novelraw Chapter 145 : Is This What You Call Fate
Chapter 145 : Is This What You Call Fate
Chapter 145: Is This What You Call Fate
Serena called for Humphrey, but Margaret stepped forward instead.
What she swiftly sliced and placed onto a plate was sashimi.
“Thank you, Margaret. Get the money from that man.”
“Hahaha… Since Lord Robin is eating too, I’ll treat you for free.”
“Really? Then I’ll enjoy it.”
He picked up a piece, chewed slowly, then closed his eyes and nodded.
It was obvious without him saying it that he was savoring the taste, as if to say, this is exactly it.
Aelin sat down as well, but an awkward silence lingered.
Sigbard had gone out to collect the money from the wager.
The man crumpled in the corner still hadn’t regained his senses after fainting.
“Was it Aelin? You should try some too. It’s good.”
“Huh? Uh, okay…….”
Aelin kept glancing at the unconscious man.
No matter what, she seemed to think it had been too harsh.
“He was useless from the start, so don’t pity him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He shoved his comrade into danger in his place and ran away. They could’ve all survived, but he was blinded by greed and there were casualties.”
Aelin inhaled sharply, not knowing there had been such a story behind it.
She knew Serena hadn’t attacked thoughtlessly, but even so, it was uncomfortable in many ways to be sharing a meal together.
Especially since Aelin was wearing a helmet.
“There’s no one watching. Why not take off the helmet?”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why? Are you ashamed of being an elf?”
Startled, Aelin hiccupped.
She hadn’t expected her identity to be exposed so easily.
Robin let out a soft sigh and spoke.
“Serena, Aelin’s identity is a secret.”
“You can tell just by looking.”
“How about lowering your voice?”
“I’ve thought of that. I put up a wind barrier around us. The sound won’t leak out.”
Robin was slightly surprised by Serena’s consideration.
The unsocialized girl was nowhere to be seen; she now knew how to think from the other person’s perspective.
Three years had been more than enough time for a girl to grow properly.
Seeing the glimpses of maturity here and there, Robin felt more at ease.
Her height was about the same as before, though…….
“You knew Aelin was an elf. Did a spirit tell you?”
“Of course. It’s a well-made artifact, but it can’t escape the eyes of a spirit.”
“You’re sure there’s no one around?”
Only after receiving several reassurances did Aelin remove her helmet.
When her face was revealed, Serena’s eyes widened as she examined Aelin closely.
“Wow, you’re pretty.”
“Ah, ah? Thank you. Hehe… you’re pretty too.”
“No wonder you walk around hiding it with a helmet.”
Aelin was flustered by Serena’s blunt way of speaking, even in praise.
Having lived only among elves, Aelin had never been aware that she was beautiful.
After all, everyone looked more or less the same.
To another elf, it was all much of a muchness, so compliments on appearance were rare.
Perhaps buoyed by Serena’s praise, Aelin ate some sashimi and gave a thumbs-up.
“It’s so chewy and delicious!”
“Eat a lot. It’s a specialty I’ve been spreading in every city I stop by.”
The invisible wall between the two quietly crumbled.
Watching the two grow close surprisingly quickly, Robin also ate a piece of sashimi.
“Isn’t that big guy coming? It’s better to talk while we’re all together.”
“Sigbard? I wonder.”
Speak of the tiger and he appears.
The inn door flew open and Sigbard entered.
Judging by the jingling purse in his hand, he must have earned quite a bit.
He approached naturally but stopped as if blocked by something.
“Ah, wait. You can come in now.”
After briefly lowering the wind barrier, Sigbard joined them.
Robin stepped forward and introduced them to each other.
“Sigbard, this is the spirit mage Serena. Serena, this is my companion, Sigbard.”
“Shiba.”
“……?”
“Can I call you Shiba for short?”
Sigbard firmly shook his head.
“My name is Sigbard. I am destined to become a great warrior, so remember it.”
“I’ll remember it. But Shiba sounds nice too. Let’s make it your nickname.”
“A nickname. A human I’ve just met is not in a position to give me one.”
“What’s the big deal? If you’re Robin’s companion, you’re not a stranger. But if you don’t like it, I’ll call you Sigbard.”
With introductions over, what remained was the main subject.
He had met Brandok and heard what had happened after the war, but this was his first time hearing it from Serena.
More than anything, he was curious about what had happened to Imelda and Theodric.
“After you disappeared, Imelda was devastated.”
When he heard that after the war Imelda had refused food and drink for an entire week, Robin felt deeply sorry.
But what was even more surprising was what came next.
“She went to the Uncharted Area with the old man?”
“Yeah. She saw the magic stones and went crazy for them, saying she’d find you and left.”
“Where did she go?”
“For a while she traveled around the north with me, then we parted ways in the northeast.”
“I see… Did you hear that I was alive?”
When he had been spending time in the northern Uncharted Area at Burt’s suggestion.
He had asked Emily, who came as a porter, to send a letter for him.
“A letter? I stayed at the Wilcock family’s place for a week before leaving, so I didn’t receive it.”
‘I suppose… Emily wouldn’t have known Imelda’s whereabouts either.’
“What about Admiral? Did you go see Admiral after the war?”
“Looks like you haven’t heard. Admiral left the Wilcock family.”
“What?”
“He fell out of Leonolf’s favor and was driven out. You could say he was pushed to a remote corner even in Runeberg.”
Serena didn’t know the exact circumstances either.
In the end, the letter Robin had entrusted to Emily had not been properly delivered.
He had anticipated that possibility, but it didn’t make him feel any better.
“Anyway, after the two of them left, I wandered around here and there. Like before I met you.”
Left alone again, Serena searched for ley lines where Ether gathered and collected artifacts.
Her ultimate goal was to find someone, but her journey thus far had not been in vain.
“There’s a man who helped me control spirits when I was young. You could say he’s like my master.”
“You’re looking for him. Have you made any progress?”
“More or less. It’d be nice to have a few more artifacts, but even without them, it won’t be a big problem.”
The artifacts Serena had collected were hard to understand.
According to her explanation, they were closer to old antiques than artifacts.
Antiques without any special function.
“Now tell me about you. What were you doing for three years that you’re only showing up now?”
Training in the snowy mountains to catch potatoes.
What he experienced on the way to Narvik and his trip to the Great Forest in the west.
Now that Aelin’s identity had been exposed, there was nothing left to hide.
“Following you in search of romance, exploring the Uncharted Area, and even hoping for revenge?”
“I have to pass through it to get to the Demon Realm. But I’m not following you…….”
“Good. Come with me.”
Serena made the suggestion as casually as if asking him to go on an outing, utterly at ease.
“Serena, what’s your adventurer rank?”
A copper rank was given upon registration at the Guild.
A silver rank required certification at a rest stop in a dangerous region to be promoted.
A gold rank referred to a top-tier adventurer who had proven they’d visited extreme regions.
“I must’ve left my adventurer token in my room.”
“Just tell me.”
“Gold.”
‘As expected…….’
Just as Robin had grown stronger over the past three years, Serena too had become able to wield spirits more freely.
When she had blown away the drunken man, there had been no particular movement at all.
An attack invisible to the eye.
It was enough to make those on the first floor flee in fear.
“Aelin is the guide, right? Sigbard will take the vanguard, and Robin is a close-range swordsman. That composition is good too, but if I support you here, it’ll become even more solid.”
Robin had been thinking the same.
Serena grasped the roles of the party at a glance, as if a gold-ranked adventurer had not earned her badge by playing children’s games.
Even setting aside whether she was a trustworthy spirit mage, it was rare for a gold-ranked adventurer to join a team of copper-ranked adventurers.
Unless they paid an enormous sum, she wouldn’t even give them a second look.
“Why me of all people? There are plenty of other adventurers.”
“I’ve seen a lot of people. Knights, mercenaries, adventurers, merchants—I’ve seen so many.”
No matter how much she insisted on traveling alone, it was impossible not to get entangled with others.
Whether with ill intent or goodwill, there were always people who approached her, and often she was the one who approached first.
“There are many strong people in the world, but you’re irreplaceable.”
“In what way?”
“That I can trust you.”
Serena recalled three years ago.
When knights chased them, pirates attacked, and trolls blocked their path, Robin had not abandoned Imelda.
Even if it meant risking death, he had remained on the battlefield until the end.
“Do you need more than that?”
“If a gold-ranked adventurer wants to join us, I’d be a fool to refuse.”
“And you two?”
Serena pointed at Sigbard and Aelin.
“If Robin trusts her, there’s nothing more to say.”
“I’m fine with it too. She doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
That settled it.
Robin extended his hand to Serena.
“Please take care of us.”
“Same here.”
“And… I never thought you’d wait three years. Thank you.”
Serena nodded with a look that said it was only natural.
That proud expression hadn’t changed from before.
Suddenly, Robin remembered the first time he met Serena and found himself smiling.
‘Is this what you call fate.’
Following Serena as she savored the sashimi, Sigbard also picked up a piece and ate it.
He seemed to like the chewy texture, and his hand moved faster.
The sashimi on the plate quickly disappeared.
“It’s satisfying to see you eat well.”
“This is my first time eating something like this. Is there anything else?”
“Wait a moment.”
The sound of Serena saying something to Margaret in the kitchen drifted out.
Perhaps Aelin had caught the small sound, as she made a dubious expression.
“What’s wrong, Aelin.”
“Well… Serena is acting a little strange.”
“What do you mean.”
Robin’s question didn’t last long.
It hadn’t even been a minute since she entered the kitchen, yet she returned carrying a tray piled high with something.
Seeing the dish Serena brought, Robin’s expression stiffened.
“This is…….”
“It’s a custom dish made just for me, but I’ll let you taste it specially today.”
“What is this, Serena?”
“Fish pie.”
A golden-brown, appetizingly baked pie with fish embedded in it.
The whole thing, head included.
The savory smell of pie and the fishy scent of seafood formed a bizarre harmony.
“There’s a sad story behind this pie.”
“Pardon?”
“A village suffering from hunger in a snowstorm. A fisherman risked his life and set sail, catching enough fish for the entire village to eat.”
For some reason, Robin felt uneasy, but he didn’t interrupt Serena.
“But the fisherman died not long after arriving at the village. Catching the fish hadn’t been easy.”
“So that’s the story…….”
Aelin was instantly absorbed, pitying the unnamed fisherman.
Serena continued in a subdued voice.
“Thanks to that fisherman, the villagers survived the winter safely, and to honor him, a day to eat fish pie was created every year.”
“Ah, um… I see?”
“So let’s follow his spirit of sacrifice and eat with gratitude.”
‘No, how did it come to that conclusion…….’
Serena took the first bite of the pie.
Two bites, three bites…….
She even chewed and swallowed the fish head, yet her expression didn’t change.
If anything, she kept munching as if it were delicious.
“For the hero who saved the village.”
Sigbard stuffed the entire fish pie into his mouth.
Robin carefully observed his reaction, but Sigbard didn’t seem to mind and even took a second pie.
“It may look like that, but I guess it’s fine.”
Seeing Serena and Sigbard’s reactions, Aelin also picked up a pie.
When she ate the bread portion, she ate it pleasantly.
But the moment she put the fish in her mouth.
Her face twisted in distress as her eyes met Robin’s.
“Aelin……!”
The tears welling in her eyes trembled pitifully.
But perhaps because she had heard the sad story, she couldn’t bring herself to spit it out and forced it down.
“How is it? Tasty, right? It’s a recipe I improved over three years.”
“…….”
Aelin hesitated over whether she should finish the pie she had bitten into or simply throw it away.
“It’s edible.”
“You eat well for someone your size. I’ll prepare more next time.”
Robin quietly rose from his seat.
“I’ll head upstairs first.”
“Are you tired?”
“…Yes.”
Serena told him to go ahead.
Aelin tried to follow Robin, but the timing was bad.
“I’m glad you two are eating well. Robin never understood my tastes, so I was a bit disappointed.”
‘Has she been holding onto something from three years ago.’
In any case, she couldn’t put that bizarre dish in her mouth again.
If she stood up now as well, Aelin worried Serena might get hurt and hesitated.
“It’s hard to see fish in the elf forest, right? I’ll make it for you often from now on.”
“…….”
In the end, Aelin finished the pie she had been eating.
Then Serena placed another perfectly intact pie in front of her.
It took quite a while before the misunderstanding between the two was resolved.