Ch.19West

A sword plunges like lightning into the vast plain. This was the first memory Sae-rin saw through the sword’s recollections.

It wasn’t a memory of swordsmanship. Rather, it was an image built up over many years in her mind’s eye—a fundamental approach to utilizing mana cultivation techniques more efficiently.

Crackle—

Uncontrolled mana raced through Sae-rin’s body. The image engraved in her mind instantly changed the nature of the mana.

The mana began to resemble natural lightning. Sae-rin hastily tried to control it as the wild mana continuously emitted blue flashes of light.

Crack—!

Blue light flickered and disappeared from the hand holding the sword.

“Ah…”

Sae-rin gaped blankly. The sudden rush of memories and the lightning that had coursed through her body had left her shocked.

“I see…”

The dam that had been blocking her memories collapsed under the pressure of new recollections. Fragments of memories that had seemed unrelated began connecting like a chain reaction.

She now understood why her mana had responded to the White Frost Tribe’s techniques.

She also realized why Theo’s mana possessed lightning properties.

A long breath followed. The lightning-like revelation had shaken Sae-rin’s mental landscape.

The next moment, a white wind swirled from the tip of the sword Sae-rin was holding. Though extremely faint, it carried a bitterly cold chill.

Sae-rin swung her sword, shaking off the mana gathered at its tip. A faint electric current dispersed into the air along with the frigid wind.

At that moment, Flora was sent flying across the training ground.

“Aaack!”

Bounced away, Flora roared and immediately got back on her feet. She didn’t have a single scratch on her body, indicating that Reynard had gone easy on her before tossing her out of the training ground.

Sae-rin just blinked blankly. She had wasted too much time absorbed in her memories. She glanced at Karnok to see if he had noticed, but he wasn’t paying much attention to her.

Clap, clap, clap—!

“Good work, everyone!”

Reynard came down from the training ground, clapping his hands. His face showed deep satisfaction.

After the sparring session ended, Sae-rin immediately returned to her room. She had left the unconscious Theo in front of the men’s dormitory. Being naturally energetic, he would surely find his way in once he woke up.

Though she hadn’t been able to watch Flora fight due to being absorbed in her memories, she didn’t regret it at all. Sae-rin had more urgent matters to attend to.

The scattered knowledge about mana that had been disconnected until now had finally connected. If she missed this moment, she might never get another chance.

Right now, she felt like she could accomplish anything. Sae-rin seized the inspiration that had come to her.

***

Time passed quickly. Before they knew it, the date for the trio’s second mission had arrived.

The items she needed to pack weren’t much different from their first mission. Sae-rin put on her uniform and adjusted it in front of the mirror.

“Beautiful…”

Sae-rin nodded as she looked at her younger sister’s face. No one could deny this face was beautiful.

She tied back her hair, which had grown quite long. Though the long hair was somewhat inconvenient during sword training, she couldn’t bring herself to cut her sister’s beautiful hair.

After finishing with her hair, Sae-rin’s gaze turned to the table. There sat a basic cosmetics set that Flora had given her recently. She had accepted it somewhat reluctantly when Flora insisted it would be good for her skin.

“Hmm…”

If it could make her sister’s appearance prettier, there was nothing she wouldn’t do. However, Sae-rin didn’t know how to apply makeup.

‘I’ll have to learn later.’

Sae-rin tossed the cosmetics set into a drawer and opened the door. Flora was waiting outside.

“All ready?”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t put on makeup?”

“I don’t know how.”

“Oh… should I teach you later?”

Sae-rin examined Flora’s face. Though she didn’t wear makeup during training, she was wearing light makeup now. The enhanced colors made her look much healthier and more beautiful.

Indeed, it seemed necessary to learn about makeup. Sae-rin nodded.

“After the mission.”

“Sure!”

Sae-rin left the dormitory with Flora. Reynard and Theo were already waiting between the men’s and women’s dormitories.

Sae-rin waved to them. Now she understood that Reynard’s usual expression wasn’t him keeping his eyes closed—he simply had small eyes.

While they would normally need to fill out paperwork at headquarters before departing on a mission, this didn’t apply to the trio. Just like during their first mission, Reynard handled the paperwork for them.

Reynard and the trio thus left the Blue Wing headquarters.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been out~”

Reynard didn’t head straight for the post station. Instead, he led the trio to a shopping street a short distance away.

Sae-rin asked, “Where are we going?”

“Ah, I have a place I always visit before missions. Won’t take long, don’t worry.”

The place where Reynard’s group stopped was in front of a small bakery.

Sniff, sniff—

Sae-rin sniffed the air. The sweet and savory aroma flowing from the bakery made her mouth water.

“Wait here a moment.”

Reynard left the trio outside and entered the bakery. Shortly after, he emerged carrying four large pieces of pie.

“Take one each.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

“Wow…”

Sae-rin respectfully accepted a pie as big as her head. It was round and flat, reminiscent of the bread sometimes made in her tribe, but different. This one was topped with something that looked like bright red jewels.

It was a type of bread Sae-rin had never seen before.

Sniff, sniff—

She smelled it first. The sweet-sour fragrance behind the savory aroma was incredibly intense. Fruit mixed with bread.

It was a shocking combination to Sae-rin.

After smelling it, the next step was to taste it. While Sae-rin was cautious about unfamiliar food, Theo and Flora were already munching on their pies.

Reynard said with a light laugh, “How is it? Delicious, right? This is why I take missions so often. The Order covers all expenses during missions.”

“Hmm. Couldn’t you just come out on weekends to buy them?”

“Once you taste this, weekends alone won’t be enough. You’ll end up like me.”

Reynard, having answered Theo’s question, looked at Sae-rin. She was the only one among the trio who hadn’t yet tasted the pie.

Sae-rin opened her mouth wide and bit into the pie.

Chomp—

Her eyes widened. The crispness followed by moistness. The savory flavor filling her mouth, and the sweet-sour fruit taste that came afterward.

It was an assault of flavors. Sae-rin’s tongue went wild in her mouth.

Watching her, Reynard gestured lightly and turned around. It was a signal that they should get going.

Theo and Flora followed Reynard, but Sae-rin didn’t move.

“Sae-rin?”

Her gaze lingered on the bakery for quite some time. She only moved after Reynard called her name twice more.

Sae-rin made a private resolution. After successfully completing the mission, she would buy pies. Not just one, but about five.

She would give one each to Theo and Flora, and eat the remaining three herself.

The greedy Sae-rin’s mouth became wet with saliva.

***

The place where Sae-rin’s group arrived was a prosperous city surrounded by golden grain fields.

Stopping in front of the large main gate, Reynard jumped off his horse and said, “West! A region famous for its delicious alcohol!”

Following him, Theo, Flora, and Sae-rin also dismounted.

Theo asked, “You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

“Ah, around this time last year, I think? The beer and wine were exceptionally delicious…”

It was at that moment. Sae-rin felt a faint gaze from somewhere high up. When she turned her head in that direction, all she saw was a tall wall.

“Hmm…”

“Come on, what are you doing? Let’s go in.”

Reynard addressed the trio. In that brief moment, he had shown their Order credentials and obtained permission to enter. The trio followed Reynard into the city.

The city was incredibly lively. Countless people crowded the view, and shouts from vendors calling for customers came from all directions.

West was one of the major trading hubs within the Karma Empire, a place frequented by numerous merchants. With so many people, there was also great diversity in races.

Among the crowds, Sae-rin could spot people who seemed strangely familiar.

Though they were dressed like civilized people, they couldn’t hide their build, skin color, and facial features. They were Astrians, whose homeland lay beyond the frigid mountains.

“Astrians…”

Sae-rin’s expression darkened. She was reminded of her slaughtered tribespeople.

At that moment, Reynard lightly patted Sae-rin’s shoulder. A small smile played on his face.

“Shall we start with a simple investigation?”

Sae-rin nodded.

Reynard, along with the trio, began moving around the city to track down their mission target, Rover.