Early in the morning, in Niklaus's room, Niklaus had prepared himself well. He strapped the daggers to his belt, put on his cloak, and made sure all his belongings were in place inside the magical ring.
On Niklaus's bed, Ethan sat—or rather, he was half-asleep. He had come to the room hours earlier. He said in a lazy, sluggish tone: "Oh, every bone in my body is broken! I can't believe I spent the night on that couch… and worse, I felt a ghost next to me!"
Niklaus ignored Ethan's words as usual and headed out of the room.
Ethan sighed tiredly, then quietly followed him.
They went to the dining hall. Maria had prepared breakfast and was sitting at the table, while Adele sat beside her, looking more excited than usual.
Ethan winked at Maria, and Maria winked back. Niklaus saw this but didn't care—he just sat down quietly.
Maria said: "Good morning. So, it's time to go."
Ethan sat down and said: "Ah, my dear lady, if it were up to me, I'd stay forever just to eat your delicious food. Lucky for me, I learned a few recipes from you." He said it in his usual playful tone, then began eating with enjoyment.
Niklaus's eyes met Maria's gaze. He felt she wanted to tell him something, but Maria remained silent.
When Niklaus finished eating, Maria stood up and said quietly with a calm smile: "Follow me."
Niklaus rose without question and followed her.
Ethan looked at them for a moment, then quietly finished his food. He had seen this often. He saw them together a lot, saw how Niklaus sometimes responded to Maria and spoke smoothly with her.
He muttered as he took a bite of bread: "What a betrayal. I've been with him for years, and he hasn't responded to me as much as he's responded to Maria… At least I think about him, and I made a surprise for him. Even though he certainly won't care."
But he shivered for a second when he felt someone touch him. He coughed and spat out the food from his mouth. When he looked, no one was there. He muttered with annoyance: "Oh god, this inn really is haunted."
Meanwhile, Adele beside him was still watching with bright eyes.
Outside, the morning was calm. The sky was pale, but the sun had begun to pierce the dark clouds, casting its cold rays over the accumulated snow. The wind blew gently, as if carrying an invisible farewell.
Niklaus stood in front of the inn's door, his eyes following the scattered layers of snow. But he wasn't thinking about the weather—he was waiting for what Maria would say.
Maria, standing before him, didn't wear her usual smile. Her expression carried something of quiet sadness—something not entirely clear, but present nonetheless.
Then she spoke in a soft voice that carried a special weight:
"This will be our last meeting, you troublesome apprentice."
There was no sarcasm in her words this time. It sounded like words from the heart.
She was holding a medium-sized bag. She handed it to him and said: "Take this. Inside are magical stones, two books about herbs, and a letter. Open the letter if you ever need someone like me."
Niklaus looked at the bag and raised an eyebrow. He hadn't intended to take the bag or take anything. He was going to the forest to find answers, then leave this world the way he knew best. He didn't need any of this.
Yet despite that, he took the bag quietly.
Maria smiled faintly as she saw him take it.
He said quietly: "Thank you."
Maria froze for a few seconds, then chuckled lightly: "Oh my god, you thanked me without Ethan telling you to? Weren't you threatening me before?!"
Niklaus didn't say anything. He himself didn't know why he thanked her, or why he took the bag. He just thought that maybe it was the influence of this body. Or that he simply respected her, just as he had respected Old Alexander. He didn't think much about it.
Maria added in a quieter voice, carrying something like realization: "It seems Adele was right…"
Niklaus didn't understand what she said and raised his eyebrow.
Then, her expression shifted to a soft calm, and she said in a quiet, serious tone:
"Adele is not my daughter."
Niklaus said nothing. He had somehow expected this, but wasn't entirely sure.
Maria continued, looking at the snow, her tone serious:
"I was in an organization that shouldn't be named. I thought it was an ordinary organization, recruiting mages and alchemists… but I was wrong.
At first, I didn't notice anything, but they started pressuring me to make forbidden magical potions. I began to suspect them, then I dug deeper…
I discovered things that shouldn't be uncovered. Terrifying things. Things no one should know."
Then she paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to continue.
"I discovered a child… they were experimenting on her. They turned her into a weapon—something unnatural.
When I realized the truth about them, I knew I couldn't stay there. So I escaped.
I freed Adele, took her with me. I stole some research, forbidden books, and magical stones, and fled with all of them.
And since that day, they've been searching for me."
When Niklaus heard her words, he felt something strange—something familiar but unclear. It was as if he had heard something similar before… but he didn't remember when or where. And that bothered him greatly.
Then, suddenly, a System notification appeared:
[Mission Complete: Learn potion-making from alchemist Maria]
[Reward: 100 Points + Maria's Secret]
Niklaus paused for a moment, looked at the notification, then at Maria. He understood that Maria had told him this because of the System, but he doubted it: does the System control people, or was this just a coincidence?
He felt lost. So he asked directly:
"Why are you telling me your secret?"
She answered without hesitation, but her words carried something like unexpected warmth:
"I think you seem like a little brother to me… and a trustworthy apprentice."
Then she smiled faintly, as if she knew this wouldn't change anything, but she wanted to say it anyway.
"Let's go inside. There's a surprise for you."
Maria went inside, while Niklaus stood in place for a few minutes, understanding nothing. He put his hand to his temple—the usual headache was still lightly knocking at his skull. He sighed quietly, stored the bag in the magical ring, and went inside.
When he entered, Ethan and Maria were standing at the table. Ethan was smiling—a wide grin drawn on his face—holding a small cake, waiting for this moment with childish anticipation.
Adele, standing beside Maria, rested her cheek on her palm and watched with wide eyes, as if silently saying: "I hope you like it."
Ethan said with a broad smile, his eyes sparkling: "Happy birthday, little brother."
Niklaus paused for a moment, looking at him with no clear expression. He hadn't expected this. He didn't even know that today was his birthday.
It wasn't just the birthday of Niklaus von Valderin. It was also Arthur's birthday.
In his life as Arthur, he never knew his real age or his real birth date. There was no real name to be called until Old Alexander chose one for him. Even his birth date was chosen by Alexander.
He froze in place. His eyes widened slightly. How had he never realized that Niklaus's birthday and Arthur's birthday were the same date? It was winter—the end of January.
When he realized that, a fragmented memory from his past life returned to him. The image was completely unclear, but it was there.
In that memory, Old Alexander was holding a small cake, placed it in front of him, then said in his quiet, serious voice:
"Happy birthday, you little rascal."
Arthur, at that time, didn't know how to respond. He thought it was strange to celebrate a birthday that the old man had chosen himself. As if he had no real birth date.
But the strangest thing was that Old Alexander wasn't the type to do nice things. He wasn't someone who expressed his emotions easily. He wasn't someone who cared about such things… and yet, he surprised him every time.
Niklaus thought: Is the birth date a coincidence?
He affirmed to himself: It's definitely a coincidence. Even though he didn't believe in coincidences.
Maria's voice interrupted his thoughts: "Happy birthday, you brat."
She said it with a warm smile.
Maria had remembered something that happened the day before. While she was cleaning the inn with Ethan, Ethan had made a request—something she hadn't expected to accept easily.
Ethan said quietly, unlike his usual self: "Tomorrow is Niklaus's birthday. Can you make him a cake?"
At that moment, Maria paused. She thought, then smiled faintly. Even though she believed it wouldn't matter to Niklaus.
But when she looked to her side, she saw Adele following the conversation with excitement, as if she was already thrilled by the idea.
Maria said with a small laugh, full of unusual enthusiasm: "Then we'll make a cake for my troublesome apprentice."
Ethan laughed, thinking then: How does Maria call my master her troublesome apprentice? But it made him realize there was something between them he didn't yet know.
In the present, Niklaus didn't say anything. He didn't move to blow out the candles—he just sat quietly.
But Ethan, who wasn't waiting for permission, took the initiative and blew out the candles for him. Then began his usual sarcastic chatter.
Maria and Ethan cut the cake and started handing it out. Then Maria placed four plates.
Ethan looked at her for a moment, then raised an eyebrow with obvious sarcasm: "Have you started counting the ghost who lives with us?!"
But Maria didn't care. She no longer saw it as necessary to hide, because she believed Ethan was a good person—trustworthy in an unexpected way.
Then she looked at Niklaus, who still hadn't started eating the cake. He was just watching it in silence.
Maria said with a slight challenge but not an arrogant tone: "Eat it. I put effort into this cake—me and the little ghost."
When Ethan heard that, he shuddered slightly and became a hundred percent sure there was a ghost in this inn.
As for Niklaus, he looked at the cake for a moment, then at Adele. She was sitting in front of him, her wide eyes full of anticipation, as if silently saying: "What do you think?"