"I wonder what it tastes like…" MS Eli mused, floating above the biscuit.
"Your staff… has a spirit?" Ritta asked, stunned.
"So he's like… a household ghost?"
"Why, is there such a thing as a store‑bought ghost?" Andras asked.
"Of course there is," MS Eli replied instantly.
"They haunt the stores."
Ritta blinked.
"Can ghosts even eat?"
"Of course not!" MS Eli waved dismissively.
"But if I possessed Young Wolf's body, I could taste things through him. In theory."
"Let's not waste magic on nonsense," Andras said.
"Once we defeat Wildfire and the demons, you can try as many biscuits through my mouth as you want."
Twin Staffs, Ghost Logic, and a Two‑Hour Break
"And how did you trap a spirit inside your staff?" Ritta asked with cautious curiosity.
"Did you capture a forest spirit or something?"
"Professional secret," Andras replied.
"Exactly!" MS Eli snapped.
"Don't stick your nose into mage business, lady knight!"
"Alright, alright… I was just curious," Ritta muttered, shrinking a little.
Andras turned to MS Eli.
"Did you locate the other staff, Eli?"
"Yep," the spirit nodded. "Pretty sure Noelle located us too — she's heading this way."
"How far?" Andras asked.
"About two hours."
"Then we rest for two hours," Andras said. "Unless the demons attack again."
"Wait, hold on!" Ritta lifted her head.
"Noelle is coming toward us? How does she know where to look?"
"You didn't know?" Andras smiled.
"A good maid always finds her master."
"Thanks to the twin staffs," MS Eli explained in a slightly smug tone.
"The two identical magic staffs, carved from the enchanted core of water‑element giant slimes, can resonate with each other.
To put it in terms even a knight brain can understand: we call them twin staffs."
"Okay…" Ritta sighed.
"So we're just waiting two hours for Noelle to get here?"
"Yeah," Andras nodded. "I brought cards. Want to play?"
"The demons could attack at any moment!" Ritta protested.
"Eli will warn us," Andras said.
"We'll know about a demon attack before the demon itself does."
"Really?" Ritta's eyes lit up.
"Can you trap a spirit inside a sword too?"
MS Eli floated thoughtfully.
"Hmmm… if you embed the magic core into the pommel of the sword, then theoretically, yes."
"Right," Andras added.
"You just need the magic stone of a legendary magical monster."
"So basically only heroes can afford swords like that," Ritta concluded.
"I haven't played cards in a thousand years," MS Eli declared.
"I want to play too!"
Noelle's Situation — Where the Teleportation Wave Threw the Half‑Elf Maid
"A teleportation spell?" Noelle hissed as she looked around.
"Great. They separated me from Young Wolf."
"Noelle?" came the Princess's trembling voice behind her.
"What happened? Did the demons attack us? Why are we alone?"
"The demons' mage knows exactly what he's doing," Noelle replied.
"He even knew who I didn't want to be stuck with in a situation like this."
The Princess snapped her head up, offended.
"Are you implying something? Do you have a problem with me, maid?"
"Besides the fact that you can't fight and you're completely useless in battle?" Noelle asked coolly.
"You'll only slow me down because I'll have to protect you."
The Princess huffed.
"If you protect me from the demons and get me safely back to the castle, I'll reward you generously.
You'll get so much gold you'll never have to work as a maid again."
"There isn't enough gold in the world to make me quit being a maid."
"Alright, sorry!" The Princess raised her hands defensively.
"Do whatever you want with the gold then. Just protect me, okay?"
"I'll protect you from ordinary demons," Noelle said.
"But if we run into the Demon General, I'm leaving you behind and running."
"I'm well aware of the Demon Generals' power," the Princess sighed.
"And that they're hunting me. But the way you talk back to me…"
"What, you don't like it?"
The Princess blushed.
"Actually… it's not a bad feeling. No one ever dares speak to me like this. Not even Eris.
I wish she'd at least be a little more direct with me."
"Because you're in love with her?" Noelle asked as casually as if she were discussing the weather.
"Because I love her. I— WHAT?!"
The Princess slapped a hand over her mouth.
"How do you know that?! I mean— what are you saying? Eris is a girl.
A Princess and a Hero can only have a proper romance if the Hero is a dashing knight."
"Bullshit," Noelle said instantly.
"Love has no boundaries."
The Princess looked at her with sudden hope.
"You really think so? Do you think I have a chance with Eris?"
"As long as you can't bake scones and can't defeat at least one goblin on your own, no."
"And what if Eris likes delicate, fragile girls?"
"Fragile girls always end up dying in the arms of the one they love," Noelle shrugged.
"That's their fate. They're useless."
"Oh sure, because baking scones would totally fix that!" the Princess huffed.
Noelle and the Princess — The "Key to the Gate of Dreams"
"Aren't you hungry, Princess?" Noelle asked as she rummaged through her bag.
"I am… hungry. And tired too," the Princess sighed.
"Do you have any food or water with you?"
"Of course not!" the Princess snapped.
"Preparing lunch was supposed to be the hunters' job."
Noelle shook her head.
"Rule number one of being a maid: if you go into the forest, always bring scones, gingerbread, and water.
Also a hunting knife, a magic staff, and an Amorcap Elixir.
Though the last one is only necessary if you're alone in the forest with Young Wolf."
"In our kingdom, maids don't normally go into forests," the Princess muttered.
"And… what is an Amorcap Elixir?"
"You don't even know that?" Noelle sighed.
"The Amorcap is the key to the Gate of Dreams."
"A… key?" the Princess blinked.
"So your Princess‑brain can understand," Noelle began patiently.
"A few drops in Eris's tea before bed, when the two of you are sleeping in your room… and even the Hero won't care that you're both girls under the blanket."
The Princess's eyes widened.
"What?! You mean… such a miracle potion exists?"
"It's a secret brew," Noelle said proudly.
"Made from a secret ingredient that grows in a secret place in the Forest of Wolves."
"How much for this miracle potion?" the Princess asked, already halfway into her romantic fantasy.
Noelle thought for a moment.
"Hmmm… since it's your first time, and we know each other, I'll give you the first vial for half price.
Only 50 gold.
After your first exciting night, you'll want to order it from me by the chest."
"The first exciting night…" the Princess repeated dreamily, then nodded with determination.
"Alright! I'll buy it for 50 gold! And you'll get another 100 gold if I reach Greenwood Castle safely.