--This Chapter is written in Sam's POV--

I used to have trouble sleeping in a house other than my own when I was smaller.

I'd always call my parents to pick me up...

But that's because I was quite sheltered back then.

Once I grew up a little, I started wanting to go out more often and stay out longer.

Yet, until now, I had never experienced something like this.

Even though I knew I shouldn't, I was almost glad I got injured...

Sam: "Argh..."

It wasn't anything serious.

I just twisted my ankle when evading an attack during our last raid with Sera, Erika's little sister, and...

The succubus who invited us to her party after we had that episode with those dumbasses.

The injury itself wasn't anything that bad.

It was just a little annoying when I tried to walk.

A tiny bit of healing magic or a cheap potion should do the trick, but at the time, we decided to call off the raid until I had healed.

They were surprisingly considerate, but thinking that I had caused trouble frustrated me a little.

Roy: "You're doing alright there?"

Sam: "A-Ah! Yeah, totally!"

Whoops.

I can be a little loud when I'm alone, but even though this time I wasn't, I was so relaxed that I ended up forgetting Roy was there.

I mean, it's his place to start with, so that was a must...

Although it did embarrass me a little that he thought I was hurt when I was just getting the frustration out of my system.

Sam: "I should be more careful."

Roy: "Accidents happen..."

He misunderstood me again.

But I couldn't get mad.

Not when he was being so sweet with me.

After I got hurt, since my home was a bit far, he offered to bring me to his home and have his neighbor take a look at and heal my injury.

Unfortunately, once again, his neighbor wasn't home, so I ended up staying the night with him.

It was pretty fun, to be honest.

We shared drinks, played games, watched movies...

And then nothing else happened!?

Sam: "Ugh... Ah, don't worry! I'm just not a morning person."

Ah...

I don't know.

Ever since that time, I have always felt strange around him.

Nowadays, seeing how close to Sera he has gotten...

It bothers me.

And I'm not dumb enough to not know why, I mean, she's a succubus, and he is a man, so...

As a woman, there's no way it wouldn't make me feel a little jealous, but like...

We're just friends, so...

Like, if he felt the same, then something would've happened, right?

We had a good mood going.

I told him I was tired.

I headed to bed, left the door open.

Then he came to the room...

Closed the door and slept on the sofa?

Who the hell does that!?

It was an invite, you know?

No one leaves a door open if they don't plan on leaving or having someone enter.

Especially a girl in a boy's place!

Can't you be a little less dense!

And what's the deal with you getting chummy with a succubus?

I know they have a natural charm and all that, but I mean...

I work out, you know?

If that's all that matters, I don't think I lose out too much...

And why am I thinking about this anyway?

It's not like my feelings are that strong...

I think.

Roy: "That's surprising... Since you said you participated in tournaments, I thought..."

Sam: "Ah, well... I was a kid back then, you know? Didn't need that much discipline to compete, just training regularly was enough..."

And Father always took care of that for me.

But when I realized I'd have to put more effort if I wanted to get good enough to be noticed, I kinda gave up.

I only liked fighting because it was a nice way to spend time with my family. I didn't really dream of becoming renowned or something big like that.

At around the same time, I was also starting to want to live more independently, so it just made sense to focus on what I really wanted.

Although waking up at ten a.m. is also not something I'm used to.

Sam: "Wait, it's this late already?"

Roy: "Yeah... You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you up."

Sam: "...I wasn't snoring. Right?"

Roy: "You were! It was-"

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

I don't wanna hear it.

Sam: "Ahem! And you really didn't do anything?"

Roy: "Yeah..."

Hrngh....

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away dismissively for a second.

It sounded like a total lie.

Yet, I knew it wasn't.

And that kinda pissed me off a little.

He understood the situation we were in and didn't even try to take the initiative, I swear-

Sam: "On another topic..."

I felt like I was about to snap for no reason at all, so I did my best searching for something else to distract him.

Roy's home was quite small.

The bedroom I slept in only had the bed and a small closet nearby.

Every other room was pretty much the same, only the basics.

That went for the living room, the bedroom, and the kitchen.

It wasn't bad though...

Because of this, I felt like he was always close to me.

But at the moment, it wasn't helping at all.

I really needed to get away from him for a sec, and I couldn't see anything worth pointing out without sounding stupid.

Sam: "Hm... That's a nice smell..."

Roy: "Ah, right. I prepared some for you, too."

Sam: "Awesome!"

I think I never felt so relieved over eggs and bacon in my life.

But boy, did that taste good.

And that was before I even had any.

Really, a masterful dish.

Sam: "...Another battle?"

Roy: "Seems so. It's getting more dangerous outside of Dungeons than inside."

Sam: "You're sounding like my father..."

He always worried a little too much about me.

I think that's why I wanted to become an adventurer in the first place.

Not really to defy him and do something dangerous, but just to become strong enough that he wouldn't worry about me anymore.

Well, that and the fact that it seemed cool.

It was also a flexible job, and I really didn't want to tie myself down to anything for a while.

I just wanted to have fun living freely.

However, after the AOTG Revolution, everything has become a little harder.

After the Divine Event was over, several arguments started to gain strength.

Some people were saying the governments acted rashly, and that we could've won without resorting to nuclear weapons.

Others argued that now that every world was connected to ours, we had to maintain a certain standing, or we'd risk their anger.

If three worlds almost ended ours, if we incurred the wrath of every existing one, we'd be done for, nukes or not.

Personally, I thought most of them were pretty dumb, and only existed because the person themselves hadn't been in the areas most affected.

So, yeah, I was on the side that believed we did what we had to, and that if the other side could, they'd have done the same.

But I could understand why everyone was worried.

It was something new, and no one could know what it would mean for the future.

And then came the AOTG, and other similar organizations around the world.

Their position was that the laws in place to maintain order were fundamentally what led to the use of nukes.

Had our society been able to use their Gifts freely, we'd have already developed their use much more, and wouldn't find ourselves so outmatched on the frontlines.

Frankly, even though we know this is just an excuse thanks to Miwen, it's hard to argue against.

Our society allows the use of Gifts, but many feel it limits them too much.

For example, for those whose Gift allows flight, they can't just go around doing it.

They actually need a flight permit, which is easy to get, sure, but...

It's a layer of bureaucracy many find irritating.

Shackling.

Our society has adapted as much as it could in the past twenty years, but there have been few new laws.

Most of the time, we used what we already had and made no exceptions to Gifts.

This helped maintain order, absolutely.

It's just that now, we can't help but wonder if that was the best way.

And the AOTG's fight for a more Gift-based society has moved a lot of hearts.

All they needed was one spark.

Sam: "Maya's faction is putting up a good fight, huh?"

Roy: "Seems so. Between the government and the AOTG, she's got just the leftovers, but she's making do..."

Miwen's sister really is amazing.

Amidst the chaos, she founded an organization that promotes itself as a force for order.

They don't support the government or the AOTG, and are only interested in keeping their fight out of the communities they protect.

It's a gathering of those with a high sense of responsibility and humanity, and most of the time, they only fight defensively.

Because of this, the government is treating them as good Samaritans for now, which is a status that few of the several factions can claim to have.

Although, since mobilizing, it seems like their focus is shifting to offense in some places, and rumors are spreading that they have their own agenda...

What remains a fact is that, among the big three in this war, they are the most disjointed force, so it's pretty obvious that her leadership is the key to their success.

Sam: "If it comes down to it... Which side are you picking?"

Roy: "Well, I agree with the AOTG..."

As do most adventurers.

Especially the high or top ones.

It would be an incredibly convenient society for them, after all...

Roy: "But I owe Miwen one, so... I'll wait until he has chosen a side. Or created his own."

That sounds insane.

But that's totally possible.

His sister has her own faction.

His father has enlisted in the government's Order Preservation Corps and is currently one of their most prominent fighters.

And his mother has joined the AOTG out of nowhere...

It's ridiculous that the son of this family would also be a piece on the board, but considering the news we've received, Miwen already has an army at his disposal.

It's just a matter of whether he wants to put it to use or not.

And after what happened to his sister at the hands of the AOTG, something tells me he won't be staying quiet.

Hell, if they are responsible for destroying his home, that's even more insult to injury...

Sam: "I see... I don't think we can help too much, though."

I mean, one look at the girls surrounding Miwen and I could tell how outmatched I was.

It wasn't even because of their levels.

Their posture, the way their bodies moved, and how they were always attentive to their surroundings...

All of that told me they were way above me in ability.

I wasn't even that surprised when I saw them fighting.

They are just a cut above.

And then there's that demon...

The one who single-handedly pushed back the invaders on one of the frontlines.

That thing is an army on its own.

If Miwen joins the fight, it will take the AOTG and the government some of their best to defeat her.

Roy: "Well, that's true, but... As dumb as it is, I've been in online matches in which, even though I was playing with people better than me, what made the difference was that I remained standing in the end. You never know what will happen, and sometimes, even a small difference counts, no matter who it is. So... I'm happy to be there, even if that's all I can do."

It's totally unfair for him to be so heroic like that.

I mean, I knew from the start that he's the type to jump into danger headfirst, but I could never have guessed how far he is willing to put himself in danger for others.

But I guess that's why I fell for him...

Or like, started to appreciate him more.

Or something...

Roy: "That's just what I think, though. You don't have to-"

Sam: "No way! We're partners, right? I'll stay with you."

After briefly showing surprise in his eyes, his cheeks blushed a little, and again, he looked away from me, distracting himself with the TV.

It was a small victory.

But it was a victory nonetheless.

Today, I felt invincible.