A few days ago, that is, on the day Wylde Traverse and his friends arrived at the port city of Bixoro.
They arrived at a famous seafood restaurant.
"What? als at this ti are a bit difficult...?"
However, because they had boarded a night train and arrived in the morning, it was naturally difficult for them to eat wherever they wanted.
"What? I really want to eat this!"
But one of Wylde's friends seed absolutely set on eating this famous seafood barbecue.
"I don't really care what we eat."
"Sa here. Let's just go sowhere else."
"No! Hey, owner! I'll pay five tis the price, so open up right now!"
Dread, their wealthy friend, confidently shouted while pulling out a cash-exchange card.
"F-five tis...?!"
The owner of the barbecue restaurant gaped at Dread's words.
It was morning, a ti when custors were scarce anyway.
He had co out early to receive and prepare ingredients.
Five custors offering to pay five tis the price on such a morning?
The barbecue owner gulped.
"A-a-alright! But the ingredients aren't ready right now, so you'll have to wait about 30 minutes. Is that okay?"
Wylde and his friends murmured among themselves at the owner's words.
"Isn't 30 minutes a bit long?"
"It'll take at least 30 minutes just to find another place open at this hour."
"That's true, actually."
The discussion ended quickly.
"Alright, owner, just bring us your best dish!"
"Yes, sir!"
About twenty minutes later, while the group was chatting, a woman who appeared to be a server began setting their table.
She looked a little plain, probably because she didn't have ti to get ready after being called out so early, but her sun-kissed southern skin and full lips were attractive.
Malcolm, the friend who was always interested in won, lit up.
"Cute waitress, do you have a boyfriend?"
"What?!"
At Malcolm's words, all his friends had the sa expression: 'Here we go again.'
The server looked flustered.
Usually, she would've handled this kind of situation smoothly, but she was tired from the morning, and their clothes—Hernan Academy uniforms, quite upscale—made her hesitant.
Seeing her reaction, malcolm smoothly continued.
"If you don't have one, could you tell us which of us you'd want to date? If you just answer, I'll give you an extra tip!"
"You do it. I don't have that kind of money."
"Aw~ Dread~ Co on~."
Montarily flustered by Malcolm's playful remark, the server looked Wylde and his friends up and down.
Then she glanced at Wylde, eyes widening slightly.
"Hmm?"
"Is it Wylde? So you like manly types~."
As Malcolm said this in a slightly disappointed tone, the server slowly shook her head.
"Ah, it's just... I've seen soone who looks like him before..."
"Soone who looks like Wylde? That's not easy."
Malcolm chuckled, and the server looked puzzled.
"It's just... the vibe, and the color of his hair and eyes were exactly the sa."
"...!"
Wylde's eyes narrowed sharply at that.
"Hey, server."
"Y-yes?!"
"Wylde, if you talk like that, you'll just scare regular people!"
The friends cald Wylde down, and Mika quietly approached the server.
"Could you tell us more about it?"
* * *
Back to the present.
Luca was confronting people brandishing shabby guns.
"Damn it! Baron Max! Did he send these kids in to clear traps?"
"That bastard... Heaven will never forgive him!"
"?"
It seed there was so misunderstanding.
Luca glanced them over and spotted Moula.
"U-uncle Hans... Aunt May...!"
Apparently, he recognized a few of them.
'Are they villagers?'
Luca thought so, and took a step forward.
"Didn't I tell you not to move?"
"If you want the village's precious child, ho after long travels, to die, then pull that trigger."
"Precious child of the village...?"
The villagers looked puzzled at his words.
Ignoring them, Luca stepped into the trap.
Tap.
"L-Luca?!"
As Luca climbed onto the shield, Hav looked flustered.
"Trust and deactivate the shield."
"What?!"
Hav glanced below.
Sharp spikes, looking as if they'd draw blood at the slightest touch, greeted him.
"B-but..."
"Are you planning to stay there forever?"
He hesitated, but for so reason, Luca's calm voice gave him courage.
Finally, Hav tightly closed his eyes and deactivated the shield.
Whoosh!
"?"
His body fell, but instead of sharp spikes, he landed on sothing soft.
Hav looked down with a perplexed expression.
A cloud was supporting him.
"Hold on tight."
"Huh...?!"
Luca quickly tossed the words at the bewildered boy.
Hav grabbed Luca's arm inadvertently, and the sudden shift startled him.
Thump!
"Uwaah!"
With a single leap, Luca and Hav escaped the trap.
Hav fell to the ground, screaming.
The villagers, seeing this, were startled.
"Is that... Hav?!"
"Hav? Did you say Hav?"
"Wait. Now that I look, isn't that Moula?"
Only then did the villagers recognize Moula.
Thanks to that, the misunderstanding was quickly resolved.
The villagers guided them to the village so that no one else fell into traps.
"Aren't you all supposed to be at the Academy?"
"Yeah. Mr. Bern definitely said he sent you to the Academy, right?"
"Ah... Well... Sothing ca up, so we're taking a break from the Academy."
Unable to explain the full story, they only gave a vague answer.
Luca, giving Hav and Moula a little ti to relish the reunion, looked around.
'Do people really live in a place like this?'
Hav and Moula's hotown, Potro, was truly a backwater village.
Unlike backwater places in Korea that are still sowhat livable, the southernmost part of the Hernan Empire—truly the backwater—was on another level.
Even in the central region, rural houses were usually brick or painted.
It felt like a European countryside you'd see on the internet.
But here, most houses were thatched huts, more like the ones you'd see in South Arica.
Now, he understood why Bizen was called a city.
Compared to here, that place truly deserved to be called a city.
'No wonder they ate monsters.'
Luca shivered as he recalled the monster at soup from field training.
Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that he might have to eat it again while staying here.
'I absolutely refuse.'
Luca imdiately approached Hav and Moula.
"... Hav, Moula. Where is your master?"
"Master? He should be at the laboratory."
Having finished greeting the villagers, Hav led him to a place called the laboratory.
But, given the area, it wasn't anything impressive.
The only improvent was that it was built of bricks.
"Originally, master also lived in an ordinary house, but thanks to his dicine, we were able to trade for more necessities, so the villagers gathered bricks and built this for him!"
"I see."
Luca replied indifferently, not particularly interested, as they entered the laboratory.
As expected, the inside was nothing special.
Still, it seed to be divided into a workspace and living area.
When Hav spotted a white-haired middle-aged man at the desk, he shouted excitedly.
"Master! I'm back!"
"... Hav?"
A stern-faced man with a hooked nose and a few age spots.
There was nothing particularly special about his appearance— even the description wasn't coming to mind.
'So that's Bern Doyner?'
Just as Luca was about to speak to him, clicking his tongue inwardly—
"You brat! After I went through all that trouble to get you into Hernan Academy, did you escape?"
Bern Doyner shouted.
Given the timing of their arrival, he naturally thought they had fled the Academy.
Hav panicked at that.
"N-no! The Academy is on a temporary break..."
"What nonsense is that! Why would Hernan Academy take a break?!"
As Bern shouted, Hav looked troubled.
"Well... Actually... There was a terrorist attack at the Academy..."
"What? Terrorists? If you're going to make excuses, at least co up with a better one, Hav! Who would be crazy enough to attack Hernan Academy in this world!"
"... You have a point."
Hernan Imperial Academy, the continent's best and Hernan Empire's pride.
Who in their right mind would attack such a place?
It truly was a reasonable point.
Hav was at a loss for words.
Bern's scolding only grew harsher.
"I told you to endure even if the nobles bullied you! With your talent, you could start your own alchemist family after graduation!"
"Calm yourself, Bern Doyner."
"... And who are you?"
At that mont, Luca intervened.
Bern finally noticed Luca and looked at him with a reluctant expression.
"My na is Luca Traverse. Second son of the Traverse family."
After introducing himself, Luca paused a mont before speaking bluntly.
"I'm Hav's companion."
"... Hav, you made a noble friend?"
Bern looked slightly surprised, maybe a bit proud.
Hav scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well... Yeah. He's a new friend I made."
"Huh... I see..."
After a mont's thought, Bern Doyner gestured to a sofa in the corner of the room.
"Why don't you take a seat? I'll bring sothing to drink."
He seed pleased that his student had brought ho a friend.
* * *
"M-Mylord! There's trouble!"
A guard ran to Baron Max's manor.
Technically, this place was a little small to be called a manor, but voices at the entrance could be heard all the way to the parlor.
Baron Max scowled.
"Damn it! How dare you interrupt my important discussion with a distinguished guest. Should I just—"
"Haha, if he says it's urgent, perhaps hear him out."
Seated before Baron Max was soone with their face obscured by a robe.
At his words, baron Max stamred miserably.
"Oh, if such a noble guest says so... Then I'll oblige."
"Baron! It's— it's an ergency...!"
The guard, having made it to the parlor, tried to catch his breath.
"Speak quickly! You're wasting precious ti!"
Baron Max pressed.
The guard managed to compose himself and struggled to report.
"It's... The Imperial family... Soone from the Imperial family has arrived...!"
"... W-what? The Imperial family?!"
Baron Max was flustered.
"Of all tis, why now?!"
That, more than anything, shocked him.
Why now, of all tis?
"The Imperial family?"
The robed figure spoke with interest.
At this, baron Max nervously glanced at the guard.
"Are you certain? Is it really soone from the Imperial family?"
"I'm not exactly sure what business brings them, but... Their ID bore the Imperial emblem!"
"The Imperial emblem..."
Here, the guards were illiterate.
So it was difficult to ask for specifics.
But they could surely recognize the Imperial crest.
"Hmm... Are you sure? Are you sure it was the real Imperial crest?"
"Well..."
Given the nature of this place, it was possible soone had forged the emblem.
Of course, getting caught would an extermination of one's entire lineage, so attempting such a cri here was unlikely.
"Interesting. The Imperial emblem, you say."
"Uh, um..."
At that mont, the man in the robe, who'd been listening from behind, chid in.
Baron Max cowered at this reaction.
"Do you rember what they looked like?"
"What? I didn't see them myself..."
The guard wore a flustered expression.
The robed man leaned forward with interest.
As he did, the lower half of his face and snow-white hair peeked out from under the robe.
'What kind of skin is that...!'
The guard swallowed nervously.
The bit of exposed skin was so pale it was almost sickly.
A white smile played on the robed man's lips.
"Well then, could you bring soone who saw them?"
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