Seer [1]

The streets of Zefirah were crowded with bustling life; elves, humans, beastfolk, dwarves, and various other races could be seen enjoying themselves as the sun descended and the moon ascended.

Today was a special event. On this day, one of the greatest elven heroes died protecting the capital against a demon attack, categorized as an SS+ level threat 70 years ago. The elven hero protected the capital by himself as the demons led an attack composed of multiple marquess-ranked demons and two duke-ranked demons while he was in the saint stage. He held the two duke-ranked demons back to buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.

He managed to hold off long enough until reinforcements arrived from the royal family, but as they managed to fend off the demons and make the two duke-ranked demons retreat, the elf hero took grave injuries that ultimately killed him moments after everything was over.

The elf hero was someone who loved to party and drink, so that was what the citizens of the capital would do; they would party in his name. This annual event had become a tradition that everyone loved to enjoy themselves as they partied and drank, and various activities could be done inside the capital.

All of this was in the name of the elven hero, Zetriel.

********

As everyone indulged themselves in the festivities, three figures could be seen, one with a cat resting on top of their head. They all wore masks like most people did as they walked down the street, enjoying themselves by sampling food from stalls, shopping for souvenirs, and partaking in various activities.

The trio consisted of Lucas, Sylviette, and Raphael, with Luna the cat happily snoozing despite the loud noises and occasional fireworks.

Today marked Lucas's last day in the capital. Tomorrow, he would leave by taking the mana teleporter to Moon City. While mana teleporters were usually only permitted for use within a race's domain, Lucas, being close to the elven royal family, could use it freely to travel between the human and elven kingdoms.

"Hehe, this is fun, isn't it?" Sylv remarked to the others, who agreed as they strolled down the streets, taking in the sights.

"Ugh, we're going to get in trouble, sister. We didn't tell Father or Mother anything about this..." Raphael expressed, already resigning himself to taking the blame as the eldest.

At 19 years old, Raphael had already graduated from the Shield Academy. He was at the high 7-star level and nearing peak status. Despite his talent, his responsibilities as a prince weighed heavily on him, though he had chosen to forsake them for the day.

Two weeks had passed since the incident with King Michael. In that time, Lucas had formed a strong friendship with Raphael, and he and Sylv had grown much closer, teasing and joking with each other without reservation.

Perhaps the most surprising development in the past two weeks was Lucas's relationship with King Michael. They had become close after the king invited Lucas to a game of chess one late night. Lucas, a master at chess, easily defeated the king, whose reaction would have made for a memorable family heirloom.

Afterward, they began conversing more, bonding over their shared traits: immense pride, difficulty in social interactions, and unwavering dedication to family. Both had long forgotten the incident, as they had both apologized and moved past it.

"That doesn't matter! This is Lucas's last day here for who knows how long, so we should make it memorable since he might even forget it," Sylv said.

"Hey... since when did I become a person with dementia?" Lucas asked with a deadpan expression.

"Huh? What is dementia?"

"Forget about it."

Looks like there is no dementia in this world. What does she mean about not remembering if we don't make it memorable? It's not like Lucas would actually forget his last day spent in the elven kingdom for a while... probably.

"Hmph, fine, but let's go eat something. I am starving!"

"Huh, didn't you just eat? Are you some sort of pig?"

"Who are you calling a pig!? You are a pig!?" Sylv said to Lucas, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"Lucas, you probably shouldn't say stuff like that to a girl, you know?" Raphael said awkwardly as they began walking to find something good to eat.

"Yes, brother, tell him! He shouldn't treat a princess like that!" she said, glaring at Lucas.

"Oi, sister, quiet down, okay?"

"Heh, you must be one hell of a gluttonous princess then," Lucas said with a teasing grin.

As they bickered with each other, they finally found a restaurant that wasn't packed and ordered almost everything on the menu. Sylv, who naturally could eat a lot, and Lucas, being a half-dragon, could eat much more than an average human or elf. Raphael was the only one who just watched as he looked at the two in front of him, thinking that perhaps they shouldn't insult the poor pigs...

After eating, they started heading out, intending to return before anyone noticed. Lucas felt a little sad to leave, but he knew he would one day return here and talk more with Michael, aunt, and Raphael while he would still be in the academy with Sylv. All these feelings were new for him. He wasn't used to feeling this way, but he kind of liked it...

As they walked and visited various stalls on their way, Sylv stopped to gaze at a pair of sapphire earrings placed on a stall.

"Hey, pretty lady. You have a good eye, you know? How about I sell these to you for 500 GC?" A bulky person said, with two cat-like ears on his head and a tail behind his back.

'How does he know that she is pretty? Well, I guess even a mask can't hide how beautiful she is...' Lucas thought.

"Huh, no, I was just watching. I apologize," Sylv said as she started to leave.

But before she fully left, Lucas was suddenly standing next to her and gave 500 GC to the owner.

"Heh, what a gentleman you have as your boyfriend," the owner said as he gave the earrings to Lucas.

"You wanted to make this night memorable, right? So don't hold back and enjoy yourself," Lucas said as he gave her the earrings.

"Consider this my thanks for being friends with me and wanting to have fun with me," Lucas said as he turned his back to Raphael, who was gazing at them with an unreadable expression.

'Damn, what a player! Looks like the boys in the academy are gonna have a hard time winning...'

As Sylv gazed at Lucas, her face and the tips of her ears were red, yet this time it wasn't out of anger anymore...

After 10 more minutes of walking in comfortable silence, just as they were about to leave the area, Sylv suddenly stopped and turned towards a stall.

"Lucas! Brother! I want to go and try that!" She said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she pointed at the stall.

"The Seer who sees all..." Lucas read aloud what was written on the board of the stall outside, while the inside was covered by a huge tent.

"I...I guess trying it out before calling it a night wouldn't be bad, right, Lucas?" Raphael said, watching Lucas with an awkward smile.

'Fucking siscon,' Lucas thought.

"Why? It's probably just a scam. Why would you want to waste your money, Sylv?"

"Huh, it's not like we are short on money. Besides, who knows, maybe it really is a seer!" She said, excited.

"...." lucas just looked at her with a deadpan expression.

"Come on, please Lucas. It's not like any harm would be done, right?" She pleaded with puppy eyes.

'Ugh, that is unfair...'

As Lucas pondered, he finally decided to go, sighing.

"Fine, no harm would be done, I guess..."

And so, they decided to enter the stall of the seer.