◇

"This woman is?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about it. You got more woman again?"

"Master is filthy."

"Matter of course huh."

After the event with Mia ends, the topic returns to no.7.

Mia, Arisa, and Lulu are speaking like I'm a husband who's caught cheating.

I shake No.7 who faints looking so happy.

"...Good morning?"

"Yup, good morning. Do you understand the situation?"

"Please wait a moment."

She spoke without intonation like always. She's contemplating while tilting her head to one side, seems it's her habit.

Since Arisa who's nearby says, "Gross", I straighten her up.

"An instruction remains in the message queue. Since the previous master has died, My owners.h.i.+p has been resigned as a result. According to other records, you have the qualification to be the new master."

No.7 stops there and waits for my answer.

Well, I won't complain if a big-breasted beautiful woman become our companion. Her master, Zen, has died and there probably aren't anymore of her friends remain.

Before I can open my mouth, Arisa reacts first. "No, that's not how it is.", she says to No.7, pulls her behind the wagon and talks secretly with her.

"Master, please sit here~ Everyone else sit here~"

After that, I'm going along with Arisa's favorite small theatric play. It's a parody of some kind but I don't know what it is at all. Then, while I'm still confused, it becomes that No.7 calls me master while she gets [Nana] as her new name.

Although Arisa gives me a look when she heard the name, I'd like you to spare me on this since I don't have any naming sense.

I don't understand the meaning for the small drama until the end but No.7's t.i.tle has changed from [Zen's Doll] to [Satou's Servant], so there might some kind of profound meaning to it.

"Please take care of me from now on, Nana."

"Yes, master. From now on, please treat me well."

...What did you teach this time, Arisa.

◇

After getting a new companion, I decided to take Mia to the manager of worker's guild. Mia has someone from the same tribe to rely on, unlike the other girls.

Since my deeds to stay in Seryuu city is still valid, I can enter the gate without tax. And since it doesn't seem possible for this to apply to other members, I go alone to call the manager.

"h.e.l.lo, Nadi-san."

"h.e.l.lo. Eh?　Satou-san, didn't you depart yesterday?"

"Yes, actually a lost elf child has fallen under my care, so I'm making a visit here thinking in borrowing the manager's help."

"You're a good person, you even come back for that."

Nadi-san greeted me pleasantly, but I feel like the last one is mixed with a bit of shock.

"The manager is still asleep, so I'll wake him for you. Please make yourself comfortable on this sofa while you wait."

While saying that, Nadi-san briskly cleans up menswear and magazine-like books on the sofa to make some s.p.a.ces. They're most likely the manager's.

While I wait, I pick up a magazine-like book. It's a gossip magazine that cover s.h.i.+ga kingdom related topic.  There aren't more than 10 pages, but I flip through it since I feel nostalgic. Articles such as the outcome of love between a n.o.ble girl and an explorer somewhere, or map for 'service' on the royal capital are abundant.

I'm hearing the sound of Nadi-san who wakes the manager up from the floor above.

The two come downstairs when I'm reading an article about compet.i.tion of some famous fighters in an arena.

"I'm sorry to disturb you."

"...Where is she?"

"Mou, manager! When you talk to an ordinary person, please talk more properly. I'm sorry, Satou-san. Where is the elf girl?"

I thought that he was in bad mood for being woken up back then, but this guy is just taciturn huh. Maybe elves default character are taciturn?

I guide the two to the open s.p.a.ce outside the gate where my wagon is waiting. The worker's guild wasn't put with [Closed] signboard or something, was that alright?

I ask Lulu who was in the coachman's stand to call Mia.

"Mia? I can't believe it, the lost child is Misa.n.a.lia?"

"Yes, do you know her?"

"Ah."

He could speak fluently when he was speaking to himself but it's just a word for the reply huh? Nadi-san looks at the manager with troubled face. I see, I understand now why this guy is always sleeping in the store.

"Yuya?"

"Mia."

"Nn."

"Ran away?"

"No."

"Lost"No""

"Lia?"

"House."

"I see."

"Why?"

"...Cleaning up."

Their words exchanges in elf language are interesting.  I can guess the intentions but I'd like an interpreter for the actual conversations. Mia only denies when it's about being lost, then they continue to mutually understand.

With the help of Nadi-san, I generally understand their conversations. Manager(Yuya)-san is an elf who comes from the same hometown as Mia. He came to Seryuu city 10 years ago to clean up the mess that his granduncle had created. He didn't mention it, but it's most likely about the Trazayuya maze.

I report to him about the thing with the magician who kidnapped Mia. He had an underground hideout in the rat-man's territory which looks like a maze, and that when we escaped from it, the maze self-destructed burying it along with the magician.

"Go home?"

"Won't"

"I see."

"Have work to do."

Nadi-san became a bit anxious with the flows of the story, but she was back to be beaming with smiles after hearing the manager's words.

"What do?"

"Go home."

"Can you?"

"Together with Satou."

It seems that the manager asked if she could go back home, but Mia said that she'd be fine with me. Really, they could understand well with just that. If you're acquainted with someone for more than 100 years, I guess you'd end up understanding what each other is thinking.

Lastly, the manager tells me, "I'm counting on you". Then the manager and Nadi-san

pulls us along when they're going back to their shop, and negotiate with the knight Soun to make ID for Mia. I consult with the two if they can do something to make Nana able to create an ID, and the manager says, "Leave it to me.", while using magic art, [Fake Patch], to camouflage Nana's tribe into [Human].

At the same time, the manager warns us that this magic can only deceive replica Yamato stone while the original which was present when we got out of the labyrinth back then and Status Check ability could see through it.

By the way, the AR shows me, [Tribe: Human][Tribe: h.o.m.onculus], when I look at Nana, while appraisal skill gives me, [Tribe: Human (Fake)].

For the time being, thanks to the manager and Nadi-san, the two got their ID safely. With this we'll be able to visit towns in the middle of our journey.

When we're waiting for the ID to finish, the manager gives me a bag containing money while saying, "Nn".

"Please use this for Mia's travel expense. Though it's only a little since it's manager's secret saving."

"Said too much."

The manager complains with the added information from Nadi-san.

"I'll gratefully receive it."

I receive it and put it on the pouch.

We don't particularly need it, but it would be rude to decline this. I'll give it all to Mia later.

I promise the manager and Nadi-san who see us to send them a letter when we get to the forest.

The wagon advances through the same road as yesterday.

I pray for this to become a peaceful journey with nothing happening, and the wagon continues one while rattling.