While there are also some humanity powers that strong enough to stand side by side with any empire. They just like the Silver Swan Inn, the Golden Duck Restaurant, the White Wolf Mercenaries Alliance, the Golden Sun Mage Tower, the Ten Thousand Academies Society, the Blacksmith Brotherhood, the Red Moon of Assassins’ Nest, the Edwena Apothecary and Alchemist Consortium, and many more.

The one who sits among us was the Holy Maiden of Phoenix Clan. Her face you may say as one of those rare celestial beauties, her temper may bewitch the hearts of many.

“Eh, I’ve heard for a long time about the legendary Twin Battle Angels that shocked the entire world. So, should we have a ‘friendly match’?”

Her words were cold, her stare even colder.

Mother gave a small laugh, “We don’t meet each other for a long time, and that you are saying to my sisters? Why don’t you play a game with me?”

“Bah, who want to play a game with a cheater like you. I’ve learned my lesson, the last time I lost a game to you, I’ve lost my Prince Charming forever, you have yet to compensate it, remember that! Just consider it was not my lucky day today.” The Holy Maiden was pouting like a small kid.

“Really you never change. A holy maiden should be elegant and compassionate but look at yourself, everywhere you go always create trouble. You already five hundred years old now, why don’t you act like an adult? Still, Aloys wasn’t your prince charming, so stop polluted someone else’s name.”

“Why are you still overprotective?”

“What if I am, and what if I am not?”

“Enough about that. Why are you running away from a couple groups of ants?”

Mother started to laugh again, “My, my, my Holy Maiden. We are just three women, a little girl, an infant who are weak in front of those villains. Of course, we would run for our little life.”

“Bah, who did you try to trick? If you were weak, then the whole world would need a new definition of being strong.” She rolled her eyes.

Then they laughed together.

“What brought you here Iole?”

“Well, I am just passing by, when I felt strange detection magic, it was so subtle almost undetected. When I followed, I found it comes from within this carriage.”

Everyone fell silent, and I said to myself, ‘Don’t sweat it, don’t sweat it.’

“Are you sure it came from here?” Mother asked and tried to notice the red-haired girl expression.

“I couldn’t be wrong. Except I don’t expect that you were here, I didn’t think any of you would have that kind of magic.”

“What kind of magic?”

“A subtle one, that no one might notice, it acted like it was part of nature itself. If I am not a holy maiden and having the pure blood of Phoenix Race, perhaps I won’t be able to notice this strange little magic. It was not like magic at all.” She said with a serious face.

Everybody within the carriage was silent, even the baby was quiet, but his silence is something else mixed with a drop of cold sweat. And nobody would notice it.

“Well, everybody has their own secrets.” Mother clapped her hands and smiled. “How about we take a rest, for now, this journey has been long enough for two hours.”

So, with that, the awkwardness was melting.

***

We stopped on the side a large stone. Mother suggested that we prepared for spending this night to come above it since it would safer for everybody. Hearing this reasoning, Iole just rolled her eyes again. Well, I thought the same, with the Great Phoenix Bloodline’s descendant here, who would dare to make a move, even the king of the jungle must withdraw far away.

With the speed of Lina and Mari, now there stood up a large tent which may accommodate for two or three dozen people at once, and a fire camp just outside the tent.

“When I am leaving East for traveling, I can’t miss the taste of Golden Duck, well it seems I can have a taste for free tonight.”

***

Mari who was preparing her cooking utensils accidentally drop a chopping knife and almost stab her own toe when she heard what Iole said. “I’ll bring about the best!” Mari said.

“And who is this little girl and the little baby?” Now Iole attention turned to Ione and me. “Girl, why are having a pure bloodline of the Western Holy Taiga? And this child who is it to you? Why his face seems so familiar, yet makes me feel so irritated?”

When Ione heard someone asked her about her bloodline, her body shivered. She wanted to answer, but no word came from her trembling lips.

Mother patted her head gently, and she relaxed once again, “She is my niece.”

Hearing what Mother said, Iole was laughing so hard, she almost rolling on the ground.

“Ha, ha, ha…, are you kidding me? Hu, hu…, You dare to kidnap a royalty from the Western Holy Taiga and said that she is your nice? Ooh…, it is so funny!” She looked back at Ione, “Hei kid, what she was doing to you? Tell this sweet elder sister. Don’t worry, I can bring you back home to the West, this elder sister guarantees it!”

Ione shook her head, “But Aunt Flo is my aunt.”

“D**n it! Even a kidnaped child become so docile in your hand, you really a witch! Fine, whatever….,” Then she took something from behind her flaming-red robe, and put it at Ione’s wrist, “This is a charm, that my late grandmother gave for my Goodluck, this may protect you. I’ll give this to you since my Eastern Purgatory Island is a close friend of your Western Holy Taiga.”

Ione bowed and said, “Thank you Lady Iole, my name is Ione, but I am really not from the Western Holy Taiga.”

Iole just smiled, “What a good name, just like mine, it also means ‘violet.’ Don’t sweat it, if you don’t know, then let it be, but you must have a connection with those high-class denizens of Western Holy Taiga, if not this witch will not take you in for granted.” She scoffed, “And who is this little boy, is this your brother?”

Ione nodded, “He is my cousin.”

“You cousin?” Iole looked confused.

Mother gave a small cough, “He is my son.”

BANG! I believed I heard something hard fall to the ground, whether it was Iole or only just her jaw, it was a mystery since I can’t sense her presence at all.