"Ah, so that's the definition of progress? I'd have to be an idiot not to know that."
Lyra, you just—. . .
"I understand what progress is. But what does that have to do with my mother?"
Brick put his sword away.
Seraphine was combing Brick's mother's hair with a stick.
"Brick, can't you see? I'm helping my virgin friend get to know a real woman."
This can't be serious.
"Even you, Lyra."
I stopped right in front of Lyra.
"Hey, Kaela, stop smacking my head—what did I do wrong?"
I made a nice bump on Lyra's head.
"AAAHHHHHH!"
I picked up Brick's mother in my arms.
That's what you did wrong.
"Noooooo, don't do that, Kaela."
Brick begged.
"CRASH!"
So satisfying.
"Mom, don't die, please."
Brick turned pale.
"Clapclapclapclap."
Why are the goblins applauding me?
"Great job, Kaela."
It's not that big a deal.
"Do the two idiots get it now?"
". . ."
I'll take that silence as a yes.
"Mom. . . thank you for everything."
Brick started crying nonstop.
"Don't be sad, Brick. Kaela sometimes does crazy things."
Seraphine is a good girl, but. . .
"True. Kaela is a selfish troglodyte. We're with you, Brick."
Lyra placed her bow on top of Brick's mother.
"Brick, I didn't get the chance to go out with your mother, but the few seconds we spent together were enough to understand she's a great mother."
Dorian offered his shoulder for Brick to cry on.
"Hey, Brick, when we get back home, let's compete again. I still haven't beaten you at arm wrestling."
"Thank you, Donkey. You're a true friend."
You bastards. . .
"You're holding a funeral."
You're worse than before.
"Hey, Kaela, stop."
Let me set Brick's mother's head right. There. Problem solved.
"Mom, you're alive."
Brick stopped crying and a huge smile appeared.
It's better to join the crazy ones than try to cure them.
"Kaela, you have a good soul."
Seraphine, that angelic smile breaks any man.
"Seraphine, I just want peace for a few minutes. Don't get it wrong."
Seraphine went back to combing Brick's mother's hair. And for the first time I felt what it's like to have friends.
"Kaela, are you okay? You look thoughtful."
"Donkey—ah, I can't. This explains that."
"Don't explain."
For the first time, I agree with Donkey.
"Brick, I apologize for what I did to your mother."
It's necessary.
Brick stood up and greeted me.
"Mortar, Kaela and Brick made peace."
Seraphine tied Mortar's hair.
"So that's her name."
I'm not even going to ask the father's name.
"Excuse me, I know the conversation is great, but we're going to the championship."
Ah—it's the goblins. In the middle of all this mess, I forgot about them.
"Have a good championship."
They're more polite than these animals—whose name I won't say—but who are present.
"Ah, show up at the championship."
The goblin handed me a poster.
It says: TWENTIETH SURF CHAMPIONSHIP OF ASTERIUM REBORN.
I've never heard of that city.
"Asterium Reborn? What city is that?"
"Ha ha ha."
Why is he laughing?
"Seriously, you don't know? It's a wonderful city created by God."
Hm. . .
"How do I get to that city?"
I'm hungry like a lion.
"Just follow the directions on the pamphlet. We're going."
The goblins went into the forest.
I took advantage of the calm to look for the disappeared orc.
I went to where he killed himself and noticed a circle had appeared.
Strange. I don't remember him casting it.
Either way, better erase it.
When I stepped on it, lightning shot out, throwing my body back.
The ground started shaking, cracking open, and the trees around us splintered.
A hot wind came from the north.
I can't breathe.
"What's happening, Kaela? What did you do?"
Me?
"I didn't do anything."
The summoning circle began spinning in the air. A white light appeared at the core.
"This is like that time."
Brick hid his mother between the rocks.
"Who were you fighting?"
Brick stepped in front of me in battle mode.
"An ogre appeared."
I'm losing my senses.
"Ogre? Was there something special about him?"
Why would an ogre be special?
Yes—Lyra and Donkey were messing around with the diary.
Could that be it?
"Hey, Brick, he had a diary, but what does that have to do with it?"
"Duck!"
A huge chunk of tree got thrown by the wind toward us.
But Brick cut it in half.
"The diary the ogre gave you has power, but to activate it, it has to be destroyed by outsiders."
I looked at Donkey and Lyra. . .
"After it's torn, the ogre kills himself and returns as a superior demon."
I shoved my face into the dirt.
I'm going, I'm going. . .
"You two are the guilty ones."