A young man sat cross-legged in the quiet, dimly lit room he once used for meditation, Kai's body relaxed but his hands steady and precise as he held a short wooden rod with pointy sharp at its end, gently scraping the white slab.

The soft rasp of a carving tool scraping against wood echoed in the stillness, the only sound accompanying his solitary work. Before him lay remains of the special white wooden slab, smooth and fine-grained, chipped pieces accompanied by knives and other sculpting tools he purchased from the blacksmith back in the village, the day he first encountered the hound that turns out to be a monster in disguise.

The wood his working on was the white slab Ariella found, which piqued his interest due to its unnatural lightness, as though it doesn't have weight at all. Surprisingly, it was extremely ideal for crafting, so much so that even a beginner like him had no problem shaping its surface. Coupled with his absolute

focus and careful handling, his fingers meticulously guided the chisel, steadily chipping away small fragments to reveal the shape of a mask his trying to create.

His brows furrowed in concentration, sweat forming on his forehead but he paid it no heed, the faint glow of a nearby lantern casting long shadows across his face, fully concentrated on the task at hand.

The mask was finally taking shape, and at last, after several hours of his free time spent on crafting, Kaiser blew on it, smiled proudly as he lifted his creation.

Made of fine white wood, a face shape mask can be seen with the warm glow of the nearby lantern. The mask was simple due to his lack of expertise—Its surface was smooth with no facial features except the eye hole made specifically for a female alluring lashes, and fit a goddess's perfect face. Refined with care and meticulous diligence, he could say he did a pretty good job. It wasn’t perfect—Kaiser wasn’t a master craftsman by any stretch—but the effort he poured into it gave the piece a charm all its own. Furthermore, If one didn't analyze every detail closely, they wouldn't notice its flaws.

This mask wasn’t for him, of course. It was for Ariella. Although, his goddess wasn't a disobedient lady, she obviously disliked the scary mask he made her wear to hide that problematic beauty of hers.

If only she could protect herself, Kaiser would not insist on hiding her face to shun unwanted trouble—On can never be too cautious. However, they can't really remove her damned face, so after pouring hours of effort, he finally produced the ideal solution.

Putting in the finishing touch, Kai completed the adorable bunny mask. A simple yet adorable symbol of an unrealistic rabbit face was painted on its surface using black ink.

'She would definitely love it.' The thought of giving it to her brought a faint, almost imperceptible softness to his otherwise stoic features.

'If not, then I'll shove it into her face.' He added. Kaiser was kind, but at the same time, kinda wicked.

Stretching up, Kaiser put the newly made mask to dry. Another creation of his lay beside it, this one smaller but more exquisite, like the kind worn in grand, opulent balls to cover a ladies fancy eyes, revealing only their seductive lips and nose. He made this one for Cia, because it just so happens that there's an extra material left of the slab and it would be unfair of him to gift Ariella alone. The blind girl deserved something, too.

Not to cover her beauty, but to enhance it, perhaps. In Kaiser's opinion, Cia would look prettier with a half-mask shrouding her blind eyes, giving off a mysterious vive instead of vulnerable, closed eyes devoid of vision.

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Content with his work, Kaiser gives the two masterpieces of his one last look before exiting the room with a satisfied expression. Thinking...

'Now that, that's done, what should I do in my free time from now on?'

His grueling routine of torturous training never changed, so did the agony he had to endure daily for the sake of becoming stronger. And Unfortunately, the large caravan that's meant to escort the villagers to the new settlement was delayed for a few days now. Kaiser didn't really expect it to arrive in time, for that's just how life is, ever-changing and unpredictable. Nothing really ever goes as planned, likewise to his hope of escaping the punishing routine given by him mentor.

In the recent days, Kaiser reluctantly kept on attending the grueling practices because he had nothing important to do, anyway. Still, every class was torturous and hard, the occasional time he put on secretly carving was his only reprieve from his grueling routine of harsh training, offering him a brief peace between the hellish schedule of suffering.

But having finished the handicrafts sooner than expected, Kai was left with nothing to do. He was then interrupted by his grumbling stomach.

'I forgot it's dinner time.'

Scratching the back of his head, Kaiser headed downstairs and saw the three already preparing their meal. Old man Garba was cooking their food like their grampa to his grandchildren, adding spices and tasting if it's satisfactory enough, while Ariella and Cia were tasked to arrange the tableware. Noticing him, the goddess paused and waved at him with a cheerful smile. However, at that moment, the blind girl who was carefully bringing the plates over with Ariella's aid bumped into the table pointy corner. The pang of the accident was evident, causing Cia to grunt, almost dropping the fragile plates that Ariella saved.

"Hey, are you okay?!"

Kaiser rushed over, deeply concerned at the blind girl. The side of Cia's slender waist struck by the pointy end relatively hard, as someone who experienced receiving strikes in all parts of his body, he was aware of how painful being hit in that spot, especially for a fragile flower like her.

He subconsciously touches her intending to perform a little massage to ease the pain, like what he always did when a part of his body is hurt by blunt things.

"Cia, just leave the simple task to Arie next time, you'll only hurt yourself."

Feeling his touch, Cia replied in a timid tone, with a hint of complications. "I know."

Before saying rather coldly. "Kai, can you please stop touching me now?"

Realizing how intimate his approach is, Kai immediately backed out. "Oh, sorry about that."

The blind girl didn't respond, giving him the cold shoulders as she traced a chair with her hands to say down quietly. As she did, her pain seemed to have disappeared or was she not just letting it show? Kaiser was aware she's tougher than he gave her credit for. After all, living devoid of vision was not for the faint of heart, for its hell in some sense. Where you can only see darkness in a world where danger potentially lurks everywhere, yet still keep your sanity intact. Even Kai himself wasn't confident in staying sane in that accursed condition, that's why he can't help but treat her with care she deserves.

'Did I say something wrong?'

Most likely, yes. The blind girl only wants to help rather than do nothing, but Kai was reluctant to let her because she'll be hurting herself. That said, Cia had been noticeably cold on him lately, often ignoring him in the recent days as if their friendship hadn't progressed at all. Sensing Ariella's gaze, Kai glanced at his goddess, who's holding the plates while giving him a disapproving look, with an expression that seems to be blaming him for making her precious friend sad.

'When the heck are these my fault?'

The old man chucked mockingly behind him.

"That's why one should lessen their bragging, brat. Take it easy, would you?" Garba adds fuel to the fire, spouting lies with a straight face.

He glared at the real culprit.

If there's anyone deserving of blame here, it had to be the old man for spouting indecent things he never said to the girls. Ruining the capable, caring, dependable and trustworthy image of his in their mind. Kaiser doesn't even have the heart to harm his only companions, let alone, say such indecency to others. Ever since that night, Ariella and Cia had been giving him the cold shoulders thanks to the lonely geezer's accursed mouth.

He clenched his fist.

'This old hag, I swear I'll get back at you after dinner is over.'

It's currently noon and their afternoon swordmanship training will once again start soon. Luckily, their session permits Kaiser to give everything without holding back to make his mentor bleed like what Garba constantly did to him. However, the swordmaster isn't pulling any punches either unlike their first confrontation, making it almost impossible to cut the old man whose battle style specialized in body flexibility, maneuvering akin to an elusive gale to penetrate his defense while evading his blade like a phantom.

Kaiser had made significant improvement during these days, but his skills still pale in comparison to an ancient master.

So, he had little to no hope of extracting revenge on the old man.

While thinking, a knock on the door was heard.

"Brat, mind checking who it is for me?"

Kai absentmindedly heed knowing he'll get extra lessons later if he didn't. Not like he mind several more torment than normal, he'll even ask for more if possible.

'Wait, am I becoming a masochist?'

Honestly, he can't refuse that statement confidently thanks to his recent tendency for torments. Immortality sure has its downside. Shaking off the thought, he reached for the door. When he see who paid the lonesome tower a visit, a delighted smile bloomed on his face.

'Change of plans.'