SSS-Knight in a Hero World-Chapter 104: Safe Haven

A minute ago, Ferris requested to make a call to someone he knew, intentionally keeping his intentions vague.

Magpie relayed his request to Prin in silence, and after a few seconds of standing still, she went away for an entire minute before handing a box over to Ferris.

A new phone sealed in a box. There was no brand logo, so he couldn't exactly tell how much it was worth. When he opened it, he saw that the phone inside also had next to zero markings other than two buttons for power and volume control.

"This phone is personally manufactured by Dame Prin."

Personally manufactured? Ferris thought as he admired the seamless build. He also appreciated her thoughtfulness, as his phone had been lost during the battle.

Opening the phone, he was met with an unfamiliar sight.

Not that the phone was simply unique and different compared to publicly available phones, but Ferris wasn't used to a modern interface unlike his older phone.

However, compared to someone like Tianqin, who wasn't the most tech-savvy individual, Ferris was an adaptive person.

Wait... I have to log in with my accounts... Ferris became a bit worried that he might risk his info, but knowing that Prodigy Prince certainly had access to sensitive things like that, what was there to lose?

"Is there anything I should know about this phone?" he asked.

Magpie stared at him, then at his phone before speaking. "Provided no external interference occurs, the device will maintain continuous access to the Dame Prin's satellite network, it also has integrated security protocols minimizing your digital footprint and preventing effective tracking."

...That's pretty darn neat. Ferris had to admit that.

After spending a few minutes setting things up, he searched for the hero Tailoring Swift's work number listed in the public hero database and decided on calling him using that.

I'm sure Zaku made it out safely, Ferris hoped.

The phone buzzed lightly, and there was no response.

He called again.

Again, there was no answer.

Ferris tapped his fingers on the back of his phone.

Perhaps he was getting too worried. Heroes tended to have a lot of fans, after all, and as such, a lot of heroes' contact info was simply there for legality, with the majority of them using alternative contacts for personal use.

Not to be rude, but I don't think Tailoring Swift is a popular hero, he thought and hoped that this last call would finally be answered.

The phone buzzed again, and when he thought they wouldn't answer, the buzzing stopped and was followed by a voice he recognized.

"Hello?"

Ferris greeted him without hesitation and was met with a delighted reply.

"It's you! I thought we'd never meet again. I wanted to thank you properly!"

His words relieved Ferris. It meant that Zaku was reunited with his elder brother.

Ignoring the rest, Ferris immediately asked his question. "Is your brother alright?"

"Yes, we're at the orphanage right now with his friends."

Orphanage?

"But we haven't even talked to each other properly yet. I'm afraid he sees me as a stranger more than as a sibling."

Ferris gulped and asked a rather rude question. "Did you do a blood test?"

There was a moment of static on the line before Tailoring Swift replied. "Yes, not that I needed it though." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"I see. Sorry if that came out the wrong way," Ferris replied.

Hearing that, Swift immediately apologized. Ferris was the one who brought them home safe.

After accepting the apology, he now needed to warn him about the safety of Zaku and his foster siblings from the hero association's grasp.

He remembered the apparent security features on Prin's personal phone, but it was better to talk that over face to face.

Although Ferris could warn Tailoring Swift indirectly. "Just watch them over, alright?"

"I will, of course, and I'm planning to retire early now that I have to deal with this many children. Except for my brother, all of the children that came with him have no living or known relatives."

There was a hint of tiredness Ferris could feel from the hero's voice.

"After almost losing one of the children, it really convinced me that I should take my job more seriously. I've saved enough money from hero work anyways. It should be enough to give them another chance to live a proper life."

Ferris became dead silent on the line as he couldn't help but be curious about one thing. "Do you know someone named Judas?"

The phone also went dead silent, but Ferris had a feeling that Swift knew who he was talking about.

With a shaky voice, Swift replied with another question. "You know him?"

The world is indeed small, Ferris thought. The strings of one's fate that overlap with others tend to create a network that sparks strange coincidences.

Ferris closed his eyes and decided to lie on the sofa, keeping his phone glued to his ear.

Magpie silently watched on with a curious look.

'After almost losing one of the children'... He quoted.

Ferris remembered his talks with Judas and how he had saved his sister a month ago from kidnappers. From those facts alone, he had decided to ask that question.

But he didn't expect his hunch to be true.

I thought Tailoring Swift was simply looking for his sibling. Turns out he's involved with Judas and his sister as well?

I'm sure Elizabeth personally asked Tailoring Swift to disguise me back then. Did they not tell him about Judas? Ferris began to stack reasons as to what happened.

No, they couldn't have known their relationship in the first place.

And as for Tailoring Swift not knowing that Judas came to take the hero examination in place of Judas' sister, he must've simply not known about it.

Judas and his sister were at the age where they could go outside and do whatever they wanted without permission. A caretaker for an orphanage like Tailoring Swift had younger orphans to deal with.

For all Swift knew, Judas had simply gone on a mission of self-discovery or some other trip.

Normally, Tailoring Swift would be worried that Judas might not call him once in a while, but thanks to the incident, Swift placed his brother at a higher priority, ignoring Judas' situation.

But for Ferris to suddenly reference Judas must've been quite a shock.

...I'm overthinking things, Ferris grumbled inwardly. He still had a lot of things to figure out and understand.

Judas was apparently a fragment of some sort.

With a deep breath, he spoke over the phone. "I do. May I talk with his sister?"

"I'll go get her—

"No, I'll come personally," Ferris said, cutting through the sentence.

"I'll give you my personal number, then send you my address."

"Thank you. I'll see you there."

After saying their goodbyes, the call ended abruptly, and moments later his inbox had a location attachment showing where the orphanage was, which was surprisingly close to City XIII, his home city.

He'll probably expect me tomorrow, I should be as early as possible.

Ferris sank into the sofa even more and let out a groan.

But he quickly stopped when he remembered that a silent android was watching him with unnaturally sharp eyes.

"...Excuse me," Ferris said as he sat properly on the sofa this time.

After rubbing his eyes, he looked at Magpie and requested a face-to-face meeting with Prin Anvil.

Right now, he needed to take care of other important matters, and he couldn't do that with delays.

There was still that uncomfortable wall between him and Prin, and he intended to break that down before midnight struck.

Nothing would get done if he didn't even know their face, and possibly their real voice.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot provide that," Magpie answered.

Are you kidding me? Ferris lampooned.

"That's alright."

He closed his eyes and expanded his senses.

With his eighth layer activated, he was even more sensitive to the things around him, and as such, he was able to pinpoint a small presence not too far from him.

There.

"I can provide for myself," he replied to Magpie as he looked at a particular spot in the room, near the door in the corner.