I woke up in the afternoon and
　Then I had a rather late dinner.

　We continued on and went out again to buy and pack our things.
　After a light meeting, it was unanimously decided that we should leave for Krios immediately.
　And so........it was nighttime when all the preparations were in order.

'Nya, it's getting to be this late,'
What do you think?　I don't think it's safe to leave at this time of night... Even though you can go through the Spirit Tribe's village, the entrance is the Lost Forest, right?　I don't think it's a good idea to push through that place in the dark.
Humph, I have no problem with that.

　Luna says confidently, trying to allay Tania's concerns.

'We need you to come over here,'

　I was led to the end of the corridor after being told that.
　There is nothing else but an ornamental vase on the floor.

''Well what's this all about?''
At first glance, it appears to be nothing. But if I channel my magic like this...

　Luna's hand glows faintly.
　The magic power must be visibly converging.
　When I traced the empty space with that glowing hand, the space wavered like the surface of water.

　The entire wall glows vaguely....
　Soon I could see the trees growing quietly in the darkness of the night beyond.
　It's a view I've seen somewhere.

''I mean........is this from the village of the spirit race.......?
'Mmm!　Mmmmmmmmmm, yes it is!　I have connected this house to the village of the spirit race with magical power.
Well, how is that possible?　No, it's actually possible...
''It's just a matter of adding one more transition gate and setting its destination here. It's a rather simple task for Sola and the rest of the spirit race.
Isn't that a problem?
I know. Nina's right. Wouldn't they be mad at us if we did this without permission?
I didn't give you permission. I got permission.
It's a hassle to go to the Lost Forest every time you need to go to the village. That's why I talked to your mother and the chief and asked for permission. But as soon as Nina called me, I had to put off setting it up.

　They say they've been granted permission but are they sure about that?
　I can't believe that I'm going to install a gate leading to the village of the spirit race in my home.
　This is in the city, and if it's not good, there's a chance that other people could break in.

''This could be trespassed into by people in the city, is that okay?

　Tania asked such a question, apparently with the same concern.
　Luna then threw out her chest in a proud manner, as if to say that she had been thinking about that possibility.

''Hmph, it's as if it's not a problem!　Only our spirit race can open the gate that leads to the village. Other races........no matter how much magic the humans pour into them, they won't react.
And since it's usually so transparent and assimilated to part of the house, it's not likely to be noticed first.
I see.

　That's good.

Well, let's get on with it, shall we? You've taken up so much of my time, you'd better hurry up.
Hmm.

　Rifa nodded enthusiastically.
　Then he moved to the front of the transition gate and stepped out... before he stopped and spun around to look back at them.
　As it was, he looked at everyone and bowed his head in a bow.

''Please. Help my friends and the people of Krios.

　I can feel Rifa's straightforward thoughts.

　Kanade lightly tapped Rifa's shoulder with a plop.
　She smiles at Rifa, who raises her face, and smiles at her.

''Of course!　Let me handle it.
The Stampede that happened in this city is probably an enemy of Rifa and the others and we'll let them pay for it.
"One of the strongest species in the world, Sora is willing to help.
"Hahaha, you'll rue the day you made an enemy of us!
We'll do our best too!
Yeah I'll do my best.

　Everyone's fired up enough.

Let's go!

　Finally, I put it all together and went through the transition gate.



----------



　After passing through the transition gate, it was the village of the spirit race.
　There is no concept of time or distance, and we move in an instant.
　The ability to create something like this makes me realize once again the amazingness of the spirit race.

''Oh, wow.''

　Rifa's eyes widened at the awesomeness of going through the transition gate, as if it was her first time going through it.
　However, her expression hasn't changed much.
　She seems to be a child who doesn't show her emotions of joy and anger very much, so she must be the one who is surprised even by this.

'Hmmm, of course you do!　Isn't our spirit race amazing?
'Yeah, great. Amazing.
'Hahaha!　Rifa has a lot to offer!　I don't like the idea of being a first-class citizen.

　Sola's claws fell on Luna.

'Be quiet, Luna. It's nighttime.'
"Oh, oh my God I'm going to fall asleep too...

　I feel a bit sorry for her, but I can't interrupt her because what Sola is saying is too right.

''I've already received permission from the chief to use the transition gate as you wish. Let's go to the transition gate in the direction of Krios.
Well, as I recall, the Krios area is... well, it's this way.

　Guided by Luna, who had been revived from the power of Sora's Genkotsu, we walked through the village for a bit.
　Soon, I saw a door of light, which looked like another transition gate.

''It's here!
This transitional gate is in Krios?
'To be exact, it's close to Krios, and it's about an hour's walk, but I thought it would be much quicker than taking a carriage or something.
Yeah. Thanks, both of you.
"Huh.
Huh.

　I stroked Sora and Luna's heads with my reflection and they both looked ecstatic.
　Seeing this, everyone else looks envious.

''I........have never had anyone stroke me before........''
My family.
It feels good.

　Nina, Tina and Rifa stare at me and I feel a strange sense of urgency.

'Well I'm in a hurry right now, so I'll see you later, okay?
Yeah, I promise...?
Okay, I'm going to have fun!
Strokes.

　The three of us get excited.
　If this is the least I can do, I'll do it anytime.
　As expected, I'm busy right now, so I'll have to put it off.

''Well then........''
Oh, he's been waiting for you.

　Let's go through the transition gate immediately.
　As I was about to say that, a familiar voice came from behind me.

　When I turned around........it was Al-san.

''Mother?''
What's going on, Mother?

　Sola and Luna looked surprised.
　They said they had permission to use the transfer gate, but they hadn't expected Al-san to be here.

'I have heard the general situation from my daughters. You guys are going to Krios to help the demon tribe, right?
Yes, I know, but...
Then you must be accompanied by your mistress.
What?

　Surprised by the sudden turn of events, I couldn't help but shout out loud.

　I'll follow you, I said........
　Mr. Al is temporarily at the party?
　That's the perception, right?

Mm, that's not a problem.
I didn't say anything...
For better or worse, you are a foolishly honest man. You don't need to use magic to know what's on your mind when it's simple.

　Should I make an effort to hide my heart a bit...?

But, Mom. Why?
'Hmm. It's been quite a while since your mother, a hassle-free, withdrawn, lazy master, went out, hasn't it?
Luna. You need to learn some more respect for your mother and how to talk to her, don't you?
Meeeeeeeee!

　This time, Luna was in tears after Al's complaint.

''What. If you're in trouble with the demon tribe, you're welcome to help them. However, the village has to be protected, so no one but the mistress can move.
I can count on my mom to follow me around.
Mm-hmm. Sola is a sweet little girl, isn't she?
Mother, are you all right?　Isn't he old enough? It would be a shame to be a child if I were to slip and fall over in excitement!
Luna. You will learn, my Lord.

　The second time the proverbial bone dropped and Luna turned over on the spot, jerking and shaking like a fish washed up on a hill.
　This mother and daughter are so wild....

Therefore, my mistress will follow. Of course, do you understand?

　Al looked at me intently.
　
　Otherwise you're in for a hell of a lot of trouble, right?
　It was almost threatening.

'Of course. I won't disagree with you.

　Although we were surprised by the sudden turn of events, if Al-san was on our side, we couldn't be more reliable.

　Thus, we added the strongest helper we could find, Al-san, to our side and headed for Krios.