Ep 192. Get Used To It. (4)
Eline’s eyes began to twinkle as she beheld – for the first time in a long while – a funing marketpce.
With two trusted panions, one in her arms and one walking alongside, the herbalist began to sort through all sorts of goods that were id out in Partivine’s open stalls.
Being so occupied, she failed tister all the looks she was getting; Theolus was fortably curled up in her arms and couldn’t care less.
Hehe only ohat did notice all the wary looks was Xerun.
…But he was gring back at each of them, so it all worked out.
“Definitely hese…these too…oh, you have nasmoth extracts! Excuse me, I buy the entire basket here?”
“…The whole basket?”
The stallkeep curiously examihe herbalist and the peculiar lizard she seemed to be holding. Despite the that was in her hands, he was rather relut to hand over such a rge amount of ahetic extracts; they were beyond toxi rger doses.
“You sure you hat much, ss? A handful of these could bring down a Gron…”
“Oh, don’t worry! They’re fons. Holy, I could probably use a sed basket if you have it.”
“…They’re for who?”
W if he’d misheard, the stallkeep’s gaze drifted back to the hatg in Eline’s arms – who he’d so far thought was just a peculiar lizard.
He then focused his attention on Xthe gold-horned figure, standing tall by the herbalist’s side.
In respohe elder dragon summoned a pair of golden wings, raising his hand into the air as small bolts of lightning sparked to life around his arm.
And finally, Xerun answered the stallkeep in Eline’s stead.
“Dragons.”
“…”
Fortunately, this stallkeep didn’t flee their own stall like the st one did.
Unfortunately, he was already on the floor after a single hiccup, no longer scious enough to receive payment for his wares.
“…”
Sighing, Eline shot her tall panion anre.
“I told you not to do the lightning thing. People get scared when you do that…did you already fet how the officers tried to kick you out at the city gates? We wouldn’t even be here if the dragonlord didn’t speak for us!”
“That’s their problem, not mine.”
“…Ohoho, really now? I ge that.”
“? How so?”
“Like…by telling Elder Ardion you were sg poor store owners left and right?”
“…”
The gold dragon’s wings immediately returo being hidden. The bolts of lightning also fizzled out, as if they’d never beeo begin with.
“…I shall err on the side of caution.”
Beaming a shrin, Eline tinued on with her shopping spree – that is, after waking up the stallkeep to pay her sum.
Any item she bought soon became ara bag for the gold dragon to carry. After all, she was busy enough pig items, paying their price, and holding Theolus while showing him what a human city was like.
‘…This is all for the kin. This is all for the kin…’
The night deepened as the elder dragoed the mantra in his head.
They’d be leaving Partivine shortly, anyways – Eline couldn’t keep away from the valley too long, lest her patients worsen in dition.
But still, as short as their stay was…it definitely wasn’t going to be her st visit here.
And it definitely wasn’t going to be Xerun’s st time apanying her here, either.
? ? ?
Meanwhile, Karas was elsewhere entirely. He’d made a small detour to show Eline and Xerun to the markets, but he’d parted ways with them thereafter.
“…It’s been a while.”
As the professor wove his fingers over his institute’s library entran a peculiar mahe sealing spell soon shimmered to form, unlog itself thereafter.
The wooden door then creaked open on its own – and the familiar sight of shelves and tomes greeted Karas’ return.
Although he’d left the pce for a while now, the library’s interior was kept as he’d remembered. In fact, even the lights were all on.
‘Seems someone’s been taking care of things here. Has Gio finally returo the institute? Or was it Mr. Lairaff…’
With several thoughts swirling in the back of his mind, Karas quietly began to walk along the library aisles.
“Let’s see…I’m almost positive we had a book that mentioned draies. Where was it…”
“Oh, it’s right here. I already took that book.”
“…?”
When Karas suddenly heard a familiar voice within a library that he’d presumed to be empty, the professor quickly made his way along the rest of the shelves to check who it was.
And, as expected, Light was sitting at one of the circur tables. Aome was in front of her, with a whole other staeatly piled on the side.
“…Light? I thought you’d gone home?”
“I came here instead. You taught me how to unlock the door here, remember? You said I could e here whenever I wao.”
“Well, yes, but…it’s gettioday. Head home; you e baorrow.”
“…”
Light quietly closed the tome she’d been reading.
But instead of getting up to leave, she remaiati pce, staring at her professor without a single blink.
“…I don’t wanna go home.”
“? Why?”
A month ago, her behavior would’ve made sense: after the Reaper i in Partivine, Light had been rather uneasy about going to her own home, even after its restru was plete. The people that were ohere no longer were, and the house had been nothing more than a reminder of those that were gone.
But the half did seem to grow used to things with time’s passage. If anything, she’d seemed fih her home before they’d left for Astellion; being right door, Karas had often seen his studeurning home with Ilias. The unease in Light’s expression had long faded.
‘…Wait. That’s it.’
Ilias wasn’t here.
The only other individual who’d beeo keep the half girl pany had, ially, remained behind in Dragon’s Valley.
Now, there really was no one bae.
“…”
After an exasperated sigh, Karas dragged over a chair to the table Light was at, taking a seat at his student’s side.
“…Actually, never mind. Far be it from me to stop my own student from studying.”
“…”
Although her lips were f a soft grin, Light’s shaking eyes fell down to the book she’d closed.
Even though Partivine had been her home her entire life, a feeling of unease had tio eat away at her sce. Feelings of loss she’d struggled tet were beginning to surface again.
And her professor was worriedly studying his student’s flicted expression.
“…Light. Fet about what happe Asarda.”
“…Eh?”
At first, Light had thought her professor was just trying to ge the topic with pointless banter.
But when she raised her gaze again, she could easily see that Karas was being as serious as ever.
“…Why? I got to use magic outside of css, I got to talk back to a deity…I even learned a bit about who I was a hundred years ago. It retty fun trip.”
“Fun?...”
“Yeah. I even got attacked by you.”
“…”
“The others helped me this time, but ime I’ll block it myself! Just you wait.”
Despite his student’s bright tone, Karas ched his eyes shut, shaking his head in dismay.
“Then…at least fet about what happened with the empire.”
“Huh?...Oh, because you used to be one of them?”
“No, that no longer matters to me. But…”
When Karas trailed off iao finish his sentence, Light once again spoke up to finish it for her professor.
“…Because I killed people?”
“…”
Karas couldn’t return an answer of any kind.
During their enter with Akeia’s soldiers, Light had clearly used magic – with i – to harm the Akeian soldiers.
And in that process, a number of them had passed away.
Affirming was no different than branding his own student as a murderer.
Denying was no different than telling a btant lie.
But Light only grinned back at her professor, as if she was well aware of the dilemma he was struggling with in his head.
“You were worried about that, huh? It was all in self-defence.”
“…Even so, harming another person with magic is strictly forbidden. If you were to admit it publicly, then…”
It’s okay.”
“…”
“It’s okay. Really.”
The quiess in Light’s response wasn’t because she hadn’t thought the matter though.
In fact, it was because she’d thought the matter through and through already.
Murder that involved magic was one of the worst crimes a mage could it. Circumstances aside, a mere student killing someone else through magic was reason enough to be shunned and branded as a heinous criminal. bined with some of the things she’d said to a deity’s face, some may even argue that the half girl deserved nothing short of a death sentence.
Before, Light would’ve cared about this sort of thing.
In fact, there was no way she wouldn’t have cared. It was aremely sensitive topid she’d vioted one of the most obvious rules among mages.
But to this day, she didn’t regret doing what she’d done.
Light felt no guilt for killing those soldiers. Even if she were to go ba time, she would’ve dohe exact same.
“Before, when we went to see the doctor…I hardly did anything there. I still regret that.”
“…Doctor?”
“Dr. Eisenhoff. Even when I saw him again, I just…stood there.”
“…”
“Ilias and Serenis did everything. Even though it was my own problem.”
“…Light, that’s different. They’re dragons; even if the ey of mankind shuns them, those two aren’t impacted whatsoever. But you’re-”
“I’m fioo.”
“…What?”
“I’m fioo. It’s okay.”
Even if she were to be branded as a criminal, Light’s only worry would’ve been how disappointed her parents would be.
But she no longer had parents to be disappointed in their daughter.
She no longer had friends that would point fingers at her.
“…Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? A death sentence? After what’s happehat doesn’t seem too bad.”
“Light! Even as a joke, you shouldn’t say such things.”
“Pft. If I really do receive a death sentence, are you going to e and save me?”
“…That’s a pointless question. You’re not going to be senteo death.”
“Oh? That’s not a no. I guess you really would sider saving me, huh?”
“…”
Light let out a soft ughter as she watched her teacher’s unease growing by the sed, seemingly flicted between w and morals.
“You like me too much.”
“…No teacher would wele losing their student.”
“Maybe. But not many would break the w to save their studeher.”
“That’s only assuming you actually did something wrong. What you were doing was self-defence.”
“Hey, now you’re just stealing what I said!”
Somehow, the versation had gone in full circle: the e being Karas defending his supposedly criminal student.
The two locked eyes midair as an awkward siletled into the library.
And when the long silence finally broke, Light was chortling at how things had bee – and Karas would follow soon after.
With simir thoughts in mind, the two exged silent vows – to never speak of the matter again.
I’ll always be right here.
And I’ll never lose you again.
