Chapter - 14 Farewell to the Past
"Let's go," said Lucien.
Then Seris said, "There is one place I want to go before leaving this place."
Lucien didn't say anything because he knew where she wanted to go.
Lucien replied, "Okay." Then he started to prepare things for their journey.
After that, Seris went to see her mother's grave, and she prayed.
"Mother, I am going to leave this place." She continued, "I think I found my hero, Mother." She smiled while tears started to fall from her eyes.
"Thanks for everything, Mother," said Seris.
After sitting there for a few minutes, she looked up at the sky, and she saw her mother's face in the sky.
She was smiling.
"Mother, I am going to see the outside world, and again, thanks," said Seris.
2 Days Later
Lucien and Seris had escaped the Ashveil Borderlands, and in the last two days, they had made a good distance from it.
Lucien wasn't using fly magic because if he used it, his wound would open, and Seris also didn't know about fly magic.
They were now traveling through the forest toward the Solaris Holy Empire.
Lucien was resting under a tree.
"Now we are far from the Ashveil Borderlands, and that person isn't going to find us." Then he looked at the sky. "Good weather." Lucien thought inwardly, then he smiled.
A Few Minutes Later
After Seris came back, Lucien looked at her.
Now Seris had changed.
Her exhaustion and dullness were gone, replaced by a soft, gentle glow. Her long lilac hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, catching the light like silk, and her violet eyes were clear and expressive—still carrying a hint of shyness, but now bright and alive, like they were seeing the world anew.
Her skin looked clean and delicate, lightly flushed, giving her a fragile yet pure charm.
Lucien was first shocked when he saw her in clean clothes.
"Lucien, see, I found more fruits," said Seris.
Seris was enjoying the forest because it was the first time she had seen one.
But Lucien thought inwardly, "How did she find so many fruits?" Then, "Whatever."
Lucien replied, "That's good, and you should rest your body."
"Okay," said Seris, then she sat on the ground.
After Lucien and Seris both ate their food and rested for a few minutes, they started traveling again.
During these days, while recovering from his wound, Lucien was living a carefree life with Seris.
They ate food, talked with each other about magic, and Lucien also mentioned Aren and Lira, who were living together in the Solaris Holy Empire.
Seris talked about how she wanted to see the outside world to Lucien.
Then Lucien replied, "You will surely see the outside world."
After that, he thought inwardly, "If you become a member of Aren's party."
Hearing those words, Seris looked at Lucien with bright eyes.
"Thanks," Seris said in a low voice. Then she continued,
"Can I hold your hand again?"
Lucien looked confused, but after a moment, he nodded.
"Okay."
Then Lucien saw Seris' face, and she looked very happy.
During these days, Lucien also had to kill monsters that attacked them, and he used magic to practice his aim.
He was recovering slowly, but his status window was still at 21% even after killing many monsters.
After Lucien understood about the loading system, he realized that it depended on certain conditions, and he had to meet those conditions in order to increase the loading percentage.
Even though these days weren't that difficult for Lucien, at night while sleeping, Seris always kicked or punched Lucien's body or face. Sometimes she hugged Lucien while sleeping.
"Is she a kid or—wait... well, she is a kid after all," Lucien thought inwardly.
But these days, he barely even slept.
"Did you not sleep again?" said Seris in the morning while rubbing her eyes.
"DON'T GET ANGRY, don't....." Lucien thought inwardly.
More Days Passed
After they exited the forest, they saw the Solaris Holy Empire.
"So, this is the empire," said Seris with shining eyes. "Amazing."
"Let's go," said Lucien.
Seris replied, "Okay."
Present Time – Solaris Holy Empire – King's Room
"So, what you're saying is that another person destroyed the Ashveil Borderlands, right?" said the king of this empire while standing near the window.
The commander replied while kneeling down, lowering his face,
"Yes, Your Majesty. When we were about to attack the Ashveil Borderlands, that place was already destroyed. Eldric, the leader of the Ashveil Borderlands, had lost one arm, and when we arrived, his condition was critical, and he was barely alive."
"So, he was alive—as expected from your former friends," said the king.
The commander didn't say anything.
"Well, what do you think about this incident?" said the king.
The commander replied, "We searched the entire area, but we found no track of who did this."
"Elves?" said the king.
The commander replied, "No, that was not the work of elves. The one who attacked the Ashveil Borderlands was surely a human. We found fire spell attacks, and on the bandits' bodies, there were clean sword cuts." He continued, "That's why I think this was the work of humans."
"Human?..... Well, did you send the elves back to their homeland that you found?" said the king.
The commander replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. We sent the elves to their homeland with full safety, and all humans were also rescued."
"That's good," said the king.
Then the king thought inwardly while standing near the window and looking at the sky,
"A human who attacked the Ashveil Borderlands and survived..." He continued,
"—and freed all humans and elves, then left no track of him or her."
The king was getting a bad feeling about this incident.
"Just who did that?"
After the commander said, "I will take my leave—"
The king cut his words, "Increase the knights' training and make the princess's training harder."
Then the commander, who was about to leave the room, quickly knelt down.
"Okay, Your Majesty."
Then he left the room.
After that, the king thought inwardly,
"The thousand years have been completed. Don't tell me that they are born."
....
"We are almost there," said Lucien.
Seris replied, "You said that before too. Now I am tired."
A Few Minutes Later
Seris saw the end of the street. Then she saw an open area, three or four trees, a small pond, a square house, and then she saw a boy and a girl.
Seris thought inwardly,
"Those are the ones Lucien always talks about—Aren and Lira."
Aren was training with his sword, and Lira was watching her brother's movements.
Then Aren looked around and saw Lucien.
"Hey, Lucien!" He waved his hand and was very happy. Then he saw a girl around Lucien's age.
After that, Lira ran toward Lucien to hug him.
"That silly girl," Lucien thought inwardly, then he smiled.
Lira ran and jumped toward Lucien. After that, she punched Lucien in the face.
"WHERE DID THAT GIRL COME FROM, IDIOT!" said Lira angrily.
In that moment, everyone said one thing:
"EH?"
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End of Chapter 14
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