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Clink!

The coin struck the ground, creating a metallic sound that echoed through Castle Seyfert’s garden. A moment later, the girl holding a dagger…Setsuna, appeared right in front of Crim.

‘Oh, she’s fast!’

Crim was slightly surprised by the girl’s speed, but it wasn’t fast enough to escape her notice. She drew her own dagger in her right hand, ready to counter, but the girl suddenly dropped out of sight, giving up on her attack and vanishing from view.

Crim’s dagger sliced through thin air… or so she thought. Left behind in the girl’s place was a slip of paper with the word Explosion written on it. Crim had cut it without realizing, triggering a bright flash and a thunderous blast.

The sound of the explosion echoed across the garden of Castle Seyfert.

‘I know what this is.’

Crim had heard of it before. Just as samurai could be found in the Howling Ogre Ridge on one side of Nebel, there was a village of ogre shinobi on the opposite side. From that village, one could learn a Skill that allowed the user to imbue paper tags with magical energy by using MP. It was called…

“Sealing Tags…!”

She had seen them in action once or twice, but the Skill was quite rare. Acquiring it took a lot of effort, and using it efficiently required consuming a large number of tags to build Skill Points. Mastering it came at a high cost.

Still, there was no mistaking it. The paper she had just cut was a real Sealing Tag, one that triggered an explosion. Crim quickly dropped low to the ground, pressing herself flat against it. The powerful blast roared above her.

Then, a strange tickling sensation brushed her neck.

Sensing something, she spun around and raised her dagger just in time. A sharp metallic clang rang out as she knocked something away.

“…Gotcha.”
“Hah! Not yet!”

Setsuna charged again, waiting for Crim’s stance to be broken by the dodge. But Crim had already prepared a Shadow Heavy-Weapon longsword during the confusion of the earlier explosion. She used it now to block the incoming strike.

Sparks flew as Crim barely managed to deflect the dagger away from her side. Then she noticed another paper tag floating nearby, this one marked with the symbol for lightning.

Crim leapt backward on reflex. A moment later, lightning struck the spot where they had just been standing.

“…What? How did you dodge that?!”

Almost like a switch had been flipped, Setsuna’s talkative tone returned.

“Ahahah, didst thou forget so soon? I am the Scarlet Demon Lord… Crim Lua Cheia..!”

Before she finished speaking, Crim pulled a small knife from her belt and threw it to the ground. At nearly the same moment, Setsuna appeared behind her, her expression blank and focused as she aimed for Crim’s back.

But Crim was ready. The knife she had thrown pierced through another tag, which exploded moments later. At the same time, her dagger met the girl’s blade, and her free hand swung the shadowy longsword.

In response, Setsuna only grinned. Her body disappeared in an instant, leaving behind a fluttering piece of paper. She reappeared again a moment later, this time above Crim, her dagger coming down toward Crim’s neck.

“…Well, I’ve seen enough.”
“Wha… Kyah?!”

Setsuna had attacked with perfect timing, but Crim was already looking up at her.

Since they were midair, Setsuna had assumed Crim could not move, so she was stunned to see that her ambush had failed.

Crim let go of her weapons, grabbed Setsuna by the neck with one hand and her wrist with the other, then used the momentum of the fall to throw her to the ground. She followed through by climbing on top of her and pinning her down with a knee to the chest.

“Ghah… ghuh?!”

Two strained sounds came from the girl. The first was from the rough landing, and the second from being pinned so firmly.

“I win.” Crim declared her victory as Setsuna remained unable to escape.

“Come on, Crim… She’s just a little girl. Can’t you go easier on her?”
“…Huh? Whoa, I’m so sorry!!”

When Frey pointed that out, Crim turned pale and quickly let go of Setsuna. The move she had used was far too intense and definitely not something to pull on someone so young. It could easily be traumatic.

The girl stayed sprawled on the ground, her throat whistling with each strained breath. It was clear Crim had gone too far.

“Ack… That… that was horrible… ghuh…”
“I’m sorry, really! Freyaaa, heal herrr!!”
“Right away. You really need to watch yourself, Crim…”

Crim did her best to help the coughing and crying girl, sitting her up and patting her back, while Freya rushed over and cast a healing spell. Slowly, the girl’s breathing returned to normal.

“I…I thought I was going to die… You bruteee!”
“I-I’m truly sorry! ’Twas not mine intent to be so harsh, but thy strength did so startle me that I was carried away…”

Crim did her best to calm down Sestuna, who would not stop crying. But everything she said was true. Her strength, battle sense, ability to mix in Sealing Tags and stealth, everything far exceeded Crim’s expectations.

It was to the point that Crim felt like if she failed to read Setsuna’s movements for a moment, it was she who would have lost.

“Really?! Then…will you be my master?!”
“Ah… yes, after all I have witnessed, I am more than satisfied with thy ability.”
“Yayy!”

While Crim was a bit taken aback by those mood swings and awkwardly sent out the guild invitation, Setsuna celebrated. The agony she felt earlier was completely gone, smiling and laughing innocently…but then, Crim began to harbor a certain doubt.

‘Could it be…did she act that way on purpose to force me to accept her into the guild?’

Crim wondered if that talkative girl had been leading her by the nose the entire time… but eventually, she shook her head and dismissed the thought.

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