"Me?"

Feeling Moen's gaze falling on her once again, Seville tensed up immediately.

She understood what they wanted, but that item was a hard-won trophy for her team, obtained through their peers' blood and sacrifices. It symbolized the honor of her nation and academy. Even if she were the only one left, she absolutely couldn't just...

"Seville, is it?"

Moen approached her, displaying a perfect nobleman's smile as he asked:

"May I have that thing?"

"Of course."

Without the slightest hesitation, Serville pulled out a tattered old book, staring directly at Moen's face with a hint of bashfulness as she said:

"You saved me. For something as small as this, naturally, I wouldn't refuse."

It wasn't cowardice.

It wasn't timidity.

It was assessing the situation wisely.

"...Ah, thank you."

Even Moen was visibly taken aback. He turned to Senior Fannie, shrugging with an expression as if to say, "See how easy that was?"

Fannie looked equally perplexed.

Earlier, during their standoff, Seville had undoubtedly been the steadfast hardliner.

And now...

"What are you plotting?" Fannie frowned and asked.

"Plotting?"

Lea's bright, glimmering eyes suddenly widened as she scanned Seville from head to toe, looking... intrigued.

"No, no, no. I'm all by myself now—what good would any schemes do?"

The corner of Seville’s eye twitched as she waved a hand dismissively.

"You can take the item, but I do have a small request."

"A request?"

"Yes, just a very small one."

Seville lowered her gaze and said awkwardly to Moen:

"I was hoping... to have your... communication stone..."

"If you have a request, let me hear it!"

Lea suddenly darted in front of Seville, blocking her view. With enthusiasm, she snatched the weathered book and smiled brightly:

"I'll do my best to fulfill it, okay?"

"Ah, no... what I meant was—"

"I'll. Do. My. Best. To. Fulfill. It. Okay."

Lea's smile was radiant.

"In that recent battle... did your ears get injured? Would you like me to heal you? My healing magic is quite powerful, I promise there won't be any lasting side effects."

"Oh... no need. I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

What is wrong with this woman?

Is she really a saintess candidate?

How terrifying.

"Well... forget it, if you're unwilling."

After mulling it over, Seville adjusted her stance.

"I'd like to join you on your journey."

"Join us?"

Moen raised an eyebrow.

From the way Senior Fannie had described things earlier, they were pretty much considered enemies, weren't they?

"Yes. You're strong, and traveling with you might yield unexpected benefits."

Seville bit down softly on her lip. "I worked so hard to qualify for this—getting disqualified now would be too much of a shame."

"And, despite how I may appear, I'm pretty confident in my abilities. I won't be dragging you down; I might even be of some help. With things as dangerous as they are right now, isn't huddling together for warmth the best option?"

As if afraid of rejection, Seville hurriedly added a few more lines.

"Is that so?"

Moen nodded thoughtfully but did not give an immediate answer. Instead, he turned to look at Senior Fannie standing nearby.

"Would you be joining us as well, Senior Fannie?"

"This... would it inconvenience the two of you?"

Fannie glanced at Moen and Lea, her tone teasing.

"Of course not. If anything, we're the ones who should feel apologetic," Moen replied, smiling, "After all, we are supposed to represent the academy. But instead, we’ve made it awkward for you..."

Moen’s eyes flicked toward Lea. "Isn't that right, Lea?"

"Uh... yes."

Lea, momentarily taken aback, nodded vigorously. She agreed readily.

But once the attention of everyone else had shifted, her adorable face began to puff up bit by bit as she hid behind Moen.

First, they'd just managed to get rid of Arag. Now, Seville was tagging along.

It seemed like, just as before, any plans for time alone with Moen were out of the question.

And this time, it even included two senior students.

Of course, she understood that the circumstances were different now. In these perilous times, having companions to travel with was undoubtedly the wiser course of action.

But still...

They were all women.

Lea stole a quick glance at them.

Leaving aside Seville, whose intentions were clearly less than pure, both Fannie and Vicky were seniors—and they had all traveled together previously. That should be fine, right?

However...

Lea suddenly recalled something. Back at the academy, the one who had done... those things with Moen in the classroom...

They had also been a senior!

Not to mention that Moen’s fiancée in name, the princess herself—while her exact age aside—was also technically a senior, wasn’t she?

Could it be...?

Did Moen have a particular fondness for seniors?

Lea lowered her eyes, her long, delicate lashes trembling gently in the night breeze.

The young girl, torn between hope and doubt.

...

Moen picked up the tattered book Seville had handed him earlier, examining it carefully.

Only then did he realize that this was not an ordinary book—it looked more like a diary.

The writing on it was clearly handwritten.

A diary was even better; it might provide a deeper understanding of this world, Moen thought.

However, as his eyes scanned the text, his brow involuntarily furrowed.

"This is..."

"Ancient script—really obscure, too," Seville said with a pout.

"To be honest, we regretted it as soon as we got hold of this thing. No one on our team could translate it. After putting in all that effort, all we ended up with was this useless, ragged book."

"Ancient script, huh?"

Moen rubbed his chin in thought, then broke into a smile.

What was a hassle for others was...

"Lea, I’ll leave this to you—Lea?"

"Huh...? Oh, what is it?"

It wasn't until Moen called her name a second time that Lea snapped out of her daze, blinking innocently as though nothing had happened.

Moen locked eyes with her for a moment and then said abruptly:

"Let’s all take a break."

"Huh? Aren’t we translating the diary first?"

"No rush."

Moen shook his head.

"I noticed that Senior Vicky seems a bit uncomfortable. We should all rest properly first."

Vicky blinked, looking bewildered.

Indeed, she had felt somewhat off earlier, but it wasn’t to the extent that...

Moen smiled faintly, closing the diary. He turned to Lea and said,

"Let’s step out for some fresh air."

"Now?"

Lea hesitated. The outside, with its rotting and fetid atmosphere, hardly seemed conducive to a pleasant stroll.

"Yes, now."

Moen took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"If my guess is correct, we’re about to witness something extraordinary."

...

The bright moon hung high, the night wind sharp and cold.

The rot-soaked earth sprawled below, grotesque scenes making one’s stomach churn.

The two stood atop the tallest building of the town, finding that it was indeed as Senior Fannie had described—unlike the others in every way.

Most structures within the town were no more than two or three stories high, but this particular one had a full seven floors and a sprawling base. In this flat world that seemed almost entirely plains, even just a few extra stories provided a vantage that stretched for miles and miles.

"So, what exactly is this ‘extraordinary’ sight you mentioned?"

Lea asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Let’s see..."

Moen checked his pocket watch one more time, then lifted his gaze.

"Now."

"Huh?"

Lea instinctively followed his line of sight—and froze.

A single white line appeared on the horizon.

The line expanded rapidly, flooding the world with light and warmth.

Blue skies and white clouds unfurled like the canvas of a painting, banishing every shred of darkness.

The moon and stars, along with the shadows, sank together into the earth with the retreating night.

Dawn had come.

Soft sunlight spilled over their shoulders, comforting and gentle.

Unknowingly, Lea had already dismissed her sacred light barrier meant to block out the stench.

As a result, the sweet aroma of flowers and grass soon filled the air, like a tender hand caressing one’s forehead.

In the blink of an eye, all decay vanished without a trace. Fresh greenery sprouted, unfurling their leaves, producing vivid blossoms and abundant fruit.

The entire world transformed into what looked like an oil painting. The two stood close, becoming the nearest spectators, watching the birth of each stroke seamlessly giving life to the scene.

Finally, a gleaming white river carved its way across the plains, creating a masterfully elegant final line on the canvas.

"So beautiful."

Lea couldn’t help but murmur.

It was, perhaps, a sight she'd grown used to seeing before.

But after enduring the visual and olfactory torment of the endless night, this stark contrast made the vision before her seem almost unbearably breathtaking.

After all, this was a land celebrated in countless ancient texts as the "Golden Kingdom"—how could it not be beautiful?

"Moen, how did you know dawn would break now?"

Lea asked curiously.

"I guessed."

"Huh?"

"Yes, I guessed."

Moen lowered his head, surveying the entire town.

"These buildings, though they appear vastly different from the outside world, aren’t fundamentally distinct in their structure and materials.

More than that, the plants here, the terrain, even the furnishings inside the buildings, all bear some trace of the world above."

"Lost Land Canterwell—it’s an ancient relic, buried deep beneath the earth and isolated from our world. Even so, I suspect its creators must have referenced the upper world’s cycle.

"That being the case, figuring out this place still has a 24-hour day wasn’t particularly challenging."

Moen shook the pocket watch in his hand.

Following nightfall, the watch's hour hand had rotated more than once—sixteen full hours.

"What a long night it has been," he remarked wistfully before returning his gaze to Lea, his expression softening.

"Being able to see the better side of this world right away—does it help improve your mood a bit?"

"You..."

Lea froze for a moment. "The reason you dragged me up here in such a hurry—is it just to cheer me up?"

"Of course."

Moen smiled:

"You're my Saintess, after all. As a knight, while I must lead by example, if my Saintess isn't in the best state, it would trouble me deeply."

"Aren't you afraid of guessing wrong? What if the world is actually set to a 25-hour system?"

"Then..."

Moen put on an exaggerated, mock-distressed face:

"I'd have no choice but to perform a joke to ease the awkwardness."

"Pfft."

Lea couldn't help but laugh at Moen's ridiculous expression.

Seeing this, Moen also smiled again. After a brief hesitation, he reached out his hand and gently ruffled her hair:

"Don't worry, Lea. Even though this world is indeed terrifying, it's not enough to defeat me. I'll make sure you become the Saintess, so... don't be afraid."

"…"

Lea's smile froze slightly.

She only lowered her head, so Moen didn't notice.

"It's not because I'm afraid, okay."

The monsters were terrifying.

The decay was terrifying.

This ancient kingdom was terrifying.

But with Moen here, they weren't so scary after all.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Moen hadn't caught Lea's murmuring.

"Nothing."

Lea raised her head, showing an unusually mischievous expression as she placed her hands on her hips:

"My knight, heed my command."

"Yes, my lady."

Moen offered a deliberately clumsy and exaggerated knightly salute.

"I command you to keep moving forward!"

"Understood!"

"I command you to bring me victory!"

"Understood!"

"I command you to help me become the Saintess!"

"Got it, my Lady Saintess!"

Moen straightened his posture, looking solemn: "I can already see the enemy's downfall."

The girl broke into a radiant smile and continued:

"And now, I command you to sit down."

"Huh?"

The abrupt turn of events nearly made Moen sprain his back.

"You've done very well, so I want to reward you."

The girl tilted her head high. Under Moen's eager gaze, she pulled out something she seemed to have not touched in a long time—a musical instrument.

A violin.

"Don't like it?"

"I'm very much looking forward to it."

"Then you shall."

The moment the bow touched the strings, Lea felt as though the whole world had turned ethereal.

All that was left was the man in front of her.

She saw him every day, yet his brows, his eyes—they were still so captivating.

Better than the scenery, better than the world.

She could never grow tired of it, and now, he seemed even more beautiful than ever.

As if just gazing at him could fill her heart with a boundless sense of contentment.

...

The music began to flow, and at some point, even the man before her eyes started to blur.

Yes, Lea Angel, you shouldn't be so greedy.

No matter what happened in the past, who you were, what you liked.

No matter what happens in the future, what fate brings, or how it all ends.

For now, at least, he is a knight who belongs solely to you.

He will wield his sword, face perils, and charge ahead on horseback for you and you alone.

And that...

Is enough.