Dia’s blade whipped out, sending out one last wave of light that churned up the dirt randomly. A moment later, the Moonlit soldiers behind her filled up the gully with sharp objects, spreading out rapidly to create a nasty trap that would slow down unaware enemies. At the same time, some Moonlit soldiers buried some weird balls in the ground — they would explode when remotely triggered with some mana.

She wiped a bead of sweat off as the entire approach towards the Moons’ base camp turned into a corridor of death. Behind her, within hastily erected fortress walls, were multiple onagers and catapults that had been calibrated to fire off rocks that would land in roughly the same spot all the time. At the same time, hundreds of shield soldiers — Moonlit soldiers, naturally — were holding on to spiked shields and training to move in formation.

They would be clad in thick, mana-resistant armour when the Bearer of Destiny actually came by, just to make them more threatening. In addition, other than the ideas that Schwarz had brought back two days ago, the Moons had also reconvened to think up of even more countermeasures to Absolute Terror, who was only five days away.

“We’re done here,” Dia muttered, clearing her thoughts with a shake of her head.

“Thank you.” The Moonlit soldiers behind her saluted once.

“You are welcome.” Dia looked at the vast, booby-trapped field. Automatons, hidden weapons and explosives waiting to be triggered lay hidden in the entire place, and a huge, opaque barrier had been tested a few times too. In addition, countermeasures against noise had been prepared, just in case Absolute Terror used sound as a medium too.

At any rate, the Moons were going all out against the enemy.

Wiping a bead of sweat, Dia looked at the deadly field that everyone had to cross, before returning back to the base. On the way back, she came across Risti, who was at the fountain of freebies.

Dia brightened up and walked over to Risti, who was hesitating over something.

“Oh, hey.” Risti glanced at her. “What’s up?”

“Waiting for you to make this thing shoot out some bright lights,” Dia replied. “You seem a bit hesitant, though. What’s wrong?”

“I’m wondering if I should go for this week’s rewards,” Risti replied. “They’re all barrier artefacts. I’m not sure if it’s worth it or not.”

“Probably in light of the approaching VIP, right?” Dia replied. “Anyway, your choice. I’m not going to say anything and influence your choice by accident. Your missions, your responsibility!”

“Can you not say that in such a spirited manner?” Risti muttered unhappily. “Thanks for all the pressure, bub. Do you do that to the princess too?”

“She can hope,” Dia replied. “Anyway, I, on a personal basis, would like to have more swords. Or a training buddy who’s actually competent in sword play. Unfortunately, the latter is unlikely to ever show up…I’m just going to depress myself at this rate, right? Anyway, I’ll make a move first.”

“I thought you wanted to watch?” Risti asked.

“That thought alone can influence you, so nope. I’ll go back and discuss some things with the others,” Dia replied.

“Wait.” Risti looked at the fountain once, and then skipped over to Dia. “I’ll go back with you. I’ll think about those wishes later. I’m a bit indecisive now.”

“That’s surprising.”

“I know, I know.” Risti grinned. “But it’s rare that I get to indulge in being indecisive, so why not? My childhood was full of decisions, and this theme has never once abated even in adulthood.”

“Your childhood…what’s your childhood like?” Dia asked, thinking about Risti. Her father was a bigshot; the President of the Folders’ Association, a group that governed all folders…supposedly, anyway. The Seekers of Life had never received a visit from the Folders’ Association before, despite everyone being a folder. Risti had told them some time ago that the Association was too busy with the ongoing events to actually carry out its original mission, but…

She had said nothing about her father.

What about her mother?

There were still many things that Dia didn’t know about Risti.

“My childhood?” Risti thought about it for a moment. “I thought I said it before. Well, I basically followed my father around and learned as he handled a bunch of stuff.”

“What stuff?” Dia asked.

Risti eyed her once, and then let out a sigh. “Well, for instance, signing documents, visiting important people and killing rogue folders.”

“…One of them is not like the others, though?” Dia asked.

“Yeah. Documents were very relaxing. Dad had me sitting on a baby chair on or on his shoulder back then. No need to exert any force. When he got tired, he would hand me a stamp and get me to sign off on some papers. It was fun.”

That wasn’t quite the answer that Dia was expecting, but…okay. At any rate, she somewhat understood why Risti was so used to administrative stuff like Farah and Schwarz; she had been conditioned to find the fun in chopping papers, apparently. Smiling faintly at her mental image of a little Risti waving a stamp and smacking it around with a glorious joy on her face.

“…And now?” Dia asked. “Are you…not going to return home?”

“Dad’s gone into secluded mediation,” Risti replied. “He told me that I was doing good, and that he expected more from the Seekers of Life.”

“You contacted him recently?” Dia asked, curious.

“Yeah.” Risti didn’t elaborate on how, but Dia was more than happy to see a peaceful expression on her face. “He’s aiming for heights that only folders born in this era can hope to achieve.”

“…The Trial of Aeons.”

“Yes.” Risti tried to smile, but Dia could see that the effort involved in trying to do so was something she couldn’t quite muster. It was quite shocking to see Risti’s expression alternate from one extreme end to another, but…it wasn’t like those emotions were completely exclusive either.

“His goal, huh? Or rather, his long-cherished wish.” Dia looked at her friend. “Right?”

Risti bobbed her head once. “He always wanted to transcend his limits. Now, with the Fourth…the Last Godsfall, Dad’s not going to hold back. He entered the Third Tutorial not too long ago. With thousands and thousands of lifestones and prana jades, he’ll push up his strength to as high as possible before the Trial of Aeons commences.”

“Dangerous.”

“He knows.” Risti’s face flickered. “But to him, it’s all worth it. If he became a god, he could do anything, right? He could reach into the river of time, for instance. Bring back someone he lost.”

“…I see.” Dia looked down at her hands. “I too, if given the choice, would probably do the same.”

“The Trial of Aeons is a rallying cry for the Bearers of Destiny and those who seek strength at all costs,” Risti replied. “If you want to make it past the Fourth Godsfall with the best possible position, one must join the Trial of Aeons. It’s a shame that no one knows what the Trials actually consist of.”

“It might be a trap,” Dia muttered.

“Maybe.” Risti shook her head. “But Dad’s never going to back down. Even if Emperor Grandis is his enemy.”

“I’m sure a good number of nobles will enter the Trial anyway,” Dia replied. “Most of them are probably going to die there too. Imagine if Absolute Terror simply used his skill on the day everyone started the Trial. Problem solved, right? Even if it’s not Absolute Terror, the other Absolute skills can’t be anything to sneeze at either.”

“We should investigate these skills, huh?”

To her relief, Risti seemed to be distracted by her words. Nodding, she said, “We should, I suppose. I can send my findings to Dad when the Trial begins or something, and he’ll be able to benefit from it.”

“Right?” Dia replied. “I’m sure this will be very useful for us all too. An investigation into the Absolute skills…I’m sure we can ask the Blue Moon for some hints. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“We?”

“…I?” Dia paused. “I’m sure he’ll summon me at some point in time again. I’ll make sure to ask that question the next time around.”

“Not many people…mortals speak to the divinities with such ease, alright?” Risti shook her head. “You might be the only person in this era to converse with a divinity and eat food with them too.”

Dia laughed. “I guess I broke a record or two, then! Hmm. Right. I just finished setting up the huge path of death for the Bearer of Destiny and the armies of the great Dark that are undoubtedly headed back here.”

“Excellent,” Risti replied.

“One thing, though…how long does the Second Tutorial take?” Dia asked.

“Normally?” Risti’s eyes flickered. “Usually around a day or two…assuming you pass. If you have issues, you can take weeks or even months to awaken.”

“What exactly…”

“It’s specific to your own traumas,” Risti replied. “Your own fears, your own regrets. What could have been. Things like that. It’s hard to say if you would pass the trial or not; it’s an examination of the self.”

“Complicated.”

“It is.” Risti stopped in front of their little base. “If you’re wondering if you should take the Second Tutorial now…why not give it some time first? Maybe dealing with Absolute Terror might give you some hints here and there.”

Dia thought about her words for a moment. “Like tempering my mentality?”

“Exactly,” Risti replied.

“…I’ll think about it.”