Academy (14)
It was already well past midnight, nearly dawn, and every inn had its doors shut. We would have liked to rent a room, but the innkeepers were asleep—there was nothing we could do about it.
If we had only arrived three hours earlier—four, maybe—we could have found a place to stay.
So we ended up camping on the street. Or rather, waiting a little while, if you wanted to put a kinder face on it.
"We're lucky it isn't winter," someone murmured.
We were crouched near the Adventurer's Guild. Even in a mild climate, winter would have left us shivering. Thankfully it was still early autumn, and the cold was bearable.
"True enough."
I checked on Sister Mary, worried about her condition.
Sister Mary was… nestled in my sister's arms. We couldn't light a fire inside the city, so we used a magical brazier instead. The flames rising from it warmed the air, but it wasn't enough on its own.
So my sister was lending her body heat to keep Mary from going cold.
"You're working hard too, Sis…"
At first we had thought of heading to the temple, but the hour was far too late, so we held off.
I dozed, nodding off as I waited for time to pass.
Young Master, apparently concerned about me, came over and took off his coat.
"Young Master…?"
"You must be cold. Please use this, at least."
It still held the warmth of the clothes he had been wearing. I didn't lift my head, just hugged my knees, and the coat settled over my whole body. Being small had its advantages at times like this…
The lingering heat in his coat was enough to keep out the chill of the pre-dawn wind.
"Aren't you cold, Young Master?"
"I can always pull out another coat."
He rummaged in his bag and produced a second one. I decided not to worry about it any further.
Still—better not winter than winter, right?
I kept dozing and waiting until the sun rose to mark the end of the night. As the world brightened, I felt a little more awake.
Hah… I want a warm cup of coffee…
I settled for making some hot water and sipped it instead.
"Might I trouble you for a cup as well?"
"Of course. Hand me your cup."
When Young Master held out his cup, I used magic to fill it with water—hot water, no less.
"It's pleasantly warm. Tea leaves would have made it even better."
"Tea leaves are expensive…"
Granted, some commoners made do with cheap medicinal herbs in place of proper tea. But even that was something only people with a little spare money could afford.
The hot water warmed me from the inside.
"The sun's up. I'm starting to feel a bit more alive."
I pulled a notebook from the bag I had been using as a backrest and began jotting down information on the bomb I had used the day before.
The name… might as well go with the familiar Fram. It was what a certain game called its fire-attribute bombs.
Calling it a "bomb" made it sound dangerously alarming… Well, it was dangerous, but what would other people think?
"What are you writing?"
Young Master plopped down on the dirty ground and scooted closer. It was a little annoying, but he was probably just bored.
"Yesterday's item. I need to keep a record."
He closed his eyes and nodded, as if replaying the explosion of the Fram in his mind.
"It was powerful."
The force had been considerable, no question. Even a Death Knight would have taken serious damage if hit head-on.
Thinking about it that way, using the bomb on ordinary undead felt like a waste. I should have aimed it at the Death Knight instead…
"The name is Fra…m? Is that right?"
"Yes. I just decided to call it that."
I noted the power and method of use as well, and added a handling warning—especially a strict ban on using it at close range.
I wasn't sure whether I would ever publish the recipe… but it could leak somehow, couldn't it?
"It's dangerous, but I might craft a few as trump cards."
Young Master frowned slightly, looking concerned.
"It's such a dangerous object that others might misunderstand."
"Then we'll just call it a newly developed magic tool. Well…"
People would be suspicious, but they wouldn't be able to say much. They would assume we simply hadn't shared the new technology yet…
Once the sun was fully up and morning had arrived, people began filtering out to work one by one. And of course, the Adventurer's Guild opened its doors.
"I'll go secure us a room."
Seeing the guild open, my sister said she would take Sister Mary and find an inn.
"Will you be all right alone?"
"Yeah. I'll meet you at the inn later."
"Got it. Take care of Mary for me."
I handed her some money and saw her off.
"You could have gone with her…"
Well, I hadn't stayed behind out of concern for Young Master. I just thought he might feel lonely if left alone.
"Just because."
Stepping indoors made life feel a little more livable. If Young Master hadn't lent me his coat, it would have been far worse.
The guild staff eyed us a touch suspiciously. Even for a guild that opened early, we had come in a little too early.
"We're waiting for a client."
Young Master seemed irritated by the stares and spoke up himself. The employee who had been looking at us askance was promptly scolded by the guild master. Watching that was rather satisfying…
"Shall we order something simple to eat?"
I wasn't particularly hungry… but Young Master was a man, so it was probably different for him.
"Let's."
We ordered a truly simple meal of bread and soup. It was Adventurer's Guild fare, not a proper restaurant's, so it had no real taste to speak of—but it filled our stomachs all the same.
Mm. With food in me, my mood improved a little.
Young Master and I sat in our chairs and let the time drift by in a daze.
"Ah—I should give your coat back."
We were indoors now, and it wasn't cold anymore, so I ought to return it.
I couldn't quite place the faint sense of regret, but I handed the coat I had been wearing back to him.
Without a word, Young Master removed the coat he currently had on and put on the one I had just returned.
For reasons I truly could not explain, I felt embarrassed.
No—on second thought, I knew exactly why. That was the coat I had been wearing until moments ago! Why was he just putting it straight on?! He was supposed to take it, wash it, and then wear it again!
Regret came too late. I turned my body slightly so he wouldn't see me looking flustered.
"H-have you been waiting long?"
A little more time passed, and Investigator Riza appeared.
"No, you're early."
Barely an hour had gone by since we entered the guild. That meant she had gone home, barely rested, and come straight back out. I couldn't very well complain.
Together we met with a guild clerk, confirmed the request form, and collected our payment. The reward was twenty gold, but the Adventurer's Guild took two gold as a brokerage fee.
Watching it happen in person made the loss feel genuinely painful.
"Thank you so much for this time."
"Not at all."
"A-and the sister…?"
"She should be resting at the inn by now."
Investigator Riza fretted over Sister Mary, who wasn't present. Fair enough—Mary had been barely conscious all the way into the city, so of course she was worried.
"I see."
"You needn't worry too much."
I reassured her and sent her on her way. The sooner Investigator Riza headed home, the sooner we could go rest ourselves. Our time together had been brief, but it had been pleasant enough in its own way. She was a genuinely decent person, easy to be around… Ordinarily, even after something like this, most people just handed over the money and fled, insisting it was none of their concern.
Thinking of that, she really was a kind soul.
"It's truly over, then."
"Yes. You worked hard too, Young Master."
When I smiled and said that, Young Master abruptly turned his face away. Had I done something wrong?
I left him there and walked ahead, stretching.
"Ugh, today I'm doing absolutely nothing but rest."
"Yes. I intend to rest thoroughly."
Young Master belatedly fell into step behind me.
When we arrived at the inn we had stayed at before, my sister was waiting for us on the first floor.
"Sis? Where's Mary?"
"I put her to bed. Come on, Yuli—let's eat."
Uh… eat?
"E-eat?"
"Yeah. You need breakfast."
What was I supposed to do? Young Master and I had already eaten a simple meal at the Adventurer's Guild. We could eat more if pressed, of course, but…
"S-Sis, I'm sorry! We already ate."
My sister looked at me as though the world had just collapsed.
"Yuli?"
"I-I'm really sorry."
I bowed my head and apologized. My sister puffed out her cheeks and glared, clearly angry.
"My apologies. I was hungry, so I suggested we eat first."
Huh? I was the one who had brought it up, not Young Master.
"Is that so?"
My sister's expression softened as she looked at me.
"No, that's…"
I started to correct the record, but Young Master gently took hold of my arm and shook his head.
But then he would be the one who looked like the villain!
"Um…"
While I stood there unable to do anything, the matter resolved itself, and my sister ordered breakfast.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. I'll eat alone."
She smiled softly, saying it was all right, and pressed a key into my hand.
"Go rest."
"Okay. Sorry again."
I apologized once more and climbed the stairs in search of our room. Then I waited quietly for Young Master at the landing of the second floor.
He came up a little later, having arranged a room of his own.
I asked him outright.
"Why did you do that?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did you lie to my sister?"
He smiled faintly, a gentle expression.
"I didn't want things to sour between sisters."
He had a younger sibling of his own, he said, so he understood—moments like that left a person feeling hurt…
"If I take the blame, at least she won't be angry with you, Miss Julian."
"And instead you get chewed out?"
"I don't mind."
My mood soured, and I kicked him in the shin. He doubled over, clearly in pain.
"That was unnecessary meddling. Don't do it again."
Taking the blame for something he hadn't even done? Did he not care how I felt? Watching him get scolded made me feel terrible.
"Yes. Understood."
"And… thank you. Get some rest."
Embarrassed at having said thank you, I fled.