"So… are you sure you didn't lose it?" Lydia asked.

She'd seen me fighting Nexar. Well, not fighting exactly, since neither of us can hurt each other, but more like Nexar enjoying my breakdown.

[Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the show.]

'Shut up.'

'I'm not letting that psychopath into my crew.'

[Oh! You will.]

His confidence was so irritating.

"I'm fine," I said, waving it off. "What about your training?"

Lydia was sitting beside me under the tree, sweat still clinging to her neck.

"I can now use the first three steps on instinct. The fourth step is… still not good."

She looked down, trying to hide the disappointment in her tone.

"The fourth step is nothing like anything you've trained before," I told her, smiling softly.

"It'll take time to adjust to something that foreign."

"Hmm.." She hummed, clearly not happy with her own pace.

"But still… mastering the first three before lunch is already a feat."

Before I realized it, my hand was already on her head, patting her lightly.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Ah, damn it. What am I doing? My body just… moved on its own, like when I used to do that with Sera. I quickly pulled my hand back.

"S-sorry," I said, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. "That just… happened."

But she didn't say anything. She just lowered her head a little, shoulders softening.

"You really think…?" she asked quietly, her gaze still on the ground.

I smirked. "Yes," I said, patting her head again.

A small smile tugged at her lips.

"But you should still learn the fourth step before evening."

"tsk." She pouted. "Fine. I get it. I'll go back to training."

She stood up, brushing the dust off her skirt.

She really needed to be more careful about the angle she gave people when she did that, though.

"By the way," she said suddenly, "I talked to Sera yesterday. Before I came looking for yo... I mean, before I coincidentally found you here."

I quickly looked away from below her skirt. "Is that so? What did you two talk about?" I asked, standing up.

"We just exchanged greetings," Lydia said. "I asked about her training. Commander Quinn is overseeing her now."

"Yeah, I heard," I said. "I talked to Quinn this morning. Seems like Sera improved her footwork. She can even perform mana bursts now."

Lydia nodded, satisfied. "She learns fast."

"She's always been a quick learner," I said.

Lydia glanced at me sideways. "You sound a little too excited," she said, trying to sound casual. But I could feel the undertone in her words.

"Who wouldn't be?" I chuckled. "I really want to see her strength during the showdown with Merin."

Quinn said she'd be taking Sera to her quarters for training until then, so I probably wouldn't see her again before the fight.

Lydia smiled faintly. "Yeah… you'll be leaving after that, right?"

I turned to her, she was looking far into the sky, a soft smile on her lips, but I can feel the sadness in her eyes.

"Lydia," I said. My tone shifting serious.

Her body tensed, eyes widening a little. She didn't expect me to get serious so suddenly.

"Will you join me?" I asked.

"...What?" she blinked, not fully processing it.

"After all this is settled. Will you come with me on my journey?"

[Damn! I'm dying from secondhand cringe.]

'Shut up.'

Lydia's eyes widened, her cheeks flushing pink. "Are you… asking me to come with you?" she said softly.

"Yes."

'Shouldn't you be generating recruitement prompt?'

[No use. Probability of her accepting is less than seven percent.]

'What?'

Lydia looked down, shaking her head lightly.

"I really want to, Rune. And… thanks for asking. But I can't. I have my unit to lead. And I still owe Tugnier for saving my life and everything he's done for me. I can't abandon them."

Her voice wavered near the end, eyes glistening.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, bowing slightly.

'Why does this feel like I just got rejected after confessing?'

[In a way, you did. Different goal, same dialogue.]

"H-hey," I said, flustered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to bow. It's not that serious."

Something wet hit my hand. A tear.

"Lydia?" I said softly.

She looked up, forcing a small smile. "It's nothing," she said, rubbing her eyes. "Just… the dust. And the sun."

"...Right," I said quietly. No way that was dust or sun.

"Well, I should get back to training!" she said quickly, turning away.

"Lydia," I called out.

She stopped.

"We'll make it out of this alive. Both of us."

I said that now, because I get this feeling that we won't see each other until the fight.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then looked back at me with a steady, determined gaze and nodded.

I exhaled as she walked off.

Two more days. Two hundred SBV soldiers. Over 500 Orcs.

And one threat — Merin.

No one's dying this time. Not again.

********

For the next two days, I trained hard, harder than I had in a long time.

Every bit of stat point I earned, I converted straight into my attributes. My MP finally hit the threshold of the first circle, at three hundred.

Those two days were quiet.

I slept alone, ate alone, and practiced alone.

It reminded me of my past life. Back then, I didn't have Sera. I barely talked to Lydia, who was always out on missions.

Even though I'd been in this same place for two years in that life, I was always on my own.

Tugnier only dropped by now and then to give me pointers about aura control, and then disappeared again.

The silence now… felt the same.

It was... strangely peaceful.

I'd only gone back to my room once during these two days, just to grab etherium.

Lydia had moved her training spot somewhere else, probably to avoid overlapping with mine. Sera was under Quinn's direct training inside her quarters.

As I sat on a high branch, I looked at the sun slowly climbing over the horizon. The clouds burned crimson, the forest glowing red and gold in the morning light.

It's almost time.

I jumped down from the tree, landing lightly on the ground, and started walking back toward the settlement.

"Wh–Who are you…?"

An orc guard stepped forward, holding his spear out, but froze the moment our eyes met. He stepped aside without another word.

The others didn't speak either. Every orc I passed turned to stare as I walked into the cave.

My boots echoed against the stone steps as I climbed upward, sunlight spilling faintly through the cracks.

It was already bright outside when I reached the top.

Tugnier, Quinn, Lydia, and Sera were already there, standing together, their eyes fixed on the horizon.

The air was tense.

It was about time Merin arrived.

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