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It was decided that the whole Union would be notified about the attacks on the spirits. After Mira was assured she would be updated if anything else was discovered, she voiced another question she had.

「By the way, do you believe all of the devils were exterminated?」

The devil that appeared on the sixth floor. According to Emera and the others, devils should’ve already been killed; so going through that floor should have been rather uneventful, but a devil did appear there. Leoneil was rather well-informed, so Mira wanted to know how much he knew about the topic.

「…From that question, I assume you found something then.」

After a brief moment of silence, Leoneil arrived at a conclusion and replied as such. It was obvious he knew something and Mira was also able to guess that it was a rather serious matter from his expression and tone.

「I didn’t just find something, I ran into one on the sixth floor of the Ancient Temple.」
「An actual devil?! …Are you serious?」

After raising his voice in shock, he paused for a bit before he asked with a low voice.

「Yes, and a third rank earl no less.」
「Were you okay?」

Leoneil continued asking, his voice turning more hesitant. Mira pointed to herself with the fork she was holding before she grinned and replied.

「Does it look like I wasn’t okay to you?」
「…I see. That makes sense.」

Leoneil looked completely dumbfounded upon learning that, as if he could barely think of something so simple.

It was said that all devils were exterminated after the Defense of the Three Gods’ Countries, so the fact that they were still appearing afterward was not announced officially yet. But according to Leoneil’s intelligence network, there had been sightings popping up here and there.

Most boiled down to seeing a vague silhouette that resembled one, but even when they came from an A-rank adventurer, Leoneil would never be this surprised. In the end, no matter how many reports came in, after a thorough investigation, it was always confirmed that they were either someone falsely seeing something or variations of monsters that looked similar to devils.

However this time, he was dealing with someone else. This was Danbulf’s pupil, as well as someone welcomed and trusted by King Solomon of Arkite Kingdom. On top of that, she also knew the rank of the devil.

「And well, what happened with that devil then? Were you… actually able to defeat it?」

A devil was a rather powerful being, not to mention she encountered an earl-rank one. But she is also the successor of a hero, so his expectations were high.

「Yeah, it was a valuable experience.」

Mira nodded in response as she reminisced about the sensation she felt during the fight. It was her first true fight in what was the real world for her now. That was truly an experience that reinforced the thought that all of this was real in her mind. It was impossible to express how valuable that experience was in showing the difference between now and the time when she was just playing a game.

「I see… So you defeated it, I expected no less from you.」

He was pleasantly surprised to find that his expectations were indeed correct as he praised her. Mira then summarized the events, and once she had eaten two whole cakes, she left the Union chief’s office.

「Now then… where was Takuto brought to, I wonder?」

Mira muttered to herself as she glanced at the countless doors, lined on the hallway made of beautiful and calming wood. She had already entered the chief’s office before she saw where he had been taken to.

Without other options, Mira decided to activate Life Sensing to search for him, but everywhere she looked, there were too many life signals so she was unable to single him out.

After a final look around, Mira decided that it was best if she just waited for him and returned downstairs.

The Union’s first floor was a hall crowded yet somewhat silent, but when Mira walked down the stairs, everyone continued to be silent. The reason, Mira’s smile as she entered the hall. She was looking forward to knowing what Takuto’s affinity was, and if it was Summoner, she began thinking of how many things she could teach him, as well as to make sure he had items to form contracts with, and things of that vein. She also reminisced her times as a beginner as she dreamed about an undecided future.

Mira’s smile was beaming, like a mother caring for the innocence and purity of her child. Seeing that, everyone stood still as if frozen in time at the sight of that angel.

She sat down in one of the corners of the hall, completely oblivious to her surroundings, there she took out the letter from Lily and opened it.

「Hum… what does this mean?」

There was only one sheet of paper inside the envelope, with the following written on it:

F 9, 20, 2117
L 8, 11, 2126
K 6, 18, 2132
A 1, 14, 2138
D 5, 12, 2146

And nothing more.

(Is this some sort of secret code…?)

Mira stared questioningly at the piece of paper when she noticed Solomon’s stylish signature on the lower right corner. That signature was one they had come up with when they were together before and as far as she knew, it was impossible to tell it reads as Solomon. In other words, it was a signature only Mira would be able to understand.

(Hmm. Either way, it’s safe to assume this was not penned by Lily.)

Mira placed the paper on her lap as she took a sip of apple ale while chanting 「Sugar, sugar」 to herself. She was following her belief that she required sugar for her brain to work when she needed it to, although she had completely forgotten that she had eaten plenty of cake just moments before.

From time to time, her gaze shifted to the stairs, wondering if Takuto was coming or not. At the same time, her thoughts began wondering about his affinity again, her eyes shifting to the wall directly in front of her with a bundle of papers hung on it.

(It’s quite the odd feeling to see the calendar of a fantasy world.)

The top half of it had some drawings while the days and months were inscribed on the bottom half. It was a really basic calendar.

「Oh, so that’s what this meant…」

Mira had figured out the meaning of the numbers and letters on the sheet of paper. Solomon was just sending her additional information about the request she was taking at the moment.

The letters were initials and the numbers were the dates they appeared in this world. The current date was the 19th of March, 2146. Mira had entered this world on the 12th, so the D corresponded to Danbulf and the 5, 12, 2146 corresponded to the date.

Normally she would know something like those dates, but the people she was looking for were the outstanding Nine Wisemen. If there was any major event or special situation in this world since the day they appeared, there was a large probability that the Wisemen were related to it. With that in mind, Mira took another glance at the letters.

(Frone, Luminaria, Kagura, Artesia, and me. He said he always kept an eye out every day, so the ones who aren’t written here probably have been in this world since before him.)

Mira stared at the paper for a bit longer, but realized there was no more information concealed in it. She stood up thinking of going back to Leoneil to ask if he had any more information, but then she saw that Eureka was coming down together with Takuto at the same time.

「So you were here.」

Eureka’s lips bloomed into a smile when she spotted Mira. After they had checked his affinity, they headed to the chief’s office, but Mira had already left by then, so they looked around the third floor first.

「These are Takuto’s spellcaster affinities.」

Saying so, Eureka handed his results to Mira. When she read through them, her shoulders sank in disappointment. The results were really detailed, but in short, there was only Magician, Monk, and Onmyoji Master listed as classes he was apt for.

Mira’s dreams crumbled and shattered into small pieces.

「So you can’t be a summoner…」
「They are all easy to learn classes. We also measured his mana capacity, and it was quite higher than the average. He has a really promising future ahead of him.」

Eureka added that while Takuto ran up to Mira’s side.

「Does this mean I’ll also get to be like Big Sis?」

Takuto said with a smile. Seeing him in a happy mood, Mira simply couldn’t continue being disappointed because of his aptitude.

「Yes, if you work hard enough, you’ll become quite a fine spellcaster.」

Mira smiled broadly as she gave a big nod. When Takuto heard that, his heart was overflowing with hope and his smile became much wider.

「Anyway, thank you for troubling yourself to help us out, you have my gratitude.」
「Thank you very much.」
「No need for that, really. I’d even go to somewhat absurd lengths to accomplish anything you ask of me!」

Being a big fan of Danbulf, Eureka was really devoted to anything his disciple, Mira, would ask from her. All she asked as a reward was to shake hands with Mira, the shine in her eyes concealing her ready-to-die resolution. Mira replied with a strained smile.

Now that their business at the Union was over, Mira and Takuto left it behind. As they walked through the city illuminated by streetlamps, Mira tried to recall Emera’s words.

「Ah… what was it again? Spring… something inn, was it?」

While rummaging through her uncertain memories, Mira took Takuto’s hand as they walked past the crowds that seemed to say the night was only just starting.

(If I recall correctly, take a left after going out… was it? Either way, I’ll find it soon enough if I search for “Spring”.)

She started looking at the first word of every sign that hung on the streets as they walked. After a while, a lone shadow approached the two.

「Good evening. What are you doing here so late?」

A man wearing a light white and blue armor spoke after appearing in front of them. He also smiled to look less intimidating.

「Hmm? And who are you?」
「Good evening.」

Mira looked puzzled at him, tilting her head a bit while replying coarsely, while Takuto bowed respectfully to the young man. The man was a guard from the Caranach division of the Arkite Police Agency, he was basically a police officer. His armor had the insignia of Arkite engraved on it, so it acted as his uniform. That also meant that him speaking to them was to be expected. Mira and Takuto walking through the city after the sun had set would look like two siblings who might have gotten lost. So the man also thought of that.

「I’m sorry I startled you. I’m Guard Evin of the National Police Agency. May I get your names please?」

He did not look fazed by Mira’s reaction and proceeded to introduce himself.

A guard from the Police Agency. Mira realized that Solomon had even introduced an institution like that to keep the public order. But since she had never encountered anyone from it before, she tilted her head even more.

「I’m Mira.」
「And my name is Takuto.」
「Mira and Takuto it is then. So tell me, why are you two out at this hour? Are you lost? If that’s the case I can take you home.」

When Evin said that, Mira was finally convinced. Objectively speaking, anyone seeing her and Takuto wandering around the city in the middle of the night would think that. After all, if she saw a pair like that, she would have acted the same way as him. Seeing the passion for his job burning in his eyes, Mira began seeing the young man in a more favorable light.

「We aren’t lost, but we’re searching for the inn where our friend is waiting for us. It’s called the Spring something, does that ring any bells?」
「I see, that explains things. And hmm… An inn with Spring in the name, could it be the Spring Snow Inn?」
「Oh, that one, yes. That’s what its name was.」

As soon as she heard him utter those words, the name of the inn was salvaged from the depths of her vague memories and she nodded in approval.

「Then I know where it is, it’s just a little further from here. I’ll accompany you there.」

Evin smiled again and walked to Mira’s empty side, taking hold of her hand and started walking forward. Mira was late to react to her hand being grabbed so suddenly, but his amiable aura soon dispelled her hesitation and she kept hold of the young man’s hand. And like that, he guided them to the Spring Snow Inn without letting go of her hand.

「Ah, Mira is here. Over he… re?」

Emera was standing at the entrance of the inn, eagerly waiting for the two to arrive. She first saw the two emerge from the crowd on the street and began waving her arms and calling them, but then she saw the figure of a guard leading them by the hand. No matter how she looked at them, they looked like lost children.

「Pfft! Mira has been brought back home!」
「That’s not ittt!」

Emera shouted inside the inn with a loud voice, then Mira shouted with all her might to deny it. But that caused everyone’s attention to shift towards her, so she hung her head in shame and hid in Evin’s shadow while pulling Takuto with her.

「Well, late at night is still late at night, so you shouldn’t be out playing until this hour.」

After guiding them to their destination, Evin gave those parting words to the two, bowed to Emera and the others, then turned around and left.

「…He only mistaken us with something else, that’s all.」

When Mira looked inside the inn, she was assaulted by the gazes of Emera and Zef, shining with suspicion. She tried to make an excuse, but it had zero effect convincing them.

「Sure sure, I understand.」
「It’s only been half a day, but you’re part of us now, we understand, seriously.」
「I see, that’s good then.」

Zef and Emera kept giving quick nods as they spoke. They had met not too long ago, but Mira’s face lightened up hearing that they understood. In the end, she never noticed that they seemed to be concealing something.

「Anyway, let’s hurry up and go go go.」

As Emera said that, she took Mira’s hand and pulled her inside the Spring Snow inn.

The interior of the inn was made of wood, the first floor serving as the dining room and reception. There were many wooden tables and chairs of simple but sturdy construction arranged inside the room. Chairs were occupied by guests who were just eating and enjoying the last hour of the night.

「Ohh, the lady and the kid, we’ve been waiting for you.」

From a table that was slightly bigger than the others and placed in a corner of the room, Asbar raised his voice and waved to them.

「Mira, over here.」

Fricca had appeared behind Mira at some point, and snatching her away from Emera, led her to a seat. Fricca tried to sit beside her, but then, Emera had already sat there and looked Fricca in the eyes while grinning, her eyes burning with the passion to protect Mira.

Fricca then attempted to sit on the other side of Mira, but Takuto, who Mira had still been holding the hand of, was already sitting there, looking around the inn with enjoyment. In a last-ditch effort, Fricca sat on the seat opposite of Mira, staring intently at her so at least her cuteness would be burnt into her eyes.

When everyone had sat down, Asbar took it as the sign to call a waiter.

「Let’s start by getting something to drink.」

Emera spread the inn’s menu on the table for everyone to see.

「Takuto, is there anything you want to drink?」
「I’d like some orange juice.」

Mira asked him and he replied as such. Their exchange was the same as that of siblings that got along well. Asbar smiled seeing them, then simply said 「A large beer.」 even before a waiter arrived at their table. Afterward, Emera, Fricca and Zef made their orders, and Mira asked for two glasses of orange juice.

The waiter repeated their orders for confirmation before leaving. As soon as they were alone, Zef began speaking.

「Well, let’s distribute the items we got now. Let’s start with this one.」

As he spoke, he put 64 Magic Stones on the table, as well as one Magic Crystal.

「I’ll ask again, but is this really okay?」

Emera was still hesitant considering the situation they were in, so she looked at the Magic Stones and then to Mira.

「I’ve already talked about that topic.」
「I know, but…」
「Our second-in-command is really serious about these things, y’see. Though, I also don’t know what to do in this situation.」

Emera glanced at their spoils of war with a confused look. She had just tagged along and somehow made thousands in income. It would be obvious she would keep asking for confirmation over and over again. The other members also understood how she felt, so they remained silent and waited for her to make the final decision.

「Sorry for the wait.」

During the moment of hesitation, the waiter came back carrying the drinks they ordered in a tray and spoke to them with a bright voice.

「Let’s start by drinking in celebration.」

Emera took the drinks from the waiter and distributed them. When everyone had their glasses, their eyes fixated on Mira. Takuto grasped the situation, so he held his glass with both hands and looked at Mira, without taking a single sip of it.

「Eh… what, do I have to?」
「Of course, you were the MVP of the day after all.」

Mira was not used to being in the spotlight in situations like that so she felt a bit nervous, but she did not dislike being in that position so she nodded.

「Umm… well then.」

Mira lifted her glass forward, and everyone else followed her lead.

「Then, to commemorate Takuto’s aptitude as a Magician, Monk and an Onmyoji Master, cheers!」
「Cheers! Wait, you’re celebrating that?!」
「Hahahaha! That’s a good cause for celebration right there, cheers!」
「Cheers for Mira!」
「Cheers! I just noticed that you can never tell anything from Mira’s expression!」
「Eh… Uhm, thank you very much!」

Everyone raised their voices freely and hit their glasses with each other. Asbar then quickly emptied his large mug and laughed heartily. Emera gave in herself and smiled widely as she drank from her glass. Mira turned to look at Takuto, who was all smiles now, and patted his head. Fricca watched that with eyes full of envy. Zef slumped forward and reclined his shoulder on the table before he saw the person who approached the table and waved his hand.

「You seem quite lively here.」

Instead of the waiter, a man with long red hair and clad in a light plain crimson armor was there. He appeared to be in his twenties with chiseled androgynous features to the point where he could be mistaken for a woman if his voice had not been heard.

「Is the girl there the rumored disciple?」
「Yes, this is Mira. The kid beside her is Takuto.」

Fricca replied to him and the man’s gaze was directed straight at Mira, then after a soft smile, he made a slight bow.

「I’m the leader of Écarlate Carillon, my name is Sero. It seems you’ve been taking care of my members, you have my thanks.」
「No need to thank me. Having them made the trip far more enjoyable than going alone.」
「Is that so? I’m glad then.」

Sero smiled as he replied, the tone of his voice the same as if he was replying to a compliment to his family, but there was someone else there who was even happier than Sero.

「Miraaaaaaaaa, I never imagined such words from you!」

Emera turned her eyes towards Mira, her face deeply emotional in a way inexpressible by words. Even though she had been useless during their adventure, Mira still said her presence was enjoyable, which filled her heart with a fuzzy shyness and delight.

「I also had fuuun!」
「Wha-?!」

And there was someone else who was even happier than Emera, who crawled down the table and emerged climbing on Mira’s legs. Seeing her suddenly appear there made Mira instinctively lift her foot and kicked Fricca straight in her stomach.

Sero had a strained smile as he saw Fricca’s skillful display of her ability to faint with a completely blissful expression before Asbar pulled her legs and managed to tear her off from Mira’s legs.

「Could it be that Fricca troubled you like this during your trip as well?」
「In great amounts.」
「…I’m terribly sorry.」
「…Well, I don’t really mind.」

During that short exchange between Mira and Sero, Fricca was placed back on her seat. Looking at Fricca who’s struggling to breathe normally, Mira realized that she could be quite a beauty if she could only keep quiet, but thinking about that only made her sigh similarly to Fricca’s breaths. By then, only Emera was still really emotive, her cheeks burning as a strong smile overpowered her lips.

「By the way, are those today’s earnings? It’s quite a hefty amount.」

Sero spoke in admiration, his eyes glancing at the Magic Stones placed on the table. Such an amount would normally be impossible to gather in just a single day.

「Almost everything was defeated by Mira, but she keeps saying we should split it between everyone. That’s quite a generous act, isn’t it?」
「Is that so? And there’s even a Magic Crystal. All of this would sell really well.」

If it was split fairly, most of it would belong to Mira. And the approximate value of that would definitely be above a million Rils. That was enough to maintain a regular household for four months. Even if Mira would claim what was rightfully hers, everyone else would be satisfied with it and would not raise a single complaint but Mira still insisted that it should be shared equally. That behavior was something that still remained ingrained in her from the days when she played this as a game and felt like common sense for her, but seen from another person it looked simply like extraordinary friendliness.

「Oh, that reminds me, there were weapons as well.」
「The reaping scythe. It was something that enemy dropped, but we decided you’d give it to that dark knight you’re acquainted with, right?」
「A scythe? What is that about?」
「Umm…」

When Sero expressed his curiosity, Emera took the scythe the demon had dropped out from her Item Box. It was too heavy for Emera to hold, so as soon as it was out it fell to the floor with a loud clang.

「…This really looks ominous.」

As Sero said that, he held the handle of the pitch-black scythe and lifted it up. From what Mira could see, his arm had the same qualities as Zef’s, but while the sturdy Asbar had trouble holding it after swinging it twice, Sero had no trouble holding it with one hand.

The scythe had appeared to be rather heavy, so Mira began wondering just how much strength Sero had as she focused her eyes on him.

「Hm…?」

She involuntarily exclaimed in surprise. She could not see Sero’s stats. If what she had heard from Solomon was true, then that meant people like Sero used to be players.

「What is it, Mira?」

Fricca, who was looking intently at Mira so as to not miss a single word or action she might do, realized the change in Mira’s conduct so she raised her voice.

「Eh, oh, nothing. I was just thinking how incredible it is that he was able to lift up that scythe with so less effort.」

That reminded Mira that she had forgotten to ask Solomon how to deal with past players, so she had to lie and say she was surprised by his strength. She could simply not say that she was shocked to find another past player without knowing the situation surrounding him.

「Well, that’s our leader for you. He’s simply this amazing.」

Asbar was also hearing their exchange, so he proudly exclaimed that. After him, Emera and the others also began to praise their leader in front of Danbulf’s disciple.

「I’m nowhere near what they claim I am.」

The person himself had a forced smile as he denied it with humility. It was not that Sero believed he was weak, but he was keenly aware that there were people who far surpassed him, as well as how extraordinary those people who decided to go higher were. So he truly meant what he said. But for Emera and the rest, his strength was still a force to be reckoned with, so he had to be humble enough not to let the praise get to his head.

「Leaving all that aside, this is still quite the item you’ve got.」
「Well, that’s our current dilemma. I’ve concluded that it’s best if someone like Emera and your guild, who can be trusted and wouldn’t use it for anything evil keep it. So if you know of anyone who could use it, I’ll give it to you.」
「I see, so that’s your reasoning… Though, if I may add, is it okay for you to trust us after only one day of meeting us? How are you certain that we won’t give it to someone who has wicked plans?」
「Well, I can only trust you on that. It’s true it was a short time, but I got a liking for Emera and the others. And even in the off chance something happens, I’m willing to take responsibility for it.」

Mira replied as such while she looked straight into Sero’s eyes. He was able to sense her determination and will in her eyes, so he nodded decisively.

「Thank you for trusting my friends so much. I’ll take care of these matters from now on.」
「Mhm, I’ll trust in you.」

The members of Écarlate Carillon stood still holding their breaths as they watched the interaction between Sero and Mira unfold, finally relaxing when they came to an agreement. Afterward, Mira called the waiter again and ordered new drinks, and they drank again, accompanied by Sero this time.