Kain and ra wandered all over Adia, at least through the outer city.
Compared to Esten, this place didn't have any groundbreaking forms of entertainnt, but the rchants and locals of Adia recognized this, so the forms of entertainnt they offered were incredibly diverse.
For example, street perforrs weren't uncommon, but in Adia, there was a place called the "circus," where these people gathered to perform various acts. Naturally, these perforrs were ordinary people, and their shows were a testant to the limits a normal, magic-less body could achieve. They swung through the air, juggled multiple objects with extre precision, even juggling while swinging, and sotis two people would cooperate, holding onto each other while juggling and swinging! It was truly a feast for the eyes.
When the performance ended and the circus artists took their bows, Kain and ra, along with the other spectators, gave a hearty round of applause and threw money onto the stage. Even Kain gained so benefits. From these people who had honed their skills for decades, what they showed was sothing Kain had a lot to learn from.
Besides the circus, another cool form of entertainnt was the mobile floating restaurants on the river. Adia had a dense network of rivers. Aside from being used for trade and travel to other regions, people also traveled by boat extensively within Adia itself.
The mobile floating restaurant concept was born from this. After booking and paying, Kain and ra boarded a luxurious yacht with an open-air restaurant on the top deck. They would sit at a table, enjoying their al while taking in the cool river breeze and the city landscape on both banks.
Another thing worth ntioning was that there were many markets in Adia, so many, in fact, that you'd run into one after walking just a block or two. And because it was a city of comrce, there were all kinds of goods and rchants from everywhere, selling all sorts of strange things, even unique items from other lands. Although they didn't buy anything, just Browse was a pleasure in itself.
"Hey, Kain," ra said suddenly while they were walking down the street. Kain tilted his head to the left.
"What is it, ra?"
"We've been playing around Adia for a week. I think... it's ti to go back to Esten."
As she spoke, she slightly lowered her head and put her hands behind her back, a gesture Kain often saw when ra was hiding sothing.
And he had already guessed what it was.
"Is it about Myra?"
"Yeah..."
With Kain's direct question, ra no longer hid it. Since the betrayal in the tournant finals, the relationship between the two sisters had beco incredibly awkward. If they had simply grown to hate each other, it would have been better, as it would prove they still had a connection. But here, an invisible wall seed to stand between them, and neither could cross it.
"I understand why she did it, so... I don't want to leave her alone anymore."
ra was no longer the innocent young woman she was when she first t Kain, despite her profound soul. Through Kain's deductions and her own recollections, ra had co to realize the kind of silent abuse her sister, Myra, had endured since their childhood. And it had even originated from the mother they both loved.
ra was in great pain. Her beautiful mories of the past were now tainted with a sense of falsity, like an indelible scar. However, ra chose to face it. To run from it would an she was just trapping herself in an illusion. And she wanted Myra to be able to do the sa.
Even so, the distance between them after the fracture was sothing ra was montarily afraid to cross. But thinking of Myra's image growing more distant, ra resolved herself. This ti, no matter what, she would overco it with her sister. Even if her sister hated her afterward, it wouldn't matter.
"Myra is looking for our mother... maybe it's because deep in her subconscious, she wants an answer."
"But she'll destroy herself, so... I want to help her."
ra turned to look at Kain, her eyes filled with a burning determination.
And all of this was fully absorbed into Kain's profound golden pupils.
"No matter what you do, I'll be by your side."
Hearing this, ra blushed, her heart overflowing with happiness. As long as Kain was by her side, ra didn't think there was anything she couldn't overco. Not because he was Kain - the smartest person in the world, but because he was Kain - the man to whom she had given her heart and soul.
"Alright, we should find sowhere to have dinner tonight," Kain said, scratching his head in an awkward manner. He had always been a rational person, a trait that beca more evident the deeper he delved into this world, after leaving the village he had lived in for fifteen years. Kain was no longer the "country boy," but when he was with ra, he could say such "tender" words without feeling awkward at all.
Seeing Kain's expression, ra also secretly smiled mischievously. She would occasionally tease Kain in this way. It must be said that, although they both seed very different from when they first t, deep down, ra in Kain's eyes was still, to so extent, the sa arrogant young miss who was secretly protective of others. And Kain in ra's eyes was still, to so extent, the sa kind-hearted, if slightly foolish, country boy.
Suddenly, ra nudged Kain.
"Look at what's over there."
Following ra's finger, Kain saw a very quiet and shabby stall by the roadside. Behind the stall was a young woman wearing a cloak that covered almost her entire body. But what was written on the sign was what caught his attention.
"Challenge... your intellect?"
"What the heck is this?" Kain raised an eyebrow, then looked at ra. She shrugged, indicating she had no idea either.
"How odd. She's not even selling anything, but she still set up a stall. And there's no prize either," ra grumbled, while Kain's mind was already at work.
The woman must be wealthy, which is why she could afford to rent a stall to set up this seemingly "useless" stand that no one would visit. She needed to find soone intelligent enough to do sothing.
Still, Kain didn't see the need to get involved. He was more concerned about ra.
"So? Do you want to try?"
"Yeah, doesn't that 'challenge your intellect' sign provoke you?" ra turned to him, her voice excited.
Kain just gave a wry smile.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
"That's the spirit!"
With that, ra led Kain by the hand to the mysterious woman's stall.
Seeing Kain and ra standing before her, it took the woman a second to react. She clearly hadn't had any custors for a while, so she wasn't paying attention.
"You... you must know what I want to do, right?" The girl spoke, her voice very young, even a little childlike. Moreover, the first part of her sentence was hesitant, suggesting that these weren't her spontaneous words but a kind of morized phrase she was repeating.
This girl wasn't the mastermind of the ga; she was just a ssenger. That's what Kain realized.
ra didn't pay as much attention to that. She beckoned to the mysterious girl. "Bring it out."
"Yes..." The girl's voice beca small and timid. This was her true way of speaking.
The girl took out three bowl-like objects and a small ball. "Now, I will hide this ball under one of the three bowls, and what you need to do is guess where the ball is."
The girl placed the ball in front and covered it with one bowl, then arranged the other two bowls in a row. She extended her hands and began to swap the bowls.
It must be said that, despite her timid deanor, she was incredibly skilled at swapping the bowls, to the point that ra's eyes were dazzled. Was it possible for a re swap of three objects to make a mid-class Magus like ra unable to see anything?
Of course not, if it were only a swap of three objects. But here, the afterimages left by the girl's continuously moving arms partially obscured ra's view of the bowls. As ti went on, it beca harder for her to keep up.
Still, ra didn't think she would lose, even without using magic.
When the swapping was finished, the girl's hands naturally stopped. And in that very mont, ra looked up at the girl behind the counter, seeing her eyes glance towards the bowl on her left.
"Got you."
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