By the time they entered, the sun had already begun to set, and darkness fell in an instant. As they took a moment to rest in the inn, the view outside the window was already filled with night.

“I never expected to find magical equipment here.”

As night fell, the innkeeper brought a lamp with their meal. At a glance, it was clear that the expensive magical device had the name of the inn engraved on it to prevent it from being lost.

Instead of using magic, Ethan took a flint from his pack and struck a spark.

“What’s that?”

“It’s for making fires.”

“Aren’t you going to use an electric light?”

“Magic devices are all expensive, but some are very expensive. Especially anything that needs electricity all the time, like electric lights, is extremely expensive.”

Unlike a lamp, which can be lit with a single infusion of magic, an electric light requires a continuous supply of magic to keep it going. Naturally, the more it’s used, the faster it runs out. Unless it was for something temporary like a festival, its efficiency was poor.

Since electric lights had a much longer shelf life than lamps, they were usually only used once or twice a year, the rest of the time they were locked away in storage.

“All right, if you’re done looking around, sit down.”

Ethan brought over the two trays of food the innkeeper had left and fed If first. Considering the high price they had paid, the stew was filled with generous portions of meat.

If started to ask another question, but her attention quickly returned to the food tray. As soon as she sat down, a spoonful of vegetables and meat was promptly placed in her mouth.

Watching her, Ethan looked outside. There was no sign of anyone following them. From what he had seen on the way to the inn, there were no wanted posters. As expected, the fact that he was still alive seemed to embarrass them.

Well, not that a wanted poster would have made much difference. Even if they put his name on one, the commoners wouldn’t be able to read it. That meant they would have to use a drawing instead – but there was no way they had an artist skilled enough to capture his face accurately.

Actually, it wasn’t that no one had drawn his face – it was that there had never been any need to. He had been captured before a bounty could be offered, and his execution had been carried out immediately.

That meant they had to sketch a rough likeness, but platinum blonde hair and green eyes were common. So common, in fact, that there were many mercenaries with similar complexions.

The only distinguishing feature he once had was his severed arm—but even that had been restored. There was no way for them to find him now.

The problem now was the mercenary pass.

No matter how much money you had, an encounter with a particularly strict guard could mean spending the night outside. If he were alone, it wouldn’t matter, but with baggage to consider, he couldn’t afford to take that chance.

Hiring a merchant’s escort again was an option, but one side of him strongly disliked it.

Last time she had gone along without knowing better, but now that she had experienced it once, she would speak up and refuse outright.

Besides, he couldn’t keep her quiet forever. Watching her grumble with a face full of complaints just to keep her mouth shut wasn’t something he wanted to see either.

Maybe they should just take the option of sleeping outside. That was how he’d lived in Belphirn anyway, so it wasn’t really a problem. It just wouldn’t be comfortable for him.

If he were to hand If over to the royal family, she would undoubtedly receive exceptional treatment. Even if she was imprisoned, she would have a soft bed, warm blankets and perhaps even be served delicacies he had never tasted before.

But all he could offer her was a life on the run. There would be long periods when he’d have to be away to earn money. Of course, there would also be dangerous moments…

Clang!

A sharp sound made Ethan frown.

“Ethan, I want to see that.”

Before he knew it, the parade had begun and the sound of instruments blaring in the distance filled the air. Ethan followed If’s gaze to where she was pointing.

The central avenue was lit up with colourful lights. Amidst the glow, floats passed by at a slow pace, one after the other. The streets were packed with people eager to see the spectacle, leaving little room to move.

Ethan glanced up at the dark sky before lowering his gaze. The surroundings were dim, and in such a dense crowd, even if he did something slightly conspicuous, it wouldn’t cause much trouble.

Considering the number of people in unique costumes at the festival, a little hair showing wouldn’t be out of place either.

After a moment’s thought, Ethan placed his rucksack by the window. If things took a turn for the worse, he planned to grab it and escape through the window.

After getting ready, Ethan fastened the pouch of gold coins to his waist, only to realise that he didn’t have any change. He would have to ask the innkeeper to change some silver coins for him. An establishment of this size should have enough money to break a gold coin.

“Shall we go and see?”

“Yes! I really want to.”

At Ethan’s reply, If’s face lit up with a bright smile. Seeing that, Ethan unconsciously let the corners of his lips lift as well.

***

Ethan’s coin purse never seemed to stay closed.

Although she said she wanted to watch the parade, If couldn’t take her eyes off the temporary food stalls set up for the festival. Not only were her hands full of skewers, Ethan’s were too.

Since the parade had just started from the entrance and would take a while to reach their location, there was plenty of time for distractions – but he hadn’t expected to end up snacking like this.

The festival stalls mostly sold food that was easy to carry and eat, catering to the diverse crowd. There were even dishes he had seen in other places, adding to the variety.

His pouch, filled with silver and copper coins, was constantly opened as he gave money to the stallholders.

Ethan, tall even for a mercenary, attracted attention wherever he went – especially with the skewers in his hands, which looked completely out of place for someone like him.

Under his heavy hood, If walked beside him, chewing eagerly. Compared to the speed with which she bought food, however, she ate at a much slower pace. The skewers in her hands showed no signs of disappearing any time soon.

“Ethan, I want that too.”

“I don’t even have hands to hold anymore. Finish what you have first, finish everything.”

“You really can’t hold on anymore?”

“…….”

The intention behind her words was probably just to ask if he really couldn’t hold on anymore, but for some reason the question pricked Ethan’s pride.

“Ethan, is that the best you can do?”

Although he didn’t realise it, If’s question had actually tended towards the latter meaning. She had always been surrounded by androids who did all the carrying, storing and organising. She had never been in a situation where she couldn’t carry something simply because her hands were full.

If glanced at the two skewers in her hands before shifting her gaze to Ethan’s. The skewers wedged between his fingers were carefully spaced to prevent the spices from mixing.

“There’s really no more room…”

There wasn’t a single free finger left.

When If’s head dropped slightly, Ethan let out a small sigh and finally reached for his bag again. Luckily it was just grilled fruit without any sauce.

Clutching the paper bag between his teeth, Ethan swallowed another sigh and walked on.

With the skewers wedged between his fingers, Ethan led If away from the crowded square and found a bench in a quieter alley. At this rate, it seemed better to keep her from seeing any more food stalls.

“Here. You wanted to watch the parade. Finish eating and focus on that.”

“Okay.”

Right, they had come to watch the parade.

Distracted by all the snacks, If had momentarily forgotten, but now she eagerly picked up the pace, finishing her kebabs much faster than when they had been walking.

The grilled fruit was something she could only find in other regions, while the meat was local but the spices sprinkled on top came from another province.

Ethan ate about half of his long skewer before passing the rest to If.

Since there were so many kebabs, giving If a whole one would have been too much for her usual appetite. Still, perhaps because of the variety, she had eaten more than usual today. And hadn’t they eaten a full meal at the inn earlier?

As the skewers disappeared one by one, Ethan finally freed a hand. He picked up the wooden sticks, broke them in half with a single movement, and threw them into one of the wooden waste bins set up around the town.

Perhaps because this area had never been plagued by beasts, the streets were clean and careful measures had been taken to maintain order. In regions with beast infestations, a considerable amount of resources were spent on repairing the damage and conducting regular eradication campaigns. But since this place had no such burdens, it seemed to be thriving.

On the other hand, considering how expensive magical electrical devices were, the fact that so many of them were installed throughout the city was a clear sign of its wealth.

After swallowing the last of the sugar-coated fruit, If reached for the next skewer from Ethan’s hand. An empty wooden stick remained in its place.

Ethan stared at it for a moment before breaking it in half with practiced ease and tossing it into the dustbin.

‘Tomorrow morning might be too much. Maybe I should switch to a packed lunch instead.’

If’s head bobbed slightly as she concentrated on eating. You could almost see her hidden face under the red hood. Watching her, Ethan let out a small sigh and ran his hand over his face.

What a sight this must be.

Spreading his arms over the back of the bench, he leaned back comfortably. A long sigh escaped his lips, turning into a faint white mist in the cold air.

Had he ever really taken the time to watch a festival?

He had passed a few in the distance on mercenary missions, but he had never stopped to actually see one. He had never been interested.

Yet here he was, supposedly on the run, claiming to have urgent business – only to end up watching a parade and snacking on street food. Given that he expected civil war to break out soon, even he found his actions ridiculous.

All other problems aside, to put it bluntly, an Ancient was nothing but baggage.

Whatever abilities she had, none of them were useful for survival in the present. She couldn’t protect herself, she didn’t even know how to shop properly.

The first time Ethan had seen her take food from a shop without paying, he had been horrified.

Would a woman who had lived in ignorance of the world for over seventy years be able to learn at this point?

Changing lifelong habits wasn’t something you could do in a day or two.

For someone who questioned everything around him, there was only so much Ethan could explain. No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t take on the whole world.

If the existence of an Ancient were revealed, the world wouldn’t just covet her body – they’d drain her blood.

How could they not? She was practically a cure-all. There was no way they would just leave her alone. And since the person in question possessed extraordinary healing powers, they wouldn’t even hesitate to cut into her, guilt-free.

Wouldn’t it be better for her to be under the protection of a powerful authority, like the royal family?

If he turned her over to the palace, he might even escape execution – and receive a huge sum of money to boot.

She would also be under their protection, wouldn’t she?

“Am I in the way?”
“Are you leaving me behind because you don’t need me?”

It wasn’t abandonment. It was simply the best possible choice given the situation.

“Ethan.”

At some point, a small hand reached for his coat. Its fingers, sticky with sauce, clung to the fabric.

Ethan pulled a cloth from his pocket and took the hand, rubbing it clean.

And yet the reason he couldn’t go through with it all came down to one thing.

That damned name.

That cursed name that treated him like a person, that bound him like a fetter.

The way she just looked at him – those eyes – kept his arms pinned down and prevented him from breaking free.

“Ethan, I want to see that.”

“All right. Let’s go.”

He rose from the bench and walked towards the parade. His steps were heavier than ever.