“The…criminal?” Robin asked, not understanding.
“To put it bluntly, the true mastermind behind this charade.” Briar smiled cheerfully, and looked at the fireplace. “Isn't that right? Mr. Disabled Dwarf?”
Disabled!? Robin looked at the fireplace in shock. “So it was you…Thorn.” She whispered. Suddenly light shone out from the edges of the hidden door behind the fireplace and then fell silent.
“Ah~ He ran away.” Briar said, sounding like it was a slight shame.
“You let him get away? The mastermind behind all this?” Jasmine asked, feeling upset.
“Oh? I said he ran away. I never said that I would let him off.” Briar’s smile persisted with an undimmed confidence.
“He is going to run and run and run. Every wall he hides behind will be of no use. Every safeguard he planned will be dashed to pieces. And when he finally can't go any farther, only then will he understand what it means for Robin to be protected by me as my younger sibling.”
“That's…scary.” Christian slightly recoiled in fear.
“Huhuhu~ You should be fine so long as you're not Robin's enemy~” Briar teased.
“Why Robin?”
“Because Robin is now my adopted sibling. Why? Jealous?” Briar snickered, leaning on Robin's shoulder, victoriously.
“No fair! Even though my parents adopted him first!” Christian played along, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “Frustrating!”
“There is one thing that I don't understand. Aren't elves supposed to not enjoy causing unnecessary suffering?” Jasmine asked quietly.
“Key word: Unnecessary. That dwarf has caused so much suffering to those around him, that at this point, there is not much that is going too far.” Briar responded just as quietly. She looked at Robin with a subdued smile. It was a smile that seemed to be apologizing for arriving late.
“It's not just Robin that he must repay, after all. There are humans and elves whose lives were destroyed. Moreover~ I’m not the one who will be doing it, after all.” Briar stretched. “I know someone who loves chasing after cretins like him. If he can come to regret his actions, perhaps his sentence might be better.”
“You marked him? How could you already have marked him without touching him!?” Jasmine asked, startled.
“Well, yeah.” Briar replied nonchalantly. “...it’s a secret~. Anyways, he’s already been marked, so there's nowhere he can go where he can't be followed. After all…he is still a mortal.” She paused, and looked at Robin. “Is…that okay, Robin?”
“...” Robin nodded. She didn't need to know the reason why that dwarf acted the way he did. All she knew was that she never wanted to see him again.
Christian watched from the side, his hand clenching into a fist.
“…oh! That reminds me. Catch!” Briar tossed a viewing mirror with a surveillance eye attached to it at Jasmine. Jasmine caught it after almost fumbling and dropping it.
“What are you doing throwing this around! Do you realize how expensive these things are!?” Jasmine chided, scared that she has almost ruined something so costly.
“They are?” Briar blinked in surprise..
“They may not be expensive to you, but researchers are always in need of money, so destroying this would definitely be a waste.” Jasmine said sulkily.
“Right. Anyways, everything you need concerning what happened just now is recorded on there, just so you know.” Briar shrugged. The evidence was enough to put away Aaren for a long time.
Briar kept back the finding of a familiar magic circle on the back of Magi Aaren's neck, since she had already included it in the recording.
…
After a surprise visit from two other Magi, the group was able to successfully leave the research center.
Outside, Robin looked at the sprawling metropolis before her and sighed. “Where are we?”
“Obviously, Ekkinshire.” Jasmine replied. “Even if it is on the the borders.”
“Okay….and where is the mountain path we were on yesterday?” Robin asked.
Christian pointed southwest. ”That way, about three months traveling back through that desert area.”
Robin groaned. “Of course it is.” She said.
“Why are you all upset?” Briar asked.
“Because It's going to take another three months to get back to where we were.” Robin said.
“Um…no it isn't?” Briar’s ears twisted. One swiveled back, and the other lifted up, in a display of confusion. She was clearly wondering why they wanted to take the long way there.
“Say, Robin, you remember what I said about my bowstaff, right?” Briar asked.
“Yeah. It was an heirloom, wasn't it?” Robin replied.
“It has a waypoint on it. And~ I left it back at camp.” Briar reminded her.
“Oh! So that's it!” Robin realized.
“Everyone hold onto Robin, and Robin hold onto me.” Briar chuckled. “Allow me to escort the hero back to our former location~” Briar said with a cheeky smile as she gave an exaggerated bow.
“Wait, what's a waypoint?” Jasmine asked the moment before they all found themselves back in the mountains.
“Forgive me, Magi Jasmine. That is for me to know, and for those who are not family or heroes to never find out.” Briar replied evenly. “It’s too easy to take something of convenience and use it for war, even if there's a watcher involved.”
Stella dropped down from the tree she was resting on.
“It seems you managed to rescue the hero” Stella giggled. “How does it feel being rescued for a change?”
“If people didn't need to be rescued anymore, then I’d be out of a job.” Robin joked. “Still, I’m glad we're back.”
Gerard was watching Robin, and being oddly quiet from a safe distance. “I-I’ll sit up front with the driver!” He exclaimed as he took over the spot Ponzu had been sitting in.
“That's perfectly fine with me!” Ponzu came out of the tent he had been waiting in with the guards near the carriage. “I wanted to talk to Teacher about some of these recipes.”
Robin looked at Gerard and felt apologetic. “Ah…I guess I spooked him with what happened earlier…” She sighed.”I do feel bad about that.”
The campsite was packed up and stowed, and the carriage continued on its way.
In the front of the carriage, Gerard looked through the small window at the front into the carriage where Robin was sitting. Robin and Ponzu were discussing something enthusiastically- probably baking or baking related topics. Gerard was doing his best to not be seen until the driver asked.
“Are you sure you don't want to be in the carriage right now? It's dangerous to be twisted around like that. There's nothing to tie you to your seat, so if we hit a large pothole, you could slip and fall off.”
“N-no! I'm fine!” Gerard twisted back around to face the front. But, after a short while, he started kicking his legs, thinking about something. A tiny face suddenly peeked down from the brim of his hat.
“Gerard?” Fairy Elise was curious about Gerard's strange attitude. He had been acting that way ever since he returned from the headquarters.
“What happened?” Elise asked. She hadn't been able to get close to the research center, due to several wards against pixies and fairies. So she had no idea what went on inside the building.
“....um..nothing.” Gerard turned his head, but Elise’s face was still in front of him, hanging upside down from the hat.
“If it was nothing, it wouldn't be bugging you.” Elise pointed out, teasingly.
“I don't want to talk about it.” Gerard grumped, feeling embarrassed about what had happened earlier.
“Oh. Well that's a bit different from nothing, isn't it?” Elise giggled.
Inside the carriage, Robin noticed that Jasmine was being unusually quiet.
“Jasmine, are you okay?” Robin asked.
Jasmine looked at Robin with surprise, and then…tears started trickling down her cheeks. “How can you be asking me that as if nothing happened? Aren't you angry at me?” She asked incredulously.
“Then, were you behind the slavery device that Magi Aaren was making? Did you help out by giving him money or providing him with materials for his work?” Robin asked.
“Oh, heavens, no!” Jasmine shook her head. “But-Ouch!” Robin flicked her on the forehead.
“Oh well done! If you didn't do it, I would have.” Briar cheered in approval.
“There's nothing to be angry at you for. You weren't behind it, after all.” Robin closed one eye. “I don't get mad at innocent people.”
“But…he was a Magi as well…” Jasmine pouted.
“No matter human or elf or dragon in a cave, all races have good and bad individuals. It's a given that not everyone is going to be nice…that's why, the good people are more cherished, since they are harder to find.” Robin shrugged. “That’s my take on it, anyways.”
Robin looked outside the window. “The world may judge you and find you lacking. But I am not the world. And the world does not know Jasmine the way I do. You are good enough, Jasmine, just by being yourself.”