Everyone returned to the guild, where the mood was joyous amongst all the adventurers. Despite all the loss of life on their side, no one was letting that bog down the good mood. With the return of Mimiki, there was a sense of relief amongst everyone as no one was worried about dealing with another attack. Everyone in Mimiki’s and Nobina’s party was having a good time as well, but Nobina was thinking about the mysterious figure. She was worried that this wasn’t the last time they would cause them problems.

As Mimiki and Nobina entered the guild first, they heard Sarah immediately call out to them.

“Mimiki! Nobina,” she yelled, jumping over the desk with a surprising amount of dexterity. Before they knew it, Sarah’s arms were around both of them as she jumped into them.

Both smiled as they hugged Sarah, who was bawling her eyes out.

“You two… I was so scared… I was so worried… But I’m so… so happy both of you are back safe and sound…”

“Yeah,” they both replied, not saying another word. No one would dare interrupt the moment as the three celebrated being back together again.

After a few minutes, they separated. Lare appeared moments later and also welcomed them back.

“Glad a few goblins couldn’t take either of you out,” he chuckled.

“You don’t know the half of it,” said Nobina. “So… I guess we should discuss things now, right?”

“Indeed,” replied Lare. “Let’s head to the meeting room.”

With that, they headed into the meeting room. Mimiki asked a few trusted adventurers to watch the guild lobby. They agreed without issue, allow them to leave the front unattended for the moment.

Once they were all there and seated, Lare began leading the conversation.

“First off… Welcome back Mimiki. I’m glad you’re safe and sound.”

“Thanks Lare,” she replied. “So much has happened, and I didn’t think I’d be back here… but I’m glad Nobina was there to save me.”

“You give me too much credit,” said Nobina, waving and shaking her head in protest. “I… I was just lucky that I was in the position to be useful.”

“Don’t let that discredit what you did,” said Mimiki, showing a bit of her classic annoyed expression. “Sure, you were in a position to make use of your abilities and strengths, but at the end of the day being able to execute everything is all up to you Nobina. Remember that.”

“I will,” Nobina nodded.

“That being said, we have two matters to discuss,” said Mimiki, taking control of the conversation. “The two last raids… and the mysterious figure.”

Everyone’s expression turned serious as they began discussing the two important topics at hand.

“Eric is still out there, I’m assuming,” asked Mimiki.

“Right. Due to the distance of the nest, even with his ability, he isn’t bound to arrive…”

As he said that, a knock immediately came from the door.

Nobina went to open it and saw one of the trusted adventurers.

“Guild Master Eric has arrived. He’s saying the nest has been successfully culled and we are safe. He does look a bit worse for wear, but he seems in good spirits.”

All of them cheered upon hearing the news. The fact that his mission was successful meant that there was almost no risk to the town. With both Mimiki and Eric back, they’d be able to handle everything. Not only that, but Eric’s sheer presence brought an enormous amount of relief to the town.

“My god. Eric truly is a pillar to this town,” said Nobina.

“Yeah,” replied Mimiki. “Master dealing with a goblin nest alone is merely a walk in the park. If not for the limits of his ability, all these nests would have been handled.”

“What are his limits?” asked Nobina.

“Well,” said Eric, appearing behind the trusted adventurer. “I can double my speed for up to three days, but the longer I use that ability, the longer it takes to recover. I say… I got a month before I can use it again.”

“Wow,” said Nobina. “Considering how strong you are… you at double speed must be an amazing sight…”

“It makes him a monster in combat. Though he does have a signature ability that has given him the nickname Flash of the West,” nodded Mimiki. “But anyway, welcome back master.”

“Welcome back,” they replied.

Eric nodded.

“Welcome back to you as well Mimiki. I hope the culling was successful, considering the mood of the town.”

There was a newfound silence in the room. Eric, seeing this, asked the trusted adventurer to leave as he prepared to hear the news.

Mimiki and Nobina worked together to tell Eric the full story. From the initial goblin attack to the follow-up attack, they made sure not to miss any details. It was only when they concluded telling the story that Eric finally spoke.

“A demon,” he said.

The word sent shivers down all their spines. All except Nobina, who wasn’t too familiar with demons.

“Demon?” asked Nobina.

“Ah, right… I guess you wouldn’t know. Honestly, do you mind if I tell Lare your secrets now Nobina? If everyone but him knows…”

Nobina nodded her head.

“I’m ok with it.”

Eric began explaining Nobina’s origins and Path to Lare, who merely nodded.

“I see… why I wasn’t informed about the information. I do worry about Nobina’s future, but I trust you Eric to handle her if she ends up being an obstacle.”

Both Mimiki and Sarah reacted harshly to his words, rebuking him for talking coldly about a fellow guild member. Eric merely nodded, letting them say what they wanted before continuing.

“I shall do what is the best for all,” he merely replied.

With that, Eric turned to Nobina.

“You are familiar with the history regarding demons, right?”

“Of course,” she responded. “Demons are one of the many races in this world. They arrived here due to a summoning and since then had become one of the major races.”

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“Right,” said Eric. “After the demon war, the demons were allowed to live in the Federation of the Great Gar Gar, which is the strongest nation in the world. One where they are starting to thrive once more. So long as they do not gain another leader, they are allowed to thrive.”

“Demons are quite strong due to their naturally long lives and the strength of their Path abilities,” said Mimiki. “However, demons are less likely to gain unique or historical paths. Not only that, but they tend to lean towards very specific paths that have harsh limitations compared to the other races. Thus, a demon using an ability is often a last resort.”

“So is that the reason you think that a Demon is the mysterious figure?” asked Nobina.

“Summoning Monsters is almost exclusively a demon-related Path,” said Eric. “There might be a Path of the Summoner amongst other races, but that would be an extremely rare path.”

“What does this mean Eric,” said Lare. “Are…”

“No,” he replied sharply. “We cannot assume there is more than a single demon acting out. After all, why would a demon take hostages then let them be rescued? Was he trying to lure someone out and they merely didn’t appear?”

His eyes then turned to Nobina, who merely shook her head.

“Please don’t tell me they were targeting me. It wouldn’t make sense anyways. They didn’t make a move on us while Mimiki and the others were trapped. Do you think you were the target instead Eric?”

“I can’t say,” said Eric. “All I know is that once the third raid group returns, I’ll have to keep an eye out for this demon. If someone is trying to take you or me, I can only assume the worst.”

At that moment, her Gaze bag glowed. She looked at all of them, who nodded. When she pulled it out, it revealed a bracelet with a note.

“Temporarily changes your appearance while worn. Tap to use. Last for three hours. Recharges every month. To be used to escape Eric.”

Reading that last line, Nobina looked at Eric, who merely shrugged.

“I have no idea why they would want you to escape my watch, but it doesn’t bother me. My goal is your safety for the sake of the world.”

“Don’t worry Eric,” smiled Nobina. “I trust you to protect me. If I didn’t, I would already be long gone.”

Nobina knew Eric was merely watching her in case she was a liability, but at the end of the day, all that needed to be proven was that she needed to be alive. If that became the case, then Eric would have no reason to ever harm her.

“Even if he was against you, I’d take on Eric to defend you,” said Mimiki to everyone’s surprise.

“Oh,” smiled Eric. “Think your strong enough to do that yet my pupil?”

“Eh…”

The confidence in Mimiki immediately disappeared as everyone began to laugh. Despite everything that had happened, it seemed like they were now merely waiting for the last raid.

The meeting continued for about an hour before they wrapped up everything. The third raid was set to conclude in two days, so it was merely a matter of waiting. In the meantime, Eric wanted to send a scouting party to check the status of the third raid.

Downstairs in the lobby, Eric asks for volunteers for the scout party. A sizable number of people volunteered, with Eric picking those most qualified. Once that was done, Eric told all of them that soon, the incident would be over, and things would return to normal. A ritual would be held for the deceased once the last raid came back. After that, they would have the day off to relax before they went back to work.

Nobina was wondering if his words were a bit premature, but she could tell that he was likely right. Unless another unknown appeared, they shouldn’t expect someone to go after them. Then again, the demon remained a threat still out there.

During the remaining time in the guild, they all returned to a standard rhythm. Sarah was working the front, while Mimiki was assisting adventurers. Nobina was checking over the books due to how much spending was done, keeping track of the sheer expenses they now had.

“Hm… Something needs to be done about this eventually,” she told herself.

Whether it was support from other guilds or raising money on their end, the guild needed financial support. They had spent most of their reserves and were not prepared to re-enter normal operations. Instead, it would likely be limited operations, which meant promissory notes instead of coins. Considering promissory notes didn’t have any value outside of the guild, many adventurers disliked them, but they took them regardless.

As she closed her book, she saw Hammy appeared from her bag.

“Oh… right,” said Nobina. “I need to give you a proper name… I feel like it shouldn’t be something as simple as Hammy since Lebron… Though… I wouldn’t mind calling you Hammy if you like it.”

Hammy gave a nod, which seemed to affirm their acceptance of their new name.

Once that was done, Nobina stood up and headed to the front. Once she was there, she approached Sarah, who was merely relaxing.

“Sarah,” called Nobina.

“What’s up?” she responded.

“Where’s Lebron?”

Sarah stood there for a second before realizing who she was talking about.

“Ah. Right. Your dog is with your bunny Pausers. I decided to check on Pausers since you were away. When I came back, I saw his bowl empty and was worried. However, Pausers seemed perfectly fine. When I was about to leave with Lebron, he kind of refused to come with me and stayed with Pausers. I’d imagine the two are keeping each other company.”

“Did you leave them food and water at least?” asked Nobina, wanting to make sure they were covered.

“Of course,” nodded Sarah. “But yeah, I’m sure they will be excited to see you when you get back.”

“Lying in a bed sounds so good right,” chuckled Nobina.

With that, they went back to their work. Soon, night was upon the guild, and it was time to head back. This time, Mimiki asked Nobina to join her for dinner.

“I’d love to,” smiled Nobina.

“Don’t leave me out of this,” said Sarah, overhearing them.

“Of course you can come,” said Mimiki. “Sorry for… not inviting you as well.”

“Ah don’t worry about it,” laughed Sarah. “I’m sure this was supposed to be a heart to heart, so I feel bad for intruding.”

“Well… Yeah. But honestly, it is better we all talk as friends, right?” said Mimiki.

All of them nodded.

With that, they all headed over to Mimiki’s place. She began preparing the food, giving them time to chat. Sarah asked Nobina more about what happened, to which she gave Sarah a more detailed story on what happened from her perspective.

“Really,” said Mimiki, who was listening to the story. “I didn’t realize your Gaze bag gave you so many tools. And you still have them as well, right?”

Nobina gave a nod.

“Modern grenades, a scroll that can perform a powerful attack with a cost, tons of barb wiring, even a wand that allows me to animate objects for a limited time. This bag has given me so much, yet it makes me constantly worried. Some of this stuff is immediately useful, while others feel like they were meant for future situations. If I had to guess, I’d find a use for all these things later.”

“Well, that’s good right?” asked Sarah. “Better to have tools you might not need rather than having nothing when you need something.”

“Part of me agrees with that, but… What if…”

Nobina didn’t want to say it in case she was right, but she built up the courage to say her theory.

“What if… everything around me is affected by what I receive?”

Silence engulfed the room, the only noise coming from Mimiki cooking. Everyone understood what the implications of that was, which was that things were happening to Nobina because she received items. That or she received items because there were events planned for her based on what she had.

“What makes you think that?” asked Mimiki.

“I… Well… Take a look at this.”

Nobina took out her legendary adventuring card. Both of them stared at it, with Sarah in shock while Mimiki merely nodded.

“What about the card?” asked Mimiki. “Why would it be the cause of events around you? It’s addressed to another adventurer.”

“Wait,” said Sarah. “You seem so casual about the card. Have you seen this already?”

When Mimiki nodded, Sarah merely sighed.

“Guess adventuring stuff is your domain, so… anyways, what importance does this card have.”

They both turned to Nobina, who then held out her hand.

“Now take a look at this,” said Nobina, summoning a scroll and a note.

“The note in particular gave me a command to say to active this scroll. ‘I am the Legendary Adventurer Nobina, and I command my enemies to perish!’ Don’t you think that these things might be related?” asked Nobina.

Sarah and Mimiki seemed to realize Nobina was onto something. The two items could indicate that she was moving towards becoming a legendary adventurer.

“People are now calling me a hero. I’m gaining an ability to make me more capable of being an adventurer. Heck, now I’m believing it all myself. This can’t just be all coincidence. This all feels designed. Planned even.”

Nobina found herself breathing heavily as she finished speaking. It felt as if she was creating some sort of delusion that wasn’t there, but the Gaze bag itself made it all seem possible.

“Enough,” said Mimiki, drawing attention to herself.

“Even if what you are saying is true… then what are you going to do Nobina? Destroy that bag? Try to fight against fate, is that you’re saying?”

“Well…”

Nobina shrank back into her chair, realizing how stupid she sounded.

“Now now Mimiki,” said Sarah. “Calm yourself down as well.”

“Sorry,” sighed Mimiki. “But anyway… All we know is this. Your Path is the thing influencing your destiny. It says you’re meant to do great things, but in the end, you decide what you do. If you become a legendary adventurer, fine. However, that’s not your goal anyway, right? You want to be a writer at the end of the day. Being an adventurer doesn’t stop that.”

Nobina nodded.

“You’re right Mimiki… At the end of the day… I’m in control of my life. I refuse to believe my destiny is in the hands of others. Destiny is in my hands and my hands alone.”

All of them nodded in agreement. No matter what happened, Nobina knew she’d refuse to bend to her surroundings and any mysterious being wishing to govern her life. While she wouldn’t ignore doing good and helping others, she would not let her dream fade away for the sake of what others wanted. She was a writer, and nothing would change that.