Inside a simple and modest wooden house.
"That's what happened," Enri told Nfirea, recounting the truth about what happened in Carne Village. After men in knight armor killed her parents, she and her sister fled, and those knights pursued her, intending to kill both her and her sister.
Listening to Enri's story, Nfirea felt a surge of anger at the injustice she had endured. He deeply empathized with Enri's feelings and wanted to soothe her pain. But he didn't know how to.
Regardless of his worries, Enri continued, describing how she and Nemu could miraculously survive because a whitish gray-haired man appeared and saved them.
She said that he looked like a Magic Caster. But what she really meant was that he was like a prince wearing a jet black uniform from a fairy tale who came out of nowhere and saved them.
Each mention of the mysterious man brought a faint blush to Enri's face, hinting at unspoken thoughts and emotions in the girl's heart. Nfirea couldn't help but feel a twinge of unease at the possibility that Enri harbored feelings for her savior.
He got nervous.
"That, that person... Is he handsome?"
"Yes, incredibly so. Of all the men I've ever seen, he's the most handsome and strong."
A bittersweet smile graced Enri's lips, leaving Nfirea overwhelmed with conflicting emotions as his fists clenched, looking at his girl being stolen by someone.
'No. I can't allow myself to think like this!'
But then, taking a moment to quell his turbulent feelings, Nfirea swiftly changed the subject, steering their conversation onto safer ground.
"Your parents... They must have gone to a nice place."
"Yeah... Thank you, Nfirea," she replied gratefully.
"It's nothing... But I'm relieved to see you so lively. I was concerned..."
"Because I have a younger sister. I can't afford to dwell in sadness."
Hearing her words, Nfirea, who had awkwardly raised his body, sat down on the chair again. He wanted to protect her and didn't want her to be taken away by anyone, and he didn't even want anyone but himself to sit beside her. Even if he was the one who rescued Enri,
Nfirea wanted to marry Enri. He believed that he could feed Enri and Nemu with the money he earned and give them a happy life.
'Even if a child is born...!'
Nfirea fantasized about Enri and their family together. He imagined Enri looking at him with a happy smile. But then realizing that Enri was staring at him in a puzzled way, right in front of his eyes, made his impatience even stronger.
He opened his mouth, then hesitated, uncertain.
"I..."
'I care for you. I love you.'
But the words remained trapped in his throat, stifled by the fear of rejection or the possibility of her affection for someone else.
Suddenly, Nfirea thought of getting closer in a different way. A secret method to quickly close the distance between himself and Enri, who might be feeling down, scared, and insecure.
"Enri!!"
"Why, Nfirea, what's wrong?"
"--M-M-If you have any trouble, tell me. I'll help you as much as I can!"
"Thank you! Really, Nfirea is such a good friend to me."
"Uh, uh, yeah... No, it's okay. We've known each other for a long time."
Unable to muster the courage to propose to Enri, despite her smiling face, Nfirea chastised himself inwardly. The gray-haired man, about whom Enri told him and who was the opposite of his pitiful self, kept coming to Nfirea's mind. But when he saw Enri smiling at him, those fearful thoughts flew away at once.
It was then that Enri's smile abruptly faded as she clutched her belly with a pained groan.
"Oooh!"
"Eh, Enri...?!"
"Wait... Ugh!"
"Enri! Enri! Are you alright?!"
Nfirea's concern surged as Enri suddenly gagged.
He helped Enri to her feet and guided her to her bedroom. Promising to fetch water, Nfirea left the room after Enri settled herself on the bed.
"Here, Enri, have some water."
"Uh, yes. Thank you, Nfirea."
Enri gulped down the water with a weak expression on her face.
"Are you not feeling well?"
"No, it's fine."
"When did this start?! How long have you been experiencing these vomiting symptoms?"
"I'm not sure... It came on suddenly... I just need a bit of rest."
"Alright, rest up. I'll check in on you later."
Enri nodded and closed her eyes. Nfirea turned to leave, but a nagging question held him back. He couldn't resist.
"Enri, can I ask you something?"
"Hmm? What is it?"
"That... Who is that white-haired man who helped the village?"
"Ah, it's Aurelius Nova Lucifer. Goblins came out when I used the item he gave me, and they followed whatever I told them to do and did various things."
Enri's expression bore a bitter tinge; her energy seemed drained, yet a glint of admiration was evident in her sparkling eyes.
"Yeah, that's right."
Aurelius Nova Lucifer.
That man had appeared several times in Enri's story from a while ago.
'What is that person's true identity? That man even gave Enri an item to summon such strong goblins.'
To give such a rare item casually, the identity of the person made Nfirea even more tense.
A man who could be his rival in love. He wanted to get that man away from Enri.
"So, did you say Aurelius Nova Lucifer? What kind of person was he? I'd like to say hello when we meet."
After he told her that line of reasoning, a look of disappointment appeared on her face.
"Is that so... I was thinking you would know him, Nfirea..."
Enri lowered her head and stroked the lower abdomen hidden by her white dress.
Her response sent Nfirea's heart into a frantic rhythm, beads of sweat forming uncomfortably on his back. His surroundings seemed to close in, and Enri's actions went unnoticed.
"Eh, Enri. What about me knowing Aurelius? You want something from him?"
"Huh? Yeah, I just want to see him one more time. Even in our village, there's talk of making a small statue so that we don't forget his grace, but personally, it's the first time I've had such an ecstatic experience, so I want to meet him again."
Nfirea felt weird about that response. Her words lingered in his ears, as if they were gradually tying his heart. As his hands trembled and sweat trickled down, Enri blushed and hid her face.
"I-I see... You want to see him again... Just... didn't he have any women or anything like that...?"
"Ah, there were two people behind him who looked like women in armor, called Albedo and Luminous."
Nfirea felt a little bit enlightened by Enri's words.
"Uh, yeah..? Anything else?"
"Umm... I don't know about that... Ah! He also gave me a bright red potion."
The entire conversation seemed to vanish, leaving Nfirea stunned. It reminded him of the conversation Lizzy had with Britta, and then again later. When he arrived in Carne Village and sat in a circle on the road at night, Nabe uttered that name.
Albedo.
Nfirea got goosebumps as the puzzle pieces started to match. Red Potion and Albedo.
The answer was clear.
Aurelius Nova Lucifer = Lucifer.
Nfirea's pupils widened, and his heart skipped a beat. Lucifer was Aurelius Nova Lucifer. He was the man who helped Enri.
From there, he could draw a startling conclusion.
The magic caster who had saved the village was also a fearsome warrior. Although there were some warriors with magical training, for the most part, one would cancel out the good points of the other. In a similar vein, arcane magic casters could not cast spells while wearing the heavy equipment that most warriors favored.
So he was a magic caster of the third tier, as well as a swordsman on par with an adamantite-ranked adventurer.
This must be some kind of joke. If someone like that truly existed, he would be a hero among heroes.
After learning this piece of priceless information, his breathing became irregular, and he could not calm himself down even though he knew Enri was staring at him.
His heart was filled with complex emotions, and at the moment, he just wanted to run away from this reality.
"Eh, Enri! I'll be stepping out for a bit! Take care!"
"Huh? Nfirea?"
Nfirea said goodbye to Enri and was about to exit the room. But as he made his way towards the door to leave the house, he heard a knock right before him.
"Enri Emmot, are you here?"
He recognized the voice immediately—it was Lucifer. The tone was soft and alluring, evoking images of a handsome face.
Nfirea, puzzled by the unexpected visitor, opened the door wide.
"Uh... Au... Lucifer-sama?"
Enri was surprised to see Lucifer. Nfirea also looked at Lucifer with apprehension.
"Nfirea, I didn't expect to find you here. Quite a rare occurrence."
"Ah... Yes... Enri is a friend of mine..."
"I see. I need to have a word with her. The village chief is urgently looking for you."
"M-me...?"
"Yes, it seems important."
"Alright, I understand. Enri, take care. I'll be back."
"Uh, yeah... Be safe."
Enri smiled weakly. Outside, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, painting the sky orange.
Glancing back, Nfirea watched as the door to Enri's house's gate slowly shut.
-Thud!
As the door slowly closed, Lucifer's back as he entered and Enri's welcoming smile were faintly visible through the gap. Nfirea walked a few steps but then halted.
-Thump! Thump!
His heartbeat quickened. Nfirea gripped his trembling hand and turned back.
"Yeah... Just checking... Just checking."
Nfirea returned to Enri's house, able to hear what was happening inside due to the poor soundproofing. His tension gripped him tighter.
"Uh?"
He froze at the sound of a woman's moans coming from Enri's house. His entire body stiffened.
The only woman inside was Enri.
"W-what's going on?"
Thinking he must have misheard, Nfirea took a few more steps.
"Huhhhhh! Au, Aurelius-sama...!"
'Uh?'
'That's not right.'
Nfirea strained to listen, his legs weakening at her moans and the name.
"Oh no... Enri wouldn't do that... She can't... Especially not with Lucifer..."
He leaned closer to the door, hoping to catch whispers of her secret story through the crack.
But what he heard next forced Nfirea to slump down, eyes wide in disbelief.