Nobina stood there, thinking about the implications of what Eric said. It felt as if she was being pushed out of their town into something much bigger.

As she thought that, a bright light appeared from her bag. Looking at Eric, he gave a nod, prompting Nobina to open the Gaze bag. Once she did, she found what appeared to be a peanut butter sandwich, which she took out to examine.

“What is that?” asked Eric, looking at her sandwich.

“Ah,” said Nobina, realizing he was more focused on the food. “It’s a peanut butter sandwich. I’m not sure that you’ve had…”

Upon hearing those words, Nobina noticed a change in Eric’s face. His gaze felt intense as he stared at the sandwich.

“Did you say…peanut butter sandwich?” asked Eric, seeking confirmation.

“Uh… yeah? Is there something I should know about it?” asked Nobina, curious about his look at it.

“This might seem odd… but our history notes how one of the heroes constantly talked about missing that specific food. It was something about it being something their mother made. Being able to see one here and now… I’m curious as to what the hero was craving, since I believe recreating it perfectly was impossible.”

Nobina nodded and offered half her sandwich to Eric, who instantly agreed. Once both of them took a bite into it, they both felt satisfied with the creamy peanut butter taste overwhelming their tastebuds. To Nobina, this reminded her of her old home and once again, she began remembering her two idols.

“Why am I remembering La Lu and Fay now…” asked Nobina to herself.

“Fay?” asked Eric.

“Oh Fay… She was my best friend in my old world before… Before she disappeared.”

Eric, hearing that, seemed surprised. Nobina didn’t fail to notice that either.

“Your legends talk about a Fay as well?” chuckled Nobina. “That would certainly be something.”

“Well… No,” he replied, a curious look on his face. “Three years ago… Another person with a Path of great potential appeared… And her name was Fay.”

The remaining part of her sandwich fell to the ground as Nobina stared directly at Eric.

“… Fay? Am I… Hearing you correctly Eric? Someone name Fay… appeared here three years ago?” asked Nobina, moving close to Eric.

“Yes… Another person named Fay appeared here three years ago,” said Eric, his tone turning more serious. “Her origins from being from another world is a secret amongst only the guild masters, specialists, and the Oracles. Do you… happen to know this Fay?”

Nobina couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did Fay die and come to this world? Or perhaps Fay was directly taken and brought there. It would explain why she suddenly disappeared without a trace. However, that left the question of why the police said Fay didn’t exist. Regardless, Nobina knew she had to do one thing.

“I have to meet Fay,” said Nobina. “Wait, did she mention a last name? Probably not. I’d imagine she’s hiding her past. Oh! What about…”

“Hold on there,” said Eric, holding up his hands. “I don’t know that much about her honestly. From what I was told, she’s in the Nation of Arrin at the present moment. That nation is extremely strict about who enters and leaves, as it’s highly dangerous. It would be dangerous to bring you there.”

“Then all the more reason I have to go,” said Nobina adamantly. “Fay might be in danger as well. She was… I mean she is! She’s my best friend. If she’s alive and here, I can’t just wait for her to come to me.”

Seeing Nobina adamant about seeing Fay made Eric realize how much this person potentially meant to her. However, the reality is that no amount of desire would speed up the process of meeting Fay.

“Well,” said Eric, rubbing the back of his head. “Fay has extremely strong abilities that has given her an exception to go. I know you’ve gotten a new ability recently, but it doesn’t put you even on par with A-ranks at the moment. From what I know, Fay’s ability allows her to stand toe to toe with A-ranks. And that was when she just joined this world. I have no doubt she can stand toe to toe with S-ranks now as well. I’d say you don’t need to worry about her safety at least.”

Hearing that, Nobina began wondering if Fay was a sort of hero and if her own destiny was to save the world.

“Wait… does that mean that Fay’s a hero in this world?” asked Nobina, now curious about what Eric knew about Fay.

Eric shook his head.

“No. Her Path is the Path of the Cosplayer. A unique path that is her own.”

“Cosplayer…”

Nobina began laughing, making Eric confused. She couldn’t believe that Fay’s Path was based on her favorite thing to do when they were in their old world. For this world to grant her the Path of her dream, Nobina knew this had to be her best friend.

“Sorry,” said Nobina, calming herself down. “It’s funny. Moments earlier, I’m thinking about how fate has been pushing me all over the place… now I’m glad it has given me a chance to meet Fay.”

With that, she sighed and sat down, shaking her head.

“If I can’t go to her… Then how can I meet Fay, Eric?” asked Nobina. “She’s someone that is my best friend.”

Eric began thinking about the best way to go about it.

“Well… We have a few options. The first option is for you to travel directly to the capital to request the grand guild master let you into the Nation of Arrin. I’m not sure I would be able to go, so I’d likely ask Lare to accompany you. Of course, going without a reason would be problematic, so we’d need to either go with revealing your secret or perhaps something else. Like… your accounting system you set up.”

Eric went to one of his bookcases and grabbed a large, red book. Opening up, Nobina noticed it was text regarding finances. Eventually, he found the section regarding the capital.

“The capital likely has its own way to record and handle finances, so you could go there with the excuse of potentially introducing it,” spoke Eric.

Nobina gave a nod. She had a good basis of knowledge of economics, but she wasn’t an accountant. She had some worries about trying to introduce the system on the scale of a major nation, but if that was needed to meet Fay, then so be it.

“That being said, I must make it clear the path to meeting Fay is going to be a long one,” said Eric. “The capital is a long distance away and you’ll likely need to make a few stops before reaching it.”

“Stops?” questioned Nobina. “Any particular reason why?”

Eric’s expression became even more serious as he began explaining the main problem with going to the capital.

“Our town doesn’t reflect this, but our society… Well… We have lords who govern the estate. If you want to travel to the capital, you’ll have to pass through the estates boarders with a reason for travelling. They wouldn’t let anyone just wander into and out of an estate.”

“For security reasons I’d imagine,” said Nobina, giving a nod.

“Well, that and once you enter an estate, you have to abide by their rules. In particular… The estates you are passing through have lords with not the best reputation,” said Eric.

“How does that impact my travel?” asked Nobina, curious about the inner workings of the nation’s politics. It was one of the few things she hadn’t gotten a chance to read up on yet. “Doesn’t being a guild officer help travel at least?”

“The opposite,” he sighed. “As a guild officer, there will be questions regarding your travel to the capital. It might be seen as suspicious, and you might draw unnecessary attention. It is why you’ll be heading from guild to guild to get authority from each guild master to travel from estate to estate.”

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Nobina couldn’t understand why it was needlessly complicated to travel as a guild officer. She had her identification and couldn’t see why her traveling would be suspicious.

“If you say so, then I’ll do it,” said Nobina with a bit of reluctance in her voice. “However… It’s so strange I can’t just travel directly to the capital. Do traders have to deal with this sort of complication?”

“Funnily enough, yes,” said Eric. “They have their trade guilds who give authorization. I’ll admit, Lumira’s methods are pretty dated compared to other nations, but that’s how things are.”

Part of Nobina was frustrated that she couldn’t see her friend as soon as possible, but she wasn’t unreasonable. She knew that she was in the Nation of Arrin, and this was just the process of getting authorization to go there. She had no idea how long the travel there would take and how long the progress of getting into Arrin was. Regardless, she desperately wanted to confirm her friend was in this world with her.

“Well then… when do I head out,” asked Nobina.

Eric gave a chuckle, confusing Nobina.

“We’ll have to speak with Aunai first. Remember? There’s still a possibility the demon attacks or perhaps another entity tries to stop you. This was the other reason that travel will be complicated. You’ll need protection if you are going to travel all the way to the capital.”

“Wait a second,” said Nobina. “Why can’t we use that justification to just head there directly? Surely safety should be a high priority for a guild officer.”

“Because you want to see your friend,” smiled Eric. “If this was solely to get your protection, I’m sure the grand guild master would do it without hesitation. However, if you then requested to travel to the Nation of Arrin, then it’d be complicated to protect you. Not to mention he doesn’t have an obligation to accommodate a request that would put you in danger.”

“Oh,” said Nobina, a lightbulb going off in her head. “So instead of telling the grand guild master that I need protection, I tell him I’m there for the economics issue. And if I solve it, he may potentially assist me in getting into Arrin.”

“Exactly,” nodded Eric.

Nobina felt everything was making much more sense, though she felt things were still needlessly complicated.

“Oh, by the way,” said Eric. “Why were you talking about fate?”

Nobina summoned the paper with the poll on it. Picking it up, she began reading it, her face going pale again.

“This is a joke,” she sighed.

“What’s wrong?” asked Eric, confused by her expression.

“This… this document told me people are voting for what they want me to become. The last option being for people who want to specify my path is particularly… concerning. However…”

Nobina began reading one of the comments, making her smile.

“Some people… want me to live a simple life at least. Honestly… things have been getting so complicated. I know my destiny says I’ll do great things. I know I want to go on a grand adventure to meet a friend… But is the simple life dead Eric?” asked Nobina in a bit of a plea. “Can I just enjoy a nice peaceful day eating tasty deserts with my friends?”

When Nobina said that, she realized something important. If she did commit to this journey, that meant she’d be leaving Sarah and Mimiki, as well as the others she had slowly gotten to know. It was hard to say she could easily say goodbye to them solely because this was her chance to see her lost friend Fay. She might have been her best friend, but she considered Mimiki and Sarah equally important friends.

“Nobina,” said Eric. “You are in control of your destiny right now. You can remain here if you so desire, but it might bring trouble due to your Path.”

Nobina, frustrated, gripped her hands as she shook her head.

“Yeah… It’s like destiny itself won’t allow me to merely remain here in peace. I think… I want to think more about what to do.”

“Of course,” said Eric. “Anyway… take the rest of the day off. I’ll wait for Aunai to come back, and we’ll discuss this more.”

With that, Nobina left the room. As she did, she saw her bag glow one more. Opening it up, she saw a heart-shaped locket with a note attached to it. Opening the note, she saw the words “contains traces of home,” followed by the pot plant symbol that she recognized from earlier.

“Another magical item, huh,” said Nobina, looking at the locket. The moment she opened it, she felt a sense of home emanating from it. The smell of her room. The feeling of the sunlight she’d often wake up to. In particular, she remembered sitting in her room, writing on paper next to her laptop. It was a fond memory she cherished, making her smile.

“It seems… that this truly does contain traces of my home,” smiled Nobina. “Thank you…”

With that, she happily headed downstairs. She told Lare she was heading home for the day, prompting him to nod.

“Have a good day Nobina,” smiled Lare.

“Thank you,” she responded back.

As she headed out of the door, she noticed that there was a large crowd of people near the center of the town. Nobina was curious, heading closer to the crowd to see what was going on.

“Back off,” spoke a familiar voice loudly.

Eventually, Nobina saw Lila was at the center, trying to get people to stop approaching her.

“I never saw a wolf person before,” said a kid nearby.

“Yeah, me neither,” replied the kid right next to him. “I wonder if her tail is fluffy.”

“Oh yeah! I really want to pet it,” responded the first kid.

Nobina’s eyes turned to Lila’s tail, and only now did she really notice how nice and soft it looked. It wasn’t massive enough to be a hindrance during combat, at least. When she was fighting the two summoned creatures, she did remember seeing them move gracefully with Lila.

“Hey,” said Lila, turning to a kid who was touching her tail. “Can the parents of these kids stop them? Please?”

Lila’s flustered state made Nobina chuckle. Someone as strong as her bending to the whims of children seemed so funny. However, she knew that this could take a turn for the worse if this kept on. Too many people were starting to gather.

“Alright, enough,” called Nobina, drawing the crowd’s attention.

People made way for her, with Lila seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Nobina,” she called, running over to hug her. “Oh thank god you came. Why are all these people so curious about me? I know I have a nice tail, but that’s no excuse to just surround me like that.”

Nobina could tell that the whole incident had made Lila uncomfortable, prompting her to speak up to the crowd.

“You all should know better,” said Nobina, her hand against her side. “Treating an adventurer like some sort of attraction is wrong. Respect everyone’s boundaries, got it?”

Hearing her say that they all instantly agreed. All of them began apologizing to both Nobina and Lila. Nobina merely nodded as Lila waved her hand, feeling embarrassed.

“It’s no big deal,” she said. “Just… give me some space to walk and breath.”

Once everyone was done apologizing, with a few giving a more personal one due to their actions, everyone dispersed. All of them were still looking at the two but with more respect.

“Sorry about that,” bowed Nobina. “Such actions should never happen to adventurers. I apologize on behalf of the town.”

“Don’t worry about it,” laughed Lila. “I’m just glad I got out of there in one piece. I had rather not try to force my way out and I suck at public speeches. Anyway… so about our duel.”

Hearing that, Nobina went pale yet again. Remembering how strong Lila looked in combat, Nobina knew she’d embarrass herself if she actually fought.

“Listen… can we do it tomorrow?” asked Nobina, trying to buy time. “I rather be fully rested. You should do so as well.”

“I feel fine,” said Lila, stretching her muscles. “But… yes. I should fight a hero in optimal condition. I don’t want any excuses.”

Nobina sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As she was leaving, Nobina noticed that Lila was following her. She began wondering if her inn was going in the same direction, so she decided to ignore her. Eventually, Nobina reached her inn and walked inside. It was still a bit early for dinner, but Nobina had no trouble eating early.

“Wow,” said Lila, entering not too long after Nobina. “Great minds think alike. I have a room here as well.”

“Of course,” sighed Nobina.

With that, Nobina called for a table. Lila asked if she could join, which Nobina reluctantly agreed to. The two sat down, waiting for the food to arrive. To Nobina’s surprise, Lila wasn’t trying to make any small talk. Instead, she seemed very content with merely sitting in place, humming some sort of tune. Eventually, the menus came, and Nobina ordered. When it came to Lila’s turn, she picked the same thing as Nobina.

“Trusting that my taste matches yours?” chuckled Nobina.

“Yep,” smiled Lila.

Soon, their meal of pork came in. Unlike chicken, there was no monster pork variant. Instead, they merely had normal pigs. While they weren’t as rare as chickens, they were rarer than Chizen, so Nobina had to pay a bit more. Eventually, their two meals came in, and they both began to eat. Unlike Nobina’s slow pace, it didn’t take long for Lila to finish her meal and ask for more.

“That was so tasty,” said Lila, smiling happily. “Can I get five more?”

“Five,” gasped Nobina. “Is that… your normal portions Lila?”

“Yep,” she smiled.

Nobina knew she shouldn’t have been too surprised with how much she needed to eat, but it was still a shock to her. Lila felt like another human, so for her to ask for so much food reminded her that everyone was different. Nobina was just a normal human, while Lila was a Magical Wolf.

Plate after plate arrived at the table during this, and Lila began eating all the food rather quickly. When it was time to pay, she showed a rather large bag of money, making Nobina a bit jealous. While she didn’t have a lot to spend money on, her own funds were rather low, given she had used her Golden Pen Blade twice already.

“Now then,” said Nobina, standing up. “I’ll be heading to my room. It’s a bit early, but I do want to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Oh. You want to warm up for our fight. Makes sense,” nodded Lila.

Nobina knew correcting her wouldn’t matter much, so she merely sighed and went to her room. Once again, Lila was right behind her, making Nobina wonder what her room number was. As Nobina reached her room, Lila stopped and waited.

“Yes?” asked Nobina, turning around before she could open her door.

“Can I check out your room?” asked Lila.

“Uh… why?” asked Nobina.

“I wanted to see what a hero’s room is like,” smiled Lila.

Nobina stared at Lila, wondering if there was even a slight chance she was joking. After about a minute, she merely shrugged.

“Fine… you can check it out, but don’t touch anything,” said Nobina, entering her room.

“Got it,” nodded Lila, who was now clearly excited.

As the two entered, Nobina took a step to the side to allow Lila to view the room. When she stepped forward, Nobina instantly sensed a powerful aura from Lila. Due to being right next to Lila, Nobina found herself almost fainting due to the sheer pressure. However, she was resisting it slightly and soon, the aura was gone. Turning to Lila to ask what was wrong, a few words came out of her mouth.

“An… Alpha… Death Hare…”

The moment she uttered those words, Lila immediately fainted.

“Lila? Lila!”

Nobina tried to wake her but was completely unsuccessful. She then turned to the bed where Pausers was sitting, merely looking at Lila’s body.

“Pausers… why did she call you an Alpha Death Hare?”

Pauser merely looked at Nobina, tilted its head, before hoping off the bed and next to Nobina to snuggle. She merely sighed, wondering what to do about this newfound mess of a situation.