You see, it wasn't just Colonel Valestein who was hailed as a hero amongst the Northern Jaegers. In a not-so-conspicuous farming village that was quite the distance from Haliask stood the village of Misusk. One could see farmland as far as the eye could see. It was one of the major sources of wheat for North Ambria. Large rolling golden wheat fields stretched until the horizon.
This village was home to the Winslet Family. Vlad Winslet was another hero of the Northern Jaegers until he left the corp due to unforeseen circumstances. It looks like Colonel Valestein is going to follow in his footsteps. He has a house situated not too far away from the Winslet Family. And thanks to Colonel Valestein's retirement, one of the Captains, Captain Glark, rose in ranks to become a new Vice-Commander. I was also informed that Rogan also rose in rank, becoming yet another Vice-Commander.
There was apparently one more Vice-Commander who remained in the capital to oversee what was happening on Zephyr's front of operations. They themselves didn't make an appearance in this wide scale battle but from what I could tell, the Northern Jaegers call her Jayna Storm, and apparently, she' a quite renown beauty within North Ambria.
Yet little did I know at this time, this Jayna would become intertwined with me at a later time...
Once the battling was over and we handed over Prince Balmund to the authorities, the Northern Jaegers hit us up and showed us how to have a good time here in North Ambria. We enjoyed many delicacies that weren't available in Liberl. Once we enjoyed our fills, we parted ways, and Zephyr left the country altogether. They went about their daily business back at their many camps they have in Erebonia. That did mean I parted ways with Fie, but we didn't leave on a sour note. Instead, Fie mentioned that she was looking forward to working with me again, whenever that may be. It was fun to spend some time with her and I'll gladly do so again given the chance to do another one of Zephyr's missions.
As for what happened to me, I didn't immediately head back to Liberl. Instead, We went along with Sara at the urging of her invitation. She not only invited me, but also Emma and Claire, to where her father settled down. We paid a visit to Sara's home.
And just like that, a week had passed by in a blink of an eye while Sara could now be seen smiling at us. With all that aftermath taken care of, the three of us could now be seen, standing in front of Sara's home. It had a very welcoming feeling to it. Just like the Bright House situated in the outskirts of Rolent. I could see many orbal lights inside.
'Once again', it's a pleasure to have us invited to your home, Sara. I hope we are not intruding.", I said to Sara, who was presently waiting at her doorstep.
"Oh please. You can cut that crap out, Phoenix. You three are the guests of honor tonight. I would have liked it for Sylphid to be here too, but it sounds like she had other plans already, knowing that she left with Zephyr. It hasn't been long since we've moved to this place down in the countryside, I do apologize if our home isn't as big as you expect it to be.", Sara responded to me.
"Thank you for having us.", Emma happily said.
"Pardon the intrusion.", Claire also said, and felt a certain warmth she hadn't felt since becoming an Ironblood. The warmth of a family. I could see it in her eyes. A sense of longing, perhaps? She lost her family so abruptly and while Father did take advantage of that, he offered what no one else could. Solace. Thanks to that, Claire moved forward, and that brings us to now. Assigned to me and actively plays a role in the newly formed military, the RMP. Who knows if this will lead to something more in the coming future. But just that alone I could see in Claire's eyes. And it looks like she took notice of my gaze, but didn't say anything.
During that awkward silence, Sara broke it and spoke out to us again. What she said next drew our interest.
"Oh, and just so you three are aware, Papa invited additional guests over. They'll be arriving shortly.", Sara said to us.
"So it won't just be us tonight, eh?", I replied, wondering who Colonel Valestein invited to this house party tonight. You heard me right. We're celebrating for winning the battle against Nidhoggr and the Red Constellation. Party time, woo!
Hearing us, we heard a much older voice reach out from further inside. An aged man could be seen sitting at a table.
"Hoho, looks like you guys were able to make it. A shame Sylphid couldn't come. Hopefully finding Misusk didn't prove that much of a challenge.", The man said. Since he was an ex-Colonel now, perhaps it was better to call him Mr. Valestein?
"The rolling hills and the golden wheat fields are gorgeous to look at. It was pretty easy to spot once we arrived at the farms.", Emma said, revealing a smile.
"Yeah. This village gives such a relaxing feeling. It's a shame we'll only be here tonight. I wouldn't mind spending some time here, but sadly, I have to return to my job soon.", Claire also said, admiring the scenery around us.
Once we responded, Sara brought us inside. The living room wasn't terribly big. Not like Grancel Castle back home. Our eyes were immediately drawn toward a blond-haired girl who seemed no older than Emma who sat next to Mr. Valestein. She was calmly observing us. He spoke out as we walked in.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind that I brought one of the relatives of my friend over here tonight for dinner.", Mr. Valestein said, and glanced his eyes down toward the girl beside him. "Come on now, why don't you introduce yourself to our guests of honor? You know one day, you might be following in their footsteps."
"'Sup?", The girl simply responded to us, keeping her tone very casual. Seeing such a simple response, Mr. Valestein sighed.
"She's always like this. I hope you all don't mind.", Mr. Valestein said, which made me laugh.
"Haha! Of course not. You're treating us to a meal. It should be the other way around. You'll have to put up with us for the evening.", I replied with a smile.
"Nice response.", The girl, who was sitting beside Mr. Valestein, said. As for Mr. Valestein, nodding his head.
"You heard right. They're colleagues of mine. We follow different paths entirely, but we've had the pleasure of meeting each other while they were in our country on business. They've decided to pay me a visit after hearing that I have retired from the Northern Jaegers. Hopefully this will give some insight to a little indecisive daughter of mine in hopes of finding whether or not this path is suited for her.", Mr. Valestein explained while glancing at Sara.
"Eh? Weren't you looking to become a Bracer already, Sara? Why are you still hangin' around with the Northern Jaegers?", The blonde-haired girl asked, looking confused.
"I-I haven't decided, alright? This is a whole career choice we're talking about here. I didn't expect Papa to suddenly up and retire like that. But knowing who it was who instigated this mess to begin with, I'm not surprised. I think I just need some time to figure out if being a Jaeger is truly the path I want to tread. I don't think I can continue being a Jaeger anymore.", Sara replied, and sighed.
"Which is why you'll need to make that decision soon, Sara. You can't stay here in this little 'ol village forever you know. Your hands may be stained with the blood of your enemies, but with such Skill like yours, if you do decide to become a Bracer, they will definitely take you in. But with the guests I have arriving tonight, you may find another path that suits you better.", Mr. Valestein said while looking at Sara.
Hearing that, Sara nodded her head.
In the meantime, the three of us made ourselves at home. It did not take long for the girl beside Mr. Valestein to open up to us. Turns out she was a relative of another hero of the Northern Jaegers. While her family did reside here, her grandfather, who went by the name Vlad Winslet, succumbed to battle a while back. He passed away, but his legacy lives on through this girl.
A girl named Lavian Winslet. She appeared to be around Emma's age, so I hope these two will get along, as with the rest of us. I am not sure if she will tread the path of a Jaeger since it looks like the Northern Jaegers will only grow more unstable from here on, but only time will tell for that. Right now, she's still here residing in Misusk along with the Winslet Family.
As we began to talk about current world events and such, we soon heard another knock on the door. An aged man spoke out. Hearing this voice caused me to pause. I think I recognized that voice!
"I do hope we haven't arrived too late, Colonel.", A firm voice said, only to cause me to blink my eyes.
"Hoho. That's now ex-Colonel to you. You're here at last! Beatrix should have informed you of what took place.", Mr. Valestein said. After he said that, we heard the chuckling of an aged woman.
"Haha, that's right. You need to stop being such a dunderhead, Major.", An aged woman's voice said shortly after the first voice. After that voice was said, we saw the door begin to open.
"It really is hard to believe you retired just like that without giving much of an advanced notice. Still, I thank you for inviting us tonight.", A third voice said, which caused even more surprise. Of the three voices, this one sounded the most familiar. After all, we had seen each other earlier in the year thanks to a certain wandering bard. Three figures soon revealed themselves.
Ignoring the first two figures, my eyes wandered toward the third one. I turned wide-eyed, as I immediately recognized the man who sported brown hair. He was dressed in the same fashion as I met him last, but he didn't seem to be accompanying said bard tonight.
"Mueller? What in Aidios's name are you doing all the way out here in North Ambria?", I said, calling out to the man. Just like with my surprise, the man seemed to be equally as shocked seeing me amongst the crowd of people inside Mr. Valestein's home.
"Y-Your Highness!?", Mueller exclaimed, shocked to see me present here. He was dressed in his soldier attire and had his sword at his waist.
"Oh? Now this is not something I was expecting to encounter tonight. I do believe it has been quite some time since we've met last. I take it you and the Colonel know each other.", The first voice said, revealing to be that of a blonde-haired man. We met back in Heimdallr ever so long ago. To think I'd find him here too. Major Neithardt, soon to be instructor of Thors Military Academy in the coming few years. And next to him was an old woman who likely already teaches at Thors Military Academy. An elderly woman who calls herself Beatrix!
"Isn't this a pleasant surprise.", I happily said, greeting the three as they arrived inside Mr. Valestein's home.
I didn't think I'd encounter these three here tonight, especially with Prince Olivert not around. It was funny to see such a surprised look in Mueller's eyes, haha!