Chapter 26

"Ah, Young Master! Did you sleep well?"

Morning.

As if he didn't entirely get rid of the exhaustion he gained from yesterday's tour, Riley, who came down to the first floor of the inn, waved his right hand with sleepy eyes at Sera who greeted him.

"Yeah…"

"Woohoo! Tomorrow is the start of the swordsmanship tournament. Because it's the first time I'm watching this, I'm getting excited."

Sera, who was talking about how she was fired up about the tournament as a person who also wields swords, checked Riley's face and tilted her head.

"Hm? Young Master, did you not sleep well?"

"…"

Riley could not answer Sera's question, and sat at the prepared table for four.

Then he fell straight forward and started to recharge his sleep meter.

"Ah, right. Ian-nim…"

Sera spotted Ian come down following Riley with a horrible face and scratched her head.

It looked like Ian could not sleep well either, but unlike Riley's eyes, which had dark circles, his eyes were red.

"Oh wow, did Ian experience girly emotions?"

"Don't even say it. He kept on repeating the same thing every thirty minutes due to the alcohol… Sigh."

Riley made an act of waving a white flag with his right hand as he heard his mother's laughing voice.

"Ahem, good morning."

"Good morning to you too, Ian."

As if he wanted to hide the fact that he cried through the entire night due to the alcohol from the two women, Ian who was the last to join them on the first floor of the inn coughed once and sat down next to Riley.

'Young Master.'

Riley who was spread out turned his head, his eyes meeting Ian's.

Ian wriggled his eyebrows and asked with his eyes.

'Keep what happened last night a secret?'

'Yeah. I didn't say a word.'

Riley followed Ian's example and replied with his eyes.

They were eyes which radiated annoyance.

"Ahem, sorry. I drank a lot yesterday."

Maybe he didn't know that he was already found out by his red eyes, but Ian maintained a poker face that didn't even suit him and drank a glass of water.

"It's nothing, we're also sorry because we went off to play without you."

"Ahaha…"

As Iris replied with a bright smile, Sera who was watching from behind started laughing as if she couldn't take it anymore.

"Ahem!"

At the end of the commotion, Sera also sat down at the table after barely calming down.

"I just asked, and they said it would take about five more minutes for breakfast."

Sera informed them about their breakfast as soon as she sat down before turning around and starting to inspect the area where the inn's kitchen was located.

Due to Sera's eyes, which looked anxious as if she had something to worry about, Iris asked Sera.

"Sera, why are you so nervous?"

"How do I put this, I feel good but I also feel like something bad is going to happen. Because normally I always set up breakfast. And also we're all eating together… What if I'm an annoyance…"

"You're wrong, Sera."

"Just think comfortably, comfortably."

As if he decided that it was too late to sleep, Riley started to drag his hands over his face, then looked at Sera through his fingers.

"Now that I think about it, where are we going today?"

It's Sera who said yesterday that they had basically seen all the good places to see in Left Solia.

Therefore, Riley predicted that they would go to another location today and questioned.

"Ah, today we're going to Right Solia."

'Now that we've seen Left Solia, won't we go to Right or Bottom Solia?' Riley who thought this replied.

"Right Solia?"

"Yes, actually if we don't go today then we probably won't be able to go there. Because starting tomorrow, for three days the swordsmanship tournament will be ongoing."

"Then we aren't going to Bottom Solia?"

"Mm, that's… It'd be better if we didn't go to the Bottom.

"Why?"

When Riley asked for the reason, Ian replied instead of Sera.

"It's because it's not a good place to see things."

"Hmm?"

"It's dirty. It's dangerous. In many ways it's not a good place. There won't be any reason for us to step foot in Bottom Solia on this visit to the capital."

"Yes, what Ian-nim is saying is correct. I lived in Solia before, but the Bottom… It's a place that I've never been to."

"Really?"

After hearing the tales of Bottom Solia in which you couldn't even see a hint of good, Riley accepted.

If the people around him were stopping him, then Riley didn't really have any thoughts of going there.

It was annoying too.

Clap!

"Anyway, after eating breakfast our destination is Right Solia! Today we're also going with Ian-nim! You don't have a hangover right?"

Clap!

"Yeah."

As Sera clapping her hands together to freshen the atmosphere, Ian grinned.

"…Hey, did you hear? About the Tess Trader Company's downfall?"

After their breakfast came out, Riley who was looking at the menu which was arriving to their table raised his ears.

"Tess Trading Company? The Tess Trading Company fell? There isn't any way that a trading company of that size could fall right?"

"Just listen, from a few days ago… Apparently the leader of the company just disappeared. Because of that, the industry over there made a lot of noise."

"Wow…"

"Apparently, we can expect a huge storm from that direction soon. Get ready! Hey, this… This isn't information that you can get easily, right? You need to be really thankful to me."

Riley's expression was thoughtful as he took a bite of his sandwich for breakfast.

***

Although Solia's capital swordsmanship tournament was starting tomorrow, the Left and the Right… Except for the Bottom, all of Solia was currently in a festival mood.

There were balloons or posters about the swordsmanship tournament hung everywhere, and anywhere you went it was very cheerful.

"Woah…"

Starting from Left Solia.

Past the central plaza where there were many people.

Climbing the well decorated stairs.

"There are so many goddamn people."

Upon reaching Right Solia, Riley, who was barely able to move his foot, wiped his forehead with his sleeve and complained.

"Three days before the start, the Three days during the tournament, and the one day after the end… During this one week, Solia will be constantly in a festival mood. Seeing as how the tournament begins tomorrow there'll be four days left."

Sera, who was supporting Iris while walking, smiled shrewdly and explained the situation.

"Four more days… Amazing."

"Once we've arrived in Right Solia, we won't have to worry about the surging crowds. Although there's a cheerful atmosphere due to the festival, Right Solia is comparatively more solemn than Left Solia or the central plaza."

"Solemn?"

At Ian's words Riley tilted his head and looked around.

Sure enough, as they ascended the stairs and stepped into Right Solia, the noise ringing through their ears was reduced by a lot.

"It's quiet."

"It's because the Magician's Tower is located here. Also known as the Magic Tower."

"Magic Tower?"

"Yes, there are many magicians and scholars who study or research literature called magic in Right Solia. Therefore there is an unwritten law about not creating a loud commotion here in order to avoid disturbing their research."

It was a world in which it could be said that a country's strength was defined by the number of functioning magicians they had.

To be a magician you needed talent.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that a fourth of the population in Right Solia were people who were related to the Magic Tower.

"The reason why the loud noise from the plaza is being blocked is because of the Deafening Stone… It's thanks to an invention of the Magic Tower's scholars."

Ian pointed to a green stone that was installed at the entrance of Right Solia.

It seemed that one of the two stone floating in the air was the Deafening Stone.

"It's fascinating."

"We didn't just come here because of the Magic Tower. Young Master, do you remember why we came to Right Solia today?"

"Mm?"

Sera smiled and gave a question to Riley who was staring at the Deafening Stone.

It was to perform a guide's purpose.

"It's to heal mother. Wait… Ah, then?"

Riley thought back to the conversation they had while eating breakfast in the inn and looked at his mother.

"Yes, correct. Not only is the Magic Tower here but Solia's Temple is also located in Right Solia. Therefore this silence is also meant for the priests and priestesses who pray to the goddess Airenathsa."

Temple.

It's a place that heals and protects people by the use of a force different from mana, called divine power.

"I see, I understand what kind of atmosphere it is."

Although the festival mood could still be felt in Right Solia, Riley who learned why it was much quieter than the rest of the capital nodded.

"I also understand why Right Solia is situated on a hillier location."

"Right?"

At Right Solia's entrance, you could see all of Solia due to the higher ground.

"Riley? What are you doing?"

"I'm coming."

Riley who was standing there followed behind Iris and Sera with Ian as they walked to the temple.