"My legs hurt like hell..." I mumbled to myself as I laid on the grass with a nearly empty water bottle beside me, too exhausted to do anything else but stare up at the bright blue sky. "We covered a lot of distance and haven't exactly found anything of importance along the way. That said though, aren't we pushing ourselves a little too hard...? I mean, we did fuse the stamina potion Rex left in the base with our water to quickly recover our exhausted bodies but..."

"Yeah, we definitely are but we kinda have to," Leo replied with a sigh while casually sitting on the ground near me. "We'll just have to bear with it as the potion does it thing. I do worry about using it too much so we should try to be careful at the very least. Though, speaking of combining it with our water, it thankfully didn't taste awful. Surprisingly enough, it's pretty sweet."

Vin, on the other hand, was on the portable folding chair, leaning back in it. "Pretty much. Not only that, we need to be sparing with the potions we have in case we'll need it later on," the archangel paused as if remembering something, then continued. "...it's times like these that remind me how mages can be dependent on their magic. Some people I knew are so used to using their spells that they forgot what it's like to be an ordinary person with no special abilities. Without it, they couldn't get far because of their shitty stamina."

When I glanced at him out of curiosity, I saw that he was looking up at the sky with a wistful look on his face. However, it didn't last long as he closed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to dismiss something. ...he's thinking about those times when he was alive back then, isn't he? Frowning, I took my eyes off of him and turned over onto my side, sadly staring down at the grass.

It didn't help either that I was privy to the rants of the prince. Because of his title as the crown prince, he was demanded to be competent and reliable, whether he liked it or not. As the soon-to-be king, it was important that image was created as soon as possible and then upheld to the best of his abilities. However, it also meant Tatsuya couldn't show any signs of weakness to anyone. He cannot rely on anyone since he doesn't know if they're just extending their hand to him so they can make use of his position or fame for ill intentions.

The people have no idea of the person hidden behind that image. All they had was his magical signature to gain any hints about that. Yet, most of the people left it at that, content with the image of him being the knightly prince charming. When do they talk about that coldness and hate, they would plaster a noble explanation behind it and uphold it as truth. He bitterly laughed when he pointed that out, commenting that it was like the real him didn't matter at all. He saved others and always extended out a hand to them but no one really did the same for him. "It's enough to make a kind-hearted individual cynical and jaded, you know?" was what he said. "After all, a hero saves others but who saves the hero?"

I remember that I asked him why he decided to tell me all this and he responded after a short moment of silence. The prince said that it's because he's probably tired of having to keep up this facade for so long. He desperately wanted to drop it since he was reaching his limit. Of course, he was hesitant at first to give me this info but Tatsuya decided that he'll put his faith in me, conflicted he may be. He genuinely hoped it wasn't a mistake to do so.

If it was, the male vehemently claims that I'll be receiving the full brunt of his hatred and that he'll spare me no mercy. Despite that extremely intimidating threat, I resolutely told him that I won't betray his trust, especially after realizing he too experienced lots of pain like I did. Like how most people didn't see past the image of him being a prince, for me, most mages didn't see past the title of Devourer. When I told him that and my struggles, Tatsuya remained quiet for a long while to the point that I started worrying a little, if I recalled correctly.

Out of nowhere, the male started laughing for some reason. "Connecting through similar pain and struggles, huh?" Tatsuya replied, catching me off-guard with how happy he sounded. "So this is how it feels to be understood. Ahh, this is making me wish even more that trusting you about this isn't a mistake."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure your trust in me isn't a mistake, no matter what," I mentally declared with a smile, having forgotten that he can't see that. "Actions speak louder than words so when you need help or someone to talk to, don't hesitate to call me!"

"Hah, I'll doubt you'll be able to come here at the speed of light and help me out here without looking super suspicious, though? Besides, aren't there things you need to do too, Miss Detective?" Tatsuya retorted lightheartedly.

My face turned red from embarrassment when reminded of how I can't particularly help him out due to the current situation we're in. "L-look! It's the thought that counts, okay?" I mumbled out with a pout, but it turned back into a grin. "Anyways, my point still stands. You're in a similar boat as me so I'd like to help. I'll prove myself trustworthy numerous times if that's what it takes. Now that I know what I know, there's no way I'll not help."

A brief silence once more before he replied. "...you really are serious about this, huh? Seriously, are you trying to win my heart or something? You're gonna make me fall in love with you at this rate," the prince said, catching me completely off-guard as I turned a dark red and started stuttering. "Ahaha, sorry, was that too much? It's just so nice being able to be honest without needing to worry about what I say that my inner thoughts leaked out."

"I-i-it's fine! N-no need to worry!" I hurriedly exclaimed, desperately hoping that Leo and Vin won't turn to check on me right now because I did not want to explain why I'm currently so flustered. "I-I just didn't expect that at all..."

He chuckles to himself, amused. "Don't blame you, I guess. It is quite sudden, that much I'll admit," Tatsuya remarked, then his voice went back to sounding serious as if he was switching gears. "Anyway, regardless, I'll see for myself whether I can fully trust you guys or not when I see how you deal with the situation in the Ignifera kingdom. That'll decide everything."

Thankfully, the chat with him became more chipper after that. We did try to speculate about the stuff happening but we didn't make any progress sadly. We went around in a circle so much to the point that our brains were fried. The prince eventually had to disconnect when he got informed that his presence was necessary for the royal meeting that was happening soon.

Well, at the very least, I got closer to the prince so mission success. After all, it doesn't hurt to get more allies. Suddenly, I felt someone gently nudge me on the back, catching me off-guard. Knowing that the only person nearby to do that was Leo, I turned to look at him. The male was sitting there like before, gazing down at me expectantly with a small smile.

"So, how was the chat with the prince, anyways?" Leo asked, reminding me that both of them were aware that I was talking to Tatsuya. "Did it go well? Did you learn anything new?"

"Yeah, it went pretty well. We might be able to have him in our little party depending on how we deal with the acolyte situation," I explained as I returned his grin. "Other than that, I also learnt a lot of new things. Though, most of them didn't have any confirmed info regarding the problems arising in the world but..."

Vin let out a sigh at that. "I'm not surprised, to be honest. I bet most people only have speculations since no one appeared and provided any answers or solutions."

I bet Rex knows something we don't know about. I thought to myself, frowning. After all, he sent me to investigate and learn more about this world, saying it would be better to have experience it firsthand rather than him lecturing me about it. ...meh, I don't have much mental energy left for this. With a groan, I go back to resting my back against the grass and staring up at the sky.

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"I guess Stella is both physically and mentally exhausted," Leo commented with a lighthearted laugh. "Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about Artifacts, Vin."

The archangel calmly glanced at him, as if he wasn't surprised by that sudden statement. "I suppose that's expected, especially when you learnt of the Dark Artifact wielder going missing," Vin replied, then his expression turned serious. "You're concerned that it's somehow connected to the incident that happened in your hometown, aren't you?"

"Yeah. After all, at that time, those monsters were targeting the Artifact that I had on me," the blonde explained, returning the seriousness of the blue-haired young man as he frowned. "So, I was wondering if that wielder was somehow attacked too and that the weapon was being used by someone or something else. I don't know much about magic but from using the weapon, I know that it's pretty strong so I can see why it would be coveted."

"...that assumption and the reasoning behind that is correct, I'll give you that. After all, Artifacts can be transferred from person to person. However, that theory falls apart when I know that its power drastically decreases when not in the hands of the original owner. I tested to see what happens if it's handed to someone else before and that's the result. Its strength reduces to the point that it's almost pathetic."

Shocked, I immediately turned to look at the archangel, taken aback by the new information. "Wait, hold up, I didn't know that at all! No one in the Academy ever mentioned something like that!" I exclaimed. "Did you and that other person keep that a secret from everyone?"

Vin averts his eyes elsewhere, a worried expression written all over his face for some reason, and then heaved a sigh. "...indeed, we both decided to hide what we learnt. The other person was the Wielder of the Holy Artifact, who was keen on learning more about it," he admitted, frowning. "However, after discovering a few things, we stopped when we realized that going any further would put us into a dangerous situation."

"After discovering a few things...?" Leo repeated, his eyebrows knitted in worry. "If you don't mind, can you tell us?"

He paused for a bit but eventually, he took out his gun and pointed it up at the sky. The firearm started glowing as if gathering magical energy, then he pressed the trigger. A bullet shot out and then turned into a magical circle high up in the air. Although it was almost barely visible, I could see a barrier surrounding us.

"Well, with the barrier set up, I'll tell," Vin said as he put away his gun back into its holster, then turned his gaze onto us. "Other than what I told you, we learnt that the Artifact is connected to the user's soul by having the Holy Artifact Wielder inspect our souls and the weapons. Until the soul itself is destroyed, it'll last forever, hence why both Leo and I are still able to use ours. Because of that, we decided it would be important to investigate the spell responsible for that. ...and that's where we started getting worried. It was a spell we didn't recognize at all so we had no idea what else it could be used for."

"So you concluded it must be either something that the Academy doesn't teach or a spell that's been lost to the ages...?" I surmised, which the male nodded his head in response to.

"Correct. Because of those implications, that's where we decided to stop," Vin confirmed, then let out a sigh once more. "Ahh, but I guess at that point, it must've already been too late. Without realizing it, we already..."

By that point, they already endangered themselves. If that's the case, he probably died because he got too close to the truth. I'm not sure what happened to the other person and I doubt Vin knows. I thought to myself with a frown. No, perhaps someone sought the knowledge that they obtained and as a result, Vin ended up dying? But if that's the case, then who? And how the hell did they know those two figured out something about the Artifacts? Before I could think any further, Leo spoke up.

"Well, that certainly explains some things," he mumbled out as if he was deep in thought. "Still, from what you said, that would mean that..."

"The Artifacts are not just weapons, they have a second unknown purpose to them that we have no idea about. Due to what's happening, we'll have to figure out what that could be. Though..." The blue-haired young man paused and glanced at the Artifact in the other gun holster, then turned his attention back to us. "...that'll be a problematic issue to solve. We'll either have to research those ancient ruins like the one that had that ancient scroll in it or we'll have to actively act as traitors and see if the Academy is hiding anything."

I frowned, feeling really uneasy from that second option. A part of me hoped that we wouldn't have to go that far but at the same time, it makes sense. The Academy definitely has lots of information about magic and them hiding certain spells even from mages in that organization is possible. After all, they're responsible for controlling info regarding magic and making sure it doesn't reach the common folk. There's probably a forbidden sect but no one was made aware of it. In short, is there a chance that one of the higher-ups from the Academy...? I frowned and shook my head. Sadly, I didn't know that much about the Academy since I detached and distanced myself from that organization due to my experience there as a Devourer.

"Well, regardless, we can think about that as we go towards our destination," Vin commented as he got up and put away the chair into the backpack near him, then turned his attention back to us. "Are you two able to push yourselves a bit further?"

The blonde grinned and nodded as I sat up and put away the bottle into my bag. "Thanks to the potion, I feel fully recovered so I'm ready as can be!"

"Same. Honestly, potions sure are useful when you're low on magical energy or want to avoid using magic in general," I stated with a smile as I closed the backpack and put it back on. "It kinda makes me wish I took alchemy class."

"I'm able to make more potions so you won't have to worry in that regard," Vin replied once he had his backpack on, grinning. "I brought alchemy supplies just in case I had to make some."

As the angel got up and put on his, he decided to ask Vin a question. "By the way, is there a potion that can let you fly...? I've always wondered about that."

"...yes but if we don't have Wind affinity, it'll pretty much do nothing. They tried making one that can be used by everyone but so far, it all resulted in failure. Though, amusingly enough, I know one of the failures resulted in giving the drinker really bad gas."

"...is there a way for me to get that potion? For some totally not mischievous reasons?" Leo questioned and Vin shook his head. "Damn. Go figure, I guess..."

I could only smile nervously at that, hoping that I wasn't one of his possible victims if he did ever get that. Before I could pester the angel, the archangel suddenly snapped his fingers, causing the barrier to disappear.

"Anyways, enough fooling around. Let's get going," Vin said, then ran off without waiting to see if we'll follow suit.

Both Leo and I ran a bit faster than usual to catch up with him. Sheesh, he sure is straight to the point sometimes. I thought with a sigh. I decided to check on the blonde, who happened to be running beside me. Ah, he has his jacket off and tied it around his waist. Makes sense since we'd be sweating so much from all this running. That was when realization suddenly hit me.

Wait, hold up, speaking of sweating, isn't the area surrounding Ignifera kingdom a desert?!