BRAND NEW WORLD

The image of Arvastan's capital city became clearer as we drew closer. After two hours, we finally arrived at the harbour. It was bustling with people. Ours wasn't the only ship arriving—others were coming in from all over the central continent. From here, we could see the colosseum standing tall among the city's buildings. We left the harbour with Rima leading the way.

Since it was already lunchtime, Rima suggested we eat at one of her favourite local restaurants first. The capital was crowded with people and filled with flags and decorations stretching from building to building. Merchants lined the streets, calling out to customers, and everyone seemed busy bargaining. Joy radiated from everyone's faces.

It truly felt like a festival.

On our way to the restaurant, a voice suddenly called out to me.

"Big Sis Luna!"

I looked around to find where the voice came from. Across the street stood a young woman with brown hair dressed like a healer. My heart skipped a beat, and a wave of longing filled my chest.

"Elise!"

Across the road, I saw Elise and the others waving with big smiles on their faces. As soon as our eyes met, they hurried toward me.

"Big Sis Luna! I missed you so much!" she cried, hugging me tightly.

As her petite frame clung to me, the longing that had built up over six months surged in my heart.

"I missed you, too."

"Hey, Elise, give me a turn! I want to hug her, too," teased a red-haired girl.

"Phina! Come here!"

Elise let go of me, and Phina took her place, hugging me tightly. Soon after, she let go as well.

"Lynn, aren't you going to hug Big Sis Luna?" Elise asked the green-haired elf girl.

"Mm! I want to," Lynn nodded before embracing me, too.

After a while, Lynn released me as well. I turned to Aldian and Kyle, who both waved back at me.

"How have you been, Big Sis Luna?" Elise asked.

"I'm doing well. How about you all? I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Yeah… we're thrilled to see you again," Elise replied.

"Did you come here for the tournament too?" Phina asked.

"No, I didn't come to participate."

Relief spread across the girls' faces after hearing my answer.

"Why the reaction?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that if you were competing, our chances would be zero," Phina laughed.

"So if you're not participating, what brought you here?" Elise asked.

"I came to accompany my sister. Oh, right, let me introduce you—this is my sister Rima, and this is Lusserina."

"Rima? Is she the long-lost sister you talked about?! Rimaria Oberyth?! The S-rank adventurer?!" Elise shouted.

Elise's voice drew the attention of nearby passersby.

"Oops, sorry," Elise said sheepishly.

"Let's find a better place to chat. I know just the spot," Rima suggested.

"Whoa! What a view!" Phina exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's something," Elise agreed.

"Mm, I agree," Lynn added.

* * *

We were at the rooftop of a luxurious restaurant—once again, thanks to Rima's connections. From here, we could see the bustling crowd below. As for Langit, Griffa, and Riffon, we left them at a stable and used concealment magic so they wouldn't scare the other horses. Meanwhile, Putih and her two cubs, Bamby and Arimby, were waiting in our hotel room.

Once settled, I introduced Elise and the others to Rima and Lusserina, starting from the left: Lynn, Phina, Elise, Aldian, and finally, Kyle.

"My name is Rimaria Oberyth, as Luna said—I'm her twin sister," Rima said.

"You can call me Lusserina. Thank you for looking after the Lady," Lusserina added.

Hearing this, Elise and the others looked back and forth between me and Rima.

"Whoa… you two do look alike! I can barely tell you apart," Phina said.

"Mm, truly alike," Lynn agreed.

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"Wait a second—'Lady'? Big Sis Luna's married?!" Phina cried out.

"Errm…"

Oh no, how do I respond to that?—I panicked inwardly.

"…"

"Hey, nice to meet you too, Miss Rimaria, Miss Lusserina. You can call me Al, like the others," said Al.

"Yes, nice to meet you," Kyle added.

Nice save, Al!

"…"

"N-nice to meet you!" the trio—Elise, Phina, and Lynn—echoed.

"I heard you helped my sister. Since you've been looking after her, there's no need to be formal with me. Just call me Rima," Rima said.

Hearing that, the girls exchanged looks with wide eyes.

"R-really?" Phina's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, really," Rima confirmed.

"…"

"Oh, right, if I may ask, why did you bring Big Sis Luna here?" Phina asked.

Rima and I glanced at each other upon hearing the question.

"We were invited to the martial arts tournament as guests," Rima replied.

"Guests?! That's amazing!" they all cried out in unison.

"It's nothing special. Honestly, it's a hassle. I'm just here to sit and watch. Luna got bored, so I brought her along," Rima said.

"Hey! Why'd you have to tell them that?!"

Everyone laughed. We had lunch together, then spent the rest of the day strolling through the capital's festival. We watched street circus performances, tried unique snacks like Tabouleh and Kofta, and even viewed the colosseum up close.

When the sun set and dinner time came, we dined at another fancy restaurant thanks to Rima's connections, then relaxed in a hot spring bath. Of course, it was a women-only bath.

"Ah~ I still can't believe we got to see Big Sis Luna again," Phina said.

"Yeah, I've been waiting for this day," Elise agreed.

"I missed you all so much."

"She did—Luna was disappointed when she couldn't find you in Barqa," Rima teased.

"H-hey! You didn't have to say that!"

Elise and the others burst out laughing.

"Oh, right, what have you been up to these past six months?" I asked.

"Since you left, we've been training non-stop, especially our magic skills," Lynn answered.

"Really? Now I can't wait to see how far you've come."

"Are all of you participating in the tournament?"

"Yes, we want to test what we've learned in the past six months," Elise said.

"Is it okay for all of you to compete?" Rima asked.

"What do you mean, Miss Rima?" Phina replied.

"I mean, if you end up facing each other—you already know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Hearing that, the three girls looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"Of course, we've considered that. But we've all committed to giving it our all, even if we face each other," Elise said.

It was true—when I used 'Analyze' on them, I could tell their levels had risen since we last met.

"How many times have you participated in this tournament?" I asked.

They looked at one another again.

"This is our first time," Phina admitted shyly.

"Oh, right, Rim—you attend this event as a guest every year, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I told you—it's troublesome," Rima replied with a sigh.

"Could you tell us more about the tournament? It might help Elise and the others a bit."

Their eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Very well. So, this martial arts festival is held every summer to commemorate the founding of the Kingdom of Moesram. It's one of the main tourist attractions here. The tournament is divided into two categories: solo versus solo and group versus group. As the names suggest, one is for individual battles, and the other is for team fights," Rima explained.

Rima continued explaining many things about the tournament and the kingdom. We also discussed several other topics. Once we were satisfied with the hot spring, we continued talking in our room before calling it a night.

[The Next Morning]

We woke up and had breakfast together at our inn. After that, we all headed to the colosseum.

When we arrived, the area around the colosseum was a sea of people. Crowds flocked toward the venue, and vendors lined the outside selling their goods.

Wow… It's so crowded! Everyone seems excited for the martial arts festival.

Once inside, Elise and the others split off to handle their registration, while I went with Rima and Lusserina to the VIP waiting room.

We arrived at a large, grand hall with stone walls. Inside were many people who looked quite important. Then, someone approached us.

"Lady Rimaria, welcome!" a voice called out.

It was a muscular man with brown hair, wearing a red turban adorned with a crown-like accessory in front. He was shirtless, wearing a red robe with golden embroidery, a red batik-patterned sarong, and sandals that resembled hiking boots.

Beside him stood a woman in a fiery red kebaya and a matching red batik-patterned sarong. She wore a golden crown on her head, holding her braided hair in place.

"Prince Hasby," Rima replied.

"I was wondering when Lady Rima would show up. I thought maybe you weren't coming, haha," Prince Hasby said, laughing.

"Well, I was invited, so of course I came," Rima replied.

"So, what about my offer? Have you changed your mind?" the prince asked.

"What offer are you referring to, Your Highness?" Rima replied.

"To become my wife, of course, hahaha," Prince Hasby answered.

"You must be joking, Your Highness. Don't you already have four wives?"

What?! Four wives?!