The two of us walked side by side. This vilge was, of course, nothing like the bustling cities of the kingdom. With its sparse popution, it was the very picture of the countryside.

  But if I had to choose, I preferred living in a rural area like this. We were heading toward a nearby stream. The weather today was particurly pleasant.

  It was a day that felt like spring. Warm sunlight gently poured down, and the sky was a clear, vivid blue. The chirping of birds reached our ears, carried by the soft breeze.

  "It's such nice weather today.""Yeah."

  Seems like Lia was thinking the same thing.

  "But… can I really fish?""Well, deep-sea fishing is a different story, but catching fish in a stream is something even kids can do.""I see. That sounds fun!""Yeah."

  Lia’s face broke into a bright smile. Honestly, I didn’t dislike the days I spent with her. Our distance from each other was neither too far nor too close—just right.

  "Alright, we’re here."

  We arrived safely at the stream. I pulled out the fishing gear from the bag I’d brought. Though, all I’d packed was bait—some bugs I’d found behind the mansion and stuffed into a box.

  The fishing rods we had were simple things, just carved wood with a line and hook attached. Not exactly reliable for big catches, but for a small stream like this, they’d do.

  "Ugh… it’s all wriggly…""You don’t like it?""A little… yeah.""Then I’ll bait the hooks for you.""Thanks."

  I baited both our hooks and cast the lines into the water. Now all we had to do was wait for a bite.

  "Hey, Yuri, you’re an adventurer, right?""Yeah.""What’s your rank?"

  Since no fish seemed to be biting yet, we made small talk.

  "F-rank.""Liar. You took down that griffin, didn’t you?""Well…"

  I could’ve tried to dodge the question, but I got the feeling she already had some idea. Trying to lie now would probably backfire. But she didn’t press further.

  "Honestly… I was really lonely, all by myself. It hasn’t been long since I started living with you, but it’s been fun. But… I’m sure you have some kind of goal, right? Something really important?""Yeah. I’ll be leaving this vilge eventually. For a certain mission.""Mhm. I think you’ll become someone amazing. You’re definitely not just some ordinary guy. So, until then, let’s get along, okay?""Yeah."

  I felt the same way. If not for my mission, maybe I could’ve stayed here with Ria, living peacefully like this forever. But unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.

  I had to keep moving forward—to survive.

  "Ah! I think I got something…!"

  Lia’s line had a bite. Startled, she leaned back hard, but I steadied her.

  "Don’t pull too hard. Gently, gently.""Gently… gently…"

  Carefully controlling her strength, she reeled in the line.

  "Now! Pull it up hard!""Got it!"

  With perfect timing, Lia yanked the rod upward—and there, hooked at the end, was a fish. I unhooked it and checked the species.

  "This is a Starfish.""Starfish?""Yeah. See the star-like patterns on its body? It’s a common fish, but grilled with salt, it’s seriously delicious. A favorite among adventurers.""Huh. Really?""Though I thought I’d be the first to catch one. You’re pretty good.""Hehe. Must be beginner’s luck!"

  Lia puffed out her chest proudly. She must’ve been really happy.

  After that, we caught a few more fish and decided to cook them right there.

  I wanted to start a fire, but I couldn’t use fire magic. I could rub sticks together the old-fashioned way, but… I figured I’d ask Ria first.

  "Lia, can you use fire magic?""Huh? Yeah, I can use all the basic elements.""Impressive. Mind lighting a fire for me?"

  Saint Lia was a genius among mages. She could wield the four basic elements—fire, water, ice, and lightning—as well as healing magic. And beyond that… she had a unique magic of her own.

  "Fire."

  With Lia’s spell, the fire ignited, and I immediately got to grilling. Skewering the fish carefully, I sprinkled them with salt and cooked them thoroughly.

  "You’re really good at cooking. Is that because you’re an adventurer?""Yeah. Adventurers have to forage and cook on the spot sometimes.""Huh. I see."

  As we talked, the fish finished cooking.

  "Here. Be careful, it’s hot.""Mhm. Mmm… yeah, it is."

  Lia took a bite, and her eyes sparkled the moment the fvor hit her tongue.

  "Mmm! It’s so good! Even though it’s just salt!"

  I took a bite too. Yeah, just salt was plenty delicious.

  "Lia, you’ve got some on your cheek.""Huh? Really?""No need to eat so fast.""But your cooking is just that good!""Well… gd to hear it.""I wanna get good at cooking like you someday. So I can make my future husband happy!""O-oh… yeah, that’d be nice…""Mhm!"

  I see. This wasn’t in the original story, but Lia really did have strong marriage aspirations… Not that it had anything to do with me, but I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of unease.

  Just as I was thinking we should head back soon, Lia tapped me on the shoulder.

  "Hey, Yuri.""What’s up?""You’re really strong, right? So… could you teach me how to fight a little? It’d be good for digestion too.""How to fight?""Yeah. It’d be good if I could defend myself, right?""Well… yeah, that’s true."

  Hearing her suggestion, I thought it was a great idea. In the final battle, Lia would join Theo’s party—but maybe it’d be better if I taught her the basics first? The stronger she was, the better.

  Yeah! This was actually a great idea. I already knew Ria had talent for magic, after all!

  "You’re more of a magic user, right?""Yeah. But I can use body-enhancement skills too.""Wait… really?""Mhm.""…"

  Huh? Was that a thing? I didn’t remember Lia having any body-enhancement skills in her base stats… Well, whatever. The more skills, the better.

  "You know the basic structure of magic, right?""Of course. Base frame, shape designation, output control, duration, and auxiliary elements.""Exactly. In combat, the key is to streamline that process as much as possible. You don’t always need powerful spells.""Really? Stronger magic sounds better, though."

  Lia tilted her head in confusion.

  "If you’ve got frontliners covering you, sure. But if you’re alone, that’s not always an option. Even as support, charging up a big spell leaves you wide open. I think it’s better to focus on weaker but faster spells.""Huh. That makes sense. This is really helpful.""You can use teleportation, right?""Huh… how’d you know?"

  Ah. Crap. That was info I only knew from the original story. Her unique magic was teleportation—a ridiculously handy spell I’d relied on heavily in the te game.

  I had to cover this up somehow…

  "Uh, well, someone at my level can just tell these things!""Wow! You really are amazing, Yuri!""Y-yeah…"

  Ugh. That was a flimsy excuse, but hopefully it worked…?

  After that, Lia listened intently as I expined. Even in the game, while powerful magic existed, it wasn’t always practical. Combat was a mix of magic and skills, requiring quick reactions and adaptability.

  "As for skills… they’re less theory-based than magic. It’s more about practical experience. Wanna try some sparring?""Huh…! That sounds fun!""Use body enhancement and try punching my palm as hard as you can.""Okay!"

  Taking a deep breath, Lia activated body enhancement. Her mana flowed smoothly, and in an instant, she unleashed the skill—her fist smming into my palm with explosive force.

  "Hah…!!"

  Boom! The impact sent me flying backward. Even with my own body enhancement, her attack overpowered my defense.

  I nded in a roll, staring at Ria in shock. Wh-what was that power? That was not normal…

  "Y-Yuri!? Are you okay!? Sorry, was that too much…?""Nah. I underestimated you. That was an incredible punch, Lia. You really have no combat experience?""Nope. None.""…"

  This was raw, untapped talent. Did she have some kind of hidden stat? Whatever the case, with this kind of potential, she’d be an invaluable ally when she joined Theo’s party.

  From then on, I threw myself into teaching Lia the fundamentals of combat. I poured out everything I knew from the original game, putting my own fighting style into words.

  "The most important thing in battle is staying calm. Emotions can boost your magic output temporarily, but it’s fleeting. And in the middle of a fight, you rarely have time to charge a finishing spell. You’ve always got to anticipate your opponent’s moves and strategize.""Mhm. Strategy, huh?""Yeah. You’ve got to analyze your opponent’s abilities and predict their next move. Strategy is the core of combat."

  Lia nodded along, resting her chin on her hand as she absorbed every word.

  "So it’s about bancing their strengths and weaknesses with your own, then nding effective hits? Bluffing might come into py too, right? You’ve really got to outthink them.""Exactly. Magic and skills—how you combine them matters. Combat is about yering multiple factors.""I see. It’s deeper than I thought…"

  By the time we finished talking, the sun had set. Both of us had been engrossed—Lia seemed genuinely interested in combat, and her comprehension was impressive. She grasped the concept of strategy perfectly.

  And before we wrapped up, I left her with one st piece of advice.

  "I’ve taught you a lot of theory, but in the end, the most important thing is courage. No matter how much talent or effort you have… without bravery, it’s meaningless. Moving forward with courage—that’s the foundation. That’s what I believe.""Courage…"

  That was something I’d learned from the game. It wasn’t just the protagonist, Theo. Every character in this world fought with bravery. That’s why I’d loved this game so much.

  I hoped that sentiment would reach Ria, even a little.

  With night fallen, we headed back to the mansion.

  "Lia, you must be exhausted, right?""Yeah… I think I pushed myself harder than I have in a long time.""Even though I told you to stop, you kept going.""Well… it was more fun than I expected. But… you’ll teach me again, right?""Of course."

  I’d stopped her because any more would’ve been too much, but Lia had insisted she was fine and begged for more lessons. Even in just a few hours, she’d improved dramatically.

  Honestly, her talent was astounding. She was already surpassing the potential I remembered from the game.

  With this, she’d definitely be a huge asset to Theo’s party.

  Then, under her breath, Ria murmured something.

  "I wish… days like this could st forever."

  Her whisper was so quiet, I barely caught it.

  "…"

  I chose not to respond. I felt the same way—but I still had to keep moving forward.

  The next day, after our day off, I felt like I’d accomplished everything I needed to. I’d taught Ria enough about combat—she’d be fine on her own now. Her talent was extraordinary. She might not just be a mage, but a formidable fighter capable of wielding both magic and skills.

  That was the potential I saw in her.

  "Huh? She’s not up yet?"

  I woke up and went to the dining hall, but no one was there. It was Lia’s turn to cook today, yet no sounds came from the kitchen.

  "Did something happen…?"

  Was she in trouble?

  Worried, I hurried to Ria’s room. I knocked, but there was no answer. The door was locked, but had someone broken in?

  Either way, I forced the door open—and found Ria still asleep.

  Oh. Guess I overreacted. But then I noticed she was groaning in her sleep.

  "Lia. You okay?""Mmm… yeah. It’s my turn to cook today… gotta get up…"

  Her face was flushed, clearly feverish. I pressed my hand to her forehead—she was burning up.

  "Lia, you’ve got a fever. Maybe I pushed you too hard yesterday. I’m sorry.""N-no… you told me to stop, but I kept going… sorry. And I need to get to work…"

  As she tried to sit up, I gently pushed her back down.

  "Just rest today. Sleeping is your job right now. I’ll let the church know.""Thanks… Yuri.""Get some more sleep.""Mmm…"

  I tucked her in, and she drifted off immediately. A cold, maybe? Medicine would require a trip to the kingdom, but for now, it seemed like just a regur fever. Probably from overusing her magic yesterday.

  I’d keep an eye on her for now.

  With that, I headed to the church to let them know Ria wouldn’t be coming in. Thanks to Evil Eater, I could now completely nullify the effects of Evil Eye.

  Going to the church shouldn’t be a problem.

  "Uh… guess I can just walk in?"

  After gncing around cautiously, I stepped inside.

  The church was silent, the air heavy with solemnity. High ceilings and grand stone walls enclosed the space, while intricate stained gss cast colorful patterns of light across the floor, as if divine radiance itself were pouring down.

  But standing at the center of this sacred space was a single figure—a man with crimson hair. His attire made it clear he wasn’t from the church, but rather, a noble.

  His presence was like a painting, eerily beautiful.

  "—Good morning. Can I help you?"

  Noticing me, he smiled warmly—but for some reason, it sent a chill down my spine.