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「And so, first I found Kagura and Soul Howl, but I’d still like to secure some more manpower.」

After detailing the state of Arkite, Mira continued to tell them about her travels, and how she came to search for this place. It had all started with a rumor of a remote orphanage, which Mira believed could be related to Artesia in some way.

「Now I know I was right on the money. And I’m quite pleased to have found both of you in one go.」

Mira looked gleefully at Lastrada as she said that, having one less person to worry about. But she still knew that it would take some time before he would follow her back.

Lastrada and Artesia were actively fighting against a large criminal organization. Knowing that, and being aware of how big of a task it would be, Mira decided to make a suggestion to Lastrada.

「But I realize I can’t ask you to come back with me, so I’ll help you too.」

In a way, it was a similar situation to Kagura’s. So just like back then, Mira felt like the fastest solution would be to help them accomplish their goals.

But the response was not something she had anticipated.

「No, there’s no need for that. That last job gave us the final piece we needed. Now we just need to deal the coup de grace.」

The heist in Haxthausen had given them the tools and weapons they needed to exterminate that large ring of slave traders. Whether Mira helped them or not, they would soon complete that final step.

Lastrada also noted that if they worked together, people would see the Spirit Queen and Fuzzy Dice working together, revealing that their confrontation after the heist had just been a sham.

「We ended that on such a good note too. It’s not like it’s just the two of us against the organization, there’s other people aiming for the same goal, and we have plenty of trustworthy allies. Just leave this to us.」

He did not just sound confident, but certain of everything he said.

A slave trader ring that spanned across the entire continent was a large enough evil to attract the attention of many other righteous people.

「Hmm, I guess I can only believe you. But what kind of people are these helpers of you?」

That was something else Mira was curious about, as she had sensed a powerful and influential person aiding the thief behind the curtains, considering everything that happened in the church and with Desmond. So she wanted to know exactly who it was.

「Who, you ask…」
「Yes..?」
「Well, that’s a secret of justice.」

He placed a finger to his lips with a grin. For as long as Mira had known him, he had always possessed a strong conviction to keep secrets, even from someone’s parents or close friends.

But Mira was not pleased at all with that response.

「Ugh I mean, at the very least you’re working with King Judas, aren’t you?」

The urge to break apart secrets was human nature, and spurred by it, Mira brought up the most likely name she could think of. And that name produced a very clear reaction from Lastrada, essentially confirming that it had been King Judas who made sure Desmond could do his job.

Even though it would be easy to just play dumb, Lastrada was too honest, and instead asked how Mira figured it out, so she briefly explained what she heard from Desmond, and that it was an easy conclusion to make.

「I told him so many times to act more discreetly… Oh well.」

If even someone like Mira was able to figure out they were working together, then other people with similar information would also draw that connection, including people from the slave trader ring. But then Lastrada thought of something else.

King Judas was not the only helper, and he cared a lot for the safety of the others. So it was possible that he was trying to stand out on purpose, drawing away attention from the others. At least that was how Lastrada reasoned King Judas’ actions.

「Well, it’s Judas we’re talking about, so I can’t fully rule out that he was simply being careless.」
「That’s true.」

Mira and Lastrada knew Judas since before he became a king, so they felt like that was even more likely.

Meanwhile, Artesia had set up the table with tea, and Mira also received sweet hot cocoa and a large piece of cake. It was clear she was receiving special treatment.

Mira began eating bits of everything, including regular tea, as they all continued talking about Fuzzy Dice.

「Either way, I doubt there’s a reason to get worried. From what I’ve heard, their leader is getting desperate and he’ll soon be forced to make a move.」

Some of the people wanting to destroy the slave trader ring were not directly collaborating with Fuzzy Dice, but they still kept in contact. One of them had told Lastrada that internal conflicts were starting to brew amongst the slave traders.

That was starting to become a large issue, and according to the person Lastrada knew, if they continued that way, it would eventually force the leader to leave his highly secured position.

「Ohh, I see.」
「It’s hard to say how long it’ll take though.」

After that, Lastrada confidently said that it would likely become the first and last time that Fuzzy Dice would put his full power on display.

While he kept the informant’s identity secret, he made sure to stress how trustworthy the informant’s network was.That gave him the confidence that it would not take much longer before everything would end.

That concluded their discussion about the Phantom Thief Fuzzy Dice.

After many years of investigating and gathering evidence, they had identified the ringleader, and all they needed to do was to mercilessly crush whoever it was. And Lastrada had already started preparations for that.

Unlike with Kagura, there was no room for Mira to join and help, all she could do was make sure he and Artesia returned to their country once they were done.

「So moving on, will you be able to come back?」

Mira could not help but worry that there were other things stopping them from coming back home. When she asked about it, Lastrada sighed awkwardly before replying.

「Actually, that’s something we were considering already.」

Returning to Arkite was something they thought of.

The orphans would grow up better in a safe city rather than hidden away in the forest, and Arkite was the obvious country to pick from. Both Lastrada and Artesia agreed on that.

But they did not act on it yet, not because having to fight as Fuzzy Dice would be harder, but simply because of the orphans they were watching over.

「We decided we’d ask the Commander in Chief to prepare an orphanage for us, and then we’d take care of transporting everyone. But there’s a certain issue in our way.」

They could not just abandon the orphanage, so obviously they were considering taking all of them to Arkite. But that was easier said than done.¹

1. Silva: well, now you have the strongest summoner on your side, it can be easily done