Chapter. 32

"Oh, so that's how it is," answered a young voice Laila had not heard, and she frowned. Kurumi's voice sounded familiar, but it didn't sound like hers. 'Since when can she sound so soft? Or do we have a guest?'

Quietly, Laila opened the door to the bathroom and slipped inside. However, her ears remained alert.

"You really managed to miss the spectacle at the harbor?" asked Kurumi shortly before Laila closed the door, leaving it just a crack open. "The fight was brutal. I thought the shock waves could be felt even inside the city."

The door clicked softly. Laila laid her fresh clothes on a small white stool beside the sink before turning on the shower and washing the sleep from her face. The pipes rushed and rattled. Except for the splashing water, she could hear no more.

The cold water touched her skin, and Laila could feel the tiredness leave her body. Relief overcame her, and any worries were flushed down the drain as the night still slumbered hazily before her eyes, almost like a nightmare lurking tirelessly over her horizon. A heavy feeling sat in her chest and throbbed painfully, like her exhausted muscles.

'Oh man,' she thought and was surprised herself as a warmth spread through her. 'It feels strange to have someone who cares about you,' she thought, remembering the flowery rose embrace.

The warm water flowed over her outstretched hand, and she watched it slowly disappear down the drain. While Laila occupied the upstairs bathroom, the pause between the two women lasted only briefly. On Kurumi's lap, a small brown cat sat, her fingers running through its fur in delight. The fluff was soft, almost addicting. Across from her, a young lady with silver-white hair made herself comfortable in an armchair.

"She slept shorter than I expected," Kurumi said as her eyes fell on the slumbering cat.

"She normally sleeps until noon?"

"Actually, no. I just had my worries. Even if she is living in Magus society... She is by no means ready. I hope she doesn't hate me for throwing her under the bus, but I think it was necessary."

The girl just smiled as she remembered her past. The circumstances were no different back then when she was unknowingly tossed into another world. However, she had never let it drag her down. After all, she was one of the 12 sages, the shining pillars of their Kingdom.

"She has my condolences. Your days sounded very hectic; I am not a big fan of that."

Kurumi, on the other hand, did not answer but continued to look after the purring cat. Until now, she had hoped that Laila would not lose her courage completely, but she could only be sure when she saw Laila.

After a while, the floor rumbled, and the shaking pipes fell silent. Laila dried her skin and threw the towel over the stool before slipping into her clothes. A pair of jeans and two shirts to keep her warm in the winter cold. With one movement, the door opened, and only briefly could footsteps be heard on the stairs. A curious figure glanced around the corner and instantly paused on the stranger.

"Slept well, my dearest?" Kurumi asked, to which Laila nodded.

"We have a visitor?"

"She was here since you were sleeping. May I introduce this delightful little woman; you could call her my Master or Laila if you prefer."

"Nice to meet you. I am Mira, a noble and magnificent Servant of the Summoner class," she introduced, puffing out her chest.

"Ehm... And where is your Master, if you don't mind me asking?" asked Laila quietly.

"Oh, I don't have one."

Without warning, Laila's face froze like a computer that had crashed; her jaw hit the floor, and one could only speculate whether she understood what words were coming out of Mira's mouth.

"But... then how did you get summoned?" This time Laila's voice gained strength; she would have been shocked by herself. But her curiosity broke through the usually restrained wall. From the understanding Laila possessed, such a thing should not be within the realm of possibility, yet living proof sat before her. Uncertainly, her gaze drifted to Kurumi, who only reassured her with an amused smile.

"She is indeed a Servant; her circumstances are especially similar to mine. However, she seems to be her own Master."

As if both women had planned, Mira raised her left hand. Three red question marks rested etched on the skin.

"Huh, but how is, how is that possible? A Servant shouldn't even be able to possess command spells..."

"Fufu, shocking, isn't it?" poked Kurumi. "But before we puzzle over this phenomenon any further, I would rather focus on other topics. Of course, you can eat first, but I would like to have your full attention, my dearest."

Suddenly, Laila felt her body grow heavy. 'Please, no more hellish training. I can't take another day like this. Or is this going to be a lecture on what I did wrong?

Meanwhile, Kurumi shook her head as she saw the intense look only Lilas's face.

"It's about the church. A meeting has been called, to which all Masters have been invited. Accordingly, you would also be obliged to go there. However, I don't believe it's a wise idea."

Kurumi, of course, was referring to the incident with Assassin, whose Master sought shelter inside the church. How could she, as a servant, put her Master in such a dangerous position?

"But why? If there is a rule change, we must find out about it. Otherwise, we run the risk of breaking them," Laila replied.

"You and your rules," Kurumi muttered, shaking her head.

"She's saying she doesn't trust the church," Mira interjected. She had only been listening so far but now decided to speak up, much to Laila's dismay.

"We both suspect that the church is working with other masters; however, we have no concrete proof."

"But the church is neutral ground... Why?"

"Because it's a war," Kurumi interrupted. An audible shock came from Laila's corner, and she looked down at the ground. As Master, Laila was in a position where she was dueling with others for the Grail. She had never thought about breaking authority, and it never occurred to her that other Masters would break them for selfish reasons.

"That means we keep a low profile?"

Kurumi nodded. "I apologize, but as you could already know from the summoning, someone in the background is pulling the strings. Until we can come up with something more specific, I consider any strangers enemies."

Laila widened her eyes and briefly drifted over to Mira but paused when she caught sight of a beaming face. 'I can trust her if Kurumi brought her here, right?'

"So, what do we do then?"

"For now, nothing, my dear. We observe the situation. If I learn anything, we'll adjust our plans."

"I agree," Mira interjected. "I assume important information will be revealed in the church, but the risk is too high. We are not typical Servants and probably not welcome in the House of God."

After Mira had finished, she put her right leg over her thigh, as if proud to have spoken, and reached into the empty room with her right hand. Laila could not believe her eyes when suddenly a bottle of apple spritzer was in her hand.

"Where did you get that drink?"

Mira also frowned in confusion, as if the question itself was ridiculous. "From my inventory. Where else? But I'm not giving you anything! I am low on stock myself."

Kurumi, meanwhile, shook her head. She had only known Mira for a short time and found her easy to talk to, even if she proved stubborn at times.

"If you're done wondering, I'd like to talk about something serious now."

Having already spent the morning with Kurumi, Mira immediately understood what it was about. She jumped up from the couch and moved through the sliding door into the garden. The bright light only filtered through the slits as the door closed behind the cat.

"How about you sit down first? You have stood since you came down the stairs."

With that request, Laila made her way to the couch, but despite that, she kept her eyes on the closed patio door as if she expected an ambush at any moment.

"You can trust her. She didn't even know how or why she was summoned. But if you don't want to trust Mira, then at least trust my judgment, my dearest."

"Just like I can trust you? You left me alone with that dark figure yesterday."

"I apologize; I have been hard on you, haven't I? But it was necessary."

"I know..." replied Laila. A dark shadow crossed her face. She had felt betrayed, and yet she couldn't blame Kurumi.

"Are you all right? You still look like you have something on your mind. If something is knocking you down, feel free to talk to me, my little princess."

Laila was not one to find pleasure in talking about her personal affairs, and Kurumi expected attempts to steer the subject away. She hesitated for a moment, but the concerned-sounding words came through, much to Kurumi's surprise.

"Why?"

"Why, what?" asked Kurumi, throwing her leg over her right knee before leaning back in the chair as she waited for an answer.

"I don't understand. Why do you go to such lengths to help me?"

"Isn't that the job of a Servant?

But Laila shook her head. The conversation was odd.

"You are a spirit, or rather, a heroic spirit. Something I should have no power over without a command spell. And yet you stand by my side, fight for me, and get me a safe place to sleep in peace. These are all things that a master should be responsible for. That I should take on..."

"Master or Servant doesn't matter. But unlike me, you are not ready for the story ahead... But that's no big deal, Laila. Something has interfered with your life. And even though you still bear a great burden now, I am proud to have had you as my Master. You gave me something I thought I had lost forever."

Laila was silent. She had suddenly become woozy. The words echoed in her mind, yet she could not think clearly. She was moving in uncertain waters, but instead of fear, something spread through her that she had never known before.

"Then... do you like me?" asked Laila, casting a glance upward. Then she felt something warm on her shoulder, and a white hand protruded from the pocket dimension behind her.

"You will always be my little angel," Kurumi said, waiting a moment before continuing. "However, we still have a lot ahead, and we won't be able to avoid your training."

A slight grumble could be heard at the mention, but Laila said nothing. She didn't need to be told that her fighting skills were lacking.

"You know," Kurumi said as she stood up. "You look a lot like my friend. You both have a radiant smile that rarely comes out and an innocent way of seeing the world."

She reached the couch where Laila was sitting and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"You have slipped into a catastrophic situation just like her. The least I can do is prepare you. For what the war has to offer and what is to come. At least I would owe that to my friend after I failed to see the truth in time."

Only with difficulty did Laila manage to process what had happened. She could only smile. Never in her life had anyone shown concern for her. Neither her father nor her mother cared, but suddenly the feeling of taking someone in her arms arose in her, and although she fought against it at first, the moist eyes brought her closer to the soft dress, and she hugged Kurumi.

"You're doing well so far."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you; be proud of that."

"But," Laila replied, lowering her head. "I'm not a warrior. I'll only be a burden to you again, won't I?"

"You're right; you're not a warrior, but I never tried to mold you into one. It's enough for me if you can stand on your own two feet and fight back in an emergency."

Laila nodded in understanding but said nothing. She didn't know if she should have answered at all. Then a dark shadow fell over her face. 'But isn't it the Master's job to fight alongside the Servant...'

"You're still worried, aren't you?" asked Kurumi. "It's only natural to fear, and it will never completely go away even after thousands of conflicts; the feelings will be grueling. Fear, pride, regret, and even hatred: In a fight, there is never a winner. I would be more worried if you were unfaced. But what is it that specifically worries you?"

The last few days had been incredibly fractious. But the darkness still hung like a veil over her thoughts, and Laila had difficulty thinking about yesterday's events. However, she had to admit how pleasant it felt to be able to talk about it with someone. The fear that Kurumi would turn her back on her was gone. Instead, she heard only trust. 'I don't have to close myself off; she will listen to me, or she wouldn't have asked.'

Kurumi, seeing Laila's changing expressions, patted her on the head like a little cat to reassure her.

"I don't know," Laila finally began. "When the disfigured man cornered me, panic set in. I didn't know what to do. Would he kill me to win the war? I saw nothing in his eyes; he looked like a corpse. The dark alley was cold, and no one was there to help me..."

"You are not alone. And I'm sure you'll get through this. Have I ever let you down?"

"Yes," Laila replied, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. "Yesterday."

"All right, I suppose I deserved that. I know it was sneaky, and I can't claim to be an expert, but I'd rather throw you in a controlled situation before the war explodes than let you fight unprepared."

Kurumi jumped up and whirled around. "But there is one more thing we need to discuss."

Slightly surprised and maybe a little confused, Laila turned her head. 'What is she talking about?'

"If I remember correctly, you promised the man yesterday that you would save a child and bring it back to the family."

"Ehh..." Laila grunted as her thoughts jumped into high gear. And even though the memories were only slowly penetrating through the veil, she had to tremble slightly.

"You haven't forgotten already, have you? As a self-confident adult, you can't just break promises, my sweet princess," Kurumi said. Her warm smile had suddenly turned into a nasty grin. Laila swallowed; she was going to be dragged along whether she liked it or not.

"Ehm, so I only said that under fear of life," Laila replied in an attempt to escape. But she knew Kurumi well enough. She would not get off that easily. In that respect, she was like a demonic sponge, soaking up any possibility of growth.

Kurumi shook her index finger. "As an adult, you have to be true to your word and take the consequences in case of an emergency. Besides, it's good to have responsibility."

"But..." stammered Laila. "We're not just talking about any Magus family here. The Matous are part of the founding family! I'm just a small fish. After the war, they'll crush me like a pea."

"Then I guess we'd better plan this out."

"You can't be serious..."

"There is one more thing we need to discuss, though."

Slightly surprised and perhaps a little confused, Laila turned her head. 'What is she talking about?

"If I remember correctly, yesterday you promised the man you would save a child and bring it back to its family."