The crackling of the campfire, the rustling of the leaves, the silent howling of the wind and the periodic chirping of the birds and insects, together with the subtle light from the sunrise and disappearance of the stars, brought about a beautiful and harmonious orchestra as the world was filled with colors and music.
"Fuwaahh～" ［Galvin］
Galvin's quite yet lengthy yawn mixed with the forest's symphony as he greeted the new morning along with his older brother who was gently rubbing his eyes. Both were still sleepy as they walked out of the tents, groggily.
"Good morning, Elnart, Galvin. Would you two like a glass of milk?" ［Yuna］
Yuna had already woken up before them and was tending to the fire with Grey by her side. As she said those words to the children, she grabbed two glasses and filled it with milk for the two to enjoy.
Even when he has not had a wink of sleep, Grey was still in his top condition. It was quite the refreshing night for him to observe the world after the sunset. It was empty yet not empty. An enigma which shows the other side of the world, a side which is just as beautiful as daytime.
After their morning greeting, the four of them shortly had their lunch. Thankfully, the children did not notice the change in scenery so there wasn't anything to cover up. Everything went smoother than Grey had initially planned.
Soon after breakfast finished, it was time to take off to the skies once again. Just like the day before, Grey summoned their familiars and four magnificent pegasi came forth from his shadows.
『Good Morning, Master, Mistress. We'll be serving you for today.』 ［Kentaurus］
『We'll make sure you'll have a smooth ride.』 ［Arcturus］
『Un! We'll be in your care.』 ［Yuna］
As agreed before, Kentaurus and Arcturus will be taking over the mount duty for the second day. They couldn't be any happier to show off their capabilities to their masters as such a chance was rare to come by.
With just a single flap of their wings, the familiars already rose up more than 10 meters from the ground. A few more flapping later, they have risen to the altitude where birds flew freely. They were ready to take the skies once again.
The journey went smoothly. Galvin and Elnart looked at the scenery excitedly, Grey and Yuna watched over them, the familiars stood guard for any dangers, it was just like yesterday. Well, it was a smooth ride, until...
"Hm?" ［Grey］
"Is something wrong, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah." ［Grey］
... just a few hundred meters away, Grey noticed a carriage surrounded by two groups of people. The two groups were unmistakably composed of knights and bandits, fighting one another.
『Yuna, can you take care of the kids for a while? I noticed some bandits attacking a carriage. I'll go help them out. I promise this won't take long.』 ［Grey］
『Un. Take care.』 ［Yuna］
When he heard Yuna's response, Grey hastily jumped from the back of Kentaurus and landed on the ground. While he jumped down from more than a kilometer high, Grey was perfectly fine. He had wind magic to thank for his soft landing.
As for the confused Elnart who was left behind, Yuna carefully brought him to her side and had him ride Arcturus along with her and Galvin. Even with extra weight added, Arcturus was not affected at all. To him, it was only as if an extra feather was added to his load.
Soon after, Yuna commanded the familiars to gently land down in the nearby woods, just directly below where Grey jumped off. With her capabilities, she managed to calm down the children and answer their inquiries without much trouble.
At breakneck speed, Grey hurried to the location of the fight, and just like he had predicted, it was a scene of bandits attacking a noble's carriage. Blood had already been spilt and the number of injured was also increasing.
All of the deaths were on the bandits' side and the reason was simple. It was because unlike the knights, they were an unorderly bunch who didn't know how to cooperate. It also didn't help that the knights were much stronger than them.
The moment a knight falls to the ground, one of their colleagues rescues them as fast as possible. But even then, the injuries the knights suffered were not to be scoffed at. Some were even at death's door.
Unluckily for them, the bandits outnumber them by a very large margin. There were only 10 knights while there were more than a hundred bandits. The ones remaining standing are all greatly exhausted and panting heavily.
One fight which stood out from the rest was one happening more than a dozen meters away. Both of them were D-rankers and were unmistakably the leaders of the two opposing forces.
"Don't let the bandits near the carriage, protect the mayー!" ［Knight Leader］
"Hey, your fight is right here!" ［Bandit Leader］
Seeing the bandits close in the carriage, the leader of the knights tried to issue an order towards his men, but the bandit leader didn't let him do what he wanted to, and just kept on attacking him.
Grey didn't even need to use "Judgement". It was easy to see who he should be helping out. The only problem was how to deal with the aftermath which he decided to think about later.
Without wasting any more time, Grey quickly jumped down from the branch he was observing from and joined in on the fight. He didn't even need to equip his gauntlet. All he needed to do was cast a single spell.
⟨⟨Lightning Cascade⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Deep from the forest, a cascade of electricity came flying towards the bandits at a rate not even the eyes could follow. Thankfully, Grey tweaked it so that it wouldn't kill them, only turn them unconscious.
Everything happened so quickly that when Grey finished casting his spell, all the knights could see was a blue light and all they could hear were the screams of the bandits along with the thud as they fell to the ground.
"W... What happened?"
"The bandits are..."
Dumbfounded, the knights were. The moment they regained their sight, all of their enemies were already down the ground, unconscious. Although they were relieved, they couldn't hide the chock and confusion on their faces.
"What happeneー Aaahkkkk!!" ［Bandit Leader］
The bandit leader noticed that his men were down and confusion was written all over his face, but before he could even ask what happened, Grey already delivered a bolt of lightning towards him.
It wouldn't take a genius to know what happened next. The moment the bandit leader received Grey's attack, his eyes turned white and his mouth started frothing with bubbles as he helplessly fell to the ground.
"Are you alright?" ［Grey］
Grey said as soon as he finished off the Bandit Leader, alerting the Knight Leader and making him instinctively point his sword towards Grey. Even when he was clearly exhausted, he didn't let his guard down and his eyes were still burning with fighting spirit.
"Ah, sorry for startling you. I mean no harm, I just saw you fighting against bandits so I thought I'd help out. Was I interrupting something?" ［Grey］
"I... I see... I apologize for pointing my sword at you, and... thank you for helping us out. I wouldn't even want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't helped us. Truly, thank you." ［Knight Leader］
Realizing his mistake, the leader of the Knights quickly sheathed his sword and bowed his head to apologize and to express his gratitude. He didn't even doubt Grey's words and just proceeded to do so.
"It's alright. Anyway, I only turned these guys unconscious. I'll leave it to your discretion what you want to do with them," ［Grey］
Or so he says, but deep inside his heart, he already knew the fate of the bandits he just defeated. Without a shred of doubt, they would be killed for their attempt at a noble's life. Some might be left alive for investigation, but they would still suffer the same fate at the end.
Even when Grey knew what awaits them, it didn't weigh down on his conscience. He had already killed a person before and he would probably do so again in the future. Besides, he already judged all of them as "evil" and they were just strangers to him. It didn't matter to him even if they died.
"We'll do just that, but first, I need to help out the injured ones first." ［Knight Leader］
"No need to worry about that." ［Grey］
"What do you meanー" ［Knight Leader］
⟨⟨High Heal⟩⟩ ［Grey］
A large magic circle appeared on top of the vicinity along with Grey's words. Soon after, warm and gentle light poured out from it, blanketing the whole surrounding with a holy light.
The knights who were greatly injured saw their wounds heal up quickly before their eyes. Even the ones who were at death's door were now in stable condition, it was nothing short of a miracle for the knights' eyes.
"Looks like everything's alright now. Well then, I'll be going now." ［Grey］
"Ah, waitー" ［Knight Leader］
Before the Leader of the Knights could even finish his words, Grey had already disappeared out of his sight and returned inside the depths of the woods. Grey didn't want to involve himself with them any further.
When he returned to where Yuna and the children were, the children were chatting with Yuna peacefully as Yuna told them various stories. Grey wanted to observe them longer but decided not to. After all, they still needed to arrive at the capital.
"I'm back." ［Grey］
"How was it, Big Bro Grey? Are the deers okay?" ［Galvin］
"Welcome back, Older Brother Grey." ［Elnart］
Noticing Grey's return, Galvin quickly ran towards him and asked about something Grey had no knowledge about. As for Elnart, he just stayed where Yuna was and greeted him calmly.
It only took a fraction of a second for Grey to understand what was going on. As soon as he saw Yuna's eyes blink, he immediately figured out the plan without needing any more clarification.
"Yeah, yeah, the deers are alright. They're running around the forest happily now." ［Grey］
"Whoa～. Big Bro Grey is awesome! I also wanted to help out the deers!" ［Galvin］
"Alright, maybe next time." ［Grey］
Grey answered as he patted Galvin's head, making the latter excited at the thought of helping out animals. Even Elnart looked forward to it if it were to ever happen. They were still children, after all.
The reason for Galvin's question was what Yuna had explained to them when Grey suddenly jumped down. Rather than telling the truth, she only said that Grey was helping out a group of deers stuck somewhere in the forest.
Being the children that they were, Elnart and Galvin immediately believed Yuna's words without a shred of doubt. They also wanted to help out, but Yuna managed to keep them occupied.
『So, how was it?』 ［Yuna］
『It was just as I expected. A group of bandits were attacking a noble's carriage. Thankfully, none of the knights died.』 ［Grey］
『Haah... Thank goodness...』 ［Yuna］
『Well, we should probably continue with our journey now. There's no use dwelling too much about it. As long as they're safe everything should be fine.』 ［Grey］
『Okay. Then, I'll call the kids.』 ［Yuna］
『Alright, thanks.』 ［Grey］
After their short telepathic discussion, the party continued their journey towards the capital, with Galvin asking about the details of the deer rescue during the duration of the flight. All of which was answered by Grey, with impromptu stories.
They encountered no more problems after the bandit incident. It was a smooth journey and just a little pass after lunch time, the walls of the capital could already be seen from the horizon.
Compared to the Galderia, the walls of the capital were much higher, it was easily able to dwarf the trees nearby. It was not just the walls, the capital itself was massive. It was easily more than 5 times the size of Galderia, as one would expect from the capital city.
In order to not cause any ruckus, Grey and company landed the pegasi in a nearby forest and canceled the summoning there. From there, Yuna and Grey walked towards the gates with Galvin and Elnart riding on Grey's shoulders once again.
Another notable difference between the capital and Galderia was the amount of people in line towards the gates. It wasn't even the busy hours, yet the line in the capital was already twice as long as Galderia.
Because of that, just like what they did to exit Galderia, Yuna and Grey used their privileges in order to get inside the capital easily. Even when it was the second time, they felt just as guilty.
"Yay! The capital!" ［Galvin］
"Hey, Galvin, don't be too loud." ［Elnart］
"Whoa～ There's so many people..." ［Yuna］
Upon entering the capital, what greeted them were lots of high-rise buildings, a large number of people, and lively streets. If Galderia was already populous, the capital was at least 5 times more than that!
Yuna acted the same the moment she entered Galderia for the first time. Just like the children, her eyes were full of curiosity and excitement. Grey felt as if he was looking after three children rather than two, the new one being his girlfriend.
As per Cedric's previous directions, Grey and company headed inside the noble's district and straight to the mansion of the Aldridge family. Normal people wouldn't be able to enter the noble's district, but with their guild cards, they were able to do so without a hitch.
Just like in Galderia, the Aldridge mansion in the capital was also massive. It just shows how much wealth a noble family has, being able to afford two grand mansions who were easily worth millions.
"Oh, Lord Elnart, Lord Galvin, you're here! Where's His Excellency, and... who might these people be?" ［Guard］
A barrage of questions came towards Galvin and Elnart as soon as a guard saw the two of them. It was obvious from his expression that he was happy to see the two young lords before him.
"Father is still at Galderia. He asked Older Brother Grey and Older Sister Yuna to escort us here." ［Elnart］
"Um! We rode on winged horses!" ［Galvin］
"I... I see... Well, if that's the case then I'll escort you to Her Excellency. She would be delighted to see you." ［Guard］
Even though the guard said he'll escort them, there was a tinge of doubt in his eyes as he looked at Grey and Yuna. Thankfully, his trust in Elnart's words was stronger and so, he did not pry any further.
Politely as he could, the guard escorted the four of them to a large room, similar to the one in the Aldridge mansion in Galderia. Upon their arrival, he told them to wait, which the four of them gladly did.
Moments later...
"Art, Vin, You're here!" ［???］
... a beautiful noble lady went inside the room and rushed towards Elnart and Galvin, giving them a tight hug. Just from her happy expression and the way she acted, it was apparent that that lady was the children's mother.
"Mother! I can't breathe!" ［Galvin］
"Mother, it's embarrassing..." ［Elnart］
"Eh? You're embarrassed that your mother is hugging you?" ［???］
"Uuu..." ［Elnart］
Not being able to win against his mother's words, Elnart just stayed still silently as his mother hugged them tightly. Grey and Yuna only looked at them warmly, allowing them to enjoy their reunion after months of separation.
"Oh! Dear me, looks like we have guests." ［???］
It was only when she noticed Grey and Yuna that Elnart and Galvin's mother slowly let go of her children. She immediately stood up so that she could give the two of them a proper greeting.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Veronica von Aldridge, Cedric's wife. I heard that you accompanied my children towards the capital. I'm thankful for that. " ［Veronica］
"I'm Yuna, it's a pleasure to meet you." ［Yuna］
"And I'm Grey, the pleasure is ours... Oh, by the way, Cedric told us to give you this letter. He said it contains a letter of introduction for us and a document to prove the completion of the quest." ［Grey］
When Grey handed the red letter container to Veronica, she quickly opened it and scanned the letter silently. Her eyes moved fast like lightning and it didn't even take her half a minute to read such a long letter.
Her expression didn't even change as she read the letter. If there were any changes, it was that her eyes contained minuscule traces of shock, shock which didn't even last a single second.
"This really is Cedric's handwriting... But still, to think that two young children such as yourselves are B-rankers. On top of that, you're going to receive a medal of honor! That's a really great feat!" ［Veronica］
"We were just lucky, Countess Veronica" ［Grey］
"There's no need to be so formal. After all, you're just calling Cedric just as is." ［Veronica］
"Ah, sorry... Then would 'Missus Veronica' be alright?" ［Grey］
"Hmm... I suppose so... Oh right, I still need to sign the confirmation letter. Is there anyone outside?" ［Veronica］
"You called, Madam?" ［???］
Just a few moments after Veronica called out to the servants, one of the maids entered and bowed gracefully to her. She was just a little older than Grey and Yuna yet already carried herself gracefully.
"Lilia, can you get me a pen from my office? Oh, and while you're at it, please tell another maid to prepare tea for the guests." ［Veronica］
"As you wish, Madam." ［Lilia］
Carrying out Veronica's orders, the maid, Lilia, exited the room quietly. After she left, Elnart and Galvin chatted with their mother with smiles blooming on their faces that they weren't able to suppress.
Just by the bright smiles on their faces, one could easily tell how much they have longed to be with their mother again. It was such a moving scene that it made Grey and Yuna think their effort was worth it.
When the maid arrived, Veronica quickly signed the confirmation papers for the quest and handed it to us. With it, Grey and Yuna's jobs are over. All they had to do was turn in the form to the guild.
"Here you go." ［Veronica］
"Ah, thank you. Well then, we'll be going now." ［Grey］
"Bye～." ［Yuna］
"Eh?! Big Bro Grey and Big Sis Yuna are going to leave? But... I still want to play with you..." ［Galvin］
Grey and Yuna were about to leave the room, when they heard Galvin's dejected voice resounding throughout the room. It was a scene similar to Eliza's case, the only difference was that Galvin did not throw any tantrums.
All Galvin did was look down, tears almost forming in his eyes. He wanted the two of them to stay but knew he couldn't act selfishly. He may be a child but he knew his limits. He was a considerate one.
"Sorry, Galvin, but we really need to go. But don't worry, when we have time, we'll come play with you and Elnart, okay?" ［Yuna］
"Really...?" ［Galvin］
"Really. So don't go causing trouble for your mother and brother, okay?" ［Yuna］
"O... Okay..." ［Galvin］
Thankfully, Yuna's skill in handling children became handy and she managed to comfort the dejected Galvin. But just as Grey and Yuna thought everything was fine, Veronica asked a peculiar question.
"Come to think of it, Grey, Yuna, have you reserved an inn already?" ［Veronica］
"No, we haven't. But don't worry about us. After we process this quest, we'll check in at one immediately." ［Grey］
"I'm afraid that it will be difficult. With the founding festival on the way, most of the inns should be fully reserved by now. It would be hard finding a vacancy even if you search the whole capital." ［Veronica］
Nonchalantly, Veronica dropped a bomb on Grey and Yuna. It was something that had totally slipped both of their minds. They usually only register in an inn upon their arrival so it was a totally new experience for them.
With the founding festival just two weeks away, the number of the people in the capital have increased by a large margin. And with it, all of the inn had already been reserved. If worse comes to worst, Grey and Yuna might not even get an inn to stay at for the whole duration until the festival ends.
"Grey, what should we do..." ［Yuna］
"I don't know either." ［Grey］
"Then why don't you stay here? Other than staying here for free, Vin and Art will be able to play with you for much longer. What do you say?" ［Veronica］
Just when all hope was lost, Veronica offered a great deal to the two of them. With it, they no longer have to go around the whole city in little hope that they could get shelter for the night.
"Eh? Big Bro Grey and Big Sis Yuna will be staying here?!" ［Galvin］
"We'll be in your care once again, Older Brother Grey, Elder Sister Yuna!" ［Elnart］
Of course, the children became delighted as soon as they heard Veronica. Even Elnart who was usually reserved couldn't hide the happiness in his face when he heard his mother's words.
At the end of the day, Grey and Yuna agreed to stay in the Aldridge mansion and as thanks, the both of them decided to cook dinner for them. Needless to say, it was Galvin who enjoyed it the most.
Because of what happened, the two totally forgot to go towards the Adventurers' Guild. It was decided that they'll do it first thing tomorrow morning. For now, they are enjoying their time with the children and Veronica.
CHAPTER 71 END