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Translator: Barnnn
After battling against a myriad of temptations — some of which they successfully resisted, while others ensnared them in deliciously miserable defeat — both Hal and Ize managed, somehow, to leave just enough space in their stomachs by the time they reached the restaurant they had promised to meet at.
Upon stepping inside and notifying the staff of their expected companion, they were promptly led to a private room, where Fieda was already seated.
“Hey, Fieda. Long time no see,” Hal greeted.
“Sorry we kept you waiting,” Ize added.
“It’s hardly been a day! And don’t worry, I haven’t been waiting long.”
As Hal lowered himself into a seat, offering the usual pleasantries, his curiosity got the better of him. “So, what’s good here?”
A deep chuckle rumbled from Fieda’s throat. “Straight to business, huh? Well, if you must know, this place is famous for their meat dish. They wrap it in bark from trees that grow in the northern region, then steam it. The aroma’s not like anything else, and the fat melts just enough to pair perfectly with a drink.”
Hal winced at the mention of alcohol. “You really HAD to recommend booze, huh, Fieda?” he grumbled.
Fieda tilted his head. “You’re of age, Hal. What’s the issue?”
Ize, engrossed in the menu, answered without bothering to glance up, “Apparently, ever since he got de-aged, he’s weaker to alcohol. Now he’s trying to build up his tolerance, little by little, day by day.”
“Ah, I see. So getting younger comes with a few unforeseen drawbacks, eh?”
“I think he should just tough it out,” Ize added nonchalantly.
Hal shot her a look. “You’re only saying that because you’re still a kid and have never touched alcohol.”
Fieda nodded, agreeing with a soft chuckle. “I’m with Hal on this.”
“What!?” Ize’s head snapped up, eyes blazing as she fixed both of them with a glare. “Just you wait — six months from now, I’ll be of age too! Then I’ll drink circles around you, Hal, and leave you flat on your back!”
“All I see in your future is you becoming a troublesome drunk.”
Fieda nodded again. “Can’t argue with that, either.”
“Oh c’mon!” Ize fumed, though it was more playful than truly indignant.
Unfortunately for her, a teenage alcoholic character seemed as unwanted as it was absurd.
The food, at least, lived up to Fieda’s praise — the dish he had recommended was nothing short of superb.
Hal’s initial stubbornness, after much deliberation, turned to acceptance as he saw no choice but to abstain from alcohol entirely for the evening. His glances toward Fieda, who drank heartily beside him, were filled with the kind of longing only a once-boisterous drinker could understand. The bitterness in his eyes almost bordered on tragic.
As the meal settled, the easy banter gave way to the more serious purpose of their gathering — skill incantations.
Fieda, still sharp despite the flushed cheeks and the alcohol in his veins, explained the intricacies:
When invoking a skill, it was standard to start with a “Call” — which referred to the skill’s attribute — followed by a statement of the desired action.
For example, the incantation “water, pierce” would summon a Water Arrow.
That was simple enough — but when one needed to conserve magical energy or perform larger spells, the incantation became longer and more complex — more specific.
These Calls had been studied and codified by past Sages. Their theories formed the foundation of how this world’s denizens used magic today.
Wrapping up his explanation, Fieda took a serious turn as he turned to Ize.
“Ize, could you put up a sound barrier?”
Ize’s brows furrowed. “You mean to make sure no sound escapes this room?”
“Exactly.”
“All right…” She nodded. “…There, done.”
“Thanks.”
Hal glanced between the two. “Fieda, what’s going on?”
Fieda drew a long breath before speaking. “I’ll get to the point. Hal, Ize — let me join you on your journey.”
Without waiting for a response, Fieda bowed deeply, almost too quickly, his forehead narrowly missing the table’s edge in his eagerness. His hands pressed against his knees.
Hal’s face tightened at Fieda’s sudden plea. He asked hesitantly, as if he were treading over fragile ground,
“You mean… until we reach the border?”
Fieda shook his head. “Until Adoghan… Actually, no. I want to stay with you all the way to the end.”
“Is this because you think we might become Sages?”
“No.”
“Is it because you’re curious about us otherworlders?”
“No!”
“Look, I’ve got no intention of becoming some famous adventurer, if that’s what you’re after.”
“I know that.”
“We’ll likely never go back to Lazulseed’s capital.”
“I know.”
“Then… why?”
“Because you’re otherworlders.”
Ize, who had been watching the exchange with growing anxiety, jolted at Fieda’s words.
“What!?” she blurted out. [Because we’re otherworlders?] she thought, her mind racing. [What happened to treating me as ‘just Ize’!?]
Noticing the dark cloud that crossed Ize’s eyes, Fieda looked up, startled.
“Wait — don’t jump to conclusions, Hal, Ize. Let me explain. What I mean is that you two… you know so little about this world. You’ll need someone to teach you, and guide you. But asking questions all the time, without raising suspicion? That’s not going to be easy. With me around, you won’t have to worry about that. I can teach you, not just about skills like we talked about earlier, but also the general knowledge — the customs, the ways of adventurers. You said you wanted to travel, to see different places. But what will you do if there’s no horsebus to take you where you want to go? And can you really keep your guard up all the time, living among strangers, hiding who you really are? With me, I can take you wherever you need to go. I’ll teach you how to handle a horsebus yourselves, and if you need it, how to ride horses too. I already know your true identities, how you have Magic Bags, and even your personalities. You won’t have to hide anything from me anymore. I’ve heard there are no Mystic Beasts in your world, and that you rarely have to fight for your lives. But here, you might need to. I can teach you how to fight, how to hunt and butcher game, how to prepare food properly.” His eyes flickered with concern. “I’m just… worried about you both. Sure, you have powerful skills, but you know as well as I do — it takes more than strength to survive. I don’t want to see you get caught up in unnecessary trouble and miss out on truly enjoying this world because you’re too busy running from it. So let me travel with you. Let me be the one who guides you to a place where you can finally settle down.”
As the last of his words fell into the silence, he bowed deeply once more.
But the silence didn’t last long. Hal, his voice trembling with barely suppressed emotion, snapped.
“That’s… that’s way too much! You’ve already done so much for us! On the journey here, yesterday, even today — you’ve given us your knowledge, your time, everything! You’ve told us about your home, your job… and what have we given you in return!? This journey of ours — it could take ten years, maybe twenty! How old will you be by then? I don’t even know how long people in this world live, but to drag you along with us for that long, to pull you so far from your home — and then what, you’re just supposed to live happily ever after with us at the end of it all?”
“Hal, calm down,” Ize said gently.
“But Ize…!” Hal protested, his hands trembling against the table.
“Please,” she said, her hand resting lightly on his arm. “Let’s hear Fieda out a bit more. Okay?”
She patted his arm gently, soothing him with a quiet assurance.
Hal took a long, steady breath, feeling the tension drain from his body. He turned back to Fieda.
“…Sorry for yelling,” he muttered, his voice quieter now, tinged with regret.
Fieda gave him a gentle nod. “It’s all right, Hal. I get it — I really do.
Honestly, I don’t want anything in return for what I’m offering. Well… ACTUALLY, that’s not entirely true. What I do want is to hear your story. I want to learn about your world, to understand what life was like there. What kind of dreams did you have? What did you do for fun? What were your families like? Your friends? When you feel homesick, I want to be the one to listen. I want to know what it was like growing up in that world of yours. And that chicken you pulled out of your Magic Bags? They were something special — really, they were. If I could taste something like that again, well, that’d be more than enough for me. Maybe one day we could share more of that kind of food together in this world, too. That’s all I need to be satisfied. So, Hal, don’t feel like you’re taking on some heavy responsibility for me. I’ve lived life my own way up until now, and tagging along with you both on your journey is just another one of my selfish wishes.”
Fieda’s voice, with its familiar roughness, carried the same comforting rhythm it had when he’d told them stories of Sages by the campfire during their horsebus ride.
His old eyes twinkled with a kind of youthful hope that belied his age. It was the look of someone who still believed in the magic of life.
“…I’m not sure if this story’s target audience would–” Ize began, frowning slightly, but Hal cut her off.
“Ize, stop breaking the fourth wall,” he said through his teeth.
“…Okay.”
Hal heaved a sigh before continuing, “I really do appreciate your offer, Fieda. It’s true — we don’t know nearly enough about this world. Trying to gather the information we need on the road, relying on my negotiation skills to smooth things over — it’s exhausting. And being apprentice adventurers at fifteen, well, it leaves us vulnerable in ways we’re not fully prepared for. What if some noble or authority figure takes an interest in us? We’d be completely out of our depth. We don’t even know the proper way to address or act around nobility here, and one wrong move could land us in serious trouble. There are so many things we haven’t even thought to consider yet…”
Ize nodded, as though he had already anticipated Hal’s concerns. “I know you’re doing your best, Hal.”
“Thanks, Ize. You too.”
Without thinking, Hal and Ize reached out for each other’s hands, sharing the weight of the anxiety and uncertainty, just as they had always done since their arrival in this new world.
The capital was behind them, but the border was still far ahead, and the sense of instability clung to them like shadows — they knew that even without Fieda pointing it out.
Every day of their journey had been filled with wonder and discovery, but beneath that wonder was a constant, nagging worry. They had managed to make it this far, but there was no denying the weight of their shared burdens — the weight they couldn’t afford to push onto anyone else.
Still, if they could have someone like Fieda — someone willing to stand beside them, to push them forward, even if he couldn’t carry their burdens, then…
“Fieda, are you sure you won’t regret this?”
“I won’t. Letting you two go on without me — that’s what I’d regret for the rest of my life.”
“…I see. Then–”
With one hand still holding Ize’s, Hal extended his other hand toward Fieda.
Ize, too, leaned forward, stretching out her hand as far as she could across the table.
“Let’s go together,” Hal said. “On this journey to find our place — for the three of us.”
“Yeah!” Fieda replied, his voice rising with enthusiasm. “The three of us!”
Fieda’s weathered hands reached out, clasping theirs across the table in an awkward but heartfelt circle. At that moment, something formed between them — a pact that would carry them forward together.
Tomorrow, the road would beckon once again. A new chapter awaited them…
…Then, the moment was broken by Fieda’s sheepish laugh. “Oh, before we set off, I’ll need to deal with the paperwork to quit my job. And… I’ve left a lot of stuff at my house in the capital, so I’ll have to head back there first.”
Hal groaned, burying his face in his hands. “You really know how to ruin a moment, don’t you?”
Ize sighed, shaking her head. “Fieda, read the room…”
…And so, their journey as a trio had yet to truly begin.
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