It was mid-summer. At the center of the summer season, the summer heat also eclipsed, and Igni was relaxing in his dorm room to stay cool.

Igni: The coolness feels so good.. Igni enjoyed to his hearts content, the air-conditioning unit that was fixed by the maintenance crew. Sara was sleeping on his bed, and he carefully placed a hand gently on her head. Sara had her head on Ignis lap, and for now, Igni was her pillow.

Igni, Sara, and Yoori just came back from playing at the river. Well, Yoori wasnt that great at swimming, so they played on the rivers shore. And now, Sara fell asleep after a long day of playing.

Yoori: Saras Common Language has improved a lot. Igni: Yeah. Her violet hair was almost transparent as it flowed out across Ignis lap.

Yoori gazed at her hair as well as he smiled.

Yoori: I think its a good time to ask about what happened to her.

Igni: .........hm? Sara was trapped inside a crystal in the center of the [Demon Kings Realm] and slept there.

If what Abyss said was true, and she was the daughter of the [Demon King], the country will probably detain her.

The only ones who know about this are Igni, Abyss, and Sara.

But Sara has acted as though she completely forgot about the incident with Abyss, and Abyss has been spouting delusional nonsense in the [Underground Dungeon Labyrinth, so even if hes screaming that Sara is the [Demon Kings Daughter], no one would believe him.

Igni: Shell tell us when she wants to.

Igni spoke softly upon the girl who continued to sleep with her head on his lap.

He presumed that her past must have been marred with tragedies, and if she didnt want to talk about it, she either didnt want to recall it or would not be able to speak of it.

He could not tell which it was in this case, but the Ultimate Secret to Popularity No. 8.

A man who can accept a womans past will be popular.

No matter what her past was, Igni was determined to accept it all.

Igni: Yoori. <Hell probably arrive here shortly> so lets make sure we have everything.

Yoori: Okay, that will be good. But all we need are changes of clothes? Igni: Yeah, we can buy anything else we get there. And as soon as they were finished speaking, someone knocked on the door.

Yoori: Be right there

Yoori opened the door, and a elderly man with white hair stood there.

Hm? Oh, I saw you at the Tournament.

Yoori: YYes! My name is Yoori! It is an honor to meet you!!

Yoori bowed his head low at an amazing speed.

And that was to be expected. Before him was the [Extreme] of [Light].

The Wizard that all Wizards look up to.

With him before his eyes, stiffening nervously like Yoori is the normal response.

Lucas: Igni, are these two your companions? Igni: Yeah, Yoori.and this is Sara. Lucas: Hmm. I have heard the rumors. She apparently has an overwhelming amount of Magic Power..or such.

Igni: Right now, shes containing it with a Magecraft Artifact from the Empire, so theres no issue. And in case of an emergency, if Igni uses his Magic Power, Sara can provide him with the extra supply she has, so it would be better for Igni to stay close.

Lucas: Hm, understood. Then we should get going. Lucas spoke nonchalantly, and Igni held Sara in his arms.

Igni: Where will we fly from? Lucas: Outside. There is a nice open space close by.

And Lucas pointed to the space in front of the dorm.

It was the same location where Igni fought with Celia a few months ago.

Yoori: FFly? What do you mean? Yoori tilts his head to wonder at what Igni and Lucas were speaking about.

Igni: Its Grandpas Spell. You can instantly relocate with it.

Yoori: AA Teleportation Spell?! Igni: No, its not as complicated as that.

Lucas: Cmon. Hurry up and get over here.

Lucas interrupts Igni and Yoori who were speaking quietly to one another and pushes them to keep moving. The two held their luggage, and Lucas followed from behind as they arrived in the space in front of the dorms.

Lucas: Okay, now grab a hold of my clothes.

Igni: What about Sara? Igni looked at Sara who he held in his arms as he asked.

Lucas: You hold onto her. Do not let her go under any circumstance. Igni: ........okay. Igni responded briefly and began holding onto Lucas clothes.

Yoori, who was just as nervous, held onto Lucas clothes as well.

Lucas: Now, well fly. Their vision suddenly flipped upside down, and without realizing what happened, the dorm was now far below them. And as the dorm disappeared from view, the scenery rapidly changed as it traveled away behind them.

Yoori: ........aamazingthis is amazing Though Yoori was probably next to Igni, Igni could not see him.

He only heard Yooris voice.

That was the case because anything that currently touched Lucas had disintegrated to a molecular level, and they were traveling at high speeds.

Lucas: This is my Transportation Spell. Ive dropped the speed quite a bit so <it might feel a bit slow>.

But they soon saw the Owlight Territory.

It would have taken at least a few days by horse carriage to get this far.

But that scenery flowed far behind them in an instant.

Lucas: Light is fast.but a human cannot perceive traveling at that speed. Hence, why we had to reduce the speed.

Igni: Doesnt that mean youre just getting too old? Lucas: I might accidentally drop you.

As they bantered, they left the [Kingdom] behind and the [Empires] borders now lay ahead.

If you were to travel by land, you would have to make a wide circle. An ocean lies between the Kingdom and the Empire, so you would need to go by boat to take the shortest route. Thats why when Celia was taking Alicia back, Igni remembered hearing something about traveling by ship.

Igni: ...........huh?

Lucas: Whats wrong?

Igni: Hey, Grandpa. Were going to the Capital of the Empire, right?

Lucas: Yes, thats our destination. Igni: Then why arent we crossing the ocean? Lucas: We cannot cross right now. Igni: Why? Lucas: There are various circumstances are the moment.

Igni tilts his head as Lucas avoids answering his question directly.

But Lucas said no more on the subject.

And after a while, the changes in scenery began to slow down as they decelerated and

Lucas: We can see our destination now. Lucas spoke up.

Igni looked ahead to where they were heading, and they saw a giant circular shaped city. In the center was a castle, and as if to protect it, there were countless buildings surrounding it. Compared to the Kingdom, Igni thought he saw more tall buildings, but it could have been his imagination.

Their flight suddenly began descending diagonally as they headed to the Empires Capitals entrance. They landed in an instant, and instead of crashing into the ground, they were raised slightly upwards as their bodies materialized.

Sara: ..........huh? Whereare we?

Igni: Good morning, Sara. We just arrived. Sara woke up at a perfect timing as she gazed wide-eyed at the change of scenery.

You cant blame her for being surprised. She fell asleep in the dorm room only to wake up being transported to a place shes never seen.

Lucas: This way. Follow me. And following Lucas, they passed the main gate.

There were guards at the gate, but as soon as they saw Lucas, they withdrew.

As expected from the [Extreme] of [Light].

Lucas: I have already reserved the rooms at the inn. While at the Capital, spend your nights there.

Igni: Got it. Where is it? Lucas: Ill guide you there. And with Lucas, they walked the streets of the city, and Igni realized that it was different here than compared to the Capital.

Yoori: ...........hey, Igni. Igni: .......yeah, its amazing. Looking around, they saw many races <that were not human>.

Dwarves, Dragon Kin, andBeastmen.

Igni: (Huh? WHAT?! Are those real beast ears?! Cat ears?! ARE THEY REAL?!?!)

Seeing a Beastmen, Ignis excitement shot through the roof and continued climbing higher.

He was now filled with anticipation and hope of running into a Beast Race girl.

Lucas: Its here. If you show them this, theyll guide you to your rooms.

Lucas turned around to speak to Igni and the group as he handed over a note.

Lucas: Youll have to excuse me. I have to attend to something, and Ill be away for a while. Ill give you some money, so just use that to have some fun.

Igni: Work? Grandpa, youre working?? Lucas: Of course. What do you think I do?

Igni: I thought you were mostly bored all year around.

Lucas: ...........I work occasionally. Lucas let out a deep sigh as he handed Igni and Yoori money.

Lucas: Youll have to manage that girls money.

Igni: I know. And with that, Lucas disappeared into the crowd.

Yoori: IIgni, what should we do? Igni: Well put the luggage in our rooms and..explore the city.

Igni spoke matter-of-factly as if that was obvious.

Igni: (Its our opportunity to see a real life Beast Race Girl and her ears!!)

But following the Popular Mans persona, Igni held the thought secretly without letting it show in his face.