The laboratory had been set up separately.
All sorts of expensive equipment had been brought in.
I had even managed to get myself a free assistant, and now, on the third day of serious research.

"So, how exactly are we supposed to extract the neodymium from Aslan’s body? ...Huh?"
"...That’s a good question."

We were immediately faced with a challenge from the start.
It was already a given that neodymium was inside my body.
Aslan, once called a magical prodigy, could no longer even sense mana, let alone manipulate it.
This could only mean that the neodymium in my body was having some sort of effect.

In order to begin any experiments, the first thing we needed to do was extract the neodymium...

"Tsk. Shouldn’t the Demon God take care of this?"

[The Demon God, 'Kali,' is indignant, claiming that she shouldn’t be blamed for eating something strange and insists it’s not her fault.]

It seems it’s best not to rely on Kali’s help.
Speaking of which, Kali, after consuming the mass of neodymium from around the world, didn’t seem all that effective.
When we were leaving the shadow world, she couldn’t even get us out immediately, so it seems it wasn’t Kali who extracted it. It must have been Laura, who, worried about Irene, decided to spit it out herself.
Kali hasn’t even descended into this world like Laura does with her avatars. I’ve never seen her possess anything.

She’s more like a high-ranking but weak type, isn’t she?
Not very cost-effective.
Laura, on the other hand, provides magical sight, enlarges to fight, shrinks to be cute, and is versatile.
Kali just gives advice and is pretty useless.

[Kali, the Demon God, seems to be protesting, thinking that you're insulting her based on your expression!]

She’s surprisingly perceptive in situations like this, so I don’t think her intelligence is lacking.
But maybe she once reached the peak of her power, and now, overwhelmed by doubt, she’s hiding her strength and enjoying playing around.

[Kali, the Demon God, pouts dramatically!]

That doesn’t seem to be the case.
Such a powerful being wouldn’t be this petty.

"This is troublesome. Maybe we should pause the experiment until we figure out how to proceed."
"Huh? Pause? We need to keep trying until we find a solution, not stop!"
"Yulia, have you seen a mirror?"
"A mirror? Why a mirror...?"

I casually held up a hand mirror in front of Yulia.
She squinted at the reflected light and frowned.

After staring at it for a while,
her focus shifted, and she suddenly exclaimed with realization.
"Now I get it. My eyes have been so tired that they couldn’t focus properly."
"Ah..."

Though Yulia preferred staying indoors,
at the mansion, she still got some sunlight through the window.
But this laboratory, in order to minimize external interference, had blocked all sunlight.

After three days without natural light, Yulia’s concentration had noticeably declined.
While her nutritional needs could be replenished with food, there was still a limit.
I realized that if we continued, there would be a serious hindrance to Yulia’s development.

That could never happen.
Yulia, with such a bright future ahead, could not be left to stagnate due to a single lapse.
The thought of it made my heart ache—an unimaginable tragedy.

If that happened, I would never be able to forgive myself, and my days would be filled with regret and self-loathing.

So, I decided to temporarily halt the experiment.

"I’m fine! I’m just a little tired, that’s all. Even though I didn’t sleep much, I’ve been getting enough rest thanks to Aslan’s nagging, so my health isn’t a problem."
"The issue isn’t just your health. When you immerse yourself without rest, even simple problems start to trip you up. You might unknowingly get stuck on something trivial. Let’s go outside for some sunlight and then start again."
"Yeah. You’re right... I kept grumbling and couldn’t solve anything, but after Charlotte kept nagging me to take a break, when I went out, everything became clearer."

Though Yulia gave a different excuse, it seemed to work.
Finally, she staggered out of the lab with weak steps.
Thank goodness.
This way, I’ve saved Yulia’s future...

"Ahh, the sunlight feels so warm! I could just take a nap in the grass."
Yulia stretched and let out a cheerful hum as she stepped outside.
Though she usually preferred staying indoors,
the warm early summer sunlight was something she couldn’t resist.

"Take a nap. I’ll review the academic journal a bit more."
"What? You said I should rest because if you keep working nonstop, you’ll get stuck in the wrong places. You need to follow your own advice!"
"..."

[Kali, the Demon God, nods vigorously, agreeing with our necromancer's words a hundred times!]

At that moment, Yulia pinched my sleeve and puffed up her cheeks in a playful pout.
I was about to head back to the lab to check if I had missed anything.
I had walked right into my own trap.

"I’m getting the hang of it... Help me out, will you?"
"Isn’t that something you graduated from already?"
"Well, when I’m in the garden, I still sometimes think about it... You know, the ghost girl I saw before..."
"What? Is she still showing up?"
"No, when Aslan came, she ran away with a face full of disgust. I haven’t seen her since..."
"..."

It seemed like we had gotten rid of her with the hand of death.
But it looked like she managed to escape before she got within killing range.
Since then, Yulia had been terrified, constantly fearing when the ghost might return.
Even now, she was trembling, holding onto my arm.

"Could you stay with me? She might show up again..."
"If you’re afraid of her, just take a nap in your room instead of the garden."
"You said I should get some sunlight..."
"Just open the curtains and sleep..."
"Ah! No! I want to sleep outside!"

As Yulia kept coming up with excuses, she stomped her feet in frustration.
No matter the reason, the conclusion seemed to have been decided.
The soft breeze and warm sunlight must have been irresistible to Yulia,
and perhaps she was making up excuses just to sleep next to me.
It was a bit bittersweet.

"Silvia, lay out the mat."
"Yes."

The mat was spread out on the large lawn of the garden.
Yulia, smiling brightly, collapsed onto it as if diving into a soft mattress.
It seemed Aslan, back in the day, would get angry if anyone stepped on the grass, even a little.
I didn’t completely understand that, but for the kids, it didn’t matter if the grass got trampled.
Wherever they stepped or lay down, it was the mark of their passing.
Just seeing those marks brought to mind the image of children running and playing, and it made me happy.

As time passed, the grass would heal, and the marks would fade.
It made me feel a little sad, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Mmm! Sometimes, outdoor activities aren’t so bad..."
"Anyone else would call that a nap, not an activity."
"It feels strange hearing that from you, Aslan."

With a smile on her face, Yulia gently laid her head on my thigh.
She then grabbed my hand with both of hers, lying on her side and closing her eyes.
She seemed completely relaxed, as if she trusted me completely.
I felt a strange pride.

But...

‘It’s really hot.’

At first, I thought the sunlight was just warm,
but after sitting in it for a while, the heat became intense.
My pale skin, almost corpse-like, began to feel the pain.
It wasn’t sweating, but it was starting to sting.

‘I have to endure!!!’

But now that Yulia had fallen asleep again, with my hand in hers, I couldn’t let this moment slip away in vain.
This small pain was nothing.
I gritted my teeth and, despite the stinging, I forced myself to remain still, not wanting to wake Yulia.

Meanwhile, Silvia was staring at me with a look that seemed to say I was pathetic.

"Ah! Yulia! You’re out here after such a long time!!!"
"Huh...?"

A lively voice rang out from the garden.
Thud, thud.
It sounded like an elephant charging through.
I turned around to see Charlotte running toward us, kicking the earth spirit, "Heuk-Heuk," like a soccer ball.

"Yulia, come play! Heuk-Heuk is rolling so fast, it’s amazing!"
[Waaaah! This is fun! I feel so fast!]

Of course, Heuk-Heuk was screaming and getting mad,
but surprisingly, it was cheering and having fun with the play.

The commotion woke Yulia, and she rubbed her eyes groggily.

"Ugh... If I kicked Heuk-Heuk, my ankle would break. You’re the only one who can kick him like that."
"Hehe! Really? But what are you doing here? Didn’t you stop sleeping by the old man’s side?"
"Well... I had no choice. The ghost girl might show up again. It’s not that I’m scared, but there might be an actual threat, so I couldn’t help it..."
"Actual threat? I don’t know much about that. But didn’t the ghost girl disappear because of your murderous intent last time? What ghost girl?"
"Ah..."

Charlotte, looking puzzled, spoke, and Yulia froze.
Then her face turned bright red, and she couldn’t look me in the eye. She trembled and lowered her head.

"Why are you blushing, Yulia?"
"Yeah, why are you blushing? It's like you needed an excuse to hold my hand and fall asleep, and now your lie’s been exposed..."
"Aaaaah! I don’t know!!!"

And with that, she ran off.