I was walking along, deep in thought. The golem dangling under my arm had begun grumbling about damage to its chassis, an obstructed field of vision, and the like.

Just then, a large coffin came into view up ahead, and the golem fell silent. At the same time, Tyr spotted me from atop the coffin and promptly approached. Guided by her power, the coffin moved nimbly toward me and glided to a stop.

Tyr hopped down and spoke.

“Hugh! Have you finished your preparations? We know not when we shall leave, so you had best gather what you need.”

“We come empty-handed and leave empty-handed. I arrived with nothing but myself, so what more would I need to take? I've only packed a little food.”

That was a lie.

I'd swiped some of the Regressor's spices while cooking yesterday. They were worth more than their weight in gold. Selling them would fetch a tidy sum.

Besides food and drinking water, I'd even packed clothing packets. With my bag at my side, I was practically invincible.

“What would you like to do first once we are outside?”

Liquidate my assets! Turn goods into gold—the greatest alchemy humanity had ever devised!

I couldn't very well say that, so I gave her a roundabout answer.

“Who knows? I'd thought about going back to where I used to live, but this golem keeps barking at me about being a criminal, so that's off the table. I suppose I'll have to wander the world with no particular destination.”

The golem, which had been playing dead, twitched. Tyr, however, didn't seem particularly concerned.

'Nowhere to go? Excellent. If he has no ties elsewhere, it will be easier for him to accompany me.'

No, she actually welcomed the news. Tyr turned her head slightly to keep her delight from showing.

“I see...”

Even as she spoke, she stole a glance at my expression.

'Neither of us has anywhere to go, so there should be no problem traveling together. But...'

“Ahem. I, too, intend to wander for a while and see something of the world.”

“Oh dear. That sounds rough.”

'... How should I invite him to join me? This is difficult.'

Even as we talked, Tyr's mind kept straying elsewhere.

“What hardship could there be? I need neither food nor drink.”

“But you don't know how the world works these days. What if someone scams you or swindles you out of your money?”

'That would be no problem if you taught me. You might swindle others, but you are hardly the sort to be swindled yourself.'

A subtle breeze of hope drifted my way. Tyr kept circling the subject, hoping I would take the hint.

“I wonder if anyone would have the nerve to try such tricks on me.”

“Who scams people that openly? What if an innkeeper casually asks you for ten thousand alke for a room? Do you even know what an alke is?”

'You could teach me even those little things. Your stories delight me. I want to listen to your explanations.'

“It would happen once or twice at most. Being deceived is how one learns when first setting out. Then you find a good traveling companion, exchange stories, and discover unfamiliar worlds. Is that not what travel is?”

“Did you know that good traveling companions are the most dangerous swindlers of all? Merchants who overcharge you only take your money. People who offer to travel with you are out to take your whole life.”

'I would not mind even if you were a swindler. Whatever you asked of me, I would willingly give you everything.'

“Life is something we share with others. How does that amount to taking it from someone?”

“Bad companions lure people away to sell them off somewhere. Good companions lure people into chasing their dreams. Anyone taken in by that ends up a wanderer, drifting from place to place. Both are shortcuts to ruin.”

'Then you must be the finest companion in all the world. You made my dream come true.'

“For someone whose actions are so optimistic, you have a remarkably pessimistic outlook.”

“Isn't that how it goes? Birds flying through the sky look down at the ground, while trees rooted in the earth spend their lives gazing up at the sky. The world's such a mess that at least I ought to stay optimistic.”

'You are so capable at everything, while all I possess is this paltry strength. Protecting you may be the only thing I can do, but...'

“... Hugh.”

“Yes?”

'I want to listen to you chatter in that cheerful voice. You know so much of the world; tell me about all the new things that have appeared. Then I shall count the stars in the night sky and tell you old tales now forgotten. We could talk endlessly, until the campfire burned down to a faint wisp of smoke and we nodded off to sleep.'

“I dislike sunlight, so I would hide in the shade before dawn. Then, after the morning sun rose, you would look around with sleepy eyes, lift my parasol, and find me curled up in its shadow. Sometimes you would chat with others, and sometimes you would tease me mischievously. And if those days, no different from the ones before... could simply continue.”

Somewhere along the way, her thoughts had begun spilling out aloud. Yet Tyr murmured wistfully, as though she hadn't noticed—or wished she hadn't.

“Now that I think of it, that would not be very different from life here. From the moment you first came to wake me until now, as we prepare to leave... I have enjoyed every bit of it.”

'Perhaps I am not ready to leave this place yet...'

Apparently, Tyr had grown quite fond of life here.

The occasional piece of flotsam that fell in caused trouble, but aside from that, one would be hard-pressed to find anywhere as comfortable and quiet as this bottomless pit. To people struggling through each day, working today just to survive tomorrow, this pit might seem like paradise.

Still, we couldn't remain here forever. Everything had to come to an end.

If we did get out...

With a quiet smile, I asked Tyr a question.

“Tyr. Do you think you could protect me?”

Tyr raised her head with a start, like someone waking from sleep, and answered.

“Of course.”

“No matter what danger comes?”

“What would I have to fear?”

“What if something powerful enough to destroy the world came after me?”

“Then I would stop it, even at the cost of my life.”

“You might die, you know.”

“Death is not so frightening. Losing something as precious as life itself was far more... terrible.”

Words carried a different weight when they came from someone who had died before. Was this why employers wanted experienced candidates?

Regardless, I was truly grateful for the sentiment. I gave a little chuckle and replied.

“Thank you, Tyr. That's reassuring.”

'He seems not to take my words seriously. Yet he acted as though he would believe Mother Earth's apostle even if she claimed she could make soybean paste from red beans.'

Apparently displeased by my lighthearted attitude, Tyr puffed out her cheeks and strode toward me.

“You seem to hold that sage of Mother Earth in very high regard.”

Despite her fearsome approach, Tyr's gestures were timid compared with her strides. She gave my sleeve a few insistent tugs and spoke.

“Remember this. I am far more famous than that sage, and older beyond comparison.”

That was certainly true. Even the Earth Sage could hardly compare with Tyr, who had created the very concept of vampires and held the Holy See in check single-handedly.

Well, that aside...

“I'm not sure being old is much to brag about.”

“You really must have the last word!”

“It just means I'm that comfortable with you. I couldn't say something like that to the Earth Sage. I don't call her by an affectionate nickname like Tyr, either.”

“...!”

A radiant smile blossomed across Tyr's face. It lasted only a moment.

Thoroughly elated, she soon began looking around as though she had left something behind.

“It seems my preparations are not yet sufficient. Wait a moment. I shall pack a few more things.”

'If I were traveling alone, I would need neither food nor somewhere to sleep. But Hugh is fully alive. He will need plenty to eat. As for sleeping... Hmm. If all else fails, we could sleep together in my coffin...'

At that thought, Tyr abruptly blushed and shook her head so vigorously that her hair flew about.

'W-what an indecent thought! I could simply let Hugh sleep in the coffin and stay awake through the night myself!'

Wait. Wouldn't that make me someone who'd kicked an old lady out of her own bed?

More importantly, why wasn't she considering an inn? Sleeping outdoors was hard and dangerous.

Tyr left to cram whatever else she could into her coffin. Once she was far enough away, the golem hanging limply under my arm, pretending to be dead, raised its head.

『... Were you not arrested for gambling?』

Come to think of it, she was awake, wasn't she? Maybe it was because I couldn't read her thoughts, but whenever someone else was around, I kept forgetting about her.

Why bring up my charges, anyway? Was she making fun of me after having me arrested?

“Wouldn't you know my charges better than I do, Captain AB? They're exactly what you know them to be.”

『Was your actual profession perhaps that of a host?』

“Oh, please. How many host bars do you think there are in the Military State?”

I'd only ever worked as a stand-in at a host bar. I hadn't been particularly popular. It was a ruthless business where looks did all the work.

“All right, all right. You've had enough of an outing, haven't you? Time to go back.”

I'd more or less figured out that the Military State planned to make use of the bottomless pit and its prisoners. I didn't know exactly what for, but war was the most likely answer. It was called the Military State, after all.

If so, did that mean there was a little over a year left before the war? That seemed roughly in line with the timing the Regressor had expected.

Something was going to happen.

“Phew. I'd better get out of this country soon. Maybe I should head straight up the coastline? If I fled all the way to the Federation...”

『... I believe I just heard a criminal planning to leave the country.』

Oh, right. The golem was still here. I really did keep forgetting whenever she stayed quiet.

“You've got the wrong idea, the wrong idea...”

I was in the middle of trying to take back my words.

“... Hey. Hold on.”

Someone called to me from the darkness. It was the Regressor.

She had been deep in thought ever since the Earth Sage arrived, but now she seemed to have finally made up her mind. Resolute determination shone beneath her long lashes.

“I need to talk to you. Just a minute.”

Until now, she had barely shown herself to anyone, offering only fleeting glimpses to remind us she existed. At last, she appeared before me.

Then she saw the golem tucked under my arm and the way I held it so tenderly. Looking rather deflated, she scowled.

“Anyway, is that golem your comfort doll or something? Why do you keep carrying it around?”

I was about to say yes, but the golem interrupted first.

『A comfort doll? I must object to your abusive remark—』

But no one in the world had less patience for the Military State than the Regressor. She directed a terrifying wave of menace at the golem.

“Enough. Golem. Are you going to disconnect, or do I have to do it for you?”

『... I will disconnect.』

“Then go. Right now.”

It went limp.

The golem sagged with remarkable vigor, its stiff limbs swinging. I glanced down and saw the crystal orbs that served as its eyes rolling about.