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After a tour of the castle, Jade and Sara, who both had full-time jobs, said they had to rest for work the next day, so they logged out while looking oddly exhausted. Crim went back to the garden, where she noticed a large number of children gathered around the water fountain.

“Hm? What are they all doing there…”
“Shhh, look there.”

Freya quickly shushed her while pointing somewhere. Crim’s eyes followed that direction to see…

“Hm, it’s Da’at… Is she telling them stories?”

There were various areas on the island that were paved with stones in circular patterns, with a small curb on the edges delineating where the flowerbeds started. Many children were sitting in one of those places, their eyes focused on the center of it. Even Hinagiku and Lycoris were there.

And in the center, sitting on the dried up water fountain, was a spirit with green hair speaking.

“…And that lost culture possessed plenty of useful tools, but also terrifying weapons for war… But then the dear planet we live on was slowly robbed of its energy, and eventually it could hardly grow food anymore.”
“Oh…so there was no food?”
“No…there was almost none left. Everyone was hungry, and everyone started fighting for the little that remained, wanting it for themselves. Those fights got worse, and eventually they started using those horrible weapons and began destroying their homes…”

The children began to tremble in fear hearing her ominous voice, and the youngest ones were about to start crying. And then the spirit took a breath and mellowed her voice before continuing.

“While all of that was happening, a hero rose up from this very castle.”
“Ah, I’ve heard this story! The priest of the church told us how the Red Lion Emperor went around the world destroying those demonic something weapons!”
“Yes, that’s exactly it, I see you’ve been a good student.”
“Eheheh…”

Da’at complimented the boy with a kind smile, and he giggled happily.

“The emperor asked the spirits to aid with that quest, and together they went all over the world, like for example…”

After that she told stories about the Red Lion Emperor’s life, narrating them with vivid detail like she had been there. All of the children listened attentively, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Sadly, not even the Red Lion Emperor could overcome the lifespan of… Erm, basically the emperor was human like all of you, and could only live for so long.”
“Eh, even someone so amazing could only live as long as us then?”
“Yes… The Red Lion Emperor only managed to cover the southern half of the continent, and the rest was accomplished by the next generations… It was thanks to all of them that this continent became plentiful again.”

Saying that, Da’at Seyfert looked up at the sky with a forlorn look, overtaken with nostalgia as she recalled those days, her eyes filled with affection for those who were no longer in this world.

There was some sorrow mixed in as well, as she thought of her other half that was currently trying to destroy the peace they had accomplished.

“…Flowery lady?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry…I think I got a bit lost in thought there. Anyway, I think that’s enough for today. Next time I’ll tell you some more cool stories about the Red Lion Emperor, alright?”

The children all gave energetic replies to that and then began to disperse, going back to play around. Crim approached her while she watched the children leave.

“I see thou hast assumed a teaching role here, that’s admirable.”
“Ah… Master, you were watching?”

The girl replied, looking a bit embarrassed about it. But Crim had thought of something while watching her tell stories to the children.

“Say… only if it’s thy desire, but wouldst thou be willing to establish a school?”
“…Huh? Wait, where’s this coming from…”

The proposal was so sudden that she was unsure of how to react, but Crim just nodded and explained her reasoning.

“Only the elder priest in the town’s church instructs the children in reading and basic arithmetic, and this occurs during Sunday school…”

They lived in a really remote location, so there was no one else to take over the small church, and the only priest there was already of advanced age. His body was already starting to give out, and sometimes he would be too exhausted to conduct Sunday school. But there was no one else who could teach the children other than him. The priest had once passed a message onto Crim through Ludger, asking if she could find someone to take over for him.

“There’s plenty of land on the outskirts of the island for such a structure, and it could serve as the perfect refuge for the townsfolk during emergencies, a project I’ve long desired to undertake.”

A studying place like that would not require a fancy building, so it would not be too expensive Points-wise. And it would be the perfect location to deploy the fire protection barrier, so Crim would also be able to stop worrying about the shelter she wanted to build.

“And I have faith in thee to care for the children… so, what sayest thou?”
“M-me…a teacher…”

She looked hesitant to agree right away, though her interest in doing that was clearly written all over her face.

“W-Well…if you really think I’d be a good fit…”
“Good, I shall relay the message to the priest. I am grateful for thy support.”
“Okay..!”

She broke into a happy smile, and Crim nodded with satisfaction.

“Furthermore… overseeing an entire school alone may prove challenging, so I shall seek another to aid… hm?”

Crim opened her territory management menu to check which NPCs she could hire, but then her eyes stopped at two names while scrolling down the list.

-Elohim (Butler)
-Adonis (Maid)

Crim looked sternly at the menu seeing those names. She could not understand why those knights of old would be in the list.

“Ah…Elohim and Adonis started off as servants of the Red Lion Emperor, and later became knights.” Da’at watched curiously from behind Crim while adding a bit of an explanation.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, they also used to be the Red Lion Emperor’s bodyguards, so you could also employ them to help defend the town in an emergency.” Saying that, Da’at watched Crim’s reaction, clearly hopeful that she would be able to see her old friends again.

For some reason Crim always felt like something about Da’at reminded her of a small puppy.

“Hm, intriguing… Having them as backup in such situations is indeed appealing, but it is also costly…”
“Awww…I see…”

They were hero class NPCs, so hiring them for a month would cost a small fortune. But hearing Crim’s comment clearly made Da’at look disheartened as she cast her gaze down.

Crim still wanted NPCs that could think for themselves. She had already acquired magic automatons that would activate and defend the town if they were attacked, but so far there was no one who could give them orders to move around.

So hiring the pair would give the guild plenty of value, on top of appeasing Da’at.

What should we do?

Crim looked at Frey and Freya behind her, asking that with her gaze. Both of them just grimaced a bit and nodded, as if saying they had no other option. Seeing that, Crim quickly began pressing some buttons.

Then a summoning circle appeared in front of them, from which two figures emerged.

“…Thank you for summoning us.”
“…So you’ll be our new masters. We’ll forever be in your service.”

The blonde twins greeted them elegantly, Elohim wearing a butler uniform, and Adonis a classical maid outfit. But they were still the two knights that the group had fought before.

Eventually the two raised their heads and…

“Welcome, both of you, I’m-”
“HIEEEEE?!”

Just as Crim was about to return the greeting, Adonis recognized her and let out a shriek while running back, her face turning pale like a ghost. Elohim also looked disconcerted, looking around nervously to make sure that Sorleon was nowhere nearby.

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry please don’t hurt me I’ll do anything even if it’s licking your shoes so please don’t hurt me!!”
“Calm down Adonis! We’re not fighting this time!”
“Hold, I harbor no desire to engage in combat with thee! Or rather, what manner of creature doth thou perceive me to be?!”

Elohim and Crim tried to calm down the former hero in maid clothes, who would not stop trembling and shaking. But it only seemed to have the opposite effect, so Crim was starting to get worried, and then…

“Adonisss…Elohimm!!” Da’at ran forward out of nowhere, overcome with emotion as she threw herself at the pair.
“What… Huh? Da’at?”
“Why… I see, so you’ve been tending to our graves all this time.”

That finally made Adonis snap back to reality, while Elohim sounded impressed realizing Da’at’s dedication.

“I see…so you’re still the same lonesome spirit as always.”

Adonis’ maddened reaction had vanished into thin air, and now she was gently patting Da’at’s back, whose shoulders were trembling slightly as she buried her face in Adonis’ chest, after being apart for what felt like an eternity.

After some time they finally managed to calm down.

“Knight Adonis, it was not mine intention to alarm thee. I summoned thee both to assist Da’at with her duties.”
“Ah…I mean, hmph, I guess I can do that if you want it so badly!”
“I wouldn’t ask for something better. We’ll serve you with everything we have.”

Adonis was so embarrassed that she ended up turning her whole personality around, sounding almost like a tsundere, and Elohim gave a respectful response while rubbing Da’at’s shoulder to comfort her.

“Mhm, and please get along with each other.”
“Umm… Master!!”

Crim turned around and began walking away when Da’at finally regained her bearings and called Crim to stop.

“Thank you…thank you so much for being so kind to me!” All sadness had vanished from Da’at’s face now, replaced by a delighted smile, which spread to Crim, who also smiled while nodding back at her.

«The NPC Adonis (Maid) has been hired. She can be given orders within the area Castle Seyfert from now on.»
«The NPC Elohim (Butler) has been hired. He can be given orders within the area Castle Seyfert from now on.»

Afterword: