Chapter 44: Our life without him

In a world of magic where strength represents everything, adventurers became the epitome of courage and boldness. They use their own strength to defeat strong deviants and climb their way toward wealth and glory.

Many failed and died in the process without leaving anything behind, be it legacy or even a corpse.

Even the most famous and powerful adventurers knew that they would eventually share the same fate sooner or later. The portion of adventurers who could survive and accumulate enough wealth to live without any care for their entire life was incredibly scarce.

Even so, the number of new adventurers never decreased. The prospect of endless fame, wealth and adventures were too enticing for many young and bold spirit.

These young adventurers would often say that they preferred to live a short fulfilling life than a dull one.

Better to live a single day full of passion than an entire life without any thrill.

However, those who were blinded by their thirst for rapid wealth and fame discovered during the life and death battles dotting an adventurer's life that the most common feeling experienced by all adventurers wasn't thrilled, excitement or passion.

It was despair.

Despair for not being strong enough to avoid death.

Despair for seeing their comrades fall near them.

Despair for not being able to escape their own fate.

Seledia and Millodas knew only too well this kind of despair. That's why, when Seledia discovered that she was pregnant, she didn't hesitate and gave up this lifestyle to settle in a small village.

Seeing the faces of her caring husband and her beautiful son every single day was enough to tell her that she made the right decision.

Some people say you can't realize your chance until you lose something.

It wasn't the same for Seledia.

She knew the chance she had been blessed with.

However, after losing Sillath, she finally realized that all the trauma, struggles and fierce battles she experienced as an adventurer were nothing compared to this kind of torment.

You can't taste despair with just fear alone.

You can only taste true despair if hope is right beside it.

Sillath was still alive. She had the hope of seeing him again. Every single day she looked beyond the hill overlooking the small town hoping to see the small figure of Sillath dashing toward her.

This constant expectation was a torment for her spirit and soul constantly gnashing away her strength and resolve.

If not for her husband and daughters by her side, she would probably have gone mad with anger and sorrow by now.

She knew the culprit but couldn't do anything to him without putting the life of her son in danger.

There were probably few things worse than that in this life.

Four years already passed since the kidnapping of Sillath and the confession of his grandfather.

When she regained her strength after a rude childbirth, she rushed toward the Waldemar's mansion to crush it and get her son back. However, the residence was totally devoid of any life except for a couple of guards near the gate.

Millodas hired a couple of mercenaries to stay near the entrance and warn them if Arthur Waldemar was back.

However, all those efforts were futile.

The Waldemar house was already on the brink of destruction and its former glorious head was on the run, constantly moving or under a massive escort when he had an official appointment.

There was nothing she could do if she couldn't find him.

This new kind of helplessness filled her mind with fury against this treacherous stepfather, but those feelings couldn't change the reality of the situation.

Seledia and Millodas had their own feelings, but they could feel the same weight pressing down on their hearts as if a stone entered their bodies unable to exit.

If Seledia was filled with fury and sadness, Millodas' mind was filled with nothing but regret and shame. It was his own father who kidnapped their only son under his nose. Moreover, after meeting him, Millodas finally realized how much he hurt him by leaving his side all those years ago.

He wanted to be free and escape those deadly power struggles, but that didn't mean he didn't love his house or his father.

Seeing the suffering of his father along with the pain and false smile on his wife's face only made a single sentence circulated endlessly in his head like a curse.

"All of this is my fault!"

These four years of shame made his once handsome appearance look much gloomier. It was still possible to discern the elegant trait of his face, but the lack of sleep couldn't be denied. He was much thinner and paler than before.

However, all the gloominess and sorrow immediately disappeared with his daughters by his side. His pain didn't lessen, but he still hid it behind warm smiles.

These girls were totally unaware of what had happened on the day of their birth.

They were oblivious to Sillath's existence and fate.

They were only four years old after all and had never met him. It was useless to tell them. It would just disturb and perturb their curious mind without any benefit.

"Dad, play with us!!!"

The loud but melodious voice of his daughter resonated across the house putting an end to Millodas’ thinking.

He turned around only to see a little figure dashing toward him at full speed. Millodas just had enough time to prepare before the little girl jumped into his belly like a cannon shell.

Millodas skillfully softened the impact and caught the small girl in his arms.

"Okay let's go Sellysse"

The young girl put on a big smile on her thin and cute face after hearing her father's word.

"Let's go find Gaya and Llyny first!"

"Yes... yes!"

Millodas could only smile wryly in front of the authoritative words coming from such a small mouth. Sellysse was the oldest daughter. She was like a wild flame moving everywhere without limit, restrain or tiredness. Her authoritative voice strangely looked a lot like Seledia.

Llynadia was calmer and a little shy especially when he compared her to Sellysse. The character of this girl certainly looked a lot like her mother. She also had the same sky-blue eyes. No matter how much Millodas looked at her, he could only think of her as a mini-sized Seledia.

She couldn't possibly have the same silver hair as her mother, but while Sillath had only a few red strands, her head was full of this kind of peculiar fiery red hair.

When she ran frantically around the house, these long fiery red hair moved along with her like a tongue of flame.

Sellysse happily clung unto his arm while Millodas exited the living room and headed toward the garden.

The blazing rays of the sun illuminated the vast green garden covered with strange flowers delicately arranged and beautifully reflecting its radiance.

Two small girls were crouched down in front of a massive blue flower at least four feet high. Their slim backs faced the entrance of the house so Millodas couldn't see their face, but he didn't need it to know who was so meticulously taking care of the flowers.

"Gaya, Llyny! Let's go play with dad!!!"

The loud voice of Sellysse broke the delicate and subtle quietness of the garden.

Millodas smiled wryly while putting his hand near his right ear which was still slightly uncomfortable after the loud shout near his head.

Sellysse didn't notice her own lack of delicateness or the loudness of her voice and simply rushed toward the young girls who already turned around to see the little flame running at full speed.

Gaya pouted a little and reproachfully told Sellysse.

"No need to scream."

Sellysse simply smiled at her. It was a smile devoid of any falsehood. It simply reflected her happiness and her joy of living. Even when she made mistakes or mischievous things, this simple and pure smile was enough to free her from any harsh reproach.

She knew it and didn't hesitate to use this weapon to have her way with her parents.

Gaya helplessly shook her head after seeing Sellysse ignore her reproach and simply using her favorite trick. However, she also had a small smile on her cute face seeing Sellysse running as fast as she could with her short legs.

Gaya was now already ten years old. She was still only a small girl. Her small stature and frail yet delicate frame couldn't hide this fact.

However, she had grown up.

She was taller and more beautiful than four years ago. She still had a smooth and peerless white skin along with the same electric blue eyes, but her gaze was a lot more profound and determined than before.

She still used her old white cap to cover her black ears and hair, but that hat was already becoming slightly too small for her. Her black hair was much longer than before and nearly reached her slim waist.

It was still easy to recognize her even after growing up so much, but everyone around her knew that the biggest changes she had weren't physical.

She used to be a very shy girl who never talked or expressed her feelings but the pain of Sillath's disappearance made her change. She still didn't talk much but she didn't hesitate to express her opinion anymore.

She became a strong-willed girl who didn't talk much but didn't hesitate to stand for what she wanted. Her nature was gentle and she probably wasn't fit to fight, but the sudden disappearance of Sillath made her young and influential mind understand that this world wasn't as nice or harmless as she thought.

She didn't remember her parents or any relative. She was found by Aten and the mayor of the town while they were on a trip near the wilderness. They took care of her and welcomed her inside Tegralle. She was very grateful to these two who saved her especially to Aten who acted as her guardian. Even though she was young, the tragedies she experienced finally allowed her to understand what kind of fate would have befallen her without their help.

She liked this town even if most of the other inhabitants were slightly cold because she was from a beast tribe.

She even suspected that without Aten's or Sillath's family protection, some would have already sold her as a slave.

Children who lost their disillusions and experienced the reality of the harsh world usually grew up much quicker than others.

Gaya was one of those.

She was young and still naive but she was also strangely mature for her age.

She understood that if she wasn't strong enough then she would have no other choice but to be protected by others or watch those that she held dear disappear just like Sillath.

She didn't want to lose anyone anymore without being able to do anything to help.

Therefore she trained hard.

Her elementary test revealed that she had an important mana pool and that she had the potential to become a mage.

Nearly everyone could use magic but the majority of the common people could only use some basic magic before being totally exhausted.

Therefore, having several children like Gaya or Sillath being able to enter a magic university to become a real mage was incredible for a town of this size.

However, people were rapidly disappointed as Gaya was only able to use wind magic. The most useless of all Primordial magic.

Even if most of the common people thought she would have to give up becoming an official mage because of that, Aten didn't agree.

He made Gaya understand the reality.

These people were ordinary without any experience or practice in magic. Their opinions didn't amount to anything.

Wind magic was slower to develop. It needed more time to become useful, that's all.

It wasn't inferior to the other Primordial magic.

Aten was specialized in wind magic and obviously knew what he was talking about. Therefore, he began to train Gaya but, after several months, he noticed that something was wrong with her.

She was monstrously gifted in wind magic.

Her instinct toward the wind and her ability to manipulate this element was way above what it should have been for a small girl of her age.

She couldn't use any other element but that didn't matter at all as her affinity for wind magic was stronger than anyone else he ever saw.

Aten was an elf. He was naturally much more gifted in magic than Humans or Beastmen, but even him couldn't compare with this kind of terrifying basic affinity.

Most of the common people would have called her a genius and wouldn't have thought beyond that, but Aten wasn't common. He was one of the strongest elves of the Great Forest of the North. Even if he couldn't return there anymore, this didn't change his abilities and experiences in magic.

Aten knew that he couldn't simply call her a genius. He had a couple of hypotheses to explain this kind of affinity but no way to prove anything.

While looking at the small girl absorbing his teaching like a sponge, he couldn't help but wonder who she was and what happened before he found her.

Aten didn't say anything about that to Gaya and simply watched her grow stronger and more skillful at a frightening pace.

After four years she already mastered the barrier magic for the speed and the form of her magic. She could already be called a Wise wind mage.

In a few years, she would probably be able to master the last barrier magic to become a Saint wind mage.

A Saint mage so young was incredibly rare even in the entire kingdom.

However, Aten knew that this was only the first and most simple part on the path of a mage. If she was older, he wouldn’t even consider letting her train those barrier magic. She wasn’t destined to become a normal mage only using these magic made for common people. Considering her talent in wind magic, as long as her understanding was enough, then she would be able to become a really strong wind mage in the future.

Gaya didn't know anything about that and continued to learn with her entire strength as if her life depended on it.

Her willpower and determination to learn were impressive for someone as young as her. Each time she reached her limit, she would remember what happened to Sillath.

She couldn't help that night.

She couldn't search for him either.

All because she was too weak.

Therefore, she continued to train while living with his family and burying her sadness deep in her heart. She didn't understand exactly what happened to him, but seeing the faces of his parents becoming darker and more desperate each day was enough to tell her that his fate wasn't enviable.

"Slow down Selly, don't walk on the flowers." firmly shouted the small girl beside Gaya.

She was even smaller than Sellysse and shyer than Gaya ever was. However, in front of her twin sister, she wasn't the least bit afraid and firmly reprimanded her.

She had long brown glossy hair without a single red hair on sight. Even if she was a girl, she looked more like Millodas than Seledia especially with her beautiful brown eyes glancing everywhere with an unquenchable curiosity.

She also always carried a gentle and shy expression on her face that was very different from the craftiness and boldness always ready to erupt on her sister's face.

Even if she was very young, there was no doubt that she would become a very beautiful woman in the future.

Sellysse looked a lot like her mother so she will obviously also be very pretty when she grows up, but it was a different kind of beauty that Llynadia exuded. It was a tranquil beauty like a calm lake without any imperfection as if nothing in the world could make her react.

When Sellysse was only a couple of feet away, she abruptly stopped in front of them while nearly falling forward in the process.

She didn't seem to care and simply watched them with an urgent expression.

"Come on! Let's go play with dad."

Llynadia shook her head and beautiful long brown hair in denial.

"I can't, I need to take care of the flowers."

However, Sellysse simply took her hand by force and pulled her toward her father who was helplessly looking at her.

"You can do that later. Let's go! Gaya you come too"

Gaya was ready to refuse but seeing the expectant eyes on her irresistible cute face made her change her mind.

"Alright, I'm coming but I can't play for too long. I need to train."

Sellysse pouted a little but simply nodded in approval. She knew like everyone else in the house how serious was Gaya about her training.

Aten spent some time teaching her personally but he didn't have the leisure to stay with her all the time. Therefore, Gaya trained on her own lately. Aten was still her guardian, but he was away most of the time. That's why she was now living with Seledia and Millodas.

He took care of her on his own for all these years, but not anymore, or at least not as much as she would like.

However, she didn't resent him, as she knew why he was away.

He was looking for Sillath.

Seledia and Millodas had to stay to take care of their daughters and protect them. He also had much more connection than them in the kingdom. Therefore, he was the only possible choice to look for him across the country.

However, even with his help, Gaya knew that finding Sillath without a single lead was unlikely.

She knew how difficult and tiring it was but he still didn't give up. Gaya was grateful for that just as much as Seledia and Millodas.

He was also the one who rushed to Alderal, the gigantic port city at the extreme west of the kingdom, immediately after Sillath's kidnapping. It was the only city able to send ships to the Western continent. By using his connections and experiences, Aten was able to ensure that Sillath did not cross the sea and was therefore still on the eastern continent.

After that, he searched across the entire kingdom and even took the risk to go back to the Great Forest of the North to find him. He didn't have enough money to take a Vrapy carriage all the time so he rarely came back and simply sent letters to inform Seledia and Millodas of his progress or, in most of the case, his lack of progress.

Millodas was away a couple of days ago to fetch these letters and only came back in the morning.

Seledia had not come out since she took hold of the letters.

Each time she read Aten's letter, she was filled with hope and expectations before being disappointed. She usually had to spend the rest of the day inside, away from her daughters, to be able to smile like usual in front of them.

Millodas and Gaya knew that Seledia wouldn't be coming out today.

After four years, they became used to her reaction but were not less heartbroken.

While Millodas, Gaya and Llynadia were pulled by an energetic Sellysse to play in the garden, Seledia was standing in front of the window looking at them.

However, there wasn't any smile on her beautiful face.

Her right hand was tightly grabbing a letter with her entire strength.

It was a letter from Aten.

The letter was almost completely crumpled and beyond salvation but Seledia didn't care. She had read it and, as always, the letter had nothing of interest to her. There was still no news of her son from Aten.

She furiously bit her lower lips in grievances while tightening her grip.

Immediately after, the small piece of paper took fire.

The dazzling light created by the violent fire didn't catch her attention. She was still staring outside beyond the gate of her house. She could see the cliff overlooking the entire town, but her expectation to see her son appear on this cliff didn't come true this day either.

Seledia stood still with a hazy gaze for a long time.

These four years nearly drove her crazy with sadness and anger. However, she still endured it because she was even more afraid than angry. Afraid that her daughters would also be taken away from her.

Millodas and Seledia talked about leaving Tegralle to hide but they quickly dismissed this idea. Peaceful towns were rare in the kingdom. It was also illusory to think that they would be able to hide from Arthur Waldemar on his own territory. They couldn't move to the territory of another Great noble house either. Millodas was still the heir of the Waldemar house. If someone from another Great noble house took hold of this information then they would mercilessly kill him, and everyone related, to completely erased the Waldemar's bloodline.

Therefore, they chose to stay in the same house while never daring to let their daughters out of their sight for a second.

Seledia was torn between this terrifying fear of losing her daughters and the irrepressible wish to get her son back.

Four years already passed but her feelings were the same as the first day.

After what seemed like an eternity, Seledia's emotions finally settled down. She exhaled a long breath, forced a wide smile on her pretty face and walked out of the house toward the rest of her family while burying her anger and frustration deep in her heart.

The sun was already going down, hiding behind the large hill overlooking this peaceful city.

The rays of this orange sun were becoming dimmer with each second. This imposing being was slowly buried behind the large hill along with Seledia's wish of finding her son today.

It would rise again soon enough to revive her hopes for another day.