Jose was in a very strange state. According to the mastermind—the superlative "master" who trapped Selene and the others—he was experiencing a superposition of lucidity and confusion.

Specifically, he was clearly aware of the unusual circumstances of his surroundings, recognizing that those twisted, colorful creatures weren't human. He could also understand Louise's statement about being "in a world inside a box," that "the real world is ten years from now," and the subsequent deluge of barrier magic knowledge.

But simultaneously, he felt everything was perfectly normal. Louise’s boastful display of knowledge and her inflated number of degrees, the headless merchants, the driverless carriages, the impassable roads—all seemed perfectly normal and harmonious.

Contradictory feelings, tension, danger, safety, comfort… all were intertwined, coexisting illogically within Jose’s mind.

…Fortunately, he hadn't gone mad, still maintaining normalcy, partly due to his largely straightforward and honest behavior, which displayed a certain goodwill.

Louise frowned perceptibly, irritably smoothing her white hair.

Although in the previous two loops, this time of day was already bustling with the bonfire gathering, Selene intentionally avoided seeking out Louise and Jose to gather more information, so she hadn't yet encountered them and couldn't know their status.

But after learning that “she had died twice” and was inexplicably revived due to a time loop or something else, she formed an idea.

Selene must be here; her own resurrection was somehow connected to her.

It made no sense, had no logic, and would be laughed at—but considering the current situation, it was hardly unusual in the ten-thousand-year history of The Divine Construct. There might be a major or secret deity’s influence behind it all… Even for a superlative being, it would be no different from an ordinary person, so why not Selene, a first-tier mage?

Yet Louise did seem to have that level of trust in her.

She could do it.

Louise pondered for a moment, turning to Jose across from her:

“Are you sure you… well, can’t remember anything that happened afterward?”

Their conversation involved not only Louise explaining her situation but also Jose doing the same.

According to him, he only retained memories "up to this point," yet he felt he "should have later memories," but perhaps due to his unique state, those memories remained vaguely detailed.

“I can recall some things, but the details are completely blank,” Jose’s expression wasn’t particularly distressed. Logically, this should be his first experience with this, but he remained unusually calm.

“Anything noteworthy?” Louise pressed.

“Not really. If what you say is true, and my future self did all this, I should help you,” Jose stroked his wrist. “In my memory, the day before reaching the caravan, I seem to… have met someone, a young girl.”

“…So what's the connection to the current situation? Was this girl special?”

“I have no specific recollection, but she did seem special,” Jose exhaled; the memory was difficult to retrieve. “It’s hard to describe; I can only say… in that memory, she was the protagonist, like a prominent character in a play.”

“Forgive my bluntness,” Louise’s eyes were peculiar. “A poor painter, traveling alone, meeting a young lady along the way… May I ask how old she was?”

“What are you thinking?” Jose felt unjustly accused. “She was probably only five or six. Why would I have such thoughts… No, wait.”

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He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly uncertain.

“Maybe a little older, around ten? No, probably older still, fifteen, eighteen, maybe twenty?”

“…Don’t you think this can’t be explained away as a simple mistake?” Louise kindly pointed out. “If we don't discuss this, no one will ever know. Your testimony only matters after you leave here… if we even manage to leave.”

“I said it’s not related!” Jose was exasperated by this eccentric white-haired elf. His train of thought had just been clear, but now she was trying to trick him into confessing, "What I mean is, every time I saw her, her appearance… no, the feeling she gave off… changed. Her age seemed to fluctuate; her personality shifting from cold to warm…”

Louise realized that the "her" Jose referred to wasn't simple; she immediately adopted a serious expression.

“You mean her appearance remained unchanged, but gave the impression of a changing age? For example, she clearly looks like a child, but when you look at her, you perceive her as an adult?”

“Yes, more or less,” Jose hesitated, adding, “It's difficult to explain. It’s not when you see her, but when you hear her voice or touch her that you naturally perceive these things…”

Louise froze, understanding immediately.

“It’s like an incorporeal spirit? A being who has experienced death twice, losing both body and soul, existing only as consciousness in The Divine Construct?”

“…Your description is quite fitting.”

Jose, being well-traveled, had accumulated a wealth of knowledge exceeding that of a semi-literate person, even without systematic education. This naturally included information about such spirits.

“Unbound by physical contact, they can transmit information more efficiently, for example, by directly projecting their existence into your mind,” Louise whispered. “But among all evil entities, this type of spirit is the most dangerous; even superlative beings can easily fail… How did you survive?”

“Actually, in my memory, I didn’t realize anything was wrong. I simply considered her a fellow traveler…” Jose answered uncertainly. “Others in the caravan could also see her; they were friendly and welcoming toward her, just as they were to me.”

“Hmm… and then? Your destination, Tatra Village. After arriving at Tatra Village, what did she do?” Louise asked again.

Was that sudden gaze, the one that was probably still watching them, the girl whose age kept changing in Jose’s account?

“My memory only extends to tonight; beyond that, it’s just vague colors,” Jose said with a sigh. “In my memory, I seem to have discussed painting with her, then attended the caravan’s bonfire party with her at dusk, chatting… then, uh, then I seemed to have left the caravan alone and went… to a nearby hillside… yes, to paint from life.”

“Midnight?”

“It’s a bit strange, but that’s what I did,” Jose shrugged. “As I said, I don’t remember the details of that memory. Perhaps I heard someone say the scenery was nice at night, then had a few drinks, and my mind was made up.”

“It could be that spirit subtly influencing, manipulating your actions,” Louise suddenly stood up. “I don’t know what will happen next, but there’s definitely danger here, possibly from…”

“She said her name was Augusta, a family name,” Jose interjected.

“Augusta,” Louise mused. “An uncommon name. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere.”

“I have no recollection,” Jose shook his head.

“…Let’s leave that aside for now.”

Louise opened her mouth, about to outline her next plan, when a voice came from outside.

“Hey, have you seen this person? White hair, green eyes, pointed ears, five or six hundred years old, acting like a young girl, short, flat figure, bad temper, dressed roughly like this.”

【…You’re not much better, and isn't that an elf?】

“Will you shut up? Take a punch—answer yes or no.”

【Yes, I saw her… She seems to have gone that way.】

“Hurry up—Louise, where are you, Louise? I’m looking for you—”

Jose tilted his head, listening to the commotion outside, then glanced at Louise, whose expression was far from friendly. He hesitated:

“Um, someone seems to be looking for you.”

“Ha ha,” Louise said, a wry smile on her face. “They must have the wrong person. Similar names happen sometimes.”

“…Ah, yes, yes, that happens to me sometimes, ha ha,” Jose wisely kept quiet.

Louise took several deep breaths, suppressing the urge to punch Selene until she needed a shovel to gather her remains.

Did this person have to talk so much?

“Hey—ignore the old lady—”

“Is she here or not?”

“Isn’t she here?”

“I think I still owe you some silver, and suddenly I don’t want to pay. If you agree, just squeak. I’ll count to five; no answer means you accept…”

“One—two—three—four—five!”

“That’s not how you count!”

Suddenly appearing a few meters from the carriage, Selene met Louise's gaze.

“See? I told you this would work,” Selene glanced at Richter beside her. “She came out immediately.”

“If you were looking for someone normally, it would have been much faster,” Richter said silently.

Where did this evasive behavior come from? While it could be attributed to the altered personality, it felt as though she was capable of this even before…

“Anyway, let’s talk first, about the current situation.”