Presented with an impossibly lavish party lineup by Nilva, Luna had moved past ‘astonishment’ into ‘stunned blankness.’
(Wait, why those three……. Is this harassment?)
What comes to mind are her memories of meeting each of them.
(Third Holy Knight Platoon Captain, Raios Reinhart……)
That day she had first met Raios——at the joint exercise arranged between the Saint Academy and the Holy Knight Academy——she still remembers with perfect clarity the words he had proclaimed.
[Let me be straightforward, since we’re here. The reincarnation of the Saint is not among them. My eyes are not like the ordinary masses, unable to spot a hole in their own palm. If I saw the real thing, I’d know in an instant——I would know without question, this is the Saint.]
Raios, who had said this with absolute confidence while looking directly at the Saint——is, with no room for argument, a magnificent hole-in-the-palm.*
(The vice-captain, Curse Meref, was that easygoing brown-haired one who was with Raios-san, wasn’t he……?)
Her memory of meeting Curse is equally vivid.
[Here’s my dorm room number, written down. Come by any time you’re in the mood.]
A hopelessly frivolous man who had thrust a note with his room number at her right upon introduction.
(And Owl Rastia——alias, ‘Wall Anemone’……)
Her episode with him had been especially striking.
When Luna had gone to register as an adventurer, he had suddenly volunteered to serve as her examiner for no clear reason, only to be felled by her casually thrown punch——and ended up embedded in the wall like a sea anemone that had taken root there. Hence, Wall Anemone.
(Of all people, why these three……?)
Luna is sitting with this genuinely puzzled thought when Nilva shows an anxious expression.
“S-Silver-dono……what do you mean by ‘different ones’? Could it be that the members I selected are not to your liking?”
“Ah……well……”
Luna struggles for a response.
She had been presented with such a formidable trio that she’d instinctively rejected them before thinking.
(……Hmm, this is a problem……)
Nilva had introduced them with confidence as ‘quite capable fighters,’ so declining on the grounds of ‘insufficient ability’ would insult him.
To avoid making unnecessary waves, she needed to find some other reason.
“If I recall, those three were injured in a rather serious incident fairly recently. Perhaps an assignment this demanding is a bit much for them so soon after their return……?”
Raios and Curse had both been seriously wounded in the battle against Wise, and Owl had only just hovered near death after taking Luna’s casual punch——’is it really a good idea to bring three people in questionable condition along to a dangerous Theocracy?’ was the exit Luna had devised.
“No need for concern. All three have made complete recoveries, thanks to our kingdom’s skilled recovery mages!”
“I see……”
With that so clearly stated, the health angle is difficult to push.
“Out of curiosity……are those three sufficiently capable as scouts?”
“Of course they are! Raios is an exceptionally learned man and is indispensable for this type of expedition mission! Curse has certain issues of character, but is one of the finest scouts in the kingdom! And Owl goes without saying——using the many divine gifts residing within him, he can handle combat, detection, and stealth operations——a ‘versatile genius’ capable of adapting to any situation!”
“……I see……”
Some unease remains about their combat effectiveness, but their scouting abilities are apparently high.
(Well, when it actually comes to fighting I can take the front line myself……should be fine?)
With that thought, Luna makes her decision.
“——Very well. I will humbly accept this request.”
“Oh, thank you very much!”
Nilva bows politely——then gives a sudden “ah!”
“Pardon me. I’ve forgotten to mention the monetary compensation for this matter. First, as an advance payment——”
“——No, money will not be necessary.”
Luna says this and raises her right hand.
“The information on the Theocracy and the transfer of the Sacred Relic——those two things are more than sufficient. Accepting any further compensation would be taking more than my due.”
She wants this to be an ‘equal transaction,’ nothing more.
She is currently based in the Kingdom of Elgia——but the reason for that comes down to her reincarnation landing in the Spedio domain, which is kingdom territory, and ending up at the Saint Academy by circumstance. In other words, largely by accident, and what becomes of things going forward is uncertain.
(This ‘Silver’ identity——an adventurer and Proxy of the Saint. I want to keep it precious as a ‘free existence,’ bound to no particular faction……)
For the sake of maintaining Silver’s independence, she wants to keep her work with the kingdom on equal terms.
Quickly reading Luna’s intent, Nilva doesn’t press further and simply replies “understood.”
“Now then, Silver-dono, regarding the schedule going forward……. How about gathering all the members once to make introductions first?”
“Yes, I was thinking exactly that myself.”
“And your plans for after this……?”
“Today I have nothing at all.”
“Wonderful! Then I’ll reach out to Owl, Raios, and Curse. Let me see……’gather at the adventurer’s guild in one hour’——would that work?”
“Please, go right ahead.”
Plans are settled smoothly, and the business discussion wraps up without incident.
“——Silver-dono, thank you sincerely for giving us your valuable time today, and for accepting our request so graciously.”
“Not at all, the feeling is mutual. Thank you for going out of your way when you must be so busy. Thanks to you, I had a very fruitful conversation.”
Luna and Nilva say this and shake hands.
“I believe I’ll be on my way for now——and Nilva-san?”
“I’ll continue working here for a while longer. A <Transmission> is sufficient to contact Owl and the others.”
“Of course. Then I’ll excuse myself first.”
And so Luna exits the Special Reception Chamber.
A little while after Luna leaves the Special Reception Chamber——Nilva claps his hands together.
“——You three, you can come out now.”
At those words, from behind heavy curtains, from inside a closet, from behind a hidden door——three Holy Knights appear.
Luna, whose detection ability is extremely poor, had not noticed at all——but.
In fact, Owl, Raios, and Curse had been hidden in this room the whole time.
“After all is said and done, Silver-dono never managed to see through your concealment. As I surmised, his detection ability is quite low. What they call the ‘bluntness’ peculiar to the absolutely powerful, I suppose.”
Against Nilva’s assessment, a dissenting voice rises.
“No, he was aware of our presence.”
Owl states this flatly——
“He made eye contact with us several times, so there’s no question.”
——and Raios agrees——
“Wait, seriously……!?”
——and Curse is startled.
“Th-that can’t be……. I was facing Silver-dono the entire time and saw not the slightest word or gesture that would suggest it……?”
Nilva raises his doubts, and Owl and Raios both exhale in a ‘good grief’ sort of way.
“Silver is a man who has deceived the eyes of the world for three hundred years. Performance and playing his cards close to his chest are his specialties.”
“You cannot look at Silver’s surface alone. You have to look more at the essence——unless you peer into his depths, it will be difficult to grasp him.”
“W-what do you mean! Explain it more clearly! Was he really seeing through your perfect concealment, to begin with!? I find that difficult to believe!”
Nilva leans forward and asks Owl and Raios for a more detailed explanation.
“The moment he entered the room, Silver made an ostentatiously deliberate survey of his surroundings——and immediately went stiff.”
“He likely became aware of our presence the instant he entered. Impressively sharp.”
“Is that so……? To my eyes, it looked like nothing more than him tensing up at the expensive furnishings……”
Nilva’s interpretation happens to be exactly correct——but Owl and Raios cut it down.
“Aha. A man of Silver’s caliber wouldn’t be rattled by furnishings of this level.”
“Silver is the Proxy of the Saint. Furnishings of this level would be no different from off-the-shelf common goods to someone like him.”
“……Th-true enough……”
The extremely ordinary Saint had in fact been nervous about ‘furnishings of this level’——but there is no way for them to know that.
“There are any number of smaller points I could raise, but……the easiest to understand is——that ‘different ones’ remark.”
“That was a clear message. A message from Silver: ‘I know you’re there.'”
“I see……. I thought it was an unusually bold remark for Silver-dono, but so that’s what it was……. Those words were directed at you three……”
Nilva exhales deeply and slaps both cheeks firmly.
“Phew……. It seems I was still underestimating Silver-dono. ——I’ll revise my assessment. Going forward, I will treat his strategic mind as comparable to Emperor Adrinus Odo Albas.”
Nilva raises his evaluation of Silver considerably——
“That seems appropriate.”
“A perfectly natural judgment.”
——and Owl and Raios agree.
“Now——I had you three observe Silver-dono carefully during that meeting, but……. How did he appear to you? I’d like to hear your candid impressions.”
Nilva says this and turns to the three of them.
“——Unknown quantity. Even with my divine gift [Magical Energy Perception] at full output, his power is completely invisible. Most likely that armor has a powerful detection-interference effect built in.”
Owl shrugs——
“A slippery one, I’d say. Despite being such a remarkable figure, to be able to put on such a convincing performance of being ordinary……. This is the Proxy of the Saint, the one no one in the world could pin down for three hundred years.”
Raios states his personal assessment calmly——
“Oh, I’m not interested in men.”
Curse answers honestly.
Nilva gives a “hmm……” nod at the three different responses.
“Owl, Raios——you understand why I selected you two for this mission?”
“Yes, of course.”
“The one thing I have in common with Owl-san that’s relevant to this case is: we are Holy Knights who have had contact with Silver before……correct?”
“Exactly. Even the Proxy of the Saint is human. Surely he’ll lower his guard somewhat more with you, who have already formed some connection with him, than with a complete stranger.”
At that, Curse tentatively raises his hand.
“Um……I haven’t had any contact with Silver-san at all……?”
“Curse was recruited purely on capability. Your character is a disaster, but as a scout you’re top class.”
“Was that character bit necessary?”
Nilva ignores Curse’s retort and puts on an unusually serious expression.
“I need not belabor the obvious, but this is an invaluable opportunity to deepen our friendship with Silver-dono and a rare chance to learn the measure of the man. During the mission, keep your eyes on his every move and bring back every piece of information you can on Silver-dono. And of course——do not let him catch on. He’s a terrifyingly sharp man. If he realizes we’re probing him, he’ll deliberately keep information back.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
And so, without Luna knowing any of it, the intelligence-gathering operation on Silver begins.
One hour later.
Luna heads to the adventurer’s guild to find a group of familiar faces gathered there.
“——Hey, long time no see, Silver.”
“Wall Ane——ahem——Owl-san, it’s been a while.”
Wall Anemone Who Has Taken Root in the Wall, abbreviated to ‘Wall Anemone.’
Luna had almost addressed him by his mental nickname, but stopped herself at the last possible moment.
“Still, to think you were the Proxy of the Saint. Honestly, that was a little surprising. (‘Wall Ane’……what’s that about……?)”
Owl says this and glances at the man to his right.
“This sullen face here is Raios Reinhart. Captain of the Third Holy Knight Platoon, a promising young Holy Knight to keep an eye on.”
“Raios Reinhart. ——Silver, I still owe you my thanks from last time. You saved my life. I’m grateful.”
“Think nothing of it.”
With the brief exchange between Silver and Raios done, Owl glances at the man to his left.
“And this is Curse Meref. His nickname is Curse——that’s all.”
“H-hey!? Is that really all I get for an introduction!?”
Curse mutters “honestly, always this role……” under his breath, then gives Luna a small bow.
“Nice to meet you, Silver-san. Name’s Curse Meref. Would you mind passing this along to the Saint for me?”
Curse says this and holds out a scrap of paper torn from a notebook.
With a vague sense of familiarity——a bad feeling——Luna takes it anyway.
“This is……?”
“My dorm and room number. If you could tell the Saint ‘drop by any time you feel lonely’——that’d be a big help.”
“……Well. He really is a Curse, isn’t he.”
Luna’s assessment of Curse dropped to the very bottom.
She had known he was an incorrigible womanizer, but to make a move on someone whose face he had never even seen——even Luna was put off by that.
“Sorry, Silver. Our Curse was rude.”
“The Saint is a pure and untainted maiden! Someone like you has no business going anywhere near her!”
Owl and Raios administer strict punishment——
“I-I haven’t done anything wrong……! I’m just a little more honest about my desires than everyone else……!”
——but Curse shows no sign of reflecting.
After that, Luna, Owl, Raios, and Curse take seats at a table in the back of the guild——and Owl snaps his fingers.
“——<Unknowable Domain>“
The spatial magic activates, and a transparent sphere of roughly two meters’ radius expands outward from Owl.
This cuts off all information from inside the sphere to the outside, bringing the risk of information leakage to as close to zero as possible.
“Alright, let’s start by sharing the information we have on the Leonard Theocracy. There might be some overlap with what Nilva-san told you, but we can’t have any gaps in baseline knowledge, so I’ll trace through the Theocracy’s overview from the beginning.”
Owl says this and opens the discussion.
“Three hundred years ago, the founding leader Leonard established Leonard’s Creed, named after himself. They manipulated popular opinion with skillful words, produced followers at extraordinary speed——and eventually formed the Leonard Theocracy. However, three hundred years ago they were defeated in a fierce religious war against the Saint’s Church, and are currently in a state of collapse.”
“I see……(This part is more or less the same as what Nilva-san told me.)”
“After that, Leonard made several attempts to restore power——but the Saint’s Church was relentless. The moment they spotted Theocracy remnants, they immediately surrounded them with forces of a hundred or more and compelled conversion to the Saint’s Church.”
“……I can picture it rather vividly……”
Luna knows the Saint’s Church’s abnormality all too well.
“With nowhere left to belong in the surface world, the Theocracy literally ‘went underground.’ They constructed a vast ant-colony-style nation deep beneath the Tamur Desert, which stretches between the Kingdom of Elgia and the Grandize Holy Nation, and continue their activities to this day——that’s the Theocracy’s history.”
“I see……”
“Their doctrine, now as ever, is ‘the unification of human and demon’——sinful humans and pitiable demons achieve unification through the salvation of ‘death,’ and reach the ultimate paradise liberated from the material world. Simply put, ‘let’s all die together and go to heaven’——a deranged philosophy drenched in the desire for annihilation.”
“As dangerous a group as ever……”
Luna lets out a sigh.
“And this dangerous group is currently making some strange moves. Could you take a look at this material?”
“This is……a ‘list of missing persons’……?”
“Yep. As recorded there, over a hundred kingdom citizens have gone missing in the area around the Tamur Desert. In just a little over a year. By the way, apparently this number is more than ten times the typical annual rate.”
“Something abnormal is happening.”
Owl agrees with Luna’s statement.
“Right, no question. The kingdom found this suspicious and issued a Holy Knight investigation request——and a week later, the remains of those missing people were found in the eastern part of the Tamur Desert. After careful examination, traces of ‘dark magic residue’ were detected in their bodies.”
“Which means……”
“Yeah, they were killed by someone. The kingdom took this seriously and sent intelligence agents into the Leonard Theocracy. The investigation revealed that the Theocracy has been kidnapping people living in the kingdom and using them for magical experimentation. It appears they are trying to create a new magic——a ‘Dark Reincarnation Magic.'”
Owl speaks with an unusual gravity.
“According to the kingdom’s intelligence agents……. The Theocracy intends to use this forbidden spell to summon ‘a certain soul’ back to the present world.”
“A certain soul?”
“Yeah. Whose soul they intend to reincarnate hasn’t been pinned down yet, but……whoever it is, it can’t be anyone good.”
Owl shrugs and moves the discussion forward.
“And then things took a major turn three days ago, when the scheduled report from the intelligence agents stopped coming in. ……It seems they were found out.”
“……I see.”
Now as ever, the fate that befalls intelligence agents captured by the enemy is grim.
Luna felt a little, quietly, dark.
“I don’t know how much ours told them before the end, but the Theocracy isn’t stupid. Whether they’ve moved their base, fortified their defenses——they’ll have made some kind of move by now. ……Depending on how far along the forbidden spell is, they might activate the ‘Dark Reincarnation Magic’ today or tomorrow.”
“That’s a rather pressing situation.”
“Yes, exactly. The kingdom’s upper ranks judged there was no time to spare and decided to approach Silver for cooperation. ——Right, that’s roughly all the information we can disclose. The exact location of the Theocracy, the secret infiltration route, all of that——let’s save that for when we’re on site. Probably easier to explain in person.”
“I see……thank you very much.”
Luna expresses her appreciation for the valuable information and runs her excellent Saint-brain.
(I started losing track partway through……. Basically the Leonard Theocracy is doing something bad, so I just need to crush their scheme……right?)
The Saint is not good with long explanations. Understanding any text over three lines is difficult.
Unbeknownst to that, Owl spreads a map on the table.
“Alright, next let’s talk about the schedule from here. We’re currently here, the kingdom’s adventurer’s guild. From here we’d ride fast horses southwest to the village of Tot, gather equipment for crossing the desert, march on foot through the Tamur Desert the following morning, and move to the oasis city, Logress. There we’d acquire magic tools and potions, get a thorough night’s rest, and then move in on the Leonard Theocracy.”
“Um……how many days are you planning for, roughly?”
Luna is a student at the Saint Academy.
Ro is away in the Spedio domain for the next day or two, so she has some flexibility——but.
If she is not back by tomorrow night at the latest, she will miss school, and more than anything, she will cause Ro tremendous worry.
“Six days between the trip there and back, with additional time on top of that depending on how things go. If the investigation of the Theocracy goes smoothly, one extra day; if it runs long, we’re looking at three, four, five days dragging on.”
“I see……”
Luna crosses her arms and thinks about ways to cut the time.
“……If we finish the Theocracy investigation in a day——no, half a day——. We’re spending far too much time on travel. Let’s cut that down.”
“Cut it down is all well and good, but……the Tamur Desert is harsh. A forced march is dangerous.”
“No, it’ll be over in an instant——<Otherworld Gate>.”
The moment Luna raises her right hand, a large door appears as if tearing through empty space.
“[Everyone]: What——!?”
(This is the highest-class spatial magic <Otherworld Gate>!? Activated in no time at all without any special ritual, magic tool, or chanting……!)
(As expected of the Proxy of the Saint, extraordinary magical ability……)
(Whoa, another ridiculous door just appeared……)
Owl, Raios, and Curse stare wide-eyed in astonishment.
“The <Otherworld Gate>‘s destination is set for the oasis city of Logress. Since I’ve already activated it, shall we go?”
Luna says this, steps through the door, and Owl, Raios, and Curse follow after her.
Beyond the massive door stretches a dry desert landscape, and the oasis city of Logress is visible just before their eyes.
“Haha, that’s incredible……! A three-day journey gone in an instant.”
Owl breathes out in wonder——
“The <Otherworld Gate> I’ve heard so much about. What a useful magic……”
Raios nods, genuinely impressed——
“Huh……makes you feel a bit ridiculous for always slogging it out on the road……”
Curse opens his mouth wide.
“Whatever the case, thanks to Silver we’ve cut the schedule down dramatically. At this rate we could move in on the Theocracy as soon as tomorrow.”
Owl says this and glances at the sun hanging in the eastern sky.
“Desert regions like this one see the sun go down early. For now, let’s prioritize securing lodgings and pick up magic tools and potions as we go.”
And so the four of them start walking toward the front entrance of Logress.
(Hm, so this is the oasis city of Logress……)
Logress, within the Kingdom of Elgia’s territory, commonly known as ‘the oasis city.’
This is a relatively young city——it didn’t exist yet in the world three hundred years ago when Luna was alive.
Its origins date back about a hundred years, when a rich spring suddenly began welling up from a sunken dune in the center of the Tamur Desert.
Thanks to the water, the source of all life, lush greenery grew around the spring——and desert nomads who discovered it settled there one by one, until eventually it became the oasis city it is today.
Incidentally……the name Logress comes from the name of a certain man, said to be the first person to discover this oasis.
(Colorful turbans and white tunics……there are a lot of people in unusual dress. I suppose because it’s a desert region?)
As Luna takes in these observations while walking down the main boulevard——Owl stops in front of a certain street stall.
“Oh, the Logress specialty ‘desert fruit.’ Since we’re here, I’ll have one.”
“——Here ya go, enjoy!”
Desert fruit is a large oval fruit grown on a special tree found around Logress.
It stores enormous amounts of moisture and fructose inside its thick skin, and when you carve out the stem at the top with a knife and drink the contents by tilting the whole fruit, it is nothing short of extraordinary.
“Mm, delicious! Oh, how about one for you too, Silver? The texture is smooth, very refreshing.”
“……No, I’m alright. (Ugh, it looks absolutely delicious, but I can’t take the helm off……)”
“I see. (I was hoping if the fruit, maybe the face…… Well, it won’t be that simple.)”
With Owl backing off easily, Raios steps in with a question.
“Speaking of which, Silver——what do you usually eat?”
“The same things as everyone else. Rice, vegetables, meat——basics, really, I eat pretty much anything.”
“No dislikes at all, that’s a fine quality. (The refinement and intelligence that seeps through every corner of the conversation……without question, born into the upper nobility.)”
As Owl and Raios attend to their ‘secondary mission’ of gathering information on Silver——Curse, thinking nothing in particular, drops a staggering question.
“Hey Silver-san, what kind of person is the Saint?”
(That’s gutsy, going straight for it……! ……No, wait, this is brilliant! Coming from a Curse who loves women, he can ask about the Saint completely naturally!)
(Well played, Curse! Who would have thought your womanizing would be useful in exactly this way……!)
Owl and Raios focus their attention and prick their ears to the conversation between the two.
“What kind of person the Saint is……. Let me think——if I had to say——”
“If-if you had to say……!”
“An intellectual, cultured cool beauty.”
Luna put on as much of a show as she possibly could.
“Ohhhh! Nice, nice, very nice! Does she wear glasses? Is she a kuudere? Class president type? Oh, the possibilities are endless!”
As Curse’s energy rises to unsettling heights——
(Intellectual, cultured……)
(Cool beauty……)
((Both of us need to remember this……!))
Owl and Raios carefully inscribe the valuable information obtained from Silver into the notepads of their minds.
That said……every last bit of it is wide of the mark, so this will not be of any use to them for the rest of their lives.
After that, they browse the shops along the street and gather supplies for tomorrow——sunshades, potions, magic tools, and the like.
In the midst of this, one particular shop catches Luna’s eye.
(Oh, a bookshop. The feel of it……probably a used bookshop?)
Old philosophy texts, dust-covered history books, torn-covered magic tomes——shelves lined with books that look forbiddingly difficult——and among them:
(……Is that……!?)
An astounding volume leaps into her vision.
(‘Villainess Arche: Official Setting Material Collection’……!?)
Shining brilliantly there is the official setting material collection for the novel she loves above all others.
(I-I had no idea that existed……!)
It was not included in the ‘complete series set’ that Ro had bought for her.
(……I want it……)
Luna stops involuntarily, swallowing hard.
“What’s the matter, Silver?”
“Something catch your eye?”
“Maybe you need the bathroom?”
Owl, Raios, and Curse stop walking and call over in puzzlement.
“Ah……well……”
Luna fumbles for a response.
There is no way she can say ‘I want the Villainess Arche official setting material collection!’——and stuck for an answer, she is at a loss.
(……I want it, want it want it want it want it want it……! No matter what, I absolutely must have that one……!)
As a lifelong devoted fan of ‘Villainess Arche’ going back three hundred years, the official setting material collection is something she wants more than anything in the world.
(Kgh……there’s a risk, but the only option here is to do That Thing!)
Her resolve settled, Luna gives a small cough.
“I’m sorry, would it be alright if I stopped into this used bookshop?”
“Of course, no problem at all. (Hm, I wonder if Silver likes books?)”
“Is there something that caught your interest? (What kind of books does the Proxy of the Saint read in daily life……genuinely fascinating.)”
“Silver-san, you read books? (Huh, somehow that’s unexpected.)”
“Reading is very useful for broadening one’s knowledge and perspective.”
The only knowledge and perspective Luna broadens through reading concerns villainess novels——but of course she does not say this.
The four of them enter the used bookshop to find its selection is impressive enough to leave them speechless.
“Hm……a lot of unusual titles. At the very least, none of these are things you’d come across in the capital.”
“True, this might actually be a good opportunity to broaden my own knowledge. Come to think of it, let me buy something.”
“Hmm……lots of heavy-going stuff. Is there a photo album of beautiful women somewhere in here?”
With Owl, Raios, and Curse each going their separate ways——Luna begins her covert operation.
(Priority one: secure the target……!)
Having kept the Villainess Arche official setting material in sight the whole time, like a seasoned hunter biding her time for close to a minute——
The moment Owl, Raios, and Curse’s attention moves away from her——
(Now——!)
——she unleashes, for the first time since reincarnating into the present day, a full-force fingertip strike——and perfectly secures the target.
It is a moment shorter than an instant.
Not even Owl or the others, let alone the book itself, have registered that it was taken from the shelf.
Having secured the target at what can only be called ‘divine speed,’ she immediately moves to the next step.
(Right. Philosophy! Magic tome! Regional gazetteer! Old manuscript!)
She stacks alternating heavy-looking titles above and below——and sandwiches the prized volume inside.
(Saint-style hidden technique: The Sandwich……!)
This way, no matter which angle you look from, the words ‘Villainess Arche’ are invisible.
And the only weak point——the spine——she guards by covering it with her own body.
In this state, she can proceed to the register without anyone noticing, and purchase the prized volume without raising a single eyebrow.
(Right, while I have the chance……!)
Luna glides soundlessly toward the register——and finds Wall Anemone A, Hole-in-the-Palm B, and Curse C, all standing directly in her path.
“Hm, buying quite a lot, aren’t you.”
“Yes, I found some unusual things.”
“That’s quite a haul though……won’t it be a nuisance to carry?”
“I’ll put it in <Dimensional Storage>, so it’s no trouble.”
“Wow, reading some pretty difficult stuff.”
“As the Proxy of the Saint, daily study is indispensable.”
With a smooth string of one-question-one-answer, Luna magnificently breaks through the problematic trio of three——
(Heh, this is my win……!)
——and smiling to herself in satisfaction, stands before the elderly shopkeeper.
“Excuse me, I’d like to buy these please.”
“Sure thing, just one moment there.”
The white-haired, white-eyebrowed old man rises with a ‘heave-ho,’ rubbing his lower back, and begins tallying up the prices.
(Heh, heheh, heheheh……! To think I’d find Arche’s setting material in a place like this……! Today is absolutely, undeniably my best day ever!)
The Saint, in better spirits than she has ever been, is grinning happily beneath the helm——when tragedy strikes.
“Hmm? Hey there armor fella, got a strange one mixed in here. Let’s see, what is it——Villainess Arche——”
“——Wh——ah, well, uh——! Th-this was quite the blunder——! I seem to have picked up a completely unrelated book by mistake——! Thank you, shopkeeper! You’ve saved me from a terrible error! (Noooo, that’s not right, that’s not right at all——! It’s camouflage! Why don’t you understand! I didn’t need that misplaced consideration——!)”
In the end, Luna was unable to obtain ‘the one she actually wanted,’ and to make matters worse, she ends up purchasing a massive haul of extremely difficult books she will never open for the rest of her life——and trudges out of the shop, shoulders sagging.