—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuzio
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Asirye’s daily routine was ordinary.
Even though a year and a half had passed since Eldmia’s departure for the capital, her routine hadn’t changed much compared to the days she spent with him.
Despite Alisha’s repeated favors and requests, which led her to live in Alisha’s inn, most of Asirye’s day was still spent in her cabin in the forest.
As she finished her preparations and came down to the first floor, Alisha greeted her, as usual.
“Good morning, Asirye.”
“Good morning, Alisha. Today’s stew looks delicious. I’m looking forward to it.”
Although Asirye always woke up around 6 a.m, Alisha was always up even earlier, preparing the day’s meals.
In less than two years, Ogwen and the inn had changed drastically.
Most of the city’s outskirts were now enclosed by walls, and the city itself was developing at an astonishing pace, barely recognizable from its state a few years ago.
The inn was no longer just an inn; it had become an orphanage and a restaurant, fully supported by the Holy Cross Society.
Eldmia and Lagnis might have initiated the change, but it was ultimately the Holy Cross Society that recognized Alisha’s dedicationת and decided to offer their full support without a shred of doubt.
Even Asirye found that hard to believe.
Although the Holy Cross Society was known for its benevolence and charitable works within the city, it was incredibly rare for them to join hands with secular individuals and offer their full support.
If they felt the need for an orphanage, they would rather build one themselves.
To be recognized by them meant being treated as one of their own.
At first, she had wondered how this had happened.
But now, she understood.
Alisha might not have had a specific religion, but her life was one of unwavering devotion, no different from a devout follower.
“Will you be back for dinner tonight?” Alisha asked, her usual cheerful demeanor unwavering.
“Probably around the same time as yesterday. There’s nothing that requires my immediate attention, and I’m almost done with the preparations for winter.” Asirye replied, accepting the bowl of stew Alisha handed her.
As they ate by the light of the lanterns, the sun still not yet risen, the children began to wake up, helping Alisha with her chores.
Some of them were barely ten years old, but they all worked together with smiles on their faces, their youthful energy infectious.
Asirye couldn’t help but smile as she watched them.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way,” she said, bidding farewell to Alisha and the children.
“Have a good day, Sis!”
“See you later, Auntie!”
She waved back at the children as she stepped outside, their cheerful goodbyes warming her heart.
She made her way to the newly built stable, saddled her horse, and set off.
Her daily routine was always the same, except for the days when she had adventurer work.
She would go to her cabin, tend to the livestock, inspect the property, and then head down to the ruins where the village used to be.
There, she would pay her respects at the graves of Eldmia’s parents and tidy up the small shrine he had built nearby.
The shrine, devoid of any artistry, was simply Eldmia’s attempt to recreate the shrine that once stood in the village.
He hadn’t been particularly devout, nor did he harbor any doubts about faith.
He simply did what he believed was right, offering his respects to his parents and the gods, even though no one had taught him how.
As she finished her chores and took a walk around the cabin, Asirye couldn’t help but reminisce about the past.
She wanted to follow Eldmia, she truly did.
On the night he left for the capital, she had spent hours wrestling with her emotions, weighing her options, ultimately deciding to stay behind and create a place for him to return to, a place where he could find solace and belonging.
If she had followed him, she would have held him back, her fear for his safety a constant weight on his shoulders.
It would have been a selfish act, driven by her own desires, not his.
As she worked, her thoughts drifting between the mundane and the profound, time seemed to slip away.
Or perhaps it was simply that she was working tirelessly, wishing for time to pass quickly.
As lunchtime approached, she ate a quick meal and was about to take a break in her cabin when an unexpected visitor arrived, shattering the tranquility she had come to expect.
“Asirye! Are you there?”
A woman’s voice, urgent and unfamiliar, called out from beyond the cabin.
Asirye cautiously retrieved her bow, her senses on high alert.
She couldn’t recall ever encountering this woman before.
She quickly ran through her memories, trying to recall any recent events that might have led to this unexpected visit, but nothing came to mind.
The Adventurer’s Guild in Ogwen was relatively peaceful, especially for a frontier guild.
Even if there had been any trouble, it was unlikely that they would involve her, considering her semi-retired status.
Besides, very few people knew the exact location of her cabin.
It was highly unlikely that a stranger would seek her out.
And her intuition proved to be correct, as the situation took a turn for the worse.
“I am Etenera Hyaloy of the Frost Leaf Tribe! I am here as an envoy of the Empire! We require your assistance regarding the Hero Siegfried and Eldmia!”
The door to her cabin burst open, and a young elf, clearly flustered, rushed inside.
Asirye barely had time to process the elf’s words before her instincts took over.
“What was that supposed to mean?! What about Eldmia?!”
The elf, startled by Asirye’s outburst, stammered, “I, I apologize! I’ll skip the formalities! We need to locate Eldmia immediately! His earrings! The earrings you made for him! They are the only magical artifact he possesses! We can use them to pinpoint his location and teleport to him!”
Elves had no formal hierarchy, but High Elves held a special status among them.
They were not necessarily stronger or superior in lineage, but they had all undergone the Trial of the World Tree and had their worth acknowledged.
Therefore, even though High Elves did not hold positions of authority or power, other elves naturally respected and revered them.
And for someone like Etenera, who was accustomed to the human hierarchy, their presence invoked a sense of awe, bordering on fear.
Of course, Asirye was in no mood for pleasantries.
“Lead the way!” she barked, her voice brooking no argument.
Grateful for her cooperation, Etenera quickly mounted her horse.
The journey back to Ogwen was short, but it felt like an eternity to Asirye.
As they arrived at Alisha’s inn, they were greeted by a crowd of unfamiliar faces and a very familiar one – Lagnis.
Judging by the somber atmosphere, it was clear that she hadn’t come alone.
Their presence had thrown the city into disarray, but Asirye was in no state to worry about that.
She dismounted her horse, and before she could even greet Lagnis, a young woman with pale, almost translucent white hair pulled back from her face approached her.
“While rescuing someone, Eldmia went through a gate that had its coordinates changed and ended up somewhere unknown in the Empire,” she stated, her voice calm yet firm.
Even though she was clearly someone of high standing, she had skipped all formalities and gone straight to the point, her demeanor a clear indication of the gravity of the situation.
Asirye simply nodded, her mind already racing.
Etenera’s explanation, coupled with this new information, was more than enough to warrant her immediate action.
“That’s all I need to know. Let’s go,” she said, turning towards the others.
“Margrave Vender, if you please,” the white-haired girl said, her gaze fixed on the man standing beside her.
Asirye couldn’t help but flinch at the title.
Margrave Vend, a man with short blond hair, retrieved a small cube from his pocket.
While they waited for the gate to be activated, Lagnis approached Asirye and took her hand, her expression unreadable.
“Lagnis, what did he do this time?” Asirye asked, hoping to find some semblance of normalcy in this rapidly escalating situation.
“…He saved the Imperial Princess from the demons and ended up being transported to an unknown location,” Lagnis replied, her voice low and even.
There was a hint of exasperation in her tone, as if this was just another day in the life of Eldmia.
Asirye decided not to press her further, her mind already preoccupied with the information she had received.
“We will open a temporary gate to the capital of Itisel,” Margrave Vender announced.
`“From there, we will travel to the imperial capital and utilize the resources of the Imperial Mages to pinpoint his location. Do you require any further explanation?”
“No, not at the moment,” Asirye replied, her gaze fixed on the shimmering portal that had materialized before them.
She wanted to ask why the Imperial Princess would be directly involved in this, but she knew this wasn’t the time or place.
“Very well. Then let us depart.”
Without another word, they stepped through the gate, their destination: the heart of the Empire, where an unknown fate awaited them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[ASIRYE IS BACK LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WE WIN THESE]
Are we to expect a three-way catfight in the future?
That little bit about “nobody had taught him how to” is really what hits home, because from the perspectives of her, he’s still just a boy that happened to be really mature for his age
Also, it seems the facts that the Imperial Princess coming in person is indeed as big of a deal as it sounds on paper.