Chapter 16 Reunion With Childhood Friend
--Tomorrow, Lukas is coming to visit the capital city.
It's been a few months since I became a trainee alchemist, and my days, filled with unfamiliar things, were finally starting to settle down. Lukas replied that he wanted to meet after I wrote to him about it in a letter, so I had been adjusting my schedule for about a month now.
During this same month, after hearing about Lina-senpai's story, Arnold was often come to visit me. However, I couldn't ask him directly about the rumors. Despite that, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy and curious. But today, all those feelings were pushed aside.
Tomorrow, Lukas will be visiting the capital city! I was just looking forward to it.
"Oh, Laura, you seem cheerful."
Lina-senpai pointed out as I was cleaning up.
Upon receiving the comment, even though I felt a bit embarrassed as it was clear that I was in a good mood from the other person's perspective, I shyly responded.
"My childhood friend is coming to see me tomorrow."
It has been several months since I last met Lukas.
I was happy that he straightforwardly expressed his wish to meet in a letter. When I mentioned that I might not have a long break to meet, without hesitation, he said he would come to the capital himself - or more accurately, he wrote it in the letter - which made me very happy.
Chelsea was quick to respond to my words.
"What kind of person is he?"
"Huh? Well, no matter how you ask what kind of person..."
I struggled to describe Lukas in words.
Come to think of it, I had never had the chance to introduce Lukas to others before. Lukas had greeted Arnold and Marcedes-san himself, and the villagers recognized me and Lukas as a pair.
What kind of person is Lukas?
Thinking of my childhood friend in my mind, Lukas always had a gentle smile in my memories. He's such a kind boy who helps me out.
"He's a kind boy. He's a boy."
A kind boy. It's a very common introduction. But for Lukas, the adjective "kind" suited him more than anyone else.
In the not-so-distant future, Lukas will become a hero. Even if that hero position is a given mission, I will become a skilled alchemist to ensure that the kind hero-sama doesn't get hurt even a little. That became my new goal.
Originally, I chose the profession of a craftsman to leave the village, but as time passed, I started to think that it's important to be able to support the people dear to me.
* * *
The next day.
Under the large arch at the entrance of the capital city Savila, I found him standing alone.
"Luka!"
"Laura!"
My childhood friend looked up at my voice. Probably spotting me in the crowd, his face lit up with a smile.
As if happy to see each other again, we embraced each other without a word. It had only been a few months, but it seemed like he had grown taller again.
Breaking the hug, I looked up at Lukas.
"I'm sorry for making you come all this way. I wish I could have gone back to the village..."
"Don't worry about it. I insisted on coming, so sorry for taking up your day off."
Lukas bowed apologetically, his head hanging down. I could see dog ears drooping down as well.
"Not at all! I'm glad you came."
I smiled warmly. In response to my smile, Lukas, who had been hanging his head, smiled back modestly.
He supports my dreams and comes to see me like this. Just seeing that smile warms my heart. Being apart made me realize that childhood friends are truly precious.
When Lukas was pondering alone, he noticed "it."
"You're still wearing that."
"Huh? Oh, this? It's a charm."
"I'm glad."
"It" refers to a bracelet Lukas gave me two years ago when we visited the capital together for Arnold's exam. It has a very simple design, so even though I'm now over 14, I still wear it without feeling childish, always keeping it on. As a result, it has gotten quite dirty.
Checking Lukas's wrist, I saw a matching bracelet on it. Lukas's bracelet was also somewhat dirty.
"Luka is wearing one too."
"Of course."
We showed each other bracelets and laughed again.
The busy days of the past few months seemed to have gone far away. I felt at ease to the point of thinking that.
Lukas is staying at an inn in the capital city tonight and will return to Emme Village by carriage tomorrow. I grabbed Lukas's hand and ran, determined to make the most of these two days.
* * *
Lukas wanted to see the healing potions at the market, so I guided him to the stalls lining the main street. Arnold had told me that I could actually pick out healing potions from these stalls rather than from the big tool shops.
I chose a stall run by a kind-looking gramps with other customers, wanting to avoid being treated rudely as mere window-shoppers.
Lukas and I sat quietly in front of the stall, peering into the box overflowing with healing potions.
"Are there any healing potions made by Laura in here?"
"No way! I'm still a trainee, so my potions aren't ready for the market yet."
Although I shook my head at Lukas' words, I suddenly understood why he wanted to see the healing potions. It seemed he wanted to see the healing potions I had made.
Lukas looked disappointed as he slightly furrowed his brows in response to my answer, then asked,
"But Laura's healing potion is amazing, right?"
"I'm glad you think so, but who told you that?"
"Berta-san."
Upon hearing Lukas' words, an amused expression of my mentor's face came to mind. For some reason, she seemed to consider Lukas as my "knight."
With a wry smile, I stood up from where I was sitting. There was no longer any need to stay at the stall.
As we walked along the main street, I decided to ask,
"Besides my mentor, how is everyone in the village doing?"
I, of course, regularly sent letters not only to Lukas, my parents and Mentor but also to Petra and the others. No matter how busy I was, I never neglected sending those letters. I wanted to avoid causing unnecessary worry to those who had supported my dream.
They all replied, and from their messages, they seemed to be doing well. However, people can easily deceive through text. Reading the letters, I couldn't help but worry if they were really okay, not just once or twice.
"She's fine. Petra and the others were worried about how you were doing, but you sent a letter, right? They read it and felt relieved."
From Lukas's expression, he wasn't lying. I could tell because we've been childhood friends for so long.
"Oh, I see," I sighed in relief, and Lukas continued with a smile.
"Even your parents weren't doing well right after you left, but now they look forward to your letters. Oh! I was supposed to give you this. It's from them."
Lukas said that and rummaged through his bag on his shoulder. What he handed me was a sandwich that my mother often made. It was filled with plenty of mountain delicacies, the so-called "taste of home" for me.
I happily accepted the offered sandwich.
"Wow, thank you! Shall we eat together later? There's a nice place on the outskirts of the city."
With that suggestion, we turned off the main street onto a side road.
Every holiday, I would come down from the royal castle to the capital city. I would have tea with Chelsea, or sometimes wander around alone. Among those days, my favorite spot was a bench on top of a small hill on the outskirts of the city.
The path to there was well maintained, but I had to climb a fairly long staircase, so there were few people passing by. Sitting on the bench overlooking the capital city, quietly spending time in a daze was a precious time for me.
Now, I was climbing these stairs. While guiding, I turned back to Lukas. Instead of the expected smile and nod, he was looking at me with a serious expression I hadn't seen before.
"...There's something I need to tell you, Laura."
And then the topic was brought up. The voice was unusually low.
The news Lukas was about to share was undoubtedly bad.
"Lukas...?"
Approaching Lukas, who had stopped, he gave me a slight smile to reassure me.
"...The village was attacked by monsters the other day."
He spoke.
I felt like Lukas's left eye crest sparkled.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)