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“That means we’re just switching positions, nothing’s changed…”

If the Ironblood Chain Brigade were to spread the manufacturing technology of Highland’s Artifacts to the surface, Highlanders would lose their technological superiority and become a weak race unable to survive on the midland where the rainbow rain falls.

Without access to midland resources, many would suffer from hunger, and the situation wouldn’t remain the same as it is now. Eventually, their numbers would significantly diminish, possibly leading to extinction in the future.

Either way, Rafinha doesn’t seem to desire this outcome.

“Aaahhh!! I’m so confused… What should we do…?! If we try to make any significant change, there will be someone who suffers…! But we can’t possibly leave things the way they are either…!”

Rafinha scratches her head in frustration.

“You’ve learned a lot, haven’t you, Rani?”

Inglis gently strokes Rafinha’s disheveled hair, trying to calm her down and restore her composure.

“Reality is complex… isn’t it? It’s tough, but that’s just how it is.”

Reality isn’t simply there without meaning; it exists with necessity. However, understanding it is not easy when there are so many different processes and factors involved.

Even when you think you’ve grasped reality, your understanding might differ from that of the person next to you.

The highlanders are treating the midland humans as mere fodder. One might see this as necessary evil serving for a greater purpose. One might also see this as an unforgivable act of violence, and that the highlanders must be brought to justice. Or perhaps, there is a whole different perspective altogether.

As for Inglis, her stance is that the people of this era should decide what happens in this era. Speaking coldly, whatever conclusions the people of this era come to and whatever world they create, everything will be lost anyway.

The passage of time is cruel, there is no eternity or permanence in this world. In truth, the Silvair Kingdom built by Inglis in her previous life has gone without trace.

But that doesn’t mean everything is futile—that’s not what she was saying.
If Rafinha deems something is necessary for her to live a satisfying life, then Inglis would see that it is filled, no matter what. Inglis watches over her, supporting her by her side.

Hopefully, there will be as many powerful enemies as possible coming their way. That would be nice.

“I don’t think we should just do nothing. But I’m not sure what we should do.”
“You don’t have to rush it. Just knowing makes a huge difference… right? Maybe Special Envoy Theodore also wanted us to know the truth. That’s why he has us accompany Miss Eris.”

If he didn’t want them to know, then he could have just sent Eris alone.
Putting Rene’s matter aside, there was no absolute necessity for Inglis’ group to go to Highland in the first place.
Either he wanted them to know the truth, or, at worst, he deemed that the truth was trivial enough to be known.

“…so, Special Envoy Theodore knows everything?”
“Yeah, considering he is the son of the Duke of Art. …Perhaps Special Envoy Theodore might become the next Duke of Art, right? I’m sure he must have known.”
“The next Duke of Art… so the Special Envoy Theodore will become one with Illuminas?!”
“It might be. Then again, we don’t know if that’s what he wants. We can listen to what he has to say once we’re back.”
“Yeah… Ah! But then, that means Rene… I mean, Lady Cerene must have known everything from the beginning too, right?!”

Rafinha stared intently at Rene who was perched on Inglis’ head.

“Maybe she does… Lady Cerene is the daughter of the Duke of Art and the sister of Special Envoy Theodore, after all.”
“I see… I bet we wouldn’t understand her if she tried to tell us all of this back then… Besides, putting it into words must be difficult as well.”

Rafinha gently patted Rene’s small head.

Rene, who usually disliked such actions and would bite in protest, quietly accepted it this time.

“You’re right, Rani.”
“…Do you think Lady Cerene was also desperately trying to make a change…?”
“She…might be. I could see how serious she was back then.”

Though it wasn’t clear what exactly she wanted to achieve in the end, it was undeniable that despite being a Highlander, she genuinely cared about the people of the midland. Her determination, though seemingly shaky, was backed by a clear and pure heart, a sense of goodness.

In that sense, she was somewhat similar to Rafinha. Perhaps that’s why, even though their time together was brief, they got along so well.

“…I want to talk to her again. Now that we’ve known, I want to talk to Lady Cerene again. …don’t you think so, Rene?”

With slightly teary eyes, Rafinha narrowed her gaze and snuggled up to Rene. Rene, without biting, nestled close to Rafinha. It seemed as if she could somehow understand Rafinha’s current feelings.

“…Alright, I’ve decided!”
“Hmm. What’s your plan, Rani?”
“I want to stay in Illuminas a bit longer until Rene gets examined! I really want to talk to Lady Cerene again, as soon as possible!”
“Okay, I understand. So, we’ll need to catch more fish, right?”
“Yeah…! But, ugh, I’m getting tired of just fish. I want to eat some regular meat. At least some vegetables or something!”
“Well, we are in the middle of the ocean… Maybe we can find some seaweed?”
“Alright, let’s get some wakame! Go fetch some, Glis!”
“Huh? You want me to go alone?”
“Well, you can run on the water to look for it, right?”
“But you can do a low-altitude flight with the Star Princess unit, can’t you?”
“No way! I’m tired from thinking, so I’m staying here with Rene. You go, Glis!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll go. Just wait here for a bit, okay?”

Well, it seems she’s feeling better if she’s energetic enough to be a bit demanding. Inglis stood up from Rafinha’s lap, then began to simultaneously channel mana and dragon roar to invoke dragon sorcery.

“Alright then…!”

Inglis activated her Dragon Ice Armor and jumped onto the water’s surface. The ice beneath her feet froze solid, supporting her light weight.

“It’s pretty dark out here, so it’s hard to see anything…”
“No problem! Just make yourself glow, Glis!”
“Oh, right. Good idea.”

Wrapping herself in the glow of her Ether would provide enough light to illuminate the water’s surface for fishing. Although the divine power of Ether was never meant to be used as a simple flashlight to search for wakame at night, for Rafinha, Inglis was willing to use it for that purpose.

“Alright then… Haaah!”

In that instant—

BOOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion shattered the stillness of the night.