"Fresh vegetables! Come take a look! Picked straight from the fields this morning, with the dew still on them!"
"Castrum Kremnos steel! Weapons hand-forged by the finest smiths of Castrum Kremnos! Guaranteed to become your most trusted companion in battle!"
"New dishes available! Come try our latest menu items and enjoy twenty percent off!"
A blonde woman sat behind the counter, listening to the cries of merchants and the conversations of pedestrians throughout the marketplace.
The sounds were noisy, yet filled with life.
With needle and thread in hand, the woman carefully worked on a piece of clothing.
Suddenly, her hands stopped.
She turned her head slightly.
She had not seen anything, but she could hear a certain light-fingered little troublemaker quietly creeping closer.
The moment the girl noticed that the woman's hands had stopped moving, she realized she had probably been discovered.
So she immediately jumped out and shouted at the top of her lungs.
Unfortunately, the woman had already expected it.
She did not so much as flinch.
Instead, she calmly set down the needle, thread, and clothing before looking at the girl in front of her, who was waving her arms like an angry little cat.
"Cipher, were you trying to scare me?"
"Tch. Boring."
Cipher pouted, clearly disappointed that her prank had failed.
"All right. You've tried this plenty of times already. It's perfectly normal to fail."
"Tailor! Are you challenging me?!"
Cipher immediately perked up.
"Fine! This great thief accepts your challenge! I'll steal the most valuable treasure in your entire shop!"
The woman laughed softly.
"What kind of thief tells the owner what she intends to steal before she even starts?"
"That's exactly why it proves how amazing I am!"
"If I warn you in advance and give you time to prepare, yet I still manage to steal it, then everyone will know just how incredible I am!"
"Very well."
"Then let's see whether you can steal this from me."
The woman lifted the garment in her hands.
"This is the finest piece I've ever made."
Cipher's eyes immediately lit up.
It was a cloak with a cat-eared hood.
"If you can steal it from me, it's yours."
"You said it!"
"No taking it back!"
"Would you like to make a pinky promise?"
The two hooked their little fingers together and sealed the agreement.
After Cipher left, the blonde woman smiled and hung the garment on a mannequin inside the shop.
She did not appear to be taking any precautions whatsoever.
"Hello."
An unfamiliar voice suddenly came from behind her.
After hanging the garment in place, the woman turned around.
Standing at the entrance was someone whose clothing was obviously unlike anything worn by the people of Okhema.
He was a young man.
A black coat covered a simple white shirt, while an equally plain pair of black trousers completed the outfit.
His clothing was almost excessively simple, as though he had grabbed whatever happened to be nearby before walking out the door.
Yet the young man's appearance and physique were striking enough that even such plain clothing suited him remarkably well.
Gray hair.
Golden eyes.
A calm expression.
There was something profoundly quiet about him.
Combined with his black clothing, he carried a faintly mysterious air, like someone with countless stories hidden behind his eyes.
"Hello."
The blonde woman smiled politely, though there was a gentle warmth in her expression.
"How may I help you?"
"I'd like to commission two sets of clothing."
"One black set for a man, and one white set for a woman."
"Of course. Would you like me to take your measurements?"
"No. I already have them."
The young man reached into his clothes and placed a sheet of paper on the counter.
Written on it were the measurements of two people, one man and one woman.
"My name is Caelus."
"The women's outfit is for my lover, so I'd like the two sets to share a similar style."
"I'm Aglaea."
She glanced over the measurements.
"Would you like to leave an address? Once the clothes are finished, I can have them delivered."
"That won't be necessary."
"When the time comes, I'll collect them myself."
"Would you like the finest materials and craftsmanship available?"
"Yes."
Aglaea nodded.
"Since you're asking for the highest standard, the materials will naturally be different as well."
"The price will be quite high."
"Would that be acceptable?"
"Each outfit may cost around two hundred thousand in local currency."
The strangely dressed young man simply reached into one of his pockets.
Then, from what looked like an impossibly small pocket, he pulled out a large, heavy bag filled with coins.
"Here's two hundred thousand as a deposit."
"Very well."
"Please return in five months."
Caelus nodded and walked into the crowds of the Marmoreal Market.
Despite how conspicuous he should have been among the people around him, and despite looking completely out of place compared to everyone else, he somehow blended into the crowd within moments.
Soon, he could no longer be found.
...
"Mem, Mem~"
In a secluded corner of Okhema, Caelus leaned against a stone railing.
Pink light suddenly gathered beside him.
A moment later, Cyrene appeared in her Mem form.
"Seriously... ever since we arrived in this world, I feel like more than half of my power has been taken away."
"Now I can only maintain this original form!"
"Partner finally regained his ability to love, and I wanted to spend more time being close to him."
"But how am I supposed to do anything romantic with Partner when I look like this?"
To anyone else, Mem was merely repeating, "Mem, Mem."
Only Caelus could understand what she was actually saying.
"Can you tell where your power went?"
Caelus asked.
"It feels strange."
"It's like it went somewhere specific... but at the same time, it feels like it's everywhere."
Mem sat floating in the air, crossing her tiny arms with a thoroughly frustrated expression.
"I know you said the System told us that Amphoreus has an extremely strong causal connection to me."
"But even then, did this world really have to take away that much of my power the instant we arrived?"
Cyrene was extremely dissatisfied.
More than half her strength had been separated from her, leaving her trapped in the form of a tiny pink Memosprite.
And in this form, she could not exactly do the kinds of things lovers normally did together.
...
Somewhere within this world, in a place hidden beyond ordinary perception, stood something resembling a birdcage.
At its center floated an object assembled from countless tiny cubes, almost like an enormous Rubik's Cube.
It emitted a strange light.
The cube flickered.
Then a soft, brilliant pink glow spread outward.
When the light faded, a slightly translucent little spirit resembling Mem appeared.
The ethereal creature looked around.
Its newborn eyes examined everything in its surroundings.
The place was empty.
Other than itself, there was no one with whom it could communicate.
"I..."
"Who... am I?"
It asked the question.
And then it began to think.
The instant thought emerged, streams of pink light mixed with faint traces of gray suddenly blossomed around it.
Crystals formed within the flowing light.
Together, they gathered before the little spirit and became a book made entirely of crystal.
The spirit opened it.
On the first page was an explanation.
The book recorded the story of a person named Caelus, written by Caelus himself.
"Holy Grail... War?"
It slowly read the words aloud.
...
"?"
Caelus suddenly turned his head.
Beside him, Mem was still sitting on the railing, quietly looking out over Okhema with him.
Just now...
Had Cyrene called his name?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)