Coincidentally, not long after Ard drifted off to sleep, he too was pulled into that strange, white space by a faceless god. When he awoke there, floating in the sterile infinity, he thought he was having a nightmare.

Ard stared blankly at the featureless woman shimmering before him. Strange. I’m sure I was thinking about that beautiful, sharp-tongued maid before I fell asleep. Why would I dream of… this? Could this be a reflection of how I truly see Yexi? A blank slate? That’s terrifying.

As Ard puzzled over this, the faceless woman before him began to change. Her features rippled and flowed like quicksilver, twisting and reforming until she wore Yexi’s face, perfect down to the last detail.

“Yexi?” Ard called out instinctively, his voice sounding small in the vastness.

‘Yexi’s’ lips curved into a sly, knowing smile. “Hehe, so this Yexi is the girl of your dreams?”

“Uh, I guess not. Is this just reflecting my current thoughts?” Ard quickly concluded, his mind racing to adapt. He sat down cross-legged on the non-existent floor. “Haha, it wouldn’t be so bad if Yexi were the girl of my dreams, if only she could be a little gentler with me. So, is this a lucid dream? If not, who might you be?”

“Hehe, I’d love to chat, but this is my first time operating across divine permissions, so I don’t have much time,” the being said, its voice a melodic chime that was both Yexi’s and not. “Let’s get straight to business. In my name, ####, I grant you the gift of rebirth from death.”

Ard frowned. When ‘Yexi’ spoke her true name, he couldn’t hear it clearly, only a jumble of discordant, reality-bending notes. It wasn’t a problem with the sound, but rather as if the name itself was a concept his mortal mind was forbidden to grasp. After the woman finished her recitation, Ard felt a strange, cold power wash over him, but he couldn’t detect any change in his body.

“Such a powerful blessing, and it only grants one resurrection? I suppose it was a stretch. Alright, bye-bye now,” the entity chirped. “We’ll meet again after you die. And do try to die quickly; it’s rude to keep a lady waiting.”

“Wait—” Before Ard could ask any more questions, a flash of white light consumed him, and his consciousness was violently shoved back into his body.

“Ngh…” Ard woke up, clutching his slightly dizzy head. He felt his body over and found no changes. “Was it just a dream?” he murmured into his pillow. “Oh well, back to sleep.”

The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten from black to a soft grey, Ard was woken by a young maid to have breakfast.

“Where’s Yexi?” Ard asked, puzzled as he sat up. “Shouldn’t she be the one to wake me?”

The young maid replied with a curtsy, “Yexi isn’t feeling well today, so she’s resting a bit longer. She asked me to wake you, Mr. Guest. She should be waiting for you in the dining room now.”

“??” Ard was baffled. She had been so full of fire yesterday, trading barbs with me. And today she isn’t feeling well? Just how much does she dislike me? Does she want to avoid traveling with me that badly?

However, when he arrived at the dining room, Ard realized he had wronged her.

The usually vibrant and energetic Yexi was standing blankly by the dining table, looking like a porcelain doll someone had forgotten to wind up. Her complexion was pale as parchment, and her usually sharp, golden eyes were dull and lifeless. She looked like a completely different person from the day before. Yesterday, if he had stared at her like this, he would have been met with a ten-hit combo of verbal abuse. But today, Ard felt that if he just kept staring, she wouldn’t even notice.

“Um, Yexi,” Ard began cautiously, his voice softer than he intended. “You don’t look so good. Why don’t you take the day off? I can handle the trip by myself.”

Yexi’s vacant eyes took two long seconds to focus on Ard. She forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Guest. I’m fine, just had a bit of insomnia last night. Don’t worry, I just need some time to adjust. Please, eat quickly. We need to set off early. The carriage is already prepared.”

At that moment, Yexi looked like a frail, beautiful maiden, her voice soft and exceptionally pleasant to the ear. But Ard could see she was anything but fine.

“Are you sure? I really can go alone.”

“I’m fine, Mr. Guest! Please, eat quickly!” Even though Yexi gritted her teeth, her words held no threat. She was like a feisty little kitten trying to hiss, a sight that made one want to tease her. Ard considered this tempting prospect but quickly abandoned it. A moment of satisfaction now would lead to being relentlessly tormented by the real Yexi later.

Meanwhile, Yexi was internally cursing the sloppy, incompetent, crybaby goddess to death. She said the effects wouldn’t carry over to my physical body, but what about my consciousness being completely knocked out?! Isn’t that a different, and far worse, kind of problem?!

Yexi couldn’t even remember when she had returned to her body from that strange space. When she woke up, it was almost time to depart, but her head was still foggy and incredibly heavy. Drinking that so-called divine wine once was worse than three days and nights of continuous high-intensity combat. The dizziness severely impaired her control over her body. Everything she did was half a beat slow, and a leaden drowsiness pulled at her limbs. She was chewing on some stimulating medicinal pills to force herself awake, but the effect of forcibly running her brain wasn’t good. She had no time to rest properly and could only try to push through it.

Ard quickly finished his breakfast, refraining from deliberately provoking Yexi. He had a feeling the aftermath would be severe. Then, he and Yexi boarded the carriage and left Pekoin City, heading for the Grand Cathedral in the town of Slete.

In the carriage, Yexi’s head kept drooping and snapping back up with a jolt. Ard couldn’t watch it anymore. “We still have some time on the road. Why don’t you get some rest? You need to be in good shape. Isn’t it rude to meet a clergyman in this state?”

Yexi replied weakly, her voice barely a whisper, “Alright, then. I’ll rest for a bit.”

“Need a shoulder?” Ard asked, moving a little closer to her on the cushioned seat. But Yexi didn’t answer. When he looked over, her eyes were closed, her breathing already deep and even. She was fast asleep. Ard gently leaned his shoulder toward her, and her head slumped against it, her silver hair spilling over his arm. She must have been truly, utterly exhausted. It made Ard even more curious about what she had been doing last night to end up in such a state.

While Yexi was silently cursing Lifa, in a place unknown to her, Lifa was clutching her throbbing head, staring in despair at the Divine Contract written in black and white, its golden letters mocking her.

Who am I? Where am I? Why did I sign this thing?

To find someone who had been dead for twelve years—twelve days in the god realm—across different worlds… Lifa felt she must have been insane, her brain kicked by a celestial donkey, to have signed such a thing. She was just a low-level administrator. How could she possibly check the records of a deceased soul from another department? She wasn’t some rising superstar in the god realm; no one would pay her any mind.

Lifa pulled at her own cheeks. Do I have to sell myself? But someone has to be willing to buy! Though she was good-looking, the god realm was never short on beautiful faces.

“Clang, clang, clang! Lifa-chan, your senpai is here to see you! And I brought you some delicious little cloud-cakes.”

Just as Lifa’s world had turned gray, a gentle, older-sister type woman with long, emerald-green hair and a kind smile that could melt glaciers burst into her workshop.

“Sen… Senpai! Waaah!!! I’m doomed! Sob~, Senpai, you won’t see me for much longer! I’ll pray for you from the world below! It’s the only way I can repay your kindness!” Lifa threw herself into the green-haired woman’s arms, crying her eyes out.

The green-haired woman gently comforted her kouhai, stroking her head and wiping her tears with a handkerchief woven from moonlight. She asked softly, “There, there, Lifa, my dear, don’t cry. Tell Senpai what happened.”

Sobbing, Lifa told her senpai everything.

After listening carefully, the woman, Luna, looked at Lifa with a mixture of pity and speechlessness. “Oh, you silly child. How could you be so foolish about this?”

Lifa said, dejected, “I’m sorry, Luna-Senpai. I really am useless. You had such high hopes for me, and I tried so hard, but I still messed everything up. I’m sorry. Just let this little nobody fade away in the endless abyss…”

This child is at her limit. Luna sighed. This matter wasn’t entirely Lifa’s fault. There were other issues involved, other forces at play, but they hadn’t been fully investigated yet, so she couldn’t alert anyone, let alone tell her fragile kouhai.

“No, Lifa,” Luna said, hugging her tightly. “It’s not just your fault. I know how hard you’ve been working. I never doubted you for a moment. Leave this Divine Contract to me. Lifa-chan should focus on managing her own world.”

Lifa looked down, disheartened. “How can I trouble you like this again? I… I really don’t know what to do.”

“How can there be no way? Lifa, don’t you have the biggest variable on your side now?”

“?” Lifa looked at Luna, confused.

Luna smiled at her cute kouhai. “Lifa, keep watching. It’s not just you; your world is also working hard. By the way, why were you so insistent on killing this variable?”

Lifa pouted. “He made all my previous efforts go to waste! And with him around, things will change. If things change, I won’t be able to control what I’ve planned, and if I can’t control it, I…”

“Stop.” Luna gently placed a slender finger on Lifa’s lips. “But not being able to control it doesn’t mean things will turn out badly, right? Is that boy named Ard a bad child?”

“Well, no, not really. He just wants to change some tragedies.”

“And the child you’re cultivating, your Hero, is he someone who can only move forward with your guidance?”

“No, Isaac has always had his own ideas. Even when I give him suggestions, he completes them in his own way and with his own judgment.”

“Then isn’t that fine?” Luna looked at Lifa gently. “They are both good children. So why not trust them, Lifa? To control everything, to decide the world’s course with your own will… that’s not the Lifa I know.”

Lifa stood before Luna, ashamed. “I… I’m sorry, Senior. I was wrong. But I’ve already sent that assassin to kill Ard. With the power gap between them, Ard will definitely die. And the oracle has a cooldown period. What should I do, Senpai?”

Luna blinked, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “Leave it to your senpai.”

“Senpai, sob~.”

Lifa cried again, this time with tears of gratitude.

Luna held her, comforting her while feeling a pang of guilt.

I’m sorry, Lifa, that it took me so long to lend you a hand. Senpai will bring the bastard who trampled on your efforts to justice.