We were captured in front of the Adventurer's Association, and we followed the woman through the town of Queles.

'Okura-dono, are you sure it was a good idea?'

'Well, it's no use. I could have refused to bring Estelle here, and we could have talked to her and made her happy.

'You said you'd be home soon, though I'm sure Esther will be angry if you're late.

'Ugh, well, well, I'm sure Esther would understand if I told her what happened... maybe.

　The woman broke down with too much enthusiasm and we decided to listen to the conversation alone for now.
　She begged me repeatedly to bring Estelle with me, but when I told her that I wouldn't talk to her if she begged any more, the woman was not happy, but agreed.
　I don't trust her to tell me that she's not trying to solicit me or anything.

　I followed the woman for a while, and after walking for a while, I finally arrived at my destination.
　It's a two-story house that's located a little bit away from the residential area and is built entirely of white stone.
　Next to it is a building attached to it that looks like a large factory.
　The front door was a double door, but one side was missing and a wooden board was fixed to it with a kind of tape.
　Perhaps the doll that ran amok yesterday had popped out of there.

　When we walked in, things were scattered all over the place and the walls had holes here and there.
　Me and Noll and the others were crestfallen at the sight, but the woman led us to the back, telling us not to worry about it.
　You can't tell me not to care about this stuff!

I'm really sorry to have taken up your time. My name is Kristia, I'm a magical researcher. You can call me Chris or whatever you want.

Oh, hi. I'm Heihachi Okura.

　Upset by the desolate state of the room, I was led into the guest room and sat down on the couch to face Chrystia.
　Noll and the others sat on either side of me and followed me to introduce themselves.

''I'm sorry for the delay in thanking you, but thank you for helping us yesterday. Well, it was a really close call yesterday.

'No, no. For that matter, what was that yesterday?　I know you're studying magic, so I understand that it's like a magical tool.

'I'm glad you listened to me!　That's a magic doll that's being developed in this lab right now!

　I'm not sure if the doll you saw yesterday is called a magic doll or.......exactly.
　I'm sure that's what they call a golem, but in my mind, it's a rugged thing made out of rocks and iron.
　However, the one I saw yesterday was smart and human-like in shape, and I felt like a robot.
　It seems to be a country that puts a lot of emphasis on magic, and maybe they put a lot of effort into the magic city.

I've been making that one as a personal hobby. I made it diligently in between making other magic tools.

Did you make this personally?

It's amazing!

'To make something like that as a hobby... you're an amazing researcher, Christia.

　He made that as a hobby.......and privately.
　He's a bit of a funny guy, but is he pretty awesome?

''Haha, thank you. ........well, I let it get out of control and it's in that state.

　Scratching his head in embarrassment, Chris laughed, but then his face turned down and his shoulders slumped.
　'It's like, when you start up something you built as a hobby, the house is a mess, you know?

'Well, come to think of it, how did you know we'd be back in there?　And where on earth were you watching from?

　The air in the room got kind of dark, so I asked how this guy knew we were coming to the Adventurers' Association to change the subject.
　I'm also curious why you couldn't check the map app and ask where you were looking from.
　I want to check this in case something similar happens in the future.

'Looking at the way Okura-san and the others are dressed, I can figure out if they are adventurers or not. I could tell from the plate that they were adventurers, so I knew for sure. After that, I asked the Adventurer's Association about Mr. Okura and the others, but they couldn't tell me more about them. So I was watching from a place where I could see the Adventurer's Association the whole time!

　Mmm ... it's certainly obvious when you see it. And they even saw the plate?
　And they even talked to the adventurer's association....................They do a good job of protecting the information, don't they?
　Well, I didn't know, so the idea of monitoring it all the time is a bust.
　On the other hand, it would have been better if they hadn't come for a few days.
　The reason why we lost this time is because the opponent was a madman, yes.

　Furthermore, when I asked him where he was watching from, Chris-san took out a long, thin tube and showed it to me.
　........it's a telescope, this one. Huh, you did the same thing I did.
　You've been using this to look at it from outside the range of the map app.......that's impossible to tell.

The mage girl in Okura-san's party is really amazing. To stop my magic doll in an instant, even though she's so young...''

'How much of a mage did that tell you?'

　Turning to Estelle's story, Chris-san began to speak with some excitement.
　He wasn't attacking her with magic this time, he was supposed to just stop the magic doll.
　I need to ask her what's so great about it and tell Estelle that it's not a good idea to do this.

It's a mechanism that allows the magic doll to circulate the magic element inside, and that's how it sends and controls the input signal. So that runaway was a mess of control because the pathway was disrupted...

Oh, I see.

　I asked him how he knew Esther was an awesome mage and he suddenly started explaining about the doll.
　Hmmm, I don't really understand the hard part, but I guess it's like an electronic device from the original world?
　I think they're talking about controlling the circuitry and things like that.

'So when I got back to the lab after that, I checked to see how it was stopped. Then I found that the pathway had changed, and it was properly controlled!

　Oh, by the way, you said something about magic being disturbed and applied your wand.
　You were doing that in that moment.

''So, to tamper with that pathway, we usually use the magic tools in this facility to do so. And ordinary mages can't see a pathway without magic tools. And yet the girl with Okura-san and the others fixed it in that instant!　　You know what I mean!

Okay, okay, please calm down.

When you're crazy about something, you talk really fast. It's just like being a Sisyphean.

What, wow, am I supposed to be like this?

　As we talked, the heat started to build up again, and Chris clenched his fists and started talking passionately to me.
　It's as powerful as Sisha dealing with Luna.
　When Noor said that, he didn't realize it, but he looked at Chris-san and was puzzled.

But isn't there at least a few people in this town who can do that?

　At any rate, I understood that it's usually done using special magic tools.
　But isn't there someone else who can do that much?

''.......None. I think the only people who could do that would be Ignarto-sama, the Sage, or the Kingdom Knights.

That's another thing...

　Wow, what a leap of faith.
　A wise man and a royal knight?　You're treating me like one of those people.
　If she continues to do the same thing in the future, Esther might be able to get noticed by the kingdom itself.......

　Well, she's been blasting magic a lot, and it seems like she's already known.
　I usually asked her to be more modest when people are looking at her, but I have to be more careful in the future.

''You've been doing much more amazing things than I thought.

Can't Sisha do the same thing?

'Huh, what do you think I am?　A priest?　I can't.

That's not something to be proud of...

　I thought Sisha could do the same thing because she can use magic, but apparently she can't.
　I guess Esther, the mage, is exceptional after all.......she's a genius.

●

　After we finished talking with Chris, we decided to take the horses back to our house.
　Her purpose was to meet with Esther, so she was happy just to get acquainted with us this time.
　It's nice that I made an acquaintance with Queres, but he seems a bit dangerous....I guess he's not a bad person.

　I go to the association and get my horse back, and after I get out, I open the beacon screen.
　A horse symbol was added next to the names of Noor and Sisha, who were holding the cord that was tied to the horse.
　Apparently, the horse is also recognized as a party if it's holding the string.
　And I quickly moved on with the beacon........

'Onii-san, you're too late.

　As soon as we finished moving, I heard Esther's voice.
　It's like she's put a chair a little in front of the beacon and she's been sitting there jittery and waiting.
　Her cheeks are puffed out as she stares at me with her zit-eyes, giving off an aura of being in a bad mood all around her.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You told me you'd be home early. You failed, didn't you?

'As you say. I'm really sorry.

　A poor excuse might make you even angrier, so I'll just bow my head honestly.
　You said you would be home early and let them stay home, but it's gotten really late.

"So, why are you late?

'Well, the lady from yesterday caught me and that's why I've been talking to you.

'Oh, brother, did you leave me alone to talk to a woman?　I've been waiting for this for a long time and it's terrible...

What? No, no, that's not why I'm here!

　Estelle puts her hand on her cheek and looks really sad as she turns her face away from me, looking down at an angle.
　What, what?　I hate this more than being angry....
　I fumbled and panicked on the spot, not knowing what to do.

''Huh, I was just kidding. Your brother really responds well to me, doesn't he?

It doesn't sound like a joke when Estelle says it and....

I'm half serious.

What?

　Esther looked up from looking down and smiled at me.
　What, she just teased me like before........and right after I was relieved, she looked at me with a straight face and said she was half serious.
　Eh, eh?　Wait, are you kidding me?

Yeah, that was a joke.

　Estelle quickly smiled again and said it was a joke too.
　Ho, is it really a joke.......I can't decide which one it is.

Esther, it's time for you to stop it. You've made a mistake, but you've made a different kind of mistake.

''Yes. I also found out how much of a mage Estelle-san is, and in a way, it was probably a good thing.

'Did you talk about that?　That's kind of disturbing.

　Noor offered me a helping hand, and Sisha joined in the conversation.
　The topic of my own topic of conversation brought Esther back to her usual mood, and I patted my chest.
　The place has calmed down, so I decided to tell Estelle what I heard from Chris today.

You'll need to be a little more conservative with your magic in the future. You can't afford to let someone else catch your eye.

'Oh, if that happens, will your brother protect me?'

Of course.

　Estelle asked, laughing like she was joking, and I answered immediately.
　If Esther is about to be taken by someone else for this, I'll be prepared to stand up to her, even if it's against a country, and not back down!
　
　Well, if they're about to take me away, I'll do whatever it takes to stop them, though.

''Already........Brother, do you want me to like you any more than I already do?''

Well, uh... hey, I mean, it's only fair to protect them as friends!

　Hearing that, Esther's eyes widened, then her face turned red and she put her hand on her cheek and moved her body in a moshing motion.
　Oh, I thought it would be returned as a joke again, but it's something different.......

''Oh, then you would help me in the same situation?

Yes, of course.

'So what about me, then!

Of course. What, do you think I won't protect anyone but Esther if I don't tell you?

　Even Noll and Sisha were on board with the story, and they were pressing me and me.
　What's going on with you all of a sudden?　You didn't think I was the only one who would do that, did you?
　Whoever is in the same situation, I'm going to do everything in my power to stop them.

Mmmmm, that's not true. I'm glad to have Okura-dono say it in words, sir!

Oh, yeah?

''That's right. It's true that he's usually unreliable and helpless, but because of this kind of thing, he's very likeable to me!

You're pretending to be a compliment, aren't you?

　I was embarrassed when Noor sounded really happy, but I almost slipped up because of Sisha.
　He's either complimenting me or putting me down!

　After a few more joking conversations, I had to deal with a horse that had been completely forgotten.

'Are you sure you want to put this horse in the Moffitt's shed, sir?

'Yeah, I'm going to look after him here for a few days and then I'm going to return him to the Society of Adventurers in King's Landing.

Yes, sir. Ugh, Moffat is going to be so angry.

　Noll opened the door of the pet hut that he had carried from Noll's room to the living room beforehand.
　Then inside it was a large grassy field that was so large that it was hard to believe it was a hut, and it was as bright as outside in the daytime.
　It's like an environment that's always kept at the right temperature in a large, inter-dimensional space, like the description said, recreating the perfect environment for pets.

'Mofft!　Here you are!

　Noor shouted as he looked inside, and Moffitt came out of the hut, pouncing and bouncing.
　Then he walked up to Noor and poo-pooed.

'Wow, that's what it's like inside that hut.

It's a lot of space. I'm tempted to go in here for a while.

Nole was actually trying to get in. So...

'Wow, wow!　I don't want you to say that!

Huh?

　Esther and Sisha looked at the inside of the hut and looked interested.
　I can understand why they would want to go inside, since it looks so comfortable.
　I suppose that's why Noll tried to go in before.

　I was about to accidentally run my mouth off about that time, but Noll rushed to cover my mouth with his hand.
　Apparently, he doesn't want me to know if it's an embarrassing memory or not.

　Anyway, I was ready to go, so I switched the size of the petting shed from small to large.
　The shed, which used to be below my knees, became bigger than my height.
　I put the two horses I had brought with me into the larger shed, and finally I felt relieved....

　The moment the horses entered, Moffitt kicked the floor and made a dangling noise.
　And then he's looking at Noor and booing and complaining about something.

''Oh........he is still angry........ I'm sorry, Moffat, I'm sorry. I would like to ask you to lend me your hand for a moment.

　Noor picked up Moffitt, who was purring at his feet, and patted his head good-naturedly.
　Perhaps because of that, its purr has decreased a little, but it's still dissatisfied or booing, but this time it's looking at me and looking dissatisfied.

　........I see. I thought it was a good idea, but from Moffitt's point of view, it might have felt like his nest was suddenly taken away from him.
　Even though I had no choice, it was a bad thing to do.