Back in the Veyne house, Lys was moving as quietly as he could through the hallway, boots clutched tightly in one hand so the soles wouldn’t scrape against the wooden floor.

The house was quieter than usual after the morning meal. No clatter of dishes from the kitchen, no Mira’s teasing voice drifting through the rooms. He had almost reached the front door when he had to stop in his tracks.

Selene was already there, leaning against the wall beside the door with her arms crossed over her chest. She raised one eyebrow the moment she saw him trying to sneak out.

He quickly put a finger to his lips. "Shh. Don’t say anything."

Selene tilted her head, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Relax. Your Mom already left. She went to the market with Mira sometime ago."

Hearing that, Lys let out a long breath and finally relaxed his shoulders. He crouched down and started pulling on his boots. "Phew...Thank god. I really didn’t want her dragging me into that unfinished conversation from last night again."

Selene watched him lace up the boots with sharp eyes. "You’re going to see that woman? Tresta was it?"

"Yeah," Lys said, standing up and adjusting the sword at his hip. "I need to check on her. See if there’s anything more I can do, or get her to come to our house."

Selene didn’t step aside from the door. "You know she isn’t just going to agree and come back with you, right? Women from outside the village are desperate, but not to the extent of just packing up their lives because some guy shows up with good intentions."

"I know," he replied, meeting her gaze. "That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try."

She studied his face for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Okay, do what you feel right. Good luck then." Her eyes dropped to the sword hanging at his side. "But leave that here. You’re still recovering. No adventuring today."

"I wasn’t planning on any adventuring anyway, it is just...." Lys was saying as he reached for the door handle.

Selene stepped closer and interrupted him, "Then hand it over." Her fingers moved toward the hilt.

Lys reacted instantly. His hand shot out and caught her wrist firmly before she could touch the sword.

Selene froze, eyes widening in surprise. "What the hell was that?"

Lys didn’t let go right away. "This sword is cursed, Selene. You know that. Why are you trying to touch it then?"

"I do know," she said, voice steady but sharper now. She tried to pull her wrist free, but he held on. "But you’re still carrying it around just fine, right? If it’s not hurting you, why would it hurt me?"

He shook his head. "Yeah, we’re not gambling on that."

Selene narrowed her eyes. She stopped trying to pull away and instead stared straight at him. "Lys. Let go of my wrist, it hurts."

He released her wrist but stayed positioned between her and the sword. "It’s dangerous. I just didn’t want you touching it."

"Yeah, well, that’s not an explanation," she shot back. She crossed her arms again, planting her feet. "You’ve been carrying that cursed thing for days now. I want proof that it’s actually dangerous for me. Show me."

Lys rubbed the back of his neck, glancing toward the empty hallway. "Look, it’s complicated. Just trust me on this one, okay?"

"Trust you?" Selene let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You always say that when you don’t want to explain something, right? Give me one good reason why I can’t touch it when you can. Or I’ll consider it is also affecting you and you just don’t know it, or don’t want us to find out for some reason."

He tried to deflect. "Maybe it only affects women? Or maybe it reacts to certain types of mana. I don’t know the exact trigger."

Selene’s eyebrow shot up. "You don’t know? Yet you’re completely sure it won’t affect me if I touch it? That doesn’t make any sense, Lys."

He shifted on his feet. "Fine. Maybe it’s because I’m the one who picked it up first. Like some kind of ownership thing."

She gave him a flat look. "You really expect me to believe that? Try again."

Lys exhaled through his nose, frustration starting to build. "Selene, come on. I just know, alright? I have my ways of checking these things."

"What ways?" she pressed, stepping closer. Her voice stayed calm but insistent. She never backed down when she smelled something being hidden. "I noticed that from the first day, you always dodge this question. Every single time the talk about the sword comes up, you get vague. If you’re going to keep it in this house, around your Mom and Mira and me, then we deserve a real answer."

He really felt like she was backing him into a corner with her talk. Still, he tried to keep the truth from her, "It’s not affecting me because I’m... different from normal people here, okay?"

"Different? How?" Selene demanded. She gestured at the sword. "Just you having knowledge of your past doesn’t make you special in any way, as one might think, Lys. So, that logic doesn’t work on me. If you really want me to drop this topic for good, then prove it to me. Let me touch the hilt, just for a second. If nothing happens, then there’s no problem. I’ll stop bothering you about it. I can’t let you wander around with something that might be cursing you without your knowledge."

"No, just know that I have ways to know that for sure," Lys said firmly, voice getting shorter. "We’re not touching any swords here. It might be dangerous for you."

"And I’m asking you, why would it be dangerous for me and not you?" She was right in front of him now, dark eyes locked on his. "Are you scared I’ll find out something you don’t want me to know? Are you still hiding something from me?"

Lys felt the pressure building. She wasn’t going to let this go. Every excuse he threw out, she cut straight through. He was backed into a corner and he knew it.

"Damn it, Selene," he snapped, frustration finally spilling over. "Because I have a System, okay? A fucking System! It’s a gift from the goddess who sent me to this world. That’s why the curse doesn’t touch me. The System protects me from it."

The words came out louder than he intended. Without being able to control the frustration, he finally spilled it.

And a split second of silence followed.

The words hung in the air between them.

Selene’s arms dropped to her sides. Her mouth opened, then closed. For once, she had nothing to say. She just stared at him, dark eyes searching his face for any sign that he was joking.

"A... System?" she finally whispered. "A goddess sent you here? What do you mean?"

Lys opened his mouth to answer....

CRASH.

Then suddenly came the sound of something crashing behind them, a clay jug hitting the floor and shattering, water splashing across the wooden boards.

Lys and Selene both spun around at the same time.

Mitsu stood frozen in the hallway entrance behind them, eyes wide with shock. The broken pieces of the jug lay at her feet, water spreading slowly. Her face had gone completely pale as she stared at them, mouth slightly open, like she couldn’t quite process what she had just heard.