Silas and Reika were baffled and tried to understand what Aeden meant.

     "And the reason that you're here is...?" Reika asked her.

     Aeden cleared her throat and answered her question.

     "Ahem! While we were snooping around the forest to gather some logs, we found an abandoned structure lying in the deep section of the forest."

     Silas looked up into the sky, trying to remember something. Seconds later, he finally remembered a certain memory.

     "Oh! That must be the structures I saw when I was young. If I remember correctly, there were piles of damaged bricks scattered in that area..."

     "Yes. At first we ignored it due to the bricks being brittle due to erosion and time, but our king, Alguis, proposed an idea to use the place as a ground site to build a settlement instead."

     "Using his ability, he molded them by using large stones and produced several bricks that would be usable for building houses. Then he ordered us to gather logs and make them into beams, planks, and slabs in order to make a house."

     Silas' eyes widened as he finally understood what Aeden was trying to say.

     "So that means...!?"

     "Yes. The three of us, including Alguis our king, made houses in order for these villagers to live in. Although they could choose to leave when they found another settlement, they could temporarily live in those houses for the time being..."

     Despite hearing the good news, Silas' expression changed. Reika noticed his unusual reaction and asked him.

     "That offer was good, Mister Silas! Why aren't you happy?"

     Silas turned around and watched the entire village, which was now a pile of rubble.

     "It's just that... All of us here were born and grew up in this village. Our ancestors lived and died in this very place. We created memories, and celebrated numerous feasts and marriages here..."

     Silas turned around and looked directly into Aeden's eyes.

     "I apologize, but it's not me to decide whether we will move or not." Silas said in a serious tone.

     "We would like to accept your offer."

     Silas turned around and saw the villagers gathered around. They were listening to their conversation after all this time.

     "Villager Elder, thank you for your concerns. You're right, we created countless memories in this village. Our kids grew up here; we lived and prospered in this very village..."

     "But there will be a point in our lives when we must choose to abandon the village we love the most in exchange for our safety. I'm sure that our ancestors, even your late mother, would do the same thing too."

     Silas confronted the villagers.

     "But even if I agree, we should consider that our village was still part of the Kingdom of Ardrom, and we are its subjects. Migrating in the forest that isn't part of the kingdom's land would cause us serious trouble!" Silas exclaimed.

     "Who cares about the kingdom? They rarely visit here, only to exploit large taxes and goods from us!"

     "That's right! Even if we were attacked by a horde of monsters, they wouldn't take immediate action because they won't find any advantageous merits on saving us. Why? Because we're just a remote village from the kingdom's borders!"

     "We offered them taxes in exchange for protection and safety, but look at what happened here. Did those bastard soldiers even come to rescue us? Help us rebuild this village? Not at all!"

     "We would humbly accept to live in a secluded area where the kingdom won't bother us anymore. We will live separately, free from their clutches, and live independently. Is that alright with you, my fellow village people?" One of the village men shouted.

     "Yeah!" All of them shouted in unison.

     Silas witnessed the villager's determination and fell silent. One of the village women approached him and tapped his shoulder.

     "Don't worry, Village Elder. In our new home, we will create new joyful memories there."

     "Besides, I would like to bury those bitter memories of my husband's death here and create new ones in our new home with my kids..."

     Upon hearing the village woman's words, Silas finally accepted the village's decision and stepped forward in front of the crowd.

     "Since you all decided to move into our temporary... No, new settlement, I have no choice but to accept the offer as well!"

     All the villagers celebrated in happiness because their problem with a house to live in was settled.

     "We also offer you protection while you live there as an apology, since we don't have any place to settle. I hope you're satisfied with our compensation for the destruction we've brought to your village." Aeden added.

     The crowd became more lively, and the cheers grew louder.

     "Hurrah! With their protection, we won't worry when a monster invades our new home!"

     "Hurrah!"

     While the villagers were overjoyed about the good news, Silas raised his hand, and the villagers went silent.

     "We will move there immediately. Are you done gathering your belongings and the tasks I've told you?" Silas said.

     "Yes! We were done making pillows and gathered all the remaining wheat and placed them in baskets made with wheat stalks." one of the village men said.

     "Then, prepare the remaining wagons and move there at once! If the wagons are full, carry the excess stuff with your hands!"

     The villagers began to scatter and gather the three wagons that were left intact. They began to place all the heavy and important stuff on it, while others carried all the lighter objects on their backs.

     Aeden and Reika were left on the scene while the villagers and Silas were busy. All of a sudden, Aeden spoke to her.

     "The king told me that he didn't defeat Agnar with his own, but rather someone made a distraction in order for him to land a finishing blow."

     Aeden looked at Reika's face and bowed her head.

     "I must thank you for your assistance in order to defeat Agnar!"

     Reika tried to stop her but failed when Aeden immediately raised her head and reached her hand out to her.

     "I'm Aeden, one of the royal guards that protects our king, Alguis Fellad."

     Reika also reached her hand out to Aeden.

     "I'm Reika Mitsuha."

     Aeden paused for a moment.

     A surname? Is she a noblewoman?

     Both of them shook their hands with honor and formality.

     While all of them were busy with their preparations, Völun was seen sitting in the distance with a tree next to him.

     Völun noticed that the kid he encountered before, which is Soru, woke up from sleeping beside the same tree.

     "So you're finally awake..." Völun said.

     Soru noticed that there was a dark-skinned man sitting beside him and remembered that it was the same person who fought side-by-side with them in the forest.

     "Seems flat, doesn't it? It feels barren now that the spectacular golden field is gone..." Völun said.

     Soru didn't answer him and remained silent.

     All of a sudden, Völun raised his hand and pointed it at Soru.

     "By the way, I'm Völun."

     Soru raised his hand in response and held Völun's hand.

     "Soru Shin."

     Völun paused for a moment upon hearing Soru's name.

     A surname? Is he a man of nobility?

     Both of them let their hands go and watched the barren views again in silence. 

     "By the way, Soru. I-"

     Völun and Soru talked for houra, without noticing the passage of time. At the same time, all the villagers were prepared and ready to move out.

     "Now, let's move out!" Silas exclaimed.

     With Aeden's guidance, Reika, Silas, and all the villagers followed her towards the path that leads to the new settlement.

     In the distance, Völun was talking to Soru about their plan to offer the villagers a new house to stay in when he saw that the entire village was ready and began to move out. He stopped and immediately stood up. 

     Soru noticed the villagers' movements and asked Völun.

     "Those villagers... It means that they accepted your king's proposal, right?"

     Völun paused for a brief moment.

     "Yeah, seems like it."

     Soru stood up and followed Völun as they walked to meet the villagers. Moments later, Aeden saw them, and her mood changed upon seeing Völun.

     "And here comes the slacker!" Aeden exclaimed.

     Völun meet up with them. Fron afar, he noticed Aeden's cheerful expression. In his mind, he expected something from her reaction.

     Hm... I thought she was angry at me because I left her, but it seems like she doesn't care about it...?

     When both of them came close to each other, Aeden's expression drastically changed. She caught Völun off-guard and immediately grabbed his ear and pinched it hard as she can.

     "You bastard! We were ordered to inform and guide these villagers, and yet you dare to slack off?"

     "Ow! Ow! Ow! I-I'm sorry! I-I was just trying to introduce myself to that kid over there!"

     "Hm?"

     Aeden released her hands on Völun's ear upon seeing Soru standing beside Völun.

     That's the kid from before...

     Aeden shoved Völun slightly and confronted Soru.

     A serious atmosphere between them emerged, and the villagers waited for the thing that was about to come.

     Suddenly, Aeden reached her hands out to him.

     "I'm Aeden. You must be Miss Reika's companion."

     Aeden looked to her right and stared at Reika.

     Soru also reached out his hand in response and held Aeden's hand.

     "Soru Shin."

     Reika was shocked because Soru could understand what Aeden was talking about.

     Eh? He could understand their dialect? How and when did it happen?

     At the same time, Aeden paused for a moment.

     A surname? Is he also a man of nobility like Miss Reika?

     Both of them shook their hands and let it go. They continued to walk as they took the path that led toward the new place that the villagers would be settling in.

     While on their way, Aeden was bothered by something.

     Both of them had surnames, which only those with noble ranks possess. Then that means..? 

     "Miss Reika, Mister Soru, may I ask a question?" Aeden asked.

     Soru and Reika both looked towards her and waited for her question.

     "What is it?" Reika asked.

     "Since both of you possess a surname, I assume that you're some sort of nobility with a status. May I ask which kindom do you hail from?" 

     Reika fell silent for a moment and then answered her afterwards.

     "We're not noble, nor do we hail from a kingdom, but rather live in a country where surnames are common and have nothing to do with status or nobility."

     Aeden got confused.

     "A country where surnames are common? I've never heard of such a country..."

     "It is a country from a continent next to this." Reika said.

     "Oh..." Aeden murmured.

     Is there a continent next to ours? Since I've never read any history books before, I don't know if there is such a thing...

     Aeden noticed that her pace slowed down. She walked faster in order to catch up with them.

     Well, whether it exists or not is not of my concern. I must forget that thing and finish the task that our king has left for us!

     ...

     The villagers walked without breaks in order to arrive at their destination before the sun set. Even though the sun was up in the sky, the clouds blocked some of its heat, which was helpful for the villagers who traveled along the path to avoid heatstroke.

     They entered the forest and met some monsters, but Aeden and Völun fended them off with ease.

     Hours had passed when they finally reached their destination. The sun was at its peak, indicating that it was already noon. 

     The entire settlement was surrounded by small but lush trees, while the large trees were being cut down, which they used to build the houses. At a distance, large rocks are being chiseled down to rebuild the foundations of the houses.

     The villagers saw a total of seven small houses, which Alguis, Aeden, and Völun built. 

     There are two large houses, which were still in progress and were situated at the furthest end of the entrance. There, they saw Alguis Fellad placing the roofs on long slabs of wood.

     Since the incident, seven families have survived out of eight. The eight family was the village guard's wife and only daughter, who got killed when Veylir attacked their village.

     The villagers began to choose their houses and place all of their belongings inside. The kids snooped around their new settlement while their older siblings and parents were busy arranging their objects inside their new homes.

     Reika was busy looking at the new settlement when she heard a child crying.

     "Uuuuhhh... Mama, I miss papa...."

     The young girl's mother tried to comfort her.

     "Don't cry, my child. Your papa doesn't like crybabies, you know that?"

     "But still! I want to see Papa again!"

     Reika approached the young girl and tried to comfort her.

     "Come on, don't cry! I'm sure your papa would be worried if he saw her cute princess crying..."

     The child stopped crying and faced Reika.

     "I... I don't want to worry papa anymore. I... I won't cry again!"

     Reika patted the child's head.

     "That's a good girl! Now, go play with your friends over there."

     Reika pointed out a bunch of kids playing at the center of the settlement.

     "Mhm!"

     The young girl wiped her tears and walked away while smiling. The children's mother bowed her head to thank Reika.

     "Thanks for your help, Miss Reika. That girl had a deep attachment to her father. And now that he's gone, she was sulking and crying the entire time..."

     Reika patted the village woman's shoulders.

     "No problem! Now that she's fine, you don't have to worry now."

     The village woman's eyes sparkled in adoration.

     "Miss Reika..."

     While Reika was talking with the village woman, she saw Soru in her peripheral vision standing alone at the edge of the new settlement. He was just there, staring at the busy people doing their own things.

     "Miss, it seems that I have something to do and would like to excuse myself. May I?"

     The village woman noticed that Reika was glancing at Soru. She understood the situation and smiled.

     "Not a problem at all. I also had a chore to finish inside. You can go as you please, Miss Reika."

     The village woman bowed her head and went inside their new house. Reika smiled at her in response and walked away. 

     The village woman glanced back and watched Reika approaching Soru.

     Hmm. I wonder if they are a couple...
     
     Soru was still standing on his spot without moving an inch. Seeing the children playing with their friends, the men busy with helping the dwarves finish the houses, and the women tidying their belongings inside their new homes, he couldn't help but observe them in silence.

     Suddenly, he felt a tap behind him. He looked back and found Reika. 

     "You good?" Reika asked him.

     Soru nodded his head and looked back at the busy people. Reika stood beside and joined him in observing the people around them.

     Reika saw the happy faces of the children, running around and giggling in their new settlement.

     "Look how happy they were. Even after such terrible misfortunes, their happiness and youthful innocence outshones all their fears..."

     Although Soru heard her clearly, he didn't utter any words and kept his mouth shut. Reika didn't mind it, knowing that Soru wouldn't simply answer her anyway. And even if she nags about it, Soru might answer with a boorish response that would irritate her instead.

     Right when she was about to say something again, Reika paused when she saw a family gathering together. In her eyes, she saw a mother hugging her young girl and her husband smiling at them while carrying heavy stuff. 

     Even though they suffered such terrible encounters before, their happiness still shone brighter than their fear and sadness. In that moment, Reika remembered her parents once more.

     Mom... Dad...

     Soru noticed the sudden change in Reika's expression and understood what her face was showing based on his observation alone. Seeing Reika's eyes, which were filled with sadness and longing, he approached her casually.

     Reika was surprised when she felt someone's hands at the top of her head. She immediately looked to her left and saw Soru standing beside her.

     "Hey! What are you-"

     "When I was young, the one who took care of me would always do this on my head before going outside."

     Soru began to pat Reika's head and gently caress it. Reika tried to move away, but she felt a calming sensation as Soru gently patted her head.

     "I don't know the reason why, but every time she does it on me, my thoughts become clear and organized. Perhaps it would work on you too, seeing that you seemed troubled just now."

     Reika glanced at Soru and saw him staring at the children playing with others. Reika smiled and turned her head, staring at the joyful children playing happily.

     Hmm. This isn't bad after all...

     While Soru was still patting her head, Reika thought something and asked Soru without moving her head.

     "Soru. I want to ask you something..."

     Soru didn't respond to her and continued to pat her head.

     "I noticed earlier that you can converse well with the locals now. Did you manage to learn how to communicate with them using the Hyumanican dialect? Right after we came into this world, you can only speak Japanese, right?"

     Soru, as usual, didn't say anything at all and kept his mouth shut. Reika continued talking to him.

     "I mean, I only spoke Japanese- and English before too. But after I got some convenient ability from the Wildfire Dragon, I can talk to the locals of this world easily despite having a language barrier thanks to that ability..."

     Reika glanced back at him while locking her look into his eyes.

     "But in your case, I don't understand how you could also do the same. Is... there a specific explanation for that?"

     Soru breathed while his hand rested on her head, still patting it without the intent of stopping soon.

     "I extracted the memories of their dialect from a dying assassin that we fought hours ago and transferred them to mine. That's why I can now speak the same tongue as the people of this world."

     Reika was surprised and fell silent upon hearing such absurd methods. She began to wonder and held her chin while sorting out her thoughts.

      If that's the case, just how versatile were his powers? Not only can he transfer damage and attacks, but he can also transfer knowledge and memory. That's insane!

     While Reika was busy wondering about his power, she started to feel annoyed at Soru for patting her head for some time now. She grabbed his hand and shoved it away from her head.

     "Alright, stop! You messed up my hair real good, you know that?" Reika exclaimed while fixing her hair.

     Soru rested his right arm and looked back at the crowd of children playing tag, as if nothing had happened. While Reika was tending her messy hair, she stared at him with curiosity.

     "Soru, who are you, really..." Reika murmured.

     Soru immediately looked on her eyes after hearing her murmur.

     "Did you say something?"

     Reika averted her eyes quickly and fixed her hair quickly.

     "U-Uh... Nothing. Nothing at all..."

     Reika felt awkward and tried to fix her composure back. On the other hand, Soru didn't noticed the atmosphere between them, as if he didn't cared at all.

     "I hate to break your quality time together, but the king wishes to seek an audience with you, Miss Reika."

     Reika jolted upon hearing the mysterious voice.

     "Q-Quality time..? What are you talking about...!"

     Reika was surprised when she saw who spoke such nonsense to her. It was Aeden who approached her without her knowing.

     "Ah... I-Its just you, Miss Aeden," Reika said shyly.

     Aeden stopped and bowed her head on Reika slowly. Reika also bowed to her.

     "Uh, by the way, may I know the reason why the king wants to see me?" Reika asked in confusion as she lifted her head.

     Aeden also lifted her head and shook her head slowly in response.

     "I apologize, but I don't know the specific reason why the king wants to see you in private; I am simply relaying his orders."

     Without knowing the details of her sudden summons in front of the former ruler of the Dwarven Kingdom, Reika agreed without hesitation.

     "Fine, I'll go with you." Reika told her.

     They were about to head to Alguis when Aeden noticed Soru was following them. Aeden stopped him from going further.

     "I'm sorry, kid. But only Miss Reika was allowed to talk to the king in private."

     Soru paused for a moment and nodded quietly. He simply looks back in the direction of the village men, busy with their work. Aeden guided Reika to where Alguis was currently working, and she followed quietly while glancing back at him.

     Moments after that, Reika and Aeden reached the said area and saw Silas talking to Alguis.

     "After those men were finished building the second house, let them rest for a bit. I knew they were working without any sleep, so they must rest to replenish their energy." Alguis told Silas.

     "But, your majesty—err, Mister Alguis. What about our dinner? We were supposed to hunt some wild animals so that we could have our fill this evening..."

     "About that, my subordinates will be the one to hunt animals for our dinner this evening. Let your men take some time to replenish their stamina."

     "Then, what about you? You and your subordinates didn't get enough sleep too..."

     Alguis raised his thumb in the air.

     "Don't worry! We of the dwarven race have higher stamina and endurance compared to you humans!"

     Silas was surprised upon hearing the advantageous features that the dwarven race possessed.

     "No wonder you can keep going for hours..."

     Silas bowed his head to Alguis.

     "If you insist, Mister Alguis, thank you for your hard work!"

     Alguis smiled at him in response. Silas smiled back at him and simply walked away to inform the men, who were still finishing the second house, to take a rest after their work was done. On the other hand, Alguis called Aeden and Völun and ordered them to hunt some wild animals for their dinner tonight.

     "As you wish, our king!" Aeden and Völun exclaimed and left.

     Reika was left alone, along with Alguis, who was still busy placing some finishing touches on the large house.

     "And then... it's done!" Alguis exclaimed.

     Alguis turned around and noticed Reika was waiting for him after all this time. He remembered his orders to bring Reika and have a private conversation with her. He immediately approached her.

     "Oh! My apologies, Miss Reika. I almost forgot you just because I was busy to complete this portion..."

     "It's okay. I only waited a minute or so."

     Though I was so bored that was about to leave without his permission... 

     "Hm... Is that so?"

     Alguis looked around and noticed that the area was quiet.

     "They must be taking a rest now."

     Alguis sat on a log at the side of the large house, and Reika followed him and sat beside him.

     A silence between them emerged as both parties didn't utter any words at all. Seconds later, Alguis was the first one to strike up a conversation.

     "I heard from Aeden that your name is Reika Mitsuha. I thought that you were a woman of high status since you possess a surname, but she told me that having one in your country was common. Is that true?" Alguis asked.

     "Yes, your majesty." Reika said to Alguis.

     Suddenly, Alguis laughed at her.

     "HAHAHAHA! Drop that formality, Miss. I am but an exiled royal now, and my status was long gone..."

     Reika didn't utter any words and listened to him in silence. Alguis stopped laughing and turned serious.

     "Miss Reika, I invited you to have a private conversation with me because I have a very important request for you."

     "What is it, your ma—"

     "Alguis. You can call me Mister Alguis from now on." Alguis said to her.

     "Ah, yes. Mister Alguis, may I know what kind of request it is?" 

     Alguis breathed deeply and stared at the afternoon sky.

     "Seeing that you have some ability to put up a fight like before, I wish to have your assistance..."

     Reika was baffled by Alguis' strange request.

     "Assistance?" Reika asked him.

     "I... I would like you to help me infiltrate the Dwarven Kingdom with three of us and find the truth about my son's sudden change of behavior."

     Reika was surprised by the king's request.

     Infiltrate the dwarven kingdom to know the truth behind his sudden exile? That's impossible!

    "But Mister Alguis, that's too risky! With just the four of us alone, there's a high chance that we might get caught, considering that your son is now cautious and might be busy strengthening the security around the kingdom!" Reika exclaimed.

     "I know that possibility! That's why I need to gather some allies that I can trust and plan this out thoroughly, even if it could take some time to pull it off."

     Alguis clenched his fist.

     "And the first step starts today! By joining you in our plan, the chances of our success will increase. Even if it is only a little, it's better than nothing..."

     Reika fell silent upon hearing Alguis' determination to know the truth. But even though Reika felt sorry for him, it is too much of a gamble to risk her own life on uncertainties just because she let her empathy reign over her logic.

     Urk... I need to shrug off his idea of joining me on their dangerous plan!

     "I might consider on giving you an aid on such a dangerous mission, bu-but doing it without any sort of merit or condition would be unfair on my part, since it's not my problem in the first place, after all..."

     Alguis paused and fondled his beard for a moment.

     "You're right, Miss Reika. It seems disadvantageous on your part," Alguis murmured.

     Reika gulped as she stared at Alguis.

     I know this might sound greedy, but I just want to pressure him by asking such an impossible request so that he will reconsider recruiting me for that suicide mission of his...!

     Alguis fell silent for a moment. Reika eagerly waited for his decision.

     Please, please, please!

     "Miss Reika, I know this might sound absurd, But I... I am willing to accept any request you could ever think of in exchange for your assistance."

     Reika paused for a moment.

     "Eh?"