Chapter 84

After the training session ended, I visited the training grounds of the Chevalier Order of Scheria. I wanted to ask about the forest near the capital, where I was planning to go tomorrow.

The knights should know the current situation best—though I came here in a rush, upon closer thought, I only know two people in the order. One is Deputy Commander Olivier, who should be stationed in Flaria, and the other is the Order's Commander, Veik, who should be traveling around various regions. —In other words, I don't know anyone here at all.

I hesitated to approach and speak to someone who was training, but with no other choice, I quietly approached a knight who seemed to be taking a break and spoke up.

"Excuse me, I wanted to ask about the forest near the capital..."

"Raura?"

Hearing my name, I looked up sharply. By chance, the person I had approached was Flor, the new magician who was supposed to be traveling with Veik.

Relieved to see a familiar face, I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.

"Ah! Good evening, Flor. You're back, then?"

"Yes, I haven't finished visiting all the regions yet, so I'm just taking a break."

Flor's smile was much gentler than the one in my memory. But that was only natural, as the Flor I knew had been possessed by the Demon King.

Still, the fact that Flor, whom I thought wouldn't be in the capital, was here suggested that perhaps—

"Hey, it's you!"

The voice I had been hoping to hear shook my eardrums, and I turned around quickly. There stood a sturdy man—Veik, the Commander of the Chevalier Order of Scheria.

"Veik! It's been a while!"

"I've heard from Olivier. It's good to see you're doing well."

I had been quite indebted to both Veik and Olivier, especially regarding the Flaria incident. However, with our busy schedules, we hadn't had the chance to meet, and thus, I hadn't had the opportunity to thank them. I bowed hurriedly.

"Thank you so much for everything."

Veik nodded silently with a smile, saying nothing. He truly exuded a warm, mature presence.

"So, what brings you to such a rough place?"

I opened my mouth reflexively to the question but then reconsidered.

The forest I was about to ask about was strongly linked to the capital's monster attack, and Veik had lost his right eye in that incident. I hesitated to ask him about the forest.

"Um..."

"What's the matter?"

Veik, looking concerned, peered at me. His right eye was covered with an eye patch.

Thinking such thoughts about the Commander of the Chevalier Order might be disrespectful. In "Last Brave," he had spoken of his injury as a badge of honor.

I took a deep breath and, trying to sound as natural as possible—though it was far from natural, given my thoughts—asked:

"Actually, I plan to visit someone living in the forest near the capital tomorrow. They will be guiding me, but I wanted to know the current situation. Have you noticed any changes in the monsters in the forest recently?"

Veik didn't show any particular reaction to my question but answered smoothly.

"Since the attack, we've increased patrols, but it's rare to see any monsters now. We have guards at the entrance, but we don't stop armed adventurers. ...Right?"

He looked at Flor for confirmation, who nodded with a smile.

Clearly, a strong bond of trust had developed between them over their long collaboration. Even in this brief exchange, I could feel the comfortable atmosphere between Veik and Flor.

"Of course, they would stop you if you were alone, but if you have a male companion, they probably won't. The forest isn't usually close to the capital, and the attack was an anomaly."

"Thank you."

According to Iris, two of her fellow disciples—likely the silver-haired and golden-haired young men standing beside Master Reinhardt—would come to meet us. They had been living in the forest and would naturally make protective poisons, but perhaps I didn't need to be overly cautious.

"Should we send a guard with you?"

"No! I can't impose that much!"

At the sudden offer, I shook my head hurriedly, and Veik frowned, looking displeased. He seemed genuinely concerned. While I appreciated and was grateful for his concern, I decided to leave before causing more worry.

I bowed deeply and took a few steps back from Veik and the others.

"Thank you very much. Please rest well. ...And you too, Flor."

Veik looked somewhat dissatisfied, while Flor nodded with a gentle smile. —Would that gentle smile fall into the hands of the Demon King a few years later?

I didn't know how or where the Demon King had possessed Flor after his resurrection. The uncertainty left me with no way to prepare.

As I left, I glanced back. They were already gone.

***

The next day, Iris and I waited at the capital's city gate for our escort.

I had brought recovery potions, antidotes, and a basket of pastries as a token of gratitude and apology for the sudden visit. Iris laughed, saying such things weren't necessary, but meeting the parents of a junior—though the relationship might be different, they were like family—was quite nerve-wracking.

"There they are! Leon! Sieg!"

Following Iris's voice, I looked up to see the silver-haired and golden-haired young men approaching, just as I had imagined. They were similar in build, but their appearances were designed to be contrasting.

The silver-haired young man with slightly droopy eyes and a gentle smile, and the golden-haired young man with upturned eyes and a stern expression. The silver-haired young man in white and the golden-haired young man in black. While not complete opposites, their features seemed deliberately designed to avoid overlap.

The golden-haired young man—Leon, I believe—ruffled Iris's hair roughly as soon as he reached her. Shaking her head, Iris exclaimed, "What's this?!" and pushed his hand away.

"Jeez, you're too hasty, you know."

"But I did say to call Raura and the others!"

"Still, it's too sudden!"

The argument between Leon and Iris resembled that of real siblings. While I didn't fully understand their relationship, it was clear they were close.

However, as Leon and Iris bickered, Sieg—the silver-haired young man—frowned slightly and gently reprimanded them.

"Hey, you're scaring Raura and Basilio. ...I'm sorry, we're being noisy."

"No, no, thank you for coming to meet us."

"We're the ones who asked for your help, so this is the least we can do."

Sieg smiled and narrowed his amber eyes into a crescent shape.

"Master has been looking forward to a proper conversation with you. He's probably fidgeting right now."

He said it in a light, melodic tone.

The image of the red-haired man—Reinhardt—came to mind. I was genuinely interested in him, the genius mentor of the prodigy Iris. He was likely an excellent alchemist.

Most importantly, the "amber" eyes shared by Iris and the others were the same color as the heroine's in "Last Brave."

It might be a mere coincidence, but perhaps I could trace the connection to the heroine through them.

As an alchemist and as Raura Ampeyr, I felt a restless excitement, stepping forward with the hope of discovering something today.