Chapter 46. Lilia (2)

Weekly Chapter (2/5)

Lilia shakily grabbed Damien to take him to Sylverine’s room.

The two began to talk seriously.

Lilia was so nervous that she forgot to leave. Fortunately, they were not the least bit concerned about Lilia’s presence.

“They are already in Wiesel. There are only a few days left.”

“Yes.”

“And special guests came.”

She couldn’t understand the conversation because her mind went blank.

They exchanged words.

Master class, evaluators, sorcerer?

That night Damien went to the fabrication room to do potions.

He muttered the word sorcerer several times until he asked Lilia,
“Do you know how to make any candy?”

Lilia nodded.

“Yes! There are some sweet treats in my grandmother’s recipes.”

Damien asked without any high hopes

“Can you make any?”

When Lilia’s grandmother was unable to collect medicinal herbs due to her age, she used alchemy to make special candies that she could sell in town.

Lilia was proud because her grandmother’s sweet treats were a specialty of Wiesel.

She gave a finished product to Damien after one hour.

It was a bite-sized transparent ball. There was a petal inside.

Damien popped the candy into his mouth.

A subtle sweetness spread across his tongue, while his nose caught a fresh floral scent.

It was a taste he had forgotten for a while.

Finally, Damien said,

“Your grandmother was a genius.”

Lilia’s mood improved because her grandmother was acknowledged.

“Yes…”

Suddenly, Lilia covered her face with her hands.

She began to sob because she remembered her grandmother.

“I acted like a fool again… I’m so sorry…”

She didn’t want him to see her cry so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.

Damien was more bewildered than Lilia.

When he tried to comfort her, more tears flowed.

He sat Lilia down in a chair.

“Wait a minute.”

He left the fabrication room, then returned with a black iron piece and a toolbox.

“Open your fingers.”

He measured Lilia’s right ring finger with a paper strip and cut the iron piece accordingly.

“What’s your grandmother’s name?”

As soon as Lilia told him her grandmother’s name, he began using the hammer.

It took 30 minutes to heat the iron piece and bend it into a circle.

Damien finally finished his work.

“Hold out your hand.”

He placed the item on Lilia’s palm.

Lilia looked at the ring in surprise.

It was completely black, but when she turned it from side to side, it sometimes looked dark red. The plain ring had no particular pattern.

On the inside of the ring, where her finger would fit, her grandmother’s initials were engraved. When she looked at it closely, she realized that only the initials glittered red.

“Wow….”

“What do you think?”

“It’s very cool.”

“It’s made with meteoric iron.”

“W…what’s that?

“Star fragment.”

She didn’t know much about irons, but she felt special when she heard the name.

While she was delighted with the ring, Damien asked,

“Lilia, can I use your grandmother’s candy recipe?”

She nodded vigorously.

“You can use it. My grandmother wouldn’t worry about it.”

Her grandmother generously shared the recipes she had researched during her lifetime. For that reason, even though she lived in poverty, Lilia never complained about her grandmother.

She put the ring on the ring finger of her right hand.

Lilia liked the ring very much.

Soon they began working on the potion as if nothing had happened.

She held out her hand as they worked, smiling in satisfaction when she saw the ring.

***

Two days have passed since then. Daily life seemed to flow smoothly for Lilia.

However, that night in the fabrication room, Damien was distressed with his hands on his head.

He had stopped working.

From what she had overheard in the previous conversation, he would soon have an evaluation. She guessed it was very important because he seemed so distressed.

Lilia asked Damien,

“What’s wrong?”

“The evaluation… is tomorrow.”

“What’s bothering you?”

He replied after a brief silence.

“…The last ingredient.”