800 Bear, goes to the Ellelaura residence - Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear

After completing the Ice Dragon Egg Puzzle with Fina, I use the Bear Transfer Gate to head to the royal capital. Although it's a hassle, I can't leave Ellelaura unchecked. Leaving her unattended would undoubtedly lead to even more trouble. I debated whether to go to the castle or Ellelaura's house and decided on her house. The reason being, the pressed flowers Shia made contained some rare flowers. Even if I met Ellelaura at the castle, I would still end up going to her house to check the pressed flowers. I considered visiting Lady Flora, but that would entail a visit from the king as well. The topic of pressed flowers would then likely become a big issue. It's best to avoid unnecessary trouble. I can visit Lady Flora after the matter of the pressed flowers is resolved. With that decision made, I head to what might be considered Cliff's house in the capital, but is actually Ellelaura's residence. "Yuna, it's been a while," Thrilina, the maid working at the capital's residence, greets me. "I was called by Ellelaura," I explain. "Yes, I’ve been informed. I was told to welcome you warmly when you arrived, Yuna." Thrilina guides me to a guest room and, true to her word, prepares tea and snacks for me. I nibble on cookies and sip tea. Delicious. As I leisurely enjoy the snacks and tea, a beautiful girl with golden hair flowing behind her enters. "Yuna!" The girl entering the room is Shia, wearing her school uniform. As always, she’s quite the stunning girl. Bright, diligent, noble daughter, and beautiful. She must be quite popular at school. "Shia, it's been a while." Shia takes a seat in the chair across from me. When Thrilina enters the room, she places tea and snacks before Shia, bows her head, and leaves. Maid work is impressive. "Are you here about the pressed flowers?" "Yeah, I heard some rare flowers were used." "Please wait a moment," Shia says, popping a cookie into her mouth before leaving the room. However, she returns within a few minutes. She carries a frame that she places before me. It holds the pressed flowers. "It seems to be this flower," Shia points to one of the flowers. It's a bluish flower. It has six petals spreading out like fireworks. "This flower, huh?" I can’t tell just by looking. To me, it only appears to be an ordinary blue flower. Perhaps using the Bear's Observation skill will reveal something. I move the bear puppet over the blue flower and activate the skill. Pressed Flower... Something made by drying smushed flowers. ...I feel an irritation rising. It’s correct, but that’s not the point. It’s like asking to identify a breed of dog and being told, "Dog." Some people might not know what a pressed flower is, so as an answer, it's valid. But right now, I want to loudly object. "By the way, how did you know this flower was rare?" If the Bear's Observation can't discern it, I may as well ask. However, given time has passed since the pressed flowers were made, if Shia or Ellelaura knew about flowers, they would have noticed sooner. "Well…" Shia begins to explain. Apparently, someone who had business with Ellelaura visited her at the house. During the visit, they noticed the pressed flowers displayed in Ellelaura's office. "Ellelaura has pressed flowers in her office?" "Mother took them, saying, 'These are nice. Made by my daughter, so I'll borrow them for a while.'" ...Ellelaura. I've occasionally seen people display their children's artwork on TV, and it's probably the same thing. As a parent, one would proudly display such things, but from the child's perspective, it's likely embarrassing. "Well, I wasn't attached to the pressed flowers, and since they weren't going to be thrown away, I lent them." I also lack any particular attachment to the pressed flowers. If someone asked to borrow them, I’d probably lend them without a second thought. "So, who was that person? A florist?" If they're a noble, they likely decorate or gift flowers. Did they invite a florist home for some reason? "Not a florist, it was someone from the Ministry of Magic." "The Ministry of Magic?" I hadn't heard of it before. "Most ordinary people probably don't know about it, but the Ministry of Magic researches magic, magical power, and magical tools." "Such a place exists?" "Yes, magic and magical tools can be dangerous, so it's run by the country." Indeed, both magic and magical tools can pose dangers depending on their use. While perhaps not magic, many magical tools are accessible to ordinary people. If mishandled, channeling magical power could result in a massive explosion. "That member of the Ministry of Magic visited, and saw the pressed flowers displayed in Mother’s office." That led to the discovery that a rare flower was used in the pressed flowers, which prompted Ellelaura to talk to Shia, who in turn, after sharing how we made them together in Crimonia, resulted in Cliff reaching out to me. I understand the flow now. "Just to confirm, Shia. You haven’t mentioned where the flowers were picked, right?" "You mean from Tarle-Gwi, right? When Mother asked where the flowers were picked, I glossed over it by saying you collected them, Yuna. We promised not to mention Tarle-Gwi." Shia answers with a smile. I had asked Shia not to speak of Tarle-Gwi to anyone. She’s kept that promise. Shia's smile is dazzling. "So, what do you plan to do? Mother might ask you to gather more of them." "While I won’t speak about Tarle-Gwi, the moving island is something the fishermen in Mireera know about, so I think it might be alright to mention the moving island." I mentioned it to Noa, but the moving island is something known to the fishermen in Mireera. "That’s true." "But thank you for keeping silent," I say. "It was a promise with you, Yuna." Shia's sincerity is heartwarming. Just like Fina and Noa, I'm grateful for their willingness to keep things discreet. The detailed discussions will wait until Ellelaura returns. "So, Yuna, do you have some time?" Shia asks after popping a cookie into her mouth. "Well, I’m just waiting for Ellelaura, so yes." "If you’re free, would you spar with me? I think I've gotten a bit stronger since then." Sitting around eating snacks and drinking tea at someone else’s place is awkward. I pat my belly. Some exercise wouldn’t hurt. "A little sparring is fine." "Thank you," she says gratefully. I pop another cookie into my mouth, finishing my tea. After all, it was kindly prepared by Thrilina, so it would be a waste not to enjoy it. Watching me, Shia also finishes her tea. Shia and I move to the garden. She hands me a wooden sword, and we put some distance between ourselves. "I'm ready whenever you are," I say as I take a stance with the sword. Shia takes a deep breath, then readies her sword and slowly closes the distance. She raises her sword above her head, stepping in simultaneously. Her swordwork is elegant. I parry Shia’s sword effortlessly. In the past, Shia would have lost her balance and failed to respond to my movement. But now, she maintains her balance and quickly retrieves her sword. A testament to her well-trained legs. I take a step back, and Shia promptly follows. There’s no hesitation. She swings her sword down, and I sidestep to avoid it. Shia, anticipating my dodge, launches a series of attacks. She's thought this through. I lightly deflect Shia’s sword. If I hit it too forcefully, her sword might fly away, defeating the purpose of practice. Shia grips her sword firmly, ensuring it doesn’t slip from her hands. It's commendable that she didn’t let her sword go. Now, it's my turn to make a move. I swing down the sword I raised during the deflection. Shia swiftly brings her sword back to block it. "Uugh." Even if she manages to block the first strike, what about the second? I swing my sword from side to side, attacking right, left, right, and left in a predictable pattern. Shia barely manages to defend. It feels as though her sword movements are more instinctual than deliberate. When I suddenly change the attack pattern— "Ah!" Doubling up on the right, she fails to defend, and my sword touches her body. Technically, I stopped just short of hitting her. "Ahh, I thought I was doing well," Shia says, lowering her stance and bowing her head. "No, you were doing well. I don't think there's any need to feel down," I assure her. "Really?" "Your legs are well-trained, and you maintained your balance even when parried. Your attacks were creative." "But you blocked all of them," she laments. "Well, that’s just a difference in experience," I explain. "Yuna, how much did you practice?" Shia inquires. "Hmm, that’s a secret," I tease. Even though it was just in a game, there were times when I fought over a hundred opponents a day. Practicing numerous matches to win tournaments brings back nostalgic memories. Sword, longsword, greatsword, knife, spear, staff, axe— I’ve faced people wielding all sorts of melee weapons. That experience shapes who I am today. Still, I never won a tournament. Weapon compatibility and fighting styles mattered. Strength alone wasn’t enough; luck played a big part in climbing the ranks. Given opponents were random, I couldn’t complain. "Are we done already? I’m willing to continue as long as you have the stamina, Shia." "Please, let's continue," she says with determination. Shia repositions herself into a stance. We continue practicing until Shia’s stamina is exhausted. As our training concludes, Thrilina arrives, offering us cold drinks and even prepares a bath for us. What efficiency from the maid. Gratefully accepting, Shia and I decide to enjoy the bath.