Loading User Commands:
[X] Custom

---

Two figures soar across the Forest of Magic: a silver-haired girl in a maid uniform and a young man with gray robes and a walking stick. Their search remains fruitless. The man turns to the girl with a frown.

"This isn't working," says Grimnír.

The girl sighs heavily. She gives him a sad smile.

"Let's take another break," says Sakuya.

The two land under the shade of a great tree. The sun shines brightly above. It is nearly noon. Grimnír leans with his back against the tree to think. There is something strange about what she had said.

"This weapon that you mentioned," he says. "Would it happen to be the legendary spear Gungnir?"

"Why would you say that?" she says carefully.

"No reason in particular."

"..."

Sakuya stares at him carefully. There is something very cold about her eyes. He turns away and clears his throat.

"W-well, if you don't want to tell me, then that's fine too. Let's just forget I asked."

She shakes her head and sighs once more.

"It isn't the Gungir," she explains. "The Scarlet family owns several strange and wonderful artifacts. In fact, the trident he carries isn't very special at all. Not to ordinary humans and youkai, anyway."

"Then why do you need it back?"

"..."

The chief maid turns away and says nothing, ending the conversation. Grimnír shrugs as he seats himself on the ground. Flying is more draining than he expected. Might as well have a good rest before wandering around the Forest again. He takes a glance at the sun once more.

"I'm gonna miss lunch," he says idly.

"That would be disappointing~"

"..."

He slowly turns toward the voice, which seems to be coming from the front of his robe. Grimnír stares blankly, unable to react. Her pink and purple dress and long blonde blonde hair are unmistakable. The head of a tiny girl pokes out from his front pocket. Of course, the front pocket was certainly not there before. She gives him a wink as she motions for him to stay quiet.

"W-wha-what the hell?" he whispers angrily.

"Just enjoying the ride~"

He looks up to see that Sakuya is still distracted with her own thoughts. She hasn't noticed mini-Yukari yet.

[ ] Throw Yukari into the woods. This is no time for games!
[ ] Toss Yukari into your sack. You can't let Sakuya find her.
[ ] Hide Yukari in your pocket. Tell her to stay quiet.
[ ] Let Yukari sit on your shoulder. She can pretend to be a doll.
[ ] Have Yukari sit on your head. Act like she isn't there.
[ ] Tell her to fly beside you. No need to hide anything.
[ ] Custom

Wizardry

In another place, someone steps out of a strange purple door. She takes a moment to dust off her clothes and hair. After straightening her cape and antennae, Wriggle Nightbug starts walking down a small path. As she goes deeper into the forest, the plant growth gets thicker and wilder. The firefly girl does not pause as she steps into the darkness. Soon, only a faint glimmer of light shines from above. Then, she stops.

"I've come to collect your report," she says.

Something glints in the shadows. It is a strange grin in the darkness. As she turns to face it, it begins to grow wider. She immediately notes that there is nothing good-natured about this grin. Without a doubt, this grin is full of malice and deceit, and its owner even more so.

"We have waited warmly. We have much news for your Master..."

A pair of white gloves clap excitedly from the darkness.

"But where shall we begin? Oh, such a difficult choice~"

Wriggle shakes her head.

"I have no time for games. How is the operation at Youkai Mountain?"

The clapping stops.

"Youkai Mountain is in chaos. Oh, wonderful chaos! The tengu and kappa have all but taken arms against the Hakurei maiden, and the negotiations with the Moriya folk are progressing smoothly."

"And Hakugyokurou?"

"The hellcat has almost completed the ritual. I must say that the preliminary results have been extremely entertaining. We should hear from her success this evening."

"Noted. And how about the Scarlet front?"

The grin grows wider.

"There were some complications over the past few days, but nothing too difficult. Our agent has successfully infiltrated the Scarlet Devil's home during the confusion."

"Eientei?"

"They are still incapacitated, as we predicted. Without the moon princess, they will be only a minor inconvenience."

Wriggle pauses to think.

"This report is acceptable. I shall return with Master's next orders."

"Always a pleasure~"

She turns around and prepares to leave. However, the voice from the darkness calls out once more.

"Forgive our indiscretion, but there is one more thing that we must mention."

"... speak."

The grin chuckles softly to itself before speaking.

"We have noticed a certain ice fairy moving about..."

"Master already explained that the idiot is nothing to worry about."

"And that is exactly what puzzles us," it whispers darkly. "You see, we have discovered that the ice fairy's meddling has already hindered our operations at least twice in the past week. Her movements are very much suspect, and we believe that she may prove to be a threat."

Wriggle shakes her head.

"Like Master said before, we only need to focus on the operation. There is no reason to waste time and resources on that idiot. Do you understand?"

"Of course. Forgive our indiscretion."

The firefly girl returns the way she came. She closes the purple door behind her, and it soon vanishes from the path. The grin in the darkness chuckles softly to itself.

"Now I wonder," it says. "Were the orders to ignore the ice fairy from the Master, or yourself?"

"Stop thinking about it."

"Eh?"

Sakuya looks at him seriously.

"Forget about what that girl said and focus on the search."

"Ah, but don't you think that what happened back there was pretty weird?"

The chief maid sighs loudly.

"Nothing good can come from taking that girl seriously," she says. "That ice fairy is probably preparing for some stupid prank again or such nonsense. She can't possibly be doing anything important."

"I see..."

For some reason, he feels like there was something he missed during that random encounter. But without any evidence to back it up, he decides to shrug it off. Like Sakuya said, it probably isn't anything important.

~~~

After searching for another hour, the two of them take a break underneath one of the larger trees. The chief maid simply leans against a tree and folds her arms. Grimnr takes a seat on the grass and tries to collect his thoughts. After a few minutes of silence, he decides to ask her a question.

"Hey Sakuya," he says. "Why are you looking for the trident-wielder?"

"..."

"I know that it's probably something you don't want to talk about, but I am helping you out here."

"..."

"At the very least, I'd like to know if I'm walking into something dangerous. It seems only fair."

"..."

Another minute passes without a reply. He sighs loudly and starts staring at the clouds instead. But to his surprise, as soon as he turns away, the chief maid speaks.

"To protect her," she whispers.

"Eh?"

He turns to the chief maid. She has a slightly pained look upon her face as she continues.

"If Lady Remilia finds out that he is still alive, then she is sure to do something reckless again."

Grimnr has no idea what this girl is talking about, but he gives her an encouraging nod all the same.

"I have to find him first and conclude our business," she says. "And then, I have to take that weapon back to the mansion."

"The weapon? You mean the trident?"

She nods quietly.

"It belongs to the family Scarlet."

~~~

After the break, they start searching again. Grimnr quietly notes how fruitless this task seems.

[ ] Keep searching the Forest of Magic.
[ ] This is useless. Head back to Eientei.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Continue searching the Forest of Magic.
[X] Custom

---

"Oh," says Sakuya carelessly. "My bad. It's just that naughty ice fairy again."

"L-L-Lemme go! Lemme go!"

Grimnr lands beside the chief maid and stares at her catch curiously. At first glance, it looks like a small young girl with bright blue eyes and hair. However, her odd icicle-shaped wings confirm that this person isn't human. Dressed in a simple blue dress and a large blue ribbon upon her head, the little fairy waves her hands angrily at them. With a half-dozen knives holding her in place, she is hanging helplessly against a large tree.

"Ice fairy?" he repeats.

Ignoring the girl's angry cries, Sakuya nods at him calmly.

"This one bothers travellers by the lake sometimes, though I haven't seen her near the mansion grounds lately. Look like she started bothering travellers in the Forest, instead."

The little ice fairy folds her arms and pouts at them.

"W-what the heck is that? I'm not bothering anyone!"

"Really? Then why is that tree over there frozen solid?"

Grimnr takes a glance to where Sakuya is pointing. Indeed, one of the larger trees has been frozen completely within a large block of ice. In fact, it was this strange sight that had drawn them to come down here.

"Of course I had a good reason for that!" cries the little fairy. "I'm definitely not doing it because someone cute asked me to, or because I was bored waiting for someone, or because that giant frog chased me again."

"Wait... what?" says Grimnr.

Sakuya sighs loudly. In the next moment, the knives holding the fairy in place suddenly vanish. The little girl squeals in surprise as she lands on her behind.

"Just get lost before I change my mind," says the chief maid. "And stop bothering people with your stupid pranks. They are very irritating."

"This isn't a prank!" cries the girl. "And stop calling me 'that ice fairy'! I have a name you know!"

"Ah, is that right?" says Sakuya. "Now what was it again, I wonder.."

The little fairy stands herself up and complains angrily at them.

"Cirno!" she cries out. "It's Cirno, y-you stupid meanie-head!"

For some reason, Sakuya seems mildly amused at the little fairy. Is she teasing Cirno? He almost feels sorry for the little girl.

"I think that's enough, Sakuya," he says. "You shouldn't pick on her like that."

"Yeah! Why the heck do I always get -"

Suddenly, Cirno stops speaking when he notices him. Her eyes widen, as if recognizing him for the first time. Grimnr frowns slightly. He's been standing here for a while now. This girl must be really out of it. She just keeps staring at him blankly.

"..."

A minute passes in awkward silence. He clears his throat before speaking.

"Err... so Cirno," he manages. "Why are you freezing trees in the Forest?"

"Eh? Ah, I'm not freezing trees," she says. "I'm freezing only that tree."

"But why?"

Cirno frowns hard at him, as if he said something strange.

"Are you stupid or something, Grim?" she says.

"Huh?"

The ice fairy grins smugly.

"Well, I suppose that I can tell you, being the strongest and all..."

Sakuya covers her face with her palm, but says nothing. Cirno ignores her (or doesn't notice), and suddenly raises her finger at him dramatically.

"Cirno is going to save the world!"

Loading User Commands:
[X] Attempt to scam Rinnosuke
[X] Custom

---

"Well? It's a generous offer, is it not?"

Grimnír pauses. This person is dangerous. He is sure of it now. But still... these are diamonds we are talking about here.

Diamonds!

He slowly takes the contract and reads through each clause. Most of it looks legitimate with the exception of a few strange lines. The runes themselves seem to be written beside key terms and conditions. Seems like the contract is iron-clad - hardly anything can be used as a loophole. In the end, however, this is only if he signs the contract...

"It is tempting," he replies. "But is there really any need to put this in such formal writing? I'm sure that a handshake will be enough."

Rinnosuke smiles grimly.

"I've dealt with magicians often enough to know that drafting a contract is generally a good idea. Don't take it personally, of course. I'm sure that your intentions are quite honest. This is just good business."

"That is understandable," says Grimnír. "But I find the terms of this contract quite one-sided. Why don't we talk about some other options?"

The shopkeeper considers him carefully. Without warning, he takes the contract from his hands. Then, he collects the diamonds back into his pouch and returns it to the bag tied at his front.

"It is unfortunate that we can't come into agreement," he says with a sigh. "My offer was quite generous."

"Eh? B-but I -"

Rinnosuke smiles darkly at him.

"Thank you for visiting," says the shopkeeper. "I have some work to finish, so if you'll excuse me..."

Before they realize it, Grimnír and Sakuya find themselves escorted out of shop.

~~~

After they left Kourindou, they headed deep into the Forest of Magic. The two spent an hour searching, but to no avail. Grimnír couldn't find any traces of the battlefields where he had met the trident-wielder. It was as if someone restored everything back to its original state. Aside from the occasional wild fairy, they didn't meet anyone at all.

"The Forest of Magic is really big after all. I guess that the chance of finding him is next to none. We don't even know if he is still here."

Sakuya turns around and frowns at him.

"We need to keep searching," she says. "I know that he is still alive. I need to finish our business, once and for all."

"Do you know who he is?" asks Grimnír. "I mean, you keep talking of him as if you know him."

"..."

The maid pauses for a moment, then she turns away. She doesn't answer his question. Instead, she says something else. Something strange.

"That deal Rinnosuke offered," she whispers. "It was good that you didn't accept it."

"Eh?"

"There is no way that you are getting your hands on that weapon. Absolutely none."

"How can you be so sure?"

She turns to him and smiles confidently.

"Because I am taking that back to where it belongs, and I won't let anyone stop me."

[ ] Continue searching the Forest of Magic.
[ ] Head back to Eientei.
[ ] Custom

"Welcome back," says a voice. "You arrived just in time. Grimnr, was it? Just give me a moment, here."

The owner says it all without lifting his head. After a minute, he finishes inspecting an old cannon shell. He looks up and smiles politely at his visitors. This strange golden-eyed person is the owner of Kourindou, Rinnosuke Morichika.

"Ah! Sakuya as well," he says. "Good to see you again."

The silver-haired maid gives him a slight nod, but says nothing.

"Sorry to trouble you," says Grimnr. "We just passed by to see if you have some -"

"Answers," whispers Rinnosuke.

The shopkeeper smiles enigmatically.

"Follow me to the back office. We can talk more in there."

~~~

Rinnosuke takes a tiny pouch from inside his bag.

"Here."

The shop owner slowly opens it and empties its contents onto the table. Grimnr's eyes widen in shock. Three cut diamonds, each the size of his thumbnail! In the outside, such things would amount to a fortune unimaginable by ordinary people. How the heck did Rinnosuke acquire this? Wasn't he just some oddball who ran a junkstore than no one visits?

He takes a glance at Sakuya. From the expression on her face, she too is surprised. But it isn't just that. For some reason, she looks a little frightened.

"You may take one of them now. After you deliver the goods, I'll pay the rest."

"The goods?"

"You want answers about the trident-wielder in the Forest of Magic," he says. "As Marisa's friend, you would like to make sure that she won't suffer like that again, don't you?"

"Err... I suppose."

Grimnr doesn't even look at the shopkeeper's face, still dazzled by the precious gems. With something like this, he could probably buy a mansion. He wouldn't have to worry about money again. Nor would he have to freeload on Alice or Marisa.

"So do I," whispers Rinnosuke. "That is why we are going to finalize the transaction in this contract."

He brings out a sheet of paper. It seems to be a trade contract, though Grimnr recognizes some magical runes on it as well. Perhaps those are safeguards to prevent people from breaching the terms?

Grimnr looks back at the shopkeeper and almost jumps when he sees it. Rinnosuke stares at the diamonds, a dull expression upon his face. As if they were old toys that he had grown bored of. At this moment, Grimnr suddenly felt that he wasn't looking at a human being anymore.

"I want you to bring me the trident," says Rinnosuke. "Do whatever it takes."

This person... is dangerous.

[ ] Accept the offer.
[ ] Refuse the offer.
[ ] Custom

Loading User Commands:
[X] Custom

---

"Night bird, night song~ Ah! It's done!"

Mystia Lorelei smiles as she places a dish in front of him. A plate with a generous helping of grilled lamprey. Grimnír looks back at the sparrow girl, puzzled.

"I haven't ordered anything yet," he says.

He also doesn't have any money with him. Or any other type of currency whatsoever. While this would be no problem at Kourindou (the owner prefers to trade in goods), he most certainly can't afford to get into trouble with those who expect payment. For this simple reason, he prudently left the food untouched and waited for her response.

"Don't worry about it," says Mystia. "Here is one more~"

She places another serving in front of Sakuya. The silver-haired maid says nothing. A moment of silence passes. Then, Mystia starts busying herself with the dishes once more. She seems strangely happy.

But that isn't the strangest part. Grimnír looks around carefully, yet he still has difficulty believing it. This street stand was completely trashed yesterday, wasn't it? How the heck was it restored so quickly? It looks exactly the same as when he passed by with Alice. Even the cooking utensils look unchanged.

He glances to the left, then to the right. The road and the trees nearby, in both directions, are completely undamaged. There is no trace of the battle yesterday at all. As if it never happened.

"Mystia," he says. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh? Ah, I feel great!" she says, smiling. "She was even able to reattach my wing! Eientei's medicine really is the best, though that doctor can be really creepy. She kept asking weird questions, too."

The sparrow girl stretches both her wings and flaps them happily. She stares at him for a minute, as if confused. Then, she gives him a little wink.

"Don't worry about payment," she says. "These are on the house. It's the least I can do after you saved Wriggle and I~"

She turns to Sakuya.

"Your gateguard was a great help as well," she adds. "I'll make her something too when she visits next time."

"Eh? Gateguard?"

"She's a regular customer of mine~"

Sakuya simply nods and smiles. For some reason, he feels a slightly dangerous aura around the maid. It quickly vanishes when she starts eating, thankfully. He doesn't know why, but something must have irritated her. Grimnír turns to Mystia quickly.

"Speaking of Wriggle," he continues. "I don't see her around. Didn't she leave with you this morning?"

Mystia nods lightly.

"She accompanied me all the way back," she says.

"But she isn't here?"

"Wriggle said that she had something important to do, so she left right after she saw that everything was alright."

Mystia sighs, a rare display of melancholy.

"She is so busy and serious nowadays. I'm starting to think that she might be getting into something dangerous. I can't help but feel a little worried about her."

"I see," he says.

Mystia serves them some tea to go with the food.

"Has Wriggle been acting strangely?"

"Hmm," says the sparrow girl.

She turns to him, her eyes glinting with something he can't place.

"Not really," she says with a smile. "Wriggle will always be Wriggle, after all. It doesn't really matter where or when. She'll always be a sister to me~"

For some reason, he feels like the sparrow girl is hiding something.

"Seen anything odd or out-of-place?"

Mystia shakes her head.

"Then how did your street stand get restored so quickly?"

The sparrow girl pauses at those words. She immediately puts down what she is doing. Mystia turns to him, smiling brightly.

"It's a secret~ S-E-C-R-E-T, alright?"

She winks again before turning back to her work.

"But in any case," she whispers. "I'd like to thank you for taking care of Wriggle. Please continue to do so, Mr. Wizard~"