Arsil thought that apologizing was the right thing to do.

Whether she liked it or not, she reflected that she was completely at fault for allowing the porter to be consumed by the Demon King’s magic due to her complacency.

On top of that, she had recklessly accused the porter of being a demon and attacked him during the battle in the Zuramon Archipelago.

She had almost killed an innocent party member.

The porter, who was already suffering, had been put in even more pain.

The guilt became an uncontrollable fire that tormented Arsil.

So, she immediately went to the room where the porter and Lucy were to apologize.

"Hey, um… I think I owe the porter an apology…."

After waiting for quite some time, the door finally opened.

However, as soon as Lucy saw Arsil, she closed it again.

"Hey! Open up!"

Arsil knocked reflexively, but soon realized that she wasn’t in a position to demand anything and quietly waited.

She couldn’t tell what kind of conversation was going on inside, but the door didn’t open for a long time.

A person who came to apologize couldn’t afford to be impatient.

Instead, Arsil decided to spend the waiting time figuring out how to apologize properly.

'I’m really sorry. It’s all because of my shortcomings.'

'If you want, you can hit me until your anger subsides.'

'Or maybe I can heal you until my holy power is completely exhausted?'

No matter how she tried to piece together the words, the apology didn’t feel sincere, despite her guilt.

She really wanted to apologize, but what should she say…?

Suddenly, the door burst open.

"Ah!"

The porter, wearing a mask, came out, and Arsil reflexively turned her head to look at him.

"Wow! You can’t just open the door like that!"

"Ravin?"

Arsil tried to look inside the room upon hearing a familiar voice, but Lin blocked her.

Arsil suddenly realized that Lin was taller than she had thought.

She hadn’t noticed before, as he always carried a heavy backpack and usually hunched over a bit.

Or maybe it was because she hadn’t paid much attention to him.

"Is Ravin inside?"

"Do you have business with Ravin? If necessary, I can arrange a meeting."

"Yes! I mean, no… No, the reason I came here is because of you."

Lin tilted his head in response instead of answering.

Come on, say something, Arsil.

Hurry up.

But something heavy seemed to settle in her chest, making it hard for her to open her mouth.

Why is this happening? Apologize quickly!

"If you have nothing to say, I’ll call for Ravin."

"No! I, uh…"

She was nervous.

It wasn’t like when she reluctantly faced Lina, her pride holding her back.

Arsil realized that what was stopping her was a deep sense of shame.

And that made her angry.

Disappointed in herself for hesitating and wavering, Arsil quickly bent at the waist and shouted.

"I’m sorry! I was stupid for not healing you immediately back then, and…!"

But she was too close.

When she suddenly bent forward, she ended up headbutting Lin, who was right in front of her.

Startled, Lin pulled back, but Arsil’s forehead barely brushed against his mask.

"Lin!"

The mask shifted significantly, exposing Lin’s face.

Luckily, before Arsil could lift her head to see, Lucy quickly intervened between them.

With a speed that neither the guards nor the attendants stationed outside noticed, she swiftly returned the mask to its original position.

"What are you doing! You almost hurt him!"

"I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to…."

"Go away, you’re just getting in the way."

"Hey! I came to apologize!"

Arsil shouted back at Lucy, who was coldly pushing her away.

"You want to fight? Bring it on. I’ll split this palace in half along with you."

"Lucy! I didn’t come to fight!"

"Okay, both of you, calm down. Raising your voices won’t do anything but spread rumors around the Empire."

Only after Lin intervened between them did the situation calm down.

Curiously, when he stepped in, Lucy immediately backed down without a word.

"So… Lin? You’re Lin, right? The magician told me your name was Lin. Haha… I just found out your name is Lin."

Arsil awkwardly tried to make conversation again, but this time Ravin appeared, pulling the door open with veins bulging at his temples.

"Ravin!"

"Lucy, take her inside."

Arsil smiled with relief at the sight of Ravin, but he coldly commanded.

With a sudden movement, Lucy grabbed Arsil by the collar and pulled her inside.

She threw her, but Arsil quickly took a defensive stance and landed properly.

In that moment, the door closed.

"What do you think you’re doing!"

"Hello, Arsil."

"What are you doing here!"

"Never mind that, let me just say one thing."

Ravin took hold of a hairband to tie up his disheveled ponytail.

"Is this how someone who came to apologize behaves? Yelling and making a scene. You even tried to headbutt the porter."

"That… I’m sorry…."

"And why are you calling the porter by name? Are you close?"

"…I’m sorry."

"Sorry, sorry! Can you stop it already! ‘Sorry’ doesn’t seem very genuine when you keep saying it like that!"

In the end, Arsil bit her lip and lowered her head.

"Then what should I do? I’m useless for anything other than fighting."

That lack of confidence…

Lucy found it extremely unpleasant.

"I really want to apologize properly. I mean it. But I’m too inexperienced and too impatient, and I’ve ruined everything. Ravin, you know this well, don’t you? I’ve always been like this, ever since Filthy Alley."

To her, it might have seemed like a sincere confession, but it was just a crude self-justification.

If she could talk so much about what kind of person she was, she should have been more careful.

'Ah.'

Lucy realized something.

The reason she found Arsil so unbearable right now.

It was because she was just like herself.

Someone who constantly said ‘sorry’ but whose actions didn’t reflect it—a selfish fool.

Now she understood why Ravin was always so angry whenever he saw her.

She’s all talk.

"The Saintess said she came to apologize?"

Lin asked quietly, and Arsil nodded.

"To whom did you come to apologize?"

"Of course, to you, the porter…."

"And not to the Hero?"

Both Ravin and Lucy, as well as Arsil, found Lin unfamiliar.

His voice was sharp and cold. If that tone had been directed at them, neither Ravin nor Lucy would have been able to withstand it.

The Saintess, too, was silenced by the mere presence of a porter.

Lucy couldn’t help but smirk at the sight.

Arsil, if you really knew who the porter was, would you be able to keep your mouth shut after hearing that voice?

That base sense of superiority slightly restored Lucy’s pathetic self-esteem.

And she was moved by Lin, who was getting angry on her behalf.

She almost let her guard down, but Ravin’s sharp gaze brought her back to her senses.

"To Lucy?"

"Yes, to the Hero. Aren’t we all involved in this matter?"

"That’s… a complicated issue."

Arsil’s excuse wasn’t entirely without merit.

Before the final battle with the Demon King, Lucy had gone through so much hardship that she had often ground her teeth at the noblemen and royals who remained warm and safe in the rear.

She had uttered countless things, things that were not just simple complaints, which might have made even Arsil and Naidrian doubt her loyalty.

"In that case, you may leave. If you don’t apologize to the Hero, I won’t accept your apology to me."

For a mere porter to act so arrogantly!

Arsil genuinely saw the porter’s demonic corruption as a separate matter from her betrayal of Lucy.

"You’ve changed."

"What?"

"You always claimed to act based on loyalty and trust, but now you’re calculating gains and losses."

"What do you know…!"

"All right! That’s enough!"

Ravin quickly clapped his hands when he saw that Lin didn’t back down, even in the face of Arsil’s menacing expression.

"Ravin! I’m not finished yet!"

"It’s over, idiot. It’s all over. One day, you’ll thank me for cutting it off here."

"You brat!"

At Ravin’s signal, Lucy grabbed Lin around the waist.

Lin hurriedly asked,

"You’re not going to jump, are you?"

"No, I’m just going to run."

"Oh, I see."

This is going to be really bumpy.

Haha, if she jumped, I’d just stay still in midair, so there wouldn’t be any shaking.

I wonder if I’ll be able to hold it together afterward.

"Wait, Ravin! I have something I want to give you, something for Ysi…!"

"La la la la la la! I can’t hear you!"

Ravin deliberately cut Arsil off as she continued digging her own grave, glancing at Lin’s reaction.

"Let’s go, Lucy!"

"Got it!"

There was one thing Ravin, with all his talents, hadn’t anticipated.

Boom!

"Huh…?"

And that was Lucy’s incredible physical strength.

When she rammed into the door with her shoulder, it shattered.

Ravin, who had been watching her quickly disappear into the distance, snapped back to his senses.

"Wait for me!"

"Ravin, please! Please deliver this to Ysi. You’re free, so you can do it, right? Please!"

Arsil handed him a small sewing kit.

It was a carefully chosen gift, considering Ysi’s frequent involvement in cooking and other chores.

Ravin stared at it for a moment, then clenched his teeth.

"You give it to her yourself."

"But I’m a Saintess, and because of my status…."

"Then I can’t do it either. I’m the ruler of Valtorcroix, so I’m just as busy as you."

And with those final words, the thief disappeared.

"Don’t look for reasons not to do something, but rather, look for reasons why you must. Arsil."

That was his last bit of kindness to an old friend.

Meanwhile,

"Ugh… Guh…!"

"Are you okay?"

"No… Not at all…."

Oh, my head is spinning.

Lin gasped for air, his mouth wide open.

"Should I pat your back?"

"No, that might actually make it worse."

His spine might break.

As he gasped for breath for a while, Lin heard someone repeatedly clearing their throat.

"Ahem, ahem, ahem."

She was originally a scholar before becoming an archer.

A botanist, to be exact.

Therefore, Ysi’s memories informed her that she had always been holed up in the imperial library, which was filled with rare books.

"This is a place for reading and research, so could you please be quiet?"

Our timid and unassuming high elf archer, Naidrian, narrowed her eyes and placed her finger over her lips.