The two of them left Lake Village, heading northwest of the village outskirts.

The sky had nearly gone dark. To save time, the two had no choice but to pull out the dry rations they carried with them.

Vinny pulled out a rock-hard piece of black bread—comparable to a French baguette from his past life—while Aesphyra’s hand revealed a soft, fluffy piece of high-grade white bread, sweet and buttery, paired with luxurious butter and expensive chocolate.

Well, Vinny’s bread wasn’t that hard at first. He just happened to have strong molars and could chew through it fine. But now, seeing ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) the food Aesphyra had brought along, by comparison, his looked like a giant wad of edible trash.

The cost of ingredients alone between the two was worlds apart. Vinny’s black bread was full of low-quality bran—God knows how much of it—and the wheat content was pitifully low. And yet, it was already considered the “premium” kind among black breads. Any worse and you could swing it like a brick. The only way to make it edible was by boiling it into soup.

In stark contrast was the noble-grade white bread in Aesphyra’s hands—soft in texture, exquisitely made, and accompanied by high-end butter and chocolate as condiments.

The silver-haired girl nibbled elegantly on her bread, the soft dough melting like cotton candy the moment it touched her tongue. Watching this, Vinny couldn’t help but gulp hard.

If he hadn’t sat down beside Aesphyra and decided to eat dinner at the same time, none of this would’ve happened. As long as he wasn’t watching someone else eat fine white bread, eating coarse grains himself wasn’t a big deal.

It was always the comparison that hurt.

Vinny’s stomach was growling by now. Watching Aesphyra eat was making him drool like crazy. But the moment he turned and looked at the lump of rock-like black bread in his hand, all appetite vanished.

“Tch.”

“Hmm? Vinny, were you about to have dinner too? But why are you just holding it and not eating? Did you suddenly lose your appetite? Or are you feeling unwell?” Aesphyra, of course, had already noticed the look on Vinny’s face, and how his eyes kept drifting toward her bread—specifically her bread—and asked with feigned innocence.

Wasn’t that just a knowingly stupid question?!

That damned white bread! No—white-haired bread roll!

Wasn’t he the one who first took out his bread to eat because he was hungry, and then Aesphyra took hers out after seeing him?! And now she’s pretending she hadn’t noticed and hitting him with that line??

Vinny could feel his blood pressure shooting through the roof.

Now he had even less appetite—he was full from pure rage alone.

What can he say? You reap what you sow. He’d always made a point to jab at Aesphyra any chance he got, going against her at every opportunity. Obviously, this kind of treatment was the price to pay.

Every time Aesphyra got emotionally stirred, he earned Virtue Points, but in exchange, he was also giving up his future happiness.

Still, Vinny wasn’t the type to harbor resentment toward Aesphyra over this. Sure, they bickered all the time, but he knew full well that poking at a girl for the sake of racking up Virtue was definitely not cool.

Good thing the girl in question wasn’t your average normal girl—she was Aesphyra, with two lifetimes of experience and a whole heap of mental quirks.

Honestly, though Vinny always acted like he found her annoying, deep down, he actually liked her quite a bit. Around Aesphyra, he could speak his mind without filter. Say whatever popped into his head. It felt like the kind of banter you’d have with a close friend who could take it, which was incredibly relaxing.

He trolled Aesphyra for Virtue, and Aesphyra “trolled” him for his own kind of Virtue in return—it was only fair.

In fact, this might’ve long since become their unique way of relating: trading barbs, delighting in battle, both thinking only of how to break the other’s composure, thoroughly enjoying themselves—and yet, afterward, neither ever held a grudge.

Vinny took a savage bite out of the brick-like black bread in his hand, as if he weren’t biting bread but biting into a certain white-haired bread roll. The crunch echoed with a painful crack crack, and he wasn’t sure anymore if he was eating bread or wood shavings.

Let’s be real—bread that could double as a brick couldn’t possibly taste good. As for the flavor? That was up to the imagination.

“Vinny, did you maybe buy the wrong kind of bread?” Aesphyra covered her mouth in disbelief. “Could it be... you accidentally bought bread-shaped wood instead of wood-shaped bread?”

What the hell kind of nonsense is that?!

This damned white-haired gremlin’s still going??

“...” Normally, Vinny would shoot back a snarky comment no matter the situation, but this time, he just kept quiet, chewing his black bread like a squirrel with puffed-up cheeks, nursing an invisible wound no one could see.

“Vinny’s been staring at my bread for a while now... Could it be you want a taste~?” Aesphyra chuckled, covering her mouth as she handed him her bread. “Here. Since you want it so bad, I’ll give you a piece?”

“Piss off! You’re giving me bread you’ve already bitten into? What do I look like, a stray dog? It’s still got your spit on it—how gross can you get?!” Vinny glanced at the piece of white bread Aesphyra offered. It had clear bite marks and a few glistening strands of saliva clinging to it—yet somehow, it looked even more tempting than before.

His throat twitched, but he swallowed it down and shot her a glare.

No doubt about it, this damned little bread roll was toying with him again. If he actually took a bite out of the bread she’d already eaten, he’d probably get kicked into Vanessa mode by a grinning Aesphyra before the night was out.

“Huh? You don’t want it?”

“Piss off! This young master is no stray dog! I don’t eat other people’s scraps!”

“As if I care about your crusty-ass bread. Mine tastes way better than yours! Crunch crunch—see? So chewy! Eating it and training my jaw strength—can your fancy crap do that? Hmph!” Vinny turned his head away and continued gnawing on his black bread, his words dripping with stubborn pride.

Seeing this, Aesphyra couldn’t help but smile. Then she rummaged through her pack.

“Vinny. Here.”

“Tch. How long are you gonna keep messing with me? Give it a rest already—huh?” Vinny turned to look—and this time, Aesphyra was offering him a neatly wrapped, untouched piece of white bread.

“You... what’s this now?”

“A peace offering?” Aesphyra replied nonchalantly. “Ditch that bread-shaped hunk of wood and eat this instead.”

“Peace offering...?” Vinny immediately understood she meant for earlier, when she’d deliberately teased him.

“If you don’t want it, feel free to give it to a stray dog,” Aesphyra said casually. “Once I decide to give something away, I don’t take it back.”

Aside from her physical cleanliness OCD, she also had spiritual OCD.

“...Tch.” Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, Vinny accepted the bread.

Just from touching it, he could feel how soft it was. Bringing it to his nose, he caught a faint wheat fragrance. Now that was real bread. Compared to this, whatever he’d been chewing earlier really was just some... thing.

Still...

Vinny cast a sidelong glance at Aesphyra.

This girl... Could she have anticipated his pride wouldn’t allow him to accept a gift outright, and that’s why she showed off her bread first—only to then offer it as a gesture of generosity?

He thought so because this time, Aesphyra’s move was just too obvious—even he noticed it.

For a moment, Vinny’s emotions grew complicated.

“Isn’t it nice to eat a meal without it doubling as a jaw workout, Vinny~?” Aesphyra teased with a sweet smile when she noticed his eyes on her.

“...Even if that’s what you were planning—this damn girl’s still the worst.”

Vinny took a ferocious bite out of the white bread she gave him, like he was biting not into bread, but into a certain white-haired bread roll.

Once the two had finished eating, they arrived at the northwestern edge of the village outskirts. As the priest had said, they spotted a prominent cave. The surrounding weeds had all been scorched. In the past, the entrance had likely been covered entirely by those weeds—at a glance, you wouldn’t even know a cave was there.

“This should be the magic serpent nest Father Farkas mentioned.” Vinny raised his brow, rubbed his hands, and removed his Ice Crystal Earring, transforming it into Frostfang and spinning it through the air in a flourish that left trails of frost.

The serpents here were probably already dealt with, but just to be safe, it was better to keep a weapon ready.

Aesphyra didn’t bother. Not because she wasn’t cautious, but because the moment she willed it, her sacred sword—linked directly to her spirit—would instantly appear.

It was a near-legendary weapon on the verge of gaining sentience.

The two stepped into the cave. It was pitch dark inside, so Aesphyra flipped her palm, summoning a lotus of crimson flame in her hand.

Her [Shackleshatter]-grade fire affinity lit up the tight space, revealing a mess of wreckage inside. The cave walls were scorched in places and etched with weapon marks, proof that a battle had indeed taken place here.

All over the ground were magic serpent remains. Honestly, it was pretty disturbing.

Most girls would be terrified of things like snakes, spiders, or cockroaches.

Vinny instinctively turned toward Aesphyra and realized she looked less bothered than he did. In comparison, he was the one who looked like the girl here.

“If you’re scared, Vinny, you can wait outside the cave.” Once inside, Aesphyra’s playful expression vanished completely, replaced by calm and seriousness.

“Wh—what the hell are you saying?! Don’t look down on me! A couple dead snakes scare this young master? Please. Even if they were alive I wouldn’t—”

Before he could finish, a pitch-black shadow slithered down from the ceiling like lightning—twisting, sinuous, and terrifyingly fast.

Crack!

A flash of crimson flame tore across the air, slicing the shadow clean in half. It burned to ash and hit the ground with a dull thud.

The firelight flared, illuminating Vinny’s pale, bloodless face.

“Shit!” he cursed, summoning Armor Fortress in a rush. Only when the heavy armor sealed tightly around him did he feel a shred of safety.

Aesphyra had saved him. Again.

Next to him, Aesphyra stood completely unfazed, her sacred sword still burning with searing flames.

“That... that was a magic serpent?! Scared the hell out of me! Didn’t they say this place was cleared?” Vinny looked down at the half-charred remains near his foot. It was clearly not a normal snake—about twice as thick as average, with bloodshot eyes, dark scaly skin, horn-like protrusions on its head, and a sharp conical spike under its chin.

“There’s always a few stragglers,” Aesphyra said calmly, glancing at the cave ceiling and checking for more lurking serpents.

“Damn, this thing’s huge. Any bigger and I’d call it a python.”

“Perfectly normal. The size of a magic serpent can vary wildly. Some are over a meter wide; others are as small as a lizard.” Aesphyra explained, like she’d seen them a dozen times before.

“A meter wide?! Then how long would it be?!” Vinny gulped.

Aesphyra didn’t respond. She crouched down to examine the one she’d just killed, brows slightly furrowed, then stood and walked over to the earlier pile of remains for closer inspection.

Vinny had no idea what she was looking for. As someone who didn’t know squat, the only thing he could do was shut up and not interrupt her.

He had to admit—Aesphyra was bold. Just looking at these things gave him the chills; they looked slimy as hell. And yet she was right up next to them, unafraid they might suddenly lunge at her.

But then again, with Aesphyra’s reaction time, even if the serpents were playing dead, they’d picked the worst possible target.

After a long moment, Aesphyra rummaged through her pack and pulled out two different-colored potions. She poured them across the cave floor as she walked.

...What the heck was this now?

Vinny could only tell they were alchemical solutions—but had no clue what kind.

Girl came out here looking like a full-on magic Doraemon. Had everything. Pulled out anything.

After pouring the liquids, Aesphyra observed their reaction.

After a while...

“It changed,” she muttered.

“...Huh?”

Vinny reflexively looked toward where Aesphyra was staring. The patch of soil covered in potion was subtly discolored—so faint that if you weren’t looking carefully, you wouldn’t even notice it.

Changed? Did she mean the color?

And what were those two potions, anyway? What did the change in color even indicate?

“There was a scroll magic reaction here not long ago,” Aesphyra explained.

“Scroll magic?”

“These two potions are specifically designed to detect alchemical residue and scroll magic residue. If either occurred within five minutes, they trigger a color change,” Aesphyra said as she idly flipped the empty bottles in her hand. “The ones I brewed extend that detection window to around ten minutes. Which means—within the past ten minutes, scroll magic was used right here.”

“Scroll magic was cast...? You mean, there was someone else here ten minutes ago?!” Vinny exclaimed in surprise.

“Unless something unexpected occurred, yes.” Aesphyra stood up and glanced at the dead serpent’s body on the ground. “This Practical Exam... is far more complicated than it seemed.”

“...Who could it have been?” Vinny couldn’t help asking. “Who would show up in a place like this out of nowhere—and use a scroll, no less? What kind of scroll was it?”

“That’s exactly what we need to figure out.” Aesphyra looked again toward the pile of serpent remains. “And there’s something else—you know, based on my observations, the serpents killed in that pile and the one that attacked you earlier... don’t appear to be from the same group.”

“...You can tell that just by looking?” Vinny was stunned.

Weren’t all magic serpents basically the same?

“There are fundamental differences. If you’ve dealt with them often enough, you start to recognize the distinctions,” Aesphyra replied.

“If possible, no one would want to deal with these nasty things every day,” Vinny muttered.

“But these are all just tentative conclusions,” Aesphyra said, falling silent afterward. It wasn’t clear what she was thinking.

“Judging by the dilution level of the color change, I’d say the timing aligns perfectly with the ten-minute window,” she added.

“Ten minutes. Doesn’t it seem odd to you that it’s exactly ten minutes?”

“Huh? What’s odd about it? What’s the deal with ten minutes?” Vinny frowned. He couldn’t figure out what was so suspicious about that number.

“Ten minutes,” Aesphyra said softly. “That’s exactly how long it took us to walk here from the village.”

“...How do you know that?” Vinny blinked, startled.

“I was keeping track of our travel time the entire way,” Aesphyra said in a matter-of-fact tone—like it was the most natural thing in the world, leaving Vinny dumbfounded.

“So, what you’re saying is...” Vinny rubbed his forehead.

Someone had been here ten minutes ago. It took them ten minutes to arrive.

“Then... doesn’t that mean...?” Vinny’s brow furrowed as he crossed his arms, deep in thought.

“...”

Aesphyra said nothing. She put away the two empty bottles and pulled out another alchemical vial from her pack.

“Vinny, step back. Don’t come any closer to the cave. If you step on something now, it’ll ruin everything.”

“O–oh.”

Vinny had no idea what this next potion was supposed to be, so he could only comply, retreating while Aesphyra poured the contents across the cave floor.

“Wait, wouldn’t pouring all these potions together cause them to lose some effect?” Vinny asked instinctively. It was something they’d covered in Alchemy class—mixing different agents together often negated their effects.

“Take a good look—can you still see the potion I poured earlier?”

Vinny finally noticed that the potions she had used earlier had completely evaporated.

“That’s one of my personal modifications. A detection potion’s job is to detect—once it’s done, it should disappear quickly and not get in the way,” Aesphyra said coolly, dropping yet another humblebrag as if it were nothing.

As for the new dark-colored potion she’d just used—it also quickly faded into invisibility. It made Vinny wonder if it had also just evaporated.

But if it evaporated so fast, why pour it at all?

Vinny guessed that this potion probably wasn’t meant for detection.

“Let’s go. There’s nothing else of value here.”

Aesphyra glanced at the ground one last time, then turned and led the way out of the cave.