Life is unpredictable.
If not for this unexpected plea for help, Joen would never have imagined he could hit it off with a grumpy, alcoholic old man at first sight.
For adults, gaining friendship is a difficult thing.
Once hurt, they no longer dare to easily reveal their true hearts.
Fortunately, Joen wasn’t a true adult yet; he still retained the gullibility and sincerity of a young man.
They hadn’t talked long before Haran had figured out Joen’s temperament, including Joen’s views on the Church, especially the many shocks and grievances he had accumulated within the Church over the past day.
The ice was broken, because Haran was also a bitter malcontent.
“I know they disgust you.”
Wine poured out, glass after glass.
Haran pushed aside the dishes and said drunkenly, “Me too. But… Joen, I still advise you to endure when necessary and not to be too rash. Icot is a bastard, but he wasn’t wrong about one thing—I really have lived a failure.”
“No… I think you just don’t want to stoop to their level,” Joen quickly tried to persuade.
Haran shook his head.
“What difference is there between them and me? I know there must be something I’ve done wrong, but I can’t figure it out. I advise you not to be too hasty, hoping that one day you’ll be able to understand.”
Joen was silent.
After a long while, he stared at the silver wine bottle and asked, bewildered and wistful, “Is that road where everyone can find happiness really nonexistent?”
“That’s something for the gods to consider.”
Haran chuckled dryly.
“For mere mortals like us to ponder such things is too arrogant.”
Joen looked up at Haran again.
“Then have the gods accomplished it?”
Haran was taken aback and subconsciously shook his head.
After a frozen moment, he brought the stiff wine glass to his lips and drained it in one gulp, then laughed heartily as if releasing something.
“You’re right. The gods clearly haven’t done it, yet I always fantasized that they could… Joen, I’m not as good as you.”
But Joen didn’t feel happy.
He couldn’t help but think dejectedly: ‘If even the gods can’t do this, then how are we mortals supposed to move forward through the fog?’
The black cat Haran had sent out soon returned with news.
“Your Lily has been found.”
He chuckled, first putting Joen at ease.
“She didn’t get lost. Several stray cats saw her. She went to a cake shop not far from the Church and is picking out a cake. She should be back soon.”
Sure enough, before long, Liya appeared beside Joen with a paper bag on her head, following a sparrow.
“Where did you go?”
Seeing Liya, Joen felt both joy and anxiety, and his tone carried a hint of reproach.
“It’s a present~”
Liya held up the paper bag to Joen, swayed her hips coquettishly, and her cheeks flushed pink.
“A friend was unhappy, and Lily heard there was delicious cake nearby, so she wanted to give her friend a surprise.”
Joen took the paper bag, suddenly finding it hard to speak with a sore nose.
“Nah~! Nah~! Try it!”
Liya hopped in place twice.
Without needing to communicate, Joen understood her meaning.
He bent down and lifted her into his arms.
Liya naturally burrowed into his clothes and yawned lazily.
Haran watched with great interest from the side.
He grinned.
“Kid, I was being presumptuous. So you already have a companion.”
He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“Seems like all that ‘freak experience’ I taught you won’t be necessary.”
“Regardless, thank you,” Joen said, scratching his head sheepishly.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Haran slowly poured himself another glass of wine.
Across from him were leftover dishes and the glass Joen had already emptied.
‘Actually, I should be the one thanking him.’
Haran thought.
‘If it weren’t for these energetic young lads, I would have given up long ago.’
“There isn’t much I can manage anymore. If you run into problems learning Divine Arts, come find me.”
After swirling the wine in the glass three times, Haran suddenly spoke.
“Mm.”
Joen nodded solemnly, then left with the dozing Liya, pushing the door open.
The door of the Bureau remained closed for a long time, and Haran was still staring blankly at the vanished figure.
“Joen…”
The way his eyes had shone earlier reminded Haran of a certain girl, one who had once belonged to him.
But times had changed.
What the years had left him was only longing.
Outside the window, a lone moon wandered among the stars.
Joen walked on the bright Glowstone Road, escorting Liya back to her dorm.
“I get really nervous when I can’t find you. Don’t run off anymore.” He kept nagging on and on.
Liya was unusually quiet, simply listening obediently.
When it was time to part, the petite girl stood under the solitary streetlamp and suddenly turned back.
“Joen, make sure you eat the cake.”
Joen’s right hand twitched slightly, then he raised it blankly, remembering the paper bag in his hand.
A faint aroma of milk and tea wafted from the bag.
He couldn’t help but smile gently.
“Okay.”
As he left, the road ahead seemed oddly brighter.
Fireflies drifted around like warm snowflakes, blending into the fragrance of autumn.
Until he pushed open the door of the Paladin Hall and walked back to the Apprentice Knights’ quarters.
“Yo, our little Justice Messenger has returned.”
Lebron happened to run into him at the door and said in a sarcastic tone.
An Inquisition Knight who had been beaten earlier laughed.
Joen’s gaze swept over, and the laughter immediately died down.
The other averted his eyes awkwardly, not daring to meet Joen’s stare.
Ignoring them, Joen went back to his room.
It was still a four-person dorm.
Luo Te and the others who had taken a beating before were lying silently on their beds, backs turned to Joen, cold and isolated like a wall.
Joen didn’t care about their attitudes.
He tore open the paper bag.
A cream cake wrapped in a layer of chocolate sat in the center, adorned with strawberry bits sparkling like gems.
He took a bite.
The sweet aroma of cream and icing exploded in his mouth.
Rising along with the happiness were many memories of being with Lily.
The strawberries reminded him of her innocent smile, the cream of her gentle voice.
The warmth that passed through the cake to his hand was the lingering warmth of her skin.
Joen suddenly felt that restoring happiness was actually a very simple thing.
His mood improved.
Joen took off his towel, hung it around his neck, and prepared to go to the washroom at the end of the corridor.
The prosperity and extravagance of the Empire Capital were hidden in these convenient details.
There were many faucets in the army camp, but one that produced hot water with a single turn was indeed a rarity.
He had only seen such things in the Empire Capital.
Perhaps only the Empire Capital, where all talents gathered, could afford to waste precious Magic Power resources on trivialities of daily life.
Joen wet a cloth with hot water and wiped his face.
The warm, moist sensation gradually emptied his mind.
When he opened his eyes again, Scottie had somehow come to wash beside him.
Seeing Joen’s gaze, Scottie greeted him casually and asked, “Oh, by the way, you got that Elemental Spirit back, right?”
Then, as if remembering something, he added, “Well, good thing she didn’t run away.”
Joen had a favorable impression of Scottie.
He responded with a slightly warmer tone, “Thanks anyway.”
“Glad you found her. Although most knights have a poor relationship with Commander Haran, when something really happens, he’s still the first person everyone thinks to turn to,” Scottie said.