Chapter 30
[“Charmant Pepe, welcome. And you must be the master of Runehill.”]
Haraman greeted him but kept glancing at Charmant repeatedly.
It seemed as if he was checking behind him, then looking at his hands.
Charmant didn’t understand and looked at Haraman in confusion.
Seeing that both his hands were empty and he hadn’t brought anything, Haraman showed a slight look of disappointment.
[“Hmm, what you sent last time was very well received.”]
Charmant smiled faintly.
[“I’m glad it suited your taste.”]
[“It was almost too good.”]
For Haraman to say that meant he was very pleased.
[“Then let us talk inside. Follow me.”]
Haraman turned and motioned for him to follow.
“What did you send?”
Aheel, who had been quietly trying to listen by translating the Elvish language through magic, asked Charmant.
“A few sweet potatoes from Alessandro.”
“Here?”
It seemed like he was asking if it was just sweet potatoes and not some kind of treasure.
“Yes, I thought it would be good for winning hearts.”
Charmant looked away embarrassed.
Though he meant it sincerely, he thought others might find it silly.
Sure enough,
Aheel’s face twisted slightly, as if holding back a laugh.
Charmant pressed down on Aheel’s toes with his foot to move ahead.
The meeting went deeper than last time.
Charmant thought it best to leave important matters regarding Elyum to Aheel and took a step back.
Originally, the promise was only to connect the Soro Forest elves so Aheel could reach Halslake.
He decided to help by acting as a mediator.
No matter how much Charmant researched Elyum, he couldn’t know it better than Aheel Duff, who lived there.
[“It was a productive discussion.”]
Several hours later,
The conversation ended far more satisfactorily than last time.
The route to open the teak transportation path Charmant mentioned was expected to be resolved faster than anticipated.
Charmant glanced at Aheel’s expression.
‘He looks pleased. That’s a relief.’
Feeling like he had repaid a bit of his debt to Aheel, Charmant felt oddly refreshed.
This time, they were seen off farther than before.
Even Haraman stepped out to accompany them.
[“I hope we meet again.”]
[“We hope the same. Stay safe.”]
Without turning back, Charmant snapped his fingers.
Immediately, a basket of steaming sweet potatoes appeared in his hand.
It was at least twice the amount sent before through Bucky.
Haraman’s eyes widened.
[“I thought what we sent might not have been enough. If you don’t mind, please accept this.”]
Looking intently at Charmant, Haraman burst out laughing for the first time.
[“You are quite the mischievous one. Still, I’ll gratefully accept. Hopefully, we meet again.”]
Charmant nodded at the warmer greeting compared to before.
Then, without any trouble, the two returned to the familiar alleys of Elyum.
“Unexpected.”
Charmant, holding the door handle, raised an eyebrow and turned his head.
Since he had worked hard traveling, he was about to offer a cup of tea before seeing him off.
“What is?”
“That they can joke, be thoughtful, and above all—”
Charmant let go of the door handle as if entranced and turned to face Aheel.
Because Charmant was smaller than his usual self, and Aheel was tall, Charmant had to look up.
“I didn’t expect you to think of Elyum like that.”
“What do you mean ‘like that’?”
“That they seemed to cherish it very much.”
Charmant’s fingers twitched.
He had deceived him and only aimed to correct his own mistake.
But Charmant had done everything he could sincerely.
He intended to keep doing so.
Therefore, Aheel’s compliment didn’t sound guilty.
Rather, it made him feel warm and embarrassed.
“…Thank you for thinking that way.”
Aheel feigned surprise and tilted his head.
“Is that something to thank me for?”
“Hmm, well, it’s a compliment anyway. First, come inside and have some tea.”
When Charmant opened the door and entered, he saw a cozy scene.
There was no longer dust floating, nor the disorder of rummaging through a storeroom.
Still, the house was small and full of belongings.
It hardly looked like the home of someone with the title of Marquis.
Perhaps because Jasper was entrusted to Miya before he left, the place felt a bit lonely.
“Sit there. I’ll bring the tea.”
Charmant took off his coat and immediately started heating water.
Aheel pulled out a chair and sat, still keeping his gaze on Charmant.
“The Soro Forest elves were really unexpected.”
“Elves?”
Charmant, who was taking out teacups, half turned his body.
“I only knew them as a ferocious race, but today’s appearance was really new.”
Then Charmant smiled faintly and took out the rest of the teacups.
“They put all their effort into protecting Soro Forest. If you convince them you’re not hostile, it’s not hard to borrow their power. Maybe next time they’ll be even kinder to you.”
After speaking eagerly, Charmant noticed Aheel hadn’t responded.
Startled, Charmant tried to keep calm and spoke again.
“Um, that’s what I heard. I worked hard to find out a fair price. It’s not like I knew it before.”
“I didn’t expect you to work so hard…”
Aheel muttered.
“Hm?”
Charmant asked again, not hearing properly, but Aheel just smiled and shook his head.
“No, isn’t the water boiling?”
“Oh, wait a moment.”
Charmant poured hot water from the kettle into the teacup with tea leaves.
Then he slid a cup toward Aheel sitting at the table.
“Drink. Miya gave me these tea leaves, so they should be good.”
After sipping the tea, a smile appeared at the corner of Aheel’s mouth — a sign of satisfaction.
“If the conversation with them today goes well, does that mean we can meet Halslake too?”
“They keep their promises. But I don’t know how long it will take. Even if we connect, we’ll have to offer what they want for talks to be possible.”
Charmant hoped the magic amplifier from Halslake would definitely reach him.
It was part of atonement for the past, and he also hoped Lakan wouldn’t get it.
More than anything, he was certain the warm people of Elyum needed the magic amplifier much more.
“In the meantime, I’ll find out what they want. That’s my job.”
Aheel’s casual words made Charmant worried.
“They might ask for something unimaginably excessive or special. As I said before, they might want something like a special heart. It won’t be easy. Is it really worth it?”
“Worth…”
Aheel grew serious and was silent.
Seeing his furrowed brows, it was clear he was deeply pondering.
“…I’ve never thought about it.”
The hollow answer surprised Charmant, his eyebrows knitting tightly.
“You’ve never thought about it?”
“Yeah, I never put a value on it. I just want to get it because it seems necessary here.”
“…What is it that you want to get?”
“If I gain the power to protect myself, I’ll be less troubled.”
“…Is that all?”
“Maybe I’ll feel a bit proud?”
In the end, Charmant laughed bitterly.
“You could at least wish for something greater.”
Perhaps the reason Aheel helped Elyum in the war with Runtbel wasn’t for any grand reason.
Not seeking credit or vast wealth, but simply because he wanted to protect.
Unlike himself, who moved only when he received something, even a penny or recognition.
Could I ever be like that? The thought suddenly came to him.
“But, you know…”
Aheel began.
“Hmm?”
Charmant reacted, holding his now cooled teacup.
“Among the things you said last time.”
“Yeah.”
“That they would want Charmant Noel Kenders’ heart from Halslake.”
Charmant’s fingertips twitched.
“Oh, that’s right.”
“If you somehow found out that, it means they’ve been looking into the magic amplifier too.”
Charmant choked briefly and coughed.
“Isn’t that so?”
“What if we find her before Runtbel’s leader does?”
