The next morning crawled in, gray and damp.

  Lea stirred awake to the familiar hiss of pistons and the ctter of iron wheels over uneven ground. For a moment, she thought she was still in the city, still surrounded by factories and foundries. But when she opened her eyes, she found herself reclined in the cushioned bench of a narrow carriage.

  The scent of hot metal and coal smoke filled the air. Pipes jutted from the floor, venting faint streams of steam. Brass levers shifted on their own, guided by unseen hands.

  It was a steam car, like the ones she'd seen plenty back in Ein, used for hauling freight or carrying people through crowded streets. But this one had no driver hunched at the controls. The gears turned themselves. The wheel corrected its own course.

  Her brow furrowed, "You built this?"

  At the opposite side, Auger leaned zily in his seat, cane resting across his p. His eyes were half-lidded, watching the road ahead through the front gss, "A small project, really. A machine that obeys without tiring through the power of a Pact. Convenient, isn’t it?"

  Lea’s throat was dry. She almost asked how, but the words tangled in her chest.

  Because when she looked past the gss, beyond the misted fields, she saw it... a dark line on the horizon. Smoke. Rising endlessly where Ein still burned.

  Her stomach twisted. Her voice came brittle, "We left..."

  "Yes.", Auger said evenly.

  Her hands curled into fists, "We ran."

  He didn't argue. He didn't need to. The silence between them was enough to strangle.

  Lea pressed her nails into her palms, trembling, "We ran away while they screamed. While the Tome tore their minds apart, I— I couldn't stop it. I couldn't even move. My body just fled on its own."

  Her voice cracked, "I wanted to stay, but I couldn't. I couldn't... What kind of protector can’t even stand in pce?!"

  She smmed her fist against the bench. The sound was pitiful against the roar of the furnace, "I didn’t save anyone. I didn’t even try..."

  For a time, only the automated grind of the machine filled the air.

  Then Auger spoke, his tone calm but weighted, "You survived."

  Lea’s head snapped toward him, eyes wet and furious, "That's not enough!!"

  Auger didn’t look back. His gaze stayed fixed on the road, the wheel moving of its own accord, "It has to be. Because corpses don't get to learn from their failures."

  She swallowed, hating the logic, hating that it rang true. She turned away again, staring out the gss as the city’s smoke faded smaller, thinner, until it was no more than a smudge against the pale sky.

  Her reflection gred back at her... tired, hollow-eyed, lips trembling. Yet they glow brilliantly.

  "…I hate this.", she whispered, "I hate that I ran. I hate that I wasn’t strong enough. I hate that I didn’t even have a choice..."

  Auger said nothing. His hand twitched near her shoulder, hovered, then withdrew.

  The carriage rattled on, a marvel of steel and steam, bearing them further from the city she had failed to save.

  Lea sat in silence, and it made her feel uncomfortable, making the gnawing guilt inside her more unbearable. The longer the wheels turned, the heavier the silence felt.

  Unable to take it anymore, she spoke up, "Where are we going, anyway?"

  Auger didn’t move at first. His gaze stayed on the gss ahead, on the twisting road that seemed to unravel endlessly before them. Only when the machine adjusted its own course with a zy turn of the wheel did he answer.

  "Ryteline Kingdom.", he said. His voice was calm, almost casual, though Lea thought she caught a faint trace of something else underneath, "My home country."

  "Your… home? Then why bring me?", her throat tightened, "I don’t belong there. I don't even belong anywhere anymore."

  Auger finally turned, his eyes meeting hers. They were steady, firm in a way that almost irritated her. Then he said, without a trace of hesitation.

  "You are my Companion now. I can’t just leave you alone."

  That just makes it more suspicious!! Lea sighed inwardly.

  "What does being your companion really mean, anyway?", she asked, "I don't really get it..."

  "It is merely my Sixth Step Ritual, to make at least half of all sapient creatures of one Order my friends, and fulfill lifelong wishes of 24 companions.", he chuckled, "I only need one more companion in you."

  "Are you, like... a wish-granter or something?", she stared at him with disbelief, "And what about the whole 'a passing by demigod' thing?"

  "Because I walk on the Path of Divinity, simple as that.", he smiled, a hint of pride showing.

  The Path of Divinity... Lea's eyes widen. He was a real demigod, at the Fifth Step at that. What kind of monster was he? And... she is being used for somebody else's ritual.

  "Just don't think much about it, it's all a part of being a Hero. Someone once said that a Hero is someone who fulfills others' wishes, forming bonds and connecting with others.", he chuckled, "Well, I've been doing it for a long time."

  Lea has a vague understanding that he must be someone connected to Lady Keter, maybe a past member of the Argonaut. But what if it wasn't true? And he was someone who found his Path of Divinity naturally?

  So, she boldly asked, "Do you know anyone who goes by... Keter?"

  Auger stayed quiet for a moment, then he smiled brightly, "Of course. I even courted her once."

  Hearing that, Lea shook. He courted a true god!!

  "I almost died, by the Lady spared me."

  And he survived!!

  "I mean, how can any man resist such a beauty?"

  And he casually talks about her like a past lover!!

  "You... you are bold...", she exhaled. Lea doesn't think she can take any more shocks today...

  =0=0=

  Eric was nervous; he had been traveling through many vilges to spread the words of the goddess, visiting many historical sights (going to museums and historical battlegrounds).

  The goal of the Pilgrimage is to instill deeper faith in him. It certainly does, but that doesn't mean he was comfortable.

  Even right now, when he was fishing on a boat, something that would be rexing, two glowing golden eyes continued to stare at him. The Saintess herself is usually quiet, but she always stares at him, as if she were suspicious of something.

  "What is on your mind, Your Eminence?", he carefully asked.

  "Nothing much, it is just that there is a message requesting help from the Three Rings folks.", Saintess Olivier look to the distant, rippling water, "Apparently, a city was caught off guard by the Tome of Light, that was after being caught off guard by the schemes of the Wondertainment Troupe, letting one of its member perform a ceremony to their god."

  She turned to him, "Let us visit the Forest of Thorn next, then let's head North."

  "For the Throne of Blood is your final pilgrimage site."

  "But I must warn you, for the eyes of the void, the one hidden in the cracks of Time. If I have to compare them to something..."

  Eric tensed up; he knew she was talking about Lady Keter and the Library. He tries not to show it on his face, even using some of his power to control his facial muscles and heartbeat.

  "It would be another Tome of Light.", her gaze snapped over to him, intense as she had sensed his powers, "What are you doing?"

  In that instance, he reeled in a big fish, swinging it onto the boat. Seeing that, the Saintess just sighed.

  "Don't rely too much on your powers for mundane thi...ngs...", her gaze turned to the fish.

  It has a human face on it, struck in an eternal scream, filing around. This was not a fish, but a Horror.

  "..."

  "..."

  "Judgement.", her golden sword instantly sliced off the head of the fish, ending its misery.

  The Saintess stares at Eric with a deadpan expression, "Let's go back to the inn for dinner, preferably some poultry or red meat."

  "I agree, Your Eminence.", he nodded instantly.

  =0=0=

  "We found what looks to be an altar underneath the fountain, Your Highness. In it, we found what looks to be a piece of bone. Our on-site biologist told us that this belongs to a person's metacarpus, specifically the pinky finger."

  The bone piece was put in a gss case, letting Dawn observe it. It doesn't look like something that was buried for a long time, since she realized she was dealing with Regression, the forensic results would be unreliable.

  "Record everything you find here, we will return to Renar once everything is ready.", Dawn commanded, "I will speak with the King and the Crown Prince on this matter."

  With just a quick scan, she had deduced that this bone piece contains traces of divine power, a demigod, or a true god.

  She imagines that this being's bones are scattered across the nd, and collecting all of the pieces will resurrect this being...

  It was an interesting and fun project to distract her from the Fifth Step of Erudition, connecting two subjects from two completely different fields, then forming a thesis to unite both is an absolute nightmare.

  After dismissing everyone, she let out a sigh.

  "What to make of this...", she tapped the table, "Regression..."

  She cannot do anything more but consult her royal family and Lady Keter...

  =0=0=

  The steam car rolled up to a town, where Auger and Lea decided to stay in an inn. The food was decent for such a remote location.

  Of course, they had separate rooms.

  "You can go on with her book club meeting.", he stated, "I'll not be joining."

  "Why?", Lea asked, putting down her new clothes, provided by Auger, on the bed. It was a little creepy how he had her exact size, but nonetheless convenient.

  "Once you live long enough, you perceive things differently.", his tone was a bit grave, "All I can say about Lady Keter is... she doesn't care about this world."

  With those cryptic words, he left her room.

  Doesn't care about this world... Lea thinks back to those words. Not sure about what he meant by it, certainly Lady Keter is aloof, but she cares enough about the Argonauts and their impact on the world.

  Sighing, she y down on her bed and closed her eyes.

  Then she opened them, finding herself in the monochrome world once more...

  She saw that everyone was here and ready.