It didn't feel like it when I saw the place from the outside, but...

...it appears to be a much sturdier castle than I would have thought.

You're right.

They might have needed to build it this way, given this world's climate.

...!

Quiet, everyone!

What's wrong, Reda?

I...I can hear voices...

Grandmother, are you telling me to give up on Luciana, my own sister?!

I didn't say that...

I'm just saying that going after her is dangerous, given your skill level.

But if we don't do something, the Mystical Wolf will...

It seems like they're arguing over something...

......

Well, then, just what would you have me do?

Er...well...

Hmm... It feels a bit awkward to just jump into the middle of this...

Brrt, brrt, creak... Boop...

The beings in there are biologically almost identical to you all.

So, you have nothing to fear!

Even I can tell that...

...!

Is someone there?!

Sh-She noticed us?!

...... We'll just have to show ourselves.

At least it seems like we can communicate, so I'd like to ask them about this world if I can.

H-Hello...

Who...who are you?

......

Huh? Umm... How should I put this?

We, umm... We came from another world?

Um...is that a good enough explanation, Reda?

...... *Sigh...*

Given the circumstances, it may be hard to believe, but we're not a threat to you.

We came from another world to investigate this one, with a specific purpose in mind.

From...another world?

Yeah, a world called Elgaia.

Oh, I guess I'm actually from Grand Gaia.

G-Grand Gaia?!

Huh? Wh-What's wrong?

Then that makes all of you...

Huh...?

I see... So the old legends were true...

Legends?

The legends state that Grand Gaia is the homeland of our ancestors.

Our ancestors once built a great nation in that land.

Its name was...the Bariura Empire.

The B-Bariura Empire?! You're the descendants of that empire?!

So you do indeed know of it...

I'm sorry, but my I ask your names?

Our names?

I'm the goddess Tilith. And these two are...

Hm? Oh, um, yeah, but...

A goddess of Grand Gaia...

P-Please, pardon our manners!

My name is Nere. This is my granddaughter, Liana.

I can hardly believe that a deity other than the Mystical Wolf would visit this world...

U-Um, I am a goddess, but it's really not a big deal...

Oh, and these two are Hans the Summoner...

...and Reda, also a Summoner.

I'm Reda...it's good to meet you.

I never imagined that we would meet descendants of the Bariurans...

My, my...

To us it's much more surprising that you all know of Bariura.

And what's more, meeting a goddess and her attendants...

Her...attendants, huh? Oh, whatever...

I suppose it's not that common to meet a deity in person, even on our world...

...so it's not strange that you're shocked.

......

......

......

...um?

Why have you gone so quiet, Tilith?

...huh?

Reda, don't you want to ask them about the ancient Bariura Empire and all kinds of other things?

I thought you'd get totally absorbed in that, like that time on Bectas...

...and I was ready to wait for a while.

Ugh... Just...just forget about what happened then.

I'm definitely not going to make the same mistake twice.

Oh?

A-And anyway, they said something I'm curious about.

What was that about "a deity other than the Mystical Wolf..."?

What is this Mystical Wolf?

Also, it looked like you were arguing about something before we interrupted you?

Well...

...it seems you caught us in a rather embarrassing situation, then...

But it may be some sort of divine revelation, for a goddess from Grand Gaia...

...to appear before us at this time...

Allow me to tell you everything...

Grandmother...

First, the Mystical Wolf is the being that rules this world.

All living beings on this world live under the Mystical Wolf's protection, including us.

Just a moment ago, Liana referred to the Mystical Wolf as though it were divine...

...but in all honesty, we do not even know what kind of being it is.

We only know that it has immense power, close to that of a god...

...and that it commands many underlings.

......

Furthermore, we revered the Mystical Wolf and its underlings...

For many years, we coexisted peacefully, never violating their territory.

And until now, the Mystical Wolf and its underlings...

...never attempted to harm us.

......

Until now... So you're saying that things have changed?

......

At one point, the Mystical Wolf ceased appearing before us...

...and at the same time, its underlings began to attack people.

......

That's why...my sister is...

Your sister?

I have two grandchildren, you see...

Liana here is one of them.

And the other is her elder sister, Luciana.

Compared to Liana, Luciana is more active, and a better leader...

...but on the other hand...how should I put this? She is rash and impatient...

Moreover, she lacks both the proper respect and fear for the Mystical Wolf...

...and she was unable to restrain herself when its underlings began to attack people.

She was unable to restrain herself?

Yes...

The damage caused by the underlings is still minor, but she said it was sure to grow over time.

It seems that she went to drive off the Mystical Wolf, all by herself.

But that's... Going alone is...

Grandmother... I want to go stop my sister after all! Please, let me go!

It may be true that I lack the skill to face the Mystical Wolf's underlings...

...but if I avoid them carefully, and catch up with her...

No!

I do not believe that you leaving on your own will stop Luciana.

It will only place you in danger!

......

I see...

When we got here, Liana was pushing to go after Luciana just as she is now...

...and Nere was stopping her.

I am ashamed to admit it, but you are correct.

......

Now, dearest goddess, Lady Tilith... I ask this knowing it to be presumptuous, but...

...is there any way you could bring back Luciana from her mission to face the Mystical Wolf?

Sure, okay! It's no problem, right, Reda?

You're right, if we go...

Hey! W-Wait, Tilith!

Huh? What?

Why did you just agree to it immediately?!

Is that a problem?

Yes, a huge one!

We have a mission to search for the sealed god and restore it to normal!

It'll be fine, I'm sure of it.

There won't be any problems so long as we keep an eye out for the sealed god while we go after Liana's sister!

There you go again, making promises without thinking them through...

To begin with, we don't even know what Luciana looks like.

W-Well...that's true.

There is no need to worry about that.

I will send Liana with you, to act as a guide to our world.

Grandmother!

Heh...

See, we've solved all the problems already!

......

Reda, are you still against it?

...there's no way around it.

We're obviously not used to this world, and we would obviously benefit from a guide.

This "Mystical Wolf," or whatever it's called, might be connected to the sealed god somehow as well.

In exchange for us helping to stop Luciana...

...we'll have Liana help us achieve our goal.

Does that sound good?

Yes, absolutely!

Okay! So, Liana, I look forward to working with you!

Yes, Lady Tilith!

My, my...you are really just so divine Lady Tilith.

I entrust Liana and Luciana both to you...