Sudden Request from friend.

“How are you feeling? Yesterday was pretty chaotic, and seeing you then…” Adam asked Galiene.

“…..I’ve calmed down enough,” she answered briefly.

With the midday sun streaming through the window, Adam and Galiene shared a meal at the dining table, a plate of mashed potatoes and seasoned chicken filet baked to perfection, its aroma mouthwatering. Yet, unlike usual, as Galiene sat and ate, Adam stood behind her, gently drying her long brown hair with a towel. She stayed seated, quietly chewing, while her face flushed red.

“Good for you then.” Adam ran the towel over the tips of her hair, then, satisfied that it was dry, hung the towel on a hook near the bathroom door.

“But how could a creature cursed by Blaeath’s touch appear in the deepest layer of the mine? As far as I know, unless a place was directly attacked, a being completely corrupted by Blaeath shouldn’t even be there.” Adam frowned in puzzlement.

“Yes, it’s strange. Could there be something down there that spreads the plague itself?” Galiene shared his unease.

“…..Sorry if this stirs up your past, but… has anything like this ever happened before in the kingdom you once served? I mean, as a place where ‘Blaeath’ first emerged?”

“No. The black smoke of Blaeath appeared suddenly at the kingdom’s heart, twisting everything it touched into monsters. The worst of it was when the smoke consumed the kingdom’s high mage, and with that, it brought the kingdom to ruin.”

“I see…”

“…I don’t know what else has changed since the fall of the kingdom, and since I became a gladiator,” Galiene said quietly. “But it feels like the world has grown more dangerous.”

“Trust me, the world hasn’t changed much. It’s only Blaeath that stands out,” Adam replied. “But… if Blaeath can emerge from the deepest mine without any outside interference, then it’s only a matter of time before the curse manifests in a city, and chaos follows.”

Neither spoke another word. Even as a prediction, the thought itself was frightening, especially after what had happened the night before.

“Adam… what if we start investigating this?” Galiene asked.

“Eh?”

“The longer we do nothing, the more dangerous it’ll become. If we don’t understand why Blaeath suddenly appears, we’ll be caught unprepared. At the very least, if we uncover how it spreads, we can warn people, and maybe even save lives, just like yesterday.”

“But this isn’t an ordinary curse. This is Blaeath we’re talking about. A single touch, and you’re turned into a monster,” Adam shot back.

“We lack anything that can counter it. No potion exists to shield us from its curse. I don’t even know if any magic could. Do you?”

“About that…..” Galiene lowered her head. She knew full well: purification magic could only cure ordinary ailments, poisons, paralysis, and minor curses. But against Blaeath, no breakthrough had ever been made. Even high-level sorcery had failed.

Tok. Tok. Tok.

The sound of knocking startled both Adam and Galiene—especially Adam, who wasn’t expecting visitors.

“I’ll get it.” Galiene rose and walked to the door. She opened it and found someone she’d only recently become acquainted with.

“Grace?”

Grace stood at Adam’s doorstep, her brown hair slightly disheveled, clutching a thick book to her chest with one arm while wiping sweat from her face with the other.

“Eh—Galiene!?” Grace’s eyes widened in surprise at seeing her, not Adam.

“Wait a second, I’m not at the wrong place, am I?” She pulled out the guild’s note with Adam’s address, double-checking it, then glanced left and right as if searching for him.

“No, you’re not—”

“Ah, Grace, I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.” Adam, hearing the commotion at the door, had come to join them.

“…..Adam and Galiene… coming out of the same house….” Grace’s eyes darted up, down, left, right, scanning them both as though witnessing something rare, her face breaking into a nervous panic.

“Ahh… looks like I’ll have to explain this to you later,” Adam said with a small, awkward laugh.

-

"F-Forgive me for acting like that earlier." Grace said while bowing her head.

"Don’t worry about it, it’s only natural since I also left without telling you beforehand." Adam came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of warm tea, followed by Galiene with a basket of dry bread.

"So, what business do you have with me?"

"Um, Adam, could you help me complete the request I took?" Grace handed the request paper she had taken to Adam.

"…Convoy protection?"

"Yes… because the organizer asked to bring as many people as possible, and you were the first one I thought of."

"Well… I don’t mind since I’m free, but why? I thought you’d try to use those 50 gold coins as best as you could."

"…Well, I told you before that I would try opening a rental mage service, and I thought of trying to gain experience by taking on requests, from handling permits to fighting."

"And you took this request as the first task you’ll do?"

"…At first I thought with my magic, I could protect myself, but ever since that incident, when I almost died… I started to wonder if something was wrong with my abilities, or if there was something lacking in me."

"I see… looking at this paper, it means the request starts tomorrow."

"Yes, sorry for being so sudden like this."

"Hey, I already told you I don’t mind. So don’t worry, we’ll arrive at the designated place."

"Thank you so much, Adam. You too, Galiene."

"It’s nothing." Galiene replied with a smile.

"Drink that tea, Grace, maybe it will help you relax for tomorrow."

"O-Okay, excuse me." Grace downed the tea and a smile appeared on her face, as the conversation shifted to focus on food and drinks suitable to bring along.

-

"Goodbye, you two." Grace began walking down the path, glancing back at Adam and Galiene outside. Adam and Galiene waved their hands in farewell, while Grace turned away, pouting in jealousy at the sight of them together, letting out a sigh.

Adam and Galiene went back inside the house. As soon as they entered, Adam peeked through the gap in the curtain to make sure Grace had walked far enough away.

"…You’re thinking the same thing as I am, aren’t you?" Galiene asked Adam.

"Yeah, a convoy protection request that requires additional people and is set to start so soon? It’s suspicious, as if they’re expecting something to happen later, and it’s not just bandits."

"So, what do you plan to do? We can’t just change our minds and not show up at tomorrow’s meeting."

"Improvise. We’ll bring gear to cover every possible scenario, poison attacks, paralyzing traps, explosive magic. Also, take along every tool needed to stabilize wounds, from minor to severe."

"Yes, but we can’t just leave right now without warning Grace about the danger ahead."

"You’re right." Adam looked up at the darkening evening sky. "We’ll head out tonight."
Galiene answered with a nod. She went to the living room, picked up a piece of paper, and began listing what they would need tomorrow. Meanwhile, Adam stepped out of the house and headed to the storage shed.

-

Night fell, and Adam and Galiene arrived in the city with glowing orbs of light circling around them. Once inside, the orbs faded, and they began searching for what they needed. Despite the late hour, the city was still lively with people bustling about, forcing Galiene to keep her hood drawn.

"Alright, some of the items on the list can be found at the potion shop on Bush Lane. Let’s head there first, it closes earlier at night." Adam said.

"Alright. After that, we’ll go to the market for food supplies for tomorrow, and lastly the hospital to buy medical equipment."

"I’ve got no objections."

Adam walked down the street with Galiene, and a few minutes later, they came across a signpost that read: Mount Row straight ahead, Lily Way to the right, and Cherry Route to the left. Suddenly, Adam stopped, making Galiene look at him curiously.

"What is it, Adam?"

"…Nothing. Let’s take Lily Way to the potion shop."

"Huh? Isn’t Mount Row actually closer? Especially if we’re pressed for time."

"It’s fine. I’m sure the shop will still be open when we arrive."

Adam immediately took the path toward Lily Way, leaving Galiene staring at Mount Row. Though she didn’t understand what Adam was thinking, she followed him anyway.

-

"Thank you! May your adventure be a fruitful one!" shouted a hospital staff member as Adam and Galiene walked out, carrying several paper bags.

"Alright, I think this should be enough for tomorrow—except for the food, which still needs preparation." Adam said.

"Yes, we should head back now, before someone we know spots us."

Just as Adam and Galiene were about to leave, they overheard a conversation about a shipment scheduled for tomorrow. Believing it was related to Grace’s request, Adam moved closer to eavesdrop, while Galiene instinctively kept watch on their surroundings.

"Ugh, I hope this is the last crate. My back is going to kill me if I keep hauling these damn things."

"Yeah, I’m beat."

"By the way, what’s even inside these crates? Do you know?"

"Nope. And since they’re being transported tomorrow, why should I care?"

"But if you really want to know, these crates are being sent to Dramur City."

"Wait, isn’t that city in the middle of a civil conflict? Are we moving weapons or something?"

"No, these crates are way too small to be weapons. But either way, they’re definitely headed there."

"Whatever. Our job here is done. How about hitting the pub after we report back to the boss? Drinks are on me."

"Alright, I’ll cover the food."

The two men walked away from the wagon. Just as Adam was about to approach it, another man appeared carrying a sword and shield, stopping by the wagon. That made Adam abandon the idea and instead quietly leave.

"What did you get from that?" Galiene asked Adam.

"…The convoy we’ll be guarding is headed to Dramur City."

"Dramur? Is that city still in conflict?"

"From what I heard, yes." Adam replied, retrieving the bag of medical supplies he had left near Galiene.

"This just keeps getting more complicated." Galiene muttered.

"Yeah. Aside from the convoy possibly being ambushed by bandits, there’s also the chance that one of the warring factions will attack, if whatever’s being delivered tomorrow turns out to be valuable."

Adam looked up at the dark night sky, covered in clouds, leaving the moon isolated in the silence of the night.

"Let’s hope everything turns out alright." Adam said.