I was sitting by the mansion veranda, rocking on a chair with a glass of wine in one hand, and several empty bottles nearby, stargazing at the star-filled sky.

To such a sight, I couldn't help but think how much I'd missed it. Having spent the past fifty years in the Voidborn Catacombs, it had been ages since I had gotten to enjoy a sky like this, and I found myself savoring the moment. It wasn't half bad—in fact, it was quite pleasant.

It was there, rocking on my chair, lost somewhere between deep thoughts and the comfort of nothingness, that I noticed Goblin coming out the door and joining me on the veranda.

"Not sleeping yet?" I asked, glancing at him.

"Nope," he responded, closing in to take a seat on another rocking chair next to me.

"You're sure you can afford to slack on sleep?" I asked, more to tease him than out of actual concern, as I took another sip from my glass before handing it to him. He accepted it without hesitation.

"Yes, I managed to acquire [Exhaustion Resistance]—the ability, not the skill—thirteen years ago," he said, pouring himself some wine.

"That's the sub-par version then..."

"Yes, but it's strong enough that I hardly need to sleep," Goblin announced before gulping down the wine.

"Is that so..." I said with a small chuckle.

Goblin eyed me. "And you? You're sure you can afford to drink right now?"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "I maxed out my resistance to poison—I can't get drunk unless I really want to."

It was true. While I could still get drunk, I never actually did—never found an excuse to let myself go like that. I drank mostly for the taste. Sure, drinks like wine didn’t particularly taste good if you were just after flavor, but after living for hundreds of years, when water became unbearably boring, mead, wine, and all sorts of drinks that weren't just water started to have their own distinct charm.

"I see," Goblin muttered, sipping in silence. After a moment, he commented, attempting to strike up a conversation, "So, we're leaving tomorrow, huh?"

"Yep. Tomorrow you and Blondie fly to the Aurian Family's territory to meet their matriarch, while I, Licht, and Aquaflora will fly to meet the Umbryan Family's patriarch," I responded, before asking, "Anything to comment about?"

"Nope," he shook his head.

I raised an eyebrow. "You're sure? Not a comment, a complaint, or anything?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he insisted. "Besides, even if I had “a” complaint, would you even listen to it?"

Pretending to be offended, I said, "What did I ever do to earn such an image in your heart? Here I was thinking I came across as an open-minded leader."

He let out a small chuckle. "I don't have any complaints, really. I had one, but I can see the logic in why you want her involved. She's here, so we might as well make use of her." He added, "Besides, I'm not the one dealing with her, so what's there for me to complain about?"

Sensing that after that discussion he wanted to change the subject, I complied, although I still had things I wanted to discuss. "We're not going to see each other for some time after tomorrow. Are you sure there's nothing you want to confess to me? We haven't really talked about what happened yet, just the two of us."

"Something to confess about..." he mumbled, pondering the question seriously, before ultimately announcing, "I don't think there's anything about what happened that I would confess that you wouldn't already have heard from Char—Dungeon Master 10—when he spawned by Dungeon Master 00's side."

I poured myself another glass of wine. "You’re right. I heard what happened from him, and the aftermath from Dungeon Master 13. Now I'm eager to hear your opinion of it all. In fact, it doesn't even have to be an opinion—anything will do fine by me."

"Anything, huh?" He sank into an introspective silence before saying, "Now that I think of it, I have something I have been thinking for a while now, and I'd like to hear what you think about it. You know why we spared the authority wielder instead of getting the authority the old way, right?"

I nodded.

The "old way" was the one we'd used to acquire authority so far, with the exception of [Greed and Resurgence], which we obtained from a willing wielder. The old and usual method to acquire an authority was to kill the wielder, which caused the authority to fall into the “slayer” possession.

Given how many of our fellow reincarnates had turned their back to our duty toward our savior, when giving him that mission to use [Authority Gathering] to find other authorities, I strongly advised Goblin not to hold back against any reincarnate displaying signs of antagonism.

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Yet, despite the authority wielder they found antagonizing them, they didn't slay him outright as I’ve prescribed, even though they could have. The authority wielder was a level-30ish Verdenkind, with stats all over the place and a very fragmented mental state. But unarguably, the reason for which they really spared him was his age. The authority wielder was a literal child—not just some random soul from another world inhabiting a child's body, but an actual child, both in mind and spirit.

After restraining and eventually “taming” the authority wielderas Dungeon Master 10 described it, they began investigating what exactly was wrong with the young authority wielder. Goblin, with Charlie's talents, learned that the child carried memories of a different world—a harsh and primitive one—where she met an unfortunate end at a very young age. Before she could get to commit anything that would have earned her a spot in that terrible place and yet there she was, lost and tormented in that place we once were.

"You know," I said, "at first, when I heard that from Dungeon Master 10, I chuckled at the idea. But then, as I thought more about it... it's really tragic. It even makes me pity everyone."

The thought of having people I hated—such as our very employer who betrayed us and killed us—suffering in that place was one I originally found satisfying. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how messed up it was, for those that one could say didn’t deserve to be sent there, such as that kid.

the place's true nature—a place of torment, and not just for villains.

"So, I've been wondering—since he was once an unarguably innocent child, do you think that place isn't just for people like the one we were, but for all dead souls altogether?"

"That's a reflection I've made myself too," I admit bitterly.

"I was thinking the same thing," Goblin said, this time grabbing the bottle and drinking straight from it. "Do you know what else I thought about?"

"Do tell," I replied, already suspecting what he was about to say.

"If that place is where all souls from other worlds go after death, could it be that it's also where all souls from this world end up?"

Called it.

I took a deep breath before announcing, "Then in that case, it's more than a pity—it's a tragedy."

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Morning came quickly. After a final breakfast together, Goblin, Dungeon Master 05, Blondie, and I made our way out of the mansion, closing it up as it would be left unattended for some time. Waiting outside was Veilleuse-19, standing beside a gigantic crow-like creature—a Caarghast, a high-level shadow-attribute animalist monster and one of Goblin's bonded beasts, who would serve as his and Blondie's steed for the journey. Beside the two creatures stood Aquaflora, who had agreed to join us.

"Good morning, Miss Aquaflora," I smiled.

"Good morning," Aquaflora replied, casting a cool, almost antagonistic glance at Goblin and Blondie.

Pretending not to notice, I added, "You're looking particularly sharp today," noting her outfit—a long, snow-colored coat trimmed with fur, paired with fitted pants and sturdy black boots.

Aquaflora responded with a flat gaze, making it clear she wasn't taking the comment as a compliment. I simply shrugged and turned my attention to Goblin and Blondie.

"So this is it, huh?" I said, moving in front of Goblin.

"Yep, this is it."

Towering over Blondie, Goblin wore a dark, military-style coat. In his gloved hand, he held an ushanka hat.

I took the hat from his hand and put it on his head. "We're parting ways again from here on out, so be safe out there."

He nodded. I was about to move on to Blondie when I remembered our conversation the previous night. "Be extra careful out there, especially with Blondie. Remember our talk from yesterday?"

He nodded broodingly, casting a glance at Blondie, who looked curious about what we had discussed. Goblin added resolutely, "I will be."

"If anything seems to spiral out of control, contact me. Notify White. Bail out if you have to—do not hesitate."

"Understood, Ma'am," he declared resolutely.

I nodded, then moved on to Blondie. She was dressed warmly in a blue coat, her hat and scarf matching the same color, and white gloves and earrings completing her outfit. I reached for Blondie's visor and placed it on her face. "You heard what I told Goblin—be careful out there."

"Yes," Blondie eagerly nodded.

"Good girl," I said, smiling. "Now, I have another mission for you. You just heard the heavy responsibility I laid on Goblin. He will not admit the weight, but it will burden him, so Imma need you to keep an eye on him."

I glanced at Goblin, whose face showed a pretend indifference. "Can you do that?"

"Count on me, Ma'am."

"Oh, I am. Now have a safe journey, you two."

"You too, Ma'am," Blondie said, embracing me, and I gave it back.

After pulling away, Blondie went to bid farewell to Licht, taking him by surprise as she hugged him. A little bird entrusted to him by Goblin in hand he awkwardly accepted it. She then turned to Aquaflora, who recoiled apprehensively. Before Blondie could try anything else, Goblin, already on the Caarghast, called out, "Ignore her, Blondie. Let's go."

Blondie hesitated for a moment before simply waving goodbye, which Aquaflora this time returned, albeit awkwardly. It seemed their little confrontation wasn't fully behind them but was on the path to reconciliation.

After helping Blondie onto the Caarghast, Goblin turned his attention to Dungeon Master 05 as the creature began to ascend. "Good luck out there, especially out in the field—and I'm saying that for a reason," Goblin said.

At these words, Licht frowned, glancing at me for understanding but failed to glean anything before Goblin added, "a word of advice, Licht—just follow along with her decisions. They might seem questionable, but the outcome will make sense in the end. Anyway, that's all from me." He turned to me, "I won’t really be able to contact you, but through that little bird you should be able to update me should you have to.”

I nodded.

"Well, then. Farewell, and godspeed. Let's go, Leo!" He called, urging the Caarghast they rode, prompting it to take flight into the northeastern sky.

Once they were just dots in the sky, I turned to my soon to be journey’s companion and declared, "Well then, I think we should get moving too."