Chapitre 47: A New Problem
That afternoon, I stopped by the Magician's Guild to post a request. I wanted to hire a particular craftsman, but unfortunately, while he was affiliated with the Magician's Guild, he worked for their branch in the Duchy of Basherant.
In my request, I made certain to mention myself to be a good friend of Talhand's. You see, the man I wanted to hire was Balda of the Large Hallow. He was a distinguished architect and renovator, as well as an old friend of Talhand's.
This was the same man who renovated my house in my previous life. He did such a spectacular job that I wouldn't accept anyone else to do so this time around. I gave a short summary of what work needed to be done in my request and made sure to mention that I was willing to pay a premium price for his services.
After posting my request, I spent the night at the small home that Paul had purchased. We had a huge party that night to celebrate Laws' return and the reunification of our family. While everyone had a great time, I couldn't help but notice that something was bothering Eris. She had fun along with everyone else, but there was something about her expressions that told me she was worried.
Things were already quite tight for us in the small home, so I slept on a bedroll on the floor alongside Norn, Aisha, and Eris. Mother, Father, and Lilia slept in one bedroom while Hope, Laws, and Sylphiette slept in the other.
In the middle of the night, I was awoken by the creaking of a door followed by a cold breeze. I rubbed my eyes and took a look around the room. Norn and Aisha were still sound asleep, but Eris' bedroll was empty. It didn't take long for me to put two and two together and realize that she had snuck outside.
I got up from my bedroll and tiptoed to the front door. I used the Heat Island spell to create a small barrier of warmth around the door before sneaking out as well. I didn't want another cold breeze to wake up my sisters or give them a cold.
Outside, I saw Eris pacing back and forth through the snow in front of our house. She was wearing nothing but her nightgown; she must be freezing.
"Eris! What are you doing? You're going to get yourself sick!"
Eris spun around, startled at my sudden questioning.
"Oh. Rudeus, it's you. I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep."
I immediately warmed our surrounding area with another heat island spell. The snow at our feet quickly melted. Eris continued shivering for a short while, but eventually stopped.
"What were you thinking, coming out dressed like this? Next time, at least grab your fur coat!"
"I'm sorry Rudeus... I just... didn't want to wake anyone. I wasn't going to stay out here too long."
"No. It's ok. What's wrong? I could tell last night that something was bothering you."
For a moment, Eris seemed surprised that I noticed. "It's nothing."
"Come on now. Don't tell me nothing's wrong after you walk out in the freezing cold wearing nothing but a nightgown."
Speaking of which, I just now realized how revealing her current outfit really was. She was wearing nothing but a nightgown made of thin fabric which was also damp from being snowed upon causing the fabric to stick to her skin. It didn't leave much to the imagination. I tried hard to maintain eye contact since she was obviously upset, but her outfit wasn't making it easy.
"It's just... I was so happy and excited to meet your family. I'm grateful that you all made it back together safely but... where are my parents? What about grandfather? How could they leave without me like that?"
"Don't be silly. It's not that they left without you. They had no way of knowing we would return on our own, they are probably out looking for you."
"That's all the more reason we need to find them!"
Somehow that sentence really hit home. My chest started to hurt. I was so focused on reuniting with Sylphy and finding Laws, I didn't stop to think about Eris' family or her feelings. This isn't the same Eris that abandoned me all those years ago. This Eris has stuck by my side and done her best to protect me all this time.
"You're right. First thing tomorrow, I will help you find them."
"Really? You will!?"
"Of course. Don't forget, they are my family too", I said with a smile.
We stayed outside and chatted for a little while longer until I was finally able to calm Eris down. I guided her back inside and dried her clothes with a Heat Island spell. Eris finally realized the state of her clothing and blushed a deep red before slamming her fist into my head.
"Ow! What was that for!?"
"I just felt like it!", she yelled as she turned away and hurried into her bedroll.
Needless to say we woke everyone up. Paul yelled from his bedroom for us to knock it off. I just rubbed my head as I aggravatedly got back in my bedroll and went to sleep.
The next morning, we ate breakfast and then Laws and I walked Sylphy to school, sending her off at the front gate. Once we got back home I had a chat with Paul about Eris' parents. Last he heard they had hired a group of adventurers to guide them to Roa. Of course, Roa no longer existed, but they had no way of knowing that at the time.
We spent some time thinking about the best way to track them down, before finally deciding that the quickest way to handle it would be for me to pick them up myself. At first, Paul insisted that he come with me to look for them, but I wouldn't allow it.
"You have Mother and Lilia to look after. Not to mention Aisha and Norn. Have you forgotten who I am? Trust me, I will be completely fine on your own."
Paul frowned, but then eventually sighed as he gave in. "Fine. You're right. Anyone strong enough to pose a problem to you would make childsplay of me anyway. The real problem is going to be convincing your mother of that. Unless you tell her everything you told me, there's no way she'll let you wander off looking for Eris' parents on your own."
"Hmm... You're right. Perhaps there's an easier way to take care of this."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, while it's true I can make quick work of travel using teleportation, the problem remains that we don't know where they are. What we really need is to hire others to look for them."
"Do you have that kind of money to hire so many people? Even if you do, how will they contact you if they do manage to find them? It can take several months for a letter to be delivered from the Fittoa region to here."
"To be honest, I am running a little low on funds. Buying that house ate up about half of what I had left, and most of that I will need to pay for the repairs and renovations I have planned."
"Perhaps we could clear a labyrinth together and sell the magic items or stones that we find. It's been too long since I last explored a labyrinth. I can't help but get excited at the thought of partying up with you to clear one. What a perfect father and son bonding experience..."
As Paul was letting his mind wander off topic, the perfect idea found its way to me.
"I've got it!", I said while slamming my fist into the palm of my hand.
"Hmm?", Paul asked while tilting his head to the side.
"I've got the perfect way to drum up some money while also solving our communication problem. It's a little earlier than I had planned, but I guess it's time for me to apply to enroll at the University."
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone