Chapter 47: Farewell
The air suddenly fell silent for a second.
Then, everyone’s gaze, including Lance’s, snapped to Nia.
Since saying Lance had lost the worst was a "well-intentioned lie"...
...it was painfully obvious who the real unlucky one was.
"Ahhh!"
Nia’s face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato.
She covered her face, mortified, feeling like she’d been doubly humiliated for both her intelligence and her card-playing skills.
"Amber! You might as well have just said it was me!"
Watching the two girls bicker playfully, Lance raised his cup and took a sip.
’What amazing Magic Items.’
’Not only can they detect lies, but they can even discern the motive and intent behind them.’
’The Witch who made this deck must be a high-Level Professional specializing in the mind.’
As the night deepened, the charcoal on the grill occasionally popped, sending out a spark or two.
The group sat around the long table, taking turns drawing cards. Fueled by the alcohol, the atmosphere grew more and more lively.
The questions appearing on the cards started to get stranger and stranger.
For example, [Share the one embarrassing memory you wish you could erase].
Or, [If Lance came back after racking up a huge debt, would you pretend not to know him, or would you help him pay it off?]
Faced with these interrogations that left them not knowing whether to laugh or cry, everyone, emboldened by the alcohol, gave all sorts of answers. The courtyard was filled with cheerful energy.
Until it was Nia’s turn.
She reached out and drew an Ace of Diamonds from the deck.
As Magic Power suffused the card, a line of text appeared on its face:
[What kind of future do you hope for?]
Nia blinked and blurted out an answer with almost no thought.
"The future I hope for is one where everyone keeps living here in Gray Rock Town forever."
The young woman rested her chin on her hand, her eyes full of longing.
"To be able to eat new treats from the dessert shop every day without worrying about getting fat, and to climb to the top of the town’s highest clock tower to watch the sunset in the evening."
"And then, when we’ve all become old men and women, we can still get together with our best friends to play cards, eat, and drink, just like we are now."
As she finished speaking, the edge of the Crystal Card slowly began to glow.
It was an exceptionally pure, azure Blue light.
Representing absolute sincerity.
This was a true reflection of her heart.
Nia happily waved the card in her hand, readying herself for her friends’ teasing.
But when she looked up at the others, she found no one was returning her smile.
Amber’s hand, holding her cup, was frozen in midair, her gaze distant.
Flora was staring down at the hem of her skirt, nervously twisting her fingers together.
Even the usually composed Lance had a somewhat stiff expression on his face.
"What’s wrong?"
Nia tilted her head in confusion, looking at everyone’s strange reactions.
"I’m not lying. See? It’s Blue."
"Flora, it’s your turn!"
Flora, sitting across from her, seemed to snap back to reality, frantically pushing up the glasses on her nose.
"Oh... oh! Is it my turn?"
To hide her awkwardness, Flora didn’t even shuffle the deck much before dazedly reaching out to draw a card.
The Ace of Spades.
Flora looked at the question on the card, and the healthy color instantly drained from her face, leaving it a few shades paler.
[Have you already set a specific date for your departure, but kept it from everyone because you were afraid to say anything?]
’How could I have drawn this one of all cards?’
Flora’s fingers squeezed the corner of the card tightly as she subconsciously glanced at Nia beside her.
"N-no."
She answered in a small voice.
But the next second...
The transparent card did not turn Blue, the color of truth.
Instead, it began to emit a soft, yet jarring, warm golden glow.
The sign of a well-intentioned lie.
The air in the courtyard instantly fell silent.
The smile on Nia’s face slowly vanished. She stared blankly at the glowing card, then at Flora, whose head was bowed.
"Gold..."
"Flora, you’re leaving?"
Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, Flora looked completely at a loss.
She twisted her fingers nervously, looking left and right for an excuse, but ultimately wilted under Nia’s gaze.
The girl lowered her head, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
"I... I might have to leave for Veridia to study Alchemy."
"Auntie Mowenna helped me get a letter of recommendation. It’s a very rare opportunity..."
Although Lance already knew Flora aspired to become a professional Alchemist, he hadn’t expected the departure to come so soon.
"That’s amazing."
Amber, beside her, let out a sincere gasp, breaking the silence.
"Veridia... That’s the holy land for Alchemists across the entire continent. So many people would kill for a chance to study there."
But this did not make Nia happy.
Her expression was strange, even tinged with a hint of panic.
"Then... will you come back?"
"Of course I will!"
Hearing this, Flora snapped her head up, her eyes exceptionally firm.
"We promised we’d be best friends for life! I’ll definitely come back after I finish my studies!"
She held out the pinky finger of her right hand to Nia.
"Pinky promise."
Nia sniffled, extended her own pinky, and hooked it tightly with Flora’s.
"Then it’s settled. We’ll be best friends for life."
With the touch of their fingertips, the small rift between the girls seemed to melt away into the evening breeze.
Watching the two make up, Amber let out a soft sigh.
She glanced at their intertwined pinkies, then seemed to make some kind of decision.
"Actually..."
Amber picked up her cup, took a large gulp, and spoke with liquid courage.
"I’m also going to be leaving Gray Rock Town for a long time."
As soon as she said this, Nia, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, completely froze.
Amber gave a bitter smile and continued to explain:
"My old man’s former teammates came looking for him recently. That Adventurer’s Guild is getting back together to explore a new ruin, and they invited him to rejoin."
"He originally retired and came back here to raise me after my mom got sick and passed away."
"But I know he’s always longed for that kind of life."
Amber’s voice grew quiet.
"I often see him in the middle of the night, just sitting at the bar alone, staring blankly at a photo of them from when they were young."
"I want him to be happier, so I decided to support his decision to go back."
"As his daughter, I have to go with him to handle logistics, otherwise the clumsy old guy would probably starve himself to death on the road."
At this point, Amber looked seriously at her friends.
"But I won’t be far. Whenever the team is resting, I’ll come back often."
Two bombshells in a row left Nia completely stunned.
Her expression became extremely complicated as her gaze shifted back and forth between Flora’s and Amber’s faces.
One best friend was leaving for her dream.
A second best friend was leaving for her family.
’It can’t be...’
A strong sense of panic washed over her.
She instinctively turned her head to look at the only man here, the owner of the house.
When she looked at Lance, however, she found no surprise on his face—only a complex expression.
It was a look tinged with a hint of apology.