“So, did you find the answer?”

At Kishiar’s question, Sallandin slowly shook her head.

“I couldn’t.”

‘Mr. Mel’ was only unusual in that he read all kinds of books without distinction, but otherwise, there was nothing special about him. She said he seemed neither more nor less than that. Even after watching him for years, it was the same.

“Even after observing him for over ten years, I never once heard him mention anything related to magic. Sometimes he seemed extremely knowledgeable about old traditions and gave off the impression of knowing everything, so I thought maybe... but then again, seeing how he lived like an ordinary woodcutter, it all felt like nothing. I just couldn’t pin him down.”

The time Grandfather had spent with Yuder was thirteen years. That was more than enough time for an ordinary person to conclude with certainty. And yet Sallandin answered only, “I don’t know.” Which was essentially the same as saying she was still withholding her judgment.

‘She’s still not convinced, because she’s not sure. That’s some incredible tenacity. Even if she’d given up halfway, she’d still be a mage at heart, I suppose.’

“Then let me change the question a little. I’d like to hear what kind of person Mr. Mel felt like to you.”

“What kind of person... I’m not sure what standard to judge by.”

“Not from the mindset of a mage possessed by a thirst for knowledge, but as a shopkeeper who has watched a longtime customer. I want to know what kind of life you thought he was living for, what he seemed to like or dislike.” 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

“That’s...”

Sallandin’s eyebrows twitched, then relaxed. The composure she’d maintained with cold professionalism while speaking to Kishiar was momentarily shattered by his sudden return to his natural manner of speech. She stared into the air for a long time in thought before slowly parting her wrinkled lips.

“...He was a good neighbor. He never hesitated around anyone, didn’t seem like someone of noble birth at all, and appeared genuinely satisfied living a life raising his grandson in the mountains and helping the townspeople. He didn’t speak much, but he was curious about many things. However, he didn’t seem to enjoy discussing what was going on up top.”

“Up top, as in...?”

“Well, you know, the ‘upper matters’ commoners talk about are always the same. What those high-ranking folks did in this or that village, depressing news about the royal family from the capital, what the tax payments will be this time... just all that frustrating talk.”

“I see.”

Kishiar didn’t so much as blink at the phrase “depressing news about the royal family,” though he clearly understood its implication.

“And personally... I also think he was an extremely tight-lipped person.”

“Tight-lipped? Why do you say that?”

Yuder didn’t miss the way Sallandin’s gaze briefly flicked toward the interior of the shop, where her daughter was, before returning.

“Once, when I was out of the shop for a while, a mad mage visited and tried to do something stupid to my daughter and grandson.”

“......”

“Fortunately, I caught him before anything happened, and I gave him a... ‘somewhat appropriate response.’”

At the phrase ‘somewhat appropriate response,’ a cold murderous intent flickered in Sallandin’s eyes. It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened to that mage.

‘There’s no way he left this village in one piece.’

“While I was dealing with the aftermath and trying to cover it up, Mr. Mel happened to come to the shop. I was prepared to accept it if he reported me, but he didn’t.”

“Then what did he do?”

“He asked if I needed help. When I said I didn’t, he just left. Later, I found out he’d secretly helped a little. After that, we never spoke of it again.”

It was a completely unexpected story. Sallandin gave a faint smile and continued.

“To be honest, after that, I think I started putting more effort into hiding Mr. Mel from the eyes of my other mage customers. I don’t know if he knew what I was doing... but I suppose it was my way of repaying him.”

In other words, at first she’d claimed she watched Grandfather out of curiosity and shielded him from other mages’ eyes, but that wasn’t the whole story.

Yuder looked at Sallandin, who was now smiling in disbelief, and recalled his grandfather.

‘If it’s the grandfather I know... Yeah. He just might’ve done exactly that.’

This was Yuder’s first time meeting Sallandin, but it was clear she was someone who ran her business with her own sense of rules and honor. Even how she immediately returned the misgiven silver coin from Kishiar proved that.

Grandfather had a strange ability to know who was lying and who genuinely needed help. If he thought Sallandin needed help back then, he would’ve offered it—even if she refused—and then walked away. And he would’ve kept that secret for life, never even mentioning it to his own grandson Yuder.

Just like how he quietly read books and found better ways to fix homes to help the townspeople, Grandfather had never turned away someone in need.

Yuder’s chest stirred faintly.

“Thank you for sharing even the long-held secrets.”

“You asked what I experienced and felt, so I simply answered. Besides, at this point, no one could dig up what I did back then.”

Sallandin replied coldly and gave a small snort.

“This is all that remains in my head. Do you have anything else you wish to ask?”

Kishiar nodded.

“One last thing. I want to know what the last day was like—the day Mr. Mel last visited this shop.”

“The last day... It wasn’t anything special.”

Sallandin answered briefly.

“He dropped ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) by after a long time and asked if there were any new books. But at the time, there weren’t any. Before leaving, he looked a bit tired, so I asked if he was sick. He said he wasn’t, but added something like, ‘You can’t deceive time forever.’ That’s what I remember.”

He wasn’t sick, but you can’t deceive time forever...

It was the kind of thing elderly folks might say, and yet somehow, the words stuck oddly in the mind.

“That’s really the end.”

“Thank you. I’ve gotten all the answers I needed.”

“I’m glad this much talk was enough to match the value of that Aspail silver coin.”

“Yes. More than enough.”

Saying so, Kishiar rose from his seat. Yuder followed in silence but glanced back at the end. He stared briefly at Sallandin, who shared a trait with his grandfather, then stepped outside. A refreshing breeze blew.

“You’re not hiding anything else you did without telling me, are you?”

“Not anymore. That last one was just a little gamble on my part.”

Kishiar chuckled quietly.

“Exactly how valuable is this Aspail silver coin that you were willing to use it like that?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special. Just the very first silver coin made by Chancellor Aspail of the 26th Emperor, who introduced our current coinage system. The coins he originally designed were supposed to have five kinds of flower emblems, like what we use today. But during the first minting, a craftsman mistakenly engraved a leaf emblem instead.”

When the chancellor found out, he immediately halted minting and ordered the design to be corrected. Most of the erroneous coins were retrieved, but a small number escaped collection.

“With the symbolism of being the first version of today’s coin, plus the subtle difference that makes them hard to identify at a glance, collectors love them. They’re also commonly used for high-value unofficial transactions.”

“So that’s why you had it on you?”

“Yeah. You never know how things will go, so I usually carry a few. I didn’t expect to use one here, though.”

Yuder let out a short sigh.

“...Anyway, thanks to your quick thinking, we learned something we almost missed. I’d like to cover at least half the cost of what we used.”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

Kishiar responded with exaggerated innocence, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.