The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 24 – Sonia Aquarid (4)
Translator: Seven
Editor: Ana_Banana
The place they arrived at was a bar.
At first Luther was quite embarrassed but he quickly schooled his expression.
He could not understand why Frey had brought them to this place.
‘This is not a place for nobility…’
This was the sort of place that mercenaries who had vulgar mouths and behaviours would come to.
But Frey opened the door without any hesitation.
Immediately, the smell of tobacco and beer were prevalent.
The bald giant behind the counter, who was the owner, seemed to recognize Frey immediately.
He observed Frey for quite a while before he burst into a loud, pleasant laugh as if he was filled with joy.
After a short conversation with the owner, Frey came back to the group.
“They will prepare the food while we go wash up and come back.”
“Ah, I see.”
It seemed that now that he had the chance, he wanted to immediately clean himself.
Despite not showing it on their faces, Sonia and Luther quite agreed with Frey’s decision to go clean up.
As soon as they had opened the door, the faces of all the people in the bar had become sour.
There were bathrooms upstairs since the bar seemed to also function as an inn.
Quite unexpectedly, even warm water was prepared for them to wash their bodies much more comfortably.
Sonia soon returned to the first floor after a pleasant bath, but she found a man sitting at their table.
‘Did he sit here by accident?’
Sonia narrowed her eyes at the man.
The man that was sitting there had very handsome features. Sonia had seen many handsome men in the Luanoble Kingdom, but this man seemed to have a sort of charm.
What she noticed in particular was his slightly long grey hair that was tied behind him and his deep set eyes.
The only blemish was that he was a bit too skinny, but that wasn’t a really big deal…
‘Hmm?’
Sonia couldn’t help but tilt her head. The man’s appearance was extremely similar to someone else.
The skinniness, the grey hair, the deep set eyes.
“If you’re done, why don’t you take a seat?”
The moment she heard the voice, she realised.
Nevertheless a confused expression appeared on her face.
“…Frey?”
* * *
“Is something wrong?”
“N-, no. You just look completely different from before…”
“I looked a bit old after not taking care of myself for a while.”
Frey laughed and Sonia blushed while complaining in her mind,
‘That’s not a bit.’
She couldn’t even compare the current him to the beggar-like appearance he had before.
For the first time in her life, Sonia felt a tingling sensation in her chest.
“Y-, your clothes look good.”
Sonia, who was not used to praising people, turned her head away as she said that.
What he was wearing at that moment was his Westroad Academy uniform which was made for its appearance instead of practicality.
It went very well with Frey’s current appearance though he would look even better if he gained a bit more weight.
“I didn’t have any other clothes to wear. My armor needs to be washed since it is so dirty.”
“R-, right.”
“Are you going to keep standing? The food will be here soon.”
“Ah, I’ll sit down.”
‘How many times will you stutter, you idiot!’
Sonia scolded herself inwardly as she hurried to take a seat.
She was nervous.
Seeing Frey’s indifferent face seemed to make her feel worse somehow.
Sonia felt it was unfair that she was the only one who was embarrassed. Thinking quickly, she desperately tried to find a topic.
“Your spells were amazing. It was the first time I saw such an amazing wizard like you.”
“It was nothing.”
While he said this, Frey’s face showed no signs of being flattered.
This was proof that this was what he really thought, that his present level of skill was truly nothing.
When he thought of the guys he’d have to face in the future, his current power was like he was holding a dagger as small as a pebble in his hands.
However, Sonia felt even more admiration when she saw his humility.
‘He’s completely different from all the wizards I’ve met before.’
All they knew was how to boast.
About how well they could develop magic, or that they had ongoing research that was going well or that they were one of the top 10 mages in the tower…
In a fight, they were only a group of children who knew how to recite spells.
They didn’t even have time to finish their spells before Sonia had drawn her sword, closed the distance between them and pressed it against their adam’s apple.
Why do they want to duel when they were no good in the first place?
“So where are you headed?”
Frey’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.
“I know you were heading to Kastkau, but I’m curious about your destination. Of course you don’t have to answer.”
‘Is he concerned?’
It felt like he had brought up the topic when the conversation had paused, so Sonia interpreted it favourably.
She replied without hiding anything.
“I’m going to the Jun family.”
“…Jun family?”
Frey raised an eyebrow.
For some reason, Sonia felt proud that she had finally managed to get a reaction out of this man.
“What are you going to do there?”
“That…a marriage proposal.”
She didn’t know why her face became red and her voice cracked a bit.
Frey didn’t notice Sonia’s behaviour.
“Ah, right. The daughter of the Aquarid family that would become Peran’s fiancee. So that’s you.”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“I heard it from Peran.”
“Are you familiar with Peran?”
Luther came down from his bath and interrupted the conversation.
Frey could only give a smile as Sonia looked away in embarrassment.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your conversation.”
“That’s fine. Sit down, let’s talk.”
“I’m sorry again but I can’t join you. I’m sure you understand.”
Luther and the single remaining maid stood behind Sonia.
Luther and Sonia shared a pseudo father-daughter relationship, but even then there were strict protocols in a master-servant relationship that could not be ignored.
This was their house’s business so Frey did not interfere. He simply took a sip of water before answering Luther’s previous question.
“Peran is my friend.”
“I see. Both of your families are famous wizard families in the Empire. Have you been friends since childhood?”
“I met him for the first time on a ferry to the capital. It was only for a short while, but I appreciated his character and so we became friends.”
“I see…”
Luther was relieved.
A good way to tell a person’s character was to look at the friend’s he kept.
And from what he had seen of Frey, Luther believed that he was a man of good character.
Only
If a young man like Frey could accept him as a close friend then that meant that he was a good person.
Soon the food arrived.
Venison with mouth watering spices, fresh salad and lamb soup.
Luther admired the quality of the food.
Finally, a sausage was placed in front of Frey.
Frey looked up at the owner’s face and the owner returned his gaze before they both burst into loud laughter.
Sonia and Luther could only watch their interaction with confusion.