I stood there blankly before blurting out, as if Senior Sister Tian were standing before me, "Can you see me?"

[The Blind Heavenly Demon shakes her head and touches the corner of her eye.]

"Ah." For a moment I had been too absorbed, forgetting she was blind. "Then can you hear my voice?"

[The Blind Heavenly Demon nods.]

Had my runaway soul still not returned? She must have heard me, which explained why she had answered the first question.

"Haha." I laughed with joy. The feeling was as welcome as when I encountered Senior Brother Arang on Spirit Mountain.

"Senior Sister, have you been well? I think I heard the sound of your bell when I was in danger before. Maybe you helped me then. Or maybe it was just an auditory hallucination. Oh, have you seen Master recently—"

[The Blind Heavenly Demon raises an index finger to her mouth.]

I fell silent at the message before me. For some reason, it felt as if Senior Sister Tian stood right in front of me, slowly opening and closing her fan with a faint smile. My excitement had gotten the better of me.

I took a moment to steady my breath, and the window carrying Senior Sister Tian's message reappeared before me.

[The Blind Heavenly Demon says she will be able to communicate like this often in the future.]

"Is that so? What about the other seniors?"

[The Blind Heavenly Demon nods.]

Relief washed over me. I hadn't had the chance to thank Senior Brother Arang last time, and I still had many questions for Third Senior Brother, who was presumed to hail from the same world as Seren/Shi-Hyeon.

I said, "Did you hear from Senior Brother Arang that I stopped by Spirit Mountain before?"

[The Blind Heavenly Demon confirms it.]

Since she knew, I could speak freely and cut to the chase. "Then can I go to Spirit Mountain right now?"

No answer came immediately, but I sensed Senior Sister Tian was contemplating my words.

"It doesn't have to be now. What matters is that I have some say in choosing the timing," I added.

[The Blind Heavenly Demon asks if you want to train.]

"That's right," I confirmed, and silence stretched for a moment.

A few seconds later, a message window appeared again.

[The Blind Heavenly Demon says you need not rush. You will be able to come to Spirit Mountain soon.]

[She adds that you must be mentally prepared when that time comes.]

Goosebumps rose along my arms. Senior Sister Tian's lessons, teachings, and training were notoriously severe—the harshest I had ever experienced. Senior Brother Arang was relatively composed, tailoring his instruction precisely to one's physical limits. Yet even he had given me a task on Spirit Mountain that had nearly killed me. How intense would Senior Sister Tian's training be?

"Okay. See you next time."

A mix of worry and anticipation churned in me. Not out of masochism, but because I craved the results that such grueling training promised.

[The Blind Heavenly Demon cheers for your future.]

A faint light flickered, solidifying into an old book that landed softly in the palm of my hand.

[The Blind Heavenly Demon has sponsored you the Book of the Birth of Heavenly Evil.]

"Second Senior Sister Tian?" I called out in puzzlement, but the message window did not reappear. Her presence seemed to vanish entirely.

I brushed aside my messy bangs and clicked my tongue. It was as if I had glimpsed a ghost in broad daylight. Yet the book resting in my palm proved that what had just happened was neither dream nor hallucination.

***

It was quite a distance to the Hero Society's headquarters, far beyond walking range, so I had to find a carriage.

I didn't bother with elaborate transport and opted to rent a carriage. Traveling with others over such a long journey was too much of a hassle. Renting an entire carriage for myself was a waste of money, but so what? Only those with money could afford to waste it. It was flawed logic, perhaps, but undeniably true.

I could have driven the carriage myself, but given the distance, I preferred to leave it to a professional. Many looked down on coachmen as menial laborers, but I disagreed. The best among them knew the empire like the back of their hands, could navigate dangers with ease, erect and dismantle tents quickly, and even handle tasks like cooking or keeping watch at night. True talent like that was rare.

"My name is Gon! It's an honor to serve a great hero of the academy! Haha," the middle-aged man said, his face bright with enthusiasm.

Gon wasn't exaggerating. I had paid twice the market rate, after all, and perhaps because of that, his eyes shone with a galaxy-like intensity.

He was clearly worth every coin. My all-purpose collector, Kayan, had handled the selection personally, even contacting the Merchant Guild directly and arranging a face-to-face meeting before finalizing the decision.

"When are you going to leave?" Gon asked.

"Let's depart tomorrow morning," I replied.

"Understood. See you tomorrow at the east gate."

I nodded before considering if I should tell Mir the location. For some reason, I doubted she could find it on her own. In the end, I decided to accompany her. I led Mir to an inn near the east gate and chose to stay there for the night.

"Do you have any money?" I asked, glancing at Mir as she followed.

"I do!" Mir said proudly, showing me her money bag.

I opened it and found it stuffed with teeth and claws of various animals.

"What is this?" I asked with a frown.

"Um... isn't it money?" she replied.

Was this the currency of the giants?

"What about silver and gold?" I pressed.

"What is that?"

I was at a loss for words.

Mir has always been part of a group since leaving the Badnikers. She probably has never handled money on her own, I thought.

It seemed like a hopeless situation, but not entirely. I took Mir to the imperial bank, which exchanged all the currencies of other races. After the conversion, we got only four silver coins and seventeen copper coins.

"Oh! Are these silver coins?" Mir's eyes lit up with curiosity. She blew on them and wiped them with her sleeve.

For reference, this amount wouldn't last two days at the inn. The capital's cost of living is absurdly high, but even so...

"You are broke," I said bluntly.

Mir tilted her head in confusion.

I explained the capital's living costs, and her face turned pale. "T-that can't be... Back home, this much could buy bear meat for a month. Still, since it's enough for two days, I'll pay my share!"

I patted her shoulder. "No. I'll pay your share too."

"R-really?"

"You'll buy dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow."

Mir's eyes widened, trembling. "W-why...?"

"I rented the carriage and hired the coachman. I'm covering all the travel expenses too. We have to eat while on the road," I answered.

"I see..."

I didn't mention that hiring the coachman and carriage, plus buying the necessary supplies, had cost me five gold coins.

Mir paid at the inn with a sullen expression, and we settled in for our late dinner.

The inn had a restaurant, but the food was dreadful. I managed only a few spoonfuls of soup before giving up.

"Have you finished eating already?" Mir asked.

"Yes. Do you want to eat the leftovers?"

"Okay!" Mir eagerly took my portion and ate it. She seemed to have an enormous appetite, shoveling food into her mouth with surprising speed. In terms of hunger, she likely surpassed me. Truly, she was a giant in every sense. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

The inn's fare was abysmal, but there was little I could do. It was a shabby, deserted place. Now that I had a reputation in the capital, I had deliberately sought out such a quiet spot.

I drank my fill of water and suddenly asked, "By the way, can you really follow me like this? Don't you have somewhere else to go?"

"No."

"What about your hometown?"

"There's no way I would go back. My coming-of-age ceremony isn't over yet," Mir replied with a puzzled expression.

"Coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Yes. In my tribe, we leave our homeland before reaching adulthood. We never return until we're ready for the final trial," she explained.

"What is the final trial?"

"The Land of Trials! We go there and do anything, as long as we hunt demonic monsters!"

I knew the Land of Trials in the north. Along with the Sinking Swamp and the Jewel Mountains, it was one of the empire's four Forbidden Zones. Its entry was strictly controlled by the giants.

I asked, "What do you hunt?"

"I have to go there to see, right? There are Lava Serpents, Ragged Dogs, Tusk Wolves, Hell Eagles... I don't know what I'll encounter."

They seemed to be formidable monsters. Could Mir really kill monsters like these alone?

Mir waved her hands energetically. "If I succeed in the hunt, I'll be recognized as a warrior and get to choose a weapon from the Frozen Smithy! Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"

I said, "So you never intended to return to your hometown."

Mir nodded. "That's right. I planned to follow you. I'm glad you told me to go together first."

I was surprised. "You were going to follow me?"

Mir nodded again. "I felt I could somehow become stronger by staying at your side. It was the same in that bright red world. I managed to push beyond my limits."

"You almost died."

"I'm not afraid of dying on the battlefield."

"What?"

Mir laughed. That vicious smile, teeth bared, oddly suited her. It carried the unmistakable mark of a warrior.

"What really scares me," she said, "is being alive but no longer able to fight. Yet I survived and grew stronger than before. I'm lucky to keep all my limbs intact. It must be a blessing from my ancestors."

I stared at her blankly. She had poor social skills and a small frame, but that did not make Mir someone to underestimate.

She continued, "The Badnikers are good. You put endless trials before me. Thanks to what happened at the training camp, I no longer freeze when facing something bigger than myself. I finally learned to fight. I have a feeling I'll grow even stronger if I stay with you."

I remained silent for a long moment, studying Mir. How could I even describe her? She was a rare talent, one who forced me to reflect on my own shortcomings, even though I had initially intended to bring her in only as a temporary substitute. Setting aside her physical strength, her mindset already surpassed that of the other hero disciples. She was steadier than Seren or Hector, maybe even more so than Charon.

In the end, I chuckled. "Yes. If you stay by my side, the trials will never end."

Mir laughed heartily. "I believe it!"

***

Mir finished eating and returned to her room, while I left the inn again.

Nights in the capital were bright, but the inn stood in a remote area, leaving the surroundings cloaked in darkness. I wandered to what looked like an abandoned park and sank onto a shabby bench. Before leaving, I had grabbed some jerky; now I pulled out a piece and chewed thoughtfully.

After a while, I sensed someone approaching. The other party settled at the far end of the bench, and I held out the jerky. "Want some? It doesn't taste that good."

"I'm good," came the quiet reply.

"Is that so?" I shoved the rest into my mouth.

It wasn't intentional, but the moment reminded me of another time we had shared. Back at the academy, we had sat on a bench just like this and talked the same way. It wasn't long ago, yet it felt like a lifetime.

"Hey, Evan." I turned to him. "What are you going to do now?"

Evan remained silent. He had left the academy after the incident, and no one knew where he had gone. He had clearly hidden himself on purpose. Beyond that, I was aware that he had been following me since yesterday.

What has he been thinking over the past few days? I was curious but didn't press. Instead, I changed the topic. "If you don't have anything to do, let's go to the Hero Society together."