I waited for a while.

But there was no response. No presence, either. At least, none that I could sense.

Then, once more.

I called out into the darkness.

“Don’t worry! I came alone!”

Once again, my voice echoed and faded into the void.

Only the sound of my own breathing remained.

Was she not here? Surely, she hadn’t descended to a lower floor. If that were the case, I wouldn’t stand a chance without a light. My ability to detect presences wouldn’t be enough for a proper search.

Damn it, one more time.

“Come out! I want to talk!”

Again, my voice echoed and disappeared.

I waited.

Only my own breathing accompanied me.

“—Tch.”

No good.

Nothing but the sound of rain and the scent of damp soil filled the space.

Nothing—until.

“...El-tan...?”

“—!!”

A sudden whisper, a breath against my ear—I nearly drew my gladius but managed to stop myself at the last moment.

If I had drawn it, that would have been the end. Trust would be shattered. And I hadn’t come here for a fight. I came to talk.

“D-Damn it, don’t scare me like that!”

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. I nearly pissed myself. Being in a ten-year-old’s body was a real problem.

But more importantly, it seemed she could have killed me at any moment. I hadn’t even noticed she was that close.

And yet, she didn’t strike. She responded to my voice, not with a blade, but with her own words.

Her voice was frail, trembling.

“El-tan...”

Warm hands wrapped around my head and slowly pulled me close—into her embrace.

The same chest that had shielded me when the homunculus nearly slammed me into a wall.

Her heartbeat echoed in my ears.

“Miku...?”

“Nope, not anymore.”

She hugged my head tighter.

“...Riona. Riona Belzhein. That’s what they used to call me.”

The warmth of her body, soaked from the rain, felt strangely comforting.

“Riona Belzhein... Is that your real name?”

“Mmm, probably? Not sure.”

My irritation flared.

“Don’t play dumb now.”

“I’m not. I’ve had so many names, I’m not confident that one’s even real. And besides, I don’t actually know if I was really that person. Someone else just told me ‘you’re her,’ and I accepted it.”

“What do you mean? Did you lose your memory or something?”

“Nope. It just never existed in the first place.”

We could feel each other’s breaths.

Her face was likely right in front of mine, but I couldn’t see a thing.

Fitting, in a way—just like the name she had spoken.

“I don’t get it. Explain properly.”

“Oh no, El-tan, you’re soaking wet. Come over here. If you stay like that, you’ll catch a cold. Let’s dry you off first, then we can talk, okay?”

“...Alright.”

Riona’s hand slid down my arm, taking my right hand in both of hers, as if cradling it. She led me through the darkness to a corner of the first-floor dungeon.

The way she walked, unhesitating even in total darkness—she was undoubtedly an assassin.

To be honest, I was on edge the entire time, wondering when she might stab me. But Riona showed no signs of hostility. If anything, she was acting just as she always did.

“Still, I’m so happy! El-tan came to see me!”

“Damn right! You should’ve come to me first!”

“Ohh, then maybe I’ll sneak into your room at night~”

Stop! Lili’s in my room!

She still didn’t seem to know I was the prince of this country. In that case, what secret of mine did she know? It couldn’t be about Blythe, could it?

“Alright, take it all off~. Let’s start with your belt and scabbard, okay?”

“...Fine.”

I hesitated. Once I removed it, my gladius and stiletto would be gone too.

Even so, I raised my hands, letting Riona feel for the belt. A metallic clatter echoed as my weapons fell to the ground.

I was unarmed now.

Standing defenseless before an assassin—something my past self would have never considered.

Being young again had its downsides. Though, this time, it didn’t seem to be all that dangerous.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and strip. You’ll catch a cold.”

She yanked my soaked shirt off.

In a way, this was dangerous too.

“I’ll take off your pants too, okay?”

“Oh. Wait—no, I’ll do it myself.”

“Why?”

“Because I feel like you’ll try something! Don’t make me spell it out, idiot.”

I quickly stripped on my own.

“Ehh, no trust at all. Then take off your underwear too~.”

“Oh—LIKE HELL I WILL! That’s completely unnecessary!! Drying off is more than enough!!”

“Aww, but it’s dark, so it’s fine, right? I can’t see anything anyway.”

“That’s not the problem! And besides, I feel like you can see in the dark, which is even worse.”

A sharp tsk reached my ears.

This damn girl... Does she even realize the situation she’s in?

“So close~.”

“Just give me a damn towel already.”

I unfolded the towel she placed on my head and began drying myself off. As I wiped my hair and body, a light flickered on.

No—this wasn’t a magic lantern.

The scent of oil and soot lingered in the air.

And the light didn’t spread uniformly but dimmed at the edges, forming a faint, hemispherical glow.

There, sitting as if nothing had changed, was Miku—or rather, Riona Belzhein.

A small lamp flickered in her hands.

“Hey.”

The vein on my forehead twitched.

“Hmm?”

“What was that crap about it being too dark to see?”

“Oh, that? I lied. It’s not like you’d lose anything by being seen, right?”

“That’s not your call to make...”

“I wouldn’t mind if you saw me, El-tan. If anything, I’d gain something. Wanna look~?”

I was about to lose it.

No—calm down, me.

Don’t let her shake your composure. You’re on your second life. Show some adult restraint.

“An oil lamp, huh? You don’t see those often. Did you buy it from an antique shop in Lehan?”

“Nope... It’s a personal item I brought from the Republic.”

Ah.

The weight of that statement pressed down on my chest.

So much for maintaining my adult composure.

“...I see.”

“...Yeah...”

Seriously...

This is getting depressing...