After watching for a while in the backyard, Luke headed back to the main house and into the living room.
Sona was sitting upright on the sofa, gently playing a melody. In profile, she looked especially peaceful and beautiful.
Luke walked over and sat down beside her.
Sona happened to stop playing just then. Her pretty eyes blinked, and when she saw Luke rest a hand on the etwahl, she said softly, "This afternoon, I'll be leaving for a few days."
Hearing that, Luke asked curiously, "Where to?"
"A place called Shank Town. I'm planning to hold a performance there."
Sona answered, "At the latest, I probably won't be back until before the eleventh."
Luke nodded in understanding, then smiled and asked, "Want me to come with you?"
"No need."
Sona shook her head and said, "Mother is going with me, and it's not far."
"Got it."
Luke nodded again.
Shank Town was only a little over a day's travel from the capital, one of the closer towns nearby.
Sona's performance locations were chosen at random. Most of the time, she gathered information through the Illuminators, then selected a place to go perform.
And of course, her performances weren't as simple as just showing up somewhere and playing a few songs.
Her real goal was to soothe people's hearts.
The residents of Shank Town had suffered a natural disaster not long ago. Supposedly, a mountain fire had swept into the town overnight, catching many people off guard.
Members of the Illuminators had already arrived to begin relief work.
After learning the details, Sona had decided to go as well.
Originally, Kahina had also planned to go, but with classes at the academy starting normally again tomorrow, her studies still weren't finished, so she couldn't accept any assignments that took her out of the city for now.
Time passed.
That afternoon, Sona climbed into the carriage Lady Lestara had come to pick her up in, and soon rode off into the distance.
Standing at the gate, Lux watched the carriage fade away, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to her.
After that, she lay in a chair and stared blankly at the sky for quite a while.
"I've got it!!"
All at once, she jolted upright in excitement.
She startled Luke, who was resting nearby, and he looked over at her speechlessly. "What have you figured out now?"
Lux turned around, her face full of determination. "I'm joining the Illuminators!"
She had spent the whole morning thinking about her goal, only to realize now that what she wanted had actually been right in front of her the whole time.
That was it.
The Illuminators.
That longstanding charitable faith of Demacia, devoted to helping the weak and aiding those in suffering.
Kahina was already one of them now, even if she was only a novice Illuminator.
But once she finished her studies, she would become a full member of the Illuminators and travel to many different parts of Demacia.
That was exactly what Lux wanted.
She wanted to see and help the places she normally never had a chance to know.
Most importantly, she also wanted to understand this world better through that work.
Looking at her serious expression, Luke yawned, gave an absentminded "Oh," then turned back around and resumed resting with his eyes closed.
"What kind of reaction is that?"
Lux looked annoyed and stared at him. "I'm being serious."
"Mm, I believe you."
Luke nodded, without even opening his eyes.
"The less you believe me, the more I'm going to prove it to you!"
Seeing how perfunctory he was being, Lux assumed he didn't believe her at all, and immediately clenched her fists.
Luke just smiled, then turned over so his back faced her.
It wasn't that he didn't believe her. It was just that he already knew Miss Crownguard's final goal was going to be this.
"I'm going right now!"
Lux sat up and slipped her soft little feet into her shoes.
Now that she had figured out her goal, her whole mood brightened. She looked far more energized and obviously felt much better.
Once her shoes were on, she hopped onto her bicycle, pushed off with one foot, and sped straight out.
Except less than a minute later, the bicycle came riding right back into the yard.
Lux jumped off, ran to the backyard, dragged out a completely bewildered Kahina, and forcibly planted her on the back seat.
Then she pedaled off again with Kahina in tow.
Fiora came out of the backyard and looked in confusion at the now-empty gate. "Where did those two go?"
Lying in his chair with his eyes still closed, Luke answered casually, "To the Illuminators chapel to fill out her application."
"So Miss Crownguard really decided to join the Illuminators?"
As Fiora spoke, she sat down in the chair beside him and started taking off her shoes.
"Mm," Luke answered.
"She's already decided on a goal. What about you?" Fiora looked at the side of his face as he rested with his eyes closed. Leaning back in her chair, she stretched out her legs, her pale, smooth feet glowing delicately in the soft sunlight, faint blue veins visible beneath the skin in a way that was almost absurdly beautiful.
Her feet rested loosely together as she slowly closed her eyes as well, slipping into her own quiet state of rest.
"My goal is to work hard at lying around properly every single day."
Luke answered in an easy, casual tone, full of lazy comfort.
"Heh."
Fiora laughed softly, as if she had expected exactly that answer. She said nothing more.
The afternoon breeze drifted gently through the yard under the warm sunlight.
The two of them fell quiet and enjoyed that indescribable stillness of the afternoon.
About half an hour later, a carriage stopped outside the gate.
Luke opened his eyes, looked over, then stood up and walked forward to greet the arrival.
Navis stepped down from the carriage. The moment she saw Luke, she greeted him with an adorable smile. "Good afternoon, Your Highness."
"Good afternoon."
Luke smiled back at her.
"As instructed, Your Highness, we brought over the rest of the firecrackers."
As Navis spoke, two people in the carriage were already unloading box after box of firecrackers.
"I never thought I'd be lucky enough to visit Your Highness's home one day."
"This is truly an honor."
Maylee and Korsen, the sister and brother pair, looked around Luke's residence with exaggerated expressions and wide smiles.
"Hurry it up."
Luke had only just woken from a nap and wasn't very energetic. He merely glanced at them.
"Yes, sir!!"
The two siblings immediately sped up.
There were only four or five boxes in total. After they had all been set down in Luke's yard, Navis said to him, "Then we'll be on our way, Your Highness."
"Mm. Take it easy on the road."
Luke nodded.
He watched the three of them climb back into the carriage, ignored the siblings' lingering waves of farewell, and turned back around.
Fiora looked over, curiosity in her eyes. "Firecrackers?"
"They're the same things as last night's fireworks. You can call them fireworks, firecrackers, whatever."
Luke explained offhandedly, then opened one of the boxes. Seeing the neatly arranged pile of firecrackers inside, he looked satisfied.
The Research Institute really was efficient.
The firecrackers inside had been sorted into separate boxes, different kinds, big and small.
He picked up one of the boxes and opened it.
Hearing his explanation, Fiora immediately thought back to the fireworks that had lit up the whole city the night before, and a spark of interest lit up in her cool eyes. Curious, she got up, slipped her shoes back on, and walked over.
At that moment, Luke was holding a pale pink firecracker about the length of a thumb.
"This doesn't look like the ones from last night."
Fiora glanced at it and asked curiously.
She could tell that something this small probably couldn't produce the kind of brilliant light the fireworks had last night.
"Different type. Those were aerial burst fireworks. This one's a snap pop. Throw it on the ground, and if the impact's strong enough, it explodes."
As he explained, Luke tossed the snap pop toward the ground nearby.
The next second, crack!
A crisp sound rang out, sharp and clean, and a look of genuine interest appeared in Fiora's cool eyes.
She felt like she suddenly understood why they were called firecrackers.
When bamboo was burned, it split apart with popping sounds—something a lot like this crackling noise.
She reached out, picked one up herself, and threw it to the ground.
Crack!
Looking at the mark it left behind, she asked curiously, "What would happen if you threw this at someone's face?"
"Why is that the first thing you thought of?"
Luke was actually stunned for a second, though he still answered, "One by itself would probably only cause a superficial injury. But if you used several at once, the damage would probably be a lot worse."
After all, it was still gunpowder in the end.
In a certain sense, snap pops were even a little more dangerous than ordinary firecrackers.
They were filled with grit that heated through friction. If the impact was strong enough, they went off immediately.
That said, these regular little boxes weren't really dangerous even if they exploded.
The rest were different kinds of firecrackers that needed an actual flame to ignite.
Fiora nodded, took an entire box of the snap pops, walked a little farther away, and started throwing them one after another. She seemed to genuinely enjoy the repeated crack crack sounds.
It was rare for Luke to see her in such a playful mood, and he couldn't help smiling as he watched a little longer, as if he had discovered an unusual side of Miss Fiora.
The popping sounds attracted Poppy from inside the house. She came darting out and immediately spotted Fiora playing with them.
Fiora was just about done, so she handed the rest to Poppy and warned her, "Be careful when you throw them. Don't blow yourself up."
Poppy's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly as she took the snap pops.
Fiora didn't leave right away after saying that. She still looked a little worried about Poppy.
After all, she was small, and after trying a few of them, Fiora had realized some of them could explode surprisingly far from where they landed.
So she stayed nearby and watched for a bit, worried Poppy might hurt herself.
Only after seeing Poppy throw several without incident did Fiora relax and head back to the backyard to continue her daily sword practice.
As for Luke, after looking through a few more types, he closed the box, lay back down in his chair, and watched Poppy.
Poppy had already invented a new way to play with the snap pops.
For example, right now she was tossing three or four of them into the air at different heights all at once, then instantly swinging her hammer at them midair.
The hammer smashed through the airborne snap pops, and a rapid series of crisp cracks rang out one after another without a single miss, perfectly smooth and continuous.
That gave it the effect of a chain of explosions.
After smashing them all, she planted her hands on her hips and looked immensely proud of herself.
She was having the time of her life.
Too bad the people who could really join her in playing still hadn't come back yet.
By the time Lux and Kahina returned, it was already evening.
Lux rode back into the yard on her bicycle with Kahina behind her.
As Kahina got off, Luke asked, "It worked out?"
Kahina nodded and smiled. "Lux is officially a novice Illuminator now."
"Tsk, tsk." Luke shook his head and sighed. "The Illuminators really are broad-minded. They'll let just anybody in."
"?"
A question mark practically appeared over Lux's head. She shot him a dangerous look. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything."
Luke just chuckled.
"If you've got the guts, say it again!"
Lux bared her little fangs, the threat obvious in her face.
Luke wiped the smile off his face and said nothing.
Lux gave a huff and ignored him.
Kahina laughed softly at the side and headed toward the backyard.
Normally, joining the Illuminators required a recommendation from a formal member.
But Lux's status was what it was. She didn't need any recommendation at all.
And after knowing her this long, Kahina was convinced there was no one more suited to the Illuminators than Lux, whose heart was so pure and kind.
As her good friend, Kahina was happy Lux had chosen this path.
The sky gradually darkened.
Quinn stepped into the yard and immediately noticed the boxes stacked off to the right side. Curious, she asked, "What are those?"
Hearing her, Lux—who had been lying in the yard—also turned to look. Only then did she realize those boxes hadn't been there when she left. "When did those show up?"
At that, Luke replied, "There were some different kinds of fireworks left over from yesterday, so I had them brought back."
The moment Lux heard fireworks, her eyes lit up immediately.
Quinn looked interested too.
"Wait until it gets dark. They'll be more fun that way."
Seeing the eager expressions on both their faces, Luke smiled.
And so, while eating dinner, Lux kept waiting in anticipation.
She even ate noticeably faster than usual without realizing it.
Once dinner was over, everyone immediately gathered in the yard and watched as Luke pulled out box after box of different kinds of firecrackers.
"Are the ones from last night in there too?"
Lux leaned over the box and spotted several thick tube-type fireworks even larger than the boxes themselves.
"Yeah, but we'll save those for later."
Luke nodded and walked toward the open space.
Then he started opening the boxes one by one, handing out matches as he introduced the different types.
There were fountain fireworks, spinning fireworks, smoke fireworks, little novelty fireworks, and several other varieties.
Luke had specifically had the Research Institute develop all of these.
As the night deepened, the atmosphere in the yard became lively and cheerful.
Lux stuck a sky rocket into the ground, lit a match, and carefully brought it to the fuse. The second it hissed to life, she turned and ran without even looking back.
Whoosh!
A sharp sound sliced through the air.
Lux turned around just in time to see the rocket shoot upward like an arrow. It climbed halfway into the sky before running out of force and falling back down.
Joy sparkled in her eyes as she immediately grabbed a spinning firework next.
She set it on the ground, arranged it carefully, struck another match, and repeated the exact same routine—light it, then run.
After she had run a little farther away, she turned back just in time to see it start spinning with a hiss, spraying brilliant colors from every side.
It was absolutely beautiful.
She was staring at it, completely absorbed, when crack!
A sudden explosion sounded behind her and made Lux jump.
She immediately looked around. Yurna, Kahina, Fiora, Quinn, Poppy, and Luke were all busy playing with their own fireworks.
But when it came to suspicion, her eyes locked onto Luke without even a moment's hesitation.
At that moment, he was pretending nothing had happened while calmly lighting a spinning firework of his own.
"Stop acting innocent. It was definitely you!"
Lux glared at him.
Luke turned around and asked blankly, "What was me?"
Then crack!
A snap pop exploded behind him and startled him too.
He turned around, only to find all five of the others wearing perfectly innocent expressions.
Unlike Miss Crownguard, who could lock onto a target instantly without hesitation, Luke now looked genuinely baffled. He had no idea who had done it.
"Haha, serves you right!"
Lux laughed outright. When she turned back again, her spinner had already gone out.
So she replaced it with a fountain firework instead. This one was a bit bigger, and she set it down on the ground.
Then she struck another match and brought it to the fuse.
Once it lit, she straightened up and backed away a few steps.
The fountain sat quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly hissed as a burst of light erupted upward like a miniature geyser, spraying fireworks in a beautiful floral pattern.
This one was especially gorgeous. The sparks looked as though they carried every color imaginable.
Lux stared at it in fascination.
The light drew the attention of the others too. One by one, they turned to look, smiling as they watched the fountain-like fireworks bloom.
"So pretty."
"It really is."
After about ten seconds, the fountain gradually faded, leaving everyone a little reluctant for it to end.
By the time it was over, they had already played with almost every kind of firecracker.
Only one type remained.
Sparklers.
Luke had no idea why they were called that, but since everyone else used the name, he went along with it too.
Probably because they really did look pretty when lit.
Out in the yard, everyone held one in hand, and Lux was the first to light hers.
After two quick sizzling sounds, the sparkler erupted in star-like bursts. It looked a bit like the fountain from before, only smaller, but just as lovely.
The moment Luke saw Lux's had caught, he leaned his own over and lit it from hers.
When the two sparklers touched, the sparks between them flared even brighter.
Seeing that, Fiora, Kahina, Quinn, Poppy, and Yurna all put away their matches and simply leaned their own sparklers in as well.
One after another, each sparkler caught and began to glitter.
Just like that, the group gathered close together, their eyes focused on the flickering sparks. No one spoke. They simply watched in silence.
The firelight reflected in their eyes, and in that moment, everything felt strangely beautiful.
Lux's sparkler was the first to burn out. She immediately pulled out a second one and leaned in again.
Watching the lovely sparks flare back to life, joy spread openly across the girl's face.
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