Chapter 178: Adventurer Praline (1)

Ｒｅａ​ｄ ｏｎ ​Ｋ​ａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇ​Ｃａ​ｆｅ​

Just in case, she decided to speak up.

It was about a name.

Back then, if that shy little girl had— wishing for it, she had asked to pass on the name “Sugar.”

Memories resurfaced.

Praline. A blue-haired girl they used to play with at the Orphanage. Full of longing for the world, she would chatter excitedly about her first trip outside.

“I… was abandoned here since birth… so I don’t know much about the world… I wanted to see the outside at least once…”

“Uh… um… first, I wanna ride a train. And see the Royal Palace, the Grand Temple in the Holy City… and also Sky Island, the ocean, the Eastern Desert…”

It was a time when everything felt so small. And beside her, Riley had stood with his usual sulky expression.

The adventurer they were about to meet was likely just a namesake. Still, the idea that you—the one who had been so fascinated by the world—had become an adventurer felt incredibly romantic.

Maybe, deep down, they had hoped to hear that name called shyly, just like back then.

“…Sugar?”

And then, the name was spoken.

It was a strange voice—clear like the ringing of steel, androgynous enough to belong to either a man or a woman.

It wasn’t a voice they remembered, but their name had been called.

Someone who knew their name. A friend who remembered them.

Sugar’s heart fluttered slightly. A reunion with an old friend.

Riley, who had turned away first, wore an unreadable expression—but then, Riley was never one to show warmth to others.

Unbothered, Sugar turned around with excitement bubbling in their chest.

And what they faced was… a giant hunk of metal.

“Huh…?”

Over two meters tall. Fully armored from head to toe.

At a glance, it looked more like a walking suit of armor than a person.

“It’s Sugar…”

“P-P-P-Praline…?”

“It’s really Sugar…!”

Thudthudthudthudthud—

The moment it recognized Sugar, the armor clanked furiously as it charged forward.

“Aaaahhh!!”

Startled by the momentum, Sugar scrambled to hide behind Riley.

The armor came to a halt.

“It’s me! Sugar! Don’t you remember?”

A friendly tone. The question—don’t you remember?—pricked at them. Sugar peeked out cautiously.

“Praline? Are you inside that thing?”

“Wow…! Sugar… you’re exactly the same as when we were kids…!”

Sugar immediately jumped out, a pure smile spreading across their face.

In that instant, the armored Praline lifted Sugar up and spun them around.

“So tiny! You haven’t grown at all! So cute!”

“No, I have! You’re just way too big!”

So high up. They were going to develop a fear of heights.

“Ah…! I can’t believe I’m seeing Sugar again…! This is amazing! How have you been? Who are these people with you? Inquisition? What’s that about?”

Back then, she had been so shy, stumbling over her words. Now, she confidently asked whatever came to mind.

No—that wasn’t the important part.

She was an adventurer who had survived the Shattered Lands and made a name for herself. She held the record for the longest expedition in history.

“L-Let’s move somewhere else first. Praline. There are people I want to introduce you to, and things I want to say… Anyway, it’s a lot.”

“Sure! There’s a place I’m staying nearby. Let’s go there.”

“Is it okay for us to come? Won’t there be a lot of people?”

“Of course. There’s room for four more. But… the guy next to you feels kinda familiar…”

Praline set Sugar down and studied Riley, tapping the chin of her helmet thoughtfully.

“Well, you should find him familiar.”

“Wait… wait… I’m trying to remember…”

“Tommy.”

“Aah!”

The armor jumped. The ground shook with a thud when she landed.

“Really? No way! The kid who was even smaller than Sugar?! Wow! Wow! Wow! And you were blond, right? Hi, Tommy! Remember me?”

“…Yeah.”

Riley answered flatly, and Sugar subtly stepped in front of him.

“Let’s just get moving.”

There wasn’t much meaning to it. If they kept this up, they’d never get to talk about the Song of Silence. Besides, Ian and Leon behind them already looked bewildered. So, wrapping things up, Praline took the lead.

“You two are still sticking together even after growing up… Reminds me of the old days. I was shocked when you both suddenly disappeared back then… Glad to see you’re doing well.”

“You look healthy too, and that’s what matters. You’ve… really grown tall. Seriously.”

“Tall? Pfft. Not that tall.”

Her laughter echoed through the armor. Even though she was the tallest one here. She was good at jokes, too.

The lodging she led them to was spacious. It looked like she was using a four-person room all by herself. Inside, various pieces of what seemed to be adventuring gear were scattered everywhere.

“Alright, make yourselves comfortable. I don’t drink tea, so I don’t have anything to offer. But what’s everyone’s relationship?”

Praline casually straddled a chair and gestured for them to sit wherever—on the bed or otherwise. She’d grown a lot more easygoing. Maybe it came from living rough out in the world.

“We’re all friends. That’s Leon, and over there is, um—”

“Ian.”

“Oh, is it okay to reveal that?”

“You seem close. What’s your relationship?”

Even as she introduced herself, Ian kept her hood on. Still, she asked about the nature of their connection.

“Riley and I were friends at the same orphanage when we were little.”

“Riley?”

Praline turned to the side, questioning.

“Tommy is Riley. His real name.”

“Oh?”

She nodded, then spoke up again.

“Well, anyway… Nice to meet you all. I’m Praline. As a rookie adventurer, I’ve been making quite a name for myself lately. Call it my golden age.”

The armored figure struck a pose, hands on hips, puffing out her chest—it was downright comical.

“So? Sugar. What’s the occasion? I heard something about the Inquisition earlier.”

“That’s… sorry. It was just a way to get you out here.”

“What? Don’t tell me you impersonated them just to lure me out?”

“Not impersonated. Not exactly…”

Let’s be clear—they borrowed the title.

Hearing that, Praline laughed, slapping her armored thigh with a hollow clang.

“Hah! Whatever it is, you’re still scheming like always.”

“But if we didn’t do this, we’d never have found you…”

“Fair point.”

She shifted in her seat. At the same time, Sugar subtly glanced at Riley, who placed a bag on the table and began rummaging through it.

“Mind if we get to the point?”

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“But first, we’ve got something for you.”

While the two talked, Riley naturally pulled out snacks and spare clothes before finally setting down a lantern.

“That thing. No, not that—the bread. The bread.”

“This?”

“Yeah.”

He handed Sugar a hefty paper bag, then repacked the rest—leaving a few snacks and the lantern behind as if they’d always been there.

“Praline. It’s nothing much, but here. Famous Holy City bread from Palmanseong. It’s still fresh thanks to a preservation spell.”

“The Holy City? You came all the way from there?”

“Mhm.”

“Wait—did you travel from there just to see me?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s a bit more complicated. You’ll understand once we explain. Just take it for now.”

“Hmm… Thanks, but I don’t really eat much these days.”

“Huh?”

“…Never mind. I’ll take it. Thanks, Sugar.”

Praline cradled the paper bag. In the arms of a two-meter armored giant, it looked like a child’s toy.

Behind them, Riley finished setting up the lantern—on the table, just out of Praline’s line of sight.

“Now, let’s talk. Cutting to the chase—we’re here to negotiate for one of the items you’ve put up for auction.”

“Hmm. Auction items.”

She nodded slowly.

“Tears of Elegy? The petrified stabilization stone? Or… Song of Silence? Those are all worth over a thousand gold, at least.”

“Song of Silence.”

“Ahh.”

A sigh of understanding—though it also carried a hint of regret.

“Song of Silence… Estimated at two thousand gold. Pricey. So you’re short on funds?”

“Exactly. That’s why we—”

“Hold on. I need to say something first.”

Praline raised a hand.

“I’ve been investing money into certain… projects for a specific purpose.”

“…Projects?”

“And one of them has requested that exact item.”

“What?”

“It’s a choice between earning two thousand gold to distribute across my investments—or transferring the item directly to that particular project in exchange for top priority.”

“Top priority?”

“A certain… medicine. That’s my goal. I’ve been funding labs attempting to synthesize it. And this specific project promised that if I hand over the Song of Silence, I’ll be first in line when the medicine is completed.”

“…That valuable?”

“Yeah. Once it’s finished, two thousand gold will seem like pocket change. But by then, it’ll be too late to try and buy it.”

Sugar fell silent.

There was competition. They’d assumed others might bid for such a high-value item—but this wasn’t just about money.

‘This contract’s on another level…’

A medicine Praline was willing to invest in. A medicine with astronomical value. And a guarantee to receive it first upon completion.

‘To overturn this, we’d need to offer something just as significant…’

As they stewed, Praline continued.

“From four days before the auction, they take a ten percent cancellation fee from the estimated bid. So I was planning to decide by tomorrow—whether to take the contract or not. Tomorrow’s still five days out, so…”

“If we miss that deadline and withdraw the Song of Silence from the auction…”

“I’d lose two hundred gold. That’s absolutely not happening.”

So tomorrow was the cutoff. There was no time to probe casually—no room for hesitation.

They’d made the right call leaving early on Ian’s advice. A moment later, and they’d have walked straight into a blade.

‘A medicine so valuable that two thousand gold is trivial…’

Something flickered in Sugar’s mind.

The very thing they and their friends were after.

“Praline. Just asking—is this medicine the kind that belongs in legends?”

“…Yeah.”

The moment the answer came, a hunch solidified. Something in Praline’s hollow, almost disembodied presence gave it away.

Sugar parted their lips carefully.

“Saint’s Water?”

Before the words fully left their mouth, Praline’s helmet snapped toward them. It was eerie—no gaze could be felt, yet the armor’s full attention was unmistakable. Like facing an ornate suit of armor come to life.

“…How did you land on that exact conclusion? There are plenty of mythical, undeveloped medicines in the world.”

(Incidentally, hair-loss remedies fell into that category.)

“But how did you—”

“Praline. Answer me honestly first. Then I’ll explain.”

“Haa.”

A sigh—though no breath accompanied it. Just a vocalized exhale.

“No point hiding it. Fine. Yes. Saint’s Water.”

Sugar’s eyes darted immediately to Riley. A silent exchange, then a nod.

Praline was after Saint’s Water.

‘In this situation… honesty’s our best move.’

To overturn the other party’s contract, Sugar had to lay their cards on the table.

Letting the Song of Silence slip out their hands was unacceptable. This was the first one to surface in two years—a rare ingredient. If they lost it here, they’d have to charge straight into the Shattered Lands themselves.

“Praline. Truth is… we’re also trying to synthesize Saint’s Water. That’s why I asked.”

“…”

“We suspect the Song of Silence is a key ingredient. That’s why we came to negotiate.”

“I see…”

“And for the record—no team’s gotten closer to Saint’s Water than we have.”

Praline’s voice sharpened.

“Proof? Progress reports? Can you show me anything?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have documentation on hand.”

“Then how do you expect to prove it?”

“Riley. The lantern.”

Sugar held out a hand, and Riley wordlessly passed it over. Praline tilted her helmet, feigning nonchalance.

“Oh, finally explaining what that is? I’ve been curious the whole time.”

“You knew?”

“Not at first. You were too natural. But every time your eyes flicked to the side, your expression gave it away. Eventually, I noticed Tommy—Riley—standing diagonally behind me with some kind of lantern.”

“Wait, I gave it away?”

“Yep. How could I not realize you two were passing something?”

“…”

“Work on your poker face, Sugar.”

Sugar’s cheeks burned at the teasing remark.