Kerina's sharp gaze fell upon the girl held in Hayato's illusory chains. "So, this is her?" she asked, her voice low and dangerous.
Hayato, still seated on the crate, simply nodded. "It is." He then seemed to remember the original purpose of their trip and held up three boxes of food he and Riko had picked up.
"Your rice and meat," he said to Kerina.
Kerina was momentarily thrown by his casualness but took the boxes automatically. "Thanks," she muttered.
The three women then moved to stand in a semi-circle around the captive thief. Lenna's academic curiosity had completely taken over. Her ancient tome and a spectral quill materialized in the air in front of her, the book flipping open to a blank page.
"Fascinating," Lenna said, her eyes gleaming as she looked down at the terrified Lila. "Your ability. Tell me, what is its formal name?"
Lila stared up at the floating book and the S+ Rank Sage, her body trembling. "I-it's called 'Phase Shift'," she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "It's a Phantasm-type ability."
"Phase Shift," Lenna repeated, her spectral quill scratching the words onto the page with a faint, magical hiss. "Fascinating."
Kerina, however, had lost her patience with the academic interview. "That's enough, Lenna," she said, her voice sharp. She looked down at the captured thief, then turned her gaze to Hayato. "This is your catch. What's the official decision? Do we turn her over to the guards?"
Hayato looked at the terrified, crying girl on the ground, then back at the powerful women waiting for his answer. "No. We're not turning her in."
He met Kerina's surprised gaze. "I'm recruiting her. She's coming with us on the expedition north."
Riko let out a long, heavy sigh, looking at Hayato as if he had just announced he could fly. "Like I've been thinking," she muttered, shaking her head. "Are you completely crazy?"
Hayato ignored her comment, his focus purely on strategy. "Riko. The Ice King. Does he have a fortress?"
Caught off guard by the sudden tactical question, Riko answered automatically. "Of course, he does. A massive one in the Northern Reach."
"And the security is tight?" Hayato pressed.
Riko gave a sharp nod. "The tightest in the world."
"That's why," Hayato said, gesturing towards the terrified, captive thief. "And if the security is that tight, if there are locked doors we can't open and guards we can't get past, then a person who can simply walk through walls to help us isn't a criminal. She's an asset."
Lenna listened to Hayato's cold, logical assessment and gave a slow, decisive nod. "His reasoning is sound. The asset is valuable."
She then turned her ancient, unnerving gaze upon the terrified thief on the ground. "I agree to his plan. We will take you with us. But I will need to place a seal on you to ensure you obey Hayato's commands for the duration of the mission. I am doing this because I trust his judgment."
"Obey?" Lila squeaked, her eyes wide with a new kind of fear. "What do you mean, 'obey'?"
"It is a simple precaution. We don't want you stealing from us, and we certainly don't want you running away at a critical moment. I will place a Master Command seal on you. As long as you are compliant, you will feel nothing."
Lila looked at Lenna in absolute terror, then turned her pleading eyes to Hayato, the one who had started all of this. "Please! don't let her do this. That's... that's not a contract, it's a slave seal!"
Hayato met her pleading gaze and simply shrugged.
There's nothing I can do, he thought.
Seeing she had no advocate, Lila slumped in defeat.
Lenna, seeing the matter was settled, raised her hand. A complex, glowing golden rune materialized in the air before her. With a gentle push, she sent the symbol drifting forward. It pressed against Lila's forehead, flared with a brilliant light for a single instant, and then sank into her skin, leaving no trace.
"Gah!" Lila gasped, her body going rigid for a second before she slumped to the ground, trembling.
At the same moment, the illusory chains around her flickered and vanished. They were no longer necessary.
"It is done," Lenna announced, her voice calm and final. "Lila is now a temporary associate. She will follow Hayato's directives for the duration of the mission."
Kerina nodded, all business. "Good. Now let's get out of the street before we cause any more of a scene. We need to get back inside."
She, having made her decision, turned and began walking back toward the arena, expecting the others to follow.
Lenna, fell into step behind her without a word. But Riko lingered for a second, looking from the now-subdued Lila to the impossibly calm Hayato. She just shook her head in utter disbelief at the madness of the situation, then turned and hurried to catch up with the other two.
Hayato was now alone with his new, magically bound recruit. He looked down at the trembling, terrified girl on the ground.
"Let's go," he said, his voice now devoid of its earlier menace. "I'll buy you some food. You should eat."
Lila looked from the departing adventurers back to Hayato, her mind still reeling from the magical seal and the impossible job offer. She slowly, hesitantly, got to her feet and followed him as he started walking back toward the food stalls.
"Okay. H-Hey I... I agree. I'll go with you." She then looked at the heavy pouch of gold still hanging from his belt. "So... where's the money you promised?"
Hayato stopped and looked at her, his expression all business. "The full payment is upon successful completion of the mission. But a good contract always starts with a sign of good faith."
He untied the heavy pouch from his belt. He didn't count the coins. He just hefted the bag, judged its weight, and poured roughly half of the gleaming gold coins into her trembling hands.
"This is yours now. You'll get the rest when the job is done."
With a heavy pouch of gold now in her possession, Lila followed Hayato as they rejoined the larger group.
They all began walking back towards the arena, a strange, newly formed party of powerful adventurers and their reluctant new recruit.
It was Kerina who broke the silence, her sharp, appraising gaze fixed on the nervous girl walking beside Hayato. "So," she began, her tone less of an interrogation and more of a blunt inquiry. "Are you alone? Or do you have a family that put you up to this line of work?"
Lila flinched at the question, looking down at her feet as they walked. "No. I'm alone. An orphan."
She took a shaky breath. "The family at the orphanage... they kicked me out when I turned eighteen. With no education and no real job experience... how was I supposed to earn any money? Stealing..."
"…It was the only way I knew how to survive."
Kerina and the others were quiet, processing the girl's sad, simple confession. The festive noise of the market seemed to press in around them.
Hayato, who had been walking silently, came to a stop. He looked at a nearby vendor who was pulling freshly baked, steaming meat buns from a portable oven. The rich, savory smell wafted over to them.
He then looked at Lila, who was still trailing behind the group, her head bowed.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, his voice direct. He gestured with his chin towards the stall. "Do you want one of those?"
Lenna's eyes, usually focused on ancient texts or magical phenomena, suddenly lit up with a rare, genuine delight as she looked at the vendor's stall.
"Dragon's Beard Skewers!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. She immediately started walking towards the stall. "Come on, let's get some. My treat, for everyone."
Kerina, who was holding the three boxes of rice and meat, shook her head. "I'm fine, Lenna. I have my food right here."
"Nonsense," Lenna said with a dismissive wave, not even looking back. "You can't come to the festival and not have a Dragon's Beard Skewer."
Hayato looked at the sizzling skewers on the vendor's grill, then back at the S+ Rank Arch-Sage who was suddenly acting like an excited tourist.
"Are those made from an actual dragon?" he asked, his voice flat.
Lenna laughed, a light, genuine sound. "No, of course not," she said, shaking her head. "They're just called that because the way the meat is spiced and grilled makes it look like a dragon's beard. It's just spiced reptile meat, but it's a festival specialty."
To Be Continued.