Time rewound to daytime in Carne Village.
The village had undergone tremendous change. What was once an ordinary settlement was now encircled by a sturdy outer wall.
The wall was built from wood, clearly made from timber felled in the nearby forest. Though Sephis considered its defenses inadequate, it was enough to put the villagers at ease.
Inside the village, people bustled about. Spring had arrived—the season of renewal—and the villagers were busy sowing seeds in the wheat fields.
The work was hard, yet no one complained. On the contrary, their faces were filled with quiet happiness. A peaceful, steady life like this was all they had ever wished for.
From time to time, their gazes drifted toward the center of the village, their expressions tinged with reverence.
At the heart of the village, a figure leaned silently against a tree branch, staring up at the sky, lost in thought.
Blue hair swayed in the breeze, veiling his eyes. He remained completely still, without the slightest movement.
"Hey, Brother Sephis! Brother Sephis!"
A childish voice broke through his thoughts. Looking down, he saw a small figure below, waving both hands energetically and calling up to him.
"What is it, Nemu?"
Sephis returned to his senses and looked down at the human child, his expression unchanged.
Ever since receiving Naohara's mission, Sephis had left The Great Tomb of Nazarick and begun wandering without any real destination. From time to time, he would wipe out a bandit camp or two and send the seized wealth back to The Great Tomb of Nazarick.
With nowhere particular to go, he simply walked wherever his feet carried him. Slaying a few bandits each day became his routine. Before he knew it, he had traveled farther and farther—until he arrived at Carne Village.
This village had left a deep impression on him. After all, there was a human here worthy of his attention, someone who had received gifts from Three Supreme Beings.
Since he was already here, he decided he might as well meet her. He found Enri in the middle of training.
Even now, Sephis still remembered the look on her face when she saw him—like a fish on the verge of suffocation suddenly finding water.
After a brief conversation, Sephis chose to stay and began guiding Enri in her training.
Since she had received Father-sama's gift, he had no objection to offering her some guidance. Besides, he had been somewhat bored. Staying here for a while was not a bad idea.
His thoughts returned to the present as he looked at Nemu. She was Enri's younger sister, so he made an effort to keep his tone gentler than usual.
"It's time to eat, Brother Sephis. It's already noon."
Nemu puffed out her cheeks and pointed at the sun overhead, glaring at his expressionless face.
Perhaps because she was still a child, she did not treat Sephis with the same reverence as the other villagers. From time to time, she even threw little tantrums.
"I've told you. I don't need to eat."
After a brief pause, Sephis answered calmly. As a Dragonoid—and not a weak one at that—he could go years without food. Absorbing the magical energy in the air was more than enough to sustain him.
"No! You have to eat properly. Not being able to enjoy good food is way too sad!"
Still puffed up with indignation, Nemu rushed forward, grabbed hold of his clothes, and started tugging with all her strength, clearly intending to drag him along by force.
Though Sephis appeared cold and distant, Nemu was not afraid of him. He stood alongside the three Gods in her eyes, so she believed he must be a good person too.
"Enjoying good food...?"
"I understand."
He recalled that Father-sama also ate from time to time. After thinking it over for a moment, Sephis finally nodded in agreement.
Even though eating was unnecessary for him, Father-sama still did it occasionally. There had to be some deeper meaning behind that. With that thought in mind, Sephis stopped refusing Nemu's invitation.
Nemu led Sephis to an open clearing beside a burning campfire. Sephis stood there silently, staring at the food in his hands.
He held a bowl filled with salted meat, dried fruit, and nuts mixed into a thick broth. No, calling it broth wasn't quite right—it was closer to a dense porridge.
It was the first time Sephis had seen food like this. He rarely ate to begin with, and when he did, it was always the finest ingredients from The Great Tomb of Nazarick—such as Father-sama's favorite marbled Dragon Meat.
As Sephis remained quiet, Nemu watched him nervously from the side, her small hands twisting together.
"Does it… look really bad?"
She asked cautiously. She knew Sephis held a noble status, and the food he was used to must have been rare delicacies from across the world. She couldn't help worrying that he might not be used to something so simple.
A flicker of regret even surfaced in her heart. Maybe she shouldn't have dragged him over.
"No. I was just thinking about something."
Sephis shook his head. Under Nemu's hopeful gaze, he began eating the thick porridge in front of him, one mouthful at a time.
Sephis never wasted food, nor did he refuse the goodwill of others. That principle had been written into him by Naohara at the time of his creation.
As he slowly tasted this human-made meal, watching the delighted smile on the young girl's face, Sephis found that this wasn't so bad.
Before long, the bowl was empty. He looked at the eager Nemu and, after a brief pause, handed the bowl back to her.
"Another bowl."
"Okay!"
Nemu happily filled it to the brim again. This time, however, Sephis did not take it right away. Instead, he glanced at her.
"You should eat too. Don't worry about me."
He picked up a clean bowl from the side and served himself another portion before resuming his slow, deliberate eating.
Nemu looked at Sephis, then at the food in her own hands. After hesitating for a moment, she sat down beside him and began eating as well, a smile spreading across her face.
With the two of them eating steadily, the pot of porridge was soon scraped clean. Nemu patted her noticeably rounder belly and let out a contented sound.
"I'm so full!"
Seeing her struggle to walk and half-collapse into her chair, Sephis felt the corners of his usually cold expression lift slightly. It was a curious feeling.
"Where's Enri?"
"Why haven't I seen her?"
Remembering that he hadn't spotted her at all, Sephis turned to Nemu. He still needed to continue guiding her training.
"My sister… she's in a bad mood. She should be outside the village right now."
At his question, Nemu looked at him with some difficulty before finally telling the truth.
Nfirea, her sister's childhood friend, had reportedly gone missing. From all indications, the chances of him surviving were slim. When Enri learned of it, she was devastated.
After telling Nemu where she was going, she had left the village alone to clear her head.
"Um, Brother Sephis… if you can, could you talk to my sister?"
Nemu looked up hesitantly, only to realize that Sephis was already gone.
"I understand."
Not far away, Sephis was already a small dot heading toward the outskirts of the village. His calm, indifferent voice drifted back to Nemu's ears.