I woke up to warm sunlight touching my face and birds chirping outside.
Even though I had slept on the couch, I felt much better than on other nights, thanks to not suffering from mana depletion.
Had I not spent a few hours worrying about Licia and the possibility that I'd never wake up again, I'd probably feel even better.
I could always escape to the Kingdom and deny her access, but only as long as I was awake.
But as I expected, there was no reason to worry.
She didn't leave the bedroom once throughout the entire night.
Such a peaceful night felt like a good first step, and with so much energy, I decided to work on the chores I had been neglecting.
Not long after I had started, I heard the quietest, most careful steps coming from the room behind me.
Her hair was a little messy, falling in uneven strands.
She rubbed her eyes, but she couldn't wipe away all the drowsiness.
Seeing the redness in those eyes bothered me, but... I was glad that she seemed to have enjoyed at least a few hours of sleep.
Messy or not, for someone like me, who'd never had a friend sleep over before, the sight of such a beautiful girl first thing in the morning was quite pleasant.
Licia: "Morning..."
The morning tiredness made her voice slightly mellow, but without the confusion and fear of yesterday, her eyes seemed much less cold.
She felt more... alive.
Miwen: "Good morning. Did you have a good night's sleep?"
Licia: "Yes, your bed was amazing! Honestly… if not for this pleasant smell, I might've stayed there all day..."
It was something so small, and so dumb...
The bed wasn't even particularly good or anything, but...
Hearing her excited praise made me relieved. And a little proud, too.
I had already explained so many things to her yesterday, but those cute reactions were so amusing that I ended up going overboard again and again.
Because of this, we ended up in a small loop.
I'd show her something important that she might struggle with, she'd try to figure it out on her own, and after giving up, she'd ask for an explanation.
She'd reward my explanation with an amused reaction and more questions, which only fed the loop.
Miwen: "Whoops. Sorry for waking you up then. You can rest more if you want, but... I made breakfast for two. Would you like to give me a hand?"
Licia: "Absolutely!"
I planned to take it to the room and give her some space, but that would've been a big mistake, as I'd miss her eating so enthusiastically.
Even though I had a few years under my belt, I only started cooking to take care of my sister, so I felt undeserving of her nonstop praising of my meal.
Distracted by her, it took me a few minutes longer to finish breakfast, but once we were done, I asked her to choose a set of clothes she wanted me to summon.
The plan I devised on the spot when we talked yesterday worked, and she got exactly what she wanted.
That left me with zero Kingdom Points, but since I wasn't using them on anything, it hardly stung.
Actually, seeing her gently holding and admiring the clothes she got made me glad that there was such a good use for these points.
Noticing I was still in the room, she quickly excused herself, entering the bathroom to change.
A few minutes passed, and then a few more.
I started to worry and approached the door. The very same instant, she yelled, asking if SHE could use my things.
Obviously, I didn't mind.
However, a giggle escaped me when I saw that she had fixed her hair.
With her figure, she would've looked great even without trying, yet watching me struggle not to stare too much brought a satisfied smile to her face.
Every time I tried to avert my gaze, she would make sure to move back into my sight, smugly waiting for a comment.
The pressure to say something was building fast, but I had very little experience complimenting girls, so I went for the good old strategy of changing the topic.
In this case, I chose to ask her opinion on what she'd like to do next.
Miwen: "I will raid a Dungeon today. You're free to join me or stay home, if that's what you want. Also, if you decide to leave, I won't impede you..."
Usually, I wouldn't suggest something this dangerous when she still had barely gotten used to navigating my house, but since she used to be a high-level adventurer, I thought there was a good chance she'd be interested...
She could also gain a few levels by exploring the Dungeon, which should help make her feel safer.
Licia: "Hm..."
She seemed to be deep in thought, thoroughly considering all of her options.
But, ultimately...
Licia: "It's been a long time since I stepped into a Dungeon. This might sound weird, but I kinda miss the feeling..."
Anticipating that I'd judge her, she scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile.
While it was a little weird, people get used to all sorts of lifestyles, even the dangerous ones.
If before being summoned, raiding dungeons was such a big part of her daily life, it would make sense that doing it would make her feel more at ease.
Licia: "I was also looking for a way to thank you for everything you've done for me, so this is the perfect opportunity."
If she had the skills to back up the confidence, she could help our party improve dramatically.
Miwen: "Got it. I'll tell the others you're coming too."
Despite it taking me longer than most to trust others, I had seen enough of Roy and Sam to believe they weren't the type to start trouble.
After all, we had already experienced quite a bit together.
Licia: "That's fine. I'll patiently wait for your return..."
As I changed into an old shirt I called my adventurer gear, Licia sat on the couch, fiddling with her thumbs while looking around.
Stopping in my tracks, we stared at each other for a moment, tilting our heads.
Miwen: "Why would you need to wait?"
Licia: "Even if you live in a small village, you'll need a few minutes, no? Unless... Have you established a telepathic link?"
I knew there was a disconnect between the two of us, but I would never have expected it to be this big.
I could understand her thinking I'd talk with Roy and Sam personally, but beyond that... Ignoring the existence of phones and suggesting a technique as advanced as a telepathic link was surreal.
Miwen: "Remember the thing you used to look for clothes? It can also be used to communicate with others over long distances..."
Explaining every little thing a smartphone could do was impossible, and from my experience with her, saying too much could do more harm than good.
She was smart, so it was usually better to keep explanations concise and let her experiment as much as possible on her own.
It also helped that she liked trying to figure things out first before getting a lecture.
Licia: "Impressive... A magic tool this convenient must have been expensive..."
She gently pushed my phone closer to the center of the table, as if it were something incredibly precious.
Miwen: "...Not really? The ceiling can be somewhat high, but this model is pretty standard... It's also not a magic tool, but that can wait for another day."
Almost everything I introduced to her, she seemed to believe was either mechanical or magical.
While I loved her curiosity and reactions, explaining electricity to her was beyond my ability.
I tried more than once, but she'd always understand it as [Lightning Magic], and at some point, even I couldn't explain the difference anymore.
I eventually learned my lesson and began focusing my explanations on the general use of things, rather than how they worked.
Still, thinking there'd be a day she wouldn't react as amused at me controlling the flames of the stove or the house's lights without magic made me a little sad...
Before I could dwell on the thought, I received a notification from Roy and Sam saying they wouldn't mind having someone join us.
However, they were curious about her level and Gift.
Since exposing her Gift could be dangerous, I had avoided the subject to make her feel a little safer, but...
After spending the night in the same house, without anything bad happening, I thought she'd trust me at least this much.
Licia: "I don't really mind..."
Her Gift's name was [Magic Swordswoman of the Freezing Degree].
It was a handful, and it didn't sound that impressive, but its powers surprised me.
She had [Ice Magic] unlocked at level one and an icy aura around her body that she could use to cool or even freeze things without using her magic or any mana.
Her Gift also decreased the cost of using [Ice Magic] and gave her the ability to apply a special [Freezing] property to weapons and armors in the form of a frost coating.
Not only that, but it also came with two other skills: [Swordsmanship] and [Mana Control], both starting at level one, just like her [Ice Magic].
As if the base effects weren't enough, it also promised to increase the power of her [Ice Magic], her control over it, and decrease the cost of casting ice spells as she leveled up. Even though I'd have to see her in action before knowing for sure, from the looks of it, she could have the strongest Gift in our party.
It also raised the question of how someone so powerful died so young, but having promised myself I wouldn't press her about something so uncomfortable, I pushed the question to the corner of my mind.
Miwen: "...Can you do me a favor when we reach the Dungeon today?"
Once she finished explaining, I made a couple of selfish requests of her.
Miwen: "...Also, they don't know about my true Gift. I've lied and told them my Gift was called [Godspeed] and that it simply increases my speed, so if you can, please, don't expose [Gacha Kingdom Building]."
She seemed like an honest girl.
My requests troubled her, and even after she accepted my conditions, I could see a hint of disapproval in her face.
Licia: "I know you have your reasons, but... Partymates who can't trust each other tend not to make it very far..."
Even though she wasn't too comfortable with this decision, I had no choice.
I had seen many people regret leaking the effects of their Gifts.
At least until I was strong enough not to worry anymore, I wouldn't budge on this.
Still, I kept her advice in mind and, seemingly understanding my choice, Licia followed me closely to the front door.
As soon as I opened it and took a step forward, I heard her feet stop.
Looking back, I saw her mesmerized by the city.
I thought she'd naturally get used to this world watching TV, but the real thing was a bit too much for her.
Licia: "What is... Everything?"
Falling to her knees, she asked me an impossible question before wiping her teary eyes.
Miwen: "...Let's try to focus on one thing at a time."
I lent her a hand so she could stand up and asked her to stay close, worried she might wander straight into traffic.
I caught a brief glimpse of the mix of emotions in her expression before she hid them, accepting my hand and putting on a smile.
As we walked down the street, I explained how traffic worked and why we should cross the road at a crosswalk, all while enduring her most charming reactions yet.
Even though she was nodding her head attentively, her eyes wandered everywhere, and she'd often point to something before flooding me with questions.
Licia: "Hm... What about the yellow light?"
Miwen: "It's meant to warn the driver that a red light is coming, so that they slow down and prepare to stop, but-"
Noticing that there was only one car in the street and that it was reasonably far away, she deduced it wouldn't reach the crosswalk before the light turned red.
Seeing her step forward, I reached for her arm, pulling her back as the car zoomed before us.
Licia: "Eh? That wasn't slowing down, was it?"
We hit the ground, but I managed to wrap my arms around her and cushion her fall.
Miwen: "To be safe, keep the traffic lights in mind, but focus on that little stick figure signal, alright?"
Licia: "Okay..."
Even though my heart had nearly jumped out of my throat, for some reason, she seemed more embarrassed than frightened.
While it didn't take her long to calm down, she latched onto my arm and refused to let go.
Licia: "Of all the different worlds I've ever been to, yours is by far the most unique. There are so many things I don't understand, and you live your lives so differently..."
The more I thought about her words, the less sense they made.
She kept speaking about different worlds like they were a common thing, yet there wasn't anything in her Gift that pointed to her being able to travel between worlds.
After all, if she could move to another world, what stopped her from returning home?
It didn't seem like she had lied to me, either, so...
The question bugged me, and she noticed.
Seeing her innocent smile, I realized that there was no point cracking my head thinking about it, and that it'd probably be fine to just ask her about it.
Miwen: "Oh, so you've been to other worlds?"
Unsure of what was safe territory or not, I spoke casually, giving her the chance to change topics as needed.
Licia: "Yes, have your people never attacked another world from the Dungeon?"
Miwen: "No? We've never met people from other worlds, only monsters."
The Dungeon, even to this day, was full of mysteries.
However, throughout the world, innumerable adventurers explore the Dungeons for hours, days, even months on end.
Be it Easy Dungeons, Hard Dungeons, upper floors, lower floors...
If other worlds were connected to our Dungeons, we'd probably know about it by this point.
Licia: "That's... Strange..."
Yet, even though everything I knew pointed against it, there wasn't a trace of doubt in Licia's eyes.
Licia: "Every world has access to the Dungeons. Unless yours are unique, you should've met otherworlders inside them. No... At least one of your Dungeons should also exist in another world, it's just too unlikely for them not to..."
The more she tried to rationalize it, the more adamant she became that it was impossible.
Though I was pulling in the opposite direction, it was pretty much the same for me as well.
No matter how questioning her gaze was, I simply had no answer to give.
If Earth were the odd one out of the whole universe, however many worlds that may be, there must be a reason, but how would I tell?
I barely finished high school. I wasn't going to answer any mysteries about the world in this life.
Miwen: "...If that makes you feel better, we know of other worlds because of Divine Events."
It was because we already knew about their existence that one of my first theories when seeing Licia was that she'd come from another world.
While she could also have been summoned from the past, she knew too much about Gifts for that to be the case.
And as for coming from the future... That would only make sense if electricity disappeared from society, which seemed unlikely.
Also, a time traveler would definitely say, "Oh, a 21st-century car, how nostalgic!" rather than "What is that?"
Still, the topic of the Divine Events seemed to catch her attention.
Licia: "Yes! You have those too! If you've participated in a Fallen God Subjugation, Divine War, or World Punishment, you must have visited other worlds temporarily!"
It was such a shame that I had to rain on her parade when she seemed so happy to have found common ground...
However, even with the best technologies and the knowledge that other worlds capable of supporting life existed somewhere out there, we had yet to locate or make contact with their inhabitants outside of the Divine Events.
As usual, there were plenty of hypotheses for why, but no concrete evidence for any.
Worse yet...
Miwen: "Well... I don't know about those. We've only ever been to normal Divine Events..."
As I thought, the revelation that Earth had never seen any of those Events that she mentioned quickly took away the smile from her face.
Fallen God Subjugations and Divine Wars sounded pretty cool, though...
Licia: "Your world doesn't make sense to me..."
She looked genuinely upset...
Miwen: "Who knows, though? Maybe those things have just not happened yet. Everything has been changing since magic and Dungeons appeared..."
Licia: "...?"
She already had a half-defeated look in her face, but the words I meant to comfort her only made it worse.
Her face tensed, and she flinched for a second, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.
It was like she couldn't compute the very idea of what I said.
Licia: "What do you mean by 'since dungeons and magic appeared'? Was there a time without magic?"
Miwen: "Yes, it was only 20 years ago when Catherine, the Goddess Of The Red Night, blessed our world with Dungeons and Gifts. Before that, magic was something of a fantasy for us. The kind of thing you'd only find in books."
Having been born after the First Contact, every single one of my words represented the common sense I grew up with.
I had a bunch of older people tell me about how different the world was, but all of them seemed to have accepted this reality as well.
Licia, however, just stopped working.
Licia: "20 years... Now it makes sense why the levels in your world are so low... But still... A world without magic and dungeons... Maybe this is why this world is so different from all the others ?"
She stood still, focusing everything she had on making sense of what she heard.
I had never seen another world with my own eyes, so I couldn't tell exactly what made us different from others, but her idea didn't seem far-fetched.
However, even our world, after suffering through the initial chaos of fantasy blending into reality, eventually recovered and adapted, developing laws and regulations to ensure magic and Gifts wouldn't be used carelessly.
Seeing how useful Gifts were, it was hard to believe that other worlds, having magic from the start, wouldn't have developed even more than Earth...
But perhaps magic and technology didn't walk hand in hand the way I'd imagine?
Maybe magic and technology stunted each other at some point, and something made magic the better path?
Even though neither Licia nor I had the answer to these questions, I felt we were the only ones capable of answering them.
Miwen: "Maybe..."
It was too early to say, though.
Miwen: "Speaking of which, I have to tell you about the First Contact."
It was impossible to hide her otherworldly origin without explaining everything surrounding The First Contact.
There wasn't a single soul in this world who didn't know about it.
Licia: "Hm... Sure, go ahead..."
There was a lot to talk about, and I got a little over myself, getting off topic more times than I could count.
However, the more I talked, the more interested she became.
And sure enough, I barely managed to finish before we arrived at the Dungeon Gate, where Roy and Sam waited for us.