The wagon jolted over another rock, sending Renille's stomach lurching. Beside her, her younger siblings shrieked with laughter.
"I'm calling dibs on the biggest room!" declared Rin, the older twin, puffing his chest like a little knight.
"Father promised me the one with the pretty window," Ria huffed, shoving him aside.
"Children," their mother, Anlene, said with a patient smile, though amusement tugged at her lips. "You can decide once we arrive. Are you two even brave enough to sleep alone?"
"I'm no scaredy-cat! I need space for my inventions," Rin declared, already outlining blueprints in the air.
Reyn, their father, chuckled from the driver's seat. "Scared or not, no more sardine-style sleeping. You'll each have your own room this time."
Rod the eldest, sitting next to their father joined in the merriment. "Forget rooms—I'm joining Mother's guild. Just wait. A year from now, I'll be slaying wyverns while the rest of you are still fighting over curtains."
Mother gave him a sideways glance, amused. "Perhaps passing the Adventurer's exam is what you need to do first, then we'll talk wyverns."
"I bet big brother Rod would pee himself if he saw a wyvern!" Rin announced with a mischievous grin.
Ria cackled. "Oh! Remember when that slime attacked the village?"
Rod turned from the driver seat, indignant. "Hey—that slime came out of nowhere! And for the record, I already needed to pee!"
Ria wagged a finger. "It was big sis Renille who really lost it. She was crying the whole way, like it was her first time seeing a slime!"
Renille wasn't even paying attention to their conversation anymore she was too busy trying not to feel sick. But Rod's back and forth with the twins made the wagon rock harder.
Rin's grin faded. "Big sis? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." Renille mumbled, though her face had gone pale. She leaned over the side, ready to throw up from the endless jolting.
"Father! Big sis isn't feeling well!" Ria yelped.
Their father quickly pulled the reins, halting the wagon. Making Renille lose her balance and completely falling off the wagon. "My sweet daughter..." He jumped down and hurried to her side, fussing over her with worried hands.
"You've hardly eaten a thing today, and now you cannot even hold food in," Anlene murmured as disembarked from the wagon and dabbed Renille's damp forehead with a handkerchief. "I know you're a mage but I've never seen anyone with such a frail constitution."
"I'm alright, Mother. Perhaps I just need a break from all the jostling." Renille forced a weak smile, though her stomach churned.
That's because this is the bumpiest road I've ever ridden. And because... I'm not even from this world.
It had been a year since she first opened her eyes here—only to find the faces she'd lost in her old life waiting for her. Her father, her mother, her older brother, even the two dogs she'd once wept over... now reborn as mischievous twin siblings, Rin and Ria.
At first, she embraced this second chance. She threw herself into adventuring, eager to prove herself, and quickly rose to the rank of a C-class mage—surpassing her her older brother who haven't even finished the adventurer exam.
"Geez big sis you're such a weakling I even reinforced the wagon wheels for you." Rin said pouting and went to inspect his creation.
"Big sis I should have brought more mint leaves for you. " Ria searched the wagon's trunks for more.
"Here, darling, drink some of the juice you made," Anlene said, pressing a small cask.
"Thank you, Mother. I'll brew more when we reach the outpost." Renille sipped. The sweet liquid wasn't just juice—it was a system recipe, bought with hard-earned gold and designed to boost strength and recovery. It did little for road-sickness, but she indulged her mother's care nonetheless.
She opened her System checking to see if she stored some white flower essence in her inventory. The Blue panels flickered before her eyes. It was mostly empty: a few potion recipes, a thin spellbook, and a shabby adventurer's guide. Her inventory held only coins, herbs, and a cracked wand.
And one annoyingly uncompleted quest , she'd seen for a year: [Main Quest: Meet the Hero]. Despite all that adventuring she'd done she never met this so called Hero.
She had long given up on it. After the siege at the capital—when her siblings were nearly killed—something inside her broke. Since then, she chose to stay close to home, where she could protect them. The Hero could stay lost; the quest could stay unfulfilled for all she cared now.
Her father's voice broke her thoughts. "Do you need Papa to carry you on his back, my sweet girl?"
Renille groaned. "Father, please stop treating me like I'm Ria's age. I'm far too big to be carried."
"Not to worry. Papa has the strength of a giant!" Reyn grinned, scooping up a nearby rock and hurling it with ease. It slammed into a tree trunk with a heavy crack, making the branches shudder.
"Reyn!" Anlene gasped. "What on earth are you doing?!"
"That... wasn't me." Reyn's smile faltered. He looked at his hand, then up at the sky.
A low whoosh rippled through the air. Leaves trembled as shadows swept over the wagon. One after another, massive wings unfurled against the horizon—a flock of dragons cutting across the clouds.
"Children, into the wagon!" Mother Anlene commanded, her voice sharp as she wove a glowing barrier over the carriage.
Renille pulled Ria close while Rod threw Rin inside the wagon. Their older brother drew his sword and planted himself beside their father, who had already unsheathed his blade.
The ground shuddered. Above, massive wings carved the sky, scales flashing like storm-forged steel. Renille's breath hitched as a shadow swept over them.
Then—chaos. Around the bend of a separate path, the scene played out like a grim theater. Wagons thundered down the King's Road, horses frothing at the mouth, knights pounding after them. Overhead, massive wings blotted out the sky, their roars rattling leaves from the trees.
A masked man atop a dragon landed with crushing force, cutting off the fleeing carriages in a single, terrifying sweep. Power radiated from him, sharp and suffocating even from afar.
Renille's eyes darted, trying to discern friend from foe amid the chaos. Another knight, also masked and astride a dragon, landed swiftly, encircling the runaways. He rallied his men with calm, precise commands. Nearby, a massive shield-bearer heaved a carriage to safety, an elven archer's arrows streaked through the sky, and a newbie knight flung himself in front of a child, brave but clumsy.
Smoke. Screams. And the reek of fire carried on the wind.
"Those looks like imperial knights" Her father having worn the imperial armor since he was young knew from a distance. "Anlene get the children out of here I will go and help"
"Wait no you can't just jump into that fight - " Renille tried to reason.
"She's right Father I will come with you " Rod started.
"No stay with your mother to protect the children" He squared Rod and looked at Mother "Anlene, my love I will come find you."
Mother gave him an acknowledged nod and turned to Rod "Rod take the reigns"
Renille gripped the edge of the wagon, wanting to call out to her father to return to the safety of their wagon.
But just then, Ding! Her System chimed.
Main Quest : Meet the Hero [Completed]
Reward: 100 Gold Coins
Renille froze. "The hero?! Where? Who?" She looked at the men throwing blows, as the carriage rode farther away from the chaos
The so called Hero was here.