“Young Sophia, have you finished saying your goodbyes?”
The Dwarf, Uncle Black, was already waiting at the harbor. They had chosen Ek Port in the southeast corner. It was a small port far from the major towns, and it was relatively close to the Second Continent.
Equipped with three hard-won weapons, wearing her original set of chainmail, and carrying a massive backpack, Sophia arrived at the docks.
A small squad of guards from the Dwarf Kingdom was on the ship, making final preparations for the long voyage. Due to the alliance between the Dwarves and the Elves, having Dwarf guards accompanying them would make it much easier for Sophia to enter the Elf Forest.
“Mhm! I’ve finished all my goodbyes. I’ll be fine,” Sophia said confidently. Whether or not she had truly said her goodbyes was something only she knew in her heart…
“As for me, I received a letter from my brother the King urging me to return to the Dwarf Kingdom immediately. I’ll take you to the Elf Forest along the way,” Black said with a sigh, taking a long drag from his pipe and exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
“The situation is looking grim. It seems the clouds are gathering over the Second Continent as well. I truly hope that day comes as slowly as possible.”
In truth, Marcus had accompanied Sophia to Ek Port to meet with Black. Sophia had specifically pleaded with Marcus to do so, and seeing her request, Marcus found it difficult to refuse and followed along.
“Marcus, I still have a pointed-ear tool left on hand. I sold the previous one to Altair. That boy was someone I had high hopes for, but I never expected it to end like this…” Black said, his eyes darkening as he looked at Marcus.
“Marcus, keep this one for your girl. I ran into her by chance last time. I’m not entirely sure, but I have a feeling she’s also been placed under the Pope’s restriction.”
He pushed aside his regret for Altair and spoke to Marcus in a calm, relaxed tone.
“Also, regarding that refined steel heavy crossbow you brought me last time—I improved the craftsmanship and made a dozen more. They should have been delivered to your headquarters by now.”
“Black, thank you so much. Here is a small token of my appreciation. Please, do not refuse.” Marcus pulled out a large bag of gold coins and moved to hand it to Black.
Black pushed the heavy bag back with one hand and said with a hint of irritation, “Marcus, with our years of friendship, this isn’t something that can be measured with a bag of gold. I may be greedy for money, but I’m not heartless.”
Marcus gave a slightly awkward smile. To be honest, he had rarely seen Black pass up an opportunity to take money.
“I say, Brother Black, what brought on this change of heart? Why is this?”
“Marcus, you must be short on funds lately, aren’t you? What with the rebel army’s equipment expenses and the aid for the commoners. You should use your money where it counts—to overthrow that godless Pope! Am I right?” With a questioning grunt, Black’s words struck right at the core of Marcus’s concerns.
Marcus’s expression softened. He placed a hand over his chest and bowed to Black. “On behalf of the millions of commoners on the Desorian Continent, I offer my sincerest respects to Black Bronzebeard!”
“Enough, enough… I already told you I hate the formal red tape of knights. Alright, Marcus, go fulfill your promise to the people as soon as possible. Also, you and your girl really need to reconcile. She needs you right now.”
Black spoke without much pretense, offering his own perspective on Marcus’s family affairs, even if it was a bit intrusive.
“I am not a competent father. I returned to the Desorian Continent two years ago, and so far, I haven’t said a single word to Christina…”
From a young age, Marcus had raised Christina like a boy. Lacking maternal love, Christina’s personality was perhaps not like that of a normal girl; her usual way of handling things always had a bit of a domineering, overbearing aura.
When she needed a father’s love the most as a child, news of Marcus’s death had arrived. Since then, Christina had rarely smiled.
Now that his daughter was an adult, it was impossible to know what would happen when she met her father, who had returned from the dead.
However, Marcus indeed felt a sense of guilt toward Christina. At the same time, he knew that a premature reunion between father and daughter would inevitably bring much trouble and might even put her in danger.
“Fine, Marcus, I won’t pry into your family matters. I was just giving you a heads-up, hoping it helps,” Black’s sudden remark interrupted Marcus’s flowing thoughts.
“Mhm… Thank you for the advice, my dear friend. I wish you all a pleasant journey.”
After thanking Black, Marcus immediately pulled out Altair’s weapon, the Mirror Dagger, and offered it respectfully to Sophia.
“Lady Sophia, the hardships of this journey are unknown. This weapon should serve you well for self-defense.”
However, what Sophia said next made even Marcus look at her in a new light.
“This is Altair’s weapon. I hope Uncle Marcus can keep it himself. Please continue the work Altair left unfinished, or find someone capable of plunging this dagger into the Pope’s chest!”
Marcus’s eyes suddenly shone brightly. He was shaken by the profound meaning behind Sophia’s seemingly simple words.
Perhaps, just as Sophia said, this dagger would eventually find its own destination. Leaving it on this continent would be the better choice.
Marcus felt a bit of regret over his previous decision, feeling he had somewhat let down Altair’s resolve.
He felt ashamed of his own immaturity in that moment and deeply admired Sophia for having such conviction.
Perhaps both of the Ladies of Omnia possessed such foresight. After all, they were the direct descendants of Lady Felicitala; their depth of thought could not be measured by their age.
However…
That wasn’t what Sophia was thinking at all.
‘Ugh, I don’t really like small daggers… I’ll just make up a plausible reason to fool Uncle Marcus. Yeah, let’s go with that. It was a good spur-of-the-moment idea anyway.’
Finally, Marcus stood on the pier of Ek Port, waving goodbye to Sophia and Black, and voiced his heartfelt blessing to Sophia.
“May the child of Omnia be safe. As the patriarch of the Palissio family, the most loyal human guardian family to the generations of Omnia, I offer my blessing. May Lady Sophia overcome all obstacles and return with glory.”
“Lord Marcus, the people of the Desorian Continent and all the members of the God Race on the Desorian Continent will not forget what the Palissio patriarch has done. May your chivalrous spirit lead you toward the light,” Angelica, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke through a mental link.
“Thank you! Uncle Marcus! I hope you can overthrow the Pope soon, but I hope even more for a happy reunion between you and Miss Chris! Miss Chris will surely be happy to have a father like you, so please don’t belittle yourself!”
Standing on the deck, Sophia spoke with a sweet smile. The white-haired girl’s cherry-blossom-white hair fluttered in the wind. Her longing smile reminded Marcus of Christina’s bright, cheerful face when she was a child.
Watching the sailing ship disappear into the distance, Marcus muttered with a bitter smile, “Chris… used to be a child who loved to smile, too…”
***
The deck was chilled by the salty sea breeze. Sophia took out a pair of sky-blue glass bead bracelets, identical to the one on Elliris’s wrist.
She suddenly remembered how Elliris always complained that she didn’t know how to take care of her body. Whenever Sophia got injured during sword practice, Elliris would use healing magic that carried a sun-like warmth to gently soothe her wounds, all while muttering, “You’re such a muscle-brained idiot. If you do this again, I’m not going to help you…”
Yet, every time she said that, Elliris would still put her heart and soul into treating her.
Sophia’s fingertips rubbed against the bracelet that matched Elliris’s. The heat from her heart traveled through her fingertips, warming the cold glass beads.
The Second Continent might hold the dangers of racial conflicts and training more grueling than she could imagine. But none of that mattered. Sophia’s goal was simply to become strong—strong enough to better protect Elliris. That was all.
Elliris was not a fragile person, and Nino would be there to give her the warmth she needed at critical moments.
Angelica, resting on Sophia’s shoulder, spoke with a slightly dejected tone through their mental link, ‘Lady Sophia, is it really alright that you didn’t plan to say goodbye to Lady Elliris in person?’
“It’s fine, Sister Ann. Ellie will understand me,” Sophia said, her eyes calm and composed.
The sailing ship was already more than 100 nautical miles away. Sophia gathered her courage, gripped the railing, and shouted at the sea:
“I love Elliris the most! I love Ellie the most! That! Will never change!!”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.