XXX - Rubia

A cool wind blew through the treetops lining the broad avenue, sending countless leaves fluttering free with a loud rustle.

One of them landed squarely between Pan’s ears.

“Huh?”

She crossed her eyes upward, trying to catch sight of it.

But Haku had already reached over and plucked it free.

“So it’s already fall…”

She looked up at the branches overhead, where patches of yellow and orange were beginning to appear among the green.

Pan followed her gaze.

Fall already?

Her eyes drifted toward Haku, who was still holding the leaf between her fingers, when Elda’s voice echoed in her mind again.

The longer you wait... the harder it’s going to get.

Pan quickly turned back toward the road and shook her head.

Not yet...

She took a deep breath and smiled.

“Finally some decent weather!”

As she walked on, Pan stretched both arms over her head, feeling the wind ruffle her fur.

“Not too warm, not too cold. Just the way I like it, mm.”

Haku considered that for a moment.

“I think I prefer it warm.”

She turned to Elda with a smile.

“What about you, Elda?”

He merely stared at her in bewilderment.

Then he took off his mask, as though reminding her of his condition.

Haku rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

“Oh. Right. Forgive me…”

They continued north along the avenue, leaves crunching beneath their boots until, at last, they reached their next destination.

The city was nestled along the shore of a vast, tranquil lake. Its walls were built of pale limestone, overgrown with grapevines and ivy.

Terracotta rooftops clustered together, broken here and there by cypresses rising dark between the houses.

“So that’s Rubia,” Pan remarked.

Haku stepped up beside Pan and regarded the city with open curiosity.

“A city on a lake, then.”

At the city gate, two guards studied them from beneath the broad brims of their helmets.

One of them raised a hand, her suspicious gaze lingering especially on Elda.

“Business or pleasure?”

Haku glanced past her into the city and gave a slight bow.

“Adventurers passing through.”

Only then did the guards notice the Triskelion pin at her collarbone.

“Diamond rank…”

They hurriedly stepped aside.

“Come right in. We could certainly use some high-ranking adventurers at the moment. The Adventurer’s Guild can barely keep up with all the quests coming in.”

Pan’s ears twitched.

That means we can finally earn some proper money!

Beyond the gate, a broad piazza opened before them.

Beneath stone arcades, market stalls stretched as far as the eye could see, piled high with apples, herbs, cheeses, and dark bottles of wine.

Pan’s eyes sparkled.

“Is this the food market you told us about, mm?” she asked Elda excitedly.

Elda grinned, shaking his head.

“This is just one of the smaller ones. The real one is farther in.”

“Just one of the smaller ones…?” Pan repeated in disbelief, looking around.

The deeper they ventured into the city, the narrower the streets became.

Small bridges arched over canals whose shallow waters eventually emptied into the lake.

Above one doorway hung a wooden sign depicting a wild boar and a tankard.

They stopped in front of it.

“The Drunken Boar,” Haku read aloud.

Voices, laughter, and the clinking of mugs spilled out from inside.

“Looks affordable,” Elda remarked.

Since no one seemed to object, they went in, and before long, they had rooms for the night.

After settling into their rooms, they met again outside the inn.

For the first time in weeks, Haku was wearing her ordinary clothes again.

Pan stopped for a moment.

She actually changed on her own.

I didn’t even have to remind her.

“So,” Haku began with a smile. “Shall we explore the city?”

Pan nodded at once, while Elda was already setting off.

“I can show you around. It’s been a while, but I doubt the sights have changed much…”

***

Rubia’s great market occupied a vast, open hall near the lake.

Even before they reached the entrance, a flood of different aromas washed over them.

Pan stopped dead in the doorway, her eyes as wide as saucers.

“Wow…”

Elda grinned.

“Told you.”

The hall seemed to stretch on forever.

Pan slowly turned her head, tears welling in her eyes.

“This…”

She swallowed.

“…is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen, mm.”

Haku giggled.

“Are you crying?”

Pan wiped at her eyes.

“N-no…”

“As markets go, there really aren’t many better,” Elda explained. “Except perhaps the night market in Wyrsen.”

Even he seemed almost excited.

They pushed their way through the crowds, sampling all sorts of food Elda recommended.

At one point, Haku stopped in front of a stall selling small, golden-brown pastries topped with cream and strawberries.

She raised a finger toward them, hesitated, then finally pointed.

“I… I’d like to try those… if our budget allows.”

Pan and Elda exchanged a surprised glance.

“What?”

“Never mind…”

Haku was already about to move on, but Pan hurriedly pushed her way up to the stall.

“Three, please, mm!”

A moment later, each of them was holding one of the little pastries, carefully taking a bite.

Pan’s eyes lit up, a thin cream mustache forming above her upper lip.

“Wow, these are really good!”

Haku finished chewing, then gave her an embarrassed smile.

“They are.”

Noticing Elda’s distant expression as he mechanically chewed his portion, Pan gave him a small nudge.

“Once we find a cure for your condition, you have to come back here so you can actually taste them too, mm!”

Elda stared at her.

“A... cure?”

Pan answered with her cheeks still full.

“Mmff! Don’t you remember what Aki said? You can do all sorts of amazing things with Shuisu. I’m sure there’s someone who can help you, once we reach the east!”

He looked from Pan to Haku, who nodded in agreement, then down at the pastry in his hand.

“Worth a try, I guess,” he murmured, barely audible.

After leaving the market, they followed one of the broader streets down toward the city center.

The closer they came, the more tightly the crowds packed the streets between the old houses.

Elda walked ahead, with Pan close behind him, until she noticed that Haku was no longer following.

“Hm?”

A few paces back, the Sword Saint stood in front of a small stall beneath a dark-red awning.

Scarves and shawls hung in long rows from wooden poles.

One of them was dark blue, threaded with slender strands of silver.

Carefully, Haku ran two fingers over the fabric.

“So soft…” she murmured.

Pan blinked.

“Haku?”

Haku immediately pulled her hand away and continued walking.

“C-coming.”

But Pan lingered behind, looking from the scarf to Haku.

A small smile spread across Pan’s face when she hurried after her.

When she glanced over her shoulder one more time, Elda followed her gaze to the scarves but said nothing.

A few steps farther on, he suddenly stopped at a stall displaying long rows of dried herbs, spices, and tiny bottles.

“Huh.”

He picked up one of the jars and held it to the light, Haku stopping beside him.

“What is it?”

“Kastellaun root. Pretty rare outside Rubia.”

“What do you use it for?”

Elda cast a fleeting glance at Pan.

Then he launched into an unusually detailed explanation.

Pan blinked.

Her gaze drifted back down the street, where she could still make out the red awning.

She felt around in her purse and heard the faint jingle of coins.

We’ve still got a few left...

“You can also use it to treat inflammation,” Elda was telling Haku. “But only if you know how much to use. Otherwise…”

Haku listened attentively, and Pan seized her chance.

She vanished back into the crowd.

***

It was some time before they finally left the bustle of the inner city behind.

Pan had rejoined the others without saying a word about where she had disappeared to.

By then, the sun hung low above Rubia’s rooftops, and the long shadows of the houses stretched across the cobbled streets.

The road led them upward through quieter streets until at last the houses fell away behind them.

Ahead, a broad terrace opened above the lake.

Elda leaned against the low stone parapet and looked out over the water, reaching for a cigarette.

“Not bad, huh?”

Before them, the setting sun turned the water gold.

Rubia’s rooftops spread out below, and the distant tolling of a bell drifted up from the city.

Pan sat down on the broad stone wall.

“Not bad at all, mm!”

Haku stepped up beside her and took in the view.

“It’s beautiful.”

For a while, neither of them spoke as they watched the glittering lake.

When Elda finished smoking, he pushed himself away from the parapet and stretched.

“Anyway, I’m heading back.”

Haku turned toward him in surprise.

“Already?”

“I’m tired.”

She blinked.

“But I thought you couldn’t feel ti...”

Elda merely raised one hand without turning around.

“Need to buy some tobacco too. See you in the morning.”

He disappeared between the houses.

“Bye...”

Haku continued gazing serenely out over the lake. A cool breeze blew in off the water, stirring her silver hair.

Pan looked at her and cleared her throat.

“Haku?”

“Hmm?”

Finally, Pan pulled out a small, neatly wrapped package.

“Here. This is for you.”

She held it out to Haku, who blinked at it in confusion.

“For me?”

Carefully, she took it, her expression turning slightly troubled.

“You… shouldn’t have...”

“Just open it, mm.”

Slowly, Haku untied the string.

When she saw the dark-blue scarf inside, she went still, her expression softening.

Her fingers slid over the silver threads.

“This is…”

Pan grinned.

“I saw you eyeing it.”

Haku opened her mouth, then closed it again.

“But… we barely have any money.”

“We’ll start earning more tomorrow.”

Haku sighed.

“Pan… I...”

“And besides,” Pan said, folding her arms, “it’ll be getting colder soon. This’ll keep you from catching another cold, mm! So it actually serves a purpose.”

Haku’s fingers gently traced the fabric.

Only then did she smile and nod.

“Alright then... Thank you.”

Her voice was unusually quiet, and Pan felt heat rising to her face.

“Y-you’re welcome.”

Haku draped the scarf around her shoulders.

The deep blue stood out against her white blouse, and the silver threads caught the last rays of sunlight.

She touched the fabric once more, silently watching the sunset spread its orange light across the lake.

When Pan looked at her, Elda’s voice surfaced in her thoughts once more.

Her entire sense of self revolves around having some greater purpose.

Pan frowned.

But what if… she isn’t like that anymore?

Pan looked at Haku again.

At her ordinary clothes, the scarf around her shoulders, the contented expression on her face.

She even asked for that pastry today.

Hasn’t she already changed since then?

Pan leaned back and looked out over the lake.

Maybe she doesn’t need a Great Hero or some Demon Emperor anymore.

The lake burned gold in the last light.

Pan smiled.

Maybe… I’ve been worrying for nothing.