“It’s been a few years since you stayed behind at Heritage Basestation,” Nalus began. “So many things happened back then, when the snowpyres attacked our camp.”

“I’ve heard. Apparently, the Last Star attacked Ark City,” Gaius replied.

“There were a lot of things going on when we teleported to the Wildlands, but the one thing I want to complain to you about is how you made us grieve over Nakama for a year,” said Nalus. “We thought something happened to her during the teleportation, since she wasn’t in your tent.”

Gaius blinked twice. “Uh. Right. There was something on her that teleported her away if she was ever in danger.”

“Would be nice if we knew about that,” Nalus replied pointedly.

“S-sorry.”

Gaius picked up some fries and levitated them over to his mouth. The others were doing something similar, other than the Memory Sifter, who was eating fries with her fingers for some reason.

“So,” said Mai, the bunny-eared girl that had gotten him and Nakama into trouble on their first day in Heritage Basestation, “where’s Nakama now?”

“She’s in the North having fun,” Gaius replied.

Mai clicked her teeth “I thought you were going to be by her side as much as possible. Tch. What a bad brother. Alright, and you…you look familiar.”

Her eyes had turned to Isabelle, who was focusing on the fries earlier.

“Who, me?”

“Yes, you.” Mai leaned forward. “Right, aren’t you that Knight that Gaius captured long ago? I even remember us making a fire to warm you up. Sheesh. So? What are you doing here? And…”

“Alright, enough.” The woman who had been bringing up the rear earlier spoke. It was a simple sentence, but these two words alone had made Mai clam up immediately. Judging from how her words had also silenced Degurechaff, who was speaking animatedly to the Memory Sifter on the other end of the table, she was clearly someone of great importance.

“Pardon me,” the woman murmured. “Where are my manners? I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. I’m Eliza, a researcher in Ark City’s R&D department.”

“A researcher?” Gaius asked.

She chuckled. “Although everyone else would probably curse me for using my occupation as an identification marker. I am Demigod Eliza, the last reserve power of Ark City, and the strongest mortal in the whole of the Five Lands. Pleased to meet you, Lost Star.”

“Oh, you already settled the showdown with Queen Hyperion?” Degurechaff asked.

“She conceded after I posed my challenge,” the Demigod replied. “Still, Lost Star…you’re the killer of the Human God. I want to test my strength against you.”

“Yeah…about that. No.” Gaius smiled, and then returned to his French fries. “I’m not doing any fighting today. Or tomorrow. I’m just here to enjoy my honeymoon and tour the world.”

“Is that so?” She sighed. “Fine. We’ll have many more opportunities anyway, once we’re all assembled at the Heaven-cleaving Fortress.”

Gaius was about to let out a sigh of relief when Mai asked, “What do you mean, honeymoon? Isn’t that—”

“A phrase used to describe a holiday between two people who have entered a bond of matrimony, yes.” Demigod Eliza smiled. “With the threat of the Demon God, more and more people are doing the same thing.”

“Back to my original question. How did you turn a captive into your partner?” Mai asked.

“That’s a very good question,” Gaius replied.

“Captive?” the Memory Sifter asked. “What’s going on here? Is this Stockholm Syndrome at play?”

“Stockholm Syndrome?” Mai asked.

“It’s something fascinating,” the Memory Sifter replied. “Basically, it’s the phenomenon in which a captive begins to harbour positive feelings for her captor.”

The others let out a “Ohhh”, and then turned to look at Gaius as one. There was something in their gazes that made him feel ashamed for some reason. It was an uncomfortable feeling through and through, as if a bunch of bystanders were judging him…even though he was wholly innocent.

Gaius felt his eyelid twitch, and he glanced at Isabelle, only to see her mouth some words in reply.

Help me explain…? Gaius thought through the whole thing, and then understood why she made such a request.

Taking a deep breath, he began to delve into the history between him and Isabelle, making sure to leave out any overly-embarrassing and sensitive bits. Of course, he made sure not to mention anything about Heritage or the Library of Ancients, instead focusing on their time in the East and the North.

After glossing over yet another set of events, Gaius breathed out a sigh and leaned back on his chair, tired. The interior of his skull were burning, as if a set of red-hot hammers had been smashing it on the inside.

“So, it’s not Stockholm, eh?” Emily Lorenze rubbed her chin. “More of a boss-employee relationship, then.”

“Or a master-servant one,” Lia, who had been silent the whole time, chimed in. “I knew Isabelle always had such tastes. And she was even emphatically denying it at that time.”

A small fry bounced off her head a moment later, and Lia glared at her sister. “Did you just toss a fry at me?”

“Well, you were asking for it!”

“Alright, enough, girls.” The Memory Sifter rapped their heads. “Do you intend on making yourself a laughingstock in front of Ark City’s distinguished?”

Without waiting for their reply, she turned towards Demigod Eliza, who was busy examining a slice of pizza with interest. “My apologies for this unseeming display.”

“Huh?” The Demigod looked up. “Oh, right. Yeah.”

Gaius stifled a giggle.

“Anyway,” said the Memory Sifter, “what brings you and the good general over to my humble abode?”

Gaius didn’t know what was humble about her house, but playing the straight man to his mother-in-law sounded like a recipe for disaster, so he wisely held his tongue.

“We’re actually here for Gaius,” Degurechaff replied. “Both of us have something to discuss with him. Although…we’ll have lunch first, if that’s alright with you.”

His covetous eyes were fixed on the pizza.

Under the continuous assault by everyone present, the mountains of food were rapidly demolished. Before Gaius could retreat to Isabelle’s side, however, Degurechaff and Eliza had appeared before him, dragging him away for a serious discussion. A small room had been prepared for them, one that was utterly devoid of any furniture or items.

A minute passed in silence, before Gaius let out a small sigh. “So? You two came down for a discussion, right? Surely you weren’t intending on watching me for the next ten minutes or something.”

“My apologies,” said Eliza. “The two of us are trying to think of ways to broach our main topic of the day.”

“Just say it directly,” Gaius replied.

“Easier said than done, unfortunately.” The Demigod frowned. “Degurechaff, you say it directly.”

“Why me?”

“My reputation is more important than yours.”

The general spluttered for a few seconds, and then hung his head. “Point.”

Gaius really wanted to ask how individual dignity was ranked, and more importantly, why Degurechaff had implicitly agreed with Eliza’s ranking, but he decided to give the poor fellow a break.

“Go on,” said Gaius. “I’m listening.”

“Basically, something called the War Council was established a month or so ago,” said General Degurechaff, “and—”

“And there was this thing about fighting strength and everything, so you want me to be registered formally as a citizen of Ark City to avoid sending too many people to the frontlines,” Gaius completed. “Am I right?”

He opened his mouth, and then shut it. “How…how did you know?”

“How did I know?” Gaius repeated the question. “Well, the Republic asked me the exact same thing a few days ago, that’s why. Came to the house and all.”

“Oh.” The general blinked twice, and then looked at the Demigod.

“How did you reply?” Eliza asked.

Gaius shrugged. “I turned them down.”

“Reason?”

“I want more people at the front,” Gaius replied. “If me being registered as part of a nation’s forces means that they don’t need to send that much manpower or resources anymore, then I’m not going to do that. Period.”

The Demigod eyed Gaius. “Good enough. Ark City has been trying to gather as many skilled combatants as possible, to prevent the other nations from skimping on manpower. Of course, on our side, we intend to send out every last person, since we have a personal beef with the Demon God.”

“But we cannot be certain that the others will act in such good faith,” Degurechaff added. “Therefore, we have been very…extreme in making sure that anyone who has a great impact on the battlefield is registered as a combatant under us.”

“I see. However, I do not have any intention of joining a nation’s banner,” Gaius replied. “Even the North. I can tell that most of the Five Lands intend to use this war as a means to redistribute power; that is nothing short of idiocy.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Eliza replied. “They are underestimating the threat of the Demon God. True, the North’s inventions and the recent changes in warfare has indeed proven to be of great value, but our enemy cannot be taken lightly. They are a unified force, one that is immortal to boot. A single mistake, and we will be washed away by the tide.”

“Indeed. If any of the Five Lands slacken in their efforts…” The general shook his head.

Any of the Five Lands…Gaius heaved a sigh. The general clearly viewed Ark City as a separate entity from the “Five Lands” now; it was possible that he wasn’t alone in viewing their nation as part of the Cardinal Continents. Such a division would not help the wartime effort; nor would it contribute to a post-war peace.

None of that, however, was Gaius’ business now.

“We are in accord, then,” Gaius murmured. “That said, I know full well that nations oft say one thing, yet do another. For this reason, I will not be joining your ranks. So long as I remain independent, registered under the Hall of Guardians, there will not be an issue, right?’

“None at all,” said Eliza. “I am satisfied with your response.”

“Is there anything else?” Gaius asked.

“None for me,” the Demigod replied. “I have things to do, so I shall take my leave first, if that is alright with you.”

“Please, go on right ahead.”

Demigod Eliza spun on her heel, and Gaius felt space warp as she vanished into parts unknown. From the looks of it, she probably came down for this express purpose, which just made Gaius more and more curious about his exact standing in the War Council.

Was he really that valuable?

Gaius shook his head, and then arched an eyebrow at the general, who was still sitting around. “You have something else for me?”

“Regarding your mother-in-law,” said Degurechaff. “What are your plans going forward?”

“You’re asking me?” Gaius stared at the general. “I’m just curious. What makes you think that I can actually decide?”

“Uh. I mean, you two are together, right?”

“That doesn’t automatically mean that I have jurisdiction over her family members,” Gaius replied. “And nor will I do that.”

“Oh.”

“Why? Afraid that she’ll leave?” Gaius asked.

“Umm…”

“Nailed it, then. Well, I had a feeling that she was also someone important, from how everyone calls her ‘Memory Sifter’,” Gaius replied. “But if you want to retain her, you gotta give benefits. You know, give her more artefacts to play with! More resources! Things like these. There’s no point in asking the son-in-law she just met; I’m not going to be able to influence anything.”

“Well, I tried, at least. Congress ain’t going to be too happy if she leaves, though.”

“That’s none of my business.” Gaius tapped his nose.

Of course, he was lying. Emily Lorenze had already told him and her daughters that she wasn’t intending on leaving Ark City, but Gaius didn’t mind helping her on the sides by pressuring Degurechaff to give her more resources and toys.

No need for thanks, mother-in-law. Fufufu. Chuckling to himself, Gaius patted the general’s shoulder — which was something he couldn’t do in the past — and returned to the living room, where Isabelle was currently undergoing interrogation by Mai and Nalus, with Lia and her mother listening in.

It was a lovely scene, if nothing else.