Kail, realizing that Sera was hiding something, began pestering her to uncover the secret.
“What are you hiding? Between us?”
“Nothing at all.”
But Sera denied it.
“Hmm… There, miss. You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Spill it before I arrest you.”
“What nonsense— I said it’s nothing!”
Sera denied it again.
“Seriously? Fine. Then let’s share secrets. Remember middle school? I once downloaded adult videos on your computer.”
“You were the one who did that!? You got me dragged to the police station, you bastard!”
She denied it.
She denied it.
That she was hiding something.
Her actions, which she continued despite being obviously caught by her long-time childhood friend, couldn’t be concealed any longer.
Seeing this, Kail groaned inwardly. Her stubbornness had always been something even her parents couldn’t change.
‘If this keeps up…’
He needed another approach.
***
“…So you called us, Hero?”
The Virgin Saintess looked at Kail with a sour expression. After receiving a rare summons and rushing over, she found herself entangled with yet another woman?
There would be no reward she had hoped for. Realizing this, the Virgin Saintess drooped her head in despair.
However, Kail didn’t care much about her reaction and spoke.
“Yeah, I think I’ll need your help this time.”
“Why do you need me to watch another woman…?”
“First, I called the Virgin Saintess because I have something to discuss with God. Arthur, I’d like you to keep an eye on that person.”
“Keep an eye…?”
“Don’t let her get any bad ideas. And see what she does normally. Stuff like that.”
Arthur frowned as he listened to Kail’s request to monitor his friend, Sera.
“Uh, did you get Yuri’s permission for this?”
“…Absolutely not. That’s why I called you. To watch her for me.”
“But if we get caught doing this without Yuri’s permission… Won’t we get scolded?”
Arthur worried more about getting scolded by Yuri than by Kail. It was only natural. Though Kail was the strongest in terms of raw power—enemies might worry about that—
To Arthur, who was Kail’s friend, Yuri’s sharp tongue was far scarier than Kail’s Aura Blade. Unlike Kail, who wouldn’t easily kill him, Yuri would genuinely berate him to death.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility.”
But Kail gave a thumbs-up as if he wasn’t worried about future consequences. Seeing this, Arthur was certain trouble would arise but didn’t stop Kail.
The secret Sera was hiding. As a fellow friend, Arthur was quite curious too.
“So? What secret is she hiding?”
“Hmm… You know how I’m actually a reincarnator from Earth, not here, and Sera was my childhood friend there, right?”
“Uh… I think I’ve heard something like that?”
“I came here after dying on Earth. But Sera was still alive back then. So why—and how—did she come here?”
“That’s…”
To begin with, the idea of someone reincarnating into another world after death was unrealistic enough. But to add to that, a childhood friend following them into this world, even retaining their previous appearance?
Such things don’t happen easily under normal circumstances. If they did, the person capable of such a feat…
“So that’s why I called you, Virgin Saintess.”
It was divine intervention.
There was no other explanation.
The Virgin Saintess nodded in understanding, closed her eyes briefly, and prayed. Soon, her soul connected to the heavens, and its master was forcibly summoned.
“…I am not a counseling hotline. Please refrain from summoning me so recklessly.”
“Aah, shut up. Don’t forget I saved your world.”
“I am still grateful for that. Isn’t that why I’m here?”
The Virgin Saintess—or rather, the Sovereign God—looked at Kail with her mystical eyes.
“So? What is it this time? Should I help solve this girl’s problem?”
“No. I just have a question. —Do you know Sera?”
“Who?”
“Kim Sera.”
“I don’t know her.”
“…God doesn’t know that?”
When Kail asked incredulously, the Sovereign God shrugged as if to say, how could they remember every little thing.
“Do you know everything about everything you own, Kail?”
“Of course.”
“—What’s the personal skill of Knight Lovers under Count Mayer’s territory?”
“…How would I know that?”
“I’m the same. Oh, by the way, the answer is ‘imitating the lord’s voice.’”
Though gods are omniscient and omnipotent, that doesn’t mean they’re always watching or controlling everything. It’s simply inefficient, like how video games don’t render bugs in back alleys or photons don’t fix their state until observed.
Likewise, Sovereign Goddess Lagraisha doesn’t focus on every single human she isn’t observing. Recently, her favorite observation subject was a simple 10-year-old boy running around in the countryside.
“Anyway, Kim Sera, you said? A second-year student at the same Academy as you. Second in magic and overall rankings. Shows exceptional talent in alchemy… Nothing particularly special stands out.”
“Nothing special? She’s a player!”
“…A player? What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean? You didn’t know?”
As the Sovereign God tilted her head in confusion, Kail relayed the information he knew. The Sovereign God stiffened her expression, briefly detached from the Virgin Saintess, and returned after swiftly gathering information.
“—So it’s true. I see. What do you want to know about her?”
“How she got here. And what she’s hiding from me.”
“Sorry, but I can’t answer that. Do you have any other questions?”
“…You’re the god of this world, right? Why can’t you answer?”
“Even a master can’t do everything freely. If I could, would I have needed your help to defeat the Evil God? I’d have just smacked it myself.”
After saying there was nothing more to discuss, the Sovereign God disappeared.
The Virgin Saintess, who had undergone two possessions in quick succession, staggered while clutching her head.
“Ugh… Sorry, Hero. I can’t handle any more.”
“…No, thanks. Go rest.”
“Yes, yes… I’m really sorry.”
It seemed impossible to summon the Sovereign God again for questioning—the Virgin Saintess’s body wouldn’t hold up.
In the end, they didn’t learn Sera’s secret. They only discovered that she was hiding something even bigger.
And now, the only one left was…
“Arthur.”
“Eh, eh?”
“It’s up to you.”
Only her.
***
“Mmm…”
Sera woke up in her private mansion within the Academy Territory, lightly washed her face, and stepped out of her room.
Her room was filled with magical tools she had been working on overnight. Though she had long mastered alchemy, she hadn’t invented anything new—but she had amassed countless existing tools.
Mostly potions, antidotes, or magical household items that made life convenient. Things with steady demand no matter how much time passed.
“—Haaahm. Where should I eat today?”
After finishing her wash and leaving the mansion, Sera strolled through the Academy Territory as if taking a walk. The Academy had been attacked multiple times, and after the Empire changed its name—obviously, Diaros Academy had also closed its doors.
It was a temporary closure. During this period, most students returned home—but not everyone.
“Ah! Sera! We got some good meat today! Come eat at our place!”
“Really!? Sweet! You’re giving me a discount, right?”
“Sure. I’ll give you a cola.”
Merchants who had set up shops in the Academy Territory. They had catered to Academy students and stayed even after the Academy closed.
Moving would cost a lot, and the Academy wasn’t permanently closed—just on hiatus.
Still, hardships existed.
“The shop in front closed down, huh?”
“Yeah, they all do. No customers.”
“True… Even during vacation, it wasn’t this bad.”
“Vacation was better. At least we had outside visitors then…”
Sera looked sorrowfully at the closed shop, then cautiously turned her gaze to the pork belly in front of her.
A dish she loved eating on Earth. Perhaps because this game was domestically produced, such Easter eggs occasionally appeared.
It made her happy.
‘Not much time left now…’
As Sera popped the pork belly into her mouth, she recalled how she ended up here.
Coincidentally, that day too, she had been eating pork belly.
