The Unaware Atelier Meister

Nice to meet you.

My name is Rikuto.

I look forward to working with you.

This is man is our atelier meister!

Nice to meet you, I'm Kurt!

Yeah, I've heard about you.

Thank you for erecting such an incredible atelier for me.

I hope you'll continue to support my atelier as well.

Yes!

There's no way this man is the atelier meister.

Kurt.

Forget about the carriage and our luggage.

Please go prepare dinner.

Yes!

I'll whip up a feast!

Sina, take care of Akuri.

All right.

Akuri, let's go.

Yeah!

All right, Rikuto, Lise.

I see. So that's what's going on.

You already saw through it, huh?

I think you took your joke too far, Lise.

Good grief.

So it can create an illusion of a person that doesn't exist too?

Oh, but he does exist?

This man is what I envision a 20-year old version of Sir Kurt would be like!

It's from Mimico.

She says she'll come report on her investigation into Akuri three days from now.

The Unaware

ATELIER MEISTER

~A Common Tale About the Former Head of Chores for a Party of Heroes That Turned Out to be SSS-Rank in Everything Except Combat Skills~

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Lise's Confession

Well, don't give me such a scary look.

Our general conclusion

was that we don't know.

Huh?!

Hey, Mimico, you can't just say you don't know.

What do you actually mean?

Yeah, let me explain.

I did some investigation using the hair and saliva samples Yulishia took from that child,

but they were exactly the same as a human's.

However,

we extracted a faint trace of a substance similar to magic crystals from her nails.

Ones for spatial magic no less,

which is impossible to find in humans.

A spatial magic substance?

Yes.

We have records of spatial magic being used during the age of creation,

but now it's a lost magic that no one can use.

So this magic was lost in the distant past...

That's the magic substance we detected on her body.

Then does that mean Akuri's a monster?

We don't know that either.

We have absolutely no idea what that girl is.

She looks like a human, talks like a human, and eats food like one,

but she's not human.

I'm terrified...

that such a being is here in this atelier.

I think it would be best to use a sealing curse so she can't use teleportation magic anymore,

and then safeguard her in my research lab.

You can't.

May I ask for your reason why not, Kurt?

Are you afraid of me, Mimico?

Not at all.

Is that because you believe that I'll never attack you?

That's true.

You're like a friend to me now,

and I trust you.

My reason is the same.

When asking if you feel safe when you're with someone else,

it doesn't matter if they're human or not.

That girl went straight to the dragon hunter on her own.

I'm sure that's because she was worried about how the dragon hunter was still asleep.

Akuri has a kind heart!

I've never once felt scared or anxious when I was with her.

Akuri's staying with us!

I won't let her be taken away from us!

I'm in agreement with Kurt.

That, and Akuri already saved my life once.

Besides, if you didn't find any proof that she's a monster,

then we at least know she's not one of those, right?

I have faith in that girl, too!

Akuri is our precious daughter!

Okay.

I understand. Please take care of her then.

T-Thank you so much, Mimico!

All right, then next

we need to discuss that dragon hunter that attacked you.

Where is she?

Oh, right, she's in the storage room on the second basement floor.

I see.

Umm, Mimico?

Please don't throw the dragon hunter into prison.

Please.

Sorry, Kurt, but she's a demon:

the natural enemy of humans.

She'll be facing worse than prison...

Good morning.

How are you feeling?

Can you speak?

Warriors speak no more than necessary.

I see.

So you're a demon warrior.

So you speak like that as part of your warrior persona,

not because it's how you grew up talking?

It's useless.

There's a barrier sealing magic around this room.

Do you have any allies out there?

Answer me.

A loser obeys the victor.

Well, then in that case—

You're not the one who defeated me.

It was the boy, Kurt.

I'll answer his questions.

How are you feeling, young lady?

Not bad.

If not for this.

I'm sorry.

I've been told not to release you until we're done talking.

So if you'll answer our questions—

Hildegard.

Huh?

Kurt, you said her name. Hildegard.

Yes, I did!

I've been curious about her, too.

Who's that?

The daughter of a trader who often came to our village.

She was one of the horned folk like this young lady,

so I thought they might know each other.

Horned folk?

Apparently, that's what the demons call themselves.

A griffon...

Was she wearing a griffon crest?

A griffon?

Yes, she was!

Kurt!

I want to save Lady Hildegard!

Huh? What do you mean you want to save her?

Lady Hildegard

is being held captive beneath Margrave Taicone's castle.

No way!

How could he do such a thing?!

Yulishia, we need to save Hildegard!

Hold on, Kurt.

We can't guarantee she's telling us the truth.

It does sound to me like she's just trying to play along with your questions.

Huh?

If you wanted to save her, then why did you target Akuri?

Huh? You were after Akuri?

Not the dragon?

I was investigating the goals of the Margrave,

and the Margrave was investigating you all.

Then I saw it.

I saw the girl appear out of nowhere.

With her power, I could save Lady Hildegard.

You wanted to rescue Hildegard with Akuri's teleportation magic?

Kurt! Don't just agree with her!

There's no proof, is there?

That's right!

Take a look at my pendant.

Yulishia!

That's Hildegard's!

I received it from Lady Hildegard.

I stopped my spell

because I saw that crest.

I received my daggers from Hildegard too!

I'm not lying.

I understand.

We'll go save this Hildegard for you.

However,

you must remain here.

If you run away or die on us,

then consider that to mean Hildegard won't be saved.

Kurt, tell her that.

Young lady...

Please stay here.

Please!

I promise I'll save Hildegard.

Solflare.

Huh?

It's my name.

Yes, Solflare!

It's nice to meet you.

Akuri?!

Akuri, no!

We're in the middle of an important discussion!

I'm sorry.

What are we going to do with you?

Did you go fwoosh again, Akuri?

Yeah! I went fwoosh!

So that's it...

Mimico.

I know I said I would save Hildegard,

but as pathetic as it is, I don't know what to do.

Yeah, leave that to me.

This is everyone's problem now, not yours alone.

These are the blueprints of Margrave Taicone's mansion.

I'm surprised you managed to obtain those.