"Where's the young girl...? Is she at the inn?"
Midas asked with low caution, unsure what had happened after their group's separation near Puertagua—interacting with them felt much more distant in a way; the youth had no idea what they went through after passing the border. Inaya was much more silent than he had in mind, simply watching Haya as he scanned the sentences that were printed on his dictionary without moving or turning her masked face elsewhere.
"Inaya liked the name Fudula. I agreed with naming her that since her eyes were similar to my mother's—that was why we chose to give her the same name as her... I'm not sure if Graf told you yet, but he has a house here, allowing us to finally leave that dorm."
"Yes, we can call ourselves blessed that Graf's residence is much more spacious than these crammed inn dorms—especially if the four of us have to sleep in there."
Midas's brows rose at Inaya's remark, looking up at her metal mask as she finally dared to speak, allowing the distance between them to finally shrink again. The fact they were crammed inside the same dorm room somewhat overlapped with the fact he found Graf deep inside of the ruin—most likely searching for not only a gift for his wife but perhaps valuable treasures that would hold some value in them.
Thinking about it further made Midas's curiosity grow even more, even though Graf was a salesman eager to make profit anywhere—heading off in secrecy and leaving the others behind seemed unusual to the youth, clearly having been forced to look for methods to keep up with the expenses of traveling.
"Why don't you come with us for the night...? There's so much you need to tell me about, like how you were able to bend rock like that inside that ruin...! Or, how you even got to this place here—did you move on your own? Did you use the transport service...? You have to tell me that...!"
Haya's wide eyes mustered Midas's face closely, overwhelming him with multiple questions at once as the youth was forced back to lean into the back of his seat to retreat his excited gaze, making him flinch at Haya's sudden rush of energy. His raised tone made Graf approach them, seemingly having ended his talk to Avalon as he stood beside them with crossed arms.
"I don't think that will work out, unfortunately. You two have some work to do. Avalon here will allow our late entrance... Like I've told you before, he is going to examine your writing and mana capabilities. Meanwhile, I have to show Midas something in private—we need to sort out some things on our own..."
Seeing the bald driver approach them while having a foreign-looking swordsman with dark red hair on his side made Inaya and Haya dim down—seemingly preparing for the exact moment for a while now. Midas stood up, the aching of his ankles and back not dimming down as he hissed at the pain he felt while standing up from his stool while holding onto his lower back with his left hand.
Midas turned to them, seeing Graf put his arms around Inaya and Haya—wrapping them around their shoulders to pull them closer, his face stern—while Avalon looked at their backs with a tired expression, clearly not appreciating his sudden, unplanned arrival.
"Listen, you two. If any of you fail that exam, you lose the opportunity to make a living here... We can call ourselves lucky that this man didn't make me fall onto my knees to beg for your examination."
Graf's words made them part ways. Midas's left hand tightly grasped at the stair handle as he climbed them down step by step. The aching in his joints made him flash his teeth as he tried to mute his groaning as best as he could. Seeing Graf turn to him at the noises he made while he took the lead downwards didn't help much, as they eventually arrived at the bottom of the stairs to go forward.
"Do you want to tell me what happened to you...?"
"Not that important, I'm fine... I just need a while to heal up."
Midas's voice was just loud enough to be heard by Graf as he watched him mumble a reply through clenched teeth—hidden by a dim frown on the youth's face as they walked down the empty hallways of the grand building. The bald man didn't reply to him, noticing Midas's reluctance to bring up the reason he was so bruised. Mustering Midas silently, he opened one of the side entrances for him.
The sky above them was toned in orange tones, a rare change from the gray or blue that stretched over their heads. Seeing the two of them leave university grounds as they stepped out of its open gate made the youth curious; the implication that they had to show him something in private made him almost feel dread.
"Where are we going...?"
"Come on, it won't take long."
Seeing the sledge in front of him made his body freeze up; memories of the near past entered the youth's head just at the sight of the chipped wood—the straw that was piled up in its back now completely gone, allowing Midas to seat himself on the bare wood of the sledge. The youth grasped onto the wooden support he leaned his back against at the sudden movement of the ride, sighing flatly with stern brows as he watched the wood glide over the plastered street.
"You are able to propel the sledge on stone bricks as well?"
"It's not as easy as gliding on sand, but the gravel stuck in between the bricks is enough to move this ride forward. Even though I won't be able to move with the same pace while also burning more mana..."
"What is it that you wanted to show me? Is it at your house...?"
Midas eventually voiced, leaning back slightly onto the wooden board against the back, his arm resting on top of it as his body was shaken by the plastered floor beneath them in irregular intervals. The youth's eyes were set on the town in front of them, built on the flatter side of the plateau, away from the tiny forest that surrounded the university.
"Yes. To be honest with you, I do owe you more than just an explanation as to why I wanted to bring a present to my wife. You risked your life but were also forced to put the lives of your friends on the line just for me... That's why I wanted to bring you with me when I give her the gift."
Midas's eyes were set on a single crate that shifted slightly under the uneven path they traversed on, a wooden box—most likely bearing the same sword they had found in the elongated chamber deep inside the ruin. Watching the box glide around on the empty back of the ride, the youth didn't reply, owing him much more.
The carriage came to a halt just outside of the city, their path branching off from the plastered street—now being a patchy dirt path that led to a lonely-looking house built at the edge of the tiny forest that expanded out from the university. Walking towards the building, Midas quickly realized that Graf's residence was roughly double the size of the average house he saw making up the town.
Having reached its porch, Midas was able to hear a soft squeaking tone from the wooden step that led him up into the building—the entrance already opened by Graf, who had taken the lead once he parked his ride next to the house, the box under his arm as he stepped inside. Met with the sight of a cobblestone floor, a set of stairs leading up, and a dining table to his right, Midas eventually laid eyes on a young girl that stared at the campfire, her head turning as the youth shut the door behind him carefully.
Her curly chestnut brown hair was bound up by a leather string, her eyes scanning Midas's stern expression as her limbs balled up against the warmth of the lingering fire. Graf eventually appeared behind him, guiding him to sit down at the dining table as he placed a long object on the table in front of him with somewhat hasty movements. Eventually halting his step as his leg was grasped by the young girl, he peeked at Midas as she hid behind Graf's leg, hindering him from passing her by.
"My wife always wished for kids; she would tell me every night I spent here... I always refused, telling her I would give her one after my next trip would be over—I never really came back to fulfill her wish. That mostly was also the reason I brought you all with me, as if that would change things..."
Graf spoke in a somewhat bitter tone, looking down on the young girl as he rested his free hand on her head—eventually looking at Midas as the youth got up from his chair again, watching him as his eyes darted in between the two of them. Watching her peek up to him silently, Midas's eyes eventually set on Graf—his eyes slightly narrowing at his words.
"Do you remember me? I'm Midas... you are Fudula, right...?"
The youth tried to speak softly, biting his lip in pain as he crouched down to her height, unable to form an inviting expression under the stinging he felt in his back. Looking at the girl made her back up behind Graf even more—seemingly not recognizing him from the time they escaped the stone quarry, her actions making Midas recall back how he interacted with her the least out of all of them on their way to the water kingdom.
"I'm sure she knows you; she's just shy when Inaya isn't around to keep her company. If you want, I can bring you to my wife now... I'm sure you already waited long enough."
Nodding back at Graf, Midas followed his steps as he freed himself from Fudula's arms playfully. Shutting the door behind them as they stood behind the house, a plot of land stretching out in front of them, a wooden fence wrapping around it. The outside wasn't much lighter than the inside of his residence, the sun already beginning to vanish as they made their way towards a tree that grew on top of a tiny hill at the back of the fenced-in plot.
"There. I brought you this... Forgive me for making you wait this long."
Graf's tone softened, almost vulnerable, as he crouched down in front of an elongated stone that rested under the tree, unwrapping and placing the ancient blade in front of the bleak rock without unsheathing it. Midas opened his lips, unable to glance at Graf, before closing his mouth to simply mirror his movements in silence, placing his hands on his thighs as he sat on his knees, silently bearing the pain he felt.
"We originally parked here when we arrived in town. I made them wait outside as I entered the house... As we grew older, I noticed her growing more sick every time I arrived home. She always breathed heavily, and her coughing became harsher as time passed. I asked doctors, but they were unable to cure her... We tried taking her blood, heat treatments... all kinds of herbs, but nothing worked. When I set foot inside, I was already able to smell her decomposed body."
Midas flinched as he closed his lids at Graf's words, the fingers of his left hand digging into the cloth of his trousers at the story. With a sunken head, the youth listened as the driver sighed to himself in a tired manner.
"I just blanked out as I turned to their confused faces once I locked the front door of the house again. I just had to leave then and there... Without thinking, I crammed us into an inn room, bleeding out any savings I had left for the room and her cremation, stashing her remains here before finally allowing them to move here... To be honest, now that they took her place in a way, I am only able to shake my head at my own actions, not even able to be present at the day she dies."
Silently watching up to the almost white stone in front of them, the youth listened to his words, connecting more of the loose ends he had in his head—the things that Haya told him about made much more sense now, even though the reason was much more dreadful than he hoped for.
"I wasn't able to do all of this for Alma when he passed, even though he even gave his life for me... Sometimes I just freeze up at the thought of it, the fire and the blood that flowed from his body—it all burned into my head. But... I'm sure she would've been happy seeing all of you here—together, almost like the family she wanted to have."
Graf placed his hand on Midas's upper back as he spoke, nodding softly.
"Thank you."