“You haven’t found the girl?!”
Seraphim slammed his palm on the desk, glaring at Canconel and Isarfe.
Under that withering gaze, Canconel—the one in charge—broke into a cold sweat and bowed his head. Isarfe, however, stood beside him looking perfectly composed.
“My sincerest apologies…”
As Canconel forced out his words of contrition with a deep bow, Isarfe matched the timing with a polite dip of his own head.
Seraphim hurled a stack of documents onto the desk. They were reports submitted by Batanel.
“Look at this! Batanel’s side isn’t making any progress deciphering the ruins either. Honestly—why does everything become so impossibly difficult whenever Lilia is involved?”
Seraphim made no effort to conceal his irritation as he barked at them. Canconel shot a sideways glare at Isarfe.
“Isarfe—you explain yourself too!”
Isarfe gave a reluctant nod, looking mildly inconvenienced.
Then he turned to face Seraphim with a pleasant smile.
“Lord Seraphim… the truth is, I have managed to narrow down the general area in this city where that girl—Mina, or whatever her name is—is hiding.”
Seraphim’s eyes gleamed.
“Oh? Then why, if you know the general area, can’t you pinpoint her exact location?”
Isarfe continued with a smile.
“That’s precisely what makes Lilia so formidable. You know this better than anyone, my lord—the power of her magic.”
Seraphim nodded.
“In her days among demonkind, Lilia was a truly fearsome woman. The fact that she died so easily—I was more stunned than anything. It almost felt anticlimactic.”
“Precisely… which is to say, you never expected her to fall from such a modest attack. Isn’t that right?”
Seraphim nodded.
“And as a result, I’ve been reduced to chasing after some tiresome little girl.”
Isarfe nodded.
“So the question is: where did all that power go? The treasure we seek is part of it, of course… but it appears Lilia devoted a considerable portion of her power to protecting her daughter.”
“Hmm… that is interesting.”
“Which is why her concealment abilities are extraordinary. So I’ve adjusted my approach. I’ve spread a thin layer of magical detection across the entire city and set up surveillance by area.”
“Hmm… and then what? You can’t just keep watching from a distance forever.”
“Of course not.”
Isarfe smiled amiably.
“In fact, through detailed research within each area, I’ve managed to narrow things down considerably.”
“Is that true?”
Isarfe nodded.
“I’ve been giving you frustratingly vague reports because I lacked certainty… but I cannot afford to disappoint you any further, Lord Seraphim. On my name as Isarfe, I swear I will determine her location by tomorrow and report it to Lord Canconel.”
Seraphim smirked at this.
“If you’re willing to stake your name on it, then I’ll leave it in your hands. Now… what’s the girl’s fighting strength like?”
“She has only one of Lilia’s familiars with her. Mina herself is just a human, so in practical terms, the familiar is her sole combat asset.”
“But the familiar’s capabilities are the real concern, aren’t they?”
Isarfe gave a sly grin.
“Well… that would be up to Lord Canconel, wouldn’t it? I would suggest bringing a generous number of reinforcements for the capture, personally.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Canconel stepped forward, his face flushed.
“Now hold on, Isarfe! Are you saying I’d lose?!”
Isarfe waved both hands in denial.
“Not at all.”
“It’s just… since I can’t fight, the thought of it terrifies me. I simply thought that if it were me, I’d want to bring extra backup.”
Canconel raised his slender eyebrows and fixed Isarfe with a glare.
“I’m not a coward like you!”
Isarfe waved his hands again.
“If I’ve offended you, I apologize. I’m in no position to assess combat strength—I’m weak, after all. If you’re satisfied with the forces you deem sufficient, Lord Canconel, then that’s more than good enough for me.”
Seraphim snorted.
“Isarfe! Leave matters outside your expertise to Canconel. Just bring that girl to me! She’s going to decipher the ruins in Batanel’s place.”
Canconel, chastened by Seraphim’s bark, hastily bowed.
“Yes, my lord! Leave it to me!”
As Canconel bowed, Isarfe followed a beat behind with his own bow. Head still lowered, Isarfe allowed himself a secret smirk.
The truth was, he already knew exactly where Mina was hiding—and he’d observed Arc’s transformation as well. Yet for reasons of his own, he was keeping this from Seraphim.
After leaving Seraphim’s presence, Isarfe walked alone through the corridors, a grin playing on his lips.
“Heh heh heh… It’s been a while since anything this entertaining has come along in this dull celestial realm.”
To Isarfe, Mina was not a target to be captured—she was a subject to be observed. And he was deliberately obstructing Canconel’s efforts on her behalf.
“Come on, Mina… you need to get a little stronger. I’ll be cheering you on from the shadows.”
Isarfe chuckled to himself as he strolled away.
◆
While Mina stood gazing at the moon, lost in her sorrow, she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned around to find Arc standing there.
His body had grown noticeably larger—he looked every bit the young man now. His once-round face had sharpened into mature, angular features. His nose was more defined, and his eyes carried an unexpectedly striking allure.
“You alright, Mina?”
Mina blinked in surprise.
“Arc… your voice is so much deeper.”
“Pretty cool, right?”
He shot her a smug sideways glance, and Mina smiled while giving him a playful glare.
“Well… maybe a little.”
Arc grinned.
“So I am a little cool.”
“One millimeter’s worth.”
“Only one millimeter?!”
Arc puffed out his cheeks. Then they both laughed.
“Seriously though, this magical power is incredible. I can feel it surging through me.”
“Magical power?”
“Yeah. Lady Lilia gave me an enormous amount of her magic to protect you.”
Mina regarded Arc with a gentle smile.
“You said you were Mom’s familiar, but you look so human. What kind of magical beast are you really?”
Arc touched his bangs as he answered.
“A polar bear.”
“A polar bear…? Then wouldn’t you be stronger in bear form than as a human?”
“Of course.”
“So why stay in human form?”
“Are you serious? To meet you, obviously.”
Arc looked at her as if she’d asked the most ridiculous question imaginable.
“If I’d shown up as a polar bear, you would have run for your life.”
“Oh… fair point.”
“You really are hopeless.”
“Don’t call me hopeless.”
“You’ve called me stupid plenty of times.”
Arc walked over and handed Mina the grimoire.
“We’re leaving soon. Read through the grimoire your mother gave you before then.”
Mina looked down at the thick book resting in her hands.
“Hang on. There’s no way I can read something this thick that fast.”
“Relax—it won’t take that long. Just flip through the pages and the beginner magic will imprint itself on you naturally.”
Mina was impressed. Studying in the Demon Realm sounded pretty convenient.
“So a grimoire is kind of like an installation guide?”
Arc tilted his head.
“I have no idea what an installation guide is, but… sure, something like that.”
“Ugh, that’s so vague!”
“Shut it.”
Arc stood up and started walking.
“I’m going to get things ready for departure. You read that grimoire. We’ll be training along the way, so don’t skip any pages.”
“Got it.”
With that, Arc headed around to the back of the abandoned factory.
Mina returned to the hideout, settled into a chair, and opened the grimoire.
To her amazement, as she turned each page, the contents seemed to engrave themselves directly into her memory.
“This is incredible… With something like this, I could ace every exam at school.”
She flipped through page after page.
The grimoire also contained information about their next destination.
It described an entrance hidden deep in the mountains of Japan, surrounded by dense forest. And there, it said, a second familiar—sealed away—was waiting for Mina’s arrival.
“What does that mean? Am I supposed to recruit allies first?”
Mina frowned. Had her mother prepared two familiars to protect her?
“All this… for someone like me. Arc and this other familiar have been waiting all this time.”
The thought filled her with guilt.
“No, that’s not the right way to think about it. I should be grateful.”
She would repay their dedication with gratitude—Mina resolved to do so.
When she finished reading, the grimoire shimmered with light and vanished. She must have absorbed the beginner magic.
“Still… angels killed my parents, I’m being hunted, and here I am running away with Arc—a demon’s familiar…”
Mina no longer knew what was truly “right” anymore.
“For now, I’ll trust Mom and Arc and keep moving forward. At the very least, Mom brought Arc to me because she was thinking of me.”
When Mina thought of her mother, a quiet warmth spread through her chest.
“All set?”
Arc walked in carrying a large pack. Mina stood and nodded.
“…I want to become stronger, Arc.”
Arc stared at her, wide-eyed.
“Where’s this coming from all of a sudden?”
He laughed.
“Well, for now… let’s start with you staying alive.”
“Hey, Arc! Are you making fun of me?!”
Mina threw a mock punch, and Arc jogged ahead toward the exit. He pulled back the sheet that led into the factory.
“Let’s go, Mina. Whatever your mother wanted to leave for you—we’re going to find it.”
He turned back to Mina with a smile and held out his hand.
Mina nodded and took it.
“Just leave the rest to me.”
Arc gave her hand a firm tug as he said it.
There was something unexpectedly gentle in the way he said it, and tears slipped down her cheeks again.
Mina had no idea where they were headed. But for now, this single step was enough. Because she couldn’t just keep running anymore.
