"You're here again?"
Acrune nodded. He greeted the old man in front of him and then walked toward the stables—this was his part-time work.
Oxeiburt nodded back. He was the owner of the farm and also a priest within the group. Acrune and he were carefully preparing the horses for the upcoming winter hunting festival.
The two of them led the horses to a new stable, which would serve as their home for the next few days while the old stables were being renovated.
There was a great deal of work to be done for the festival, but Acrune's main tasks were simply taking the horses out to graze and bathing them.
"You've been looking at that girl again, haven't you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Oxeiburt pointed toward a girl in the distance. She had blond hair and sun-tanned skin, yet still carried a rare, almost aristocratic pride unbecoming of a commoner. She seemed to be carrying leather clothes and tools made from cowhide and horsehide.
"That's Sophia Ewdarn. She's one of the few people who still bear the noble surname Ewdarn."
(Those without a proper lineage or those descended from criminals do not possess surnames. Some people claim to have surnames, but they are merely fabricated additions. True surnames are reserved only for nobles.)
Acrune looked at the girl and said, "She feels… a bit strange."
"Strange?" Oxeiburt was surprised by that remark. Looking at Acrune, who was wearing clothes stuffed with straw, he wasn't sure who should really be called strange.
"…Well, maybe it's because she uses a rare type of mana?"
"Rare? What do you mean?"
Oxeiburt stroked his long brown beard, trying to recall what he knew, then spoke slowly.
"Ah! That's right—Love mana, I believe."
"Love? What do you mean by Love?"
Acrune froze. He had never heard of a mana type associated with emotions. Hearing this, Oxeiburt burst into laughter.
"Love is a rather special kind of mana. You see, in the mana language, it's linked to Curse mana. If you've never studied, it's understandable that you wouldn't know—after all, tuition fees are far too expensive for someone like you."
Surprised, Acrune asked, "Then what about you? Did you study?"
"Of course. I studied at Melody—the academy for clergy and holy knights…"
Oxeiburt spoke with a smile, but gradually that smile faded, and his voice softened.
"Hah…" He let out a long sigh, the breath condensing into a small cloud.
"…That place… well, never mind. It's not worth mentioning."
Oxeiburt waved his hand as if brushing away past karma, then spoke to Acrune again.
"In any case, that girl is far too beautiful—truly a genuine user of Love mana. What do you think?"
"…I'm sorry, sir, but—"
Oxeiburt seemed to realize something. He sighed and nodded, then took out a cross and hung it around his neck.
"My Acrune."
"…Yes, sir?"
"I want to ask you something… Why is it that greedy, selfish people… like me, hold noble positions, while the kind-hearted are cast down into hunger and slavery?"
"I don't understand what you mean. What are you trying to say?"
"Just answer."
Caught off guard, Acrune slowly sat down on the stone steps.
"Then I want to ask you something in return. Perhaps this will help you find your answer."
"…What is it?"
"A short story."
Oxeiburt loaded the saddles onto a supply cart, then mounted a horse. He pointed at another pack horse and said,
"Get on and tell it to me."
Acrune nodded and clumsily climbed onto the horse. Though it was his first time riding, it was enough to leave Oxeiburt astonished.
"…The story goes that in ancient times, long before now, when humanity had just come into existence…"
"A Burning One appeared, tore out its own heart, and turned it into tens of thousands—no, billions—of gold coins, scattering them across the land. Each person there received exactly two gold coins—no more, no less."
"Those two coins were meant for two things: life and death. By convention, one coin could be exchanged for one condition imposed by the gods, while the other was meant for crossing the Yellow Springs."
Acrune's gaze dimmed as memories surfaced—stories his mother once told him.
"The things one could receive were…"
…