WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 131: When the First Snow Falls (6)

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Elysia led Kyle out of the room. Even as he followed her by the hand, he tried to sort through the confusion in his mind.

Into the city?

They had stayed at this mansion for several days, but they had not gone down to the city even once since passing through the initial inspection. They might have been resting, but they were not relaxed enough to casually sightsee. Nor had he felt the need to. There was no reason to leave a warm room and go outside in weather this cold.

That was why Kyle could not help wondering what Elysia meant when she suggested going into the city. Had she grown bored after spending all day reading in her room?

Contrary to his expectations, Elysia did not leave the mansion right away. The first place she visited was Gilbert's study.

“You wish to go down to the city?”

Gilbert asked with a slightly surprised expression. He looked back and forth between Kyle and Elysia, who had suddenly appeared in his study.

“Is there a reason we cannot?”

“Not exactly, but the sun will set soon.”

Gilbert gestured toward the window. Their gazes turned to the sky outside, where the daylight was gradually fading. The late afternoon sky looked as though it would soon turn a deep vermilion. Then dusk would settle over the land, as it did every day.

“Well, I suppose it does not matter. Festivals are always livelier at night.”

“A festival?”

“You did not know?”

At Kyle's question, Gilbert explained calmly.

“The Federation holds a winter festival whenever the first snow falls. It lasts quite a while. Renvel is a commercial city, especially, so there is plenty to see.”

“Then it has been going on since the day we arrived at the mansion?”

“Yes. You seemed tired from your long journey, so I did not mention it. Normally, I would advise against going out, but Sir Kyle will be with you, so there should be no problem. Renvel is quite safe as well.”

“That works out well.”

Elysia nodded. At this point, it seemed there was no longer any choice.

“Please do not return too late.”

Leaving Gilbert's farewell behind, the two left the mansion. The moment they stepped outside from the warm interior, cold wind wrapped around their entire bodies. When Kyle looked up, the sun had sunk far lower than before.

The sun really will set soon.

Elysia paid it no mind and strode through the mansion's main gate. After exchanging greetings with the two guards who had stopped them before, she went down the hill leading to the city. For some reason, her steps down the slope seemed a little lighter.

“Did you know?”

Kyle asked at her back.

“Know what?”

Elysia, dressed in a white robe, asked without turning around.

“That there would be a festival today.”

“I would not say I knew. I simply thought there might be one. A city this large usually holds a festival around the time of the first snowfall.”

“...Is that so?”

“Honestly, I wanted to go more than anything else. It has been far too long since I enjoyed a festival alone with someone.”

“Have we not walked through plenty of markets together?”

Kyle said.

Elysia, who had been walking ahead, abruptly stopped.

“That is different.”

“.......”

“I cannot tell whether you are truly oblivious or only pretending to be.”

Her final words were so quiet that he barely heard them. It only lasted a moment. She started walking again, and Kyle followed behind her.

Once they reached the bottom of the hill and entered the streets, the once quiet surroundings had grown noisy. Though the sun had not fully set, the shopping district was already crowded with people. Children holding their parents' hands with bright smiles. Young couples walking through the streets in their finest new clothes. Elderly locals watching them with warm expressions. Merchants enthusiastically calling for customers in the middle of it all.

The roofs of the buildings were buried beneath thick layers of snow. It was the sort of winter festival scene one could find in any large city, but Elysia kept looking around as though everything fascinated her.

“Ah, over there.”

Then she pointed to a stall on one side of the street. It sold grilled meat skewers. Drawn in by the scent, they joined the end of a long line and bought two skewers after a short wait.

“Whenever I came to a festival, I always bought one of these. There were far better foods if taste alone was the concern, yet I still did. Looking back, I think I was intoxicated by the atmosphere of the festival. This rough meat tasted so good back then.”

After taking a bite of her skewer, Elysia slowly crossed the street filled with people again. Passersby carrying snacks in their hands paid the two no attention. That made it more comfortable, like peace within a noisy commotion.

“Did you come to festivals often?”

Kyle asked after passing a stall that sold accessories nearby. He had no desire for flashy objects, so he quickly lost interest in the jewelers and craftsmen.

“Not often. Only occasionally.”

“Occasionally?”

“Once or twice a year. Usually, I secretly left the Imperial Palace with one of my maids during winter festivals. I wore a cloak and pulled my hood low to hide my identity.”

“.......”

“My mother always scolded me in the end, but... they are among my most precious memories.”

Elysia murmured in a somewhat bitter tone.

“Memories...”

“What about you, Kyle? Do you have memories of enjoying a festival with someone?”

“I do. Many. So many that...”

Kyle could not finish his sentence. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the street. Elysia turned toward him, but she did not press him any further.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting. As daylight faded, the night became clearer. One by one, bright evening lights came on along the main road. Their glow drove back even the winter wind.

The two walked slowly through the heart of the city, as though drunk on the festival's atmosphere. They watched all sorts of goods and moved their feet as if spellbound.

It did not feel as though they were enjoying the festival like everyone else. It felt more like retracing their lost pasts.

The precious memories they had shared with someone. The joy and sorrow they could never forget.

They savored each one, recalling a past they could no longer see and engraving it deeply into their minds.

Peaceful.

The thought suddenly came to Kyle.

Flowers bloom even in the mud.

Even with war close at hand, people went on living. Though anxious over the signs of war hanging over them, they enjoyed the happiness before their eyes. This brief peace felt both unfamiliar and familiar to Kyle. Perhaps because he had already experienced it once.

If war breaks out, will all these sights disappear?

Like Hailen, perhaps they will be buried in the past forever. Or perhaps an extinguished ember will burn again.

What had it been like in the future Prisia saw?

“The sun has completely set already.”

At Elysia's voice, Kyle looked up. Unlike when they had left the mansion, the night sky had turned pitch-black. In contrast, the city had become brighter and more lively.

On the night when the first snow fell, someone left, and someone returned...

At the faint song drifting from somewhere nearby, the two looked at each other. Following the sound, they soon reached the city's large central square. True to its name as a commercial city, the square was even more splendid than the shopping district. The fountain at its center repeatedly sprayed streams of water, while all kinds of merchants, stalls, and onlookers filled the surrounding area.

Kyle and Elysia were glancing at the bard singing earlier and a clown performing tricks when loud cheers erupted from one side of the square. Their gazes naturally turned that way.

“An outdoor auction.”

Kyle narrowed his eyes and spoke quietly. Elysia, beside him, asked in confusion.

“An outdoor auction?”

“It is nothing special. It is an event meant to add excitement to the festival. Anyone who wants to sell something can pay a small fee to the auctioneer and put it up for auction.”

“There was nothing like that at the festivals in Archandia...”

“It usually requires the lord's permission. Since Renvel is a commercial city, it seems Count Perian only permits it during festivals. You sometimes see public auctions like this in major cities. Most valuable goods go to private auctions, so outdoor auctions usually only have minor items.”

Kyle gave a brief explanation. Just then, as the next item was prepared, the auctioneer standing atop a wooden box shouted in a booming voice.

“Now, for the next item! Prepare yourselves. A defensive necklace made by intricately inscribing Spell formations onto a top-grade Magic Stone!”

“Ooh!”

The auctioneer received an elegant wooden case from a merchant below. The moment he unlocked and opened it, exclamations rose from every direction.

“As you can see, it has a bright yellow Magic Stone set in the center. A noblewoman commissioned this Magic Tool herself from a famous Magic Tower, but returned it on the very same day after changing her mind.”

“Returned the same day?”

“Then it is closer to new than used?”

“Of course! Since it was returned on the same day, it has virtually no signs of use. It is no different from a new product. The starting price is...”

For a moment, only the area around the auctioneer fell silent amid the noisy square.

“Just 100 Gold!”

Groans immediately rose from all around. One hundred Gold. One hundred Small Gold Coins, or ten Large Gold Coins.

With 100 Gold, one could buy a small house in a reasonably sized city. It was also five years' worth of living expenses for an ordinary family. Still, if it really was a defensive Magic Tool made by a famous Magic Tower, it was actually quite cheap. Truly important Magic Tools or Relics often cost thousands of Gold each. Even as an opening bid rather than the final price, 100 Gold was low.

“150!”

As expected, a hand immediately rose from the crowd. Once the bidding began, the competition caught fire in an instant.

“200!”

“300!”

“350!”

The quiet surroundings heated up once more. Those who had groaned at the opening bid of 100 Gold gave up early and watched with interest. Wealthy merchants whose eyes had been drawn to the unexpectedly valuable Magic Tool, along with capable mercenaries who seemed to have money to spare, competed fiercely.

“500! We have 500 Gold! Any higher?”

The auctioneer shouted excitedly. Yet perhaps because the price had risen so much already, no one stepped forward as they had before. Even those who had aggressively raised the price only watched each other cautiously.

Then.

“700.”

Everyone startled at the low voice and turned around. There stood a young woman in a white robe with her hood pulled low, looking stunned, and a man in a black cloak.

“Sev...”

“.......”

“Seven hundred! Any higher?”

After only a moment of surprise, the auctioneer resumed his duties with renewed enthusiasm. Yet those who had hesitated at 500 Gold could hardly bid more than 700.

The auctioneer began counting as though calling for the final bid. No amount above 700 Gold came before the countdown ended. In the end, the necklace Magic Tool, the finest item of the outdoor auction, fell into Kyle's hands.

As Kyle approached to pay and receive the item, the auctioneer, delighted to earn a substantial commission, said with a broad smile,

“It is the perfect winter gift for such a beautiful lady.”

“.......”

“You will not regret it. Please take it.”

Kyle immediately paid seventy Large Gold Coins. After receiving the necklace, he ignored both the grinning auctioneer and Elysia, who was still staring blankly at him without understanding what had happened. Instead, he drew mana from his ring.

The quality is... not bad.

Whether it had really been made by a famous Magic Tower, the craftsmanship and finish were quite good. It would not be of much use at Kyle's level, but since it used the mana stored in a top-grade Magic Stone, it seemed sufficient to block a surprise attack.

It will have to be discarded after a few uses, but it could serve as an extra life in an emergency. Especially for Elysia, a mage, rather than a swordsman like me.

Though the best thing would be for that day never to come.

“K-Kyle...?”

“Come with me.”

Kyle grabbed Elysia's wrist and led her through the murmuring crowd. Once they left the noisy square and entered an alley off the street, the eyes following them disappeared.

Leaning against the outer wall, Elysia looked up at Kyle with a complicated expression. Kyle slowly pushed back her hood.

For a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them. Her large golden eyes, like the bright yellow Magic Stone on the necklace, stared directly at him.

“This is...”

“It is a gift. Either way, I took the Dragon Heart you had. It will be good for you to have one. Since it uses the Magic Stone's mana, you will be able to use it regardless of your mental strength.”

“But the Dragon Heart was not mine to begin with. No one but you can use it. I...”

Kyle did not listen to the rest of Elysia's words. He undid the clasp of the necklace in his hand and carefully placed it around her neck.

“Ah...”

Elysia looked down at the amber Magic Stone hanging around her neck. It did not shine as large or brilliantly as the Dragon Heart, but it gleamed beautifully in the soft streetlight flowing into the alley.

Without realizing it, she held the Magic Stone in her hand. As expected of a top-grade Magic Stone, extremely refined, pure mana flowed within it. Just as Kyle had said, this Magic Tool would protect her life once in danger. During the chase with the wyvern knight before, she had learned how vulnerable she was when her mental strength ran dry.

“...Thank you. I will always carry it with me.”

Elysia smiled softly.

Kyle suddenly stared at her face like a man possessed.

Cecilia's remembered voice echoed in his mind. “...Thank you. I will always treasure it.”

In his memory, Cecilia wore a vivid smile he could no longer see. That unforgettable smile overlapped Elysia's face.

A thirst that seemed to scrape at his throat suddenly rose within him, and Kyle stupidly opened and closed his mouth. Before he knew it, Cecilia's smile, which had passed over him like an illusion, had vanished without a trace.

“...All right.”

Kyle forced his uncooperative lips to move, giving the same answer he had given then.

“Let us return now.”

Elysia nodded. Kyle looked once toward the hill where the mansion stood, then left the alley.

Beneath the deepening night sky, the streetlights were growing brighter.

Like the festival from that day, which he could no longer see.

Footnotes:

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