Chapter 23 - Red Amulet
The day passed without any more enchanting, and so did the night. After a good night’s sleep, Lilly woke up feeling fresh, but the exhaustion of the day before still weighed on her mind.
‘I can’t limit myself to only making a few enchantments a month, so I’ll have to deal with using suboptimal conditions in the future. I’ll have to ask Elly if she still wants the belt today…’
She got out of bed and quickly got dressed before heading to the kitchen to meet the others. Mia was busy preparing breakfast, but she turned around and smiled at Lilly as she came in. "Morning, sleepyhead. Are you feeling better?”
Lilly nodded as she smiled back. “Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better today. I’m still disappointed I had to stop yesterday, but I’ve accepted it. Elly, are you fine with me enchanting your belt today?”
Eolande, sitting by the kitchen table and stretching her arms, seemed to consider her answer. “I don’t mind if it isn’t perfect, so go right ahead. We’re planning a gathering with Princess Adelia here later, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll let her know we’re ready while we’re at the barracks. I’m planning to bake something nice, but we shouldn’t make a big deal of it,” Lilly replied, recalling what Adelia had said.
“How should we be dressed, then? Should we just wear normal clothes?” Mia asked, putting the food on the table and sitting down next to Eolande.
“Yeah, or at least nothing special.” Lilly turned to look into the oven where Beak spent his nights. It wasn’t as easy to tell if he was growing anymore, but he seemed to have less space inside than the day before.
“We might need to find a new sleeping spot for him…” Lilly noted, considering her options. Beak had gotten a lot better at keeping his flame in check, but it was still risky to put him in a bed.
Eolande looked thoughtful with her hand on her chin. “I can’t really think of anything suitable… There’s the cauldron, but it’s filled with liquid materials at the moment.”
“How about enchanting a marble bed or something?” Mia suggested after finishing half a sandwich in one bite. “It would be warm and safe from fire. Wouldn’t be very comfortable, but he doesn’t seem to mind the hard surface of the oven.”
“Ah, that might work! Could you order one while Elly and I finish the belt? Since you have the cuirass now, we don’t really need to worry about your safety. Or rather, if you’re not safe, then no one is.”
“Yeah, leave it to me! Do you want me to order some material for it as well?”
“That would be great! I’m sure Gallus will have something we can use. Remember to be careful with your strength, though. And people running past you might get blown away, so try to keep a distance.”
Mia seemed like she hadn’t considered the last part, so it was a good thing it was mentioned. “I’ll keep it in mind. I might as well just get going, then,” Mia said, getting out of the chair and putting her plates next to the sink.
Lilly sat down to eat what remained of Mia's prepared food. “Sure, just put the cuirass on first. I was thinking about giving it a name. What do you think, Mia?”
“Ohh, maybe that’s a good idea! What about Steel Breeze? Or Aegis of Wind? Or maybe something like Protection of the Phoenix?” Mia came with a barrage of suggestions, leaving Lilly a bit lost for words. She liked them all.
“Have you already thought about this? Those are great!”
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Mia smiled excitedly. “Not really, I just thought those sounded nice. Maybe Shell of the Deep? Nah, it’s not very related to the sea…”
“I think I like Aegis of Wind the most. Are you fine with that one?” Lilly asked, hoping Mia wouldn’t make it even harder to decide with more suggestions.
“Then Aegis of Wind it is, or just aegis for short. I’ll go put it on!” Mia left the kitchen with light steps, seemingly happy to have contributed.
Lilly looked after her and sighed a happy sigh, which Eolande caught sight of, making her chuckle. “Seeing the two of you like this, I kind of miss Dahn sometimes.”
Lilly looked at her with surprise. Eolande had rarely mentioned him willingly before. “It sounds so weird to me to be away from the one you love for so long. But I guess you guys have a lot of time either way.”
Eolande supported her head with her arms on the table, looking dreamily out the window. “We’ve spent a lot more time together than you and Mia, that’s for sure. And that’s absolutely nice, don’t get me wrong. But imagine you haven’t seen her for decades, and then you finally meet again, still as in love as ever.”
“... That does sound nice. I guess I might consider it if we had nearly infinite time, but for now, I think I’ll stick to her like glue.”
Eolande looked back at Lilly in silence for a moment. “Just remember that it’s normal to need some time apart in the future. The two of you are business partners and girlfriends; that’s a lot of time spent around each other.”
Lilly considered her words, finding the suggestion not to fit her experiences so far. “I’ll keep it in mind, I guess. It’s far from a problem now, but maybe someday. I’ve also been thinking of our next date, and I think it should be rather soon.”
Eolande just smiled, but she kept the reason a secret. “That’s a good idea. Maybe after the investigator leaves? Or did you have another occasion in mind?”
“Well, when the house finishes? Or is that too long?” Lilly asked, not sure when exactly the house would finish. It might be a couple of weeks.
“I think you should move it up a bit, then. But you can consider it later. Let’s go finish this belt of mine. I am ever so slightly excited!”
----------------------------------------
Lilly exhaled heavily, looking at the finished belt on the table in front of her. She managed to keep her focus well during the enchantment and felt satisfied with the result.
“It’s finished! Now it just needs to finish draining mana, and you can test it!” Lilly exclaimed excitedly, looking forward to seeing the new speed Eolande would be able to reach.
Eolande looked at the belt with a smile and patted Lilly’s head softly. “I’m looking forward to it! Are you still feeling fine?”
Lilly had mixed feelings about getting head pats at her age, but she chose to let it go. “It was easier than yesterday, luckily. One enchantment is child's play compared to three in the same item. I could probably do five of these in a day, so I’m fine.”
“That’s good! I was a bit worried yesterday, but it is understandable. I don’t think any other enchanters can handle so many enchantments in one day.”
“Well, maybe not… I’ll just hope it improves in the future for now,” Lilly mumbled, looking back at the belt. “It’s finished now, let’s test it!”
“Oooh!” Eolande grabbed the belt with bright eyes and put it around her waist, clasping it together so it fit perfectly. “Mia really knows her stuff! Oh, I can already feel the strength!”
Lilly nodded. “It should be very strong during fast and static movement, but otherwise, you might not feel much difference.”
“Ooh, it really takes a toll on the body, though. I’m surprised Mia could handle twice this much already. I might only be able to handle three or four of these enchantments, so you won’t find many customers for your Aegis of Wind.”
Lilly knew it would be challenging, but those were the customers she would have to aim for in the future if she wanted to take advantage of her strengths as an enchantress. “Let’s hope that doesn’t reduce the price. But let’s test this thing!”
Eoalnde smiled as she retrieved her dagger. “Let me test my swing first. Since holding something is a static movement, it should be totally stuck, right?”
Lilly nodded in response. “What are you planning to test it on, though? Nothing expensive, I hope.”
“Aww, that makes things a lot harder… Let’s go outsi–”
Eolande’s words halted in her throat as a soft humming sound could be heard from her chest. Her face paled in an instant, with shock written all over it. Her arm slowly pulled the delicate amulet from her jacket, showing it buzzing a faint red color.
“He’s… He’s in danger… He’s in danger.” Eolande looked lost, but then her gaze drifted to Lilly. “I have to go, Lilly! I need to leave for the capital now!”