Ch.144Starlight Scales

The next morning, the Blue Wing party had to receive a delegation sent by the Dwarf Kingdom. Naturally, Sephiroth alone was designated to speak with them as the representative.

On the first floor of the inn.

Seo-rin, Theo, and Flora sat facing each other, eating the breakfast that had been prepared.

“What could they be talking about for so long?”

Theo said, looking up at the upper floor of the inn. It had been over an hour since Sephiroth had followed the delegation upstairs as the Blue Wing’s representative. Yet there was no sign of his return.

“It must be political matters. The dwarves probably want to invite us to their castle, and the Vice Commander is likely continuing to refuse.”

Seo-rin let their conversation drift past one ear while diligently moving her fork and knife. Even without using mana, well-practiced swordsmanship doesn’t easily fade.

Even in the simple act of cutting meat, Seo-rin was applying her sword techniques.

Slash—

The meat, cut along the grain, became the perfect bite-sized piece and slipped into Seo-rin’s mouth. Her small tongue moved vigorously, wrapping around the meat and guiding it between her teeth, where the juices burst forth, delivering a small moment of happiness.

“Delicious…”

Seo-rin quite liked this place. The buildings and furniture were at a comfortable eye level, and even the food suited her taste perfectly. Despite having only experienced the inn so far, she couldn’t stop thinking about settling down here.

After finishing breakfast, Seo-rin headed out to the streets with her two friends. The sense of liberation from completing her revenge seemed to make her body feel lighter. There had always been a heavy stone sitting in one corner of her heart, but now she couldn’t feel it anymore.

“Haa…”

She took a deep breath in and let it out. The tension in her eyes relaxed. Her view of the world seemed to have changed significantly.

Theo, watching carefully, subtly moved closer to Seo-rin. Previously, she would have distanced herself like a cat with raised fur, but now, even though she noticed his approach, she maintained the distance.

As if to say she was in a good mood and would generously tolerate it.

‘H-hand… holding hands would be too much.’

Seo-rin knew what Theo was thinking but pretended not to notice and looked away.

The three of them were quite out of place in the city of Star Forge. Walking slowly with leisurely steps among the energetic and busy dwarves naturally drew attention from those around them.

The Blue Wing’s visit to Star Forge was a matter of great interest to the dwarves. Since humans were rarely allowed access to this place, many approached them with curiosity.

“So you’re those knights from the Blue Wing? If you have time later, please drop by our sword training hall. I’d like to see what human swordsmanship is like.”

“Do any of you know how to cook? I’m very curious about human cuisine and would like to learn a bit. I’ll compensate you, of course. Over there, at the restaurant…”

There were no negative glances. Everyone approached with goodwill. The trio had to endure a barrage of questions for quite some time.

After the dwarves heading to work had disappeared, the three were finally able to leave the main road and enter the market street.

The long road was paved with gray bricks, giving it a very clean appearance. It was hard to find even a single piece of trash on the street, suggesting they paid great attention to urban environmental aesthetics.

That’s when it happened. A dwarf preparing to open his shop at the entrance of the market street spotted the three and beckoned to them with a bright smile.

“Oh, you there. Please stop for a moment. Could you spare some time for this old dwarf?”

Sniff sniff—

Through the scent carried by the wind, Seo-rin realized what goods this dwarf was dealing in. A rich alcoholic aroma blended with subtle fruit notes drifted slowly through the air.

It was a liquor store.

“What do you think?”

“Why not check it out?”

“It smells delicious.”

The three naturally headed in that direction.

The old dwarf introduced himself as Paragon.

“I am Paragon. Please, sit anywhere you like.”

Paragon’s establishment had a different structure from an ordinary tavern. It had an open layout with tables and chairs, and numerous bottles of liquor were displayed in prominent places, as if to show off his entire collection to everyone.

Paragon’s position was between the tables where customers sat and the display case where the glasses were arranged.

After confirming that the three had taken their seats, Paragon jumped up to the top of the shop and installed a wide awning. As the vigorously extended awning blocked the sunlight, a pleasantly cool shade was created.

But that wasn’t all. When the soft sunlight that the awning couldn’t completely block shone through the display cases, a subtle, multicolored sparkling light spread around them.

“Oh…”

“The atmosphere is quite…”

Once all preparations were complete, Paragon’s hands moved busily. He began mixing drinks using two bottles taken from the display case and silver cups retrieved from under the table.

During the process, fruit or other light beverages were sometimes added.

“This is your first visit to this city, right? This is my gift to you.”

Seo-rin found herself staring at the cup placed before her. Clear liquor shimmered with sparkling light as it slowly rippled in the transparent glass.

Why did he put fruit in the cup?

After briefly pondering and observing, the girl reached out and promptly ate the fruit that was slanted in her cup. Theo did the same. Like Seo-rin, he picked up his glass without hesitation and poured the liquid into his mouth.

“Whew! This is good!”

Flora, watching the two, asked Paragon:

“Is it really okay to just drink this?”

“Of course. Didn’t I say? It’s a gift. Besides, since I called you over first, I thought I should offer at least this much.”

“Well, alright…”

And so, one glass. Flora slowly tilted the cup to her lips. The subtle aroma of tropical fruit lingered in her mouth for a long time.

“How is it? It’s called ‘Journey of the Stars.'”

“It’s quite good for starting a conversation. Makes one’s lips feel lighter.”

“You know your stuff.”

“So, what did you want to hear from us?”

“Many things! You know, like adventure stories you’ve experienced. Of course, if it’s uncomfortable to answer, you don’t have to.”

At Paragon’s words, Theo and Flora just exchanged glances. Meanwhile, someone stepped forward. It was the small girl, Seo-rin.

She tapped the table twice with her small hand and said:

“Could I have another glass?”

“Did you like it?”

“I never knew alcohol could taste this good.”

Paragon gave Seo-rin a bright smile at her response and poured her a new drink.

Seo-rin held the glass and slowly began to speak.

“My homeland is a cold place. A place where snow falls year-round, dyeing the world white…”

“The Bitter Cold Mountains?”

“That’s what everyone calls it.”

“I can imagine it. Snow as white as your hair spread all around. It must be quite a magnificent place.”

“My hair is more beautiful than that snow… anyway.”

Seo-rin tilted her glass and slowly unfolded stories from her past. These were things she hadn’t shared with anyone except her two friends, Theo and Flora.

Even she found it hard to understand why she was sharing stories she normally wouldn’t tell.

Was it because of the suddenly offered glass of alcohol? Or was it due to the sense of liberation that came after completing her revenge?

Perhaps it was both. Additionally, the fact that Paragon was a stranger also played a part. Some stories are harder to share with those close to you.

For Seo-rin, the Blue Wing had already become such close people.

The girl reflected on her journey over a glass of alcohol.

Paragon, seemingly very satisfied with Seo-rin’s story, kept pouring drinks. By the time intoxication had risen to the faces of Seo-rin, Flora, and Theo, Seo-rin put down her glass and said:

“That’s the end of my story.”

She had omitted details about her sister and her own condition. It shouldn’t be a problem.

Seo-rin murmured, touching her flushed cheeks.

“Who’s next?”

However, no one opened their mouth no matter how long she waited. Just when it seemed like that was the end, Paragon, who was cleaning up the empty bottles, spoke:

“Do you know the story of the Starlight Dragon?”

“Starlight Dragon?”

Flora was the one who responded. Theo and Seo-rin were half-dozing, drunk from the alcohol, so she was the only one focused on the conversation.

“The pitch-black night sky. It’s said there’s a dragon that travels between the twinkling stars above. Since it never stays in one place, not many have directly witnessed it…”

“It stays on stars? Is that possible? Stars are more like atmospheric phenomena where mana in the night sky condenses and becomes visible…”

“Is that what humans believe?”

“Are you saying dwarves believe differently?”

“Of course. Those stars visible only at night represent countless worlds. If you look up at the sky from another place, another star, this place where we are would also be twinkling as a small star.”

“You call that an explanation…”

“Aren’t you from the Blue Wing? Then where did you think the reincarnators you’re hunting came from?”

“Are you saying the reincarnators came from those stars in the sky?”

“That’s what I believe…”

That’s when it happened.

With a thud, Seo-rin, who had been sitting in her chair, collapsed onto the floor. Judging by her snoring—dorolong dorolong—she seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

“We should be going now.”