Chapter 56

"Welcome to the Flaria branch. I have been waiting for you, Lady Laura."

The one who greeted me with a smile was a man in his early forties, the head of the Royal Alchemist Flaria branch. His crescent-shaped eyes, however, had a sharpness that seemed to pierce through me, causing my smile to stiffen.

It had been about 20 days since Casper suggested the Flaria training. The preparations for the training were steadily completed, and before I knew it, the arrangements were made. I asked Lucash to accompany me to the capital with Wake and the others—my childhood friend readily agreed—and here we are today.

Me, Chelsea, Senior Lina, and Lucash. The four of us arrived in Flaria just a little while ago.

We were planning to stay at Emilianna's family home, but since we were here under the pretext of alchemist training, it was decided that I, as the leader, should visit the branch chief's office to make an appearance.

"I am Laura Ampere from Schvaria. I will be in your care for a while."

"One room in the alchemy lab will always be available. It's a busy time, so I can't give you a tour of the town, but if you need anything, please let me know."

It's a busy time. The branch chief's emphasis on this part made my smile even more strained.

According to the story, one of the alchemists from the Flaria branch has been dispatched to a city in another country that was attacked. The Flaria branch, which has only four alchemy rooms, is short-handed with just one person missing, making it a hectic time.

While the branch chief's words were slightly irritating, I could understand them.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience during this busy time."

There was no response to my words.

From their perspective, I was a young girl who had suddenly imposed an incomprehensible training during a busy period. I couldn't complain if they judged that there was no need to treat me politely.

I finished my greetings and left the branch chief's office early. As I did, I noticed two alchemists in the corner of the hallway, seemingly observing my situation. I bowed reflexively and hurried towards the exit.

As I was about to pass them, one of them said,

"Is that the assistant everyone's talking about?"

"Geniuses are just incomprehensible."

The next words were something about "drinking water for spirits" or something. I didn't stop to listen, so I couldn't quite catch the last part.

The clear hostility made me feel uneasy and restless.

This was a new experience for me. In my previous life, I didn't have any outstanding talent, and in this life, no one had ever directed such overt and damp hostility towards me.

Some might see this training as a whimsical assistant suddenly deciding to go, and the people of the Flaria branch as victims being tossed around by that assistant—

But there was no need to gossip so openly. I muttered to myself, "I'm just a 15-year-old girl, you know," as I opened the double doors leading out of the Flaria branch.

"Laura!"

The first to spot me as I left the Flaria branch was Lucash.

He ran over to me, followed by Chelsea and Senior Lina.

It was a strange scene. My childhood friend and my workplace friends and seniors together. I wondered what they had been talking about while I was gone.

"Did you greet the branch chief?"

"Yeah, they said they'll always keep one room in the alchemy lab available."

I smiled in response to Lucash's question. He looked relieved, his eyes drooping slightly. His gentle smile soothed my prickly heart.

As I was being healed by my childhood friend's smile, Chelsea suddenly took my hand. She then gave me a lively smile that seemed to heal my downcast mood and said,

"Hey, there's a big garden over there! Want to go check it out?"

The words "big garden" brought back Emilianna's words. If I remember correctly, Flaria was famous for its flowers. A big garden might offer a chance to fully enjoy Flaria's specialties.

We were about to follow her suggestion when Senior Lina stopped us.

"Wait, Chelsea. That sounds nice, but let's go to Emilianna's family home first."

***

In front of us was a large mansion and a large gate. An elderly man, who looked like a butler, stood at the gate. His white hair and white beard, which could be called "romance gray," made him look like a capable butler.

This mansion was Emilianna's family home. We had already been introduced in a letter, and after the training in Flaria was decided, we brought letters we had exchanged with Emilianna as proof of our relationship.

There was no reason to be suspicious, yet I couldn't muster the courage to call out, perhaps due to my timid nature.

However, if I lingered at the gate any longer, I might be mistaken for a suspicious person. Pushed by Senior Lina, I called out to the butler.

"Um, I'm Laura Ampere, a friend of Emilianna's..."

The man seemed to think for a moment before responding,

"Oh! Miss Laura, I've been waiting for you. I've heard about you."

He smiled warmly, and the tension in my body eased.

The butler looked at Lucash and the others behind me and said, "Please, come in with your companions," as he opened the gate. He then led us to the mansion.

The mansion's garden was filled with a magnificent flower field. The sweet, soft scent that tickled my nostrils reminded me of honey from my previous life. It was not just a good smell, but a delicious one.

We stepped into the mansion, led by the butler. The interior, with its white and brown tones, was calm and still smelled of flowers. It was a warm and relaxing space.

Suddenly, the butler spoke.

"Miss Emilianna has spoken highly of you, Miss Laura. She mentioned that you are a wonderful teacher."

"No, not at all. I've been the one receiving help..."

Emilianna had written quite a lot about me in her letter. The word "teacher" made my cheeks flush. "You're very humble," the butler murmured, making me even more embarrassed.

I laughed ambiguously to change the subject, and a comfortable silence followed. Behind me, the three of them were observing the mansion with great interest.

"Sir, Madam, I have brought Miss Laura and her companions."

The door in front of us opened. The room was smaller than I expected, but it was a bright and spacious room with a large desk and sofa.

A black-haired man sat in a simple but expensive-looking chair directly in front of us. His all-back hairstyle made me think of Wake for a moment, but he seemed older. His narrow green eyes looked intimidating at first, but upon closer inspection, I could see laugh lines around his eyes. Next to him stood a blonde woman with blue eyes, who looked a lot like Emilianna. No, it was more likely that Emilianna resembled her.

The woman, who looked a lot like Emilianna—probably her mother—smiled.

"Welcome. I'm Emilianna's mother, Louise Flaria. And this is..."

"Ubaldo. I hear my daughter has been in your care."

The next to greet us was a stern-looking man, who I assumed was Emilianna's father.

I flinched at Ubaldo's imposing presence. Louise seemed to read my mind and patted his shoulder, whispering,

"Hey, you look scary."

"It's just the way I was born, cut me some slack."

Ubaldo smiled awkwardly, and for a moment, his drooping eyes reminded me of Emilianna. At first glance, Emilianna seemed to resemble her mother, but comparing their features, she might have inherited a lot from her father as well.

Louise's smile deepened as the atmosphere relaxed, and she spoke again.

"By the way, I've heard from Emilianna that she has been well taken care of. She asked for food, lodging, and information. Of course, we will assist you."

I bowed deeply in gratitude. The others behind me also expressed their thanks.

As I raised my head, my eyes met Louise's gentle blue eyes. She walked over to us and said,

"First, I'll show you to your rooms. Please, this way."

Louise led us out of the room. As I bowed to Ubaldo again and turned to leave, he said,

"Emilianna told me you supported her both physically and mentally. She said she's happy to have met a friend like you. ...Thank you. If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know."

I turned around at the emotional words and voice from behind. Ubaldo, looking somewhat awkward but genuinely, smiled at us.

I was taken aback for a moment but quickly bowed. Ubaldo's words about Emilianna and his awkward smile made my heart warm.

The saying "like father, like daughter" came to mind. Emilianna must have been raised with great care by these parents.

As we walked through the hallway, guided by Louise, she laughed softly.

"Heh, he looks scary, but he's very emotional. He was looking forward to meeting you."

Louise turned to us, and her expression overlapped with Emilianna's when she was with Aler. It was an expression of genuine affection.

Indeed, this mother and daughter were similar not just in appearance but in character.

I walked through the mansion, feeling warm, guided by Louise. The mansion, while not as opulent as a castle, was simple and solid, giving the impression of an old noble family.

"Emilianna learned about the spirit's drinking water from an old man named Tobias. He lives next to the tool shop. I've already informed him, so you can visit him at your convenience. If you feel uneasy, I can send someone from the mansion with you."

Emilianna had explained the situation in her letter in great detail. I was deeply grateful for the well-prepared environment.

Louise led us to two guest rooms. It seemed we would be sharing rooms, so it naturally fell to me and Lucash, and Chelsea and Senior Lina.

"Please take your time to rest today. You have quite a bit of luggage, so feel free to use the closets."

With Louise's words, we decided to unpack in our respective guest rooms. As she said, we had a lot of luggage. The training period was up to 30 days, and with the necessary changes of clothes and daily essentials, our luggage naturally became quite heavy.

Lucash, who had brought only a few items when he came from Em's village to the capital, had his clothes and other items prepared by Casper for this sudden training. Today, he was wearing the capital's elegant clothes, which suited him well.

"Sharing a room with Laura, it's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

Lucash said this as we were unpacking.

I traced my memory—indeed, it had been a while since we shared a room, and I nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, it's been a while. When we lived in Em's village, our houses were