episode_0105

An invitation came to me from an auction banquet held in the city of Fiorene.

The problem is, you can only take two people.

It may not be a big deal, but it is safest for me to take Katy with me.

But then there will be no one to protect the other party members.

You also need someone to contact urgently if something happens.

‘If we take two of the warriors, it somehow seems like we’re alienating the other one… . However, if you take Kati and Mercy, it seems like you will alienate all the warriors.’

When my thoughts reached that point, a realization came that penetrated my brain.

‘I can go alone, right?’

Nowhere does it say that you must bring a companion.

Of course, given the nature of this type of event, it would be polite to have a companion.

I don’t know what kind of etiquette that is, but that’s how it is in the world of nobles.

‘Well, I guess it’ll be okay. ‘It’s better than taking only two out of five.’

I made that decision.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

Mercy came down from Vivian’s chest and flew away.

“Oh, it’s nothing… .”

for a moment.

Isn’t it okay to show this?

By the time I thought that, it was too late.

Mercy’s eyes widened as she quickly grasped the content.

“Isn’t this an invitation to a banquet!”

“Banquet?”

The Fruit Warriors and Katy looked back.

Mercy took the invitation and flew towards it.

While they all looked at the invitation together, I explained calmly.

“This is what Princess Grace talked about last time. An auction banquet will be held to dispose of the Fiorene family’s items.”

“2 companions?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m going alone anyway… .”

Five people raised their heads at the same time.

The light emitted from four pairs of eyes focused sharply.

The gaze felt through the only eye patch is even cold.

“It clearly says there are 2 people here! Alone! It’s absurd!”

“What is essential… .”

“You know that it’s against etiquette to go to a gathering of nobles alone without an escort, right?”

I kept my mouth shut at Lucia’s precise advice.

“That’s right! It’s not polite to the host!”

“Ho, by any chance, you don’t want to go with us… .”

Vivian cooed timidly.

“It’s not like that… .”

“Then it has been decided to go!”

Mercy quickly accepted my approval.

I was dumbfounded and asked back.

“Then who should I go with?”

“Of course I… .”

Mercy was about to say something when she felt gazes on her and looked around.

The eyes of the fruits became entangled in the air.

Among them was Mercy.

Even Vivian, who hesitated, didn’t seem to have any intention of losing.

“No, what on earth is this… .”

It’s not like I go there to have fun, it’s definitely part of my job.

Because I’m going to get an artifact.

Meanwhile, Katy is staring at me calmly.

It’s as if he has to go of course.

Helena was not excited, but had a stern expression, like a soldier almost ready to go to war.

Even the posture of raising the hand is a bit stiff.

What can I say, Lucia’s eyes were quite aristocratic and relaxed.

Mercy was a little embarrassed by the momentum of her competitors.

“Anyway, once you become famous, you will have the opportunity to attend several banquets.”

“Still, I can’t give up!”

“It’s not that great… .”

“It would be great if it was hosted by the imperial family… . Oh, and wearing a dress… . Hehe.”

Lucia, who was still, tilted her head once, looked at me, and asked.

“But who does Ian want to go with?”

The group’s attention immediately gathered at that question.

… I’m choking on this.

“That… . There is no such thing as preferring or not preferring someone more.”

“Boring-!”

Mercy shouted.

“It’s boring, it’s boring! I didn’t expect that answer! Like a man… .”

“For now, Mercy is excluded.”

“… Ian’s charm is that he doesn’t do that! Yes, yes!”

Mercy changed her words and smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

The shamelessness was so absurd that I ended up laughing.

“Just look at it once.”

“As expected, Ian is the best! You are even merciful! I believed it!”

Kati glanced at Mercy.

It seems like he is disappointed that the number of competitors has not decreased… .

“Ha… . Then I guess I have no choice but to do this.”

I can’t decide it arbitrarily.

Because all 5 people want to go.

“Let’s draw lots.”

I have no choice but to leave it to luck.

I prepared five sheets of paper, drew circles on only two of them, and folded them several times.

“The person who draws the paper with the circle on it wins.”

Vivian, Helena, and Mercy nodded with nervous expressions.

Lucia stared at the paper intently, while Kati was carefree.

“As I said, if you become famous in the future, you will be invited to many banquets even if you don’t want to go, so don’t be too disappointed if you can’t go this time.”

I started pulling out the papers in order.

The first choice was Kati.

Katy looked closely at the box containing the paper, then put her nose to it and began to sniff it.

He soon takes off his blindfold and stares intently.

“… What are you doing?”

“If you drew something, the owner will have touched it for a longer time, so the owner’s scent will be more intense. And things like fingerprints or pen marks… .”

“Hey, you said that was a foul, man.”

He’s wasting his good sense on something like this.

Finally, after shuffling the papers again, Kati turned around and had them draw them out.

Before he pulled it out, he pouted his lips and glared at me so that only I could see him, which made me laugh out loud because it was so shameless.

So, each of the five people picked a paper fairly.

Now all that remains is to check.

One by one, each person carefully unfolded the paper they were holding.

***

The shadow sharply cut through the air and fell.

A scream erupted from the destination.

“Kwaaak-!”

Sylvia, who had been looking elsewhere, was startled and turned her head.

“Kylie?”

It was Kylie’s scream.

This cannot happen.

Aria must have been providing protection in the center, right?

The person riding on top of the fallen Kylie was the Blade Harpy, a flying monster that appears in this S-class dungeon.

Just looking at the blade-like feathers sent a chill down my spine.

Sylvia quickly ran and chanted.

“Lightning Whip.”

A whip made of electricity appeared at the tip of the finger.

The moment the harpy’s steel wings were raised high to take a picture of Kylie.

He quickly stretched out his whip and grabbed the wing.

The pulled harpy flew at her.

Sylvia spread her other hand forward.

“Ice Spear, Spread.”

A blue magic circle formed on the palm of one’s hand.

There, dense ice spears flew out like buckshot, turning nearby harpies into honeycombs.

“Key Profit-!”

But there was not just one harpy.

When Sylvia tried to respond to the screaming sound coming from above the rear, it was a little late.

It wouldn’t have been like this in the past.

However, there are often cases where the response is delayed after skill declines.

It was annoying, but it was okay.

Because there will be Aria’s protection.

-Poof!

It definitely had to be there.

“Uh… ?”

The feather that the harpy threw was pierced through the side.

“Ari… ah… .”

There is no time to check what you are doing.

The Harpy was gliding down to finish.

“Ice wall, reverse ice wall… .”

A wall of ice shot up from the floor and ceiling, trapping the harpy.

But this alone cannot kill that thing.

‘It would have been enough in the past.’

Even now, there is no warrior anywhere who can do this much without letting down his or her guard.

It’s just a relative difference.

It’s just miserable that the other person is Ian’s enemy, his past self.

“Flame Strike, River Flow.”

The ice wall was solid despite the heavy explosion.

Inside, lava will be flowing and filling.

Without bothering to check, Sylvia quickly got up and turned around.

The lava will melt the monster on its own.

“Aria… .”

Aria, who was discovered late, was already kneeling next to Kylie.

Kylie, who had a deep cut on her shoulder, was frowning while being treated by Aria.

Sylvia asked, pressing her side hard to stop the bleeding.

“Are you not feeling well today?”

“… Yes?”

Aria was astonished, like a child who discovered a hidden mistake.

“Ah, yes… . Sorry, today… .”

“Tell me in advance before you leave… .”

I didn’t want to blame him, but my sharp tone came out.

Because I trusted Arya, I neglected rear guard.

If I had known she wouldn’t be there to protect me, I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

“I’m sorry… .”

“That’s it. Please look at my wounds. Once I’m adequately healed, I’ll do the rest of the dungeon on my own… .”

As Sylvia approached Aria, she felt a sense of discomfort.

Aria is different than usual.

On the outside, I felt a certain emptiness.

‘… ‘I don’t have a necklace.’

There was no relic necklace symbolizing a blazing fire that she wore all the time.

“Did you lose your necklace?”

Ian gave that to me.

“Yes? Ah, I lost it… It’s not that bad… .”

“Then? I forgot to kick it… There’s no way I would do that. Even if it’s not time to go into battle, you always wear it.”

“… … .”

Aria’s eyes shook uneasily.

Sylvia felt not only uncomfortable but also uncomfortable.

Finally, unable to bear the pressure of the gaze, Aria confessed.

I wrote a letter to Ian and sent him the necklace.

“… What did you say now?”

“ put a necklace in the letter he wrote to Ian… .”

Aria couldn’t finish her sentence.

-match!

A sharp friction sound echoed through the cave.

“Ah… .”

Aria shrugged her shoulders and looked up.

Sylvia, who had been slapped on the cheek, huffed with angry eyes.

“What are you thinking? . To Ian… .”

Sylvia couldn’t speak straight because of the emotions boiling inside her.

Aria wrote a letter to Ian.

‘What did you do well?’

This isn’t the first time I’ve wanted to do that, but held back.

Since I had prevented myself from visiting, I wanted to at least send a letter.

There’s no need to reply, so just send it.

But I held back and refrained.

It was the moment it had to be.

That’s why there’s a lot of unsent letter in Sylvia’s drawer.

‘Me too, I’ve been holding back… . I was trying not to disturb Ian, but who are you? . Even though I don’t love you… .’

Those words lingered in my mouth.

If you think about it, it’s all because of you.

Because I love Ian even though I don’t love him.

Because I heard that.

That resentment wells up again.

“Ha… .”

Sylvia stroked her bangs to shake off her self-destruction.

Didn’t we already come to a conclusion a long time ago?

It wasn’t Aria’s fault, it was her fault.

It was then that we faced the more fundamental problem.

“I was already so weak that I sent that holy relic. I’m sane, really… ?”

“Ha, but I never thought it would be like this… .”

“Do you think this is a situation where you can say you didn’t know?”

“… … .”

3 weakened people.

Even though it wasn’t as easy as before, it didn’t hurt like this.

If Aria hadn’t done that.

“If I did something wrong, not only would I get seriously hurt, I could even die.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… .”

Aria apologized, her fingertips shaking.

Sylvia hated seeing that.

“Heal me quickly. Take care of it and go back.”

I was just tired.

And, I missed Ian.

Picture Ian’s reaction when he got hurt.

‘I don’t think I raised you in a difficult way so that you would come back when you got hurt.’

Even though he said it so grumpily and bluntly.

The prickly kindness of checking every day to see how well the wound has healed and taking care of any discomfort is cute and lovely.

I missed him so much.

Those hand gestures and eyes that care for you with the utmost sincerity, everything.

These are things that no longer belong to you.

*

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The person in charge of the imperial family, a woman who introduced herself as ‘Gallen’, smiled lightly at Sylvia.

“I’m glad it was organized sooner than expected. You even got hurt. How are you feeling?”

“… It’s okay.”

My side still hurt, but it didn’t show.

“I’m glad. There won’t be any work around here for a while, so get some rest.”

“… yes. I’ll be waiting for your next command.”

Galen was the person in charge of conveying words between Silvia and the imperial family.

In addition to her, there were four other people in charge, and they took turns managing the first party.

The majority either disliked the first party or treated it harshly without even showing it.

However, a few people send Sylvia a friendly smile like this.

Is it because he was found not guilty?

It was difficult for Sylvia to look at that smile.

Because I don’t deserve a smile like this.

‘What did I do to Ian…? . Why are you smiling at me… .’

However, I couldn’t tell him not to smile at the smiling face.

On my way back after finishing the report.

She heard people talking.

“I heard an auction will be held on Fiorene Street this time?”

“That’s right. They said it was hosted by the imperial family. I heard that the money raised will be used to rebuild villages and cities damaged by the dungeon.”

“As he was an SS-level hero, it is said that many rare items are expected to be released.”

Since it was such an obvious rumor, there was no need to worry about it.

The moment when Sylvia took a step and walked away.

“Philip I’m talking about that guy. No, was Ian the right name?”

That name stuck with Sylvia.

“Anyway. There was a rumor that Ian was participating in the auction.”

“They say they are raising a new hero. Then, you might be able to covet artifacts or equipment.”

Sylvia stood silently and repeated the story to herself.

‘Ian… . In the city of Fiorene… .’

“But is he really Philip?”

“Geocham. Didn’t the imperial family also admit it after the trial?”

“Because it’s hard to believe… .”

Sylvia clearly caught the voice that flowed like background music.

I was definitely told when the auction would be held.

“But that Philip is really like Grace… .”

Sylvia went back the way she came.

I came back to Galen again.

“Silvia?”

“You said there wouldn’t be any work for a while, right?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes.”

“If that happens… .”

Sylvia hesitated for a moment.

Is this okay?

I’m still in the process of atonement.

I don’t think I should meet him yet.

Even though I was acquitted, the guilt in my heart did not go away.

Isn’t the reason I stayed here in the first place to atone and not go looking for him?

He couldn’t be sure what he would do once he was free.

But, but… .

‘I miss you so much… .’

How will he react if he sees me sick?

You won’t be cared for like you used to be.

Still, wouldn’t you be a little shaken or sympathetic?

It’s so mean and selfish.

I miss you more because it hurts.

The injured body weakened the mind and will.

This was even more so when I remembered that Aria sent the letter on her own.

‘Last time, I tried to just watch from afar, but I couldn’t because of Kylie. This time, I’m just watching from afar… .’

I’m sick.

Please nurse me.

I wouldn’t be able to act foolishly like that.

If I saw him, even from afar, this pain would feel a little better.

Sylvia couldn’t hold back and opened her mouth.

“ Wait, I have enough time to go to Fiorene, right?”

Galen checked the schedule and answered.

“That’s enough.”

***

It’s been a while since I came to Ruby Taylor’s clothing store.

I came once last time when I was getting Lucia’s clothes tailored, but I didn’t stay for long, so it feels like it’s been quite a while.

That means I have to stay here for a while today.

‘It’s a dress… .’

Although I had clothes that I had previously worn for a banquet, I felt like the two people I was going with needed new clothes.

A dress suitable for a banquet.

“Welcome~”

When I opened the door and entered, the clerk greeted me warmly and recognized me.

“Ah. Are you here to meet the store manager?”

“Yes.”

“Wait a minute. I’ll call you right away!”

While waiting, the two people who came with me just turned their heads and looked around the store.

It wasn’t the first time for either of us, but it seemed like we were looking forward to it since that was the purpose we came here for today.

The sparkle in the eyes is dazzling.

Ruby quickly came out to greet me.

“Oh my, Ian. Do you see it often?”

“Somehow it feels like it’s been a while. It is true that we see it often.”

“What happened? Do you have anything to do with repairs?”

“No, I was participating in the banquet.”

“Aha~”

Ruby immediately nodded as if she understood.

Then I noticed two women waiting expectantly behind me and nodded.

“Just leave it to me.”

She can make clothes that are strong and functional enough for a warrior to wear, even with ordinary materials.

Although she became famous because of it, there was actually something else she really liked.

That is, decorating a pretty or wonderful object according to one’s own taste.

She became famous for making clothes that were both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

“Because I will make you stand out more than anyone else.”

She had a bright smile on her face.

Like a child looking forward to playing with dolls.