The curtain of night falls and the surrounding area is enveloped in darkness.
　The temperature began to drop, and as soon as my breath touched the outside air, it turned white and melted in the air.

　In the darkness, there were two moving shadows. They were Raffy and Sylvia. I'm not going to be able to get to the top.

　We are almost to our destination, but further movement in the darkness would be dangerous.

　Having decided that, Raffy stopped on the spot.

''Let's rest here for today.''
Yeah, I guess so.

　With a familiar hand, the two men begin to prepare the encampment. They spread out the tent, build the fire, and take out the ingredients for dinner.

　The bulk of the cooking is done exclusively by Raffy, with Sylvia always helping out. Today it's a pot.

　We cut up the grilled chicken, add the vegetables and seasonings as needed, and put it in the pot to simmer gently. Raffy opened the lid after a while, served it in a bowl and handed it to Sylvia.

'Thank you.
Yeah. Let's eat it before it gets cold.

　There's nothing like something to warm you up on a cold day.
　They proceeded to eat in silence. Then, suddenly, Sylvia

Come to think of it, where does Mr. Wraith come from?
Wraith I don't know about that either.

　I've heard that he was chased out of the place where he lived, but Raffy doesn't even know where he lived. Although, the fact that he came to the royal capital means that he must have lived in the vicinity, though.

''Did he live alone?''
'You said you had a mentor, and I know you weren't alone the whole time but what does that matter?'
'No, Mr. Wraith, you're a great guy, so I wondered how you got here so far.

　Sylvia is the same in the sense that she has a lot of talent, but their vectors are different. Sylvia is about the field of magic, and Wraith is about the field of alchemy. An expert in a field that you don't know about is just that interesting.

''Well, I'm certainly curious...''

　What is Wraith's background? It's just that it hasn't been told in detail so far, and it's a matter of concern. The person in question wants to erase the period of training in alchemy from his memory.

''That said, there are quite a few things we haven't told Wraith about either.
Well, yeah.

　Sylvia responds with a wry smile.

　One of the biggest facts that Raffy and Sylvia have not told Wraith is that they are not real sisters. It's obvious from their appearance, but there's no blood connection between them at all.

'Would you be surprised if I told you that we weren't biological sisters?
'I don't know, you'd be more surprised to hear that Sylvia's personality used to be very different than it is now.

　Raffy smiles and says jokingly. Sylvia, in contrast, looked at Raffy with the eyes of a child who was being mean to her.

'I didn't have a lot of things straightened out back then!
Yeah, I know.

　Raffy looks at Sylvia, her cheeks puffed out, and laughs with a croak in her throat.

　There is a reason why these two, who are not really sisters, live together.

　Their meeting was almost accidental.

　When Raffy wasn't yet known as an S-class adventurer, they met on a visit she made on a request.

　At the time, the request Raffy had received was to defeat a group of goblins nesting in the forest. Sylvia was taken away by the goblins on her way to the forest, but Raffy rescued her.

　It's a good thing that Sylvia is safe, but that's where the problem arises. Sylvia had no memory.

　Everything from her birthplace to her parents' names was unknown to her, except her own name. It was impossible for Sylvia, who was in such a state, to have any relatives.

　Raffy, who couldn't leave Sylvia unattended, took her in, and she is still alive today. I even tried to find her parents and relatives, but the results were not good.

''I mean, I don't know how my sister thought to take me in, either.
'Well, I helped him, and he wasn't in financial trouble.

　Normally it would be normal to leave them in the care of a children's home or something like that, but Raffy didn't do that. As an adventurer, she was rapidly improving her performance, and she was not worried about having to provide for one more person.

''I'm so indebted to you, aren't I?''
Well, you can always count on me, because I'm your sister in law.
Sometimes I wish I could do something for you.

　Her lips twitched and Sylvia muttered.

'Is there anything you'd like to do or want to do?'
Hmmm, not really...
My godd*mn greedy sister.

　Sylvia's shoulders slump with a gulp and she lets out a troubled sigh. Perhaps unable to see her sister's situation, Raffy puts her hand on her chin and thinks for a moment.


Is that what you want?
Yeah.

　Raffy is usually the one in charge of cooking, but that doesn't mean that Sylvia can't cook.

　It's a trivial request, but it's probably enough for Raffy.

''Okay, then I'll make something after this request is done.

　Sylvia clenched her fists tightly with an expression of full of spirit. Raffy laughed at the enthusiasm that made it hard to believe that she was just cooking.

　However, when you think of the fact that you are considered important enough to put that much energy into it, it was also a pleasure.

''Oh, I'll take requests if you have them!
'Well, I'll think about that during this commission.

　I don't think the variety of dishes that can be made is that extensive, but Sylvia confidently assures me that she can do it.

　Raffy felt calm when she saw her cute little sister like that.

''........Well, let's get it over with now.''
Yes.

　While we were talking, the pots and pans were empty.

　He finished his dinner and started to clean up the pots and bowls he had used.

'Then you can wash them as usual.
Yes.

　The dishes and other items used are always cleaned by Sylvia, who uses magic to create water to clean them.

　Sylvia tried to use her magic as she was told and--

...what?

　With a thud, he fell to the ground.

　Even Sylvia herself couldn't understand what had happened.

'Sylvia!

　Raffy, who was the first to sense something unusual, ran over to Sylvia, who was lying on the ground.

''What's wrong!''
My body is not moving.

　No matter how much effort she put into her limbs, they didn't twitch. And Sylvia had already experienced similar symptoms once.

　However, that symptom should have been completely cured with the help of a good-hearted alchemist.

''Oh no, how could it be...!

　Up until now, Sylvia's body was indeed in a healthy state. But the moment she tried to use magic, her body stopped moving.

　Unaware of the reason, Raffy bites her teeth.

　However, from Sylvia's distressed expression, I could only understand that it was not good to continue like this.

''Sylvia, the request is interrupted!　Back to King's Landing!

　Raffy carries Sylvia on her back with only the bare minimum of what she needs. Since Sylvia can't move on her own, Raffy has no choice but to take her back to the royal capital on her own.

''Please, Wraith.......!

　Unconsciously muttering the name of his trusty alchemist, Raffy began to run down the road to the royal capital.