It has been two days since that cold night on top of the old tower.
I can still clearly remember Hime's expression when she asked me to keep touching her head a little longer.
I never once thought that I would end up touching her head at that moment.
I was also a bit surprised by her, because instead of being annoyed or bothered, she actually asked me for more.
Well… not for that long, maybe it only lasted around a minute.
She said she already felt satisfied, and immediately took me back to the inn, because the small worry in her heart had already disappeared.
As for the fever… maybe she really did have one at that time, because when my hand touched her head, I could feel that her head itself was warm.
Even though I touched her head, not her forehead. So… it's very possible she really was a little feverish, to the point she felt worried.
"Oi, your sword is ready.", said Mats-san from inside his workshop.
I immediately entered the workshop and saw him holding a blue sword.
The sword was bright blue, with edges colored light gray, and a handle colored brown mixed with black.
I could feel the strong magical power coming from within this sword.
Without thinking, I took the sword from Mats-san's hand.
"I didn't expect the final result to be like this…" I said as I examined the sword more closely.
"Heheh, I'm sure you'll like it. Try swinging it." said Mats-san.
Cring.
I tried swinging the sword, as if I were fighting something.
And I was a bit surprised, because this sword felt very light, even though I didn't swing it too hard.
"Amazing, I'm really glad to have someone like you, Mats-san." I said.
Mats-san chuckled after hearing my words.
"One more thing, this sword will become even stronger if you can master magic… but if you can't, then it probably won't grow any stronger." he said.
"Look at the sword's color." he continued.
I immediately looked at the color of the sword, which had originally been bright blue, now turning darker.
"If the sword is dark, that means it isn't storing any magical energy from its user. But don't worry, it won't affect your original strength." he said.
—
I got something I'd been dreaming of for the past few days, but I also received slightly bad news because of it.
I'm not skilled at magic, and I don't want to try learning it again.
Well… I guess this sword won't get any stronger in my hands, but at the very least I can train my swordsmanship with it.
"Oi, don't forget the sheath! Here, take it." Mats-san said, throwing the sheath to me.
The sheath was brown, and it seemed to be made of animal leather. Its texture was very soft and felt warm.
"Relax, that sheath won't be penetrated by any sword." he said.
"How much does it—" he immediately cut me off before I could finish.
"This time, I'll give it to you for free." he said while giving me a thumbs up.
"Thank you so much… alright, I'll get going." I said while taking my leave.
——
I didn't go straight back to the inn, but went to the guild instead, because the three of us had already agreed to depart today.
Yesterday, Charles-san gave us a small magic orb that displayed a map of this whole world inside it.
And there were red dots across many continents and cities, marking the presence of the Abbys forces.
And the largest mark was on Virosia Island, the island completely controlled by them.
Charles-san entrusted this orb to us because he believed it would help us during this journey.
Additionally, he had prepared a horse carriage and someone who would take us using it.
I feel like Charles-san thinks he has some kind of duty to do all this, because Hime and Yuu-chan are the chosen ones.
Oh, those two are waiting for me in front of the guild.
"Oi!" I said while raising my hand into the air, making their attention shift to me.
When they saw that I had arrived, the two of them walked slowly toward me.
"You're a little late, that guy has been here for quite some time." said Yuu-chan.
Ah, she must be referring to the person who will accompany us by driving the carriage.
"My apologies… so, where is he now?" I asked.
"He said he had something to take care of inside the guild for a bit, and told us we could wait inside the carriage first." Hime answered.
In that case, I'll go find him. I want to see what kind of person he is.
"Alright, you two go first. I'll go inside and meet him." I said.
"If you don't want to make it difficult, just ask Lyra-san. Just tell her you're looking for someone named Luke, she'll definitely know." said Hime.
"Of course." I replied.
Hime and Yuu-chan then walked away from me, heading toward the carriage.
Oh right, I forgot to ask what the carriage looks like. But I guess I'll know once I meet the guy.
—
In front of the guild, there was a circular road with a fountain in the center.
Many horse carriages were often parked here because the road was so spacious.
Most of them belonged to party groups or merchants who wanted to stop by briefly.
—
I walked inside, and as usual the atmosphere was busy. There wasn't a single quiet corner in this guild.
Tables and chairs were filled with adventurers resting and enjoying sake in their hands.
The big bulletin board was also crowded with people wanting to take new quests to earn money.
I walked through the crowd, heading toward the receptionist desk where Lyra-san was.
When I was close to her desk, Lyra-san noticed me and called my name.
"Ah, Kid-san!" she said with a wide smile.
That's right, in front of Lyra-san, my name is Kid.
If I use the name Yukito, there's a chance she'll find out and take me to the castle to meet the king.
The last time my name was heard was when Hime argued with her father about the hero matter involving me.
"I saw Yuu-chan and Fuu-chan earlier. Are you going with them? Fuu-chan said she would leave the city again." said Lyra-san.
"Yes, of course I'm going with them. By the way, do you know someone named Luke here?" I asked.
"I've only met one person named Luke. If that's the one you're looking for, he's over there, sitting alone while drinking sake." said Lyra-san while pointing at someone.
I followed her gaze, and it seemed that was indeed the person I was looking for.
His hair was long and black, reaching down to his chest. He wore dark blue clothing that covered him down to his feet.
He was wearing brown shoes that I had never seen before.
"Thank you, Lyra-san." I said.
"No problem, be safe out there. If you're with Fuu-chan, your life should be safe anyway." she said.
I could only smile and let out a small laugh. Well, I couldn't deny her words.
Alright, I should go and approach this person named Luke. I want to know what kind of person he is.