Ashe continued, "As for how I've been lately... Well, I've already escaped the Blood Moon Kingdom, and then—"
He paused.
From the mont he arrived in the Gospel Kingdom, Annan had beco a key figure in everything that followed. The instant he landed, Annan had taken charge of him, like a recruit plucked from a talent market.
Yet the contract forbade Ashe from revealing any information about Annan. Not even an unintentional hint could slip through. To make matters worse, his current circumstances, his new residence, and even his new job were all tied to Annan. Everything about him, down to the underwear he wore, was paid for by Annan. Every detail fell under strict confidentiality.
He had plenty to complain about, but any grievance would inevitably point back to Annan. He could say nothing; any detail might expose the fact that he was under Annan's care.
Sonya blinked. "And then?"
Ashe shrugged helplessly. "I can't tell you. I signed an overbearing contract forbidding from disclosing anything. All I can say is that I'm safe for now, preparing a major plan to challenge the Divine Lord... and I've also got a daughter."
"A daughter!?"
"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the plan against the Divine Lord?"
"You wouldn't tell anyway..."
Sonya's lips moved slightly, but she quickly rembered that the Watcher was likely a formidable being who had recently been resurrected. Considering that, it made sense that he would have had countless entanglents in the past. Knowing his shaless nature, he might even have had a dozen partners. Lowering her head, she said, "I suppose it makes sense. At your age, having a child isn't surprising."
What does she an, "at my age"? I'm only in my twenties... Do I really look like soone with a child? Then again, so of my high school classmates already have a second child...
"Actually, it's just a pitiful kid who insisted on calling her father. I didn't agree, but taking care of her is part of my job, so I go along with it. Don't misunderstand. I'm not married."
Sonya snorted. "What would I misunderstand? I don't care whether you're married or not."
In her mind, she wondered if the Watcher had beco a teacher after arriving in the new kingdom. Does he actually know how to take care of a child? How would he even do that? Surely he wouldn't use his abilities to force a child to study...
Ashe said, "In any case, you don't need to worry about . I'm safe for now. What about you? Are you enjoying life at university?"
"It's alright. I've gained a lot of admirers. Every ti I go out, I have to sign so many autographs. I was even interviewed by reporters recently. Quite a few people call the number one swordsmanship prodigy of Cailleach. I've received tons of banquet invitations. The pressure is huge. I feel like I've even lost weight..."
"Do you think I'd say I'm jealous? Well, yes, I really am," Ashe said sourly. Her vibrant university life made him, a forr student whose social life revolved around gaming in the dorm, feel an intense envy.
Sonya shrugged. "All of this only happened because of you. Just over twenty days ago, I was still an unknown, pure, beautiful, and adorable college student. So... thank you."
"Didn't I say we don't need to say things like that between us? And what does it have to do with ? You are making up your own story. All I told you was to train properly," Ashe said, leaning back against the seat with a faintly annoyed tone. "Besides, verbal thanks without any real benefit is like praise without a salary increase. It doesn't move . If anything, it's a bit tireso—"
A pair of fair arms wrapped gently around his neck from behind. It wasn't a force ant to strangle, but sothing soft, careful, carrying a subtle pull as if drawing him closer. It felt like the lingering warmth of sunlight after a midday nap.
Her arms were firm and well-toned. The body in the Virtual World mirrored the real one. In reality, the Swordswoman trained diligently in swordsmanship. Even without deliberate strength training, her arms carried natural power. Her biceps were probably stronger than Ashe's. He liked that kind of healthy, athletic line.
Warm breath brushed past his hair and grazed his earlobe, leaving a faint, ticklish sensation. Just as he turned, Sonya released him and stepped back, gazing at the golden rain outside as if she could never get tired of it. "It's yours."
Yours?
Ashe froze. Only then did he realize that when she had wrapped her arms around him, she had slipped sothing into his hands.
It was the highly efficient healing spirit, Reverse Day, usable even by the most inexperienced sorcerer. Sonya hadn't bound it yet, so it remained unclaid.
"I—"
"If you don't need it, just recycle it. Don't give it back to . And don't give it to the Witch."
"You—"
"After thinking it over, I realized I don't really need this spirit, so I gave it to you. That's all."
Ashe tilted his head. "If you wanted to take Reverse Day, you could've said so earlier. The Witch was already planning to give it to ."
"But if she gave it to you, wouldn't you owe her a favor?"
"That would just be normal resource distribution. How is that a favor—"
Sonya interrupted sharply. "If it's just a normal distribution, then why did you refuse Reverse Day? You know those hour-minute-second spirits you picked up can't compare to it. That's why you felt embarrassed to accept it. If the Witch insisted on giving it to you, you'd definitely rember that favor!"
"Even if it counts as a favor, it doesn't matter. I'm fair. I don't get bought off by one or two bribes."
"Not one or two. But what about ten? A hundred? The Witch tries to win you over on her first day. If she keeps stacking favors, sooner or later you'll start leaning toward her!"
Ashe admitted, "You... have a point. But if you take Reverse Day, don't you owe her a favor too?"
"I'll repay whatever I owe her. Between her and , it's purely cooperative. Favors won't affect anything else. Even if I didn't repay it, I wouldn't feel burdened. Unlike you, I wouldn't fall for that kind of sugar-coated tactic."
Ashe groaned. "I can't believe your take-the-benefits-without-doing-anything attitude sohow sounds righteous... You don't need to be so wary of the Witch. She may not be close to us yet, but eventually, we'll beco companions, tightly bound."
"We'll see when the ti cos," Sonya said, her tone perfunctory. Her gaze landed on Reverse Day in his hands. "So, are you taking it or not?"
Ashe knew he'd never actually need Reverse Day to save his life. But with Sonya pressing him this far, how could he refuse? At this point, if he refused, she might cut him down the next second just to make him need it.
Using his mana, he bound the Reverse Day spirit. Then he said, "Wait. If we follow your logic, you took Reverse Day from the Witch and gave it to . So you want to owe you a favor?"
"Exactly. Rember this favor. Rember it for life."
"But if I owe you a favor, wouldn't I end up favoring you?"
"Don't you already favor ?"
Ashe thought for a mont. That's true... resources always end up prioritized toward her. No issue there.
"I'm actually glad both of you are trying to win over. I'm a little pleased by it," Ashe said, scratching his head. "But your real competition lies in your own strength, not my attitude toward you. Doing this once or twice is fine, but don't focus on it. There are only three of us. Internal conflict would destroy us."
"I'm not trying to win you over..."
"You're not?"
"I am," Sonya admitted softly, avoiding his gaze, "but not entirely."
***
Nearby, on the grass, not far from the sports car.
Dia rolled around lazily. When she got tired, she lay flat on her back with her limbs spread, completely lacking the elegance she had shown earlier.
"I finally have a mont to relax," she said, stretching. "Rolling around on the grass is a must on the Continent of Ti!"
The White Queen's voice cut in. "The Swordswoman should have already given it away."
"Given what?" Dia asked.
"Reverse Day. That's why she insisted on taking it in the first place, to give it to the Watcher."
Dia sat up in shock. "What? She actually took our stuff just to give it to the Watcher? That's so despicable! The adult world is disgusting. No wonder she wanted us out of the way. She didn't want us interrupting her while she tried to win him over!"
The White Queen said calmly, "It's not despicable. She didn't take it purely to win him over."
"Then why?"
"Reverse Day is a high-efficiency healing spirit. When we tried to trade it to the Watcher earlier, he refused. Only then did the Swordswoman take it. The Watcher might think he doesn't need a life-saving card like that, but the Swordswoman disagreed. She was probably just worried about his safety."
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