Night had fallen over Orario. Magic stone lamps illuminated the streets like thousands of stars in the sky.
Bars and restaurants were alive with the sound of happy customers.
There were more adventurers wandering the city than during the day.
While most adventurers were out having fun to unwind after a day of fighting monsters in the Dungeon, Charlie was locked away in his inn room, like a recluse.
"Where do I even start... I have no idea..."
Sitting on the floor, Charlie stared at the bag he bought while shopping earlier that day.
In his plan, he wanted to add a spatial storage function to the bag so he wouldn't have trouble carrying loot and supplies. This way, his time in the Dungeon could be more efficient, and he wouldn't have to keep returning to the surface to exchange magic stones and drop Devices when the bag got full.
But as soon as he started, Charlie faced a huge problem—he didn't know how to do it!
"There are no spatial storage Devices in this world, so I can't consult anyone. In other words, I'm the pioneer in this field."
"Is there anything I can help with, Charlie? You look troubled."
Sitting on the bed, Aishia had already changed into her blue pajamas, unable to bear seeing Charlie's frustrated expression.
"Aishia, can you use Spatial Spirit Art?"
"I can. But I don't remember my past, so my knowledge of Spirit Arts is tied to you, Charlie."
"I see... That means I'm the one limiting you. I'm sorry, Aishia."
Charlie didn't have high expectations from the start, knowing from the original work that Aishia's mastery of Spirit Art was initially worse than Rio's. Only after being taught by Dyras did she make rapid progress in her Spirit Arts.
"It's not your fault, Charlie. Rather, it's me who can't help you."
Aishia's expression was somewhat monotonous, but Charlie could faintly sense sadness from her.
"I knew from the start this would be difficult. Since I've already prepared everything, I can't give up without trying."
Strengthening his resolve, Charlie grabbed the bag and thought about how to solve his problem.
"To begin with, let's start by using symbols as catalysts."
His index finger emitted a faint glow, but if you looked closely, space seemed to fluctuate around it.
Charlie tried to manipulate space using Spirit Arts. Of course, his mastery was very poor, as the spatial attribute was much more difficult than natural elemental attributes.
With his finger, he carved the symbol "☆" inside the bag, but suddenly the bag exploded into pieces.
"Failed. Good thing I set up a soundproof barrier."
Despite the failure, Charlie wasn't discouraged. He was ready for many trials and errors, which was why he bought dozens of bags for his experiment.
"Are you hurt, Charlie?"
Aishia came over, concerned, taking Charlie's hand to inspect it.
"I'm fine, Aishia. The accident didn't hurt me, it just destroyed the bag due to spatial instability."
"I'm glad. Please be more careful, Charlie."
"I will."
Seeing Aishia's care and concern, Charlie felt a warmth in his heart. It had been a long time since he felt this way, as he had previously been consumed by hatred and focused only on revenge.
After that, Charlie continued his experiment, with Aishia watching by his side, ready to intervene if anything unexpected happened.
❀❀❀
Four hours later.
Even though it was past midnight, Charlie wasn't feeling sleepy at all. He suspected this was due to his stats exceeding normal human limits. Moreover, even among adventurers of the same level, his stats were still the highest. So, it wasn't surprising that his basic constitution was superior to others.
That said, Charlie did feel mentally exhausted after continuously using Spirit Arts.
"Ah, I'm so tired... My mental energy is drained."
"Rest, Charlie. You've done well."
Aishia bent down to look at Charlie's head resting on her lap.
"You don't have to push yourself in front of me."
Aishia gently stroked Charlie's head.
"..."
Hearing that, the strength in Charlie's body left him as he sighed. Aishia's warmth was so comforting, and his heart felt very much at ease.
"Aishia, in your eyes... what kind of person am I?"
"Charlie is Charlie. A man of justice, an idealist who wants to make the world better, trapped by his own past, unsure of what to do. Even so, you're someone strong, trying to do the right thing and move forward."
"Because of my justice and ideals, I lost the most precious person to me."
"Charlie and I will always be together. As long as you need me, I'll always be here for you to lean on. So... lean on me. I won't leave you."
Aishia's words soothed Charlie, who was always haunted by the fear of losing someone dear to him again.
Due to his accumulated fatigue, his eyelids felt heavy, and they slowly closed.
"Good night, Charlie. Sweet dreams."
Seeing him fall asleep, Aishia smiled softly.
Spirits didn't need sleep as long as their Essence/Mana was sufficient. Therefore, Aishia didn't disturb Charlie, who slept soundly on her lap.
❀❀❀
Day 14.
Morning.
Charlie woke up with a strange feeling. Something soft was touching his head. Slowly, his eyes opened, and the first thing he saw was Aishia's beautiful face, looking at him with gentle eyes.
"Good morning, Charlie." Aishia greeted him with a warm smile.
For a moment, Charlie was still confused, then he realized his position. He had fallen asleep on her lap and had been there the entire night.
"Did I sleep on your lap all night?" Charlie asked concerned.
Aishia only nodded slightly, showing no signs of being bothered.
"You seemed tired, so I thought it would be best if you rested comfortably."
Charlie tried to get up quickly, but the softness of Aishia's hand on his shoulder held him back.
"There's no need to rush. Charlie deserves a little peace after everything you've been through."
"Thank you, Aishia."
Staring at the ceiling of the room, Charlie enjoyed the feeling of being cared for by Aishia.
"I'm truly lucky to have someone like you by my side."
Aishia gave a faint smile.
"I'll always be with you, Charlie. That's a promise."
"..."
Even for someone as experienced as Charlie, he had to admit his heart was pounding at that moment.
Aishia's sincerity touched his lonely heart.
Enjoying the brief moment of intimacy, Charlie finally got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. The cold morning water refreshed his mind, and any remaining drowsiness disappeared completely.
Seeing the reflection of a handsome young man with white hair in the mirror, he still wasn't used to it since this wasn't his real appearance but that of the protagonist from Seirei no Gensouki.
"Even though I'm not a narcissist, I have to admit that with this face, I could probably make a living as a gigolo. There must be plenty of wealthy women or goddesses who'd want to have fun with me."
"Bah, what am I thinking? Being a gigolo is a lowly and disgraceful job for a man."
Charlie shook his head, driving away the strange thoughts from his mind.
Returning to the room, he saw the mess scattered on the floor. The debris consisted of the bags that had exploded and been destroyed during last night's experiments.
As for Aishia... she was staring at him without a word.
"Huft..."
Sighing deeply, Charlie pushed aside the absurd thoughts that had suddenly appeared.
There was no helping it—Aishia was a beautiful woman who could rival a Goddess of Beauty. It wasn't an exaggeration to say she was the most beautiful woman in the original work.
Right now, Charlie's body was at the peak of his youth, frankly speaking, was the most impulsive age. If not for his strong sense of reason, and the fact that Aishia wasn't actively trying to seduce him, he might have already been ensnared by her.
"Aishia, help me clean up the room."
"Mm."
Together, they cleaned up the messy room.