Volume 2Chapter 2 Part 5

“Welcome back, Niil.”

“I’m back, boss~!”

“Did you give Iris the message?”

“Of course! She said she’ll be sure to teach you the ‘Ancient Magic’~. However, she has the investiture ceremony for her ‘Guardian Knight’ in a few days, so she was wondering if it would be okay to do it after that~.”

“Yeah. Tell her that’s fine. Were there any other messages?”

“There are~!”

“Okay. Let me hear it.”

“Well, there’s Version One all the way through Version Twelve…”

“Why are there so many?”

“She said it’s because she’s a maiden~.”

“Just let me hear all of them for now.”

“I can’t do that~.”

“Why not?!”

“She said it’s because she’s a maiden~.”

“Even after two hundred years, I still don’t understand how Alice’s mind works…”

“I understand. Because I’m a girl, you see~.”

“Let me just confirm, is this message the kind of thing where something terrible will happen if I don’t hear it?”

“Not at all~.”

“Right.”

“Besides, the contents are almost exactly the same~.”

“What in the world is she doing, that Alice… I mean, Her Highness Iris.”

“For now, I’ll deliver the final version~.”

“Please do.”

“Let’s see, then~. Ahem.”

Niil gave a deep bow before me.

“‘I am grateful to the fate that has allowed me to reunite with my Lord. Please use this life of mine for your sake. I look forward to our long and happy future together.’ That’s what it says~.”

“…Are all the versions pretty much the same?”

“They are~.”

“…………That’s Alice for you. That part of her, at least.”

“Well then, I shall be returning to Lady Iris’s side~.”

“Good work. And one more thing—”

I stopped Niil just as she was about to take flight.

“I’ve given you a larger than normal dose of ‘Mistel Blood.’ Your strength and endurance should be much higher now. With that power, protect Alice—no, protect Iris. You must.”

“Understood~!”

And with that, Niil flew off into the night.