CH 126

A small voice draws Riett’s attention to Kei’s face. His deep pumpkin-colored eyes peeked slightly beneath his eyelids. 

“Kei!” 

Relieved, Riett hugged Kei once again. K’s slender shoulders trembled faintly.

‘Thank goodness…’

Riett’s eyes welled up with tears. 

This complex feeling, which seemed like tears were about to fall, was close to guilt. While she blamed Perante for pushing Kei away, she had also been worried about herself, always more focused on passing the test than on Kei. She couldn’t let Kei give up the dagger. 

Of course, obtaining the spirit stone was important too. 

Perante planned to overthrow the current Truto Empire and establish a new nation, so they had to stop him. But in the process, Riett had neglected something crucial—she had put the test of the spirit stone above Kei and her grandmother’s livelihood.

Holding Kei tightly, Riett lowered her head. Kei’s worried voice reached her ears. 

“Sis……?”

She quickly composed herself and pulled away. Kei’s pale face had a subtle flush of color.

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“No… I’m a bit cold, but I’m fine. Are you okay too? Did you get hurt?”

Kei seemed concerned about Riett’s well-being, her expression showing signs of fatigue. To put him at ease, Riett replied in a brighter tone, 

“Yeah, I’m totally fine.”

Feeling relieved that Kei had regained her senses, Riett finally looked around. 

‘Where are we?’

It seemed like they had drifted quite far down the stream in a relatively short time. The dense forest of trees surrounding them made it hard to gauge their location. 

‘For now, let’s dry ourselves off.’

Kei’s lips quivered, and Riett could tell that if they stayed here for too long, their body temperature would drop dangerously low. 

“Stay here for a moment. I’ll go find some dry wood to make a fire.”

“But I…”

“It’s fine. I’ll be faster on my own.”

Kei, still a bit unsteady on his feet, reluctantly sat down. 

Riett roamed along the riverbank, collecting as many dry branches as she could find. However, it was evident that starting a fire with just branches would be difficult. She knew the friction method, but without the right technique, success would be elusive, and even if she managed it, it would take a considerable amount of time.

‘If only I could use Spirit Magic… I could easily light a fire with a snap of my fingers.’

As Riett thought about how she should treat Mishan better when they returned safely, she found a suitable stone to use as flint.

During her time at the noble school, Riett learned how to start a fire using rocks during hunting trips. Conveniently, she discovered several rocks by the riverside that were suitable for use as flint. 

Riett picked up two rocks and struck them together, trying to create sparks. Although a small spark did fly between the rocks, it was not enough to ignite the branches.

Feeling a bit weak, she tried striking the rocks harder, but the result was the same. 

‘This isn’t working.’

Riett thought, feeling puzzled and disheartened as she looked at the flint. That’s when Kei reached out her hand and said, 

“Give it to me, Sister.” 

Without saying a word, Riett handed the flint to Kei. 

Kei examined the flint carefully, then scraped one rock against the other, producing a considerably larger spark. Seemingly satisfied, Kei stooped down and struck the flint again, this time close to the firewood.

Impressively skillful, Kei’s actions surprised Riett. Suddenly, the fire ignited with a swift movement. 

Kei gathered some dry leaves from nearby and gently blew on the flames, stabilizing the fire.

Eventually, the fire rose as high as he had imagined. Riett watched the scene in a daze, and Kei seemed somewhat embarrassed as he explained, 

“Knowing how to start a fire is essential for herbalists. When you go up and down the mountains, the temperature can drop rapidly at night.”

“That makes sense.”

Riett replied, relieved that Kei could start a fire. She moved closer to the fire, and her body quickly warmed up. Kei seemed to be experiencing the same, as color returned to his previously pale lips. 

However, it wasn’t just his lips; his cheeks seemed to flush with color too.

As Kei gazed at the burning firewood, he touched his neck.

“Thank you, Sister. No, I should apologize.”

“Apologize? For what?”

“I foolishly stood near the railing and fell into the water.”

Riett paused for a moment. Kei didn’t seem to be blaming her, nor did he hold Perante responsible for pushing him into the water and disappearing with the dagger. 

Perhaps there was nothing that could change the outcome.

‘Kei seems more mature than me…’

Riett thought, concealing her bittersweet feelings as she spoke. 

“Still, I’m glad you’re safe.”

“If it weren’t for you, I would have drowned helplessly. I can’t even swim properly because of my leg.” 

Kei replied, gazing absently at the blazing fire.

Watching him, Riett wondered if Kei was recalling the moment when he fell into the water or if something else occupied his thoughts. Kei’s expression appeared quite serious, prompting Riett to place her hand on Kei’s shoulder.

“Kei…?”

Kei quickly turned his head. 

“Ah, it’s just an old memory that came to mind.”

“What memory?”

“I had forgotten, but once I climbed a mountain alone and almost fell off a cliff, nearly died.”

Riett’s eyes widened. 

“Wow, you must have been seriously injured!”

“Um… I didn’t get hurt at all.”

While it was fortunate, it was also quite astonishing. To fall off a cliff and not get hurt at all was remarkable.

“Someone helped me. It felt like something warm and comforting.”

“Something warm and comforting?”

“Yes… It might sound strange to call it ‘something,’ but it didn’t seem like a person.”

The description was quite abstract, and Kei’s eyes seemed distant for a moment. 

“At that time, the being that rescued me and I had a conversation, but it was such an old memory that I can’t recall it now.”

Scratching his head, Kei stood up. 

“Now that we’ve thawed and our clothes have dried, shall we head back? Grandmother must be waiting.”

Kei wondered how he would explain losing the dagger to her grandmother. 

On the other hand, Perante wouldn’t be concerned about Kei’s situation at all. He would be hiding somewhere, waiting for the moon to rise, driven by the desire to obtain the spirit’s name mentioned on the dagger.

‘Then Perante will get hold of the spirit stone.’

Just thinking about the mischief Perante would cause weighed heavily on Riett’s mind. Yet, deep down, she knew there was always a way out, and she believed there would be a solution this time too.

“Alright.”

Riett exclaimed, trying to sound enthusiastic, and stood up.

* * *

Riett and Kei retraced their steps back along the same path. Kei seemed able to walk without Riett’s support, but his steps appeared heavy.

‘He must be upset.’

Despite trying to hide it, Kei couldn’t even make a living, let alone lose the dagger. Riett couldn’t help but worry about how Kei and his grandmother would survive the winter.

Kei might be able to walk, but climbing up the mountain with his injured ankle would be risky. 

Riett sighed softly as she gazed at the setting sun. Ultimately, nothing remained in her hands. She couldn’t pass the spirit stone test, and she couldn’t protect Kei’s dagger.

As the cabin came into view, her heart sank even further. 

“Sister, are you going to sleep here again tonight?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I just plan to say goodbye to your grandmother and leave.”

The test would be over once the moon rose anyway, and they would return to where they originally came from.

“I see. That’s a shame.”

Kei’s words made Riett give a faint smile before she stood in front of the cabin. Before Kei opened the door, he turned to Riett and said, 

“I plan to tell my grandmother about losing the dagger as soon as we enter.”

“That’s probably for the best.”

It might be hard for Kei to relay this news, but if it was an unavoidable task, it would be better to get it over with quickly.

“I’ll get my things together and come down.”

“Sure. But before you leave, make sure to say goodbye, Sister.”

Kei tried to sound cheerful, and Riett nodded with a smile.

Once inside the house and up to the second floor, Riett gathered her belongings, which were small enough to be embarrassing to call “baggage.” She had expected to bring along expensive items from the mansion for such a test, thinking they might come in handy.

At least then, she might have been able to help Kei and his grandmother in some way. However, all that was in her bag were things like water, gloves, and matches.

Riett sighed with regret as she picked up the bag, and something slipped out of it and fell to the ground with a clatter. It was the spirit stone compass. She had forgotten about it while putting on her robe and placing it in the bag.

Riett squatted down and picked up the compass, holding it in her hand as she thought, 

‘Now this is also useless.’

The quest to find the spirit stone was now over.

She absentmindedly stroked the smooth surface of the compass, and faint red irises shimmered over the even surface. Her eyes widened in an instant as she realized something. 

‘Come to think of it…….’

The surface of the compass was made of platinum.

“If you can’t find the Spirit Stone, I’ll collect the full payment from you, alright? It’s quite expensive. The outer layer is made of platinum, you know.” 

Lucas had said when he handed her the compass.

In other words, even without the spirit stone radar function, the spirit stone compass was still valuable. 

Riett clutched the compass and hurriedly descended to the first floor. She opened the door, where Kei was having a serious conversation with his grandmother, and he seemed to be about to relay the news about losing the dagger.

“Wait a moment, Kei. I have something urgent to discuss, can you come outside with me?” 

Riett asked, her expression serious.

Curiously, Kei followed Riett outside when his grandmother gestured for him to go. Once they were a fair distance from the cabin, Riett stopped and presented the compass.

“What’s this?” 

Kei asked, peering at the compass curiously.

“It’s a compass, and the surface is made of platinum. If you sell this, you can get through the whole winter.”

Kei’s eyes widened. 

“No, I can’t accept it!”

“But you have to.”

Riett replied, mustering a lonely smile. Although she offered the compass as a solution, her heart felt heavy. It was like exchanging a large burden for another one.

Perhaps he didn’t even realize that she felt partly responsible for Perante’s actions.

So she wanted to apologize to Kei in this way.

The spirit stone compass was now useless, and she had intended to find another way to repay Lucas for it.

Riett reluctantly handed the compass to Kei. 

“If you don’t take it, I’ll just leave it here.”

“Why go to such lengths?”

“Just think of meeting me as a lucky chance.”

Even with her teasing tone, Kei’s eyes grew moist. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and looked at Riett.

“You’re like an angel who came down from the sky. I just happened to meet you, but you’ve helped me so many times…”

What angel? Haha.

Riett shook her head, feeling a bit embarrassed, but Kei spoke with a somewhat serious expression.

“When I look at you, I remember that presence that saved me when I fell from the cliff.”

Well, considering the context of being saved, it might be similar. Kei couldn’t even guess who the entity that saved him was, but then he exclaimed, “Ah!” and his eyes widened.

“I remember now!”

“Huh…? What is it?”

Kei’s eyelashes trembled with excitement as he continued, 

“The conversation I had with that presence! I completely forgot what was said, but suddenly, I remember!”

Riett looked puzzled by Kei’s sudden excitement and asked, 

“What did you hear?”

“Well, I asked that entity for its name first. I wanted to remember its name as a token of gratitude.”

“Then…”

“Yes. The entity told me its name.”

“Name…?”

Riett felt a bit hesitant and asked with a firm expression, 

“So, what was the name?”

Kei met her gaze. Under the darkening sky, his pumpkin-colored eyes sparkled vividly.

“It was Nylivian.”

Pff-!

At that moment, as if exploding in the air, a bright white light burst into Riett’s vision, filling her sight.