We succeeded in collecting two Devil's Heart-strings and were on our way back to Toshi City. I dragged my feet all the way, feeling bone-tired. It wasn't just that, to be honest. I was disappointed in myself for failing to complete my task. At the end, a tendril caught me and I was dragged off my feet before my father stepped in with a brilliant rescue. He even managed to cut off a single stamen before retreating out of range while carrying me in one arm. Sigh. Since when had he become so cool?

His action also inspired Masa and the Japanese boy redoubled his efforts, managing to snag one stamen on his own although he ended up with numerous scratches and took a direct hit from a pollen grain in his shoulder. My mum did some basic first aid on him and I managed to heal him somewhat before blacking out. When I came to, I found myself being carried on Dad's back and quickly insisted on being allowed to walk on my own. I regretted the decision immediately when my feet touched the ground, but I couldn't bear a single moment longer of being carried like a child again. It might be a different story if Masa was the one doing the carrying, preferably in a princess-carry…but he was looking just as exhausted as I felt.

Wasn't this supposed to be a fun sightseeing trip? When did it turn into a training from hell? I sighed, but forced a smile when my mum turned around to look at me. "No, I'm just tired, that's all. That was one heck of a workout, you know. I wish you guys could have given us some warning beforehand," I grumbled.

"Oh sure, like danger's going to give you warning signs all the time," retorted my dad. "If you want a safe, cushy job, you could just sign up to be a guild receptionist like that Australian girl back at Nevda Town."

I opened my mouth to retort, but couldn't find the energy or will to argue and closed it again. Masa merely gave me a weak smile. "If it's any consolation, I think we've probably levelled up a ton after that fight," he murmured.

Were those game levels even applicable here? I sighed again. I did want to at least hold my own in a fight, but thinking of all the hard work just made me sigh. Wait, was it a foregone conclusion that we were living here from now on? What about our house in Malaysia? And Masa couldn't stay here all the time, could he? He was still in school, right?

Ugh, it took too much out of me to even think right now, so I just focused on getting one foot in front of another. I couldn't wait to return to our room and sleep the rest of the day. Come to think of it, why were we even walking? Surely Dad could get us there in the blink of an eye.

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"Nope, no more spoiling you guys," he said firmly. "Walking is good training too, especially with all your equipment on."

Ah, so that was why we were all still carrying our swords. Both Eins and Deux were in my hands, although I was using them more as walking sticks than anything else. Deux's indignant grunts every time he struck the ground were somewhat amusing. It was probably terribly rude of me to do that to some legendary "named" swords, but frankly at this point I was so tired I didn't care. Masa's swords were sheathed and on his back, but my swords didn't have scabbards so I usually kept them in my Void. Maybe I should commission scabbards for them somewhere? It might be cool being able to do a battoujutsu (quick-draw) move too. Heh.

Dad was looking critically at the state of my swords, but I didn't see any nicks on them when we stopped for a break. "Yeah, we should probably commission a scabbard or two," he muttered to himself. "Bringing them around like that is dangerous, not to mention suspicious. They might not even let you into the city."

Well, obviously! Even if they were used to seeing mercenaries and soldiers around, who in their right mind would carry a naked sword in town? Surely he wasn't intending for us to carry the swords all the way there?

"If we're looking for a blacksmith, maybe that fellow is still in town?" asked my mum.

"Ahh, that guy, huh," replied my dad with a glint in his eye. "His prices are steep, but his skill is definitely worth it."

Yeah yeah, go ahead and have your meaningful conversation without us.

Masa was practically ignoring them as he fed Tsume while I was just too tired to argue. I sat there drinking some water while they discussed this blacksmith they were acquainted with. Hopefully his prices wouldn't be too far beyond what I could afford. Now that I was earning my own keep, my parents were having me pay for my own food and lodgings, although they did treat us from time to time.

As we made our weary way back to Toshi City, my dad finally allowed me to keep my swords just as the gate came into view. We each flashed our mercenary licenses and were allowed to enter without too much trouble. Apparently mercenaries had plenty of freedom to travel, which was one reason why my parents had chosen this vocation. Well, it was not like they were here all the time anyway. Somehow they were able to earn enough in either world to support their relatively simple lifestyles. I suppose having rich relatives must help too.

We returned to the Mercenary Guild and handed in the Devil's Heart-strings we harvested to collect our reward, which was split equally among us. I felt a little bad, since Dad and Masa had been the ones who actually got the items, but my mum assured me that this was how the party system worked. Not every member could contribute all the time, since different requests required different skills. Anyway, it simply meant that I had to try harder to contribute next time. I clenched my fist in determination.