[V13C11] Mint Tea and Biscuits

The port town of Sazandol was painted in orange under the setting sun.

Despite the encroach of night, many people could be seen walking the streets, especially in areas closer to the lighthouse. This was likely due to their interest in the mana purification about to be performed by the Seven Sages.

Isaac could be counted among them. He walked through the early evening streets with light steps, confident in his sense of direction.

He turned into a side alley to avoid the crowded main street, then glanced at the bag hanging from Cyril’s shoulder.

“From here on out, keep an eye on your bag. There will probably be a lot of pickpockets today.”

“U-Understood.”

Once Cyril held his bag closer to his body, two weasels poked their heads out from the bag.

“Don’t worry. I can freeze anyone who tries.”

“Then I’ll scratch them.”

“No! I told you to stay hidden!” Cyril shouted, pushing Pikeh and Thule back inside.

Meanwhile, Isaac let out a soft chuckle.

“They seem very reliable.”

His laugh sounded a bit strange to Cyril. He had heard Isaac’s voice so many times, but this tone of unadorned amusement seemed new for some reason.

This was not a laugh for manipulating the impressions of others, or with any ulterior motive. He was laughing from the heart out of genuine happiness.

Isaac’s intimidating appearance remained intact, even now, but the impression he gave off was completely different.

Cyril felt awkward staring at Isaac’s face, so he averted his eyes. This led to him making eye contact with the lizard Wildianu, who suddenly appeared from Isaac’s coat pocket.

Wildianu bowed his small head respectfully, then crawled up Isaac’s arm and perched on his shoulder.

“Master, I believe it is about time. Shall I deploy the illusion?”

“Thanks, Wil. This spot should work since there’s no one around, but just in case… Cyril, could you stand here for a bit?”

“W-What…?”

Isaac pushed the bewildered Cyril toward the exit of the alleyway, then hid behind him.

Furthermore, he lowered his head and covered himself with the rolled-up cloth he was carrying. It was now impossible to see him from the streets.

After a few seconds, Isaac raised his head again, with a wave of his golden blonde hair. Rather than a man with a scar above his right eye, he was now the perfect and handsome prince.

Cyril had heard from Monica about how Isaac’s face changed with mana level, but seeing it in person was still incredibly surprising.

He watched in bewilderment as Isaac took out a pair of glasses from the basket and put them on.

“That should do it.”

“I-Is it really okay for you to walk around in public like that…?”

“This face is better suited for the place we’re headed.”

To Cyril, this meant they were about to visit a location intended for noble guests.

But in contrast to that assumption, Isaac continued walking in the opposite direction of the upscale residential area. After the sun had set completely, the two arrived at a cheap restaurant adjacent to the harbor.

This appeared to be a pub and diner where the common sailors gathered for drinks, the complete opposite of an establishment for the upper class.

Isaac pushed open the dirty door. Though it was a bit early for dinner, most of the seats inside were already taken. The customers were all burly men with sun-kissed skin, seemingly sailors. One of them called out to Isaac.

“What’s this? You’re still alive, Walker?”

“I guess so,” Isaac replied.

“Looks like you brought a fancy-looking friend with you today!”

“Yeah. Unlike me, he’s a rather sophisticated guy. Please don’t bully him.”

After responding to a few casual greetings, Isaac advanced into the back of the tavern.

However, one of the drunken sailors extended a leg across Isaac’s path, blocking his way forward.

Once Isaac paused, the drunkard raised his mug and gestured towards the empty seat next to him.

“Take a seat, Walker. I challenge you to a rematch. We’re drinking all night long.”

“Sorry,” Isaac apologized. “I have important plans for tonight.”

“Then cancel them! There ain’t nothing more important than this!”

“Not even your wedding anniversary? I think you should go home and talk to your wife, preferably with a bouquet rather than a beer mug.”

Isaac’s joke stirred laughter among the surrounding drunks.

“Walker, you bastard!”

“Get a hoot of this guy!”

“Just get dumped already!”

Many were laughing, others were raising their mugs with cheer, and some even walked over to slap Isaac on the shoulder.

In the midst of this, one of them even patted Cyril on the shoulder. Apparently, anyone would do.

Cyril awkwardly initiated a conversation with the sailor who patted his shoulder.

“Um… I-It looks like business is booming here.”

“Yeah, cause all of the ships are broken. None of us have any work to do.”

Cyril gasped in realization.

The group most affected by the incident was the sailors. The Dragon Slayer Mage may have driven away the water dragons in the harbor, but not before they destroyed countless ships.

Considering the scale of the disaster, everyone here might be out of a job.

“But we’ll be busy next week,” said another sailor. “I heard Duke Erin is sending in some support.”

Cyril immediately turned to look at Isaac.

Isaac, or rather, the handsome Duke of Erin simply smiled and placed his index finger on his lips.

“This morning, Duke Erin came personally to talk to the lord and shipowners. Apparently, the shipwrights he sent will be arriving any day now.”

“But wasn’t there some dispute between the craftsmen and the lord over shipbuilding rights?”

“Nah, I heard that got resolved when the new duke took office. You know, the retired prince.”

“Oh yeah, Prince Felix.”

“And he’s even going to lend us ships. I nearly pissed my pants when the captain showed me the contract. The rental fees were so damn low.”

“Guess the noble folks actually do something good every once a while.”

“How kind of them,” Isaac said with a chuckle.

Cyril was about to say something, but he ended up closing his mouth. He simply didn’t know——or rather, he had never properly observed the young man named ‘Isaac Walker’.

Whether it’s bantering with drunks or quietly solving problems before they are noticed, both were qualities of the man Cyril respected so greatly.

Meanwhile, Isaac approached a table near the wall and began speaking to a black-haired man, who looked more like a warrior than a sailor.

“Are you okay, Anthony-san?”

“Yeah, I just woke up yesterday!”

Isaac seemed to be acquaintances with Anthony. There was a hint of concern in his voice.

“And your brothers?”

“All of them are doing great, except, well…”

Anthony furrowed his thick eyebrows into a grimace.

“My youngest brother just got rejected by his crush… He says he’ll duel as many times as it takes, even if he faces rejection again.”

“I see… I don’t know the details, but your youngest brother sounds like a very determined guy.”

“He is. My other two brothers are busy consoling him right now.”

Cyril knew little about Anthony’s relationship with Isaac, but it seemed the two were close enough to discuss family matters.

Either way, Anthony quickly turned his frown into a smile, slapping Isaac’s shoulder with a large hand.

“Either way, let me say one thing, Walker. Even if his love doesn’t work out, I will always consider you as a blood brother.”

“My apologies, but I don’t quite follow how that is related to your brother’s heartbreak.”

“Just come to me if you ever need help! Wahaha!”

“Uh, thanks.”

Isaac put on a vague smile and slipped past Anthony, going behind the tavern counter. Cyril hesitated to follow, but Isaac turned around and gestured for him to come.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already informed the owner.”

“R-Right… So where exactly are we going?”

“I told you, we’re getting the best seats. Owner, I’ll be taking some hot water.”

The burly owner silently waved his hand, as if to say, “Help yourself.”

Isaac took a pot from his basket and poured hot water into it. Apparently, there were already tea leaves inside, as the gently rising steam carried a faint scent of mint.

Isaac wrapped the pot in a cloth, returned it to the basket, and walked through a passage behind the counter. At the same time, he stored his disguise glasses back in the basket.

Then, he opened a small window at the top of the stairs.

“Cyril, hold onto this for a bit.”

“Eh? S-Sure.”

Isaac pushed the cloth and basket into Cyril’s hands, taking a step on the window frame.

Cyril watched speechlessly as Isaac leaned out of the window and hooked his fingers on a protrusion above, lifting himself like someone performing a pull-up.

Once the man wearing the face of the Second Prince was finished climbing onto the roof, his arm reached down from above the window.

“Cyril, the mat and basket!”

“H-Here!”

Cyril carefully handed over the basket with tea to ensure it didn’t spill. After Isaac lifted the mat and basket, two weasels jumped out of Cyril’s bag.

“Cyril can’t climb this,” Pikeh said.

“We’ll lift him up,” Thule followed.

Though frustrated, Cyril could offer no counterargument, as they were completely right.

Thule and Pikeh scurried up to the rooftop and transformed into human form. Their arms, sleeved in ethnic clothing, reached down through the window.

(Is it okay to climb through a window like this…?)

The ever-serious Cyril hesitated for a few seconds before mustering the courage to place his foot on the window frame.

Going through a second-story window was somewhat scary, even for someone without a fear of heights. But once Cyril stepped through, Thule and Pikeh effortlessly lifted him onto the roof.

The rooftop turned out to be surprisingly flat, with a great deal of free space. Though it wasn’t wide enough to run around, it had enough room to fit Isaac’s large mat and then some.

The sky above had already turned into the deep blue of night, with stars twinkling in a cloudless sky.

As Isaac arranged the pot and teacups from the basket, Cyril timidly asked his question.

“These are the special seats you mentioned?”

“Exactly. If Monica is performing the ritual at the lighthouse, she will be standing by a window facing the city. In particular, the direction of the harbor and warehouse district, where the mana contamination is most severe. I want to see it as close as possible, but being too close would make it hard to see the whole picture. Considering those factors, I have calculated here as the optimal viewing spot. Then, I negotiated with the owner to get these special seats. It all worked out in the end.”

Isaac rambled with obvious excitement and joy, while preparing tea at the same time.

As Cyril could only stare, Isaac raised his head and playfully smiled.

“Isaac Walker is a rather selfish delinquent. You would do well to remember that.”

“Selfish, delinquent…?”

“And I’m also a habitual night owl. Any problems with that?”

“N-No!”

Cyril vigorously shook his head.

To be honest, today had been a series of surprises. Even so, the sight of Isaac genuinely enjoying himself brought Cyril a strange combination of relief and restlessness.

Though peculiar, this feeling wasn’t unpleasant at all.

“That’s good to hear,” Isaac said, tapping the pocket of his jacket. “Over here, Wil. As a reward for your efforts, I’ll give you an even more special seat.”

Isaac placed the white lizard on top of his head.

After seeing this, Thule and Pikeh stared intently at Cyril’s head.

“A special seat?” Thule said, tilting his head.

“I deserve a reward for calling the Spirit King,” Pikeh followed, making a triumphant pose.

Cyril shook his head with a stern expression.

“You two are heavy even in weasel form. No way.”

Isaac chuckled as he listened to the exchange. With the lizard still on his head, he handed a teacup to Cyril.

Cyril quietly thanked him and took the cup, blowing on the hot tea with the refreshing scent of mint.

Isaac poured tea into two additional cups, then looked at Thule and Pikeh.

“Perhaps you two would prefer it chilled?”

“No problem. I’ll cool it myself.”

Once Pikeh took the cups, a pale blue light radiated from her hands and covered them in a white frost. She then handed one of the cups to Thule.

After sipping on the chilled tea, Thule glanced at Isaac and Pikeh with a gentle smile.

“Thank you. It’s delicious.”

Isaac replied, “You’re welcome,” and took a bite out of a biscuit from the basket. He gazed up at the sky, as if reminiscing about something.

Cyril awkwardly spoke up.

“Do you…”

“Yeah?”

Isaac swallowed the biscuit and turned to Cyril.

There were many questions Cyril wanted to ask him.

Things that were better left unknown. That he had deliberately averted his eyes from.

(Ah, I realize now. Deep down, I thought it was okay for me to remain ignorant.)

If your goal was to worship someone, not knowing their flaws and human weaknesses was convenient.

Thus, Cyril had avoided that side of Isaac… but this was just being dishonest with himself.

“Ike, do you like mint tea?” Cyril asked.

“It’s essential for any child who wants to stay up at night, right?”

“So you stayed up late drinking mint tea?”

“I told you, I’m a habitual night owl. That’s how I used to watch the stars with the young prince.”

“Do you like the stars?”

“Not particularly, but my best friend does. He always begged me to go stargazing.”

After saying that, Isaac looked down at the teacup with a wry smile.

“Sorry about that. I got a bit too sentimental.”

“No, it’s fine,” Cyril said, shaking his head.

Cyril wanted to know more about Isaac… But how could he convey this? How could he express his intentions properly?

After coming up with an idea, Cyril raised his teacup high into the sky.

This was an imitation of how the drunkards at the tavern had raised their mugs.

“I’ll… I’ll drink with you all night!”

Only after performing the unfamiliar gesture did Cyril realize how embarrassing it was. He froze with the cup still raised, eyes swimming.

“Sure, let’s drink all night.”

Isaac agreed with a chuckle, clinking his teacup against Cyril’s.

Wildianu: …Ashley-sama, please be careful. When Master says “all night” he really means “all night”

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