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There's no way there would be any traces.
Baron Corell slowly shook his head.
"None."
"Even with the entire territory being looted?"
"That's right."
Even if it was a common thief, they might not be able to catch them.
But to not find any traces at all doesn't make sense.
Baron Corell continued.
"You two just need to stay here and find the culprit's trail. As you can see, this is a rural territory, so there's no one who knows how to use magic or anything like that. I thought a student from Elton Academy might be able to come up with something different, so I made the request. You can leave the task of catching the thief to the soldiers, just find some traces."
The Baron's soldiers.
In the 2nd playthrough, they all died.
In the 3rd playthrough, about half of them survived.
"We'll find the metal thief somehow, so please don't worry too much."
"Thank you. Ah! I'm late in asking. What are your names?"
"I'm Davian Naone."
"I'm Latia Meridiem."
Baron Corell's face brightened.
He was a person who couldn't hide his feelings very well, but he wasn't entirely unlikeable.
"Davian Naone! I've heard of you. They say you're an amazing freshman. And Latia Meridiem! Aren't you the daughter of Duke Meridiem! The genius magic girl! It's amazing that such great students have come to our territory."
"Well, we're tired from the long journey, so we'll rest for today. Please show us to our lodgings and bring us some food."
A look of bewilderment briefly flashed across Baron Corell's face.
He's such an easy person to read.
"Y-yes, of course. You must be tired. Rest well today. I look forward to working with you starting tomorrow. Though I don't know which house will be robbed again today..."
He's saying he wants us to start investigating from today since we're already here.
But Davian didn't give Baron Corell the answer he wanted.
"Yes."
Latia tilted her head and looked at Davian.
'He's not usually like this...'
After dinner, Davian and Latia were led to their respective rooms.
Guest rooms on the second floor, their rooms were next to each other.
Knock knock.
"It's me, Latia."
"Come in."
Latia opened the door and entered Davian's room.
Davian, who had been lying on the bed, raised his upper body and looked at Latia.
Latia asked.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"He said another house might be robbed tonight. The territory residents are all terrified because of an unknown thief. And you're like, 'Well, we'll rest for today'?"
"You must be tired too, Latia. You've been in a carriage all day."
"Still, if we came to fulfill a request, we should show some sincerity! And have you forgotten that this is the final evaluation? Why are you being so unlike yourself, Davian?"
Bounce.
Davian jumped off the bed and stood on the floor.
He pointed to the tea table on one side for Latia.
"Sit down first."
Latia sat crookedly on a chair at the tea table.
"Why are you being like this? So unlike you."
"Do you know that legend?"
"Out of the blue?"
"A monster that eats metal. Bulgasari."
Ha.
Latia scoffed.
"What's wrong with you? You heard there's a thief who only steals metal, and now you're bringing up such a ridiculous legend?"
Ridiculous, my foot.
A real Bulgasari has appeared.
'I can't exactly say that I've already nearly died twice with you while catching it...'
Instead, he continued talking about the Bulgasari.
"You scoffed, so you must know the Bulgasari legend."
"I know it. The legendary monster Bulgasari that eats metal. No weapon or magic works on it. Only fire can kill it."
Right.
You know it well.
If we had known that what we were dealing with was a Bulgasari in the 2nd playthrough...
We wouldn't have had to go through a near-death experience.
Bulgasari.
A monster passed down in legends.
It eats metal to live.
The more metal it eats, the bigger it gets.
But it has the ability to change its size at will, so the longer a Bulgasari has lived, the harder it is to know its true size.
"That's what's appeared here. That Bulgasari."
"Crazy."
Davian's expression became serious.
Unlike before, he lowered his voice in a weighty tone.
"I'm serious. Don't you know me?"
Latia narrowed her eyes at Davian's changed attitude.
"You... you know something, don't you?"
Davian nodded, and Latia continued.
"We randomly drew the request form. And I came here with you right away. So how?"
"Since when have you questioned that and not believed me?"
"It's not that, but..."
"Just think of it as me knowing more than others."
Latia crossed her arms and leaned back against the back of the chair.
"Are you serious?"
"Have you ever seen me joke?"
"Sometimes."
"I can't even joke properly now."
A brief silence.
"So. What's the plan?"
Latia decided to believe Davian's words after all.
Davian began to reveal what he knew and his plan.
Of course, he didn't mention that he had been here in the past playthroughs.
"First, we have to save a little kid. The owner of the Bulgasari."
"The owner of the Bulgasari? Does the Bulgasari serve an owner?"
"The Bulgasari hasn't awakened yet. There's a kid who believes he's the owner."
A 10-year-old orphan boy.
He lives alone in a cabin in the northern forest of this territory.
Currently, he's the owner of the Bulgasari.
The Bulgasari is in the shape of a cute puppy and lives with the boy.
It's not deliberately taking that form to hide its identity and living with the boy.
The Bulgasari also hasn't awakened to its own existence.
In the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs.
Davian and his group, along with the soldiers, eventually arrived at the boy's cabin after narrowing down the investigation.
Several pieces of metal are found in the boy's house.
The puppy, no, the Bulgasari, which barked fiercely at the soldiers questioning the boy.
Eventually awakens.
And...
"...What? Really?"
Latia asked, startled.
"I'm telling you, it's true."
"But you said he was the owner."
"That was before the awakening."
"No, but still, how..."
The next day.
Davian and Latia headed to the northern forest.
"But how did they end up living together?"
In the 2nd playthrough, they were too busy.
In the 3rd playthrough, he had quite a conversation with the boy.
"He picked it up in the forest, whimpering."
"A Bulgasari whimpering in the forest?"
"Maybe it instinctively felt that it needed a guardian for the time being."
"So how long have they been living together?"
"3 years."
Latia asked, surprised.
"3 years? Then how old was the kid when he started living alone in the forest cabin?"
"The day he met the Bulgasari was the day he ran away from the village and first went to the cabin."
"Why did he run away from the village?"
"What would a 7-year-old kid with no one to take care of him do to make a living?"
"He stole, didn't he."
Latia suddenly stopped walking.
"I've been through a lot, so I trust you and follow you, but..."
Latia looked straight at Davian.
"How do you know all this? It's like you've even talked to that kid?"
"Knowing is harmful."
Latia sighed deeply and started walking again.
"Someday... you have to tell me. How you know all these things. What your identity is. Davian Naone."
Latia's blonde hair, walking ahead, fluttered in the wind.
Davian murmured quietly.
"Well... someday, when the time comes."
After walking for a while, they came to a familiar cabin.
"There it is."
Woof!
A gray puppy started barking inside the fence.
Latia pointed her finger at the puppy.
"That's... the Bulgasari? The legendary monster?"
"Yeah. Be careful. It's dangerous."
"Isn't this our chance? Let's catch it quickly!"
Thud.
The door of the cabin opened.
"Gray! Be quiet!"
Squeak.
Oh, really?
The legendary monster Bulgasari.
Tucked its tail under its butt and sat on the floor.
"Who are you?"
"Um... well."
How should I handle this kid...?
Davian wasn't easily flustered by anything.
But when he actually faced it, he couldn't think of what to say.
He absolutely shouldn't excite either the kid or the puppy.
Latia stepped forward.
"Hey, what's your name? I'm Latia."
Regardless of East or West, past or present.
Kids recognize pretty people better.
"I'm Eden. But what brings you to this forest? There's no way to go further?"
"We came to see you?"
"Me?"
The boy, who introduced himself as Eden, suddenly became wary.
"Gray, come here."
Pitter-patter.
The legendary puppy ran between Eden's legs as it was and wagged its tail.
'This is bad.'
Davian looked at Latia.
Latia also looked flustered.
Davian had emphasized twice while walking here.
'Don't let Eden get between the Bulgasari and us. Keep Eden away from the Bulgasari as much as possible.'
Latia slowly took one step closer.
At the same time, Eden took one step back.
"We just came to tell you something. We're not bad people."
Eventually.
Eden picked up the puppy and hugged it.
Ha.
Davian's sigh could be heard from behind Latia.
Latia turned her head sharply and glared at Davian.
Latia complaining in a small voice.
"Why don't you try it!"
Davian spread his palms and gestured for her to do it.
Latia turned her head back and smiled awkwardly.
"I brought something to eat, want to talk while eating this?"
Latia opened the lid of the basket she was holding.
There were bread, dried meat, and fruit that she had gotten from the lord's castle.
Eden's eyes wavered.
"We're not from the territory down there. We're just passing by, but we came to tell you something. Come on, let's eat this while we talk. I'm going to go that way."
"..."
He doesn't refuse.
Latia turned around.
Davian nodded.
Latia took one step at a time towards the boy and the legendary monster Bulgasari.
"Okay, put the puppy down. Let's go inside the cabin and eat."
While Eden hesitated.
Davian untied the cloth he was loosely tied around his waist.
It may just look like an ordinary cloth to Eden.
But it has a strong protective magic cast on it to prevent the energy of the contents inside from escaping.
Davian took out a lump of raw meat from the cloth and shook it.
"Okay, let's feed this to the puppy."
Huff huff huff!
The puppy that was hugged by Eden suddenly stuck out its tongue and started wagging its tail violently.
It was flailing its feet in the air, as if it would run towards Davian at any moment if Eden let go.
Eden lowered his head and looked at the puppy.
"Gray? You don't eat things like that?"
Huff huff huff!
Davian said.
"Why wouldn't it eat it? Puppies love meat so much. I prepared a lean part. For your health."
He threw a piece of meat into a secluded corner of the fence over there.
Huff huff huff!
"Let it go. It wants to eat."
Eden, who was tilting his head, put the puppy, no, the legendary monster Bulgasari, on the ground.
Huff huff!
The puppy ran at full speed towards the lump of meat and started eating ravenously.
"See, it likes it, right?"
Eden was still tilting his head.
"That's weird... our Gray doesn't eat meat."
Latia asked.
"Really? What does a puppy like if it doesn't like meat?"
Eden's expression hardened.
But.
The distance between Latia and Eden was already too close.
Whoosh.
Latia's white, long arm wrapped around the boy.
Thud.
Latia put her arm around Eden's shoulder and brought the basket close to her face.
"Okay, let's leave the puppy to eat meat and go inside to eat this. It'll be delicious, right? Look over there. The puppy is also enjoying the meat snack. I said I have something to tell you."
"Yes, yes..."
Okay.
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