Still on that same night.
Aruta was still running like crazy to his room because of what had just happened.
"What was that?! Junoi? A demon? If it's a junoi, I should be able to exorcise it, right. Ah, whatever!!" said Aruta as he kept running down the hallway of the inn.
Just as Aruta was almost at his room, he noticed the door to the room next to his was still slightly ajar. Through the crack of that door, the light from inside was still shining. That was Mr. Wise's room.
"Mr. Wise isn't asleep yet?" Aruta muttered.
Aruta began to walk slowly towards that room. Upon reaching the door, Aruta peeked inside and found no one there.
Suddenly
"Aruta," someone called. Aruta was startled, even jumping backward.
Aruta looked to the left and right, there was nothing but darkness.
"Ugh, I left my phone in my room again, can't use the flashlight," Aruta mumbled.
"Aruta," the voice called again.
Aruta was startled again and exclaimed, "W-who are you! Show yourself! I'm not afraid."
Not long after, a hissing sound was heard, "Sshh."
Aruta's courage instantly shrank upon hearing that hiss. His legs trembled and went weak, his face turned deathly pale, and now Aruta couldn't even make a sound anymore.
"Don't scream, okay. It might disturb us. You wouldn't want to be disturbed either, right?" said the voice again, and this time Aruta felt the voice was right behind him.
"WAAAAHHH!!!" Aruta immediately rushed into his room and slammed the door shut.
On the other hand, Mr. Wise, who had been behind Aruta the whole time, could only shake his head while muttering, "Oh god."
Mr. Wise then entered his room. Inside, his phone on the table suddenly rang. Mr. Wise checked his phone and saw that Mr. Kuroto was calling.
"Hello," Mr. Wise greeted briefly.
"Yo Wise, sorry for calling this late," Mr. Kuroto said.
"Hmm, what is it?" Mr. Wise asked, sitting in his chair.
"I just wanted to tell you, yesterday while I was on a mission, I found something weird," Mr. Kuroto said.
"I'm surprised, you can actually do a mission," Mr. Wise said still in his cool voice, but his words punched Mr. Kuroto so hard.
"Of course! My pay's been cut like, how many times by the old man because I ditched missions," answered Mr. Kuroto. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that yesterday, when I was on a mission with those three kids, something unusual happened. When the junoi died, a weird card came out of it. You know how usually when a junoi dies it goes whoosh! Vanishes just like that. Whoosh! Then there's smoke, whoosh!"
Mr. Wise could only stare blankly hearing Kuroto's rambling. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"So the point is, a weird card came out of one of the junoi I killed back then. If you maybe get any intel about that, please let me know, okay?" Mr. Kuroto said.
"Okay," Mr. Wise replied.
"Hmm~ btw, the toast at my place is pretty good," Mr. Kuroto said, who was previously heard munching on something. "Wanna try some?"
"No and thank you," Mr. Wise said, immediately hanging up the phone.
***
The next morning.
"Hoaaaam," Zaka yawned widely while stretching his arms.
He rubbed his eyes and started to sit up on his bed. But he heard a strange sound. It sounded like a soft moan. Zaka looked around but there was no one. Even Aruta wasn't in his bed.
"Aruta?" Zaka called. "Aruta!" he called out again.
But shortly after, the moaning sound was heard again. Zaka listened carefully and felt the sound was coming from under his bed. Zaka got down from his bed and peered into the dark space beneath it.
Zaka grabbed his phone and crouched down. He aimed his phone towards the space under the bed and slowly moved closer. Closer... and closer... and when Zaka turned on his phone's flashlight, the face of someone with huge eye bags and messy hair came into view. It was Aruta, curled up there.
"Huh? Aruta? What's wrong with you?" Zaka asked flatly.
"Your voice is so flat, dude. We have to go home! This place is gonna kill us," Aruta answered, trembling.
"Huh?"
"I saw a ghost. No, maybe it was a demon. I almost couldn't make it back to this room," Aruta said, still shaking.
Aruta immediately grabbed Zaka's collar, pulling him while saying in a dramatic voice, "We have to get out of here! We won't make it back alive if we stay here. Or at the very least, one of us will disappear and won't be able to go home."
"Don't say stuff like that. What if someone actually disappears? Besides, are you drunk or something? Our whole job is dealing with that kind of stuff," Zaka said.
"Ah, right. Hehe... he..." Aruta said.
"Oh dude, he's definitely wasted," Zaka muttered to himself.
Suddenly
knock knock knock
"AAAHH?!" Aruta screamed reflexively.
"Whoa?!" Zaka was also startled by Aruta's scream. "Hey, why are you screaming like that?"
"That must be the ghost!" Aruta said, crawling further under Zaka's bed.
"Hey, you're gonna catch a cold under there!" Zaka exclaimed.
And not long after, "Hey, what's all the racket in there?" came Mr. Wise's voice from outside the door.
"Nothing's wrong, Sir!" Zaka replied.
"Eh?" Aruta reappeared at the edge of the space under Zaka's bed. "Oh, it's Mr. Wise."
"Hurry up and get ready. We're gathering in front of the inn in thirty minutes!" Mr. Wise called from outside.
"Okay, Sir," Aruta and Zaka responded.
***
A moment later, in front of the inn.
Mr. Wise and Raven were already in front of the inn, waiting for Aruta and Zaka.
Raven was standing next to Mr. Wise, and while standing, she closed her eyes, bowed her head slightly, and was snoring softly.
Not long after, Zaka arrived.
"Good morning, Sir," Zaka greeted.
"Good morning. Where's Aruta?" Mr. Wise asked.
"Right there," Zaka pointed with his thumb towards the back.
And from behind Zaka, Aruta could be seen staggering closer.
"What's wrong with you?" Mr. Wise asked.
"Saw a ghost last night, Sir," Aruta answered. "When I went to the bathroom, there was a female ghost. Uuugh, it's so scary. Her hair is long, she's small, and she looks like a demon in a horror movie."
Hearing that, Raven began to wake up and said in her soft voice, "That was me."
"Eh?" Aruta gaped. "What were you doing up in the middle of the night? Wanna go to the bathroom too?" Aruta asked.
"She's just like that. Awake at night and sleeps during the day," Zaka said.
"EH?! Really?" Aruta commented.
Shortly after, Mr. Wise clapped his hands a few times and said, "Okay everyone, back to the mission. Listen up first."
Aruta, Raven, and Zaka stopped their conversation and turned to face Mr. Wise.
"Put on your Juntoshi Mage pins," Mr. Wise said, his voice low but authoritative.
The three kids immediately took out their Juntoshi mage pins and attached them to their clothes. Zaka pinned his to his upper arm. Raven pinned hers to her shirt collar. And Aruta proudly pinned his to his chest.
A moment later, someone arrived. A man wearing a plain shirt. He was wearing a necklace, and what hung from the end of it wasn't a gem, but a Juntoshi Mage pin.
"Mr. Wise!" the person called out.
Mr. Wise turned around. "Oh, Mike."
"How have you been?" Mr. Wise asked.
"Ahaha, you know, the usual, Sir. Wake up, work, sleep," Mike answered with a laugh.
"I see. So, what about the scout mages?" asked Mr. Wise, this time in a more serious tone. "I heard Anabel is in this village too."
"I'm the only one left," Mike answered.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know how crazy busy we've been lately. Almost all the scout mages from this village are scattered elsewhere. Hehe, Anabel's been running around like a headless chicken. But don't worry. The amazing Mike here can definitely handle it," Mike answered.
"Alright then," Mr. Wise said. He turned to face the three kids and said, "Okay everyone, listen up! Our mission this time is to investigate the strange occurrences in this village. The strangeness concerning people who suddenly go mad, especially in the market area. And there are also frequent cases of disappearances here. This should be the scout mages' job, but since they're super busy right now, we have to wing it on our own for this mission."
Mr. Wise took a step back and continued, "Let me introduce Mike, a member of the scout mages. He will be accompanying you on today's investigation mission."
"Yo!" Mike raised one hand.
"The plan for today is observation. Don't take any action unless you are truly forced into a corner, or there's a definite and advantageous situation. The village market is huge. I will go to the northern area of the village market. You, accompanied by Mike, will search the southern area of the market. Understood?!"
"Understood!" Aruta responded with full enthusiasm.
"Sure..." Zaka responded, half-indifferent.
Meanwhile, Raven had fallen asleep standing up again.
"Good grief," Mr. Wise thought.
***
Upon arriving at the village market.
"Okay everyone, let's just take a casual stroll. But we gotta stay sharp!" said Mike, swaggering as he walked.
"Okay," Aruta, Zaka, and Raven followed behind Mike.
"Zaka, I know you're strong. But remember one thing, I'm just as strong as you! Hyahahaha!" Mike said loudly.
"Hey, can you chill with the volume a bit?" Zaka said.
"Oh and Aruta, I heard you're the new here. Hope you're settling in. I believe you'll become a strong mage too. Just like the awesome me, hyahahaha!" Mike said again, loudly.
"Jeez... how come his mouth is so strong that he keeps babbling from the inn until here?" Zaka thought to himself while Aruta just stayed quiet and smiled.
Not long after, Aruta spotted a clothing stall with a sign "Special Ultra-X Merch."
"ULTRA X?? I must to check it first!" Aruta immediately darted towards that stall.
At the same time, Zaka spotted a shop with a sign that read "Donut Shop."
"Donuts?!" Zaka immediately grabbed Raven's wrist tightly and dashed towards the shop, leaving Mike talking to himself.
"...and yeah, that's basically how I got so strong. What do you guys think?" Mike asked, turning around to find no one behind him.
"Huh? Where'd they go?!"
Luckily, not long after, Mike managed to gather the three kids.
Aruta was wearing a character shirt from Ultra-X, Zaka was carrying a bag containing donuts and was eating them while walking, and Raven was wearing a "donut crown" a free gift from the donut shop.
"You guys are the worst. Don't disappear again okay. That's dangerous!" Just as he finished his words, when Mike closed his eyes, the three kids were already gone again from his sight.
"Gone again?!"
Not long after, Mike managed to gather them again. The things Aruta, Zaka, and Raven were carrying were different from before.
"I told you not to. Later I will tell Mr. Wise you know! Obey the orders of this dashing and strong scout mage," Mike said.
But when he blinked his eyes, the three kids had disappeared again.
"Still can disappear?!"
Finally when they were caught again, Mike even tied a rope to the three kids' necks.
"No more running away! How can you become strong like me if blah blah blah..."
Yeah the three kids were not listening at all to what Mike was saying. Not long after, Aruta saw a stall that was decorated so flashily. Inside it there was someone who was dressed up and using a wizard costume. It seemed interesting.
"What stall is that?" Aruta asked still looking at that stall.
"Wanna go there?" Zaka asked.
"How? We are tied up like this," Aruta asked turning to Zaka.
"Just take off the rope first then," Zaka answered.
Zaka raised his hand and bit the tip of his index finger until it produced a little blood. Zaka stopped biting his hand and not long after, three blood bubbles from his wound flew right beside his neck, Aruta's, and Raven's.
"Blood Manipulation: Slash."
The three blood bubbles then turned into sword slashes and cut the rope tying the three kids' necks.
"Cool!" Aruta muttered.
"Let's go," Zaka whispered while bringing Raven.
The three of them left Mike again.
Mike who also coincidentally had finished with his talking finally opened his eyes and saw there was nothing on the ends of the three ropes he was holding.
"Huh?" Mike was briefly shocked but a second later his expression immediately changed. His teeth were grinding and his face turned red. "YOU GUYS ARE JUST TROUBLESOME!!"
On the other side, Aruta, Zaka, and Raven arrived in front of that wizard stall.
From inside, a person wearing a wizard costume could be seen calling out to a few people gathered in front of his stall. "Hoho! Come test your luck with the magic ball! If anyone gets a golden ball, congratulations, you will get one of the latest console models, of which there are only one hundred in the entire world! Don't miss out, for just a very small payment you can take this console home if you're lucky. However, if you get a black ball, unfortunately you get nothing. But that's not the end! It means your luck awaits you in the next ball!" shouted the "wizard" manning the stall.
"WO-WO-WO-WO-WO-WOAH!! The latest console that only has a hundred in the world! I wanna try!" said Aruta to the "wizard" with full enthusiasm.
"You sure?" Zaka asked.
"OF COURSE!" Aruta immediately took out his wallet and ran to the queue.
Zaka could only sigh and follow behind Aruta.
After a while, Aruta finally got his turn in the queue.
"Hoho please, young man! Let the magic energy of luck flow in your blood!" said the "wizard".
"Hmm! Hmm!! I'm gonna test my luck!" Aruta said excitedly.
Aruta then began to try. First ball, black. Try again! Second ball, black. Try again! Fifth ball, still black. Tenth, twentieth, still black. Until his fiftieth try, Aruta's ball was still black.
"DAMN IT!!" Aruta Shouted.
"Someone's broke here," Zaka said.
"Ohoho it seems you are out of luck today. May you be luckier another time," said the "wizard". "I didn't put a single golden ball at all. But I still put other balls with prizes. His luck is so rotten. Well, hopefully he can be a little lucky some other time," muttered the "wizard".
"It seems the person pretending to be a wizard has successfully 'bewitched' a real mage," Zaka continued, muttering to himself. Zaka then said to Aruta, "Had enough? Let's move on."
"I'm broke..." Aruta whined, showing his now thin wallet.
"Well, whose fault is that," Zaka said, immediately hauling Aruta away.
Not long after, while walking, a stone landed on Raven's head, waking her up. "Ahh?!" Her eyes opened. And in confusion, she looked to the right and to the left.
"Uh? hoamm I'm so sleepy," Raven mumbled, her vision starting to blur.
But Raven still tried to look around one more time. By accident, Raven's eyes saw something strange. There was someone in a brown robe. Looked ordinary, but Raven felt something was weird behind that person's robe. Raven rubbed her eyes and tried to focus. Not long after, the wind blew, lifting the person's robe, revealing a circle with a wolf symbol on the person's back belt.
"Oh?" Raven raised one of her eyebrows.
She immediately started pulling on Zaka's sleeve. Zaka turned towards Raven and saw Raven pointing her finger in a certain direction. Zaka looked in the direction Raven pointed and saw the person in the brown robe.
"What is it?" Zaka asked.
"Mercenary mage," Raven answered briefly.
Zaka focused his gaze on the person Raven pointed to and he also saw the circle with the wolf symbol.
"Oh, so it's their doing," Zaka muttered.
"Hey Aruta," Zaka called.
"Uh? Wah?!" suddenly Zaka dropped Aruta from his carry.
"Release your Juntoshi Mage pin," Zaka ordered to Aruta. His voice, which was usually flat, was still flat now. But more serious.
"Huh? What's going on?" Aruta asked.
"Looks like we just found our prey today," said Zaka.