Not long after the achievement prompts appear, Ariel cheerfully flies out of the giant egg, a frosty aura trailing behind her hands.

''I did it~!''

A quick inspection tells me that Ariel has risen all the way to level 43.

''Good job.''

''Yeah, you did well.''

''Eheheh...''

As we quietly celebrate the victory, the golden light emitting from the egg slowly dissipates, leaving only darkness behind. Although the scenario has successfully been conquered, there is still something to do.

''You two can rest now.'' I turn to the undead siblings. ''I'll handle the rest.''

''Roger.''

''Roger! Don't overwork yourself~!''

With that, the two pass through the door and return to the Backrooms. 

''...''

Overworking myself, huh. While it is true that leveling up replenishes my physical stamina, my mental capacity is not invincible, especially considering that I force my consciousness to wake in the daytime.

Maybe I should seriously sleep for a night after this.

That does sound nice, yes.

Slowly, I move my feet toward the exit, dreaming of a healthy sleep session. With Nova in tow, I walk directly toward the late archbishop's study. The tails are still with us, but I can't be bothered to chase them. 

Once I reach the destination, I leave the guarding to Nova again and get into the room.

''You're here.'' A female voice sounds.

''Bishop Linsey.'' I reply.

''If you are here... I assume it is over?''

''Yes.''

I say as I casually look around. The room is filled with bookshelves, and upon skimming the titles of the books, it is trivially easy to decipher that Vincent loved history, monster ecology, and science. With that in mind, I honestly can't understand his irrational judgment.

The man decided to summon an entity close to godhood in the hope that it would rule and save the world, yet he didn't think for a moment that such an entity might hold hostility toward us. Was the situation that dire?

While thinking about that, Linsey speaks up again.

''I see... So the archbishop has died.'' She sighs; a hint of melancholy can be inferred from her slightly wrinkled face. 

"Do you think Vincent deserves his demise?" I ask, browsing the books on a shelf.

''Well... I do think his intention was good. He was always a man of the people, after all. What do you think?''

I pick a book about divine entities and start to scan through its content. As for Linsey's question, I have already formed my opinion from the beginning.

''Stupidity, when causing harm to others, is a sin.'' I reply firmly. ''Vincent's action threatened the world, and he paid the price for his mistake.''

''That's... Fair, I suppose.'' Linsey lets out a sigh once again. ''Oh, and I have another question. What exactly was D-32?''

''A genetically modified species of dragon. They serve as guardians for newborn star systems, protecting them from outside interferences.'' I explain. ''Newborns of this species act similar to real dragons since their systems have not been tuned, which is why we have this incident.''

''...It's a lot to take in all of the sudden.''

''More than that, you should be concerned about Neveah going forward.''

''I know. Neveah is going to face a lot of troubles from now on, and after all of the evidence is out—after the remnant of Vincent's ideology is removed, I will probably be the one handling all of it.''

''You will be the next archbishop.''

''...Right.''

''Good luck.''

''Hahah...'' Linsey chuckles. ''You, Miss G.''

''Silaerob.''

''Silaerob. You are a good person. My instinct is telling me that. Yet, the press will probably scrutinize you for befriending Orcinus Nova.''

''Probably.''

''Do you feel unfair? You basically saved Neveah, after all.''

''I do not care much.''

''Still, having allies to rely on rather than shouldering the criticisms alone is reassuring, no?''

''What are you trying to say?''

Turning away from the book, I look straight into Linsey's determined eyes.

''Silaerob. Your goal and mine is the same.'' She says. ''Why don't we establish a proper alliance?''

Giving it a bit of silence, I eventually reply.

''...Sure. We can discuss this later.''

''I'm glad.'' Linsey smiles. ''With this, Neveah and... Oh, I assume that your territory is somewhere near Zircon Forest?''

''West Zircon and North Zircon are mine.''

''You conquered two of them...!?'' Linsey appears to be shocked. ''Wait, so the unexplained entities we encountered during the expedition...!''

''They are my friends.''

''Hah! What a turn of events.''

''Dissatisfied?''

''Of course not. I don't care what you are, as long as you are on humanity's side.''

''I see.''

After a few more rounds of exchange, Linsey says she has to make an appearance and exits through the window. That leaves only me in the room.

''...''

Quietly, I close the book and put it back on the shelf before going closer to the window. Basking in the stars' light is an antique table, one that hosts many of Vincent's secrets. Disregarding the outer drawers, I gain access to the secret cabin following Chloe's instructions.

Vincent's diary and many other trinkets are inside. Perhaps the most interesting of them all is a neatly machined metal box with a cosmic design carved on it. The phrase 'AEN-088' is clearly etched on the front lid, while the back of it has the serial number and the descriptions of the items.

[08810032713]

[AEN-088]

[An experimental product procured during the AEN Project. Refer to Dr. J for specific usages.]

[Warning: May cause mental distress if not appropriately controlled.]

The descriptions are conveyed in two languages. One is the Imperial language of this world, and the other is... English.

It's not surprising knowing the backstory of the AEN Project, yet it still makes me feel restless.

Curiously, I open the box and am greeted with four empty sockets. Said sockets all have a four-edged star design, albeit the two top ones are slightly bigger.

''...''

Well, nothing is nothing.

It's a shame that AEN-088 is not transferrable. Vincent's pair perished with his body, so no cheating items for me. But that also means that Luxia's mind-reading ability is truly unique. 

Luxia...

I can't imagine how she must feel after learning of this whole incident.

Obviously, as the player right now and as a fellow human being, I can't ignore Luxia's struggles. I have full intention of recovering her and making her a force in the decisive battle to save the world.

''Hah...''

Freshening myself one last time, I casually wave my hand at the wall, opening a passage to the Backrooms. Stepping inside, I see the twin-tailed pink-haired girl sound asleep on the mattress I prepared, unaware of the changes in the world.

Carefully, I lift her in a princess carry and bring her to Vincent's study, sitting her on a chair opposite the table. 

If I'm not wrong, the item's effect should be lifted soon, meaning Luxia is about to wake up. Still, I grab another random book and sit on Vincent's chair to read. The moonlight pours in, casting my shadow on the old table, yet the book under my shade appears clearer than ever.

This is how an owl works.

Nevertheless, time passes quietly. After a while of flipping through the pages, I finally notice movements from the girl sitting before me.

''U-Ugh...''

Luxia slowly opens her eyes, scanning around a bit before fixing her gaze on me.