It hurts. It's so hot.

There seem to be screams around me, or maybe wails of sorrow.

My vision is dim and dark; countless blurred figures stagger around me.

My mind is mush.

...Is this Mordresar's dungeon again? Every time I exhaust my mana and suffer severe injuries, I dream of returning here.

My consciousness is chaotic, my memories confused. Only the pain feels real and incomparable.

Everything after this is just a dream. I'm still rotting in the dungeon, stinking.

—Of course I wouldn't think that. Because Gray always comes to save me.

Look, the surroundings gradually brighten; the screams turn into cheers.

Look, Gray has arrived.

He walks down the stairs, wearing that ridiculously stupid smile, and stops before me.

He draws his sword and beheads me.

"...Tch!"

I jolt awake from the dream, sitting up abruptly, almost bumping into the person beside me.

Who is it? Oh, Adam.

He had been sitting by the bed, asleep with his head on the nightstand. Startled by my movement, he rises drowsily and... smiles.

Hey, you just smiled, didn't you?

You shameless, brazen scoundrel just grinned, didn't you?

Do you know you rank first on my list of people I least want to see right now?

Don't you dare smile!

"Sylvia... you're finally awake. It's been three days."

A splitting headache. I press my throbbing temples, searching through fragmented memories.

Because of that Harki's interference, I was defeated, spun like a top. And then?

...Right. I used my last bit of mana to heal some of the fatal burns, then cut open the remaining wounds to make them look like blade injuries.

After that, I shed my disguise, returned near the watchtower, and pretended to have collapsed after a fierce battle with the demon (played by myself).

Seems I managed to get away with it for now.

I try to speak, but only a few dry syllables come out. Adam abruptly darts out of the room but returns almost immediately with a cup of water.

Hah. Trying to please me now is too late. I won't help you make potions for a week.

I take small sips of water, assessing my situation.

I'm sitting on a bed. The bed is in a small bedroom in the Hammer household.

The room is dim, lit only by an oil lamp on the nightstand. It seems to be the middle of the night; heavy rain pours outside. The continuous, soothing sound of rain improves my foul mood a little.

The wounds on my body are already healed. The magical world is too convenient. Despite the intense exchange of blows with Gray and lying unconscious for so long, I don't seem to smell bad either. The spirit physique isn't all downside.

The flimsy, fluttering dress I wore that day hangs on the wall, now tattered and torn. I myself am wearing my previous silver gown again. Classic original skin, I like it.

By the way, Adam, what exactly are you planning, sleeping in the room of an unconscious, injured person in the middle of the night?

Whatever. It's his house. It's his freedom to sleep wherever he wants.

What I need to do now is play the victim, make everyone think, "Oh, this poor, innocent person couldn't possibly have any connection to the attacking demon."

I gently place the water cup on the nightstand and ask him if everyone else from the tower and Gray are safe.

It's a perfectly ordinary question, but Adam, for some reason, becomes visibly shaken, looking on the verge of tears with a pitiful expression.

Wait, why do I suddenly feel sorry for you?

He says, "Everyone is fine. Mr. Wilson successfully repelled the demon."

I say that's great. But Adam inexplicably gets angry.

"...It's not great at all. Sylvia, I... I almost thought you wouldn't wake up."

Seriously? Is taking care of me that unbearable?

I'm still your lifesaver, you know? I wish you would at least show some superficial respect like before.

You heartless creature!

Adam, not being a bad kid after all, quickly notices his own rudeness and changes the subject.

"I found you outside the tower, mana exhausted and on the verge of death. Did you encounter the demon there?"

I answer casually, telling him I did encounter the demon, fought, and lost. Finally, I casually ask if Gray managed to capture the demon.

Even with this textbook answer, Adam still seems somewhat dissatisfied.

"Why didn't you go find Mr. Wilson immediately? You must have realized she was incredibly strong."

He doesn't answer my question and instead retorts.

But this is a good opportunity.

Watch me play the noble, virtuous hero until your conscience stings.

While putting on a serious face and saying it was to buy time and prevent the demon from harming the people inside the tower, I sneak glances at Adam.

Well? Has the image of a kind-hearted, fearless hero sprung vividly to life?

Adam isn't moved at all. Instead, he frowns, looking annoyed.

He says, "In the end, you almost got yourself killed."

He's right.

Damn it. Not heroic at all—just a clueless fool who held everyone back.

I sincerely reflect on my poor storytelling skills and apologize.

Adam sighs. "No. Although sneak attacks were involved, that beast even managed to overpower Mr. Wilson for a time. Your judgment wasn't wrong. Her strength was just too abnormal."

Being scolded and praised at the same time feels rather novel.

Ah, no, this isn't the time for life experiences. I need to keep playing Gray's infatuated admirer.

I use ice magic to adjust my facial temperature, making myself look pale. With a trembling voice, I utter words of disbelief about the invincible Gray being in danger, preparing to launch into a lengthy, obsessive fan's monologue.

Adam interrupts me. Rude! I finally came up with those lines!

"I told you, right? Mr. Wilson repelled her. Although she escaped for now, Mr. Wilson has deduced her identity. She won't remain free for long."

I immediately disperse perception runes, monitoring all living beings within several dozen meters. No signs of an ambush.

Right, of course. That idiot Gray definitely hasn't suspected me yet. Otherwise, I'd already be hanging from a gallows.

Adam continues, "She is a high-level spirit who formed an exclusive contract with Mordresar—Nekros, the Warden of Life and Death."

...What?

Even for Gray, this guess is utterly stupid. He doesn't know Nekros's specific skill set, and spirits who have contracted with demons do emit a demonic aura.

But fundamentally, she has no motive.

She wasn't killed by trusted companions after a victory. Did Nekros travel across half the kingdom to come here on vacation?

I don't remember her having any feelings for Mordresar beyond being work colleagues.

Moreover, according to the game's setting, Nekros never interferes in conflicts between her contractor and others. She also changes contractors periodically, as if acting for some hidden purpose... I avoided spoilers and never finished reading, so I don't know the specifics of that purpose.

Back to the point. Gray privately loves gossip and calls it "observing humanity." Did he start randomly shipping people just because of the exclusive contract thing?

Literally, once a spirit forms an exclusive contract with a person/demon, they cannot simultaneously contract with anyone else.

The essence of a contract is a ritual that blurs the boundaries between the contractor and the spirit, allowing both to use each other's runes.

As a high-level spirit, Nekros's runic system is too complex for ordinary contracts. Therefore, if she contracts, it can only be exclusive. That's all.

I am also a high-level spirit, and my contract with Adam is exclusive too. Does that make us lovers? Not even in ten reincarnations.

I voice my doubt straightforwardly. "Why would you think that?"

Adam shows a determined look. "Sylvia, I promised Mr. Wilson to keep some details confidential."
"Okay."
"So, please don't tell anyone what I'm about to say."

Um, I'm not that desperate to know, actually. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.

But Adam starts explaining on his own. The stolen red eyeball, the immortality ritual, the notes Gray is researching... he lays out the whole story.

Looking at the results, it seems Nekros really has infiltrated the town.

After all, among the living who know about the Three-Eyes Ritual, apart from her, the only one should be me, who used it to resurrect.

I need to go see Gray immediately.