After postponing the conversation with her younger brother and making sure that he was okay, after receiving a notification from the System, she appeared next to Idan, who was still tied up.
"What do you think?" asked Arabel, eager to hear his opinion. "And what happened during my absence?"
"Release me first," Idan asked, but received only an indifferent look from Arabel in response. He immediately realized that she was still angry.
"That's what happened..." — surrendering, Idan told in detail about everything that happened after the exchange of places: about the "battle" with that woman and about his conversation with her. He also did not miss a single detail, conveying exactly the words of the woman that she asked Arabel to convey, and explaining why only Arslan remained, while the rest of the awakened ones were not there.
Arabel frowned at Idan's story.
"Erza, right? Erza Twilight..." Arabel repeated the woman's name. "I didn't think they had names like ours either."
"Heh, do you think so?" asked Idan with a smile. Arabel, not understanding what he meant, just looked at him questioningly.
"You know that the language of our world and the world of Junonia are different, and that it is the System that helps us understand their language?"
"You mean..." — Arabel realized what Idan was hinting at.
"The same should apply to the other world where Erza came from. The language there should be completely different, and it is the System that helps us understand it. If there was a mortal here without a System, he wouldn't be able to make out what the outsiders were talking about at all," Idan explained. Then he continued: "The same goes for names. I can't say for sure what her name sounds like in her native language, but I'm more than sure that the System, as soon as she gave her name, simply adapted it to our language and understanding. That's why her name seems familiar to us."
Not only Arabel, but also the other girls, as well as Arslan, listened attentively to their conversation and thought about Idan's words.
Idan and Arabel communicated out loud without using a mental connection, so everyone could hear their dialogue. This saved Idan from having to repeat the same thing and tell the girls from the Red Fox Guild about what happened.
"So what do you think about the task?" Arabel asked Idan through a mental link, pretending to be thinking.
"My opinion is simple: to abandon the task of the System," Idan replied bluntly. "We only got into this because of your little brother, Belle, and now that he's okay, we don't have to risk our lives to save people we don't know."
Idan wasn't a hero, and he didn't feel like risking not only his own life, but Arabel's as well, to save a group of unfamiliar Awakened Ones.
"Dan..." Arabel said with a slight hesitation, and then continued, "I don't think we should give up this task."
Idan's expression immediately changed: it became gloomy, and then filled with suspicion.
"Why?" asked Idan. "Is it because of Erza's word? Or is there some other reason that I'm not aware of?"
"Phew..." Arabel gasped.
"No, not because of Erza's word," she replied to Idan's question. "I'm sure that even without her help, I can master this power."
Arabel had already established a connection with this strange symbiotic creature before she came here. It was with her help that she had just tied up Idan, and before that she had dealt with the brazen Hailey. Arabel also kept quiet and did not tell Idan about one small detail related to Hailey.
"Dan, did you notice anything strange about the new task content?" Arabel asked, staring at Idan intently.
Idan, slightly puzzled by Arabel's question, began to recall the contents of the task.
"The system asked to enter one of the imperfect worlds of darkness and light and rescue the abducted Awakened Ones. And even more so, System gave a deadline for completing the task – 10 days of another world (a little more than three earth days)... Eh?"
Arabel watched Idan's amazement with a smile, realizing that he had finally realized what was happening.
"The deadline! The system has set a deadline for us to complete the task, specifying two time periods at once — one for another world, and the second for ours!" exclaimed Idan, recalling his previous conversation with the System about the time difference between their world and Limbo.
"But how? Doesn't that require-" Idan began, but stopped when he looked at Arabel. She just continued to smile, not showing surprise.
"Anchor… Do we have an anchor in another world?" asked Idan, and Arabel nodded, confirming his guess.
"But how?" repeated Idan, and immediately remembered someone he hadn't seen in a while.
"Yes," Arabel confirmed confidently. "Before I started acting, I asked the System if it was possible to attach an Anchor to Coco. After receiving a positive response, I decided to play it safe."
Idan couldn't find the words.
"From the information I got from you and Coco, I wasn't sure if I could save my little brother. That's why I asked Coco to secretly follow him and, in the event of his abduction, follow him to another world."
"But your brother stayed here. Why did Coco decide to go through the portal to the other side?" asked Idan.
"Phew… I also told Coco that if I manage to save my brother and if the other awakened ones are abducted, she should still go through the portal to the other side and follow them," Arabel explained.
"Besides saving my brother, I didn't forget about the task given by the System. Because… Before that, I personally asked you to stay and complete the System's task of protecting the city. I couldn't give up the assignment on my own after the words I said."
"So the little girl is in another world?" asked Idan in surprise, staring at the portal when he found out that Coco was on the other side. "How did you manage to persuade her? Candys?"
"Yes," Arabel nodded, confirming his guess. "I promised her a lot of candys."
"I'm afraid Coco will do anything for candys," Idan said with a smile, realizing how easy it was to manipulate this little girl. He felt a little sorry for her.
"Release me," Idan begged, and this time Arabel did not resist. She scattered the black threads, freeing Idan.
"Belle, let me remind you: do not think that we will always successfully cope with the tasks of the System, even despite all our past achievements," Idan said, freeing himself, and looked straight into Arabel's eyes, saying these words with complete seriousness.
"We must take every task of the System seriously and be prepared for any circumstances. Even if we have to abandon the task, despite the penalties we will receive for doing so, we must be prepared," Idan continued, and Arabel nodded in agreement with his words.
"As for this task, I need to think about it," Idan said, still doubtful. He didn't want to make a decision right away, he wanted to think about the pros and cons first and only then make a choice.
Leaving Arabel and the others, Idan moved aside and, finding a small stone, sat down to think about the situation.
Arabel, watching Idan sink into his thoughts and start thinking seriously, couldn't help but smile. She was sure that as long as Idan was with her, she could be calm. Besides, she was glad to know that Idan wasn't trying to be a hero, but was thinking about safety first.