Chapter 23

“…Regret?”

Lavella, who gave Canpiden a soft smile, soon laughed leisurely.

“If you regret it, it’ll be difficult. You’re not anyone else, but you Canpiden.”

He had been with Kirah from the beginning.

He was also the first person who made her feel what a ‘comrade’ was like.

“But if you say you want to leave Kirah at any time, I won’t hold you back.”

“…….”

“It’s consideration for the time we’ve spent together.”

Unlike the others, he was particularly quiet and expressionless. 

Thanks to that, she had no idea what he was thinking.

“I care about you a lot even if I look like this.”

Lavella smiled and turned her head as if she had finished speaking, and walked to the water.

“……I see.”

Looking at her back, Canpiden gave a hollow smile.

It wasn’t that he liked it. 

It was a little funny for him to create another reason to be by her side when she said that she only cared about him.

“Are you going to stay here the whole time?”

Lavella, who filled the canteen with water, asked without turning back.

“I’ll go.”

Canpiden responded briefly and approached her.

Canpiden glanced down at Lavella’s face as they walked side by side.

“…….”

Then, he quietly withdrew his gaze from the tip of his straight nose.

He didn’t know when his feelings for her started but they were growing deeper and deeper.

~~~~

“Here’s some water.”

“Thank you.”

Upon receiving the water canteen, Dabel immediately took out some herbs, put them on the fire, and began to make something.

“What are you making?”

“Miss Lavella will take it. It will give you energy.”

“Ack, what are you putting in it?”

Lavella took interest and settled next to Dabel. 

Canpiden looked at the two of them for a moment and then headed to Iska, who was sharpening his sword from a distance.

“What is your relationship with the group that camped near Kuzne?”

“… Why are you suddenly curious about that?” 

Iska stopped his hand and raised his head.

“You don’t look like an ordinary mercenary.”

“I somehow met them by chance. Like him.”

Iska’s gaze stayed on Dabel and then turned to the blade of the sword again.

“Don’t worry. Lavella met them in person and gave them permission.”

“…….” 

“You didn’t come here out of curiosity. What is it that you want to say?”

Iska asked, turning his sword round and round at Canpiden, who kept silent.

“…….”

But he didn’t hear anything.

Iska noticed Canpiden’s eyes were glued to Lavella.

“Just so you know.”

Iska smiled and opened his mouth.

“I don’t play fair. I’ll win by any means possible.”

Finally, Canpiden turned to Iska.

“She’s not the kind of woman you can just afford to sit still and watch, right?”

“…….”

“I definitely warned you, no?”

Iska got up from his seat, grinning, and tapped Canpiden’s shoulder.

*   *   *

“I think we’re about halfway there now.”

Moot reported to Lavella after he finished checking the map.

“You’ve been a very useful boy, haven’t you?”

They took a different path to Kirah than they did to Kuzne.

Thanks to Moot’s knowledge of the terrain, Lavella’s map gained quite a bit more information than she expected.

“Miss Lavella.”

“Hmm?”

Lavella, who was looking at the map along with Moot, raised her head.

“I think I’m going to move separately from here. I want to stop by Promschel ”

“Promschel?”

“Yes, there are a lot of herbs that can only be obtained in this season. Now is the time.”

“If it’s Promschel, if you go by this route, you’ll get there in a day.”

Moot pointed at one side of the map with his finger.

“Hmm.”

Lavella furrowed her brows as if lost in thought.

“The top people of Imperia are often based in Promschel. More than half the medicine distributed in Imperia is produced in Promschel.”

It was a place she heard when discussing with Tora about becoming the top in Imperia.

“It is a place where technology has developed a lot, so there is a reason why large and major top performers have their bases of operation there.”

Medicine…

Lavella recalled the strange sensation she felt at the Kuzne weapon forge.

“Do you want to go with me?”

Noticing Lavella’s concerns, Dabel asked Lavella.

“Yes, I’ll have to tell Argen the news.”

Lavella nodded and immediately looked around for Iska.

“Are you looking for me?”

“Oh, Iska.”

Lavella, seeing Iska just behind her, closed her eyes.

“It makes me anxious when you pop up like that.”

“Let’s use the messenger bird.”

~~~~

“Since the sun has set, it’s best to arrange our accommodations first.”

Dabel sounded exhausted as he got off the horse.

“Alright.”

When Lavella, who nodded, bent her neck to the side, there was a cracking sound. It was after running the horse nonstop to save time.

“Are you tired? The lodging I frequent….”

“Dabel, the accommodation you choose is definitely a good place.”

“Oh, is that all right?”

Dabel’s face was filled with laughter at the straight-forward Lavella.

“I’ve been homeless for a few days, so I’ll take a rest. We’re people whose bodies are precious, right?”

“Yes…”

With a face of agreement, Dabel led the horse by the reins. It wasn’t wrong, and because of that, he was enjoying luxury, so there were no complaints.

Lavella was a strange captain who seemed to be obsessed with money, but also seemed very generous. She was as unique as his original master Iska.

“Hmm.”

Even though it was late, Lavela looked around the crowded village.

It was a splendid place as the center of trade in Imperia. She felt ashamed comparing it with the Calibel region where Kirah was located.

“It’s not close to the Imperial Palace, but if it’s this much… Hmm, how can I move the center of trade to Calibel?’

“Lavella, I can move my schedule freely afterwards, right?”

Iska suddenly intervened and interrupted Lavella’s serious worries.

“… Until tomorrow evening, you can spend your time as you like.”

The Lavella, who glanced lightly, clicked her tongue as if it were annoying.

“Then, Dabel. Take him.”

Iska then handed his horse’s reins to Dabel and blended into the crowd with a light step.

The disappearance from the back was very suspicious, but she didn’t feel like chasing him now. The first thing to do was to relieve the fatigue that had accumulated in her body. 

‘This was a problem at the blacksmith too.’

The feeling of being tired was unfamiliar.

Lavella pressed hard on her eyelids.

*   *   *

‘Hmm, I think it was around here.’

Iska, who wore a hooded cape and covered his face appropriately, turned to the entrance of the alley.

Unlike the center of the village full of bright light, it was a shady place with no people coming and going.

‘Ah, here it is.’

Iska, who searched through his memories, immediately knocked on the locked door.

When there was no response, whether there was a person inside, the power of his knock on the door became stronger.

Only then did the door slightly open.

“…Who is it?”

Eyes shined sharply in the dark.

“I have something I’m looking for.”

“…Come in.”

Iska smiled and disappeared into the darkness.

“What are you looking for?”

“I’m looking for a mana stone used to control magical powers.”

“…This way.”

The man who opened the hidden door took Iska inside. 

It was an exchange that only deals with goods that could not be obtained in the general market and could only be obtained secretly through dark routes.

In addition, it was a place where transactions were possible only when you knew exactly what you were trying to get.

“There are those that absorb magical power and those that amplify it.”

“No matter how much magical energy flows in from the outside, I want something strong enough to not have any effect on the body of the person who possesses it.”

“There is something available, but the price…”

“The price doesn’t matter as long as the quality is certain.”

Even a mana stone with little effect had astronomical prices.

Therefore, it was an opportunity to make a huge amount of money at once compared to the years of handling all kinds of miscellaneous contraband on this floor.

“I’ll prepare it for you.”

For the first time, the man’s words were changed to honorifics.

“The size is as small as possible to make it look like any other jewel.”

“…Come tomorrow morning.”

“If it’s not reliable quality, it’ll be a problem. You know what I mean, right?”

“Don’t worry, this is Promschel. If it’s not amazing quality we don’t sell it.”

Iska, who handed the man a gold coin pouch, quickly escaped the building.

A smile disappeared from Iska’s face as he glanced back at the closed door.

“It’s because a lot of mana was suddenly absorbed. In short, it’s like eating too much and getting a stomach ache.”

“Does that mean her body can’t handle it?”

“That’s right. A normal person like me doesn’t react when exposed to magic, but Miss Lavella’s body absorbs magic so it’s a problem.”

“What’s the possibility of this happening again?”

“I don’t think you have to worry. She won’t be exposed to this kind of magic again.”

Dabel would have affirmed that he knew nothing about Chamer, but Iska was still worried.

After all, the magic in Lavella’s body was Chamer’s, but he couldn’t understand the situation.

But, he couldn’t tell Lavella everything about Chamer.

He couldn’t hide it forever, it was a problem that had to be sorted out with Lavella at least.

‘Until then, it’s a temporary measure.’

No matter how much money it cost, it didn’t matter.

He never wanted to see her falling helplessly in front of him again

*   *   *

The next morning.

“What do you mean ‘out of stock’?”

Lavella, who was interested in looking at the herbs she saw for the first time, raised her head at Dabel’s loud voice.

Wearing a cloak hood, she had followed Dabel who went to a herbal wholesaler.

“Haa, I’m sorry, Dabel. This is the first time it’s happened to me in 20 years, too. Even if I want to, I don’t have any herbs to give.”

“What….”

“It’s absurd that the price has risen like crazy, but what’s funnier is that even if you bring money, there’s nothing to pay for it.”

“What’s going on? The supply of medicinal herbs isn’t even affected by the weather.”

“Maybe they’re conspiring at the farm… We’re just as frustrated as everyone else.”

“Farm?”

“Anyway, I’m sorry.”

“…….”

Dabel’s brows narrowed.

“It’s strange.”

“What?”

Dabel, who looked around at a few more herbalists with Lavella, tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand.

In the end, the two were on their way to meet the farmer who was close to Dabel.

As they left the village and headed to the outskirts, a wide herbal field spread out before them.

“The fact that there is no wholesale herbal transaction in Promschel means that there are no herbs to go all over Imperia.”

“…….”

The Lord of Promschel is very thorough. He’s not one to let such an unstable situation happen.”

Lavella was half listening to Dabel as they reached the farm.

“Hey, Pelme.”

“…Dabel?”

A man who had been gathered with the workers in the farm widened his eyes and ran out.

Rather than looking like he was welcoming a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time, he looked quite embarrassed.

“What brings you here?”

He looked around and seemed uneasy while he lowered his voice.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, but isn’t this reaction too much?”

It seemed Dabel felt the same way.

“Dabel. I’ll go to the accommodations you are staying in later, so you’d better go back….”

“Hey!”

“Ack.”

The man, who was in a hurry to kick out Dabel, closed his eyes and bit his lips as if frustrated.

“…What was that?”

Dabel and Lavella turned their heads toward the sound at the same time.

“I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?”

Looking at the uniforms they were wearing, it looked as if the soldiers belonged somewhere.

The man in the front stared at Dabel and Lavella alternatively.

“Show me your identification.”

“Oh, this is my old friend. I just stopped by on my way…”

“Don’t you know that you shouldn’t approach the farm without the permission of the lord?”

“!”

“We’re taking you into custody.”

The man shook his head.

“Hold on!”

Before Pelme could stand in front of Dabel, the soldiers grabbed their swords and surrounded Lavella and Dabel.

‘Lavella, what should we do?’

When he saw Pelme’s face, Dabel looked at Lavella uneasily.

‘I’m curious so let’s follow along.’

‘Okay.’

The two exchanged signals with their eyes and followed the lord’s soldiers.

~~~~

“Hmm. I wonder how I should give this to her.”

Iska was on his way out from where he ordered the mana stone.

Iska rubbed his sharp chin with a long finger.

There was a bracelet in his hand that anyone could tell belonged to a woman.

It was a cute design in which a bead-shaped gemstone was inserted into a string made by twisting a few thin strands of leather.

“…I think it should suit your taste.”

To be honest, he couldn’t picture Lavella as someone who would like to receive accessories as a gift.

It might have been better to make it into a weapon.

Not knowing what happened to Lavella and Dabel, he was having peaceful worries.

“Well, I’ll have to give it somehow.”

Iska threw a bracelet studded with an indigo blue mana stone that was too dark blue and almost black into the air.

It was time to go around the alley, he snatched the bracelet in the air and placed it in his arms.

“Hey, man.”

“!”

Someone blocked Iska.