Once we finished our brief introductions, Funf-san spoke with a gentle smile still on her face.
"It's not right to keep you standing around talking, so I'd like to invite you to my room. Just give me a second... Auto Control."
She snapped her fingers, and the giant armor from before materialized in an instant. Responding to her command, it began to move on its own, returning to its post in front of the gate.
"Alright, let's go then!"
"Yes... wait, huh? Your hair and clothes..."
I gasped in surprise when I turned my attention back from the giant armor to Funf-san. Before I knew it, her short hair had grown to waist-length and was loosely tied back, and her outfit had transformed into something resembling a formal suit.
"Hmm? Oh, this is actually my natural hair length. It gets in the way during a fight, so I keep it short for combat."
"I see..."
"Funf-sama, was that magic just now a spell for making golems act autonomously?"
"Exactly. Although, I’m not particularly skilled at formulas that function independently once I’ve detached them from myself. Its performance is several levels lower than when I’m controlling it directly."
Funf-san set off as she answered our questions, and we followed. Sieg-san seemed fascinated by the magic she had just witnessed, asking several follow-up questions as we walked.
"...Well, that’s the general idea. I’ll teach you the specifics later."
"Thank you very much. That was very helpful."
"Don't worry about it... But, hmmm, I see..."
Once Sieg-san's questions reached a stopping point, Funf-san looked at her and nodded as if convinced of something.
"I had a feeling that was the case since Chrome-sama recommended me to you, but... Sieglinde, you seem to have a very high aptitude for Refinement Magic. Ah, here we are. This is my room. Please, come in."
In the middle of her sentence, we reached Funf-san's room. The space was pristine, furnished with simple yet mature and stylish pieces. Its spaciousness made it feel like something straight out of a model home.
"What would you two like to drink? Black tea, coffee, juice... I also have alcohol, for what it's worth."
"Um, in that case, black tea, please."
"The same for me."
"Understood. Just wait a bit."
She definitely gave off a "big sister" vibe, and the conversation flowed with a light, easy rhythm. It made sense; being one of the senior members of Kuro’s Family effectively meant she had a vast number of younger siblings. In fact, her tone and general atmosphere reminded me quite a bit of Fia-sensei.
While I was thinking about that, the tea was served. After placing it before us along with some tea cakes, Funf-san took her own cup and sat down across from us.
"Now then, continuing what I was saying earlier, I think Sieglinde probably has a talent for Refinement Magic. Have you ever used it before?"
"N-No, a magic as advanced as Refinement Magic is far beyond me..."
As I recalled, Refinement Magic was the art Noin-san used to materialize magic power. According to what Kuro had taught me, it required a massive amount of mana, and only high-ranking demons were typically capable of it. On top of that, even at the Peerage-class level, it was a magic where proficiency varied greatly from person to person. Even among those of the Count-class, while many could technically use it, many found it difficult and rarely employed it in practice.
"I see. Then, if I end up instructing you, I'll start teaching you from the basics of Refinement Magic."
"Yes! I look forward to working with you!"
After saying that much, Funf-san took a sip of her tea, took a breath, and turned toward me with a serious expression.
"This is a bit of a change in topic, but Kaito, I've wanted to meet you for a while now."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Of course, hearing about you from Chrome-sama and my family is part of it... but more than that, I've wanted to thank you."
"Thank you?"
When I tilted my head at her somewhat vague words, Funf-san stood up from her chair and bowed deeply to me.
"Thank you for saving Fie."
"Um..."
"By Fie, I mean Vier. She and I were taken in by Chrome-sama around the same time, so we grew up like sisters. But I wasn't able to save her myself... However, thanks to you, it seems Fie is finally able to move forward and walk her own path. Honestly, no matter how many words of gratitude I offer, it wouldn't be enough."
It seemed my earlier feeling that she was similar to Fia-sensei wasn't wrong. I could sense a truly deep gratitude from Funf-san; she was happy from the bottom of her heart that Fia-sensei was finally able to look forward.
"I..."
"Yes, stop right there!"
"Eh?"
"Regardless of the circumstances, the fact remains that you saved Fie, and I am grateful for that. So please, don't be humble. Just accept my thanks for what they are."
"..."
"Once again, thank you so much."
"...Yes. You're very welcome."
I felt, in some way, that this exchange was very important to Funf-san. So, without saying anything unnecessary, I simply nodded and accepted her words of thanks, just as she had asked.
A short while later, Funf-san raised her head. Her expression had brightened into a radiant smile, and I could tell that, for her, a certain chapter had finally reached its conclusion.