“Oh?”
After exploring for a while, we encountered an elderly man.
He looked to be… probably over sixty.
Seeing that all his hair was white, he might even be older.
However, despite his appearance, he gave off an incredibly sharp pressure.
His body was thin, like a tree branch.
He wore light armor, but it didn’t seem to fit him properly.
Even so, just standing face-to-face with him made cold sweat start to form.
This man was unbelievably strong.
Maybe even comparable to Sofia…
Or perhaps even stronger than her.
"Hello."
Without hesitation, Sofia smiled warmly and greeted him.
Moments like these really made me admire her.
I hurried to greet him as well.
"H-hello."
"Yah-hoo!"
"Hmm, hello."
When we greeted him, the pressure the old man had been releasing disappeared.
Maybe he had been wary of us, thinking we were bandits or something.
"Are you young ladies adventurers?"
"Yes. My name is Sofia Ascart."
"I’m Fate Stuart."
"Hehe, and I’m the beautiful fairy, Licorice-chan!"
"Oh... so you’re the Sword Saint, young lady."
Apparently, he knew about Sofia, and his eyes widened in surprise.
His reaction surprised us in turn.
"You know about Sofia?"
"Hohoho, there’s not an adventurer out there who doesn’t know about you.
The youngest in history to be granted the title of Sword Saint, and wielder of the Holy Sword Excalibur.
You are the pride and aspiration of adventurers everywhere."
"Oh no, calling me your aspiration is a bit much…"
Sofia blushed and looked shy.
Being admired by someone much older must have been quite embarrassing for her.
"Ah, pardon me for not introducing myself sooner.
I’m Horn Eisfran, also an adventurer."
"Hm?"
When she heard his name, Licorice furrowed her brow slightly.
Was something bothering her?
"What are you doing in a place like this, Mr. Horn?"
"There’s only one thing adventurers do—treasure hunting."
"I see…"
Asking such an obvious question made me feel a bit embarrassed.
"And what about you all?"
"We’re looking for mithril that’s said to be somewhere in this tower."
"Oh, mithril, eh? That’s quite a rare thing you’re searching for."
"We really need it... Have you seen any?"
"Hmm, I’d like to help, but I haven’t seen any yet."
"I see…"
"However, I only just began exploring the tower myself.
I haven’t searched the upper floors yet.
It might be up there."
"Thank you very much."
We managed to get some valuable information.
I was grateful.
"By the way…"
Horn’s gaze turned toward Licorice.
"Is that child a fairy?"
"Obviously!
Just look at how adorable, cute, delicate, beautiful, and wonderfully amazing I am!
There’s no way I could be anything but a fairy!"
"Hohoho, you’re right, you’re right. My apologies."
"Honestly!"
They somehow seemed to get along naturally.
"Sorry again.
It’s just... it’s been so long since I’ve seen a fairy that I couldn’t help myself."
"Which means, you’ve met one before?"
"Yes.
Fairies rarely show themselves to humans, but…
When I was younger, I was lucky enough to meet one.
It became a truly cherished memory."
A fairy other than Licorice, huh…
I wonder what kind of person they were?
I’m curious.
“If you don’t mind, could you tell us about that fairy?”
“Hmm, I don’t mind.”
It seemed like it would be a long story.
Horn sat down at a nearby spot.
“This is a story from when I was still young… Through a certain twist of fate, I met a fairy named Nonoka.”
“Nonoka!?!”
It was Licorice who reacted with a leap.
Gone was her usual playful atmosphere; she now looked very serious.
She darted in front of Horn and leaned in close.
“Hey, old man! You know Nonoka!?”
“Hmm, that’s about right… Is that fairy also someone you know?”
“Of course! Nonoka is my friend!”
Could it be…?
“Licorice, the Nonoka you’re talking about, is the one who made the Snow Crystal Sword…?”
“Yes, that’s right. Nonoka made the Snow Crystal Sword.”
“The Snow Crystal Sword!?!”
As I was surprised by the unexpected development, Horn now jumped in eagerly with his side of the story.
“W-what’s the matter?”
“What’s the matter? The Snow Crystal Sword is something I used to wield!”
“What!?”
At this point…
My mind couldn’t keep up with the shocking revelations that kept coming one after another.
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