Perhaps because we were inside the Juggernaut, time seemed to flow without us noticing. By the time we finished our quick dinner and tidied up, the sky had already grown dark. Riding on the noisy Cataphract made time crawl painfully slow, but in the Juggernaut, night fell in the blink of an eye. It felt as if time itself was riding alongside us.

Throughout the long journey, the Juggernaut never stopped moving. Whenever its pace began to slow, Peru would fetch black steel from the storeroom and throw it into the furnace. Each time, the Juggernaut surged forward as if struck by a whip.

Curious, I asked her a question.

"I heard the Juggernaut runs on a chieftain’s abilities. Does it also work at night?"

"...If you feed it enough fuel."

The mechanism fascinated me, but Peru herself didn’t know how it worked. After all, the person who created it was the Golden Mirror. Understanding it wasn’t an option—acceptance was the only way.

After filling our stomachs and enjoying the rare luxury of a proper wash, I looked for a place to sleep. Peru gestured toward a room.

"...There. That’s your room."

She pointed to a room that had been used as a storeroom. Inside, two plain beds were crammed into the limited space, leaving little room for privacy or even basic comfort. I grimaced.

"Look, I don’t want to be a picky guest, but why am I stuck in that cramped little room? Unlike Azi or Tir, I’m a human being who needs a livable environment."

"...No other option."

‘With only space for two beds, the men have to share the storeroom.’

I’d have been content if I had the room to myself. But of course, that wasn’t the case. To make matters worse, my roommate would be...

"What? Why do I have to share a room with her?"

The Regressor in disguise as a man—this was genuinely dangerous. If I approached her in my sleep, I could easily find myself struck down by Tianying without even waking up.

"Why are you being so picky, Shay? If anything, my safety is at greater risk sharing a room with you!"

"What risk could there possibly be to you?!"

‘The real danger is on my side! I can’t even rest properly for fear of my disguise being exposed. Tsk. How much longer do I have to keep living as a man?’

What danger? Are we children, panicking over sharing a room with someone of the opposite sex? Sharing a bed might be a different matter, but this is just a room. If it’s that big of a deal, then don’t disguise yourself as a man in the first place.

"If you have inappropriate thoughts, I won’t be able to resist! What do you think will happen if we’re left alone together in an enclosed space?!"

"When have I ever had inappropriate thoughts about you?! I’ve never—"

"Never what?"

‘—revealed that I’m actually a woman...! Deep breath. Calm down. It’s not time yet. Until the Duchy’s matters are resolved, it’s to my advantage to remain disguised. Even if it’s unlikely, if I’m mistaken for the Saintess, both the Duchy and Tirkanjaka might turn against me.’

The Regressor quelled her rising frustration.

The ability to know the future is attributed to the Saintess. It’s no wonder the Regressor is often mistaken for one. While that misunderstanding could be beneficial in many cases, it wouldn’t be here—not with Tir present.

The Regressor had her reasons. Whether it was truly a misunderstanding, though, remained to be seen.

"Last time, when I tried to wake you up, you nearly lopped my head off! And then you had the gall to say I shouldn’t touch you while you’re asleep. Talk about nerve!"

"Well, what do you expect?! A traveler has to have some kind of defense while they sleep!"

"Defense is fine, but aiming directly for the neck of someone kindly waking you up?! That’s the problem!"

"I didn’t actually cut you!"

"If you had, you’d be a murderer! Don’t use that as an excuse—be grateful I wasn’t actually killed!"

As we bickered loudly, a figure with short-cropped hair entered the room. The newcomer had such delicate features that he could easily be mistaken for a girl. Snickering, he interrupted us.

"Goodness, Shay, you don’t know how lucky you are~. Sharing a room with Father is such a rare opportunity."

The Regressor tilted her head at the sight of Hilde, now disguised to resemble her. Hilde’s transformation was usually flawless, but this time, it was strangely off. The sharp eyes beneath the short hair were similar, yet anyone could tell they were different.

"What’s this? A transformation? But it’s..."

Hilde, halfway through becoming ‘Shay,’ let out a dramatic sigh.

"Doesn’t look anything like you, right? Total failure. Your character is so complicated to imitate, I ended up like this. Without proper immersion, even my acting is lackluster."

The Regressor seemed oddly pleased by Hilde’s inability to mimic her. Perhaps it was a matter of pride—her uniqueness was intact. Despite her usual aggression when confronting her own face, she remained unusually calm this time.

"Hmph. Of course. Not everything in the world goes your way."

"I learned that today. I surrender. I must be missing something fundamental, but I have no idea what it is~."

It’s no wonder. Without knowing the premise of regression, how could anyone understand that kind of psyche? Even I, with my mind-reading ability, couldn’t fully grasp it.

Grinning mischievously, Hilde raised her hands before suddenly leaping toward me.

"Anyway! If you don’t want to share a room with Father, why not swap with me? I’d love to share a room with him! No, I’d be thrilled!"

"Hah?"

"Would it be a problem for a man and a woman to share a room? Not at all! I’m currently disguised as a man, so it’s perfectly safe! We could even share a bed with no issues!"

No. Absolutely not. It’s bad enough sharing a cramped space, but why does it have to be with a ‘man’? I’d feel much safer if she stayed in her usual form. If we must share, can’t she be a woman instead?

The Regressor considered Hilde’s offer briefly but rejected it after imagining the scene of Hilde, as her doppelgänger, interacting with me.

"Forget it. I’d rather not see my own face clinging to someone else."

"Oh my, are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Ha! No, it’s disgusting! How would you feel if someone used your face to act stupid?"

"Not much? I can do all sorts of silly things with my own face, you know. Should I give it a try~?"

Laughing, Hilde sauntered toward the storeroom. But as she approached, the shadows behind her surged forward, wrapping around her limbs.

"Whoops! Tirkanjaka?"

[What sort of grown woman strides so boldly into a man’s quarters? Come back at once.]

"Such old-fashioned thinking! It’s holding back progress!"

Despite her protests, Hilde was dragged away into the darkness. Watching someone get swallowed by shadows, Peru was once again terrified and fled.

In the end, only the Regressor and I were left standing outside the storeroom. Running a hand through her hair, the Regressor clicked her tongue and waved dismissively.

"Fine. I’ll hang a curtain in the middle. Don’t cross it."

"I don’t get why you’re the defensive one. If anyone should be screaming, it’s me! Unlike you, I’m a harmless human with zero aggression!"

"It’s not about you. I’d feel the same with anyone. I can’t sleep well if there’s another presence in the room."

‘If there’s no one nearby, it’s not dangerous. Not for me, not for them... for anyone.’

The Regressor pulled out a large cloth and hung it to divide the room. The already cramped space became even more stifling, but I could sense her relaxation from beyond the curtain. Alone in her section, she finally seemed at ease.

Well, if that’s how it is, fine by me. Less worry about accidentally triggering a decapitation in my sleep.

Carefully avoiding the curtain, I lay down on the makeshift bed and spoke.

"Privacy assured, then. Goodnight, Shay."

"...You too."

Her response came a beat late.

The King of Gold, Elik, once gave his disciples a command.

"Fill this room with a single gold coin. The one who does it most wisely will earn the right to be my disciple."

It was a trite, overused riddle, one that had been worn to the bone. The disciples tried their best, filling the room with sounds, light, and fragrance—intangible things. Each smiled proudly, awaiting Elik’s judgment.

But there was a hidden meaning to Elik’s challenge.

"Water that flows to the sea returns as rain. Broken tools are melted down to forge steel once more. Those who seek wisdom must learn not only to consume but also to replenish. For that is the harder task."

The initial riddle was well-known, but the disciples hadn’t heard this deeper truth. Looking at the puzzled faces of his disciples, Elik gave another order.

"Now take what you’ve used and turn it back into gold."

Scrambling, the disciples tried to recover their materials to turn them back into gold.

But once used, things lose their value. Not a single disciple returned with an intact gold coin.

Until the Golden Mirror appeared.