“… Little sister?” Vera and Lian looked at each other, both clearly in the dark about this.
Vera’s gaze shifted back and forth between Iyue and the guest list, her brow furrowing slightly.
The reason she looked to Iyue for confirmation was that she knew Iyue came from the Nelf Family — the most prominent and prestigious clan in the Sea of Trees.
‘I think I’ve heard this name before… No, I think I’ve seen her.’
“She is Milin’s friend.” Meliya, speaking through the Communication Pearl, cleared up Vera’s confusion.
“Miss Nephtalia appears to be a strong candidate for the next head of the Nelf Family… In recent years, she has represented the Nelfs at many of the events we’ve hosted.”
“I remember now.” Vera lightly clapped her hands.
She recalled a guest at last year’s Gourmet Fair who had competed with Milin for the title of “Northland’s Great Eater.”
It was an Elf girl with a slender, graceful figure, but a stomach that seemed like a bottomless pit.
Vera compared the image in her memory to the Iyue standing before her and realized their appearances were indeed remarkably similar.
“Is she your biological sister?”
Vera asked the question directly. In the past, she had never associated the girl with Iyue — because the Nelf Family was a massive clan that had existed since the founding of the Sea of Trees.
Its branches, vassals, and even adopted members could all be granted the use of the surname.
“Iyue…?”
Lian also looked toward Iyue, but Iyue did not answer immediately. She squeezed her hat in her hands, her fingertips gently rubbing the edge of the brim.
Lian could tell that she was hesitant and somewhat resistant. This caused Lian to stop before she could press further.
Lian suddenly realized that even though she and Iyue had gone through countless adventures together, she still knew very little about her partner’s past.
Lian had almost never heard her mention her family, her parents, or any relatives.
All Lian knew was that on nights soaked in the cold moonlight of the journey, Iyue would find a high tree to climb.
She would stare in the direction of the Sea of Trees and use a leaf to play a lonely, sorrowful tune… just like the one Lian had heard the day they first met.
After a long silence, Iyue’s lips twitched. She took a soft breath and said, “Yes. She is my sister.”
Her voice was very quiet, but it made the air in the room noticeably heavy.
A sense of profound, almost isolated grief flickered in her expression.
She was doing her best to restrain it, but everyone in the room sensed the leak of her emotions.
“I see… At least we know where that child went.” Vera lowered her eyes and placed the guest list back onto the pile of documents. She looked at the maid who had come to report and asked, “Is the news reliable?”
“Yes! According to the patrol’s report, they gave chase after spotting someone who looked like the Lady, but the group of Elves sped up their horses and left them behind.”
“Then it’s almost certain the child left with them. If it’s that young lady, she might indeed help Milin…” Meliya pondered for a moment through the Communication Pearl before speaking.
“Then we have to send someone to bring her back as soon as possible!” Lian said impatiently. “That child is trying to find me and Feixiao…”
“But isn’t Feixiao…?”
Vera cast a confused glance at her. In her mind, Feiyin should have been defeated by her and Lian during the battle that day.
In the few days Milin had locked herself in her room, Vera had repeatedly wanted to convey this reality to her.
“She isn’t dead! She’s the one who helped the Demon King’s daughter escape and the one who turned me into this…”
And so, Lian recounted the sequence of events from the night she met Feiyin and was subdued — including Feiyin’s so-called “truth” and the subsequent conversation between the two girls of the Demon Race.
“This is…”
Vera’s face turned solemn. She clearly needed some time to digest this information.
“There are indeed parts of her story that are worth scrutinizing.”
Sephy, speaking from the other side of the Communication Pearl, thought for a while.
“If what she said is true, it certainly explains why my spell had no effect on you.”
“C-could what she said be true?”
Sephy’s words left Lian feeling lost and bewildered.
She would have preferred to treat everything Feiyin said that day as a lie fabricated to trick her into lowering her guard.
“Not entirely. I think her words were likely a mix of truth and lies,” Sephy explained. “She is undoubtedly the culprit who turned you into this… but as for the Hero Summoning Ritual, you can’t just take her word for it.”
“And that nonsense about sacrificing 2,000 years of her lifespan is even more ridiculous — why would she, a member of the Demon Race and a Magus, do such a thing for a Hero like you?”
“Is that so… I thought it sounded too absurd as well…”
Sephy’s words allowed Lian to breathe a sigh of relief.
“I’ll leave the verification of that to me. Our primary goal now should be to bring Milin back, maintain stability… and remove that meddlesome thing on your wrist.”
“Yes, I agree.” Meliya, sitting beside Sephy, chimed in. “Milin went after you and Feiyin. She followed the Lady of the Nelf Family to the Sea of Trees… and the destination of those two Demon Race girls is also the Sea of Trees, to find the contact Feiyin arranged…”
Isn’t this a bit too coincidental?
That thought surfaced in everyone’s mind.
“I’ll go bring the child back.”
As the group fell silent, Iyue spoke up. She pulled her hat back onto her head. “I was planning to return to my hometown to take a look anyway… Since the child is headed that way, it’s in the same direction.”
“Then I’m coming with you — “
“I was going to take you with me even if you didn’t ask.” Iyue stepped forward and patted Lian’s head. “I’m going home this time for two reasons. One is that I haven’t been back in a long time… and the second is because of this letter I received.”
As she spoke, she pulled an opened envelope from her pocket and displayed the letter inside for everyone to see.
“This letter is anonymous… The person who wrote it told me that a Relic I’ve been searching for recently fell into the hands of my family.”
“What Relic?” Vera asked.
“It’s… well…” She paused, seemingly weighing how to describe the object’s function.
“It’s a Key. A Key that is said to be able to open every ‘lock’ in the world. Since this thing can be of great use in the ruins where other ‘Relics’ are buried, I’ve been looking for it.”
“Can open every ‘lock’ in the world?” Lian thought of the metal band around her wrist… Wasn’t this thing just like a “lock”? It had her Magic Power locked away so tightly that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break it.
She looked at the bracelet, and Iyue’s gaze fell upon it as well. “It’s just as you’re thinking… It’s likely going to be very difficult to find Feiyin. And even if we do find her, she might not necessarily help you remove the bracelet. But perhaps that thing, being a Relic as well, can help you.”
Her words immediately gave Lian a sense of hope. She said happily, “Then it’s settled! I’ll go with you to the Sea of Trees to find the child, use that Relic you mentioned to get rid of this damn thing, and then go catch those two Demon girls!”
Vera frowned. “Lian, I don’t want to dampen your enthusiasm. But right now, you — “
“I know I can’t use Magic Power right now.” Lian interrupted her, clenching her fists until her nails dug into her palms.
“But I can’t just sit here and wait. That child is my daughter… I have to protect her. And I must take responsibility as the Hero to nip the plans of Feiyin and those demons in the bud.”
Vera and the others on the line were silent for a moment… Everyone could hear the unshakeable determination in Lian’s voice.
“This kid is right.” Iyue nodded approvingly at Lian, then turned to Vera and Meliya in the Communication Pearl. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect her.”
“… I understand.” Meliya spoke slowly, then shifted her gaze to Lian. “Lian, I’m counting on you for Milin. Whatever you do, don’t push yourself… and listen to Iyue.”
“I will. But why do you sound like you’re giving instructions to a child going on a field trip? I’m an adult, after all…”
“You are a child who makes people worry.”
Lian pouted with some dissatisfaction, while Meliya gave a doting smile.
She reached out as if to flick Lian’s forehead through the Communication Pearl… but she quickly realized it was only an image.
Suddenly, the image in the pearl shook violently… as if the carriage had passed over a bumpy section of road.
Sephy glanced at Meliya, and Meliya immediately understood her meaning.
“I have to end the call here.” She spoke to the pearl. “Gora, I’m leaving Cyrus to you. Lian and Iyue… be careful in everything you do!”
“You take care too.”
“Meliya…”
Lian wanted to say something more to her wife, but the pearl had already become shrouded in mist again.
The last thing Lian saw was Meliya’s usual gentle gaze… and Sephy raising her hand in a motion that looked like she was about to smack Meliya’s head.
Silence fell over the office once more.
‘Ugh… did I just hear something absolutely incredible?’
The maid, who had remained in the room because she hadn’t found the right moment to excuse herself, wore a smile that looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown as she spoke.