“Under those circumstances—” S’yne managed around the noise that always blocked out what she said.

“Is there any reason you are asking this now?” her familiar asked me for her. I guessed that leaving after another wave and just saying goodbye wasn’t quite her style. “S’yne wishes to accompany you on this mission, Naofumi. It may be a world she has already passed through.”

“Right, I hadn’t thought of that possibility,” I responded. S’yne was the holder of the sewing vassal weapon from another world. Her own world had already been destroyed, and now she was using the waves to pass from world to world. That meant maybe she had already increased her level in Kizuna’s world. This issue with her was that, though she tried to hide it, her vassal weapon was on the verge of breaking, meaning she wasn’t really all that strong.

Even so, S’yne was definitely suited to the mission. The enhancement and protections she received from my trust in her were likely boosting her stats a little too.

“Very well, S’yne. Welcome to the party,” I told her.

“Thanks,” she managed to say.

As the selection of party members continued, Raph-chan excitedly raised a paw.

“Raph, raph! Raph,” she said.

“Okay, okay. Calm down. You’re in, Raph-chan,” I said to her. Raph-chan had been born over in Kizuna’s world. Although she hadn’t been outfitted with the concept of levels back then, the items we did enhance while there would surely still be effective. Which meant Raph-chan was coming too.

Not to mention that she could detect Raphtalia . . . and that there was no freaking way I was ever going to leave that cutie behind.

“Dafu!” Raph-chan II was waving to Raph-chan. That suggested she planned on staying behind.

“Based on the advice from Trash, I think that’s all the immediate combat strength we can hope for. Fohl, what about you?” I wanted to give him the option, but he shook his head.

“I do want to go and help out . . . but Atla left me this village to protect. That comes first,” he explained. It might have worked to take him along, depending on circumstances, but if he didn’t want to go, then I wasn’t about to force the issue. Taking too many heroes away would leave things unbalanced on this side too.

“Okay. I will feel better having you protecting things,” I told him.

“Brother . . .” he said. I did place quite a lot of trust in Fohl. His past, risking his own life and fighting so hard for his ailing sister in Zeltoble, had made a lasting impression on me. Both due to his reliable abilities and his mentality, I had wanted to take him along. But the opposite was also true. Fohl would protect the village by pure stubbornness alone, if it came down to it. While we were off in the other world, we could safely leave things here in his hands.

“Little Naofumi. Oh, little Naofumi! What about the two of us?” Sadeena and Shildina were looking at me with expectation in their eyes, pointing to themselves.