"...gods that have been reincarnated?" I repeated, frowning. "If you don''t mind, could you please elaborate, Your Highness?"


    "But of course. It''s only reasonable such a claim requires an explanation," Lucia answered with a nod, then gestured towards the entrance of the headquarters. "First things first, let us talk about this over some drinks and snacks. I''m sure you three are tired from your travels so at the very least, let me welcome you on behalf of the others."


    "I''ll leave you guys to it then," Rose remarked and got back on the dragon. "Besides, I was originally supposed to bring you three to Princess Cecilia but she said if one of her older siblings were to appear, I should leave it to them instead. She doesn''t want to waste their precious time waiting on her, after all."


    The crown heir of Ignifera turned her attention to the female captain and smiled. "Little Cecilia said that? How considerate of her. Though, I honestly wouldn''t mind waiting since it gives me an excuse to have a small break from all that work I had to do lately. Because of the current circumstances, the amount of paperwork and discussions has skyrocketed. It''s reached the point where I have to sacrifice lots of sleep and free time just to get it all done in time."


    ...I applaud how hardworking and diligent she is but having to go that far is pretty bad. I thought to myself as my frown deepened. The fact that Cecilia helps out her siblings makes me think that they''re really overworked. I mean, why else would she pitch in? Though, upon hearing the sound of Rose letting out a bitter laugh, I stopped that train of thought and glanced at her in surprise.


    "Right? There''s just so much to do that it''s really overwhelming," the black-haired lady said. "It doesn''t help that we''re probably experiencing the calm before the storm too. At this rate, maybe I should just go get a drink when I can find the time. I''ll need it before our work increases exponentially later on."


    "If you''re gonna drink, please don''t fly the dragon like last time, alright? From what Cecilia told me, you fell off the dragon and it was forced to use magic to save you," Lucia commented with a small smile as the dragon growled in agreement, causing the captain to look away in embarrassment. "You''re one of our most reliable leaders in the Royal Army so we''d appreciate it if you''d be more careful."


    "Alright, alright. Get off my back, will you?" she grumbled out. "Honestly, why''d you have to bring that up in front of our guests too? That''s foul play, you know? Now I have no choice but to do as you say to restore my image..."


    The lady chuckled softly and then walked away, going towards the Royal Army''s base. "That''s my intention. I do apologize though because I had to use that tactic a lot lately so it''s sadly becoming a habit," Lucia stated. "Anyways, please follow me, esteemed visitors. I recommend having our talk inside unless you like being blasted by a gust of wind from the dragon."


    With a nod of my head, I quickly caught up to the princess with Leo and Vin on either side of me. Out of curiosity, I decided to check up on the two Artifact wielders as we walked, especially since neither of them said anything in light of what she said. The blue-haired archangel looked unfazed and merely glanced at me with a raised eyebrow when I looked at him. I mouthed the words "i-it''s nothing" and hurriedly turned my attention towards Leo, then blinked my eyes in surprise upon seeing the expression on his face. He seemed to be clearly troubled and completely absorbed in thought.


    I was about to ask him if he was alright but stopped upon hearing the sound of a door opening. When I turned to look, I spotted Lucia holding the door for us, smiling. ...sure is awkward having royalty do this for us. I''m sure it''s mainly for the other two but as their companion, I guess that treatment extends to me too. I nervously returned the smile and went inside, thanking her as I did so. Once I passed her, I awkwardly laughed upon seeing what the base looked like.


    The room that we were currently in consisted of a black obsidian floor, a white stone wall, and a black crystalline ceiling. Regarding furniture, there were numerous dark brown stools with soft tops near similarly colored tables with glass tops scattered about. The cabinets were also the same color and all had many kinds of beverages inside them. A black counter with a white surface was also present, accompanied by some bar stools. Of course, there were also a few brown bookcases with several textbooks inside but they vastly paled in comparison to the number of drinks present in the room.


    This place looks like a fancy bar! I thought to myself in disbelief. There''s no way I would think this is the headquarters of an army tied to royalty! No wonder she''s been lectured about staying here! If people see her go inside the building and follow after her, they''ll think that the princess likes to drink!


    "Wow, no wonder Rose talked about getting a drink when she has time," Leo commented as he walked inside, looking around. "Bet you things get really lively and wild in here when the soldiers are here to relax."


    "That said, it does make me reluctant to treat this place as a temporary base. I''m not fond of staying in crowded noisy places for a long time," Vin remarked as he stopped right beside me, then glanced back at the princess behind us. "By the way, is this a cover-up to hide the real headquarters, Princess Lucia? And in tandem with the masking, does the dragon serve as the delivery service for orders from afar?"


    "Yes and yes. Just in case someone were to attack any of the Royal Army headquarters, they''ll need to be hard to find," she answered while closing the door. "Because of that, both Cecilia and I usually enter these bases with a secret entrance. We made sure they can''t be found by anyone and that includes mages."


    That''s certainly smart of them to do. Gaining information about your enemies is vital so you know how to properly deal with them. Because of that, concealing it or giving false info is a given if you don''t want them to gain the upper hand. Curious, I turned to look at her too and ask a question but stopped upon spotting Leo sitting on a bar stool near the counter. ...maybe it''s better if I just sit there and wait like him. I quietly walked towards him and then took a seat beside him.


    Lucia suddenly laughed and I glanced at her in surprise, noting that she was now walking in our direction. "I see it''s time for me to play the role of bartender, huh?" she mused with a smile. "I hope you don''t mind me not wearing a suit. Going about my business while wearing a proper military suit would cause false alarms since I only wear it during serious situations."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine! We already feel welcomed as is so...!" I exclaimed as Leo nodded his head in agreement. "Though, that said, if you don''t mind, can you start your explanation as you give us refreshments? Time is of the essence so..."


    "I second that, especially if it''s going to be quite the long talk," Vin replied. "Despite you wanting a break, I''m sure there''s still a lot of work you need to do, unfortunately. It''s just how it is with people in your position and those who are seen as reliable."


    Upon noticing how he sounded a bit far, I checked to see where he was and noticed that he was leaning against the wall on the opposite side of us, his arms crossed over his chest. Guess he doesn''t want drinks or snacks right now...? I thought to myself with a small smile. That said, I wonder if he went there just so he could keep an eye on our surroundings like before. He''s almost like a hawk, vigilantly protecting its comrades. His purple eyes were soon fixated on me as if noticing my gaze. I blushed and quickly looked away, embarrassed that I was caught staring.


    "Got it. You three better get comfortable then," Lucia answered as she went behind the counter and got some glasses, getting our attention. "Anyways, the reason I said that is because our religion puts a huge emphasis on the concept of reincarnation. We believe anything living can reincarnate and that includes gods. For us, the latter wasn''t exactly immortal and were capable of being killed."


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    I frowned at that, noticing her choice of words. "So what you''re saying is that they were killed by someone or something?" I asked as she put the cups on top of the counter.


    "Correct. To put it simply, the God of Darkness, Umbra, killed them all but the Void God managed to bring her down with him," the crown heir responded and started rummaging through the cabinets for some reason. "Since she wanted to destroy the world, they had to disappear. After all, the gods are responsible for maintaining certain things connected to their element in our world. If they were to permanently die, the world eventually dies along with them."


    "However, from what you said before, they probably immediately reincarnated right after. Though, did they all keep their memories?" Leo questioned and she nodded her head. "...that was probably a stupid question, huh? It''s a given they''ll need to keep their memories. Otherwise, how will they perform their duties?"


    "Not only that, they couldn''t let Umbra disappear forever since she''s vital in keeping the world alive. Because of that, they had no choice but to continue on with this endless struggle," Lucia stated, then glanced at the two of us. "Ah, by the way, before I continue, what kind of drinks would you two want? Since Sir Vin is resting against the wall, I assume he doesn''t want anything at the moment."


    I gave her a sheepish grin as I eyed the many beverages in the cabinets in front of me. "Er...I''ll leave it in your hands. Just please make sure it''s something non-alcoholic and delicious," I answered. "There''s still stuff to do since it''s day outside, after all."


    "Hm, if possible, can I have some iced sweet tea? I''m in the mood for one right now," the angel commented, smiling. "If not, some orange juice would be nice."


    The princess went to work right away, first working on the drink that the blonde requested. "Anyways, regarding the Artifacts, they were considered personal weapons that the gods have made for themselves to use during their first life. To ensure such divine powerful weapons stay with only them, they bound them to their souls and made sure they can detect their true owner," she explained. "After all, for them, it was also proof of their status as divine gods."


    "Makes sense, especially since a god can be killed," I remarked. "A greedy human might attempt to do the impossible and kill a god so they can steal such a strong weapon, foolhardy as it may be."


    "Indeed. It''s best not to underestimate how far some people may go. For some, their desires can be so strong that it consumes them completely, just like how an uncontrolled fire greedily consumes everything around it," Lucia said as she gave Leo the tea, then went to get a certain bottle from one of the cabinets. "Though, as a warning, please do take everything I said about the Ignifera religion with a grain of salt if you''re trying to find the truth. Other religions do exist and have different takes regarding gods and the Artifact wielders, after all."


    "Don''t worry, we''re aware. At the very least, it gives us something to work on," Vin replied, then let out a sigh. "Though, looks like we''ll have to find a spear for Leo to use first and fast. An Artifact can be dismissed but unfortunately, he doesn''t have any other weapon at hand."


    As I got handed a cup full of fiery orange liquid, I heard the boy beside me awkwardly laugh. "Just as a warning, I''m no good at appraising weapons so I won''t be of any use there..." he admitted with a sad smile.


    "Leave it to me then. I have some experience with that as an Enchanter," the archangel responded while I took a sip of the drink out of curiosity, which thankfully tasted sweet and delicious. "Give me your Artifact later so I can see what I should aim for."


    "I''ll have to write down some store recommendations for you three, it seems," Lucia remarked as she handed some wrapped snacks to me and Leo, smiling. "Let me go find a pen and paper to use while you guys take in the information I just gave you."


    While she walked away in search of stuff to use, I immediately mulled over what she told us. The information we can quickly dismiss is the reincarnation portion. After all, if it was true, why were Vin and Leo in Heaven rather than immediately returning to the living? ...more importantly, now that I think about it, does Heaven even exist in their religion? I frowned as I swung my legs back and forth, deep in thought. Though, I suddenly heard Vin''s voice in my head, stopping me from thinking any further.


    "Stella, shouldn''t you be discussing this with us instead of thinking on your lonesome?" Vin scolded. "I''m aware Devourers are used to being alone but you have companions now. Besides, you''ll need our input regarding this, right?"


    "I agree with what Vin said. Though, it seems like we''re gonna have that talk telepathically instead." Leo commented. "I feel slightly bad doing this but being hush-hush about this is probably for the best."


    I nervously laughed in response, feeling slightly guilty for not thinking about them. "A-ah, right. Sorry, it was done out of habit." I mentally apologized, giving them a sad smile. "Anyways, the only things noteworthy is the conflict between Umbra and the other gods, them being responsible for maintaining the world, and the Artifacts being weapons of the gods. The reincarnation portion can be scratched out and maybe the memories part too."


    "Well, the memory part is definitely no good. If it was true, we wouldn''t be on this wild hunt for the truth to begin with," the archangel responded, sighing. "As a result, ''the gods are responsible for maintaining the world'' theory becomes iffy but let''s not dismiss that just yet. Of course, it does hinge on whether or not gods exist but regardless."


    "That leaves two things left, which is that conflict between gods and the weapons of the gods," Leo said as he drank his tea. "The former seems to show some semblance of truth, seeing as how the Artifact Wielder of Darkness went missing and the Umbral Kingdom is currently submerged in darkness. About the Artifacts though..."


    I frowned and crossed my arms over my chest. "It seems to line up with what we know about them, except the god part. ...but if it truly is a weapon used by the gods, what does that imply about you two? Especially since the spell used to connect your souls to it is one that we know nothing about?"


    Both Leo and Vin remained quiet for a while but the blue-haired male eventually broke the silence. "Who knows? Our best bet for that answer is probably in the Academy," he answered. "However, the problem with that is when will we be able to infiltrate it...?"


    There was suddenly the noise of someone knocking against a door, catching all three of us off-guard. We heard Lucia say "I''ll get it!" as her hurried footsteps slowly got closer. Eventually, she appeared with a notepad and pen at hand, then put them down on the counter. After that, she quickly walked over to the door and looked through the peephole to see who it was. For some reason, the princess frowned, a look of confusion on her face, but Lucia opened it regardless.


    "Hello, Rufus. Since you''re back, I assume you finished the mission my younger sister gave you but...who is the hooded girl beside you?" the crown heir questioned, suddenly making me both alarmed and curious.


    He must''ve quietly said something to her because Lucia seemed pretty surprised at first, then let out a sigh. She nodded her head and quietly got out of the way, letting the two in. A boy with orange hair and blue eyes walked in, sporting a similar knight-like uniform that some of the soldiers that Rose led had and a sheathed greatsword on his back. The next person to come in was a hooded girl with long brown hair and dark brown eyes, wearing merely a black cloak, a white t-shirt, and a long red skirt. However, what was worrying was that the clothes underneath her cloak were strangely in tatters and covered in dried blood.


    Once Lucia closes the door, she glances at us and smiles sadly as she gestures towards the mysterious girl. "This person is a runaway from The Fire God''s Phoenix. It seems there''s been some internal strife in the group and it''s reached a breaking point."