Only three days later, Caitlyn came back to the Undercity with good news.
Not only had she solved the identity issue for Van's entry into the University of Piltover's research institute, she had even managed to pry sponsorship money out of Councilor Kiramman, her own mother.
Because Caitlyn had secretly gone to the Undercity, mother and daughter had fought hard over it. But after Caitlyn argued her case with stubborn determination, then followed it with a fair amount of spoiled insistence, Councilor Kiramman, who had only one daughter and a husband forever whispering in that daughter's favor, had no choice but to give in.
In the third-floor office of the Last Drop, Van looked at the long string of zeroes on the document and felt his temple twitch.
When he had done business with House Kiramman before, he had already thought they spent money generously.
Apparently, he had still underestimated them.
"My family has always liked investing in talented young people, and we care a lot about scientific and technological progress… so when it comes to research funding, we've always been generous."
"This is a little too generous…"
Van quietly wondered if he should raise the price of compound potions.
Demand had increased, and supply was still limited. A price increase would be perfectly reasonable, wouldn't it?
"Your identity approval went surprisingly smoothly. It passed after a simple review. I thought your Undercity background might cause some trouble…"
"Then I'm lucky."
It would have been strange if there had been trouble.
In truth, after speaking with Caitlyn last time, Van had gone to Silco. It seemed Silco had already spoken to Marcus in advance.
"I really owe you, Caitlyn…"
"Don't be so formal with me… When are you planning to leave?"
"In a few days. I still need to arrange things in the Lanes. This will be the first time those kids have been without me."
"You're only going topside for research. You can come back anytime. Don't worry too much."
"Mm."
Once the serious matters were finished, silence settled over the room. Van looked at Caitlyn sitting across from him and suddenly did not know what to say. He even felt faintly stiff and awkward.
That had never happened before. He had never felt this way when talking to Caitlyn in the past.
Caitlyn, on the other hand, kept looking at him with a soft smile.
"…What is it?"
"Nothing."
Caitlyn smiled and reached into her bag.
"Oh, right. I brought you a gift."
"A gift?"
Van looked at the gift box Caitlyn handed over and reached out to take it.
"Uh… should I open it now?"
He had never received a personal gift in a proper box like this before, so he had no idea what to do with it. He vaguely remembered hearing that gifts like this were supposed to be opened after the giver left.
"Of course you should open it now! How else am I supposed to know whether you like it?"
Caitlyn simply reached out herself, untied the ribbon, and opened the box.
Inside lay an exquisite lighter, its case engraved with elegant patterns.
"I heard from Ekko that you smoke quite a lot, so I got you a lighter… What do you think? I had it specially made."
"It's beautiful, Caitlyn."
Van was not being polite. This was the best-looking lighter he had ever seen. Even the one Finn used to treasure so much could not compare.
It felt heavy in his hand, with a pleasant weight to it. Gold and silver patterns intertwined across the surface, faintly forming… the outline of a profile.
"Who's carved on it?"
"Can't you tell? It's you!"
Caitlyn smiled proudly.
"Me?"
"I sent the craftsman a portrait of you. He's a famous master, and he recreated it almost perfectly."
Van almost never looked in the mirror, so when he saw the engraving earlier, he had only thought it seemed familiar. He had not realized it was his own profile.
"So? Do you like it?"
"Of course…"
Van smiled, flipped open the lid, and struck the flint. A small flame rose and swayed, warm and beautiful.
"Thank you, Caitlyn. I really like it."
…
…
Sheriff Marcus had been very anxious lately.
His official work had been piling up day by day, but he could not bring himself to handle any of it.
Two days ago, someone under him had reported that the young lady of House Kiramman was trying to arrange identification papers for an Undercity man.
Most importantly, that man's name was Torvan.
Torvan was coming to topside?
Marcus badly wanted to order the review blocked, but unfortunately, he could not.
Silco had sent someone with a request. Marcus was to open the way and make sure Van's identity in Piltover was resolved smoothly.
Marcus could refuse the young Miss Kiramman without much concern. In the end, Caitlyn was still technically his subordinate, and as sheriff, he held plenty of status in Piltover. As long as the procedure was proper, even Councilor Kiramman would have nothing to say.
And he had more than enough reason. Marcus knew exactly what kind of background Torvan had. He had plenty of ways to block him, all perfectly legal.
If he insisted on denying Torvan's application, Caitlyn would have no way around him, and Councilor Kiramman probably would not blame him over such a small matter.
But defying Silco?
He would not dare, even if someone gave him several more lives' worth of courage.
His fear of Silco had not weakened over the years. If anything, it had only grown worse. As he grew older, with more chains tying him down through family and career, his fear of a desperate man like Silco only became stronger.
Sometimes, the things outside the law were far more frightening than the law itself.
For years, Marcus had been searching for any chance to escape that threat. Instead, he had only sunk deeper.
Anxious, Marcus held his forehead, then reached for the photograph sitting at the corner of his desk. In the picture was a little girl with short brown hair and a pure smile.
Looking at his daughter's sweet face, Marcus still felt the worry inside him, but a trace of warmth appeared on his face despite it.
No matter what, he had his reasons. No father could bear to put his daughter in danger.
After a long while, he set the photograph down and let out a deep sigh.
"Torvan… Vi… Silco…"
Marcus murmured the names as he rubbed his aching head, his thoughts growing even more tangled.
No matter what he did, he could not stop this. Torvan was about to come to Piltover, and he would even have some level of contact with a councilor. That was probably already settled.
Whether Marcus wanted it or not, he now had to find a way to make deeper contact with Torvan.
[End of chapter]