That night, while Verrier was resting in her assigned room, it happened.

Sofia visited her father's workshop alone, which was still lit.

Darius is staring intently at the necklace he received from Verrier, his face a picture of complexity.

"Darius."

"...Sofia? What's wrong?"

"Could you take a look at this?"

Sofia presented the recovery tool, the core of the broken barrier recovered from Tigress, to Darius.

Darius is holding it and staring at it intently.

"Is this a recovery tool? It looks quite old."

"It's absolutely necessary to regenerate the barrier... It's a bit important. Do you think you can repair it?"

"Hmm, I think it can probably be repaired. Let me take a look."

Darius nodded readily and immediately began to look.

His brow furrows slightly.

"...I see. Well, this is quite a spectacular mess."

"...Is it no good?"

"No, but the foundation is solid, so it seems like it could work with a little work. Just wait a moment."

Darius quickly brings what is needed and checks the recovery items.

Recovery tools also require writing down the spell after they're used, and Darius was currently in the middle of that process.

"Darius, thank you."

Sofia expressed her gratitude and then compared her father's works lined up on the shelf.

Broken media and Darius's healing items.

Comparing those two, it has equal or better performance.

Therefore, she thought that if she used this as a new medium, she might be able to regenerate the barriers in other regions as well.

Realizing the possibility, Sofia turned back to her father.

"...And, um, can I bring some recovery items? I mean, I will be using them as tools..."

"Huh? Oh, that's fine. Take as much as you like."

"Thank you."

Sofia then deftly selected several bracelet-type recovery devices lined up on the shelf.

As she picked them up, she could faintly hear voices from the recovery items. Sofia explained their uses to them, and then selected the children who seemed convinced.

It was almost simultaneous when Sofia finished choosing her spare recovery tool and Darius finished his work.

With a satisfying clink, the recovery item placed on the desk that had looked tattered just moments ago now emits a soft light as if it were a lie.

(...It's amazing, after all.)

Seeing Darius effortlessly perform a repair that seemed like a miracle, Sofia couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, it's done, it's done… Even so, to be able to repair something so good... Thank you, Sofia. I got to see something really nice."

"No, I was saved too. Thank you."

Darius yawned, stretching his stiff shoulders.

"Well, it's about time to rest."

It was just as Darius stood up to lock the workshop door that Sofia asked something she had been wondering about for a long time.

"Darius, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"...Why did you want to get that necklace from Verrier-sama? It seems like you didn't ask for any particular reward when you were with Aria and the others... Was it that good?"

At that question, Darius twitched for a moment and then stopped.

Then, he scratched his cheek and looked a little embarrassed.

"...No, not really."

Seeing his indecisive attitude, Sofia tilted her head again.

"Is something wrong?"

"...If it's just a misunderstanding, then that's fine, I guess."

After a slight hesitation, Darius began to speak slowly.

"It looked like that necklace was a burden for that person."

"...A burden?"

"I'm not entirely sure why the sword wouldn't respond. But I suspect it was because Verrier-sama's heart and body weren't in sync."

"Her heart and her body... In other words, she doesn't want to use that sword, or something like that?"

"I don't know. But I could tell that Verrier-sama... doesn't really like fighting. That's not necessarily a bad thing... but as a princess, it seemed like she was being forced to fight, or that she had to fight. That feeling somehow came across from the tools... and the necklace sounded like it was asking for help."

"..."

"I felt like the sword Verrier tried to grab was also saying, 'Do something, please.'... So, I just did what I could… First, I thought if I could just lighten the burden a little... but I don't know if that will work out."

Sofia was surprised by her father's keen eye.

Sofia also felt something similar as she traveled.

She realized in an instant that Verrier wasn't very good at fighting and didn't like it. The reason she could grasp that so quickly was probably because she had been working with tools from a young age.

"...I think so too. I don't think Verrier-sama actually likes fighting. But I think she's desperately trying her best. She has a position, and she's fighting out of necessity..."

"I figured."

Darius said this and then offered the necklace to Sofia.

"...When the time is right, could you return this to Verrier-sama? This necklace might not be relevant."

"...Darius, could you manage that for now? It's like a national treasure, and I don't want to keep it."

"Huh? Wait a minute. Maybe I should return it now after all..."

"No. It's not good if Verrier-sama starts thinking about things again."

"...Right."

Darius slumped his shoulders, but quickly looked up with a smile.

"It seems like things are quite difficult... Sofia, please be careful too."

At Darius's words, Sofia felt a warmth spread through her chest.

The opportunities for everyone around her to say it was natural for her to be able to do it because she was a saint were increasing.

Even difficult miracles, one would expect her to perform. But Darius is different. Not as a saint, but as his daughter Sofia, he worries about her from the bottom of his heart.

Those words were the happiest thing she could have heard.

That's why Sofia nodded with a smile, wanting to live up to Darius's expectations.

"Yeah, it's okay. We'll manage somehow. And Darius, don't push yourself too hard and break your body."

"...Oh, I understand."

After exchanging smiles, the two of them also headed off for their break.

Chapter 41