Chapter 17

Aria is further taken aback by the gift’s fearsome power and its lightning-quick activation. Hmm, this skill is truly powerful. This will supplement master’s weak points—range and firepower—quite nicely. And the extended range during activation only means that my master’s trademark tricky, speedy movement won’t be adversely affected, either. It’s not only an exceptional skill—it also complements her extremely well. Tama nods deeply in satisfaction at the functionality of Sacred Blade. “Here I am practicing my new skill, but we need to head back and meet up with Lily and Feri again!” Aria wants to keep testing it out, but with Lily and Feri waiting for them outside, she decides to return to them posthaste. “Huh? Lily? Feri?” A perplexed voice escapes Aria shortly after the party exits the boss room. The fairy folk should have been waiting to greet them, but they’re nowhere to be found. “Lily! Feri! Where are you?” Stella calls out the two girls’ names loudly. She had fully planned on returning to Gladstone and tearing into a massive feast immediately. However, neither girl appears, and they don’t respond from afar, either. “I wonder if something happened? Tama, Stella—we have to look for them!” “Meown!” Of course, master! “What a pain in the ass.” The three party members rush off to look for their new friends…but even after searching for several hours, they can’t find the two girls. Aria thought she heard a sound like a bell ringing in the labyrinth, but she was so invested in looking for Lily and Feri that she didn’t even realize what it was… “We couldn’t find them…” “Meown…” Master… As the party returns to Gladstone, Aria murmurs with sadness in her voice. Where could Lily and Feri possibly have gone…? Stella also looks somewhat dejected. “Oh? If it isn’t Aria.” A voice rouses Aria and company from their despondence. They turn around to see several men and women standing there dressed in armor. “Danny…? And everyone else, too… What are you doing here?” The knight squadron from Labyrinthos has appeared, including all first squadron members—Danny, Howard, Keni, and Marietta. However, their captain, Cedric, is not present… “We came to train with Gladstone’s knight squadron.” “A few times a year, we conduct joint training with other cities.” Just as Danny and Howard said, the knight squadrons of Labyrinthos and Gladstone participated in joint training sessions semiannually. “Our captain had important business, and he’s off to a different city currently.” “He might be leading an ultra-top-secret mission, I suspect.” Watching Aria glance in every direction searching for Cedric, Keni and Marietta realize who she’s looking for and tell her what’s up. “By the way, Aria, who’s this beauty?” “Ah, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is Stella—she joined our party a while back.” “Oh, a new party member? Nice to meet you, Stella!” Danny and his group get acquainted with Stella, who responds awkwardly. “And that shield—is it the Mega Shield from Vulcan’s workshop?” “Come to think of it, Vulcan once told me that her friend Sakura used to wield this shield. Wasn’t Sakura your old captain, Danny?” “Yes, that’s right. I really didn’t think anyone would turn up who could hoist that stupid huge thing.” “Danny, it’s about time.” “Ohhh, you’re right, Howard; I almost forgot. Okay, Aria, we have to start practice now, so we’ll be on our way.” “Okay, best of luck to all of you!” Aria sees Danny and company off as they say their good-byes. She looks slightly more encouraged after running into friends. “Huh? Looks like Leis’s facility is closed today.” Aria and her companions have arrived in front of Leis’s storehouse, intending to sell off the materials from the treant drake. However, the facility is closed. “Oh well. Let’s give up for now and head back to the inn.” The party could visit Gladstone’s guild to sell their goods, but that would mean paying processing fees, which would be more trouble than it’s worth. They decide to visit Leis again tomorrow.