8th Days (2) | Another Midnight Conversation (1)

The night had fallen in Anastasia's region, with only the crescent moon in the sky offering its dim light...

But there was also another source—the flickering glow of a lone campfire in the middle of the vast land.

Accompanying and enjoying its warmth was the lonely yet content butler as he sat near it. He wore only a simple white t-shirt, as his other clothes were still damp from all the well-digging he had contributed to earlier.

The butler gazed into the crackling flames... a wooden cup of beverage resting in his hand. He took a small sip, then returned his unfocused stare to the almost hypnotic firepit.

He would have continued to idly indulge in his solitude... but the sound of a wooden door creaking open caught his attention.

He turned his head back toward the source of the sound—the small wooden house—and found the familiar, beautiful visage of his mistress, Anastasia.

"Can't sleep again, Lady Ana?" the butler asked, his voice teasing... yet also laced with quiet understanding.

'Lady Ana' smiled sheepishly at his remark. "Somewhat so, Sir Sebas... However, I also wished to take a small night stroll to burn some of my earlier excitement."

"Is that so, huh..." He smiled at the sight of Anastasia's bright expression, already able to tell her mood.

He could tell that the young noblewoman was still feeling the lingering thrill, the exhilaration from seeing yet another step of progress being made for her region.

Thus, now, she couldn't exactly sleep.

She stepped closer to her nonchalant butler by the campfire... But, as she came near him, her gaze flickered downward, and she blinked in surprise—her eyes settling on the cup in his hand, then on the subtle red tint across his usually composed face.

"Sir Sebas...! I did not expect you to consume alcoholic beverages," she gasped, her voice carrying a hint of disbelief.

"Heh, surprised?" he mused, a small chuckle escaping him at her reaction. "Well, I suppose I'm feeling a bit festive tonight, so I couldn't help myself."

"You too, huh...?" she murmured in amusement, feeling oddly entertained by this newfound discovery about her butler. "...Do you mind if I also enjoy a bit of warmth here?"

"Heh~, you want a sip of alcohol too~?"

"N-no, I must politely decline the offer, Sir Sebas," she stammered, a bit flustered by his teasing. "I-I simply wanted to ask if I could sit here with you..."

"Hahaha~, of course, my lady," he mused with a hearthy chuckle before taking another sip from his cup, exhaling a satisfied sigh.

The redheaded noble then promptly sat on the wooden chair near her butler, the warmth of the fire brushing against her face.

However, the warmth she was feeling was not just from the crackling flames but also... from the presence of her enigmatic butler, who was casually enjoying his drink.

A comfortable silence settled between them as they simply enjoyed each other's company...

But eventually...

"...Sir Sebas?" Anastasia broke the silence, calling his attention.

"Hmm? What is it, my lady?"

Anastasia hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering between the fire and the butler beside her. Then, as if gathering her thoughts...

"Sir Sebas… You have taught me how to filter my mana sense, yes?"

Sebas glanced at her, tilting his head slightly. "Mm, I did. Is something on your mind, my lady?"

She nodded, fidgeting with her hands on her lap.

"W-well... I was simply wondering… How did you come to know such things?" She shifted her gaze to him, her expression tinged with curiosity. "You explained it so clearly to me, yet... I have never come across such a method in the Academy's Arcana curriculum. That is why I cannot help but wonder—where did you discover this?"

Hearing her curiosity, the butler let out a small chuckle. "Well, to put it simply… I experimented."

Anastasia blinked, not expecting such a blunt answer. "You... experimented?"

"That's right," Sebas replied, further amused by her reaction. "The first time I visited this place, I didn't fully realize the overwhelming amount of mana in this land. The mana here is so dense and deeply intertwined with the surroundings... that it's almost impossible to detect with a normal mage's mana sense."

She continued to listen to his explanation, intrigued by his findings.

"At first, you might feel somewhat suffocated by the pressure emitted from this land, but I found that the longer you stay here, the easier it becomes to breathe," he continued. "It might have something to do with our bodies adapting to this environment, though I wouldn't know for sure if that was the case."

"That... does explain a lot…" she murmured, digesting his words. "...When my two aides and I first arrived in this land, there was a moment when we felt somewhat suffocated by the air... but eventually, that feeling subsided, and we returned to normal."

"Well, good for you ladies then~," the butler mused, smirking slightly. "It could mean that you three were lucky enough to adapt to the new environment."

"Is that how you see it, Sir Sebas?"

"Well, it might be, because... the possible alternative 'worst case scenario' would have been you three succumbing to mana poisoning."

"M-mana poisoning...?!" Anastasia stiffened, eyes widening in alarm. "I-is that even possible, Sir Sebas...?"

"Well, in theory, yeah," Sebas answered casually, taking yet another sip of his alcohol. "There's a chance that the overwhelming mana in this place could seep into your body, accumulating slowly like a poison."

His words sent a chill down her spine, a momentary dread creeping into her thoughts. She couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenario—her and her loyal aides succumbing to a slow, agonizing death from an unknown force...

"Ah, sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you there," he quickly reassured her, noticing the distress on her face. "Don't worry, my lady. The amount of mana here is relatively safe for you three."

"I-is that true, Sir Sebas...?"

"Yeah, I guarantee you it's somewhat safe here," he replied, swirling his drink lazily. "We're pretty much at the outskirts of the Garden of Hell, where the mana levels are more tolerable... however—"

His gaze drifted toward the horizon—to the deeper parts of the godforsaken land.

"—The closer you get to the center, the stronger... and possibly more toxic, the mana will become."