The match was about to begin, and Noen noticed a girl nearby who caught his attention with two seal rings.

She was slightly chubby, her eyes a bit droopy and more flat than tired. Her hairstyle reminded him of something from his own world, a wolfcut. She was also watching the match, seated close to Noen.

“Hey, that woman is wearing two seal rings,” Noen whispered to Raven.

“Yeah, just talk to her. Having a strong friend might help you later,” Raven replied.

“How am I supposed to lie about where I’m from? I barely know the geography of this world,” Noen whispered back.

“Just ask her where she’s from first. If she’s not from Thanaven Village, say you’re from there. If she asks about other places, just say people from Thanaven don’t travel much,” Raven answered casually.

“What if she’s from Thanaven?” Noen asked again, a bit louder.

“I’ll be the one who lies,” Raven replied.

But Noen couldn’t approach her right away. For the first time, his heartbeat felt unstable just from looking at a woman.

After a long silence, Raven finally noticed. “You’re not going to talk to her?” he asked.

“I want to, but I don’t understand why I feel like this,” Noen replied.

“What’s wrong with this human now?”

“I don’t get it either.”

“Let me help you talk to her.”

“No, I’ll do it myself.”

Raven just stared at Noen with doubt.

After a while, just before the first match began, Noen finally started walking toward the woman.

“Uncle Noen, where are you going? The match is about to start,” Orimo suddenly broke the silence.

“None of a kid’s business,” Noen replied as he walked away.

Orimo looked slightly annoyed by the response.

Noen sat beside the woman and awkwardly began a conversation.

“Hi, you like watching matches too?” Noen said to open the conversation.

“Yeah, something like that. I enjoy seeing how the fighters rely on their story powers, even when those powers are limited,” the woman replied.

“True, battles that rely on cleverness. By the way, what’s your name?” Noen asked, still awkward.

“I’m Xiara. I’m from this kingdom, the western region. What about you?” Xiara replied without hesitation.

“I’m Noen. I come from Thanaven Village. It’s a bit far from here, about five days away,” Noen answered nervously.

“Wow, you came a long way. That raven, is it talking? I’ve heard rumors from people who saw a talking raven. Is that yours?” Xiara asked.

“Ah yes, this raven talks, he—” Noen didn’t get to finish.

“Just ask me anything,” Raven suddenly interrupted.

“Wow, it really talks. Talking animals are extremely rare in this kingdom. If they exist, they usually belong to royalty. How did you get one?” Xiara asked curiously.

“It was a gift from my uncle when I was a child. I don’t remember the details, but it was his final gift to me,” Noen replied, sticking to his consistent lie.

“If it was a gift from your childhood, then it must be nearing the end of its lifespan. Ravens live around fifteen years. How old are you, Noen?” Xiara asked with concern.

“No, no, I’m not an ordinary raven. My age exceeds that. Noen is twenty-five years old,” Raven answered again, cutting in before Noen could speak.

“I’ve heard rumors that talking animals have special abilities, but I didn’t expect their lifespan to be longer than their species. By the way, I’m twenty-one,” Xiara said.

Noen and Raven glanced at each other, relieved that she wasn’t suspicious.

“Nice to meet you. I noticed your seal rings, you have two. That’s impressive, having two story powers at your age,” Noen said, trying to ease the tension.

“Oh, yeah. My story powers aren’t that great. I saw you have two as well,” Xiara replied, lowering her gaze and gently touching the fingers with the seal rings.

Noen felt he couldn’t ask more about her powers. “Ah, yeah. I got mine just by chance.”

“Haha, you’re funny. Everyone gets them by chance. Story powers can’t be obtained on purpose,” Xiara said with a smile.

“Ah, yeah, that’s true,” Noen replied, even more awkward.

Raven could only cover his face, unable to bear Noen’s clumsiness.

Noen leaned closer and whispered to Raven. “How different is a year in this world compared to mine?”

“No difference,” Raven whispered back. “Your world has 365 days in a year, and every four years, 366 days. This world always has 365 days. There’s no such thing as a leap year here.”

Noen nodded slightly, still watching Xiara as she gently touched the seal rings on her fingers.

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