Home Visit
The fashions of this age seem to favor plain designs over ornate patterns, by and large.
Luke sifted through his memories of the pedestrians he had observed, piecing together a rough sense of the prevailing taste. In his own era, nobility had preferred garments rich with elaborate, beautiful embroidery, while plain clothes were largely the province of common folk. There was no need, however, to go hunting for flashy patterns now. Even in the past he had never been particularly attached to ornate decoration, and in his later years he had set aside his noble rank entirely to live in seclusion — so plain attire held no particular distaste for him.
With those thoughts in mind, Luke's eyes moved restlessly over the garments on display. The overall cut and silhouette had shifted from what he remembered, but that was only to be expected after five thousand years of change.
"Hmm."
He considered his requirements as he studied the clothes. Low exposure. Nothing that made him look younger than he already did. He was already being treated as a child more than enough; dressing with a touch of maturity seemed the wiser course.
"As expected, every garment of this age is soft. Remarkable textile craftsmanship."
In the past, cloth of this quality would have cost its weight in gold. And to mass-produce finished garments from fabric this fine, stacking them high for anyone to buy — in his day, wearing cloth of this caliber meant commissioning a piece and waiting for it to be completed, not simply selecting one off a rack.
I have said it before, but truly — what an astonishing age has arrived.
Peaceful. Prosperous. That such a world could exist at all… the march of time was a wonder.
Good. This should do.
Luke stepped into the fitting room, set the chosen garments carefully aside, and began to change — quickly, yet with precise care, mindful not to snag or tear anything on the sharp horns that jutted from the sides of his head.
What he had selected was a thoroughly aristocratic ensemble. Upper-class attire was already familiar to someone raised in a noble house, after all. A skirt and stockings — both of which had, in ages past, been among the garments that marked the nobility.
Yes. This is far more reassuring.
Having pulled on the stockings and skirt, Luke let out a quiet breath. To someone of his generation, the plain, simple children's clothes of the modern day had felt far more humiliating.
Once he had dressed with practiced ease, he smoothed his appearance one last time and turned to the spirit watching him from the side — Pai.
"Pai, what say you? Does it look well to your eyes?"
—…!
Pai answered with a flutelike trill and a vigorous nod. A sign of approval, no doubt.
"I am glad it meets with your favor."
Reassured, Luke stepped out of the fitting room.
"Yerna, what do you think?"
"Oh — Ru. You're all dressed…"
Yerna stopped short. The sight of Luke stole the rest of her words.
So this is the kind of thing Ru likes…!
She had brought him to the shop precisely because she kept noticing that bitter look every time she bought him clothes…
If this was his taste all along, no wonder everything I picked left him unsatisfied…
She had been thinking, at best, of outfits with mage characters printed on them. It had never occurred to her that Luke might prefer something this grown-up.
Luke, watching her expression, grew flustered.
"Hmm. Is it truly that poor?"
"No — that isn't it…"
"Then the price must be the trouble. I shall change back at once; wait but a moment—"
"No, no. We'll take that one!"
Price? Absolutely not. It was a little more expensive than she had expected, but well within reason — and the outfit suited Luke so well it almost hurt.
Is there even an outfit that wouldn't suit Luke?
Pair any clothes with that uniquely childish air and Luke's own cuteness, and nothing could possibly look wrong.
"Excuse me — can we pay for this right away?"
Yerna bought the outfit on the spot. In full.
Dressed and ready, Luke and Yerna arrived at a residential neighborhood. The buildings were not the towering structures of Yerna's own district, but houses of four or five stories. Someone's home, then?
"Yerna, where is this?"
"Ah — right, this is your first time."
Instead of answering, Yerna offered a small smile and stepped up to the door, pressing a button. A sound rang out.
—Ding-dong—!
It was a simple magical tool that carried sound outward on a pulse of mana, ensuring the message reached the interior clearly.
A device for summoning a servant, is it? Crude enough.
The information his Mana Sight returned was as simple as the device itself — a formula so basic it barely stirred his interest. Pai, however, seemed delighted by the sound, echoing Tting-dong! beside him again and again like a laughing refrain. What a doorbell could possibly mean to a spirit that it would amuse her so, Luke could not begin to guess.
He was still shaking his head faintly when a voice called from inside.
"Coming~! I'm going out!"
A child's voice. A moment later the door burst open, revealing a girl of about seven in a comfortable T-shirt, her red hair the most striking thing about her. Her eyes went wide; then she broke into a huge smile and shouted,
"Yerna unni! Oppa, Yerna unni is here!"
A clatter answered from deeper inside.
"W-what?! Tell them to come in and wait a second! I'll be right out!"
So this is Dighton's house.
Recognizing the voice from within as Dighton's, Luke gave a small nod.
"Unni, Oppa says to wait just a little!"
"All right. Thank you for telling us, Diana. We'll come in, then?"
"Okay!"
The child's name appeared to be Diana. Given that she called Dighton her oppa, she was almost certainly his younger sister — a cute little thing who, aside from the hair color, bore little resemblance to him.
Yerna smiled, ruffled Diana's hair, and stepped through the doorway. Only then did Diana catch sight of Luke, who had been hidden behind Yerna; her eyes went round again.
"Huh? I've never seen this unni before!"
"A pleasure to meet you, Diana. You may call me Luke Irushi."
"Luke unni! Come in quick!"
Luke returned her bright smile and stepped inside.
"Yes — thank you kindly."
That pure, sunlit child's laugh. Ah… yes.
It called up a memory from long ago. A quiet countryside. An unhurried life… the years he had spent as the headman of a rural village. The reason Luke had set aside his noble title and become a village chief in his later years was that he had finally understood how truly precious such smiles were. After the Demon King fell and the war ended, he had wanted to keep those reclaimed children's smiles close — to see them every day, as near as breathing.
Even a tenth circle of magic was nothing beside the honest laughter a child could offer. Free of tiresome, headache-inducing politics, he had lived to protect those happy smiles, offering counsel now and then to the retainers of House Irushi who came seeking him. Recalling it now, Luke felt a quiet warmth settle in his chest.
Shown to the living-room sofa, he sat beside Yerna with those thoughts still turning.
"Oppa! When are you coming out!"
"Just a second! Almost there!"
Diana flung open the door to Dighton's room, stuck her head through, and yelled. Watching her from behind, Yerna and Luke shared the same fond, adult smile.
"Oppa's still putting his pants on! Wait a tiny bit more!"
"You little—!"
"Pfft! Heeheehee!"
Diana peeled away from the doorway like a fugitive and went racing around the living room. Luke watched her and thought, To have a little sister like that… what a joyful life that must be.
He closed his eyes for a moment. If only I had candy on me, I would have given her some. A pity.
He remembered a boy named Tael who used to come to the shop with leftover change from errands, buying sweets. What a dear time that was. Sometimes the boy even snuck over without his parents' knowledge — and every time, Luke had sent him home. I wonder what became of him. He hoped the boy had lived long and closed his eyes in happiness.
"Something nice on your mind?"
"Ah — nothing of consequence. An old memory, nothing more."
"An old… memory?"
Yerna drew a sharp breath. For Luke, "an old memory" meant…
"Why do you look so stricken?"
"N-no, it's nothing."
Seeing the rare softness of a smile on Luke's face, Yerna relaxed inwardly. Whew. At least it doesn't seem like a painful one. Thankfully, it appeared Luke's distant past held happy memories as well.
"Luke, what kind of memory was it?"
"Hmm. Nothing much. That child's smile simply reminded me of a little one I once knew."
"Ah, I see. You two must have been close."
"Yes. We were."
"I see. What was the little one's name? Want Unni to look for them later?"
If the child had been close to Luke, there was a strong chance they were a fellow "victim" of the same circumstances. Move quickly enough, and she might catch the trail of whoever had taken Luke. Even a name would be a lead…
"Ah — I am grateful, but it is no longer a matter that need concern you. It is all right."
Luke waved a hand, looking faintly awkward. They will already be long dead, after all. He swallowed the rest; there was no need to speak it aloud. But Yerna was more than capable of reading what he had left unsaid. Linking it to what she already believed of Luke's past, the hidden meaning was not hard to find — and her guess was, in fact, exactly what he had held back.
"…"
With a heavy heart, Yerna stroked Luke's hair. Meeting his look of pure confusion, she turned her face away and pressed her fingertips to the corners of her eyes, holding back tears.
To lose a friend so young, and still be this composed…
Was Luke's maturity beyond his years the result of a life far too hard for a child? That friend must have weathered difficult times at his side. After all, the memory had put such a happy smile on Luke's face. And yet, for it to end like that…
"Huh? Yerna unni, are you crying?"
Diana came toddling over at a run and shoved her face right up to Yerna's.
"I'm not crying. I'm not!"
Luke isn't crying — how could I, the adult, be the one in tears!
Luke, who had no inkling of Yerna's wild conclusions, could only look on in baffled bewilderment.