“Nice to meet you, Ms. Pacorina. As I mentioned to the owner, my name is Catherine. I belong to an organization that handles fairy-related matters for the country. This is Kent. It seems there were various incidents the other day…”
The conversation began with Eroni’s grandmother, Pacorina, sitting next to Catherine on the sofa, with Kent and Catherine seated opposite them across the table. Catherine started her self-introduction, but with a somewhat prickly tone, Pacorina seemed to be sweating strangely on her forehead.
“Kent, I’m sorry about the other day. I had no choice but to do that to avoid this theater going bankrupt.”
Before Catherine could even speak, Pacorina offered an apology.
“You understand how inefficient it is to drain magic from someone you’re not contracted with, don’t you? Thanks to that, Kent had a terrible experience. It’s one thing if it were a small amount, but your magic has completely recovered, hasn’t it? That means Kent lost tens to hundreds of times the amount of magic you did.”
“Yes… I found someone with magic in the stage wings, and I thought it would help the theater if I could absorb even a little bit, so I tampered with the lottery. Then, after we were together, I never imagined you had that much magic, and what I intended to be a small amount ended up being enough to fully recover.”
Catherine’s sharp tone of reprimand caused Pacorina to shrink back and explain the circumstances.
“As Kent probably felt when he visited before, this theater was on the verge of bankruptcy due to severe financial constraints. My power as a shop-attached fairy also fluctuates with the business. In its current state of continuous decline, my power has significantly weakened compared to before. However, thanks to the magic I received from Kent, the theater’s finances have shown gradual signs of recovery.”
“With that appearance, couldn’t you have contributed somewhat to revenue if you performed on stage?”
As Pacorina explained the situation, Catherine asked the question that anyone would have thought of.
“I usually conserve my magic, so I can’t maintain this physique and can’t perform on stage. At that time, there was a group of customers, so I put all my strength into it. It wasn’t just about achieving this current physique, but also about stopping customers from leaving and speeding up the timing for those who weren’t going anywhere…”
“Ah, so that’s why everyone couldn’t move then.”
Kent recalled the time he visited before and a patron who tried to leave became unable to move. It seemed Pacorina had been using her magic for that.
“So now you’re using that power to energize the old folks, right? What’s the current magic balance?”
“Yes, thanks to that, even those who have finished their active generation can become energetic, and if they’re lucky, have a chance to connect. Word of mouth has spread, and many customers have started coming. Currently, I’m working behind the scenes to continue using magic, but in terms of magic balance, the amount coming in and the amount going out are about the same.”
“Thanks to that, this old body had to shake its hips, you know.”
Pacorina answered Catherine’s question. Eroni’s grandmother then patted her hips and said.
“I see… the magic balance is even.”
Catherine was writing down what she heard in her notebook.
“If the magic balance is even, that means you’re generating a decent amount of revenue?”
“Ah, I’m saved thanks to this child.”
Eroni’s grandmother said, patting Pacorina’s head.
“Then, I have a warning for you. Do not engage in such reckless magic consumption again. If you do not comply, I will shut down this theater with my authority. If the theater is shut down, Ms. Pacorina, you will cease to exist.”
“Ugh… Yes.”
“Wait, what do you mean by that? Pacorina will vanish if the theater closes?”
Unlike Pacorina, who readily accepted Catherine’s warning, Eroni’s grandmother said with surprise.
“Shop-attached fairies are tied to the shop… in this case, the theater. If the building itself is destroyed, she will vanish. If the building remains, she will go into a dormant state until a new manager appears. However, if there is no one among the next manager or someone equivalent who possesses magic, they will not be able to contract with her, and she will remain in a dormant state.”
“What a disaster. I’m getting old, and I was thinking of closing the theater and living a peaceful life with Pacorina, but it seems I can’t do that either.”
Eroni’s grandmother seemed shocked after hearing Catherine’s explanation.
“That’s right. The theater and Pacorina are one and the same, so to prevent her from disappearing, the owner must work hard, or you must find a successor with magic.”
“There aren’t exactly magic-users lying around in town, are there? How do you plan to find one?”
“That involves inheritance matters, so I can’t say for sure, but perhaps they might be surprisingly close by?”
Catherine gave a suggestive answer to the worried Eroni’s grandmother.
“If you encounter any issues related to fairies, please come to the sanctuary for consultation. The sanctuary’s location is…”
Then, Catherine told them to come to the sanctuary if they had any problems.
“Oh, that’s right. This is the registration certificate for shop-attached fairies. If you bring this when you consult us, it will facilitate the conversation.”
Catherine handed a small wooden tag to Eroni’s grandmother.
“Thank you for your concern about everything.”
“Not at all. This is my job. That’s all I needed to convey. Well then, Kent, shall we go?”
“Ah.”
Having finished their business, Kent and Catherine left the theater. As they departed, all the employees saw them off.
“It was quite an atHome theater. Look, there’s already a queue of customers.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
In front of the theater, there was already a line of people, about as many as when Kent and his companions had entered. It seemed the theater’s management would be fine for a while based on this.
“Thank you all for being here in the cold.”
As Catherine spoke, several Holy Knights in white armor appeared.
“Saintess, thank you for your hard work.”
Otsupain, the captain of the Holy Knight squad, was among them. Otsupain spoke to Catherine on behalf of the group.
“Were you perhaps stationed here as a precaution?”
“Yes. It would be problematic if something happened with just Kent and me. It’s important to be prepared for unexpected situations.”
Catherine replied as if it were obvious.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Captain, you’re enough for the guard duty, so the rest of you can return to the sanctuary.”
“““Yes, understood.”””
At Catherine’s instruction, the Holy Knights, except for Captain Otsupain, returned to the sanctuary.
“Then I will serve as the Saintess’s guard…”
“There’s no need for that right now. Even if you’re guarding, from the outside, you won’t look like a person of importance. So it’s fine. I have to tell others that way so they’ll accept it and leave.”
“Haa.”
Even though she was a Saintess, Catherine was currently in casual clothes and looked like just a town girl to those around her. Otsupain gave a half-hearted reply at Catherine’s words.
“Let’s have lunch together, the three of us.”
And so, the three of them left the red-light district to have lunch.
