Only after the barrier shattered did Fíliya and the two Greater Demons return to reality.
And the first thing she saw was Linie, standing before her.
"Hmm? Linie, what's wrong?" she asked, somewhat curious.
Despite having chatted for so long without rest, this girl was still so energetic; she wondered what kind of structure her brain had.
"Fíliya... you, Lady Aura, and Lady Solitär have been like that for two days... I was very worried about you."
Huh?
Hearing Linie's words, Fíliya was suddenly startled.
Oh, right... No wonder I'm so hungry. So the flow of time in my barrier is the same as in reality.
Fíliya finally confirmed this point. After all, it was only the second time she had entered her own barrier, and she couldn't claim to fully understand its properties.
"Did anything happen during this time?" Fíliya pressed Linie for more information.
"Nothing special, just a few Monsters that wandered in. I've already taken care of them."
Oh?
Fíliya raised an eyebrow.
Normally, no Monster would dare approach a Greater Demon. Is it because Aura and Solitär were both drained of their mana? She immediately figured out the answer.
Just as she was about to ask Linie for more details about the past two days, she saw a very troubled expression appear on Linie's face.
"Hey? Linie, if you have something to say, just tell me directly."
With Fíliya's encouragement, Linie finally spoke, blushing.
"Lady Fíliya, that hunk of iron you modified... I don't know how to activate it. For the past two days, I've been trying to cook for myself, but I seem to burn the meat easily."
Huh? So that's what this was about... This poor child, another demon with no talent for cooking.
Fíliya shook her head, immediately got up, and took Linie's hand.
"My mistake, I should have thought of that. Come, I'll teach you the magic to activate the golem."
As Fíliya spoke, she demonstrated it once for Linie.
"Did you memorize it?" she asked.
"Yes, I've memorized it." Linie nodded affirmatively.
"Good, then go activate the golem. Have it make anything, I'm starving."
"Understood." Linie agreed and walked straight out of the tent.
Watching the departing figure, Fíliya couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
She memorized and understood how to use it after just one demonstration? This doesn't seem to be a matter of good memory... She still remembered the time when Linie first introduced her own magic.
"To be able to memorize the 'flow of mana'..." Fíliya murmured with one hand on her chin; through that brief exchange, she had confirmed her suspicion.
This child named Linie has a truly terrifying talent... The little blockhead is completely unaware of her own potential. Her Magic Imitation can likely copy more than just a warrior's skills.
...Afterward, Fíliya quietly waited for the food to arrive. During this time, of course, she also successfully woke up the two great contributors.
After eating the food prepared by the golem, Fíliya, with a fulfilled and happy expression, lay straight back.
She was still reminiscing about her time with Flamme when, at that very moment, she suddenly felt something climb on top of her, followed by a sensation of suffocation.
Huh?
Fíliya quickly snapped out of her pleasant memories and met Aura's eyes, which were burning with rage.
"What's gotten into you now?" Aura's [killing intent] was clearly not strong enough, so even while being choked, Fíliya could easily voice her question.
"You dare say that!" Aura glared fiercely into Fíliya's eyes.
This puzzled Fíliya. Had she done anything wrong to Aura?
She searched her conscience for three seconds and found that she hadn't—at least, that's what she thought.
Seeing Fíliya's unrepentant expression, Aura tightened her grip slightly, but in Fíliya's view, it was still no threat at all.
"You! How dare you say in front of that Flamme that you would hunt us to the ends of the earth and grind our bones to dust... Do you have any conscience at all? How dare you repay our kindness with malice." Aura's tone grew even more furious.
Oh... so she's angry about that.
Fíliya finally understood why Aura was retaliating against her. And... Solitär hadn't stepped in to defend her either. It seems Solitär is also angry about what I said.
Sigh... Is this the reality that someone playing both sides must face? Fíliya gave a wry smile.
"You're still smiling!" Aura huffed, preparing to tighten her grip again.
She thought that if she didn't make this wicked girl's eyes roll back today, she would never repent.
"Cough, cough... stop... Aura... let me finish speaking..."
Fíliya struggled slightly. This time, she was genuinely getting a little dizzy from the choking, so she could only beg for mercy and signal that she had something to say.
"Speak!"
Upon hearing this, Aura immediately let Fíliya go, but she continued to glare at her with a very serious expression, apparently intending to hear Fíliya out. If she wasn't satisfied, it wouldn't be too late to resume the punishment.
"You... did you just automatically ignore the prerequisite in my statement? I clearly said that I would only hunt you down if you betrayed our promise... As long as you behave, I'm definitely on your side. You should have heard my conversation with Flamme clearly. I was defending you and Solitär the whole time." Fíliya looked at Aura with a helpless expression, as if to say, 'How can you be so dense?'
And Fíliya's words successfully made Aura adopt a thoughtful expression.
"Did... did you?" Aura murmured, her expression uncertain.
She wanted to believe Fíliya, but she realized she had been asleep for too long and hadn't really paid attention to the conversation between Fíliya and Flamme. All she remembered was Fíliya saying something about hunting her down, which was why she was so angry.
Aura showed a rare thoughtful expression, but she quickly gave up thinking. She looked directly at Solitär, apparently intending for her to make the decision.
"I'm so tired from sleeping... My shoulders and hands feel a bit sore." Solitär ignored Aura's frantically hinting gaze and just said this to herself.
Huh? Aura couldn't understand at all why Solitär would say something so irrelevant at a time like this.
But unlike Aura, Fíliya understood Solitär's meaning instantly.
Taking advantage of Aura's confusion, she got up immediately, rushed to Solitär's side, and, ignoring Aura's angry shouts, began to massage Solitär's shoulders.
"Lady Solitär? Can you forgive this humble one? I know I was wrong." Fíliya said with a fawning expression.
"We'll see how you perform." Solitär's expression was blank, but her tone had clearly warmed up a bit.
At this, Aura finally understood.
She yelled, clenching her teeth, "What is this? You should be massaging me first! Solitär, you... uh, never mind. You first, you first."
The moment her eyes met Solitär's, Aura immediately performed her signature move.
___
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