“Yes.”

— Wait there for a moment.

The communication orb turned off before Kana could ask why.

“……What’s going on?”

As she stood there puzzled, suddenly the surrounding scenery distorted and Kiriel appeared.

His usually neat golden hair was disheveled. Despite using teleportation magic, he looked somewhat disheveled as if he had rushed over in a hurry.

Kana watched him carefully as he roughly swept back his hair and calmly spoke first.

“Lord Kiriel, why did you come in such a hurry?”

“……Because it’s worth hurrying for.”

“Let’s go inside and talk.”

“Okay.”

Kana led him to the reception room where they sat facing each other. After Lena brought tea and withdrew, Kiriel, who had been anxious until just before meeting her, urgently spoke.

“Miss Kana, I understand you can’t explain in detail, but what kind of request is it? Just give me a hint, even just keywords.”

“……The underground waterway.”

Since Kiriel wasn’t one to speak carelessly, she pretended to hesitate a bit before telling him. His neat brow furrowed.

“Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Kana shrugged. Kiriel’s gaze turned serious.

“……It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“Maybe?”

“Your questioning tone suggests you can’t guarantee safety?”

“The request itself is simple, and I’m going with skilled spirit summoners from the same guild, but I think I’ll have to experience it firsthand to really know.”

Kana answered evasively. While she roughly knew from ‘Fake Saint’, seeing things directly would be more accurate. Kiriel asked with a visibly deflated look.

“……Can’t you just not do it?”

“No, I’ve already promised to do it.”

Kana responded firmly. Kiriel looked at her resolute face and sighed deeply before speaking with difficulty.

“I knew you’d answer like that. But why are you suddenly taking on such an uncertain task? You usually prioritize safety.”

“I have something I need to check personally.”

“Whatever it is, isn’t there another way to check?”

“Unfortunately not.”

Kana shook her head regretfully. A shadow fell over Kiriel’s face.

“Hmm, I have a really bad feeling about this……”

“It’s fine. I’ll prepare thoroughly and be careful as always. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Kana gently soothed him. She needed to be more cautious not only because she wasn’t the type to work carelessly, but also because this warning came from Kiriel, who was established as having good intuition in ‘Fake Saint’.

Kiriel muttered half-resignedly while pressing his fingers to his temple.

“You really can’t be stopped.”

“Haha.”

“This won’t do. Hold out your wrist with your palm open for a moment.”

Kana followed his instruction in bewilderment. Kiriel fastened a bracelet on her wrist.

It was an elegant and simple bracelet with a thin gold chain studded with small, deep blue magic stones at intervals.

The magic stones were clearly compressed supreme-grade ones, but amazingly, there was no mana loss.

‘Wow, this kind of magical tool must have been very difficult to make, and he even made it look neat.’

Kana was genuinely impressed. Meanwhile, he also placed a small bundle of card-shaped papers in her hand. Kana blinked and asked.

“What are all these?”

“A protection bracelet and single-use summoning cards. The former is a defensive magical tool as the name suggests, and I put a lot of effort into making it. The latter allows you to call me by infusing spirit energy in emergencies.”

“……You’ve given me amazing things. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I hope you won’t need to use them but…… anyway, be careful. If you sense any danger, withdraw immediately without hesitation.”

“Yes.”

Kana nodded. It felt unfamiliar yet heart-warming to have someone other than a fellow supporting role player worry about her.

Kiriel earnestly implored her.

“Your safety is the most important thing after all.”

“I know.”

“Maybe it would be better to cancel the request before anything happens……”

“Stop, you’re being overprotective. Someone might think I’m going to fight monsters.”

Unable to watch anymore, Kana politely stopped him. Kiriel, uncharacteristically lowering his eyes slightly and emanating a melancholic atmosphere, replied.

“……But what can I do when I keep worrying and feeling concerned?”

“Ah, um. I’ll be careful and come back safely, so don’t worry too much.”

While she appreciated his concern, it would be troublesome if it affected his work. Kana gently comforted him and moved on.

* * *

A week later, early morning. Having thoroughly prepared, Kana stood alongside Aila and Cellie near the Four-Colored Leaf Guild building, waiting for someone from the client’s side.

Soon after, a carriage arrived and a familiar knight in plain clothes stepped out. He was the male protagonist’s guard knight whom she had seen at both the monster hunting festival and the monster slaying demonstration.

‘This is unexpected. I thought they’d just send an errand boy.’

While her eyes narrowed, the guard knight politely confirmed their identities while examining the three.

“Are you Miss Aila, Miss Cellie, and Miss Kana?”

“Yes.”

Aila, the temporary leader of the Four-Colored Leaf Guild group, confirmed. The guard knight didn’t find anything strange about Kana Round’s presence despite knowing her.

This was because her name appeared on the list without her surname, and she had subtly covered her face with a hooded robe while naturally blending in with the group.

The fact that it was practically unheard of for a noble lady to belong to a spirit summoner guild and take on requests also helped.

He led the spirit summoners to a building located in a somewhat secluded path.

When they all got out of the carriage and entered the building, there were already people gathered.

Four knights stood in rigid postures close to the walls in each direction, while a middle-aged noble man with slicked-back gray hair sat emanating a heavy presence.

His distinct and strong features and solid build reminded one of a warrior. This was Count Caliman Nuer, an important confidant of the male protagonist known as the Blue Flame Knight.

“Are you the spirit summoners from the Four-Colored Leaf Guild?”

“Yes.”

Aila swallowed, sensing an unusual atmosphere from the start. Caliman nodded slightly then looked at Kana.

“You there, the one with the hood, show your face.”

She slowly removed her hood. Caliman’s eyes narrowed. He stroked his chin before speaking.

“Hmm, a familiar face…… Ah, Lady Kana Round?”

“Yes, Count Nuer. This is the first time we’ve formally met. I didn’t expect you would know me.”

Kana was honestly surprised. While he had good instincts befitting an experienced noble, he was known to be somewhat slow with social news due to his thoroughly martial nature. Caliman laughed heartily and replied.

“Why wouldn’t I know? Didn’t you help His Highness the Second Prince at the monster hunting festival, the southern boat party, and the monster slaying demonstration? Moreover, you were the one who brought the Tower Master to His Highness the Second Prince and Lady Serade’s tea party.”

“You flatter me. I only helped a little. As for the Tower Master, that was his own decision.”

Kana showed humility. Caliman laughed boisterously before saying.

“So modest. You’re a rare young person with spirit in these times when everyone acts weak and cautious. Yes, this is how those who handle energy should be. I can see why the Viscount and Viscountess Round are proud.”

“Thank you.”

Kana maintained proper etiquette. In truth, she prioritized safety above all else and was far from challenging, but she didn’t show it.

Her companions smiled, feeling the atmosphere lighten.

“Ahem. Then Count, we’d like to hear the detailed explanation about the request.”

“As specified in the request form, this must be kept absolutely confidential and will involve some covert movement. While I’m listed as the client, His Highness the Second Prince will be joining us soon.”

“I see. With you and skilled knights gathered, is this really just an underground waterway exploration?”

Aila was thorough as befitting a leader. Caliman answered readily.

“It’s more of a confirmation than an exploration. We received reports of ominous activities in the underground waterway, so we’re going in to assess the situation.”

“So you hired spirit summoners considering firepower and spirit energy detection.”

“That’s right, Lady Round.”

Caliman confirmed. As they exchanged business-like conversation about the request, Richard entered with one of his shadows and two robed mages.

Everyone, including Kana, politely greeted the male protagonist.

“We greet Your Highness the Second Prince.”

“Yes.”

Richard, who had been casually accepting everyone’s greetings, blinked when he saw Kana.

“Wait, Lady Round?”

“Yes.”

“I heard from Lady Letie that you joined a spirit summoner guild, but I never expected to meet you on a request. I saw the name on the list but…… just thought it was someone with the same name.”

“I also didn’t expect to directly meet His Highness the Second Prince on a guild request.”

Kana responded smoothly while watching the male protagonist chuckle. Richard scratched the back of his head and muttered.

“This is something, I hope the Tower Master won’t complain later about making you work hard.”

“Surely not, this is a request I volunteered for. Besides, Lord Kiriel is serious about work.”

“……Well, those in love sometimes put emotions before reason.”

Richard shrugged while dropping meaningful words. Left speechless, she laughed awkwardly. Caliman, who had been quiet, changed the subject.

“Your Highness, we should start moving soon.”

“Right.”

After briefly discussing how to proceed, they headed discreetly toward the underground waterway.

The underground waterway was in a sparsely populated outskirts area, slightly away from the building where they first gathered. As they entered, the dark and damp atmosphere became eerie and unsettling.