"Umm…"

The first day in Lacr woke up with the light of dawn.
Since the invasion of the demonic race had been confirmed, just like in Alpharhes, there was no room for complacency.

The first priority was to head straight into the city and quickly devise a plan to strengthen the Hero Party.
And the most crucial part of that plan was nurturing Nia.

As I hurriedly threw on some clothes and was about to head out, I got caught.

"Ugh."

"Louie! Eat breakfast before you go."

"I'm fine, really…"

"It's Lacr's special carrot soup."

"..."

Carrot soup was definitely worth delaying for.
The citizens of Lacr, perhaps due to their higher activity levels compared to other places, had their carrot soup packed with high-fat, high-protein ingredients.

"It’s tasty, but... I don't think I can eat it often."

"Lacr's carrot soup was originally developed to be a hearty meal that would keep you full from morning till evening. It’s quite different from the carrot soup of other regions, in terms of both ingredients and cooking methods."

"Ah, yes. Louie... you're quite knowledgeable about carrot soup, huh..."

"Maybe it’s kind of like how Lady Serlin loves her sword?"

"Hold on, Aria. Am I really that obsessed?"

To say “that obsessed” felt a little hurtful, but I let it slide because of the carrot soup in front of me.

After all, if not for Serlin, I might never have had the chance to taste this carrot soup.

Once the meal was over, we gathered in the Hero's room to discuss the day's agenda.

"Actually, the Marquis of Lacr hasn't given us any special requests... so there's nothing pressing for us to take care of together today."

While such matters would eventually arise, today wasn’t the day.

"So, I'm planning to head to the Adventurer’s Guild. What about you?"

Aria spoke up next.

"I’m planning to visit Lacr's church, as usual."

"I’ll be checking in with the city guards."

"I think I'll stay here since the air isn’t too great for me today."

With even Laffiel announcing she’d remain at the mansion, it was Nia's turn to speak.
She glanced at me cautiously before shyly raising her hand.

"Um, I was planning to continue my training with Louie…"

"I’m taking Nia to visit a few blacksmiths today."

"Eh?"

Nia looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
She was obviously confused, as I hadn’t mentioned any plans to her.

"Nia, the blacksmith’s forge is the closest place to fire. Observing how blacksmiths work and their habits will help you."

"Oh…! Yes! I’ll go to the blacksmiths with Louie!"

Of course, I wasn’t taking Nia along just for that reason.
I was also hoping to find some fire-aligned minerals in the blacksmith’s inventory.

‘If I can find the right materials, even if Nia can’t fully harness her strength yet, it’ll help compensate.’

If Nia started pulling her weight, we could even double her effectiveness.
It was all beneficial in the end.

‘And if I find any other useful materials, I’ll buy those too.’

In a way, it was like buying fresh vegetables or fish directly from the source—the fresher, the better quality.
Well, in the case of minerals, you’d say they’re more "mature," but the principle is the same.

And so, the plan for the first day was set.

"Nia, don't touch that."

"Oh, sorry! I apologize…!"

It felt more like I had brought a child rather than a young witch.
Given Nia’s past, though, I couldn’t scold her too harshly.

Nia must have sensed that, because she didn’t make the same mistake again.

"Never seen you around here before!"

"We're from out of town. I wanted to show this kid how you work, and we’re also looking to purchase some minerals."

The middle-aged blacksmith glanced between me and Nia.

"Oh, so the little sister is teaching the big sister, huh?"

"...No, I'm the older one, and Nia is the younger."

"Ah... well, no matter. Here, take this! Follow me carefully!"

"Nia, put this on."

"Sister... are you angry?"

"Me? Why?"

"...Nothing."

Why would I be angry?
I guess it was easy to misunderstand since I’m shorter than Nia.

It made sense for the blacksmith to react like that, given that he was meeting us for the first time.
Still, I couldn’t help but wish the old belief that you grow taller as you age hadn’t been disproven long ago.
If his understanding were a bit broader, he wouldn’t have mistaken me for Nia’s younger sibling, and then I wouldn’t be silently fuming about it...

"Uh, sister?"

"...Let’s follow him."

Clang! Clang!

We followed the blacksmith into a large forge filled with the noise of hammering and the heat from the fire.
Several blacksmiths and apprentices were pulling out glowing metal and minerals from various forges, hard at work refining them.

"Nia, can you feel anything from that fire?"

"Ah, I'll give it a try…"

To “feel” the fire meant sensing its depth and understanding it better than most people.
It was a significant step up from just experimenting with campfires to explore her power.

"Oh…!"

A soft gasp escaped Nia’s lips as her eyes, which matched the reddish hue of her hair, widened.
The sound of hammers, the crackling of the forge, the red glow of the metal, and the reflection of fire in the beads of sweat—all of it began to resonate with her.

Everything related to fire in this smithy started to communicate with Nia.
She absorbed it all, attempting to make it part of her own essence.

I quietly waited as she did so.

After a short while, I supported Nia as she nearly collapsed, exhausted but with a new clarity in her eyes.
Despite being physically tired, her gaze burned bright.

"Sister…!"

"This is your path. One day, you’ll stand alongside the Hero Party, wielding that heat to defeat enemies."

"To be honest, even though you’ve taught me so much, I’ve struggled to fully understand. But after this... I think I finally get it."

"I’m glad. Alright, let’s go. We shouldn’t bother them any longer."

"Yes…"

With Nia still a bit dazed, we moved to the quieter section of the market, where various minerals were sold in bundles or glass jars.
The variety was staggering.

‘We still have to check out other forges, so I need to be efficient...’

"White Mana Stone? And… wait, is that Darkstone?!"

My eyes widened as I examined the minerals laid out before me.
I had expected some decent items, given that this was a mining city, but I hadn’t anticipated such an impressive selection.

"Oh, you’ve got an eye for these things?"

"I’m a mage."

"Ah, I see! In that case, how about I throw in a little extra with your purchase today…?"

"Grevyte! This only forms when Mana Stones are subjected to high pressure…!"

"So? Are you interested? Hehe, I’ll give you a special deal—just 2 gold coins per mineral."

"...I don’t have much choice, do I?"

I reached into my robe pocket and pulled out my coin purse.

"...Louie, sister?"

Originally, I had planned to use Nia to help identify which minerals had the strongest fire affinity, but now I couldn’t resist buying them all.

The table was covered with premium items, ones that were highly coveted among mages.
I had never fully understood why some mages traveled all the way from the capital to Lacr for rare materials, but now I got it.

‘Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?’

Such valuable information should have been shared, right?

Just as I was about to hand over my coin purse, a voice stopped me.

"Louie."

"...Hero?"

The Hero had suddenly appeared, gently grabbing my wrist to stop me.

"Hero?"

"Yes, I am the Hero. And, as it happens, I’ve already looked into the prices around here. It’s mostly silver, not gold... Should I handle this for you?"

"N-no! I’m sorry! I’ll pack up and leave the city immediately!!"

"No need to go that far…"

"I’ll leave the minerals behind, please just don’t report me!!"

The Hero raised his hand to calm him down, but the merchant swiftly gathered his things and fled, leaving the minerals behind.
For a brief moment, I wondered if I could really just take the minerals, but there was a more pressing question on my mind.

My heart thudded.

"Hero, why are you here...? You said you were going to the Adventurer’s Guild."

"I did. I was on my way back."

"But why...?"

"I remembered how you acted back in Alpharhes. I had a hunch you might make an impulse purchase again, so I rushed over… and I was right."

With a small chuckle, the Hero placed my coin purse back into my hands.

"It seems our party’s mage needs to learn more about mindful spending."

"But…"

"Nia, I’m sorry to add to your responsibilities, but can you help make sure Louie doesn’t make any impulsive purchases?"

"Y-yes! I’ll do whatever it takes to stop her!"

What do you mean, "whatever it takes"?
What exactly is she planning to do?

"I’m spending my own money, Hero. Why are you stopping me?"

I grumbled, looking up at him.

He just smiled and slowly let go of my wrist, responding calmly.

"Why, indeed."

"...?"

My heart thudded again.

"Still, you’ve saved money and gotten the minerals you wanted, didn’t you?"

He was right. Thanks to him, I had saved money and gotten what I needed.

So, this fluttering in my chest... it must be from the happiness of saving money, right?