Chapter 17: 17. HOMECOMING

SVAN CHORYTH

It was the fifth time I yawned, making weird noises at irregular intervals. I didn’t know exactly how much sleep I got, but I was sure I didn’t get enough. My eyes were heavy, which made me wonder how big the bags beneath them were.

I didn’t remember returning to the house, but I was sitting on my bed. Eliora had to be the one who carried me inside, but I couldn’t stop trying to figure out how she carried me. Did she carry me on her back? Or did she do it in a bridal style? She definitely didn’t drag me along because such kind of action is only exclusive to Yukina, and I would have woken up with a sore body if she did. Generally, I felt embarrassed that she carried me inside like some helpless toddler.

I tried to relive the previous night's events in my head, overwhelmed with the feeling of satisfaction. I had just added a new weapon to my arsenal.

Eliora walked into the room and looked like a completely different person. I didn’t know that clothing could do so much in changing what a person looked like. She was simply stunning. Her conflicting appearance deflected to the younger side and was more serious looking than gentle. No one would believe that she was a mother, let alone a mother of two young adults.

What she wore was in very sharp contrast to the loose garments I’d always seen on her. She was donned in a short dark-blue leather coat that very much looked like a pea coat except that hers had close-fitted sleeves and was stretchy, which was also fastened by two leather buckles.

She wore a black cape with a round collar, which was stiff and had two large buttons. It looked different from the traditional ones and was split into its sides. More surprisingly, she appeared to be a double-sword wielder, just like Yukina. Her scabbard was strapped around her waist, which held her sword that ran diagonally. It was no wonder her cape was designed to accommodate her swords.

The first thing that I said to her was, 

“I didn’t know that you were a swordswoman.”

“You didn’t ask,” she replied as she looked at her sword.

“You are good at everything, aren’t you?” I asked her.

She laughed a little,

“Except on how to be a mother, I guess.”

I nodded, 

“That’s right.”

“Err…. about last night….” I stuttered, trying to confirm my speculation.

“Oh, I guess you want to talk about it. I knew when you left the house, so I followed you. For a moment, I thought you wanted to run away, but there was no sense in you doing that. It turned out that you were training, so I just watched you from a distance. I didn’t want to interfere or disturb you. It was cool, though…. you know…. the vanishing thing you did.”

I laughed at myself inwardly. So much for sneaking out only to be found out immediately.

“H-how did you carry me inside after I collapsed?”

My question took her by surprise as she looked at me awkwardly. Her expression was screaming, “is that supposed to be a question?”

“How do you think I carried you? I….”

“Never mind, I don’t want to know,” I tittered.

“Well, if you say so. You should wash up. We need to arrive at Stafford on time.”

What she said made me realize that I didn’t even know where we were. It was as though I never asked the basics, only asking questions that satisfied my curiosity. It sounded funny that after spending three days at a place, I didn’t even know the name of the place. Though in my defense, I remembered asking her where I was. But I felt it wasn't as important as trying to figure out who she was. I simply forgot to ask afterward because I had a lot on my mind.

“Hope you don’t mind, but where is this place?” I asked her, with my face trying to conceal the embarrassment it was already giving off.

“How did I not tell you? You are in Academroth, its southeastern outskirts to be precise.”

That was a very long way from Stavren. The southern republic comprised four kingdoms; Stavren, Academroth, Weiss, and the island kingdom of Weldhem. Academroth occupied the southeastern part of the southern republic in contrast to Stavren, which occupied the north.

“Don’t worry, we would use the transport gates as our primary means of transportation,” she said.

“Huh?” I asked, a bit confused.

Even though there was a fair distance between our location and Stafford, I wasn’t thinking about how far we would supposedly travel, in contrast to what she perceived. Instead, I was trying to create a visual image of our location in my head.

We obviously had to use the transport gates if we didn’t want to spend months on the road. My reason for returning to Stafford was a matter of urgency, and if I embarked on a journey of such duration, the purpose would be defeated. The only downside was that accessing the transport gates required lots of money. It wouldn’t pose any problems for us since I had a lot of money to take care of it.

“So, what’s going to happen now? I mean, you are leaving your home behind to follow me,” I remarked.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t stay for very long at a particular place,” she replied.

“So why did you buy this house?”

“I didn’t buy it. When I first arrived in this town, I met an old lady who offered me to stay at her place. She had frail health, so I took care of her. Unfortunately, she passed away not long after. But before she did, she said I could have the house. That’s why I stayed longer in this town because I didn’t know what to do with the house. I guess I will just lock it up. Maybe, later in the future, it might be useful.”

I still felt uneasy,

“Is it necessary to come with me? I believe that you are my mother, and there is no reason for you to lie about it. I can always explain to Yukina, and she can come to pay you a visit anytime,” I said to her.

“No, I need to keep you safe, both of you. I don’t want to shy away from my responsibilities as a mother anymore. It’s better late than never, right?”

There was no need to try to talk her out of it. Her mind was already made up. I clumsily left the bed where I was seated and went for a bath.

* * *

We stood at the end of the narrow path connected to the main road, looking at the house one last time. Though it was Eliora who had something to reminisce about, I just stared at it like she did. From that distance, it was apparent that the house was built on high ground because, from our perspective, we were looking at it from the foot of a gentle hill. When Eliora was done, we hit the road.

“So, where are we headed now?” I asked her.

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“To the nearest transport gate. There is one in the city about three miles ahead.”

I nodded. It was going to be a pretty long walk, but it wasn’t that bad. We walked past a few going in the same and in opposite directions as we were. Throughout our walk, the view on my left and right mainly were grasslands and paths that led into little settlements or individual homes. Most of the few people we walked past waved in our direction, precisely at Eliora.

“You are quite popular here,” I nudged.

“He-he, when you are one of the only three casters in a rural town, it becomes easy for everyone to know your face,” she replied.

“Don’t you feel sad leaving them behind?”

“Not really. That’s why I try not to get too attached to a particular place. The people around here are peaceful and friendly. Maybe I will miss them a little.”

Our walk continued until we finally arrived at Leif, the city Eliora had talked about earlier. It wasn't difficult to tell; the sharp shift between the urban and rural environments was apparent.

I still found it difficult to believe that we would be arriving at Stafford in a very short time. That was the beauty of the transport gates. I was supposed to be on an adventure with Yukina to explore the unknown, but we’d barely even started our journey, and it came to an abrupt end.

We walked through a street with rows of buildings on both sides. The buildings were connected by bridge-like constructions on their roofs. I struggled to understand what purpose the bridges served. One could argue that it made movement easy, given that the street was quite cramped and bustling with many activities, but only a handful of people were using the rooftop bridges.

Ahead of us was a sizable tower-like building situated somewhere at the end of the street. Given that we didn’t take any corners so far and were still walking on a straight path, it had to be our destination.

“That’s where we are headed, right?” I asked Eliora.

“Yes. There is a transport gate there.”

Eliora took a long deep breath,

“When was it again? Fifteen years ago.”

“It was just three days for me,” I added. 

She laughed

“That’s one way to compare it,” she concluded.

We queued up in a line awaiting to use the gates a few paces ahead. It was nothing spectacular, looking very much like a mirror placed between two pillars connected by an arch, only that this mirror wasn’t reflective and had a bluish shine.

The area looked like a large hall. Guards were stationed at strategic posts, making sure it wasn’t chaotic. There were two transport gates, one for people leaving and the other for those arriving in the city.  We'd already obtained a pass, a black crystal-like plaque with engravings that cost fifty imperial silver coins each, an equivalent of 5 gold coins. Eliora offered to pay, but I refused, insisting that I pay since I had a lot of money that I didn't even know how to spend.

It finally got to our turn. The warden in charge of checking our passes didn’t bother to check ours. That was because it was impossible to arrive at one’s desired location without them. The way it worked synchronously with the transport gate remained a complete mystery to me.

“And here we go,” I said as I stepped into the transport gate.

The plaque I held dissolved instantly like clay that came in contact with water. The blue shine from the gates instantly changed to pitch-black. It was as though the plaque was a black dye poured into clear water. I couldn’t see anything even though my eyes were wide open. The darkness didn’t last for so long as the blue shine gradually returned until it was bright again. I stepped outside the transport gate; it was apparent that we weren't in Leif anymore. We arrived in Stafford.

“Stafford didn’t change so much after all these years,” Eliora said as her eyes pranced gleefully around the city.

“How’s that?” I asked.

“For someone coming back here after fifteen years, I am pretty sure I can get around on my own.”

She was right. Stafford had always maintained a simplistic outlook yet appeared more urban compared to Leif, at least. Even if I go to Leif after ten times, I would still get lost around there.

We rented a carriage to the Choryth castle. I had a fast-paced heartbeat, which increased as we drew closer to the castle. I clenched my fists tightly, looked at Eliora, and asked her,

“Are you nervous?”

“I think I should be the one asking you that.”

She held my right hand with her left,

“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”

The main gate was open. From outside, I could see the dead bodies of guards scattered all over the place.

“What in the world happened here?” I wondered.

“Come on, hurry. Something is wrong,” Eliora said, already sprinting inside the manor.

The scene was a million miles away from what I was expecting. My eyes captured everything all at once; Lord Edger was up against two demons. He seemed to be holding up well; he was the High Lord, after all. Yukina and Evren engaged another. It looked like the demon had the upper hand, though they were constantly distracted by a falx. The guards weren’t doing well against the two falxes they engaged as they fell one after another.

No one noticed our presence. Everyone was preoccupied, fighting for their lives.

“Not the homecoming I expected,” Eliora said as she dropped her backpack, drawing out her swords.

“I don’t have a sword. You broke mine, remember?”

She tossed one of hers to me. It felt very light yet rigid.

“This should be fun,” she said, with a smirk on her face.

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