Chapter 65
The next day.
The group arrived at the Western Caravan’s location as planned.
They had caught up with the wandering caravan. Countless wagons and tents dotted the lush green plain, and they had to pass through another checkpoint before reaching it.
But they passed through the checkpoint without difficulty.
-Gasp, Your Highness…?
-We stopped by on our way back to the academy. We’ll be staying quietly for a while, so find us a place to rest.
-Y-yes, understood.
Lydia and the others were given the quietest spot available. It was an open area perfect for parking their carriage and resting.
Except Lydia, who had business to attend to.
The rest stayed near the carriage they’d ridden in.
After spending nearly a month in a big city overflowing with every kind of luxury, they seemed reluctant to visit another noisy, flashy place.
-Sightseeing again? I don’t know…
-I’m sick of crowded places now.
-I’m just going to rest in the carriage.
Lydia nodded. Mirian followed with a smile, carrying a large box on her back. The two of them vanished swiftly, like shadows.
-Rest well. I’ll be back soon, Morgan.
-Hmph… Whatever.
In that situation,
Morgan simply went out alone.
‘I was too busy chasing the Triangle of Desire around Saintroix with Lydia to look around much. This should be a nice way to kill some time.’
She wasn’t particularly interested in big cities or people-watching. But that didn’t mean she had no interest in anything worth seeing.
And there was another, bigger reason.
“….”
She still felt awkward around Artie and the others.
It would’ve been nice if Mirian were here, at least. But she’d gone along carrying the box, too. So Morgan felt out of place among Artie and the others, who chatted and played like childhood friends.
“Hey, Mave. Let’s race over there and back.”
“Why?”
“Just because.”
“That’s stupid.”
“So you’re not going to?”
“Let’s see… I’ll get there first!”
“Whoa?! That’s cheating!”
The two of them suddenly started running.
Aria waved and giggled.
-Have fun!
“….”
‘Those tagalongs have only known each other for a little over half a year. Why are they already acting like best friends?’
To Morgan, who had only one friend, their easygoing closeness was almost impossible to understand. Even with Lydia, it had taken everything they’d gone through together for Morgan to finally feel like they were comrades.
‘Though, if you ask whether Lydia and I are completely close now….’
Things were still a little awkward between them.
They hadn’t had enough time to calmly get to know each other.
“….”
Maybe…
Maybe another ten years or so.
Wouldn’t it take that long to truly understand someone?
‘…I guess we need another nine and a half years before we can say we’re really close. Honestly, even that feels uncertain. We might need to spend at least twenty years together before I can be sure.’
There was a lot to learn about someone before you could become close.
Favorite books
Preferred foods
Places they wanted to visit
Styles they often wore
Their handwriting
The scent they gave off
The thickness and length of their hair
How quickly their fingernails and toenails grew
The way they looked around while walking
And so on…
She still knew less than half of what there was to know about Lydia.
Morgan’s philosophy on human relationships was that they should be built with utmost care and precision. Not that she had any friends, of course.
That was why Morgan couldn’t understand Artie and the others.
Maybe that was why she had no friends, either…
But that wasn’t important right now.
“….”
Morgan glanced around.
The hill was covered in colorful tents. Even now, steam from bubbling magical reagents rose above them. In front of the tents, people were holding auctions.
Whether or not a red-haired little girl was watching,
everyone was enthusiastically going about their business.
“Our next item is five bottles of ‘Dream of the Night Dew’! We’ll start the bidding at ten Liang coins! The auction begins now! Number 11, ten! Number 34, twelve! …Number 14, seventeen! Seventeen! Any higher bids?”
People frantically raised their hands to bid on ingredients for their reagents. They watched those around them, trying to bid just enough to win.
“Seventeen Liang coins! Sold for seventeen!”
“Ah, I shouldn’t have bid one more.”
He regretted it with a sour look, but
even that was half the price it went for elsewhere.
“Our next item is two jars of ‘Swamp Fairy Moss’! We’ll start the bidding at twenty-one Liang coins! The auction begins now!”
“!”
This time, it was a quarter of the price.
Morgan was slightly tempted by the bargain.
“….”
‘No matter how high the bids go, they’re still getting these for about half the usual price. Processed materials you can’t get in dungeons seem much cheaper here….’
Could it be because the Alchemy Guild wasn’t involved in distribution?
They were trading at prices close to cost.
She had plenty of money.
The profits she’d earned running dungeons with Lydia had been enough to cover a year’s tuition at the academy. She still had so much left over that she could eat out every day.
“….”
She made her way toward seat number 21.
She raised her little hand,
and tried to join the bidding discreetly.
“Number 11, twenty-two!”
“Number 15, twenty-three!”
“Number 24, twenty-five!”
“Number 31, twenty-seven!”
“….”
“Twenty-seven! Twenty-seven, any higher bids?”
“….”
Hesitantly,
“….”
She raised and lowered her hand.
“….”
But…
it wasn’t easy.
She’d always hated drawing people’s attention.
“….”
Morgan’s hand froze.
Now that she was actually among so many people, she suddenly felt embarrassed about doing anything that might draw attention. What if someone saw her red hair and shouted, ‘Know your place, commoner!’?
Even though this was a kingdom, not a republic.
“….”
When she’d been disguised as ‘Radiana,’
she’d been able to shake off most of her embarrassment.
‘The disguise items I used in Saintroix were ruined during the fight… Next time I come somewhere like this, I should bring a big hood and a wig.’
Yeah, she should.
That was the sensible thing to do.
Drawing attention in a place like this would only be a disadvantage.
Thinking that,
she tried to lower her hand quietly.
At that moment.
Silver hair swished as someone came up beside her. Then a lively girl’s voice rang out. She waved her arm enthusiastically and called,
“Over here! Thirty!”
“?!”
“Yes! Number 21, thirty! Thirty, any higher bids?”
The auctioneer shouted.
“Sold for thirty! Please fill out your bill over there and collect your purchase!”
“!”
Morgan looked to the side.
It was Aria.
She made a sheepish face and said,
“Oh, did I bid higher than the original price? I don’t really know how auctions work, so I just bid more than everyone else.”
“….”
“What should I do…? Is there any way to cancel it?”
“…Why?”
“Yes?”
“Why did you help me?”
“Because you looked like you wanted to buy it. You kept raising and lowering your hand, so I thought you’d missed your chance.”
“…What about the other tagalongs?”
“Our lovely little Artie and Mave ran around for ages, then started taking a nap. I didn’t want to disturb them, so I came out for a walk.”
“….”
Morgan spoke bluntly.
“You didn’t need to help me.”
Aria smiled warmly and said,
“You helped me when I was in trouble, Morgan. Mave did, too, and Lydia goes without saying… I’m grateful to all of you.”
“….”
She was probably talking about the Hero’s exam. But Morgan had only done it because Lydia had asked her to. So she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
Even so, Aria continued.
“I don’t know what you think of me, but I consider you one of my friends.”
“….”
More than one friend?
That was a rather difficult concept.
Harder than the theory of compound mana.
“….”
Morgan hesitated for a moment. Then she abruptly turned her head and said,
“…Hmph. Not yet. It’s too soon to call us friends.”
“Oh, is that so? What a shame.”
“….”
Morgan rummaged through her pocket to pay for the auction. Aria watched, dazed, as the coins jingled in Morgan’s small hand.
“But…”
“?”
“Thanks to you, I got it for half price.”
“!”
As Aria beamed,
Morgan lowered her head and strode away.
“…Thanks, tagalong.”
“You’re welcome.”
Morgan wasn’t ready yet.
Her feelings about Lydia alone were already a burden. It was hard to make room for so many people in Morgan’s small, rigid world.
But…
“….”
Once in a while,
it wasn’t so bad.
“…Hmph.”
*
One of the largest tents.
The tent belonging to the captain of the guards protecting the master of the Western Caravan.
There, a secret meeting was taking place.
It was a rendezvous for the Ember Knights.
Julien, a short, brown-haired man, silently began picking up the many appraisal artifacts scattered around. He had finished a lengthy appraisal.
Then he looked up.
A golden-haired girl and a black-haired maid stood before him. They had come here to have the items in the large box appraised.
They were the things left behind by the ‘Bishop of Greed.’
Holy Vestments
Lion’s Shield
Cursed Staff
Every one of them radiated an extraordinary aura. But since they were connected to the Black Temple, Lydia couldn’t use them carelessly, so she had brought them here.
Julien gave his conclusion at once.
“Anyone can use them without issue.”
“….”
“….”
Then they fell silent, deep in thought.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Lydia felt a little relieved, but she was also curious.
What about them made them safe to use?
What unusual history did they have?
But she didn’t press Julien.
‘Even though he’s quiet as a stone, he never says anything unless he’s certain or it’s necessary. And when it comes to appraising artifacts and equipment, he’s the best in the world.’
A few minutes later, Julien spoke.
“An item from the age of Hero Ar’en, five hundred years ago. It isn’t evil.”
“….”
“That’s all.”
“I see.”
If he said so,
then that was that.
‘He might not know anything more, but at least he’s checked for every side effect he can confirm, including those involving the power of the Dark Realm.’
Unlike Beatrice,
Julien only gave truly certain conclusions, like this.
In return,
his words could be trusted absolutely.
For now, that was enough for Lydia.
“Thank you.”
“….”
Julien nodded.
“On your way to the academy?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The two nodded.
“…Then I shall take my leave. It was a pleasure to see you. I’m glad you’re safe. I’ll come visit again while we’re here.”
“All right.”
They shook hands and exchanged looks full of trust. They didn’t need to say a word to understand each other. They were the very picture of ideal comrades.
Mirian watched them with a wry smile.
‘They’re both as stiff as boards.’