< Apiography 15. Boy and Girl >
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“Wow…oppa. “Where are we going?”
Erin woke up and asked in a half-asleep voice. The surrounding scenery had already changed into a place where institutions were created. The warm spring sunlight was making her pure white hair even brighter.
The white hair, which did not resemble either of his parents, was something he inherited from his savior. Lance, who was walking with Erin on his back, blurted out.
“anywhere. “To a place where that person is not.”
“Do you hate your dad?”
“···no.”
Lance frowned as he remembered Ronan’s face. She could not understand either the beggar who behaved insensitively to everything or her mother who married such a person. Erin said.
“lie. “In fact, I like it.”
“W-what are you talking about? why me?”
“You’re just upset because you didn’t come to the entrance ceremony. At best, I put my name on the Phoenix plaque as the top student, but I couldn’t show it. “I understand, but can’t we just let go of our anger and get along like we used to?”
“Ugh…!”
Lance shed confusion. It was as sharp as an awl. Actually, if you think about it, your relationship with Ronan wasn’t bad from the beginning.
Obviously, in the past, I grew up admiring that broad back. As a son, I was very proud to have a hero who saved the world as my father. Moreover, Ronan at the time had a very caring side, and even taught his son how to use a sword.
However, as time passed, Ronan spent more and more time away from home. She was so worried that even when I asked her, she would never tell me what she was doing.
So Lanse devoted himself to the sword. Because she wants to mend her relationship with her estranged father. She felt that everyone would look back on her if she achieved results that were recognized by everyone.
And earlier this year. Lance won the top prize in Phileon’s martial arts department this year, but Ronan did not come to the entrance ceremony. He chewed his lower lip as he recalled a bitter memory.
“···It’s because you don’t know what that means. “Get down now.”
“Hmph… can you carry me a little more?”
“no.”
“Can I ask you this?”
Erin asked, her eyes shining brightly. The combination of her pure white hair and sunset-colored eyes made her look remarkably like her aunt. Lance, who had been silent, sighed.
“…just a little bit.”
“Hehe, my brother is the best.”
Erin cheered and hugged Lance’s neck. Lan Se took his steps towards the market. I guess I can kill time by buying and eating various things with Erin and then go back home.
“I hope you grow taller quickly too. “I wish she could be at least like a mother… Will you carry me on your back in the future?”
“I saw you doing it.”
Anyway, the weather was nice so I enjoyed going for a walk. A brother and sister were passing through the square, talking about various things. A girl’s voice rang out not far away.
“hey! Lance! Erin!”
“Ugh. “I got caught by that annoying guy.”
Lance frowned. As she turned her head, three boys and girls of her own age came into view. Two short people with blond hair approached first and greeted Lance.
“Ah, ah, hello. “Rance Oppa…”
“Oh, Lance. “Aren’t you going to the academy today?”
They were Camilla and Jean, the third and fourth of the five Caravel siblings. Her brilliant blonde hair, even seen when she was standing on her head, was something she had inherited from her Aunt Marja.
Although his gentle personality seemed to resemble Uncle Asher a little more. Erin, who was on her back and stuck her head out, said to Jin.
“Today is the weekend. “Stupid Jin.”
“Eh, Erin…!”
Jin’s face suddenly heated up. It seemed like I knew what she was thinking about Erin because she just kept her mouth shut without saying anything. At that time, one of the remaining girls came striding towards me.
“Where are you two going to get along? “Please give me a piggyback ride too.”
“You can’t do it because you’re heavy.”
“To be rude to a lady. “The world isn’t all about being handsome.”
The girl stuck out her tongue. Her stout physique for her age and her hair as bright red as a bonfire stood out. She was Sechka Caravel, the first child of Asher and Marya, and the eldest daughter of five siblings.
Unlike Lanse, who was born with martial arts skills, she inherited her father’s magical talent and was a top talent in the magic department at Phileon Academy.
“What about Aunt Marya?”
“Stay home with dad. He said he had something to talk about for a moment and told us to go out and have some fun. Anyway, even if I like Geumseul too much, it’s a shame.”
Sechika giggled. Her coin pouch, which Marya had given her, was clinking around her wrist. Ran Se placed her hand on her forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s the same as my house… No matter how close we are, this cycle doesn’t have to be similar…”
“Honestly, it’s still okay. Even if one more sibling was born, there would only be three. “There are as many as six people here.”
“What do you mean, Sister Sechika? “Have I got a little brother?”
Erin tilted her head. It was still too early to know the situation of adults. The three chicas poked Erin’s cheek as she giggled sinisterly.
“Hehe, Erin is a kid after all. There is such a thing. To put it simply…”
“Don’t say strange things in front of my brother.”
Lin Se quickly cut her off. Sechika shrugged her shoulders and naturally changed the topic.
“By the way, did you hear? “That rumor.”
“A rumor?”
“There’s no such thing as a fuss between merchants these days. A series of disappearances taking place in the islands. “Didn’t you hear?”
“···I didn’t hear it.”
Lance tilted his head. He had no recollection of hearing it at all. Sechika smiled and continued speaking.
“It’s not unreasonable. Because adults don’t want us to be misled by these rumors. “Some things are still happening only on the outskirts of the system, so they are quiet.”
“Where would you say the outskirts are? “The system should usually be wide.”
“They say it’s near the eastern border, but I’m not sure. Anyway, according to my information network, the scale of the incident seems to be quite large. “If you look at the fact that there are already close to a hundred people missing.”
“···One hundred people?”
Lance’s eyes widened. She suddenly wondered what this meant. He glanced back at Erin, who was on her back, and opened his mouth.
“Erin. “Do you want to come down for a moment?”
“yes? why?”
“That’s because I have something to talk about with Sechika. “Here, I’ll give you money, so you can buy something delicious with your friends.”
Lance took out the silver coin he received from Ronan. Erin’s eyes widened.
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“wow. really? “Can I use whatever I want today?!”
“then. “Please be careful.”
Erin jumped off Lanse’s back. She held on to the hesitant hands of Camilla and Jean and ran to the market. After seeing that the three people had completely disappeared, Lance looked back at Sechika.
“so. what do you want?”
“As expected, you’re quick-witted. Hey Ranse, don’t you want to be a hero?”
“what?”
“Honestly, I don’t think there will be a chance if it’s not now. Your parents created a very peaceful world. “Isn’t it really awesome to solve a case that even the prosecutor and archmage who cut down the stars couldn’t solve?”
Suddenly, Sechika stretched out her arm and pointed to the center of the square. As I followed the finger and turned my gaze, I saw a statue made of marble standing majestically.
The man who raised his sword and trampled on the giant’s head looked exactly like the man who had just been sleeping at Lanse’s house with a magazine on his face. Lan Se, who was staring at the statue, slowly shook his head.
“···Don’t say nonsense. “My mom would faint if she found out.”
“Did Uncle Ronan and my mom and dad notice my parents? “I don’t think so.”
“This is a different story. “We can become great people without having to take those risks.”
“Wait a minute, Ranse!”
After speaking, Ranse turned his back. Sechika urgently called his name, but he ignored it. No matter how I thought about it, this was a stupid thing to do.
He’s a smart guy, so why is he acting like that? Ran Se, who was muttering something under her breath, was walking towards the market. Sechika, who rolled up his hands and placed them in front of his mouth, shouted loudly.
“Didn’t you hear me?! “The only chance is now!”
“That idiot.”
Lance frowned. She had a really loud voice, just like Aunt Marya. The attention of those around her was focused, but regardless, Sechika continued to chatter. Lance, ignoring even that, was passing by the statue of Ronan.
“You little bastard! Are you going to be trapped in your parents’ halo for the rest of your life!?”
“···what?”
Stand tall. Lance’s legs stopped. Sechika, who had not expected him to stop, was taken aback.
“W-what…it stopped?”
Lanse stood blankly, like someone who had been hit with a hammer. A halo from her parents. Those words were floating round and round in her small head.
If you think about it, it wasn’t entirely wrong. There was a lot of turmoil right now because of the missing persons case and all, but the great parents would soon resolve the matter, and peace would return once again.
I thought that perhaps the reason my father did not come to the entrance ceremony was not because he was busy, but simply because he was bored. He slowly raised his head and looked at Ronan’s statue. His father’s marble face seemed to be speaking to him.
– Just look at your face, you coward. Did you poop your pants?
“···shit.”
Lance clenched his fists. Sechika was carefully approaching him, using her telekinesis to levitate her body. Although he had already noticed her presence, Ranse did not move until she spoke to him.
****
It was a night when the moon was obscured by clouds. Under a sky where even the crumbling starlight could not be seen, only the artificial light created by the street lights remained to illuminate the streets.
And the meeting between the two took place in a back alley where even such artificial light could not reach. It was the moment when Lance turned a narrow corner. A familiar girl’s voice rang out like an echo.
“Hehe. You’re not a coward. “There was no follow-up, right?”
At the same time, a girl wearing a navy blue robe appeared from the darkness. Two of her men, who looked like her beggars, were lying fainting at her feet. Lan Se, who was looking around her, nodded her head.
“Are you sure.”
“That’s great. “It must not have been easy.”
“It wasn’t a big deal. “Her dad was out, her mom was sleeping with Erin.”
“What about Sita?”
“I went out to play with Ophelia three days ago.”
It’s perfect. The girl who said that took off her hood. Her bright red hair was clearly visible even in the dark. Ranse asked a question to Sechika, who smiled brightly.
“So what are those two people?”
“Just a bunch of bullies. “I didn’t handle it roughly, so don’t worry.”
“That’s why I’m foaming at the mouth…”
Lance clicked his tongue. If you look closely, it looks like the arms and legs are rotated a little strangely and are not healthy. Unfortunately, I picked the wrong person to start a fight with.
Sechika, who was giggling, opened her mouth.
“My side is safe too. It was good, Lance. “Let’s write a legend.”
“Whatever it is, you have to try it. So what’s the plan?”
“It’s already planned perfectly. If you go to the west gate of the island, you will find two ghost horses that I borrowed. Ride it first… hmmm? “Do you have anything in your pocket?”
“huh?”
Sechika, who was explaining the plan, suddenly frowned. Her eyes were fixed on Lanse’s coat pocket.
“ah. this?”
Lance shrugged his eyebrows and took out an item from his pocket. A round sphere was held in his hand.
The color was dull and the surface was rough like shark scales, so it didn’t seem like an ordinary object. Sechika narrowed her eyes.
“huh. that. “I can feel the mana inside.”
“suddenly? “I always carried it with me.”
“You always carry it with you…? “What exactly is that?”
“I don’t know either. “It was given to me as a gift when I was very young.”
Lance said. It was something I received from Ronan when I was very young, and I was told to always carry it with me. Lan Se, who was looking at his sphere, muttered in a puzzled tone.
“Anyway, the color of this one seems to have changed a little… Is it because of my mood?”
“It’s okay if it’s nothing special. Then, I will explain the plan in detail. First, ride the ghost horse…”
Sechika smiled as if she was bored and continued her explanation. As expected, it was a meticulous plan, as befits the successor to the greatest merchant on the continent. Lance was shaking his head and listening to the story. Suddenly something strange came into his field of vision.
“uh?”
“what’s the matter?”
Sechika asked a question, but Ranse did not answer. Something shiny was moving through the darkness of the back alley. This is what it would look like if the Milky Way turned into fog. His brows narrowed.
“What is this?”
“What, what’s there?”
Sechika turned her head and looked in the same direction. But all she could see was thick darkness and two idiots lying down.
“Can’t you see this?”
“I can see it… what are you pointing at now?”
Sechika asked in confusion. Only Lanse could see the sparkling airflow. He was approaching as if fascinated by a strange phenomenon he had never seen before. Step by step. Suddenly, what sounded like footsteps echoed from behind.
“hmm?”
Only then did Lanse come to his senses and turn his head. And he froze in place. The three Chikas who were behind him just a moment ago came and suddenly disappeared.
“…Sechika?”
I called his name, but there was no answer. Only her reverberations, darkness, and sparkling air currents remained, protecting her silence. It was at this moment that Lan Se noticed something was wrong and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.
【Hey. Come with me.】
“what···.!”
An eerie whisper rang in my ear. Ran Se reflexively swung his sword. Sgak! A low sound echoed through the dark alley.
Soon, where the shining air current died down, the two boy and girl were nowhere to be seen.
