[Later, Tingyun revealed another small treasure as their helper—a tiny awakened lion: Diting.]
["This...it's so cute!!!" March 7th was instantly smitten by the adorable creature.]
[Stelle gave March 7th a meaningful look, prompting the girl to immediately regain her composure: "Ahem, what kind of treasure is this? What can it do? Will it pounce and bite Kafka to hold her down?"]
["Hehe~" Tingyun chuckled softly at March 7th's reaction and explained: "Yes, and no. This is the Artisanship Commission's biomimetic creation, [Diting], modeled after my foxian clan's heightened senses—only even sharper. Whether it's footprints or scent, once it locks onto a target's characteristics, it can track any traces left behind and follow them to the end."]
[After confirming how to use Diting and familiarizing themselves with it, Tingyun led the group to Stargazer Navalia.]
["Oh, one more thing."]
[Before beginning the search, Tingyun seemed to suddenly remember something and smiled gracefully at everyone: "Just to be clear, if we do encounter Kafka, please go ahead and engage her, Benefactors. This humble foxian won't be of any help in battle—all I can do is tremble in fear on the sidelines and cheer you on~"]
["You don't want to participate in the fight?" Stelle asked.]
["The Benefactors are highly skilled, able to trade blows with the Mara-struck. But this humble foxian is merely a civilian official—if Kafka were to suddenly attack..." Tingyun lowered her beautiful brows, immediately putting on a tearful expression. "Though foxians don't live as long as the Xianzhou natives, this one still wishes to live peacefully for another century or two. Please, spare me~"]
[Foxians are naturally charming, and Tingyun's demeanor at this moment was enough to make anyone's bones melt.]
"Ooooh—!!"
Watching the foxian girl's enchanting smile on the Celestial Screen, Kazuma and the male adventurers in the tavern all let out monkey-like cheers.
"Th-this is charm magic, right?! So cute! Too cute!!"
Though Kazuma's party members were all girls in the prime of their youth, neither Aqua nor Megumin had even a shred of femininity...
Compared to them, Miss Tingyun on the screen was practically the perfect adventuring companion!
"If she cheered for me, the buff would probably be way stronger than that useless goddess's blessing, right?" Kazuma shot a glance at Aqua, who was completely stuffed and passed out on the tavern counter.
Meanwhile, at another table, Megumin sat with Darkness.
Watching the men in the tavern lose their souls to Miss Tingyun's charm, Megumin wiped juice from her lips and scoffed disdainfully.
"Tch! What's so great about charm magic? It's nowhere near as worth learning as Explosion Magic! No—actually, is there any skill worth learning besides Explosion Magic? Absolutely not!"
Though that Kafka woman seemed formidable, Megumin firmly believed that as long as Darkness could block Kafka's initial assault, she'd have the chance to unleash Explosion Magic and deal a heavy blow.
"Kazuma, even if Miss Tingyun really appeared, you wouldn't be able to keep her in your party, right?"
"She's a merchant someone as poor as you wouldn't even catch her eye."
After a few rounds of drinks, other adventurers in the tavern began teasing him.
Slightly drunk from the alcohol, Kazuma's face was flushed as he propped himself up and walked into the crowd. Slowly, he raised his right fist.
"If money alone could win Miss Tingyun's heart, that'd be way too easy."
"My class is Adventurer of course I have ways to get money... hic... Just watch me—"
"[Steal]!!"
As he shouted, his clenched fist opened, and in full view of everyone, a pink piece of fabric appeared in his palm.
He stretched it out with both hands and held it up to the light...
"Strange, this isn't a wallet..."
"Gyaaa—Kazuma, you idiot! Give—give my panties back—!!"
Megumin screamed, her face burning red as she pressed down on her skirt.
——
[Along the way, they relied on Diting to uncover many clues, only to realize they'd been led around by Kafka the entire time.]
[Kafka had even left them a treasure chest... containing a grenade.]
["This woman is outright mocking us!" March 7th fumed.]
["Kafka seems to have predicted our every move... Everyone, beware of traps," Welt warned.]
[After staying alert, the group continued following Diting—but soon...]
["The scent... disappeared?" Tingyun's eyes widened in surprise.]
["When the prey's scent vanishes, the hunter should be cautious—" Kafka emerged slowly from the shadows, stepping behind two Cloud Knight soldiers.]
["...For that is often the sign of a reversal in the hunt."]
["Kafka!" March 7th gasped, shocked that Kafka would appear so brazenly before them.]
["These Cloud Knights haven't fallen to mara... What did you do to them?" Tingyun stared at the two knights shielding her, stunned.]
"Such a convenient ability... Though it probably only works on weak-willed humans, right?"
At the Hero Association headquarters, Sweet Mask—the top-ranked A-Class hero—stood in the S-Class meeting room as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Though S-Class heroes like Tornado and Atomic Samurai were displeased by his intrusion, since this wasn't an official strategy meeting, they chose to turn a blind eye.
"Oh? Are you saying Kafka's Spirit Whisper wouldn't work on you?" Atomic Samurai smirked coldly. "Sweet Mask, aren't you being a little too arrogant?"
"If you don't even have that much confidence... Atomic Samurai, do you really deserve to be S-Class?"
Faced with the A-Class hero's retort, veins bulged on Atomic Samurai's forehead. His hand silently rested on his sword hilt, as if he were about to slice the insolent man into dust at any moment.
"Whether I deserve it or not—how about we—"
"Mr. Atomic Samurai!"
Sensing the swordsman's killing intent, Pig God—who had been munching on chips—hurriedly stood up and stepped between them to mediate.
But neither side—one an S-Class hero, the other the top A-Class—was willing to back down, and the tension in the room grew palpable.
Suddenly, a thunderous, engine-like heartbeat echoed through the room.
KING sat motionless between the two, the brim of his cap shadowing his eyes, revealing only the faint outline of his scarred face.
"Sit down... both of you."
Even before these two powerful figures, KING maintained his regal demeanor as he spoke slowly.