Chapter 79

"A...!"

The container in her hand made an unpleasant sound. She had slipped and bumped it against another. Hearing the sound, Iris and Basilio quickly came over.

"Raura, are you okay?"

"Sorry, I'm fine."

"That doesn't look like a 'fine' face to me. Hey, Basilio, don't you think so too?"

When Iris looked up at Basilio, he nodded deeply. Seeing the two juniors looking at her with worried faces, she felt ashamed of herself. She should be the one taking care of them, not the other way around. It was unbecoming of a senior to worry her juniors.

"You've been distracted ever since yesterday... I know it's not our place to say this, but..."

Since yesterday. The sharp observation made her heart skip a beat, but she quickly shook her head at Basilio, who frowned in pain.

"N-no! It's not your fault... I just have some personal worries. Sorry."

Despite her smile, the worried expressions on the two juniors' faces did not fade. The night before last, Arnold left the capital. The reason given was a large fire in the elf village. No further information was available, but that only made her speculate more. Was it due to Elvira's self-destructive illness, a monster attack, or some other cause? She found out about Arnold's departure yesterday morning and had been preoccupied with it ever since. But no matter how much she thought about it, she wouldn't know the truth. Still, she kept worrying and causing her juniors to worry too. To change the atmosphere, she called out to them in a higher tone than usual.

"Hey, why don't we go out in the capital today? We can see the recovery potions on the market. We might realize who actually needs the potions we make."

Iris and Basilio exchanged glances. They showed a moment of confusion but soon nodded vigorously.

***

The capital was as bustling as ever. She led the two juniors down the main street lined with stalls. Iris's eyes sparkled, and she laughed joyfully.

"Ahaha! So many people!"

Iris moved through the crowd, and Basilio and she followed her small back to keep her in sight. Suddenly, Iris stopped in front of a stall. The stall was filled with recovery potions, and the shopkeeper was a stern-looking man with a large scar on his face. Perhaps because of his appearance, there were few customers.

Iris approached the stall without hesitation, picked up the recovery potions with interest, and compared them to the shopkeeper's face.

"Hey! Did you make these recovery potions?"

"...What? No way. Miss, do I look like I can do such delicate work?"

"Aahaha, you don't."

Iris showed no fear even when the shopkeeper glared at her. She was either fearless or very friendly. She had quickly become close to Basilio and her, even though they had only met a few months ago. Besides, her master, Reinhardt, also had a sharp gaze, so she was probably used to stern faces. Iris continued chatting with the shopkeeper cheerfully.

Iris and Basilio watched from a distance.

"Iris has a natural talent, both in alchemy and in dealing with people."

"She's so innocent."

Iris laughed, and Basilio's eyes softened. His gaze on Iris was very gentle.

Basilio sighed and lowered his voice.

"To be honest, I was worried about getting along with Iris at first. But now, I feel like she's like a little sister. I can't just leave her alone, you know."

—Like a little sister.

She had felt the same watching them, but hearing it from Basilio himself was reassuring. Despite the age difference, they were still peers. She hoped they could support each other and grow together.

"I understand. Iris has a sisterly quality."

Iris had probably been pampered. The brief time she had seen Iris with Reinhardt made them seem like a close family. She glanced at Basilio beside her. The reason they looked like siblings might be due to Iris's sisterly nature, but also because of Basilio's natural "big brother" demeanor. Perhaps he had younger siblings.

"Do you have younger siblings, Basilio? You seem like a natural big brother."

"Yes, I have a younger brother and sister."

Basilio smiled wryly.

"Wow," she said, widening her eyes. Basilio's smile deepened.

"They're both very responsible, and I'm always told I'm not reliable. When I passed the exam, they cried more than I did."

She remembered the day of the exam results when Basilio had mentioned that becoming a royal alchemist was his mother's dream. She had been secretly worried about his relationship with his family, but it seemed his siblings got along well, which was a relief.

"Your siblings sound great."

"Yes, I need to work hard for them."

Basilio's brow furrowed. The stern expression she saw for the first time made her heart skip a beat. His words sounded more like he was pushing himself to the limit rather than motivating himself.

She remembered the days in Flaria when she had searched for the spirit's drinking water in vain. Louise's gentle reprimand came to mind.

Before Basilio pushed himself too hard, she needed to help him relax as a senior.

"Basilio, I think you're already working hard enough. Don't overdo it."

She took a few steps toward Basilio. The frown on his forehead disappeared, and he looked at her with wide eyes.

"Overworking can make you lose sight of everything around you. I've caused a lot of people to worry because of that. Since we've met, it's a kind of fate. Don't forget about me and Iris. If you need help, come to us."

"Right!"

Iris suddenly tackled her from behind. "Iris!" she called out, and Iris grinned, showing her teeth. Her carelessly tied ponytail swayed.

She remembered that on the day of the exam and the announcement, Iris had a very elaborate hairstyle, but recently, she often wore a simple ponytail or let her hair down. Perhaps someone else had done it for her.

As she thought this, a cute pink flower was presented to her.

"Here, Raura, a present! I got it from the lady at that shop!"

"Thank you."

Iris pointed to a small flower shop. The cute woman at the shop waved at them, and she nodded in gratitude. Iris was very good at making people like her. She took the flower, secretly impressed.

"Reinhardt also said, 'The biggest fool is the one who tries to handle everything alone without consulting others!'"

"Reinhardt?"

"My master!"

Basilio tilted his head, and Iris proudly puffed out her chest. Her presence brightened the atmosphere.

Just as she thought Iris had calmed down and they were about to continue looking at the stalls, she heard her name called from behind.

"Hey, Raura?"

She turned at the familiar voice. As expected, it was Lina-senior.

"Hello, Lina-senior."

Lina-senior smiled back. She instinctively ran over, and two unfamiliar faces appeared behind Lina-senior: a girl with colorful hair and a boy with a spiky hairstyle. The girl had a black base with red, blue, green, and yellow highlights. Her golden eyes and tall stature caught her attention.

"Senior, who's that girl?"

"Franka, she's your senior."

"Really? No way! She's so cute!"

Franka suddenly hugged her. The sudden physical contact made her freeze.

"Ah! You're so stiff! Even cuter!"

"Hey, Franka! You're making the senior uncomfortable! Let go!"

The loud voice of the boy made her eardrums vibrate. Franka was pulled away by the boy with the spiky hair, who must have been standing behind Lina-senior.

Lina-senior sighed deeply and stepped between the two and her. Then,

"Raura, this is Franka, and that's Tziril. They're this year's new recruits... and your peers."

Lina-senior nodded at Iris and Basilio, who were standing behind her. Franka and Tziril smiled at them. Their loud voices had already attracted the attention of passersby, but their friendly smiles were endearing.

Iris and Basilio stepped forward to greet them. Lina-senior extended her hand to the two juniors. This was probably their first time talking to Lina-senior.

"I'm Lina Bevershtam. Nice to meet you."

"Iris! And this is Basilio!"

Iris's bright smile and Basilio's modest smile. They greeted the peers standing behind Lina-senior.

As the four juniors began to chat, Lina-senior leaned in close. She was pulled to the side of the road by Lina-senior, who grabbed her arm.

"Raura, have you heard about Arnold? He rushed out the night before last..."

Lina-senior's words made her heart skip a beat. She nodded awkwardly.

"Yes. I heard about the fire in the elf village... Is it his hometown?"

"I haven't heard the details yet... But I think you'll receive a message soon."

"Me?"

Lina-senior's words made her tilt her head. Why would she receive a message instead of the capital? It must be related to Elvira.

Just as she was about to ask Lina-senior, Franka's high-pitched voice interrupted.

"Wait, really!? Raura is so talented!"

Franka's voice made her jump. Iris and Franka were talking to each other. They seemed to get along well.

"Franka! Your voice is too loud!"

Tziril, the model student, scolded Franka.

"Your voice is louder, Tziril!"

Iris laughed innocently.

"Hey, everyone, we're attracting attention..."

Basilio, the sensible one, was the one who had to deal with the situation. The variety of new recruits was impressive, and she felt both sympathy and admiration for Basilio.

"Really, this year's new recruits are very energetic."

Lina-senior chuckled. She sighed inwardly, realizing the topic of Arnold had been sidetracked by Franka's voice. It wasn't good to speculate about things without Arnold being present. She concluded that a message would come eventually and nodded at Lina-senior's words.

"Kiera, who Chelsea is in charge of, seems to be a quiet one."

The unfamiliar name made her recall the last of this year's new recruits. She remembered a girl with glasses who seemed quiet.

"Yes. We should also study hard to keep up with our juniors."

She watched the four juniors, who seemed to have become close. It would be nice to have a joint training session with the peers someday.