[ “Whew… such a beautiful day.” ]
A faint mist lingered in the Pine Forest after the rain.
The late autumn air, nearing winter, was somewhat damp and cold, but it was nothing to Iyue, who had just crawled out of her warm tent.
She stretched exaggeratedly and then let out a very refreshing smile.
Lian, who crawled out behind her, slowly straightened her body, lingeringly touching the right side of her face, which had been rubbed red.
[ “Ugh… that damned old woman…” ]
She muttered in a voice she thought Iyue couldn’t hear, but Iyue’s ears merely twitched. She wore a menacing smile as she snatched Lian’s ear.
[ “What did you say?” ]
[ “It hurts! Stop pinching, stop pinching! I—I didn’t say anything!” ]
[ “You little rascal, from your perspective, hasn’t it only been a few weeks since we last met? Have you already forgotten how sharp my ears are? And I’ve reiterated many times, 400 years old is the prime of life for an Elf.” ]
[ “I remember, I remember! Let go first!” ]
[ “I can let go. Repeat after me: ‘Sister Iyue is in the prime of her life.'” ]
[ “Ugh…” ] Lian had originally intended to be unyielding even unto death, but if she let Iyue pull any further, her ears would turn into the Elf variety.
Thus, she had no choice but to follow Iyue’s instructions, shouting in desperation:
[ “Sister Iyue is in the prime of her life!” ]
[ “Mm, that’s my good sister.” ] Although Lian looked reluctant, Iyue still wore a nostalgic and happy expression, rubbing Lian’s head with a doting face.
[ “Don’t call me ‘sister’… if you’re going to call me that, call me ‘brother’ like before…” ]
[ “I don’t want to. You’ve become such a cute little girl now; how could I possibly call you ‘brother’? If others heard, they’d think I’ve lost my mind.” ]
Although she felt a bit awkward, Lian did not resist being addressed this way, nor did she resent those intimate gestures.
Lian was once a youth — and during the three-year journey that was the most magnificent and unforgettable period of her life, Iyue had always been her most trusted guide and confidant.
Despite her somewhat flippant language, Lian respected and loved her from the bottom of her heart, as if she were her own biological sister.
What she herself hadn’t noticed was that on this morning, after sleeping by her side for one night, she felt as energetic as she did back on their past journey, greeting each new adventure about to unfold.
[ “Alright, enough fooling around… we should set off, shouldn’t we?” ] Lian gently brushed away the hand rubbing her head and said seriously, [ “You said your horse ran away, so we should go to a nearby town to find a carriage — ” ]
[ “That won’t be necessary.” ] Iyue winked at her, then formed a circle with the index finger and thumb of her right hand, placed it in her mouth, and blew a whistle.
It was a long whistle. Its sound was melodious and lingering, echoing through the Pine Forest —
[ “What are you doing?” ]
[ “Helping me pack the tent.” ]
Iyue ignored Lian’s question and started packing the tent behind her on her own.
Seeing this, Lian could only help her in a daze… and after the two of them had packed everything away, the sound of hoofbeats approached from a distance.
Lian followed the sound and saw a gallant brown horse trotting toward them.
[ “You’re here… what a good boy.” ]
The horse ran to Iyue’s side and very obediently lowered its head in front of her. Iyue happily stroked its neck and then took a carrot out of her bag to feed it.
This horse was the one gifted to Iyue by the merchant Ozel.
The rope tethering it to the ground had been severed by crossfire during last night’s battle.
Frightened by the gunshots and explosions, it had been wandering in the surrounding woods… but upon hearing Iyue’s whistle, it ran over excitedly.
[ “When… when did you learn this skill? I remember you’d rather hop between trees than ride a horse. And you seemed to be using a pistol during the battle yesterday…” ]
Lian stared at her, dumbfounded. Now, in her eyes, Iyue had truly become a cowboy — perfectly matching all her imaginations of such a character.
[ “The times have changed. I’ve learned plenty of new skills in the years you were gone,” ] Iyue’s proud smile revealed a trace of hard-to-detect helplessness.
[ “We Elves have to keep up with the times too. Actually, I have Meliya to thank… she gave me this gun.” ]
[ “The gun Meliya gave you?” ]
[ “Yes.” ] Iyue patted her holster and then drew the silver revolver. [ “Meliya calls it ‘Silver Moon’ — it’s a very fitting name, isn’t it?” ]
[ “Oh… it is indeed wonderful.” ]
Lian’s gaze fell upon a line of small words engraved on the barrel — [ “Manufactured by Clausure Company” ].
She didn’t notice it at a glance just because the company’s name was the same as her own surname.
Seeing this line of words, she suddenly remembered that when she rushed to Vera’s residence earlier, she had seen the standard weapons equipped by the soldiers guarding there at close range.
The barrels or grips of those weapons were also engraved with the name of this company. It was just that she was too anxious at the time to pay attention.
She guessed that this must be one of the industries under Meliya’s name. But the companies she had seen on the streets before were almost all named after Sephy’s surname…
This doubt remained in the bottom of Lian’s heart for the time being.
Under Iyue’s urging, the horse ran very hard… thus, the two arrived at Cyrus only half a day later than originally expected.
Although the journey was very smooth, through the villages and towns they passed along the way, the two still keenly noticed changes in the populace.
The lingering atmosphere of the festival had vanished.
Some young and middle-aged villagers temporarily put down their work and joined the local security teams with full enthusiasm to search for Demon intruders… Many Demon travelers and villagers suffered as a result, being detained for interrogation.
And even if these Demons showed their passes and identification, these young people still stared at them with indignant and dismissive eyes, provoking them — which naturally caused displeasure among those Demons.
Lian and Iyue almost thought they were going to start a fight… The two originally intended to step in to stop it, but fortunately, the local administrative official was outstanding and took control of the situation first.
[ “The situation in Cyrus is probably even less optimistic.” ]
Both of them already had this expectation while on horseback. But after entering the city, they found that the development of the situation had become somewhat uncontrollable.
[ “Are they… protesting?” ]
Lian looked at the scene before her in a daze.
In order not to cause a disturbance, the two of them did not reveal their identities to the guards checking at the city gate.
So the two were leading their horse along the city’s main road, walking toward the Duke’s Household.
And the reason they couldn’t ride the horse was because the entire street was already packed like a flood by a procession of protesters.
[ “Demons get out of Cyrus! Get out of the Northland!” ]
[ “This is a blatant provocation to the Peace Agreement! What the Demon Race, Nolan, and the Imperial Capital want is war!” ]
[ “If they want war, we will give them war! Let the Duchess hear our voice! This time, under the leadership of the New Hero, we will achieve a victory once and for all!” ]
[ “Let us see the Princess! See the Princess!” ]
What people were waving were no longer the banners of the festival, but white silk cloth filled with radical slogans and banners painted in red.
Thousands of people gathered on the street, marching and roaring… their shouts shook the heavens.
[ “We need to pick up the pace.” ]
Iyue lowered the brim of her hat and led Lian as they struggled to push through the crowd.