A few days later, the basement of Astie’s mansion.

"Then let’s begin the officers’ meeting."

With the opening announced, six people gathered around the round table.

"First, let’s go over the agenda."

Nordix was the first to take the documents,

"Let’s wrap this up quickly. I can’t breathe in the same room with this guy for even a minute longer."

Bale growled, glaring at Tesetan sitting diagonally across from him.

"......."

Despite that, Basto and Allerik remained calm.

"Ha."

Tesetan let out a sigh, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening.

And then, right beside him, pressing close, settled Tie—the main cause of all of this.

"Since we have more people now, it makes sense to increase the number of sieges."

Bale spoke first, shooting an annoyed glance at Tie.

Allerik immediately responded.

"Increasing the number of sieges does not improve magic crystal yield efficiency. What matters is the efficiency of the sieges themselves."

"You’re picking a fight right from the start? What, decided to enforce discipline at the very first meeting?"

"......This is a meeting. And in a meeting, participants have the right to express their opinions. Do not behave emotionally."

"W-what?! Ha! Emotionally?!"

Bale jumped to his feet, but Basto grabbed his arm and forced him back down.

Sighing, Basto addressed Allerik:

"Do you have a concrete proposal for a more efficient siege?"

Allerik nodded.

"Divide the siege unit into three groups. If they rotate deployments, it will make it easier to conserve stamina."

Basto nodded.

"Not bad. Then we should think about how to distribute the members."

"I suggest we first analyze the combat tendencies of the new members."

"Yes. There’s still time before the association assembly day......."

The meeting quickly progressed under the lead of Basto, Nordix, and Allerik.

An hour later.

"Good. I think that’s enough. Let’s wrap it up."

Basto stood up.

Tesetan, as if he had been waiting for that moment, rose as well and thought:

'......What was that hour even.'

Throughout the entire meeting, the King of the Dead had not taken her eyes off him for a single second.

His left cheek, which had been under her gaze the whole time, was starting to tingle.

Tesetan tried to slip away up the stairs.

"Wait."

Basto stopped him.

He turned—Basto stood before him, expression unchanged.

"In three days, we’re all going somewhere together. Just in case, clear your schedule."

Tesetan frowned.

Going somewhere together.

'What a strange group.'

It seemed Agavert held some kind of outings every week.

Otherwise, mercenaries wouldn’t gather like this outside of sieges.

'Well, what else should I expect from a squad put together by someone as odd as the King of the Dead.'

Tesetan nodded.

He had no «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» desire to attend such strange gatherings, but he understood perfectly what would happen if he refused.

Bale would make a scene, and the King of the Dead would start pestering him.

"......."

Especially since the King of the Dead was even now looking at him with shining eyes.

Tesetan quickly turned away.

And hurried up the stairs.

Allerik followed him.

Only Bale, Basto, Nordix, and Tie remained in the basement.

Bale muttered irritably:

"Didn’t even ask where. That’s why you shouldn’t bring just any black haired stray into the house. He wandered in by chance, and he doesn’t even care what our squad actually does."

In three days, they were going not just anywhere, but to the Luminel mansion.

Until now, Agavert had held unofficial meetings with the Luminel family every week.

They had to stick together while staying out of the emperor’s and the Order’s sight, so at least exchanging information about their activities was necessary.

Of course, after Tie obtained the communication artifact, they could stay in contact through that, but—

"Heehee. When the commander sees that Tie gathered many members, he’ll say Tie did well, right, Bale oppa?"

Tie liked the head of the Luminel family and his three sons so much that skipping face to face meetings was impossible.

"Did well? With his personality, he’ll probably ask where you picked up such an insolent guy."

"Bale oppa, you’re mean! The commander doesn’t scold!"

"He does. He just smiles at you, but he’s strict with us. You don’t understand anything, kid."

Bale lightly flicked her forehead.

Tie sighed and shook her head.

After that, time passed quickly.

Agavert began using its expanded roster more efficiently and moved on to a new type of magic crystal siege.

And at the same time, something very, very sad and empty happened to Tie.

"Hic, hiiiic......."

"Tie, don’t cry. When you cry, I start crying too!"

Selina was leaving with her parents for the Northern Continent.

Wiping her streaming tears, Tie hugged Selina tightly.

Selina was sniffling too, wiping her eyes.

"Selina, hic, don’t forget Tie, okay? Promise...... hic, waaah!"

"Why would I forget you! I’ll write to you even from the Northern Continent, so keep checking the communication artifact!"

"Mhm! I’ll take it even to the toilet and the bath!"

"......You know you can’t drop it in water, right? If water gets into the core, it’ll rust and break."

Tie nodded, her eyes swollen from tears.

Selina sighed and patted her back one last time.

Then, with difficulty, she pulled away and stepped out the door.

Tie watched her leave, hiccuping.

And suddenly felt her neck muscles strain as she sniffled.

"B-by the way, hic, Selina grew so fast......?"

When they first met, the difference in their height had been small.

But now it felt like Selina had grown much taller—so much that Tie’s neck hurt from looking up.

Tie’s words made Raul, who had been watching from a short distance, freeze.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at Selina leaving through the gate.

"......It doesn’t seem like only Miss Selina has grown."

Then he turned his gaze to Tie.

Standing by the door, she still barely reached the handle.

'Strange. Wasn’t it the same when she first came to the mansion?'

Thinking that, he walked over to her.

And silently looked at the top of her head.

Tie’s height still didn’t even reach his hips.

More precisely—it barely reached the tassel on his sword sheath......

Raul’s expression turned serious.

This was no mistake.

'She hasn’t grown at all since the last time I measured her height?'

He remembered her height because of the Luminel family head.

Once, he had told Tie that she had grown a little.

After that, Tie returned to the base and caused a commotion, demanding that her height be measured immediately.

In the end, Raul had done it himself.

'And it was exactly the same back then.'

Her height had been precisely at the level of the ornament on his sheath.

Basto approached them.

"What is it."

Raul flinched, then glanced at Tie.

Then he led Basto upstairs, to the second floor.

"It seems the squad leader’s growth has stopped."

Basto’s eyes widened.

"Stopped?"

Raul nodded toward the first floor.

Tie was still standing by the door, sniffling.

"I noticed while looking at Miss Selina. The difference in their height has become too obvious."

Basto said nothing.

"Of course, it’s possible Miss Selina simply grew a lot...... but I think it’s because the squad leader isn’t growing......"

Basto silently looked at Tie.

He remembered Lilia at four years old.

As Raul said, children at that age grew almost before your eyes.

By feeling alone, about half a palm in a year......

Basto’s gaze darkened, becoming heavy.