"Asie."

"..."

"Asie!"

"A-ah, M-master! When did you get here?"

"When did I get here? I've been here for a while, you fool!"

Lost in thought, Asie snapped back to reality at Brondin’s sharp rebuke. Yet Brondin clicked his tongue in sympathy as he looked at him, understanding in his eyes.

"You've really taken a liking to that young lady, haven't you?"

"If you say 'young lady' like that, it makes me sound weird, Master. There's not much age difference between us... But, actually, how did you know?"

"How could I not notice when you're fidgeting like a puppy in need, always trailing behind her and whining?"

"...A puppy in need? Really?"

Asie thought that the comparison was unmistakably Dwarven in style, but he couldn't deny the truth in Brondin’s words.

"If that's how you feel, then why not confess outright? Be a man! Stop acting so timid—"

"...I already did."

"...What?"

"I confessed. Three times, in fact."

"..."

Once during the Grassis era, once when they reunited a few days ago, and once more on the day she left. The look of dejection on Asie's face told Brondin all he needed to know about the outcome of those confessions.

What could have been missing?

Asie sighed, glancing down at his well-toned muscles.

"...Cheer up, kid. She's not the only woman in the world."

He hadn’t expected Asie to be rejected so quickly. Brondin, unintentionally adding salt to his disciple's wound, clumsily patted Asie on the back. Feeling the rough hand on his back, Asie fell deep into thought.

"So, she's really going to the Demon Continent, Raxia."

Even Asie had never seen Raxia in person. He hadn't achieved the level needed to withstand the intense dark magic there; within minutes, it would poison him and kill him. Still, he had read enough ancient texts to understand the perils of Raxia, so when Kana announced her plan, he couldn't help but try to dissuade her.

"Is there really no way to change your mind?"

It wasn't because he was in love with her. Asie would have said the same to anyone, even just an acquaintance. He knew Kana was strong, but there was no guarantee that her strength would be enough to survive in the dark magic-ridden heart of Raxia. There simply wasn’t enough evidence to make that call.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? You're talking about walking into a death trap. Of course, I’m worried."

Her expression seemed to show she couldn’t quite grasp his concern. Did she not understand the concept of a "death trap," or that it was natural to be worried?

Before he could press further, Kana’s small mouth opened ahead of him.

"I still have to go."

As always, her tone was calm but resolute, filled with a fierce determination. Asie thought back: had he ever seen Kana show such strong resolve outside of matters related to Garid? After a brief moment, he came to the conclusion: no. Even her grudge against the empire and her hostility toward the imperial court mage had stemmed from Garid’s death.

Hearing her voice, Asie found himself unable to try to stop her again.

"…I see."

How could he stand in the way of a child filled with hope rather than despair, someone driven by a future she desired, rather than resentment toward others?

"In that case, take care and come back safely. I’ll be waiting."

Unable to hold her back, Asie put on a calm front, leaving her with his farewell. If only he had been stronger, he might have been able to offer to go with her. Never before had he despised his weakness as much as he did now.

"But, Master?"

Asie suddenly spoke up to Brondin, who was trying to console him with clumsy words.

"Hm?"

"Have you… ever been in love, Master?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Silence fell over the workshop. Brondin’s lack of an answer said it all, casting a solemn mood over the room.

"Let’s get back to work."

"Yes, Master."

Their conversation ended there. Following behind his master with a hammer in hand, Asie’s mind lingered on Kana's final words.

"'Don’t wait for me’... What exactly did she mean by that?"

"You fool! What are you doing standing there? Get in here!"

"O-oh, yes! I’m coming, Master!"

Muttering over the cryptic message, Asie hurried into the forge at his master’s call.

 

"So bright."

I squinted up at the sun glaring down on me. Though not as intense as a summer noon, it was enough to make me frown. I prefer clear days to cloudy ones. Lounging in the sun is better than sulking in the rain, although it’s a relative preference, not an actual fondness for sunny weather. If someone were to ask, "Do you like clear days or cloudy ones better?" I’d choose clear skies.

So I didn’t particularly mind or enjoy the sunlight shining down on me right now.

...If this were a normal situation, that is.

"What time is it?"

"Hm? Let me check…."

Daeun bustled about, checking the time. I looked up at the sky again.

In summer, the sun rises early and sets late. That’s the same here in Silia, even if it's a different world. But it wasn’t summer, and even if it were, the sun should have set by now.

So why was the sun still hanging over my head?

"..."

"...Kana, I can tell you’re not thrilled with the sun, but don’t just charge at it. It might look close, but it’s super, super far away."

"...I know that."

What exactly did Daeun think of me for her to say something like that? I was starting to think we needed to sit down and have a serious talk soon.

“...Brr, why do I feel chills all of a sudden?”

Daeun shivered.

“It’s definitely not cold, so why…?”

The weather was indeed warm, warm enough that taking a nap wouldn’t seem odd. But as I’d mentioned, it wasn’t day but night, so calling it a “nap” didn’t quite fit.

“Oh, Kana, this is your first time seeing the ‘Midnight Sun,’ isn’t it?”

“Midnight Sun?”

A faint memory surfaced. It seemed like I’d heard the term in my past life. Although I couldn’t remember why it happened, it referred to a phenomenon where the sun didn’t set even at night. Did that phenomenon exist here too?

As I tilted my head in thought, Selene smiled softly.

“It’s Edel-sama’s doing.”

Her speech was as hesitant as Daeun’s had been when we first met, but I understood her point.

“This is happening because of Edel?”

“Mm… well, so they say.”

I turned to Daeun to confirm, but her uncertain response made it clear she didn’t know the details. Was it a side effect of fighting dimensional beasts? Or perhaps a phenomenon created by Edel deliberately?

Whatever the reason, it seemed this situation was indeed caused by Edel. I’d felt something unusual when we entered this area, and it seemed this was why. I stopped glaring up at the sky and started setting up camp. The bright sunlight made it feel strange to be preparing for the night, but while it was as bright as day, it was later than our usual camping time. Still, with all this light, I wondered if I’d be able to sleep properly.

Shrugging, I gathered firewood to start a campfire.

 

To put it simply, I didn’t sleep well.

"..."

"Are you okay?"

"No, I’m not."

Physically, I felt fine. A Master’s body isn’t weak enough to be affected by a day or two without sleep. But mentally? That was a different story. I wasn’t about to collapse from exhaustion, but there was just something unpleasant about not getting proper rest at night. Who could sleep with sunlight piercing through their eyelids? Part of me wanted to storm over to Edel and ask why she’d created such a phenomenon.

“Selene, did you… sleep well? Ah, I guess not.”

Selene, packing up her sleeping bag, had dark circles under her eyes. It was clear she hadn’t slept well, but she was as gentle as ever toward Daeun.

“…Embarrassingly, no. Did you sleep well, Joni-sama?”

“Haha… I’m a bit less sensitive, so I managed.”

“Lucky you.”

Unlike us, Daeun was perfectly fine. That was probably because she was an Earthling. While we were actually trying to sleep, she only appeared to be trying. Watching her smile and laugh, I felt an impulse to poke her in the side.

Poke.

“Kyaah?! Wh-why did you do that?”

“Hmph.”

That’s your punishment for sleeping like a log.

Caught off guard, Daeun looked bewildered. Seeing her puzzled face eased my mood a bit, so I withdrew my finger. I knew it wasn’t really her fault that I couldn’t sleep, but I still couldn’t resist a little mischief.

“Why is Kana acting like this?”

Daeun still seemed perplexed. It was simple mischief on my part, so I doubted she’d ever understand.

“Maybe it’s because she didn’t get enough sleep?”

Daeun seemed to be talking with her viewers. I could hear everything, but I pretended not to notice.

“…?!”

“Gotcha!”

With a swift motion, she wrapped her arms around my waist and hoisted me up. Then, she placed me on her horse.

“Are you tired? Today, let’s ride together. If you fall asleep and tumble off, it could be dangerous.”

“Not really—”

I wasn’t tired enough to fall asleep, and even if I did, I wouldn’t get hurt if I fell off. But before I could respond, Daeun nimbly hopped up behind me, pressing close against my back.

“Doesn’t this remind you of when we first met Selene?”

“…It does.”

Her quiet, amused voice made me nod. It hadn’t even been that long ago, but it felt like a distant memory. Back then, I was holding the reins, but now Daeun held them.

The warmth of someone else at my back, once unfamiliar, now felt comforting.

So much has changed in such a short time.

Reflecting on this, I leaned back into her warmth.

…A quick nap should be fine.