At midnight, Simon and Lethe slipped out of their respective camps and arrived at their rendezvous point: Pasonira Village. It was a small rural settlement, but completely deserted, its residents having likely fled the war.
"This is good. We can talk quietly here," Lethe noted.
The two entered an abandoned, dilapidated mansion. After deploying a soundproofing magic circle, Lethe pulled out a chair, briskly brushed the dust off with her palm, and sat down. Simon practically collapsed onto a nearby sofa. Dust clung to his back, but he was too exhausted to care.
"Judging by your face, you look completely drained," she observed.
"...A lot has happened."
"Hmm?" Lethe sniffed the air, stood up, and approached him. Tilting her head, she took another deep sniff.
"L-Lethe?"
"What is this?" Her expression turned icy. "Alcohol? You claimed a lot happened, yet you had the leisure to drink during a critical mission?"
"No, no. It’s a misunderstanding!" Simon quickly shook his head. He explained that he had no choice but to drink a little while chasing after Richard, who frequented taverns and drinking parties every single night.
Hearing his explanation, she finally nodded in understanding. She plopped back into her chair and beckoned with her finger.
"Then let’s share our respective situations."
Simon and Lethe discussed Richard and Anna, whom they were each assigned to monitor. Richard was an uncontrollable scoundrel. He constantly neglected his duties and went out to enjoy the nightlife every evening.
If Simon tried to stop him, Richard would simply head into the forest to hunt deer or fish for monsters—engaging in even more exhausting forms of entertainment. Forced to tag along, Simon was practically drowning in fatigue from the sheer lack of sleep. According to his comrades, this was Richard holding back considerably. Usually, he partied far more fiercely.
"I feel a profound sense of shame," Lethe muttered, rubbing her chin with a serious expression after hearing Simon’s report.
"To think we have to set up such a playboy with Anna. I felt this from the beginning of the mission, but I am not pleased about it."
"...Didn’t you say you wouldn’t let personal feelings get involved? Everything is for an era of peace."
"Yes, yes. I am aware."
This time, Lethe explained Anna’s situation. She was a flawlessly straight-laced woman without a single vice. A sheltered flower who had grown up in the temple since childhood, knowing absolutely nothing of society’s darkness. She was kind to a fault, and when asked what she thought about men, she replied that they were simply people born male—an absolute dead end for romance.
And worse.
"She still believes that storks deliver babies..." Lethe sighed.
"Ugh." Simon tapped his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Lethe let out a small chuckle.
"The archbishops who taught her are also the problem. They raised her so sheltered, covering her eyes and ears, that she has absolutely zero common sense in that regard."
After a brief moment of frustration, a subtle smile crept onto Lethe’s lips.
"Well, I suppose skipping all the useless things and focusing solely on her religious studies is what allowed the current Miracle Saintess to be born. That side of her does evoke a protective instinct... Lethe chuckled.."
"Focus, Lethe," Simon chided.
He took out his canteen and briefly quenched his thirst.
"Now that we’re gathered, let’s discuss the core issue."
"The core issue?"
"Yeah. We need to figure out whether this series of events is flowing according to history or not. We have to determine that first."
If things were playing out as they should, Simon and Lethe shouldn’t intervene. Richard and Anna would naturally get together. But if the timeline was already altered, the two of them had to somehow correct the course so it would flow as originally intended.
"I believe history has already been distorted," Lethe said, resting her chin on her hand.
"A playboy and a sheltered flower. The 7th Legion Commander and the Miracle Saintess. Given their environments and the current era’s atmosphere, I don’t see the slightest possibility of them falling in love. If they find out each other’s identities, Richard will try to kill her, and since she has been thoroughly indoctrinated, she’ll launch a preemptive strike the moment she sees a necromancer."
"No, think about it carefully." Simon put strength into his voice.
"In the end, the fact that the seemingly impossible 7th Legion Commander and Miracle Saintess fell in love is an undeniable historical truth. And my parents once told me about how they met."
Simon paused for a moment, lost in thought, before continuing.
"I think it matches. My father lived wandering the world as he pleased, and my mother was a devout girl who knew nothing of the world and found everything fascinating. Those conditions are exactly the same now as they were then."
"So you’re of the opinion that things are still flowing according to history."
"Right."
Lethe leaned back, an expression of contemplation on her face.
"But if things were going to flow smoothly according to history, there would be no reason for the Death Witch to push herself to send us to the past. You heard it too, didn’t you? A member of the Secret Society came to this era."
"Yeah, I agree that the Secret Society member from the future is the biggest variable. But is my parents’ situation really what that member is trying to change?"
With so few clues, they couldn’t make any hasty judgments yet. Lethe stood up.
"Then, let’s go visit the place where Anna and Richard get together."
"Hmm?"
"Have you forgotten? When we talked over dinner in Leshill."
"And then, I ended up meeting your mother in the neutral zone’s Rohiber Village."
"At the time, I was feeling fatigued from the long war and my life as a Saintess, so I slipped out of the barracks alone and stopped by a village in the neutral zone."
"Right around then, your mother had been caught and was being scammed. I stepped in, chased off the scoundrels, and decided to escort her to her destination. That was the start of it."
Rohiber Village. That name stuck in Simon’s mind.
"Then we just need to make sure they meet in that village!"
"Exactly. Meeting there is the original history, so the risk is low."
Simon stood up.
"Since we’re on the subject, let’s go scout it out right now. It’s not too far from here."
Once decided, they had to move quickly. The two hopped onto Simon’s golem board and headed straight for Rohiber Village. A short while later, they arrived at the outskirts of the settlement.
"...Ah."
Simon and Lethe were left speechless by the sight unfolding before their eyes. Rohiber Village had already been reduced to ruins by a bombing.
"With this, the premise that everything is flowing according to history has been completely shattered."
Of the two staring blankly at the ruined village, Lethe was the first to regain her composure.
"We have to fix this."
"That’s true, but..." Simon rubbed his forehead. "It suddenly feels a bit hopeless. The most important event—their first meeting—is already out the window. It’s been completely tangled up right from the start."
"This is no time to sound weak." Lethe spread her arms with vigorous energy. "If it’s been tangled from the start, we just need to start completely fresh, doing it our own way! Let’s figure this out together."
"Yeah, alright."
Simon thought it was a huge relief that Lethe had come to the past with him. The two squatted in front of the ruins and began their discussion. Of course, they didn’t have the luxury of time to ponder. Dawn would break soon, and if their respective factions discovered they were missing, they might be suspected as spies.
To brainstorm ideas, they organized the romance stories they had heard from Richard and Anna. And as they did...
"A method... a method... That’s it!" Simon jumped to his feet, his eyes sparkling. "Volunteer work!"
Lethe gave him a questioning look.
"You remember when we all helped the victims who lost their homes to the heavy rain in Leshill, right?"
"Yes."
"My father and mother had a great reaction back then, too."
"They kissed in front of everyone and caused quite a scene," Lethe recalled.
Richard and Anna often went out to do volunteer work. Not just in Leshill; if a nearby region fell into a crisis, they would go help personally. Anna, in particular, even ran an orphanage on her own.
Hearing Simon’s explanation, Lethe stroked her chin.
"Bringing them together under the pretext of volunteering for war victims. That’s definitely good. Working together will give them plenty of chances to interact, and since you said they often volunteered in the future, it’s certain they’ll both enjoy the work."
"However—" Lethe pointed at Simon. "How are you going to bring Richard?"
"Ah."
"Anna is so kind-hearted that if I persuade her well, it’ll work out somehow. But Richard is like a grasshopper, too busy playing around."
"Volunteer work? Yeah, right. Like he’d ever drag himself to that."
"I’ll figure something out for him," Simon said with a grin. "Instead, I just need you to prepare one thing for me."
After glancing around, Simon explained his plan in a hushed whisper. Lethe’s expression gradually contorted into something bizarre.
"Here you go." Simon rummaged through the bag Nephthys had given him and pulled out a magical camera. "There isn’t a lot of mana left. You have to get it in one or two shots."
Receiving the magical camera, Lethe let out a heavy sigh.
"Hah’, seriously. Why does a Saintess like me have to do something like secretly taking photos..."
"I’m counting on you. Who are you going to use?"
"Well." Lethe smirked. "I do have one person in mind."
The operation began. Returning to their respective camps, the two got to work. Waiting until after the afternoon service, Lethe claimed Anna’s lap and laid down as usual before speaking.
"Miss Anna, what do you think about the war?"
At the sudden, sensitive topic, Anna’s expression stiffened.
"W-War causes many casualties, so it’s best not to fight, but for the will of the Goddess Deva, it can’t be helped..."
"Then should we just accept it as inevitable even if innocent people are swept up and killed for the sake of the holy war?"
"N-No! That’s..."
"Especially since this is neutral land, belonging to neither the Dark Alliance nor the Holy Federation. I feel sorry for the people here."
Lethe poured out a steady stream of stories about the tragedies of war she had recently witnessed. Anna was fighting enemies on foreign soil under orders from her superiors. Even if she didn’t directly kill civilians, as long as she participated in the war, she couldn’t be free of the responsibility.
"Yes, of course, you can’t undo a war once it has started. But what are you doing for the innocent victims of the war, Miss Anna?"
"Ah, well." Anna timidly fidgeted with her hands. "I-I pray. So that the Goddess’s grace may reach them."
"Praying is good, of course, but..." Lethe narrowed her eyes. "Refugees are starving to death right now because they have nothing to eat. Orphans who have lost their parents are wandering around with no one to rely on, only to get caught in the bombings, you know?"
"Ugh... But right now, that’s all I can do..."
Tears welled up in Anna’s eyes at the harsh disconnect between her teachings and reality. Lethe almost felt her resolve weaken for a moment, but she quickly steeled herself.
"T-Then what should I do?" Anna asked.
As if waiting for that exact question, Lethe beamed. "Take action."
"Take action?"
"Yes! Even if it’s just a small gesture, you can voluntarily seek out orphans and take care of them, make them delicious food, play with them—things like that."
Anna nodded vigorously.
"That sounds wonderful! I want to do whatever I can for the victims of the war!"
Just as the two were making plans for their volunteer work, Israphel could be seen burning with jealousy in the background.
’She’s finally here.’
Lethe wrapped up her conversation with Anna and approached Israphel.
"Hehe’, hello, Israphel."
"What is it?" Israphel asked coldly, her arms crossed.
Lethe smiled. "Would you like to have a cup of tea and chat with me for a moment? I have something to tell you about Miss Anna as well."
As she spoke, she kept the magical camera hidden behind her back.
A few days later, Simon headed over to find Richard. Although there was no active fighting at the moment, Richard was busy. Overseeing the various units within the 7th Legion, he was just returning from resolving a dispute between other Ancient Undead. Signs of exhaustion were evident on his face.
’The timing isn’t great.’
How should he bring up the volunteer work? While he was agonizing over it, Richard spoke to him first.
"Where have you been, Watcher? Slipping away when things get busy."
Simon chuckled, "I have things to do as well."
"Excuses." Richard walked on with a sly smirk.
Simon followed closely behind him with quick steps. "You look tired."
"Of course I am. I’m trying to go blow off steam like I always do, but with you following me around and nagging, it completely kills the mood."
"I am sorry about that."
"Yeah, right."
Richard clicked his tongue and picked up his pace. Simon kept up with him.
"With that in mind, Commander Yona, there’s something I’d like to propose to you!"
Richard’s expression contorted strangely. "If you spout nonsense again, you’re dead."
"What Lady Nephthys is concerned about is your promiscuous private life, and what you want is to meet women, right?"
For the sake of his parents’ meeting. It was time to play his winning move.
"There is a way to satisfy both of those things."

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