After I made my request, Adam became inexplicably gloomy again for a moment. However, he quickly pulled himself together and, with a smile, shared many small, amusing anecdotes from his time with Gray.

Actually, I know that old bastard's nature inside out. I don't need anyone to tell me, i can guess most of his behavior on my own.

But the remaining two-tenths or so are still important.

According to Adam, Gray seems to be studying ancient texts these days, trying to reconstruct some lost ancient magic. So, he locks himself in the old watchtower most of the time, reading and experimenting day and night, not even letting a fly inside.

Making it sound so serious, but he's probably just drinking five out of six days. The Gray in my memory isn't some scholar; he's a genius youth who was either depressed or indulging in pleasure.

Every Wednesday, he opens the barrier to teach magic to the young people in town.

Also, apparently, he sometimes leaves the tower on his own to shop in town or just take walks. Someone even went fishing with him for a whole morning.

He's basically a retired old man, even though he's only in his mid-twenties. He feels like a mummy, hurry up and rot already.

I asked quite a few questions and felt satisfied. However, Adam kept wearing a plastic smile.

So fake.

"Thanks. I've been doing all the talking. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"No."

How straightforward. I think it's fine to interpret this as "You're annoying, please leave."

"Alright then. I'll go help Emily. Call me if you need anything."

As I hummed a tune and turned to leave the window, Adam spoke.

"Sylvia, how did you meet Mr. Wilson?"

Mr. Wilson… what a sappy way to address him. Hmm, how should I answer?

I'm not the clever type—making something up on the spot is prone to mistakes. I'll just tweak the actual experience a bit and slip it past him.

"Adam, have you heard of the Crimson-Skull Archduke?"

"Yes. The great demon named Mordresar, extremely cruel and bloodthirsty. Eight years ago, he massacred several cities in the southern kingdom. Mr. Wilson, along with the Border Watchers, defeated him, and a few years later, he and the Divinely-Favored Hero killed him for good."

That bastard's reputation is indeed widespread.

"Since my birth, I've lived alone in the forest, completely isolated from the world. One day, Mordresar invaded and swallowed the forest. He took a liking to my power, forcibly formed a contract, and wanted to bring me under his command. I refused and was imprisoned as a result."

Adam showed a pained expression.

Mordresar loved tormenting prisoners in his spare time. Severed limbs and brandings were commonplace.

If this delicate female body had truly fallen into his hands, I would have died ten thousand times over. In reality, even my original body was almost at its limit back then.

My healing magic skills improved by leaps and bounds during that time.

"The people around me died one by one. My body and mind were on the verge of collapse. On the day Mr. Gray stormed his castle, Mordresar ordered all prisoners killed. I barely avoided a fatal wound but passed out.

"When I woke up again, what I saw was Mr. Gray burning that scum to death. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I thought I was seeing a deity from a legendary tale."

Adam's eyes dimmed. I know the metaphor isn't great.

And Gray, you should thank me properly, i gave you all the credit. While it's true you rescued me back then, without me, you would have been spun like a top by Mordresar.

"When he discovered I was a spirit, he immediately formed a contract with me, saving my life. After that, I had the honor of traveling with him and several other heroes.

"Mr. Gray took great care of me and taught me, who had just entered the human world, all sorts of knowledge."

Except for the spirit part, it's all true. I originally intended to answer Adam casually, but as I spoke, I found myself feeling somewhat nostalgic.

Adam asked:

"Why did you separate later?"

"I don't know."

"…You don't know?"

"Yes. After a major victory, my companions and I rested and regrouped as usual. However, the next morning, everyone else was gone. The contract was severed at that time."

The actual situation wasn't so warm and fuzzy. Those two were very professional, they didn't rest at all. Exhausted, they killed me on the spot.

"After waiting near a magic source for several years, finally, a passerby approached. Anxiously, I asked him for news and learned that Mr. Gray was completely fine and had even defeated the Demon King.

"I know I wasn't the most likable travel companion, and I knew the journey would end eventually. I was mentally prepared for farewell.

"But this inexplicable form of parting… I truly couldn't accept it. So, I resolved to find Mr. Gray and settle things with him."

The hallway fell into silence. The last rays of the sunset flowed quietly. Adam looked at me with a complicated expression.

After a moment, as if having made some kind of decision, he smiled and said:

"Sylvia, you really like Mr. Wilson a lot, don't you?"

Well, obviously.

Gray is the third person I like most, the second I respect most, and the first I'm most familiar with in this world.

Even after he slaughtered me, I still think so.

That's precisely why I must see him, kill him, and clear this hatred.

If a stranger had killed me, I wouldn't have been interested in giving up my peaceful cycle of reincarnation to crawl back like a cockroach for some boring revenge.

But even so, Adam, why does it sound so sappy when you say it?

Pure friendship between men has become so weird.

Huh, maybe it's my fault? The fault of me using this lovestruck girl persona?

Fine. If I'm doing this, I'll go all the way!

Holding one arm with the other hand, covering the goosebumps, I whispered:

"Yeah."

Dinner was incredibly lavish. For staples, there was freshly baked rye bread; for meat, stone-grilled river fish; for vegetables, a large pot of stewed root vegetables; and even sweet sake as a drink.

Adam's mother, Aunt Clara usually eats in her bedroom due to her physical limitations. But she was so happy today that she specially came downstairs to have dinner with us.

I originally intended to eat just a little to avoid straining the poor Hammer family's finances.

But Clara and Emily kept urging me to eat more in various ways, so I had no choice but to go along, revealing an appetite unbecoming of either a hero or a beautiful girl.

No helping it! The night is short, and one must not waste good food or love.

After dinner, Emily and I cleaned up the dishes. Adam took his mother back to her room and then holed up alone in the preparation room, fiddling with instruments.

I wandered around inside and outside the house for a while, happily using my healthy new body, familiarizing myself with the new high-level ice runes that had appeared within me, and chatting about this and that with Emily and Aunt Clara.

I also wanted to help Adam with the potions, but he had reverted to his silent mode and was hard to approach. By the way, he spent an awfully long time on a very simple step… Is he really going to be okay?

When night fell, I was shown to a spare bedroom. Emily barged in, seeming intent on sticking to me all night, but it's better for a young girl to stay away from a rough guy like me.

After much persuasion, this adorable little minx finally agreed to leave. However, before leaving the room, she suddenly bowed to me solemnly.

"Sister Vi, I really like you. Not just because you saved my brother and my mom, but I like you as a person."

Wow, a direct hit. I like that.

"Thank you."

"After you meet Mr. Wilson, will you still come play with me often?"

"Of course. I promise."

"You have to come often for a whole lifetime, okay?"

"Sure. As long as you don't find me bothersome."

Emily smiled and ran off.

Well, it's not like I intend to keep either of those promises.