Hablon
“Noah, how is it looking?”
We left the blacksmith’s and returned to the spot where we had collided earlier.
Of course, we settled the bill properly before we left.
...Though Rubia paid for me.
Once I find my money, I have to pay her back... with interest.
“Umm... there are way too many people carrying money.”
I widened my Qi Sensing a little and checked the people around us.
But... there were an absurd number of them walking around with cash.
No—everyone was carrying it.
I grumbled inwardly about why they all had to haul cash around... but it was a pointless complaint.
There’s no such thing as a debit card here, so of course they carry cash...
But!
The real problem was!
I couldn’t tell gold from silver!
They were all just the same round coins... I couldn’t distinguish a single one...
On top of that, the coins in people’s pockets kept jostling around so much I couldn’t even count them properly...
“That would make sense... But don’t force it and expand too far. If you start bleeding like last time... I won’t buy you any more jelly. Or snacks, for that matter.”
“Uh, e-eh... if I c-can’t find the money... will I s-starve...?”
“No... you won’t starve. Just don’t push yourself past what’s reasonable.”
“But still...”
Twenty-seven gold.
A full twenty-seven gold!!
Everything I had scraped together over two months of hard work.
Including the advance payment from Rubia’s named request!
My entire fortune!!!
“Still, no. As for the money... well, I can handle the money problem, so let’s just search within a safe range for now.”
“Y-yes... okay.”
I had no choice but to nod at Rubia’s words.
If I force my Qi Sensing wider, start bleeding, and still don’t find the money... I really might end up starving...
“Ah, by the way... if I describe the clothes he was wearing, could you find him?”
“Clothes? Umm... I might not get the details, but I could probably get a rough sense of them.”
Things like the robe Rubia was currently wrapped in, the armor Heinzel wore, the coat Luci had on—stuff like that.
I wouldn’t know the exact design, but I could tell roughly what kind of clothes they were.
If there was a big distinctive feature, I might even find him right away!
“Still, please tell me. Was there anything special about him...?”
“I’ll try. Face... well, height was roughly about 185 centimeters, and he was thin. Around 60 kilos. On top he had an ordinary long-sleeved tunic, and the pants were... just ordinary pants.”
“Umm... any accessories?”
“Accessories either... ah, his shoes looked like they had steel plates in them. You know, the kind adventurers often wear.”
Steel plates?
“Ah...! Then was he an a-adventurer...?”
Among the shoes adventurers commonly wore, there was a type similar to the safety boots people on Earth used at construction sites.
Shoes with steel plates built in from the toe all the way across the instep.
I couldn’t wear them because none fit my size... but most people supposedly never went without them.
The design looked cool; I had always wanted to try a pair myself...
“Yes, he might have been. Shall we try looking? Think you can manage?”
I nodded at once and began sorting through the details I had sketched in my head, one by one.
“U-umm... within twenty meters of here... he’s not around.”
“I see. Then let’s keep moving. We should head in the direction that man was going.”
“Yes...!”
I followed Rubia as we hurried through the village without rest.
And then—
“Ah, it’s Uncle Luci and Uncle Heinzel...!”
My Qi Sensing caught Luci and Heinzel.
“Ah, in that case... it might be a bit rude, but I’ll go ask them for help. Where are the two of them?”
“Uuumm... follow me.”
I grabbed Rubia’s hand firmly and ran in their direction.
Her feet seemed to tangle a few times along the way, but she was keeping up well enough, so I just kept running.
“N-Noah! Too fast... it’s too fast!”
“Just a little longer! We’re almost—ah, Lu... Uncle Luci...! Un-cle Heinzel!”
“Oh, finished with the repairs and come for a spar?”
“Brat! You come eat some of this meat too!”
Luci and Heinzel were sitting at an outdoor table, tearing into stone-slab steaks.
The way they held the meat in both hands and ripped into it... looked thoroughly barbaric.
“I-it’s not a spar... I lost my money, you see? But... b-but....”
“Haa... Noah. I’ll explain.”
A thoroughly exhausted-looking Rubia stepped forward.
“Noah has lost her money. And... it seems a pickpocket may have stolen it, so we’re searching. Though it appears you’re in the middle of a meal.”
“How much did she lose to be making such a fuss?”
“Uh, uhh... twenty-seven gold... m-my entire for- hic... fortune...”
“Twenty-seven gold... yes. That’s not a small sum...”
Luci nodded and set down the meat he had been eating.
Then he forcibly snatched Heinzel’s meat as well and put it on the plate.
“Heinzel. Are you going to keep stuffing your face?”
“Hmm, I was just about to get up. One more bite and I’d have my strength back.”
“Fine. Eat your fill. I’ll be getting up.”
“Hahahahaha! Just kidding! As if I’d do that!”
When Luci stood, Heinzel rose after him.
Wiping the grease from his hands on his clothes as he did.
Ugh... gross...
“What’s the description?”
“Ah, height around 185 centimeters, thin build about 60 kilos... wearing the kind of shoes adventurers wear. Hair dark brown, with dark circles under his eyes, round eyes, thin nostrils, thick lips. And... ah, a scar running from the corner of his mouth all the way to his ear.”
Rubia began describing the man’s appearance in detail.
Well... since I can’t see, that kind of description wouldn’t have meant much to me anyway.
Even as I felt how much Rubia was looking out for me, it left a rather... bitter taste.
“Hmm, I’ve got a rough idea of what he looks like!”
Heinzel nodded and gathered his things.
Luci, though... for some reason stood frozen in place, fists clenched tight.
After staying silent for a long while, he spoke in a deeply sunken voice.
“Priestess. Are you certain of that appearance?”
“Yes. I’m certain. However... I can’t guarantee he stole the money. It’s only highly likely—not absolute proof that he—”
“We’ll know once we catch him! I’m damn good at jobs like this. Leave it to me!”
Heinzel thumped his chest with a bang.
And unlike the thoroughly excited Heinzel, Luci still carried a heavy atmosphere.
Does he hate thieves that much...?
“I’ll search as well. How should I signal if I find him?”
“I’ll shout loud enough for everyone to hear!”
Yeah. With Heinzel, that might actually work.
Even from really far away... I felt like I’d hear him.
“Then you two stick together. As for me... I’ll fire this.”
From Luci’s pocket came a small stick.
“An artifact enchanted with light magic?”
“Yes. I’ll shoot it into the sky. Then just run that way.”
An artifact with light magic... umm...
Ah! In the game, it was the thing people used as a substitute for fireworks!
Oh! Seeing it like this makes me ridiculously happy!
“U-um... d-do you happen to have another one...?”
It was an item that brought back so many memories—I really wanted one...!
“I do have more... but it’s a fairly expensive artifact. Noah. Do you have any money?”
“Uh, n-no... not a single coin...”
Oh right... I don’t have any money...
And if it was expensive on top of that... I didn’t stand a chance...
I hung my head dejectedly.
Then something lightly bonked the top of my head.
“Uung...?”
“Here. Don’t shoot it at night, don’t shoot it at people, don’t shoot it at your own face, and be careful it doesn’t go off in your bag.”
When I looked up, Luci was holding out a firework stick.
“R-re... really?! But... I don’t have any moneyyy...”
“Just take it. I’ve got so many they’re rotting.”
“I-is that really okay...?”
I glanced at Rubia.
She gave a small nod.
“Then... thank youuu... heh, hehe...”
Getting a nostalgic item made the corners of my mouth stretch into a silly grin.
This is an item packed full of my memories, you know!
I never had any friends, so I only ever soloed.
Whenever I wanted to celebrate a birthday, a rare drop, or anything else, I’d shoot one into the sky and just watch—it felt so good.
On days when I felt a little down, firing one with a bang! into the dark sky made it feel like the whole world was celebrating with me. It was a real comfort.
The time I held out and saved up ten of them to fire all at once... that was pure fantasy... enough to bring a few tears.
“Hehe, Rubia, want to try shooting one later too? It’s brighter than you’d think and goes super far! The sound’s pretty grand too! If you gather a bunch and fire them together it’s really pretty! And, um...”
I was chattering excitedly, lost in old memories, when Luci spoke as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Losing your entire fortune and then getting happy over one little stick... you really are pure. Thanks to that, I feel a bit better.”
“Uek... right... my money...”
My mind, which had wandered far away, was dragged back to reality.
“Fufu... you’re cute, so what’s the problem? It happens. Yes, Noah. Let’s definitely use them together later. I’m looking forward to firing a whole bunch at once.”
Rubia smiled softly and stroked my head.
Even so, my mood... didn’t improve that much.
Reality... hurts too much...
“Alright! Let’s move out!”
Heinzel bellowed.
Luci quietly nodded and headed straight for the nearest alley, while Rubia and I also moved off with our own rough plan in mind.
There was just one thing, though.
The words Luci had muttered quietly at the end kept bothering me.
‘As long as we find the money somehow, that should be enough.’
Those words.
They sounded exactly like he meant to kill the thief once he found him.
They kept circling around and around in my head.
“Does Uncle Luci... hate thieves that much...?”
“Who knows... I get the feeling there’s some other reason... Let’s just try to find him ourselves as much as we can.”
“Y-yes...!”
I pushed down the ominous feeling that was slowly sprouting and quickened my steps.
“Noah, is that everyone?”
“Y-yes... those are all the people we’ve checked.”
How much time had passed since then?
It felt like we had been walking for about three hours.
Every time I found an adventurer wearing shoes with steel plates in them... umm... what were they called again...
Safety boots—I would dash over and show the face to Rubia.
But... the person we were looking for was nowhere to be found.
No sign of Heinzel’s voice, and no signal from Luci either...
“It’s alright... let’s keep looking a bit more. He’s still in this village. Leaving town on a night like this would be a pretty dangerous move. He didn’t look that strong, after all.”
Rubia was right.
Adventurers on the level of Luci or Heinzel might not care, but a pickpocket-level adventurer crossing ruins or open plains in the middle of the night would be suicide.
I squeezed Rubia’s hand tightly and nodded.
“Noah, aren’t you hungry? You only ate a little earlier and nothing since.”
“Y-yes... I don’t have an appetite. What about you, Rubia?”
“I’m not particularly craving anything either. Haa...”
A sigh that sounded thoroughly worn out reached my ears.
Rubia, whose stamina was a bit lacking, must have been exhausted.
We had been running nonstop this whole time...
“Thank you, Rubia... all because of me...”
“My, you’re not saying ‘I’m sorry’ anymore? It’s fine. It’s thrilling in its own way—I like it.”
“I-I don’t find it thrilling at all...”
“Pfft... don’t worry so much. We’ll find it somehow. Shall we start moving again?”
Rubia’s gentle voice slowly swept my worries away.
“Y-yes... this time let’s go south...!”
“Alright. But Noah, even if we don’t find it, don’t be too disappoint—”
Bang—!
Cutting off Rubia’s words, a bright light shot up into the sky behind us.
Luci’s firework.
All the unease in my heart vanished, replaced by pure anticipation.
As always, that firework is my comfort!
“Rubia...!”
“Let’s go right away.”
Rubia and I immediately ran toward where the firework had been launched.
Along the way we crossed paths with Heinzel, who came charging over with a huge laugh, but...
“Hahahaha! Brat! Isn’t this great! That pathetic look from earlier is completely gone!”
I was so embarrassed I pretended not to hear and kept running.
Everyone’s staring...!
“U-uhh... y-yeah.”
I gritted my teeth and ignored him, but Heinzel kept coming all the way over to acknowledge me... I was a little annoyed.
Giving a vague answer, we arrived at the place where the firework had gone up, and I saw someone standing face-to-face with Luci.
Focusing my Qi Sensing to check, I confirmed it—there were definitely twenty-seven coins in that person’s pocket.
We finally found him!
“Un-Uncle Luci—!”
“W-wait a moment, Noah. The atmosphere is a bit...”
“Hmm? Indeed. Something feels off.”
Rubia caught my hand and stopped me in place.
And Heinzel quietly drew his halberd.
What? What’s going on?
My money?
While I stood there bewildered, Heinzel carefully approached Luci.
“Luci... hmm, looks like something’s up.”
Heinzel’s usually noisy voice had settled into something calm.
“Ru-Rubia... what’s happening?”
“I’m not sure either... but Luci’s expression looks quite bad...”
I focused on Luci’s form.
The hand gripping his sword hilt was trembling violently, and he was clenching his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw looked ready to burst.
I immediately examined the man who had stolen my money in more detail.
Twenty-seven coins in his pocket.
A strangely shaped necklace hanging around his neck.
Eight daggers strapped to both thighs.
Twelve hidden stilettos under both long sleeves.
And a horn flute held in his right hand.
A horn flute...?
I felt like I had seen one somewhere before...
“I knew it. You were still... still alive. Thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness.”
Murderous intent filled Luci’s voice.
That thick, sticky killing intent wiped every thought from my mind.
“You’re the one-eyed Luci...? Do you know me?”
“Haha... hehehaha... I know you well.”
Speaking quietly, Luci walked toward the man while drawing his sword.
“W-what... what are you—”
“Thirty years ago. Do you remember the village you stayed in?”
“Thirty years? How am I supposed to remember that...? And put that sword away, please. Why—why are you doing this to me!”
“...You don’t even remember. Fine. Better to die knowing than die in ignorance.”
Luci’s footsteps were heavy.
His voice was heavy.
The weight of the sword in his hand.
The weight of the life he had carried all this time.
I could feel it.
“Thirty years ago. The place that collapsed because of your vile greed.”
Brutal mana rose from Luci’s body.
A voice thick with deep, bitter grudge spilled out.
“My hometown. Do you remember Hablon Village?”