“So, what does a girl actually do for fun around here?” Rosa’s melodious voice rang out as Scarlett, Arlene, and the bard sat on the porch overlooking Freymeadow’s village square. Rosa was seated between Scarlett and Arlene, leaning back in her chair with both feet resting on the tree stump Scarlett had used during her practice sessions. It was now a mess of charred and fresh bark, forming seemingly random patterns across its surface.

“From what I have observed during your time here, I think you are better equipped to answer that question than I am,” Arlene replied in a casual tone. The woman had her usual cover-less book resting on her lap, although it was closed at the moment. Her gaze wandered over the dirt square, where the village children were playing near the wooden platform in the center.

It was the third day of this particular loop, and both Scarlett and Rosa had spent much of the morning working themselves tired. Now, they had been resting in the shade for the past half-hour.

Usually, Rosa would occupy herself with her own little adventures during these periods in Freymeadow, but she had been joining Scarlett and Arlene more frequently in this loop. Part of the reason was her involvement in some of the training, but it seemed that Arlene had also taken a greater interest in the woman after witnessing her bardic charms.

“Sure, but sometimes it’s good to get the perspective of the locals,” Rosa said. “That’s how you discover the really interesting things.”

Scarlett shifted her head to the right, glancing at the woman. Rosa likely knew more about this place than Arlene did by now, but that didn’t stop her from engaging in this type of conversation, it seemed.

Arlene kept her eyes on the children. “I’m not a resident of this village.”

“Really?” Both of Rosa’s eyebrows rose, although she was probably already aware of that much. “Where are you from, then? Freybrook?”

“No, I come from a minor barony to the west. I’m staying here simply because it’s remote.”

The bard nodded along to those words. “I can understand that. Ain’t the easiest place on a map to find. I’ve been to hidden caves and ancient ruins that were less secreted away than this tiny little village.” Some of the kids looked over at them, and Rosa waved cheerfully in response. “Never thought I’d utter that sentence in my lifetime, I’ll tell you that.”

“With your imagination, I find that difficult to believe,” Scarlett said.

“Right? I’m almost offended at myself for not being prepared that, at one point in my life, a strange noblewoman would come swooshing in and whisk me away into a world of adventurous exploration and tomb-raiding. I was too naive.”

“That is not quite what I meant.”

Rosa grinned. “If you say so.”

“So you were the one who recruited Miss Hale here?” Arlene asked, turning to Scarlett.

“I was, yes.”

“She walked up to me in an old tavern where I was performing and threw five hundred solars at my face, demanding that I work for her,” Rosa added. “Claimed I possessed amazing ‘qualities’ to offer her.”

Arlene looked between them for a moment, an unreadable expression on her face.

“I did not ‘throw’ five hundred solars at you. I offered them to you as compensation for your services,” Scarlett quickly clarified. “And not at any point did I use the word ‘amazing’. Any qualities I might have mentioned were in reference to your bardic magic.”

“You say that, but I bet I could find a few witnesses corroborating that something was definitely thrown around back then.” Rosa smirked. “Ah, but maybe those were just the effusive compliments and praises about my utterly breathtaking ‘qualities’.”

Scarlett shook her head. There was no winning when trying to argue with the woman.

“Bardic charms have always been a rare and abstract form of magic,” Arlene said. “While it often appears to have ties to the essence of idols and the Wandering Realm, to my knowledge, no one fully understands its underlying mechanisms or limits. It’s understandable that you would be curious to have someone capable of it in your service, Scarlett.”

Scarlett crossed her arms. “Yes. If only she had a more agreeable personality.”

Rosa cleared her throat pointedly. “She is sitting right here.”

Scarlett turned her eyes to the woman and observed her for a moment. “I can see that, yes.”

Rosa’s mouth curved down in what might have been supposed to be a pout, but it wasn’t particularly convincing. “Sometimes I feel like you don’t fully appreciate how lucky you are to have such an exceptional lady within arm’s reach of you all the time.”

“What a shame,” Scarlett replied in a deadpan voice.

The bard pressed the back of her hand to her forehead as she turned away melodramatically. “Ah, the suffering one endures for five hundred solars.”

“I am currently paying you more than that.”

A while back, Scarlett had increased Fynn and Rosa’s wages, since the barony was reaping significant profits from the items they auctioned. In fact, she had requested Evelyne to increase the pay for all their staff since she felt that it had been too low compared to the funds they were sitting on as an employer.

Although she knew that an ordinary citizen could survive on less than a hundred solars per month—and many probably did—it didn’t sound like much. Besides, Shin and Allyssa were Shielders, and it cost her well over a thousand solars to employ them continuously like this. The Shields Guild typically only handled specific assignments. Therefore, she thought it was only fair to balance the rewards a bit, considering she could. Of course, Fynn and Rosa also had the added benefit of getting free artifacts, as she intended to let them keep whatever she gave them. In contrast, she was technically only lending equipment to Allyssa and Shin.

“Semantics,” Rosa said with a wave of her hand. The woman’s gaze then turned forward, and a warm smile spread across her face.

Scarlett followed the bard’s gaze and noticed that one of the kids was now approaching. It was a little girl with blonde hair and a face full of freckles. Scarlett recognized her from their previous visits to the village. Rosa had often played with her, and the girl had once offered Scarlett a handmade wreath at the bard’s encouragement.

Scarlett kept her eyes on the girl as she drew nearer. After a moment, she turned to Rosa. “What was her name?”

“Hertha,” the woman replied. “She’s a shy one.”

The girl stopped in front of the porch, looking up at them with a timid expression. She didn’t say anything for a while, merely gawking at Scarlett and Rosa.

Finally, Rosa withdrew her feet from the tree stump and leaned forward, patting the wood. “Wanna join us? You don’t need to worry. I’m about ninety percent sure that the scary lady here doesn’t bite.”

After a few more seconds of hesitation, Hertha cautiously stepped onto the porch and moved over to the tree stump. She stared at Scarlett as she settled down, positioning herself in front of the trio.

Scarlett studied the girl in return, wondering what was going through her mind.

“I think she’s intrigued by all that magic you’ve been throwing around lately,” Rosa said.

Scarlett glanced at her. “Is that so?” She looked back at Hertha. “…Would you like me to demonstrate some of it to you?”

The girl’s eyes went wide, and she vigorously shook her head.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. “…Very well.”

How was she even supposed to interpret that, then?

She shifted her gaze over to Arlene, but the older woman was only observing them silently, showing no signs of joining the conversation.

“You can show her later,” Rosa said, her smile still directed at Hertha. “Right now, the lady is resting, and we wouldn’t want to bother her, would we?”

The girl blushed slightly, her face tilting downward towards the floorboards. “…Yes,” she whispered in a small voice.

Scarlett kept her eyes on Rosa.

Even though she had witnessed similar scenes several times over by now, she still found it impressive how skilled the woman was at handling these things. She wondered what it would have been like if she herself had been that experienced in dealing with children when she had to take care of her younger sister back in her world.

Well, not that it mattered much now.

She returned her attention to Hertha. “Then I will show it to you when I have rested.”

The excitement at hearing that was evident on the girl’s face.

“Don’t forget about me,” Rosa chimed in. “I’ll make sure her display doesn’t end up something boring like lighting an old candle or what-have-you. My secret musical recipe is exactly what’s needed to add some real spice to things!”

“I believe you might be embellishing somewhat,” Scarlett said.

“Embellishing?” The bard huffed. “I don’t even know the meaning of the word. I’ve never told a lie in my life. They used to call me Madame Franklyn Fibless De Truthworthy.”

Hertha giggled at that, and Rosa’s smile broadened. She leaned closer to the girl conspiratorially, continuing in a whisper. “Of course, don’t tell anyone about that. I wouldn’t want the secret to get out.”

The girl nodded, as if agreeing, and Rosa held out a pinky finger. As the two of them pinky-promised on it, the bard continued confiding something to the girl. Meanwhile, Scarlett turned her attention to Arlene.

“There is something I have been meaning to ask you,” she began.

Arlene looked at her. “And what would that be?”

“Although you have been teaching me these past days, a fact that I am truly grateful for, there is another topic that I am curious about and which I wished to make a request of sorts of you.”

“And it’s not related to your magic?”

“Not directly, no.”

“Then what is it?”

Scarlett considered the woman for a few seconds before answering. She had been wondering what the best way to approach this would be now that she had come this far. “I can imagine that by secluding yourself in this village, you have not had many opportunities to travel around the empire and attend any personal matters that you might have left unresolved. Am I correct in assuming so?”

Arlene brushed aside a lock of dark hair. “You’re not wrong, no. There are many things I’ve left unfinished.”

“If that is the case, I have a proposition. Since you have done much to support me, it is only right that I do something to help you in return. If you so wish, the next time I leave, I could endeavour to assist you in resolving one of these matters on your behalf. What do you say?”

The woman eyed her quietly for a moment. “Are you perhaps thinking that I’m holding back with my teachings and that I will teach you more if you do this for me?”

“No, that is not at all what I am thinking.”

“Then what are you thinking?”

“I merely wanted to properly express my gratitude.”

Arlene shook her head. “I don’t need it. I am training you out of my own volition. If I wanted something more, I would have asked for it before I started teaching you.”

“Yes, however…” Scarlett trailed off, trying to think of something that might convince the woman.

At that point, Rosa leaned back from her whispering with Hertha and turned her attention towards the two of them. Her gaze eventually settled on Scarlett. “Why don’t you just say it as it is? Knowing you, I’d be surprised if you didn’t have two dozen secret reasons why you want to do this, and I’m sure ol’ teach here can see through about a dozen and a half of them. It’d be easier to get straight to the point.”

Scarlett looked at the bard, surprised by her bluntness.

But… Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Scarlett turned back to Arlene, who wore an expectant expression.

“…You are, of course, right. I apologize for my discourtesy.” In truth, she just wanted one of Arlene’s quests from the game so that she could complete it, earn skill points, and obtain the associated reward. It wasn’t something she had to do, but it would be a nice way to make progress while she was outside of Freymeadow.

Arlene gestured lightly with her hand and a slight smile on her lips. “I don’t mind.”

“In that case, I will be frank,” Scarlett said. “I was hoping to assist you with some task in exchange for something of yours. Something beyond the teachings you are currently providing. You are an accomplished mage, so I imagine that you have valuable artifacts that could benefit a novice magic user like myself.”

That was about as close to the truth as she could get under these circumstances.

Arlene’s smile faded, but she didn’t look angry. She did, however, study Scarlett intently for several seconds, causing a hint of worry to creep in. Finally, the woman spoke. “Alright then. There is something that you might be able to help me with.”

“Truly?”

“Yes. I once had an acquaintance near Roselake, if you know the area. I don’t know what happened to them, however. If you could inquire into that for me, I might be grateful.”

Scarlett’s excitement waned. She had somewhat been expecting this, but…

“I realize that it may be impolite of me after being the one who made the request, but is there perhaps another task you could offer me?” she asked. “…Perhaps something that is closer to Bridgespell?”

She didn’t have time to go to Roselake at the moment—she was pretty sure there didn’t even exist a town by that name anymore—but she did have a scheduled trip to Bridgespell. If possible, she wanted to kill two birds with one stone.

Arlene fell silent as she studied Scarlett, a curious glint in her eyes. “Bridgespell, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…” The woman touched her chin thoughtfully. “I suppose there is something you could do for me there as well. I lost a gift from someone dear to me there, once. If you could find it for me, I would be willing to offer you something extra in return.”

Scarlett felt a slight sense of relief. That’s exactly what she’d hoped for. “Tell me more about how it went missing, and I will do my best to recover it.”

“Unfortunately, there isn’t much to tell,” Arlene said. “It’s a simple dagger, with no distinguishing characteristics. I lost it in a regrettable argument with the very person who gave it to me. I’ve no clue where it might be now. He was always the sentimental sort, even as a priest, so I imagine he kept it.”

“This friend was a part of the clergy of the Followers of Ittar?” Scarlett asked.

“Ittar is a false god,” a soft voice suddenly interrupted, coming from in front of Scarlett.

She turned to Hertha, seeing the girl now staring at her with an intense gaze.

“Ittar is nothing but a pretender and a tyrant of illusions and manipulation. His followers are blind to the truth, serving a false deity through ignorance and misguided devotion. The gods keep us in the dark, hiding the path to the truth. You have to renounce his lies, or you will be deceived along with the rest of the empire.”

Both Scarlett and the others watched in silence as the girl spoke, decrying Ittar and the rest of the gods.

Arlene maintained a completely expressionless face, while Rosa winced slightly at Hertha’s fervor. When the girl finally finished, several seconds passed without anyone speaking. Hertha just continued staring at Scarlett.

“Why don’t you rejoin your friends for now?” Arlene eventually suggested in a calm voice.

The girl turned to look at the woman, watching her for a long, drawn-out moment before standing up. She stepped down from the porch and started walking back towards where the rest of the children were gathered without a word.

Scarlett watched her retreating figure for a little while longer.

She should have anticipated something like that to happen when Ittar was mentioned. She should have been more careful in bringing up a topic like that here, but she let her guard down because it was only a child.

Her gaze turned to the other two. Arlene’s face revealed no thoughts, while Rosa looked back at her with a somewhat awkward smile. Scarlett met the bard’s eyes.

Rosa didn’t seem surprised, but perhaps that was to be expected. Rosa was the one who interacted the most with the kids in this village throughout the loops. It only made sense that the woman would be the first to notice any peculiarities with them.

It was also very like Rosa not to bring it up or make a big deal about it. She likely suspected that Scarlett already knew.

“To answer your question,” Arlene spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled over them. “My friend was indeed one of the Followers. A deacon named Donovan. That is all the help I can provide.”

“Well, that’s certainly not much to go on if we’re supposed to find one unspecified dagger.” Rosa let out a light laugh, though it didn’t help to lighten the atmosphere much.

“…It will be sufficient.” Scarlett observed as Hertha joined the other children in their games seemingly without issue, receiving some awed reactions from the kids as they looked in their direction.

Rosa glanced at Scarlett, then shrugged. “Well, if she says so.”

None of them said anything else as they sat there for a while, watching the children at play.

Some truths were easier to overlook and pretend like they didn’t exist until it was time.