Chapter 40 – Sky, A Single Drop
The Adventurer’s Guild had been buzzing with activity for the past few days.
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At the center of the commotion was the Frontier Town Progress Department, colloquially known as the Soup Department. Normally, they were responsible for overseeing the production and sale of consommé. However, due to a special request from Sui Hatano, they had temporarily taken on an entirely different task. Of course, they couldn’t completely halt their usual work, so the place was in quite the uproar.
「Hey, Lila! Brought you lunch!」
「Ah, thanks, old man! You’re a lifesaver!」
Poking his head into the bustling room was Berde Jungler, carrying a small package despite his large frame. His wife, Lila, lit up at the sight of it.
As she gratefully accepted the bento and shared a light embrace with her newlywed husband, Guildmaster Cliche Bearingly shrugged.
「You’re married now, but you still call him ‘old man’?」
「Eh, it’s just a habit! I call him something different when we’re home. Want to know what it is?」
「Spare me. I don’t need to hear your mushy stuff.」
If it was just Lila, it might have been endearing, but with her husband standing there, his sun-kissed face blushing, it was a sight no one particularly wanted to see.
「What’s in it?」
「Sandwiches from the Skylark Pavilion. Tomoe-chan says, ‘Good luck with your work.’」
「Sweet!」
「These sandwiches—are they the ones Sui came up with?」
A box-shaped loaf of bread, sliced thinly and stuffed with various fillings. Cliché had wondered at first if there was any point in shaping the bread into a box or if putting meat and vegetables between bread was really all that special. But once it hit the market, it became an instant hit.
The sandwiches, cut diagonally into triangles, were easy to hold and eat, with vibrant colors that made them visually appealing. Some were filled with meat and vegetables, while others were sweet with fruit and jam, making them versatile as both a meal and a dessert. Even the crusts, which were cut off during preparation, were repurposed into rusks—fried in oil, dusted with sugar, and sold as a treat.
Sui had brought the idea from the other world he once lived in—Japan—where such foods were common. It was a menu designed with impressive efficiency and minimal waste.
Still…
「Alright, enough flirting. We’re in the middle of a crisis here… Lila, have you finished the second order for the Blacksmiths’ Guild?」
「Geez, you’re such a workaholic, Guildmaster. You know, there’s something called ‘work-life balance’ these days, right?」
「Believe me, I’d love to have less work. But this is serious. We don’t have a choice.」
「True. The fate of our city is riding on this.」
Cliche smirked at that, and Lila responded with a bold grin of her own.
「Count on us. This is our time to shine. When your turn comes, give it your all, yeah?」
Berde raised an arm, offering his encouragement to the two. Cliche, with a thumbs-up, returned to the ongoing coordination of efforts throughout the city.
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At the same time—
「Parker, I just heard the national funds have been approved.」
Noa—Noapp Meril Ti Sorx —was seated on a sofa in the mansion’s living room, gazing at the glowing characters on the display panel of a communication crystal.
His fiancée, Parker, sat by the window, staring out into the garden. Her wolf-like ears twitched slightly at the news, and she turned to meet his gaze.
「That’s a relief. Relying on Heavenly Bell-sama private funds alone was getting a bit much.」
「Indeed. Not that they had any real choice but to provide funding. This is a matter of public safety, after all.」
They exchanged a knowing glance, sharing a brief chuckle. The conversation was about Sui Hatano’s ongoing initiative to counter the looming Teikou threat and the massive costs involved.
The production and deployment of the necessary equipment, along with the personnel to operate it—all of it hinted at a tremendous expenditure, even from the limited details Noah and Parker had been privy to. Although The Heavenly Bell Witch likely had the resources to foot the bill herself, it wouldn’t have been politically appropriate. Matters of governance could never be left to a single person, no matter how wealthy they were.
「I was expecting some of the nobles to drag their feet, especially with it being about a distant border town. They usually couldn’t care less about places like this.」
「That might have been true once, but Sidera is a trendsetter now.」
Historically, Sidera had always been valued for its resource production. Various rare and high-quality materials harvested from the Void Forest were highly sought after. But ever since Sui and the Hatano family had settled in, the city had become known for more than just resources.
Consommé, sesame tofu, rare cheesecakes, stollen—all sorts of goods were emerging from Sidera, many of which hadn’t yet spread to the capital. Still, keen enthusiasts and sharp-eyed merchants were keeping close watch on every new trend emerging from the city.
「Sui specializes in products that make the commoners happy—things that stimulate the economy. Nowadays, even the most stubborn nobles can’t ignore that. Back when my father was crown prince, things might have been different. But now, any noble who can’t see the benefit in the people’s prosperity wouldn’t survive. Though… the danger posed by the Rare Existence is probably still too abstract for most of them to grasp. Only those who’ve faced them firsthand understand their true terror.」
「Yeah… I still get chills when I think about it.」
Parker clenched her fist, staring down at her open palm.
「After earning the title of ‘Witch,’ I thought I had closed the gap a little. But I was so far off. Sui nonchalantly blocked that chaotic magic power, and Karen crushed it completely… They’re both so strong, and they feel so distant.」
「If you think you were far off, I was nothing more than a quivering doll, completely frozen on the battlefield. I admire your drive to improve, but looking too far ahead can be exhausting.」
Noah’s smile remained gentle, though his words were sincere as he tried to ease his fiancée’s frustration.
「So, instead of looking up, let’s focus on moving forward.」
Despite his soft demeanor, there was weight behind his words.
「Reaching for something out of reach doesn’t make your arms grow any longer. But if you keep taking steady steps forward, the distance will eventually close. More importantly… we need to focus on what we can do right now.」
Sui’s strategy to prevent the recurrence of the Teikou was in motion, but building the necessary infrastructure would require all the manpower they could muster.
「Sui, Lady Karen, and even Heavenly Bell-sama can only do so much. The Void Forest is vast, and not even Ji Liz-dono’s wings can cover everything. That’s why we need to step in and help. We can protect this city too.」
「You’re right… We can.」
Taking a deep breath, Parker hopped down from the windowsill. She walked over to Noa, planted a light kiss on his hair, then turned toward the door.
「I’m going to get the elves. We need to plan our deployment. Berde-san and Schnei-san will be leading their squads, so we’ll probably be on solo missions… As a ‘Witch’ and a ‘Sage,’ we should at least live up to our titles.」
Watching his fiancée walk out the door, Noah tilted his teacup and took a sip. His fingers trembled slightly. It was no doubt from the excitement building within him.
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Five days later, Sui Hatano contacted the city with a single word: ‘ready’.
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