Chapter 95

Meanwhile, around that same hour.

Ethan had left the information exchange and was making his way along the road back to the inn.

Each footfall struck the stone pavement in a monotonous rhythm, like a slow, plodding waltz.

Mid-stride, Ethan's eyes narrowed.

What drifted to the surface of his mind was the scene from shortly before—the moment he and Mikhail had parted ways on the village outskirts.

[—Good work. The most tedious part's behind us. At this rate, we can head for the ruins tomorrow.]

Mikhail had walked two or three steps ahead and launched into a deliberately upbeat tone the instant they entered the village.

[Go on back without me. I've still got a few stops to make. Oh—and on your way, try warming up to Han and Ul a little. How long are you planning to stay awkward around them?]

Ethan had listened in silence.

By the time that laughter-laced voice scattered into the air and faded, he'd stopped walking and opened his mouth.

[Mikhail.]

The name froze Mikhail mid-step. But he didn't turn around.

Ethan stared at that wordless back for a moment, then lowered his gaze.

After a brief pause, he recalled the conversation they'd had at the inn a few days ago and spoke.

[You said there are things you can't tell me in detail—because there's no trust or understanding between us.]

[……]

[Then it should be fine to tell me a little more now. I don't… completely distrust you. Not the way I did when we first got here.]

Mikhail turned around slowly and faced him.

The easy tone from moments ago might as well have been a lie—what appeared was nothing but a flat, unreadable expression.

After a beat of silence, Mikhail moved first.

He tilted his head as if weighing something, then closed the distance with an unhurried step and whispered close to Ethan's ear.

[Don't be an idiot out there. I'll leave you behind if it comes to it.]

"Unbelievable."

The surroundings had already shifted back to the present.

Ethan scrunched his face, muttering under his breath, and flicked his eyes down to his right hand.

Clutched in his dangling grip was a single book.

The information exchange he'd just come from. Purchased there for one gold coin.

[Melphendes: Terrain, Landmarks, and Formidable Enemies by Zone. Latest Edition.]

Like hell I'm going to be dead weight.

Ethan blew out a sharp breath, lifted his head to face forward, and picked up the pace he'd let slacken.

Crickets sang their shrill chorus across the early evening sky.

Ethan sat in the inn room, turning pages.

Flip. Flip.

The thick pages turned one after another at steady intervals.

Thump.

Before long, he'd closed the final page.

A low sigh slipped between his lips. He dropped the finished book onto the table with a soft thud and tipped his head back to stare at the wide ceiling.

But is this really… going to be okay?

Ethan clicked his tongue and let his eyelids drift shut.

He'd plowed through every word purely so he wouldn't look like a clueless fool if Mikhail tried to catch him off guard.

Yet now that he'd actually read it all, what sharpened into focus were only more questions about what lay ahead.

The consensus is that Red Sun Metal can't be obtained without sheer dumb luck. There's no record of anyone using two-toned Crystal Wisps as guides in any zone. And the enemies listed for each area are nothing we couldn't handle without breaking a sweat. So then—

[Don't be an idiot out there. I'll leave you behind if it comes to it.]

"…There's nothing to even be an idiot about."

Ethan twisted his face in irritation, grumbled, and dragged a hand down over his face.

Mikhail. What the hell are you planning?

Knock knock.

The sound cut through the quiet room. Ethan straightened from his slouch, rose from his seat, and walked to the door.

Click.

"Hey."

Mikhail stood in the doorway. The instant their eyes met, he tossed out a flat, offhand greeting.

Ethan studied Mikhail's face for a moment, then returned the same word.

"Hey."

And followed with a question.

"What's going on?"

Mikhail blinked a couple of times, then jerked his chin toward the hallway behind him.

His voice trailed after—perfectly nonchalant.

"Come on. Strategy meeting."

Ethan followed Mikhail's lead. Where they ended up was an empty clearing behind the inn.

The only things passing through were a gentle night breeze and small animals heading home to their burrows.

Rustle.

A cool gust brushed his cheek. Ethan stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked ahead.

Mikhail, a couple of steps in front, drifted toward a weathered bench and settled onto it.

Then he leaned his head back and gazed up at the night sky.

"……"

Before long, Ethan moved as well.

He walked over and sat down beside Mikhail.

A brief silence passed. Eyes fixed forward, Ethan spoke slowly.

"Can we actually get the Red Sun Metal?"

The answer came immediately.

"Yeah."

Absolute certainty in a single syllable. Ethan glanced sideways at Mikhail, then asked.

"But how?"

Mikhail didn't answer right away. Instead, he let a soft hum trail off, then shifted the head he'd been tilting skyward and met Ethan's gaze.

"Remember what I said the other night? When I asked you to trust me—as much as you could."

"Uh… what?"

Not the topic he'd expected. Ethan blinked at Mikhail, thrown for a moment, but nodded without objection.

"Yeah."

Mikhail smiled and said:

"I need to change the terms on that. Not 'trust me as much as you can'—trust me no matter what happens."

A disbelieving laugh slipped out of Ethan before he could stop it. He narrowed his eyes and leaned toward Mikhail.

"Hey—do you even hear what you're saying right now?"

"Just answer. I'm changing the terms."

"It's not about changing terms or whatever…. God. What does me trusting you have to do with getting the Red Sun Metal?"

"Forget all that. Just answer. I'm changing the terms."

Ethan pressed his lips together and stared at Mikhail.

But it lasted only a moment. He sighed—half-exasperated, half-defeated—and gave in.

"Fine. Have it your way."

What followed was silence. Ethan gazed forward, then slid his eyes to the side.

Mikhail's lids had drooped halfway shut. His stare was fixed, absent, on the cracked and hardened dirt below.

The fingers hanging at his side curled inward once, just barely.

When he spoke, his voice had settled a shade lower.

"Keep that promise. I'm holding you to it."

---

Roughly half a day drifted past, and early morning arrived.

Scriiitch.

Mikhail jotted a few syllables onto the magic parchment, tore off a small strip, and tucked it into his pocket.

Next, he checked the supplies he'd gathered.

One bag holding the two-toned Crystal Wisps. The pendant from the relic stall. His academy student ID, and the World Tree sapling Joseph had sent. And—

"Yip!"

A bright cry drew his gaze to his feet.

Han and Ul peered up at him, black eyes gleaming, tails swaying back and forth. Every bit the picture of companions demanding to come along.

"Sorry. You two can't come this time."

The wagging tails went dead still. Mikhail watched the crestfallen faces for a moment, then smiled to ease the sting.

"But when I get back, we'll do something fun. Remember the meatballs we had the first time we met? We're going back for those."

Han and Ul brightened visibly.

Mikhail said his goodbyes to the pair—tails whipping back and forth, nodding eagerly—then stepped out of the room.

Click.

He descended the stairs and set foot on the road outside the inn.

Ethan was already waiting. Light luggage packed, two swords slung across his back.

Mikhail held his gaze for a moment. Then he turned toward the carriage station and spoke.

"Let's go. We're finishing all of it in one shot."

Neiiigh!

The building that managed access to the Melphendes ruins sat a short distance from the village.

Mikhail climbed down from the carriage and looked ahead. A set of entrance doors—far larger and thicker than the request office's—loomed before him.

Creeeak.

Ethan strode forward, shoved the doors open, and glanced back.

Mikhail followed and stepped inside.

The interior was packed—a sea of people waiting to enter and others freshly returned from their expeditions.

Mikhail approached a staff member standing near the entrance and collected a numbered ticket.

[27]

His eyes left the ticket and swept the interior.

Three warps were mounted flush against the far wall like doorways.

Each time the attendant stationed in front slid a small slip of paper into the stone pedestal beside a warp, the next group in line stepped through and vanished.

"Twenty-seven."

Mikhail glanced toward Ethan, who'd spoken up from beside him.

Then he pointed to the leftmost warp.

"Shouldn't take more than thirty minutes. The process isn't all that complicated."

Things unfolded exactly as Mikhail remembered. The long queue shrank quickly.

Before long, when their turn was next in line, Mikhail caught Ethan's eye with a subtle look and spoke.

"Don't say a word while we're up there."

Ethan's shoulders twitched, but he nodded without protest.

"Number twenty-seven!"

The call rang out. Mikhail walked up to the vacant leftmost warp.

The attendant dipped his chin in greeting and asked.

"Zone number."

"Zone Seven."

"Seven, huh… field trip level, basically."

The attendant snickered and scrawled a number onto a scrap of parchment.

He was stepping toward the stone pedestal in front of the warp when—

Mikhail caught him by the wrist, dropped his voice, and said:

"Sorry, but would it be alright if I handled the entry process myself? I'm interested in how the mana device operates."

He flashed his academy student ID alongside a single gold coin.

The attendant flinched, eyes darting between Mikhail's face and the ID. A moment later, the coin disappeared into his pocket.

"Make sure nobody sees."

"Of course."

Mikhail smiled and accepted the parchment scrap the attendant held out.

Then he glanced back at Ethan with a quick nod.

"Let's go."

Ethan stared at him with a look of sheer disbelief—then shook it off and fell into step behind him.