"Delicious!" [Cat boy]

"It really is" [Little girl]

"Thank you for treating us!" [Big boy]

"Thanks Kanji and his friends here, they brought us all to a nice crepes shop" [Ash]

"That's unexpected" [Haliza]

"It really is" [Mira]

"Wha... what do you mean!" [Kanji]

"Kids, you forgot to thank them" [Ash]

"Thank you Big Bro!" [Orphans]

"Knock... knock it off!" [Kanji]

"Its embarrassing" [Thug A]

"It is" [Thug B]

"Something wrong?" [Thug C]

"My will to live, got replenished by that thank you. It's a nice feeling" [Thug D]

"Seriously!?" [Thug E]

"I, I actually understand those feeling" [Thug F]

"Haha" [Seo Ah]

"Well, five of them being a tsundere, at least there are two honest ones with us" [Mira]

"Now that you get ahold of this feeling, don't you think it's better for you to act more mature? For starter, you can help around in orphanage" [Haliza]

"Of course, we can help you guys to further, but that is a good starting point" [Mira]

""Well..."" [Thug D, F]

"Haha, it's up to you. Just know that this opportunity doesn't come knocking your life door often, what's more, it's your princess and her best friend offering it" [Ash]

"We, we will think about it" [Thug A]

"Can you give us some time?" [Kanji]

"Sure! But just so you know, I will polish you guys to absolute max, that way you can become useful!" [Haliza]

"Well good luck..." [Mira]

~Gulp~ [Thugs]

"Why do I have this feeling it have the opposite effect" [Ash]

"They become demotivated" [Seo Ah]

"Just leave it to her, she will turn that demotivation into motivation, trust me" [Mira]

"If you say so" [Ash]

It's noon, and as usual, Haliza comes and greet us. She also brings some dishes from the castle, and it goes well with the crepes that we buy along the way. We make sure to have our lunch first before diving in to the topics in hand. That said, I don't want those guy to know about it, but

"We insist!" [Kanji]

"This is a national, no maybe international matter you know..." [Ash]

"Still, living in the dark while knowing such a threat exist, it isn't manly for us to do so!" [Kanji]

"Same here!" [Thugs]

"I, I agree!" [Seo Ah]

"I thought you're a girl?" [Ash]

"That's not the point and you know it!" [Seo Ah]

"Joking Joking, but the decision will be left to your princess here" [Ash]

"Princess Nurhaliza!" [Seo Ah, Thugs]

"Are you sure you want to get involved in this?" [Haliza]

"Once you enter, we won't accept you to drop out of it halfway. Plus, this is a matter of national secret, there's more thing involved here than what you can imagine now" [Mira]

~Gulp~ [Seo Ah, Thugs]

"I guess this must be how Rean is feeling now" [Ash]

"Rean?" [Kanji]

"My little brother back at Estel. I'm sure by now they started moving, and Rean must be curious about it as well, knowing him, he will involve himself in order to protect those around him. He might be weak right now, no, I guess I am the one that look at him wrongly. He is strong, protecting other siblings of mine before I came, so when I'm away now, those feeling must have resurfaced once more." [Ash]

"Why are you telling us this?" [Seo Ah]

"Looking at you guys just kinda reminds me of them. I do understand your feelings, wanting to protect something precious, but we are the same here, wanting to protect you as well. That said, you guys should really think about it. Just like how I leave them to decide whether Rean can help or not, I'll leave the decision to Princess Nurhaliza and her friend Mira here to decide" [Ash]

"That actually motivational" [Haliza]

"Yeah, and just by looking at their eyes now, we can guess the answer" [Mira]

"Please, let us help!" [Seo Ah, Thugs]

"Understood" [Haliza]

Well, they're accepted. But more surprisingly, that's how I actually feel about Rean right now. I guess I really did becoming overprotective to him. No wonder Jacks kinda push me to involve him, to let him grow more. Guess that bickering with him end up with him being the final winner.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

(I have a long way to go from becoming an ideal big brother for them) [Ash]

"How about we actually start discussing your finding right now?" [Haliza]

"Let us do just that" [Ash]

In one of the room, we started sitting around the table. The kids can be heard playing tags, so in response, I cast a bird wind golem to monitor them. Don't want them to accidentally break some vase or injured themselves when they're playing around

Since they're still unaware of most of the things that's happening around them, Mira quickly recap all the event that's happening right now. Starting from the first ghost monsters attack in Malsia, to her finding, to how the two of them went to Estel, the attack happening at Estel which coincides with the mysterious person driving them out, how I found the portal stone, the group called Achalasia Externa, how the king of Estel ask me to come here to investigate, and about Diana's plan to lure them off in my absence and finally

"So there really are underground pathways exist beneath the building" [Haliza]

"That's to be expected, but looking at it now" [Mira]

"It's huge" [Kanji]

"And that's not all of it?" [Seo Ah]

"No, it isn't." [Ash]

"Why do you said that?" [Thug C]

"My mana can't reach all of the nook and cranny, so I believe it's way larger than any of us thought" [Ash]

"Just how could they build such a large passage?" [Kanji]

"Could it be... the first traveler king?" [Mira]

"Possible" [Haliza]

"The what?" [Thug E]

(Thank you for asking it in my stead) [Ash]

"Well, he is one of the people fighting alongside the ten heroes that manage to defeat the fallen god, and it's say that his earth magic is so strong that an earthquake or two is a norma when fighting him" [Haliza]

"Such power" [Thug F]

"Them what makes you say he is the one responsible for it?" [Seo Ah]

(Once again, thank you for asking it) [Ash]

"It is say that he actually managed to make various underground pathways during that time. Some say that it's even connected to a dungeon. That's why there is a theory that a monster can spontaneously spawn inside a country eventhough there's the goddess barrier that protect us from random malignant wormhole" [Mira]

"It's still a theory though, strangely enough, there's no evidence that can be found" [Haliza]

"Meaning that there's not a single passage dating back to that time were found?" [Kanji]

"That's educational" [Thug A]

"The more you know" [Ash]

"I have this feeling that he himself just knows about it" [Haliza]

"Well, he is exceptionally quite just now" [Mira]

"Well, moving on..." [Ash]

(He changed the subject forcefully!) [Seo Ah]

As we discuss the infiltration route to be used, I suggest that we divided ourselves into a smaller group. Kanji and I will infiltrate the pathway, as for Seo Ah and the other, I ask them to search for the portal stone that might be left out. That way, we can work more efficiently. This is still being done in a secret as we don't want anyone, not even from the castle side to know about it as there might be a rat hiding among them, that's their help are really appreciated.

"So we will start here" [Ash]

"I think that's the best" [Kanji]

"I agree" [Mira]

"Still, just the two of them searching for the stones? isn't it dangerous?" [Thug C]

"I will put up a direct request to an adventure that I know. That way, we can ensure our safety" [Mira]

"Ohh, could it be his sister?" [Thug A]

"Your sister is an upstanding adventure" [Thug F]

"Why do you look at me like that!" [Kanji]

"Ohh, it never click to me that you're his little brother! She did say that she have a problematic little brother!" [Mira]

"It sure is a small world" [Haliza]

"Unbelievable..." [Kanji]

"Well, that take care of that. Next, how about I teach you about scanning magic, and the portal stone wave property" [Ash]

With that, I started to train them