“I’m going back to Spada right now.”
“Let’s return to Spada right now.”
As soon as they woke up, the exact same line overlapped on the bed.
Just with that, both Lily and Fiona were able to grasp the situation. The purpose of this journey had already been achieved.
Without further explanation, the two burst out of the Cat’s Tail Inn like a gust of wind and raced through the streets of Avalon like a torrent.
“— Speed Enhancement, Rapid Dash (Air Walker)!”
“Open up the Fairy Barrier!”
They ran with all their might. It was a serious, full-speed dash, combining enhancement magic with martial arts and consuming all thirty minutes of transformation time.
The mere fact that they could return to Chrono caused them to abandon their rational thinking and move instinctively.
Until yesterday, no, even in their dreams, they should have been able to act rationally and logically, but the backlash from life in Avalon without Chrono had surely erupted at this moment.
If they had stayed a few more days, they might have experienced withdrawal symptoms; that’s how determined they were as they dashed through the sparsely populated streets of Avalon in the early morning.
And just as they were about to charge past the guards at Avalon’s Grand Main Gate without a second thought,
“Oh, there’s no horse.”
Finally, the two came to a stop.
Avalon, like Spada, is equipped with a massive barrier that is both physically and magically robust.
The whitewashed walls made from ancient ruins looked much more elegant than Spada’s bare stone structures, giving no hint of their age.
But it wasn’t just the whiteness of the walls that was beautiful. To live up to the legendary name of the imperial capital Avalon, there was a beautifully constructed plaza in front of the grand entrance, the Grand Main Gate.
In the center stood a massive black tower, an obelisk named “Beginning of History,” inscribed with words praising the ancient Demon King Mia Elroad.
Surrounding it were giant crystal statues of the seven war goddesses, the strongest knights of the demon king’s army and beloved brides.
Reflected by the morning sun, the bodies of the war goddesses sparkled divinely.
Lily gazed at this scene with a bewildered expression inappropriate for a little girl.
“… It’s Fiona’s fault for running off in a hurry.”
It seemed that Lily had settled on blaming her partner for the earlier fiasco.
Rather than rushing forward in a panic, it would have taken less time overall to prepare thoroughly and proceed at a steady pace, just like they had come.
What should one call this chaotic activity if not a fiasco, considering they had completely forgotten such basic travel principles?
Sitting on a bench installed in the plaza, swinging her legs and voicing her criticisms, Lily would indeed look like a child who had just quarreled with a friend.
By the way, the witch, who bore all the blame, was in the process of retrieving her beloved horse, Marie, which was indispensable for their return to Spada, meaning she was not present.
It could be said as a matter of course that the stable where they kept the cavalry was located near the Grand Main Gate.
However, considering that it was taking a while to return, she must have been busy procuring a large breakfast from the stalls that had already begun their business.
Lily too had just finished a sandwich (with a drink) that a vendor had kindly given her with a fairy smile while catering to the morning commuters nearby.
Thus, after calming her head and stomach, Lily was finally able to think clearly.
What caught her attention first was a promotional pamphlet left behind on the bench where she was sitting.
The government’s published pamphlet was a valuable source of information for the citizens. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone takes the content at face value; no country operates without some degree of thought manipulation. Throughout history and in every region, dissatisfaction with the rulers always arises.
Of course, there is certainly information within that can be confidently called the truth, the most obvious of which is the date of publication.
In other words, the pamphlet that Lily picked up showed that it was the 22nd of the month of platinum.
“If such a loud commotion was caused, it will definitely make the news quickly.”
Today’s morning edition featured top news with the title,
“Orphanage in Flames! Boy Priest of the Church of White Light Goes on a Rampage!?”
Despite being a government pamphlet, this seemed remarkably sensational with its gossip-like wording. Lily recalled that Spada had a more serious headline.
Nevertheless, there was no doubt that the contents written there were the most credible information available in Avalon.
Now, curious about the extent of the reporting and the aftermath of her actions, Lily glanced through the pamphlet held in her small arms.
Contrary to the dubious headline, the article was concise and easy to understand, detailing the tragic incident that occurred the previous night.
The orphanage run by the religious organization, the Church of White Light, was completely burned down, and all the children living there perished.
The boy who claimed to be a priest and was referred to only as “the boy” due to his minor status confessed to deliberately setting fire to the orphanage with the intent to kill.
However, the boy himself was reportedly in a state of mental unwellness, making the investigation challenging.
The rest of the article deviated from the heart of the incident, discussing explanations about the Church of White Light, the issues related to orphans in the slums, and so on, prompting Lily to stop reading.
“Good, it seems I’m not being suspected too strangely.”
Even if the Church of White Light was about to be apprehended shortly, everyone involved were children; it was likely that the knight corps, not to mention adventurers, would generally aim to capture them alive.
Understanding this kind of treatment, if it were revealed that they had struck with a clear intent to kill, especially with the ferocity of raiding a notorious thief gang—well, it was obvious that it would be troublesome.
In the worst case, both Lily and Fiona might even face actual prison sentences.
That was precisely why they were going out of their way to disguise themselves and why they had exercised such caution during last night’s ambush—though, there had indeed been a witch who unleashed flashy high-level intermediate magic.
“But to think they aren’t suspicious at all… it really was the right decision to leave him behind.”
Lily certainly did not foresee every aspect of this conclusion.
If anything, it was more probable that the boy priest could have ended up as one of the sacrifices.
In the end, though she had accidentally turned him into a state of permanent exhaustion, she quickly predicted that he would be viewed exactly as described in the article, leading her to choose to leave him alone.
He was probably being interrogated by the Avalon gendarmerie in a questioning room right now.
“Haha… ahaha… I did it… it was all me…”
He would likely be responding with vacant eyes.
It wouldn’t be long until he met his end on the guillotine; that would not be a distant future.
“Ah, but Fiona is taking her time… so slow, hmm…”
Abandoning her adult-like thoughts, Lily immediately sprang from the bench, expressing her frustration by throwing the promotional pamphlet into the nearest trash bin.
To little girl Lily, the incident with the orphanage burning down and the fate of the boy priest held no value worth considering—equivalent in worth to the discarded pamphlet.
Her thoughts were already directed solely at her partner, who was no doubt planning a gourmet tour of Avalon since morning.
Charging back towards the bench in a huff, at that moment, she was completely distracted.
“Ah!?”
With a cute yet painful scream, Lily’s small body unexpectedly bumped into something—no, rather, someone.
“I’m sorry, are you alright?”
A well-spoken male voice fell upon her from above.
Though the responsibility lay with Lily for bumping into him, he seemed to be a decent adult, concerned about the fallen child’s well-being.
“Ugh~”
Lily, who had managed to prevent hitting her head by putting her hands out when she fell, found her small, soft palms slightly scraped and beginning to bleed as they grazed against the cobblestones.
For little girl Lily, it was a tall order to ask for an empathetic response to the person she collided with while bearing that stinging pain.
With her round blue eyes altered by magic contact lenses, glistening with a hint of tears from the pain, she was struggling to bear it.
“Oh no, you’re hurt!”
The man, quickly grasping the situation, crouched down to examine her injury.
At that moment, the figure of the man who collided with the tearful Lily reflected in her eyes.
He was wearing a simple gray robe resembling Lily’s healer robe, which seemed common enough.
He wore a deep hood, but from Lily’s vantage point, she could clearly see his face.
There were two colors in his eyes, black and blue.
“Ah…”
His left eye was a dark abyssal black identical to Chrono’s, while his right eye was the same translucent, bright blue as her own.
Lily’s gaze was riveted by the remarkably distinctive heterochromia.
Of course, the man must have soon noticed that she was staring directly at him without averting her eyes.
“It’s alright, I’ll fix it right up.”
Interpreting the meaning of her gaze as childlike anxiety, the man smiled gently to reassure her.
His smile emanated from a face combining sharpness and beauty, akin to a legendary hero or a renowned warrior of ancient times, captivating anyone regardless of gender.
It was a refreshing smile that Chrono could never hope to replicate, but Lily was not captivated by it.
A peculiar sensation, something akin to an inexplicable feeling of discomfort, washed over her.
Was it perhaps because the man’s appearance was the complete opposite of Chrono’s?
His hair was a shining silver, contrasting against Chrono’s black, and the differently colored eyes reflected each other symmetrically, with Chrono’s black matching up with blue, and his divine red matching up with black.
“Extend your hand.”
In the brief moment Lily was wrapped up in such circular thoughts about the mysterious man, he had already prepared to heal her as he said.
In his hand was a small vial filled with a clear liquid, resembling water.
However, despite its colorlessness, it sparkled as if imbued with particles of light; it was undoubtedly a potion.
Even little girl Lily could immediately deduce what it was.
Because, after all, it was something she had used once before.
“How’s that? It shouldn’t hurt anymore, right?”
The instant a few drops of the potion fell onto Lily’s autumn-leaved, small palm, the wound completely vanished.
It was not a matter of healing or closing up; in the blink of an eye, the scar truly disappeared.
Though it was just a small scrape from her fall, achieving such rapid regeneration was solid proof that this potion was of a remarkably high grade among the various potions available.
No, it was neither just upper nor high grade; Fiona had definitely referred to it at that time.
“This is the most incredible potion, at least on the Ark Continent.”
So, this was undoubtedly the highest grade potion; it was none other than—
“… Elixir.”
“You know your stuff. You’ve got the makings of a healer, even if you’re small.”
The man, completely unaware of Lily’s thoughts, affectionately patted her black hair as if to praise her.
There were no inappropriate feelings from him; in fact, it seemed like no emotions at all penetrated Lily’s telepathy.
Could it be powerful mental defenses? No, it felt different from that, not at all like the solid wall imaged by Fiona; rather, it was more like an incorporeal shield that didn’t reveal its true thoughts, enveloped in mist.
Experiencing this odd sensation for the first time deepened Lily’s confusion even further.
“Now be sure to walk looking forward next time.”
The time spent healing and the time spent being patted barely amounted to less than a minute.
Having accomplished what he needed to do, the man stood up and turned back.
“Well then, see you later, cute fairy.”
With that, he turned his gray robe and passed through Avalon’s Grand Main Gate, journeying off somewhere.
Lily, still in a daze as she watched his departure, muttered suddenly.
“Wait, did I just… talk to someone…?”
Looking around, what met her eyes was the increasingly busy plaza, a typical morning scene of Avalon.
Something had happened; someone had been there—yet for some reason, Lily couldn’t recall the previous memory.
No, did such an event happen at all? Surely, nothing must have taken place.
“Mm~ what was that~?”
Pondering and twisting her head, Lily thought.
“I apologize for keeping you waiting, Lily. Shall we go now?”
At that moment, Fiona appeared, mounted on her large black horse, carrying a paper bag full of food.
She wasn’t holding the reins; the horse was running freely.
“Ah! Fiona, you’re so late!”
“We’re still in disguise, so you must call me ‘big sister’ for now.”
“Mukii~!”
Having already forgotten the confusion of her vague memories, Lily charged at her older sister role with indignation, showing no remorse.
In any case, the two of them, finally set to leave Avalon, passed through the majestic Grand Main Gate on their way back to Spada, where their beloved awaited them.
If you are curious about this man… who exactly he is, please refer to Chapter 163, “Divine Revelation to the Hero,” Chapter 190, “The Hero and the Angel,” and Chapter 208, “The Visitor from the Fourth Laboratory.”