"Garlan, you're back."
Lia held the door with one hand, rubbing her sleepy eyes with the other. Even though it was already late afternoon, the girl looked like she had just crawled out of bed.
"Mm... you took so long..."
At the threshold, Denken observed Lia with a look of mild surprise. He immediately noticed her long elven ears, wondering why on earth Garlan had an elf living in his house.
"Sorry about that. A lot happened; I nearly died out there," Garlan said, scratching his messy, unwashed hair. A stray flea hopped off and landed near Denken, making the mage's eyelid twitch involuntarily.
Now that he thought about it, Garlan hadn't told Lia exactly when he'd be back. Had she been waiting by the door all this time? No... I'm probably flatterring myself.
Looking at Lia's dazed, innocent face, Garlan couldn't help but find her adorable. He reached out and pinched her cheek—soft. Lia didn't pull away; she leaned into his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was strange. They had only known each other for a few days, yet there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Since she had arrived from Locke's place, she had integrated into his life seamlessly, without a hint of friction.
"You two are certainly close. You look like father and daughter," Denken remarked, dismissing any darker suspicions as he watched Garlan playfully tug at Lia's face.
Denken realized he didn't actually know much about Garlan. During their travels, Garlan rarely spoke of his personal life, preferring to share herbal lore or brewing techniques. Most of their journey had been filled by Reed's booming voice, recounting his "heroic" past and the epic romance with his wife.
The previous night, they had sat around the fire listening to a bandaged man describe how he'd saved his childhood sweetheart from a monster-infested village, fled south as refugees, and eventually built a life as a mercenary to support his family.
It was a romantic, inspiring story, though heavily flavored by Reed's self-aggrandizement. He'd even claimed to have wounded a "General-class" demon while carrying his wife, only escaping with the help of a masked man in black.
He was knocked unconscious by Zaras instantly; he's got some nerve telling tall tales, Garlan thought. Reed had even suggested the masked man looked like Garlan, which left Garlan speechless. Big guy, I would have been a toddler back then. You expect a kid to fight demons for you?
Denken thought Reed had the silver tongue of a politician—or a stand-up comedian. Garlan, on the other hand, thought Reed would be perfect at telling bedtime stories to rowdy children; he could talk for hours until even the most energetic brat fell into a bored, soul-crushed sleep just to make the talking stop.
Yet, the stories had stirred something in Denken. Memories of his late wife, Lektüre, acted like a dull knife twisting in his heart. In the quiet hours, he would often stare at the fountain pen she had given him, lost in the past.
Denken pulled his thoughts back to the present, eyeing Garlan. A masterful warrior and a genius pharmacist? Is it just a hobby, or is there a history he can't speak of? The more time he spent with this man of secrets, the more intrigued he became. His intuition told him Garlan was a friend worth keeping.
"Father and daughter? I'm not sure I could handle that. She's hundreds of years older than me. Technically, I should be calling her 'great-great-great-grandma'?"
"I'm still a child by elven standards! Garlan, you're mean!" Lia suddenly bit down on Garlan's hand, her little mouth gnawing away indignantly.
"Ack! Why are your teeth so sharp?! When did you learn to bite like a toddler...?"
Seeing Lia's pout, Garlan gave up the teasing and let her vent. He hadn't figured out how to explain her origin to Denken yet, but he had more pressing matters. He ushered everyone inside, left Denken to chat with Lia, and hurried down to his cellar.
He pulled out the ingredients Glenn had sent for the Panacea of Ten Thousand Poisons and unrolled the parchment. He really trusted me, giving me the recipe before I even got the flowers.
"I can't let your trust go to waste, Glenn," Garlan muttered.
The potion in the cauldron turned a violent crimson as he added the final powders. A pungent, acrid smell erupted, engulfing Garlan's face.
"Cough! Hack! Cough!"
So sharp! The smell hit his brain like a physical blow. Wait... did she swap the chili powder with the Nan-red powder again?!
After two failed attempts, Garlan successfully bottled a small vial of the Panacea. He rushed to Rohguri and found Glenn at home, drowning his sorrows in ale. When Glenn saw the cure, he was ecstatic. Another day, and he would have lost the arm for good.
They watched tensely as the liquid touched the blackened, ominous wound. White steam hissed from the scar as the toxin was forced out, dripping onto the floor as a foul, green sludge that sizzled against the wood. Seconds later, Glenn's arm returned to a healthy flesh tone.
"Thank you, brother. The next round of drinks is on me!" Glenn squeezed Garlan's shoulder, his tough-guy facade crumbling into a tearful mess of relief. Garlan felt the sacrifice of his precious potions had been worth it—mostly.
With the burden lifted, Garlan walked home with a light step. The autumn sunset was quickening. By the time he arrived, Denken and Lia were already at the table.
"Task complete?" Denken asked with a rare, genuine smile.
"Yeah. Thanks to your help." Garlan pulled up a chair. In front of him sat a large hamburger steak. "Did Denken cook this?"
"I did!" Lia puffed out her cheeks.
"You learned how to make hamburger steaks?" Garlan was surprised.
"I practiced a lot while you were gone!" she said proudly.
Garlan felt a sudden chill. "Practiced a lot? How much... exactly?"
"I used up all the ingredients you left behind to find the perfect cooking time!"
All of them? That was a week's worth of food! Garlan's soul felt like it was leaving his body. His plan for a midnight snack was officially dead. This steak would be the only meat he'd see for days.
Still, he took a bite. It was juicy and perfectly seasoned. Even Denken, accustomed to palace delicacies, seemed to be enjoying the novelty of the dish.
Looking at Lia, who was waiting for praise, and Denken sitting beside her, Garlan remembered his plan. He put on his most charming, slightly "greasy" smile and looked at the mage.
"Denken..."
"Yes?" Denken looked confused by Garlan's sudden shift in tone.
"You said you don't have any plans for a while, right?"
"That's correct..."
"Then, would you mind tutoring Lia in magic? Since you're staying here anyway... consider it a way to pass the time among friends? Hehe."
Denken froze, then let out a helpless, dry laugh. You little rascal!
You've been playing me from the start. You didn't just invite me back for the scenery; you wanted a world-class tutor for your elven girl.
"Garlan... your calculations are so loud I can hear the abacus clicking from here."
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, except Saturday and Sunday
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