When I saw my father standing just a few meters away, I didn't know what to say. He was holding a little girl in his arms, and the way he looked... it wasn't how I remembered him. His beard was unkempt, his hair filthy and disheveled, his clothes wrinkled. He seemed exhausted, almost hollow.
Suddenly, he ceased to be the role model I had always held in my mind and became something I never would have imagined. And I think that, behind that gaze of his, there was fear. Fear that I might see him like this. Fear that his own son would look at him differently after everything that had happened.
Norn, barely four years old, was just clinging to his neck. In her innocence, she still saw her father as her hero. She didn't look like she was in bad shape. She was clean, dressed in new clothes, and well-fed.
My father had done a great job with her; still, the contrast between the two of them was stark.
As I was thinking this, my father carefully set Norn down.
"Daiki..."
That was all he said before stepping closer and enveloping me in a hug. It was strong, clumsy—exactly how I remembered it. And it had been so long since I'd felt something like that, my body took a second to react, as if it needed to remember what it meant to be hugged by my father.
"You're alive... God, you're alive..." he sobbed against my shoulder, ignoring Cliff, who was staring at us slack-jawed.
I stood frozen for a moment, until my body finally understood what was happening. Then I raised my arms and returned the hug, just as clumsily as his. I guess I had inherited that from him.
"Damn it, son... I checked so many casualty lists... I thought I had lost you forever. I thought I had nothing left..."
"It's okay, Father. I'm real... I'm alright," I whispered, feeling my own eyes filling with tears.
He loosened his embrace little by little. Even so, he didn't stand up immediately or take his hands off my shoulders, as if he needed to make sure I wasn't going to vanish.
"Broader shoulders, taller, you have a look..." He paused for a second. "...a different look. Harder. It's no longer the look of a child playing in the garden."
His hands moved up to my face, his thumbs touching my cheeks as if he wanted to verify I wasn't some mana illusion.
"You've grown, Daiki... You've grown so much, and I wasn't there to see it," he murmured. "And these clothes... you look like a real noble. How...? Where have you been?"
Before I could answer, a small tug on his trousers broke our conversation.
"Papa...? Who is he?" the little girl whimpered, hiding behind the folds of his dirty cloak.
"Norn, look at me," he said, pointing at me. "That's Daiki—your big brother. Remember the stories I told you on the road? About the brave boy who protected Aisha? The one who told you about the 'rabbits' before bed? Well, it's him. Big Brother has appeared."
She looked at Paul and then at me, with an expression of total surprise.
"The... little brother with the bunnies?" Then she looked up at my hair. "Black hair..."
I smiled a little, wiping away my tears.
"Well... if I'm being honest, you always liked dragons better."
[Especially the red one... Tell me, who does that remind you of?]
...
"Daiki? What happened?" Emilia's voice startled me a little. She had come out of the orphanage, probably just after leaving the children for their lunch hour.
"Ah... I..." I stammered, still trying to wrap my head around everything that was happening.
Paul looked at me, then looked at Emilia. His expression shifted to something between surprise and a quick appraisal, as if he were trying to understand who she was to me.
Emilia took a step closer, worried.
"You look pale. Are you okay?"
I swallowed hard. "I'm... processing things. A lot of things." I tried to smile, but even I knew my trembling was obvious.
But another voice interrupted me just as I was about to speak.
"Alright, let's see here... What the hell is going on?" Cliff said, waving his staff around.
"Nothing is going on..."
I walked over to Cliff.
"Cliff, would you do me a favor? A 'friend-friend' favor, please?"
"'Friend-friend'?" He arched an eyebrow. "You never use those words unless you're desperate or planning something stupid. And judging by your face... it's both."
Then he looked at Paul.
"So..." Cliff said, lowering his voice so Emilia wouldn't hear the details. "Is this the famous 'monster father' who abandoned you for being different from him?"
Paul blinked, confused amidst his tears and exhaustion.
"Monster...? Abandon...?"
Cliff crossed his arms.
"Well, he doesn't look like a monster. He looks like a sentimental drunk who's squeezing you like you're made of gold." He looked at me accusingly. "You lied to me, Daiki."
"It's complicated, Cliff," I insisted, nudging him slightly toward Emilia. "I'll explain everything. I promise. But right now, I need you to take her away. Please."
Cliff held my gaze for a few endless seconds. Finally, he sighed dramatically, adjusting the collar of his robe.
"Fine. I'll do it. But you owe me the full story. And not the edited version you tell your aunt. The truth."
He turned toward Emilia, adopting his usual self-important posture.
"Emilia! Let's go! Storytime is over! Daiki has... 'family matters' to resolve."
Emilia looked at me one last time, still worried, but she nodded. Although she didn't know Cliff, she trusted him simply because he was my friend.
"Take care, Daiki..." she whispered before following Cliff.
When they turned the corner, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders.
"'Abandon'? 'Monster'?" Paul asked, raising an eyebrow. "We need to talk about that... but first..."
He gave me a gentle nudge in the ribs, nodding toward the corner where Emilia had disappeared.
"That girl... Emilia." He let out a raspy chuckle, recovering for a second that air of "Paul Greyrat" I remembered. "I see you haven't wasted any time, son. Missing for a year and you already have a girl looking at you with those worried puppy-dog eyes."
"It's not what you think, Father. She's... a client. A guild mission."
"Yeah, yeah, 'mission'." Paul winked at me. "You turned out just like your father. At least in that regard, you haven't changed."
He looked straight ahead.
"Right. Let's go. We can't talk here. There are too many people, and I have a lot of questions about this 'monster' business. Let's go somewhere safe."
I nodded, following him. I pulled up the hood of my cloak, making sure to hide my face as best as possible. Millis was full of prying eyes, and if someone from House Latreia or an acquaintance from the guild saw me with this "vagabond," the questions would be uncomfortable.
***
After a long walk, skirting the main streets and moving through alleys Paul seemed to know too well, we finally reached the southern district.
He stopped in front of a run-down tavern.
"The Broken Shield." It wasn't the kind of place a Latreia would set foot in, which made it perfect.
"This is the place," Paul said, pushing the door open.
Paul sat down, lowering Norn carefully. My sister was struggling to stay awake after the walk. He ordered a tankard of ale with a tired gesture to the waitress and ran his hands down his face, rubbing his eyes as if trying to erase the last year from his memory.
When the tankard arrived, Paul reached for it.
"Father..." I said, taking the tankard away from him. "You aren't going to drink that."
"Daiki, please. It's been a long day. I need..."
"No," I interrupted. "You need to be sober. Norn needs you sober. And I need you sharp, not dulled."
"Are you giving me orders now? You're eleven years old," Paul said, trying to grab the tankard, but thanks to my strength, I didn't yield.
"I'm eleven and I just found you in a complete wreck," I answered without backing down.
He let out a heavy sigh.
"You're right... I ran away from home at twelve. Sure, you're much better than I was at that age, that's a fact."
I took an empty mug and filled it with water.
"This will do. It helps you think, clears your head. Ale is just a way to escape, and that kind of escape always comes with pain later."
He looked at me, surprised.
"Did you really come from me, son?" He let out a brief laugh. "You talk like a wise old man. Or like Zenith when she caught me coming home late."
"Someone has to be the responsible one. And speaking of Mom... she must be worried, right? When I find my brother, we'll go back home. Father, you don't have to tear yourself apart searching for us. Rudeus is strong too."
"Go back...?" repeated Paul. "What do you mean 'go back home', Daiki?"
"To Buena Village," I answered, confused by his reaction. "I mean, the incident was in Roa, right? The orb was over the Boreas estate. I guess the village is buzzing with the news. Sylphiette and the others must be waiting..."
"Daiki. Daiki, shut up for a moment."
"Father? What's ha...?"
Paul looked up.
"There is no Buena Village... There is no home. There's nothing left..."
"What... what are you talking about? The orb was in Roa..."
"It was the entire Fittoa Region, son," Paul choked out, and a lonely tear ran down his dirty cheek. "Everything. From the citadel to the forest borders. I went there... I went to look for traces. There is only scorched earth. Empty grasslands. It's as if the village never existed."
One year. I had been walking for a year toward a goal that didn't exist anymore.
"So... Sylphiette... Mom...?" The question died on my lips.
"Missing," confirmed Paul, squeezing his eyes shut. "Or dead. Nobody knows. Everyone was teleported. Or died in the impact. We are refugees, Daiki. We have no home."
Silence was the only thing that took hold of me. That same shitty feeling that had chased me in my past life when I saw the fire for the first time... The only thing I could feel was my pupils darting frantically as I tried to stand up, my arms shaking as I moved the chair.
[Daiki... You aren't breathing... You are panicking...]
I wanted to avoid it, but the air just wouldn't go in. For an instant, the world disappeared completely; only that unsettling darkness that had been chasing me all my life remained.
And suddenly, I was in Japan.
I knew it immediately: the houses, the streets, the utility poles... everything was exactly as I remembered. A part of me wanted to believe that maybe everything else had been a dream.
...Huh?
I turned toward a particular house. I recognized it instantly, impossible to forget... even though I had never really seen it with my own eyes. In the blink of an eye, a light exploded on the roof and the house caught fire as if it had been doused in gasoline.
I blinked again and the scene changed. Several people were holding back a child with all their strength, as if they were containing a wounded animal incapable of understanding what was happening. He was scratching, biting, kicking desperately.
That child was me. Or rather, what I remember of me.
"They're inside! Let me go save them!"
"I'm sorry, boy... I'm so sorry." The man holding me had his arms marked by my fingernails, but even so, he didn't let go.
[Analysis: intentional arson.]
[Initiating protocol: dissociative trauma.]
It was a brutal memory. But it was also necessary. It showed exactly where that darkness came from, the one that always returned when it least should.
I was about to let myself be swept away by the darkness again, but some words anchored me to reality. That life... that past... was no longer where I belonged. Now I had another purpose.
"Daiki! Son!"
Strong hands grabbed me by the shoulders.
"Breathe, son! Damn it, breathe!"
I sucked in a sharp breath. The oxygen burned my lungs, but it broke the spell of the panic. The darkness began to recede, and little by little, I could make out my father's face, looking terrified. Clinging to Paul's leg, Norn was watching me with wide eyes, scared by the shouting.
"I'm sorry..." Paul muttered. "I shouldn't have dropped it on you like that. Sometimes I forget you're only eleven. I'm an idiot."
I struggled to sit up in the chair.
"No... I needed to know. I've been living a lie. A very thorough lie."
Fittoa doesn't exist anymore. There is no shelter.
But I'm still alive... and the possibility that the others are too is real. That hope is enough.
I looked up.
"Father..." I took a sip of water.
"Son, I have a group..."
I set the glass down on the table. My arms were still trembling.
"The group... they're good people, Daiki. Most are former guards from Roa, some adventurers who were passing through and survived, and others like Alphonse... Alphonse survived. He's at the refugee camp, managing the little we have. He handles the numbers, I provide the sword."
Paul tapped the table with a finger.
"We split up. I took those who could fight and we came south, to Millishion. It's the center of the world for information. If anyone has seen Zenith, Lilia, or Rudy, the news will arrive here first. But so far... nothing. Just lists of the dead and rumors that lead nowhere. The Church of Millis isn't exactly kind to armed, penniless outsiders. We're surviving on escort jobs and hunting low-level monsters to fund the search."
Norn had timidly approached me. She made a small gesture for me to pick her up, so I settled her onto my lap. The scare had passed, and exhaustion finally overcame her. I stroked her blonde hair, feeling the warmth of her breathing.
I sensed Paul almost tearing up again at the sight.
And it was true, this is my purpose: to protect her innocence.
"But enough about my misery. Daiki... look at me. That aura you have... it's not that of a child who's been hiding on a farm. And that sword..."
"I didn't appear on the ground, Father," I said, trying to keep my voice low for Norn. "When the light swallowed me in Roa... I woke up in the sky."
"In the sky?"
"Above the clouds. In the Great Forest... I was falling."
"How...?" he asked.
"Let's just say I crossed paths with a griffin and ended up using it as a mattress, more or less..." I wanted to sound ironic, because the atmosphere was so tense that speaking seriously would only make it worse. Imitating that carefree style he always used seemed like the best way to loosen the knot forming in both our throats.
"You killed a Griffin... in freefall?" Paul looked at me with a mixture of horror and absolute astonishment. "And you came out unharmed?"
I nodded.
"Basically, I was welcomed by elves who thought I was a 'halfling', so I didn't get much more than their hospitality... although I must admit I've never seen anyone treat a stranger so well. I spent the night there, and the next day, I continued toward Doldia Village, Ghislaine's tribe. I stayed with them for seven weeks before leaving for Millishion. The entire journey... took me almost two months."
"After arriving..." I continued. "I formed an adventurer party, 'Crimson Crest', with Cliff over the following months leading up to today. We reached A-Rank and decided not to rank up."
My father finally spoke.
"A-Rank...?" he repeated, running a hand over his face as if trying to wake from a fever dream. "You and that boy...? And you could have gone up to S-Rank and refused?"
He let out a dry laugh, shaking his head.
"Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. You're eleven years old, Daiki. And while I've been here, falling apart, fighting for scraps of information and drowning in alcohol... you were hunting monsters, climbing ranks, and rejecting promotions that would take others a lifetime to achieve..."
"No, Father... You lived through hell. I wish I had been there to help you."
Paul didn't respond to that. He leaned forward, as if needing to cling to another idea to stop me from seeing him lament his own misery.
"But there's something that doesn't fit. That boy, Cliff. He said I 'abandoned' you."
"About that..." I began. "I had to make a decision. When I arrived in Millishion, I was alone. I had no money, no place to sleep. I knew Mom's family, the Latreias, had power here."
Paul made a disgusted face at the name.
"The Latreias..." he spat. "Don't tell me you went to see the old witch. Claire."
"I went to see her." I nodded. "But I knew if I showed up telling the truth, they probably would have interrogated me or ignored me for being your son. Claire hates you, Father. You know that."
Paul scoffed. "The feeling is mutual."
"That's why I had to... well, actually I didn't have to give them any story... They... they wrote it themselves," I said, staring into nothingness.
"What do you mean 'themselves'?"
"I tried to tell the truth." I leveled my gaze. "I swear. When Aunt Therese found me, I tried to explain about the light, the incident... but every time I opened my mouth to say 'Father', she interrupted me."
I looked Paul in the eye, needing him to believe me.
"She saw my black hair, saw my red eyes... and assumed the worst. She asked me: 'He kicked you out because of this, didn't he?'. And before I could say 'no', she was already hugging me and cursing you. Therese interpreted that I came seeking refuge because you were a monster who didn't want me because I didn't look like you."
I lowered my gaze, ashamed.
"And it worked. Claire was so delighted to have a 'confirmed' reason to hate you and feel superior, she didn't even ask for proof. She opened the mansion doors to me, gave me clothes, tutors... everything."
"So..." Paul leaned back in his chair. "They simply assumed I'm trash?"
"And I... I didn't correct them... That is my sin, Father. I could have shouted, I could have defended your name. If I told them you loved me, that you were a good father... I was afraid they'd shut the door or investigate me. So I stayed silent. I let them believe you were the villain to save myself."
I expected a scolding, I expected him to feel betrayed by my cowardice.
But then, Paul's shoulders started to shake.
"Hahaha..." It started as a low chuckle and turned into a full-blown guffaw. "You're a genius, son!"
He wiped a tear of laughter away and looked at me, not with anger, but with a mix of amusement and resignation.
"Typical of the Latreias. Their hatred for me is so great they don't need anyone to lie to them; their own imagination does all the work." He sighed. "Don't blame yourself, son. in that situation, silence was your best weapon."
"But I stained your name..." I insisted.
"My name in that house was stained years ago." He cut me off with a wave of his hand. "It's fine. I don't care. Let that old woman think I'm the worst father in the world. If her own prejudice served to keep you warm and safe... I'll accept the role of villain gladly."
"Thanks, Dad... I'm using the Latreia resources to search for information. But I have to keep that silence. If they discover we get along, or that I'm helping you... they'll see their 'narrative' is false and cut off my access."
"Understood." Paul nodded. "To the public, I'm the bastard who abandoned you. In private... In private, we are allies. We're going to use everything we have. Your money, your rank, your grandmother's hatred, and my sword."
There was a comfortable silence, until my father asked:
"What about Rudy, son? Did he fall asleep like he used to?" Paul asked, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm sure he showed up in some barn and is still snoring."
"Father..." I looked down at my hands, the same hands that had failed a year ago. "It wasn't like that."
"We were all together on the outskirts of the Citadel of Roa. Ghislaine, Eris, Rudy, and me." I swallowed hard. "Ghislaine was the first. The light swallowed her before she could get close. She simply... vanished."
I saw Paul tense up.
"I reacted. I lunged toward Eris. I knew I had to protect her... and Rudy." I clenched my fist. "I reached out. My fingers grazed his wrist. I was an inch away, Dad. A damn inch from his wrist."
I closed my eyes, remembering that moment. "But the light was faster. It dragged me first. The last thing I saw... was Rudy and Eris, standing there, together, watching me disappear."
"If Ghislaine appeared alone in the Conflict Zone... and you appeared alone in the sky..." Paul started connecting the dots. "That means those two went together."
"Exactly." I nodded. "Rudy isn't alone. He has Eris. And Eris has Rudy."
Paul frowned slightly.
"Eris..." he murmured. "According to Alphonse, that girl is a whirlwind of violence. And Rudy... Rudy is brilliant, but physically..."
I took a breath, staying calm.
"Father, Rudy is a great mage. If there's anyone I trust to cross half the world and stay alive, it's him. Besides, I made sure he could compensate for his lack of physique. I taught him something I Shockwave. It helps him react, to move without freezing when he's scared. I only gave him the basics... but I know he perfected it."
I drank a little more water; I seemed to have dried out from so much crying.
"Don't worry, Father. My brother isn't the child you remember. They're coming back."
I saw his shoulders relax. The tension he carried melted a little, and his gaze focused again.
"You're right... Together they are a formidable team." He looked at me curiously. "Have you tried looking for them? I mean, with your A-Rank resources."
"I've been doing it for months," I admitted. "I've used the guild's mail channels. I sent letters addressed to Rudeus Greyrat to every adventurer guild in the port cities of the Demon Continent and the Central Continent."
Paul's eyes went wide.
"You sent letters to the Demon Continent?"
"Yes. I assumed if they weren't here in Millis, and they weren't in the Asura Kingdom... that was the most logical place 'bad luck' could have thrown them." I lied; it was that "God" who had told me. "In the letters, I tell them I'm in Millishion, that I'm okay, and that I'm looking for him."
"You thought of everything... Even while dealing with the Latreias."
"He's my little brother, Dad." Although technically we were twins, I always felt that need to look after him. "And Eris is... important. I won't stop looking for them."
Paul nodded.
"Good. If you sent those letters, now it's just a matter of time. Meanwhile, we'll take care of finding Zenith and Lilia."
Then he looked at Norn.
"Your sister..." he murmured with a tired smile. "She always asked me to read to her about dragons. You filled her head with those stories when she was a baby, and she still remembers. You've been an excellent big brother, Daiki."
"I just told them what they wanted to hear," I replied, looking down at the sleeping girl. "But I promise the next time I tell her a story, it will have a happy ending. A real one."
Paul looked at me a moment longer, then nodded, swallowing his emotion.
"Right. Then let's go. You have a group to meet. Even if the world thinks I abandoned you, I'll tell my men the truth. They need to know our luck has turned."
"Our luck?" I asked.
"Yes," Paul smiled. "They need to know we now have an Ace up our sleeve. An A-Rank who kills griffins and manipulates nobility."
I stood up carefully so as not to wake Norn, adjusting her better in my arms. She was light, but her weight felt like the anchor I had been missing all year.
[First objective safe, Norn Greyrat, and your father Paul Greyrat. We did well, brother.]
(Thanks, Ayam™.)
"Let's go, son," Paul said, opening the tavern door. "The rest of the group needs to meet the family strategist."
Walking through the streets with Norn in my arms felt surreal. Her breathing was soft against my neck, a steady rhythm that, strangely, calmed the chaos in my own mind.
[She's your sister, Daiki. Protect her.]
(I know, Ayam™. This time I won't fail.)
Paul walked ahead of me. Along the way, he told me the names of the people in his group, one by one. He did it to save us unnecessary or awkward introductions, and truth be told, I didn't mind introducing myself... but that's Paul.
"It's here," he said, stopping in front of a two-story building. It wasn't a public tavern, but rather an old boarding house the group had taken as a base of operations. "It's not like the palace you've lived in for months, but at least there's love here."
I smiled faintly.
" The 'palace' is cold, Dad. The walls are high and the food is good, but the air always feels heavy. I prefer a place where I can breathe, even if the roof leaks."
Paul smiled back, and opened the door.
The interior was dimly lit. It smelled of cheap tobacco, stale stew, and dried sweat.
There were a dozen people gathered in the common room.
"Boss!" A woman stood up immediately upon seeing us enter. It was Vierra, just as Paul had described her on the way. "We thought you'd stayed out drinking until you passed out again."
"Almost," Paul admitted, without the usual shame of a drunkard, but with the clarity of a leader. "But today I found something better than alcohol."
Gazes shifted from Paul to me. To the strange boy with black hair and red eyes carrying the boss's daughter and wearing a high-quality cloak over noble clothes.
"Who's the kid?" asked Roland, a tall, thin man who was checking some maps at the central table. "He looks a bit like the descriptions... no, impossible."
"Listen up, everyone," Paul said. Even the sleepiest ones woke up at the "loud" voice they clearly hadn't heard in months.
Paul turned to me and put a hand on my free shoulder.
"I know we've been hitting walls. I know morale is low, that we've lost people, and money is tight. But today... today our luck has turned."
He pointed at me.
"This is Daiki Greyrat. My eldest son."
"Young Daiki?" whispered Shierra. "...his hair... his eyes..."
"We thought he died in the catastrophe," said Roland, dropping the quill on the map. "Or that he had disappeared without a trace like young Rudeus."
"Not only did he survive," Paul said, puffing out his chest with pride. "He reached Millishion by his own means. He crossed the Great Forest alone. And he doesn't come empty-handed."
Paul looked at me, giving me the signal.
Careful not to move Norn too much, I used my left hand to reach into the inner pocket of my vest. I pulled out the guild card and let it fall onto the map table.
Roland took it, checked it, checked it again, and then looked at Paul with eyes popping out of his head.
"A-Rank...? Boss... the kid is eleven."
"I know... And he rejected S-Rank," Paul said, smiling. "And furthermore, he has access to the Latreias."
"The Latreias?" Vierra frowned, crossing her arms. "Lady Zenith's family? But they hate you, Paul. You said they wouldn't even receive you at the door."
"They hate me," Paul clarified. "But they've taken him in." He looked at everyone present. "But there's a rule. To the outside world, Daiki and I are estranged. I am the monstrous father who abandoned him, and he is the victim son who fled to his grandmother. No one outside this room can know we are working together. Understood?"
"If young Daiki is as strong as this card says... and has the Latreia money..." Roland placed the card on the table reverently, as if it were a holy relic. "Then maybe we won't have to sleep on the floor next month."
Roland looked at me.
"Kid, what swordsman rank are you?"
"I am Saint Rank, sir."
"Saint?" Roland blinked, incredulous, looking at Paul for confirmation.
"He is. Believe me. He crossed the Great Forest alone. Don't ask how, just believe it..."
"Welcome, young Daiki," Vierra said, bowing her head slightly. "It's good to see at least one Greyrat has his head on his shoulders and not in a bottle."
"Thank you, Vierra," I replied. "I didn't come here to play hero. I came to find my mother, Lilia, and my brother. And I'm going to use everything I have to do it."
Norn stirred in my arms, opening her eyes lazily.
"Big brother...?" she mumbled, rubbing her face against my shirt. "Are we there yet?"
"Yes, little one. We're with the allies."
"Vierra, Shierra, find a bed for Norn. Daiki has to go back to the Latreia mansion before Claire notices his absence. But tomorrow... tomorrow the 'Crimson Crest' and the 'Fittoa Search Party' will have their first real strategic meeting."
I walked up to Paul and pulled a large bag from under my cloak.
I set it on the table. It was full of coins.
"Please, take it, Father."
Paul stared at it for a few seconds before turning his eyes back to me.
"Daiki, son..." he said quietly. "I feel strange being the father, and my son being the one giving me money."
"It's not for you, Dad," I said, cutting off his discomfort before it could grow. "It's for the search. It's to buy real information, so you can eat hot food, and so Norn has a decent bed."
...
"I'd feel bad sleeping in a warm bed while my family is having a hard time."
Paul looked down at the bag of coins. His fingers trembled as he reached out. In the end, he closed his hand over it.
"...You really grew up," he murmured. "Much faster than you should have."
And then he started crying again.
"Your mother... your mother would be very proud of you." He swallowed. "Well... she always was."
"I know," I whispered, squeezing his shoulder. "And soon you'll be able to tell her that yourself."
Paul nodded, wiping his tears with the back of his hand and regaining composure in front of his men.
"Roland, Vierra," he said, his voice regaining strength. "Tomorrow at dawn I want a full inventory. Equipment, provisions, outstanding debts. We're going to pay everything off and get ready. This search just leveled up."
"Yes, Boss!"
Paul looked at me.
"And now, get going before your grandmother sends the holy knights to find you." He lowered his voice. "Give your sister a kiss."
I looked at Norn, who was still half-asleep in my arms, clinging to my shirt as if she feared I'd disappear if she let go.
"Norn... little one," I whispered, stroking her hair. "I have to go for a while. But I'll be back. I promise."
She opened her sleepy, sad eyes.
"You're not staying?"
"I can't today. But Papa is here. And Shierra will take care of you." I looked at the shy girl waiting a few steps away. "Shierra, please."
I approached her. Shierra tensed up a little seeing me come close, but when she extended her arms to receive Norn, her movements were gentle and sure.
"I'll take good care of her..." Shierra whispered, taking Norn. "Come, little one... let's go to sleep."
I felt an emptiness as I let her go, but seeing how Shierra cradled her and how Norn relaxed instantly calmed me down.
"Thank you," I said.
I adjusted the hood of my cloak.
"Get some rest," I said, heading for the door. "Tomorrow will be a long day."
"Daiki..." Paul called out before I left.
I turned around.
"Thank you. For everything."
I nodded, saying nothing more.