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“Astard! It’s been ages.”

After plopping down the bucket he was holding, Foldia said with a carefree smile towards Astard. He then cast a peek towards Merc before returning his attention to Astard.

“Who’s the girl? And what are you doing here, exactly?”
“This girl is… This one’s Merc. She’s an elf with whom I became acquainted.” Astard stated, interrupting himself in the middle of his sentence, most likely because he didn’t want to introduce Merc as a woman.
“Hello.”

Nonetheless, Astard’s use of the phrase “this one” to introduce Merc was clearly impolite. However, the fact that he hadn’t told Foldia that Merc was Estert implied that he still thought highly of her.

Astard most likely intended to let Merc inform Foldia personally, or he simply did not wish to complicate matters further.

“Oh! An elf, huh. It’s rare to see one here. So? Why are you two here?”
“We followed the Mana of the sleeping girl over there. That girl is… my disciple.”

Disciple, huh.

Merc smiled at Astard, who hesitated for a moment before answering.

Astard had assured Kena that he would make her his disciple. Even though it was all Merc and Astard’s fault for being fooled, Kena had been unable to pass Astard’s exam in the end.　

Despite this, Astard introduced her as his disciple. In the past, such a thing would have been unimaginable. This indicated that the Astard genuinely cared about Kena.

“Disciple? To think that a loner such as you would take on a disciple! What’s gotten over you?”

Foldia asked, his face colored with amazement, and he glanced at Astard as if he’d just witnessed a flock of flying pigs.

“… I was going to thank you for saving my disciple, but I guess I’ll pass.” Astard expressed his displeasure, apparently offended by Foldia’s attitude.

Regardless, their camaraderie was a long one. The atmosphere around the so-called loner made it clear to Merc that Astard was more embarrassed rather than angry. The same thing was also clear to Foldia. He smiled and said in a respectful tone.

“I didn’t mean to offend you. And there’s no need to thank me yet. It’s not like your disciple is off the hook yet. It’ll all be decided tonight.”
“Regarding that…”
“You’re worried, I know. I too have a disciple, albeit not as cute as yours. I know how you feel. I don’t know what happened but I did all I could. I even borrowed some of the Blood-Stopping Medicine and Stamina Recovery Drugs from her bag. I also saved her from a strange bunch that seemed to be the Duke’s men. So there’s no need to hate me. Okay?”

Foldia began ranting on and off in his defense after interrupting Astard, who was about to inform him that Merc had already treated Kena. Astard, amused by his unusual modest attitude, looked at Merc, but even she was at a loss for what was going on.

She’d hardly seen Foldia act like this.

Ah! It definitely has to do something with a weapon.

It only took a moment for Merc to reach an answer. Foldia, who was normally a prideful individual, would even grovel on his knees if it meant obtaining a weapon he desired.

Merc had her fair share of difficulties during her time as Estert, and she’d even fought Foldia with her Dungeon swords on the line.

The Hero known as Foldia had no interest in women, money, or fame. In this world, the only thing he desired was weapons. As a result, it was easy to deduce that his present behavior was connected to a weapon¹.

“My disciple is okay. She was healed just now.”
“What? Oh… I see. You could use Lesser Heal, couldn’t you? I completely forgot. After all, we always had Iriem for these things.”
“No. With Iriem’s ability, it could have been possible, but my Lesser Heal couldn’t have cured her wound. Merc was the one that cast Heal on her.”
“What? Oh yea, this girl’s an elf. No wonder she can use Heal.”

Foldia murmured, turning to face Merc after hearing Astard’s explanation. He then showed her his charming smile, which Merc had seen many times throughout her time as Estert.

“I owe you one, Missy. Truth be told, I have something to discuss with the Great Sage. I had no idea that she was Astard’s disciple, but if something had happened to her, it would have been hard to speak with him. You really saved my skin this time. Thank you.”
“D-Don’t mind it.”

When confronted with that nostalgic smile, Merc tried her best to give a slight nod and an awkward smile, finally coming to realize that she had been reunited with Foldia. On the other side, Astard gave Merc a quick look before returning to talk with Foldia.

“So? What do you want to talk about? To begin with, why have you come all the way from the Kingdom of Lambada to Logholt?”
“Isn’t that obvious? I came to meet you. I heard rumors that you were in Logholt while I was at Lambada. So I came here with a favor in mind.”
“A favor?”

Astard asked, his brow furrowed as if he had a terrible feeling. Foldia, on the other hand, had a beaming smile on his face, as if he’d been waiting for Astard to ask him.

“About that… Astard, would you like to come with me to the Empire?”

1. Silva: Wait… you really mean weapon weapon? Not women’s weapon??? You know… that…