Chapter 84 – And Then

“Ugh… I’m so full…”

“Shall we head out now that we’re finished?”

I wanted to savor the meal slowly, but watching Rubia eat so aggressively made me rush through mine too.

“Um…? Can’t we rest a bit before going? I’m too stuffed!”

“But you said we didn’t have time.”

“Yeah… we really don’t.”

Lilith’s rank had been higher than expected, and confronting her had drained more divine power than anticipated.

I must have used three or four more hours’ worth than planned…

Rubia, who had been watching me silently, asked with careful gentleness:

“…What time do you plan to sleep?”

“What time? Ah… pfft! Hahaha… hic… Ah… what time indeed.”

Her delicate attempt to phrase it gently, trying not to hurt my feelings, was so adorable I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is this… funny? I-I was just—”

“Ah… no, no. Um… the time.”

I checked the divine power within me to estimate.

At this rate, probably—

“Around 1 a.m.?”

“1 a.m… I understand. Let’s get moving then.”

Rubia glanced at the clock and stood up abruptly.

It’s 6 now. Seven hours left.

I nodded and hopped off my chair with a little bounce.

“Where to next?”

“I spotted a store on my way here. Would you come with me? How about some shopping?”

“Shopping? Yeah, sounds good.”

Not like I have anything else to do—anywhere is fine.

“I’ll pay the bill. Want to wait outside?”

“Sure thing.”

She seemed to have something to tell the owner, so I slipped out.

I wanted to properly express my thanks too… But I could only manage a quick bow.

I sat on the bench out front, watching passersby, when Rubia emerged.

Even in the crimson-tinted world, her white hair maintained its pristine brilliance.

Yeah. She really is beautiful.

“Thanks for the meal, Noah.”

Rubia smiled as she pulled her hood up.

Why thank me when she paid?

I tilted my head briefly before responding.

“Yeah… thank you too.”

“Shall we go?”

I nodded and followed behind her.

Even as time passed and sweat dripped, people kept smiling as they worked to clear the debris.

“Looks like Ursphere won’t have any more blizzards.”

“Probably not.”

The blizzards had been caused by Tylant’s magic leaking through his seal.

But now that Tylant was dead and his magic had evaporated, that problem was solved.

“And there shouldn’t be any more deaths.”

“…Yes.”

“The architecture might change too, since they won’t need to prepare for blizzards. It could become really beautiful.”

It’s hard to imagine. The Ursphere I knew was nothing but ash gray.

I want to see how it changes.

“Though the people who sold blizzard supplies might be upset.”

Rubia’s pace slowed. I maintained my speed, walking ahead.

“Still, better than being dead, right?”

Like they say, rolling in a dung heap beats dying.

“…Yes. As long as they survived…”

“Exactly. Living is what matters.”

But I didn’t believe that. Funny that I said it when I don’t even agree… but anyway.

“Do you really believe that?”

A loaded question.

No need to reveal the truth.

“Yeah, I do.”

“…I see. Well, we’re here. This is the shop.”

“Huh…? H-here…?”

“Yes.”

A lingerie store.

The mannequin in front wore something…

Mercilessly revealing.

I shouldn’t go in.

“I-I’m fine with just bandages!”

“Pfft! But you still need something underneath.”

“Well, yes, but…”

“I need to buy things too. Come on, let’s go in.”

Rubia, completely wrapped in her robe, gently pushed my back.

Wait… if you’re going to be that secretive about it… why not just go somewhere else?!

“I’d like you to help me choose… would that be alright?”

“W-what?! B-but I… um…”

I’m not the Noah she knows!! If I pick something… wouldn’t ‘I’ get jealous…?

Truth is, I’m actually really jealous by nature!

But Rubia shook her head, ignoring my internal protests.

“I want you to choose. And… we’ll come back tomorrow too.”

“Ugh… fine…”

I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

This is more nerve-wracking than facing Tylant.

Jingle.

The door opened.

“Good lord…”

They’re calling these things underwear? What are these strings even supposed to cover?!

This is insane… And that one with a hole in the middle—what purpose does that even serve?!

As I cowered before the wall of intimidating lingerie, I heard Rubia swallow nervously behind me.

I’m genuinely terrified.

***

“Did you really have to change right away?”

“Of course. Do you know how old my previous ones were?”

“But they were perfectly clean…”

“That doesn’t matter. If I say they need changing, they need changing.”

The unnecessarily soft fabric made my body squirm uncomfortably.

We’d bought four sets of those strange undergarments. I told her bandages were fine… but she insisted…

And since they sold clothes in the back section, we got some of those too. Not that I needed many, since we could make clothes from Tylant’s materials.

Though these weren’t exactly ordinary clothes…

Ugh… making me try those on so many times. The real ‘me’ might have died of embarrassment.

“Now that we’ve digested a bit, shall we get dessert?”

“Huh? Dessert? Already?”

“What do you mean ‘already’? Everyone knows there’s a separate stomach for desserts.”

“Well… that’s true.”

My mind doesn’t understand, but my body does.

Even when you’re full, dessert somehow still fits. Especially jelly and candied fruits—you can always eat more of those.

“Come on, let’s go.”

Rubia smiled brightly, waving her hand. I wanted to take that waving hand and walk together.

But instead, I just nodded quietly and followed behind.

We must have spent about an hour shopping for clothes.

The streets were emptying as workers began heading home. The once-hopeful bustle gradually faded into silence.

It’s time for me to share what I’ve been holding back.

“What would you like to eat?”

“Definitely… jelly, candied apples, and strawberries.”

“Pfft… Alright. Find us a nice spot to sit. I’ll bring everything over.”

“Can you carry it all?”

“Of course.”

“Mm… okay. I’ll be in that corner.”

I settled into the most secluded spot in the dessert shop with a thump.

Once more, I checked everything. The regulated mana, any physical issues, lingering divine power.

I carefully assessed any aftereffects from my encounter with Lilith.

Just as I finished, Rubia appeared carrying piles of treats.

“I got everything you asked for, plus some extras.”

Beyond my requests, she’d brought various fruits and three different drinks—plus her own separate order.

“All of this?”

“If we don’t finish, we’ll take it with us. We have more places to visit after this.”

Rubia smiled warmly as she stabbed a piece of cake with her fork.

More places? She really planned this out…

Lost in thought, my mouth opened automatically.

Rubia tilted her head curiously.

I blinked. Oh… right.

That’s not what I meant to do.

“Ahem… just yawning.”

I’d opened my mouth without thinking. Because Rubia always used to feed me the first bite of dessert…

Trying not to seem awkward, I reached for my fork—only to find Rubia’s already hovering before me.

“Huh…?”

The fork wavered gently.

“Um… ah… ahhh—”

I accepted the bite, closing my mouth around the fork.

“How is it?”

It’s delicious.

But I didn’t answer.

I kept my head down, chewing quietly, as I heard her soft laugh and the clink of her fork against the plate.

I can’t see her expression or what she’s doing.

Should’ve brought my greatsword…

I stuffed my mouth with jelly and devoured cake, trying to cool the heat rising in my chest.

Then… I spoke the words I’d been holding back.

Maintaining the most natural smile I could manage. Keeping my tone light and casual.

“Since I’m the guest of honor at the festival, I’ll enjoy that. But afterward… there’s something I need to do.”

Rubia froze mid-movement.

I continued without pause.

“Oh, before that—about Yuria’s elixir side effects. I’ve handled most of them, but the height reduction is unavoidable. Probably around ten centimeters shorter. But it’s not a problem. Won’t affect wielding the greatsword. My intelligence might drop a bit too… but you’ll take good care of me, right?”

Rubia nodded silently.

“And then we’ll head to Cartia, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Before that, the top priority is… well, managing my mana. But my mana’s different from normal mana. It’s hard to even call it mana… if anything, it’s closer to your divine power. That’s why you’re the best teacher for me.”

“Noah—”

I didn’t want to stop.

“And you’ll need to be more careful from now on, Rubia. When we face the trials in the Temple of Memories, everything will change. Usually for the worse. Things will probably get much harder than they are now. But—”

The memories surfaced.

The trials I’d faced in the Temple of Memories.

The raging flames. The choking smoke. The crimson world.

The pitch-black corpses.

I squeezed my trembling hand, steadying my breath.

“No matter what—no matter how broken or insane I become—you can’t give up. Even if you’re out of strength, even if death seems certain, even if an impossibly strong enemy appears.”

I don’t know if we can overcome it.

Honestly, I don’t think we can.

But.

“We absolutely cannot face Erden’s trial.”

We must overcome it.

Because if we face Erden’s trial—

False Virtue will awaken.

I’ll kill everyone around me, one after another.

Until finally—

I have to kill Rubia too.

“This is shameless of me, but… help me not give up. Help me overcome it.”

Tearing through flesh, crushing bones.

Ripping out her heart, shredding it to pieces.

“Please.”

Rubia released a shaky breath.

“Shall we talk more while we eat?”

I stabbed a piece of jelly with my fork and brought it to my mouth.

“Want to hear how I defeated Tylant? That guy… he looked brutal but used an insane amount of magic. So what I did was—”

It’s bitter.

Incredibly bitter.

Nausea rises in my throat.

But my smile never wavered.

Thank goodness for that.