NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15: Jarilo-VI 4
After returning from the meeting with the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia, Austin brought Pastel back to regroup with March and Dan Heng. On the side, there were no Silvermane Gurads left. Only Gepard was standing there waiting for the two.
"It seems the Supreme Guardian has taken quite a liking to you. I just received orders that there is no longer a need to restrict your movements." From Gepard's words, it explains why there are no Silvermane Guards shadowing Captain Heng anymore.
"To be honest, she seems like a reasonable person, but at the same time, she doesn't really express her feelings directly." Austin replied to Gepard about his feelings towards Cocolia after meeting her. "If that attitude is called liking, it would be quite strange."
"But you guys only talked for a few sentences," Stelle, who wasn't good at this, turned to Austin with curiosity.
"That's enough; for people of the same kind, just a few words back and forth and you can see each other's tails."
"*Haha* It seems that besides Bronya, there are still people who can see the Supreme Guardian, huh. What a pity, but I have to return to my post now. Have fun staying in Belobog, everyone."
The Gepard, which had been cautiously observing the Express convoy all the way, began to show signs of lowering his guard.
"Then I'll take my leave. I hope everything goes smoothly." After saying that, Gepard walked away.
"So how was the walk around for both of you?" Austin turned to Dan Heng because he had a feeling that if he asked March, he would only get stories about food and places to visit.
"We found some areas in the city that have already been eroded, even though they are all under the control of the Silvermane Guards."
"Has corrosion already reached the city? At this rate, time is running out even more." Austin raised his hand to his chin, appearing deep in thought as he processed the information he had gathered and encountered.
"Let's talk about this later; since we're already here, how about we go for a walk?" Austin, not wanting everyone to be too stressed, suggested putting the problems aside for now.
"Wow~ That's good! Earlier, I couldn't go anywhere because the Silvermane were following me around. This time, I'm going to enjoy myself to the fullest! I'll try all the delicious places I spotted earlier!" March nodded in agreement.
"Then, once we're done sightseeing, let's meet at that big hotel over there." Austin pointed to the hotel at the end of the street.
"Are you not going to go with us?" Stelle, upon hearing Austin's words, seemed to be asking if he wanted to separate.
"Most of the time, when I'm in a strange place, I prefer to walk alone. Besides, if we separate, we can gather more diverse information."
"What Austin said makes sense. If we really wanted to, we wouldn't waste so much time looking for information," Dan Heng nodded.
"Alright, it's settled! The Express crew can go off and have fun~!" March raised her hand before quickly running to the stall she had been eyeing for a long time.
"Running like that, it seems the credit of IPC and THC can be used here, so this eases my financial worries a bit."
Once they finished their discussion, Dan Heng and Austin walked away in different directions. Dan Heng headed towards a nearby bookstore, while Austin wandered around without any particular destination in mind. However, he noticed someone following him from the side.
"...Aren't you going with March or Dan Heng?" Austin turned to Stelle after buying a newspaper from the vendor in the square.
"Being with you makes me the most comfortable. Besides, I don't have any credit with me anyway..."
"...Now that you mention it, it's true," Austin, who just realized that Stelle didn't have anything with her, replied in a dry tone.
"But even if you don't have any money, could you please not do that? At least when you're with me..." He looked over at Stelle, who was rummaging through the trash can, seemingly not looking for anything valuable.
"Hey, if you're done over there, could you come this way and bring your communication device with you?" Austin sat down on a nearby bench and opened a newspaper. Most of it was just general news, with no reports or information about erosion or disasters like he had hoped for.
Stelle, who seemed to have lost interest in the trash, came and sat next to me, holding up her phone.
"So you use phone type, huh? It's not strange; that's how most people do it anyway." Austin raised his left arm, opened the screen on his smart wristband, and transferred a seven-figure amount of credit as pocket money and spending money to Stelle.
[{Stelle]
Stelle: Austin, right?
The transfer of 3,000,000 credits is complete.
It seems to be the right account: Austin
This is my personal contact channel: Austin
If you need anything and I'm not around, just message me here: Austin]
"Don't use it carelessly." Austin closed the window and turned to Stelle.
"Three million!... Is it really okay to give it like this?" Stelle stared at the money in her account that was skyrocketing.
"I won't keep transferring money to you, so it would be great if you could use it sparingly. Anyway, if you are on duty in the Pom-Pom Express, there will already be some pocket money for you. So from now on, you'll have to manage on your own."
Austin answered straightforwardly and turned his attention back to the newspaper.
"So that means you must be working a lot of shifts to have this much money?"
"...You know, even though I remember you losing your memory, I can still tell that you still have some common sense left, Stelle." Austin lowered the newspaper and raised an eyebrow at the question, which was clearly an attempt to tease him.
"Oh, no more smiles," Stelle pointed at Austin's pale face, which no longer had the faint smile that used to adorn it.
"...Did you do this on purpose, huh?"
"Well, you always pretend to smile when you're with us, and you always make that face when talking to anyone. But when you're talking to Himeko or that friend of yours named Klein, you don't do that at all. Why is it only with us?"
"...that's a private matter," Austin said, turning back to the newspaper when he heard the other person ask about his attitude.
"Hey... can't you just tell me~?" I don't know why, but it seems like Stelle suddenly became playful like that. Or maybe she was always like this, just holding it back until now because she wasn't among people she knew.
"It's just a habit. If you could avoid asking about it, I would really appreciate it." Austin put down the newspaper after finishing reading.
"...Am I making you angry?" Stelle tried to look at Austin from the side, but he wouldn't turn back to her.
"Guess" Austin turned back with a faint smile that faded away again. His expression was calm, showing no change. His eyebrows weren't furrowed, his eyes weren't wide open, and his lips were indifferent. Although he didn't look angry at all, the atmosphere around him changed chillingly, as if he were a snowfield without a storm.
"...Um... I'm sorry..." Stelle stared at the other person with trembling eyes before unconsciously saying sorry.
"No need; it's my fault for not telling you that I don't like people meddling in my personal matters."
Austin shook his head and raised his hand to cover his face after realizing what he had done. He tried to calm himself down, not wanting Stelle's first expedition to be a bad experience.
'What am I thinking? She's just curious,' Austin smiled faintly on his face again.
"Is there anywhere special you want to go? Since it's your first expedition, you shouldn't be stuck with someone as boring as me."
"I want to go where Austin wants to go," Stelle replied immediately while still staring at Austin.
And because Stelle doesn't often show much expression, her indifferent face makes it sound like she's being serious rather than just teasing Austin.
"Alright..." Austin stood up and adjusted his scarf neatly once again. "Walking around like a typical teenager isn't so bad either."
Austin tucked one arm behind his back, bending slightly and extending his hand towards Stelle with his enigmatic smile.
"As a senior Trailblazer, I would like to take the liberty of guiding you, the new Trailblazer, my lady~"
"Yes, please." Stelle, who suddenly encountered Austin acting formally, inadvertently responded politely without realizing it.
Austin took Stelle for a walk around the food stalls, bookstore, and nearby flower shop, where the staff were very friendly to both of them, even though they clearly looked like outsiders from their outfits.
"The people here seem friendly, even though they are facing a disaster." Stelle spoke up after sitting down to eat baked potatoes with bacon and cheese, having walked around all of Belobog, not just the Administrative District.
"It's been like this for seven hundred years. They've adapted by now. My hometown is kind of like this too." Austin took a sip from the vending machine nearby, holding a boiled sweet corn that Stelle had left behind.
"This is good. If it were a star that doesn't welcome outsiders, things would be even more complicated."
"Have you ever encountered a world like that?"
"If it's with the Express, it's not much. But when wandering around alone, it's quite a lot."
"Eh~." Stelle exclaimed in surprise. "that surprise to hear~"
"What are you talking about? It's just normal, isn't it? If you go to many places, you'll encounter many things."
"No, what surprises me is that you can talk about yourself so casually, but you don't like it when people meddle in your personal matters."
"...this is this, that is that." Austin dismissed it nonchalantly.
Stelle, seeing that the other party had no intention of responding, lost interest and turned back to the baked potato before moving on to the boiled corn. Meanwhile, Austin sat watching the other person eat, thinking, 'She's quite slender, yet she eat so much.'
Of course, no matter how straightforward Austin is, he still has enough manners not to bring this up.
"That shop looks interesting too," Stelle pointed to the shop at the corner next to the stairs leading up to Qlipoth.
"Neverwinter Workshop? It must just be an ordinary workshop," Austin turned in the direction Stelle was pointing.
"Who knows? Let's go see." Stelle jumped up and grabbed Austin's arm, pulling him along.
As soon as they opened the door, they locked eyes with a girl with blonde hair highlighted with blue, matching the color of her eyes. She stood behind the reception counter, tall and dressed in a style unlike the typical Belobog residents they were used to.
The outfit she wore gave a feeling of a blend between punk rock and contemporary chic, which made her immediately stand out compared to the people Austin and Stelle had encountered along the way.
"What's going on? I've never seen your faces before." She greeted both of them with a friendly smile.
"We just arrived here for the first time," Austin Pastel walked up to the counter before introducing himself.
"I am Austin Lionheart, but you can just call me Austin. And she is Stelle, my companion."
"Is this your first time here? Oh, I see. I heard that visitors have been meeting with Cocolia. I'm Serval Landa, the owner of the Neverwinter workshop. Even though I only do it as a hobby, if you have any broken equipment, feel free to let me handle it. But I can't guarantee that I'll be able to fix it."
"Being the owner of a workshop and saying that, won't it be a problem?" Austin interjected.
"Huh? It's nothing at all. Everyone already knows what my workshop is like. Besides, if I advertise that I can fix everything, it would be a problem if I really can't fix it."
"That's true, huh? *Haha*" Austin chuckled softly.
Then the three of them talked about various things regarding Belobog for a while. Since Serval is a mechanic, she has quite a lot of knowledge about this city and many of its aspects.
Help Austin understand the happenings and lifestyle of the people of Belobog more than the newspaper he bought.