"I didn't."

I put out my cigarette and quickly replied. At that, the Meister, who had snatched the item away, softened his gaze.

"Right, I suppose so. You wouldn't have the time or the reason to."

'There's no way he trusts me this much.' The slight doubt vanished immediately. He had simply used his good brain to find a plausible explanation on his own.

This was actually more comfortable. Trust was too heavy.

"... But why did it activate?"

While I was analyzing the Meister like that, he fell into a different dilemma.

Knowing nothing, all I could do was stare blankly.

So, was that brick-like thing not supposed to glow in the first place?

"The formula should have been wrong. No, for it to work now in the first place...?"

How should I describe that sight? He looked like a programmer wondering, 'Why is this working?' after a badly inputted code somehow ran perfectly. Yeah, exactly like that.

I completely understood his confusion.

"You saw that just now, right."

To think he'd actually interrogate me about it. I gave him a dubious glance. "I mean the glowing just now," the Meister added in frustration.

"I saw it."

If I were sticking to my persona, I wouldn't have answered something like this, but...

Looking at the Meister's eyes, I gave a slight nod. I had bummed a smoke off him, and his desperate attitude was somewhat pitiful. Most importantly, it didn't seem like the Meister was going to join the party anyway.

Of course, who would predict him joining when someone's scream of "What is up with that bastard, seriously?!" had pierced right through the soundproofing magic?

The Meister had even heard it, though he just snorted and brushed it off.

"So you saw it too? Ah, did it have any other characteristics by chance?"

Anyway, if our connection was going to end here, it wouldn't matter if I loosened up a bit. I had gotten stabbed in the back thinking like this in Dorfmain, but still.

Honestly... even if the Meister did join, he didn't seem like the type to share our conversation with the party members. Yeah, he absolutely didn't have the face of a snitch. Absolutely not.

"... There was a vibration and light before I even picked it up."

Thus, I willingly, albeit somewhat unkindly, answered his probing questions. It was a conversation born from a long process of self-rationalization.

It was also one of the rare moments of interaction with another person, enough to make me feel good even though the content was purely business.

"And?"

"The vibration weakened around the time I was about to hand it over. I'm not certain."

"... Good. Anything else?"

"Hard to say."

"Did you feel any warmth, or feel the wind gathering?"

"Warmth... not really. Wind, neither..."

After that, I answered every single one of the Meister's inquisitive questions.

Of course, there wasn't much I could give him. It was too brief, and I hadn't gathered many clues either.

"Right, got it. If you don't know anything else, that's fine."

However, even with just those flimsy clues, the Meister's eyes sparkled. Those purple eyes that had been consistently calm or prickly suddenly brightened up like a dreaming boy.

"Thank you."

I still had no idea what was going on, but... if I was of help, then that was that. Alleviating my own gloom with the Meister's joy, I returned to the laboratory.

"What's with that face? Did something good happen?"

"Ah, of course. I'll be able to see Sage Karl crawling around the Magic Tower on his knees in the near future, so it's absolutely a good thing."

"... What, did you succeed?"

"Are you scared?"

But as soon as we entered, the Meister's nasty personality exploded at Sage Karl.

If it were me, I'd probably be nice to the people around me out of pure joy. I guess the Meister wasn't that type of person.

Or maybe they were just acting like that because they were so close.

"More importantly, are the results still not out?"

"... Yeah."

"Ah, is that so? In the end, the magic that you blindly worship is useless too, Sage."

"Ugh, that bastard."

Still, seeing that Karl's expression wasn't the absolute worst, it seemed closer to the latter.

Come to think of it, looking back, the Meister wasn't even this bad to my persona. Though that might have been because the equipment acted as a buffer between us.

Anyway, I quietly kept my seat, watching the two of them excitedly tear into each other.

Before long, it was dinner time. It was time to go.

"No, the research is still!!"

There was one guy grabbing onto my pant leg, but it was definitely time to go.

"What, you're heading this way too?"

The Meister accompanied me on the way back from the Magic Tower to the inn. It wasn't anything special; our paths simply overlapped.

"Do you have business?"

"That's what I want to ask. I'm just going because the food here is good. What about you?"

"... It's my lodging."

"Understood."

Since we were at it, we also ate together in the dining hall. Neither of us had suggested it, but it just ended up that way.

"Table for two?"

"No, separately."

"Ah... But there's only one seat available, so unless you're willing to wait, you'll have to share a table..."

"Then it can't be helped. There's no need to waste time. Shall we share?"

"Suit yourself."

Eating at the same table... roughly came about like that.

It was a maddening collaboration between two personalities who lacked any friendliness toward each other and had no interest in others. Surprisingly, our compatibility was quite good.

Though this, too, was ultimately possible because we had no interest in each other.

"What can I get for you?"

"Porridge is fine."

"Menu."

"Uh, we have porridge, bean soup, and potato soup. For the main, there's boiled meat... Ah, we can also grill it for you. And..."

"What about vegetable stew."

"Uh... that should be possible. Shall I make it for you?"

Ah, but we ordered our food separately. That was obvious. Just because we were sitting at the same table didn't mean we were together.

"That's a lot. You must have a lot of money."

As a result, the Meister's side became the epitome of frugality, while mine became the exact opposite.

Regardless of the price range of the food or the ingredients used, it was definitely true when it came to the difference in variety. There was a whopping four-dish difference—the Meister had one, and I had five.

"Well, I guess you'd have to eat that much to maintain that physique."

However, I didn't know why the Meister had ordered the bare minimum.

To say he didn't order other dishes because they tasted bad wouldn't make sense since he said he came here because it was delicious. And to say he didn't order because he ate very little wouldn't fit either, considering the fair amount he ate yesterday.

Which ultimately meant it wasn't that he wouldn't buy food, but that he couldn't...

Was he broke?

"..."

"..."

... Come to think of it, seeing him research earlier, it did look like it would cost a fortune.

He seemed to take on a fair number of commissions, but it also looked like he was pouring all his money into his own research because it kept failing.

So he probably didn't have any money to spend on things like this.

Considering how he readily accepted my offer to buy him a meal when he was about to skip eating yesterday, it was highly likely.

"... Waiter."

If so, what else could I do? As a Korean, I couldn't just ignore that persistent stare.

"One more of the same."

"Yes, sir!"

"...?"

Sure, I had gotten used to persistent stares thanks to my party members... but they only stared like that because they wanted to talk to me. Not because they were hungry and wanted to eat.

So I couldn't bring myself to look away. The sparkling eyes begging for a conversation were completely different from the gaze of someone starving.

"... You."

Of course, even if those guys were hungry now, I'd have to ignore them. Though I couldn't even imagine them ever starving.

"You didn't need to order this for me, but thanks."

Meanwhile, having realized the meaning behind my actions, the Meister coyly expressed his gratitude.

With the unnecessary padding attached to the front of his thanks, my stomach twisting slightly in annoyance was a bonus.

"Why do you think it's yours?"

"...!"

However, that annoyance vanished immediately upon seeing his expression stiffen after I teased him a bit.

I thought about it yesterday too, but this guy really resembled my friend.

The way he shamelessly mooched meals, how he became insufferably annoying at times, and the expression he made whenever I used that shamelessness to play a prank on him.

He resembled him so much it made me want to cry.

"... It's a joke. Eat."

"Do you think I have no pride?"

"Then I'll throw it away."

"... It's a waste of money. It's a waste of the chef's labor too. It's inefficient."

"Not my problem."

Having this meaningless back-and-forth, I set my spoon down. A piercing wave of loneliness washed over me.

"... I'm only eating this because it's a waste to throw the food away. Got it?"

Ah. If I had known it'd be like this, I would've ignored him from the start. I should have pretended not to notice him staring intently at the food. My head was filled with regret.

"I said, got it?"

I missed my friends.

"Tch. If only my research had succeeded, I wouldn't have had to mooch..."

My friends who had waited for me while I was rotting away, who had helped me stand back up.

"... I'll come find you in the morning."

"Do whatever."

I forced the leftover food into my mouth, then stood up from my seat first. The Meister, who seemed slightly sulky, didn't even watch me leave.

Well, he probably would have done the same even if he weren't sulking, so it wasn't a big deal. I didn't want to pay attention to the Meister right now either.

"Sia, one more drink!"

"I'm telling you, I wrote that fairy tale!"

"Eliseeee! I love you!"

"One, two, cheers!"

I fixed my attire that had gotten messy during the meal. At the same time, my feet kept moving, leaving the tavern further and further behind me.

For the record, if anyone asked why I was going out when it was time to sleep, I'd call it a pre-bedtime stroll. I needed to check on Frederick's condition, too.

Of course, a horse was a pretty damn precious creature.

"Are you here to see your horse?"

"Yeah."

I made my way to the stables near the inn.

Since horses were expensive creatures, the people guarding the stables in shifts welcomed me.

"Just a moment... Your horse is... Yes. Right this way, sir Knight."

Because Frederick was a particularly fine steed, I had just pressed a very large amount of money into the stablehand's hands, urging him to guard it properly.

But was it because of that? Or was it because my face looked so intimidating?

The stablehand guided me inside without even checking my token. I couldn't tell if I should consider this good treatment or feel anxious that they seemed to be letting their guard down. I didn't think it was like this in the previous cities.

"Oh my, your horse has a very pick—no, a very refined taste. Still, no major issues occurred."

NEIGH.

Still, they seemed to have taken good care of the horse. Seeing Frederick looking like he was a bit displeased but doing okay overall, I opened my inventory.

"Take care of him moving forward."

"Don't worry!"

At the generous tip, the stablehand snorted with enthusiasm.

CREAK.

I opened the stable door and stepped out. In the stable that had gone quiet the moment I appeared, nothing could be heard but the breathing of the horses and the stablehand's confused muttering.

CLATTER.

And when I opened the final door and stepped out, I spotted an unexpected presence.

"Are you done now?"

It was the Berserker.

"The Archmage had something to say, yaaaawn. She sent me."

The Berserker delivered the message with a yawn. Knowing that she went to bed surprisingly early since she woke up at dawn, her yawn didn't displease me.

"The Berserker has a bad memory, so she wrote it on a note for me."

However, I did wonder why she came, of all people.

Did the Archmage figure that sending the Inquisitor or Deathbringer would cause problems?

"Here it is."

Well, from my perspective, I was just grateful.

Although the Berserker was toeing the line dangerously close, she at least didn't try to cross it like the others.

RUSTLE.

Whatever, let's see what the note said. If it said we were leaving anytime soon, I'd have to write back saying I wasn't going.

"Confirmed."

But it seemed there would be no need for that.

Instead of providing a specific date, I folded the note that consisted of sentences like 'It seems our departure will be delayed' and 'It will take at least two weeks, no matter how fast.'

At this rate, I might receive my letter first.

"Demon Knight."

But the moment I gave an assenting reply and turned around, the Berserker caught me.

Was she going to stab me in the back like the Archmage too? A momentary sense of anxiety washed over me.

"As a Norda warrior, I wish to request a fair and noble spar."

However, what came back was an unexpected proposal.

"Will you accept my challenge?"

Without a trace of her usual cheerfulness, boisterousness, or levity, she looked at me solemnly.

Her subtly higher gaze looked like a sculpted hawk that had been imbued with color, or the hue of gold melted by heat right before it hardened.

Hot, but ultimately metal, and valuable, but incomplete.

"If you refuse, I will naturally withdraw."

This was her true essence, which the Berserker had always been packaging up.

Honestly speaking, it was an essence that brought to mind the Weapon Master I had only encountered a few times, rather than the Berserker I had steadily watched until now.

"Confirmed."

That was why I accepted the proposal.

It was just a sort of whim.

The Inquisitor or Deathbringer would be one thing, but accepting a spar from the Berserker wouldn't instantly close the distance between us.

I also judged that the Berserker truly wanted nothing more than the spar itself, rather than aiming to get closer to me.

Plus, my spar with her... I remembered it being somewhat fun. So... I figured doing it just once wouldn't hurt. That was my excuse.

"The time."

"Deciding the time is the right of the challenged."

More importantly, she was leaving the time up to me? That made things easy for me.

"Then we'll do it not this coming dawn, but tomorrow at 4 AM."

I made the decision without hesitation. Procrastinating wasn't to my taste, so I picked the earliest possible date.

For the record, the reason it wasn't morning or afternoon was because of the equipment research. I obviously couldn't fight in the workshop.

Furthermore... fighting at dawn rather than at night would draw less suspicion from the rest of the party. The Berserker naturally went out to train around 4 AM anyway.

"The location."

"Outside the city. By the gate we entered through."

"Understood. Thank you."

I had merely accepted a fight—and a spar at that, so there wouldn't even be a need to risk our lives. Therefore, I ignored the Berserker's thanks and returned to the inn.

Was it because the tavern alone was boisterous even as the night deepened? Until the moment I lay in bed and set my sleep timer, I didn't feel all that miserable.

「 ▲ Sleep for 7 hours 00 minutes ▼ 」

Ah. Tomorrow, if I had nothing to do at the workshop, I should sleep there too.

Since the city would be the only place left without rain or wind to make me cold.

'I'm going to die of sorrow. Damn it.'

My eyes gently closed, and my consciousness blinked out.