For Nino and Itsuki, Ichika and Miku's disappearance had happened over a month ago.
After the two of them went out together, they never returned. The remaining three sisters nearly went mad—they reported it to the police, put up missing posters… they tried every method they could think of. They searched for a full month but found not a single trace of the two.
Naturally, the girls had no intention of giving up. Then, one day, when Nino and Itsuki went out together, they inexplicably stepped into this world, appearing in Tokyo City as refugees.
After spending several panicked days in the refugee camp, enduring hunger and cold, they were fortunate enough to be found by the city's mayor, Tohno Akiha, who brought them to the Magecraft Academy to work as cooks. Finally, they were able to live a stable life.
They had thought about it before.
If they had crossed over into this world, then perhaps Ichika and Miku—who had been missing for a full month without a trace—might have also come here.
The two of them searched the refugee camp for a while, but of course, they found no sign of Ichika or Miku. With their own survival becoming precarious, they had no choice but to shift their focus to making a living.
Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Roy arrived with news about Ichika and Miku.
Only then did they learn that Ichika and Miku had indeed arrived in this world shortly before them. However, unlike them, they hadn't appeared in Tokyo City but in another city—Fuyuki City—and had even ended up outside the city walls, surrounded by monsters. If not for Roy and Rin's timely rescue, they would have long since been devoured by the creatures.
"Then where are they now?"
Nino asked urgently, her face full of anxiety.
"They're serving as attendants in my home," Roy reassured her.
"Don't worry, they're perfectly safe."
They were even learning magecraft.
But that involved Roy's unique constitution, and explaining it might make the two sisters feel uneasy. Since they'd figure it out on their own eventually, Roy didn't go into too much detail.
"That's a relief!"
Nino exhaled heavily.
Though it bothered her a little that her sisters had become attendants, seeing how Roy had traveled all the way across the wilderness to Tokyo City just to find them on Ichika and Miku's behalf showed that he was a good master.
At the very least, he was far better than that trash Oumaru, who had promised to treat them well but then immediately pushed her out as a shield!
In a world like this, survival alone was already a blessing. Having a master as strong and considerate as Roy was nothing short of a miracle amidst misfortune.
"So Lord Roy really is a magus?"
Itsuki visibly relaxed as well, then curiously glanced at Roy's chest.
There was no mage's badge there.
The two of them had been in Tokyo City for a while and knew some of the unwritten rules—those who wore special badges on their chests were magi, individuals whose status far surpassed that of ordinary people.
But Roy wasn't wearing a badge, so they hadn't been entirely sure before.
"Ah, I'm not particularly fond of wearing badges."
Roy followed her gaze to his own chest and understood her confusion.
He casually opened his imaginary pocket, the sudden appearance of the void startling the sisters and filling them with envy.
Under their watchful eyes, Roy took out his magus's badge.
Unlike the crude apprentice badge from before, this one had a dark golden hue, clearly crafted from precious metal.
Nino's eyes fixed on the badge he produced. Having attended magic school, they had at least a basic understanding of magician ranks and their corresponding insignias.
Then her eyes widened in disbelief.
"A... a Crown-class badge?!"
Itsuki's jaw dropped in shock, momentarily speechless.
Nino's voice suddenly rose several octaves, forcing Takina and Chisato in the kitchen to hear her near-scream despite not wanting to.
Takina and Chisato paused their work simultaneously, exchanging glances that mirrored each other's astonishment.
Crown-class—the highest rank a magus could achieve in this world.
Meaning that Roy was among the top-tier magi of this era?
Takina recalled seeing Roy outside the city walls, moving at bullet train speeds with just his physical body, obliterating a large curse spirit in a single strike. Strangely, this realization calmed her.
Indeed, such power could only be matched by the Crown rank.
"Just an empty shell."
Roy, however, looked completely unimpressed as he tossed the badge onto the table.
Because the badge truly was just a shell—merely a casing.
In Japan, magus rank certification was handled by the Mage's Association branch in Fuyuki City. Before the Holy Grail War, all magi had to adhere to the ranks assigned by the Association, with no one allowed to forge their status.
But on the night of the Holy Grail War's final battle, the Mage's Association was destroyed—its members nearly wiped out, the branch castle reduced to rubble.
Even now, the Association's headquarters in London showed no intention of rebuilding the branch, clearly having abandoned its authority over Japanese magi—with the Greater Grail gone, there was no profit to be had, so the Association naturally didn't care anymore.
Thus, the rank badges stored in the branch, along with the gold coins, all ended up in the hands of Rin, who had thoroughly ransacked the Association's castle.
So, Rin gave one of the Crown-class badges to Roy.
"Even without the Association's certification, it's enough to intimidate people!"
With a mischievous grin, Rin said something utterly unbecoming of a magus.
Most magi could tell at a glance from his white hair and red eyes that he was a homunculus, meaning his rank could only be apprentice at best. But ordinary people wouldn't know—whip out the badge, and they'd bow at the sight of a Crown-class insignia.
On the other hand, magi generally knew homunculi were exceptionally gifted. Even if they looked down on homunculi as little more than lab rats, they wouldn't underestimate his strength.
Thus, Roy was rarely belittled. Even Akiha Tohno only doubted his ability to handle curse spirits, not his overall power.
Roy truly didn't care about the Crown-class badge.
But Nino and Itsuki only felt he was being pretentious, their expressions a mix of bewilderment and profound relief.
With such a powerful backer, at least their safety was no longer a concern. Returning to their previous worry-free life of abundance shouldn't be a problem either.
After all, even their magic school teacher Varien was merely a Magus of the Opening rank. Roy's strength and status far surpassed his—there couldn't be a more reliable protector than this.
These past few days as refugees had truly frightened them.
"Consider this our first proper meeting. Take these as gifts."
Roy reopened his imaginary pocket and, under the girls' expectant gazes, pulled out a stack of rune papers.
"I came to Tokyo City on a mission. I'll be staying here for several more days before returning, and will be quite busy during this period—I might not be able to look after you properly. Keep these rune papers with you at all times to ensure your safety."
***
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