Chapter 26: CH. 26 | Lily and Riley

Realizing their friend’s life was on the line, they ultimately chose to let him live. The party leader told Theo that he and his friends wouldn’t chase after Lily.

Theo heard them out, and the deal was struck. He shoved the archer’s body away roughly, the man let out a long breath, clearly relieved he wasn’t about to be killed.

The man scrambled free of Theo and hurried back toward his friends. Theo had nothing left to say to them. He walked away without a single goodbye.

"You know? You’ve just made a huge mistake," the party leader said.

"That girl... she’s only going to be a burden to you."

Theo glanced briefly out of the corner of his eye, then chose to keep walking alone back toward the city.

In a way, Lily’s problem with those people was already settled, there was little chance they’d bother her again.

But once Theo made it back into the city, he had no idea where to go. He’d spent too much time holding them off and never got the chance to catch up with Lily and Thalia.

Where did they actually go?

Theo decided to walk through the city alone, glancing left and right, trying to spot them anywhere. But he came up with nothing.

After an hour of searching, Theo decided to try the last place they might have gone, the city guild.

He pushed the door open and found Sara behind the reception desk. Theo immediately asked her about Thalia.

"Thalia? I haven’t seen her since you two came back," Sara answered, "What’s going on? Did something happen?"

"Nothing serious, just checking."

Sara leaned forward a little, her face tilting closer, "She doesn’t really know you that well, you two have only known each other for a few days now."

"The guild’s a good place to wait for her. Just sit tight here."

Theo nodded and agreed, since waiting at the guild tavern had already been his plan anyway, just in case Thalia and Lily came by to check if he was there.

While he waited, Theo ordered some food. Sara stopped by every so often to keep him company, though most of her time was spent working behind the reception desk since adventurers were starting to trickle back in.

"Theo?"

Theo heard someone call out to him. He turned instinctively toward the voice. Sure enough, it was Thalia. She’d arrived alongside Lily and a young girl.

The young girl shared the same hair color as Lily, wrapped in a thick coat, her face pale. Theo’s eyes narrowed.

Could that be... Lily’s little sister?

They walked over to Theo’s table and sat down in the chairs available. Theo pointed toward the young girl, and Lily didn’t hesitate to introduce her to Theo.

"This is my little sister, Riley," Lily said.

"Remember what the leader of Lily’s old party said earlier? What he meant was they wouldn’t give any more medicine for Riley’s illness," Thalia explained.

"Oh, that’s what he meant, huh? I thought one of them had put some kind of curse spell on her," Theo said.

"There’s no way, their level’s too low for anyone in that group to cast a curse spell."

While Theo was munching on the toast on his plate, he caught Lily and Riley’s eyes drifting toward the food.

Theo noticed it and glanced over at Thalia. She responded with a nod, as if she’d already picked up on the same thing.

He turned and raised a hand, ordering a proper meal for all three of them. He skipped ordering for himself since he was already satisfied with the toast.

"Huh? You don’t have to. We’re still—"

GRRRRRR!

Lily’s stomach growled loudly, turning her face as red as her hair. Thalia smiled and explained that Lily needed to eat, since they’d struggle to complete missions later if Lily didn’t have any energy in her.

Already embarrassed, Lily glanced forward, as if seeking Theo’s permission. Theo wore the same expression as Thalia, having no objection to letting Lily and Riley eat.

"Thank you. I promise, I’ll pay you back for this meal," Lily said, instinctively standing up and bowing her head, and Riley followed suit.

They sat back down and started explaining everything to Theo, the names of her old party members, how Lily had first met them, and how they’d treated her throughout their adventures together.

Theo listened to all of it, clearly stunned at just how bleak and heartbreaking Lily’s situation had been. She’d apparently survived on just a single piece of bread a day, all just to save up enough to buy medicine for Riley.

He glanced over at Thalia and noticed her eyes had welled up listening to Lily’s story. There was no exaggeration in it either, Theo could tell just from looking at Lily’s thin, exhausted frame, and Riley’s obvious illness.

Not long after, the food they’d ordered finally arrived. Lily and Riley’s eyes lit up at the sight of it, their throats visibly bobbing.

The rich smell of smoked meat and mashed potatoes clearly had them hooked. It was probably the first meat Lily had eaten in a long while, after so much time sacrificing for Riley’s sake.

Thalia joined them, eating her own portion, while Theo stuck to finishing off his toast.

They dug into their food eagerly, clearing every plate down to nothing. Lily finished first, with Riley right behind her. Both of them admitted to feeling full after devouring everything.

"Mind if I ask what’s wrong with Riley?" Theo asked.

"Some kind of fever and flu, but I can hear a hoarse rasp in her breathing," Thalia explained.

Theo nodded, taking in what Thalia had said. If that assessment was right, they were in luck, Theo happened to know a solid medicine recipe that could treat Riley’s condition.

"I know a medicine recipe Sister Anna taught me back at the orphanage. It’s cured almost everyone I’ve seen with a fever or flu."

"Really? Then I’d love that."

The young man nodded, agreeing to help cure Riley, though to do it, they’d need to buy some herbs and prepare the medicine back at Theo’s apartment.

Riley looked over at Lily, and Lily had no objection. Theo felt good about the trust they were putting in him.

Once dinner wrapped up, Theo invited the three of them to leave the guild together. They followed him down the main city street, stopping at a herb shop to buy the materials they needed.

Theo told the shop owner what he needed, and the woman listened and got everything ready. The total came to thirty four copper.

They left the herb shop and headed back toward Theo’s apartment building. They climbed the stairs and reached his apartment door.

"Did you buy this apartment yourself?" Lily asked.

"It’s a bit complicated, a friend of my friend left it in my care."

The door opened, and Theo told them to come inside. Thalia and the others stepped in, taking in the spacious, spotless apartment, so peaceful and quiet compared to the noise out on the street.

He asked them to sit down while he prepared the medicine in the kitchen. Thalia kept them company on the sofa, occasionally asking questions about the apartment. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

After about twenty minutes, Theo finished preparing the medicine, pouring the precise dosage into individual medicine papers.

Out of the thirty four copper spent, Theo managed to make ten doses of medicine for Riley.

He came out to the living room carrying the medicine and a kettle of warm water. He explained to Lily exactly how to use it, and she listened closely, taking it all in.

Theo handed Riley a glass with the medicine already mixed in. It would taste a bit bitter, but soothing on her throat.

Riley forced herself to drink the whole thing down. The effects wouldn’t show right away, only becoming noticeable after a few days of consistent use.

"Thank you for the medicine, Theo."

"It should help Riley out and save you some money," Theo said, "I’m worried Erion and his friends might show up at your old place, since I can tell they’re still holding a grudge."

"Just stay here tonight. You two can use my room."

"You’re welcome to stay too, Thalia. Consider it looking out for them," Theo added.

Lily hesitated at first, since Theo had already done so much for her and her sister, but Theo spoke firmly, saying he just wanted to prevent anything bad from happening.

He’d already seen enough of the ugly side of adventurers, and the worry never quite left him.

Hearing that, Lily had no choice but to go along with what Theo wanted.

"It’s getting late," Theo said, "Go get some rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll get ready to grab a guild mission."