Chapter 27 — Guilt and Potential

"You know, you are really scary, Ria," Leon whispered.

"Heh, heh," Ria chuckled and winked. "But, I guess this means everyone knows I'm a witch now."

"Yeah, there's no way to keep that quiet now," Leon agreed and sighed. "Gebs and the guys are definitely going to beat me up next time they see me."

Leon definitely needed to toughen up. "Hmm… Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Does this village have an Adventurers Guild?"

"It does, why? You're not thinking about joining, are you?" Leon asked worriedly and stopped to look at her.

"Haven't really thought about it, but don't they teach combat and survival skills?" Ria asked.

Leon gave her a long look before answering cautiously, "Yeah…"

"Well… couldn't you take fighting lessons?" Ria suggested.

He coughed and sputtered, "W-why would I want to pay someone to beat me up?!"

Ria sighed. "With that attitude you'll never be more than just a baker's son. How can you protect what's important to you if you don't have the ability?"

Leon's jaw clenched and his fists balled up. Ria immediately regretted how harsh her words came across. He was probably proud of his family's bakery.

"I'm sorry, Leon," Ria apologized. "There's nothing wrong with being a baker and continuing your father's legacy. I just thought that you seemed… to want to play a more active role in things to come."

"No. You're right, Ria.” Leon shook his head. "If you didn't use your magic, there's no way I could have protected you from Gebs and the others. What if I had been with my sister and actual bandits with weapons robbed us?"

"Well… if they have crossbows, you're gonna die anyway, even if you are good with a sword," Ria said and stuck her tongue out.

"Shut up, you! I was serious," Leon complained. "Not everyone can be a mage."

"You don't have to be a mage to use magic weapons. And just like I did, even an apprentice can use a Wand of Sleeping Winds once they can control their internal energy," Ria offered.

Leon looked surprised. "You mean… that wasn't your magic?"

"Haha, there's no way I can cast a spell like that! It's been less than three months since I started learning magic," Ria admitted with a grin.

"W-wha-? Three months? No way!?" Leon stuttered out.

The people around were starting to take notice of them, so Ria grabbed Leon's arm and pulled him into an alley. "Let's hurry back. Your sister is going to be mad at me if we don't get you back soon."

"Ah, right," Leon agreed mechanically and resumed leading the way.

They walked in silence for a while, Leon mulling what had been said and Ria considering her next angle of attack.

"I'm just saying, you need to set your sights higher, Leon. If you're going to be a baker, be the best! If you're going to be a warrior or a hunter, become a legend! And if you're going to be a mage, be an Archmage that makes mountains tremble and kings kneel! That's what I intend to do," Ria declared shamelessly to the world, and even Leon had to grin at her audacity.

"But… even if I wanted to do something else, my parents are counting on me to find a wife to help me with taking over running the bakery," Leon whined.

Ria wanted to punch the boy again. He was such a wimp! "Why can't your sister bring home a husband to take over the bakery?!"

Leon stared at her. "Where would I go? What would I do?"

"You'd be free." Ria was really proud of herself as she delivered a line from one of her favorite stories, and Leon's shocked look made it totally worth it.

Ria pushed him along to keep him moving forward. But something was bothering her. Why did she care so much? Not that she really cared if he was a baker or not, his wishy-washiness was the issue. Was it because he seemed like a nice guy?

No, that wasn't it. The truth was that she felt guilty over leaving him to face the fear of coming events without a means to struggle for the fate of those he cared about. She was trying to right a cruelty that she had inflicted on him.

Of course, her advice might be really terrible. Not only might it cause problems with his family, but if he became an adventurer without solving his wishy-washiness, he'd get himself killed for sure. Was that something she wanted to be responsible for?

The road they turned onto looked familiar, and Ria realized they were almost back to the bakery. Leon had been lost in thought since a while ago, which was a good sign, but she didn't want to part with him like this.

"Hey, Leon," Ria started. "Let's take fighting lessons at the Adventurers Guild together. We can go on days when you don't have to work at the store. I can try to teach you magic, too. You still have a few years before you have to decide your future, right?"

Leon hesitated but nodded. "I want the ability to protect the people I care about. If I don't even try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

His determined face made him look surprisingly reliable.

Ria gave him a bright smile. "Alright. I'll drop by tomorrow morning. No chickening out!"

And that determination was already crumbling… hahaha. That's just terrible.

As they approached the bakery, Emily was already setting up tables to display the day’s baked bread. She spotted them right away, but her eyes widened in surprise when she saw how Ria was dressed.

“I should head inside and check on things. Will you be okay carrying both bags the rest of the way?” Leon asked.

“Yes, thank you for your help today, Leon,” Ria said and stood on her tippy-toes, cutely kissing him on the cheek.

He turned really red. Then almost forgot to leave her bag before trying to escape.

“Ah, Leon, before you go, can you get me some tarts and pastries?” Ria asked and handed him a silver coin. “I want to bring them back as a treat for Grandpa Orlan.”

Leon disappeared into the shop with the coin and a promise to see what he could find.

Once he was out of sight, Ria took a deep breath to suppress a giggle at Leon's reaction to her kiss and to calm her nervous heart that was beating quickly from the risk of her bold behavior.

Emily was still staring at her, so Ria moved closer and gave her a pleasant smile. Leon's sister was probably only a year or so older than her, and if she was as easy to get along with as her brother, she would be a good friend to have.

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“Much better, right?” Ria said to Emily, indicating to her dress.

Emily nodded. “It’s beautiful. Miss Danna?”

“Yep. I have you to thank, Emily. Leon said he was impressed by your Harvest Festival dress and recommend I try her shop.” Ria curtsied.

Emily chuckled. “You look like a noble when you do that.”

“My mom was also a dressmaker and taught me etiquette for when modeling dresses for nobles. I was really sad that I couldn’t bring my Harvest Festival dress,” Ria said.

“I would have liked to see it,” Emily consoled.

A customer came up, greeted her and Emily, and purchased a basket of rolls then excused herself.

“Say Emily, maybe we could do a tea party using sweets and sandwiches from your bakery? We could show off our dresses, and I could get to know some of the other girls,” Ria suggested after the customer left.

Emily grinned. “That sounds fun, but where would we host it?”

“Hmm, I guess neither of our shops are really suitable,” Ria admitted then had an idea. “If you don’t know of any good places, how about a picnic outing to somewhere outside the village?”

“Oh, an outing! That does sound fun. I’ll have to ask around, but I think some of the other girls will be interested,” Emily agreed enthusiastically.

Leon returned with a covered basket and a fair number of copper coins as her change. The copper coins had been part of Ria’s plan in giving him a silver coin. She really didn’t want to have to pay Bessel to exchange gold and silver coins for the copper ones used to buy common-value goods. She really should have asked for more copper, but the sack was already suspiciously full enough to invite trouble… as it had.

When Emily saw Ria try to arrange her bags, she started laughing. “That looks ridiculous, Ria. Leon, help her. I’ll cover for you, just don’t take too long, okay?”

“Ah, right,” Leon accepted and took the brown bag again.

“Sorry, to trouble you again.” Ria curtsied.

Leon laughed and bowed. “Not a problem, milady.”

Ria did attract a few curious glances on her way back to the butcher shop, but either everyone was busy, or her dress was intimidating enough that no one more than nodded when eye contact was made.

When they arrived at the shop, Ria peeked into the windows to confirm the shop was empty of customers before going inside.

“I’m back!” Ria said cheerfully.

“Welcome back, Ria,” Grandpa Orlan greeted. “Looks like you had fun. The new dress is lovely, quite a treat for these old eyes. Oh, and Leon is with you? Thank you for your assistance, Leon.”

“Woof!”

“You too, Ranger,” Grandpa Orlan replied with a laugh.

“Here, Grandpa Orlan.” Ria placed the basket of pastries on the counter. “As thanks for helping me escape this morning.”

“Oh that?” Grandpa Orlan laughed heartily. “No problem, girl. If you’re ever in trouble, just let me know.”

With a wink, he removed the covering cloth to reveal a selection of small pies, sweet rolls, and tarts.

“Ooh, this looks good. But it’ll be hard to finish by myself, so you’ll join me for some later, right?” Grandpa Orlan offered.

“Of course!” Ria beamed.

“Um, Ria, where did you want me to leave your clothes?” Leon asked.

“Ah! Grandpa, can I bring Leon up to my room?” Ria asked.

“Sure, sure. Oh, and here,” Grandpa Orlan agreed and handed over a stack of sealed letters. “The lord’s courier arrived earlier with these addressed to you. Any idea what it’s about?”

“One is probably a license to practice my magic within the village. I’m not sure about the others,” Ria answered. “Okay, let’s go, Leon!”

Ria could smell baking and other cooking smells coming from the kitchen long before arriving at the second floor, and as expected, Grandma Fana was in the kitchen preparing what could only be described as a feast.

“Wow…,” Leon breathed out at the sight.

“Woof!”

“Yeah…,” Ria agreed, then called out, “Grandma Fana, I’m back!”

“I heard you come up, girl. I’m not deaf, you know,” Grandma Fana answered back as she took a pan out of the oven to cool. “And don’t think I didn’t see how you wore your coat. Now, let’s see what you bought.”

The gray-haired woman came out from the kitchen and looked her over.

“I do have a few criticisms, but overall, it’s a significant improvement,” Grandma Fana grudgingly approved then turned to Leon, “You helped her with her shopping, Leon?”

“Ah, yes, ma’am,” Leon answered politely.

“Hmm… well, go ahead and help her unpack. I’ll be up shortly.” Grandma Fana waved them along and disappeared into her bedroom.

Ria wondered what that was about, but she had other schemes on her mind. “Um, Leon can you grab my staff next to you?”

“Uh, sure.”

Leon did as told and followed her up to her room. Ranger curled up in the corner of the room to take a nap.

Ria placed the letters on her desk and her satchel on the bed. “Thanks for bringing the staff up. You can place it by the desk.”

“Your room is nicer than mine, I think,” Leon said then wrinkled his nose. “But the smell of the tannery is a bit…”

“The smell is actually a little nostalgic. My dad did leather tanning. So… how did the staff feel in your hands?” Ria asked nonchalantly as she took the bag from Leon and placed it on the bed next to the other.

After a hesitation and a glance at the staff, “…I think I’d prefer a mace or sword, honestly.”

Ria laughed. “Not like that. I mean, did it feel warm or something?”

Leon looked at her oddly. “Well, no. Is it supposed to?”

Her shoulders slumped, and she shook her head. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

“But, it is strange… this staff. It reminds me of you somehow…,” Leon said as he glanced at it again. “It’s a magic staff, isn’t it?”

Ria almost squealed in delight, keeping herself to nodding enthusiastically. “It is! It’s called a focus tool, and I use it to store my excess magical energy.”

“Oh, that makes sense then.” Leon touched the staff again then looked a little embarrassed. “I’d better start helping you unpack before Grandma Fana comes to check on us.”

They barely started laying out the clothing when Jarrel's mom arrived holding a black lace shawl.

“Leon, I think Grandma and I can handle it from here. You probably should get back soon,” Ria said, gathering her grimoire and taking the glowstone out of her tool pouch.

“Oh, okay,” Leon agreed but noticed the expensive book and glowing stone. “What are those?”

“Oh, these?” Ria asked with a smirk. “Hmm, maybe it would be helpful for you to borrow them. Here, we can talk more about it tomorrow morning.”

He received the suspicious items with a raised eyebrow. The stone went into his pocket.

“Go ask Orlan for something to wrap that in on your way out, Leon,” Grandma Fana suggested and ushered him out of the room, closing the door. “You’re up to no good, Ria. And you’re gonna get that boy in trouble.”

“It should be fine. He’s much too timid to do anything illegal.” Ria shrugged.

Grandma Fana sighed and looked out over the clothes and the letters. “The visit to Bessel seems to have gone well, or was it Lord Vorshan after all?”

“Bessel, and quite well. He offered me a job as his apprentice, but I don’t know how much free time I will have while preparing to attend the academy,” Ria answered and hung her new blue summer dress in the large white armoire that dominated the room. All the furniture in her room was white. Even the floorboards were painted white. The walls, however, were a pleasant pale pink.

“An apprenticeship with the wealthiest man in the village would certainly be a prestigious opportunity. I’m sure it will be a tough decision,” Grandma Fana said and held up the shawl. “Stand over here, girl. I have a gift for you.”

The shawl was delicately knit with a rose theme. “It’s beautiful. Did you make it?”

“I did. Carli married one of the outland farmers and has never had much need for finery. Who would’ve thought that Jarrel would bring me a granddaughter that I could dress up?” Grandma Fana said with a smile as she wrapped the shawl around Ria’s shoulders and tied it into place.

Ria gave Grandma Fana a hug. “Thank you.”

“Haha, well that’s enough of that. You have a mirror, don’t you?” Grandma Fana motioned toward the silver hand mirror on the desk and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

Grinning, Ria took a look at herself. The shawl really added nicely to the dress, and surprisingly, the increased modesty didn’t detract from her appeal.

Grandma Fana gave her a wry smile. “I know you’re excited to have grown enough to attract attention, but for a girl your age, attracting the eye without being obvious is better.”

“I like it. Showing only glimpses is more… like teasing, isn’t it?” Ria asked, turning side to side to get different views in the mirror. She really needed to buy a full-sized mirror.

“Aye. That it is. In its way, this approach is even more dangerous than what you were wearing this morning,” Grandma Fana cautioned.

Ria gulped.

“Hahaha, attracted some attention, did ya?”

Ria nodded. “Mostly Leon.”

“He’s a nice boy, so it’s cruel to get him too interested. Unless you’re fine with being a baker’s wife,” Grandma Fana chided her.

She shook her head. “I was thinking about that, too. The way Leon was looking at me was really fun, but I don’t want to be mean to a friend, and I’m definitely going to study at an academy.”

“Good girl. I was worried, but looks like you do have your head screwed on right.” Grandma Fana patted her on the head. “You know, if you need advice about girl things, you can come to me about anything. I may seem old-fashioned, but I was young once, too.”

“I will,” Ria agreed. “What do you think of the other clothing? Leon didn’t like those as much as the dresses.”

Picking up a pair of fancy embroidered and lacy underwear, Grandma Fana asked with an arched eyebrow, “Did you wear these for Leon?”

Ria turned red and shook her head vigorously.

“Hahaha,” Grandma Fana cackled then turned to the everyday wear. “The rest looks quite good. This type of clothing, these skirts and shirts are for attracting a different kind of attention and are good for when you want to be taken seriously. Paired with the right earrings and necklace they will give you an air of confidence and competence.”

“Oh, I see. That’s good then,” Ria said, relieved—and excited that Grandma Fana might lend her some jewelry.

“But there is a problem,” Grandma Fana said seriously.

“There is?” She knew it.

“Where are your play clothes? And your hunting clothes? Your dagger and crossbow aren’t just for show, are they?” Grandma Fana asked.

“Ah! I haven’t bought those yet. That’s next, but Leon had to go back to work,” Ria hurriedly explained. “Um, what time do I need to be back for dinner?”

“As long as you’re back before sunset, that’s fine.”