A [Dragon Knight], huh... that was completely outside my expectations.

I mean, there's actually a Vocation like that? Then again, I'd heard that dragons live in the "mountain regions" or something like that. Which means dragons do exist, at least.

Since it's called a Dragon Knight, does that mean she rides a dragon? Rebecca-san is good at riding horses, but... Or does it mean a knight who slays dragons? I feel like the holy sword had something written about being a dragon-slaying blade, too.

"And also, Jirou..."

"Yes?"

"There's this thing listed under 'skills'."

"Seriously?"

According to her, she has a skill called 『Dragon Riding Proficiency: Dragonheart』 Naturally, there's no description.

My skills, 『The Journey』 and 『The Principle』 are still mysterious because they have no explanations. Even the one I got recently, 『The Lionheart』 is an enigma.

Compared to those, though, this one seems easier to guess. Dragon Riding Proficiency—basically, a skill that lets you ride dragons, right?

Yeah, even as I say it, I don't really get it. What does it mean to be able to ride something because of a skill? Does it mean you can't bond with a dragon without it? Maybe it's not a technical thing, but... something like a pheromone that dragons like...

First of all, can dragons even be tamed? They're reptiles, aren't they?

"Incredible, de-arimasu! Incredible, de-arimasu! A Dragon Knight! Captain-dono is now a Dragon Knight, de-arimasu!"

"...Waah... so cool. A Dragon Knight! So cool!"

The ones whose excitement skyrocketed upon hearing "Dragon Knight" were Marina and Elepipi.

Both of them had suffered through the bitterness of the Knight Vocation. Seeing that someone could Class Change into a Paladin or a Dragon Knight was clearly a huge deal to them.

"Priestess-sama, have you ever heard of Dragon Knights?"

"Yes. They are rare in this region, but I have heard that they are born extremely rarely in the Northern Empire."

I see, so they're not unheard of. Well, it's not a [Unique Vocation], so I suppose that makes sense. If they exist, I guess it's not impossible to get a dragon to ride.

But isn't the Northern Empire in the middle of a war with the Empire...? Smuggling a dragon seems like it would be impossible.

"Hm. But... the blessing is from the Great Spirit Le Baraka, isn't it? Isn't it quite rare for a [Dragon Knight] to be born from the blessing of a Great Spirit?"

When Shamash-san spoke up, Priestess-chan frowned.

As an elf and a demon, Priestess-chan and Shamash-san seemed to be on naturally bad terms; even after entering the room, they had instinctively taken positions as far apart as possible—at opposite ends of the room.

I thought Diana, as a high elf, would side with Priestess-chan, but she didn't seem to care and was sitting next to me as usual.

"That's true."

Priestess-chan replied curtly.

She was unusually cold toward Shamash-san. I guess being an elf and a priestess, she really dislikes demons. Diana said she didn't particularly hate them, though...

"Well, putting that aside, Priestess-sama. Next up is Ion-san's Curse Mark. Please."

"I understand. Then, the Spirit Stones... It requires five to cleanse a Prison Crest. Will that be alright?"

"Yes."

I handed the Spirit Stones from my bag to Priestess-chan. I figured I should confirm one last time—or rather, drive the point home.

"Ion-san."

Ion-san was wearing the spare sweater I had prepared.

Naturally, her prison crest—and her face—were fully exposed.

"Priestess-chan is going to purge your prison crest now."

"...Yes. Please, I'm in your hands."

"And, well... about what happens after. As I've said many times, for a while, you'll be staying at my mansion and its surrounding area while keeping your identity hidden. Since Erishe is far from the Imperial Capital, there shouldn't be many people who know your face. Even if someone does, if you're in disguise, it's unlikely you'll be found out. I want to work toward letting you live a normal life eventually, while watching how things go."

Essentially, house confinement to start.

This was for Ion-san's safety, too. We still didn't know how active the pursuit was, and it wasn't safe to assume no one in Erishe knew her. In fact, it was safer to assume someone did.

Erishe is a city with tens of thousands of residents. There are nobles, and many former Imperial Capital residents. Even Mayor Milkpearl herself used to live in the capital.

Ion-san was apparently quite famous in the capital for a time. After all, she was a princess—one with the [General] Vocation, trained under Isaac. Plenty of people would've seen her, even if only from afar.

Still, I wasn't actually that worried.

Because there's the question: what makes an individual that individual?

In modern Japan, you could identify someone via DNA testing, but what about this world?

If she changes her name, dyes her hair, and lives a different life in a different place, isn't she no longer Princess Lucreion, but just Ion-san? If necessary, I could have her wear fake glasses. Sunglasses or colored contacts would work, too. We could disguise her with hairstyles and clothes. Changing her name would be good, too.

Besides, there shouldn't be many people who have actually been close enough to talk to the First Princess of the Empire... That said, Rebecca managed to see through her despite never having talked to her. So I couldn't say for certain that she would never be caught.

Still, we couldn't keep her confined forever.

Since she had already managed to hide for two years, she might as well just commit to being a different person. Well, either way, we'd have to see how good the disguise looks first.

Ion-san swallowed my words, then bowed again.

"Please take care of me."

"And... Shamash-san, you're fine with this too, right? As promised, you'll become my... slave. Either way, we'll need your power to protect Ion-san."

"Of course. I look forward to working with you, Ayase-kun... Or should I call you 'Goshujin-sama' from now on?"

"That..."

Goshujin-sama, huh...

I'm used to Diana calling me that, but hearing it from a brown-skinned beauty like Shamash-san had a different kind of itch to it.

Mufufu...

"Aruji-dono's grin is stretching again, de arimasu!"

"Yes, Marina. You don't need to point that out."

"...Um, Ayase-san. About that..."

"What is it, even you, Ion-san? I'm definitely not grinning. And I'm not forcing anyone to use titles, okay!?"

"No... that's not it. Um... could I also become your slave?"

"Eh?"

A slave?

I mean, turning a former princess into a slave is a bit...

A princess slave...

"It stretched again, de arimasu!"

"It did not."

Seriously, Marina...

I won't deny the fact that the situation of "making a fallen princess a slave" triggered a bit of a naughty delusion, though!

"...Ion-san, may I ask why?"

"Ah, no. If Shamash, who originally had nothing to do with this, is becoming a slave, I cannot simply be protected and live in luxury. Also, even if I am found by pursuers or those who know me, if I am your property, they won't be able to touch me easily... Above all, it is impossible for someone who has fallen to the level of a slave to return to the throne. If that happens, they may decide there is no need to forcibly eliminate me..."

I see. That made sense.

And even if we call it a slave contract, it's just a formality. In reality, it doesn't mean anything in particular will change.

But society wouldn't see it that way and Ion-san was planning to use that perception.

"But, Ion-san, are you really okay with that?"

The hurdle for becoming a slave seems low in this world, but unlike Marina who grew up poor or Diana who became one through guidance, Ion-san was a real princess.

"I am someone who has died once. I was saved by Shamash, and now I am about to be saved by Ayase-san. I don't think I have any other way to repay you... except in that form..."

Ion-san paused for a moment and said:

"...So, please let me be your slave."

Hmm... Ion-san is really gloomy.

Well, I guess she has zero reason to be cheerful.

"I-I'm against it..."

Rebecca-san murmured hesitantly.

"Rebecca-san is against it? Well, it's certainly quite something to make a former princess a slave, but I thought it would make things easier when people ask about our relationship, and there are many benefits."

"Eh? W-Well, that's true... but. Another slave... and for it to be Princess Lucreion..."

"But we already have a bunch of slaves anyway—one more doesn't change much..."

Besides, in practice, being a slave was basically a title without substance. It was like being a live-in employee.

"Jirou-san, come here for a second."

Priestess-chan beckoned me.

When I moved closer, she whispered in a voice too low for the others to hear.

"Rebecca once had the person she loved taken by that princess. So when the princess says she wants to become your slave, she's worried, 'Will she take him from me again?'"

"That's ridiculous..."

I looked over at Rebecca-san.

She was looking up at me while biting her lower lip, gauging my reaction. Seeing as her face was a bit red, she might still be a little drunk.

Regardless, it wasn't like anything was going to happen between me and Ion-san. If it were that easy for something to happen, it would have already happened with someone else by now.

"Anyway... putting aside whether Ion-san becomes my slave or not, let's just get the Prison Crest purged. Honestly, I'm fine with either."

After all, being a slave is just a name only!

Besides, the important thing right now was whether Shamash-san would come with us. Since that commitment was secured, I didn't have much personal concern regarding Ion-san. Though, of course, I did want her to be happy.

Priestess-chan took Ion-san's hand. She chanted an incantation in a low but clearly audible voice.

A cherry-blossom glow filled the room, and the five Spirit Stones floated into the air. In the midst of a torrent of light that felt like it had physical mass, as Priestess-chan wove her words one by one, the Spirit Stones dissolved into the light one after another.

This really was an incredible spell... I could understand why Diana had said she couldn't do it yet.

When Priestess-chan chanted the final spell, all the light converged onto Ion-san's body and then emitted a particularly strong flash.

"Oohh..."

I let out a breath. The prison crest was washed away, and standing there was a delicate young woman.

The pitch-black prison crest that had been writhing all over her body had vanished completely, and her translucent white skin was dazzling. Her blood-red eyes, which had held a hint of madness, had changed to a cool ice blue.

I hadn't been able to tell before because of the prison crest's impact, but... yeah.

She really was a princess—there was an unmistakable elegance about her. To be blunt, she's incredibly beautiful. Her atmosphere might be a little similar to Hetty-san. I suppose you could call it the scent of high society.

"Congratulations... You truly do resemble the former Emperor."

Priestess-chan said this while holding Ion-san's hand.

The "former Emperor" probably referred to Ion-san's father. I'd heard the current Emperor is Ion-san's brother.

So they really do look alike...? I'm starting to worry about how much we can hide her with a disguise... After all, her very atmosphere is high society.

Above all, she's such a beauty that she'll draw public attention even if left alone. She's guaranteed to stand out in a different way from the "one-man band" that is Diana.

"Yes. I... was often told that. My two older brothers didn't resemble my father much, so we were told we were siblings who didn't look alike."

Come to think of it, I've heard that daughters resemble their fathers and sons resemble their mothers. Even without that, Ion-san and her brothers were half-siblings.

"Ayase-san."

Ion-san turned back toward me. Her posture was dignified.

The strength in her eyes as she looked straight at me was powerful, making me realize this was the original Ion-san. She has lost her blessing now, but maybe there's a reason she suddenly gained the [General] Vocation. Her aura is different—her presence is just on a different level from an ordinary person.

Ion-san bowed her head.

"I offer you my deepest gratitude. I promise to spend my entire life repaying this debt."

Perhaps it's because of her serious personality, but Ion-san is heavy about everything she does.

"Ion-san... The condition for the prison crest was that Shamash-san would become my slave, so you don't need to feel indebted to me."

"B-But..."

"The one you should be grateful to is Shamash-san. If Shamash-san hadn't been willing to sacrifice herself, I might not have gone so far as to provide the Spirit Stones... Speaking of which..."

Right, Shamash-san.

Even though Ion-san's prison crest is gone, she's being awfully quiet. What happened—

"Ugh, huu... I'm so glad... I'm really so glad, Ion..."

She's crying!

Shamash-san was crying a river of tears.

"Shamash..."

Seeing her like that, tears welled up in the corners of Ion-san's eyes. Droplets traced paths down her cheeks.

"Shamash!"

Then, she lunged forward and hugged Shamash-san.

"I-Ion!?"

"You dummy! Shamash, there's no reason to cry. You don't have to be the one crying!"

"B-But... Ion, you were this beautiful all along, yet you bore that prison crest... and lived every day in tears, but finally..."

"I wasn't crying every day... just occasionally, yes... it was only occasionally, okay..."

"But you're crying right now..."

"Only today! Just today... waaaahhhhhhh!"

They held each other, crying and laughing, showing various expressions that made it clear even to onlookers that they were people who had opened their hearts to one another.

Different status, different races—but they were close enough to be called best friends.

"It stretched again, de arimasu!"

Shut up.

* * *

"Ah, right, Priestess-sama. Do you handle clan 'Rank-ups'?"

Since Ion-san and Shamash-san hadn't fully calmed down yet, I decided to postpone any serious discussions. Instead, I asked Priestess-chan about something that had been on my mind.

Clan rank-ups.

If Priestess-chan couldn't handle it, there'd be no way to rank up at all. The spirit had mentioned something about moving up to a Blue Rank, but...

"Hm? Rank-up?"

She tilted her head cutely, with an expression like "What's that? Is it tasty?"

Trouble. We hit a snag right away.

"If it's about the Clan, couldn't you just focus your mind on the ring, just like you did during registration?"

"Ah, now that you mention it..."

Back then, I had visualized "Clan! Clan! Clan!" and the Spirit had popped out. I decided to give it a try.

"Clan! Clan! Clan!"

Poof!

When I concentrated, a Spirit popped out of the ring. Well, I'm not entirely sure if it actually came out of the ring, but...

"Hello, Master. Congratulations. Since you have met the requirements for a 'Rank Up', you can now upgrade from the current White Rank to Blue Rank. How would you like to proceed?"

Efficient. Straight to the point. A capable worker who doesn't say unnecessary things.

Its personality was quite different from the Spirits that appeared during Guidance completions.

"Please do it."

"Understood. Then... Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!"

The Spirit performed a mysterious little dance, and the color of my ring shifted from white to a pale blue. The rings of the other Clan members changed as well, drawing gasps of admiration from everyone.

"So, does this mean we can do more than we could at White Rank?"

"Yes. The Clan Inventory slots will increase from 10 to 15."

"...Is that all?"

"Normally, the greatest benefit of reaching this rank is the ability to acquire a Home Base and use teleportation, but since this Rank Up was achieved by defeating a Named Monster..."

"Ah, right..."

Apparently, one usually moves from White to Blue by acquiring a Clan Home Base. Once you hit Blue, you get five more inventory slots and the ability to teleport to your Home once per day.

Since our Rank Up came from defeating a Named Monster—Arges—it felt like we were missing out on the best part.

"So, if I get a Home Base, will we move up to an even higher rank?"

"Yes. Once you acquire a Home Base, you will move up to Orange Rank. At Orange, the inventory slots increase to 20, and there are other attractive perks—"

I see. Not bad. Honestly, the inventory alone is a priceless benefit. It's basically a 4D pocket. Though, I don't know if it actually transcends time.

Regardless, the Clan Rank Up was sorted. I didn't know much about this "Home Base" thing, but it had the same feel as my long-uncompleted Guidance task: 『Acquire a Home of Your Own 0/1』.

"How do I get a Home Base?" I asked.

I was half-expecting a vague answer, but the Spirit responded fluently.

"A Clan Base requires at least a private room. For a minimum-tier Clan, a room in an apartment is sufficient, but for Orange Rank, a standalone house is required."

"Actually, I already have a house..."

"Is that so? That's strange. Normally, if you lived in that mansion for a while, it should be possible to register it as a Home..."

"I should be living there... but there's been no sign of that happening."

I didn't quite get it. By the way, the Spirit I was talking to was only visible to me. To everyone else, this looked like a one-way conversation.

"Living there... Ah, come to think of it, I haven't stayed overnight in that mansion even once."

Because I couldn't secure a proper bed for myself there, I ended up going back to my own room every single day to rest. I had to check my online auctions, after all.

"Then that is likely the cause. Since you are the only 'Player' in your Clan, the mansion will not be recognized as a Home even if other Clan members are living there."

"A Player, huh..."

Still, staying for one night would be a piece of cake. I'd try it when I got back.

"Oh, right. While I'm at it, I want to add more Clan members."

"Understood."

"Those two crying over there. Shamash-san and... Ion-san."

"Ion? That person's name is registered as 'Lucreion.' Shall I change it?"

"Change it...?"

And "registered"? Was the residency registry of this world managed by Spirits?

"If I change it here, what happens? Does the real name actually change?"

"Yes, it does."

So that's how it was. The Spirit said it with absolute certainty.

What incredible authority... In this case, was my authority stronger, or the Spirit's? Still, I wasn't sure. Even Ion-san might hate the idea of her real name being changed.

"For now, register her with her real name."

"Understood. Registering 'Shamash' and 'Lucreion' as new members of the Clan 'Artemis'."

"Yeah, thanks."

Blue rings appeared on the fingers of Shamash-san and Ion-san, who were still sobbing. I had done it without asking, but we were already in this together. She had even said she'd be my slave, so this much should be fine.

* * *

Once the small Spirit left and Shamash-san and Ion-san had calmed down, I told them about the Clan.

The rings were blue. Both of them were deeply shocked by the rings that had appeared on their fingers out of nowhere.

Shamash-san seemed to know about Clans from legends, which surprised her even more. Apparently, there used to be many Clans in the past, and their members were all Great Mages who wielded terrifying magic.

Now, the business with the Clan and Rebecca-san's Class Up was finished. Everyone looked sleepy, but today couldn't end until I said what I had to say. I was a little scared, but I had to speak.

I hadn't originally intended to confess everything, but with Ion-san, Shamash-san, the Clan, Rebecca-san's Class Change, and my own Class Change... there were just too many extraordinary things happening. It was becoming a burden to keep track of who knew what.

More than anything, we were all in this together now. In truth, aside from Ion-san's secret, none of my secrets would really cause an issue if they were known. I had already established roots in Erishe to some extent.

"Well then... uh... I'm going to tell you something important now. It might go without saying, but including Ion-san's situation... please keep everything a secret."

I straightened my posture.

Diana, Marina, Rebecca-san. Elepipi, Etowa, Shamash-san, Ion-san, and Priestess-chan. Everyone was looking at me with tense expressions. They might have had an inkling of what I was about to say.

I started from the beginning, explaining everything without hiding a thing.

—That I came from another world using a mirror.

—That I was making a profit through cross-world trade.

—That I had received a blessing and gained eight Vocations.

—That I was a holder of Unique Vocations.

—That my [Swordsman] Vocation had Class Changed into a Unique Vocation called [Fourth Magic Sword Wielder].

—That I had four skills.

—That I used an Appraisal skill frequently.

I spoke about everything I had kept hidden until now.

Telling Priestess-chan was a gamble. But among the influential people in Erishe, she seemed like the one most likely to be an ally. I wanted to play this card now, for the sake of the future.

Everyone listened to my confession with expressions of shock. In particular, the fact that I held "Unique Vocation" was something I hadn't told anyone yet.

"A Unique Vocation... Jirou-san, when you received your blessing, you said you didn't get a Unique Vocation..."

"Priestess-sama, I'm sorry. I was overwhelmed at the time and told a lie."

"And... right now... you have two Unique Vocations...?"

"That's how it is."

Priestess-chan looked half-dazed.

Even one Unique Vocation is considered legendary—yet I had two.

Yeah... keeping this secret might be difficult.

"H-Hey, say-say-say-say-Goshujin-sama!"

Diana stood up, looking as if she couldn't stop a grin from spreading across her face, and began to edge closer, fidgeting.

Her excitement was on a completely different level from everyone else... What was up with her?

"You really were a Unique Vocation holder nodesu. You were always secretly using some method to interfere with Spirits, so I had a hunch it was some kind of skill."

"Well, yeah, it was pretty obvious from the start... Still, you look awfully happy, Diana."

"Of course I am!"

Unlike prison crests, her body was covered in full-body tattoos.

If the prison crest was "Yin", then Diana's patterns could be called "Yang". I'd grown used to them by now, but they were quite colorful and striking.

I'd heard that once her special Guidance was complete, the tattoos would disappear. When that happened, would a beautiful elf like Ion-san emerge beneath them?

Well, even as she was, she was cute once you got used to it.

"Goshujin-sama! Goshujin-sama is my—"

As if she couldn't contain herself any longer, Diana lunged forward and hugged me. She held me tight. I could feel the heat of her skin, still flushed from the bath, through my clothes.

Even the others were wide-eyed at this. I was shocked, too.

Seriously, what was going on with her?

"—You are my... destined one."

Still clinging to me, Diana whispered those words into my ear.