Not long after, the estate's steward entered the room. As soon as he stepped inside, he placed a hand over his chest and bowed lightly.
"Your rooms are being prepared as we speak," he said, then turned toward the door.
"Suna, come here."
"Yes, Mr. Gustav," a young maid replied as she appeared at the doorway.
Pointing at Aster, Gustav said,
"Take this young gentleman to his room."
Suna stepped inside politely and gestured forward.
"Please come with me, young sir. I'll escort you to your room."
As soon as Aster left the room, Gustav spoke again.
"Thank you very much—for agreeing to fulfill my master's final request."
Valorant replied with a serious expression,
"Even a man about to be executed is granted final words."
Hearing that, Gustav furrowed his brows slightly and cleared his throat.
"My master also asked me to ensure you are not left empty-handed. Please take this," he said, handing over a small chest.
Valorant accepted the chest and examined it carefully.
"So he still hasn't broken the habit of mixing money into everything," he said with a faint chuckle.
Watching him, Gustav cleared his throat again.
"There is one more thing my master asked me to convey," he said, pausing briefly.
"He wishes that on the very day he passes away, you take Anna away from this place."
"What about everything else?" Valorant asked.
"I will handle it. To prevent any trouble, I will use every means available to me—even if it costs me my life."
***
As Aster walked down the corridor behind the maid, he recognized her as the same girl who had been playing in the snow with Anna earlier.
What interested him more, however, was what Gustav and his master were discussing back in the room.
'Gustav didn't send us out for no reason. They must be talking about the task Duke Alaris gave. But why alone?'
Lost in thought, Aster continued walking when something caught his attention.
The duke's estate was even larger on the inside than it appeared from outside. There were far more rooms than he had imagined.
Looking at Suna, Aster suddenly thought that if she had lived in his village, she would have been incredibly popular there.
After a short while, they stopped in front of a door. Suna inserted the key and opened it.
"Please, young sir."
Hearing those words, a faint blush appeared on Aster's face. No one had ever treated him with such formality before.
"You can just call me Aster. Being called 'young sir' makes me uncomfortable," he said as he stepped inside.
"Very well, Aster. This room is yours."
The room wasn't bad at all. Inside were a single bed, a desk with a chair, and a large wardrobe set against the wall. Strangely enough, the bag Aster had brought with him on the journey was already placed beside the bed.
As soon as he entered, he carefully looked around. The bed was new and intact, and the sheets were clean. Sleeping in a place like this was something he could only have dreamed of before.
While the young Elestar was examining the room, Suna—who had been standing off to the side—cleared her throat softly, as if calling his attention.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Aster glanced at her and almost asked about Anna—but it felt a little awkward. Just then, Suna spoke unexpectedly.
"Her name is Anna. Were you going to ask about that?"
She looked at him as if she had read his thoughts.
'Did I say it out loud?'
Suna continued.
"Normally, she avoids people. She only opens up when she's alone with me," she said, then glanced at Aster.
She paused for a moment, then smiled—like someone who had just thought of something mischievous.
"If you'd like… I could introduce you to Anna."
Hearing that, Aster could hardly believe his ears.
'Did she just say she'd introduce us?'
He thought it over for a moment before replying.
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary," he said, his face slightly red.
Rather than being disappointed, Suna seemed even more pleased.
"In that case… I'll take my leave," she said, closing the door behind her as she left.
As soon as she was gone, Aster was about to unpack his belongings when Valorant entered the room.
"Master, what happened?"
The old man raised the chest in his hand and slowly opened it.
"Take a look."
Inside the chest were stacks of gold coins.
In the Blackwood Empire, there were two primary currencies: silver coins and gold coins.
Aster had seen silver coins with his own eyes many times in his life. Gold coins, however, were something he had only ever dreamed of seeing.
Like a stone statue frozen with its mouth open, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the chest.
"I think this should be enough to buy you a sword. Gustav gave it as payment for the task," Valorant said.
Countless thoughts ran through Aster's mind—more accurately, his wealth allergy was acting up again.
Seeing his disciple frozen in place, Valorant took a single coin from the chest and placed it into Aster's hand.
The coin rested motionless on his palm. Only the hand holding it trembled violently.
The old man placed the chest on the bed and gently closed Aster's trembling fingers around the coin.
"You'd better get used to seeing a lot of money from now on."
After regaining his composure, Aster asked,
"Why did they give us the money in advance? Shouldn't they pay after the job is done?"
Valorant closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again with a pained expression.
"There are reasons for that."
Then, forcing a smile, he added,
"Don't worry. The money in that chest will be enough for your sword—and for what we'll need to do next."
Even though his master told him not to worry, the uneasy feeling in Aster's chest refused to fade.
***
After their conversation, Valorant left the room.
Left alone, Aster sat quietly, turning the gold coin over and over in his hand. He even tried biting it to check if it was real.
But since he had never tasted gold before, he couldn't tell.
While sitting at the desk, he heard a knock at the door. He quickly stood up and opened it.
"Aster, can you hear me?"
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's time to eat."
The young Elestar left his room and headed to the dining area. When he arrived, he saw a long table surrounded by many chairs—but only three of them had meals set out.
Valorant was already seated at one of them. The other two were empty.
As soon as Aster sat down beside his master, Valorant stood up and left.
Aster raised his hand as if to ask where he was going, but his master didn't even look back.
Left alone at the table, Aster glanced around.
Noticing Suna standing near the wall, he beckoned her over.
"Who is the third seat for?"
"For Anna."
Aster looked at the empty chair, then asked again,
"Is she not eating?"
"She's a little afraid of you," Suna said with a light laugh.
"If you're that curious, why don't you ask her yourself?"
Suna returned to her spot by the wall.
Aster looked once more at the empty chair.
He didn't understand why Anna was afraid of him—but a strange unease settled in his heart.