“Oh, my heart is calm at seeing you so well, Lord Springfield... It is impossible for me to be happier!” said Tilde.  

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes? I thought you would’ve been gone for longer.”  

“Mmn, I did too. Guess I couldn’t just stay from you. But Lord Springfield, do you mind if I inquire as to why you're raising towards me?” Tilde raised a delicate finger to the revolver and tapped it.   

My finger wasn’t on the trigger, and the cylinder was behind me on the bed. It couldn’t fire in this state. 

Her voice is the same. But there’s something drastically different about her demeanor.   

“Before I do, there is something I must know. Did you or did you not swear to have my best interests in mind?”  

“I did. I always—”  

"I'll give you a chance to revise that statement. The Essence of Wrath..." 

“…” Tilde was quiet. Too quiet. “I’m sorry, Lord Springfield. I overlooked something and made a critical error.” Tilde, now constructed, got to her feet and properly kneeled. She fought hard to look me in the eye like she didn’t deserve my gaze. “The Essence of Wrath is shrewd, but as a Divine Skill-- as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, it can communicate with its wielder. The same is true with the Seven Heavenly Virtues. But it takes many years to nurture that capability. Time flows differently in the void. Sixty days passed, but the dilation made it feel like a million years, and the Essence of Wrath manifested using that loophole. No, I don’t have an excuse. My inexperience..." Tilde sniffed. "You can tell, can’t you? Your evolution and my reincarnation broke the link connecting our life force because my task has been completed. If you decide to end my life, I’ll die for good. I’m not immortal anymore. I’ll accept my death...” Tilde sadly smiled and closed her eyes.   

“It’s also my fault because I wasn’t strong enough. But that’s going to change from here on out?” My revolver and its cylinder vanished, returning to my soul. "How can I ever exceed your standards if you're not there to keep teaching me?" 

“Lord Springfield…” Tilde slowly met my eyes, salty water streaming down her cute cheeks. “You’ve changed in the short time I’ve been gone. When my reincarnation process finished, I received the gist of things from Tris, but you’ve grown into a fine woman since then. I’m so proud of you… Oh, it almost makes me want to cry.”  

“You are crying, Conduit. I can confirm that,” added Tris, standing by my side with her arms folded across her stomach.   

“It’s good I don’t have to worry about hurting you when training.”   

“Yes, it is. But had it not changed, I would’ve endured it a thousand times if it meant you’d get closer to your goal.” Surtr introduced itself and then apologized for the prior hostility. “And good to meet you, Surtr.”  

“Likewise, Lady Tilde.”  

Tilde flew to the bed and crossed her legs. Her expression wasn’t suited for the crude, crass, overtly sexual Tilde she used to be.   

We chatted about that like old friends, and we were able to reconnect rapidly. But she confirmed a core part of herself was altered in the process. At her essence, she was still Tilde. She likened her previous self to someone going through adolescence. Her new form had a mental state like a young adult graduating college or starting their first professional job.   

The comparison was about as clear as mud, but I understood it. The important thing was that Tilde-- my precious fairy-- was back.   

We just needed Sekh... 

“But let me ask something. Is there anything else I should know? Maybe something that could affect me going forward? Think long and hard, okay?” 

“There’s…one thing. But…” Tilde nervously rubbed her arms. She looked to Tris for support, and I asked if she knew.   

“I do.”  

“Please, don’t make me say it. It won't help you.”  

“Telling you has a 0% chance of offering any discernible benefits while irreversibly harming you.”  

“We don’t think you’re ready to hear it. Please, I know you don’t have any right to trust me, but I’m begging you…”  

Seeing Tilde plead like that… It just felt wrong.    

“If you give the order, I will tell you, my lord.” Tris’s look was more determined. I’d never seen her look so resolute. She acted differently—with a resolved aura that wasn’t there when I had spent an hour fluffing her ears and rubbing her tail.    

Surtr gave me a look.    

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you,” I said, turning to Tilde. “You can tell me when you feel I’m ready. I trust you two more than myself.” 

I’m curious. But my curiosity doesn’t extend farther than Tris and Tilde. I must believe them. They wouldn’t do this without a good reason.    

“You still trust me? Even…”  

“Why wouldn’t I?” I held a finger to Tilde, and she grabbed it with both hands. She cutely smiled, wiped her teary eyes, and changed topics. We spoke about [Conferment], but Tilde didn’t have any further info on if anything else was locked away. It’d be awesome if I had a list of what I could unlock for myself and the rest of the world. If not that, then some confirmation that there was something else to work towards.   

It couldn’t have just been [Conferment].   

Tilde didn’t know any other factors behind my unlocking of [Conferment], but she was almost certain praying wasn’t connected. She said this world had skills like [Faith Infusion], which would be what a cult leader would have. Their strength would grow as they acquired more worshippers, but that differed from what we were dealing with.  

It was probably my realization and desires that broke the lock.  

“My lord, I felt your discomfort from the beginning. You didn’t like my worship, did you?” 

“I didn’t,” I said, admitting the truth. “I forced myself to believe otherwise. I love you, Tris, but I’m sorry. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.” 

“Please don’t say that!” She grabbed my hands and held them. “Even if it isn’t my prayers, I can… I… I can…” 

“It seems the Conduit needs to help Little Miss AI,” Tilde interjected. “Don’t think of them as prayers. Think of them as inspiration. You know how soldiers sometimes look at photos of their loved ones?” I nodded. “Well, this is that. You won’t be the target of her prayers. But you’re what inspires her to try her hardest. Will that work?”  

My heart warmed. “Yeah, it would. I don’t want to be thought of as a goddess. Not unless I’m shown proof that it’ll strengthen me in the long run. That’s my concession. Tris, I see you as an equal, okay? I want you to stand with me, not below me. Promise me you’ll keep that in mind.” 

Tris nodded and displayed a bright smile. She was happy. I knew her ears and tail were twitching and wagging. 

“I’m with you the rest of the way! Ah, Lord Springfield?”  

“I’m not used to you calling me that. It sounds wrong.”  

“Oh, would you prefer me to lovingly call you my dearest Master?” Tilde narrowed her eyes and grinned.   

“Maybe I do. Regardless, you’ll always be my teacher. It’s impossible to thank you enough for all you’ve done for me. I love you.”  

“And I love you too, my lovable Master Lord Springfield. Or would you prefer Lord Master Springfield?”  

“Yeah, maybe don’t combine the two.”  

We shared a chuckle.   

“My lord, I can confirm your stress has vanished. Your heart is at ease. And I love you, too! It isn’t just the Conduit!”  

“Oh? Is someone getting a little jealous? Scared I’ll steal your precious lord away from you?” Tilde’s haughty, playful tone returned. She mischievously covered her mouth. 

It’s good to know some of that old personality is still in there.   

“Con-Conduit! Please!!” Tris went cherry tomato in the cheeks. It was cute seeing her embarrassed. She quickly sat beside me and hugged my arm, adorably pouting.   

“I’ve always enjoyed being a fairy, but there’s more I wish to do that I can’t do in this body. I grew by three inches... I finally have boobs to grope... but it isn’t enough. Even when you achieve Soul Evolution again, I won’t change. This is my swan song... The Tilde before you is the one you’ll see until the very end. Hey, even if I look like this... I’m not the Tilde you’re familiar with. You won’t...leave me, right?”  

“You’ll always have a special place in my heart. And you’ll always be my fairy.”  

Tilde looked into my eyes. She showed me a picturesque smile, but it was all I needed to understand her feelings.   

I think…I know what I must do.   

“Tilde. Do you trust me?”  

“More than anyone else I’ve ever met.”  

When I stood, the fairy raised an eyebrow. But Tilde didn’t question it when I commanded her to kneel in the middle of the room. Holding out my hand, I focused on the limits of my life force and dug deep inside my soul to extract the left-over mana clinging to Tilde’s body.  

That was going to be the fuel. It’d require approximately 30% of my remaining life force, but that was fine. I could easily replace it. I’d have to work harder than ever... But I knew I could do it.   

“With the power of [Conferment], I use my authority as the Transcendent Dark Lord to declare an end to the Conduit’s eternal labor. Your desire has been made clear, and I grant you the opportunity to fulfill the whims of your heart. From henceforth, you shall be reborn and known as Tilde Springfield.”  

Whooshing mana gathered on my palms, and the grey energy covered a crying fairy. Tears flowed from her delicate, beautiful eyes when I spoke, which soon closed as she went limp. An unknown force caused her to float. The surrounding magical energy encased her body within a pillar of mana that neither me, Tilde, nor Surtr could pierce.   

But it didn’t remain for long…  

The gathered mana simmered and vanished after settling, leaving behind a floating woman naked as the day she was probably born. In terms of appearance, it was Tilde--without the mana body paint, the choker, and the earrings.   

She had grown leaps and bounds, and Tilde was now three inches shorter than me.   

“My lord, did—”  

“I did. That isn’t the Conduit anymore. Tilde is now capable of experiencing life to the fullest without worrying about her task. She’s free to level up, fight, spend SP, earn titles…  She can live now. This was the best reward I could think of to thank her for her endless service.”   

“My calculations suggest you have chosen correctly.”  

“It’ll take a few hours for [Conferment] to write her Status Menu and register her soul. But this means her link to us will disappear. She won’t have access to our abilities anymore.” I walked to Tilde and gently held her in my arms. She was so warm. And soft. Ever since we shared that moment in the tub when Sekh was drunk, I wondered if a day like this would ever come—when I could embrace her like this.   

And now it had. 

Tris pulled back the covers, and we tucked her into bed.   

“What is the plan?” asked Surtr, who silently watched as I sat against the bed frame and leaned against it.    

“We have about 4 hours until dawn, so I’m going to use that time to make some stuff with my webbing. Tris, I’ll be relying on you for guidance and support. Might need your help for a few things I wanna experiment with.”   

She sat on her knees near me and nodded-- a determined smile across her face. “Leave it to me, my lord!” she said enthusiastically.