Ariel Robeheim (2): My Friend, the Magician
Now that she had turned ten, Ariel Robeheim still found playing with Edgar to be the greatest delight. What was truly unusual, however, was how little he ever did to earn that interest. It was always Ariel who reached for him first. He simply existed in the same places at the same times, and her only task was to seek him out with something intriguing enough to catch his eye. A thirsty person digs their own well, they say. That perfectly described the two of them.
Though the same age as Ariel, Edgar possessed a quietly mature side. He enjoyed spending time alone without complaint and never grew bored simply because he lacked someone to talk to. He merely never turned away those who approached him and would readily join in whatever game the other person suggested. That was precisely why their relationship worked so well.
“Ed! Let’s go to the mountain today!”
“The mountain? All of a sudden?”
“Yeah!”
Ariel had only recently learned that wild strawberries grew in the mountains. The cold climate of her region made them rare, and none had ever been offered among the tributes to her family. That alone had sparked her curiosity.
“Why do you want to go to the mountain?”
“Shephy said strawberries might grow there.”
“Wild strawberries? Well, I suppose it’s possible.”
The region of Ardenum where Edgar lived had far more distinct seasonal changes than most of the North. Because of that, they could cultivate fruits difficult to grow elsewhere in the North and profit by selling them. If that was the case, wild strawberries might very well exist there too.
Still, one question remained.
“But wouldn’t they sell them somewhere? Why go all the way up the mountain?”
“Wouldn’t it be more fun to find them ourselves?”
“Hmm. You have a point.”
For a child, fun was the most important factor of all. Given her family’s status, she could have simply ordered the servants to place wild strawberries on the dinner table and they would have appeared at once. But what enjoyment would there be in that? That was the heart of what Ariel was trying to say.
“So we’re going, right?”
“Sure. The problem is the guards.”
Invisible escorts constantly watched over Ariel, ready at any moment. They rarely entered the mansion itself, but whenever the two children played outside, the guards remained hidden nearby, never taking their eyes off them. If the pair were to suddenly vanish, the resulting uproar would be tremendous.
Yet Ariel’s expression brimmed with confidence. Her nose tilted skyward as though she had already accounted for this very problem. Did she have some clever plan?
Edgar tilted his head.
“It’s fine! The guards are gone today.”
“…Gone?”
Why? Edgar stood stunned, mouth agape as if someone had struck the back of his head with a club. Of course guards were human too; they could take leave or step away for personal reasons. But to leave the sole daughter of a grand ducal house without any replacements? Lady Helene was hardly the type to overlook such a lapse in caution.
“I did a good deed recently, so Mother said she would grant me one wish. I asked for this!”
“…You asked her to remove the guards for a day?”
“Yep!”
That explained it. If Helene had been in her right mind, she would never have allowed such a thing on her own. The true source of this madness stood right before Edgar’s eyes.
“And Lady Helene actually permitted it?”
“She did. That’s why I’m telling you.”
“Ah.”
That made sense. Edgar nodded quickly, letting out a small sigh. It was true that the presence of guards had always limited where they could go. He still remembered being stopped the last time they tried to head for the mountain. Even so, he had never imagined Ariel would request their complete removal. Wouldn’t it have been better to ask in a different way?
“If that’s what you wanted, couldn’t you have just asked them to stay back and stop interfering?”
“…Huh?”
“It’s true.”
The guards themselves were not the real issue. The problem was how they restricted the range of play the two children could enjoy. In truth, that only felt like a problem from Ariel’s perspective; most others likely would not have minded. Edgar himself had never particularly cared.
So it would have been wiser to keep the guards for safety while simply asking them not to meddle. Though clever, she was still a child, and the thought had not occurred to her.
“E-Ed, are you a genius?”
“You’re the idiot here, you idiot.”
“Hmph! Why am I an idiot!”
Strictly speaking she was not an idiot, merely a young noble lady who bounced between foolishness and brilliance. In any case, the biggest obstacle had been cleared. All that remained was to prepare for the mountain.
Edgar calmed the fuming Ariel beside him and headed straight into the mansion. He could only hope the outing would pass without incident. Already his worries towered like a mountain.
I should have just stayed comfortably inside the mansion.
That was the first thought to cross Edgar’s mind as he led Ariel up the mountain path. All this suffering just to find a single wild strawberry. He possessed no proper knowledge of where they grew, either.
“Ed! Can I eat this mushroom?”
“Hey, hey! Don’t touch that!”
On top of everything, this young noble lady found every plant and fungus on the mountain fascinating. She tried to touch everything she saw, leaving him no moment of peace. Earlier he had noticed her bulging pockets, pressed her about it, and a poisonous mushroom had tumbled out.
At least it was one I recognized.
Had it been unfamiliar, he would have discarded it immediately. Without reliable information, taking random plants from the forest was dangerous.
“Ed, what kind of tree is that?”
“That one? Looks like a chestnut tree.”
It was a little far to be certain, but the shape of the tree and the upright catkins suggested a chestnut. Ariel let out a small cry of wonder and scampered toward it. Beneath the tree lay a single burr that had not yet fully ripened.
“This is a chestnut? It looks so weird.”
The chestnuts Ariel had seen before were cute, round, brown nuts. This one, however, bristled with thorns like an angry hedgehog, completely different from what she knew.
“What you’ve seen before was probably the nut inside. Don’t touch it carelessly.”
“Hng… but I’m curious……”
“You’ll get hurt.”
Edgar could already picture her crying and scolding him if she pricked her hand, so he refused her firmly. Still, she seemed terribly curious about what lay beneath those thorns. Before long she had picked up a twig and was poking at the burr.
Watching her, Edgar gave a wry smile, set down the bag he carried on his back, and opened it.
“Hehe, so you’re going to show me after all?”
Her sulking forgotten in an instant, Ariel rushed over and clung to his side. She only has sharp senses when it suits her. Yet that very quality was part of the girl’s charm.
“Just this once.”
“Ed’s an idiot. You always say ‘just this once.’”
Idiot, idiot. Ariel muttered the word repeatedly while watching his every move with keen interest. Edgar pulled out a pair of gloves. They were not thick enough for heavy labor, but perfect for this task. He had brought them just in case, never imagining they would prove useful. Preparation truly was everything.
“See? It looks like this.”
He split the burr open. Inside, nestled like babies in a cradle, were two chestnuts sleeping peacefully, quite unlike what Ariel had imagined. Edgar peeled away the outer shell as well and showed her the real thing. The girl who had been smiling brightly suddenly stared at him instead of the nut.
“Why are you looking at me? Look at the chestnut.”
“Hehe. Ed, you seem like a wizard.”
“A wizard? I can’t even use magic.”
Dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand, Edgar stood up. Ariel quickly slipped beside him, hands clasped behind her back, and continued.
“But whenever I’m in trouble, you always help me, right?”
“Any friend would do that. You don’t need to be a wizard.”
He had not expected to utter such embarrassing words himself, but it was the only way to persuade her right now. Besides, it was true.
“Then what if we combine them? How about friend-wizard?”
“What is that even supposed to mean?”
Ariel kept inventing new words, determined to link him with the idea of magic. Edgar turned away, telling her not to spout nonsense, and walked ahead.
Tch. Ed’s such an idiot.
She had complimented him, yet he ignored her. Whenever he praised her, she felt as if she could fly. Did he not feel the same? Her mood grew gloomier by the second.
Huh?
As she followed him, Ariel noticed Edgar scratching his cheek and tilted her head. She crept closer, peeked at his profile from the side, and thought, Liar.
He was clearly smiling while pretending otherwise. She wanted nothing more than to tease him about it, but for this once she decided to let it slide.
“So then, Mister Friend-Wizard, please find me some wild strawberries quickly.”
“As if it’ll be that easy.”
Though he answered as if it were impossible, Edgar’s steps never slowed. Despite his words, he would surely find them just to prove her right. Her friend-wizard had always been that way.
Ariel’s steps, now filled with anticipation, grew much lighter than before. Was she looking forward to the wild strawberries themselves, or to the sight of her friend’s happy face when he found them? The answer was perhaps too difficult for a ten-year-old to articulate.