She was doing it on purpose. Intentionally saying those things, seeking amusement, satisfying her own dark sense of humor.

  If he couldn’t see that by now, Richter should pack up and go home.

  But… why?

  Was she the kind of person who enjoyed playing pranks?

  It seemed so.

  No, no, no. The problem was the timing wasn't right. The content of the jokes wasn't something to be said casually. Those ambiguous words… While the after-the-fact reaction was somewhat amusing, it was certainly unusual.

  Richter stroked his chin, looking at Selene.

  Something was amiss.

  “…Going back to what you said earlier, last time, at the end, because your father… well, because of the monster, your body showed some… abnormalities. What about your mind?”

  While he wanted to ask more tactfully, he ended up being straightforward.

  Although Selene had previously generalized to avoid revealing details to the lurking monster, this issue was insignificant; it wouldn't matter if she talked about it… Would it not already know her abilities? Wouldn’t it know what changes would occur to someone who'd been possessed by her father?

  “Are you saying I’m a little crazy?” Selene frowned, raising her fist. “You’re just a little shrimp now; one hand…”

  Richter calmly stood on tiptoe, pressing down on her shoulder, gently forcing her to sit on the ground.

  Her resistance was feeble; the feeling was like pressing down on a sponge… The muscles around her shoulders were completely untrained.

  “…Just so I can massage your shoulders.”

  Selene resolutely chose to be honest, and Richter sat down beside her, neither of them noticing the dust on the ground.

  The sound of the approaching carriage continued, and it seemed someone was watching them. Richter tilted his head, saying:

  “I’m serious. Don’t you think your mental state is off? Even if no hidden trauma remains in your mind, physical changes can lead to cognitive changes…”

  “You’re just embarrassed, aren’t you?” Selene touched her arm, blinking.

  “…I’m truly sincere.”

  “That’s an admission.” Selene languidly sprawled backward, resting her head on a nearby rock. “I won’t dwell on the complexities; we’ll talk about it later… My mental state is indeed a bit unusual, I know.”

  Richter frowned.

  “Need help? Some calming spells…”

  “No, no, no. It's not going crazy, or having a mental breakdown. It’s that I'm different from a few days ago. I’m still in a ‘normal state,’ like a child who loved a toy but grew out of it. They are still ‘normal,’ do you understand?” Selene sighed. “So those spells are useless. You can’t make someone who was normal become normal again… Like you can’t make someone who was once in love with you love you again. That logically doesn’t exist.”

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  “…That’s also a kind of… alteration,” Richter quickly understood. “Normal personality changes come from accumulated experiences, but this isn't the case. An external force has forcibly changed normal into abnormal, then defined abnormal as normal…”

  “It’s like that monster’s personality—responding directly to any question, fulfilling any request, straightforward, never devious. The type who openly demands money if they’re broke, and directly confesses their feelings to someone they like… a person. My personality change likely stems from its influence,” Selene said hesitantly. “But that’s not entirely accurate, because that requires the other party to be human, to possess a personality and consciousness understandable to humans. If it’s not human, this kind of thinking doesn’t apply…”

  “And being straightforward enough to plan how to deal with it right in front of it, even voicing those thoughts?” Richter asked.

  “It’s still me, just with a slightly altered personality; my way of thinking remains the same. Therefore, this is deliberate; it's probing,” Selene smiled. “We’ve discussed this for so long, and it’s been watching the whole time, without reacting. This suggests either it’s bound by certain rules that prevent it from acting, or it’s not yet ready… The former is more likely, as the master of this place is theoretically Jose, and it's likely a prisoner. But this doesn’t mean they’re mutually exclusive.”

  “A prisoner naturally desires freedom, and this cage isn't particularly strong,” Richter mused. “At least, based on the known information, it keeps leading us to the mountaintop. That’s probably the key to its escape. And as long as we can mitigate its mental influence, it can only observe…”

  “I wonder how much it can see under these circumstances,” Selene frowned. “If it can only see actions, that’s fine, but it could likely hear sounds. Furthermore, it might be able to see even more… Ideally, it’s androgynous; at worst, it’s genderless…”

  “…”

  This was an awkward topic; Richter wisely remained silent.

  Spells that allow mental communication do exist; he knew them, but they were fourth-tier spells, requiring prolonged casting, something difficult for him to maintain in his current state.

  And it might even be able to hear mental conversations… Let’s leave that as a last resort; it might be useful in a critical moment.

  As for the possibility of the lurking monster reading their thoughts, he'd considered that as well. But with such a large disparity in power, anything they did would be futile. Even if they could use its limitations to protect themselves, they couldn't kill it. Considering it from this angle only led to frustration.

  The rhythmic clopping of hooves and the jingling of bells from the carriage continued.

  Gazing at the distant mountains, Richter’s eyebrows furrowed.

  From this angle, the shape of the mountain range… resembled the mountain scenery visible from Schwerdt Town, but with subtle differences. A section that was concave in the real world was sharply protruding here.

  Logically, being part of the same mountain range and relatively close, it was reasonable to see a familiar mountain trend, even if the name "Tatra Village" was unheard of in the real world… Ten years is neither long nor short, and some changes, whether from human activity or natural forces, would be expected.

  But… that shape… resembles a… sword? A pillar?

  Before he could figure it out, he felt Selene tap him, saying:

  “I heard Louise’s voice. Very faint, but she seems alright.”

  “Want to find her?” Richter asked. “She should be with Jose. As you said, doing so would advance time, bringing us closer to that village.”

  “We don’t have anything else we can do right now. No, wait, there’s one thing.”

  Selene, always decisive, turned and immediately pursued the carriage ahead.

  “…Rather self-reliant,” Richter murmured, watching her back.

  While Selene had shown similar behavior before, she would usually add, "Wait for me," or "I'll be right back," and she probably hadn't noticed this subtle change.

  “Rather unsettling. I hope it’s just a personality change…”

  If she got any closer to that monster, something bad would happen.

  Richter had that premonition.

  But it was also a chance to understand the enemy, though he wished there wasn’t such a chance.

  He sighed, seeing Selene return, having completed her task, holding three mirrors.

  “Spellcasting materials,” Selene carefully protected them using Preservation spells, to prevent them from colliding with the magic crystals and causing an explosion. “Let’s go find Louise. Our actions have changed; hopefully, things are going well on her end.”