"We're back, Aurica. Nothing unusual happened while we were away?"

"Welcome home, Danna-sama. Somehow... it feels like you've been gone for ages."

"Well, it was the first time I've stayed away overnight, after all."

Standing at the mansion entrance, I exchanged greetings with Aurica, who met us in her usual maid uniform.

We had just returned from a two-night, three-day trip to Lucraella—one that felt like a lot had happened.

Since we all went out together and left Orika behind to look after the place, I felt a bit bad for her. In reality, the trip involved monsters surging down from the mountains and a few "close-call" moments, but that's a separate issue.

I'll have to find a way to make it up to her later.

"Aurica! I'm home, de-arimasu!" Marina chirped.

"We're back nodesu," Diana added.

Marina and Diana stepped into the mansion first, followed by our new companions.

"U-Um... excuse us for the intrusion."

"Ugh... this mansion has an insane amount of spirit power..."

Aurica's eyes went wide as she stared at the unfamiliar faces entering behind them. This was, of course, her first time meeting Ion-san and Shamash-san.

Shamash-san in particular, being a demon, had dark skin, white hair, and even horns.

By this world's—or rather, Erishe's—standards, she looked a bit intimidating. From my perspective, though, she just had horns and was a genuinely stunning dark-skinned beauty.

However, that same Shamash-san was currently looking quite unsteady. As soon as she crossed the barrier, she got "spirit-drunk" from the sheer density of the power. Apparently, it wasn't strictly a spirit barrier—rather, it was a magically woven barrier that used spirit power as its energy source, or something along those lines.

She didn't look scary at all while wobbling around, which helped Aurica stay calm.

For the record, Etowa, Elepipi, and Priestess-chan went straight home once we arrived in Erishe, and Rebecca-san headed back to her own place as well. Oyakata is supposed to visit in a few days once he's ready.

"Are they... guests?"

Aurica asked, peeking at the two newcomers.

She seemed a bit shy but didn't look particularly frightened by Shamash-san.

"Hmm. Not exactly, but something like that."

"Then I'll go prepare some tea! Oh, I haven't boiled the water yet!"

She didn't seem to mind much after all, as she went scurrying off to the kitchen. I figured I could explain the details over a cup of tea.

After that, I gave the two of them a brief tour of the mansion.

To a former princess like Ion-san, my mansion must seem incredibly plain, but it's surely better than living in a cave. Plus, with the barrier, it's safe to relax in the garden.

Shamash-san continued to look a bit nauseous, but according to her, her body was just startled by the massive gap in spirit power density and she'd adjust soon. Still, it really does look like living inside this mansion might be difficult for her. It's a good thing we already planned to build her a house nearby.

The tour only took a few minutes. The real issue was the basement—the room with the mirror.

That place was my weak point.

Regardless of how much I trust them, it's the kind of information I don't feel like sharing more than necessary.

However, I've already told them my whole story. At this point, Aurica is the only one left in the dark, and I plan to tell her eventually anyway.

...Well, we're all in this together now.

"Ion-san, Shamash-san, the last room is down here."

"A basement? Is it a ‘training room' for slaves?" Shamash-san asked.

"You have the exact same thought process as Diana..." I sighed.

With the typical uses for basements in this world weighing on my mind, I walked down the stairs and opened the heavy wooden door.

The stone basement, which stays cool regardless of the season, would be perfect as a wine cellar. In reality, it was just filled with junk and the magic mirror that allows interdimensional travel.

I'd shown the mirror to Diana, Marina, and Rebecca-san before. The results were mixed: to Diana, it was just a normal mirror (she only sees her own reflection); to Marina, she could clearly see the "other side" (my room in Japan); and to Rebecca-san, it looked like a hazy fog. The logic behind it is still a mystery.

"This is the mirror. Can you see... the other side?" I asked Ion-san and Shamash-san.

"Heh... this is incredible... I can definitely see a cluttered room over there. Is that your world, Ayase-kun...? This mirror is amazing."

"You can see it, Shamash-san?"

"I can. Wait, can some people not see it? Look, it seems Ion can see it too."

"Ion-san, you can see it?"

"Yes. Is that a storage room? Are the storage rooms connected to each other?"

"Half-correct, I suppose..."

It seemed both of them could see through it.

"...It's still just a regular mirror to me nodesu. Why...?"

Diana's shoulders slumped in visible disappointment.

Since Marina could also see through it, Diana was the only one left out. Maybe it's because she's a High Elf?

"Where did you get this, Ayase-kun?" Shamash-san asked.

"As for where... in this world, it was already here when I arrived."

I'd found it in an old storehouse back in Japan, but Shamash-san was asking about its origin in this world. It had been here since the beginning, and I haven't moved it a single centimeter.

"I see... I don't know who made it, but this is an extremely advanced magical artifact—woven from high-level magic, spirit arts, and unknown technology. It's hard to believe it's a modern creation. It's probably from the Spirit Civilization era."

"You can tell that much?"

Demons are indeed remarkable.

Or rather, I've learned a little about the mirror, which was a mystery until now.

First, it wasn't from Earth. It was more like a round-trip ticket from another world to Earth.

Second, it seemed to have been created by someone. Well, obviously. If no one made it, did it just "appear out of nowhere"?

...Wait a second.

Monsters in this world just pop out of nowhere carrying weapons, don't they?

So... is it possible? It's a fantasy world, so the line between "naturally occurring" and "created" gets blurry.

Still, if Shamash-san said it was "made," then someone probably did make it.

"But since spirit arts are involved, that means at least an elf was involved, right? Diana, do you know anything?"

I turned to Diana, who was still slumped in disappointment.

She was an elf, after all—surely she'd know something.

"...My family has several artifacts from the Spirit Civilization era, and the way spirit power and mana are woven into this mirror resembles those. So I just assumed it was from that era too... was I wrong?"

"I don't know the details either. It was just something I found."

So she did know.

I guess for Diana, the shock was less about the origin and more about the fact that she was the only one who couldn't see through it.

"Alright, then let's do the usual—the ‘Can We Pass Through' challenge!"

I had to try it, just in case. If I could walk through the streets of Japan with the super-beautiful Ion-san or the stunning, tan Shamash-san, I'd be a local legend!

The Conclusion:

Neither of them could pass through.

Well, even if they could, there isn't much I can do in Japan besides go out for ramen anyway.

I'm totally not disappointed.

Really!

* * *

After emerging from the basement, I introduced the two of them over tea, with Aurica joining us.

"First, this is Shamash-san, a demon who's going to be the mage for our Knight Order. Shamash-san is technically my slave for now, but she won't be living here; we're planning to build her a house nearby."

"I'm Shamash. I look forward to working with you, Aurica."

"N-Nice to meet you. I'm Aurica."

"And this is Ion-san. She's going to be working as a maid under you, so please teach her the ropes."

"Pleased to meet you, Aurica-san."

"Eh! Ehh!?"

Aurica froze, completely shocked to suddenly hear she was getting a coworker.

"No need to ‘ehh' so much. Ion-san used to live with Shamash-san. I brought her along with us. She's extremely shy around strangers and won't be leaving the mansion, so shopping and outside errands will still be on you as usual, Aurica. But feel free to put her to work on mansion chores."

"Y-Yes... Um, then... pleased to meet you."

Aurica wiped her palms on her clothes and reached out to shake Ion-san's hand.

"Yes. I'm sure there's much I have yet to learn, but I look forward to your guidance."

Hmm... I wonder if this will be okay...

No matter how you look at it, Ion-san carries the unmistakable aura of a princess—her very presence alone is different from ordinary people. Aurica warmed up to Marina immediately, but didn't get along as well with Diana, so it might be tricky for her to click with Ion-san.

Well, Ion-san understands her own position, so she'll probably manage just fine. Besides, Aurica's been assisted by Marina in her work all along, and since Marina isn't shy at all, having her mediate should help them communicate decently.

* * *

After finishing tea, the topic shifted to sleeping arrangements for the night.

For a moment, I panicked a little.

But in the end, although Ion-san didn't seem thrilled about it, it was decided that she would sleep in the same bed as Diana and Marina, while Shamash-san took the sofa in the living room.

I, of course, didn't sleep with any of them. I went back to my room in Japan, reported my return to my mother, and was promptly lectured about how I'm always playing around instead of getting a job.

Maybe it really is time I started thinking about moving out for good.