The next evening.
　It's the time when Kaiser has gone to work as the princess's tutor.
　Elsa, Anna and Meryl were face to face in the living room of their house, all serious. There was none of their usual cheerfulness.

"Elsa. About that cyclops group we saw earlier.
　Anna cut him off.
'Yes, sir. I had a group of knights search the area. They found a transporter's magic circle in the forest, just as Anna had predicted.
I knew it. A bunch of them just showing up out of nowhere is just unnatural. Unless they're beamed in from somewhere.

　Anna took a sip of the cup of tea in her hand.

'I still wonder if that pack of cyclopses was beamed in by someone.
I think so. There's still some magic residue in the magic circle.

　And then, as if to confirm Elsa's suspicions, Meryl said.
'And then?　What happened to the magic circle?　If we leave it unattended, we'll be in danger of having another demon transported to us.
Don't worry about that. I had Meryl deactivate the magic circle.

　Elsa said, looking at Meryl.
　Meryl said with a smug smile on her face as she puffed out her chest, "Eh-hem.

'But you know what? I had a hell of a time doing that. It took me two whole days to disarm it. It's an amazingly complex procedure.
That's quite something for Meryl to say that much.
'I don't know who set it up, but I think the sorcerer is a very skilled wizard. I've never heard of a sorcerer transporting that many demons at once. To begin with, drawing a magic circle on that scale would be very difficult. Well, I'm a better genius than you.
Okay, okay. Good for you to disarm it. You're a genius.
'Moo!　You're a total mess trying to flush me out!　At times like this, you could have patted me on the head and spoiled me!
That's because you're a daddy. I don't spoil him.
Boo. I'm a girl who appreciates praise, remember?　You are going to have to learn to respect that. You're going to have to treat me with the same courtesy as a flower.
"Meryl. You know him?　I've heard that the fruit that becomes a flower tastes better when it's grown under a certain amount of stress.
Yeah. Really?
'Yes . So I'm going to be strict with Meryl to make sure she grows good fruit,'' Anna said, a smile on her lips.
　I guess she thought it was a bad idea. Meryl smiled wickedly.

"d*mn it. I'm human.
　It was a convenient Meryl who immediately retracted the analogy she had made. Anna and Elsa smiled bitterly in front of them.
''About the magic circle...''

　Elsa returned her voice to a serious tone.

''Is it possible that the person who set this up is the same person who attacked the magical academy?
I don't know if it's a sure thing. It's a strong possibility.
Then you're in danger of launching another raid. ......
Hey, hey. So you think you should... Shouldn't you tell your dad?　Why are Anna and Elsa keeping this a secret from Dad?
"[............]

　They choked on Meryl's point.

'Isn't this a very important time for you, Dad?
　Anna opened her mouth.
''The S-ranked adventurer position I've been chasing for so long is now within reach. I don't want to stir things up with something else.
And we've relied on your father all our lives. We have to take care of things ourselves once in a while.
Hmm. You two have a lot on your mind.
　Meryl sounded impressed.
I don't mind asking my dad for help. If we ask him, he'll help us, even if he's busy.


Maybe it would have been better when we were kids. We're 18 years old now.　You need to be independent for a while now.
"I agree with Anna. We're not children anymore.
Yeah. But Elsa, the last time I slept with you, you looked like you wanted me to join you.
'Oh, that's ......!　It's just a temporary quandary: ......!　A sign of my soft spirit . I must discipline myself more strictly: ......

　Elsa clenched her fists as if to warn herself.
　Meryl tilted her head back and said. 　

"I have no idea what you two are talking about.
What don't you understand?
We're not kids anymore. When we get older, we'll still be kids to you.

　Meryl put a finger to her mouth and said with a puzzled look on her face.

'I don't think I'm not supposed to rely on you or take advantage of you.

　Anna and Elsa looked as if they had been caught off guard . I didn't expect a serious opinion from Meryl .

...... but I want my dad to focus on himself now. It's just that you've been taking up so much of our parenting time for free.

　At Anna's words, Erza nodded deeply.
　Hearing that, Meryl chuckled.

You two are really spoiled. If that's the case, you won't be able to get Dad to pay any attention to you. It was Meryl who said in a mischievous manner, "I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.