I could feel my mouth growing heavy on its own.

In a way, that’s only natural.

When you hear that a friend’s stock has dropped by about 10%, that might even be seen as good news.

If you’re close, you’d probably be too busy teasing them, spinning tales and having fun at their expense.

But what if you read the news that the stock your friend had invested all their savings in had been delisted?

Especially when you know they went into debt to buy it.

Could you even bring yourself to tell them the news?

“…Are you okay?”

I had just left the mining area when I suddenly saw Siel collapse.

Lying on the ground, completely drained, Siel shook her head side to side.

I’d seen this before in previous works.

It happens when a contracted spirit or demon’s power is used recklessly.

But the important thing is, she’s only used her power once.

The manager isn’t a weak opponent, but… they aren’t world-class like the Imperial Knights either. And she even sacrificed half her soul.

The conclusion derived from that is clear.

This naive girl was badly tricked in her contract.

To give up half her soul for such lackluster power?

What kind of petty and worthless creature did she contract with?

It’s enough to make me feel down.

‘Besides, if it weren’t for me, she might have formed a contract with someone much better.’

Of course, there’s no way Siel, being in the protagonist’s party and a key character in the game, could be weak.

She certainly wouldn’t have contracted with some vile demon.

She likely would have struck a deal with someone like a Spirit King and soared to great heights.

I pondered whether or not to tell Siel, finally coming to a conclusion.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

Let’s bury this story.

Telling her would just upset her for no reason.

After all, simply regretting the contract won’t undo it.

“Can you walk?”

At my words, Siel tried to push herself off the floor to stand, but then… plop! She collapsed again.

Had I not caught her, she would have surely smacked her head hard on the ground.

I supported Siel and sat her back down on a nearby staircase.

What on earth should I do now? That was the moment I was caught in deep thoughts.

“…So you’ve completely stopped talking now.”

Siel had moved beyond being taciturn to expressing herself entirely through gestures.

Sitting and waiting, she extended her arms forward, clearly wanting something.

Even when she spoke briefly, I got her drift, so she was pushing the limits now.

I had no choice but to comply with her blatant request to be carried.

A peculiar tickling sensation ran across my back.

I could feel her breath.

Every time I moved, her hair brushed against my neck—what a strange feeling.

And then… the area where my hands held her kept concerning me.

Where can I hold without looking like a pervert? Now that was a serious predicament, and the mere act of pondering that already brands one a pervert! What a miserable fate!

I tried to pull my attention away from the sensations under my hands.

Fortunately, it wasn’t as taxing as I thought it would be.

Soon enough, some breathtaking vistas worthy of distracting my mind appeared before me.

It felt like I was walking through the streets of medieval times.

The night sky gradually darkened.

No concrete buildings or streetlights in sight.

That’s why the stars shine brighter.

However, if there’s one thing that disrupts that sparkle, it’s this:

‘That place has definitely developed more.’

In the distance, there’s a city glittering more than the stars themselves.

A world completely different in genre from this place.

The magic trains that appeared in the prequel, alongside the magically engineering machines that had begun to surface, are all products available only in that capital.

All of the empire’s advancements are grotesquely concentrated in that capital.

All technology, all facilities, are exclusive to that privileged few.

…In the previous work, since the protagonist was of noble birth, I was unaware of this. But seeing it now, there’s a limit to how ludicrous things can get.

I mean, one side is medieval fantasy, and the other is steampunk? How does that even work?

What on earth is going on with this crazy empire?

As I sighed while pondering these thoughts, I felt an odd sensation creeping near my head.

From somewhere near, there came a soft, caressing touch…

“…What are you doing?”

Such an abnormal act left me astonished, which was why I asked.

However, Siel responded calmly.

“I was stroking your hair.”

“…Why?”

“You sighed.”

“What does that have to do with stroking my hair?”

Was she trying to comfort me because I looked troubled?

“My mom used to do it like this.”

Suddenly, her speech flowed steadily, only at such times. It was a tad odd, yet I had no real argument against it.

“Do you dislike it?”

Siel abruptly asked this question, making my head spin.

“It’s not that I dislike it…”

“Then do you like it?”

If I must choose, it would indeed be the latter, but…

…Claiming I liked it here would come off as downright perverted!

Desperately searching for a topic to divert the subject, I blurted out,

“If you have the energy to babble weird stuff, help me look for the guild instead.”

Fortunately, it wasn’t too difficult a task.

We truly needed to find the guild.

Whether this time was before or after the original story, the guild must definitely exist.

Nowhere else is as good for gathering information.

‘I need to find the others too.’

I had successfully brought Siel into the team.

…Though it was partly my fault that her skill tree might have gone haywire, let’s consider it a success for now.

That said, one Siel wasn’t enough.

We would undoubtedly need more power to tackle the impending crisis, no matter how much strength we gathered.

‘…The empire was definitely ablaze in the trailer.’

This is the downside of being thrust unexpectedly into a game without having played it.

Thank goodness the spoiler posts had fed me bits of information, but it’s still woefully scant.

With no clue as to why the world ends, but desperate to avoid dying, I must find some way to avert the apocalypse.

There’s a limit to how hopeless things can be.

A sigh slipped out naturally.

And then…

“…I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

I was stroked again.

“I get it.”

“I truly didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Why do you keep repeating the same thing?”

“…”

I ultimately decided to keep my mouth shut.

Is she skilled at conversation or not? I can’t tell if she’s teasing me or if I’m just overly sensitive.

“Ian.”

“I didn’t sigh just to have you stroke my hair!”

“Not that, look over there.”

I turned my gaze to the spot Siel was pointing at with her finger.

Soon, I found a sign adorned with a familiar sword and shield.

It was that familiar Adventurers’ Guild.

*

“It’s noisy.”

“Well, what did you expect? This place serves as a tavern too, after all.”

I replied to Siel, still being carried.

Indeed, this place is just as I remembered from the prequel.

A spot where people from various backgrounds, species, and all kinds of characters gather.

I felt a slight sense of comfort wash over me.

After all, this was one of the few safe zones in the game.

As if to validate the dark world outside, all sorts of horrific tales occur out there.

Like when you approach a sobbing child to receive a quest, only for the child to suddenly try to stab you right in the throat.

Or when you kill what appears to be a crazed child, only to later realize they were controlled by a dark sorcerer.

Choosing to apologize when the heartbroken parents approach, lamenting their lost child, leads to an ironic twist.

“How foolish.”

It turns out those “parents” were actually dark sorcerers in disguise, using their child as a puppet.

Players who let their guard down end up dead or become the next puppet of the dark sorcerer—a bad ending scenario.

Thank heavens such vile and mind-boggling incidents do not occur here.

An unspoken accord exists in this place; no one is allowed to harm another.

Breaking this rule would turn the entire guild against you.

This is how such peace gets maintained.

“There should be something here.”

Wading through the crowd, I checked the bulletin board plastered with various notices.

Well, being a guild located in a slum, it’s not particularly organized, even if it is a guild.

“…?”

As I was searching for my target, something peculiar caught my eye.

‘The Black Fang? Was there such a group in the original story?’

Upon closer examination, the notice revealed something rather significant.

They had killed a knight commander and taken down an infamous noble who was unlawfully exploiting children in a factory.

It seems to be an emerging revolutionary organization standing against the empire.

‘Well, it doesn’t appear to concern me much.’

A hefty bounty for just identifying a member of that organization, plus the promise of granting whatever one desires for capturing one alive, sure is tempting.

Yet, this seems utterly overreaching.

A knight commander is a powerful foe, only to be faced at the very endgame. How on earth am I supposed to capture a crazed monster who has slain such a figure?

“Stay still for a moment, Siel. It’s hard to carry you like this.”

In any case, this story has nothing to do with me.

Thus, I turned away and continued to scan through the list of requests… and soon found it.

My second target.

The location where my next companion awaits recruitment.