“I'm sorry, that both my husband and daughter lack delicacy. I hope you can look past them.” With these words, after Lauren had finished scolding father and daughter, the girls left the office.

Now that Rina was officially accepted as a staff member of the Dragonherz household, Clara had offered to give her a tour around the mansion, which Rina accepted.

Still, Rina had always thought from novels in her previous life, that nobles were full of pride and would never apologise, even if they were in the wrong. But during the past hour, both the head of a noble family and his wife had asked for forgiveness from a commoner child like her. To make matters worse (?) their reason for doing so was that they had embarrassed Rina. So, she couldn't help but suspect that the act of apologising was no big deal in this world.

But as if Clara, who was walking in front of her, could read Rina's mind, she looked back around and smiled brightly. “You did a really good job, talking to Father. I think you made a very good impression on my parents.”

“Eh? Really, Lady Clara? I initially thought that I made a lot of mistakes. I mean, Master Eric did give me a two-year-long trial period.”

“Hmm, I think that it was meant more for me than for you. But that's not my point. What I wanted to say was about my parents' display earlier.”

At that, Rina held her hand in front of her mouth and smiled mischievously, “Ah you mean when Mistress Lauren scolded you until you almost cried?”

“N-no!” Clara shook her head, blushing like a tomato. “Y-you... Ahem!... I meant when my mother scolded my father. That's something you wouldn't normally show a stranger. For you to be able to see something like that just means that they trust you.”

Hearing these words, Rina felt her heart warming up. “... It would be nice if it's really the case.”

“It is! I guarantee you that.” The blonde stopped walking and turned her entire body towards Rina, causing her to stop as well. “Once again, welcome to the Dragonherz household! I'm in your care from now on.”

When Rina looked up at the girl, who was at least a head taller than her, she perceived a happy smile. Seeing this, her mouth unconsciously and naturally copied Clara's expression, forming a wide smile as well. “Yes! I'm also in your hands, Lady Clara.”

***

After Rina and Clara had left the office, Arland closed the door and sat down on the couch across the Dragonherz couple, where the girls had been sitting before. Afterwards, Eric spoke up, “Lauren, why did you interrupt us? Rina was about to explain her powers.”

“So you really wanted to exploit her?”

“...”

Seeing her husband keeping silent, Lauren sighed. “She may be acting like that, but she is still a little child at heart.”

“Child? No child behaves like her. Even Clara, who is much more intelligent than her peers, can't compare to that commoner girl, who is two years younger!”

“She just had to grow up early in order to survive. That's the environment she lived in.”

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“So, you actually believe her story? That she left the orphanage at the age of four and has been living on the streets alone ever since?”

“Yes. Those weren't the eyes of a liar.”

“What if she was trained for this? What if she was a spy working for the new king keeping an eye on all the nobles or an assassin sent by the Empire?”

“Dear... your mind is already too accustomed to noble intrigues. Rina is, in my eyes, a child who just happens to be more intelligent than others. You don't have to worry about such things with her. I'm sure of it.”

“Why are you so sure of it?”

“Call it a mother's intuition! Trust in your daughter's character judgement” Lauren puffed up her ample chest in pride.

“...”

Returning to her normal posture, Lauren smiled affectionately at her husband. “Just let Rina get used to this place and she will open herself up naturally without you having to force her. Is that all right?”

“... Haaaaah, fine, I'll leave it at that for now.”

“Thank you~.” Lauren leaned over her husband and gave him a light peck on the cheek, completely ignoring the peanut gallery (Arland). “Well then, I'm sure you both have still things to discuss about Rina, so I'll leave you alone.” With that, she stood up and left the room elegantly, leaving an awkward silence behind.

“...”

“...”

“Eric.”

“What is it?”

“Why do I have to watch my employer and his wife flirting around?” Arland asked, somewhat (?) annoyed.

“...”

“...”

“Arland, what do you think of the girl's magic powers?” Eric asked with a serious look on his face.

“Forcibly changing the subject, huh? Well, that's fine, too.” The guard captain's expression also turned serious. “Hmm... Do want me to be frank or to put it nicely?”

“Let's go with the 'nice' version first.”

Arland thought for a few seconds before continuing, “After what I've seen today, I can't understand her powers anymore. Just like Madam Lauren just said, gain her trust, train and educate her, and wait for her to give us the details of her powers herself... But, to be honest, I don't know if it's wise to keep her here.”

“Why?” Eric raised his eyebrows.

“I suspect that what we've seen today was only a fraction of her powers. I didn't see her building up her Mana at all. So if the full extent of her power comes to light, people will be raiding this place to get their hands on her.”

At these words, Eric brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and massaged it. “Arland, I asked for the 'nice' version first.”

“That was the 'nice' version.”

“... Then let me hear the other version”

Arland closed his eyes and thought again for a few seconds. When he opened them again, there was a heavy glint in them. “She's an absolute monster. If she hadn't warned us beforehand, I wouldn't have even noticed that she was about to cast a spell. Zero time to build up Mana, no chant, and instant activation... if she wanted to, she could have killed us and we would have been none the wiser. In a fight, she might be unbeatable.”

“...”

“But I agree with Madam Lauren.” Arland continued when no word left Eric's mouth. ”I think that the girl told us the truth. That would then mean, that she had taught herself the magic knowledge. I cannot imagine where she would be today if she had someone to teach her the theories.”

“We might be biting off more than we can chew if we keep her.”

“Does it mean, you're going to hand her over Lumiéres?”

Eric shook his head at Arland's question. “No, they would aim for the world if they held such power. That's out of the question.” Seeing how his friend and guard captain breathed out in relief at his answer, Eric went on, “Well, we need more information about her first. And don't forget that she's still sane after touching the demon-spawning cloud. We also need to find out how she did it.”

“So what is your next step?”

“Hmm.” Eric leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling, a gesture he seemed to repeat quite often lately. After almost thirty seconds he straightened his back and looked at Arland again. “Clara won't like it, but it's better than the alternatives I guess.”

Hearing these mysterious words, Arland could only tilt his head in confusion.

“Arland!”

The serious vibe of Eric's voice stiffened him up. “Yes?”

“Send Lady Fran a message!”