Erika: My Friend Is Obsessed with Me
Chapter 50
She had never dreamed he would drop such a bombshell, boldly declaring he would follow her to the Imperial Capital.
“Erica.”
Watching Erica’s flabbergasted expression, his eyes curved into a persistent, teasing smile.
“I’ll take care of everything at home.”
Chaud leaned in closer.
“I’ll buy us a pretty house in the capital, so whenever you come back from Tenearha’s training, I can have a warm dinner ready and waiting for you.”
“…?”
Erica could only blink at the sheer nonsense pouring out of him.
Come to think of it, he had been like this ever since they first met.
Chaud had followed her around relentlessly the entire time.
Perhaps it was her fault for never firmly putting her foot down.
After all, she had never had a reason not to be with him.
Maybe that was how they had ended up spoiling each other with bad habits.
“…Think about it a little more.”
Moving from the south to the Imperial Capital was on an entirely different level.
Leaving behind a free world full of commoners to head into a capital teeming with nobles.
Why would he go that far?
Hesitating, Erica stared out into the open air.
“I’m leaving in a month. I’ll give you time to think it over until then.”
The city of Dangtus stretched out dizzyingly far beneath their feet.
Starlight shone brilliantly across the night sky.
“If you change your mind before then—”
“You’ll let me go with you?”
“Hey, I told you to think about it until then, didn’t I?”
“I already did.”
High atop the Clock Tower, where a refreshing breeze blew.
It was a space solely for the two of them, where no one else would dare dream of climbing.
“I’m going to the capital. With you.”
Chaud’s eyes curved in a radiant smile that bloomed like flowers in full bloom.
It was, without a doubt, a shameless use of his looks.
“….”
Erica soon let out a dry laugh.
Unaware that this moment would remain etched in her memory forever.
“….”
She simply thought that she would keep hanging around this handsome bastard for a long time to come.
* * *
Shurin was a skilled healer.
There was a time when she wandered the Empire, foraging herbs and experimenting with potion brewing.
Then, a few years ago, she settled down in Dangtus and became the representative healer of the Southern Mercenary Guild.
The years she spent in Dangtus were also the years she had spent alongside Erica.
‘To think Erica is leaving for the capital… I want to give her a parting gift.’
She had racked her brain thinking about what Erica might need, but there wasn't much Shurin could offer.
‘It has to be a Highest-grade Potion…! Anything less will be useless to her.’
Erica was sturdy and rarely got hurt.
She was on a completely different level from the other mercenaries who showed up day in and day out, whining after getting smashed up like potato salad.
So the potion gifted to Erica had to be on a different level, too.
Since it had been a while since she last brewed a Highest-grade Potion, she had to be meticulous right from selecting the ingredients.
At an herb shop in Dangtus.
“Shurin, how long has it been since you visited in person! You’ve only been sending guild errand boys for a while.”
“I wanted to check and choose everything myself today, starting from the base herbs. Could you show me what’s written on this list?”
Chatting with the owner of the Dangtus herb shop, she inspected the herbs laid out on the outdoor stall.
‘…?’
Shurin frowned as she touched a lukewarm ice herb.
“Why is the condition like this? Is this all the ice herb you have?”
“A bit soft, isn’t it? The price shot up fivefold, too.”
“What?”
“A monster wave hit Blizzard, so things aren’t looking good up there.”
“Has Blizzard’s situation ever been good? Forget this and show me the proper stock.”
“Every single herb coming from the North has supply issues right now.”
“Even so, this is in absolute garbage condition!”
An herb that was supposed to be hard as ice was mushy, barely holding the texture of dry frost!
How was she supposed to make a Highest-grade Potion with this?!
“If you set aside any special stock, I’ll pay you double.”
“Hmph, well now.”
Just as the shopkeeper stroked his beard looking conflicted.
Something zipped past rapidly above the building's roof.
Whoosh—!
It looked something like a giant hummingbird.
A sudden gust of wind blew past, making Shurin press down on her hat before it flew off.
‘Was that just now… don't tell me…’
Moving that fast by leaping across rooftops.
“Tsk, tsk. Erica’s running over the buildings again.”
“….”
The shopkeeper clicked his tongue in familiarity.
Shurin had nothing to say in defense.
Erica was a full-fledged eighteen-year-old now! Just how long was she going to keep flying across rooftops?!
Still, with so few days left for her in Dangtus, Shurin couldn’t even bring herself to nag.
“Here, this is the best piece of merchandise I have. You won't find a special-grade product better than this even if you check other herb shops.”
Shurin’s eyes widened.
‘I knew it.’
Despite appearances, the herb shop owner was an executive of the Merchant Guild in the south.
He was a man with established trade lines to the most prideful merchant caravans across the entire Empire.
She had guessed he would naturally have top-grade items set aside.
“Consider yourself truly lucky.”
He presented the box with genuine generosity.
A crest was engraved upon the luxurious case.
“…!”
Shurin covered her mouth.
“I-Is this for real?”
“What did I tell you? I said you should consider yourself lucky.”
A black dragon imbued with a bluish hue.
There was no one in the Empire who dared look down on this crest.
A family carrying the blood of pure imperial royalty, one that even the Imperial Family could not treat lightly.
Aragon of Blizzard.
The dignity of the one and only Grand Duke family in the Empire was palpable.
“A northern merchant caravan dared to use this crest?”
“They use it occasionally ever since they became a merchant caravan directly under the Grand Duke's family. The quality is utterly guaranteed.”
“Wow.”
Shurin gasped in admiration.
Guaranteed by the Grand Duke of Aragon? That was even more prestigious than a guarantee from the Imperial Family itself.
It was the perfect ingredient to make a Highest-grade Potion as a gift for Erica.
“Thank you so much!”
“The price is tenfold!”
“….”
Sob. Shurin fought back tears as she caressed the dragon crest.
* * *
A coin flipped into the air.
The crest of a dragon was engraved on it.
After spinning several times in midair, the gold coin landed back on Chaud’s palm. He repeated the motion over and over.
Chaud was special.
He was born with exceptional talent in every field, and every circumstance around him was superior.
He had known it since childhood.
Because of that, the world was dull and predictable. There was nothing worth his attention.
He had nothing he wanted, either. Everything fell into his hands before he even had the chance to desire it.
He had never yearned for anything or been greedy.
That was certainly how it had been.
‘…When is Erica coming?’
Chaud found it difficult to define his current state.
At first, he thought it might be greed or yearning, but now he wasn't so sure.
Even though he saw her every day, not having her right in front of his eyes made his chest feel stifled.
‘Should I go pick her up? Is she still sleeping?’
Her absence right beside him made him restless.
‘…She might not like that, so it’s better to just wait.’
Thinking about someone’s feelings, watching their moods.
Fearing that he might be disliked. Yet wanting to monopolize her attention all to himself.
He swore this was the first time in his life.
He couldn’t understand what on earth he was doing, either.
At the headquarters of the Southern Mercenary Guild.
Chaud sat quietly with his legs crossed, waiting for Erica to arrive.
Staying in the guild’s temporary quarters, he didn’t mingle with any other mercenaries.
“Are you Chaud? Word is you’re S-class?”
“….”
He could pretend to be sociable depending on the occasion, but there was no need to bother here.
“You look pretty young. Don't you know it goes against business ethics when only S-classes hoard requests together?”
“….”
“I’m telling you to stop sticking so close to Erica. The south has southern rules. Watch yourself.”
Inside a guild crawling with mercenaries desperately dying to take requests with Erica.
“….”
Resting his chin on his hand, Chaud expressionlessly tapped his finger against the table.
Tap, tap.
Then, his finger abruptly froze.
He stood straight up.
The mercenary picking a fight beside him flinched and stepped back.
“….”
Step, step.
Chaud walked over toward the request board.
A massive corkboard took up an entire wall.
White sheets of paper were densely posted across it.
Rip!
Chaud pulled off a single sheet.
“….”
An S-Class Request Form.
‘Blizzard?’
