After breakfast, Anathasia, Fran, and I headed out for a while.
And by headed out, I meant—
…going to Aegea to check on Yukihime and the others.
Meanwhile, Lena, Egrathiel, and Liscia had apparently gone off somewhere else entirely. Another totality, according to Anathasia.
Whatever that was supposed to mean.
Apparently, they were dealing with some troublesome Sovereign who'd been making things harder for everyone else.
Still, while we walked toward the train station leading not only to the Theocracy of Ishtar but also directly toward the Kazar peninsula, Anathasia suddenly brought something up.
"By the way…"
Fran and I both glanced back at her while walking.
"You already saw the book, didn't you?"
The moment the word book left her mouth, Fran visibly stiffened.
Like she immediately understood exactly what Anathasia meant.
We stopped along the cobblestone path with the station only a few hundred meters away. People nearby instinctively avoided walking too close to us.
Fran didn't answer immediately.
But Anathasia already seemed to understand anyway.
A quiet sigh escaped her before her expression softened.
"Mhm…"
"Mom did a lot of terrible things back then, huh?"
Fran's expression tightened almost instantly.
"That's not—"
She hesitated briefly while I quietly watched from the side without interrupting.
"You were just trying to save Dad…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"And you never actually hurt anyone either."
Fran slowly lifted her gaze toward Anathasia with quiet conviction.
"Mom didn't do anything wrong."
"She was just—"
Anathasia suddenly wrapped her arms around her before she could continue.
Cutting her off entirely.
Fran froze for a second.
"Mom…?"
"Shh…"
Anathasia pulled back slightly before placing a finger against Fran's lips.
Then she smiled.
A soft, amused smile before lightly pinching Fran's cheek.
"Really…"
A quiet laugh escaped her.
"You're way too adorable…"
Fran's brows furrowed slightly at that wording before she immediately turned toward me instead, reaching one hand out with an expression that practically screamed:
Dad. Help.
I just shook my head before gesturing for them to follow.
—
By the time we arrived at the station platform, the train was already waiting.
Rania and Roselia stood near the entrance while Roselia impatiently tapped one foot against the concrete platform with her arms crossed.
Meanwhile, Yukihime stood silently behind them.
Only—
Her appearance had changed slightly.
Her usual blue hair was now silver-white, while her eyes had turned crimson. A sword rested calmly against her waist.
The moment Rania noticed me, she casually waved.
Roselia looked over right after, while Yukihime simply lowered her head politely.
"Did you wait long?" Anathasia suddenly spoke up from behind me while peeking around Fran.
Then she stepped forward, finally letting go of Fran's shoulders.
For some reason, she looked shorter than our second daughter. Or maybe she was just that short—
"Shut up."
A sharp pinch immediately shot into my ribs.
"?!"
"What the hell—"
Anathasia simply walked past me afterward with a bright smile on her face.
Meanwhile, Fran lightly placed a hand against my shoulder before nodding toward Anathasia's feet.
"Mom's not wearing heels."
I blinked.
Then looked down.
Instead of the usual black heels she always wore—
…she was wearing sneakers.
Fran glanced at me again before nodding once more.
"…So that's why your mom looks shor—"
The moment those words nearly left my mouth, I felt Anathasia's gaze settle directly onto me from across the platform.
Like she was daring me to finish that sentence.
I immediately cleared my throat before quietly following behind Fran instead.
When I stepped inside one of the train cars, Anathasia was already leaning against the doorway waiting for me.
Her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"So you do still have a sense of self-preservation," she said sweetly.
"Funny how you instantly grabbed someone's knife back then."
…Ouch.
Rather than arguing back, I just sighed before running a hand through my hair and gently turning her around by the shoulders toward the cabin interior.
"You already proved your point, alright?"
I muttered while guiding her toward our seats.
"So petty, seriously."
Anathasia simply huffed before sitting beside the window.
I took the seat beside her near the middle aisle.
Fran sat beside Roselia while Rania and Yukihime quietly seated themselves together nearby.
Then the train whistle finally sounded.
Moments later, the train slowly began moving forward.
And before long, the endless plains of Kazar stretched beyond the windows into the distance.
A short while after, the scenery suddenly changed.
The greenery vanished entirely.
In its place stretched barren land beneath a dark orange atmosphere that made the entire region feel dead.
Almost like a wasteland abandoned by reality itself.
Anathasia, who had just been about to stick her head out the window, immediately paused before turning toward me with visible disappointment.
"That was short…"
"You're more concerned about that instead of…"
I gestured toward the dark-brown landscape stretching endlessly beyond the distant mountains.
"…that?"
Anathasia merely grumbled under her breath before folding her arms across her chest and sinking back into her seat.
A moment later, the cabin itself suddenly shifted.
The other passenger seats sank beneath the floor while a large table unfolded upward from below. Our seats repositioned themselves automatically around it.
A massive map already covered the tabletop alongside several holographic displays hovering faintly above it.
All six of us looked toward the projection.
"We're currently approaching the shoreline bordering The Woodlands," Roselia spoke first while gesturing toward the sea displayed on the right side of the map.
Dark clouds loomed overhead across the projection.
"Researchers from the Academy of Elements and History already established a camp roughly twenty miles ahead of our current location."
She paused briefly.
"Reina and Lucian are already stationed there."
Fran and Rania both glanced down toward the map while Anathasia leaned back silently against her chair, resting her chin atop one finger.
Her expression had already shifted completely.
"Sending a Demiurge first, huh…" she murmured quietly before nodding once.
"Grace is there as well, actually," Rania added while still looking toward the display.
The cabin instantly fell silent.
Roselia slowly turned toward Rania with widened eyes before cautiously glancing at Anathasia.
Who had gone completely still.
"…Wait," Anathasia said slowly.
Her voice came out unusually small.
"…What?"
The air around her trembled faintly.
Meanwhile, I simply looked out the window and sighed quietly while the train continued forward.
Then—
The entire train warped instantly.
One moment we were traveling alongside the shoreline.
The next, the train had already arrived at another station positioned directly beside the research camp.
Complete silence followed as all six of us stepped off onto the platform.
Hundreds of nearby researchers stared openly at the train that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
As we walked toward the camp itself, where temporary facilities and reinforced structures had already been erected behind massive protective walls, the only sound breaking the silence was Roselia muttering bitterly to herself.
Something about spending millions of gold developing long-distance transportation portals.
The researchers remained frozen throughout the clearing between the station and the facility.
Some rubbed their eyes.
Others whispered frantically among themselves.
A few eventually approached Rania and Roselia respectfully while very carefully avoiding Anathasia, Fran, and me altogether.
Mostly because Anathasia was already frantically searching for someone without saying a word.
"…Dad, what's wrong with Mom?" Fran whispered near my ear while we followed behind Anathasia.
I pressed my lips together, my expression flattening briefly before forcing a small smile.
"Uh…"
I glanced toward Anathasia speedwalking ahead of us.
"Let's just say your mom's currently in something called… Mama Bear mode."
Fran blinked.
"A what mode?"
"Yeah."
I immediately quickened my pace afterward as we headed straight toward the large semi-circular structures near the far side of the temporary facility.
Apparently, most of the research was being conducted there.
We arrived not long afterward.
The moment we reached the entrance, Anathasia immediately stormed into the building—
Only to abruptly stop.
Inside, Grace sat quietly beside a researcher completely absorbed in the documents spread across his desk.
Meanwhile, Grace herself was casually eating peanuts from a paper bag.
The moment Anathasia saw her, she visibly relaxed before letting out a long sigh of relief.
A few seconds later, Rania and Roselia finally caught up to us from behind.
Roselia was nearly out of breath.
Meanwhile, Rania simply walked over calmly before peeking past Anathasia into the room.
"…Um."
She briefly glanced toward me before looking back at Anathasia standing silently near the doorway.
"Did I say something wrong…?"
None of us answered.
Instead, we simply walked past her and entered the building.
My eyes wandered around the interior.
Various depictions covered the walls and displays.
A serpent.
Or maybe a dragon.
I honestly couldn't tell.
"Ah."
Grace suddenly raised a hand and waved toward us.
Meanwhile, Anathasia placed a hand against her chest and finally let out a breath.
Fran glanced back at her mom for a second before looking toward Grace instead.
The paper bag of peanuts was still in Grace's hand.
"Mom. Dad, welcome~"
She paused briefly before smiling toward Fran as well.
"Big sis Francesca too, hii~!"