Chapter 76 – The Fresh Breeze

“Haha, actually Uncle Muger’s frost sugar bread is the most delicious.”

On the quiet path, a girl with pale green long hair walked side by side with a boy wearing a colorful hat. The boy carried a parchment bag filled with bread, while the girl carefully held a small, pale white bread, taking small, delicate bites—playful and adorable, like a young deer drinking by a stream.

Dichiduo, who was pretending to be a “know-it-all” while introducing Nielan Town, occasionally glanced at Bilan, whom he had just met. The way the girl nibbled on the bread was simply too endearing. Though the delicious bread he had been craving was now being eaten by someone else, Dichiduo felt no displeasure; instead, he was quite happy.

“Being able to walk with Bilan—bread is nothing in comparison!”

Dichiduo silently praised himself in his heart for coming up with the idea of “helping carry the bread.”

As Dichiduo enthusiastically introduced the local customs of Nielan Town, Bilan actually found his behavior even more amusing. She could clearly see that Dichiduo was deliberately trying to please her, but his efforts were grounded in a boy’s genuine innocence—something she had never encountered among any of the male peers she had met before.

“By the way… Bilan, why did you come to this Nielan Town?”

After finishing his lengthy introduction about his life as a bard and his “grand” ambitions, Dichiduo suddenly realized he knew nothing about Bilan and naturally asked the question.

“It’s… to visit my mentor. I’m just a little mage~”

Bilan knew that most ordinary people tended to keep their distance from professionals. Generally, if she wanted to keep a conversation going, it was important to hide her identity as a mage apprentice. But for some reason, Bilan didn’t want to lie to Dichiduo—a boy who had so sincerely shared all his information with her. She herself didn’t understand why she was acting so unusually today.

“Maybe he’ll look at me with fear and quickly walk away…”

Bilan felt a mix of unease and sadness. She had seen too many new servants swiftly shift from delight to fear upon learning she was a mage. She had grown accustomed to the way ordinary people avoided her… or had she?

“Wow~ Miss Bilan, you’re actually a magical mage? That’s amazing!”

Unlike most ordinary people, Dichiduo showed no fear or panic. On the contrary, he was deeply impressed by Bilan, as becoming a professional was no easy feat.

In this regard, Bilan had overthought things. As a young bard who had traveled with an old bard since childhood, singing poems everywhere, Dichiduo had encountered many professionals despite his youth. Moreover, thanks to the old bard’s teachings, Dichiduo didn’t share the fear and prejudice most ordinary people held toward professionals.

Bilan stared at Dichiduo in a daze. For the first time since becoming an alchemy mage, she received a “that’s amazing” compliment. Having spent so much time amidst the indifference of her family elders, the mockery of her professional peers, and the flattery of Noble sons, Bilan had almost forgotten what it felt like to receive a sincere compliment!”Are you visiting a mentor in Nielan Town? There is indeed a mage in Nielan Town… Wait! You’re not going to visit ‘that one’ on the Eastern Hills, are you?”

Unaware of the girl’s distraction, Dichiduo pondered the phrase “visiting a mentor” and reached a conclusion that worried him internally.

“Y-yes… Mr. Punk is my mentor…”

Hearing Dichiduo’s words, Bilan snapped out of her daze and almost instinctively answered his question.

“That mage is terrifying. I heard he goes out on dark and windy nights to catch disobedient children and stew them into soup!”

Though concerned, Dichiduo tried to lighten the mood by waving his arms around like a monster, telling Bilan the “scary story for children” widely circulated among the townsfolk.

“Pfft!”

Seeing Dichiduo in his white robe hopping around, clumsily imitating beastly roars, Bilan couldn’t help but laugh again.

“What nonsense! That’s clearly just to scare children. I’ve heard Lord Punk is a remarkable alchemy master!”

Bilan reached out and flicked Dichiduo’s forehead.

“Hehe, that’s just what the townspeople say.”

Dichiduo grinned while rubbing his forehead.

After their laughter subsided, he tried to put on a serious expression again:

“But you should still be careful. I heard that not long ago, terrifying roars often came from that hillside—chilling and dreadful.”

Bilan gazed into Dichiduo’s worried eyes. She could tell the boy across from her was genuinely concerned for her, his care undiluted and sincere.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Lord Punk is just experimenting with some spells. It’s not as scary as you think.”

Though feeling uneasy herself, Bilan maintained a relaxed demeanor, softly uttering words meant to comfort both Dichiduo and herself—even if they were ultimately just self-reassurance.

A gentle breeze swept through, carrying pale pink petals. The tender season was nearing its end, with many trees blooming in this final month. Delicate petals drifted from branches, floating skyward with the wind…

The boy and girl stood on the mossy stone slabs, scattered petals adorning the quiet ground. Unconsciously, both their faces flushed slightly… No one spoke, as a youthful silence hovered in the breeze.

Bilan, with mixed emotions, broke the silence first. She felt an unprecedented sensation welling up inside—both flustering and faintly sweet.

“I… I need to visit my mentor now… Um… I’m going to be late.”

For some reason, Bilan just wanted to escape this peculiar atmosphere where her heart raced and the surroundings felt too still.

“…Won’t you have another piece of bread…”Dichiduo, who had been racking his brains searching for “the right words,” also opened his mouth but ended up uttering this rather peculiar question. Internally, he began fiercely slapping himself mentally: “Where have all those magnificent phrases and poetic lines gone? Aaaaaah~~”

“……No, I… goodbye.”

Bilan turned around and walked briskly toward the direction of the White Tower. Her heart was now filled with an indescribable feeling, while her previous anxiety about meeting Punk had largely dissipated.

The dazed boy, still clutching the parchment bag and having completely forgotten about the bread, watched Bilan’s figure recede into the distance when he suddenly remembered something:

“……I sing hymns at the Plaza every morning—you must come listen when you have time……”

“…I know.”

Hearing Bilan’s distant reply, Dichiduo felt so elated he had the impulse to roll on the spot. After several deep breaths, the turbulent waves in his heart gradually subsided.

He carefully retrieved a piece of bread from the parchment bag in his embrace, hesitated for a long moment, then slowly took a small bite. Gently chewing the soft crumb, Dichiduo was absolutely certain—this was the most delicious bread he had ever eaten in his entire life!

————————Break————————

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Note: These two characters are quite important, especially Bilan. Moreover, the author intends to craft a tragedy entirely orchestrated, propelled, and villainized by Punk—hence these two chapters of buildup. Starting next chapter: the evil tragedy shall commence…

(End of Chapter)