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"I'm Faria Belpharia, officer of the Gandia Branch, Karan District, Continental Summoners' Association. This is Elina Carone."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Uh, yeah."
Setsuna's half-hearted reply was understandable. Faria's introduction was abrupt, coming right after he'd writhed in agony from his searing pain. Elina's bubbly greeting aside, the timing was jarring.
Having barely wrestled the pain to a draw, Setsuna was caught off guard. Still, he couldn't imagine a better moment for her to introduce herself.
"Uh…"
Searching for words, he let his gaze wander. Propping himself up on the bed was a lost cause movement sparked excruciating pain. Better to stay still.
Lying sideways limited his view and felt rude, but fighting the pain for appearances' sake was unthinkable.
Faria sat on a pipe chair beside the bed, hands resting on what looked like documents, watching him. Elina perched on the bed's edge, flashing smiles at him and Faria. A charming girl.
Setsuna sighed, careful not to strain himself.
"No clue what's going on."
"Indeed. I'm puzzled too," Faria agreed promptly, though her confusion clearly differed from his.
Setsuna's ignorance spanned nearly everything this world, Faria, even armed summoning. He knew next to nothing. Admitting it stunned him, yet no resentment toward Azmaria, who'd taught him nothing, surfaced. He asked:
"What's unclear?"
"First, who you are. I reviewed records and queried the branch, but there's no data on an armed summoner like you. You're unregistered. Why would an unregistered summoner risk their life to stop Lance Villain's rampage? That was the Association's duty my duty as a summoner."
Faria's rapid-fire words left Setsuna dumbfounded.
"Uh, well, hold on. Let's calm down."
"I'm calm. So, who are you? You don't seem local…"
"Yeah, I'm not from this country."
(Not even from this world.)
He kept that to himself. In an unfamiliar world, causing confusion was unwise. Though, given he'd charged into a blazing town, he wasn't confident he could avoid trouble. He'd survived, but death had been a real possibility. A chill ran down his spine.
"I'm Setsuna… Setsuna Kamiya. As you can see, a spry seventeen!"
If his body allowed, he'd have leapt up, flashing a peace sign. Instead, he groaned, voice too loud.
Elina giggled, likely at his pained reaction to his own enthusiasm. He didn't resent her it was his fault.
"Setsuna Kamiya… Kamiya?"
"No, that's not the issue!"
Faria's puzzled repetition of his name made Setsuna flush with embarrassment, like a failed joke. He hadn't meant to jest, just overplayed his hand.
"Sorry, it sounded familiar. So, Setsuna Kamiya"
"Wait a sec," he interrupted, her words snagging but overshadowed by a bigger concern.
"Yes?"
"Been bugging me why talk like that?"
"Odd?"
Faria tilted her head, looking younger, almost delicate. For a moment, she wasn't a beauty but a fragile girl. Setsuna blinked. An illusion, perhaps. He replied:
"Not odd, just… itchy? Stiff? Let's keep it casual!"
Setsuna loathed formality. Long, rigid conversations felt like torture. He could barely manage polite speech a flaw for a student, but he figured he'd learn before entering society. Then he was summoned here.
"If that's what you prefer, Setsuna."
"Just Setsuna's fine. I'm clearly younger."
He belatedly worried about mentioning age to a woman, but she looked early twenties—too young to mind. Or so he hoped, brushing off deeper thought.
"Alright, Setsuna. May I ask more?"
"Yeah. I've got questions too."
Relieved by her unchanged demeanor, Setsuna realized lying down felt rude. Even if she knew he couldn't move, manners mattered. Not from a strict upbringing formality and politeness irked him but public decorum nagged him, for reasons he couldn't pinpoint. His parents' influence, maybe?
He pondered. Could he dull the pain?
It didn't feel like burn pain. Something fundamental differed from injury-induced agony.
(Moving hurts…)
Muttering inwardly, it clicked. A monumental yet trivial revelation, like missing the obvious.
(Muscle soreness?)
He could only groan internally.