Late at night, I left the estate to soothe my body, tired from the long hours of research.
It was the same time when Aria and the Hero returned.

"Oh, Louie."

"You're back. Where’s the Hero...?"

"…I'll go inside and rest first."

"…?"

"Goodnight, Hero. Louie, shall we talk over there?"

"…Sure."

Did something go wrong?
The Hero's avoidance of eye contact was honestly surprising.

I followed Aria to a quiet corner of the estate garden.
It was so peaceful that even speaking softly felt like the whole world could hear us.

"Did something go wrong..."

"Louieee…! I was so nervous…!"

"Huh?"

The composure she held moments ago vanished as she suddenly hugged me and whimpered.
The stark contrast between their reactions was making my head spin with confusion.

"My heart was pounding so fast, and I was so worried the Hero would notice…!"

"I see. Calm down now."

I tried to soothe her by gently patting her head.
It took a while before she finally calmed down and pulled away from me.
Though to be accurate, I had been the one pulled into her embrace.

"So, the Hero’s awkward behavior earlier must have been because he felt embarrassed around you."

"…Yes! That’s probably it."

Aria averted her gaze while answering.
Even though the Hero had clearly avoided looking at me earlier, I decided not to press the matter.

'…I mustn't overthink it.'

There’s no point in assuming he cares about me. After all, I'm not the heroine here.

[No matter what, I’ll prioritize you.]

Thump.

'…He only said that to bring Nia to the party.'

If both parties were happy, I shouldn’t be concerned.
Now it was time to move on to the next topic.

"So, how did the investigation go?"

"Everyone agreed! Some even volunteered to spread the word to their neighbors. It’s moving faster than expected."

"That's good to hear."

As expected, the combination of the Hero and the saintess was powerful in winning the trust of the people.

'Looks like I'll have to move quickly too.'

I might need to pull an all-nighter tonight.

"Louie."

"Yes?"

"Please don’t stay up all night because of me…"

"…Did I say that out loud?"

"Huh? Say what?"

It seemed like I had only thought about it, not spoken it.
But how did Aria sense that?

"…Wait, were you seriously thinking about staying up all night?"

"Well…"

"…Please don’t. I don’t want you overexerting yourself because of my request!"

"I won’t. I’ll brush my teeth and go to bed."

"Promise?"

"Yes…"

If the Hero had asked, I might have lied, but since it was Aria, the saintess, I couldn’t help but answer honestly.
If I pulled an all-nighter now, I’d feel too guilty to sleep, so I decided to rest after all.

'I’ve made enough progress anyway...'

I had two major tasks ahead: preparing for Rastock and helping with the city's transformation.
Thankfully, I had a good outline of what to do, sparked by a sudden idea.

'I’ll combine the two.'

By incorporating the magic tools needed for city purification with the defensive formations necessary for fighting Rastock, I could tackle both problems at once.

Both situations shared one crucial element—protecting the citizens’ health.
For the purification process, I planned to use special minerals that absorb dust from the surroundings.
The broader the range of the minerals' effects, the better, so I would inscribe as many relevant formations as possible.

As for Rastock, there was no cure for his plague.
But I had gained a hint from something a priest said in the original story.

[The elderly and the sick have already died…!]

The weaker someone’s health, the more vulnerable they were to the plague.
Even the priest who delivered that line ended up succumbing to the illness later, though he lasted longer than others.

So, if I could boost the citizens’ immunity, they could hold out until Rastock was defeated.

'Of course, spreading divine power would be the best solution, but… that’s practically impossible.'

There weren’t enough priests in Lacr, and Aria alone didn’t have the divine power to protect the entire city.
I needed to find the most efficient method, and I was thinking of using herbs for that purpose.

Since I wasn’t well-versed in medicine, I planned to consult the Marquis to meet with pharmacists or doctors.

"…It’ll work out, right?"

This situation was similar to Alpharhes, but worse.
Unlike the Western Gate, where the Summoned Dusk Castle only affected the surrounding area, this plague would impact the entire city.

Even if things went smoothly like in Alpharhes, there would still be casualties.

If only I could share this knowledge with someone, we might be better prepared.

"…But that’s impossible."

If I did that, I’d eventually have to explain that this world was just a novel.
Who in their right mind would want to know that their world was created and not real?

So, this was my responsibility as someone who had been reborn into this story.
I kept planning strategies in my head until the moon slowly began to set, and I finally drifted off to sleep.

[Louie.]

Yes, Master.

[The magic you’ve created… It seems to be your own unique magic.]

Really?

[Yes. Even I can’t use it—it’s beyond my reach.]

Then I’ve finally developed my own magic, just like you, Master.

[...Yes.]

Kunder used to tease me all the time, but now I can tease him back.

[Louie.]

Yes?

[I regret having to tell you this, but it must be said.]

What is it?

[You must never use your unique magic.]

…What?

[Promise me. Only use it if you truly have no other choice.]

…

"…Master."

"Uh, sister? Aren’t I technically your disciple…?"

When I opened my eyes, I found Nia looking at me with a curious expression.

"Nia?"

"Yes, sister."

"Why are you in my room?"

"I wanted to show you the results of my training, but you were still sleeping…"

"If I was sleeping, you should’ve come back later."

"Uh… yeah, I guess?"

"And what’s with the finger poking my cheek?"

"Oh, it looked so soft I couldn’t resist… Hehe."

This was unacceptable.
As her senior in the Hero’s Party and her magic teacher, I couldn’t let this go unpunished.

Just as I was about to get up to say something, all the strength left my body.

'…So warm.'

The gentle warmth of Nia’s hand on my face made the exhaustion melt away.

"It’s nice and warm, right?"

"…Yeah."

"I give Rosen a massage whenever she’s tired, so I’ve gotten pretty good at it."

"…Then do my shoulders too."

"Sure!"

After a short while, I felt refreshed, as if a storm had passed and left me clear-headed.
I had gone to bed early, woken up early, and now received Nia’s special massage—any remaining fatigue was completely gone.

Honestly, I wouldn’t mind having this every day.

"Would you like me to do this again…?"

"Yes."

I answered immediately and left the room with Nia by my side.

"Oh, Louie! You’re up!"

"Marquis."

We encountered the Marquis of Lacr in the hallway, and his complexion had visibly improved.
It seemed like he had found a way to cure his son’s illness, which had lifted much of the stress from his body and mind.

'Once I finish speaking with the Marquis, I should get back to work on the development.'

Seeing his hopeful expression made it hard to remain idle.

"After our conversation yesterday, I’ve gathered the necessary people. When would you like to meet them?"

"People? What kind of people?"

"The city’s materials management team, land surveyors, and complaint department representatives—those who handle the city’s operations."

Ah.
It seemed the Marquis had arranged for additional personnel to assist with the project.

"Hmm… It’s better to meet them as soon as possible."

I needed a lot of manpower for things like gathering materials, even though I had planned to make the prototype first and then ask for help afterward.
This would certainly speed things up.

"Very well. I’ll summon them to the estate immediately. Butler!"

"I’ll contact them at once."

Even the servants seemed to be in high spirits, perhaps because they now had hope for their master’s recovery.

After parting ways with the Marquis and his staff, I turned to Nia, who had been fidgeting behind me.

"Nia, can you help me today?"

"Of course! Whatever you need!"

With Nia’s instinctive talent for magic, I could definitely put her to good use.

'As for the Hero…'

I briefly considered asking for his help but shook my head.
Given how he had avoided eye contact yesterday, he probably needed time to think on his own.

'…'

The Hero was already gone from the estate.
That likely meant I wouldn’t see him at all today.

A small, lonely feeling settled in my chest at the thought.

"…Shall we go?"

"Yes!"

Even with more help, there was still plenty of work to do.
I returned to my room to prepare for the meetings ahead.