Chapter 52

After that, the master who returned was the same as always, the master I knew. However, to me, he seemed to be putting on a false cheerfulness. He quickly finished his farewell to the capital and I left the mountain cabin, thinking that even as a master, he still needed more time.

In my right hand, I held the notebook that seemed to belong to the master—almost certain, but the master had not explicitly said it was his. I had opened it a little while waiting for the master, but the sad words written in it made it difficult to read through. I couldn't help but see Elvira in the patients described in the notebook.

I decided to read it thoroughly on the way back in the carriage and returned home. I then prepared for my return and decided to make the rounds of the village before the sun set.

To the weapon shop uncle, the tool shop uncle. To Radmila's house and Yuria's house. I also made a round of the village houses, of course, including Petra's house, the mayor's only daughter.

"It feels like it was just a moment. I'll miss you so much, leaving already."

"I'll come back soon. Petra... um, try your best!"

I smiled, and Petra, perhaps sensing the meaning behind my "try your best," blushed. Seeing her expression, I was reminded that I had seen her with Lukas earlier this morning and wondered what they had talked about, driven by curiosity. I glanced at Petra, but she didn't seem to want to say anything. I couldn't force her to tell me something she wasn't willing to share.

"Laura, please do your best in the capital. You are the pride of this village."

Suddenly, a voice came from above. Looking up at the gentle voice, I saw Petra's father, the mayor, with a calm smile on his face. He was a very kind mayor who never dropped his polite speech even to a girl like me. He was well-respected by the villagers, and the village was centered around him.

"Mayor, thank you. I'll do my best."

Feeling a bit embarrassed by the words "pride of the village," I smiled back happily. With that exchange, I left Petra's house. I realized the sun was already setting.

Now, the only one left was—

"Laura?"

I turned at the voice from behind. There stood my childhood friend, Lukas, whom I had deliberately left for last in my farewell rounds. In the dark, the emblem in his left eye seemed to glow even more brightly.

"You were at Petra's house, huh?"

"Hey, were you looking for me?"

"Yeah. Since you're leaving for the capital tomorrow, I wanted to talk to you."

Lukas's straightforward and unadorned words warmed my heart. Without a word, we walked side by side, and the occasional bumping of our shoulders felt comfortable.

"The ten-day leave passed by so quickly."

"When do you think you'll get another break?"

"Probably when it gets colder. You know, we get longer breaks during the changing of the seasons."

Lukas's lips curved downward, looking somewhat disappointed. He probably thought it was still a long way off. I chuckled at his childish expression, and he blushed, lowering his eyebrows. Then, Lukas cleared his throat and opened his mouth, perhaps trying to change the atmosphere.

"Recently, I've been having strange dreams."

"Strange dreams?"

Caught off guard by the new topic, I tilted my head. Then,

"Yeah. A girl I don't know appears in them."

The words that shook my eardrums made me stop in my tracks.

—The girl in Lukas's dreams. Could it be her?

"…What kind of girl?"

"I can't see her face clearly, but she had beautiful silver hair. Her eyes were definitely golden… no, amber."

A girl's image flashed in my mind. Her long silver hair tied up high, her amber eyes, which looked fierce but showed innocence when she smiled. She skillfully wielded a spear and magic, using her long limbs to their fullest. Her power was different from that of ordinary humans and even elves, coming from an ancient race that had served heroes since ancient times. She was the heroine of "Last Brave."

"If I only saw her once, I wouldn't think much of it, but lately, I see her almost every day."

Lukas gazed into the distance, and his profile looked unusually mature. Meeting one's future destiny through dreams. I didn't remember such an event in "Last Brave," but it wasn't surprising that there were differences from the game. Rather, this development was more dramatic. Before they even met, Lukas and she were already connected.

"Maybe she's trying to convey something to you through your dreams."

The heroine, the ancient girl, had the mission of helping the heroes who were reborn repeatedly in this world. Their leader called them "messengers of the gods." They used a sacred power different from magic, one close to the hero's power, to help Lukas. Perhaps the girl in his dreams was trying to tell him that a crisis was approaching this world.

"Laura?"

"Huh? No, it's a mysterious dream."

"Right?"

Lukas's back seemed unusually distant. At that moment, a feeling of unmistakable "loneliness" welled up inside me. —I had known since I was nine, when I remembered my past life, that my childhood friend would gradually become a distant presence. Despite this, I felt an overwhelming loneliness at the reality that Lukas and I would drift apart. It was a selfish feeling. Lukas had often said he felt lonely seeing me aim to become a royal alchemist. Despite making him feel this way, I felt so lonely and sad just by sensing the growing distance between us, the hint of our diverging fates.

"Maybe you'll meet that girl in the not-too-distant future."

I said this with a deliberately bright voice, trying to shake off the creeping sadness. Lukas only tilted his head, saying, "Maybe," without showing much enthusiasm.

The golden hair swaying in the wind. The back that had grown so much. How much longer could I stand by his side? Imagining a silver-haired girl standing there instead of me, I couldn't help but look down. Honestly, I felt lonely. It was like the feeling of a parent who can't let go of their child or a sister who can't let go of her younger brother.

After taking a few deep breaths, I closed the gap that had formed between us and stood beside him again. Lukas, sensing my presence, turned to me. Our eyes met naturally.

"Even if we meet, I might not be able to talk to her. …No, can you come with me? You know, I'm shy around strangers."

He smiled. The embarrassed smile was the one I knew so well. I couldn't help but smile wryly at my own relief.

—Leaving my childhood friend behind.

A new goal, albeit a pitiful one, seemed to have formed.