Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

When there was only one crystal left, its last attempt at fighting back was to turn into a bright particle cannon.
Crim and Suzaku slipped past its superheated beams, destroying the final crystal, and finally defeating the miasma giant.

The rift in mid-air, the scar, was finally defenseless… And a barrage of attacks forced it close, after which the Sephir Maiden twins returned.

“Wonderfully done, the scar in this area was successfully eradicated.”
“We’ve also verified the miasma filling the air around here has been cleansed.”
“”Now we shall prepare a barrier to seal away the scar and stop it from reopening.””

The twins walked up to the spot where the scar had been, taking their designated spots and unfurling their wings of light.

“Wait, I have some questions first. Does this mean there shan’t be any miasma going forward?”
“No, only this area here was cleansed.”
“There’s still too many scars to count left in the center of the continent.”
“And our fellow Sephir Maidens wait there as well, looking for the opportunity to cleanse them.”
“I understand…so our next goal should be to march onwards to the capital, while lending our aid to those maidens and cleanse all the scars?”
“”That’s exactly right.””

The two Sephir Maidens answered Crim’s question in unison.
…The center area comprised around a fourth of the entire continent.
They would have to continue searching for scars there, and gain more territory by closing them.
That was not a task that could be completed in a day or two, and it would likely take a lot of effort too, but…

“…We’ll just have to do it.”
“It’s our only path forward. We need to go and free Da’at after all.”

Suzaku stared into the distance as he muttered that, and Crim nodded in agreement.
…And just as they were renewing their determination…

*”…Kou, sorry to interrupt while you’re celebrating.”*
“…Huh, dad?”

She received a personal call from her father, Sora.
Crim quickly switched to the private chat mode and answered, which was met by a nod from him as he explained the reason for the call.

…Sora had almost never called Crim while she was in-game, especially not without prior warning, so she had a feeling that it would not be the most pleasant conversation as she listened to what he had to say.

*”We’ve noticed an unusual increase in data on your character. I’m sorry to say this, but could you go to a private area and get on a GM call as soon as possible?”*

It turned out her father was calling her as a moderation representative.
A weird gasp left her lips, while all blood drained from her face, and with good reason.

…In other words, she was about to be interrogated about something that happened with her account.

And as she processed that…her eyes were naturally drawn to the black baby dragon, once again trapped within Freya’s arms.

***

…Later in Castle Seyfert’s meeting room…

Only Crim, and the twins Frey and Freya had been allowed to be present… They nervously watched the video call screen, where they could see Sora talking with someone off-screen, feeling like criminals waiting for their sentence to be read.

“Psst, Kou, Subaru, do you think they’ll let us keep him..?”
“Hopefully…”
“I didn’t think it would become such a big issue…”

Both had already been informed that the cause of all that was the small black dragon…Crom Cruach.
They dreaded the possibility that he could be ruled out to be foreign data or some sort of bug.

*”Well, we just GOTTA wait and see what happens.”*
“I still can’t believe how unbothered you are…”

Freya let out a sigh, watching Crom Cruach rolled up into a ball on the table in front of them. Crim and Frey wholly agreed with that assessment.
Time went on excruciatingly slow…until Sora’s deliberation was over, and he turned to speak to the friends again.

*”Sorry I kept you waiting.”*
“It’s okay…but dad, what exactly is going on?”

Crim urged him to explain everything. She felt like she was already guilty, and wanted the guillotine to be lowered to end her suffering.

*”I’ll put it as plainly as I can. Him right there…Crom Cruach, is not an entity from Destiny Unchain Online. He’s more like…an AI that snuck its way in.”*

As he spoke with a plain tone, Crim and her friends looked at each other and lowered their heads.

*”I’m still surprised by how it all went down… Crom Cruach, was it? He’s currently assigned to your Guardian slot, which is supposed to unlock later on for players from the strongest down, and it seems he just drifted in and somehow took root there.”*
“Somehow…but how exactly? Did someone…hack him in?”
*”No, or at least we don’t have any evidence of something so direct. It seems he was just part of some corrupted packet of data floating in the sea of the internet, and slipped here completely randomly, and the game data was compatible enough to regenerate him.”*

Sora’s explanation, emphasizing that it had not been some sort of crime, put the friends a bit more at ease.

“But if he’s an irregular form of data…then are you going to delete Crommy?”
*”Hey, WHO are you calling Crommy?”*

Freya pouted sadly. Not even an hour had passed since they met, but even Crim could not hide her disappointed at the thought of having to part ways…but Sora shook his head.

*”No, don’t worry, we don’t plan on doing that. It’s not like we have the necessary methods to delete him anyway. He’s been built with technology far advanced to anything we have, you could call him a super-high-order digital intelligent being. If he felt like it, he could not only brush aside all our attempts, but even retaliate and fight back.”*

Sora said something crazy without batting an eye.
Meanwhile the three friends slowly turned to look at Crom Cruach…

*”I ain’t gonna do any of THAT. Too much effort.”*
*”And there you have it.”*

Crom Cruach truly seemed to detest the idea from the bottom of his heart, as he flat out pushed against the idea before curling up more on the table.
Sora had been expecting that response, shrugging awkwardly and then returning to the main topic.

*”His current appearance…probably comes from the fact that his data appropriated the model of an enemy called Dragon Puppy. For better or for worse, that has also made it easier for the game systems to keep track of his movements, and stop him from taking any drastic measures, so he shouldn’t be able to cause any trouble.”*
“So we can just keep him?”
*”Yes. As far as Destiny Unchain Online goes, he’s the registered Guardian of Crim, and if you want it to stay that way, you’re welcome to do so.”*

Then Sora began to explain how the Guardian system worked.
According to him… Guardians could be summoned at will, and could interact with other players and NPCs.
But as far as fighting went, they first needed to rest within their host and absorb some of their mana before using it in battle.

“Uncle Sora, does that mean Crommy won’t be deleted then..?”
*”Again, that’s not my NAME you cheeky girl.”*
*”We won’t. He’s more like a guest, or you could say a bit of a strange player. He can stay there until we find a way to get him home.”*

As Sora answered Freya’s direct question, the tension in the room finally eased.
Sora watched with a gentle smile…until he suddenly looked up and away from the screen, likely in the direction of the door as he spoke again.

*”One more thing…Crom Cruach, by chance there happened to be someone near here who was worried sick about you. I’m sure seeing you safe and healthy will be a great relief.”*
*”…HmmM?”*

Crom Cruach looked at the screen with doubt hearing that, and then…

*Hello Sora! Is it true that you found Cranach?!*
*Hey, calm down, you don’t need to rush so much!*
*…But…but..!*

Suddenly more voices made their way through the call as a pair of visitors arrived in Sora’s room.

*”…Yes, it seems we found him. Come, you can talk to him.”*

Sora stood up from his seat…and instantly a woman came into frame, breathing rapidly from running there, and almost pressing her face against the screen.

*”Ahh, is it really you..? Are you there, Cranach!”*
*”Hm? …Hello there, Princess. You’ve grown up into a FINE woman, haven’t you? It’s been a while since we last saw each other…if this can be considered that.”*
*”Yes…and I’m so, so glad to see you safe and sound..!”*
*”Pah… It’s not a big DEAL. AND WHY ARE YOU CRYING? Hey, stop that, calm down, please?”*

Large tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks as she rejoiced in their meeting… It was Julia’s mother, Iris.
On the other hand…Crom Cruach, who seemed to know her, looked away embarrassed, even if it was obvious he was also happy to see her again.
It was nice seeing both of them so happy with their reunion, but Crim and her friends, just like Sora, understood it was not something they should snoop around…so they all left their respective rooms, giving Iris and Crom Cruach the space they needed to continue the call on their own…