Mengdie's hope of borrowing money was immediately shattered by Father Cotton's words. She looked dazedly at the stern-faced priest, her mouth twitching slightly... But he was right. An organization having money doesn't mean an individual does too. It's like Luowell being rich, but the prince of Luowell by her side being penniless.
Yet, the penniless prince seemed somewhat unrepentant.
"Mengdie! Don't worry! We'll go see my master right away! Borrowing some Sular from him should be no problem!"
Mengdie sighed, sitting up from the white wolf's back, and looked with some pity at the prince who had grown up in the palace, unaware of the hardships of the common people. Didn't he realize during his week-long stay in the Rand flower shed how much savings the former Royal Knight turned gardener could possibly have?
She sighed again and looked at her gloves. It seemed a significant amount of money was needed to make these gloves shine again...
Since the white wolf's size was too conspicuous, Xiu and Edward covered it with branches to hide its imposing figure. As occasionally beastmen in the city would walk with their mounts (various fierce beasts), large creatures no longer attracted much attention. This simple disguise was enough.
※※※
Under the scorching sun, they walked slowly through the city streets, hardly seeing anyone walking around. The twisted air danced before their eyes, and the shops lazily remained empty, with no customers and shopkeepers tucked away in the shade. Even the occasional passing carriage hurried, fearing to attract the sun's "attention."
Walking up the marble pathway built along the mountain, they slowly headed towards the towering central castle. Passing by the Grand Church's cathedral, Father Cotton bid them farewell and entered the church alone. Mengdie and the others said goodbye and, after a few turns, finally arrived at Rand's wooden house.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"Huff... Master! We're back! Old..."
Edward crossed the wilted flowers and loudly knocked on Rand's door. Xiu immediately grabbed his hand in panic and pulled him aside.
"Hey, hey, hey, keep it down. A swordsman knocking loudly on an old florist's door and shouting 'master' is very conspicuous!"
Realizing his mistake, Edward quickly shut his mouth. Fortunately, there weren't many people on the road, and Rand's house was somewhat isolated from other florists, so no suspicion was aroused.
Mengdie tugged at her long hair, constantly shaking her head to dispel the heat on her neck. Then, spotting a water tank nearby, her sun-reddened face immediately perked up! The white wolf also spotted the water tank, and both human and beast rushed to it, plunging their heads into the water.
Glug glug glug...
"Ah~~~! Water is the best in summer!"
"Woof~~~ Glug glug!"
After lifting their heads out of the water, Mengdie and the white wolf shook off the water. Once their throats were no longer dry, Mengdie approached and knocked on the wooden door: "Mr. Rand, are you there?"
The door opened, revealing the stooped figure they hadn't seen for nearly a month. The old man's joyous smile appeared on his face the moment he saw them return safely, especially Edward. He eagerly welcomed the four inside.
The white wolf was also invited in. Although Rand seemed surprised by the sudden appearance of the wolf, he quickly calmed down and invited everyone to sit. After Mengdie brewed tea for him, he began to inquire about their affairs.
"Damn it, Master Rand! We were so close to finding Blackflame Snake's trail, but they slipped away at the last moment! The King's Cup... The King's Cup...! Now, we don't even know where to look for this cup." Although Edward once thought, "It's better to find the cup later for Mengdie's sake," that thought was just a fleeting impulse. As the prince of Luowell, he was more concerned about Luowell's safety.
Rand looked at the prince, lost in thought. His cloudy eyes gradually filled with hope, but for some reason, this hope was quickly suppressed by another strong emotion, clouding his vision again.
"Your Highness... If it can't be found, perhaps... it's better not to look for it for now. The relationship between Luowell and Silvermoon is tense... You really shouldn't stay here any longer. I... still hope that Your Highness returns to your country immediately. As for the 'King's Cup'... after all, it's just a formality..."
"No!" Edward slammed his teacup down, his eyes shining with determination. His loud voice startled Xiu, who was flipping through a magic book, and Nia, who was drinking water. Mengdie and the white wolf, who had been pondering "how to make money," also turned their attention to him.
"I can't do that! The closest person to Blackflame Snake from Silvermoon is me! If I give up now, won't all my previous efforts be in vain? Master Rand, you once taught me that whether as a prince or a swordsman, I must never make excuses to avoid setbacks when faced with them! I have never forgotten your teachings over these ten years, and I will never forget!"
Facing Edward's firm tone, the stooped old man looked at him again, then sighed helplessly... Mengdie thought she saw a hint of sadness in the old man's eyes.