A New Path to Saroyan

Nina and Yuna, lacking any experience with model figurines, could only endeavor to reassemble the pieces, guided by their Young Miss’s familiar appearance and expressions from before her current predicament.

“Is this the left hand or the right hand?”

“As I’ve already explained, from your vantage point, it appears to be the left hand, but from the Young Miss’s perspective, it’s her right.”

“How can that be? It’s simply astonishing.”

“That’s because you two are sitting face-to-face; your orientations are reversed. Are you truly so dense?”

Whether Yuna was truly dense remained uncertain, but her inherent laziness was undeniable; it took her an eternity to properly align the hand.

“What next? Do we need to apply some of that slime adhesive?”

A shiver ran down Iordera’s spine at the mention of it.

While Nina had assured her that the slime adhesive was merely a powerful glue, the word ‘slime’ itself invariably conjured the most dreadful images in Iordera’s mind.

Just the thought of being coated in such a substance made her feel as though her very soul, pure and unsullied, would shatter.

“There’s no need,” Nina interjected, her voice a welcome rescue. “Simply align the pieces, hold them firmly together, and after a moment, they’ll set.”

“Such magic? Is that truly possible?”

Iordera remained immobile, yet a peculiar itching sensation at her wrist joint hinted at nerves actively reconnecting.

“Oh, it actually stuck!”

With a concerted effort from the two maids, all of their Young Miss’s disparate parts were finally restored to their proper positions.

Yuna, seated behind Iordera, playfully grasped her left hand and began to shake it. “Come on, Young Miss, move! Let that left hand do something!”

“Stop shaking it,” Nina cautioned. “What if you snap it off again?”

“But it seems our Young Miss can’t move at all,” Yuna fretted, her voice laced with genuine concern.

Nina bowed her head in deep contemplation. Their Young Miss was not human, meaning conventional human understanding wouldn’t suffice; instead, she needed to approach the situation with the logic of alchemical constructs.

“I see it now,” she exclaimed, striking her palm with a fist. “The Young Miss must have a faulty connection somewhere!”

“What are we to do then?”

“We’ll go find Andrew and the others. A few good hammer blows to the Young Miss should set her right.”

Hearing this, Iordera’s blood ran cold. Just as the words [Repair Complete] finally flickered into her vision, she swiftly parted her lips. “Don’t you dare! Don’t you even think about it!”

The two maids halted, turning back with expressions of joyful surprise.

“Young Miss, you’re awake?” Nina exclaimed, rushing back immediately to assess the situation.

“Oh, Young Miss, my dearest Young Miss!” Yuna wailed, dramatically covering her face as if overcome with loud sobs.

“Alright, alright, there’s no need for such theatrics,” Iordera said, sitting up and flexing her still-unfamiliar body. “Just let me rest for a moment.”

****

The afternoon slowly yielded to the official arrival of night. June Fort, which had seethed with fury throughout the entire day, gradually succumbed to a fragile quietude as darkness descended.

Yet, the unrest was far from quelled; the people were merely exhausted and seeking a temporary respite in sleep.

Iordera, having largely recovered, regarded the two maids before her and inquired how they had managed to find her.

“Didn’t you tell us, Young Miss, that you’d likely be found near the City Lord’s Mansion?” Nina responded. “So that very night, we hired a bodyguard from the mercenary guild to escort us there.”

Yuna pouted. “For such a short distance, that fellow actually demanded twenty gold coins. Then, after the explosion, he insisted on more payment, so we ended up giving him thirty gold just to reach the location.”

“Once he’d brought us to the vicinity, he fled, clearly unwilling to wade into the murky waters of the aftermath. Left with no alternative, we were forced to search for your body amidst the ruins,” Nina explained, offering a small smile. “Thankfully, we still remembered the Young Miss’s distinct features and expressions.”

Iordera, too, managed a wry smile. “So, you both returned after all, instead of making your planned escape.”

“Initially, we fully intended to flee,” Nina admitted, her expression earnest. “However, Yuna and I deliberated, realizing we might never again encounter a master like you—one who would permit us to simply idle away our lives without consequence. That’s why we returned.”

Yuna nodded in agreement. “And don’t forget, Young Miss still owes each of us a set of high-quality maid uniforms!”

A warmth bloomed in Iordera’s chest, leaving her unexpectedly moved.

“Buy them! You can have whatever you wish!”

However, such purchases would be impossible in June Fort. For the foreseeable future, it was unlikely anyone in the city would be conducting business as usual.

The two maids then gave her a brief account of the subsequent events.

The City Lord’s entire conspiracy had been laid bare, inciting widespread fury among those involved. All city defense guards were now universally reviled as criminals, their trustworthiness utterly shattered.

Members of the two prominent families had temporarily assumed control over a segment of the city’s administration, yet their efforts proved futile. The city’s inhabitants had completely lost faith in their home, and many who possessed the means were already making arrangements to depart.

Andrew and his companions, for their part, had already departed June Fort, retreating to their small town and leaving behind only a single letter for Iordera.

“So, when you mentioned earlier that you’d bring them over to give me a few ‘hammer blows,’ was that purely to frighten me?” Iordera demanded, her cheeks puffing out with indignation.

“Why, of course not, Young Miss,” Nina replied with an earnestly serious expression. “We were genuinely concerned for you and fully intended to travel to Hammer Town to summon the craftsmen ourselves.”

‘I believe you like I believe in ghosts’ (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning ‘I don’t believe you at all’). ‘You two sisters would probably be delighted to see me expire from sheer indignation.’

With a huff of exasperation, Iordera tore open the letter—

[To Iordera, personally:]

“Lass, we’re heading back home. Thank you for your assistance in locating that wayward junior of ours.

Though we remain uncertain of the full extent of what transpired, we are fortunate to have narrowly escaped disaster. It became clear to us all that we are, in truth, far from being true alchemists; we lack so much, allowing ourselves to be manipulated like puppets and almost bringing ruin upon ourselves.

We’ve all decided to return home and dedicate ourselves properly to smithing; the quiet town suits us best. Unless absolutely necessary, we likely won’t venture into the big city again.

June Fort is in disarray; you and those two girls should leave swiftly as well.

[—Andrew]

‘Hmm, that’s not so bad, is it?’

To have survived and returned home was, in itself, the most fortunate outcome imaginable.

During supper, Iordera formally announced her decision to the two maids.

“We’re leaving. Tomorrow, we depart,” she declared, idly biting the edge of her spoon. “We’ll take the teleportation gate, straight to Saroyan!”

Hecate had revealed that the secrets of her own origins lay hidden within the vast library of the Continental United Academy in Saroyan.

Her days as a jailer were now behind her; her next endeavor would be to apply for the position of a librarian.

“No problem at all,” Nina affirmed, then inquired, “So, we leave first thing tomorrow morning?”

Iordera pondered for a moment before replying, “Wait for me a little while. I need to visit one more place, and then we’ll depart once I return.”

“Understood.”

After dinner, once the two maids had finished tidying up, Iordera had initially intended to pull them aside for a chat, eager to recount her legendary adventures.

However, Nina and Yuna were already yawning incessantly, their sole desire to collapse into bed.

This time, it wasn’t a matter of laziness; they had spent the entire day painstakingly reassembling the figurine, and were genuinely exhausted.

“Very well, then go to sleep, both of you. Good night.”

Iordera, too, settled onto her own bed, closing her eyes.

‘Time to sleep, Zzzz.’

****

The following morning, Iordera rose and, for one final time, made her way to Prison Zero.

Upon her arrival, she found Sir Olcott in the midst of packing his belongings.

“You’ve come? There was truly no need,” Sir Olcott stated, setting down his luggage as he addressed her. “My term has concluded. A new Royal Knight will soon arrive to assume command, bringing their own personnel to take over.”

‘So soon? I wonder if this rapid change is somehow connected to the dramatic upheaval in June Fort.’

“Ah, well, I’m also preparing to depart. I came here hoping to see Heca… *cough*, to see the witch one last time,” Iordera stammered, carefully formulating her excuse. “After all, I’ve looked after her for quite a number of days.”

Sir Olcott considered her request for a moment before nodding. “Very well, ten minutes at most.”