No one had mentioned the aura, but I was certain everyone who had taken part in the battle must have seen it. It had blazed with a riot of colors, making its presence impossible to miss. There was no way they hadn't seen it.

And yet...

"You really didn't see it?"

"No. I looked over toward you whenever I had a chance after the fighting started, but... I didn't see anything like an aura."

"That's strange. That can't be right."

I wondered if it was connected to dragon power and I was the only one who could see it. But hadn't Estelle said Elysium's residents were more sensitive to a dragon's presence than other people? Had I hallucinated it, or was there something unusual about that particular aura?

None of it made sense. For now, I figured I should go back to the tavern and ask the others.

"I think I've had enough fresh air. Talking with you helped me sort through my thoughts a little, too."

"I'm glad to hear that. Shall we head back, then?"

"Let's."

A fair amount of time had passed, so Estelle and I returned to the tavern where the celebration was still going on. Once there, I asked the others if any of them had seen the aura. Not one person said they had.

* * *

Kutun hadn't been bluffing when he said he'd drink until dawn. I didn't have a watch, so I couldn't be sure of the time, but I guessed it was around three or four in the morning.

"I think I'll turn in now."

I was too tired to last any longer. As I got up, I could see disappointment on faces all around me.

"That's a shame. I was hoping you'd drink with us till dawn."

"Come back anytime if you change your mind. We'll be drinking until morning."

Everyone there seemed sorry to see me go.

"I'll go with you."

Estelle got up with me. After drinking for hours, she seemed a little tipsy herself.

"Let's go, Minjun."

We left the tavern together. The moment we stepped outside, I realized I'd forgotten something important.

"Wait. Where am I supposed to sleep...?"

I should have found an inn earlier. The day had been so hectic that it hadn't crossed my mind.

"Do you think any inns would have a room available now?"

"Not at this hour. Besides, do you really need to get a room at an inn?"

Estelle smiled warmly and took my hand.

"If you don't mind, would you like to spend the night at my house? I have a guest room. Make yourself at home."

I was grateful that she would offer a room to an outsider without hesitation. But four words flashed through my mind: elf, woman, single, sleeping under the same roof. I shook my head hard before I could stop myself.

"... I absolutely can't. My Sia is a little more jealous than most people. If she ever found out about this..."

Of course I knew Estelle had no ulterior motive in inviting me to stay. Still, if Sia learned that I'd spent the night in the same house as another woman, even one of a different species, I wasn't confident I could handle the fallout. And there was a good chance Estelle wouldn't come out of it unscathed, either.

Surely it would be fine if we slept in separate rooms? Probably not. Estelle and Sia lived in different dimensions right now, so there was no way they could meet. But that didn't mean there was a zero percent chance Sia would find out.

As soon as she heard me, Estelle's face, red from drinking just moments ago, went deathly pale.

"Th-then I suppose there's no helping it...! I-I'll go ask someone else!"

She hurried back into the tavern and returned shortly afterward with a key.

"Another dwarf—a man—said he has a spare room at his house and that you can sleep there."

Estelle put particular emphasis on man.

"Then I'll impose on him for tonight. How far is his house from here?"

"About a ten-minute walk. I'll show you the way!"

I followed Estelle, and before long we reached a house. Perhaps because it belonged to a dwarf, it looked more stylish than the others.

"Stay here just for tonight. I'll find you a room at an inn tomorrow!"

"All right. Thank you. You must be tired too, Estelle. Go get some sleep."

"I will! Sleep well, Minjun!"

After seeing her off, I went straight inside, found what looked like the guest room, and lay down on the bed without even changing clothes.

But just as I was drifting off, it bothered me that I was the only one who'd seen the aura extending from the statue. It would have been one thing if someone else on the battlefield had seen it, but every one of them said they hadn't. That only made me more curious about the statue and the aura.

If Sia or Rokan had been here, perhaps they could have answered my questions right away. But I was in another world. Imagining my return home, I fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, I woke and opened my eyes with a faint hope that things might have changed. But, as I'd expected, an unfamiliar ceiling greeted me. It had been too dark to see clearly last night, but this was probably the ceiling of the dwarf's house where I'd fallen asleep. Through the window, I could see the sun was high in the sky. It looked to be around noon.

I might as well go out.

I stepped carefully out of the room and spotted a familiar figure.

"Oh, you're up. Sleep well?"

It was Kutun, the dwarf who had sat across from me at the tavern yesterday and kept filling my glass.

"Kutun... sir? Didn't you say you were going to drink until dawn?"

Didn't that mean he'd stop when the sun started rising and go home?

"I did. But it seemed a shame to stop there, so I went to a friend's house for a few more drinks. I'm just on my way back."

"On your way back—"

"Meaning I haven't been home long. Ah, look how late it's gotten."

I stared in disbelief as Kutun casually glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Just how much had he drunk?

"Anyway, it's about time I got some sleep. Oh, I ran into Estelle on my way home. She said she had something to tell you about that favor you asked her."

Kutun handed me a rough map he'd drawn himself. "Follow this."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Come by whenever you have time! There was so much I wanted to talk about with you. Shame we didn't get the chance."

Kutun saw me out, and I left the house.

As I followed the map to Estelle's house, a few children seemed to recognize me. They trailed after me, pestering me for stories. It felt good to have them so interested in me. Seeing how cheerful they were, I found myself wanting, at least a little, to marry Sia soon and have adorable children like them.

But at the same time...

["How could you reproduce when you're different species to begin with? Under no circumstances will you and your sweetheart have a child."]

The words I'd heard yesterday kept circling in my head.

'Sia must have known, too.'

Perhaps she'd been grieving alone, unable to show it. My heart felt heavy.

Thanks to the friendly children who'd taken an interest in me, I found Estelle's house without getting lost. I knocked lightly, and she greeted me in a bright voice.

"Oh, Minjun! Come in!"

"Kutun told me you had something to say about what I asked you yesterday."

"I do. But would you like to eat first? You haven't had lunch, have you?"

"I was just getting hungry. I'd appreciate it."

"It's almost ready. Would you wait just a little?"

Estelle led me into the kitchen, and dishes soon began appearing one after another. I didn't know if she always cooked this generously, but it looked like a lot of food for two people.

The spread caught my eye, too: sausages, some meat dish I couldn't name, meat stew, and a plate of salad that looked as though she'd put it out for appearances' sake, since serving nothing but meat would be a bit much. Who would take this for an elf's diet? She'd told me yesterday that she loved meat, unlike most elves, but I hadn't realized she was this obsessed with it.

"Help yourself."

"Thank you for the meal."

There was so much food that I wondered whether we could finish it all, and whether leaving any would be rude. Fortunately, Estelle was such a good cook that the plates were empty in no time.

As the meal drew to a close, Estelle brought up the reason I'd come.

"I'd planned to speak to Adil myself. But he's outside Elysium right now on important business."

"Ah..."

Did that mean I'd have to wait several more days for a chance to investigate Bellium's statue? Or perhaps not days, but weeks or months.

"He'll probably be back today or tomorrow, but there's a small problem."

"A small problem?"

"We thought we'd wiped out the monster army yesterday, but scouts found that a few stragglers survived."

There had been so many monsters, and apparently some had used the chaos to hide in the forest. Thankfully, the situation wasn't as dire as yesterday's. But Adil was an ordinary person with no combat ability at all, and an encounter with a monster could put him in danger. The remaining monsters would have to be dealt with, and Adil would need an escort to bring him safely back to Elysium.

"That may delay him a little, but he shouldn't be too late."

Estelle said she'd let me know when Adil, the statue's caretaker, arrived. In the meantime, she suggested I rest or look around the village.

"The people going to bring Adil back—have they left yet?"

"I don't think so. They'll probably leave within half an hour."

Estelle glanced at the clock as she answered.

"Then I'll go with them."

That way, I could meet him a little sooner.

* * *

In a forest near Elysium.

A lizard beastfolk walked one anxious step at a time, head bowed and hands bound tightly behind his back. His name was Adil, and he was being held hostage by a kidnapper—along with Bellium's Tears, a sacred relic of Elysium.