“…Just to warn you, Anna Helmenius is insane.”
“You’ll see when you meet her.”
“Yeah, I think you’ll figure that out upon seeing her.”
This place was once the city government’s prison. Four individuals of varying genders were seated in different spots.
Tiamat, wrapped snugly in a blanket against the cold, sat on the floor.
Angie rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned.
Ereta with an uncomfortable expression and Aslan who looked slightly exhausted.
These four were using the broken prison as a temporary rest area thanks to the ‘kindness’ and ‘understanding’ of the city guard.
Naturally, their first topic of discussion was their current situation.
Aslan had already mentioned this before, but he decided to elaborate further.
“Anna Helmenius… she’s not just insane, but a very capable lunatic.”
“That, we’ll see,” Tiamat replied.
“If what you said about her doing all that stuff, then she must be ridiculously strong,” Angie added.
Tiamat and Angie responded. They both glanced around the prison with differing expressions.
Scorch marks and shattered stone fragments lay scattered everywhere, and there were clear signs of brutal combat.
Melted iron bars and completely blown-out wooden doors could be seen.
The scene revealed the intensity of the resistance and the extremity of the attempts to quell it.
Moreover, Phey’s cell had its door completely torn off, lying askew on the ground—a sight that would make anyone wonder if they were keeping a dragon.
Tiamat seemed to fully grasp the situation, scratching his chin while letting out a big yawn.
He also complained about his dry mouth making him feel uneasy.
“I would’ve shot my boss if they were like this.”
“But you didn’t, even though you had the chance.”
“I didn’t know because they were hiding it! If I’d known, I would’ve shot them.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Kid, I feel like hitting you today. Would it be okay if I did, brat?”
Tiamat and Angie bickered, while Aslan, ignoring their spat, thought back to the game.
Back when Aslan’s reality was Earth, and Eternal Dominion was still just a game, he had encountered Anna Helmenius multiple times.
Indeed, no matter how the main quest progressed, Anna Helmenius was always someone you eventually came across.
And even in the game, Anna Helmenius wasn’t exactly a sane character.
Unlike the ancient deity’s prophet, who had appropriate power, Anna Helmenius fought against the evil deity without possessing such strength.
Nor did she have some grand vision or assured path to victory. She fought with an opaque sense of vengeance and unwavering hatred in her heart.
As a result, things always ended terribly for her, and she was always the tragic hero.
This was most evident in the quests related to her past.
Clearly, she was fixated on her past—on the daughter and family she had lost.
Considering that her pendant contained the soul of her daughter, nearly 200 years old, her mental state was definitely not stable.
And such a half-orc, not entirely sane, wouldn’t refuse the ideal girl, Phey.
That was why Aslan handed Phey over.
It wasn’t done out of desperation for survival.
But from another person’s perspective, it might look that way, and Aslan expected Ereta’s following question accordingly.
“I don’t know if this is right. Of course… since it’s something Aslan does, I trust him…”
Naturally, this was an opposing opinion. Aslan nodded at Ereta, and seeing this nod, Ereta managed to ease her subtly anxious face and spoke.
“I wish I could travel alone with Aslan. Just the two of us traveling, adventuring, enjoying the world without any interference. But… realistically, that’s impossible. Because with just the two of us, we can’t accomplish Aslan’s mission.”
Tiamat nodded solemnly, while Angie glared uncomfortably at Ereta. During this, Ereta swung her legs. The leather pants clinging tightly to her revealed her swinging legs.
“In that sense, Phey’s power is essential to our traveling party. Not only is she skilled, but her lack of sentiment allows her to act first if Aslan cannot.”
Hmm, maybe ‘lack of sentiment’ rather than ‘cruelty’? Ereta tilted her head while adding this, then looked at Aslan. In her considerate pink gaze, various emotions seemed to float.
“I’m not sure if handing her over to that woman is right. Of course, Aslan has his own thoughts and plans, but still…”
“I’m worried.” She concluded, and Aslan, knowing that the concern was directed at Phey, blinked. He thought that among the group, he showed only formal interest in others.
Perhaps due to the words Ereta had spoken right after Aslan woke up asking her to wait, Ereta seemed relaxed. She stopped swinging her leg, twisted her hair with her hands, and glanced at the floor. Seeing this, the girl smirked.
“Do you see Aslan as water? It’s just a lack of trust. Everything probably went according to Aslan’s plan?”
The girl Angie expressed full support for Aslan and acted smugly, while Ereta looked at her pityingly.
“I don’t worry.”
“Not having your own judgment isn’t a good thing, Angie.”
With that pitiful expression, the woman rested her chin and continued.
“I know Angie is simple-minded, but expressing your own opinions will help our group move in a better direction, right? Maybe we could come up with ideas better than Aslan’s.”
Angie tilted her head at Ereta’s words, her expression a mix of curiosity and mockery.
“Better ideas than Aslan? Has that ever happened?”
“It hasn’t, but it could happen someday.”
“I’m not against you, but… I agree with Ereta. The kid needs to start thinking for herself.”
Unable to bear it anymore, Tiamat chimed in. Angie frowned and turned her head towards Aslan. Seeing Angie’s “Really?” expression, Aslan chuckled awkwardly.
“I also think it would be good if Angie started forming her own opinions. We are comrades, after all. I’m not always right.”
“…Is that so?”
Angie made a humming sound, then suddenly widened her eyes and said,
“Refusing to form my own opinions is also my opinion, isn’t it?”
“Angie…”
Ereta sighed heavily, while Aslan smiled faintly. Angie stared at her honest colleagues smiling and scowled.
While observing her scowl, Tiamat asked Aslan with a sidelong glance.
“So, is there some kind of plan, like the kid suggested?”
Tiamat’s question drew the attention of Angie and Ereta as well, and Aslan found himself under the gaze of three pairs of eyes.
In Ereta’s gaze, subtle affection and curiosity mixed with respect could be seen, whereas Tiamat’s was more like probing, with a serious expression.
“This old man also considers Phey quite important to our group. Even when you weren’t around, little one, the elf kid was the one who took down the most martial monks. If we keep fighting priests, she’ll become even more crucial.”
Aslan agreed. Beyond sheer combat power, she had other uses too.
There were tasks only Phey, with her deceptive appearance, could perform.
So, Aslan smiled faintly and said,
“Don’t worry. I never intended to hand her over to Anna Helmenius.”
“Is that so?”
Tiamat answered, lifting the blanket covering his head slightly to look at the guards standing by the door. Perhaps satisfied that his voice wouldn’t reach them, he turned back to Aslan and asked in a lowered tone. Despite this, the guards appeared uneasy.
“…How do you plan to find her?”
Tiamat’s question drew everyone’s attention to the surroundings.
As Tiamat slowly surveyed the prison, Aslan and Ereta, along with Angie, followed his gaze.
The prison, ruined by magic, was a clear indicator of how unhinged Anna, obsessed with the past rather than the present, truly was.
“Even so, finding someone this crazy and expecting her to return Phey seems unlikely… She might just let her go…”
Tiamat couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsher, clicking his tongue and swallowing his words.
Thanks to Aslan’s brief explanation about Anna Helmenius, the rest of the group shared similar expressions.
“Wouldn’t it be easier if she killed and came back?”
“Yamama.”
“No, bad deeds aren’t allowed, right?”
Everyone except Ereta.
Ereta laughed, indicating it was a joke, but Tiamat gave her a reprimand. Ereta closed her mouth and stared silently at Aslan.
Aslan looked calm.
Without a trace of tension or contemplation.
Only then did Tiamat notice this expression, and Angie, looking at the other two members’ faces, blinked.
“Anna Helmenius didn’t just have a daughter in the past. She had a family—a husband, perhaps.”
At this, Ereta furrowed her brows, seemingly anxious, and Aslan smiled apologetically before adding:
“At least nominally… we need someone to accompany her.”
“Accompany? What for? Where to?”
As Angie fired off her questions, Aslan gently brushed her head just as the guards, looking uneasy, stepped aside to reveal someone.
“Excuse me… Is there someone here named Aslan?”
The speaker was clearly a mage who didn’t belong in such a place.
Dressed in a way that indicated who sent him, Aslan wore an “I told you so” expression.
*
His name is Beren.
No surname.
He used to be a farmer.
More accurately, he was a farmer until he became a mage.
When he was suffering from a fever, it was Anna Helmenius, the owner of the city, who saved him and made him a mage.
He was lucky.
Despite her tendency to dwell on the past, he became the apprentice of Anna Helmenius, acknowledged by everyone as the greatest mage of the era.
Anna Helmenius was mild-mannered and composed, a proper mage.
But what about the current Anna Helmenius?
Beren suppressed a sigh with difficulty as he led the way.
The current Anna Helmenius was searching only for the past. While life exists in the present and the future is where one should aim, she clung to the past obsessively.
The man, aware of the origin of this obsession, glanced back uneasily as he walked ahead.
In a way, this man himself was the cause.
It was because this man, likely the leader of the group, brought a pretty girl with hair color similar to his teacher.
But he didn’t complain.
Once a farmer, Beren was not someone who felt humiliation from bowing to power; instead, he took pride in it.
He attributed his long survival to this attitude, and indeed, it wasn’t entirely unjustified. So, Beren didn’t confront Aslan.
The difference in power was too obvious.
The magical energy emanating from behind was almost violent.
Moreover, the ability to stand against his master, who was also a veteran mage, was remarkable. Looking at the destroyed prison, Beren guessed that this young man was a great mage.
Definitely a great mage, yet Beren remained silent. He quietly guided him to the master’s room.
Thinking his role was done, Beren knocked lightly on the door and immediately left.
Beren had anticipated he might say something, so Aslan watched him leave with wide eyes.
“…Hm.”
Deciding this must be the right room, Aslan opened the door and relaxed upon hearing the immediate voice inside.
“Phey prefers not wearing shoes. Shoes make her body sluggish…”
“But sweetie, can’t you try wearing them? Please?”
“…Just this once.”
Inside, Phey and Anna were there.
Anna Helmenius was helping Phey into shoes that fit perfectly, brought from somewhere unknown.
Not just the shoes, but Phey was also dressed in a somewhat fancy dress.
Phey noticed Aslan watching her silently and questioned him with her eyes.
A look asking if she really had to continue this.
Aslan silently nodded, and Phey made a sad expression like a dog who’d been dressed up.
Seeing this, Anna finally noticed Aslan’s presence and turned around.
“I apologize for my earlier rudeness. Mayor. I’ve come because you requested me. Please enlighten me.”
As soon as Aslan bowed politely upon meeting Anna’s gaze, Anna, surprised, opened her mouth.
“Yes, you are Aslan, correct? I called you because I have a favor to ask of Aslan.”
“I’m listening.”
“I don’t know much about Phey. Yesterday, I accepted your proposal without much thought, but I don’t want this child to waste her time. That’s why I called you, as you seem to know her well. Isn’t it true that you’re her closest friend?”
Aslan realized Phey’s intention at this point, straightening up and smiling.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
And beyond Phey’s intentions, Aslan understood Anna’s as well.
Anna Helmenius had lost her family.
Among those lost family members were not only her daughter but also her husband. Given her position of wanting to play ‘childhood games,’ these matters would naturally concern her.
Thus, she had called the ‘daughter’s’ closest ‘husband.’
It was a clear escape. However, Aslan didn’t particularly feel the need to point this out.
Through such excuses, the woman could give herself justification and endure her own mental anguish in her own way.
Though there might be little reason or gain for accepting it, Aslan quickly made a decision.
“For today…”
“Very well.”
“…What?”
This decision surprised Anna and caused Phey to pout her lips.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
Aslan wasn’t cruel enough to ignore someone in distress, and there was some benefit to be gained from this arrangement as well.
Since the battle with the Dragon King, Aslan had felt the necessity to face his companions directly.
He resolved not to overlook his companions’ emotions any longer.
In that sense, this ‘childhood game’ was not only a means to bring Anna into alliance,
but also for Phey, who would likely have the most complaints among his companions but quietly suppressed her desires.
Unaware of these circumstances, Phey pouted her lips.
