Am I Fighting Kal'tsit? Seriously?

Look, this was what it meant to stand up for someone—this was standing up for her!

Just when someone thought they were special, she delivered a heavy blow specifically for him. As expected of Saria—

"Even so, your abilities far exceed Rhine Lab's standards. The same goes for your breadth of knowledge."

Saria nodded and took a sip from her cup. "If you truly intend to do that, I'd be very happy to work with you—after everything has been settled."

Clang.

The elf girl's head slammed straight onto the table and didn't rise again for a long while.

Muelsyse, eliminated.

"...What happened to her all of a sudden?"

A trace of concern showed in Saria's eyes as she looked at Gerald. Her usually silent presence carried an uncommon hint of pressure.

Though Saria had no idea what the two of them had been stirring up in private, she had witnessed their verbal exchange just now. She simply couldn't understand how anything she'd said could possibly be related to Muelsyse fainting like that.

As for Gerald, who had just thought Saria had finally caught on and was preparing to play along with him, he could only sigh.

The road ahead was long and arduous.

Muelsyse's bad mood came quickly and went just as quickly.

By the time she swallowed the last bite of bread, that bit of gloom had been digested along with the food.

She hummed cheerfully, a pleased curve lifting her lips. With a light curl of her finger, water wound around the tableware like obedient threads.

Knives, forks, bowls, and plates floated up lightly, stacking themselves in neat order before drifting gently toward the kitchen and landing steadily in the sink.

Water rushed over them, washing every trace of grime away in an instant.

With another light wave of her hand, the droplets fell still, and the tabletop had returned to its original spotless state.

"Phewah—" She sighed in satisfaction, stretched her waist, and grinned at the remaining two. "Then I won't disturb your rest anymore. I'll come by again tomorrow morning, Saria."

"Just let me know beforehand next time you come." Saria replied calmly. "And thank you for helping take care of these plants."

She was standing by the windowsill, her fingertips lightly brushing over the greenery Muelsyse had tended. The leaves trembled faintly beneath her touch, their lush green color brimming with life under the nighttime lights.

"Of course!" Muelsyse raised her brows and proudly flashed a V-sign. Then she sighed, her tone turning helpless. "Plants have thoughts of their own, after all. I couldn't possibly stop worrying about them. Besides, wouldn't I be the real fool if I believed you'd have time to take care of them?"

Her voice paused lightly, as if she were only mentioning it casually. "After what happened with Ifrit, you couldn't spare any attention for them at all, could you?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Saria could only answer the silence with silence.

In this matter, she truly hadn't done well enough.

"Forget it, forget it. Aren't they doing just fine now?" Muelsyse smiled brightly, changing the subject and returning to her usual mischievous self. She didn't pursue it further, merely flicking her wrist. A droplet spun through the air before vanishing without a trace.

"Phewah—" Muelsyse turned her gaze back to the two of them. "Then I won't disturb your rest anymore. I'll come by again tomorrow morning, Saria."

"Of course."

She blinked, then curled her lips into a meaningful smile at the Pegasus who had been trading barbs with her all day. "As for Mr. Gerald here—"

On the other side, Gerald was tapping the tabletop lightly with his fingertips. His head was slightly lowered, white hair falling over his shoulders, his expression thoughtful. Only when he heard Muelsyse speak did he lift his head slightly and turn his gaze toward the elf by the door.

Muelsyse's gaze swept over him as if by accident. Seeing how serious he looked, she blinked, a teasing smile flashing in her eyes.

Then she stepped forward twice, her footsteps light. Like a quietly flowing ripple, she glided soundlessly to Gerald's side. Rising slightly onto her toes, she leaned toward the Pegasus's shoulder, warm breath brushing faintly past his ear.

Her voice was soft as a nighttime whisper, carrying a deliberately languid note completely unlike the clarity Gerald had once seen in her eyes.

At that moment, the Pegasus's instincts and alarms shot to their peak.

But he was still one step too slow.

"—If there's a chance next time, I hope you'll ask me on a date while Saria isn't around~"

Muelsyse didn't linger or wait for his response. A triumphant smile remained on her lips—if anyone truly thought she was some innocent elf who hadn't noticed anything, they were severely underestimating her.

With that, all the frustration she'd suffered today was released in a single instant.

The moment her words fell, the edges of Muelsyse's body began to blur, like misty water melting into the night. A faint glow flickered around her outline for a moment before slowly fading. Her figure dissolved soundlessly into the air, leaving neither footsteps nor any lingering presence. Only a single droplet fell quietly onto the floor, then vanished like a dream bubble.

The room's temperature remained unchanged, and it was so quiet that it seemed as though nothing had happened.

Except for the shadow cast by the lamplight that had suddenly appeared beside Gerald.

Look at What You've Done! (5K)

"You're going to accept her invitation?"

When the Pegasus turned around, the Vouivre who had been standing farther away had somehow already moved closer.

She casually hung her coat on the nearby rack, then turned to ask Gerald about his future plans. Her body unconsciously leaned against the edge of the sofa, allowing her to look down at the Pegasus sitting beside her. Her previously scattered thoughts gradually settled, as though she'd regained some sense of control.

"If there's a chance." Gerald answered with lowered eyes. "Who knows?"

"...I wouldn't advise you to show your face on Trimports' busiest street."

Saria did her best to keep her tone calm—and she succeeded, at least. There wasn't the slightest fluctuation in her voice.

She slowly turned around, her steps pausing as if she were considering what to do next. After hesitating, she opened the refrigerator beside her, feeling the difference between the temperatures inside and out while checking again for anything expired that needed throwing away.

As she rummaged through it, she looked toward Gerald, who was still standing where he was without moving. "...But if you want to pursue something beyond friendship with Muelsyse, I can offer you some advice as well."

But the Pegasus's expression didn't change. One hand rested on the edge of the table, his fingertips slowly tracing the grain of the wood.

A moment later, he slowly reached his hand into the air before him.

"Ugh!"

The room was silent, and the sounds of Saria searching through the refrigerator drowned out the Pegasus's pained grunt.

Gerald had barely raised his hand, his fingertips not yet touching that invisible space, when an intense pain suddenly exploded from the depths of his mind without warning.

His pupils contracted slightly. The next second, bright red beads of blood slowly seeped from the corners of his eyes, followed by his nostrils, the rims of his ears, even the corners of his mouth. Crimson liquid ran down his face, winding into ominous streaks.

Saria paused. The hand searching through the refrigerator stopped slightly, and a faint frown formed between her brows. She turned toward Gerald, searching for the sound that had been covered up. "Did you say something just now?"

"Nothing." Gerald exhaled air tinged with blood, and the wind quickly whisked away the blood flowing down his face. He still remembered the last time he'd used Dreammist Essence. If she found out, she'd probably get angry.

Honestly, it had been fairly dangerous just now.

At first, Muelsyse's remark had indeed shocked him a little. But the important part was what happened afterward.

Muelsyse's Manifold—the process by which her water clone dispersed.

From the moment Manifold formed, Gerald had watched the entire process unfold. He had seen those droplets gather in the air, bear weight, take steps, and finally become a girl no different from the original, able to walk, talk, eat, even dissolve into the air at will and switch back to her original body.

It was completely beyond his understanding.

But what if—

What if he could do the same?

If he could make wind gather into form in the same way, shape a Manifold from it like water—and even turn his own body into wind—wouldn't that mean he could bring his fighting style into an entirely new dimension?

He had seen Muelsyse's expression then. The surprise and delight written all over her face couldn't have been mistaken. Mere surprise wasn't enough to explain it. It was more like she had seen something very similar to herself.

If their abilities had something in common, what reason did he have not to try creating a Manifold of his own?

It would be impossible to do exactly what Muelsyse did, and he didn't need to create a clone with the same attributes as himself. But if he could have a phantom with the same combat experience and swordsmanship... then the next time he faced Lamaline, he could at least force a draw. With a surprise attack, directly wounding her badly wasn't out of the question either.

Besides, ideas could emerge during research, even if the final result differed from expectations. He had just tested it, and the potential for development was indeed considerable.

The result just wasn't very good.

If he got the chance, he'd definitely need to personally ask the real Muelsyse for some pointers on how to use it.

"Cough, cough... How long have you known Muelsyse?"

After quickly recovering his senses, he immediately used a question to redirect Saria's attention.

"Since we graduated from university. It was a long time ago."

Saria's seemingly busy movements finally came to an end. She closed the refrigerator door, picked up a bottle of water, and gently placed it before Gerald, her gaze resting on him. "Muelsyse isn't simple. The way she does things isn't as straightforward as mere 'friendship.'"

"But you still let her stay in your home, and you even agreed to let her come over for dinner tomorrow." Gerald leaned back, sinking defenselessly into the depths of the sofa and lazily adjusting into a comfortable position to conceal what he'd just done.

"...Our relationship is complicated." Saria shook her head lightly and sat on the sofa as well, deliberately leaving an empty seat between herself and Gerald. "If you want to befriend her because you like her, I can tell you some of her preferences. If not, you'd be better off not accepting her invitation."

"Got it. So should I take notes too? That way, when we're dating..."

Gerald turned his head, saw the strange expression on Saria's face, and swallowed the rest of his sentence. "Just joking. As long as I'm still your friend, I'll probably have to deal with her sooner or later anyway. Better to tell me some things about her beforehand."

"...All right."

Saria nodded silently and continued.

"She likes sweets, many kinds of them, like the candy I gave you. Topics related to plants can keep her talking for a long time. She often talks with plants, so that's something you can use as an opening. On most workdays, she buys coffee and bagels from that café on Montelier Street. Sometimes she hands them out to the employees under her as well..."

Though she hadn't deliberately tried to remember, the little habits and preferences of an old friend had remained in her mind. It would probably take a full hour to finish describing them all.

But as she spoke, Saria's gaze fell to the floor.

She wanted to wipe the itchy spot on her neck, but whenever her fingertips brushed over her skin, they brought a faint, unnoticeable heat with them. Sweat and exhaustion mixed together, leaving behind a sticky discomfort on skin that hadn't been fully cleaned, as though it couldn't be removed no matter what she did.

Although she'd brushed her teeth repeatedly before dinner and roughly wiped herself down with a towel to make up for the helplessness of only being able to stay clean with fresh water in the wilderness, she still didn't want to close the distance between them by even an inch.

The closer she got to someone, the more uncomfortable she felt. Yet she hadn't had so many reservations when Muelsyse was around.

This was dangerous.

She was skilled at fighting, skilled at boxing, or perhaps, as most Rhine Lab employees described her—skilled at protecting and equally skilled at destroying. She could face most dangers alone without changing expression, and even in the most desperate circumstances, she could escape through sheer execution and rationality.

She was also good at enduring. The madness accumulated in Vouivre bloodlines over countless centuries could be suppressed deep in her bones, unable to break free from her control no matter how it struggled and churned.

But she truly wasn't good at getting along with people.

Her quirky elf friend could always find endless topics with anyone. Even with someone she'd only just met, a few games of chess were enough for her to easily pass away all their time.

Saria was completely different. Once she stepped away from the so-called [teacher-student] relationship in the prison, she realized she didn't actually have much to talk about with Gerald. And naturally, he wouldn't deliberately search for topics just to converse with someone like her, who could spend half a day unable to squeeze out a suitable sentence. Forcing a topic would only make her seem even more awkward.

These problems had never crossed Saria's mind, not even for an instant—not even when she encountered misunderstandings and setbacks.

Because one should walk a wrong path alone.

But now, when the Pegasus's expression paused slightly after seeing her face, before he changed what he was about to say—

Saria suddenly felt as if some string in her heart had snapped.

Even she couldn't say exactly what emotion it was—only that, for an instant, something tense for so long that she hadn't noticed it had been pulled to its limit. Then it gave a faint snap, becoming an indescribable heaviness in her chest.

Even as her thoughts scattered, Saria continued telling Gerald about Muelsyse's preferences and information.

"—Also, remember not to leave her alone anywhere. She won't like being left by herself when traveling with someone."

After she had finished saying everything, Saria added quietly at the end, "Therefore, I don't advise you to accept her invitation."

"...? What does that have to do with anything?"

Gerald had originally planned to organize his thoughts, take some notes on her motivations, and consider how he could cleverly offer enough benefits after reaching a cooperation agreement to make her willing to discuss ways of developing new techniques with him.

Yet before his plan had fully formed in his mind, before he could even write anything down, his Vouivre friend had suddenly begun to lose all sense of logic in front of him.

"She's dangerous." Saria was silent for a second before saying it.

"Uh, is there a possibility," Gerald replied after thinking for a moment, "that if she's with me, the one who should feel in danger is actually her?"

"...She's troublesome, and her moods are unpredictable." Saria was silent even longer this time before giving her second answer.

"But didn't the advice you just gave me solve exactly that problem?" This time, Gerald was more careful with his tone.

Usually, if a rational person suddenly started having problems with their logic, it could only mean one thing—

Something was wrong with their state.

And at that moment, Saria finally realized a beat too late that her emotions were spiraling out of control.

Yet the more she acted like this, the more patiently Gerald waited for her to explain herself.

She looked into his clear golden eyes. There wasn't a trace of contempt or impatience in them, only a steady gaze waiting for her to calm down—and that made it even harder for her to bear.

"We should focus on what comes next," Saria said, trying to make her voice sound calm enough as she attempted to steer the conversation back on track. "According to Operator Angelina and the others, Rhodes Island's landship will arrive in Trimports very soon."