Kalina Arswell held a very unique position within the religion of Lancetism. It was a religion that had cropped up after the era of the Lancets had passed, and it purported that they were all divine beings. Gods, demigods, children of gods, reincarnation of deities, mortals that had ascended, claimed divine power, there were many, many sects. There were sects that believed only certain members of the Lancets were gods, while others believed they brought on the Mana Emergence to punish humanity for forgetting them. But there was one thing they could all agree on.

  The act of Regression must have been a divine miracle. Shial Park, at least, must have been divine. He descended onto this world with a halo, manipulating the timeline as he saw fit. If he was not god, then god did not exist.

  Personally, Kalina wasn’t a believer that any of the Lancets were divine. She believed they were normal humans who rose to the occasion, gathered by a regressor with dreams of happiness. Regardless of what she thought though, it didn’t change the fact that according to the religion, she would then be of ‘divine blood.’

  Which was the reason why she was preaching, rambling really, to a church of devout believers. She was even wearing a nun habit.

  “Deirdre Arswell, my great ancestor, found Shial Park to be a feckless man at first. He had appeared in her lonely abode one day and asked a woman nearing the end of her lifespan to join his cause,” Kalina spoke.

  The crowd of people listened intently to her words. The amount of people made her a little nervous, but she had faced a crowd larger than this during her appointment ceremony. Compared to the sheer pressure she felt then, this was nothing.

  “Deirdre Arswell had lost every member of her family in the Mana Emergence. For some unknown reason, perhaps divine will, she alone was left alive. Her children, her grandchildren, they had all left her side, leaving this aging woman truly alone.”

  The children nodded along to her speech. This gave her the courage to continue.

  “She retreated into her home and used her Barrier Aspect to barricade herself off from everything. She decided she would spend the rest of her days in her home, slowly wilting away. Shial Park broke her barriers to recruit her, and she didn’t know it, but he and the Lancets would fill the hole in her heart.”

  “Thank you very much, Kalina Arswell for your time today!” The priest practically dashed up to her and clasped her hands. “I didn’t know she had such a low opinion on the Regressor. This must be a story passed down through your family bloodline. Ah, I can’t even imagine being told this as a bedtime story!”

  ‘I’m adopted though…’

  “A massive applause for the 2nd Hour please! Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to preach to us. We ever appreciate your service.”

  The preacher shook her hand very enthusiastically. Kalina kept a strained smile as she shook hands with each one of the masses. She wanted so badly to go, but this was all part of the job. She was the 2nd Hour after all. One of a handful of people who carry on the will of the Lancets. That, alongside her status as an Arswell meant she was… probably the most divine out of the Hours?

  If they knew she was this era’s Major Time Aspected, or even that it was possible, she would probably have been swamped by them. It was a very good decision by her granny to keep that a secret.

  It took a shorter time than expected to finish shaking the hands of every person in the crowd. A few of them gave her gifts which she placed into her dimensional storage ring, which was nice of them.

  To be honest, this wasn’t such a bad time. Seeing the faces of the people she fought to protect so happy filled her heart with warmth. If days like these would continue on forever, she would be happy.

  After a few more thanks, Kalina could finally leave the church. She turned back to look at the beautiful building one last time before she got down to work.

  “Yo.”

  “Eh?” Kalina was brought out of her thoughts by a man who stood next to the church doors. It didn’t take long for her to recognise him.

  “Oh, you’re that boy with the angry little sister. Is it Machia?”

  “Angry?” Machia almost burst out laughing. “Pfft, yeah, you’d see it that way.”

  “Haha. I suppose you must have watched me preach?”

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  “More of rambling, wasn’t it? I checked in a bit, but I already knew everything you were saying.”

  ‘Knew? Ah, well, it’s not like granny thinking Shial Park was feckless is a secret or anything.’

  “You’re studious. Did you wait outside for me?” Kalina had to ask.

  “I just had to…” Machia’s cheeks turned a little pink. “I just wanted to say. You look cute in that nun habit.”

  “Why, thank you,” Kalina curtsied a little bit. “But I know you aren’t here just to compliment me, right?”

  “Got me. My entre squad’s here for a few missions actually. You have any info on Chimaera? Or Monster King?”

  “The names ring a few bells, but I’m not investigating that at the moment, so I won’t have more information for you in the future.”

  “Maybe,” Machia began, “I can jog your memory? Over a meal?”

  “O-oh…” Kalina’s cheeks turned as red as a beet. “I didn’t expect you to be that bold.”

  “Sorry, sorry. It’s kinda hard to ask someone out for dinner. Especially when they’re the one that owes you.”

  “I didn’t forget that. I’m not familiar with Aramaya, so I suppose we’ll have to look for a place.”

  Machia tapped his feet and gave it some thought. It wasn’t long before he realised what would be best.

  “… Actually, if you don’t mind a crowd, I could invite you to eat with my squad.”

  “Will your sister be angry again?” Kalina teased.

  “For sure. But that’s the fun part, right?”

  ———————————————————————

  Earlier in the day…

  The squad had split up to gather information. Machua with Plue, Carmine with Rasa and Machia left all alone. He suggested he go off on his own instead of joining up with one of the two groups and while she was a little suspect of it, Machua decided to let him go so long as he had one of Plue’s bugs trailing him at all times.

  To be honest, she suspected that the reason he wanted to split off was because he didn’t want to be seen together. If the two of them appeared together that would be a lot of explanations going around. That could bog down the investigation. And personally, she thought the same.

  ‘Yoona and Naiya’s sooo going to berate me for hiding him for so long…’ Machua lamented a bit as she walked with Plue.

  It wasn’t long until they reached her destination. A small outdoor market filled with stalls and food. The people here loved gossiping and they’ve run into their fair share of trouble, so she was hopeful that they would be helpful.

  “Hey delivery girl!” An old stall owner called. “I owe old Iana some change, would you mind passing it on?”

  “No problem, Guanciano. I’ll-“ Machua reflexively said. “Oh, come on! Doing the same thing again!?”

  “Almost got you though~” The old man snickered.

  Machua opened her mouth to say something back, but before she could, she was interrupted by a cacophony of people who recognised her.

  “Oh, it’s delivery girl!”

  “Delivery girl, yoohoo! You doing well?”

  “Come here, come here. Let me give you some leftovers.”

  “Machu, Machu! Let’s play Ultimate Beast Hunt again!”

  Machua answered each person without missing a beat. It was almost like she never left.

  “Hey! I’m doing great, I have an Aspect now! Thank you so much! I’m actually on the job right now so I’ll have to pass. I promise to play later though!”

  ‘Wow, she’s popular,’ Plue thought as she sheepishly walked right behind Machua. She was a bit too nervous to interject or do anything at all.

  “Who’s your friend there?” An old lady asked Machua.

  “This? This is my friend, Plue! Say hi!”

  “H-hi! I’m Plue Salas! Machu’s friend! Pleasure to meeth-!” Plue spoke so fast she bit her tongue.

  “Haha, here. Have some tea,” the old lady said as she handed her a bottled iced tea. “Don’t choke on it now.”

  Plue grabbed it and drank as much as she felt she needed to. That was to say, almost all of it.

  “She’s a fun one,” Guanciano from earlier walked up to the three. “You got my change, Iana?”

  “Don’t tease the poor girl,” Iana responded. “Look, her wings are quivering just like your grandkid when he cries.”

  Guanciano let out a hearty laugh at the comparison. He was an old man whose hair had already turned white, yet his own wings hadn’t. As a peacock birdkin, his feathers were vibrant, but they couldn’t compare to back when he was a young man. His wings were located on his head and from his back grew a few large tail feathers. He ran a local post office, and had been running it for decades, so he knew just about everyone.

  In comparison, Iana was a snow leopardkin, so her furry ears and tail were already white. Her natural hair colour was white from the beginning but she had always dyed it a dark brown. Iana ran a small restaurant with ingredients sourced from the local market. Her restaurant was quite popular so it could be said she knew just as many people as Guanciano.

  “Now, it really is good to see you again, Machua,” Iana spoke with sincerity. “All of us here are happy to see you. And you’re doing so much better than when you left. An Aspect, and you’re a Hunter now? You’ve come such a long way from Guanciano’s little delivery girl.”

  “Hehe. You’re saying too much~” Machia rubbed the back of her head in mild embarrassment.

  “You wanna get back to work? This poor old man’s had to replace you with his poor little grandkid since you’d left. He gets so tired when he gets home.”

  “I’m on the clock, you know. I’m doing my mandatory service. Now, we actually have some questions to ask you two.”

  “Shoot, shoot. Ask away, I’ve got nothing to hide,” Guanciano said.

  “Have you heard anything about monsters in the City? Any sounds or noises maybe?”

  “Can’t say I have,” Iana answered.

  “Neither have I…” Guanciano trailed off before he suddenly realised something.

  “Actually… I think my Enzo has. Said that he was scared shitless from a delivery near the boundaries of the City. I think he said he heard some strange sounds there. I called him a wuss but hey, he might know what you’re looking for.”

  “That’s great. When’s he coming back?”

  Guanciano brought up his phone and toon a close look at his spreadsheets. “Last delivery’s done around 10.”

  “Oh, well isn’t that perfect? We can host a welcome party for you here before he arrives,” Iana suggested.

  “H-hey, no need to go that far…”

  “Hey, that’s the best idea you’ve had in ages! I’ll go grab everyone available right now,” Guanciano almost shouted before rushing off.

  “He forgets that it was my idea to hold a farewell party for you in the first place,” Iana said.

  Machua held an awkward smile. “You market people never change, huh?”

  “For you, we’ll always be a place you’re welcome. If you want, you and your friends could stay in my guest bedrooms,” Iana offered.

  “No, no, we already have a hotel reserved. I shouldn’t impose on your hospitality again,” Machua emphatically refused.

  Plue could only watch as the two chatted back and forth. She would almost try to interject at times, to join the lovely conversation they were having, but she found that it was impossible to insert herself into it. From time to time, Machua would make mention of her, but she was too meek to speak up. She could only mumble a few words before the two.

  ‘Machu’s always so… vibrant,’ Plue mused.

  Compared to her, Plue was only a little caterpillar. Small, slow, only able to eat what was in front of them. But Machu was a total social butterfly. She could make friends with anyone, get along well with anyone, she was the total opposite of her.

  It was while she was thinking that she felt a wriggle on her back. It was at that moment she tuned back into the conversation.

  “So then Machi rushed in and saved Plu with one of my tonfas! He was so cool, Isn’t that right, Plu?”

  Shaken by the sudden question directed at her, Plue briefly panicked before she realised what she was being asked. It was a simple question with a straightforward answer. Something she could easily respond to.

  “Y-yes! I think I would’ve died if he didn’t save me in time.”

  “Right, right? He stayed behind so us and the kids could escape. But then he totally destroyed that monster! Hey, let me tell you about the other time he-“