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"Lady Rinon is His Majesty Leongand's sister," Faria added, "but you knew that."
Setsuna barely registered her words, distracted in the book-filled room. Shelves, packed with texts old and new, dominated the space a small library. Desks and chairs existed, but their presence felt faint, overshadowed by the towering stacks of books.
The room, though large, felt cramped from the weight of countless tomes. The dimness, caused by leaden clouds blocking sunlight through open windows, added to the oppressive air. Faria's portable magic crystal lamp a fist-sized orb glowing when activated provided the only light. Setsuna had seen it ignite, undeniable proof of its power.
No reason to doubt Faria. She radiated no hostility or malice.
"Three years ago, Lady Rinonkurea Reve-Lusion married Prince Halberg Reus-Lusion of Lusion, our ally. Since then, she's been more than a symbol of our bond," Faria continued.
Bombarded with long names, Setsuna nearly clutched his head. His gaze fell to the desk, where the crystal lamp's mystic glow felt oddly unsettling, though he couldn't pinpoint why. Shifting his eyes, he saw a teacup and a plate of pancake-like food, but a paper covered in dense text and a thick book dulled the scene.
"Bandit hunts, outlaw purges, Imperial Beast exterminations—her feats are many, but repelling Waral's invasion is her most famed. You don't know, right?"
"Uh, yeah…"
"It's fine," Faria said, brushing it off, though Setsuna hadn't cared to hear about Rinon. He wanted to finish Faria's errand and explore Mardal.
They were alone in this archive-like room because of her task. Initially, they'd planned to head to Mardal Tower with Leongand, but Faria, recalling something urgent, dragged Setsuna here—to the Continental Summoners' Association's Mardal branch, a four-story wooden building with an aged charm.
On its second floor, they sat.
"Back to business. I need you to sign this," Faria said, pointing to the paper. Its countless words, in this world's or nation's language, should've been incomprehensible to a summoned outsider like Setsuna. Yet, he understood them almost perfectly, as if they were his native tongue.
It struck him. (Since the start, huh…)
From his first meeting with Azmaria Altemax, despite being in a world with alien language and customs, he'd faced no communication barriers. He'd spoken with Azmaria, Faria, and others effortlessly.
Realizing this, Setsuna wondered if the summoning altered him, but Faria's piercing gaze cut his thoughts short. "Listening?"
"Yeah," he replied hastily, grabbing the paper. He skimmed it, grasping its contents despite not absorbing every word Faria had explained it earlier. He'd only picked it up to dodge her stare.
"So, join the Association?"
He set the paper down, meeting her emerald-green eyes through her glasses. Their beauty nearly captivated him.
"It's not mandatory. You don't have to if you don't want. But personally, I think you should," Faria said, her voice calm yet firm, resonating pleasantly.
"Why?"
"No loss in joining. About 90% of active summoners on this continent are members that's one reason."
Setsuna didn't ask how she got that figure. Her slight exasperation at the exaggeration was subtle, caught only by chance. "Plus, members use Association facilities in cities for free. No lodging worries if funds run dry, though not indefinitely. And you can take jobs—escorting merchants, slaying Imperial Beasts, hunting bandits. Completing them earns coin and boosts your reputation as a summoner."
Her explanation reminded Setsuna of RPG guild systems accept quests, earn rewards. Simple, familiar, and real here. It intrigued him, but he wasn't sold. Joining wasn't a bad idea, especially since Faria was part of it, and aligning with a major group in this unfamiliar world seemed wise.
Yet something nagged him an inexplicable unease. He trusted Faria completely, grateful for her kindness, but this was different, though not simple enough to dismiss.
"It might help you achieve your purpose," Faria said with a smile, as if reading his mind.
"My purpose?"
"I don't know what it is, and with amnesia, you might not either. But you wouldn't come to a small nation like this without one, right?"
(Purpose…)
Setsuna mulled the word. He had none. Summoned by Azmaria without reason or role, his initial heroic zeal had faded. What then? He sighed, pondering his situation. Coming to Mardal with Leongand to aid Barse Fortress's recapture was fine, but after?
Stay in Gandia? Or
"Can't recall," he said flippantly, scratching his head. He had to deal with the present Faria's offer couldn't be delayed. It'd be rude.
"I see," Faria replied, likely seeing through his lie but unbothered, or deeming it trivial.
Silence fell. Setsuna brooded while Faria, sipping tea and nibbling pancakes, leafed through a book from the shelf.
She broke the quiet. "One thing's been on my mind. Can I ask?"
"Sure," Setsuna said, lifting his head, tired of agonizing over a trivial choice. Joining or not wouldn't change much now, so why the torment?
Her next words shattered his thoughts. "Ever heard the name Kuon Kamiya?"
A bolt from the blue.
"!?"
Reeling, Setsuna recalled a nostalgic boy's voice.
"I'm Moriya Kuon. You are…?"
A grating, nerve-jangling roar unmistakably an Imperial Beast's heralded battle. Whether it suited the moment, it undeniably fueled their fighting spirit.
In an open plain under blazing sunlight, with no cover, four youths stood exposed: two men, two women.
"I'll take the Ryotts," said a young woman, stepping forward.
Not tall, her lithe, balanced frame hinted at her prowess. She wore a black outfit with an angelic wing pattern, draped in a gray cloak to ward off dust. Her black hair swayed, her gray eyes sharp as blades.
Her foes: over thirty Imperial Beasts, led by ten Ryotts crimson-furred, four-legged beasts. Their muscular limbs could crush trained humans effortlessly, their hound-like heads glowing with red eyes.
"Got it," she said, drawing two short swords one etched with ancient holy runes, ceremonial in look; the other with a wavy blade. Brandishing them, she charged.
"I'll handle the Besreas," said the other woman, chanting rapidly. Taller but less toned, her curvaceous form, clad in matching black and gray, drew eyes. Her chestnut hair was tied back, her gentle smile motherly.
Glancing at her comrade overwhelming the Ryotts, she focused on her spell. Besreas black cat-like beasts with wings and glowing red eyes hissed menacingly, but her smile held.
Her spell completed. "Armed Summoning!"
A flash birthed a mace in her hand, its spiked spherical head heavy yet manageable, sharpening her serene mind. "Here I go!"
A burly man, watching her charge, shrugged. "So energetic."
In his late twenties, his bronze, muscular frame, bared under the sun, was imposing. Black hair, black eyes, his wild look leaned more lazy than predatory. The black outfit, ill-fitting on him, made the angelic wing design seem eerie.
"It's your fault," he said, glancing back.
"Then I'm a sinful creature," replied a dazzlingly smiling teenage boy.
Out of place yet vital to the group, his androgynous beauty glossy black hair, translucent skin, near-perfect features captivated all. His deep blue eyes sparked heartbeats, his slim frame enhancing his ethereal charm. He wore the black outfit best.
Smiling again, he surveyed the scene. The roaring beasts now lay dead. A fleeting moment, unsurprising to him.
"Well done, Iris, Mana."
Iris sheathed her swords, bashful. Mana, still smiling, released her mace, which vanished before hitting the ground, returning to its realm.
"Waldo, you too," the boy said.
"Did nothing," Waldo shrugged, itching from unearned praise.
"You protected me."
"Didn't need to."
"I appreciate it."
The boy glanced skyward, not for meaning just habit. Time passed.
"Let's go, Kuon-sama," Mana urged.
Snapped back, he smiled wryly. "Yeah, let's."
His name: Kuon Kamiya.