“Sif, go to Ringa for a bit.” (Risa)

“Pft?! Risa?! What are you saying all of a sudden?!” (Rembrandt)

Yuno had escaped from the house, but that made the security around Sif, who was thinking about doing the same, even tighter.

In other words, Sif couldn’t escape from the house.

While serving tea to her smiling father, she ended up having an afternoon tea time with her Mother Risa at the garden.

She was secretly cursing Yuno as she had no choice but to pass the time with her family.

Different from her little sister Yuno, Sif had quickly found the path she would take, so she was planning on doing her best in training at Tsige so that she wouldn’t lack behind on her other comrades.

Sif is stuck in terms of technique rather than the fighting style, so it was a different worry from her little sister.

Simply speaking, there was not enough time.

That’s why Sif was quite persistent with Raidou in regards to staying in Rotsgard.

The time it took to reach Tsige and the time it would take to return to Rotsgard was precious for her after all.

And within all this, the words that her Mother Risa told her had surprised her.

Ringa.

It is the first base that you will find in the wasteland after leaving Tsige.

It is on a several days distance from the town. For the adventurers that are seriously exploring, this is the first objective to reach.

Sif doesn’t even have the level to leave to the wasteland, so it is a place she should have no relation to.

“M-Mother? I am not at a level where I can go to the wasteland yet…” (Sif)

Of course, Sif was also surprised, though not to the extent of her father.

“Ara, who said anything about going there as an adventurer? This is dangerous. You are beginning to resemble Yuno.” (Risa)

When her daughter spoke about level, her mother lets out a sigh.

She mentioned her other daughter, who had left the house the very moment she returned.

But well, different from her father that would become useless whenever it comes to his daughters, the Mother Risa understood plenty well the nature of her daughters.

She had secretly made Morris tail Yuno.

“Eh, what do you mean by that?” (Sif)

“A small job has come regarding your father’s work. It is a simple job though, but you were born in the wasteland, so you should experience work as well. Use teleportation and—” (Risa)

“Risa, there’s no need to make her go to the wasteland! Like…right, how about sending her on an errand to the town of Koran or Kaido?” (Rembrandt)

“Dear, I told you that there was no need for our daughters to return even if it were just for one summer break, and yet, you went as far as using Raidou-sama to forcefully have them come back here. If we don’t return them with some experience, we will be laughed at. Isn’t that right, Sif?” (Risa)

She was smiling. Risa’s eyes were smiling, but there was not a single shred of kindness in them and it was a smile with quite the pressure.

The father and daughter that were complaining shut their mouth reflexively.

The fact that the father had forcefully made his daughters come back by using underhanded means, and that his daughters were in a foul mood; his wife was in the know of all this.

A while of silence.

“Do you understand? It is a simple job of going to Ringa and confirming the luggage that has arrived there. If it is you, there’s no need to worry. I will send the list later, so confirm it then.” (Risa)

“R-Risa…” (Rembrandt)

“‘Let the cute girls go on journeys’, was it? Those were some nice words there, Dear.” (Risa)

“Uuuh.” (Rembrandt)

The attitude of Risa that didn’t allow complains had the representative of a big company shut up.

“Now then, go prepare, Sif. You will be heading out early morning.” (Risa)

“Ah, yes, Mother.” (Sif)

Sif knows plenty well that her angry mother is the scariest in the family, so she had no choice but to nod.

***

“Dear, be a bit more resolute. If you showed half of the face you show at work, I wouldn’t have to take this role, you know?” (Risa)

“But…when I look at Sif and Yuno, uhm…I simply end up like that.” (Rembrandt)

“Raidou-sama is also relying on that other side of you.” (Risa)

“I will do my best. I…plan on fixing that.” (Rembrandt)

“…Hah…” (Risa)

Her husband that would act without openings in work is exceedingly soft on his daughters to a helpless level.

Risa considers this to have already surpassed the realm of overprotective.

But if she were asked whether her husband who aims straightforwardly for status and money or this one is better, she would be troubled in deciding.

Risa considers his excessive parts as a charm of his as well, but it does bring headaches to her sometimes.

***

Heading to the teleport formation that’s at the outside of Tsige without entering the wasteland; it sounds like a riddle, but it is actually pretty simple.

Utilizing the narrow path that leads from the town to the wasteland, Tsige profits from the gate that divides those two areas.

They simply gouged out a part of the wall of rock there and created a passage that leads from the gate to the teleport formation.

As a result, a clearly smaller building compared to the gate was at the wall rock of the wasteland.

But the costs for its maintenance and security are not that different from the gate.

As the pioneering of the wasteland advances, people other than adventurers entering the wasteland will prove necessary, and this place had been created for that purpose.

It is a place that was created by bringing the technique of the Limia Kingdom that is the most advanced in teleportation magic out of the hyumans.

Traversing the passage that doesn’t reach the 1 km in distance as she received permission to cross several times as she went by, Sif reached an incredibly showy teleport formation she had never seen before. She had once again been reminded that the security in this place was incredibly high for the wasteland and that it is also a place that is treated as a luxury.

***

“There’s no problem with the documents.”

“I didn’t think I would have the honor of seeing Sif-ojosama personally. Is you father doing well?”

“He is doing well to the point that it is tiring for me. Also, father has told me to relay you the message that he will be counting on you for the remaining of the journey of today and tomorrow here.” (Sif)

“Oh! So we will be having a two day break?! I will certainly tell the others about this. This was a pretty rushed trip, so it really helps out.”

Sif was at the Ringa base.

She was walking around the several carriages with list in hand, making her look like she is doing work.

Sif had finished confirming the contents of the goods and, after finishing her talk with the one in charge, she told him the message of her father and gave him some money.

The one in charge took the money that was given to him for the sake of making a party for everyone.

“Hah… I am so tired. Just thinking this is one of the bases makes me nervous.” (Sif)

She looks around the base she has never been to before.

If she were to take one step outside this place, she would be in the wasteland where there’s mamonos and demi-humans she can’t match, which made her unable to relax.

Sif makes a bitter smile at this undispellable tension she feels in this place that she has always been taught is a special environment.

“Oh? Oi~! Could you be Sif-ojosan?”

“Someone you know?”

Someone calls out to her while she was brooding.

When she saw the two familiar hyumans that were approaching her while one was waving his hand, she felt a different kind of tension she hadn’t felt for a while.

“You…Lime Latte?! And you are the adventurer…Toa-san, if I remember correctly.” (Sif)

“We meet at an unusual place-su ne.” (Lime)

“I am happy to hear that the daughter of the big Rembrandt family remembers my name. Nice to meet you, I am Toa.” (Toa)

“I will of course know the name of the ace adventurer of Tsige. I know of Lime-san due to other reasons though…” (Sif)

“About that matter, I have already properly apologized to you and your father though. Wouldn’t it be fine to get along better with me?” (Lime)

“Don’t joke… No, my brain does understand. Just that, it is still difficult to be normal around you. Please do understand this.” (Sif)

“…Well, I am indeed at fault here after all. Can’t be helped. I will wait. So, what business do you have at a base?” (Lime)

Lime didn’t pursue Sif’s words and changed the topic.

He does feel guilty about the matter of the cursed disease hurting those girls.

He apologized to their father and it could be said that the matter had already been given a close, but he does not think that everything has been forgiven.

“I am helping out with the work of my father. I am simply checking goods though…” (Sif)

“Ah! The job we took since it was on the way, now that I think about it, it was from the Rembrandt Company.” (Toa)

“Toa-san’s group was the one doing the guarding. No wonder the arrival ended up only taking a few days. If it is such a close area like this, Toa-san’s group wouldn’t even break a sweat.” (Sif)

Sif was slightly in admiration seeing these two that were standing in this base as if it had the same atmosphere as Tsige and praised that strength of theirs.

“…”

“…”

But Lime and Toa gave a vague smile at the words of Sif and stayed silent.

The deeper you go in the wasteland, the more dangerous it is. There’s no mistaking that.

But in reality, even if it is at the close areas, the danger is still plenty.

Sif’s words were the words of someone ignorant of the way the wasteland works.

But it is questionable whether she will be stepping into the wasteland as an adventurer in the future, so the two decided on letting that misunderstanding pass by without touching on it.

“Thanks to you guys, I was able to provide two days of break. Thank you very much.” (Sif)

“Acha, the two extra days are a break now huh. Then that means we will be bidding farewell since we will be leaving here tomorrow.” (Toa)

“Ah, is that so… Can you please wait for a bit more? I will talk with the person in charge about this, if possible, I would like some of your time to have a discussion…” (Sif)

“Okay. Then I will go and have a talk about this with him, so lady, since you have come all the way here, how about you check the place? Well then, Lime-san, I will be taking my leave.” (Toa)

“Roger. See ya later.” (Lime)

Toa stopped Sif from going and quickly passed by her.

‘Is being quick on acting and being skilled a trait of adventurers?’, is what Sif thought as she saw her leave.

“Lime Latte, what are you doing here?” (Sif)

“Me? Work, obviously. Today is mainly information gathering. Tomorrow I will be taking separate ways from Toa and will be heading to Saki.” (Lime)

“You are going to the wasteland on your own?!” (Sif)

“No, it will be with the Kuzunoha Company, so it will be three counting me. Ah, right. If I remember correctly, Ojo-san, you use Spirit magic, right?” (Lime)

“…What about it?” (Sif)

Sif gave out thorny words.

It is because that’s exactly the topic that she is been troubled by due to being unable to do enough training.

Being suddenly thrown this topic by Lime, she couldn’t not feel as if he were taunting her.

“There’s quite a lot of people at the bases that you don’t see in Tsige. For example, in this Ringa, there’s a user of similar spells like yours Ojo-san, even though it is of a slightly different element.” (Lime)

“Similar to mine?” (Sif)

“That’s right. A user of both Spirit magic and regular one. I was shown it once, but that person used an unusual method like mixing…or was it fusion?” (Lime)

“?!”  

The words of Lime gave Sif a shock.

Because what he said at the latter part was exactly the type of mage that Sif is aiming to be.

“…Do you want to meet that person?” (Lime)

The words Lime said after leaving a slight space of time were words he said because he caught on the internal thoughts of Sif.

“…Someone you know?” (Sif)

“Yeah, a bit. But that person is from the demon race. If you don’t mind that, I can guide you there.” (Lime)

“Demon… That’s…” (Sif)

Hearing the word ‘demon race’, Sif brooded over it.

Hyumans and demons are in the middle of war.

Even if it is a base in the wasteland and a place where the boundaries of races is thin, she still held a certain degree of opposition to it.

“It is not a person that holds hostility towards hyumans. In the wasteland, races don’t hold much meaning after all. For good or for bad, this is a place where we don’t pry on each other. Well, just think of that person as an eccentric within the demon race.” (Lime)

“…I want to try meeting that person.” (Sif)

After a while of silence, Sif answered Lime.

“Got it. Are you fine with going now?” (Lime)

“Yeah.” (Sif)

Lime told her to follow him and begins to walk with his back facing her.

Sif obediently follows him.

Since being involved with the Kuzunoha Company, her way of thinking towards other races that are not hyuman has changed quite a lot.

If it were before the time she was under the curse disease, she wouldn’t have met a demon even if it was necessary.

On the other hand, Lime was scratching his head with a wry smile as he guides Sif.

He is aware that he is being soft with Sif.

But he can’t help but feel guilty towards the Rembrandt sisters and their mother, so his words end up reflecting that guilt and he simply ends up wanting to give them a hand.

It is because he wants to repent for what he did, but it is also because he likes to look after others.

Lime was thoroughly tired of his own softness.

“Oi, Risui, are you alive?” (Lime)

Lime stops in front of a certain house.

Having a personal house in a base is, in a sense, proof that the person has decent strength, so that casual tone of Lime was not normal.

“Calling someone without honorifics… Ah, so it was you, Lime. I don’t really need anything right now, you know? It also isn’t payday yet… Hm? Who is that girl?” (Risui)

The one who opened the door was a woman that was slightly past her prime and felt as if her face was soon to show wrinkles.

Just as Lime said, she had a horn growing from her forehead and had the characteristic blue skin.

While fixing her glasses with her hand, she was looking at the visitors with a listless disposition.

“Today I came for a matter aside of the company. You probably don’t know the company but, this lady here is from the Rembrandt Company in Tsige, Sif Rembrandt.” (Lime)

“…Don’t take me for a fool. I also know about the Rembrandt Company. I am surprised by the fact that you know each other though.” (Risui)

“Nice to meet you, my name is Sif Rembrandt.” (Sif)

“Yeah yeah. I am Risui. So? What’s the meaning of this, Lime?” (Risui)

“Actually, this girl uses the same dual Spirit magic and regular magic as—” (Lime)

“Risui-san! Please teach me compound Spirit and regular magic!” (Sif)

Unable to wait for Lime to finish, Sif asked straight.

It was a tone as if she were cornered; a tone she rarely shows.

“…”

“…And there you have it. I also request this of you.” (Lime)

“It is your specialty to bring in unusual people here, I see. It is not on the level of that Waka-sama you brought before though.” (Risui)

Being suddenly asked a favour, Risui made a dumbfounded expression for a second, but she soon began to complain to Lime.

“It is as you see. I beg of you.” (Lime)

Surprisingly, Lime lowered his head deeply.

“Please stop it. Seriously, you do this even when you somewhat could anticipate I can’t refuse. If in several days there’s nothing worth mentioning, I will kick her back. Is that okay?” (Risui)

“Yeah, I don’t mind. Also, this girl will definitely become big.” (Lime)

“Good grief. Prepare yourself for the next task. I will be ordering a lot of troublesome things to get all at once. Uhm, your name was Sif, right? Come in.” (Risui)

“Ah, yes.” (Sif)

“Well then, do your best, Ojo-san.” (Lime)

“I will at least say thanks.” (Sif)

“Okay.” (Lime)

After watching over Sif entering the house of Risui, Lime leaves the place himself.

“Who is the one that is the most bothered by it, you say? That would be me. Because you know, even if it didn’t go as discussed, it is the truth that I did something terrible to them, so it can’t be helped…… Now then, I heard that Sif-ojosan was stuck with the matter of compounding Spirit magic and regular magic, but with this, it should be fine now. In that case, the next one is Yuno-ojosan huh. I think it would be best to find her a close-quarters weapon that might serve as her core, but…the issue is the lack of a lead. Fuh…I was told this by Boss as well but, aren’t I one step away from being a stalker? Let’s be careful.” (Lime)

Lime was keeping tabs regarding the situation of the Rembrandt sisters and had a rough understanding of what they were bothered about.

Even if it is due to his sense of guilt, it was still conscientious of him.

If there was interest as a member of the opposite gender in those actions of his, it would be legit stalkerish, but right now, that’s not the case.

Lime disappears into the hustle and bustle of the base as he grumbles.

Even if it was made possible by Lime, Sif Rembrandt had met a mage in Ringa who uses the same kind of magic as her.

Just like Yuno who had seen the physical techniques of Morris; these encounters were revolutionary for the two sisters.

Sif and Yuno were beginning to stop cursing the fact that they couldn’t stay in Rotsgard and were seeing it positively, looking forward to the time when they meet their friends so they can surprise them.

On the other hand, this meant that the time their father had with his daughters was shaved off and it led to him suffering, and Morris, who was left with the task of shouldering this, was caught between a rock and a hard place as he also suffered as well, but compared to the joy of seeing how the two sisters were growing in such a dazzling manner, this suffering was trifling.

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