The night was no longer young in the city of Arstjipta. Outside the moon, magic lamp posts, and scarce building windows, there were few to no illumination sources down the streets, and thus darkness was dominating the city. Most of the people were already asleep, leaving only night shift guards staying awake.

However, in this particular mansion, two noblemen brothers, Alex and Gill, were having an unexpected visitor. Both of them were sweating bullets having no idea why the one and only city lord, Duke Gentruvorst Grasmord, had decided to visit their residence without prior notice. Both of the brothers knew that this wasn’t normal, and the only possible reason for it to happen was their own recent screw up which none of them remembered.

Right now, the two brothers sat side by side on the sofa across the one Gentruvorst was sitting on with a small rectangular table in between. Three cups of mildly steaming tea had been arranged in front of each person, but nobody had touched their respective cup yet.

“So...” Alex said after mustering his courage to speak. “What is the matter which brings the esteemed city lord into this humble mansion, if I’m permitted to inquire?”

While still wearing a smile which was gentle yet somehow was highly intimidating for the two brothers, the duke replied. “News travels fast, and it came to my attention that you had an intruder just recently. Is everything alright on your end?”

“Yes! Nobody got hurt and we didn’t lose anything important!” Alex said before bowing on his seat. “Thank you for your kind concern, Your Grace.”

“But I’m here not primarily for that matter.” The duke said, taking his tea cup and drinking a sip before resuming. “I’m here to check if the magic items you both commissioned me for in the past have been serving you well.”

“O-Oh, certainly, My Lord!” Gill said. “I have never been disappointed so far by its performance!”

The duke nodded without changing his facial expression. “Glad to hear that, Gill Bouchard. What was it again...? Oh, right. A pocket watch which, about once a day, allows you to phase out of time flow for one minute in your perspective.”

“Y-Yes, my lord! You’re correct and I have never had any issues with it.” Gill said while still sweating bullets.

The duke then turned his head to Alex. “And for you, it was a pen which swiftly and accurately moves your hand into drawing what you see, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Alex replied with his right palm flat on his chest. “It has been very handy in making quick sketches of gorgeous scenes I stumble upon.”

The duke nodded. “Yes, I know very well that you are an avid painter. I have seen a number of your creations hanging on the walls of other noble homes. I must say that your style is so distinct that I could recognize it from a distance.”

“T-Thank you for your kind praise!” Alex said while failing to hide his glee. “I’m deeply honored by your words!”

However, the smile suddenly disappeared from the duke’s face. His expression turned sour and his eyes gazed at Alex and Gill sharply. “But it would be a great disappointment if my creations have been used to carry out wrongful deeds.”

Alex and Gill said no words in response to the duke’s words. None of them could even look at him in the eyes, and therefore their gazes were fixated on their respective, still untouched, cup of tea. The duke then observed the two brothers for a few seconds and stood up, naturally prompting the latter to do the same by reflex.

“Guide me to the room the intruders have broken into.” The duke said.

Alex asked startlingly in response. “Why would Your Grace want to see the unsightly shame of our house?”

“I would never like a similar break-in to happen to my residence, no?” The duke asked back. “I want to see things for myself while the crime scene is still fresh. Perhaps I will find information with which I can give better warnings to the guards. Or is there something I must not see in the room?”

“N-No. You’re right, Your Grace. Please, right this way.” Alex gestured politely while Gill looked at him with disbelief clearly written on his face.

The two brothers walked side by side through the corridor with the duke following them a few steps behind. They both were sweating bullets, believing that soon everything would be over for them and they would have to face the consequences as written in the note.

“Great idea, eh? Bringing the duke into that room.” Gill whispered.

“Did I have any other choice? He’s as good as knowing everything already.” Alex replied in a whisper as well.

“You sure about that!?”

“What could I have done? Denying the request of a duke? The note already said enough. There’s no way out of this.”

“Ahem!” The duke suddenly cleared his throat quite loudly, and that startled the two brothers highly. “Apologies for the sudden noise. Something was stuck inside.”

“O-Oh! It’s fine, My Lord.” Gill said, and then the three men continued walking with none of them saying any more words until they arrived in front of the aforementioned room.

“Here we are, Your Grace.” Alex said. Without saying a word, the duke walked into the room. It was at this point that Alex remembered the room’s enchantment, and thus he looked at Gill with his eyes going wider. Gill facepalmed immediately, seeming to notice what Alex’s worried stare meant.

However, the duke spoke from within the room while looking around. “I see. A lingering complex Augmentation Weave spell which, to put it simply, makes anyone within this room unable to make new memories. Quite impressive.”

The two brothers froze up hearing the duke’s words. Gill had spent a long time weaving and perfecting the spell to be both effective and secretive, but the duke had just noticed it without any apparent effort. Having known that they had been found out, Alex felt an overwhelming nausea and everything around him seemed like they were spinning around him. He fell on his knees while Gill fell onto his bottom leaning on the wall, fully aware that soon their life would be practically over. It was just a question of when.

The footsteps of the duke were soon heard walking out of the enchanted room. Normally he would forget everything which had happened inside by now, but he didn’t seem fazed at the slightest.

“Look at what I found inside.” The duke said with a somewhat playful tone while raising his right hand forward, showing a pair of boots which looked familiar. It took Alex and Gill just a single second to recognize that those boots were the ones worn by the girl they had kidnapped earlier that day.

“Care to explain why this pair of footwear, which supposedly belongs to one of my important guests earlier today, was inside this room?” The duke said, once again sporting the smile which was accompanied by an intimidating aura.

***

It was high noon in Arstjipta. The weather was a little gloomy with a layer of overcast looming over, but there was no rain and the overcast was rather thin, still allowing a fair amount of sunlight through. Around one of the tables within the city library there were three people sitting, namely Renne, Storm One, and Jin.

“Is it alright talking here?” Renne asked while trying to keep her voice low and also glancing around. “There are other people, and a library is supposed to be quiet, isn’t it?”

“No worries.” Jin said. “There’s a magic barrier around each table, barring sounds from passing through. Think of them like invisible domes.”

“Pretty neat.” Storm One said with an impressed smirk. “But what if there’s an emergency, like fire?”

“I have taken it into account, so no worries.” Jin said. “Anyway, let’s get to the point. You’re here regarding what happened yesterday, right?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Renne said, putting on a serious face. “One of my precious partners was kidnapped out of nowhere. I want to see this matter to the end, and have the perpetrators punished for their wrongdoing.”

“Regarding that, I visited the place last night.” Jin said before looking at Storm One. “Right after you left.”

“Isn’t it dangerous? Are you alright?” Storm One asked with a bit of worry shown on his face.

Jin nodded slightly before replying. “Truth to be told, I personally know the people living in the mansion. They aren’t bad people.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Renne said. “They kidnap girls, and they aren’t bad people?”

“Indeed, it doesn’t make sense. But would you like to hear my words about them?” Jin said. At the same time, Noella came bringing three cups of steaming hot tea.

“Here you go.” Noella said as she gently put down the tea cups in front of each person on the table. “Be careful, it’s still hot.”

“Thank you.” Storm One said, followed by Renne saying the same.

“Lunch will be a little delayed.” Jin said to Noella, and the latter responded with a nod before leaving.

“Umm, we can leave and come back later.” Renne spoke up. “We don’t wish to cause delays in your activities.”

“No, I’ll stay with you until we’re done, and we’re not done yet.” Jin said, taking a sip from his cup of tea. “Now where were we...? Oh, right. Would you like to hear about them?”

Renne lowered her head and folded her arms, taking three seconds before she looked at Jin in the eyes. “Yes, please.” She said with a straight tone of speech.

“Alright then.” Jin said. “To start with, the mansion belongs to the Bouchard family and the ones living there are the twin brothers Alex Bouchard and Gill Bouchard. Their parents are long gone and they have no other relatives. Alex is a baron while Gill technically has no title, but he is treated like an equal to his brother.”

Jin took another sip of tea before resuming his speech.

“Alex Bouchard, on top of being a baron owning a good number of properties, is also a famous painter. His artworks decorate the walls of noble mansions and art galleries alike. Meanwhile, Gill is a renowned mind doctor who has counseled numerous people, bringing them back from the brink of despair.”

Renne raised her hand. “Pardon the intrusion, and I deeply apologize in advance for what I’m going to say. However, I honestly can’t help feeling that right now you’re trying to paint them in a good light despite their crime of repeated kidnappings.”

“Is that so? Well, perhaps. Perhaps not.” Jin said. “Nevertheless, I believe this belongs to that partner of yours.” He continued, taking out a pair of boots from below and presenting them to Renne and Storm One.

“Hilda’s missing boots.” Renne said with a sigh. “It was there, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, in one of the rooms within the mansion.” Jin said, putting the boots on the table. “Go ahead and take it.”

“And that’s our only proof rendered invalid now because there’s no record of it being there anymore.” Renne said, taking the boots with a sigh. “Nobles really can do crimes and get away with it, huh?”

“I know this is unpleasant for you, but as the city lord I have to consider my options along with the consequences that come with each, and decide on which would benefit the people in the bigger picture.” Jin said, taking multiple sips from his cup.

“I’ve seen enough of this back home too. In the end, it’s no different here.” Renne said, leaning back with another sigh and a displeased facial expression.

“That doesn’t mean that Alex and Gill face no consequences, though.” Jin said. “One thing that I can assure you is that they will never kidnap anyone again.”

“Sounds a little vague, but I’ll take your word on that.” Renne said. “Why did they do those kidnappings, though?”

“Alex wanted models for his personal paintings.” Jin said. “That is all I can tell you.”

Renne tilted her head and squinted. “What? They could’ve just extended invitations to the families of the girls, couldn’t they? I’m sure being invited to be a model for a famous painter is a great honor nobody would refuse. No need to resort to kidnapping and tying them u-“ Her speech was suddenly halted because she realized something. “Oh, I get it... Better not talk about this any further.”

“I appreciate the cooperation.” Jin said. “In any case, I deposited the reward to the guild earlier today. You may claim them there anytime.” He continued before smiling gently. “Thank you for the excellent work, completing the quest within half a day when the time limit was one week.”

“It was a stroke of both luck and misfortune. I don’t think we would have any chance of finding the culprits otherwise.” Storm One said.

Jin nodded before he began speaking in response. “Right, in addition to the reward, I shall grant you a request. If it’s in my power to fulfill, I will do so to the best of my ability.”

“Forge an evidence to put those two behind bars.” Renne said with a smirky grin. “Not that I’m serious about it.”

“Even if you were, I wouldn’t grant that.” Jin said after a chuckle.

“Miss Alphen.” Storm One chimed in. “Maybe this is our opportunity for that.”

“Yes, I know.” Renne said before looking at Jin in the eyes. “Would you arrange a transport to Arxhige Capital City for us?”

“How soon do you want it?” Jin asked back.

“As soon as possible but I don’t wish to demand too much, so at your earliest convenience.”

“Well...” Jin took out a notebook from his pocket and browsed through its pages. “There is one I can easily arrange in four days if you’re fine waiting.”

“Ample time for preparations, so I’ll take that.” Renne said.

“Alright, that’s settled. Anything else?”

“No. We will take our leave.” Renne said before gulping the rest of her tea and standing up. Storm One also did the same. “Thanks for... well, everything.”

“I shall be seeing you later.” Jin said while he remained sitting. Renne and Storm One left the library without saying any further words.

Soon later, the two spacefarers were out of the library. Renne looked at the mildly gloomy sky, put her hands on her hip, and let out a big sigh.

“Politics never change no matter where we are, huh?” Renne said.

Storm One put his hand on Renne’s shoulder gently. “That’s the way humanity works, Miss Alphen. Nothing we can do about that, unless we become one of them.”

“I’ll pass on that.” Renne said, turning her head towards Storm One. “So, what’s next?”

“The guild is just across the street, so how about claiming our reward before going home?” Storm One said.

“Sure, let’s do that.” Renne said, and the two of them crossed the street.

Inside the guild, business was going normally. Adventurers and guild staff alike were all over various spots within the main hall each doing their own things. Ignoring all other people around, Renne followed Storm One straight to one of the staff behind the receptionist counters.

“Good day. How may I help you?” The woman guild staff greeted.

“The client of my latest quest said that my reward is deposited here, and I’m here to claim it.” Storm One said.

“I see. May I have a look at your guild card?”

Storm One pulled out his guild card and handed it to the staff. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” The staff said as she received the card. A few clicking sounds were heard from behind the counter, and then she spoke again. “Here is your card.” She handed back Storm One’s card.

Storm One took the card and put it back into his combat suit. Meanwhile, the staff stood up from her work desk and went into a back room. Half a minute later she came back out bringing a sealed envelope and an ornate box which was about as large as two clenched hands clasped together, so it could still be carried by hand with ease.

“Here are the deposited rewards. Congratulations for clearing your quest.” The staff said as she handed both articles to Storm One. “We will be looking forward to more of your accomplishments in the future.”

“Thank you.” Storm One said before turning to Renne. “Let’s go home.”

“Right.” Renne said with a nod.

***

“Welcome home, Leader.” Audrey greeted when Renne and Storm One came into the bedroom, in which there were also Hilda and Sandra inside. “Any good news?”

“Well, sadly no.” Renne said while setting the nanom link to let everyone else hear the coming conversation from other bedrooms. “Their public image is a little bit too good that Jin chose to cover them up. Politics, I swear. Oh, right, here’s your boots.” She continued, handing Hilda the pair of boots as she finished.

“What?” Audrey squinted. “So they get to walk away scot-free? Who are those creeps anyway?”

“One is a famous painter on top of being a baron, and the other is a well-known psychiatrist or psychologist, whichever ‘mind doctor’ means for the society here. At the very least, Jin claimed that they will never kidnap anyone again.”

“Do you believe his words, though?” Sandra asked with her arms folded.

“I’m honestly skeptical, but what can I realistically do?” Renne asked back before turning to Hilda, who was sitting on her bed after receiving her boots. “I’m sorry that you have to hear this.”

“I-It’s alright.” Hilda said. “I don’t even remember being kidnapped and I’m not hurt at all. Maybe they aren’t really bad guys?”

“It’s still a fact that they kidnapped you.” Audrey said while looking at Hilda. “You being unhurt and not remembering it is irrelevant.”

“But now I wonder why they did those if they were already successful people.” Sandra said, sitting on the nearby bed and crossing her left leg over the right. “What could be the reason?”

“Jin said that Alex, the painter, needed models for his personal paintings.” Renne replied.

“...What?” Audrey asked while tilting her head and squinting. “He could’ve just sent invitations and I’m sure nobody would’ve declined.” She continued. “But instead they resorted to kidnappings with meticulous cover ups, so there must have been something more, isn’t it?”

“Yeah and I have a guess on that, but I don’t really want to talk about it.” Renne said, averting her eyes.

“Alright, I hear you, Leader.” Audrey said before turning her head to Storm One. “What’s with that fancy looking box, by the way?”

“Oh, this?” Storm One said, presenting the ornate box forward. “It’s our quest reward, along with a sealed envelope.”

“Let’s open it.” Renne said while giving Storm One a gentle pat on the back. “Starting with the envelope.”

“Alright, Miss Alphen.” Storm One said, putting the box away and unsealing the envelope. Inside, there was nothing other than a letter which Storm One quickly read.

“Basically thanks for the work well done, and something else other than money is included in the box.” Renne said while reading the letter through Storm One’s nanom link. “Let’s open it then.”

“Right away.” Storm One then put away the letter, took the box back, and opened it in front of everyone else in the room.

“Woah..!” Sandra exclaimed. “Gold coins? So many!”

“A mix of gold coins and large silver coins.” Renne said. “And what’s this? A pocket watch and a pen?”

Renne took out one of the additional items, which looked like a pocket watch made from unfamiliar materials. ‘Fancy’ would be the right word to describe the looks of the pocket watch. Strangely, the clock only had one hand and it seemed to be stuck at twelve. There was a single button at the top which was shielded by a folding cover that could be easily opened with a flick of a finger. It also had a length of thin chain which could be attached to clothings.

“Definitely won’t match with any of us, if you ask me.” Audrey said as she took a closer look at the watch.

“Hmm... Nathan! Come here for a moment!” Renne called, and just a few seconds later Nathan came in through the door.

“Yes, Miss Renne?” Nathan said as he closed the door behind him.

“Try this! Maybe this will look good on you?” Renne said, handing the pocket watch to Nathan.

Nathan received the pocket watch without saying a word, tethered it to the upper left part of his combat suit near the shoulder, and pretended to check time with it. “Like this, Miss Renne?”

Nobody said a word, and only an awkward silence ensued for a few seconds before someone burst out laughing.

“Pfft!! You’re definitely not a match!” Renne said while trying hard to hold her laugh.

“Well of course, Miss Renne.” Nathan said. “This will only look good on ceremonial suits. I’d say Anton in his would look much better. Also, is this thing broken?” He continued while taking a closer look.

“No idea, and it only has one hand. Probably just a decoration to begin with.” Renne said.

“I see.” Nathan said while he tried pressing the button on the top of the pocket watch.

“W-WHOA!” Renne shouted in complete surprise as she fell back and landed on her bottoms because Nathan was suddenly right on her face. “How did you-!? Did you just teleport in a blink!?”

“Ah! Sorry, Miss Renne.” Nathan said as he helped Renne stand up. “Did everyone else also see me as having teleported?”

“Y-Yeah!” Sandra said. “One second you were there, and then you’re right in front of Leader in a flash!”

“I saw it like that too.” Audrey said.

“Me too..!” Hilda said.

“I’m the same as everyone else, Vice Captain.” Storm One said.

“Don’t tell me...” Renne said, looking at the pocket watch with an inquisitive gaze. “That thing allows you to stop time.”

Everybody’s gaze immediately went straight to the pocket watch Nathan was holding, and then to Nathan himself, who took a deep breath before nodding once and speaking out. “Yes, I think so. First time I pressed the button, everyone else around me suddenly went completely still. I looked and moved around, then I pressed the button again and Miss Renne fell down. By the way, the hand is now at seven.”

“Let me take a look.” Renne said, taking the pocket watch from Nathan’s hand. Indeed, the clock hand was now pointing at seven. “Nanom, examine the current movement of the clock hand.”

“The clock hand is rotating clockwise at the speed of 15 degrees per hour.”

“Nathan, how long did you stop the time?” Renne asked.

“I think it was 25 seconds, Miss Renne.”

Renne then, without warning, pressed the button of the pocket watch. As she expected, everyone else around her suddenly went perfectly still. She looked at the clock hand closely, and even without the nanom’s assistance she could easily discern that the hand was moving at the same pace as a regular clock hand for seconds but backwards. She then pressed the button again, and everyone around her were moving again. Nobody seemed to notice because she had never moved during the time suspension.

“I see.” Renne said. “It seems this pocket watch allows the one pressing the button to stop time for at most one minute in their perspective before it runs out of energy, and it needs an entire day to recharge to full from empty.”

“T-That’s awesome!” Sandra said with audible glee. “It’s a magic item! Just like in the stories!”

“Yup, definitely.” Renne said. “And I think this is what Jin meant when he claimed that those two wouldn’t kidnap anyone again.”

“O-Oh, I see..!” Hilda said. “They could kidnap me easily, because they stopped time using that.”

“Stopping time, eh?” Storm One said. “No wonder the kidnapping went unnoticed back then.”

Audrey then chimed in. “Yeah, I imagine they took Hilda into a carriage and put her to sleep in the short moment they stopped time. Same with previous victims.”

“In other words,” Storm One said. “Jin confiscated this magic item from them and gave it to us?”

“It seems so.” Renne said before looking at Nathan. “Nathan, I’ll entrust this pocket watch to you. Make use of it when necessary in your own judgment.”

“Affirmative, Miss Renne.” Nathan said, tucking the pocket watch into his combat suit.

“Now what about the other item?” Sandra asked, looking at the ornate box. “It looks like a pen, but there must be something more to it too, right?”

“Probably, but we’ll get to that later.” Renne said. “There’s something else I want to tell you all.”

“Oh, what is it?” Audrey asked, looking intrigued.

“We will depart to the capital city in four days.” Renne said with a smirk and arms on her hip. “Courtesy of none other than Jin.”

“What? Really?” Sandra asked with her eyes going wide in delight.

“Yup, the day of reuniting with Lana is within sight. We better prepare for the trip.” Renne said.

“I’m happy for you, Leader.” Audrey said. “But how exactly are we going there?”

In response to Audrey’s question, Renne froze up. She then began sweating in embarrassment and put her right hand behind her head.

“Heh, you forgot to ask the details, didn’t you?” Audrey said with a sigh, followed with a small giggle.

“Hey! We still have four days! Enough time to find Jin in the library again and ask!” Renne said in an attempt to defend herself while the rest of the people in the room laughed.

***

In the backyard of the mansion belonging to the Bouchards stood a building separated from the mansion. From the outside it looked like a simple one-story house made from the same materials as the mansion. The plantations around it were neatly trimmed and arranged to give a fresh look.

This building served as Alex Bouchard’s painting studio, and currently the person himself was inside, sitting in front of a large canvas which was supported by an easel. All the curtains were closed, so magic lights were the only source of illumination within.

“Hmm...” Alex briefly stared at the canvas with his arms folded, and then he stood up. He swiftly moved his hands in a complex pattern as they began glowing, and multiple paintbrushes took flight from their cases.

What followed soon was a spectacle of paintbrushes taking in paint of various colors from multiple palettes, followed by those brushes applying the paints on the canvas in a swift, yet meticulous way. Alex gazed at the brushes with all his focus, his hands gracefully moving, controlling the movements of the brushes. One could say that Alex’s hand movement was akin to a conductor leading an orchestra of brushes.

Half an hour later, Alex sat back down with a tired sigh. The brushes were resting motionless at the side without anyone controlling them. He stared at the canvas in front of him for a while, and then he cracked a little smile.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door of the studio, followed by speaking. “Is it a good time to come in, bro?”

“Come in, Gill.” Alex spoke in response, and the door opened with a click. It was indeed Gill who came in.

“How’s it going?” Gill asked while closing the door behind him. The canvas was facing away from the door, so he couldn’t see the painting yet. “The last painting, I mean.”

“Still ugly, so you better not see it now.” Alex replied.

“Come on, bro.” Gill said with a wry smile. “It’s the last one so humor me for once.”

“Heh, suit yourself.” Alex said with a similarly wry smile. Gill then walked to the front side of the canvas and took a quick look at the work in progress. It was a painting of the last girl they had brought into their mansion, in the pose of being all tied up on a bed and having tears leaking from her eyes.

“Okay, you’re right.” Gill said with his arms folded. “But I already can see where it’s going so it’s not as ugly as you think.”

“If you say so.” Alex shrugged as he spoke. “This isn’t going to be the last one, though. There’s one more sketch, same pose but from behind.”

“Oh, really? I’ll be looking forward to that.” Gill grinned while giving Alex a pat on the back.

“Still...” Alex said, leaning to the nearby wall. “To think that the duke decided to look the other way.”

“But he took away the pocket watch and the pen.” Gill remarked with a frown and a sigh. “And he definitely has added us to his blacklist.”

“Honestly, even though we tried our best not to hurt the girls, we have been committing crimes regardless. All for my artistic impulse to draw girls in distress.” Alex said. “Getting blacklisted by the duke is still much better than getting arrested.”

“It sucks that we can’t get any more models now.” Gill said while fixing his ponytail. “But you’re right. I’m glad that our collection is still with us.”

“After these last two are done, maybe I’ll take a break for a while.” Alex said. “I’ll try to think of another way to continue expanding our collection. This time without any kidnappings involved.”

“That’s the spirit, bro!” Gill said with a grin. “Anyway, it’s lunch time. Coming?”

“Of course.” Alex said with a little smile, and the two brothers left the painting studio.

***

It was a couple hours after high noon, one day after Storm One collected the rewards from Jin’s quest by name. The sun was still pretty high in the sky and unlike the previous day, the weather was almost perfectly clear with few clouds in the sky.

At present, Storm Three and Storm One were visiting Francette, the girl they had interviewed before regarding the kidnappings.

“Now, Francette.” Storm Three said, handing Francette a small, brilliant white statue of an angelic figure. “I want you to hold onto this tiny figure.”

“Alright!” Francette replied in anticipation as she received the figure and held it tightly.

“On the count of three, the spirit of the figure will absorb the bad magic within you, and you will be free from the hex.” Storm Three said. “One... Two... Three!”

“Huh? The angel...!” Francette said in surprise, noticing that the angelic figure in her grasp had become dirty and visibly damaged in several parts, all in the blink of an eye.

“And now it has done its purpose.” Storm Three said with a reassuring smile. “Congratulations, Francette. You’re now free from the bad magic.”

However, Francette instead looked sad, staring at the damaged figure in her hands and then hugging it close to her chest.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy that there’s no more bad magic in you?” Storm Three asked.

While still hugging the figure, Francette replied a little weakly. “I... don’t know. I’m happy, but I feel bad for the spirit...”

Storm Three was startled for a fleeting moment, throwing a quick glance at Storm One before speaking. “Ah, no worries, Francete. The spirit is strong, and it will recover in no time.”

“Really?” Francette said, her eyes glimmering in delight.

Storm Three nodded. “Yes. In fact, it draws power from the gratitude of those it helped. If you express your gratitude, it might recover back to its prime immediately. Why don’t you try it?”

Without further waiting, Francette extended her hand forward, looked straight at the small statue, and spoke out with high enthusiasm. “Thank you so much, kind spirit! I’m so grateful that you took away the bad magic from me!”

Then, in the blink of an eye without any warning, the mini statue was back into its pristine condition. Francette naturally looked very delighted upon noticing it.

“It worked! It worked!” Francette said cheerfully as she looked at Storm Three with a jubilant expression which would make anyone unable to help smiling along with her.

“Great job, Francette! I’m happy for you.” Storm Three said in delight.

Meanwhile, Storm One cracked a smile seeing the lovely interaction between Francette and Storm Three, while hiding a damaged mini statue inside his suit along with a fancy-looking pocket watch.

***