That night, half the wall had been sealed. Valentia Lucas was still thinking about it, lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. The creaking wooden ceiling of the inn "Lantern Branch Pavilion." Morning light filtered thinly through the window gaps. (I can't just decompose things... I might be able to put them back together too.) The "might" part was frustrating. He couldn't control it, and he didn't understand the logic. But the sand definitely reformed into the shape of stone. If that wasn't a coincidence— Knock knock knock! Someone was pounding on the door. "[excited]Mister Valentia! Are you awake!?" It was Aria. Lucas jumped up. Based on the window light, it was early morning. Work shouldn't have started yet. Why was she here? "[surprised]I'm up! What?" "[excited]Well! I need you to come with me for something today!" —And that's how Lucas ended up walking through the city of Bernd. --- Fern Aria talked a lot while walking. Her bright water-blue hair swayed in the morning breeze. Her silver eyes darted around, taking in the sights of the city, and every time she spotted something, she'd start explaining: "That place is—" "[gentle]That's the bakery. The rye bread fresh from this morning is the most delicious." "I see." "[gentle]That's the home of a former miner. Now he grows vegetables and sells them at the edge of the alley in the evening." "Huh." "[gentle]That's a closed-down blacksmith." "..." "[gentle]That's also a closed-down weaver. And that's a closed-down herb shop—no wait, Meena took it over and it's operating now. Good." Lucas's expression gradually became complicated. (There are way too many closed shops...) Aria didn't look sad at all. She was just matter-of-factly describing the familiar sights of her city. Somehow, that made it even more noticeable. As they walked along the stone-paved road, Lucas spotted a pile of rusty iron scraps in the corner of an alley. Mining tools. Pickaxes and iron rods that must have supported something. They were still here, unused by anyone, never discarded. "[serious]...This is a lonely city." Aria paused for a moment. Her walking pace slowed just slightly. "[gentle]The mine dried up thirty years ago, and the city's population dropped to less than half." She spoke quietly, looking at the rusty tools. "[gentle]There used to be eight thousand people. Now there's just over three thousand. Shops have closed, walls have deteriorated... I think it looks like a worn-out city to outsiders." "Yeah, well." He answered honestly. Aria let out a small laugh. "[gentle]But I don't want to leave. I love this city." It was straightforward. No hesitation. Lucas fell silent for a moment. There was always this feeling—was it okay for him to be here? Ever since being exiled from the capital, no matter where he went, he couldn't shake the sense that "this isn't my place." Even after five days in Bernd, that hadn't changed. "[whispers]...I still don't really know if it's okay for me to be here." He didn't even know why he'd said that. Aria stopped and looked at Lucas. Then she puffed out her chest. "[serious]It's okay. I guarantee it." There seemed to be no basis for it. But somehow it was convincing. "[serious]...Thank you." His voice became quiet. Aria was already walking again. "[gentle]Well! That's a closed-down jewelry shop." "I don't need to hear about the closed shops anymore." --- They returned to the guild before noon. Fang of Links Bernd Branch—commonly called Links—had an unfamiliar request notice posted in the center of the bulletin board. 【Request: Folda Poison Swamp - Continued Expansion】 【Details: 8km west of Bernd, the Folda Poison Swamp is encroaching on surrounding farmland. Investigation of cause and countermeasures required.】 【Recommended Rank: C-Rank or higher】 【Posted: 3 days ago】 "[serious]...Zero takers in three days?" Lucas picked up the request notice. The Folda Poison Swamp—for the past three years, a poison of unknown origin had been seeping out, encroaching on farmland. Contact with the poison caused skin necrosis; inhaling it damaged the lungs. There had been livestock casualties too. C-Rank or higher recommended. Lucas was currently F-Rank. Across the counter, Aria was looking at him. "[cold]Mister Valentia, you're F-Rank, aren't you?" It was a procedural confirmation. Her voice was completely emotionless. "[serious]I think my skill might work on poison too." Aria went silent. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds. "[serious]...I'll accompany you. For information support." "Really? Is that okay?" "[serious]I can't let you go alone—there's no telling what you'd do." There was a hint of worry mixed into her reason, though Aria herself probably didn't notice it. --- The Folda Poison Swamp was three times worse than Lucas had imagined. The moment they approached, his eyes began to sting. Purple mist rose from the ground, plants were withered and blackened, and the air felt heavy. There was an unpleasant smell—neither sour nor rotten, but something in between. "[scared]Don't touch it! Your skin will necrotize!" "I know!" "[scared]You don't look like you know!" Lucas was leaning a bit too far toward the swamp. She was right—he was too close. "[serious]So if I decompose all the poison in the air at once—" The mark on his right hand began to glow. "[angry]Wait wait wait!" Aria grabbed his arm. "[angry]If you do it all at once over a wide area, your life force will be completely drained! You'll collapse!" "...Oh, right." Life force—the energy in the body consumed when using skills. If he tried to decompose all the poison in such a wide area at once, it would definitely exceed the life force capacity of an average adult. (Damn, I almost died.) "[serious]First we identify the source. If we focus on just that spot, we can narrow the range." Aria pulled a small notebook from her pouch. She walked around the perimeter of the swamp, checking the condition of the surrounding plants, the direction of withering, and traces of water flow. "[serious]The way this withering spreads... it's seeping from the bottom of the swamp, southeast. Based on the water flow and the direction of plant growth, I'm certain." "You're confident about that?" "[serious]Well!" Her usual catchphrase slipped out. Lucas held his hand toward the southeast bottom of the swamp. The mark on his right hand glowed. [[Skill <<Decompose>> Activated]] He narrowed the range. Just the bottom of the swamp, just the poison source. Don't spread it. Deep, pinpoint focus. The purple mist began to fade slowly. "[excited]It's getting lighter! Keep going!" Lucas maintained his concentration. He could feel his life force decreasing. But not enough to collapse. At this pace, he'd be fine. Three minutes later. The purple was gone. The mist cleared, and the swamp water gradually became transparent. The smell of withered grass lingered, but that unpleasant sour stench had vanished. The water surface became still, and the bottom came into view. Lucas and Aria looked at each other. "...We did it." "[gentle]...We did it." They said it in exactly the same tone. For a while, both of them just watched the water becoming transparent. --- When the bottom of the swamp became completely visible, they noticed something sinking there. A black stone, about the size of a fist. Lucas used his decompose skill to crumble the surrounding mud slightly and retrieved the stone. After wiping away the moisture, he saw fine runes carved into the surface. Complex patterns—shapes he'd seen before but also hadn't. "[surprised]...What is this?" He showed it to Aria. Aria tilted her head. "[serious]The material is different from the rune stones used in the Divine Blessing Ceremony. But... the shape seems similar. The pattern of the runes." "[serious]Is it the same thing?" "[serious]I don't know. I've never seen anything like it." Lucas stared at the stone for a while, then put it in his pouch. He could investigate later. "Let's head back." That's when it happened. A low sound came from the direction of Mirza's Black Forest. Not exactly a sound—more like a vibration. A tremor transmitted through the ground, felt through the soles of their feet. At regular intervals, repeating. At the same time, birds flew up in unison from beyond the trees. Wings fluttered and scattered across the sky. Aria turned toward the Black Forest. "[serious]...That's not a Dilfang's cry." Dilfang—wolf-type monsters that lived on the outer edges of Mirza's Black Forest, D-Rank danger level. "[serious]Something much larger." Her expression was serious. Her usual smile was gone. Lucas looked in the same direction. He sensed something moving between the trees. A shadow flickered. But he couldn't see its form. Both of them silently increased their walking pace slightly. --- When they reached Bernd's entrance, someone was standing there. A woman in her mid-fifties, solidly built. Arms crossed, looking at them. Patty Rou, the innkeeper of "Lantern Branch Pavilion." "[angry]Is it true you fixed the poison swamp?" Before Lucas could open his mouth, two large loaves of bread were pressed against his chest. "[serious]N-no, but—" "[serious]No charge. My fields are saved because of you." "But it wasn't that big of a deal—" "[serious]You'd be losing out if you didn't eat them." The conversation was over. Patty turned on her heel and left. The ending was too abrupt. "...Seriously?" As he stood there with bread in both hands, he heard children's voices from down the alley. "It's the decompose guy!" "The one who beat the swamp!" Four children came running and started circling around Lucas. Two boys about seven years old and two slightly younger girls. All of them had sparkling eyes. "[scared]Ah, w-wait, it wasn't that impressive—" "We heard it was amazing!" "What's your skill, mister?" "Come back again!" "[gentle]You should accept it properly." Aria was grinning beside him. "[gentle]It would be rude to refuse." Lucas stood surrounded by children, bread in both hands. (What is this. What is this.) It wasn't embarrassment so much as... warmth. Maybe this place could become my home—for the first time, he genuinely thought that. Really meant it. --- They returned to the guild in the evening. As Aria went behind the reception counter, she suddenly said: "[surprised]Mister Valentia, your hand is cut." "Huh?" He looked at his left hand. There was a small cut near the base of his pinky. He must have cut it when retrieving the stone from the swamp bottom on some sharp rock. He hadn't noticed. "[serious]It's fine." "[serious]It's not fine. I'll disinfect it." She immediately objected. Aria pulled out bandages and disinfectant from a drawer and came around the counter. She took Lucas's left hand in both of hers. "[serious]This will sting a little." The disinfectant touched the cut, and a sharp pain shot through it. "[scared]...Ugh." "[gentle]Sorry, just a bit more." Aria wrapped the bandage around his hand. Her slender fingers moved carefully along his hand. She had a concentrated expression—eyebrows slightly furrowed, serious face. After finishing the bandage, Aria cupped Lucas's hand in both of hers and looked up. "[gentle]Thank you for your hard work today. You were really amazing." For a few seconds, neither of them noticed. Lucas looked down. (... Oh.) "[surprised]Ah, you're still holding my hand." "[surprised]Oh." Aria quickly let go. Heat rose to Lucas's ears. He felt warmth spreading across his entire face. Aria turned toward the window. "[gentle]...It's just the disinfectant residue." It was an unrelated comment. Silence lasted three seconds. "[serious]...Thank you very much." His voice came out monotone. "[gentle]You're welcome." She answered while still facing the window. Neither of