Tama came back from the Spirit World with news. Myon and Syon were kept in a Tanuki Lord's dungeon. The lord was one of Genji Danzaburo's rivals to ruling the Tanuki in the Spirit World. The Tanuki Lord gladly accepted the rebels from the fox spirit kingdom. Tama said that "He was only too willing to do me favors." Ichi got a shiver down his back when he heard it second hand from Rikya.
Still, when Ichi heard the situation he was raring to go. He wanted to talk to Myon and assess where he should go from there. His indecision over his feelings drove him to press onward. However, Rikya told Ichi that since there was a war going on between Tengu and Bakeneko for some reason, throwing rumors of sightings of darker than black golem entering a Tanuki Lord's estate would attract unwanted attention.
Rikya piloted Avalon to the outside of the Spirit Gate deep in the forests near the village. Oni departed to the Spirit World through the Spirit Gate to secure a route for them that would let them slip in unnoticed. Tama ended up staying at the Red Abbey, far from the castle. Fubuki heard from Ichi about 'the events from that night' and arranged Tama's lodging to prevent further incursion.
Rikya didn't want to admit it, but Ichi scared her. His overwhelming power and his dedication to her felt like they were too easily earned. Ichi was too convenient an existence for Rikya. Within a few days had made all long held plans of escape from her family come to fruition. She found herself enjoying Ichi's company as well, which only made her worry more.
She made sure her calm smile that looked like the still surface of a lake didn't ripple around him. She grew wary of the new situation she found herself in, and pieced together what she knew from questioning Ichi.
Avalon, a darker than black giant robot with a portal to a city hidden in a cavern hole in the cliffs of England. When Ichi gave Renya the title of 'Maid Knight', he gave her access to Ichi's needlessly abundant druidic energy. Renya used that energy to the fullest making Avalon, the portal to the cliffs of England, and her black domed lab where she set out to manfacture as many robot maids as possible.
The Red Abbey and the castle stocked full of grimoires in that cavern hole were already there - leftovers from Renya's family. If anything ever went badly for them, they'd escape to the cavern hole with the castle, forest, lake, and red abbey full of humble animal folk. It would be comfortable living. Renya's family were all killed by Myon and Syon, so they never got to experience the luxury they created. Their wealth went to waste.
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When she happened upon the castle library full of grimoires, and she began to study in earnest, hoping to find out more about Druids and the Spirit World before they went. All of this was too much. She felt like she won the lottery. Rikya could spend everyday free to study what she wanted, instead of whatever her family would tell her to study.
Ichi even stopped carrying around that strange sword he used in the fight against Scipio. Rikya got a bad feeling from it when she saw it in Ichi's sash the last time they talked, so she felt some relief.
Rikya would travel to the library every morning after eating with Ichi. Renya, for some reason, served her in a maid uniform, while Fubuki, an intense long grey haired maid, served Ichi.
Rikya would then go straight to the castle library, but inevitably the robot maids would seek Rikya out, dressing her up, having conversations that could last hours, offering trips to the lake to watch the monster there, talking about eating at Red Abbey with her. Rikya had enough.
Having only spent time around Tama and Satou since she came to the village, her heart pounded at all the robot maids talking to her. It was too much socialization for Rikya to handle. She pondered how to get the maids to stop bothering her.
One robot maid caught Rikya's eye. A tall robot maid with short blue hair and eyes that avoided Rikya everytime they met. Rikya felt that robot maid was strange- she couldn't explain why. All the other maids made excuses to strike conversations with Rikya or stand silently by while she was reading and annoy her with their presence. Rikya would have to figure out tasks to get the robot maids to leave her in peace.
Rikya eventually worked up the will to approach the blue haired maid and asked her to ward off all the other maids. The maid nodded almost imperceptibly, and before she knew it, the blue haired maid would follow her at a distance, intercepting all threats to Rikya's solitude at high speed.
The maid called herself 'Wavr' and spoke only when spoken to. Wavr was terse and distant, expressionless, she melted into the scenery wherever Rikya went. Rikya thought she was perfect.
The threat included Tama, who would sometimes storm the castle while drunk at all times of the day mumuring and drooling with her colorful outfit falling off of her body. Wavr would repel her in combat, which left a lot a damage for other maids to clean up. Rikya didn't know, but Tama tried to contact Rikya from the Red Abbey numerous times sending paper messages with magic only for them to be intercepted and crushed by the blue haired maid.
As her interest in Wavr and the surprising quality of the books in the castle's libray She wanted to know more about Avalon beyond "Ichi did it" but with Oni gone, Tama busy drinking at the Red Abbey, and Renya being shadowed by an unapproachable grey haired maid, she had no one else to ask except Ichi who was maid hunting and running off into the forest at random times of the day.
After five days, Rikya finally had it. She knew Renya knew something. She'd use Wavr as a shield to forestall Fubuki and get some answers out of Renya.