Perhaps because Xia Ye had only just arrived in another world, she developed enormous curiosity about all the strange and wondrous “people” and objects of this place, stopping and starting the whole way like a wide-eyed country girl set loose in the big city—and Mir didn’t stop her, so they wasted quite a bit of time.
By the time they reached the scene, the Captain was already directing the team to wrap up.
Bound in Magic-Sealing Handcuffs, Raji was currently in a state of utter bewilderment—he still hadn’t processed the fact that he’d been arrested by dozens of officers.
Don’t tell me I kidnapped some noble’s young lady?
The thought echoed in his mind.
His plan back then had been far too simple, with no specific target; he’d seen a girl in obviously expensive clothes and decided to grab her—yet the expensively dressed might well be nobility, a point he hadn’t considered at all at the time, showing none of the shrewdness he’d had back in the village.
Raji couldn’t figure out why he’d become so reckless.
Could it be…
Lost in thought, Raji unconsciously stopped walking, and then an officer behind him smacked him on the head: “Behave yourself—don’t even think about running!”
Raji had no choice but to give up thinking.
“Oh, kid, you’re here. That girl you know seems to have taken a shock—she won’t answer no matter how I call her.” The Captain greeted Mir as he walked over.
Asiya sat there in a daze.
After all, the ordeal she’d just been through had been far too much for her, and she couldn’t snap out of it for a while.
“Council President?” Mir tried to rouse Asiya from her crashed state, but it had no effect.
Asiya ignoring him apparently displeased Mir greatly, and he gave her a sharp flick right on that gleaming forehead of hers.
Flick!
Mir successfully rebooted the Council President!
The Council President used Ladylike Punch on Mir!
Mir attempted to dodge.
The Council President used Glare of the Gleaming Forehead!
Mir was blinded in the eyes and lost his chance to dodge!
Ladylike Punch landed successfully—it was super effective!
“What do you think you’re doing, you jerk?!” the Council President denounced loudly.
“I was checking whether you were still conscious in there.” Mir, crouched and clutching his stomach, declared righteously.
Whether or not it was his imagination, he felt Xia Ye seemed a little displeased with his behavior over there.
Asiya, who’d meant to keep arguing with Mir, also noticed the cold-faced Xia Ye at his side.
“And this girl is?”
“Her name’s Xia Ye. I brought her back from the Modern World. She just awakened her Psi-Spirit Energy, and I’m planning to take her to that old hag to get her enrolled.” Mir answered.
Asiya selectively ignored Mir’s way of addressing the Director and warmly extended a hand to greet Xia Ye: “Hello, I’m Asiya Skala.
I’m an elf.”
Xia Ye glanced curiously at Asiya’s pointed ears, then reached out her right hand to shake Asiya’s and gave a simple introduction: “Xia Ye.
Human.”
“Then I’ll—”
“Then this elf young lady can come back to the station with me to give a statement.
You too, kid.” The Captain, who’d been ignored for ages, rudely cut Asiya off.
“Ehh~ why do I have to go too?” Mir complained.
“Because you’re so practiced at giving statements, and you count as a party involved.” The Captain said in a tone that brooked no argument.
So Mir and Xia Ye, who’d only just walked over from the station, ended up right back at the station.
By the time the three of them came out again, the sun was nearly setting.
The whole way, Asiya kept explaining the various things of this world to Xia Ye, and Mir didn’t stay idle either—he bought a packet of ground pepper and tossed it around to amuse himself.
“Don’t be fooled by how most of this country is human-shaped creatures—actually, a lot of their true forms are bigger than houses. It’s only because of the rule laid down by Her Majesty the Queen that they keep human form. Because if creatures too large and too small live together, accidents happen all too easily. So for the sake of order, Her Majesty laid down this rule. This country is probably the only place where so many kinds of creatures live together in harmony.” Asiya explained to Xia Ye, who was curiously watching the passersby of all shapes and sizes.
“Then why do all these races study at one school?” The cold beauty’s grief over losing her family seemed to have faded quite a bit; her speech was no longer stiff.
“Because each race studies in a different class. Normally there’s no mixing—except for the class this Princeling is in.” The Council President, patiently instructing the newbie, jutted her chin toward Mir, who had carelessly tossed his ground pepper under the Phase Train.
“Is there something special about his class?”
“His class is a bunch of oddballs who can’t be taught by their own race’s methods. But apart from this brat, every one of them is a genius whose Psi-Spirit Energy has already reached C-rank. No idea how this guy gets along peacefully with those four monsters.” The Council President shot a look at Mir, who was sprawled on the ground trying to reach for the pepper.
“I’m curious too why that old hag stuck me in that class. My Psi-Spirit Energy may have reached D-rank, but in terms of nature it feels a whole tier below theirs. If I’ve got any other special talent, well—I guess I’m just a bit strong.” Though he claimed to be curious, he said it in a sulky tone, as if a bit resentful at being looked down on.
After failing again to grab the pepper by hand, Mir gave up on using his hand—and instead, with one hand, lifted the Phase Train, which was who-knows-how-many times heavier than a Modern-World train, and used his other hand to grab the pepper.
Yes—one hand, with none of the trembling that ought to come from hoisting something heavy.
Asiya: “…”
Xia Ye: “…”
“What race even ARE you?!” Asiya exclaimed in astonishment.
Mir hesitated, then answered: “Human, probably?”
“That makes no sense! Why are you answering my question with a question?!” The Council President felt exhausted just talking to this guy.
“Fine then, I’m one of the Dollfolk.” Mir said in a tone of utter certainty.
“What’s the Dollfolk? Never even heard of it!” Her stellar grades told her there was indeed no such race in all the knowledge she’d studied.
Mir didn’t actually know what he was himself.
The puppet body went without saying; the little-girl body had stayed looking about ten years old for three years now.
Even if a Psi-Spirit Energy user could stop aging at E-rank, it shouldn’t halt growth like that—the puppet body, at least, had grown to a meter seventy over these three years.
Mir plucked two strands from his mop of black hair, feeling not the slightest pain.