The caravan formed a loose semicircle around a large bonfire.

Young Lady Archisse's subjects were preparing their meals, and the noble herself was staring at the stars. A frown had appeared on her face. Her butler, Joseph, was busy taking care of the messenger owl on his arm.

I sat beside Melia, who was happily munching away at some venison the knights had been able to hunt for.

"...Can I have some?" I asked.

"No,"

Yeah. I expected that.

—Pop!

I pulled the string of the little bag in my hands.

Opening one of the few Korean Combat Rations I had left, I waited for the food to cook by itself. Watching the steam come out from the top, I was lost in thought.

Did I inadvertently help kill a goddess?

I couldn't help but feel like my deduction was correct. The amount of mana I had drained from Minerva was... beyond my imagination. The truth that I stole for myself was just that big.

After all, it concerned the nature of this world's divinity.

I probably weakened her by a large amount.

Then, Minerva's enemies probably saw this as a sign to go all out. With the cultists attacking her believers, and some other entity striking her true body.

"Damn," I made a wry laugh.

The <Sword of Light> hanging at my waist felt a little heavier than usual. Was Melia supposed to have helped fight those cultists with her sword?

I couldn't tell.

Looking at alternate realities still seemed like such a far-fetched ability. I needed a colossal amount of mana to do so.

However, basic correlation told me that it was quite likely.

That's when I heard Melia's voice.

"You like talking to yourself a lot, don't you?"

Wrenched from my thoughts, I realized that the food I was waiting for had finished self-cooking. Melia was sniffing the air, ready to pounce.

"I do, don't I? Perhaps it's because I've spent the recent years traveling alone. I'm not used to having companions."

"Ah," Melia nodded, seamlessly shifting the conversation, "Is that kimchi and fried rice?"

I could hear her salivating.

"It is." I squinted, "But you didn't give me any deer, and I'm starving."

"Oh come on! I'm a growing girl. I need the nutrients more than you do~"

I was the youngest child in my family, so I didn't know what it was like to have a younger sibling. This was probably it.

"No. Stay away from my kimchi fried rice."

As I struggled to eat while dodging Melia's desire for food, footsteps were leisurely approaching our location.

"Hello, you two~"

It was Archisse. Looking at the gentle smile on her face, I wondered why she approached us.

I flicked Melia's forehead, a signal for her to stop.

"Ugwah—" Melia stumbled, surprised at how easily I dodged her despite her superior speed and strength.

"Good evening, Young Lady," I bowed with the grace of a foreign noble. "How may I help you on this fine night?"

***

Looking at Aventine and Melia, Archisse found herself smiling without her knowledge. She had just heard some worrisome news, so the peaceful sight before her was soothing. Hearing Aventine's formal manner of speech further delighted her.

This was a young man who could be trusted. His prudence, as well as his kindness, weren't traits she found often in those the same age as him.

"It's nothing much." Archisse gestured for Aventine to relax his posture, "I just came to talk. We've been traveling together for two days and I haven't gotten to know you two that well. The stars are beautiful tonight, and I would adore some good conversation."

"Ah! If it's a conversation, then I would love to indulge this desire of yours,"

Archisse noticed a shift in Aventine's tone. The young man seemed intrigued by her proposition. Now, instead of sounding like the many rigid nobles she was familiar with, his tongue spoke in a cadence she only found in academics, wizards, and scholars.

"Is there anything on your mind at the moment?"

"There is one thing," After a brief moment of hesitation, Archisse recalled a surfacing memory.

A burning village. Fireballs raining havoc. Tortured screams of those in infernal agony.

The sound of blood dripping onto the muddied ground.

Archisse trembled slightly upon recalling the fires of that night. The sight of the feral warlocks who cared not for the lives of the 'uneducated' and weak. They were a bunch of greedy bastards who could only seek more and more power without sympathy.

They were the people who murdered her mother.

Recalling all of these in the blink of an eye, Archisse couldn't help but ask a question, reflecting her worries given the fall of Minerva City just moments ago.

"Would a world without magic be peaceful?"

***

As I watched the beautiful green hills and vast plains pass me by, I was amused by the curiosities that Archisse had displayed a few nights ago. I honestly didn't expect her to approach me of all people.

Perhaps it was indeed due to her worries, and a dark past.

I couldn't help it.

With the young lady so earnestly asking me a question, I activated [Absolute Awareness].

I wanted to know what prompted her question, and the memories of her past were laid bare before me.

After seeing such a gruesome scene, I decided to answer her question with another question.

"Do you think magic is truly the reason for chaos and evil?"

Smiling, I watched as her brows furrowed. Melia who was nearby, grumbling because she was afraid of the Young Lady, suddenly tilted her head.

"If magic didn't exist, wouldn't people still fight with their swords? If not with their swords, then with their fists?" Her innocent tone struck a chord.

What a wonderful question. I couldn't help but laugh. As the hero of Leisha, Melia seemed to possess wisdom and perception beyond her age.

Archisse seemed enlightened.

The conversation that followed afterward was therefore a pleasant one. I honestly enjoyed it, and Archisse's worries seemed to ease however slightly.

Nonetheless, the caravan still picked up its pace the next day, going so far as to leave hours before first light.

I understood and supported such a decision. Being only a day away from those evil cultists was also not on my bucket list. I knew for a fact that they were nearby. My senses had been screaming at me, preventing me from sleeping well.

Thankfully, with our heightened pace, we easily escaped their range of activity.

And so, after a few days, we were finally approaching the capital of Leisha.

The <Grand City of Laquer>.