Like the seventeen thousand nights before, Old Finch had dinner and sat by the second-floor window, gazing down at the spring below.
Like the seventeen thousand nights before, Old Finch reminisced about his brief life.
When he was very young, due to his parents' work relocation, he followed them away from Springvale to the far northern border adjacent to Snezhnaya, to a city colloquially known as 'Northwind City'.
It took him several years to finally get used to the new environment, but then his parents both died in an accident... That was the most painful and darkest time of his youth.
He returned to Springvale.
After that came the story he wrote in Heart of Clear Springs: a sorrowful, tormented boy formed a bond with the spring sprite through tears, only to be abandoned mercilessly.
The family's move had made him miss the best opportunity to form pure friendships with peers. Although he later made some less-than-pure friends, they all eventually left their hometowns for a living.
But he, bound by a vow to always stay beside the spring, never left.
He made ends meet by doing odd jobs in town during the day, and kept watch by the spring at night. Just like that, he waited.
Until he turned thirty. During a rare storm, he heard the spring sprite weeping. Her voice still flowed like the spring water, but his hands had grown rough, and wrinkles had crept onto his face.
Recalling that dreamy kiss, he vaguely understood something, and completed Heart of Clear Springs in a single night.
After receiving the publishing fee, he began a life free from work. He spent his days by the spring—not out of longing for love anymore, but simply to prove that he and she had once shared it.
Old Finch sighed. Every night, he would relive these memories.
Partly for fear that age would one day rob him of them; partly because he hoped some mysterious will might hear his thoughts and help him.
Just as he had written in Heart of Clear Springs, the spring sprite would likely evade him for the rest of his life. At his age, he no longer held much hope.
But every time an outsider came in search of the spring sprite, a spark of hope would rise in his heart—that in responding to them, the spring sprite might give him a chance to speak with her.
Tonight, Draff's daughter brought a stranger along. Judging from their appearance, they too were probably searching for the spring sprite.
Old Finch made no effort to hide his scrutinizing gaze. He met the stranger's eyes squarely, then, with a trace of expectation, locked his gaze on the surface of the water.
It was on a cloudless night like this one that the spring sprite once emerged from the water and walked toward him…
When he glanced back at Diona and Victor Wang, he noticed something was off—they seemed to be arguing.
......
"But... even so... I... sob..." Diona had been moved to tears by Victor Wang's words.
"Th-this... don't cry, okay?"
["Hmph! Master made the cat-girl cry!"]
"Diona, I'm sorry. I only wanted to be honest with you. These things might be difficult, but they're unavoidable."
"I... I know, but I also wanted to have the ability to make awful-tasting drinks…"
"If this is your decision—one you've made even after knowing the consequences—then I'll support you."
"I..."
Diona hung her head, not letting Victor Wang see her tears. Deep down, she was still wavering. Her original intention behind wanting to make terrible drinks was to help her father quit drinking. She just didn't want to blame her dad directly, so she blamed everything on the alcohol instead.
She understood. She truly did.
After working at the Cat's Tail tavern for so long, she had grown fond of the place—of the manager Margaret, of the kittens, and even a little fond of the praise from others when they enjoyed her drinks.
It was vanity, and she understood that too. But she wasn't addicted to it.
Still, without the spring sprite's blessing, the captain of the guard, Lisa, and all those who loved her drinks—would never get to taste them again.
And a drink so vile it made people quit drinking—after one taste, wouldn't no one ever want to drink it again?
That reason... had already been shattered, yet she still voiced it instinctively. Why are you so immature, Diona?
Diona cried again, this time at herself.
"Don't comfort me... I don't need comfort..."
Another thoughtless outburst. Aahhh, Diona! Diona!
["Wow! She's crying even louder now. She totally wants Master to comfort her!"]
Victor Wang finally gave in to the tide of tears, gently patting Diona on the head. "There, there, don't cry. We haven't even seen a shadow of the spring sprite yet. You still have time to decide."
"I don't know... what to do…"
Then let me help you decide.
"No rush. Take your time to think. If you're really unsure, we can go back and rest, okay?"
Yet a faint sigh echoed in Victor Wang's ear.
The once-clear moonlight took on a watery hue. The surface of the spring began to glow, yet the lotus leaves and swimming fish within remained oblivious.
"This is... the spring sprite?"
Through her blurry tears, Diona saw the figure above the spring—a sprite like a fairy. For a moment, she forgot to cry.
The spring sprite before them was unlike the pure water sprites Victor Wang had encountered before. She had taken the form of a human woman—dressed in water-blue garments, with long water-blue hair, and water-blue eyes. Her mature curves and angelic face were mesmerizing.
The sigh had come from her lips.
"I'm sorry, hunter's daughter. I didn't realize my blessing, which I thought was beautiful, would bring you pain."
Her voice flowed like the spring water—magical, indescribably beautiful.
"You don't need to apologize... It's more like I wasted such a wonderful blessing. Actually... I..."
"I've already tasted those feelings from your tears. I understand... I'm truly sorry. If you wish, I am willing to take my blessing back."
The watery woman gazed warmly at Diona, her eyes like the hearth's glow.
"Little Wen," Victor Wang whispered to the sword sprite.
["Ahem! Cat-girl sister, you may not know this, but for pure water sprites, giving a blessing consumes a huge amount of energy. It takes a long time to accumulate that energy. Sometimes, giving a single blessing can cause memory loss or even a decline in intelligence!]
["And—most importantly—each person can only receive one blessing from a pure water sprite in their lifetime. Even if it's taken back, they can never receive another one. You really need to think this through!"]
"S-so it's that serious?"
["Of course! You can ask the spring sprite yourself if you don't believe me."]
The spring sprite nodded. "I didn't expect you to know so much about our blessings."
["Hmph! I'm a naturally born sprite stone, and I've existed for one hundred thousand years—"]
"Get to the point!" Victor Wang tapped the sword's hilt.
["Ahem! Also..."] Xiaowen hesitated, then continued:
["When a pure water sprite retracts a blessing, it consumes an equal amount of energy. Given your age, it's unlikely the spring sprite could've accumulated enough energy in such a short time. Retracting the blessing might harm her."]
"?"
Noticing the spring sprite's confused gaze, Victor Wang cleared his throat and winked.
Before Diona or the spring sprite could respond, he held Diona by the shoulders and gently turned her to face him.
"So, do you really want to lift the blessing? It doesn't seem to benefit either you or the spring sprite."
"I..."
"In fact, studies show that drinking in moderation has health benefits—like improving circulation, reducing blood clots, aiding metabolism, resisting cold, soothing the mind, relieving stress, and even increasing appetite."
"As a bartender, of course I know that."
"Right? Even Lisa drinks. Sometimes, a bit of alcohol isn't a bad thing. What matters is moderation. Avoiding drunkenness. Right?"
Diona nodded softly.
"So... wouldn't it be more realistic and beneficial to promote moderate drinking instead of making undrinkable booze?"
"What are you trying to say?"
Caught between keeping and giving up the blessing, Diona needed a gentle push. Victor Wang was ready to give it.
"As the saying goes, 'Children make choices; adults take it all.'"
"Can't you keep the blessing and encourage moderation? When I talked to your dad today, he said getting drunk and making you worry made him feel guilty. So, he's decided to quit drinking—and told me not to tell you because he wanted it to be a surprise."
Diona was stunned. "Really? He wants to quit?"
"Yep. So?"
Diona took a deep breath, then turned to the spring sprite and said, "Then... I won't waste your energy. Maybe a different approach would be better for both of us."
"If that is your choice, I will respect it."
The spring sprite sighed again. Granting blessings did require energy—but taking them back did not.
Yet seeing Diona change her mind, she didn't offer further explanation. The emotions in Diona's tears had been so complex, and her final decision had surprised the sprite.
Victor Wang seemed to understand the sigh and said to the spring sprite, "Humans are hard to predict. You may think you've seen through us, but…"
He looked up at Old Finch, who seemed unaware of the changes happening below.
"But just like that man who's been waiting for you—perhaps you never truly saw his heart. Instead of letting him treat your meeting as a dream, wouldn't it be better to be honest with him?"
"...Maybe I really did make a mistake. But I've wasted his youth. I don't have the face to see him now."
The spring sprite shut her eyes in pain.
"Please pass on a message to him: 'When all the stars in the night sky go dark, when every stream and every dream flows into the same sea—then we shall meet again.'"
"All right."