Chirp Chirp Chirp Chirp
The sun had once again risen across the horizon, bringing forth a new day. The birds danced along the wind with the scent of grasses and flowers wafting through the air, flowing gently like creeks streaming down the rivers, into the open sea.
Clouds moved leisurely across the vast sky, painting the azure canvas with patches of white and gray. The sunlight, blessing the sleeping lands with its majesty, urging all creatures to greet a new day.
"Mhmm～!" ［Yuna］
Basked and embraced by the sun's gentle rays, Yuna stretched her arms towards the ceiling as she rubbed her eyes like a little kitten. It has become a daily habit to greet the new morning with such gestures.
Yuna looked around, to the left and to the right, yet saw no one. The person who she was looking for was not in sight. She felt a little lonely, waking up all alone, but she wasn't worried because she knew where Grey was.
Stretching her arms once more, Yuna moved away the blanket covering her body and rose from the bed, heading towards the closet and grabbed herself a new change of clothes. She then looked at the mirror, fixing her bedhead a little bit.
Ring Ring Ring
A familiar tune played in the air as Yuna fixed her disheveled hair. She looked at the desk where the noise was coming from, spotting a peculiar object with her eyes. It was the phone Grey had made a few days ago.
"Hello, Yuna here." ［Yuna］
「Ah, Elder Sister Yuna, good morning!」 ［Eliza］
As Yuna picked up the phone, a familiar voice replied, with clear traces of happiness in her voice. It was Eliza who had been calling Grey and Yuna every single morning since she received her present.
It has been a couple of days since Eliza's birthday, and before they went home, Grey explained to the people involved how to operate the phone. He had made a total of three phones. One for Eliza, one for Elise, one for Elaine, and one for him and Yuna to use.
While it was made for Eliza, in reality, it was actually a shared phone to be brought to the Landevar residence back at Moterno. It was to be used not only by Eliza, but Fritz as well. The same thing could be the same for the one in Elise's possession. It was for her and their mother, Eleanora, to use.
Like the ones on Earth, each phone had a specific ID or phone number. Since there were only a handful of them around, it was only a 4-digit number, which still does the job very well.
Of course, Grey made sure to tell everyone involved to keep it a secret as much as possible. Well, not that anyone else could make them other than Grey. Still, Grey made sure to not miss such an important point.
After learning how to use the phone, Eliza has been calling Grey and Yuna on a daily basis. Although they have communicated through Polaris before. The novelty of hearing each other's voice over long distances was what made Eliza excited every single time she made a call.
"Good morning, Liz. Do you need something?" ［Yuna］
「N-No... I just want to hear Elder Sister Yuna's and Elder Brother Grey's voices. I heard you were going back already, so...」 ［Eliza］
"Fufufu, don't be too sad. If you ever feel lonely, you can just call whenever you want. Me and Grey will always be there for you." ［Yuna］
「Okay...」 ［Eliza］
There was a tinge of sadness on Eliza's voice as she replied to Yuna. Although she wanted to spend more time with them, she didn't want to be selfish.
Just as Eliza had said, Grey and Yuna had already received the rewards from the subjugation of the flock. They received quite the hefty sum, totalling more than 230 million kiels, not including the amount of meat they got. It was mind-boggling.
For one reason or another, the King had also made the event a special quest from the guild, prompting Grey and Yuna to receive an ungodly amount of quest points. With the amount they got, not only A-rank they have also become eligible for S-rank promotion exams.
Of course, Grey and Yuna declined the promotion exam. They didn't want to increase their ranks in the Adventurers' Guild any further. They are already having trouble with their privilege cards and didn't want any more to add to it.
After Eliza's response, Yuna and Eliza talked about a couple more things as they went about their morning routines. Elise also joined in along the way and the three of them talked some more.
By the time the call ended, Yuna had finished fixing the room, herself, and packed her things. She took a quick bath, changed attires, and then headed back downstairs for breakfast.
"Big Sis Yuna, good morning!" ［Galvin］
"Good morning, Older Sister Yuna." ［Elnart］
"Un. Good morning as well, Galvin, Elnart. Have you seen Grey?" ［Yuna］
Yuna asked, even though she already knew the answer. There was no one else in the dining room other than herself, Elnart, and Galvin. There was only one place Grey could have been in.
"Big Bro Grey is in the kitchen! He was helping the chefs cook!" ［Galvin］
"I see... Thank you, Galvin." ［Yuna］
"Um! You're welcome!" ［Galvin］
Just as Yuna had guessed, Grey was inside the kitchen. Though she also helps out in the kitchen, since she had already taken a bath, she just seated herself along the dining table and chatted with the children as they waited for breakfast to be served.
Time passed and the doors opened once again. The ones who entered this time were the married couple, Veronica and Cedric. They seated themselves with their children and joined in on the talk, mostly listening to Galvin's cheerful stories.
The doors opened once more, and this time, the ones who entered were the chefs who brought with them the dishes they had prepared for breakfast. Grey was amongst them, talking with Martin for a short while.
"Sorry I couldn't help out in making breakfast. I woke up late again." ［Yuna］
"Don't worry too much about it. We have plenty of hands present in the kitchen. Just enjoy the food, okay?" ［Grey］
"Un..." ［Yuna］
Grey reassured Yuna as he patted her head and took the seat right next to her. After a while, all the dishes had been served, filling the dining hall with a variety of aromatic scents which will surely arouse one's appetite.
""""Thank you for the meal!""""
Happy smiles bloomed all over the dining hall as everyone enjoyed their last meal together. And just as usual, Galvin was a chatterbox as he continued his stories from before excitedly like the child that he was.
Galvin's stories covered a wide range. From his studies, to what he did on his breaks, and even his dreams. Galvin had no shortage of topics to share and everyone listened to him attentively.
It didn't take long for breakfast to finish. The many dishes served over the dining table soon vanished into everyone's stomachs. They didn't even notice since they were enjoying Galvin's story telling.
"Ah, right.... Cedric, Missus Veronica, can you spare us some time right now? We have something to give you." ［Grey］
As if lightning struck Grey's mind, he suddenly remembered something he wanted to give before heading back to Galderia. It was something both he and Yuna had agreed on beforehand.
"Hmm... Is it a parting gift perhaps?" ［Veronica］
"Well, sort of... Umm... Cedric, can you follow me for a moment. Ah, Missus Veronica, you can just stay here with Yuna and the kids." ［Grey］
"Okay...?" ［Cedric］
A confused expression befell Cedric and Veronica as they both tried to figure out what was going on. Even then, Cedric just followed quietly and didn't ask any further questions. He was brought to another room a few dozen meters away from the dining hall.
As one would have guessed, the present Grey was talking about was a cellphone, two cellphones to be more precise. The same things Grey and Yuna had given as a birthday present to Eliza and the Landevar family. Grey managed to make two more after Eliza's birthday, bringing the total to five phones.
"Missus Veronica, here." ［Yuna］
"Hm? This is..." ［Veronica］
"Grey calls it a cellphone. It's a present for you." ［Yuna］
"A cell... phone...?" ［Veronica］
Holding the cellphone in her hands, Veronica curiously inspected it, turning it upside down and other whatnots. Of course, as their mother was scrutinizing it, Elnart and Galvin couldn't help themselves but look at it curiously as well.
Ring Ring Ring
"Wa-Waah!" ［Veronica］
A sudden high-pitched scream came out of Veronica's mouth as she jolted from surprise. She was so focused on inspecting the cellphone that she was caught off guard by the sudden ringing. She was so surprised she almost dropped it.
"Yu-Yuna, it's ringing!" ［Veronica］
"Fufufu, that's only natural. Just press this button, Missus Veronica." ［Yuna］
"Th-This one?" ［Veronica］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
Following Yuna's instructions, Veronica cautiously pressed the answer button. The children's eyes were glued to every single one of their mother's movements, just as curious about what the cellphone does.
「Grey, are you sure this thing works? Nothing's happening.」 ［Cedric］
「Hm? I don't see any reasons why it wouldn't be working. They were just fine when I tested them this morning.」 ［Grey］
「Tested? What are these supposed to do then?」 ［Cedric］
Veronica and Elnart's eyes opened wide in shock as they heard two familiar voices echo from the phone. The only one who had a different reaction was Galvin, who was more excited rather than surprised.
With eyes asking for questions, Veronica's eyes turned to Yuna's direction, but rather than answering, Yuna only gave her a big, bright smile. It was then that Veronica understood why Grey and Yuna gifted it to them.
"Waah～! It's Father and Elder Brother Grey's voices! Are you two playing inside the little box?" ［Galvin］
「Huh? Galvin?!」 ［Cedric］
"Um! It's me!" ［Galvin］
Galvin, unaware of what the true meaning of the cellphone was, just answered his father's shocked voice enthusiastically. Elnart, who was beside him, was just as surprised as their mother, but it didn't take him long to join in on the conversation.
As she saw her children and husband talk to one another, a little smile appeared on Veronica's face. Being happy was an understatement to describe what she felt. She looked at Yuna's direction once more and whispered two words.
"Thank you." ［Veronica］
There was a subtle trembling contained in Veronica's voice. She was trembling in happiness as she gave her gratitude to Yuna before also joining in the little talk shared by her children and husband.
After the quick little demonstration, Grey and Yuna explained how the cellphone worked and their own 4-digit numbers. They also gave them a list which contained the other numbers of the other devices.
Just like what he told the Landevars, Grey asked them to keep the existence of cellphones a secret. While there wouldn't be a big problem if it was revealed since communication crystals already exist. He just didn't want him and Yuna to experience more troublesome situations than what they already had.
With everything loose ends tied, there was nothing left for Grey and Yuna to do. Grey quickly took a bath and changed himself like Yuna did before him. After all of that, it was time to wave their farewells.
"Then... I guess this is goodbye for now, huh..." ［Grey］
"Are you sure you won't be staying any longer? Our doors will always be welcome for the two of you." ［Veronica］
"We appreciate the offer, Missus Veronica. But you see... It's getting somewhat hard moving around in the capital. We always need to wear cloaks when we go out and it's kind of draining." ［Grey］
"Un. We'd like to enjoy our days like how we usually do. Plus, wearing cloaks is really uncomfortable. It would be nice to go around freely like before." ［Yuna］
"Well, that's a shame..." ［Veronica］
Just as she commented so, Veronica noticed a certain person by the corner of her eyes, barely holding himself back from crying. It was none other than Galvin, who, like Eliza before him, wanted Grey and Yuna to stay with him.
Elnart also felt the same as Galvin but didn't show the same magnitude of dejection as him. Elnart didn't want to hold back the two of them. Though it would also be a lie to say he didn't want to be selfish.
Seeing the two children with dejected expression over them, Yuna squatted on the ground and gave the both of them a par on them, gently ruffling their hairs as if she was petting some kind of pet.
"Galvin, Elnart, don't be too sad. When you go back to Galderia, we'll have a lot of time to play with each other. So cheer up, okay?" ［Yuna］
"You promise...?" ［Galvin］
"Un! I promise! Isn't that right, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. We'll play with you as much as you want." ［Grey］
Hearing Grey and Yuna's words of reassurance, Galvin wiped away the tears forming on the corners of his eyes and gave Yuna a tight hug. After Yuna, it was Grey's turn to receive a similarly warm hug.
Elnart was acting timidly, but when Yuna opened her arms for him, he also gave her a tight embrace. It was only then that tears started trickling down his face. He looked even messier than his younger brother now that he was crying.
It took a few minutes before Galvin and Elnart calmed down. After bawling their eyes out, they took their parents' hands so that they could properly send Grey and Yuna off with smiles on their faces.
"We'll be going now." ［Grey］
"See you next time. Bye～!" ［Yuna］
"Bye～! Big Sis Yuna, Big Bro Grey, let's play again～!" ［Galvin］
Hands were waved as they expressed their farewells to one another. Although it would just be a short one, it was still a farewell nevertheless. A farewell which feels especially long to children such as Galvin and Elnart.
Before leaving the noble's district, rather than wearing cloaks, Grey and Yuna used Yuna's ability to hide themselves and leave the royal capital stealthily. They didn't need to visit any places as they had already done so the day before.
While it felt a little wrong as if they were sneaking away like criminals, they couldn't do anything about it. After all, if they just went out normally, there would surely be a commotion over their identities. They would surely be surrounded by crowds upon crowds of people.
After leaving the royal capital, the first destination Grey and Yuna went to was the nearby woods. They weren't going to run along the woods like they usually do, but rather, fly across the vast air.
"Come forth, Sirius." ［Grey］
Grey and Yuna's shadow trembled with Grey's words. Soon enough, a fragment of the shadow split apart, making the wind tremble as the trees sway as it grew larger and slowly took its true form.
Sirius didn't even need any words, she quickly lowered her wings for Grey and Yuna to climb on. She felt happy that she could do her masters and felt satisfied that she could fulfill her purpose.
"We'll be in your care, Sirius." ［Yuna］
"I will do my very best." ［Sirius］
Gusts of wind brewed inside the woods as Sirius started to flap her wings. With each flap, she flew higher and higher until such that she pierced the clouds, reigning over the vast sky like a queen.
Of course, Yuna didn't forget to cast "Presence Concealment" and "Physical Concealment" to Sirius as she flew. After all, they didn't want to startle anyone or anything for that matter as they flew above the clouds.
While Polaris is much faster than Sirius, he was left behind in Eliza's care once again. He had also grown used to being by the little girl's side so there wasn't much protest on either side.
"Sirius, no need to hold back. Go as fast as you can." ［Grey］
"Understood, Master!" ［Sirius］
With just a single flap of her wings, Sirius easily broke through the wind barrier and covered more than a hundred meters in an instant. It was a speed which easily measured a couple hundred kilometers an hour.
Cold breezes and fresh winds caressed their bodies as they swept through the sky as if they owned the place. With each passing minute, hundreds upon hundreds of meters have been covered.
Time passed and a few hours elapsed. In such a short amount of time, the city of Galderia was already in view. Not wanting to surprise the people, they once again landed on a nearby forest.
"Thank you, Sirius." ［Yuna］
"It was a pleasure, Master, Mistress." ［Sirius］
Sirius slowly disappeared into thin air as she went back into the shadows to take her rest. Meanwhile, Grey and Yuna headed to the northern gates. A familiar feeling brewed inside their hearts as they neared the gates.
It was currently early in the afternoon, and as one would expect in such a busy hour, the line towards the gates was quite a long one. This time, Grey and Yuna lined along normally as they aren't escorting anyone
"Your IDs pleaー"
The gate guard was about to ask Grey and Yuna, but as soon as he saw their faces, he suddenly paused and stared at them with a little bit of shock for a quick moment. He was one of the gate guards who was familiar with them.
"Y-Your Excellencies! Why are you lining up here?! You could have just passed the line if you wanted to!"
The guard asked in a screaming yet whispering voice. There were traces of shock and confusion as he asked his question. Thankfully, he didn't yell out loud and needlessly gathered the attention of the crowd.
Somehow, even when they were being addressed as "Your Excellencies", they didn't find it too uncomfortable. Rather, they found it pleasant. It was much better than being addressed as "Your Highnesses".
"Well, it would be unfair for the others, wouldn't it? Is there a problem with it?" ［Grey］
"No, not at all!"
"I see... Then, we'll be heading inside now." ［Grey］
"Keep up the good work!" ［Yuna］
"Y-Yes!"
After entering the city, they didn't head towards any other places and just went straight towards the "Rabbit's Den". They both missed the familiar atmosphere and wanted to indulge in it as soon as possible.
"Welcome, how may Iー" ［Helen］
A familiar voice rang as soon as they opened the door to the inn. It was none other than Helen who was once again at the reception desk. She hasn't changed much in the time they were gone.
"We're baー" ［Yuna］
"Grey! Yuna! You're returned!" ［Helen］
Yuna wasn't even able to greet Helen. As soon as she saw the both of them, she quickly jumped out the reception desk and gave the both of them a tight hug. Though people would find her sudden actions unruly, to Grey and Yuna, it was a welcome act. It was Helen that they knew.
"So, so, how's the capital?! Did you enjoy the founding festival?! I heard there was a carnival! Was it fun?! Was it?! Was it?!" ［Helen］
There wasn't even any sort of greeting. Grey and Yuna were only bombarded with questions from the curious Helen. Her eyes were lighting up as she asked question after question.
All Grey and Yuna could do was smile as they tried to entertain Helen's inquiries. Although it was a little tiring, smiles bloomed on their faces as they answered her questions. There was one thing for sure, they were home.
CHAPTER 113 END