The moment Yavi returned to his dorm room, he took off his academy robe and brought out the two swords wrapped in leather. Just before leaving the smithy, he had instinctively tried to put them into his Talisman Space, but to his surprise, the space he had always been able to access so easily seemed to have stopped working. No matter how he tried to activate it, there was no response. To keep him from causing a panic on campus, Thomas had promptly found a piece of leather and wrapped both swords tightly in it, allowing Yavi to return to his room without trouble.
"If I can't put these two swords away whenever I want, this is going to be far too inconvenient!" Looking at the two swords lying on the table, Yavi found himself at a loss.
"I'll try them one at a time first."
Yavi grasped the Moonlight Cursed Blade, and with a thought, it vanished instantly. Inside his Talisman Space, the Moonlight Cursed Blade floated quietly, radiating an elegant, pure silver glow against the surrounding darkness.
The Moonlight Cursed Blade could enter and leave the Talisman Space freely, so it seemed the real problem lay with Demon Breaker.
He took the somewhat heavy Demon Breaker in his hand and willed it into the Talisman Space, but nothing changed even after several attempts. It seemed Demon Breaker really was the problem. Could its magic resistance suppress even the Talisman Space?
After repeated tests, Yavi concluded that he could not use the Talisman Space as long as his body was in contact with Demon Breaker. But he could not keep carrying it around like this, either. If some accident caused him to lose the sword, he would regret it to death. For safety's sake, he had to find a way to store Demon Breaker inside the Talisman Space. He racked his brains for a solution, but the sky was growing dark and it was almost time for the banquet. He could not delay any longer. If he truly could not find a solution, he would have to hide it in his dorm room for now and work something out later.
Just as Yavi looked inside his Talisman Space, a feather floating at its edge caught his attention. The female griffin had plucked it from the male griffin's neck when he parted with the two of them. According to her, this piece of dimeritium had been with the male griffin since he was little, and as a Royal Griffin, the male griffin possessed magic resistance himself. If he put this feather together with Demon Breaker...
Yavi acted at once. He took out the feather and used a strip of white cloth to bind it firmly to the sword's hilt. Then he gripped Demon Breaker by the white cloth wrapped around it, and with a thought, the sword immediately vanished. He hurriedly looked inside his Talisman Space and saw Demon Breaker floating quietly alongside the Moonlight Cursed Blade.
It worked!
Looking at Demon Breaker floating inside the space, Yavi let out a long breath, as though a great stone weighing on his heart had finally dropped away. He took Demon Breaker out, held it in his hand, and tried channeling his magic. Sure enough, while Demon Breaker was in contact with the feather, its magic resistance seemed to disappear. Apart from its weight and sharpness, it was no different from an ordinary sword. Once the two were separated, however, Demon Breaker regained its former prowess. Having grasped this pattern, Yavi came up with an excellent solution: he would have a special scabbard made for Demon Breaker, with a custom groove that could hold the griffin feather. That way, Demon Breaker would lose its magic resistance whenever it entered the scabbard and regain it when drawn. He could switch freely between the two states without affecting his ability to store it in the Talisman Space.
But it was already late today. He would have to find time to visit Thomas tomorrow, after the opening ceremony.
After putting Demon Breaker away, Yavi donned his academy robe and headed to the commercial district in the north, where Elena had reserved a restaurant. Since she had booked the most luxurious restaurant, he found it without much effort. After he gave Elena's name, a beautiful young waitress led him to a private room, knocked softly, and opened the door for him. Elena, her father Marvin, and her mother Noelle were already inside.
Seeing that Yavi had arrived as promised, Marvin and his family immediately rose to welcome him. After shaking hands with each of them, Yavi took the seat of honor. The beautiful waitress beside them asked Marvin whether they could begin serving the meal. Marvin nodded slightly, and she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Mr. Yavi, it's only been a few days, but why do you seem a little thinner? Have you been overworking yourself lately?"
As soon as they sat down, Marvin began chatting with Yavi. Though it was mostly empty pleasantries, it was enough to show his warmth.
Yavi merely gave a brief account of how he had spent the past few days forging weapons at the smithy and had not seen Elena's letter in time. He also apologized for the discourtesy this had caused...
While the two exchanged pleasantries, the beautiful young waitress from earlier quietly began serving the dishes. Her movements were deft and focused, as though she were carrying out a practiced ritual, presenting one dish after another that reflected the season and the kitchen's craftsmanship. Before long, plates of varying sizes filled the broad tabletop in a pleasing arrangement, along with soups, and a complex, enticing aroma filled the air, announcing the start of the banquet.
First came some delicate cold dishes to awaken the palate: sliced figs drizzled with amber wild honey, their moist sweetness carrying a hint of the forest; deep-red cherries soaked in rosewater, their alluring color accompanied by a faint floral fragrance; roasted apple slices dusted with cinnamon, their edges lightly charred and giving off a warm, sweet aroma; oysters steamed in white wine, their plump flesh resting on a chilled porcelain plate; hare aspic cut into neat cubes, firm in texture and carrying a faint meaty scent; and a small pile of perfectly roasted pine nuts and almonds, fragrant with toasted nuttiness.
Once the cold dishes had been set down, the heat and aroma of the main courses filled the room even more intensely. A medium-sized roasted roe deer occupied the center, its skin golden and crisp, sizzling as its rich meaty aroma wafted toward them. Beside it lay a heap of apple chunks roasted until soft, to cut through the richness. On the other side was a roasted wild bird glistening with fat-judging by its long, slender neck, it looked like a wild duck. Its dark skin was stretched taut, as though a single poke would break it and release its tempting juices. A glossy golden eel pie had been carefully cut open, revealing the tender, snow-white eel within, while simple diamond-shaped scoring on the pastry lent it a rustic appeal. A thick rye loaf had been hollowed out into a bowl and filled with steaming cream of wild mushroom soup. Its rich mushroom aroma mingled with notes of earth and thyme, warm and comforting.
Finally, the waitress brought over a dark glass wine bottle coated in a thin layer of dust, evidently retrieved from deep within the wine cellar. She deftly removed the cork with a corkscrew, and with a faint pop, a mellow, complex bouquet quietly escaped. Wine as deep red as a pigeon-blood ruby flowed into the two men's silver goblets. In the flickering candlelight, its edges shone with an enchanting garnet luster. Its aroma was deep and full, with ripe dark berries-blackcurrant and blackberry-over deeper notes of earth, leather, and a hint of smoke from aged oak barrels.
"Please enjoy," the waitress said softly, then quietly withdrew to stand at one side.