After sending the bear off, Lala and I continued our journey on foot. As we walked, she shared stories of her ten years of experience as a merchant.

“You came to the land because the sea was boring?”

“That’s right! It’s a nightmare down there. I was wasting my life every single day.”

She described how she’d been scammed and went through countless hardships when she first came ashore.

One day, she said, she’d establish her own trading company in her name.

“I’ll be rooting for your dream, Lala.”

“R-really?”

“Of course! Here’s a gift of friendship.”

I took a mana stone from my inventory and handed it to her.

She stared at me in disbelief before accepting the mana stone and using it.

Honestly, I was worried she’d just stash it in her bag and never use it…

But Lala’s body began to glow with my skill’s effect.

As the light faded, she looked at me.

“Thank you.”

“Helping each other is what friends do, right?”

“Friends…?”

She stopped in her tracks, staring at me.

When I asked if something was wrong, she fidgeted, glancing at me nervously.

She confessed that she’d never had a friend before.

I laughed and held out my hand, which she took.

“I’ve never had a friend here either.”

“Really!?”

In this world, Lala is my first friend.

After chatting and walking, we saw a village in the distance, but I couldn’t enter.

With a bounty on my head, I’d get caught if I went in.

At the village entrance, I said my goodbyes to Lala.

“See you next time.”

“Whenever you need something or need help, just call me!”

I waved goodbye to Lala as she waved back and set off on my journey again.

With time left before the angels were due, I thought about exploring the Empire’s territories when I heard the sound of something approaching from afar.

Thinking it was the bear, I looked over to see an elegant carriage drawing near.

Pulled by four black horses, the grand carriage stopped before me, and out stepped a familiar figure.

It was the old man I’d seen in the alleyway before.

“Hey! It’s the old man from the alley!”

“It’s been a while.”

He greeted me with a bow, which nearly made me jump.

Didn’t they call him a duke back then?

“There’s no need for that!”

“I must show respect to my benefactor.”

He smiled warmly and invited me to board the carriage.

I hesitated, and the duke chuckled good-naturedly.

“I’m aware you have a bounty.”

“You know!?”

“I’ll take care of that matter for you.”

The duke smiled as he spoke.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself properly. I am Adonis Ether, head of the Ether Dukedom of Avalon.”

“I’m Yuna!”

Following him, I boarded the carriage, which set off slowly.

As soon as I sat down, he looked at me and spoke.

He’d come to repay his debt of gratitude.

“I want to return the favor for saving me before.”

“I helped out of goodwill; I didn’t expect any repayment.”

“That won’t do.”

He spoke firmly, explaining that the Ether Dukedom repays favors a hundredfold.

And grudges, a thousandfold, he added with a smile—scary.

[Your bounty has been lifted.]

Just as he’d said, the bounty notification vanished.

“I’d like to invite you to the Ether Dukedom. Do you have other plans?”

I still had time before the angels would come for me, so I thought it’d be fine.

“That sounds good. But, just so you know, I might disappear suddenly because of an appointment.”

“It would be nice if you could say goodbye before leaving, at least.”

“I’ll try my best.”

The journey from the border village to the capital would have taken several days by carriage, but with the Gate, it was different.

[Gate]
A magical device that allows instant travel between cities.

With its vast resources and military power, the Empire had installed Gates in every city and in border villages.

Using the Gate, we arrived at the Imperial capital instantly.

Thanks to the duke’s influence, we bypassed all the procedures and headed straight to the Ether estate.

The bustling capital was filled with soldiers, reflecting the Empire’s military might.

It was common to see civilians greeting the soldiers with respect and gratitude.

“People seem to hold the soldiers in high regard here.”

“There’s no country where soldiers, who protect the people’s safety, aren’t respected.”

“Haha…”

The carriage passed through a large iron gate and slowed down after about five minutes, finally stopping before a grand mansion.

As I disembarked, holding the hand of a knight, I saw many people waiting in front of the entrance.

They must have come to welcome the duke back.

As the duke stepped out, they all bowed in greeting.

“Welcome home, Master.”

“The weather’s chilly; let’s all head inside.”

He ushered me into the mansion’s lobby, which was both majestic and elegant.

Following the duke, we went upstairs into a room where a beautiful sword was on display.

“One of the two symbolic swords of the Ether Dukedom: the Demon Sword Gram.”

“It’s amazing.”

“It has properties completely opposite to the Holy Sword Durandal that I carry. Each generation chooses one of these two swords to wield.”

Is it really safe to have such an important sword just sitting here on display?

“What if someone steals it?”

“They can’t. If you don’t carry the blood of the Ether Dukedom, you can’t even touch it. And only those who pass the trials of the head of the family can wield it.”

In stories, saying something like this usually means a family traitor will steal it later…

He invited me to sit on the sofa, and I took a seat.

As if on cue, a servant entered with an assortment of snacks and tea, arranging them on the table.

“There isn’t much, but please, help yourself.”

“Thank you!”

The table was nearly breaking under the weight of all the food—this wasn’t “not much” at all.

The dukedom really is on a different level.

I picked up a cookie studded with chocolate from the front and took a bite; it was incredible.

Soft and moist, it practically melted in my mouth.

“It’s so delicious!”

“Eat as much as you like.”

I devoured the snacks, and only then did I realize where I was, making my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

The duke looked at me and chuckled.

“Watching you enjoy it reminds me of my granddaughter.”

As if lost in memories, he began to share stories.

“They say old age makes one talkative, and it must be true. Let’s rest today and continue our conversation tomorrow.”

With that, he called a servant to escort me to my room.

Guided through the grand mansion, I entered a room that looked like it belonged to a young girl.

It was decked out in pink, with dolls piled up in one corner.

Is this a room for his daughter or granddaughter…?

Sitting on the bed, I pet Yonyong, organizing my thoughts.

There were still a few days before the angels would come; what should I do to pass the time?

“Do you want to do anything?”

“Kyuu!”

My Yonyong said he wanted to wave a red flag and shout for revolution.

Ugh, is this my skill’s influence? My sweet, innocent Yonyong has changed.

As I pet Yonyong, I remembered something.

I hadn’t checked the community today.

I opened the blue screen and accessed the community’s events board. What’s this?

[It’s the end!!! The end is near!!!]
The monster I defeated came back to life and charged at me, screaming for revenge!!

[Comments]
- Maybe there was a necromancer nearby?
- [Author] The named monster turned into a raid boss! It’s the end!!
- Kyaaa! It’s the apocalypse!!!
- We’re all doomed!!!

[Our Father in Heaven...]
Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come…

[Comments]
- What’s with this guy, lol
- His commitment to the bit is real, lol
- [Author] For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Amen!
- Amen lol

[Isn’t it a good thing if monsters revive?]
It means double the experience, haha.

[Comments]
- Except the named monsters are reviving as raid bosses.
- What if they chase you to your village to kill you?
- [Author] Please help, please help, please help!

[If the monsters are going wild, isn’t there only one person who could be behind it?]
We all know who it is, but we can’t say her name, lol.

[Comments]
- The Information Guild is watching you.
- The Information Guild is watching you.
- The Information Guild is watching you.
- [Author] You guys are insane, lol.