I had gotten Alto's permission and now stood before Iris's room.

From this moment on, I would face her seriously.

Uncharacteristically, I was nervous.

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my resolve and knocked on the door.

I could hear the light tapping of footsteps approaching from within. The door clicked open.

"Who is it? ...Ah!"

Iris widened her eyes in surprise upon seeing me standing outside. But her expression soon turned wary, and she cautiously spoke.

"What... what do you want?"

"Um, nice to meet you. My name's Ike, an adventurer."

"...I know. Father told me about you."

"Then I guess you’ve heard about my request?"

"The Hydra subjugation?"

"Yeah. Before I accept the request, I wanted to talk to you a bit."

"...Alright."

She surprisingly accepted without much hesitation. I followed her guidance into the room.

The room was far more barren than one would expect of a noble's daughter. While the furniture was likely of high quality, only the bare essentials were present. The only item of note was the white stuffed dog she clutched tightly in her arms.

As I turned to face Iris again, I took in her appearance. Her golden hair gleamed in the light, reminding me of a sleeping Leen. Her deep, ocean-like blue eyes must have been inherited from her as well.

Then, I noticed something—a necklace with a transparent gem, reflecting the light. It seemed she wasn’t completely without adornment.

"So... what did you want to talk about?"

Iris asked suddenly, breaking the silence. I hesitated briefly before deciding to speak honestly.

"It's a bit unrelated to the request, but... I heard from the lord. He said you're a puppeteer."

"—!"

"I’m sure you know, but I’m a puppeteer too. So, I wanted to ask... what do you think of being a puppeteer?"

"...What does it matter—!"

Iris raised her voice in anger, but as our eyes met, she froze. Her gaze dropped, and a conflicted expression crossed her face.

After a moment of silence, she began to speak slowly.

"I hate it. Of course, I hate it. Because of a puppeteer, my mother won’t wake up anymore."

"..."

"They say puppeteers are a unwanted profession, but even so, my father trusted one and was betrayed in the end. It's all so ridiculous!"

Iris's words poured out like a flood.

"That’s why I thought... it’s the puppeteer's fault my mother ended up like this. If only puppeteers... didn’t exist."

Her voice trembled as she expressed her deepest feelings, sometimes fumbling for words.

"...Thinking that way, I guess it was karma. I became a puppeteer too. People pitied me, saying it was a shame for a lord's daughter to have such a unwanted profession.

It was hard. But in the end, I accepted it. Because I thought... it’s what I deserved."

Her face was a mix of regret and helplessness.

Ah, so that's what it was.

If only one of these misfortunes had befallen her—either her mother’s betrayal by a puppeteer or becoming one herself—she might have found a way to cope.

But fate had been cruel, trapping her in despair with no escape.

What could I do for her?

I couldn’t erase her hatred for the puppeteer who betrayed her mother. But there was one thing I could do.

I wanted her to love the profession of being a puppeteer.

"Iris."

"...!"

Hearing her name, she flinched. I fixed her with a serious gaze.

"I can’t take away all the pain you bear. But I can teach you something."

"Teach me... something?"

"Yes. The puppeteer profession that you think is unwanted? It’s actually an amazing job."

"...What?"

Iris blinked in surprise before vigorously shaking her head, clutching her stuffed dog tightly.

"Th-that’s a lie! Everyone says puppeteers can only use dolls as decoys! I hate that! I don’t want to be useless or sacrifice my precious dolls!"

I see. It wasn’t just the ridicule of others that made her hate the profession. It was her gentle heart, unwilling to harm her beloved dolls.

But only I, in this entire world, could say with certainty that she was wrong.

And I had to say it.

"That makes me happy to hear."

"...Huh?"

"Iris, you already possess what’s most important for a puppeteer."

"...What does that mean?"

I pulled out three doll resting gears from my belt. I hadn’t planned to unveil them yet, but this seemed like the perfect chance.

"Watch, Iris. A miracle is about to happen."

"A miracle...?"

The next moment, three small dolls emerged from the gears. And then—

"Form Shift!"

"Whoa!?"

In an instant, the three expanded to full size, indistinguishable from regular people.

Before I could explain further, however—

"Don’t worry, Iris-chan! We’ll protect you!"

"You’re not alone. We’re here for you."

"This time, we’ll share our master’s kindness with you."

"E-eh? What’s happening!?"

"Guys, what are you doing...?"

Before I knew it, Flare had embraced Iris, tears glistening in her eyes. Tetra and Lycia joined in, patting Iris gently on the head.

"Uh, um..."

Iris looked at me, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events.

Well, this was supposed to be a serious moment...

"It’s gotten lively, hasn’t it?"

I chuckled softly, watching the four of them.

But first, I had to rescue Iris from this unexpected chaos.