NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 75
「I’m doing well, myself. I didn’t realize it was a sword made with the young snake.
I love it. Likewise, I’ll put it to good use, milady. And I’ll be sure to contact you on your birthday. I’m going to miss you. P.S. You’re killing me for writing back.」
Sophina’s grumbling face softened.
The last line of the letter was a bitter pill to swallow.
‘I should write to Riccardo on his birthday, along with a gift.’
His last birthday had gone by in a blur after he was injured on the fall tour. Sophina vowed to herself.
Just then, Jane spoke up with a proud big sister smile.
“Oh, this is from the lady and the young master, would you like to see it?” “Sure.”Sophina took out Ririela’s first.
「Hello, Sophina, this is my first letter, so I don’t know what to say. I’ve been…(The end of the slightly rambling letter was messed up by constant erasures.
I think she wanted to say I love you, but she was embarrassed.
Smirking, she opened the letter from Rihentheon and read it.
「Greetings, dear sister, this is Rihentheon. Thank you for the Roneache flower cure you sent me. I didn’t know it was so effective. You’ve endured the waterfall training, and I admire you. My dear sister-in-law.」Ah, the nightmare.
At least everyone seems to be doing well.
I’m relieved to hear that the sword I sent to Ricardo and the cure I delivered to the barracks are good, so perhaps we should take it one step at a time.
Sophina put the letter back in the box.
Then she pulled out Ricardo’s letter once more and read it.
A smile crossed her lips.
— What are you laughing about? You’re suddenly in a pretty sweet mood.Suddenly, Canus, next to her, sneaks a peek at the letter and squirms.
“I’m not going to show it to you.”Sophina quickly snatched the letter away.
— What, it’s already spring, why is it spring again?Canus snapped his jaws open and grunted. The eeriness of earlier was gone, and he looked as normal as ever.
‘Was it an illusion?’
Sophina stared at the cute little snake in disbelief. Then she strode out of the chamber.
“Anyway, now that I’ve put out all the urgent needs, I’m off to visit my mother.”Well, I’m finished, and for the time being, I’m free.
I felt that I should hurry to tell Mom about the confidential information I had received from the informant.
With a flourish, she crossed the hall and knocked on her mother’s office door.
“Come in.”Hearing Sophina’s footsteps, Khan answered in her usual sweet voice.
“Mother, are you busy?”Sophina asked, carefully turning the knob on the door and closing it behind her as she took her familiar place on the couch in the center of the office.
Khan put down the papers she was looking at and sat down across from her.
“There’s plenty of time for a chat with my daughter.”At that, Sophina smiled broadly. Her mother was sweet, after all. Her eyes sparkled, and she opened her mouth to speak first.
“But, Mother, what happened to the metal smelting plant?”She pulled on the string and ordered refreshments to be served to them, then slowly answered the question.
“We’ve bought the old building and are refurbishing it, so it shouldn’t take long.”In truth, Sophina brought up the story for a different reason.
First, it was something her mother and she were both involved in, so it wasn’t awkward to ask.
It was also an easy way to shift gears and move on to another topic.
“How are you going to distribute it once you’ve made enough?”Just like that. Her mother locked eyes with Sophina and pointed to a map of the continents that took up an entire wall.
Khan’s fingertips pointed to the western part of the continent, a flat plain.
She explained in a way that Sophina could easily understand.
“As you can see, the roads are better on the west side of the continent, so that’s where we should send you.” “I think it would be closer to the east, given the distance… Ah, but the terrain is a bit complicated in the east, with many beasts people living in the mountains, right?”Sophina narrowed her eyes and pointed to the eastern part of the continent, which was also rugged on the map.
Khan nodded in agreement.
“Right.”‘We’re almost there.’
Sophina shook her head along with Khan, her voice filled with concern.
“It’s certainly risky, and if the enemy ambushes us, we could lose what we’ve worked so hard to create.”Then she added a decisive word.
Mother was a delicate and sensitive woman, as was typical of the Head of the household, and her warning should have been heard.
And Sophina’s prediction was correct.
Khan’s eyes sharpened for a moment,
“Hmm, there are some of the beast people who have fought in this war who have a knack for stealth.”Mother suddenly turned to the papers on my desk and muttered to herself.
Khan glanced over at Sophina and asked for a moment of understanding.
“Oh, I just remembered something, so if you’ll excuse me.” “That’s okay, I know you’re busy, and I’m sorry if I bothered you, Mother.”Sophina smiled a satisfied smile and clapped her hands.
“Of course not. Why don’t you have a snack and wait for me?” “Yes, Mother!”Just then, the servants arrived with refreshments. Sophina nibbled on a crisp, buttery biscuit, lost in thought.
‘Mother will be wary of the eastern side of the continent, so there should be no danger.’
The bait had been successfully laid. I glanced over at the space where she was furiously scribbling something in code.
‘Is this the cipher Canus gave?’
It was the last time we played, and he gave it to me as a quiz to pass the time.
Although I didn’t memorize the whole thing, I couldn’t interpret it, but it seemed to say something about sending scouts to the east.
This was Sophina’s intention.
After summoning an assistant to deliver the message, Khan told Sophina.
“I’ve finalized everything, let’s have tea.”It was a fruitful tea time.
“We’re lucky we caught them early enough to use them to our advantage.”Khan muttered with the regal charisma of a well-fed lion, as her eyes scanned the front page of the newspaper.
Sophina nodded quickly, her eyes glazed over. Her mother looked at her warmly and returned the favor.
“I was about to be a nuisance, but you’re the one who saved the day, dear.” “Me?”I was merely dropping a hint.
Sophina shook her head in disbelief.
Khan stroked her light-blue hair in a maternal, gentle manner and replied.
“Yes, my conversation with you convinced me to find out.”The atmosphere in the room instantly became somber.
Sophina clenched her fists needlessly and narrowed her eyes. Then she lifted her teacup to her mouth and rhymed lazily.
“Well, Mother.”She was curious to see how people would react to an invention like Canus.
Now that the factory was finished, it was time to deliver the trial alloy to the lions.
“A weapon made from the alloy? Did they say it was good enough?”The corners of her lips tilted upward, a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
“Don’t worry too much. I hear there aren’t many injured lions, and everyone in our family is doing well.”To be honest, I was worried, but it was good to hear.
Although I continued to write to the rest of the family, I was relieved to hear from Mom that everyone was safe.
Sophina’s expression relaxed. Khan offered her some freshly baked Madeleine and broached the subject.
“By the way, sweetheart, I heard you’re dabbling in other things?” “Yes.”Sophina clasped her hands together politely and answered softly.
As many precious things as she had gotten from the secret place, she was also working on other things that would benefit everyone.
In fact, Mother had found out.
About the Secret Place. She’s been suspicious since the first time I made a fake ledger with the Roneache Flower Cure.
‘She only let it slide because she trusted me.’
Somehow, everything was so smooth! I was also grateful to Mom for trusting me despite my suspicious behavior.
So I explained to her that I had accidentally found out about a hidden location.
‘Then she asked me if I had just gone to an informant.’
Mom also told me that she used to frequent the watch workshop on her social networks.
She was surprised to learn that the owner had changed from a sloth to a deer. It had been owned and operated by sloths since Mom’s generation before her.
She recited the story of the workshop as if it were a fairy tale.
This convinced me. I had a hunch that the strange deer was not the owner of the original workshop.
After speaking with her mother, she realized that the sloth had more in common with the original character.
While Sophina was lost in her thoughts, Khan burst into the room.
“Are you sure you’re not pushing yourself too hard, sloth?” “It’s okay, I’m doing it all because I want to, Mother.”Sophina drew back a little and smiled awkwardly.
“That’s very sweet.”Khan smiled a warm, motherly smile as she listened to Sophina’s story.
‘So the prophecy was right about her, after all.’
Even now, she’s still benefiting from her daughter’s help.
Then the white lion that appeared in the prophecy must mean Ricardo, right?
‘So does that peculiar symbol, and my son’s fate with the little girl.’
The exact interpretation of the prophecy and the identity of the symbols were unknown, but that’s what Khan thought.
Khan coughed, suppressing the corner of her mouth that threatened to rise. She clapped lightly to lighten the mood.
“By the way, sweetheart, would you like anything for your birthday?” “Birthday?” “It’s already fall season.”How time flies.
“Yes, it’s fall.”Sophina, who had forgotten the concept of time in all the hustle and bustle, exclaimed cheerfully.
“I like anything Mother gives me!” “…Hmm, maybe we should pull down the pillars in the house.”She’d been happy when her mother picked berries for her. Khan turned around and muttered to herself with a deeply serious face.
The house was about to be filled with Sophina’s berries.
Sophina, meanwhile, could not see the seriousness in Khan’s face and was lost in her thoughts.
‘Anyway, Ricardo’s birthday is coming up soon, so what should I get him?’
Should I ask him what he wants? No, I don’t want to ask him what he wants when he’s the recipient of the gift.
After all that gritting of teeth and wracking my brain, it’s already October.
“It should have arrived by now, I wonder if he’ll like it?”Ricardo’s birthday was coming up, so I sent him a gift early. I chose a neat sword scabbard, thinking it would be practical for a war zone.
The next day was Sophina’s birthday.
Ricardo’s letter arrived, thanking her for the gift, which was buried in a pile of berries her mother had given her.
Along with it, a package was delivered.
Inside was a small zelkova sapling.
‘A tree of eternity.’
It had been in bloom in the forest the season that Sophina first met Ricardo.