Durand realized something.
Yel was Yel because Lav was there.
Lav was Lav because Yel was there.
Yel was free, unbound like the wind. He would smile so brightly one couldn't look directly; one wouldn't compete with him in loudness. He would run uncaringly even if there was a cliff beneath his feet.
Lav was reliable, grounded like earth. He would observe the world around him, remaining silent even in the moment one shouldn't have been able to.
He would stop Yel from falling, and Yel would smile ever so brightly, laugh ever so loud for both of them.
They were completing each other, so Durand, if he were to search, could find them everywhere.
He saw goblin Yel and Lav. Perhaps somewhere in the forest there were rabbits Yel and Lav. If he were to look more closely, he might find bugs Yel and Lav. And if he were to raise his head. There was the sun and the moon. One shone brightly, the other ruled the serene night.
Then... who was he? There were Yel and Lav everywhere, but who was Durand of those goblins, Durand of sun and moon?
Did their fate reject him? His place next to them, denied... both by them and the world.
Who was Durand? If not the big brother of those two. His thoughts were vague. Inside his head there were no longer fog worms, they turned to poisonous maggots.
He lost his identity in a void and scary. He didn't have the power to retrieve it back. Even the darkness eluded him.
".... It seems the young lord overused his magic... He damaged his mind..."
"...How to fix it?.."
'Voices of strangers...'
"...He needs a powerful healer..."
'I am being carried somewhere…'
A warm feeling filled Durand. Like relaxing steam flowed inside him, untying the fatigue in his head.
A satisfied sigh drifted from him, one that would be let out after drinking warm tea on a cold winter night.
Durand opened his eyes. His head, now lost all its sluggishness, turned to a sharp sword. The blurry world around him was now distinct and clear. His thoughts free of the maze of fog he was in.
"Thank you." He didn't know who helped him; his gratitude was there regardless of who it was.
"It is just my duty."
An old man in priestly clothes said and stepped away. In his place, a girl of around Durand's age came close. A nymph? She had a similar air that a nymph would have and a weird hair color like nymphs, the color of a pink sunset glow. She had a guilty expression on her face, her lips tight, her eyes escaping from Durand's gaze.
"My lord, I am sorry... Those goblins ran away because of my fault."
Monsters run away? Were they imprisoned somewhere before? Durand, in confusion, looked around. The room's walls were made of stone. It was in a high place because when he looked out the window, he couldn't see the ground, only mountains. A soldier barrack? No, there was a luxurious chandelier in the room, like one in temples, and the woodwork of the furniture was too elegant. A castle? A noble's room?!
"May I learn who you are, my lady?"
"Hm? Sorry, it was uncouth of me not to introduce myself right away. I am Enrosa Kainmatrich."
Enrosa gave a slight bow. And waited for his name...
Kainmatrich, that definitely sounded like a noble house. He remembered pirates mentioning them. Now, what? Nymphs were sold to nobles, so all Durand did with his escape was just get rid of the middle man to give himself free. What would they do if they were to learn he was a half nymph? Chain him right away to use as a slave? Probably...
Durand had already waited long enough for it to be considered rude. Confusion filled the room then Durand heard a familiar voice behind the priest and Enrosa. Bolb stepped forward, his face sweating nervously.
"Ehhh, my lord, did you forget your memory?"
He didn't but he held the true answer before it slipped from his tongue. A prepared lie from Bolb, It was said too hastily to point to its being prepared beforehand dripped from every word, but it was the best excuse Durand had, so he had to play with it. The fact the noble lady called him 'my lord' gave a clue to Bolb's plan. A noble on a journey lost his memory while attacked by goblins.
"Memory? Uhg... It is like a sharp pain assaulting me as I try to remember."
Durand wanted to choke himself for that cheap acting.
"Oh my! Can't do something about it?"
"My lady, I already did my best. If unhealed it is beyond my capacity."
"But..."
Enrosa's brows tightened, she lowered her head.
"My lady, there is nothing life-threatening at hand; we just need to wait for someone better at healing to come and see. The saintess occasionally comes to Kainmatrich Walls, so the young lord's illness will not last long."
Enrosa nodded.
"My lord, during your visit here, just tell me anything that bothers you or anything you want."
"Thank you for your hospitality."
"It is at least what I can do. I am sorry again. I will leave you with you attendant though he said he is someone you hired midway and didn't know your identity. Maybe talking with him may help to regain some of your memories."
"Thank you again."
It looked like each 'thank you' Durand gave struck Enrosa in her heart as her face soured each time. She said nothing and left with a defeated posture. The priest followed her behind.
The moment the priest closed the door, both Durand and Bolb let out breaths they had been holding.
Bolb's knees were shaking as he sat down on the chair. Durand knew from the conversations he heard how pirates feared nobles, and that fear stuck to him as well. Though Enrosa was just a child, she knew she could kill them with her few words. Bolb did well in preparing for an excuse; without it, their heads might be scheduled to fly tomorrow. No, Bolb did more than do 'good'. He protected Durand from goblins. Then, while Durand was crying like a child, he carried him even though he was wounded by goblins.
"Bolb... You must already have realized I am not the powerful noble I told I was. Why are you still helping me?"
Silence held in the room. Durand could tell Bolb himself didn't know how to answer this question. So, he gave him time to think.
"Even though you, my lord. Aren't so powerful it doesn't change your lordship is a mage. That young lady treated you so well because somehow they understood you are a mage. I don't know much about mages that aren't nobles beyond some folk stories, but I know that being a servant of such a person is better than the life I was living."
In Durand's past life, mages were called witches and hunted to be burned at the stake. He as an executioner killed some of them with his own hands. Durand knew he was in the future but he didn't know exactly how much time had passed. Maybe he could use the library, surely a noble family would have one. If Enrosa would allow it, he would know what led to the opinion on witches to change so he could understand Bolb better. There was one problem though... Was it wise to interact with Enrosa?
"Bolb, what nobles do if they knew you are a pirate and I am a half nymph?"
"Well, Kainmatrichs are known to be rigid when enforcing rules, so I will be executed, for you my lord... I don't know. I know some nobles keep nymphs as servants as a way of showing their wealth, but Kainmatrichs aren't ones to show extravagance; so they might give you to some noble friends of theirs."
"... Is that what's gonna happen to my two brothers?"
"Yes, the ship will go to the River Merchant Guild and sell them there. Then they would be auctioned to nobles."
"Where are we at? Are we close to that place?" Durand wanted to save the two immediately if he could.
Bolb shook his head.
"Within human realm borders, we are as far as we could be. The Great River is the western point of the Human Realm, while we are at the eastern point."
"How much time would it take to reach there?"
"Months by land and from sea there is no merchant ship that travels the North Sea. It is monster infested; only pirates would risk their lives for riches."
"How much time would it take for the pirate ship to reach the Great River then?"
"Around two weeks."
When they reach there,Yel and Lav would already be sold.
"I need some air… If you want, you can join my walk." Durand got out of the bed, and Bolb followed him. In the corridor they saw a servant girl walking somewhere. Durand waved his hand to get her attention.
"Is there somewhere I can get some fresh air?"
"Yes, there is a garden. Follow me, my lord."
They followed the servant, passing through corridors. When they reached the main door of the building, they saw Enrosa, holding a book.
"Going for a walk?"
"Yes..." Though Durand wanted to be polite and asked if she wanted to join. He would rather she didn't, so there was an awkward pause.
"May I join?"
It seemed Lady Enrosa wasn't great at reading social cues.
"...It would be my pleasure."
Durand, without any choice, agreed.
The garden was quite plain. There were a few flower beds, and that was it. Durand expected more from the noble house's garden.
"I know it isn't the best, but I like its simplicity and sorry..."
"You already apologized for what happened, my lady, though I don't know how you were involved with the goblins."
"Not that. I barged in your walk without invitation. I like to read books in the garden and was on my way to do that. It would be weird to stand separately in a small garden such as this."
"I understand."
"And for goblins... You see, there is a building we hold monsters in for soldier's practice, and there was a new monster, soldiers were talking about it constantly, but they refused my request to see it. So... I snuck in to look at it but accidentally set all the monsters free. That happened a month ago; my uncle is still trying to clean up the mess. Normally on this side of the mountain the monsters would rarely appear."
"This side?"
"Ah yes, your memory problem. We can't see from here, but there is a giant wall beyond those mountains to keep monsters away. They are called Kainmatrich Walls."
"Soo Kainmatrich is an important family?"
"Yes, of course. If you ask me, I would say second to the royal family, though some may disagree with that."
Durand couldn't help but look at the castle they had come from. It was bland, not, he would say, second most important.
"We don't show off much."
It looked like Durand's expressions were too easy to read, both his opinion about the garden and the castle laid bare.
"I am sorry if my gaze came across as rude."
"There is no such thing as a rude gaze... actually I might be the rude one... I am just a little excited. There aren't many people around my age here. Well, there is one, but… nevermind."
"Aren't there any young ladies tea party gatherings?"
"Hehe. No, in Kainmatrich there is only before battle drinking and after battle drinking. Children are supposed to be married to bears somewhere while adults socialize in battle."
"..."
"A Northerner joke, when you ask someone where their child is, they answer with that; I don't know, married to a bear somewhere. And they would all laugh like they hadn't heard it a million times. From an old joke, do you wanna hear?"
"Sure."
"Yeah, I want to hear too. I never lived in the north, but my parents were from here." Bolb said.
"Two warriors and a drunk man walk into a tavern. As they talk, the topic comes to their children. The first warrior answers that his little son wrestled with a bear on the mountain. The second warrior answers that his daughter married a noble in the south and the drunken answers 'I don't know, married to a bear somewhere.'"
Bolb laughed. Enrosa and Durand turned to him with serious expressions that said, 'Did you really find that funny?'
"Ahhh, married to a bear. Hahahaha..."
"Yeah, northerners find child neglect funny; they romanticize too. I can tell a bunch of tales where parents left their child alone and, in the end of the tale, they come and say 'it was actually for your own good now you learned to survive on your own.' Thank God, my parents are not like that!"
"At least you got lucky with that."
Enrosa smiled devilishly.
"Yeah, because they are dead! Hahahahah."
Bolb joined in her laugh.
"HAHAHAHhahahah. Did you get it? her parents aren't neglectful because they are dead but in the end they are still neglectful AHAHAHHahahahaha."
"Yeah, Bolb... I get it."
'Northerners are weird. Noted.'