In the three-circles of Taglagas, the ambiance of the warm morning was present as early as the rising sun.
The outer circle located farthest away from the castle, yet nearest to the surrounding lands, were already filled with the waking sounds of commoners preparing for work.
Likewise, the inner circle, also called the business street, was already bustling with merchants and peddlers. Rich smells of spices and food amalgamated in the air.
On the other hand, in the center circle where wealth and serenity among nobles were always present, servants and knights were often the only ones up and active during that time.
However, at that moment, a young baron's son and his trusted friend— an owl, were fully awake.
That young man was of course, none other than Naell Beryldot and Owly. Both had sleepy listless eyes but were fully well-dressed, that is, in their own unique way.
Wearing his signature crisp white button-up and black comfy pants, Naell had further evolved his fashion by wearing "shoes" that were arguably known as sandals on earth.
Meanwhile, Owly's feathers were well-groomed with hints of a soothing mellow fragrance. This was gifted to him by Utua Taglagas.
"Brother! Owly!"
Naell's poor choice of fashion aside, they were actually there to welcome their dearest sister and friend, Lily Berlydot.
Immediately Naell hugged her. Owly did the same as he HOOTED at them joyfully and fluttered softly against her hair.
That made the young girl giggle while she returned the warm hug. It was then when she and Owly entered their own little world as reunited playmates.
It was a cute sight to witness Owly behaving his age, rather, just being "nice" and all. Their interactions always amplified Lily's adorable nature.
Wearing a simple brown dress with a slight looseness on its long frilled sleeves, her golden hair was neatly in a bun, and her light skin had hints of a tan, possibly from her training.
Lily's eyes also seemed brighter. It was an aftereffect of having finally awakened her magic. Noticeably, her mana was now also as radiant as her personality.
Truth be told, she had been training diligently under Sebastian Claus. There had even been times when she would participate in quests just as her brother did back then.
Having recently been acquainted with mage Sestra, the sister of the skilled now Captain Estra, Lily had a better understanding of her elements and experience.
Further, with the amount of advice from every one of Naell's letters telling her how to get stronger, she truly was steadily growing to be a formidable mage, much to Sebastian's surprise.
Beryldot's adventurers and knights even formed stories and songs to sing about her, just like her brother,
He who hails from the Witch of Ice
The one they called the villainous son
Yet- he's beaten up and drove out evil guys
Oh boy, we were wrong, vile gossips undone!
Together with his fluffy owl,
Sister as brave as he,
Their mentor, Sebastian Claus,
Praise them, our heroes to be!
Lily Beryldot-! Alas, those chants are for another time. Naell then began greeting the two ladies who had just gotten out of the carriage doors.
"Mother, Auntie, welcome to Taglagas."
Both ladies wore matching white dresses, yet with different tailoring that suited their own figures. Not only did it amplify their modest yet lovely appearance, but both mothers were also simply beautiful.
Thus, all who came to greet their new Madam, young miss, head and visitors, apparently were in awe of Lilia Beryldot and Andrea Sunheart.
Upon seeing Naell, they without warning rushed to hug him and Owly.
"Thank Aurora, you're safe..."
Both had caught Naell by surprise. Frankly, he would have pushed them softly if it weren't for the tears coming from their faces. He, even with his dumb sense of human understanding knew what their faces meant.
It wasn't a secret how Naell in the eyes of many, had nearly escaped death from a situation that could be likened to Alicia Beryldot, his birth mother.
Those who knew could only sigh for the tragedy. How cruel could fate be to make a son relive what could be likened to his mother's demise?
Because of that, it had taken a long time before the two ladies actually let him go. Even with Naell reassuring them he was fine with the most gentle smile he could offer, deep inside they knew he was troubled by it.
In fact, ever since that day, Naell felt a heaviness in his heart. He wasn't at all sure of the feeling, yet he knew it was the lingering emotion of the old baron's villainous son.
Yet that longing feeling of sadness was paired with a prickling rage, he knew it was still something he should hide.
The mere instance when he lost his mind from seeing Rinca Arigare's unconscious body was an indication that somehow, the old Naell was still living inside him. A theory that he couldn't share and frankly was out of his specialty.
Still, a thought occurred to him. The one person he assumed would be most accepting of those troubles, would be Andrew, who shared the same experience of being brought to that world without anticipation.
'Regardless, I'm sure even he wouldn't take it lightly. It's still for the best to hide it from anyone afterall...'
A dissatisfied look then came across Naell as his thoughts lingered, and his expression wasn't left unnoticed. In turn, the two ladies began consoling him more whilst crying out loving phrases for the poor boy.
Naell held in a chuckle. As much as he appreciated their genuine concern, he could feel their grips of love slowly getting stronger, suffocating rather.
It was then when the fortunate arrival of Andrew and the rest of the protagonist's party came, making them the next target of the crying mothers.
All of them were captured in the embrace. Even Note and Namiku who were the most sociable among them were bewildered.
Truly to the party of teenagers, it was all quite embarrassing. Yet what made them more confused was Rinca and Rizaul's faces showing they have clearly given up.
Little did they know, as far as witnessing Andrew's lovey-dovey parents' antics, they had gotten used to it.
"..."
With that, Naell then managed to greet the butler with a grin and the knights thereafter as he said,
"Congratulations on your promotion, you three."
Even though it was true Andrea was a formidable adventurer in the past, they still needed escorts. Which was why they brought Captain Estra, and his knights; Iwan and Dikolam.
Together with Butler Lebrut and other servants, they amassed the convoy and nobles who went to Taglagas.
With Naell's prior knowledge of the novel, he could now rest easy knowing that the bombing incident across the kingdom would cease to exist.
Not only did they cut their means of fortune, he had also helped by giving tips on the possible (but really definite) location of certain unwanted armies and bandits.
In addition, to ensure his village's (and the other estates') safety as well, the business Naell and his father discussed, now came into play. They had talked about involving tighter security using an improved patrolling and rank system.
Fortunately, due to that decision and for having recently stopped a group of bandits in the eastern forest, the three loyal knights were officially promoted to fill in the roles; first Estra as a new captain and the two knights, Iwan and Dikolam as his first and second lieutenant.
Even Fharom Beryldot was to be promoted for Viscount. His estate was now more developed and well established compared to the smaller villages.
Yet Fharom rejected the offer making it known that perhaps Naell's dislike of fame was by blood.
Going back, the trio puffed their chest as they thanked Naell and the proud Owly. They knew the experience they acquired from watching the snowman and the crow helped them achieve a greater understanding of their skills.
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