'No, no, no, no, no, no, no, calm down. The letter has just arrived. There should still be time before the master gets here. Okay, cool it, Wraith. There's still something you can do.

　He sat down in the chair and crossed his arms. Wraith rested his chin on them and muttered with an ever more serious expression. Impatience was actually evident in her eyes.

''First........what do we do?　Given that the letter was delivered, I don't know why, but we should assume that they know where the house is...

　I try to keep my impatience in check and try to think as calmly as possible. It hurts a lot to have the location of the house exposed, but I'm not ready to give up just yet. Or rather, I can't give up.

'Then it's only a matter of time before they find us if we continue to stay in this place. I have a promise to make, so let's just meet up with Raffy and the others for now...''

　It's a life of peace and tranquility that I've finally got. I can't let go of it so easily.
　For that reason, the first thing we have to do is to get away from this place for now.



　******



　The three people around the table in the sparsely patronized and calmly decorated coffee shop were Lace, Raffy and Sylvia.

''It's an emergency meeting. It's gone very badly.
What's up?　Is this about that royal appointment request?
No, it's far more important than that.
'I don't think that's going to happen that early...'

　While Sylvia was deliciously throwing parfait after parfait into her mouth, Wraith was making a sound that reminded her of the end of the world. Even though they were sitting around the same table, her expression was the complete opposite of the happy Sylvia's.

　Raffy, who is responding to the conversation with Lace, has a dumbfounded look on her face.

''So, what happened?''
"My master is coming to King's Landing.

　There, the conversation is momentarily interrupted, and the only sound is the sound of Sylvia eating her parfait.

''........Is that all?''
Yeah, that's it.

　After a pause, a deep sigh escaped from Raffy's mouth. Even the Lace herself had guessed what Raffy was trying to say. In normal circumstances, the request for appointment of the royal family is a matter of higher importance.

''I know you want to call me overreacting. But my master is the only one who can't. That person isn't someone who has any common sense.''
'Well, I can tell that he's not a normal person just from the information that he's Wraith's mentor... but what's to dislike that much?
''If it were a normal close master and student, it would be an emotional reunion or something like that, but unfortunately, I'm not likely to have such feelings for my master. I'd rather run away. Right now.

　If you say something like that while looking at me with eyes like a dead fish, even as Raffy, I can't say anything strongly.

　In the first place, the only person here who knows exactly what Rulimes' character is like is Wraith, so it's inevitable that there will be a difference in the reaction.

''Even if you say you want to run away, what are you going to do?　They know where the house is, don't they?
'Yes, I know. That's the problem.

　Wraith plopped down on the table with a troubled look on his face.

''If my master was staying for a long period of time or something, I can't just leave the workshop alone forever.

　The Wraith has a mission to manage the workshop. No matter how much he wants to run away from his master, he can't abandon it. The plants I've been working hard to grow would be ruined.

　It's just that. The current situation is rather close to a dead end.

'Why don't you just give up and meet him?　By the looks of it, I'm guessing your master is eager to meet Wraith?
Well, I guess so, but...

　It has indeed been a while since we stopped seeing each other. The text of the letter also showed that the Master was looking forward to seeing Wraith.

'But, but!

　Wraith meditates and clenches his fists.

'When I lived with my mentor, I prepared meals, cleaned, did laundry--'
Mmm-hmm.
"And even more so, he cleaned out all the things his master used...
"Mmm-hmm.
'And on top of that, I've endured a lot of near-death experiences. I'm going back to that life again... what...

　Wraith, who had been speaking passionately, opened his eyes in the middle of his words. Then, the end of the word instantly weakened.

''I see...''

　Wraith looks at the figure in front of him and exclaims. He doesn't even have time to think about how long he's been there or when he arrived.

　Just reflexively, the body gets out of its seat and tries to quickly head for the exit. That was probably a skill known as the survival instinct that is inherent in humans. However, the hand placed on my shoulder did not allow me to escape.

''I, no I just remembered something urgent.

　Wraith understands that it's useless, but he utters an excuse in a trembling voice.

''Oh well, it's been a long time since we've seen each other, so take it easy, Ray-kun...''
Yes.

　Seeing his master's smile, Wraith returned to his seat with a tearful expression on his face.

''When did you........''

　Raffy and Sylvia were surprised by the sudden appearance of a stranger. And it was even more so since they didn't know when he appeared.

''Ray-kun, you got to know such a cute girl before you even saw her!　So, could it be her or something?
'Master, you shouldn't react in such a meddlesome way when you first meet her. Besides, she's not a girlfriend, she's a friend.

　Picciris, Lurimes' expression froze.

''........Haha, sorry about that, Ray-kun. ........yeah!

　Rulimes doesn't move her expression at all and speaks with a smile on her face, smiling. And finally, with an adorable call to action, he thrust his fist out to Wraith.

　It's not that fast, and it's a joking move that seems to chide a child.

　........But with a dull thud, the fist thrust into Wraith's abdomen. It possessed a vicious power that could not be imagined from the cuteness of the calligraphy. Probably a blow that included retaliation for Wraith's passionate speech earlier.

''Guh........!

　Wraith fell onto the table with a thud, holding his abdomen. Occasionally a pained moan came up.

'Ray-kun, you're misbehaving!

　Seeing such a wraith, Rulimes said so without a care in the world.

　Raffy and Sylvia, who saw the scene in front of them, could only smile bitterly. And Raffy was repeating her apology to Wraith in her mind.

　--I'm sorry, Wraith. I think I understand a bit of what you were saying.

'Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Lurimes, and I'm Ray-kun's teacher.
Hey, nice to meet you too. I'm Raffi.
It's Sylvia.

　Long chestnut-colored hair in two pieces and a light navy blue robe that covers only the upper half of her body. The lower half of her body is a slightly longer red skirt and long brown boots, and Lurimes is dressed in a slightly flashy outfit.

　Her cute face, with its curly, round blue eyes and juvenile features, combined with the way she speaks, makes her look like a child.

　She looks at Raffy and Sylvia with an amused expression.

''No, by the way, it looks like Ray-kun has been doing a lot of things while I was away. A little bit of rumor reached my ears!
Geez, it's not like I was doing anything to it...

　Holding his belly as the pain receded, Wraith managed to get his body up. The power was suppressed, so the revival was relatively quick. If Lurimes had been serious, Wraith's body would have been shattered by now, so it's not surprising.

''More importantly, what are you doing here in the royal capital? We haven't heard from you until now.''
Oh, yeah. I just got a favor from a guy I know.
You know him?
Yeah, here.

　Saying that, Lurimes took out a letter.
　It was one that Wraith had seen before.

　Of course. The Wraiths have exactly the same thing in their possession.

''A letter from the royal family...?''