【Re:Freezing】 | Gray Fullbuster x OC

40. Pieces of Yore

It took a week and a half to find a lead.

Their first idea was to investigate any towns that was known for having mages living there. That felt like the most obvious thing to do since mages only represented ten percent of the world's population. Since Bosco was more towards the west where most mages are likely found, it was reasonable to believe that they'd have difficulty searching. However, the names Zack and Domilia were not unknown to Bosco.

When visiting a town, they decided to check the local job posting for mages. Joining a guild wasn't the only way to earn money after all.

In one of the towns they visited, they learned that Zack and Domilia often came over to the office to take on jobs. Their success rate brought a good reputation to the office, allowing more jobs to come in for freelance mages. Afterwards, they mentioned that they heard that they were planning to head to the northeast of Bosco. So, they started going into towns that were more towards that direction. They spent their nights either camping or sleeping in inns. 

Lyon, who served as the navigator considering how he had more knowledge on Ishgar after spending years searching for a way to liberate Deliora, noticed how serious Clarus had become ever since they began this little journey. But he still maintained his bright smile while remaining focused on his goal.

Clarus could be some times too optimistic, so it naturally made others worry. Sherry didn't want to see him in low spirits for not finding anymore leads.

...

...

...

"I found her under the rubble the morning my master and I went to check out the aftermath of Deliora's rampage. When I first saw her, she looked so helpless and scared. I had to hold her hand just to have her follow me. I didn't think she'd emotionally recover from it. She also thought that Pandora and Van perished when they returned back to town. She really loves her family, that girl. But instead of seeing her look glum, I tried to be friendly with her to help her open up more. And it worked. She was the easiest to get along with unlike that gloomy Gray. I enjoyed being around her."

"You must have really liked her." Clarus said in awe. "You two were close, right?"

A little startled by this, Lyon looked at him curiously. "... What makes you say that?"

Blinking, Clarus tipped his head. "Oh, was I wrong? I just thought you two were very close because your tone got softer."

"..."

Clarus smiled obliviously. Yuka, Sherry and Toby glanced over at Lyon who chose to remain stoic.

"Anyway, she was very energetic and competitive. She was eager to learn from my master and would regard her as a mother figure like Gray and I did. She would often smile happily. I liked that about her."

"Is she still the same person today?" Clarus wondered curiously. He had already finished painting the image of her child self in his mind. He wanted to know about the current Karissa too.

"Well... she doesn't really smile as often."

"Is she sad?"

Lyon shook his head. "She's just much more reserved and introverted. She still cares very much about her friends. She can also be kind when she judges that the person earns it." He recalled the way she was kind enough to help him find a better place to rest after the whole Deliora ordeal. The others left him be while she stayed behind to help him and treat his head wounds with whatever she had. "She's a smart and strong mage too."