The young woman rested on a tree. Her search to find the blacksmith was unsuccessful. She wasn't able to catch him on time.
—When he goes out to do his thing, it's really hard to reach him.
She sensed William and someone with a high amount of mana in the direction she was going. She thought about getting close in case the blacksmith needed help, but then she couldn't sense him anymore. As if someone was blocking the signal.
—If that's the case, she must be there with him too. I'm sure he will make it out fine.
She proceeded to wait. That's what she had been doing for the past hour.
—I can sense him again. He should be coming soon. Would he find me being too obvious?
The young woman twiddled her thumbs. The mixed emotions brought uneasiness to her stomach. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.
"Lucy?"
Alas, it was all in vain. The man managed to destroy it with just the call of her name coming from his mouth.
Lucy was unable to contain her fluster, "Oh, fancy meeting you here."
The blacksmith laughed, "What's up with you?"
***
They walked back to William's house. The man had a long night ahead of him. He needed to complete the final preparations for the trip.
—I told the boy we'd be working all night. I wonder how much he's done.
He had given the young man Nicolas the assignment of making ten daggers with mana stones implanted in them. He didn't expect him to successfully make all of them, but just enough for the trip.
—He has the natural gift of making magical weapons, but since he's a beginner, it's only a faint scent of magic that he's able to process. Maybe with the mana stone, it could enhance the magic of the weapon to make it more powerful...
The blacksmith thought that in doing so, the boy would provide useful weapons. He wondered if to tell Nicolas about his gift or to stay silent for the time being.
—Knowing him, his ego would go through the roof. Maybe I'll keep it to myself for a while.
" —What could make a man like yourself be so deep in thought?"
"I was just thinking about my narcissistic apprentice. I hope he cleaned that mess he had earlier."
"Nicolas? I need to apologize to him. I left without saying much. He must be worried."
"He must be. He gets on my nerves most of the time, but he's a good and caring guy."
Lucy chuckled, "I really am enjoying this new side of you, William."
The blacksmith noticed the young woman was in a cheery mood compared to how she was in the morning. She skipped in front of William, her shiny silver hair fluttered in each movement.
"I just realized, you seem to have cheered up. Did something good happen while I was gone?"
"Hm? I had a nice chat with Nicolas before I left. He is indeed a very nice boy. You made the right choice with him."
—It's nice to know someone else thinks well of him.
The man thought back about the butler's words, "Don't you believe something's off with the boy?"
William couldn't figure out what the butler meant. His words kept ringing every so often in his mind.
—He said it with those same eyes...
The eyes that had been haunting him since childhood. The same one his family happened to have when they looked at him.
"You know, Nicolas isn't a kid for you to call him a boy. You both share the same age."
"Oh, really?" The young woman was surprised, "Then, I will be more careful when addressing him next time." she said, nodding as if making a mental note of it.
"By the way, what were you guys chatting about?"
The young woman smiled. She stopped and turned around to William and put her index finger to her lips, "It's a secret."
"What? You're not going to even give me a hint."
"Lock it up and throw away the key." The young woman put extra emphasis on pretending to lock her lips with the key and throwing it away.
The blacksmith wryly smiled, "What are you? Five?"
The young woman crossed her arms and pouted at the man's rude comment, "If you want to know so badly, you should ask him. It's not something for me to say." she broke into a smile and looked away lost in thought, "Although, I believe he'll tell you soon enough."
Although the man would never find out the topic of that conversation, he was glad that the young man, Nicolas, was interacting with someone his own age.
"Well, I'm glad both of you are getting along."
The young woman nodded, "I believe that we can be good friends. My first friend, I believe."
"Hm? What about your friends at the bar?"
The woman shook her head, "We happen to work at the same place. We don't usually talk much."
—That's odd.
The man thought for a second about asking her relationship with Marla. Considering how much she talked about Lucy, he thought for certain they were close.
—Maybe they're having a disagreement.
The blacksmith noticed her shoes looked worn out, "Say, what were you doing around these parts this late at night?"
The young woman's cheek flushed red, "I noticed it was getting very late. I was worried something might have happened to you..." she twiddled her thumbs nervously.
"Don't worry, I was having some last-minute negotiations with some old friend of mine."
"Nicolas said as much, but even so!—" The young woman got closer to the blacksmith. They stood inches from each other as she looked at him intently in the eyes, "—you can't walk around the forest so carelessly. You more than anyone should know that, William."
—Is it me or do I keep getting scolded by women?
The man looked at the young woman's quivering crystal-like eyes. It was clear to him that she had been worrying about him all this time. If she knew what he had been through, it would most likely intensify her worries.
He patted the top of the young woman's head, "It's okay, I'm alright. Thank you for worrying about me," he said as he smiled warmly at Lucy, "Besides, I should be the one asking you that. Please don't go around the forest alone at night, okay?"
Realizing the blacksmith would worry about her made Lucy feel happy. She felt like her heart skipped a thousand beats per minute.
"I-I um, okay..." she cleared her throat, "Since you understand as much, I guess I'll let you off the hook for now."
"That's how you win an argument."
Lucy pouted, "Hey, we just happen to be even. If you keep talking nonsense, I won't give you a free beer."
"Yeah, yeah… That reminds me, I happened to be at your workplace today."
The young woman's eyebrows furrowed, "Oh, really?"
"One of your coworkers told me something."
Lucy cocked her head, "What did they say?"
The man didn't know how to approach the matter to the young woman, let alone put it into words. He remembered a certain stubborn woman's words from a few moments ago about the same predicament he was in,
"Speak up, intruder. If you think too much, you'll never get anywhere in life."
The blacksmith cleared his throat, "Tell me Lucy, why did you run away from home?"
The young woman knew this moment was going to come, she just didn't expect him to know the exact details. She knew the man would ask questions, but she didn't know if he wouldn't stop until he got them.
To her, it felt like she didn't have any other choice but to tell him. Her face was hidden behind her bangs as she looked down at the floor, unable to speak. It took a while for her to get enough strength to say anything to him, "I—"
"—Tell me, why is it that you passed on the burden to someone else?"
—?!
The man didn't notice, but her body had tensed. Before she could say anything, the gothic lady's words kept ringing through her ears.
—You got it all wrong! If he has me cornered, then it's inevitable now.
"To me, it looks like you're being greedy, especially with him, and that's cruel even for you."
—If he doesn't help me, then who will?
"—It is your choice and your choice alone, no one else's young Lucy."
The answer had been given to her at that time, but she hadn't comprehended it. She finally understood what the gothic lady had meant back then, and she understood what she had to do.
"Lucy, is everything all right?" The man was worried.
The young woman took a deep breath and turned to look at the moon, "The moon is very pretty tonight."
"Hm?" said the blacksmith, who was caught off guard but looked at the moon as well, "I guess it is."
The young woman realized that William wasn't trying to force her to tell him her problems, she was trying to find excuses to do so. She couldn't let the man get involved in her private matters. She would add the man, who was about to offer his hand, to the pile of people she already had taken down with her. She couldn't let that happen. She finally understood that. The man was too important for her to be a sacrifice.
"You know William, lately I've been thinking about the choices that led me to where I am now."
The man slightly tilted his head confused, "Is that so?"
She nodded, "Then I realized, I've never had a choice. Everything was always chosen for me."
"Lucy..."
"Not anymore..." she turned to look at the man in the eyes with a warm smile, "You won't need to worry about me anymore."
"Lucy I--"
The young woman stopped paying attention to the blacksmith and looked at the road behind them. She sensed that something was approaching them at a steady pace. Lucy dragged the man to the side of the road and hid in the trees.
"Something's coming, look!" She whispered to the confused man.
The rustling sound grew louder and the thing that was approaching them was on site. A wine-colored carriage with an extravagant gold design was about to pass by them.
"That carriage..."
"That red hair..."
The coachman hummed as he rode the carriage along the path. He had recognized one of the figures standing by the road and waved at him.
"My, if it isn't mister William! Fancy seeing you here."
The blacksmith wryly smiled. The carriage stopped its tracks in front of him, and he approached it, walking directly to the coachman's seat.
"I didn't expect to see you so soon, Sebastian."
***
"How did you manage to get a carriage like this at such short notice?"
The blacksmith rode the carriage with the butler. The two men were sitting beside each other on the coachman's seat while the young woman was inside.
"That's a secret..." The butler said as he wryly smiled, remembering all the trouble he had to go through in order to get the carriage.
The man leaned over to look at the sides of their transport. It looked somewhat scratched and there was an arrow sticking right next to his side. He yanked it out and showed it to the butler, "I'm not even going to ask." he said, tossing the arrow on the side of the road.
The butler wryly smiled, "I think it's best if you don't."
The blacksmith leaned back on the seat with his arms crossed behind his back and looked at the trees covering the night sky, "Still, color me impressed, you really did it. All that's left is to take off."
"Hm? Then I take it you have finished preparations?"
The man twitched, "Um... almost."
"I see, then it will be a long night ahead of you."
"Are you saying more than it already has? Well, with what is left, the rest is smooth sailing."
"By the way, Sir William, I hope you don't mind me staying with you for the night. Although I'll be sleeping inside the carriage."
The man shook his head, "It's alright. It'll be easier for us to leave tomorrow."
"So, this is your home..."
They arrived at the Jaeger household and got out of the carriage. The butler noticed the young silver-haired woman who was coming out through the carriage's door, "Say, is this the young woman you were asking at the bar the other day?"
"Hm? As a matter of fact, she is."
The young woman walked towards the blacksmith and stood beside him as if it were the most natural thing. The man scratched his cheek as he introduced her to the butler.
"This is Lucy, the girl from the bar."
The young woman wryly smiled at the blacksmith, "That is a rather crude way of introducing a woman, Mister William."
"W-Well, you see—"
The young woman pouted, "I believe I'm more than just some girl from the bar, —" she turned to look at the butler, "—but yes, I am Lucy. Just Lucy."
"I see..." The butler bowed in front of the young woman, "My name is Sebastian, I'm a butler from the Reinsfield family. It's very nice to meet you princess."
The young woman nodded, "Yes, likewise— eh?"
"Princess?"
The butler chuckled, "Well, by the way you act, it was the only thing that came to my mind."
The blacksmith analyzed the young woman, "You do act in a rather dignified manner."
The woman's face flushed red, "I-I see..."
Although she tended to show her weaker side to William, to the rest of the world, she seemed to be a calm and collected young woman. She always had good posture and her eyes were focused on what was ahead of her. The warm smile that the blacksmith regularly witnessed was usually replaced with an expressionless face and sharp crystal eyes.
The butler cocked his head, "Say, have we seen each other before?"
"Hmm... I don't believe we have. Maybe at the bar sometime? That is where I work."
"I'm not so sure..."
The butler was lost in thought and the woman looked rather confused. The blacksmith knew the conversation wasn't going anywhere at this point, and he had no time to spare, "Whatever the case, we can talk about it some other time. For now, how about we go inside?"
"Very well, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow then." The butler was going to walk inside the carriage to sleep, but the blacksmith had other plans.
The man put one hand on the butler's shoulder, "What are you talking about? You're going to help me finish the preparations. Besides, I see a certain someone taking a nap. I need you to wake up the slacker."
"Very well... It will be my pleasure."
Both men had a devilish grin as they planned to interrupt a certain apprentice's slumber. The trio headed inside and after a few seconds, the silent night was disrupted by a young man's scream.
***
"I am grateful for your help." Said the butler as he bowed to William.
It was time for their departure. The sun was close to rising, not even the birds were chirping. Not that the lost forest had any birds that chirped and lived to tell the tale.
"I guess I had to go there at some point. What better way than when there is a reason for it?"
"A man doesn't take action unless it benefits him."
The blacksmith scratched his cheek and with a wry smile he waved his hand at Sebastian as if to deny his statement, "None of the sort... but I've almost had second thoughts about going through with this."
You can expect William to constantly have second thoughts about the choices he needs to make. He would never get anywhere if he were to have time to properly think about things. That's a reason as to why he tends to avoid things that are troublesome.
The butler chuckled, "Don't worry. I would like to add that you will be rewarded greatly for this. After the trip, my master would also like to have a word with you, if you don't mind."
"Uh... sure."
"—Aye, Aye! Come on, everything is ready!"
The young man poked his head outside the carriage window. From the two men's perspective, it looked like a worm coming out of an apple. The two men couldn't help but laugh. It didn't help that the young man's voice cracked halfway through his sentence.
"I see your voice is changing—" he said with a smirk.
"—Don't you even dare." he sharply replied.
The butler crossed his arms, "You should be grateful to me. It was I who offered the beer. Thanks to that, you're slowly becoming a man. All you need now is a woman and you're all set—"
If looks could kill, Sebastian would've already been a corpse. The young man looked at him irritated. He glared and growled at the butler, but Sebastian just laughed it off.
"Please don't try to kill each other on the trip. I have got enough to look out for as it is."
The trio had finished packing everything for their trip, although the two men let the younger one deal with all the work.
"Would it have hurt any of you to help me with the load? Master?... Hey, where did master go?" The young man asked as he looked around.
The blacksmith had left the two and walked towards Lucy, who stood by the door frame. She looked lost in thought.
"Is everything alright? Do you feel sick?"
The young woman shook her head, "I'm fine. I hope you have a safe trip. Beware of the beasts in the forests."
The man patted Lucy's head, "We will. Are you sure you'll be alright staying here by yourself?"
The young woman nodded, "Absolutely. I have everything I may need here. Did you not say so yourself?"
The man chuckled, "Sure, but a man can only worry about so much."
"Nonsense, that's a woman's job. We worry when depending on a man. We take different measures, more suitable to deal with each situation."
"—and it applies to me because?"
"—Because I'm worrying about your safety and the way you might handle this."
"Are you implying there may be a safer way I could've done this?"
The young woman shrugged her shoulders, "You could say that… men tend to make rash decisions, but now I am more worried about actually having everything I may need here. You even told me you're worried."
"In my home there's no luxury, only what's necessary. That's why I worry."
The young woman smiled, "I'll be fine. I don't need any luxury."
The man nodded, "Then I'll see you soon. I'll be sure to bring some souvenirs." He waved goodbye and got inside the carriage.
"Bye Ms. Lucy!" Said Nicolas as he waved.
Lucy waved back, "Take care Nicolas. Have a safe trip!"
The young woman rested her head on the door frame, "May we meet again." She murmured under her breath as she looked at the distant, where the figure of the carriage little by little was out of sight.
"Are you ready Lucy?" Said the gothic lady approaching the house.
The young woman nodded, "Yes, take me to my mother."