Around an hour earlier, near the central and main entrance into Nefra.

“Okay, I’m...back...? Albel?! Huh? Where did he go...?”

Arriving back at the spot where I had left Albel standing by himself prior, I immediately scanned the entirety of the area in search for him to no avail. I even decided to ask some nearby merchants on whether they had noticed someone with his appearance leave the area. Absolutely zero results and sightings.

Am I the only one that would be able to spot a black-robbed priest out of a crowd of normal looking people?!

For whatever reason, he hadn’t listened to my request for him to stay put at all, and instead, decided to move and somehow disappeared.

What am I going to do now...? I don’t know anything about this city at all! How am I supposed to find out where he went exactly?! Aaaaaaaa! Why now of all times?! If only Cruubi were here...

I then sank to my feet as I crouched, looking toward the ground in anxious thought on what to do next. I began weighing in on the idea of either remaining at the entrance—in case he decided to return—or entering the city and searching for him there. The former seemed more reasonable overall, since I really didn’t have a single idea on how to navigate through Nefra. I had never even left Druhwood before this very trip—let alone even visited any of the nearby settlements.

“Albel, you idiot...”

I then began swirling my finger along the ground, cursing the name of the one that left me behind as a slow, creeping tide of despondency spilled over my chest. Yet, a familiar voice then came from nearby.

“Did something happen, Eru? Are you okay?”

“...Mr. Lukos...”

"Haha. I told you before, didn’t I? Just Lukos is fine. Didn't we agree to drop the formalities already?”

It was Mr. Lukos, or just Lukos now. It still felt slightly weird for me to just suddenly switch how I referred to him though. Unlike Albel, who had once seemed rather mysterious on first glance—yet was actually a bit childish and impulsive—Lukos had more of a mature aura about him. One bearing semblance to that of a sympathetic uncle or even a very experienced caretaker. He was quite easy to talk to, but I still felt the need to speak respectably due to that demeanor of his.

“Sorry, it slipped my mind...”

“No need to apologize. Feel free to address me in whichever way you feel more comfortable with. That aside, I don’t see your partner around. Did he run off somewhere?”

I could feel tears slowly forming in my eyes as I responded.

“...I think he did, but I have no idea where...”

“Is that so...”

My head sank and lowered into my legs as I remained crouching. Several seconds of silence went by before he seemingly attempted to continue but was interrupted by another.

“If that’s the case, how about—”

“LUUUUUUUUUU! There you are. Dammit, I’ve sobered up. Let’s head over to Baal’s Tavern in the Foreign Quarters and fix that! Now!”

A sudden appearance of that once sleeping woman by Lukos’ side during our trip. The bottle from before was also nowhere to be seen now though.

“Astrid, didn’t I tell you already that we need to check-in first with the Old Palisade? And why is it that you always want to start drinking after sobering up? It’s not good for you to—”

“Quiet, you! Save that lecture. We still have enough funds for one more night of drinking anyways! So, let’s just save all that tedious stuff for tomorrow instead. Besides, it’s not like they can—hm? Lu, who is this here?”

Upon hearing her voice come even closer toward me, I lifted my head completely from between my legs and looked her way. I was immediately met with a pair of green eyes staring intently back at me. I could feel myself flinch slightly at her gaze, with a shiver being sent up my spine in response.

“Her name is Eru, she was a passenger alongside her partner and us on the carriage. See, this is why I keep telling you to lay off the drinking—at least during the day, Astrid!”

“Didn’t I just say to save your lecture? More importantly, answer my question already! Who is this?”

Her gaze was penetrating, as her question felt awfully similar.

“Huh? You’re not making any sense, you know that, right? I just said—"

“Hey, Ery was it? Who are you, hm?”

I couldn’t really understand what she was implying at. She also had remembered my name wrong for whatever reason too. Yet, the heat of her gaze didn’t lessen slightly on my person either, as I was left feeling uneasy. She had felt like the complete opposite of Lukos—simply intimidating.

“...M-my name is Eru, from Druhwood...”

“You’ve got a peculiar feeling about you, have you noticed? That’s why I’m asking.”

“N-no, I didn’t... What do you mean by that...?”

“It’s like... I don’t feel as if I’m supposed to see you here—or something?”

Her words further took me by surprise and left me still unable to grasp at what her eyes were prodding at in particular. In the quiet seconds that accompanied after her lingering observance though, a possible answer then hit me. And when it did, I shuddered at the thought.

...Did she notice something about me due to my title...?

My eyes suddenly retracted away from her person—on instinct—and back toward the ground in response. I couldn’t stop the onset of shivers as my body trembled. I had no excuse or reason to give toward her observation—if that had really been the case. A set of footsteps then stepped in between her and I as a sympathetic voice followed.

“How about you lay off of her for a second, Astrid? Whatever it is, I don’t think hounding her like that will bring about an honest answer. Besides, it’s none of our business to begin with.”

“What are you on about, Lu? I wasn’t hounding her at all. I was just curious. Also, don’t go using that term with me either! Pick your words with some consideration, you oaf...”

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She quickly then created distance between her and the two of us with her back turned our way.

“S-sorry, that was a bit of bad wording on my part...”

“Well, whatever. We’ll have to check in with the Old Palisade and Baal’s Tavern some other time. Something is telling me to go along with this girl, Lu.”

“Huh?! Don’t tell me...?”

Go along with me?! Why exactly...? And what does she mean by ‘something’...?

A variety of stares began looking in our direction after Lukos’ sudden shout. He immediately began to make a series of apologetic gestures in each of their direction, only to then put his hand slightly near his mouth as he whispered something at Astrid. She nodded, and as she did, a heavy sigh escaped his mouth. He then turned toward me again.

They’re being rather secretive, but... I guess I’m one to talk since I shouldn’t say anything about my title...

“Hey, Eru? You mind if we tag along with you for now?”

“Huh?”

In a rather awkward but gentle smile my way, it seemed they really were intent on accompanying me. From behind him, I could even make out Astrid sneaking in a peek.

“We could even help you find your partner that disappeared, if you’re in need of some extra help? We’re pretty familiar with Nefra after all.”

I didn’t particularly mind the idea of Lukos accompanying and helping me out, but after that weird situation with his partner—I was now feeling a bit hesitant. In hopes of getting an honest answer, I decided to ask.

“...I don’t mean any offense by this, but why exactly...?”

“Well, Astrid here has a...sense of sorts, that usually leads her toward an area that falls in line with her personal interests or where she’s required to be. Quite usually—both at the same time. It’s a bit hard to explain or even believe, I’m sure. And yet, it hasn’t been proven distrustful thus far.”

It was a rather strange explanation, one I didn’t really have a full understanding of either. At the very least, he did attempt giving me a truthful answer. I personally didn’t feel as if he were lying. Astrid stood quietly, now looking elsewhere behind him, as Lukos’ eyes remained on me.

Should I...? It’s going to be difficult trying to find Albel all alone... So, maybe...

I definitely did require assistance, and despite Astrid’s seemingly aggressive demeanor earlier—she backed down fairly quick after Lukos intervened. I then came to my decision after a short moment of thought.

“If...you would please, then. I don’t really know my way around Nefra after all...”

“Just leave it to us. Anywhere in particular you wish to go while we look for your partner along the way?”

“Actually, there is one place...”

I shortly explained to them the main reason I wished to come to Nefra. Without giving the details on the why, I told them I wanted to visit the previous Magister, Elemnin. From what my grandfather had told me, he was said to still reside within a place referred to as the Garden Quarters. It was something I wanted to investigate as soon as we arrived in Nefra, since I had several questions I’ve been wanting to ask him personally. Not only about his progress, but on whether or not he had found others just like me—other Bearers.

“Hmm. So, you want to visit the previous Magister? That’s going to be a bit...”

“You sure know some pretty important people, huh, Ery?”

“...It’s Eru, but sort of... Yes. He’s an old friend of my Grandpa...”

“Well, it might be difficult to enter that area. The Noble Quarters are separate from the Garden Quarters, but both house the nobility. And the latter is especially hard to gain entry into since that’s where the three houses of the Triskeles reside—as well as being near the Auriga Palace.”

“W-well, I also have this...”

I pulled out a letter from my bag of trinkets, one that was given to me by my grandfather. There was a golden seal at the bottom of the letter, but when I asked him about it, he said it was the equivalent of him bearing his own status. I didn’t quite understand what that meant either, but as I watched Lukos unfold the letter and scan the contents, his eyes instantly shot open as they reached the bottom.

“A golden seal?! You really are acquainted with some pretty important people, Eru...”

“Ooooooh, that’s the first time I’ve seen one for myself! Your Grandpa must be quite the old man!”

I was taken aback by their reactions, curious as to the reason.

“Is it really that big of a deal...?”

“Well, to put it simply, someone like that previous Magister you want to visit would also have access to using a golden seal on his documents and letters. If we were to send this letter to the Queen, it would arrive to her along the fastest route possible. Express carrier and all. It’s a clear sign of status, and the fact that your grandfather has one, must mean someone higher up trusted him greatly.”

That came as a surprise to me. I hadn’t known about that at all. Despite all the stories about his adventuring days, I never got the impression that he was that important in Nefra. In hearing this, it brought a smile to my face. My grandfather really was—and still is—an incredible person after all.

“We should start heading out then. I think you should be able to get through the Garden Quarters with this, though, I don’t know if we’ll be able to come along beyond the gate. We’ll just have to ask the guardsmen on where he lives exactly too.”

“And then after that, we can head on over to Baal’s Tavern! You’ll do some drinking with us, right, Ery?”

“...It’s Eru, and I’d rather not...”

Astrid inched closer as she retracted the distance she created prior. Even in her invitation, there flickered a bullish tendency to her actions.

“Wait, I thought we were going along with her for the rest of the day, Astrid?! We still need to look for her partner too. What happened with that—”

“If she comes along with us, then all is OK in the end~ Maybe that partner of hers will also be at the tavern too. I know that’s where I would disappear to in this maddening city.”

“Please don’t go thinking everyone is the same as you. I wouldn’t be able to deal with this city if that were the case...”

“Haaah?! What do you mean by that?!”

The bickering between Astrid and Lukos commenced as the three of us began walking toward the central entrance into Nefra. I was still feeling a bit worried about going along with the both of them, but I didn’t have much of a choice. They seemed like an interesting duo, to say the least.

I just hope Albel hasn’t stumbled his way into anything problematic again...