As the dunes drew near, the air grew dry. The verdant green of the Great Forest Jura faded. The soil turned white. The grass disappeared. The Kagutsuhi Dunes—approximately 150 kilometers south of the capital, Rimuls. Even the abundant magical essence of Jura felt thin here. Benimar walked ahead. Her crimson long hair swayed in the sand wind. Tempe Storm followed several paces behind, thinking about that night at Lake Palmo. Benimar's voice echoed in her mind. ——My feelings will not change. (How am I supposed to......) No answer yet. Watching Benimar's back, Tempe Storm exhaled quietly. Then. A figure stood on the sand path ahead. A hooded robe. Covering the entire body. The height was not so different from Tempe Storm's. Standing alone, the sand around them fell unnaturally silent. "[serious]Stop" Benimar raised her hand. Tempe Storm stopped as well. The hooded figure didn't move. "[serious]Who are you. State your name" For a moment, only the sand wind blew. Then—the hood slowly fell away. Tempe Storm froze. Jet-black long hair. A single strand dyed red. Deep indigo eyes. At the corners of her mouth, a faint expression—barely a smile. The eyes weren't smiling. "[cold]I am relieved to see you safe, Tempe Storm" That voice, Tempe Storm knew. It was the voice she'd heard underwater at Lake Palmo, as consciousness was slipping away. "[surprised]……Souei?" "[cold]……Yes, that is correct" The effect of the Uragaeshi Pot—reversing the body's sex—had affected everyone in the Tempest Kingdom. Souei was no exception. Now she stood at 168 centimeters, a woman's body, yet her bearing hadn't changed at all. Quiet. Cold. Without openings. Benimar's eyes widened. "[surprised]……From Lake Palmo. So it was you" "[cold]I have been following Tempe Storm since we left Lake Palmo" "Why didn't you say anything!?" "[cold]Tracking without being noticed is the basic principle of intelligence oversight" "That's not a work matter—that's a report to me!" Souei remained expressionless and stepped forward. "[cold]My affection for Tempe Storm does not change even if my body has changed. Rather—it has grown stronger" The sand wind blew. Tempe Storm couldn't find the right words. Souei's indigo eyes looked straight at her. There was no emotion. Or perhaps there was too much emotion, all of it sealed away. Benimar moved beside her. "[angry]Wait. I was here first. What are you confessing on your own" "[cold]What does your being here first have to do with my feelings" "Everything!!" "[cold]……That is not logical" "You're the one being illogical!!" Then sand rose up. The sound of feet striking ground. Small. But running at full speed. Something burst from the sand cloud—bright purple hair. Two small horns on her head. Gleaming heterochromatic eyes, left red, right gold. Height 135 centimeters. A dragon-human who had regressed to a child's size due to the Uragaeshi Pot's influence charged straight at Tempe Storm at full speed. "Tempe Stooooorm!!!" Crash!! She clung to Tempe Storm's left arm. "[excited]Found you! You're mine, Tempe Storm!!" "[surprised]Mirim, what are you doing here!?" "[excited]I was chasing you! My Tempe Storm went somewhere!!" "……My Tempe Storm?" "[excited]Tempe Storm belongs to Mirim! I'll protect you with dragon-human power! Definitely!!" The grip around her arm was stronger than expected. Benimar and Souei looked at Mirim simultaneously. "[angry]……Hey, you came later" "[cold]I agree" "Coming later doesn't matter!! Me and Tempe Storm are special!!" An argument erupted from three directions. Benimar glared at Mirim. Mirim shouted something at Benimar. Souei watched both of them expressionlessly. In Tempe Storm's mind, the Sage interrupted. 《Currently, dangerous argument energy is being generated, surpassing combat danger levels》 (……Thank you for the unnecessary analysis) "[serious]Everyone, calm down! All three of you! We need to gather the spell fragments first!!" No one was listening. Tempe Storm held her head. --- The four of them walked across the dunes. Mirim occupied Tempe Storm's left arm. Benimar refused to yield a single step on Tempe Storm's right side. Souei followed silently directly behind Tempe Storm. The sand was hot. The sun was high. The sandstorm peculiar to the Kagutsuhi Dunes faintly swirled sand in the distance. "[angry]Mirim, switch left and right" "[sarcastic]No" The grip on her arm tightened further. Tempe Storm stumbled. "Whoa" "[cold]Tempe Storm, if you fall, I will support you from behind" "I'll do that" "[cold]I will do it" "I will!!" In the middle of the three, Tempe Storm alone was gradually losing stamina. (……This is the kind of journey that exhausts your body) But—she suddenly realized. All three of them were concerned about her. Their directions were scattered, but they all pointed the same way. That was, somehow, a little embarrassing. The dune wind hit her face. Tempe Storm looked ahead. Benimar's profile entered the edge of her vision. The voice from the lakeside last night echoed in her mind again. ——My feelings will not change. (……What am I supposed to do, really) She hurriedly looked toward the dunes. --- The Tower of Hino stood in the center of the dunes. A ruin tower 30 meters high. Half-buried in sandstorms, yet it had stood there for over 1000 years. Ancient characters were carved into the outer walls, and climbing the spiral staircase inside should lead to a room with murals of the third section. Passing through the tower's entrance and entering the mural room. There was someone already there. A middle-aged mage with a gentle smile. His robe was a calm green, his hair gray, nearly white. His eyes were narrow, appearing kind. He stood before the murals, copying ancient characters. "Ah, you've arrived" He turned around. There was no hostility in his face. "[cold]……Who are you" "My name is Verde. I am a researcher of ancient magical artifacts. I came here to investigate the Uragaeshi Pot" Tempe Storm's Sage skill sensed something faint. 《Regarding this person, there is insufficient information to determine abnormality》 No basis emerged. But something felt off. Souei narrowed her eyes, observing Verde. Silent. Watching. Benimar stepped half a pace in front of Tempe Storm, taking a defensive stance. Only Mirim approached the murals without concern. "[curious]What does this mean?" "Ancient characters. Can you read them?" "I can't read them" "Then let us do so together" Verde stood beside the murals and began deciphering the ancient characters. Tempe Storm joined in. Souei and Benimar continued their vigilance in the back, but gradually drew closer. The four and one deciphered the third section's spell from the murals. Midway through the decipherment, Verde came beside Tempe Storm. He lowered his voice. "[whispers]May I tell you something? That pot—it has not only the power to restore things, but also the power to reshape your body into whatever form you desire. You have the option of living in your current form" Tempe Storm fell silent. Living in this form. In a woman's body. That such an option existed—she had never considered it. Benimar opened her mouth, watching Verde. "[serious]……It doesn't matter" Tempe Storm looked at Benimar. "[serious]Tempe Storm being Tempe Storm doesn't change. No matter what body you have" It was a strong, quiet voice. Tempe Storm's heart jumped again in the center of her chest. (This person really is——) "Has everyone confirmed it" "Yes. The third section, we read it all" "Then——" Verde's smile disappeared. He snapped his fingers. Snap. The floor glowed. The magical circle carved into the tower's stone floor—a mana absorption circle—activated all at once. Faster than the Sage in Tempe Storm's mind could scream, parallel processing stopped. (——Why) Judgment power fell. Analysis became impossible. The sensation of the Sage skill being sealed was like part of her brain slowly freezing over. "[cold]An interesting trap. When did you set it" "You've been stepping on it since you entered the tower" Crash!! The spiral staircase collapsed. The tower shook. Cracks appeared in the walls, sand fell from the ceiling. The entire tower crumbled from within. "[angry]Tempe Storm! The exit!!" Benimar grabbed Tempe Storm's arm and pulled. They ran. Souei fell back to cover, deflecting every pursuit spell Verde cast. Bang, bang, magic struck the walls, scattering sparks. Mirim charged at Verde. "[angry]What are you doing!!" Verde pulled a small magical artifact from her pocket. She activated it. Mirim's body stopped for a moment. The dragon-human's mana control—the very foundation of Mirim's power—the artifact interfered with it. Mirim looked at her own hands. "[scared]……Huh, I can't……" Power leaked out. Uncontrollable. Boom!!! Mirim's power went berserk. The entire dune was hit by an explosive impact, and the tower's outer wall blew away. Scattered rubble danced through the air, raining down on Tempe Storm. "[scared]Tempe Storm!!" A black shadow covered her. Souei was shielding her. The sound of rubble striking her back. Three times. Four times. Souei's body sank with each impact. "[serious]Souei!!" "[cold]……I'm fine" She wasn't fine. She was on her knees. Blood ran from her shoulder. Her voice was hoarse. "[angry]Mirim!!" Benimar threw herself at Mirim. She tried to contain the dragon-human's rampage with both arms. Benimar, whose power was halved by her female form, held Mirim with her entire body. The sensation of cracks running through Benimar's own body showed on her face. The sandstorm blocked the view. Beyond the sandstorm, Verde moved. She gathered the rubbing of the murals—the paper with the third section's spell written on it—into her pocket and disappeared into the depths of the dunes. Even her footsteps made no sound. Tempe Storm stood frozen. She tried to call the Sage. No response. Her mind was too quiet. The parallel processing that had always been beside her was gone, and when she thought of one thing, she couldn't think of anything else. (It's my fault……It's because of me) The Sage had shown signs of unease from the start. It said it couldn't grasp the basis, but she should have been more cautious. She had trusted that smile. Her knees nearly gave way. --- The sandstorm subsided. The four had moved to the shadow of the tower's remains. Souei couldn't move. She leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed. Conscious. But not in a state to stand. Mirim had exhausted her mana and slept slumped against Tempe Storm's side. Her small body rose and fell faintly. "[gentle]Are you alright" A hand covered in wounds touched Tempe Storm's shoulder. It was Benimar. Her face had several cuts. Her clothes were covered in sand. Yet she stood straight. Tempe Storm called out to the Sage skill. No response. She called again. Nothing. "[sad]……The Sage won't respond" "……" "It's my fault. If I had the Sage, I might have seen through Verde from the start. My guard was down. Souei, Mirim——" "[serious]It's not your fault" Immediate. Benimar knelt on the sand in front of Tempe Storm. Without hesitation. To meet her at eye level, looking directly at her. "[serious]Without you, there would be no three sections of the spell. Souei, I, Mirim—we all chose to move. No one forced us" Tempe Storm couldn't look away from Benimar's eyes. Something caught in her throat—wanting to cry, wanting to scream. Benimar's answer to her feelings still hadn't come. But in this moment, the relief of Benimar being beside her came first. No words came out. Instead, she nodded slightly. Benimar exhaled, as if relieved. Then she tried to stand—pain from her wounds twisted her face. Just for a moment. She quickly composed herself, but Tempe Storm had seen that instant. "[serious]……Then, let us consider our next move" She stood and looked toward the dunes. Tempe Storm watched her back. (Benimar……) She o