In the desert, the Reitri Merchant Group’s carriages stopped so that people could rest, but a sudden gust of wind came along with a large dimensional portal that opened.
“Huk!?”
“W… What is this?”
“Call Mr. Reitri now!”
The group was restless since last morning because the Priestess had disappeared all of the sudden and now a portal had appeared. The merchants were packing their luggage and the appearance of the portal was enough to make them panic.
Having heard the merchants, Nara and Rorona, the ones in charge of protecting the merchants, quickly went to the place.
“Please don’t panic and go back to what you have been doing.”
Nara looked at the outer rim of the round portal and confirmed that it was the gray color that he had seen many times before, so he asked the merchants to calm down.
“Commander, that color is grey, right?”
“Yes. It’s Ms. Nainiae’s magic.”
It seemed they were right. The portal opened in middle of the place where the carriages had gathered. Through the portal, Iphalleta’s maid showed herself first.
“Ms. Nainiae!”
“Ah, Commander.”
Nainiae found Nara as she came out of the portal. It seemed she was glad to see him as well, so she brightened her face, walked over to Nara and Rorona and lowered her head.
“It’s been a while.”
“Although you are saying that, it has only been a few days.”
Nara was looking at the portal which hadn’t close yet. He found that Riley and Priesia followed suit and sighed in relief.
“Ah, Ms. Priesia.”
“Commander!”
“As I thought, the Young Master and Nainiae had taken her.”
After Karuta Desert’s cleansing prayer was completed, that morning, Priesia had disappeared without any notice or sign and that threw the group into chaos. Now, Priesia came back and seeing her return made everyone, including other merchants, sigh in relief.
“I’m glad that our guess was correct.”
“I was so worried that some outsider might have taken the Priestess like what happened with Kabal.”
Nara and Rorona relaxed their shoulders all the way. They seemed relieved to know that Priesia was safe. Priesia looked ashamed. She lowered her head and apologized.
“I’m sorry.”
“There is no need for you to apologize.”
Nainiae said there was no need for Priesia to apologize. Nara and Rorona looked at Nainiae and asked what had happened.
“Was it something very important that you had to take the Priestess?”
“It would’ve been better if you had just told us beforehand.”
“I am sorry, but it was a situation where we could not tell you about it.”
Nainiae glanced at Riley and lightly lowered her head.
“What happened?”
Nara took a step back and asked,
“… Pardon?”
“I said, what happened.”
Riley stepped in as much as Nara stepped back. Riley leaned in his flinching face and asked again.
“What do you mean?”
“…”
Frustrated, Riley flinched his facial muscles. He gritted his teeth and asked about what he has just heard from Priesia.
“I’m talking about Ian.”
“Mr. Ian? What about Mr. Ian…”
Nara was stepping back. He was trying to ask back again while being clueless. Rorona quickly butted in and explained the answer that Riley wanted to hear.
“Yes! He was here!”
It was not a perfect answer. However, it seemed it was not the wrong answer either. Riley turned his gaze at Rorona and asked,
“When?”
“A few days ago. It has not been long.”
She said that Ian, the butler of Iphalleta Family and a famous hero among all mercenaries, had visited this place a few days ago. Riley clicked his tongue.
“Ugh.”
A few days ago, when Nainiae and Riley were still in the cave, Riley thought about the scenery of this place that he had seen just before kidnapping Priesia. There was a man who had hid his entire body under the hood. Thinking about this vagrant, Riley asked Nainiae,
“This is… that from that time, right?”