As Nina and I enter the guild in Elmesia, the room quiets down, and several people nod at us indifferently. Afterwards, conversations resume, and we're left with only some lingering stares. It seems that my party has finally reached the point of soliciting a quiet, neutral reception at the guild. Frankly, I'm a fan of it.
I look around for Levi and his party, but I don't see them. We approach Melanie, the guild receptionist, and she is already watching us nervously. I guess that's fair, given my history here.
I smile at her, and she forces a polite smile in return…so hospitable!
"Hey, Melanie, no need to look so glum! I didn't come to make trouble, I swear." (Mizuki)
Melanie makes an annoyed expression at me in return.
"Somehow you attract trouble anyway...so, forgive me if I'm not reassured, Mizuki. Still, what can I do for you?" (Melanie)
Hmm…I see where she's coming from, but that doesn't make it my fault! I sigh deeply and nod.
"I'm looking for Levi and the others. Know where I can find them?" (Mizuki)
Melanie gives me a confused look. If I had to guess, it's because I'm acting like she's more likely to know where my own party is than me.
"Well, Sylvia is supposed to be in this morning. If you wait, you should see her soon." (Melanie)
I smile back at Melanie and nod.
"Thanks, Melanie, we'll do that." (Mizuki)
Nina and I take a seat at one of the empty guild hall tables, and surprisingly, nobody bothers us. After a while, I see Sylvia walk into the guild. When she meets my gaze, I smile and wave her over to us.
She approaches with a suspicious expression.
"Uhm…hey, Mizuki. Were you waiting for me? You've never been seen just sitting around the guild like this." (Sylvia)
Wow…I really need to make an effort to show up here more and hang out with the other adventurers. It doesn't sound like I have a very sociable reputation.
I smirk at Sylvia.
"You guessed it. Got some time for us this morning?" (Mizuki)
Sylvia sighs in fake annoyance.
"I can put you in my schedule, I guess. I won't lie and say it's out of deference to my new party leader…I'm just curious about what you could want." (Sylvia)
I roll my eyes at Sylvia.
"That's fine – I only care that you're loyal to Levi. Anyway, does your party own a house or something? Levi, at least? We should go there and talk…I have a gift to give you guys." (Mizuki)
Sylvia raises her eyebrows at me.
"A gift, huh…consider me intrigued. Well, Levi recently bought a house for us. It's not huge, but it's home. The others are there now, so I guess I could take you. Any reason you want to talk there?" (Sylvia)
"Oh, the gift is one that goes in your home. So, we might as well have any discussions there since it's more private." (Mizuki)
Nina interjects with a dry and impatient tone.
"Yes, but let's not delay this any longer, Sylvia. I'm getting bored, and we have other plans today." (Nina)
Sylvia sighs in exasperation…that's pretty bold when you're addressing an Elder Dragon. Although, Nina was rude first.
"Alright, let me speak with Melanie and then we can be on our way." (Sylvia)
We nod our acknowledgement, and Sylvia walks over to reception to chat with Melanie for a few minutes. After she's done, she comes back to collect Nina and me.
"All set! Let's go." (Sylvia)
We follow Sylvia out of the guild and through the streets of Elmesia.
I've hardly ever left the main road in Elmesia, so the path is unfamiliar to me. Contrary to my normal stomping grounds, the side streets she leads us down have several residential-looking houses. I wouldn't say they're upscale, but it looks drastically better than most commoner housing I saw in Rodsgard.
Eventually, we arrive in front of a two-story house located on a semi-private plot of land at the outskirts of the city. Sylvia just opens the front door and walks right in. Personally, I think not locking your door is insane, but I guess nobody is dumb enough to break into the home of Elmesia's most dangerous adventuring party.
Sylvia calls out loudly as she steps inside.
"Hey guys, our new boss is making a house call! He says he has a gift for us!" (Sylvia)
As Nina and I follow her inside, we find ourselves in a large living room with a couple of couches and a small table between them. There are a few doors leading to side rooms, and there is a staircase at the back of the room leading up to the second floor.
I don't see Levi, but I see Rikard and Leo, each sitting on one of two couches. They have some of their equipment out on the table and seem to be doing maintenance. They both look toward us in surprise as we enter the room.
"Hmm…a gift, huh? Based on our last conversation, would I be too presumptuous in assuming that this gift will allow us to contact you? You've been gone several days, and it feels strange being so out of touch with someone whose party we technically belong to." (Leo)
Leo looks at me with a scrutinizing gaze following his question. He's as sharp as ever I see. I nod at Leo and smile.
"You're correct, Leo. With everyone's permission, I will be installing an enchanted item in one of the rooms here that lets you send written messages to our house instantly, and vice versa. It will let us stay in constant, private communication." (Mizuki)
Leo looks excited and thoughtful, but Rikard and Sylvia just look surprised. Sylvia squeals out as she stares at me incredulously.
"That's possible!? We can just instantly exchange messages with you from our home!?" (Sylvia)
I smile in amusement and nod, but before I can respond to her, Levi comes walking out of a side room with a confused expression on his face. I suppress my urge to laugh at him – he's wearing an apron and covered in something that resembles flour. I guess he was busy cooking.
"Mizuki? Nina? What are you doing here? Also, Sylvia, why are you screaming?" (Levi)
"Mizuki just said he's going to give us an enchanted item that lets us send messages directly between our houses without any delay! Of course I'm raising my voice, Levi!" (Sylvia)
Levi turns toward me incredulously and speaks in a shrill voice.
"You have enchanted items like that!?" (Levi)
I nod, preparing to respond, but Nina interjects.
"Fufufu…as much as I love seeing all of your frantic faces, we must hurry this along – our time is limited. Besides, while I agree that this creation of Mizuki's is interesting, he has many that are much more fun. All this one does is send small messages." (Nina)
I give Nina a surprised glance.
Personally, I think the MMCs are cool, though not as significant as the spell rings or train. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion that Nina is actually referring to the games from Earth that we've replicated when she mentions my 'more fun creations'.
Also, that's the second time she's rushed things here…why? I thought she likes Levi's party, and I don't sense annoyance from her.
[Nina, is everything okay? That's the second time you've said something about leaving quickly.] (Mizuki)
I sense surprise and confusion from Nina.
[I'm eager to begin our visit to Cara's city, Mizuki. Eden has shown me that weak races' cities can be quite fun, but Avalon is the only other city I've toured extensively. So, I'm curious about Wellick.] (Nina)
Huh…well, I don't know whether that's a good thing or not. I'm glad she's learning to see the value of other races, but she's still being rude.
"Uhm…to answer your shared question, Levi and Sylvia – yes. I apologize if Nina was a little brisk with you, but we do have other people to meet soon. Perhaps you could discuss amongst yourselves where you'd like the item installed, then I can quickly gift it to you and leave you to your day? It goes into a wall, ideally a stone one, and it can never be moved." (Mizuki)
Levi and his party share a few questioning glances in silence. Suddenly, I see an amused grin on Leo's face as he glances at Sylvia.
"Why don't we convert Sylvia's room into an equipment area of sorts, then have Mizuki install the item in there? She never uses it during the day, and with all her sneaking to Levi's room, she only spends a couple of hours per night in her own bed. So, you won't mind just officially rooming together, right Sylvia?" (Leo)
Leo smirks at Sylvia as he poses his question. Rikard looks appalled, and Levi's face is deep red with a surprised expression. Sylvia is briefly surprised, but she quickly directs a murderous gaze at Leo.
Did…Leo just out Sylvia and Levi to everyone? More importantly, did those two really think they could play hide the cucumber every night and keep it a secret from their own roommates?
Hmm…none of this seems like my business. Unfortunately, Nina doesn't share my sentiments.
"Oh my, this visit is proving much more entertaining than I expected, Mizuki. Fufufu…now I see why you brought me with you! Sylvia, why have you not declared Levi as your mate? Levi, you look so embarrassed…are you not proud to have Sylvia in your bed?" (Nina)
This is not why I brought you! Why would you think that!?
Levi and Sylvia both go pale and look at Nina in disbelief, while Rikard just stares at the floor uncomfortably. Leo appears to be stifling laughter, and Nina just glances between Levi and Sylvia expectantly. I guess she doesn't consider her question rhetorical.
"Ehem…uhm, so how about I install the item here in the living room? Would that spot on the wall over there work?" (Mizuki)
I point towards a bare area on the stone wall behind Leo, and glance around at everyone questioningly. Rikard snaps his gaze towards me with a grateful expression. He doesn't even look towards where I'm pointing before responding.
"Yes, Mizuki, that's an excellent spot! Everyone, don't you think so?" (Rikard)
Rikard looks around at the others expectantly, and he gets absentminded nods from the stunned Levi and Sylvia. He then looks at Leo pleadingly, and after a moment, Leo sighs and nods. That's good enough for me.
I quickly walk over to the stone wall and cast a privacy barrier around me like the ones I made for the jacuzzi. I'd still like to keep my alchemy spell under wraps.
I swiftly assemble the MMC, and I make one enchanted cylinder. I label the cylinder and placeholder with my name.