Night in the Aissuren region had long passed midnight.

  The ptes on the terrace table were almost empty now. Only a little bit of pasta remained on a few dishes, and half-filled drinking gsses were left sitting on the wooden table, which had started to feel cold from the night air.

  The conversation that had once been lively—sometimes rising, sometimes falling—slowly faded away.

  Now the atmosphere had completely settled.

  Not because there was a problem.

  But simply because the night had grown too te.

  Lily sat back against the wooden chair. Her eyes blinked slower than usual.

  Not long after—

  Lily yawned.

  “Haaah…”

  She let out a long yawn without even trying to hide it.

  Sasa, who was sitting not far from her, yawned a few seconds ter as well, as if the sleepiness had somehow spread to her.

  Lily muttered softly,

  “Don’t… copy me…”

  Even though she was already sleepy, Lily still sounded like she didn’t want to lose, forcing those words out while half asleep.

  The two of them started yawning back and forth without even realizing it.

  On the other side of the table, Mr. Gilbert wasn’t much different. He was still sitting upright, but every now and then his eyes would close… only to snap open again when he noticed.

  Like someone trying to stay awake even though his body had already decided otherwise.

  The night breeze drifted softly across the house terrace.

  The oil mp beside the door swayed a little, causing their shadows to move slowly across the wooden floor.

  Amid the quiet atmosphere—

  Rendara was the only one who still looked fully awake.

  He leaned back casually in his chair, staring at the three people in front of him without saying anything.

  His gaze moved from Lily… to Sasa… then to Mr. Gilbert.

  Watching as each of them slowly lost to their sleepiness.

  Maybe it was because of the long events of the day.

  Or simply because their stomachs were already full.

  But there was one small thing that made Rendara seem different from the rest.

  He didn’t look sleepy at all.

  His eyes were still sharp, his mind still active.

  Maybe he was simply used to staying up te.

  Or…

  maybe it was because of something very simple.

  His stomach might have been full.

  But not with the food he actually wanted.

  Rendara gnced at his empty pte once more.

  “Pasta…”

  He let out a small sigh.

  Maybe… if he had actually eaten his favorite fried noodles tonight, he would’ve been yawning along with the others by now.

  “Huff…”

  Then suddenly—

  Rendara cpped his hands loudly.

  “Yosh!!!”

  The loud cp startled everyone awake.

  Rendara raised his voice energetically.

  “How about we start the pn right now!!!”“What do you all think!?”

  Mr. Gilbert, seeing Rendara suddenly take initiative, tried to interrupt.

  “There’s no need to rush, young adventurer, because—”

  But before he could finish—

  Lily, still half asleep, forced herself to walk closer to Rendara.

  “I think you’re right, Mr. Rentaro… how about we—”“Hooaammm!!!”

  Before she could finish—

  Lily colpsed straight onto the ground.

  Sasa, seeing what happened, quickly moved toward Rendara while thinking to herself.

  Alright… this is my chance to win the heart of that perverted master…I will—“Hhoooaaamm!!”

  A second ter—

  She colpsed as well.

  Rendara stared at them both lying on the ground.

  “Eh….”

  Seeing the “enthusiasm” of Lily and Sasa, Mr. Gilbert approached Rendara with a smile.

  “Well… they really are enthusiastic…”“But it seems you are as well, young adventurer.”“I admire your determination.”

  Mr. Gilbert then reached into his pants pocket while speaking.

  “If you truly wish to be serious about this, then this is the item you’ll use for the next three days, young adventurer…”“Hold on, let me take it out first.”“Hmm… but before that, you do know the risks, right?”

  But suddenly—

  Mr. Gilbert froze.

  “Eh???!!!”“Where is the ring?!”

  Panic immediately appeared on his face.

  In his panic, Mr. Gilbert grabbed the wooden watch-block and began striking it loudly.

  TOK TOK TOK TOK TOKTOK TOK TOK TOK TOKTOK TOK TOK TOK TOK

  “It’s gone!!!”“The ring is gone!!!”

  The vilgers who heard the arm immediately rushed toward Mr. Gilbert’s house, whispering among themselves. One of them shouted,

  “What’s going on!?”“What happened!?”“Why why why?!?!?!”“A ring???”“Are Lily or Sasa getting married?!?!?”“The ring is missing?!”

  After gathering the vilgers, Mr. Gilbert shouted,

  “Everyone!!!”“Please!!!”“Help search for the ring for the young adventurer!!”“This is actually my fault!!”“But if the ring is gone…”“Then…”

  One vilger suddenly interrupted.

  “A ring?”“You mean that dangerous ring that could kill a couple?”“So… does that mean the young adventurer is going to marry either Lily or Sasa?!”

  The other vilgers gasped and began gossiping.

  “Whoa!!”“Isn’t that too fast!?”“But marrying a Geterds vilger isn’t bad for an adventurer!”“Wait… if there’s no ring, the marriage can’t happen?”

  Seeing the situation getting chaotic, Mr. Gilbert raised his voice.

  “My apologies, everyone! But both Sasa and Lily have feelings for the young adventurer, which is why the ring is important!”“According to the rules and traditions of Aissuren, if two people like the same person, that person must choose one within three days!”“That’s why the ring is necessary!”

  And just like that—

  the vilgers panicked and scattered everywhere searching for the ring.

  Some checked the yard.

  Some searched around the terrace.

  Others even inspected the dirt road in front of the house.

  Extra oil mps were lit.

  People began walking back and forth with serious expressions.

  “Check near the fence!”

  “Where was Mr. Gilbert sitting earlier?”

  “Maybe it fell on the road when he walked home!”

  The calm night had suddenly turned into a small but frantic search.

  Meanwhile—

  Rendara simply stood on the terrace of Mr. Gilbert’s house.

  Watching everyone run around searching for something so small in the middle of the night.

  His face remained calm.

  As if he were simply observing an… interesting event.

  Time continued to pass.

  The night grew deeper.

  Some vilgers began to look tired, but they kept searching.

  Oil mps glowed across the area.

  The sky slowly changed color.

  Pitch bck turned into deep blue.

  And far in the eastern horizon—

  a thin line of light began to appear.

  The night was almost over.

  But even then—

  the ring that was supposed to be given to Rendara was still nowhere to be found.

  One vilger suddenly spoke up during the search.

  “Is it really that important?”“I’m a citizen of Aissuren, but seeing the young adventurer’s dedication and responsibility… do we really need a ring just to restrain him?”“Does Mr. Gilbert distrust him that much?”

  The vilgers began whispering again.

  Mr. Gilbert tried to calm the situation.

  “But… we still need it so that—”

  Another vilger interrupted.

  “Then how about making a new one?”

  Mr. Gilbert replied,

  “That ring is a magical ring. It only works with the original one—”

  But another vilger cut in again.

  “I don’t think that’s necessary, Mr. Gilbert.”“Have you forgotten why Aissuren once became such a prosperous region?”

  Mr. Gilbert suddenly murmured,

  “Gathering…”“Agreement…”“Comfort…”“Prosperity…”“Strength…”“Success…”

  But he seemed to have forgotten why those words mattered.

  One vilger answered,

  “That’s right, Mr. Gilbert.”“Everything works because people gather and reach agreements.”“From agreements comes comfort.”“From comfort comes prosperity.”“Prosperity strengthens the community.”“And that strength leads to success.”

  “The rule about the original ring was only one agreement among many.”“And agreements can change if people no longer believe in them.”

  “So do we really still need it, Mr. Gilbert?”

  “Besides… I trust the young adventurer Rendara.”“He’s been standing quietly on your terrace this whole time.”“Isn’t it hurtful to him if you show that little trust?”

  The vilgers made shadowed faces while whispering.

  “Hmm… that’s true…”“Poor guy…”

  Cornered, Mr. Gilbert tried to respond—

  but Rendara suddenly stepped forward.

  “Mr. Gilbert, I promise I will never betray the trust you pce in me!”“So please!!!”“I will take responsibility!!!”

  Mr. Gilbert lowered his head slightly.

  “I’m sorry, young adventurer… I mean, Rentaro…”“It seems I’ve been too focused on rules.”“Not just tonight… but even before this.”

  “I forgot that we are humans.”

  “Not creatures that only move when ordered.”“But beings who think about why we do things… and whether we should do them at all.”

  “I’m sorry.”“Everyone… I’m sorry.”

  “Perhaps I’m not worthy of being the leader of this region…”

  The vilgers smiled.

  Not because Mr. Gilbert was stepping down—

  but because he admitted his mistake.

  One vilger spoke up.

  “You don’t need to step down, Mr. Gilbert.”“Did you forget?”“We’re human.”“Humans make mistakes.”

  “And just now, you admitted yours.”“I think that’s more than enough to show you’re still worthy to lead Aissuren.”

  The vilgers nodded and cheered.

  “That’s right!”“Mr. Gilbert is amazing!”“Everyone makes mistakes!”“Long live Mr. Gilbert!”

  Then another vilger shouted,

  “Alright everyone, how about we just make a new ring?”“If we were the future bride, we’d be disappointed if the ring meant for us was lost, right?”

  They gnced toward Lily and Sasa—

  still sleeping soundly.

  Rendara was already beside them, gently brushing dust off their clothes after they fell asleep on the ground.

  The vilgers looked back at each other.

  “You’re right!”“Let’s do it!”“Leave it to us!”

  Without wasting another moment—

  the vilgers got to work.

  Some brought small pieces of metal.

  Some carried simple tools.

  Others lit a small furnace in the yard.

  A few even ran back to their homes to gather materials.

  Soon, Mr. Gilbert’s yard had turned into a small workshop.

  Metal was heated.

  Simple molds were held in pce.

  Others carefully smoothed the ring’s surface with basic tools.

  In the middle of it all, Mr. Gilbert stood beside the worktable.

  Occasionally pointing out adjustments.

  “Make the circle a little thinner there.”“Add a small engraving here… yes, like that.”“Don’t make the edges too sharp.”

  He wasn’t the one crafting it.

  But he guided how the ring should look.

  The vilgers followed his instructions seriously.

  Time passed.

  The dark blue sky slowly turned into soft orange.

  The sun finally rose over the horizon.

  Its light illuminated Mr. Gilbert’s yard, where the vilgers were still working.

  A moment ter—

  a small ring was finally pced on the wooden table.

  Simple.

  Not as luxurious as the original.

  But the shape was almost identical.

  Its surface was slightly rough, yet clearly made with great care.

  One vilger let out a relieved breath.

  “It’s done!!!”

  Mr. Gilbert slowly picked up the ring.

  He examined it for a moment.

  Then nodded.

  “Good enough.”

  Around them, the morning light had fully arrived.

  Birds chirped from the trees.

  The Geterds region began to come alive once again.

  And in the middle of that bright morning—

  a new ring, created through the cooperation of all the vilgers, had finally been completed.