“Well, thankee kindly for the meal!” she said.
“Anytime. Thanks for the kotatsu thing too,” Allen said with a generous nod. Since Charlotte and the others were washing up, it was just him seeing her off at the front door. Since the mansion was far from any houses or roads, only the chirring of insects and the rustle of the wind stirred the air. Under the quiet night sky, Allen cleared his throat. “Uh...Miach. Can I ask you something?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“Um... Why do ya think that?”
“You had a weird look on your face when Charlotte told you about her sister. I thought there might be something behind it,” he said offhandedly, knitting his brows a little. In tone and in manner, he seemed blunt, but Miach could sense he was deeply worried. “If you don’t want to talk about it, then never mind. Forget I ever asked.”
“Oh, no. It’s nothin’ that serious,” Miach said, slowly shaking her head. She’d never told anyone about her past before. But she thought, if it’s to Allen, she could be candid. “I should have an older sister...a twin, actually.”
“What do you mean, ‘should have’?”
“We got separated a long, long time ago. So I don’t have a clue where she is, or whether she’s even alive...” Miach smiled sadly and scratched her cheek. She and her sister were born to a poor family, and they were taken to an orphanage soon after birth. Since they were adopted by different families, Miach had had no way of getting in touch with her sister. A few years ago, she visited the house of the family who had adopted her sister, but they’d moved somewhere else long ago. Now, she didn’t even know where to start looking. But still, she wasn’t giving up on seeing her sister again. She clenched her fist and thrust it up into the sky. “So I’m gonna save lots of money and go look for her! That’s my ambition!”
“So that’s why you work so hard,” Allen murmured, stroking his chin. Then he flashed her an impish grin. “But you’re letting Charlotte go without turning her in. You could’ve bagged a fair bounty.”
“Now you’re just being silly, Dark Lord. I could never be happy if I found my sister using dirty money.”
“Makes sense. You’re honorable like that.” Allen grinned, satisfied with her logic.
Miach felt a little bit relieved. She wouldn’t have wanted any officious pity from anyone. But what he said next startled her.
“All right, then let me give you a hand.”
“Huh?” Miach’s eyes went round.
“I’m fairly well-known, and I have connections in the Athena School of Magic too. I’m sure I can find a clue or two about your sister’s whereabouts.”
“Th-That’s real nice of ya...but are ya sure? It’s pretty much a wild goose chase.”
Her sister could be anywhere in the world. The population of demi-humans like Miach surpassed that of humans, and besides, Miach didn’t even know whether she was still alive. It was as difficult as Flora finding her fellow reincarnated people, just in a different way.
When Miach explained all this, Allen shrugged. “The work won’t be such a big deal. You’re, well, our neighborhood courier...” He paused, looked away, then mumbled, “And...you know...a friend, sort of.”
Miach was silent.
“Hey, don’t just stand there. Say something. Come on,” Allen demanded, grabbing her shoulders. In the end, he had to say something to wreck the mood.
Though she’d been staring at him with her mouth hanging open, she soon burst out laughing. “Pfft! Who woulda thought you, of all people, would say something like that—the Dark Lord who used to be shut up in his house, steering clear of everyone. You’ve really changed, haven’t ya? It’s all thanks to Charlotte.”
“Hmph. Mind your own business. So? What’s your answer, then? Do you want me to help or what?”
“Oh yes, yes please. I’ll take ya up on your offer. I feel a lot more confident to have ya on my side now!”
“Heh. I know, right?” Allen smirked triumphantly.
Not so long ago, Allen could barely even manage to make small talk with Miach—he really had changed. Miach was contemplating this when Allen whipped out a notepad and pencil.
“First off, what’s your sister’s name? I’ll have a casual look around.”
“Okey doke. Her name—” Just as Miach was about to speak the long-cherished name, a shrill voice rang out from a distance.
“There you are!!!”
“Hm?” Allen turned to find Groh hurtling through the woods. His serpent was raising its head restlessly too. “Groh? What are you doing here? You need something from me?”
“No, it’s not you I’m here for...” he replied, huffing. “I had to see the delivery girl.”
“Me?” Miach pointed to herself in surprise.
Groh nodded, gasping for air. “I looked all over the place for you. Good thing I checked here, just in case.”
“Sorry about that... What happened?” Miach asked.
“You won’t believe it. You know how we all went to that town with Flora’s ramen shop? To meet the reincarnated girl.”
“Uh-huh... What about it?” Miach tilted her head, puzzled.
“So that girl we found...” Groh said gravely, “looked exactly like you!”
Miach was speechless for a few moments. “What?”
“And when we told her about you, she said, ‘Miach is my little sister; we got separated when we were little,’ and things like that. She’s waiting for you at The Golden City now. She was looking for you all this time,” Groh rattled off excitedly. Then he beamed contentedly. “What a coincidence, huh? Flora’s hobby shops do come in handy sometimes... Uh, hey, what’s up? Something wrong, Dark Overlord?”
Miach stood frozen in place, too startled to speak.
“Well...uh, what can I say?” Allen gave a light pat on her shoulder. With a complicated expression both awkward and congratulatory, he said, “That’s great news, Miach. You can finally see her again.”
“This is totally unexpected!!!” Miach cried out.
And so, the sisters happily reunited at Flora’s shop. After that, Maiah settled down in their city too, and people often saw the two of them hopping bars together, arm in arm.