Part V Tristan Daily Life

Five hours passed. After crossing many rocky hills, forests, and royal territory, Lazuro's chariot reached an area surrounded by stone walls with several flags bearing the symbol of white snowflakes. The guards blew their horns and opened the gates when they saw Lazuro's group arrive. The carriage stopped in a large square in the center of the village. When they got out, the people immediately gathered and cheered.

"Isn't this burning T-Rex amazing?"

"We have enough supplies for the next three months."

Lazuro could hear several people expressing their gratitude for the results of this hunt as soon as he got out of the carriage. Paul, who was sitting next to James in the carriage, immediately ordered everyone to prepare to skin the burning T-Rex and summon the families of the victims of this hunt. Paul apologized to the parents of the victims, who were crying hysterically, and then ordered everyone to prepare for the funeral.

"If I had realized my powers earlier, wouldn't they have killed me?

Lazuro's gaze grew sad as he watched the parents weeping for their children. 

“It’s not your fault, Lazu. These parents are already aware of the risks of their children’s work. Those who possess mythbreakers must be prepared to risk their lives when they are chosen. Therefore, you don’t need to feel guilty.” Aicelia stroked Lazuro’s head.

“I see… But… it’s truly heartbreaking to see someone sad over your loss. Would it be possible for someone to look for me or even be sad about it if I died?” Lazuro wondered.

“What do you mean—”

Their conversation was interrupted when someone suddenly pulled Tristan’s ear, causing the young man to groan in pain. Lazuro turned to face the person and saw a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, a red cloth headband, and a medieval dress.

“You think you can get away so easily after causing such trouble, young man!” The woman pulled Tristan’s ear even harder.

“Ow… ow… Auntie, stop it. It’s going to come off; don’t pull it anymore!”

“Who is that scary woman?” Lazuro asked Aicelia.

“T-that’s my mother.” Aicelia smiled wryly.

“I—I’m sorry.” Lazuro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

Aicelia's mother let go of Tristan's ear and then hugged him tightly.

"Thank God, you're okay. I was really worried. If anything had happened, I don't know what I would have done. Please don't do this again." Aicelia's mother's voice was hoarse.

"I'm sorry, Auntie." Tristan lowered his head.

Tears streamed down Lazuro's cheeks. The moment Aicelia's mother hugged Tristan, somehow gave warmth and a deep longing that moved Lazuro.

"Why are you crying?" Aicelia asked.

"No, it's... it's just nice seeing them. It was the same at camp too. Tristan is loved by everyone." Lazuro smiled bitterly.

"That's right, even though he's a troublemaker, my mother... no, everyone loves Lazuro very much." Aicelia smiled.

"I see. If I could get it too... ah, forget it. We should help perform the ceremony—"

Lazuro felt a tightness in his chest, his head starting to feel dizzy, and he finally collapsed. Desperately, Lazuro tried to get air into his mouth. However, for some reason, only emptiness and pain filled his chest.

"Dad... help... Lazu... Lazuro!"

A panicked Aicelia stroked Lazuro's chest, hoping his condition would improve. Hearing Aicelia's screams, James and Paul stopped what they were doing.

"What's wrong, my dear?" Paul asked.

"Lazu... he... he seems to be having trouble breathing," Aicelia replied.

Paul and James exchanged glances before finally laying Lazuro on the ground.

"It looks like his breathing is still not used to this place. Don't worry, Aice, we can fix him."

Paul took an oval-shaped instrument with a hole in the bottom. He then offered it to Lazuro to suck on. Like a madman, Lazuro sucked deeply into the tube . Air began to enter his chest, gradually calming the boy down.

“This has happened before when one of our village's hunters spent too long in the underworld. Upon returning, they often experienced shortness of breath, leading to death. It seems this child is indeed from the underworld.” Paul shook his head.

Feeling relieved, Lazuro shifted into a sitting position. James, who had stepped away for a moment, handed Lazuro a pill to take. After taking it, Lazuro felt a sense of relief.

"Honey, can you take this child to our house?" Paul asked the blonde girl.

"How about Lazuro stay at my house? My place is currently empty." Tristan interrupted.

"That's a great idea. What do you think, Lazuro? Would you like to live with Tristan?" Paul Asked.

Lazuro looked at Aicelia, Paul, James, and Tristan, who all had enthusiastic expressions, then nodded in agreement. After that Lazuro was led to a two-story, European-style house with a spacious courtyard surrounded by walls and fences. The door was made of solid wood, and upon entering, Lazuro was greeted by a red carpet and stairs leading to the second floor.

"There used to be a lot of servants here. Since my father left, I've been living alone," Tristan began.

"Where's your father?"

“My father went to the world tree. Ever since my mother died, he’s been obsessed with gaining power. He said that life is just a boundary that can be crossed, and he’ll definitely find a way to bring my mother back to life once he reaches the world tree.”

“So that’s why you want to go to the world tree.”

Tristan nodded and opened the door to one of the rooms in the house.

“You can use this room. As for clothes… I think I can lend you some. Then you can rest while we wait for food from Aunt Giny.”

“How about I cook? Do you have any groceries?”

“Hey, you can cook?” Tristan asked in a high-pitched voice.

“I’m used to living alone, so I can cook pretty well. Consider it a token of thanks for letting me stay here.”

Lazuro was eventually led to a four-by-four room filled with several strange items. Tristan immediately went to a metal chest, which turned out to contain food. Curious, Lazuro approached the chest and felt a chill hit his face.

“Is this a cooler? So you have one?”

Lazuro examined the chest and found no sign of any machinery inside.

“How does this thing cool food?” Lazuro scratched his head.

“With mana crystals, of course,” Tristan replied.

“Mana crystals?”

“You know… beasts have mana crystals with specific elements. Those mana crystals are very useful for making magical equipment, like this cooler and that stove.” Tristan pointed to a flat, cube-shaped object.

Lazuro walked over to the stove and wondered how to power it. Tristan immediately grabbed a red mana crystal from the bottom drawer, stuck it into the stove's hole, and suddenly a flame lit up.

“Amazing, just by hunting beasts you can get resources. But… I think having a gas stove is safer and more practical.”

Lazuro dismissed the thoughts of his practical life and began gathering ingredients. Lazuro paused for a moment because, besides meat, there were many strangely shaped ingredients he didn't know about. Not wanting to bother Tristan, Lazuro tried the ingredients one by one.

Lazuro found many oddities, such as triangular tomatoes with a softer texture and an unappealing brown color. There were also several varieties of mango-shaped onions that weren't bitter but rather savory. After sampling the ingredients in the cooler one by one, Lazuro finally cooked a steak and fried sweet potatoes topped with a brown sauce. He then served the steak to Tristan and himself. Tristan, who had been sitting there inhaling the steak on his plate, took a bite.

"How is it?" Lazuro asked.

"What is this? It's even better than Aunt Giny's cooking."

Tristan quickly finished his steak and raised his plate to signal that he wanted more. Luckily, Lazuro cooked an extra steak, and the two of them continued eating.