The convoy finally entered the stone gates of Larnia.
They brought in such a depressed atmosphere.
Maybe it was their dull faces or painful silence.
No cheering. No laughter. No songs of victory.
Only the quiet shuffling of boots, and the weary groans of the scorched carts that carried what little was left of their shoddy supplies... and their dead.
Smoke curled faintly above the city’s rooftops.
Bells tolled in the distance.
The people of Larnia knew what happened.
They’d started getting ready for the ceremony.
That night, the hard walls of Larnia glowed with hundreds of small lanterns.
Each one, lit carefully by trembling hands.
Each one, a prayer.
When the first was released, it rose slowly into the sky and flickered gently like a small sun.
Then another.
And another.
Soon the heavens were filled with soft, floating lights.
Thousands of them.
No one spoke.
Even the children were silent.
For many of them, this was the first fire they’d lit since the flas that took their hos.
So refugees flinched at the sight.
Others cried openly.
But they still lit the lanterns and sent them to the sky.
Even with their shaking hands and trembling lips.
Because no one else would do it for them.
･･･
Nero stood among them.
The golden lights reflected in his eyes as he held a lantern, unsure if he should even touch it.
『They’ve all lost soone...』
Family, friends, their entire village.
He glanced around.
The old, the wounded, the hollow-eyed children.
『And I’m just... here.』
He tightened his jaw as guilt squeezed his throat.
He didn’t belong here.
Not in this grief and torturing silence.
He turned to leave quietly.
But then—
"Hic..."
He stopped.
A small girl stood near one of the lantern stands as her little hands gripped the edge of her sleeve.
Her eyes were red and puffy, but she wasn’t crying.
Not yet, at least...
She was trying too hard not to.
"Hic... sniff..."
Nero sighed softly.
『Really now.』
He crouched beside her and placed a very gentle hand on her head.
The girl blinked up at him.
Then the dam broke.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clung to his robe and sobbed with a hiccup in every breath.
Nero didn’t say anything.
He just smiled gently and patted her head until her crying turned into quiet whimpers.
The lantern she’d been holding slipped from her hands.
Nero caught it before it hit the ground.
He used [Fire Magic] to light it carefully.
He held it up for her.
"Wanna help send this one?"
The girl sniffed and nodded.
Together, they released the lantern.
It floated up slowly to join the others in the sky.
『I don’t think I wanna leave this world... at all...』
From the corner of the crowd, Eurvaine watched silently.
Her fingers twisted nervously around the oversized robe wrapped around her shoulders.
『He’s really... kind, isn’t he?』
She looked down at the robe and bit her lip.
『And here I was... calling him useless. Treating him like all the others. Mistress Aldura was right... I call sorcerers proud and arrogant without even giving most of them a chance to defend themselves. It’s not right...』
Her cheeks flushed faintly.
She wrapped the robe tighter.
『It does sll like him~』
Almost as if she desperately wanted to hug its owner.
『Maybe next ti... I’ll try to talk to him properly.』
The thought made her heart beat faster.
–
–
–
Later that night.
The crowd had begun to thin.
On a quiet balcony overlooking the square, Ardan stood with rlin, who sat lazily on a stone ledge as she sipped booze from a stout ceramic bottle.
Below them, the last of the lanterns drifted upward.
The Knight Captain watched as he gave his statent.
"Most of the survivors have friends here in Larnia. A few have arrangents for lodging."
rlin yawned and tilted the bottle. "Mhm."
He cleared his throat and continued.
"Uhm, as for the rest... all we can do is hope that they’ll find a way to survive here. There are too many children and elders who’ve lost everything."
rlin’s eyes looked sleepy... half-opened maybe?
"What about them?" ᗜ˰ᗜ
Ardan hesitated.
"Well, I... for now I plan to take in the young boys as pages and squires. I believe the girls can train to serve in the capital as maids, attendants, maybe even scholars if they’re lucky. The old folks..."
He sighed so uncomfortably.
"Perhaps the new retirent ho in Bramble territory will take them."
rlin didn’t reply imdiately.
She just swirled her bottle slowly.
"Mhm."
Her eyes flicked toward the courtyard below.
Nero, Aldura, and a shy-looking Eurvaine were talking.
『So the Red Dragon’s gone, and he’s already back to chatting with other won. Typical.』
Her pout deepened. ( ¬⤙¬ ) Hmph!
『And here I thought he’d at least try to ask why I’ve been ignoring him... unbelievable.』
She shook her head.
"Disappointing." "( – ⌓ – )
Ardan’s eyes widened.
"You’re right, it IS a bad plan! I’ll find a way!"
"Wait, what—?"
But he was already running off dramatically.
"I’ve failed as a knight!" .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
rlin blinked, then sighed.
"And people call dramatic."
She took another drink and stared back at Nero.
『Let’s see if you’ll ignore this face too, jerk.』
･･･
Down below, Nero smiled as Aldura talked.
It was always a pleasure to listen to her talk.
Not just because of her beauty, but because her elven accent and elegant tone.
"So, you really plan on staying in Larnia so you can help the refugees settle in?"
Aldura nodded. "It’s only right. They need a healer."
"Yeah, that’s fine then."
Nero scratched the back of his neck.
"Sotis I forget you’re this selfless."
Aldura chuckled softly.
"Because I act like a sleazy bitch, you an?"
"Eh—"
"Don’t worry, I take it as a complint."
Then she smiled gently.
"What about you? Are you staying?"
Nero hesitated, glancing at rlin.
She was seated far away, pouting at nothing in particular and pretending to be fascinated by her bottle.
It was a little overdramatic.
Nero sighed.
"Probably. rlin looks like she wants to leave soon."
Aldura touched his cheek softly.
"Take care of her, then. She’s not one who wears her heart on her sleeve. She can be... difficult."
rlin’s muffled voice drifted from afar:
"I heard that, elf bitch."
Aldura’s smile widened. "See?" ( · ❛ ֊ ❛)
Nero laughed. "Yeah, I see."
"Still, living with her isn’t a chore, right?"
Nero smiled. "Never could be."
Aldura patted his cheek affectionately.
"That’s the spirit, dear."
Just as she was about to leave, Eurvaine fidgeted nervously behind her.
"Oh—almost forgot."
Eurvaine froze mid-step.
Aldura reached into her brown satchel and pulled out a small, neatly bound to.
"For your potioneering..."
She placed it into Nero’s hands.
"We talked a lot about it a lot, rember? So, you can uh... consider this howork."
[ⓘ Item Acquired: Elven Potioneering To]
‣ Contains rare formulas for minor pills and elixirs
Nero smiled.
"Thanks, really."
Aldura nodded and turned to Eurvaine.
"Let’s find the hospital."
"C-, Can I have a mont?"
Aldura shrugged.
"Be quick or I’ll start drinking."
Eurvaine stepped forward nervously.
"H-, Hi, Nero." (⸝⸝⸝>﹏
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