Chapter 42: The Creator's First Friends.
The journey back was peaceful.
The herbs were secured in Kaede's pack. The forest had given what we needed, and we had taken only what was necessary. The sun filtered through the canopy in gentle patches, warming the path ahead.
I was still thinking about the animals gathering around the doll. The way they had simply... appeared. Drawn by something I could not see. Unafraid in a way that felt deliberate.
I glanced at it. The doll walked quietly beside me, its button eyes fixed ahead. No armor. No lion helmet. Just the small, familiar shape I had drawn in the grimoire.
Kaede noticed. "You're still thinking about what happened earlier."
I nodded. "I'm just happy that the animals like the doll. That means they find comfort around it."
Kaede smiled. "Perhaps your doll simply likes animals."
I looked at the doll again. It had that satisfying feeling, the sense that something you had created was not just functional, but right. That it belonged in the world in a way you had not anticipated.
The thought stayed with me.
Further along the road, we encountered three familiar figures.
The same three adventurers from the forest. They recognized us immediately; the swordswoman waved, her face breaking into a grin. The spear-wielder's shoulders relaxed. The youngest mage's eyes lit up.
They hurried toward us.
"Hey!" The swordswoman called out, her voice bright. "We were hoping we'd run into you again!"
They greeted us properly this time. Introductions were made, names I had learned in the aftermath of the fight but now heard properly, in the calm of the road.
The mage was Albruna. The swordswoman was Adelgund. The spear-wielder was Averhilda.
Albruna approached the doll.
She crouched down in front of it, bringing herself to eye level. "Hello."
The doll stared straight ahead. Its button eyes caught the light but showed no recognition.
Albruna tried again. "You saved my life."
Nothing.
She waved a hand in front of its face, testing. Nothing.
She laughed, the sound bright and unguarded. "Are you always this serious?"
The doll continued staring straight ahead. Its stitched mouth held its crooked smile. It did not move.
I smiled. "It doesn't talk."
Albruna's face fell. "I thought maybe we could become friends."
The doll turned its head slightly. Just a fraction, barely noticeable.
Albruna froze. "...Did it just look at me?"
I followed her gaze. The doll had indeed shifted, its button eyes now angled toward Albruna's face.
"Probably," I said.
Kaede watched the exchange in silence, her expression unreadable.
Albruna stood, brushing off her knees. "You're both heading back to town?"
Kaede nodded. "We finished a gathering quest."
"Same here," Adelgund said. "We're working our way up, doing Cu quests mostly."
The three adventurers explained that they were heading back to town as well.
We walked together toward the town. The sun was warm. The road was easy. And for the first time in a while, the company felt good. The doll walked beside me, its button eyes fixed ahead.
I looked at it and smiled.
Albruna suddenly brightened.
"Why don't we have dinner together?" She looked at her companions. "We owe them a proper thank you."
Adelgund nodded. "We'd like that."
Averhilda smiled. "It's the least we can do."
I hesitated. A meal together
Kaede glanced at me. "We have no reason to refuse."
I agreed.
The sun warm on our shoulders, the doll walking quietly beside me. Albruna kept glancing at it, as if trying to catch its attention. The doll did not respond.
But it did not pull away either.
***
The guild hall was busy, but we found a clear space at the counter. Kaede placed the herbs on the surface, and the receptionist examined them with practiced efficiency.
"Quality is good," she said. "Quest marked complete."
She placed a small pouch of coins on the counter.
I picked it up. The weight was familiar now. It was not much. But it was ours.
We turned from the counter. The three adventurers were waiting near the door, their expressions bright with curiosity.
We walked through town together, the late afternoon light softening the edges of the buildings. Albruna walked beside me, her steps light, her eyes frequently drifting to the doll.
"Your magic," she said. "I've never seen anything like it. What is that thing you use to make magic?"
The other two leaned in, their curiosity matching hers.
I considered the question. "It's a tool," I said. "A focus. I draw circles and sigils, and they become what I need them to be."
Adelgund tilted her head. "So you're a mage?"
I smiled. "I'm still learning."
Averhilda pointed at the doll. "Is it familiar?”
I looked down at it. The doll walked beside me, its button eyes fixed ahead. "I'm not sure. It's... something else. I made it."
"Made it?" Albruna's eyes widened. "Like, from scratch?"
"From a drawing," I said. "The grimoire brings what I draw to life."
The questions continued as we walked. How did I make the armor? Why did the doll have lion heads? Why didn't it talk? Where did I learn magic?
I answered what I could. Some things I kept vague. Some things I left unspoken. The Fairy King. The Spire. The long months of training. The things that had happened in the forest, to me and to others.
But I answered enough. The three adventurers listened, their faces open, their questions genuine.
We reached the inn where the three were staying. Albruna turned to me.
"Dinner?"
I looked at Kaede. She nodded.
“Sure,” I said.
The inn was warm, the kind of warmth that came from a well-tended hearth and the presence of people who had come to rest. We found a large table near the back, away from the bustle of the main room, and settled into our seats.
The three adventurers sat across from us. Kaede beside me. The doll was seated on the bench next to me, its button eyes fixed ahead.
Albruna slid a menu across the table. "Tonight is our treat."
I immediately tried to refuse. "You don't have to…"
She interrupted, her smile bright and unwavering. "You saved our lives. Please." She pointed at the menu. "Order whatever you want."
Kaede glanced at me. I looked down at the menu.
My eyes widened slightly.
There was far more food than I was accustomed to seeing. Roasted meats. Stews with thick, rich broths. Fresh breads. Vegetables I had never heard of. Desserts that looked like they had been crafted with care.
I had grown up in a village where food was simple and measured. In the Fairy Realm, I had eaten what I was given. I had never been presented with choices like this.
Albruna leaned forward. "What looks good?"
I stared at the menu. "I don't know," I admitted. "I've never had to choose before."
Kaede said, "Get what you want. You can always try something else next time."
I looked at her. "Next time?"
She smiled. "There will be a next time."
I looked back at the menu. The words blurred together: too many possibilities. I chose something simple, a stew, bread, and a cup of tea.
Albruna nodded, satisfied. "Good choice."
The others ordered.
I thought that this, too, was part of becoming who I was meant to be.
The three girls talked about how they had become adventurers: Albruna's family had encouraged her to study magic; Adelgund had grown up around swords, and Averhilda had always been good with a spear and wanted to see the world. They talked about their first quests, their ambitions, and why they traveled together.
Albruna leaned forward. "What about you?"
I paused.
I thought about the Fairy Realm. The Fairy King. My family, still waiting for me in a village that felt like another lifetime ago. My past life, the memories I carried like a second heartbeat. The grimoire is still full of blank pages waiting to be filled.
I could not tell them any of that.
"I want to see the world," I said.
It was not entirely the truth. But it was not a lie either.
Albruna glanced at the doll again. Her curiosity had been building through the evening, and finally she asked.
"Can I ask you something?"
I looked at her.
"Why did you make a doll?"
I looked at the doll. Its button eyes caught the lamplight. Its stitched mouth held its crooked smile.
A faint smile crossed my own face.
"Because..." I paused. "...I didn't want to be alone."
Albruna's expression changed. She looked at the doll differently now, not as a curiosity, not as a mystery. As something that had been made for a reason she understood.
She reached out and gently touched the doll's arm.
"Then I suppose I should thank it properly."
The doll remained silent.
But it did not pull away.
The food arrived.
Plates piled high with roasted meat, fresh bread, vegetables glistening with butter, and bowls of steaming stew. The inn's warmth wrapped around us, the fire crackling softly in the hearth.
The atmosphere became lively. Albruna reached for the bread first, tearing off a piece and passing it to Adelgund. Averhilda ladled stew into bowls, her movements easy and practiced. Kaede accepted her portion with a quiet nod.
I watched them. They moved around each other with the ease of people who had shared many meals together. They argued about which quest to take next. They laughed about a failed mission from the previous week.
For the first time since leaving the Fairy Realm, I felt like I had entered a new kind of family.
Albruna looked toward the doll. It sat beside me, its button eyes fixed ahead, its stitched mouth holding its crooked smile. It had not moved since we sat down.
"Tomorrow, we're going to the guild again." Albruna smiled at me. "Maybe we'll see you there."
I smiled back. "Maybe."
The doll sat quietly beside me. For once, no one was asking it to fight. No one needed it to protect anyone. It was simply sitting among people, sharing a table, being part of something ordinary.
The conversation continued. The food was eaten. The night deepened.
I did not know when I would see them again. But I thought I would. And that, too, was part of becoming who I was meant to be.
Will they all go adventuring together...
Find out in the next chapter, same time, same place.
