The sun had set and the forest was shrouded in darkness and nocturnal animals started coming out. It was even darker amongst the trees, where Mira and the others were walking, but it was so bright around them it did not bother them. Blue and White held lanterns, while Mira added a Concept Magic light of her own.
「But… still. A combination of sage and summoner, it’s kinda like… you know…」
「The legendary Danbulf, right?」
「Yeah yeah. Are you a big fan of his or something, maybe?」
「He’s my master, so I obviously employ the same fighting style.」
Blue and White were talking rather casually, so Mira also added that in a very casual voice.
「That’s interesting. Then Kagura of the Seven Stars will be my master.」
「And the Grasping Meilin is mine.」
That was their reaction, laughing heartily about it while Mira let her shoulders hang while sighing.
「Now you two are taking it too far.」
「Don’t be so serious.」
「You would end up losing to us if that was the case after all.」
Both did not seem to believe Mira when she said she was Danbulf’s pupil, so she decided to not give it too much importance and laugh it away. Instead, she focused on gathering as much information as she could before they arrived at the relay camp, at least about less important things that Blue and White would be willing to reply.
From what they told her, Mira learned that Chimera Clauzen had started acting all around Arkite lately, and while the numbers were still vague, they were believed to be rather numerous. They possessed weapons made specifically to capture spirits, but where the spirits would end was still unknown. That meant that capturing a member like they had just done would be incredibly helpful, so they might even get a special reward for it.
The relay camp was set up to the side of a river with crystal clear water, its bed completely visible. There were many lamps all around the camp, which consisted of two large tents. The tents were supported by four trees on each corner, so they looked very sturdy and well built.
「Oh, you’re finally back. And who might those two be?」
In the center of the camp, there was a simple open flame to cook, and around it three tables and six chairs. A man was sitting on one of them, grilling some meat when he noticed the arrivals.
「Well, this here is Mira, who helped us a great deal. And he is a member of Chimera, we managed to capture him thanks to Mira.」
「Someone from Chimera?! That’s awesome!」
Saying that, the man stood up in a good mood. He looked like a healthy middle-aged man, wearing sturdy golden armor with green accents, and two straight swords dangled from his hip. His head was shaven, a speck of stubble around his mouth, and his eyes were of a light brown color. His skin was on the darker side, making it clear he was part of the Gardia Tribe, who had even more strength than their appearance suggested. People who met him for the first time might think he was a scary person, but in reality, he cared deeply for others.
The man looked at Chimera Clauzen’s member who was being carried by Blue and White, then looked at them with a complicated look.
「He looks very calm. Is he really alive?」
「Apparently he’s paralyzed. She infused him with a great deal of paralysis, so he won’t be able to move for a while.」
「Ohoh. That’s really cool.」
White replied like that, and the man took another look at Chimera’s member, astonished at his state considering the anti-paralysis gear he had. Then he stood upright and walked over to Mira.
「I’m Red, though it’s not my real name. It seems we owe you a lot, so let me thank you as well.」
「I’m Mira. And I just happened to be near when things happened. I also have some stuff I’d like to discuss with you, so I came along here.」
Red introduced himself and held his hand out, which Mira shook. His grip was firm, but it also transmitted just how thankful he was.
「Do you mean with us personally or with the Fifty Bells? Though well, we should deliver this man to our commander first. So I hope you don’t mind if we leave our talk for later?」
「That’s fine.」
Hearing Mira’s reply, Red thanked her and turned to look at the restrained man again.
「Blue, help me carry him to our commander, I also have a report due. Also, I just got my hands on some gourmet meat and was grilling it, so White, if you wouldn’t mind giving Mira here a feast.」
Adding that, Red pointed at the grill.
「Understood!」
White replied energetically while Red picked the man up and carried him to the other tent to the left.
「Well, let’s eat now that it’s just us. I’ve been wanting to try that meat for a while too.」
Saying that, White quickly walked to the grill and began turning around the piece of meat, raising a very pleasant smell. The melted lard from the meat dripped down to the flames creating a satisfying sound, and White urged Mira to get closer, unable to wait any longer herself.
「Hurry, let’s eat all of it before they come back!」
「I think that’s asking too much from me…」
Mira followed her and sat down close to the fire, but when she saw the piece of meat being grilled, she realized it was a bit too large just for the two of them.
「You don’t like meat?」
「I do like it.」
That was not quite Mira’s point, but White seemed to not care as she took a knife and began cutting into the meat.
「Here you go, and there’s plenty more if you want.」
After placing a plate with a piece of meat in front of Mira, she cut another one for herself and happily stuffed her cheeks with it.
「Tashtyy!」
As White ate the meat, she rubbed her thighs together while raising her voice. Seeing her act that way, Mira’s stomach began rumbling as well, so she took her fork to the meat.
As she chewed it, Mira felt its flavor expanding through her mouth, and just a few bites of it were enough to make anyone satisfied with having tasted real meat. Feeling that unexpected rich flavor, Mira also let a 「delicious!」 escape her mouth as she reached for more and more bites.
「By the way, why were you in a place like that?」
Saying that, White stuffed the last piece of meat down her throat. Mira had also eaten quite a lot of it, but eighty percent of it was in White’s stomach.
「I was just gathering some items. A friend asked for some stuff, so I went to get them.」
「I see. Are you done getting that stuff then?」
「Yes, I have everything I needed.」
Mira stretched, reclining her body on the back of her chair while talking about random things with White.
「Still, you’re the living example of never judging a book by its cover. Not only are you a summoner, but you’re also a sage on top of that.」
White was also a sage, so she was curious to see how strong Mira was, after witnessing only a bit of her power. Even if Mira mainly focused on being a summoner, her sage skills were nothing to joke about.
「Well, I guess so. Though I’m mainly a summoner.」
「Still, you’re really amazing since you already activated your innate senses at such a young age. I haven’t heard much about summoners lately, but I’m glad to know there are still people like you.」
「Well, many things happened. But what’s that innate sense thing you mentioned? I don’t remember ever learning such a thing…」
As they spoke, a new term popped up in their conversation, 「innate sense」. But Mira had no recollection of hearing that before, though considering she was away for thirty years, it made sense that new techniques were developed in that time. Though it was still weird that she would be making use of something she never heard before.
She tried going through her memories just in case it was something she forgot, but it was still a completely new term for her.
「Err, you use sage skills to compliment your summoning, right?」
「That’s correct..?」
「But you only made it your secondary role after you had awakened your innate sense, right?」
「…uh?」
「Huh..?」
It felt like they were talking in different languages, mostly because they had a largely different understanding of the matter.
They silently looked at each other with their necks tilted, trying to figure out where the misunderstanding was between them.
「Could you tell me what that innate sense thing is? I might be able to understand what you mean if I know that.」
「That sounds like a good starting point.」
Saying that, White began explaining what innate sense was.
In short, it was something oddly similar to Mira’s Second Class, though different in essence, and as Mira had assumed, it was something developed during the last thirty years.
A spellcaster with high compatibility to multiple classes awoke their innate senses, they were able to use skills from a different class to their main one in a supportive manner.
Magic compatibility signaled one’s ability to mold and shape magic, and settling on one class determined the way magic power would manifest from one person.
The act of settling on one class could be performed in different ways, normally set in stone through the first skills and spells one learned, or by the class one was the most compatible with. Those who were only compatible with one single class also learned the same way, or they could forgo classes overall and settle with Concept Arts.
But being able to modify a part of one’s magic power from that set class and reverting it to the raw and flexible way it was at birth, was called awaking one’s innate senses. That meant a portion of their magic strength in their main class would decrease, but they would gain access to so many more skills that it majorly expanded their power as spellcasters. However, that was still using only a portion of their overall magic power, so the supportive class could never be as powerful as the main one.
A very popular combo was being mainly a magician with some saint skills on top, or the other way around.
After hearing White’s explanation, Mira pondered about it in silence. Mira’s Second Class had no downsides like that at all, she practically doubled her magic power by gaining a second class. Though maybe the lack of a big enough mana pool to maintain both classes could be considered a downside.
「Hmm, I see. Though I’m quite proficient with Sage Arts as well.」
「It’s funny how you learned that without even knowing the official term.」
「Things like that can happen sometimes.」
「I guess so.」
White nodded slightly at Mira’s response, quickly focusing on Mira’s Magical Girl style clothing. Her eyes were filled with some jealousy, but Mira did not seem to notice at all as she looked away into the forest.
Blue and Red came out of the tent, Red immediately running to the grill, looking around in the search of something before glaring at White.
「So you wolfed down all of it…」
「It was really tasty.」
「I did not expect such a good taste either.」
「I… I see, that’s good to know…」
Red sat down, hanging his head in disappointment after being unable to try even a bite of the meat he cooked with so much effort.
「Mira, do you have a moment?」
Blue remained at the entrance of the tent, calling out to Mira. She turned around, seeing that he was beckoning her to come while holding the tent open.
「Our leader will talk to you directly about our base.」
「I see, I’m coming.」
Mira nodded and stood up, heading to the tent Blue was in front of. Behind her, White took out a piece of meat she had hidden and placed it in front of Red. He thanked and praised her greatly before starting to cut into the meat, while a devilish smile overtook White’s lips.
When Mira entered the tent, a large man that was sitting in it stood up and welcomed her.
Inside the tent, there was plain bedding for three, as well as chairs and a table, and tools to maintain equipment in one corner. Close to that corner was a square cage, with Chimera Clauzen’s member inside, who was still wrapped up and heaving deep sleeping breaths, probably because of a drug he was forced to smell.
The man who stood in the center of the tent was even taller than Red as he examined Mira. But in contrast to his muscular body, he wore white robes with divine inscriptions, clothes favored by saints.
「I’m Silver, leader of the Multicolor troops of the Fifty Bells. First of all, let me thank you for rescuing Blue, you have my gratitude.」
His voice was low and bassy as he said that and bowed to her in a display of gratitude. His hair was trimmed short, a circlet holding a gem adorning his head. His face had strong and deep features, like that of a monk that attained enlightenment.
「It was nothing big. Either way, if I had never run into that man, Blue and White would have remained together. If they fought together against him I’m sure they would’ve won.」
It was true she rescued him, but it had also been her fault that Blue and White split up. But Blue shook his head.
「This was no mere victory. As soon as a Chimera member realizes they’re on the losing side they flee. If he saw the two of us together he would’ve run away instantly.
「But we fought one-on-one at first. Only when I got paralyzed did you act, and from the looks of it, you could resist that attack, though even I was taken by surprise at how strong it was. Being able to turn that mistake into this result was truly important.」
「Ohh, is that how it happened.」
As Blue had said, Chimera Clauzen members were really quick at retreating, so this was the very first time they had been able to capture one.
「Thanks to you, we’ve found a very important source of information. Now onto the next topic, Blue tells me you want to visit one of our bases, can I ask why you want that?」
That was a very reasonable question, so Mira replied honestly.
「I’m looking for someone. The other day I met a shikigami playing with a spirit near Caranach. Apparently, the shikigami had protected the spirit from Chimera Clauzen, your enemy. I’m looking for the master of that shikigami. I’ve learned that you’re an organization fighting against Chimera Clauzen after meeting Blue, so I have reasons to believe the person I’m looking for is one of your members. Does a shikigami named Nyanmaru ring any bells?」
Hearing Mira’s entire reasoning, Silver and Blue began thinking about that name. But they could not remember hearing that name before, so they groaned while sighing.
「I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard that name before.」
「Same here.」
They both apologized, though Mira never had many hopes either way, but still thought it was worth asking about. 「I see,」 she said with a quick nod, figuring it would be better if she asked in a bigger base.
「Though from what you’ve told us, I think there’s a high probability that shikigami’s master is amongst our ranks, even if I can’t guarantee it. Now then… I’ll do as Blue suggested. We’ve seen you in action, so even if we decided to hide, it wouldn’t mean much against you, so we’ll trust you.」
「First, our organization was made to fight against Chimera and normally try to hide from the public, our forces divided into four large groups.」
「We here are part of the Multicolor troops. We have the most members and we’re in charge of monitoring Chimera Clauzen’s movements as well as ensuring the spirits’ safety.」
「Then there’s the Bellerophon platoon. They’re a specialized group that gets dispatched from the headquarters to a given place in the continent depending on the information gathered by the rest of us.」
「Then we have what we call the ambassadors, though they’re more like a network of information. We have one member in every country and they relay all the information we gather back to the headquarters.」
「Lastly, there are the Hidden. They don’t form actual groups and act more independently, but as they are alone most of the time, they have the best individual skills.」
「If the person from your story is a member of the Fifty Bells, and worked by fending off Chimera with a lone shikigami, I can easily imagine them being someone from the Hidden.」
Silver spoke in detail about the Fifty Bells’ hierarchy in their fight against Chimera Clauzen, in part to show he trusted Mira, in part because he did not want her to go snooping around and learn a lot of half-truths from dubious sources about them. She was of the same mind about the identity of that person after hearing Silver’s explanation, but she also felt she would need to ask someone in a higher position to know more.
「But that means you’ll really have to go ask at an actual base. Only a small portion of the higher-ups know details about the Hidden. As much as I want to help you, there’s nothing more we know of.」
Blue said that while turning to look at Silver, his eyes asking if it was okay to take Mira to their base.
「I’d love taking you there, but we can’t really leave this place. There’s always the probability someone might come here looking for their comrade that suddenly vanished.」
「That’s true…」
Hearing Silver’s response, Blue understood what he meant as he replied in a low voice. There were still spirits in the forests, so Chimera Clauzen would be back there, either to capture those or to find out what happened with their comrade, so the group could not let go of a chance of finding even more members. Mira also understood that.
「Hmm, you have a point. But then what are you going to do with that man? If you’re going to take him to another base I could go along.」
Mira spoke while looking at the man sleeping inside the square cage. Their objective was ultimately to take him to their base for interrogation, so she wondered if she could accompany them.
「Everything has its process. First, we have to inform them that we captured someone, then they’ll probably hurry to send someone to pick him up.」
「I see. More or less how long will that take?」
「Around three to four days, assuming it goes like in the past.」
「I see.」
If it was only one day she might have stayed there to wait, but that was a bit too long for her to sit idly without doing anything. So Mira thought of another way.
「Then could you tell me where it is? I’ll go there straight away.」
If she knew where to go, she could always go there on her own. But Blue had been so secretive about it so far that it was not something he could divulge so easily. Mira knew that as well, which is why she asked to tag along instead of flying directly there on Pegasus, but now there was no other option for her than to go alone.
「Hmm… so far I feel like I can trust you like Blue does, but that’s still something I can’t tell you. Even if I feel that way, I can’t let emotions drive my decisions.」
Silver was their leader, so he could not let emotion take over the decisions he made while shouldering so much responsibility. Still, he still owed her the life of one of his subordinates, so he was really conflicted as he replied in that way.
「Well, I can understand that.」
What he said was true, or rather, anyone suitable to lead a group of people had to reply that way. But this was a lead Mira had to follow, so she pondered if there really was no other way.
「But it’s only thanks to her that we got this far. Is there really nothing we can do, sir?」
Blue insisted more, getting slightly annoyed. He wanted to repay Mira by all means possible.
「Hmm… we need to give her something to prove we trust her… something more than just my word that would convince the higher-ups…」
Something that showed tangible trust. In other words, some form of certificate that showed Mira was a trustworthy person at first sight.
Silver muttered to himself in an attempt to find a way, mistaking Mira’s pondering pose for her feeling in distress. When Mira caught those words, she recalled an item Solomon gave her.
「Oh right, would this serve as proof?」
Saying that, Mira took out a metallic plate. It was the medal given to her that showed the Kingdom of Arkite’s emblem, the number 9 and the pattern of a ring engraved in silver.
「A medal… can I take a closer look?」
「Of course, go ahead.」
Having seen the magic circle on the backside of the medal, Silver asked for her permission to examine it, and when it was given he took it in his hands.
「…!」
Silver’s expression changed instantly. His eyes were wide open as he turned it around and around multiple times confirming it was legitimate.
「This is the first time I see one of these…」
「So, does that help?」
Silver muttered completely astonished when Mira asked that. He was completely overtaken by shock, but Mira somehow made his thoughts flow again as he nodded firmly.
「Yes, of course. Or rather, I can’t possibly refuse anything after seeing this. I really want to avoid making enemies with Arkite.」
Silver carefully returned the medal. Mira tilted her head at Silver’s exaggerated expression, but still felt relieved knowing the medal helped her situation.
「I’ll tell you where the headquarters are instead of just a base, and I’ll also write you a letter of introduction, that’s the most I can do for you.」
「Ohh, your headquarters you say. Is that really okay?」
「Of course. It’s really hard to say if a mere base will have the knowledge you want, and with the proof you’ve shown me I can only point you towards the headquarters.」
She would be pointed towards the headquarters and not a base, to the place where everything related to the Fifty Bells converged. On top of that, she was getting a letter of introduction. With all of that, she would probably be able to gain even more information than she expected at first. Satisfied with that result, she glanced once over the medal before returning it to her Item Box.
(Well, this worked even better than I expected. It came in handy faster than I thought.)
「Wait a moment, I’ll get it ready.」
Saying that, Silver took out paper and ink from a large bag and began writing the letter.
「Whew, I’m glad you got something from this. At least I was able to repay my favor.」
「What are you saying, there was nothing for you to repay.」
「It still bothered me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep in peace otherwise.」
「Your lifestyle sounds harsh.」
「I get told that a lot.」
Blue shrugged it off while joking about it. The two continued chatting randomly while Silver got the letter ready.
「I’ve marked the spot on this map, and here is the letter.」
「Thank you, you’ve been really helpful.」
Mira thanked him as she received the map and letter from Silver.
「I’m also glad to know that even young girls like you care so much about the spirits. That we met like this was also thanks to them, so let’s protect the spirits with all our might.」
「Maybe we should let her join the Fifty Bells then? At least I would welcome her.」
「I’ll think about it.」
After that short exchange, Mira left the tent with a smile on her lips. When she was out of Blue and Silver’s sight, Blue turned to Silver and spoke about something that had been bothering him.
「By the way, was it really a good idea to go into so much detail about our organization? And then even go as far as telling her where the headquarters are.」
Silver forced a smile hearing Blue’s question, replying while he returned the writing tools to the bag.
「We have seen how good she is when fighting against Chimera. Instead of half-a̲s̲s̲e̲d̲l̲y hiding information, it was best to be honest and upfront so maybe she considers joining us. I think she cares enough about spirits for that. And you saw that medal as well, that’s no common item. It had the emblem of Arkite engraved in it, a 9 symbolizing the towers, and the ring pattern unique to King Solomon. All of that combined means that she’s someone with absolute command under the Nine Towers. Or put simply, King Solomon and Arkite guarantee the honor of the medal’s owner, and she works directly under King Solomon’s command. That’s the meaning of that medal.」
「Woah…」
So Mira was someone under direct orders of the Kingdom, and going against her wishes was the same as refusing King Solomon’s orders.
「I guess she’s in direct talks with Arkite, or rather with King Solomon. So he’ll probably also hear everything that happened here.」
「Our organization is still being kept a secret in most places. Shouldn’t we have told her to keep silent about us then?」
「But we never had a member of Chimera in our possession before, so things will change greatly now. No matter how stubborn he is about keeping silent, I’m sure our commander will make him spill everything. That will set many things in motion, so things will change around us as well. Even if we don’t gain many allies, having people we can rely on will help a great deal. As you probably know, Arkite is known as the land of spellcasters. If they hear about our dilemma I’m sure they’ll help us… or at least Mira will.」
Silver was sure their achievement carried such a heavy weight, and it would impact their relationship with Chimera Clauzen all the more. If they could find out what happened to the kidnapped spirits, who had ordered them to do that, and if there was a country behind them; Chimera Clauzen’s reaction would also change. In the worst case, they might become even more aggressive, in which case having a country support the Fifty bells would be necessary. And the first country Silver thought of was Arkite, or rather, there was no other option. Even suggesting that Mira might be carrying a fake medal would paint a bright red target on his back while losing a chance at joining hands with a powerful country. So the medal had to be real, and he had to tell Mira the location of their headquarters and introduce her through a letter.
Saying that, Silver built up the fighting spirit in his body, while Blue nodded strongly after finally understanding the state of affairs, before glaring at the man sleeping inside the cage.
