Arthur!
Welcome home.
How are your injuries? Are you okay?
Everything all right?
I'm so glad to see you home and safe.
I'm sorry for always worrying you, Mom.
#9 The King's Gratitude.
That should do.
Thanks, Mom.
Now, you're next.
Uh, but...
Don't be shy, now.
O-Okay.
A powerful Emitter,
and an AA-ranked adventurer, the former leader of the Twinhorns.
What's wrong?
I think I understand part of how you're so strong.
You've got an incredible pair of parents.
Right?
Right?!
I'm honestly jealous.
All right, we're heading out.
We'll be back.
Me, too!
Not today.
How come?
The boys need some time to themselves.
I wanna go, too!
Okay, let's go over today's quest.
What are our objectives?
Picking up my essential supplies.
And our conditions for finishing?
Staying under budget.
Sounds good, Elijah. I should've known.
And you're sure this is all right?
I said the same thing about getting into the academy,
but you're really doing too to much care for me.
It's fine, and only natural, considering you saved my life.
When you put it that way, I need to figure a way to pay you back, too.
If it weren't for you,
they would've found my corpse at the bottom of that labyrinth, too.
Elijah...
Okay then, how about you work for me until you die, then?
Hey!
I'm just joking. Now, come on.
Wait!
No, seriously, wait!
I don't know my way around town! Are you trying to get me lost?!
Here.
Looks like your injuries have healed.
Yeah. Sorry.
Don't do that.
Thank you for waiting until I was healed.
It's okay. This next quest is looking a little on the tough side,
so I'm better off going with you.
If you have something to say, you need to say it.
Could we wait a little bit before leaving? There's something I want to do.
Okay.
Are you sure?
Do you realize how long we've been in a party together?
It's obvious to me what my cute surrogate sister is thinking.
I can't see in front of me.
Okay, next is...
Arthur, this is enough.
Let's take a break, then.
I feel alive again.
Don't exaggerate.
Maybe you should carry some of this stuff, then.
Why not use your dimension ring?
Good point!
You can really be absent-minded at times, Elijah.
What do you like more: apples or pears?
Apples.
I think pears?
Yeah, I'd go with pears too.
I know, right!
Let's go.
Yeah.
Give me the info on Note.
Hey! Are you listening to me?
You bastard...
You think a mere guild head can oppose me?
With the three-kingdom alliance, the adventurer's guild
is now active internationally, accepting other races,
which has meant a tightening of our rules.
Do not assume that being a Wykes affords you the same privileges it once did.
What'd you just say?
You're not even an adventurer at the moment.
Do you really think I'll bow to the whims of a civilian?
Damn it! This isn't over.
Damn it, damn it, damn it...
Sir...
Making a mockery of me. This all his... Note's fault!
Calm down, please.
Shut up! We're heading back!
Yes, sir!
But what about Shiun?
Don't care.
Sir!
No pertinent information, it seems.
Jasmine Flamesworth.
A member of the Twinhorns, eh?
What's that?
It's not food.
But I'm hungry.
And I smell something good.
You mean this?
That's it!
Don't be mean! Let me eat it already!
That's not happening. I'm still studying it.
What I'm really stuck on is what to do with this.
Arthur, Daddy's calling you.
Okay. Thanks, Eleanor.
You're very welcome!
Jasmine?
Jasmine and the others are setting out.
This next quest is a fair bit away. I won't see you again for a while.
I see.
I expected as much.
This was bound to happen once I stopped being Note.
Arthur.
One last bit of training. Fight me.
Good luck, you two.
Don't lose, Arthur!
Uh, wait, why exactly are they fighting?
It's kind of an adventurer tradition.
No matter how much your mana core has strengthened,
there's more to a fight than that.
Mistakes in judgment and moments of carelessness can still cost you your life.
Even if you're AA-ranked.
The only way to truly take someone's measure is to fight them.
Jasmine, we'll put up a barrier.
Don't hold back, Arthur.
Are you ready?
That look in her eyes takes me back.
To the way she looked in those days when we would risk our lives,
fighting like warriors. Which means...
I'm going all out.
Understood.
Begin!
These two years as an adventurer have allowed me to hone my sword skills.
I'm still not on par with my past life, but I will show her how I've improved.
They're fighting in Jasmine's preferred range.
That'd be rough, even for Adam.
I wouldn't let her get that close.
Jasmine is really going for it.
I don't know about that. I think they're still getting warmed up.
I need to keep my distance.
She predicted what I'd do.
Good choice.
I wouldn't be so sure.
We ended up fighting in your range.
Making a mistake isn't a problem.
As long you know know how make up from the mistake.
That's how you manage to survive.
That's right.
I'm sorry, Jasmine.
But I don't think I can beat you with just a sword.
It's okay. Let's start using magic, too.
Arthur had told me about his mana core's growth, but this is still impressive.
And he's only 11. He's going to be a terror in the future.
He's way stronger than when I fought him before.
Thanks for that, Durden.
No problem. But we should maybe back up a bit more.
Wow.
She boosts her output at the moment of defense. That's a trick I can't manage yet.
I'll just have to pry her guard open.
Whoa, whoa!
Controlling that much fire...
That's as much fire as Lucas!
That's going overboard!
It's really impressive.
And definitely on par with AA-rank firepower.
She neutralized it.
How in the world?
By dispersing it with equal force.
She dispersed it?! But that seems impossible!
Jasmine is a Flamesworth,
the family that wields the most powerful fire magic in the kingdom of Sapin.
Fire magic? But...
She was born with an affinity for wind.
But that's the only difference.
She's still a member of the most powerful mage bloodline.
It's taken a toll on her self-esteem, but...
I'd say these two years with Arthur have been valuable for Jasmine, too.
What amazing wind.
I remember what you said the first time I showed it to you. Which is why....
I want you to get serious!
I already was.
Okay.
I'll use this next.
Touching her with my blade will mean victory.
She'll be forced to dodge.
So I have to press her!
Compressing air to block it without making contact, eh?
Don't repeat the same tactics.
She's predicting my moves. Nothing is working.
What do I do? What do I do?
I won't use that.
She didn't just teach me how to use a sword, but how to survive.
She gave me the strength I'll need to always return to the people I care for.
The fight's just getting started, Jasmine.
That's fine by me, Arthur.
It's just some powder.
Oh, no—
Oil!
I have you now, Jasmine!
What is this?
Did she really...
Don't worry. You won't die.
You'll just be numb for a while.
Okay. All the stops, then.
Not to win, or kill, but to survive.
She taught me what I needed to know to do just that.
So I have to win, to show her. By using everything she caught me...
Show her I'll be fine.
And that I can move forward on my own.
Jasmine!
You come up with the sneakiest ideas.
Just like how you taught me.
You've gotten stronger, Arthur.
Thank you.
Here, Jasmine.
A dimension ring?
Yeah. My thanks for the past two years.
Thank you.
Tell me about what happened when you get back.
Yeah. I want you to tell me about the academy, too.
All right. It's a promise.
It's a promise.
What's wrong?
This isn't like me.
I see them, and find myself projecting my own wishes.
What if he hadn't run back then?
What if I had been more forgiving?
What if, what if...
I find myself asking the same kinds of questions, but ultimately...
Say, Elijah...
Do you think the three of us could've become like them?
It's too late now.
I know.
But it leaves me feeling a bit sad.