"I've never seen you look this down, Big Brother. Is something wrong?"
The question came out so fast, even before Yujin realized it.
Today was the day after that meeting. Yujin was tasked with watching over Yuna—the poor girl who now had no home left to rest in.
"Ah," Yujin snapped out of his daze, realizing he'd been staring at Yuna for a while. "I'm totally fine. Oh right, didn't you say you wanted to go for a walk earlier?"
Even though her eyes weren't as bright as before, a spark of excitement still shone in them. "Oh, yeah!" The little girl immediately tugged on Yujin's sleeve. "Let's go, Bro! I really want to play with you again. To be honest, I've been feeling super lonely lately."
Ouch. Those words felt like a stab to the heart. "Don't worry, I'm right here. Didn't I promise you, Yuna?"
The girl replied with a warm smile. "Yep, I remember!"
Every deliberate step slowly brought them across the city square, which felt huge. A bit of an awkward silence hung between them. Only Yujin felt bothered by it, while Yuna didn't seem to mind at all.
"So... I was actually wondering. What do you like to eat, Yuna? You and Kenzie never told me. I'm worried I won't know what food to buy you later." Yujin scratched the back of his head, even though it didn't itch. Honestly, he was just talking to break the ice.
The little girl kept walking like she was marching in a parade. "Huh? Did I really never tell you about that, Brother Yujin?"
Yujin nodded gently next to the kid.
"Nope, never," Yujin replied with a faint smile, trying to match Yuna's small steps. "I've only visited a few times, after all. We haven't really spent that much time together."
Yuna let out a soft chuckle, skipping slightly to avoid a rock on the square's pavement. "It's fine, Bro." She crossed her hands behind her back. "I'm just happy that you want to hang out with me. Actually... when it comes to food, I'm not picky at all. I'd eat whatever Brother Kenzie used to cook. But..."
Yuna paused, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the rows of shops along the edge of Aethelgard city square. "...if I'm being honest, I absolutely love sweet cakes with fruit jam."
Yujin followed her gaze, looking at a small bakery on the corner of the square. The smell of butter and caramel reached all the way to where they stood. Behind the glass display, small tarts decorated with fresh red berries were lined up nicely.
Sweet cakes, huh? Yujin thought. He patted his pocket, making sure he had the pouch of coins he had prepared just to make Yuna happy.
"Sweet cakes with fruit jam, got it." Yujin gently patted Yuna's head, messing up her hair a bit. "Coincidentally, I still have a lot of leftover coins. How about we go to that shop over there? You can pick the cake with the most fruit jam on it."
Yuna's crystal-blue eyes widened instantly, and her dimming eyes suddenly lit up bright. "Really, Bro?! You're not kidding, right?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Yujin said, though his heart ached a little as he remembered his big lie about the situation in Nerthvale the other day. "Come on, before other adventurers buy them all up."
"Yay! Let's go, Bro!"
Without hesitating, Yuna happily grabbed Yujin's right hand—which was still wrapped in a thin bandage—and excitedly pulled him toward the bakery. The small tugs sent a sharp throb through his wound, but seeing the smile finally back on Yuna's face, Yujin chose to swallow the pain.
To Yujin, this child's smile was the only precious thing he could protect right now.
The smell of spices and dough greeted them the moment they stepped inside. The interior wasn't anything special. Just green-painted walls that were already starting to fade.
"Bro! Can I get that cake?" She pointed at the glass display. It was a small, birthday-like cake with strawberry jam on top.
"Sure! Pick whatever you want." Yujin smiled warmly as he watched Yuna run to the cashier. Her small hand pointed at the cake excitedly. The cashier just laughed at how enthusiastic she was.
Soon after, they left the shop. Yujin just bought a few loaves of bread for himself and his four companions, and one birthday cake for his little sister.
"So? Do you like the cake?"
Their eyes met, and Yuna's eyes shone like little stars. "It's super delicious, Bro!"
Her smile grew even wider by the time they reached the inn. She immediately ran toward Aurelia and Viola's room. Just as expected, Aurelia's voice sounded incredibly excited, with a loud "Waaaaah!" echoing out into the hallway.
Yujin walked down the long, dimly lit inn hallway, passing a few plain, repetitive paintings. The walls looked old but were still quite well-maintained. At the end of the hall, there was a door. He walked in to find Hana and Viola seriously discussing something.
"I bought you guys some bread." The young man placed the bag of bread on the table. "Eat up. It's not much, though."
Hana, who was holding a roll of old parchment, turned around immediately. Her face lit up as she smelled the warm butter drifting from the bag. "Wow, perfect timing! Thanks a lot, Yujin."
"Thanks. Look at you, actually being thoughtful for once. No wonder you're turning into such a 'doting brother,'" Viola chimed in with her usual sarcastic tone, though her hand quickly moved to grab a cinnamon roll from the table.
Yujin just snorted, pulling up a slightly shaky wooden chair and sitting down slowly—trying his best not to reopen the wound on his ribs. "What are you guys discussing so seriously?"
Hana chewed her bread for a moment before answering, "It's about the lab documents from Nerthvale we secured yesterday. Viola says she needs access to a grand library or an official institute to crack some ancient magic codes on the manifest sheets."
"Getting in there won't be easy," Viola cut in after swallowing her bread, her eyes fixed on the regional map on the table. "The only place around here with archives that complete is Valerius Grand Academy, or VGA. But the problem is, security there is crazy tight. Normal adventurers can't just walk into their main research area without a recommendation from a high-ranking official."
Yujin tapped his fingers on the table, his mind spinning. "Valerius Grand Academy, huh? I heard that's where elite mages and noble kids gather."
"Exactly," Viola answered flatly. "Even some of the military factions there are made up of pureblood descendants of the Lords. Typical arrogant people who love flaunting 'Von' in front of their names."
Hearing the word 'Von', Yujin went quiet for a moment. His mind flashed back to the complicated noble hierarchy. "Speaking of titles... if purebloods use 'Von', what about adopted kids who are officially taken in by a noble family? Do they get the same access to places like that?"
Hana and Viola glanced at each other, wondering why Yujin suddenly brought up such an oddly specific question out of nowhere.
"It depends on the clan's laws, Yujin," Hana answered, her voice softening but her expression turning serious. "In the central region, adopted noble children are usually given special titles like 'Vyn' or 'Van' to separate them from the main bloodline in official kingdom documents. They still have privileges, but politically..."
"...they're basically just high-class servants given nice clothes by most pureblood aristocrats," Viola cut her off bluntly, a cynical smirk on her face. "Why do you ask? Did you suddenly get interested in being adopted by nobles?"
Yujin let out a dry laugh, leaning back in his chair. "Not interested at all. Just... wondering. Who knows, maybe the enemies watching us or the people behind these lab documents have that kind of background."
Hana gently patted Yujin's shoulder to lighten the mood. "Alright, don't overthink it for now. The most important thing is for you to recover, okay? Leave the access to Valerius Academy to Viola and me. We'll find a way."
Yujin just nodded quietly. Right before putting a piece of whole-wheat bread into his mouth, he suddenly remembered the name 'Amory' attached to Viola. Didn't that mean Viola was a noble too?
Ah, never mind. Judging by their expressions... this topic might be a bit sensitive.
An idea popped into his head. He looked at the two girls in front of him, who were busy chewing their bread. "Why don't you try to get us in?"
"Me?" Viola froze, pointing a finger at herself in confusion. "Yujin, are you stupid? Not just anyone can enter VGA. We literally just explained that."
"I mean, using your background. Aren't you from a noble family too?"
"Oh my gosh..." Viola just shook her head, looking completely done with Yujin's questions. "Didn't I just tell you? How many times do I have to repeat myself? Not just any noble can get into Valerius Academy. The selection process there is insanely strict."
"Alright, alright. Let's talk about this later, okay?" Hana tried to step in between them. "Oh, how about we head over to the tavern near the Guild? They have tons of good food there."
The sudden topic change felt pretty abrupt to both of them. But they also realized the situation. If they kept going, this conversation would just turn into an endless argument.
"Fine, but you're treating me," Viola said huffily, though she was already rolling up the parchments on the table, showing she agreed with Hana's idea.
Yujin could only sigh in defeat. "Hey, I just bought you guys bread, and now you want to go out and eat again?"
"Quiet, Mummy," Viola cut him off as she stood up and threw her black cloak over her shoulders. "Chewing on your dry whole-wheat bread doesn't count as a proper breakfast for a grand mage."
"Alright, stop fighting. Come on, Yujin, you should come too. Think of it as a change of scenery so you don't get bored sitting in your room all day," Hana invited with a sweet smile that was impossible to turn down.
In the end, the three of them walked out of the second-floor inn, through the dim hallway, and toward a tavern right across from the Aethelgard central Guild.
The tavern was called The Rusty Shield, a semi-bar eatery that was usually packed with local adventurers from morning till night. The smell of grilled meat and the loud sounds of laughter welcomed them the moment they pushed the wooden door open. They picked a corner table far from the crowd so they could chat peacefully.
"So..." Yujin started the conversation after the server put down three glasses of warm drinks on their table. "If a regular noble background can't get us into VGA, is there really no other way?"
Hana took a sip of her drink, then looked at Yujin seriously. "Actually, there is one way, Yujin. Every few months, Valerius Grand Academy opens a special route called the 'Honorary Quest.' It's a high-level task issued directly by the academy for outside adventurers. If we manage to finish it, they give us a special access badge to the outer library and a few other academy facilities."
Viola narrowed her eyes, glancing at Hana. "Are you serious, Hana? Academy quests are usually bizarre. Last time I checked, they made adventurers hunt for rare materials right inside a dangerous monster nest."
Yujin just smirked faintly, his face still pale. Something inside him—the mimicking ability he had been hiding all this time—seemed to whisper that this was exactly the kind of challenge he needed.
"Monster nest or not, I think that's way better than begging for a recommendation from those arrogant 'Von' Lords, right?" Yujin said confidently.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Just focus on healing your body first. You're covered in wounds and still acting cocky," Viola snapped with her usual sarcasm.
That hit his pride directly. "Dammit, Viola! I was just giving an opinion."
"Aish, alright, stop. The food is almost here. Let's just enjoy our breakfast, okay?" Hana quickly cut in before they could bicker any further, right as the server arrived with a tray of smoked meat and steaming, savory soup.
Meanwhile, back in the warmth of inn room number two.
Aurelia, who had been busy keeping Yuna company, suddenly felt her stomach growl. She had been so focused on checking on the little girl and cheering her up that she completely forgot to eat breakfast. A second later, a pretty loud rumble echoed through the room.
It was so loud that Yuna, who was playing with her wooden spoon, reflexively looked up and blinked her crystal-blue eyes.
"Are you hungry, Sister Aurelia?" Yuna asked innocently.
Aurelia's face blushed bright red out of embarrassment. She didn't expect her stomach to make such a loud noise.
The little girl then picked up a small knife on the table, cut a small piece of the strawberry cake Yujin bought her, and held it out to Aurelia with both of her tiny hands. "Here, this is for you. You must be super hungry, right?"
Seeing the pure kindness in Yuna's eyes, Aurelia smiled warmly, feeling touched. She gently patted Yuna's chubby cheek and shook her head softly. "No need, sweetie. Keep the cake for yourself. I'm totally fine."
Aurelia adjusted her posture while glancing at the tightly closed bedroom door. In her heart, she could only pray that her three companions who went out earlier wouldn't forget about her stuck here.
They're... going to bring me some takeout, right? Aurelia thought miserably. She stared blankly at the doorknob, hoping a miracle in the form of grilled meat aroma would suddenly come through the hallway.