Yua stretched herself after a few hours of sleeping in her new temple. “Aah, how refreshing.”


    “Today, you seem more excited, huh?” Anja, who had just returned,mented.


    Mona replied with a loud bark, then jogged around Yua’s feet. However, the dog was entangled because the rope tied to its neck was limited. Chuckling, Yua crouched down and rubbed the head of Elise’s pet.


    A strange sight because Mona did all that in her human form.


    “So, now we’ve set off for the mission, right?” Kimi approached me, of course still with her signature t expression.


    “Yes, Kimi.” I grinned. “Today, you will be on a mission. So, everyone gathered at the pond.”


    While walking to the ce, I noticed that Elise averted her eyes from me. I immediately raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask but held back. It’s possible that she found out what happened yesterday and that it could make things awkward. Me and Yua’s voices were quite loud when we did that, after all.


    Or maybe I’m overthinking it.


    [There is a rumor about a fish-legged monster that is troubling the citizens]


    Credit points: 7500


    Skill points: 1


    [A king wants to get another wife]


    Credit points: 15000


    Skill points: 2


    [A magician is acting as the executor]


    Credit points: 22,500


    Skill points: 3


    I don’t know what the executors are in this third quest. However, it is rted to a magician and has hard difficulty. There’s a good chance it’s associated with the scarlet wizard.


    Just about to choose the third quest, the telmunications icon in my game UI rang. There’s a call from Renee.


    “Hi, Renee. I hope it’s important.” I sighed. “I was just about to send my servants on a mission.”


    “This is very important, sir,” Renee replied in a cold tone. “I won’t talk too long. In the city where I live, there is some kind of giant crack in the air, making people panic. And what’s even more insane, this city is sealed off by a giant magic barrier, so no one can get out of here.”


    “Hey, slow down.” I chimed in, having a bit of trouble digesting the sentence that was spoken so quickly. “A crack? What do you mean?”


    “It would be difficult to exin. You have to see for yourself.” Renee continued. “And you know what’s even crazier, sir? Everyone in the government and most of the police in this city had evacuated first. Chaos was inevitable. Robberies and murders were rampant, and we adventurers volunteered to maintain the order, but we were overwhelmed.”


    “Sounds bad.” I already guessed what was going on, but I didn’t want to say it until I saw the city. “Alright, I’ll send my servants there.”


    “Hurry up, sir.”


    ***


    Raymund’s servantsnd in front of a restaurant belonging to one of Renee’s friends: Hugo’s. They were immediately greeted by Lauren, in, and Renee. In addition, there are some of Renee’s friends whom Elise met on the second mission.


    “Good afternoon, Elise.” Pierre, the head of the thugs in the city, greeted the female warrior. He was still as skinny as before but with longer hair. “Long time no see.”


    “Hi, Pierre.”


    “Look at that.” Renee pointed into the distance.


    They then looked at what was meant. Yes, there was some kind of crack in the air that gave off a yellowish glow. It was about the same height as a skyscraper and was gradually increasing.


    “It’s a portal.” Kimi hissed, and it made the others turn to her.


    “Let’s just chat inside,” Lauren suggested.


    Hugo greeted them with a big smile and immediately started cooking something in the kitchen. The ce was still closed due to chaos, but the chubby man had opened it, especially for Renee and her friends.


    “What do you think about this ce?” Renee smiled as Elise inspected the ce. “It’s clean now, right? The ce is also better. Hugo’s business is booming now, and he’s been able to hire some employees. I sometimes run out of food when Ie here.”


    They all sat around a fewbined tables while some of Renee’s friends closed the restaurant door and stood guard.


    “So, what do you mean it’s a portal, Kimi?” Lauren asked quickly.


    “Magic portal… You know? The kind that can move you from one ce to another.” Kimi started to exin. “However, that is just a theory, and my father only managed to form the crack without being able to move his body.”


    “Only your father could do that?” Yua hissed.


    Kimi just nodded.


    “This has something to do with the scarlet wizard?” Elise Gulped.


    “Most likely.” Kimi closed her eyes. “My father was once that wizard’s subordinate, after all.”


    “What? What did you say?” Renee raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by the subordinate of the Scarlet Wizard? You say it with the impression that she is evil. And how can you immediately conclude that it has something to do with the Scarlet Wizard?”


    “It doesn’t matter, Renee.” Yua immediately responded. “The most important thing now is to find out what really happened. If it’s a portal, what wille out of it? And what is the purpose?”


    “That is to take many human lives.” Raymund’s voice came from themunication device lying on the table. “Of course, it’s to strengthen the scarlet wizard so she can gain divine power.”


    Renee sighed. “But, sir. You can’t conclude that….”


    Pierre suddenly pounded the table and rose quickly, making the chair he was sitting on fall. “That’s why members of the government and the police left. Then, they trapped us in this giant magical dome! They want to kill us!


    “Please.” Renee massaged her forehead. “Can we not rte all of this to the scarlet wizard?”


    “Yeah, not necessarily if it’s made by the scarlet wizard,” Yua responded to Renee again. “However, what we talked about just now makes a lot of sense. Why were the townspeople locked up? So, let’s assume that whateveres out of the portal will kill many people. We don’t have to care who initiated it. What is clear, there will be a major disaster that wille to this city, and we must deal with it.”


    Renee leaned back against the chair. “Alright then, let’s make a n…. At least to check what really happened in the meantime.”


    ***


    My servants and several other volunteer adventurers came to the crack from various directions. I’ve sent Ciel the scout bee, but there’s nothing new and worth mentioning to the others.


    Now Elise is approaching the crack through the deserted street without any upants. As they got closer to the crack of the portal, their bodies were doused with light that seemed artificial.


    The female warrior looked up for a moment as if she was looking at me. Then, she whispered to Renee, who immediately gasped. The blonde-haired woman then whispered back in Elise’s ear. And after that, the two hugged each other.


    Realizing something, I said. “Last night, you heard Yua and me, huh?”


    The female warrior didn’t answer and chose to keep walking.


    “Please, answer that question, Elise.” I was starting to worry about the woman’s feelings. “You might be facing a tough fight in a while. So, better get out what’s on your mind so you can fight to the fullest.”


    Instead of answering, the female warrior stopped walking, then looked up with teary eyes. Seeing the sad expression on her face, I felt like my heart was being hit by something hard.


    However, the woman smiled instead. “Please, don’t talk like this, sir. I promise to carry out this mission well.”


    I’ve opened my mouth to argue but stopped my intention. Perhaps it would only hurt Elise even more if I spoke too much.


    As if knowing what was happening, Mona also looked up. The dog barked at me, also with a sad face.


    “Oh, Elise.” Anja gulped.


    “Anja,” I spoke to my personal assistant, standing next to me. “Can you go away for a bit? You can stay in Elise’s temple for a while.”


    Anja was silent for a moment, then answered. “Very well, sir.”


    I waited until Anja was out of sight, then switched mymunication to Yua, who was walking with Kimi.


    “Yua, can you separate yourself from Kimi for a bit?”


    The kunoichi raised an eyebrow. Kimi just nodded in agreement.


    “Okay, sir.” Yua then moved to one of the narrow alleys.


    “I’m going to the point.” I sighed. “Elise already knew what we were doing back then.”


    The kunoichi massaged her forehead. “And she’s sad, isn’t she? Then what will happen?”


    “I’m at a loss on how to deal with Elise myself…”


    “No.” Yua hastily cut in. “I ask you, what do you want to do?”


    I was instantly lost for words. Yua’s words weren’t sharp, but she was clearly worried about our rtionship.


    Still thinking about what just happened, a person in green clothes came to me. It was Frei, the goddess of nature. Her appearance made my anxiety grow many times over.


    “Was there any suspicious movement of a giant nt monster or something?” I ask.


    Frei stopped in front of me with a stiffened face.