"What do you mean by 'let's follow her'?"
"Exactly as I said. We, as in me and you, are going to follow her."
"Why am I coming?"
"I don't know. Make up a reason."
Morian stepped outside the tavern and gazed at the scenery below the mountaintop.
"She's gone."
Wafer came out to meet him.
"Of course she is, genius. What on earth would she be waiting around for?"
Morian looked through the landscape stretching from the mountain. He seemed to be thinking about something.
"What did she say her name was again?"
"Elisa. You heard her."
Morian gazed at him in confusion.
"What's that look for? Are you saying that name is supposed to mean something? Wait, wait, wait. Are you implying what I think you are?"
"Yes. That's her."
"Hold on, you're cutting corners here. He killed his daughter, remember? She has to be someone with the same name. And if she's the real Elisa, that'll mean she resurrected from the dead. That just isn't possible."
"That may be true, but what was the name written on her name tag?"
"Name tag?"
"Blind as always. There was a name tag beside the military crest on her chest. The name was Dione Ganymede. If that is her name, why exactly did she tell you her name is Elisa?"
"Could it be she's realized your identity?"
"That's impossible. She was barely five years old when she last saw me."
"Then why do you think she did it?"
"Remember what I told you about her father?"
"How he attempted to summon a demon and you swooped in and saved him? You think she's trying to do the same thing? That still doesn't give any reason to carelessly reveal her identity like that."
"Do you only use your brain when stealing things? Let's say she's trying to do the same thing. What's her endgame?"
"Oh! I see."
"Exactly. If she's trying to restart the war against the outsiders by retaking Eden, then she has no reason to hide her identity any longer."
"Isn't it more logical to do that after you've gotten the demon's insurance?"
"You're exactly right. She isn't thinking this through."
Wafer had finally realized something.
"That's the real reason you wanted us to follow her, correct?"
"No. This place needs a barmaid, and she's more than perfect. Everything else is secondary."
"Again, why am I coming?"
"Do you perhaps have anything better to do?"
"It's still better than risking my life chasing around a random female soldier."
"Random? What? Have you even been listening to anything I've been saying?"
"I have, and our entire conversation has been based on an 'if.' The real Elisa died sixteen years ago. Her body was buried at the foot of the castle in Genesia. People can even choose to go pay their respects. There's no explanation as to how she magically rose from the dead."
Morian's facial expression seemed to ask the question:
'Are you really saying this?'
Wafer was flabbergasted.
"No way."
"Yes way."
Everything was possible, and with magic, anything was.
"Resurrection magic?"
"You tell me."
"That's outrageous. That sort of thing can't manifest in a human."
"Prove that it can't."
"You prove that it can."
"The proof was right here a few minutes ago. Don't you want to witness it up close?"
"Of course I do."
"Then why are you hesitating?"
"You've said it yourself countless times. These things usually come with a catch. She's come this far and revealed herself to us for what? She's probably been discovered already and is being followed. Going after her would directly mean trouble."
"What if she needs our help?"
Wafer rolled his eyes.
"Don't start with that."
"I'm serious."
"Do you have any idea where she is?"
"No, but I'm pretty clear on where she's going."
.....
Zaleveria, Southern Eden.
A young lady walked toward the door at the end of the building's highest floor.
She knocked on the door three times before the person within replied.
"State your business, please."
"Hello. I'd like to request a tour guide."
"What's your destination?"
"The Forest of Silence."
Inside the room was a woman with bright yellow hair. Although her appearance would never have given away her age, she was the manager of the tourist delegation building called Desteavo.
The building was named after her family. Her name was Nogartha Desteavo.
Many delegation sites existed throughout the world. People from different countries would hire guides while traveling through places they were unfamiliar with.
Naturally, such establishments existed in the human continent of Eden as well.
She had been stretched out on the couch inside her office when Elisa knocked on the door. She spent most of her days doing nothing because people who requested tourist guides at this time of year were very few.
She quickly sprang to her feet.
"AL-RIGHT!"
She flung the door open so abruptly that Elisa was slightly taken aback.
"Wasn't there anyone downstairs when you came in?"
"No, sorry. I saw a sign indicating that I should go upstairs if I wanted to request a guide."
Nogartha lightly tapped Elisa's shoulder.
"No need to apologize. You want a guide, right? I'll be your guide."
"Why, thank you very much for your time, madam."
"Not Madam. Nogartha. I'm not that old yet."
"Hehe. My apologies."
Nogartha signaled to Elisa, and the two of them headed downstairs.
Their destination was the teleportation circle beneath the first three floors of the building.
After arriving, Nogartha rolled open a metal door, revealing a bronze-coated inner room with a pattern drawn onto the ground.
It was a teleportation circle.
"Our starting point is a nearby village. Is that okay?"
"No problem at all."
"All right then. Just stand over there and it'll all be ready in an instant."
"Wait. Before we go, can I confirm your asking price?"
"Ah, that."
She rubbed her fingers across her chin.
"I'm in a good mood today, so it'll be free. Besides, I feel like I'm about to witness something interesting."