After waking up, pulled out of that unpleasant dream, I saw that it was already morning. Deciding not to go back to sleep even though I had barely gotten half of my usual hours of rest, I cleaned myself up, which took me about thirty minutes, if not a little more. Once done, I left my room and walked up to the staircase. Passing by Dungeon Master 07's room, I considered knocking but eventually gave up on the idea. It turned out to be the right choice because, upon descending to the lobby, I saw him sitting in the middle left corner of the room, sharing a table with the same person who had been eying me weirdly at yesterday during dinner, the captain.

  Naturally, the owner Bosco was at his usual spot polishing his glass. Seeing me approach, he greeted, "Good morning, Miss Arianna."

  "Good morning," I greeted back.

  "You're early today," he remarked.

  I nodded.

  The Owner smiled and asked, "What would you like for breakfast today? Otto will have it ready right away."

  "It's alright, it's way too early to bother yourselves with that," I replied.

  Having spent over a month in this place, I had learned its overall routine. So I knew it was too early for breakfast’s menu which was cooked on a daily basis to be ready.

  "It's alright, you have no reason to worry about it," The Owner reassured me, "Otto woke up a little earlier than usual today, so he's already ready to handle orders. In fact, he's already taken Mr. Vittorio's order and served Jarvis his breakfast, which he's already finished," he said, glancing at a corner of the room.

  Following his gaze to the captain's usual spot, I saw an empty set of dishes.

  "I see," I mumbled.

  "So, what will it be?" The Owner asked gently.

  I pondered for a couple of seconds, then said, "I'll have the same as I did yesterday."

  "Right away," The Owner said before heading toward the kitchen. After confirming that I wanted nothing else and answering him with "no," I approached Dungeon Master 07. As I did, I saw the captain standing up.

  "Good morning, Miss Arianna," he greeted.

  "Good morning, Captain," I replied. Then, glancing at Dungeon Master 07, who he had been sitting with, I greeted in a tone I imagined fit for a granddaughter, "Good morning, Grandpa."

  "Good morning, Arianna," he replied nonchalantly.

  At that moment, the captain said, "I think I'll leave you two here."

  "I hope I didn't interrupt anything," I said apologetically. "You can still talk about what you were discussing. I didn't mean to interrupt."

  "Not at all, you didn't interrupt anything." He reassured me, "I was just about to take my leave, right, your Eminancy?" he said, turning to Dungeon Master 07.

  Dungeon Master 07 nodded gently. "He's right. Captain Jarvis was about to take his leave. He's setting sail today."

  "Setting sail? Already? Weren't you just back from a journey?"

  The captain nodded. "It's true that we're a little booked as of late. It's the season, which doesn't last long, so it's now or never to sail as much as I can."

  "I see," I said as I took the seat he had just vacated. "And where are you heading to? The other side of the Parting Sea?"

  He shook his head. "Going upstream this time," he said.

  Dungeon Master 07 added, "Captain Jarvis here is heading to Quel'Thalas, the land of the elves."

  "Oh," I mused in wonder. "I've read things about that place and am very curious about what kind of place it must be."

  He smiled. "I'd be honored to tell you about it upon my return."

  "I'll wait with great anticipation," I said.

  With those words, the captain took his leave. "Farewell then," he said, and Dungeon Master 07 bid him a good sail as he left, leaving Dungeon Master 07 and me alone. As we did he stared at me, prompting me to ask, "Something on my face?"

  He shook his head. "No, I was just a little surprised."

  "Surprised? By what?" I asked, trying to repress a yawn.

  "I got the wrong impression of you. I didn't take you to be the socializing kind. It turns out you have some degree of socializing skills."

  What kind of recluse did you take me for? I thought, but I simply said, "Surprising, right?"

  "Surprising indeed, and that's a good thing," he said. "While this world values strength above anything else, you won't get far alone being a sole and lone murderhobo. I learned that the hard way. While strength should be the focus of one's efforts, one shouldn't underestimate the importance of social skills. With them, instead of having everyone as your enemy, you can turn some of them into temporary "friends," "allies," "assets," who might be of help when faced with something that can't be done on your own."

  He continued to lecture, proceeding on and on until he cut himself off at the sight of me unleashing a long, loud, and overall unladylike yawn.

  Staring at me with his green eyes, he asked with a stern expression, "Was my lecture that boring?"

  "Don't worry, it's not you or your interesting lecture. I'm just sleepy," I explained. With how late I slept the night prior and how early it was, it was like I hadn't slept at all.

  Dungeon Master 07 resumed his usual expression. "Why don't you go back to sleep then? There's nothing requiring you to be awake this early today," he remarked. "I've heard that not enough sleep is the first thing a girl should avoid, as it brings wrinkles. You wouldn't want to wrinkle at your age, would you?"

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  "At least you don't have to worry about wrinkles anymore," I retorted, looking him straight in the eyes.

  He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Indeed, I've lived through my wrinkle-free days. Now they're comrades, giving this old man a certain old and wise charm, which works wonders for me. I doubt they would do the same for such a youthful face as yours."

  "You might be right," I admitted, "but I'm not going back to sleep. To tell you the truth, it wasn't my choice to wake up this early. I had a terrible dream that woke me up."

  Watching him, I could imagine him saying, A dream? How terrible could a dream be? But instead of what I expected, he asked, "A dream about what?"

  I thought about the content of my dream, pondering whether to tell him. Considering the doubts he had raised about my motives for killing the bandits, he was already starting to question my sanity. I wondered if telling him about the dream would worsen his impression of me. I had the feeling it would, but I couldn't just say "nothing" and back off. So, I admitted, "I dreamed of that day, the day I died in my first incarnation. I’m not going into detail, I already told you about all that yesterday. Basically, I dreamed of being there again, reliving that day."

  Dungeon Master 07 nodded along with a serious expression, pondering for a moment before asking, "Do you often dream of it?"

  Do I often dream of it? Of course I do, but will I tell you that I do? Telling him would definitely make me seem insane, even though I'm not. So instead, I chose to say, "I won't say I've never dreamed of it. I've dreamed of it once in a while, especially back in the chateau. I’ve stopped dreaming about it for a while, when I was on the road. I think it's the fact that I talked about it that brought the dream about."

  Dungeon Master 07 looked at me silently, assessing me, before saying, "If it’s not a recurrent dream, then you should be alright. If it’s just talking about it that brings those memories to the surface, then let's agree to never talk about it again. Forgetting about it is the only suggestion I can give."

  "I like this suggestion, but wouldn't it be an easy one to apply, if not outright impossible," I replied.

  "Why is that?" he asked.

  I was about to answer, but at that moment, Sophina came with Dungeon Master 07's breakfast. "Enjoy your meal, Sir."

  "Thanks," Dungeon Master 07 responded. As she took her leave, he turned his attention back to me. "I'll explain later," I said. "Besides, what's with this obsession about me going to sleep? I'm alright, I just need my breakfast and I'll be fine. Let's stop talking about this and instead talk about why you're dressed like that."

  He was dressed in the white tunic of the Faith with a brooch hanging on his chest. While he had been dressed similarly the day before, it was my first time seeing him in that particular outfit, and I couldn't imagine him wearing it for no reason, at least not within the confines of this establishment.

  Dungeon Master 07 raised his cup to his mouth before explaining, "After this, I'll be heading to the local church. As a high-ranking member of the Faith roaming free and unattended on local Faith grounds, it is natural that I report my wellbeing from time to time. Otherwise, they might come to check on me themselves, an outcome I'd like to avoid. That’s why today I will visit. Now that I think of it, the last time I was there, I was told about a certain lunatic being on the move in the vicinity. Perhaps they've gathered more clues about the mysterious male lunatic," he said, his voice dripping with silent sarcasm.

  "Let's hope they have," I replied, matching his sarcasm as Sophina came over with my breakfast.

  I dug in, savoring each bite. I was midway through my breakfast when Dungeon Master 07, who had let me eat in silence, asked, "Since you don't plan on continuing your sleep, what's your plan for the day?"

  "My plan, huh?" I mused, pretending to think for a dozen seconds as I devoured a fourth of my breakfast. "I'm contemplating heading to the Path of Convergence."

  Dungeon Master 07's eyes widened.

  "I know what you think about this," I said, backing myself up. "But what if he were late by one day? It's worth checking, right?"

  Dungeon Master 07 put down his fork, having finished his breakfast. "What you're hoping for never happens, but it doesn't hurt to check. Just brace yourself for a highly probable disappointment."

  "Roger that." Nodding, I finished the rest of my breakfast. Then, along with Dungeon Master 07, I left the establishment, me heading for the fountain and Dungeon Master 07 for the local Faith. As we walked, I glanced at him, noticing he was clearly heading toward my destination instead of his, which was a path we had just passed by.

  "Is it alright for me to be seen with you in public like this?" I asked.

  "I'd say it's alright, so long as it's not known that you're the lunatic the three kingdoms, the three Faiths included, are actively looking for."

  I rolled my eyes.

  "Otherwise, it's fine," he continued. "I'm in this town not as a Divine Emissary but as a tourist who just happens to be a high-ranking member of the Faith. While I can imagine that fat regional priest being curious about what I'm up to in his town and who I'm hanging with, I doubt such a coward and sycophant would dare to try anything that'd get himself on a Divine Emissary's bad side. Especially one that he, in his overthinking, most likely thinks is here for some unknown secret mission. Though, to be fair, he isn't entirely wrong about that assumption. Anyway, all that to say it's fine, so long as you don't do anything that will needlessly draw attention to us," he said, his last sentence sounding a lot like a warning.

  "I won't do anything like that," I protested, feeling a little insulted.

  "I'm praying for that."

  I wanted to add something, but feeling like it could needlessly escalate, I decided not to pursue that direction. Instead, I tried to look forward to what lay ahead. I was aware that the chance of finding Dungeon Master 09 there was low, but still, there was hope. Clinging to that hope, as we closed in on the plaza, I hummed a song, one that I often inadvertently found myself humming.

  Hearing that, Dungeon Master 07 said, "Dunge—Arianna, that song you're singing, is that the—"

  Arriving at the outskirts of the plaza, I instantly stopped at the sight of the scene. The early morning sun cast a warm glow over the cobblestone streets. Despite the early hour, people were already walking around, mainly men and women. The plaza was usually a lively spot for the district's children to play, but being so early in the morning, there weren't any children around yet, except one at the edge—no, to be exact, at the base of the fountain, sleeping just where I had sat the day before. The boy was lying there, curled up in a fetal position.

  Without paying attention to Dungeon Master 07, I rushed to the fountain to confirm the boy's face. He was young, no older than twelve, with short light brown hair and a chubby-cheeked face that nonetheless looked like he had seen better days.

  As I looked at him, I couldn't shake the feeling of familiarity. He really looks like him, I thought, my heart beating faster than it had in a long while.

  Dungeon Master 07 caught up to me, a concerned and confused expression on his face. He stared at the boy sleeping at the base of the fountain before asking the only question that could make sense considering my reaction, "You think it’s him?"

  Finally, actually considering that possibility, I honestly responded, "I don’t know."

  I knelt beside the boy, gently reaching out to touch his shoulder to wake him up. "Hey, are you okay?" I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to wake him too abruptly.

  The boy stirred, slowly opening his eyes. He looked up at me with a mixture of confusion and fear, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. Then he asked, with a voice that made my heart almost leap out of my chest, "Who are you?"

  His voice was small and wary. But most importantly it was familiar. Not only did his face look the same, but his voice was identical too. The sight was so uncanny that I couldn’t help but consider, "Am I still dreaming?" I didn't need to pinch myself to know that I wasn't.

  I quickly collected myself, then turned to Dungeon Master 07, who upon hearing the boy's first words shook his head, suggesting that the boy most likely wasn’t who we’d been hoping he was. But at that moment, another sentence from the boy made us both instantly look at him with a surprised expression. His sentence was, "Are you my mom?"

  Throwing a quick glance at Dungeon Master 07, who nodded, suggesting I proceed, I replied in a more collected voice, "I’m a little too young to be your mom." The boy's expression quickly sank, prompting me to immediately add, with a strange weight in my chest, "But… I could be an older sister. I just need to know who you are."

  The boy's eyes widened, a smile appearing on his face, along with tears that strangely also began to flow. Suddenly, he leaped onto me, latching onto my waist with a desperate embrace, as he repeatedly mumbled as if desperately wanting to be believed, "09…I’m Dungeon Master 09, Dungeon 08. I’m Dungeon Master 09."