Crackle.

Frigus crawled out from under the rubble with a bloody face as he released his full aura, but instead of attacking, his sword fell out of his hands, and his eyes widened.

"Wain... How did you do that..." Frigus muttered while in disbelief, "That girl is so damn strong... Why is she hugging you? Is it some kind of hold?"

"No..." Zero shook her head, "Is your heart as cold as ice, too? Can't you see she's smiling as though a child?"

"Hey, will you let me go already?" Wain muttered with an awkward look.

"I don't want to!" The girl suddenly said as she shook her head with pouting cheeks.

'Somebody save me...' Wain muttered inwardly, then shook his head and put his hand on the girl's head.

"Why are you here?" Wain asked with a faint smile on his face.

"Ah...? Why am I here...?" The girl mumbled as she put a finger to her lips in a thoughtful manner, "I... I don't know."

p 'Well, I should have at least tried.' Wain uttered to himself before squatting down.

Their eyes met as the girl opened her mouth as if she were mesmerized by his sight.

"What's your name?" Wain asked as he took the girl's hand.

The girl tilted her head, stared into the ground, and whispered, "I have no name... I don't even know who I am... I don't know anything... All I feel is that you and I are alike... You're my friend, right?"

She looked at Wain as tears were ready to pour from her eyes.

'Damn... She seems like a normal girl on the inside, but with tremendous power. Is it really all my fault? Eh... The tears of a confused girl are not at all what I expected to see in such a creepy place.' Wain inwardly muttered before pressing her head against his chest.

'Don't worry. You're in a good place, probably the best place for you... But, you need a name, that's the first step, pick one." Wain spoke in a calm voice.

"I want you to do it..." The girl muttered as she hugged Wain again.

"Ah...?" Wain was puzzled, then he shook his head and said, "Okay. Whatever you say. How about...Nicole, just Nicole?"

"Okay." Nicole smiled with a happy smile on her face.

'Looks like she'd be happy either way... Well, at least she's not calling me Dad, that's good enough. Frigus and Zero gave me a big scare with their assumption...' Wain wondered.

Step. Step. Step.

Frigus walked slowly toward them with limp steps. As soon as Nicole noticed it, her aura intensified, and her eyes became sharp as a blade.

"Wait. He's my friend, so he's yours, too." Wain said as he waved his hand.

"Friend...?" Nicole tilted her head in a thoughtful manner.

"Yeah. You're contentedly strong. I didn't expect to be beaten not by a creepy monster but by someone like you. That will be an important lesson for me." Frigus grinned while holding his stomach with a pained look.

"Frigus, are you okay?" Zero asked in a worried manner as she ran up to him.

"Sure. I just missed a few blows from the head of the new territory. There's nothing wrong with that." Frigus shrugged.

"The new head of territory...?" Wain muttered as he looked at Nicole, "Damn, Frigus, you're a genius."

Wain put his hand on Nicole's head as he asked, "Do you want to be in charge of this place?"

Nicole turned around, looked at the ruins, and said, "Sure. This is a nice place. I'm comfortable here."

'She's cozy here? Huh, maybe it's weird for us, but she was literally born here, so this place is her home. Wain muttered to himself as he smiled.

Step. Step. Step.

Suddenly, several silhouettes appeared in the distance that gradually approached them.

"Wain!" Elegan shouted as he waved his hand.

"Looks like it's time for us to get out of here." Wain muttered in a confident voice.

"What? Am I going to stay here alone? I don't want that!" Nicole exclaimed as she pressed herself harder against Wain.

"Huh, don't worry, you can come with us. You're in charge in this place, but you can always go in friends' territory, right?" Wain muttered while looking into her eyes.

"Yeah..." Nicole nodded.

At the same time, Elegan, Sarras, Edena, and Lui Bu reached them.

"Who's that...?" Edena muttered while pointing at Nicole and Zero as her eyes widened.

"Well, we all definitely need to talk." Wain said with a slight smile on his face.

...

After a while, they were all seated at a large wooden table in the center of the forest. The table was covered with various dishes and drinks, but everyone was already full except two people.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.historical

Zero and Nicole sat across from each other while continuing to shovel food into their mouths.

"You girls have an incredible appetite. It feels like you haven't eaten in a year." Elegan smirked while swinging his wine glass from side to side.

"I just can't stop. I still feel hungry!" Zero uttered as she took a bite of the fruit.

"Me too." Nicole nodded while chewing the massive apple.

"So... This girl is in charge at Misty Ruins now, righ?" Edena asked with a confused look.

"Exactly." Wain nodded, "This territory is developing just like the others. It just went in the wrong direction. Also, Elegan can always help her."

"I see..." Edena muttered.

"By the way, Edena, do you have any way of knowing what race she is?" Wain asked in a serious manner.

"Of course. I just need her blood, it's very easy to find out. We can do it right now if you want." Edena shrugged.

"Good." Wain nodded, took Nicole's hand, and slashed her palm.

Nicole flinched slightly but continued to eat as though she hadn't even noticed what had happened.

"Fine." Edena said as some kind of high-tech device appeared in her hands.

She took some blood from Nicole's palm, activated the device, and after a while, she was ready to give her answer.

"As expected, she's a monster."