— In a narrow alley of Baim.
Walking through it were Miranda and Shannon.
Shannon, looking anxious, clutched the hem of Miranda's coat as they walked through the narrow alley — a stark contrast to the main streets.
"Shannon, walk a little faster."
"I can't. It's dirty, and besides, this place... it feels dangerous!"
Passing through the narrow, dark alley, a pleasure district spread out before them. With it still being before noon, there weren't many people around.
Shannon surveyed the area, collecting various information with her Mystic Eye.
Shannon was a girl who had manifested the Mystic Eye skill to compensate for her lack of sight.
Unlike her sister, she had light purple hair and yellow eyes.
"...Don't you think we stick out here?"
Looking around, women dressed in gaudy outfits walked by with drowsy eyes. Shannon could tell they were tired — people out and about in broad daylight, yet heading off to sleep.
"Plus, they smell like alcohol..."
Shannon glanced at the walls of the buildings and quickly looked away. Filth and all manner of things had been discharged right onto them without a second thought. She felt as though she were seeing a completely different side of Baim.
(What a stark difference between the clean parts and the filthy ones.)
Miranda set off without consulting any notes or maps, as if she had been here before, heading straight for their destination.
Before long, they entered a three-story building.
(What could possibly be in here?)
As Shannon stood there looking perplexed, she spotted a counter that looked less like a shop and more like a cozy little office.
Opening the door set off a small bell, and a young girl peeked out from the reception area. The girl looked even younger than Shannon.
Shannon was surprised that there was a girl younger than her in the pleasure district, but what surprised her even more was watching her sister interact with the girl.
"Innis, is Rauno around? I've come to confirm a few things about that job."
The girl called Innis nodded at Miranda and pointed toward the back.
"He's in the back. Yesterday he was saying his head hurt from drinking too much. Oh, and you've brought someone with you today? She looks adorable."
Shannon looked at the girl, whom she still thought was younger than herself.
"There's no way I'm not older than you, no matter how you look at it."
At that, Miranda spoke with an exasperated tone.
"Don't be ridiculous. Innis is a gnome, and she's older than you. Well then, I'm heading to the back. You can hand over the reward to Innis."
"Wait, what?!"
While Shannon was still processing this, she was led to the back, glancing back and forth between the slightly shorter girl and her sister.
When they entered the back room, the smell of alcohol hit them immediately.
On the sofa, a brown-haired man with droopy eyes was wrapped in a blanket, facing their way and rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"...Oh? It's you, young ladies."
His hair was messy and he had unkempt stubble.
The man was already acquainted with Miranda. He sat up, scratched his head, and turned to face them properly.
Miranda began to confirm the details of the job she had commissioned.
"So, how's the job coming along?"
The man stood up, walked to a desk in the back, picked up a bundle of documents, handed them to Miranda, and sat back down on the sofa.
When the door opened, the girl from earlier — Innis — brought in beverages. She set them on the table, and both Shannon and Miranda took seats on the sofa, facing the man called Rauno.
Once Innis left the room, Miranda began to review the contents of the documents.
Rauno took a sip of the offered drink and glanced at Shannon for just a moment. He was slightly on guard.
Shannon understood that, and so did Miranda.
"She's my sister. There's no need to be wary."
Rauno offered a wry smile.
"Sorry about that. When you're in this line of business, you can't help but be cautious. Not knowing something is a scary thing, you know?"
He seemed to be joking, but he wasn't letting his guard down.
*(This guy... seems tougher than he looks.)*
Despite clearly living an unhealthy lifestyle, his body was trained, and though he looked full of openings, he hadn't relaxed his vigilance.
"...So Novem met an acquaintance in Baim? And what did she receive from him?"
*(Novem? Why would Big Sister know about Novem...)*
Rauno scratched his head, and his expression turned serious.
"It's not confirmed, but she was holding it like it was important, so judging by the shape, it's probably a staff. And not just any Mana Tool, I'd wager? I haven't verified it, so I didn't write that down. Also, they seemed quite familiar with each other. She was even calling him 'brother', after all."
Miranda's gaze sharpened, and Rauno relayed information about Novem's suspicious actions.
"It wasn't so much a falling out as a family discussion about which side to take. The Novem in question, the cute little one, apparently decided to side with Rael. Are you satisfied with that?"
Miranda finished reading the documents and placed them on the table, then asked Rauno for more details.
"The family was split, and she still came all the way to deliver something?"
Rauno sounded uninterested.
"Who knows? Noble types are all good-for-nothings. What goes on in their minds... Something about meeting again on the battlefield, she said. Siblings killing each other, huh?"
Shannon noticed Rauno reacted to the word 'noble'. Miranda listened to the rest of the details without comment, then stood up from the sofa.
"Thank you. I'll be away from Baim for a while, so we can handle the commission next time. Also, about the thing I asked you to prepare—"
Rauno cut Miranda off before she could finish.
"—The information on the surrounding countries you asked for, and on Baim, I've gathered it. It's not quite worth the reward yet, but would you like to see it?"
Miranda shook her head and turned to leave the room. Rauno called out to her.
"Hey, I'm going to be in trouble if you don't pay me. It was ten gold coins, wasn't it? Tracking down that Novem girl was no small task."
To his complaints, Miranda replied with a smile.
"I'll pay you properly, of course. This time, I'll even add a little extra. But I'll leave it with Innis."
"...Giving it to me would be the same thing."
Shannon watched Rauno, who looked utterly crestfallen inwardly. She understood he was called an information broker, but she was also surprised he was *that* good if he'd tracked down Novem.
(Actually, why was I brought along here, anyway? Novem is suspicious, sure, but shouldn't resolving the issue with Lyle be the priority?)
She couldn't understand why her sister would pay ten gold coins for information on Novem, and she couldn't understand why she herself had been dragged along to this place either.
Once they left the information broker's office, Miranda spoke loud enough for Shannon to hear.
"Shannon, you remember the way back from here, right? Remember that Rauno gentleman. He's quite capable."
"Huh? That means..."
Miranda simply kept walking without another word—.
—Meanwhile, at a clothing store, Novem was out shopping with Eva and May.
"Ohh, this one's nice too. I want that one over there!"
Eva's eyes darted from item to item, while May watched her with a look of exasperation.
"They're all basically the same, aren't they? The only differences are the color, or whether the leather is from a magical beast or a regular animal."
They had come to buy a robe or coat for May, who looked cold. Eva, naturally, was also checking out other clothes.
Novem was accompanying the two of them.
Eva looked at May.
"Those differences matter! How can you just pick one without even taking a closer look? Isn't that the weirder approach?"
May looked uninterested.
"I'm usually naked anyway. The only reason I'm even dressed like this is because Fredriks told me to cover up, so I'm just going along with it."
May was a Kirin — in her original form, a horse covered in scales. Remembering this, Eva turned to Novem for help, still clearly unsatisfied.
"May, if you're going to live among humans, you need to be at least a little conscious of your appearance."
Hearing Novem's words, Mayreluctantly conceded.
"Fine. But aren't you spending way too much time on this? Why even buy tiny little underwear like that?"
Eva turned to May.
"…Because I'm going to wear it, obviously. Wait, don't tell me you—"
May nodded.
"She's not wearing any."
Novem sighed and decided to prepare underwear for May as well. Just then, a shop assistant approached them.
They were slender and tall, with pointed ear tips — an elf, unmistakable at a glance.
"Have you found what you were looking for?"
Seeing a fellow elf come over, Eva looked around.
"Sorry — I guess the other staff won't come over because I'm here, huh?"
Elves were a demi-human race, and it was a fact that some humans persecuted them. The human staff nearby had indeed kept their distance.
But the elf clerk—
"No, there really aren't many people like that here in Baim. I'm just wondering what's going on today. Is it unusually busy?"
The surrounding shopkeepers seemed to be avoiding Novem and the others.
The shopkeeper gave a wry smile and quickly changed the subject, so Novem asked if they had underwear suitable for May.
"Do you have any underwear that would fit this child?"
Upon hearing that, the shopkeeper responded with a smile.
"Leave it to me. I'll pick something out right away. How much of a budget are you thinking of?"
She answered Novem with a cheerful expression—.
Inside the Jewel.
I was learning the [Warp] Skill from the Seventh Generation.
"Th-this is... a bit rough, isn't it?"
Out of breath, I looked at the distance I had moved.
A Skill that teleports a distance of only a few meters. That was [Warp].
It was the Seventh Generation's second-stage Skill, and like [Box], it was a Skill that controlled space.
However, there were many problems.
First, the distance I could move was limited to a few meters at this stage.
Second, with my mana capacity, I couldn't use it that many times.
Third, using it in the heat of the moment in complex terrain or locations was difficult.
The Seventh Generation, watching me, looked pleased.
"Come on, once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to push the distance a bit further. Besides, mapping out the terrain is easy if you use the Second Generation's Skill."
He kept grinning and insisting it was easy, but even using the Second Generation's Skill was difficult. If I took my time, the usage itself wasn't hard.
Still, for moving just a few meters, it would have been faster to just walk.
"If I use it even once or twice a day, wouldn't my mana drop to dangerous levels really quickly?"
When I said that, the Seventh Generation nodded in agreement.
"That's right. It shaves off mana like nobody's business. Besides, since Lail has the First Generation's Skill, you need to constantly stockpile mana too. On top of that, supplying mana to Monica... It's rough. If you had this, though, you could break through fortresses and the like with ease."
As things stood, I needed to stockpile mana for the First Generation's ultimate Skill—Full Burst.
And to maintain Monica, I was constantly supplying mana to the line. In other words, even without doing anything, I was already consuming a certain amount of mana.
For the record, I was also supplying mana to the Jewel in the same way.
"I've got a lot of constraints, but the upside is I can use magic now. I think I'd be fine in a normal fight, though."
When I said that, the Seventh Generation's expression turned serious.
"A trump card is meant to be kept in reserve. Even if you can only use it once. Master this, and you'll gain power several tiers above where you are now."
It could certainly serve as a trump card, but between the exhaustion that hit right after using it, the massive mana consumption, and the limited travel distance...
I'd been told how to use it, but even so, employing it in actual combat would still be difficult.
Among the Skills recorded in the Jewel, the Seventh Generation's were just as hard to master as the Third Generation's.
Inside the Jewel. In the Seventh Generation's memory room, I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked around.
Among the memories of the Successive Heads, this was from the most recent era, so I recognized many of the scenery and locations.
And yet, for some reason, I wasn't training at the manor—I was receiving intensive training in front of Grandpa Zell's house.
It was puzzling to me now: Grandpa Zell had been employed as a live-in worker to manage the manor's expansive garden, yet he didn't have a room in the manor.
"Seventh Generation, why didn't you give Grandpa Zell a room in the manor?"
At that, the Seventh Generation scratched at his cheek with a fingertip.
"...I needed a place to unwind. I tried to be strict, but you can't keep going without letting off steam now and then. Every so often, Zell and I would have drinking sessions here."
So that's what they used to do, I thought, gazing at the small house.
The scenery changed, and as the surroundings turned to night, the Seventh Generation was seen drinking with Grandpa Zell in the small house. Grandpa Zell's wife prepared the food and brought the wine.
'He fought on the battlefield, and worked for my sake. He was a man who served as my vassal, right after the transition of power.'
As the Seventh Generation reminisced fondly, I remembered Ceres's words. And I knew that the reason I had received the Jewel was also thanks to Grandpa Zell.
'He fulfilled his role to the very end, and yet my grandchild did to Zell... Let's call it here for today, Laiel.'
As the Seventh Generation grew disheartened, I moved from the Memory Room to the conference room with the round table.
Morning.
Having been granted a day off, I woke up a little later than usual. After stretching, I got out of bed and opened the room's window.
Outside, as expected of a major metropolis, people were already bustling about energetically.
"Well then, let's go get the things we need."
At the Guild, I had confirmed the necessary items and also asked about the duration.
The Guild side would also provide some preparation, like a covered wagon and supplies, so we only had to equip ourselves and gather what we thought would be necessary.
"The stipend has been given, so the problem is my equipment."
Turning my gaze to the equipment laid out in the room, I saw a saber sheathed in a scabbard attached to a belt.
The two sabers were spares I had prepared before coming to Banseim. I had visited weapon shops and looked at their wares, but none of them really caught my eye.
There were master-crafted items, but they were always too expensive.
In that case, the only option was to buy something mass-produced but decent, and in that scenario, there was no need to buy even spares.
Because I had managed well enough with just that until now, I had put off buying new equipment.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Monica? You may enter."
Confirming the other person with the skill [Search], I permitted entry. The door was locked, but Monica opened it and came in as if nothing were amiss.
"Heh, the perverted Chicken who can sense me even from a distance never fails to surprise me. I'm about to dedicate my body and soul to you! Oh wait, I already did!"
I let the latter half of her words slide and spoke to Monica.
"We're going shopping today. You'd better be prepared for at least a week to two weeks. Sometimes we tackle dungeons in month-long stretches, so we need to pack accordingly. I'll put together a list of ingredients and consumables, so let's ask everyone what they need."
Times like these, Baim is useful.
With his massive inventory, we can get our supplies together in no time.
"...Pay more attention to me! Lately, you've been neglecting me just because there are more women around. It's terrible. You're the kind of master who doesn't feed the fish he's caught! But I'll still give you my all. Because that's who I am... Monica!"
I left Monica alone as she shook her twin tails and launched into her solo performance, and went about getting myself ready.
Fourth Generation (-@∀@): "...Small chests are supreme. Flat is justice! We can never coexist with the big-boob faction."