Six days had passed since Nia suggested Aefina and I stay at her place. I’d thought Aefina might get bored here—but wow, was I naive. Something had shifted between her and Nia. Lately, I’d often catch them huddled together, whispering secrets like conspirators.

Honestly? Two girls growing close was pretty sweet—especially when one was a slime. But if the other happened to be *my* dragon girl? Not so sweet anymore.

Of course, I was just daydreaming. It was great that Aefina was finally talking to others. Before this, she’d barely spoken to anyone but me. Even during our weeks-long journey with Viter’s group, she’d exchanged maybe three words with them total. Watching her laugh with Nia now filled me with quiet relief.

Earlier, Mo Mo had promised to check the World Book about why Aefina was abandoned before birth. But no luck. According to Mo Mo, the World Book could answer almost any question—like a search engine—but its answers needed interpretation. If you couldn’t decipher them? Tough luck. And the Book wouldn’t translate itself.

The harder the question, the tougher the interpretation. Fewer people who knew the answer meant greater difficulty. If *no one* in history ever knew it? No answer appeared. "Knew the answer" meant anyone who’d ever existed—even ancient figures counted. That was the Book’s power.

Yet this all-powerful "search engine"... couldn’t find why Aefina’s parents abandoned her. Per its rules, that meant *no one* in history had ever known the reason. Not even her parents themselves?

When I heard that, I shot Aefina a complicated glance. She just looked calm—as if having such unreliable parents was only natural. Since she showed no distress, I held back my comfort. This mystery would have to wait.

Now, slumped on the couch, I watched Nia and Mo Mo pull Aefina into another huddle. What were they whispering about? I’d asked Nia before. "Girl talk," she’d always say. Aefina stayed silent too. Eventually, I stopped caring. I wasn’t obsessive—I didn’t *need* to know what the pangolin said.

"Hey," Nia suddenly turned to me mid-whisper. "Haven’t introduced you to the others in this house yet, have I?"

"Huh? Others? I’ve lived here a week and haven’t seen anyone."

"Not many. Just me, Mo Mo, Mira, and the Eight Virtues—besides Humility, have you met any?"

*Humility.* The invisible one who only showed gloves? I racked my brain. I’d glimpsed him once. No one else.

"Nope. Never seen the rest." I shook my head.

"Let’s fix that. They stick to specific spots—you won’t find them unless you look." Nia hopped off the couch. Aefina stood too, drifting silently to my side.

"...?" Something felt off about her.

"...Luo Sa?" Aefina tilted her head, puzzled by my stare.

"Nothing. Just tired." I rubbed my eyes. Must’ve been my imagination.

"Mm." She nodded, saying no more.

Nia and Mo Mo exchanged a glance. A silent understanding passed between them.

"Come on!" Nia cut through our moment, leading the way.

I took Aefina’s hand like always. But this time—her fingers tightened around mine. Usually, she’d let me hold her hand loosely, barely squeezing back. Now, she gripped it firmly. Like that first day we stepped into Aegros.

*Aegros... Feels like yesterday.* The thought startled me. I shook my head. *Why dwell on that now?*

"Let’s find Fortitude first. She’s probably in the training room," Nia muttered, guiding us down the hall.

"Boss! What brings you here?" A red-haired loli—barely waist-high—bounded over as we entered. She clutched a giant axe glowing crimson.

"Introducing friends. Luo Sa and Aefina. This tiny terror is Fortitude."

"...Hi." I swallowed hard. *That axe is taller than she is. How is she even lifting it? Since when are superhuman lolis a thing?*

"Nice to meet you!" She beamed. The axe’s glow faded. With a casual shrug, she hoisted it onto her shoulder like a bamboo pole. *Are you sure you’re "Fortitude"? Shouldn’t you be "Brutality" or "Rage"?*

After brief greetings, we left.

"Don’t be fooled by the axe’s size—it’s not heavy for her," Nia explained, sensing my shock. "I got it from a traveler. When activated, it weighs exactly what the wielder can barely swing. Its strike force? The max damage the target can withstand, plus the user’s own strength. It demands willpower, not muscle. Though... its power cap is low. My durability exceeds it."

The axe was a double-edged sword: within its limits, one hit meant instant death. Anyone could wield it. But its bulk made accuracy near impossible.

The Eight Virtues—Humility, Honor, Sacrifice, Fortitude, Compassion, Honesty, Spirit, and Justice—took all afternoon to meet. Not because of time, but distance. Nia’s mansion was enormous. Sacrifice lived on the mountain behind the house, for example.

Honor was a bespectacled, bookish young man who haunted the library. He and Mo Mo were thick as thieves.

Sacrifice had messy blond hair and a delinquent vibe—but he was gently petting a squirrel when we found him.

Compassion, a mature woman with long black hair, brewed potions in her workshop. A strange herbal scent clung to her.

Honesty and Justice were siblings—both brown-haired, dressed as servants. They managed Nia’s warehouse of trinkets and discarded magic items from adventurers.

Spirit, a pale girl in a frilly dress with waist-length gold hair, resembled Aefina’s delicate aura. She researched magic in her room, her crimson eyes and sickly complexion hinting at instability.

Every Virtue wore white gloves marked with their title—except Humility, who was just... gloves. *Does he even wear clothes?* I wondered.

We only exchanged names. Nia kept their abilities secret. I was curious, but didn’t push.

"Last one! Then dinner!" Nia chirped. Her obsession with food was weird for a slime. *Can she even taste anything?*

"Huh? Last? I counted seven. Plus Humility makes eight—but we’ve met him."

"Of course you have. But who said we’re meeting Humility? Everyone knows the Four Heavenly Kings have five members. So why shouldn’t the Eight Virtues have nine?" Nia stated matter-of-factly. *...She’s got a point. I can’t argue with that.*

"Master? Mira said you needed me?" A black tracksuit-clad teen materialized before us. Barely out of childhood, he’d appeared from nowhere.

"Yep. Meet Luo Sa and Aefina—they’ll be staying awhile."

"Hello. I’m Justice, leader of the Eight Virtues." He nodded, trying (and failing) to look serious.

I noticed he wore no gloves. The only one in this house without them—even Mo Mo had tiny white ones. (Except Nia. Slimes don’t have hands.)

"Who’d win in a fight—you or Nia?" I asked.

"Me? Beat the Boss?" Justice waved his hands frantically, eyes wide with terror. *Oh, there’s a story there.*

"Wait—a normal high schooler can’t beat a slime?" I feigned shock.

"High schooler? What’s that?" Justice blinked, utterly lost.

*Not from Earth, then.* His look had tricked me. "Never mind..."

"Stop with the weird Earth memes. Justice wouldn’t get them," Nia pulsed with disapproval.

"Who else would you dress him li—" I started, but a black fireball materialized beside me. After days here, Mira’s entrances no longer startled me.

But she wasn’t here to scare me. Mo Mo stood with her—she’d vanished earlier at the library. As a Wisdom Sprite, she adored books.

【Someone’s approaching. Strong. Not hiding their presence.】 Text floated over Mira’s face.

"Eh? Found us? A traveler?" Nia frowned toward the gates.

"Probably a Wanderer who stumbled upon this place," Mo Mo replied.

*Wanderer?* The term rang a bell from Mo Mo’s past mentions—

Before I could ask, Aefina stepped in front of me. A voice cut through the air—old, yet utterly lacking authority:

"Hellooo—anyone home?"

Upon hearing the voice, Nia decisively opened the door. Her home was warded by a Circle-level defensive barrier—a permanent spell weaker than one cast by a Circle-level mage. Yet, letting sound pass through without triggering it was clearly no feat for an ordinary person.

Before our eyes, a short figure slowly approached.

"Hello there," the figure said. "I am the Wanderer—Ebia."