We Took Out the Pirates, So It's Break Time.

Before heading to the lord, I gave Dea-kun a mid-mission report. I'd burned through too much mana and was feeling woozy, so I needed a rest.

"So yeah, your sister wasn't with the pirates."

"Um… what happened to the pirates?"

"I punished them, and over there is the pirate ship and land base I stole from them!!"

In my storage, I had the ship restored to its original form, along with a cut-out section of the sea and their shore base. I'd set up the sea and the underground hideout like recessed floors.

"Karina-neesan… what are you?"

"Oh, you want to know? Well, I've shown you this much already. I'll tell you the truth. But you have to keep it a secret, okay?"

"Y-yes!"

Gulp. Dea swallowed.

"At times an archmage! At other times a dashing thief! And the true identity is—"

"True identity…!?"

"—Rookie adventurer-merchant, Karina Shounin-chan! Wahahaha!"

Uh-oh, Dea's making a complicated face.

"Isn't the real identity normally something way cooler?"

"Well, they're all really me, and that's the only identity I hadn't told you yet. Right?"

"… I-I suppose I hadn't heard you were a merchant."

Because it's really true.

Strip away the archmage and thief parts, and what's left is the cute Karina Shounin-chan.

Admitting I'm fated to deliver socks to a goddess isn't exactly cool, so I'll skip that part. Also, I'm a former-guy isekai transplant… but having him call me "onee-san" and then saying "I used to be a man" is a big heck no. My lips are sealed!

Still, a boy his age must dream of a cooler backstory.

… I have to live up to that expectation! Karina-chan is weak to cute kids!

"Right. Archmage Karina actually bears a noble mission to save the world."

"Eh!? The world!?"

"At this rate, the world's energy will run dry and everything will perish! To prevent that, the Goddess asked me to collect artifacts! That ship was an artifact, so I recovered it!"

"I-I see! That's amazing, Karina-neesan!"

Well, actually, I'm told to deliver socks first and foremost. The artifacts are just extra.

"My adventure has only just begun, so there isn't much to tell. Anyway, keep my identity a secret. It'd be a problem if I couldn't move around freely."

"So… you want 'Merchant Karina' and 'Archmage Karina' to be considered different people to the world?"

"Oh! Smart, Dea-kun! Exactly! Genius! Cute!"

I gently patted Dea's head for putting it so perfectly.

Ahh, cute and clever. The best.

"Maybe wear a mask?"

"Ooh, that sounds fun… How about a mask like this!"

"Looks cool, Karina-neesan!"

I shaved wood with Spatial Magic and made a simple mask!

When hiding your identity, a mask is a must! In manga and anime, people always say, "You can't hide with just that," but… in a world without social media, it might actually work!

"After a short rest, I'll head to the lord. I-I'm not slacking off, okay!? I just need to recover my mana so I'm at full strength."

"No one thinks you're slacking off… If anything, I'm the useless one who can't do anything…"

Dea clenched the hem of his dress, frustrated.

True, ever since I put him in girls' clothes, he's been waiting here in storage. Trusting some random big sister (me) and just waiting around must be rough.

"… You're doing fine! You're contributing plenty, Dea-kun!"

"R-really? I'm just dressed like this. How is that even useful?"

"Looks matter. People try harder when the person they're saving is cute."

Even in the same circumstances, if the person is cute, you get fired up.

If they were plain, cheeky, and ungrateful, this Karina-chan wouldn't feel like helping. I'm no saint.

"In other words, your job now is to work harder on your looks! Make me feel the moe!"

"Moe…?"

"Your job is to keep me motivated. Figure out the rest yourself."

At that, Dea hmm'd and fell into thought.

Cute. Total eye candy.

It's not like I'm actually going to pounce… so boy, girl, whatever.

"Okay! I'm having a drink today! Not you though, Dea-kun. You're too young."

"I-I can drink! I've had alcohol in the Elflands."

"Really?"

He looks like a kid, but he's an elf… maybe it's fine at his age?

"Then just one sip. If you're fine, I'll let you drink."

"Okay, thank you."

I poured a tiny bit of the wine I got from the drinking contest with Gomez.

"Gulp… phaa. See? I'm f—ine… zzz…"

"Totally not fine. Maybe wine's too strong for kids."

Or maybe he was just exhausted from all the stress.

I took a quick sip myself. If I drink too much I black out, so just a bit.

… Ah, sudden drowsiness. I must have been more tired than I thought.

I'll rest a little, then go see the lord… yawn.

… Blanket. Need a blanket. I can't just let Dea sleep on the floor… we'll share. Hic. Zzz.