Seeking Counsel

That night, before I went to sleep, I sent a message to the teachers working at Dandelion Orphanage in Area 7, telling them to stay safe.

Fortunately, when we'd recruited them, the orphanage teachers had gone through an identity wash — and despite being former members of the Gregory Cult, none of them carried imprint parasites.

The reason was simple. Back then Shan had no host, and forging imprint parasites with her power alone had been grueling work. Besides, the followers had taken such devoted care of her without them that she'd never felt the need — so she'd never made any.

A bond between a goddess and her worshippers, built on nothing but trust. Looking back on it now, it really was something peculiar.

We only survived because the orphanage went up in a nice, clean boom. Didn't leave a single trace connecting us to the cult.

And to think that would work in our favor now... Shan murmured.

Right? Oh, Shan — still nothing from Katie?

Mm... it's been quiet so far.

Still, I couldn't let my guard down. There was no telling when she might suddenly pop out of nowhere going "Comrade Tiss, Comrade Tiss!" and demand to play.

So? What are you going to do?

That's the problem.

I'd wracked my brain over it and come up with a few options. None of them felt certain.

I think I need to ask for help.

I needed someone smart — someone who was good at this kind of complicated, messy work. There was one person I could lay my situation out to and talk it through with. Someone I could trust. Or rather — one monster I could trust.

I dialed. The phone rang, then clicked as she picked up.

Mm.

"You awake?"

"Angel, did you sleep well? You're up early today."

"Ah, I've got something I need to take care of in a hurry."

I told Dorothy I had to meet Emily urgently, and that she'd have to eat the hotel breakfast on her own.

"Mm, I see. Don't you worry about me."

Fortunately, even half-asleep, Dorothy smiled and nodded. Not a single complaint — just telling me not to worry about her and to go with my mind at ease. She was so dear I could hardly stand it.

I started toward her to pat her head as she sat on the bed. Dorothy hesitated, just a little.

"Angel... um."

"Oh — you don't want me to?"

"No, I mean... um... ahh!"

Dorothy flushed, smiling as if the whole thing embarrassed her, then threw both arms wide open toward me.

"Before you go, could you give me a hug? Just once?"

That was all? She just wanted a hug.

"That I can do as many times as you want."

"Really?"

"Come here, then."

Her eyes met mine — sparkling, somewhere between tawny and light brown, like a deer's. It was the same when I patted her head. We'd grown close enough in height that our eyes met at the same level now.

I spread my arms and pulled Dorothy into a tight hug, patting her on the back.

And so I hugged her.

"Hehe."

She felt warm and snug against me, like a roasted sweet potato.

"Have a good day."

"Yeah. I'll be back soon."

The little bell over the door jingled.

"Come on in, dear."

"Good morning!"

The elderly owner recognized me the moment I stepped into the café I'd visited last night, and waved me in with a greeting.

"Welcome, little lady. You don't look so good. Have a nightmare last night?"

Emily was already seated, enjoying a cup of coffee at her leisure. She wasn't in the uniform I'd seen yesterday. Today it was a white blouse and a long black skirt. With that slender frame, she looked every bit the city career woman — if you ignored those signature mastermind eyes of hers, and the atmosphere that came with them.

I sighed.

"I wish it had just been a nightmare."

I sat down, ordered something simple, and laid out everything that had happened the night before.

"Heh-heh. Our little lady went ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and made the hard choice herself. It would've been much easier to clean up after if you'd just taken Lionel's help on the spot."

Her blunt assessment made my chest sting.

"I know that. But it's already done — what am I supposed to do about it now?"

"Heh-heh. So... what is it you want to ask of me?"

"Give me a solution. Or at the very least, is there some way I can keep Siwoo and Sia with me for a little while?"

"Hmm. All right. Sitting still and running my mouth is something I can do as much as you like."

"Thanks."

Emily agreed without hesitation, then held up three fingers.

"I'll start with the easiest method, then."

She began explaining, her voice low and even.

"Talk the Legion into following you to the branch's air-raid bunker. She already likes you, so if you ask her to come along, she'll probably tag after you even if the place feels a little suspicious."

"And then?"

"Mobilize the Area 3 branch director, Deputy Director Lionel, Baba Yaga, and every hunter and hero of A-Rank or higher, and take Katie out. I can say that you knowing her was part of a secret operation."

"Rejected!"

"If you take her out in a surprise attack, you can minimize the civilian casualties you were worried about, and you'll stop the raid too."

Then the whole thing would be meaningless.

"That is the easiest method, you know."

"Isn't there another way?"

"Of course there is. But a few preconditions matter — and so does your purpose."

Emily laid out a governing principle, then said the conditions had to follow from it, arranging sugar cubes beneath a piece of cookie as she spoke.

"Little lady. What's the most important reason you don't want to deal with Katie?"

"That's..."

The reason, huh. Because she was a non-aggressive boss who didn't eat people as long as you didn't pick a fight first? Because Katie's death would benefit New Order and Beelzebuth?

Those answers were far too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shortsighted. Getting a clone body for Shan was a goal, but it wasn't the ultimate one.

"Oh? That's a grander reason than I expected."

"It's still more of a wish — a dream, even. But this side of mine... I dream of coexistence."

"You do realize that just holding that kind of ideology makes you the Management Bureau's number-one threat, right?"

Emily opened those hazy eyes she usually kept closed, and looked at me.

"I know. I'm trying to become that kind of existence myself, starting with me."

From the moment I fell into this other world, my goals had been survival — and a happy ending.

It had started with Siwoo and Sia. After that, I'd chipped away at New Order, the force that would become the greatest obstacle of the mid-game. And though luck had played a part, I'd kept Mary as a poacher — the woman destined to become an S-Grade villain — and eliminated Fedor, who would have become a dangerous assassin.

To reach a happy ending, I had to prepare for each crisis the future would bring, one by one. The more cards I held in my hand — and the stronger they were — the better.

And among those cards, if I could persuade the Legion — a hot topic even in the community over whether she counted as a heroine — and make her an ally, she would surely become a wildcard for stopping the next Calamity.

At my answer, Emily closed her eyes again and smiled.

"That's the way. Keep doing that. All right — I'll tell you the other method. If you're not going to use force, then all that's left is talk and persuasion. First, you need to become Katie's best comrade."

"So start ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by raising her affection, huh? Got it."

"Once you're close enough that she'll believe whatever you say, check whether she has a Geas. Find a gap in it and void the contract. If breaking it is impossible, take Katie to the branch center."

"Right... wait. Hold on."

Had I heard that wrong?

"Emily, you're telling me to... take the Legion to the Area 3 branch? Are you insane?!"

"You know the branch has technology that can completely erase a Geas, don't you?"

"I know that."

"Then that's what you'll have to use. Tiss, if you want to resolve this without violence, you have to be ready to go that far."

"I know, but... that's way too reckless."

Emily wore a sly, knowing smile.

"Emily, you're still holding something back, aren't you? You held up three fingers at the start."

"There is one more method, actually."

Huuuh. Somehow, every method she offered was more difficult than the last.

"Getting close to her is the same. The difference is, you let the raid go ahead as planned."

"Emily... I've been turning the world upside down trying to stop that."

"Easy, easy. Little lady. Have you heard of professional wrestling? It's a relic of the old civilization. Both sides put on a performance by mutual agreement, you know?"

"Ah."

Of course I knew. I understood what she was getting at the moment she said it.

I had a rough grasp of the method. The remaining problem was Siwoo and Sia.

"But why are you trying so hard to keep them from meeting?"

"Because... they're obviously going to clash."

If Katie's true identity came out in front of Siwoo and Sia — two kids determined to become hunters and butcher monsters — every plan I'd wracked my brains to put together would be finished on the spot.

"So you're going to keep them apart forever? Even until that moment of coexistence you talked about?"

That wasn't it. We weren't some cell organization. Sooner or later, they would have to stand together.

"Then use this as the chance to make them allies. People get close fast in a crisis, you know."

"No. No matter how I look at it, that's way too radical."

I couldn't picture the three of them together, no matter how hard I tried. We hadn't even started Academy life yet. Rushing this now could ruin everything. The right way was to walk beside Siwoo and Sia after enrollment, and convince them slowly.

"If that's how you see it, then put the persuading off until next time and focus on the Legion. But remember this. Someday, a moment will come when you'll have to make them understand what you are — and what you dream of."

Emily's face was serious as she said it.

"I know. I'm prepared for it."

"Then that's fine. What you need right now is to divert Siwoo and Sia's attention, yes? Hmm... this one's a headache even for me."

That was exactly it. I wanted a legitimate reason to keep them apart until the entrance ceremony — just three days — without hurting either of them.

"I'd like to say I could take them myself, if it were possible... but you know how it is. My position. My circumstances."

Emily smiled that meaningful smile of hers, slit eyes and all. Emily holding onto me for three days straight? With a face like hers, and a job like hers, even the two siblings who already knew she was an acquaintance of mine would have no choice but to get suspicious.

"If you need a legitimate reason to be absent, it's usually an injury, closed-door training, or the kind of personal circumstances unique to non-humans — going into heat, for instance."

"The last one is a no, even if it kills me."

"Then is there someone you can impose on for three days? If there's someone who owes our little lady a debt, that makes the conversation much easier."

A debt of gratitude, huh.

"Two or three people come to mind."

One was Levi, who'd been a fellow examinee. One was Katie herself, so she was out. That left exactly one person — someone who always kept their word, and who was trusted by everyone.

The little bell over the door jingled.

"This is rather unusual. For Hunter Emily to seek me out first thing in the morning."

Hunter Lionel took the seat across from Emily, smoothing his mane as he sat.

"And even Cadet Tiss, as well."

"Good morning, Hunter Lionel."

"So. Did your pen pal settle in well?"

"Ah, yes. We're planning to meet again this afternoon, actually. We really click when we talk in person."

"A fine attitude. Always treat those in hardship with kindness, child. As Dean of the Hunter Faculty I find it a shame — but I believe Examinee Tiss has a heart warm enough to become a Hero."

"Ahaha..."

I could only scratch at my head under the sudden praise.

"We are rather occupied with preparations for the entrance ceremony, so let us leave the small talk there. Hunter Emily — would you be so kind as to tell me why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you called me here?"

"Of course. Let's get straight to the point. You promised Tiss a reward going forward, didn't you?"

"I did. I remember it well. Cadet Tiss — have you thought of something you want?"

"Hunter Lionel, would you be able to take charge of me for the next three days, until the entrance ceremony?"

"...What?"

"I want to receive special martial arts training from you, Hunter Lionel!"

Lionel stared at me, blinking, his eyes gone round.