Chapter 57

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The next day.

We four immediately visited the home of the rumored old man.

We knocked on the door, and when a kind-looking old lady came out, we told her, "We are looking for someone named Tobias." A voice then came from inside the room.

"It's me, Tobias Frelich!"

The old man who laughed heartily and threw back his head was much more energetic than we had imagined. His well-tanned skin and voluminous white hair made him seem even more robust.

"Ms. Emilianna told us that you were cured of a serious illness by spring water in the past..."

"Ah, a recommendation from Ms. Emilianna! That's right, I was cured of a serious illness by the spring water and am now as healthy as ever!"

Tobias laughed and flexed his biceps. His boundless energy was almost overwhelming, but it also seemed to prove the existence of the "spirit drinking water."

Feeling a slight swell of hope in my chest, I opened my mouth again.

"Could you tell us more about the spring water?"

"Of course! It happened a few months after I was given a death sentence by a doctor. After a period of despair, I decided to make the most of my remaining life. I wrote down all the things I wanted to do with my remaining time—"

Tobias's story, which began with an unexpectedly serious introduction, was like a grand novel. In short, it was very long and detailed. We had visited his house in the morning, but by the time we finished listening to his story, the sky outside the window had grown dark.

When we returned to Ms. Emilianna's house, we were all exhausted. Still, we tried to summarize and clarify the key parts of Tobias's great adventure. According to him—

The young Tobias, who had always wanted to be an adventurer, decided to search the forest in the north of Flaria after being given a death sentence, hoping to experience at least a taste of adventure. He had heard that one had to go deep into the forest to encounter strong monsters, but unfortunately, he ran into a vicious-looking monster near the entrance.

After narrowly escaping the monster, Tobias found himself lost deep in the forest. He wandered for a long time, growing hungry and thirsty. Just when he was about to give up, thinking he would die before his time, he heard the sound of water.

Following the sound, he found a spring. The moment he drank from it, he felt a surge of energy. Not only that, but he also saw glowing threads appear in his vision. They seemed to guide him along the ground, and by following them, he managed to find his way out of the forest—

"What a mysterious and, to be honest, hard to believe story," Lina said after we had organized the information.

"I'd find it easier to believe if he had just been dreaming," Chelsea agreed, nodding. Both of them looked troubled.

Lucas spoke next.

"The location of the spirit drinking water is also unknown because he found it by wandering. So, we have no idea where it is..."

His words left us all speechless, and a heavy silence fell over us.

Honestly, we had gained no new information about the spirit drinking water. Tobias's story was interesting, but it remained in the realm of rumor and urban legend. His current health, despite his past death sentence, lent some credibility to his story, but the information was still vague.

I had hoped for at least some concrete details, but—

The expedition training was already clouded with uncertainty, but I tried to sound cheerful as I suggested, "Why don't we go check out the forest tomorrow? But before that, let's see if we can get some guards from the Schvaria Knights."

The three of them nodded in agreement. Honestly, at this stage, the only thing we could do was to go to the forest and see for ourselves.

We decided on the plan for the next day and disbanded. Lina and Chelsea went back to the next room, and Lucas, who shared a room with me, was getting ready for bed, though he still looked troubled.

If we believed Tobias's story, the spirit drinking water existed, but so did dangerous monsters in the forest. Asking Lucas to guard all three of us would be too risky.

I had suggested checking out the forest, but I intended to only observe the area near the entrance and not venture into the deeper parts. If we were to explore more thoroughly, we would need to prepare properly, including antidotes and other supplies.

Most importantly, we needed to ask the Schvaria Knights stationed in Flaria for help. I recalled the cold gaze of the Flaria branch chief. Even with the support of Knight Commander Veik, there was a chance they might turn us away due to their busy schedule.

"---Laura, your face is tense. Is something wrong?"

Lucas suddenly leaned in, looking worried. He stared at me intently, his brows furrowed.

To reduce the burden he would carry for us, I resolved to smile and said, "Nothing's wrong." Lucas bit his lower lip, as if he wanted to say something, but after a moment, he seemed to decide that pressing the issue further would be futile. He smiled, albeit with a hint of exasperation, and said, "Tell me before you bottle it up."

***

At the Schvaria Knights' Flaria garrison. I rang the bell next to the door, glancing at the sign. The door opened immediately, and a small boy appeared.

He had short, neatly cut purple hair and bright golden eyes. From his height and youthful appearance, he looked to be my age or younger. I was taken aback by his unexpected appearance. Then,

"Is that the uniform of a royal alchemist... Oh, could you be Lady Laura Ampere!?"

He asked in a distinctive tone. I was taken aback again by his formal speech, but I managed to nod in response.

"Y-Yes, that's right. I'm here for the expedition training... I believe Knight Commander Veik mentioned that we would be coming..."

As I said this, the boy grinned, showing his white teeth, and puffed out his chest.

"I've heard about it! I'll go get the captain!"

He saluted us sharply and then disappeared into the building. I wondered if he was a member of the Schvaria Knights.

After a few seconds of exchanging glances, we heard some noise from behind the door, and it opened again. The person who appeared was not the purple-haired boy, but someone I had not expected.

"I've been waiting for you, Laura. And everyone else."

He had light green hair, narrowed red eyes, and pointed ears. The soft-spoken man was none other than Deputy Commander Oliver Bloom of the Schvaria Knights.

My thoughts came to a complete halt at the unexpected appearance. I slowly looked him up and down, reconfirming that he was indeed Oliver Bloom, before I could finally speak.

"O-Oliver...!?"

Why are you here?

Oliver smiled without answering my question and opened the door wide, saying, "Please, come in."

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This is a scheduled post.

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