The marker at the entrance to Buena Village stood in the same place it had when they left.
At least, that was how it appeared.
The slant of the wooden post, the stones piled beneath it, even the distance between the roadside trees and fences all matched Eugene's memory.
Eugene leaned slightly out the carriage window.
Its visible position differed from the position he sensed.
In an empty space roughly two finger-widths beside the marker, he detected a response as though the same object overlapped itself.
There was no sign that the post had moved. The earth had not been displaced, nor had the stones beneath it been disturbed. Every other object around it occupied its normal coordinates.
The instant the carriage passed the marker, the overlapping response vanished.
Eugene looked back.
The marker stood where it had always stood, as though nothing had happened.
"Is something wrong?" the driver asked.
"Not yet."
Eugene shut the window.
The records he had copied in Roa lay in the bag at his feet. He had organized the abnormalities occurring throughout the Fittoa Region by year and location, yet none of the records revealed their point of origin.
If mana had risen from underground, the soil and vegetation should have changed first.
If it had traveled along a river or mana vein, it should have left a direction behind.
If someone were preparing large-scale magic, the surrounding area should show a depletion while mana gathered.
Fittoa had undergone none of those processes.
Only the results were increasing, without any trace of their cause having passed through.
The carriage entered the village.
Children played by the road, kicking stones, while farmers returned with their tools loaded onto carts. Smoke rose from chimneys as people prepared their evening meals.
Villagers who recognized Eugene raised their hands.
Eugene opened the window and gave them a small nod in return.
For the villagers, it was an evening no different from any other.
The same familiar scene.
Until they reached the house.
As the carriage slowed, the front door opened before it stopped.
Norn came running out barefoot.
"Eugene!"
She clearly had no intention of waiting for the driver to open the door.
Eugene opened it himself and stepped down from the carriage.
Before both his feet had even touched the ground, Norn threw herself around his waist.
"I'm back."
"You're late."
"I am one day behind schedule."
"Very late."
Norn buried her face in his clothes and tightened her arms around him.
Aisha stood in front of the entrance.
Unlike Norn, she had not run outside. She straightened her skirt and bowed at the waist.
"Welcome back, Brother."
"I'm back."
"Did anything inconvenience you during your journey?"
"No."
Aisha examined Eugene's face, clothes, and the bag in his hand in turn.
"I will carry your luggage."
"It is heavy. There are documents inside."
"I can carry it."
"I will leave it to you only as far as the bottom of the stairs."
Eugene held out one smaller bag.
Aisha accepted it with both hands.
It was apparently heavier than she had expected, for her body tipped forward. Still, she did not drop it. She adjusted her footing and pulled the bag close to her chest.
Norn released Eugene's clothes as well.
"Me too."
"What do you mean?"
"Luggage."
Eugene checked the carriage.
Norn could not carry the box of liquor and dried meat he had received in Roa. Nor could she carry the bags holding records and tools.
There was an empty water bucket on one side of the carriage.
Eugene handed it to Norn.
Norn accepted the bucket in both arms.
"Heavy?"
"It is empty."
"I'll carry it."
With a satisfied expression, Norn headed for the entrance.
Zenith's voice came from inside the house.
"Norn! How far did you run without even putting on your shoes?"
Zenith came outside wearing an apron.
When she saw Eugene, her steps quickened slightly.
"You're home."
"I'm back."
Zenith did not embrace him immediately.
First, she inspected his face, neck, and hands. Only after checking the dust on his coat and the ends of his sleeves did she open her arms.
Eugene did not evade her.
Zenith's arms wrapped around his shoulders and back.
"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"I am not."
"Have you eaten?"
"I ate this morning."
"It's evening now."
Zenith pulled back and checked the carriage's luggage.
"Lilia, add a little more water to the soup. Eugene is home."
"It is already prepared," Lilia answered from the kitchen.
Zenith smiled at the response.
"Since when?"
"Since I heard the carriage."
"You did not add water for every cart that passed earlier, did you?"
There was no answer.
It seemed Lilia, too, had checked the sound of carriages several times.
Eugene took his bag and headed inside. Norn entered first, hugging the empty bucket, while Aisha followed with the heavier bag.
Paul and Sylphiette were in the sitting room.
Paul was maintaining his sword by the window. Oil, cloth, and a letter Sauros had sent lay on the table.
Sylphiette rose from her seat, setting aside the book she had been reading.
"Welcome back, Eugene."
"I'm back."
Sylphiette's gaze naturally shifted behind him.
Only after checking the empty entrance and the carriage did she smile, looking a little embarrassed.
"Of course Rudy didn't come with you."
"He remains in Roa."
"I know."
Sylphiette touched the ends of her hair.
"When the carriage came, I just wondered if maybe..."
Paul set down his sword and stood.
"I heard you split the sky?"
Zenith smacked Paul's back with her palm from behind.
"Does that have to be the first thing you ask when he comes home?"
"It's important."
Paul picked up the letter from the table.
"It clearly says here that you cut the sky."
"I split the clouds."
"Same thing."
"It is not."
"It also says you cut a mountain."
"I cut through part of the surface of a rocky hill."
Paul looked between the letter and Eugene.
"So every word of it is true, but all of it is wrong?"
"The phrasing is inaccurate."
Paul laughed.
"Sky or clouds, ordinary people can't do either."
"That is correct."
When Eugene readily admitted it, Paul's laughter stopped for a moment.
"You fought Ghislaine too, right?"
"Yes."
"And won?"
"Yes."
"Has she gotten much stronger?"
"She is far better than when I met her in Buena. She prepared for the possibility that her first attack would fail, and she continued attacking even after her sword was stopped."
Paul's eyes grew more serious.
"Has she gotten close to Sword King?"
"I cannot decide that title for her."
"But you beat Ghislaine."
"My defeating her and determining Ghislaine's rank in swordsmanship are separate matters."
Paul considered it briefly, then nodded.
"We'll have a match sometime too."
"I decline."
"That answer came too fast."
"There is no possibility that the result will change."
Paul's mouth shut.
Sylphiette lowered her head, trying to hold back a laugh.
Zenith came over holding Norn's shoes and pushed Paul in the side.
"That's enough. Let him wash up."
"This is what men talk about."
"Then you can talk to your heart's content when Rudy comes home."
At the mention of Rudeus's name, Sylphiette looked toward one side of the room.
An unused chair stood there.
It was the seat Eugene had made for Rudeus.
"When Rudy returns, I'll have a match with him too," Paul said after looking at the chair for a while.
"Will you fight Rudy?" Norn asked.
She stood beside the chair, still holding the empty bucket.
"It's a spar."
"Will Daddy lose?"
"Daddy will win," Paul said confidently.
As she set down the bag, Aisha looked toward Eugene.
"What do you think, Brother?"
"At present, Paul would win."
Paul grinned.
"At present?"
"Rudeus's rate of growth is fast."
"You're saying I might lose in a few years?"
"It is possible."
Paul's smile disappeared.
"I'll have to increase my training starting tomorrow."
"You said your back hurt this morning," Zenith said.
"That was only true until this morning."
"You said the same thing at lunch," Lilia said as she came out of the kitchen.
"Then let's say it was only true until lunch."
This time, even Sylphiette laughed aloud.
Not knowing what was funny, Norn laughed with them.
Aisha looked briefly at Paul's back.
Her eyes seemed to be checking whether he truly could train.
"I will put the luggage away first," Eugene said, picking up the bag.
Norn hugged the empty bucket again.
"That can go in the kitchen."
"Come with me."
"I am going to my room."
"Me too."
Norn headed for the stairs first.
She was barefoot and carrying the bucket, so she could not hold the railing. Eugene grasped the collar of her clothes from one step behind.
On the second step, Norn's foot slipped.
Before her body could even tilt backward, her collar was pulled taut.
Norn continued climbing as if nothing had happened.
Aisha tried to follow, but Lilia called to her.
"Aisha, please set the table."
Aisha stopped.
She looked between Eugene's bag and the dining table, then immediately changed direction.
"Understood."
Sylphiette hesitated for a moment at the bottom of the stairs.
"Want help putting your things away?"
"They are only documents."
"So you don't need help?"
"No."
Sylphiette nodded.
When Eugene entered his room, Norn set the empty water bucket on the floor.
"Where does it go?"
"It is an empty water bucket. It should be taken to the kitchen."
Norn looked around the room.
Then she pushed the bucket under the desk.
"Here."
"That is not the kitchen."
"Take it tomorrow."
Norn nodded with the expression of someone who had properly put away the luggage.
Eugene did not take the bucket back out.
On the desk sat a small doll made of stones joined together. White thread was attached to its head.
Beside it were a book Sylphiette had lent him and a folded piece of cloth Aisha had left there.
They were in the same places as before he had left.
The thick coat Zenith had hung up remained in the wardrobe as well.
Eugene placed the bag from Roa on the desk.
When he released the clasp, copied documents, maps, and papers containing measurement results came into view.
Norn dragged over a chair.
"A picture?"
"It is a map."
"Is our house on it?"
Eugene unfolded the map of the Fittoa Region.
Buena, Roa, the major roads, and rivers were marked upon it.
He pointed to Buena's location.
"Here."
Norn placed a finger on the map.
"Where's Roa?"
Eugene pointed at the city to the southwest.
Norn's finger moved slowly between the two locations.
"You went here and came back?"
"Yes."
"What about Rudy?"
"He is in Roa."
Eugene pointed to Roa's mark again.
Norn stared at the map for a while, then placed her palm over Buena.
"You're here."
"For now, yes."
"Stay here forever."
Eugene did not answer at once.
The records he had checked in Roa lay on the desk.
The total quantity of mana throughout Fittoa was increasing.
For now, there was no evidence to conclusively declare it dangerous.
But there was no evidence that it was safe, either.
Norn looked up at Eugene's face.
"Stay here forever."
"If something needs to be investigated, I may need to go outside."
"Far away?"
"That depends on the circumstances."
Norn's lips pouted slightly.
"Will you come back?"
"I will return."
Only then did Norn nod.
"Promise."
"Yes."
Eugene took out the documents beneath the map.
"There is something I need to check before dinner."
"I'll look too."
"It will be boring."
"It won't."
Norn sat atop the chair and swung her feet.
Within minutes, she began touching the stone doll on the desk. Then she climbed onto the bed and turned over the pillow.
Eugene took a palm-sized crystal plate from a drawer.
It was a tool he had made to measure the density of ambient mana.
Mana circuits were inscribed within the crystal at regular intervals. As surrounding mana seeped in, lines would light from the bottom upward, one by one.
Eugene set the crystal plate by the window.
The first line brightened much faster than expected.
Eugene's hand stopped.
Before leaving for Roa, it had taken over three times as long to reach the same brightness.
Soon, the second line appeared.
No current of mana flowed in from outside the window or underground. There was no bias toward fire, water, earth, or wind.
It was seeping in simultaneously from the entire space around the crystal plate.
Eugene checked the measurement circuits again.
There was no error.
Just before the third line appeared, the light inside the crystal slid sideways.
"Pretty."
Norn had climbed down from the bed and reached toward it.
"Do not touch it."
Norn stopped her hand.
"Is it hot?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Touching it now will change the measurement."
Norn did not look as though she completely understood, but she withdrew her hand.
Eugene opened the window.
The evening breeze entered the room.
Smoke rose from the village chimneys, and a church bell rang in the distance. People returning from the fields passed along the road.
No one sensed anything unusual.
Eugene expanded his range of perception.
The house and yard.
The adjacent road.
The village center and outskirts.
The western forest and northern fields.
The number of living creatures was normal.
There was no trace of monsters approaching.
There was no change in the flow of groundwater or mana veins.
Nor did he find any bias in elemental mana.
Only the density of mana was increasing.
It was the same as the records he had investigated in Roa.
There were results, but no flow.
Eugene expanded his perception a little farther.
An error appeared again in the marker at the village entrance.
This time, it was not two finger-widths.
A gap the width of one foot had opened between its visible position and its sensed position.
At the same time, several trees in the western forest showed similar displacement.
Their visible locations did not match the coordinates Eugene sensed.
Eugene placed a hand on the window frame.
The error vanished shortly afterward.
The marker and trees returned as though they had occupied those places from the beginning.
"They're calling us to eat."
Norn tugged Eugene's sleeve.
Zenith was calling from below the stairs.
"Go down first."
"Together."
"There are still things to put away."
Norn did not let go.
Eugene put the crystal plate into his bag. He stacked the documents and fastened the clasp.
"I will come down."
Norn headed for the door first.
The empty water bucket remained beneath the desk.
Soup, bread, and roasted meat had been laid out on the dining table.
Lilia had prepared a plate larger than everyone else's for Eugene. Norn was placing a sheet of paper beside it.
It was a drawing of a person with long hair holding hands with two smaller people.
"Is this me?" Eugene asked.
Norn nodded.
"This is me. This is Aisha."
Aisha inspected the drawing.
"My hair is not that short."
"It's Aisha."
"Is that so."
Aisha did not press the point further.
Eugene placed the picture on top of an empty bread basket so it would not touch the food.
Norn's expression stiffened.
"I did not put it away."
"I need to see it."
"We can look at it again after the meal."
Norn looked at Eugene briefly, then picked up her spoon.
Rudeus's empty chair stood opposite her.
Sylphiette sat beside it.
"Let's pray first," Zenith said.
Paul stopped just as he was about to take a piece of bread.
Everyone put their hands together in the familiar order.
Once the meal began, Paul brought up Roa again.
"I hear Lady Eris was trying to copy your sword swing too?"
"She was repeating the motion I used."
"Do you think she can do it?"
"Not presently."
"And later?"
"If she tries to reproduce it with strength alone, her body and sword will be damaged first. She must learn control of movement and force together."
"Can Ghislaine teach her that?"
"Part of it, yes."
Sylphiette asked, "Can Rudy learn it too?"
"The same method does not suit him."
"Why not?"
"It is more efficient for Rudeus to use magic than to fight at close range."
"But you're brothers. Maybe he could do something similar."
Sylphiette spoke hopefully.
Eugene looked briefly at Rudeus's empty seat.
"Being born on the same day has no relation to possessing the same abilities."
"I know that, but..."
Sylphiette stirred her soup.
"I still want Rudy to get stronger too."
"He is getting stronger."
Sylphiette looked up.
"Really?"
"Yes."
Eugene recalled Rudeus's movements in Roa.
He had not been able to completely keep up with Eris's attacks, but his gaze had become steadier than before. He was better at anticipating an opponent's movements and maintaining distance.
His judgment, as required of a magician, was fast.
"Rudeus has adapted to Eris and Ghislaine. He knows more ways to avoid danger than before."
"Was there a lot of danger?" Zenith asked.
"He seems to be hit often during training."
Zenith's expression hardened.
"Eugene."
"He did not sustain any fatal injuries."
"That should have been the first thing you said."
"When I examined him, he had no injuries. The muscle mass in his shoulders and arms had also increased."
Sylphiette smiled.
"You touched him as soon as you met?"
"It was for examination."
"Rudy must have hated that."
"He said that he did."
Zenith laughed too.
Chewing his bread, Paul looked at the chair across from him.
"When he comes back, he'll show us himself."
There was no doubt in his words.
Rudeus would return after fulfilling his contract.
He might grow taller, improve in swordsmanship and magic, and his relationship with Eris might change.
But in the end, he would return to this table.
The family spoke of it as though it were a future that had already been decided.
"When Rudy comes home, I'll make him clothes," Aisha said.
"We must measure his height first," Lilia replied.
"We can make them a little big."
"If they are too large, they will be uncomfortable to move in."
"Then we can take them in."
"You will need to learn more sewing."
"I will learn before he comes back."
Aisha wore the expression of someone who had already made her plans.
Norn spoke as well.
"Me too."
"What will you do, Norn?" Lilia asked.
Norn thought for a long time.
"I'll wait."
"You will wait?"
"Yeah."
Norn pointed to Rudeus's empty chair.
"He'll sit here."
"That's right."
Zenith stroked Norn's hair.
"When Rudy returns, he'll sit there."
Sylphiette looked between the empty chair and her own seat.
"Then where will I sit?"
"We can make one more chair," Eugene answered.
Sylphiette looked at him.
"Can I keep eating here?"
"You are eating here now."
"That's true, but..."
Sylphiette trailed off.
Zenith pulled Sylphiette close by the shoulder.
"Your place has always been here."
"My family has our own house."
"Your father is probably more used to you eating at our house by now."
Sylphiette's ears turned red.
Eugene checked the size of the table.
There was enough space between Rudeus's chair and Sylphiette's place for a child to pass through. To add another chair, they would only need to shift the table slightly.
It was not difficult.
"Eugene," Zenith called.
"Yes."
"You have a place here too."
Eugene looked down at his seat between Norn and Aisha.
"I know."
Zenith paused for a moment, then smiled.
Under the table, Norn's foot touched Eugene's ankle.
Norn was pushing the vegetables in her soup toward the edge of her plate.
Eugene pulled Norn's plate toward himself.
"Eat them."
"Don't want to."
"You must not leave them."
"You eat them."
"They are Norn's portion."
Aisha spoke from beside them.
"I will eat them."
"They are not Aisha's portion either."
Eugene put some vegetables onto a spoon and held it out to Norn.
Norn turned her head away.
Zenith watched with a smile.
"They say you split the sky in Roa, yet as soon as you come home, you're fighting with Norn."
"We are not fighting."
"Then what are you doing?"
"Eating a meal."
Norn finally opened her mouth.
She chewed the vegetables with a frown.
After swallowing, she immediately drank water and leaned against Eugene's arm.
It was nearly the end of the meal when a dull sound came from the yard.
A wooden board had fallen onto the ground.
Paul looked up.
"What was that?"
There was barely any wind.
Lilia rose from her seat and went to the entrance.
Shortly afterward, she returned carrying a wooden plaque.
It had been hanging from the fence in the yard.
"The strap has snapped."
The leather strap holding the plaque had been severed in the middle.
Paul accepted it.
"Was it old?"
"There was nothing wrong with it until this afternoon," Lilia said. "It was still hanging there when I brought in the laundry."
Eugene extended his hand to Paul.
"Let me see it."
The severed cross-section of the leather strap was smooth.
There was no trace of a blade passing through it.
Nor was it frayed as though broken by friction.
The two cut surfaces were minutely displaced.
Eugene brought both ends of the strap together.
The length itself matched. Yet the scratches on the surface and grain of the inner fibers did not connect. It appeared as though one side had shifted slightly sideways before being severed.
It was a cross-section that could not have been produced by a blade or friction.
Eugene separated the ends again.
It became more likely that the cause was not cutting, but a displacement of coordinates.
Eugene stood from his chair.
"I will inspect outside."
"Is it dangerous?" Zenith asked.
"I do not know yet."
Zenith's face stiffened.
Paul rose as well.
"I'm coming too."
"That is unnecessary."
"I'm this village's knight."
Paul took the sword leaning against the wall.
"If something is wrong in the village, it's not only your business."
Eugene looked at Paul.
This was not a phenomenon that could be solved with a sword.
It was more likely that Paul would become someone Eugene needed to protect than someone who could help.
But Paul was equally unlikely to back down.
"Do not leave the position I direct you to."
"That much I can do."
Sylphiette stood too.
"I'll come too."
"Sylphiette, stay in the house," Zenith said.
Sylphiette looked at Eugene.
"You might need magic."
"If I need it, I will call for you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Sylphiette withdrew her insistence on following, but she did not immediately move out of the way.
"Don't go inspect something alone and disappear for days."
"I have no such plan."
"Last time you went into the forest and came home late."
"It was before sunset."
"Everyone was waiting for dinner."
Sylphiette grasped Eugene's sleeve.
She did not put any strength into it.
"Say you'll come back before you go."
Eugene looked in turn at Sylphiette and the family remaining at the table.
Zenith stood there in her apron.
Lilia kept Norn and Aisha near her side.
Norn was looking at Eugene with a more rigid expression than when she had eaten her vegetables.
Eugene nodded.
"I will check and return."
Sylphiette released his sleeve.
Eugene opened the front door.
It was already growing dark outside.
The marker at the village entrance had again shifted from its original location.
This time, by enough space for a person to stand within.
The western forest and southern stream showed the same error.
The mana across the whole Fittoa Region continued to increase.
Eugene crossed the yard and looked down the road leading out of the village.
Paul lit a torch.
"Where do we start?"
Eugene pointed toward the nearest direction where an error had appeared.
"We will make one circuit around the village outskirts."
"And then?"
"We prepare a barrier."
Paul's expression changed.
"Is it dangerous?"
Eugene examined the severed leather strap again.
"There is now a possibility that it is."
-----
Paul asked no more questions.
Eugene headed out of the village first, with Paul following behind carrying the torch.
Night had not fully settled yet. The outlines of fields and roads remained faintly visible in the darkness.
Several villagers returning after their day's work spotted them and offered greetings.
Paul raised a hand with his usual expression.
"I'm checking the fences. Go inside and rest."
Without particular suspicion, the villagers returned to their homes.
After their footsteps faded, Paul asked, "It would be better not to tell people yet, right?"
"There is little that we can explain."
"But you said it could be dangerous."
"If rumors spread before we know the cause, it will become difficult to manage the villagers."
"That's true."
Paul raised the torch a little higher.
To the eye, the marker at the village entrance stood in its original position.
Eugene approached the wooden post. He extended a hand, but his fingertips stopped in empty space beside the marker without touching it.
"Is there something there?"
"The location I sense is here."
"I can't see anything."
"The actual marker is where you see it. But the position perceived through mana is different."
Paul looked between the post and Eugene's fingertips.
"You mean it's in two places at once?"
"Something similar."
The sensed position was moving little by little.
It shifted roughly two finger-widths to one side, then returned halfway. After pausing, it became displaced in the opposite direction.
The wooden post itself was not moving.
The standard that determined an object's location was splitting into two.
"An object should occupy only one place at a time," Eugene said.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"At present, the place visible to the eye and the place perceived through mana do not match."
"Is it teleportation magic?"
"The teleportation I know connects two coordinates. At present, I cannot sense an opposite point for it to connect to."
Paul's expression hardened.
"So it's trying to move without a destination?"
"It has not moved yet."
Eugene withdrew his hand from the marker.
The error disappeared shortly afterward.
The post returned as though it had existed in that single place from the beginning.
The two headed for the northern fields.
Only low-cut stalks remained in fields where the harvest had ended. Dry leaves scraped against one another whenever the wind passed.
Eugene stopped at the edge of a field.
A cart track remaining in the earth was displaced in the middle.
To the eye, the track continued in a straight line.
But the ground he sensed through mana was offset to one side. The cart track and the earth that bore it did not align.
Eugene crouched and scooped up a handful of dirt.
He detected neither mana nor poison. There was no trace of magic having passed through it.
As he let the soil run between his fingers, the error vanished.
Eugene looked at Paul.
Paul had placed his free hand over his chest. It seemed he had counted the time himself.
Paul smiled faintly, but his eyes did not.
In the western forest, the same phenomenon was discovered in three trees.
At the southern stream, the visible surface of the water and the place where its sound came from did not match. The water flowed along the stream, but its sound came from empty ground half a step to the side.
When Eugene put in his hand, cold water touched his fingers.
But the flow he sensed through mana passed outside his wrist.
This error continued for eleven heartbeats.
Paul lowered his torch and shone it over the stream.
"Is all of Buena like this?"
"It is difficult to consider it a phenomenon limited to this village."
"You saw it in Roa too?"
"I confirmed brief signs of it."
"Did you tell Rudeus?"
"I explained what I had confirmed."
"Did you say it could be dangerous too?"
"At that time, there was no basis to determine danger."
Paul watched the flowing water for a while.
"And now?"
"The basis to call it safe has disappeared."
Paul adjusted his grip on the torch.
"At dawn, I'll prevent anyone from going to the outskirts. If I say we found signs of wild animals, the villagers will obey for now."
"That is a good method."
"I'll send a messenger to Roa too."
"Yes."
"What should we tell Philip?"
"Write that the coordinate errors are lasting longer and have caused actual damage to objects. Tell him people should not travel alone, and that they should continue recording changes in mana quantity."
Paul nodded.
"Do we need to gather the villagers in one place?"
"Not yet. If the phenomenon occurs throughout space, gathering everyone in one place may instead be more dangerous."
"Then I'll keep everyone in their homes and only stop them from going out."
"For now, that is better."
Eugene took out the severed leather strap.
When he brought the two cut ends together, their length joined perfectly. But the scratches on the surface and the grain of the inner fibers did not connect.
It appeared as though one end had shifted slightly sideways before it was severed.
It was a cross-section impossible to create with a blade or friction.
It was highly likely that the distortion of coordinates had caused actual damage to the object.
If the same phenomenon occurred in a human body, it would be difficult to guarantee that healing magic alone could repair it.
"First, I will create an observation network," Eugene said.
"Not a barrier?"
"I will add some defensive functions, but it will not be intended to stop the phenomenon."
"Then what will it do?"
"It will record the village's current state. It will determine where the errors begin, and it will also be a device to slow them temporarily if they suddenly grow larger."
"Can it restore things?"
"If the phenomenon stops, we can compare them against their recorded positions."
"What about while it's happening?"
"I do not yet know whether it can be stopped."
Paul looked dissatisfied.
Still, he did not argue further.
Eugene took finger-length metal stakes out of his inventory.
They were items YGGDRASIL had used to detect intrusions into campsites and temporary bases. Thin writing and patterns were engraved on their surfaces, and the black metal reflected almost no torchlight.
Paul leaned closer.
"Where did you take those from?"
"I used spatial magic."
Eugene planted a stake in the ground.
When he pressed the top with his palm, the metal silently burrowed into the hard earth.
Once the stake was fully buried, faint mana spread beneath the ground.
Paul looked down at his feet, apparently sensing it as well.
"Is this a reference point?"
"One of them."
Eugene installed a second stake at a fixed distance away.
An invisible line of mana connected the two points.
A defensive layer that detected physical impacts and ordinary magic.
An observation layer that recorded the positions of terrain and living beings inside it.
A sensing layer that recorded the direction and duration of coordinate shifts when they occurred.
The structure focused less on stopping the phenomenon than on ensuring that no changes went unnoticed.
It took a considerable amount of time to install stakes along the outskirts of the village.
From the northern fields to the western forest.
Past the stream and onto the southern road.
They rounded the eastern hill and returned to the village entrance.
During that time, Paul checked the routes, organized which roads needed to be blocked the next day, and considered what to tell the villagers.
Before installing the final stake, Paul asked, "Will you put separate ones around the house too?"
"Yes."
"Even after surrounding the whole village?"
"The perimeter observation network can only record and delay the phenomenon. I will separately install a protective barrier around the house to block ordinary attacks and magic."
"For the family."
"Yes."
"Rawls's and Sylphiette's house are inside the perimeter, right?"
"Yes. But they do not have a separate protective barrier."
"I'll bring them here tomorrow morning."
"That would be safer."
The final stake was driven into the ground at the village entrance.
When Eugene opened his hand, all the stakes around the perimeter reacted at once.
A low resonance spread beneath the earth.
Grass blades swaying in the wind stopped briefly, then began moving again.
The observation network connected.
Eugene closed his eyes.
One by one, the people, livestock, buildings, and roads in the village were recorded. The positions of moving creatures were continually updated, while buildings, wells, and old trees remained as reference points.
The Greyrat house was clearly captured by the network.
Zenith.
Lilia.
Norn.
Aisha.
Sylphiette.
Each of their mana and life signatures was inside the house.
Paul stood beside Eugene.
Rudeus, in Roa, lay outside the observation network and could not be detected.
"Is it done?" Paul asked.
"The first preparation is complete."
"First?"
"We will return home."
By the time they came back, the night was deep.
Sylphiette was sitting in front of the entrance.
Norn slept within the blanket spread over Sylphiette's knees. She must have grown tired of waiting.
When Sylphiette saw them, she stood.
"You're back."
"We're back."
"Did anything happen?"
"There are no signs of immediate damage occurring."
"So it's all right?"
"I cannot conclude that."
Sylphiette's expression darkened again.
Paul opened the front door.
"Let's go inside. It's cold out here."
Zenith and Lilia were still awake inside the house.
Aisha had been dozing in a chair, but she immediately straightened when the door opened.
As Eugene entered, Norn opened her eyes halfway. From within the blanket, she reached out and grasped the hem of his clothes.
"Are you done checking?" Zenith asked.
"I installed an observation network around the village outskirts. I will make a separate protective barrier around this house."
"What is happening?"
Eugene placed the severed leather strap on the table.
"A phenomenon is occurring in which an object's location temporarily becomes misaligned. The exact cause is unknown."
"Could it happen to people too?" Zenith asked immediately.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out."
Zenith's hand froze on the table.
Paul stood beside her.
"No one has been hurt yet. Starting tomorrow, we'll stop people from going out, and we'll send a messenger to Roa."
"But staying in the house doesn't mean we'll be safe."
"That's why Eugene is preparing things."
Zenith looked at Eugene.
"Will we be all right inside the barrier?"
"It can stop ordinary attacks and magic."
"What about what is happening now?"
"It should be able to observe it and delay it briefly. I cannot say that it can stop it."
Zenith did not like that answer.
But she did not want to hear a lie that they were safe, so she accepted it.
"All right."
It was a short reply.
Lilia tried to take Norn away, but Norn did not release Eugene's clothes.
"Norn will sleep in Eugene's room tonight," Lilia said.
With her eyes closed, Norn gripped Eugene's clothes more tightly.
Eugene lifted Norn into his arms.
"Starting tomorrow, do not go outside the village alone," he said.
"I will ensure that the children remain inside the house as much as possible," Lilia answered.
"Does that include Sylphiette?" Sylphiette asked.
"It does."
"But my father is alone."
"Rawls's house is within the outer observation network. Once the sun rises, it will be safer for both of you to come here."
"Can't I go tell him now?"
"There is no abnormality at his present location. Traveling alone at night is more dangerous."
Sylphiette hesitated, then nodded.
"I'll go first thing in the morning."
"Paul will go with you."
Paul nodded as well.
"I'll bring him over at dawn."
Zenith prepared warm milk, and Lilia cut the remaining bread and put it on the table.
No one said they were hungry, but Paul took a piece of bread.
"Can I eat?"
"Please do."
Paul immediately put the bread in his mouth.
"Brother Eugene," Aisha called.
"Yes?"
"Is there anything we should do?"
"Tomorrow, I will give each of you a small marker that records your condition. Keep it on you at all times."
Aisha looked at the sleeping Norn in Eugene's arms.
"Norn might lose hers."
"Then Aisha will check it for her."
"Understood."
Once she was given something to do, Aisha's expression eased a little.
Lilia placed a hand on Aisha's shoulder.
"Now go to sleep."
"What about Brother Eugene?"
"There are preparations left to make."
"Can I help?"
"Checking Norn's marker tomorrow is Aisha's task."
Aisha immediately nodded.
"Understood."
Lilia led Aisha toward her room.
Zenith rose as well.
"Eugene."
"Yes."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
"I am not overexerting myself."
"Whenever you say that, you usually end up doing something all night."
Eugene did not dispute it.
Zenith sighed.
"See you in the morning."
After considering for a moment, Eugene answered, "I will see you in the morning."
"Good."
Zenith brushed Eugene's hair back once and headed for her room.
Paul stopped before ascending the stairs.
"Want me to sleep for an hour or so and take a shift?"
"That is unnecessary."
"I thought you'd say that."
Paul placed a hand on the railing.
"Still, if anything happens, wake me. I'm an adult in this house too."
"I know."
Apparently pleased with the response, Paul nodded.
Only Eugene and Sylphiette remained in the sitting room.
Sylphiette cradled an empty cup in both hands.
"Is it okay for you not to sleep?"
"It would be better for Sylphiette to sleep."
"I mean, are you okay, Eugene?"
"There is no problem."
"Aren't you scared?"
Eugene looked at Sylphiette.
"There is insufficient information about the current phenomenon."
"That's not an answer."
Sylphiette set down her cup.
"When Rudy was scared, he talked a lot. He'd say it was all right, then say it might be dangerous, and finally he'd go on and on about ways to escape."
"That is a response like Rudeus."
"You don't say anything."
"I am making the necessary preparations."
"So aren't you scared?"
Eugene looked out the window.
Beyond the dark yard, the observation network continued to respond.
Its records were proceeding normally.
But if the entire village overlapped another coordinate, the observation network might move along with the village.
It would not be something intruding from beyond the boundary, but the boundary itself changing.
"Fear does not help with judgment."
Sylphiette narrowed her eyes.
"Then you are scared."
Eugene did not reply.
Sylphiette climbed down from her chair.
"If something happens, wake me too."
"I do not know whether it will be something Sylphiette can resolve."
"Wake me anyway."
"Is there a reason?"
Sylphiette remained silent for a moment.
"I don't like everyone sleeping while you're the only one awake."
Eugene examined her face.
"Understood."
"You have to wake me."
"Yes."
Before climbing the stairs, Sylphiette looked back once.
"See you in the morning."
"I will see you in the morning."
The sitting room became quiet.
Eugene carried Norn up to his room.
When he laid her on the bed, her small hand again caught hold of his clothes.
One by one, Eugene loosened her fingers and tucked her hand beneath the blanket.
The map and documents from Roa lay on the desk.
He took out six small crystals to connect to the barrier.
Paul.
Zenith.
Lilia.
Norn.
Aisha.
Sylphiette.
He recorded each person's mana and life signature in a crystal.
They were markers designed to leave the wearer's location within the observation network and send Eugene a signal if their condition underwent a sudden change.
He could not make one for Rudeus in Roa using the same method.
Eugene took out another crystal.
It was not an item meant to indicate a location.
It was closer to a tool for recording the characteristics of mana that he had reconfirmed in Roa, allowing him to compare them later if he found a similar response and determine whether it was Rudeus.
The response was weak, but the record itself was stable.
Eugene wrapped thin silver thread around all seven crystals.
At dawn, he intended to shape them into something that could be worn.
Norn shifted on the bed.
"Eugene."
Her eyes did not open.
It was almost like sleep-talking.
Eugene's hands stopped.
"I'm here."
Norn became quiet again.
After a while, her small hand emerged from the blanket.
As Eugene tried to tuck it back inside, Norn's fingers caught his index finger.
"Don't go."
This time, her lips moved clearly.
"I will not go."
"Forever?"
Eugene checked whether Norn was awake.
Her eyes remained closed.
"I cannot remain in the same place forever."
Norn's fingers tightened.
Eugene fell silent for a moment.
"Wherever I am, I will return."
"Promise."
"Yes."
Norn did not release his finger.
Eugene did not force it free.
With his other hand, he continued inscribing circuits into the crystals.
The moment he finished recording the final crystal, a warning came from the outer observation network.
Eugene raised his head.
The village entrance.
The northern fields.
The western forest.
The southern stream.
The coordinates that had been fluctuating separately until now shifted at the same time.
The error did not stop at the outskirts.
The sensed positions of roads, fences, wells, and houses all slid sideways at once.
The candle by the window did not flicker.
Yet the flame's shadow on the wall detached from its body and moved half a step to one side.
Eugene immediately poured mana into the observation network.
The metal stakes buried underground and the crystals reacted simultaneously.
Using their recorded positions as a foundation, they grasped the errors and slowed the rate at which the changes spread.
The fluctuation did not stop.
There was no force pushing in from beyond the observation network.
The entire space, including the village, stakes, and barrier, was being seized by another frame of reference.
Eugene carefully freed his hand from Norn's grasp.
He opened his inventory.
Weapons, armor, consumables, and magic tools lined up within his awareness.
From one slot, he took out a silver ring.
Three star-shaped gems were set into its slender band.
It was an item he had never once used in YGGDRASIL.
Eugene put the ring on his right hand.
"Please come back," Norn murmured in her sleep.
"I will."
The error widened further.
The crystals on the desk lit up simultaneously.
One heartbeat.
Two.
After the third beat, the shaking coordinates suddenly stopped.
It was not the observation network that had restored them.
The phenomenon itself had vanished on its own.
Eugene looked down at the stars set in his ring.
All three still retained their light.
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