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Dinner went on with no lack of surprising stories.
Eventually Esmeralda excused herself, as she still had work left to do.
It did not matter that it was night, there was plenty to do all the time, with the biggest festival of the continent being carried out in their land.

Kagura went to a room Alma arranged, as she would stay there for a while longer, wanting to see the fight with Ira Muerte to the end.
She was also waiting for Piisuke to reach Garroba’s hideout to pick up his part of the device, which would reveal the location of the main leader behind Ira Muerte, who could be considered the final boss.
If all went well, they would have the first part by the next day.

Alma was in an urgent meeting with Nirvana’s allies, trying to see who would join her in destroying Ira Muerte.
That included requesting the aid from the Nameless 48 Generals, and negotiating the acquisition of Duke Trulli’s device.
She also told Mira to see her before leaving to capture August, as she wanted to give Mira something.

With everyone busy, Mira also began getting ready to leave.
Two Rosario Summoning Circles illuminated the living room.
Iris stood nearby, watching attentively with even more interest than when the First Lieutenant was summoned.
Within them, Mira began chanting.

*”Answer me, soaring maiden, who shall guide me to victory on the battlefield?”*
*”It is I, Shalwina, with a wealth of expert tactics.”*

A mysterious voice replied as the Rosario Summoning Circles shone brighter.

*”I beckon you.”*

Summoning Magic: Valkyrie

A blinding flash followed, after which a valkyrie descended onto the floor.
With fair features and intelligent eyes, she was Shalwina, fourth of the Valkyrie Sisters, and the bookworm of the bunch.
It was not often that she was summoned on her own, so she was visibly nervous.

“Okay…I got this… I’m here as you req-”
“It’s a Valkyrie!!”

Quickly bending her knee and taking a deep breath, she got ready to greet Mira when Iris’ excited voice interrupted her, unable to contain herself seeing a valkyrie for the first time.

“Huh..? Umm…”

Iris’ innocent inquisitiveness confused Shalwina, who nervously looked at Mira, trying to understand what was happening.

“*Ahem*… Shalwina, this is Nirvana’s oracle Iris. And Iris, this is Shalwina, a valkyrie as you’ve already noticed.”

Trying to calm Iris’ excitement a bit, Mira tried to introduce them to each other in a controlled manner.

“Nice to meet you, Shalwina! I’m Iris!”
“Ah, I’m Shalwina…”

Iris’ eyes twinkled as she shook Shalwina’s hand, who was still a bit confused, but Iris’ contagious innocence was getting to her, as she also began to smile.

“So here’s the thing, Shalwina. I’ve summoned you to entrust you with Iris’ safety.” Mira went on to explain the situation a bit more, assigning Shalwina as Iris’ next bodyguard.

“Her safety..? Wouldn’t Alfina be more suited to that instead of me then?”

Understanding Mira’s words, Shalwina took a moment before voicing her concern. The oldest sister, Alfina, was the best fighter of the sisters, and the stronger, making her better suited to guard Iris.
But the situation was not so straightforward this time, so Mira had a different idea.

“Yes, but only if we’re entirely focused on her safety. In this particular case, you’re the best option.”

Her eyes shifted to look at Iris, adding, “You see, Iris also loves books, so I’m sure you’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Mira had picked Shalwina instead of Alfina purely because the two would be more compatible.

“Ohh, is that true, Iris?!”
“Do you also like to read then?!”

The moment Mira mentioned that, the two looked at each other with a different type of interest.
Shalwina’s life revolved around training and learning from her older sister, who had very little interest in other worldly things. None of the other sisters had valued books either, maybe except for Frodina, though she only read cooking books.

There was no one who shared Shalwina’s passion, someone she could talk to about those bigger-than-life stories concealed in their pages.
So she had always wished she could find someone with the same interests.

Iris was not too dissimilar.
She had been restrained to live within this room as the oracle, for her own safety.
While she could not go out, she had a Magic TV there, and an enormous collection of books she treasured dearly, and had spent countless hours with.
And yet again, she had no one to share that passion with.

She could always speak with Alma and Esmeralda, but they only had surface knowledge at best, leaving her wanting for a kindred spirit.
Iris had never met anyone who she could talk to about books in depth.
And now the two had met each other.

“Umm… Have you read Midnight Library?”

With some hesitation, like she was prodding for something, Iris asked that. That was likely the title of some book, which Iris seemed to like.
Mira had never read it, or even heard of it, so she just awaited Shalwina’s reaction.

“Of course I read it, that was Sir Prim Ruvallan’s milestone entry into his Midnight series! That sudden twist in the middle of the story was so striking, I can still recite so many lines from it too!”

That reaction was even stronger than Mira expected.
The book Iris had mentioned had that effect amongst avid readers, holding a special spot in their hearts. In a way, it was almost like a way of introducing oneself.

All of the themes told in that story evoked different feelings in readers, aligning with their interests and personalities. It was a good starting point to determine what kind of stories someone enjoyed, depending on which parts they liked.
Shalwina had read it too, so she instantly realized what Iris was trying to figure out, and became certain that they would get along.

“Oh oh! Me too! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that scene!”

Shalwina was quickly warming up to Iris as well, a friendship blossoming rapidly.
Both were overcome with emotion. Finally there was someone who shared their passion, someone they could speak to without reservation, something they had been missing for so long.