novelraw Chapter 72: Before the New Journey Begins
Chapter 72: Before the New Journey Begins
The atmosphere grew tense, and silence fell instantly as King Siegfried’s entourage arrived.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Clank. Clank.
The sound of footsteps from the king’s group, accompanied by several royal knights. King Siegfried glanced my way but continued walking toward Rania, Bartasz, and the others. Before long, everyone gathered and lined up by group. There were students, teachers, guards (royal soldiers), workshop artisans, and priests. Once everyone had assembled, King Siegfried and Rania briefly addressed the participants. After the speeches concluded, everyone returned to their respective positions.
Deva spotted me and approached.
"Good morning, Lun!" Deva greeted.
"Good morning to you, too, Dev!"
"Am I... interrupting?" Deva asked, glancing toward Ryda and Hellen.
"Not at all. We were chatting."
"If you two want to talk privately, we can leave..." Ryda offered.
"No, no. I only came to say hello to a friend," Deva replied.
Hahahaha~
Seeing them speak so formally made me want to laugh.
"Hey! What’s so funny?" Deva asked, his brow furrowing.
Confusion also appeared on Ryda’s and Hellen’s faces.
"Ahahaha... nothing... it’s just... You two are funny when you speak formally."
"Funny? That’s just proper etiquette when meeting someone," Deva replied.
"Mm! I agree!" Ryda added, nodding.
As if realizing something, both of their eyebrows rose, and they immediately turned to look at each other.
"How do you know that etiquette?" Deva exclaimed.
"How do *you* know it too?" Ryda exclaimed.
"Don’t tell me you...!?" they both cried out simultaneously.
"Of course you both know—because you’re players from the same country."
"EHH!" they both exclaimed.
Seeing their expressions, I burst out laughing again.
Hahahaha.
• •
"Ouch... my stomach hurts from laughing."
"You just keep laughing..." Deva replied, pouting.
"I never imagined there were so many players around us," Hellen remarked.
"I never imagined you two were this close, yet I never noticed," Deva replied.
"That’s because we rarely meet," Ryda answered.
"Yeah... how is it that you’ve never met? You’re the closest to the king—you should have crossed paths."
"That’s because we royal knights—though we serve directly under the king—rarely meet him except when carrying out missions. Unlike Deva," Hellen explained.
"That makes sense. No wonder I didn’t know about you two. But with this, my list of friends has grown, besides Ares and Luna," Deva said warmly.
"Oh, speaking of which, where is Ares?"
"He’s on a quest outside the kingdom," Deva replied.
"Is that so... no wonder I didn’t see him."
After that, we chatted nostalgically for a while before the group prepared to depart.
"Mother, please be careful, okay?" Rania said.
"Mom, please... try to restrain yourself, alright?" Bartasz said, a hint of hesitation in his voice.
"What do you mean by that?"
"J-just be careful, okay, Mom?" Bartasz replied with a wry expression.
One of the mages shot a fireball into the sky—a burst of light signaling the start of the training. The group then departed, some by horse-drawn carriage, others on horseback.
• •
A cool breeze brushed against my skin, accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of horse hooves. I rode Putih at the very back of the procession. Not because I wanted to, but because I was worried the other horses might be frightened by Putih’s presence.
"I’m surprised you two were allowed to come. Shouldn’t you be by the king’s side?"
"Actually, we only wanted to speak with you—to confirm whether you were also a player. So, we volunteered as Princess Vernotta’s guards. And we’re grateful, because we now know there are other players besides us. It makes us feel less alone in this new—yet strangely familiar—world," Hellen said.
Hellen is right. I used to feel that way too. But that loneliness faded because I have a family that loves me.
The faces of the children, Rima, Ringga, Lu, Abi, and Ana, passed through my mind as I remembered them.
After that, our journey proceeded without any issues. Twelve days passed in the blink of an eye, and we arrived at Barqa City.
Ah... this reminds me of when I first arrived in this world. Elise and the others guided me through everything. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t met them. Oh, right, I heard they’re in Tazik City right now. I can’t wait to see them again.
After resting for a full day, we continued our journey the next morning. From Barqa, we traveled for nine more days before finally arriving in Tazik City.
• •
Tazik was a small city surrounded by towering mountains. Though it was a transit town before the border, its population was usually only about 500 people.
Is it just my imagination, or has the number of people here increased since my last visit?
As soon as I set foot in Tazik City, I was surprised. The city was packed with people—tourists, touts offering lodging or hot springs, or both. Our group headed toward one of the city’s inns. It took only five minutes for us to arrive at our destination.
Everyone disembarked from their carriages and was guided inside by the inn’s staff. I climbed down from Putih’s back. As I waited for my turn...
"Lady Luna!"
I turned.
"Roter!"
"Lady Luna, long time no see! How are you?" Roter greeted.
"It’s been six months, hasn’t it... I’m doing well. And you? Dirra? Molly?"
"We’re all doing well. Dirra is now entering her seventh month of pregnancy," Roter answered.
"Thank goodness you’re all fine."
"Is Lady Luna a teacher now?" Roter asked.
"Ah, no. I’m with them as a guard."
"Is that so... I thought you were a teacher now. By the way, how long will Lady Luna be staying here?"
"We’re only staying overnight, then continuing to the camping site tomorrow."
"In that case, would Lady Luna be able to visit our home? Molly misses you very much. She’s always asking about you," Roter said.
"Alright. Let me ask for permission first."
After obtaining permission from the organizers, Roter and I immediately set off for his residence.
• •
A few minutes later, we arrived at Roter’s home. It looked different from the last time I had visited. I paused for a moment, taking in this "new" house of theirs. In the yard, Dirra was hanging laundry while Molly played nearby.
Seeing Roter...
"Daddy!" Molly called, running toward him.
"Look who Daddy brought..." Roter said.
She turned toward me.
"Auntie Luna!" Molly cried, running to me.
She hugged me tightly. The embrace lasted for a while.
"..."
"How are you, Molly?"
"I missed you," she replied, pulling back from the hug.
"I missed you too. If only we lived closer, I would have introduced you to Daisy."
"Who’s Daisy?" Molly asked, her eyes sparkling.
"She’s my daughter. I think she’s about your age."
"Really? Then I can’t wait to meet her!" Molly exclaimed joyfully.
After that, I approached Dirra. We embraced.
"How are you, Lady Luna?" Dirra asked.
"I’m well. And you?"
"I’m doing just fine," Dirra replied.
Seeing her large belly, I couldn’t contain my curiosity.
"Little Luna is doing well, too," Dirra said.
"Ah! Sorry."
"It’s fine. Would you like to listen?" Dirra asked.
"May I?"
Dirra nodded.
"Little Luna... Lady Luna has come to visit you," Dirra said, gently stroking her belly.
I pressed my ear to her belly.
Thump!
I could hear the faint beating of a heart. There was also a gentle movement from within.
"It seems she’s happy that you came," Dirra said.
"Let’s go inside," Roter invited.
After that, we talked, exchanged stories, and reminisced until the sun set. They invited me to have dinner with them. After the meal, I returned to the inn.
[The Next Morning]
After finishing breakfast and restocking supplies, our group departed for the training site.
[Meanwhile, Elsewhere...]
In a bar, a burly man was wiping glasses, accompanied by a woman behind the counter. His face radiated warmth and calm.
KRINK!
The sound of a bell signaled a customer’s arrival.
"Welcome!" the burly man greeted.
A man in a robe entered and approached the bar.
"Sorry, but we’re not open yet—" the burly man began. The calm on his face vanished the moment he saw who had entered.
"Sweetheart, I’m going to take out the trash out back, okay? Please watch the counter." He gestured for the visitor to follow.
The woman beside him was momentarily startled but said nothing.
"..."
"What do you want? I told you, I’ve stopped adventuring," the burly man said coldly.
The man in the robe then pushed back his hood, revealing a blond-haired high elf.
"Is that how you greet an old friend, Rhadyt?" Ringgamana said.
"We were never that close," Rhadyt answered, his face serious.
"Ah, you’re no fun," Ringgamana said, shrugging.
"You know I have a family now, don’t you? I don’t adventure anymore."
"Yes, I know you’ve been trapped in this world for twenty years. But what about me? I’ve been trapped since the very first day—over two hundred years," Ringgamana replied.
"It’s easy for you to say that. You have a long lifespan. Meanwhile, I’m just a human," Rhadyt retorted.
"Fine, fine. I’ll get straight to the point."
Ringga took a deep breath.
"We’re going to do a final raid."
"A raid?" Rhadyt was startled.
Ringga then explained the situation regarding the Forbidden Land. After listening, Rhadyt sank into thought.
"This city is quite close to the Forbidden Land. If those monsters manage to escape, this will be the first place destroyed. Surely you don’t want to lose everything you’ve built all these years, do you?" Ringga said.
Rhadyt was silent for a long time.
"When is the time?" he finally asked.
"Be ready. You’ll know when the time comes," Ringga replied.
With that, Ringgamana snapped his fingers, and his body vanished, enveloped in a golden light.
CREAK!
The door behind Rhadyt suddenly opened.
"Are you going to go adventuring again? You said you’d retired!" a woman cried out, fear flickering in her eyes.
"Were you eavesdropping?" Rhadyt sighed.
"Answer me!" The woman beat his chest with her hand. Her eyes glistened with tears.
"He came to collect a debt. I intend to settle it for good. I promise, this is the last one," Rhadyt said softly.
He then embraced the woman, gazing at the distant eastern sky, full of unanswered questions.
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