When I came to, the first thing I felt was a gentle stroke through my hair.

It was slow and light. The kind of touch that makes your body want to stay asleep forever. My eyelids felt heavy, but curiosity won. I forced them open.

"Heekk…"

A sharp breath escaped from above me, as a blurry head with long black hair escaped my field of vision.

The hand that had been in my hair vanished like it had just been caught stealing. My blurry vision cleared, and I found myself staring up at a sky full of stars, clearer than I'd ever seen.

I was lying on my back to the ground, but my head… it was propped up on something soft.

It shifted slightly beneath me. Warm. Smooth. Definitely not the ground.

I turned my head to see what it was, my eyes moving away from the beautiful starry sky and falling on something more beautiful.

Breasts.

I immediately froze.

The only thing covering them from my vision is the peice of table cloth I had given to Lydia earlier.

"Oh… someone's awake," Lydia said, drawing out the words and glancing anywhere but at me.

Her face hovered above mine, her eyes wide, her lips pursed like she was trying very hard to pretend nothing strange was happening.

It took me another second to realize where my head was resting.

It was on her lap.

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

My brain finally caught up, flooding me with every possible mix of confusion, and… something else I'd rather not name.

Lydia just whistled under her breath, pretending to look at the sky like this was a normal way to wake someone up.

I swallowed, my throat dry.

"Oh… yeah, I'm awake," I said.

"I would appreciate it," Lydia said evenly, "if you spoke to me instead of my breasts."

Her tone was calm, but the tiny vein on her forehead said otherwise.

"W-what do you mean?" I blurted, forcing my eyes upward.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Haha…" I smiled awkwardly.

"Hmph." She turned her face away.

I cleared my throat. "Anyway… how long was I out?" I asked, trying to sit up.

She glanced up at the sky, then back down at me. "Nine hours, maybe."

Pain shot through my abdomen, like a cramp twisting deep inside. Right. That last aura burst. I'd pushed too far... forcing every drop of energy out to form an Aura Blade with barely novice amount of aura. I must have stiffened the muscles too hard.

When I finally got up, I noticed Lydia struggling to fold her legs.

"Wait… you've been sitting like that for nine hours?"

For nine straight hours, legs folded with the weight of my head on them... I bet she couldn't feel her legs right now.

Her lips curved into a small, tired smile. "Not the whole time. I had to interrogate those three."

She gestured toward a massive boulder.

My breath caught. "Whoa…"

Drane, Rack, and Kuro were tied to it, each one bound to a side. Their bodies hung limp, blood dripping down into a dark pool below. Faces swollen and beaten beyond recognition. Their skin wan't cut, it was tore at places.

The sight was brutal. I couldn't even tell who is rack and who is drane from their faces alone.

And yet, I couldn't help the grim satisfaction curling in my chest when I spotted Drane and Rack's… missing d!ck.

I glanced at myself, still intact. Thank the gods.

Kuro, though, looked better off than the other two. His face was battered but still human-shaped, which probably meant he broke faster under questioning.

"I'm guessing you learned something about the Earth Mother's insignia?" I asked.

Lydia shook her head, disappointment softening her sharp expression. "Drane didn't know where it is. But he did spill information about the black market routes and trade networks in the duchy."

I nodded slowly. "So they're not selling it."

"That's what worries me," she said, trying to stand. Her legs trembled slightly.

I reached out my hand without thinking. She took it. Her fingers were cold but steady.

"I think I know how to get it. The insignia."

I pulled her as she rose, the force made her lean too far forward and bumped into me, hard enough that I had to catch her.

Her breasts pressed into me as I steadied her.

Her breath hitched; her cheeks turned pink. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Totally," I said, grinning.

She narrowed her eyes but didn't move away. "So? Where do we find it?"

"I don't know where," I said, "but I know how."

She tilted her head, curious.

"Back when I served under Cass," I began, "the Beast King formed an alliance with the Elvian Spirit King. Their goal was to retrieve the Glyph. That's when they assassinated the Emperor and took both the Glyph and the insignia."

Lydia's eyes narrowed slightly, disbelief flickering across her face. "You're serious?"

"You don't believe me?" I asked.

"Can you blame me?" she shot back. "You expect me to believe the Beast King himself joined forces with the Spirit King to kill an emperor who had warlords, the Sword King and the Spear King under him?"

I sighed and steadied her, and walked toward the prisoners.

"Don't look at it through today's lens, Lydia. Things change faster than you think. The ones you call allies today might stab you in the back tomorrow and the ones you consider your enemies might turn out be your greatest support. If you want to survive, you have to be ready to adapt."

She gave a low whistle. "Didn't expect a speech from someone three years younger."

"Guess you didn't," I said, picking up my katana, leaning against the nearest tree.

"So… did Kuro say anything else?" I asked.

She crossed her arms, voice steady again. "His full name is Kuro Takayoshi. His family came from the Far East, generations ago. They started small but now run one of the biggest trade networks in the empire. Main household operates in Sinclair Duchy, while branches scattered everywhere throughout the empire, making takayoshis one of the largest merchant networks."

This dude's a big name, huh?

"Their family recently chose his younger brother, Yamato, as heir. Kuro was cast aside. Lost his status, his name, his purpose… until..

Her voice trailed off. I turned to her, but she appeared right behind me.

Her gaze sharpened. A faint shimmer of purple flickered around her.

"He awakened something. A system, he called it."

She took a step closer, eyes locked on mine.

"Elowen — the Merchant System.'"

I smiled, despite her attempt to appear intimidating.

I tilted my head and leaned slightly towards her. "And you've got some questions for me too?"

Her breath brushed my bare skin. She stood tall, despite the close proximity. I could sense she is trying hard to lock her eyes from darting away from mine.

But neither of us stepped back.

"Yes."

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