STGAAB Novel MTL - Chapter 776
Chapter 776: 13th Month (3)
The outing with Missha was quite different from the one with Amelia. There was a pre-planned schedule and it was quite packed, starting from the very beginning.
“Wake up!!”
First, I was woken up at 7 AM (forcefully). After washing up and changing clothes, I was given only 20 minutes to get ready and head out. Barely managing to meet the tight schedule, we finally stepped outside, and Missha looked at me blankly for a moment.
“……Are we going or not?”
“Wait… just come here for a second! Wow… Now that you’re shorter, I can see your face!”
“……Huh?”
“Usually, from this angle, I can only see your chin. Hehe.”
Missha, who smiled in satisfaction, immediately led me to the city wall.
“Hurry up! The carriage is waiting!”
Apparently, she had reserved it ahead of time. The carriage was waiting for us on top of the wall, and we boarded it to cross over. Normally, these wall carriages were used for military purposes only, but with permission, they could be used by civilians. Since Districts 7 and 8 were in such chaos, carriages couldn’t pass through the city center. Even if it took a slightly longer route, crossing over the walls was much faster. It felt like riding on a highway. The actual travel distance might have been longer, but without pedestrians or obstacles on the wall, we could travel faster, avoiding traffic congestion……
“…Can I sleep for a bit?”
“Sure, I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
Luckily, I was allowed to sleep during the ride, and by the time I woke up from hunger, we had arrived in District 5.
“Hehe, I figured you’d wake up from hunger around this time.”
“……Are you a shaman or something?”
“What are you talking about? Now get off! Let’s go eat meat first!”
Though we were still in District 5, Missha had taken me to the eastern part of it. Unlike the western side that bordered District 4, this area had far fewer remnants of the war. The roads were relatively clean, and the buildings were still intact.
‘Well, I guess it makes sense since Gnome Tree is to the east……’
As I followed Missha, lost in thought, it didn’t take long for her confident stride to slow down.
“Um… It should be around here……”
“Wait, don’t tell me you’re lost?”
“No, it’s just there are so many people……”
“What’s the address?”
After hearing the address from Missha, I took on the role of guide.
“If it’s in the 300s on Raymond Street… it should be that way.”
We arrived at our destination within five minutes after I started giving directions, and Missha let out a exclamation of admiration.
“Bjorn, I guess you’re really good at finding your way, even in the city?”
“…I’m at least not bad at it. I even took pathfinding lessons from Rotmiller… Ah……”
As I trailed off mid-sentence, Missha looked flustered, as if she had made a big mistake. It seemed she thought she’d said something wrong……
‘This is getting awkward.’
She had probably brought me out here to cheer me up in her own way.
“It’s fine. Let’s go in quickly. I’m starving to death. Thanks to you getting lost.”
“Ah… Yes! Let’s go in! I’ll treat you to everything!”
As we entered the restaurant Missha had found, to my surprise, I immediately recognized someone at the entrance.
“Mrs. Bear……?”
“Huh? Who… Ah?!”
The woman, who had been checking the counter, looked at me with confusion before her eyes widened in recognition.
“Y-Yan—.”
“Shh.”
“What’s going on? You’re so much shorter, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“There’s a magic tool for that. But what are you doing here……?”
“Oh! This is a friend’s restaurant. They needed help, so I’m working here during the festival.”
“What about Abman?”
“Of course, he’s helping out too. They need people in the dining hall as well. He’s out getting some supplies right now, but you’ll probably see him if you stay for a while.”
“I see……”
Well, raising three kids must require a lot of money. From what I heard, they lost their entire store due to the aftermath of the war, and the labyrinth is also closed as well.
‘Even so, for a Rank 3 explorer to be doing odd jobs and waiting tables……’
Well, at least there won’t be any rowdy drunks causing trouble.
“Take a seat over there. It’s a bit tucked away, but it’ll be the quietest spot.”
“Thanks for the consideration.”
After guiding us to our seats, Mrs. Bear didn’t take our order and just walked away.
“About the order……”
“It’s fine. I’ll bring it to you. Don’t worry about the cost.”
“Huh? But……”
“I owe a big debt this time. If you’re grateful, please repay it to Mr. Parav.”
“Um… Alright……”
Missha seemed a bit down since she had planned to treat me, but there wasn’t much we could do this time. Refusing this kind of gesture would likely just make them feel more uncomfortable.
“…Don’t worry! I’ll definitely pay for the next place!”
“Sure, sure.”
While waiting for the food, I casually brought up the topic with Missha.
“Is this the place you wanted to come to?”
“Yes. It’s one of them, I suppose?”
I couldn’t help but smile at her nonchalant reply.
“Why here, where Abman works?”
“Well, I figured if we’re out having fun, it’d be nice to see some friends too, right?”
It was the kind of answer someone like Ainar, the ultra-extroverted barbarian, would give…… Well, Missha’s a bit of a social cat herself.
“Oh, you’re really here?”
Just then, Mr. Bear returned, bringing a spread of dishes to our table. The meal, which seemed to target my taste with over 80% meat, seemed a bit too much for just two people……
‘Would it be too greedy if I asked for this much again?’
Tsk, if I were the one paying, I would have ordered without any hesitation.
“Abman, if you’re not too busy, why don’t you sit down with us?”
“Hmm… I’m fine with taking a break from work, but… are you sure that’s alright?”
Mr. Bear glanced cautiously at Missha, and she happily gave her approval. And so, the meal and drinks began. Naturally, the conversation turned to the war, and more specifically, Sven Parav.
“You might have your own thoughts, but Parav, that guy’s the real deal. From what I heard, he stayed behind at the temple to buy time, letting everyone else escape…… Could an ordinary person make such a decision?”
The way Mr. Bear praised Sven Parav made him seem like a completely different person. I’ve heard this story several times already, even from his own mouth, but……
‘He’s not the type of person to do that… What got into him that day?’
Even after hearing it multiple times, I couldn’t help but be skeptical. But when I thought about it, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
People change. I know I’ve changed a lot already.
“Seeing the three of us together like this reminds me of the old days. You should’ve brought Ainar along too.”
“Ainar? Ainar is too busy these days.”
“She’s… busy? With what?”
“Um… I heard she’s writing an autobiography or something?”
“…………Ainar?”
Mr. Bear’s expression mirrored mine in disbelief.
“Missha, what are you talking about?”
I asked again, as this was news to me, and Missha answered with what little she knew.
“I’m not sure either…… But after the war, she seems to have had some personal realizations…… She kept saying memories fade over time, so she needed to record them while they were still fresh……”
“I, I see……?”
Once again, both Mr. Bear and I wore the same expression. We didn’t fully understand, but perhaps that’s exactly why it made sense. It wasn’t strange for Ainar to do things that made no sense to us.
“Ahem… well, at least it seems Ainar’s developed enough skill to write an autobiography now.”
This guy, even if he were to die soon, wouldn’t say he wants to read it when it’s finished. Not that I would, either.
“Oh, but even if Ainar couldn’t come, I did invite someone else.”
“…Huh?”
“If you’re wondering who, well……”
“Who else would it be but me?”
Ah, that startled me.
“Raven? What are you doing here?”
I widened my eyes as I turned to see the small wizard who had suddenly appeared beside our table. My reaction was understandable, as I hadn’t been able to contact Raven at all since the war ended.
“Miss Karlstein invited me. I thought I could use a change of pace. It’s also festival season anyway… Mind if I join?”
“Ah, of course. Oh, it’s been a while……?”
With my permission, Raven sat next to Mr. Bear and smirked.
“Why are you being so awkward?”
“Ahem…… Who’s being awkward……”
Well, it must have been a long time for these two. Since the party split up, Raven had mostly been in contact with me. But while they hadn’t been able to meet privately, did they know about each other’s recent situations?
“Is life in the Magic Corps good? I heard you’ve earned the title ‘Golden Wizard.’”
“No, it’s awful. Why is it that the moment I joined, all sorts of disasters happened? Honestly, I want to quit every day, but I’m holding on just out of a sense of responsibility”
“I see……?”
“What about you, Mr. Urikfried? The Golden Tree Clan is supposed to be pretty reputable, isn’t it?”
At Raven’s comment, Mr. Bear hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly replied.
“Oh… The clan……? Right…… It’s a good clan……”
His strange tone caused everyone at the table, including myself, to tilt our heads. Something felt off about his words……
‘What’s going on? Is there trouble with his clan?’
I didn’t know, but I chose not to ask. If he didn’t want to talk about it, it was better to wait for him to bring it up. From the looks of it, Raven and Missha seemed to agree.
‘Good thing Ainar isn’t here……’
If Ainar were here, she would’ve bluntly asked without any regard for tact. Then again, she probably wouldn’t even have noticed something was off in the first place, I guess?
“By the way, Raven, what have you been up to? It’s been impossible to see you.”
I quickly changed the subject, realizing the atmosphere might grow awkward if it continued as it was.
But……
“Oh, me? My master passed away, so I’ve been busy sorting things out.”
……Shit.
‘What the hell.’
It was like stepping on a mousetrap while trying to back away, but I resigned myself to it.
‘Right, we’re not strangers after all.’
Both with Mr. Bear and Raven. This kind of tiptoeing around just didn’t suit me. It even made me feel sad, as though our bonds had somehow grown weaker.
“…First, let me offer my condolences.”
Following my lead, Missha and Mr. Bear each expressed their condolences as well, and that was that.
“But if something like that happened, you could have told us sooner.”
“Eh, it wasn’t exactly a happy occasion, so why bother? And Mr. Yandel, you didn’t really like him, did you? My master.”
“…I didn’t dislike him.”
But that definitely doesn’t mean I liked him.
‘The old man had an oddly suspicious obsession with evil spirits……’
Anyway, since the topic came up, Raven decided to share a bit more detail.
“This last war was really big, right? The royal family even drafted the wizards from the Magic Tower into the military….. Well, it’s not exactly unusual. That’s how it happened.”
A brief explanation, as if she didn’t want to elaborate.
“I see……”
Regardless of whether our relationship was good or bad, hearing about someone’s sudden passing still felt strange.
No matter what kind of person he was to me, he must have been important to Raven.
“Anyway, after my master passed away and left the master’s position vacant, things got really hectic. So, I apologize for not visiting you sooner.”
“No need to apologize. The ones left behind are always the busier ones.”
“Haha, that’s true……”
Raven forced a bitter smile, then downed her drink in one gulp. She leaned forward over the table, bringing her face closer to mine, and spoke.
“By the way, speaking of which, Mr. Yandel.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you need a wizard?”
……Why has the conversation suddenly turned to this?
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