### Chapter 28 Translation:

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**“For now, let's get on the carriage and continue our conversation there. You’ve already had enough of your valuable time wasted.”**  
**“Ah, well then, I’ll accept your kindness and—”**  
**“Hold on. Sir Dares? Could I have a moment with Risir alone?”**  
**“No reason why not. Please, take your time.”**  
**“Pean?”**

*Just follow me without talking.*  
Pean grabbed Risir’s sleeve and led him away from the carriage, over to a tree at a distance.

**“What’s up, Pean?”**  
**“Just a question, to make sure. Are you planning to settle for merely hitching a ride on their carriage?”**  
**“…Settle for a ride? Isn’t that enough?”**  
**“Ha. I figured as much.”**

Pean sighed dramatically.

**“Look here, Mister Fool.”**  
**“Yes, Miss.”**  
**“Do you even realize what you just did?”**  
**“What I did? Helping take down the dark sorcerer?”**

*Whip!*  
Pean pointed an accusing finger at him.

**“Nope. What you did wasn’t *helping* take down the dark sorcerer.”**  
**“Then, if Pean says so, let’s go with that.”**  
**“Urgh! Just listen to me! You didn’t *help* take down the sorcerer; you *led* the fight against him. In fact, you pretty much did it single-handedly.”**

Risir scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and Pean pointed at him again.

**“And that attitude! I know what’s going on in that head of yours. Want me to spell it out?”**  
**“Go ahead, I’m listening.”**  
**“Well, it’s no big deal—”**

Pean mocked his tone in a silly impression.

**“Wait… am I under Pean’s spell? Mind control active?”**  
**“Ha. Foolishness. I don’t need any spells to read that simple mind of yours, you know?”**  
**“Seems like you’re living in my head rent-free.”**  
**“Don’t say such creepy things. I’d never live in a place as ugly as that.”**

She put on a disgusted face, but the tone of her voice had an almost excited edge.

**“Oh well. Since you’re too foolish, *I* will helpfully explain just what exactly it is you did.”**

*First*, Pean raised her pale, slender index finger.

**“You found the hidden dark sorcerer lurking among them.”**

*Second*, she raised her middle finger alongside it.

**“You protected them from the dark sorcerer and even handed over the sorcerer’s identity for questioning.”**

*Poke, poke!*  
Pean jabbed her finger into Risir’s arm.

**“Do you know what’s key here?”**  
**“That I saved their lives?”**  
**“Nope. Any person with power could’ve done that. Your teacher could have, if he were here. But finding the hidden dark sorcerer? Dispelling his magic and curses?”**

*Poke!*

**“You heard the healer yourself, didn’t you? For months, they’d called for top healers, and none succeeded. They must have tried priests, made medicines, brought artifacts—everything they could think of. But nothing worked except for what *you* did. What do you think that means?”**

*Poke!*

**“That only you could have done it. You’ve left them with a debt they’ll never be able to repay.”**

"..."  

Truthfully, Risir knew how valuable his help had been to them and how exceptional it was.  
But what held him back from showing it…

*‘The power of purification…’*

It was a power he felt had been handed to him on a silver platter.

While the term “innate power” might be more fitting, that wasn’t how it felt to him. For a lifelong illegitimate child, who fought tooth and nail for every inch, to possess this kind of innate power…

No matter his efforts or sacrifices, he rarely received acknowledgment. And yet, for this power, he gained immense recognition for the simplest of acts.

Risir likened it to basic arithmetic receiving awed gasps or offering someone a cup of vending machine coffee and seeing them moved to tears.

Trying to take any credit made him feel like a miserly person, and he couldn’t shake off that feeling.

**“Then this is perfect.”**  
**“?”**

Since they were on the topic, Risir decided to seek advice from Pean, who had enjoyed “innate gifts” longer than he had.

**“Why are you even hung up on this—well, it’s very *you* to be.”**

Pean chuckled, and her response was disarmingly straightforward.

**“Don’t overthink it; just enjoy it.”**  
**“Enjoy it?”**  
**“If unique people like us can’t embrace our natural gifts, who will?”**  
"..."  
**“Even nobles flaunt their so-called ‘special qualities’ without a second thought.”**

As she spoke, Pean’s demeanor became that of a “True Ancestor,” standing above and looking down on others.

**“I can guarantee you that we’re far more special than the nobles ever will be. Their claim to ‘specialness’ is an illusion; what we have is the real deal. So take it with pride. We rare kinds should get used to being treated exceptionally.”**

Risir wondered if he’d chosen the wrong person to ask for advice. This was something beyond just “enjoying” a rare gift.  
But then again, maybe her perspective helped because it left no room for complicated thoughts.

Listening nearby, Lona nodded in agreement.

**“I think I understand what you mean.”**  
**“?”**

Pean blinked at her.

*How could you possibly understand?*

She looked genuinely shocked.

"..."

Lona slinked off to the corner, wounded.

Risir gathered his thoughts, and Pean, after a brief wait, spoke up.

**“So, did you understand?”**  
**“I think so, but…”**  
**“Right. I wouldn’t expect too much from someone as average as you.”**  
**“Weren’t you just calling me special?”**  
**“According to my standards, yes. But don’t worry too much, okay? You have me, after all.”**

What a big-hearted gesture. Unable to hold back, Risir responded.

**“And what will you do?”**  
**“Isn’t it obvious? As someone who’s ordinary, weak, pitiful, and absolutely helpless without me, I’m here to claim your rights on your behalf. That includes the ‘holy relic’ you sacrificed—”**  
**“By the way, Pean, that wasn’t really a relic. It was something I made up on the spot.”**  
**“Of course, I figured that much. I’m not even surprised anymore.”**  
"...?"

Listening in, Lona nearly choked.

Did he just make a holy relic on the spot? And Pean expected it?

**“…You knew? Weren’t you just talking about its value and everything?”**

Risir now questioned his own ears.

**“It doesn’t matter what we gave them. What matters is what they think they received.”**

Pean gave him a knowing smile.

---

In the moving carriage, Dares and Todina sat side by side, chatting with Risir and Pean opposite them, the atmosphere warm and comfortable.

Pean brought up a topic naturally.

**“By the way, Risir? Whatever happened to that lucky coin of yours?”**  
**“Oh, the lucky coin—”**

Risir’s response was slightly awkward, but they didn’t notice.

"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."

The air around Dares and the others grew heavy. Pean’s words reminded them all of the coin destroyed by the dark sorcerer Gusra and its invaluable worth.

**“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”**  
**“How can you say that? It was such an important item.”**  
**“Important?”**

Todina asked, startled, and Pean smiled, as if it were nothing.

**“Yes. That lucky coin was a gift from Risir’s mentor.”**

Not technically a lie, as Parmon had indeed provided part of Risir’s travel funds.

**“Risir…! You sacrificed such a precious item for me—”**

Todina’s eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and guilt.

**“I heard from Dares. My illness was cured thanks to that coin, right, Dares?”**

Dares nodded and spoke to Risir with a serious expression.

**“Risir. I must thank you once again. I swear upon the name of Durayeg and my magic, this debt will not go unpaid.”**

Todina’s response mirrored Dares’s. Risir remembered what Pean had said to him before.

*—Do you know how fickle nobles are?*

They may talk of honor and pride, but when the situation turns unfavorable, they drop it in a heartbeat.  
If they’re dealing with someone below them, they’re even more shameless about it.

So, if negotiating any deal with nobles, you must secure solid proof.

Risir and Pean exchanged a glance.

*—All they’ve promised is a ride on their carriage.*

Risir and Pean were reassured by the couple

’s reactions. At least they weren’t among those who conveniently changed their words to suit their circumstances.

**“By the way—Risir, what brings you to Bondales?”**

Dares asked seriously.

**“I was hoping to broaden my magical knowledge and maybe find some new work along the way.”**  
**“Work? You mean employment?”**  
**“Yes. Since I have no real foundation, I’ll need to find a place to stay and build a base, then expand my magical knowledge bit by bit. To be honest, I started down the path of magic as a means to make a living—”**  
**“Ha! You started magic to earn a living?”**  
**“Is that too trivial?”**  
**“Not at all! There’s nothing trivial about discussing one’s livelihood and future.”**

Dares seemed inspired, pulling out a notebook and pen. He wrote something down and tore out the sheet, handing it to Risir.

**“What’s this?”**  
**“Properly, I should invite you to my family’s estate and formally express my gratitude. But when the carriage reaches the family estate, it’s bound to cause a stir. After all, a dark sorcerer disrupted the wedding between two noble families. If you’re implicated, you’ll likely be delayed, maybe even for a month or more.”**

Risir recalled that Durayeg Territory was a distant region from Bondales.

**“That could be a bit inconvenient.”**  
**“So for now, please accept this as a token of gratitude.”**

The polite tone and mention of it being an “informal” token left Risir and Pean with tempered expectations.

But they wouldn’t leave empty-handed, and they had both decided to take it as a gesture of goodwill as they checked the paper.

**"The Codal Trading Company is a specialist in magical supplies in Bondales. Take this to them, and you’ll receive items equivalent to the amount listed."**

The contents were simple enough, but the amount...

**“Is this real?”**  
Risir’s jaw dropped.

*Well, that’s at least the level of courtesy they should show.*  
Pean nodded in satisfaction.

---

A few days after the journey began, Dares’s carriage finally took them straight to the outskirts of Bondales, far from their original destination.

**“Risir, I look forward to the day we meet again.”**  
**“Farewell, Risir. May you stay well.”**  
**“…Take care.”**

Parting ways with Dares and his party, they soon joined the long line at the main gate checkpoint, which stretched far enough to leave everyone sighing.

Endless waiting.  
At the end of it, however, Bondales lay drenched in sunset light.

No time to enjoy the view.

**“A bath…”**  
**“Pant… pant…”**

Pean, her shoulders slumped, and Lona, drenched in sweat, looked at him desperately.

Right. First, they’d find a place to rest.  
They quickly set off to find an inn.

**“How about that one?”**

Excited at the thought of a proper bed, Pean pointed to an inn, somehow picking out what seemed to be the best in the area.

**“With what it costs for a night there, we could stay two nights at another fancy inn. And with two nights’ cost, we could stay four at a regular inn—”**  
**“Ugh, be quiet.”**

Pean cut him off, visibly annoyed, but then—

**“Ah! Risir, how about this, then!?”**  
**“What?”**  
**“I just thought of a way to save on lodging costs!”**  
**“What is it?”**  
**“We could rent just *one* room!”**

Pean looked at him confidently, though her gaze subtly shifted away.