The argument about who was Mark’s favorite wife continued for several more minutes.

Ely, Aria, and Alice argued in a circle that had no end, repeating the same arguments in different words while the volume slowly climbed.

Meanwhile Rose stayed seated beside Mark on the fountain, enjoying the spectacle as if it were a play staged exclusively for her entertainment.

And Yuki was standing a few meters away, looking in another direction, completely oblivious to everything.

Mark, for his part, tried to stay out of the argument, until he suddenly spotted two figures approaching from the side street.

Sarah was walking at the front at a relaxed pace, with a rolled scroll in one hand, and behind her came Zilu, already calmer than before.

"Looks like they’re bringing the map," he said, getting up from the fountain. "I’ll go get it so we can leave as soon as possible."

He began walking in the direction of Sarah and Zilu.

"Master, wait!" Aria shouted behind him. "You still haven’t answered us! You have to have a favorite! Or at least the sex with someone has to be better than with the others!"

Mark quickened his pace.

"MASTER!"

He reached Sarah and Zilu with a speed that probably made it obvious he was fleeing, but at that moment he didn’t care in the slightest.

Sarah looked at him with a mocking smile.

"Well," she said, tilting her head while looking over Mark’s shoulder at the group still shouting by the fountain. "Your group certainly seems quite lively, Mr. Hero."

"Yes..." He replied with a sigh. "Although sometimes I wish they were a little less intense."

Sarah let out a small laugh while her eyes stayed fixed on the scene behind Mark, where Aria and Ely were already pulling each other’s hair while Alice tried to separate them by grabbing each one by an arm with little success.

"I don’t doubt it," Sarah said, looking away from the fight and back at Mark.

Then her expression softened slightly and she raised the scroll she was holding.

"In any case, here is your reward for saving my dear Zilu."

As she said that, her free hand reached out toward Zilu and pinched her cheek with her fingers.

"Sarah!" Zilu protested, pulling away slightly while rubbing her cheek with her hand. "Don’t do that in front of them!"

"Why not? You’re adorable when you’re embarrassed."

"Sarah!"

Mark smiled at the scene and took the scroll from Sarah’s hands, but to his surprise it was heavier than he expected.

"Thank you," Mark said, holding it with both hands. "Truly, this is going to be very helpful to us."

"I hope so."

"And while I would have loved to stay a little longer," Mark continued, putting away the map, "unfortunately it’s time for us to go."

"I understand."

Then she turned toward Zilu.

"Are you completely sure about your decision?" Sarah asked in a tone that had nothing mocking about it anymore.

"Completely."

Sarah looked at her for a few more seconds, as if searching for some trace of doubt in her expression.

But she didn’t find any.

Then she opened her arms and Zilu moved toward her, until both of them were wrapped in a long, silent embrace.

Sarah rested her chin on top of Zilu’s head, between her rabbit ears, and closed her eyes.

"If you ever regret it," she said in a quiet voice, "I’ll always be here to welcome you back with open arms."

"...I know."

Zilu tightened the hug a little more and then spoke.

"Thank you for everything you did for me."

She paused.

"Mom."

Hearing that, Sarah went completely still for a few seconds, until Mark saw tears begin forming at the corners of her eyes.

"That’s not fair..." she said with a broken voice, pressing Zilu harder against her. "You can’t say that to me right when you’re leaving..."

"....I’m sorry it took me so long to say it."

Sarah let out a wet laugh that mixed with a sob.

"You’d better go soon," Sarah said, pulling back slightly and wiping the tear with the back of her hand. "Because if you stay here one more minute I’m going to change my mind about letting you go."

Zilu laughed softly.

"Okaaay... mom"

She gave Sarah one last smile before turning and walking toward where the rest of the group was already waiting at the village exit.

Mark stayed alone with Sarah, watching as she finished wiping her tears.

"Won’t you feel lonely without her?"

"Obviously yes, but... I hope that thanks to you that won’t last too long," she replied, as her hand slowly lowered to rest over her abdomen.

The gesture was subtle, but Mark noticed it immediately.

"It will be," Mark said, looking her in the eyes. "And if it isn’t, I’ll come back to hold up my end of the deal."

"You’d better... Mr. Hero," she replied with a smile.

Both held each other’s gaze for a few seconds until Aria’s voice broke the moment from the other end of the street.

"MASTERRRR! WHY ARE YOU TAKING SO LONG?!"

Sarah looked in the direction of the voice and then back at Mark.

"You’d better go," she said with a resigned smile. "Before your wives come looking for you."

"Yeah, I think you’re right."

Mark gave the woman one last look before turning to walk toward the village exit where the others were waiting.

Zilu was already with them, standing beside Alice, with her ears up and a calm expression.

"Are we all here?" Mark asked when he arrived.

"Yes, Master," Ely replied quickly.

"Then let’s go."

And that was how the group resumed their journey, pushing back into the forest road as the village lights faded behind them.

...

...

...

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Great Forest, far from any road or settlement, the air began to change.

At first it was something almost imperceptible.

A small distortion in space, barely visible, as if someone had made a coin-sized hole in reality itself.

The hole was completely black and floated about two meters off the ground, between the roots of one of the giant trees.

The sphere held that size for a few seconds, motionless, making no sound, but then it began to grow slowly.

And as it grew, small lightning bolts started to surge from its surface.

This continued until it reached the size of a person.

The bolts became more frequent and intense, jumping in every direction, burning the leaves on the ground and scorching the nearest roots.

And then a human figure emerged from inside it.

The body fell to the ground with a dull thud, landing face-down on the dirt and burned leaves with an impact that kicked up a small cloud of dust.

And with that the sphere closed behind the figure in an instant, collapsing in on itself until it disappeared completely.

When the sphere finally vanished the forest fell silent again.

The figure on the ground didn’t move for several seconds, until a groan came from it.

"Ugh... I feel like a truck ran over me" the figure groaned, trying to lift its head from the ground. "...Where the fuck am I?"