Undercurrents

As the guests left, the banquet hall grew cold and empty.

Axela Perez dismissed the servants, went to the dining table, and poured herself a glass of red wine.

"Is it him?"

The young man beside her said, "He doesn't look like him."

"No?"

"No."

Axela Perez lowered the glass from her lips. "What do you mean?"

"The Reeves family's convoy was attacked. They never found Lewis Reeves's body at the scene. Then, a few days later, a boy with no memory turned up in a nearby town, with the same black hair as the Reeves family."

The young man, who had yet to eat that evening, prodded at the untouched food. "How could that be a coincidence?"

"Then why do you say he doesn't look like him?"

"Because he looks completely different, and there's no sign of a spell disguising him..." The young man held up the magic ring on his index finger. "He didn't inherit his family's gift for fire, either. Instead, he became a Sorcerer."

"And no one from the Reeves family would associate with people from that society."

"Do you still eat pumpkin pie?" Axela Perez asked suddenly.

"What?"

"I remember you used to throw up whenever you ate pumpkin pie as a child."

"Children dislike things for no reason... What does that have to do with this?"

"You changed. Why couldn't Lewis?"

"Maybe you're right." The young man tossed his fork onto the table without having eaten a bite. "Suppose he is Lewis. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

"Why?"

This time, Axela Perez quietly took a sip before answering. "You said it yourself. He doesn't look like him."

"But the killer might not see it that way."

The young man stared at Axela Perez. "The killer dared to attack the King of the North's convoy and killed everyone, but Lewis's body was the one they didn't find. Then a black-haired boy who seems to remember nothing appears in a nearby town... What do you think the killer will do?"

"That's none of my business."

Axela Perez swirled her glass and drained the wine.

"This is your town."

"My father was captain of the guards in the royal capital."

"Are you saying your family connections mean you don't fear the killer?"

Axela Perez set down her empty glass and shook her head.

"I'm saying my family's creed is to mind our own business."

The mayor acted quickly. Early the next morning, his butler arrived at Aunt Susan's door to take them to their new home—and nearly got thrown out as a swindler.

When Aunt Susan learned that the mayor had given them a house, she was delighted and astonished. She praised Annan and told Martin to fetch Uncle Holin, who had gone to chop firewood.

Once Uncle Holin returned, Aunt Susan changed into the floral dress Annan had brought her from Breeze City. The family followed the waiting butler to a house on Rich Street.

The two-story detached house had more than enough room for Aunt Susan's family.

"I'm taking a room upstairs!"

Martin thundered up the stairs, while Aunt Susan dragged Uncle Holin into the kitchen.

"Here's the Property Deed. The house is yours now." At the front door, the butler handed the deed to Annan.

Because the house was a gift to an Honorary Citizen, it belonged to Annan on paper.

Annan thanked him and glanced thoughtfully across the street. Clearly, it was no coincidence that Mr. Victor lived opposite.

He would no longer need to leave early for the Library.

Annan could wake at dawn, take his time getting dressed, and sit up in bed just as Mr. Victor strolled out of his house. Then he could water the flowers, feed the spider, go downstairs for breakfast, wash up, and head out. He would still catch up with Mr. Victor easily and open the Library door to the old man's cold snort.

"If you need anything else, you can find me at the mayor's manor." The butler left the carriage and driver so Annan could move his belongings from the old house.

Inside their new home, Aunt Susan had already assigned the rooms: she and her family would live downstairs, while Annan would have the second floor to himself.

Annan took no part in the move that followed, because he saw Mr. Victor leaving. He put the Property Deed on the living room table and ran out to meet him.

"Time off? Where are you going?"

"Tasia left something for me at the Haunted Gold Mine. I'm going to take a look."

Mr. Victor said nothing and took back the key.

Aunt Susan stayed to arrange their new home. Annan returned to the old house with Uncle Holin and Martin, picked up an oil lamp, and set off.

Broken clouds scattered broken shadows through the trees.

Wearing the mage's robe Lady Fine Wine had given him, Annan approached the Haunted Gold Mine, abandoned after its last vein ran dry.

The Ghosts and Kobolds in the Haunted Gold Mine posed little threat. With his current Magic Power, Annan could cast the Lesser Summoning Spell once and cast it a second time two hours later, though that would leave him completely drained and needing nearly a full day to recover.

With Wood beside him, he could escape even if he encountered a Kobold Warlock.

The camp outside the mine had long been abandoned, and weeds had sprung up inside some of its sheds. With the humans gone, nature had reclaimed the place.

Annan couldn't help feeling nostalgic. He had been so green back then.

Though only two months had passed.

The surroundings, strange yet familiar, stirred more memories. Come to think of it, he had barely had time to reflect since arriving in this other world. He had been like a ship adrift on a vast sea, far from land and desperate to drop anchor.

But now, it seemed he could stop for a while and enjoy the view.

Holding the oil lamp in one hand and a map of the tunnels in the other, Annan entered the deathly silent Haunted Gold Mine and followed its branching passages.

Oh, a skeleton. Wonder which unlucky soul died here.

Before long, Annan spotted iron pickaxes scattered on the ground. He could picture the miners dropping them as they fled in panic.

A Kobold's corpse... Hm?

Annan suppressed his unease at the sight of the corpse and moved closer. A rock had struck the Kobold's head, and decay had left it unrecognizable.

The method of attack made him think of the Ghosts. Weren't the Ghosts and Kobolds on the same side?

Annan summoned Wood, and they continued together. But something unexpected happened: in a tunnel with no corpses, he encountered a floating blue magical flame.

An ethereal voice sounded in Annan's mind, offering him eternal life, power, or the resurrection of someone he loved.

The offer reeked of a trap. Would choosing eternal life turn me into an undead? Would power cost me my sense of self? Would a resurrected loved one be nothing but an empty shell?

Remembering how Martin was always trying to open his spider jar, Annan answered offhandedly, "I wish spiders would fly straight into people's faces."

As soon as he spoke, the blue orb and the surrounding rock walls silently melted away. A vast underground cavern appeared before Annan, who had nearly cast his summoning spell.

There was good news and bad news:

The good news was that countless treasures lay piled high inside the cavern.

The bad news was that a Blue Dragon lay atop the mountain of treasure.