Chapter 676: Afternoon in the City

Sylphie examined the stones Kael had placed in her hand and chose the flattest one. She approached the shore, studied the surface of the pond, and threw it. The stone skipped five times before sinking.

Kael looked at her.

"Five."

"I can count."

"Just confirming."

He chose a slightly smaller stone, leaned forward, and threw it with a short flick of his wrist. The stone touched the water six times.

Sylphie narrowed her eyes.

"You kept the best ones for yourself."

Kael showed her the two remaining stones in his palm.

"I gave you half of the best ones."

"You’re the one who decided which ones were best."

"You could’ve chosen first."

"It’s too late now."

Umbra appeared in the shadow of the nearest tree and walked to the shore. She observed the water for a few seconds, as though searching for some irregularity the other two hadn’t noticed.

"No mana was used."

Kael nodded.

"Thank you."

"I was talking about Sylphie."

"Why do you always assume it was me?"

Umbra looked at him.

"Because you’ve already demonstrated that you can do this without cheating."

Sylphie started laughing.

Kael decided not to comment.

In the second round, he managed seven skips. Sylphie reached six, although her stone had almost made it to the opposite shore. In the third round, Kael got the angle wrong, and his stone sank after touching the water only twice.

Sylphie examined the last stone she had saved.

"If I get three, I win."

"Did you figure that out all by yourself?"

She threw it.

Four skips.

Umbra checked the surface of the pond and announced:

"Sylphie wins by one."

Kael looked at the elf, who was smiling with considerable satisfaction.

"You’re far too happy about this."

"You won yesterday."

"By two."

"And today you lost."

"By one."

"It’s still a defeat."

Kael gathered the remaining stones and left them near the bench. There wasn’t much he could do against that argument. Sylphie sat beside him, while Umbra settled into the tree’s shadow, apparently satisfied to have participated in an activity where no one had tried to destroy her.

They stayed there until the garden became busier. Two staff members passed by carrying tools, and one of them asked whether they needed anything. Kael declined the offer, but Sylphie took the opportunity to ask the name of a tree near the wall. The gardener explained that it was a species brought from the eastern regions and that Eleonor had planted it many years earlier.

Kael looked at the tree.

"My grandmother planted that?"

"Yes, sir. She chose the spot herself."

"Interesting."

The gardener seemed surprised that he didn’t know. Kael wasn’t offended. There were many things in that mansion that had probably been there for decades without him ever spending more than a few seconds looking at them.

When the man walked away, Sylphie touched Kael’s arm.

"Do you want to do something afterward?"

Kael looked at the pond.

"Are you asking, or have you already decided?"

"Asking."

"Then I don’t know."

She seemed to consider his answer.

"We could go out."

"Of the garden?"

"Of the mansion."

Kael turned toward her.

"Where?"

"Into the city. I wanted to visit the market and buy a few things."

"You could ask the staff."

"I know."

He waited.

Sylphie smiled.

"I want to choose them myself."

Kael looked at Umbra, searching for some sign that there was another intention hidden behind the proposal.

"Don’t look at me," she replied. "I just want to see how long you can spend on a street without starting to assess the security of every building."

"That’s a useful habit."

"Not when you’re buying bread."

Kael considered it for a few seconds. His shoulder was better, he wouldn’t need to travel any great distance, and a visit to the market didn’t require mana. Besides, there was no longer any reason to remain inside the estate throughout his recovery.

"All right."

Sylphie stood before he could change his mind.

"I’ll get my bag."

"How long do you need?"

"Ten minutes."

Umbra disappeared.

Kael remained seated on the bench, looking at the place where both of them had been.

"I should’ve asked what she wanted to buy."

The answer came from the shadow at his feet.

"You can still ask."

"I’d rather find out later."

Half an hour later, the three of them left the mansion through one of the side entrances.

Kael wore simple, dark clothes with no imperial insignia. He wasn’t carrying his usual sword, although he had brought a small blade out of habit. Sylphie had also chosen discreet clothing, with a leather bag slung over her shoulder. Umbra accompanied them without maintaining a constant physical form.

The journey to the commercial district took a little under twenty minutes. The city was busy, but there was no special event taking place. Carts transported goods, vendors arranged their stalls, and groups of children ran between adults who seemed too occupied to pay attention to them.

Kael recognized some of the streets.

It had been a long time since he’d passed through them without heading somewhere to deal with a specific matter.

Sylphie stopped in front of a herb stall.

The vendor was a middle-aged man who had arranged more than twenty small wooden containers across a table. Sylphie began examining the contents of each one, asking questions about their origin, preservation, and harvest season.

Kael followed the conversation for the first few minutes.

Then he lost interest.

Umbra appeared beside him.

"She’ll take a while."

"I noticed."

"You could sit down."

Kael looked around.

"There are no benches."

A shadow appeared beneath a small fabric awning. Umbra pulled an empty chair from behind the neighboring stall and placed it beside him.

Kael looked at the chair.

"Where did you get that?"

"From that shop."

"Does the owner know?"

Umbra pointed toward the man arranging boxes a few meters away.

"I asked."

Kael looked at the merchant, who nodded.

"Thank you."

The man seemed pleased and returned to work.

Kael sat down.

Sylphie spent another fifteen minutes choosing the herbs.

When she finally approached, she found Kael comfortably seated in a chair, talking with the merchant about the condition of the region’s trade roads.

She stopped.

"What happened?"

Kael looked up.

"I’m sitting."

"I can see that."

"You said I should rest."

Sylphie looked at Umbra.

She smiled.

"I helped."

The elf shook her head and showed him a small cloth bag.

"I bought what I needed."

"Great. Can we go back?"

"No."

Kael sighed.

"Naturally."

Their next destination was a bakery.

Sylphie chose two kinds of bread, some honey cakes, and a fruit-filled pastry Kael had never tried before. He bought another one for Umbra before she could start taking pieces of his.

"You’re learning," she said.

"I’m avoiding problems."

"That too."

They found a bench in a nearby square and spent a few minutes eating while watching people pass by. Kael liked the pastry, although he thought it contained too much sugar. Sylphie disagreed and finished hers before he did.

It was while putting away the empty wrapper that she asked:

"Would you mind if we invited Seraphine and the man to come out with us tomorrow?"

Kael looked at her.

"To the market?"

"Yes."

He thought about the man trying to choose between seven shirts.

"That might be too much for him."

"We can ask. And we can visit just one or two shops."

Kael nodded.

"Then ask him."

Sylphie smiled.

"You don’t want to decide?"

"He can decide whether he wants to go out."

She watched him for a few seconds.

"What?" Kael asked.

"Nothing."

"That nothing sounds suspicious."

"You’re getting used to letting people choose."

"I’m trying to finish my pastry."

Sylphie laughed and didn’t press the matter.

When they returned to the mansion, Amelia was in the Courtyard of Statues, examining a map with Irelia. Elion was working at another table, while two assistants carried boxes of documents into a nearby room.

Kael slowed when he noticed the activity.

Sylphie noticed.

"No." ℯ

"I just wanted to know..."

"You can ask whether everything’s all right. You don’t need to take over the work."

Kael considered the distinction and approached.

"Any problems?"

Amelia looked up.

"A few."

"Do you need me?"

"No."

"Great."

He started walking away.

Amelia frowned.

"You don’t even want to know what they are?"

Kael stopped.

"You just said you don’t need me."

"Yes."

"Then tell me over dinner."

Irelia smiled faintly.

Amelia looked at Sylphie.

"What did you do to him?"

"Took him to the market."

"Maybe I should try that more often."

Kael kept walking before the conversation could turn into another discussion about his behavior.

He found Seraphine and the nameless man in the library. They were sitting at a table covered with simple books, maps of the city, and blank sheets of paper. The man was examining a drawing of the streets near the mansion.

Kael approached.

"Studying?"

The man raised his head.

"Seraphine is showing me where things are."

"What for?"

"I want to know how to get back if I go out alone."

Kael nodded.

"Good idea."

Sylphie approached and placed one of the small packages she’d bought at the bakery on the table.

"We brought you something."

The man opened the wrapper and examined the honey cakes.

"Do I need to choose one?"

"You can take as many as you want," Sylphie replied.

He took one.

Ate half.

Then took the list he kept in his pocket and wrote something down.

Kael looked at Seraphine.

"Did he like it?"

She smiled.

"Looks like it."

Sylphie took the opportunity to extend the invitation.

"We were thinking of going back to the market tomorrow. Would you two like to come?"

The man went still with the cake in his hand.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"With you?"

"If you want."

He looked at Seraphine.

She answered before he could ask.

"I’d like to."

The man looked back at Sylphie.

"Then I want to go too."

Kael pointed at the map.

"It’s a good place to get to know the city. You can choose which places you want to go into."

The man seemed to like the idea.

"Can I buy something?"

"You can."

"With what?"

Kael stopped.

So did Seraphine.

Sylphie was the first to answer.

"Money."

The man looked at her.

"I don’t have any."

Kael realized that this part of everyday life still hadn’t been resolved. Obrin had given the man memories of work, payment, and trade, but none of them represented an experience of his own in the present. He had no property, no job, and no obligation to start working immediately.

"I can give you some for tomorrow," Kael said.

The man frowned.

"Would I have to pay you back?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I’m inviting you out."

He considered the answer.

"Would it be a gift?"

"Yes."

The man looked at Seraphine.

She nodded.

"You can accept a gift without having to make up for it afterward."

He seemed relieved.

"Then I accept."

Kael decided to ask Amelia to arrange a regular amount for the man’s personal expenses while he learned to live outside Obrin. There was no need to turn the matter into a meeting right then. He could simply talk to her later.

Sylphie sat down and began showing them the places they had visited. The man asked questions about the bakery, the clothing market, and the square. Seraphine showed particular interest in a small bookstore that Kael hadn’t even noticed during their walk.

When the two of them began discussing which places they wanted to visit first, Kael stepped away.

There was nothing he needed to add.

At the beginning of the evening, Kael returned to the training courtyard.

Not to train.

He wanted to return the small blade he had taken into the city and ended up finding one of the younger soldiers practicing basic movements with a wooden sword. The young man repeated the same sequence four times, making the same mistake every time he stepped back.

Kael watched for a few seconds.

"Your weight’s on the wrong leg."

The soldier stopped immediately.

"Sir?"

Kael pointed at his feet.

"When you retreat, you shift your weight before moving your leg. If someone advances at that moment, you won’t be able to respond."

The young man looked at his stance.

"I understand."

"Do it again."

The soldier repeated the sequence.

This time, he managed to retreat without losing his footing.

Kael nodded.

"Better."

The young man seemed pleased.

"Thank you, sir."

Kael placed the blade on the rack and started to leave.

"Sir?"

He looked back.

"Yes?"

"Could you show me how you do that movement with two swords?"

Kael thought about his shoulder.

Then about Sylphie’s instructions.

"Not today."

The soldier seemed disappointed but nodded.

"Understood."

"When I’ve recovered, I can show you the basic version."

The young man straightened his posture.

"I’ll wait."

Kael left the courtyard without picking up a sword.

He found Sylphie in the corridor.

She was holding the bag of herbs she’d bought that afternoon.

"Did you go train?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I returned a blade and corrected a soldier’s stance."

"Did you use mana?"

"No."

"Did you pick up a sword?"

"No."

Sylphie approached and touched his shoulder.

"Then I can believe you."

Kael looked at her.

"Were you following me?"

"I was going to make tea."

"And you just happened to pass by the courtyard."

"Yes."

Umbra appeared behind them.

"I was following you."

Kael closed his eyes for a moment.

"Naturally."

Sylphie began walking toward their rooms, and Kael accompanied her. Along the way, they talked about the following day’s outing. Seraphine wanted to visit the bookstore, the nameless man had shown interest in the bakery, and Sylphie still needed to buy some seeds for the garden.

Kael listened to their plans and added only that he’d prefer to leave after breakfast.

When they reached the bedroom, he realized he was already thinking about the next day without associating it with some problem he needed to solve.

There were four people who wanted to explore the city, a few things to buy, and the possibility of having lunch out.

It was a simple plan.

And to Kael, at that moment, it seemed like a good one.