Nara...ni?

"You know?" Klein immediately fixed his gaze on Neph.

Neph nodded and answered as she recalled the details:

"You could get the answer through divination yourself, but I'll just tell you... though, if I remember correctly, you have a habit of confirming things through divination?

"Hmm... Ince Zangwill stole '0-08.' That Sealed Artifact comes from Sequence 1 of the Spectator pathway, called Author. The stories it writes play out in reality through all sorts of peculiar coincidences. Everything that happened in Tingen City was part of the script Ince Zangwill wrote.

"And his purpose in doing all this was to take Saint Selena's Ashes and attempt to advance to a demigod again.

"By now, Ince Zangwill should have gone to Backlund. Also, be careful of '0-08.' It's extremely dangerous. The more you know about it, the more it knows about you. It can also sense any thoughts you have of acting against it. Supposedly, it once caused an angel's downfall.

"Although it constantly tries to write its own master to death, it's even less willing to return to the Evernight Church's underground chambers... you understand what I mean, right?"

Neph looked at Klein. She had not revealed the deeper secret behind this-all of it was actually a deal between Adam and the Evernight Goddess¹.

Leaving aside what might happen if Klein learned all this ahead of time and, at the height of his emotions, turned his hatred into hostility toward the Goddess, the most immediate concern for Neph was that this would bring her into Adam's sights prematurely.

Although she was currently in the Forsaken Land of the Gods and should be safe... surely she couldn't stay here forever?

Neph did not want to expose herself in such a passive manner.

But that also means I can't tell him the whole truth about the Great Smog of Backlund... that would bring me into Adam's sights as well. If I say anything, I'd better tell only part of it and give him a warning.

Neph calmly made her decision. After Klein acknowledged her words, she said her goodbyes. Klein readily agreed; he would have plenty of opportunities to ask questions, after all. There was no rush.

Only after watching Neph's figure disappear did Klein check his remaining spirituality. Then he took out the sheet of paper bearing the potion formula and began using divination to verify its authenticity.

Afterward, Klein also performed divination on the matters concerning Ince Zangwill. Once he confirmed that everything was true, he returned to the real world.

Neph hopped off the bed and went outside, still holding the Blank Canvas. Even in the daytime, no one wandered Moon City's streets. From where she stood, she could see an open space with a raised platform in it. Neph guessed it was a square used to announce important matters.

But there was nothing to announce right now, or perhaps the announcements were already over, so the square was empty. Neph stepped out, intending to find someone to ask for directions.

...Wait.

A tug made Neph look down. A child who barely reached her knees was pulling at her trouser leg. The child looked up and asked with apparent curiosity:

"Are you the person Dad and the others brought back?"

Dad?

Neph froze briefly, recalling the faces of the Exploration Team's members. It was a futile effort, since their malformed faces made their ages difficult to distinguish. She crouched down, but even then she was taller than the child. Feeling that she could hardly lower herself any further, Neph settled for asking:

"Who's your dad?"

Before the child could answer, a woman's voice rang out:

"Sorry, sorry!

"Your Excellency Neph, I wasn't keeping a close enough eye on my child..."

Neph looked toward the voice. A woman came jogging over. As she drew closer, Neph saw a large patch of abnormal swelling on the left half of her face. Its dark color reminded Neph of burn scars. Her gaze lingered for a few seconds before she looked away as though nothing had happened, lowering her eyes with a smile.

"It's all right. Your child is adorable."

Neph stood up, picking up the child as she did, and handed the child to the woman.

The first thing the woman did after taking the child was check for any injuries. At the same time, Neph heard her scolding:

"Didn't I tell you? Don't come bothering Her Excellency Neph. Dad will be back in two weeks, just like before-"

At that point, as though she had remembered something, she looked up and gave Neph an apologetic smile.

"I'm truly sorry, Your Excellency Neph. My name is Narani. I'm Zaphir's wife. Perhaps you know him..."

"Ah." Understanding dawned on Neph's face. "Yes, I know him. But you..."

Her gaze settled on Narani, and she asked with a hint of hesitation, "Nara...ni?"

"Is something wrong?" Narani asked in confusion.

"...There's a kind of intelligent creature I know of that calls humans 'Nara,'" Neph explained, looking away. "For example, in my case, they would call me... Nara Neph."

"So that's it." Narani smiled. "I've never heard of them before... could you tell me more about these creatures? Do they come from beyond this cursed land, like you? What do they look like? What habits do they usually have? Do they... oh, sorry, am I asking too many questions?"

Narani's expression grew uneasy. Neph raised a hand and rubbed her head, feeling a little dizzy from the barrage of questions. She ventured:

"May I ask what pathway you're on?"

Elsewhere, Neph would have considered personality factors, but for Beyonders, their pathway played a major role in shaping their personalities.

"I'm a Mysticism Mentor," Narani answered. "I'm sorry. I always get like this when I learn something new..."

Mysticism Mentor? Hmm, that's Sequence 5 of the Reader pathway...

"...That's understandable." Neph shook her head.

Reassured, Narani asked, "Was there something you needed? Perhaps you could ask me..."

"Ah." Neph smiled. "I was going to find your High Priest, but perhaps I can ask you instead... does Moon City have an Artisan?"

Sequence 6 of the Savant pathway was called Mechanical Specialist, known in ancient times as Artisan. They could turn Beyonder characteristics into Mystical Items, which was precisely what Neph wanted.

In response to Neph's question, Narani nodded as though it were only natural and answered:

"Of course. We do have an Artisan in Moon City.

"Do you need her help with something?"

"Hmm, perhaps?" Neph tilted her head. "I'd like to meet her. Would that be possible?"

"Well..." Worry crept into Narani's expression. "Arula hasn't been doing very well lately. She's receiving treatment at the bottom of the Black Tower... if you want to see her, you may have to speak to the High Priest."