The time spent in Vastera was one of those things that Emilia never thought she would enjoy. It's like when people tell you to do something because it will be worth it but you are really doubtful about it. That was Emilia's first thought, considering she was on the verge of a crisis, and still probably is, she decided to go with the first thing presented to hear that didn't sound half too bad.

Vastera is a small village beside a beautfil lake. It is surrounded in a hedge of green bamboos. Most of the houses are built of brick and have red tiled roofs. In the middle of it, there is an old statue with high trees arond it. On the first and thirteenth days of the each month, the villagers often go to the statue to give offerings. On the right of the village flows quietly a clear and blue river. On the left of the village lies the village green where village meetings are often held. The villagers are very friendly and helpful. They are willing to offer mutual help in any case and always get on with one another harmoniously.

That's what struck Emilia the most. A sense of comradererie that she felt it was missing on her current squad. At first, she was surprised at how the villagers treated her, a respect that she didn't recieve before. And the respect didn't come from the fact that she saved the world, nobody really knew about that and they weren't keen on knowing either. They lived their own quiet and peaceful lives. Time flew by very fast and Emilia felt rejuvinated.

Then one day the royal guards came to the village. Emilia didn't put much thought on it but the guards started taking down the statue in the middle of the village. That really enraged the villagers, something that Emilia didn't think she'd witness. The statue didn't represent anyone too important but for the villagers he was the first one to have build this place. He started gathering people and building the first blocks. So the guy was a big deal.

It didn't really matter though, cause the guards were on a mission and opposed anyone who came close to it. It could've been a dozen of them, armed and everything, so it tough to bother trying to talk it out. The thing that surprised Emilia the most was the aftermath.

She went back to her place to go about her daily activities and when she heard that the works had been finished, she was curious to see the end result. What she saw shocked her. It was Vandal!

"Vandal.." - said Emilia to herself. "Excuse me guards.".

"Back off if you don't want to get hurt." - rudely responded one of the guards.

"Shut it." - replied another one that was close by. "She's Emilia, one of the heroes."

"What, but I thought she was--" - continued the guard before being interrupted.

"SHUT IT!" - yelled the other. "Please excuse him miss. How can we help you?"

Emilia pretended like she didn't hear that.

"Yeah, I was wondering what is the statue of Vandal doing here?" - asked Emilia.

"Well, we are travelling through the entire continent to make it clear to everyone who saved us all from the maleficent being." - replied the guard. "Vandal was the one that landed the final blow onto the monster and he defeated it once and for all."

Emilia couldn't believe her ears. She didn't let the situation make her panic though, she was taught well by the villagers.

"Is that what he told you?" - asked Emilia.

"Well, yeah of course. Anna and Barus concurred on that." replied the guard.

"Okay, thank you for your service. You are truly doing an amazing job." - continued Emilia. "I was wondering, is there anyone traveling back to the kingdom right now?"

"Uhm, yeah. We have those two guards right there that are making the return back there to let the others know that anyone place was finished being redecorated." - replied the guard.

"Very nice. Tell them I'll be joining them." - said Emilia without any hesitation.

The guard was stunned for a second but he couldn't oppose that and just noded. And so Emilia started making her return back home. She felt like a new her, ready to question and see what had happened all this time that she was away.

It took her faster to get back than to go to Vastera. She noticed a lot of changes on the places she had previously gone by. There were more posters showing Vandal off and his achievements. The place felt exactly the same, it was just filled with the wrong stuff it felt like. She decided to not pay much attention to them and took a nap instead.

"We have arrived ma'am." - said one of the guards.

"Do you happen to know where the heroes are currently" - asked Emilia.

"If I'm not mistaken, they should be at the hall right now." - responded the other guard. "They are preparing for an important meeting that's about to take pla--".

Before the guard could finish the sentence, Emilia had disappeared. She didn't have any time to waste then. She had an objective clear on her head. Emilia ignored everyone on her way and proceeded for the hall, she knew where it was located cause she had been there previously. There had been a few changes around the castle thought, however, after a few minutes, she finally founded it.

"We have been waiting for you lor-" - started saying Vandal but stopped halfway cause she realized nobody was at the door.

"Is this some joke?" - proceeded Anna.

"It's not a joke." - replied Emilia coming out of nowhere.

"Emilia!?" - said all three of them at once.

"What has been happening?" - asked Emilia

"What are you doing here?" - countered Anna with a question of her own.

"They came to Vastera to put one of those stupid statues." - replied Emilia.

"And we clearly told them to not go ther-" - Anna was stopped halfway.

"That's right Emilia." - Vandal took the lead. "We are spreading awareness around the continent so people can understand who they own their lives to."

"Are you being serious?" - replied Emilia in disbelief.

"I've known you were selfish, but I didn't know at this point."

There was a silence.

"Considering you didn't even kill the monster, that's messed up." - continued Emilia.

"You said time in Vastera was gonna help her, not make her delusional." - said Anna.

"Shut up." - intervened Vandal. "Emilia, dear, what you have to understand is that it doesn't matter who dealt the last blow. We were all extremely exhausted and I'm pretty sure you were as well. But the moment you hit the monster with your special ability, he was still alive and breathing so I had to act quickly and finish him off. That's what you have to understand."

Emilia's heart starting beating very fast.

"Maybe you should go back to Vastera for a bit more." - continued Vandal. "I know that the encounter with the monster left scars for all of us, and for some worse ones. Some more time for yourself would definitely help you."

Emilia couldn't believe it. She was questioning everything right now. She knew she dealt the last blow, she was sure. It was her first time since she went to Vastera that she felt unable to walk and process properly. And.. she disappeared. Again.

"Where'd she go?" - asked Barus. "Should we go after her?"

"Leave her alone." - replied Vandal. "As I told you guys, she's not been okay since then and now you saw for yourselves."

"You were right, Vandal." - quickly said Anna. "You were right all along.

Emilia was running away from the kingdom and everyone she saw around her. She didn't want to have anything to do with anyone anymore. She just kept running and running and running. At one point, she found herself in a forest. Far away from the kingdom. She had wondered how she got there but she didn't care. All she was thinking about was the encounter with her team members and their response. She was speechless.

Emilia spotted a cave nearby and she decided to go and rest. Upon her entrance she was stratled by a noise. An uncommon one. She didn't care anymore at this point.

"Hello there." - said an unfamiliar voice.

Emilia couldn't believe it for a second.

"Demon King?"