Day after days later, Black Blade and Emerald manage to return safely to the bar. As he open the door, a familiar mage in red stand by the door and she closed the red book as the two step in.
"I see you managed to get the Notherneil Crystal huh." Codex greeted him with her usual indifferent expression.
"Oh.. I'm back. Here. You better take a look of it's Purity. We manage to get it back anyway." He said and handed the pouch that contain the crystal in it.
"Will do."
She step away to her table and start to do somekind of scanning to the crystal with her book. Emerald step in behind Black Blade and her eye lighted up to the cozy and neat bar main hall.
"WOW! What a great place!" She ran to the counter and start to order some apple juice.
"Oh, do you have money to pay?" Madam Silence look at her with a slightly treatening expression.
"Oh! uh... I thought... Hnn... Master will pay it." She said slightly terrified.
"Mom. Stop messing with her. She's a new recruit." Black Blade said as he step to the counter.
Madam Silence chuckles and smile to Emerald with soft expression.
"I know. I'm just messing with her. Don't get too offended. Anyway..." She said and start to prepare the apple juice Emerald order before.
"What?" He sit on the stool by the counter and crutch his chin to it on the counter
"Since when you become a master? First time I heard it, I thought you get yourself a personal maid or something." She put the cup in front of Emerald.
"Hey! I'm still here... Master just invite me to the group and I don't know what to call him, I call him Master and unconsciously getting used to it." She said with a pouty face.
"You just a little child aren't you?" Madam Silence said and petted her head.
She blushed when get petted and just drink the juice without saying anything. Black Blade sigh with the two interaction and stated that he want to get some rest, those restless day come to a pause and he wanted to sleep the day off.
"Sure. but you must woke up before dinner."
"huh? Why?" He ask and a face of lazyness applied on him. We get a tough task for three days coming so we're up for a little meet up. You better not absent, okay?" she said in soft tone but there is a hint of treatening behind the composure.
Black Blade nod once and just walk to the door at the right corner of the tavern and went straight to his bed. As his head reach the pillow, he completely asleep already.
A few hours later, The sun is almost set at the moment and Ekiu was laying on a leather couch relaxing his body after today's wood cutting. The order of the carving items increase drastically due to upcoming festival in Oakwood's.
The festival were known as Oakwood Melodious Festival and very popular among Oakwood's population. This festival involves music, free banquets and also town night bonfire. Not just the town Ekiu live celebrating the festival. The whole Oakwood celebrating it.
Ekiu was daydreaming in his room until Equ barge in and shocked him.
"Brother! Do you know what good news for today?!" She smile very widely.
"What? You get all green(Win) in the competition again?"
"Nope but our sales for today is haywire! We got almost 75 gold coins!"
He take a deep breath and keep his composure. It was like 75 times their normal income for the shop since they usually get just 1 gold coin a day. This festival really throw the sales up and even higher than years before.
"We just getting very rich nowadays."
"Right?!" She hugs her little brother happily.
"Well, That's that. I want to get some rest."
"Alright, sleep tight then!" Equ kiss his forehead before leaving the room and closed the door.
Ekiu smiles to himself before prepare his bed and get a good night sleep. The night was slightly colder since the season almost hit to snow season. It should be around another week or two.
Meanwhile, at Black Blade place. All the resident who lived there gathers at the bar main hall. There is 5 of the now in addition of Emerald to the team. Madam Silence start speaking since she was the leader of the group after all.
"So, we have everyone now. I will get straight to the point." She gesture to White as he take out a piece of paper on the table.
"Okay, When Black Blade and Codex were out for mission three days ago. We got a visit from a civilian of Greengards Town, Oakwood. He requested us to be at the Oakwoods Melodious Festival in Greengards for safety measure." He pauses as Codex raised her hand and he gesture her to speak.
Codex pointing out about they just gonna be like side organizer to the event. White chuckles when heard to that as he replied.
"And that's what we gonna discussed and I promise it's not gonna be as lame as side organizer or just a guard." He said as he open the paper he put on the table earlier.
Everyone pays their attention to him. The wind blew pretty hard outside like it's gonna rain. The curtain of the bar flaps as the moonlight breaks in the crevice of the window.
"Here... is a threat letter from unknown sender. Sent to a civilian who was the main organizer of the festival. The threat letter implies that during the festival, The town will burn along with it's bonfire. In the other words, the unknown sender was planning to destroy the town during the festival closing event."
"Why don't they report to the town enforcer?"
White look at Black Blade that ask the question as he give him a solid answer.
"He did but, the enforcer take it just a little threat from those who hate the festival since they said they get that kind of thing."
"What if this also just empty threat?" Codex speaks up before Black Blade did.
"Then we just as well get free money from enjoying the festival."
Both Codex and Black Blade fall silence since that was actually a good trade.
"So, we just prepare for the worse?" Emerald suddenly speak.
"Yes. and we'll not just send one or two to this seemingly useless mission." Silence said with her solemn smile.
"How many?"
"All five of us and some reinforcement from Metasillca. The old acquiantance if I might say."
All the three fall silence and start pondering behind why is this seems like small matter taking heavily by their leader and co-leader.
"Alright. that's enough. We will start moving by sunday which is 3 days later so... better get yourself prepared. Dismissed." Madam Silence excuse everyone and she get back to her counter.
They all then scatter to their own destination. Black Blade get into his room and as he about to close the door, someone hinder it from closing. It was Codex.
"You have something you don't tell me, Black Blade." She lean againts the door frame.
"Oh! You know it. Yes. I have this wand from Emerald and she said she don't know how to use it so he gave it to me. There is some archaic writings to it but... "
"you can't read it?" She raised her eyebrow.
"yes. So, I want you to do it for me and make some research if you may."
"Fine, hand it over."
Black Blade gives her the white wand and then she leave the room. He then continue his daily thing and sleep the night while pondering about upcoming mission.
To be continue.