We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Southern Wind.
Her fluffy, soft-looking chestnut hair was the same color as mine. Her eyes were as cute as a cat’s, and her lips were a faint pink. Her long, drooping ears peeked out from her long hair.
She had a petite, small-animal-like aura… a wo-woman?!
And her age… she looked about the same age as us?
“N-no way…!”
Priscilla-chan’s actual age is eleven, but she still looked like she was about five years old, just like when I first met her, right?!
It seems that the growth of the long-lived Mimicho Race is much slower than that of the Human Race.
So, it’s normal for their appearance to be greatly different from their actual age during childhood.
But, I wonder.
I’ve never heard of them growing to be older than their actual age, have I?
Even more so, to show such rapid growth in such a short period from early autumn to the end of the year!
“Umm, what’s wrong? Older Brother!”
Priscilla-chan, still clinging to me, looked up at me with a beaming smile.
Her height was a little shorter than mine.
I could feel her chest through her clothes, which felt like Mistral-class.
Her arms were thin, but with a girlish strength, she hugged my upper body tightly. Then, she hopped her legs up and down, flapping them.
It seems that for her, rapid growth wasn’t a problem, and she greeted me full of energy.
However, I am very confused!
What in the world happened in the Forbidden Territory while we were away?!
“Nyan.”
The smaller Nimia flew towards her usual spot.
Priscilla-chan easily caught her. Then, she tucked Nimia into her flat chest.
Nimia poked her head out from Priscilla-chan’s chest and stared at her intently.
Hmmph. Apparently, Nimia also finds this strange.
I tried to sense Yunyun and Rinrin’s presence to ask them about it.
“Huh?”
But I couldn’t sense either of them.
If Priscilla-chan was out playing from the Dragon King’s Forest, Yunyun or Rinrin should have definitely accompanied her as chaperones.
“Hey hey, where are Yunyun and Rinrin? Are they perhaps busy with work in the forest?”
Well, for Yunyun and Rinrin, taking care of the Spirits in the Forbidden Territory is a more important duty than being Priscilla-chan’s chaperones.
But…
Nimia landed in the courtyard of the mansion as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
So, we’re standing here by the courtyard lake.
But in that case…
“Um, where is everyone?”
That’s right. A lot of Mimicho people should be working in the mansion in the Forbidden Territory.
Yet, no one came out to greet us.
It’s not because I’m unpopular!
I noticed it just now when I sensed Yunyun and Rinrin’s presence.
“Hey, Priscilla-chan. Why is everyone from the Mimicho Race sleeping at this hour?”
It’s just a little past noon.
Despite that, all the Mimicho people were sleeping soundly.
Moreover, they weren’t in their rooms, but in the kitchen, living room, courtyard, and hallways, as if they had suddenly felt sleepy during work and fallen asleep on the spot…?
“Fufu, fufufu.”
Then, Priscilla-chan’s laughter changed its quality.
She was still adorable, but it was a mischievous laugh, like a naughty child whose prank had been discovered.
“Umm, Older Brother. Let’s play!”
Priscilla-chan stopped hugging me and started pulling on my clothes, trying to drag me somewhere.
But for some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t go, so I hesitated.
Then, Priscilla-chan pouted, puffed out her cheeks, and looked at me.
“It’s not fair that only you get to play! I want to play with the Spirits a lot too!”
“Hmm?”
“Come on, let’s go! Let’s all play a lot, a whole lot! Older Brother, Nimia, and the Eastern Magician too!”
“Hold on a second!”
With a *snap*, I brushed away Priscilla-chan’s arm.
“…Who are you?”
Then, I looked suspiciously at Priscilla-chan, or rather, the mysterious girl.
“Priscilla-chan doesn’t call herself ‘I.’ Also, how do you know about Momo-chan?”
Her appearance was exactly like a grown-up Priscilla-chan.
But it was different.
This girl was not Priscilla-chan!
First of all, regardless of her appearance, there’s no way Priscilla-chan would know about the Eastern Magician.
Furthermore, to identify her as the “Eastern Magician” just by seeing the Great Eagle is impossible for someone who doesn’t know the circumstances.
The girl stopped moving at my sharp observation.
I instinctively got into a defensive stance.
It was then.
“Whoa! Older Brother, welcome back!”
A young girl, who had warp-jumped into my chest with a *pop*, hugged me energetically.
Chestnut-colored, fluffy hair.
Big, round, adorable eyes.
Her energetic hug was just like the familiar young girl.
“P-Priscilla-chan!”
Yes. The young girl who just hugged me was the real Priscilla-chan.
So, then, who was this other girl?
While hugging Priscilla-chan, I looked at the other girl facing me.
She really looked exactly like Priscilla-chan, only her height was different.
Priscilla-chan hugged me happily. Seemingly satisfied, she turned and looked at the girl facing me.
Then, Priscilla-chan innocently reached out and grabbed the girl’s clothes with her small hands.
“Umm, I caught you, Older Sister.”
“Wh-wha-what!?”
“Oh my, I’ve been caught.”
The girl, called “Older Sister” by Priscilla-chan, looked at Priscilla-chan with a gentle smile. Then, she ruffled Priscilla-chan’s hair.
“Um, Priscilla-chan, who is this?”
“Umm, she’s my Older Sister?”
Come to think of it, Priscilla-chan had an older sister who was much older than her.
Her name was…
“Umm. Nice to meet you, Elnea-kun. I’m sorry for deceiving you. I am Alicia, Priscilla’s sister.”
“That’s right, it’s Alicia-san!”
She was living far away from the Dragon Forest, wasn’t she?
But I never expected this girl to be Alicia-san…
“I was going to keep playing this prank a little longer and trouble Elnea-kun.”
Alicia-san looked at me with a mischievous smile.
It seems she had learned of our return while playing tag with Priscilla-chan and decided to pull this prank.
“I was surprised. By the way, you two look so much alike.”
“Well, of course, we’re sisters!”
Once the truth was revealed, it was no big deal.
It made sense that she looked similar to Priscilla-chan because she was her sister, and it wasn’t strange for her to be in a girl’s form.
Moreover, the prank was fitting for Priscilla-chan’s older sister’s runaway nature.
“C-could it be? Did you put everyone from the Mimicho Race to sleep just to trick me?”
“Umm. With this Alicia, it’s a piece of cake, even before breakfast.”
“You know, Older Sister is a Sage!”
Priscilla-chan bragged about her as if it were her own accomplishment.
She must really love and be proud of her older sister, Alicia-san.
“I see. But isn’t that going too far?”
“Ah! Keep this a secret from Mother, okay? And from Yunyun and Rinrin too!”
“That’s too late.”
“We already know.”
Then, Yunyun and Rinrin manifested, shrugging their shoulders in exasperation.
“Such wild behavior for someone who claims to be a Sage.”
“Priscilla’s bad example wasn’t Elnea-kun, it was Alicia.”
Yunyun and Rinrin used their Spirits to wake up the Mimicho people.
Then, the awakened Mimicho people returned to their work without any confusion.
“It seems that such things have been happening regularly here…”
“Hehe.”
Alicia-san stuck out her tongue.
It seemed she wasn’t showing much remorse.
However, when she smiled with her natural charm, it made you feel like you could forgive even such a prank.
In fact, I, who had been pranked, wasn’t angry, nor did I feel any displeasure. The Mimicho people also just laughed, thinking, “Another prank from Alicia-sama.”
Still, you have to be careful not to go too far.
“Umm, I’m reflecting.”
“Hah! You can read minds too!?”
“It’s easy to read Elnea-kun’s mind.”
“Umm, Priscilla can tell too!”
“W-what did you say!?”
“Elnea Older Brother’s face shows everything, nyan. So anyone can read it, nyan.”
At Nimia’s remark, I felt a pang.
S-so that’s how it is…
And speaking of which, Nimia.
If you were so content being caught and held in her chest, it means you knew from the start, didn’t you?
“Meow.”
I never expected an accomplice to come from within our own group.
Well, I’ve been hit with quite a prank right after returning.
But well, the fact that such pranks are happening is proof that the Forbidden Territory has been peaceful.
If everyone has been living in peace and safety, then there’s no problem.
Well then, I straightened up.
And turning to the Great Eagle, who had been watching the whole commotion with wide eyes from the sidelines, I addressed it.
“Whoa. It’s a bird!”
Immediately after saying that, Priscilla-chan was already hugging the Great Eagle.
Priscilla-chan nuzzled her cheek against the Great Eagle’s fluffy feathers.
The Great Eagle was surprised to be suddenly hugged by a young girl from the Mimicho Race, its eyes widening.
“Um, that Great Eagle is… Speaking of which, why did you recognize him as the Eastern Magician just by looking at the Great Eagle, Alicia-san?”
Even as a Sage, she shouldn’t have the ability to know everything or see through everything.
Then, Alicia-san walked towards the Great Eagle, a mature smile blooming on her face, unlike a young girl.
Come to think of it. Alicia-san is Curly-san’s first love, right?
Does that mean that, although she looks like a young girl, her actual age is closer to Curly-san’s?
If you think about it that way, maybe her inner self is much more mature than her childish appearance.
And from her mature thoughts and rich experience, she might have seen through the Eastern Magician.
Alicia-san, unlike her sister Priscilla-chan, approached the Great Eagle slowly so as not to startle it.
As she did, she spoke gently.
“Meeting face-to-face like this for the first time, right? Well, you’re probably seeing Alicia through that Great Eagle, though.”
The Great Eagle, unable to escape from Priscilla-chan’s hug. Or rather, Momo-chan.
No matter how shy you are, you can’t help it when someone is so persistent, right?
Moreover, the other party is a young girl. You can’t just push her away.
Then, Alicia-san came over and gently petted the Great Eagle’s head.
The Great Eagle stared at Alicia-san.
And then, hesitantly, it spoke.
“…Southern, Sage?”
“Whoa! Hey hey, Older Brother. The bird talked? You know, my name is Priscilla. Let’s be friends?”
Priscilla-chan found a rare creature.
Priscilla-chan looked at it, wanting to become friends.
Let’s be friends?
Unfortunately, there’s no choice but to say “Yes!”
The Great Eagle blinked busily, looking at Priscilla-chan who was hugging it.
Then, as if asking for help, it shifted its gaze to me.
“That child is Priscilla-chan, who I told you about earlier. See? We became friends right away, didn’t we?”
Who could refuse when the adorable Priscilla-chan says, “Let’s be friends”?
After all, even the Giant Demon Lord is Priscilla-chan’s friend.
“Mo, Momo. My name is Momo.”
“Momo-chan! That’s a really cute name!”
It seems Priscilla-chan understood my naming.
However, Alicia-san just gave a wry smile.
“I can’t believe the Eastern Magician’s name is Momo. I’m learning this for the first time. I’ll have to tell everyone when we get back.”
“…W-why are you looking at me, Alicia-san?”
“Umm, it’s just your imagination?”
“Is that so?”
Could it be that she noticed I was the one who named him?
That’s impossible.
“A-anyway, Alicia-san.”
“Call me Alicia-chan, just like Priscilla.”
“Alicia-chan.”
“Umm, what is it?”
“Alicia-chan, are you perhaps, the Southern Sage?”
I was swept away by Priscilla-chan’s momentum, but what Momo-chan just said lingered in my mind.
The Northern Witch, the Eastern Magician, the Southern Sage, the Western Saint.
A legend spread among the people living in the distant western lands.
The symbol that governs the South.
Is Alicia-chan perhaps, the Southern Sage?
To my question, Alicia-chan smiled brightly.
“Half right, and half wrong.”
“What do you mean?”
I tilted my head at Alicia-chan’s profound words.
