Chapter 16

---

Tomorrow, Lukas will come to visit the capital.

It had been a few months since I became an apprentice royal alchemist. The days, filled with unfamiliar tasks, had finally begun to settle down. When I wrote about this in a letter, Lukas replied that he wanted to meet, so I had been adjusting my schedule for about a month.

During the same month, after hearing Senior Rina's story, Arnold often visited me. However, there was no way to ask him about the rumors directly. Even so, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about it—today, however, even that uneasiness was pushed aside.

Tomorrow, Lukas will come to visit the capital! I was simply looking forward to it.

"Oh, Laura, you're in a good mood."

While I was cleaning up, Senior Rina pointed this out.

Feeling a bit embarrassed that it was so obvious, I smiled and replied.

"An old friend is coming to visit tomorrow."

It had been a few months since I last saw Lukas.

I was happy that he had been so honest in his letter about wanting to see me, and even more so that he had offered to come to the capital when I couldn't take a substantial break.

Chelsea was the first to react to my words.

"What kind of kid is he?"

"Huh? Well, I'm not sure how to describe him..."

I struggled to find words to describe Lukas.

Come to think of it, I had never had the opportunity to introduce Lukas to others. Arnold and Mercedes had met him personally, and the villagers recognized us as a pair.

What kind of kid is Lukas?

I pictured his image in my mind. In my memory, Lukas always had a gentle smile. And yet, he was the kind of person who would help someone like me—very kind.

"A kind kid. He's a boy."

A kind kid. It was a very ordinary introduction, but the adjective "kind" suited Lukas more than anyone else.

In the not-too-distant future, Lukas would become a hero. Even if that role was a given mission, I would become an excellent alchemist to protect the kind hero as much as possible. That was my new goal.

Originally, I had chosen this profession to have a skill to leave the village, but now I thought that it was better to be of help to the people I cared about.

***

The next day.

Under the large arch at the entrance to the capital, Schvaria, I found him standing alone.

"Luka!"

"Raura!"

My childhood friend looked up at the sound of my voice. He must have spotted me in the crowd, and his face lit up with a smile.

We hugged each other, rejoicing at the reunion. It had only been a few months, but he seemed to have grown taller.

After letting go of the hug, I looked up at Lukas.

"Sorry to make you come all the way here. I wish I could have gone back to the village..."

"Don't worry about it. I insisted on coming... Sorry for taking up your day off."

Lukas hung his head apologetically. His dog ears drooped as well.

"Not at all! I'm glad you came."

I smiled. In response, Lukas, who had been looking down, smiled modestly.

To see him support my dream and come to visit, his smile alone made my heart warm. I realized how precious a childhood friend could be.

As I savored this thought, Lukas noticed "it."

"You're wearing it?"

"Huh? Oh, this? It's a charm."

"I'm glad."

"It" was the bracelet Lukas had given me two years ago when we visited the capital together for Arnold's exam. Its simple design meant that even now, at 14, I could wear it without looking childish, so I always wore it. It had gotten quite dirty, though.

When I checked Lukas's wrist, I saw the matching bracelet. His was also a bit dirty.

"Luka, you're wearing it too?"

"Of course."

We showed each other our bracelets and laughed again.

The busy days of the past few months seemed to fade away. I felt so at ease.

Lukas would stay at an inn in the capital tonight and return to Eme's village by carriage tomorrow. Although it was a short time, I took his hand and ran, determined to enjoy these two days to the fullest.

***

Lukas said he wanted to see the healing potions at the market, so I guided him to the stalls lining the main street. According to Arnold, these stalls, rather than the large tool shops, allowed you to handle and choose healing potions directly.

We chose a stall run by a kind-looking old man and with other customers present, to avoid being treated rudely as mere browsers.

Lukas and I quietly sat down in front of the stall and peered into the box overflowing with healing potions.

"Is one of these made by Raura?"

"No way! I'm still an apprentice, so I can't sell them in the market."

While shaking my head at Lukas's question, I realized why he suddenly wanted to see the healing potions. It seemed he wanted to see the ones I had made.

Lukas frowned slightly, disappointed, and asked me.

"But Raura's healing potions are amazing, right?"

"It's nice to hear you say that, but who told you that?"

"Bertha."

At the mention of Bertha, I pictured my master's smirking face. For some reason, he seemed to think Lukas was my "knight."

I chuckled and stood up. We had no more business at the stall.

As we walked down the main street, I asked him this time.

"How is everyone in the village, including Master...?"

Of course, I regularly sent letters to Lukas, my parents, my master, and Petra. Even if I was short on time, I never neglected to send letters. I didn't want to worry the people who supported my dream.

They all replied, and from their letters, they seemed to be doing well. However, anything could be written in a letter, and I often worried if they were really okay while reading them.

"They're all doing well. Petra and the others were worried about you, but they were relieved when they read your letters."

From Lukas's expression, I could tell he wasn't lying. That's how well we knew each other.

I sighed in relief, and Lukas smiled and continued.

"Your parents were also sad when you left, but now they look forward to your letters. ...Oh! I was given this to bring to you."

Lukas rummaged through the bag on his shoulder and pulled out something. What he handed me was a sandwich my mother often made. It was filled with the bounty of the mountains, my "mother's taste."

I happily accepted the sandwich.

"Wow, thanks! Let's eat it later. I know a nice place on the outskirts of town."

I suggested this and led him down a side street.

On holidays, I often came down from the castle to the capital. Chelsea and I would have tea together, or sometimes I would wander alone. During these times, I found a small hill on the outskirts of town with a bench. The path to it was well-maintained, but it required climbing a long set of stairs, so there were few people. Sitting on the bench and quietly gazing at the capital became a precious time for me.

I guided Lukas up the stairs. When I turned to him, expecting him to smile and nod, he was looking at me with a serious expression I had never seen before.

"...There's something I need to tell you, Raura."

His voice was also unusually low.

The report he was about to give was undoubtedly bad news.

"Lukas...?"

I approached Lukas, who had stopped. He smiled slightly, as if to reassure me, and said,

"...The village was attacked by monsters recently."

As he said this, I thought I saw the emblem on his left eye glint.