[Sinseki Era — Year -21]
[Central Lands · Outskirts of the Duke Region]
"Why did it have to end in mutual hurt…"
"I hated how you were always biased, and that made me sad… I avoided you…"
A sorrowful melody echoed from within a carriage headed toward the Duke Region, filling the space with the lingering emotion of a recent farewell.
"Can you please turn that magical device off?"
Though he had managed to smile while parting with Frieren earlier, Himmel now sat stiffly in his seat, clearly unable to hold back his feelings under the weight of the melancholy BGM. He cast a deeply aggrieved look at Gut and Serie, pleading.
"Nope."
Serie, fiddling with the CD player in her hands, flatly refused. "I'm still trying to figure out how it produces sound. Just bear with it a bit longer."
Himmel: ...
Feeling the Hero's emotional and resentful gaze boring into him, Gut—who had started this—put down the Spell Reversal Magic primer he was studying and decided to act human for once.
Using his mind, he adjusted the CD in Serie's hands to switch the track to something more cheerful.
"That's more like it."
Satisfied, Himmel nodded and leaned back against the carriage wall, closing his eyes to enjoy this unexpected musical interlude.
"So this magical tool can switch tracks? Fascinating."
Sitting cross-legged on a straw mat, Serie's eyes gleamed as she intensified her magical scanning, keen to uncover the mechanisms behind this curious "magical artifact."
"You're really into it, huh, Teacher."
Taking advantage of Serie's full concentration on her research, Gut silently admired her side profile. It was a sight for sore eyes, and even the fatigue he had accumulated from studying magic seemed to ease a little.
Time always flew by during travel.
After a series of small jolts, the carriage finally emerged from the forest and arrived at a town within the Duke Region.
Being near the Holy Capital — Strahl, the town was well-developed, with fine buildings and smiling, kind-faced residents going about their business.
As the carriage came to a halt, Himmel was the first to hop out. He and Mut approached the driver to thank him once again for giving them a lift.
Inside the carriage—
Gut gently tapped his teacher's shoulder, signaling it was time to get off.
"Wait a moment."
Serie refused without even looking up. "I'm onto something now. Just a little longer."
And so she dove back into her research, eyes shining with a blend of obsession and the thrill of a breakthrough.
Gut, having never seen her this absorbed before, could only stay beside her and guard against any interruptions.
Finally, after a "short wait" of over two hours, the elven mage wrapped up her investigation and handed the modified device back to Gut.
"Here. Take it."
"I still don't understand how it works, but some of my hypotheses turned out right—I implemented them on it."
"Huh?"
Gut didn't quite get it at first but took the device from her.
When he glanced at its current state, his eyes widened in disbelief.
[Item Name: A CD from the Past (Enchanted Version)]
[Item Description: Here's an enchanted CD—listen slowly and remember our memories.]
[Item Effect: Does not require a CD player. This disc can output any track heard by the user in 24bit/96kHz audio quality. (Note: the disc cannot be analyzed and has durability. It will dissipate upon reaching its usage limit.)]
[Durability: (9765/10325)]
!!!
The item's durability had increased!
Its maximum had skyrocketed from 1,000 to over 10,000—a tenfold boost!
Despite Gut's shocked expression, Serie remained calm. "No need to be so surprised. I just added a magic circuit that slows wear."
Looking out at the now darkened sky, Serie yawned—she had spent the entire afternoon inside the carriage.
"Where is everyone? Where did they go?"
With a wry smile, Gut answered.
"Himmel and Mut didn't have my patience. They couldn't keep waiting for you to 'wrap up soon.' After booking us rooms at the inn, they went with the coachman to the tavern. Said they'd wait there."
"I see..."
Serie nodded, unsurprised. Taking her room key from Gut, she shook off the urge to go drinking.
"I'm tired. I won't go to the tavern. You go join Himmel and the others—I'll head back to the inn myself."
"Alright. Should I escort you back first, Teacher?"
"No need." Serie waved him off. "I've been to this town countless times. I won't get lost."
With that, the elven mage vanished into an alleyway.
Reassured by her words, Gut brushed off bits of straw from his coat and made his way toward the town's liveliest area.
Along the way, he passed a small flower stall, where a young girl—fighting off sleep—was the vendor.
Clearly, it was way past bedtime for a child her age.
Gut stopped and looked over the flowers.
"Eh?"
The drowsy girl perked up when she noticed him and tried her best to sound energetic. "Big brother, want to buy a bouquet?"
"I've still got several pretty ones—lots of colors."
"This one has pretty petals, that one smells nice, and this one lasts a long time in water..."
She eagerly introduced each flower, though there weren't many left.
But Gut wasn't really looking at the flowers. His gaze focused more on the girl—her appearance, condition, and behavior.
Her clothes were simple but well-made and clean, with no patches.
Her exposed skin showed no signs of injury or bruising, and she didn't flinch under scrutiny—likely not abused.
Feeling reassured, Gut closed his eyes and quickly spread his magic outward to scan the area.
No one was watching. It was safe.
Once the girl finished her pitch, Gut pretended to hesitate for a moment, then clapped his hands.
"I'll take them all."
"Really?!"
The girl lit up with joy, and when Gut paid, her excitement reached its peak.
[Ding!]
[Daily Task: Perform a Good Deed — Complete]
Hearing the system notification, Gut's attitude became even more gentle.
He softly patted the girl's head and casually asked,
"Little one, it's late. Aren't your family worried you're not home?"
"They won't be."
Her expression dimmed slightly. "My mom, dad, and grandparents… all died in the Demon Tribe's invasion. I'm the only one left from my village."
"The knights from Strahl helped settle me here. The uncles and aunts in town are very kind."
"The sisters and monks from the church bring me supplies regularly."
"Everyone is really nice to me, so I wanted to prepare a gift for them for the upcoming festival..."
"I see."
Gut sighed softly and pulled the little girl into a hug.
This world was warm—its people honest and kind.
But it was also cruel—demons and monsters were still blades hanging over humanity's head.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates