“Sorry Alice, but not today. I have to first ask if it is fih everyone in the vilge as well as Agatha.” I told Alice as I was leaving. She had asked to e see the dhampir vilge with me and while I didn’t mind, I didn’t just want t her without any warning.

  “No, I uand. ime then. I was just really hoping to summon the dragon you gave me and I ’t do it here.” Alice said.

  “’t you do it in the practice grounds? They are rge enough, as long as you don’t actually fly with it. Also, don’t fet to train your skills. Even if you level them up with the cards I gave you, you will soon have a disect between your skill level and your actual skill, so make sure to practice.” I reminded her. I had already warned Alice of it yesterday, but the reminder is also tellihat training is something she could do today.

  “I will. I was just hoping we could practice together again.” Alice said.

  “Yeah, sorry. I just have too much to do. I’ll try to make some time so ractice together.” I promised her. I do need some practice myself as well. Otherwise I’ll never get telekinesis to the level I want.

  Okay, bad word choice. I literally get it to the level I want, but I meant being able to use it in the way I want. Mainly, being able to levitate myself with it. And maybe be able to float a couple of swords around myself while at it.

  “Good m.” I said as I picked up Agatha.

  “Good m. Are we going with that flying golem or taking this one all the way?” Agatha asked as she got into Overdrive.

  “We s after we get outside the walls. I ’t just summon Gradius anywhere. It is kind of big.” Even though Gradius doesn't really disturb the air around it and it take off vertically, I would still need a det space for the take off. “And since we ’t take Gradius when we e back, I think sing will be a good idea.”

  After all, Gradius only fit two people. Perhaps it is time for Laura to open up Rise of Destiny so I get a B.E.S. Big Core. I think it should be a rger ship, so I could fly with more passengers. I do worry a bit about the ters B.E.S. monsters have, but they should only be removed when they battle or use their effect, so it should be fine.

  We did as I suggested and sed Overdrive fradius once we were a bit away from the city and the trip through the sky went fine.

  “It is Lady Agatha and Mr. Summohey are here!” Anika called out as she saw us, even though I’m detly sure everyone would have spotted Gradius as we nded in the vilge.

  “Good to see you, Anika. Have you been good?” Agatha asked the little girl.

  “Yes! I’ve trained with Lua!” Anika answered.

  So they are already w orue blood magic. I don’t remember how long it took for Lua, but I think it was something like 5 days or so.

  (Actually, it only took her two days after she was cured.) Laura said.

  (... what, really? Holy god Lua is amazing.)

  (Yes, she is.) I heard a voice that I hadn’t heard in a few days. But it was slightly different. She no longer sounded just like Agatha, but instead a bit … younger? Well, I guess the slightly higher pitch makes me think of a younger voice.

  (But she did also have Vampire Lady for an afternoon before being cured, so you could also say it took her two and a half days.) Laura added some extra information.

  (... yeah. A half day makes all the difference. Like that would be the case.) I ented.

  (Iy of cases, such as your Monster Reborns, half a day be the differeween life ah.)

  (Sure, but we are talking about learning a new skill. Well, I guess this is more like evolving a skill. Shouldn’t that take at least a week?)

  (Depends on the skill and the individual. But true, usually learning a new skill takes between two weeks to two months.)

  (As I said, Lua is amazing. And I will take no more ents on that. And what about you, Lua’s system support? What happeo your voice?)

  (Mistress asked me to ge it slightly when she named me.)

  (And I also told you to stop calling me ‘Mistress’, but apparently that didn’t work.) Lua cut into our versation. Ahing I didn’t expect. I thought we were still in the instant messenger phase, where we had to say each other's names before sending a message. How long has Lua been listening in on anyway?

  (I haven’t been transmitting our versation, so she shouldn’t have heard anything except what her system support was saying.) Laura said.

  (Well, okay. I’m just fused. What and ’t other people hear? And is there some distance limitation to this? I just haven’t heard Lua’s system support since we left, so…)

  (We have no distance limitations.) Lua’s system support said. (But we tend to avoid excessive snooping.)

  (And she ’t actually hear us while we are in the factory.) Laura added. (So if you have anythiive, eak there.)

  (Now that yht that up, I would like to know more about that.) Lua’s system support said.

  (Brian, may I?) Laura asked.

  (Sure, I don’t mind.) I have no idea what Lua’s system support will do with the information on Different Dimension Factory and holy, I don’t care. But sidering what Laura do with it, I’d guess good things. Probably.

  “Mr. Summoner! You are wearing the neckce I gave you!” Anika noticed that I had put oone neckce she had given me. I do like it, but it isn’t something I want to wear on a daily basis, as I don’t want it to break. Sure I remake it with the dungeon, but it won’t be the same.

  “Of course I am. I really like it.” I said. I made up my mind about wearing it while I visit dhampir vilges. “Could you take me to where Ria is? I want to make sure she is ready to go.”

  “Yes. e.” Anika said as she took my hand and pulled me along.

  “This is big sis Ria’s house.” Anika said after she took me to a house that looked like… well, like any other ‘house’ in the vilge. It does have four walls and a roof, so it is a house, but still. I wish I had carpenter mohat could build new buildings. Or maybe I do and I just don’t remember.

  “Thanks, Anika. You should go baow. I think Agatha is setting out the fresh blood and you go have some.”

  “Yes.” Anika said as she ran off towards the town hall.

  I knocked on the door of the house. I didn’t hear an answer, so I knocked again. Still, no answer.

  “Ria! Are you in there?” I called.

  “Eh! What? Who?!” I finally heard a response. A few seds ter the door opened and Ria, not so well dressed, was standing in the doorway. At least she had a shirt on, so I couldn’t see her top half, but her underwear was out for me to see. “Oh. Brian. Hi.” She said, not even thinking about how she looked.

  I turned my head to not stare and said: “... you might want to cover up a bit more…”

  “Why? Isn’t this good? I have a shirt on.” Ria said.

  “... you might need some pants. Or at least a skirt. I don’t think the gate guards are going to let you into the city dressed like that.”

  “e on. You could at least look at me…” She pined softly.

  “Put the skirt on and I just might. If you wao look at you naked, you o start with all of your clothes on and strip.”

  “Oh? Thank you for the intel.” Ria said before closing the door.

  …. okay. What was that? She definitely did that on purpose. No way that was an act. But why would she try to fsh me? And why did I say what I said afterwards? I mean, it is true, but I usually wouldn’t say something like that.

  (Are you sure about that?) Laura asked. (In my experience, you are quite liberal in what you say and often say things befretting it ter.)

  (... do I? I feel like I don’t. Or at least I didn’t use to.)

  (As long as I have known you, you have often said what is on your mind.)

  … well, if Laura says so it must be true. But I still feel like I didn’t used to do that. When did it ge? When I came here? That has to be it, right? This Laura has known me as long as I have been in this world, so that has to be it, right?

  “Is this better?” Ria asked as she opehe dain. She now had some sort of near skintight pants on and a skirt over them. I guess I could call her pants leggings, but they aren’t made of tricot, like the leggings I know. Well, who really cares? They cover her up, so that is good.

  “Yeah. I think that will work. Have you packed everything? Are you ready to go?”

  “I packed what I could, but my bag doesn’t fit everything.” Ria answered.

  I looked past her and saw a fully loaded backpa one of the two beds in the building.

  “Oh. I see. Do you want to borrow a magic bag?”

  “No. I could never ask you to lend me something like that.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s basically empty anyway. I only carry it around because I need a pce to put monsters I hunt. I carry most of my stuff in a different magic bag.” I said as I took my backpack off and ope. It only had my tent, sleeping bag and travel pelts inside, so I took them out and ended up tossing them into my iory, as it is a good pce to have that stuff.

  “... where did you just put them?” Ria asked.

  “Item box. I learhat skill yesterday and haven’t had time to move my stuff into it yet, so I just moved the st pieces from the bag into there.” I said. I don’t know if Ria knows what an item box is, but there is a much better ce of her knowing the item box thara version iory, so I said item box.

  “Isn’t that like a really rare skill? you even learn a skill like that?”

  “Yeah, you should be able to learn it, if you know how to study it.” I answered. Laura did say we could learn the skill naturally, so it should be possible.

  “Then, do you know how to learn it?”

  “No. Well, I do, but still no. I use a special method that you ’t use, so even if I tell you, it won’t help.” After all, only I perform installs, so even if I tell her I just installed a card, that won’t help her. “But you use this bag for a while, as I don’t at this moment.” I said as I gave her the magic backpabsp;

  “Thank you.” Ria said before taking a look at the inside of the bag. “This thing is huge. I easily fit everything.”

  “Good. We will leave after lunch, so pack up quickly.”

  “I will. I’ll e to the town hall as soon as I’ve packed.” Ria said, as I left her … house. Yeah, that still isn’t a house. A hut maybe, but not a house.

  “Hi Lua. I bother you for a sed?” I asked as I caught Lua iown hall.

  “Sure, I’m not doing anything. What is it?”

  (Lua, it is something a bit more private. we go into the room I slept in st time?) I asked her through our system link.

  “Ah. I uand. Sure.”

  We ehe room and Lua locked the door.

  “So, what is it?”

  “I think you know. I want you to introduce me to someone. I heard you named her and I’d like to know her name.”

  “Ah, of course. Her name is Maria, or just Mia. Mia, say hi.”

  (Hello again. Please just call me Mia.) Lua’s system support said.

  “Well, hello Mia. Wait, should I do it like that or inside my head?” (Hello Mia) I added a sed greeting.

  (Either is fine.)

  “Okay. What about her voice? Why did you ge that?”

  “Just makes things easier. I don’t know if you ever lived with a person that sounds like your system support, but it get fusing.” Lua said.

  “Uandable. What about your system mission? Have you gotten anywhere with that?”

  “Yes. Most of the dhampirs here will learn in soon. I think Ria will only take a day or two, so could I ask you to help her with that.”

  “Yeah. Of course.”

  “Thanks. But I think I teach everyone befets deemed stable, so ohat is done, we move onto the vilge.”

  “Yeah. I also have something in 26 days, so I ’t leave before that. I was io Earl Sawyer’s 60th birthday party and it kind of doubles as my debut party as a noble, so I have to take part in that.”

  “Eh? Well, you are a noble, so of course you would be.”

  “Well, teically I haven’t been nominated yet, so…”

  “Doesn’t matter. The thing on your arm is the proof.”

  “I could just be a dungeon master, not a founder.”

  “You could. And I could say I am a noble while not actually being a he difference is that your … thing acts as some level of proof.”

  “It is a dungeon founder's terminal, in case you wao know.”

  “Holy, I didn’t. But thanks anyway. I’m more ied in that other mode it takes when you summon multiple monsters.”

  “Me too. I would love to recreate that so I could give you, Alice, Alex and Christina one. Would probably help you all a lot.” Well, Christina has her own terminal, so there is a ce she will be able to unlock a bat mode on it. And that bat mode might be a duel disk of some kind.

  “Yes, it would. Having to hold onto the cards get difficult if I o do something while I have two monsters summoned.”

  “Yeah. It was difficult for me as well, before I got my terminal.”

  …

  …

  “e o’s go back. My mother brought some of that … blood cooking you talked about st time and I want to taste it.” Lua said, as our versation had clearly ended.

  “Sure. I also have something I want to try in terms of cooking, so this might get iing.” I said as I followed Lua out of the room.

  nro_8