Chapter 18: The Adventurer of Lunaris

The warm sounds of the village drifted through the streets of Lunaris.

Children laughed.

Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked.

People chatted casually as a gentle breeze stirred the colorful flowers hanging beneath the windows.

Yun Yun remained standing before the village sign.

Almost as though she feared everything would vanish the moment she blinked.

Beside her, Lyra slowly folded her arms.

"So... what now?"

Yun Yun blinked.

"Hm?"

Lyra let out a quiet sigh.

"We still don't have any money."

She gestured toward the village.

"And without money, we won't have food..."

"...or a place to sleep."

Yun Yun let her gaze wander once more.

The warm houses.

The smiling faces.

The golden light.

Then she gave a slow nod.

"...You're right."

For a moment, even she looked uncertain.

"Let's look around first."

Then she suddenly remembered Kaien.

She immediately turned toward him.

"Kaien... are you okay?"

He didn't respond at once.

Several long seconds passed.

Then he gave a faint nod.

Not a single word.

Only that empty nod.

A painful ache tightened in Yun Yun's chest.

Slowly, she reached for his hand once more.

This time...

...Kaien didn't pull away.

Together, the three of them walked deeper into Lunaris.

The streets were paved with pale stone.

Flower boxes brightened the front of nearly every house.

Several villagers smiled warmly as the three children passed.

Each smile only left Yun Yun more bewildered.

An elderly man even raised a hand in greeting.

Yun Yun nearly stopped walking.

"...But he doesn't even know us."

Lyra didn't even look up.

By now, she had already pulled out her diary again.

"Normal people greet each other."

Yun Yun stared at her.

"That's kind of terrifying."

Without missing a beat, Lyra began sketching the village.

The rooftops.

The streets.

The lanterns.

Even the small market stalls took shape beneath a few quick strokes of her pencil.

Her crimson eyes practically sparkled with curiosity.

"The architecture is completely different from Asterveil."

Yun Yun slowly looked around.

Children chased one another between the houses.

A woman laughed as she bought fresh bread from a nearby stall.

Two men were deep in conversation before suddenly bursting into laughter.

No one whispered.

No one glanced nervously over their shoulder.

No one looked afraid.

Yun Yun simply couldn't understand it.

How could people live like this?

So...

...free?

Completely absorbed in her sketch, Lyra took a few steps backward to improve her view.

Then...

...she walked straight into someone.

"Ah."

Her diary slipped from her hands.

It hit the ground with a soft thud.

Several loose pages fluttered across the stone road.

Yun Yun flinched in surprise.

But before Lyra could react...

...someone had already knelt down beside her.

A tall man carefully picked up the diary and brushed a few specks of dust from its cover before holding it out to her.

He wore dark leather armor reinforced with polished silver shoulder plates.

A longsword rested at his hip in a black scabbard.

Strapped across his back was a heavy iron round shield, scarred with countless dents and scratches.

The kind of shield that had seen far too many battles.

His brown hair was slightly unkempt, and a short beard framed his face.

Despite his imposing appearance...

...his expression was warm.

Friendly.

He handed the diary back to Lyra with an easy smile.

"Here you go, little lady."

Before she could react, he gently ruffled her hair.

"Try watching where you're going next time."

Lyra accepted the diary.

For a brief moment, her crimson eyes studied him with quiet suspicion.

Then she gave a small nod.

"...Thank you."

Yun Yun hurried over and gave a polite bow.

"Thank you very much for helping my sister."

Then she quickly added,

"And... I'm sorry for the trouble."

The man chuckled and waved a hand dismissively.

"Don't worry about it."

He gave the shield on his back a light tap with his thumb.

"Helping people is part of the job."

A faint smile appeared on Yun Yun's face.

A real one.

Then the man's expression slowly grew more thoughtful.

His eyes wandered over the three children.

Their heavy winter coats.

Their exhausted faces.

Kaien's hollow blue eyes.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Hmm..."

His gaze lingered on them for another moment.

"You kids don't exactly look like you're from around here."

Yun Yun froze.

Her fingers tightened ever so slightly around Kaien's hand.

Lyra noticed immediately.

Without hesitation, she stepped in front of Yun Yun ever so slightly.

Just enough to shield her.

Then she calmly looked up at the adventurer.

"We come from a small village far to the north."

The man listened without interrupting.

"Our village was..."

She hesitated for the briefest moment.

"...attacked by monsters."

Silence settled over the street.

Kaien lowered his gaze.

Yun Yun felt his hand tighten ever so slightly in hers.

"We were the only ones who escaped."

The man's expression softened at once.

The suspicion vanished from his eyes.

Only sympathy remained.

"...Damn."

He slowly rubbed his beard.

"That explains the look on your faces."

Yun Yun blinked in surprise.

He believed them.

Just like that.

Back in Asterveil...

...the first question would have been:

"Who's lying?"

But Rowan only looked at them with quiet concern.

A moment later, he held out his hand toward Yun Yun.

"I'm Rowan."

"And you?"

Yun Yun hesitated only briefly.

"...Yun Yun."

"Lyra."

Kaien remained silent for a moment.

Then he quietly said,

"...Kaien."

A broad smile spread across Rowan's face.

"It's nice to meet you."

He tapped a thumb against his chest.

"Rowan Ashgard."

Without a word, Lyra opened her diary.

Scratch... Scratch...

She carefully wrote his name onto a fresh page.

Rowan noticed and chuckled.

"You really do write down everything."

"Knowledge shouldn't be wasted."

Rowan laughed.

"I like that."

Then his smile gradually faded.

His gaze moved from one child to the next.

"Tell me..."

"Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?"

Silence.

Yun Yun and Lyra exchanged a brief glance.

Neither of them answered.

They didn't have to.

Rowan let out a quiet sigh.

Then a grin spread across his face.

"Well..."

"...looks like I just found myself three new problems."

Yun Yun blinked.

"W-What?"

Rowan waved the concern away with an easy smile.

"Relax."

He pointed farther down the street.

"I know the innkeeper."

Yun Yun hesitated.

"...But we really don't have any money."

Rowan shrugged.

"I do."

The three children stared at him.

None of them had expected that answer.

Without another word, Rowan started walking.

"Come on."

He glanced back over his shoulder.

"And judging by the look of you..."

"...at least two of you are about to starve."

Lyra immediately frowned.

"I am not starving."

Her stomach growled loudly.

For a heartbeat...

...no one said a word.

Then Rowan burst out laughing.

Yun Yun couldn't help laughing too.

Even Lyra quietly looked away in embarrassment.

And for the first time since leaving Asterveil...

...the corner of Kaien's mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Only for an instant.

But Yun Yun noticed.

And somehow...

...that tiny smile meant more to her than anything else in the world.

As the afternoon slowly gave way to evening, Rowan led the three children through Lunaris.

Past small shops.

Past cheerful villagers.

Past warm lights glowing behind welcoming windows.

Eventually, he stopped in front of a cozy two-story inn.

A wooden sign hung above the entrance.

The Golden Stag

Warm laughter drifted out through the open doorway.

Along with the rich aroma of freshly cooked food.

Yun Yun's stomach immediately growled.

Rowan smiled.

"Welcome to your home for tonight."

Later that night...

...silence settled over Lunaris.

The inn room was small.

There wasn't enough space for three separate beds.

So the innkeeper had given them a larger room with two.

Lyra had insisted that Yun Yun should share a bed with Kaien because she supposedly...

"kicks too much in her sleep."

In reality...

...she simply wanted some peace and quiet to read.

The warm glow of a small oil lamp filled the room.

Outside, crickets chirped softly.

No wind.

No warning bells.

No screams.

Only peace.

Lyra sat quietly by the window, writing in her diary.

Yun Yun lay beside Kaien, staring at the wooden ceiling.

Kaien was already fast asleep.

At least...

...she thought he was.

Slowly, Yun Yun turned her head toward him.

In sleep...

...his face looked younger.

No longer like someone broken from the inside.

Just a tired boy.

Yun Yun felt that familiar ache in her chest.

Then a faint smile touched her lips.

She quietly pulled the blanket a little higher over him.

Before closing her own eyes.

Outside, the crickets continued their endless song.

And for the first time in what felt like forever...

...the three children fell asleep without fearing the night.