Chapter 35: Lorelai’s Dream and a Quest for a Shop

‘Lorelai, do you wish to be happy?’

Warm spring sunlight poured from the sky.

A cool breeze, mixed with the scent of grass, wafted beneath a large willow tree. Lorelai sat opposite the sorceress at an outdoor table in the backyard.

‘Of course I want to be happy. Who wouldn’t?’

Lorelai replied with a sullen voice.

Her tone suggested it was a foolish question. At this, the sorceress beamed with a pure smile, like a girl even younger than Lorelai.

‘Then what do you need to be happy? What is your desire? Your wish?’

Lorelai averted her gaze. Squirrels played tag on the stone wall that marked the boundary between the woods and the backyard.

‘I want to find my lost friend. That’s all I need.’

Though she spoke these words, her voice carried a note of resignation.

She wouldn’t get her friend back. Lorelai was already certain of it, and she had given up hope.

‘Then we cannot return to our homeland!’

The sorceress exclaimed with a cheerful voice.

As if she had been waiting for that very answer.

Lorelai looked back at the sorceress.

‘Instead, I will give you this gift.’

The sorceress spoke. An object, not present moments before, now rested on the table. Inside a round glass case, a lily of the valley sparkled as if enchanted.

‘Wait here until all these lilies of the valley fall.’

The sorceress tapped the top of the glass case with her fingertip.

‘When the person who will bring you happiness draws near, these flowers will fall, one by one. And when all the flowers have finally fallen, and you meet that person, the flowers will bloom again, one by one. When all these flowers have bloomed, you will…’

‘You will get that child back.’

‘You can be happy.’

The sorceress smiled.

Lorelai felt no joy from the sorceress’s gift.

She bit her lip and clenched her hands, which rested on her knees.

‘Alexandra, I won’t wait. Someone to save me…’

BOOM!

Lorelai startled awake, her eyes wide.

From a distance, she heard coughing and the sound of someone spitting out a string of curses. Lorelai clutched her pounding chest, pushed herself up from the bed.

The impact of the explosion rattled the tightly shut window, forcing it slightly ajar. Beyond it, overlooking the backyard, she saw a forest blanketed in deep snow.

It seemed to have snowed overnight.

Lorelai, holding her aching leg, swung it off the bed with a heavy sigh. She couldn’t fathom how startled she had been in her sleep.

‘This damned sorceress.’

Lorelai took a deep breath. A moment later.

“Stan—! I told you not to experiment in the morning!”

A roar erupted from her small frame.

Thud. Inside the glass case on the shelf, the last remaining lily of the valley fell. Lorelai, however, failed to notice it.

****

Winter in Cheapel was harsh, and snowfall was rare, even for such freezing weather.

Overnight, the streets had turned white with snow. One by one, city residents emerged with brooms, clearing the snow piled in front of shops and homes.

Renki, having woken early, rubbed his sleepy eyes and gazed blankly at the scene.

Cheape, in the Kingdom of Cheapel.

Today was the seventeenth of the Knot Month, and they had arrived in the capital last night.

It had been a long journey, spanning two months.

“Cough, cough.”

Renki turned to Hay at the sound of a dry cough.

Hay, shivering from the cold, was bundled tightly in a triple-layered blanket, huddled into himself. Renki closed the window and approached him.

Hay’s face, which usually grew paler rather than red even when he drank strong liquor straight from the bottle, was now flushed crimson.

Renki gently placed a hand on Hay’s forehead. He felt a slight fever.

‘Should I wake him, give him some healing potion, and tell him to go back to sleep?’

He decided against it, remembering how exhausted Hay had been last night. For now, it seemed best to let him sleep a little longer.

Instead, Renki went downstairs to find the innkeeper. He returned with water and a clean towel, using the dampened cloth to wipe Hay’s forehead and neck, helping to cool his fever.

Hay, who rarely woke once he fell asleep, was now mumbling in his sleep. His words were utterly unintelligible, belonging to no discernible race.

It certainly wasn’t Materian, nor Elvish, nor the Runic language used by dragons or mages.

‘Could it be the language of spirits? Though I’ve never heard of a spirit tongue.’

Renki knelt by the bed, resting his chin on his hand, silently watching Hay mumble in his sleep. He considered speaking to him, but then refrained.

He recalled a time at Torres Inn when Hay had reprimanded him.

Rick had been napping under a tree during a break. He had been sleep-talking, so Renki and Meylin had teased him, striking up a conversation.

It had been amusing how Rick, even in his sleep, would dutifully answer their questions. But then Hay appeared and told them not to do that.

‘Why? Why not?’

Meylin had asked.

Her cheeks puffed out as she complained, wondering why he wouldn’t let them enjoy such fun. Then Hay had said:

‘If you keep talking to someone who’s asleep, they might think their dream is reality and never wake up.’

‘Really? Is that true? So Rick might not wake up from his dream?’

‘I don’t know. If you’re curious, keep talking to him.’

Frightened by his words, the two of them never spoke to Rick again when he napped.

‘But was Hay’s warning true? Could talking to someone in their sleep truly prevent them from waking? Or was he just teasing Meylin and me?’

Renki saw beads of sweat forming on Hay’s forehead again, so he wiped them with the damp towel and then spoke.

“Master.”

Hay didn’t answer, but his lips moved, and he mumbled.

Renki felt his heart pound, as if he were doing something mischievous.

“What do you most wish to eat right now?”

Then, miraculously, Hay replied.

“Tteokbokki, kimchi fried rice…”

Renki frowned.

Because he couldn’t understand a single word.

“Please speak in Materian.”

“Matthew… I have no religion…”

He furrowed his brow as if in pain and ground his teeth.

‘What is he saying?’

‘I truly can’t understand him.’

“Hay.”

The mumbling stopped. Renki unconsciously held his breath and removed the towel from Hay’s forehead.

Hay opened his eyes. His reddish-purple eyes, reflecting the candlelight, rolled to look at Renki.

“…Did you call me?”

This time, it was Materian.

Renki, flustered, gave an awkward smile and feigned ignorance.

“No, please go back to sleep.”

Hay, blinking his hazy eyes, frowned and huddled deeper into himself.

“Ugh, is it body aches? I keep getting chills.”

“Since you’re awake, why don’t you drink some healing potion and then go back to sleep?”

“Too much trouble. I’ll drink it later.”

Hay mumbled, burying his face in the pillow. He soon fell back asleep, his breathing soft and even.

Renki sighed, stared at his master’s face for a moment, then stood up. Although the weather was cold, he had nothing else to do and considered going out for some exercise.

Compared to the cold in his homeland, Cheapel’s chill was nothing, so he left the inn lightly dressed. Hay woke up around the time the noon bell rang.

The cold he had been suffering from completely disappeared after drinking the healing potion.

It was nothing short of a panacea.

****

“It’s tasteless.”

Hay’s face, as he left the restaurant after finishing his brunch, looked dissatisfied. Though they had come on the innkeeper’s recommendation, the meal had been rather disappointing.

“I’m craving the chicken that Meggy made for us.”

Renki’s eyes held a wistful look, like someone suffering from homesickness.

“Let’s eat dinner somewhere else.”

“Was it really that bad?”

“It’s not a taste I’d willingly experience twice.”

“That’s fair.”

Renki gave an embarrassed smile.

The two of them strolled leisurely through the commercial district, intending to aid their digestion. As it was Renki’s first time in Cheape, he was absorbed in looking around everywhere.

Hay, on the other hand, wore an expression of boredom.

“Perhaps because it’s the capital, there are more shops and goods compared to other cities.”

Renki deliberately struck up a conversation, hoping to alleviate Hay’s boredom.

“It’s four times the size of most provincial cities, so what did you expect?”

The response he received was indifferent.

In truth, Hay was preoccupied with mental calculations of money, paying no attention to his surroundings.

His assets had grown to 150 gold from completing three merchant escort missions on the way, and he wondered how much more he’d have after selling the spoils.

‘How much could I get if I sold my staff and spellbook?’

“Ah, you said you were going to a shop, didn’t you? Is the shop you mentioned far from here, Master?”

Renki asked. Hay looked around, tilting his head.

“No? It was around here.”

He clearly remembered the shop’s location, yet he couldn’t find it no matter how hard he looked.

According to Hay’s memory, a bakery now occupied the exact spot where the magic shop had been, enticing customers with the scent of freshly baked bread.

‘Did the shop move?’

Just then, the bakery owner was seeing off a customer who had finished paying. Hay approached him. When in doubt, asking is best.

“Excuse me, I have a question.”

“Are you buying bread?”

“Wasn’t this Mr. Hiddam’s shop?”

“Ah, Bogner Hiddam? That old mage?”

“Yes.”

“That old man died of old age two years ago. Didn’t you know?”

“Ah, he passed away?”

“His son sold his father’s shop and opened a general store in the back alley over there. Are you a mage, by any chance?”

Too bothered to correct him and say he was a Spirit User, Hay simply nodded.

“Then you should try Popenini Hill. There are many mage shops lined up there. But more importantly, our bakery’s bread is delicious.”

He was already craving bread from smelling it.

‘When I was Han Tae-hyun, there was a bread I used to buy from a nearby bakery when I missed meals. I’d like to eat it again after a long time.’

“Do you have pizza bread?”

“What is that?”

“It has tomato sauce and cheese.”

“We don’t have that.”

“How about garlic baguette?”

“What is that now?”

“It’s a long, hard bread, sliced and spread with a garlic sauce.”

“We don’t have that.”

‘Right, there’s no way they’d have that here.’

“Then, do you have soft oatmeal bread?”

“We have that.”

“Please give me a loaf of that.”

It wasn’t the bread he truly wanted, but he decided to settle for it to satisfy his craving. When the bakery owner brought him a loaf, he paid, split the bread in half, and gave one piece to Renki.

“May your business flourish.”

Hay walked down the street again, tearing off bites of his bread. Renki, by his side, also munched contentedly.

“So the shop you were looking for is closed, Master?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“What should we do then? Should we go to Popenini Hill?”

“I suppose so. For now, I’ll have Sylph look for a trustworthy shop.”

“To Sylph? How?”

Instead of answering, Hay summoned Sylph.

Sylph, seemingly pleased to be summoned, chirped and swiftly circled Hay and Renki.

“Sylph, listen carefully. Scour the city and find out if there are any magic shops that deal honestly.”

Sylph tilted their head as if to say, ‘What bird-brained nonsense is that?’

“You know what I mean. Don’t pretend you don’t, you birdbrain.”