Leaving

After half a month on the road, they returned to Flamme's home once more. What they had brought back, of course, were magic tomes that money could not buy.

"Finally home, my precious little bed."

Looking exhausted, Li Yan flopped onto the bed. The journey had been full of trials: harassment from Demons, attacks by monsters, and the occasional small problem in a village that needed their help.

"A Yan, remember your noble etiquette. You should go home sometime soon. After all, you haven't been back in a long time. If I remember right, your parents have given you a younger brother and sister. You can go meet them while you're there."

Flamme spoke earnestly. A friend of hers had recently sent her a letter describing some matters concerning Li Yan's family and the births of his younger brother and sister. The friend hoped Li Yan would come home for a visit.

"Huh? A younger brother and sister?"

Li Yan looked surprised. He hadn't expected such a big change in his family after being away for just a few years to study magic. The birth of a younger brother and sister might be a happy occasion for an ordinary family, but for nobles, it was a matter of exceptional importance.

There were many rules among nobles, and the foremost issue was their system of succession. As the eldest legitimate son, Li Yan could inherit his father's title of Earl, but with a younger brother and sister, there was a chance it could pass to one of them instead.

Although Li Yan didn't care about the status of an Earl, it was naturally best to have wealth and luxury if he could. After all, a poorly funded mage was no match for a well-funded one, to say nothing of the vast sums needed to develop magic in the future.

Magic research consumed more money than anything else. So, no matter how little Li Yan cared, there were some things he had to go back and see about.

Frieren rested her face in her hands and watched quietly. Having a younger brother and sister ought to be a good thing, so why was there so little joy on Flamme's and Li Yan's faces? Instead, they looked uncertain and wary of the unknown.

"So, A Yan, it's time you went home for a visit."

Flamme sat down beside Li Yan and gently stroked his head. At the end of the day, she was reluctant to part with him. Although Li Yan was only going back briefly to meet his younger brother and sister and see his family, friction between the Demons and the Kingdom had been constant lately, and quite a few Demons had infiltrated the Earl's territory. Li Yan might spend a long time dealing with things at home; as the eldest legitimate son, he had to shoulder some responsibility for the family.

"I understand, Godmother. I'll go back in a few days."

Li Yan rested his head on Flamme's lap, his thoughts drifting. His recent research into Machine Life was still only partial, and his progress in magic had been slow. His physique, on the other hand, had improved considerably, perhaps because he had been born with a warrior's physique.

"Remember to bring me some candy."

Frieren chimed in. Studying magic on the mountain was often a little dull, and having a few pieces of candy to fill the emptiness in her heart wasn't a bad idea.

"Mm, I'll bring you a whole cartload of candy."

A faint smile appeared on Li Yan's face.

"Then it's a promise. Pinky swear."

Frieren leaned over and hooked her little finger around Li Yan's. "Pinky swear, sealed for a hundred years, never to change. Whoever breaks it will be a nasty little dog for life."

Three days slowly passed. Li Yan placed the magic tomes in Flamme's magic library, at twice Frieren's height, where she could never reach them. After all, Frieren was always misplacing things, and he was afraid she would somehow lose his treasured magic tomes.

These few magic tomes on Machine Life were Li Yan's treasures now. There were still parts he hadn't fully grasped. Once he understood them, he planned to start experimenting, using magic to create artificial intelligence and leaving all tedious matters to it in the future.

With everything taken care of, Li Yan looked at Frieren, engrossed in a magic tome, and Flamme, absorbed in her magic experiments. A nostalgic look appeared on his face.

"I'm leaving, Godmother, Junior Sister."

Li Yan shouldered his luggage, which contained food for the road, a change of clothes, and magic tomes to read in his spare time.

"Remember, candy."

Frieren weakly raised a little hand, then continued reading the magic tome in her hands.

"Remember to come back soon. Godmother will miss you."

Flamme waved a hand, then returned to studying the progress of her magic experiments.