51 – Friends (2)

When we arrived at Rigbed, we got off at a street lined with shops.

It was not yet noon, so I thought I could go around a little leisurely.

Lyria looked around with a tense face.

“Lyria?”

“Oh, yes?”

I handed the paper with the list of ingredients for the quick-acting Griffon Potion to Lyria.

“We have to save it by today. If we can’t find one, we have to starve dinner together.”

She glanced over the list and nodded.

“Yes!”

On the narrow road, people from various classes, such as nobles, knights, drunkards, priests, and herbalists, passed us by within arm’s reach.

Rarely do I see girls my age. Most of them are dressed up fancy and are accompanied by several escorts.

She frowned slightly as she compared her outfit to the girls passing by.

Compared to them, Lilia was dressed very plainly.

Even the slightest shoulder contact with passers-by made her flinch.

Moreover, because of his thin body, he was easily pushed out by the crowd.

“it’s okay?”

“yes… It’s okay, it’s okay.”

The original plan was to split up with her and get the materials separately, but looking at her condition, that doesn’t seem to be the case.

There’s no guarantee that there won’t be any strange people among this large crowd, so it’s a bit uneasy to let her do activities alone.

“Lilia. Grab my collar.”

“Yes?”

“If we split up here, we will be lost right away, so hold on tight and don’t let go.”

“Ah, yes!”

She gulped and grabbed the hem of my shirt.

I made my way through the crowd and went forward. I looked around at Lyria, who was following me several times with anxiety. If you touch it, it seems like it will be washed away by the waves.

“… Hold tight.”

She seems to be worried about damaging my clothes, but she is wearing only her index finger.

Frustrated, I grabbed her wrist.

Lyria flinched at this. Even if it’s embarrassing, I can’t help it. This is far better than making a lost child.

I led her out into the street.

***

Silverin stood by the window and looked down quietly.

Three carriages from the north parted through the courtyard of the mansion and entered slowly. They didn’t come to ask how Silverine was doing, nor did they come to celebrate Gale’s Eternia entrance ceremony.

They came to tell the obituary.

Following Northern tradition, Silverin did not welcome them.

My heart sinks heavily. how many times I can’t even remember now

I didn’t want to face this, so I went down to the distant Wiesel. The northern part appears out of nowhere and catches her ankle.

The butler came out to meet and guided the northern envoys inside.

Silverin drew the curtains and changed her clothes.

After a while, wearing an achromatic dress with no decorations, she went down the stairs to the drawing room.

When I opened the door, the seven envoys who were waiting first got down on one knee and bowed.

“Meet Archmage Silverin.”

She said in an emotionless dry tone.

“Come on, sit down.”

Silverin sat down first, and Volkan, the head of the delegation and the aide-de-camp of Marshal Varianne, came forward and sat across from her.

Silverin’s focus was somewhat blurred.

The work of the North was to be done in the North. Few people were important enough to tell her the obituary in person.

Kaedwen.

News of his disappearance had already been heard.

He was a human being who was nicknamed immortal by overcoming death dozens of times. All northerners, including Silverin, believed in it. Kaedwen would surely reappear alive.

But this time it was different. The North took Kaedwen’s life as well as many of Sylverin’s comrades.

The North is such a place. Unsalted geniuses, heroes, and characters in legends and myths also lose their lives in vain.

There was only heavy silence in the living room. Silverin spoke first.

“It wasn’t just a disappearance.”

Volkan nodded with a stiff face.

“We found some of Kaedwen’s remains near the Palangka Basin.”

According to Volkan, what was found was the left wrist and right arm. Right leg grotesquely twisted. The remaining remains are still being searched for, but it is said that there is a high possibility that they will not be able to find them because the place is infested with Demonic Beasts.

Even the slightest hope was gone. The fate of the swordsman whose limbs were cut off on the battlefield was obvious.

After a long silence, Silverin suddenly stood up and headed for the window. She turned her back on the delegation and spoke with difficulty.

“I saw him graduate and attended his wedding.”

Kaedwen’s death was a great pain to both the Northerners and the Silverins.

He was Silverin’s younger brother in Eternia and a comrade who defended the northern front together.

He lost his parents to the Witchbeast when he was young and grew up struggling as an orphan. Thanks to his natural talent for swordsmanship, he entered Eternia and even completed Masters Class.

If there was a vacancy in the position of sword master, which was only allowed for ten people in the entire continent, Kaedwen would fill the position, he was the best.

Silverin closed her eyes tightly.

There was no end in sight. How much longer will it take to end this tragedy?

It’s a cruel fate. The young man who burned his body to prevent the repetition of the tragedy that took away his parents passed away just like his parents.

“In Kaedwen-sama’s will, there was a request to convey to Silverin.”

Northerners have always been like that. I did not know when I would die, so when I reached the age to go to the battlefield, I wrote a will in advance.

“He asked me to find a new owner for these things and pass them on.”

The envoy behind Volkan placed a long wooden box on the table.

Silverin slowly looked back.

Volkan opened the wooden box. It contained the sword and artifacts used by Kaedwen.

“… Why don’t you give it to your wife or children and to me?”

“He wanted to find someone who would follow his will in future generations and pass it on to them. He said that finding a successor would be left to Silverin-sama’s discernment.”

“… .”

She looked at the keepsake with helpless eyes.

Kaedwen’s death was painful in itself.

And on the other hand, I was confused because I couldn’t accept it as it was.

Kaedwen reminded me of a boy she had with her.

Every time I thought of Kaedwen and the boy, my heart ached even more.

Maybe he too will face the same fate. Could it be that he dragged the boy into the turbulence?

She remained silent for a while, then spoke softly.

“Take it on the road. Because there is no one to tell it to.”

***

I cradled a pile of herbs in one hand and sat down at the fountain in Rigbed Square. Soon after, Lilia also sat with me on her shoulders.

He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and checked the herbal list. I got most of the things I needed, but there were also herbs that I couldn’t find no matter how much I searched.

“’Puglish Tears’ doesn’t come out until the end.”

It seems like a nickname derived from a folktale or legend. Or are they really the tears of an unknown demon? Even when I searched all the herbal stores, everyone told me that it was a first-timer.

Lyria said carefully.

“I… I don’t think it’s an herb.”

I have a similar thought.

“I’ll ask the magician for the rest.”

We approached the carriage waiting in one corner of the plaza and loaded all the herbs we had obtained.

It didn’t take that long, and the sunset hadn’t even set yet.

I had a lot of money and time left since I got the money left over from the last time I got the wooden sword back, and the donations from the Wizel Knights came in, but I didn’t want to waste it.

“Now let’s go to our next destination.”

Lyria’s eyes shook at the words to move.

“there… .”

She hesitated for a moment.

“If you leave now, won’t you come back to the plaza?”

“Um, maybe.”

“I… There’s a place I’d like to visit around here. Can you spare a minute?”

“… ?”

Seeing my questionable appearance, she said restlessly.

“It really, really only takes a moment… . Hey, if it bothers you, I’ll go alone.”

The troubled look is a bit pitiful. It’s okay if I just ask lightly.

“There is nothing wrong with it. let’s go together.”

Then her face brightened.

“Yes! Let’s go. This way!”

The place where Lilia took me was a large clothing store.

What is this? Her face is more energetic than usual.

When I saw it, I burst out laughing.

Then it is. Lilia was also a teenage girl who liked pretty clothes and accessories just like everyone else.

She opened the store door, entered and quickly made her way to one of the clothes on display.

It seemed that there were clothes that he had already paid attention to since he had come before.

There was also men’s wear, but it seems to focus on women’s wear. I waited for a while at the entrance.

Inside, noble ladies and noble ladies were looking at the clothes on display.

A mature man who looked like a caretaker stood upright with his hands behind his back and approached Lilia. Then, he quietly glared at Lyria.

Lillia spoke to the elder first.

“Yeah… May I try this on?”

The dress she chose was a purple linen one-piece dress with no flashy decorations. It felt like a normal day, but it was quite old-fashioned.

The older man looked at Lilia’s outfit and spoke in a firm tone.

“I’m sorry, lady, but our store only provides clothes to those who are members of the Lark Club or who meet the noble qualifications.”

Do you look for qualifications to buy clothes? I wish I was a little too much.

At this, Lilia was very drunk and said.

“oh… . yes… .”

The noble ladies secretly looked at Lilia and put a sneer on their faces.

It’s not a very nice look.

I walked with my hands behind my back and put my hand on Lilia’s shoulder as she tried to turn around and stopped me.

Then he asked the old man.

“I have a question, but can I ask you a few questions?”