Hey guys. Before the chapter, I’d like to announce that I have made a discord server for this story. You can find the link both here and on my home page. Mind that it is the first server I’ve made on discord, so I’m not quite experienced with the management duties. However, I will do my best to keep things friendly. I will also do my best to answer any questions you may have.

https://discord.gg/mBjXTRCtcn

Half an hour later…

“Alright! Me and the girls are going to go shopping!”

The bottom floor was the largest part of the mansion. Technically, it was the same size as the other floors, but in terms of room space, it outclassed the rest.

First, there’s the foyer. The room with the main staircase, and the room where Simon usually frequents. While this room is not commonly used for talking amongst one another for those who reside here, it is nearly always used to welcome guests. In particular, it was only used in such a way with a large number of guests. So that nearly never happened, despite Riley’s title as a noble in this country.

Second, there’s the kitchen. Of course, the kitchen itself is rather large, being roughly the same size as the foyer. As befitting a noble’s mansion, the kitchen was packed with all kinds of cooking equipment. Ovens, refrigerators, freezers, and plenty of dishes and cabinets, so on and so forth. (By the way, all the equipment ran on Conjuring Enchantments.) There weren't many in this mansion who were well versed in the art of cooking, however. As such, the kitchen almost always went unused in big meals. Exceptions were made surely, but even then, the only ones who use it as a proper kitchen number only two. 

Third, there’s the dining room. Abnormally large, being the same size as both the foyer and the kitchen. This was a room meant to hold even more people than the kitchen, from guests and their families to maids to servants to the host’s family. Two long wooden tables ran side by side with each other, each one with a large number of seats. One of these tables normally went unused when it was time for supper, assuming everyone decides to eat in this room. As such, it was a room that saw even less use than either of the previous rooms.

Finally, there was the living room. This room was easily the largest in the mansion, being the equivalent to the kitchen and dining room combined. Why? Well that is due to positioning. The kitchen and dining room sit upon the west side of the bottom floor while the living room sits alone on the east side. The only thing standing between them was the foyer and a small hallway.

Naturally, this room had significantly more furniture than any other. Several couches and chairs were lined around a fireplace, a rug sat between them all. There were many gaudy paintings that not a single soul looked at. Tables, lamps, a desk or two, and many other things made this room seem significantly fancier than one would find even in the castle. In fact, when Elijah and Elice first saw it, they were both dumbfounded. Riley was as well. He ended up telling them that he absolutely hated the way the room looked, so he almost never used it when he was here. “Fortunately,” he claimed, “it isn’t covered in gold. I don’t like it, but I figured it was too much of a hassle to tear down. Although, if the room was covered in gold, I would have destroyed it personally.”

That said, this room was commonly frequented by the others (save for Simon) when they wanted to sit back, relax, and do nothing. While the room itself was all forms of gaudy, to the point that even the royals of another nation thought it was too much, the others could sit in here without a worry in the world.

Another thing the servants used this room for was to hold their own personal meetings. Riley was often gone, meaning that their master was unable to care for the mansion. So, they decided to hold meetings every so often regarding this. Of course, there were other topics besides handling the mansion. And at this moment, it was being used to hold yet another meeting, this time between not only the servants, but also the guests that Riley had brought with him.

This time, the one who called the meeting was actually Simon. He had declared to the others that, based on what he had heard from Jensen, they needed to be fully aware of. And for once, he didn’t have his nose shoved in a book. Instead, he held one in his hand, a bookmark set on his page.

However, before he could even speak, Zaria burst through the door and made her declaration to everyone inside.

“Yeah, no. I’ll pass.” 

“Not happening.”

Edna and Michaela immediately rejected her demand.

“What?! But why?! Don’t you want to see what all they have out there on the market?!” Zaria suddenly cried. Their remarks immediately made her feel dejected. However, since she wasn’t someone who could handle her emotions very well, she would often try to get things to go her way so she didn’t have to deal with them. She knew it was childish, but she couldn’t help it. She would definitely persuade the two to go with her.

“Eh, I don’t really care about shopping. It’s pretty boring. I’d much rather go drinking somewhere or fight someone. Plus, doesn’t Riley have plenty of food here anyways?” Edna asked.

Edna wasn’t a very girly person to begin with. Riley knew this much having grown up with her. She loved exploring, but she pretty much hated anything to do with trying to make herself look good or with anything most girls did. Edna found it to be too troublesome, thinking that it would just make her want to puke. That’s why she wouldn’t be caught dead doing any form of shopping aside from getting foodstuffs.

“Call him Master Riley,” Zara muttered. However, Edna was able to hear it.

“Hey, I’m not calling him master anything! He’s my brother, so don’t you start telling me to be subservient to him, got it?” she remarked, her eye twitching.

Having forgotten this, Zara’s eyes slightly widened. “Ah, my apologies. I forgot…”

Edna sighed. “As long as you get it, then apology accepted.”

“Shut up, Zara! Quit interrupting!” she barked at her brother, catching the guests in the room by surprise. Zara meekly stood back, obeying his sister. Seeing this, the others were further confused by his actions.

“Jeez, that was harsh. Was that really called for?” Elice whispered to herself.

After this, for a good five minutes, Zaria tried convincing Edna as hard as she could to join her in town. It was simply unbelievable that she wasn’t getting what she wanted.

“Lady Edna, please reconsider! I want to show you all of the greatest places in town! Don’t you want to see your great brother’s lovely home?”

“Not really.”

Zaria didn’t know what to say. Ever since she moved here to serve Riley, she had never been straight up rejected like this. Of course, it wasn’t something they could easily do either. She’d often have everyone wrapped up doing what she wanted that they never got a chance to say no. At this point, the other servants knew this and just went along with it. This applied to everyone but Hombell who Zaria avoided as much as possible.

Still, this time, Edna didn’t even give her a chance to argue. She flat out refused and continued to refuse. Zaria was being childish. Even if she wanted to go out and look at the town, she couldn’t bring herself to travel with someone so immature. If there was one thing that Edna couldn’t stand, it was grown children.

“Nngh!” At this point, Zaria was pouting. She had been told no for the last time. The only reason that Zaria hadn’t ignored Edna’s will was because she knew that she was Riley’s - her master’s - sister. If it were anyone else, she would have already grabbed them by the arm, pulled them up, and dragged them with her. However, she didn’t want to come off as disrespectful or overly violent, so she held back.

Still, this was bugging her to the point of tears. So, having given up on Edna, she turned and looked at Hombell. “And what about you?”

This time, she was much more curt. In this household, everyone struggled at dealing with Michaela Hombell. All of them knew about a secret she had, a secret that partially disgusted and completely repulsed the majority of them. There were a number of times that they questioned why Riley decided to take her in, but none of them outright refused. After all, even if it wasn’t Riley’s decision, she seemed to have her benefits.

“I’m going out to play tonight. I would much rather have my snacks in peace and silence, thank you,” she said. Hombell went back and forth between being timid and utterly selfish. It wasn’t a split personality, but she definitely did have the strangest mood swings. This time, she seemed to be in her selfish mood. It was like dealing with a teenager with attitude problems more than it was dealing with a child when she was like this.

“To play?” Simon asked. “Did Master Riley give you permission?” All of the servants knew what she meant by play and snacks. Her particular pastime had both its positives and negatives, but simply knowing about it merely made Simon queasy. Still, if Riley had given his permission, he had no reason to argue.

“Right… He did say she could,” Zaria muttered as if she forgot. Her head was turned to the side, still pouting. Zaria decided to extend her offer to Hombell as well as a way to try and have all of the girls get closer, despite her habits. That said, Zaria was both peeved and relieved when she declined. As such, she merely let it go.

Deciding that it was time to move on, Zaria patted her cheeks with both palms and faced everyone again. “Fine! They aren’t going! But the other girls will!” The others definitely weren’t going to say no.

“…” Sierra wanted to sigh, putting her hand to face. She didn’t know who to be more exasperated with between Hombell and Zaria. Still, she was also aware of the stock situation. Ever since Riley had brought over these guests, they were going through the food faster and faster each day. They would definitely need to get a lot more food this time.

“Well, I do kinda wanna see what the town looks like. We haven’t really left the mansion ever since we got here…” Joy stated. Among the Summons, Joy was the one who was starting to talk the most. At first, it was Darius since he was the best in social situations. Joy, to give a word, sucked at it. She could talk easily with Rosa, but that was a different matter.

However, ever since she was brought here, she had been encountered by nearly everyone, and her social abilities were growing some. And so, since Darius was busy guarding Annika, she decided she’d be the voice of the Summons. After all, Wyatt was still holding a grudge at his loss to Riley and was even worse at dealing with people than Joy. And Blanch… well, he was an asshole.

Of course, this time she was being specifically requested anyway, so she had to respond.

“I knew you’d get it!”

“Umm, as much as I would like to, I’m a little busy reading…” Elice said, partially entranced in the book in her hand. It was almost like a female Simon was here, some of the others thought, but it wasn’t that bad.

However, Zaria wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Ah, come on!” she said, closing the book in Elice’s hand. “There’s time to read later!”

“Ah! Wait! Wait! Come on! Ah!” Elice wailed as she was being dragged away by Zaria. Sighing at the two, Sierra trekked behind slowly, and Joy followed behind her.

“Guess we’ll be back later then…” Joy said, waving the others off.

Having been left behind without so much as a return time from Zaria, Simon leaned back in the seat, already raising a complaint. “That idiot could’ve at least waited until I got this information across…”

~~~

Around ten minutes later, the group of four were walking down the streets, looking at all of the stores and stalls. Not only that, but they were watching the hustle and bustle of the busy town. They were still in the middle of helping out those from Caera, so it would be like this for a while yet to come.

“It sucks that only half of us girls are out here, but we’ll still make it a fun time!”

“Eh-heh-heh…” Elice chuckled nervously.

Like Zaria had said, half - actually, it was less than half, but still - of the girls were out here. Edna rejected Zaria and Hombell was given permission, so she would be doing her own business for a while. Why she was even in the room right then was a complete mystery to her. Ordinarily, she would’ve already been preparing for the evening. She guessed Simon must have thought that something important was going down. Huh, maybe we should’ve listened to what he was going to say first…

Maria was still locked in her room, and Marietta was taking care of the catatonic Rosa. Annika was being guarded by Darius since she was more of a prisoner than a servant right now, and both Alexandria and Celeste were completely absent from the scene. So, she would have to make due with what she had: Sierra, Elice, and Joy.

“So how did you all come across your master?” Joy asked, kicking off the conversation while looking at Sierra. “All of you look able to take care of yourself, so why serve that man?”

Sierra barely responded, slightly shaking her head. This left Joy confused, having not understood what she meant.

“Don’t expect any talk from Sierra. In all the time we’ve lived here, most of us have never heard her voice,” Zaria explained.

“Are you just not talkative?”

Sierra shook her head. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk. It was that she was incapable of speech.

“Apparently, she was cursed a long time ago. I don’t know the details, but Simon and Silas do. Though I doubt they want to talk about it. They always get so touchy when it comes to their sister.”

“Wait, cursed?!” Elice cried. “What an application!!! I knew it could do all kinds of things, but I never would have thought it could even remove one’s speech! What a brilliant application! Once I learn how to cast them, maybe I could curse Stefan like that!”

Suddenly, Elice was beginning to nerd out. Having studied all day on curses, she came across various curious uses among curses. Intrigued, she decided she wanted to see just how many things a person could do. She wasn’t aware of it just yet, but one day, she would realize that curses are only as limited as one’s imagination.

Still, at this moment, that isn’t what mattered. Having heard her get into this kind of mood, Joy slowly took a little more distance from the princess. Zaria wasn’t deterred, simply thinking She’s weird.

Sierra, however, was caught off guard. She had heard that the princess was seeming to become passionate to curses, and surely, she thought she’d seen a glimpse of it earlier that morning in the library. She didn’t expect, though, that she would become so curious and ecstatic over curses the way she was now.

For as long as she had her curse, as long as she could remember at least, people had kept their distance from her. Looks of disgust, fear, pity. Various negative emotions she would often see packed onto the faces of others. Nobles especially seemed disgusted, and many adventurers who learned she was cursed also seemed to look at her with nasty looks. It was something she couldn’t stand.

Her brothers were another matter. No matter what, Simon and Silas never looked at her that way. They were fully aware she was cursed, and they both knew why it happened. They knew who did it. They couldn’t look at her with looks of disgust, she was their sister. And it was because they knew that she was cursed that they’d resolved to protect their baby sister.

Then there was Riley. He didn’t look at her the same way the others did, and on top of that, he was also cursed. Sierra found a kindred soul in him. When she began serving him, the looks that she received before seemed to vanish. And when he continued adding people into his service, even they didn’t look like they were bothered. It was like this was just par for the course.

When Riley brought Elice and the others, though, she thought that the people she felt more bitter against would also show the same looks of disgust that she had once received. And it was true that both Blanch and Stefan seemed to be disgusted with her, but she did her best to ignore them.

Still, she also realized something else. The royals’ sister, Rosa, was currently cursed, and from what she heard from Riley, even their mother was cursed. Maybe they had a little more sympathy than she thought. But this was something she never thought she’d see. A princess so enthusiastic about curses that she was studying them and putting all of her effort into it. To put a word to it, she was weird, just like Zaria thought.

Still, while the subject of her curse was rather touchy, Sierra couldn’t help but feel somewhat happy. This was the exact opposite of a normal reaction, and she simply couldn’t hate it.

“Well the majority of this town as well as all of us who serve Master Riley were saved by him at some point. All of us felt gratitude and wanted to find some way to repay him. Some of us became his direct subordinates while others decided to help build the town he ran.”

“That’s really all it took?” Joy asked curiously. Nobody would want to go so far out of their way to repay someone like that, but an entire town’s worth of people did? It was hard to believe and even less easy to accept.

“Well, when Master Riley had a branch of the adventurer’s society built in town, many of the adventurers flocked here. The fact was, nobody knew how to find him after he saved them. They didn’t even know his name, much less his nickname. But that changed after he was given his title. When people heard some extremely powerful man whose body was stronger than a wall was given territory, many couldn’t believe it. To those who felt this sounded familiar, they came here when they learned about the branch opening. When they learned who Master Riley was, they decided to stick around. I was definitely no exception,” Zaria explained.

“Of course, Zara and I weren’t adventurers. But as soon as we heard one single rumor, that was all it took for us to recognize that it was Master Riley. So, despite my disgust for my brother, we agreed to come here and help him out. Unfortunately, we didn’t get here first. By the time we got here, he already had three helpers. I thought we were going to be turned down, but with the help of this nation’s royalty, he decided to let us help him. And we’ve been here ever since.”

There was definitely a lot more to say, but even though Zaria was in a talkative mood, it seemed that she didn’t want to say how she was helped. Elice couldn’t be surprised that the royals of the nation persuaded Riley either. They were probably sly enough that they managed to outwit Riley into taking the position he currently held, so the royals convincing him to take on subordinates wasn’t unbelievable. Still, there was one thing that Elice picked up on that she couldn’t help but ask about.

“Well, I understand now why you decided to help out Big Brother, but you seem to hate your brother. What happened between you?”

With a look of hate and disgust, Zaria looked away. “Don’t worry about that. He knows what he did, and there’s no fixing it, no matter how much he tries.”

Elice and Joy could see the pain in her eyes. Her eyes, downcast, were mixed with hints of rage, sadness, and a plethora of other emotions. Still, she decided that this wasn’t the time for that. What’s done was done and there would be no fixing it. So, Zaria clapped her hands, raised her lips in a broad toothy grin, and pushed all that into the past.

“Well, that doesn’t matter! It’s time for shopping!!! I want to have some fun!”

Seeing that she was trying to turn the topic away from her past, the girls didn’t say another word about it.

And so, the girls walked throughout the town, collecting lots of different foods. None of them were picky about what they got either. They’d just gotten whatever they could, and they got a lot of it. Any ordinary citizen would find themselves unbelievably broke or even unable to pay. But these were the people who lived in Riley’s mansion, and he always left them with a massive sum of cash. So they never had to worry about going broke.

Still, looking at the price tag, Joy was certainly taken by surprise. Numbers like these never shocked Elice, her being a royal. Sierra grimaced at it, but this wasn’t the first time they’d done so much splurging, so that’s all it remained was a grimace. Meanwhile, Zaria was just chatting away.

“Spatial Conjuring is so amazing…” Elice muttered.

“Right! Sierra and Master Riley are so lucky! They have the most useful abilities ever!”

Sierra looked unaffected, but a small smile was forming on her face.

The girls were shopping, and they were getting a lot. However, they weren’t carrying a single bag. Not one of them was unnecessarily hassled. In this way, they were lucky, especially with how much they had already gotten.

And how had they gotten out of carrying the bags? “What’s that spell called again, Sierra? Something like Pocket Dimension?” Zaria asked ever so nonchalantly. And to this question, Sierra merely nodded her head.

Pocket Dimension was a Spatial Conjuring spell that allowed the user to store anything they owned in separate spaces. These spaces were endless, and the only amount Ether needed to use the spell was merely for opening and closing the entrance to this space. Out of all the spells possible for Spatial Conjuring, Pocket Dimension was perhaps the most cost efficient.

However, there was a catch.

“Man, you two really are lucky! You have to have an insane amount of Ether to even use Spatial Conjuring! A normal person who’d try wouldn’t even be able to even open that space without going empty!”

Indeed, Spatial Conjuring was one of the most cost inefficient types of Conjuring in the world. It cost an absolutely massive amount of Ether, so the only types of people who could use it to its fullest were those with a respectably large amount themselves. 

Riley fell into this category as well. Nobody could see it with Peering Conjuring, and it couldn’t be felt by anybody. This was thanks to his curse. However, that didn’t mean it completely erased his Ether from his body. And Riley’s tank was beyond what anybody could imagine. Capable of sending an entire city’s worth of people to another country much farther away than one would ever think possible. Of course, that didn’t mean that that didn’t cost him. Nobody could perform such a feat in the first place, and in Riley’s case, it still almost completely drained him. The spell ultimately ended up leaving him in the Empty Vessel State, and now it could be seen permanently for all to see.

Still, he couldn’t be used as a proper reference either. In short, being able to properly use Spatial Conjuring required lots of Ether. This left one thing on the girls’ minds.

“Does it really require that much?!” Elice shouted.

“Just how much Ether does that guy have?!” Joy also shouted, remembering both her own fight with him and the massive teleport.

“Then, does that mean you also have a lot of Ether?” Elice turned to look at Sierra, who still looked rather proud. Sierra responded with merely a nod of her head.

“Amazing…”

“Yup, yup! Sierra’s so damn lucky!” Zaria was starting to pout again, her cheeks puffed out. On seeing this, Joy lightly chuckled.

And so, they continued their walk. Around them, the people recognized Zaria and Sierra, waving hi and giving them their regards. Looking at the people around them, Elice and Joy felt a sense of discomfort.

“The people here really look happy, even while they’re busy helping citizens of an entirely foreign nation…” Elice muttered.

In Caera, she’d seen a large number of people walking the streets, but she wasn’t able to go down there herself. Not without standing out with armed guards, chariots, and similar royal specialties. And while she went out in this manner, she’d often see the people take a knee and offer their respect, but after she passed, she was fully aware that there was plenty of scorn. She knew not where it came from, but she was fully aware that crime was rampant in her own country. It was a disease that every large city suffered.

If that weren’t enough, she also had to put up with all forms of nobles. Some families were amenable and friendly, but the ones that she was most familiar with were the ones she was trying to daily outsmart in her parents’ place. She’d become a terrifying force in politics and scams involved in it. And frankly, she was sick of it.

Still, here, everyone was happy. Not a single person dropped to their knees and they all respected the people who resided at the mansion. Not revering with respect like in Caera, but still showing how accepting of their leaders they were. It showed Elice that the world was still wide, and there was plenty to explore.

“Yeah, it’s like this all over town. Everyone here has seen us passing through before, so they have no problem with us. At this point, we’re just familiar faces that they always expect to see.”

“It’s not like that at home, but… I guess that’s to be expected since royalty isn’t allowed to mingle with the people so often.”

“In my world, I don’t think there’s a single town in the world like this. There’d be people minding their own business, but there was a lot more trash lingering around than there were decent people. Honestly, though, this is a nice change of pace from both my world and Caera. Hell, despite there being more conflict here, this world is so much better than my own.”

Joy was mixing both her complaints and her compliments. For the most part, she agreed with Elice. It wasn’t often saw a town like this, so it was nice.

“Oh, right. You’re a Summon. Isn’t there, like, some kind of condition for summoning?” Zaria asked. It wasn’t much of a surprise to her that Joy was a Summon. After all, in this world, there were plenty of Summons. They were a defining feature of this world in the people’s eyes.

“The way Summonings work, there’s apparently a set condition in every attempt. I wasn’t involved in the Summonings of Joy and the others, but I read in a book once that a Summoning is set to choose someone who was abandoned by their own world,” Elice explained.

“Abandoned?”

“Well, that’s one word for it…” Joy muttered.

“Like I said, I only read it once before. The spell itself was created forever ago by some higher power in the era, or so that records say. Since the spell works, though, people don’t really feel the need to confirm it. As for historical Summonings, the people who are chosen are more often than not excited to be here and willing to both explore and protect this world.”

“Is that how it works? Eh, that’s confusing though… Some higher power. I wonder if we should be thankful or not,” Zaria pondered.

“Honestly, I felt kinda the same way, but the feeling of being needed got to my head, and I got arrogant…” Joy whispered toward the end.

She was remembering her attitude towards Riley as she said this. She was acting tough and looking down on him because he thought he was nothing but show. Of course, Annika didn’t help the situation. She was egging her on, but that wasn’t an excuse for her behavior she felt. Her subsequent loss to Riley helped her to realize this.

Then, the attack on Crestfall happened. And she couldn’t even lift a finger to either save the queen or to help fight. She was too terrified, being protected by people who could be called real warriors. And even they lost. Even Riley was in terrible shape, the person she lost against not even a few days before. She lost her confidence and her arrogance at the same time. Today, she wasn’t afraid to admit it, even if it was only a few days later. Whether she could recover her confidence, she didn’t know.

The girls left this conversation behind, and for another twenty or so minutes, they walked around and chatted away. It was now around 4:30, and the girls finally decided to start returning to the mansion. The sun was still rather high, being the middle of spring, but in a few hours, it would be getting dark. Since she felt that Simon would get snippy if she waited until dark to come back, she decided that they should return.

On their way back, Joy was taking in more of the sights when she noticed something she hadn’t before. “Ya know, it might be because I was so used to it from my own world, but I just noticed. These street lights… I don’t think I saw them back in Crestfall…”

“Hmm? Oh that? Oh, that’s no big deal! According to Master Riley, they’re light making devices crafted with enchantments and conjuring!”

“She’s not wrong. Crestfall was always lit up, so we didn’t set these things up, but these have been known throughout the lands for a while now,” Elice remarked.

“Really?” It was honestly unbelievable. She hadn’t exactly explored the world, but she hadn’t seen technology like her own world’s in this one.

Elice explained it to Joy like this. Summons, as stated before, are not uncommon in this world. There are some who even bring their ideas with them. For example, the street lights. The idea was provided by a Summon and implemented using the logic of this world. There was actually a large number of devices here that were inspired or created with the help of Summons. For example, chandeliers, ceiling fans (or even other kinds of fans), ovens and fridges, and a large number of at-home appliances. In fact, there was rumor of someone out there in the midst of creating something called a television.

“Wow…”

“Oh yeah, Master Riley’s weapon is also a Summon’s idea. A friend of his gave him the idea to get his made. I think he called it a f-fl-flin-”

“Flintlock?”

“Yes! That’s it!”

“It’s kind of a surprise to know that guns are only just now getting made now that I know all of that. Guns were one of the earliest devices in the world. In fact, the flintlock was a Gun used primarily in the pirate era. In the present day, it’s completely outdated and behind the times. At most, it’s only for collectors.”

“…” Elice and Sierra remained quiet this whole time. According to Riley, the people who attacked Crestfall were all fully armed with guns. Not just that, but he even suspected that whoever it was who tore off Riley’s arm was likely also armed with a gun.

“People use conjuring here all the time. Why would anyone think that those kinds of weapons are necessary when we got that?”

“…Well, you do have a point…”

“I’d say, though, that the production of guns was ultimately inevitable, even if it was an uncommon weapon before.”

“Oh, why’s that?”

“People want a quick and easy way to beat others. Guns have that capability so it would seem. Master Riley’s gun doesn’t fire what he calls bullets, but he did demonstrate with his Creation conjuring what a gun is supposed to do. What it’s meant for.”

Riley had demonstrated once before how a gun usually works, using the knowledge he’d gained from his friend. This was done due to his retainers’ curiosities, but it clearly demonstrated how useful it was supposed to be.

Of course, everyone thought that such a weapon wouldn’t be mass produced just yet. They’d been seen here and there perhaps due to Summons or their friends maybe owning some, but as it was also stated, conjuring was the more common ranged weapon.

But times were changing…

“From what Master Riley said, the army over there was completely stacked with those things. He even thinks that a gun might be responsible for his arm. Although, I highly doubt that. Unless they got a gun like his, there’s no way something like that could ever pierce through his skin. Master Riley is the strongest, toughest man in the world! He can dodge the fastest attacks, bypass every defense, withstand every strike, and hit his enemies so hard that their bodies explode!! Nobody can deny it!!!”

Her spiel ultimately involved dramatic passion with an epic display of movements, apparently showing off his strength and defense. She spun, practically danced, threw her fists, a kick, and finally raised her fist high in the air with a great big yell. Elice was rather dumbfounded, and Joy was stupefied by her performance. Even Sierra was sighing and shaking her head, holding her palm to her head.

“Yeah! You said it Miss Zaria!”

“Better believe it!”

“The ultimate defender and champion!”

“Let’s sing some more praises!”

“Nobody can defeat that hero!”

“He is definitely a great man!”

Her dance, however, was met with a cacophony of cheers and clapping, people whistling, and a few people laughing at her exaggerated display. Nobody here disparaged her for her words, and nobody denied her claims. Everyone here firmly believed in Riley. In this town, one would be hard pressed to find someone who hates him.

There were, of course, a few skeptics who lived here. They didn’t think he was truly that strong, but they had never challenged him, seen his feats, or seen him fight. Although, these were mostly people who were new to the town. There were a good amount of people who had come here specifically to challenge Riley. If he was gone, one of his servants would take the challenge in his stead, and they would thoroughly pound their own strength into these people’s heads. Upon seeing their strength, those people would ultimately be divided into two groups: the ones who believed him fortunate enough to get a strong servant and those who feared his might in taming such a monster. The former tended to live closer to the outskirts of the town assuming they stayed.

At present, there were even some members of the Caera Kingdom community that were clapping and cheering. They had been told that Riley saved them. Not all of them did, but a decent portion did.

“Okay, okay, I get it, I get it…” Joy said, slightly overwhelmed.

Zaria caught back up to the other girls and then nudged at Elice. “Hey, I wanna know. What’s your sister like?”

Her words caught Elice by surprise, her eyes opening wide before narrowing sadly. “Why… do you want to know?”

“Because I saw how Master Riley looked when he was talking about her curse. I think I’ve only ever seen him that sad once, so it took me by surprise to see that face again.”

Elice was surprised by her remark. She knew that Riley cared about them, and back when she’d see him at the castle, he never showed any expressions besides curiosity or innocence. Every now and then, she might see a slightly annoyed part of him, but until she saw his anger and frustration the days before and during the attack, she had never thought he could truly get angry or sad. And now, not only did she hear that he had shown sadness once before, but now his expression changed for her sister.

“He was… sad?”

“Yep. Like I said, he’s only shown that once before in front of any of us, but that was years ago. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see him look that way again. So I’m curious as to what that girl is like? What is it about her that seeing her that way made him sad?”

Elice hesitated to answer. This girl was a stranger. Even if she worked for someone she looked up to, why should she trust her? That thought skimmed through her mind.

However, looking back at her, she couldn’t see any malice. She appeared genuinely curious. And so, with bated breath, she answered in a small voice, “She… is a rather proud girl. She was extremely proud to be born to a royal family. She actually ended up being so proud that she got arrogant when she was young.”

Hearing this, Zaria’s expression shifted to one of disgust. She, like many of Riley’s other subordinates, hated those kinds of nobles already, so how could their Master, who they look up to so greatly, enjoy the presence of someone like that? It was baffling.

“She was also hailed as the Magic Princess, learning conjurings at an incredible speed and mastering multiple elements. That didn’t help her arrogance, though. In fact, it made her much worse. Frankly, she was beginning to get on my nerves. Though, I couldn’t say that I wasn't proud either. But unlike me, Rosa had a bad habit of flaunting around her title as the country’s princess. Not only that, but she would call everyone else by their titles instead of their names. It’s a habit that she still has.”

Gritting her teeth, Zaria was beginning to tense up. “Why would Master Riley ever enjoy being in the company of someone like that! That is not the man we look up to!”

Hearing her anger, Elice only frowned. In fact, she even agreed with that statement. Riley hated being associated with those kinds of people, whether he could talk to them civilly or not.

“You’re right. My brother wasn’t any better than she was, and perhaps might have been worse.”

“Tch…”

“That said, their attitudes shifted greatly the day they met Big Brother. So did mine. While I wasn’t quite so arrogant, I was still the kind of person you probably wouldn’t like.”

“The day you met him?”

“One day, he waltzed right into the castle with Old Man Cadmus.”

“Cadmus? And that’s supposed to be…”

“Edna’s granddad.”

“Granddad?! Wait, doesn’t that mean that-”

“No, he’s not related to Riley by blood. Edna isn’t blood related either. Way back when, he said he had an adopted sister, but I never met Edna until recently. I have no idea who his family is, nor do I understand his family circumstances. And I have no intention of prying.”

Zaria was surprised to hear this. Even someone who called her master her older brother didn’t know much about him or his family. Just how many secrets are in his past?

“Anyways, we’re off topic. Cadmus Drake, one of the few people that my sister and brother looked up to, visited the castle with Riley in tow. I believe my dad was away on business, but my mother took to him right away. Because the old man not only vouched for his trustworthiness but also his strength, both me and Rosa thought that he must have been some epic warrior, even if he was so young. Meanwhile, Elijah got jealous of him and sneered at him.

“Back then, though, I don’t think he ever gave his name. That, or if he did, we didn’t hear it. That aside, from that day forward, me and my sister were practically glued to him when he’d drop by. Since I didn’t know what to call him, I just went with Big Brother, and he called me Little Elly. I was so amazed by how smart he was, how handsome he was, the shine of his eyes, and the stories he would tell of his adventures.” As she spoke, she smiled fondly.

“Rosa didn’t know what to call him either, so she went with Mr. Adventurer. Elijah would challenge him all the time, and every time, he’d get beaten so easily. I think my brother saw a rival in him, so he practiced much harder. His pride was on the line.” 

Recalling this memory caused Elice to snicker somewhat. It had been so long ago, but she cherished these memories dearly. That was a time when she thought her family was at its happiest.

Still, the question Zaria asked was what Rosa was like. So, having gone off on a tangent, she returned to explaining Rosa. “Then, there was Rosa. She was much more fond of him than me. As a young conjurer herself, she was blown away by the spells he cast. He’d only show her a few, but they were supposedly marvelous, powerful, and beautiful. She would never stop bragging about him. She’d even started making fun of Elijah and kept saying how he didn’t stand a chance against her idol.

“One time, though, she boasted in front of him that she was a princess, and she said that if he wanted to, he could marry her and become a prince. Become the king of the nation. It was such a dream to her, and she even said that she didn’t mind that he was a commoner since she admired his strength. But when he heard that, for the first time, I saw a shred of annoyance in his face. In all honesty, I was surprised. He’d never shown anything but smiles or wonder in front of me, so seeing him like that, I took a step back, afraid of what he might do.

“That day, he told Rosa what he believed. He said that he had no intention of becoming the king. When she asked why, stating that he could have whatever he wanted as king, stating that the worthless commoners and nobles from everywhere would be beneath his boot, he looked at her and he told her that any ruler who doesn’t respect the people around him is no ruler at all. A person like that is merely a fool who let their power go to their heads.”

Hearing these words, Zaria’s grin returned. Sierra also nodded her agreement with this statement. These were the words that they knew were their master’s. To discriminate on social classes was not something they approved of. They’d had their fair share of experiences with that sort of problem.

“Now that sounds like Master Riley!”

“He’s a good man,” Joy stated, a smirk on her face.

“Yep. At first, Rosa wondered why he gained strength in the first place if not to become someone worthy of the highest class. But what Riley said next shocked us to the core.”

 

“Power isn’t used for oneself. It’s used to protect those who don’t have it. And even more so, it’s used to protect what you hold precious. Power comes in different forms as well. In my case, I have conjuring and physical strength, but in your case, you have political power. Where I can protect people from immediate life-threatening situations, you have the power to protect the people from slow, torturous situations, such as unemployment, starvation, discrimination. It’s the job of those with power to put a stop to things like this. If they don’t, then those who are suffering will either die without happiness, or they will take to their arms to ensure that they aren’t the only ones suffering.”

 

These words left all their mouths agape. These words were told to the princesses so long ago. Almost five years ago. When they were 11 and he was 15. How was it that their master had such wisdom in his heart from such a young age? And how is it that he managed to maintain those views for so long without having become corrupt himself?

Even when Zaria and Sierra had met him, it was only within the last couple years. At first, they figured it was years of experience, that he had been through something that made these beliefs.

But if these beliefs had been within him since these princesses were children, since he was even younger and much more susceptible to arrogance, did that mean that his world view was like this since the day he became conscious of the world around him?

Even more than that, Sierra and Zaria felt a deep hatred for those with such high political clout, and that was for a good reason. Riley was an exception. Even so, never once did they ever consider that point of view. These words, though spoken long in the past, awakened something in both of those girls. Once again, their respect for their master shone through. Even without him having directed the words at them himself, they felt that those were words to live by.

Inspired yet again, both Zaria and Sierra found themselves vowing in their hearts to be there to prove his words right. They would refuse to let anyone trample on his world view. They would protect his territory with their lives. Even though they once swore their loyalty to Riley and Riley alone, they felt that perhaps their sights were too narrow. If this is what he believed, they would be sure to live up to this expectation. They would make sure that Riley’s territory would never suffer the unemployment, starvation, discrimination, or anything else that might plague a country. They had a duty to make sure the citizens were safe. Both from immediate, life-threatening events, and the slow, torturous situations.

Meanwhile, Joy was also in awe. She had never heard anyone speak like this before. In Caera, she could see the corruption of the nobility. While she hadn’t seen the version of the Royal siblings that Elice was describing, she knew that it was likely true.

However, ever since she was summoned, she had taken up a “might makes right” stance. If she could protect herself with the uniqueness of this world, its conjurings and other unique abilities, then she would make sure nobody could beat her. Nobody would use her, abuse her, or throw her away. She would be the strongest so nobody could toss her aside, not even the world.

But coming here, hearing these words… She could feel something move in her heart. She’d felt something similar when she fought Riley before. It was when she realized that she had become too arrogant for her own good. This time, his words inspired her. Not just his strength. She had always wanted to know if there was anyone in either world who would actually stand up for the weak. So far, she hadn’t seen any evidence of this. 

However, after hearing these words? After looking at this town? Even seeing the man’s personality? She couldn’t help but feel like she wanted to follow him. Even if he didn’t move the world to follow his views, she wanted to help him, and she wanted to help the people he was watching over. At the very least, she wanted to see with her own eyes the one thing she always questioned.

Elice continued her story. “Those words stuck with me and Rosa. Both of us saw something wrong with ourselves. I was proud, but what was I supposed to be proud of? My bloodline? Was that it? No. I had political power. I didn’t have my sister’s conjuring genius, but I had more wits than either of my siblings. I studied hard how to deal with the corrupt nobles. I learned how to wear a mask where I needed to. I wouldn’t let the nobles walk all over the people, and I refused to let them try and use us as puppets.

“Rosa, however? In her case, she was going through her own self interrogation. I don’t know what questions she was asking herself. But after that, she was reforming herself. She could never quite drop the status name calling habit, and she would often slip up and snap at someone of lower status, but every time she did, she regretted it and apologized to the other person. Her arrogance was vanishing. And while she struggled to handle politics, unlike me, she kept up her studies in conjuring. If she couldn’t protect others with her know-how, she would protect it with her might. That’s what I saw after that.”

Hearing this, Zaria seemed satisfied with her answer. “I see. So she changed because of Master Riley. He’s got some of the strangest quirks and abilities, but it’s like he can reach into someone’s soul and squeeze right where it hurts, only to reform you gently. How strange,” she said with a smile.

“Right. For the next year, he’d come back to the castle over and over again. During that time, my relationship with Rosa dwindled over time. I’d take time to see Big Brother, but I decided to dedicate my time to studying to make him proud and to protect both the people and my family. On the other hand, Rosa saw him every single time he appeared. She smiled more brightly than ever before, and she improved herself for his sake. We may have been pre-teens, but Big Brother became Rosa’s first love.

“It was because I saw how much she loved him that I was so angry with Big Brother when he disappeared.”

“Disappeared? You mean that time he was supposedly a wanted man in Caera?” Zaria asked.

“Were there ever any wanted posters for him? I never saw any while we were there,” Joy asked.

Indeed, there wasn’t a single wanted poster. In spite of the actions taken to drive him away, King Gregory never put up any wanted posters. This was for two reasons. To keep his daughters from finding out, and because Riley threatened to come back if he was hunted again. Afraid of such an outcome, he didn’t dare put up the posters. After all, he knew how powerful Riley was at that age.

“No, there weren’t. We had no idea what happened to him. Elijah was outraged, but I didn’t figure out why until recently. His disappearance caused Elijah to mellow out, denounce his family name, and to focus so much more intently on his swordsmanship. Our relationship dwindled.

“But it was Rosa who was the most devastated. All that time she spent with him, and yet, he suddenly vanished. She cried and she cried. She didn’t think he had gone missing. She thought that even though he was so strong, that he might have died. After all, he once told us a story that someone nearly managed to hurt him. We didn’t know about his curse back then nor how cruel or powerful it was, but we knew that there were other strong people out there. So Rosa cried, thinking that someone killed her first love.

“However, it was because she was so devastated that I was so enraged. I wouldn’t believe he was dead. I didn’t know why, but he left us behind. My brother lost his rival. I lost someone I looked up to as a brother, who inspired me to do something to protect my family. And my sister lost the one person that she devoted her life to. Even if it was only a year, everything she did was to improve herself for him. Her words that she had said about marrying him into the family eventually became genuine. She didn’t want him to join the family. She wanted him for herself. She wouldn’t let that go. That dream was what she held onto. Even after that, she refused anyone who made an attempt on her, proclaiming that her heart belonged to one man.

“As angry as I was, I decided to distance myself from my siblings. I felt like with that distance, I could see anything that would dare to hurt my sister. I wouldn’t let her go through something as heartbreaking as that again. And I swore that if I ever saw Big Brother again, I wouldn’t forgive him. I would make him answer for making my sister suffer those years without him.”

Zaria and Sierra had a slight distance from Elice, seeing her angry face and serious tone. They knew that she cared that much for them. That their master would make them cry like that, they couldn’t begin to comprehend. Again, it wasn’t like the man that they knew.

Still, sensing that she was becoming too heated, Sierra placed her hand on Elice’s shoulder, effectively snapping her out of her emotions. “Uhh… sorry…” she muttered.

“T-To be honest, that doesn’t sound like something he’d do. It’s not uncommon for him to save someone and vanish, but I know for a fact that he wouldn’t leave anyone who cared about him that much without so much as a word,” Zaria explained.

“Believe me, I thought that he’d betrayed us. For years, me and my siblings rarely interacted. We continued on, inspired by Big Brother in different ways. For four years, Rosa and I didn’t know the truth. But then, the other day, he teleported several broken carriages, a slain carcass, a number of unconscious knights and horses, and my siblings to the castle’s courtyard. At first I was confused, but when I saw him again, with his new outfit, glasses, and hairstyle, I still immediately recognized him, and my blood boiled, seeing him carrying Rosa in his arms. I snapped and went to question what right he had to come back. But his concern was healing my sister. So I cooled off for a moment and went with him to heal her. 

“For the first time, I learned his real name. As soon as I did, I immediately recognized that he was the famous Indestructible Murus. My rage was flying off the walls, but I didn’t dare interrupt him while he healed Rosa. My rage continued to fester… until my father appeared.” Once again, her expression hardened and her anger rose to its peak. Her fist balled up tightly, her nails beginning to draw blood from her hand.

“At first, I didn’t know what was going on. He had returned too soon from the Council of the Crowns. But then he gave Big Brother a death stare and was going to attack him. But for the first time in my life, I saw Riley draw his gun on my father. I’d never expected anyone to directly threaten my father up close, but not only was that proven wrong, but it was by the same person who I had never seen truly irritated before. I didn’t know what was going on. And then, when he explained what happened… and when my father not only didn’t deny it but also started making excuses? All of my rage for Riley vanished, and my father immediately became the one person I hated most. Even Rosa…”

Elice raised her bleeding hand and looked at it intensely. “My rage was misguided. And Rosa, who I had been confused at for not being angry, didn’t harbor a grudge at learning he was alive. She still believed in him. She’d been too happy that he returned. Even on the day that we were set to leave, when I saw Rosa making her way to Big Brother with a big goofy grin in spite of her crutches, I realized that her feelings were stronger than ever. I realized that she was still improving herself for Riley. I don’t know whether she believed that Riley was watching her somehow or if perhaps she believed that he was still alive and would return to her. I don’t know…”

Closing her hand, she stopped walking and turned to face Zaria. The entire time, Zaria was simply amazed. She had thought her own devotion was strong. She proclaimed herself his most dedicated servant, and she still believed that. But when she compared that to the princess’s belief in her master, she felt like her devotion was minuscule in comparison.

“But I do know that she deserves to be happy. I will find a way to break her curse. And when I do break it, you’d better believe that I’m going to support her in becoming Big Brother’s wife!” With this declaration, her balled up fist was raised to her chest, as if striking it to show her own powerful will.

Taken aback, the other three smiled. Joy couldn’t say a word, and naturally, neither could Sierra. But Zaria?

“I have to admit, you had me for a second there. I could swear that you were going to say that this girl was the worst possible kind!” Zaria planted her hand on Elice’s shoulder hard. “If she believes in my master more than even I do, then she has my support! When she wakes up, I’ll be sure to help nudge her in the right direction!”

Using her opposite hand, she placed it on Zaria’s arm and smiled greatly. “Thank you. I’m glad to know that I have support.”

Sierra also nodded and placed her hand on Elice’s other shoulder, as if agreeing to do the same.

Once this was settled, everyone put their arms down. However, as if curious, Zaria put her finger to her chin and looked to the sky. “Hmm… But what would you say if he had more than one wife?”

“Geh-” Confounded by her words, Elice looked Zaria dead in the eyes, almost not knowing what to say.

“I mean he might not be the typical noble, but he still is one. And while none of the girls who serve him here have those kinds of desires for him, who’s to say he won’t take another woman’s hand?”

In this world, polygamy was legal. It was mostly a system used by nobles to extend their bloodline, but it was nonetheless legal. It wasn’t impossible for anyone to steal the hearts or hands of multiple people.

Elice was actually aware of this as well, though she admittedly forgot about its existence. After all, her own father, who in fact was the king, only ever had his wife, Isabelle, her mother. There were no other wives, mistresses, or concubines. As such, her family was all directly related to her. In those circumstances, it wasn’t hard to forget.

Still, having been reminded of this fact wasn’t exactly comforting. Elice was neither for nor against monogamy. Love lives simply never occurred to her before. And yet, this one little thing nagged her.

“D-Does Big Brother… Is he polygamous?” She had never once thought to ask this question before. If not for Zaria, she would never have had to think of it either.

“Hmm, I can’t really say.”

“You can’t?”

“Nope. I don’t remember if it was me or Silas who asked, but someone did bring up him marrying. But we never really got a straight answer. He just laughed it off and said that it could be worried about at another time. We have no idea about his romantic views, so I couldn’t say.”

“Then why did you bring it up?!” Elice asked, clearly frustrated and stomping her foot.

“We don’t know who he’ll end up with or how many. Figured I’d see how you’d handle it. Whatever the case, if I see someone who’s interested in him that way, your sister or otherwise, I have no problem pushing them his way,” Zaria said with a smirk. So long as her Master was happy, she didn’t care if he had one wife or many. The happier he was, the better.

“Grr…” Elice growled, contemplating what she should think. She couldn’t exactly say she would be happy if someone she loved was in love with another woman, but that didn’t mean Rosa would mind. The same went for Riley. She just couldn’t tell.

Still, Rosa was on her mind. “…S-So long as Rosa is fine with it… I guess I’ll… let it slide,” she murmured, avoiding Zaria’s smirking gaze.

“Hahahahaha!!! Is that so!!! I almost wonder if this might be perhaps envy…?” she asked most slyly, her smirk never fading.

“Not in the least! He’s like a brother to me!”

“Woah, easy there, hehe. No need to raise your fist at me.”

As Zaria snickered, Elice turned around, avoiding being picked on. After a short amount of time, Elice calmed down, and they continued walking. Although, Joy was becoming rather unnerved.

“Umm, Princess Elice…?” Joy asked, staring at something by her side.

“You don’t have to call me princess. Just call me by my name.”

“R-Right. But Elice…” she stammered. She was slightly nervous and was finding it hard to speak. However, casting her thoughts aside, she shook her head as if to find her words.

Elice tilted her head at Joy’s reaction, but Joy couldn’t bring herself to say what was truly on her mind. Instead, she cast her gaze towards the princess’s hand. Seeing it, her eyes widened. It seemed that Elice hadn’t noticed it herself that, “Your hand is still bleeding…”

“…”

A silence followed. And for a good ten seconds, Elice didn’t know how to react. She looked down and opened her palm, only to see it covered in a thick, crimson liquid. And it was still coming out.

“U-Umm… Does anybody have a towel?” she requested nervously. She had gotten herself so riled that she didn’t even realize she’d cut open her own hand. 

“Gah-hahahahahahaha! Wow! You really were angry!” Zaria laughed.

“Hey! This isn’t funny! This actually really stings! And the bleeding isn’t stopping! Please! Stop!!!” she cried.

Then, out of nowhere, Sierra appeared with bandages in her hand and began wrapping it tightly around Elice’s hand, shaking her head in dismay.

“Th-Thank you, Sierra! You’re a lifesaver!”

As she finished wrapping up Elice’s hand, Sierra suddenly twitched. Elice didn’t fail to notice this either as she promptly asked, “Uh, Sierra? Is something wrong? Please don’t tell me it’s infected…”

“Well, looks like you’re done for. You’ve done yourself in with your own fingernails!”

“What happened to support!? Now you’re killing me off so casually!”

“Nah, don’t worry about it! I’ll make sure things go accordingly, even after you pass.”

“That’s not funny! Stop saying such things!”

“…It seems Elice is finally dropping her princess facade…” Joy muttered as the two continued on.

However, Sierra was looking around, looking past the amused crowd. She looked at every street corner she could see, at every building, every alley. Something was wrong, and she could feel it. She had a feeling she knew where this sense of unease was coming from, but with so many people around, it was difficult to tell who exactly she was searching for.

Her eyes narrowed, Sierra returned her piercing gaze towards Zaria. Realizing what her gaze was meant to imply, Zaria immediately started looking around.

Elice and Joy began to realize something was wrong seeing these two acting this way. “Is something wrong?” Elice asked.

“Hold on…” Zaria muttered before turning around. Then, without any sort of reason, she let out an incredibly brief but sharp whistle. And as soon as she did, Zaria scowled deeply. “Well that sucks!”

“What? What is it?” Joy asked, her look dead serious. 

“We really are being followed. And by quite a large crowd.”

“Isn’t that just the people around here?” Elice asked.

“No, the people around here wouldn’t follow. If they had something important to talk about, they’d just come straight to us or to the mansion.”

The people in this territory trusted Riley and his subordinates greatly. There would be no reason to follow the group around. Not just that, but such a large group was following them. It was an almost eerie feeling. This is the first time this had ever happened with Riley’s own lands.

Disgusted and angry, Zaria was about to blow her top, her fists balled up tightly as she began pouting and ranting, “Damn them! I bet this is what Simon gathered everyone in the house for! Damn them! Damn them! Damn! I had business to attend to tonight! Now it’s all canceled! This sucks! I wanted to have fun! Now we have to deal with these assholes!”

“Fun?” Joy asked. 

Apparently, all three of them took notice of her words. Even Sierra was slightly confused by what she meant. She maintained her silence, but she eyed Zaria suspiciously.

Having realized what she said, Zaria began to look nervous, a cold sweat breaking out along her forehead and spine. “U-Umm, i-it’s nothing! Really! N-No need to read into that! Really! No need at all!” she desperately tried to avert their gazes, her hands raised as if to keep them at a distance.

“Suspicious…”

“Agreed…”

“…”

The three refused to turn their eyes away, which made Zaria pull back much further. “It’s nothing! I promise!”

While keeping up their suspicions, the three decided to drop it for now. They’d need to deal with the matter at hand. And so, the group began walking back towards the mansion.

“How did you know there were people following us?” Joy asked. She wouldn’t say that she’d attuned quite the same as other fighters, especially as an archer of all things. But she did at least make sure to keep aware of her immediate surroundings. That’s what made it harder for her to understand. She didn’t feel anything odd this time. Just the hustle and bustle of foot traffic.

“Sierra and I are the two best sensors in the house,” Zaria mentioned matter-of-factly, attempting to try and make them forget her previous words.

“Sensors?”

“Yeah. Sensors are people who excel at detecting odd presences. In fact, our conjuring types are actually some of the best around when it comes to detection.”

“Is that so…”

“Yep.”

“Okay, then. How many people did you feel?”

“Too many. We’d be better off going home and handling them there. Simon’s probably got this all figured out by now.”

When it came down to strategists, most of the people in the mansion had a dead set agreement that Simon was the best suited towards it. He didn’t like people calling him out on his skills, but nobody could deny that he had a knack for finding victory in various situations. Long before stumbling upon Riley, he had in fact been considered the smartest of his siblings and was surprisingly astute when it came to warfare, whether big or small. As such, Zaria had complete confidence that he’d have already thought of something.

Still, she pouted all the way back to the mansion. This entire situation was going to put her in an even worse mood. She was missing out on something she loved tonight. Whatever was going to happen tonight, she was going to make sure that no mercy would be shown.

Alright, I wanna say something about the next chapter. When I originally wrote it up, I did not intend for it to be as long as it turned out to be, but I had a lot of fun typing it up. I think you’ll come to enjoy what all I’ve put in for Riley’s servants. Of course, as I mentioned, this next chapter is actually considerably longer than the rest. As such, it’s going to be broken up into no less than three parts. May be four, I don’t know.

I hope you enjoyed more of Zaria. Whenever I write her lines and whatnot, I tend to have a little bit of fun. That’s the beauty of peppy characters.

Also, since I have no way of knowing if I’ll ever write this into the story, I’m going to explain something here. Riley does have a recognition inhibitor embedded in his curse. People who hear rumors about him will be incapable of recognizing him unless he has appeared before them once before. I think I won’t ever get a chance to properly explain this mid-plot, so this is the best way to get it across.

The next chapter will arrive Saturday, November 25.