Chapter 50

It was the morning of the sixth day of my visit home. Standing in front of Lukas's house, I hesitated, unable to take the next step.

--- The letter from Emilianna that arrived last night. She mentioned that she would speak to Flaria's family to investigate the elven drinking water, but one problem had arisen. The question was, who should I ask to accompany me?

First and foremost, I wanted someone who could fight monsters. Because, according to the setting of "Last Brave," the elven drinking water is located beyond a forest infested with monsters.

There was one person who met this condition and whom I could ask to accompany me: my childhood friend, Lukas.

To be honest, another person came to mind, but he was unfortunately very busy. It seemed a bit presumptuous to ask him to take time off his vacation to come with me to Flaria.

(No, but it's not good for Lukas to leave Em's village... Besides, since it's for Elvira, maybe I can ask that person—Arnold—to make some effort and come along.)

Lukas and Arnold. My thoughts, which had initially leaned towards Lukas, swung back to the center.

From a scheduling perspective, Lukas seemed to be the better choice. It wasn't so much about Lukas, but rather that Arnold was extremely busy. However, it would undoubtedly be a source of anxiety for the villagers if Lukas, who had been attacked by monsters several times, were to leave the village.

From the perspective of the main objective, Arnold was more suitable. After all, this matter was not directly related to Lukas—though it wasn't entirely unrelated, as it was to save future comrades. At this stage, Lukas and Elvira were complete strangers with no connection. However, as mentioned earlier, Arnold was very busy, and it was unclear when his schedule would free up.

It was a difficult decision, and I was at a loss.

Should I try asking the Shvaria Knights in the capital? Perhaps I could hire a guard with my savings. However, I didn't know the going rate for hiring a guard, and I didn't have that much savings. Alternatively, I could ask the men of Em's village for help—

(I wish I could go alone... but relying on just the antidote is too risky...)

I thought going alone would be the best option, but it was too reckless.

As I was pacing back and forth in front of Lukas's house, wondering what to do—

"Ah, Laura?"

It was Lukas's mother, who had noticed me walking back and forth in front of the house. She tilted her head, curious about my behavior, and was about to open the door to see what was going on.

I forced a smile to hide my embarrassment and greeted her.

"O-Oh, Auntie, good morning."

"Good morning. Lukas is already up. Do you want to come in?"

"No! ...No, I guess it's okay if I come in."

"Of course, come on in."

With a warm smile, her blue eyes, which resembled Lukas's, invited me in. Following her invitation, I stepped into Lukas's house and was greeted by a bearded man—Lukas's father—in the entrance. He was about to go to work, as he was adjusting an axe leaning against the door.

"Ah, Laura, good morning. Do you need something from Lukas?"

"Good morning, Uncle. I need to talk to Lukas about something."

"Laura, you're always helping us. If our son can be of any use, feel free to use him."

The uncle laughed heartily, showing his teeth. While Lukas had his mother's eye and hair color, his facial features were very similar to his father's. The uncle must have been quite a handsome young man in his youth. Even now, he had the air of a rugged adult male.

"Hey, Laura?"

"Good morning, Lukas."

Hearing our conversation, Lukas poked his head out from the inner room. Our eyes met, and he greeted me with a bright smile. He then led me to his room.

Lukas sat on his neatly made bed and gestured for me to take the only chair in the room. I sat down.

"First, I want to ask you to just listen, even if it's a bit of a stretch."

I intended to just talk about it today, whether or not I would ask him to come along. It was better to mention this possibility early.

After a brief introduction, I got to the point.

"I'm going to Flaria to find a cure for a certain illness. I have a lead on the cure, but... the materials needed for the treatment might be deep in a forest infested with monsters—"

"I'll go with you."

His tone was decisive.

I blinked in surprise, and Lukas looked at me closely, trying to gauge my reaction.

"Didn't you tell me this story because you wanted me to come with you?"

"W-Well, that's true... But if you leave the village—"

At my hesitant words, Lukas lowered his eyes. He wanted to come with me but didn't have a clear answer to my concerns.

Yes, I wanted Lukas to come with me. However, the village would be left without the hero's power, which would be a source of anxiety. The barrier magic surrounding Em's village was still weak, and even if it were strengthened, it wouldn't be enough to leave Lukas away for long.

I was taken aback by Lukas's immediate and unwavering response. I had only wanted him to listen to me for now—

Perhaps I should have discussed the village's barrier magic issue first, before asking him to come along. I hadn't expected such an immediate response and regretted my hasty actions. I had been too eager to find a clear path to the elven drinking water and hadn't prioritized my actions properly.

First, I needed to strengthen the village's barrier. Then, I could focus on the elven drinking water.

I took a deep breath and spoke.

"I'm sorry for bringing this up, but could you give me a little time? I'll ask a mage from the Shvaria Knights to strengthen the barrier magic."

I would send a letter immediately. Every day counted. The recipient would be—either the Shvaria Knights or Arnold. I would also subtly mention the possibility of accompanying me. Even with a stronger barrier, it would still be concerning for Lukas to leave the village for a few days.

The best scenario would be to strengthen the village's barrier and have Lukas stay in the village.

Observing my childhood friend, he seemed conflicted but nodded firmly.

"If the barrier magic can be strengthened, I might ask you again after that."

"Okay, I understand."

"I'm sorry. I'm being selfish and involving you."

Lukas shook his head gently.

"It's better to involve people than to let you face danger alone without telling anyone."

He looked at me with a straight gaze.

In his blue eyes, a golden emblem reflected the light. The pain of seeing loved ones hurt was something the hero of "Last Brave" also felt. With the power to protect, the hero would be deeply hurt and blame himself if he failed to protect someone.

The same would apply to me. If I acted recklessly and got hurt, it would only hurt Lukas.

"Thank you. I'll let you know if there's any progress."

Lukas smiled in relief. The conversation then shifted to more pleasant topics, and we enjoyed chatting with each other.

After returning home from Lukas's house, I agonized over writing a letter to Arnold. I briefly considered sending it to Oliver, the deputy commander of the Shvaria Knights, but decided that Arnold was the better choice. After all, this was for Elvira's treatment. It was a bit of a dirty trick, but if I emphasized this reason, Arnold couldn't refuse.

I entrusted the letter to the village's daily mail coach, along with a letter of gratitude to Emilianna. I could only hope that things would turn out well.