Event - 2
Even after the boat ride, there was still plenty of fun to be had. Ordinarily she would have dragged Lee Hyun from attraction to attraction, but today she wanted to stay drunk on the romantic mood from the boat. And so, rather than sampling the lakeside amusements, Sowol chose a quiet stroll.
"You sure?"
"Yes. This suits me perfectly."
"Well... never mind."
It doesn't suit you at all. That was what Lee Hyun wanted to say, but there was no sense in stirring up trouble over nothing. The mood between them was pretty good, after all — far better to walk along quietly than to sour Sowol's spirits with pointless remarks.
"Was there something you wanted to say?"
"If my disciple wants it, then that's what we'll do. I suppose that's the walking course over there."
What Lee Hyun pointed to was a trail laid out to loop all the way around the lake. With flowers and trees lining every stretch, it looked like the perfect place for families and couples out for a stroll.
To think he would suggest a place like that... Hah. Honestly, Master.
Glancing sidelong at a couple passing by, Sowol tilted her head slightly toward Lee Hyun.
"Isn't that where families and couples walk together? If you go there with me, what will people around us think?"
"Don't you like it?"
"...It's not that I dislike it."
Having tossed out that light little jab, Sowol stepped onto the trail at Lee Hyun's side. The place had been developed properly as a tourist spot, it seemed, and the fragrance blooming from the flowers and trees was wonderful. Feeling her heart grow warm as they walked, Sowol pointed to one side.
"Look over there. There."
What she was pointing at was a couple walking hand in hand, fingers tightly laced. Watching them, Lee Hyun held out his hand to Sowol.
"Want to hold hands? Come on, then."
The hand extended toward her was large, rough, and laced with countless old scars — a hand that spoke of how ungentle the days of Lee Hyun's life had been. Sowol gazed at it in silence, then softly laid her own upon it. Small, clean, and pretty, her hand had barely settled against his when her shoulder jolted with a flinch she couldn't suppress.
"Oh my~. What a close brother and sister you two make, hmm?"
Sowol, drunk on the warmth of their touching hands, only came back to her senses at the voice of an elderly couple passing by.
A close brother and sister. Was that really all the two of them looked like now?
Sowol looked at their reflection shimmering on the lakeside water. An adult and a child. No matter how generously one looked, they could only ever pass for siblings with a wide gap in age.
"Haha. Do we look like that? Well, we do get along. Right?"
Oblivious to it all, Lee Hyun ruffled her hair to his heart's content. She wanted to say something, but that hand tickling at her scalp made it hard to open her mouth. In the end, not a single word escaped her, and Sowol could only smooth down her mussed hair while staring daggers at him.
"What?"
"...It's nothing!"
Feeling oddly petulant, she strode off ahead in long, quick steps. But that didn't last long. A good distance ahead, Sowol came to a halt and, without turning around, gently held out one hand behind her.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and come."
By the time the walk ended, the sun was riding high in the sky. When it grew to be about time for lunch, Sowol looked around. Perhaps because tourists thronged the area, there were plenty of restaurants as well. Deciding that a place with a nice atmosphere would be best, she led Lee Hyun toward the large restaurant closest to the water's edge.
"Welcome! Let me show you to a lakeside table on the second floor!"
Judging by the clothes they wore, the server seemed to have taken them for people of means. He guided them up to a second-floor seat and took their order straight away. It was a restaurant with prices to match its setting, but Sowol paid it no mind — she was more than capable of covering this much.
"What's the most popular dish here?"
"The trout steak and the steamed trout."
"Two portions of those, please. And a wine and—"
"A bottle of whiskey. And one glass of milk."
"...We'll have that."
She had failed to order wine yet again. Sowol pushed out her lips in a pout, but Lee Hyun's stance was ironclad. With no intention of defying his instruction, she fiddled with the enormous glass of milk that arrived at the table.
"When will I be old enough to drink?"
"When you come of age."
Lee Hyun said it flatly. An adult, huh. Generally that meant twenty and beyond — a distant milestone still years away. Sowol heaved a long sigh and took a sip of her milk.
"Besides, drinking is something you're supposed to learn from an adult."
"Then will you teach me that too, Master?"
"If the opportunity arises?"
"Don't you forget those words. My very first drink is going to be with you, Master, no matter what."
At the sight of her — fist clenched, declaring it so boldly — Lee Hyun let out a quiet chuckle. By the time Sowol came of age, he might well be off at the Academy. Would he really be able to teach her to drink then? He wondered, but he also knew there was no need to voice that doubt now.
"Fine, fine. Look forward to it, then."
"It's a promise."
Extending her pinky, Sowol declared it with total confidence. Lee Hyun shrugged and hooked his pinky with hers.
"Pinky, pinky~ hook it tight~ promise, promise~ if you break it~ ten Praise Stickers~."
"How terrifying!"
To think she intended to scarf down ten Praise Stickers a day. As Lee Hyun ground his teeth, Sowol simply beamed.
"Your food is here."
In the meantime, the dishes had all arrived. Grilled trout steak, steamed trout, and a spread of other plates settled onto the table. Eyeing the thoroughly appetizing spread, Lee Hyun raised his whiskey glass.
"Shall we toast?"
"What should we drink to?"
"To your growth."
"Growth..."
Growth. She wanted it — to be a little taller, to have a fuller chest. She wanted to be seen as something other than the brother and sister they'd been taken for on that walk. But in the end, wasn't that simply a matter of time? Give it a few years and she would grow, and by then, surely...
Well, Master is only barely worthy of a beautiful, capable woman like me. But he is my Master, after all!
It was, in its own way, a pleasant meal. Lee Hyun did launch a few attacks of his own over the food, but she parried every one of them cleanly, so no harm done.
"Shall we start heading back?"
"After we do a little shopping."
She had asked the server earlier and heard that the shopping street here held plenty of good finds. She had money to spare, and she was in the mood for accessories and the like — so Sowol hauled a grumbling Lee Hyun off toward the shopping district.
Just as the server had promised, the tourist shopping street was bustling with life. Wandering the crowded thoroughfare, she kept stumbling across pretty things.
"Master, this..."
She had taken a fancy to a pair of earrings at a street stall. Meaning to ask what he thought, she held one up to her ear and turned her head — but Lee Hyun was nowhere in sight. Where had he gone? Puzzled, Sowol scanned her surroundings, and her expression froze. Because Lee Hyun was chatting away with a voluptuous beauty of deep black hair, both of them wearing ear-to-ear grins.
From the look of it, a woman who seemed quite close to him. The beauty mark beneath her left eye was nothing short of captivating, and she even pulled Lee Hyun into a hug before saying cheerfully:
"Oh. And this lass would be your disciple?"
"That's right. Sowol, say hello. This is Rebecca, a friend of mine."
A friend, again. Were all of Master's friends women — and beauties like her, at that?
"...My name is Sowol."
"Oho. A pleasure, I'm sure. I'm Rebecca — folk call me the Witch of the Black Forest. Hmmm... aye, now I see exactly why Lee Hyun took you on as his disciple. What tremendous talent."
"Right? Finding someone with talent like hers wasn't easy, I'll tell you."
"Had she a gift for magic, I'd have snatched her away to teach her myself. Anyway, I've taken up enough of your time — I'll let you two be on your way."
"Pardon? Where to..."
"Rebecca is a mage skilled enough to cast dimensional gates. As it happens, she can open one straight to our territory, so I asked her for a favor."
"Oh... I see."
With a dimensional gate, no time would be wasted on the journey home. At those words, Sowol let out a sigh tinged with disappointment — for she knew that her time alone with Lee Hyun had just come to an end.
"Come find me when you're ready. I'll be over at that café."
With a flash of a smile, Rebecca departed. Watching her go, Sowol breathed a quiet sigh. Her giddy mood seemed to sink a little.
"Those earrings."
"Huh...?"
Come to think of it, she had bought the earrings after all. As Sowol fiddled with her ear, Lee Hyun stroked her hair and smiled warmly.
"They suit you beautifully."
".....!"
At that single remark, her sunken mood bobbed right back up to the surface. Whatever else might be said of him, Lee Hyun truly watched over her. Delighted by that fact, Sowol flushed faintly and quietly ducked her head.
"The original's pretty, so anything looks good on her. Nothing else you want to buy?"
"Yes! I mean—yes!"
"Then let's head back."
And so, unable to get another word out, Sowol trailed along behind Lee Hyun.
Rebecca, waiting at the café, broke into a wide grin the moment Lee Hyun and Sowol walked in. What could possibly be so delightful? She came out to the stable where they'd readied their mount, gave Lee Hyun's shoulder a couple of hearty pats, and pointed at Sowol.
"Raise that disciple of yours well. I've a feeling she and my own will stage a fine contest someday."
"Oh hush. Mine's going to win outright — what 'fine contest'?"
"Hahahaha!! Long or short, you never know till you measure, aye? Well then, safe travels to you both. Until we meet again."
She gave her staff a light flourish, and a door of soft white light took shape in the air. A dimensional gate. Beyond that door — something only a high-tier mage could weave — the entrance of the Eastern Merchant Guild was clearly visible.
"Let's go."
Reins in one hand, Lee Hyun casually held out the other. Sowol gazed at that hand in silence for a moment, then gently laced her fingers with his, and Lee Hyun stepped through the gate without a moment's hesitation.
On the far side of the gate lay the entrance of the Eastern Merchant Guild.
"Alriiight! Back home, so back to training... Hm? What's wrong? Something you want to say?"
They had reached the guild's front doors; all that remained was to walk inside. But... did she really have to let go of this hand? Sowol stared down at the hand clasped in hers, and opened her mouth to speak—
"Oh?! My lady! Master Lee! When did you two get back?!"
And that was the moment. At the sudden, energetic voice, Sowol startled and hastily dropped his hand, whipping her gaze toward its owner.
It was Lyla.
She looked to have only just arrived, still in her travel clothes without so much as a chance to change, and she greeted Lee Hyun brightly.
"Master Lee! I thought of something on my way back — about that compensation you owe me, you know."
"Ah, right. That? What about it?"
"Why not make it up to me by being my partner at this year's Harvest Festival?!"