Nephis gave him a curious look.
"Are you very knowledgeable about swordsmanship, Master Sunless?"
The charming young man smiled.
"Well... I might not look it, but I do indeed know a thing or two about swordsmanship. As well as how to wield other weapons. After all, if one wants to forge a weapon, they have to know how to wield one, don't they?"
He paused for a moment, looked around, and then said with a hint of badly hidden pride in his voice:
"Actually... I don't want to brag, but... I once placed very high in the Dreamscape tournament."
Nephis blinked.
"The... Dreamscape tournament?"
That illusory game?
Suddenly, she felt a very unfamiliar emotion rise in her cold and scorched heart.
The contrast between the shy pride written all over the charming enchanter's beautiful face and the sheer silliness of the thing he was so proud of... was... was so...
'Cute!
Nephis had to look away.
"Ah. I see... how remarkable. Well, in that case, we can arrange something."
With that, she took a deep breath and headed for the door,
"It's getting late, and I need to return to the castle. We will be in touch. Oh... and thank you for the cake, Master Sunless. It was delicious."
He seemed a little startled.
"It was? Alright. I'll be waiting, then. Goodnight, Lady Nephis!”
The silver bell rang melodiously as she left.
Walking outside, Nephis felt the cool wind caress her cheeks, She kept her expression nestral as sthe headed toward the ferry to the castle.
[Well, what do you think?]
Cassie's voice resounded in her head a moment later.
Nephis contemplated for a few moments.
[I like what I saw. Even if he fails to forge a worthy sword for me, we should work on recruiting him as a Memory master for the Fire Keepers.]
Cassie remained silent for a bit.
[...You liked what you saw, huh?]
Nephis did not deign to reply. Why was Cassie acting so mischievously these days?
Well... actually, she was glad to see her friend coming back to a semblance of normalcy. Although very few people noticed, Cassie had not been doing well for the last few years. It was a good sign if she was in the mood to joke around.
Nephis felt relived.
Just as she thought that, though, her friend suddenly spoke again:
[But, Neph.,, I have a little piece of advice. You know, just something to think about. The next time you meet a young man and like what you see... maybe don't start the conversation by demanding to know if he can "satisfy your needs". You might give him the wrong idea…]
Nephis frowned.
"What is she talking about? Satisfy my...'
She thought back to her conversation with Master Sunless and froze.
Suddenly... the wind did not feel so cool anymore.
Blushing deeply, Nephis covered her face and walked away.
Her steps might have been a little hurried.