A few hours had passed since the friendly bout between Sebas and Martha, with both of them having to clean up the new ss they'd made from their duel—which, fortunately, was only minimal damage in comparison to the previous one.
And now, at the entrance of Anastasia's walled region, all of its denizens had gathered along with their guest of honor—this ti, not for battle, but to send her off and bid farewell to the woman who had, in one way or another, shaken their quiet frontier.
Leading them at the front was Anastasia, her steps steady as she walked ahead, the others naturally following in her trail.
Among them, Martha was still grumbling under her breath, clearly not over her defeat.
"Ugh... I almost had him that ti," she muttered, crossing her arms in frustration.
"U-uhm... don't be so down, M-Miss Martha, y-you did your best back then—! Y-yes...!" Bella chid in from beside her, hands nervously clasped together as she tried to console the knight. "A-and, well, y-you're improving a lot…! I-I an, Sir Sebas wouldn't say that if he didn't an it… r-right...?"
"Well, of course, I ant it, Miss Maid~."
"Wah—?!"
The man in question suddenly chid in beside the poor, startled maid, smoothly inserting himself into their conversation.
"I'd say Miss Knight here is slowly getting better at handling her swordsmanship," Sebas remarked with an amused glint in his eye, his arms crossed as he nodded approvingly. "So, I'm looking forward to seeing her progress."
Hearing the rather genuine praise left Martha taken aback, surprised... and then sowhat flustered by it. She quickly turned her head away, trying to hide the faint redness creeping onto her face.
"T-thanks..." she muttered, clearing her throat as if to shake off the warmth rising in her chest.
As if to interrupt the mont, Vivian—now holding the familiar bloody bag filled with monster materials she'd hunted a few days ago—let out a long, exaggerated sigh.
Everyone naturally shifted their attention to the female adventurer, who stood before them with a lancholic smile, her gaze briefly lingering on the simplistic yet charming entrance of the walled region.
"...Well, well~ I suppose this is where I say my goodbyes," she mused, lifting the bloody bag slightly as she passed Anastasia.
But then, she turned around, and her lancholic smile shifted into one of genuine gratitude—especially toward the red-haired lord.
"My lord, thank you so much for your hospitality and all that," she said smoothly, before adding, almost too casually, "Oh! And also… sorry about the trouble."
The words left her lips so naturally that, for a brief mont, everyone stood frozen in place, sowhat taken aback by the unexpected apology from this rowdy adventurer.
But then...
"…sigh, honestly..."
A sigh escaped Anastasia's lips. But... rather than exasperation, there was a small, tired smile on her face as she regarded the unpredictable adventurer.
"You are forgiven, Miss Vivi," the red-haired lord replied, her voice carrying the grace befitting of nobility. "But please… next ti, I hope you refrain from going on another rampage when you visit."
Vivi blinked for a mont, sowhat surprised by Anastasia's leniency... before her surprise lted into a mischievous smile.
"Next ti, you say~?" she echoed playfully, tilting her head as if she had just caught sothing amusing. "I didn't think you'd miss that much, my lord~."
Anastasia rely let out another sigh at the adventurer's teasing, rubbing her temple as if already regretting her choice of words.
"You're an S-Rank Adventurer, and from what I can already tell, this place is practically your playground, isn't it?" she muttered, shaking her head in resignation. "Not to ntion… now that I know there's likely nothing that can actually stop you from visiting... I might as well accept this new reality."
A beat of silence, Vivi's expression briefly frozen... but then—
"Pfft—AHAHAHA!"
The female adventurer threw her head back in laughter, finding the noblewoman's resigned acceptance utterly endearing.
Naturally, her boisterous laughter earned an exasperated sigh from Anastasia herself, along with wry smiles from her three servants.
But eventually... her laughter softened into a smile—a more subdued one.
Then... a rare mont of seriousness etched onto the Sonic Thief's expression as her gaze shifted back to the region behind her.
"…You know... I really do hope this place of yours becos sothing great, Lord Anastasia," Vivi said, her voice quieter now, her eyes reflecting sothing almost wistful. "A haven for people like … and for many others as well."
The unexpected sincerity in her words caught everyone off guard.
For a mont, they simply watched her, slightly surprised and taken aback...
But then... a smile ford on Anastasia's lips.
"I'll try to live up to your expectations, Miss Vivi," the red-haired lord responded, her voice carrying a quiet yet firm resolve.
And seeing this, Sebas at her side couldn't help but let out a small chuckle—his own quiet sign of approval for his mistress with a smile of his own.
But, just as the mont settled...
Vivian suddenly turned toward them.
But this ti, there was sothing else in her expression—a glint of mischief.
And her gaze shifted directly to Sebas—!
Both Sebas and Anastasia stiffened slightly, their instincts flaring up—a silent warning of whatever trick the mischievous female adventurer was about to pull...!
And then—The Sonic Thief made her move—!
In a swift, almost playful stride, she closed the distance, rising onto her tiptoes—her face suddenly re inches from Sebas's own.
"Whoah—?!"
"W-what—?!"
Sebas flinched back, instinctively stepping away from the sudden intrusion of his personal space!
And Anastasia—her breath hitched as she witnessed the bold advance Vivi was making toward her butler. Even Martha and Bella were caught off guard, their expressions flashing with shock.
"W-w-what are you doing, Miss Vivi?!" Anastasia demanded, her surprise quickly twisting into sothing sharper—annoyance, frustration... and sothing else.
A strange, unwelco yet sowhat familiar tugging sensation in her chest.
But the bold female adventurer simply ignored the red-haired lord's rising protests.
"Mhm~," Vivian humd, her mischievous smile lingering as she t Sebas's gaze.
"…What are you trying to do?" the butler finally asked, his tone neutral yet edged with caution.
Vivian didn't answer right away.
Instead, her smile shifted—turning softer... before she leaned in just a little closer.
"…You held sothing back, didn't you?" she whispered, her voice just low enough for only him to hear. "I could tell from your face last night… when you told them all of those things… you didn't tell them everything, right...?"
Sebas's expression remained unreadable.
But—
The subtle narrowing of his eyes did not escape the Sonic Thief's sharp gaze.
Because... she was right.
He had not revealed the full truth behind the conspiracy—the scandal surrounding the Crown and, more specifically, the Crown Prince himself...
Because there was one thing—one singular truth—that, if spoken, might shake Anastasia's resolve... might interfere with her growth as a leader… and as a person.
And he couldn't bring himself to reveal that truth...
Not yet, at least.
And Vivian—while she didn't know what that truth was—had still pieced together that sothing wasn't adding up. Sothing was missing from the whole picture.
But even so... she didn't push further.
Instead...
A soft chuckle escaped her lips.
"Hah~ You've always been the sentintal type," she teased, stepping back, the amusent returning to her features.
As she withdrew from his personal space, Sebas exhaled—not in relief, but in acknowledgnt of her understanding.
Vivian then turned—toward Anastasia, Martha, and Bella, all of whom were still taken aback, still processing the sowhat intimate exchange with varying degrees of confusion... and, in Anastasia's case, an unshakable discomfort she still couldn't quite place.
"Well, my dear lord~," the female adventurer drawled, her usual playful tone returning, "I'll be sure to spread the word about this place of yours. I'm sure plenty of adventurers would love to hear about it~"
Anastasia blinked for a mont. Both Martha and Bella looked equally surprised as well.
The red-haired noblewoman was still cooling down from the earlier frustration that had welled up inside of her... but eventually, she llowed out, gathering her composure before facing the Sonic Thief.
"…I suppose that's not a bad thing," Anastasia admitted before exhaling once more. "Very well. I'll take you up on that offer, Miss Vivian. Thank you."
Vivian couldn't help but giggle upon hearing Anastasia's begrudging tone.
"Awww~, look at you, actually thanking ~."
And Anastasia rely gave her a dry look... the kind that said she already regretted those words.
"Please do not get used to it," she said flatly, earning another snicker from the female adventurer.
But before the banter could continue—
Vivian suddenly paused. Her smile faded into a slightly puzzled expression as she tilted her head.
"...What's wrong, Miss Vivi?" Anastasia asked, brow slightly furrowed in concern—a sentint shared by everyone else.
"Wait… my lord..." she murmured, turning to Anastasia, a finger tapping against her lips in thought. "...What is this place of yours even called, anyway?"
Silence.
Dead silence.
Everyone's expressions turned blank as realization settled in.
Because they had only just realized it now.
Anastasia, Sebas, Martha, and Bella all simultaneously turned their gazes toward the frontier settlent behind them—the place they had all poured their sweat and blood into building.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
And yet... they had not yet figured out the na for this place.
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