“Haah…”

Meteos sighed dreamily as he gazed out the window from his seat inside a cabin of the train running on a railroad track overlooking the ocean. The sparkling blue sea from the sunray reflected by the waves, the sight of seagulls flying over the ocean, and the white sandy beach. Meteos will never be able to get enough of this sight. There’s one thing missing, though.

On the first day of August, after finishing their business in the capital, Meteos and Walman returned to their hometown by train to spend the summer vacation. As the colorful buildings of Leiden came into view, Meteos’ smile grows wider and he turned to his side to wake up the napping Walman.

“Hey, wake up. We’re home.”

“Nggh…? Are we there yet?” Walman said groggily as he rubbed his eyes.

“Not yet, but look.”

Meteos pointed with his chin as he spoke. The sight of their hometown gradually becoming closer made his friend smile as well.

“Only one year away from home, yet feels like an eternity…”

“Ha? There you go, speaking like an old man again.”

Meteos blinked, really?

Then he remembered that as a reincarnated person, he is mentally 138 years old. Deciding to divert the conversation, he began to glance around before speaking to Walman.

“Uh… Never mind. By the way, Walman… do you think about this magic train?”

“It’s okay, I guess?”

“What about its speed?”

Both of them began their talk about trains to kill time.

“No way, do you really think a train can run for 300 kilometers per hour? That’s as fast as a Heavenly Vessel!”

“If the technology is advanced enough, it’s possible, don’t you think?”

“Well… that’s cool… but won’t that thing will shake like an earthquake when running that fast? And what about turning?”

The discussion continued between the two prospective engineers.

One hour later, they arrived at the Leiden Station. As the train stopped beside the platform, Meteos and Walman stepped out of the wagon with a big smile on their faces among the disembarking passengers. Not only that, their parents are also present to greet them. After exchanging hugs and heartwarming moments, they began to depart for their respective homes.

“See you later, Walman, Mr. and Mrs. Falkenhausen.” Meteos bowed politely to his friend’s family.

“And William, Marie, if you have any free time, come to our house.” Roderick, Meteos’ father, said.

Hearing that remark, the corner of William’s mouth quirked slightly as he replied.

“Of course, my friend. See you later.”

August 17, 1614 Central Calendar, 09:00

Another uneventful day for Meteos as the summer approaches its peak. He already finished the outline of his project for the next year and for Meteos, who found enjoyment in drafting blueprints or tinkering in machinery, having nothing else to do gets boring pretty quick. So he decided to take a walk to his favorite spot at Leiden Harbor, the bench facing the ocean that Meteos visited every once in a while.

He also brought a notebook that he received as a gift on his sixth birthday in this second life. Its red cover had already begun to show signs of wear and tear, and its pages were full of memos, numbers, and occasionally crude drawings from the things he learned in his previous life. Since it was his first notebook, Meteos had grown attached to it, and he kept it with him to read even though he already memorized all of its contents. As Meteos was about to turn the last page of his notebook, a pair of hands suddenly slipped over his eyes.

“Ehehehehe… guess who?”

A snicker was heard, followed by a deep feminine voice that spoke in a playful tone. It was something that Meteos had grown to be familiar with during his time in Runepolis.

“Gah!”

He abruptly stood up from the bench and turned to face the person who had just spoken with a gasp. Standing there was the brown-haired researcher, Robin, wearing a short-sleeved yellow plaid shirt over a white T-shirt and blue knee-high shorts. She withdrew her hands from Meteos while smiling widely at the silver-haired boy.

“Surprise!”

“Huh!? Miss Robin!? Why are you here?”

“Why not? Leiden is a popular tourist destination, you know? Besides, I already missed you, my adorable apprentices.” Robin replied nonchalantly.

Meteos’ expression changed from surprised to a frown, “Okay, sorry for sounding rude. But aren’t you supposed to visit your mother? You said that you haven’t visited her in a long time.”

“Oh, I did visit my mother. Actually, both of us decided to spend the summer here. Isn’t that right, mom?”

Robin turned and called out to a person standing not too far away from Meteos and Robin. And for the second time on this day, he is very surprised.

Walking towards them is a beautiful woman in her twenties with smooth, shoulder-length black hair, dressed in a simple white dress and skirt, as well as wearing a sunhat on top of her head. She is carrying a paper bag and smiled gently at him. Meteos knows who is this woman.

“Hah!? …No way… is that…!? Miss Robin, your mother… your mother is—”

However, the woman quickly put a finger on Meteos’ lips and whispered to his ear.

“Oh my, it seems that I am pretty well known here. Nice to meet you, young man, but we are trying to enjoy a nice and quiet summer vacation here, so don’t say my name out loud, please?”

Meteos blinked for a moment and checked his surroundings before replying in a much lower tone of voice.

“Ah, understandable. Forgive me. But pretty well known? What an understatement.”

“Mom, this is Meteos Roguerider, one of my apprentices who lives in this town.” Robin introduced.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Calvello.”

“What a polite young man, isn’t that right, mom?”

“Mm-hmm.”

The mother and daughter whispered to each other.

“Ahem! Since you are here, would you mind if I show you around the town?”

“I’d love to. Please lead the way, Meteos.” Robin’s mother said with a smile.

As they began to walk, Meteos hissed at Robin.

“Miss Robin, you never tell me that your mother is Candee!”

That’s right, Robin’s mother is Candee, a Mage and cosmetologist who is very famous in the known world for her youthful appearance and her youth-preserving product in Meteos’ previous life, so she is practically a celebrity. However, don’t let her appearance deceive you. Despite her looking young enough to be Robin’s sister, as of 1614, Candee is already 53 years old. There are rumors that she is involved in some research for immortality, and since she looked the same even when Meteos died in 1722, maybe there is some truth to it. However, Meteos never heard of Candee being married, let alone having a daughter.

“Well, you never asked.” Robin shrugged.

“Seriously!?” Meteos threw his hands in exasperation, but she got a point.

The three of them spent the day visiting various places in Leiden. But since Robin and Candee don’t want people to find out they are here to avoid being pestered by the media, Meteos brought them to the quieter part of the town, such as a small hill near the old town wall where they can enjoy the full view of Leiden undisturbed.

“Actually, Mrs. Candee, Miss Robin, my and Walman’s parents are having a dinner party three days from now. Since you’re staying until the end of the month, I was wondering if you can join us? I’m sure they will be delighted.”

At Meteos’ offer, Robin and Candee looked at each other before nodding.

“Of course. Thank you for your invitation.”

“Alright, it’s decided then… By the way, Miss Robin, does Mr. Falkenhausen know about your mother?”

“Hm? Actually no, I never tell him and he never asked either.”

“I see. Heh.”

Meteos smirked. He can already imagine the surprised faces of everyone when someone as famous as Robin’s mother showed up at their little dinner party.

After touring Leiden, Robin and Candee thanked Meteos before returning to the hotel where they’re staying.

August 20, 1614 Central Calendar, 19:30

Roguerider Residence

Upon arriving at his house, Meteos told his parents about his earlier encounter at the harbor, omitting the identity of Robin’s mother. He also asked if they can attend their dinner party. Seeing no problem in it, Roderick and Meteora agreed. If anything, they are eager to meet Meteos’ teacher in person.

The Falkenhausen family was the ones who arrived first. Not long after, the doorbell rang for the second time that night.

“Coming!” Meteos shouted as he ran to the front door and opened it, revealing Robin.

“Hi, Meteos!”

“Good evening, Miss Robin. Where’s your mother?”

“She’s over there,” Robin said as she pointed to her back with her thumb.

Meteos nodded, “I see. Please come in.”

“Excuse me.”

Meteos led the two of them to the backyard, where Robin is the first to be greeted by the gathering families.

“It’s been a while, Robin.”

“Indeed, it’s been a while, Captain Falkenhausen,” Robin said with a smile as she shook William’s hand.

“Everyone, this is our teacher, Miss Robin Calvello.”

“Please bear with me, everyone.”

“…And for another guest this evening, Mrs. Calvello, please,” Meteos called behind him.

A woman dressed in a modest dress stepped out to the backyard. As Meteos expected, everyone’s jaws dropped at the sight of her.

“Huh!?”

“No way…”

“Isn’t that…”

“Candee!?”

Everyone exclaimed.

“My reaction exactly…” Meteos chuckled.

“Nice to meet you, everyone,” Candee said as she bowed lightly.

“Ah… ahahahahaha! W-welcome to our humble abode, Mrs. Calvello.” Roderick said as he broke out of his stupor.

“W-well, a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one,” William commented while shaking his head.

As the adults began their introductions, Walman grabbed Meteos’ shoulder and dragged him.

“You already know about this!” He accused.

“Surprise, I guess…”

“Bah!”

Walman threw his hands in exasperation as Meteos laughed.

“By the way, where did you meet them?”

“At my usual place.”

“Oh, I see.”

The three families went through the dinner with an air of enjoyment, where the parents take turns talking about their children, causing Meteos and Walman to blush in embarrassment while the other laughed. Not even Robin was spared as Candee also recounted the times when she was a little girl.

After dinner, the mothers went inside the house while talking excitedly, while Roderick and William were drinking at the backyard. Robin let out a soft sigh as she walked out to the front terrace where she found Meteos and Walman sitting there, talking to themselves. Both of them turned and smiled at her.

“Enjoyed the dinner, Miss Robin?”

“Yeah, your mother is a great cook, Meteos.” She replied with a smile of her own and then took a seat beside the boys on the terrace.

“I see, glad you liked it.”

The three of them sat in comfortable silence, admiring the stars under the soft bluish glow of the two moons. Then, as if remembering something, Robin glanced up and removed her glasses.

“Meteos, Walman, I want to thank you.”

“Hm, about the invitation? Don’t mention it, you are a friend.” Walman said.

“No… it’s not about that…”

Seeing that she had the boys’ attention, Robin continued, her voice almost a whisper.

“…Actually, this summer is the first time I visited my mother after a very long time…”

“…Why?”

“…My husband used to be an Ancient Ministry researcher, just like Robin. But… during a failed expedition, he was killed by a Nosgorath…”

Meteora and Marie gasped at Candee’s words.

“She greatly admired her father, and when Robin said that she wanted to become just like him, I was horrified. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any more of my beloved ones, so I tried to talk her out of it. But I was too harsh on her. I thought what I was doing is the best for her, when all I did was cause her pain…”

Meteos and Walman listened in silence as Robin reflected on her life up until now.

“But back then, I was ignorant and stupid. She just lost her beloved husband and tried to protect me, but all I see was my mother trying to dictate my life… I am such a terrible daughter.”

Robin hugged her knees; tears welled up in her eyes.

Candee muttered a soft ‘thank you’ as she received a handkerchief from Meteora and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She began to speak again with a sad smile.

“But Robin really takes after her father… not only his face, but also his stubbornness… No matter how much I told her not to, she would never back down… Until that one time, I snapped at her. She was so heartbroken, but when I realized what I was doing…”

“…I ran away. I was so fed up and angry at my mother that I wasn’t thinking clearly at that time. Well… long story short, I ended up in the capital and become the Robin I am now. Over time, the shame finally caught up with me and I tried to return home and apologize to my mother, but my job prevented me from doing so… it’s so ridiculous.” Robin chuckled bitterly.

Meteos frowned. Even an Ancient Ministry member is allowed to visit their families once in a while, especially with their stagnating progress at analyzing Ravernal relics, the ministry didn’t really do anything. If his suspicions are correct, then Robin is actually an ancient weapon operator just like him and Walman from his previous life, and a very young one at that.

“…I searched for her, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. It’s as if my precious Robin was swallowed by the world itself. She is also the reason I became the Candee I am now. I’m afraid that I will leave this world before I find her, so I began to find a way to stay young forever so that when I finally find her, or when she finally returned, I’ll still be there for her… ridiculous, don’t you think?”

“N-no… I don’t know what to think… Candee.”

Meteora and Marie were at a loss for words. Candee’s true motivation of finding the key of eternal youth was not something they expected at all.

“It was until Captain Falkenhausen called me about you two, and my superiors sent me, I was finally able to return home. If it weren’t for you two, I will still be trapped, unable to go anywhere. I might have killed mysel—”

“NO!”

Meteos’ sudden outburst startled her and Walman beside him. His voice was filled with anger and… anguish?

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence! What the hell are you thinking, Robin!?” He screamed as he jumped and grabbed his teacher’s collar. They were too surprised to notice that Meteos forgot to use honorifics.

His teacher’s words gave Meteos a realization. If Robin is really an ancient weapon operator, then the reason they never met before in his previous life despite being on the same organization is that the previous timeline’s Robin was already dead by the time he and Walman joined. And Candee, that poor woman, she never knew what happened to Robin and may have spent her life waiting for a daughter that will never return. Meteos is frustrated and angry, at Robin, at the ancient weapon operators, at the Ravernal Empire for still ruining people’s lives with their legacy, and most of all, he is ashamed of himself. After all, one lifetime ago, he used to think it was a source of great pride.

“W-wait! It’s alright now! Okay!? That’s why, I wanted to—" Robin panicked, flailing her hands.

“Whoa, whoa, Meteos, stop!” Walman jumped and tried to separate the two.

“………Alright… that was very rude of me, I’m sorry, Miss Robin.”

“N-no… I am the one at fault here. I shouldn’t have said that…”

“What happened here!?”

When they turned at the source of the voice, they saw William and Roderick rushed to the terrace in alarm. Meanwhile, behind them, the mothers also heard them screaming and walked outside with concerned looks.

“……There’s a cockroach.” Meteos blurted.

“And a large one, at that,” Robin added.

William and Roderick looked at each other before exhaling in relief.

“I see. Well, if you make a loud noise like that, I bet you scared it.” William grunted.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Candee asked.

“Yes, everything is fine, mom.”

“Well, seeing that it’s getting late, Candee, Robin, please stay at our house for the night,” Roderick said.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Roguerider…”

Seeing that everyone is calmed down, the parents walked inside. Meteos turned to Robin.

“Miss Robin, we sometimes make mistakes. That’s why we need to learn from them so that we will never make the same mistakes again. Now that you’ve made peace with your mother, I hope your past will not weigh your heart anymore,” he said with a smile.

“Speaking from experience?” Robin muttered.

“Hm? What was that?”

“Nothing… Once again, I wanted to thank you, if it weren’t for our encounter, I don’t know what will happen to my and my mother’s lives.”

“Isn’t that a bit of stretch, Miss Robin?” Walman asked.

“Maybe, but still…”

Feeling a weight has been lifted from her shoulders at Meteos’ words, Robin leaned forward and gave the boys a soft peck on their cheeks. When she was done, she gave them a smug smile and walked inside the house, leaving the flustered Meteos and Walman.

“Dang…” The brunette muttered as he touched his cheek.

“Good grief.”

Currently Publicly Available Information

LEIDEN

A city located on the western coast of Holy Milishial Empire with a population of around 200.000. The city is located inside a natural amphitheater-shaped valley and surrounded by hills. It has a subtropical Mediterranean climate with even temperatures all year round. Because of its high cultural and historical value, Leiden is one of the Empire’s main tourist attractions.