Seated on a train bound for Magnolia, which had departed from Hargeon and passed through Magnolia, Onibus, Kunugi, Oshibana, and Clover, Layla rested her chin on her left hand and gazed out the window at the passing scenery. The train rolled forward at a steady pace. At first, Mavis had been looking out the window just like Layla, but after a while, she had taken out a book to read.
Since the journey was quite long and the scenery outside consisted mostly of forests and canyons, the world was vast yet sparsely populated, with few cities, and even fewer residents living within each one.
Mavis sat opposite, quietly reading her book. Layla had once asked Mavis why she didn't buy a pair of reading-wind glasses; Mavis had replied that while such glasses allowed someone to finish a book in a flash, she still preferred the slow, steady feeling of reading the old-fashioned way.
Lifting her head, Mavis noticed Layla staring blankly out the window and asked, "Would you like to read with me?"
"What kind of books do you have, First Master?" Layla asked, her interest piqued.
"I have some national history books, some magic books for everyday life, an adventurer's storybook, and, of course, the novels by the famous authors the boss mentioned. Which one would you like to see?" Mavis pulled a few books from her luggage and introduced them to Layla.
"Can I take a look at that adventure book?" Layla pointed to a book with a cover depicting a person traveling through a forest, looking at Mavis inquiringly.
"Certainly. Here you go." Mavis nodded and handed the book to Layla.
Layla took the book, opened it, and began reading the adventurer's background. As the story unfolded, Layla became so engrossed that she eventually dozed off, resting her head on the table.
Startled by Layla's gentle snoring, Mavis found Layla drooling peacefully over the book and smiled wryly.
"Layla? Layla?" Mavis called out a few times, gently shaking Layla's arm.
"Hmm?"
"Layla, we've arrived in Magnolia."
"Oh—right, First Master."
After waking up, Layla grabbed the luggage and followed Mavis off the train. By then, night had fallen, and the guild was already closed. Layla told Mavis they should head home first to drop off their things before going out to eat; since the house had just been purchased, they hadn't bought any groceries yet and couldn't cook at home.
Layla led Mavis to the house, placed Mavis's belongings in August's room, and took her to a nearby restaurant for dinner before returning to rest. Mavis mentioned that she would look for her own place the next day and was only staying here temporarily, but Layla insisted it was no trouble since the house had been bought by August anyway. Still, Mavis remained polite and firm.
Back in her own room, Layla didn't feel tired at all, having slept soundly on the train. Even though the sleeping posture had been uncomfortable, Layla felt a sudden, long-lost sense of familiarity—though falling asleep the moment she opened a book was truly impossible to fight off.
Sitting up, Layla began experimenting with materialized objects. After a series of tests, Layla's magic power was thoroughly drained. Meditating for a while, Layla lay back down and drifted off to sleep, knowing an early start awaited the next morning.
At dawn the next day, Mavis gave a brisk knock on Layla's bedroom door, calling for Layla to wake up. Jolted awake by Mavis's voice and muttering about oversleeping, Layla scrambled to get dressed and wash up, while an eager Mavis waited impatiently outside.
Standing before the front gates, Mavis gazed at the guild building as old memories flashed through her mind, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. Layla quietly followed in her footsteps.
Mavis looked around the interior. The guild had changed quite a bit, but that was only natural; the guild was always so lively, and brawls broke out at the slightest provocation. The tables couldn't possibly survive a full day—no, not even half a day—before needing replacements. Consequently, the first-floor decorations were constantly changing, though the rest of the building remained largely as it had been in the old days.
Makarov sat at the bar drinking. Seeing Layla enter the guild with a young girl, the slightly intoxicated master snapped instantly back to sobriety. Watching Mavis look around the guild with wide-eyed wonder, he hurried over to Layla and demanded to know who she was.
"Old man, who do you think she looks like?" Layla asked unhurriedly, unfazed by Makarov's urgency.
"You brat!" Makarov glared at Layla before turning toward Mavis.
Approaching Mavis, who was still staring around in awe, Makarov asked, "Pardon me, would you mind coming with me for a moment?"
"Sure." Seeing Makarov's expression of sheer disbelief masked by a forced calmness, Mavis smiled and agreed, following behind him.
"You come too!" Makarov glanced back at Layla, who was standing by, ready to watch the show.
"Oh, right." Knowing the gravity of the situation and that they needed to talk things over with the old man, Layla hurried to catch up.
From afar, Macao and Wakaba signaled with their eyes, asking Layla what was going on. Layla shook her head and waved a hand to indicate everything was fine.
The job Macao and Wakaba had taken over the past couple of days wasn't far from Magnolia, nor was it particularly difficult. The only thing worth teasing them about was how, the moment they returned, the two started arguing over who had made more money, with the loser having to buy the drinks.
Leading Mavis into a room beside the infirmary, Makarov turned to tell Layla to wait outside, closed the door, and set up a barrier.
"First Master, is it really you?" Makarov asked eagerly.
"Mm." Mavis nodded, giving Makarov a definitive confirmation.
Hearing this, Makarov felt a surge of overwhelming emotion mixed with sheer disbelief. He opened his mouth to ask, "Then your body—?"
"This body of mine is artificial. My original one is still back there, but certain unexpected events occurred."
A thought crossed Makarov's mind. He glanced toward the door, then asked, "Does Layla know about you?"
"Yes, Layla knows some things about me." Along the journey, Mavis had conversed with Layla, learning that Makarov was currently the guild master along with other useful pieces of information, including the fact that August and Makarov had met. Deciding not to keep him in suspense any longer, Mavis explained the whole story from beginning to end.
Outside, Layla had waited for quite a while, feeling as though moss was about to grow on. Pressing an ear gently against the door in an attempt to catch the conversation inside, Layla heard only absolute silence and muttered inwardly, "Stupid old man, refusing to let anyone eavesdrop."
Suddenly, the door clicked open. Leaning against the door for support, Layla lost all balance and nearly tumbled forward, but quickly recovered, stood straight against the wall, and tried to look completely innocent.
"Brat, get in here." Opening the door and taking in Layla's clumsy recovery, Makarov wore a look of utter exasperation, then put on a stern face and ordered Layla inside.
"Oh—okay." Hearing the old man's summons, Layla obediently walked into the room and smiled at Mavis, who was seated by the bed.
"So, First Master, what should we do now? Regarding the guild members..."
"Mm, let's keep it a secret for now."
"Then your identity...?"
"Just say I'm Layla's older sister." Mavis glanced at Layla, who was putting on an innocent, smiling face, and pondered for a moment before her lips curved upward into an innocent, sweet smile.
"Huh? Sister?"
"Mmm. Such a good kid, Layla."