"...you three want information about the current situation in Ignifera? I suppose I can give that, especially since Rex asked me to do so," the black-haired female soldier remarked with a small smile, catching us off-guard. "After all, you lot certainly fit the descriptions he gave."


    "Wait, so Rex is there right now?" I asked and she nodded her head. "...so that means he''s trying his best to make sure that place doesn''t fall apart while waiting for us..."


    "Meanwhile, I''ll...do what I do best while waiting for you, protecting people." If I recall correctly, that''s what he said to me right before I fell unconscious. I thought to myself as I looked down, frowning. That must mean after the situation was dealt with in the Astrum kingdom, he probably went over there right away because of his Precognition ability. ...I just sure hope he''s not pushing himself too hard though. I know every second is important but...


    Realizing I was starting to get sidetracked, I quickly shook my head in an attempt to shake off the worries and turned my attention to the red-eyed lady. When I looked at her though, she grinned at me for some reason. I raised an eyebrow at her out of confusion but she refused to explain herself. Instead, she pretended that nothing happened and talked about their circumstances.


    "Anyways, things are alright for now but we feel like it''s the calm before the storm. Even though we managed to apprehend a lot of the violent cultists, we have yet to encounter the one responsible for this crisis," she explained. "Because of that, we''re all on guard and currently trying to find the one responsible. Sadly, we''ve had no luck so far regarding that. They''re really keen on not being found, that''s for sure."


    I stared at her for a bit, clearly unamused, but eventually let out a sigh, deciding to drop it. "I see. Nice to know we''re not late, at the very least," I said, feeling my body instinctively becoming more lax and maybe a bit tired. "I was worried we took too long to arrive here..."


    "How about Rex? Did he find anything at all?" Vin asked, causing the woman to look at him in surprise. "It''d be weird if he didn''t, seeing as he gets results pretty fast."


    Upon hearing that, she nodded, her expression serious. "Yes, he did find a lead but prefers handling it alone. No matter what I said, that guy wouldn''t tell me what it was and refused to accept any help," the female soldier answered as she crossed her arms over her chest, causing me to frown. "Since he''s so stubborn, I decided that I''ll just leave it to him. After all, he never seemed tired when I talked to him or checked to see if he was fine..."


    The archangel sighed and turned his attention back to making sure we were safe. "Sounds about right with him..." he mumbled to himself. "Bet us going to him for info will be pointless since he''ll probably have the same reaction towards us."


    I gazed downwards at the sand, a troubled expression on my face. He''s probably waiting until we know enough about the world and the incidents happening, I assume. ...but at this rate, isn''t it gonna be a long while before that happens? All of a sudden, I heard the lady let out a light-hearted giggle.


    "You and Rex seem to care a lot about each other, huh?" she pointed out as I glanced at her in surprise. "I was initially gonna remain quiet about this but changed my mind now. Honestly, he tried his best to be indifferent but that brunet is pretty bad at it when it involves someone dear to him. I can tell he was concerned about you and was forcing himself to continue on with his plan, instead of running off to check up on you. He seemed pretty torn, you know?"


    "That''s...." I trailed off, remembering that conflicted look he gave me when I asked for his name at the cafe.


    I clenched my hand into a fist as I looked away, a sudden overwhelming feeling of guilt overtaking me. "Someone dear to him", huh? ...and yet... I bit my lip hard, my heart overcome with a strong ache. I don''t remember anything at all about him before that encounter. Like before, it feels like it''s something important I should remember but no matter how hard I try, it won''t come. If that''s the case, could it be selective amnesia? ...or could it be that my memories are tampered with? Suddenly, I felt someone gently pat me on the back, pulling me away from my thoughts and the headache I started to have. I turned around to see who it was and unsurprisingly, it was Leo, who was watching me with a sad smile.


    "I understand you want to figure out things between you and him but let''s focus on the situation at hand, alright?" Leo stated as he pulled his hand away. "We have no idea how long this calm will last so we need to prepare first."


    ...he''s got a point there. With a sigh, I reluctantly nodded my head as I tried my best to ignore the headache. Solving the Ignifera incident is more urgent right now. I''m sure my memories will eventually come back over time so I shouldn''t concern myself about it too much. Of course, it also may not but who knows? ...it''s just that... I quickly shook my head when I noticed the guilt seeping in again. Desperately needing something to distract myself from my own thoughts, I glanced up at the female captain and noticed she was no longer there. Blinking my eyes in surprise, I checked around and finally spotted her talking with her comrades.


    "She''s talking to them about whether or not they''re fine with us coming along," Vin explained, catching me off-guard. "Soon after pointing out that certain thing, she quietly apologized and went over to them, thinking that you''ll need some time alone. It seems she didn''t expect that kind of reaction."


    "Ahh, so she feels bad for bringing it up?" I asked as I glanced at the blue-haired male and he nodded. "I can see why since I reacted so strongly but there''s no need to feel guilty. There''s no way she could''ve known I would react that way."


    "Anyways, ignoring that, are you alright now? I know it''s probably rich of me to say this but please be honest with us," Leo remarked. "It''s important to be emotionally stable when making plans and taking action."


    "...I''ll be honest, not really. It doesn''t help that I have a headache right now either," I admitted with a small smile, causing both males to suddenly frown. "Other than the headache, it''s not anything new so I''ll be fine."


    Vin remained quiet for a bit and eventually let out a sigh. "I see. If it means what I think it does, we''ll have to keep a close eye on you, just in case. Though, I kind of already do that since you''re so prone to being absorbed in thought," he said, then glanced at the blonde near me as I blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "By the way, do you know how to cook, Leo? I''m going to be busy making sure everyone is safe so I can''t exactly make food right now."


    Leo grinned and nodded his head. "Of course I do! That''s an important skill for adventurers, after all!" the angel exclaimed. "Besides, it''d be awkward if an adventurer dies from hunger. Imagine being capable of defeating numerous strong enemies unscathed and yet what defeats you is your hunger and your inability to cook. That''d suck..."


    "Didn''t you claim to be an idiot? For a self-proclaimed idiot, you''re certainly reliable..." I pointed out as I nudged him with my elbow. "It''s like you''re not actually one."


    "Aww, really? Why, thank you~!" he exclaimed happily. "I''ll gladly take that compliment in case you take it back later on."


    ..."in case you take it back later on"? Is he implying that his dumb moments are that bad? I thought with a sweatdrop. I wonder if I should be worried or not... With a frown, I opened my mouth to ask him about it but the sound of footsteps getting closer to us made me stop. I turned to see who it was and spotted the black-haired captain, who then smiled at us and waved.


    "Looks like you''re back up and running. Thank goodness," she commented as she took her seat from before and let out a sigh. "Ahh, but seriously, to think that I totally misread the situation. That''s just so embarrassing, especially since I''m the captain. I guess I still have some ways to go..."


    The captain suddenly coughed as if to stop herself, then changed the topic. "Anyways, let''s move on, shall we? I don''t want you to dwell on it any further than necessary," she said with a nervous laugh. "My group agreed to let you three join us on the journey back to the city. Since you''ll be with us, let me finally introduce myself. My name is Rose Flamma and I''m one of the Royal Army captains. The Royal Army, just like its name suggests, is a group that serves the Ignifera royal family and for my bunch, we serve Princess Cecilia."


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Princess Cecilia?" Vin repeated as he turned to look at her, frowning. "That''s surprising. From what I''ve heard, she normally doesn''t do much, especially since she''s a pacifist by heart. Was the situation that bad for her of all people to take action?"


    "Unfortunately, yeah. I recall my lady complaining about how a lot of the royalties are just all bark and no bite," Rose explained. "Because of that, since most of them were useless and depended on the Academy, she decided that she''ll take matters into her own hands, all the while muttering to herself about how those idiots have lost sight of what''s important to the citizens of the Ignifera kingdom."


    Well, that''s worrying. Makes me wonder what kind of relationship the Academy has with the people there. I doubt it''s as bad with Chalybes but... The smell of food that wafted to us from the campfire nearby stops me from speculating any further, making my stomach loudly growl in response. I awkwardly avert my eyes elsewhere in embarrassment as Leo and the captain laughs.


    She gets up and then gestures towards where the aroma was coming from. "With that loud complaint from Miss Stella''s stomach, let''s continue the talk over some food, shall we? I''m sure we have enough for everyone here. Though, I''ll be honest with you, I have no idea what they made..."


    The three of us got up and followed her as she walked towards the bonfire. Some of the soldiers were sitting near it, eating some curry while having a lighthearted conversation. One of them notices us approaching and waves a hand at us, grinning.


    "Hey, Captain! Look, our cook thankfully made something reasonable this time, especially since there are guests here!" the black-haired boy with orange eyes exclaimed happily. "Sure, it''s simple but it''s delicious! Nothing like those weird combinations from before!"


    A brown-haired male with blue eyes rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, frowning. "Look, I''m just trying to make do with what we have, okay?" he retorted. "Besides, I''m only a soldier with some culinary skills. I try my best but I''m not like those super professional cooks that can make anything taste good, got it?"


    I could only sweatdrop as I walked over to the pot full of curry, not daring to get in between the two boys arguing and complaining. As I got the clean plate nearby and some utensils, I checked to see what Rose was doing out of curiosity and saw she was merely watching them go at it, smiling. ...I''m beginning to wonder why she''s the captain... With a sigh, I go back to what I was doing and got some food. Once I was done, I went to a vacant chair that I spotted earlier ago and sat down.


    Since the black-haired lady wasn''t saying anything for some reason, I decided to listen in to the argument as I ate. Topics like strength, resolve, and growing as a person were brought up, surprisingly. From the way they were talking and the reactions of the others around them, it seems those three were important to them. One of them even mentions how striving to be better is like being a phoenix, "burning" away their current self so they can be reborn into a better version of themselves. That reminds me, didn''t those group of acolytes causing trouble called themselves the "Fire God''s Phoenix"? I thought to myself with a frown. Right when I thought of that, another person complains about how some troublemakers used such a noble animal and now tainted its image because of their deeds.


    "Even though this wasn''t planned, I bet you Rose is letting this conversation go on so we can learn more about the kingdom without her needing to say anything." Vin quietly remarked, causing me to look toward where his voice came from.


    He was sitting nearby with a nearly empty plate on his lap, watching the group conversation just like how I was earlier ago. The archangel then let out a sigh and ate the remaining food he had left. That would explain her strange silence and why she''s not stopping them. I do admit, their talk certainly is helpful.


    "I''ll be honest though, hearing this makes me worried about the reasoning and mindset that those cultists will have..." Leo commented. "If you push some of the topics mentioned to its negative extreme..."


    I tightly clenched the utensils I was holding as I looked down at the sand, aware of what he was implying. It doesn''t help either that Tatsuya mentioned that the group has been doing and saying some disturbing things. All of a sudden, I heard footsteps getting closer and turned to look in the direction of where the noise was coming from. A red-haired male with blue eyes wearing a knight-like variant of the soldier uniform stopped near the captain and when she glanced at him, he then did a slight bow.


    "I apologize for the abrupt intrusion, Captain, but the guest quarters are now up," he reported, then sighed. "Also, Ignis and Roy, can you two stop arguing, please? I''m aware our leader said nothing but as Vice Captain, I feel I should stop you two before it escalates any further. Besides, you both already know you can''t convince each other to stop doing certain things."


    The black-haired boy, who was called Roy, reluctantly nodded his head and ate his now slightly cold curry. Ignis, on the other hand, grumbled to himself about something but stopped as ordered. As some of their comrades teased the two, Rose thanked the redhead and told him to go rest if all the preparations have been finished. He once more bowed and then walked away, presumably to his tent.


    "It''s a shame we didn''t get to continue that talk but I think that argument was good enough, even if it was a bit heated," she said as she turned her attention to us, then gave us a warm smile. "Anyways, it''s getting late. I''ll lead you three to the guest quarters so you can have some rest. Also, the others will get your dirty dishes so just leave it there."


    We did as we were instructed and followed her until we stopped in front of a large tent. So this is where we''ll be sleeping, huh? With how many people are here, I guess it''s only fair we''re sleeping in one tent. When I opened the entrance a bit to peek inside, I spotted three beds that are evenly distanced from each other, a white coat hanger which I assume was for our cloaks, and a small table with a lamp and a digital clock on it. Sure is minimal but we are out camping.


    Without further ado, I walked inside and upon taking off my cloak, I was suddenly hit by the cold desert air. Crap, I didn''t think it would be this cold?! I quickly hung it and then got in the nearest bed. Once I managed to fully cover myself with the soft blanket, the cold was quickly replaced with the same feeling I had when wearing the cloak. ...huh, this blanket is also magically enchanted...?


    "I see, Stella has embraced being in a blanket cocoon. I approve," Leo proudly stated as I heard some sounds of movement. "Then from today, you are now a fellow comrade of blanket cocoons!"


    "...as long as you don''t give it a weird name..." I mumbled.


    "Ehh? But that''s the fun part!" he exclaimed, clearly unhappy. "...though, now that I think about it, coming up with names for that might be a bit hard..."


    "Can you two please stop talking and go to sleep?" Vin asked, causing the both of us to immediately halt the conversation. "Besides, I can''t sleep when there''s so much noise."


    Judging from the sounds I heard right after, I assume that was Leo putting away his cloak and then going into bed. With a sigh, I got myself into a comfortable position and bid them good night. While the angel replied pretty fast, Vin was quiet for a bit but he eventually returned the gesture. Guess he''s not used to doing that, huh? Knowing his situation back then, he''s probably gotten used to living alone...


    I stopped myself from thinking any further about it though. Guh, what am I doing? This isn''t the time. We''re going to wake up early so let''s get some sleep while I still can. With that decided, I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep, thanks to how comfortable the bed and blanket felt.