"So... are all monsters generated by... cruxes?" I ask.

"No... most cruxes are benevolent, and many monsters are natural. Monster study and pattern analysis is one of the big mysteries of the world, though..." Seria answers, tapping her forehead.

"Nnn... my Dad was a specialist. It is why he's in charge of the guild... hehe..." Kiku seems proud.

"And why your sister rose so high in the knights as quickly as she did. She knows how to read monster patterns and help co-ordinate a group well." Aria adds about Kako. She really does sound terribly perfect... no wonder Kiku feels inadequate all the time.

Kiku puffs out her little chest and snickers to herself, though, still clearly proud of her nee-chan.

"Oh? I am rather behind in my own knowledge. It would be of interest to me to query them both on the latest advances." Seria nods, ever the academic.

"Hahhh... so wouldn't all this require coming back on ourselves to go to the capital?" Aria wonders.

"Mmmm... perhaps I wasn't too clear. We must, in fact, stop there first, due to the distance of the leygating, by my calculations on the rate of vein decay." Seria adds.

So back to where I started? Well... if it’s the most efficient option.

"I see. So a couple of days there and then moving on for further training." I clarify.

"Correct. It is always so refreshing that you are quick on the uptake, boy!" She says, clapping her hands together and flexing them.

"Um... when do we go?" Kiku asks.

"I anticipate charging to be ready in around an hour. Please make your final preparations, and meet me at the top. Feel free to take from the tower whatever you feel is useful. I shall not need return for some time." Seria clarifies.

"Nn... understood." Aria nods.

Seria stands up and sweeps her cloak dramatically as she leaves. Apparently it’s an ingrained habit.

After she leaves I decide my best of action would be to rob the garden of bomb materials. Getting Terrimarr especially.

"What will you be doing, Nii-sama?" Kaede inquires with a quizzical expression.

I answer the girls and they all widen their eyes.

"Then I shall accompany you, yes. I know of the optimal parts of the leaves you must cut." Kaede states.

"That would be helpful, thanks Kaede." I agree.

Kiku decides to investigate and pack food supplies, and Aria helps her.

Me and Kaede move swiftly to the arboretum. We find a set of pouches, and a roll of waxed paper in a chest behind the gazebo, along with gardening gloves and secateurs.

A ninja dexterously wielding a large pair of scissors is pretty whack, but she adeptly makes precision snips to take the sides off the broad club-shaped leaves before pruning them entirely. I see small sprinkles of powder from the dark leaves fall as she does her cuts, and I'm guessing this is the contact blood-thinning, rash inducing stuff. I don't know if it will effective at all on the undead, but gather up the leaves and powder with the gloves and wrap it carefully in paper.

"Will this be sufficient, Nii-sama?" She queries, after I have put away about ten leaves.

"This should be plenty." I concur. "You're really good at this, Kaede." I compliment.

Her eyebrow quirks up "Raising deadly plants was perhaps the most serene of our occupations. I... I didn't dislike the calm of it; yes..." She states, furrowing her brow.

Perhaps that explains the Herbalist I skill she mysteriously had tucked among her Ninja arts.

Whilst we are there, I also tear off bark of something called a Diocondes Tree, as well stripping fibres from the Faselock Vines, and collecting a bunch of Ghostfruit. The Ghostfruit is obvious, as is the fibre, but my skills inform me that the rough bark serves as a perfect match striker, and hence useful in making basic detonators.

As I wrap up the last of pouches, Aria and Kiku appear with a sack of food, as well as the large camping backpack. I secure the pouches to a side handle and follow them as we all head up to the apex of the tower.

It occurs to me along the way that all the demon bodies have gone, and the gap in the tower sealed up as well. Evidently, Seria was busy with this yesterday. I'm confused as to how she did it, though.

As we reach the top, the whole room is awash with swirling motes of light, which are slowly dancing in a cyclonal pattern around the central platform. It evokes the image of swirling dust in an old room, but far prettier. A large, rather complex diagram of lines and flowing script I can't really comprehend has been painted on the floor in blue, and is glowing slightly. Seria stands in the middle, arms folded across her bare midriff, waiting expectantly, with her eyes shut.

Her eyes snap open, and I can't help but briefly admire how beautiful she looks among the visual effects, which have clearly consumed our shows budget.

The other girls are also clearly at awe over this spectacle.

"Well... don't just stand there slack-jawed!" Seria growls. "You believe it easy to hold onto a spell of this calibre, mmm? Come here already!!"

This wakes us up, and we quickly shuffle across one of the access ramps and stand inside the glowing circle.

"I highly recommend holding hands. Do it now!" Seria shouts, holding out her palms.

Aria is blushing at this sudden order, but I take her hand in my left, and Seria's in my right. Kiku looks somewhat dissatisfied at this, but takes the hand of Aria and Kaede, whilst Kaede grabs Seria with her remaining hand.

With the pentagon of us completed, Seria nods, and her eyes begin to glow with a silver and blue lustre that appears to pour out of her brown irises. It's a strange combination of colours.

There is the smell of burning, and paint thinner, and a vicious snapping noise that makes my ears ring as the whole room bends sideways disconcertingly. We’re on our way…