After Mylora returned to her room, it felt like a thorn had lodged itself in her heart. It left her deeply unsettled. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

She climbed up, threw on some clothes, and made up her mind.

“I think... I should properly thank her. She fought those two people... and at least seventy percent of the reason was because of me.”

[Diweier was the one who drove them off, not you. Why dwell on it?]

“But in terms of the result, she really did... help me. One thing is one thing. If I want to become strong, then I should handle things the way the strong do. Clear grudges, clear gratitude!”

[Fine. Then go thank her.]

“...Why aren’t you stopping me this time?”

[It’s better if you experience it for yourself. Some things are nowhere near as beautiful as they look.]

“?”

Mylora didn’t really understand what the system meant, but she didn’t think too much of it.

Her heart was beating a little fast, and her face felt a little hot. She took a deep breath, left her room, and headed to the top floor of the inn, where Torina’s luxury suite was.

Why was she nervous?

Why was her heart beating faster?

Had she really fallen that far?

Had she already started seeing Torina as a friend, deep down in her subconscious?

She didn’t know.

This feeling was a first for her.

She was completely lost.

But what had to be done still had to be done. If it was time to thank someone, then she should properly thank them.

Just as she was about to knock, the system suddenly stopped her.

[Wait. That Annawiel Alfaris might still be inside. She’s deeply hostile toward you. It’s best to avoid her. You can listen first and see if you hear her voice.]

“That makes sense.”

Mylora bent down, braced herself against the door, and pressed her ear to it, carefully listening for movement inside. If the vice-captain was still there, that would be awkward.

And the system—

([Audio Editing Program, activate!])

——————

“I heard the lord room’s already been pinned down in the swamp area. What do you think? If we don’t move soon, another team’s going to find it first, you know?”

Annawiel sounded displeased. She was impatient by nature and hated falling behind others.

“It’s just a lord. There’s no need to rush that much...”

You’re in a hurry to get slaughtered by the protagonist, aren’t you? Torina grumbled inwardly.

“That’s the first kill on a lord, you know? Doesn’t that tempt you at all? First come, first served! And our party isn’t weak, right? You and I go without saying, and everyone else besides Mylora can still be useful too—even if they’re all kind of weird!”

“Even if you say that...”

Torina was starting to get a headache.

The lord of Amana Forest was a nasty opponent. It had high attack, thick health, and the aggression of a rabid dog. The most troublesome part was its passive skill, Battlefield Frenzy. The more opponents it faced, the more its stats would rise dramatically. Fighting it as a group would actually put them at a huge disadvantage.

In the original story, the adventurer party knew nothing about this and got dragged into a bitter fight. With the system’s help, the protagonist analyzed everyone else’s battle situation, found the lord’s weak point—the scar on its back—and killed it with a surprise strike.

(...Wait. Since I know where the lord is, and I know its weak point, then doesn’t that mean...?)

Torina suddenly realized it.

Winning Mylora over could solve the problem at its root, sure. But on top of that, if she could secretly deal with the lord that would trigger the third party-leaving incident, wouldn’t that be double insurance?

If she brought along one reliable person and the two of them went out in secret, one could draw the lord’s fire while the other attacked its weak point from behind. That way, they could quietly take it down with the fewest people possible.

They’d kill the lord, and they’d add another layer of protection to rewriting the plot. Why not?

“...Hey, Annawiel.”

“Hmm? So you’re finally planning to move?”

“I’m only telling you this, but I actually already know where the lord is. We can wipe it out anytime.”

“Hah????”

——————

“I actually already know where the lord is. We can wipe it out anytime.”

Huh?

Outside the door, Mylora froze.

She had only just pressed her ear against it, and she was already hearing Torina drop a bombshell.

[Looks like she already knew the lord’s information,] the system whispered to her.

“Mm...”

But she wasn’t just shocked. Her heart felt awful too.

So Torina had known where the lord was all along, but never said anything?

She didn’t tell Mylora?

Instead, she told Annawiel first?

At the same time, the conversation inside continued.

——————

“In the swamp region, near the center, there’s a triangular mud pit. The mud on the surface is actually an illusion. If you jump in, you’ll find a hidden passage leading to the lord room.”

“How do you know that!?”

“I spent quite a bit of money buying the information... anyway, just listen first! That lord’s trait is ‘the more opponents it has, the stronger it gets.’ And its biggest weak point is the scar on its back. In theory, as long as one person draws its attention from the front—”

“—then the other can sneak attack it! The fewer people fighting it, the better. A two-person team is the best setup for this!”

Annawiel immediately got excited, and Torina immediately reminded her,

“I’m only telling you this. Don’t tell anyone else. Especially not Mylora.”

“...Oh?”

At those words, Annawiel’s eyes lit up.

Hearing boss information was already good news. But that last sentence was an even bigger surprise. She couldn’t suppress her smile at all.

“Aha~~ So you finally figured out what matters? A lowborn nobody like Milora Sistem isn’t worth your attention at all!”

“Don’t say it like that. That’s a bit too much...”

“It’s just the truth! Whether it’s background or strength, I’ll only ever be above her! Picking me is the right choice!”

——————

“Sistem? She’s just some lowborn thing. She’s not worth my attention at all.”

—That was Torina’s voice.

Mylora heard it clearly.

The world spun around her in an instant.

And the voices kept going.

Annawiel: “If that’s the case, then why were you circling around her all day before?”

Torina: “I sensed her potential. I couldn’t let her become a threat to me, but killing her would’ve been too wasteful, so I decided to tame her.”

Annawiel: “Give her a tiny bit of sweetness and raise her into your pet? Were Marian and Lilia coming back for revenge part of your script too?”

Torina: “Haha, she should be thanking me~ Once I’m done playing with her, I can kick her out or kill her, either way. She’s just a worthless thing lower than livestock. If I sold her as a slave, no one would probably even want her.”

Even then, the conversation still wasn’t over.

But Mylora couldn’t listen anymore.

Her head buzzed. She could barely walk straight. A violent wave of nausea rose in her throat, but no matter what, she couldn’t throw up. She staggered away from the door as if it were the entrance to hell, braced herself against the wall, stumbled down the stairs, and returned to her room.

She sat on the bed, hugging herself. Cold sweat poured down her body. It felt like the whole world was drifting farther and farther away from her.

[Hey, Mylora.]

The system spoke.

“...”

[Mylora.]

“.........”

[Mylora, I know you feel terrible, but you need to accept reality.]

“.................”

[This is what she really thinks. Human hearts are just this vile. I warned you long ago.]

Mylora stayed silent.

Silent.

A long, long silence.

Then—

“....................So tell me. What should I do?”

Her voice sounded like that of a weak, helpless child.

[Simple. Finish everything before she does. You heard the lord’s information too. From this moment on, it’s your time to make your move! Remember, if you want to become a heaven-defying phoenix, then you must do whatever it takes. Only the most ruthless can stand at the peak of the strong!]

Hearing that, Mylora lowered her little head, then nodded lightly.

“................Mm. I understand.”

[That’s more like it!]

The system was satisfied.

At the same time—

([Audio Editing Program, deactivate... I should’ve done this sooner. This is for your own good, Mylora. Forget that woman. As long as you have me, that’s enough.])