TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
Homesickness breeds timidity.
When he had just obtained [Zafkiel's Twelfth Bullet - Yud Bet], Aventurine had been so tormented that he wished he could see his family the very next second. Yet when only a cloth curtain separated him from them, he suddenly found himself at a loss, his hands and feet unsure of what to do.
A loving mother's thread in her hands, a wanderer's clothes upon his back. She stitches densely before his departure, fearing his return will be long delayed.
Twenty years. He had come back far too late—yet in some ways, also far too early.
He rubbed his cheeks several times, forcing himself back into the composure he wore when meeting clients. Sylvester's warning still echoed in his ears: change history too much, and everything might come to nothing.
This time, he had come only as a passerby—to take a single look, nothing more.
Raising his hand to lift the door curtain, he leaned his head inside, resembling a travel-worn noble young lord, smiling as he spoke, "Sorry to trouble you. I'm a traveling merchant who got separated from my caravan. I came to ask for a drink of water."
"Ah!"
The older sister was startled by the sudden intrusion. Thinking it was a bandit come to snatch food, she instinctively tried to hide the bowl of porridge under the bed.
Unfortunately, she was too slow. He saw everything at a glance, and her small hand froze awkwardly in midair, unable to move forward or back.
The girl stammered, "Ah, th-this…"
Seeing this, Aventurine's amused expression concealed a trace of bitterness.
He had never forgotten how harsh his childhood had been. In Avgin eyes, his sister's clumsy reaction was instead the purest reflection of human nature.
Lifting the pouch he had brought from the future, he said in a hoarse voice, "I have some dry rations with me, but I lost my canteen. I can trade food for water. My throat is practically smoking."
"Mm! Th-then…"
Even from several meters away, she could already smell the aroma wafting from the bag. It was meat!
She really wanted to agree, but given the local security situation, letting an unfamiliar man inside made her hesitate instinctively.
The girl looked toward her mother for help, only to discover a trace of daze on her mother's face.
Seeing that they remained silent for so long, Aventurine awkwardly shook the bag and said with an embarrassed smile, "Uh, I don't need much water."
"Pfft~~" The older sister covered her mouth and laughed.
The mother also nodded gently. "Guest from afar, please come in."
"You're too polite. Just call me 'you.'"
Aventurine lifted the curtain and walked straight into the tent.
Only then did the two inside truly realize how refined and wealthy this visitor was.
The high-grade fabric of Aventurine's clothes, compared to their coarse linen garments, could practically be called a treasure. The gold-inlaid jade ornaments on his person, and the gemstone earrings, were symbols of elegance and affluence.
In Avgin—indeed, across all of Sigonia-IV—they had never seen such a gorgeously dressed noble young lord.
"If only we could live like that someday…" With eyes full of longing, the older sister murmured her wish.
Then she put on a bright smile, found a clean clay bowl, and hurried out of the tent. "I'll go fetch water for you right away."
As Aventurine brushed past his sister, he clenched his fist slightly, applying a bit of strength.
Don't worry. I'll make sure you live that kind of life too.
And it won't take long.
He spread out the food from the bag. Inside were simple yet refined provisions, all carefully selected by him—tasty, easy to store, and enough to last them for quite some time.
"Just some plain food. Please don't laugh at it."
To be honest, using these things as the first meal to treat his family after returning home in glory felt far too stingy, filling him with guilt.
But there was no helping it. He could only stay for two hours. Although he was confident he could persuade Jade as she was now, who knew how many days it would take for the IPC's people to arrive?
If he flaunted wealth, it would only bring disaster upon his mother and sister.
"Th-this… guest from afar, you're far too kind." If not for the sincerity on his face, she might have suspected that this noble young lord was deliberately showing off to two country bumpkins.
These meats and vegetables they had never seen before were genuinely precious goods in Avgin.
In Avgin, there were only two sources of meat. One was wild game obtained through hunting, carrying a strong, pungent smell. The other was livestock carefully raised by wealthy families—only that could truly be called ingredients.
And in Avgin, the price of a slave might not be much higher than that of a well-raised animal.
Without question, the food he laid out was enough to buy the lives of both mother and daughter.
She slowly sat up on the bed.
"Easy, easy." Aventurine stepped forward and carefully supported his mother, who was dressed in coarse cloth.
"Mm." The mother said no more polite words and accepted it as a matter of course.
Only after sitting upright did she realize—had she accepted this too quickly?
"I'm back!" The older sister trotted into the tent and handed the bowl of water to Aventurine.
"Thank you." Aventurine smiled politely and drank more than half in one go.
Avgin's water sources weren't very pleasant, carrying a bitter taste, yet this bowl made him savor it as though it were sweet nectar.
"Hoo~~ Saved!"
Like a traveler truly on the brink of dying of thirst, Aventurine let out a relieved breath.
He said sincerely, "Thank you. You saved my life."
This was not an act—only using one matter to express his feelings about another.
With solemn conviction, he declared, "To repay you, I will bring you great fortune!"
"Ah?" The older sister was startled by the sudden turn. Seeing Aventurine's serious expression and confirming he wasn't joking, she lowered her head to look at the clay bowl. "But it was just a bowl of water…"
She didn't know how to make bewitching potions either. Could this noble young lord actually be a prodigal son?
Dressed so flamboyantly, like a peacock—maybe that was exactly the case.
"In Avgin, that's not exactly an auspicious thing to say, ahem."
After muttering softly, she cleared her throat and asked to confirm, "You're serious?"
"Of course. Just wait for my good news. In a few days at most, visitors from beyond the sky will come, and with a starship larger than the mountains, they'll take you away." Aventurine nodded, then turned and left without hesitation.
Yes—besides seeing his family, he had another purpose.
To fabricate a reason for helping them. A reason the IPC could accept.
He had merely repaid the kindness of a bowl of water by saving two 'unrelated strangers.' From then on, he would have 'nothing more to do with them.' If the IPC tried to control them to threaten him, it would have no effect whatsoever.
This was a necessary precaution.
"Wait, sir—your food!" The older sister swallowed. Though reluctant, she still reminded Aventurine that he had forgotten something.
"It's a gift for you!" Aventurine waved his hand without turning back, then added, "Remember this: you exchanged a bowl of water for my help. Other than that, no matter who asks you anything, just say you don't know!"
Seeing that he was about to leave so suddenly, Aventurine's mother called out, "Child!"
"!" Aventurine's eyes widened, his body stiffening on the spot.
This… could there really be such a thing as a mother-son bond? Even with time and space changed, could she still recognize me?
But this goes against Shopkeeper Sylvester's warning—could it cause…
"I'm sorry, sir. I misspoke," the mother said guiltily.
She didn't know why she had called out that way. She had only seen him about to leave, and for some reason felt an overwhelming irritation. In her panic, the word slipped out.
"Sir. At least… please tell us your name."
Aventurine let out a breath of relief, then turned back with a smile. "My name is… Kakavasha."
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa