Echoes of Fire and Shadows
Chapter 58: Old Friends…
It has been an hour since Marina's unexpected visit. She had arrived with Neris and Elissa who had arrived moments before her and Felix's parents who acted as her temporary guards.
Needless to say, I was extremely overjoyed to see Marina again. I was also really happy to see Neris and Elissa again since I wasn't really sure when I would meet them again, so it was a pleasant surprise to see all three of them together.
Things went fine for the first few moments of the two of us meeting again.
As a matter of fact, I was pretty surprised at just how much Marina had changed.
Instead of the bratty kid I remembered, she had become a patient and mature young lady… Or at least that was on the outside because it would only take me a few minutes to find that she was still quite childish on the inside…
However, as childish as she might be, she was still the excitable and lovely young girl I met back then. In fact, the only thing I could think of as soon as I saw her again was how beautiful she looked. I was mesmerized…
Marina's facial features were already close to being that of an adult, which was only natural considering that she was just a few years shy of being one. She had also grown in height quite a bit as she was slightly taller than Mia, standing at 1.74 meters tall.
She was wearing a very casual outfit. It consisted of a white blouse, a long blue skirt that went a little bit past her knees, boots, and a hat. She was also wearing a cloak to hide her identity, but she took that off as soon as she arrived. Her long blonde hair had been arranged into a ponytail.
Because of her outfit, I could notice that she had gained quite a bit of muscle since the last time we met, which made sense since she had told me in her letters that she was training on a regular basis with Eliana. The dense yet calm aura around her serves as proof of said training.
What I’m trying to say here is that she had really turned into a beautiful young woman… Puberty had been extremely kind to her. She had only changed on the outside, but on the inside, she was still the same Marina I cherished as my friend.
Anyway, since it had been three years since the last time we saw each other face to face, there were just too many things that we needed to talk about, even though we had kept in contact by letter.
For starters, she seemingly couldn't believe I was so small still… Of course, I punished her accordingly for her transgressions by pulling her cheeks until they were beet red. Unfortunately, I lowered my guard and was caught in a sudden surprise attack courtesy of the crown princess…
I was captured in a tight hug with no possibility of escaping soon… Not that I'm complaining, since Mia and my sisters went through a similar fate after I was released. Though I must add that Marina looked absolutely overjoyed while hugging us all.
Anyway, we spent a while just hanging out while both Elissa and Laura were looking absolutely terrified, both for good reasons.
Elissa, being a commoner like me, was unprepared to meet the second most important member of the Royal Family. As for Laura, well… It was all about the "I'm gonna get enslaved by the royals!" thing…
Still, Marina was extremely friendly with them. She really seemed like she wanted to make some new friends. She went as far as to give them and everyone else a [Communication Crystal] for each of them so they could deepen their friendship.
Of course, I received one of those as well. Marina had intended to give me one of the crystals as a temporary birthday gift until her real gift is ready and also just so we don’t have to wait to communicate with each other anymore. I obviously was on board with the idea of being able to talk with her more often, but I was definitely a little conflicted about receiving something that is already so expensive as a temporary birthday gift…
Seriously, what is she planning to give me as a real gift? I know that Marina will not say a word until the very end, and asking Lia would take all the fun out of it, so I guess I have to wait to find out.
Speaking of gifts, I was deeply moved by the gift I received from Neris. She gave me a pocket-sized poem book and a simple locket made out of silver. Her gift followed a few ancient traditions from when the continent was whole and the races all lived in harmony before the war. It is also a tradition that the Demon race introduced in Hresviae.
These objects were often gifted as signs of goodwill and good luck charms for the ancient warriors of Hresviae before going to battle. At least that’s what the tradition came to be after it was introduced.
For us demons, this tradition has two meanings. The first one is kinda like the new tradition… Sailors would often give these items to their closest friends and family in order to be remembered whenever they would pray and to help the sailors by burning a page of the book at the coast, just so the sailors could have a safe return.
As for the second meaning… Well, it is pretty much a declaration of eternal friendship.
So, because of that, I was deeply moved by Neris’s gift. Even if she didn’t know what that gift truly meant for me, I was very happy. It really hit close to home to receive such a gift.
Though, I must admit that Neris is the second person who has ever given me this specific gift. The first person was one of my distant cousins on my dad’s side… One of the few friends I had when I lived back in Gliosis…
I wonder how she’s doing right now… I hope that you’re doing well, Edelgard.
“Oh! These are just so delightful! What are they made with?” Neris looked with greed at a bowl filled with meatballs. She had just had a taste of one of my mom’s most famous dishes.
“Indeed, this is quite something! Even the chefs at the castle would have difficulties making something like this!” Marina nodded in agreement after eating one of the meatballs. “Would it be fine for you to give me the recipe?” Marina asked with sparkling eyes.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything. The recipe is a family’s secret, young ladies.” My mom crossed her arms and shook her head, refusing her request. “Though, I might consider giving you a hint if marry Julius!” My mom said with excitement.
As soon as those words came from her mouth, I frowned in response.
“Mom, seriously… That joke is getting old… Are you going to offer my hand in marriage to every single girl I manage to become friends with?” I looked at my adoptive mother with a deadpan expression.
“Who knows… Maybe? You know what they say, you can never have enough daughters-in-law!” My mom showed me a teasing smile before ruffling my hair. “Anyway, aren’t you going to eat up? I made all of your favorite dishes! Eat until you’re satisfied and then some more! Today you will not leave this table until you’re as fat as Gradim Boar!” My mom immediately placed plate after plate in front of me with a lot of enthusiasm.
Just like in the previous two years, my mom had gone overboard with my birthday… She had used the free labor she got from Sarana, her friends, and Klein and had fully decorated her childhood home for my birthday party…
We were all currently sitting in the dining hall, staring at the huge feast in front of our eyes… Each and every single table in the room was filled with food of some kind, Most of that food was dishes from this world, though there were a few from Earth that I had taught my mom how to make.
Draken Deer meatballs with fried onions, Gradiniam Wolf steak, Horned Bison dried meat, a salad made out of exotic fruit from the market, pizza, hamburgers, steamed potatoes, french fries, and most importantly, Mom’s famous bear stew!
That is just to name a few!
All of those dishes were my absolute favorites from this country’s cuisine. Though I'm missing some from my homeland, I'm satisfied and grateful with what I have here thanks to my mom. I know I'll get the chance to eat my homeland's food again in the future.
"Well, don't mind if I do." I said as I licked my lips with expectation. Without wasting any time, I quickly started my assault on my mom's delicious cooking.
It didn't matter to me that I had breakfast not so long ago… On the contrary, I needed to replenish my strength after using a lot of my mana and power against those idiots.
In other words, I had more than enough space to eat everything up!
"Does he always eat like this? It is kinda cute and funny!" Said Emily with a smile. She barely had anything on her plate as she was still satisfied with her earlier meal.
"More or less. Since he is always training with either dad or our auntie for hours on end, he has quite the appetite." Liliana replied with a prideful expression. She then proceeded to stuff her mouth with some food…
"It is not like you and Luna fall behind either, you know?" My mom said with an amused look on her face. "I am proud to say that all of my children eat a ton and they are quite healthy! They are just like their father in that regard." My mom seemed genuinely happy as she looked at her husband, who had returned not so long ago from paying a visit to the Laurents.
"Honey, you usually eat way more than I do… Like there's no point of comparison… Our children's ravenous appetite is also partly your fault." My dad said something he shouldn't have said… "Truly, if Julius didn't know how to hunt and make food by himself, we would be in big trouble!" My dad immediately let out his usual obnoxiously loud laughter.
However, despite his laughter, the mana around my adoptive mother had become ice cold…
"Hmm? What was that, Fred? Could you repeat what you just said? I was a bit distracted and I couldn't quite hear you…" My mom looked at my dad and smiled warmly, however, only doom awaited him behind that smile.
“Man, I’m starving and this bear stew is amazing! Yep, I think I’m gonna eat some more of it! Don’t mind me!” My adoptive father quickly realized his mistake and tried to pretend nothing had happened.
“Thanks a lot, darling! Please enjoy it as much as you want. There’s still plenty more in the kitchen.” My adoptive mother seemed pleased and spoke with a faint sense of victory in her voice…
Yeah, I’m not getting involved in that… I don’t have any funny quips that wouldn’t backfire in this situation… Though it is true that Mom does eat way more than dad sometimes. More often than not I see her eating quite a lot of snacks between meals…
“So, don’t mind me if I ask this, but how in the world did you become friends with the Crown Princess of all people?” While I was lost in thought, Grandpa suddenly asked.
“Yeah! I’m also interested in that!” Sarana rose from her seat and looked at me with sparkling eyes. Her cheeks were covered with tomato sauce from the pizza she was eating.
“Umm… The story is a little embarrassing to tell… I’m a little ashamed to become the focus of the conversation…” Marina blushed a little while hiding her face with a napkin. “But I suppose I should be the one telling the tale of how he beat me into submission and he declared that he was my new best friend!” Marina’s eyes were sparkling as a childish smile appeared on her face.
“Oh? You have actually beaten the princess? Talk about having a fear of death… You’re pretty brave, you know that?” Sarana was looking at me with both shock and respect apparently.
“Yeah, it was very brave… Although I must point out that it was not something a gentleman would do… I really have to carefully instruct you in the ways of a ladies’ man and correct that behavior…” Grandpa looked disappointed.
“Context… You’re missing some vital context!” I immediately replied. “Look, I didn’t beat her up in the most literal sense of the word… I just educated a certain bratty princess with cold facts and logic.” I replied with a deadpan tone as I corrected the misunderstanding Marina had childishly caused.
Sheesh… I missed her a lot, but that childishness of hers has not changed one bit…
“It was very brutal… A boy shouldn’t talk to a girl that way…” Marina said through fake sobs.
“And a girl shouldn’t suddenly get up on the table and start crying when I was trying to eat my pancakes.” I quipped back before stuffing my mouth with some more food.
“I-I-It was just the spur of the moment! I had never been rejected before that!” This time, Marina actually got embarrassed. She shouted at me while her cheeks were painted in a deep crimson.
Heh, I have to admit that it is still extremely fun to tease her. I think I’m not going to hold back at all during our stay here! I got three years' worth of teasing to do now!
“Is it me, or the story of how they became friends is actually a little underwhelming? I feel like we are still missing a lot more of the story…” Felix said while rubbing his chin. He was moving his tail around while he was deep in thought.
“The real story of how they became friends is a whole can of worms you don’t want to get into. I think it is better if we leave it vague.” Luna spoke with a serious tone. “After all, the story is funny in hindsight, but the context behind it… Not so much.” Luna smiled awkwardly while looking at Marina.
Yep… Us being taken as hostages to keep my adoptive parents loyal to the Empire… Yep, that’s still very dark…
“I’m really sorry about what we were trying to do back then… If I could go back in time, I would definitely stop Aunt Eliana from even entertaining the idea of what she was planning…” Marina apologized sincerely. “Though, if that happened, I wouldn’t have met Julius and I wouldn’t have you as my friends, so… It is a little complicated…” The Crown Princess shot a few awkward glances at me.
“Alright, let’s leave the past where it belongs, and let’s just enjoy the party, okay?” My mom walked behind Marina and patted her shoulder to comfort her.
“Easy for you to say, Mrs. Lilia… I still remember that I was scared shitless when both Marina and her aunt introduced themselves. Mom and Dad looked like they were about to pass out too…” Klein looked like he was mildly traumatized by how we met Marina.
“Klein! Watch that mouth! Where are your manners!?” Mia immediately scolded her little brother. Her ears had perked up due to her anger… It was very cute.
“Hmm? Was I really that intimidating…?” Marina looked at Klein with a troubled look on her face.
Immediately after she asked that question, pretty much everyone in the room but my Dad, my Mom, Leaf, and I, all nodded in response…
“Intimidating falls a little short… You were actually pretty scary back then… Especially with that serious look you always had on your face.” Klein was completely honest with her.
“No way… I knew that most people were a bit intimidated by me, but I didn’t think that they were afraid of me… Aren’t I a terrible ruler already?” Marina was sulking… She looked extremely dejected.
“While it may be true that Her Highness was really scary in the academy a few years ago, the same cannot be said about the present day.” Neris spoke up to comfort Marina. She had managed to beat me to it… “Sure, Marina’s presence is still a little intimidating because of her position as princess, however, after being able to spend some with her and getting to know her more deeply, I can say for certain that she’s not scary at all. She’s surprisingly a really kind and warm person… I am glad that you asked me to become friends!” Neris smiled warmly at the princess.
“It doesn’t really comfort me if you add the word surprisingly in there…” Marina replied as she looked at Neris with a deadpan expression.
“I-I-It really is surprising, Your Highness! Never in a million years, I thought that I would meet you and that I would be treated so warmly by the future ruler of the country despite me being a commoner.” Elissa joined the conversation, still looking quite pale from the shock of meeting a royal.
“Social standing has nothing to do with being nice, you know?” Marina retorted. “Though, it is a bit depressing that all of you were scared of me…” Marina let out a heavy sigh. She looked way more dejected than before.
“If it makes you feel any better, I have never been either intimidated or scared by you. I saw for what you were, just another normal girl. A very bratty and childish one, but a normal girl nonetheless.” I couldn’t help but shoot a teasing smile at the dejected princess.
“Jeez… You really cannot stop yourself from being mean to me, can you?” Despite her words, a big silly smile immediately appeared on Marina’s face.
“‘Tis what I live for, Your Highness.” I quipped since I enjoyed teasing the princess as much as I humanly could.
“I was never intimidated either! Marina’s pretty cool and nice!” Leaf suddenly flew by and stopped right between Marina and me. She quickly pointed at Marina and showed her a cute and innocent smile.
“Thank you, Leaf. That means a lot to me.” Marina couldn’t contain her goofy smile. I could tell that she was genuinely happy thanks to what Leaf had told her. “I was saving this for later, but I suppose you can have it for being so nice.” Marina pulled out a piece of candy and gave it to the white-haired fairy.
“Yay~!" Leaf started flying around due to her excitement. "See! Marina is really nice~!" Leaf said as she immediately stole the candy from the princess's hand.
"I can't deny that… Now I feel bad that I was scared of her…" Laura said with a clear look of guilt on her face.
Well, I can't deny that she still has a pretty good reason for being scared… At least it will no longer be from Marina. Eliana and the other royals, though… That’s another story.
"It is fine. Don't feel bad. What matters is that you all are no longer afraid of me, right?" Marina asked with an innocent expression.
Immediately after she said that the room fell silent, almost as if everyone had agreed beforehand to tease her.
"O-O-Oi!" Marina got up from her seat and looked at us with a flustered expression.
"They are just teasing you again, Marina. No one here is afraid of you." I couldn't help but laugh at her expense.
"You're pretty mean, you know that?" Marina frowned in response.
"I don't know why you're still so surprised about it." I shrugged as I showed her my best teasing smile.
"Then allow me to fix that! It's my turn to be the mean one! This is payback!" Marina rushed at me with a malicious expression… I was quick to notice that she was up to no good.
"You sure you wanna play that game?" I didn't back down and prepared to face Marina.
The fun at my birthday party had just begun!
-----Lilia's POV-----
Despite everything that happened in our short absence, everything was going well. I was thoroughly enjoying myself watching the kids act like kids and forgetting all about the horrible thing that they had to go through.
Even though this was supposed such a happy occasion, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed of myself and extremely guilty as I watched from the kitchen the smiling faces of my daughters and my son as they were playing around and running the dining room with Marina and Neris…
My poor daughters… My little angels… They had to face the people that had made their lives miserable… The people Fred and I failed to protect them from… The people that Julius had to protect them from…
I was definitely proud of Julius for what he had done… It was just another proof of how truly brave he can be. Proof of how he is growing to become a great young man… I admire him more because of it.
I know that the situation they just went through will bring my children even closer together than they already are, but I really wish that situation hadn’t happened in the first place…
I really wish we hadn’t failed our daughters as spectacularly as we did… But even if we lament ourselves, it will do us no good as everything has already passed… I will never forgive myself for not protecting my daughters from that scum, but nothing like that will ever happen again… Not to my daughters, not to my son, not to their children…
For as long as I live, I will use all the strength and knowledge my master, my grandmother granted to me to protect them. I will give my everything for their sake…
Fred and I already failed our children once, because we were scared of what-ifs… What if the Laurents sent assassins at night to murder us in our sleep while Fred is away just because they are bitter and spiteful? What if the Ten Songs of Rokkshar would side with the aggressors just because the Laurents are useful to the Emperor? What-if this, what-if that… It doesn’t matter…
The reality is that we were scared… The strongest man of the continent and the apprentice of the most renowned witch in the continent were scared of fighting back because of simple what-ifs…
But Julius wasn’t… He wasn’t scared in the slightest. He defended Liliana, Luna, and everyone else without wavering in the slightest… That determination of his to protect his loved ones and to fight back against the whole world if it was necessary… It both scares me and amazes me.
Julius, a boy my husband found deep in the forest, a boy that is the child of a Demon Queen, a prince, a reincarnated individual from another world, the apostle of the Goddess of Knowledge… A person who is not afraid of going against the god that wronged him and took his life from him… He is the bravest person I have ever known.
Because of that bravery of his, both Fred and I no longer had an excuse not to act… I would have hated myself if I had come up with more excuses, but it is impossible now…
It is impossible because Fred and I were inspired by that small and brave person who changed our lives… We are now determined to fight back with all of our strength against anything that threatens our lives and our children. To protect them until they are strong enough to defend themselves. To help the brave child that wishes to go against a god… And to finally even the odds against those who tormented our children…
“Jeez… What’s up with that scary face?” A familiar voice spoke to me from behind. “You’re gonna ruin that cake if your mana gets all out of control like that…” A delicate hand was placed over mine…
That voice and that hand belonged to my good friend, Ophelia. The leader of a knight order and noble woman we had been traveling with until yesterday. She had come into the house by the backdoor from the patio like she used to do when we were studying at the Imperial Academy.
“Ah…” I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. I quickly regained control and pacified the mana I was using unconsciously…
“Sorry, I’m kinda late to the party…” Ophelia smiled awkwardly. “The cake looks delicious! Did you make it like the good old times? Sheesh! That sure brings me back!” Her awkward smile soon became one of excitement.
“Ophelia… I thought you were busy with another matter and that you wouldn’t be coming until nightfall…” I said to my friend while placing the cake I was almost finished decorating back on the table.
“I was handling all the difficult paperwork for the tournament and those stupid bandits on top of some merchants from Arion picked up a fight with the city guards about some meaningless discussion they were having.” Ophelia explained. “But after I found out that little Julius had gotten into a fight and that you and Fred had joined, I had to deal with those matters and get here as soon as possible.” She looked at me with a difficult-to-read expression.
“Sorry about that…” I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed that I had to trouble my friend because of my cowardice.
“Don’t be. You gave me an opportunity to have a fun little escapade from my job!” Ophelia reassured me. “Plus, I get to come to a fun birthday party, have some delicious food, and spend some quality time with my dear niece and her future fiancé!” Ophelia smiled warmly at me.
“Seeing that you’re acting all cheerful without a care, it is safe to assume that you’re here to help us out of this sticky situation.” I said to Ophelia with a relieved expression on my face.
“Help you out? I mean, sure I will help you and all, but I don’t know if there’s much I can do. Especially after considering that half of this street was almost turned to ash by you and that half of the Laurent mansion was demolished by Fred…” Ophelia shook her head and let out a sigh.
“Don’t say that… We do really need your help here, Ophelia.” I felt guilty that I needed to drag my friend into this, but things would be easier having her support.
“I don’t think you do… Knowing you and Fred as well as I do, I know that this city would be reduced to mere rubble wanted to do so. Even if Eliana and the rest of the Songs joined in against you, it would be a futile endeavor and they would lose.” Ophelia let out yet another sigh before looking at me with a blank expression. “There are reasons to fear the Laurents and not to mess with them, that much is true, but they have more reasons to be afraid of you two, you know?” Ophelia said as if it was natural.
As I thought, Ophelia doesn’t know about the deaths of the songs… Eliana and the Emperor really managed to still keep that a secret for such a long time…
“Look, I get why you want my help even if you don’t actually need it. You want to protect your kids. I can relate to that feeling because I feel the same about my boy. So you can rest assured that the Roses of Nebandia will stand by your side if things were to go south.” Ophelia placed her hands on my shoulders to reassure me as a confident smile appeared on her face. “After all, I also want to protect your kids. They are all special to me and the Blue Roses, and there’s no way we would let anyone tarnish that precious smile of your son!” Ophelia spoke in the most chivalrous manner with sparkling eyes. Her words were to be expected of the leader of such a large order of knights…
“Pfft! What’s up with that!? Isn’t usually a man who is supposed to be one to say all that cheesy stuff?” I couldn’t help but laugh at her expense. I was totally taken aback by her words…
“And there she is! That’s the good ol’ Lili we all know and love. It is fine if you are all serious and stuff, but I definitely prefer seeing that playful smile of yours on your face and hearing you laugh. It is a thousand times better than seeing you all worried when you have no reason to.” Ophelia smiled warmly, clearly not caring that I was laughing about her in her face.
“Jeez… You haven’t changed at all, you muscle-brained girl. You still got what it takes to ease up my worries.” I smiled back as I desperately tried to ease my urge to start laughing again.
“I can say the same thing about you, the stupid bookworm who is always so full of confidence and does everything perfectly but always starts worrying about failure at the last second.” Ophelia suddenly decided to tease me.
“H-H-Hey! Weren’t you trying to comfort me just now!?” I replied in a flustered manner.
“Now how does it feel to be one on the other end being teased? I’m not the same dumb teenage girl you and Eliana used to drag around, you know?” Ophelia laughed at my expense.
“What do you mean dragging around? You were always the one that came to my room in the middle of the night to drag me out because you wanted to go on adventures!” I replied with an indignant tone.
“Because I knew that you were wide awake trying to master your spells or doing experimentation with your magic.” Ophelia nodded to herself. “Then Eliana would suddenly appear out of nowhere and the three of us would sneak out in the middle of the night to go to a dungeon. Those were really the days…” Ophelia spoke as nostalgia took over her face.
“Yeah… Too bad that Eliana had to fuck that up with her shit.” I couldn’t help but speak coldly about my former friend.
“Whoops… I think I touched a nerve… I shouldn’t have done that, sorry…” Ophelia immediately apologized.
“Don’t be. I know that you meant well… It just sucks that she ruined our friendship for something as stupid as keeping us loyal as she decided to put it… Neither Fred nor I had plans to rebel against the Empire, but depending on what happens next with the Laurents, then maybe…” I spoke about a dangerous possibility that had appeared on my mind, but I stopped myself before saying anything concrete.
If the Laurents decided to mess with us yet again, whether the Emperor decides to keep supporting them or not, I don’t care… I will not fail my children again… I’ll fight against the whole world if I have to.
I can’t let my younger child do that by himself, can I?
“Dangerous words there, Lilia... As a knight and as a noble, I must inform you that talking about something like treason has extremely dire consequences such as death. As your friend, however, I would fight for your sake with tooth and nail, just like I know you would for me.” Ophelia said with a serious expression.
“Even if I were to go against the Laurents and subsequently the Emperor?” I asked her.
“I’m offended by such a question. What happened to our old agreement in the academy? You point at them, I kill them. Easy enough, right? You’re the brains, and I’m the muscle.” A reassuring smile appeared on the face of my friend again.
“Even if that means going against Eliana and her songs?” I asked her a more important question.
“I’d rather not fight the songs and I’d definitely rather not fight my friend… But if it is for your sake and the sake of your family, then you already know my answer.” She didn’t waver in the slightest as she showed me her determination… For a moment, she reminded me a lot of Julius.
Just by having my dear friend offer her support in such a way even when I was thinking about something crazy was tremendously relieving… I was glad that I had met her at the entrance ceremony at the academy…
“I see… Thank you, Ophelia. I’m glad that we are friends even after all this time.” I smiled warmly at her.
“Don’t sweat it! That’s what friends are for!” She gave me the thumbs up. “Plus, we are going to be family sooner rather than later, so this much is natural.” She nodded to herself with excitement.
“About that… I’ve been meaning to ask… Were you actually serious about that proposal or were you just drunk?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“A mix of both, most certainly. That wine was really tasty!” Ophelia nodded and confirmed my suspicions. “What about you? Were you serious about accepting that proposal or were you just drunk? You’ve always been a light drinker, so I’m worried that you were actually just playing along as you usually did back then.” Ophelia asked.
“A mix of both, I think… I hadn’t drunk like that in a really long time so I got wasted too quickly…” I said awkwardly. “Still, I genuinely like Neris. She’s a really nice girl unlike her muscle-brained aunt, and I would genuinely be happy to have her as another daughter-in-law.” A playful smile appeared on my face.
“Stupid bookworm… You think you’re clever, eh?” Ophelia smiled back. “Well, I’m glad that we are on the same page and that you’re feeling better, but we still need to talk about the fate of those idiots that are tied and gagged at your stable. What do you want to do with them?” Ophelia suddenly changed the topic into a more serious one.
“What does the leader of the Roses of Nebandia/Earl Nebandia suggests?” I asked her.
“Well, since the parents of the children that bullied the twins have pissed off a considerable number of people, both noble and commoner alike, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea to execute them and their children since the Laurents are not going to be an issue thanks to your husband…” Ophelia said while rubbing her chin.
Hmm… Execute them huh…
“Nope. I’d rather not have my hands tainted with their blood. I also don’t want Julius to cause in any way the deaths of those fools.” I immediately shook my head in denial after giving the matter some thought.
As I said, Julius is a brave person and immensely determined. Both can be extremely good things, but they can also be huge weaknesses… Back when in Norvek, he almost killed a man for the sake of defending his sisters, and most recently, he almost ended the life of that bandit Rexon after learning of his crimes from the Goddess of Knowledge.
A brave and determined person who would not hesitate to kill or sacrifice themselves in order to protect his loved ones and his beliefs and fights for what is right… That is the definition of a Hero… I know that it is inevitable for him to become a Hero as he is the apostle of Lady Lia and they are planning to save the world from Agmos and his minions. But at the very least, I want him to learn that killing will not always be the answer.
Logically, I know that killing Rexon, that adventurer from Norvek, and even those fools tied at my barn would have been the easiest solution for those situations… I know I would have done it in a heartbeat, however, I don’t want him to experience something such as taking the life of another person just yet. I want to protect the innocence of my little boy… I don’t care if he is a reincarnator or older than he actually seems or whatever… I will not let that innocence be tainted by our mistakes.
“Even if it brings trouble later?” Ophelia asked with mild concern.
“If troubles come to us, then I’ll just blast it all away with all my magic. Simple as that, right?” I smiled at Ophelia.
“Sheesh… That's such a classic Lili answer… Are you sure you have grown at all? You still seem to be the same as you were in the academy.” Ophelia looked pleased. “But I understand. I’m actually glad that you chose not to have them executed… It really eases up my workload.” She also looked majorly relieved.
“That doesn’t mean that they will be let go unpunished, you know?” I said.
“Of course not. I was thinking of exiling them to a remote place in the Empire after making them pay for reparations. What do you think?” Ophelia asked with a malicious grin on her face.
“More money is always nice but… I think it is not nearly enough.” I said before falling deep into thought… “Hey… Gideon and the other children were all accepted into the Imperial Academy, right?” I asked for confirmation.
“Yeah… Don’t remind me of that bullshit. They are hardly qualified to go into a regular magic school, do you really think they are qualified to be in the most prestigious academy in the country? Your dear father-in-law, Lord Laurent obviously moved some strings to have them there for some godforsaken reason.” Ophelia obviously complained.
“Well, I think that as former alumni of such a prestigious institution, we have the duty to purge the ones who haven’t gained the right to be there.” This time, I was the one who had a malicious smile on her face.
“I agree with that. We can’t allow them to tarnish the sanctity of our former school. I agree with that.” Ophelia nodded in agreement. “I’ll handle it all. I’ll tell you when everything is ready.” She said with a malevolent smile.
Fufufu~. It has been a while since the two of us could conspire like this… It really takes me back~.
“And here I thought I heard a familiar voice… It was your aunt after all.” Julius’s voice reached my ears.
“My aunt? Huh… She came earlier than I expected.” I also heard Neris who was accompanying my son.
Both my little boy and his next soon-to-be fiancée were both leaning in by the door to stare at Ophelia and me.
“Yep! It’s me in all my glory! It has been such a seemingly long time, hasn’t it?” Ophelia smiled from ear to ear as soon as she saw my son and her niece.
“Yeah, it’s good to see you after all this time, Ophelia.” Julius smiled and nodded.
“Jeez… You know that you can call me Auntie Ophi any time! I don’t mind it if you call me that right now!” As usual, Ophelia dashed at my son just to pinch his cheeks.
“I’d rather not… It sounds a bit embarrassing…” Julius shook his head, playfully denying her request.
“Jeez! Don’t be as cold as your mother! Please! Just once is fine!” Ophelia begged him while still playing around with my son’s cheeks.
“Dear aunt, would you stop bothering, Julius.” Neris crossed her arms and placed herself in between Julius and her aunt to defend him.
The light mood that had come along to the room with the children was enough to ease the remaining anxiety I was feeling. I was content with seeing my child having fun during his birthday.
I suppose I should start having some fun again too. I can’t be sulking and lamenting myself all day, can I?
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m craving something reeeally sweet after having to deal with those Laurent goons, so how about we sing Julius a happy birthday so he can officially be ten years old and get his birthday wish?” I asked everyone as I picked the cake again from the table.
As soon as I said that, I was able to see Julius’s face beaming with excitement as soon as I showed him the cake.
“Shall we go?” I smiled at my son, one of the people I wanted to protect, before walking past him into the living room.
declaration of eternal friendship... RIP, she FRIEND ZONED herself for eternity =P
Rest in peace, Neris. She died by shooting herself in the foot and voluntarily getting herself into the friend zone...
He wasn’t scared in the slightest..... Well OF COURSE NOT!. He has a FEW GODS and demi-gods on his side lol... I too would be fearless if i had a goddess behind my back that can tell me of any conspiracy or assassin against me
Mmmm... i MUST say, that a hero that doesn't want to kill the enemies that want him and everyone NEAR him DEAD... Is a Tragedy Hero for obvious reasons.
She seems to have an idolized version of what a hero is.