HTWBB Chapter 9

"But what's inside is mine."

Melian turned his gaze to Rietta's blood-covered hand. A small fragment lay on her palm. It was shriveled and blackened, completely dead.

Whatever it was, wasn't it fortunate she'd coughed it up? The boy fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief with that thought.

"H-here, use this to wipe. Should I call a physician?"

"No."

Rietta took the handkerchief from the boy, whose eyes couldn't leave her in concern. As she wiped away the blood-stained areas, saying she was fine, her hair and eyes were already covered in brown.

After roughly cleaning the blood and tidying herself, Rietta pushed the necklace toward Abel.

"You can check it now."

"No. I don't think that's necessary."

"Really? I suppose what you're looking for isn't ordinary."

Abel smiled, lifting only the corners of his mouth.

"Let me ask you something. Didn't you know the necklace wasn't yours?"

"Right. I didn't expect my energy to be hidden in this way."

"...I see. That makes sense."

Abel said that when removing the defensive magic, purification magic and rebound magic had been layered alternately with each layer. He added that the wildly raging magic power like waves wasn't a force just anyone could handle.

"Because it underwent purification more than five times, the caster could inscribe whatever magic they desired."

With those words, a brief silence settled. Rietta's eyes fixed on the empty wall.

She seemed lost in thought. Abel broke the silence, tapping the necklace that had drawn closer to him.

"Then what exactly is the 'real' one?"

Melian agreed with his question. If such complex treatment was necessary for just a fragment, he couldn't imagine what the original Rietta spoke of might be.

Even a high-ranking mage's core, refined through decades of training, would cease functioning and become a mere stone once separated from the body.

Such power was excessively undeserved for a human to possess. Abel calmly offered a hypothesis.

"It couldn't be a dragon's heart."

"How grandiose."

"Or did you gain power from a magical beast?"

Rietta chuckled.

"Perhaps. Maybe so."

"Ah, I see you have no intention of telling me properly."

Abel stood without asking further. Then, after roughly adjusting his clothes, he bid farewell without lingering.

"It was a pleasure meeting you. But let's not meet again."

It was welcome news to hear. Though she'd said she was fine outwardly, Melian was quite worried about Rietta's condition, so if he disappeared now, nothing could be better. Melian waved with a bright face.

"Of course. I hope we don't meet twice, mister."

"We really shouldn't, kid."

"Kid...?"

At the indignant voice, Rietta let out a small breath.

"Melian. Could you organize the backpack?"

Melian, pouting, turned toward the backpack with a grumble. Watching him gather the contents, Rietta shifted her gaze to Abel. She answered the farewell as if she'd expected it.

"Safe travels."

Abel, who sighed for some reason, shook his head and left the room. The moment the door opened and closed, Melian looked back, startled, and quickly fixed his head back in place. His ears were red.

"Wh-what are you doing!"

"We should leave now."

Rietta was removing her blood-stained shirt. Soon the sound of the fireplace blazing could be heard. She reached past the frozen Melian to pull a new shirt from the backpack.

The boy sat crouched, covering his heated face, until she finished preparing and called his name.

Rietta must have forgotten how he looked at Mount Tarun. He hadn't known there were such disadvantages to being in a child's form. Melian felt dejected.

The road to the capital wasn't as arduous as expected. The 9th Knight Order had headed to Luemmasa, and the target Melian constantly butted heads with had disappeared.

Rietta filled the necklace—now degraded from artifact to expensive accessory—with only an extremely small portion of her recovered magic power.

Though she couldn't purify it as much as what had been in the fragment, considering the commission Grace had received, this level of treatment was necessary.

A treasure requested by a prince of all people, for the imperial family no less, couldn't be ordinary. Though it had become distant from the power of the original creation, since no one except the founding emperor knew the original form, it was fine. The symbolism would be preserved.

"Melian."

It was when they had reached the outskirts of Harupheon, the capital. If they walked diligently during the remaining time, they could enter before midnight. However, Rietta chose the method of resting appropriately instead of overexerting themselves.

Even setting aside that the wanted posters had long since disappeared, sharp-eyed people existed everywhere. To encounter the gatekeeper Grace had bribed, arriving in the morning was appropriate.

Having chosen a spot under a nearby tree as their campsite, Rietta called Melian quietly. The boy, who'd been laying out blankets, turned around instantly.

"Does Grace know your true identity?"

"...A little."

Since it was a promise made at Mount Tarun, it should have been finished in Helron. Perhaps thinking they'd forgotten due to the many incidents, Melian looked somewhat surprised.

Rietta spread her own blanket beside Melian's and sat down carelessly. When she gestured to the seat beside her, the boy settled in with stiff movements. His excessively tense posture suggested nervousness.

"I heard the nymphs were exterminated quite long ago."

"The direct bloodline did disappear. But like other races, a few mixed-bloods probably remain."

"Your mother's side?"

"No. My father's."

Even now, discrimination against other races hadn't improved. Surviving among humans with learned superiority and hatred wasn't easy. Moreover, adult nymphs stood out far too much, making it even more difficult.

The forehead marking invisible in childhood, eyes of mystical colors never seen in humans, beautiful appearance with ambiguous gender. They were good targets for those with various impure purposes.

It was fortunate there were no wings due to mixed blood. Based on the information Rietta knew, Melian living in Grace's guild building meant only one thing.

"You're not an adult yet."

"I'll come of age after this winter passes."

Rietta recalled glimpsing him at the mountain. Considering he'd inadvertently revealed himself due to carelessness, in reality he would be much closer to a young man. She nodded.

"Then plans to shed your child's form?"

"Ah, well..."

Melian blushed with an embarrassed expression.

"I can't return to my original form."

"But changing into a child?"

"That's easy. I don't know why, though..."

He muttered dejectedly. Having had to live without a guardian, survival instinct must have activated. Melian was clearly certain of that fact himself.

There were few things a young creature could do to protect itself. Even if blood was mixed, lifespan was incomparable to ordinary people's. Thinking of a lifespan more than twice as long, he would have maintained a child's appearance for quite a long time.

Having never had anyone to trust with peace of mind until now, there was a strong possibility his body unconsciously refused to grow. Rietta held her words for now.

"You'll need to perform a coming-of-age ceremony."

"How did you know? I only know such a ritual is needed to become an adult, but I don't know the detailed process myself."

"What if you never grow up?"

"Uh... Actually, I never thought I'd stay alive this long. Won't it work out somehow later?"

Melian smiled as he said that. He seemed serene, having struggled to survive while always preparing for death.

As the conversation broke, the sound of insects filled the space. Moonlight hanging at the sky's peak poured like a waterfall over the boy's head. The cool early summer night air brushed shoulders and circled toes.

Rietta gazed at the awkwardly smiling face.

'I said I'd give you a gift, right? Here, take it.'

When Rietta, who hadn't shown a shred of interest upon hearing the commission, suddenly changed her attitude, Grace was delighted beyond measure. What she magnanimously offered as a gift was none other than Melian.

Standing bewildered before Rietta, Melian stared blankly at her, then soon smiled shyly.

'Hello! I'm Melian.'

'What's this? Honey. Am I dreaming right now?'

Even at Grace's exaggerated reaction, Rietta only thought it was somewhat troublesome. Not because of universal duty to protect children. Starting with her profession, Rietta didn't exactly live morally even by others' assessment.

Perhaps she would have used and returned him carelessly whether he'd been much older or even younger than that age. However, regardless of actual age, the problem was he appeared about twelve years old.

'I won't accept.'

'Take him. You won't be able to find him there no matter what strange things you do.'

She reluctantly tolerated being half-forced into it. Because his dejected face bothered her.

Whatever the reason, Grace had been right in the end. Mount Tarun was a place entirely covered with nymph magic power. Without Melian, she wouldn't even have found the tree with the illusion barrier.

The nymphs had vanished, but magic left with will existed without exception even when its master or caster disappeared.

Rietta pondered. She couldn't understand the favor shown toward her unconditionally from their first meeting, but by now she recognized it as genuine.

However, there was no favor without compensation. Grace would provide appropriate reward, but Rietta should also give something separately.

"Is there something you want?"

"What?"

"Your help was significant for this commission. Apart from what you receive from Grace, I'm asking if there's something you want from me."

Melian blinked in bewilderment.

"I don't receive anything from the guild master."

Rietta tilted her head.

"Why?"

"She handles my food, clothing, and shelter in exchange for taking on odd jobs. Though that's not the case anymore."

"...Not the case anymore?"

Melian, who'd been thinking briefly, stared at Rietta with a could it be expression.

"Well, since she gave me as a gift to Miss Rietta."

Rietta was momentarily speechless. She'd never thought the gift meant this. She'd assumed it meant dispatch or assistance at most, but it seemed to be permanent.

As the silence lengthened, Melian looked shocked.

"Don't tell me you were going to return me?"

"Why do you phrase it that way."

"Don't abandon me!"

Melian continued desperately, clinging to Rietta who was sighing. He was explaining his usefulness, saying he wouldn't be a hindrance, when a hand tapped his head and he closed his mouth.

"I'll talk with Grace first. I haven't heard anything about you."

Rietta gestured toward the blanket. With a face full of things to say, Melian hesitated but then finally lay down.