their way back up. There was no reason for them to take a break down here, after all.


    ¡°I would¡¯ve liked to go up, too, though¡­¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I know, but¡­ I really want to take a bath¡­¡±


    Our earlier excursion had resulted in us being caked in dust. And it was, frankly said, a little uncomfortable.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to endure¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°If we can take a bath at all.¡±


    ¡°... Couldn¡¯t we bath in the lake?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that would be doable¡­¡±


    It was still summer so it shouldn¡¯t be too bad¡­ The only problem we¡¯d have was the fact that it was out in the open¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Miss Fenna later. I¡¯m sure we¡¯re not the only ones wanting to take a bath.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I¡¯d like to ask her now but Fenna was among the people who went back. Or rather, it seemed that Korwen had entrusted her with supervising whatever they were going to do now.


    ¡°Break¡¯s over! Everyone, line up!¡±


    ¡°... That was one hell of a short break¡­¡±


    Korwen clapped his hands, ordering everyone to line up. Barely a minute later, we had all lined up in front of Korwen.


    ¡°We¡¯ll continue the search down the path that Merim¡¯s group took. We don¡¯t know if people might live there or not, so take care at all times. Got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. In formation. We¡¯re moving out.¡±


    With those words, our group took a similar formation to the one we had earlier in Taddicks group. The Dragon Knights took the front and the back and everyone else was in the middle. I only noticed it now, but he had kept all the Dragon Knights here. Apart from them, it was only Karen and me, Ria, Merim and, much to my surprise, Sanna. Sanna in particular was once again holding her drawing utensils, ready to make a map. She looked nervous as always.


    ¡°Merim, lead us to the point to which you managed to search.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    Our group entered once more the narrow corridor, walking down at a slow pace. The doors had all been kept open and the Dragon Knights made short stops at every door, peering inside the room to make sure it was still empty. As such, our progress was rather slow but we still managed to catch up to where they had left off the search after a short while. One of the doors in front of us was opened, a large black mass spilling out of the room.


    ¡°That¡¯s a hell of a lot of black sand¡­ And the other rooms were all empty?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we found nothing up until this point.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Odd. And the room with the tools?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be there.¡±


    Merim pointed to the door behind the one with the black sand spilling out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look, shall we?¡±


    Our group moved onwards until we stood right in front of the mentioned room¡­ The door had been left open by Merim¡¯s group, revealing the contents inside.


    ¡°Well, damned I¡¯ll be.¡±


    Dozens of¡­ tools¡­ stood in the room, as if they had stored them away for a later time. Chairs and tables with questionable contraptions on them, something reminiscent of a medicine cabinet with old bottles, and¡­ other tools, like pliers. There were also some small boxes with mana crystals in them, covered in dust and¡­ something else.


    The whole room was¡­ It felt uncomfortable. Oppressive. As if the air was too thick to breathe in here.


    ¡°They got the whole set, didn¡¯t they¡­¡±


    Korwen, who despite his words didn¡¯t seem all that disturbed, walked into the room, checking the tools.


    ¡°These were used without a doubt as well¡­ Can¡¯t say the people here had good hobbies, can I?¡±


    ¡°Captain! We found more!¡±


    Behind us, a mercenary called out to Korwen.


    ¡°More?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! The room opposite has more. Also, there¡¯s something you should take a look at.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Hearing those words, Korwen left the room and followed the mercenary into the other room. Curious as I was, I followed behind him so I could peek into the other room.


    ¡°... What¡­ What is this?¡±


    I regretted my curiosity immediately. My eyes couldn¡¯t believe what they saw. Torture tools lined the walls of the room but the middle had been left suspiciously empty.


    ¡°This really is in bad taste,¡± muttered Korwen.


    Circles and other geometrical patterns were drawn all over the floor. Some looked like a stereotypical pentagram or hexagram. Others were so crooked they didn¡¯t resemble anything particular at all. Unfamiliar symbols surrounded everything and lines connected each pattern with the others, creating a large¡­ I had no idea. What¡­ What was this? Especially¡­ Every single of these patterns¡­ Things were left on top of them¡­ Small bones and bags¡­ The bags were partially rotting, revealing the similarly half-rotten insides.


    ¡°... Ca¡ª Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ This is¡­ quite bad.¡±


    Saying so, Korwen took some steps back, leaving the room and closing the door, barring the view for everyone.


    ¡°Ria. Did you see that?¡±


    ¡°I did¡­¡±


    ¡°What was that¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I am¡­ not sure¡­ but it¡­ might be¡­ some type¡­ of ritual magic¡­¡±


    ¡°... Seems our neighbours aren¡¯t the very likeable kind, are they?¡±


    More like, I really didn¡¯t want people who could¡­ do something like that¡­ as neighbours.


    ¡°Keep this room closed off. Someone guard it at all times and don¡¯t let anyone in without my explicit permission.¡±


    One of the Dragon Knights saluted and immediately positioned himself next to the door, holding his weapon ready.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep going¡­ and hope we won¡¯t find anything else like this.¡±


    With a dampened mood, our group continued the search.


    As we kept searching the area, we found many things indicating that people had lived here. Storage for food, a kitchen and a washing area. We also found an area that seemed to be something like a prison, with empty cells lining up to the dozens.


    That said, everything was kept very simple and it was hard to say the living conditions in this place were sophisticated and good, even outside those prison cells. Or rather, you could bluntly say they were astonishingly bad. There was no light at all and the sanitary conditions, from what we had seen, must have been really bad.


    Then again, this is still better than the way we lived back in the slums¡­ Not like that¡¯s hard.


    At the very least, you had a roof over your head and the wind didn¡¯t blow through every crack in the wall. There was also plenty of space. Compared to that tiny hut that was on the verge of collapsing, this was still quite great.


    ¡°I wonder why someone would live here, though¡­ Hey, sis, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe they were running away?¡±


    ¡°But then¡­ What about the stuff from earlier?¡±


    ¡°Maybe those were left here when the fort was abandoned.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe¡­¡±


    That was assuming, of course, that the people who had lived here had done so after the fort had been abandoned. Which we couldn¡¯t say for sure. Or, at least, I couldn¡¯t. But it seemed that Ria and the others assumed that had been the case.


    ¡°Captain! We found something!¡±


    As I wondered about that, a mercenary shouted from a corridor we had found earlier. Korwen, who was a little away from us, immediately followed the shout.


    ¡°Should we take a look as well, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ As long as it¡¯s not something like earlier¡­¡±


    That incident had been quite unpleasant, after all. Fortunately, there had been no other incidents like that yet. Even the prison cells we had found had been completely empty, devoid of any remnants of life.


    Nonetheless, the two of us followed after Korwen into the corridor, only to find him standing in front of one door, looking troubled.


    ¡°Captain. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ahh¡­ Take a look for yourselves.¡±


    After we approached him, I peeked through the door and¡­


    ¡°Woah, what¡¯s that? Did the room cave in?¡±


    The whole room was buried in rubble, barring the way.


    ¡°Probably either that or someone blocked this deliberately. The ceiling looks undamaged so it¡¯s probably the latter¡­ Oh, right. Yumi. Climb up that rubble and check what¡¯s behind it.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably the only one here small enough to fit through that.¡±


    He pointed to the top of the rubble. True enough, there was some space between the ceiling and the rubble, but¡­


    ¡°Do I have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    How wonderful¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll put a rope around your waist again, just in case.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was concerned about but okay¡­¡±


    Oh well, not like I could help it. While I was staring at the rubble, Karen had fetched a rope already.


    ¡°Mr Captain, could you teach me the knot you used earlier?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Oh, sure, I can.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The knot? Wait, was I being used as a practice material now, too?


    ¡°Put the rope around her waist¡­ Yes, like that. Now, move the rope there and hold it with your hands like this¡­ Good. Now, pull the rope through there and there.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And that¡¯s it already. Make sure it sits securely and well by tugging on it. But be mindful of Yumi now.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karen pulled on the rope a few times to make sure it was secure.


    ¡°Well, that was quicker than I expected¡­¡± I said.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like teaching a knot the first time is hard. It¡¯s practising it and remembering it afterwards that¡¯s the hard part. So, Karen, make sure you practise later.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Now, Yumi. Up with you. Can you get up on your own there?¡±


    I glanced towards the rubble in response to his question. The rubble was quite high but it wasn¡¯t particularly steep with plenty of footholds. Shouldn¡¯t be too hard, even for me.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll wait for you down here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After deciding on the most reliable path upwards, I began my climb upwards. Though I said that, it was more like a steep trek rather than actual climbing. If this had been carried over here to block the way, they definitely had put in some work¡­ But on the other side, reaching the top of the rubble hill turned out to be pretty easy. The gap between the ceiling and the rubble wasn¡¯t large but it should be big enough for me to squeeze through.


    Well, I could probably squeeze through even narrower places, boneless as I am¡­


    Not like I¡¯d have to make use of that characteristic of mine. It wasn¡¯t that bad,


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what¡¯s in here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi, can you see something?!¡±


    ¡°Nn! It seems to be¡­ some corridor? No, there¡¯s a dead-end¡­ Huh?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a path forward anymore. What the hell?


    ¡°A dead end?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    I climbed down the rubble and took a look around. There¡­ was nothing here. Only a wall in front of me. No abnormalities in the mana either. I touched the wall and tried to find something irregular on it, maybe some physical mechanism or so but there was nothing here either.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing here, Captain!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could hear some mumbling on the other side of the wall but nothing loud enough for me to hear. As I waited for a response, I knocked a few times on the wall but even that wasn¡¯t met with any success. There wasn¡¯t room or something behind it.


    Seriously¡­ Don¡¯t tell me they just dumped their rubble in this room, for now, particular reason?


    That¡¯d be a little depressing but unfortunately quite possible. In the vain hope of finding something, I kept knocking on the wall a few more times. First at my own height, then after I crouched down and finally I¡­


    ¡°Nn? Oh? Oh! Captain!¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a hole in the ceiling!¡±


    ¡°... The ceiling?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had completely missed the ceiling¡­ A deep hole, similar to the one we had come down from, was extending from the ceiling to high above.


    ¡°Captain, I think this is another exit. Or entrance.¡±


    ¡°... I see. Come back for now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Holding onto the rope, I climbed back up and squeezed through the gap once more, returning to the other side. Once I had made my way down, Karen immediately unwound the knot, freeing me from the rope.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure there was nothing but the hole in the ceiling?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Behind the rubble are only a wall and the hole in the ceiling.¡±


    ¡°Anything you could make out through the hole?¡±


    ¡°It goes up far in a straight line and then ends. It¡¯s a bit hard to compare but I think it¡¯s about the same height as the one we came down from.¡±


    The height was quite hard to judge, to be honest. Even if I could see to the end, saying how far it was through such a narrow hole wasn¡¯t easy.


    ¡°I see¡­ I guess whoever used this area came from this entrance then. And when they left they moved all that rubble to this place to block the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but would they really leave out the other entrance then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point¡­ Maybe they didn¡¯t expect anyone to use that entrance but they thought this was one was an issue¡­ Mm, either way, we¡¯ll have to clean this up and check what¡¯s above there.¡±


    ¡°How are we even going to go up that hole, though?¡±


    ¡°There are some ways to manage that but I¡¯d have to see it first. And for that, we¡¯ll need to clear this rubble. After that, we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±


    In other words, it wasn¡¯t something we¡¯d have to bother with right now.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go back. We still got places to search.¡±


    The three of us¡ªplus the mercenaries who had called for Korwen¡ªreturned to the main corridor.


    ¡°Ah, Captain!¡±


    ¡°How is the search going?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve finished most of the rooms. We found several empty rooms and another two storage rooms.¡±


    ¡°What was in them?¡±


    ¡°Most of the shelves and crates were empty but we also found some with black sand, remains of charcoal and sulphur.¡±


    Sulphur, huh¡­


    ¡°Did they manufacture black sand here? Mhm¡­ How odd¡­¡±


    ¡°Manufactured?¡±


    ¡°Sulphur and charcoal are both ingredients for it.¡±


    Sulphur and charcoal were ingredients for black sand? Huh¡­ The more I heard the more this sounded to me like black sand was black powder, just with a different name. Not that I knew how black powder was made but I believed to recall that sulphur was part of it¡­ Probably.


    ¡°But what did they need it for?¡±


    ¡°Nn, for firearms?¡±


    It was also called gunpowder for a reason.


    ¡°That¡¯d be the logical conclusion, I guess¡­ Let¡¯s keep looking and see if we can find anything. But just in case, we¡¯ll be a little more careful now. So, stay behind the Dragon Knights or me, you two.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    We got official permission to use the captain as a living shield! That¡¯s probably not something I should shout out loud.


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°We found something!¡±


    Once again, a mercenary called for Korwen, making him hurry over.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, we just tried to open this door and¡­¡±


    The mercenary rattled the door¡­ or at least, he tried to. It didn¡¯t move. And it wasn¡¯t like it didn¡¯t move because it was locked or anything. No, it didn¡¯t move. At all. As if it was fixed in place by something.


    The doors weren¡¯t as precisely measured as they were in my old world, where they wouldn¡¯t budge anyway. No, if you rattled a door here, it would rattle. And this door definitely looked like it would rattle a whole lot. In fact, I had the feeling that if I kicked it, it would break apart.


    ¡°A magical lock?¡±


    ¡°Seems so, Captain.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting. Yumi, Karen, can you two see anything in this door?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­¡±


    I stared at the door, concentrating on the mana. The mana I perceived didn¡¯t seem out of ordinary¡­ There was only¡­ how to say it¡­ the mana around the door felt¡­ stagnant.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I feel like it¡¯s not moving¡­ but, honestly, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Ria! Come over here!¡±


    When in doubt, we always had our resident magical expert at hand.


    ¡°Mm¡­ What is¡­ the matter¡­ Captain?¡±


    ¡°This door seems to be locked. Can you open it?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Let me¡­ see¡­¡±


    Ria crouched down, looking at the door. After a while, she touched it with her hand, as if she was looking for something.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°... Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s not exactly¡­ locked¡­¡±


    ¡°But we can¡¯t open it.¡±


    ¡°Because it is¡­ in a fixed¡­ form¡­¡±


    ¡°Fixed?¡±


    What the heck was that supposed to mean?


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ type of¡­ magic that¡­ prevents something¡­ from moving¡­ Mm¡­ Say¡­ a wooden branch¡­ You can¡­ bend it¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°There exists¡­ type of¡­ magic¡­ that prevents¡­ that bending¡­ The branches¡­ form¡­ becomes fixed. You can¡­ still swing¡­ the branch¡­ but it¡­ becomes like¡­ a rock¡­¡±


    A branch that wouldn¡¯t bend¡­ That sounded like quite amazing magic.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I think I see. Ria, is that the magic that¡¯s sometimes used to stabilise structures?¡±


    ¡°Exactly¡­ that¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I didn¡¯t know it could be used like this, too. Mh, I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s¡­ troublesome¡­ the magic¡­ is hard to¡­ dispel¡­ It¡¯s not¡­ suitable as¡­ a lock¡­ Unless you¡­ want to¡­ seal it up¡­¡±


    So, whoever used that magic was¡­ sealing this place?


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that sound ominous. So? Can you open it?¡±


    ¡°I can¡­¡±


    ¡°Then do it.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But I¡¯ll¡­ have to¡­ use some¡­ force¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t going to brute-force her way through that door, was she?


    ¡°... Is that really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll make sure we¡¯ll take enough distance.


    She was¡­


    ¡°Everyone, listen up. Gather in that room! Ria will use magic to open that door and you sure as hell don¡¯t want to be in her range!¡±


    ¡°Run!¡±


    ¡°Hide! Everyone, hide!¡±


    ¡°Take cover! Protect your head!¡±


    The scene following that¡­ was almost magical. Before Korwen had even finished speaking, the moment the mercenaries heard that ¡®Ria was going to use magic¡¯ they all jumped up and stormed into the room, as if they couldn¡¯t to safety any slower than this.


    Frankly said it was chaos.


    ¡°I knew this would happen¡­ Oh well¡­ Yumi, Karen, you two take cover as well.¡±


    Following his orders, we joined everyone into the room that had been chosen as a shelter. For some reason, all the mercenaries were huddled towards the wall, trying to have as much distance to the door as they could possibly have.


    ¡°... Sis, what¡¯s wrong with these people?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    It couldn¡¯t be that bad¡­ could it?


    ¡°Girl, you haven¡¯t been that long with us yet, right? Then let me tell you: Every year there are several injuries because of Miss Ria¡¯s magic! Either she blows things up without warning in the camp, catching everyone nearby in the blast or she uses magic during a job and also catches everyone nearby in the blast! Damned I¡¯ll be to suffer that again!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, either way, things were exploding.


    ¡°But¡­ during the battle with the mother roper, she didn¡¯t use any magic that could cause a blast¡­¡±


    ¡°She did with the spirit trees, though, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    She did¡­ Now that Karen said that, I remembered how everyone had frantically tried to find cover back then, too¡­


    ¡°... But we¡¯re surely safe inside this room, right?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t bet on it!¡±


    Oh well¡­ Maybe we should have chosen a room slightly further away? Then we wouldn¡¯t have this problem. Oh, but if the area caved in¡­ Wait¡­


    ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t it a really really bad idea to blow something up underground anyway?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, everyone¡¯s eyes wandered to me.


    ¡°Actually, forget I ever said that¡­¡±


    ¡°""We can¡¯t!¡±""


    Too bad then¡­


    No, no, no, it¡¯s the captain who ordered her to open that door. Surely he is aware of what she¡¯s doing, right? And surely, he doesn¡¯t expect the area to cave in. I¡¯m sure he knows what he is doing! Please let him know what he¡¯s doing!


    As if to answer my inner plea, Korwen walked into the room, only to stop right in front of the door, staring at everyone with an exasperated expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand it but you¡¯re all a little overreacting¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    As he replied to me, he turned around so that he could close the door.


    ¡°This place isn¡¯t going to cave in, right?¡±


    ¡°This place was made by earth magicians. It needs more than one or two explosions to make this area collapse, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s a relief¡­¡±


    Once he had closed the door, he paused for a second, seemingly in thought.


    ¡°Well, I guess there could be some dama¡ª¡±


    A loud blast interrupted him. The door rattled violently before it broke free of the lock, swinging open with tremendous force. Right into Korwen. Unable to withstand the impact it, scattered into dozens of pieces¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence fell over everyone. The echo of the blast ebbed away and fell silent as well.


    ¡°... could be some damage.¡±


    He turned around, his face expressionless. He seemed to be uninjured, only slightly reddened in the face.


    ¡°Is this how people feel when they walk into a closed door at night?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a little different, Mr Captain¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Without saying another word, he turned around again and left the room.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pretend we never saw that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That¡­ probably would be better. For everyone.


    From the corner of my eye, I could several mercenaries nodding in agreement, while others seemed to hold back a chuckle. Not like I could see their faces through their helmets. One, in particular, seemed to mutter something along the lines of ¡°Now he knows how we feel!¡± or something like that.


    ¡°You lot, stop lazing around and move,¡± echoed Korwen¡¯s voice over to us.


    But¡­ it couldn¡¯t be helped, right? That situation had had too much of an¡­ impact.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go before he gets angry, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Guess we should.¡±


    In a way, I felt a little bad for Korwen.


    We left the room, with the mercenaries right behind us. At the formerly locked door stood Ria and Korwen. Ria¡¯s hair was a little dishevelled but that was all. How did she escape the blast anyway?


    ¡°There you are. Look at this and tell me what in the blazes you see there.¡±


    Korwen pointed into the room. Curious about the particular wording, I peeked inside.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I tilted my head, confused about the view.


    It was a large hall. It might have been something like a dining hall or so, as there were several large tables with chairs. The passage of time took a heavy toll on them, though, and much visible damage and broken legs. But that¡¯s not what surprised me.


    There was something drawn on the ground. It was suspiciously familiar to the weird drawing we had seen earlier. But this time, there were no bones or rotten bags. No, there were¡­ humanoid bodies strewn across it. Or, they probably were humanoids. Each and every one of them wore a thick robe, hiding their outline.


    ¡°Those are¡­ Captain, are they dead?¡±


    ¡°If they were alive under those circumstances I¡¯d call that one hell of a miracle.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, they really were¡­


    ¡°Ria, what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°... Probably¡­ failed ritual magic¡­¡±


    ¡°Failed? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Those people¡­ they were¡­ probably¡­ the casters¡­¡±


    ¡°... In other words, the ones who lived here, huh? Seems we found them. Or what¡¯s left of them.¡±


    The ones who lived here¡­ They were already all dead.


    ¡°Hey, Ria, is that on the wall also because of the ritual magic?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ probably¡­ the case¡­¡±


    The wall? I glanced over to the place Korwen had pointed to and¡­ there was a streak of yellow in the wall. No, not just one¡­ There were dozens of them¡­ all over the walls¡­ As I noticed them, a smell entered my nose. The smell of rotten eggs.


    ¡°Just what did they do¡­ to turn the place into this?¡±


    Korwen, holding his nose, stepped into the room and took a look around. After he confirmed that the area seemed safe, he beckoned us to come in as well.


    ¡°Just what happened here¡­¡±


    But even if I asked that, nobody could give me an answer.


    Korwen walked up to one of the robe-clad bodies and turned it around, revealing the person who was inside. Or rather, what remained of them. A pure white skeleton.


    ¡°These didn¡¯t die just yesterday¡­ Judging from those patterns on the robes¡­ Them again, huh?¡±


    Them? I glanced towards the robes, unable to figure out what he meant. The robes seemed to be rather simple brown robes, except for some patterns that were sewn on them¡­ Actually, no, that was wrong¡­ It was a little hard to see but the robes were covered in patterns. The same ones as the large drawing on the ground.


    ¡°Captain, those¡­¡±


    ¡°They are Worshippers. Were Worshippers. Whatever they did here, can¡¯t be good.¡±


    ¡°My, my, you certainly wish to know that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Who?!¡±


    A high-pitched bell-like voice. A very familiar voice.


    ¡°You sure took your sweet time and left me waiting here for quite a while.¡±


    Pink hair and a witch costume.


    ¡°Yumias?¡±


    What the hell was she doing here?!


    Rinne


    Also, I hate DST. Really glad so many clocks change the time on their own but it''s still a pain... I hope everyone who had DST today already fixed their clocks.


    If you enjoyed it, please consider supporting me on Patreon and read up to 10 chapters.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Unknown Promise: A Promise Forgotten

    ¡°Miss Yumias? What are you doing here?¡±


    Even Korwen couldn¡¯t hide his surprise at seeing the girl sitting there, on a table.


    ¡°Mm? What am I doing? I just told you. I was waiting.¡±


    ¡°... Waiting?¡±


    Yumias giggled as if something was amusing about our confusion.


    ¡°Yes. I was waiting.¡±


    ¡°... And why would you wait here for us? Didn¡¯t you plan on exploring the fort?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, yes. I have been doing that! Ahh, I should probably tell you that one of the buildings I entered was trapped. Lost my head from the surprise. I mean, from the trap.¡±


    Yumias cocked her head a little, slapping the base of her neck a few times. There was, of course, no indication whatsoever that she had ¡®lost her head¡¯ there.


    ¡°... I see. Thank you for telling us. But that doesn¡¯t explain why you are here.¡±


    ¡°My, I guess it doesn¡¯t. True, true.¡±


    With those words, Yumias jumped down from the table she was sitting on and strolled towards the centre of the room.


    ¡°Mr Korwen, pray tell me, what do you think this place is?¡±


    ¡°... A hideout of the Worshippers, where they conducted some sort of ritual and failed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, these were those Worshippers you all kept talking about? I¡¯ve been wondering who they even were!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    From the way she had asked Korwen, it felt like she would tell him if he was correct or not. But instead, she was surprised to learn these had been Worshippers? Seriously?


    ¡°Ah, but I digress, who they were is not that important anyway. They are a dime in a dozen. What is interesting is what they have done here in this place. You say that they conducted a ritual that failed, right?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. Was that wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mh, it¡¯s not quite wrong. Well¡­ Yumi, dear.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Her attention shifted from Korwen suddenly over to me.


    ¡°What do you think they tried to do here?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Err¡­¡±


    What they had tried to do? How the heck should I know that?


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yumias only looked at me, waiting for an answer. Somehow, I had the feeling she wouldn¡¯t take an ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ for an answer here¡­


    In that case¡­ Well, what had they tried? It was clear they had done some kind of ritual¡­ And it¡¯s possible those yellow streaks in the walls that suspiciously stunk of sulphur were somehow related to it. Then, did they try to create sulphur? That¡­ didn¡¯t sound like something a sane person would randomly put so much effort into.


    Speaking of sulphur, it reminded me of the dream I had before¡­ Ahh¡­ It couldn¡¯t be that this was related¡­ right? Then again, it was that monster so it¡­ certainly could. But I didn¡¯t even know what that dream was about so how the hell should I know the connection? Assuming there was one.


    And in the first place, I knew nothing of ritual magic either. I had only heard about it a little from Korwen and Ria¡­ Oh, and that one incident with the elves, though I hadn¡¯t actually seen what happened.


    Nn? Wait, that was also done by the Worshippers, right? What had they been trying to do again? The Elder said something about¡­ trying to reach the Witch¡¯s world?


    Then it dawned upon me¡­


    ¡°Did they¡­ try to reach your¡­ home?¡±


    ¡°... My, I certainly am surprised. You figured it out!¡±


    Yay! I got it right!


    ¡°Her home? What do you mean?¡±


    However, Korwen didn¡¯t seem to understand what this was about. Yumias, though, completely ignored his confusion and carried on.


    ¡°These people have tried to reach a place far, far from here. Mr Korwen, you have already seen the magic of Yumi¡¯s little familiars. It¡¯s not much different. They wished to travel to a certain place.¡±


    She giggled as if it was amusing.


    ¡°They amassed mana and attempted to cast a spell far beyond their capabilities. The result is as you can see.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They died because of it¡­


    ¡°I understand what they tried to do now but what does that have to do with you waiting here, Miss Yumias?¡±


    ¡°My, so impatient. I simply wished to show you. And warn you.¡±


    ¡°... Warn?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A warning. But first things first. These little incidents are far from rare. There are always foolish people, believing they can achieve their desires as long as they had enough power. Throw enough mud at a wall and hope something sticks. Or rather, until some of it breaks through, in this case. But no matter how much a person throws mud at a wall, it will never break through the solid stone.¡±


    Were there really that many who did stuff like that? From her words and her lack of interest in the Worshippers, it probably wasn¡¯t only them who did things like that.


    ¡°But someone still has to clean the mud off the wall and make it sparkling clean once more. That¡¯s something I¡¯ve been doing quite a lot, recently, you know? Frankly, it¡¯s starting to bother me a little. But that¡¯s not important to you all, is it? I digressed a little there. Point is, that it is pointless. And a bother. And dangerous nonetheless. So if you could get rid of them when you happen to find some, it¡¯d be much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­ Was that the¡­ warning?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. that was a personal request.¡±


    Chances were high we¡¯d have to get rid of them either way once we found any of them¡­ If their past behaviour had been any indication.


    ¡°My, the warning is, in a way, related to the result of their actions.¡±


    ¡°The result?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yumias stroked the wall behind her, touching the yellow streak running across the wall.


    ¡°The ritual might not have brought them to the place they desired but it certainly brought about changes to this place. The sulphur is proof of its aftermath and while the rampant mana has long gone silent, you¡¯d do well to be careful in this place. You wouldn¡¯t want to end up poisoned by its elements.¡±


    ¡°So you came down to warn us of that?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that is the case for the most part. It would be a shame if you all perished so soon. I¡¯m not fond of losing my entertainment, you see?¡±


    ¡°I see. I could have done without the lead-up but I appreciate the warning nonetheless.¡±


    Yes¡­ Honestly, with the way she talked I¡­ expected something way worse than a warning about toxic minerals¡­


    ¡°My, and I went out of my way to tell you about what happened down here. You wished to know, did you not?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, I did but¡­ Haa¡­ Anyway, thank you for the warning. We will be careful.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Yumias nodded in approval.


    ¡°Now then, that¡¯s already all I have wanted to tell you all. I pray for your search to be a success.¡±


    ¡°... Mh.¡±


    Korwen replied in kind, with a nod, then turned around facing his men.


    ¡°You heard her, be careful while searching. Don¡¯t stay near the sulphur and don¡¯t inhale any fumes. If you feel ill, immediately see Ria.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. Continue the search.¡±


    The men saluted all at once before going off to search the hall.


    ¡°Guess we should go as well, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around, to look at Karen, but instead of her, I found Yumias standing right next to me.


    ¡°My, neglecting your dear mother when she already came all this way down only to see you. So heartless.¡±


    ¡°... I thought you wanted to warn us?¡±


    ¡°Please, Yumi dear. We both know that your captain is smart enough to know that by himself. Look, I didn¡¯t even need to tell him what to be careful of in particular and he gives precise instructions nonetheless. There never was a reason for it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, then what was the point of that?¡±


    Why hadn¡¯t she just said why she was down here in the first place?


    ¡°Was it¡­ a pretence?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Yes, you could say that. I have an image to uphold, after all.¡±


    ¡°An image, huh¡­¡±


    An image as an indescribable monster? Okay, that was probably not it¡­


    ¡°Then, what was the reason you came down?¡±


    ¡°My, I just told you I wanted to see you.¡±


    In that case, she should have just come along in the first place¡­


    ¡°Yumi dear, what do you think when you see all that sulphur in the walls?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhh¡­ That it stinks?¡±


    ¡°It stinks. Hehehe, yes, that¡¯s true. It stinks.¡±


    I tilted my head in confusion, perplexed at her reaction.


    ¡°You have seen it, Yumi. You have seen that place.¡±


    ¡°... That dream.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream. It was more akin to the fragment of a memory.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ memory?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A very, very old memory.¡±


    Her smile faded, her eyes staring to the wall at the sulphur.


    ¡°I have come to tell you a little story, among other things.¡±


    ¡°A story?¡±


    ¡°Yes. A story from a very, very long time ago¡­¡±


    Was this¡­ going to be about her home?


    ¡°Do you remember what I have told you before? About the many worlds and the source?¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ That there are many worlds¡­ surrounding this source like shells?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then, let me ask you this: What do you think was the first world?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The first one?


    ¡°The first world was very close to the source. A world filled with mana and souls. The source nurtured it and it grew in response. People came to be and life flourished. With an abundance of mana and souls, they could create almost anything they wished for.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°But over time the people desired more and more. They desired the stars themselves. They tried to bring them into their fold¡­¡±


    ¡°... and they failed?¡±


    ¡°In a way. The spell went haywire and the entire world was transmuted, leaving nothing but a dead yellow planet behind.¡±


    They failed¡­ and the price was the planet¡¯s life¡­ That¡¯s¡­ quite a heavy story¡­


    ¡°There are many who desire to reach that place. After all, I have become a little bit famous, after the Great Spirit War. Yet, what point is there in reaching a place where there is nothing?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. Maybe because they don¡¯t know better?¡±


    If they knew what the place was like, then they wouldn¡¯t try to reach it. Probably. On the other hand, maybe they were trying to reach so they could learn about it.


    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know what goes on in such people¡¯s heads. I only know that it is a bother to me.¡±


    ¡°A bother? That cleaning up the mud thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If nobody cleans up that mud, then the mud would just accumulate without end. And nobody wants to know what would happen then.¡±


    I could imagine¡­ Or probably not, since I really didn¡¯t know what that would even entail.


    ¡°Yet, those fools keep throwing mud without end. It¡¯s annoying and bothersome if you ask me.¡°


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Yumias puffed out her cheeks. Without that creepy smile on her, she actually looked like a regular child that was simply sulking. If she just behaved like this all the time, she¡¯d be far more approachable but¡­


    ¡°Well, they¡¯ll stop at some point anyway. After all, they¡¯re so eager to kill themselves in pointless rituals it¡¯s almost adorable.¡±


    Yeah, she wasn¡¯t approachable, after all¡­


    ¡°Miss Yu¡ª I mean, Yumias. That first world you mentioned¡­ Was the world you came from?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s right, Karen. It¡¯s the world where I was born and raised. Though by the time they self-destructed, I had already long left that place. My, imagine my shock when I came back only to suffocate first thing. Not even the air is breathable there anymore.¡±


    So, even if those people actually managed to get there, they¡¯d just immediately suffocate?


    ¡°But yes, that¡¯s the kind of place those fools are seeking out. Silly, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    In a way¡­ It was¡­


    ¡°Are there that many trying to go there?¡±


    ¡°Yumi dear, you have already seen one instance happening yourself.¡±


    ¡°... The elven forest.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now you see the remains of a second.¡±


    And the world was vast¡­ Was that what she was implying here?


    ¡°... What about those incidents with the village?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Nn? The village?¡±


    Where Yumelia and her companions had created those Crystal Flower drugs? Did that have any relation to this?


    ¡°No, not that village. Remember what Mr Ruben told us back at the fort?¡±


    ¡°... No.¡±


    He had told us something about a village?


    ¡°He said something about a village being used as life sacrifices for a ritual.¡±


    ¡°Did he?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he did.¡±


    Sorry, but I really didn¡¯t remember that¡­ That had been quite a while ago already, too.


    ¡°Either way, maybe that was a similar occurrence like this here.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Ruben also said that there are similar incidents happening all over Lafria¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, that. That I remember.¡±


    Now I remembered what she was talking about¡­ We were told about how villages were wiped out or attacked or stuff like that. Korwen assumed that our incident with the mother roper, or rather what happened at that village was one of those strings of incidents¡­ Probably.


    ¡°But, if those were all similar attempts¡­¡±


    Just how many times were they trying to do that?


    ¡°See, my dear child? These incidents are far from rare and they happen all over the place. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so bothersome.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t really care about the mud-on-the-wall stuff that Yumias. However, while it¡¯d be one thing if they just killed themselves off, it was different if they kept involving innocent bystanders¡­


    Then again, the captain would simply say to keep out of it since it¡¯s not our job anyway¡­ Well, I guess it really isn¡¯t.


    And it wasn¡¯t like I could go off on my own either. Not like I wanted to.


    ¡°Maybe we should mention this to Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe¡­¡±


    I turned around to look over to where Korwen stood. He was still directing the others in our search efforts. I felt a little bad for just standing here and talking with Yumias¡­ But she probably wouldn¡¯t let us go either.


    ¡°Whether you do or do not is your own decision. I can¡¯t tell you if those incidents were related or not anyway.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you, err, clean them up?¡±


    ¡°I cleaned up the aftermath, the kind that most people cannot see. The boundary of the world. That doesn¡¯t require me to be physically present in those locations, however. So, no, I have no idea if they were the ones you were talking about. I mean, if I had, I would have seen this fort before, right?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Now that she mentioned that, that was true as well¡­


    ¡°Anyway, there are some other things I wished to talk about. So, I hope I quelled your curiosity about the things you have seen, my dear Yumi. Unless, of course, you have any other questions.¡±


    Questions, huh? There¡­ was something.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    I turned back around to look at Yumias and Karen. At some point during our talk, Yumias creepy smile had made a return.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on, shoot.¡±


    ¡°... Who is Mina?¡±


    The smile was gone. It felt as if the atmosphere had become frozen in an instant¡­


    I gasped in surprise¡­ only to realise that it was gone already. Yumias stood right in front of me, with her smile ever-present. It made me question whether I had imagined that right now.


    ¡°You want to know about Mina?¡±


    ¡°Ye, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be my little sister.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Her¡­ little sister?


    ¡°What? Is it so surprising that I have siblings?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ A little.¡±


    ¡°My, so rude. I¡¯ll have you know, my family is actually quite big.¡±


    Did that include the people she called her children without their consent?


    ¡°But I am surprised. How do you know of that name?¡±


    ¡°Err, I saw something in that dream¡­ that had the name on it¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Maybe it had been a little rash of me to ask her that question. No, it definitely had been. I knew they shared the same last name and after that story about their world¡­ But this was clearly something she didn''t wish to talk about...


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much to add to that. So, any other questions?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh, then let¡¯s talk about the other thing I came here for.¡±


    With that, Yumias turned to Karen.


    ¡°Though, I guess in your case there¡¯s not much to add. Yumi has probably told you already about the place you have seen, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she did.¡±


    ¡°Then, are there any questions left for me?¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Why did we see those dreams?¡±


    Yumias cocked her head again, thinking for a while before answering.


    ¡°Probably because Yumi has inherited a part of me and because you and Yumi are connected. Something like that, I guess? It baffled me just as much.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s no use thinking about it too hard. It shouldn¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen glanced towards me, maybe trying to ask for help from me.


    ¡°Well then, I guess this is all, right? I will leave you all to your devices now.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Uhh, okay?¡±


    Before I could even think about how to help out Karen, Yumias had apparently decided to end the discussion right then and there.


    ¡°I will see you later, my dear children.¡±


    Leaving only those words behind¡­ she disappeared¡­


    In the end, what was the reason for her coming all the way down to meet us? Why did she not tell us about all of this back when she had returned? Why did she wait until now? I didn¡¯t know¡­ It was odd. Was it really only to talk with us?


    Unfortunately, the person in question had already gone back so no matter how much I brooded over that, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone to answer. My only choice, for now, was to return to my work with Karen. There were more than enough people already busy searching the nearby premises and since there didn¡¯t seem to be any more side corridors, the only thing left for us to do was takin a look at the questionable ritual drawings that adorned the floor.


    Though, no matter how much I look at this, I have absolutely no idea what this is supposed to be¡­


    It was like looking at some mathematical formula with symbols you didn¡¯t know. It simply made no sense if you didn¡¯t even know the basics. It made me wonder what point there even was in having Karen and me look over this but well¡­ It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t notice anything.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Is it just me or are all those skeletons lying on the circles?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I guess they do. Though, there are only three of them so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, there are only three of them. But there are over a dozen of those circles.¡±


    Yes, this is what stroke me as odd. We only had three dead Worshippers here.


    ¡°Ria, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No answer. Which was probably to be expected. Karen and I had absolutely no clue about any of this but it was different for Ria. Unfortunately, she was quite focused on the centre of this giant drawing. A circle larger than all others, surrounded by a dense script written in odd symbols.


    Just as I was considering returning to my fruitless work, Ria suddenly stood up, her expression one of confusion.


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s¡­ weird¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°I cannot¡­ figure out¡­ what this¡­ ritual¡­ was trying¡­ to accomplish¡­¡±


    ¡°Err, it was supposed to bring them to Yumias¡¯ home, no?¡±


    That¡¯s what she had told us earlier.


    ¡°Likely¡­ but¡­ many parts¡­ are damaged¡­ and¡­ it is¡­ impossible¡­ to say¡­ for sure¡­ if that¡­ was really¡­ its purpose¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We don¡¯t¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t possible to analyse this thing anymore because it was too damaged, huh?


    ¡°Is it not possible to guess what had been written in some parts or so?¡±


    ¡°I have¡­ tried that¡­ but many¡­ of the¡­ important parts¡­ have been¡­ completely¡­ destroyed¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ A spell¡­ to travel¡­ would need¡­ a destination¡­ but the¡­ part where¡­ there should be¡­ a destination¡­ is completely¡­ gone¡­¡±


    Ria pointed at one part of the script. A section had been completely gouged out, making much of it illegible. It hadn¡¯t simply faded, the stone it was written on was gone. There was no way to even guess what had been there anymore.


    ¡°There are¡­ other parts¡­ that are¡­ odd¡­¡±


    She looked around, at the corpses surrounding us.


    ¡°As you¡­ have said¡­ There are¡­  too few¡­ corpses¡­ each circle¡­ is a source¡­ of mana¡­ an offering¡­ to the¡­. Ritual¡­ No matter¡­ how weak¡­ a ritual¡­ three magicians¡­ would never¡­ be enough¡­ Unless¡­ they had¡­ a powerful¡­ replacement¡­¡±


    ¡°A rpelacmenet? Like a mana crystal?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but then¡­ there would be¡­ no need¡­ for such an¡­ extensive¡­ ritual drawing¡­¡±


    ¡°There are no other corpses, though. And I haven¡¯t heard anything of someone founding any elsewhere.¡±


    I was sure we¡¯d notice if someone called Korwen because they found more skeletons. And since that hadn¡¯t happened yet¡­


    ¡°So, in the end, we have no idea what happened to the others¡­ assuming there were others.¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ correct¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ It feels like we figured out nothing at all¡­¡±


    The drawing was too damaged and there were no other things that could be of any help.


    ¡°Miss Ria, what about that other drawing?¡±


    ¡°... The one in that¡­ torture room?¡±


    ¡°... Yes, that one.¡±


    I honestly didn¡¯t want to think about that one¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria seemed to mull over Karen¡¯s question for some time before answering her.


    ¡°That one¡­ was weird¡­¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡±


    ¡°It seemed¡­ different from¡­ this one¡­ It was¡­ probably related¡­ to the¡­ equipment¡­ in that¡­ room¡­ but¡­ similarly to¡­ here¡­ there was¡­ too much¡­. damage¡­ to say¡­ for sure¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I hadn¡¯t even noticed that she had taken a look at that one¡­ Hadn¡¯t Korwen immediately shut everyone out?


    ¡°Too much damage here, too much damage there. You¡¯d think it was on purpose¡­¡±


    ¡°It might¡­ have been¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°The Worshippers¡­ are an¡­ organisation¡­ maybe they¡­ had sent¡­ people to¡­ this place¡­ to check¡­ up on them¡­ Then they¡­ found that¡­ they were¡­ all dead¡­ So they¡­ recovered everything¡­ they deemed¡­ important¡­ and then¡­ destroyed¡­ all the¡­ important parts¡­ of these¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ Maybe those people were also the ones who blocked the other exit?¡±


    Ria nodded in response, agreeing with me.


    ¡°It is¡­ quite likely¡­ that that¡­ is the case¡­ Though it is¡­ mere suspicion¡­ in the end¡­¡±


    ¡°Better than having nothing, though¡­¡±


    I glared at the drawing to our feet. The whole thing gave me the creeps but at the very least, you could also say that it was harmless with all the vital information gone from it.


    ¡°Well, nothing we can do about¡­ Should we inform the captain then?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡­ would be¡­ appropriate¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The three of us made our way to Korwen, who was in the back of the hall, overseeing the mercenaries.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, Ria and you two. So, found anything?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not.¡±


    ¡°The drawing¡­ is too damaged¡­ It¡¯s not¡­ possible to¡­ say what¡­ it has been¡­ used for¡­¡±


    ¡°That so. That¡¯s indeed unfortunate¡­¡±


    Korwen sighed as he looked at the three of us.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really found anything of interest over here either. We found an old book but¡­¡±


    Korwen picked up something from a nearby table. It was a thick book cover made of leather. However, the inner part that should be filled with pages was empty. Or more like¡­ only rotten paper scraps remained in it.


    ¡°More surprised the leather actually survived, to be honest. But the book itself is beyond hope. No chance to glean anything from it.¡±


    ¡°So, no clues at all as to what they did here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing at all. We might have more luck above ground, though I wouldn¡¯t keep my hopes up.¡±


    Korwen shrugged and he returned the damaged book¡ªif you could still call it that¡ªback on the table.


    ¡°Not much point in digging further. We just about finished searching here, too. Once that¡¯s done, we¡¯ll finish for the day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡±


    Yay, work was over!


    ¡°Mr Captain, what will we do about this underground area?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I wonder¡­ It¡¯s quite an interesting place but, to be honest, we won¡¯t need most of it. I¡¯m considering filling up all the areas here and only using the places close to where we entered. And Yumias is right that this isn¡¯t a spot where we want to be for long, either. It¡¯s more trouble than worth making this area livable again.¡±


    Well, you couldn¡¯t really keep all that sulphur in the walls, at least.


    ¡°Now then, enough of those dreary topics. Let¡¯s finish up and call it a day.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    There is no need to worry.


    They will never disturb you. I won¡¯t let them.


    I will keep my promise, Mina.


    None shall disturb your sleep. None.


    No matter what come.


    I promised.


    A lone figure stood at the top of a spire, watching the stars of the night sky.


    What their eyes are seeing, none shall ever know.

 Tale of Rainbow Memories: The Wolf Girl and the Cursed Witch (Part 3)

    Rinne


    If you want to reread the previous parts, you can find them here:


    Part 1


    Part 2


    That''s also why I put the author''s note on top today.


    I''ll try to keep the time between the next part a little shorter, or the side story will never end...


    And as usual, if you enjoy the novel, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Every bit helps!


    Hope you enjoy reading!


    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Red Moon''s Day, Spiritweek, Third Month of Spring


    Borderlands of Krohmea, A nameless forest


    I woke up to in my bed, sweating from the heat. It wasn¡¯t even summer, yet, I was drenched to the core. With the unbearable heat boring down on me, there was no way I could continue sleeping. Though, neither could I get up, right now.


    Haaa¡­ How troublesome¡­


    On my right was a beautiful young girl, hugging my arm. On my left, was another adorable girl, curled up but so close that the slightest movement from me would likely shake her awake. This certainly wasn¡¯t how I expected to wake up this morning. But it sure explained why it was so hot.


    Wait, there¡¯s one missing¡­


    Scanning the surroundings for the third girl, I quickly found her comfortably asleep at the other end of the bed. Smart, staying away from these two¡­


    Looks like I got to stay like this for a while¡­


    I let out a sigh in resignation. Just yesterday, our comrade Marim had passed away. It was hard. For all of us. It might not have been uncommon in our line of work but it gnawed away at you nonetheless. Every single death you witnessed slowly eroded your own self.


    Someone once likened it to standing in a barrel and every single death was akin mug of black sludge poured into it. It would slowly raise higher, until it fully engulfed and suffocated you. I was inclined to agree, Even if I couldn¡¯t tell them that anymore. They, too, left us for a better place.


    Stop those dreary thoughts in the morning¡­ If the Priest Maiden heard me, she¡¯d start nagging again.


    Said Priest Maiden was currently occupying my arm, though. Even I didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her not to sleep here. So it came that the Priest Maiden and those two girls occupied my bed. Though, it had recently become the bed of those two girls anyway, rather than my own one.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    While I was letting my thoughts wander, the Priest Maiden stirred and slowly opened her eyes.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Mh?¡±


    Her eyes darted around the room a little, before finally settling on me. After staring some few seconds at me, she looked down at herself, then back at me.


    ¡°Oh my.¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened, before you get a wrong idea.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    She sat up and looked around, spotting Lily next to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re a sinful man.¡±


    ¡°Then you should better stay away from me.¡±


    ¡°But maybe I¡¯m a sinful woman?¡±


    ¡°As a Priest Maiden?¡±


    She chuckled, before lying down again next to me.


    ¡°Even a Priest Maiden is only a person in the end.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Are you ignoring me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    She pouted and hugged my arm again.


    ¡°You¡¯re mean today.¡±


    ¡°... You should stop.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... I mean it.¡±


    ¡°You really are mean.¡±


    Her expression fell, and she quickly hid her face behind my arm.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologise for. You did all you could.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°The Lord of War simply deemed that it was time for him to leave us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I cautiously moved my free hand and patted her head, gently stroking it. Her embrace around my arm tightened and I could feel something wet soaking into my shirt. Something that wasn¡¯t my sweat. Even then, I kept stroking her head.


    Haa¡­ Even though you¡¯re far older than I am¡­  You¡¯re like a child yourself¡­


    My eyes were fixed towards the ceiling as I inwardly sighed. She really was a piece of work sometimes. But I didn¡¯t mind. I was used to it.


    After all, this happened every time.


    Once the sun had risen proper, we woke up Lily and Yumias and got up. Neither the Priest Maiden nor I mentioned what had happened earlier. We pretended it never had.


    After we had breakfast, I did my rounds around our impromptu camp. The barricades we had erected were still standing. A few men stood guard as they did their best to not fall asleep. Through a gap in the barricade came a group of four familiar mercenaries. Just the people I was looking for.


    ¡°Rolan!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Captain!¡±


    The four men, Rolan and his squad, saluted immediately upon spotting me.


    ¡°Any news?¡±


    ¡°No, Captain! No signs of the orcs returning.¡±


    ¡°I see. Good work. Continue to keep an eye out for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    Those green bastards leaving was a good sign for us. While there was a small desire in me to get back at them, the safety of the band had priority. We weren¡¯t nearly enough men to fight that horde without good preparations. To add to that, this terrain was disadvantageous to us.


    That noble swine better not show his face ever again in front of me. Actually, wait a second¡­


    ¡°Rolan. What is in the direction the orcs heading to again?¡±


    ¡°The direction? Beyond the forest? There should be several mountains there.¡±


    ¡°Mountains¡­¡±


    I hadn¡¯t heard of any mining operations in this territory but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t exist either. There could also be ruins hidden there. But the horde we had clashed with was large. At the very least several hundred of them. Maybe even in the thousands. What point could there be in chasing after ruins or mining tunnels?


    ¡°Haaa¡­ No good, I have no idea¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain, if you sigh so much, your life¡¯s blessings will escape.¡±


    ¡°... Have I been sighing that much?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Really? It probably had to be bad if Rolan of all people pointed it out¡­


    Maybe I really need a break. All this captain¡¯s business doesn¡¯t suit me, does it?


    But I was their captain. And having them see me sighing all the time made me a failure as a captain. I had to keep it in in the future.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take note of it. You should take a break for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    The four men saluted and went away. They seemed quite relieved that they got a break.


    Wish I could take one, too.


    But there were things I had to do. First of all, we had to return to the former Northerlands. There was no point in returning to that slime of a noble. The job was over. And while I didn¡¯t know what the orcs were looking for, it probably was something that lordling didn¡¯t want to part with. It was quite possible that he had his retribution already coming for him.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Ah. I did it again, huh¡­¡±


    I shook my head and returned back to my tent, thinking about our next step and the near future. When I pulled the curtain aside, I immediately froze. A small girl stood there, staring right into my eyes.


    ¡°Err,... Lily?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She just stood there, staring. Her mouth opened a little, then closed again, as if she was trying to say something. After a while, I finally could hear her say something, albeit it was more of a whisper.


    ¡°... Pa¡­ pa?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What did she say? Papa? That was an intimate way to call one¡¯s father. It was a rare address in the western half of the continent but I had heard the demonkin in Aldreigh often used it. This girl wasn¡¯t a demonkin, though. Neither was I her father.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    The girl in question blushed, her face so red it might start a fire. Then, she turned on her heels and dashed away, jumping into the arms of the person standing in the back of the tent.


    ¡°You did a good job, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Did¡­ Did I?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Ehehe.¡±


    She was patting Lily¡¯s head and praising her for a job well done. Only now did my mind slowly catch up with what was happening.


    ¡°Priest Maiden¡­ What are you putting into her head?¡±


    ¡°Oh? So you didn¡¯t like it?¡±


    ¡°... Whether I do or not, it¡¯s only going to be a problem later.¡±


    After all, if they got too attached to us, it¡¯d be hard for them if we left them in Lafria.


    ¡°So stiff. Listen, Lily, if you want him to accept you, you need to keep at it. Men like him are weak to pressure, after all, so you just need to keep calling him. And once he does, we¡¯re all going to be a wonderful big family.¡±


    ¡°... Mm.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Lily nodded weakly, still in the Priest Maiden¡¯s embrace. Rather than mother and daughter, they seemed to look more like sisters with a rather big age gap. The sight warmed my heart a little.


    ¡°Look, he¡¯s smiling! The wall is already crumbling down.¡±


    ¡°Priest Maiden¡­¡±


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose, to keep the coming headache at bay. She had always been rather aggressive but since Lily and Yumias had joined us, it had only gotten worse. That was how it felt like, at least. Unfortunately, I also knew that humouring her would only result in her getting her hopes up.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Priest Maiden, I¡¯d like to speak with you for a moment.¡±


    ¡°... Lily, could you leave the two of us alone for a little?¡±


    The little girl looked up at the Priest Maiden, then at me and back to her. Then, she nodded, and slowly let go.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll be right back with you, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Off you go. If you¡¯re a good girl, you can have a candy later.¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    Then, Lily dashed past me out of the tent.


    ¡°... You¡¯ve taken quite a shine on those two.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe. They¡¯re adorable. Especially Lily. She¡¯s so innocent. Her family must have been really good to her.¡±


    ¡°... Then why was she even out there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Did she actually know something?


    ¡°Did they tell you something?¡±


    ¡°No. At least, not directly. I tried to get something out of them, though. There¡¯s a good chance their caravan was attacked and the two got lost during the skirmish¡­¡±


    ¡°... Bandits?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Like I said, I didn¡¯t get much from them. Lily was reluctant to say anything. Or more like, she can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°... She doesn¡¯t remember.¡±


    She didn¡¯t remember it? What the heck?


    ¡°Her memory seems more than just a little spotty. It¡­ might be a trauma. She barely remembers anything specific from before she and Yumias wandered the forest.¡±


    ¡°... I see. What about Yumias?¡±


    ¡°That girl¡­ she straight-up told me she wouldn¡¯t tell me. It doesn¡¯t seem to me that trust is the issue¡­ I don¡¯t know. That girl¡­ She¡¯s beyond weird. Captain, might I¡­ say something that sounds a little crazy?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be much worse than things already are. Go ahead.¡±


    At this point, there¡¯s little that could actually shock me anymore.


    ¡°Her mannerisms, the way she talks. The more I try to get to know her, the more I feel that I am not talking with a child. She¡¯s more like Lily¡¯s caretaker. If you told me that she was actually an elfen girl, hundreds of years old, I might actually believe you.¡±


    ¡°... You think she¡¯s not a child?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Not a child¡­ She was admittedly weird. I had never seen a child as odd as she was, that much was true. But¡­


    ¡°... I understand. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t believe me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t. But you¡¯re not sure about it, either. Right?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, all we¡¯re doing is merely speculation.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders. I could understand where she was coming from, but the simply facto f the matter was that we didn¡¯t know anything about her.


    ¡°Speculation¡­ Ehehe, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s just speculation.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Captain. You¡¯re right, I shouldn¡¯t judge her based on mere speculation.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. And I never said to forget it. Being careful is fine. That we can only speculate is already reason enough to be careful.¡±


    ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take care.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    She smiled a little. Maybe that had helped her sort out her feelings. I¡¯d be happy if it did.


    ¡°Speaking of Yumias, where is she?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ When I was asking Lily if she¡¯d want us to be her parents, she suddenly disappeared¡­ I haven¡¯t seen her since.¡±


    ¡°I see. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for her. It¡¯d be trouble if she got lost now.¡±


    ¡°I somehow can¡¯t imagine her being lost¡­¡±


    Neither could I but I just made a point earlier about how we shouldn¡¯t rely too much on speculation. She might really be lost.


    ¡°Also, since you already breached the topic yourself¡­ What the heck was that about being her parents?¡±


    ¡°Mh? I mean, wouldn¡¯t it be nice? You¡¯d be her father and I¡¯d be her mother. I know I¡¯d love to have a daughter as cute as her.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ You know we are planning to bring them to Lafria, right? What you¡¯re doing is only going to complicate everything.¡±


    ¡°... Hey, Captain. Do we really have to bring them there?¡±


    She stared into my eyes. Never before had I seen such a serious look on her.


    ¡°... We¡¯re mercenaries. A child like her shouldn¡¯t grow up here. Our line of work has no space for children.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ And I can¡¯t change your mind?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    The Priest Maiden closed her eyes and fell silent.


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll have to make you see your error.¡±


    ¡°... Did you even listen to what I said?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I did. But it¡¯s my role as a Priest Maiden to guide the lost souls back to the right path.¡±


    So now I was the lost one because I wished for those two girls to live a better life?


    ¡°Do what you want¡­¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Not the assertion I wanted, right now.


    ¡°Enough about the two girls¡­ How are the injured?¡±


    ¡°... They¡¯re on their way to recovery. None of them is in acute danger anymore. Kiras is good enough to move around again, even. I nearly had to tie him to his bed this morning.¡±


    ¡°... That means we can move?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. There should be no problem with moving them.¡±


    That was¡­ good news. Good news¡­ Yet, I couldn¡¯t honestly feel happy about it.


    ¡°Are you giving up on the other four, Captain?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t found neither hide nor hair of them. And if they haven¡¯t come back on their own by now¡­¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    They had almost certainly been captured. And being an orc horde''s prisoner¡­ was a short life. A very short one.


    ¡°I will give the order to move out. Take care of everything you have to.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    The sooner we left, the better. For all of us.


    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Youthful Morning''s Day, Lifeweek, First Month of Summer


    Borderlands of Krohmea, Northwestern coast of the Grand Spirit Lake


    It had been a few days since we set out to leave Krohmea. The journey was for the most part rather uneventful, something to be thankful for. We had left the orcs completely behind and by now, we judged that there was little to no chance of encountering them again. Not that they seemed to have any interest left for us, though. With that in mind, we decided that we could finally take a small break, here at the Grand Spirit Lake.


    ¡°No matter how often I see it¡­ It¡¯s big.¡±


    The lake, if you could even call it that at this size anymore, stretched to the far horizon and beyond. It was the largest lake on the known continent. Maybe even the largest in the world? It was hard to say. Either way, it was massive.


    Captain! We¡¯ve set up camp for now.¡±


    ¡°Good work, Griess.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Worried?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m not.¡±


    Griess peeked behind his shoulders into the distance. It had been barely a few days when we were still fighting for our lives with the orcs. But that was exactly why this was necessary.


    ¡°The orcs had other plans. That we clashed was probably only a coincidence in their eyes. If they truly cared about us, they wouldn¡¯t have gone north. And even if they did, we¡¯re close to a town and a major fort. The Krohmean army will have to deal with them, not us.¡±


    ¡°I understand that but¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why we need this break. Get your mind off all those problems.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not join the others into town?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If you¡¯re saying that much, Captain, I guess I¡¯ll take up that offer then.¡±


    I nodded and slapped him on the back.


    ¡°Go and enjoy yourself.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    He saluted and went his way. I watched him as he joined a few other men and they set off towards the nearby town. There probably wasn¡¯t a need to mention what entertainment they were looking for.


    ¡°Now then¡­¡±


    Aside from the ones leaving for town, plenty of them stayed here. It was a rare chance to enjoy some time off at a lake, so many of them had already stripped down to their essentials and jumped into the cold water.


    ¡°Like little children¡­¡±


    As for the actual children accompanying us, though¡­


    ¡°A¡ª Ah! Captain. Want to join us?¡±


    The moment I turned around, the Priest Maiden stood behind me, her hands raised in an awkward fashion.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Probably an attempt at surprising me. She should practise that a little more first, though. Her steps were far from silent¡­ And even if they were, the little girl behind her was far from quiet either.


    ¡°Are you two going into the water?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So? Want to join us, Captain?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep it at watching.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite in the mood to jump into the water, right now.


    ¡°Is that so¡­ Lily, your turn!¡±


    ¡°Mh!¡±


    As if waiting for her queue, Lily pitter-pattered to me, grabbing hold of my shirt with her small hands and looking up at me.


    ¡°Join us¡­ Papa¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    This was¡­ beyond unfair¡­


    Behind Lily, the Priest Maiden was grinning, sure of her victory. And admittedly, she had all the right to be¡­


    ¡°I get it, I¡¯ll join you two.¡±


    The moment I admitted my defeat, Lily¡¯s eyes went wide and she smiled.


    ¡°Good job, Lily! Now we can all have some fun as a family!¡±


    ¡°Mh!¡±


    Family, huh¡­


    ¡°Speaking of which, where is Yumias again?¡±


    ¡°Err, she¡­ She was right behind me, just now?¡±


    No, she hadn¡¯t been there the entire time.


    ¡°Lily, do you know where she is?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Uh-uh.¡±


    She shook her head. Of course, she didn¡¯t know. What else did I expect¡­


    ¡°That girl really likes to disappear all the time. Just what is she doing¡­¡±


    Even while I scanned our surroundings, I couldn¡¯t find her. Even though that bright pink hair should be really obvious.


    ¡°Ah, Captain, over there.¡±


    ¡°Mh? There? Ah.¡±


    The Priest Maiden pointed towards the men frolicking in the water. And right among them was that little girl with pink hair, swimming with them.


    ¡°When did she even get there¡­¡±


    Well, as long as she enjoyed herself. And the men were careful enough to make sure she wouldn¡¯t drown. Even now I saw some of them carefully moving their little racing competition closer to the beach.


    ¡°If she enjoys herself, isn¡¯t that fine? Lily, let¡¯s take the captain and have some fun in the water, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mh!¡±


    The Priest Maiden held Lily¡¯s hand and together, they went towards the water. I followed behind them, watching the two of them. They were both smiling.


    Maybe, this isn¡¯t so bad¡­ If they¡¯re happy, that¡¯s good.


    I knew that this was exactly what the Priest Maiden wanted me to think. But even if I knew about it, I couldn¡¯t help but fall right into her trap.


    Maybe this is what Dad meant with women being cunning¡­


    I¡¯d have to ask him next time we¡¯d meet. Though, I had the feeling he¡¯d also tell me to simply give up.


    ¡°Captain, what are you standing there around for?¡±


    ¡°... Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you talking about?¡±


    ¡°What to play.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    ¡°What we¡¯re going to play.¡±


    And how should I know an answer to that¡­


    ¡°How about you go into the water first and then discuss that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. Lily, let¡¯s go and leave the blockhead behind.¡±


    ¡°Blockhead?¡± asked Lily,


    ¡°That¡¯s what you call people like your Papa when they are ignoring a cute girl like you or me.¡±


    ¡°Blockhead!¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t teach her weird things.¡±


    Seriously, I didn¡¯t want her to call me a blockhead all the time now¡­


    ¡°Then you should join us. What¡¯s the point of bringing you here if you just stand there watching?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    Giving in, I joined the two of them.


    ¡°Lily, now! Take his hand!¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Lily¡¯s small hand shot forth and took hold of mine. It was a tiny hand, fitting for a child. Her other hand was held by the Priest Maiden. I was a little sumped at the whole action, unable to understand the point.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Apparently, holding our hands made her happy¡­ Oh, was it because it was a family-like thing to do?


    ¡°You could have just asked¡­¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s a father¡¯s duty to do those things on your own. Stop complaining.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t say that I wasn¡¯t Lily¡¯s father with Lily right next to me¡­


    ¡°Hehe, Captain, you should just admit your defeat already.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Stubborn as always.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders, not even bothering to reply anymore. Maybe I really was just stubborn¡­


    ¡°That aside, let¡¯s get into the water, shall we?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind but¡­ Priest Maiden, are you sure you¡¯re going to be fine in that get-up?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve taken all necessary preparations.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sure about that¡­¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wearing her usual Priest Maiden clothes but just a simple shirt and trousers. It didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d protect her dignity at all once it¡¯d get wet, though.


    ¡°Now, Lily, let¡¯s count to three and then we¡¯re going to jump in, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    ¡°Then, Ooone!¡±


    The Priest Maiden swung her arm, a little in the rhythm of her counting. She looked at me, then towards my arm.


    ¡°Twoooo.¡±


    Since she seemed to want me to join in, I copied her, swinging my arm in the rhythm.


    ¡°Threeee! Yay!¡±


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    With the third count, we gently pulled Lily up and into the water. There was a big smile on her face as she fell into the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, it is, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Yes, the water was indeed cold, despite it being summer. But it was a gentle cold. Something you¡¯d get used to soon enough.


    ¡°Come, Captain. The water feels good.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Woah?!¡±


    A splash of water flew straight into my face. Two voices were giggling as they watched my drenched face.


    ¡°You little¡­ Take that!¡±


    ¡°Woah!¡±


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    The two of them, having anticipated a counterattack, dived to the side, evading the splash of water I sent to them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me, you two. If we¡¯re going to do this, I won¡¯t show any mercy to you.¡±


    ¡°Ohh? Is that a challenge, Captain?¡±


    ¡°A challenge? No, I was merely stating a fact.¡±


    ¡°Bold words coming from the one who got hit first.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t happen again. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    I had my pride as a mercenary captain to defend, after all.


    ¡°There!¡±


    ¡°Woah! Then, take this!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯ll have to try better! Like this!¡±


    ¡°¡±Ahh?!¡±


    After a few splashing exchanges, the Priest Maiden finally failed to dodge, taking the water straight into her face and drenching her from top to bottom.


    ¡°Ahh, cold! So cold!¡±


    To my surprise, the clothes she wore were quite thick. She really had made sure to protect her dignity. That was good. It¡¯d be only trouble of the men saw her in an unlady-like state.


    ¡°Oh, Captain. Are you disappointed?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°My clothes. You¡¯ve been looking so intently.¡±


    ¡°Stop the jokes.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    I held up my hand, prompting her to stop.


    ¡°I got it, I¡¯ll stop the teasing.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯ll take my revenge in turn?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Before I could ask what she meant by that, there was a cute yelp coming from behind me, together with the sensation of water drenching my back.


    ¡°Seems even a trained mercenary captain can let down his guard sometimes. Good job, Lily. We won!¡±¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Yes, this was¡­ my own fault, huh¡­ I walked straight into that one. Again.


    ¡°You two are really¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing. Take this.¡±


    ¡°Woah.¡±


    In an attempt to hide that bit of annoyance I felt, I send another splash to the Priest Maiden.


    ¡°That was unfair.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯ll show you!¡±


    ¡°Come at me, then!¡±


    The three of us played around, splashing each other with water until we all were thoroughly drenched. It was¡­ Yes, I had to admit, it was quite fun.


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Captain? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    I had thought for a moment that Yumias was looking over here¡­ but apparently she wasn¡¯t. She was still playing around with the others.


    ¡°Stop being distracted.¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    ¡°Learnt your lesson?¡±


    ¡°Priest Maiden¡­ Take that!¡±


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    If she wanted to join us, she¡¯d surely come over at some point. There wasn¡¯t any point in worrying right now. I just¡­ wanted to enjoy this rare moment of peace.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Lake Visit

    A short while after our little run-in with Yumias, the group searching the area had finished, so we made our way back to the temporary camp in the middle of the fort¡¯s yard. There, Korwen dismissed everyone for the day. Hurray for free time.


    He also told us we were free to explore the fort on our own as long as we were careful enough. Not really what anyone was really looking forward to, considering that we had been doing exactly that all day already. Or, at least, that¡¯s what I had expected¡­


    ¡°Well, I guess they didn¡¯t really have the chance to look around here yet.¡±


    ¡°They only saw the basement, after all. I¡¯m sure they were looking forward to this.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen and I watched the Dragon Knights as they walked around, going into buildings, looking around the yard and all that stuff. They seemed positively thrilled, in fact, as they explored the fort. They reminded me of boys running around a ruin looking for secrets rather than battle-hardened mercenaries.


    ¡°Makes me a little glad that the Space magic worked out fine when I see them like that.¡±


    ¡°I think we all are quite glad that it worked out.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Even though Yumias had reassured us that things should work out fine, it had still worried me a lot at the time. After all, she had also told me what would happen to me if I screwed up.


    ¡°That reminds me, Ria took a look at the tentacle door, right? I wonder if she figured something out about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Should we go ask her about it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m curious.¡±


    Ria was the person who was the most knowledgeable about magic among everyone I knew¡ªexcluding Yumias. It wasn¡¯t unlikely that she had noticed something of interest.


    Karen and I both went through the¡ªadmittedly small¡ªtemporary camp, looking around for Ria. Needless to say, it didn¡¯t take long.


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s busy?¡±


    ¡°Seems so.¡±


    ¡°Those two are¡­ I think they were in our group earlier, no?¡±


    Two men were talking with Ria, their expressions quite stiff and serious. As we approached them they nodded several times, then, just as we came into hearing distance, they thanked Ria and left.


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Yumi¡­ Karen¡­ Do you¡­ need something?¡±


    Ria turned around and replied with her usual languid tone.


    ¡°Nn. We wanted to ask if you managed to figure something out about the tentacle door.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Mm¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ a very¡­ curious¡­ thing¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I think I can agree on that.¡±


    There was a literal hole in Space connecting to a different place. If that wasn¡¯t at the very least curious then I had no idea either.


    ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ I can¡­ say anything¡­ specific¡­ yet¡­ It¡¯s¡­ too strange¡­¡±


    ¡°Strange?¡±


    ¡°The mana¡­ flows through¡­ the door¡­ and back¡­ as if¡­ the hole¡­ was always¡­ there¡­ There is¡­ only little¡­ mana flowing¡­ into the¡­ tentacles¡­ Mm¡­ It¡¯s¡­ like someone¡­ molded a¡­ stone statue¡­ with Earth magic¡­ and once¡­ they are done¡­ It keeps¡­ standing¡­ without¡­ magic¡­¡±


    A statue? So, once the magic was cast, it would¡­ stay that way without any need to do anything else?


    ¡°Then it would stay that way even if the tentacles were gone?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think¡­ that might¡­ be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ but that¡¯s a little different from what Miss Yumias said¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Oh? She has¡­ talked with¡­ you?¡±


    Wait, how was it different from what Yumias had told us?


    ¡°Yes¡­ She compared it to bending a stick, if I recall correctly. Bending the stick would require more energy than keeping it in its bent position¡­ She didn¡¯t say it explicitly but wouldn¡¯t that mean, if the energy is missing, it would return back to its original state?¡±


    Oh, now I remembered. She did indeed mention that stick example.


    ¡°Keeping the¡­ position¡­ requires less¡­ energy¡­ I see¡­ that is¡­ certainly¡­ a possibility¡­¡±


    Ria nodded a few times, mumbling quietly to herself.


    ¡°Then¡­ the small amount¡­ of mana¡­ is not¡­ to maintain¡­the tentacles¡­ but the¡­ door? That would¡­ explain¡­ the difference¡­ Mm¡­ But how¡­ does it¡­ use the¡­ mana? The hole¡­ itself¡­ is not¡­ likely¡­ But then¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ohh¡­ I was¡­ thinking¡­ Mm¡­ You gave¡­ me a bit¡­ to think¡­about¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Well, at least we had been of use. Or rather, Karen had been.


    ¡°Well, anyway, is there anything else you can tell us?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ No¡­ Not really¡­ As I¡­ said¡­ it is¡­ strange¡­ It will¡­ take some¡­ time¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So she hadn¡¯t found out anything about it either so far. Well, it was worth a try.


    ¡°If we can help with anything, feel free to ask, though.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I might¡­ take you up¡­ on that offer¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Korwen would probably let us go if it was Ria who wanted our help, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems in that regard either. Though that didn¡¯t mean we shouldn¡¯t ask for his permission first.


    ¡°Do you¡­ want to¡­ ask any¡­ other questions?¡±


    ¡°Nn? No, that was the only thing. Did we interrupt you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s nothing¡­ urgent¡­ I was just¡­ asked a¡­ favour¡­¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Oh, by those two from earlier?¡±


    Ria nodded once.


    ¡°Do you¡­ remember¡­ the Rainbow Hoggie?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ They asked¡­ what kind¡­ of cage¡­ would be¡­ necessary¡­ to keep¡­ one¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They¡­ were asking about a cage for it?


    ¡°That¡¯s a little unexpected.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Korwen had said that it was fine if the men wanted to keep it as a pet, but I did not expect them to immediately come to Ria and ask her about it.


    ¡°Did the favour have something to do with that as well?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Yes¡­ To capture¡­ the Rainbow Hoggies¡­ you need¡­ a lure¡­ I was¡­ going to¡­ make them¡­¡±


    ¡°A lure? Wouldn¡¯t a mana crystal work?¡±


    ¡°It does¡­ but¡­ we don¡¯t know¡­ how many¡­ of them¡­ are here¡­ A lure¡­ would¡­ make sure¡­ that all¡­ of them¡­ come¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    A lure, huh¡­ Well, now that she said it, if the small tunnels went deep into the earth, there was no way for us to get all of them out of there. And there probably were more than just one.


    ¡°But, do they already have a cage then?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Making a¡­ cage is¡­ not hard¡­ They don¡¯t¡­ eat plants¡­ Most types¡­ of wood¡­ are fine¡­ But¡­ I did¡­ recommend¡­ which were¡­ best¡­ and that¡­ they can¡­ be treated¡­ with mana¡­ to make¡­ them sturdier.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a metal cage be better?¡±


    ¡°They can¡­ bite through¡­ most metals¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What hell, that¡¯s scary. Those small critters had some terrifying jaw strength to be able to bite through stone and metal. But they ignored wood, of all things¡­ Usually, you¡¯d think that even wood would be more edible than a stone¡­ Not that I ever planned on biting into a wooden plank, either.


    ¡°Mr Captain did say they¡¯re easy to keep. But I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be as easy as making the cage out of wood¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s surprising.¡±


    At least, I wasn¡¯t alone this time. Karen was surprised, too.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It is¡­ what makes¡­ them quite¡­ popular¡­ as pets¡­ They are¡­ easy to keep¡­ and are¡­ pretty to¡­ look at¡­¡±


    ¡°... Won¡¯t it be a problem if someone gets bitten, though?¡±


    ¡°As long¡­ as you¡­ don¡¯t anger¡­ them¡­ then they¡­ won¡¯t hurt¡­ anyone¡­ They are¡­ smart enough¡­ to know¡­ who feeds them¡­ Though¡­ even¡­ if you¡­ tease them¡­ they are¡­ very patient¡­ and docile¡­¡±


    That made them sound like they were among the usual pets people tended to keep in this world¡­ Well, they did look like a hedgehog with rainbow spikes¡­ and hedgehogs were quite cute. They were, right?


    ¡°Nn, I think it¡¯s nice we get to keep them.¡±


    Surely, those three little ones were going to like them as well. I could vividly imagine them hovering around a cage and playing with them. It¡¯d be nice if that could come to pass.


    ¡°In that case¡­ I think it¡¯s better if we leave you to your work. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Leave it¡­ to me¡­¡±


    In an unusual attempt at looking imposing, Ria straightened her back and nodded with a serious expression. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle a little, since it wasn¡¯t at all like the usual Ria.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Was it¡­ that funny?¡±


    ¡°A little. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°It seems¡­ I need¡­ more practice¡­¡±


    ¡°... Is that something you can practice?¡±


    You probably could. But whether Ria of all people could manage that¡­ was something to be seen.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll go back. Good luck with your work.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ You too¡­¡±


    Once we had said our encouragement, Karen and I turned around and walked back the way we had come from.


    Though I said it like that, the camp consisted of only a few tents. It didn¡¯t take even half a minute to walk back to our tent. Not that I had a clock to measure it.


    ¡°So, what do we do now? Wait for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Who even makes dinner?¡±


    ¡°Someone, surely.¡±


    Didn¡¯t we bring rations or something? We probably did. That¡¯d be¡­ a very sad dinner.


    I¡¯ve already gotten used to our usual food¡­ Haaa¡­


    Rations didn¡¯t taste bad by themselves but they simply didn¡¯t compare to our usual dinner. It¡¯d be scary if they could, anyway. Nobody would cook anymore then.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s actually somewhere I¡¯d like to go¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh? Where to?¡±


    My eyes widened a little in surprise. I didn¡¯t expect that Karen wanted to go somewhere. Especially, right here in the middle of the forest.


    ¡°The lake.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. You¡¯re right, the lake is close-by.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And I¡¯ve never been to a lake before.¡±


    ¡°Not?¡±


    ¡°No. Only to rivers.¡±


    ¡°Huh. In that case, we should change that.¡±


    I was also interested in the lake, so that was quite fine with me. The only problem was¡­


    ¡°But the captain only gave us permission to explore around the fort¡­ We should probably ask him if we can go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be better.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, let¡¯s go and ask him.¡±


    Korwen wasn¡¯t far from us anyway. He was busy watching over the mercenaries. Or rather, he was exasperatedly shaking his head as he watched a few men gambling their salaries away¡­


    ¡°You all, I know there¡¯s little else to do but can¡¯t you show some restraint?¡±


    ¡°Captain, you should join us!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll refrain. Also, don¡¯t gamble all your money away. You¡¯re on break but you are still here for work.¡±


    He started to chide them for their gambling, earning him a few disappointed reactions.


    ¡°But that¡¯s boring! I¡¯ll win back my money in jiffy!¡±


    ¡°Can you even remotely imagine how often I have heard that sentence already and how often it held true?¡±


    ¡°Captain, you should trust in your men!¡±


    ¡°I trust that you will fail at upholding that declaration, yes. Just don¡¯t overdo it. Got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, yees¡±¡±¡±


    Shaking his head, Korwen left the gambling group alone and walked towards our direction.


    ¡°Mm? You two, did you need me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we wanted to ask if we could go and take a look at the lake.¡±


    ¡°The lake?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded, earning me a slightly surprised ¡°Huh.¡± from him. He seemed to be lost in thought for a few seconds before answering.


    ¡°As long as you make sure to keep to the path and don¡¯t stray too far away, you can go.¡±


    ¡°... That was surprisingly easy.¡±


    ¡°What, did you want me to say no?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but I expected a little more resistance¡­¡±


    It was outside the fort, after all.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your father who keeps tabs on everything you do, you know? I already got enough big children to take care of here.¡±


    He glanced over his shoulder to the still gambling men behind him. They were quite big for children, yes¡­


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get lost, you can go. But if you get lost, rest assured this won¡¯t be allowed again.¡±


    ¡°How reassuring.¡±


    Better take care not to let that happen.


    ¡°Nn, you said there was a path?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you go through the gate and keep to the right along the wall you¡¯ll end up on a small path. That path leads to the lake.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s good to know.¡±


    Maybe a remnant of the time when the fort was still in active use. Convenient for us, at least.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go now. Thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, take your time and enjoy yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    We gave our thanks to Korwen and then made our way to the lake. After exiting through the gate, we followed the wall for a while.


    ¡°Through the gate he said and then keep to the right along the wall¡­¡±


    ¡°Until we find a small path. Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t see a small path.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    Hopefully, we hadn¡¯t missed it because it was too small. I wasn¡¯t very knowledgeable about forests and I wasn¡¯t confident in recognising every path through them.


    ¡°We should keep walking for a little¡­ The lake is in this direction anyway, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the path is at the end of the wall, then.¡±


    That sounded like a very possible outcome.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep walking then. If we can¡¯t find it, we can just go back and ask him again.¡±


    Being unable to find the path didn¡¯t count as getting lost, right?


    The two of us kept walking along the wall, until we finally reached the end of it. And with it¡­


    ¡°Ah, is that it, Sis?¡±


    ¡°It looks like it.¡±


    There it was, a small path that was effectively just a continuation of the one we¡¯re walking on already.


    ¡°He could¡¯ve told us it would be at the end of the wall¡­ Oh well, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    After we walked for a few minutes down the small path¡ªwith me fighting to free my hair once in a while again¡ªwe finally closed in on our destination.


    ¡°Yumi, I think I see something.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ looks like we arrived, huh?¡±


    Small blue patches appeared between the trees as they got sparser and sparser, revealing the lake they were hiding.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s seriously huge.¡±


    No matter how often I saw it, it was impressive every time. Water as far as the eyes could see. And far beyond even that. If the map Korwen had shown us back then was any indicator, then the part we were seeing was only a very small one.


    Rather than a lake, it feels more like a small ocean already¡­


    Except that it was missing the salt. It was¡­ right?


    ¡°Yumi, come.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen pulled my hand as we jogged over to the shore.


    ¡°It¡¯s all water¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    The water was rather quiet, only small waves reaching towards us. Likely curious about the waves, Karen squatted down and reached out to a wave.


    ¡°It¡¯s not as cold as I thought.¡±


    ¡°... Not?¡±


    I squatted down next to Karen and held my hand into the water. It was¡­ a little cold but not outright freezing.


    ¡°Nn, you¡¯re right. But it¡¯s still a bit cold.¡±


    The weather was quite warm so the water was probably quite tolerable because of it. In fact, it was warm enough that you could go for a swim. If only we had swimsuits or something similar.


    Sis in a swimsuit¡­ That might be nice¡­ But swimsuits probably don¡¯t exist, do they?


    I¡¯d be surprised if they did. Maybe Wanda could help us out with that, though.


    ¡°Yumi, look.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is that¡­ a fishing boat?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    At the horizon, we could make out a single small boat, making its way back to the port.


    ¡°You can see the port from here as well.¡°


    ¡°It looks tiny.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I sat down properly and gazed towards the horizon, making myself comfortable. The ground wasn¡¯t incredibly comfortable but it was still surprisingly soft. Seeing me sit down, Karen promptly followed.


    This is nice.


    Just sitting here with Karen, enjoying the rhythmic sounds of the waves against our feet and gazing out at the water.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s another boat.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But that one¡¯s leaving from port, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Is it another fishing boat?¡±


    ¡°Who knows?¡±


    It had a similar appearance to the first once but even for me it was difficult to say at this distance. I would guess it was a fishing boat as well, though.


    ¡°Some come back at this time and others go out¡­ Feels a little weird that they would fish at different times, though.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are different fish to be caught at different times?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That might be possible.¡±


    We watched the fishing boat until it disappeared behind the horizon. Whether it was out fishing or had some other task, we probably wouldn¡¯t learn.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is.¡±


    Next to me, Karen leaned back and lay on the ground, stretching her arms to either side.


    ¡°This reminds me of the time we were at the river.¡±


    ¡°Nn? You mean back in Arkesta?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Back then, I¡¯d never imagine I¡¯d be here today.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    Things had taken quite a few¡­ impressive turns here and there. But I quite liked where we were right now.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You can swim, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes? I think so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very confident answer.¡±


    Karen¡¯s eyes wandered over to me. She stared at me for a few seconds, but before I could explain it to her, it seemed that realization had hit her.


    ¡°Oh. You don¡¯t remember?¡±


    ¡°... Pretty much. I think I should be able to, though.¡±


    ¡°... Then, want to take a swim?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I stared at the water, thinking for a short while.


    ¡°As long as we keep it to depths where we can stand¡­¡±


    ¡°... That limits it a lot, Yumi. You¡¯re not exactly tall.¡±


    ¡°Neither are you.¡±


    ¡°Taller than you, at least.¡±


    It¡¯d be surprising if she wasn¡¯t at least taller than me. Even those three little ones¡­ from my point of view, they weren¡¯t little at all. We were roughly the same height. Actually, I had the feeling Maya was even a little taller than me¡­


    ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t want to be swept away by a current or something like that. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if we didn¡¯t make it back because we drowned.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ current? What¡¯s that? A monster?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s not a monster¡­¡±


    Well, how did I explain that one¡­


    ¡°Err, basically, even if you don¡¯t see it, the water in the lake is flowing at all times below the surface. These flows are called currents. And if you get caught in a current, it will drag you along the path it goes, which is usually further into the lake. Those currents are also quite strong, so it¡¯s very hard to get out of them. Maybe even impossible.¡±


    ¡°I see. And if we don¡¯t want to get caught in them, we should stay near the shore?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    I nodded. Glad she understood.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Is it the same as how in the river you can feel the water passing your feet below the surface?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I think that¡¯s pretty much it, yes.¡±


    That example surprised me a little but¡­ that should be about the same, right?


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll stay in the areas where we can stand.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Karen stood up, looking a little excited. Someone was looking forward to take a swi¡ª Ehhh?


    ¡°Sis? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I¡¯m taking off my clothes?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The problem about currents made me miss something important. You couldn¡¯t really swim in your clothes. And I had just earlier lamented the lack of swimsuits, too.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ outside.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, are you shy, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s outside.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nobody nearby.¡±


    Karen grinned at me. Did she¡­ Was this what she was really out for?


    ¡°Come, Yumi, strip.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Sis¡­ I think it¡¯s better if we consider that carefully again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anyone see you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not quite¡­ the problem¡­¡±


    Even if there was nobody here¡­ it was still outside.


    ¡°Yumi, you walked around in a shirt that barely hid anything before. I think it¡¯s a little late to feel embarrassed.¡±


    ¡°Those were unavoidable circumstances.¡±


    ¡°... There were clothes around, though.¡±


    Those of dead people, yes. And I had been very reluctant to wear those. I¡­ still was.


    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s just me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Sis, wait.¡±


    Alas, my protests fell on deaf ears as Karen forcibly stripped me of my gear, leaving me bare as newborn.


    ¡°Uhh, Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, you¡¯re cute, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not making me happy.¡±


    It actually did.


    ¡°Wait one moment and I¡¯ll join you.¡±


    Karen, who had interrupted her undressing before she got anywhere, stripped off her clothes as well, revealing her body to the world.


    ¡°Sis is a pervert.¡±


    ¡°We both are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We both were¡­


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s get into the water.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay?¡±


    ¡°Mh? What are you surprised about?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing.¡±


    Yes, the reason for this was actually that she wanted to take a swim. Not for¡­ other reasons.


    I let Karen pull me by my hand towards the water. Waves splashed against my feet, tickling me a little.


    ¡°Oh, this is¡­ a pretty weird feeling.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t really say if it was weird or not¡­ but Karen enjoyed herself, so that was fine with me.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little cold, after all.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll warm up when we start swimming.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Once we got used to the water it wouldn¡¯t be that bad anymore. That said, the cold sensation didn¡¯t really bother me anyway. In a way, this made me glad but in another way, it was a little sad.


    We slowly stepped deeper into the water, until I was submerged up to my chest. It¡¯d be deep enough to take a swim from here on. I cautiously leaned forward and kicked off the ground, letting my body float on the water.


    ¡°Nn¡­ this is nice¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t even need to swim like this¡­ Just floating was already relaxing.


    ¡°How are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What?¡±


    ¡°Floating.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I just, err, let myself float?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at Karen, who was still standing next to me. Her breasts were just a little higher than eye level, giving me quite a pleasant view.


    ¡°But how¡­ Is that because you¡¯re a monster?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I think it¡¯s a little easier for me like this, but shouldn¡¯t you float either way?¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Karen eyed me suspiciously, then apparently decided to trust my words. She let herself sink into the water. I could see how she was trying to lean forward and let herself float but¡­ Everytime she leaned forward a little, she stumbled and hastily had to correct her posture.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t possible, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°No, it is¡­ It should be¡­¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    Karen tried again¡­ with no success. She nearly sank.


    ¡°How about¡­ Err, I don¡¯t know how you teach this¡­ Maybe try to jump just a little and let yourself float up, without trying to lean forward?¡±


    ¡°... I can try.¡±


    And try she did. The next moment, her head was under water.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Puah?!¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°... I saw that.¡±


    But, weird¡­ How was that possible?


    ¡°Uhh, Sis, you can swim, yes?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°... Then, just swim for now.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    I was really curious how she could swim halfway decently without floating.


    As I watched Karen, she kicked off the ground and the next moment, she was swimming.


    ¡°See? I can.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I can see.¡±


    Just¡­ Well¡­ It wasn¡¯t awful but she¡­ certainly wasn¡¯t very good at it. It looked to me like she was forcing herself to stay afloat by brute force. She was kicking up quite the waves behind her.


    ¡°I think we need to practise that a little more in the future¡­.¡± I muttered to myself.


    ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°Nothing important. I¡¯ll join you.¡±


    Thankfully, she hadn¡¯t heard me. I turned around and swam towards Karen, joining her.


    ¡°Hehe, now we can swim together.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen held out her hand to me, which I promptly took. She grinned and suddenly pulled me towards her into her embrace.


    ¡°Woah?! Sis?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I caught you.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­¡±


    We were still in the shallow waters but it was already deep enough that it was hard for me to reach the ground. Karen, however, stood firmly on the ground as she held me in her arms.


    ¡°Seriously, Sis¡­ I thought you wanted to swim?¡±


    ¡°I do. But I also want to have some fun with you. You knew that already, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I had suspected it, at least.


    ¡°But we¡¯re outside.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all alone out here, though.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°And even if someone came, we¡¯re deep enough in the water. They wouldn¡¯t see anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Karen hugged me a little tighter. It was an odd sensation, feeling her skin and the water on me. But not at all unpleasant.


    ¡°Yumi. I love you.¡±


    ¡°Nm¡­¡±


    Without warning, Karen¡¯s lips sealed mine.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mn.. Nah¡­ Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, this is actually quite nice in the water.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ Even though we¡¯re outside.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but you look like you enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait¡­ Did I?


    ¡°Hehe, Yumi, you little pervert.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the one who stripped me in the first place.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re both perverts.¡±


    ¡°... We are.¡±


    But, I had to admit¡­ This was quite nice in its own right. I sighed at the realization. We both were quite bad in our own ways.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I kicked off from the ground a little, shifting my position so I was on Karen¡¯s eye level. I hugged her back, making sure I stayed in that position.


    ¡°I love you, Sis.¡±


    And with that, it was my turn to give her a kiss.


    This is¡­ nice.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Sleepy Evening

    After messing around for some time, Karen and I moved back to the shore where we sat down¡ªwith me sitting on Karen¡¯s lap¡ªand let the waves tickle our feet. Behind me, Karen was combing my hair with her fingers, trying to get it back in order.


    ¡°Seriously, your hair is all dirty¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not funny.¡±


    Due to its length, my hair had inevitably slid around the ground and gotten dirty, especially now while we sat here.


    ¡°We should clean it before we get back.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But we still have time anyway.¡±


    ¡°I mean, we do. But we shouldn¡¯t wait until the last possible moment. Mr Captain will get angry with us.¡±


    Would he? He would, probably.


    ¡°Maybe we should tell him we¡¯ll stay overnight.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t we have plenty of chances to come back here again? It¡¯s right next to the fort.¡±


    ¡°But others might think so, too.¡±


    ¡°... Ahh.¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I could spy Karen glancing toward our clothes. It¡¯d be impossible to walk around all naked at this shore once the fort was in order and we all lived there. There was little doubt that the mercenaries would enjoy a dip into the water as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want everyone looking at you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯d be a little uncomfortable. But it¡¯d be fine if we go a little further down the shore, no? I doubt they¡¯d stray too far from the fort.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯d work, I guess. But we¡¯d have to look for a good spot along the shore first.¡±


    Either way, it was probably better if we simply enjoyed the time we had right now to the fullest.


    ¡°Anyway, right now, I just want to enjoy this.¡±


    I leaned back and snuggled up to Karen. While the water on my skin was cold, Karen was comfortably warm. If I had a blanket now, it¡¯d be even better.


    ¡°Sis, you aren¡¯t cold?¡±


    ¡°Me? A little.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t catch a cold. I don¡¯t want you getting ill.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t get ill that easily.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Karen giggled a little and gently patted my head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Demonkin rarely get ill. Manakin especially so.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    How nice that had to be.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d get ill so easily either.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Probably.¡±


    Considering how far removed my body was from a regular living being, it¡¯d be rather unlikely to be hit by an illness.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think we should challenge that too much.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not planning to but¡­¡±


    Karen paused for a moment. Her arms around me tightened a little and I could feel a weight resting on my head.


    ¡°Even if I end up a little ill, I¡¯d rather enjoy this moment right now.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I could feel my cheeks warm up a little, happy about those words. Happy that we both felt the same.


    ¡°Hey, Sis, want to swim a little more?¡±


    ¡°... In a little while.¡±


    ¡°Not much of a fan of swimming?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exhausting.¡±


    I¡¯d think it¡¯d be exhausting too in her case, considering how she sank like a rock. Or more like a block of steel? Maybe it had to do with her being manakin? Or¡­ she was just bad at it. Could be either.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather stay like this for a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine with me too.¡±


    We didn¡¯t have too many chances to relax like this, after all.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s another boat.¡±


    ¡°Nn. There is.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if they caught some nice fish.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    And tomorrow morning, that fish would be sold at that market. Or at least, that¡¯s what I¡¯d expect. I didn¡¯t know anything about the whole fishing business. Could also be possible that they were going to sell it immediately on the market. Or maybe to some company.


    ¡°The fish we got from the market was nice,¡± I muttered as we watched the ship.


    ¡°It was delicious.¡±


    And we¡¯d have many more opportunities to eat fish now. Even so, it still felt a little unreal to me. No matter how often I told myself that this was our new home, that these little things were going to become part of our daily life¡­ it still felt so far¡­ removed from it all.


    But in a few months, I might have already gotten used to it.


    That was, in a way, a little sad, too. But I was sure it¡¯d be a very happy life. Then again, we were mercenaries. Travelling was more or less part of the job description. But since we now knew that those tentacle doors worked, how was Korwen planning on proceeding in the future?


    ¡°Nn, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The captain said he wanted to go to the Beyond, right?¡±


    ¡°He did. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was just wondering about that. Our home base is going to be this fort. And while I can make those doors so that we can come back, we¡¯d still have to travel to the Beyond first, right?¡±


    The Beyond was, as far as I knew, to the north. We¡¯d have to travel to the ocean and then by boat to the other side. That was definitely going to be one long trip already.


    ¡°I think so, yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s going to be quite a trip, huh¡­ We¡¯d have to cross the ocean.¡±


    ¡°... Does that take long?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, yes¡­ I think so.¡±


    Without knowing the distance, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to even guess it. But, knowing a little about how vast the oceans of my old world were¡­


    ¡°That could take months¡­¡±


    ¡°Months?!¡±


    ¡°Could. It might be far shorter.¡±


    Or longer.


    ¡°Months¡­ That¡¯s crazy.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    When you thought about it, it made sense that the Dragon Knights never left the confines of the land between the ocean and the Wooden Sea. There was no way they could casually ship over a few hundred people to the other end of the ocean, nor could they force their way through the dense forests of the Wooden Sea. If I recalled things correctly, the latter even had wild tribes that might attack you if you stumbled into their territory. But what about the ocean then?


    ¡°... Sis. Does the ocean have monsters?¡±


    ¡°Huh? It should, yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, the ocean was probably not much better then. Maybe even worse.


    ¡°I mean, even some of the fish are considered monsters.¡±


    ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ I forgot since they¡¯re not really¡­¡±


    They didn¡¯t fit the image of a monster at all. The only potentially dangerous part about them was in case you accidentally ate them¡­ For normal people, at least.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Is the ocean really that big?¡±


    The weight on my head disappeared and when I turned around to check on Karen, I found her peering straight into my eyes.


    ¡°Nn. In my world, at least, they were gigantic.¡±


    ¡°Bigger than this lake?¡±


    ¡°Far bigger. Probably dozens of times as big.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to imagine.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded, eliciting a small ¡°Huh.¡± from Karen.


    ¡°So it¡¯s that big. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t be disappointed.¡±


    Or more like, if we¡¯d really end up taking the trip on a ship, she¡¯d likely get sick of the ocean soon enough.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much to look forward to.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But first, we should probably focus on the fort.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I leaned against Karen again, snuggling into her embrace.


    ¡°Nn. And right now, I want to enjoy our time.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right. Sorry, we got a little distracted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t that part of it all?¡±


    Just talking about the future, about things that might or might not happen. Those small things were all enjoyable to me.


    ¡°Mm, I guess it is.¡±


    ¡°Right? Hehe.¡±


    I giggled, enjoying the rather meaningless exchange¡­ and soon enough, Karen joined in as well.


    ¡°Really¡­ Just what am I to do with you, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well, how about hugging me?¡±


    ¡°I already am hugging you.¡±


    ¡°More hugging, please.¡±


    ¡°Just where did I go wrong with you that you ended up so spoiled?¡±


    Despite saying so, she tightened her embrace a little and nuzzled her face against my hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m only acting spoiled like this with you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be bad if you did that with others.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not planning to, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    After all, I wanted to be spoiled because it was Karen.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen combed through my hair again, getting rid of some dirt that had stuck to it. It was probably a bit of a futile effort, though, since my hair was still wet and it kept picking up more dirt from the ground.


    Nonetheless, I simply let Karen do it, watching her as I enjoyed our embrace.


    I really don¡¯t feel like going back later¡­


    After some time, her hand moved over from my hair towards my sides. She was gently caressing me, making me squirm a little under her touch. Her hand moved to my back and she gently traced my back with her fingers, from my shoulders slowly downwards.


    It was one of those times you simply didn¡¯t want to end. A simple kind of happiness. Just touching each other in a gentle and affectionate way. Be it how she was combing my hair or how she was caressing my back and sides or¡­


    ¡°Nn? Hyah?! Sis?!¡±


    ¡°Ah. That works?¡±


    A sudden, prickly sensation shot through my spine, catching me completely off-guard.


    As Karen had traced my back with her hand, it had gradually gone downwards, towards my bottom. And stopped right above it.


    ¡°... Sis, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if that spot is sensitive even if you don¡¯t have a tail¡­ Sorry.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, it is.¡±


    She was talking about the spot right above my butt, where Karen and the others had their tails. It was a pricky sensation, having that spot touched. Not really uncomfortable by all means but¡­ It made me feel all squirmish.


    ¡°Don¡¯t surprise me like that, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. It was something I just suddenly wondered about.¡±


    ¡°Just warn me next time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Karen giggled again, her hand still tracing circles right above my butt. I couldn¡¯t help but wriggle in her arms from the weird feeling it caused.


    ¡°Sis, that didn¡¯t mean you can just keep going.¡±


    ¡°Should I stop?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Another giggle. It was hard to directly tell her to stop¡­ because it wasn¡¯t like it felt bad. Although, honestly, I was a little undecided whether it felt good either.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Her fingers stopped tracing circles. Her entire palm now rested on that spot instead, gently rubbing it.


    ¡°You can change your limbs into tentacles and grow them¡­ Would it be possible for you to grow a tail, too?¡±


    ¡°A tail?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That was¡­ a pretty weird question, to be honest.


    ¡°Uhh, I don¡¯t know? I never tried, after all.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    ¡°But why do you ask? Do you want me to?¡±


    Did Karen possibly have a tail fetish I didn¡¯t know about?


    ¡°Well, I was curious¡­ and I was thinking, if you had a tail like me, then we¡¯d look more like sisters.¡±


    More like sisters¡­ That would be nice.


    ¡°Nn, I guess I could try? But¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Even if it works, wouldn¡¯t it just end up being another tentacle?¡±


    While the thought of looking more like sisters was rather enticing, I wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to a tentacle tail.


    ¡°That¡­ might be the case.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it might.¡±


    For Karen, her tail was seriously adorable if you asked me. Even now it was lying next to her, occasionally perking up, touching me or wrapping around my hand. I wondered whether those actions were on purpose or if she did it unknowingly. In either case, it was adorable. And honestly, I wouldn¡¯t mind if it was a tail like that.


    But a tentacle would be a little¡­


    Imagining those same adorable actions by a tentacle¡­ It grossed me out. Sure, we were talking about my tentacles and I¡¯ve gotten used to them by now but there was a limit to everything. And a tentacle tail would clearly exceed this limit.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Yumi, some of your tentacles can change shape, right? Maybe you could make it look like an actual tail?¡±


    ¡°That¡­ might be possible?¡±


    If I could make it look like Karen¡¯s¡­ that¡¯d be nice.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll try if I can.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We could speculate as much as we wanted to but if I couldn¡¯t even grow a tail in the first place, then it would be kind of pointless. And considering that I never felt like I could, I had my doubts about it¡­


    But maybe¡­ Just maybe¡­ Anyway, I should concentrate.


    Transforming my limbs and eyes and all that was, for the most part, relatively simple. Probably because I did it more out of instinct than anything else. However, growing a tail¡­


    Nn¡­ The spot right above the butt¡­  Where Karen touched me earlier¡­


    Focussing on that spot, I imagined myself growing something from there¡­ A tentacle¡­ or a tail like Karen¡¯s.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    While Karen was watching me with bated breath, I kept trying to grow something from my behind¡­ Alas¡­


    ¡°... Nothing¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I confirmed it with a nod. There had been no change when I tried it. Maybe there was a way but, at the very least, it wasn¡¯t the same way I changed my limbs.


    ¡°So that¡¯s not possible.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it. Maybe if I used my magic but¡­ messing around like that sounds a little too scary.¡±


    If I used Life magic, then it probably wasn¡¯t impossible to do things like that. But changing a living creature was vastly different from messing around with some wood. Especially if it was me.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t. It was only a random thought I had anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But I guess it¡¯s a little unfortunate.¡±


    I glanced towards Karen. The pink strand in her hair had become quite promiscuous by now. It was the only visible connection between us. If I could have grown a tail, though, that would have been another one. It could have been another point of similarity between us.


    ¡°Hehe, even without, you¡¯re still my little sister, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I know.¡±


    I closed my eyes and leaned against Karen once more. Her hand caressed and patted my hair in a rhythmic and gentle manner. It felt safe in her arms.


    ¡°My little sister and little lover.¡±


    ¡°... That sounds all kinds of wrong.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    Usually, sisters didn¡¯t end up as lovers. Our situation was quite different from normal, though, so it wasn¡¯t like there was an actual problem.


    ¡°But it¡¯s fine like this.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It would probably raise a few eyebrows whenever people would learn of our relationship. But that wouldn¡¯t make me love Karen any less.


    ¡°Nn. I love you, Sis. I really love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too.¡±


    A smile crept up my face. A very happy and blissful smile.


    A good while later, the sun was already approaching the lake¡¯s surface. In other words, it was high time for us to get back. As reluctant as we both were, we parted our embrace and got dressed. If we wasted more time, we¡¯d never hear the end of it from Korwen. That wasn¡¯t how I wanted to end the day, either.


    I did consider it for a short while, though. Seeing the sun hanging over the lake, I figured that the sunset had to be quite a beautiful sight from here. But if we actually did that¡­ Well, I didn¡¯t want someone to search for us only to find us in a naked embrace watching the sunset¡­ I¡¯d die of embarrassment.


    ¡°Oh, there they are. Cap! They¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Taddick..¡±


    ¡°Hello, Mr Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Hey, good to see you two are back.¡±


    The very moment we walked through the gate we heard Taddick¡¯s voice calling for Korwen. The latter immediately walked over, shaking his head all the while.


    ¡°You two sure took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Sorry, captain.¡±


    ¡°I was just about wondering whether I should send someone to look for you.¡±


    Yeah, it was a good call to go back¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Captain. We lost track of time.¡±


    ¡°Be a little more careful next time, got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    In the end, we still got scolded, albeit only a little.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind the Cap. Dinner¡¯s already served, so if you don¡¯t want to sleep on an empty stomach, you better hurry. Though I¡¯d be happy to take it off your hands if you don¡¯t want it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not starve so no.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Taddick laughed heartily before turning around and returning to the other mercenaries, gathered around a table. It seemed they were already in the middle of dinner¡­ or maybe already at the part that came afterwards, judging from the mugs they were holding and the boisterous laughter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your portion¡¯s still there. But you should eat before it gets cold.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Capt¡¯n! It¡¯s your turn! Or ya givin¡¯ up?!¡±


    Calls for Korwen echoed through the camp, calling him over.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s calling for you, captain. Were you playing games?¡±


    ¡°With dice. Seriously¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have joined them.¡±


    With a shrug of his shoulders, Korwen returned to the mercenaries calling for him. Moments later, they were all absorbed in their games of dice.


    ¡°... Hey, Sis. Somehow, I have the feeling¡­ Even if we had stayed longer, nobody would have come to search for us.¡±


    ¡°... Maybe.¡±


    Well, we rarely saw Korwen taking a break like this, so this was fine.


    ¡°We should fetch our dinner, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Just a small distance away from where the men were playing their games we found the rations. It was only bread, jerky and some dried fruits but considering we were in the middle of an abandoned fort in a forest, this was still quite decent. Well, mostly abandoned.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t warm food, though¡­¡±


    Taddick had said it¡¯d get cold¡­ but this was already cold.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you want the jerky?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t want it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen nodded as she pushed her piece of jerky towards me.


    ¡°You sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    I was a little surprised. The jerky and the fruits were the good parts about the rations, after all. More or less, they still didn¡¯t taste amazing, but they were incomparably better than the food in the slums.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    That reminded me, didn¡¯t Karen also push away the jerky back in the slums? That stuff was pretty bad but¡­


    ¡°Sis, just saying this but this jerky is actually rather tasty. It¡¯s not like the stuff from the slums.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Oh, did I hit the nail on the head?


    ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m sorry, it reminds me so much of it¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I could hardly blame her, could I? That jerky from the slums was more akin to a piece of old leather. An old leather shoe. Its taste was also just as bad. Not to mention that even now I still had no idea what kind of meat it had been. And I probably didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°Do you want my fruits then?¡±


    ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t have to¡­¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t eat all of that, so take them.¡±


    With a smile, I pushed the fruits towards Karen.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a problem for me. The fruits were delicious but the jerky was quite good as well. And that I couldn¡¯t eat all of this was true as well. The size of the rations was determined according to the average mercenary. And this average mercenary was just a little taller than me and could eat just a little more than me¡­ In other words, I¡¯d have leftovers anyway.


    ¡°But¡­ You should probably try to get used to it at some point, Sis. I¡¯m sure this won¡¯t be the last time we¡¯ll have it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ I don¡¯t want to think about it.¡±


    Unfortunately, we probably had to. Jerky was very long-lasting. So were this bread and these dried fruits.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°If we can just travel back to the fort, would we even have to eat rations then?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    That was¡­ a valid point. But¡­


    ¡°I think that might be the case. But there might be situations where we can¡¯t go back. For example, we just talked about it how we might travel by ship, right? We can¡¯t really travel back to the fort in the middle of it, can we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    Karen sighed deeply, nibbling on the fruit in her hand. She really didn¡¯t want to touch any kind of jerky, huh?


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just eat the fruits and the bread? It¡¯s too much for me anyway.¡±


    ¡°That might be fine for a short while but you¡¯ll get ill if it would be for a longer time, won¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, how did you deal with that in the slums? Did you never eat any meat?¡±


    I never spent much thought about it but did the same rules apply in this world regarding nutrition? I already knew that the humanoid races were different in some aspects compared to the humans of my world, after all.


    ¡°I did¡­ sometimes eat that jerky¡­ Wanda forced me to.¡±


    ¡°Wanda did?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She said I¡¯d get ill so she, err, didn¡¯t let me leave if I didn¡¯t eat some.¡±


    Good job, Wanda.


    ¡°She sometimes also gave me fruits or candy afterwards, though.¡±


    ¡°... As a reward?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen averted her eyes, her cheeks blushing. Someone was embarrassed.


    ¡°Guess I should thank Wanda for taking care of you.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ She helped me a lot. I¡¯m really grateful to her.¡±


    That I could imagine.


    ¡°By the way, do you know why Wanda even lived in the slums?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ She never told me, no¡­ And when I asked before she evaded the question.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The mercenaries already knew about Wanda even before we came to them. Or more like, it seemed like she was quite famous, or maybe infamous, among them. In addition, Wanda was clearly skilled as a seamstress. I couldn¡¯t imagine that someone who could make such pretty clothes had to live in the slums. But if she evaded the question it wasn¡¯t something she wanted Karen to know.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll tell us one day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy if she would.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    For now, it seemed better to me not to pry. If Wanda wanted to talk about it, she would at some point. And if not, well, then she won¡¯t.


    Still, I hope she¡¯ll tell us.


    We finished our rations to the best of our abilities and cleaned up. By now, it was already slowly becoming night. The sun was probably still up but since we were in the forest and surrounded by the fort¡¯s walls, it had already become quite dark here.


    Just as I wondered what we should do, I heard a loud clap from behind us. When I looked behind me, I saw Korwen addressing all of us.


    ¡°Listen up, everyone! It¡¯s getting dark so we¡¯ll slowly wrap things up for the day. Tomorrow¡¯s going to be an early day. The night watch¡¯s been decided already. Everyone who doesn¡¯t have a turn can take a good rest. That doesn¡¯t mean you can stay up all night, though. If I catch anyone half-asleep tomorrow morning, I hope you¡¯re ready.¡±


    But what if I was half-asleep even if I slept through?


    ¡°That¡¯s all. Dismissed!¡±


    He clapped again, returning to the table where they were playing games. From the corner of my eyes, I could spot a few others retiring to their tents already.


    ¡°Yumi, should we go as well?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s probably a good idea.¡±


    With that decided, Karen and I returned to our tent, getting ready for the night as well.


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ no bed.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Of course, there isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But I couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed. I had gotten used to our bed. Blankets just weren¡¯t the same.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Oh well¡­¡±


    With a sigh, I undressed and got ready for bed. Next to me, Karen had also taken off her clothes already and was spreading out the blanket.


    ¡°Yumi, come here.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I dived into Karen¡¯s arms and together, we lay down on the blanket and then covered ourselves with the other one.


    ¡°Nn, maybe this isn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    After all, I could huddle up to Karen all I wanted. Not like I hadn¡¯t been doing that back in our wagon¡­


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    I snuggled up to Karen, hugging her. It was warm between the blankets. Warm and comfortable.


    ¡°Really, what am I to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, hugging me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so spoiled.¡±


    ¡°Nn, but only with you.¡±


    After all, the time I spent leisurely with Karen like this was the happiest time for me.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: An Expanding Door

    The next morning after breakfast, Korwen gathered all of us to determine our next course of action.


    ¡°Listen up, everyone. Today, we will continue exploring the premises first and foremost. Furthermore, we will begin carrying some supplies from the camp to the fort.¡±


    His booming voice echoed through the mostly empty fort.


    ¡°We¡¯ll mostly keep the groups from yesterday. However, the Dragon Knights and Sanna will join Taddick¡¯s group and Ria, Yumi and Karen will join mine. Keep that in mind when I give everyone their tasks. Understood?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, captain!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, first: Fenna, Merim, your groups are going to explore the fort. I also want you to start comparing the buildings with the blueprints we have received. Make notes of everything that is different, especially of places that are inaccessible or damaged. Taddick. Your group will check the perimeter around the fort. Check for any possible remnants of traps, traces of monsters or animals or anything else of interest. I want Sanna to make a rudimentary map of the surroundings, too. Be careful out there. As for my group, we will be bringing in the supplies. That¡¯s all. Everyone knows what they should do?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, captain!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Then, get to work!¡±


    He clapped his hands twice and everyone set out to start with the work. That, of course, included Karen and me.


    ¡°So, we¡¯re now with the Captain¡¯s group?¡±


    ¡°Seems like it.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s group was going to bring in supplies¡­ which made me wonder what he wanted with us. Or rather, with me specifically. I was very far from being a proficient supply carrier. Assuming I managed to carry anything at all.


    Actually, that¡¯s not quite true. Since we¡¯re probably going to use the tentacle door, maybe he has something he wants me to do with that one?


    Either way, the two of us joined the small crowd forming in front of Korwen, waiting for his next instructions. He¡¯d tell us what to do in a minute.


    ¡°Everyone present?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, captain!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. Follow me.¡±


    Korwen led us down the basement, to the hall with the tentacle door. Getting everyone down there took a while since there was only one rope and some people¡ªmyself included¡ªtook a while to get down there. Much to my delight, I wasn¡¯t the only one who had some trouble getting down, at least.


    Seems the door is holding up as well.


    The door in the otherwise empty hall stood unchanged, connecting to places. If I looked closely, I could see the flow of mana around the door as it was slowly absorbed to maintain the connection.


    ¡°Okay. Now then. First, we¡¯re going to gather the supplies we can already bring over and collect them in this hall. This includes most of our equipment, like arms, armour and everything else. Anything non-essential like books, too. You¡¯re free to bring your personal effects over as well, as long as you keep in mind that you can¡¯t use this place without permission. If you accidentally leave your money here, that¡¯s your problem, got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, captain!¡±¡±¡±


    After everyone saluted, Korwen divided the group into smaller ones, with each group taking care of other things. The only ones not included in any group were Ria and me. In other words¡­


    ¡°Eh? Ehh?¡±


    Karen was. And now, she looked to me, then to Korwen and back to me, clearly unsure of what she should do. I was pretty sure that Korwen had noticed but he completely ignored her confusion for now.


    I guess¡­ It has been a while.


    Since the incident with Yumelia, Karen had been at my side for nearly the entire time, only leaving me for very short amounts of time, if at all. She was worried and didn¡¯t want to leave me alone, that much I knew¡­


    ¡°Sis. I¡¯ll be fine here.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing that could happen here, right? Above, the other mercenaries including Fenna are there, right? And outside, there¡¯s the entire camp and you.¡±


    Karen fell silent, furrowing her brows. Her eyes were still occasionally darting between me and Korwen. I waited for a while until Karen finally replied.


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°... If something happens, I¡¯ll be there immediately, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll count on you.¡±


    I ushered Karen to join her group since I worried she might take so long they¡¯d leave without her. And neither of us wanted to make Korwen angry over this. Still, seeing Karen periodically throwing glances at me as she left with the others was quite¡­ Well, adorable. Maybe it was weird of me to think of it like that but I really thought it was endearing how reluctant she was to leave my side. I waved toward her, just before she left my line of sight.


    ¡°... Glad there was no uproar.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, Captain¡­ Did you expect an uproar?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. But I could¡¯ve been wrong. So I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. But¡­ was it maybe on purpose?¡±


    I tilted my head as I mulled over my own question. There¡­ were more than enough reasons he could have done this, after all.


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s simply that Karen¡¯s strength is useful for tasks like this. And I need you over here. That¡¯s all. I honestly didn¡¯t expect her to be so reluctant.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess I should have expected it, huh¡­ Anyway, it¡¯d be a problem for me as well if you two can¡¯t act independently from time to time. You should keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    He was right. That would be a problem. Thinking about it, he was right that Karen¡¯s strength was a boon for work like this. She could carry things that would usually require several men to carry, after all. The Average Joe kind of man. I honestly didn¡¯t know how most of the mercenaries compared in strength to Karen, but knowing of Korwen¡¯s feats, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some had a similar level of strength.


    ¡°That aside, Yumi. Is it possible to enlarge the door?¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Korwen¡¯s voice dragged me back to reality and I turned around to face him.


    ¡°Enlarge it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. At this size, it¡¯d be troublesome to get larger crates through. We¡¯d have to empty them and disassemble the crates, then carry them piece by piece over. Frankly, that¡¯d still be faster than moving them the whole way through the forest but you can see my point, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It¡¯d be quite the time waster if they had to disassemble everything. But, enlarging the door, he said. It should be possible, in theory¡­ Probably. I was sure I could make a larger one from scratch but¡­ Enlarging it was a bit different.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯ll have to try.¡±


    ¡°Mm, if you could. Ria, help Yumi out and make sure she doesn¡¯t end up as a dried-up weed.¡±


    ¡°Rude, that won¡¯t happen. As long as I got mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Figures. Do you think the ones you have on hand are enough?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The ones I had on hand¡­ That implied I had any left after yesterday¡¯s affair. Well, I had but¡­ When I checked my pouch, quite a few of the mana orbs had gone into the door, yesterday.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re enough, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Mm, what about the ones we brought in yesterday?¡±


    ¡°... Yesterday?¡±


    When did they bring mana crystals?


    ¡°The ones next to the door.¡±


    Korwen pointed at a small wooden box that was sitting next to the door. That box hadn¡¯t been there yesterday¡­


    ¡°Oh, weren¡¯t they supposed to power the door, though?


    ¡°Yes, but it seems that your door consumes less than we initially expected, so you can use them without worries.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Now, that was pleasant news. Would have been nice if Ria had told us that yesterday¡­ That¡¯s exactly the kind of thing that I had wanted to know when I asked her.


    ¡°Yes. Though, if you want the specifics, ask Ria. Her speciality, not mine.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Anyway, the matter of Ria aside, I should probably check first how many mana crystals were in that box. With that in mind, I strode to the door and checked its contents.


    ¡°Oh? There are quite a few big ones here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re crystals we usually use for magic tools.¡±


    ¡°... Is it really fine to use these? We still have some orbs in the camp.¡±


    ¡°It is. In exchange, lend us a few of those orbs later.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sure, but why do you need them?¡±


    They weren¡¯t running out of crystals¡­ were they?


    ¡°Wenners and Krutz asked for them. They want to see how well they work with magic tools and if we can replace the regular crystals we use with them.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    That was indeed a good question.


    ¡°Say, Yumi. Can you make crystals that aren¡¯t attributed as well?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, could I? Did I ever even try that? No, didn¡¯t I do that, like, really early on? I did¡­ I totally forgot, huh¡­


    ¡°... I think I can, yes.¡±


    ¡°Well, that might be needed in case it doesn¡¯t work out with the orbs you have right now.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Either way, I should try it out later once to make sure I really could still do that.


    ¡°We strayed a little from the topic. Are those enough crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I peered again into the box at my feet. The crystals inside were all quite big. At least, compared to the tiny pebbles we used for the orbs. And it was noticeable that they contained much more mana than said pebbles. Incomparably much more.


    ¡°I think these should be enough.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, I won¡¯t bother you any longer now. If you work on the door, feel free to stop the others from passing through.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Got it.¡±


    Now then¡­ With Korwen gone, that left me and Ria¡­ And Ria was¡­


    ¡°Nn? Ria?¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    Behind me¡­


    ¡°Everything¡­ okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there so it surprised me a little.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    When had she even gotten behind me anyway¡­ No, around the time Karen left and I talked with Korwen, right? That was embarrassing¡­


    ¡°Err, anyway. Should we get started?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Is there¡­ anything¡­ you need¡­ my help with?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Let me think¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t really anything I could think of right now¡­ It wasn¡¯t like she could influence the tentacles, after all.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s¡­ nothing¡­ then¡­ I¡¯ll observe¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    That was probably for the better. Actually, that wasn¡¯t so bad. If Ria observed, then she might notice if things would go awry. Which, hopefully, wouldn¡¯t happen, of course. But it was still reassuring to know she was there to help.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    I sat down next to the door, making sure not to sit in the way of the mercenaries that went through the door. Some of them looked at me and Ria, curious about what we were doing but nobody stopped to ask.


    Well then¡­ Let¡¯s start.


    I held my hand towards the door, concentrating on the tentacles and the door. Once I had them and their mana in my grasp, I first checked if there was anything unusual about them. Then again, I didn¡¯t even know what their usual state really was so it probably didn¡¯t really make a difference. I wouldn¡¯t notice anything out of ordinary anyway. For now, I could only hope this was their normal state.


    ¡°Ria, did anything change compared to yesterday?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ They¡¯re still¡­ the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ But the captain mentioned that they use less mana than we thought?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ They settled¡­ quite quickly¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Good to know.


    ¡°But other than that, there was no other change?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Is something¡­ wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, just wanted to make sure.¡±


    It¡¯d be everything but funny if there had been a change¡­ That said, Ria knew more about this than me, so there probably really hadn¡¯t been any change¡­ other than the mana consumption that had ¡®settled¡¯ now¡­


    Okay¡­ But if this is their normal state then¡­ I guess they really don¡¯t use as much as we feared at first.


    This was a bit of a relief, frankly. But even though it wasn¡¯t as much as we originally feared, the consumption was still considerable. In fact, now that I was looking closer, it still felt like it absorbed quite a bit of mana¡­


    ¡°Let me check something.¡±


    I stood up and then walked through the tentacle door to the other side. From one moment to another, the hard, cold stone floor had been replaced with the soft grass of the outside. It was truly a magical situation. A little disturbing, too, though.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I checked the tentacle door on this side and, sure enough, I could feel the door consuming quite a bit of mana but, from the outside, it didn¡¯t quite look like it did¡­


    ¡°Ria. When I just checked the tentacles, I have the feeling they consume much more than it looks like from the outside.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Is that¡­ so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ That¡¯s¡­ weird¡­ But I¡­ have no idea¡­ either¡­¡±


    Well, great¡­ In that case, maybe I could figure out where that mana came from.


    Nn¡­ Somewhere¡­ around¡­ there? Oh? Oh¡­ Ohhhh¡­


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find the source. Unsurprisingly. After all¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a mana orb¡­¡±


    On this side, I had given the tentacles a mana orb, so they wouldn¡¯t wither by the time we would connect the two sides. The other one on the fort¡¯s side didn¡¯t have an orb. Something I probably should rectify as well.


    ¡°Ria, I forgot that I gave this side a mana orb. It seems the door has been feeding mostly off it.


    ¡°I see¡­ That is¡­ intriguing¡­ Mmm¡­ Can you¡­ remove¡­ the orb?¡±


    ¡°... I probably can but¡­ I don¡¯t know if the door will stay open if I do.¡±


    And I¡¯d rather not do something that had a chance to mess this up. I could already imagine Korwen¡¯s face of utter disappointment. Not that he had ever shown me such an expression, even when I messed up.


    ¡°Then¡­ it¡¯s better¡­ not to¡­ do it.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I agree.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ the consumption¡­ we saw¡­ in the¡­ beginning¡­ might have¡­ been the¡­ correct one¡­ No¡­ it might be¡­ even more¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    Even more, huh¡­ Quite possible. That¡­ definitely wasn¡¯t something Korwen would like to hear.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Anyway, I should add a mana orb later on that side, too. For now¡­¡±


    There was another problem I had to tackle. It wasn¡¯t quite as obvious from the underground side but¡­ The board where this door was placed was¡­ not exactly large. Even if I expanded the door, the size difference wouldn¡¯t be very large. I was sure that it¡¯d still help but there definitely were things that wouldn¡¯t fit through even then.


    ¡°I wonder if we could make the board bigger¡­¡±


    That¡¯d be convenient. But I¡¯d need to consult with Korwen for that. But before I¡¯d consult with him, I first had to mana to expand it at all.


    ¡°Ria, I¡¯ll do it from this side, okay?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Sure¡­¡±


    After hearing my words, Ria came over to this side as well.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Ah, the crystals.¡±


    I¡¯d need those. And there was no point in leaving them over on the other side if I worked here. And so, I fetched the small box with the mana crystals. Only to find out that it was seriously heavy.


    ¡°Ria¡­ Can you help me?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria took the other side of the box and together, we carried it to the other side.


    Okay, but now we¡¯re ready.


    Nonetheless, I confirmed once more that I had everything. Once I had done so, I asked Ria if she could stop people from working through the door for now while I worked.


    First, the tentacles¡­ Got you.


    After having done it so many times, connecting to the tentacles had become quite easy. Admittedly, most of it had been caused by my own reluctance but¡­ Anyway, it wasn¡¯t much of a problem anymore.


    Nn, next is¡­ How do I do this¡­


    For now, I prodded the tentacles to grow in a certain direction, enough to cover the board. Simultaneously, I grew the ones on the underground side as well for the same amount. I was a little worried for a second if it¡¯d work without direct sight but when I checked them, the tentacle growth had expanded perfectly in sync. As expected of the almighty tentacles.


    Okay¡­ But the door¡­ That might be tricky.


    I didn¡¯t want to close the door if possible. Reestablishing would consume without a doubt nearly all my remaining mana orbs. It wasn¡¯t an option unless I wanted to waste a lot of mana. And, as a consequence of that, a lot of money.


    Even so, in the worst case, the orbs I have left and the crystals the captain left me should be enough to renew the connection.


    As long as the door was still the same size, of course.


    Now then¡­ Let¡¯s see.


    I prodded the tentacles once more, but this time with the goal of expanding the door. Very slowly and, most importantly, cautiously. The tentacles stirred, slowly receding into the tentacle growth and forming a smooth surface. The door itself seemed to close its lid¡ªwithout actually closing the connection¡ªand then fused with the newly formed door part.


    ¡°So far, so good¡­ The door seems to¡­ Nn? Woah!¡±


    Then, the mana consumption immediately spiked, and the orbs in my hand crumbled to dust, followed by the ones in my pouch. I stumbled backwards, surprised by the sudden feeling of mana being drained away. It didn¡¯t affect me directly, but I still held control of the mana in the orb. Having that control robbed from me was everything but pleasant. But by the time I could check what was even going on, it was already over.


    ¡°... Is it done?¡± I murmured in a quiet voice.


    The door¡¯s surface was still closed but the mana drain had stopped completely. Or rather, it was about the same as before I started.


    I poked the door, prompting it to open. In its entirety. The tunnel was still there. Only larger.


    It worked! It worked¡­


    Like weight being lifted from my shoulders.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It worked¡­ It looks¡­ just like¡­ before¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ but¡­¡±


    I checked the contents of my pouch. Quite a few of the remaining orbs had crumbled to dust. Just making a single door of this size had exhausted so many of the orbs we had prepared. It really drove home how much mana this door consumed.


    Guess that shouldn¡¯t be too surprising, considering how ridiculous it is.


    Anyway, it was done now. It had worked.


    ¡°I guess we should report this to the captain. And if this is big enough.¡±


    The door was now large enough to allow two grown men to walk side by side through it. That might still be a little tough if they wanted to carry something through that required several people but it should be fine for most stuff.


    ¡°Mm¡­ In the¡­ meantime¡­ I will¡­ take¡­ another look¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure. Ahh, but first¡­ Before I forget it again.¡±


    I went to the other side with one of the remaining few mana orbs in hand and gave it to the surrounding tentacle growth.


    ¡°This should last them a good while, probably.¡±


    I might need to gauge the consumption sometime but, right now, it should last them long enough. Probably a few days, at least.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it..¡±


    With that, I let Ria step forward so that she could do¡­ whatever she wanted to. In the meantime, well¡­ It was probably not a good idea for me to just walk around the camp and look for Korwen, was it? In that case, it was probably better if I waited here. Or should I ask someone to tell Korwen we were done, more or less?


    Anyway, for now, let¡¯s sit down a moment¡­


    Good thing that there was a chair here.


    ¡°Excuse me, Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Before I could even sit down, though, a man called out to me from behind.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can we pass again or is it still blocked?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, no, you can go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. Guys, we can continue.¡±


    The man returned outside the tent and a few seconds later, he returned with others, carrying crates, armours, things wrapped in cloth and all other kinds of stuff. The whole procession of mercenaries carried these supplies into the hall, where they dropped them off in the corner.


    ¡°It makes things quite easy, huh¡­¡±


    If not for this door, they would have to carry all of this through the forest¡­ or wait until the road was done and go with the wagons. Either way, it would take a long time until that would have been possible.


    Well, for now, let¡¯s watch them for a bit¡­


    The mercenaries came and went, carrying all manners of things into the underground hall. It didn¡¯t take long until the once empty hall started to fill out a little.


    ¡°Ah, they were right, she¡¯s here!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Once more, someone called out to me. But this time, by a high-pitched voice. One I was quite familiar with. Through the tent¡¯s curtain peeked a face framed by black hair with a distinct rainbow sheen.


    ¡°Lily?¡±


    ¡°In the flesh.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re helping out as well?¡±


    ¡°The captain¡¯s been going around gathering some more help. So, yes, here I am.¡±


    Huh¡­ He really was going to make use of it now, wasn¡¯t he? Not that I minded.


    ¡°So, this is the rumoured door?¡±


    ¡°Nn. There are always rumours going on?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hard not to, when a whole group walks into a tiny tent at night and disappears.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So much to this place being out of sight.


    ¡°You think the captain¡¯s going to get angry if I explore a little?¡±


    ¡°Probably. And if he isn¡¯t, wouldn¡¯t Greyward get angry?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ He might¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, that place is underground. There¡¯s nothing to see there unless you go up.¡±


    Mostly empty rooms, except for the one part in the back with the Worshipper¡¯s area.


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s below the ground?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t feel like it is.¡±


    ¡°... It doesn¡¯t, does it?¡±


    No matter how dark and all that it looked like, considering we were standing in a tent on a meadow, it felt more like this was a cave, at most.


    ¡°Hey, whoever¡¯s there, you¡¯re blocking the way!¡±


    ¡°Oh, oops. One moment.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily dashed outside when a loud voice complained to us. Did she leave the stuff she was supposed to carry outside, blocking the way?


    ¡°Go on, go on.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Instead of the expected Lily carrying something, I was greeted by the sight of her back as she walked backward into the tent, holding open the curtain. A large crate followed her. Yes, a crate. No other person in sight.


    ¡°What the heck am I looking at?¡±


    It was a walking crate. This was certainly not what I expected to see.


    ¡°Mh? Yumi, why are you surprised? They¡¯re yours.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Mine?¡±


    Instead of replying, Lily pointed to the ground. Following her direction, I gazed to the bottom of the crate¡­ and found dozens of small dolls carrying the crate.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re helping out quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ great.¡±


    Lily ushered the dolls through the door and into the hall, where they put down the crate next to the other supplies. Once they had finished their work, they followed Lily back to the tent.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get going before someone says I¡¯m slacking.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Good luck. Ah, and, if you see the captain, can you tell him that we¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°Sure can. Until later.¡±


    Lily waved and left, the group of dolls following her obediently.


    Never did I expect them to be able to carry the crates, though¡­


    An individual doll wasn¡¯t particularly strong. Well, they were quite strong considering their diminutive size but certainly not to the extent that I would have expected this. It sure surprised me.


    ¡°Well¡­ Whatever, time to wait.¡±


    With some luck, it wouldn¡¯t take too long for Korwen to come back. Until then, I didn¡¯t have anything to do, except maybe monitoring the door.


    That reminds me, I¡¯ve seen quite a lot of people coming through but¡­ No sign of Sis.


    I wasn¡¯t particularly worried but it did make me wonder. Just what were they trying to transport. I couldn¡¯t quite recall anymore what Korwen had said when he divided the groups but¡­ I couldn¡¯t recall any others of her group coming through either.


    Well, they¡¯ll show up sooner or later.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: From one place to another

    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s quite a bit bigger now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is. But is this big enough?¡±


    ¡°It should suffice. Big enough to get most crates through. Everything bigger will be kept behind and transported once the road is clear. Good job, Yumi.¡±


    Korwen, who had come after a while to inspect our progress, nodded in satisfaction. The expanded tentacle door was big enough for his plans, which was a relief.


    ¡°I wonder if you could expand it more if we added more boards to it.¡±


    ¡°... It might be doable but¡­ I¡¯m not sure what would happen if those broke apart.¡±


    ¡°That could become an issue, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Technically speaking, the tentacles were the ones creating that door and the wooden board and the stone wall were both simply foundations where they grew on top of. Nonetheless, there was no telling what would happen if those foundations broke apart. In the best case, the connection would just break away and the tunnel would close. And the worst-case¡­ wasn¡¯t a scenario I was fond of imagining.


    ¡°It¡¯s not something we¡¯re in dire need to try out for now anyway. The door is large enough for our current needs.¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s good.¡±


    The door was big enough and we knew that I could expand them without issue. I had also informed him earlier of the news regarding the mana consumption and the mana orbs in the door. Was there anything else to discuss with him now? Not¡­ really?


    ¡°Captain, what should I do now?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Well¡­¡±


    Korwen looked at me, lost in thought.


    ¡°... How about you watch the door for a while longer?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Did he¡­ have nothing for me to do? Seriously? Was that what was going on?


    ¡°... I don¡¯t mind but¡­ is that okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be a bit of an issue if you walked around our camp now. And at the fort, there¡¯s nothing for you to do either. So, yes, that¡¯s fine. If you find something else to do, I won¡¯t stop you. As long as you don¡¯t do anything dangerous, of course. Or dumb.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    Basically, I was given free rein over what to do now? Wow¡­


    ¡°Good. Don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Korwen left the tent so that the mercenaries could resume their work and carry the supplies into the hall. He probably still had work to do in the camp¡­


    Well, what to do now?


    He told me I could do what I wanted but, honestly, that was a bit of a problem. It was easy when you were told ¡®Do this.¡¯ or ¡®Do that.¡¯ and similar. But, in a way, now I had to find work on my own?


    I mean, watching the door just in case is probably good enough for the captain¡­ Otherwise, he¡¯d told me to do something else.


    Still, just watching the mercenaries coming and going was, frankly, incredibly boring. I wanted something to do.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, it¡¯s Lily again.¡±


    ¡°Still sitting here?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You could say that.¡±


    Where else was I supposed to go, after all? Not anywhere else, at least.


    ¡°Hey, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I interrupted Lily as she ushered the dolls through the door again.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what I could do?¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you see¡­¡±


    I explained to her briefly what the captain had told me just now.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if you just sit here and watch?¡±


    ¡°I guess it is. But it¡¯s boring¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ something I can relate to.¡±


    Honestly, it was sometimes astonishing how little there was to do. In my old world, finding something to do was so simple. But here? It wasn¡¯t as easy. Though, I did have the feeling that I was slowly getting used to that, too.


    I¡¯m absolutely certain I wouldn¡¯t get used to guard-work, though. It sounds like a nightmare, to me. Glad I don¡¯t have to.


    Though, this job wasn¡¯t much better.


    ¡°Mm¡­ If you could go to the camp I could have recommended you to do maintenance on your weapons and armour¡­¡±


    ¡°... I wouldn¡¯t even know how to do that.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Want me to teach you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure. But not now.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    While I was looking for something to do, this girl was looking for a way to slack off. Things sure could take a turn depending on where you stood, huh?


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Something to do¡­ Well, your dolls are busy, right now, so you can¡¯t do any maintenance on them either.¡±


    ¡°... Honestly, I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d need any.¡±


    I glanced towards the gaggle of dolls, running around at our feet. When they heard my words, they immediately gathered in front of me, jumping up and down to draw my attention.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re saying that they do need it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can see that.¡±


    But, how do you even do that¡­


    How do you take care of a doll? Uhh¡­ Clean them? Sounds like a plan. Maybe polish them? They¡¯re made of wood, after all. And, of course, giving them some mana.


    Considering their numbers, that alone¡­ might actually take some time. And, as loath as I was to admit, I had never done anything of the sort for them. I probably should change that.


    ¡°Hey, Lily. Is there something like, err, wood polish? Or rather, how do you take care of wood?¡±


    ¡°... Wood polish? Never heard of that.¡±


    ¡°Well, too bad¡­¡±


    I had some hopes, considering how good her memory was but it seemed that wasn¡¯t working out.


    ¡°We do use wax or oil for weapon maintenance, including those with wood parts. Maybe that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°Oh? That sounds pretty much like it.¡±


    ¡°Then, you might want to ask Wormaz about it. He knows a lot about things like that. Even if it¡¯s not what you want, he might have an idea what else to use.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do. Thanks.¡±


    Correction, she could help me out. As expected of Lily.


    ¡°But¡­ Wormaz is in the camp right now, right? I¡¯ll have to do that another time then.¡±


    The dolls at my feet all slumped to the ground at my words. Sorry, but I was told by Korwen to not go to the camp today. Transporting all those supplies was already plenty suspicious, so if I turned up, who was supposed to be at the fort, it¡¯d surely lead to rumours. At least, that¡¯s what I believed the reason was. I was a little too conspicuous.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll take care of all of you another time, okay? I promise.¡±


    The dolls stood up again, jumping up and down like earlier. At least, that cheered them up a little.


    ¡°Thank the Spirits, I was worried my helpers wouldn¡¯t help me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, Lily¡­ Why are you not carrying things yourself?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this more efficient?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It would be if she also carried something alongside the dolls.


    ¡°Forget about me, do you have any idea what you¡¯re going to do now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a very good attempt at changing the topic.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Doing maintenance was off the table for now, until I could go to the camp again. And other than that, I had no ideas.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I have no idea either, then.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I suppressed a sigh, watching as another set of mercenaries was carrying things into the hall behind Lily. The men put down the crates and went back to fetch a new set of supplies. There were so many things, it made me wonder just what the heck they were carrying.


    ¡°Oh. I have an idea.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Maybe I should take stock of what they¡¯re carrying here?¡±


    With all the things being brought over, someone had to keep track of what they brought in, right?


    ¡°Taking stock? Is nobody doing that?¡±


    ¡°Well, if there is, I haven¡¯t seen them.¡±


    ¡°In that case, it might be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    And it was infinitely better than lazying around.


    ¡°But I need some writing utensils for that¡­¡±


    ¡°You should also ask the captain if there isn¡¯t someone already doing that.¡±


    ¡°... Probably not.¡±


    As a matter of fact, I had helped taking stock as part of the secretary work before. After all, the band was in desperate need of more well-educated people. Most people could at least do their numbers, but anything beyond that proved to be troublesome. And taking stock at least required people to read and write.


    Then again, there¡¯s not often a need to take stock¡­ There are people responsible for that, after all. For example, the food supplies are managed by Mrs Korwen and the families.


    There might be someone doing it already¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t just go and ask him, though¡­ Guess that won¡¯t work out either.¡±


    ¡°I could go and ask him for you?¡±


    ¡°Lily, do you even have time for that?¡±


    I didn¡¯t explicitly say that she was supposed to be working, but it probably got through to her. Although, if it did, she sure wasn¡¯t letting it show.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I can do that alongside my work.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not going to help you if Greyward gets angry at you. Or the captain.¡±


    That¡¯d be her problem. Not mine.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen. This is just a short break, after all. As long as I do enough work, they won¡¯t get mad.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether they really wouldn¡¯t get mad or not but¡­ Well, they probably wouldn¡¯t. I hadn¡¯t seen Korwen get truly mad at someone for slacking a little, yet. Excluding that boy and his mother, that got kicked out.


    ¡°But I really should get back to it or they really are going to get angry with me. See you later, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, have fun with work.¡±


    ¡°You too!¡±


    Lily laughed and waved before leaving, the dolls following right behind her. I was a little surprised how they followed her without her saying a word¡­


    ¡°Makes me a little sad, huh¡­¡±


    The dolls had managed to integrate themselves really well into the band. They followed orders and they worked hard.


    ¡°Meanwhile, I sit around again.¡±


    I glanced over to the tentacle door. Nothing really had changed about it. The only thing different would be the place where Ria was squatting.


    Makes you wonder just what she is looking at the entire time¡­


    Even when I checked up on the tentacles and the door, there was too little I could see.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ I wonder what Sis is doing.¡±


    Maybe I should have asked Lily or Korwen about her. Neither Karen nor the others from her group had come through so far.


    Nothing to do about that but wait. Maybe I should look around at what things they brought over?


    I stood up from the chair and walked through the door and into the hall. The supplies they had brought over were slowly piling up, filling the hall. There was an incessant ¡®One, two.¡¯ in the background, as the mercenaries carried things in groups. Some were gasping for air after bringing something especially heavy, others wiped their sweat in a corner. A few others were doing some small-talk, taking a break.


    As I stood there and watched my surroundings, I could hear a few mercenaries even talking about the tentacle door. Surprise and awe mixed into their voices, as they happily discussed how useful it was. Hearing their praise made me a little happy, to be honest.


    It is useful, after all. Heck, if something like that existed in my old world¡­ That¡¯d be crazy. Though, I guess it did?


    There was one thing that came to mind. My last moments over there. Some weird cultists performing some ritual that ultimately led me to this place. Honestly, even now I still had no idea what had happened there. Sure, my memories were muddled or outright gone but the ones I still remembered didn¡¯t answer any questions either¡­ If anything, I only had more questions.


    ¡°My memories, huh¡­¡±


    When I closed my eyes and tried to remember my past¡­ It was mostly blank. There was nothing but vague fragments here and there.


    ¡°Hey, kid. Kid. Girl, lil¡¯ lady!¡±


    ¡°Nn? What?¡±


    ¡°Ya standing in the way. Mind moving a little?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Ah! Sorry, I¡¯ll get out of the way.¡±


    I hurried to the side, letting the mercenaries through. They walked past me, setting down the heavy-looking crate.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No problem, no problem. Just take care next time!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I will.¡±


    Standing in the middle of the hall and spacing out had clearly been not my smartest choice. Seriously¡­


    ¡°Well, what to do¡­ Oh, right, I wanted to take a look at the things they brought.¡±


    That had been the reason I had come over in the first place.


    ¡°Where to start¡­¡±


    I walked through the hall, evading the busy men and staring at the crates, sacks, bags and whatever else they had brought. Honestly, most of it just looked the same to me, so it probably didn¡¯t really matter where I¡¯d start.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s start over here.¡±


    I walked over to the corner that was already filled to the brim. As such, the mercenaries weren¡¯t placing anything else here anymore. I wouldn¡¯t bother anyone with my bout of curiosity.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. Oh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    The first crate I opened¡­ contained vegetables. Red and long with patches of dirt remaining on them. Otherwise known as Earth Cucus.


    I don¡¯t know. Food is important, sure, but I expected a little¡­ Something a little more exciting?


    Those were just my unfair expectations, sure, but I was nonetheless a little disappointed. Even if they were delicious. They were basically potatoes.


    I opened the next crate and, sure enough, found more vegetables. The same kind even. Mrs Korwen had told me you could store them for months when I helped with cooking but¡­


    Unsurprisingly, the next few crates were all filled with Earth Cucus as well. One might wonder what in the hell we might need so many of them for but¡­ The band was large. Several hundred people to feed. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if one dinner was one or two crates worth of Earth Cucus.


    Okay, let¡¯s check somewhere else¡­ It¡¯s obvious that they brought all the Earth Cucus to this corner. Guess someone is taking stock already, then?


    With nobody to answer my question, I moved away from the mountain of vegetables in crates to find something else. Instead of the crates, I targeted a small mountain of piled up sacks this time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Show me what you hide¡­ Oh?¡±


    There was¡­ something brown inside. A brown powder.


    ¡°This is flour, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s flour, right?¡±


    It was flour.


    ¡°Yumi, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, Lily, you¡¯re back already?¡±


    ¡°You sound like I am not supposed to be here.¡±


    She had been ¡®taking a break¡¯ just earlier, after all. But I could see the crate behind her moving, so she was working this time. Or rather, the dolls were.


    ¡°So, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I was curious about the supplies, so I wanted to see what they brought over. Only found Earth Cucus and flour, though.¡±


    I glanced at the sacks behind me.


    ¡°I wish I had that free time.¡±


    ¡°Want to switch places?¡±


    ¡°No thank you.¡±


    Too bad.


    ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t mess around with the supplies too much. Mrs Korwen¡¯s going to be mad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be bad¡­ Well, I guess I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    It was mostly food anyway.


    ¡°If we have all the supplies here, I wonder if we can stop eating rations today.¡±


    ¡°If you have someone who can cook or bake bread.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The cooking part¡­ Well, I was still too unfamiliar with a lot of the ingredients. I didn¡¯t want to give anyone a stomach ache. Especially since I probably wouldn¡¯t even get one myself.


    ¡°Now I¡¯d really like some fresh bread.¡±


    ¡°Can you bake?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. I know what ingredients are needed but I never saw the process myself.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That was a bit unexpected.


    ¡°I mean, I was the only one among the Black Guards who could cook at all.¡±


    ¡°... Ah right. That was a thing.¡±


    Forgot about that part¡­


    ¡°Nn? But if nobody could cook¡­ Who taught you to cook? Was it Yumias? Or did you learn it yourself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen Mama cook¡­ No, there was someone else who taught me. They¡¯re¡­ not travelling with the Black Guards anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    So, there used to be someone who could cook among the Black Guards, huh¡­ But¡­ Not travelling with them anymore? It didn¡¯t sound like that person had passed away but¡­ Maybe it was better not to pry on that topic.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I never got the chance to learn how to bake bread. Maybe I¡¯ll get the chance another time.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m sure you will.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so. Fresh bread is delicious! Delicious, I say!¡±


    It definitely was better than old bread.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get the chance to have fresh bread more often now. I recall Mrs Korwen saying that having a proper kitchen would go a long way towards things like this.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t an oven readily available while travelling, so fresh bread really wasn¡¯t something you could easily get. The only time we had fresh bread¡­ was in the Hollow Fort?


    ¡°I sure hope so. I¡¯m looking forward to it!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am too.¡±


    Not only fresh bread but all the things we couldn¡¯t do because of a lack of time or facilities. By no means was the dinner bad, it was really good but just the image of how much better it could get with a proper kitchen¡­ Yes, I was looking forward to it, too.


    ¡°... Lily, you should probably go back before you slack off again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to but the exit is blocked.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The exit was blocked? Wait, did something happen to the door while I was looking away?


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Except, the door was still open. But Lily was right that nobody was coming through right now.


    ¡°Is something going on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see in a moment. Ah, we should probably make space.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like we were in the way but Lily and I still decided to go to the wall and watch the door. Not that I knew what we were waiting for.


    ¡°Oh, there they come.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, it¡¯s sis.¡±


    A familiar silver-haired head entered the tent on the other side of the door. She was entering with her back first, taking one step at a time as she looked at the ground. I could hear some people saying something to her, upon which she stopped.


    ¡°Are they carrying something?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°... Something big?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    So that¡¯s why the exit was blocked. They let them through first.


    As I watched together with Lily, Sis and whoever else was out there had made some progress, taking one step at a time. The thing they were carrying slowly came into sight but¡­ it was covered by a large blanket. Still, I felt something familiar about it.


    Curious, I took a look with my mana sight and¡­


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s that thing.¡±


    The large crystal we had gotten from the roper. The artificial mana crystal, created by some fallen empire. They were slowly carrying it into the tent.


    ¡°Okay, one step. Ah! Careful there. Don¡¯t let it hit anything! Yes, that¡¯s good. Now, slowly¡­ Slowly¡­ Yes, good. Very good.¡±


    The other people carrying slowly came into sight as well. Sure enough, it was the group that Karen belonged to.


    ¡°We nearly got it! It¡¯s the last spurt, you can do it!¡±


    And the one giving directions as they carried the massive crystal¡­ was Korwen himself.


    ¡°Karen, be careful. Watch your step.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Captain!¡±


    Karen gasped for air as she answered Korwen, She watched the ground as she slowly stepped over the doorstep¡ªif you could call it as such¡ªand entered the hall proper.


    ¡°Good, good. Now, don¡¯t rush. We¡¯re at the last part.¡±


    One after another, the men including Korwen stepped through the tentacle door and into the hall. Once they had confirmed they were all inside, they made their way towards the wall. I hadn¡¯t noticed before but there was some contraption placed at that, probably serving as some kind of underlay.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s get it down. Slowly! Slowly¡­ Wait, slowly, I said! Stop! Stop! It¡¯s tilting!¡±


    The whole group froze, as the crystal slowly tilted to one corner.


    ¡°Get it up a little again. Yes¡­ Yes, like that is good. Okay, again. And this time, slowly!¡±


    Several moments later, they had finally set down the crystal on the ground. They all cautiously let go of the crystal. The group stared at the crystal for several seconds before¡ª


    ¡°... Woooh! We did it!¡±


    ¡°We did it, guys!¡±


    ¡°Wooohoooo!¡±


    ¡ªthey all cheered.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Good work, everyone! Take a break now, you deserve it!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Captain!¡±¡±¡±


    Instead of dispersing, most of them immediately dropped down on the floor, catching their breath, including Karen.


    ¡°That thing must¡¯ve been really heavy,¡± I said, astonished at the view.


    ¡°I think they tried to carry it with a carrying aid but it broke outside. So, yes, I think it is heavy.¡±


    If it was that heavy, I was quite surprised they managed to get it into Ria¡¯s wagon¡­ That couldn¡¯t have been easy. Nor getting it out of there again.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll go back to work before the captain¡¯s going to scold me. Later.¡±


    ¡°Nn, later.¡±


    ¡°Come you dolls, back to work we go!¡±


    And there went Lily, together with the dolls. I watched her for a moment before going over to Karen¡¯s group.


    ¡°Good work there, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Haa? Ohh¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°You look tired.¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ heavy¡­¡±


    There was sweat flowing down her face, a sign of how exhausting it was. And with Karen having so much stamina and strength, seeing her exhausted was definite proof of it.


    ¡°Err¡­ Need something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    I found a small barrel with water that had been carried over already, together with a crate full of wooden mugs. I filled one and brought it over to Karen, who thanked me and gulped it down.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem. Good work. Want another?¡±


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±


    I received the mug and went to fetch her another one, only to be interrupted by a voice from behind.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s unfair you only bring your girl some! Bring us water, too!¡±


    ¡°Yes, exactly! We¡¯re exhausted, too!¡±


    ¡°What he said!¡±


    ¡°You guys¡­¡±


    Well, it couldn¡¯t be helped¡­ I took another mug, and filled both, bringing one to Karen and handing the other to one of the other mercenaries. Of course, that only got more shouts out of them, but carrying more than one in each hand was bound to end in a disaster. Their grips weren¡¯t so handy that you could carry multiple in one hand. Plus, they were big and heavy.


    In other words, I had to do a few more trips, until they were all happy. The moment they all had something to drink, they had already all forgotten about it and they were making merry among themselves.


    ¡°What a troublesome bunch¡­¡±


    ¡°But you still humoured them.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well, they did some hard work, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    I sat down next to Karen as we spoke, knocking against the crystal. It didn¡¯t even move the tiniest bit when I did.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ It was hard¡­ I don¡¯t want to do this again.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    That¡­ might be a wish that wouldn¡¯t come true. After all, Korwen wouldn¡¯t let the crystal sit here, doing nothing.


    ¡°Did you have to get it out of Ria¡¯s wagon?¡±


    ¡°Mm, that¡¯s right. That part was still fine, actually. Did you know that you can open the entire front of her wagon?¡±


    ¡°Wait, seriously?¡±


    ¡°I was surprised, too. We only had to get the crystal down from there.¡±


    That explained how they got it inside. At least, they didn¡¯t have to squeeze through the door with that thing.


    ¡°Carrying it the whole way was a little harder¡­ I never thought it could be this hard. And then, in front of the tent, the board we used gave away and broke under its weight.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain was quite upset. It seems it was a reinforced carrying aid.¡±


    Yet, it still couldn¡¯t carry that weight. Made me wonder how much this crystal actually weighed.


    ¡°So you had to carry the last part without the aid?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It¡¯s so smooth it¡¯s hard to get a proper grip¡­ and if you let go¡­¡±


    Your feet would be mush for sure.


    ¡°But now it¡¯s here. Haaa¡­¡±


    Karen leaned towards my side, resting her upper body against me.


    ¡°Nn, you did well, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Praise me more.¡±


    ¡°You did well. Good job, Sis.¡±


    I gave her head a few pats, making her grin happily.


    ¡°But I wonder¡­ Why did the Captain already bring it over? Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier to transport it with the wagons later on?¡±


    ¡±Apparently, he doesn¡¯t want to leave it in the camp. Because it¡¯s such a rare and dangerous crystal.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    The crystal contained a huge amount of mana, even if it proved impossible to extract currently. Even then, it was surely quite tempting for some people. The faster it was brought to safety, the better.


    ¡°I guess that would be better¡­¡±


    But where did he want to store the crystal now? It might be in the fort now but¡­


    Let¡¯s hope for everyone¡¯s sake, that they don¡¯t have to get it to the surface.


    I put my arm around Karen and gave her a few more head pats.


    ¡°Mm¡­ More.¡±


    ¡°Nn, come here, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe!¡±


    Ignoring the stares from our surroundings, I spoiled Karen until she was thoroughly satisfied.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: A New Resonsibility

    After Karen had caught her breath, I spoiled her with plenty of head pats. Her expression melted as she leaned against me, giggling happily.


    ¡°Hehehe, just for this, it was worth all the effort.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I have to pat you even more.¡±


    ¡°Please do!¡±


    I kept patting her, ruffling her hair until it was all messy.


    ¡°Good girl, good girl. Sis is a good girl.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Needless to say that flirting around only drew all the surrounding gazes toward us. Karen hadn¡¯t noticed them yet, though, so I decided not to say anything. Even though it was a little embarrassing, Karen¡¯s happiness took priority right now. Her smile was well worth the price of a little bit of shame.


    ¡°Seriously, what a spoiled sister I have.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but giggle as well while I watched her bright smile. Alas, it was probably better to stop here.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough for now.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you more later, okay?¡±


    When there were fewer prying eyes around us. Honestly, if I kept going I might explode later from the embarrassment. The lukewarm gazes were too much.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Promise me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    If she wanted more patting, then more patting she¡¯d get.


    ¡°So¡­ Sis, is there any other work left for you?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain said we could take a break for a little while but I think after that there¡¯s more for us to do.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Guess there¡¯s a lot of stuff he wants to move.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot, yes¡­¡±


    There were probably mountains of food supplies alone. Adding to that all the other stuff and¡­ It was a lot. It wasn¡¯t like we¡¯d move everything here immediately, though. Not like this hall could probably hold all of that.


    ¡°I wonder where he intends to store all of that stuff. I mean, the food has to go above ground, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡±


    The moment I said that¡­ Karen¡¯s expression fell, likely because she was imagining what that implied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to carry all of that up?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Please no¡­¡±


    The only way up was with the rope¡­ I couldn¡¯t even imagine how we¡¯d get things up¡­ Maybe by using the rope like an elevator?


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be rather easy to tie some stuff to a rope and pull them up? That doesn¡¯t sound so bad.¡±


    ¡°I guess? But all the other stuff is¡­¡±


    Yeah, no way he was going to get that crystal above ground through that narrow hole. Or any of the bigger crates. But knowing Korwen, he probably had a plan for that already.


    ¡°... Hey, Sis¡­ He¡¯s not going to make me use the portal again just to get that stuff up, is he?¡±


    ¡°He might¡­¡±


    Yeah, I could definitely picture him doing that. Since he decided that it was inevitable that the portals would become known by others, he wasn¡¯t hesitating to make use of it. Which was clear just by looking at the mercenaries carrying in the supplies.


    ¡°Nn¡­ But if he had planned to do that, he could have asked me to simply make a door in one of the buildings above¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Maybe he forgot?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I can¡¯t imagine him forgetting something.¡±


    ¡°True.¡±


    There was no way he¡¯d forget something that obvious¡­ right?


    ¡°Jokes aside, he probably has some other plan. I mean, he wanted to use this area in general, right? That one hole to get down here is not going to cut it.¡±


    ¡°You think he might remodel the place?¡±


    ¡°Nn. He did say he wanted to hire Earth magicians to fix anything broken, so he might ask them to make a new entrance leading down here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡±


    In the end, the tentacle door was tremendously useful but the upkeep costs were also rather high. Using it for such a short distance would be a waste. Although, maybe it could be something that couldn¡¯t be moved that short distance otherwise? In that case, it might be different.


    ¡°Well, anyway, how are you feeling, Sis? Better?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Better. A lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°It is¡­ But it also means the break is going to end, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, yes. We were still in the middle of work. Not like I had anything to do¡­ I probably shouldn¡¯t say that, though. Looking around, the other mercenaries around us were still taking their break as well so it probably was still fine to take our time.


    ¡°Nn? Where¡¯s the captain?¡±


    ¡°Over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there.¡±


    Korwen had already moved away from everyone else and was talking with someone, his expression unexpectedly serious. The type of expression he only made when something troublesome had happened. Which almost certainly meant that something troublesome had indeed happened.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, me too. But I guess that means we can still take it slow¡­ or not.¡±


    Just as I said that, the man Korwen was talking with saluted and left, prompting Korwen to return.


    ¡°Fenna!¡± he shouted through.


    ¡°Not here!¡± replied someone.


    ¡°Ahh, damn, I forgot she¡¯s in the fort¡­ Haa¡­ With Merim¡­ Tsk.¡±


    Korwen clicked his tongue, loud enough that we could hear it over here.


    ¡°Who else¡­¡±


    He scanned the surroundings until his gaze stopped¡­ on us. With a grin, he approached¡­ Yeah, I didn¡¯t have a good feeling about this. In a hurry, both Karen and I stood up, facing him.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Y¡ª Yes?¡±


    ¡°Get up to the fort and call Fenna and Merim down for me. Collect the reports and see to it that the others keep working for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, understood.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t so bad, after all.


    ¡°Also, tell Merim to move his arse quickly since we got some trouble.¡±


    ¡°Trouble, huh¡­¡±


    Called it. There¡¯s trouble.


    ¡°Some visitors. Nothing too bad. But we can talk about that later, now get a move on. I need Merim as quick as possible.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will go. But it¡¯s going to take me a while to get up that rope on my own.¡±


    ¡°... Just why are you so high maintenance? Karen, go help her. After that, come back down with Fenna and Merim.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Captain.¡±


    Sorry that I was high maintenance. It wasn¡¯t that it was impossible for me to get up¡ªprobably not impossible, that is¡ªit¡¯d just take a lot of time. And a few bumps on my head, most likely.


    ¡°Get going.¡±


    ¡±Yes, yes.¡±


    So impatient. Well, I had no idea what the problem was so it might rather be time-sensitive. In that case, we should get a move on.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We made our way through the hall into the corridor and then to the hole with the rope.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go up first then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    With that short exchange, Karen grabbed the rope and climbed up. With her strength, it wasn¡¯t a problem for her at all to pull her own body weight up the rope. Just watching it made me feel a little jealous. Once we had settled in, I seriously should look for some more effective means of strengthening my arms.


    Well, I could fully transform and then transform back while maintaining that change on my arms¡­ That way I should be able to climb up quite decently, I think?


    Thinking about it, that certainly would have been a valid option, seeing how there was nobody around to watch me. But, in the off chance someone did, it would only spell trouble. So, getting Karen¡¯s help was very much welcome.


    ¡°Yumi! I¡¯m up!¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    Since Karen had finished her climb, it was now my turn. Which only meant that I would grab hold of the rope, tie it around my waist and let myself get pulled up.


    ¡°Okay¡­ Sis, you can pull me up!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    Moments later, I was slowly pulled upwards. It wasn¡¯t terribly fast nor very comfortable but at least I only had to make sure not to hit my head.


    It¡¯s a little scary, though¡­ Disappearing into that black hole while the ground is moving further and further away¡­


    Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t afraid of heights. At least not much more than the average person.


    ¡°Ohh, I can see, Sis.¡±


    As I was slowly pulled up, the little bit of light grew bigger and Karen¡¯s silhouette became clearer. Soon enough, I was just about to reach the end.


    ¡°Okay, come here, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Sis.¡±


    Finally, I was standing on my own two feet again.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s hurry and find Fenna and Merim.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We left the tower with the entrance and returned to the yard of the fort. And lucky as we were, we spotted Fenna and Merim right there, discussing something with their search groups.


    ¡°Fenna, Merim.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Yumi? Karen? What are you two doing here?¡±


    ¡°The captain needs both of you. He said specially that Merim should hurry because there¡¯s trouble.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, great. Did he say what kind of trouble?¡±


    ¡°No. Only that it wasn¡¯t too serious. He still wanted you to hurry up, though.¡±


    Merim sighed, clearly not very happy about this outcome.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t just leave here¡­ Mm? Yumi, are you going back down as well?¡±


    ¡°No, he said I should stay here and collect the reports¡­ Oh, and make sure that everyone else keeps working.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, I see. I see. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t just send a messenger.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Speaking of which, a messenger would have been easier, no?


    ¡°Well then, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    Why did this bad feeling from earlier return now?


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Leave what?¡±


    ¡°Good luck. I know you can do it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me.¡±


    What was he leaving to me? This was worrying me a lot now!


    ¡°The highest-ranked ones are in charge!¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, and do something about them.¡±


    He pointed towards the gate. A whole crowd of petite girls and women stood there.


    What the heck are the elves doing here?!


    They hadn¡¯t come through the door so¡­ they actually trekked through the forest? Sure, they were elves but it was still surprising.


    ¡°No, more importantly, Merim? What did you¡­ He¡¯s gone?!¡±


    In the distance, Merim could be seen entering the tower, leaving me behind.


    ¡°Are you kidding me¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry about him¡­ We were just discussing what to do with the elves. I think he¡¯s just glad he doesn¡¯t have to deal with it now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ So, Fenna¡­ What am I supposed to do here?¡±


    I was internally very grateful that Fenna hadn¡¯t left with the same gusto as Merim had. Korwen had explicitly told Merim to hurry up, so it was probably fine if Fenna took a little time.


    ¡°Simply put, you¡¯re in charge for now. Meaning, you give the orders.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I was¡­ in charge? Wait, did that mean that I¡¯d be the one giving orders?!


    ¡°Usually, we¡¯d have you accompany someone and watch their work before doing this, but well¡­ I guess you spent a lot of time watching the captain at his work. Just copy what he is doing and you¡¯ll most likely be fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    That was easier said than done, though¡­ Couldn¡¯t they have warned me about this?


    ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s useless to say not to worry but¡­ I know you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Fine, huh¡­


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°... Is something funny?¡±


    Fenna wasn¡¯t the type to laugh at someone so¡­


    ¡°Sorry, I just thought it was amusing. Most men would jump at the chance and here you are fretting and worrying about it.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am worried¡­ What if something goes wrong or something unexpected happens?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well¡­ This is just my opinion but¡­ Just do what you think is necessary to get everyone back home. And then do that. Fretting about whether it was correct or not is something you don¡¯t have the time for. The captain or the vice-captain might think differently, of course, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Huh?¡±


    Suddenly, something was pressing down on my hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do fine. Just think of it as gaining experience. There¡¯s not much that can go wrong here, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. So, just do what you think is best. If you are unsure about what to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I glanced at Fenna, waiting for her to continue. Instead, I found her looking toward the mercenaries waiting for us to finish.


    ¡°Just ask them. They¡¯re the ones doing the work and they know the best what do.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave now before the captain complains later to me. Good luck. Oh, and just complain to the captain later for springing this on you. Usually, we¡¯d have someone accompany you for this, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you. Will do.¡±


    I definitely would. This was too sudden, after all. But I was grateful to Fenna for staying to explain some things to me. I¡¯d be completely lost without her.


    ¡°Yumi, I¡¯ll go, too. I know you can do it!¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Sis¡­ I¡¯ll do my best¡­ I guess.¡±


    Karen quickly followed after Fenna and soon enough, both of them were out of sight, leaving me behind with the mercenaries.


    ¡°Well then¡­¡±


    I stared at the group of mercenaries in front of me. They stood all in an orderly row, staring at me. We stared at each other.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡±


    We stared at each other¡­


    Okay, what do I do now?!


    Only now did it really hit home¡­ that I was the one they were waiting for. They were waiting for me to give their orders.


    Okay, Yumi, calm down, calm down! It¡¯s going to be fine. First¡­ What do I do first?! Actually, what were they even doing here?!


    I had no idea¡­ But then it dawned on me. I had someone I could ask. Fenna had literally told me moments prior. The mercenaries themselves.


    Right, I only have to ask them. I need to know what they were doing.


    Once more, I thanked Fenna, this time in my mind only, though. After that, I took a deep breath, calming myself and getting ready.


    ¡°Err, okay¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ What were you doing just now with Fenna and the vice-captain?¡±


    ¡°We were waiting for orders on how to proceed with the search, ma¡¯am!¡±


    I immediately got an answer from one of the mercenaries, the left-most one from my point of view. Maybe he was the highest-ranked one in that group? He seemed quite comfortable with replying, while everyone else kept quiet. But the answer was a little troubling.


    ¡°Err, right¡­ Oh, right. What areas have you searched so far?¡±


    Korwen had asked me to collect their reports, too. And if I knew what area they searched, I might have an idea of how to proceed.


    ¡°We have searched the ground floors of the main building, the residential building and the barracks, as well as the first and second floors of the main building. The workshops have been partially destroyed and are completely inaccessible, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    That was something already. Well, what next¡­ What would Korwen do now?


    ¡°... Ah! Was there anything noteworthy during your search?¡±


    ¡°We have found several destroyed sections in the barracks and some areas that are inaccessible. Inside the main building, we found the bandits¡¯ supplies and belongings¡±


    ¡°Their supplies? What kind of?¡±


    ¡°Weapons, armour, clothing and food as well as miscellaneous goods that are likely their loot.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That sounded pretty much like bandits, all right. The other stuff apart from loot was, well¡­ Kind of expected.


    ¡°... Did you take a closer look at what kind of things there were among their loot?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    What to do¡­ The loot was¡­ Well, it probably belonged to someone, no? I¡¯d rather not touch that for now. As for the other stuff¡­ I didn¡¯t know anything about weapons and armour so that was also probably better left to Korwen. However, the food was different.


    ¡°What about the food? Is it rotten or something?¡±


    ¡°... Not that we know of but we didn¡¯t check specifically.¡±


    Maybe there was something nice among that food? Probably¡­ not. Either way, if the food wasn¡¯t spoiled, we could still use it. Maybe I should have them bring it down?


    ¡°Nn, if I recall correctly, there was one group under Merim and one under Fenna, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Right, maybe I should have one of them bring down the food, maybe the other stuff as well.


    No, like Fenna told me, let¡¯s first think about what Korwen would do. There are priorities to follow, so what was the priority here? Exploring the fort, checking for damage and finding any inconsistencies with the blueprints and seeing whether there¡¯s anything interesting here. Probably in that order of priority, no?


    In that case, the loot from the bandits would be rather low in priority. It¡¯s something we can deal with later. However, the food might spoil if we ignored it. Or rather, it was important to check whether it was still edible in the first place. Depending on how much food there was, it might be a quick affair to get it down. On the other hand, even if they did, we didn¡¯t have any place to store it¡­


    I guess confirming whether the food is edible¡­


    Actually, they saw the food, right?


    ¡°What kind of food was it that the bandits had?¡±


    ¡°We only saw bread and jerky, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Were they sure someone didn¡¯t just relocate our rations¡­ No, seriously, that¡¯s the exact same stuff we ate yesterday and this morning.


    Anyway, that means that it was most likely non-perishables, more or less¡­


    Still, I can¡¯t decide whether it¡¯s better to just bring it down or ignore it¡­


    This wasn¡¯t easy¡­


    ¡°Ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    ¡°... Ah.¡±


    Right, the longer I thought about it, the more time we¡¯d waste¡­


    ¡°Err, let¡¯s see¡­ The group that was exploring the higher floors in the main building should continue there and search the remaining floors.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°... Incidentally, was it the vice-captain or Fenna who was in charge of your group?¡±


    ¡°The vice-captain, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Well, that was one group taken care of. That left the other one. With Merim¡¯s group exploring the main building, where should they go? They had begun searching the barracks and the residential building, huh¡­ The residential building¡­ Was that the one where we¡¯d live later? That sounded interesting. The barracks were damaged anyway and probably not decently accessible. However, the barracks would house the majority of the mercenaries, no? In that case, it was quite important, too.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, standing around doesn¡¯t help either¡­ Okay, what did your group search last?¡±


    ¡°... The residential building, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The residential building huh¡­ Also, was it just me or did this group feel less organised than the other one? It took a moment for someone to reply and then it seemed that multiple people wanted to reply.


    ¡°... Is something the matter?¡± I asked, deciding it¡¯d be better to just straight-up ask.


    ¡°... Miss Fenna was in charge of our squad.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh¡­¡±


    But Fenna wasn¡¯t around so they didn¡¯t have a squad leader. The other group didn¡¯t seem to have that issue, though?


    ¡°I see¡­ But¡­ I don¡¯t think I can replace her¡­ Also¡­¡±


    There was still another problem I had to deal with right behind me.


    What did you do in cases like this¡­ The next highest-ranked one? Probably.


    ¡°Who is the next highest in rank in your group?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be me, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯ll be in charge now instead.¡±


    ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Then, if there are no problems, continue with the residential building.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±¡±¡±


    They all saluted and then left.


    ¡°I think that should be fine¡­ right?¡±


    Maybe it would have been better for me to accompany a group? But I couldn¡¯t keep them here while I dealt with that other group¡­ with the elves.


    Actually, maybe the other group didn¡¯t have an issue with the squad leader because Merim stayed behind, too?


    That¡¯d make sense, kind of. Either way, I had done what I thought to be somewhere correct¡­ Whether it was would be something Korwen would tell me later. Seriously, to throw someone straight into this without a prior explanation¡­ or preparation. I¡¯d follow Fenna¡¯s advice and complain later to him. He could have at least left Karen with me¡­


    But¡­ Once I actually thought about it, it¡¯s not like there was a lot that could become a problem, huh¡­ But being the one to give orders¡­ is an odd feeling.


    It wasn¡¯t something I could get used to so quickly. Being called ¡°ma¡¯am¡± was already a little uncomfortable, after all.


    But, I guess it was inevitable at some point¡­ to learn about this.


    I could vaguely recall how Korwen had told me once that it was unlikely we¡¯d have much authority. In other words, it was unlikely I¡¯d actually give out orders. But that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible¡­ Plus, I technically did have my own little squad, though it was only Karen. And Lily?


    ¡°Did Lily count?¡±


    I asked myself but I couldn¡¯t quite recall it. We only talked about that once and it had already been a while. I might have to confirm it again with Korwen¡­


    But before I get to that, I¡¯ll have to weather this first. And that means¡­


    Dealing with that group of elves over there. I couldn¡¯t ignore them anymore, could I?


    ¡°Well, here goes nothing¡­¡±


    After taking another deep breath, I approached the elves. They immediately spotted me coming to them, so one of them¡ªa petite elf, a little smaller than me even, with messy brown hair reaching past her shoulders¡ªseparated from the crowd and approached me as well. I remembered her face. She was the one who had been decided as their new elder.


    ¡°Greetings, Madam Esteemed Ancestor¡¯s Friend.¡±


    ¡°... Hello.¡±


    It took me a moment to return the greeting. On one hand, her tone was a little stiff. It didn¡¯t seem that she was used to speaking the language here. On the other one¡­ that was quite the long nickname.


    ¡°I¡¯m Yumi. No need for that, err, long name.¡±


    ¡°... Madam Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... ¡®Miss¡¯ is enough. No ¡®madam.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That was another address I sure wasn¡¯t used to. Being called ¡°madam¡± somehow didn¡¯t sit right with me¡­ Even less than ¡°ma¡¯am¡± did.


    ¡°You are¡­ the Elder, right? After the¡­ old Elder retired.¡±


    ¡°It is so. The Old Elder left me with her task.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    We still didn¡¯t know what the elder¡¯s name was¡­ She was in desperate need of one because if this girl was now also the elder, it was bound to cause some confusion¡­ Actually, wait¡­


    ¡°Should I call you the elder? Or¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ If it would not trouble you, please call me Meela. The Old Elder is still the elder for us. I pray it would not trouble you to call me by name.¡±


    ¡°Nn, Meela it is. No problem.¡±


    Did the elves have that problem, too? They probably did. If they called her the elder as well, then switching the address wasn¡¯t much easier for them. Seeing how the Elder had been in charge for such a long time, it was probably even worse for them.


    ¡°So, why are Meela and the elves here? Since you were waiting, I guess you wanted something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is so. This forest. We were¡­ How do you say it in your language¡­ proof¡­ No¡­¡±


    Meela tilted her head, searching for her words. It was cute how she frowned as she searched for her words, trying out a few ones in hope of getting it right.


    ¡°Mm... Checking¡­ Was it that one? To check the forest¡­ if it fits as our home. Is that logical?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense, yes.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ¡®sense¡¯ it was.¡±


    She nodded to herself, repeating the word several times, probably so she wouldn¡¯t forget it.


    ¡°So, you checked if the forest could be your new home? And?¡±


    ¡°Mm. It can be our new home. This forest.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good news?¡±


    ¡°It is. Great news!¡±


    Well, that at least would answer whether the elves could live in this forest. Korwen would be happy to hear that¡­ probably.


    ¡°That is why. We elves will live in this forest.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That is why we would like to ask. If allowed, can we live¡­ with everyone?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? You mean, in the fort?¡±


    ¡°Is that what this structure is called?¡±


    ¡°Well, it is¡­ but that aside, you want to live here with us?¡±


    ¡°Very much so.¡±


    Well now, that¡¯s not quite what I expected here. They wanted to live here¡­


    ¡°If that is not allowed, then we will build our own home. But¡­ would you allow us?¡±


    ¡°Err, that¡¯s not something I can decide. That¡¯s something the captain has to decide. I can relay it to him¡­ or you can ask him yourself.¡±


    Either way, that was far outside of my current responsibilities.


    ¡°I understand. We will do so.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good. But, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why do you want to live with us?¡±


    Honestly, the image I had of the elves was that they liked to live in the forest. And definitely not in a fort.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    Meela averted her gaze as her cheeks slightly reddened. Behind her, I could observe a similar reaction from the other elves.


    ¡°... Ah, I see.¡±


    I had heard that the elves got along quite well with some of the mercenaries¡­ Maybe they got along a little too well.


    ¡°Well¡­ Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Miss Yumi.¡±

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Elven Consideration

    ¡°By the way, where is the elder?¡± I asked Meela.


    ¡°Elder? Me?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I mean, the previous one elder.¡±


    ¡°Oh! The Old Elder!¡±


    ¡°Yes, her.¡±


    And we were already starting with the confusion¡­


    ¡°Old Elder¡­ was with us earlier.¡±


    ¡°Huh? And where is she now?¡±


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, at least we knew she had been around a while ago, right?


    ¡°Did you lose her in the forest?¡±


    ¡°No, we did not. Old Elder would never get lost in a forest.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that would have been quite surprising if she did. But where did she go then?¡±


    ¡°She mentioned wanting to see this structure. She set out when we arrived.¡±


    ¡°... You mean she is in the fort?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s a surprise. She had left behind her fellow elves to explore the fort on her own? Well, that was a bit surprising. However¡­ was it really fine for her to be doing that? Unlike the other elves, she was technically now with the mercenaries, right?


    ¡°Well, if she walks around here, I¡¯ll probably see her later¡­¡±


    ¡°That would be probable.¡±


    ¡°Nn. So, what will you do? Are you going to wait for the captain?¡±


    I turned my focus back to the elves. They were the more immediate issue, compared to the elder. The old elder.


    ¡°Mm. Will he be available soon?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He just returned to the camp because something happened. I don¡¯t know when he will be back. He should come back sometime, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we must have missed him then. That is unfortunate.¡±


    Rather than missing him, there wasn¡¯t an actual chance to meet him. He didn¡¯t return through the forest, after all.


    ¡°Very well, our query is not one that needs to be answered in a hurry. We will return to the forest and scour its scenery until the eve breaks close.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Meela turned to her fellow elves, saying a few words in their elvish language. Like that, the elves returned to the¡­


    What the hell?! The trees are moving aside?!


    That¡­ certainly wasn¡¯t what I had expected. I probably should have expected something like this but it still caught me off-guard. After all, who would expect a tree to make space for you to pass by?


    Elves are amazing¡­


    The Elder had once mentioned that it was the forest itself that was accommodating them. I thought that she meant that trees would grow fruits for them when they wanted to or stuff like that. I definitely didn¡¯t expect the trees to move by themselves, solely to let them pass through.


    I watched as the elves disappeared into the forest. Behind them, the trees that had moved aside¡ªor rather bent to the side and moved their branches out of the way¡ªreturned to their original positions.


    ¡°How does a tree even move in the first place?¡±


    They didn¡¯t have muscles or anything. It was the same question that made me wonder how I moved. I didn¡¯t have bones and the like either, after all.


    Well, I can worry about the trees some other time. I¡¯m technically working right now.


    But now that the matter regarding the elves was dealt with¡­


    ¡°... Guess I¡¯ll explore the immediate surroundings. Maybe I¡¯ll find the Elder while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°That shan¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    The voice from my side took me completely by surprise.


    ¡°Miss Elder? Don¡¯t surprise me like that¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, apologies. I was waiting for the others to depart.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Then, you were watching?¡±


    ¡°That I was.¡±


    The Elder smiled wryly.


    ¡°Why did you not join us?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Because I did not want to interfere with their choices.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What do you mean?¡±


    I tilted my head, confused by what she told me.


    ¡°They would surely ask for my opinion or seek confirmation from me. But if they do that, they can¡¯t become independent from me.¡±


    ¡°... You somehow remind me of a mother trying to teach her children to let go of her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not too far from the truth.¡±


    The Elder chuckled, amused by my comparison.


    ¡°They will be fine without my guidance. I left them behind, after all. They¡¯ll have to.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I looked once more to the gate where the elves had left through. They sure didn¡¯t seem like they had any problems deciding things, though. Then again, that might also be driven by their desire to be with the mercenaries. Even if it was a little surprising.


    Whatever¡­ I¡¯ll leave that problem to the captain¡­


    That was far too much for me.


    ¡°So, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I have to admit that was a little surprised to see you here. Where did Miss Fenna and Mr Merim go?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well, something happened at the camp it seems, so they had to go back and take over for the captain. And I¡¯ve taken over for the two here. Though I am honestly no less surprised that I¡¯m here¡­¡±


    Not like I could change that now.


    ¡°Oh, is that the case? I see¡­ In that case, I assume it would be better to talk with you about this, seeing as you have taken over.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Talk about what?¡±


    ¡°About this forest.¡±


    ¡°The forest?¡±


    The Elder gave a slow nod.


    ¡°Do you not think that this forest is a little strange?¡±


    ¡°... Nn, a little, yes.¡±


    After all, you couldn¡¯t hear any birds or any other animals out there. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves in the wind. It was a little creepy at first but it didn¡¯t seem like there was any particular problem with that. After all, it probably had been like this for so long that it had even gotten known as the ¡®Sleeping Forest.¡¯ That¡¯s why I had shoved it into the back of my mind.


    But if the Elder now mentioned this¡­


    ¡°Is there a problem with the forest?¡±


    ¡°In a way, I would say there is.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    The Elder frowned a little, searching for her next words.


    ¡°This forest is too quiet. There are no monsters in the forest but there are also too few animals. A forest like this should be brimming with life, with the sounds of birds wooing each other or the denizens of the ground searching for their next meal. Yet, you hear so little it is¡­ disturbing. I have seen many a forest but even so, this one feels¡­ odd.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, I agree it¡¯s odd.¡±


    The Elder nodded once more.


    ¡°Furthermore, there are no fairykin residing in this forest.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ that is odd?¡±


    Last I heard fairykin weren¡¯t exactly common.


    ¡°Yes. After all, this forest should be a very¡­ Mm¡­ How to say it¡­ a very comfortable place. There are no monsters, the mana is abundant and the forest itself is welcoming. I can even feel the presence of spirits in it. That alone should be a great enough reason to live here. Yet, there are none here. It does not even seem like any lived here in the past.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    If she put it like that, it did seem odd. Not like I could make any proper judgement about this since I still didn¡¯t know how common fairykin were¡­ That said, there was something I did know.


    ¡°Miss Elder, could the reason maybe because of¡­ Well, the fort?¡±


    ¡°... The fort?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Ahhh, I think I understand. The presence of warmongering humanoids.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, the warmongering humanoids¡­


    ¡°Also, I think the forest wasn¡¯t as big before. I mean, this fort wasn¡¯t surrounded by forest when it was built, I think? I recall someone saying that.¡±


    ¡°You make an interesting point there, Yumi¡­ However, while a forest may expand, its heart rarely changes. Even if it was smaller, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for fairykin to reside here. In fact, our former home might be far smaller than this forest.¡±


    This one was bigger, huh¡­ It¡¯s hard to imagine, though.


    ¡°And if fairykin had resided here, I can assure you that most would ensure the humanoids wouldn¡¯t do their warmongering here.¡±


    ¡°... I mean, if those trees came at them all the time, I can imagine that being a bother.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, that you can be sure of. But Spirit Trees are not the only means of defence the fairykin have. But that aside, I cannot imagine the fairykin letting them do what they wanted here. However, I can imagine that it was a reason to avoid the forest afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Basically, there had to be a reason they hadn¡¯t come here even before then?


    ¡°Nn¡­ but maybe¡­ it¡¯s simply that none happened to come across this place? I mean, apart from it being¡­ a little eerie, there¡¯s nothing wrong with it, right?¡±


    Plus, if there was something wrong, wouldn¡¯t the people in Auria know? They apparently largely ignored the forest, but it¡¯s not like nobody ventured inside. Like the bandits¡­ or that craftsman¡¯s son.


    ¡°That is¡­ true, I suppose. But I would rather like to know what is going on in this forest. It might be nothing but if there is something that keeps away us fairykin, it would be better to know it sooner than regret it later. And if it turns out to be nothing, I will happily be the fool who worried about this nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point, I guess.¡±


    ¡°And so, I would like to be permitted to survey the forest.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wait, she was asking me for that?!


    ¡°You are after all the person in charge here, right now?¡±


    ¡°... I mean, I am.¡±


    But this wasn¡¯t what I expected to do here right now.


    ¡°Err, didn¡¯t the captain give you something to do?¡±


    ¡°He asked of me to watch over my brethren for a while, lest they attempted something stupid.¡±


    I¡¯d rather not have them do anything stupid either, to be honest. Those walking trees were scary.


    ¡°He did add that it would be fine to do it on the side, watch them when I had time, so I believe it is fine for me to do other work in between.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    In other words, she was actually quite free. Then, would it be a problem if she surveyed the forest? Probably not. In that regard, it was probably fine. But¡­


    Can I even give her that kind of permission? I mean, I am the one in charge, so¡­ I guess I can? But I kind of don¡¯t want to give her permission just like that either¡­ What if something happens? Even if it wasn¡¯t going to be my responsibility, I don¡¯t want her to get hurt.


    She was going out there specifically to find out if there was something dangerous. If she actually found something, then¡­ Well, that wouldn¡¯t be good. The Elder was by no means weak, especially in a forest.. Of that, I was assured. She protected me from Yumelia even. But she was still only one person¡­


    Only one person¡­ Ah, I have an idea.


    There was an easy way to lower the danger.


    ¡°Nn, I understand. I¡¯ll allow it under one condition.¡±


    ¡°A condition?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The Elder¡¯s eyes grew wide. Was she that surprised about this?


    ¡°Taddick and his group are currently out there and taking a look at the forest around the fort. When they come back, you can ask him if they can accompany you. Only if Taddick gives his permission and they accompany you will I allow it.¡±


    That way, there would be as little of a risk as possible. Also, if there was a problem with that arrangement, Taddick would surely say something, too. After all, they were the ones who had gone into the forest. And the Elder herself was probably a welcome addition, too.


    ¡°... You sure thought that through, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying my best, you know?¡±


    I really didn¡¯t want to mess this up¡­ but I also understood why Korwen sent me here. I would have liked to get some proper instruction first but¡­ Well, the situation was a little unexpected for me, but as long as I tried to imagine what Korwen or the others would do, it was¡­ manageable.


    And, honestly, I was shifting responsibility to Taddick in this case. Or more like, I was relying on him


    ¡°Your best¡­ is it? Hehehe, I see. Very well then. That condition I can accept.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good.¡±


    One worry less. Or rather, that was the last worry I had to deal with, right now.


    ¡°Do you know when Mr Taddick shall return?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯ve only come here a while ago, too.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, we shall wait.¡±


    Not like there was anything else to do.


    ¡°By the way, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t seem to me like Meela and the other elves were particularly bothered by the state of the forest.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Do you believe my love-addled brethren can make a proper judgement, right now?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Wow, that was¡­ blunt.


    ¡°I do believe that trying to live here with the mercenaries is the safer option. However, I very much doubt that this was a consideration they gave much thought.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re really blunt, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It is but the unvarnished truth. They have little else in their heads right now.¡±


    Sure, but there were better ways to phrase it, were there not?


    ¡°But that¡¯s fine for now. They will calm down with time when all the new experiences, all the new feelings, become their new normal. They can enjoy their time.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°I very much do, Yumi. After all, Meela is quite a smart girl.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Sounds like you trust her.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have given her the position as their elder if not.¡±


    The Elder chuckled, a warm smile spreading on her face.


    ¡°Although, she is also one of the few that more or less know how to read and write.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    That was hard to imagine, considering that she still had some trouble with speaking.


    ¡°Yes. But I should probably clarify that I mean in our language.¡±


    ¡°... You have a script for your language?¡±


    ¡°We do. Admittedly, only few of us ever make use of it. There¡¯s simply never a need for it.¡±


    They were rather insular. And long-lived, too¡­ Plus, their lifestyle revolved around being catered to by the forest¡­


    ¡°Once in a while, we may send messages to other elven tribes. But that is the task of the elder.¡±


    ¡°Then being able to read and write is necessary for them?¡±


    ¡°I cannot speak for all of my brethren but it should be.¡±


    The elder smiled wryly. She probably didn¡¯t quite believe that it was the case for all of them¡­


    ¡°But other elven tribes¡­ Do you know of the others then?¡±


    ¡°... Unfortunately, no. There might be some others around but if they are, I don¡¯t know of them. Elves have become rather rare and the last time we received a message was¡­ very long ago.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Probably too long ago¡­


    ¡°... Doesn¡¯t that make being able to read and write kind of pointless then if you only used it for sending messages?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think none bother to learn it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, if you knew it wouldn¡¯t be of any use, yeah¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s simply a tradition that has stayed. However, there might be more uses for it in the future, considering our new life. At least, I have seen a few of my brethren wanting to learn it now. Or at least, they want to be able to read your language.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    That was¡­ Well, quite nice to hear?


    ¡°Either way, change has come. Time will tell whether it was a good one.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I hope it was.¡±


    ¡°So do I, Yumi. So do I.¡±


    ---


    We continued our small talk for a while before sitting down at the temporary camp. There wasn¡¯t much to do for us, since we were waiting for Taddick and his group to come back. And it sure took them quite a while before we finally spotted them coming through the gate¡­


    ¡°Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yumi. You¡¯re here, too?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am.¡±


    Taddick led his group towards us, greeting us with a surprised expression.


    ¡°Sure didn¡¯t expect you here. Weren¡¯t you down with the captain and the others?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Something came up so I¡¯m up here, standing in for Merim and Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Standing in? Mm?¡±


    Taddick scratched his head, hearing my words.


    ¡°... Did the captain tell you to?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    For some reason unbeknownst to me, Taddick started rubbing the bridge of his nose. It didn¡¯t look like the situation sit well with him.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s done is done. If that¡¯s what the cap decided, then who am I to question it?¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders after he came to his own conclusion.


    ¡°Anyway, you did nothing wrong here. Did you have any problems?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Apart from being thrown into this without prior notice? The elves were here and the elder is, too.¡±


    ¡°What did the elves want?¡±


    ¡°... They want to live here in the fort as well. I told them that that¡¯s something the captain has to decide so they wanted to come back later.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wonderful, that¡¯s not our problem anymore.¡±


    Glad that I had done the right thing then.


    ¡°As for the elder¡­¡±


    I turned to her, prompting her to state her request.


    ¡°I wish to survey the forest. Something about it unsettles me and I want to know what it is.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess: You want us to come with you?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯s fine by me. Having you around should help us out and we were going to take a look at the forest either way. As long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with any other work, of course. Yours or ours.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    And another one out of the way. Honestly, that was quite a relief. Taddick hadn¡¯t shown any hint of disapproving.


    ¡°Was the idea to accompany us Yumi¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°That is the case.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Good call.¡±


    He nodded, approving of my decision.


    ¡°Did anything else happen?¡±


    ¡°No, not really. The other two groups went back to exploring the fort.¡±


    ¡°Well, nothing else happening is good.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    For my nerves, mostly.


    ¡°How did your search go, Taddick?¡±


    ¡°... Can¡¯t you see?¡±


    With his voice becoming agitated, he spread his arms to show off all the twigs and leaves that had gotten stuck everywhere. The mercenaries behind him were still busy getting rid of anything that had found its way in between their gear.


    ¡°Trees, trees and even more fucking trees. Seriously, who would need to trap this area with all the shrubbery? The forest is doing that job on its own already. But no, we had to find old hunting traps, too.¡±


    ¡°Hunting traps?¡±


    ¡°Yes. This shitty stuff.¡±


    He pointed at the ground. Or more accurately, at his left leg. I hadn¡¯t even noticed before but there was something like a wire stuck in his greaves. Not to mention that the greaves seemed full of scratches compared to the one on his other leg.


    ¡°Spirits take me how that thing even worked but it sure was a pain in the ass.¡±


    ¡°Leader was stuck in there for a whole quarter-hour!¡± a mercenary added from behind.


    ¡°Yes, I was. I¡¯ll let you take point next time.¡±


    The mercenaries laughed out loud at Taddick¡¯s threat. Didn¡¯t look like they were really worried about him doing that. Or they didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Seriously, at least we haven¡¯t found anything too dangerous. Seemed more like it was supposed to catch game rather than people. We found two others and disarmed them. Didn¡¯t find any others in the immediate vicinity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something, at least¡­ But maybe we should be a little more careful about old traps¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Couldn¡¯t agree more.¡±


    Even if it was only supposed to catch you, walking into a trap was nonetheless dangerous.


    ¡°If I may¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°We elves should have no trouble finding those traps. It might be worth asking my brethren to look out for them.¡±


    ¡°Mh, that might be an option¡­ I¡¯ll let the captain know and we¡¯ll see what he says.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine him turning that down, though. They could get rid of a potential source of danger. And that was definitely something Korwen would approve of.


    ¡°If you join us, can you find the traps, too?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°Probably the best news I heard today.¡±


    Taddick sat down and began to remove his greaves slowly so that he could remove the wire that was stuck on them.


    ¡°Tsk, how in the blazes do I get rid of this thing. Ahh, come on! Today¡¯s just not my day!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Neither was it mine. But at least I didn¡¯t have to deal with traps.


    ¡°There we go. Who the heck would set a trap in a forest like this anyway? There aren¡¯t any animals to catch¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see any?¡±


    ¡°Not even one. Eerie, that¡¯s what it is. The elder is saying it unsettles her? Well, it unsettles me, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is creepy.¡±


    But that did indeed raise the question of why someone would set traps there¡­


    ¡°... What if they were actually used against people, after all?¡±


    ¡°Nah, the fort has been abandoned for longer than this trap was around. Even I can see that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe the bandits set them?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That could be. Bandits tend to be dumb as hell.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, they might not be bandits if they were smart enough. Probably.


    ¡°Either way, they¡¯re in the way so we need to get rid of them. If the elves can clean the forest up, that¡¯d help a lot.¡±


    Taddick stood up after he unravelled the last piece of wire from his greaves.


    ¡°This was not worth the pain, seriously¡­¡±


    As he complained a final time, someone came up from behind him and called out.


    ¡°Leader, I am finished.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sanna. You are?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir! Please take a look.¡±


    Sanna, who had come up to Taddick, handed him a large sheet of paper. I walked up to him so that I could take a look as well.


    ¡°Nn? Is that a map?¡±


    ¡°It is. Sanna made it while we were out.¡±


    There was a large square in the middle of it, surrounded by small symbols reminding me of trees. There were some other lines and symbols on it that I didn¡¯t know the purpose of, too.


    ¡°Mm, looks good. The captain¡¯s going to like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª is he?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. This will help a lot. Good work.¡±


    ¡°Y¡ª yes, sir!¡±


    Sanna saluted, a happy smile on her.


    ¡°Mh¡­ the fort¡¯s area is a lot larger than I expected,¡± mumbled Taddick after a while.


    ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know the history of this fort but a fort of this size should be quite uncommon. It might have served as a logistical distribution point in the past. Makes you wonder why they abandoned it.¡±


    ¡°Because there was no use for it anymore?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ Lafria and Krohmea haven¡¯t been at war for so long they likely thought it wasn¡¯t worth keeping it around. The cap should know the reason, though.¡±


    Taddick shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the topic with that.


    ¡°Not part of my job to know about that. More importantly, Sanna¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir?¡±


    ¡°I want you to fill out the fort¡¯s inner area as well. The locations of the buildings are enough.¡±


    ¡°Understood, sir. Will be done.¡±


    Taddick rolled up the map and returned it to Sanna, who saluted and then left to resume her work.


    ¡°The blueprints didn¡¯t suggest the fort being this large¡­ Either there are buildings where we are missing the blueprints from or the buildings are quite far apart from each other.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ looking at the yard¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of space¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But the yard alone didn¡¯t have to mean anything. Well, Sanna would figure that out for us soon enough.


    ¡°Leader, we¡¯ve finished cleaning up!¡±


    ¡°Oh, about time.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A mercenary had called out from behind again, prompting a smile from Taddick.


    ¡°Now then, it¡¯s time to get back to work. Miss Elder, you can join us now if you want to.¡±


    ¡°That would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Same here. We¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    Apparently, they were going back into the forest.


    ¡°Oh, right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°First of all, you should check up on the other search groups. You know where they went?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Try to keep tabs on their progress and make sure they keep working. Mercenaries like to slack off the moment you take their eyes off them. Right, you guys?!¡±


    Taddick turned around for the last bit, shouting towards his group. Disapproving jeers could be heard from them in response.


    ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s that. Also, it won¡¯t really help you right now but I¡¯ll make sure to give the cap a piece of mind. The guy¡¯s smart as heck but sometimes he forgets that not everyone is like him. Don¡¯t hold it against him for pushing this on you.¡±


    ¡°... I won¡¯t. It¡¯s, well¡­ a little nerve-racking but it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know why he did it¡­¡±


    ¡°... Gee, you¡¯re too good of a good kid. It¡¯s fine to get angry, once in a while, you know? Anyway, you¡¯re doing a fine job. And I¡¯ll make sure the cap¡¯s not going to hear the end of it for a while. Or rather, his wife will do that for me.¡±


    ¡°... Take it easy on him.¡±


    The last thing we needed was a depressed Korwen because he got scolded by Mrs Korwen.


    ¡°Ha, no way. You think I¡¯d let a chance like this slip by?¡±


    Apparently not.


    ¡°But really, all things said, you¡¯re doing a fine job. Keep it up, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    Taddick nodded approvingly before gathering his group to set out again.


    ¡°Okay, you all, let¡¯s get back out there! I remember the guy who wanted to take point, so go for it, I say!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an abuse of power, leader!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no abuse if I make the rules of what is considered abuse. Now get a move on or I will make you move!¡±


    Despite the harsh words exchanged, the mercenaries were all merry and laughing as they were making their way into the forest. Moments later they were gone, save for some loud laughter that reached to me.


    ¡°Well¡­ Now I¡¯m alone again¡­¡±


    Taddick said I should check up on the groups¡­


    Well, guess that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do now¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ Which group should I check up on first¡­


    Merim¡¯s group was in the main building while Fenna¡¯s was in the residential building.


    The residential building, huh¡­


    I was curious¡­ I wanted to see the place we¡¯d live in.


    Guess that¡¯s decided then.


    Having made my decision, I left the temporary camp and made my way¡­ to the main building.


    I mean, I don¡¯t even know which one is the residential building¡­


    Life wasn¡¯t easy, sometimes¡­


    Rinne


    If you enjoy the novel, please take a look at my Patreon! You can read ahead up to 10 chapters for a few coffees worth.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: A Treasure Hunt in the Fort

    ¡°I really should have asked which buildings are which¡­ A map of the fort would be nice to have.¡±


    Honestly, I should have asked them which buildings are which when I listened to their reports earlier. Alas, I hadn¡¯t. So, yeah¡­


    I¡¯ll have to ask the men later which one is the residential building. But first I have to find them.


    The main building was large. Probably as expected. According to what they told me earlier, they had already completed the search up to the second floor. In other words, I¡¯d likely find them on the third floor.


    With my destination decided, I approached the main building and entered through the large double door. The mercenaries had brought the corpses of the bandits away, leaving behind only dried up patches of blood, broken bottles and wooden splinters. And unfortunately, an unpleasant smell kept lingering as well.


    Well, it won¡¯t kill me¡­ But maybe airing the hall would help.


    Even though the door was half-collapsed, the horrid smell hadn¡¯t disappeared yet. At least it wasn¡¯t as bad anymore as it was when we arrived.


    ¡°The stairs are¡­ Stairs are¡­ Ah, there.¡±


    Once I spotted the stairs in the back of the hall, I promptly made my way upstairs. A thick layer of dust had settled on them, only disturbed by the footprints from the search party. On the first floor, the footprints spread out into the first floor and the stairs leading up to the second floor. The same could be seen on the second floor. Only on the third floor did the footprints not lead further up.


    Well, I would have been surprised if they had already finished up the third floor as well.


    I followed the footprints for a short while, passing plenty of rooms and corridors along the way. Most of the doors were damaged or straight-up fell out of their hinges, allowing me a few peeks inside. Though, quite a lot of them were notoriously empty while the few that weren¡¯t entirely devoid of furniture were hard to place. Maybe some office rooms or something similar?


    ¡°Oh, Miss Yumi, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A voice called out to me from behind. Turning around, I found a mercenary coming out of a room and quickly saluting me. His appearance was so sudden I was stumped at how to respond for a moment.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Err¡­ How¡¯s the search going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going well, ma¡¯am! We have just finished the first look through the third floor.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Did you find anything of interest?¡±


    ¡°There are several rooms we believe to might have been studies. There is also a large hall that might have served as a library of sorts.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ library?¡±


    A library in a fort? That was certainly not what I expected to find here. Of all things, a library?


    ¡°Could you show me that library?¡±


    ¡°Certainly, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I followed the mercenary through the corridors, leading me to a single large entrance with its door missing. Through the entrance, I could spy several bookshelves and piles of books on the ground. It seemed some of the shelves had collapsed and thrown their contents throughout the room.


    ¡°Jorth!¡± called out the mercenary guiding me.


    ¡°Huh? You already back? You just le¡ª Miss Yumi!¡±


    A lanky man appeared from behind the shelves, saluting me the moment he spotted me.


    ¡°Miss Yumi, ma¡¯am! How may we help you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ At¡­ ease? Err, I wanted to take a look at this library you found.¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t get used to all the salutes and the formal behaviour. But that was neither here nor there. The lanky mercenary called Jorth relaxed when I told him to ease up, that was good enough for me.


    ¡°Well, the library is as you can see, ma¡¯am. The shelves haven¡¯t taken well to time but no books were found damaged. That said, we have no idea what these books even are¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. I can read but the contents are beyond me.¡±


    Were these maybe some highly technical books or so? Maybe some researchers made use of this library.


    Thinking so, I picked up a nearby book and opened it, skimming through the pages and stopping on a random one. I still needed some practice with reading so I¡¯d have to read slowly.


    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s this? ¡®And the brimstone spectre watcheth the firmament¡¯s glimmer. Pray, oh pray, as the flower of fire and flame bloometh in our most precious. Repent, oh repent, as the neverending dream cometh to a close.¡¯ Err¡­ What?¡±


    What the heck was I reading here? This most definitely wasn¡¯t some kind of technical book. I peeked towards the other two, only to find the lanky man shrugging his shoulders and the other shaking his head.


    ¡°They¡¯re all like this, Miss Yumi, ma¡¯am. Tried reading a few pages of one and I can say I got no clue what a single sentence of that even meant. Can¡¯t even read half the words.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even blame him for that. Reading a little further, I found several words where I didn¡¯t know the meaning either, while others were slightly different from the words I knew. Overall quite difficult to make out any sense of this.


    ¡°And you say that all the books are like this?¡±


    ¡°At least, all I took a look at. Which are plenty.¡±


    He gestured to the stack of the books next to me, where I had taken the first book from. So, this stack was here cause he had already taken a look at these?


    ¡°I see. Well¡­ Let¡¯s take a look at another one.¡±


    This time, however, I picked a book from the nearby shelf.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see. ¡®Ah, dear Ser Kalas, on this day shall we be joined forevermore, my purity yours to¡ª¡¯ Okay, what the hell is up with this?¡±


    These weren¡¯t just some flowery words anymore. They were a little too¡­ direct, for that.


    Never did I expect to stumble upon an erotic novel in this place.


    Not to mention that I was surprised such a thing even existed in the first place. Admittedly, I only read a single sentence out of the book but chances were rather high that the remainder of the book wasn¡¯t much better. Actually, what was the title anyway?


    ¡®The Holy Knight Kalas and His Thousand Brides¡¯


    Now then, the title wasn¡¯t very promising, either. Maybe it was good I didn¡¯t read more than a single sentence.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ I guess this library was more for¡­ entertainment.¡±


    ¡°That might be¡­ likely, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The lanky mercenary glanced away from me. Yeah, he picked up on what that book had been¡­ Hard not to.


    Next time, I shouldn¡¯t read out loud¡­


    For everyone¡¯s sake.


    ¡°Err, I¡¯ll leave you to this place then. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I quickly made my exit from the library. There was little point in staying there when I could hardly read half the books and the remainder were erotic novels. Not like the lanky mercenary would fare any better than I would.


    Nn, Ria or someone probably would have to take a look later, wouldn¡¯t they? Speaking of which¡­ What would happen if Ria picked up those books?


    The image of Ria reading out loud the lines from earlier came to mind. Honestly, it was¡­ pretty uninteresting. I couldn¡¯t imagine her getting riled up about that. Maybe someone else would? But I didn¡¯t want to let Karen read those. And Lily and Rina were no good either. Their reaction might be interesting but the aftermath wouldn¡¯t be pretty. For me, that is.


    Anyway, where to next¡­ the studies? Is the other mercenary still around?


    Turning around, I saw the mercenary who guided me here. Seemed that he followed me.


    ¡°Nn, show me to the studies next.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    After a salute, he guided me through the corridors once more. He seemed quite happy about leading me. Well, it was probably easier and more interesting than digging through the dusty rooms.


    ¡°These are the studies, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    A whole slew of studies, one next to another. A whole corridor of studies. Rather than that, it felt more like I was looking at office rooms. Each one seemed to have a single desk with a chair, several shelves lining the walls and some miscellaneous other stuff.


    ¡°Well, this seems more promising, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Several mercenaries were in the rooms, scouring every corner. Stacks of papers as well as some books were placed on the desks in each room. If these were studies¡ªoffice rooms, really¡ªthen chances were high that the documents were a little more interesting. Then again, most anything was fine with me as long as they weren¡¯t like the ones from the library.


    ¡°Ah, Miss Yumi! You have come!¡±


    ¡°Nn. How is the search going?¡±


    One of the mercenaries approached me with a salute. It took me a moment to remember, but he was the one who gave me the report earlier. If I had to guess, he was their squad leader.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well, ma¡¯am! Most of the studies haven¡¯t been emptied or looted and are in relatively good condition. We are currently gathering everything of interest.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Could you show them to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am. This way.¡±


    That was good news. I was a little surprised when he mentioned that these were in good condition but when I thought about it, bandits and the like probably weren¡¯t interested in some century-old documents, huh¡­


    ¡°Here they are.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    A whole pile of documents and books, stacked up so high that I feared they might topple over any second now. Mostly the books, of course.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±


    I took a stack of the documents and skimmed over them. To my relief, this wasn¡¯t full of flowery words or erotic descriptions.


    ¡°... It¡¯s a complaint from the town mayor that the drunk soldiers are causing problems by hitting on young girls.¡±


    Was this really any better? Was it? I wasn¡¯t so sure anymore¡­


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s been two centuries since this complaint was written. The people involved aren¡¯t even alive anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they were long-lived ones, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°... Right, that could be.¡±


    But even if they were still alive, I couldn¡¯t imagine them remembering an incident from over two hundred years ago¡­ Not like we¡¯d have a way of finding them either. And not like we would, either. No point in doing so.


    ¡°Okay, next one is¡­ Another complaint? This one¡­ and this one¡­ as well as this one. That¡¯S a lot of complaints.¡±


    ¡°That stacks from¡­ Hey, where¡¯s this stack from?!¡±


    ¡°The study over there, sir!¡±


    A mercenary pointed to a study on the other end of the corridor. That knowledge wasn¡¯t going to help me either¡­


    ¡°You sorted them by study?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Then that one probably handled all the complaints.


    My condolences, former long-deceased office worker. Or would it be official?


    After a quick thought dedicated to the poor sod who had to deal with that, I reached out to a different stack.


    ¡°This one is¡­ Oh, an inventory list. Two and a half dozen barrels of bright ale. Three wagons of monster stones. A dozen of crates of Black Cucus. Black Cucus?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s an Earth Cucus, ma¡¯Am.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes¡­¡±


    No sense. Earth Cucus were red¡­


    ¡°Whatever. I guess monster crystals refer to mana crystals¡­ Mh, but it doesn¡¯t say where these were stored, does it? Oh, wait, there. Third storage.¡±


    And which ones were that?


    ¡°... Let¡¯s take a look at another stack.¡±


    Third time¡¯s the charm. Or something like that.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Nn? It¡¯s a report on wall repairs¡­¡±


    The next one was about repairs as well¡­


    ¡°... Well, they might be useful, I guess? Maybe?¡±


    Honestly, I had no idea if they were. Someone would have to sieve through all of the documents and figure out what is useful and what isn¡¯t. Though I had the subtle feeling I¡¯d belong to the group having to do that¡­ At least they were halfway sorted by study already. That should make things easier whenever it¡¯d come to that.


    ¡°Leader, sir! We found something!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Miss Yumi, shall we take a look?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I put down the document and followed him to where the voice had come from. A room at the very end of the corridor. The door had been broken down, most likely by the mercenaries. The inside didn¡¯t look like a study either, suggesting this was probably a different, maybe more important place.


    ¡°Sir, take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    The mercenary handed a small box to his leader. I tried to take a look but¡­ They were working at a slightly different height than me. Seeing my plight, the leader lowered the box and let me take a look as well.


    ¡°Nn? Are these plants? In a box?¡±


    ¡°That would seem to be the case, ma¡¯am. Maybe this was a medical facility?¡±


    ¡°That might be.¡±


    If these plants were used as herbs.


    But wouldn¡¯t a bunch of plants rot away of left alone like this? I mean, it¡¯s been two hundred years or even longer?


    That aside, there were other things in the box as well. Small tools of unknown purpose, tiny bottles with weird liquids, some of which had leaked into the box and some other things.


    ¡°There¡¯s even a straw doll in there. What do you even need a straw doll for?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re popular as toys, Miss Yumi.¡±


    ¡°A toy, you say?¡±


    In a box filled with plants and questionable liquids?


    ¡°Did you find anything else,¡± the leader asked his subordinate.


    ¡°Yes, sir. There were a few documents and a book with a lock.¡±


    ¡°Nn? A book with a lock?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The mercenary pointed to the table behind him. A giant, ornate book, the length of my entire arm, was placed on it, with a thick metal lock keeping it closed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know people would actually go out of their way to lock a book¡­¡±


    ¡°The lock is old, ma¡¯am. Should we break it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Let¡¯s first take a look at the other things.¡±


    Time for another round of documents. Alas, this proved to be different.


    ¡°Huh? ¡®The seventeenth of the second summer month. Progress is slow but steady. The people of Auria have yet to find out about us but it is only a matter of time. We have to be more careful with acquiring goods. Our success is imminent. Failure means death.¡¯¡±


    I paused. This document. This wasn¡¯t written by the soldiers of this fort, was it? After all, the people of Auria knew about their existence back then. But then, who was it? The bandits? Or maybe¡­


    Are these the belongings of the Worshippers?!


    There were no other past residents in this place according to my knowledge. But then, why were these things here and not down in the basement?


    ¡°... These things might belong to the Worshippers.¡±


    ¡°The Worshippers?!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Should we call for Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Do that. And inform the captain about it as well.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll do so immediately.¡±


    The leader saluted and immediately went off to send some of his men back down.


    ¡°But I wonder what this stuff is about¡­¡±


    If I had to guess, maybe these were logs for that ritual they conducted? That seemed most likely to me.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe that book has more?¡±


    I glanced towards the locked book. The mercenary said he could break open the log¡­ but if this was a book from the Worshippers, then maybe it was booby-trapped or something like that. I wouldn¡¯t put it past them.


    ¡°Where exactly did you find that book?¡±


    ¡°Over on that shelf there, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Did you notice anything when you took it?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Maybe there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with it? But it could be magic, too. I decided to take a look at the mana within the book but¡­


    Looks normal to me¡­


    Nothing noteworthy at all about it, even. Then, if it wasn¡¯t trapped with magic, maybe it was something mechanical?


    I grabbed the book, trying to lift it but¡­


    ¡°Woah! Heavy!¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, be careful!¡±


    The mercenary quickly took the book from me before I could stumble. So much to that¡­


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem, ma¡¯am! Did you want to do something with the book?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Could you shake it?¡±


    ¡°Shake¡­ it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. If there¡¯s a trap, maybe we can hear something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want to check for traps?¡±


    I nodded when the mercenary understood my intentions.


    ¡°Leave it to me, ma¡¯am.¡±


    He lifted the giant book, shaking it gently while listening with an ear on it. After a few moments, he put the book down and instead took his knife with its scabbard and knocked on the book with it. Afterwards, he drew the knife and poked it between the pages.


    ¡°Looks safe to me, ma¡¯am. Can¡¯t say whether there is a magical trap, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you. I can¡¯t sense anything amiss from its mana so it probably isn¡¯t trapped at all.¡±


    ¡°Shall I break the lock?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Do it.¡±


    I took a few steps back and let him do his work. Though, first, he left the room, borrowing some tools. He came back with a pair of metal pliers.


    ¡°Please stand behind me, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I am.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll open it now.¡±


    The pliers bit down on the lock, distorting it. The sound of metal being squashed entered my ears and with a final snap, the lock broke apart.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°Please stand back for a moment, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll open the book now.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    I quickly returned behind him, understanding his intentions. He grabbed the book and¡­ opened it. Without anything happening.


    ¡°... Seems to be safe, ma¡¯am. Here you go.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you. Good work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    He saluted, a big grin on his face. I could only smile wryly in return. I truly was thankful for his consideration but it also made me feel a little bad, Standing behind him as he was facing a potentially dangerous item.


    But that¡¯s basically what I¡¯ll have to do in the future, too. Hoisting that banner is something I can only do when they protect me¡­


    Nonetheless, I felt a little bad about it. As well as thankful.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s take a look¡­.¡±


    I turned my attention back to the book in front of me. With a book as big and heavy as this one was, there was no way for me to lift it, so I kept it on the table and opened the front cover.


    ¡°Nn? ¡®Book of the Grand Witch¡¯? Well, that sure is straightforward¡­¡±


    Not the most creative title. But at least it was decorated with a very beautiful flower. The book seemed handwritten, so I didn''t really want to imagine just how much effort had been put into that. A name was written in the corner too. Maybe the owner of this book. Or the author?


    ¡°A¡­ Adeptus-Yumaria¡­ That¡¯s¡­ probably not how I am supposed to read this. Err¡­ Yumaria is the name, I guess? The other is¡­ a title? Or something?¡±


    What even was an Adeptus, though? Either way, it had something to do with the Worshippers, no doubt. No other people would decide on a name like that. Well, except for me?


    But, let¡¯s take a look at this book first¡­


    I flipped the first page and found the table of contents for the book. Which was¡­ Err¡­


    Introduction to the Devotees of the Grand Witch, an organisation dedicated to the worship of the Grand Witch Yumias. First Chapter: The Devotees of the Grand Witch and our goals. Second Chapter: A Neophyte¡¯s duty¡­


    This was surprisingly¡­ straightforward. And decorated with flowers, too. Actually, it was quite pretty. Whoever wrote this book put in a lot of effort.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ the first chapter¡­ Oh? It explains the structure of their organisation?


    This¡­ could this be a rather incredible find? The text seemed to be giving details on their beliefs, their ranks within the organisation and much more. And this was just the first chapter. Incidentally, the ¡®Adeptus¡¯ was indeed a rank within the organisation.


    The Adeptus Exemptus: A devotee that has reached the mortal and magical limits is granted a new name. They shall honour the witch by taking this name as their own, reflecting the new life given to them by the witch.


    That rank was, unsurprisingly, pretty high among the Worshippers. However, when I checked the table of contents, there was no chapter dedicated to them. Nor any other of higher ranks.


    ¡°The other chapters are¡­ Nn¡­ explanations of the first few ranks? After that¡­ Oh, is this magic?¡±


    Now, this was interesting. The book was covering some basics of the magic the Worshippers were using.


    Maybe I can find something useful here.


    At that moment, a commotion could be heard from behind me. I turned around, looking towards the corridor and listening to the mercenaries, as they hurriedly greeted someone. Seconds later, the newcomer arrived at the door, wearing her usual lethargic expression.


    ¡°Ria, you¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I did¡­ I was told¡­ there is something¡­ interesting here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, there is. We found some stuff from the Worshippers. Among other things, this book.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ book?¡±


    Ria tilted her head for a short moment, before moving swiftly over to me, belying her sleepy demeanour.


    ¡°What¡­ is this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure¡­ It seems to be something like a¡­ guidebook for them?¡±


    ¡°A guidebook¡­¡±


    I stepped aside to let Ria take a proper look at the book. First, she checked the front cover, then the first page, reading aloud the title of the book. Finally, she moved on to the table of contents, studying the words written there.


    ¡°A book¡­ of the Worshippers¡­ Mm¡­ We found¡­ something rare¡­¡±


    She read through the first chapter pages, furrowing her brows sometimes in between.


    ¡°There¡¯s also a chapter that seems to handle their magic.¡±


    ¡°Their magic?¡±


    That got a reaction out of her for sure, as she immediately checked the table of contents again and then flipped to the appropriate page in the book.


    ¡°Magic¡­ Mmm¡­ This is¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°... You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Ria nodded before going on to explain it to me.


    ¡°First¡­ the book explains¡­ the general basics¡­ of magic¡­ things you can¡­ learn in the¡­ Academy¡­ or from¡­ teachers¡­ After that¡­ it explains¡­ general spellcraft¡­ and some other things¡­ but¡­ there are no¡­ actual spells¡­ written here¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°But maybe¡­ the methods¡­ are¡­ I¡¯ll have to¡­ read it¡­ first.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The actual spells were probably of little use to me anyway, seeing how I¡¯d have trouble replicating them like that. But the methods might be interesting.


    ¡°Still¡­ this is¡­ very interesting¡­ Good job¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? I didn¡¯t really do anything, the men here found it, after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that¡­ so?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria stared at me for a few seconds, then smiled. I had no idea what went through her head that made her smile but I sure hoped it was something good.


    That said, Ria had already returned her attention to the book again¡­


    ¡°Ohhh?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Did you find something?¡±


    ¡°There are¡­ some of¡­ their ceremonies¡­ described¡­ including¡­ their rituals¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­ that means?¡±


    ¡°Some of them¡­ might be¡­ of magical¡­ nature¡­¡±


    ¡°... You mean, like ritual spells?¡±


    ¡°Correct¡­¡±


    Ritual spells were those large-scale spells that couldn¡¯t be cast by a regular magician. As such, they were probably rather impressive. Probably. As long as they didn¡¯t cause the magicians to get killed by it. Like, err, the owner of this book?


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Ohh? There are¡­ stories about¡­ the witch¡­¡±


    ¡°... There are?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Seems¡­ like it¡­ They don¡¯t¡­ look like¡­ they are¡­ related to¡­ the Tale of¡­ the Witch¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ the Tale of the Witch was that story that¡¯s¡­ quite famous?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Pretty much¡­ everyone knows¡­ of it¡­¡±


    Everyone except me. I still hadn¡¯t gotten around to having Karen tell me that tale, after all.


    ¡°But if they aren¡¯t related to that tale, where did they get those stories from?¡±


    ¡°... Who knows?¡±


    I didn¡¯t, at least.


    ¡°Maybe from¡­ someone long-lived¡­ like the Elder¡­ There are¡­ probably many¡­ who have lived¡­ through those¡­ times¡­ As long as¡­ you look¡­ for them¡­ you can¡­ probably find¡­ a few¡­¡±


    A few, huh¡­ For something that was hundreds if not thousands of years ago¡­


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can I¡­ take this¡­ book¡­ with me?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t mind? But can I take a look at it later, too?¡±


    After all, I might find something useful for me.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Of course.¡±


    ¡°Then, I guess take it with you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great¡­ Thank you¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem.¡±


    With the new temporary owner of the book decided, Ria turned around to the nearby mercenary who had silently watched over us. She stared straight at him, silently, causing him to stiffen up.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Miss Ria¡­ May I be of help?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Carry¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The book¡­¡±


    ¡°You want me to carry the book?¡±


    ¡°Mmm..¡±


    The mercenary was a little bewildered but quickly composed himself and turned to me, asking for permission to help Ria, which I promptly gave him. It wouldn¡¯t take too long anyway to bring that book back, right?


    Well, even if not, it shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue¡­


    I watched as the mercenary cautiously closed the book and lifted it, the broken lock rattling with every move. The two quickly left for their destination and I was left alone.


    Hopefully, that book will help us out a little¡­ I wonder what the captain¡¯s going to say. Anyway, I should probably check up on the other group now. But first, I have to ask someone where to go¡­


    Good thing, there were plenty of mercenaries to choose from. Asking the first one in the corridor quickly got me the answer I was looking for. The residential building was pretty much right behind the main building.


    Time to take a look over there.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Back to the Camp

    After our little find in the main building had been taken care of, I went downstairs and left the building through the backdoor. The smell had already gotten a little better compared to earlier. Or maybe I had just grown used to it. I honestly didn¡¯t want to know which one it was.


    They said the residential building is this one, right?


    A little behind the main building was another large building. Although it was probably more accurate to call it building complex. Having seen the blueprints I knew it would be large but¡­ it really was large.


    I crossed the yard that separated the main building and the residential one, walking up to the large door. This one, at least, hadn¡¯t yet collapsed.


    Okay, it¡¯d be nice to know where they are searching within this building, though¡­ It¡¯s too big.


    With the main building, I had known where the group should be, approximately. But here? What if they were already on the fourth or fifth floor? I¡¯d have to look around for them for quite a while in the worst case.


    Well, standing around won¡¯t solve the problem, though. I¡¯ll just hope I can find them quickly.


    With a wry smile, I pushed open the door and entered the building.


    ¡°Mm? Miss Yumi!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So much to searching for them. They were right behind the door. Or at least, two of them were.


    ¡°Miss Yumi? Is something the matter, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. I was, err, just surprised to see you down here. Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Our group is currently searching the ground floor, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You two as well?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re currently comparing the floor plan of the blueprints with the actual layout, ma¡¯am.¡±


    In other words, I got quite lucky. But they were still on the ground floor, so I probably would have run into some of them after a while anyway. Worried for nothing there.


    ¡°I see. And are things coming along well? Does the blueprint match the building?¡±


    ¡°We believe so, ma¡¯am. So far, we haven¡¯t found any differences.¡±


    That was good, at least. We hadn¡¯t gotten the wrong blueprints then.


    ¡°However, there are a few areas that seem to be inaccessible.¡±


    ¡°Nn? How so?¡±


    ¡°Parts of the ceiling have collapsed at different places.¡±


    ¡°¡­ That¡¯s bad, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. It is bad.¡±


    But weren¡¯t these buildings constructed with the help of Earth magic? I already knew they weren¡¯t indestructible just because of that, but they should be rather sturdy, shouldn¡¯t they? And if the ceiling had collapsed at several places¡­


    ¡°... It might be too dangerous to search the upper floors. If the floor collapses, that¡¯S not going to be a laughing matter.¡±


    ¡°Should we remain on the ground floor then, ma¡¯am?¡±


    Should they? Probably, yes. Their safety had priority. And I knew how much Korwen valued the safety of his men.


    ¡°... Nn. Do that. And be careful of the ceiling. Also¡­ Avoiding areas that seem too damaged and everywhere where the ceiling already collapsed might be better, too.¡±


    ¡°Understood. We will relay those orders.¡±


    Orders, huh? Even something as simple as this was considered an order.


    ¡°You heard her, go and catch up with the leader and the others.¡±


    ¡°... Got it.¡±


    The other mercenary¡¯s face scrunched up for a short moment before he acknowledged the order and left.


    But we can¡¯t go upstairs then, huh¡­ That¡¯s a little disappointing.


    I had held a bit of hope that, maybe, I would be able to take a look at our future room. But I¡¯d rather not get buried beneath the rubble. If I could believe Yumias words, I wouldn¡¯t be in any particular danger even if I would be buried but it wasn¡¯t something I was keen on trying.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ Did you find anything noteworthy in here?¡±


    ¡°Noteworthy¡­ not, no. We found a lot of personal items, however.¡±


    ¡°Personal items? Of the former residents?¡±


    ¡°That sounds likely, yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    They cleared everything else but left the personal items behind. That was a little odd, no? According to my understanding, it hadn¡¯t been abandoned in too much of a hurry. They cleaned up everything else, after all.


    ¡°Anything other than those personal items?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Maybe I should take a look at whatever those items were? Not like there was anything else to look at. And who knows, maybe I¡¯d find something else that was interesting. The book earlier had been quite an unexpected find, too, after all.


    ¡°Where are the others exactly? I¡¯d like to take a look at the things they found.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you there, ma¡¯am!¡±


    ¡°Nn, tha¡ª Wait... Don¡¯t you have a job to do?¡±


    I pointed at the blueprint in his hands. Nearly fell for that one.


    ¡°I have yet to check that area anyway, ma¡¯am, so it will be no trouble.¡±


    ¡°... Okay then, lead away.¡±


    ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am!¡±


    I¡¯d assume he was innocent and not trying to use me to shirk his work right now. Well, having him guide me would prevent me from getting lost in here which wasn¡¯t bad either. Especially through all these sameish looking corridors. Whenever I peeked into a room we were passing by I¡¯d see the same layout of a bed, a work desk with a chair, a nightstand and a small lamp squeezed into a tiny room.


    ¡°They all look the same.¡±


    ¡°These were likely quarters for non-military personnel, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, they had to live somewhere, too.¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t do to put them to the soldiers in the barracks. At least, I wouldn¡¯t like that. And there had to be quite a lot of them, judging from the number of rooms.


    Nn¡­ I wonder how many soldiers and other personnel lived in this fort.¡±


    ¡°Err, apologies, ma¡¯am, but that¡¯s not something I can answer¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, no, I wasn¡¯t asking you specifically. I just wondered out loud.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    I should probably keep those thoughts in my mind for now. No need to make them feel more uncomfortable than necessary.


    ¡°Over there, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ahh, I can see them.¡±


    We entered into a slightly larger hall and immediately spotted several mercenaries working. Among them was the man that had been with us just earlier.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, I will return to my work then.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Thank you for guiding me. Good luck with your work.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±


    I watched him salute me, a wry smile on my lips again. It just made me remember again that I was, in a way, their superior right now. Honestly, I was impressed how not even one of them ever questioned that I was giving out the orders here. Especially when you considered how short my time with them had been so far.


    ¡°Miss Yumi, ma¡¯am!¡±


    As I approached the working mercenaries, one of them spotted me, straightened his back and saluted me.


    ¡°Nn, I came to take a look at the things you have found so far.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean the personal items we recovered, ma¡¯am?¡±


    ¡°Nn, those.¡±


    ¡°Understood, ma¡¯am. This way.¡±


    He led me to a rather considerable pile of¡­ things that they had piled up in the middle of the hall.


    ¡°... These?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am. There are more things in the rooms but these were the only items that seemed to be of interest.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It was mostly tools, accessories and similar things. There were also quite a number of books among them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡±


    I picked up a book, not expecting a whole lot after the library incident from earlier.


    ¡°Oh? This is¡­ a diary?¡±


    I opened the book and sure enough, it was a diary. Handwritten accounts of daily life at this fort.


    ¡°A diary?¡± asked the mercenary next to me.


    ¡°Nn. A diary. You don¡¯t know what that is?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Well, that was a surprise. Were diaries a foreign concept here? But there was one in front of me so it couldn¡¯t be that odd. Actually, the other books had a similar appearance to the one in my hands, so they, too, might be diaries.


    ¡°I see. It¡¯s a book where you record your daily life.¡±


    ¡°People do that?¡±


    ¡°Some do.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like an odd hobby.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is.¡±


    But wasn¡¯t there something interesting about reading someone¡¯s diary? It was like you¡¯d be able to see the hidden thoughts of a person. Thoughts they might never have voiced out loud. It was a treasure trove of a person¡¯s secrets. On the other hand¡­ I wasn¡¯t quite sure whether it was proper to take a look at these diaries. Even if the person who wrote it was most likely long deceased. On the other hand, they might have recorded some valuable information by chance¡­


    ... That¡¯s a decision I can leave to the captain, right? Let¡¯s take a look at the other books for now.


    That was a problem someone else could deal with. For now, I picked up another book and opened it.


    ¡°Oh, this one is not a diary¡­ Is this a novel?¡±


    Not exactly what I was looking for¡­ Maybe they borrowed it from that library. I went for the next book and it was once more a novel with questionable contents. The ones after that were also for the most part novels. A few other books were mixed among them but nothing too interesting, apart from two other diaries and one book that was entirely empty. It might be just an empty diary.


    ¡°There really is barely anything interesting here¡­¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just personal items, ma¡¯am. Some of the accessories might hold value but apart from that most of it is garbage.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Calling it garbage was a little too blunt, maybe¡­


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Is there anything else noteworthy here?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Had any problems or so?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. Some areas have collapsed but following your orders, we will avoid those for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good.¡±


    At least, everything was in order. I could hear the mercenaries shouting towards each other, which area was clear, which one they¡¯d start searching now and so on.


    ¡°Nn, seems everything is in order. Then, I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    I nodded at his salute and then left them to their own devices. There was no point in me lingering around when everything was going smoothly. It¡¯d just make them nervous if their superior would sit around, watching them. No need to make them go through that kind of torture.


    Well then, ket¡¯s return the way I came. Should be easy enough.


    I walked back the corridor, arriving in the hall where I had entered the building. The mercenary from earlier wasn¡¯t around anymore, most likely having gone off to continue his work.


    Seeing as there was nothing else keeping me here, I left the residential building.


    What do I do now? Return to the spot from earlier and wait there? Guess that¡¯s going to be it¡­


    Frankly, I didn¡¯t like being in command. That much I knew now. The work you had was making me nervous. It was so much responsibility that it felt like it¡¯d crush me, even in an ¡®easy¡¯ situation like this. I also felt weird whenever they saluted me, doing exactly what I told them. Following Korwen¡¯s image was working out somehow but it wasn¡¯t something I was keen on doing again. Some of it was probably just a matter of getting used to but¡­


    That aside, the time you didn¡¯t have work to do¡­ Well, you didn¡¯t have work to do. In other words, you were waiting without end.


    It¡¯s not like back in my world where you could easily find something to busy yourself with, after all¡­


    While I had such thoughts, I made my way back, crossing the main building and returning to the yard in front of it. And much to my surprise¡ªand relief¡ªI found a familiar face waiting there for me.


    ¡°Fenna. You¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m back, Yumi. How did things go here?¡±


    ¡°... Things somehow worked out? I hope so, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you did fine.¡±


    That¡¯s what I hoped, too.


    ¡°But first things first: Yumi, the captain¡¯s calling for you so you should head back.¡±


    ¡°I can go back?¡±


    ¡°... You sound quite happy about that.¡±


    ¡°... Must be your imagination, Fenna.¡±


    Oops. I should probably take a little more care. Everyone kept telling me that my expressions were hard to read but it clearly wasn¡¯t like they were impossible to read¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll pretend it was my imagination then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ To answer your question, yes, you can go. I¡¯ll take over again.¡±


    Yay! I was freed from this rather undesirable job.


    ¡°Could you give me a rundown of everything that happened while we were gone?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    I quickly briefed Fenna about all the things that had happened. The elves, the Elder and Taddick¡¯s group, the findings in the main building as well as what happened just earlier in the residential one.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Sounds like quite a few things happened while we were away.¡±


    ¡°Nn, definitely.¡±


    I glanced at Fenna, gauging her reaction.


    ¡°Sorry about hoisting that on you so suddenly. We already gave the captain a piece of mind in regards to that. I¡¯m sure Taddick will put one atop that later, too.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. And, err, I don¡¯t think you should complain to the captain about that?¡±


    ¡°He can take it.¡±


    Fenna shrugged her shoulders, clearly not bothered about it.


    ¡°I see. Thank you, Fenna. For being worried about me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    She smiled and then put her hand atop my head, ruffling my hair.


    ¡°From what you told me, you did your job just fine. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°... Nn!¡±


    ¡°Now, go find the captain. Wouldn¡¯t want him growing flowing atop his head while he waits.¡±


    ¡°... That sounds like it¡¯d be quite interesting, though.¡±


    ¡°... Yes, it does.¡±


    We shared a short chuckle, before Fenna pushed my back, ushering me to take my leave.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of things here. Until later.¡±


    ¡°Nn, until later.¡±


    Finally, I was freed from this unexpectedly heavy burden. With my shoulders a little lighter, I made my way back underground.


    ---


    Back underground, I found that the hall had filled up quite a lot compared to the time I left. There was, however, no sign of Korwen or even Merim or Karen. I asked a nearby mercenary and was told I¡¯d find them on the other side. The other side of the portal.


    Well, but weren¡¯t we supposed to keep on this side as much as we could. Or at least, me.


    But he had called for me so¡­ Either way, I went through the tentacle door into the tent on the other side. Then I peeked out of the tent, taking a look at my surroundings.


    ¡°Ah, found the captain.¡±


    A little away from the tent was Korwen, together with a few other mercenaries and Merim. Still no sign of Karen, though.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ohh? That took quite a while, didn¡¯t it?¡± exclaimed Korwen, turning around to face me.


    ¡°Nn? I came immediately back when Fenna told me?¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Maybe Fenna had waited for a while already, though¡­ Not that she had said anything.


    ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s not important anyway. Yumi, I heard you found quite an interesting book.¡±


    ¡°Nn? That worshippers¡¯ book, yes.¡±


    ¡°Could you tell me in detail what happened there.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    I recounted what had happened when I found the book, the things I had read and what Ria had told me when she had come by.


    ¡°... and that¡¯s it. Couldn¡¯t you have asked Ria, though?¡±


    ¡°That idiot locked herself in her wagon to read exactly that book. She refused to come out.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen shrugged with his shoulders, dismissing the problem as if it was nothing of import.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I called for you, after all. The book might be quite a find, after all.¡±


    ¡°That so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those books are something like their religious guideline. There is a lot of information that is hard to come by in those books.¡±


    The worshippers were seriously troublesome, after all. And chances were quite high we¡¯d encounter them again. Especially with me here. Yumelia had escaped back then, too. As long as she was around, she¡¯d surely come after me again¡­ The mere of it thought was scary.


    ¡°We got really lucky to sack one of those. I do wonder why we found it up there though and not with the other things underground¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe they hid it there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d question whoever decided that the main building is a better hiding place than the secret underground area.¡±


    ¡°... Good point.¡±


    Now that he had said that, I¡¯d question them, too.


    ¡°But those answers will probably have to wait until Ria decides to come out of her wagon. Really, what a bother.¡±


    He didn¡¯t seem to be too mad at her, though.


    ¡°So, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°How was your first time giving orders?¡±


    ¡°It was¡ª¡±


    I opened my mouth to answer but immediately paused. Honestly, what should I say here? Overall¡­ It could have been worse. Fenna said I did a good job, too. But¡­ I was a little annoyed at how he sprung that onto me without warning. Honestly, I wanted to give him a piece of mind but now that I stood here I had no idea what to say¡­ After a few seconds of deliberating, I decided to just tell him exactly how I felt about it.


    ¡°... It was uncomfortable. I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°... Now, that¡¯s quite upfront, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Well, sugarcoating it wouldn¡¯t change it, after all.


    ¡°I see, you didn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    If it was just something like supervising people, that wasn¡¯t so bad. But, actually being the one giving out the orders? The one deciding the direction? I wasn¡¯t fond of it in the least.


    ¡°See, Captain, I told you that¡¯s how it was going to be,¡± commented Merim.


    ¡°I know you said that. But I had some hope¡­ Can¡¯t be helped then.¡±


    Oh, he took it far better than I expected.


    ¡±That said, there are going to be times when you might have to take command, Yumi. Especially in regards to your own squad.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Korwen let out a sigh as he scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Well, no point in forcing you to do it. It was worth a try.¡±


    I felt a little bad since he seemed actually disappointed about it.


    ¡°Nn¡­ By the way, where is sis?¡±


    ¡°Karen is over there.¡±


    Korwen pointed towards the camp. Between the mercenaries running to and fro, carrying supplies or running errands, was Karen, giving out instructions to the mercenaries.


    ¡°... Did you also put her in charge?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. Surprisingly, she¡¯s taken to it pretty well. She¡¯s doing a pretty decent job at it, too.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    Watching her for a little while, I could see where he was coming from. She directed the mercenaries, without being perturbed. It was completely different from how I did it, probably. Not that I could really judge that.


    ¡°Sis is amazing.¡±


    ¡°That you can say. But it¡¯s about time we called her back as well. Having her experience being in charge is good and all, but she¡¯s an incredible help for moving heavy stuff. And that stuff won¡¯t move itself, as much as I wish it would.¡±


    Korwen sighed again, turning his gaze towards somewhere else in the camp. Probably where some of that said heavy stuff was.


    ¡°At least we got the worst done already. Well then, Merim, you¡¯re in charge here. If those people show up again, you know what to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    Merim saluted and then returned to the camp. After seeing him off, Korwen and I went towards Karen. While we walked, I asked Korwen about what he mentioned to Merim.


    ¡°People?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We got some visits.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Had to be someone important if Korwen went back for that.


    ¡°Turns out this region isn¡¯t as remote as I expected. There are other mercenaries working in this area.¡±


    ¡°And those people came?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. It¡¯s a smaller band, only around four to five dozen of them. But they¡¯re more than enough to deal with any local problems. But, well, now we showed up. And they were none too happy about it.¡±


    Four to five dozen was¡­ already quite a group, though? Weren¡¯t the Black Guards somewhere around that size, too?


    ¡°So, what happened then?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, really. They made a bit of a ruckus about this being their turf. They quickly shut up when they heard our name and our purpose of being here, though.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, even I knew by now that the Lomerian Dragon Knights were rather well-known. Having such a well-known band in front of you was probably intimidating enough for them.


    ¡°What¡¯ll happen to them now?¡±


    ¡°Who knows? If they are smart, they¡¯ll make use of the fact that they are known in this area to get work. Depends on their reputation too, though. Either way, we probably won¡¯t bother much with the local issues unless we get a job offer for it. And if we do, I guess their reputation wasn¡¯t that good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ rather brutal.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is.¡±


    Could only hope for them that their reputation wasn¡¯t that bad. But¡­ they did try to make a ruckus here so¡­ that sure didn¡¯t inspire any confidence.


    ¡°If they are dumb, however, they might try to mess with us. With that in mind, don¡¯t wander around alone for a while. Last thing we need is you getting kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care.¡±


    ¡°Good. Tell that to Karen as well. Both you have to be careful. And I know Karen is strong but she¡¯s not a trained mercenary. Don¡¯t let her do anything dumb.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Not that I expected her to do anything like that. But it was better to be careful anyway.


    ¡°Good, good. Now then¡­ Karen!¡±


    While we talked, we had arrived at our destination and Korwen called out to Karen, drawing her attention to us.


    ¡°Mr Captain? Ah, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Good work there, Karen. I¡¯ll take over again. Go and take a break with Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    After seeing Karen salute, Korwen nodded once and then turned to the mercenaries and shouted some instructions at them, continuing where Karen had left off.


    ¡°Good work there, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Woah?!¡±


    My vision suddenly turned dark as Karen hugged me.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°I was so nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t that she hadn¡¯t been perturbed or bothered¡­ she just hadn¡¯t let it show.


    ¡°You did well, Sis. I watched a little and you were amazing.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Really.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    A sigh of relief escaped Karen as she let more of her weight rest on me. Only enough that I could take it, thankfully.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit down somewhere and take a break.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen released me from her hug and walking hand-in-hand, we sat down near the tent with the tentacle door. There were no chairs here, so we simply sat on the ground, using a nearby tree as a backrest.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ That was surprisingly exhausting¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you have to direct the mercenaries moving the supplies?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ and not only that, I had to decide which supplies to bring, which ones to leave for now and all that¡­ It was hard.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­¡±


    That¡­ sounded worse than the stuff I had to do.¡±


    ¡°How about you? Mr Captain sent you to the fort, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I had to take over for Merim and Fenna. With the search of the fort.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I heard Ria got something from the people searching around, was that you?¡±


    ¡°In a way? They found a book from the worshippers, so I called for Ria. She was¡­ well¡­ rather happy about it.¡±


    Happy enough that she had ignored Korwen and shut herself in her wagon.


    ¡°A book about the worshippers?¡±


    ¡°No, from them. It was one of their books. Probably some kind of¡­ religious text, I guess? Not that it even read like one.¡±


    It was a little blunt for that. More like an instruction manual, if anything.


    ¡°That does sound like something Ria would like¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. Other than that¡­ Well, not much happened¡­¡±


    Speaking of which, I hadn¡¯t mentioned the stuff with the elves to the captain but¡­ that was probably fine, right? He didn¡¯t ask for a report anyway. And they¡¯d just ask him¡­


    No, I probably should tell him later¡­


    Just in case. Better than not doing it and then some problem would come out of it later.


    ¡°Oh well¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, nothing.¡±


    I leaned to the side, resting my head against Karen¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad it is over now. I really didn¡¯t like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Was it that bad?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t like giving out orders like that¡­ Deciding what to do¡­ How to say it¡­ It¡¯s unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°... I overheard Merim saying something about the burden of command. Is that what he meant?¡±


    ¡°The burden of command, huh¡­¡±


    It was, without a doubt, a heavy burden. If this was already so exhausting to me, I didn¡¯t want to imagine how bad it had to be for Korwen on a job.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯d rather not have to do that.¡±


    Things like that were better left to people better suited to it than me. I was quite comfortable in my current position, right next to Karen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Mr Captain won¡¯t force you to.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I won¡¯t get around it entirely, though.¡±


    Though, how things would go at that time, even I couldn¡¯t say for sure.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just hope that it won¡¯t be that bad.¡±


    Or maybe, at the time I¡¯d be able to deal with it a little better.


    ¡°Right now, I just want to take a break, though.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, come here, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ohhh?¡±


    Karen gently pulled me towards her, letting my head rest on her lap.


    ¡°Nn, this is nice.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    I let Karen spoil me for a good while. Resting on her lap was so incredibly comfortable. It was the best.


    With Karen gently stroking my head and brushing through my hair, we enjoyed our break at a leisurely pace, until we had to get up once more.


    Rinne


    This chapter wasn''t edited yet, as I won''t be around for the next few days.


    If you enjoy the story, please take a look at my Patreon! You can read up to 10 chapters and you would help me tremendously to boot.


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: A Strange Feeling

    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s so peaceful.¡±


    The wind gently brushing against my face, the rustling of the leaves and the cries of the birds in the background, the merry mercenaries buzzing around doing their work right in front of me. And all the while I could rest on Karen¡¯s lap while she stroked my hair. What was this if not peaceful? Or rather, wasn¡¯t this already paradise?


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t move, Yumi. That tickles.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sorry, then why are you smiling¡­¡±


    Even though Karen lightly scolded me as I was readjusting my position, she still kept stroking my head. Pure bliss.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you smiling, too, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Wa¡ª That¡¯s! Ah, stop laughing!¡±


    ¡°Hehehe! Wait, Sis, I¡¯m sorry! Ahh! Don¡¯t pull my cheek!¡±


    Even if it didn¡¯t hurt, it was weirdly uncomfortable.


    ¡°...I wonder how far it could stretch. Hey, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re not going to try that. I already said I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    My cheek wasn¡¯t a plaything. And it was a really weird feeling when she pulled on my cheek.


    ¡°Too bad. Maybe next time.¡±


    ¡°Please spare me, Sis.¡±


    I rubbed my newly released cheek. Yeah, it didn¡¯t hurt, but it still felt like the cold air was going into my mouth.


    ¡°By the way, how did you even know, Yumi? You can¡¯t even see my face from that position, can you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I just had a feeling¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not growing some eyes in the back of your head, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    That¡¯d be scary. Could be useful but I preferred staying as close to a human as possible. Most of the time, at least.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. That¡¯d be scary.¡±


    ¡°Nn, agreed.¡±


    ¡°Though it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if you did one day.¡±


    ¡°... Me neither.¡±


    Well, if I really did I probably couldn¡¯t change it anyway. As long as I could stay in this form as long as I wanted to, that was good enough. I really had grown numb to it, hadn¡¯t I? But this was probably for the better. There wasn¡¯t anything I could change about it, after all.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯d rather not grow eyes on the back of my head.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll grow elsewhere then?¡±


    ¡°... That sounds just as terrifying. Let¡¯s not talk about me growing eyes, okay?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to imagine myself as some kind of eye-covered monster. That was something that belonged in nightmares, not in reality. Then again, I probably was something that was better situated in a nightmare¡­ not that I wanted to be in one.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. You¡¯re good as you are.¡±


    ¡°... Glad to hear that.¡±


    Though I¡¯d like to know why she was poking my stomach now. I contemplated for several seconds whether I should ask but in the end, I decided not to bother and instead relax again in her lap. Maybe Karen noticed that and stopped poking my stomach.


    If only things could always be so peaceful.


    There probably wasn¡¯t going to be another incident anytime soon. If things went as planned, we¡¯d likely stay here at the fort and in Auria for quite a while. Repairing and tidying up the fort, clearing the road through the forest and settling into the place. Each of them would likely take a long time on their own, not to mention all three together.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ The supplies that were brought over were mostly things that aren¡¯t of use right now, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°I think so, why?¡±


    ¡°... I saw a lot of Earth Cucus and some other stuff like flour.¡±


    Earth Cucus didn¡¯t strike me as something that wasn¡¯t of use in the near future. If anything, I¡¯d like to eat some¡­


    ¡°... Ahh, I think that¡¯s because those things can be stored for a long time? I am not quite sure but I saw someone telling the mercenaries which food was okay to carry over and which wasn¡¯t. Something about emergencies or so, I didn¡¯t quite catch it at the time.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Maybe they¡¯re emergency rations.¡±


    But then again, I had my doubts whether the food that we travelled with would be enough to serve as emergency rations for all the mercenaries.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Talking about food made me hungry¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t stop my stomach from making its presence known. And its complaint about being empty.


    ¡°It¡¯s still some time until dinner, though. I think at most we could get some rations.¡±


    ¡°Those, huh¡­¡±


    They were better than nothing but¡­ I couldn¡¯t say I¡¯d be thrilled about them, either.


    ¡°Other than that, I don¡¯t know¡­ You could stuff yourself with mana crystals if you really wanted to.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t¡­ Actually, maybe that¡¯d work?¡±


    I could eat them, in a way. At least, I could digest them without dying¡­ Or whatever the hell my body was actually doing with those mana crystals.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re not going to try that, are you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We have a lot of them? Nobody¡¯s going to miss one or two?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡±


    Karen poked my cheek as if it would help drive in said point.


    ¡°But, maybe it actually helps? I mean, it¡¯d be good to know if I can use them as food, right? There might be a time when we need to save on food, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not wrong, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°But you do realise you have to swallow a crystal, right? They¡¯re basically stones.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, they were basically stones¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re right, they don¡¯t sound very delicious¡­ And now that I think about it, I¡¯m not a rainbow hoggy¡­ My teeth wouldn¡¯t survive that.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to risk the sole solid part inside my body because I was feeling hungry¡­


    ¡°I do think it¡¯d be good to try and see if they stave off your hunger, though.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would be¡­ But they¡¯re stones¡­ I¡¯d like to eat something proper.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi. Maybe they do have a taste?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    How did she get that idea? They were just crystals. Stones, as she said. Did stones have flavour? That was an interesting question but not one I¡¯d ever want to find out. I could only imagine that as an attempt at torture.


    ¡°Remember the time we went fishing and you ate the fish with mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn, they were delicious.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that delicious flavour is from the mana crystals?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Good point. Maybe mana crystals, or probably more like the mana itself had a flavour? Monster meat was considered a delicacy, after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I think I had some here¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I heard Karen rummaging, so I turned around on her lap and found her digging through a pouch.


    ¡°Ah, there. Yumi, I have a few of the small crystals here. Want to try?¡±


    ¡°... Are we really going to do this?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to. But you were the one who brought it up.¡±


    ¡°I guess I was.¡±


    If I thought of them as candy, maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­ Maybe?


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Nothing ventured, nothing gained¡­ Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡±


    ¡°Then, say ¡®Ahhh!¡¯¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    A small crystal, not even half as large as the nail of my thumb, dropped into my mouth. In fact, it was barely larger than the ones from the fish back then.


    ¡°... And?¡±


    ¡°... Tastes like nothing.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    In a way, I was astonished at how utterly flavourless it was. Suppressing a sigh, I swallowed the crystal, keeping track of its mana, just in case. I wasn¡¯t really worried, considering how small it was. To add, I felt a surprising lack of aversion to swallowing it. Just like back then, when I did it the first time.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just¡­ I lost track of it already.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t consciously absorbed the crystal, yet it was already gone. Was my stomach that powerful?


    ¡°You absorbed it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Feeling any fuller?¡±


    ¡°... Honestly? I don¡¯t know. I think I might?¡±


    ¡°Then, want to try another one?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You know what? Yes.¡±


    If asked whether I wanted to or not, then I honestly wasn¡¯t sure how to answer that. The lack of aversion and the weird desire coupled with hesitation and a crumbling common sense was¡­ a difficult combination. But, in the end, I still said yes¡­


    ¡°Then, here we go.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh.¡±


    Another small pebble-sized mana crystal was fed to me.


    ¡°Still tasteless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you expected.¡±


    ¡°Me neither.¡±


    I swallowed it, watching as it was slowly absorbed once again.


    Yeah, no matter how you think about it, this is weird, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s seriously weird. Even if we forget about how they are basically stones, they¡¯re poisonous to people, too.


    Good thing nobody was watching. Nobody was, right? Yeah, everyone was busy with their work and it wasn¡¯t like they could see what Karen had fed me anyway.


    ¡°So, how is it?¡±


    ¡°I do feel a little less hungry¡­ Not sure if it¡¯s just me believing that, though. Then again, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising either.¡±


    ¡°It really wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I think I prefer actual food, though. By far.¡±


    Who wouldn¡¯t prefer something that had an actual taste, right? Even if there was a feeling of satisfaction about absorbing a mana crystal.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that you still want something to eat?¡±


    ¡°... Nn. But I think I can wait until dinner now.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think we can take a break forever, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡¯s true.¡±


    In the distance, I could see Korwen and Merim talking¡­ together with Ria, who was clutching the book we had found earlier.


    ¡°Want to take a look?¡±


    ¡°I do but I don¡¯t want to get up.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°If only they could come over.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being lazy.¡±


    Yes, I was. And it was this lap I was resting on that made me so lazy. In other words, this clearly was Karen''s fault. Without a single doubt.


    ¡°Oh, they are really coming over.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen fell silent. Probably astonished that my random wish actually came true. We watched as they came closer¡­ and passed by us, disappearing into the tent with the portal.


    ¡°So much for that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... One can hope.¡±


    ¡°Your hope just passed by us.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t even worth hope¡¯s attention, was I? What a sad existence I was.


    Okay, let¡¯s stop being melodramatic like an idiot. I do want to know what is going on, after all.


    Reluctant as I was, I got up from Karen¡¯s lap, stretching my limbs.


    ¡°This was a nice break.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was.¡±


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go and take a look.¡±


    Judging from their behaviour, Ria had found something interesting, after all.


    Karen and I went into the tent and through the portal, where we again found korwen, this time with two mercenaries I didn¡¯t know. He instructed them and they rushed out of the hall, probably to go to Fenna, Taddick or someone else.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Enjoyed your break?¡±


    Korwen seemed slightly surprised seeing us, but he quickly returned to his usual expression.


    ¡°Nn, we did.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve taken a longer one if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­¡±


    Now he was making me regret it a little¡­


    ¡°We were curious about what happened,¡± explained Karen to me.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ You saw us, I guess. Well, let¡¯s have Ria ex¡ª No, I¡¯ll explain. It¡¯ll take forever if Ria has to again.¡±


    That was quite rude¡­ Sure, Ria was pretty slow when it came to talking but it wasn¡¯t like she was that slow.


    ¡°Simply put, there might be something beneath the fort.¡±


    ¡°... Aren¡¯t we standing there?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes. Okay, let me rephrase it. There¡¯s something beneath the forest.¡±


    ¡°The forest?¡±


    That probably didn¡¯t mean this underground area we were standing in.


    ¡°Yes. Ria found some notes tucked away in the book. They mentioned briefly that they were intending to use whatever is below the forest. Likely as a source to power their ritual.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ But they already performed their ritual, didn''t they? With questionable results, I guess, but¡­¡±


    ¡°More like fatal results. But whatever they used might still be here.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ So, we¡¯re going on another search?¡±


    Was there even a point to that?


    ¡°In a way. But there¡¯s probably no point in looking around without a guess. Ria went back to that room where they conducted their ritual. She hopes to find something that could help there.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    That¡¯d be great if she could find something.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t the others already search that place?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but in the end, it¡¯s only a quick search whether there is anything out of place. There¡¯s always a good chance we missed something that¡¯s hidden better. It¡¯s not like we had the time to knock on every spot on the wall, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess not.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not there, it might be in that room with their¡­ work tools. Or somewhere else nearby. Whatever it is, I doubt it¡¯ll be far from there.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Still, that¡¯d mean we¡¯d have to search that place. Again.


    ¡°Do we at least know what we are looking for?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, it can¡¯t be helped. The notes she found weren¡¯t exactly explaining it.¡±


    It¡¯d still be nice to know¡­ Seriously, we only knew that we were searching for¡­ something. That could be literally anywhere. In the worst case, it might not even be below the fort but elsewhere in the forest, right? He knew that, didn¡¯t he?


    Maybe we should go back and continue our break¡­ Too late for that, probably¡­


    Now that we were here, Korwen wouldn¡¯t let us go so quickly again. But no point complaining about it, since I was the one who wanted to know what was going on, knowing full well this might happen.


    ¡°Ah, one moment.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Before I could ask him what we were going to do now, he turned his back to us. A group of people was entering the hall, among them Fenna, Taddick, and¡ªto my surprise¡ªthe Elder as well as the current elder of the elves, Meela. Korwen raised an eyebrow at the sight of them but he addressed Fenna and Taddick first.


    ¡°Captain, you called?¡±


    ¡°I did. First, Fenna, how are things going up there?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s going well, Captain. The search is progressing, though we have encountered several areas that are rather severely damaged, hindering our progress.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I recall a report saying that some of the buildings are inaccessible?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The residential building most of all. While it doesn¡¯t seem to be in any danger of a total collapse, there are many places where the walls or the ceiling have collapsed.¡±


    Korwen¡¯s eyes narrowed as he listened to Fenna.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd¡­ That building should be the one built the firmest of all¡­¡±


    ¡°If I may add, captain, I am not an expert in buildings but it looked to me like only certain spots in the walls turned brittle.¡±


    ¡°Certain spots? Explain.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It seemed to me like someone poking a small hole into leaves. The surrounding parts are entirely undamaged.¡±


    That certainly sounded odd.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Stop the search in the residential building for now.¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, not in particular.¡±


    ¡°Good. Next, Taddick.¡±


    Korwen turned around, addressing the next person.


    ¡°What did you find?¡±


    ¡°Lots of old traps, captain. Hunting traps. Thanks to Miss Elder here, we found a whole ton of them. Some of them were seriously old, while others seemed rather recent. Strange thing was that not even one of them had any game in it. But that¡¯s also all we found. There¡¯s just nothing but trees here. Nothing at all.¡±


    At least he didn¡¯t get caught in yet another¡­ He didn¡¯t, right?


    ¡°Traps, you say¡­ That many?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Captain, if I may make a suggestion.¡±


    ¡°You may.¡±


    ¡°The elves, like the elder, are apparently quite good at searching for these traps. With all of those old traps all over the place, there¡¯s no way we can walk through the forest. I¡¯d like to enlist their help and remove every trap we can find.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ That sounds like a good idea. You have my permission.¡±


    Taddick grinned, clutching his fist. No more getting caught for him, huh?


    ¡°Now then, what do Miss Elder and Miss Meela need?¡±


    ¡°Ah, err, that¡¯s¡­¡±


    Suddenly being addressed, Meela began to stutter awkwardly. Seeing that there wasn¡¯t anything to get out of her, Korwen directed his gaze towards the Elder.


    ¡°Mm¡­ For me, I wanted to discuss the forest.¡±


    ¡°The forest¡­ is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, about its¡­ strangeness.¡±


    ¡°Keep going.¡±


    The Elder nodded and started to explain what she told me earlier.


    ¡°The forest is beyond odd¡­ Few animals, barely a sign of life. Yet, there are so many spirits here. And most strange of all, no fairykin lived here. Not even the oldest of the trees could remember them.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see? I agree that it is strange, but we don¡¯t really have a way of figuring out the reason. And it shouldn¡¯t be an issue, should it? The fort was here, meaning people lived here before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe there is any issue living here, either, as long as you ignore the inability to hunt game here. But the forest¡­ It is uncanny. Though, Meela here might have a little more insight than me.¡±


    Oh, she did? Ah, she was clamping up again as everyone¡¯s attention turned to her. Tears were already forming in her eyes.


    ¡°That is, err¡­ Uhh¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Miss Meela. Take a deep breath. We have all the time you need.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Y¡ª Yes!¡±


    Meela clasped her hands and took a deep breath, then another and a third one. Then she mumbled something quietly to herself, which curiously caused the Elder to roll her eyes.


    ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Y¡ª yes¡­ I think so¡­¡±


    ¡°Good. Can you explain what the Elder meant?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ That is¡­ We were going around the forest, looking for suitable places to rest at, or to, err, live? We followed the trees¡¯ words, where good places might be. Then¡­ We found a lot of spirits.¡±


    ¡°Spirits?¡±


    Meela nodded enthusiastically to Korwen¡¯s question.


    ¡°Many spirits. Never before seen that many. The further we followed the trees¡¯ words, the more spirits we saw. The mana was very dense. My sisters felt bad¡­ err, ill? So we returned.¡±


    ¡°The mana was so dense that the elves felt ill?¡±


    ¡°That is the case, Mister.¡±


    Meela nodded again, her head rapidly going up and down. I feared for a moment her head might fly off with how much enthusiasm she nodded.


    ¡°Just how dense would mana need to be for something like that to happen?¡±


    ¡°Unbelievably dense, Mr Korwen,¡± added the Elder.


    ¡°Would it be dangerous to us?¡±


    ¡°No, it would not. In fact, it¡¯s not dangerous to us either, as long as your presence is not prolonged. But it does make us feel sick. Mm¡­ I imagine it would be similar to having a hangover? Just, the entire time you walk there.¡±


    ¡°That sounds horrifying.¡±


    Absolutely horrifying.


    ¡°It is not natural for mana of such density to form anywhere. There must be a source of it.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t happen to be underground, would it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. We cannot exactly get closer, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s troublesome on its own. Who can get close, though¡­¡±


    Korwen froze, then turned around to look at me. He wasn¡¯t going to ask me¡­


    ¡°While that may be an option, I should probably rephrase my words a little. It¡¯s not that we cannot get closer, but it would be very unpleasant for us. However, I believe your magician¡ªMiss Ria was her name, I believe¡ªmight have something to help us.¡±


    ¡°You mean, like a spell?¡±


    ¡°Yes. After all, the difficulty is the density of mana. She might know a spell that keeps the density surrounding us low enough to pass through. At the very least, I have seen magicks of a similar effect before.¡±


    That was¡­ interesting? Where would you even need a spell like that? Except for¡­ very specific circumstances like this one?


    ¡°I see, so it¡¯s not impossible. That¡¯s good news. But¡­ Miss Elder, there¡¯s something else we¡¯ll have to deal with first. It might actually be related to whatever you found, though.¡±


    Korwen gave them a quick rundown of Ria¡¯s findings, making them all gasp in surprise or widen their eyes.


    ¡°A source of mana for their rituals? That is¡­ I believe we should be glad of their failings¡­¡±


    ¡°Probably. Either way, we¡¯re trying to ascertain whatever this source is. It might be the same thing you were worried about, after all.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Considering the circumstances, it would surprise me if not. Very well, we shall help, if you allow us to, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the help but¡­¡±


    Korwen turned his attention back to the other elf in the room.


    ¡°Miss Meela, too?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?!¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that would be a problem? I think she had something to talk with you of her own as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Right, I completely forgot, but you did come here for something. Go on, we¡¯re not that much in a hurry that I can¡¯t listen t you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡­¡±


    Once again, Meela was overly flustered. Just why was she so nervous now? She was talking with me perfectly fine before. Or is it because Korwen was a man? Was that the problem?


    ¡°I mean¡­ That¡¯s¡­ The elves, err¡­ we had a¡­ a request¡­¡±


    ¡°A request? What is it?¡±


    ¡°We, er¡­¡±


    Meela again took a deep breath, then another.


    ¡°We! We would like to ask! If my sisters and I could live here!¡±


    ¡°... You mean, in the fort?¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yeeeessss¡­.¡±


    Meela seemingly used up all her strength for those words, as she slurred the last reply while breathing heavily.


    ¡°That is¡­ I¡¯m sorry, that¡¯s a difficult request. I cannot answer that immediately.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­ I understand¡­ We, we will wait. However long.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try to make it quick.¡±


    Yeah, as expected, even Korwen was a little taken aback by the sudden request. That was probably the best answer he could give right now, too.


    ¡°Is there anything else you needed to discuss with me?¡±


    ¡°No, no¡­ That is all.¡±


    ¡°Good. Would you be willing to help us then?¡±


    ¡°That, of course! Of course, I would!¡±


    ¡°O¡ª okay?¡±


    Next to Meela, the Elder was shaking her head. I really wanted to know what the heck was going on here¡­ Meela acted rather weird. Even disregarding her nervousness that suddenly seemed to have been replaced by a huge amount of enthusiasm.


    ¡°Very well then¡­ Let¡¯s join Ria and the others then. Fenna, you can return to your work. Merim, you too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Taddick, you¡­ Ahh, but if Miss Meela joins us¡­ Miss Meela, can the elves help Taddick out with the search for traps?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mister. He only needs to ask. They will surely be willing to help.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Korwen then turned to Karen and me.


    ¡°You two will join us. We might need Karen''s help.¡±


    ¡°Mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yours.¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly before he explained what he meant.


    ¡°If whatever we¡¯re looking for is behind a wall, we might need to bust through it. Basically, it¡¯s a brute force job.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    And with Karen¡¯s strength, no wall would be safe¡­


    ¡°And Yumi might notice something that Ria missed. Who knows.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let¡¯s be off then.¡±


    Our group of five then made our way through the underground corridors, past the questionable rooms that had been used by the Worshippers and into the hall where the supposedly failed ritual had taken place in.


    ¡°It still stinks¡­¡±


    ¡°Deal with it, Yumi. Can¡¯t exactly air the place.¡±


    What greeted us was the same scene from before¡­ Yellow-streaked walls, weird drawings on the ground¡­ At least, the remains had been removed already. It didn¡¯t make the place look any better, though. The whole room was just too¡­ strange for that. And in the middle of all this strangeness was Ria, staring at the drawings on the ground.


    ¡°Ria. Have you found anything?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Ahh¡­ Captain¡­ Mmm¡­ I haven¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°Guess it can¡¯t be that easy.¡±


    Would have been nice, right?


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll split up and check everything. If you find anything even remotely strange, call for Ria. Got it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah? Err, Yes, mister?¡±


    Three regular responses and one that was surprised and unsure...


    ¡°Miss Meela, you don¡¯t need to force yourself¡­ You¡¯re helping us out, if anything I should thank you.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, let¡¯s get to it, okay?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes.¡±¡±¡±

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Searching for the Unknown

    Unsurprisingly, searching for something when we didn¡¯t even know whether it existed or what it even was wasn¡¯t easy.


    That said, this wasn¡¯t the first time the mercenaries had to search for something in this manner from what I was told. Korwen knocked on the wall, ear on the wall, and then knocked again, only moving a moderate amount between each knock. In that way, he was systematically covering all the walls in the room. There was just one caveat with the whole process¡­


    ¡°Captain, shouldn¡¯t this be left to some of the other men? This is going to take forever, won¡¯t it?¡±


    He barely proceeded a few steps and he had been at this for a short while already. It was excruciatingly slow. Furthermore, there was no point in him doing this by himself, was there?


    ¡°Yumi, in contrast to you all, I can¡¯t see mana. This is the only thing I can do.¡±


    That didn¡¯t answer my question, though?


    Really, if he just called for a few men this wouldn¡¯t even take that long¡­ Though, whether it would actually bear any fruit was a different matter.


    After we joined Ria, we tried to take another look at this room but there wasn¡¯t anything out of place. Even looking at it with my mana sight didn¡¯t reveal anything of note. The mana was¡­ quite thick. That¡¯s something I could confirm after Meela had mentioned it earlier. But if she hadn¡¯t I probably wouldn¡¯t have realised it.


    Mana seems to fluctuate a lot depending on where you are anyway¡­ There¡¯s no way I¡¯d notice something out of place if I don¡¯t even know what was normal¡­


    The same could honestly be said for most things that resolved around mana¡­ While I had gotten more familiar with it, there¡¯s no way I could rival Ria, who was doing this all her life.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean I was slacking off. I had just been unable to find anything and now I found myself once more staring at the remains of the ritual drawing on the floor. The thick blackish lines, surrounded by an unfamiliar script. The script in particular was so damaged it was beyond recoverable. Something we had already determined last time. And it sure didn¡¯t change just because I was looking at it again.


    ¡°Yumi, what are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Just this¡­ drawing, Sis. Hey, can you recognise anything there?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    Karen, who had come up to me took a long look at the floor before shaking her head.


    ¡°It just looks like gibberish to me¡­ Isn¡¯t this something you should ask Ria about?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I was just curious what you thought of it.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If you say it like that¡­¡±


    She turned her gaze back to the floor and stared at it for a few more seconds.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ The floor is damaged and the parts that aren¡¯t damaged are fading away¡­ Sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Sorry for asking out of the blue.¡±


    I suppressed a small sigh, slightly annoyed at the apparent futility of our task.


    ¡°Yumi, is there anything about the drawing that picked your interest?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I was just thinking¡­ The notes Ria found said they used it as a source for the ritual, right?¡±


    ¡°It seems so, yes.¡±


    ¡°So, shouldn¡¯t there be some kind of indication on this drawing?¡±


    Like, the three skeletons we found were lying right on top of those circles. Those circles were all connected to the centre of the drawing. The drawing was partly fading but that much could still be determined with ease. However, there were a good dozen of those circles in total¡­ Although they had been empty. Ria suspected that someone had cleaned those up later or the people might have actually survived the ritual¡­


    Either way, I assumed that those circles were necessary to pour mana into the ritual. In that case, if they really used something else as the source, shouldn¡¯t there be some connection to this drawing? At least, that¡¯s what my thoughts were on the matter.


    ¡°Some indication you say¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t see any.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if it wasn¡¯t so damaged and faded.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, that was the problem. The damaged sections, where the floor had been purposefully destroyed, were one thing but the other was that it had been so old that it had faded quite a bit¡­


    ¡°If only we could restore it somehow¡­ Sis, you wouldn¡¯t happen to know of a spell that can restore this, do you?¡±


    ¡°If such a thing was possible, don¡¯t you think Ria would have already done it?¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡±


    In other words, there was no chance to do it¡­ Magic wasn¡¯t all-powerful, as unfortunate as it was¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Anyway, did you find anything, Sis?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. To be honest, I doubt we will find anything here.¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence, that¡¯s the same thought I had.¡±


    Glad to know I wasn¡¯t the only one who wasn¡¯t expecting much from this¡­


    ¡°I wonder how the elder and Meela are faring.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re over there, Yumi.¡±


    Karen pointed to the corner of the room where the elder and Meela were¡­ tending to a plant.


    ¡°What are they doing¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder said it was a plant that¡¯s sensitive to mana, far more than we or the elves.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Such a plant exists?¡±


    ¡°Apparently. I didn¡¯t know about it either¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Not like it¡¯d help us anyway. I don¡¯t think that plant can tell us how it feels¡­¡±


    That was something only the elves could really do¡­


    ¡°Do they actually hear a voice?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so¡­ I heard before that it is more like they are feeling its will? But I don¡¯t know if that is true.¡±


    ¡°That sounds more likely than a voice, at least.¡±


    It seemed that the two were too busy with their plant right now to answer that question. We¡¯d have to wait until we¡¯d get an answer. Assuming we¡¯d get one at all.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll find something. Would be nice.¡±


    ¡°It would be.¡±


    Alas, judging from their expressions¡­ Anyway, the two elves were busy, Korwen was still knocking the wall while barely making progress and Ria was¡­ doing something in the other corner. It only looked to me like she was staring at the wall but she was probably examining it with her mana sight, too.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s looking for mana or hollows in the wall, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°After all, those are the most likely ones to give any result.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°At least more than standing around in the middle of the hall like us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s something one shouldn¡¯t point out, my beloved sister.


    ¡°Actually, I was doing something. I was trying to get a hint from the ritual drawing.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you reach a dead end?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I did¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    I squatted down, looking at the drawing again.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s¡­ the other one, too.¡±


    ¡°Other one?¡±


    ¡°The other drawing¡­ In that room, opposite of the ones with the¡­ tools.¡±


    The one opposite¡­ Oh¡­ Ohhh¡­ There was that room that was in a¡­ rather terrible state¡­ The one Korwen had ordered to be kept shut. I had only caught a glimpse at the time but I did see a similar-looking drawing there¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go there, though.¡±


    ¡°... Neither do I.¡±


    However, it might give us a hint at the very least. It was¡­ quite reasonable to check that place out. Unfortunately, I was quite confident my stomach would empty itself if I stayed there for more than a few minutes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask the captain what he thinks of the idea first.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We faced Korwen, expecting him to still be knocking on the wall. Instead, we found him standing there with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯ll check that place out. You two stay here.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Oh, you were listening?¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly quiet.¡±


    Oops¡­ Good thing we didn¡¯t talk about anything¡­ unfortunate.


    ¡°Still, I think that train of thought is reasonable. It¡¯s at least something with a bit more¡­ substance.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ but is that all right?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. Like I said earlier, it¡¯s not like I really have much to do here.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders as if saying how little he mattered here.


    ¡°At least that gives me something to do. I¡¯ll come back later.¡±


    And without further ado, he left the hall.


    ¡°That was unexpected¡­¡±


    ¡°He actually seemed a little happy?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That was a little odd even for Korwen¡­ But I couldn¡¯t look into his head so I had no idea what was going on. Why would someone be happy to go into that room? Unless, he was happy to get out of this room? Okay, the smell was bad but I very much doubted the other room was better in that regard.


    ¡°Where did Mr Korwen go?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, he went to check out the other room, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°The other room?¡±


    The Elder, who had come over to us after seeing Korwen leave, tilted her head in confusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s another room with a similar drawing to this one. That place is¡­ in pretty bad shape, though. That¡¯s why he ordered everyone to stay away from it.¡±


    ¡°I see. So he went to check that place out?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s it.¡±


    The Elder seemed to understand what I was hinting at as she grimaced.


    ¡°The drawing¡­ You say there is something peculiar about this drawing?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. I thought it might give an indication of where the¡­ other supposed source of magic might be. But it¡¯s too damaged¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I said it was too damaged but the damaged portion was pretty much only the parts with the script. Even if those weren¡¯t damaged, there was no way I¡¯d understand any of it. That wasn¡¯t up to my alley. I could understand the simple lines and patterns at most. And those were mostly fading away.


    ¡°What paint was used for this drawing?¡± asked the Elder all of a sudden.


    ¡°Huh? The paint?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the paint.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    What kind of paint would people use in this world? Chalk? Charcoal?


    ¡°... It¡¯s not blood, is it?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Considering how deranged the worshippers were, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me in the least if it was blood. And I sincerely hoped it wasn¡¯t. But¡­


    ¡°I fear the chances for that are rather high.¡±


    ¡°... Figured.¡±


    ¡°But it might serve us better in this case.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    The heck? How would blood help us?


    ¡°Meela, come here for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Miss Old Elder? How may I be of help?¡±


    While I was a little confused, the elder continued on and called Meela over, who promptly skipped over to us, still holding the pot with the plant.


    ¡°I need you to grow something for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course! Which do you need?¡±


    The Elder said some unfamiliar words to which Meela only nodded. She put down the pot and squatted next to it, closing her eyes as she held her hands towards the plant. After several seconds, a new plant grew in the plant, only a single branch that found its way between the twigs of the pot¡¯s other resident. Once it stopped growing, a small purple fruit, the size of a lemon, grew on the tip.


    ¡°Miss Elder, that is?¡±


    ¡°This is a slightly peculiar plant, Karen. I believe in your language it is called¡­ Purple Haze?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The moment those words left her mouth, Karen immediately took a step back, then another and even a third one, clearly intent on taking distance from that thing.


    ¡°Sis? Is something wrong with that plant?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, Yumi! That thing is really dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    While I was still confused, the Elder chuckled next to me before she explained what the heck was going on.


    ¡°Ehehe. You see, Yumi, this plant is considered a delicacy among many humanoids.¡±


    ¡°I see?¡±


    ¡°But demonkin don¡¯t take well to it. They get severe diarrhoea among other things if they eat it. Back then, it has become infamous among the demonkin as it was often served among the other humanoid races. It seems like it retained that reputation even to this day.¡±


    So, in other words, the demonkin were served these fruits, and then their stomachs acted up? Way to ruin a day.


    ¡°Sis, did you encounter this fruit before, too?¡±


    ¡°... I did.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Back then¡­ I, err¡­ Well, I had the chance to eat some dried fruits¡­ I was hungry¡­ and I didn¡¯t notice them among the dried fruits¡­ It was hell.¡±


    ¡°... Somehow, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ It¡¯s from long ago.¡±


    Karen smiled wryly¡­ all the while maintaining the distance toward the plant. Guess this was a bit of a trauma for her.


    ¡°The demonkin often called it as the Demon¡¯s Bane back then. That is how many have had to suffer it,¡± explained the Elder.


    ¡°I can see where they were coming from¡­ and that only affected the demonkin?¡±


    ¡°The devilkin were affected too, I believe. And a few small beastkin tribes. But to the vast majority, this is just a delicious fruit.¡±


    How treacherous a fruit this was.


    ¡°But the history of this fruit as a delicacy aside, I don¡¯t want to eat it right now. There¡¯s something else we¡¯ll use it for.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    The Elder plucked the fruit from the single branch, took a small bowl from Meela that had appeared from somewhere and then squeezed the fruit, letting the juices flow into the bowl.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Meela, we might need another.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Old Elder!¡±


    A new fruit grew, was plucked and then squeezed dry by the Elder. The small bowl was now filled to the brim with purple fruit juice.


    ¡°You see, the juice of this fruit can make¡­ certain things visible.¡±


    ¡°Visible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in a way. And old blood is among these things. Even if we cannot see it anymore, traces remain¡­ Anyway, I believe it will be quicker to see.¡±


    It could make old blood visible¡­ That reminded me, wasn¡¯t there something that could do something like that in my old world? I vaguely recalled hearing something like that.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll pour it over this place¡­¡±


    The Elder tipped the bowl slightly, letting some of the juice drip down onto the floor. Once a small amount of fluid had dripped down, she used a piece of cloth and wiped it away. What remained¡­


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s purple?¡±


    Even though she had wiped it away, part of the floor had changed colour and was now purple¡­ and it was fitting right into the drawing.


    ¡°The colour remains on spaces with old blood. Though, sometimes it sticks with other things, too. I am just glad it still works. I am not sure if it could have worked if it is too old, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But this is amazing. Wouldn¡¯t you be able to restore the drawing with that?¡±


    ¡°I fear not. Look, the colour sticks but it is spreading around. It is no good for something as delicate as the script. Furthermore, there would be no point in applying it when the surface itself has been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°But it should help us with the lines¡­ Look here.¡±


    While we talked the Elder continued her work, restoring some of the faded lines. As well as recovering several lines of which there had been no indication whatsoever.


    ¡°Huh? Where did those come from?¡±


    ¡°I do not know. Maybe these have been wiped away instead of being destroyed thoroughly? Either way, they might be the very thing we were looking for.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We watched as the Elder revealed more and more of the drawing that had been hidden. A single line, leading away from the drawing¡­ As we watched, a voice came from behind us.


    ¡°This is¡­ interesting¡­ Purple Haze¡­ I had¡­ heard about¡­ these properties¡­ but I did not¡­ think of this¡­¡±


    With visible surprise on her face, Ria had joined us and was now watching as well.


    After a while, the newly uncovered line ended near a wall. It was quite at the wall, but a step or so in front of it.


    ¡°This was¡­ a valuable¡­ lesson¡­¡±


    ¡°I am pleased to hear that you thought it useful, Miss Ria. However, it does not seem there is anything to uncover here. And, frankly, I don¡¯t see anything here¡­¡±


    We all stared at the spot where the line ended. No irregular mana, no visible peculiarities in the floor or the wall, nothing.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ No¡­ I think¡­ this is¡­ the right¡­ spot?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Why do you think so?¡±


    ¡°They clearly¡­ went out¡­ of their way¡­ to wipe¡­ this clean¡­ This part¡­ bothered them¡­¡±


    ¡°But couldn¡¯t they have just destroyed it like the remainder?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s just¡­ a line¡­ Yumi¡­ If it is¡­ drawn on¡­ the floor¡­ or carved¡­ out of it¡­ won¡¯t matter¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay, that was a very fair point.


    ¡°Still¡­ I wonder¡­ what they¡­ did¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­ Maybe there¡¯s some kind of trapdoor that we don¡¯t see?¡±


    ¡°There should¡­ be some¡­ indication¡­ if it¡­ was just¡­ a physical¡­ hidden door¡­ But¡­ it might¡­ be better¡­ to ask¡­ someone proficient¡­ Mm?¡±


    Suddenly, Ria froze, then turned around and looked straight at Karen.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°... Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can you¡­ punch this?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen¡¯s expression turned exasperated, having expected that request.


    ¡°I can try but¡­ don¡¯t expect too much.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    The four of us retreated a few steps and watched how Karen prepared herself, checking her gauntlet. After a few seconds of preparation, she drew back her fist¡­ and smashed it into the floor, causing an ear-deafening crash. The impact was so loud I closed my eyes and turned away on reflex.


    ¡°Ouch! Ahhh, shit!¡±


    When I reopened my eyes, I saw a cursing Karen jumping up and down, flailing her hurting hand.


    ¡°Sis, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Kind of¡­ My hand hurts a little¡­ Ahh, the gauntlet¡­¡±


    The gauntlet had taken some damage from the collision but it wasn¡¯t destroyed or anything. But the metal plates on it were bent and scratched.


    ¡°Mm¡­ That didn¡¯t¡­ work¡­¡±


    In the meantime, Ria was examining the result of Karen¡¯s attempt. A beautiful fist-sized imprint on the floor, barely the width of my finger in depth.


    I don¡¯t know, but just seeing that she left a mark on a stone at all worries me a little¡­


    I knew her strength but seeing it on display like this sure hit differently.


    ¡°It felt just like I was punching the wall¡­ It didn¡¯t feel like there was anything behind it either¡­ Ahh, this hurts¡­¡±


    I mean, you did punch a wall¡­ or the floor, in this case.


    Karen removed the gauntlet, revealing her petite hand. Her fingers were red but other than that, she didn¡¯t seem hurt. Though they still seemed to hurt as she repeatedly opened and closed her fist.


    ¡°Are you all right, sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I think so. It¡¯s already a little better now.¡±


    It reassured me a little to see Karen smile at me. She put the gauntlet back on, taking a good look at it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to apologise to Mr Wormaz, won¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Well, you only did as Ria wanted so¡­ It¡¯s a work accident?¡±


    ¡°I hope he thinks so as well¡­¡±


    Hopefully, he wouldn¡¯t get mad about this. He didn¡¯t strike me as someone who would. He cursed a lot but he was, in essence, pretty friendly.


    ¡°Either way, you shouldn¡¯t punch any other walls with the gauntlet for now¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan to.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that.¡±


    Unfortunately for us, Ria might have different plans¡­ Speaking of Ria, she was suspiciously quiet.


    ¡°Nn? What is Ria doing?¡±


    When I turned back around to take a look, I found Ria sitting on the floor, examining the spot where Karen had punched the floor.


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ This is¡­ odd¡­¡±


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ sure that¡­ this would¡­ work¡­¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡±


    It only hurt Karen, in fact. That annoyed me a little. And broke her gauntlet.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You said¡­ it felt like¡­ you were¡­ punching¡­ a wall?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did?¡±


    How else would it even feel like?


    ¡°So, this spot¡­ didn¡¯t give in¡­ even in the¡­ slightest?¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria, is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°I might¡­ have an¡­ idea¡­¡±


    Wait, she actually reached some conclusion based on that? How?


    ¡°The Worshippers¡­ many of them¡­ are magicians¡­¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    ¡°What if¡­ there never¡­ was a¡­ trap¡­ or door¡­ or any¡­ hidden device¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Miss Ria?¡±


    We both tilted our heads, a little confused about Ria¡¯s question.


    ¡°They erased¡­ the traces¡­ then¡­ what if¡­ they erased¡­ the ¡®door¡¯... as well?¡±


    ¡°... The door?¡±


    How would you erase a door? Anything short of filling up the¡­


    ¡°Wait¡­ Ria, are you suggesting they closed it up? With Earth magic?¡±


    Ria nodded in response.


    ¡°Everything here¡­ has been¡­ moulded¡­ by Earth magic¡­ There would be¡­ no difference¡­ if they¡­ used it¡­ to close it¡­ That¡¯s why¡­ we couldn¡¯t¡­ find anything¡­¡±


    If they used Earth magic, it¡¯d be just like the rest of the walls and the floor. It wouldn¡¯t be out of place because it was the same. Impossible to find.


    ¡°Miss Ria, if that¡¯s the case, how are we even going to get in?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I wonder¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ think that¡­ I can¡­ blow it up¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, we would all like it if she could refrain from that. Korwen probably the most out of all of us. Not like he was here to confirm that.


    ¡°Wenners¡­ Mmm¡­ No¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­ He could¡­ Krutz¡­ is no good¡­ Maybe¡­ Wendl could¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    How would we be able to get in there¡­ If neither Ria nor the other magicians could do it, we¡¯d be stuck.


    ¡°Miss Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Miss Elder¡­ What is¡­ it?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be wise to first confirm whether your theory even holds true? I believe we all would like to avoid fruitless endaveours.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Of course¡­¡±


    Good point by the elder. It would be a little disheartening if it had turned out to be false.


    ¡°So, how do we confirm that?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Nobody had an idea.


    ¡°Actually¡­ Yumi, I do have an idea,¡± said the Elder after a short while.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°There is a certain technique that lets you feel the sensations with the help of mana, is there not?¡±


    ¡°... You mean, the one that the High Priest used during the examination? That examination magic?¡±


    ¡°The very same. It might be possible to feel behind the wall with it.¡±


    That certainly might work¡­ would it?


    ¡°Yumi, do you think you could do that?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wait, me?¡±


    ¡°You are the only one who would be able to, yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    All the eyes rested on me.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ But¡­ I didn¡¯t even manage to do it back then¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡­ won¡¯t work¡­ I can¡­ make some¡­ preparations¡­ and attempt¡­ as well¡­ It would¡­ however¡­ take some¡­ time¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, it wasn¡¯t too much of a problem if it didn¡¯t work out? That was a relief to hear.


    ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I got down on my knees and put my hands on the floor, around the spot where the mark of Karen¡¯s fist was left. Then, I closed my eyes, gathering some mana.


    What did the High Priest say again¡­ He tried to explain it¡­ Mm¡­ Like a recording? That¡¯S what he said, right?


    A recording¡­ so, did that mean that I had to keep the mana¡¯s form when taking it in? Like, the spot I was looking at, I¡¯d pull in the mana without making it change shape and then determine what it was like?


    Well, all I can do is try.


    I sent the gathered mana into the floor¡­ and was immediately met with incredible resistance. The mana in the stone was so thick, so¡­ solid¡­ that I could barely push it through. However, I somehow managed to push it aside nonetheless, penetrating through the bedrock.


    It¡¯s all like this, though¡­ So hard¡­


    It was like trying to move through waist-high mud. You barely made progress and even that little bit you moved exhausted you.


    Come on, I can do it!


    The mana moved further until it was quite a bit down already. Yet, the mana was still thick and nearly impenetrable. It was already more than a whole step in length down and I could feel my control over it growing weaker. But this wasn¡¯t far enough yet. I was looking for the place beyond the mana-laden stone.


    Then, suddenly, like a plop, mana I controlled plopped out, catching me by surprise.


    I¡¯m through¡­ Seriously, this was way too hard¡­


    It went nearly as deep as I was tall. That was quite a bit.


    Anyway¡­ Let¡¯s get the mana back in its form. Back should be easier now that I got a path.


    The mana returned to me. It was a little difficult to retain its shape and form but I somehow managed. Or, at least, that¡¯s what I believed. Because it felt like there was¡­ nothing.


    ¡°Did you find something, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... I am not sure. I found¡­ nothing? I mean, like, there was nothing there? I think?¡±


    ¡°... If there¡¯s a cave, that would be a reasonable result.¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡±


    So, maybe that meant there really was something?


    I stood up again, patting my knees and getting rid of the dirt.


    ¡°So, how deep was it?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ About this much?¡±


    I held my hand at around the height of my shoulders.


    ¡°That¡¯s... deep. How are we supposed to get down there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Just as I was answering Karen, I heard the sound of a hammer hitting the floor.


    ¡°Err, Ria? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Look¡­ at this¡­¡±


    In Ria¡¯s hands were a small hammer and chisel¡­ as well as a piece of stone, broken off from the floor.


    ¡°Huh? How did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°The mana¡­ in the stone¡­¡±


    Ria looked at me, a slight smile on her lips.


    ¡°Absorb it¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Absorb it? Like, the mana?


    ¡°This piece¡­ it was¡­ from the spot¡­ where you¡­ used the¡­ magic¡­ you pushed the¡­ mana aside¡­ and the¡­ stone¡­ became brittle¡­ If you¡­ absorb¡­ the mana¡­ then¡­ we should be¡­ able to¡­ get through¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It would become brittle? Just like that? Simply because I could absorb some mana?


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprising.¡±


    ¡°It very much sounds like a valid plan,¡± commented the Elder.


    ¡°Nn¡­ It does.¡±


    If it really worked like that¡­


    ¡°Let me try this.¡±


    I got down on my knees once more, put my hands on the floor and closed my eyes. This time, I gathered mana again. But not the mana in my surroundings, or from my body, but the mana from the stone. It was similar to how I passively absorbed mana from my surroundings, after all. It was pretty simple.


    After I was into this for a few seconds, I could hear the chisel in Ria¡¯s hands again. When I opened my eyes, I could see Ria breaking the rock with surprising ease.


    ¡°Mm¡­ It works¡­ we can¡­ get through¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ great.¡±


    Not only did we find what might possibly be the spot we were looking for¡­ but we even found a way to get in. Assuming, we weren¡¯t mistaken at any point.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Keep going¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    With renewed vigour, I resumed absorbing the mana in the floor.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: The Secret Path

    ¡°This isn¡¯t going anywhere¡­¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    Karen and I stared towards our feet, watching Ria as she desperately tried to dig through the floor. Her progress? Negligible. At best. Thankfully, she was aware of it as well, stopping her futile work after hearing us.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ This is¡­ troublesome¡­¡±


    ¡°Should we ask the captain for help?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It seems¡­ that might be¡­ necessary¡­¡±


    Too bad that he wasn¡¯t around right now. Either we had to wait or someone would go and report to him. Well, we probably should do the latter anyway but nobody even attempted to suggest that. After all, you might get stuck with going. And I definitely didn¡¯t want to go into that horror room.


    ¡°Uhm, if I had some actual tools I could try it?¡± suggested Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­ what would we even need? A pickax?¡±


    ¡°A pickax should work, I think.¡±


    Well, then we¡¯d need one. Or that¡¯s what I was wondering as the door behind us suddenly opened.


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s going on, why are you all standing there?¡±


    ¡°Ah, captain. You¡¯re back already.¡±


    ¡°Sure am. So? What¡¯s going on here?


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I told Korwen about our discovery, how the Elder had restored part of the ritual drawing and how we believed that there was some kind of space below the floor. Likely leading to whatever we were looking for.


    ¡°Well, well, isn¡¯t that quite the discovery we got here. Now I slightly regret having left and missing out on all of this.¡±


    Well, he sure seemed eager to leave at the time, though.


    ¡°I can have someone bring pickax or two, then we can dig through this spot. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Yumi, how deep did you say it should be?¡±


    ¡°Approximately as deep as I am tall. Well, a little less.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still pretty deep.¡±


    That it was. And it wasn¡¯t just solid rock he had to dig through, but rock empowered by Earth magic. Though I was able to deal with that, so it actually didn¡¯t matter all that much.


    ¡°That¡¯s not something we can dig through in a hurry¡­ Mm¡­ Ria, can you do something about this?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria stared at the ground for several seconds, lost in thought, before she answered Korwen.


    ¡°There is¡­ a way¡­ but¡­ I am¡­ not very¡­ good¡­ with that type¡­ of magic¡­ I think¡­ someone else¡­ would be better¡­ at this¡­¡±


    ¡°Wenners or Krutz?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    She affirmed it with a nod.


    ¡°Krutz¡­ can use¡­ a little bit¡­ of Earth magic¡­ As long¡­ as Yumi¡­ can drain¡­ the mana¡­ he should¡­ be able¡­ to dig¡­ a hole¡­ deep enough¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like they have anything else to do right now anyway. I¡¯ll call for Krutz and let them bring us some pickaxes, too. Just in case.¡±


    Korwen sighed as he scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Seriously, I never thought I¡¯d have to dig holes when we arrived here. This sure wasn¡¯t what I was imagining.¡±


    Despite his complaint, he went to the door, talked with someone¡ªprobably a mercenary who had been waiting there¡ªand then returned to us.


    ¡°He should come after a while. Incidentally, you didn¡¯t say you couldn¡¯t do it, Ria. I¡¯m curious, how would you go about digging that hole?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I would¡­ melt it¡­¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    She would¡­ melt it? The floor?


    ¡°Stone¡­ can melt¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the part that surprises me, Ria¡­ Haa¡­ I guess it is better if we let Krutz handle it.¡±


    Ria tilted her head, confused about Korwen¡¯s reaction. I could feel myself smiling wryly as I watched her reaction. Melting the floor¡­ Yes, that was pretty ridiculous¡­


    Anyway, I got something else to discuss. Ria. It¡¯s about the other room¡­ I¡¯d appreciate it if you could come with me for a moment.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    After confirming that Ria would come along with him, he turned his attention to us.


    ¡°You all wait here. If Krutz comes before we¡¯re back, explain the situation to him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°As for Miss Meela. Thank you for helping us out and sorry for occupying your time. I¡¯m sure the other elves are waiting already.¡±


    Meela jumped up a little, startled at being addressed so suddenly.


    ¡°Ah, err, ye¡ª yes. It was a¡­ a pleasure. To work with you?¡±


    ¡°It was a pleasure indeed. Until next time.¡±


    After a final nod towards Meela, he turned around and left with Ria in tow.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Next to me, Meela was staring towards the door. While Korwen hadn¡¯t explicitly said it, she understood that the things that came next weren¡¯t something he wanted her involved in. Whether out of worry for her safety or for some other reason wasn¡¯t clear but¡­


    ¡°Meela. Mr Korwen is right that the others are waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but¡­ Old Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°You still are their elder now. You shouldn¡¯t leave them alone for too long.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I¡­ understand¡­¡±


    She looked towards the door again, seeming a little wistful. After a few seconds passed, she shook her head as if she was trying to shake off some thoughts.


    ¡°I will return. Old Elder, thank you. Miss Yumi, Miss Yumi¡¯s Beloved Ivy, until the future.¡±


    ¡°Nn, until next time.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Until next¡­ time?¡±


    Meela bowed slightly before heading out as well, leaving us with the Elder. Karen continued to stare after her, confused at the weird name she had gotten.


    Speaking of which, Meela did the same when we met the first time, too¡­


    Thankfully, that had been resolved quickly. It didn¡¯t seem to fix that nickname habit overall, though.


    ¡°Miss Elder¡­ What did Miss Meela mean with ¡®Beloved Ivy?¡¯¡±


    Confused as she was, she asked the Elder, who could probably explain it to us. Once she stopped chuckling.


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s how us elves call our lifelong partners. Those, we decide to spend all of our time with.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s how the elves call a couple?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°... It is close to that, yes.¡±


    A beloved ivy¡­ That was quite an interesting way of calling it. If I recalled correctly, ivy was a plant that clung to other things. Walls, trees and all that stuff.


    ¡°The matter of the address aside, we should take a small rest as long as we can, now that we have the chance..¡±


    ¡°That sounds good to me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Krutz would probably need a while before he¡¯d arrive. Korwen and Ria would probably need a while as well.


    Well, breaks are always appreciated.


    A little later, the door to the hall opened and Krutz came inside, followed by two mercenaries right behind him.


    ¡°Ah, Mr Krutz has come.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ehh¡­ Miss¡­ Yumi, Miss Karen and Miss Elder? Hello.¡±


    He quickly spotted us and gave his greeting with an awkward smile. Seeing him like that, I remembered that he and Wenners both weren¡¯t very good with people.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ I heard Ria needed me but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria is with the captain. They¡¯re doing something else right now but they should come back soon.¡±


    Probably.


    ¡°I¡­ I see¡­¡±


    Well, wasn¡¯t someone disappointed there? Sorry that we couldn¡¯t replace Ria.


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Then, what am I supposed¡­ to do here?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well¡­¡±


    I exchanged a glance with the Elder and Karen. Korwen did tell us to fill him in, after all. But first¡­ The two mercenaries behind him were carrying some stuff that they clearly wanted to get rid off.


    ¡°Mr Krutz, where should we put this?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ehh¡­ Just put it down there¡­ Is that all right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    The two mercenaries put down the stuff they were carrying, two boxes filled with various tools. I could even spot a few pickaxes among those.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ good work.¡±


    ¡°Mr Krutz!¡±


    The two mercenaries saluted and left us.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Krutz stammered again, looking towards us.


    ¡°Ah, right¡­. Well¡­¡±


    I explained to him the situation. Basically, the same stuff we told Korwen earlier. In addition, I told him about why Ria wanted him to come.


    ¡°My¡­ my magic?¡±


    ¡°Nn. That¡¯s what Ria said.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I can use only a little Earth magic but¡­ if it¡¯s just digging a hole, I should be able to, yes.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    Great news. No need for picking up a pickax and picking away at the stone¡­ That didn¡¯t sound as good as I imagined it¡­


    ¡°May I take¡­ a look at the floor?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    We made space for Krutz so could examine it. It didn¡¯t take him long to come to his conclusion.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I should be able to do this¡­¡±


    He put his hand on the floor before quietly invoking his spell. There wasn¡¯t a chant, he was only making some strange gestures with his free hand, before putting it on the floor as well. Right after, mana poured into the floor.


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    ¡°The floor is turning soft?¡±


    Under our watchful gaze, the floor softened up like jelly. The small hole that Ria dug was collapsing as the soft stone poured into it. The broken shards melted into the floor and even the fist imprint was losing its shape. Once the whole floor became uniform, an indention formed in the middle, slowly growing in size. It reminded me of how the water flowed away when you pulled the plug of a bathtub. Except, the stone didn¡¯t exactly flow away, it simply moved towards the edges and stayed there.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    When the spell finished, Krutz exhaled deeply as he sat down on the floor. Where there had been only the floor, there was no a small hole, the depth of my forearm.


    ¡°This is as far as I can right now. Miss Yumi, if you could.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    I kneeled down next to the hole and put my hands into it. There was plenty of mana inside the floor, strengthening the stone. This mana had to go away lest we wouldn¡¯t be able to get through here.


    Still, this is quite a lot of mana. It¡¯s like the whole floor is made of mana crystals.


    In a way, it was nice getting so much mana just like that. On the other hand, maybe it was because it was attributed mana but absorbing these amounts made me feel a little uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t anything serious, more like eating something you weren¡¯t too fond of.


    ¡°Okay. I can¡¯t get further,¡± I said.


    ¡°Understood. But¡­ let me rest for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ sure.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know how exhausting magic like this was but it seemed to be rather demanding for Krutz.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Okay, I will continue.¡±


    Once more Krutz used his magic to deepen the hole in the floor. After that, I absorbed the mana. We repeated this two or three times until the was so deep that I couldn¡¯t easily reach down anymore. I had to climb down because it was now so deep that the floor reached my waist when I was standing inside.


    ¡°Oh? Looks like you are making good progress.¡±


    ¡°Ah, captain, Ria. You¡¯re back.¡±


    Right when Karen was helping me climb out again, Korwen and Ria returned and took a look at our progress.


    ¡°Mi¡ª Miss Ria?!¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Krutz¡­ You did¡­ a good job¡­¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes! Tha¡ª Thank you very much!¡±


    Krutz shot up straight the moment he spotted Ria. In the meantime, I finished climbing out of the hole with Karen¡¯s help.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you nearly through at this rate?¡± asked Korwen.


    ¡°Nn, probably? It did feel like this should be the last bit.¡±


    I was a little impressed how Ria and Korwen didn¡¯t even react to Krutz¡¯ reaction. That aside, there wasn¡¯t as much mana to absorb this time for me. So I was pretty sure there really was something below this. An empty space.


    ¡°Guess we came at a good time then.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    They definitely did. After all, we¡¯d now find out whether I was correct or not. And I sincerely hoped I was.


    ¡°Krutz, do it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Krutz.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, captain, sir!¡±


    Korwen let out a sigh when Krutz snapped out of it and hurried towards the hole. Once more, the stone softened up and slowly flowed towards the edges, solidifying there and deepening the hole bit by bit. Until¡­


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something. A hole.¡±


    I had been right, there really was something there. The hole slowly grew bigger and bigger, until it had become wide enough for a person to pass through.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We could stare only down, into the hole, astonished by the sight. And so did they, staring up, astonished at the sight.


    ¡°... This is not what I expected.¡±


    Korwen pressed his thumb against his forehead. Maybe this was his new way of dealing with a headache. Honestly, not too surprising. After all, inside the hole, there were several rainbow hoggies staring up at us.


    ¡°Nn¡­ This is unexpected.¡±


    Yes, there was a space below the floor. A pretty big space even. Big enough for a person to get through, probably. Except, that there was a good dozen of the small rainbow hoggies there. And most of them were notably smaller than the rainbow hoggy we had seen before.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re cute.¡±


    ¡°That they are but¡­¡±


    Korwen sighed again as he turned away from the hole, shaking his head.


    ¡°Err, what do we do now, Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    In the meantime, we¡¯d watch the rainbow hoggies. They were surprised at our appearance but, interestingly, they just ignored us now. The small hoggies were following the bigger ones around, into the surrounding holes. Other hoggies came out of those holes, staring up at us for a moment and then going their way again. It reminded me somehow of an ant colony, even though these little critters weren¡¯t even remotely similar to ants. Apart from the structure of this place.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Look, there.¡±


    The hole in itself was big enough for a person to walk through, but the walls were littered with smaller holes from which the rainbow hoggies entered and left through. But at the spot where Karen pointed through, the cave continued deeper¡­ but most importantly, there was something there that seemed to be stairs.


    ¡°Are those¡­ stairs?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    Well now.


    ¡°Stairs? Where?¡±


    ¡°Ah, captain. Over there.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That¡¯s hard to see. But¡­ I see¡­ There is a space here but the rainbow hoggies just moved in afterwards. I see, that makes sense. Hahaha!¡±


    Korwen broke out in laughter before he carefully jumped down into the hole, careful not to hit any of the hoggies. The hoggies themselves scurried away into the holes in the walls immediately.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t see anything down here. I need some light. Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    With Korwen¡¯s help, Ria climbed down as well. Then, she cast a spell, creating a small light on the tip of her finger which slowly grew bright enough to illuminate the cave.


    ¡°Ah, there. There really are stairs.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ wait¡­¡±


    Korwen was already beginning to move forward, clearly interested in exploring the place. However, he was stopped by Ria. He looked at her, then up to us.


    ¡°Ahh, sorry. You all, we¡¯Re going to take a look, so come down here. And be careful of the hoggies. They won¡¯t bite as long as you don¡¯t hit them. Krutz, you can go back and take a break. Thank you for your work.¡±


    ¡°Ye¡ª Yes, captain!¡±


    Krutz saluted and let out a sigh of relief. He was without a doubt quite tired from that magic. Dfiferent from me, who was actually feeling quite good. Probably because I absorbed all that mana.


    ¡°Yumi, Miss Elder, I¡¯ll go first.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Korwen and Ria made space so that Karen could climb down. Once she was down, she helped the Elder and me climbing down into the hole, too.


    ¡°Well, shall we go and take a look?¡±


    Korwen grinned, his excitement visible to us all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see just what the Worshippers decided to hide down here.¡±


    With that announcement, he stepped into the dark cave, Ria right behind him to provide the light.


    ¡°He looks like he is enjoying himself.¡±


    ¡°Nn, he does. But isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Karen and I exchanged smiles as we whispered to each other.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. While it is pleasant to see him enjoying himself, we should be careful nonetheless. This is a place the worshippers used. And not to mention, if our expectations aren¡¯t wrong, we might not be abler to advance for long.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    ¡°If the mana density raises too much¡­ Do you remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    I nearly forgot until the Elder mentioned it now, but that would be a problem¡­ Meela told us about how the mana density had gotten so high that even the elves couldn¡¯t easily traverse that place.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say Ria might be able to deal with that, though?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I have yet to ask her about it.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Then, we should do that.¡±


    It¡¯d be better to clear that up now, after all.


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Is something¡­ the matter¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, there is. If the mana density around here gets too high, can you do something about that? Meela mentioned that there was a spot in the forest where the elves couldn¡¯t go because of that.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ the mana density¡­ you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded, causing Ria to furrow her brows.


    ¡°Ria, Yumi, what are you talking about?¡± asked Korwen, having noticed that there was something going on behind him.


    ¡°Well, we were asking Ria about the problem with the mana density.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that. So, Ria, can you do anything about that?¡±


    ¡±Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria closed her eyes, thinking for a while.


    ¡°I am¡­ not sure¡­ but I¡­ might be able¡­ to do¡­ something¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s better than nothing I guess.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But¡­ if that¡­ really happens¡­ we probably¡­ shouldn¡¯t linger¡­ for too long¡­ even if¡­ I can do¡­ something about¡­ the mana¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll try to get as far as we can then. In the first place, there is no guarantee that there will be a problem.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t but the chances were quite high, if you asked me.


    ¡°For now, let¡¯s continue. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We continued down the cave. The path was a slight slope downwards. Occasional steps were placed here and there to help with some of the uneven areas. There were also some metal holders for torches placed here and there on the wall. Black marks on the wall bore proof of past visitors to this place. The number of rainbow hoggies we were encountering had also fallen to pretty much zero.


    ¡°Just what the heck did the Worshippers even keep here¡­ and how deep does this place even go? I can¡¯t even feel much mana in the walls anymore.¡±


    The walls back at the fort were filled to the brim with mana. But this had gradually died down to the point that the stone here was just normal stone.


    ¡°No mana?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Yes, captain.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Then, is this a natural cave?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ That might be the case?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really think about that much but this place didn¡¯t look like it had been dug through.


    ¡°Ria, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ think that¡­ it is a¡­ natural cave¡­ I think it¡­ might be closer¡­ to what Yumi¡­ did earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean, someone absorbed the mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Or otherwise¡­ removed it¡­ But¡­ at the entrance¡­ the walls were¡­ full of mana¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nodded in agreement. They definitely were.


    ¡°The walls¡­ we saw there¡­ and the walls¡­ we see here¡­ They feel¡­ too similar¡­ to be made¡­ in a different¡­ way¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well¡­¡±


    It was a bit unnatural for a tunnel like this to be perfectly straight with no detours, staying just the right size for people to pass through at all times and other things like this.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Well, the construction of the tunnel is pretty irrelevant to us anyway. We just need to find out what is at the end of it. Ria, Yumi, how does it look in regards to the mana density or whatever that was?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ It feels like there¡¯s a little more? I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ There is¡­ more¡­¡±


    Ria agreed with me so it wasn¡¯t just my imagination, huh? That was nice to know.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll need Ria¡¯s magic at some point then?¡±


    ¡°Probably¡­ If it¡­ keeps going¡­ like this¡­ then yes.¡±


    Which was likely to happen¡­


    Well, but Ria knows what she is doing so it¡¯ll be fine.


    We kept going for a good while, most likely around a quarter-hour by this world¡¯s time. Which was quite a long time. The mana around us kept getting denser the further we walked, to the point that even Karen could say with certainty that it was. Until finally Ria suggested she should use her magic.


    ¡°Captain¡­ The mana¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting too much?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s take a small break then first while you prepare for that magic of yours.¡±


    ¡°Understood¡­¡±


    Once we stopped, I plopped down on the floor, a little exhausted from all that walking. Next to me, the Elder sat down as well. Karen looked at us with a wry smile. I really envied her stamina in times of these.


    ¡°You two should really work on your stamina.¡±


    ¡°You say that so easily, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ She is not wrong, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... I know.¡±


    I sighed. If only it was easier to increase my stamina. Well, it wasn¡¯t like I was going out of breath to the point I couldn¡¯t take a step anymore or that my legs would give away from exhaustion. But while it stopped at me being tired and exhausted it was still¡­ Well, I¡¯d prefer not being exhausted.


    Whatever, I¡¯ll manage. For now, I kind of want to know what Ria is going to do.


    I didn¡¯t know what type of magic could even protect us from the dense mana surrounding us.


    ¡°Nn? What is that?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°In Ria¡¯s hand.¡±


    Ria was gathering mana in her hands, forming something like a ball. Except it seemed to be hollow inside, which probably made it closer to a balloon or bubble or something. As her spell continued, this bubble grew larger and large, until it swallowed her hand and gradually her arm.


    Is that the magic she was talking about? Is that¡­ something like a protective bubble?


    I could see how the mana around the growing bubble was pushed away, while the mana inside was relatively thin, compared to our surroundings. As we watched, the bubble finally grew to the size of an adult person, swallowing Ria whole. It didn¡¯t stop growing there, of course. It kept on growing.


    Korwen, who was the closest to Ria, was the next one to be swallowed by the bubble. Not like he even noticed, as he was unable to sense the mana.


    ¡°Mm? Somehow, the air feels a little lighter? Is that her magic?¡±


    Correction, he noticed something.


    After a short while, the bubble grew large enough for all of us to fit inside.


    ¡°This is quite incredible¡­ but what kind of use would this spell usually have, Miss Ria?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a¡­ protection against¡­ curses¡­¡±


    ¡°Curses?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ This barrier¡­ disperses mana¡­ And curses¡­ they are¡­ spells¡­ after all¡­ they weaken¡­ and fall apart¡­ inside¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a little surprising.¡±


    It was. But definitely useful.


    ¡°It¡¯s useful¡­ but tiring¡­ and it¡­ only protects¡­ against curses¡­ so there is¡­ rarely a use¡­ for this¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, there is this time.¡±


    ¡°There is¡­ indeed¡­¡±


    Ria smiled a little, maybe proud of this little spell.


    ¡°It¡¯s indeed useful but we shouldn¡¯t waste too much time, you girls. Ria already said it¡¯s tiring her so we should hurry up.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, captain.¡±


    Oops, he was right. We didn¡¯t have the time to leisurely discuss her spell now.


    With Korwen in the lead again and surrounded by Ria¡¯s barrier, we continued on through the tunnel. It didn¡¯t take long until we hit upon an iron door, signaling the end of the tunnel.


    ¡°Well, spirits take me, there really is something here, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Without a sign of fear, Korwen walked up to the door and pushed against it. The door was rattling but didn¡¯t really budge.


    ¡°Stuck? No, a lock? Mmm¡­ Ria, can you spot any magic or traps?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It should¡­ be safe¡­¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±


    Korwen chuckled, a savage grin on his face.


    ¡°You girls, stay back a little.¡±


    ¡±Huh?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mr Korwen?¡±


    While we were a little confused at his words, Ria was the only one who reacted immediately and pulled the three of us away. Somehow, this reminded me of the time when Ria blew up the door. The way they immediately retreated. Only, this time it was Korwen over there.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see how sturdy you are. You¡¯re not even a magic door, aren¡¯t you? Then this should be quick.¡±


    Korwen took a step back, taking a stance. I thought for a second that he might try to punch the door but¡­ he kicked it. A dull sound echoed through the tunnel, loud enough to reverberate in my stomach. Then he kicked it again and a loud creaking sound accompanied it this time. And upon the third time, the loud noise of something breaking entered my ears, followed by the large door hitting the floor.


    He kicked the door out of its hinges! A solid metal door! And it even flew for a few metres there, hitting the wall behind it!


    A grim reminder not to mess with Korwen.


    ¡°Good. Now we can get in.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡±


    The three of us could only stare dumbfounded at the broken door. There was an imprint of Korwen¡¯s boots on it¡­


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see what all this is¡­ about¡­¡±


    Korwen stepped into the room, full of vigour. But that vigour died very quickly, as he stared up to the ceiling. When we followed inside, we followed his gaze, only to be taken aback just like him.


    ¡°What¡­ is that?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know, Yumi.¡±


    There was¡­ a giant creature. An absolutely¡­ gigantic creature¡­ right in front of us. While we were staring at the thing in front of us, the Elder stepped forward, touching what I had previously thought to be a wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s a spirit.¡±

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Remnants of Old

    ¡°It¡¯s a spirit.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes fell on the Elder, surprised at her revelation.


    ¡°A spirit¡­ you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Korwen. A spirit.¡±


    The Elder looked up at the giant creature in front of her, gently stroking it.


    ¡°This is¡­ a spirit¡­¡±


    I took a step back, taking in the giant thing in front of me. It was impossible¡­ it was too huge. I couldn¡¯t see where it began and where it ended¡­


    ¡°Miss Elder, I thought spirits are beings of mana? But this is¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a spirit with a body, yes. That is correct, Karen. It is a creature similar to our elven spirit trees. A spirit invoked into a living creature. The scale is simply much grander. Much, much grander¡­¡±


    While we were still surprised by the view in front of us, Korwen knocked against the wall¡ªthe spirit¡ªbefore asking the Elder a question.


    ¡°Is it alive?¡±


    ¡°... I am not sure but I don¡¯t believe it is.¡±


    ¡°Dead, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    This giant spirit¡­ was dead?


    ¡°In that case¡­ is this an old spirit from the Spirit War?¡±


    ¡°... Most likely.¡±


    ¡°I knew it.¡±


    A spirit from the Spirit War? Wasn¡¯t that¡­ that war the Elder had told us about? The one that involved the Great Spirits and the Witch, Yumias? But how did Korwen even reach that conclusion?


    ¡°No wonder that this place is like this¡­ This is a spirit grave.¡±


    ¡°A¡­ spirit grave?¡±


    I tilted my head at the unfamiliar words.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re places where spirits that died in the Spirit War are laid to rest¡­ or something like that. I am not all that familiar with the details. Mostly because they¡¯re locations that are inhospitable to most living creatures.¡±


    An inhospitable place¡­ Because of the mana, huh? But with the way he talked about it, there were other places like this?


    ¡°Calling them graves¡­ The humanoid races sure found an apt name for them.¡±


    ¡°The elves have a different name?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Translating it is a little difficult, though, as your language doesn¡¯t quite possess the word for it. If I had to describe it¡­ ¡®A place where the souls gather to become spirits¡¯ would be it.¡±


    ¡°A place where souls become spirits, huh? Are you saying that this is a birthplace for spirits?¡±


    ¡°At least, according to our beliefs, it is.¡±


    In other words, they didn¡¯t exactly have proof for it?


    ¡°The mana of the dead spirit births young spirits and feeds them¡­ or so we are taught at a young age. But there aren¡¯t many places like this so I cannot say I have seen it with mine own eyes.¡±


    The Elder turned away from the spirit¡¯s body, towards Korwen.


    ¡°Either way, what shall we do, Mr Korwen? This isn¡¯t a place we should linger in for long.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ You¡¯re right about that¡­ I¡¯ve expected a lot of things but not a spirit grave, to be honest¡­ No choice¡­ Ria, how long can you keep that spell up¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Ria, who had been looking at the spirit while we talked, turned around, thinking for several seconds. After a few moments passed, she held up three fingers to Korwen before she returned her attention back to the spirit¡­. All that without even saying a single word. Even for her, that was a little¡­


    ¡°Around a quarter-hour¡­ Guess that¡¯s to be expected. Well, we won¡¯t have to hurry back immediately, at least.¡±


    ¡°... I am impressed that you figured out how long with only that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy if you know what she means and as long as you know your numbers. It¡¯s three dozenths of an hour. Or in simpler terms, a quarter.¡±


    Three dozenths? That was¡­ a little awkward but it did make sense¡­ So a quarter-hour¡­ Or half an hour in my old world. That was still quite a bit of time, although we had to account for the way back as well.


    ¡°Either way, for now¡­ I¡¯d say we should take a look around but I don¡¯t think we should stray far from Ria¡­ Not to mention that there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything here anyway except for that large spirit corpse.¡±


    ¡°Nn, the area that Ria keeps safe isn¡¯t that large¡­¡±


    In fact, Korwen would only need to do two steps to the side and he¡¯d be outside her bubble. Which was something he probably should avoid.


    ¡°As I thought¡­ Well, in that case, let¡¯s have Ria take a look until she is satisfied.¡±


    Hopefully, before her spell ran out. Ria was quite absorbed in examining the body of the spirit.


    ¡°Hey, Miss Elder.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Most spirits are immaterial, right? And this is a spirit invoked into a body, as you said¡­ But how come the body is still here? Doesn¡¯t it¡­ well¡­ rot?¡±


    Who knew how long this body had been here¡­ Yet, if someone told me this spirit was actually still alive, I¡¯d believe them. It might not move, but it had no signs of decay or anything either. Then again, neither did it show signs of life. But the creature was just so gigantic, I didn¡¯t even know where the front and end were.


    ¡°That is a curious question¡­ But while it is a spirit invoked into a body, it is still more spirit than a living creature. If anything, its existence would be more similar to you, I believe. Save for the absence of a mana crystal.¡±.


    More similar to me¡­ Well, if it wasn¡¯t quite a living creature, then I certainly could see where she was coming from.


    ¡°Similar to Yumi¡­ Hey, Yumi, can you absorb the mana around here?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I mean¡­ Probably? Wait¡­¡±


    Considering the absolutely massive amounts of mana here¡­ wasn¡¯t this quite a boon?


    ¡°I would recommend refraining from that, Yumi. Spirits are kind by nature, but they can be incredibly vicious if angered. How do you believe the Spirit War started?¡±


    ¡±Uhhh¡­ So that¡¯s no good? Also, I have no idea how it started¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t? Oh, right¡­ You were a little¡­ lacking in general knowledge.¡±


    ¡°... It has to be bad if the person who was shut-in for such a long time says that to me.¡±


    Not that I could deny it.


    ¡°The whole story is rather long but the Witch pretty much angered the Great Spirits with her actions, upon which the Great Spirits sought to¡­ remove her from this world. The resulting war was nothing short of devastating. Places such as this were very rare before the war¡­ but with many spirits, including several Great Spirits, dying in the war¡­¡±


    The Elder shook her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a pretty tale. But that¡¯s something to be told for another time. Just keep in mind, that angering the spirits is not a path many dare to take.¡±


    ¡°I have no intentions of doing so¡­¡±


    ¡°That is good.¡±


    With spirits being creatures made of mana, I wouldn¡¯t even know how to defend myself from them¡­


    ¡°Mr Korwen, you should keep that in mind as well when deciding what to do about this.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re talking as I would know what to do about this at all! Tell me, what should I do with this? I don¡¯t have the slightest idea.¡±


    While complaining, he shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Unfortunately, I do not know either¡­ I believe it would depend on what you want to achieve.¡±


    ¡°Frankly, I¡¯d like to get rid of this place. This¡­ spirit is the reason for the odd behaviour in the forest, is it not?¡±


    ¡°It would seem so.¡±


    ¡°Haaaa¡­ I hoped to find out what the source is and whether there¡¯s either a way to make use of it or get rid of it¡­ But I have no idea how to do either.¡±


    Neither did I. If the spirits would get angry for messing with this place, then there weren¡¯t really any choices left to us, were there?


    ¡°There¡¯s a good reason countries hide spirit graves or forbid people from entering them¡­ They¡¯re just dangerous. Haaa¡­ Did Will know about this? He definitely did, didn¡¯t he¡­ Tsk.¡±


    Someone was in a rather bad mood now¡­ Not that I could hold it against him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to think about what to do with this¡­ Miss Elder, what is the stance of the elves on this matter?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much. These places are important to us but due to their inhospitable nature, we, too, avoid them. As long as the spirits are not angered, we don¡¯t really care for whatever you plan to do.¡±


    ¡°Thought as much¡­ Well, it¡¯s better than you all getting angry over something.¡±


    The Elder chuckled, apparently thinking it amusing.


    ¡°Fear not, we won¡¯t. However, I cannot promise that my brethren won¡¯t show¡­ interest in this place.¡±


    ¡°... They¡¯re not going to dig a hole, are they?¡±


    ¡°I doubt they would. They wouldn¡¯t be able to, anyway. Remember that we, too, cannot stay long in this place.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, right¡­ but that just brings us back to the original problem. What do we do about this?¡±


    Good question.


    ¡°Captain, will it be a problem if we can¡¯t solve this?¡±


    ¡°Well, Yumi, it mostly means that our means of procuring food are limited. We cannot hunt in a forest with next to no animals. We¡¯d be reliant on Auria for food. While that¡¯s not a problem by itself, it would make things easier if we could hunt and be more self-sufficient.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I See, that would be a problem¡­¡±


    ¡°Not to mention, you know how men are. If you give them the choice between meat and wheat nobody¡¯s going to touch the wheat.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Admittedly, I couldn¡¯t deny that for myself either.


    ¡°While the men would be fine with fish, it¡¯d be still better if we could procure a stable source of meat. And in the first place, I¡¯d like to eat meat as well. Fish is great but¡­ yeah¡­¡±


    Not something he wanted to eat every day for the foreseeable future?


    ¡°Mr Korwen, if you were to curb the spirit¡¯s influence, monsters might begin to settle in this place as well.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ That might happen, you¡¯re right¡­ But dealing with a few monsters wouldn¡¯t be a real problem. If anything, we¡¯d get materials and crystals out of that. Depending on what kind of monster would settle here, they might make for good training for our recruits as well. But that all means nothing if we can¡¯t deal with this¡­¡±


    He sighed as he stared at the spirit in front of him.


    ¡°If only we could stop it from spreading all that mana¡­ Can¡¯t you stuff it somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°Mr Korwen, mana isn¡¯t something you can just relocate. If you wanted to achieve that, you¡¯d have to relocate the entire body.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°Apologies for being frank, but I believe moving that would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Another sigh escaped him.


    ¡°If there was at least a use for this¡­¡±


    Alas, there wasn¡¯t¡­ It would be difficult for Ria and the others to make use of the raw mana present in the air and while I would be able to, there wasn¡¯t really much point in it, short of absorbing it. Which the Elder already discouraged me from.


    Or maybe there¡¯s something I could use it?


    If we could use at least the mana leaking into the forest, we might be able to deal with the problems, no?


    ¡°Miss Elder, if I don¡¯t absorb the mana, would there be a problem in using it?¡±


    ¡°Absorbing or using it is essentially the same, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s true, I guess.¡±


    Thinking about it, there wasn¡¯t really much of a difference¡­


    ¡°Did you have something in mind, Yumi?¡± asked Korwen.


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ I thought that if we used up the overflowing mana, wouldn¡¯t that solve the problems with the forest?¡±


    ¡°Limiting it to only the mana that¡¯d overflow, huh¡­ If we could do that, it¡¯d be great.¡±


    It would be.


    ¡°... Actually, that might be possible.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Really, Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The spirits are only active in the area around this place. If you were to¡­ Mmm¡­ place a ward¡ªI believe you would call it that¡ªthen you could limit the overflowing mana to only a portion of the forest.¡±


    ¡°A ward? That¡¯s an interesting idea¡­ But would that actually work?¡±


    Korwen looked rather dubious, hearing the Elder¡¯s idea.


    ¡°If you refer to revitalising the forest, I admit I am not sure. Animals are very sensitive, they might avoid the forest nonetheless. However, I believe it would be worth an attempt. If nothing else, it would make the forest a more comfortable place to live in.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. There¡¯s nothing to lose by trying it. That leaves the question of how we should construct such a ward¡­ I am not very familiar with magic, so I am not sure how you would go about that.¡±


    ¡°There are various ways of accomplishing it. Like Yumi suggested, using up the overflowing would be the simplest solution. Other than that, something akin to Miss Ria¡¯s spell would be possible, too.¡±


    Did she mean the bubble she was currently using to protect us? If she were to invert it, as in, trapping the mana inside the area¡­ Yeah, that might work.


    ¡°Alternatively, we elves might also have a way of helping out¡­ However, you would need to discuss that with them first.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I see. But having a few options is already a step forward. We¡¯ll have to see what will be feasible when we return.¡±


    Korwen nodded, grinning slightly. I guess he was rather happy with having some possible solutions now.


    Seriously, this is quite the troublesome thing we found¡­


    With a wry smile on my lips, I stared at the giant wall once again. In front of me, Ria was still examining it. This had to be quite an interesting find for her, too.


    ¡°A spirit, huh¡­ Hey, Sis, what do you think¡­. Nn? Sis?¡±


    When I turned around to ask Karen about the whole thing, I found her staring up at the spirit¡¯s corpse, not reacting to me.


    ¡°Hey, Sis, is something?¡±


    ¡°... Eh? Ah, sorry, Yumi, did you say something?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wanted to ask for you thoughts about the whole thing but¡­ Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows a little ash stumbled over her words.


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure¡­ Looking at this, it makes me feel¡­ a little queasy.¡±


    ¡°Queasy? You¡¯re not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t quite know either. It¡¯s like something is pressing down on me¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I stared at Karen for a few seconds. She looked outwardly fine but if she said she wasn¡¯t feeling well¡­ I turned around to Korwen and the Elder, both of who were still discussing possible ways of dealing with our problems¡­ But before I could speak up, Karen put a hand on my shoulder and turned me back around.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious, Yumi. Really.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯d rather not take any chances, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯m not imagining it, to be honest¡­¡±


    ¡°Still¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave soon anyway.¡±


    I stared at Sis for a few seconds, unsure what to do. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t really have to think about it much when Korwen¡¯s voice called out to us from behind.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, we¡¯re about to leave.¡±


    ¡°... Got it, Captain.¡±


    What fortunate timing this was.


    ¡°Sis, if you feel even a little bit worse, tell me immediately, okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yumi, you¡¯re way too overprotective.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. You¡¯re important to me.¡±


    Hearing that, Karen averted her gaze from me, blushing a little.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Tell me earlier next time.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good.¡±


    I took Karen¡¯s hand and gently pulled her along, following Korwen and the others.


    The way back was as uneventful as the way to this place. The density of mana surrounding us slowly lowered until Ria could finally release her spell once more. Once she did, Korwen heaved a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Have to say, even if I know that Ria is doing her job, it¡¯s a relief to know we¡¯re in a safe area again.¡±


    I could wholeheartedly agree with that. Next to me, Karen also looked relieved.


    ¡°Feeling better?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Like a weight being lifted from me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    I was still a little worried and decided I¡¯d pay some attention to Karen¡¯s state for the remainder of the day. Just in case.


    ¡°I do wonder why I felt like that, though¡­ Did you feel nothing, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Not really? I was a little astonished at the pure size of that place and the spirit but that¡¯s about all.¡±


    Ria¡¯s spell did keep us safe, so there wasn¡¯t an issue with the mana either. Though it might still be the case that the dense mana wouldn¡¯t bother me that much anyway.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°What did it even feel like?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not sure how to describe it¡­ Like something was pressing down on me¡­ It was only a little but¡­¡±


    It made her feel uncomfortable enough.


    ¡°Weird¡­ I didn¡¯t feel anything at all, though.¡±


    In the first place, how come it was only Karen who felt ill? Was it because she was a demonkin?


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Ria.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Ria.¡±


    Ignoring Karen¡¯s attempt at stopping me, I called out to Ria in front of me.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Is something¡­ the matter?¡±


    ¡°Sis is saying that she didn¡¯t feel well back there at the spirit grave. We wanted to ask if you know anything about that.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Ria tilted her head before looking at Karen.


    ¡°You felt¡­ unwell?¡±


    ¡°... A little.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ What exactly¡­ did it¡­ feel like?¡±


    ¡°Like something was pressing down on me. It was only a little but it made me feel uncomfortable.¡±


    Resigning to her fate, Karen repeated what she told me to Ria.


    ¡°Pressing down¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Any ideas?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°No¡­ Not really¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ notice anything¡­ strange¡­ Mm¡­ Did you¡­ feel something¡­ similar before?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can remember.¡±


    At this point, Korwen and the Elder had also noticed our conversation, turning around in curiosity.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Karen was¡­ feeling unwell¡­ at that place¡­¡±


    ¡°She did? Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    Korwen turned to Karen, a stern expression on him as if he was admonishing her.


    ¡°... I wasn¡¯t sure¡­ whether I was imagining. I only felt a little ill at most.¡±


    ¡°I see. Next time, even if you aren¡¯t sure, you should tell us immediately. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    Seeing her looking a little dejected, Korwen smiled wryly.


    ¡°So, Ria? Why did she feel ill?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ know¡­ Mm¡­ Karen¡­ I¡¯d like¡­ to examine you¡­ when we are¡­ back¡­ to make sure¡­ nothing is¡­ wrong.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Great, with that, Ria could make sure that there really isn¡¯t anything wrong with Karen. A weight was lifted from my shoulders.


    ¡°A pressure¡­ How odd. Is it because you are a demonkin? Or maybe because of your unique circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Miss Elder?¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t mind me, I was just wondering out loud. Let us for now return and see what Miss Ria has to say.¡±


    The Elder quickly deflected from her mutterings. But Karen¡¯s unique circumstances? Was this about her being similar to the demonkin''s ancestors? Though, that would still not quite explain why she felt unwell.


    ¡°The Elder is right, let¡¯s get back first. This isn¡¯t exactly the place to start an examination.¡±


    Upon Korwen¡¯s words, our group of five hurried back. Soon enough, the holes in walls came into sight, together with the rainbow hoggies occasionally crossing our paths. When we entered, they got out of our way but this time, as if they had gotten used to us in that short amount of time, they basically ignored us, leisurely going about their way. Seeing the hedgehog-like critters was a rather adorable sight, but having to be careful about avoiding them was just a tiny bit annoying.


    ¡°Okay, there is the exit. I probably¡­ don¡¯t need to ask if everyone can get out on their own, do I?¡±


    His eyes fell on Ria and then on me.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Karen, help your sister. Ria, come here.¡±


    Korwen swiftly climbed out of the hole and then pulled up Ria.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    With a smile, Karen turned to me. There was no escaping this, was there? Well, it was true I wouldn¡¯t get out of this so easily. I might be able to if I used magic but¡­ I felt like I was better off not suggesting that. And so, resigning myself, I lifted my arms and allowed Karen to lift me and help me out of the hole. After that, with a similar swift movement, Karen got out as well.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­ Karen¡­¡±


    That only left the Elder.


    ¡°Would you be so kind?¡±


    ¡°... Of course.¡±


    It was great to see that I wasn¡¯t the only one who needed help. Actually, together with Ria, we were three out of five. We were the majority!


    ¡°You all desperately need some training¡­¡± muttered Korwen.


    Yes, we definitely needed training¡­


    ¡°Whatever¡­ We should probably do something about this hole¡­ Well, for now¡­¡±


    Korwen walked up to a table that was left in this room and lifted it. Then, he went to the entrance of the tunnel and placed down the table, upside down, plugging the hole.


    ¡°Not exactly the best solution we have but it has to suffice for now until we find something else¡­¡±


    Indeed, there was a random table in the middle of the room. That wasn¡¯t suspicious at all. Well, it was only a temporary solution.


    ¡°That reminds me¡­ What are we going to do about that anyway¡­ I mean, are we going to keep this place a secret?¡±


    It would be better to know that in advance. Though I wasn¡¯t planning on telling this to anyone without Korwen¡¯s permission. It was rather clear that we probably shouldn¡¯t make a big deal out of it.


    ¡°For now, don¡¯t tell anyone about it. Until we have found a solution for this¡­ problem, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll gather everyone later to discuss the details of it. If you have any ideas or suggestions, keep them in mind until later.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Assuming we had any. Without saying anything else, Korwen led us out of the hall and back where all the other mercenaries were, the large hall that was steadily filling with supplies. Seeing the mercenaries working relieved me a little.


    ¡°Okay. Ria, you¡¯ll go ahead and give Karen her check-up. I guess Yumi will want to be there as well. In that case, Miss Elder comes with me, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to do.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Korwen.¡±


    ¡°One of these days, maybe I won¡¯t hear four different replies all at once.¡±


    Impossible. That¡¯d be boring.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ Mm?¡±


    ¡°Captain!¡±


    Korwen was opening his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a mercenary running up to him from behind. Why did this situation feel familiar? Oh right, something similar happened earlier.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Captain, sir, something arrived for you!¡±


    ¡°Mm? A letter?¡±


    The man handed a small letter to Korwen. It was rather plain but sealed with wax. That was the first time I ever saw a letter like this.


    ¡°... This already looks troublesome. Good job in delivering this. Return to your post.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain!¡±


    With a salute, the man left, leaving us alone again.


    ¡°... I guess we¡¯ll have to delay things for a while. I¡¯ll have to deal with this first.¡±


    ¡°Is that letter important?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi. Unfortunately, it is. It¡¯s a letter from Ruben.¡±


    ¡°From Ruben?¡±


    That was a surprise. I didn¡¯t exactly peg that man to be someone who wrote letters.


    ¡°Yes, so we¡¯ll have a change of plans. I¡¯ll take a look at this first. Miss Elder, I¡¯ll call for you later. Take a break for now.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, you two can also take a break once you are done with that examination. Ria, report to me when you are finished.¡±


    ¡±Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    Seeing that we acknowledged his orders, or rather the lack thereof, Korwen took his letter and left, returning to the camp through the portal. He probably wanted to open the letter somewhere where others couldn¡¯t accidentally spy on it.


    ¡°Well then, it seems I am left with nothing to do. I hope you will not mind if I accompany you, Yumi, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I.¡±


    If anything, maybe the Elder would be able to help us out as well.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Let¡¯s go¡­ to my¡­ examination¡­ tent¡­ I have¡­ everything¡­ I need¡­ there¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s okay.¡±


    With Ria taking the lead, we returned to the camp as well.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Unexpected News

    After parting with Korwen, the four of us made our way to one of the tents near the tentacle door. We couldn¡¯t exactly go into the camp proper, seeing how we were still ¡®officially¡¯ at the fort. And we all were rather conspicuous, as it turned out.


    Thankfully, some of the tents were empty and Ria only had to fetch a few things from her wagon before she could start her examination here, away from prying eyes.


    ¡°And? How does it look, Ria?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    A little nervous, I watched on as Ria examined Karen, who was sitting in front of her, her top undressed and with her back turned to us.


    ¡°Mm¡­ There is¡­ nothing¡­ out of¡­ ordinary¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, Sis is fine?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It would¡­ appear so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    Hearing that Karen was fine lifted a weight from my shoulders.


    ¡°See, Yumi, I told you it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°But you still felt ill back there. What if it had been something actually serious?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overreacting, Yumi. I just felt a little sick.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ I¡¯m just worried, Sis.¡±


    I simply didn¡¯t want something to happen to her. Not to mention, that place was¡­ odd, to say the least.


    ¡°Mm¡­ If I may¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria?¡±


    ¡°... While I¡­ don¡¯t think¡­ there is¡­ anything¡­ wrong with¡­ you¡­ You clearly¡­ felt¡­ something¡­ right? Karen?¡±


    ¡°Ehh? I guess, I did? But, other than feeling sick and uncomfortable, there wasn¡¯t anything¡­¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ enough¡­ It means¡­ that you¡­ were affected¡­ by something¡­ that we¡­ did not¡­ notice¡­ It is¡­ something¡­ to take note¡­ of¡­¡±


    ¡°... Is it?¡±


    Ria nodded slowly, her expression surprisingly serious.


    ¡°If it¡­ affected you¡­ something else¡­ might similarly¡­ affect you¡­ in the future¡­ Mm¡­ That said¡­ we don¡¯t¡­ have the¡­. means to¡­ investigate¡­ the cause¡­¡±


    ¡°Then, what do we do?¡± I asked her.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I will¡­ write a few¡­ letters¡­ to the¡­ High Priest¡­ and a few¡­ acquaintances¡­ to ask¡­ for their¡­ opinion¡­¡±


    The High Priest and her acquaintances¡­ she said? While I didn¡¯t know about those acquaintances of hers, the High Priest was someone I knew. He treated us before and seemed well-versed in medical matters. He might just know something.


    ¡°With that¡­ in mind¡­ there are¡­ a few other¡­ things we should¡­ talk about¡­ Karen.¡±


    ¡°Is something¡­ wrong?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Your mana¡­ feels a little¡­ different¡­


    ¡°My mana?¡±


    Ria nodded once more.


    ¡°Did you¡­ do your¡­ magic practices?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I did. I do them every morning.¡±


    Wait, she did? When did she do those in the morning? I never noticed¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ Did you¡­ change your¡­ diet recently?¡±


    ¡°Eh? I don¡¯t quite know what to say to that¡­ How recently?¡±


    ¡°The past¡­ few months¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, I lived in the slums before so¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot¡­¡±


    Admittedly, it was easy to forget, considering Karen didn¡¯t exactly fit the image of a slum dweller.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Then¡­ that strand¡­ of hair¡­ and those¡­ changes¡­ Mmm¡­ Then.. one more question¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How is¡­ your¡­ nightlife?¡±


    ¡°... Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My gaze shot towards Ria, more shocked than embarrassed at the rather¡­ personal question. Meanwhile, Karen tilted her head, confused.


    ¡°Miss Ria? What did you just ask?¡±


    ¡°Your¡­ nightlife¡­¡±


    A few seconds passed, until Karen¡¯s cheeks finally flushed red as her mind caught up with everything.


    ¡°Wh¡ª Why is that important?!¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Such things¡­ can also¡­ impact¡­ your health¡­ so¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I see?!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ I won¡¯t¡­ tell anyone¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t exactly the problem for Karen, obviously¡­ No, it would be a serious problem if she did tell others¡­ Either way, maybe I should help out? Then again, this was a little hard for me, too¡­


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Do¡­ Do you really have to know?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Considering¡­ that both¡­ of you¡­ are not¡­ exactly¡­ the most¡­ normal people¡­ out there¡­ it would¡­ be helpful¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see¡­¡±


    ¡°One thing¡­ I am¡­ especially¡­  curious about¡­ You¡­ accidentally¡­ absorbed Yumi¡¯s¡­ mana¡­ once¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ah, yes¡­¡±


    Huh? Ria knew about that? But we never told anyone, did we? Or did Karen consult her about that without me knowing?


    ¡°Did something¡­ similar¡­ happen again¡­¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ to that extent, no.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Me? Well, no, not that I noticed much¡­¡±


    While Karen could be a little¡­ peculiar at those times, I wasn¡¯t exactly much better, was I? Still, the only time I actually fainted was the first time.


    ¡°I see¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    ¡°Ria? Is something bothering you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Karen¡­ Her life¡­ has rapidly¡­ changed¡­ and I¡­ think that¡­ might have¡­ an effect¡­ on her mana¡­ It feels¡­ livelier¡­ But¡­ with all those¡­ changes¡­ in your¡­ environment¡­ Mm¡­¡±


    Ria stared at Karen for a few seconds, then her gaze turned over to me.


    ¡°Mm¡­ I think¡­ I might¡­ consult with¡­ Miss Yumias¡­¡±


    ¡°With Yumias? Why her?¡±


    ¡°She knows¡­ a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, she does but she¡¯s not very likely to give you answers¡­¡±


    If anything, she would just smile at you and mess around.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Is that¡­ so?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ she always¡­ answered me?¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I froze, unable to comprehend her words. The sudden shock was too much for me. Yumias was answering Ria¡¯s questions? Without toying around with her? Seriously?


    ¡°Mm¡­ By the way¡­ When is¡­ Miss Elder¡­ going to¡­ stop covering¡­ her ears?¡±


    ¡±... What?¡±


    The sudden change in topic perplexed me just as much. I turned around, finding to see the Elder with her eyes closed and her ears covered up. I¡­ completely forgot she was here too. She had kept quiet during the examination, after all¡­


    ¡°Ehh¡­ When did the Elder cover her ears even?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Around the¡­ time I¡­ asked about¡­ your nightlife?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thank you, Miss Elder, for your incredible consideration!


    I was actually moved a little. Still, we couldn¡¯t leave her like that for long¡­


    ¡°Ria, are there any other, err, questions like that you want to ask?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ think so?¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡±


    With a wry smile, I tapped on the Elder¡¯s shoulders, signalling her that things were fine now. Her eyes opened and she uncovered her ears.


    ¡°I assume the more personal issues in life have been sorted out?¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so¡­ Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Do not apologise. It wasn¡¯t much.¡±


    We still bothered her¡­ but, well¡­


    ¡°Mm¡­ Miss Elder¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What do you¡­ think of¡­ her situation?¡±


    ¡°Her situation? Might I ask what¡­ conclusions you came to while I wasn¡¯t listening?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Of course.¡±


    Ria briefly recapped her plans going forward and what she was wondering about¡­ Thankfully, without giving out any of the more personal information.


    ¡°To be honest, this is a difficult question for me, too¡­ Let me dwell on this for a moment¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    The Elder again closed her eyes, though this time because she was deep in thought. We waited for her to come to a conclusion for a good minute or two until she finally opened her eyes again.


    ¡°There might be something.¡±


    ¡°Huh? There is?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But it is something from long ago, so I might be misremembering it but back during the time I wandered, I also met several demonkin. Among them, there was a¡­ rather annoying man. He stayed in my memory because he was rather¡­ discourteous towards the Great Spirits, or rather spirits in general. He said that their sight made him feel sick¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    The Elder chuckled, seeing my hesitation at a proper response.


    ¡°Not very detailed, yes? I am aware but alas, it has been far too long for me to remember the details... However, he, too, was a demonkin like Karen. It might be something that is unique to a few demonkin. If that is the case, then wouldn¡¯t the demonkin know of this malady? It is not much, but I believe it better than nothing at all.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    If it really was something unique to the demonkin, of course.


    ¡°It¡¯s a better lead than nothing at all,¡± commented Karen.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ A demonkin¡­ malady¡­ Do we¡­ have other¡­ demonkin¡­ among us?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ There¡¯s Sele?¡±


    But it was rather doubtful if Sele knew anything about this.


    ¡°I believe I have seen a few others among them, though they are very few,¡± added the Elder.


    Surprised me a little, to be honest. Other than Sele and Karen, I wasn¡¯t aware of any other demonkin, so I asked the Elder for confirmation.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I never noticed any others¡­¡±


    Most of the band was comprised of humans, followed by beastkin. In fact, I didn¡¯t know if there were any other races even present in the band.


    ¡°Little wonder. Demonkin are quite adept at mingling with other races. Their varied characteristics are often easy to miss or easy to hide, too.¡±


    ¡°Easy to hide, huh¡­¡±


    I glanced towards Karen¡¯s tail. Yeah, she could just stuff it into her clothes and nobody would notice. And while I wasn¡¯t sure if it was because of that, her tail wasn¡¯t very lively. A bit of a shame. Though it had become more expressive, in my opinion.


    ¡°Yumi, why are you staring at my tail.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Because it¡¯s an adorable tail, of course.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ah, it stiffened when she heard my words. Was she embarrassed? Well¡­ It was a little hard to tell from just her tail alone, but she probably was. Seeing that just made me want to tease her¡­ Which unfortunately wasn¡¯t something I could do in the presence of others.


    I¡¯m going to be so glad when we have our own room and can do all of this flirting in private.


    The future was looking bright. Yes, very bright.


    ¡°Karen, is she always doing that?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes, yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Am I doing what?¡±


    ¡°Staring into space and smiling for no reason.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oops. Bad habit¡­


    ¡°Not doing that on purpose.¡±


    ¡°If you did, that¡¯d worry me even more.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Good point.¡±


    The Elder shook her head in exasperation.


    ¡°That aside, I believe it would be good for Karen to stay away from the spirit corpse for now, until we know what the problem is.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯d be better. Is that okay with you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not very fond of the idea of returning there anyway.¡±


    Well, if it made her feel sick, that wasn¡¯t surprising.


    ¡°Miss Ria, is that acceptable for you, too?¡± asked the Elder.


    ¡°Mm¡­ That sounds¡­ like it¡­ would be¡­ the best¡­ option¡­ Karen¡­ if anything¡­ else comes up¡­ tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss Ria.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­ take care¡­ of her¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, of course. I¡¯ll make sure she visits you if something is off.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­¡±


    Karen shot me a confused glance but I pretended not to have seen that.


    ¡°In that case, I believe I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°You are? Do you have something to do, Miss Elder?¡±


    Korwen gave us a break so she should be free now, right?


    ¡°Yes. There are a few personal things I wanted to take care of. Now is as good a time as any to do that.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, then, good luck with that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much. I will take my leave then.¡±


    The Elder said bye and left. I wondered what kind of things she wanted to take care of¡­ Probably something with her preparing to stay with the mercenaries? Or maybe something else?


    Who knows, maybe she¡¯s writing a letter to the High Priest? Somehow¡­ I can imagine that quite well¡­


    Anyway, that wasn¡¯t for me to pry.


    ¡°Ria, what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I will¡­ go take¡­ another look at¡­ the door¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°I feel like¡­ I have¡­ nearly figured¡­ it out¡­¡±


    ¡°... Figured¡­ it out?¡±


    What could she figure out from that door?


    ¡°Yes¡­ How it¡­ works¡­¡±


    ¡°... Eh? You nearly figured out how it works?¡±


    ¡°Only nearly¡­ There is¡­ still¡­ a lot¡­ that I¡­ don¡¯t quite¡­ understand¡­ Ahh¡­ Right¡­ when I¡­ have come¡­ to a¡­ conclusion¡­ I will¡­ tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, please do.¡±


    The whole magic aspect of the tentacle door was utterly beyond me. It was amazing how Ria could understand it already to a degree that she said she ¡®nearly¡¯ figured it out. On the other hand¡­ Didn¡¯t we ask her before if she had made any progress with this?


    I feel like it¡¯s pointless to think about that¡­ Maybe she thought it wasn¡¯t worth mentioning because she wasn¡¯t sure of anything yet¡­


    I could imagine that well.


    I¡¯ll look forward to it, Ria.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ What will¡­ you two¡­ do?¡±


    ¡°Good question¡­ Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ We¡¯re on break now, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That¡¯s what Korwen told us and he was our boss. Who were we to go against our boss¡¯ words?


    ¡°To be honest, I just want to relax a little¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine by me¡­ But we can¡¯t go back to our wagon right now¡­ And the fort is¡­¡±


    Hardly the best place to have a relaxing time. It was half a ruin and half a dust-covered¡­ place that required desperately a cleanup.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit of a problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn, agreed.¡±


    ¡°... Shall we look around for a place then?¡±


    ¡°Guess we can.¡±


    Worst case, we¡¯d just hijack the shade of a nearby tree. Or we¡¯d retreat into our tent.


    ¡°Then, Ria¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Have fun¡­ Oh, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Karen¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Right as we turned to leave, Ria stopped us, as if she had just remembered something.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably¡­ not good¡­ if you¡­ hold back¡­ too much¡­ We have¡­ magic tools¡­ for soundproofing¡­ if you¡­ need one¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen¡¯s cheeks immediately became fiery red again, this time without any delay. Though, I could feel my cheeks becoming a little warm, too. Ria was¡­ a little too blunt about this.


    ¡°I¡­ I will consider that¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Just¡­ tell me¡­ when you¡­ require¡­ one¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Have fun¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±


    Karen¡¯s shoulders slumped a little as she turned around and exited the tent, pulling me after her by the hand.


    ¡°A sound-proofing tool, huh¡­¡±


    That¡­ answered a question I wanted to have an answer to for quite a while already¡­ How everyone else dealt with the lack of privacy.


    ¡°Want to borrow one, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... Later.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t saying no¡­ But¡­ If Ria mentioned that Karen was holding back¡­ Had it become bad enough that Ria actually noticed that? Uhhh¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°... Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you holding back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not! It¡¯s just!¡±


    Karen turned around in a panic, stopping midway through her sentence.


    ¡°Just?¡±


    ¡°... We barely have much time alone.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We don¡¯t.¡±


    Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t something I could fix, either. But, well¡­ If we got one of those sound-proofing tools, we¡¯d have way more options open to us.


    ¡°When we have our own room, things are going to be much easier.¡±


    ¡°I hope so¡­ Until then, I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    ¡°But if you need something, you just have to tell me, Sis. I¡¯m here for you. And I¡¯m happy¡­ about anything you want to do.¡±


    Especially, if it concerned our ¡®nightlife,¡¯ as Ria had called it.


    ¡°Then¡­ kiss me.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karen averted her gaze, blushing. It was adorable how she was still embarrassed about a request like this.


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    I stopped, pulling Karen¡¯s hand a little to turn her around. Then, I hugged Karen, holding her close. I could hear Karen¡¯s heart beating quickly in anticipation.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    I looked up at her. Her silver eyes glanced down at me, darting a little to the side before returning to me with an expectant gaze. I couldn¡¯t help but giggle a little.


    ¡°Sis, I love you.¡±


    With those words, I stood on my toes and kissed Karen. A warm moist feeling spread on my lips and warmth filled my chest. When we parted, I smiled at Karen.


    ¡°Was that to your satisfaction?¡± I asked her, teasingly.


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Karen¡¯s arms went around my waist, returning my hug.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you¡¯re welcome, Sis.¡±


    I would happily indulge her as much as she wanted.


    ¡°Shall we go and look for a place to relax?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice.¡±


    We parted our hug, returning to just holding each other¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We returned through the tentacle door and entered the hall where the mercenaries had brought all the supplies to. Someone had set up a few tables and banks in the back of it, probably for others on break to take a rest. Although, right now it seemed more like everyone was on break, gathering near those tables.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­ Weren¡¯t they still working?


    They were supposed to, yes¡­


    ¡°They look pretty serious¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    This didn¡¯t look all that good¡­ Did someone get injured?


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask what happened.¡±


    We approached the crowd of busy mercenaries.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, Miss Yumi! How can we help?¡±


    ¡°We were wondering whether something happened with everyone gathering here.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that.¡±


    The mercenary we asked scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Well, guess the rumours would reach you anyway given some time. You see, there were some who overheard the Capt¡¯n earlier. Apparently, Bruven declared war on the Akkians.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Bruven? Bruven¡­ wasn¡¯t that the huge nation to the east of the Akkian Empire?


    ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°Eh, as true as rumours usually are. Can¡¯t say for certain but quite a few people saw the Capt¡¯n earlier, looking rather distraught.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    So, Bruven declared war on the Akkian Empire?


    ¡°But why would they do that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the spirits know what goes on in the head of those people. The Bruven Federation always had a few screws loose.¡±


    ¡°Ya can say that again. Those dumbasses!¡± someone added from the side.


    A few others joined in, denouncing the Bruven Federation.


    ¡°Well, as long as we don¡¯t get caught up in that mess, I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little odd to hear that from mercenaries¡­¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t they rejoice at an opportunity to fight in a war?


    ¡°Ha, the empire is probably out for our heads after that stunt in the capital. And Bruven¡¯s a shithole for all kinds of mercenaries. If you ask me, they can bash their heads in for as much as they like. We¡¯ll take whatever¡¯s left over! Hahaha!¡±


    Now they sounded more like bandits than mercenaries¡­


    ¡°But Bruven and the Akkians, huh¡­ So, what happens to that war between the empire and Lafria?¡± I asked another question.


    ¡°Oh, now that you mention it¡­ so little happened after they blew up the Hollow¡¯s bridge that I forgot about that¡­ Probably nothing much? Well, worst case the Akkian¡¯s gonna have to fight on two fronts. Not looking good for them.¡±


    ¡°Greed finally caught up to them!¡±


    ¡°Serves them right!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡±


    No love for either side to be found here. Not that I could blame them. I barely knew anything about Bruven but in the case of the Akkian Empire, I sure wasn¡¯t fond of that place.


    ¡°Wonder what the Capt¡¯n¡¯s gonna do, though.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll figure something out! It¡¯s the Capt¡¯n, after all!¡±


    ¡°Right, he is! Hahaha!¡±


    The other mercenaries joined in the laughter. One of them, however, turned around, pointing to the other end of the hall.


    ¡°Hey, look, the Vice-Capt¡¯n¡¯s coming.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Vice-Captain! Is it true that the Bruven bastards declared war on the Akkian scumbags?!¡±


    ¡°Tell us the truth, Vice!¡±


    Behind us, I spotted Merim, already holding his head as if he was having a headache.


    ¡°Why the hell do you guys already know about that¡­¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, it is. The Captain got a message that they declared war. Don¡¯t know anything else yet, though. If you want to hear more, the Captain¡¯s going to address everyone at dinner.¡±


    ¡°Hey, we can¡¯t wait until then!¡±


    ¡°Tough luck. Ha! Ha! Ha!¡±


    Merim laughed at the disappointed mercenaries.


    ¡°Guys, listen up, the Vice-Captain¡¯s keeping information from us! Get his ass!¡±


    ¡°Gotcha!¡±


    ¡°Catch him!¡±


    ¡°Woah, what the fuck is wrong with you? You aren¡¯t kids!¡±


    Several mercenaries stormed toward Merim, in an attempt to catch him. Merim hurriedly dodged and ran away from his pursuers. Unfortunately for him, he was hopelessly outnumbered and soon enough found himself surrounded.


    ¡°Now, Vice-Captain! If you don¡¯t want to get tickled to death, spill it! All of it!¡±


    ¡°The Captain¡¯s going to kill me anyway if I spill it, so no.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, get him!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Woooohhh!!!¡±¡±¡±


    The mercenaries plunged at Merim¡­ and crashed into each other when Merim jumped up and landed behind them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape! Get him at all costs!¡±


    ¡°How the hell were you guys brought up?! Are you kids?!¡±


    ¡°Men will always be children at heart! That¡¯s what my mom always said!¡±


    That didn¡¯t sound like she meant that as a compliment¡­ No, they really were acting like children. I had this impression before already, but they really were acting like children sometimes. Though, it probably was fine. They had fun after all and Merim didn¡¯t look like he was seriously bothered by it, either.


    ¡°Ugh, this is going to take some time, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, finally acknowledging us, aren¡¯t you, Vice-Captain?¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to show you why I¡¯m the Vice-Captain. Ah, but first, may I finish what I came for?¡±


    Saying that, Merim turned in our direction.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, could you fetch Fenna and Taddick and go to the Captain, with them. They should be both at the fort.¡±


    ¡°Huh, uh, sure?¡±


    ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ll take my leave then.¡±


    Saying that¡­ Merim ran to the tentacle door before the other mercenaries could even react.


    ¡°Ah, he tricked us! After him!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the bastard escape!¡±


    The whole crowd of mercenaries stormed after him¡­ It was a surreal sight for sure.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Are those people okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows, maybe a little confused at the¡­ game of tag they suddenly started.


    ¡°Well, if tickling is the only torture they¡¯ll give Merim, I reckon he¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Tickling¡­ can be quite cruel.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It can.¡±


    Anyone who was tickled as a child knew that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go fetch Fenna and Taddick. Guess something serious is going to happen.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Today is really quite¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite eventful?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She sure could say that again. The tentacle door, the spirit corpse and now a declaration of war? Well, the last one didn¡¯t directly have anything to do with us but¡­ Yeah. It was still a pretty serious thing.


    ¡°Okay, time to find Fenna and Taddick.¡±


    Merim and the mercenaries were probably running all over the camp right now¡­


    Well, Karen and I went up to the surface, looking for Fenna and Taddick, both of which we found quite quickly at the small camp in the yard. Fenna was the first one to spot us as we approached.


    ¡°Yumi and Karen? What are you two doing here.¡±


    ¡°Nn, the captain¡¯s calling. For you and Taddick.¡±


    ¡°Again? Did another thing happen?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes¡­¡±


    Behind Fenna, Taddick was already sighing.


    ¡°Let me ask first, who is going to take command here while we¡¯re away?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Are you two joining us?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, that¡¯s good I guess.¡±


    Ahh, it took me a moment but he was worried we would be left in charge again, huh? Well, I didn¡¯t have much desire for a repeat of that so that was good in my book.


    ¡°Give us a moment then so we can put someone in charge.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We watched them as they called over some other mercenaries and explained what they had to do now. Interestingly, Taddick¡¯s group contained several elves. The cooperation between the mercenaries and elves went well, it seemed.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s done with.¡±


    ¡°Nn, then let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    With Fenna and Taddick in tow, we made our way back to the camp.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi, do you know why we were called?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Well, it seems the Captain¡¯s got a letter earlier. And some rumours are running around that Bruven declared war on the empire.¡±


    ¡°The Federation did?!¡±


    ¡°Nn. Apparently so. Merim kind of confirmed it earlier, too.¡±


    ¡°Well, fuck me sideways.¡±


    Taddick held his head, clearly not very pleased with the news.


    ¡°Bruven, huh¡­ I guess it was only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Didn¡¯t expect it so soon, though.¡±


    ¡°It might be a reaction to the declaration of war towards Lafria.¡±


    ¡°... You think they¡¯re intending to swoop in while the empire is busy?¡±


    ¡°Would make sense to me, at least.¡±


    ¡°... Wouldn¡¯t put it past them.¡±


    As expected of two people with higher positions, they actually had some clues about what was going on there.


    ¡°But still¡­ The declaration of war on Lafria is in the end more of a joke anyway. The empire clearly has no intention of circumventing the Hollow again, do they? In the end, won¡¯t it simply be a war between the Bruven Federation and the Akkian Empire?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, Fenna. As long as they are still at war, the Akkians will be forced to pay attention to what Lafria might be doing. Even if they won¡¯t invade Lafria, the reverse might still happen. After all, they have already given Lafria all the justification they¡¯d need.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s indeed an issue. Then, doesn¡¯t it look pretty bad for the empire?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I wonder about that. There¡¯s a good reason the two avoided a clash until now. I guess we won¡¯t know until they fought a few battles.¡±


    The two were completely absorbed in their discussion as we walked back to the camp. It was quite amazing listening to them. I had no clue about politics or what those nations might be thinking, so this was all quite astonishing for me.


    ¡°Eh, guess we¡¯re going to hear from the cap how things stand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d guess so.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s listen to what he got to tell us first.¡±


    Rinne


    If you enjoy the story, please consider taking a look at my Patreon, where you can read up to 10 chapters ahead of time, simply for a few coffees worth.


    As always, thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: A War’s Consequences

    What does war mean?


    Two nations opposing each other, sending their soldiers, their very citizens forth to fight for whatever they believe to be worth it.


    ¡°The Federation of Bruven has declared war on the Akkian Empire.¡±


    I gasped. Korwen¡¯s words confirmed the rumours that had been going around the mercenaries already. The semblance of hope that it had been just someone mishearing things had been dashed.


    ¡°Do we know the reason, Cap?¡±


    ¡°Containment of heretic magic practices deemed too dangerous. Or so they say, officially.¡±


    ¡°The hell¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    Taddick, who had posed the question, crossed his arms as he looked at Korwen, confusion and doubt in his expression.


    ¡°Basically, the federation believes that the empire is researching magic that is considered heretic on one hand and far too dangerous to leave alone on the other. That¡¯s pretty much all.¡±


    ¡°The dangerous bit I get¡­ but heretic? What kinda magic would that even be?¡±


    ¡°Think of it like the Worshippers¡¯ magic. That kind.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Got it. Yeah, nobody needs that shit.¡±


    A chuckle escaped Korwen, amused by Taddick¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°Agreed. And so will many other people think, which is probably why they gave this as a reason. That said, there¡¯s little doubt that there¡¯s a bit of truth in it, knowing what we saw in Arkesta.¡±


    Ahhh¡­ If the things they did to Rina weren¡¯t considered ¡®heretic¡¯ then I would be dreading what the heck they were talking about.


    ¡°However, for now, the important part isn¡¯t their reasoning. The federation has already amassed its army near the Akkian border and is ready to invade. Considering the time it took for the letter to reach us¡­ They¡¯re likely well underway already.¡±


    Speaking of which, a letter would need to travel here, right?


    ¡°Captain, how long would it take for a letter to reach here?¡± I asked him.


    ¡°Mm¡­ This letter was sent by Ruben so it was probably sent along with a messenger for the governor. It¡¯d still take several days. I guess it was sent less than a week after we departed from Lafria.¡±


    If we had stayed in Lafria for a few more days, this news would have reached us at the time there already, huh¡­


    ¡°Either way, this is going to be one hot mess. Ruben requests our aid to clean up the border since they can¡¯t move the army either.¡±


    ¡°Clean up¡­ the border?¡±


    He definitely wasn¡¯t going to send us to the border with brooms in hand. But why would it be necessary to clean up there? After all¡­


    ¡°The fighting is between the Akkians and the Bruvenians, no?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Korwen turned and picked up something from the back. A large cylindrical leather container. Opening it, he pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper and spread it out on the table. It was a map.


    ¡°In essence, you¡¯re right that the fight is between them alone and that we¡¯re not involved. Not like I¡¯d want us to, anyway. However, war comes with its own share of problems. Look here. See this line, the river? The river is the border between the empire and the federation.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°If the federation wants to invade the empire they obviously have to cross the border. However, the river isn¡¯t passable everywhere, not to mention it is surrounded by thick forests that make it difficult for an army to march through. The only place where they can reasonably invade from is further to the north.¡±


    Korwen pointed further north, to a spot that was suspiciously close to Lafria.


    ¡°Of course, the empire knows this, too. So chances are very high that they clash either right there or, in case the empire can¡¯t mobilise its army quick enough, further inland. This means battles are likely fought near the border. You following me so far?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, what do you think happens when a battle breaks out?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ soldiers are fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And what else?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ They¡¯re¡­ Well¡­ dying?¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly at my response.


    ¡°Then, think about it. If people ran toward you, weapons drawn and ready to kill you. What would you do?¡±


    ¡°Run away.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Oh? Unexpectedly, my response was the right one? And here I expected something more along the lines of ¡®defending yourself¡¯ or ¡®kill them first¡¯ or something¡­ Okay, the latter one probably not. Probably¡­


    ¡°While not everyone will have that response, a good portion of them will. Now, assume you ran away from the battle, abandoning your duty to your country. What will you do?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°You turn to banditry.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They would become bandits? Seriously?


    ¡°Deserters aren¡¯t exactly welcome in an army. Worst case, you could be tried and executed. Though realistically speaking that happens very rarely. Usually only if it''s a higher-ranking officer. Still, with the fear of execution looming over their head, they can¡¯t return to a normal life. If they¡¯re skilled, they could join a mercenary band. If not, banditry it is.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    They just wanted to save their own lives only to fall into a life of banditry. Not exactly the happiest fate.


    ¡°Unfortunately, bandits know no borders. That¡¯s why those deserters and soon-to-be bandits come to Lafria as well. And we can¡¯t very well leave them to their own devices, can we? That¡¯s why we need to ¡®clean them up,¡¯ so to speak. Soldiers turned bandits can be very troublesome if left alone.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can imagine¡­¡±


    After all, they already had equipment and training.


    ¡°That said, it will still take a good while before then. And we¡¯re still busy with the fort for now anyway.¡±


    ¡°Are we not going to accept the job, Captain?¡± asked Fenna.


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll accept it. The letter stated we¡¯d have to leave in a month earliest. That should give us enough time to get things sorted out in the fort. At least enough that we can take on this job. Furthermore, it¡¯s a good chance to let the young ones gain experience with fighting people.¡±


    Fighting deserters and bandits as rookie training, huh¡­ Well, it was better than throwing them straight onto the battlefield.


    ¡°Border patrol, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Something the matter, Merim?¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s something I am wondering. That the battles are close to Lafria¡¯s border is one thing¡­ But the Aldreighan border isn¡¯t far either. Do we know what their stance is?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no. Ruben¡¯s letter didn¡¯t mention the Aldreighans.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I guess it¡¯d be too easy if we knew. We all know how¡­ overbearing the mage army can be.¡±


    I tilted my head, wondering about what Merim meant. The mage army of Aldreigh¡­ I heard about them before already and that they were incredibly strong.


    ¡°Even they wouldn¡¯t violate the borders without a very good reason. They would likely limit it to border patrol as well. Still, I¡¯ll see if I can reach out to a few acquaintances in Aldreigh and see if they can let us know anything.¡±


    ¡°I hope they won¡¯t.¡±


    Merim crossed his arms and looked and stared at the map for several seconds, before sighing and shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Guess you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll reach out to some of my friends from my time in Aldreigh, as well. Mind letting me borrow some paper, Captain?¡±


    ¡°Buy your own next time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s expensive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m paying you way enough that you can afford that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a work expense.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Whatever.¡±


    Was that how you declared a ¡®work expense?¡¯


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the topic. We¡¯ll accept the job but we won¡¯t take everyone. No matter how fast we work, the fort¡¯s repairs and everything else that needs to be done for us to settle in are going to take a long time. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll only half the squads as well as the rookies. The others will stay here to continue the repairs on the fort and protect the families.¡±


    ¡°Half¡­ Captain, are you planning to stay behind or¡­¡± asked Merim.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Great.¡±


    With his shoulders slumping, Merim let out a deep sigh. A very deep one.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stay behind?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    ¡°The worst¡­¡±


    Chuckles escaped us, seeing how unmotivated Merim was. Not like we could help him much. He was the vice-captain, after all.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Fenna?¡±


    ¡°What will we do about the Black Guards?¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, Greyward was suspiciously absent.


    ¡°Right, the Black Guards¡­ I¡¯ll have to discuss it with Greyward first, but they¡¯ll likely stay behind.¡±


    ¡°Might I also ask where Mr Greyward is? Did you not call for him, Captain?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not at the camp or the fort right now. I¡¯ll inform him later when he returns.¡±


    ¡°I see, I understand.¡±


    So that¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t present. Couldn¡¯t exactly call for someone not physically around, after all.


    ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll decide at a later date who will go and who won¡¯t. There is no need to rush this. We got at the very least a whole month to work with before we will have to move out.¡±


    A whole month, huh¡­


    ¡°So, that was basically the most important stuff. Any questions?¡±


    ¡°Will the army move out as well or will there be other mercenaries? Or will it be only us?¡± asked Taddick.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be accompanied by the army and possibly other mercenary bands. The details aren¡¯t clear yet and we¡¯ll be informed before we leave.¡±


    Well,  they barely had the time to put everything together, so that was to be expected.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Captain, how many recruits do we currently have again? I remember that we picked up quite a few in the independent cities but¡­¡±


    ¡°A good two dozen. Most of them come from the independent cities, as you said, and we picked up a few others in Aldreigh before that.¡±


    ¡°So they haven¡¯t been with us for even a year yet¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what you want to say but there¡¯s little point in babying them now. We¡¯ll assign the squads to take care of them, that should be enough. It¡¯s better we find out sooner rather than later whether they can deal with the mercenary life or not.¡±


    As in, whether they¡¯d be able to fight people¡­ That¡¯s likely what he meant. Speaking of recruits, though¡­ This wasn¡¯t completely unrelated to us.


    ¡°Nn, Captain, what about Sis and me?¡±


    ¡°You two, huh¡­¡±


    Korwen looked at me, then at Karen, not saying anything for several seconds. The suspense made me a little nervous, to be honest.


    ¡°I¡¯d like you two to go along as well. It¡¯d be good practice for you two as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    Pretty much what I expected.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±...¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°None at all? Well, isn¡¯t that nice. Am I that good at explaining things?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that because there¡¯s no plan or anything yet to ask about? No point in asking about things that haven¡¯t been decided or even considered yet,¡± commented Taddick.


    Just as Taddick said, even if we had questions, there wouldn¡¯t be an answer to most of them anyway. Or not, as Taddick spoke up once more.


    ¡°Actually, Cap, there¡¯s one thing I want to make sure of.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re assuming personal combat against former soldiers to be the major part of the job, right? No monsters or anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Apart from the odd stray monster, we shouldn¡¯t have to deal with any this time. That said, if a tamer happens to be among the deserters, we might have to fight with magic beasts.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Then I¡¯ll make sure the recruits are up to snuff by the time the job comes around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    Speaking of which, Taddick was also responsible for training, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°Then, I guess that was all for questions, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Korwen clapped his hands as if trying to take a break from the serious discussion. He stood up from his seat and fetched something from the back of the tent.


    ¡°Someone up for a drink?¡±


    ¡°I still got work, Cap.¡±


    ¡°Same here, captain.¡±


    ¡°Too bad. What about you two?¡±


    Korwen directed his question toward Karen and me.


    ¡°Nn, well¡­¡±


    ¡°Not for me. Thank you, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll refrain, too.¡±


    While I enjoyed a drink, I wasn¡¯t quite in the mood for it. Especially, if Karen wasn¡¯t going to join in.


    Not like she¡¯s ever going to do that anyway.


    Maybe, one day, she¡¯d gain a taste for it. But it wasn¡¯t today. And either way, I already decided to hold back a little. I didn¡¯t want another hangover.


    ¡°No fun around here. Want some snacks at least?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay with me.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Same.¡±


    Somehow, Korwen¡¯s expression became a little weird, raising an eyebrow at us. It was only for a moment, however, and it soon turned it a chuckle.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Sorry about that.¡±


    No, it clearly wasn¡¯t ''nothing'' if he chuckled at us. Not like I was going to pry.


    Korwen went once more to the back and fetched a small plate with dried fruits on it.


    ¡°There you go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Captain.¡±


    Oh, they were quite sweet. These were different fruits from last time, though. Then again, he said that those had been expensive.


    ¡°Don¡¯t spoil them too much, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Merim, you¡¯re free to take some as well.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡±


    What was that about spoiling?


    ¡°You usually only bring the snacks out if the kids are around, so it¡¯s rare to eat these. Mm, delicious.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    He only brought them out when the kids were here? He meant Emily, Maya and Sele, right? So¡­


    Is he treating us like kids? Nn¡­ No, it¡¯s not quite that¡­


    Whatever it was, the snacks were delicious.


    ¡°By the way, Captain¡­ Are those papers over there the letter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are. Why are you asking, Fenna?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but spot a second letter next to it.¡±


    The moment those words left her mouth, Korwen froze up.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s as I thought? It¡¯s her letter.¡±


    ¡°... It is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll be coming?¡±


    ¡°Chances are high.¡±


    Korwen sighed as he took the second letter in his hand and stared at it.


    ¡°She was in Krohmea when this letter was sent two months ago. If our schedule had gone like normal, it would have arrived during our stay in Lafria. Says she plans to come to Lafria around the time we¡¯d be there so she hopes to meet us.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ She¡¯ll find out immediately.¡±


    ¡°She will.¡±


    I was confused. Who were they talking about? Taddick and Merim seemed to understand them, judging by their gazes full of pity.


    ¡°If she was in Krohmea two months ago¡­ She¡¯d have plenty of time to reach Lafria, even on foot. And the moment she¡¯d find out, she¡¯d come here. No doubt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, no doubt about it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but she might try to stay for Ruben for a while.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Woah, that was quite the intense gaze from Korwen.


    ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the problem, Fenna.¡±


    ¡°Well, I still think she¡¯d run here immediately. You know how she is. She never thinks that mu¡ª far ahead.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Korwen held his head with one hand, staring at the mug in front of him as if the world was ending.


    ¡°Errr¡­ Miss Fenna, who are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I forgot you wouldn¡¯t know. It¡¯s about the captain¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°His daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She regularly sends letters to the locations where we¡¯d be¡­ And sometimes visits us. If she hears about the fort, there¡¯s no doubt she¡¯ll come flying in a moment.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So it was about his daughter. Now things made a little more sense. Well, apart from Korwen¡¯s reactions.


    Right, Fenna did tell us before that his daughter was¡­ a little weird¡­ Good luck Captain. You can do it.


    I cheered Korwen on in my heart, hoping he¡¯d get through these struggles of a father. Not like I¡¯d had any idea what those struggles were like.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it good if she comes to visit?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d say it is.¡±


    Fenna glanced toward Korwen with a wry smile.


    ¡°But she can be a little difficult at times. There¡¯s no telling what chaos she¡¯ll cause if she learns about the fort.¡°


    ¡°I just wish the girl would settle down finally¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Captain, we both know the chances of that happening are rather low. It¡¯d be one thing if she found a husband but that¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°... Not happening either.¡±


    Both of them sighed, quite in sync with each other.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Not like we¡¯ll have much choice but to wait and see what will happen. Judging from the letter, it should be right around this time that she¡¯d arrive in Lafria. She¡¯s on foot so I guess it¡¯d take her about two to three weeks.¡±


    The more I heard about his daughter the more intrigued I was by her. And now it¡¯d be only two to three weeks until we¡¯d meet her? Well, wasn¡¯t that something to look forward to.


    ¡°Two to three weeks¡­ Well, I guess it¡¯s soon going to be noisy again. Well, all that said, I can¡¯t say that I didn¡¯t miss her. Even if she caused trouble to no end. I¡¯m sure that Maya and the girls are going to be happy about seeing her again, as well. And captain, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re glad to see her again, too. The last time was over a year ago.¡±


    ¡°... I guess I am. What father wouldn¡¯t be happy to see their little girl again? I¡¯m just worried about all the trouble that¡¯s accompanying her.¡±


    Korwen heaved up his mug, downing its contents in one go.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I guess there¡¯s a lot we¡¯ll have to prepare.¡±


    ¡°... Speaking of which, what was she doing in Krohmea?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure. Her letter is as incomprehensible as always when it comes to whatever she was doing. Something about a herd of boars assaulting towns and her saving the day.¡±


    ¡°... A herd of boars?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly how she called it.¡±


    How were we supposed to imagine this herd of boars attacking a town, though? Well, boars could be quite vicious¡­ But I couldn¡¯t quite imagine a herd of them attacking a town. What for? Maybe food?


    ¡°Captain, doesn¡¯t she mean the orcs? I vaguely recall her calling them boars on two legs before.¡±


    ¡°How in the hell does an orc look like a boar to you, Taddick?¡±


    ¡°Not to me, to her. I never quite understood it either.¡±


    ¡°But orcs, huh¡­ I guess that would make sense. Krohmea always has trouble with the orc tribes, after all.¡±


    Orcs? That¡¯s something I hadn¡¯t expected to hear.  Not wanting to interrupt them I leaned over to Karen and whispered my question to her.


    ¡°Sis, what are orcs?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know about them?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ They¡¯re apparently a race of green-skinned people that are extremely belligerent. I never met an orc so I can¡¯t tell you much about them either.¡±


    ¡°A race? They¡¯re not monsters?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not, I think. Though many people don¡¯t really care about that distinction.¡±


    A belligerent race of green-skinned people, huh¡­ That wasn¡¯t too far from what I had imagined.


    While I had exchanged whispers with Karen, Korwen and the others had continued their small talk, or rather had come to an end.


    ¡°Cap, I¡¯ll return to work now.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Do that. Report to me later what you have found.¡±


    ¡°Will do, Cap.¡±


    Taddick answered with vigour in his voice before leaving.


    ¡°I guess it is time to wrap things up. There¡¯s not much we can do about any of this for now. Merim, I¡¯ll leave the work with moving the supplies to you. I still have a few things to attend to.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    ¡°Also, there¡¯s one thing I wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Korwen narrowed his eyes at Merim, eyeing him from top to bottom.


    ¡°The hell happened to you? You look like you dove into a swamp.¡±


    ¡°... We played tag.¡±


    ¡°... Are you children?¡±


    Korwen shook his head. It was probably good that he hadn¡¯t seen them in action. That had been quite a sight, watching all those mercenaries chase after Merim. I had no idea what became of the chase but judging from Merim¡¯s appearance, he had apparently been caught by them¡­


    ¡°No matter. Just¡­ clean up before you return to work. You¡¯re my vice-captain and I can¡¯t have you run around looking like that, got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Got it.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Still shaking his head, Korwen turned to Karen and me.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I need both of you for later. I¡¯ll call for you but make sure you¡¯re free, got that?


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Take a break until then.¡±


    More like, we¡¯d be continuing our break from before. Not that I minded, though.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll take our leave, Captain. And thank you for the snacks.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    And with that, Karen and I both left the tent. Fenna stayed behind and we could hear both of them talking inside. There was probably still something he needed to discuss with her.


    ¡°I wonder what he needs us for, though.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Maybe it was related to this whole war stuff¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­ What do you think of this war?¡±


    ¡°What do I think?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Even if you ask me¡­ I don¡¯t really know?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I see¡­¡±


    ¡°If I had to say something, I guess it doesn¡¯t really feel like it¡¯s something real? I mean, I know that it is. I don¡¯t think that Mr Ruben would tell a lie but¡­ Mmm¡­ I guess it is hard to imagine what that really means.¡±


    Hard to imagine, huh¡­


    ¡°I get that the people there clash and fight each other but¡­ I just can¡¯t imagine it.¡±


    Well, that was¡­ quite understandable, to be honest. War and the battlefield were certainly not things a normal person could think of so easily.


    ¡°It¡¯d be troublesome if war was something that you could imagine so easily. We¡¯d never hear the end of it.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Fenna. You¡¯re already done?¡±


    ¡°It was just a little something the captain wanted me to do for him. In preparation for his daughter¡¯s homecoming.¡±


    Fenna, who had appeared behind us, laughed heartily.


    ¡°Fenna, do you know her well?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you could say I do. She¡¯s only a few years younger than me so we always got along quite well. Though even then I could never grasp what goes on in her little head.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll meet her soon enough. Though we always say how troublesome she is, she is a good girl at heart.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Well, even though they kept saying that, I never had the feeling that they were truly bothered by it.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s great news to know she will be coming. It¡¯d be nice if she would stay with us again, though,¡± she muttered, the last part quietly.


    I couldn¡¯t help but smile when I heard Fenna¡¯s mutters. It was obvious she cared for that girl, after all.


    ¡°Ahhh, well, you¡¯ll see how she is! For now, I¡¯ll need to tell everyone about this. We got a lot of work to do¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡±


    Actually, we were on break¡­ but that probably wasn¡¯t something I should say right now.


    ¡°Now then, I¡¯ll take my leave as well. Take care you two.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you too, Fenna.¡±


    Fenna waved us as she left, walking back to the tentacle door and the fort.


    ¡°Now then¡­ what shall we do, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I wonder.¡±


    ¡°I think we were looking for a place to relax.¡±


    We just had gotten caught up in the rumour mill and then we were called by Korwen.


    ¡°By the way, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the camp, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, weren¡¯t we supposed to stay away for now¡­¡±


    Oh, that had been the case, hadn¡¯t it? But it was the captain who called us here so¡­


    ¡°Does that mean there¡¯s no point in staying away now? If so, couldn¡¯t we just return to our wagon?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    Honestly, there were few places as relaxing as our wagon. It was, after all, our own little castle, so to say.


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s the captain¡¯s fault anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    In the first place, what point was there in us staying away while Korwen, Fenna and the others kept running back and forth? Not like I could say that outright to him.


    ¡°Still, we should probably ask him for permission first.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s probably better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask him quickly.¡±


    Karen returned to the tent and poked her head inside, calling out to Korwen. I could hear them exchange a few words before Karen turned around and came back, a smile on her face.


    ¡°He said we shouldn¡¯t mind it anymore. Apparently, he just forgot to tell us about it, because he had already stopped trying to hide things earlier.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Earlier? Mm¡­ Maybe when he was called back the first time due to some other mercenaries visiting?


    ¡°Well, anyway, I guess we can go to our wagon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what he said.¡±


    ¡°Great. Let¡¯s get back.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I grasped Karen¡¯s outstretched hand, holding hers tight in mine. It had already become such a natural action for us to do this. Just thinking about that made me incredibly happy.


    And I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be the only thing that will become natural for us.


    ¡°Yumi? Why are you giggling?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Nothing, sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    With these happy thoughts in my head, we walked back to our home.


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Spirit Verse: The Children’s Smile

    After our meeting with Korwen, we returned to our wagon. It hadn¡¯t been that long since we were last here but considering how much had happened in the past hours, it really felt like an eternity. I wasn¡¯t sure if the discovery of that Spirit¡¯s corpse or the news about the war were more shocking, though. Both of them were just¡­ too much.


    Still, life wasn¡¯t waiting for me to sort out my feelings about either of those¡­ or, well, actually it might. I was on break. That said, I would rather spend that break doing something I liked. Going through my usual routine of jumping on the bed and watching Karen¡¯s exasperated face, for example.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯ll turn into a lazy bum if you keep doing that.¡±


    ¡°How rude, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... You sure?¡±


    Yes. More or less.


    ¡°You never change, do you?¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    While I was rolling on the bed, Karen sat down and watched me with a smile. Somehow, the sight felt weirdly familiar to me.


    It really makes her look like an older sister watching her sibling, doesn¡¯t it?


    Right, it was moments like these that made me feel like she was my older sister, despite me being the older one.


    ¡°Yumi? Is there something on my face?¡±


    ¡°... No, nothing.¡±


    ¡°Lost in thought again?¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    I was surprised for a moment that she guessed correctly. If it was this easy for her to guess I was probably doing this way too often¡­


    ¡°So, what were you thinking about this time?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I just thought that you really seem like an older sister right now.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen looked all over herself, then at me, tilting her head in confusion. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It was a cute sight.


    ¡°Hey, Sis, want to lie down with me?¡±


    ¡°... If I do, I fear I won¡¯t get up again.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly a wrong assumption. I knew myself well enough that I could already see myself clinging to Karen and keeping her in bed for as long as I could.


    Wait¡­ Maybe I actually am a lazy bum, after all?!


    But I was doing my job properly at work. I was only trying to make the most of my break. I wasn¡¯t lazy¡­


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    While I was still wondering whether I was lazy or not, Karen had left the chair and was now lying down next to me.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°I never said I didn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Karen wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tightly to her chest.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Do you think¡­ everything will go as Mr Captain plans to? With the war¡­ and everything.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    That was¡­ a good question. War was something neither of us had ever experienced. It was something we could barely even imagine. And while we weren¡¯t directly fighting in it, it was going to affect our lives for sure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will. But the captain knows what he is doing. Even if it won¡¯t work in the way he wants it to, I¡¯m sure he can handle it.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t let us down even once.


    ¡°I mean, he actually subdued the mother roper without a single casualty.¡±


    ¡°But a monster is different from a war.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is. But the captain knows that, too. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine to trust him on that.¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t be captain of a band this large if he was incompetent. And he hadn¡¯t given us any reason to think so anyway.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ You think so?¡±


    Karen buried her face in my hair. Being so close to each other, I could hear her heartbeat, slightly faster than usual.


    ¡°Nn, I do. It¡¯s not only the captain, but everyone else is here, too. And we both know how amazing they all are.¡±


    ¡°... I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    Karen let out a small chuckle as I reminded her. After all, neither of us could blow things up like Ria could, or fight trolls like Korwen.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Sorry about that, Yumi. I must seem like I¡¯m overthinking things.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s fine, I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Being anxious was normal. I was, too. But I also knew how strong everyone was. Things had t go really bad first before anything would pose a serious challenge to them.


    ¡°We still have a lot of time until then. And things might change until then anyway. Maybe the whole job gets blown off first.¡±


    ¡°I doubt that¡¯ll happen.¡±


    ¡°Nn, who knows? I mean, look at what happened between Lafria and the empire. They¡¯re technically at war, too.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    The empire counted on that bridge to invade the Lafrians. With the bridge gone, things had come to a stalemate.


    ¡°Now that I think about it. They had been at war before as well, right? So, why did they even build a bridge there in the first place?¡±


    ¡°... I wonder.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I had never wondered about that before but I still hadn¡¯t gotten an answer to that. We could ask Korwen but¡­he was probably busy, right now. What not, with all the things that had come up today. I didn¡¯t envy him.


    I bet I¡¯m going to get roped into helping him soon enough, though. I still am his makeshift secretary¡­


    It was only a matter of time until he called for me¡­


    Either way, I was on break now. No secretary work for me right now! More importantly, I was being hugged by Karen, I had to enjoy it while I could.


    ¡°Woah?! Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, this is great.¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­ You never change, do you?¡±


    Even when I shifted my position so I could fully enjoy Karen¡¯s soft chest, Karen was simply chuckling, letting me do what I wanted.


    ¡°Nn, this is the best. I love this.¡±


    Being able to rub my cheeks against this soft haven as much as I wanted to. How wonderful.


    ¡°Really¡­¡±


    I could feel Karen¡¯s hand stroking my head. It was comforting. Relaxing.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep on me now.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t exactly enjoy it while I was sleeping, after all. It¡¯d be such a waste. Though, I was sure I¡¯d have a very pleasant sleep if I did fall asleep.


    ¡°So warm.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re warm, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I glanced at Karen¡¯s face and found her staring at me with a smile. I couldn¡¯t help but smile as well, seeing her like that.


    ¡°Had enough already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll never have enough, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I thought so.¡±


    Not like it was hard to guess.


    ¡°My spoiled little Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen kept stroking my head while I nuzzled against her chest, both of us indulging in this simple happiness.


    If only this could last forever.


    But it wouldn¡¯t. And because it wouldn¡¯t. I had to make the most out of this moment.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    While I was enjoying the situation, I heard some noises coming from Karen. Curious about what she was doing, I looked up at her again.


    ¡°Sis? What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Oh, well¡­¡±


    In her hand was a strand of my hair. Apparently, she had been looking at it? Actually, looking closer, she also held a strand of her own hair, as if she was comparing the two. Just what was she doing?


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Somehow, it didn¡¯t seem like she wanted to say it, though¡­ Her face was making a rather conflicted expression.


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I mean, take a look.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I had to shift a little out of Karen¡¯s embrace¡ªas unfortunate as it was¡ªto take a proper look first. Between her fingers was her pink strand of hair and one of mine.


    ¡°Err¡­ So, what am I looking at?¡±


    ¡°... Take a closer look.¡±


    No, really, I had no idea what she wanted me to see. Was Karen¡­ worried about split ends? No, that didn¡¯t seem like likely. Her hair seemed fine to me. Then again, I wasn¡¯t an expert on hair health¡­


    ¡°Sorry, Sis, I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°... Wait, maybe this will make it easier.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen grabbed another strand of her hair, the silver part, and pulled it to the other two strands.


    ¡°Do you see it now?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe¡­¡±


    Curious, I touched the two strands of Karen¡¯s hair. The pink one and the silver one. Both felt a little different.


    ¡°... Did the texture change, too?¡±


    ¡°I think so. But it¡¯s still different from your hair¡­ It¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can see that.¡±


    So, it wasn¡¯t only the colour that changed, huh¡­


    ¡°Yumi, do you think I¡¯ll be able to control my hair as well?¡±


    ¡°... Why do you sound so excited about that?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I always thought it was convenient how you could do that. And your hair rarely ever tangles up itself, too.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    Yeah, hair care was pretty simple for me, considering the extreme length.


    ¡°I think that¡¯d be nice. Maybe I could change its length, too, then.¡±


    ¡°Nn... ¡°


    Karen with different hair, huh¡­ Karen with short hair. That sounded quite good. And Karen with really long hair? Also good. This was hard.


    ¡°Nn, but I think your current hair length suits you fine.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    I looked at the two strands in my hand. They definitely felt quite different. But¡­ there was something else. It was dirty.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go and take a bath. We¡¯re dirty.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t really thought about it much but we had been underground for most of the day. We were both in need of a bath¡­


    Though I don¡¯t mind this slightly sweaty smell that¡¯s coming from Karen. Rather, I quite like it.


    But that was something I probably shouldn¡¯t say out loud right now.


    ¡°Now that you say it¡­ You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Nn. They have probably set up the bathing tent somewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    We¡¯d be stuck here for a good while, unable to use the fort properly. There was no way they hadn¡¯t set it up already.


    ¡°Well, I guess taking a bath doesn¡¯t sound too bad either.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    While being in bed with Karen was great, taking a bath together was quite nice, too.


    ¡°Ah, but do we have enough time until dinner?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­¡±


    We were going to eat dinner here, right? No, Korwen had said we shouldn¡¯t mind it anymore, so we could eat dinner here.


    ¡°I probably should help out with dinner sometime again.¡±


    We were busy recently so I didn¡¯t help out that much with our regular chores. Speaking of regular chores¡­


    ¡°Maybe I should check on the dolls and the tentacles?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ That¡¯d be a good idea, I think.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The dolls were after all¡­ quite vocal about it, if you could say that, whenever I forgot about them. The tentacles not so much but I¡¯d rather not have again a withered tentacle in front of me. Not a pretty sight.


    We stood up from the bed and I entered the tentacle room of our wagon. As expected it was¡­ pink. As always.


    ¡°Nn, looks like they¡¯re in good health.¡±


    Squatting down, I examined a few of them, especially those where the mana crystals had been embedded, but they all seemed fine. However, they did use up a little bit of mana.


    ¡°Sis, can you give a few mana crystals.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    A few moments later, Karen handed me a few of my mana orbs. Right, we converted most of them, didn¡¯t we? Not like it mattered, really. I picked one of the mana orbs and threw it at the tentacles. They instantly snatched it out of the air and began absorbing its mana.


    ¡°Nn, should be good enough.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s like you¡¯re feeding them.¡±


    ¡°It basically is.¡±


    Well, they should have enough¡­ food, for now.


    ¡°Next, the dolls¡­ I wonder where they are.¡±


    ¡°You could call for them but¡­ They were helping Lily earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    If I just called them, they¡¯d leave their work, huh¡­ Certainly, that¡¯d be bad.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call them later then. Should we go and look for a bath now?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Great. With that decided, we left our wagon and began our search for the bathing tent. Or rather, we asked the first person we came across and asked them.


    ¡°Bathing tent? Uhh¡­ I think they set that up over there in the back?¡±


    ¡°Over there? Got it, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    We gave our thanks to the mercenary and then walked in the direction he had told us. Not long after, we found the large tent that was always used for bathing.


    ¡°There it is. Now, let¡¯s hope we actually can go in.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    There was always the possibility the tents were set up but not actually functional yet, after all.


    We peeked inside a tent and, sure enough, everything was there. We even heard a few voices from the inside, so it was definitely usable.


    ¡°Huh? Those clothes¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis?¡±


    ¡°Well, take a look.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I looked around and found the clothes on the floor almost immediately. It seemed that the previous visitors had left them here on the ground. I wondered for a second just who would be so messy to throw their clothes on the ground like that but¡­ I knew these clothes. Thus, I knew their owner.


    ¡°... Seriously? Haaa¡­¡±


    With a wry smile and a sigh, I picked up the clothes. We couldn¡¯t just leave them here.


    ¡°Coming in.¡±


    Clothes in hand, we walked through the curtain into the bathing area, immediately spotting the owner of the clothes and the few other visitors, who turned around to us when they heard us coming.


    ¡°Mm? Oh! Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    Immediately followed by one of them jumping up and waving over to us with both arms. At least, she wasn¡¯t dashing over.


    But really, at least cover yourself, Emily!


    It wasn¡¯t very¡­ lady-like behaviour. Like, at all. Well, she was still a child so it wasn¡¯t actually a problem. Yet.


    ¡°Yumi, did you come to take a bath, too?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we did.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    The three bath visitors, Emily, Maya and Sele, were all visibly happy about us joining them.


    ¡°Are you three the only ones there.¡±


    ¡°Nuh-uh. Lily and Yumias are here, too?¡±


    ¡°Ehhh?¡±


    Yumias was here? But where were they¡­


    Oh, there the two are¡­


    It only took a quick glance around to find them in the back. Lily sat on a small chair with Yumias kneeling behind her, washing Lily¡¯s hair.


    Wow, that¡¯s probably the first time I see her doing anything mother-like¡­


    Well, she was far more a mother to Lily than to me, so it was probably to be expected. Sure, she called herself my mother but that¡¯s also all she did.


    ¡°Ahh, right¡­ Sele.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t throw your clothes on the ground, okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And¡­ she looked away. Really, though, that wasn¡¯t good. And from Sele of all people, too. I thought it would be Emily at most who did something like that. But when I looked behind me at the baskets, Emily¡¯s clothes were neatly folded. Maya¡¯s were just thrown into the basket but at least they were there.


    Either way, I put Sele¡¯s clothes that I picked up into one of the baskets and then started undressing, too. After all, I didn¡¯t come here to chat but to bathe. Karen had already taken the opportunity and gotten ready.


    ¡°Nn, this is a great sight.¡±


    Her naked body was beautiful. Adorable. The best. And the way she turned away from me with an embarrassed look was even better.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ Stop staring and get out of those clothes. Or I¡¯ll make you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    Speaking of which, the first time we bathed, Karen had forcibly undressed me, hadn¡¯t she? Well, I was in a rather¡­ difficult position, back then. Nowadays, it didn¡¯t even bother me that much anymore. Another thing that really showed how used I had gotten to things, huh?


    ¡°And there. Let¡¯s get in, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    We walked to the bath and slowly entered, joining the three girls.


    ¡°Ahh¡­ A bath is great.¡±


    When I submerged my body into the warm water I could feel it warming up, too. Next to me, Karen sank into the water as well.


    ¡°The bath turned pink!¡±


    ¡°It did!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around to find the three girls staring at me. Or rather, at the water around me.


    ¡°Ohh¡­ You mean my hair?¡±


    My hair was floating and spreading out on the water. Since there was a lot of it¡­ Well, the area around me turned pink.


    ¡±Nn¡­ Maybe I should bundle it?¡±


    It might be better to do that next time.


    Well, for now, though, I¡¯ll enjoy the bath.


    We were lucky these girls were already here. While bathing alone with Karen would be nice, it would have also meant we¡¯d have to warm up the water and everything on our own.


    ¡°Nn? Hey, Maya, is it only you three and Lily and Yumias who came here? Did you prepare the bath, too?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Korwen did.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see.¡±


    I would have been a little worried if they left these three to do it on their own. They were actually quite responsible, but I still couldn¡¯t help but worry.


    ¡°Did Mrs Korwen leave already?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°She did. She was called by someone.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Probably because of the news about the war.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been good girls so she said we could stay on our own!¡± added Emily.


    ¡°Good girls, huh? Were you really?¡±


    ¡°We were!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really really!¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good then.¡±


    I patted Emily on her head, receiving a beaming smile from her in return. I couldn''t hold back a smile either, seeing her so happy.


    ¡°So, what have you good girls been up to today?¡±


    ¡°We helped Mrs Korwen!¡±


    ¡°We helped with sorting the things they¡¯d bring to the fort.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    So they helped with that, huh?


    ¡°And everything went well?¡±


    ¡°It did!¡±


    Maya puffed out her chest with a smug smile.


    ¡°And, and, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Emily spoke up again, excited as usual.


    ¡°We saw a lot of weird stuff!¡±


    ¡°Oh? What kind?¡±


    ¡°There was this weird wooden thing, you see. Two planks and if you put them together, they had three holes in it.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh?¡±


    Two planks and three holes? What the heck? Something they needed for some sort of construction?


    ¡°Mrs Korwen said that it was something to punish bad children with.¡±


    ¡°Punish¡­ Oh. Ohhh¡­¡±


    It was a pillory. A goddamn pillory. Really? Why the heck did they have a pillory of all things?


    ¡°Yumi, do you know how it works?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I wonder?¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Emily seemed disappointed but I could feel the stares Sele and Maya were boring into me. They definitely picked up on it that I was lying there¡­


    ¡°Oh, and then! Then we saw¡ª¡±Hya?!¡±¡ª Huh?¡±


    Right as Emily wanted to continue about their discoveries, a shriek echoed through the tent, coming from the other side of the bath. Everyone¡¯s eyes turned around to the mother-daughter pair there.


    ¡°Hold still, Lily. I can¡¯t wash it like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cold!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    Yumias, with a rare focused expression instead of her usual creepy smile, was still trying to wash Lily¡¯s hair. A ball of water floated next to her. Her hand was combing through Lily¡¯s hair and she was occasionally inspecting.


    ¡°Lily dear, I told you to take care of your hair, didn¡¯t I? Look how damaged it is!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a pain¡­ And can¡¯t you fix it with magic?¡±


    ¡°Whether you can or cannot is beside the point. Take care of yourself properly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mama¡­¡±


    Well now, this was quite a rare view. Not to mention seeing Yumias act like a proper mother would, but also Lily being so meek.


    ¡°And you¡¯re such a pretty girl. Don¡¯t you want to look the best you can for your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°Ugh! Tha¡ª That¡¯s!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Lily cowered in the face of her mother¡¯s nagging.


    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ll have to cut some of it.¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have to if you cared for it properly. And it¡¯s no good to always fix it with magic. Got that?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    It was quite an endearing sight to watch. Next to me, Karen was grinning as well.


    ¡°Maya, have they been like this the entire time?¡±


    ¡°They have! And Yumias washed our hair earlier, too!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s really good at it!¡±


    Was she now?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll do it for you girls as well!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    We turned back to Lily and Yumias, only to see both of them looking over at us. Yumias with a smile and Lily with a shocked expression.


    ¡°Yumi?! Karen?! Since when?!¡±


    ¡°... A while ago.¡±


    I gave Lily a thumbs up, thanking her for the precious sight. It only served her embarrassment to get worse, though.


    ¡°Now, hold still Lily, or we¡¯ll never finish.¡±


    ¡°Wagh?!¡±


    Yumias yanked Lily¡¯s head back into position so she could wash her hair. She did it so forcefully that it looked like it¡¯d hurt quite a bit¡­


    Either way, it seemed like it¡¯d take a while until Yumias would finish washing Lily¡¯s hair. She was really thorough with it.


    If only she could always act like this, she¡¯d be far more approachable.


    Then again, maybe she didn¡¯t want to be approachable? Not that I could even remotely guess what was going on in her mind.


    But she said she¡¯d wash our hair too, didn¡¯t she?


    Somehow, I felt a little anxious about that¡­ But she was still busy there so I could worry about that later. For now, I just wanted to enjoy a nice long soak with Karen.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    I scooted closer to Karen and leaned against her. We weren¡¯t alone so I kept it at this level, as unfortunate as it was.


    ¡°Ah, they¡¯re flirting!¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yes, we were.


    ¡°Mrs Korwen said we shouldn¡¯t interrupt when this happens.¡±


    ¡°She did!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Good job, Mrs Korwen.


    While I thanked Mrs Korwen in my mind, the three girls had decided to play around in the water some more, without bothering. Or well, what they thought wasn¡¯t bothering us, at least. They started splashing water at each other and with the bath being limited in size¡­ Not that I minded getting wet. I was already wet anyway.


    ¡°They¡¯re so energetic.¡±


    ¡°Nn. they are.¡±


    I wished they¡¯d always stay like this. Though I knew it was wishful thinking. Even they would one day grow up into proper women, wouldn¡¯t they?


    Somehow, I feel a little anxious about that¡­ Emily has no sense of personal space nor shame and Sele¡­ can be surprisingly lazy at times.


    The only one of the three that rarely caused issues was Maya. But well, they¡¯d probably grow out of these things one day. The thought made me a little sad, actually.


    ¡°Yumi? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I just thought about how those three will one day grow up, too.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That is¡­ the case, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Though, I guess that¡¯s a long time until that¡¯ll happen, huh¡­¡±


    Maybe it was a little presumptuous of me to think of these things in the first place. After all, I hadn¡¯t even been that long with the mercenaries, realistically speaking. Still, Emily, Maya and Sele had grown on me.


    ¡°Take this, Emily!¡±


    ¡°Wah!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three of them laughed innocently as they splashed each other with water.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the winner and hug Yumi and Karen!¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll be me!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡­ What?


    ¡°Sis, the heck are they doing?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ They decided that the winner can hug us, it seems¡­¡±


    You look away for one moment¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I guess it is.¡±


    If they wanted to hug us, we¡¯d hug them as much as they wanted.


    ¡°And how will they decide the winner?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Okay¡­ They were just splashing water at each other, though?


    ¡°...¡±


    Just then Sele splashed a lot of water straight into Emily''s face, catching her by surprise. When Emily recovered, Sele was greeting her with a thumbs up.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I can¡¯t believe I lost¡­¡±


    At some point, Maya had also been defeated, which left Sele as the winner¡­ Or something like that? That''s how I understood it? I got no idea what happened there. What I did know was Sele rushing over to us, an incredibly expectant look in her eyes.


    I exchanged a glance with Karen, as well as a wry smile.


    ¡°Sure. Come her, Sele.¡±


    We made a little space between us for Sele to fit in. With a happy gasp, she immediately sat down between us and grasped our arms.


    ¡°... Hehe.¡±


    She had a big smile on her face and was kicking her legs up and down, clearly happy about the outcome.


    ¡°Waah! No fair!¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Emily and Maya, in contrast, were quite devastated. After exchanging another glance with Karen, we called them over.


    ¡°Emily, Maya, come here.¡±


    We both raised our free arms respectively, inviting them in.


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    ¡°Ahh.¡±


    Which they immediately accepted. Emily rushed over to me and Maya over to Karen, both latching onto our arms.


    ¡°Ehehe! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The two girls were both grinning happily.


    Not quite how I expected our bath to go¡­ But, well, if they¡¯re smiling, that¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it?

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Rest your Spirits

    ¡°And done.¡±


    ¡°Finally! Hurray!¡±


    While Karen and I played with the three little ones the mother-daughter pair in the back finished their business as well. When Yumias declared she was done, Lily threw up her arms into the air and cheered.


    ¡°Hold your oxen, Lily. We¡¯re not finished just yet.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh? But didn¡¯t you just say you were done washing my hair?¡±


    ¡°I am. With washing. I still need to cut your hair. Haa¡­ When was the last time you got a haircut?¡±


    ¡°Whenever the last time you did it for me was. So, around half a year ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s far too long!¡±


    Yumias put her hands on her hips and scolded Lily, who winced at her sudden outburst.


    ¡°Listen, Lily! You¡¯re such a cute girl so you should put more effort into your appearance! Don¡¯t you want to look your best when you are with your girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, there¡¯s no problem with me giving you a haircut, right?¡±


    ¡°... There isn¡¯t.¡±


    Yumias clapped her hands together, fully satisfied with Lily¡¯s defeat.


    ¡°Anyway, off into the water with you. We¡¯ll do that later. And don¡¯t you dare escape.¡±


    ¡°Yes, mama¡­¡±


    While Yumias started to tidy up her things, Lily stood up and came over to us.


    ¡°Good work there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Yumi¡­ Ahhh¡­ The water feels good.¡±


    Lily¡¯s expression melted as she sank into the water. She had done well, to endure for so long.


    ¡°Really, is it so important to cut my hair that often? Yumi, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°... I think you¡¯re asking the wrong person here.¡±


    ¡°... Oh you¡¯re right.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any point in me getting a haircut, after all. Not only could I change the length anyway, but it¡¯d also immediately grow back.


    ¡°Then¡­ Karen! What do you think?¡±


    ¡°... I think I¡¯m not quite the right person, either.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily¡¯s shoulders slumped and she looked back and forth between me and Karen. Then, her gaze fell upon the three girls.


    ¡°Mrs Uran always does our hair every month.¡±


    ¡°She does!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Maya answered before Lily could even pose her question supported by Emily and a nodding Sele.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better to give up, Lily,¡± I told her.


    ¡°... It seems so. What a pain.¡±


    Even if she didn¡¯t, Yumias wouldn¡¯t take it anyway. I could already imagine a repeat of this scene in the future. Well, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing, so it was better to just let them. In the first place, Rina would surely be happy about a cuter Lily.


    ¡°That reminds me, Lily. Where is Rina?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s helping out with chores. We came here together but she left with Mrs Korwen earlier.¡±


    ¡°Huh. How come?¡±


    Mrs Korwen I could understand but Rina?


    ¡°She¡¯s filling in for Mrs Korwen since she¡¯s busy. Or, well, it¡¯s mostly just her running around and telling everyone that Mrs Korwen is busy.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, I see.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s already completely become her errand girl. But she seems fine with it so whatever.¡±


    It gave her something to do, so that was probably a good thing.


    While we were talking, Yumias had finished tidying up things and called over to us.


    ¡°The next one can come!¡±


    Well, the next one would probably come¡­


    ¡°Sis, should I go first or¡­¡±


    ¡°... If it¡¯s okay with you, can I go first?¡±


    ¡°Nn I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Karen asked Sele and Maya to let go of her and then went to Yumias.


    ¡°Come right here and sit down.¡±


    As obedient as Karen was, she sat down and Yumias immediately began her work. I watched them for a few seconds to make sure that she really didn¡¯t do anything strange.


    ¡°My, you have some pretty hair, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so stiff with me. Ah, hold still for a moment.¡±


    Didn¡¯t seem like she was up to something.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    When I turned to the voice calling me, my vision was blocked. By a face.


    ¡°Err¡­ Maya?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair.¡±


    ¡°... What is?¡±


    ¡°I want to be hugged, too.¡±


    Well, then she should ask those two rascals on my side. Not like I could say that out loud, could I? That wouldn¡¯t end well.


    ¡°Emily, change with me!¡±


    ¡°No way!¡±


    ¡°Sele¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A vigorous shake of her head.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    Well, what should I do here? I only had two arms. I couldn¡¯t grow a third one out of nowhere, could I?


    ¡°Maya, look here, I¡¯m free!¡±


    ¡°Big Sis Lily?¡±


    For some reason, Lily was spreading her arms, inviting Maya over. If that would work, it¡¯d be great but¡­ judging from Maya¡¯s doubtful expression this wasn¡¯t going to work.


    ¡°... I guess I can.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Maya. Why do you sound so disappointed? Am I not good enough?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Instead of answering, Maya simply sat down next to Lily and hugged her arm.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Followed by a troubled expression.


    ¡°Big Sis Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too hard.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    Too hard? What the hell?


    ¡°Yumi is really soft. It feels great hugging her.¡±


    ¡°... I mean, I agree on that¡­¡±


    You do?!


    No, seriously¡­ Well, I guess I already knew that everyone liked using me as a body pillow. Not much I could change about that.


    ¡°Come on, Maya. Don¡¯t sulk.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair.¡±


    Maya was pouting. Adorable.


    But even if it¡¯s cute, the person herself isn¡¯t too happy about this. And asking Emily or Sele to switch with her would just result in them pouting instead.


    This was quite troublesome. Ah, but if Maya were to¡­


    ¡°Ah, really, come here, Maya!¡±


    ¡°Wah?! Big Sis Lily?!¡±


    As if fed up with the situation, Lily pulled Maya into her lap.


    ¡°Hehe, you have some nerve, calling me hard and all that. I admit that I¡¯m not as squishy as Yumi, but I can do this, instead.¡±


    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s¡­ Ohhh¡­ It tickles. Ehehe.¡±


    Maya was going through a full range of expressions within seconds, from surprise at Lily¡¯s actions to a happy grin when Lily¡¯s patted her and scratched her ears.


    ¡°Look, this is good, too, isn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Yes, there was one happy cat¡­ err, catkin girl. Though, for some reason, Lily was shaking¡­ as if she was holding something back.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ Maya, your tail¡¯s tickling me.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­¡±


    Lily resigned herself to her fate and kept spoiling Maya.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And the two on my side were watching intently.


    Sorry, but I can¡¯t spoil you with my arms occupied.


    Not that they were caring about that yet. They were busier watching Maya and Lily. All¡¯s well that ends well.


    Now then, what about Sis and Yumias?


    Since the immediate crisis had been averted, I looked toward the unusual pair in the back. But it seemed like they were doing fine over there. Nothing strange happening either.


    With that issue off my mind, I decided to just relax and enjoy the bath.


    Really, why are baths so great and relaxing? Haaa¡­


    It was like all your worries simply melted away in them. It was wonderful. I could stay here forever. Ah, but preferably together with Karen and the others. It¡¯d be a little lonely otherwise. Yes, that was a pretty good idea¡­ Mhm¡­


    ¡°Yumi! Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Emily?¡±


    ¡°Miss Yumias is calling for you!¡±


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    Yumias¡­ was calling for me?


    I opened my eyes, confused about what Emily had said. The scenery in front of me hadn¡¯t really changed. Lily and Maya were still there, though Maya was sitting next to her again. Emily and Sele were still to either of my sides. And Yumias and Karen¡­ had finished, from the looks of it.


    ¡°... I didn¡¯t just doze off, did I?¡±


    ¡°You had a very peaceful expression, Yumi,¡± commented Lily, a grin on her face.


    ¡°...¡±


    I hadn¡¯t noticed at all. That was¡­ a little embarrassing. Maybe I had been more tired than I thought.


    ¡°Taking a nap is all fine and well, dear, but doing so in the bath isn¡¯t good. You might not drown but what would happen if the children copied you?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    And now I was being scolded by Yumias.


    ¡°My, what a good child you are, apologising.¡±


    ¡°... So, what did you want from me?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, embarrassed?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Of course, I was. Being praised like a child would was embarrassing.


    ¡°Now, I finished with your dear sister, so the only one left is you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I let out a small sigh. My time for relaxing had ended, it seemed. How unfortunate. I could refuse, of course, but that probably wouldn¡¯t end well. Not that I could, after Karen had already gone.


    ¡°Emily, Sele, can you let me go?¡±


    ¡°Ehh?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Adamant refusal¡­


    ¡°Guess I can¡¯t get out then. Hahaha.¡±


    ¡°My, that¡¯s a problem.¡±


    Yes, it sure was.


    ¡°Maya, Emily, Sele. You three have been soaking for long enough already. Too long isn¡¯t good for you. And you¡¯re good girls, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Yumias smiled cheerfully at the three of them. Maybe sensing that she wasn¡¯t going to allow any rebuttals, Emily and Sele immediately let go of my arms.


    ¡°My, that¡¯s good girls. I have some candy so come later and get it, okay?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Yes!¡±


    ¡°We will!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And now she was baiting them with candy. The fact that it worked and the three were already all smiles was a little scary.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ve been in for a while¡­ Mama, I¡¯ll tag along with them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll appreciate it. If you go with them, you can give them the candy, too. One each. Not one more, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Now, you three rascals, let¡¯s get that candy!¡±


    ¡°¡±Ohh!¡±¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The three girls responded with cheers and raised fists, happily trotting after Lily out of the bath.


    ¡°Now, Yumi dear. Come here and sit down.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    And with the only obstacle out of the way¡­ I could only resign myself to my fate.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m coming.¡±


    With a bit of reluctance left, I climbed out of the bath and sat down on the chair that Yumias was patting. I didn¡¯t know when, but even her trademark creepy smile had returned¡­ Honestly, I would prefer she didn¡¯t smile like that.


    ¡°Every time I see it, your hair really is long.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you could keep it shorter, though?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I could, yeah. There wasn¡¯t a particular reason for it¡­ I just kept it like that since Karen had said she liked it. Actually, maybe that did count as a reason?


    ¡°... I guess you have your reasons.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°My, how fast they¡¯re growing up.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not a child.¡±


    ¡°In my eyes, you all are children.¡±


    Sorry for not having lived aeons but only measly twenty-odd years¡­


    ¡°My, look at all that dirt. Let¡¯s get all that off you.¡±


    Water sprayed over my head and my hair, followed by tiny hands rubbing my hair and my scalp.


    Woah, this is comfortable¡­


    I hadn¡¯t expected a lot out of this but¡­ this actually felt great.


    Behind me, Yumias was humming a tune, absorbed in her work.


    ¡°There really is a lot. Gee, just what have you been doing to get so dirty?¡±


    Running around beneath the fort, for one. Not like I had the presence of mind to say that, seeing how I was melting under her hands.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ This is surprisingly great.¡±


    ¡°My, you¡¯re enjoying it? I¡¯m glad. Let your mother do this for you.¡±


    Again with the mother talk¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re not my mother.¡±


    ¡°My, so stubborn.¡±


    Because it was the truth.


    Either way, neither of us continued and Yumias simply kept washing. At some point, she had lathered something like shampoo into my hair and was now rubbing it in along the whole length of my hair.


    When I peeked at her over my shoulder, I once more saw her focused expression. Yes, this one was far more comfortable to look at.


    ¡°Yumias.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my dear?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so insistent on calling yourself my mother?¡±


    ¡°Because you are?¡±


    Yeah, what did I expect?


    ¡°One day, I am sure you will know, my dear Yumi. My, am I so looking forward to that day when you will call me mother. Ehehe.¡±


    ¡°... Not happening.¡±


    Definitely.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get you.¡±


    A giggle came from behind me.


    Really, I don¡¯t.


    Alas, no matter how hard I¡¯d try, I wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    After Yumias washed my hair, the three of us¡ªKaren, Yumias and me¡ªhad a final soak in the bath before getting out. There was, after all, still something Yumias had to do. Or so she told me, after dragging me and Karen into another tent. It didn¡¯t occur to me what she could possibly mean, though Karen apparently had an idea.


    ¡°Listen, dear, I told Lily earlier, and your dear girlfriend as well, that they need to take good care of their hair. Trimming it regularly is the minimum.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    I glanced over at Karen, only to be met with a wry smile, paired with a surprisingly expectant gaze.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll cut our hair?¡±


    ¡°No, not yours. There¡¯s no point in doing that. Though it saddens me a little.¡±


    Well, sorry about that. But this situation was of her own making. She was the one responsible for my body being like this.


    ¡°But your dear sister girlfriend needs it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Karen would get a haircut? Well¡­ Did she really need it? Not that I would know, though. She looked fine to me and I liked her hair as it was.


    ¡°It¡¯ll only be some light trimming, though.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Now, Karen dear, sit down here.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen sat down on the prepared chair. Her expression was one of excitement, like a child eagerly waiting for a present.


    ¡°... Sis, why are you so excited?¡±


    ¡°Er? It¡¯s the first time I get a haircut so¡­¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Okay, then that was understandable¡­


    ¡°My, is that so? Just how did you manage until now?¡±


    ¡°I just cut it off with my dagger once a year or so.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I see. No wonder it¡¯s so rough then. Okay! Leave this to me, Karen dear. I¡¯ll give you the best haircut you could ever wish for!¡±


    Wasn¡¯t this supposed to be just some ¡®light trimming¡¯ or so?


    ¡°But first¡­¡±


    Yumias made a grabbing motion with her hand and as if she was pulling something straight out of the air, a large pair of scissors appeared. A really large one, far too large for her tiny hands. Yet, despite holding only one half, the other moved as if she was testing it out.


    Is that magic? Is she moving that thing with magic?


    It was¡­ ridiculous to look at.


    ¡°Now we can get to work.¡±


    Yumias brushed through Karen¡¯s still wet hair with her hand and then grabbed a few strands with practised motions, cutting their ends with the humongous pair of scissors. It looked almost comical, yet impressive how she managed that with those scissors.


    ¡°Yumias, may I ask something?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡±


    ¡°... Wouldn¡¯t a smaller pair of scissors have been easier?¡±


    ¡°Ah, certainly, if I had one that wouldn¡¯t break, yes.¡±


    ¡°... Break?¡±


    The hell was she doing that the scissors would break?


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I thought so earlier already, but you didn¡¯t notice either.¡±


    ¡°Notice what?¡±


    ¡°Yumi dear, your own hair is incredibly resilient, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Somehow, I had a feeling where this was going.


    ¡°Your dear sister has a slightly similar problem. Though, it seems she never noticed herself.¡±


    ¡°Eh? I do?¡±


    Yeah, she didn¡¯t notice it either.


    ¡°Is this¡­ my fault?¡± I asked Yumias, referring to Karen¡¯s body changes.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡­ isn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°This is something she was born with. It¡¯s because of her manakin nature.¡±


    Her manakin nature¡­ Steel¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me her hair is actually steel wire, are you?¡±


    ¡°Pffff¡­ That would be amazing. Hehehe.¡±


    Yumias stopped what she was doing and chuckled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not steel wire. But your idea is not far off. Her hair is simply resilient, like the rest of her body is. Regular scissors would damage their edges immediately on it.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ Is that so?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That was¡­ quite amazing. Was that what I felt was so weird when we compared our hair earlier?


    ¡°But to think even her hair would be affected by it.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Yumi? The hair is the very first thing affected for all manakin. Where do you think their various colours come from?¡±


    ¡°... Well, if you say it like that, you have a point.¡±


    Certainly, their hair colours were quite wild¡­ Especially mine.


    ¡°Nn? If hair is the first thing affected¡­¡±


    I stared at my own hair. Was the reason it was so tentacle-y¡­ exactly because of that? That was quite a surprise to hear.


    In the meantime, Yumias was continuing her explanation.


    ¡°Of course, this all changes with species. Monsters and animals are differently affected, but usually, things like hair, fur, scales and skin, as well as the eyes, are the most notable ones. For humanoid races, it¡¯s nearly always the hair and the eyes. Fur, feathers and scales for the various beastkin races as well. Devilkin¡¯s horns are also quick to change colour. For demonkin, it differs a lot based on their lineage.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ You know a lot about this.¡±


    ¡°Who do you take me for? I have been in this world for far longer than you could ever imagine!¡±


    True. It wasn¡¯t surprising if she had this kind of knowledge, then.


    ¡°Ah, Karen dear, hold still.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Good.¡±


    All the while, Yumias kept trimming Karen¡¯s hair. Small strands of her hair were gathering on the ground. After a few more snips and snaps, Yumias stepped back, taking a good long look at Karen and nodding to herself.


    ¡°Okay, that should do it, Karen.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, we¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    Karen twirled her hair with her fingers, inspecting it.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look different from before,¡± Karen said after a while.


    ¡°It was just a light trim after all. It¡¯s important to keep your hair healthy, so don¡¯t forget to do it once in a while. Ah, you can always come to me, of course.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ If what you said is true, a normal barber wouldn¡¯t be very happy to see us as customers¡­¡±


    No person would enjoy destroying their tools, right?


    ¡°Hehehe, rely on me more, my daughter!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow, that smug grin annoyed me¡­


    ¡°Still, if you want to change your hairstyle, I can do that as well, Karen dear.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    Karen with a different hairstyle? Mm¡­ Imagining her with longer hair or shorter was easy. But a different one¡­ She would surely look good in just about anything, of course.


    ¡°Yumi, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Even if you ask me¡­ I like your current one just fine.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll keep it as is.¡±


    Simple straight hair was looking great on her already, so I was perfectly content with that decision. Even if, we could always mess around with things on our own.


    ¡°Mh, how unfortunate. Then, Karen dear, how about I change Yumi¡¯s hairstyle?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Mine?¡±


    Why suddenly me?


    ¡°Yumi¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°We can try a lot of things. Like a ponytail, for example. Wouldn¡¯t that look good on her?¡±


    ¡°A ponytail¡­¡±


    Karen was intensely staring at me, likely imagining it. Yet, she didn¡¯t say anything about wanting to see it.


    ¡°... If you want to, I don¡¯t mind trying it out.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    If it made her happy, then there was no problem. I was too easy, wasn¡¯t I? Yet, seeing her honest desire made me happy, too.


    ¡°Ohh? Do I get free reign?¡±


    ¡°... Keep it moderate.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I promise.¡±


    ¡­ Why was I feeling so anxious about this?


    ¡°Then, Yumi dear, sit down here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    I switched places with Karen, sitting down in the chair in her stead now. A few seconds later, I could feel Yumias¡¯ tiny hands messing around with my hair again.


    ¡°And¡­ there! One ponytailed Yumi, as ordered!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°... Does this even look good?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see myself, so I had no way to judge that. But with my hair being that long, wouldn¡¯t a ponytail look weird?


    ¡°It does, Yumi!¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡±


    Still, it felt a little weird, having my hair like this. Usually, I could always feel my hair all over my shoulders and my back, but now it felt strangely empty there.


    ¡°Yes, yes, this certainly is great. Now, let¡¯s move to the next one.¡±


    ¡°... I should have known we wouldn¡¯t stop with this.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to make your dear girlfriend happy?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    And with that, Yumias worked on the next one. She didn¡¯t tell me what she was doing nor could I tell but, seeing Karen¡¯s amazed expression, it had to be quite elaborate. And it took really quite a while.


    ¡°And one braid finished!¡±


    ¡°Oh, a braid?¡±


    That¡¯s the first time I had one. No wonder it took her so long, though.


    ¡°My, now you only need a pair of glasses.¡±


    ¡°... And then?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d look perfectly like an honour student.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What kind of stereotype was she digging up there? And she was confusing Karen with her weird ramblings.


    ¡°So, Sis, how does it look?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    She was staring, not answering me for a good while.


    ¡°I think it looks good but it also feels weird?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Weird, huh? Was it that odd to see me with that?


    ¡°You¡¯re just not used to seeing her like this, Karen dear. Now, shall we do the next one?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And what about my opinion? Well, it was fine¡­


    Yumias undid the braid and then immediately began working on a new one. This, once more, took quite a good while and Karen was eagerly watching the whole process. Meanwhile, I could only see and feel her messing around with my hair. I could probably try to sense it through my hair, but I worried I might mess things up by accidentally moving it, so I refrained.


    ¡°And there we go. One¡­ what do you call this again?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know that?¡±


    Though I somehow had the feeling that even if she did know, I wouldn¡¯t be able to picture anything from it.


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ That looks nice, too.¡±


    ¡°Mm, it¡¯s a bit more of a formal one.¡±


    Right¡­


    ¡°I can¡¯t see it, you know?¡±


    ¡°My, I forgot. Here, a mirror.¡±


    I didn¡¯t even question where she got that hand mirror from. I simply took it with a ¡®Thanks¡¯ and took a look at my hair.


    Yeah, I had no idea what this was. It was kind of like a bun sitting on my hair but far more elaborate. Like, several ponytails being entwined into a bun, with their ends sticking out¡­ or something like that¡­ It did look interesting but¡­ also a little weird.


    ¡°I think I prefer my normal look.¡±


    ¡°My, such a shame. After all the effort I put into this.¡±


    Unfortunately for her, her opinion didn¡¯t matter much to me. Only Karen¡¯s did.


    ¡°Sis, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I like your normal look more, too, but I think this is nice as well.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    In other words, she liked it, huh¡­


    ¡°Want me to keep it for the rest of the day then?¡±


    ¡°Is that okay with you?¡±


    ¡°But only for today.¡±


    Karen smiled happily. Seemed like my suggestion was the right thing to do.


    ¡°We¡¯re done already?¡±


    ¡°Nn looks like it.¡±


    ¡°I see. I guess I¡¯ll have to save the other ones for next time.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So, there would be a next time. That said, as long as Karen enjoyed it, I didn¡¯t mind that much. Seeing her smile was worth it for simply sitting around and letting Yumias fiddle around with my hair.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s always my dear Lily. I still have to give her a cut anyway.¡±


    Lily, your sacrifice shan¡¯t be forgotten.


    I offered a quick prayer to the next sacrifice. Stay strong.


    ¡°Then, before I go and meet my dear little girl, there¡¯s something I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I turned around, curious about what she wanted to tell us.


    ¡°Or rather, it¡¯s less of a talk rather than telling you something. It¡¯s about the spirit corpse.¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    The spirit¡­ corpse? The one we saw beneath the fort?


    ¡°Err, Miss Yumias¡ª¡±


    ¡°No ¡®miss,¡¯ my dear.¡±


    ¡°... Yumias, do you mean the one we found beneath the fort?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the very same.¡±


    So she knew that that thing was below there¡­


    ¡°Karen dear, you should avoid that place. Spirits aren¡¯t fond of demons. It might only be headaches at first but in the worst case, you might get seriously ill.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen and I stared at Yumias, unable to respond from surprise.


    ¡°You¡­ know what made sis feel ill?¡±


    ¡°My, do I?¡±


    She giggled, amused by our surprise and confusion.


    ¡°But that¡¯s all I wanted to say to you. Oh, actually. Tell Mr Korwen for me: That thing¡­ It can be a boon, as it can be a bane. Think well about what you do. That¡¯s all from me then. See you later.¡±


    Yumias left the tent, leaving us alone, dumbfounded by her warning.


    Rinne


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    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Travelling Plans

    Shortly after parting with Yumias, it was


    already time for dinner. And after we had a very delicious meal¡ªand not the bland rations we would have had in the fort¡ªwe were called by Korwen again.


    He had told us before that he wanted to talk with us later, so this didn¡¯t come as a surprise to us. Still, I couldn¡¯t deny being a little anxious about it. Hard to fault me for, considering how much had happened today, right?


    But he wouldn¡¯t call us if nothing was up, right?


    I thought about such things when we arrived at Korwen¡¯s tent. It was time to find out whether my fears would turn real or not.


    ¡°Captain, we¡¯ve come.¡±


    ¡°Ah, finally. Come in and sit down.¡±


    We entered the tent and were greeted by Korwen, sitting at a table with some documents spread out in front of him. When he saw us coming in, he gathered up most of them and put them to the side. They were probably not relevant for whatever he wanted to talk about with us.


    ¡°Had a good rest?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we did.¡±


    ¡°We did, thank you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. At least someone got to rest.¡±


    He chuckled deprecatively. I could already imagine how he had to work the entire time because of all the things that had happened. I really didn¡¯t envy him.


    ¡°But was it really fine for us to stay here and not at the fort? Some people were quite surprised to see us.¡±


    Mostly the women that were in charge of cooking. Their surprise was awfully short-lived though. Maybe they thought we had actually come back already. Like, in the normal way. And not through the tentacle door.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Considering the circumstances, we¡¯ll need to forward a few plans anyway.¡±


    ¡°... Because of the war?¡±


    ¡°That, and because of that spirit thing beneath the fort. To be honest, that one gives me far more trouble than the war. After all, the latter isn¡¯t our problem.¡±


    Technically speaking, yes¡­ It wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll need to make extensive use of the tentacle door for a while. The fort is in desperate need of repairs, far more than I feared. I¡¯d like the fort to be a place where we can live before winter breaks in, but if we wait until the road is cleared and ready to be used, we¡¯ll camp outside town during winter.¡±


    ¡°... Incidentally, how did you get through the winter before?¡±


    ¡°Camping outside town.¡±


    So they already had plenty of experience. How convenient.


    ¡°Well, in the worst case, we do. Usually, we stay either in Lafria or Aldreigh. The Lafrian army has dozens of barracks that go unused during winter, so we rent those out. Costs quite a bit. Meanwhile, Aldreigh has a vast magical barrier over the capital and the immediate surroundings that keeps the worst of the winter out.¡±


    ¡°A magical barrier?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Remember the one Lafria had over it? The one that keeps monsters out? It¡¯s similar to that, just far more sophisticated.¡±


    That sounded pretty amazing. Like, really amazing. Then, winter wasn¡¯t really a problem for that city at all.


    ¡°Unfortunately, merchants and other mercenaries know that, too. So there¡¯s always a fierce fight over the free space surrounding the capital. It got so bad that they apparently want to rent out the spaces now instead. No idea if they already got through with that or not, though.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Nothing was free, after all¡­


    ¡°But enough about that. That¡¯s not why I called you two here.¡±


    The moment those words came out of his mouth, we both tensed up, knowing that we¡¯d finally get to the point.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start with the conclusion. I want you two to join Greyward and a few others to go to the nearest Aldreighan town.¡±


    ¡°... The nearest Aldreighan town?¡±


    Korwen nodded, affirming it.


    ¡°You heard that right.¡±


    An Aldreighan town, huh¡­ I peeked over at Karen, worried about her reaction. After all, that place was the nation she was born in. And the one that had chased her out. Alas, her face didn¡¯t betray any hint of worry or uneasiness.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be too alarmed now. Simply put, it¡¯s a shopping trip.¡±


    ¡°... A shopping trip?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your ears are working fine, Yumi.¡±


    That¡¯s great. But that wasn¡¯t why I was repeating his words.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the beginning. Though, there isn¡¯t all that much to say. The fort is in need of repairs, and we require materials to fix it. Furthermore, we need to hire Earth magicians as well. Aldreigh has far more magicians around and it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to hire a few in a decently big city.¡±


    Aldreigh was known for its magic, so that was to be expected. Still, I would have thought he¡¯d take his time with that.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait until we know what needs to be fixed?¡±


    ¡°But we also need people to tell us what needs to be fixed. While we have people coming from all walks of life, nobody here has any knowledge about building and repairing forts. The obvious things are one thing, but we need professionals to fix everything else.¡±


    ¡°And¡­ you think we¡¯ll find such people there?¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so. Aldreigh has forts of its own and there should be a military base near the city. Even if we won¡¯t find the right person immediately, we should find some clues. Worst case, we¡¯ll have to call for someone from Lafria. But I can already imagine Ruben and Will turning that into a huge bill for us.¡±


    Of course, they would. But that wasn¡¯t exactly my concern.


    ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t that rather¡­ classified knowledge, or something?¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Who do you think I am?¡±


    Korwen crossed his arms in front of him, looking all smug.


    ¡°Of course, I have connections. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem, finding someone.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Do you know someone in the Aldreighan army, too? Like Ruben?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... Someone from the government?¡±


    ¡°Nobody who could help us with the military.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Then¡­ who the heck was his connection?


    ¡°But I do have a connection to a certain retired mercenary captain who now does my every bidding. Who also just so happens to be pretty close to the Aldreighan army.¡±


    ¡°... So, you¡¯re relying on Greyward.¡±


    Could you really call that having a connection? I mean, sure, he had a connection to Greyward who in turn had connections elsewhere but¡­


    ¡°That old coot knows quite a few people in Aldreigh, far more than I do. He even used to have people from Aldreigh travelling with his band for many years.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That certainly was convenient for us right now.


    ¡°With Greyward¡¯s connections and a few coins we should have no problem. But even if, it¡¯s not like we have no other choices.¡±


    That was true. But it was the most convenient one if it worked out for us.


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll just have to accompany Greyward and his group?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard. You can leave the difficult stuff to Greyward anyway.¡±


    Considering Greyward retired, Korwen sure ran him racked.


    ¡°There¡¯s also another thing that you should look for.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°A Spirit Magician.¡±


    ¡°... Because of that corpse?¡±


    Korwen nodded.


    ¡°Exactly. The corpse is a problem. Realistically speaking, it might have some use for us but right now, it is more of a bother. And neither the Elder nor Ria can actually help out much with it. Ria is of course dying to research that thing in detail but who knows how long that would take. And she is busy with the crystal anyway. And your tentacle doors.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s thrilled about it. But we don¡¯t have the time to wait for her to research that corpse. It¡¯s a bother.¡±


    ¡°So, we need a Spirit Magician to get rid of it?


    Ria definitely wouldn¡¯t like that.


    ¡°In the worst case. But it¡¯d be enough if we could just¡­ stop it from messing up the forest. That¡¯s already more than enough. And I wouldn¡¯t have to hear Ria complaining to me for the next few years.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    Yeah, I could picture her doing that.


    ¡°That said, finding a Spirit Magician won¡¯t be easy. There aren¡¯t many of them around and the ones that are, are usually already employed somewhere. I wouldn¡¯t get my hopes up high.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We¡¯ll do our best.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Well, doing our best was all we could do, though¡­


    ¡°But¡­ do you have an alternative if we don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing that would be realistic, unfortunately. I know of a few Spirit Magicians, but there¡¯s no way to get them here. Even if we could, there¡¯s also the issue of confidentiality. I¡¯d rather not have it publicly known that there¡¯s a massive spirit corpse down there.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wouldn¡¯t it be bad to just hire a random magician then anyway?¡±


    ¡°Not as bad as hiring one that I know serves a noble that is going to cause us massive headaches.¡±


    Okay, yeah¡­ A gamble versus a certainty, huh¡­


    ¡°Best case, we might be able to recruit them for our band. Not getting my hopes up on that, though.¡±


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders, smiling wryly.


    ¡°Anyway, questions so far?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Any questions¡­ Not that I could think of. Greyward was going to deal with the shopping trip and the hiring details, so¡­


    ¡°Is this another trip to show me off?¡±


    ¡°... You sure got to work on your phrasing. You¡¯re not some trophy we brag about.¡±


    Oh, wasn¡¯t this cute girl good enough to brag about? Breaking my heart, here.


    ¡°But in essence, that¡¯s about right. Especially since we¡¯re going to deal with merchants this time, having you along would be a good way to spread the word.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Not that I minded at this point anymore.


    ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything either.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s continue.¡±


    With those words, Korwen turned around and picked up the large leather container with the map. Actually, looking closer, it wasn¡¯t the same one he used for the large map, but a bit smaller. And the map was also different.


    ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°A map of the Kingdom of Aldreigh.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh.¡±


    This was¡­ amazing. There were towns and even villages marked on it. The rivers, mountains¡­ The map looked far more detailed than the large one of the continent.


    ¡°This is quite detailed.¡±


    ¡°Aldreighan make. They use magic to survey the area and make maps based on that.¡±


    ¡°That sounds really convenient.¡±


    ¡°It is. Incredibly so. Unfortunately, the specifics are a closely guarded secret, so we have no way of replicating it.¡±


    ¡°But the map isn¡¯t closely guarded?¡±


    Wouldn¡¯t this be dangerous if it fell into another nation¡¯s hands?


    ¡°It¡¯s not like getting your hands on these maps is easy, either. Guess who you should thank for this.¡±


    ¡°... Greyward?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Wow. If he could get his hands on a map this detailed, he really had to have some amazing connections.


    ¡°But Aldreigh wouldn¡¯t mind it much either way. After all, they don¡¯t have anyone to fear. And that confidence is deserved.¡±


    ¡°Because of their magician army?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    So, since they had their overwhelmingly powerful army, they didn¡¯t care if the knowledge of the terrain got out. After all, no matter how disadvantageous the fight was, they were confident they could still win handily. That was¡­ amazing confidence.


    ¡°But thanks to that, we will also have an easier time travelling from now on. Or rather, this time you will.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°... Where are my thanks?¡±


    But it was Greyward¡¯s map?


    ¡°Well, whatever. Take a look here, near the western border. That¡¯s the town you are going to visit.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a trading route passing through here. It¡¯s a little south of Auria. By the way, Auria would be around here, approximately. So it¡¯s not that far away.¡±


    Korwen pointed at the map¡ªand next to it¡ªfor the various places. It really didn¡¯t seem like it¡¯d be that far.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the state of the trading route but it should be decently maintained, according to my information. You¡¯ll need to follow it for around a day before reaching this town.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Got it. By the way, what¡¯s the town¡¯s name?¡±


    The map didn¡¯t have a name on it, after all.


    ¡°It¡¯s called Melfin. It¡¯s the largest town in the area.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    The largest town in the area¡­ That didn¡¯t mean it had to be big, though. If the size of the drawings on the map were any indication, it wasn¡¯t particularly large anyway. After all, it was only surrounded by villages. That wasn¡¯t a ¡®largest town in the area¡¯ thing but an ¡®only town in the area.¡¯


    ¡°Nn, why do we not get materials from Auria, though?¡±


    ¡°Because the materials we would need aren¡¯t readily available here. We would need large amounts of stone but Auria doesn¡¯t have a quarry of its own. They are importing their stone as well. We can get wood from the forest, especially since we¡¯re already cutting down tons of trees anyway because of the road. Other tools and materials we could get in Auria but if we¡¯re already making the trip, it¡¯d be better to buy them there.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    So it was a problem of availability.


    ¡°Nn, are we going to travel with the wagons then?¡±


    ¡°Of course. How else were you planning on getting the materials back?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ With the tentacle door?¡±


    ¡°While that is something I want you to try out, yes, it¡¯s not something we can guarantee will work yet.¡±


    True. While it probably would work, according to Yumias, it was still better to make sure everything would work out fine.


    ¡°So, you want me to try out if it works?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Best case, you find some hidden place some distance from town and try it out there. It would go a long way if we had easy access to that town. However, I also want you to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Careful? Of what.¡±


    ¡°You already know that Aldreigh is quite¡­ fanatic about magic. But that also means they know far more than we do about it. I discussed it with Ria earlier and she didn¡¯t rule out the possibility of them being able to sniff out or block Space magic. That¡¯s why, if you feel like anything is off, stop immediately.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, got it.¡±


    Sniffing it out or blocking it¡­ I never even thought of that. That might be possible¡­


    ¡°It¡¯ll be great if it works out but it won¡¯t be a great loss if not, so don¡¯t worry about it too much. In the first place, you would need some secluded location first and we don¡¯t really know much about the area there. Might very well be that you won¡¯t even find a place.¡±


    ¡°... I guess some random cave isn¡¯t going to cut it?¡±


    ¡°That might hide it for a while but not for long.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Figured. So, err, I needed something that was hidden for a long, long time¡­ Yeah, that would be hard to find.


    ¡°Maybe I can find a dried-out well and install it at the bottom?¡±


    ¡°While that would be fine, it would also make it nearly inaccessible.¡±


    ¡°... This is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    No, this wasn¡¯t a matter of luck anymore. It was impossible. There was no way I could find a place that was secure, out of sight and easily accessible. I couldn¡¯t see how that would work.


    ¡°Well, Greyward will help you out. If nothing turns up, then that¡¯s that.¡±


    Korwen shrugged his shoulders again. Sometimes, I wondered if he really didn¡¯t care. But then again, I knew he did. Whenever things worked out, he got really excited. Maybe, he just dampened his expectations to the minimum¡­ Wish I could do that, too.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Karen, you¡¯ve been staring at the map for quite some time now. Is there something?¡±


    ¡°Eh? No, it¡¯s nothing. Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Karen denied it, looking rather flustered. I was absorbed in my discussion with korwen so I didn¡¯t see what Karen had been doing. But she was staring at the map? Well, it was her homeland, in a way¡­


    ¡°Do you want to know where the Zirzennas live?¡± asked Korwen.


    That got an immediate reaction out of Karen. She completely froze up.


    ¡°Surprised I know the name? Your little sister told me a little about it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°So? Want to know?¡±


    Karen fell silent, looking at the map. After several seconds, she meekly nodded.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s see. This area, including the town of Melfin, belongs to the Itsenga family. Then, next to it, closer to the capital¡­¡±


    Korwen pointed at the area southeast of the town of Melfin, circling the area with his finger.


    ¡°That belongs to the Zirzenna.¡±


    It was a large territory. I didn¡¯t really have a grasp of the scale, but it was notably larger than the territory where Melfin was.


    ¡°By the way, if you go a little further southeast, you¡¯ll reach the capital. The three territories around the capital, including the one belonging to the Zirzenna, are also called the three capital provinces. Basically, they¡¯re the most important places surrounding the capital.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The most important ones¡­ Didn¡¯t that mean that Karen was actually from a pretty important family?


    ¡°Captain, are those families like nobles?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ It¡¯s close but not quite the same. Aldreigh values magic above all. As such, only powerful families are deemed worthy of ruling. Their standing is based on the number of magicians belonging to the family and their skill in magic, as well as the accomplishments they made in magic research. That¡¯s the theory at least. The three families ruling the capital provinces, as well as the ruling family in the capital, never changed in the history of the country.¡±


    Never, huh¡­ So, it really was an amazing family.


    ¡°So, Karen, want me to tell you more about the Zirzenna?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    Korwen smiled before going on to explain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see, where to start. The current head of the Zirzenna family and ruler of this territory is Ulrich Zirzenna¡­¡±


    Karen froze up again before her expression fell. She knew the name. That could only mean¡­


    ¡°Ulrich Zirzenna currently has one child with his wife Theda, a thirteen-year-old daughter. There were rumours about them having a second child, though, but I don¡¯t know how true that is.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    No mention of Karen nor Rina¡­


    ¡°The Zirzenna themselves are generally well-liked and capable rulers. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t tell you much more than that. We did work for them before when we passed through the territory, but only ever through representatives.¡±


    ¡°You worked for them before?¡± I asked, surprised.


    ¡°Sure did. But only ever a few monster extermination jobs or subduing some bandits. Nothing grand. They did pay well, though, so we were always happy to take those jobs.¡±


    Well, they were a ruling family, so maybe it wasn¡¯t that surprising, after all. Still, it wasn¡¯t quite what I expected.


    ¡°The territory itself is quite prosperous thanks to the trade of magic tools and the advancement in magic technology. If you ever need a magic tool, that place is where you can expect some of the best.¡±


    That did sound like a pretty great place, for sure.


    ¡°Well, there are bound to be some less than pretty things there, too, but the Zirzenna territory was a place we passed through on our route, not a regular stop. I could tell you about its military matters but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you want to hear.¡±


    Yeah, those weren¡¯t very interesting right now¡­ Actually, it might be interesting but not relevant right now.


    ¡°This is all I can tell you at the moment. I heard nothing of them having other children. Unless you were from a branch family? If that exists at all.¡±


    Karen simply stared at the map for a while longer, not reacting to Korwen. For a moment I wondered if she had even heard him but after a while, she quietly shook her head.


    ¡°No¡­ I think those were my parents¡¯ names¡­ But it¡¯s been so long and¡­ They were always just ¡®Father¡¯ and ¡®Mother¡¯ to me. Honestly, I can¡¯t even be sure¡­ Rina might remember it better than me.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The room fell silent. Karen simply stared at the map, and Korwen didn¡¯t pursue it anymore either. After a while, Korwen spoke up again.


    ¡°Do you think you can make the trip to Aldreigh?¡±


    ¡°... Yes. I can.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you want to meet your parents?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Korwen closed his eyes for a few seconds, brooding about something.


    ¡°Well, you can think about it. We can always try to contact them if you want to. But if you don¡¯t want that, that¡¯s fine too. Just¡­ you see that the territory isn¡¯t that far away from us. We might be forced to deal with them one day. Keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°I will. But I believe it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Karen smiled, her eyes resolute. At the same time, I could feel my hand being grasped tightly.


    ¡°I got a place to be, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Glad to hear that. Guess my meddling was unnecessary then.¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. I am glad I could hear more about them. Even if I don¡¯t really have anything to do with them anymore, it is part of my past.¡±


    There was no uncertainty in her voice anymore.


    ¡°That so. Then I¡¯m glad I brought it up. Wasn¡¯t quite sure for a moment what I should do if I stepped on the wrong foot there.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s fine. Thank you for your concern, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    It seems, that things had gone well.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Anyway, the offer to contact them stands, so think about it.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ Well, I guess I am curious¡­ I didn¡¯t think I might have even more siblings now¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, a family like that can¡¯t stay without children. It would have been only a matter of time anyway.¡±


    ¡°I guess it would.¡±


    Karen then turned to me.


    ¡°Then again, I already have two little sisters that take all my energy. That¡¯s more than enough for me.¡±


    ¡°... You make it sound like I¡¯m troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Her only response was giggling. So she thought I was troublesome¡­


    ¡°... Yumi, you didn¡¯t realise?¡±


    ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t want to hear that from you.¡±


    He was quite difficult himself. At least, according to Mrs Korwen. And he was sometimes overdoing things. Like that stuff with putting us in charge all of a sudden. That was seriously troublesome.


    Meanwhile, Karen was still laughing, watching us.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Either way, just tell me if or if not, got that, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then¡­ Ahh, right, there are still a few things I nearly forgot to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    So, something about our trip or Karen¡¯s situation?


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to leave tomorrow. You won¡¯t leave in the morning but rather around noon or late noon, depending on it. Also, you¡¯ll be going by wagon.¡±


    ¡°Our wagon or¡­¡±


    ¡°Your wagon. There¡¯s not much difference if you bring one more along or not. And that way you won¡¯t need to worry about what things to bring along, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, that certainly suits us better¡­¡±


    Actually, we didn¡¯t need anything to prepare, then.


    ¡°Ah, but who will drive it then?¡±


    ¡°Lily volunteered already.¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯ll come along as well?¡±


    ¡°She and Rina both. They asked for permission and there wasn¡¯t any reason to say no.¡±


    Oh, so Rina would come too. Well¡­


    ¡°Did you talk with Rina about the situation?¡±


    ¡°I did, Yumi. I had to make sure she won¡¯t cause a ruckus, after all.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    That was probably how he knew about Karen¡¯s last name, huh¡­


    ¡°Apart from that, you should prepare a door in the fort tomorrow. For the experiment.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Good. Was there anything else I missed? Mmm¡­ No, I don¡¯t think I forgot anything.¡±


    Korwen nodded once as if confirming to himself that he had said everything he wanted to.


    ¡°Then, if you two have nothing else, that was all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t. Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, too.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    He clapped his hands once, putting an end to the discussion.


    ¡°Then, get some rest. You¡¯re free for the remainder of the day. And tomorrow morning, you only need to prepare for the trip. So take a good rest.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome as always! Hahaha!¡±


    A good rest¡­ certainly was nice. There were many things to think about, after all. Now even more so than before.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, good night, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good Night, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°You two as well. Good Night.¡±


    After wishing each other a good night, we left the tent, making for our wagon and our bed.


    Rinne


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    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Morning of the Trip

    The remainder of the evening was rather uneventful. Karen and I returned to our wagon, went to bed and had a bit of a comfortable time before falling asleep.


    Or, well, that¡¯s what I had hoped. In reality, we realised that we had a problem:


    We would go to an Aldreighan town. And Aldreigh had its own language. It didn¡¯t speak the language common to Lafria and the empire. Karen could speak it, sure. But little old me? Apart from a few set phrases that Karen had taught me, there was nothing I could do. Well, I could desperately flail my arms in an attempt to reach an understanding?


    Either way, upon realising this issue, Karen held an impromptu teaching session. Of course, there was no way I could learn the language overnight, so it was really nothing more than a small comfort.


    And that was how an already exhausting day ended with me utterly drained. Mentally and physically.


    Later, when we actually went to bed, I immediately fell asleep in Karen¡¯s arms. That¡¯s how exhausted I had been.


    But I slept really well. Is this what people mean when they say ¡®slept like a baby?¡¯


    No trace left of the exhaustion I had felt. Sleeping in Karen¡¯s embrace worked wonders. A wonder remedy for all your problems. And exclusively mine. No sharing allowed.


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡°Enjoying it?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    A slight tug on my hair, a sign of Karen¡¯s hand brushing through my hair, full of affection and care. I nuzzled against Karen¡¯s chest, my eyes closed. What a blissful way to spend the morning. Just laying in bed and letting the time pass.


    And what better than knowing that we can spend most of the morning like this?


    There were only a few minor things we had to do before we had to depart with Greyward and the others. That¡¯s why neither of us was making moves to get up either. Instead, we were both lazing around in bed.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sis. More.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Hehe.¡±


    With a giggle, Karen continued stroking me, like a child being comforted.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±


    I responded, my voice trailing off a little, half dozing off.


    ¡°Look here.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Mn?!¡±


    I looked up at Karen, only to find my view blocked and my lips stolen. After a few seconds, our lips parted again and Karen giggled, like a child succeeding at their prank.


    ¡°Hehe, got you.¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Nn, I guess I¡¯ll have to get back at you then.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Before Karen could respond, I returned the favour, taking her lips. The sweet taste, her breath tickling me, the slightly increased strength in Karen¡¯s arms embracing me, it all came together.


    ¡°Got you back.¡±


    ¡°Seems you did.¡±


    We both looked into each other¡¯s eyes, before breaking out into laughter and giggles.


    ¡°Really, what are we even doing?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I wonder?¡±


    Fooling around, it seemed. Not that it was a big problem, though.


    ¡°Haaa¡­Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like getting up.¡±


    ¡°How rare, aren¡¯t you the one who usually wants to get up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because we have work to do.¡±


    And today we didn¡¯t, so she had little motivation to get up.


    ¡°But it feels just¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ so indulgent to just sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Nn, I can understand that.¡±


    It was a bit of a luxury, to be able to sleep in. The mercenaries as a whole were rather¡­ How to say it? Lenient? Relaxed?


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sis?¡±


    Karen suddenly began to giggle, as if she had remembered or thought of something funny.


    ¡°Life is so strange.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Is it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡±


    Then, surely, it had to be.


    Right at that moment, someone knocked against our door.


    ¡°Oh, is someone there?¡±


    ¡°Nn, looks like it. Haaa¡­ Who disturbs us?¡±


    Really, I was enjoying some alone time with Karen right now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen let me out of her embrace and I walked to our door, opening it a little, enough for me to peek through.


    ¡°¡ª¡¯re still sleeping? Oh, Lily, look!¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ah, Yumi, so you¡¯re awake, after all. Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Good morning, Lily, Rina.¡±


    Two familiar faces were standing right outside, already full of energy in the early morning.


    ¡°Did you need us for something?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, did we wake you? We just wanted to talk about the trip and all that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ And no, we were awake already.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Well, then it¡¯s fine¡­ Anyway, can we come in?¡±


    I thought for a few seconds but they already knew about everything in this wagon anyway. There wasn¡¯t really a reason to keep them out¡ªexcept maybe so that I could stay alone with Karen.


    ¡°Sure, come in.¡±


    Opening the door, I stepped back and invited the two inside.


    ¡°Then, excuse the intrusi¡ª.¡±


    ¡°Coming in! Ohhh!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    For some reason, Lily froze when she stepped inside, staring at me. Rina, right behind her, somehow looked quite excited.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°So adult!¡±


    Adult? What is?


    I was more and more confused by Rina¡¯s reaction¡­


    ¡°Err¡­ I guess we were interrupting, after all¡­Should we come back later?¡±


    Come back later? Interrupting? What does she¡­ Oh¡­ Ohhh¡­


    It took a few seconds for me to realise the word¡¯s meaning. And then, I also understood where the two of them were looking¡­


    ¡°Oh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm? Lily? Rina? Is that you? Good morning.¡±


    Before I could even reply to Lily¡¯s words, Karen finally called out to our guests, sitting up in bed and looking at them, suppressing a yawn. The blanket was in her lap, only barely covering her legs.


    ¡°Woah.¡±


    Rina let out a sigh of admiration. Not quite sure what was admirable about it, though. It was¡­ pretty sexy, though. I approved.


    ¡°Good morning, Karen. Sorry for¡­ interrupting.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s right. It had slipped my mind again. Karen and I were sleeping in the nude, our clothes littered the floor. Not exactly the best state of dress to be welcoming guests in.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get dressed in a moment. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that¡­¡±


    Well, we had already seen each other naked before¡­ Okay, I was embarrassed but since it was Lily and Rina, it was more embarrassing because it had slipped my mind.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Ohhh¡­¡±


    While we talked, Karen was slowly realising what was going on, too.


    ¡°Well¡­ It could be worse¡­¡± she commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very convincing from the person covering herself up now, Sis.¡±


    I picked up our scattered clothes and threw Karen¡¯s portion over to her before getting dressed.


    ¡°Lily. Lily.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°I expect a lot!¡±


    ¡°... Please don¡¯t expect that.¡±


    In the meantime, Rina was placing all her expectations on Lily. Her expectant gaze was so radiant that Lily had to awkwardly avert her gaze. It was somehow amusing seeing Lily acting so awkward.


    ¡°Good luck, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s your fault, you know?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do.¡±


    Welcome to the adult world, Lily.


    A minute or two later, we were both once more joining the civilised world and their clothing.


    ¡°We¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Finally¡­ Well, I guess it was also our bad for coming so early when you are on break. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem. I don¡¯t mind. So, what did you come here for?¡±


    With our little incident resolved, I sat down next to Karen on the edge of the bed and asked Lily about their purpose in coming here. She had said she wanted to talk about the trip but I didn¡¯t quite know what part of it¡­ The town? The trip to it or the trip back? Or all of it?


    ¡°Haa¡­ We wanted to talk about the trip to Melfin. You know, about how we¡¯re going to drive your wagon.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ About that.¡±


    I slowly recalled what Korwen had told us yesterday. Lily and Rina volunteered to drive our wagon.


    ¡°I wanted to teach Karen how to drive the wagon while we¡¯re on our way there.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You can¡¯t always have me driving it, can you?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That¡¯s¡­ Yeah, it was kind of bad¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Then, I¡¯ll be in your care, Lily. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sure. It¡¯s not really hard anyway, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Karen nodded, agreeing to the lesson.


    ¡°Nn, what about me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can only really teach one person at a time, you know?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Yeah, I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡±


    In that case, it was probably better if I asked Karen later to teach me. It probably would be better if we both could do it, just in case. It could come in handy sometime.


    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll learn it sometime later, then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for always making you drive for us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Driving is not so bad if you have someone to talk with.¡±


    Or rather, as long as she had Rina to flirt with, right? Thinking about it, wasn¡¯t that a pretty good time to flirt around? It wasn¡¯t like everyone had their own wagon and driving the wagons was a pretty lonesome activity.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Hey, Lily. Where are you two going to sleep during the trip? In one of the communal wagons?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯re taking my wagon along as well. Though someone else will drive it on the way to the city.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, you had your own?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recalled that we had talked about that before¡­ Something about Lily storing her sword collection in there¡­ But Lily had spent quite a few times with us in the communal wagons, didn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Yumi, why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°... Why do I feel like that¡¯s a lie?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t. It wasn¡¯t like I was thinking about how that was pretty cute or whether she might get lonely easily.


    ¡°Anyway, Rina is staying with you there?¡±


    ¡°I am!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Well then. Looks like they got along¡­ more than well enough.


    ¡°Her wagon is amazing, Lil¡¯ Sis. She has tons of swords in there. Some of them look really weird!¡±


    ¡°Oh? Are there that many?¡±


    ¡°The whole wall is filled with them. And she has even more stored away in boxes.¡±


    ¡°Rina?!¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a lot¡­¡±


    Or rather, did she even have space for anything else in there?


    ¡°Lily¡­ If you need help with cleaning up, you can call me anytime.¡±


    ¡°No, thanks, Karen! There¡¯s no need to clean up any more than this!¡±


    ¡°So, Rina already cleaned it up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    Bullseye, huh?


    ¡°So, Rina, how bad was it?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ It wasn¡¯t too bad. Her stuff was all over the place but it didn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    How boring. Then again, it was better if that¡¯s all there was or Rina would have to clean up after Lily all the time.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ That¡¯s simply what happens when you¡¯re alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re not alone anymore.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Oh, that got her blushing. She was averting her eyes from us.


    ¡°Anyway, make sure it won¡¯t get that bad again.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad¡­ Haa¡­ Anyway! We¡¯re going to grab breakfast now! What will you do.¡±


    Way to change the topic. But that was a good question¡­


    ¡°We¡¯re up now anyway so¡­ Should we get breakfast, too, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I guess we could.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, mind if we join you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t. Right, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    And so, with all of us having come to a decision, we went to grab breakfast.


    A short while later, we were sitting at a table, having just finished eating. Lily and Rina still had to prepare a few things for the trip so they left shortly after they finished eating, leaving Karen and me behind.


    And it was still quite early in the morning, too.


    ¡°So, what should we do now, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mr Captain asked you to experiment with the door, didn¡¯t he? How about we do the preparations for that? Other than that, maybe we should check if we need anything else for the trip.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess we could do that. But the captain didn¡¯t really say we should bring anything in particular, did he?¡±


    He only said we could bring our wagon and that it would basically remove our need to prepare anything¡­ In that case, everything else was something they had already taken care of? Things like food and so.


    ¡°... Wait, we¡¯ll be eating on the road at least once or twice, won¡¯t we? Who is going to cook? Or are we¡­going to eat rations again?¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s ask them.¡±


    Someone wasn¡¯t very eager to eat those rations, huh? Well, neither was I.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s look for Greyward or the captain¡­¡±


    Shouldn¡¯t be too hard. It was still breakfast time so chances were high we¡¯d find one of them around here.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°... Yumi, over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, it¡¯s Mr Greyward.¡±


    He seemed to be talking with a few other mercenaries. It didn¡¯t look like he was still eating, so it probably shouldn¡¯t be too much of a bother if we went to him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We left our seats and approached Greyward. It didn¡¯t take long for him to spot us coming as well.


    ¡°Well, well, if it isn¡¯t Yumi and Karen. Are you all ready?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we wanted to ask about something so I guess not yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What do you want to know?¡±


    Greyward raised his eyebrows, awaiting our question.


    ¡°We wanted to ask what we¡¯ll be doing about food on the trip.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We planned to have rations for the trip back and forth. In the city, we¡¯ll just look for an eatery.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t stop you if you got your own plans for food.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Our own plans? That¡­ wasn¡¯t a bad idea. Maybe we could ask Mrs Korwen or someone else about some simple dishes we could take for the trip.


    ¡°Got any other questions?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Should we prepare anything else in particular?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Well, as long as you got your armour and all that to look the part, there¡¯s not really anything else to prepare for.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    The armour was in our wagon, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.


    ¡°Then, what about the language? I can speak the language in Aldreigh but Yumi can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ That won¡¯t be an issue. Melfin is close to the border, so there are many people that speak Akkian. Quite a few speak both languages, even. As for our negotiation partners, they should all be fluent in either language anyway.¡±


    Oh? That was quite amazing, being able to speak both languages. In that case, even I should be able to find my way around.


    ¡°I do recommend practising the Aldreighan language, though. Further inland, the number of people able to speak Akkian sinks dramatically. Apart from merchants and the like, most won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll do my best¡­¡±


    Alas, that would take some time¡­


    ¡°Oh, right. Before I forget it. Do you still have those identification plates that Ruben gave you?¡±


    ¡°Nn? I think we do.¡±


    ¡°Those might come in handy so keep them ready. Melfin has a similar barrier to the capital. Or, well, any Aldreighan town or city does. Having something to prove your identity is going to help.¡±


    ¡°I see. We¡¯ll take a look then.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    We did still have them, right? I couldn¡¯t quite remember what happened to them after we had registered back in Larfas, the capital.


    ¡°But will they even count in Aldreigh?¡±


    They were Lafrian¡­ documents¡ªif you could call them that¡ªafter all. Would those people even know who Ruben was?


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be a big issue. Sir Ruben is a well-known figure, even in Aldreigh. And if that¡¯s not enough for them, I can always vouch for you as well. Probably going to end up like that anyway.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Was Greyward¡¯s influence so big that he could vouch for someone¡¯s identity? That was pretty amazing, to be honest.


    ¡°Nn¡­ But what about Rina?¡±


    ¡°I already talked with her just earlier so she knows about this, no worries.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Rina was¡­ surprisingly independent. Or maybe it was because of Lily? Either way, she clearly got around without our¡ªor rather Karen¡¯s¡ªhelp.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all, I still have some preparations to make.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Good. Make sure you¡¯re at your wagon later. Lily knows where to go so it¡¯s enough if you wait there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, got it.¡±


    That was easy enough. Thanks, Lily.


    With that out of the way, Greyward left to take care of the remaining work for the trip.


    ¡°So, what shall we do about food, Sis? We could ask Mrs Korwen or someone else about food that¡¯d be good for later.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fine to me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, then, let¡¯s go and ask her.¡±


    Fortunately, this was where everyone ate breakfast. Or to put it in simpler terms, Mrs Korwen should be nearby, together with the other women and taking care of breakfast.


    It¡¯s been a while since I talked with her¡­


    I was surprisingly busy recently, so I hadn¡¯t helped out with dinner all that often¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ There they are. Sis, over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can see them.¡±


    We walked over to the group of women, handing out food and drinks to the hungry mercenaries. A few of the women spotted us and greeted us or wished us a good morning as we approached before turning their attention back to the hungry people in front of them. Mrs Korwen was giving them instructions and keeping everything in order. Busy as she was, she didn¡¯t see us approaching her.


    ¡°Mrs Korwen.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, if it isn¡¯t you two. Morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Mrs Korwen.¡±


    Mrs Korwen turned around, greeting us with a smile. It was a relief to see she wasn¡¯t particularly angry that I hadn¡¯t been around to help. She could be quite scary. And she held everyone¡¯s stomach in her grasp¡­


    ¡°Heard you two were quite busy. Did my dumb husband do something again?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing in particular.¡±


    Why was it her first thought that we came to snitch on Korwen¡­


    ¡°Not? Need something else then? Ah, wait. Hey, you idiots, only one fruit per person. Don¡¯t you dare take more!¡±


    The two mercenaries, probably recruits, seeing how young they were, immediately jerked up when Mrs Korwen called out to them and ran away.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    ¡°So, what were we talking about? Right, you needed something from me?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I explained to her about our dilemma regarding the rations and whether she had any idea about some¡­ halfway decent food. By the time we finished, Mrs Korwen¡¯s brows were furrowed.


    ¡°Food, you say¡­ Can¡¯t say I very much like those rations either, but they keep well¡­ But I guess the men wouldn¡¯t understand that. Mmm¡­ I know something, but you¡¯d have to make it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we don¡¯t have a lot to do before we depart, so that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡±


    We¡¯d still have to prepare for the experiment with the tentacle door, though¡­ Maybe we should have done that first, just in case.


    ¡°There¡¯s something called Cucus bread. Mashed Earth Cucus, mixed with some flour and water. You can put all kinds of things inside and then bake them. Tastes good and keeps for a good while.¡±


    ¡°That does sound good.¡±


    Cucus bread, was it? It definitely sounded better than the rations we usually had. And if it could keep a while there was no reason not to make it. We had the time.


    ¡°Want to try it?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯d like to.¡±


    ¡±Me too.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, then, I¡¯ll prepare the ingredients and teach you. You still have a few things to do, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Is that okay?¡±


    It was convenient for us but¡­


    ¡°It is, so go and get things done. And how about you call Lily and Rina, too?¡±¡¯


    ¡±Nn, will do.¡±


    Those two surely would prefer something decent over those rations, too.


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll be waiting for you here then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs Korwen.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. I¡¯m happy if it helps you.¡±


    She laughed heartily as she ruffled my hair. It was a laugh that strangely reminded me of Korwen. Guess they really were husband and wife. And she seemed quite excited about teaching us, as well.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be seeing you later.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After I fixed my hair, Mrs Korwen returned to her work, shouting at a few overeager mercenaries and giving instructions to the other women.


    ¡°I guess we should do those experiment preparations first.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The experiment, huh¡­


    ¡°Should we just use one of those empty rooms in the underground?¡±


    ¡°I think those would work best.¡±


    They would. Not many other places where we could install them anyway. And it was out of the way. Plus, the only people likely to find it there had already seen the other tentacle door in the hall. It should be fine over there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a look then. That okay with you, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    Not like there was any other option.


    ¡°Ah, but we should fetch a few mana orbs first.¡±


    Without them, I wouldn¡¯t be able to even start the preparations.


    After a short trip back to our wagon, we made our way to the tentacle door, in the tent a slight distance from the centre of our camp. Even now, a few mercenaries were busy bringing supplies over to the fort. However, compared to yesterday, barely anyone was here.


    I guess they already carried most things to the fort.


    We entered the tent and passed through the tentacle door, entering the underground hall.


    ¡°... That¡¯s a lot of stuff.¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    The hall had filled out. By a lot. Crates over crates, stacked on top of each other. Racks with weapons and armour. Large sacks, probably filled with flour, Earth Cucus or other edibles. The whole hall was full of these things, only leaving a path in the middle, leading to the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing how much stuff the mercenaries have¡­¡±


    And this wasn¡¯t even all. It was only all that stuff that the mercenaries didn¡¯t even have an immediate need for.


    ¡°Nn. Oh, Merim found.¡±


    ¡°He seems¡­ busy.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Several mercenaries were gathered in front of Merim, carrying wooden cages and long sticks. As we got closer, we could hear Merim talking to them.


    ¡°Got that? Only use the sticks and don¡¯t do stupid stuff. For the small ones in particular. I really don¡¯t want to call for Ria because one of you idiots got their finger bitten off.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, lure them into the cage and close it. Let the cage sit so they don¡¯t start panicking and get used to it. Also, don¡¯t separate them from the others.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°After you catch all of them, slowly carry them upstairs. Be careful and gentle. If they start biting through the wood, we¡¯ll have one hell of a problem on our hands. Be careful if you don¡¯t want the captain to give you hell!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    Cages, lures and bites. Were they out to catch the Rainbow Hoggies? Had to be. There wasn¡¯t anything else down here they could catch.


    ¡°If possible, try to lure the children into the same cage as the parents. If that doesn¡¯t work, keep the cages close enough. They can get really wild if you try to separate them from their children.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Mm. Anything else¡­ I think we got it all. Ria should be done with preparing the first cages, too, so let¡¯s get going. We¡¯re going to start with the hallway first.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Yes, Sir!¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°Move out!¡±


    The group of mercenaries filed into lines and moved out of the room. Merim was watching them, content with the result.


    ¡°Merim.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, good morning, you two.¡±


    ¡°Nn, Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    Merim greeted us in a surprisingly good mood. Made me wonder if something happened.


    ¡°You already prepared for the trip?¡±


    ¡°Mostly. We still have a few things to do.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I guess there¡¯s still time.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It was still just morning. Plenty of time left.


    ¡°So, Merim. Did you hear about what the captain wanted us to do there? The experiment and the door¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ahh, yes. Whether you can make a door between both places, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Good, he knew about that.


    ¡°So, we were thinking of using one of the empty rooms here for the door but¡­¡±


    ¡°One of the empty rooms¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    He thought for a few seconds about it before answering.


    ¡°We already planned to use most of them for storage. But we should be able to spare a few.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    ¡°Just use one of the rooms in the hallway, second door to the left from here. I¡¯ll make a note that one of them is used.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Thanks, Merim.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Merim.¡±


    With that, we had secured a site to start the experiment.


    ¡°Sure, no problem. If you need anything else, just give me a holler.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do. By the way¡­ What were you doing here?¡±


    From the hallway on the other side of the door, we could hear the cheerful mercenaries. While I had a good idea, I still wanted confirmation from Merim.


    ¡°Catching the Rainbow Hoggies. Some men bothered Ria to make a cage¡­ and then they wanted to catch them as soon as possible. So, yeah, here we are.¡±


    Merim shrugged his shoulders, a wry smile on his face.


    ¡°I just hope there aren¡¯t too many¡­The captain told us about how you found even more of them further in.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ We did see several there...¡±


    The tunnel that led to the spirit¡­ There had been quite a few holes with the Rainbow Hoggies living there.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll manage. I just hope none of them is dumb enough to feed the small ones¡­ I know they are cute but¡­¡±


    ¡°Do they bite?¡±


    ¡°They do. The small hoggies tend to bite everything that seems interesting. Even if it¡¯s not food¡­ And I¡¯m sure you saw how strong their jaws are.¡±


    Yeah, enough to crush a mana crystal to dust¡­


    Another cheer came from the hallway at that moment. Seemed like they were making good progress.


    ¡°... It might be better if I make sure they don¡¯t do anything strange. I¡¯ll take my leave, Yumi, Karen. Good luck with your experiment.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Merim waved with his hand and disappeared into the hallway. We¡¯d actually have to pass through there as well, so there wasn¡¯t really a point in waving¡­ Well, whatever.


    ¡°Sis, should we?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Holding Karen¡¯s hand like usual, we made our way to the empty room where we could start our preparations.


    Rinne


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 Chapter of Spirit Verse: Ration Baking

    ¡°Nn¡­ This room looks good enough, I think. What do you say, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Seems fine to me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, then let¡¯s use this one.¡±


    Not like there was much difference between all the rooms anyway. They were all approximately the same size, after all. The only real difference was how far down the hallway you had to go. In other words, it was negligible.


    ¡°... We don¡¯t have enough time to clean this place, do we?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Karen put her hands on the nearby wall, patting away some of the dirt that was stuck on it.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have anything to clean with down here. And I¡¯d rather get this done with quickly.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Having been left unused for two-hundred odd years, the room wasn¡¯t in a very clean state. It could be much worse, though. The dirt and dust were unpleasant, but that was also all.


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s get this over with quickly and get back to Mrs Korwen.¡±


    I approached the wall opposite the door and pulled out the mana orbs we had brought along. Squatting down, I placed one of them on the ground.


    ¡°Well then, here we go.¡±


    I took hold of its internal mana and used it to grow the tentacles. Seconds later, the pink appendages spread out in front of me, covering the wall. The mana orb was more than enough to grow the tentacles until they covered the wall. If I were to convert this into a door, it was just large enough for Korwen to walk through without hitting his head.


    ¡°And next is the door¡­¡±


    Once I gave the tentacles the necessary instructions, the familiar smooth surface formed, replacing the tentacle growth.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°That was fast.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not really that much I have to do, after all. This is easy.¡±


    Once I knew how things worked, it was only a matter of getting used to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very convincing coming from you, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    How kind my beloved sister was to me. Warms the heart.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ We¡¯re done with this now.¡±


    The next part would be the actually difficult one anyway. I wasn¡¯t very confident I would be able to connect this place and Melfin. If it worked the same way it did with the one connecting the fort and the camp, then fine¡­ but if it became more difficult because of the distance? I had no idea¡­ But then again, it was premature to say how it¡¯d go. This was, after all, an experiment. The problems that would come up¡­ Well, that was one bridge I¡¯d have to cross then and there, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°By the way, Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Can you connect the doors when one of them is moving?¡±


    ¡°... Well, I wonder.¡±


    Now that she mentioned it, that had been on my mind as well. This was a pretty good time to test that, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Nn, should I make one and connect it with our wagon? A small one, of course.¡±


    Not one where you could walk through. Definitely not. The last thing I needed was a random guest appearing through that door in our wagon. I could already see myself dying from shock if that came to pass.


    ¡°Mm. That would be good.¡±


    ¡°Well then. Let me do that quick.¡±


    I took a step back, staring at the wall for a few seconds. I didn¡¯t want one that was large enough to pass through, but it should be big enough to pass small things through. In that case, keeping it at a height that was comfortable to pass things through should be fine.


    No need to squat down and push things through a tiny hole near the floor. This isn¡¯t like a gap in a regular door where you push letters through, all secretive¡­ Actually, do people even do that?


    I didn¡¯t know¡­ Probably not. Not like it mattered anyway. I chased away the random thoughts and decided on a spot around the height of my chest, right next to the other door. After I grew some tentacles there, I made them form the all-too-familiar door, just large enough for my hands to pass through.


    ¡°And that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, praise me more.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You did well.¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand ruffled my hair while she gave me a wry smile.


    ¡°I grow on praise, so do it more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a plant now?¡±


    ¡°... Maybe?¡±


    Though I wasn¡¯t very green. Not that I wanted to.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Maybe we should water you?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. I only grow on praises. With Sis¡¯ praises in particular.¡±


    ¡°What a particular plant you are.¡±


    Yes, very particular.


    ¡°But I¡¯m fairly sure you won¡¯t grow anymore, no matter how much I praise you.¡±


    ¡°Who knows, maybe I will? You just have to try it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now, that was one sceptical gaze if I ever saw one.


    ¡°I wish you good luck.¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    Farewell, my heart¡¯s nourishment¡­ Farewell, my only hope for growing taller.


    ¡°Maybe Miss Yumias can help you out?¡±


    ¡°If anything, I have the feeling she¡¯d just make me even smaller.¡±


    ¡°Smaller¡­¡±


    Karen stared at me, with a long and intense gaze.


    ¡°... Sis, no. That¡¯s bad.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, confused for several seconds before she finally understood what I was implying.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Yumi. You¡¯re fine the way you are. I was just wondering what you¡¯d look like if you were smaller.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Well, if that was all, it was fine.


    ¡°So, what did you think?¡±


    ¡°It would be cute.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Cute, huh¡­ She already called me cute quite often so, honestly, I was wondering what difference it would make.


    ¡°Now I wish I could have seen a younger Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... Just for the record, a younger me wouldn¡¯t have been¡­ a girl like me.¡±


    I whispered the last part, just in case someone could overhear us.


    ¡°... Oh. You¡¯re right. I completely forgot about that.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now, how should I even feel about that? Should I take it as a compliment that I was acclimating to my new life? Or that I was simply not manly at all?


    Not that I had been manly even before that. At least, I don¡¯t think so¡­


    Either way, it sure gave me a few¡­ complicated feelings.


    ¡°That¡¯s a problem¡­ I want to see a small Yumi¡­ but I am a little interested in the previous Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°... Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re curious, but I have no way of showing you either.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Karen looked a little crestfallen at this realisation. But it wasn¡¯t possible, as unfortunate as it was for her.


    ¡°Maybe I should ask Miss Yumias, after all?¡±


    ¡°... Please spare me.¡±


    No good could come out of that. If I had learnt one thing about that one, it was that she wouldn¡¯t turn down a chance to mess around.


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°For you maybe.¡±


    Suddenly, I was pulled into Karen¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll remember every little thing about you from her.¡±


    ¡°Now, that only makes me worry even more.¡±


    A shudder ran through my spine from the thought. Yumias telling Karen about me? I had the vague feeling that that couldn¡¯t go well. I had a feeling she might let something about my past slip but I also had the feeling that whatever it would be wasn¡¯t going to be something I would want to remember¡­ Or, to say it in simpler words¡­ It was bound to be something troublesome.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t like Miss Yumias all that much¡­ but I think she is trying to help you as much as she can.¡±


    ¡°If she was, why won¡¯t she just straight-up tell me what is going on?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe she can¡¯t?¡±


    But what could even stop her? She was so powerful, she fought a war against the great spirits. On her own. And she was still around to tell the tale so it clearly hadn¡¯t done her in either.


    ¡°I think¡­ she simply has her own troubles and problems to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand gently stroked my head. She didn¡¯t say anything, only patting me.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯ll try to be a little nicer to her¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, I knew you were a good girl, Yumi.¡±


    Karen tightened her embrace, both her arms pressing me into her bosom.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything, though. She does mess around with me all the time, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll go well.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Just where was that confidence coming from? I had no idea¡­


    But Yumias having her own problems to deal with? I guess she¡­ did mention a few things¡­


    Right then, the image of the sulphur city came up in my mind. The bag with her sister¡¯s name on it.


    She really might have her own problems¡­


    I sighed internally, unsure what to think about it. Yumias was far too much of an enigma for me. I still didn¡¯t know what her intentions were.


    ¡°Oh well, no point in thinking about it too much, is there?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ Sis, should we go back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, but¡­¡±


    Karen looked at me, her face betraying her confusion.


    ¡°I just wondered a little about Yumias¡­ intentions¡­ and all that. Nothing much.¡±


    ¡°I see. If that¡¯s all¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. So? Should we go back?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Great. Our preparations were done already, so there was nothing keeping us here anyway. Except for¡­ Well¡­


    ¡°Sis? If we go back, you¡¯ll have to let go of me.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    As reluctant as I was to leave Karen¡¯s embrace, I couldn¡¯t exactly walk like this.


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    Yet, for some reason, I wasn¡¯t getting a reply. Then, just as I wanted to call out to her again. Karen loosened her embrace, only to crouch down¡­ and lift me up?


    ¡°Sis?!¡±


    My viewpoint suddenly rose by quite a bit as Karen lifted me in her arms. I wondered for a second whether this wasn¡¯t difficult for her, then remembered how strong she was. No way my weight would even so much as bother her. That still didn¡¯t solve the problem that she was carrying me in her arms.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡±Ehh¡­ Sis? Are we going back like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen grinned at me, like a child having succeeded at their prank.


    ¡°Guess I got no choice...¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    A giggle escaped her. With my viewpoint so high up, I had to look down for a change. Seeing Karen from a higher viewpoint was¡­ different.


    ¡°Off we go.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    At least, one of us had motivation to spare. With me in her arms, she promptly walked through the door and the hallway, followed by the large hall and then through the tentacle door. Meanwhile, the mercenaries we passed by gave us curious looks, some of them grinning, others whistling. It was embarrassing.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Can we return to the wagon first?¡±


    ¡°We can, but¡­¡±


    I could see her wondering why I wanted to go there on her face.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to connect the small door with our wagon already. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Sure.¡±


    Also, the wagon was closer than the dining area¡­ But that wasn¡¯t the reason I suggested this. It really wasn¡¯t. Being carried by Karen was embarrassing, yes, but¡­ I didn¡¯t hate it.


    I¡¯d much rather do this without an audience, though¡­


    Not much I could do there¡­


    A minute or so later, we arrived at our wagon.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll let you down now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    My legs had returned to earth!


    ¡°Maybe I should do that more often.¡±


    ¡°... Please don¡¯t. Or, at least do it when we¡¯re alone.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Ah, she finally realised that we had an audience¡­ Her cheeks were blushing. Maybe this wasn¡¯t too bad, after all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get in.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We entered the wagon and then the tentacle room.


    ¡°Okay, is here good?¡±


    ¡°I think so?¡±


    ¡°Nn, then let¡¯s take this spot.¡±


    The room was already full of tentacle growth anyway, so I didn¡¯t really have much to grow here. Still, knowing how¡­ bothersome this could be, I held a mana orb at the ready. I definitely didn¡¯T want to get drained of mana again.


    ¡°Here we go.¡±


    I let the tentacles form a tiny door, and then connected it with the door in the fort. I could vaguely sense a connection being made. Moments later, the door opened, allowing us to look into the underground room.


    ¡°Great, that worked.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Let¡¯s hope this actually works out¡­¡±


    I had no idea what would happen if the wagon started moving like this. Maybe nothing would happen. Or maybe something would. Although I was quite sure that the tentacles would just¡­ deal with the problem on their own. They were weirdly capable. Despite being only fleshy appendages.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi. We forgot something.¡±


    ¡°Nn? We did?¡±


    ¡°The dolls.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Right¡­ No, that¡¯s wrong. I hadn¡¯t forgotten about them. I had just, err, delayed it.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll call for them.¡±


    Karen answered me with a giggle, fully aware of how I forgot them¡­


    ¡°Dolls, assemble!¡±


    Seconds passed¡­ A minute passed. Something knocked on the outer walls of the wagon, crawled inside through the window and stormed into the tentacle room. Dozens of small wooden dolls, lining up in front of me¡­ as best as they could.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    A tentacle flipped around, knocking down the dolls that had been standing on top of it. Other tentacles followed, creating a mess among the ever-growing number of dolls.


    ¡°Remind me to call them outside this room, next time.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    Some dolls were trying to restrain the tentacles. Not very successfully, I might add. The dolls were quite strong despite their diminutive size, so I was a little surprised to see them knocked to the ground.


    ¡°Err, oka,y assemble outside the room. Or we won¡¯t get anywhere.¡±


    The dolls immediately stormed out of the room, lining up orderly. Their numbers kept growing¡­


    ¡°Is that all of you?¡±


    At one point, no additional dolls seemed to come, so I asked them if that was all of them. The very next moment, all the dolls saluted me. Was this a yes? Probably¡­


    ¡±Err, good. Now then, I have some mana for you so come here¡­ Woah! Stay in lines! Lines!¡±


    That was close¡­ They were going to dogpile me again. They definitely were. Glad I was for them listening to me.


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    I grabbed a mana orb and held it out to the dolls.


    ¡°Not everyone at once, okay?¡±


    A few dolls moved forward, gathering around my hand and grabbing it. I moved the mana to them and they happily absorbed it. Once they had their fill, they made space for the next ones and moved to the back, where they started to¡­ dance.


    The heck is wrong with you guys?


    Were they that happy to get some mana? They didn¡¯t even really need it, did they, considering they had their own crystals absorbing mana. Then again, if I looked at it like that, there was no point in what I was doing right now. I was feeding them mana to give them some attention.


    As long as they¡¯re happy.


    Once I fed the next group, they, too, moved to the back and joined the dancing. What the heck were they doing¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re happy.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe a little too much.¡±


    The third group joined them as well¡­ As did the following ones. Soon enough, all the dolls were on the floor, dancing as if a festival was going on. A doll festival.


    ¡°Seriously¡­ Listen, you all¡­ Sis and I, we¡¯ll be away for a while. Listen to the captain in the meantime, got that?¡±


    The dolls stopped dancing, turning all towards me with their faceless heads. It was a little creepy¡­


    ¡°... If you behave, I¡¯ll give you some mana again.¡±


    That got them raising their arms up in the air. Glad they were so easy to motivate.


    ¡°Okay, then, back to your work. And be good.¡±


    The dolls saluted and then returned whence they came.


    ¡°They really love you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Karen giggled, amused.


    ¡°As long as they don¡¯t dogpile me¡­¡±


    It was troublesome if they did that¡­ but they hadn¡¯t this time. So that was a step in the right direction.


    ¡°Okay, do we have anything else we should do, Sis?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. We could report to Mr Captain that the preparations are done?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we¡¯ll probably see him when we depart anyway.¡±


    ¡°Then, I can¡¯t think of anything else.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s see if Mrs Korwen has finished her preparations, too.¡±


    Karen and I left the wagon, making our way back to the dining area. Upon arriving, we could see how the women were already cleaning up everything. Breakfast time was over and most of the mercenaries were working now. Although a few odd mercenaries were still sitting here and there, drinking. Considering the lack of scolding from anyone, they probably were off-duty. Maybe guards that had worked through the night.


    ¡°Oh, Yumi, Karen. You came at just the right time.¡±


    Greeting us was Mrs Korwen, a big smile on her face. Right behind her were Rina and Lily, already in the middle of¡­ kneading something.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come, Mrs Korwen.¡±


    ¡°You done with everything?¡±


    ¡°Nn. We finished all our preparations.¡±


    Save for food, of course.


    ¡°What good girls you are. Then, come here. Oh, and take one of the aprons there.¡±


    After we took an apron, Mrs Korwen nodded in satisfaction, then turned around and gesturing the cooking area.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared everything. I¡¯ll teach you as best as I can.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs Korwen.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Then, let¡¯s begin shall we?¡±


    Now then, I had been looking forward to this for a while now.


    ¡°Cucus bread is mashed Earth Cucus, mixed with flour and water, then baked. So, first we have to mash the Earth Cucus.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­. By the way, what are Rina and Lily doing?¡±


    Those two had been so focussed on their work, they didn¡¯t even have time to greet us.


    ¡°They¡¯re already kneading the dough. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll join them soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay¡­¡±


    Seeing how those two were¡­ exerting quite a lot of strength, kneading the dough¡­ Would I be all right?


    ¡°Anyway, here, have some Earth Cucus. Now, just mash them until there are no solid bits left.¡±


    We received the Earth Cucus from Mrs Korwen and did as we were told, mashing them with the help of a wooden¡­ masher. If you could call the solid block of wood that.


    ¡°Good, good. Once you¡¯re done, mix it with water. Take a ladle and stir it well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good. Now, add the flour. You need about just as much flour as you need Earth Cucus. Good, that¡¯s right. Now comes the hard part.¡±


    While stirring, the mixture slowly thickened, turning into a dough. I was a little surprised how only these three ingredients turned into dough.


    ¡°Now, you knead it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, okay. How much?¡±


    ¡°Until it won¡¯t stick to your hand anymore.¡±


    The hard part would begin now, huh¡­ I pressed the dough, deforming it a little. It was¡­ quite resilient, pushing back my fingers. I stared at the dough for a few seconds before sighing and starting to knead it¡­ to the best of my ability. Unsurprisingly, I wasn¡¯t very good at it, my lack of strength showing.


    ¡°Ugh¡­ This is hard.¡±


    ¡°Are you okay, Yumi? Should I help?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s¡­ fine, Sis¡­ I¡¯m trying¡­¡±


    Now I knew why Lily and Rina didn¡¯t even have time to look at us. This¡­ was quite difficult.


    ¡°Mm, Karen, yours is already good like that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±


    Well, wasn¡¯t someone fast¡­


    ¡°But what strength¡­ Karen, dear, do you want to help us with cooking in the future? We could certainly use someone with a bit of strength in her arms.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry but¡­¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    My arms¡­ hurt¡­


    ¡°But if you change your mind, don¡¯t hesitate, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°Good, good.¡±


    How much longer¡­ would I have to¡­ do this?


    ¡°By the way, Yumi¡­ You are kneading, right?¡±


    ¡°... I¡­ am¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could do this. I would do this!


    ¡°... Well, I think that¡¯s good enough,¡± said Mrs Korwen after watching me for a while.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    My arms¡­ hurt like hell¡­


    ¡°Now, with the dough done, we can start the fun part. Adding what ingredients you want in the dough.¡±


    The filling, huh¡­


    ¡°Have any of you already thought of something?¡±


    Not really¡­ I didn¡¯t know what would even fit with this. Thankfully, I wasn¡¯t the only one wondering. Lily, who had finished kneading as well while I was busy, asked Mrs Korwen about it.


    ¡°Mrs Korwen, what kind of ingredients are usually used with this?¡±


    ¡°Usually? All kinds, to be honest. Fruits go well with it, as does meat. Most vegetables are fine as well. That¡¯s what makes Cucus bread so convenient, after all. You can add most ingredients and have something edible.¡±


    Made me wonder a little why this wasn¡¯t more popular. It wasn¡¯t even particularly hard to make. Apart from the kneading.


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t start adding some crazy things, of course. Anything liquid is likely to cause a mess, too. And Spirits forbid anyone adding blood again.¡±


    ¡°... Blood?¡±


    I was a little scared to ask but¡­ the hell?


    ¡°Yes, blood. We had a girl that got some blood from her lover at the time, don¡¯t ask me how, and then she added it to the bread. Let me tell you, the result wasn¡¯t pretty.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The relationship, the bread, or both? Probably both¡­


    ¡°She also tried adding certain other things from her lover¡­ Fluid things¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The choice of bodily fluids was rather limited if you excluded blood. And I sure as hell didn¡¯t want any of those in my food, ever. Even if it came from Karen, some things were just¡­ unsanitary.


    ¡°Err, Mrs Korwen, what happened to that girl?¡±


    ¡°She married a farmer in Krohmea and left the mercenaries around ten years ago. I don¡¯t know how they¡¯re faring now nor do I want to. She was a pretty girl and kind but a little out there when it came to love.¡±


    That was, admittedly, relatable. I wouldn¡¯t want to know either. If that girl did things like that I dreaded what else she had done.


    ¡°Anyway, back to the Cucus bread. There was also someone who tried to add Aprams to it. We had to force him to eat his own failure.¡±


    ¡°... Those really sour fruits?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s them, Rina.¡±


    Yeah, I could see where this was going. Just hearing about that made me lose my appetite. They were far too sour.


    ¡°Nn¡­ What to do¡­¡±


    The choice of what to add¡­ was difficult.


    ¡°Sis, do you have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know. Maybe fruits would work? It is bread, after all.¡±


    ¡°Fruits, huh¡­¡±


    If I recalled correctly, there were several kinds of sweet fruits, including dried fruits.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s go with fruits. I think that¡¯s good, too.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We both chose different fruits so we could share later, too.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with meat!¡±


    Lily fetched some pieces of meat, likely dried or smoked or something, and immediately threw it into her dough. That left only Rina.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I¡¯ll go with fruits, too.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then, everyone should add their ingredients to the dough. After that, we¡¯re going to bake it.¡±


    Mrs Korwen watched us diligently as we all followed her instructions.


    ¡°That looks good. Now, we¡¯ll only have to bake it. Here, put them on this plate. Right, and now we put it on here.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t a proper oven here, only a makeshift fireplace. Not like that seemed to stop Mrs Korwen as she put the metal sheet with the dough on top of the fire, held only by a simple metal structure.


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to take long, only around a quarter-hour. The dough is going to rise after a while, but don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s normal.¡±


    We all nodded, as we watched our rations slowly baking.


    ¡°Mrs Korwen, how long will these last?¡± I asked.


    ¡°The ones with fruits should last well over two weeks. The one with meat around one week.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly long.¡±


    No wonder she suggested using them instead of rations.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. And it¡¯s not even hard to make, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m a little surprised. Why does nobody make this?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Mrs Korwen giggled before looking towards the mercenaries, a little further away.


    ¡°The problem is simple. You have to prepare it before moving out.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Dried jerky, hard bread and dried fruits all keep well for a very long time. There is no need to prepare anything. They can just take them and focus their attention on other things.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    It was simply¡­ too much effort.


    ¡°But if it tastes better than rations, you¡¯d think more people would do this¡­¡±


    ¡°A few actually do. Fenna and her girls sometimes make some. And I know that Merim is quite fond of it, too. But in his case, it¡¯s Helma who makes it. Taddick makes his own sometimes, too.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    But not many would bother¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ What about the Black Guards, though? Lily?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even know about this bread until just earlier¡­¡± Lily answered me.


    ¡°...¡±


    Not even one of them¡­ But they probably didn¡¯t even know about this recipe in the first place, it seemed. Otherwise, Lily would remember.


    Anyway, now she knows. Or rather, now we all know about it. It already smells great. If it tastes even half as good as it smells, I¡¯m definitely going to make this in the future again.


    After all, if you had the choice between rations that were¡­ tasteless at best¡­ and food that was actually decent¡­ who wouldn¡¯t choose the latter?


    Too many, it seems.

 Chapter of Spirit Verse: The Spirits’ Legacy

    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Ah! Hot! Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you have to be careful. Come here, let me take a look.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like you got burnt.¡±


    That would have been really embarrassing, so I was thankful I hadn¡¯t. Yes, bread that was fresh out of the oven tended to be hot. Quite hot, in fact. And in my greed, I had forgotten about that for just a moment too long¡­


    ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t. I was mostly just surprised.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. Really, you¡¯re too careless sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I was reflecting. Really. But it had been simply a reflex. Nothing conscious. But a mistake all the same.


    ¡°Hahaha, someone sure is eager to see the fruits of their labour.¡±


    Mrs Korwen, meanwhile, was laughing heartily, watching me messing up like this. She was amused to no end by this¡­ as was Lily, who was similarly grinning right behind her.


    ¡°Really, Yumi, that¡¯s such an amateurish mistake to make.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, shut up, you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you do it like this.¡±


    Lily presented a pair of gloves to me. Or rather, those were basically oven mittens.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re fully prepared.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am.¡±


    With glee, Lily donned her mittens and picked up the Cucus Bread that was still baking¡ªor more like roasting¡ªover the fire.


    ¡°Look!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I can see it. You¡¯re doing great.¡±


    ¡°What an incredible amount of emotion and sincerity behind that voice.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t much emotion nor sincerity to be had for someone looking so smug about a pair of oven mittens.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s the taste?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Ah, wait a moment.¡±


    Lily fetched a knife and cautiously cut the bread into slices. Steam wafted up from it, a telltale sign of the heat it was still retaining.


    ¡°Oh, this looks good. Then, here I go.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait, Li¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hot?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Things happened so fast, that there was no way for me to react to them at all. Lily had picked up a slice of the Cucus Bread and bit right into it. Into the steaming hot bread¡­


    ¡°... Ha.¡±


    ¡°Uuii! Oon aaf!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are trying to say.¡±


    Not with her fanning her tongue as she tried to cool it down.


    ¡°Lily, dear, that¡¯s why they say that small sins are punished at once. Rina, fetch me some water, would you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs Korwen!¡±


    Shortly after running off, Rina returned, holding a mug with water and offered it to Lily. The latter promptly took up the mug to cool her tongue. And for some reason, her ears were twitching like crazy.


    ¡°Ahhh! Better¡­ Why is it so hot?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fresh, what did you expect?¡±


    ¡°Bread usually isn¡¯t this hot!¡±


    It wasn¡¯t? Somehow, I doubted that¡­


    ¡°Well, either way, we should probably wait for them to cool down and watch the others.¡±


    After all, these were only the first batch. Sure, each bread was quite sizeable, but we needed food for several days, lest we¡¯d have to fall back on the rations¡­ Something we all wanted to avoid.


    ¡°I guess so¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Lily, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine, Rina. Only burnt my tongue a little.¡±


    ¡°Do you need some more water?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good. Thanks.¡±


    Something cold like ice cubes would probably be nice just about now. They were great for moments like this. Unfortunately, we didn¡¯t have any so that was a vain thought.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Hey, Sis. I know that we¡¯re leaving pretty late but how late? Are we really going to be fine if we¡¯re going to finish all of this?¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    Making our travelling rations had become a rather time-consuming process. It took far longer than I had anticipated, to be honest. Even though Karen had kneaded the dough for me in the later batches¡­


    ¡°Can¡¯t make it bake faster so it¡¯s not like we can change it now¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn, you¡¯re right.¡±


    We could only hope we¡¯d make it in time. It was already noon now so it shouldn¡¯t be too long anymore.


    ¡°Speaking of which, having all this bread is great and all but how do we store it? Mrs Korwen, is it fine not to cool it down?¡±


    ¡°It is, don¡¯t worry. It keeps longer in cold storage but even without it, it¡¯ll be fine for a few days. Ah, but the ones with meat should be eaten tomorrow at the latest.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡±


    We had split the fillings rather evenly between meat, vegetables and fruits so that wasn¡¯t a big issue for us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Lily?¡±


    ¡°Come here if you want to try a slice too.¡±


    With a grin, Lily was offering us some of the Cucus Bread she had cut earlier. I was quite curious so this was a pretty welcome offer.


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lily.¡±


    We received a slice each. It was still pretty hot, much to my surprise.


    ¡°Then here we go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I blew on the slice a little to cool it down, then bit right into it.


    ¡°Nn? This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    How to say it¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bland.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Hey, those were my honest thoughts¡­ It¡¯s not like it was bad and it was most assuredly better than those rations but it was still a little¡­ how to say it. The meat gave it some taste but the bread itself? It was surprisingly bland.


    ¡°Yumi¡¯s right, though. This isn¡¯t really like bread¡­ Though it is better than the rations. By a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not hard.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Poor rations. Bullied by these two.


    ¡°I think this would go well with a simple sauce or stew, though.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s going to be difficult on the road.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Dipping this bread into a stew did sound quite tempting¡­ Maybe we should try that some other time.


    ¡°Hey, Lily. Bis Sis, Lil¡¯ Sis.¡±


    ¡±Yes, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we get some food at the town?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now that she mentioned it¡­ That certainly would have been possible? We¡¯d still need food for a day to the town but other than that¡­


    ¡°That¡¯d be difficult, Rina,¡± answered Lily.


    ¡°Because of money.¡±


    ¡°But we have some money, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We do. But it¡¯s a different currency.¡±


    Oh. Ohh¡­ I had completely forgotten that issue. Now that she mentioned it, Korwen and the others sometimes mentioned a name with silver and gold coins.


    ¡°I think they were called Famiu?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Yumi. Famiu coins are the most common currency around here. The empire, Lafria and even Krohmea use it. When you go further east down to Bruven or the independent cities, there are a few others in circulation. And then you have Aldreigh. They use this stuff.¡±


    Lily picked up a small pouch and took out a small coin.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this? Is this¡­ silver? No¡­ Ehh? Lily, what is that?¡±


    ¡°Ha, surprised, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Of course, I was. The coin was shimmering in a slight blue to red but otherwise looked like a regular iron coin.


    ¡°They call them magic coins. They¡¯re made of some weird magic metal that gives them this unique glow. Nobody quite knows what it is, though. Makes it safe from counterfeiting. Well, other than that it¡¯s really just like a lump of iron.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    A mysterious metal turned into coins.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool. But if they¡¯re safe from counterfeiting, why haven¡¯t we seen this coin before?¡±


    You¡¯d think a currency that couldn¡¯t be forged would be tempting. For merchants and many others.


    ¡°Aldreigh strictly regulates the circulation and the number of coins in total. If I had to guess, they simply don¡¯t have the capacity to manufacture enough for widespread circulation.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡±


    This wasn¡¯t money you could simply print¡­


    ¡°To add to that¡ªand what is our actual problem¡ªforeign currencies are generally not accepted in Aldreigh. They mainly deal with these coins. You can exchange your money if you ask the right merchant but you can expect to lose a lot of money that way.¡±


    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Beats me. Most of this is what I heard from Papa and¡­ someone else, anyway.¡±


    For a second, I thought there was a conflicted expression coming over Lily, but she immediately lit up again. It might have been just my imagination.


    ¡°Either way, with the limited circulation, the Black Guards always had to preserve their stock of magic coins. I assume it¡¯s similar for the Dragon Knights.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then it would be hard to buy something, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure Papa will take some money with him and I got a few of these myself. But I¡¯d rather not spend them if I can help it, too.¡±


    That was reasonable. If it was hard to get your hands on them¡­


    ¡°By the way, how much would one of these be worth?¡±


    ¡°Worth? Well, that¡¯s hard to say¡­¡±


    Lily furrowed her brows as she thought about it.


    ¡°I¡¯d say one of these would be around three Famiu silver if you actually bought something in Aldreigh with it? If you exchanged them directly for money, it could be easily four or five times that. Assuming you do so outside Aldreigh.¡±


    ¡°Woah, that¡¯s¡­ quite a difference.¡±


    Five times as much in worth?! That was¡­ simply incredible.


    ¡°Lily, couldn¡¯t you make money in Aldreigh and then exchange it in Lafria and buy things here then?¡± asked Rina


    ¡°No. Aldreigh has outlawed that. Err, I think it¡¯s because the money they want to keep in the country would flow out of it. Ugh, you¡¯re asking me things I barely know anything about either¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    I could only laugh dryly as I watched Lily troubled by the questions. This clearly wasn¡¯t her area of expertise.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. Anyway, it¡¯s outlawed. It¡¯s fine if you keep your money or if it¡¯s just a small amount a single time. But anything bigger, I guess, would become a problem.¡±


    ¡°Too bad.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t change it.¡±


    It would have been a pretty efficient way to make money. Actually¡­


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t some people try to do that anyway? Criminals and the like.¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s something I really have no clue about, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Would have been surprised if she did. Or maybe worried. After all, Lily was an upstanding citizen¡­ Or not. Did we even count as citizens? Did we pay taxes and stuff like that? Or what¡ª


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Mna?!¡±


    Suddenly, something poked my forehead, dragging me back out of my thoughts.


    ¡°Oh, that was cute.¡±


    ¡°Sis? What is it?¡±


    ¡°You were already starting to think about something, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... Can¡¯t say I do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You suck at it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, that was something I probably should keep in mind for the future. But did I sink into thoughts so often that Karen had to poke me?


    ¡°Sorry, I was just wondering about a few things.¡±


    ¡°About criminals?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Criminals? Oh, err, in a way.¡±


    Karen regarded me with suspicion. She had just told me I sucked at lying so it was probably no wonder she had read me like a book again. However, she didn¡¯t hound me over it. She really was the best.


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t get involved with any shady characters. That can¡¯t turn out well.¡±


    ¡°I never intended to, Lily. Believe me, that¡¯s the last thing I¡¯d ever want to get involved with.¡±


    That was something I¡¯d only ever consider if I was at the end of my rope.


    ¡°That makes me relieved to hear.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    I really never planned on becoming a criminal if I could help it, though¡­  Also, strictly speaking, Karen was the last one who should say that. This little Miss Pickpocket.


    ¡°More importantly, how is the bread looking?¡±


    ¡°The bread?¡±


    Everyone turned around to the fire. We had been rather absorbed in our small talk, so they must have forgotten to check on it as well. Fortunately, there were two others with the presence of mind to watch over it.


    ¡°The bread is nearly done.¡±


    ¡°Look, Lily, Big Sis, Lil Sis! It¡¯s a lot of bread!¡±


    Yes, it was. Mrs Korwen and Rina had already picked up the bread that was done, leaving only the last batch to roast over the fire.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Rina, that¡¯s a lot.¡±


    A small mountain of Cucus Bread.


    ¡°By the way, we still haven¡¯t decided where to store these.¡±


    ¡°Well, where else but your wagon?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, I thought so. Where else¡­


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the price we have to pay for decent food.¡±


    Or, at least, food that was better than those rations.


    ¡°Should we start carrying them to the wagon already? By the end, the remainder should be done, too,¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Unless we wanted Greyward to tell us to get a move on because we were wasting time, of course. Which we definitely didn¡¯t want.


    ---


    Karen, Lily and I carried our new rations into our wagon while Mrs Korwen and Rina watched the remainder. Once those were baked, or roasted, and carried into our wagon, we were finished with everything we needed to prepare for the trip.


    And we were just in time, as shortly after someone from the Black Guards delivered a message to get ready to move out. We harnessed a warox to the wagon and Lily steered it towards the meeting point.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s quite a big group.¡±


    ¡°Most of them seem to be from the Black Guards. But I think a few of them are from the Dragon Knights as well.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I recognise a few faces.¡±


    Sitting on the driver¡¯s bench, we watched the large group of mercenaries, all ready to move out. Greyward was giving a few last instructions before we could leave.


    ¡°Including ours, that¡¯s six wagons. Are those really enough?¡±


    There were well over two dozen mercenaries in this group. That left only five of them to sleep in and use for supplies.


    ¡°Yumi, one of them is my wagon.¡±


    ¡°... Right. That¡¯s not making it better, Lily.¡±


    It only meant that there were only four of them ready to use for them¡­


    ¡°You have to remember, a good dozen can sleep in one wagon. More if you squeeze a little. Two dozen if you are really desperate.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Maybe my view had become a little skewed since Karen and I had our own wagon now. Didn¡¯t make it better that Lily had her own one as well. Which she now shared with Rina.


    ¡°By the way, who is going to steer your wagon, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Papa, of course.¡±


    ¡°Greyward is?!¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Well, that was a little surprising¡­


    ¡°Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to come along, you know? He doesn¡¯t want to order someone to do it just so we can have it more comfortable, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I see, that does make sense.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s also why I want Karen to learn how to drive a wagon.¡±


    Yeah, that was a good point. We already had our extra comfort, after all. The least we could do was to take care of it ourselves.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not particularly hard.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Seeing Karen stiffen up like that, Lily couldn¡¯t help but chuckle.


    ¡°Everyone, listen up!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s starting.¡±


    Right then, Greyward shouted out loud, drawing all of our attention to him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll now be moving out to the town of Melfin. Do the last check now. I don¡¯t want to hear anyone crying later they forgot to take their favourite pillow along and can¡¯t sleep, you hear that?¡±


    Laughter and chuckles arose from within the surrounding mercenaries.


    ¡°Good. Everyone who has nothing to do, get in the wagons. Don¡¯t stand in the way if you can¡¯t make yourself useful. I¡¯ll take the lead. Remember which wagon is in front of you. That¡¯s all. Prepare to move out!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhh!¡±¡±¡±


    The mercenaries cheered and began with their final checks.


    ¡°We have everything, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Rina, do you two want to stay up here on the driver¡¯s bench?¡±


    ¡°As long as we¡¯re not in the way.¡±


    I didn¡¯t mind being alone with Rina but if possible, I wanted to stay with Karen.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, as long as you don¡¯t bother Karen while I¡¯m teaching her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll hold you onto that.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that scary.


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re moving out.¡±


    The first wagon, probably Lily¡¯s, was now moving, taking point. Another wagon followed up right behind it, followed by yet another.


    ¡°Okay, here we go.¡±


    Lily spurned the waroxen and we took our place in the caravan.


    A little sad how we didn¡¯t even do a proper farewell¡­


    I glance back to the camp. We had simply left without making a big ruckus out of it. In fact, I hadn¡¯t even had the chance to say bye to Fenna, Ria or the others.


    ¡°Nn? Sis, look!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    At that moment, I spotted a few familiar faces in the camp, waving in our direction.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s Emily, Maya and Sele.¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯re right.¡±


    And behind them stood Korwen, smiling wryly as he watched over the three girls. Emily was waving with both arms, jumping up and down. Maya was lifting her arm and waving normally, while Sele was only giving us a meek wave, her arm barely at chest height. Just seeing them like that I could already imagine hearing Emily and Maya shout our names while Sele would barely whisper them.


    ¡°Sis, let¡¯s wave back.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We waved to the girls and Korwen. Lily and Rina joined in as well. Seeing that we had noticed them, the three girls only grew more energetic.


    We kept waving until they were barely as large a dot. For a good while, I glanced towards the distance where the town and the camp were, watching them grow smaller and smaller.


    ¡°There we go, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    We had left for the trip to Melfin. All we could do now was hope we¡¯d make it back soon enough.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I already feel like I¡¯m missing them.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I can understand.¡±


    Those three had grown on me. A lot. They were really good girls.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up as fast as we can and get back to them.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That would be the best.


    ¡°Maybe we should look for a souvenir for them.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any money, though.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    Without money, that¡¯d be indeed hard. Since Aldreigh had its own currency, we didn¡¯t bother the treasurer to give us some money. There wasn¡¯t much of a point to bring currency we couldn¡¯t use.


    ¡°Sorry to interrupt you two, but please don¡¯t forget us and delve into your own world. And in the first place, I wanted to teach Karen now.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Lily. I¡¯m ready.¡±


    Karen smiled wryly at me before turning to Lily and picking her up on the offer to be taught about driving.


    I listened for a few seconds to them as Lily explained the reins, how to steer the waroxen and what to be careful of.


    I better not interrupt them. Lily and Sis would both get mad at me¡­


    Instead, I opted to watch the scenery as it slowly passed us. The town of Auria had grown small now. The lake behind it, however, was growing larger the further we got from it. It was a pretty blue, covering the horizon.


    The Grand Spirit Lake, huh¡­ and the Sleeping Forest right next to it.


    Only now, that I saw the giant lake together with the forest next to it, did I wonder about it. There was a spirit corpse beneath the forest. Right next to a lake that was named after the spirits. That... couldn¡¯t be a coincidence, could it?


    Were there other spirit corpses near the lake? Or rather, why was it called the Grand Spirit Lake? Maybe its story would shed some light on the spirit corpse?


    But Lily seems a little busy, right now¡­


    What, with teaching Karen and all that.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good, Karen. Now hold onto them and make sure the waroxen don¡¯t steer from the path.¡±


    ¡°O¡ª Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not hard. They¡¯re smart ones.¡±


    Then again, it seemed that Lily had handed the reins to Karen, only watching her from now on. Maybe I could ask her now?


    ¡°Hey, Lily, I have a question. Is now good?¡±


    ¡°Mm? Sure, shoot. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Why is the lake called the Grand Spirit Lake?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I think that¡¯s because that place used to be a major battlefield during the Great Spirit War. It¡¯s said that hundreds¡ªif not thousands¡ªof spirits died here, their blood gathering in the crater created by the Witch¡¯s magic until it became the lake we now know.¡±


    A crater? And a pool of blood? Seriously, that story was far more messed up than I had been expecting. Just how many spirits died there to create a lake of this size? Also¡­


    ¡°... Does a spirit¡¯s blood turn into water?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person.¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡±


    Spirits were something I knew little about but even then I couldn¡¯t imagine their blood turning into water¡­ Well, it was likely the story had been embellished, so it was probably not much use to think about that.


    But if there¡¯s even a small bit of truth in that story, then that corpse might really have a relation to the lake¡­


    Or rather, I would be surprised if it was pure coincidence.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how much is true about it but I remember Mama saying that she did fight some spirits there.¡±


    ¡°... The crater isn¡¯t actually her work, is it?¡±


    ¡°Ahahahaha¡­ I asked that as well but she didn¡¯t answer me.¡±


    Okay, that was a little disturbing. Then again, I already knew how outrageous Yumias was anyway. This wouldn¡¯t change much¡­ right?


    No, no matter how I think about it creating a giant lake-sized crater is absolutely horrifying.


    Assuming it was true¡­ while I couldn¡¯t outright say it wasn¡¯t¡ªknowing what she was capable of, even if it was only a fraction of it¡ªit was still something I simply couldn¡¯t imagine.


    ¡°Not like we could confirm it anyway.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, that¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°A historian might know about it, though. But why the sudden interest?¡±


    ¡°Well, I just saw the lake and the Sleeping Forest right next to it¡­ and, you know¡­ I wondered if there was a connection.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t really thought about it too much before. Only now after I saw the two right next to each, did I wonder if there was more to it.


    ¡°Because of what they found beneath the fort?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... I see. There might be a connection. But I can¡¯t tell you for sure.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine. Didn¡¯t expect you to, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well now, that hurts me!¡±


    Right, as if.


    ¡°Ah, Karen, steer them a little to the left or they¡¯ll drift off. You don¡¯t want to get too close to the edge or you¡¯ll run in danger of getting a wheel stuck.¡±


    ¡°Okay! Like this?¡±


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    Karen corrected the course a little, her expression still tense.


    ¡°Err, where were we¡­ The lake and the forest, right¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Maybe we should ask Papa about it. Or Wendl. He tends to know some weird stuff.¡±


    Not like we had many other options anyway.


    ¡°But I certainly can see where you are coming from¡­ It might really be something that was left there during the Great Spirit War.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Which also makes me wonder if it is the only one.¡±


    ¡°... I know that others like it have been found before. But I couldn¡¯t tell you where.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Guess even Lily wouldn¡¯t know. She might have a good memory but there was no point to it nobody had ever told her about it.


    ¡°You definitely should talk with Wendl about it, though. And Ria. And Papa. I mean, it¡¯s part of the reason why we¡¯re going on this trip so it¡¯s better he knows.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point. I¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Probably should do that when we take a break then.


    ¡°By the way, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... What do you do in this situation?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    I was confused by that statement. What situation? Turning around to face Lily, I saw quite a scene. Rina was leaning against Lily. Or rather, she was already halfway into Lily¡¯s lap, dozing. Maybe she was already sleeping even. I couldn¡¯t be sure, but it did seem like she was asleep.


    In that case, there was only one proper response.


    ¡°Tough it out.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for nothing, Yumi.¡±


    And the sky turned crimson, devoured by a fiery blaze.


    The ground wailed like a dying spirit, ripped apart at its very seams.


    Our very stars rained upon us, bringing the eternal night with them.


    And among it all, there was the shade of a person, nay, a child.


    A single child, young enough to lay in her mother¡¯s arms.


    Her hands raised to the heavens, to our Great Protectors.


    Grasping the final hope.


    And our Great Protectors fell from heaven.


    Their grace, their dignity, their life, robbed.


    And the child, the child is laughing.


    An innocent giggle, so sickly sweet.


    Laughing at the world, at us.


    For she knew.


    She was the Terminus.


    The End of All.


    Beyond her


    was nothing.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: To the Aldreighan Border

    ¡°Hmhmhmmm, hmhm, hmhmhmmm.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s in a good mood.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. Look, the weather is great, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn, well, I get that.¡±


    Somehow, you did feel pretty great when the weather was as good as it was today. And it wasn¡¯t too hot either. At least, not outside on the driver¡¯s bench. The inside of the wagon was bound to be sweltering right now.


    ¡°And to top it all off, I don¡¯t even have to drive the wagon!¡±


    ¡°... Somehow, I¡¯m sorry for always making you do that, Lily.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, no worries.¡±


    Lily laughed, dismissing it casually.


    ¡°It¡¯s great that Karen is such a quick learner. Makes it a lot easier on me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Though the person in question was too focused on driving that she didn¡¯t even have time to respond. Or maybe she hadn¡¯t even listened to us in the first place. Who knows?


    Either way, she was concentrating on the two beasts in front of her, occasionally pulling on the reins and correcting the course. At first, Lily had to point out every small thing but after barely an hour, there wasn¡¯t much of a need for her to do it anymore. Which allowed her to lean back and enjoy the ride.


    ¡°How long does it usually take to learn?¡±


    ¡°If you just want to get moving, not that long. Depends a little on the waroxen, though. Some of them can be really stubborn.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s how it was sometimes when you worked with animals like them.


    ¡°Experience usually teaches the rest after that.¡±


    ¡°Nn, so Sis just have to keep driving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s correct. Did you hear that, Karen? We¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    ¡°... Lily, please don¡¯t disturb me now!¡±


    ¡°You can do it!¡±


    A big grin came over Lily as she cheered Karen on. The latter clearly not amused by this distraction.


    ¡°Karen, go! Karen, go!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Lily, or I¡¯ll tell Rina all about the dumb stuff you said before!¡±


    ¡°Huh? Wait, which stuff? Which stuff do you mean?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Karen?!¡±


    Wow, she actually managed to make Karen mad. That was a rare sight for sure.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry, Karen. I won¡¯t bother you again, so please don¡¯t tell Rina.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll think about it.¡±


    ¡°Karen!¡±


    ¡°Lalala.¡±


    And now it was Karen who was grinning. How the tables turned.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised Rina didn¡¯t wake up yet from all the commotion,¡± I said, looking at the girl sleeping in Lily¡¯s lap.


    Considering how loud those two were, I was sure I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep through that.


    ¡°Mh? Ahh, you¡¯re right. Recently, she¡¯s been sleeping like a rock.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Recently?¡±


    ¡°... She woke up pretty easily at first. Well¡­ you know¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn.¡±


    Maybe it was a blessing that she could sleep so well now.


    ¡°Guess you did well then, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Me?¡±


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s sleeping in your lap, after all.¡±


    ¡°But, I mean¡­¡±


    Lily stared at Rina for several seconds, her expression one of uncertainty.


    ¡°Did I really do well?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Nothing. It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She shook her head, before gently patting Rina.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just keep doing my best. If her sleeping better is a sign of progress, then I guess I really did at least something right.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, good luck, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I was sure those two would be able to deal with anything that would come to them in the future.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Mna¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me we woke her up now?¡±


    Just then, the person we had talked about was stirring in Lily¡¯s lap, moving a little, making a few questionable sounds. She nuzzled her head against Lily¡¯s stomach, causing the latter¡¯s ears to twitch a little. Before long, she settled back into Lily¡¯s lap and continued to sleep peacefully.


    ¡°That surprised me.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Me too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, she is sleeping, right?¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure she is.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I stared at Rina but no matter how I looked at her, she was asleep. The only thing I noticed was that her face was a little red¡­


    ¡°... Hey, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really wonderful weather.¡±


    ¡°Huh? I mean, it is?¡±


    Lily tilted her head, confused.


    ¡°And the sun is shining as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I hope we won¡¯t get a sunburn.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    I stared right at Rina and Lily¡¯s gaze followed mine. She looked at Rina for a few seconds¡­


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Basking in the sun was nice and all but getting a sunburn was no fun.


    ¡°Do we have anything to give some shade?¡±


    ¡°... Doesn¡¯t seem so.¡±


    The driver¡¯s bench was amazingly empty, safe for its four passengers and the things they carried on their person.


    ¡°... No choice. Yumi, is there something in your wagon that could be used for some shade?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Err¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ There are some of our clothes but¡­¡±


    ¡°That would already be more than enough. Mind taking over for a moment?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Before I could reply, Lily had gently lifted Rina from her lap, making her squirm a little in search of her pillow. Then, she stood up, somehow managed to keep Rina stable, while standing on the driver¡¯s bench. The whole spectacle happened so fast I couldn¡¯t even react properly when Lily addressed me.


    ¡°Yumi, take my place.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Okay?¡±


    I scooted over, switching places with Lily as she placed Rina in my lap before climbing over me.


    ¡°Then, just a moment.¡±


    As if that wasn¡¯t enough, Lily grabbed the edge of the wagon¡¯s roof, leaving the driver¡¯s bench and dangling from the roof.


    ¡°Lily?! What are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°Just fetching some of your stuff. Oh, I probably should have asked if it¡¯s okay for me to take some?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind that, that¡¯s fine but¡ª¡±


    ¡°Great, one moment then!¡±


    I peeked behind the corner, watching with dread as Lily was climbing to the door with astonishing confidence. And she reached it, opened the door and disappeared inside.


    ¡°... I am not sure if I should be amazed or appalled.¡±


    I was still in the middle of processing the scene. Just now, Lily had left Rina with me and climbed into the wagon. A moving wagon. Sure, they weren¡¯t incredibly fast¡ªthis wasn¡¯t a car from my old world¡ªbut it would be dangerous nonetheless if she fell off. Like, really dangerous.


    ¡°Rina, do me a favour and tell her to have some common sense.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s rich coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sis. I thought you were busy there.¡±


    But apparently not enough, since she could still jab at me.


    ¡°You really think I can concentrate when I see Lily climbing all over us?¡±


    ¡°Point taken.¡±


    That would have been amazing in a different way.


    ¡°Even if she were to fall off, she¡¯d be able to handle it. Lily¡¯s strong, after all.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess she would.¡±


    Alas, that scene was just giving me goosebumps just from watching. Yes, thinking about it rationally, Lily was easily capable of feats like this.


    ¡°Yumi! Is it fine if I take this?¡±


    I peeked behind the corner again, finding Lily with her upper body peeking out from the door. She was holding a long piece of cloth. It was swaying around so it was hard to make out what it was.


    What even is that? That¡¯s not one of my shirts nor the one-piece dress.


    If it wasn¡¯t from me, it was probably Karen¡¯s.


    ¡°I think that belongs to Sis so I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°This is Karen¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you two are talking about but it¡¯s fine if she wants to use it, if it¡¯s mine,¡± said Karen.


    Well, that made things easy.


    ¡°You heard that, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Sure did. Thanks, Karen! I¡¯m coming back so make some space.¡±


    I moved a little to the side, careful not to wake Rina, so that Lily could climb on the bench. A few seconds later, Lily reappeared, holding the mysterious piece of cloth under her arm.


    ¡°There we go. Yumi, I¡¯ll take over again.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sure. Err, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Let me. Can you hold this?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I took the cloth from Lily and let her handle Rina. She cautiously lifted the sleeping girl, let me move away and then replaced me, taking back her spot as Rina¡¯s pillow. For someone who hadn¡¯t known earlier what to even do in that situation, she sure didn¡¯t want to let go her spot.


    ¡°Okay, so what is this even?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, I found them in some corner.¡±


    She spread out the piece of cloth¡­ It was around the length of my arm. Pink.


    ¡°Ah. I know what that is. But, huh?¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    This was¡­ most definitely some of the cloth¡­ or leather¡­ that was made from my hair. But did we actually have some of this in the wagon?


    ¡°Guess there were some leftovers then? Nn¡­¡±


    Not like it really mattered.


    ¡°So, can I use this?¡±


    ¡°I think so. But will that be enough? What can you even do with that?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t going to drape it over Rina¡¯s face, was she? She was asleep, not dead.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Watch.¡±


    Lily spread out the cloth¡­ leather piece and placed it on the sleeping Rina. Not on her face, of course.


    What she did next, though, surprised me.


    ¡°... Lily, why are you picking up your sword?¡±


    ¡°Well, I need something to secure it to?¡±


    The massive two-handed sword, placed securely beneath the driver¡¯s bench in case of emergencies, was now used as a pole. For a curtain. She literally just attached it to the sword with a small strap she took from the scabbard and then held it up high.


    ¡°There we go. Now Rina is safe.¡±


    ¡°Nn, she is¡­ But are you going to hold the sword like that the whole time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only until we take a break, so I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    That was definitely going to turn into a sore arm.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that long anymore. After that, I¡¯ll try to see if I can get something else from my wagon.¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Well, it was better than letting Rina get a sunburn. Still, it couldn¡¯t be very comfortable.


    ¡°Nn, if we had a tarp we could put it over the driver¡¯s bench for shade.¡±


    ¡°Over the bench? How do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean, securing it above us.¡±


    ¡°... Oh! Like you see in town sometimes?¡±


    ¡°Err, I guess?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t seen that in Larfas nor in Auria but there had to be places where those existed.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a great idea. I¡¯ll have to tell Papa about that.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t only help against the sun either. If it rained, that would make it more comfortable as well. You stayed dry unless the wind was too strong.


    ¡°But how do you usually deal with the sun? I would have thought you had something against the sun.¡±


    ¡°Well, I rarely ever see someone get a sunburn?¡±


    ¡°Huh? You don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t.¡±


    They rarely ever got sunburns? Seriously? Was this¡­ common here?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realise it was a sunburn. I wondered if Rina had caught something at first.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m thankful you told me.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no problem.¡±


    She didn¡¯t even realise, huh¡­ So they really had to deal with that rarely. Was this because they were always outside anyway? Or¡­ was this simply normal for everyone here? I knew that the people here were quite different from the people in my old world, but this was still a bit of a surprise.


    ¡°Oh well, at least Rina is protected now.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­  But she¡¯s still a little red.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll go away after a while.¡±


    Hopefully.


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Lily patted Rina again, all the while holding the sword with the curtain in her other hand.


    Just watching the two made me smile. It was nice to see how well they got along.


    Still, I¡¯m a little worried about Lily holding that sword all the time now¡­


    Alas, I didn¡¯t disturb her either¡­ So I decided to simply watch Lily as she cared for Rina¡­


    Not too long after Lily made the sunscreen-slash-sword for Rina, it was already time for our break. Just as Lily had said, it wouldn¡¯t be that long until the break. However, at the time I hadn¡¯t known the reason yet.


    ¡°Lily, what is that?¡±


    I pointed to the buildings in front of us. I could only see a small part past the other wagons in front of us but what I could see were several small one-storey buildings. My first thought was that we were passing a village but there were no fields here. Also, there were far too few buildings for a village only four or five or so.


    ¡°That¡¯s the border checkpoint.¡±


    ¡°The border checkpoint? Then, this is the border to Aldreigh?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    We were already at the border¡­ Incredible. It had been only a few hours or so at most. The sun was still up, too. Yet, we had gone from Auria to the border in that short span of time.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a break here while Papa talks with the border guards.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ Is that going to take long?¡±


    ¡°Should take a while, I think?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    No wonder we¡¯d take a break here then. But still¡­ That we arrived at the border already is just too astonishing for me.


    ¡°That means Auria really is close to the Aldreighan. But I didn¡¯t think it was this close.¡±


    ¡°Surprised?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am.¡±


    How couldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too surprised about just this. Or you¡¯ll have trouble keeping up when we arrive in Melfin.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is it something to be that surprised about?¡±


    ¡°If it is anything like the other Aldreighan cities, yes. Look forward to it.¡±


    Well now, wasn¡¯t she raising my expectations there.


    ¡°Lily, before you two keep going, what should I do now? Aren¡¯t we going to stop?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    ¡°Tell me what to do then!¡±


    Lily giggled, seeing the slightly panicking Karen. Only now did I notice that the wagon in front of us was already slowing down.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Karen. You just have to pull it slightly like this. Right, that¡¯s right. See, they¡¯re slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ They¡¯re really going slower.¡±


    ¡°Right? And even if you hadn¡¯t done anything, they would have stopped on their own. They¡¯re smart, after all. And nobody wants to walk into a wall, right.¡±


    ¡±Now that you mention it¡­¡±


    Karen scowled as she watched the waroxen slowing down. Maybe she was a little annoyed that she had completely missed that?


    ¡°Seems we¡¯ll come to a stop anytime soon now. Time to wake up Rina¡­¡±


    Lily stared down at the sleeping girl in her lap, clearly reluctant to disturb that peaceful face. I couldn¡¯t fault her for it, I¡¯d feel bad too. I was only glad it wasn¡¯t me who had to wake her up.


    ¡°Rina. Rina, wake up.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­. Mmm¡­¡±


    Lily gently shook her, calling out her name. After a few seconds, Rina¡¯s eyes opened, groggily trying to take in the surroundings.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Pink¡­ Lil¡¯ Sis?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Lily¡¯s voice? Lily¡­ became Lil¡¯ Sis?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wrong too. I¡¯m still me.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Then¡­ Lil¡¯ Sis was always Lily?¡±


    ¡°Do me a favour and wake up¡­¡±


    Yes, at this point, one of us had to become the other¡­ Worst case, we¡¯d have to become one¡­ and I¡¯d firmly refuse that. Sorry.


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Maybe following Lily¡¯s request, Rina sat up, looking around and rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Oh, it¡¯s Lily. And there¡¯s Lil¡¯ Sis¡­ Thank the Spirits, you¡¯re not one.¡±


    Rina smiled, but she was still a little wobbly. Seeing her like this, I had this sudden urge to mess with her a little.


    ¡°Yes, for now, we¡¯re still separate, Rina. But if things keep going like this¡­¡±


    ¡°Ehh? Lil¡¯ Sis¡­ You¡¯ll turn into Lily?¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll become one person.¡±


    ¡°... Oh, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    How the hell was that fine?


    ¡°I like Lily and I like Lil¡¯ Sis so I¡¯ll like you even if you are one. Mm, then you¡¯ll be Lil¡¯ Lily? Or just Lil¡¯ Sis Lily? Oh, Yumily?¡±


    Ah, the last one sounded a little cute.


    ¡°Rina, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what Yumi was trying to say there.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Just forget about it. She¡¯s talking nonsense anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    It was nonsense, but why did I feel like I just made a fool out of myself? Probably because I did¡­


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t do things like that, Yumi,¡± scolded Karen.


    ¡°Nn, I learnt my lesson.¡±


    ¡°Good. Also, I¡¯d be quite angry if something like that would happen for real. So don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d be mad about it, too, so I¡¯ll make sure it won¡¯t.¡±


    How the hell would that even be possible¡­ But that would be inappropriate of me to say now, right?


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve stopped.¡±


    ¡°Nn? YAh, you¡¯re right.¡±


    We had, indeed, come to a stop, finally.


    ¡°Rina, are you awake now?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I was always awake.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a no. Can you get down on your own?¡±


    ¡°... Carry me.¡±


    With a wry smile, Lily wordlessly lifted Rina into her arms and climbed down from the bench.


    ¡°... That looks nice.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you will be able to carry me like that in the future, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try my best.¡±


    But no high expectations, please. That wasn¡¯t going to be easy¡­


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s get down for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We climbed off the bench. Having solid ground under my feet was nice. The wagon wasn¡¯t swaying terribly or anything but it was a little tiring. Especially on my behind. It was hard to complain though when next to me had been Lily, with Rina on her lap and holding up the curtain.


    ¡°Back on solid ground. But this was still a lot faster than I expected.¡±


    ¡°It was. I thought it would take at least until evening.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    But, here we were.


    We both moved a little off the road, taking a look at the checkpoint in front of us. Just as I had thought, it was only a few buildings. The road itself was barricaded by a few large logs, preventing us from going through. Several men and women dressed as guards were standing in front of it.


    ¡°Nn? Hey, Sis, are those demonkin over there?¡±


    ¡°Which ones?¡±


    ¡°The ones in the back.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ I can¡¯t quite see them well.¡±


    I was pretty sure they were demonkin, though. They had horns, tails and one of them even had small wings. They all had different traits, though. None of them was the same as the other.


    I heard that demonkin are¡­ full of variety, in a sense. But I thought that there was at least a bit of similarity¡­ I mean, Sis and Rina both have the same traits.


    They both had cute tails.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Huh? He¡¯s waving over to us.¡±


    ¡°I think he wants us to come over, Yumi.¡±


    That¡­ That wasn¡¯t going to mean that our break was on-hold, right? Wonderful¡­


    ¡°... Do we have to?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. Lily, Mr Greyward wants us to come.¡±


    ¡°Papa is calling?! I¡¯m coming!¡±


    At least, we weren¡¯t alone in losing our break. Rina and Lily would join us¡­ How heartwarming.


    The four of us walked past the other wagons, several of the mercenaries already relaxing, taking a walk or stretching their bodies. Only a few were doing the little bit of work they could do.


    ¡°Mr Greyward, you called for us?¡±


    ¡°I did. Mind accompanying me?¡±


    He pointed towards the checkpoint.


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t mind. Is there a reason?¡±


    ¡°Of course there is. It¡¯s the first time for you three in Aldreigh, right? So there are a few things we¡¯ll have to get out of the way before you can get in.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Was this like the time in Larfas, where they had to register us for that mana barrier so we could enter?


    ¡°You¡¯ll see before long what I mean. I¡¯d rather get this over with sooner than later, so let¡¯s go.¡±


    With Greyward in the lead, we approached the checkpoint. Several guards came out to meet us, while the others stayed behind. But even then, I could see they were all on alert. Little surprise, if an armed group approached the checkpoint¡­


    ¡°Good day to you. Coming to pass through?¡± asked the guard in front of their group.


    The tone in his voice was steady and practised as if he had said those very same words hundreds of times already.


    ¡°Good day to you, too. We want to pass through, that¡¯s correct.¡±


    ¡°Then, do you have anything to identify yourself with? And please tell us your purpose for entering the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯m Johnson Greyward, a mercenary of the Blach Gua¡ª Excuse me, that¡¯s not right anymore. We belong to the Lomerian Dragon Knights. Please take this. We¡¯re intending to visit Melfin to look for supplies and workers.¡±


    Greyward handed a small badge to the guard who took it. His eyes went wide in surprise upon seeing it.


    ¡°This is¡­ I understand, Sir Greyward.¡±


    He returned the badge to Greyward and straightened his back until he was as straight as a candle.


    ¡°I hope you will permit us to search your supply wagons. This is just a formality, so please don¡¯t be alarmed.¡±


    ¡°Of course, that¡¯s no problem. They¡¯re the two wagons standing there.¡±


    The guard turned around to his fellows and motioned something to them. Four of them saluted, split into pairs and headed to each wagon.


    ¡°Thank you very much, Sir Greyward. I assure you, it will not take long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. If I may ask, I heard the last time I was in Aldreigh they would set up a registration tool at the border¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ They have indeed begun that but I fear our checkpoint has not yet been outfitted with such a tool. We are rather remote.¡±


    The guard looked a little apologetic as he said that, glancing back behind him at the few buildings.


    ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s unfortunate. Then we¡¯ll need to register them in Melfin.¡±


    ¡°Is this about the young ladies behind you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    The guard looked over the four of us. However, his gaze rested on Kare and Rina for a while. Before someone could speak up if there was anything wrong, though, he returned his attention to Greyward.


    ¡°If I may, Sir Greyward, Melfin is in a rather difficult situation right now.¡±


    ¡°A difficult situation?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you have heard of the border refits, then you probably have also heard about the expansion projects. However, it has come to a halt in Melfin due to an accident. The city is in a rather difficult state right now.¡±


    ¡°An accident?¡±


    Greyward¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at the news.


    ¡°A magical tool has gone berserk and laid waste to the development area as far as the news went. It was rather recent so none of us has seen it in person yet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible¡­¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, they evacuated the area before it blew up, so there were only few injuries. But the damage to the town is rather high. It might be difficult to find supplies or workers in this situation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Greyward closed his eyes, lost in thought.


    ¡°I understand. Thank you very much for the information. Still, we¡¯ll at least take a look at Melfin. At the very least, I want to get these girls¡¯ registrations out of the way.¡±


    ¡°I wish you well in that endeavour, Sir Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Right at that moment, the four guards he had sent out returned to us.


    ¡°All clear, Sir!¡±


    ¡°Nothing of note was found, Sir!¡±


    ¡°Well done. Return to your posts.¡±


    ¡°¡±Yessir!¡±¡±


    Not like there was much to see in them except for food.


    ¡°Very well. Sir Greyward, you¡¯re free to pass. We¡¯ll remove the barricade. Please proceed through as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Will do. Thank you for your assistance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    The guard bowed, then returned with the guards, likely to get the barricade out of the way.


    ¡°That went a lot smoother than I expected.¡±


    ¡°The power of connections, Yumi. Under normal circumstances, we would have been kept here for at least an hour, interrogated and the wagons searched from top to bottom.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ would have been a problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would. But thanks to this little thing, we won¡¯t have to worry about it.¡±


    He flashed the small badge at us, grinning broadly.


    ¡°Is that something important?¡±


    ¡°You could say it is. Identifies me as someone of status, at least. Did you notice how his demeanour shifted after he saw the badge?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I did.¡±


    It was hard not to. He went from his monotone, eternally repeated lines to calling him ¡®Sir Greyward¡¯ and even went so far as to provide us with some information.


    ¡°So, if you run into problems, come to me. I can solve most issues. Or let Lily handle it.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Our eyes turned to Lily, who awkwardly laughed.


    ¡°Well, I have one of those as well.¡±


    ¡°... Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    Someone of status¡­ Now I was a little curious as to what exactly that meant. Did it just mean that their identity was guaranteed? Or that someone powerful stood behind them? I was fairly certain they weren¡¯t aristocracy or anything. That would have come up by now for sure¡­


    ¡°Right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°That old coot Korwen said you would have a way of contacting him in a hurry¡­¡±


    ¡°Contacting?¡±


    How was I supposed to¡­ Oh, the tentacle door? That, technically, was contacting him, yes.


    ¡°I¡­ guess so?¡±


    ¡°Is it difficult to do?¡±


    ¡°Err, well¡­ Not quite. But¡­ Actually, I¡¯ll have to take a look but with some luck, it should be easy?¡±


    If the small door was still working, of course. No idea if the movement had caused it to close or anything. At least, it didn¡¯t explode so far. But if it was still open, we could use it to push a letter through it. Or, if we could somehow get Korwen to the other side, just talk with him.


    ¡°... I don¡¯t really get it but it seems there are still some issues to work out. If you have the chance to, try contacting him and report the situation with Melfin to him. The stuff we just heard.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    That certainly sounded like something Korwen should hear, yes.


    ¡°Mr Greyward, what are we going to do if we can¡¯t find supplies in Melfin?¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s it and we¡¯ll go back. No point in wasting time if half the town was turned into rubble. Might be just an over-exaggeration, so we¡¯ll have to see how bad the situation is.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°But for now, let¡¯s get a move on. Don¡¯t want the border guards to get annoyed with us because we dilly-dallied all day long in front of the checkpoint. Once we¡¯ve crossed, we can take a break, too.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    That was music to my ears.


    ¡°Seems like someone¡¯s already all ready for that break.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that wasn¡¯t praise¡­¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! It¡¯s fine. The young ones should appreciate their breaks. While they can.¡±


    Yes, I would appreciate all my breaks to their fullest. Definitely.


    Rinne


    If you enjoy reading this story, please consider taking a look at my Patreon! You can read ahead of everyone else there for just a few coffees worth a month! It helps me a lot.


    Thanks for reading!

 Chapter of Demon Desires: Long-distance Report

    It didn¡¯t take long for our caravan to resume moving after we parted with Greyward. Though I said it like that, we were just really moving through the border checkpoint. One after another, the wagons slowly proceeded, getting waved through by the guards. And before long, it was our turn.


    ¡°Just keep calm now and let the waroxen walk on their own, Karen.  Yes, just like that. No need to be nervous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous, Lily. I just¡­ don¡¯t feel very comfortable with all of them staring¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, of course they are watching with these cute girls around!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not making it better, Lily.¡±


    Karen sighed, concentrating on the waroxen in front of her. She slowly ushered them through the checkpoint, passing the guards and the barricade. The guards watched us in silence, not hurrying us or anything. I did spy a few of them smiling wryly, though. Maybe it was easy to notice that Karen wasn¡¯t very experienced in handling the waroxen.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, girl. You¡¯re through. Welcome to the Kingdom of Aldreigh, hope you¡¯ll enjoy your stay.¡±


    ¡°Ah, thank you, sir.¡±


    The guard that had welcomed us grinned before moving to the back, watching the next wagon.


    ¡°We¡¯re back¡­¡± muttered Karen in a quiet, barely audible voice.


    ¡°Are you nervous, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know. I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I gently touched her shoulder, to tell her that I was there. Her eyes wandered to me, and seconds later, she smiled.


    ¡°Thanks, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s follow the others and take that break, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯ve been waiting for that. Our break and lunch.¡±


    Karen giggled, as well as Lily and Rina, who had likely overheard me.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, Yumi. Hehe, it¡¯s  just reassuring that you¡¯re just like always.¡±


    ¡°The heck¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    I tilted my head, completely confused why the others were so amused. I didn¡¯t get it¡­


    ¡°Oh, it looks like we¡¯ll be camping right here already?¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I looked over to the other wagons in front of us, only to find them already moving to the side of the road and into the plains. Some of them had already stopped and the mercenaries were streaming out, setting up a small temporary camp.


    ¡°We really just passed the checkpoint and take our break right behind it¡­ Well, I guess that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Greyward probably just wanted to deal with the border checkpoint as soon as possible.


    ¡°Karen, move over there.¡±


    ¡°Mh? You mean here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good. Stop the waroxen now.¡±


    ¡°Ehh¡­ Like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯re doing great already, Karen!¡±


    The wagon came to a halt, the waroxen bellowing in response.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get them out quickly. Rina, wanna help me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Lily and Rina jumped off the bench and set out to get the waroxen out of their harnesses. They bellowed again and shook their giant bodies. Despite that, the wagon didn¡¯t so much as shake.


    ¡°Nn, should we get our lunch then? Or, maybe calling it dinner would be more appropriate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late already¡­¡±


    It would also depend a little on whether this was our final stop for the day or not¡­ Though from how I had understood things, we would stay here the night and leave tomorrow. Probably in the morning.


    ¡°Either way, we should get our food.¡±


    ¡°Right. But before that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen stopped me for some reason. I hadn¡¯t forgotten something, had I?


    ¡°Maybe you should try to see if you can contact Mr Captain first.¡±


    ¡°... Ahh, now that you mention it. That might be a good idea¡­ But can¡¯t we do that after we had dinner?¡±


    ¡°I think we should do that first. We don¡¯t quite know if we can even contact him, after all.  And¡­¡±


    Karen paused, glancing at Lily and Rina.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to give the two a little time together.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Well, I don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    They seemed quite energetic to me, though?


    ¡°Yumi. Let¡¯s first get into the wagon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±


    We jumped down the driver¡¯s bench and entered our wagon. Sweet home. That said, we didn¡¯t move immediately to the tentacle room but rather sat down on the bed. It seemed that Karen wanted to talk about something first.


    ¡°Sis, is something wrong?¡±


    I asked, curious what this was about? I didn¡¯t mind leaving Rina and Lily alone so they could have some time for themselves¡ªafter all, it also meant I could have some alone time with Karen¡ªbut it seemed to me that it wasn¡¯t about that this time.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like something is wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ How do I say it¡­¡±


    Karen stared at the door, keeping silent for several seconds. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, seemingly looking for words.


    ¡°Is this about Rina?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ It is¡­¡±


    Was something wrong with Rina? But it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything bothering her. Then again, Karen probably knew her better than I did.


    ¡°Yumi, you know¡­ coming back to Aldreigh¡­ It¡¯s not easy¡­ Not for me¡­ and I think especially not for Rina¡­ She remembers even less than me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how she feels about us coming here¡­ She didn¡¯t tell me anything, after all. But if it¡¯s Lily¡­¡±


    Karen closed her eyes, averting her gaze from the door again.


    ¡°If it¡¯s Lily, I¡¯m sure she can help Rina.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well! Maybe I¡¯m also just worrying for nothing. That¡­ would be the best.¡±


    ¡°Nn. It would be.¡±


    But we both knew it wasn¡¯t likely to turn out to be a pointless worry. Rina had already told Lily about her desire to take revenge. We both knew about it. But what could we even do? Rina didn¡¯t confide in Karen or me. The person she talked with about these topics was only Lily. As such, we could only rely on Lily.


    ¡°Ah, but, does Lily know about this?¡±


    ¡°I talked with her about it, so she does.¡±


    ¡°Huh? You did?¡±


    Karen nodded, confirming it.


    ¡°We talked about it earlier. Lily was also worried about it, after all.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Earlier? Just when did she have the time to do that without me or Rina noticing? Well, not like it really mattered. It wasn¡¯t like I was always staring at Karen anyway and checking what she was up to. Though we were together nearly the entire time.


    ¡°Anyway, if Lily knows about it, then I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll do something.¡±


    ¡°Mhm... I hope so.¡±


    Lily was a smart girl, after all.


    ¡°With that said, there¡¯s no point in worrying, right? Then let¡¯s see that we get our food out there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Sorry, I forgot about it for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. I¡¯m always there if you need to talk with me.¡±


    I smiled at Karen as best as I could, hoping it would reassure her a little.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s get the food.¡±


    ¡°Wait, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°You forgot we wanted to do something else before that.¡±


    ¡°Something¡­ Oh, right. Contacting the captain.¡±


    I had already forgotten about it again. And it had been barely a few minutes¡­ I wasn¡¯t that old yet, right? Maybe I should train my memory¡­


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s try to contact the captain first.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I stood up from the bed and turned around to Karen, offering her my hand.


    ¡°... Thank you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Always a pleasure.¡±


    She took it and stood up with a smile. Yes, this look suited her far more.


    ¡°Now then, let¡¯s take a look at the tentacles and that door.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We entered the separate room, once again entering the pink-dominated room, filled with the wriggling appendages. We waded through the tentacles, to the wall where I had set up the small door.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s see¡­ Nn, it closed. Not really surprised about that. And it barely has mana left, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I fetch some of the crystals?¡±


    ¡°Nn, if you could.¡±


    Karen left the room and returned after a short while, carrying just about every single mana orb she could fit into her arms¡­ or rather, fit into the hem of her shirt. There were so many she couldn¡¯t carry them in her arms anymore. Glad she didn¡¯t just bring the entire crate. Might have been easier, though¡­


    ¡°Sis, that¡¯s clearly overkill¡­¡±


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know how much it¡¯ll take at this distance, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re right but¡­ No, I guess you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t really have an argument against it¡­ There wasn¡¯t one, after all.


    ¡°Actually, with all of these, I can¡¯t carry them. So you¡¯ll have told them¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just hold them like this.¡±


    She lifted the hem a little higher as if emphasising that it was fine. All it did, however, was to give me a full view of her stomach. It looked soft.


    I want to squish it¡­


    Even though I had seen Karen¡¯s naked body quite a few times already, this view was somehow¡­ captivating.


    ¡°Yumi? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing¡¯s wrong. Then, if you could hold them up like that, it¡¯d be great.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Yes, I was going to thoroughly enjoy the view of that stomach.


    But I also have to do my work or Sis is going to notice.


    Not like there was much to do, actually¡­ For now, I simply held my hand over the mana orbs and the other over the tentacle door, letting the mana flow from the orbs to the door. It guzzled mana like an endless hole. After a few mana orbs¡¯ worths of mana, it finally seemed to have enough.


    ¡°Good, that¡¯s one thing dealt with. Surprised how much it actually took, though¡­¡±


    Technically speaking, I hadn¡¯t exactly refilled just the tentacle door, but the entire tentacle growth just now. Whatever had happened during our trip, it had emptied this room of all its mana reserves.


    ¡°Well, next is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yumi, look!¡±


    ¡°Nn? Huh? Wait, no way!¡±


    The small tentacle door¡­ had opened. On its own. It had connected to its partner just like that, the moment it had enough mana to do so.


    ¡°This is¡­ a bit of a surprise, I admit.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°But, I guess that means that this level of distance is fine for them.¡±


    On the other side of the tiny door, I could spy the grey stone walls of the fort¡¯s basement. It wasn¡¯t completely dark either. It seemed there was a light source inside.


    ¡°Yumi, how are we going to contact Mr Captain through this?¡±


    ¡°... Well, that¡¯s a, err, good question. I¡¯d like an answer myself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The hole was¡­ pretty tiny after all. Barely enough to put my hand through. Maybe we should write a letter¡­ but how would he even find it¡­ Should we call for someone? But who would even hear me¡­


    ¡°Oh, I got it.¡±


    ¡°You have an idea, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Just watch me.¡±


    There was someone who would definitely come running if I called for them.


    ¡°You dolls, come over here!¡±


    ¡°... Oh, that might work.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After all, they always came running the second I called for them. It was a mystery how they could even hear me from just about anywhere in the first place but right now, it was a welcome skill of theirs.


    ¡°... They will come, right? Sis?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sure they will¡­¡±


    Alas, nothing came. Not a soul in sight.


    ¡°Did they not hear me after all? Nn¡­ This is bad¡­¡±


    Right then, I could hear the screeching of a door being opened.


    ¡°Ah, there they are.¡±


    Through the small door, I could see dozens of dolls flooding into the room, lining up right in front of the wall and saluting me.


    ¡°It really worked.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But this is great. Dolls, please fetch me the captain, yes?¡±


    The dolls saluted again, before turning towards the door¡­ and remaining motionless.


    ¡°Err¡­¡±


    I glanced at Karen, unsure what to do. This had never happened before, after all¡­ However, she could only stare blankly back at me. She was just as clueless.


    ¡°What is it, I heard someone called for me?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Captain?¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain!¡±


    A massive frame entered the room on the other side.


    ¡°What¡¯s this¡­ Yumi? Karen? Spirits take me, I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t, Captain.¡±


    ¡°... I always thought it would be useful but now I really realise just how useful it is¡­ To think I can actually see you¡­ Tell me, where are you right now? You can¡¯t be at Melfin already, right?¡±


    ¡°Right behind the border checkpoint into Aldreigh.¡±


    ¡°I see. That¡¯s where you planned to rest until tomorrow. Makes sense.¡±


    Korwen nodded in understanding, staring curiously through the small door.


    ¡°Then, you¡¯re in your wagon right now?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    ¡°Incredible doesn¡¯t even begin to describe this.¡±


    Yeah, it didn¡¯t. It was too amazing even for me, the one who did this.


    ¡±But I assume you didn¡¯t call me out  just for telling me this works, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, Greyward told us to contact you.¡±


    ¡°Greyward did? Then I guess this is a little more serious, after all.¡±


    So it wasn¡¯t serious if it was just us reporting on our own? Well, whatever¡­


    ¡°Nn. The guards at the border told us that there was a large accident in the city and it might be hard to come by supplies.¡±


    ¡°A large accident? Did he say what happened?¡±


    ¡°Err, something about a magical tool exploding?¡±


    Korwen raised an eyebrow in wonder.


    ¡°Mr Guard said that a magical tool laid the¡­ development area, he called it, to waste. Part of some, uhm, project¡­¡± added Karen.


    ¡°Ahh, now I see¡­ the expansion project, I guess.¡±


    He nodded in understanding, though I wasn¡¯t quite sure what exactly led to this¡­


    ¡°Captain, what is this expansion project?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Well, how to say it¡­ The Aldreighan government wanted to improve the economy so they called this project into life. The details aren¡¯t public but it¡¯s apparently about supporting merchants and craftsmen, building residences and workshops and all that stuff.¡±


    ¡°That sounds nice but why would that lead to an explosion?¡±


    Last I checked, a building wasn¡¯t very combustible on its own. It better not be, or I wouldn¡¯t take a step near it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. When we were in Aldreigh the last time, rumours were floating around that the whole project was just a smokescreen for something else. Usually, I wouldn¡¯t trust random rumours like that, but those workshops they built look¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°Weird?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Like someone was¡­ Mhm¡­ Right, like someone was trying to model it after a waroxen.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Okay, now I was seriously confused¡­ How the heck was I supposed to imagine a building like that? Was it going to stand up, bellow at me and then walk away to eat some grass? If so, that was some amazing architectural feat on its own.


    ¡°Believe me, I have a hard time explaining it, too. It¡¯s better you just take a look at it yourself. Well, that¡¯s assuming any of those buildings were left standing after the explosion.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Nothing to be done about it. If he had no idea how to explain it, then it really had to look weird.


    ¡°Mr Captain, should we even proceed with going to Melfin then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You already passed the border anyway, right? If it looks like there¡¯s no chance of getting the supplies we need, then you can just come back immediately. Tell that to Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll do that.¡±


    Pretty much what we expected. Probably because Melfin wasn¡¯t far away, anyway, so it¡¯s not like it would really hurt us to take a look. And I couldn¡¯t deny that I was curious about what had happened in that town.


    ¡°Was that all you wanted to report?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think it was. We got over the border just fine and everything else was uneventful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    It definitely was.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s discuss a little something.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Next time you want to contact me, don¡¯t scare half the camp shitless by calling the dolls, please.¡±


    ¡°... Uhh, what?¡±


    We had scared the camp? How?


    ¡°Just imagine, dozens over dozens of your little friends that were helping out, suddenly swarming into the hall and rushing past everyone and everything. If someone told me I was seeing a nightmare, I would have believed them on the spot.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The dolls had to move from the camp to the tentacle door and then into the fort¡¯s basement. Through the hall where everyone was working into the hallways up to this room¡­


    Okay, yeah, if they suddenly swarmed into the hall, that probably caused a bit of a surprise¡­


    Somehow, I was a little sorry¡­ but we didn¡¯t exactly have much choice¡­


    ¡°Mr Captain, we didn¡¯t know how else to call for you.¡±


    ¡°Mh? Don¡¯t you have any dolls over there?¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then make one.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    That was doable, sure, but we didn¡¯t think this would become an issue in the first place so it never entered my mind.


    ¡°Actually, what about Mr Yuu?¡±


    ¡°¡±Mr Yuu?¡±¡±


    Karen and I repeated his words together. Who the hell?


    ¡°Why am I not surprised. Don¡¯t you remember that the Black Guards are taking care of one of your little dolls and named it Mr Yuu?¡±


    ¡°... I completely forgot about that.¡±


    ¡°Already getting old, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Being told that by someone who was actually old from my point of view was a little¡­


    ¡°Anyway, just send that one next time. The hole should be large enough for a doll, no?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think so.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s good enough. Just do that next time and spare me the extra trouble.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Korwen smiled wryly at my apology.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just remember it next time. Anyway, the men are going to worry if I take too long. Contact me tomorrow evening when you arrived in Melfin. And tell Greyward to proceed as planned.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll leave you to it.¡±


    Korwen nodded a final time before making his way out of the room.


    ¡°... Well, that¡¯s the report done.¡±


    ¡°I guess so. Should we get our dinner and go back to Lily and Rina?¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    I closed the tentacle door to prevent it from sucking up so much mana again. No need to experiment any further on this, seeing how much mana it had consumed. If I didn¡¯t, I was going to run out of mana orbs within a few days.


    ¡°We stashed the food in the back, didn¡¯t we, Sis?¡±


    ¡°We did. It¡¯s the previously empty crate.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ This one, right¡­¡±


    After we left the tentacle room and fetched the bread we had stored in our wagon. I was a little worried that it wasn¡¯t cooled down but according to Mrs Korwen, that wouldn¡¯t be an issue. There wouldn¡¯t have been a point to this bread if it was a problem anyway.


    ¡°Okay, these ones were Lily¡¯s and Rina¡¯s, right? Then where are¡­¡±


    ¡°I got ours, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Oh, good. Then let¡¯s get outside.¡±


    With the bundles containing the bread in our arms, we left our wagon. A quick glance to the front of our wagon revealed that the waroxen had already been freed from their harnesses, grazing nearby on the grass. A little off to the side sat Lily and Rina, making themselves comfortable.


    ¡°Lily! Rina!¡±


    ¡°Karen! You two sure took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Big Sis, Lil¡¯ Sis, welcome back!¡±


    The two greeted us with smiles. I looked over to Rina, a little worried considering my earlier talk with Karen, but there was no sign of anything wrong in her face. If anything, she seemed as happy as usual.


    Maybe we were just overthinking things¡­  or she simply changed her mind¡­ Who knows? But if not, she¡¯s one hell of an actress.


    Alas, that felt equally unlikely to me. With that in mind, I decided to trust in Rina and Lily.


    ¡°Here you two, these are your portions.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Yay! Thank you, Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    After having handed off my load, I sat down on the grass next to them. Karen sat down opposite me and handed me my share as well.


    ¡°There you go, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    Now, this was what I had been looking forward to for quite a while. It was time for dinner. My stomach was already screaming at me. I removed the cloth we had wrapped the bread in, revealing the reddish-looking bread.


    ¡°Mm, this is so much better than the rations, after all!¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°The rations taste weird, after all.¡±


    ¡°Rina, you can say that they taste bad. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Then¡­ Haaa¡­ The rations are horrible!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean for you to shout it?!¡±


    What the hell were these girls doing¡­


    ¡°Yumi, not going to eat?¡±


    ¡°Nn, no, I will.¡±


    I bit into the bread, glad I could finally fill my stomach.


    It¡¯s not really great but it still tastes pretty decent. Incomparable to the rations, yeah¡­ Except for the dried fruits, maybe. Those are delicious.


    Delicious and equally rare. We only ever got a few of them. Considering we had filled our bread with dried fruits, we actually got more than usual of them, too. Was that fine?


    ¡°By the way, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Karen?¡±


    ¡°The Black Guards were taking care of one of Yumi¡¯s dolls, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°You mean Mr Yuu?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that one. Did it come with us?¡±


    Lily stopped eating, turning around to look towards the other mercenaries scurrying around between the wagons.


    ¡°Mm, I saw it earlier so it should be around somewhere¡­ Mmm¡­ Can¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to look for it. I just wanted to know if it¡¯s here.¡±


    ¡°That it is. Well, if you need it, it¡¯s often with Papa or with Wendl. Sometimes you see it around Wormaz or some others, too, though.¡±


    ¡°It sure got¡­ quite the range of activity,¡± I commented.


    It was with the Black Guard¡¯s former captain, their magician, their craftsmen¡­ Wasn¡¯t it basically just about everywhere then?


    ¡°They took a real liking to it, after all.¡±


    ¡°And they did give it a name, too.¡±


    But if it was here, that would mean we could ask it to help us tomorrow with giving our report to Korwen. Should make things easier. And less stressful for Korwen.


    ¡°But why are you asking about Mr Yuu suddenly?¡±


    ¡°Well, we might need its help tomorrow. The captain asked us to.¡±


    ¡°Mm? The captain? Wait, you really managed to contact him?¡±


    ¡°We did.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes widened from the surprise as she stared at me and Karen alternatively.


    ¡°You¡¯re actually useful, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Lily, you thought I wasn¡¯t useful?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­ I guess your squishyness is great?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true! Lil¡¯ Sis is really nice to hug!¡±


    Glad you liked it. I enjoyed being hugged, too.


    Come here, Rina, hug me more!


    I spread my arms towards her and she promptly dived in, giggling all the while as she hugged me full force.


    ¡°Squishy Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi, no cheating!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not cheating. I¡¯m just making myself useful according to Lily.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you blaming me for this now?!¡±


    ¡°... What am I even supposed to say to that? Mm¡­ I see, it¡¯s Lily¡¯s fault. Lily, prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°Huh?! Wait, what? Me? Karen? That¡¯s not funny! Woah, stop! Don¡¯t!¡±


    Lily jumped up and ran away, Karen right on her trail, chasing her. They circled around the wagon, trying to use it as a shield and trying to outsmart each other. Not with much success from either side.


    ¡°Hehehe, look, Lil¡¯ Sis! They¡¯re running after each other!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m looking.¡±


    Still hugging me, Rina was watching the two older girls chase after each other. She had a really big smile on her face, clearly enjoying herself to the fullest right now.


    I don¡¯t know if we were just worrying over nothing or not¡­ but at the very least, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s happy right now.


    There was no mistaking a happy smile like this one.


    ¡°Go, Lily! Go!¡±


    ¡°Sis, don¡¯t give up!¡±


    We cheered for the two, only motivating each of them even more.


    ¡°Lily, stay still! You need to be punished for making Yumi cheat on me!¡±


    ¡°Why am I being punished? That¡¯s not my fault!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what all of them say! Repent and let me¡­ tickle you!¡±


    ¡°No way! I don¡¯t want to! And why the hell is the punishment tickling?¡±


    Still running back and forth around the wagon, they kept their banter up. Karen was grinning, enjoying herself just as much as Rina was. As for Lily¡­


    ¡°Keep still, Lily, or I can¡¯t tickle you!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be tickled so of course, I am running? Woah, careful there!¡±


    ¡°Ah, I missed¡­¡±


    Karen jumped towards Lily, only to be evaded by her jumping upwards, right on top of the wagon. What a time to demonstrate her acrobatic skills¡­


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    ¡°Hey, Rina, are you enjoying yourself?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! I am!¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s the most important part.¡±


    She replied with such an honest smile that I couldn¡¯t help but return it with a smile of my own.


    ¡°Go, Lily! Go, Big Sis!¡±


    ¡°Wait, Rina? Why are you cheering her on, too?¡± asked Lily, taken by surprise.


    ¡°Huh? Because it¡¯s Big Sis!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, did you hear that, Lily? Rina is cheering for me. There¡¯s no way I can let you escape now, can I?¡±


    ¡°Woah, stop there Karen! No, don¡¯t! Wah!¡±


    Karen jumped up the wagon, far less elegant than Lily but nonetheless successful.


    ¡°Prepare yourself!¡±


    ¡°Stop, Karen! Waah! Help me! Yumi, stop her! Please!¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Lily.¡±


    Having lost her last sanctuary on top of the wagon, Lily had no way to escape Karen anymore¡­ and was subsequently captured.


    ¡°Now, let¡¯s begin, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t, have mercy, Karen! Eh? Ah! Ahhah?! Sto¡ª Haha! Do¡ª Not the¡ª Ahahahaha!¡±


    Today I learnt¡­ Lily was surprisingly ticklish.


    Your sacrifice shan¡¯t be forgotten, Lily. It will be remembered for generations to come.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: Arrival at Melfin

    ¡°Nn¡­ Ngh¡­ Uhhh¡­¡±


    When I opened my eyes, a familiar wooden ceiling came into view. I could feel the light shining through the small gaps in the windows, warming up the room. Something silver was in the corner of my eyes, moving ever so slightly.


    ¡°Nm¡­ The¡­ wagon? Ngh?! Ouch!¡±


    I looked around, trying to get my bearing but was immediately stopped by an intense pounding in my head¡ªa very familiar, albeit unwelcome feeling.


    What is going on¡­ My head hurts¡­ Uhh¡­


    Just what the hell happened to me? This pain¡­ was definitely from a hangover. I knew this far too well. But I couldn¡¯t remember drinking anything.


    What did¡­ I do yesterday?


    I was with Karen, Lily and Rina. We had dinner, messed and played around. We had a fun evening. That was fine. But how did that lead to me having a hangover?


    I can¡¯t¡­ remember¡­


    After we played¡­ what did we do then? Karen wasn¡¯t fond of drinks. I wasn¡¯t quite sure about Lily but I hadn¡¯t ever seen her drinking anything either. As for Rina, there probably wasn¡¯t much of a need to mention her. Karen wasn¡¯t going to let her drink anything.


    But then¡­ Why am I¡­ Uhhh¡­ My head¡­


    Why was I experiencing a hangover anyway? My body lacked a whole lot of stuff, didn¡¯t it? Then, why did I have to suffer through this of all things?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi? You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    From the corner of my vision, I saw the pink bundle of hair move, slowly raising and revealing Karen¡¯s face. She was smiling wryly.


    ¡°You want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment.¡±


    Karen got up and disappeared from my view. While I was lying down, unable to so much as move due to the incessant pounding, I could hear her walking here and there, pouring some water into a mug.


    ¡°Here you go. Can you sit up?¡±


    ¡°Ugh..¡±


    I slowly shook my head.


    ¡°Okay. Then, can you turn just a little bit?¡±


    I tried doing as I was told and turned my head to the side a little. A second later I could feel the cup on my lips and water pouring in, wetting my parched throat.


    ¡°Want more?¡±


    After a short while, the water ceased to come and Karen asked me whether I wanted more water. I shook my head again. Water wasn¡¯t going to save me now. I already felt a little better, though. I hadn¡¯t even realised that I was so thirsty.


    ¡°Okay. Then, lie down a little more. I¡¯ll be right by your side.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I closed my eyes and let myself sink into the bed. I still had no idea why I was feeling this bad in the first place, but Karen didn¡¯t look surprised at all. That meant she knew I would wake up with a hangover. Or, in other words¡­ I had gotten wasted at some point yesterday.


    Ugh¡­ This is the worst¡­


    Just what happened yesterday? We had a lot of fun and I was looking forward to it today. After all, this would be my first time in an Aldreighan town. And yet, here I was, on the bed with a hangover. The worst. The absolute worst.


    And to top it all off, I couldn¡¯t even remember anything at all. I remembered dinner and shortly after just fine. But somewhere after that things got¡­ blurry.


    If I can¡¯t remember it¡­ don¡¯t tell me I blacked out drinking¡­ Oh great¡­


    Hopefully, I didn¡¯t do anything dumb while I was wasted¡­


    Please, past me, if you did anything stupid I¡¯m going to make you regret it. Even if the one actually regretting it would be future me!


    Just as I was cursing my past self, a hand touched my forehead. The hand was cool and comfortable.


    ¡°Mm¡­ You don¡¯t seem to have a fever at least.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s great news, if nothing else.


    ¡°You should sleep a little if you can. You¡¯ll feel better after a small nap.¡±


    Karen¡¯s hand gently stroked my head. She was careful, so it didn¡¯t really worsen the pounding in my head. In fact, it was calming me. I could feel my body relax, knowing that the person dearest to me was by my side. The knowledge that I could simply let go and leave myself in her care¡­ was incredibly comforting.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯ll try¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll stay here by your side. So if you need anything, just tell me.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    She switched from stroking my head to holding my hand in hers, gently stroking the back of my hand instead. Despite the pain in my head, I couldn¡¯t help but smile as I relaxed. I wasn¡¯t expecting to fall asleep with these headaches but¡­ with Karen by my side, I just might be able to sleep a little.


    And as if to prove that point, sleep took me just a short while later.


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    The next time I opened my eyes, I was once again greeted by the wooden ceiling. My head was still hurting, though. Not even remotely as bad as before, though. Alas, the shaking ground wasn¡¯t making it better at all.


    Are we¡­ moving?


    If the bed was shaking, that could only mean the wagon was in motion. We had set out while I had been asleep.


    Did I sleep that long¡­ What time is it?


    I looked around a little, only remembering after a short moment that things like an alarm clock didn¡¯t exist here. However, I spotted a familiar figure sitting at the desk, holding a small magical tool and doing her daily magic practice. Just as I was about to call out to her, she peeked over her shoulder at me. Her eyes widened a little when she saw me awake, but she quickly broke out into a smile.


    ¡°Yumi, you¡¯re awake? How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like someone bashed my head in¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    Yeah, it sounded bad. And that¡¯s exactly how I was feeling.


    ¡°Want something to drink? Oh, and I also have your breakfast here.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Thanks, Sis.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    With a smile, Karen brought me a mug with water again. Thankfully, I felt better this time, so I could sit up with her help and drink something.


    Ahhh¡­ Just drinking and I already feel a little better¡­


    I had heard that it was important to rehydrate when you had a hangover. And while it didn¡¯t solve the problem at its core, it definitely helped in alleviating the pain.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your breakfast. Can you eat on your own or¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think I can.¡±


    Karen handed me a wooden plate with bread, a few fruits and dried meat. I took a bite and yeah, it seemed like I could at least manage to eat breakfast. I didn¡¯t need to bother Karen with feeding me. Then again, maybe that wouldn¡¯t have been so bad¡­ Did I seriously miss the chance to have Karen feed me?


    ¡°Yumi? Is everything okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m fine. I can eat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­¡±


    I slowly ate my breakfast, careful not to make any sudden movements that could worsen my headaches. It took me a while, but I managed to finish it all.


    ¡°Thank you, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Karen cleaned up the plate and everything, before sitting down on the edge of the bed, looking at me with worry in her eyes.


    ¡°Still feeling bad?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That won¡¯t change so fast¡­ I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Do you¡­ need something to drink?¡±


    ¡°I just had something, Sis.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, err¡­ I was told that alcohol helps against hangovers.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Who the hell told her that?


    ¡°Please don¡¯t¡­ or I¡¯ll wake up tomorrow with an even worse hangover.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I won¡¯t, then.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    But that pretty much confirmed it. This was a hangover. Not like I was doubting it at this point anymore.


    ¡°This is the worst¡­¡±


    ¡°You should lie down again for a little.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen gently pushed me back into bed. The soft shaking beneath me was still a little uncomfortable, but after having filled my stomach a little it wasn¡¯t quite as bad anymore. All in all, maybe I should count myself lucky that my hangover symptoms weren¡¯t much worse than some headaches and a dry throat, coupled with a bit of dizziness.


    ¡°How long did I sleep?¡±


    ¡°A short while. It¡¯ll be noon, soon.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    No wonder we were already on the road again then. No way they¡¯d stop just for one or two people having a hangover.


    ¡°Do you need anything, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I think I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    As fine as I could be, given the circumstances.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She didn¡¯t say anything else. Once again, she took my hand, holding it. Just feeling her grasping my hand was so reassuring. I closed my eyes and simply let myself relax as best as I could. Although it seemed like I wouldn¡¯t fall asleep again anytime soon.


    After some time of us simply letting time pass like this, I opened my eyes again and looked over at Karen. There was still something I had to know¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Just¡­ Just what happened yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, you don¡¯t remember?¡±


    Karen stared at me in surprise, clearly not having expected that. I nodded meekly.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I probably¡­ drank too much¡­ and passed out¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not quite wrong¡­


    But it wasn¡¯t right either? Just what happened? Seriously, what?


    ¡°How much do you remember?¡±


    ¡°I remember that we¡­ had dinner¡­ You chased Lily and¡­ tickled her¡­ then we sat together¡­ played around¡­ I think someone got us some cards or something¡­ After that, though¡­ it gets a little blurry¡­¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Concern was once more in her eyes.


    ¡°After we played together, Mr Greyward came by and invited us to join everyone else. They were drinking and, well¡­ You know how they are.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    They loved to make merry whenever they had the chance. Maybe that was simply in the mercenaries¡¯ nature.


    ¡°At some point, some offered us something to drink, saying it wasn¡¯t particularly strong alcohol. There wasn¡¯t a real reason to say no so¡­¡±


    ¡°So I drunk it¡­ but it was stronger than he said?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    Well, great¡­ Wasn¡¯t this the second time someone had tricked me into drinking strong alcohol?


    ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t do anything dumb while I was drunk¡­¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ You didn¡¯t have the chance to.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You passed out shortly after.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Uhh, what? I passed out shortly after? No matter how strong the alcohol, it shouldn¡¯t make me pass out so quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why, either¡­ Everyone else seemed to be fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see?¡±


    That was¡­ weird¡­


    ¡°We asked Mr Wendl to take a look but he couldn¡¯t find anything wrong with the drink nor with you. He said you would be up in no time with some rest and that it simply looked to him like you had a few drinks too many.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I only drank that one mug?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even Lily could stomach more¡­¡±


    What the¡­ This was weird¡­ I knew I couldn¡¯t really drink a whole lot anymore but¡­ a single mug? It hadn¡¯t even been that bad when Korwen tricked me with that one drink that didn¡¯t taste like alcohol at all.


    That meant¡­ did my alcohol tolerance change? Would I become unable to enjoy a few drinks in the future?


    ¡°Ugh¡­ No good¡­ My head hurts¡­¡±


    The more I thought about it, the more my head hurt, making it impossible to really think about the matter.


    ¡°You should rest for now. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll feel better in a while.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    That was probably a good idea¡­ There was no point in getting distressed about it right now. It would only make me feel even more miserable.


    ¡°Hey, Sis¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°You said¡­ Lily drank¡­ too?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ Ahhh¡­¡±


    Karen averted her eyes awkwardly.


    ¡°She did¡­ Err¡­ I think it¡¯s better if I tell you about that later¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn. Got it.¡±


    ¡°For now, rest some more, okay?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Who was I to decline that? Not like I really had any other options¡­ I could only hope that this hangover would end soon¡­ After all, I was really looking forward to visiting Melfin¡­ If this hangover would deny me that enjoyment, I was going to be sulky for days on end.


    Seriously, just go away, dumb hangover.


    It had been a few hours since I woke up the second time. I hadn¡¯t been able to get another wink of sleep but at least I managed to rest decently well. By now, my hangover was mostly gone already, apart from some very minor headaches. They were nothing I couldn¡¯t deal with, though. As long as I wasn¡¯t going to run around like a madman, I should be fine.


    My prayers have been heard. I¡¯m up before we arrived!


    Standing in our room, I raised my arms in triumph. I had beaten the hangover.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good, Yumi. Hold still.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Seconds later, still in my triumph pose, the shirt that I had worn in bed was stripped away from me. I enjoyed sleeping naked in bed with Karen but maybe she thought it¡¯d be better if I wore something today. I hadn¡¯t really put a conscious thought to it until now, though. Karen sure was attentive at times like these.


    Then again, maybe she simply enjoyed stripping me. She was grinning right now, at least.


    ¡°Sis, do you enjoy stripping me that much?¡±


    ¡°Huh? Err¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t dislike it?¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    As long as she enjoyed it.


    ¡°Okay, keep your arms like that, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After she stripped me,  she also put my clothes on me. It was a little scary how I didn¡¯t even feel any resistance anymore to this.


    ¡°Sis, you¡¯re really good at this.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m glad to hear that. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Right now, everything is fine.¡±


    Since we would soon arrive at Melfin, I¡¯d have to wear my full gear today. The armour dress and everything that came along with it. It was a bit of a hassle to put on compared to all my other clothes but it wasn¡¯t too bad. And Karen was surprisingly good at this. I barely felt any discomfort after she finished. I moved my arms, then my legs but it was all good.


    ¡°All good?¡±


    ¡°All good. Thanks, Sis. Want me to help you with yours, too?¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Ehh? You¡¯re unfair.¡±


    She was allowed to help me but I wasn¡¯t allowed to help her? Not fair!


    ¡°Then, do you know how to put these gauntlets on?¡±


    ¡°... You¡¯ll manage, Sis¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Okay, she had a little more than those gauntlets that had several binders on it and where I had no idea where you had to fasten what¡­ but, well, it was probably better I didn¡¯t interfere too much.


    ¡°But next time I¡¯ll help you, too.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯m looking forward to it. Hehehe.¡±


    She giggled, amused by my declaration. Guess I had to study up on how Karen¡¯s armour worked¡­


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready as well. You¡¯re good, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, still good.¡±


    ¡°Great. Then we only need to wait until we stop.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Since we were inside the wagon, we couldn¡¯t take a look outside and see how much farther it was. According to what Karen had told me earlier, it wouldn¡¯t be long anymore, though. Just then, I heard an unfamiliar voice shouting.


    ¡°Miss Karen! Town¡¯s coming into view!¡±


    ¡°You heard that, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, let¡¯s take a look!¡±


    ¡°Sure but¡­¡±


    How were we going to do that? Also, whose voice was that? That wasn¡¯t Lily nor Rina.


    ¡°We¡­ could peek through the door.¡±


    ¡°... There¡¯s no other way, is there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it.¡±


    Last thing I needed was to get blown out of the wagon by the wind. Not like that would happen. It wouldn¡¯t¡­ right?


    Disregarding my momentary worries, we opened the door, peering outside. The wagons were blocking the view for a moment but it wasn¡¯t long until it came into view.


    ¡°Woah! Is that Melfin?¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡±


    My first impression of it was¡­ it was dark. If the towns and cities in Lafria were bright with their red bricks, then this town was considerable dark. I couldn¡¯t see it clearly from this distance but the town¡¯s wall seemed to be built from grey or black bricks. Maybe both, even. It was dark, at least. Not quite black, more a greyish¡­ blackish¡­ something.


    ¡°It seems pretty¡­ err¡­ sombre¡­¡± I commented.


    ¡°You mean gloomy.¡±


    ¡°... I was trying to be polite.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I think so, too.¡±


    Well, yeah, it was gloomy. I¡¯d be hard-pressed to say it wasn¡¯t. But that was only its appearance¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ We can¡¯t see much else yet. It might be better once we¡¯re inside the town.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should hope for¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    So much to that hope¡­ Dashed as quickly as it had come.


    ¡°Anyway¡­ It looks like we¡¯ll be there soon.¡±¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m looking forward to it a little.¡±


    My first time in an Aldreighan town. I only knew Lafria and the empire until now so this would be a fresh experience.


    ¡°Yumi, let¡¯s get back inside for now.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    We had gotten what we wanted, a first look at the town of Melfin. It was darker than I expected but at least it wasn¡¯t more rubble than intact buildings. The words of the border guards had me worried a little bit but at least the first look didn¡¯t reveal any serious damage to the town.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Oh right, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Whose voice was that earlier?¡±


    ¡°Voice? Oh, the one just now?¡±


    ¡°Nn. It¡¯s the one who drives the wagon.¡±


    The one driving? It wasn¡¯t Lily?


    ¡°Ah, you mentioned Lily had been drinking, too¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­


    ¡°Mr Greyward goaded her into trying some¡­ Rina is caring for her.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What to say¡­ That was a little unexpected to hear.


    ¡°At least I¡¯m not the only one this time.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s hardly something to be happy about.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    But, like, how to say it¡­ Shared pain was only half the pain¡­ or something like that? It made me feel a little better knowing someone else suffered with me.


    ¡°Oh, the wagon is slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Nn, looks like it.¡±


    It was time, huh¡­


    ¡°Miss Karen, we¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re coming! Yumi, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We checked one last time that our gear was sitting right and then left the wagon. I stepped to the side of the road, taking in the full view of the town¡­ or rather its walls.


    ¡°So this is Melfin? The walls really are black.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll see those just about anywhere in Aldreigh¡­¡±


    ¡°That so.¡±


    Those towns had to be quite gloomy, too.


    ¡°Well then, Miss Karen, I¡¯ll take care of the waroxen here.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Thank you very much for driving it.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Glad to be of help!¡±


    The mercenary, an older man, laughed as he slapped the waroxen on its back. The beast bellowed in disapproval, swinging its rump to the side and nearly knocking the man over.


    ¡°Ouch! Sheesh, you¡¯re a feisty one, aren¡¯t ya? Come, let¡¯s get you something to eat before you run me over and turn me into feed!¡±


    With those words, he led both waroxen away, towards the other waroxen that were already grazing nearby.


    ¡°We should look for Mr Greyward. He told us to come to see him when we arrive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he did?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Then we should look for him¡­ Oh, it wasn¡¯t Greyward but I found Rina. I waved to her and she quickly spotted me, running over.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis! You¡¯re feeling better?!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do¡ª Woah? Slow there!¡±


    Rina immediately hugged me and patted me all over, making sure I really was all right. I didn¡¯t mind it but I was still reeling a little from my headaches.


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Are you really fine?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I am. Sorry for worrying.¡±


    A little reluctant, she let go of me.


    ¡°How is Lily?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still not well¡­ Crying how her head hurts.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    Very relatable. Very relatable, indeed.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, is there anything I can do to help her?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think so¡­ Give her something to drink and let her rest. No shaking and no loud noises if she has headaches. Other than that¡­ You could ask Wendl to cure her but I feel like she¡¯d resent that.¡±


    ¡°He can cure it?! But why would she resent that?¡±


    ¡°Err, according to Wanda, it¡¯s like the whole hangover concentrated into a short moment and then made several times worse¡­ I think that¡¯s what she said.¡±


    That scene of Ria curing people of their drunken state was burnt into my mind. I definitely didn¡¯t want to share that fate. In a way, I was lucky I got away this time.


    Ah, but would that magic even work on me? I still don¡¯t even know how I can get a hangover but what if that magic won¡¯t work on me anyway?


    Alas, that wasn¡¯t anything I wanted to try out. Ever.


    ¡°I see¡­ Lily wouldn¡¯t like that, would she?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I don¡¯t think she would. Just let her rest.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ But how long until she gets better?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ That depends on the person¡­ Maybe in a few hours. Maybe in half an hour.¡±


    There really wasn¡¯t a good way to estimate that. Hangovers were weird anyway. Some suffered them for half an eternity¡­ and then you had some people that didn¡¯t even know how bad a hangover could be, despite them pouring alcohol into their stomachs like a broken faucet. The world was cruel and unfair.


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn. Sorry I can¡¯t help you.¡±


    ¡°Uh-uh, you helped me a lot, Lil¡¯ Sis. I¡¯m going to take care of Lily until she feels better.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Do that.¡±


    We watched Rina trotting away and disappearing into an unfamiliar wagon, probably Lily¡¯s.


    ¡°I hope she feels better soon.¡±


    ¡°Ahh. It would be great.¡±


    Then again, it was probably a valuable lesson for Lily. She¡¯d definitely be more careful with alcohol in the future. At least, I hoped she would.


    ¡°Now then, where¡¯s Greyward¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was fast.¡±


    We walked over to Greyward, who was currently taking in the view of the town, similar to what we had done earlier.


    ¡°¡±Mr Greyward.¡±¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ah, our favourite two girls have arrived. How¡¯s it feeling?¡±


    ¡°Okay, for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear that. We were really worried when you suddenly conked out like that.¡±


    ¡°I heard. Not that I remember it.¡±


    It was seriously weird for me. I was sure I had hangovers before even in my old world. But a complete blackout? That was definitely a new experience for me. And a rather unexpected one, too.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even remember it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. I remember having dinner and a short while after that. Anything beyond that is blurry at best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite something. Never seen someone get a blackout that quickly before. You should be careful with alcohol in the future.¡±


    ¡°Seems that I will have to be.¡±


    If this was going to happen in the future as well, I would definitely have to steer clear of alcohol. That would be¡­ unfortunate. But in the end, there was nothing I could do about it. I¡¯d rather not have to deal with this every time I sipped on some alcohol.


    ¡°What kind of drink was it anyway?¡±


    ¡°It was just a slightly strong ale but with a few fruits added to it.  Nothing particular special, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If it was just some regular ale my outlook wasn¡¯t looking good.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ Such is life.¡±


    ¡°Getting philosophical?¡±


    ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°You should try the Aldreighan capital. I heard there are a bunch of weirdos there going on about philosophy all day.¡±


    ¡°No thank you.¡±


    Greyward chuckled when he saw my reaction.


    ¡°So, what are we going to do now, Mr Greyward?¡±


    ¡°Changing the topic, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Yes. And that¡¯s not something a good man should point out.


    ¡°Well, so be it. We¡¯re going to see where we can set up camp. We got to park somewhere and let the waroxen graze. Larfas and even Auria have dedicated areas outside town for that purpose but it seems Melfin doesn¡¯t have that. There really must be little traffic on this road.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something we can really help with¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Your job will come afterwards, after all.¡±


    Our job, huh¡­ That reminded me.


    ¡°Is this about the registering thing you mentioned at the border?¡±


    ¡°That it is. Ah, right, do you have the identification plates you got from Ruben? Mana passes they¡¯re called.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    We were supposed to look for them¡­


    ¡°Yes, we do. But only Yumi and Rina have one.¡±


    ¡°Oh, only them? Mh, well, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Did Karen look for them while I was out? Probably.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll just see what happens. If they make a fuss, I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. At least, you will only have to do it once in Aldreigh and not in every town you visit again¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡±


    I would have thought we¡¯d need to do it every time¡­


    ¡°The barrier tool in Aldreigh is far more¡­ well, sophisticated, you could say. They all connect with each other and once someone is registered, it¡¯ll be registered in every town. In Lafria, you¡¯d have to do it in every major town.¡±


    ¡°That sounds pretty amazing.¡±


    Too amazing, even. This wasn¡¯t quite what I had expected from this place.


    ¡°Ha, if that already astonishes you, you¡¯ll be in for a treat. Aldreigh as a whole is a completely different world compared to any other country.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t get my expectations too high.¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t be high enough for this place, trust me.¡±


    Now, that sounded like it would be very unlikely. Yet, he seemed really confident about those words.


    ¡°My expectations keep rising. They¡¯re reaching the sky soon. They¡¯ll be sky-high.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha! Don¡¯t let the sky be their limit, Yumi!¡±


    ¡±I¡¯ll try my best not to limit them.¡±


    Greyward laughed, utterly amused. Meanwhile, Karen stood next to us with an incredulous look. I pretended not to see that.


    It took a while until Greyward calmed down.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Really¡­ It seems they found a spot to let the waroxen graze.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. After we get them and the wagons there, we¡¯ll see about getting into town. I¡¯m curious about what happened here and we need you registered. It would be great if Lily would come along but¡­¡±


    He looked towards her wagon, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°Maybe I overdid it a little yesterday. Oh well, too late to worry about it now. I just need you two and Rina for now. We¡¯ll see after that. Maybe Lily will be fine by then anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Maybe¡­ or maybe not. Hard to say without seeing her. Knowing her, she¡¯d want to be around, though. No need to let her get lonely.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call for you two when we¡¯re going into town so you¡¯re free to do what you want until then. Feel free to rest up some more. You¡¯re still looking a little pale, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°... Do I?¡±


    I glanced toward Karen. She nodded softly.


    ¡°A little, yes.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I mean, I guess that¡¯s not too surprising¡­¡±


    It wasn¡¯t like I had fully recovered yet, after all.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll take you up on that offer, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. Make sure you¡¯re back to full.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    We parted with Greyward right after, looking for a place to rest.


    ¡°We could visit Lily.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? What if she still feels bad, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, then we¡¯ll leave. But I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy if we came.¡±


    After all, I had been happy when Karen held my hand, or when Rina ran over and worried whether I was fine.


    ¡°We can just take a quick look if she¡¯s still not well.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I guess that¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Time to check up on Lily, another poor hangover victim.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: Lily’s Abode and a Registering Incident

    Karen and I had to look around a little to figure out which one of the wagons belonged to Lily. They all looked the same: Black, black and even more black. Sure, they belonged to the Black Guards, but their obsession with black was sometimes a little worrisome.


    Not like I had room to speak, wearing black armour and residing in a black wagon.


    Fortunately for us, though, there were ways to distinguish the wagons. Each wagon had a symbol painted next to or on the door. And for the literate, there was also text beneath it as a bonus. In Lafrian¡­ or rather, Akkian letters as well as Aldreighan letters. And amazingly, not in black. Shocking.


    ¡°Nn, this one should be it, no?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it says, at least.¡±


    After looking around and asking the one or other odd mercenary, we found ourselves in front of one wagon. On the door was a small plate with a cutesy picture of a wolf-like animal resting. Beneath it were the equally cutesy letters ¡°Little Lily¡¯s Kingdom¡±. Yes, that¡¯s what it said. Really.


    ¡°¡®Little Lily¡¯s Kingdom,¡¯ huh¡­¡±


    It was like a sign on a door to a child¡¯s room. I couldn¡¯t help but smile, reading it.


    ¡°Well, at least we found it. Nn, should we knock or¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course, we should, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    If she had headaches, she wasn¡¯t going to appreciate that, though. I knew from experience. Well, but it wasn¡¯t like we could just storm in like it was nothing either. Karen was right about that.


    ¡°Guess we should make sure not to knock too loud, then.¡±


    Karen gave me a confused look but I didn¡¯t bother to explain it now. Maybe it was better she remained oblivious to the suffering of a hangover victim.


    I  softly knocked on the door, just loud enough that someone hopefully would hear it. And just as I hoped, the door opened a few seconds later, revealing Rina.


    ¡°Ah, Big Sis! Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    She raised her voice in delight, smiling at us. Why did I try to be quiet again? Right, because of the source of the groaning coming from behind Rina.


    ¡°Rina. You shouldn¡¯t be too loud while Lily isn¡¯t feeling well,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry, Big Sis, she¡¯s not in pain because of that anymore.¡±


    ¡°... She¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    I was confused. An explanation would be appreciated.


    ¡°Come in!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Sure.¡±


    Karen and I, both of us rather confused, entered the wagon. I managed to spot Lily immediately as she sat on the edge of her bed, holding her head. She probably saw us coming in since she lifted her free hand as a greeting.


    ¡°Lily, you okay? Uhh, guess there¡¯s no need to ask that actually. Doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    I asked out of reflex before realising that it was superfluous to do so. She wouldn¡¯t be holding her head like that if she was fine.


    ¡°Maybe you should lie down in bed? Drink something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ fine¡­ Yumi¡­ Just give me a moment.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I exchanged a curious glance with Karen before looking to Rina for help. The latter just shrugged her shoulders though. Apparently, all we could do was wait for Lily to¡­ recover. Not like I could imagine that happening anytime soon?


    Well¡­ I guess we can wait a moment at least¡­


    Since I had nothing else to do, I decided to look around. This was the first time we had entered Lily¡¯s little abode, after all, so I  was quite curious.


    My first impression was that it was¡­ messy. Chaotic, even. Dozens of swords were displayed on the wall, others were stuffed inside a barrel. Something that seemed to be an old plush toy was put on a shelf on the wall. There was an open dresser, filled with clothes, some of which were spilling out or laid out on the desk next to it. Apart from the clothes, there was a small box on the desk, filled with cute accessories. I had never seen Lily wear something like this, so I was a little surprised.


    These are cute, though. I¡¯m sure Lily would look good with them.


    Continuing next to the desk, in the corner, there was something like a mannequin without legs, arms or head, wearing Lily¡¯s armour. I was sure these armour-wearing props had an actual name but I couldn¡¯t recall what it was. Next to it was a sole staff, rather out of place among all the swords. It had a mana crystal placed in it, making it look like a stereotypical magician¡¯s staff. Though it couldn¡¯t be quite so stereotypical, considering I never had seen a staff like this before.


    It¡¯s probably a magic tool anyway if it has a mana crystal. I wonder what it can do.


    Between the staff and the bed was a small nightstand, with another plush toy, this one looking rather new, as well as a magic lamp and a mug with water. On the opposite side of the bed was another desk, though it might be better called a workbench. Or maybe a maintenance bench? Her large Zweih?nder was placed on it, wrapped in a cloth. The scabbard was there as well plus a small bottle with a cloth. It smelled like oil.


    ¡°Having fun looking around?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do. How should I say it¡­ It¡¯s got character.¡±


    Mainly a sword character. But it was still a nice room. How to say it¡­ You could immediately see that this was someone¡¯s personal room. It was full of private items. A little chaotic but¡­ I still liked it. To be honest, I was even a little jealous. Compared to this, our room was almost barren.


    ¡°Is that a compliment?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Could be? Anyway, are you feeling better already?¡±


    I stared at Lily who had seemingly recovered from her headaches.


    ¡°Mostly¡­ Just¡­ reeling a little bit from the treatment.¡±


    ¡°Treatment? Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ You asked Wendl¡­¡±


    ¡°You got that right¡­ And I tell you, I regret it. I¡¯m never going to do this again.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Should I be impressed, astonished or just plain dumbfounded? I wasn¡¯t quite sure. It felt like a mix of all of them at once.


    ¡°Why did you ask him then¡­¡±


    ¡±Because I don¡¯t want to be left behind.¡±


    ¡±Oh¡­¡±


    That was surprisingly¡­ relatable. I might have done the same if I hadn¡¯t felt any better by now¡­ Emphasis on might.


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be this bad¡­¡±


    But now that she had experienced its horrors first-hand... Just another reason for me to never ever do this.


    ¡°But I guess I am feeling better now. The headache is gone. Still feeling like a warox rammed me at full speed, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that doesn¡¯t sound like a feeling that a normal person can survive.¡±


    A warox was a massive creature. If such a mass rammed into a normal person there wouldn¡¯t be a single intact bone left in them. They¡¯d become my kind.


    ¡°When are we going to leave? Now?¡±


    ¡°Mr Greyward will call for us.¡±¡±


    ¡°I see. Not now then.¡±


    Lily sighed in relief. It would allow her a little more rest, after all.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll lay down a little more¡­¡±


    Saying so, Lily let herself fall on the bed, grabbing the blanket and making herself comfortable. Doing so also revealed that the was a third plush toy that had been hidden beneath the blanket. Alas, I could only see it for a moment because it immediately disappeared under the blanket again. Needless to say who was responsible for that.


    ¡°Yumi? Why are you smiling?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Nn? Nothing, nothing.¡±


    Karen tilted her head in confusion and behind her, Lily was averting her gaze, likely having guessed why I was smiling. I mean, how could I not smile? It was too cute.


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± mumbled Karen.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    No point in making things more difficult now.


    It didn¡¯t take all that long until we were informed that Greyward wanted to enter the city. Lily that time, Lily felt significantly better already. In fact, she was just as energetic as she usually was. That treatment sure was effective. Although, quick and painful was its motto. I disliked the painful part even if it was quick, so I still wouldn¡¯t try it. Even if I was a little jealous that Lily was already back to normal while I was still feeling just a little ill. Even then! I wasn¡¯t jealous!


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Something wrong, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No, everything¡¯s fine. Everything¡¯s fine¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Greyward raised an eyebrow at me but didn¡¯t say anything further. How considerate of him.


    Anyway, the four of us together with Greyward and three other mercenaries were walking towards the gate. We had stopped some distance away from it but it was still just a short walk. The guards at the gate saw us coming and visibly tensed up.


    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ll leave those three to you. Get them registered and meet up with us at the town square. We¡¯ll go ahead first.¡±


    ¡°Leave it to me!¡±


    Lily puffed out her chest, trying to look reliable.


    ¡°Karen, if this idiot does something stupid, don¡¯t hesitate to scold her.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Papa?!¡±


    Guess she didn¡¯t look even half as reliable as she thought she would. Greyward chuckled before facing the gate. He addressed the guards in a clear voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m Johnson Greyward! We¡¯re from the Lomerian Dragon Knights. We¡¯ve come seeking entry to secure supplies.¡±


    I was confused for a few seconds about why he introduced us as part of the Dragon Knights, which was true for Karen and me but not necessarily for them. Then it dawned on me that the Black Guards weren¡¯t technically around anymore. They had joined the Dragon Knights after all.


    At least, I wasn¡¯t the only one confused for a few seconds, judging from the faces of the three men with him.


    As for the guards, they exchanged a look with each other before one of them stepped forward to receive us. Or more like, question us.


    ¡°Are any of you registered?¡±


    ¡°Five of our group are registered. The others are in Aldreigh for the first time.¡±


    The guard let his gaze wander over us before nodding.


    ¡°Do you have any additional identification on you?¡±


    ¡°We do. Here.¡±


    Greyward handed him the same badge that he had shown to the border guards. And just like with the border guard, it surprised the man.


    ¡°A temple mark?! Sir, you are associated with the temple?¡±


    ¡°In a way.¡±


    ¡°... I understand. You can pass. As for the ones who need to be registered, please stay with us a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    That was¡­ incredibly fast. That badge really had quite the authority behind it, huh? But a temple mark? They had a temple here?


    ¡°Karen, don¡¯t forget to show them the mana passes. Lily, I¡¯ll leave them to you until they are registered.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Sure, Papa!¡±


    Greyward nodded before thanking the guard a final time. He led the other three men and entered through the gate, disappearing from our sight moments later.


    ¡°I assume it would be you three that need to be registered?¡±


    The guard looked at Karen, Rina and me.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Follow me then. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    The guard led us halfway through the gate before entering a small door, barely noticeable in the wall. The whole setup reminded me a lot of that time in Larfas, where we had to be registered as well.


    ¡°Take a seat there. Sir Greyward mentioned you have a mana pass? Did you by chance get registered in Lafria?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We did in the capital.¡±


    ¡°That makes things easy then. The process is pretty much identical. May I see the pass?¡±


    ¡°Here.¡±


    Karen handed him the two mana passes, one for me and one for Rina.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yes, these seem to be legitimate. Then, let me register these two first. Then¡­ Uhh¡­ Miss¡­ Rina?¡±


    He glanced from the mana pass several times up as he read it with some trouble.


    ¡°Yes, yes!¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s energetic, huh? Sit down here, please.¡±


    The guard motioned for Rina to sit down at a table while he sat down on the opposite end. In his hands was the same kind of magical tool we had seen in Larfas. The one that poked your finger for a drop of blood.


    ¡°Please put your finger here. It¡¯ll hurt only for a short moment.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Ouch!¡±


    ¡°Yes, I got it. You did well. Show me your finger.¡±


    Rina did as she was asked to, showing him the finger that was still bleeding a little. The guard¡¯s hand hovered over her finger, glowing softly. A second later, the finger had been healed.


    ¡°Ohhh! Amazing, it¡¯s gone!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha. This much is nothing.


    The guard laughed, pleased by Rina¡¯s praise.


    ¡°We still have one other thing to do, so stay here for a second, yes?¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    With a smile, the guard took out a tiny vial containing the blood from the magic tool and put it into a small holder. This was a bit different from what I had seen in Larfas. After that, he took out a few writing utensils.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need your name, sex and age as well as your occupation if applicable.¡±


    ¡°Rina, female, sixteen years old! Uhh¡­ I help out at the mercenaries!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! Helping out it is.¡±


    The guard chuckled again as he wrote down everything. Did he really write helping out?


    ¡°And that¡¯s it. Thank you for your cooperation. Please wait while we register the others.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    Rina vacated the seat and came back to us, grinning.


    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡±


    ¡°Nn, you did well, Rina.¡±


    ¡°Hehe!¡±


    In the back, the guard was still filling out a few things before calling out to us.


    ¡°Then, next would be Miss¡­ Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Please take a seat.¡±


    After I sat down, he presented me with the magic tool. I put my finger on it and felt a tiny prick.


    ¡°Great. Show me your fin¡ª Oh, it¡¯s healed already?¡±


    The guard¡¯s eyes widened a little in surprise.


    ¡°How unusual. Well, I got what I needed.¡±


    He retrieved the tiny vial from the magic tool only to be surprised again. And admittedly, I was surprised, too. The supposedly red vial was faintly pink.


    ¡°... I guess there are all kinds of people in the world.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    No, I didn¡¯t know about this either! Why was it pink? Was everything about me going to turn into that colour?


    ¡°No matter, as long as it has the mana it should work, probably. We¡¯ll figure something out if not.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I¡¯m sorry for the inconvenience.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    He was¡­ surprisingly accepting of this.


    ¡°Now then: Name, sex and age, please. Plus occupation if applicable.¡±


    ¡°Nn. Yumi, female, twenty-two years old, mercenary.¡±


    ¡°... And there we go. That¡¯s all. Thank you very much. Please return to your seat.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Thank you, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    I returned to the others, welcomed by a few surprised gazes.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ I didn¡¯t know¡­ that your blood¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t either, Sis. Trust me, I¡¯m just as surprised.¡±


    I was pretty sure I had bled here and there before already. And I never noticed anything odd there. But at some point, that apparently had changed as well¡­


    ¡°The last one, please.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    Karen smiled at me before going to sit down with the guard.


    ¡°As you lack a pass, I need to ask you a few questions. But since Sir Greyward bears a temple mark I¡¯ll omit what I can.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Oh, so the mana passes really helped us out.


    ¡°Name, sex, race and age, plus occupation.¡±


    ¡°Karen, female, demonkin, eighteen, mercenary.¡±


    ¡°Where have you lived before?¡±


    ¡°... Arkesta.¡±


    ¡°... The Empire, huh¡­ Couldn¡¯t have been easy.¡±


    The guard¡¯s gaze became sympathetic.


    ¡°How long have you been a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°A little over a month.¡±


    ¡°Oh, still a newbie. Are you a magician?¡±


    ¡°In training, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Magicians are always welcome. Okay, last question: Have you committed any crimes in the past?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen fell silent. The guard immediately noticed it and narrowed his eyes. But before Karen could try and explain, lie or whatever else, his expression mellowed out.


    ¡°Let me rephrase that: Have you committed any crimes in the past month?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, good.¡±


    The guard nodded, satisfied. Karen was staring at him, perplexed by his actions.


    ¡°Uhm, why did you¡­¡±


    ¡°You lived in the empire. I know life sometimes necessitates us to do things that aren¡¯t viewed favourably by others. Plus, you strike me as an honest girl, didn¡¯t even try to lie. Though, your expression is so easy to read anyway. But just so you know, if you do anything untoward in Aldreigh, you¡¯ll find life becoming very difficult here.¡±


    ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll remember that.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    The guard nodded before presenting the magic tool to her.


    ¡°Then, if you could.¡±


    ¡°... Mm!¡±


    Karen flinched when the needle poked her but she didn¡¯t cry out.


    ¡°Okay, good. Show me your¡­ Is it common nowadays that girls heal in an instant?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Quite the odd group of girls you are.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡±


    We could only smile wryly at his comment. He wasn¡¯t wrong, after all.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll need to get these tested. If there are no problems, you¡¯ll be free to go soon. Just wait for a little here.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Okay.¡±¡±¡±


    The three of us replied in unison. The guard chuckled again before taking out the vial of the magic tool and putting it in the holder. He picked up the holder and put it into a small box on the wall. After confirming it was inside, he sat down again, leaning back in his chair.


    ¡°So, your group is looking for supplies here in Melfin?¡±


    We were a little perplexed at him suddenly addressing us. Lily recovered first and replied to him.


    ¡°Yes, we are.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ That¡¯s probably going to be hard¡­ ¡°


    ¡°Is it because of that explosion?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you heard about it?¡±


    ¡°Only a little. That it was related to the expansion project or something.¡±


    The border guard couldn¡¯t exactly tell us a whole lot either.


    ¡°Yeah, that. Thanks to that, we don¡¯t have a whole lot to spare. You might be better off travelling to the next town.¡±


    We¡¯d probably return if we couldn¡¯t find anything, though.


    Just then, a small bell echoed in the room.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s done. Well, let me check.¡±


    The guard stood up again, checking the contents of the box. He pulled out a small piece of paper from the box, reading through it. His expression turned into one of surprise, then annoyance.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Karen asked him.


    ¡°Mh? Well, a little bit.¡±


    He scratched the back of his head, looking over at us.


    ¡°Miss Rina, Miss Karen, you two have been in Aldreigh before?¡±


    The reaction was immediate: Rina tilted her head and Karen clamped up.


    ¡°It¡¯s illegal to try to register anew when you¡¯re already in the system.¡±


    ¡°We¡­ We were registered?¡±


    ¡°You were.¡±


    This¡­ was bad, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°Miss Karen, family name erased, exiled nine years ago. Reason: Unknown.¡±


    They knew. This was really bad.


    ¡°Miss Miria, family name erased, exiled nine years ago. Reason: Unknown.¡±


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Lily tensing up and slowly taking a stance.


    ¡°According to  a new Aldreighan law established four years ago, exiling anyone below the age of fourteen is now strictly forbidden.¡±


    ¡°... Uh?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    We froze. All of us.


    ¡°Therefore, the exile has been determined as unjust and is henceforth withdrawn. Congratulations and welcome back.¡±


    The guard clapped his hands as he congratulated us.


    ¡°Judging from your reactions, you didn¡¯t know you were registered. Guess that¡¯s why you had the guts to try and register again. Well, it worked out for the better anyway.¡±


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Mr Guard, what is the meaning of this?¡± asked Lily.


    ¡°The tool registers and records mana signatures. We check any new registrants on crimes they might have committed in the past in Aldreigh. Any crime is registered in it, so we know immediately when someone tries to trick us. Not without its faults and half the time, it doesn¡¯t even work properly, but it¡¯s better than nothing.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders with a sigh.


    ¡°Either way, I¡¯ll need to send a report to the central office and inform them of this matter. They might start an investigation but seeing how your family names were erased from the records, I wouldn¡¯t bet on it leading to a result. Must¡¯ve been someone influential to do this. Not to mention that it was still legal at the time so even if they figure it out, there won¡¯t be any consequences apart from a reprimand. Not that I could ever understand how you can exile children. Disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Is¡­ Is that so?¡±


    Karen stared at him, still in a daze. Her eyes clearly betrayed her feelings of confusion.


    ¡°Yes. Well¡­ Either way, you needn¡¯t worry. You¡¯re free to come and go from Melfin. However, it might take some time before this information reaches other cities and towns, so you probably should avoid visiting them if possible.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    She was still staring at him, blinking. It was unknown whether his words actually neutered her ears.


    ¡°How long would it take?¡± asked Lily instead.


    ¡°Mhm, they come every two months¡­ when was the last time¡­ I think last month¡­ I guess in two months the major cities should be fine. The more remote areas might need half a year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a long time.¡±


    ¡°Of course. They have to carry these things around on foot, after all. Would be nice if they spared a Space magician for it but, hey, what can you do?¡±


    He slapped the wall where the magic tool was in.


    ¡°At least it works. Most of the time.¡±


    No, thinking about it, wasn¡¯t this whole system actually incredibly amazing?


    ¡°Anyway, just, err, tell those girls what I told you later. Whenever they¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°... I will.¡±


    Sis, even the guard realised you¡¯re completely out of it¡­ Please snap back.


    Unfortunately, she might take a while to reboot¡­ I couldn¡¯t blame her, though. The whole situation was just¡­ too surreal.


    ¡°Anyway, I won¡¯t pry into their issues. There¡¯s another thing I got to take care of, though.¡±


    The guard stared at the paper in his hand, then at me. What was this sense of foreboding I was having?


    ¡°Miss Yumi, you said you are twenty-two?¡±


    ¡°... Yes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He stared at the paper again¡­ then at me.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s just the tool malfunctioning here. It says you are a grand zero years old.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Never seen that before.¡±


    Yeah, would be funny if he had. Right?


    ¡°Eh, whatever. Even if it was true, it wouldn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter if one was, err, zero years old? Good to know. But I was twenty-two, so it was not relevant for me, right? Right?


    ¡°With that, we¡¯re done here. You¡¯re free to enter the city. Take that door over. Don¡¯t cause any trouble and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Understood, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. I¡¯ll be writing my report now. And checking that dumb tool again¡­¡±


    The guard sighed, shaking his head. We left the room, leaving him to his fate.


    As we finally stepped onto the street of Melfin, Karen pulled on my clothes.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t dream that just now, did I?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that was real.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Karen was shocked, to say the least. And who could blame her for it?


    ¡°It was¡­ withdrawn? Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Seems so. Isn¡¯t that good?¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­ But it¡¯s just¡­ so sudden.¡±


    I hadn¡¯t expected this to happen either, to be honest. I didn¡¯t even consider that Karen and Rina might have been registered there already. They hadn¡¯t said anything to it so I assumed they weren¡¯t. But then again, they had been children. They probably wouldn¡¯t have known.


    ¡°I guess it was. To be honest, I was worried for a moment there¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad he was understanding.


    Seriously, what would we have done if this hadn¡¯t happened? We were extremely lucky.


    ¡°Mhm, even if, it shouldn¡¯t have become too much of an issue. I could¡¯ve always taken out the badge. The temple mark.¡±


    ¡°You could?¡±


    ¡°Sure. I mean, if that wouldn¡¯t work, Papa wouldn¡¯t have let us alone. He knew that it was possible this would happen.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he knew?¡±


    Lily nodded.


    ¡°He warned me yesterday about it and that I should take the mark with me.¡±


    What to say¡­ We should give him our thanks later.


    ¡°Well, either way, it seems the guard was pretty kind. Not sure whether he simply didn¡¯t want to get in trouble with the temple, though.¡±


    I¡¯d like to think he was simply kind, though. He didn¡¯t seem like a bad person to me.


    ¡°Just¡­ what the heck is that temple?¡±


    They sounded like a pretty amazing place, after all, if they had so much authority.


    ¡°Mhm, well, explaining it in full might take a while. Simply put, they¡¯re a little like the places in Lafria where the Spirits are worshipped. Except, the temple is a little more¡­ How to say it¡­ general? Casual? No¡­ Well, they don¡¯t really worship anything in particular. Anything is fine as long it is a magical entity or magic related, the Spirits included.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ broad.¡±


    ¡°It is broad.¡±


    Lily shrugged her shoulders, smiling wryly.


    ¡°They¡¯re important in Aldreigh, though. That¡¯s why this badge, the temple mark, is quite effective for situations like this.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    And Lily and Greyward were both carrying a symbol of that temple with them. Just how the heck did they get those?


    ¡°Well, anyway, enough about those matters. We¡¯re finally in Melfin so let¡¯s enjoy ourselves a little! Come on!¡±


    Lily pulled Rina and Karen¡¯s hands dragging them onto the street. I hurried after them before they could get lost in the crowd.


    Well, Lily is right¡­ We¡¯re finally here so let¡¯s enjoy ourselves.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: The Border Town of Melfin

    Melfin was, to sum it up in a few words, a weird town. I honestly couldn¡¯t think of a better way to describe it. My first impression was that it was gloomy. If you were a little more positive about it, you could also call it a sombre town. But that was just my first impression based on the grey wall, followed by the similarly grey cityscape. The moment we looked around, however, you could see it was far more colourful.


    The street itself was lined with trees, making it more of an avenue than a regular road. The walls of a few odd houses were covered in green, red or even blue climbing plants. I never even knew such plants existed. At the end of the avenue, we could see a small fountain, surrounded by four banners, each one a different colour: Black, green, red and blue.


    There were also many weird contraptions on the streets and the houses. From magical lamps over the entryways and a few lampposts lining the street to large machines¡ªeach as large as I was tall¡ªattached to the corner of a few houses. If you listened closely, you could hear them humming, working, and if you looked at them with mana sight, you could see a steady flow of mana throughout the machine.


    To top it all off, coloured cloths were fluttering below each windowsill. Not one windowsill was missing it and each of them came in all different kinds of colours.


    ¡°I honestly thought it would be gloomier than this,¡± commented Karen.


    ¡°Nn, I thought so, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty!¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t know whether I could call it pretty, but it definitely wasn¡¯t a bad impression I had.


    ¡°Surprised? Welcome to Melfin! Well, it¡¯s my first time here as well, though.¡±


    Lily puffed out her chest, proud for some odd reason.


    ¡°I guess I am surprised, yeah. I mean, I expected the town to be in pretty bad shape but¡­¡±


    There was no sign of damage anywhere.


    ¡°The damage was supposed to be in that development district, wasn¡¯t it? It¡¯s probably not near the gate.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Seems like that¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°This is the main road, after all. It would be an issue for the town if it was blocked due to damage or something. Even if it¡¯s not very busy here,¡± explained Lily.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Good point. That would be an issue.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Now that you mention it, though¡­ We didn¡¯t really come across any other people along the way. I guess there are other trade routes between Lafria and Aldreigh then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There are two routes that could be called the main trade routes. One leads to the capital and proceeds north, the other goes through a major town in the south of Aldreigh and leads to the federation. There¡¯s also a route to the empire, though it¡¯s not quite as well-travelled since they aren¡¯t trading as much with each other. And apparently there¡¯s also some trading between Lafria, Krohmea and Aldreigh by ship through the Grand Spirit Lake.¡±


    I stared at Lily as she explained all that, surprised by all this knowledge.


    ¡°You know a lot about this, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I do. Papa taught me all about it!¡±


    ¡°He did?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    That was also a little bit surprising. Then again, merchants were probably important clients for mercenaries. They might have to take jobs to guard them and knowing the major routes would be important for that. Also, the mercenaries might simply use the same routes for travelling, too. Yeah, once you thought about it, there were quite a few reasons why he would teach her. If anything, this was something we might have to study up on as well.


    ¡°Anyway, I think we did enough staring at the scenery. We should find Papa and the others.¡±


    ¡°He said they¡¯d wait at the town square, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It should be that plaza with the fountain over there.¡±


    With our destination decided, we walked along the road, between the trees. We passed by the weird houses with the colourful climbing plants and the ones with weird machines next to them. It was hard not to stare and Lily chuckled as she watched the three of us staring wide-eyed.


    ¡°Hehe, haven¡¯t seen anything like this before, have you?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Just¡­ what are those machines? They¡¯re magic tools, right?¡±


    ¡°They are.¡±


    Lily chuckled again as she answered me.


    ¡°So, what do they do?¡±


    ¡°They¡­ Well, they process waste.¡±


    ¡°Waste? Like, food waste?¡±


    ¡°Among other things, yes. But they also, well, replace the latrine and the like.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    It basically made a toilet possible.


    ¡°But that¡¯s pretty amazing.¡±


    ¡°Right?! It¡¯s such a great invention! It¡¯s too bad that the tools are incredibly expensive, though. The ones you see here are owned by the town, too. And each one works for several buildings.¡±


    ¡°But that means that everyone here has access to them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you have food waste or similar, you can even just walk up to them and throw it inside.¡±


    How convenient. Like, I had gotten used to the¡­ troublesome situation in regards to the lack of a toilet. There were ways to deal with it, though it wasn¡¯t very pleasant. The saving grace for me personally was that I had much less of a need to do so since coming to this world. In fact, I had the subtle feeling it got less and less¡­ Err, enough about my personal situation.


    ¡°How much does one of these costs, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I asked Papa a few years ago, so I don¡¯t know how accurate it is now. Back then he said, you wouldn¡¯t see one of these going for less than three hundred gold coins.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Apparently, our toilet situation wasn¡¯t going to improve anytime soon.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of money.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they would make them so readily available to the citizens, though.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Maybe they wanted to improve the situation for the citizens? I don¡¯t know¡­ but I bet they had a good reason.¡±


    There was always the question of hygiene. People were surprisingly clean overall, considering the living standards, but it also didn¡¯t apply to everyone. Korwen and Greyward, or rather the mercenaries as a whole, knew the danger of a dirty lifestyle. At least, I was pretty sure they did. But when I thought back on the slums in Arkesta, then hygiene wasn¡¯t something anyone really paid attention to. How could they, anyway, when they were wondering if they had enough food and water to make it to the next day.


    ¡°How do they process it, though? Do they burn it?¡±


    ¡°I wonder. I don¡¯t think they burn it but¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    It should be easy to figure out if they were burning it... None of them seemed to be putting out smoke or anything, so maybe they really weren¡¯t burning it. How mysterious.


    ¡°Well, regardless of how they work, they are pretty much everywhere nowadays in Aldreigh. They¡¯re amazing, after all and most people living here are very grateful about them.¡±


    ¡°Not surprising, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°True that. But it also makes me jealous¡­ Haaa¡­¡±


    Lily sighed wistfully, staring at the machines as we passed by them. She really wanted one of these. It was written on her face. But the equivalent of three hundred gold coins¡­ and that was the minimum price. A single one wouldn¡¯t be enough for the mercenaries and it was probably far too expensive to outfit the whole band with them. There was the question of how to do that anyway. Could you even install one of these in a wagon?


    These machines are so massive, they¡¯d barely fit into a wagon. It doesn¡¯t seem very feasible. It¡¯d be different if it were, like, the fort¡­ Nn, actually¡­


    Considering the fort wasn¡¯t mobile, the issue of¡­ dealing with waste would become far more important. Maybe that could be something¡­


    ¡°... Hey, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we ask the Captain and Mr Greyward if it would be possible to install them in the fort?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily stared at me, her eyes wide. She seemed to think about it for several seconds, considering what this would mean. Her expressions bloomed into a bright smile as she turned around, grabbing my shoulders in excitement.


    ¡°Yumi! That¡¯s a genius idea!¡±


    She was staring straight into my eyes. Her fluffy ears were twitching wildly from her excitement, giving her the impression of a very excited puppy. Not like I¡¯d ever tell her that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Papa immediately!¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I know that was my idea but don¡¯t get too hopeful¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! This is important, after all!¡±


    Now I was worried if I hadn¡¯t accidentally raised a hope that was doomed to fail¡­ They still were absurdly expensive but hygiene was a far bigger issue with the fort now¡­ We couldn¡¯t just, well, discard the waste at the roadside anymore, so to speak.


    ¡°Lily, calm down. We won¡¯t know if what Yumi suggested will work.¡±


    ¡°No, Karen, I¡¯m sure it will. This is solely to improve our quality of life, after all! What are a few waste processors in the face of a whole fort¡¯s costs?!¡±


    ¡°I mean, if you put it that way¡­¡±


    Even Karen was a little taken aback by Lily¡¯s enthusiasm, unsure how she should respond. She looked at Rina and me, pleading for help with her eyes. I couldn¡¯t do anything, though.


    Well, guess it¡¯ll depend on Greyward how this will end.


    If he said no¡­ I didn¡¯t want to imagine it. I couldn¡¯t imagine the waterworks coming for the¡­ well¡­ toilet-like machines¡­ but it might turn into a bit of a fuss.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    And just as I thought how it would end, I already spotted Greyward waiting for us near the fountain. What a timing¡­


    He spotted us as well and came over.


    ¡°I see you got in. Did everything¡­ The hell¡¯s up with Lily?¡±


    Greyward raised an eyebrow, seeing his overexcited daughter. His expression was clearly one of worry. Maybe he could already expect something troublesome coming his way.


    ¡°Papa!¡±


    ¡°... What is it?¡±


    ¡°The fort needs a waste processor!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    His expression of worry turned into pure disappointment. I wondered what the heck was going on in his head right now. Was it because his daughter was excited over such a, well, troublesome topic? Or maybe something else?


    ¡°I hate to disappoint you, Lily, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­¡±


    ¡°... one of our purposes here is to inquire about the current market price.¡±


    ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Wow, really? As expected, they had really thought of everything¡­


    ¡°Really?!¡±


    ¡°Yes. Really.¡±


    Now, that was a blooming smile if I ever saw one.


    ¡°Yay! We did it!¡±


    With her arms raised into the air, Lily let out a cheer. The situation must have really bothered her.


    ¡°Except you didn¡¯t really do anything, Lily. Well, I wanted to inform you all about our plans this morning but¡­¡±


    A few things made that a little hard, yeah.


    ¡°Anyway, you needn¡¯t worry about that. In fact, you should be looking forward to it. One thing Korwen wanted us to do was to look into all kinds of tools that would make life more comfortable. If you find anything interesting, don¡¯t hesitate to inform me.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡±


    Greyward smiled wryly at Lily¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°But setting that aside¡­ We should move elsewhere. Follow me.¡±


    He turned around, beckoning us to follow him down the road. After a few moments, he spoke up, his voice a tinge quieter than before.


    ¡°What happened at the gate?¡±


    ¡°The three got registered. Rina and Karen were already registered, though, as expected. He claimed the exile was rescinded, though,¡± answered Lily in a surprisingly brief manner.


    ¡°Rescinded? Didn¡¯t know a common guard had the authority to do that.¡±


    ¡°He said it was part of a law revision.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t see Greyward¡¯s face but I had the feeling he was narrowing his eyes in doubt right now.


    ¡°If that¡¯s true, it would be welcome. Nonetheless, we should be careful. If any of you notice anything strange, inform me immediately, got that?¡±


    He turned around, looking at Rina, Karen and me specifically.


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡±


    The only one still cheerful about it was Rina¡­ Well, that was fine.


    ¡°Mhm, let¡¯s just hope nothing happens.¡±


    Hope dies last, and all that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for a moment. I already sent the others to do some information gathering about oru supplies. In the meantime, we¡¯re going to take a look at the development district.¡±


    ¡°Where the accident was?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want to see with my own eyes what happened there. The original plan also included greeting Melfin¡¯s governor, but they seem to be out of town currently.¡±


    ¡°Out of town? While his town is¡­ err, in a bit of a crisis?¡±


    I was this close to saying it was turning into rubble.


    ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s right. It might be because it is in a crisis, though. Or it might be unrelated. Unfortunately, the guards couldn¡¯t tell me the details.¡±


    Either way, he wasn¡¯t available. So greeting him wasn¡¯t an option, huh¡­


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to postpone the greeting to some other time. And with that, our destination is going to be the development district for now.¡±


    Huh. Well, that was just fine with me. I was curious about the development district as well, after all.


    We followed Greyward for quite a while as he led us through the town. Once in a while, we had to take a short stop and ask for directions, which the locals happily gave us.


    Right now, we were watching as Greyward was asking yet another person for directions. Probably. I couldn¡¯t understand most of it, after all. These people could only speak Aldreighan, after all.


    Somehow, I¡¯m really glad that I can at least speak Akkian¡­ I don¡¯t even want to imagine what would happen if I couldn¡¯t even do that¡­


    I would¡¯ve been utterly helpless¡­ and I would be here as well, without someone to interpret for me. Only one more reason not to stray from Karen and the others.


    ¡°Hey, Lily.¡±


    ¡°What is it, Karen?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering but¡­ we¡¯ve seen very few demonkin, haven¡¯t we?¡±


    Karen was looking around at the other pedestrian. I hadn¡¯t really paid much attention to it but now that she mentioned it¡­ All of them were human or beastkin. Wasn¡¯t this a nation of demonkin?


    ¡°Mm¡­ Karen, you¡¯ve probably only been in the large cities of Aldreigh, have you?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ I think so but¡­ It¡¯s been too long so I¡¯m not sure. But I am pretty sure I saw more demonkin on the streets back then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that sounds like one of the large cities. Most demonkin live in the central area of Aldreigh. The further out you get, the more it¡¯s only humans and beastkin. Apart from the officials and the military, we probably won¡¯t see many demonkin.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    Karen furrowed her brows as her gaze swept another time over the pedestrians.


    ¡°Then again, many demonkin are hard to recognise at first glance. We might have passed a few without knowing.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    If I recall correctly, demonkin didn¡¯t have many common traits in regards to their appearance. Some had tails like Karen and Rina did. Others had wings or even horns. I was told that there were even some with slitted pupils like mine. And to make it worse, these traits came in all kinds of combinations, too.


    ¡°Speaking of which, are there demonkin without any notable traits at all?¡±


    ¡°I never met one, at least. They might be simply rare, though.¡±


    Or another instance of being unrecognisable.


    ¡°You girls, stop talking and come. I got our directions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯re coming!¡±


    Not our fault he took so long¡­ Err, nevermind that.


    ¡°We¡¯re nearly there. It should be right to the left over there.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was that close already?¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    We followed the road and turned left. And all of a sudden, we found ourselves in front of a destroyed town.


    ¡°Woah, what happened here¡­¡±


    Collapsed buildings, giant piles of grey rubble, pieces of metal all over the place, wooden frameworks for building, building utensils like hammers, shovels and so on, and even some remains of clothes, dishes and other everyday items. It was, simply put, as if a bomb had exploded right in the middle of town.


    ¡°Crap. This is pretty bad, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Even Greyward was taken aback by the sight in front of him.


    ¡°Whatever tool they were setting up here, I get the feeling it might be better served thrown at an enemy camp.¡±


    How to say it¡­ that was a pretty mercenary-like conclusion he came to.


    While we were staring at the devastation spreading out in front of us, a man approached us from within the ruins. He wore thick clothing, thick gloves, boots and all that.


    ¡°Excuse me. Are you, visitors?¡± he asked, clearly not used to speaking our language.


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve come from Lafria. We heard about the accident and wanted to see it for ourselves. Are you a worker here?¡±


    ¡°Worker. Yes, I am. Cleaning up.¡±


    Someone hired to remove the rubble and the ruins, apparently. Well, they couldn¡¯t just leave these ruins in the middle of town.


    ¡°Do you know what caused this?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We all, do. Big, magic thing. Set up, for test. Suddenly, smoke. Fire. We ran. Everyone ran. Big rumble. Stones flying. Tools flying. Horrible. World ending.¡±


    The man¡¯s agitation was clear to everyone as he recounted the tale.


    ¡°Do you know what kind of magic tool it was?¡±


    ¡°How would I?¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders before he continued.


    ¡°I just worker. Planned work here. Good future. For all of us. We were happy. Then, this happened. Devastating. But, at least we work. At least we work. Not what we imagine. But alive. And work.¡±


    ¡°Would you happen to know who knows more about the incident?¡±


    ¡°Want to know more? You, inspectors?¡±


    ¡°No, we are mercenaries.¡±


    ¡°Mercenaries?¡±


    The man raised an eyebrow. He probably couldn¡¯t imagine why mercenaries had any interest in this.


    ¡°Odd people, you are. Want know more, go to foreman. Foreman in red. Her.¡±


    He pointed to a spot a little away of the ruins. A small group of people stood there around a table and seemed to be discussing things. Among them was indeed a woman, with fiery red hair.


    ¡°She know all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that information. Here, treat yourself to a nice meal.¡±


    Greyward handed him three silvery-looking coins, upon which the man broke out into a wide smile.


    ¡°Ohh! Good man. Good man! Thank you!¡±


    In an euphoric mood, the man held up the coins before thanking Greyward again and returning back to his work.


    ¡°He was quite¡­ talkative.¡±


    ¡°Not surprising. People always want someone else to listen to their troubles. Lend them an ear and most will happily talk until your ear rots away. And hey, we get information, they can vent. Everyone¡¯s happy.¡±


    And he even got a bit of money out of it.


    ¡°Nn, I guess so. So, are we going to ask that¡­ forewoman?¡±


    ¡°Mm, I wonder. I¡¯d love to know some more but it¡¯s no good if we make ourselves suspicious simply because of our curiosity.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Huh? We were actually doing this only out of curiosity? I mean, yeah, I was. But Greyward, too?


    ¡°Either way¡­ Seeing all of this with my own eyes does leave quite an impression.¡±


    Greyward stared at the ruins, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°No wonder they told us it¡¯d be hard to get supplies. With damage this extensive, they¡¯re going to focus all their efforts on cleaning this up.¡±


    ¡°We could always help them, Papa.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re mercenaries but we¡¯re not handymen, Lily.¡±


    Mercenaries were probably too expensive to hire for a job like this anway. I could imagine them being quite good at it, though.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Sis?¡±


    ¡°What¡­ were they building here?¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­ residential buildings?¡±


    ¡°Does a residential building need such a massive chimney?¡±


    ¡°Chimney?¡±


    I tilted my head, trying to find a chimney. Not with much success, until Karen pointed it out to me among the rubble. Sure enough there was a massive chimney. Or rather, that looked exactly like a smokestack.


    ¡°... Don¡¯t tell me¡­ were they building factories?¡±


    The only buildings with such a smokestack I could think of on the spot were factories. But I simply couldn¡¯t imagine that being the case. Was¡­ Aldreigh really that far ahead with their technology?


    ¡°Yumi? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nn, well¡­¡±


    I spied over to Greyward, who was still within earshot.


    ¡°There were similar buildings in my¡­ old home. All kinds of things were produced in them but on a massive scale. Quantity-wise.¡±


    ¡°That sounds¡­ amazing.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it was amazing.¡±


    It did come with its own set of problems, but it definitely was.


    ¡°While that sounds interesting, it was probably the chimney of a mana smelter,¡± interrupted Lily.


    ¡°A mana smelter?¡±


    That was a word I hadn¡¯t heard of before.


    ¡°Mm¡­ Yumi, do you know how magic iron is made?¡±


    ¡°No, not in the least.¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡±


    Sorry about that.


    ¡°Then, do you know about the process of making iron?¡±


    ¡°I know more or less the¡­ basics? There¡¯s iron ore and you smelt it to get iron.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, it¡¯s not really wrong but¡­ never say that to Wormaz or you¡¯re going to regret that deeply.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Duly noted.


    ¡°If you simplified it, it¡¯s pretty much how it works, yes. I mean, I¡¯m not an expert on it either. But, well¡­ I had to listen to Wormaz¡¯ lecture before because I said that, too. Don¡¯t repeat my mistakes.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡±


    Lily glanced at me with a wry smile.


    ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t really need to know much more anyway. Magic iron is a little more complicated as it needs certain monster materials among other things.¡±


    ¡°Monster materials? Seriously?¡±


    Now I was the one who was confused. We were still talking about metals, right?


    ¡°Surprised? But I¡¯m not joking. The particulars like their type aren¡¯t publicly known but monster materials are processed in the mana smelters together with iron and then turned into magic iron. And whatever materials they use, it needs tremendous amounts of temperature to smelt. And that¡¯s what mana smelters are for.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, these mana smelters are hotter than a regular furnace?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. A lot hotter. Way, way hotter. They need to create special buildings for them. If you look closely at the chimney, you notice a lack of pattern from bricks and the like, right? And if you look at it with mana sight¡­¡±


    She paused, grinning. It was basically a prompt for me to check by myself and so I followed up on it and took a close look at it.


    ¡°... It was made by an Earth magician?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the case.¡±


    ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you thought it might be such a mana smelter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Not many places would need an Earth magician to create their chimney of all things.¡±


    In that case, this development district¡­ Was it going to be a smelting plant or something like that? A production facility for magic iron? If it really required so much effort, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising that they were developing this whole area.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite something¡­ Nn¡­ Does that mean there is an iron ore mine nearby?¡±


    ¡°No clue. Haven¡¯t heard about one, at least.¡±


    They could still import the iron ore but having it nearby would make more sense to me¡­ But, well, that wasn¡¯t my problem even if it wasn¡¯t like that.


    A smelting plant, huh¡­ Greyward mentioned something about that expansion project, didn¡¯t he?


    It wasn¡¯t hard to guess that this was related.


    ¡°Lily, could it be that the tool that exploded was related to the¡­ mana smelter, you called it?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Maybe. Wouldn¡¯t be a surprise. I mean, the worker said the tool was smoking and caught fire, right? Can¡¯t imagine many other tools that do that.¡±


    Yah, that would make sense.


    ¡°Mhm, a mana smelter¡¯s furnace that exploded? That¡¯s a pretty good guess. I admit, I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Papa!¡±


    ¡°Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for listening in, but that was a pretty interesting discussion you had.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, you can always listen in!¡±


    No, I¡¯d prefer he didn¡¯t always do that¡­ But no point in telling Lily that. She was happy to be praised right now, anyway.


    ¡°I won¡¯t do that, Lily.¡±


    Greyward sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°Whatever. We should soon return to the town square. I assume the others should come back soon from their information gathering and we don¡¯t want to make them wait more than necessary, right? So, if you still want to look for something, do it quickly.¡±


    I exchanged a glance with the others but everyone was shaking their heads.


    ¡°Nn, I think we¡¯re all good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, too. Let¡¯s get back then.¡±


    Rinne


    If you enjoy the story, please take a look at my Patreon! You can read up to 11 chapters ahead of everyone else!


    Thank you for reading!

 Chapter of Demon Desires: Mr Yuu’s Fight

    We finally did it!


    Taboo Journal finally has a cover!


    Made by ErosPanda, whom some of you might know. You can find him on Twitter and Instagram.


    So, there it is. After three and a half long years.


    It turned out pretty amazing, didn''t it? Feel free to share your impressions!


    I will also upload a higher-resolution version as well as Yumi''s character sheet somewhere over the next few days.


    If you are less patient, both the higher-resolution image and the character sheet should be on my Discord server at the time this goes up. If anyone needs the invite again, here it is.


    Now that the cover has finally arrived, I also intend to start uploading Taboo Journal elsewhere. Currently, the plan is to upload it on RoyalRoad sometime next week. With the sheer amount of chapters, it might take a while before it catches up to SH, though.


    Apart from that, I am planning on expanding a little on what I offer on my Patreon but I''m not quite sure of the details yet.


    And that was it already. I hope you enjoy the cover.


    Thank you for the amazing support over the years! It wouldn''t have been possible without it!


    Rinn¨¦


    After we had taken a look at the destroyed development district, our group made its way back to the square where we initially met up with Greyward. The destruction had been astonishing. Yet, despite that level of destruction, nobody had come to actual harm. It beggared belief.


    Well, apart from the workers that had lost their potential future jobs now. Now their job was clearing the rubble and they seemed surprisingly content with it.


    I wonder how long it¡¯ll take for them to clean that up¡­ and how long until they can now finish those buildings¡­ That must have been a devastating setback, after all.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t really want to know that. Just the thought of it made me squirm. So much work, blown sky-high. Literally. Whoever had planned this project, I didn¡¯t envy him.


    Oh well¡­


    I took a deep breath, chasing away the pessimistic thoughts. In the end, it wasn¡¯t my problem. I felt bad for whoever was involved, but that¡¯s it. I should rather focus on our own problems.


    Speaking of which, where were we? This place didn¡¯t look familiar¡­ But the others didn¡¯t seem to be bothered as they walked down the street. Maybe I should have actually paid attention to my surroundings.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do we know where we are?¡±


    ¡°... I think so.¡±


    Oh? Karen didn¡¯t sound very sure either. So I wasn¡¯t the only one who was lost.


    ¡°But Lily said she knows the way.¡±


    ¡°... Oh. I see.¡±


    In that case, we were probably okay. It was Lily, after all.


    ¡°Well, worst case we can still ask for directions,¡± I muttered in a quiet voice.


    Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t necessary to do so. Lily led us through the town¡¯s streets without getting lost even once. We were really fortunate to have her with us, weren¡¯t we?


    ¡°There we are.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe!¡±


    She puffed out her chest with a smug smile. It was cute.


    I couldn¡¯t enjoy the sight for long, though, since the other mercenaries had spotted us first and ran over.


    ¡°¡±¡°Captain, sir!¡±¡±¡±


    The three men stopped in front of Greyward and saluted.


    ¡°How is it? What did the merchants say?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    The three men scowled before one of them started with his report.


    ¡°The Romeli Trader¡¯s Guild does not have any common supplies to spare. They only mentioned that they got magic tools in stock.¡±


    ¡°What kind of tools?¡±


    ¡°Most of them were intended for blacksmithing, construction and large-scale work, sir. They have only a few everyday tools available.¡±


    Greyward crossed his arms in front of him, his eyes narrowing. After a short moment of silence, he addressed the man again.


    ¡°Anything else you found out? What about magicians for hire?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, sir. All local magicians have already been hired by the local lord for the development district.¡±


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Greyward let out a long sigh. No supplies, and no magicians for hire. It was as bad as it could get.


    ¡°Okay, can¡¯t change it. We¡¯ll think of what to do when we¡¯re back at the camp. We¡¯ll return for the day. Good work you three.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡°Yes, captain!¡±¡±¡±


    He acknowledged them with a nod before turning around, looking towards the gate through which we had come.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get back.¡±


    We made our way back with Greyward in the lead and the three men behind us. At the gate, the guards stared at us for a bit but they let us through without any problem.


    That marked the end of our surprisingly short visit to Melfin. At least, for today. Without any supplies to get, there was the question of what to do now. We might return immediately, from the looks of it...


    ¡°Mr Greyward, are we going to stay here then?¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    For some reason, he stared at me, not answering. Did I do something wrong? Err, we hadn¡¯t discussed this yet, right? Or did I miss something when I spaced out earlier? No, but, that was before we heard their report. I paid attention after that. Really. But his staring at me made me a little uncomfortable.


    Not now? Now I was even more confused.


    Before I could get an answer to my confusion, Greyward upped the pace, forcing us to hurry after him. Karen and Rina seemed just as confused as I was. Lily was smiling wryly and the three men had tensed expressions.


    ¡°This should be far enough.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°First, to answer your question: We¡¯ll return tomorrow in all likelihood.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It really turned out to be a very short trip¡­


    ¡°Second¡­ Lily, since when?¡±


    ¡°Around the time we returned from the development district.¡±


    ¡°As I thought.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Since when¡­ what?


    ¡°We were being followed.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Ehhh?¡±


    We were?!


    ¡°Don¡¯t look all surprised towards the gate.¡±


    ¡°Ngyah?!¡±


    Greyward roughly hit my head when I reflexively turned to the town gate. It hurt.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but that was necessary. They might still be watching from the town.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I see¡­¡±


    That, unfortunately, was of little comfort for my head.


    ¡°Lily, did you see them? Can you tell us how they look?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Papa, they were wearing hoods¡­¡±


    ¡°Figured.¡±


    Greyward sighed again, looking really exhausted for a short moment.


    ¡°What about you three? Were you being followed?¡±


    ¡°¡±No, sir!¡±¡±


    Two of the three men answered immediately. The last one, however, nodded.


    ¡°There was a suspicious person following me when I went to check out the local market. It might have been just a pickpocket, though. He followed me for quite a while, however.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Nothing stolen?¡±


    ¡°No, sir.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Hard to say if it really was just a pickpocket then¡­ If he had stolen something it¡¯d be easy but¡­ Not something you could wish for.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to be careful for now. Don¡¯t go anywhere on your own. Even inside the camp, try to stay together with others. If you see someone suspicious, ring the alarm.¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±Yes, sir!¡±¡±¡±¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes, Mr Greyward!¡±¡±


    The three men and Lily acknowledged the orders and saluted. A little later, Karen and I saluted him as well.


    ¡°Good. Then, except for Lily, everyone else is dismissed. ¡°


    ¡°Ehh? Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because I need to talk with you. Stop complaining and come.¡±


    And then Lily got dragged off by Greyward¡­


    ¡°I guess we¡¯re free for now.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we are.¡±


    ¡°What should we do, Yumi?¡±


    Good question¡­ I didn¡¯t have anything planned, obviously.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Mmm¡­ We could do our report. How about that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡±


    It was a bit early but it might be a good idea to report everything to Korwen.


    ¡°By the way, Rina, what are you going to do?¡± Karen asked her little sister.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go now and wait for Lily.¡±


    ¡°I see. Then, we¡¯ll see you later, I guess?¡±


    ¡°Sure! Until later, Big Sis, Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    Waving her hands, she left to follow after Lily.


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder where she gets that energy from¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that she¡¯s energetic.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it is.¡±


    And a big part of that was thanks to Lily.


    ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get back and call for the captain. Oh, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to call him right. I planned to let Mr Yuu take care of that but¡­¡±


    The question was, where is he? Mr Yuu never came when I called for my dolls so I had no idea how to find him even.


    ¡°Seems like we found something to do, then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it.¡±


    I chuckled. Yeah, it would keep us busy for a little bit.


    ¡°Okay, where should we look first? Or should I try calling for him?¡±


    ¡°Calling first wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ That¡¯s true, too.¡±


    Well then¡­ Nobody¡¯s around to see us either so¡­


    ¡°Mr Yuu! Come here!¡±


    And we would have to wait. And waiting we did. In vain.


    ¡°Not coming¡­¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll have to look for him the old-fashioned way.¡±


    The dolls were a mystery but this one, in particular, baffled me even more¡­ It was completely doing its own thing. Seriously, just what were these dolls anyway? Apart from being monsters, effectively.


    ¡°Now then. Where should we look, Sis?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ We could ask around if someone saw him.¡±


    ¡°Nn, then let¡¯s find someone.¡±


    Karen and I walked around the camp, approaching the first mercenary who didn¡¯t seem all too busy. Basically, the first one we saw.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    ¡°Yes? Oh, Miss Yumi. Can I help you?¡±


    I¡¯ve been wondering, but everyone knew my name, didn¡¯t they? Yet, I only knew a few mercenaries by name¡­ Well, I was conspicuous so it couldn''t be helped.


    ¡°We are looking for Mr Yuu. Did you see him?¡±


    ¡°Mr Yuu. No, I haven¡¯t. Did you check his home already?¡±


    ¡°His¡­ home?¡±


    I had the feeling I just had heard something very odd.


    ¡°Yes. You didn¡¯t know? He has a small box he lives in. It¡¯s in the communal wagon over there.¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know¡­¡±


    So, the doll was already a homeowner. Talk about making it in life.


    ¡°We¡¯ll check there then. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Miss Yumi.¡±


    With a new destination in mind, we set out to the communal wagon. Though it was called a communal wagon, it was basically just a sleeping place¡­ Or so I thought.


    ¡°What is this mess¡­¡±


    The moment we entered the wagon, we were greeted with absolute chaos. Blankets were all over the place. Various utensils and bottles were laid on the floor. A few knives were stuck in the wall. Boots and clothes were strewn around. If someone told me a robber had entered here, I would have believed them. Except, there had been no robber. How did I know? Well¡­


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Miss Yumi and Miss Karen. Do you need something?¡±


    There were people inside. And they seemed completely at ease in this chaos. Probably because it was their chaos.


    ¡°... We¡¯re looking for Mr Yuu. We were told his¡­ home is here,¡± answered Karen in my stead.


    ¡°Mr Yuu¡¯s home? That¡¯s outside. The storage box in the back.¡±


    ¡°The storage box outside. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Sure, you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    And we promptly left the chaos behind us.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad we have our own wagon now.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I absolutely agree.¡±


    How could they live in that chaos? It was beyond me. I could understand some¡­ untidiness. But I¡¯d rather not have dirty shoes on top of the blanket I slept with. This was just amazing¡­ in a bad sense.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just take a look at the storage box and forget what we have seen.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    We moved to the back of the wagon. There was a large storage box attached to each wagon. Or rather, there should be. Yet, the supposed box was missing here. Instead, there was a small but elaborate doll house. It didn¡¯t even resemble the original box anymore. Now, it had a small roof, a door and even windows, all miniature-sized. It was amazing work.


    ¡°These people have too much free time.¡±


    ¡°But it looks pretty good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s bothering me so much¡­¡±


    They put far too much effort into this¡­


    ¡°So, what do we do? It¡­ doesn¡¯t look like we can open that, can we? Should we knock?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess so?¡±


    At least, I wasn¡¯t the only one bewildered.


    I gently knocked against the door with my finger and waited. After several seconds, the door opened and a black figure emerged from within, staring at us. It was a doll, wearing what looked like a miniature armour set made of tiny metal plates. It even carried a small toothpick-sized sword.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What should I do here? Greetings would be first, right?


    ¡°Err, hello, Mr Yuu.¡±


    Ah, he raised his arm. He understood me.


    ¡°We wanted to ask for your help. Is that okay?¡±


    He raised his arm again. That was¡­ a yes, wasn¡¯t it?


    I exchanged a glance with Karen, a little unsure. She nodded, so she probably understood it the same way.


    ¡°Okay, err¡­ Do you want to follow us along or¡­ Ah.¡±


    He jumped down and walked past us. A few steps away¡ªfrom the doll¡¯s perspective a few steps¡ªhe turned around and beckoned us to come. I exchanged another glance with Karen, as well as a wry smile.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get to our wagon.¡±


    We led Mr Yuu back to our little home. He turned out to be quite cooperative. I was honestly a bit worried about that. I mean, he was basically ignoring me all the time, unlike the other dolls. Then again, I hadn¡¯t really bothered either so maybe it was simply my fault.


    ¡°And here we are.¡±


    We entered the wagon and led him into the small tentacle room. The moment we opened the door, the small doll jumped back without warning and drew his tiny sword.


    ¡°Huh? Eh?¡±


    Before I could register what was happening, he rushed into the room and¡­ attacked the tentacle closest to him. By stabbing it with the sword. The result? The tentacle swatted him away, sending him halfway through the room.


    ¡°Woah?! Mr Yuu, are you okay?¡±


    Mr Yuu, using his sword as a crutch, forced himself to stand up as if it was a wounded warrior. Could it be even wounded? It was just wood.


    ¡°Ah, Yumi.¡±


    The doll stormed once again towards the tentacle. Said tentacle was already ready to receive him, raised high. It tried to swat away Mr Yuu once more, yet, this time it jumped, evading the tentacle. Then it rushed forwards, stabbing it again.


    ¡°... What am I watching here? David versus Goliath?¡±


    ¡°Yumi, who are David and Goliath?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh, right¡­ Well, it¡¯s a story from my old world. Simply put, a man named David fights a giant monster. Actually, was it even a monster? Might have been a person¡­ I don¡¯t know. Not like it matters.¡±


    ¡°I think that should matter, Yumi.¡±


    Well, even if she said that now, there was no way for me to find out anymore¡­ Either way, while we were talking, the fight, if you could call it that, was slowly reaching its conclusion. Unsurprisingly, the small Mr Yuu had no chance of winning against this particular goliath tentacle. Not to mention the hundreds of them in the back.


    ¡°Ah, he lost his sword.¡±


    ¡°They caught him.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Guess that¡¯s the end. You were a brave doll, Mr Yuu. We will forever remember your sacrifice.¡±


    May he rest in peace.


    ¡°... Well, jokes aside, please let him down. And Mr Yuu, please don¡¯t try to fight them.¡±


    That would be a pretty pointless fight if he couldn¡¯t even win against one of the tentacles¡­


    The tentacle let go of Mr Yuu, who immediately retreated back to retrieve his tiny sword. I was worried for a moment that he would charge the tentacle once more but he sheathed the sword¡ªor rather, he did the motions¡ªand turned to me. He probably wanted an explanation.


    ¡°Those tentacles belong to me. I don¡¯t want you to fight them. Look, I¡¯ll carry you so I can show you what I want you to do, okay?¡±


    Mr Yuu didn¡¯t move for a good while before he finally nodded and raised his arms. I cautiously picked him up and together with Karen, we entered the pink tentacle room.


    ¡°Look, do you see that door? That connects to the place where our captain, Korwen, is. You know him, right? I want you to look for him and bring him to the door. Could you do that?¡±


    He crossed his arms, staring at the door. After I let him have his time to think, he finally nodded for confirmation.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    That would make things a lot easier for us.


    ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll open it now.¡±


    I put my hand on the door and in a familiar motion connected it to the fort. I was slowly growing used to this, seeing how I didn¡¯t need that long to connect them.


    ¡°Off you go.¡±


    Mr Yuu jumped through the door, disappearing into the dark.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Glad he accepted it.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve always made a new doll, though.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I could have but¡­ I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t want to increase their numbers even more.¡±


    They were already increasing without my input anyway.


    ¡°Maybe we should also make a small dollhouse in the back and take a few dolls along at all times?¡±


    It¡¯d be convenient, at least¡­ Actually, why did I never think of that before?


    ¡°Or we could just store a few doll bodies without mana crystals. That might be convenient.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that decision to you, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Well, I got some time to think about it. But it would certainly help us so I was inclined to do that. I decided to keep that in mind for now.


    ¡°Yumi, it¡¯s getting brighter.¡±


    ¡°Well, that was quick.¡±


    The door to the room on the other side opened and a tall muscle-bound man carrying a lamp entered.


    ¡°Mr Captain!¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Seems like you managed to call me without making a mess this time.¡±


    ¡°Err, sorry about last time.¡±


    That hadn¡¯t been our intention last time.


    ¡°Hm. So, do you have something to report? Did you arrive in Melfin?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we did.¡±


    Karen and I told him about everything that had happened since yesterday. Excluding our hangover incident, of course. No need to make things worse for myself. Korwen listened patiently to it all, not interrupting until we finished. Only his expression changed, scowling the more he heard.


    ¡°What a pretty mess this is¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    You could say that again.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to find an alternative then instead of Melfin. I would have preferred going through Melfin as it is the closest town but we will have to try one of the other ones. Though, if the damage is that extensive, Melfin probably bought their supplies already. This is a pain.¡±


    Somehow, I had the feeling Korwen and Greyward were always troubled by various things. That expression of annoyance was so similar between the two of them, it was amazing.


    ¡°Tell Greyward to prepare to return as soon as possible. I will send another group to a different town in the meantime. And tell him not to force himself to try and solve everything. That¡¯s not his job anymore. Make absolutely sure to tell him the last part, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do.¡±


    That was easy enough.


    ¡°As for the issue of being followed, there¡¯s not really anything you can do about it. Be careful while you¡¯re out there but other than that, just forget about it.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    ¡°And well¡­ as for Karen¡¯s and Rina¡¯s issue, I guess congratulations are in order.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Captain.¡±


    Karen smiled a little. Maybe it still hadn¡¯t quite sunk in yet for her.


    ¡°How¡¯s the feeling? Knowing you can go back?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t quite know, to be honest. I still feel like someone is going to come up to me and say that this is all a lie.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ Well, I guess that¡¯s not too surprising. But let me reassure you, it certainly is real.¡±


    Korwen smiled, trying to reassure her.


    ¡°Captain, did you know about that law already?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. But around seven years ago, the temple ordered the suspension of all punishments by exile and demanded from the rulers that the exile laws and a few others get reworked. This was in the wake of several other reforms to criminal laws.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Seven years ago? And Karen and Rina were exiled eight years ago. What unlucky timing¡­


    ¡°The temple¡¯s intent was to ease punishment towards children, arguing that they simply don¡¯t know better and shouldn¡¯t be punished as harshly and instead be taught properly. It¡¯s a nice sentiment but not everyone agreed with it. And the arbitrary halt of all exiles caused more than just a few issues.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine¡­¡±


    Criminals they wanted to get rid of but didn¡¯t warrant a harsher or softer penalty. And then they simply couldn¡¯t rid of them anymore on the drop of a hat.


    ¡°You know a lot about this, Mr Captain.¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ Not because I wanted to, mind you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    Then, he was involved in this mess somehow?


    ¡°Were there other exiles among the mercenary?¡±


    ¡°No, not as far as I know. At least in regards to Aldreigh. But there was someone who was a soon-to-be exile. It¡¯s someone you know well.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Someone I know well? And who was from Aldreigh?


    ¡°Mr Captain¡­ You don¡¯t mean Sele, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    It was about Sele?


    ¡°You know that we picked her up in Aldreigh, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Because of trouble with her family?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Sele¡¯s situation is honestly not that different. Her parents wanted to get rid of her so they tried to exile her. But then the ban put a stop to that. As for what happened after that¡­ I think you should hear that from Sele, not me. Either way, she ultimately ended up in our care. Seriously, who would throw out such a good girl? Their loss.¡±


    Korwen snorted, deriding those dumb parents. And I was inclined to agree. Sele was a good kid, after all.


    ¡°But yes, that¡¯s why I, unfortunately, knew about the whole issue. That they actually passed the law, and even retroactively at that, is news to me, though.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ But at least, that does give credit to it being genuine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m of the same opinion. It¡¯s likely genuine. However, it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. I¡¯ll see what I can find out from here about the situation as well. Just in case.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Captain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very much welcome.¡±


    He laughed heartily. Really, he was too good a person.


    ¡°By the way, you didn¡¯t happen to find a spot for one of your doors, did you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even have time to look for one.¡±


    ¡°Thought as much. Well, no matter. We can deal with that some other time. Make sure to be careful on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be careful, Mr Captain.¡±


    We¡¯d stay in the camp either way until departure.


    ¡°Good. If there is anything else, you can call for me.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Now then. Please take your doll back and tell it not to stab me.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    I tried peering through the door to find Mr Yuu but, I couldn¡¯t quite find him in my limited field of view.


    ¡°He¡¯s been stabbing my boots the entire time. Does he have a grudge against me?¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t because he just lost to the tentacle¡­ right?


    ¡°Whatever, not like it actually amounts to much.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha¡­¡±


    Poor Mr Yuu¡­


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll see you in the ca¡ªOuch?!¡ªWhat the hell?! Fuck! You little!¡±


    ¡°Mr Captain?!¡±


    ¡°Captain?!¡±


    Korwen suddenly jumped back, staring at something on the ground. Seconds later, a small figure scrambled through the tentacle door into our room. Mr Yuu stood up, holding his sword up high in triumph.


    ¡°That little piece of shit. Stabbed between the clothes. Fuck, that surprised me.¡±


    How to say it¡­ I honestly had no idea how to react to this. First, Korwen gloated about how it wasn¡¯t doing anything, then the next moment he got stabbed for real by Mr Yuu¡­ Karmic justice?


    ¡°Mr Captain, I think he doesn¡¯t like being belittled.¡±


    Oh, Mr Yuu was vigorously nodding.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t¡­ Well, I guess I was. No reason to stab me, though. Sheesh, I¡¯ll overlook it this time. Haa¡­ And Greyward would be a pain to deal with if I did anything to it anyway.¡±


    Said Mr Yuu was still wildly swinging his sword up high as if trying to provoke a fight. Not like either of them could see the other, separated by the wall.


    ¡°Haa¡­ I¡¯ll go now. Take care of yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Nn, you too, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be fine. Until then.¡±


    Korwen left the room. After seeing him off, I closed the tentacle door as well.


    ¡°Well, that ends that¡­ Mr Yuu, please don¡¯t bully the captain, yes?¡±


    He was shaking his head. Apparently, Korwen¡¯s tribulations were only just starting.


    ¡°Go easy on him¡­¡±


    And he was shaking his head again¡­ Let¡¯s hope this wouldn¡¯t turn into a pain.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ Thank you for your help, Mr Yuu.¡±


    Now, he was saluting. Guess he liked that.


    ¡°We¡¯ll look for Mr Greyward now. Do you want to join us or are you going back?¡±


    The doll paused before shaking his head and trodding off. Guess he was leaving.


    ¡°There he goes.¡±


    ¡°Nn. But he was quite some help.¡±


    ¡°... I never heard Mr Captain cry out in surprise before.¡±


    ¡°... Let¡¯s pretend we haven¡¯t seen that, Sis.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ might be hard.¡±


    Yes, it certainly would be. After all, there was something hilarious about that muscle-bound giant crying out because a tiny doll stabbed him¡­ Then again, being stabbed by a toothpick would definitely hurt. It was still¡­ a weird contrast to see.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go look for Greyward and deliver the message.¡±


    And so, Karen and I left the wagon to look for Greyward.


    By the way, Mr Yuu was stuck in front of the door. He couldn¡¯t open it on his own. He was hitting it with his sword. This doll might have some anger issues.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: A Family’s Circumstances

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    Enjoy this week''s chapter!


    Rinn¨¦


    With our report to Korwen finished, we went to look for Greyward to relay Korwen¡¯s orders. Fortunately, it proved pretty easy to find him, as he was still talking with Lily in his tent.


    ¡°Mr Greyward?¡±


    ¡°Who? Oh, is that Yumi? One moment¡­ Okay, you can come in.¡±


    ¡°Pardon the intrusion.¡±


    Inside the tent, we found Greyward and Lily. Greyward was wearing a wry smile while lily had puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.


    ¡°Err¡­ Maybe we should come back later?¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯s just sulking.¡±


    ¡°... Okay?¡±


    ¡­ Was that really fine to ignore?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sulking¡­¡± Lily muttered in a barely audible voice.


    That looks to me like sulking, Lily¡­


    I knew better than to say that, of course.


    ¡°Did you two need me for something?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Ah, yes. We just reported to the captain.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What did he say?¡±


    Greyward immediately entered into work mode when he heard Korwen¡¯s name, looking at us with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Nn, well¡­ He said we should return immediately.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ That¡¯s about as much as I expected. What else?¡±


    ¡°And that he would send another group to a different town.¡±


    ¡°I see... Was that all?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Err¡­ Nn¡­ He said that you shouldn¡¯t force yourself to solve everything and that it¡¯s not your job anymore¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Greyward¡¯s narrowed eyes widened in surprise. A second later, he chuckled.


    ¡°Ha! I guess old habits die hard.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I tilted my head, a little confused by his reaction.


    ¡°To think Korwen would notice even when he¡¯s not around¡­ Seriously, I¡¯m getting old.¡±


    Greyward sighed deeply, before smiling self-deprecatingly.


    ¡°Really¡­ I can¡¯t win against him.¡±


    ¡°Haa¡­¡±


    Greyward shook his head a few times, before returning to his work mode expression.


    ¡°Was that all you had to report?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We talked with him about the matter with the exile, as well.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Greyward nodded, urging me to continue.


    ¡°He said that there were some problems about the exile punishment for several years, which caused, err, the temple? To demand a stop to them. He didn¡¯t know about the law but he said it would make sense if it was a result of that.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ve been wondering about it but I didn¡¯t know they called for a stop either.¡±


    He closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s good to know, at least. Thank you for relaying that to me. You two should get ready for the return trip now.¡±


    ¡°Are we going to leave today already?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s¡­ still a minor issue I have to sort out but after that, we¡¯re going to leave.¡±


    He glanced over to Lily when he said that. Guess it had something to do with the reason Lily was sulking?


    ¡°I just want you to write her a letter¡­ That¡¯s not so hard, is it? And she¡¯d be happy¡­¡± muttered Lily.


    ¡°Lily¡­ I told you, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you can. You just don¡¯t want to and you know it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡±


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    Lily huffed at him, averting her gaze. This might be more serious than I thought.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ As you can see, this might take some time¡­ We¡¯ll leave as soon as we can so please get ready.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ We¡¯ll do that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    It was surely better to just leave these two to themselves so they could sort out their family problems¡­ No need to get involved.


    Karen and I left the bickering father-daughter-pair behind, exiting the tent.


    ¡°... I wonder what that was about.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I do, too.¡±


    It was rare to see Lily so openly expressing her displeasure. No way I wouldn¡¯t be curious. But, yeah, it clearly was a matter between the two of them so it was better not to butt in unnecessarily.


    It seemed like Lily wanted him to write a letter¡­ Maybe it¡¯s someone they know in Aldreigh?


    Right when I was thinking about what it might be, I heard Lily¡¯s voice echoing outside.


    ¡°Papa, you idiot! Just write a letter to her or I¡¯ll stay behind!¡±


    ¡°Lily! I told you it¡¯s not that easy!¡±


    ¡°Of course it is! You just need to ask the temple to deliver it!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the problem is!¡±


    Ahh¡­ Now they were really arguing And loud enough that some of the other mercenaries nearby already turned their head to the tent¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Sis, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°... Can we even do anything?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We couldn¡¯t just barge in again¡­ but maybe it was better if we stopped them? What should we do? Seriously, someone, tell me!


    ¡°Then tell me what the problem is! Is it that hard to just write a single letter to her?!¡±


    ¡°Lily! I will write to her but. Not. Now!¡±


    ¡°When are you going to do it then? When we all died of old age?!¡±


    ¡°When the time is right, I will¡ª¡±


    ¡°And I want to know when that is!¡±


    This was getting bad¡­ they were getting more and more heated up. I exchanged a worried glance with Karen.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    All of a sudden, a voice came from behind us, addressing us.


    ¡°Eh? Rina?¡±


    ¡°Rina, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°I came over to see what¡¯s going on¡­ Lily and her father?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ They¡¯re arguing.¡±


    ¡°Mmm...¡±


    Rina stared at the tent with a surprisingly vacant look in her eyes as she listened to the ongoing bickering inside.


    Then, without saying a further word, she passed by us and entered the tent.


    ¡°¡ªn¡¯t you do that? You always, always say the same, Papa! I can¡¯t¡ª¡±Lily!¡±¡ªhear¡­ Huh? Mmgh?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    We heard a gasp of surprise and someone struggling from inside the tent, probably Greyward and Lily respectively. After a few seconds of silence, I heard someone desperately gasping for air.


    ¡°Ri, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Mmm, calmed down?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Well¡­¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Y, yes¡­¡±


    While I couldn¡¯t see Rina inside, I could very well imagine her sporting a very scary smile right about now. Her tone didn¡¯t allow any rebuttal.


    ¡°Go and wash your face. You look terrible.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Then, a downcast Lily exited the tent, her fluffy ears dropping down, her face still sporting some remnants of her tears. She saw us standing nearby, immediately averting her gaze and rubbing her eyes with her sleeves before scurrying away.


    ¡°Mr Greyward. Lily only means well. Please don¡¯t be so stubborn and think about how she feels as well.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    ¡°Mh. I¡¯ll go and make sure that Lily is okay.¡±


    Rina emerged from the tent with a smile that seemed frozen on her face.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, Big Sis, where did lily go?¡±


    ¡°That way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And then she hurried after Lily.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Rina is amazing.¡±


    ¡°She is.¡±


    She walked straight into a family dispute and broke them up in a matter of seconds. I had only heard their voices but I never had heard Greyward answering in such a meek voice before.


    Just as I was still in awe, the final person left the tent.


    ¡°Mr Greyward.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Yumi¡­ Karen¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    With tired eyes, he looked around us, spotting several mercenaries that, all of a sudden, awakened to their love for work and fled from the scene.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    He held his head as if he had a headache.


    ¡°This is not my day.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ cheer up?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Yumi. But it¡¯s all right. Haa¡­¡±


    He sighed again, all downcast. The spitting image of Lily just before.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Could you two do me a favour?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What is it?¡±


    ¡°Tell Wendl he is in charge for a while. I¡­ apparently have a letter to write.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, will do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He smiled a little, before taking off. After a few steps, however, he stopped, turning around again.


    ¡°Karen.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Your sister is scary.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Give her my thanks.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I will.¡±


    With a final nod, he trotted off. The very image of a beaten man.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Rina is amazing.¡±


    ¡°You already said that.¡±


    But it was important so I had to repeat it. Seriously. I wanted those nerves.


    ---


    Once we recovered from the shock of the situation, we tracked down Wendl and told him about what had happened. He wasn¡¯t very surprised, so maybe this wasn¡¯t the first time either¡­ Either way, he was now in charge. Which also meant he had to organise our return now. He wasn¡¯t happy. At all.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t even my job! I¡¯ll make sure to return that severalfold. I promise!¡±


    Or so he said as he stomped away in a bad mood. Somehow, I had the feeling it would never come to that, though.


    ¡°Haa¡­ This really has been quite a day.¡±


    A day full of ups and downs¡­ I¡¯d like some calm once in a while.


    ¡°So, what should we do now¡­ I want to check up on Lily but¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    Rina was with her, so maybe it was better to leave her alone. Maybe Rina knew what the whole thing was about, too. But on the other hand, I really wanted to make sure Lily was all right.


    ¡°I want to look for Lily. She¡¯s my friend and¡­ I¡¯m worried.¡±


    ¡°... Nn, me too. Let¡¯s look for them.¡±


    I smiled, glad that Karen felt the same way. I stretched out my hand to Karen, offering to hold her hand. With a smile, she grasped my hand, lightly squeezing it.


    Holding hands like this, we set out to look for Rina and Lily. I hoped that we wouldn¡¯t disturb the two but we both were really worried.


    I mean, it¡¯s the first time that I saw Lily so upset¡­


    And the first time I saw Rina like that either. Really, my poor figurative heart.


    ¡°Where could they be? Yumi, do you have an idea?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I wonder¡­¡±


    Rina told lily to wash her face¡­ We didn¡¯t have any decent bathing facilities while we were on our trip. We did, however, have water and washing utensils set aside somewhere. However, there were probably others there as well. I couldn¡¯t imagine Lily going there in that state¡­


    ¡°But there isn¡¯t any other place¡­ Unless there¡¯s a river or a pond or something? Sis, do you know any?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Then let¡¯s first check the washing area.¡±


    We made our way to the aforementioned place. And, just as I expected, neither hide nor hair of lily and Rina was to be found. We only saw a few buff mercenaries that were drying and washing their bodies, mostly in the nude.


    At least cover yourself¡­ We¡¯re outside¡­


    Alas, even when the mercenaries noticed our approach, they simply turned around and continued their business. Well, maybe it was for the better that way¡­


    ¡°Nn¡­ They¡¯re not here¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    What to do¡­ Well, let¡¯s ask someone.


    I turned to a nearby mercenary, one who was still half dressed.


    ¡°Excuse me, have you seen Lily and Rina?¡±


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Lily and her girl? No, haven¡¯t seen them.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you¡­ You wouldn¡¯t happen to know of any other areas to, err, wash your face and things like that?¡±


    ¡°... Huh? Well, there¡¯s a pond just outside the camp.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    There really was one? Talk about surprising.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there in that direction. You might need to walk a bit, though.¡±


    ¡°I see. Thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing.¡±


    The mercenary returned to his business, namely exposing all his muscles to the world. Time to leave before this got worse.


    ¡°Yumi, no need to pull me.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry, I wanted to get away from all the¡­ muscle.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ They were amazing, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°... You could say that.¡±


    It was yet another reminder of how not even one of the mercenaries was without at least some muscle. Even someone who was on the leaner side like Merim had well-defined muscles you could see beneath his clothes.


    And then you had me¡­ or Karen¡­ or¡­


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... Lily is pretty strong, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.¡±


    ¡°But she doesn¡¯t really have much muscle.¡±


    If anyone took a look at her, they¡¯d only see a sweet young girl. Not someone who could carry a two-handed sword and swing it around with a force strong enough to fell trees in a single strike.


    And yet, there¡¯s no muscle on her.


    But continuing that train of thought¡­ Fenna and the other mercenary women weren¡¯t muscle-packed like the men either¡­ There were a few among them with muscles but a few of them like Fenna or Sanna were nearly devoid of muscles as well. There was a lot more variance to be found among them.


    ¡°Why is that weird?¡±


    ¡°Nn? What?¡±


    ¡°I mean, why is it weird that she has no muscles?¡±


    ¡°Well, err, how to say it¡­ Because muscles are a sign that you¡¯re pretty strong?¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°... I think so.¡±


    Karen only tilted her head in curiosity. I¡¯d love to explain it to her but now wasn¡¯t quite the time for that.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about that later. For now, let¡¯s find Lily and Rina.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±


    Karen still looked at me, curious. We walked for a while towards the supposed pond until Karen broke the silence.


    ¡°Did you have muscles in your old world?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a sudden question.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was wondering¡­ because you¡¯re so curious about them. And I see you staring at the men¡¯s muscles sometimes¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That¡¯s not exactly something I wanted to be caught doing.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I did? Honestly, I can¡¯t say for sure but¡­ No, I don¡¯t think I did.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ And why do you stare at them?¡±


    ¡°... Because they¡¯re impressive?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen stared at me, doubt filling her eyes. Then her arms glanced towards her own arms.


    ¡°Yumi¡­ I don¡¯t think I can fulfil that¡­¡±


    ¡°... Sis, I can absolutely assure you that you got the wrong idea there. I have no interest in muscles in that way. Believe me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just¡­ Err¡­ How to say it? They¡¯re cool. Nothing else. And I never had the chance to see big muscles like that before so I¡¯m simply curious.¡±


    Ahh, those were eyes that still didn¡¯t trust me quite that much¡­


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Well, I might be a little jealous, too?¡±


    She stared at my arms, her doubt slowly clearing¡­


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want any either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what you said.¡±


    ¡°Err, I mean, I¡¯m a little jealous as a former male¡­ you see? I¡¯m sure I never had muscles as impressive as those so¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t want muscles like that now.¡±


    Neverminding whether it was even possible for me to gain muscle in that sense, it simply wouldn¡¯t suit me. Imagine lil¡¯ ol¡¯ me all buff? Terrible. Just the thought gave me shivers. I liked the way I was now.


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I wouldn¡¯t know what to do if you said you wanted muscles¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now I had another reason to stay the way I was.


    ¡°Really, you are fine with the tentacles but not if I got any muscles?¡±


    ¡°The tentacles aren¡¯t muscly either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true, I guess?¡±


    What was I even supposed to say to that?


    ¡°Yumi, look. Over there.¡±


    ¡°Nn?


    Karen pointed towards the direction we were walking to. A little bit further, there was the silhouette of two people. One had grey-silverish hair, the other black with a rainbow-like sheen to it.


    ¡°Seems we found them.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    As we approached, we could clearly see what was going on. Rina sat on the ground and Lily was hugging her, burying her face in Rina¡¯s stomach as she lay on the ground. And Rina was gently patting her head.


    For a moment, I was wondering whether we should leave them alone after all, but Rina spotted us first and beckoned us over.


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, Big Sis, you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ How is Lily?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine as you can see.¡±


    The person in question twitched when she heard my voice, yet she made no moves to get up or anything. Simply staying in her position hugging Rina¡¯s stomach, her ears flat down. By all means, this wasn¡¯t how I interpreted someone being ¡®fine.¡¯


    ¡°Were you worried?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°We were.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that Lily? They came for you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    There was only an unintelligible mumble coming from Lily as she buried her face further into Rina¡¯s stomach as if she was trying to hide.


    Well, can¡¯t blame her¡­ I would too in her situation.


    Rina patted the spot on the ground beside her, urging us to sit down. Since she offered already, we sat down next to her. As I sat down, I glanced at Lily and caught her glancing at me. When ur eyes met, she immediately panicked and turned her head around, hiding away. Seeing that, Rina giggled and stroked Lily¡¯s head again.


    ¡°Come on, Lily. They came because they¡¯re worried about you. Don¡¯t hide.¡±


    ¡°... Don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh. I¡¯ll get angry.¡±


    Despite her threat, she was smiling and giggling. It was more like a mother consoling her sulking child¡­ except Rina was the youngest of all of us.


    ¡°How troublesome.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Rina. Let her.¡±


    ¡°Mh¡­ If you say so.¡±


    She continued stroking Lily¡¯s head, consoling the girl. She noticed me watching and lifted her hand suddenly. Almost immediately, Lily stirred, as if she was bothered by the lack of a hand on her head. Yet, Rina only looked at me with a smile.


    ¡°...¡±


    I pointed at me and Rina nodded. Well¡­ If she was offering I wasn¡¯t going to say no.


    With Rina urging me, I reached out to Lily¡¯s head, gently touching her. Her hair was soft and a little fuzzy. It was pleasant to touch. Lily jolted when I started patting her, maybe because she noticed it wasn¡¯t Rina who was patting her now. It surprised me a little as well. She didn¡¯t move away however and soon enough, she let me pat her, her ears occasionally flicking. I wasn¡¯t quite sure what that indicated but I hoped it meant she liked it.


    Lily really has pretty hair¡­


    It had always been on my mind with its light rainbow-coloured sheen. Depending on the angle you looked at it, it always appeared a little different. Of course, it was never so strong as to hide the black hair. It was always more like a gentle accent. It was mysterious.


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Lily¡¯s ears flicked again. I was pretty sure by now that it was a sign she was content.


    Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s fine for her to act spoiled for today.


    I couldn¡¯t but giggle, thinking about it.


    ¡°...¡±


    Meanwhile, Karen was staring at me. It was obvious she wanted her turn as well. Smiling to myself, I let go of Lily and left the rest to Karen.


    Karen reached out for Lily¡¯s head, touching it slowly. Lily again jolted up a little in surprise but didn¡¯t move away. A few moments later, Karen was now the one patting Lily.


    Really, what are we doing, taking turns patting her¡­


    But this was just fine for us.


    ¡°Mhm¡­ More¡­.¡±


    Lily¡¯s ears were flicking again as she demanded more patting. Someone was quite spoiled, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°Ehehe, sure, sure.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    Seriously¡­ There was no trace left of the crying girl now. All I could see was a spoiled young girl. But it certainly was better than her still crying.


    ¡°Hehe, look how much you¡¯re loved, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡±


    Ah, someone was trying to hide again. Probably from embarrassment.


    ¡°And I¡¯m sure Mr Greyward loves you just as much.¡±


    ¡°... I know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Lily¡¯s grip around Rina eased a little, revealing her face just a bit. There were still some traces of tears to be seen around the corner of her eyes.


    ¡°I know he does¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    And there she went hiding again¡­ What a troublesome fellow.


    Oh well¡­


    I let myself fall back, lying in the grass right next to Lily. Though I didn¡¯t have a comfortable pillow to rest on. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted lily looking at me. I smiled and she hid again immediately. Well¡­ she was just embarrassed, right? Right¡­


    No point in dwelling about it¡­ I¡¯m just glad Lily is doing well.


    In the end, I was glad we had come here to check up on them. Seeing Lily doing halfway well relieved me a lot.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Suddenly, I felt something tugging on my clothes. I looked to my side and saw a hand holding my clothes, and past it was Lily looking at me.


    ¡°... Thanks. For coming.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Was he angry?¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t..¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    In fact, he might be more worried about Lily being angry at him.


    ¡°He left things to Wendl for now and went to write a letter.¡±


    ¡°... Huh?¡±


    Lily¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at my words. As the meaning of my words slowly sunk in a smile appeared on her lips¡­ before she hid her face again in Rina¡¯s stomach.


    ¡°I see¡­ So he¡¯s writing it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°Lily?!¡±


    Was she crying again?! What should I do?


    ¡°Hehehe, isn¡¯t that great news, Lily?¡± said Rina.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Yes¡­ Yes¡­¡±


    So¡­ she was crying because she was happy? Sheesh, that scared me for a moment. I was worried whether I had said something that made her cry. Well, technically I did, but it was out of happiness.


    Lily kept sobbing for a while, hugging Rina. After a while, she finally calmed down a little.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for telling me.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I could see her glance at me, averting her gaze when I met her eyes and immediately looking at me again the moment I turned away. I had the feeling she wanted to say something but couldn¡¯t.


    Well, she can take her time.


    Thankfully, neither I nor Karen really had anything to do to prepare for the return trip. I didn¡¯t know about Rina and Lily but they had been with us most of the time, so there probably wasn¡¯t anything for them to do either.


    ¡°Long ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Long ago¡­ there was someone travelling with us¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°She was with us all the time¡­ with me¡­ Papa¡­ and Mama¡­¡±


    Lily spoke so quietly, that I had to lay completely still or else I might miss her words.


    ¡°But¡­ something¡­ Mmm¡­ happened¡­ between her and Mama¡­ and she left¡­ Papa was¡­ very angry¡­ at the time¡­¡±


    ¡­ Did this maybe have to do¡­ with that revenge matter we heard about?


    ¡°She left¡­ the Black Guards¡­ and returned to Aldreigh¡­ and the temple¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure¡­ Papa really liked her¡­ That¡¯s why he was so angry¡­¡±


    Lily¡¯s grip around Rina visibly tightened as she was holding back another wave of tears.


    ¡°They like each other¡­ so much¡­ Yet¡­ Papa can¡¯t even write her a letter¡­ It made me angry¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    She just wanted the two of them to have contact with each other again, huh¡­


    But just what the heck did that monster Yumias do that things ended up like this?


    It might be better if I asked someone about this sometime¡­


    ¡°He¡­ really is going to write her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what he said, at least.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s great... That¡¯s great¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Lily relaxed her grip around Rina. It must have been a big relief for her. I smiled inadvertently, simply glad to see her feeling better. Nobody liked to argue with their family.


    I get that Mr Greyward is angry¡­ and, well¡­ I guess he simply doesn¡¯t want to show the other side that. I can relate to that just a little. But that¡¯s no excuse for making Lily worry so much.


    Really, what a troublesome family they were. It made me want to give Greyward a piece of mind about this. But¡­ he was already told off by Rina. Maybe I should leave it at that. He seemed really dejected by that.


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    I glanced at Lily, only to find her breathing quietly. Above her, Rina put a finger to her lips, urging me to be quiet.


    Lily fell asleep.


    Oh well¡­ I mean, it is nice weather¡­ and it might take a while until we¡¯re going to leave anyway. After all, someone got a letter to write first.


    I looked at Lily¡¯s face. Even with the traces of her tears, it was clear she was sleeping peacefully. A tiny smile adorned her face.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: For the Sake of Family

    ¡°Yumi¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nm¡­ Nn¡­? Mmmn¡­ Sis?¡±


    A smiling face peered down at me when I opened my eyes.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Did I¡­ fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the warmth surrounding me again. I wasn¡¯t going to fall asleep again, just enjoying this rare moment I could only enjoy between sleeping and waking up.


    ¡°Slept well?¡±


    ¡°Nm¡­ I think so.¡±


    I actually hadn¡¯t planned to sleep at all. Despite that, I felt pretty refreshed after my afternoon nap. This wasn¡¯t so bad.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fall asleep again, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I won¡¯t.¡±


    Though I kind of wanted to¡­


    ¡°That¡¯s good¡­ We¡¯re going to leave soon, after all.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ We are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡±


    So that¡¯s why she woke me up¡­ Were Rina and Lily already up? Mm¡­ No, I could hear someone sleeping close by¡­ Very close actually. A little doubtful I opened my eyes just a little to look around¡­ and lo and behold, there was someone else apart from me on Karen¡¯s lap, sleeping peacefully with no care in the world. No wonder it was so warm.


    ¡°... She¡¯s still asleep.¡±


    ¡°Yes, she is.¡±


    With my free hand, I cautiously stroked Lily¡¯s hair which was messy from sleeping outside.


    ¡°Mhmng¡­. Mh¡­¡±


    ¡°Seriously¡­¡±


    What a bothersome girl¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ Where¡¯s Rina?¡±


    ¡°She went back to the camp.¡±


    ¡°... She left Lily alone?¡±


    That wasn¡¯t quite what I expected. I would have thought Rina would care for Lily until the moment she woke up.


    ¡°She entrusted Lily to us. She didn¡¯t leave her alone.¡±


    ¡°I mean, yes, but¡­ You know what I mean.¡±


    Karen giggled, making me feel embarrassed.


    ¡°Hehe, yes, yes. But Rina said they still had to clean up a few things before they could leave. Since she wanted to let lily sleep for as long as she could, she went back ahead to do that.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, that makes sense. And I guess that¡¯s also how I ended up as her pillow?¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯ve been her pillow for quite a while already.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Well, I didn¡¯t wake up from it and I had a pretty good nap so I couldn¡¯t exactly complain about it. Not that I even wanted to, mind you.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite¡­ nonchalant about it, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°About what? That I¡¯m waking up as a pillow yet again? You get used to it.¡±


    After all, by now the days I woke up with someone hugging me far eclipsed the days I woke up without someone.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ You sure enjoy it, considering you are just ¡®used¡¯ to it.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean¡­ Who wouldn¡¯t like waking up in the same bed as a cute girl? Especially when it¡¯s my dear girlfriend.¡±


    Ah, now it was her turn to blush.


    ¡°... Stop grinning like that. It annoys me.¡±


    And now she was poking my cheek, pouting.


    ¡°You¡¯re unfair.¡±


    ¡°Nn? I wonder what you mean.¡±


    ¡°You little¡­¡±


    Karen sighed, staring at me with frustration in her eyes. After a few seconds however, her eyes narrowed and she grinned.


    ¡°Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Before I got an answer, her face barred my sight and I could feel her lips on mine. I was a little surprised. Pleasantly surprised, mind you. I closed my eyes, enjoying the kiss with her.


    When our lips parted, Karen smiled at me, satisfied.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    I could only smile wryly in response. Really, what a spoiled girl she was. Though that was true for both of us.


    ¡°Sis.¡±


    I lifted my free arm, inviting her in once more. Karen leaned forward and¡ª


    A pair of eyes was staring at us.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡­


    ¡°Say, are you two always flirting like this?¡±


    ¡°... Just sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind me, keep going.¡±


    There was no way we could! Especially not when someone was watching us with such intensity.


    ¡°... Lily, since when were you awake?¡±


    ¡°Err, a few seconds ago when you were kissing?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why a question?


    ¡°So, don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works¡­¡±


    ¡°Not? Too bad¡­¡±


    Lily slumped her shoulders in disappointment. Did she want to watch us that badly?


    ¡°Anyway, Lily. Are you feeling better?¡±


    I forcefully tried to change the topic, not willing to keep up with this embarrassment. I was already blushing enough. And Karen had averted her face, only leaving her red ears visible. How I wished I could hide like that but in my position, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°I do. Sorry about earlier. And thank you.¡±


    ¡°Nn, don¡¯t worry about it. Also, you should thank Rina, not us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank her, too, but you two were also there so I¡¯ll give you my thanks. It¡¯s important to say thank you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    Then I would gratefully accept her gratitude. Even if I didn¡¯t feel like we had really done anything, especially compared to Rina.


    ¡°Where is Rina anyway?¡±


    ¡°Sis said she went back to prepare for the return trip.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­ Right¡­ We still had to do that.¡±


    Apparently so.


    ¡°If I had known we would go back on the same day¡­ Haa¡­¡±


    Lily let out a deep sigh as she hugged me a little tighter.


    ¡°Hey, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°When are you going to let go of me?¡±


    ¡°Do I have to? It¡¯s not like you hate it, right?¡±


    Lily grinned mischievously. Had she overheard us earlier? I knew it, she lied about having woken up only shortly before.


    ¡°... I¡¯d appreciate it if you could let me go.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡±


    ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Her hug got even tighter, reinforcing her refusal to let me go. In that case, I only had one option left, did I?


    ¡°Sis, help me.¡±


    ¡°... Mmm.¡±


    However, instead of helping me, Karen simply watched as Lily enjoyed herself. She seemed to be thinking whether she should intervene or not. At least, I dearly hoped she was.


    ¡°Karen, I¡¯ll let you touch my tail.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Sis?!¡±


    ¡°Yay! I got permission.¡±


    I was betrayed! My girlfriend betrayed me for the fluff! I could understand that but still!


    ¡°At least let me fluff it, too. I¡¯m the one being used as a pillow, after all.¡±


    ¡°... Well, I don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s fine.¡±


    I got permission to fluff her tail! This was awesome! I didn¡¯t mind being her pillow for a while for that.


    ¡°I wonder why everyone wants to touch my tail so much? Rina, too.¡±


    ¡°¡°Because it feels good.¡±¡±


    Karen and I answered her completely in sync, causing Lily to recoil a little.


    ¡°Well, if it makes you happy. I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s you two.¡±


    ¡°Yay.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    Karen and I grinned in anticipation. This was an unexpected windfall for us.


    ¡°Hey, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Do you mind if I touch your tail as wel then?¡±


    ¡°... Eh?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only fair, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ err¡­¡±


    Karen froze at the unexpected request. Not all that surprising. Karen¡¯s tail was¡­ extremely sensitive.


    ¡°Do¡­ Do you have to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to, but¡­ Isn¡¯t it a little unfair otherwise?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    She had a point¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I promise!¡±


    ¡°If.. If it¡¯s only for a short while¡­¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    Wow, Karen actually acquiesced?


    ¡°Sis, are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ I¡­ I can manage¡­ if it¡¯s only for a short while¡­¡±


    Just how much did she want to fluff Lily¡¯s tail?


    ¡°Too bad Yumi doesn¡¯t have one or I would¡¯ve asked you, too.¡±


    ¡°Lily, I¡¯m already being hugged by everyone all the time. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡±


    By rights, I had probably the biggest reason to fluff everyone¡¯s tail. Maybe I should¡­ But the only other two people would be Rina and Maya. Maya¡¯s tail looked nice to touch. But Rina¡¯s was the same as Karen¡¯s so¡­ Well, it was something to think about.


    ¡°If you really want to, I could try to see if I can grow me a tentac¡ª¡±No thanks!¡±


    Intense refusal.


    ¡°Stay like you are, Yumi! I feel like I¡¯d get nightmares otherwise!¡±


    ¡°Rude much?¡±


    Did she hate my cute wriggly tentacles that much? That hurt¡­


    ¡°Well, either way, I can¡¯t offer what I don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ Maybe you¡¯ll grow one in the future¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not impossible, I suppose.¡±


    But, to be honest, if that happened I¡¯d like to refrain from having a tentacle as a tail. Even if I was the one who joked about it just now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like it¡¯s set in stone, Lily.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s possible, right?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯ll hold onto hope.¡±


    What a thing to hope for¡­ Well, if it happens, it happens. As long as it wasn¡¯t a tentacle I wouldn¡¯t mind. Actually¡­ if it was one like Karen had, even if it was going to be all pink like everything else, then I¡¯d be quite happy with it.


    ¡°Karen, what do you say about that?¡±


    ¡°Me? Mm¡­ I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°So everyone is in favour.¡±


    That counted as being in favour? And she counted me in as well?


    ¡°Maybe I should ask Mama to help out?¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t. I feel like she¡¯d really do that.¡±


    Really, I could happily see her doing that.


    ¡°Lily, Yumi. Rina is coming.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    I glanced towards the camp, as did Lily, and sure enough, Rina was coming. She was waving her hand.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­ Even though I have Yumi for myself for once¡­¡±


    ¡°Sis is still here, you know?¡±


    ¡°I mean hugging you. There are always others who want to hug you, too¡­ Having you for myself feels like such a luxury! I¡¯m so jealous of Karen!¡±


    ¡°... I should start charging for this.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t hug myself obviously, so I had no way to know just how good it felt to hug me. But seeing Lily¡¯s reaction¡ªand everyone else¡¯s in the past, for that matter¡ªit had to be great.


    ¡°Lily!¡±


    At that moment, Rina called for Lily. She had started running at some point, rushing over.


    ¡°Lily, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°Mh, I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha¡­ Sorry, for making you worry. And thank you. Really.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re better again. You are, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Feeling great!¡±


    Lily raised her fist into the air to reassure Rina¡­ still in her lying position on Karen¡¯s lap and hugging me.


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡±


    What was up with this¡­ Was Rina really okay with her girlfriend hugging another girl and getting a lap pillow by another one?


    Actually spelling it out like that, this is pretty ridiculous, isn¡¯t it?


    Oh well, if she was fine with this¡­ Thinking about it, Karen didn¡¯t particularly mind it either.


    ¡°Come on, Lily, it¡¯s time to let me go.¡±


    ¡°No¡­ Can¡¯t I take you like this?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ehhh¡­¡±


    Despite her reluctance, she finally let go of me. Sweet freedom¡­


    It¡¯s not warm anymore¡­


    In the end¡­ I really liked this, too, didn¡¯t I?


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss this¡­ It was great. Yumi, let me hug you again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, if the opportunity arises maybe.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Really?¡±


    I ignored Lily and stood up, stretching my body. It wasn¡¯t like I had stiff shoulders or anything, but it still felt pleasant to be able to move around and stretch a little after a nap.


    ¡°So, Rina, I guess you¡¯re done?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, and they called for everyone to come back.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So it really was time now. Guess Greyward finished his letter.


    ¡°Then, let¡¯s get back.¡±


    Time to say goodbye to Melfin for now. It was an incredibly short trip but that couldn¡¯t be helped. Things were as they were.


    ¡°Yumi, hold still.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Karen patted my clothes and hair, getting the dirt off. Speaking of which, we had taken a nap in the grass. No wonder we got a bit dirty.


    ¡°And now, hold up your arms.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Why? Oh, the breastplate. She had taken it off while I had been napping¡­ That made sense. No way Lily would willingly hug a breastplate.


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Something wrong, Lily?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I just feel like I am watching my future self.¡±


    The heck?


    ¡°Whatever, forget it. Let¡¯s get back.¡±


    ¡°Uhh, sure?¡±


    I was confused¡­ but Lily had already turned her back to me, strolling towards the camp. Rina had already joined her side.


    ¡°Sis, what did she talk about?¡±


    ¡°I wonder?¡±


    Karen tilted her head, similarly confused.


    ¡°Either way, we should follow.¡±


    ¡°Nn, we should.¡±


    Karen offered her hand to me. I put my hand in hers, grasping it tightly. Then, we followed after Lily and Rina.


    A few minutes later we had returned back to the camp. The mercenaries were already prepping the waroxen. A few had already finished up, resting on their driver¡¯s bench and waiting for departure. Others again were still busy getting things into their wagons, without any noticeable sign of hurry.


    ¡°We¡¯re really going back already, huh?¡± I mumbled.


    Such a short venture¡­ We hadn¡¯t even spent a full day here. It was amazing, somehow.


    ¡°Yumi, there¡¯s Mr Greyward.¡±


    Following the direction Karen pointed to, I saw Greyward talking with another mercenary. Next to us, Lily froze up upon seeing him.


    ¡°Lily, let¡¯s go to him.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to, Rina?¡±


    ¡°You want to make up with him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°... I do.¡±


    ¡°Then go.¡±


    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t push me!¡±


    Rina pushed Lily towards Greyward, despite the latters reluctance. Maybe because we weren¡¯t exactly quiet, but Greyward noticed us approaching. His gaze landed on Lily before he awkwardly averted his gaze and scratched the back of his head.


    ¡°Come on, Lily. You can do it!¡±


    ¡°Uhhh..¡±


    Lily stared at Rina, then towards us as if she was pleading for help. However, I agreed with Rina. It was better to make up as quickly as possible.


    Seeing that she had no allies left, Lily could do nothing but gaze forward, towards her father.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    They both looked at each other, before looking away, neither saying a word.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Lily.¡±


    The first to break the silence was Greyward, awkwardly addressing Lily.


    ¡°... Ye¡ª Yes?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ Well¡­ You know¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He scratched his head again. As he did, I spotted a few pieces of rolled up paper in his arms. Maybe those were¡­


    ¡°... Are those?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Ahh¡­ Well¡­ I¡­ I did try to¡­ well¡­ write one¡­ I guess¡­ So¡­ You know¡­ I¡¯m sorry about earlier¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Lily stared at the paper in his arms, her eyes tearing up again. Seeing those tears, Greyward started to panic.


    ¡°Li¡ª Lily?! Is everything okay?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯¡ª It¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­ It¡¯s¡ª Uhhh¡­¡±


    Greyward, flustered about the sudden tears, looked around in a panic before shoving the papers into the mercenaries arms and rushing over to Lily, hugging her.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Lily! Everything¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­ for being such an idiot parent. Really¡­¡±


    A second later, we could hear a quiet sobbing coming from the two.


    ¡°Really¡­ I¡¯m sorry for making you worry so much¡­ I never noticed¡­ I¡¯m really¡­ truly¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°... No¡­ I¡­ I¡¯m also¡­ sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Lily¡­¡±


    Greyward hugged his daughter close, tears were gathering in the corners of his eyes.


    Really, what a troublesome father-daughter pair¡­


    Just seeing them made me tear up as well. It was quite the problem.


    Several minutes later, Lily had calmed down, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes.


    ¡°Are you fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Mm, I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Here, let me take a look.¡±


    Greyward produced a handkerchief and wiped the tears away.


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    ¡°Hold still.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°There, now you¡¯re all pretty again.¡±


    ¡°... Idiot.¡±


    Greyward smiled awkwardly, as he patted Lily on the head. Lily glanced towards the mercenary holding the three paper rolls now.


    ¡°... Those letters.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Well¡­ I tried my best¡­¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Lily smiled. It was only a small smile but¡­ it felt like it was the happiest I had seen her today.


    ¡°But why three? Did you run out of space?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t! I know how to write a proper letter, thank you very much! It took me a few attempts but I managed!¡±


    But he still took a few attempts¡­ Well, I only heard a little from Lily but it was probably not easy writing it. Still, I was wondering why three as well.


    ¡°The other two are for the temple and the military outpost¡­ I still had some¡­ time so I wrote them as well.¡±


    ¡°The temple and the outpost? What for?¡±


    ¡°The temple because I want to inquire about Karen and Rina¡¯s situation.


    ¡°Huh? Ours?¡±


    Karen spoke up in surprise, not having expected to become the topic.


    ¡°Yes. I still feel the situation is¡­ strange. For one, I want to ask about the matter of the exile. However, I also requested some¡­ information about the reason for the exile. I¡¯m sorry. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Greyward cautiously spoke, aware of how difficult the topic was. Karen furrowed her brows, likely unsure how to respond.


    ¡°Well¡­ It¡¯s¡­ No¡­ It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s fine. I want to know¡­ as well. Rina, what do you say?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ if Big Sis says it¡¯s okay, then I don¡¯t mind either.¡±


    Greyward breathed a sigh of relief hearing their answer.


    ¡°Thank you. That¡­ should hopefully shed some light on all of this.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡±


    The temple, huh¡­ If they really could find out what had happened at that time¡­ That would be helpful¡­ At least, I hoped so¡­ On the other hand I was worried¡­ Worried about Karen and Rina¡­ Even if they were seemingly prepared for it¡­


    ¡°The other letter is a little more boring. It¡¯s just a request to the military fort. I know a few people so they might be able to help us find a few magicians or, if possible, people with knowledge of fort repairs.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh¡­¡±


    So the last one was proper mercenary business.


    ¡°I only thought about it while writing the letter¡­ So, yeah¡­ Thank you, Lily¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s now what I was doing this for¡­¡±


    Lily pouted in response, making Greyward laugh awkwardly.


    ¡°Yes¡­ Yes, I know¡­ Sorry, that¡¯s now how I meant it¡­ Err¡­ Well¡­ I mean¡­ Ahhh¡­¡±


    He pushed his hand on Lily¡¯s head again, ruffling her hair furiously until it was an utter mess.


    ¡°Sorry for being so useless. Thanks. I¡¯ll¡­ at least try. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, good!¡±


    Lily grinned again happily.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Really, I¡¯m no match for you.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, Papa, don¡¯t you know? Fathers can never win against their daughters!¡±


    ¡°... Who the heck told you such a thing again?¡±


    ¡°Miss Arias!¡±


    ¡°Her aga¡ª Wait, it wasn¡¯t Yumias? Miss¡­ Arias? Arias Karker?¡±


    ¡°Yes, her.¡±


    Greyward stared at Lily, furrowing his brow.


    ¡°¡­ She didn¡¯t tell you anything else, did she?¡±


    ¡°Mmm? Like what?¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡­ forget it. Just¡­ don¡¯t trust that old crow. She¡¯s dangerous, trust me.¡±


    ¡°But she was nice.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Speaking of which, Arias had mentioned she knew Greyward, didn¡¯t she? I nearly forgot about that.


    ¡°Whatever¡­ I¡­ Haaa¡­ Nevermind her.¡±


    He shook his head, as if chasing away a very unpleasant thought. Then, he turned to Rina¡­ and bowed his head.


    ¡°Rina. Thank you for earlier.¡±


    ¡°Mmm? I didn¡¯t do anything though?¡±


    ¡°... Is that so?¡±


    He stood up straight and a chuckle escaped him.


    ¡°Take care of Lily. Promise me.¡±


    ¡°I will! Promise!¡±


    ¡°Hehe¡­ Lily, you really found a good girl¡­ or rather, she found you, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡±


    Lily blushed as he grinned knowingly.


    ¡°Well¡­ Just keep it within reasonable limits, yes?¡±


    ¡°Papa!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha!¡±


    ¡°You idiot!¡±


    Rina tilted her head, then turned to us.


    ¡°What does he mean?¡±


    ¡°... You should ask Lily later. In private,¡± I told her.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    She nodded, not questioning it further. What a good girl.


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t tell her anything unnecessary!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡±


    This was absolutely necessary. For a healthy relationship between the two of them. And either way, I was fairly sure that wasn¡¯t entirely new to them. After all, Rina was Karen¡¯s little sister.


    ¡°Yumi, why are you suddenly looking at me?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to see your face.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Karen looked a little confused but quickly smiled at me.


    ¡°Why are they all beginning to flirt now¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, that¡¯s how the youth is, Captain!¡±


    Oops, there was still an audience¡­


    ¡°Anyway, I will deliver the letters now. It might still take some time but you should nonetheless make sure that you are ready to leave, got that?¡±


    ¡°¡±Yes.¡±¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Listening to our cacophony of different responses, Greyward smiled wryly. He then took the letters from the other mercenary again and made his way. After a few steps, Lily suddenly called out to him.


    ¡°Papa!¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°Make up with her!¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    ¡°I want a lot of younger siblings!¡±


    ¡°Pffff! The hell are you talking about, Lily?!¡±


    ¡°Do your best!¡±


    He covered his ace with his free hand, blushing. At this moment I realised¡­ There was nothing cute about a musclebound giant blushing like a teenage girl¡­


    ¡°You can do it!¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Ah, forget it!¡±


    He turned around stomping away as quickly as he could.


    ¡°Lily¡­ You¡¯re merciless.¡±


    ¡°Mm? I have no idea what you mean? Hehehe.¡±


    She knew. She absolutely knew.


    ¡°I just want a few younger sisters and brothers. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really optimistic.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am. I mean, back then I thought I¡¯d have a few by now¡­ But better late than never.¡±


    Lily was smiling, lost in her dreams of a big family.


    ¡°... I can already see it. If Mr Greyward really is going to have children, they¡¯re all going to grow taller than Lily.¡±


    ¡°Yumi! Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because it sounds too realistic!¡±


    Ahhh¡­ Yeah, that was a good point. She also knew that was likely to happen, huh¡­ Greyward himself was tall, after all. Mhm¡­ Was Greyward taller than Korwen or not? I never paid attention to it. They were both towering far above me, after all.


    ¡°And in the first place, she¡¯s not that tall¡­¡± mumbled Lily, probably not intending to be overheard.


    ¡°But she¡¯s still taller than you I bet.¡±


    ¡°... She is.¡±


    Knew it.


    ¡±Don¡¯t worry, Lily! I love you the way you are!¡±


    Rina pulled Lily into her arms, hugging her close and burying her face into Lily¡¯s hair. Of course, Rina was taller than Lily, so she could do that easily.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ If only they hadn¡¯t taken my amulet¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? The one that made you look taller?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Right, they confiscated that from her¡­


    ¡°I think that was good, though.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Lily was better off like this.


    ¡°But nobody takes me seriously when I¡¯m this small!¡±


    ¡°... I don¡¯t think that amulet would have made a big difference.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a big difference!¡±


    ¡°If you say so¡­¡±


    Even with the amulet, she had appeared only to be around Rina¡¯s height. Maybe slightly taller? Well, if she put it like that, it was quite a difference¡­ But she¡¯d still be rather short¡­


    That only puts into perspective just how short she is, huh¡­


    If I recalled correctly, it had been Yumias who had made that thing¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she had made it solely for that purpose. I wouldn¡¯t put it past her.


    ¡°Either way, Lily, just what am I supposed to say then?¡± I asked, looking up at her.


    She returned the gaze, staring at me.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... I guess there¡¯s always someone worse off, isn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡±


    Sure, I basically presented the chance to her but still¡­ It was rude.


    ¡°Just how can you manage like that?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well, it¡¯s nothing I can change anyway. I accepted it already. I mean, you know that this wasn¡¯t the only thing I had to get used to.¡±


    ¡°... Now that you mention it, that¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Being small was the smallest of my problems, really.


    ¡°And in the first place, I look cute like this, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°... Yumi, you¡¯re not supposed to say that about yourself even if it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°... I guess.¡±


    ¡°See. And you¡¯re also cute. We¡¯re the same in that regard.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    It was a bit contrived but it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. And Lily was a cute girl.


    ¡°Right, Rina?¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Lily¡¯s the cutest in the world!¡±


    ¡°Wow, now I¡¯m jealous.¡±


    Well, but that was probably only to be expected.


    ¡°Uhh¡­ I get it! I get it already! I won¡¯t complain anymore! Happy?! Woah, Rina?!¡±


    Furiously blushing for umpteenth time today, Lily accepted her defeat, much to Rina¡¯s delight, who immediately started to rub her cheek against Lily¡¯s.


    ¡°Ehehe! Lily¡¯s the cutest!¡±


    ¡±Uhhh¡­¡±


    Well, they sure got along well¡­ But Rina was definitely the one in control in that relationship.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me again, Yumi? And don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s nothing again.¡±


    Karen stared at me dubiously, making it clear she wouldn¡¯t take a lack of explanation again.


    ¡°No, I just thought you two really are sisters.¡±


    ¡°... I mean, we are, yes.¡±


    ¡°Lil¡¯ Sis, you¡¯re also my cute sister!¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks, Rina.¡±


    And what a blessed little sister I was.


    ¡°Hey, Lily¡­¡±


    I turned to the limp girl in Rina¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°... You can already practise calling me your older sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°I absolutely never will!¡±


    Lily shouted in protest while Rina and Karen were holding back their laughter.


    Too bad.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: Travellers on the Road

    Green meadows, lush forests and a barely maintained gravel road. Birds chirping and the occasional critter peeking out of the woods. A scenery you could find just about anywhere in Lafria and seemingly in Aldreigh as well. Honestly, it might be a calming sight but¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    I let out a small sigh as I watched the scenery pass us. In moments like these, I missed the convenience of my old world the most. There were so many ways to pass the time there that you would never run out of them. But here? Being stuck on the driver¡¯s bench meant your only way to pass time was to talk with the other person. However, that was only possible if said person had the leeway to talk. And Karen, basically a complete beginner, didn¡¯t have that leeway.


    Even though I only see her staring at the waroxen without doing anything in particular¡­


    From my point of view, she was far too nervous and stiff. The waroxen were smart enough to not require her attention most of the time yet Karen watched them without a break. But, well, it was easy for me to talk as an uninvolved person. And it was the first time she was driving the wagon without Lily supervising her. Her being nervous wasn¡¯t so surprising.


    But that doesn¡¯t change the fact I have no one to talk with¡­


    I suppressed another sigh. No point in dwelling on something I couldn¡¯t change. Rather,  should find something I could do in this situation. Reading¡­ was unfortunately an out. I had voiced my intention to read something just before we took off but Lily warned me about feeling sick. Karen overheard that and immediately started to worry about me¡­ so I gave up on it for now. I didn¡¯t want to add to her worries today. I¡¯d explain motion sickness another time to her.


    What else to do, though¡­ Should I take a nap?


    That might not be a bad idea¡­ but I wasn¡¯t sleepy at all.


    Nn¡­


    As I leaned back in my seat, my eyes unconsciously wandered to look at Karen. Her silver hair was gently moving in the wind and her similarly silver eyes were fixed on the road in front of her.


    You know, the scenery is no good but I could look at her all day.


    Just looking at her made me feel warm inside my chest and a smile naturally surfaced on my lips.


    And to think this pretty girl is my girlfriend. Hehe, I¡¯m really blessed.


    I watched her for a while before I moved a little closer to her until our shoulders nearly touched. Karen finally noticed me staring, turning around in surprise. But just a moment later, she smiled at me and moved toward me.


    I really am blessed.


    With those thoughts in my mind, I leaned against Karen. Maybe¡­ this quiet and otherwise boring time wasn¡¯t so bad after all. Just being this close to her made me this happy.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    Something smooth coiled around my arm. I looked down, only to find her tail having found its way over to me.


    Well, hello there.


    I poked it, then scratched it gently. The tail shivered slightly¡­ as did the owner. As sensitive as ever.


    A tail, huh¡­


    I was reminded a little of our earlier conversation. Karen and Rina¡¯s devil-like tails or Lily¡¯s fluffy wolf-like tail. I had to admit, I felt a little left out. Not that I could even remotely imagine how life would be like if I had a tail of my own.


    It might be not that unrealistic, though¡­


    Maybe I really would be able to grow one? I¡­ could try it out? It wouldn¡¯t hurt¡­ would it?


    ¡­ Not like I got anything else to do.


    Apart from enjoying Karen¡¯s warmth, of course. Which was a very important pastime of mine, mind you.


    Either way, I was a little curious if I could do that. My body was constantly changing but most of the time I had no clue what exactly had changed¡­


    Let¡¯s see¡­ If I wanted to grow a tail, it should be a little bit above the butt¡­


    I closed my eyes, concentrating on my body in the same way when I usually went through the transformations. My instincts would usually tell me very quickly what things I could¡­ and as expected¡­ they didn¡¯t kick in this time.


    Guess that¡¯s not going to work.


    I opened my eyes again and peeked behind me. Sure enough, there was nothing. I could only see Karen¡¯s tail behind us.


    Maybe it¡¯d be possible to do it without just relying on my instincts? Mmm¡­ but I have no idea where to start there even¡­


    In the first place, I had barely any idea how my body as a whole worked. Or, to be precise, how that crystal in my chest worked. It was the centre of everything that I was. Not even Ria, who usually knew so much about magic, could help me there. And the only person who likely could, Yumias, didn¡¯t plan on telling me.


    Can¡¯t change it¡­ I¡¯ll have to figure this one out myself.


    Though, for now, I was still a little busy acclimating to this new life. Or rather, we all were busy with the fort. And we probably would continue to be busy with it for the foreseeable future.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    As I was lost in thoughts, I could suddenly hear Karen gasping in surprise.


    ¡°Nn? Something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We¡¯re slowing down.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The wagon in front of us had indeed come a little closer due to slowing down¡­ and it didn¡¯t seem to speed up again. Karen pulled on the reins a little and the waroxen followed suit, slowing down as well.


    ¡°We¡¯re¡­ not at the border yet, are we?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. We should arrive in the evening at the earliest¡­¡±


    In other words, there had to be another reason. I saw Karen pulling on the reins once more. The wagon in front of us didn¡¯t stop slowing down, now moving at a crawl before finally coming to a complete stop, forcing us to stop as well.


    ¡°... Weird.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Reasons for why we would have to stop¡­


    ¡°Maybe bandits?¡±


    ¡°... Yumi, why is that the first thing you can think of?¡±


    ¡°... Dunno.¡±


    Karen shook her head in exasperation.


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll take a look to see if it¡¯s bandits.¡±


    ¡°I very much doubt there are any. We would¡¯ve heard that by now.¡±


    ¡°Probably, yeah¡­¡±


    Either way, I slid over to the edge of the driver¡¯s bench, peeking past the wagons to see what was going on. Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much to see for me there.


    ¡°See anything?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing. No bandits.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t expect any¡­¡±


    There wasn¡¯t anything in sight that could be a reason for the stop. I couldn¡¯t see what was happening at the very front, either. Our wagon was too far in the back.


    ¡°Oh? Something¡¯s happening.¡±


    A man was jumping down from the frontmost wagon. He seemed to talk with someone before making his way down the road.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I guess something did happen, after all. Someone¡¯s coming towards us.¡±


    ¡°Maybe to inform everyone.¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    The man seemed to stop shortly next to each wagon, saying a few words before continuing on. It did take him a short while, but before long he also reached us, calling out to Karen and me.


    ¡°Hey there. We¡¯re taking a break, Cap¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± I asked in response.


    ¡°Some travellers with a bit of a problem. Nothing too serious.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    That was¡­ almost boring. No, it was a good thing that it wasn¡¯t any serious matter but¡­


    The man didn¡¯t wait for a response and continued past us, leaving us alone again.


    ¡°Well, looks like we¡¯re stopping here.¡±


    ¡°Yes, looks like it.¡±


    But travellers, huh? That was a possibility too.


    ¡°... Maybe they¡¯re actually bandits in disguise?¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll stop.¡±


    It was better if they weren¡¯t bandits anyway.


    ¡°Really¡­ If you¡¯re so curious, we can go and take a look.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ It¡¯s not like we have anything else to do anyway.¡±


    And the bandit nonsense aside, I was curious why we stopped for a few travellers. Wouldn¡¯t we normally just pass by them?


    ¡°Yumi, we should ask Lily and Rina if they want to come along as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡±


    I jumped down from the bench and stepped aside, allowing Karen to come down as well. Right after coming down, she stretched her arms and legs.


    ¡°That¡¯s way better¡­ Sitting for so long is a little uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Karen being all tense was probably not helping her either.


    ¡°Are you fine, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Me? I am¡­ I mean¡­¡±


    I pinched my arm with a wry smile. Not feeling stiff was one of the comforts I very much welcomed¡­ However, it also made me feel a little lonely since I could only relate due to my memories. Well, what was left of them¡­


    ¡°... You have it good. You don¡¯t feel stiff, you aren¡¯t bothered by the heat or cold all that much and you don¡¯t get blisters or similar.¡±


    ¡°Oh, are you jealous, Sis?¡±


    ¡°... A little, maybe? But you¡¯re also pretty weak so not all that much.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    That one sure hit close to home¡­


    ¡°One day, Sis, one day I¡¯ll be stronger than you.¡±


    ¡°I am eagerly awaiting that day.¡±


    Karen put her hand on my head and ruffled my hair, laughing amusedly.


    ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and ask Lily and Rina if they want to come along.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    A little deflated, I followed Karen as we walked to the back of our wagon. Lily and Rina¡¯s wagon was right behind ours, so we didn¡¯t need to walk for long.


    ¡°Lily, Rina¡­. Oh, are we interrupting?¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    When the two of them came into view, we saw Rina sitting in the driver¡¯s bench, giving Lily a lap pillow.


    ¡°Yumi? Karen?!¡±


    ¡°Sis, I think they¡¯re busy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Hey, wait! Wait!¡±


    ¡°Lily, don¡¯t move so much!¡±


    ¡°Gah!¡±


    Lily desperately called out to us, trying to sit up. That, however, wasn¡¯t quite what Rina wanted, so she forced Lily back into her lap. Emphasis on ¡®forced.¡¯


    ¡°Rina¡­ A little more¡­ careful¡­ please¡­¡±


    ¡°Mh? Okay?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Rinia just tilted her head in response¡­ unable to understand the reason.


    ¡°Your sacrifice shan¡¯t be forgotten, Lily.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare kill me off, Yumi. I¡¯m still alive for now.¡±


    ¡°For now?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡±


    Somehow I had a bad feeling¡­ Did this mean that Rina did these things occasionally?


    ¡°Sis, maybe we should teach Rina how to hold back a little?¡± I whispered to Karen, just quiet enough for Rina not to hear us.


    ¡°That might be a good idea. I don¡¯t want her to break Lily¡¯s neck by accident.¡±


    Yeah¡­ Wasn¡¯t Rina supposed to be pretty weak currently? Like me? She was just as quick out of breath¡­ But she was the same kind of manakin as Karen was¡­


    ¡°So¡­ What did you two want?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ We wanted to ask if you want to come along to take a look at what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I think we¡¯re good on that¡­ It¡¯s just a few travellers, right?¡±


    Wow, what a casual dismissal.


    ¡°Do things like this happen often?¡±


    ¡°Once in a while, I guess? People often get their carriages stuff¡­ or need help with directions or some stuff.¡±


    ¡±I see¡­ No bandits then.¡±


    ¡°Yumi¡­¡±


    Oops, I probably should drop that one.


    ¡°Bandits? Well, those happen once in a while, too, it seems¡­ But what kind of bandit would be dumb enough to attack a mercenary caravan?¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s a really good point.¡±


    ¡°We did have a few that tried, though¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Probably their final ambush.


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, I guess you two should enjoy yourselves?¡±


    ¡°Thanks. You too.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lil¡¯ Sis!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After her initial surprise, Lily didn¡¯t seem embarrassed anymore, being seen like that. Well, it was best if she could enjoy herself, so that wasn¡¯t a bad thing.


    We left Lily and Rina to their flirting and walked towards the front of the caravan. We were pretty far in the back so we had to walk quite a bit. Many of the mercenaries were similarly preparing to take a break. When we passed them, quite a few of them greeted us. Some of them had even brought out alcohol already and were inviting us to join them.


    Too bad I¡¯ll have to abstain¡­ I don¡¯t think Sis would like me getting drunk again and having a hangover.


    For all the weird changes this body brought to my life, just why¡­ just why did it have to keep the hangover? That really was one thing I didn¡¯t need in my life¡­ Though, I¡¯d probably drink way too much if it wasn¡¯t there as a deterrent. Maybe it was good it was still there¡­


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re coming into view, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Oh?¡±


    Just as Karen said, we finally could see the supposed travellers. It was a relatively small group travelling on a carriage drawn by two large animals. They looked a little like a waroxen but less¡­ muscular. And most importantly, smaller.


    ¡°They look like normal travellers.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen stared at me for a few seconds for some reason¡­ After she had her fill, she nodded to herself and directed her attention back to the travellers in front of us. Okay¡­ What was that about? It wasn¡¯t because I mentioned the bandit thing one too many times¡­ right? Oh well¡­


    ¡°I wonder if they are merchants.¡±


    ¡±They don¡¯t seem to be carrying any wares so I don¡¯t think so. Maybe it¡¯s a stagecoach?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Ya pretty close with that one,¡± answered a voice from behind us.


    When I turned around, there stood a man, wearing the Black Guard¡¯s customary black armour. I had seen him before a few times, as well as just earlier when he was informing everyone of the break, but I forgot what his name was¡­ Actually, I don¡¯t think I ever heard it in the first place.


    ¡°It¡¯s close¡­ so it¡¯s not a stagecoach¡­ but people travelling?¡±


    ¡±That¡¯s right. At least, that¡¯s what they say. Seems they were hired to work in Melfin.¡±


    ¡°In Melfin¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ Their workplace blew up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Somehow¡­ My condolences.


    ¡°So, workers for Melfin¡­ They hired people in Lafria for that? Is that¡­ fine?¡±


    ¡°Mm? I would guess it is if they come here, no?¡±


    ¡°I mean, sure but¡­ Nn¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine that working in a different country was such a simple matter for a citizen¡­ but apparently, it was.


    ¡±I wonder what kind of work those people were supposed to do though if they hired them specifically from Lafria,¡± muttered Karen.


    ¡°Maybe the cap can tell ya when he¡¯s done talking. Or ya can ask them yourselves.¡±


    The man turned around to look a little closer to the side of the road. Greyward as well as two other people stood there, talking with each other. One of them was a man wearing simple sturdy clothes. The other one was¡­ how to say it¡­ a little more peculiar.


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Is that person wearing full armour?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they are.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Grey armour from top to bottom. There was barely any spot left uncovered. On their back, they were carrying something like a halberd. Even their face was covered entirely. I couldn¡¯t even tell if they were a man or a woman.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they at least show their face?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Probably cautious. And they got all the right to be. Probably the escort. Now, think about it if a heavily armed group of mercenaries crosses your way.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    From their perspective, it probably was everything but good.


    ¡°Nn? I think they¡¯re looking over here?¡±


    ¡°Are they?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    The armoured person was facing in our direction now¡­ or at least that¡¯s how it seemed to me. It was hard to gauge when all you had to go off was a metal helmet covering the entire face.


    ¡°Oh, now they seem to say something to Mr Greyward¡­ and he¡¯s looking here, too.¡±


    Maybe that armoured person was asking about us? Hopefully, we didn¡¯t get in their way¡­ Greyward seemed to be talking to the armoured person now. The latter nodded a few times, maybe satisfied. As for Greyward, he was continuing to talk with the other man now. After a few more words, however, they finished their discussion and the man, as well as his armoured companion, returned to their group.


    ¡°Guess they¡¯re done¡­. Oh, Mr Greyward¡¯s coming.¡±


    Having finished his talk, Greyward made his way to us. I was wondering if he was going to say something about us coming here but contrary too my expectations, he was looking at the mercenary with us.


    ¡°Cap! Everyone¡¯s been informed!¡±


    ¡°Good work. Go and take a break, too.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    He saluted before promptly leaving.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    ¡°Mr Greyward, is everything all right?¡±


    ¡°It is, Yumi, but thank you for asking. It¡¯s just a little exhausting.¡±


    Greyward walked towards the wagon he used, fetching a waterskin and taking a long sip.


    ¡°Haaa¡­¡±


    Was really everything okay when he kept sighing?


    ¡°Is really everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes¡­ As I said, I¡¯m just exhausted¡­ There¡¯s been a lot going on today, after all.¡±


    Well, if he put it like that¡­ He did have a rather eventful day¡­ First the problems in Melfin, then his fallout with Lily and now this. He really was in need of a break, wasn¡¯t he?


    ¡°And¡­ Most importantly¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... who in their right mind walks around in full armour all day?!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Bold words of the person wearing all black in the middle of summer, no? Very bold¡­ But really, the weather was rather comfortable, no? It shouldn¡¯t be too bad in full armour¡­


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot. It¡¯s sweltering. You can¡¯t relax and you get stiff immediately if you don¡¯t. It¡¯s all-around a pain in the a¡ª the behind.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    If he put it like that, it did seem like it was rather uncomfortable.


    ¡°Well, maybe they aren¡¯t wearing it all the time but just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of us?¡±


    ¡°Right. But it seems like the others haven¡¯t seen their face either.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    They hadn¡¯t seen the face of their escort?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­ a little suspicious?¡±


    ¡°Right? Well, it¡¯s not my problem who they hire. And they did seem like the serious sort.¡±


    A serious person, huh¡­


    ¡°By the way, you looked over to us earlier. What was that about?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that? That escort asked if you were also with us. Seemed like they thought you were children forced into mercenary life so I had to explain that. Not sure if they believed me, though. They¡¯re still staring.¡±


    Wait, they were? Oh¡­ They really were looking over here¡­


    ¡°I mean, technically speaking that¡¯s not completely wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t you dare say that out loud in front of them. I have a feeling that¡¯s only going to turn into a pain in the ass!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    But really, it wasn¡¯t like we had much of a choice in this. Mind you, it wasn¡¯t like I was complaining. I liked everyone here and I could be together with Karen nearly the entire time. But it was undeniable that our situation more or less forced us into this.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Anyway, did you two just come to play spectator? Or did you need anything?¡±


    ¡°No, we were just curious about the travellers and why we were stopping¡­ Speaking of which, why did we stop?¡±


    ¡°They wanted some information. Also, take a look at their carriage.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    I followed his gaze to look towards the carriage¡­


    ¡°... They don¡¯t seem to have a broken wheel. Or anything else broken?¡±


    ¡°Where are you looking? The oxen, of course. The oxen.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ Nn¡­ Is something wrong with them?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t an animal expert¡­


    ¡°They look exhausted,¡± commented Karen.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly it. They pushed them too hard. A regular ox isn¡¯t as resilient as a warox. They pulled a heavy carriage without a break. Oxen have a lot of endurance but there is a limit.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Then, shouldn¡¯t they be fine after some rest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what I told them as well. But they were in a hurry to reach Melfin. Well, not anymore.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    Right, he probably told them about the situation in Melfin. No wonder some of them looked so deflated.


    ¡°Nn? Mr Greyward, that armoured person¡¯s coming over.¡±


    ¡°Ugh... Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s nothing troublesome.¡±


    Wow, he sure wasn¡¯t enthusiastic about this.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± came a surprisingly high-pitched voice.


    ¡°Is something else the matter? I believe we talked about everything necessary?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I simply wanted to have a¡­ personal talk with you if you would allow it.¡±


    ¡°A personal talk?¡±


    Greyward furrowed his brows in annoyance.


    ¡°I¡¯m very sorry but I am certainly not in the mood for any personal talks right now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate.¡±


    The armoured person slumped their shoulders slightly, seemingly disappointed. Right when it seemed like they were going to return to their group, however, they turned to us.


    ¡°... May I talk with these girls for a spell then?¡±


    ¡°... Who they talk with is none of my business. But harm them and you will regret it.¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    The person turned to us again.


    ¡°Would it be all right to exchange a few words?¡±


    ¡°Nn? Well¡­¡±


    Karen and I exchanged a gaze before nodding to that person. Greyward was right beside us so I wasn¡¯t very worried about our safety. And just like Lily said, who would be dumb enough to start trouble with a band of mercenaries? Even if it wasn¡¯t about bandits now, the point was still that it wasn¡¯t a very smart thing to do.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    The person bowed their head, a gesture I didn¡¯t quite expect.


    ¡°Err¡­ So what do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping for some information. I am looking for someone.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯m not sure if we can help with that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    As long as they knew.


    ¡°So, who are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Family. My brother. We were separated many years ago.¡±


    ¡°Ohh¡­ That must be hard.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ But I am sure he is somewhere out there. That¡¯s why I am searching.¡±


    Somewhere¡­ huh¡­


    ¡°How does he look like?¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ He looks similar to me.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Silence¡­


    ¡°Err¡­ Mister¡­¡± Karen began, stammering.


    ¡°Thea.¡±


    ¡°... Miss Thea?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... We can¡¯t see your face.¡±


    So there was a woman beneath that helmet. I mean,  expected it from the high-pitched voice but you never knew for sure.


    ¡°Oh, you are right. My apologies.¡±


    I expected her to take off her helmet but¡­ she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Then I will describe him if that is acceptable.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    Karen glanced over at me, her eyes full of confusion.


    ¡°He is¡­ Human. About my height. Short hair, a normal face. Average build.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I wasn¡¯t quite sure why but I had this feeling that this person was going to spend her entire life searching for her brother without success.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but that¡¯s not very helpful. That description can fit many men.¡±


    ¡°Mhm¡­ I see¡­ That¡¯s troublesome.¡±


    ¡±Don¡¯t you have something like¡­ I don¡¯t know, his name?¡±


    ¡°... Unfortunately, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    She was looking for her brother, her family, yet she didn¡¯t even know his name?


    ¡°This might sound weird but¡­ the memory of his name¡­ of many things regarding him¡­ was taken from me.¡±


    ¡°Taken?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ The result of a very powerful curse, I fear.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡±


    That couldn¡¯t be easy. To think there were curses like that out in this world.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. After so many years I arranged myself with it.¡±


    ¡°Yet you¡¯re still searching for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is my beloved brother, after all.¡±


    Even covered by her helmet, I had the feeling she was smiling right now.


    ¡°... I have to say, I¡¯m a little jealous of your brother. To have such a loving sister.¡±


    ¡°Mmm! Yumi, I¡¯d search for you no matter how long it¡¯d take, too!¡±


    ¡°Sis, this isn¡¯t a competition¡­¡±


    Really, that wasn¡¯t something you should compete in either.


    ¡°Well, I guess I would do that too¡­¡±


    ¡°Hehe, you two get along well.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, sorry about that. We were talking about your brother yet¡­¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I just pray you two never have to face a situation like mine.¡±


    ¡±.... Nn, that¡¯d be for the best.¡±


    Really, I would probably go crazy if Karen was suddenly gone from my side. It wasn¡¯t a situation I wanted to be in.


    ¡°But if looking for his looks or by his name don¡¯t work¡­ What about the person who cast the curse?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Thea slowly shook her head. Apparently, that wasn¡¯t an option. Maybe the caster was already dead¡­ or there was some other reason she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I see¡­ Sorry, but I don¡¯t think we can help after all.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I didn¡¯t expect you to. However, if you ever find out something, no matter how small, please contact me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me but how would we even contact you?¡±


    Thea froze again. Really, this person was all over the place, wasn¡¯t she?


    ¡°I¡­ am going to stay in Melfin for a while.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ And after that?¡±


    ¡°... I will have to think about that.¡±


    That¡¯s great and all but not very helpful.


    ¡°I might go back to Auria for a while?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re staying in Auria as well for the foreseeable future. Nn, how about you just inform us when you move on? That should be plenty of time to figure out a way to contact you.¡±


    ¡±I see¡­ That¡¯s certainly possible. How can I reach you in Auria?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the abandoned fort in the forest? Our band is going to take that fort over.¡±


    She jerked up a little when she heard me mentioning the fort.


    ¡°... Weren¡¯t bandits occupying that fort until recently?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not anymore. Well, even if they still had I don¡¯t think it would have posed much trouble¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t imagine a group of bandits holding up against a large mercenary band like the Dragon Knights.


    ¡°The fort then, I understand. I apologise for all the trouble.¡±


    ¡°Nn, it¡¯s fine. I hope you will find your brother.¡±


    ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡±


    Thea once again bowed her head to us, then to Greyward as well before returning to her group of travellers. Sure was a strange person, that Thea.


    By the way, did the news about the bandits already spread around? I thought it wasn¡¯t even that well-known that bandits were there in the first place¡­

 Chapter of Demon Desires: A Night on the Road

    After finishing talking with us, Thea returned to her group of travellers. It was quite an¡­ interesting experience¡­ Talking with her¡­ She didn¡¯t seem to have her things¡­ how to say it¡­ in order¡­


    ¡°Hey, Sis. Wouldn¡¯t it be smart¡­ to also ask the others in our group?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ I think so.¡±


    For some inexplicable reason, Thea had only asked us about the whereabouts of her brother. Granted, with the extreme lack of information and her unwillingness to show her face, I would be amazed if anyone could help her out. Unless, of course, her brother was just as¡­ eccentric.


    Suddenly, the whole thing seemed a little more realistic¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s not our problem,¡± interjected Greyward, who had kept silent until now.


    ¡°I mean it isn¡¯t but¡­


    ¡°If she decided that only asking you is enough, then that¡¯s that. You shouldn¡¯t worry about every stranger¡¯s problems.¡±


    ¡°... I guess so.¡±


    I felt a little bad about calling someone whose name I already knew a stranger. We only spoke for a few minutes, though, so it really wasn¡¯t wrong to call her that.


    ¡°Well, we might hear from her again sometime.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Assuming, she doesn¡¯t forget it.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen smiled wryly, likely because she could very well imagine that happening.


    ¡°But a curse to make her forget a specific person. Mr Greyward, do curses like that really exist?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong person there, Yumi. At least, I never met someone who was afflicted by a curse like that.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    ¡°However, I have seen people forget specific things. Things they usually didn¡¯t want to remember.¡±


    Greyward¡¯s expression dimmed as he continued to speak.


    ¡°Recruits that couldn¡¯t stand the nature of our work.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Ahhh¡­ That was¡­ indeed something I could very much understand. It had to be a shock for any normal person. Whether it was to see someone dying or to kill someone. Neither were things that could be easy on the mind. At least, it hadn¡¯t been on mine.


    ¡°Puking your stomach empty is still one of the milder situations,¡± added Greyward with a smirk.


    ¡°...¡±


    That wasn¡¯t very relieving to hear.


    ¡°Does it happen that often?¡± asked Karen, bringing the topic back on track.


    ¡°Occasionally. The Black Guards never recruited a lot of people so we rarely had to deal with a situation like this. We were rather picky, you could say.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Korwen probably has to deal with it far more often. I don¡¯t even want to imagine it, to be honest.¡±


    He visibly shuddered at the thought of it. He didn¡¯t want to deal with that, huh?


    ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t relegate that work to me when he gathers new recruits again.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders before continuing.


    ¡°Either way, I can¡¯t judge whether it¡¯s a curse or not. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if such a thing was possible for it, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    In other words, he didn¡¯t rule out that it wasn¡¯t a curse but just the result of her¡­ situation. A trauma.


    But if it¡¯s not a curse, then whatever was the trigger for her to forget¡­ can¡¯t be anything good¡­


    I shook my head, forcing myself to stop thinking about it. As Greyward had already said, this was basically a stranger¡¯s problem. I wouldn¡¯t turn her away if she asked for help but, truth be told, we already had more than enough on our plate. I couldn¡¯t add another person¡¯s issues to that list.


    ¡°I guess we won¡¯t know for sure. Oh well¡­ Mr Greyward, how long will our break be?¡±


    ¡°The break? Mmm¡­ Only a short while. Enough to drink something and grab a bite, I¡¯d say.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    So, not very long.


    ¡°But grabbing a bite sounds like a good idea. Sis, did we have any of the Cucus bread left?¡±


    ¡°Yes, we do. We brought enough for the way back as well, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.¡±


    That had been the whole point of it, after all.


    ¡°Tsk, no love for our wonderful rations, you two?¡±


    ¡°¡±No.¡±¡±


    Wonderful? That had to be a joke. They were edible and the dried fruits that always came with them were definitely nice. But everything else was far from wonderful. At least, it wasn¡¯t bad. Just¡­ not very tasty.


    Meanwhile, Greyward scratched the back of his head, a little surprised at our denial.


    ¡°Are they really that bad? I know they¡¯re not as good as proper food but as far as rations go, it¡¯s still pretty decent.¡±


    ¡°Just because it is decent doesn¡¯t make it good. Least of all wonderful.¡±


    ¡°Right, right.¡±


    Karen nodded in agreement, making Greyward only all the more surprised.


    ¡°They¡¯re edible but if I have the chance to eat something better, I¡¯d definitely go for it.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Mhm, but even if you say that this is already the best we can manage¡­ That bread you girls brought along isn¡¯t something we can prepare in masses.¡±


    ¡°Nn? I mean, it does require a bit of effort to make but¡­¡±


    The ingredients weren¡¯t particularly expensive and after that, most of the time was spent baking¡­


    ¡°... I guess it could be hard to bake large amounts the day prior.¡±


    ¡°Right? Rations keep a long time but that bread would have to be prepared a day or two before you move out. A small group like ours could deal still manage but imagine if half the Dragon Knights had to move out. Plus, they would have to do all the other preparations as well.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I can see that being a problem.¡±


    And you couldn¡¯t leave it all to the women in charge of cooking. They also had dinner and other duties to take care of. It would be difficult to balance all that while baking the bread.


    ¡°It¡¯s a logistical problem that¡¯s a bit difficult to fix. It¡¯s not impossible but in general, not many would appreciate the extra effort during preparation.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I think I understand.¡±


    Next to me, Karen nodded as well.


    ¡°That said, nobody is going to stop you if you are doing it on your own. That¡¯s your thing. At least, I can¡¯t imagine Korwen prohibiting that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t he would either.¡±


    As long as it wasn¡¯t bothering the others, of course.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    Right at that moment, a mercenary appeared from behind the wagon, calling out to Greyward.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The others brought out the food and drinks and they asked if ya wanna join us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll come in a bit. And tell them not to get wasted, we still have to move today.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    And the mercenary disappeared as quickly as he had come.


    ¡°You heard him. What about you two? Want to join as well?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    I glanced over to Karen who, as expected, didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic.


    ¡°No, I think we¡¯ll eat on our own. Maybe with Lily and Rina.¡±


    ¡°Got it. Then, have a nice meal.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    We parted with Greyward, watching as he joined the other mercenaries, his comrades.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back, too, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I glanced towards the travellers for the last time. Several of them were busy making a campfire now, likely to take a break and let their oxen rest. They were sitting off to the side, watching the whole procedure. I guess she wasn¡¯t being paid for helping out there¡­


    Speaking of which, those oxen are different from the waroxen, aren¡¯t they? I kind of missed the opportunity to ask¡­


    Well, another timer then. After al,...


    It¡¯s break time now!


    After parting with Greyward, we returned to our wagon to have a light meal. Lily and Rina had, at some point, disappeared into their wagon so we decided not to disturb them and eat without them. And so, we had our meal with just the two of us, which was perfectly fine by me since we could spend some time together, just the two of us, until the end of our break.


    As for what happened after our break¡­ Well, we parted with the travellers that were still resting and continued our small journey back. By the time the sun had gone down, we arrived at the border again. Much to the surprise of the border guards. After all, they didn¡¯t expect us to come back this soon. Neither did we¡­


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it. Yumi, how does it look on your side?¡±


    ¡°Nn, everything good.¡±


    I gave Karen a thumbs up, indicating I was done as well.


    ¡°Great.¡±


    Karen¡¯s shoulders slumped in relief. All things said she had to be pretty exhausted as well.


    ¡°Thanks, girlies. Without ya, the whole thing would¡¯ve taken all night.¡±


    ¡°Nn, no worries.¡±


    ¡°Are ya sure ya don¡¯t wanna join?¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Well, if ya change ya mind, ya two are always welcome.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    The mercenary, sporting a slightly guilty smile, saw us off as Karen and I returned to our wagon. Really, he didn¡¯t need to feel guilty about it.


    ¡°Yumi, are you really sure? You like to drink, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do. But I¡¯m tired and I don¡¯t think we need to repeat yesterday, do we?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess.¡±


    Also, Karen was clearly tired. I didn¡¯t want to force my drunken self on her today. And I was sure I¡¯d end up drunk. Well, I was sure some of the mercenaries would end up with a hangover tomorrow morning. Including a certain fluffy girl who, despite her insistence this morning,  hadn¡¯t learnt her lesson. Maybe another hangover would help with that.


    Rather than all that trouble, I just wanted to get back to our wagon and sleep.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get back and get ready to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    We left the drinking party behind and disappeared into our small mobile home.


    ¡°The day¡¯s finally over.¡±


    I let myself fall facedown onto the bed, all the tension of the day leaving me in this single moment.


    ¡°Yumi, that¡¯s bad manners¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Right after Karen scolded me, the bed wobbled. Karen, despite scolding me, had done the same and let herself fall on the bed. She smiled at me when she saw me glancing over.


    ¡°Just for today.¡±


    ¡°Hehe. Sure.¡±


    Yes, just for today, it was fine.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Today was really tiring. I didn¡¯t think steering a wagon was this exhausting.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I can imagine.¡±


    As a beginner, having gotten only a bit of instruction, she was tensed up most of the time, watching closely what was happening. Of course, nothing actually happened. At least, in my eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to it with time. And then it won¡¯t be that bad anymore.¡±


    ¡°I hope so¡­¡±


    ¡°And then you can teach me as well, so we can swap out.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can.¡±


    In the worst case, we could always ask Lily again. Not that I thought it would be necessary.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try¡­ But first, I have to get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    That would only come with time and practice. Though, I had to wonder how often we¡¯d get the chance to move around with our wagon in the near future. Probably not that often.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Yumi, let¡¯s get out of the armour.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Next to me, Karen forced herself up and began to take off the few pieces of armour. Following her example, I did the same, literally forcing myself up for the last feat of the day.


    ¡°Already much better.¡±


    Karen stretched her arms and twisted her waist a few times.


    ¡°Stiff?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Let me guess, you don¡¯t feel stiff.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Not by choice. Though, even if I had the choice, I¡¯d stay like this. In that sense, I understood her frustration.


    ¡°Give me some of that squishiness.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can.¡±


    ¡°At least get rid of my stiffness.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be unreasonable, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Unfortunate.¡±


    Karen slumped back onto the bed and curled up, not minding her manners anymore. Quite a rare sight.


    ¡°I wonder if I become squishier as well with time. Because of, you know, being with you.¡±


    ¡°... I honestly don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ I don¡¯t know if I would want that or not.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier something like you didn¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I think that was mostly in regards to my lack of strength, but still.


    ¡°I kind of do and kind of don¡¯t. It¡¯s¡­ complicated?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I understand.¡±


    It had its conveniences and inconveniences.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Either way¡­ Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°... Do we still have to report to Mr Captain?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Now that she mentioned that¡­


    ¡°I think we do.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Want me to do that while you take a rest?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh...¡±


    Karen grimaced, clearly fighting with herself over accepting or refusing my offer.


    ¡°Sis, take a break and I¡¯ll deal with it.¡±


    ¡°... Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°... Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    She deserved a rest. She always did so much for me.


    ¡°But don¡¯t you need Mr Yuu?¡±


    ¡°... I guess I do, don¡¯t I? Well, I can guess where he is, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    I¡¯d bet he was with the other mercenaries outside, joining them in making merry. Even if he couldn¡¯t drink alcohol¡­ He couldn¡¯t, right?


    ¡°Are you sure I shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°You stay on the bed, Sis.¡±


    I gently stopped Karen from getting up. Really, was I that unreliable that she couldn¡¯t let me out of her sight for just a few minutes?


    Let¡¯s see¡­ last time I was attacked by Yumelia¡­ and before that¡­


    Yeah, I probably wasn¡¯t reliable when left alone¡­ But it was just fetching Mr Yuu and the other mercenaries were there, too. And, really¡­ I had undergone at least a bit of training under Merim. I could at least run away¡­ probably.


    No, why am I assuming that something¡¯s going to happen? I¡¯m just going to fetch Mr Yuu!


    Either way, I would manage that short time.


    ¡°... I can¡¯t help but worry.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Sis. Trust in me a little bit.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    She was trying, huh? Well, better than nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get and look for him. You lie down and rest, okay?¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I smiled at Karen to reassure her. After confirming that she stayed in bed, I left the wagon and went outside.


    It¡¯s a little cold.


    With the sun gone, it had cooled down quite a bit. Maybe it was just my imagination but it felt like the temperature in general has gone down in the past few days and weeks.


    Good thing it doesn¡¯t really bother me. Let¡¯s look for Mr Yuu.


    Our impromptu camp wasn¡¯t very big with only six wagons and a few dozen people. At least, not compared to the whole band camping out. The mercenaries had gathered behind a wagon. They had lit a campfire, gathered around it and laughed, talked and drank. Since there was a wagon between us and them, not a lot of noise reached our wagon. A surprising consideration of them that I only now realised.


    ¡°Hey, guys, look who¡¯s come!¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yumi! Come to join after all?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this? The princess came without her knight?¡±


    The moment they spotted me, I was greeted warmly by all the men. However¡­ Princess? Knight? Did that refer to me and Karen?


    ¡°Something wrong, Yumi?¡± asked Greyward, interrupting the others.


    ¡°Nn, I was looking for Mr Yuu. I¡¯d like to borrow him for a moment.¡±


    ¡°Mr Yuu¡­ Well, he¡¯s there, but¡­¡±


    Greyward looked towards the other side of the round. One of the men lifted a mug towards me. At first, I wanted to say that I didn¡¯t want any alcohol but¡­ that wasn¡¯t why he presented it to me. After staring at the mug for a few seconds, I closed my eyes for another few, before opening them again. However, the scene in front of me stayed the same.


    ¡°... I am not sure what I am seeing there right now. Why is Mr Yuu inside the mug?¡±


    ¡°He wanted ta drink with us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°So we got ¡®im a mug an¡¯ all.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why he is¡­ swimming inside?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s drinking! No swimming!¡±


    ¡°... Sure.¡±


    However, was Mr Yuu as hammered as this mercenary was? If so¡­ I had a problem.


    ¡°Ya can take ¡®im with ya! But bring ¡®im back, ya hear?¡±


    ¡°Uhh, sure¡­¡±


    Just before I tried to receive the mug containing Mr Yuu, the latter stirred, jumping up and saluting¡­ towards the wagon. Nobody was there. Then he slumped back into the mug, not moving.


    ¡°... Actually, nevermind that. Mr Yuu doesn¡¯t look like he can help me.¡±


    ¡°Eh? He looks fine ta me? Lil¡¯ sloppy.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not urgent.¡±


    ¡°Huh, if ya say so.¡±


    The mercenary put the mug with Mr Yuu back on the ground before bringing his attention to his own mug of ale.


    What do I do now? Mr Yuu¡­ is clearly out of commission. How in the hell can a doll get drunk anyway? Ugh¡­ No matter¡­


    If I called upon the dolls from the camp, Korwen would probably freak out again. That wasn¡¯t an option either.


    Guess I have to make a new doll¡­


    Not really any other choice left.


    ¡°Mr Greyward, do we have a piece of wood we don¡¯t need?¡±


    ¡°Wood? That¡¯s one odd request¡­ Though, I can guess why you ask. Check that wagon over there, there should be some firewood in the back. Does that work?¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    Fortunately, I wasn¡¯t very picky about the type of wood as long as I could use it to make dolls.


    ¡°Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    I bid the others a good night and went to the wagon Greyward pointed me to. The inside was dark¡­ Good thing I could see in the dark.


    ¡°Wood¡­ Wood¡­ Oh, it must be this.¡±


    A pile of small wooden logs, just big enough for firewood. It seemed that someone had already taken something from the pile recently since a few pieces were scattered on the ground. Probably the fire outside.


    ¡°Okay¡­ That should be enough. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll need more than three, do I?¡±


    I could always come back for more anyway.


    Let¡¯s go back to Sis.


    With my bounty in my arms, I left the wagon and went back.


    ¡°There we go. Sis, I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen was still on the bed. She had gotten comfortable under the blanket. Glad to see she was properly resting. However, she eyed the firewood in my arms with suspicion. Not surprising¡­


    ¡°... Why are you carrying wood, Yumi? Didn¡¯t you want to fetch Mr Yuu?¡±


    ¡°He was¡­ unavailable.¡±


    ¡°... Unavailable?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that I am curious whether a doll can have a hangover after swimming in a mug with ale.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Seriously, what kind of doll managed to get drunk? Or rather, what kind of doll was swimming inside a mug in the first place?


    ¡°So, brought some wood to make a new doll.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ I leave you out of sight for just a few moments and this happens¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, that would have happened even if you had come along. This was outside of my control.¡±


    ¡°... Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡±


    Who would expect such a situation? Seriously, who would?


    ¡°I see¡­ Do you need help?¡±


    ¡°No, I can manage. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    She was eyeing me with suspicion again¡­


    ¡°By the way, Sis. When I went to the mercenaries they said you were my ¡®Knight.¡¯¡±


    ¡°A knight?¡±


    ¡°Nn. My knight.¡±


    ¡°A knight¡­ Then, you are the princess?¡±


    ¡°... Apparently so.¡±


    Karen chuckled, amused. Glad to see it cheered her up.


    ¡°So, my dear knight, you have to rest properly so you can protect me come tomorrow once more.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, very well, my princess. I¡¯ll try to.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s good.¡±


    I nodded, glad to see Karen behaving.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll make a doll and report to the captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    With the firewood still in my arms, I fetched a mana orb and a few of the remaining tiny mana crystals we had left over. Then, I carried all of this to the desk and spread it out there.


    Well then¡­ it¡¯s been a while since I last made a doll, hasn¡¯t it?


    Apart from the initial few batches, I didn¡¯t make any new ones. They somehow increased their numbers on their own. That¡¯s also part of the reason why I had never made any additional dolls. After all, there were more than enough of them at all times.


    Now then¡­ first, I form the wood¡­


    Manipulating mana had become far more familiar to me since the last time I did this. As such, it was probably only to be expected that it went far smoother now. I also wasn¡¯t entirely dependent on this vague feeling of instinct anymore either. A very welcome change.


    ¡°Hmhmhmmm¡­¡±


    Humming a small tune, I formed the clay-like wood into the shape of a doll. This was¡­ something I still hadn¡¯t gotten better at. Really¡­ It wasn¡¯t very pretty but it served my purpose for now.


    ¡­ Well, I can try to smooth it out a little more.


    I would feel bad for the doll if it was too¡­ malformed.


    Okay, that¡¯s good enough I think.


    After having confirmed that the form was more or less good, I picked up a small mana crystal and fed it mana, until it grew to the size of my thumb¡¯s nail. I pushed the crystal into the still soft doll and fed it a little more mana, before using my magic to animate the doll as a whole.


    ¡°There. It¡¯s finished.¡±


    I gently put the doll down on the desk, watching it as it did its first clumsy movements. The doll¡¯s arms moved wildly up and down, slowly smoothing out its movements. Then it did the same for its legs. Once everything moved properly, the doll turned toward me and saluted.


    ¡°It¡¯s saluting. Where do they learn how to salute¡­¡±


    And why was it the first thing they did towards me? Was there a particular reason for that? I had no idea¡­


    ¡°Are you done already, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Nn. Take a look.¡±


    I stepped to the side, allowing Karen to get a look at the doll standing on top of the desk. The doll, noticing that it was watched by a new person, immediately saluted again, this time towards Karen.


    ¡°It¡¯s saluting.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    Karen was probably just as confused as I was¡­


    ¡°Do you like salutes, Yumi?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ If you asked me whether I like them or not, I think I¡¯d say I like them but¡­¡±


    I wouldn¡¯t miss them either if there were none.


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°... Anyway, I¡¯ll go and report to the captain now.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    I picked up the doll and disappeared into the tentacle room. Now was the time of truth¡­ Could this doll, that I had just created, find Korwen? It had never met him after all¡­


    Guess only one way to find out.


    Standing in front of the tiny portal, I connected it with the fort and opened it.


    ¡°Okay, doll, I need you to find the captain. Can you do that? Do you know who you have to look for?¡±


    The doll stared at me¡ªat least I think it did¡ªthen turned to the tentacle door, nodding.


    ¡°... I¡¯m counting on you.¡±


    I helped the doll through the door and watched it disappear into the darkness.


    Time to wait¡­


    Hopefully, the doll would manage it¡­ Maybe it could consult with the other dolls? They¡­ communicated with each other, right?


    This is a little nerve-racking¡­ Oh!  Can hear steps!


    Not long after the doll had disappeared, steps echoed through the hallway and the room¡¯s door opened.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Yumi. Mh? Alone today?¡±


    Korwen tried to peek past me first thing, looking for Karen.


    ¡°Sis is a little exhausted so I told her to rest.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ How rare, seeing you two apart.¡±


    ¡°Is it¡­ rare?¡±


    ¡°Sure is. Since that incident with Yumelia, Karen has been following you like a chick after its mother. I barely see you two apart anymore.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Well, we were together most of the time, yes¡­


    ¡°Well, if you are fine with that, just ignore me.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders, indicating he had no intention of meddling further.


    ¡°More importantly, your report, if you would.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I straightened my back and reported everything that had happened since we had left the town. Admittedly, that wasn¡¯t much, but just relaying that nothing of note had happened was important as well. Of course, I did tell him about the travellers we met.


    ¡°A mercenary woman in full armour hiding her face?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Looking for her brother? About whom she has basically no information?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ certainly a little eccentric.¡±


    ¡°It is¡­¡±


    No two ways about it. It was odd beyond words.


    ¡°But it does match with what I heard.¡±


    ¡°Nn? Heard?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the bandits in the fort?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Hard to forget them this quickly.


    ¡°We investigated who might be responsible for cleaning up the fort. And the only clue we got was an odd knight woman that had been in town. Sounds a little too coincidental, doesn¡¯t it? If she walks around in full armour, it¡¯d be easy to mistake her for a knight.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ Wait, then she was the one who killed all the bandits?¡±


    ¡°Seems likely, at least.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ pretty amazing.¡±


    There had been by no means few of them in the fort. The number of corpses we found was staggering.


    ¡°The most interesting part, if you ask me, is still how they all died by their own weapons. If she really was the one who killed them, she¡¯s very skilled. Skilled enough I might want to recruit her.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°However, I don¡¯t think I can handle another oddball on that level, so I¡¯ll refrain.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    He glanced at me meaningfully. That was directed at me, right? It was, wasn¡¯t it? Was I that bad? I guess I was.


    ¡°Should she turn up I¡¯ll try to have a talk with her, too. But if she¡¯s as¡­ forgetful as you say she is, that¡¯s probably not likely.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    Hard to deny that.


    ¡°Either way, nothing else happened?¡±


    ¡°No. We arrived at the border without a problem. We should be back tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good. It¡¯ll be reassuring if you all are back¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn? Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°The paper stacks are raising.¡±


    ¡°I think we might take a little longer.¡±


    ¡°Get your asses back.¡±


    Ugh¡­ I didn¡¯t mind that type of work but¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that was a joke. We¡¯re not doing anything currently that could grow the paper stacks to a level that I can¡¯t deal with it anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news.¡±


    I sighed a breath of relief.


    ¡°I will count on you if they raise too high, though.¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Well, for now, just make sure you all come back safely.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We¡¯d try our best.


    ¡°Then, if there¡¯s nothing, I wish you a good night.¡±


    ¡°Nn, good night, captain.¡±


    ¡°Give my regards to Karen.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡±


    I saluted Korwen and watched him leave. After confirming he was gone, I helped the doll climb back into the tentacle room and closed the portal.


    ¡°Nn, and that¡¯s that.¡±


    Report done. Now I could join Karen in bed.¡±


    ¡°Sis, I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Good work.¡±


    Oh, someone had really gotten comfy already.


    ¡°Sleeping already?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    I giggled at the sight of Karen hugging the blanket. Throwing off my clothes¡ªall of them, of course¡ªI climbed into the bed and under the blanket, joining Karen.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    I nestled next to Karen, hugging her. Her arm wrapped around me and pulled me into her embrace.


    ¡°Caught you.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Sleep with me.¡±


    ¡°Well, can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Giggling again, I nuzzled against Karen¡¯s warm body. This was where I belonged.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I love this.¡±


    ¡°Ehehe, glad to hear that.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After such an exhausting and mostly frustrating day, being in Karen¡¯s arms was a welcome comfort.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll sleep well tonight.¡±


    ¡°Same for me.¡±


    ¡°It was tiring.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡±


    When I looked up at Karen, I found her peering down at me with a smile.


    ¡°Shall we sleep?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Then, sweet dreams, my little princess.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thank you, my dear knight. You too.¡±

 Tale of Rainbow Memories: The Wolf Girl and the Cursed Witch (Part 4)

    Year 284 of the Imperial Calendar


    Crimson Star¡¯s Day, Manaweek, First Month of Summer


    Border of Lafria, North of Rahlban


    It has been around four weeks now since the incident in Krohmea. Life has slowly returned to normalcy, now that we didn¡¯t need to worry about possible orcish pursuers anymore. And this normalcy now included two young girls as well.


    ¡°Come on, Lily. Call me ¡®Mama.¡¯ Pretty please?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll make me really happy if you do. We¡¯ll be the greatest family, together with your papa!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Scenes where the Priest Maiden both¡ª plays with them, have become pretty commonplace among our band.


    ¡°... Mama?¡±


    ¡°Ahh! Yes, Lily! I¡¯m your mama!¡±


    To my surprise, it worked wonders for morale. Everyone enjoyed watching the Priest Maiden and the children fool around. Sometimes, they would play pranks on unsuspecting victims. Usually me.


    ¡°Ehehe, you¡¯re the most adorable in the world, Lily!¡±


    ¡°Mmm! I can¡¯t breathe!¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry!¡±


    All of the pranks were practically harmless but they could be quite annoying.


    ¡°Sorry, Lily, I didn¡¯t want to suffocate you. Will you forgive me?¡±


    ¡°Mm! I will.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not only the most adorable girl but also the kindest!¡±


    Quite¡­ annoying¡­


    ¡°You two, I am trying to write the logbook here. Go and bother someone else.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he got angry.¡±


    ¡°Angry!¡±


    ¡°What should we do? Lily, do you think he¡¯ll forgive us if we apologise?¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You heard her, we¡¯re sorry!¡±


    They had to be doing this on purpose¡­ They had to¡­


    ¡°Rather than that boring logbook, you should play with us. Right, Lily?¡±


    ¡°Mm! Play with us, Papa!¡±


    ¡°... Haaa.¡±


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose, helpless in front of these two. Over the past two weeks, Lily had completely taken to calling me ¡®Papa¡¯ all the time. The scary thing about it was, that it didn¡¯t even bother me anymore. Quite the opposite even. It made me a little happy.


    That¡¯s why I tried to stop the Priest Maiden¡­


    We were getting far too attached to the girl. I could already imagine all the trouble we¡¯d have when we dropped her off at the orphanage.


    ¡°Captain?¡±


    The curtain of the tent was pulled aside and Griess appeared behind it, interrupting the Priest Maiden and Lily in their attempt to hinder my work.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Griess?¡±


    ¡°Rolan and his squad returned from Rahlban.¡±


    ¡°Already? I¡¯ll be there in a moment.¡±


    ¡°Understood, Captain.¡±


    I closed the logbook and stood up. The Priest Maiden and Lily both scowled towards the curtain where Griess had been just a few moments prior.


    ¡°You heard him, work is calling.¡±


    ¡°How unfortunate. See that, Lily? Only bad fathers put their work above their family.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Bad papa!¡±


    ¡°You two¡­¡±


    They really were out to give me a headache. Even if the Priest Maiden was mostly joking, it was hard to say whether a little girl like Lily could understand that. I worried about her future.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cause any mischief while I¡¯m gone, you hear that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Come, Lily, let¡¯s see if we can find something to play with.¡±


    ¡°Mm!¡±


    With a wry smile, I watched the two move to the back of the tent to look for things to play around with. The Priest Maiden had made several wooden toys over the past weeks for the girls and Lily had taken a real shine to them. Even I had to say that her handiwork was impressive.


    ¡°Right, before I go, Priest Maiden. Where¡¯s the other one?¡±


    ¡°Yumias? She was taking a nap outside.¡±


    ¡°A nap? Well, I guess it¡¯s warm enough for that.¡±


    Having gotten my answer, I left the two and exited the tent.


    ¡°... It¡¯s going to be a hot summer again.¡±


    Summer had just begun and it was already considerably warm. Most of our black equipment would heat up in the summer heat, making prolonged use unbearable. At times like these, I truly regretted taking over our old colours.


    ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Rolan. You¡¯ve returned early.¡±


    I quickly switched gears and returned to my serious mode when our familiar scout called out to me.


    ¡°Yes. We were quite fortunate and didn¡¯t have to wait for long.¡±


    ¡°Hm, then, what¡¯s their answer?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately¡­ it¡¯s negative on both fronts.¡±


    I closed my eyes, letting his report sink in.


    ¡°Did they give any reasons?¡±


    ¡°For our supply issue, they mentioned how the fort¡¯s supplies and soldiers were moved to the front. There are barely enough military supplies available for the local guards. They don¡¯t have anything to spare.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Food supplies were not an issue, as we could either hunt ourselves or stock up in Rahlban or any other town. However, military supplies, especially weapons, armour, crossbow bolts and even simple rope were slowly becoming a problem. Our smith could handle maintenance and repairs but new weapons took time and a single smith was wholly overwhelmed by the needs of our band. That¡¯s why we usually bought these supplies in major towns with military presence. Like Rahlban used to be, before the war¡­


    ¡°As for the incident in Krohmea, they said that while an orc horde of those proportions is worrisome, they are ultimately Krohmea¡¯s problem. As such, they will not interfere in that matter unless the horde is directly threatening Lafria. However, the lord did acquiesce to the request of reporting it to the crown.¡±


    ¡°Something, at least.¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect much on this front so it was encouraging to hear it would be relayed at the very least.


    ¡°I apologise for being unable to bring better news, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. You did well. I doubt anyone could have brought a different result.¡±


    Both were matters that weren¡¯t really under the control of the lord. If he had a choice, we probably would like things to be different as well.


    ¡°Go take a rest.¡°


    ¡°Yes, Captain, sir!¡±


    Rolan and his squad saluted and left.


    Now then¡­ What do we do?


    Without military supplies, taking any job requiring combat was too dangerous. We could do some engineering and hard labour jobs if need be, though the men wouldn¡¯t like that. Or we could hurry to the next military town and buy supplies there.


    The other suitable towns are all along the Wooden Sea in the west¡­


    Going there would substantially delay us. We weren¡¯t working on a tight schedule, like the Lomerian Dragon Knights were, but if we took a delay that long, we might not make it to Aldreigh for winter.


    Also, if we delay our journey even longer¡­ those two girls¡­


    The troubles of a captain were neverending.


    ¡°Sighing again?¡±


    A voice called out to me from behind. When I turned around to look who it was, I found the Priest Maiden standing there, holding two mugs.


    ¡°Want a drink?¡±


    ¡°... Thanks.¡±


    I took the mug she offered me, taking a sip. It was just water but it was refreshing nonetheless.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Lily?¡±


    ¡°Over there, playing. Griess is watching over her.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°You think so? I think that it was very much to be expected.¡±


    The Priest Maiden chuckled, seeing me confused. Griess was a reliable man, my second hand who had accompanied me since our time with the knights. I thought I knew him pretty well so the Priest Maiden¡¯s statement baffled me a little.


    ¡°He simply wants a family. Like so many of you do. Something he has lost and can¡¯t get back,¡± she said.


    ¡°... He told you about his past?¡±


    ¡°He did. He was pretty drunk, though. I don¡¯t know if he remembers.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡±


    I sipped again on the water, watching Griess and Lily from the distance. There was a rare smile on Griess¡¯ face. The Priest Maiden seemed to be right, after all.


    ¡°Family, huh¡­ That¡¯s not possible for us.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    The Priest Maiden didn¡¯t answer, only looking at me with a sombre, almost sad expression. It hurt seeing her like that, so I looked away, pretending to watch over the camp.


    ¡°We will be moving out the day after tomorrow. We¡¯ll have to decide whether we go west towards the towns at the Wooden Sea or east to the capital but there¡¯s no point in lingering here for much longer.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Again, no answer.


    ¡°... Thanks for the water. I¡¯ll go back to work.¡±


    Unable to stand it, I turned around attempting to return to my tent.


    ¡°... Captain.¡±


    Before I could even take three steps, the Priest Maiden called out to me again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think it has been long enough? The war is over. The knights are no more.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to follow in his footsteps anymore.¡±


    I stopped in my tracks, letting her words sink in.


    ¡°Two hundred¡­ We were two hundred, Priest Maiden.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Now, how many are left? Tell me.¡±


    ¡°... Seventy.¡±


    ¡°And half of them have never seen the Castle of the North.¡±


    The Grand Castle of the North, the Northerlands¡¯ proudest and mightiest fortress. A gigantic fort, capable of housing thousands of soldiers and able to fight off even the most dreadful monster hordes. Impregnable, it was called. A testament to a people¡¯s ingenuity.


    And ultimately laid to waste by the empire.


    ¡°The knights are dying, Priest Maiden, yes. But we are not dead yet. As long as we fly this banner, the Black Guards of the Northerlands will live on. We have lost almost everything. But we have yet to lose our pride as knights.¡±


    It was all we had left. Our country was gone, our liege dead. And the people? They didn¡¯t care who their master was as long as they had food on the table.


    ¡°Stubborn as always.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how men are, Priest Maiden.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s just you.¡±


    I heard her sigh behind me.


    ¡°At least, promise me one thing.¡±


    ¡°... What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t allow your pride to make your life miserable.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Right at that moment, I saw a small shadow rushing towards us, followed by Griess.


    ¡°Papa! Mama!¡±


    The little thing latched onto me. As if she had sensed the tension and came to dispel it.


    ¡°Oh my, Lily, is something the matter,¡± asked the Priest Maiden, no trace left of her agitation.


    ¡°Mm! Look!¡±


    Lily let go of me and held up something. A small wooden¡­ something.


    ¡°Oh? Did you make this yourself!¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Mister helped me!¡±


    ¡°Is that so? It looks great!¡±


    ¡°Mm! Mister, she said it looks great!¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, good for you, Lily!¡±


    Griess joined in, laughing together with the two.


    ¡°Mister, teach me more!¡±


    ¡°Ohh, leave it to me! I¡¯ll teach you how to make even better ones!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡±


    And just as quickly as the two had come, they ran off again.


    ¡°... Just what was up with that?¡±


    ¡°Hehe, isn¡¯t it precious? She simply wanted to show us what she made. Isn¡¯t a sign that we¡¯ve become important to her?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you can simply drop her off at an orphanage anymore. She¡¯ll cry her eyes out.¡±


    I rubbed the bridge of my nose, realising the truth in her statement. This had become a problem far beyond what I could handle anymore.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine to just let her stay with us?¡±


    ¡°... You know it isn¡¯t so easy.¡±


    ¡°It could be, though.¡±


    The Priest Maiden stood next to me, peering at my face while smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯d be a wonderful father to her. And nothing stops a knight from having family, does it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ It doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°See? Then shouldn¡¯t it be fine?¡±


    ¡°You really are¡­¡±


    I shook my head in exasperation. After seeing me unable to respond, the Priest Maiden let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Ehehe, I guess I¡¯ll let you off the hook for today, Captain.¡±


    ¡°... So you¡¯ll keep going tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Until you give.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t going to happen, though. At least, I hoped so.


    ¡°... I¡¯ll return to work now.¡±


    Work would keep my mind occupied.


    ¡°Wait, Captain.¡±


    ¡°... Is something else the matter?¡±


    ¡°... A little.¡±


    I turned around, only to find her looking at me with a very serious expression. This wasn¡¯t about fooling around anymore.


    ¡°There¡¯s something I have to show you.¡±


    ¡°... I understand.¡±


    I followed the Priest Maiden. To my surprise, she just led me to my tent again. I wondered for a moment if she was just messing with me again but I knew her better than that. She knew how to separate private and business matters.


    ¡°This here.¡±


    ¡°Mh? What¡¯s this?¡±


    She handed me a small piece of¡­ cloth? There seemed to be something written on it¡­ A name.


    ¡°... Where did you find this?¡±


    ¡°On Lily¡¯s old clothes.¡±


    ¡°Those¡­ rags?¡±


    The clothes we had found Lily in had been severely damaged. It was easy to notice that they were of good quality once upon a time but the days in the forest had reduced them to tattered rags.


    ¡°It was hidden behind a fold so I didn¡¯t see it at first either. But when I checked earlier when I wanted to see if we could reuse any of the cloth, I noticed it.¡±


    ¡°... You found something troublesome.¡±


    ¡°... What will you do?¡±


    ¡°What can I do?¡±


    The name on this small piece of cloth was a troublesome one. A very troublesome one.


    ¡°... You know this might spell the end of your little delusion, don¡¯t you? You could have pretended not to see it.¡±


    ¡°... I know. But even so, I still want the best for the girl. If she still has a family out there¡­


    ¡°Haaa¡­ You¡¯re too kind.¡±


    I put my hand on the Priest Maiden¡¯s head and ruffled her hair. She seemed surprised at first but after a few moments, she smiled awkwardly at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a child, Captain.¡±


    ¡°Might as well be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m older than you.¡±


    ¡°Then act like it.¡±


    Really¡­ What should we do about this¡­


    ¡°Do you want to pretend I never saw this?¡±


    ¡°... I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I see. In that case, there¡¯s no other choice but to go to the capital. You know that, right?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    I sighed for the umpteenth time today.


    ¡°Then we will do that. Our plan was to go to the capital either way. I guess, the only difference is whether we drop her off at her family or at the orphanage.¡±


    What a bother¡­


    ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to find anything in Yumias clothes?¡±


    ¡°No. I checked them as well afterwards but there was nothing notable on them.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    I closed my eyes considering what to do.


    ¡°... For now, speak to no one about this.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes. We don¡¯t know her situation, after all. Why would her family send her all the way out to Krohmea anyway? If it seems they were up to no good, then we¡¯ll just bail with the girl. There¡¯s no need to tell her more than necessary. It would only worry her.¡±


    ¡°Captain¡­ Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing that for you. I just wish the best for the girl as well.¡±


    And if it turned out that leaving her with others wasn¡¯t the best anymore¡­


    Haa¡­ just what did I get myself into?


    Trouble really loved to seek me out. I could already imagine Korwen laughing at me when he¡¯d hear about this.


    ¡°You should rest for now, Priest Maiden. We still have a long way before us.¡±


    ¡°... I will. What will you do?¡±


    ¡°I still have work to do.¡±


    And there¡¯s something I should have done long ago already¡­


    I made sure that the Priest Maiden took a breather before heading out again. Lily and Griess were still busy playing around, carving wooden figures with a small knife. A few others had joined them, giving Lily pointers on how to carve and all that. The person I was looking for wasn¡¯t among them, however.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Maybe here?¡±


    I walked around our camp for a little while, trying to locate my quarry. Turned out to be surprisingly troublesome. No matter where I looked, that person was nowhere to be seen. I was already looking a little away from the camp now, where normally nobody would bother coming.


    ¡°Not here either, huh?¡±


    ¡°Were you looking for me?¡±


    A high-pitched voice, as clear as a bell. I turned around to find the person I had been looking for.


    ¡°Yumias. You were here the entire time?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I just came here. I saw you looking around frantically, so I figured you were looking for someone. Maybe me. Was I right?¡±


    She tilted her head, asking innocently. Over the past few weeks, I still had no idea what this girl was thinking. She was odd at the best of times, uncanny at the worst. The Priest Maiden wouldn¡¯t say it but I knew she was avoiding the girl when she could.


    ¡°You are right. I was looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really? Do you need something from me?¡±


    I took a deep breath, facing the presumed child in front of me.


    ¡°This.¡±


    ¡°Mm? Oh my.¡±


    I held up the small piece of cloth I had gotten from the Priest Maiden just earlier.


    ¡°I need the truth. What happened out there? And who are you?¡±


    ¡°The truth you say? I already told you who I am, though?¡±


    ¡°Stop the nonsense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense. I haven¡¯t lied to you about me and my name.¡±


    I could feel my body tense up. I was unsure if it was out of anger or something else.


    ¡°So you really claim to be the Cursed Witch, after all?¡±


    ¡°I claim nothing. That title is something you all have given me.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense. The witch is just a fairy tale.¡±


    A good night story to tell children. Nothing more, nothing less. Nobody would truly believe in it anymore once when they became adults.


    ¡°My, did someone ever tell you that you¡¯re quite unreasonable? Here you ask for the truth, I tell you the truth, yet you claim I lie. You hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if the truth was a little more believable.¡±


    ¡°Fairy tales can be surprisingly close to the truth.¡±


    Even if it was, it was hard to believe that she the supposed witch. One who could fight the Great Spirits on equal grounds. If it wasn¡¯t for the uncanny feeling she gave me sometimes, I would have long laughed off her claim as delusional. And I still doubted it nonetheless.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you believe me or not. I can¡¯t tell you anything else though. I am Yumias la Freyr. That has been my name for a long time already.¡±


    ¡°Hmpf. No matter. Then, tell me what happened to you and Lily.¡±


    This was what I was really here for, after all. They had appeared in the middle of a vast forest in Krohmea. An area where orcs roamed about in masses. Yet, they had only suffered a few scratches and tattered clothes. Lily didn¡¯t seem to remember anything from before their¡­ life in the wild. That also left her.


    ¡°Hm, you need to be a little more specific.¡±


    ¡°... That forest, why were you there all alone.¡±


    I could feel my brows twitch as I was holding back my emotions. I was already agitated enough, I really didn¡¯t need her messing with me. Though, the girl herself seemed to find amusement in it.


    ¡°The forest. I assume you mean before we met?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    Yumias¡¯ smile deepened as she watched me. I couldn¡¯t fathom what was going on in her mind right now. Was she considering what to tell me? Or was she was thinking this was funny?


    ¡°Well, I will do you a favour and tell you. Since you have already found out about little Lily¡¯s identity anyway. Hehe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°My, no need to glare. I wonder, why does everyone always get so mad when they talk with me? It happens all the time.¡±


    Why? Because speaking with her felt like you were made fun of, looked down upon and nothing more than a spectacle. Her never-ending mocking smile, her body language, the way she spoke, all of it. That seemed to me to be the reason people got angry. There was no trace of an innocent little girl in her right now. She wasn¡¯t even trying to hide it anymore.


    Moreover, she didn¡¯t seem to be aware herself just how arrogant it was. Or maybe she was and she was doing it on purpose.


    ¡°Well, where do I begin? Yes, I guess I should talk about why little Lily was out there. My, it¡¯s a sad story. She was travelling with her parents, her real ones. Out there, to get away from the turmoil among the aristocracy. Yet, how unfortunate they had to be as the orcish horde finds their caravan. I am assured you do not need me to spell out what they did.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I didn¡¯t. There was only one fate for those caught by the orcs. A horrific death. Either they were tortured for amusement or eaten alive. Sometimes both at the same time.


    ¡°Miraculously, I managed to escape with little Lily into the forest. But the shock left the poor girl in a rather¡­ sad state.¡±


    ¡°She was traumatised and lost her memories.¡±


    In a way, that may have been fortunate for the girl. Not having to remember such a gruelling scene.


    ¡°After that, I taught her how to survive in the forest. Until we met you.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    No wonder she had been so wary of us at first. She lost everything and was only doing what little she could to survive.


    Just like us¡­


    I shook my head. That wasn¡¯t something I should even think about. She was a child. It was different.


    ¡°There is one thing I do not understand.¡±


    ¡°Oh my? Pray tell.¡±


    ¡°You say you taught her how to survive in the forest. But the orcs had to be everywhere. How did you escape their notice?¡±


    Orcs were brutal and not the smartest but they were exceptional hunters and soldiers. There was no way a pair of weak girls could escape their notice. Especially not for such a long time that it would reduce their clothes to rags.


    ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s easy. They can¡¯t report that they found something if their mouth cannot speak, can they?¡±


    ¡°... Are you claiming that you killed every scout that found you?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡±


    Even more ridiculous claims. Even a seasoned, well-trained hunter would find that beyond difficult. Yet, it was a fact that they survived for so long.


    In an attempt to get more information, I glared at the girl in front of me but she didn¡¯t even so much as flinch. Quickly realising there was no point in trying to intimidate her, I stopped.


    ¡°Okay, then tell me one last thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... What are you planning to do?¡±


    It was clear to me by now that she was older than her appearance suggested. In that case, there was no reason to treat her the same as Lily, who was still very much a child.


    ¡°My, can I not stay with my little Lily? I already planned to raise her as a mother.¡±


    ¡°... A mother?¡±


    I scowled at the unexpected words.


    ¡°Yes, I will be a very wonderful mother to her.¡±


    ¡°... I see.¡±


    So, she was trying to do the same thing the Priest Maiden was? But¡­ the Priest Maiden did it for Lily¡¯s sake. She didn¡¯t deny that she had her own reasons as well, but she also didn¡¯t hide this small cloth with her real name on it.


    However, this girl was¡­


    ¡°Do you doubt me?¡±


    ¡°I admit I cannot imagine that.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe, I like men who are honest.¡±


    ¡°Not happy about that.¡±


    ¡°My, because you already have your little priestess?¡±


    I froze when she mentioned the Priest Maiden and immediately hated myself for giving such an obvious reaction.


    ¡°Hehehe, so obvious. So easy.¡±


    ¡°Tsk. Just do what you want.¡±


    I had gotten the information I wanted. Admittedly, I hoped for a little more, but the most crucial parts were now known to me. Things finally made more sense. The orcs, the girl¡­ There was no proof, of course, but it was easy to imagine. When aristocracy was involved, things always got ugly. Even that pig of a noble that gave us that job might have been involved.


    Either way, my business with her was finished, so I turned around to leave.


    ¡°Sheesh, already going? What a sultry father you are. As the mother, it makes me a little disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a father. Nor are you her mother. The Priest Maiden is better at that anyway.¡±


    For the first time, I saw her smile vanish.  Or¡­ did I? When I blinked, it was already there again. Did I just imagine it?


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±


    Saying so, the pink-haired girl disappeared from my sight.


    Rinne


    Well, I hope you enjoyed it!


    If you enjoy Taboo Journal, please consider taking a look at my Patreon! You can read ahead a few chapters for just a few coffees worth. Or whatever else you drink regularly.


    It would help me a lot!


    Thank you for reading!


    Rinn¨¦

 Chapter of Demon Desires: To Our Home

    The next morning came, as it usually did.


    Morning already?


    Still in the process of waking up, I looked up at the ceiling and the meagre light shining through the windows.


    It¡¯s morning¡­


    It was still early, judging by the lack of sounds coming from the outside. Maybe I would have a little more time to doze off.


    Nn¡­ Maybe I should sleep a little more.


    I glanced to the side at Karen, to see whether she was still sleeping as well. To my surprise, though, she wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°Good morning, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, morning, Sis.¡±


    Karen greeted me with a smile, to which I responded in kind. Yes, this was a pretty great way to start the morning.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake early.¡±


    ¡°Nn, am I? I guess I am.¡±


    I closed my eyes again and snuggled closer to Karen under the blanket.


    ¡°So spoiled this early in the day.¡±


    ¡°Hehehe.¡±


    ¡±Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    As I was waiting for her to continue, I felt something pressing against my lips.


    ¡°Mmn.¡±


    ¡°Nm!¡±


    Her lips pried apart mine and not a moment later her tongue found its way inside.


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°Nmgh!¡±


    ¡°Mmh¡­ Ah.¡±


    ¡°Haa... Sis.¡±


    At least, I was wide awake now.


    ¡°Hehe. Thanks for the treat, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­ You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    Honestly, that was my line. Thank you for the treat. This was a pretty nice way of waking up. It definitely was.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Mm?¡±


    ¡°How about¡­ one more?¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Karen grinned at my request, before coming closer again. In anticipation, I closed my eyes. A second later, her lips found their place atop mine once more, prying them apart to make way for her tongue.


    More. I want more.


    The kiss went on for a while as we greedily sought out each other, until we both ran out of breath and had to part, reluctant as we were. Parting our lips, we looked at each other, smiling.


    ¡°Sis, I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too. Hehe.¡±


    Being held in Karen¡¯s arms while in bed, kissing her, cuddling her. What a blissful time this was.


    ¡°Hehe.¡±


    ¡°Mh?¡±


    Karen looked at me quizzically as I couldn¡¯t help but giggle.


    ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just happy. We didn¡¯t get many chances recently to¡­ be alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    We¡¯ve been busy for quite a while. I didn¡¯t hate that. It was nice having something to do. But it was true that¡­ I wanted to have some alone time with Karen.


    ¡°Hey, sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s still quite early, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°And the others aren¡¯t awake yet.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be the case.¡±


    I reached out with my hand to the window above our bed and closed it. Just in case someone happened to pass by.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    I put my arms around Karen, hugging her and burying my face between her breasts. A giggle came from above me, followed by hand landing on the top of my head.


    ¡°Someone wants to be spoiled, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I do. Lots.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what I should do.¡±


    ¡°Nn, don¡¯t tease me.¡±


    In protest, I rubbed my cheek against Karen¡¯s collarbone.


    ¡°What a cheeky little princess you are.¡±


    ¡°Nn, and what will you do about it, Miss Knight?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ How about this?¡±


    ¡°Hyah?!¡±


    A finger touched me right above my butt and moved upwards along my back. The sensation made me feel incredibly squirmish and my entire body tensed up.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little funny how your body still reacts like normal to things like this.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ Sis, you meanie.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sorry.¡±


    Really, all that did was make me feel even more¡­ bothered.


    ¡°Let me apologise properly.¡±


    Her lips covered mine once more, pulling me into our third kiss. A very simple but happy kiss.


    ¡°Nn, well, I guess I can forgive you this one time.¡±


    ¡°How kind of you, Yumi.¡±


    Following our playful exchange, we couldn¡¯t stop ourselves from giggling.


    ¡°Hey, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°One¡­ more?¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    Karen slung her arms around my waist, pulling me on top of her. Holding me firmly, she kissed me for the fourth time. Our tongues entwined, our breaths tickling each other, we sought out the other one.


    ¡°Nngh¡­ Nm¡­ Sis¡­ Mhmmm¡­¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­ Mgh¡­¡±


    I put my arms around Karen, pulling myself even closer, pressing my entire body against hers as I desired her lips, as she did mine. My mind filled with the desire to be with Karen, to kiss her, to hug her, to feel her. Kiss followed after kiss, with only brief pauses to catch our breaths, to look at each other before we began anew.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Sis¡­ Sis!¡±


    We kept calling for the other in between each kiss, looking into the other¡¯s eyes before seeking out each other once more.


    ¡°Sis!¡±


    ¡°Nmn¡­ Yumi! Mmha!¡±


    Suddenly, my body moved to the side and my view flipped over. Karen had rolled us over, now mounting me while holding my arms down. Her softly glowing eyes bore down on me, her cheeks flushed red as she breathed heavily.


    ¡°Yumi, I don¡¯t think I can hold back any longer¡­¡±


    ¡°... Nn, that¡¯s fine. Come, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    Karen kissed me, her right hand let go of my arm and began touching my body, caressing every inch of me as it slowly crept downwards.


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nn, come, Sis!¡±


    I put my free arm around Karen and held her tight in my embrace.


    ¡°Nah?!¡±


    The next moment, her hand reached between my legs, touching me, caressing me.


    ¡°Sis! Ngh!¡±


    Before I could cry out again, her lips sealed mine, robbing me of nearly all my freedom, only allowed to squirm under her touch.


    ¡°Nn, nmh¡­ Nn!¡±


    Her fingers entered my pussy, teasing my insides. It felt good. So incredibly good. So good that it felt like I was losing control of my body, squirming and tensing up at random in response to her touch. Electricity ran through my spine as if it was trying to fry my brain with pleasure.


    ¡°Nmmh, nmhmh! Mh! Nah! Ah! Si¡ª Ngh!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Nmh!¡±


    Her movements became more vigorous, forcing me to feel good without escape. Until¡­


    ¡°Nn?! Nmmmh!¡±


    My entire body cramped up as a final, incredibly strong jolt of pleasure ran through me¡­ before my body collapsed in a sloppy mess¡­


    ¡°Haa¡­ haaa¡­ Hehe¡­ Yumi¡­ Yumi¡­¡±


    Karen smiled down at me, breathing heavily. Her eyes that had been glowing softly had intensified. The glow was mesmerising¡­ Like they were pulling me in, taking in my very core and accepting all I was. Until there was no distinction between me and her¡­


    Huh¡­Are Sis¡¯ pupils¡­ slitted?


    Before I could reach an answer to my question¡­ I fainted.


    ---


    The next time I opened my eyes, I was¡­ still in bed. The blanket pulled over me.


    ¡°... Nn?¡±


    I tried to orient myself again but sure enough, I was in our room in the wagon. However, Karen wasn¡¯t next to me.


    ¡°... Sis?¡±


    Confused, I sat up, only to jolt up in surprise. The bed¡­ was rather wet. Not very comfortable.


    Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s all from me¡­ Uhhh¡­


    I only faintly remembered the moments before I passed out. And even then, those memories were a little blurred. Mostly because all I could remember was how good it felt.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    A noise outside drew my attention. I opened the window that I had closed earlier to listen to it. Someone¡¯s step that was accompanied by a wooden clanking sound. It stopped right in front of our wagon¡¯s door.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m back¡­¡±


    ¡°Welcome back, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Yumi, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    In came Karen, carrying a wooden basin and a pair of towels.


    ¡°How are you feeling? Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯m feeling fine.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Spirits¡­ I was a little scared when you passed out on me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Yeah, I could imagine that. I was annoyingly prone to passing out. But, at least this time it wasn¡¯t due to my own dumb mistakes. Unless my lack of stamina constituted as my own mistake¡­ Maybe it did?


    ¡°Sis, those are?¡±


    ¡°Ahh¡­ I thought it would be better if we washed up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked down at myself, sniffed my arm and then the bed. Yeah, anyone with a halfway sharp nose would immediately know what we were up to.


    ¡°But where did you get those?¡±


    ¡°... From Lily.¡±


    ¡°... Oh.¡±


    Karen awkwardly averted her gaze. I could imagine what had happened. Lily¡­ definitely had a sharp nose.


    ¡°We¡ª Well¡­ Were Lily and Rina awake already?¡±


    ¡°I think so¡­ But I don¡¯t think they were awake for long. Lily¡¯s had quite the bed hair.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Karen put down the basin and picked up the towels. I wanted to ask what we should do about water but I spotted a small blue stone in the basin first.


    ¡°Oh, a water stone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Lily lend us that one.¡±


    That would definitely solve the water issue. It might not be drinkable but it was just fine for washing up.


    ¡°You know, a water stone, a basin and a pair of towels¡­ Why don¡¯t we have those?¡±


    ¡°... Because we¡¯ve always gone to take a bath with everyone else. I didn¡¯t really think about it either.¡±


    Right¡­ but it was inconvenient when we wanted to wash up in private.


    ¡°I think we definitely should get these things next time.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    It would also save Karen from having to ask Lily for help. I had to say, I was a little glad I didn¡¯t have to go.


    ¡°Sis, you did well.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Asking Lily.¡±


    ¡°... It¡¯s not like I had much choice. It¡¯d be a problem when the others get up.¡±


    Yeah, without a doubt. That would have been an experience neither of us wanted to go through.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­ What should we do about our bed sheets?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I looked down at the wet bed and Karen followed my gaze.


    ¡°... We should get a second set of bed sheets, too.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I wholeheartedly agree. However, that doesn¡¯t solve the immediate problem.¡±


    It would certainly dry until the evening but¡­ I would prefer to have fresh and clean bed sheets. And so did Karen, judging from how she was thinking about it as well.


    ¡°We could wash it after cleaning up ourselves but drying is going to be a problem.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ I don¡¯t know if it¡¯d be enough to hang it up inside.¡±


    Washing by hand was tough work. And without the convenience from my old world called a washing machine or a dryer, it would take forever to clean and dry.


    ¡°Maybe we could do is hang it up on the side of the wagon as we move?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ guess that might be possible.¡±


    The only problem was that we would be displaying our laundry for the whole world to see.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s ask Lily if she has an idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to wash up first, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn, so do I.¡±


    I sat on the edge of the bed, picking up the water stone in the basin.


    ¡°Yumi, let me do that.¡±


    ¡°... I¡¯ve gotten better at controlling myself, Sis.¡±


    ¡°I know but¡­¡±


    I wasn¡¯t going to flood our wagon. At least, I hoped so. Either way, it was less likely to explode into my face like the fire elemental stones.


    ¡°Sis, I have to use them at some point anyway. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°... Okay.¡±


    I smiled wryly, seeing how Karen reluctantly agreed. However, I immediately turned my attention to the stone in my hand. I poured a little bit of mana into it, taking care not to pour too much. Like a faucet, I only needed a little.


    ¡°Look, it works.¡±


    To my relief, water poured down from the stone, gathering in the basin. I adjusted the mana flow until there was just enough water to fill the basin.


    ¡°And that¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°Haaa¡­ I¡¯m glad.¡±


    Karen put a hand on her chest and sighed in relief. Really¡­ A little more faith wouldn¡¯t hurt, would it?


    ¡°See, nothing to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Karen smiled wryly for a few seconds before seemingly remembering that she was still holding the towels.


    ¡°Ah, right. Yumi, here.¡±


    ¡°Nn, thanks.¡±


    Well then, it was time to wash up. Karen dunked her towel into the water and wrung it out, before using it to wash up. It was far from a full bath experience but it was the best we could have right now. I followed her example, dunking my towel and wringing it out as best as I could.


    ¡°... Sis.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, give it to me. Hehehe.¡±


    With a chuckle, Karen took the towel from me and wrung it, water pouring out from it back into the basin.


    ¡°There.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    After receiving the not-full-of-water towel, I began to wash my body. I wasn¡¯t sweating so that wasn¡¯t really a problem for me but¡­ surprisingly enough, other parts of me still worked at full capacity. Which also meant that I had to wash up properly or I¡¯d smell. No need to tell the whole world of our escapades.


    In that sense, Karen had it a little harder. It wasn¡¯t too apparent but I could still smell a lingering scent of sweat. It was a surprisingly sweet scent, in my opinion. I wouldn¡¯t mind it if it stayed. Of course, that wasn¡¯t an option¡­


    ¡°This should be much better already.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    After we thoroughly made sure to wash every spot, we soaked the towels in water and wrung them out, repeating that a few times. Lily would probably throw them into the laundry proper¡ªthe more than capable women of our band would deal with that¡ªbut it didn¡¯t hurt to do this much at least.


    ¡°We really have to thank Lily,¡± I commented.


    ¡°We do.¡±


    Now that we were reasonably clean again, that only left the problem of our bed. That, however, could wait until we asked for Lily¡¯s help. She had more experience than us in this regard. Probably.


    ¡°Caught me a Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Woah? Sis?¡±


    Arms appeared from the side around my waist and pulled me back. My head landed on right on Karen¡¯s very familiar and soft breasts.


    ¡°Sis, we just washed up.¡±


    ¡°I know, I won¡¯t do anything. I just wanted to hug you.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ If it¡¯s just that.¡±


    Honestly, I wouldn¡¯t have minded it even if she wanted to go for another round. We could always wash up again. The only problem would be the time since I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d have enough until the others got up. In fact, I was quite sure I could already hear the first mercenaries outside.


    ¡°Hey, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°I love you.¡±


    ¡°I love you, too, Sis.¡±


    ¡°...Hehehe.¡±


    Karen¡¯s embrace tightened around me. I looked up and found her peering down at me, all smiles.


    ¡­ Her eyes¡­ look normal¡­ Guess that was just my imagination earlier.


    I thought I had seen her pupils become slitted like mine. However, I could only find Karen¡¯s usual pretty eyes.


    ¡°I wish we could stay like this.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Unfortunately for us, time wasn¡¯t that kind. Mere moments after Karen said that, I could hear a voice booming outside.


    ¡°Wake up, you lot! It¡¯s morning! Get up if you don¡¯t want to miss breakfast!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Karen and I glanced at each other and exchanged wry smiles, knowing full well that it was time to get ready.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s get dressed, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    Karen let me out of her embrace and we both picked up our clothes to get dressed. Since it was still morning and we weren¡¯t going to move out immediately, we opted for our normal, simple clothes as opposed to the armour. We could don those later.


    After making sure we were dressed and ready¡ªand most importantly not smelling of our earlier activities¡ªwe picked up our remaining Cucus bread and left the wagon.


    ¡°Fresh air! Woah! Those are some dark clouds¡­¡±


    The first thing I was greeted with wasn¡¯t the shining bright sun but dark grey clouds hanging over the sky and moving in our direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to rain, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if we prepared for that.¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡±


    There weren¡¯t any umbrellas here nor any waterproof clothes¡­ in other words, we were doomed to get soaked on the coachman¡¯s bench.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to that.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Maybe we¡¯re lucky and it won¡¯t start raining.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Seeing those dark clouds, though, I wasn¡¯t going to put my hopes into that.


    ¡°Haaa¡­ Let¡¯s get breakfast.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Putting the dreary thoughts about the weather behind us, we moved towards the other wagons where the mercenaries already gathered.


    ¡°Yumi! Karen! Good Morning!¡±


    ¡°Morning.¡±


    ¡°Good Morning, Mr Greyward.¡±


    To my surprise, Greyward was handing out breakfast to everyone. Not something I expected the former captain to do on his own.


    ¡°Are you eating your bread again?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we were planning to.¡±


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t need our rations.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t.¡±


    Full glad I was about that. However, these were also the last pieces of bread we had. If we had stayed any longer in Melfin, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to avoid the rations anymore¡­


    Then again, we could have just gone to Melfin for dinner and kept the bread for the way back¡­


    That way, we wouldn¡¯t have had any problems either way. Maybe, that¡¯s they decided how much bread we should make?


    ¡°Yumi, Karen, over here!¡±


    While I was wondering about some pretty unimportant matters, a voice called out to us. As one would expect, it was Lily of course.


    ¡°Lily, Rina, good morning,¡± I greeted them.


    ¡°Morning, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Morning, Lil¡¯ Sis, Big Sis!¡±


    The two were already sitting at a small table so we joined them, sitting down opposite them. By the way, Lily was grinning knowingly in our direction but I decided to ignore it. There was no need to give her any ammunition.


    For now, let¡¯s enjoy breakfast.


    The four of us enjoyed a short but enjoyable breakfast with our self-made bread. I was, once again, incredibly thankful for it. I wouldn¡¯t have survived on those rations alone.


    ¡°By the way, Lily?¡±


    ¡°What is it, Karen?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ We have some laundry to wash but we were wondering what to do about it.¡±


    ¡°Laundry? Why not leave it with the women on laundry duty when we return?¡±


    ¡°... We¡¯d like it if we could get it done today.¡±


    Lily tilted her head, confused for a moment. However, realisation dawned on her a few seconds later.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ Well¡­ The bed?¡±


    ¡°The bed.¡±


    ¡°Thought so¡­ Mmm¡­¡±


    Lily looked up at the sky, frowning at the dark clouds.


    ¡°I think you should give up on that.¡±


    ¡°... As expected.¡±


    ¡°Well, I might have some spare sheets so you can take those.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    That would help us a lot but¡­


    ¡°Sure is. Just remember to get your own later on. You can probably ask Wanda for some.¡±


    ¡°Will do. Thank you, Lily. You¡¯re a lifesaver.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Yumi. But you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    No, I wasn¡¯t exaggerating. Thanks to her, we were spared sleeping on dirty bed sheets.


    Really, we should have gotten a set of spare sheets way earlier already¡­


    Alas, it had never gotten this bad. At least, not that I noticed. Maybe it was better I didn¡¯t think about it too much¡­


    ¡°Speaking of which, thank you for the towels and the basin and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. Glad to be of help.¡±


    And there she was, grinning again. Great for her that she found this amusing. And fortunately for us, Rina was looking back and forth between us, confused about our exchange. Then again, I had the subtle feeling she wasn¡¯t as innocent as she seemed at times.


    ¡°There are surprisingly a lot of small things we didn¡¯t think about getting.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­¡±


    Back when we were still in Larfas, the capital, Karen and I had talked about things we might need. However, neither of us had really thought about these.


    ¡°I know that too well. Some things only really become obvious when you actually need them. You never think about it first,¡± commented Lily.


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about it. You¡¯ll slowly get the things you need together.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    I would like to avoid asking Lily every single time we¡¯d need something.


    ¡°... Lily, are there any other things we need?¡±


    ¡°Mh? Well, let me think about it¡­¡±


    Lily crossed her arms in front of her chest and pondered about my question.


    ¡°Maintenance tools for your armour and weapon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ surprisingly reasonable. But even if we had those, I wouldn¡¯t know how to do that. Sis, do you?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about that either.¡±


    In other words, we¡¯d have to learn that first.


    ¡°Wormaz is going to happily teach you. He¡¯ll be glad if people know how to take care of their own equipment, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I remember that he was upset about that before.¡±


    The sight of him cursing left quite an impression.


    ¡°He always gets upset, especially right before a job when half the band comes to him for maintenance.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can only imagine.¡±


    I could already see all the men suddenly remembering at the last minute that maybe getting some maintenance done would be a good idea.


    ¡°Lily, I¡¯ve been wondering about something-¡±


    ¡°What is it, Karen?¡±


    ¡°The Black Guards are now with the Dragon Knights, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean that Mr Wormaz¡¯s work is increasing?¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡±


    A wry smile appeared on Lily¡¯s face.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably going to happen, yes. Right now, they still operate more like two separate bands, though. It¡¯ll take time but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s going to happen sometime in the future.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡±


    My condolences to future Wormaz¡­


    ¡°Although, that does depend on the blacksmith from the Dragon Knights as well. I don¡¯t know how they handle that¡­ Actually, I haven¡¯t even spoken with their blacksmith yet.¡±


    ¡°I think they have more than one due to the band¡¯s size,¡± said Karen.


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡±


    Yeah, a single blacksmith probably couldn¡¯t handle a few hundred mercenaries worth of repairs.


    ¡°Then, I guess it would depend on how many they have and their usual workload. It might even go down for Wormaz¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­ kind of doubt that.¡±


    If they had that many blacksmiths, I would remember that. I might not have met them directly but I did handle a few documents related to their work while working as Korwen¡¯s secretary. It didn¡¯t seem to me as if they were more than three or four.


    ¡°Yumi, me too.¡±


    Well, either way, it was a change for Wormaz, as it was for pretty much everyone among the Black Guards.


    ¡°Everyone, listen up!¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    While we were having a pleasant chat, a booming voice interrupted us. We all turned around, only to find Greyward addressing the group.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to clean up this mess. We got places to be and I¡¯d prefer to be dry at the time. So get your butts moving. Hop hop, on the double.¡±


    Greyward clapped his hands twice, spurring everyone to move. The mercenaries sprung to action, collecting the benches and tables and stowing them away. As for Greyward, he went on a quick trip to the border guards. We were camping right outside their place so it was right beside us. Not even a quick trip, really.


    Guess he¡¯s giving his thanks? Speaking of which, they didn¡¯t inspect us upon our return.


    Maybe they didn¡¯t really care for people leaving the country? Or was it again because of Greyward¡¯s odd influence? Either way, there was no fuss about an inspection.


    Oh, he¡¯s already coming back.


    That was a quick chat. Maybe he really just informed them that we¡¯d leave.


    ¡°Yumi, don¡¯t stare holes into the air and come and help me.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, coming.¡±


    I jogged over to Karen to help her with putting the harnish on the waroxen. Once we made sure everything was strapped on and secure, we sat down on the coachman¡¯s bench.


    We were pretty quick so we had to wait for a short while until all the mercenaries got their wagons ready to move out. Once everyone was done, Greyward addressed us again.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s done? Good. Then, let¡¯s get a move on, you lot. Let¡¯s get back home!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±Ohhh!¡±¡±¡±


    Accompanied by cheers, our mercenary caravan moved out once again.


    Yes, let¡¯s get back home. To our home.

 Chapter of Demon Desires: The Exhausting Reality

    To keep things simple¡­ the remainder of the journey back was rather eventful. Not.


    Karen was busy keeping the wagon moving and albeit she was more relaxed than the prior day, she was still directing most of her attention to it. To be honest, I was a little miffed about the situation but I knew in my head that she had to pay attention to them. But even though I knew, I couldn¡¯t help but want some attention from her. Emotions were a troublesome thing, weren¡¯t they?


    Fortunately, I managed to hold back for the remainder of the trip. Apart from another short break during which we spent some time with Lily and Rina, nothing else happened. And soon enough, we could see Auria in the distance once again.


    ¡°We¡¯re back already¡­¡±


    I still couldn¡¯t quite grasp how quickly we had returned. Though, even if we hadn¡¯t gone back immediately, we probably would have only spent a day or two there. And most of that time we would¡¯ve been busy securing supplies. As it was, we at least got a good look at an Aldreighan town. Which, honestly, had been quite an experience.


    I hope we can get some of those useful gadgets the Aldreighans have. Those would make life really comfortable, after all.


    Especially those waste processors. Those would be wonderful.


    ¡°Nn? What¡¯s that?¡±


    As I was staring into the distance, dreaming about the convenience our future life might have, something entered my view. A group of people was coming down the road, walking in our direction. No, marching would be a better word for it.


    ¡°Yumi? Did you see something?¡±


    ¡°Nn. There¡¯s a group approaching us.¡±


    Some of them wore familiar clothing so I was fairly sure that these people belonged to the mercenaries. However, they were still too far for me to say for sure. Despite my pretty good long-distance vision, too.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re slowing down.¡±


    Apparently, Greyward had spotted them as well and decided to slow down, maybe even stop to meet up with them.


    ¡°Nn, I can¡¯t see them well¡­¡±


    ¡°Be careful not to fall off the bench.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°... That¡¯s not very reassuring to hear.¡±


    Rude. I wasn¡¯t going to fall off that quickly. I knew my limit. Either way, without leaning to the side I wouldn¡¯t be able to look past the wagons, so I kind of had to.


    ¡°... I think¡­ that¡¯s Merim? And, err¡­ I don¡¯t know the other people there¡­ Oh, I can see a few women from Fenna¡¯s squad, too. They¡¯re carrying something¡­¡±


    ¡°I wonder what they are doing there?¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wait, I see Maya and the girls, too.¡±


    Now I was really confused. Everyone, including the three little girls, was carrying large backpacks as they marched toward us. But¡­ why?


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re going somewhere?¡±


    ¡°I could understand that with Merim but what about Maya, Emily and Sele?¡±


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡±


    Karen didn¡¯t have any clue either. Then again, no matter how much we thought about it, we wouldn¡¯t know for sure until we asked them anyway. Something we¡¯d be able to do pretty soon now. I could already make out the smiles of the girls as they waved in our direction.


    Behind them were several young men, exhausted, with sweat running down their faces and their clothes so drenched I would have thought they jumped into the lake. A stark contrast to the energetic girls.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re stopping,¡± said Karen.


    She brought the wagon to a full stop and let out a small sigh, her body visibly relaxing. Just moments later, I could see a familiar man jump down from his wagon and come toward us.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a short break! Stay on your wagons, we¡¯ll move again soon.¡±


    ¡°Nn, got it.¡±


    The man passed us and relayed the message to Lily behind us as well. Meanwhile, the group approaching us was now within talking distance of the leading wagon in our caravan.


    ¡°Nn, too bad I can¡¯t hear them.¡±


    ¡°I would be surprised if you could¡­¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡±


    It would be convenient, though.


    ¡°Oh, I can see Mr Greyward now¡­ He¡¯s talking with Merim¡­ Ah, the girls are coming.¡±


    ¡°They are?¡±


    Karen sidled up to me to look past the wagon.


    ¡°Yumi! Big Sis Karen!¡±


    ¡°We came!¡±


    Maya and Emily shouted, waving their hands wildly at us. Sele was quiet as usual but you could see her big happy smile as she ran to us with the other two.


    ¡°Yumi, Big Sis Karen, we came!¡± exclaimed Emily.


    ¡°Nn, glad to see you girls doing well. Has everything been well?¡±


    ¡°Everything was well!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great.¡±


    Well enough that they had too much energy left even, it seemed.


    ¡°So, what are you all doing here?¡± asked Karen.


    ¡°Training!¡±


    ¡°... Training?¡±


    They were¡­ training?


    ¡°Training! We carried the backpacks!¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡±


    I was confused for a moment¡­ then it suddenly clicked. They were marching with filled backpacks, most likely. Those backpacks were sure to be heavy and marching for a long time was bound to be exhausting. At least, that¡¯s what I assumed this was about.


    ¡°I see. Training, huh? Then, did it go well?¡±


    ¡°We are!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still good!¡±


    Emily and Maya asserted with vigour, while Sele nodded next to them.


    ¡°Ah, right, Yumi! Uncle Greyward called for you and Big Sis Karen. And for Lily!¡±


    ¡°Huh? He did?¡±


    Well, what did he need us for?


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll go to him then. Are you going to call Lily?¡±


    ¡°We are!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I guess we shouldn¡¯t keep him waiting then. We¡¯ll go to Mr Greyward.¡±


    Saying so, I jumped down from the bench. As if they had been waiting for this, the three girls immediately surrounded me and jumped into my arms.


    ¡°Woah?! Careful there!¡±


    ¡°Yumi!¡±


    ¡°Ehehe.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°... Seriously.¡±


    What should I do about this? Or rather, what could I do?


    ¡°Can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    I pulled them all into my arms and gave them all a good big squeeze. All three laughed happily as I hugged them back.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°¡°Ehhh?¡±¡±


    I pulled away from the girls, much to their disappointment.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so disappointed. We can hug all you want later.¡±


    ¡°Promise!¡±


    ¡°Nn, promise.¡±


    Hopefully, they would show some restraint when the time came¡­ Probably not.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll go and fetch Lily!¡±


    ¡°Nn, I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    With that, the three girls ran over to their next victim, shouting ¡°Big Sis Lily! Rina!¡± all the while.


    ¡°Really, what a troublesome bunch.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look troubled to me, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Well, I guess I don¡¯t hate it.¡±


    They were so upfront about their emotions. Just seeing those smiles was enough to make me smile as well.


    ¡°They do love you a lot.¡±


    ¡°They especially love to hug me.¡±


    ¡°I can relate to that. It does feel great.¡±


    One day, I¡¯d like to know how it¡¯d feel to hug me¡­ I didn¡¯t hate it but it did make me a little jealous since I kept hearing it.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s go and see what Mr Greyward needs us for.¡±


    ¡°Hehe, sure, let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. Hehehe.¡±


    No, it definitely wasn¡¯t just nothing if she was giggling.


    ¡°Oh well¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Shrugging my shoulders, I took Karen¡¯s hand and we walked over to Greyward and the others. During the time we spoke with the girls, most of the group that came with them had sat down next to the road and were taking a rest. All of them were faces I had never seen before, too.


    We approached Merim and Greyward who were talking with each other. The women from Fenna¡¯s squad were off to the side, watching over the exhausted young men.


    ¡°Mr Greyward, you called for us?¡±


    ¡°Ah, there they are.¡±


    Sounded like they were waiting for us.


    ¡°Yumi, Karen. Good to see you two are well.¡±


    Merim, who had been talking with Greyward, greeted us as well.


    ¡°Nn, good to see you, too, Merim. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, though.¡±


    ¡°Ahaha, it was supposed to be a surprise, after all. Would defeat the point if you expected us, right?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess it wouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    It wouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise then, that much was true. But it still confused me a little. They couldn¡¯t have come for the sole purpose of surprising us, could they? And what was up with those men in the back?


    ¡°So, err, what¡¯s going here? What¡¯s up with those men there? The girls said you were here for training but¡­¡± I asked them, glancing toward that exhausted group.


    ¡°Well, calling it training¡­ That¡¯s certainly not wrong.¡±


    Merim grinned, clearly amused for some reason or another. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t just a training session.


    ¡°It¡¯s more of an¡­ exam.¡±


    ¡°An exam?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Those men are mostly hopefuls, wishing to join us.¡±


    ¡°Ohh.¡±


    Now, that made sense. New recruits and an exam, huh? Had to be quite the harrowing experience from the looks of it.


    ¡°And? How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    Merim smiled bitterly. Guess it didn¡¯t go well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave the results for another time. It looks like Lily came as well now.¡±


    When he mentioned it, I turned around and found Lily and Rina coming our way, accompanied by the three girls.


    ¡°Glad to see you two are well, too,¡± said Merim to them.


    ¡°It¡¯s been only a few days. Not much could have happened. At most, the boredom was killing me.¡±


    ¡°Haha, that I can relate to.¡±


    So could I.


    ¡°So? What did you need from us?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, well¡­¡±


    Merim glanced meaningfully towards the group behind us.


    ¡°They are?¡±


    ¡°New hopefuls, for the most part.¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡­ I see. So you were hazing them.¡±


    ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s not true. I just taught them a little bit about reality.¡±


    ¡°By forcing them to watch how these three girls can carry those backpacks without breaking a sweat?¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe a little.¡±


    Wait, was that why Maya, Emily and Sele were here? Seriously?


    ¡°Jokes aside, we were testing them, that much is true. As for Maya and the girls, they wanted to come along and welcome you back.¡±


    Oh, was that the case?


    I turned to look at the girls and they all grinned at me. Really, these girls¡­


    ¡°I see. They look quite exhausted to me already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re going to carry everything back.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡±


    Everyone looked toward the young men. Many of them were still sitting on the ground, catching their breath. They¡¯d likely collapse if they had to carry those backpacks back. I agreed with that.


    ¡°So, I¡¯d like you and Karen to collect the backpacks and store them in the empty wagon.¡±


    ¡°... I knew it was going to be something like that.¡±


    Lily sighed, not looking surprised by the request at all. In contrast, Karen wasn¡¯t quite sure what was going on.


    ¡°Nn¡­ Isn¡¯t that a little mean, Merim?¡±


    ¡°If that is enough to intimidate them, then they¡¯d just die a pointless death anyway. Better for them to realise that sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    That wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ I still felt it was quite mean to make a show of Karen and Lily carrying those backpacks.


    ¡°Well, no point in arguing about that. Karen, let¡¯s get those backpacks. I want to get back soon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯m coming. Yumi, I¡¯ll help for a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    With that Karen and Lily approached the group of men. Quite a few of them finally spotted them, looking surprised to see these two young girls. I also spotted more than a few of them looking at Karen and Lily with more than just a curious gaze.


    Shoo, you guys. Karen is mine. And Lily belongs to Rina. They¡¯re both taken already!


    I did restrain myself from saying that out loud, though. There wouldn¡¯t be much of a point to it. I very much doubted I¡¯d see most of them ever again, after all. Not after Merim¡¯s hazing.


    Though, I had to admit, it was incredibly amusing to watch their eyes go wide when Karen picked up several backpacks at once and carried them away. She was treating them like they weighed nothing. Which most likely wasn¡¯t even that far from the truth for her.


    It also stopped the other kind of gaze directed at them, for some reason.


    ¡°Haa¡­ Merim, should I do something, too?¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    He looked at me for a few seconds, before shaking his head.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything I¡¯d need you for right now, no.¡±


    ¡°Wow¡­ Not asking me to help with those backpacks?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not expecting our luggage to solve its problems among itself.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    What? What the hell did that mean¡­ Wait, did he just say I¡¯m luggage in a roundabout way? Seriously? That¡¯s what it meant, didn¡¯t it?


    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood today, Merim,¡± commented Greyward.


    ¡°Of course I am. The captain dumped these wannabe mercenaries on me before running off into town. Couldn¡¯t be in a better mood.¡±


    Ah. I got it. He was in a bad mood. No wonder he was so mean today.


    ¡°Korwen ran off to town? Hope it¡¯s nothing troublesome.¡±


    ¡°It sure seemed to be.¡±


    Merim shrugged his shoulders while sighing.


    ¡°He got a letter from the governor earlier and then rushed off in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°Mmm¡­ Well, we¡¯ll hear from him soon enough, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so.¡±


    During the time they discussed Korwen¡¯s possible reasons for meeting the governor, Karen and Lily had collected most of the backpacks and stored them in the wagon.


    ¡°Nn, how heavy are those backpacks anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Want to try lifting one?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling that¡¯d be pointless.¡±


    ¡°True. They¡¯re filled to the brim with stones.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Yeah, no way I was going to lift one of those.


    ¡°I¡¯m more impressed they even managed to reach up to here with those backpacks.¡±


    ¡°We actually left behind quite a few along the road. These are the only ones that managed to keep up.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    My condolences.


    ¡°Mr Merim, we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Ohh, good work, Karen, Lily.¡±


    Karen and Lily returned to us as if they had only just finished a minor errand. There was no sign of exhaustion on them or anything. They both treated the backpacks as if they weighed next to nothing. Especially Karen, who simply stacked several of them and carried them all at once. The hopefuls had watched on in pure horror.


    ¡°Are you sure any of them are going to stay with us?¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    No juniors for me. Karen and I would remain the youngest mercenaries for a while, huh?


    ¡°Most of them weren¡¯t truly serious about becoming a mercenary anyway. They only came to us lured in by our reputation, thinking that swinging a hoe and a sword is about the same. If they still wish to stay with us after this, we¡¯re going to welcome them. But usually, not many are willing to do so.¡±


    ¡°Nn, I can see why.¡±


    If they always did this, it was bound to scare them away.


    ¡°Either way, since you¡¯re done we should continue on. I think everyone wants to get back as soon as possible,¡± suggested Greyward.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Haaa¡­ Time to get those brats moving. Oh, right, Yumi.¡±


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    ¡°Can the girls go with you and Karen?¡±


    ¡°With us? Err, do we have enough space on the bench?¡±


    I turned to Karen, not sure if we could manage that.


    ¡°I think that should be fine¡­ just barely.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Then, I guess we can?¡±


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll leave them to you then.¡±


    ¡°Nn, sure.¡±


    With the three girls now our responsibility, Merim went to rouse up the potential recruits.


    ¡°Well then, break time is over. Let¡¯s get back home.¡±


    ---


    The remaining trip home was just as uneventful as before. Half an hour later, we were already steering the wagon into its parking position.


    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±


    ¡°Back!¡±


    ¡°Back! Back!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I raised my arms, shouting in joy. Emily, Maya and Sele joined me, despite having only left earlier this morning.


    ¡°It¡¯s been some time, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Nn. But honestly, I¡¯m glad we¡¯re back.¡±


    Just seeing all the familiar wagons and the familiar faces was enough to make me feel that I was back home. It was amazing how quickly it had become the place I called home.


    ¡°Yumi, Big Sis Karen, what are you going to do now?¡± Maya asked us.


    ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Emily parroted.


    ¡°Nn¡­ I think we take a look whether the captain has returned already.¡±


    For one, I was curious about what got him into such a hurry but most importantly, he was the one who usually gave us our orders. Without any orders¡­ There was nothing to do for us.


    ¡°What will you girls do?¡±


    ¡°Go to aunty! She told us to visit her when we come back.¡±


    Aunty? That was probably Mrs Korwen, right?


    ¡°I see. Then we¡¯ll part here for now.¡±


    Hearing that, the three girls immediately looked a little sad.


    ¡°Yumi, we¡¯ll come and visit later!¡±


    ¡°Nn, that¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Then, then¡­ Until later!¡±


    ¡°Until later.¡±


    Having decided on their plans, the three rushed off with their usual energy.


    ¡°There they go¡­ They¡¯re so lively.¡±


    ¡°They really are. Hehe.¡±


    Next to me, Karen chuckled as she watched them go.


    ¡°... Let¡¯s go and look for the captain.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    We leisurely walked through the camp, watching the mercenaries at their usual work. We saw a few familiar faces here and there and were greeted by a few others. Before long, we stood at Korwen¡¯s usual tent. Only to find it empty.


    ¡°Guess he¡¯s not back yet, huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like it.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Not much we can do about.¡±


    Without Korwen, there was nothing we could do but wait for him. Alas, before we could think about our next course of action, someone called out to us.


    ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t the little brat and the girly.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Ah, Wanda.¡±


    And sure enough, there stood Wanda.


    ¡°I see, your group¡¯s already back, huh?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we just came back.¡±


    ¡°And you already went to look for your captain? How diligent.¡±


    Well, he was the one paying for our food so I¡¯d rather make sure I did my work.


    ¡°What about you, Wanda? The captain¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°I know. I was just going to leave these for him.¡±


    She held up a small bundle of cloth, carefully rolled up and tied with a thin rope. I wasn¡¯t sure if those were clothes or something else.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°The flag they found in that fort. The old coot wanted me to take a look at it so I did.¡±


    ¡°At the flag?¡±


    My eyes widened a little in surprise.


    ¡°Yes. He hoped I could find some clues on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ So, did you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing much, really. I can guess how old it is and how long it stayed in that fort but that¡¯s all.¡±


    Wasn¡¯t that plenty already?


    ¡°Apart from that, it¡¯s just like any old flag. Nothing impressive about it.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway, let me drop these off quickly.¡±


    Without waiting for a reply, Wanda entered Korwen¡¯s tent, dropped the bundle on his desk and then returned to us.


    ¡°By the way, how are your clothes holding up? Everything all right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, I have no issues whatsoever. What about you, Sis?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all good. Everything fits and it¡¯s comfortable to wear.¡±


    We really couldn¡¯t complain. Wanda was good at what she did.


    ¡°Great, great, that¡¯s what I like to hear. If there are any issues, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Nn, will do¡­ Speaking of which, there¡¯s something.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°We need another set of bed sheets and towels.¡±


    ¡°Bed sheets and towels, you say?¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡±


    We really ought to prepare those, or we¡¯d end up in a rather¡­ delicate situation again. Speaking of which, we should hang up our wet bedsheets when we get back.


    ¡°Sure, that¡¯s easy enough to prepare. The bed sheets are going to take a while but I should still have a number of towels around. I can give them to you now if you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯d be great.¡±


    I actually expected both of them to take a while so this was a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Then come with me.¡±


    She didn¡¯t wait for a reply again and just walked off, simply expecting us to follow her. Karen and I hurried after her. It was so like her.


    Really drives it home that we¡¯re back, doesn¡¯t it?


    I smiled wryly at the thought. Really, seeing everyone so busy was relieving.


    ¡°Nn?¡±


    As I watched the mercenaries, something caught my attention. A group of mercenaries were¡­ making something.


    ¡°Wanda, what are they doing over there?¡±


    ¡°Mh? What? Oh, that¡­ They¡¯re preparing.¡±


    ¡°Preparing? For?¡±


    ¡°The inevitable storm that is Korwen¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Speaking of which, they were expecting her to come soon¡­


    ¡°And what are they preparing?¡±


    ¡°A net for capture.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Why¡­ would you need a net to capture something¡­


    ¡°They¡¯re also digging over there?¡±


    Wanda pointed to the edge of the camp. Sure enough, four or five mercenaries were gripping shovels and digging a trench. A little further two mercenaries were setting up a wooden barricade.


    ¡°It looks as if they were preparing for an attack¡­¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Wanda, isn¡¯t it the captain¡¯s daughter that is coming to visit?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°So, why are they doing all this? It really looks like they are building defences.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what they are doing.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    I was confused! What kind of girl was it that would require them to set up defences?


    ¡°Is she¡­ violent?¡±


    ¡°One of the sweetest girls I know.¡±


    ¡°... Then why?¡±


    Wanda watched the mercenaries for a moment. After a while, she smiled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say that they are all a little¡­ too playful.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ see?¡±


    Playful¡­ At least, that didn¡¯t sound like something overly troublesome, if it was something they did for fun.


    ¡°But I doubt they¡¯ll manage to finish everything in time.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t?¡±


    If I recalled correctly, they said she would be around a week after the letter arrived at the earliest. That was already three days ago so they should have at least four left.


    ¡°Yes. They¡¯re all believing they still have time¡­ Even though they don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Nn¡­ Are you saying that she¡¯ll be here faster?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I assume she¡¯ll be here tomorrow or the day after. Maybe even today.¡±


    ¡°Err¡­ That¡¯s a lot faster than they assumed.¡±


    It¡¯d be like half the time they believed they had.


    ¡°Because they assumed she would travel by land.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. She¡¯s in Krohmea, what do you think is the shortest route here.¡±


    Krohmea¡­ Recalling my mental map, it should be to the north of Lafria, on the other side of the Sleeping Forest and the Grand Spirit Lake¡­


    ¡°... She¡¯ll cross the lake?¡±


    ¡°Most likely.¡±


    Crossing the lake¡­ That wasn¡¯t impossible, I assumed. I had no idea how big the lake really was. It was hard to gauge having only seen a few maps. But I knew one thing for sure: It was massive.


    ¡°So, instead of walking around it, she¡¯ll cross the lake¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, brat. Guess you do have some smarts about you.¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    Gee, thanks.


    ¡°Either way, she¡¯ll be here soon enough.¡±


    ¡°I see. Nn, I¡¯m looking forward to meeting her.¡±


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯ll like her, I think.¡±


    Well, I hoped so. It¡¯d be quite awkward if I couldn¡¯t get along with my superior¡¯s daughter.


    ¡°She¡¯s a very sweet girl. Really makes you wonder if she¡¯s really that old coot¡¯s daughter.¡±


    ¡°Ahahaha¡­¡±


    I¡¯d refrain from commenting on that.


    ¡°Well, enough about her. You¡¯ll see her soon enough anyway.¡±


    ¡°Nn. I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°Ha, I doubt you¡¯ll be disappointed.¡±


    Wanda laughed heartily.


    ¡°Haa, really, that girl¡¯s a good girl. Completely different from her schemer father. Guess at least one thing he did right. Anyway, enough about that. Your towels, you wanted towels, right?¡±


    ¡°Nn, we did.¡±


    Then let¡¯s fetch you those. Also, I¡¯ll need the size of your bed for the bed sheets.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­¡±


    ¡°... If you don¡¯t know it, I¡¯ll need to take a look. Or you measure it.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better if we measure it.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Wanda asked a few more things as we resumed walking to her tent. Once we arrived, she gave us what we needed and we went back to our wagon to measure the bed. After we delivered the measurements, she immediately threw us out so she could work on it¡­ Typical.