[This chapter was sponsored by Igor Mikulik]
Lily periodically visited『Fairy Tail』shop, which was bar at night, café in day and an information agency all day and night.
Lily judged that the shopkeeper Karen could be trusted enough for being a good information broker and hence had become a regular customer here.
There was also the reason that she liked the taste of tea and snacks given here.
When she came before, she had heard about the information about the wirepuller Slave Dealer behind the bandits of Fauren.
Of course, she was able to confirm that it was just as rumours said, the wirepuller was beaten by Wing Road, arrested by Spada’s Law Guardian, case finished.
And the reason she came this time was to gather information about internal affairs of other countries for at the time of her ‘paired journey’ with Fiona, but in truth, the main reason was something different.
「——It will take some more time to carry out the plan from before」
The chairperson of Royal Spada Academy, Sofia Sirius Pacifal, said with a mysterious expression on her face.
In front of the voluptuous beautiful Sofia was the cute fairy drinking from a teacup elegantly.
「I see, looks like it is still troublesome even after becoming the chairperson?」
「If I had to say, it would be the side of Pacifal Family. After all they are one of the Four Great Nobles and so have too many ties of obligations」
Looking at Sofia heaving a worried sigh, it would seem like she was a married lady of a noble family.
But, she was still single and at the same time,
「Although I’m revered as the Family Head normally, but at times like this it becomes a problem, truly, I hate it」
She was the current Family Head of Pacifal Family. Lily, of course, knew about it already.
Even while knowing that, she had invited the Family Head of one of the Four Great Nobles to the Lower Class Area, into an outwardly normal café for having lunch together.
「But isn’t it fine, it isn’t something troublesome like being opposed by parents of both noble families」
「*Chuckle*, that in itself fires me up」
However, looking at these two talking harmoniously, it would easy to understand that these two had friendship bonds surpassing the social status differences.
And that was more than half, a truth.
Lily was rooting for a love-struck maiden (?) like Sofia, and Sofia relied on Lily as she was the only person Sofia could frankly talk about her love matters.
「That’s right, are the Magic Items already prepared, the ones that will be used in the plan?」
「There were some usable ones among the spoils of war from long time ago, well, they were all covered in dust, deep within the storeroom」
Sofia was a well-known Rank 5 adventurer; it was only as expected for her to have the needed item in her assets.
「In fact I also need that, if it’s fine with you can you give it to me? If it’s an expensive one, I don’t have any qualms to pay it off」
「Don’t worry about money, if you want it, I will bring as many」
Sofia agreed easily, it was either because she trusted Lily that much or she was showing generosity of being an influential noble.
Either way, a smile rose on Lily’s face, she spoke out words of gratitude.
「Thanks, I don’t intend to keep it for a long time. By the time your side’s preparations are completed, it would be back to you」
「That saves a lot」
Sofia reached out to her teacup while smiling.
The reason the scene of her drinking tea felt elegant was because, she was beautiful and a descendant of a great noble.
It could be surmised that because she had the experience as an adventurer, that she wasn’t selfish or only liked high-grade things, and so, was enjoying the current tea, which was neither high-grade nor expensive.
「Well then, I will be heading back first」
Sofia came here for using up the time of lunch breaks, but she had to be back in the Academy before her afternoon official work started.
It was the same for a student like Lily, but apparently, she didn’t seem to have any intention of showing her face in the classes today.
「Yeah, see you later Sofia」
Lily said the words of farewell and gestured she would pay her bill also.
Sofia accepted her offer and left the shop by turning over her silver hair.
Many men eating in the shop looked at her walking, but nobody knew about her identity, because she wore a commoner’s robe.
「To actually eat together with『Valkyrie Blizzard』, looks like Lily-sama has got a great friend」
Only the owner of shop, Karen, knew about her identity.
「Well we have a quite old fate」
Karen appeared as if she changed places with Sofia, of course in a waitress dress.
It was her who guided these two to the ‘innermost seat’, so it was only natural for her to be wearing her working uniform.
And, the reason Lily was still sitting in this place meant that she had work with Karen, the information broker.
「Now that I think about it, Lily-sama I heard a curious rumour, would you like to hear?」
Karen fluttered her fairy wings and before landing on top of table, said those words.
「Yeah, please do」
Lily took out ten thousand Klan gold coins from her bosom and put it on the table.
「It is about Crusaders hastening the preparations to invade Spada——」
Lily, whole being quiet, took out three more gold coins.
「——A large scale stronghold is under construction in the Alsace Village」
Unexpectedly, a small sigh leaked from Lily’s mouth.
「Looks like we don’t have enough time as we had thought……」
.
Lily left after saying「appointment with friend」, and so only Fiona remained in the dorm.
It was time period the bell informing noon was about to ring, that gong wasn’t something only for informing the time to students of Academy, but it was also a gong that informed about the commencement of a violent competition called as ‘lunch’.
It was at the time Fiona thought to wait for the time to be ripe for conquering the school cafeteria.
「……Oh?」
The creaking sounds of someone walking in the corridor were heard from across her room’s door.
This sound was made when something heavy stepped on the floorboards, so this sound would never be made from the light-weighted Lily and Simon.
Then it might’ve been that Kurono returned, but the presence was just different.
There was no one who would visit this dorm, where only members of Element Master and Simon lived.
At most it would be whimsical Spada’s Prince, but, it wasn’t like no one other than them came.
She didn’t knew who came here, but Fiona was convinced that they weren’t here to ask about her, and was currently worried whether to tell or not tell that to this visitor, that whoever among the three was their aimed person, they weren’t present here currently.
It was the best choice to not get in contact with someone stranger, unless the person had a proactive personality to talk out to anyone.
「Simon, are you in there?」
Fiona was observing how things would go while sitting in her room. Hearing an imposing female’s voice, she roughly guessed the identity of the visitor.
(Is it, Simon’s elder sister?)
Although she hadn’t talked with Simon’s elder stepsister, Emilia Friedrich Bardiel, she still vividly remembered her face.
It was still fresh in her memories, when she came leading a troop on the road leading to Spada, on 6th of First Flame (Hatsuhi) month.
Fiona judged the identity of the person and decided to tell that Simon wasn’t at dorm right now.
Moreover, if she wasted too much time here, there was a risk of not being able to eat at school-store or even school cafeteria. That alone she didn’t want to happen, as a glutton.
With this and that Fiona opened the door and came out to the corridor Emilia was standing in, facing the room of Simon, from which no reply came.
「Simon is not here」
In the corridor, the person standing was just as she had guessed.
It was a cool beauty with dark blond hair cut and evened up right at the tip of shoulder, and had long-slit blue eyes.
And, that height crossing over Kurono was truly of that leader leading the Spada Army’s Second Squad『Tempest』.
But she wasn’t wearing the Full Plated-mail like that time, but was wearing civilian clothes, like a well-tailored blouse and dragon leather pants.
It wasn’t any sexy clothing highlighting the body of a woman, but still the bewitching bodyline could be seen.
Especially those inflated chests of her. Fiona knew her boobs were quite big, but even so it couldn’t be compared to the mountains in front of her.
This meant that Fiona’s waist was two times more slender, but because her body size was already outside of norm that her waist seemed more slender, it was truly going against the numerical laws.
Of course, the hip down below was also super size that couldn’t be compared to Fiona’s.
And those toned long legs were the last things that made her style into perfect piece.
「W-What, why is a female student here?」
Turning back to Fiona’s voice, Emilia asked that question first.
Fiona was in her uniform for going into the cafeteria, and looking at her it was easy to understand that she was a student in the Academy.
「Even if you say why, I can only answer that it is because I live here」
Fiona thought why she was asking such obvious questions, but apparently that answer wasn’t natural and obvious to Emilia.
「What……do you even know what that means?」
「Eh, is there a problem?」
Fiona had no clue about the reason.
Hence she had no idea why that girl started giving out a dangerous feeling.
「It isn’t allowed for male and female to live under the same roof, while being a student」
「No, it is fine, there is no rent for this place, so it is fine for us to live her——」
「I’m not talking about that! Are you trying to mock me? 」
She knew from her gray school days that he words would always make others angry, but after being pampered by Kurono recently she let down her guard, and so Fiona reflected a little on herself in front of the squad leader, who was now emitting an even more dangerous air.
She resolved herself to not say words that would make her take out the rapier hanging on her waist.
「Err, I’m doing well with Simon-san, so elder sister don’t have to worry about it at all」
「Ok got it, you bastard, come outside right now」
Emilia finally took out her rapier from her waist.