I, the Holy Maiden, Do Not Fear Even Death. Why Should I Refuse a Cup of Wine?

"Boom!"

The fiery blast surged toward Rover and his companion with overwhelming force.

Suddenly, a transparent barrier appeared out of thin air. Like a wall of sighs, it forcibly blocked the blast.

The wall stood three thousand meters high and stretched for dozens of miles, impregnable and indestructible.

On one side of the wall was the light of destruction; on the other, the scenery remained unchanged and untouched.

Several dozen breaths later, it all vanished, leaving behind a bizarre scene, as though two entirely different worlds had been forcibly joined together.

The edge of the charred crater was as straight as if measured with a ruler, while beyond the Dankū wall, not even the grass had been scorched.

Suddenly, a spatial gate opened, and another mechanical warrior cast from a special alloy stepped out.

It was half a head shorter than Gaia, with proportions closer to a human's. Its silver-gray alloy shell was covered in densely packed inscriptions, and the dark blue mane at the back of its head remained perfectly still in the wind. It surveyed its surroundings and fell silent for a long time.

"Father... I am [Kun's Square Instrument]. I have reached the battlefield."

"How goes the battle?" Edward III's vast, far-reaching voice came from the other end of the transmission.

"It is already over. I can no longer sense Gaia's presence. I suspect he has been destroyed by the enemy!"

The other end fell silent as well.

"I underestimated him. What can I say? The Crown lives up to its name."

"Father, should I continue the pursuit?"

"There's no need. It won't be too late to act once your other brothers are born."

"As you command!"

Kun's Square Instrument bowed slightly. The spatial gate opened again, and it stepped back inside and disappeared.

Only the bizarre trace of Dankū remained on the charred battlefield, like a boundary dividing destruction and peace into two separate worlds.

Half a day later...

"Septimont is just ahead!"

Cartethyia and Rover could already see their destination.

This place was very different from others. A faint haze of reddish-gray dust hung over Septimont all year round, and the sunlight that fell through it was a scorching orange-red. The wind was harsh, with no trace of gentleness. Everywhere, there was an air of ruggedness, martial valor, and reverence for strength.

The distant hills had been eroded by the wind into all manner of strange shapes. Some looked like blades, others like the knuckles of a fist, and the names of duelists from generations past were carved all over the rock faces.

"Where are we going first?"

"The Blazing Sun Tavern, to wait for news from the governor."

"A tavern?!"

At the word, Cartethyia's ears couldn't help bobbing gently up and down. She looked very interested.

"Do they have wheat juice?"

"They do."

"Then can I..."

"It's my treat. Drink as much as you want!"

"Righteous one, you're the best!"

A short while later, the two arrived at the Blazing Sun Tavern.

The tavern's facade was carved from a single block of red rock, and a wind chime made of iron drinking cups hung by the entrance, clinking and clanging whenever the wind blew. As soon as they landed, they felt the warmth of the people around them.

"Your Excellency, Rover!"

"Hello, Lord Duelist!"

"Your Excellency, Champion, welcome to the Blazing Sun Tavern! We have some newly developed drinks for you to enjoy. Of course, they're all free!"

"Free!"

Cartethyia's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help swallowing her saliva.

"Do you really like it that much?"

Even Rover was at a loss. How could a dignified Holy Maiden set a good example when she loved drinking so much?

"Righteous one, you don't know how awful the old Church was. I only drank a little extra wheat juice to celebrate the harvest, and they put me in confinement... Ahem... Never mind the past. Now I just want to drink to my heart's content!"

"Honored guests, please enjoy!" The server brought out the drinks and withdrew with impeccable courtesy.

Cartethyia didn't stand on ceremony, immediately digging in.

"Glug, glug, glug..."

"Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug..."

"Slow down! Don't drink until you burst!"

Rover's eyes widened, clearly shocked by how much she could drink. Cup after cup went down, and she barely put one down before picking up the next. Amber liquid ran down from the corners of her mouth. She wiped it away with a casual swipe, smiling until her eyes curved into crescents.

"Burp... It's fine. This is nothing to me, hehe... Come on, another toast!"

She swayed and staggered as she drank her fill in the tavern, immediately drawing cheers from countless patrons.

"What a capacity for drink! Brave warrior, can you drink another?"

"Hmph, I, the Holy Maiden, do not fear even death. Why should I refuse a cup of wine?"

"Hahaha... This kid's really drunk. If she's the Holy Maiden, then I'm the savior!"

"What, you got a problem with that?"

Cartethyia narrowed her drunken eyes at the person who had spoken.

"Let's duel!"

"Bring it on! I'll stake the honor of a Septimont warrior. Whoever chickens out first is a grandson!"

At the sight, Rover instantly felt a headache coming on.

For a moment, he felt a strong sense of kinship with the Church. When the Holy Maiden they had painstakingly raised loved drinking to this extent, they really did need to crack down hard.

Just then, someone at the next table began talking in a low voice.

"Hey, did you hear? Just a few days ago, some strange buildings fell out of the sky and landed in our Septimont City. The people inside wore clothes different from ours."

"That's right, it happened. I saw those buildings too. They were luxurious and unusual. There's a Neon Tavern not far from here that fell down a few days ago!"

"That's incredible! Where did they come from?"

"I heard they came from Ashihara. Spatial rifts open there all the time. Those buildings were swallowed by the rifts and ended up here."

"How pitiful!"

"The governor has already sent people to protect them and opened diplomatic talks with Ashihara. I'm sure it won't be long before they can be sent back."

"That's for the best. A place like Septimont isn't suited for them. They're all good people, so it's a good thing if they can leave soon."

"Good people? Why do you say that?"

Someone immediately grew interested. They were eager to know just what made these so-called good people so good.

"You don't even know that? Those people from Ashihara take in Septimont's orphans, give them work at the tavern, pay them, and provide food and lodging. Especially the orphans who are Resonators—the Neon Tavern turns none of them away!"

Hearing this, the people around them immediately understood.

"Those people from Ashihara really are kindhearted!"

"Wah... wah..."

Just then, a stifled sob came from the crowd, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"Who's crying? How spineless. Septimont's warriors don't believe in tears. Whatever hardships you encounter, you should..."

Everyone turned to look, and the reproaches abruptly stopped.

The person crying was a young woman who appeared to be a student. Her clothes were completely different from those of the people of Septimont, making her stand out.

She wore a dark blue sailor blouse and a black pleated skirt, with her hair tied into two bunches—a standard student's outfit.

Septimont had no schools.

"I recognize those clothes. She's from Ashihara too!"

"Hey, is something making you sad? Tell me, the Holy Maiden, and I'll take care of it for you!" Cartethyia swayed over and patted her on the shoulder.

As soon as she got close, she suddenly noticed that the girl was also a Resonator. But the girl wore a dark red collar around her neck that was suppressing her Resonance power.

The collar clung tightly to her skin. Fine patterns were etched across its surface, emitting a faint dark red glow, as though it were continuously drawing something out.

"What is that?" Cartethyia's gaze instantly sharpened, and she sobered up considerably.

The girl flinched and shrank back, covering the collar around her neck with both hands. Her eyes were red, and her lips trembled, but she couldn't get a word out.

"Don't be afraid. We're not bad people."

Rover walked over and crouched down to meet the girl's eyes. Softening his voice, he asked, "Who put that collar on you?"

The girl looked at him, then at Cartethyia. After hesitating for a long while, she finally spoke in a small voice. "It... it was the owner of the Neon Tavern. He said that wearing this would let me work properly at the tavern, so I wouldn't cause trouble if my Resonance power went out of control."

"You can't take it off?"

"I can't... I tried. It hurts whenever I touch it." The girl was on the verge of tears again. "I want to go home... I miss my mom..."

Cartethyia clenched her fists, completely sober now, anger surging in her green eyes.