Since the day Laurence’s memories of his previous life fully awakened a few days ago, he hadn’t had a single restful night’s sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he would recall the grotesque, wild grin of Disaster.
That Demon Dragon who destroyed the world, the Disaster Source woven from crimson and pitch-black—was actually the girl he dreamed of day and night…
His chest ached over and over, yet he had no choice but to force himself to stay strong, to urge himself to carry on.
Since meeting her in this life, she’d acted almost no differently from how she had in the previous one.
But compared to her tireless pursuit of all kinds of knowledge last time, in this life she poured more of her energy into integrating with the Order and handling logistics.
And now, he needed a chance and an environment to test Aurelia, to observe the Disaster Source’s reactions. To see… if she was truly the same as she was in the past life.
He needed somewhere away from the Base, where there were fewer eyes from his teammates, yet still within his control. For example… a routine patrol.
A few days later, at dawn, the Notice Board posted a simple patrol commission.
Patrol the relatively gentle hills on the western side of the Base, check whether the recent Beast disturbances had spread here, and clear out any stray low-level Monsters that might have wandered over.
This was the first time, in the previous life, that Aurelia had volunteered for a field mission—and the very task he’d brought up to her.
It was low-risk, quick, and perfect for his so-called “teaching” of Aurelia in this life.
So, at breakfast, Laurence announced his plan.
“Today, I’m heading out for a routine patrol of the Silent Hills. Lia, you’re coming with me.”
***
“Pfft—cough, cough!” Aurelia almost choked on her soup.
She quickly set her spoon down, slender finger pointing at herself, her crimson eyes full of disbelief.
“Me? Captain, I—I don’t have any combat strength…”
[Who? Me? Are you kidding? Take me on patrol? I’m logistics! Do you get that? I’m supposed to stay in the back and diligently mind things at home!]
Vera furrowed her brow as well, setting down the bread in her hand.
“Captain, the Silent Hills may be relatively safe, but Lia has absolutely no combat experience. It’s far too dangerous for her to go along!”
Her gaze flitted back and forth between Laurence and Aurelia, finally landing on the flustered girl’s face.
The other teammates looked over in confusion at those words.
Suddenly sending the homebody logistics angel out on a field mission… This wasn’t like the Captain’s usual steady style.
Laurence had clearly anticipated the objections. He remained calm, gently stirring his bowl of oatmeal with a spoon, his voice steady.
“Precisely because of that, Lia needs to learn. Members of the Sword of Saint Radiance can’t hide in the Base forever.” He pinched the spoon’s handle, gesturing to the black-haired girl who stood frozen in place.
“Basic vigilance, danger recognition—even escape techniques—are things she must master. Otherwise, if the Base is ever attacked, she won’t even have a chance to protect herself.”
He paused, his golden eyes sweeping over every teammate present, finally coming to rest on Vera’s worried face, his tone deepening.
“Or do you all want to return from a mission one day, only to find the Base attacked, Lia lying in a pool of blood—never able to smile again, like she does now?”
His words crashed onto the previously lively breakfast table. Vera opened her mouth to speak but faltered, with not a single rebuttal she could offer.
The others fell silent as well, complex expressions on their faces.
The Captain’s words, blunt as they were, struck at the cruelest reality—in this world, there was no truly safe rear line.
Aurelia, too, was shaken by that statement.
[Lying in a pool of blood… Redhead, did you really have to be so specific? That’s terrifying!]
Though she complained inwardly, a chill rose unbidden in her heart.
If enemies really did come knocking, as a total combat failure, she’d probably have no choice but to die—she wouldn’t even have time to call for help.
[But… if I die, what’ll happen to the guy in my head…?]
‘Nothing. Wait a few thousand years, find another vessel, that’s all.’ The voice in her mind replied coldly, utterly indifferent.
‘…Tch, heartless old fossil!’ Aurelia choked, indignation bubbling up.
‘I won’t die that easily! I want to live well, to take root in this world! Like they say, “Since I’m here, I may as well make the best of it!” Don’t you agree, old fossil?’
‘I am Disaster, not some “old fossil.” Mind your words and actions. Otherwise…’
‘Alright, alright, you go take a nap, you old fossil. I’m going to keep eating.’
Suppressing her unease, she forced a wobbly smile, looking to Laurence, to worried Vera, and to the rest of the Order.
“I—I’ll do my best to learn, Captain. Vera, everyone, don’t worry, I… I’ll try not to drag you down.” Her voice grew quieter and quieter, clearly lacking confidence.
So, with Vera’s repeated reminders—“Stay close to the Captain,” “Hide immediately if anything happens,” “Keep a firm grip on your Shield”—
And with the other teammates sending glances full of “Take care,” “Be careful,” “Come back soon”—
Aurelia slung a bulging little backpack—almost wider than herself—on her back, and held a seemingly lightweight iron Shield in front of her.
Slowly, unsteadily, she trailed after Laurence, stepping out of the Base gate.
***
The sunlight was warm, a gentle breeze caressed her face, and at first glance, the scenery of the Silent Hills was quite pleasant.
But Aurelia had no mind to enjoy it.
[What is this Shield made of? It’s so heavy! Does Vera really think I can survive with this chunk of iron!?]
She pulled a bitter face, struggling to steady her breathing, trying to keep up with Laurence’s seemingly relaxed but long, striding steps.
[And this backpack… Did she pack the whole kitchen in here? I’m not an all-purpose mess cook! There’s no way I can lug a big iron pot everywhere!]
All the way, Laurence walked ahead in silence, but most of his attention was fixed on Aurelia.
He caught every little detail with sharp precision, comparing them constantly to his memories from before.
The Aurelia before him was gasping for breath, her steps unsteady, completely unaccustomed to the rough terrain.
[She looks… just like an ordinary person barely managing through some weighted training…]
[Last life, even if she wasn’t a fighter, her stamina was never this bad. Even when moving supplies, she’d never shown such exhaustion.]
He remembered, in the previous life, Aurelia possessed a kind of gentle endurance—she could trek long distances with the Order without lagging behind.
This time around, she was more willing to put her effort into creating a warm “home” for everyone, instead of showing off herself.
“Watch your step on that moss,” he suddenly said, pointing to what looked like an ordinary slope. “The soil underneath might have been hollowed out by Beasts. Step there, and you could fall through.”
“Ah? Oh—oh!” Aurelia jumped in fright, quickly taking a big step to avoid the moss, staring nervously at the innocent patch.
[Cave-in? That sounds like something’s going to pop up from the ground and bite your ankle—classic sneak attack! So this is what the wilds of another world are like? I want to go home…]
Her reaction was purely instinctual avoidance of danger, clumsy and full of nothing but fear.
[Last time, when Lia encountered something like this, even if she was scared, she would calm down immediately, study the trap’s structure, and then ask careful questions.]
His mind drifted back to the previous life, to when Aurelia had first volunteered to go on patrol with him.
[Captain, next time I run into this, should I do this first… Is that right?]
Her fear quickly transformed into a pragmatic thirst for knowledge, not mere panic. Beneath her gentle exterior was a stubborn, urgent desire to master survival skills.
During breaks, this Aurelia merely took the waterskin and drank quietly, complaining about her heavy backpack in a small voice.
The Aurelia from before, though, would take out her notebook while resting, jotting down details of the plants she’d seen and the important points of his explanations.
She would look at him with those gentle but persistent eyes, questioning every detail until she understood it all.
Her “virtuousness” always carried a hard-edged determination to look after everyone—never easily defeated.
Laurence’s silence became palpable. He no longer let Aurelia walk ahead but instead led the way himself, taking her slowly deeper in.
[Where the hell is this redhead taking me…? The further we go, the creepier it gets. Is this really a patrol? Don’t tell me… is this big shot planning something weird for me? Ugh… No way, right?]
Her nerves fluttered. The once-pleasant surroundings had grown grim—trees twisted, the light grew dim.
Laurence’s fingers tapped lightly on his sword hilt.
[Just observing isn’t enough. I need to try something bolder…]
He recalled, from his past life, areas where low-level Monsters, tainted by Disaster’s aura, would often appear in the wild.
Deep in the Silent Hills, there should be a ruin of an Ancient Altar, a place where such filth occasionally spawned.
He deliberately changed direction, leading toward where he remembered it to be.
At the same time, he focused even more intently on subtle changes in their surroundings—especially the faint, uncomfortable presence in the air.
Aurelia was completely oblivious, only feeling that the air seemed thicker, making it hard to breathe.
[Ew… Why is it suddenly cold? And… does it smell like stinky tofu? Gross! How nasty!]
She hunched her shoulders, clutching her Shield tighter, instinctively moving closer to Laurence’s back.
[I’m saying, Captain, can’t we turn back? This place is creepy… I’m just a modern homebody, I’ve never seen anything like this!]
Her movements were full of dependence and anxiety—a pure plea for protection—which only wound Laurence’s nerves even tighter, swelling his unease and worry.
[She’s afraid of the changing environment, not drawn to it…]
This was completely different from the “Disaster Source” he’d imagined, which might have shown some kind of resonance or yearning in the presence of similar energy—instead, she was afraid.
[Stay calm. As long as she shows any abnormal reaction, I can… openly kill her…]
He kept repeating that to himself, again and again in his mind.
At last, after passing through a patch of dead forest, a small Ruins appeared before them.
Crumbled walls were covered in dark purple moss, and the air’s ominous aura was now impossible to ignore.
Laurence stopped, his golden eyes sweeping sharply across the depths of the Ruins.
[This is the place…!]
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