Infinity Is My Affinity?!?-Chapter 132: Unless Something Changes That…

The sound of Peko’s teacup clicking softly against its saucer remained confined to the continuous, razor-thin current of wind that swirled precisely around the edges of their circular table, actively bending the ambient sound waves to ensure their conversation remained absolutely private.

It was a flawless, invisible barrier of Magecraft maintained by Peko without a single ounce of visible effort.

Outside that invisible barrier, the upscale café was completely packed to the brim, yet a suffocating, highly tense silence dominated the room.

Every single eye in the establishment was magnetically drawn to their table.

Half the patrons were practically vibrating with sheer, primal terror as they stared at the seven-foot-two Greater Dragon, who sat happily humming to herself while she aggressively demolished a three-tiered platter of tarts.

The sheer, terrifying presence of Dragon stuffed into the dainty café booth was enough to make the surrounding people break out in cold sweats.

Another fraction of the crowd stared in rigid, respectful awe at Dove. The Knight Commander sat perfectly straight with her broadsword resting against her chair. Her presence alone demanded absolute authority.

But the rest of the onlookers simply stared at Peko, entirely and hopelessly captivated by the ethereal, untouchable beauty of the woman in the crisp white robes as she calmly poured herself another cup of green tea.

Dove shifted her gaze from the terrified, gawking patrons back to Nico’s supposed elder sister sitting across from her.

"Your control is extraordinary," Dove said, gesturing slightly toward the invisible wind barrier around them. "To maintain an active spell without disturbing a single napkin on this table..."

"Very kind of you to say," Peko replied smoothly, taking a slow, relaxed sip before her striking violet eyes locked directly onto the Commander. "Now... talk."

Smiling wryly, Dove dropped the diplomatic pretence and simply laid it out. "We need to protect Nico."

"Protect... Master?" Nom-Nom instantly blurted out before bursting into a fit of loud, completely genuine laughter.

Even Peko had a faint, highly amused smile to cross her lips at the sheer absurdity of the statement.

Dove looked back and forth between the two of them, genuinely confused by their reaction as she leaned forward to reason.

"I know he recovers mana faster than he can spend it... I know he even killed a highly trained Tier 4 Entropy assassin and his entire crew..."

"Then why are we wasting each other’s time?" Peko asked, gently resting her teacup back onto the table

"Because at the end of the day, Nico is a Tier 1, Mid-Stage Mage," Dove stressed. "... And Entropy seldom fights fair. They employ Heretics... practitioners of Dark Magic who dabble in the forbidden Magecraft of their Darkness affinities. All they need is a single lock of his hair, and they can kill him from the other side of the known world."

"Indeed..." Peko hummed in acknowledgment before offering a perfectly calm counter. "Then why not simply return his Cloak of Flight? You can rest assured that absolutely nothing will be able to touch him then. We can even purify him of any curses Entropy may have placed by scheduling regular visits to the priests of Lady Amaterasu."

Dove let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I have orders from the General to make him an honorary knight. That way, he would have active legal protection... any attempts on his life will be treated as an act of hostility against the Knight’s Order. Entropy will think twice before going after him. Not only that, he will gain numerous special privileges. The estate you currently reside in is only temporary... You have just a few days before you must vacate... Nico will be granted a permanent, highly secure house. And the list goes on."

[Your thoughts, Young Master?] Peko asked Nico internally, who had been actively watching the entire conversation through the streaming function of the Party Module.

[Absolutely not!] Nico’s voice instantly fired back. [They just wanna drag us into their little game of tag against Entropy. Say no to ’em. This isn’t our problem. Unless something changes that... we’re keeping our stance strictly neutral. Anyway, I gotta go, just reached the mine... handle it will’ya~]

Peko lifted her eyes from her teacup, her expression smoothing back into an untouchable mask. "We appreciate your offer, Commander, but we must decline. I assure you, we are perfectly capable of defending ourselves."

"This isn’t just about you three!" Dove argued, her hands gripping the edge of the wooden table. "If he dies... so does that Greater Dragon! And that Chimera is the absolute key to filling the massive gap left behind by our Lord Crusader!"

Dove sharply turned her gaze to the chimera in question, currently eyeing the pastry on Dove’s plate. "Nom-Nom, use your familiar bond. Ask him. He would understand."

"No need, as his only blood relative and elder," Peko announced, gracefully standing up from her chair while smoothing out her white robes. "... I retain the right and authority to decide for him... And you already know what I have decided upon."

Nom-Nom eagerly followed suit, snatching the pastry off of Dove’s platter before stuffing it into her cheeks and stepping out of the booth.

Watching them walk out of the café, Dove completely deflated as she covered her face with her armored hand, letting out a long, exhausted breath before heavily getting up.

Dove walked out into the bustling streets of New Shinkotsu, her armoured boots clicking rhythmically against the cobblestones.

The afternoon sun cast long, dark shadows behind the pedestrians crowding the market.

And from the very center of Dove’s own shadow, a figure seamlessly emerged.

A woman with raven-black hair tied in an elegant bun held in place by a sharp golden hair needle stepped upward.

She wore a deep black kimono intricately embroidered with golden flowers, cinched tightly by a vibrant red obi.

She walked out of the shadow as casually as if she were stepping up a flight of stairs, arriving right beside Dove with a small, serene smile on her face.

The entire action was executed so perfectly, so impossibly smoothly, that the massive crowd of people swarming the street didn’t even notice a woman literally walking out of the Knight Commander’s shadow.

Walking in perfect sync beside her until they reached a busy four-way intersection, Amaya finally spoke. "I’ll take care of it."

And just as she turned to pivot down the left street, Dove reached out and gripped her hand tightly.

Looking down at the cobblestones, and in a voice torn between duty and guilt, she spoke. "Don’t do anything drastic. They... do not deserve that."

The cold, serene smile on Amaya’s face instantly softened.

Reaching out with her free hand, she gently patted Dove’s head, exactly as she used to do when Dove was just a child, before slowly slipping her hand free from Dove’s gauntleted grasp.

Amaya turned around and stepped into the bustling flow of the avenue, leaving Dove standing completely frozen at the intersection.

Dove watched her back as her gauntleted fingers slowly curled into an empty fist, until a merchant pulling a heavy wooden cart lumbered past, momentarily breaking her line of sight.

When the cart cleared a second later, Amaya had vanished.