The blazing midday sun shone down, heating everything beneath it. Feeling the warm sunlight on his skin, Tris thought the blood-soaked space from before was nothing but an illusion—if not for the lingering aches still present all over his body.
While continuing to heal himself with "Fast Heal", Tris used Space magic "Eye From Nothingness" to carefully check the area around him.
'Has it really gone?' Tris wondered in surprise.
It was hard not to be astonished. After all, the way that figure appeared and disappeared was far too sudden and mysterious—mysterious like its very existence.
"Too strong!" Tris exclaimed sincerely.
It was the first time in his life he had fought a battle without seeing any chance of victory.
Even Zyron and his companions, strong as they were, could not compare to the danger posed by that single figure in the red cloak.
Through his short dreams, Tris had already known there were beings absurdly powerful like that.
For this reason, even though he possessed far greater strength than children his age, he never allowed himself to be arrogant and always acted with extreme caution when outside.
Yet he never expected to encounter such an overwhelming opponent so soon.
Experiencing it directly in reality was vastly different from a dream—it was truly terrifying. 'Fortunately, that person never had killing intent toward me.' Tris sighed in relief.
That was something he had already realized in the middle of the battle.
Unlike Tris, who struck with clear intent to kill, his opponent treated the fight purely as a game. Each blow not only avoided his vital points but also deliberately refrained from causing overly serious injuries.
Even if the intent had been to capture him alive for interrogation, there were far more effective ways to do so.
For someone whose thinking and calculations surpassed even his own, there was no way that figure did not know this.
Thus, even after being seized and hung up like a salted fish, Tris did not attempt any reckless countermeasures.
'Damn it! Unlucky enough to stumble into this place only to get beaten for nothing.'
He thought bitterly once again.
Since that figure had already blocked the path here, Tris understood he no longer needed to waste effort searching for the cultist.
It was easy to guess why the cultist had suddenly vanished without leaving a trace right after escaping the tunnel.
Moreover, the fact that the red-cloaked figure was already standing guard here led Tris to suspect that he might be the mastermind behind today's mission to attack the cult's lair.
Tris wanted to curse that the cultists must have lived too wickedly to draw such a being's attention, but after remembering that he himself had just been beaten, he chose silence instead.
Sighing once more, Tris looked at the puppet lying near his feet.
After the Domain collapsed, the "Berserker" puppet had been restored intact.
He stored it back into his ring, then took out "Feathers."
He needed it to determine his current location and the direction back to town.
The work here was finished; it was time to return.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, all Tris wanted now was rest, a bath, and a hearty meal.
* * * * * * * * * *
The road back was longer than expected. On top of that, several Magical Beasts blocked his way, so it was well past mid-afternoon before Tris finally returned to town.
Immediately upon arrival, he sensed an unusual atmosphere.
The mood of the guards was especially gloomy and heavy.
'News of Will's death must have reached them.'
Personally, Tris greatly admired the man.
It was not only his sense of responsibility toward those under him but also his indomitable will—ready to bite into the enemy even at the cost of his life, even if facing the incarnation of an evil god.
'Sadly, good men don't live long, while disasters last for thousands of years.'
Once again, Tris reminded himself not to go playing the good man or hero.
Careful hiding and survival were the wiser path.
Today's outing had nearly cost him his life. Such matters were best avoided whenever possible.
Too much involvement, and a single slip or a stroke of bad luck could mean death.
Back at the inn, the waitress greeted him while cleaning.
Sue: "Oh, you're back? Did you have lunch yet?"
Tris: "Yes."
Since waiting until his return would have been too late for lunch and too early for dinner, Tris had eaten a simple meal of bread and salted meat from his spatial ring on the way back.
Tris: "What's special on the menu tonight?"
Sue: "Quite a lot of fresh mushrooms were delivered. There'll be mushroom soup, stir-fried mushrooms with vegetables, and steak with mushroom sauce."
Tris: "Then we'll come down tonight to enjoy it."
Sue: "Alright, don't forget." She invited cheerfully.
Upstairs, opening the door to his room, the first sight was Rin practicing.
"Ey." "Bang." A small sound accompanied her punch.
'Already trained to this level? Faster than I thought.'
Tris was genuinely impressed by the progress of the servant he had taken in.
Though the technique was basic, it was not something easily mastered in just a day or two. Yet now she could perform it quite decently.
'Perhaps I can accelerate her training schedule further.' He reconsidered silently.
"Master, you've returned." Rin greeted joyfully.
"Yes, you can rest now. Apply this to your swollen wrist. Tonight, switch to leg exercises so your arms can recover."
He tossed her a bottle of ointment, then dragged himself wearily into the bath.
Rin: "You're not hurt, are you? Your whole body reeks of blood."
Constantly training her enhanced senses, Rin's nose had grown sharper, quickly detecting the scent as her master passed.
Tris: "It's not serious—most of it isn't my own blood."
That's right, the actual smell clinging to the clothes he is wearing mainly comes from those red vines earlier.
He threw his dirty clothes into a large wooden tub, poured water into both the tub and the bath, then, with a wave of his hand, heated the water with magic.
Soaking in the hot bath, his muscles relaxed, and Tris let out a long sigh of relief.
Rin: "Master, may Rin join you?"
Her body was also drenched in sweat after a long training.
Tris: "Alright, throw your dirty clothes into the tub too. I'll wash them together."
Rin: "Let Rin scrub your back."
While being assisted by Rin in bathing, Tris lazily leaned against the edge of the tub, moving his fingers to control the flow of water in the basin of clothes—constantly swirling, spinning, evaporating the old water, refreshing it with new …
Watching the pile of dirty clothes belonging to both of them being quickly washed, Rin once again sighed with longing admiration:
"Magic is truly convenient."
Tris: "Magic or technology—their greatest value is to make life easier and more comfortable. But most Mages only pursue personal power, neglecting everything else. That's why this world remains so backward."
Rin: "Master?"
Tris: "And yet, even I cannot escape this inevitable trend."
Tris sighed with frustration.
It was like an arms race—if others did it, you could not simply stand still without responding.
This world is very unsafe, and today, once again, Tris felt that very clearly.
The feeling that one's life could be easily decided by someone else's hand is truly unbearable.