Chapter 52

Albert and I were walking through the capital city of Luminous, having left our hometown.

"Sure lives up to being the city under a marquis's castle! It's very prosperous!"

"It's not as grand as the capital, but most of the goods produced in the Luminous territory are traded here before being sent to the capital."

Today, I had planned to show Luminous to Laura. This was the city where I was born and raised—the place where I spent the most time. I wanted Laura to see it, and I also wanted to feel a bit nostalgic myself.

"This is the main street. There are many different shops. Let's take a look."

"Wow, amazing!"

On either side of the wide road, a variety of shops lined up. There were many people walking around, and the merchants were desperately trying to attract their attention.

This was the heart of Luminous, a place where many goods and much money changed hands.

It was a very active area, and the turnover of shops was high. As we walked, I noticed that about half of the shops had changed.

...It has been ten years, after all...

I felt the passage of time anew.

At that moment, I realized that Laura, who had been walking beside me, was gone.

Huh?

I turned around and saw that Laura had stopped in front of a small stall.

"Laura?"

As I approached and called out to her, Laura was startled and said,

"Oh, I'm sorry! Mr. Albert!"

She tried to start walking again. Then the stall owner called out to her.

"Hey, miss, shouldn't you think about it a bit more?"

"Well, no, I was just looking—"

"Are you interested in this?"

The stall owner's eyes gleamed as if he wasn't going to let her go. It was a shop selling women's accessories, and the item he pointed to was a crescent-shaped brooch. It was small and modest, something that would subtly adorn the edge of clothing—perfect for Laura's style.

"I am interested, but—"

Laura looked hesitant.

It was probably due to financial reasons.

The stall owner, sensing this, quickly turned to me.

"Hey, buddy, isn't this the place to show off to your girlfriend?"

...

...

...

...Girlfriend...?

Laura let out a loud exclamation.

"No, no, no, no! This person is someone I respect and a friend! We are absolutely not in that kind of relationship!"

"Ah, I see. My apologies."

The stall owner smiled wryly.

But I thought it wasn't such a bad idea.

Leaving a tangible token of gratitude for Laura was a good thing.

Besides, it wasn't that expensive. It was a price that a working commoner could afford, even if a poor student might hesitate to buy it.

However, giving something as a gift—would that create a power dynamic? Would it damage our pure relationship—

I am a noble, and Laura is a commoner.

I am an adult, and Laura is young.

Would it highlight these differences—

Then I suddenly realized something.

"Laura, when is your birthday?"

"Huh? June 6th, but—?"

"Huh? It's already passed?"

"Yes, it's already the 16th."

It seems Laura had grown older without me noticing.

Now I had a reason.

"Laura, I'm late, but—I'll give you a birthday gift. ...As a friend who always helps me."

"Bu, bu, but—!"

"It's not strange for friends to give birthday gifts."

"Sure thing!"

I handed the money to the grinning stall owner and gave the brooch to Laura.

She took it carefully.

"Thank you! I'll treasure it—put it on a shelf as a family heirloom—no, no! I'll treat it as a village treasure!"

"You can use it normally."

"Okay! I'll use it normally!"

Laura stroked the box containing the brooch with a happy expression.

"By the way, when is your birthday, Mr. Albert?"

"Me? My birthday is—"

I told her a day in winter.

Laura nodded.

"I remember! Let's celebrate! We must celebrate! I'll give you a gift next time!"

You don't have to worry about it—

I was about to say, but I changed my mind and said,

"I'm looking forward to it."

Yes, that's what an equal relationship looks like. The right form for friends.

I sighed in relief, glad that my relationship with Laura hadn't become distorted.

Then we started walking down the main street again.

I noticed something.

"...That's strange..."

"What's wrong?"

"The shelves are noticeably empty..."

Indeed, many shops had empty shelves.

This was the heart of Luminous. The merchants here were all experienced and skilled.

Empty shelves would mean missed business opportunities.

They wouldn't make such mistakes, and not just one or two shops, but many. There must be a reason.

I asked the shop owner while buying a drink.

"The number of items seems low. What happened?"

The moment I asked, the shop owner looked troubled.

"Ah... That's because one of the main routes leading to this city has been blocked by a landslide. It's causing a lot of chaos in the delivery of goods... It's a headache for all the shops."

"Will it take a long time to fix?"

"It's a large-scale landslide. They say it will take a few months."

The shop owner raised his hands in frustration, and we thanked him and left the shop.

"...A landslide is a serious matter..."

"Yeah, it is..."

I suddenly put my hand to my mouth, deep in thought.

Laura tilted her head, looking at me.

"What's wrong, Mr. Albert?"

"Hmm, ah..."

At that moment, the scene after the battle with the heraldic artist came to mind.

The large horizontal hole carved into the cliff, which I had opened with a Magic Arrow.

"Hey, Laura. Want to go there now?"

"Huh?"

"I feel like there's something I can do."

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