A NEW DAY of PRIDE and PERIL

After leaving the palace, Luna, Rania, and Lusserina continued walking together until they reached the Noble District. They parted ways after passing through the gate.

“Oh, right, Lu, do you know where Bartasz works?”

“Yes, My Lady,” Lusserina replied.

“Then take me there. I want to see his workplace.”

“Of course, My Lady.”

Since I didn’t know the location, Lusserina led the way. After walking for a few minutes, we arrived at a fairly large shop with three floors. Inside, I was surprised—it resembled a mall. Various goods were on display everywhere, from daily necessities to adventure equipment, swords, and shields. As we entered, we were greeted by one of the employees.

“Miss Lusserina! Good afternoon,” the shopkeeper greeted.

“Good afternoon,” Lusserina replied.

“Are you here to purchase something?”

“No, I’m here accompanying My Lady to meet the Young Master. Is he here?”

(My Lady?) He thought, glancing at me. “Yes, Miss. Young Master Bartasz is in the workshop at the back. Please follow me.”

We were escorted to the workshop, which turned out to be located behind the mall building. After dropping us off, the shopkeeper returned to his post.

The workshop wasn’t just a workspace—it resembled a giant hangar with clanging metal, sparks flying, and the scent of hot iron filling the air. Many people were busy crafting armor and horse carriages.

Naturally, our arrival drew attention as two beautiful women stepped into a space full of men. As expected, I heard a familiar voice shout:

“Hey! Why are you daydreaming? Hurry up and bring that over there!” shouted a man.

I turned toward the source of the voice and saw someone else looking back at me.

“Mum?” Bartasz called out. “What are you doing here? How was the meeting with the king? Everything went smoothly?”

“The meeting went well. I had help from Rania and Radhimar. I came here to see your workplace—and also to patent a recipe.”

While we were talking, I overheard the murmurs of the employees.

“Hey, who do you think she is? Is she the boss’s girlfriend?”

“I don’t know… maybe she’s his sugar baby.”

“There’s no way a sugar baby would bring her servant along.”

“True… maybe she is his girlfriend.”

“There must be a big age gap between them.”

Seeing Bartasz welcomed with such respect warmed my heart. My boy... has become a man worthy of admiration.

“Mum, don’t pat an adult’s head. That’s embarrassing,” Bartasz said, blushing.

That only made the gossip louder among the workers.

“What are you all looking at? Get back to work!” Bartasz barked, clearly flustered.

He scolded them for gossiping and sent them back to work. I couldn’t help but laugh. His employees respected and cared for him deeply.

“Mum, wait here a moment.”

After saying that, Bartasz went off to take care of something. I continued exploring his workplace. A few minutes later, he returned.

“Let’s go, Mum.”

We left the workshop.

After a few minutes of walking, Bartasz led me to a building labeled “Merchant Guild.” We stepped inside.

A sudden wave of nostalgia hit me as we entered. The interior felt like an office building—only with a medieval theme and no electronics like computers. Desks lined the room, and many people were busy with their tasks.

“Master Bartasz, how may I help you?” asked a receptionist.

“Is the branch manager in?”

“Yes, sir. Please follow me,” the guild employee replied.

We were led to a room.

Knock knock knock

“Sir, you have a visitor,” said the receptionist.

“Who is it?” a man responded from inside.

“Master Bartasz, sir.”

“Please, come in.”

Even the guild’s top leader showed deference to Bartasz. He must be influential—just like his siblings.

Luna smiled, her eyes gleaming with pride as she saw Bartasz treated with such respect.

We were welcomed by a skinny man with a thick mustache who invited us to sit. He looked at me briefly before speaking.

“May I ask the reason for your visit, Master Bartasz?”

“Before that, allow me to introduce my mother, Lunaria Oberyth. I brought her here to patent something,” Bartasz replied.

“Your mother? My name is Nardi. I’m the head of the Merchant Guild in the capital.”

“Lunaria. But you can call me Luna,” I replied.

“Miss Luna, understood. How can I assist you?”

Bartasz and I explained the potion recipe and the herbs. Of course, we also brought physical samples. Nardi examined the red, blue, and green potions carefully before asking for permission to have them tested by experts while preparing the necessary documents.

A short while later, he returned with the paperwork.

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” asked Nardi.

“No, thank you. That’s all,” I said.

“Then the process is complete.”

“Then we’ll be taking our leave,” Bartasz said.

“Thank you for visiting. We’ll contact Miss Luna as soon as possible.”

And with that, we left the Merchant Guild.

[Outside the Merchant Guild building]

“Mum, where are you heading next?” Bartasz asked.

“I’m going to the Adventurer’s Guild to request material collection.”

“I see. Then I’ll head back to work. Thanks for letting me tag along, Mum.”

“Thank you for accompanying me.”

We parted ways, and I headed straight to the Adventurer’s Guild with Lusserina.

The place was fairly quiet when we arrived. There weren’t many adventurers left, mostly just the staff.

“Welcome,” greeted Wynda.

“Wow, Sister Luna, you look beautiful! Did you just come from an important meeting?” she added.

“Thank you for the compliment. We just met with the king.”

“You say that like meeting the king is just a casual thing,” Wynda teased.

“Really? In that case, please forget I said that, hehe.”

“No need to worry, Sister Luna. Anyway, what brings you here? Looking for a quest?”

“No, actually, I’m here to submit a request.”

I then explained my request for potion ingredients to Wynda.

“I see, just a moment.”

Wynda went to get a request form and handed it to me.

“Do you have samples of the herbs, Sister Luna?”

Samples? Luckily, I brought them.

I took out three types of herbs—red, blue, and green—from my spatial storage and handed them over with the completed form.

“Alright, the form is complete. We’ll notify you once the materials are available. Is there anything else I can help with?”

“Not at the moment. Thank you for your help. I’ll be heading off now.”

“You’re welcome. Have a pleasant day, Sister Luna.”

Lusserina and I left the Adventurer’s Guild. Before heading home, we stopped by to buy some groceries. But something happened when we reached the eastern gate.

There, we saw two girls in uniform speaking to a guard. Their faces were full of panic and desperation. We decided to approach them.

“Excuse me, is something wrong?” I asked.

“They said they’re looking for a young boy with red hair,” the guard answered.

“Yes... Miss, have you seen a red-haired boy today?” asked the girl with brown hair.

Since I didn’t recall seeing anyone like that, I looked at Lusserina.

“I haven’t seen him either, sorry,” she replied.

Not receiving the answer they hoped for, the girls frowned and went silent for a moment.

“If you see him, please inform us or the guards. We’ll take our leave now.”

Without waiting for a reply, they left, vanishing into the distance and leaving us confused. The guards returned to their posts. I was about to use teleportation magic, but I couldn’t stop thinking about those girls. We might come across the boy on our way to the lake.

After a few minutes of walking, Lusserina suddenly sensed something.

“My Lady, I sense three children to the north,” said Lusserina.

“The north? Then lead the way.”

We dashed swiftly toward the north.

[Meanwhile, in the northern forest]

Tap tap tap—crunch crunch.

The sound of multiple footsteps running through grass and snapping twigs echoed through the woods.

“Haah... haah... Boss... I can’t run anymore,” said the third boy.

“Me too, Boss,” added the second.

“Don’t give up... we’re almost there,” said the red-haired boy.

“But the city gate is still far,” the second boy replied.

“I... can’t... go on...” said the third boy before collapsing onto the ground.

Seeing this, the red-haired boy rushed back to carry his friend.

“Come on... just a little more. Don’t give up.”

As he helped his friend up, a new sound approached.

Thud thud thud

“Boss! It’s a boar!” the second boy cried out.

All three turned toward the edge of the forest. A brown-furred wild boar appeared, pausing briefly before locking onto its target. With sharp tusks and a furious glare, it charged forward. In a panic, the two boys stumbled ahead, but they were no match for the boar’s speed.

“Guys!” shouted the second boy.

The boys screamed in fear as the boar closed in—just ten steps away from striking them—when suddenly, Lusserina appeared out of nowhere like a ghost and kicked the beast.

THUD!

Oiii... iinnkkk!

The boar was launched backward and slammed into a tree, dying instantly. A bloody mark was left on the trunk.

Seeing they were safe, the two boys collapsed to the ground, pale and trembling with tears streaming down their faces.

“Boss!” the second boy called, rushing to the red-haired one.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked.

Maybe they were still in shock because the others didn’t answer. Soon, Luna arrived at the scene and found Lusserina with the three children. One of them had red hair. They were all lying on the ground, gasping for breath like they’d just run a marathon.

Red hair? Could he be the boy they were looking for?

“Lu, what happened?”

Lusserina explained the situation.

“Are you all alright?”

“Thank goodness you came. We don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t,” the second boy replied.

“What were you doing in the forest without adults? You know how dangerous it is.”

“...”

The three hung their heads in shame.

“Oh dear, you’re hurt. Let me treat you,” Luna said.

She approached each child and used healing magic to treat their scratches. Lastly, she healed the red-haired boy. As she did, his face flushed red.

“Th-th-thank you,” he stuttered nervously.

“You’re welcome. Can you still walk?”

“Yes, I can,” “Yeah, me too,” the children answered.

“Good. Since you’re alright now, let’s head back to the city.”

But as the red-haired boy stood up...

“Boss, what’s up with your pants?” the second boy asked.

There was a wet patch on his crotch. Hearing that, his face turned crimson to his ears.

“I-it-it’s nothing!” he shouted.

Luna and Lusserina turned their heads away, pretending not to notice, one hand covering their smiling mouths.

“L-let’s just go already!” he declared, walking ahead.

“Wait for us, Boss,” said the second boy.

Luna and Lusserina lagged slightly, giggling.

“...”

“My Lady, what about the boar?”

“Bring it along.”

And so, they left the forest behind.

A few minutes later, they exited the forest and approached the city gate. At the capital’s gate, several royal guards and the two girls from earlier were present.

“Ah, over there…” one of the girls said, pointing toward Luna and the others just outside the gate.

Everyone rushed over to us.

“Where have you been? We were so worried about the prince—I mean, about you,” the girl stammered.

Hoo... I knew it.

The purple-haired girl approached the red-haired boy.

“I’m fine,” the boy replied.

“Miss Luna, thank you for finding him. Sorry for troubling you.”

I turned to see who had spoken—it was Prime Minister Allan.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I just happened to be passing by on my way home,” I replied.

Shock filled the red-haired boy’s face as he watched the Prime Minister speak politely to Luna.

“If I may ask, how did you find them?”

I called for Lusserina, who then pulled the wild boar from her spatial storage.

I explained the whole story. After hearing it, Prime Minister Allan glanced at the red-haired boy for a moment before speaking again. The boy’s face instantly paled, and he looked terrified under that gaze.

“Once again, thank you for your help,” Prime Minister Allan said.

“You’re welcome. Well then, I’ll be on my way now,” said Luna, turning to leave.

Today may have seemed like just another ordinary day. But as I walked home in silence... I felt as if something had started to change.

For a moment, a few people—including Prime Minister Allan—stood watching Luna’s back as she gradually disappeared.