Con Artist
We followed Smile into the workshop to talk.
So... you're the client?
...Positive.
The quest was... scammer capture, right?
*Nod Nod*
Here's what happened.
The girl's name is Smile.
One day, her sister disappeared...
To find her, she reached out to someone claiming to be the greatest astrologer in Lavistar.
...And yesterday, I received this letter.
I took the letter she handed me and started to read.
Glory to the moon!
Rejoice, lost girl! The noble orbit of the moon has revealed your sister's whereabouts!
But I have seen it...!
The grim prophecy that hides beyond your path to reunion!
What is this even supposed to mean?
...Looks like there's more written underneath.
Haha, divinations and prophecies are full of metaphors, so they're tricky to interpret, right?
Basically, I did find a trace of your sister... but you're probably better off not seeing her.
So, I'll just hold onto that trace myself!
Yeah yeah, I know what you're thinking.
But hey, life doesn't always go the way you want, right?
Just think of this as one of those moments.
Oh, and interpreting a divination usually costs extra.
But... I'll let this one slide since it's your first time!
Oh, no need to thank me!
I'm sure we'll meet again, wherever the moon leads us!
...Huh? Really?!
She's a total scammer!
How'd you even end up dealing with someone like this?
Up until now, I tried tracing my sister through scientific means but failed to find any leads.
So I decided to attempt a more human method.
A human method?
An irrational, illogical, unscientific approach to problem solving.
For instance...
Referencing a flyer that happened to be stuck in the door to test the effects of [coincidence].
The flyer Smile handed us was packed with flashy ad slogans.
Lavistar's highest accuracy rate! Discover your future today!
Academics, business, love, family, health—we answer it all!
But it was a failure.
Never trust exaggerated advertisements. Lesson learned.
I expect this will be a valuable lesson when I become human someday.
You say that like you're not human.
Positive. I am not.
My biological structure resembles a human's, but I am, in fact, an artificial lifeform created through advanced magitech.
R-really?!
...
...Possibly, guessing.
Ah...right! That's why your workshop name sounded familiar!
I read a tiny article in the paper a while back.
It talked about a super talented kid running a machinery workshop in NOA's backstreets...
She spoke in a weird way, and then suddenly started claiming she wasn't human.
I thought it might be you—and I was right!
...Positive. I assumed if the story made the news, my sister might see it...
...But negative.
Also, it is not a [claim].
It is an objective truth told to me by my sister since childhood.
She said neither of us were truly human.
That we were created...
...Possibly, claiming. And...
Grew up with her sister. Since they were little. What is she talking about?!
...Quote from neighborhood interviews.
...
There's no way that's true! I mean, your skin's so soft and squishy!
Soft skin is not definitive proof of being human—ah, p-please stop pulling my cheek...
In a world where magitech and artificial lifeforms aren't all that strange...
I still found it hard to believe that Smile was anything but human.
Anyway, our first official quest had been decided to track down the scammer who ran off with Smile's payment.
To pay the scammer, I used my shop's security deposit as emergency funds.
If the culprit is not caught, eviction will occur soon.
The workshop is a precious place entrusted to me by my sister.
Absolute protection required.
Don't worry!
Our Voyager Savior Party is gonna catch that scammer and get your money back!
At first I was kinda disappointed our debut quest was just chasing a scammer...
But now that I've heard your story? I'm actually furious!
Right, Captain?!
Yeah. We'll catch them and make sure your workshop stays safe.
Overwhelming gratitude.
Next, strategy required. Plan needed to apprehend culprit.
Uh... that's... Captain?
Any leads? Like, appearance or something?
Possible. Check back side of flyer.
Just like Smile said, there was drawing of a girl in a red hat.
And... she looked oddly familiar.
Wait a sec. I've seen her before...
Oh! It's that girl!
The one who said she had the ultimate shortcut to becoming a Savior! With amazing insight or whatever!
No!!
Look, just fill out a marriage license with this person's name on it.
That makes you legally separate from House Stranis.
And once you've registered as a Savior, go file the divorce papers—
Even back then, she tried to pass off some completely unhinged workaround as a real solution.
No doubt about it. It's her.
Her name was... Luna, right?