"You can go now, Ganso."
Ganso looked up at Tachi, a trace of reluctance in his eyes.
"How about… I stay a little longer?"
Tachi shook his head firmly.
"That's an order from the Commander-in-Chief. Someone is waiting for you outside."
Ganso frowned in surprise.
"Who?"
Tachi pointed toward the gate.
"Grand Commander Umi."
Ganso followed his gaze. Outside, Umi was leaning against the iron gate, arms crossed, waiting.
Ganso sighed and turned away.
"Why does he have to escort me… I can walk on my own."
Tachi replied calmly:
"Ideally, you would be under special supervision by me, another Commander… or the Angels."
Ganso turned back abruptly, confused.
"What do you mean?"
Tachi let out a small breath.
"You're still an outsider. Heavenfield has to ensure everyone's safety."
He then pulled out a piece of paper.
"This is a voting slip to decide whether you should be sent to the Silent Abyss. If you end up there… it's worse than imprisonment."
Ganso pointed at the paper, frowning.
"Hey… you're a Commander, so what exactly are 'Angels'?"
Tachi thought for a moment before answering:
"They are individuals with the potential to become Commanders. Chosen by Odin himself to serve him… they are also called Commander candidates."
At that moment, the heavy sound of wings beating echoed from above.
Both of them looked up.
A grotesque creature hovered in the air—its body thin and skeletal, skin stretched tightly over bones, bulging yellow eyes, and sharp fangs protruding from its mouth. Its wings beat violently, keeping it suspended.
Then suddenly, it stopped.
The creature dropped straight to the ground.
Upon landing, its iron claws began to retract, transforming into human hands. Its monstrous body shifted and reshaped… until it became a normal man standing before them.
He bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Commander Tachi. I am Angel Goyles, sent by Commander-in-Chief Odin… to escort Ganso."
Inside the dining hall, Shinji sat beside Lio.
He stared out toward the training ground, deep in thought, watching Ganso leave with Goyles while Tachi walked back inside.
Shinji turned to Lio.
"Hey… Lio."
Lio looked up at him, still wiping his mouth.
"I think… we should go train for a bit."
Lio folded the tissue, put it into the pouch at his side, then smiled and gestured in agreement.
Shinji clenched his hand slightly.
"Tomorrow, I want to visit Uncle Vuri… so I need to show him that I've grown stronger."
The two stood up. Lio put on his familiar warm hat as they walked.
Just as they were heading out, Akidou, Alba, and Omelet were walking in.
Akidou waved at them.
"Hey! Where are you two going?"
Shinji pointed outside.
"I'm going to train for a bit."
Alba looked at him and asked directly:
"You still haven't unlocked Essence, right, Shinji? I've never seen you use it."
Shinji nodded.
"Yeah… I want to have Essence. So what do I have to do?"
All three fell into thought.
Akidou spoke first:
"For me, I got hit in the head so hard I passed out… and when I woke up, I had it."
Alba shrugged.
"Omelet and I inherited it from our race. He's from the fairy race, so he was born with it."
Omelet raised his hand.
"Shinji, come here."
Shinji and Lio walked closer.
Omelet secretly pulled out several round orange-colored fruits from inside his clothes and handed them over.
Shinji took one, surprised.
"What is this?"
"Just eat it."
Shinji and Lio exchanged glances, then nodded.
"Alright, we're heading out."
They waved goodbye and left.
Akidou leaned closer and whispered:
"Hey… is it okay to steal like that?"
Omelet shrugged.
"Commander Argos is never here anyway. Nothing to worry about."
Out on the sandy field, a few people were already training.
In the center, near the wooden dummies, Paul and Perrie were practicing intensely.
"This is so frustrating, Paul."
"Just imagine this dummy is Ganso."
Paul kept throwing knives at the dummy, while Perrie sharpened his metal ring weapon.
Shinji and Lio moved to a corner near a row of buildings.
Shinji held the orange fruit, staring at it for a moment, still hesitant to eat it.
Just then, Tachi approached.
Both of them immediately stood up.
"Commander Tachi Tsukigami!"
Tachi gave a small smile.
"Just call me Tachi."
His eyes shifted to the fruit in Shinji's hand.
"That…"
Shinji stiffened, but before he could speak, Tachi continued:
"That's call sun fruit. It's only grown on the 7th layers of Heavenfield, very limited in quantity… so it's extremely expensive. You're quite lucky to have one."
Shinji hesitated, then asked:
"How much… is it?"
Tachi thought for a moment.
"A few months ago, it was 26 coins. But now… with food shortages, it's probably worth a gold coin."
Shinji and Lio looked at each other, stunned.
Tachi opened the door behind him and stepped inside.
"This is my room. Next to it is Commander Argos's room. If you need anything, just call me."
As soon as the door closed, Shinji quietly moved toward the neighboring room.
"It's too expensive… I can't eat this…"
He peeked through the window when Lio suddenly tapped his shoulder repeatedly.
"What is it? You want to eat it?"
Then a voice called from behind:
"Shinji?"
Startled, Shinji dropped the cyan fruit inside the room and turned around.
Therion was standing there.
"What were you trying to do? Sneak in?"
Shinji and Lio quickly sat down.
"N-No… nothing."
Therion sat down beside them.
"Commander Argos is never here… so that's why you dared to try, right?"
Shinji nodded awkwardly.
Therion turned to Lio.
"What's your name?"
Shinji answered instead:
"His name is Lio… but he can't speak."
Therion paused.
"Oh… sorry."
He sighed.
"This is boring… I wonder where Vdolky and Macaw went."
Then suddenly, he stood up.
"Hey, Shinji. Lio."
Both of them looked up.
Therion gave a faint smile.
"Do you two… want to test your strength against me for a bit?"