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yumemory[Location: Faust’s room]
Mitile: Huh?
Akira: Faust, you really know where it is?
Faust smiled, even though there was a faint bitterness present in his expression.
Faust:...Yes, it’s close to my hometown.
Faust: It was a long time ago, so my memory is hazy. But I think I know where it is.
ーーー
[Location: Manor’s foyer, morning]
The next morning, we informed everyone and gathered in the foyer.
Shino: So you know where the gem came from?
Owen: Are you sure? If I get disappointed again, I’ll make all of you regret breathing around me.
Snow: Yes, Faust remembered. It seems to be a place he had a connection with in the past.
White: And that is why we’re all gathered here today to visit it together. What the Mirror of the Past showed us wasn’t quite enough, was it?
Snow and White stood beside Faust like teachers leading the way.
Faust, being the careful and calculated man he is, must have sought what the twins have to say first as the eldest wizards.
Mitile: Misters Shylock and Rustica, will you be coming with us, too?
Shylock: Yes. We have a voracious appetite for enticement and thrill, you see.
Rustica: I could never pass up the opportunity to behold the gem’s origin with my own eyes.
The people we were with yesterday started to gather one by one, and the foyer became lively. And then there was Nero who stood at the back, trying not to be noticed.
Nero: So we’re really gonna go with these people, huh…
Akira: Ah, Nero, you’re coming with us too?
Faust: I asked him to. It’s better to have more guardians.
Nero: I knew it! You’re just gonna make me babysit these guys!
Shino: Nero will tag along? Good. Be the apprentice who will tell Heath about all my hard work.
Nero: And who’s the master?
Shino: Me.
Nero: Is an apprentice really needed here?
Akira: Faust, what kind of place are we going to?
Faust: It will be faster to show it than explain it.
Faust took out a paper and a quill, and chanted his spell.
The quill then sped into motion, smoothly drawing something on the white paper.
Akira: Ah, a map!
It appeared that the map was drawn following Faust’s memories.
Faust: We’ll head… here.
On the paper was a map drawn with neat, careful brushstrokes, and everyone’s curious eyes set on the spot Faust pointed at in the center.
Nero: Oh, that place…
Shylock: It’s around the border of Central Country.
Faust: Yes. This is where the stardew gems came from.
Owen: Hmm…
Rustica: So that’s where they came from.
Mitile: Using a map to search for a place feels like we’re on a treasure hunt!
Shino: Don’t get too fired up. Treasure hunting can be dangerous. There could be a monster guarding the loot.
Mitile: Huh!?
Shino: Don’t worry, though, I’ll definitely take it down. A monster’s head would make a perfect garnish for the gems I’m gonna give to Heath.
Shino and Mitile looked really excited about the adventure waiting for them.
And in that moment, when the thrill before a departure radiated from the foyer—
Everyone: !?
We heard the deafening sound of an explosion.
Akira:...T-That sound just now.
Mitile: Did it come from the floor above?
Owen: Oh, it’s probably that.
Shylock: Do you know what it was?
Owen: When I passed by the hallway earlier, Mithra and Oz looked like they were having a fight. Both of them had their magical tools out, all buddy-buddy.
Faust: So that’s it.
Nero: I mean, what else could it be?
Snow and White looked at each other before letting out a big sigh.
White: Good grief. Such troublesome children.
Snow: If we leave them alone, we will end up returning to a manor full of holes. I shall stay behind and watch over those naughty boys.
Snow: White, I’m afraid we will have to separate for now. I will be entrusting the matter of the gems to you.
White: Very well.
Snow regrettably split up with White and headed to where the explosion came from.
Shino: Let’s leave before we get interrupted again.
Akira: You're right. It's a shame that Snow couldn't join us, but let's head out.
White: Uh uh, before that, we should do all necessary preparations first.
Mitile: Preparations?
White: « Noscomnia »
Everyone's outfits changed the moment White cast his spell.
Shino, Mitile, Nero: Wha—?
Shylock and Rustica: Oh, my.
Our clothes suddenly changed into outfits with a Central Wizard style, with decoration similar to the night sky.
Owen: What is this?
White: This is the proper attire for where we're headed.
Akira: Is it a place that requires a specific kind of outfit?
Faust: Owen. As I said yesterday, that stone has no power to grant wishes. Are you sure you still want to come with us?
Owen: You can’t fool me. Why would you go with this many people if it doesn’t have any effects?
Mitile: I-Is it strange that I simply want to acquire a beautiful stone?
Rustica: Not at all. I would like to acquire it, too. And it will be all the more delightful to go on an adventure together.
Owen: ...I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this. But I'll still tag along.
Faust: All right. Then let’s leave.
ーーー
[Location: Sky, day]
Using the map drawn by Faust as our guide, we set out for our destination: a place on the border of Central Country.
White: We've arrived. Look, that's the entrance over there.
White looked back at me, who was riding behind him on his broom, and pointed forward.
Akira: That’s...
The entrance to the cave was hidden in the trees. Without the map, we definitely wouldn't have been able to find it.
Faust: Let's fly down. It's dark inside, so make sure you watch your step when we get in.
ーーー
[Location: Cave]
When we got into the cave, the first thing that greeted us was darkness. The interior was like a small tunnel, with a path wide enough to be passed through by only two people at a time.
Mitile: It’s pitch black in here…
Shino: No way we can move forward without a lantern.
With each step we took within the darkness, we slowly found ourselves enveloped in a cold and damp smell.
Owen: ............
Rustica: The echoing sounds wonderful, don't you think? It sounds like we're in a hall. Then, how about I play an instrument and you sing, Owen?
Owen: No.
Akira: (...Well, I expected no less from a cave, but it’s really dark. I wonder what’s at the end of this…)
The lanterns in our hands were only bright enough to illuminate each other’s faces.
As we walked deeper into the cave, White came up next to me and grabbed my hand.
White: My dear sage, how would you like to walk with me? It would be terrible if you became lost.
Akira: Okay. Thank you, White.
We formed a line and walked through the lengthy cavern. The only sounds I heard in the darkness were the occasional chattering and the sound of dripping water, like rain.
As if to mingle with those faint sounds, White whispered to me.
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