Seeing how she’d gone out of her way to see me, I couldn’t just turn her away without hearing her out. Above all else, Surena was dear to me, so I couldn’t treat her with such disdain. She’d called it a message rather than a request or commission, so I doubted it was anything too unreasonable.
Still, I had no idea what message could possibly require Surena to deliver it to me personally. If it were something work-related, it would be better for it to go through Allucia and the order. Must be something personal. I just can’t imagine what exactly it could be.
“Well, come on in,” I said. “I don’t have much I can serve, though.”
“Don’t mind me.”
I welcomed Surena into my not-too-small but not particularly large house. I didn’t have anything special I could offer when receiving guests, so for now, I just had her take a seat as I started preparing some tea.
She’d told me not to mind her, but I didn’t believe I was meant to take that at face value. That said, I really didn’t have much I could prepare. I quickly boiled a small amount of water and got the tea leaves ready. I didn’t have much of a taste for tea, but plain old hot water all the time was a little boring. I would’ve been fine with it if I still lived alone, but now that I was living with Mewi, I spent a little more money on stuff like this.
I didn’t know how to identify or brew good tea. The stuff Lucy had served me had tasted great, but that was precisely because it’d been prepared by the likes of Lucy or Haley—they were much more familiar with this kind of thing. Even if I overreached and bought high-class leaves, it was clear that I would just waste them.
So, what I had at home was something cheap I’d chosen randomly in the western district. At least it was more refined than drinking plain water. If I’d been living on my own, I would’ve considered this a waste. It took time to prepare, and even if it was cheap, it still cost money. However, considering my influence on Mewi and her upbringing, this strangely became way less of a burden. It felt the same when I was putting in the work for Surena too.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here you go.”
“Thank you very much.”
After getting tea ready for both of us, I took a seat at the table. Thinking back on it, I had practically no experience inviting people over to my house. Many people had come knocking on the dojo’s doors, but that was different from having guests. Beaden wasn’t exactly the kind of place where you got frequent visitors either.
After moving to Baltrain as the Liberion Order’s special instructor, I’d spent a while living out of an inn. Even after getting this house from Lucy, I pretty much never had visitors. I didn’t really tell other people where I lived, so that played a part in it too.
“It’s gotten a lot warmer outside, hasn’t it?” Surena remarked.
“Yeah, it sure has. It’s better than the cold, but once summer gets rolling, the heat’s harsh on these old bones.”
“Oh please, you’re still in your prime, Master.”
“Ha ha ha, for now...”
I had plenty of time today. My only plans were to do some housework. Surena’s business didn’t seem particularly urgent either—I knew her well, and if it were truly important, she would’ve cut straight to it.
However, after having a sip of tea, she’d commented on the weather. In other words, both Surena and I had time to spare today. It’s nice to be able to chat at our leisure.
“Either way, there will come a day when my body won’t move the way I want it to,” I said. “Just like what happened to my old man... That time will definitely come for me before all of you.”
“That’s true, but...”
I could read it on her face—she was reluctant to admit that her mentor was on the decline. I’d gone through the same thing before with my old man, so I understood. I had always believed that my dad was strong beyond all reason, and even though I’d successfully beaten him in a match, I still had no idea when exactly I’d overtaken him. It had quite literally happened without me realizing it.
I had come to terms with that, though. Both my dad and I kept up with our training to whatever extent we could, but there was no beating the hands of time. Surena, Allucia, and I would all eventually put down our swords. Given our current ages, that future was definitely closest for me.
“I have been doing everything I can to struggle against it, though,” I added.
“Yes, please continue doing so.”
“Ha ha ha, I’ll do my best.”
I was delighted by the trust Surena had in me...but it could also be a bit much. Obviously, I had no intention of putting down my sword today or tomorrow. I wanna hold out for another fifteen years or so.
However, misfortune could still strike, like it had with my dad’s lower back pain. I would continue putting in the effort to avoid that, but there was no telling what the future had in store. To add to that, the concept of the “future” only grew more obscure with age, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about that.
Well, the wizard known as Lucy Diamond defied all such logic, but she existed utterly beyond any standards. Though I had confidence in my swordsmanship, I was still a normal person.
“Oh yes, a thought occurred to me the last time I visited...” Surena said.
“Hm?”
“Those pressed flowers are very nice.”
“Aah.”
This was her second time visiting my house. Last time, Mewi had been here too, so it had been quite a while since Surena and I had been alone like this. She had noticed the rather conspicuous—in a good way, that is—pressed bouquet that decorated the room. It really did add some color to the place. It was the handmade gift Shueste had given me upon my return from Flumvelk.