FFF-Tier System, SSS-Rank Wife-Chapter 51: Discussing the findings

Now that I’ve confirmed the situation within the kiln, there was no further need for us to stand guard over it.

Which is why, rather than standing over it and enduring the awkwardness of having Selia glued to me like that, I’ve distanced myself from her a bit before moving over to where we did all the lap-giving and fate-changing before.

Even though no one said a word about it, that seemingly random place has become an unspoken center of our camp. And now, with several topics hanging in the air for me to pick them up later, when we moved to make camp, neither of us said a word.

Noting the late hour of the day, I’ve quickly gathered up some of the leftover wood and wooden scraps before tossing them into a pile. Still without a word, Saintess ignited the pile with a spell before I used my new ability to raise the flames higher for a while, only letting them run their natural course once the bigger chunks of wood started to properly burn.

Then, as the fires danced and cast various shadows to dance off our faces, I’ve started to recount my experiences in the world of dreams.

From how that space looked like to begin with, how I could draw stuff merely by moving my hands or even fingers around, all the way to describing in detail every attempt I made at writing stuff in the system boxes along with all the logic and assumptions I based those attempts on.

Even with the awkwardness of me suddenly distancing myself from the Saintess earlier, Selia properly focused on my story, even going as far as to inject a small question here and there.

We knew each other for less than three days. And with me coming from a whole other world, it was only given that some things that appeared obvious and natural for me turned out weird or unexpected to her.

This was the very main reason why I wanted to hear Selia’s take on all of my findings, after all, so it would be stupid not to expect her perspective on it to be different from mine not only in the realm of results but also the process itself.

And so, we talked our hearts away, going from one fine detail to another, all the while patiently waiting for the temperature within the kiln to drop.

Normally, it would take one to even two days of waiting just for it to be safe to break the kiln open and check the results. But with me killing down all the flames I could sense and Selia actively working to siphon away the kinetic energy of the matter within the kiln, we still had a chance of going back to the town before its gates would close for the night.

Still, even with the help of both my ability and Selia’s spell, it would still take some time before the kiln would be ready for us to open it. And so, we kept on talking, all the way until there was hardly anything left for us to talk about.

"I figured out that I needed a quest of the hardship that befitted the reward. Meaning, I couldn’t just give myself a divine power in exchange for picking up a seed from the field or by pissing down the town’s wall. No," I shook my head, repeating my point just to reinforce it, "the quest has to fit the reward, otherwise it won’t work."

I leaned back before lowering my eyes and staring into the flame for a bit.

Even now, I could sense it, somewhere at the distant edge of my consciousness.

With a thought, I could summon that feeling and gain control over the small fire... But right now, there was no need for me to do so. Which is why, I simply stared into it, fascinated by its wild moves just like a young child would be.

"Then, there’s the problem of adhering to this world’s common sense," I continued with my summarization of all that we’ve found out. "Both the quest and the reward have to be used in a way that makes sense in this world. Any words, phrases or definitions that this world lacks will simply stop either part from working as intended."

I paused for a moment.

"Then, there’s the point of that surging power of yours. And after all the thinking I’ve done on it..."

I shook my head before raising my eyes a bit, only for them to land squarely on Selia’s face.

Now, as the sun already started to near the end of its daily journey, basking the world with but a mere afterthought of its light, her face suddenly gained this mysterious, spiritual vibe, as if she was to turn into a legitimate fairy at night, only to become human again once the sun has properly risen.

And in all honesty, how could I know that wasn’t going to be the case? After all, even though I’ve noticed this point before and thought about it over and over again—

We’ve only known each other for three days! And even quite a bit shorter than that, when counting by the hour rather than by the day.

I shook my head, putting those thoughts aside.

Fairy or not, Selia was willing to help me. And until her charitable mood passed, I was more than happy to make full and proper use of it! But for that to happen, I had to tell her more and, in exchange, have her teach me more about this world and its common sense.

"That power of yours only appeared when the quest itself was directly related to you. Or, to be more precise—" I paused again, this time openly staring right into Selia’s eyes, "when the quest was related to a person I am, as it turned out, bound by fate with."

For a moment, I kept on staring into Selia’s face, seeking answers to the thousands of questions I had in my head.

Then, I just shook my head away, dropping the topic before it could become too uncomfortable for Selia to deal with.

She already said she wasn’t going to discuss it with me now, but might change her mind in the future. And while I was fine with that decision of hers, I’ve merely wanted to point out that I was actively learning new stuff on my end.

And who knew?

By the time she decided to spill the beans, maybe I would be the one to know more than her instead?

’Wouldn’t that be a turn-tables moment,’ I smiled at my thought. At the same time, Selia looked away, proving she had no desire to talk about this topic in particular.

"Well, with that point in mind, let’s go back to the quest part of the issue," I’ve suggested as I leaned back. "Let me ask you, what do you think is a quest in the first place?" I asked, while leaning my head over my left shoulder. "Because I did kind of assume you’ve had your fair share of them, given how you’ve already completed the entirety of your own system."

"Yeah," this time, Selia didn’t take even a second to respond, "but what about them?"

Hearing her oblivious bounce-back answer, I couldn’t help but smile.

"Tell me," I requested, "would it still be a quest if it’s something that you’ve done already?"