Aksel quickly came to regret attending the party. While Hera was on board with the deception, the rest of the village wholeheartedly believed in the persona of the Western Knight, a character now firmly and irreparably set in motion. Instead of finding some level of joy in the jovial atmosphere, Aksel found himself constantly covering for Vine throughout the night. Meanwhile, Theo seemed determined to drink David out of business.

Despite receiving the all-clear, Vine hadn’t fully recovered, still suffering the repercussions of whatever she had used in the battle. In contrast to Theo, she spent her night contently sipping the free water and nibbling the bread Aksel got for her, happily seated and observing the festivities in silence. All the while, Aksel had the distinct pleasure of fielding every question on her behalf regarding her backstory, not unlike explaining the origins of a fictional character that he’d just made up to a group of eager fans.

“How long have you been a knight?” One man might ask.

“S-she’s just started out, but she’s exceptionally skilled,” Aksel would respond.

“Hey, where’s the sword you had earlier?” Another would inquire.

“That’s her heavenly sword, it’s just not manifested at the moment,” he would counter.

“Why didn’t you join in to begin with?” A curious soul would ask.

“Oh, erm, well, she was already extremely low on divine essence when she… er… saved? Saved! Saved me and Theo from a bandit—A-a group of bandits, who were living in caves that attacked us on the road. And besides, the other knights already had it covered. I mean, who could have guessed that the bear would come back to life like it did.”

Even after only a short session, the mental exhaustion was already beginning to pile up.

“You need a drink,” Theo told him, already on her fourth tankard.

“I don’t think being drunk will make this easier.”

“You’d be surprised. I bet you could come up with all kinds of things while drunk.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. Anyway, why are you still hanging around here? I know why I’m here, and she’s not going anywhere.” He indicated to Vine, quietly munching on the remaining loaf of bread in her hand. “But you’re free to leave if you’d like. Don’t let us stop you.”

Theo looked away from him, staring into the crowd.

“I don’t trust them,” she told him, squinting her eyes at the gathering.

“Still?”

“Any one of them could be here to kidnap me again, so.” She proudly placed her hand on Aksel’s shoulder. “You’re going to entertain me for the evening,” she gave a bright smile that he couldn’t find comfort in.

The evening persisted in that manner for a couple of hours more, until everyone seemed to have had their fill of the muted knight and her spokesperson for the day. Instead, people enjoyed themselves amid the music and festivities, both at the inn and the bustling street parties outside, supplied with food and beverages from people’s private larders. Barring the occasional curious glance, things quieted down for them.

Finally provided a moment of privacy within their group, Aksel spoke to Vine once more.

“Vine?”

“… Aksel, you’re doing great,” she complimented him, offering a thumbs-up. He returned a wry smile. He hoped that was the case, or else the Heretica would be breaking down their door soon.

“Thanks, sorry you’ve been stuck here like this,” Aksel offered Vine an apology.

“… I’m happy here,” she informed him.

“Do you think you know what a knight is now?”

“… That’s me,” Vine answered, pointing to herself after hearing Aksel repeatedly explain that point to everyone who asked.

“Not er… not quite.”

“… Oh… so why, do you keep saying that I am?”

“Allow me to explain. A Knight of the Faith is a person who’s been accepted into one of the three higher level branches of the organisation. They are considered the sword and shield of the Faith, and you usually find them in small numbers spread across the kingdom. They’re the ones you’d find flying across the battlefield like a one-man army. That’s why we’re telling everyone that you’re a knight, because it was the only hat that would fit.”

And it was the best option I had available in the two seconds I had to explain, Aksel thought, deciding to keep that part to himself.

“… Hat?”

“Before you start, no, I’m not talking about an actual hat. It was just a figure of speech,” he attempted to explain away his choice of words, but the head tilt he’d become familiar with confirmed it was a concept too far. “Never mind.”

“… So, knights are like heroes?” Vine summarized from their previous talks.

“No, not… Well, they sort of… How do I put this…”

“… Does it depend on the hat?”

“That doesn’t— No, look, knights use the same divinity heroes call on because they both draw their power from The First. However, knights are nothing in comparison to a true hero’s power. If there was a hero here today, then they would have taken down that Megabear singlehandedly.”

“… So, a more powerful hat.”

“Please stop talking about hats.”

“… That means… I’m not a knight… I’m a hero,” she concluded, pointing to herself once more.

“That’s not how that works.”

“… But I killed the bear, on my own.”

“Yes, that you did… Using magic,” Aksel replied, contemplating his next response. At some point, he’d need to confront Vine properly about what she had done.

“… You and Theo, have been so nice to me… even though I’m… like this. You… saw what I did, but you still wanted to help me… Only Lyric has ever cared about me like that… Thank you.” Vine’s words were soft and passionless as always, but they struck a chord in Aksel’s heart.

“Heh heh heh. Looks like the wannabe hero’s building his harem,” Theo quipped, a mischievous grin spreading across her face, a little of whatever she was drinking partly dribbling down her lips. “Maybe you could invite Hera over to exchange some essence too.”

“Have you seriously just been drinking for the last two hours?”

“More like I’ve been lonely for the last two hours. Come on! Vine’s had you long enough,” Theo declared, rising unsteadily from her seat and moving over to start tugging at him. “My butt’s fallen to sleep sitting on this chair getting table service. Time for some bar action!” The stench of alcohol on her breath was overpowering.

“H-hey! Watch it!” Aksel objected. Seeing his resistance, the tipsy Theo pressed his arm into her abundant chest, bringing her face inches from his.

“Quit ignoring me. You owe me an apology for all the crap you’ve put me through today. So, you’re coming to the bar to share a drink with me, right now.” Theo’s partially flushed face demanded.

“Alright, alright, I’ll have a drink with you,” Aksel finally relented.

“… Can I come?” Vine asked politely.

“Vine! You can join me whenever you like!” Theo released Aksel and hugged Vine, pressing her cheeks against Vine’s face. “Oh, you’re so soft too!”

“… You stink,” Vine’s dispassionate remark didn’t deter Theo.

“Shhh, don’t ruin this for me,” Theo pushed herself further onto Vine.

“Will you stop that already, people are staring at us again,” Aksel told her, the attention of the inn turning towards them.

“Aksel, you need to try this too, she’s like a big pillow!”

“Theo!”

As the night progressed, the atmosphere quieted down. Villagers gradually trickled out of the inn, joining those who were still revelling in the streets, where a few folk songs persisted even at this late hour. Inside the inn, everything came to a stop at midnight following David’s directive, allowing the guests the chance to retire for the night. Aksel’s group had generously been provided three rooms free of charge, as David had promised. With their night at an end, Aksel, Theo, and Vine all headed to their rooms. Or at least, that’s what should have happened.

Aksel struggled to open the door, forced to carry a barely functioning Theo on his back. The drunkard had indulged herself so much that she couldn’t walk straight any longer.

How did I end up carrying both of you on my back today? Aksel questioned his fortune. He was thankful Vine seemed uninterested in the liquor on-tap, but Theo’s jovial drunken mind couldn’t restrain itself.

“I knew you’d— HIC! take care of me, my lovely goody-goody HIC! ‘ero.” Theo slurred.

“Why in Nith would you get so drunk? We have to be off in the morning.”

“Isn’t it obvious, you stttupid. Cause the innman said the booze was freee— HIC! —eee. I’d have to be some— HIC! dumby river drinker to not drink it. Besiiiiiides, I told you before, I can hold my— HIC! liquor. Give me a couple of ‘ours, and I'll be finnnnne!” she waved her drunken hand with the coordination of a leaf in a hurricane.

“Okay, I think I’m done here,” he lowered her onto the double bed and made for the door. “Goodnight, Theo.”

“Heyyyy! Where are you— HIC! going? Keep me company tonight,” Theo stared at him, leaning so far over the bed, Aksel feared she’d fall off.

“I’m going to my own room, just go to sleep.”

“Oi, a beautiful girl just asked you to keep her— HIC! company. Who am I supposed to drink with if you go?” Theo’s head swayed.

“We’re not drinking any more. Go to sleep, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Riverrrrrrrr Drinkerrrrrrr. Riverrrrrrrr Drinkerrrrrrr. Riverrrrrrrr— HIC! Drinkerrrrrrr—” Aksel closed the door on his drunk companion, hoping she’d take the hint and rest.

With Theo put to bed, Aksel moved to his room on the other side of the inn. Arriving at the correct place, he opened the door—

“!?”

Aksel’s face flushed a deep crimson as he walked in on Vine, who meet his gaze with her emerald and scarlet eyes. She stood before him, partially undressed—her vest, belt and leggings nowhere to be seen, while the last button on her shirt had just been undone, revealing her underwear, specifically her panties. She looked at him, calm as a cucumber, and tilted her head.

“… Trouble?” she asked, utterly unfazed by Aksel’s presence, which was more than could be said for the man himself.

“Yes, there’s trouble! Why are you in my room? Better yet, why are you undressing in my room?!” he blurted out, speaking far too loudly for this time of night.

“… So, we can sleep together,” Vine informed him, causing some misplaced ideas to flash through Aksel’s mind. He had never dealt with a girl this… exposed, in front of him before. Taking a breath and trying to keep his mind focused, he shut the door behind him, not wanting the rest of the inn to hear this conversation and stepped into the room.

“Why would we sleep together? You have your own room, just go use yours.”

“… So you don’t get lonely?”

*Sigh* “I’m not five Vine, I can sleep on my own.”

“… But, Theo said... you need someone with you at night.”

“Oh, right, she did say that, didn’t she?” Vine nodded as Aksel recalled the random lie Theo told on his behalf. He kneaded the bridge of his nose. “Look, I appreciate the offer, like, really appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“… It wouldn’t?”

“Yes, it wouldn’t.”

“… Why?”

“Because I’m a man, and you’re a woman.”

“…”

“Do you not see why this could be a problem?”

“… We did it in the cave.”

That phrasing…

“That was clearly an exception. Look, I’m telling you I don’t need a babysitter to sleep with me every night. Just go back to your room. And get dressed already!”

“… I see.”

“…”

“… Aksel?”

“What?”

“… Can I, sleep here tonight?” Vine asked him directly.

“Vine, I just told you I don’t need a babysitter.”

“… But, I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“Huh?”

“… I sleep better… when I’m next to someone… I don’t like being alone.”

“Oh, I er—”

“… Can I stay?” Vine asked, her question lingering in the air as she stepped closer to Aksel, his cheeks burning an even deeper crimson. The way her shirt hung loosely from her figure, revealing her slender body, and black panties was eroding Aksel’s rationality.

“W-why don’t you go stay with Theo instead? She could probably use the company.” Aksel shifted his gaze to a nearby wall, trying to not think about the half-naked girl in front of him.

“… I want to stay with Aksel though,” Vine told him in the same gentle, passionless voice of hers.

You’re making it really difficult for me to turn you down right now.

“Okay, how about this then. If you agree to tell me a little bit more about yourself, and how exactly you’re using this power of yours, I’ll do it… tomorrow. Is that okay?”

Vine thought about the offer for a while, silently debating it in her mind.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“… But Lyric…” She pondered more. “… But if it’s Aksel…” Her head moved from side to side. “… Okay.”

---

Sat on the bed meant for two, Aksel and Vine stared at each other from opposing sides. Vine never attempted to redress herself, or even button up her shirt, leaving two thin walls of fabric running from her shoulders to her thighs, with a wide corridor of flesh exposed in the middle, leaving her panties, stomach and cleavage completely visible to him. Despite this most devious of distractions, however, he was determined to use this opportunity to finally get some answers. Doing his best to keep his vision above chest level, he began.

“So, how does it work?”

“…?” Vine tilted her head, not understanding his vague question.

“Okay, let me ask something else then. Is the power you used to kill the bear from enchanted items?”

She shook her head.

“And it’s definitely not divine?”

She nodded.

“Okay, so you’re like some sort of mage then, am I right?”

Vine paused for a moment, clearly hesitating with her answer.

“It’s okay Vine, you can tell me.”

“… I am.” She confirmed to him.

“You are?” Aksel asked again, to which she nodded once more. “And we’re talking about the same thing? Like a person who can throw fireballs?

“… Fireballs?”

“The things that cause big fiery explosions.”

“… I can do that?” She looked at her hands, as if in emotionless awe of her own abilities.

“That’s what I’m asking you! Okay, let’s just move on. So, you’re truly a mage of some kind. Let’s say that I believe that you’re somehow this human magician, how is that even possible? Mages require mana to perform spells, yet all of that was sealed away a millennia ago. So, going by that, it shouldn’t be possible for mages to exist anymore, not in any meaningful way anyhow.

“… It’s… complicated.”

“I can tell,” Aksel already felt weary from the conversation.

Vine raised a hand to the centre of her chest, glancing down with half-open eyes. “… I use the mana, inside.” Hearing this, his eyes slowly squinted at her.

“Inside? What do you mean inside? Inside what?” He questioned.

“… Inside… my soul,” she replied.

“Mana… doesn’t come from the soul, Vine. It only ever existed in the air.

“… It doesn’t?”

“Well, I mean, I only read about it,” Aksel trailed off.

“… My mana, comes from my soul, and I use that to use magic.”

“Your mana?” It was a strange thing to hear. Mages from the stories typically didn’t refer to mana as something that personally belonged to them. However, Vine didn’t elaborate further on her words, instead delving into the bottomless bag beside her. A few of the rocks floating around the top bounced on to the bed as she rummaged through the endless wonder never far from her grasp. After a short search, she retrieved the items she sought: a pencil, paper, and a small block to draw on. Nestling it between her knees, she began to sketch.

“You can draw?” Aksel asked, genuinely surprised by the creative side she was showing. Vine nodded with a soft “Umm” sound.

“… I needed to draw, back when I was worse… it was one way I, talked to Lyric.”

“When you were worse?” Aksel questioned.

“... Lyric did, a lot for me back then.”

“Are you okay telling me about her?”

“…” Vine didn’t immediately respond, briefly halting her drawing. After a pause, she finally spoke, “… She’s, my sister.”

“Wait, she was your sister?” Aksel was shocked by the revelation.

“… She’s the best. The greatest person ever.” Despite her passive tone, Aksel could understand what her voice failed to express.

“Then, is there a reason she isn’t here?”

“… I don’t remember… I woke up alone… I searched, and searched, but I couldn’t find her. So, I’ll go to our forever home, and find her there,” Vine explained, revealing a deeper meaning to her quest. The pencil moved back and forth across the paper for a while longer, before she unveiled her surprisingly clear illustration. She pointed to the first part. Two drawings appeared to depict herself, each side by side, with a dividing line drawn between them vertically.

“… This is me”—Vine indicated to the drawing on Aksel’s left— “… and, this is my soul.” She indicated to the drawing to his right. “… These two are connected, yet apart from each other… But there is a path.” Vine shifted the paper and rubbed out part of the line separating the two, making a small hole. “… The mana inside my soul, goes to my body through the path… and I use that for magic.” She completed the illustration by creating a small tube connecting the two Vines through the hole.

Aksel did his best to comprehend her explanation.

“Isn’t the soul and body, like, the same kind of thing anyway? Does it need a path?”

“… It’s… difficult… The soul is attached… but separate. It’s you… but it’s not,” this conversation wasn’t going anywhere.

“Alright, let me see if I’m following so far. You’re saying souls and bodies are separate, except your case because you have a path going between the two, and you transfer mana through it. Am I correct so far?” Vine nodded in confirmation. “Okay, several questions. First one, how???”

“… I don’t know.”

“I should have seen that one coming.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. “Very well, onto the second question: Why is there mana in your soul in the first place? Does every soul possess mana?

“…”

“You don’t know that either, do you?”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I’m just glad you’re sharing all this with me,” Aksel reassured her, scratching the back of his head. Despite feeling a sense of distress that Vine had ready access to her own source of mana, he managed to maintain his composure, for the most part.

I wonder what the Taith would think if they knew souls could contain inherently sinful mana floating around inside them. Would that mean that everyone is sinful? He briefly considered the theological conundrum, before dropping the topic. He had enough on his plate without considering the hypothetical religious ramifications.

“… I draw the mana from my soul, and I use it.” Vine drew marks on the pathway connecting the body and the soul, indicating the flow of mana between the two, casting a spell that resembled either a lightning bolt or a crack.

“Like against the Megabear?” Vine nodded again, doodling a dead bear onto the page. “Is there anything else you can do?”

“… I can shatter,” Vine paused for a moment longer than usual. “…that’s the only one I can use.” she stated, turning the paper around to draw something else.

“Come on, I know that’s not true. What about the super strength or the super speed? That’s clearly some kind of magic,” Aksel counted, pointing out the extraordinary abilities he saw in action.

“… A little,” Vine admitted. “… I enhanced my body, with my mana… So, it’s stronger than before.

“You’ve enhanced your body with mana directly? Like, enchanted your own body?” He took her explanations in stride.

“… I remember, my mana is different… it’s better, so I put it in my body to make it stronger… I’ve done it a few times now, so I’m pretty strong.”

Aksel’s mind thought back to Vine booting the colossal dungeon-kin into the air and couldn’t help but feel she was underestimating herself.

“Then, that bleeding I saw, and when you almost shattered me with at energy you produced, what was that?”

“…” Vine fell silent again, appearing to avoid the question as she continued to sketch, leaving the question to linger uncomfortable in the air. Aksel contemplated whether to ask her again, but before he could, her pencil stopped dead in its tracks. Without turning to face him, she spoke once more.

“… I’m… broken.” Vine confessed quietly.

“I’m sorry?” Aksel responded, puzzled by the admission.

“… I’m broken,” she finally faced him with her eyes of shining emerald and lifeless scarlet, her expression never breaking from neutral, her tone as passionless and soft as their first meeting.

“I don’t follow.”

Vine revealed her drawings to him once more. There were another two depictions of Vine separated by a vertical line, with the opening allowing her mana to flow through. However, the Vine representing her physical body had numerous cracks spread across it. The pathway between the two parts was also fractured in several places, but the most concerning was the sketch representing Vine’s soul.

“Why did you draw your soul like… I see.” It took a moment, but he finally understood the meaning of her explanation. He found himself lost for words as he stared at the depiction of Vine’s soul, shattered into pieces.

“… It’s not as bad as that… My soul is mostly… okay, like my body… But the pathway is difficult… I push it together every time I do something,” Vine explained, erasing the broken segments of the pathway and redrawing it as a mostly solid, straight connection. This time, she added a band both above and below it, with a few arrows thrown in to indicate some kind of force acting upon it, pressing the pieces together. “… When I do it too much though, it hurts, and the blood starts coming out.”

“How is this possible? What happened to your soul?” Aksel asked, concern evident in his voice.

“… I think, I might have used too much, before,” Vine spoke, bringing her hand to her chest. “… So, I don’t use it… very much.”

“This is incredible, Vine,” Aksel told her, before pausing, not sure what to say. She just described herself using mana in a way he’d never heard of before, one that didn’t use mana drawn from the world, but from within one's own body. He thought back to the times he witnessed her using this magic, not once remembering an incantation or chant to activate it, as if the mana already knew her desires without any spoken or gestured instructions.

“But you know, what you’re describing doesn’t sound much like a mage.”

“… It doesn’t?”

“Well, mages weren’t typically that strong or fast, and only the false gods could use magic without chanting or gestures. And again, I’ve never heard of mana coming from the soul before. So, yeah, not really,” Aksel replied.

“… Ohhhh… Then what am I?” Vine pointed to herself; her head tilted.

“You’re asking me?”

“… If I’m not a mage, then what am I?”

“Really putting me on the spot here, aren’t you?” He scratched his head, attempting to define this new type of magic user he hardly knew anything about.

Like a super mage? Erm, a greater mage? A mega mage? A maximum over mage? No, those are terrible. Maybe a title closer to how Vine’s described it, like a Soul mage? A Sage perhaps? Hmm, that still doesn’t sound right, not for Vine at least. “Soul” should be in there somewhere I guess, so how about with another word for soul?

“Anima?” Aksel thought aloud.

“… Anima?” Vine questioned the new term.

“Anima… mage? Animage?” His thoughts spilled out as he attempted to create a term that could encapsulate Vine’s unique circumstances and abilities.

“… Anima mage… Animage… I like it… I’m an Animage.” Vine nodded, appearing satisfied.

“Wait, just like that? I was just throwing things out there,” he was taken aback.

“… I’m an Animage… Thank you.” Vine told him, and he couldn’t help but smirk a little.

This whole thing sounds completely unbelievable. If this was anyone else, literally anyone besides Vine... But it was her, and in a strange way, I can tell she isn’t lying to me. What… What am I meant to do now? Do I tell someone? No, I can’t betray Vine like that. So long as Theo doesn’t blow the cover story I told her, we can just depart and hope it doesn’t come up again. Yeah, nobody needs to know that I’m traveling with the embodiment of sin. Aksel internally concluded.

“Well, that clears up a few things at least. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how you managed to pull all this off, though your explanation might take some time to sink in. By Nith, I was almost convinced mana was floating around in the air again,” Aksel chuckled in relief. Vine though, tilted her head.

“… It is,” she stated bluntly.

“…” Aksel froze. “… What did you say?” Vine retrieved her sketch paper, referring back to the drawings.

“… My soul and path are broken, so mana… leaks,” she explained.

“You’re leaking mana— you’re leaking mana?!” Aksel exclaimed, startled by the revelation.

“…A little,” she raised her hand, gesturing a small amount using the gap between her index finger and thumb.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! Aksel’s mind screamed.

Holding his head in his hands, all the implications washed over him. Mana returning to the world was a truly nightmarish scenario, and not just for him, but Mythrin at large. If Vine’s soul mana acted like normal mana, then it would be leaking into the world and replicating rapidly. If the church discovered this, there would be no place in Mythrin they’d be able to hide. Worse than that, if the elves discovered there was a source of unsealed mana... No matter how he thought about it, this situation would only end in disaster for everyone involved.

“… Trouble?” Vine queried innocently.

“We’re so screwwwwwwwwwwed,” he vented in despair. “If even a little bit of mana has returned to Mythrin, then it’s going to multiply out of control until every inch of the world is covered. Which means we are utterly screwed,” he wanted to scream.

“… It’s… infertile,” Vine added.

“… What?” Aksel snapped his neck back to look at her, trying to process her last words.

“… The mana… Lyric talked about it before, and told me it’s infertile.”

Infertile mana?

“You’re... You’re saying the mana doesn’t spread?” He questioned, a sliver of hope in his voice.

“… What does infertile mean?”

Aksel suddenly deflated. “I’ll tell you later.”

“… Lyric said it meant it couldn’t have babies… but then, when I asked where babies come from, she didn’t tell me.”

Don’t dump this conversation on me, Lyric!

“Well, I think that’s enough for today. We’ll be up early tomorrow so it’s best we get some sleep while we can,” he swiftly dodged the topic.

“… Okay… Aksel?”

“Yeah?” He answered, only to find himself suddenly tackled into the bed, tied up in Vine’s warm embrace. The hug was incredible, so soft and comforting, yet he could feel his face camouflaging itself tomato red in response, as she pressed her slender, half naked body against him. “Wha— What is this for?” he stammered, unable to handle the sudden affection.

“… For listening… It was nice,” she informed him; her head partially buried in his chest.

“O-oh. T-that's fine then,” he told her awkwardly, knowing somewhere in his mind he should tell her to stop. Instead, he found himself submitting to her embrace in its entirety, nervously wrapping his arms around her in return.

---

With the discussion for the night concluded, Aksel wished Vine a good night as she headed for the door—

“W-Wait! You can’t go out there like that! Someone might see you!” Aksel blurted out far too loudly for the late hour, noticing Vine about to leave the room wearing nothing but her loose shirt and underwear.

“… Are we hiding?” Vine asked, glancing back at him while tilting her head.

I am not doing this, Aksel thought.

“Vine, if you trust me at all, you’ll put on something, right now.”

Vine looked down at herself, noticing the absence of clothes.

“… Not enough?”

“There were slaves that got to wear more than you.”

“… Slaves?” Vine tilted her head as Aksel held both hands up to his face. He had a lot on his mind and was more than ready to rest after their conversation, but dealing with Vine was like caring for a fully grown child.

“Look, where are your clothes?”

“… I’m wearing them?”

“The rest of them!”

“… Ohhhh… in the bag.”

“Give it to me,” Aksel held out his hand, to which Vine complied.

“… The rocks are mine... don’t take them.”

Of course she’s concerned about those.

“Got it… Oh, you dropped some earlier, by the way,” he told her, causing Vine to swivel around and give an over-the-top gasp—at least by her standards.

“… Are you sure… these weren’t already here?”

“Already— Who in Nith is bringing rocks to an inn?”

“… Me?” She pointed to herself.

“Then you have your answer!”

“… I’m getting careless.”

“That’s what makes you think you’re being careless?”

“… I’ll harden my mind.”

“Spend less time hardening your mind and learn how to get dressed!”

Leaving Vine to collect her lost property, he started unstringing the bag. Then it dawned on him. As of this moment, he was, in fact, holding a magical item, and not just a magical item, but a magical item filled with gold, books, and potentially more magical items. His mind raced with all the possibilities, all the adventures, and even the knowledge stored within such a tiny bag. With bated breath, he opened the top, ready for anything.

“R-rocks?” Aksel muttered to himself.

“… More?” Vine curiously glanced over at him.

Inside the magical bag, stretching from edge to edge, was an endless cluster of small, utterly mundane rocks—simple, unremarkable stones one might find on the side of the road. It was so… wasteful.

This is like the Fayth calling down an angel to use her head as a damn coaster! Why would anyone need so many damned rocks?!” he thought, though he decided not to question Vine about his find, concerned by the justifications she might offer. “Are you sure your clothes are in here?”

“… Umm, I put everything in there,” she confirmed with a nod.

I can tell.

Sighing, Aksel slowly burrowed his arm into the loose, rocky wall giving him such an intimate greeting. By the time the rock formation managed to reach elbow deep, he truly questioned if there would ever be an end to them. The level of stones he was diving through made cobbled roads look like they were paved with paper in comparison. After inching forward for a few moments longer, however, he finally broke into another layer.

There were sensations of all kinds surrounding his hand. Soft, hard, fluffy, rough, smooth, prickly— OUCH! It seemed an inconceivable number of things was stuffed in here, though stuck in a jumbled pile beyond correction. He couldn’t imagine how difficult it must be for Vine to find anything, which then prompted his next thought.

How in The First’s name am I going to find anything in this? He pondered. It wasn’t like he could just dump everything out and pick out what he needed, unless he wanted to be crushed to death by a tidal wave of pebbles. Vine’s able to do this, so there must be some way to find what you need in here. Come on, I just need some clothes, any clothes.

Just then, he wrapped his hands around something fabric-like. The sweet smile of victory crossed his face, having miraculously defeated his bottomless foe.

“Okay, I think I’ve found something, just put this on,” he reeled in his arm, a few rocks falling out of the bag upon revealing his find. “Huh?” The result of his dig brought his face to a familiar shade of red, now proudly displaying a pair of Vine’s white panties in the air. Without even a shrug, Vine was already complying with Aksel’s orders, her hands in position to slide down her undergarments.

“Wait!” Aksel shouted like his life depended on it.

“… Something wrong?” Vine innocently tilted her head.

“I made a mistake, you don’t have to put these on!”

“… Yours look nicer though,” she concluded.

“Why do you care?!”

“… I want to be cute.”

“You’re fine as you are!”

“… Aksel, prefers these?”

Why do I have to go through this?

---

After an arduous few minutes of rummaging through Vine’s bag to retrieve her clothes, assisting her in pulling up her leggings, fastening the belt that held her bag, and straightening up her shirt—after she put the buttons through the wrong holes—Aksel finally made her somewhat presentable. It was probably overkill for a short walk down the hall, but it was certainly a damn sight better than a few minutes ago. Despite the stress, the ordeal did provide some useful insight into the mechanics of Vine’s bag. While on the surface it may appear to be a jumbled-up mess, much like mana itself, the item seemed to respond to the person’s wishes, automatically presenting the item as long as it was available. So, when Aksel vaguely wished for clothes, he received something that ticked that box, in his case, underwear. After a little trial and error, he’d managed to get a handle on it.

“Your bag is incredible,” Aksel remarked, handing the item back to her.

“… It was… Lyric’s favourite too,” Vine admitted, leaving Aksel unsure of how to react.

“Tomorrow, let’s definitely do this again. I’d like to know more about you. Is that okay?”

“… I’d like that.” Vine glanced at him for a moment, unmoving, before crouching down and sticking her hand into the magical, auto-sorting container.

“Oh, did I miss something?” Aksel inquired, but Vine shook her head, her arm diving deeper into the interspatial void. Then, with both hands, she pulled out a large, white, fluffy pillow.

“… Here,” Vine offered the item to him, his hands instinctively accepting the gift, suddenly finding himself the owner of a high-quality, bag-approved pillow. For a moment, he was bewildered by the sudden generosity. However, after feeling the texture and cushion of the item, he quickly understood what it was.

“The pillow from last night?” Aksel questioned.

“… So you don’t… get too lonely,” Vine added softly.

“That’s—“ his heart almost fluttered at her words. “Thank you, Vine.”

“… This too.” A crusty, stained, ugly towel blanket he similarly recognised was abruptly offloaded into his arms along with his pillow, like an annoying friend that invites himself on all your dates. Still, the gesture was appreciated.

“Great… Thanks, I’ll see you in the morning.” Aksel dumped the pile onto the bed and waved Vine off with a smile as she finally shut the door behind her. Releasing a long, stress-relieving sigh, he fell back on the bed. Grabbing the necklace he received from Hera from his pocket, he stared at it, contemplating his next move.

Do I tell someone? This is the first I’ve heard of infertile mana, but does that make a difference? Ah, but if I tell someone, even Hera, it all leads to one place, the Heretica. And I… Aksel turned his head towards the pillow sticking out of the ragged sheet she gave to him. I don’t think I can do that to her.

Not wishing to replace the necklace given to him by his sister, he decided to wear both together, the pilgrim’s necklace hanging slightly below his old wooden idol. Testing the pillow from the inn first, and finding it lacking, he swiftly shoved it aside for the luxurious comfort of Vine’s pillow. Undressing himself down to his underwear, he crawled into the covers, and he rested his head against the pillow for another night.

This feels far too comfortable, a stray thought passed through his mind, as he quickly drifted off to sleep.