Non pulled some silver s from the pocket of his jacket, which he always carried out of habit. It was something he had learned from being a good iator over the years, and although he didn't at the moment, having money on hand roving useful now.

  The elderly woman's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the shiny s.

  "Please, keep the ge," Non said calmly as he handed her the money.

  The price of the bread was insignifit in parison, barely costing a few copper s.

  "Oh, thank you very much, my lord!" the woman excimed, bowiedly in gratitude. "May the gods bless you, truly, thank you."

  Non took the basket with an impassive expression, barely nodding in respoo the woman's thanks.

  It wasn't the first time he had seen this type of rea when he showed his generosity, and he didn't pce much importan it.

  Non turo leave, but just as he took a few steps, he heard a soft voice behind him.

  "Wait!"

  The voice was timid, barely a whisper, but enough to stop him.

  Non turned around and saw Emily hurriedly approag. He stood still, watg her with curiosity.

  "What's wrong?" Non asked serenely as he saw her stop in front of him.

  Emily lowered her gaze, clearly nervous.

  Her hands iwined as she pyed with her fingers, and the blush on her cheeks deepened.

  "I wanted… I wao thank you…" Emily said, briefly raising her gaze, her green eyes shining with a hint of shyness and gratitude. "Thank you so much for before… for saving me from falling."

  Non remained silent, astonished.

  The flush on her cheeks, her trembling lips f a shy smile, and the way her eyes sparkled made her expression simply… beautiful.

  For a few seds, he was entranced, uo respond while his mind processed what he was seeing.

  Finally, he shook his head slightly tain his posure.

  'She's too young for you,' Noed internally, trying not to get carried away by the charm of the situation.

  "There's o thank me so much," Non replied with a slight smile. "I'm gd you're okay, but I have to go."

  Non turo leave, but then he heard Emily's voice again, this time with a slight hesitation.

  "Are you… a mage?" she asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

  Non furrowed his brow, puzzled.

  He wore no symbol identifying him as suor did he dress iraditional robes of a mage.

  How had she deduced it?

  After a few seds of refle, Non nodded.

  "Yes," he replied, feeling a pang of pain in his chest as he remembered he could no longer use magic as before.

  Emily gasped, excited, but then became even more nervous.

  "And… did you go to the academy?" she asked, hesitantly, as if she didn't dare to ask.

  Non watched her with curiosity and nodded again.

  "Yes, many years ago," Non responded, and he saw Emily's eyes widen in astonishment.

  "Really?!" Emily excimed, visibly surprised, before her words began to spill out quickly. "I've always dreamed of going to the academy, but… well, I've never had the moo do it. If it's not too much trouble… could you tell me what it's like? I'd love to know, even though I've never been able to go."

  Non couldn't help but chuckle softly at the enthusiasm on her face.

  Emily had a youthful energy that trasted with his usual seriousness.

  She reminded him of the days wheoo yearo learn about magic, wheill believed that everything ossible.

  "Would you like to enroll in the academy?" Non asked, curious.

  For a moment, a shadow of sadness crossed Emily's face, and she quickly looked away.

  Emily nodded with a mencholic gesture.

  "I would… but it's impossible."

  Non frowned, intrigued.

  "Why?" he asked, sensing there was something more behind her response.

  Emily, embarrassed, bit her lip and lowered her head.

  "I'm… I'm too old," she murmured, almost in a whisper.

  Non's eyes widened in disbelief.

  How could she say something like that?

  'Too old?' Non thought, fused.

  Emily was beautiful, vibrant, and clearly young.

  In fact, he couldn't uand why she thought age was an obstacle.

  "Too old?" Noed, uo hide his surprise. "You don't look it at all."

  Emily let out a small, bitter ugh, ing her arms around herself.

  "No, I'm serious," she said. "At the academy, they don't allow anyone over 22 years old, and I… have long surpassed that barrier. So I'm… screwed."

  Non remembered the days when he himself ehe academy as barely a teenager, and how most students came in young, with their eure ahead of them.

  "How old are you?" Non asked, even more intrigued.

  Emily lifted her gaze to him, still embarrassed, before whispering as if it were hard for her to admit.

  "I'm… 28 years old."

  Non blinked, surprised.

  There was only a two-year differeween them.

  "Twe?" Noed, in a whisper.