Lisa introduced him as the new master artisan, which surprised Yulishia and made Core happy. The new teacher then introduced himself, claiming to be Rakudo. Kore also introduced him, and the teacher thanked him for building his special workshop, asking him to keep supporting it. However, Yulishia felt something strange and asked Kore to prepare food while she asked Senna to take care of Akuri. After that, Rakudo approached her in an odd manner, but Yulishia struck him, sending her foot through his body and discovering he wasn’t human. Lisa had created an illusion using Kore’s blade—an illusion of Rudo at the age of 20. After he disappeared, Yulishia received a message from Mimiko, saying she would come in three days to update them on the investigation regarding Akuri.
Later, at the workshop, Mimiko revealed that the investigation showed nothing, which surprised them. She explained that she had examined Akuri’s hair and saliva samples, which matched human samples perfectly, but found a trace of a substance on her nails resembling magical crystals—specifically, teleportation magic crystals, which shouldn’t exist in humans. This astonished Core, but Mimiko had records indicating teleportation magic was used in the world of creation, though now lost and unused.
This was the magical residue they found on Akuri, and Core asked if she was a monster. Mimiko couldn’t confirm anything, having no idea what she was. She acted like a human, but clearly wasn’t, and Mimiko was terrified by the existence of someone like her in the workshop. She offered to seal Akuri’s teleportation magic and keep her in her lab, but Core strongly refused. Curious, Mimiko asked why he was so firm. Kore then asked if she feared him. She replied no—he hadn’t harmed her, and she trusted him as a friend, which is why he refused. It didn’t matter to him whether someone was human or not if he felt safe with them.
He explained that Akuri had rushed to the dragon slayer because she was worried about him being asleep, and she had a kind heart. He didn’t feel fear with her and insisted she stay with them—he wouldn’t let anyone take her. Yulishia agreed, noting Akuri had once saved her life, and there was no evidence that she was a monster. Lisa added that she trusted Akuri a lot.
After that, Mimiko asked them to take good care of her, then brought up the captured dragon slayer and asked about her location. She headed there but was stopped by Core, who pleaded with her not to imprison the slayer. However, Mimiko viewed her as a demon and believed she deserved a punishment worse than prison. She proceeded and injected her, waking the dragon slayer.
Mimiko tried to talk to her, but the slayer responded that warriors only speak when necessary. This made Mimiko realize she was a demon hunter and that her reserved speech was part of her warrior persona—not something she’d always been like. A massive flame burst forth, but it didn’t harm Mimiko, who acknowledged it was a strong flare, though there was a sealing magic barrier in the room. She asked if the slayer had any allies, but the slayer refused to answer, saying only the loser answers the winner’s questions—and since Kore had defeated her, she’d only answer him.
Then Core and Lisa approached. When Kore stepped forward and asked about her condition, she expressed anger over her bindings. He apologized, saying he couldn’t untie her until she answered his questions. She then said the name “Hild,” surprising Core. Yulishia asked who that was and explained she was the daughter of a merchant who used to visit Kore’s village when they were young to play with him. She had horns, so she thought they might know each other. The slayer asked if Hild wore a griffon emblem. Core began to remember and confirmed that she did. Then the slayer pleaded with Core to save Hild, saying she was being held beneath Tyon Castle, leaving everyone in shock.
Core couldn’t believe that Tyon had done this, so he asked Yulishia to quickly save Hild. However, Yulishia was unsure if the dragon slayer was telling the truth and told him to calm down. She wondered why the slayer aimed for Akuri instead of the dragon. Indeed, Core was surprised that she targeted Akuri, but the slayer was investigating Tyon’s targets while Tyon was investigating theirs.
Suddenly, a girl appeared out of nowhere and used her powers to save Hild. Core believed her, but Yulishia said there was no evidence and asked for proof. The dragon slayer showed a necklace similar to Hild’s and stopped her spell upon seeing the emblem on Core’s dagger, which he had received from Hild. Then, Mimiko told the slayer to stay until they rescued Hild, warning that if she escaped or died, they would stop trying. Mimiko asked Core to convey this, and Core promised to save Hild. The slayer introduced herself as Sulfir, and Core greeted her excitedly. Suddenly, Akuri appeared, astonishing everyone.
Core asked Mimiko what to do next, but she reassured him that rescuing Hild was now everyone’s problem. They returned to the workshop where Mimiko showed them a map of Tyon’s castle and shared details about Tyon, his late wife, and their daughter who died last year. There was one room in the palace no one entered except Tyon, though they had seen him carrying food to it.
Sier and Mimiko’s guards had tried to open that room but failed. They said even a master treasure hunter would take a long time. Lisa suggested tricking Tyon by sending a false thief who would appear to use magic to enter the room, forcing Tyon to open it himself. They planned to use the upcoming 3-day Taikon festival as cover, traveling as tourists to meet the new artisan workshop teacher. Yulishia worried about leaving Core alone with Sulfir, so Lisa suggested taking Core along, saying they’d study the local market during the festival to learn about trends and goods quality. When the opportunity arose, they would rescue Hild.
They agreed, planning the rescue on the third day to keep soldiers busy. During the first two days, they studied the market and bet on who would take Core first—Lisa won on day one, making Mimiko and Sulfir feel disgusted. They then headed to Tyon’s castle by carriage. Rikudo asked if Aroki came too, but Core said he had asked her to monitor the workshop with everyone from Sakura and apologized, explaining it was related to Hild. Rikudo didn’t object. Knowing a noble and royal family member was imprisoning women shocked Core. He realized Rikudo was from the royal family, much to Lisa’s dismay. Rikudo asked Core to keep this secret.
At their lodging, Rikudo greeted nobles. Thisha asked Core to watch Akuri and Lisa tomorrow, as she would check on Tyon. Core offered to help Yulishia, but Lisa stopped him, saying studying the market was important and he shouldn’t leave Akuri alone but let her enjoy the festival with her father. Core agreed, wanting to make Akuri happy.
The festival began, and everyone enjoyed it. Lisa told Core about thornless cactuses being sold, a unique product that released sweet water when cut. They bought two, but Core didn’t get one for himself. Ay shared some with Core, who returned the rest to her. Lisa also gave Core some. After drinking, Lisa felt overwhelming happiness. When Core returned her cactus, she quickly drank from it and put it away. Core thought about discarding it later, but Lisa was annoyed and said it was a rare fruit she wanted to keep. They resumed enjoying the festival.
Core had attended festivals before but only guarded stables and supplies, never fully enjoying them. Now, he wanted to truly enjoy this one. Lisa held his hand, promising they’d make up for the times he missed. Core then played a balance game, surprising the vendor by winning many red beans. They continued playing, eating, and shopping.
Later, at a park, Lisa prepared to confess her love to Core. After their fun, she approached him, almost ready to confess, but Core was distracted, looking at the tycoon palace and thinking about saving Hild. Lisa sensed his worry but knew he wasn’t anxious—he trusted everyone’s promise to save Hild. Though not worried, he felt pain for being unable to do more.
Lisa reminded him he freed her from a curse, built a wonderful workshop, and that everyone enjoyed his cooking. Core felt anyone could have done it, but Lisa knew it was hard for others. Then, she confessed she loved him, shocking Core. She said she wasn’t the only one—everyone loved him. She mentioned Rikudo’s royal duty to save Hild, but it didn’t matter because they all loved Core and wanted to help him. They were saving Hild for his sake, not just the workshop.
This moved Core to tears. He told Lisa he loved them all and wanted to be useful. Lisa agreed, saying since they loved each other, they could work together and do what they each could best.
Then, Aory called Core, hungry. Lisa saw this as a chance to confess again, but seeing Core’s smile, she decided to be content with just that.
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