Farewell

The air suddenly fell silent for a second.

Then, everyone's gaze, including Lance's, turned in unison toward Nia.

If saying Lance had lost the worst was a "kind lie,"

then the real unlucky victim was painfully obvious.

"Ahhh!"

Nia's face instantly flushed red like a ripe tomato.

She covered her face in mortification, feeling as though both her intelligence and card skills had been thoroughly humiliated.

"Amber! You might as well have just said it was me!"

Watching the two girls fool around, Lance lifted his wineglass and took a sip.

What an incredible magic item.

Not only could it detect lies, it could even discern the motives behind them and whether they were good or malicious.

The witch who had made this deck of cards had to be a high-level professional specializing in the mind.

As the night deepened, the charcoal on the grill occasionally sent one or two sparks flying.

The group sat around the long table, taking turns drawing cards. With the alcohol working its way through them, the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

The questions appearing on the cards also became stranger and stranger.

For example, [Tell everyone about a shameful memory you most want to erase].

Or, [If Lance ran home after racking up enormous debts outside, would you pretend not to know him or help him pay them off?]

Faced with such absurd interrogations, everyone gave all sorts of answers under the influence of drink, and the courtyard was filled with cheerful laughter.

Until it was Nia's turn.

She reached out and drew an Ace of Diamonds from the deck.

As magic spread across it, a line of words emerged on the card:

[What kind of future do you hope for?]

Nia blinked and blurted out her answer almost without thinking.

"The future I hope for is for everyone to keep living in Grayrock Town forever."

Resting her chin in her hands, the girl's eyes brimmed with longing.

"We can eat the new treats from the dessert shop every day without worrying about gaining weight, then climb to the highest clock tower in town at dusk to watch the sunset."

"And when we all become old men and old women, we can still gather like this with a few good friends, play cards, eat, and drink."

As her words fell, the edges of the crystal card slowly lit up.

It was an incomparably pure azure glow.

It represented absolute sincerity.

This was the truest reflection of her heart.

Nia happily waved the card in her hand, ready to accept everyone's teasing.

But when she looked up at the people around her, she found that no one returned her smile.

Amber's hand holding her wineglass froze in midair, her gaze drifting uncertainly.

Flora lowered her head and stared at the hem of her skirt, her fingers twisting together uneasily.

Even Lance, who was usually so composed, had a somewhat stiff expression.

"What's wrong?"

Nia tilted her head in confusion at everyone's strange reactions.

"I wasn't lying. It's blue."

"Flora, it's your turn!"

Flora, sitting opposite her, seemed to snap back to her senses and hurriedly pushed up her glasses.

"Mm—mm! Is it my turn?"

To hide her embarrassment, Flora barely shuffled the deck before absentmindedly reaching out and drawing a card.

Ace of Spades.

Seeing the question on the card, Flora's rosy face instantly went several shades paler.

[Have you already decided the exact date you will leave, but kept it from everyone because you were too afraid to say it?]

Why did she have to draw this card?

Flora gripped the corner of the card tightly and instinctively glanced at Nia beside her.

"N-no."

She answered in a tiny voice.

But the next second,

the originally transparent card did not display the blue color that represented truth.

Instead, it shimmered with a gentle yet dazzling warm golden halo.

It was a kind lie.

The courtyard instantly fell silent.

The smile slowly vanished from Nia's face. She stared blankly at the glowing card, then at Flora, who had lowered her head.

"Gold—"

"Flora, you're leaving?"

Under everyone's gaze, Flora seemed at a loss.

She nervously twisted her fingers and looked around for an excuse, but in the end, she surrendered beneath Nia's gaze.

The girl lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's hum.

"I-I might need to leave for Viridia to study alchemy."

"Aunt Morwenna helped me secure a recommendation slot. It's a rare opportunity—"

Although Lance had long known that Flora aspired to become a professional Alchemist, he had not expected their parting to come so soon.

"That's amazing."

Amber's sincere exclamation broke the silence.

"Viridia is the holy land in the hearts of Alchemists across the entire continent. The chance to study there is something countless people could only dream of."

But that did not make Nia happy.

Her expression was strange, even carrying a hint of panic.

"Then—will you come back?"

"Of course I will!"

At those words, Flora abruptly lifted her head, her eyes exceptionally resolute.

"We promised to be best friends for life. Once I finish learning, I'll definitely come back!"

She held out the little finger of her right hand before Nia.

"Pinky promise."

Nia sniffled, then held out her own little finger and firmly hooked it around 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 reconcile as though nothing had happened, Amber let out a soft sigh.

She looked between their linked little fingers, then seemed to make some kind of decision.

"Actually—"

Amber raised her wineglass and took a huge gulp, speaking with the courage the alcohol gave her.

"I'm leaving Grayrock Town for a long time too."

At those words, Nia, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, froze completely.

Amber gave a bitter smile and continued explaining, "Recently, one of my dad's former teammates came looking for him. Their adventuring party is preparing to regroup and explore a new ruin, and they invited him to return."

"He retired and came back to raise me because my mother fell ill and passed away."

"But I know he's always missed that kind of life."

Amber's voice sank.

"I often see him sitting alone at the bar in the middle of the night, staring blankly at old photos of them when they were young."

"I want him to be happier, so I decided to support him going back."

"As his daughter, I have to go along and handle the logistics too, so that careless old man doesn't starve himself to death on the road."

Having said that, Amber looked seriously at her friends.

"But I won't be going far. Whenever the party takes a break, I'll come back often."

The two bombshell revelations in a row left Nia completely stunned.

Her expression became exceedingly complicated as her gaze shifted back and forth between Flora and Amber.

One good friend was leaving to pursue her dream.

The second good friend was leaving for family.

No way—

A powerful sense of panic surged into her heart.

Instinctively, she turned to look at the only man here, and the owner of this house.

However,

when she looked at Lance, she found no surprise on his face. Instead, his expression was full of complexity.

It was an expression carrying a trace of apology.