Waiting is hard... That's one thing I’ve learned whenever Hayate and I are waiting for something important. Whether it's waiting in line or waiting for Dad to finish work, I can't seem to figure out what to do until they're done. Hayate did mention that I can just play games and surf the web on my phone. But I don't know if it's enough. I mean, sure, Seraph helps me wait thanks to Hayate giving me a digital version of the novels. But I can't help but move around since I can't sit still for too long.

So when I thought waiting for the appointment in a few hours was long in [Isekai], I thought it would be the same before we meet up with Razul and Arthur again. But thank god, I was wrong. Because the moment we’ve had to wait in this big city is where I’ve discovered big things yet to be discovered.

Okay... So I’ve kind of exaggerated about the whole waiting part... Mom did say I have a problem when it came to "sitting still". But the moment we get out after checking in to , it doesn’t take long for Wind and I to start exploring the streets. The shops nearby are not like the ones we visited back in . Most of them have glass windows and some have spellbooks on display, too! As for the restaurants, they remind me so much of the ones we visit during our family outings with lined chairs and tables along with waiters and waitresses taking out orders with the friendliest smiles! It reminds me a lot of Manhattan! We also took the time to buy some toolkits as we planned. I have to admit, their kits here are much better than the ones in . No offense to them...

The is also amazing when we visit it! As Arthur said, it's much bigger than we expected and a little bit crowded. We manage to get through them with no issues though as we see player shops selling tons of awesome items such as weapons, armor, accessories, and even monster materials that are unlike any of the other ones we got from our encounters! Heck, not all of them are shop stands, as the shops are also located at some buildings nearby! Ooh... I wish I could have a shop building on my own! But Wind said it might be too expensive to get a building, so I should trust his judgment for now.

Then, we arrive at our final destination for the day. The landmark of , .

Honestly, I don't know what to expect from this place. Looking around, the streets are surrounded by several oak trees lined up next to the magical streetlights between the sidewalks and the road. There are more shops and restaurants on this street, but the main difference is the lower numbers of people, compared to some houses and apartments as we see several NPCs going about their day by the balcony. One was playing his violin (a bit badly, if you ask me) while another NPC was putting away all of her laundry in some kind of loop. It's not much, but it's still lively regardless.

Eventually, we arrive in front of a large white castle in the middle of the city. Our appointment is supposed to be in about 30 minutes, so all we can do now is wait for Arthur and Razul to come back from whatever they're doing. But then, I hear a ping, and a small window appears next to me.

[Rawr! Rawr!]

"Easy, Saphi. You know if we let you out of the street, we might attract some pla- I mean, people and paparazzi," I say to Saphi who is still in [Familiar] storage. "Plus, I don't know if the NPCs in the castle allow you in."

[Rawr...]

I feel a bit sad hearing Saphi cry like that. But I’ve promised his mom that I would protect him as his owner and Wind said both of them would be in danger because of how rare he and Soma are. Then again, there are some bad NPCs here and since is much bigger than , there's a high chance we might encounter some of them here. At least that's what Yur1 said...

"Look, Saph. After we're done with our appointment here, how about I buy you some snacks for you to eat back in the inn? I saw some choco chip muffins at the bakery nearby if you like."

[Rawr?!] I hear him growling under his breath. [Rawr! Rawr!]

I'm glad to hear him cry in glee again.

PING!

Huh? There's another notification already?

> [NEW FAMILIAR FAVOR]

>

> [You have obtained a [Familiar Favor], [Muffin Time!].]

>

> ----------------------------------------

>

> [Favor: Muffin Time!]

>

> [You have promised your [Baby Sapphire Dragon] a chocolate chip muffin! If you fulfill it, you will earn its affection!]

So there's a thing called [Familiar Favors], huh? I guess there's no way out since I made it as a promise to him.

"Just so you know, you're gonna buy that with your own money," Wind suddenly says. "You did say you will buy it for your dragon."

I hate it when he says that. I just hope those muffins are cheap...

"Yo, Wind! Kazu!"

Perfect timing! Just what I need to change the subject and forget that money issue. (I'm still gonna note about buying Saphi a muffin, though.) We turned to Razul and Arthur as they ran up to us in a huff.

"Sorry about that. I had to pull Arthur out from flirting with another girl again," Razul explains.

"Yeah, nice try, Razul. Or have you not forgotten that you spent half an hour pondering about those new rifles and pistols on sale at the shopping district?!" Arthur shouts.

"At least I'm not the type t-"

"GUYS..." I watch my brother cracking his knuckles with a glare enough to scare me and Saphi if he's here by my side.

"Sorry..."

I sheepishly laugh upon seeing Wind's angry face again as they bowed to us as an apology. I just wish both of them would greet us without fighting...

"Anyways... What are we expecting for this appointment?" I ask. "I remember you guys saved one of the Royal Magicians and we have to deliver the sample to them."

"We told everything regarding those events. But before they approved our appointment, they mentioned something about a meeting between the magicians beforehand," Razul explains. "It's not much, but we might note that detail in case we run into a [Quest] or NPC mentioning it."

"Thanks, Raz." Wind turns to me next. "This is your first time meeting Dahlia, right, Kaz? I suggest you should be on your best behavior. As in tone down your fanboy-ish excitement when meeting her, okay?"

I pout at my brother when he mentions that embarrassing side of me. "Come on! I'm already 13! There's no way I freak out over..."

[Oh! You four must be Dahlia Oztar's guests!]

We turn around and see not only a woman in some kind of blue and white uniform but also a blonde-haired woman in a red robe with gold and white trims around her sleeves along with white high heels and gray stockings.

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"No way!" Razul exclaims suddenly. "You're Dahlia!"

The blonde-haired woman smiled at us. [It's nice to see you again, adventurers.]

My eyes widen at his declaration. That woman with the receptionist is Dahlia Oztar herself?! I can't believe it! One of the [Royal Magicians] and important figures is here right in front of us! Oh, man! Oh, man! Oh, man! There's no way I can miss out on this opportunity! How should I greet her? A simple hello? Make a grand greeting enough to knock her socks out?!

But just as I was about to approach her, Arthur suddenly rushed up to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Nice to see you, too, my lady! I hope our absence didn't bother you a lot. By the way, I've been training a lot since the last time we saw each other. I already learned some new skills. Heck, I'm already starting to learn how to cast Restor- AGH!"

And just like that, Arthur's flirting session ended with Wind silently dragging his ear away from the [Royal Magician]... Now that I think about it, I almost did the same thing as Wind described. I guess I should stay still if I don't want to embarrass myself in front of her.

"I'm sorry about Arthur, Ms. Oztar. It's been a few months since we met and he's a bit...antsy about you," Wind explains in a sheepish tone.

[It's okay, adventurers. I didn't expect you three to manage to arrive in so soon,] Dahlia says. [Though I must apologize for the lack of fanfare for your arrival. After everything you three did to save me, I feel like I should give back for your kindness and courage.]

"No need, Ms. Oztar. Your presence is what matters to us," Razul answers.

"Plus, it would take more time to feed Arthur's ego if we had a grandiose welcome," Wind adds with a grin. "If anything, it should help us lay low without attracting some unwanted attention."

[I see. Well, if you follow her, she will take you to my study. I need to visit the higher-ups for a private matter. Don't worry, it won't take long. But I must ask all of you to be on your best behavior. The general and the [Military Mage] just arrived and it would be less awkward if you avoid provoking them.]

I raise my eyebrow as I see her frown at the mention of it. "Why not?"

"It's best if we don't want to know for her sake, Kaz," Wind interrupts.

"Wind's right. Besides..." Razul looks around with a suspicious look on his face. "I have a feeling we might have come at the wrong time. You should get going now, Ms. Oztar."

[Thank you, adventurers. I'll see you all later.]

The [Royal Magician] who called her Dahlia then leaves us with the receptionist. That's a bit weird. I hear from Wind and the others that she's kind of a gentle soul of magician. But there's something about her that I can't quite figure out. It's as if she's troubled about something other than our arrival...

----------------------------------------

[And here we are. Make yourselves comfortable.]

As we walk into a room on the 3rd floor of the castle's left tower, we gasp to see not only bookshelves lining around the walls, but stacks of paper and books lying on the lone table in front of us. Huh... I was expecting her to be the type to clean her office from time to time.

[If you like, I can ask one of her assistants to serve you drinks and snacks,] the woman suggests.

"Ooh! Ooh!" I quickly raise my hand once I hear about "snacks". "I like some hot chocolate drink and cookies if you have one!"

[Very well. I will relay your requests to them immediately. But do not forget you are forbidden to leave the office until Ms. Oztar comes back, okay? And also, please don't touch all of the objects here. Most of them are fragile and are currently researched by Oztar herself.]

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them in case they do something crazy," Wind assures.

"Like making sure your brother doesn't go touch-happy on the magic tools?"

"I wasn't just talking about Kazu..." He says while glaring at Arthur.

[Perfect. Hope you four have a wonderful appointment with the young Miss.]

With that, the receptionist leaves. So far, she's been kind to us the whole time. Then again, if it wasn't for Ms. Oztar's appearance, we might have problems proving ourselves or something. But Wind did say he and his friends saved them. I guess I can't doubt them too much since they're the ones who met her first. That aside, I’ve never known how messy her office was. I look closely at one of the shelves and see several books about magic, alchemy, and monsters of along with several staves displayed on the top of them and the walls. Not to mention books about [Mana Landmarks] and [Magitech], too. She really is dedicated when it comes to her craft.

[Rawr?]

I almost flinch the moment I hear Saphi's cry in my head. He's still antsy about his new surroundings around me. That or he notices some books about dragons from my eyes. Looking around one more time, it looks like Wind is busy looking around while Arthur and Razul still debating about Ms. Oztar. But just in case, I should answer in telepathy.

<>

[Rawr...]

I sigh. I’ve never expected him to be the impatient type. <>

[Rawr...] He grows silent for a while. [Rawr! Rawr, rawr!]

Heh... The power of muffins saves the day again! Now I really need to give him some to fulfill my promise.

[Thank you for waiting once more, adventurers.] Well, that didn't take long. We turn around and see Ms. Oztar entering her office while smiling at us. [I must apologize for the delay again. I hope I didn't let you all wait too long.]

"Oh, not at all, Ms. Oztar! We have all the time in the world," Arthur says. "Though a kiss on a cheek sh- OW!"

I shake my head when I see Wind elbow him in the gut. Of all the pick-up lines I heard, that was the worst...

"Sorry about my friend, Ms. Oztar. He really needs to choose his words carefully when it comes to the ladies," Wind apologizes. "Hope he didn't offend you or anything."

Ms. Oztar shakes her head. [No worries. I'm just happy to meet my saviors once more. Although, I didn't expect a new face accompanying you for our awaited meeting.]

"Yeah, I was expecting that. This is my younger brother, Kazu. He was busy during that day to accompany us."

She then stares at me for a brief time. [I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Kazu. I hope I didn't overwhelm you with the current state of my atelier.]

"No, not at all," I sheepishly answer. "Wind told me all about you and the incident. I hope Bai Hu didn't scare you during your visit there."

To my surprise, she laughs the moment I mention him. [You mean that old tiger? Don't worry, he's not much of a grouch when it comes to me and my family.]

"Family? You mean you already knew the [Mana Guardian] of the ?" Razul asked.

[Yep! Though it's more of a family secret the Oztars have a symbiotic relationship with the white tiger. As an Oztar, I am the bridge between the [Landmark of the West] and the . That also means my role in the castle is more than simply being a [Royal Magician].]

I stare at her in shock, realizing what she said about her role beyond her current one. "Are you saying you can understand Bai Hu? But you looked like a [Human] to me."

"And I don't know if you're [Half-Insignis] like me," Wind adds.

[True. But despite my [Ancestral] upbringing, my family knows the secret of the [Mana Guardians'] language as well as some [Insignis] secrets shared with us in the past. Which means we are also nobles supporting the monarchy in some way.]

"Ms. Oztar, I have a question," Razul speaks up. "Are you sure it's okay for you to share your family secret with us so casually?"

[Why not? I did witness your interaction with Wind before and since you two knew them, it wouldn't be fair to keep you all in the dark,] Ms. Oztar explains. [Besides, I already told my father and the king about our meeting and the bandits' arrest. The former already permitted me to share everything you need to know about me and our relationship with one of the [Mana Guardians]. So I assure you that everything we talk about as of this moment will be strictly confidential.]

Wow, that's very convenient. At least we’ve found an NPC who can listen to us relating to Bai Hu and the [Quests] related to his home.

"If that's the case, I'm guessing you're expecting us to give you the samples Bai Hu entrusted us before our departure, correct?"

As soon as Wind asked this, Ms. Oztar's expression grew stern like my history teacher.

[Yes. I heard everything. That includes the plague that befell the .] She stands up and starts cleaning up her desk of papers, books, and folders. [Show me the sample and do not leave every single detail of the plague you've experienced.]

Right... I took out said sample and handed it to Ms. Oztar. At the same time, I glance at Razul and Arthur, who only got small details about our [Hidden Quest] back there. I have a feeling there is something more than this fetch quest and I know this might be the start of something greater coming to the game.