Sasa has become thin, transforming into the kind of slim figure that many women dream of.

My sister-in-law left, and as soon as Sasa woke up, she sent her back. She waited for me at the entrance of the cave all night.

My wife didn't ask me what I had been doing during this time. We tidied up the room and prepared breakfast, as if nothing had happened. We didn't talk much, the most common expression on our faces was a smile.

"Are you hungry?"

"Mmm, I am."

"Let's have a meal together?"

"Sure."

We said so, but we were still standing there without moving, because there was no food at all.

We laughed again, unable to stop our laughter.

"Hunting?"

"Let's go~"

I proposed again, but there was still no action. We were still laughing, laughing until our bones ached.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I'm laughing at you."

"Hehehe."

What are we laughing at? Neither she nor I knew. There was no joy, no sense of happiness. My eyes were gone, my child was gone, and the kingdom had pinned my portrait to the wanted list with a dagger, but we couldn't control the laughter at this moment.

I sat down against the rock wall and waved to my wife, asking her to sit beside me.

"Let's dismantle it."

Holding her frail shoulders, I pointed to the bed.

"Okay, let's dismantle it."

"What do you want to do today?"

"Sunning, eating, and talking with you."

"Alright, let's start with sunning."

So we lay on the grass in front of the cave, looking up at the sky, closing our eyes. The human body is strong, I didn't even have any fractures, just a few scattered minor injuries. Despite the fact that it was just a few days before the war began, we were more at ease than ever before. My wife quickly fell asleep, resting her head on my arm. I also yawned and fell asleep peacefully.

That sleep was particularly sound, almost making me feel like I was back in my infancy.

When I was awakened, Wolfgang's werewolf face was in front of me. The sky had already darkened, and after the sun had set, only a lingering reddish-purple halo remained on the horizon.

"Raul! It's so dangerous for you to sleep here!"

"I'm sleeping at home, what's dangerous about that?"

"The kingdom, the kingdom is making a move!"

"So what's the matter with the kingdom?"

"They burned down the witch's house!"

"Oh."

I calmly answered, took out a crumpled cigarette, straightened it out meticulously, and put it in my mouth.

"Raul!! Can't you say something?"

"You go back first, Wolfgang."

"But..."

"Go back, Sasa and I will be in the town soon."

Wolfgang didn't say anything more and left. Because in his eyes, the "Raul" in front of him was no longer the familiar silly human lad.

Gently waking up my wife, I started kissing her incessantly. From the grass to the bed, we could only confirm that we were still alive through this method. There must be a bed scene before the big battle, perhaps it was true?

Sasa is too thin. This kind of figure would look beautiful on a human, but Medusa doesn't look good when she's thin. There are wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, and her face, which should have been that of a girl in her twenties, now looks more like a married woman in her thirties.

After the passion, we headed for Night Fall Town. Sasa put on her black cloak after a long time, with her bow and arrow on her back. I was also fully armed, leading Feather on foot.

The content of our conversation along the way was hollow, and by hollow, I mean devoid of meaning. For example, we were still discussing whether or not to continue renovating the little cave or if we should buy a big wardrobe.

The only human settlement on the southern plains was no longer as peaceful as when we first went there. In the middle of the night, the streets were bustling with busy people, and I saw countless carts filled with goods. The once lively taverns were now empty, with only Park leaning against the doorframe, pipe in hand.

"Let's go upstairs."

Without exchanging pleasantries, the craftsman uttered these words, which sounded more like a command than an invitation.

Sasha didn't need me to carry her; she leaned on the handrail and climbed the stairs herself. I wasn't surprised at all.

The door to the parlor opened, and the room was filled with people. The first one to run up to me was the little girl Lulu.

"Big brother Raul!"

"Lulu~ How are you? Are you hurt?"

Lulu was still the same, with dry hair and a dirty little face. I crouched down and wiped off the layer of charcoal ash on her cheeks with my sleeve. It seemed that the kingdom had indeed heartlessly burned down the witches' home.

"Big brother, your eye is gone."

"Yeah."

"Did those bad people do it?"

"No."

"Then, big brother, will you help us defeat the bad people?"

"I will, definitely."

"Thank you, big brother!"

Lulu smiled, so innocent. A girl who hadn't even reached the age of ten wouldn't understand geopolitics or the concept of "keeping friends close and enemies closer." She simply referred to the kingdom's army that burned down her home as "bad people." I looked around at the witches, but I didn't see Granny Bonare.

"Where's Granny?"

"Granny said she won't leave..."

Standing up, I saw Evelyne shaking her head. Granny Bonare didn't leave the witches' home even when the whole house was engulfed in flames. The army took away all the resources related to magic, and those they couldn't take, they burned. I knew Granny Bonare's personality well; she would never leave her home, even if it turned to ashes.

"Mr. Raul, Mrs. Raul, you've arrived."

"If you have something to say, just say it."

Sasha answered Simmon before I could, and everyone gathered around the long table and took their seats. It was a full house, including the Orc Lord. But no one said a word, as if they were waiting for me.

"Speak up! Don't stare at me like I'm a monster."

"Yeah, it's not like it's our first meeting."

Both my wife and I propped our chins up with one hand, unusually calm. Wolfrang couldn't understand why we could remain so composed and even a bit lazy at such a critical moment.

"Night Fall Town definitely won't be able to hold on. The kingdom will burn it down."

"All humans should go to Wolfrang."

No one objected, and this became a private conversation between my wife and me.

"Did that blood-sucking person die or not? Let's go find her tomorrow."

"She probably didn't die. Having one more is better than none."

"Wife, let the sisters come and help out these days."

"Got it~"

Everyone stared blankly at me and Sasha.

"Leya, when I asked you to go shopping before, how much did you buy in total?"

"Raul...you..."

"I'm asking you, how much did you buy when you went shopping before? Are you tired, Sister Leya?"

I finally looked at Leya with a serious expression on my face, still sporting a nonchalant smile.

"Um, in total, there are 242 rifles and 89 pistols."

"How much did you spend?"

"90,000."

"What about the remaining money?"

"I can't spend it..."

Indeed, it was difficult to buy guns in the kingdom. The average citizens didn't have access to guns, so we had to buy them from gangsters and hunters through various channels at exorbitant prices. It was even harder to purchase other supplies such as gunpowder and iron ore, which were all under the control of the kingdom.

"Well, I understand. I'll take care of spending the remaining money. Wolfrang, tomorrow you'll take everyone to your territory."

"But..."

"Park, take everything that can be taken and even dismantle and take away the things that can't be taken."

"Alright."

"Simmon, calculate our supplies and write them down on paper for me to see."

"Um... okay."

"Gray, after we're done with the werewolves, you'll be in charge of arranging things like meals and sleep."

"I... I'm scared..."

"Orc lord, you just need to make sure your people are prepared for battle."

"Raul..."

"The witches will go with the humans, and my wife and I will take care of the rest. Everyone should get some rest, as we have a long journey ahead tomorrow. We'll go rest as well."

No one in the living room moved. Everyone stared at me intently. Leya later described it as, "That night, I suddenly felt like Clover had come back to life."

"What about you?" Simmon finally squeezed out a sentence.

"As a couple, we have more things to do than all of you."

"Raul, I know you've killed a lot of people and want to fight this battle, but a person only has one life! You will really die! No matter how strong you are, you're still just a human. And Sasa..."

Wolfrang couldn't hold back anymore. He didn't want us, as a couple, to be involved in the imminent storm that was going to sweep over the southern plains. He wanted us to be safe from any threat to our lives. Not only him, but everyone who knew us felt the same way.

"Wolfrang, let me tell you, even if you all don't fight, Sasa and I will still fight."

"I've already started planning strategies when I was in the kingdom."

"When I killed the six Holy Spirits, I understood that magicians are also human. They only have one life, just like us. Who's afraid of whom?"

"And don't make sad faces, what's wrong with fighting? We're fighting so we can live our lives!"

"Or, I can sing a song and dance for everyone?"

After saying that, I hugged my wife's waist and left the living room, smiling. We walked to the guest room where we first stayed.

"Husband, how many days has it been?" Sasa looked at me writing in my diary.

"406 days."

"When was the first time we fought side by side?"

"About 60 days ago?"

"I feel like you've always enjoyed fighting with humans."

"Perhaps. Because humans' greatest enemy is humans themselves."

I closed the diary, turned off the desk lamp, took off my glasses, and looked at the moon outside the window with my right eye. Being severely nearsighted brought about a blurry beauty. The comfortable moonlight bathed my wife without any hinderance. The small snakes in her hair and the tail hidden in the sheets seemed to be bathing in milk, like a dream in a light veil.

"Let's go to sleep."

"Okay."

Sasha hugged me from behind, her slender wrists outlining the sharpness of her bones.

Forging Roses, Six Holy Spirit, and the Border Army used to appear frequently in my nightmares, but not anymore. Instead of worrying about when I would die every day and night, it's better to live each day happily. At least dying with happiness is more comfortable than dying in misery. I have completely let go. My wife understands me. She believes that every day spent with me since waking up is like earning an extra day. This may be our last time together as a couple, so why not spend it happily?

Of course, now we also understand what the "dark future" in our vows referred to.

The next day, Night Fall Town deployed nearly two hundred fully loaded carriages, led by Simmon, Gray, and Wolfrang, heading towards the werewolf village. Gold coins, vegetable seeds, robust cattle and sheep, and the hope of survival all left this centuries-old little town.

Only Sasha, Nephila, Leya, and I remained in the bar of Night Fall Town.

Park burst through the door, grinning and throwing two rings at me. They were our blood rings, but Park had helped us engrave a line of small words on the inner side.

"Two against the world."