In the dead of night, on floor zero, Sarah waved as Alum and the others went out to scout. Keelen, who'd been beside her the whole time, spoke.
"Are you sure you're not going with them?"
"They'll be fine. Probably," Sarah shrugged.
"I knew it." Keelen suddenly scooped her up under his arm. "Alright then, get some rest."
"Urgh! Put me down," the red-haired elf flailed. "Your armor's too cold!"
"I'm a Frost Knight."
"Duh! I know that!" Sarah retorted. "Tsk… Now I'm all drowsy…" she added.
"That's good."
"…"
Sarah stopped putting up a fight with the sleepiness anymore. It's been a few days since they entered the ruins, and all those days, she hadn't slept or had proper rest.
Even as an elf and a powerful fighter, the encounter with the serpent took quite a toll on her. For her, the physical fatigue was barely noticeable, but the constant alertness and use of mana had her quite drained.
And while she appeared to be carefree, she and Alum were probably among those most on guard. But unlike Alum, she couldn't wind down on command.
"Then… Lend me your shoulder. Stay until I wake up…"
Her glass-like blue eyes peered into his deep sapphire eyes, scarlet strands of hair clinging to her cheeks. If he hadn't known she was usually obnoxious, then this docile side of her wouldn't have hit as hard—especially for a Frost Knight like Keelen, whose hearts were said to be as cold as the ice they wield.
"…"
Keelen sighed inwardly.
—Is this really why I keep going along with her whims…? But… she wasn't always like this, he thought.
When they first met, Sarah was cold and calculated. They weren't a party just because they got along. To her, it was mere practicality; she jumped from party to party.
At the time, Sarah had just joined him and Dalen for a few jobs, but when Lyn joined. The two were apparently from the same orphanage, and Lyn was like a little sister; thus, they began to treat her like one, too.
In retrospect, that might've been the trigger. She softened dramatically, and for the first time, camaraderie was developed among them.
..
The dim Illumine forest surrounding the tower was quiet. The night breeze was pleasant to the skin. Animals roamed around or weaved through the dense, colorful flora.
Alum, Jan, and Lyn were currently heading toward the smoke inside the shadows. But unlike Dalen's shadow corridor, Jan's magic was more akin to camouflage. And through the shadows, they avoided many encounters.
Alum and Jan were the silent type; Lyn knew that, but to think that they barely exchanged any words the last hour made her somewhat anxious. like she wasn't as competent or something.
Thus, she began to distract herself by thinking about the creatures they'd encountered thus far. She noticed that many of them were familiar to those she knew, and others were completely unknown.
Either way, the creatures here seemed quite harmonious; it appeared almost symbiotic in a way that wasn't obvious to them.
Then, eventually, they reached a white rocky place. White steam surrounded the place. The sound of a gentle stream trickled down the differently elevated pools. Compared to the dense flora before, this area was more open.
And except for the few trees that had pierced through the white rocks in a few places, the view of the sky was quite clear.
"…"
However. That wasn't what surprised them the most. On the outskirts of the hot spring pools, clothes hung by a small fire. Nearby. A girl.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and the orange flames made the droplets in her long, damp dark purple hair twinkle the same warm color.
The moment seemed to stretch time itself. They hadn't expected to run into a girl in her bare form right out of the springs. At a glance, her form was modest and her skin fair; rather than cute, she was pretty. While the timing was quite unfortunate, they had to be on guard. They couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the girl.
And yet, the girl didn't react much. Her droopy golden eyes seemed almost indifferent as she stared their way. Then her eyes widened a little, her small lips parted ever so slightly—causing a chill to run down their spines as the mana in the air surged. Then, she snapped her fingers.
[Sphere: Obliteration]
Jan hurriedly pulled both Alum and Lyn out of the shadows, and the space where they'd just been had been distorted, leaving behind a smooth crater and blue static electricity.
All the steam that covered the area had been blown away, and the naked girl frowned, looking their way.
"…"
Jan was horrified at the magic just displayed; his bones screamed at him to take Alum and Lyn far away from here this very instant. But at the same time, he didn't know the girl's intention, as he had sensed that she'd missed them on purpose.
"Oh?" The girl crossed her arms as she stared them down. "So you're the ones sneaking around the forest."
When the girl spoke, Jan snapped out of it, as did Lyn. They both recognized her… but Jan couldn't take his gaze away from a potential threat, same goes for Lyn, despite her wanting to avert her eyes.
But for whatever reason, the girl's gaze lingered on Alum the longest. Alum stared right back into her eyes.
"Long time no see, Lise."
"Yeah. Long time no see, Alum." Aetlise tilted her head, then let out a small yawn. "And who are they?" she asked.
"Jan and Lyn. We're in the same expedition team."
"Hmm~ I see."
Her disinterest in them was clear, so Alum decided to ask what was on his mind.
"Where are the rest of the Advance Team?"
Aetlise shrugged. "Dunno."
"I see…"
Sensing that there was a connection between the two, Jan and Lyn lowered their guard a little, turning their gaze away.
Of course, Aetlise didn't miss it as she smirked and called out to them.
"Finally looked away, did ya? Perverts."
Lyn jolted a little at her remark. She hadn't been called that before. Her cheeks grew hot, and she crouched down and covered her face in shame.
Jan was a little thrown off by the comment, but was mostly indifferent to it due to the circumstances.
"And you should have a sense of shame too," Alum remarked.
"Eep. Kya," Aetlise smugly fired back with flat yelps.
Alum chuckled a little. He heaved a sigh, unbuttoned his cloak, and said, "You tried, I suppose," tossing her his cloak.
Catching the high-quality fabric, Aetlise puffed her chest. "Uh-huh. 10/10 performance," she smiled smugly before covering herself.
"Also, sorry."
"Hm? I don't really care."
"…" Alum sighed, mildly exasperated by the response.
"I apologize for staring too," Jan said.
"S-Same here," Lyn hurriedly apologized as well.
Aetlise shrugged and walked over to the fire, sat down cross-legged, and basked in the flames.
Alum walked over to her. He looked back at Jan and Lyn; unlike the two, Aetlise's expression was relaxed, leaning toward the fire with a content expression.
Alum sat down across from her. He wanted to ask her a few questions, but seeing her relax like this made him put it on hold.
Eventually, Jan and Lyn joined them by the fire.
"…"
What is going on!? Am I the only one that think this is super awkward!?
Finally, Lyn was unable to handle the strange silence. "H-Hey! Why did you call me a pervert? I'm a girl too!" and the pent-up frustration about being labeled one finally exploded.
Aetlise opened one eye.
"Cuz I don't know ya," she said plainly.
"B-But… Mr. Alum looked the whole time, though…" Lyn murmured to herself after the shutdown.
Aetlise froze and pondered for a second before looking at Alum. "Are you a pervert?" she flatly asked.
Alum, who stared at the flames in a slightly dazed state, but at the sudden inquiry thrown his way, he thought about Amethely.
"Depends," he shrugged.
Aetlise covered herself. "Eep. Kya." She yelped, her tone flat, expression? Deadpan, of course.
"…"
"…"
At this point, Jan had a migraine while Lyn was left confused, watching the strange banter, unsure what to make of it.
But then, for whatever reason, Aetlise sniffed Alum's cloak with a somewhat confused, "Mnm?" causing him to recoil a little.
Seeing that he was a little flustered, she said, "You smell really nice—and strangely nostalgic?" teasingly.
"Hey… Stop that," he scolds her.
"Why?" Aetlise naturally fired back, frowning.
"It's not for you."
"…"
Aetlise didn't say a word; a smirk crept up her face. Just by reading Jan and Lyn's expressions, the implication was quite clear when he said it wasn't for her.
"Ah, the little saint is a pervert too?" she concluded.
"…"
Alum couldn't comment on it exactly. Because whenever Amethely had a chance, she'd nuzzle and snuff him. Thus, the silence in itself was an answer, and he was well aware of it as well.
"…"
"…"
Lyn's image of the saint had gone slightly awry, while Jan tried not to think anything of it.
Back in Ilifel, Amethely suddenly sneezed while tending her plants. She wasn't sure why, but it felt like she'd caught a stray from nowhere.
..
By the warm campfire by the springs, four people quietly sat in awkward silence. Or so Lyn thought at least.
To say the situation was bizarre was an understatement. They'd gone out to investigate the smoke coming from the forest just to make sure they weren't alone. She'd prepared herself in case they came across some ancient civilization or some kind of settlement.
Yet neither she nor the others expected to run into a naked S-ranked Adventurer right out of the springs. And while this might be a little inappropriate, she couldn't help but glance at the hot water, wanting to soak in the springs herself.
She was a young woman, physically and at heart. The temptation of relaxing in a hot spring after days of grimy work was especially strong. Even if cleansing magic made the travels more comfortable, it couldn't beat hot relaxation seeping into the bones.
There were many things she wanted to ask Aetlise. Why was she here? What about the Advance Team? Which layer of the ruin was this? And so many more. But Aetlise beat her to it.
"So? Why are you here?"
Alum and Jan, who'd been in a state of meditation, glanced at one another, sensing that Aetlise was in a mood to talk.
"Actually, we don't know ourselves. Going to the lower layers from the temple wasn't supposed to take us to where we are now," Jan replied.
"Hmm~" Aetlise pondered. "I see. I was wondering how you got ahead of us. As far as I could tell, we were on the 7th layer."
Lyn jolted toward Aetlise with shaky eyes.
"Wait… We aren't in the 6th or 7th layer?"
Aetlise shrugged.
"As far as I can tell."
"Then… Aetlise, what happened to the Advance Team?" Jan pressed on.
"Don't know."
Seeing her reply casually without a hint of worry made them a little uneasy. But at the same time, they could conclude that they'd been separated up or… Aetlise strayed from them, which was a real possibility considering her personality.
"In that case. How did you end up here?" Alum finally spoke up.
Aetlise didn't immediately answer. She looked up toward the sky, her golden eyes gleaming a cool light.
"During the expedition, I noticed something watching me. The bastard hid well, but for some reason, they were either careless or intentionally let me grasp the invisible void rift, but it didn't lead me to them, and I ended up here just before dusk."
"…"
While Aetlise explained her circumstance, Alum's inexpressive face twitched for a moment. After all…
—See. I can be nice.
A voice he recognized from his dreams echoed inside his head.
Even if for a moment, he appeared surprised to the others. But they didn't seem to think much of it since he'd regained composure just as fast.
How are you doing it? He asked the voice.
—Spirit Whisper. Nobody but you can hear me.
What do you want from me?
—A contract.
Are you mocking me?
Even though his irritation was well hidden, his inside voice carried clear hostility toward the being talking to him.
Why would you, a powerful Death Spirit, form a contract with me? This ruin is all sorts of messed up, and those dreams you showed me. Were they just to frighten me?
—Dreams?
The spirit sounded somewhat confused, but a malicious laugh then echoed throughout his skull.
—Oh? For an otherworlder, I didn't think you'd inherit the ability to experience plausible past and future.
…What do you mean?
—Mnh-hah-hah-ha-ha! Surely, someone not idiotic like you must've realized those weren't dreams.
"…"
Fine. I'll entertain your whim. What is this contract you speak of?
—It's easy. Kill Ignol, the Dark Armor that manages this bastion of worship.
"…"
Even though you're a far more powerful being?
—Doesn't matter. As the acting layline of this bastion, I can't execute him. I'm soulboud to whatever blasphemy he committed to resurrect me. My only leverage is that he worships me; he'd do almost everything but to free me from this accursed bind.
Then… why did you want to possess me?
The spirit went quiet at the inquiry.
—How unfortunate. You saw that, huh? Well, I'm adaptive. I won't try to possess you without asking—not that I could. Those two would wake up, after all.
Alum gritted his teeth.
He knows about Sinister and Monochrome?
—I'll lend you divinity to temporarily repair your imaginary core. How about it?
Tch. Don't make me laugh. My imaginary core can't be healed that easily.
—Hahaha. You got me. Rather than repair, I'd say borrow.
"…"
—From your future or past self. Doesn't matter. You'll only have to pay in causality.
That won't be necessary.
—Oh? Why do you believe that?
You brought me Aetlise, didn't you? You're the former void sovereign, and we're inside your dominion. There is no way you didn't foresee the outcome of unleashing a powerful esper like me.
—Are you overestimating yourself, mortal?
I'm not. You think me arrogant enough to propose a contract, don't you? Then there's your answer.
—Hmm… let me just tell you something.
…?
—You never once beat me.
"…"
—Mnh-hah-hah-ha-ha!
—But I'll let you in on a little secret. That girl is not human.
What of it?
—I knew you'd say that. But unlike you. She's a reincarnator. Isn't it heartwarming that I brought two old friends together in the same place?
Friends…? Reincarnation? What do you mean?
Even though questions piled up. No matter how many he asked, the voice did not respond.
"Alum? What's wrong? You've been spacing out."
Aetlise frowned while calling out to him. Both Jan and Lyn seemed concerned, and he must've made quite the face for them to look that worried.
—Just a reminder. I'll murder everyone inside the ruin if you don't accept the contract or tell anyone about our interaction.
How convenient, listening in and answering only whenever you want.
"…"
Tsk…
"It's nothing," he calmly replied.
He locked eyes with Aetlise again. Those almost indifferent eyes stared right back with a hint of confusion and annoyance before continuing to answer Lyn and Jan's inquiries.
The spirit says we know each other and that we're friends. That's certainly true. But what about the reincarnation? And not human? Does it have to do with my past? But I never had a friend before Noel—
But then, for whatever reason, an almost forgotten conversation from long ago surfaced in his mind.
"—Then we're friends—oh, but what do I call you? Do… snakes even have a name?"
"Name? Call? What's that?"
"Hmm, how should I explain? Oh, Mom and Dad call me Al, that's my name, and that's me! Something like that?"
"I see… okay then, give me one. A name."
"Really!? I can name you?!"
"I said you could, didn't I? Give me one!"
"—How about Liss? It's a cute name—and you're cute?"
"…"
Alum's eyes widened, and the scale almost tipped. Tears almost spilled out. His chest hurt, but it wasn't the anxious heaviness filled with warmth Amethely made him feel. It was far colder, heavier, and sharper. It was as if his lungs had been torn out.
He couldn't help but stare at Aetlise again. The clothes hanging by the fire disappeared as she tossed his cloak at him, but she wasn't bare underneath anymore.
"Tsk… you wanted this back, right?" she voiced, sounding annoyed. 'It was quite nice… urk… what am I saying? He's a mere human…' she murmured to herself.
"…"
Could she really be… Liss? But… there's no way… right?
But all of a sudden, the temperature of the area dropped, even though they were by the fire and surrounded by hot springs.
"Don't call me that," Aetlise's words were noticeably colder.
"…Huh?"
Did I say that aloud?
"You have no right to call me that."
Her eyes really look like those of a snake.
Alum didn't know. Maybe this was all the spirit's plan. He couldn't blindly trust its words. And enticing a conflict between them might've been its goal; even if he sensed some truth to its words, he couldn't let his guard down, even for a second.
"I apologize. I just thought that Liss sounded more fitting. Sorry, I'll just stick to Lise."
"Hmph. As long as you get it," she huffed.
But by that point, the conversation had ended. Lyn and Jan had even jumped back a few steps. Now that they were done with the investigation, they started to head back to the others alongside Aetlise.