'Something must have happened to him!'
I was too stressed to sit down, now pacing around my little inn without rest, unable to control my emotions when thinking about my little brother. Gael hadn't sent me a message for over a week now, and if there was one thing I knew, it was that he always kept his promises.
"Hey, Nana, what's wrong?"
One of my customers seemed to notice my distress, "It's... It's about Gael. He is not responding to my messages anymore..."
Putting down the mug in his hand, he took a second to ponder, "Hmm...? Well, he is a healthy young man after all... Most likely he is busy after finding a beautiful woman to put his hands on! Hahaha!"
"Stop spouting bullshit!"
And with that, I walked away, still trying my best to figure out my thoughts. There was no way that he would have just gone incognito because he found some woman to claim, that was not the way Gael would act.
Therefore, there were only two possible scenarios. Either, he had just lost his phone, or...
"I have to go to the capital..."
=======
"What do you mean there are no records of him entering the city?! There has to be a mistake!"
"Sorry, ma'am, but I'm afraid there is not. Now, please move to the side to let the other enter."
I felt my blood heating up at the dismissive tone of the stupid guard, something I would have never expected from being out of the game for just a couple of years.
"Do you know how I am...? Do you know who you are trying to send away right now?"
Releasing a bit of my pressure, I knew I had to make a point right here and now if I wanted more information.
In a matter of a second, the guard paled, his legs trembling because of the ambiance I was surrounded by.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you without your armor! Please don't hurt me, Tigress!"
'That's a name I haven't heard in a while...'
After I had left the world of hunters, I had also discarded the nickname of the [S]-rank hunter I had once been.
"Show me those records. I want to see them for myself!"
As our late father had once said, if you wanted something done right it's best to do it yourself.
=======
"There is nothing..."
Standing in the office space of the guards, I had already spent hours looking through the entrance records only to find nothing.
"Then where is he?!"
At this point the three guards that had accompanied me here were all standing on shaky legs, trying their best to endure the power that I unconsciously let out due to anger.
Then, a sudden thought hit me as I remembered the reason why my brother had left Trill in the first place.
"Jack...!"
****
[James's Pov]
"Achoo! Sniff... How could I get a cold after I left Kurat?"
"I don't know... But if I don't have one, how could you have one?"
Two ravens were talking in one of the gigantic trees of Aldon, basking in the humid warmth of the exotic lands.
"But man, this place sure is huge..."
It seemed like the whole nation of Aldon was just one huge forest, where beasts, beastmen, and elves were living in perfect harmony.
Two weeks had already passed since I started my emigration south, and now I was just outside of the capital of Aldon, Kellenora.
Just like the other capitals, it was surrounded by a huge wall, just that this one was made of what looked like trees twisted together.
Although one would expect the elvish buildings to also be made out of trees, I was surprised to see very modern facilities surrounding the giant tree in the middle which I assumed to be the royal estate.
And so, why was I here? Simple, I needed to get a clear perspective of how the elven nation worked, and what kind of opinions and intrigues were hiding behind the curtains.
Flying here, I had some time to get a rough idea about the political landscape, but it was nowhere close to the insight I needed.
So, without delay, I had come to the capital, now taking my time to think about how I should proceed.
"I guess I should begin by flying around a bit. Maybe I can find some way to infiltrate that castle... Or maybe I should say tree..."
****
[Bellatrix's Pov]
"Welcome back! And I see that you brought a friend, how wonderful! May I ask you for your name, young lady?"
'Oh my god...! He is so hot!'
It wasn't a secret that elves were beautiful beings, but the man sitting on the wooden throne in front of me was on another level.
With his shoulder-length, silver hair framing the most perfect face that Theia had ever created, I could barely open my mouth to answer him.
"My...my name is Bellatrix Rue... Your Highness..."
His icy blue eyes of his opened up a bit, and it didn't take long until he laughed heartily, "Hahaha! No need to be so stiff, Miss Rue. I assume that you are here as a guest of my daughter, after all."
It was hard to feel like just a friend of his daughter when we were standing in the throne room, which was actually just an open platform at the top of the royal estate.
All around the edges were elves guards standing with either spears or bows, ready to pounce on any intruder that might arrive.
Turning my head to the right, I saw the smug face of a certain princess who most likely understood what I was feeling right now.
The king suddenly stood up and walked forward, and before long, he was hugging me tightly.
Feeling my face reddening, he spoke some gentle words, "It's so great that my little Adri had finally found a friend. Even if it took her 18 years, I'm so happy it finally happened."
When he was ending the hug, I felt my red face quickly cool down as I realized what his words entailed.
Now, the previously smug girl didn't look so confident, as it was now her turn to be embarrassed by her father.
"Father!"
Scratching his head, the gorgeous man seemed to realize what he had done, "Oh, sorry Adri, I couldn't stop myself. Now, I would love to talk with you more, but I'm afraid that it will have to wait. Please do show your friend around our beautiful city."
Somehow, our meeting was abruptly put to an end as the king had other matters at hand and I followed the princess to a portal that took us to the ground.
Somehow, the image of his perfect jawline and flawless skin was still etched into my mind. It was truly a tragedy that he was more than a hundred years old.
'Trelis Aldon...'
****
[3rd Person Pov]
"Guards, take a break. I need some time to myself before my guest arrives."
"Yes, your highness!"
Trellis sent away his guards, not wanting them to be around for the conversation that was now about to take place.
It didn't take long until another portal opened up in front of the throne he had returned to, and an elderly man stepped out, clad in his white uniform as usual.
"Greetings, king of Aldon, the hero of the silver sword."
Taking a small bow, the principal of Ainu didn't hesitate in showing his respect to the king.
Sadly, Trelis wasn't too keen on prolonging this, in his eyes, unpleasant meeting for longer than necessary.
"What do you want, Frederick? I thought we were done with each other a hundred years ago. What could be so important that you would step out of that precious academy of yours?"
****
[James's Pov]
'What kind of coincidence is this...?'
How absurd of a situation this was, that I had somehow stumbled upon a meeting between the elvish king and my old principal, a meeting that had no business being out in the open space like this.
What kind of throne room was this, to not even have walls to fend off prying eyes?
Still, I wasn't one to complain, getting the chance to see the wrinkly old man who I was the most suspicious of and his meeting with the king.
"What do you want, Frederick? I thought we were done with each other a hundred years ago. What could be so important that you would step out of that precious academy of yours?"
'Seems like they aren't on the best of terms...'
Sitting on my little branch, I suddenly got the urge for a bag of popcorn when I heard their conversation. Raising his body from the bow, the principal spoke with unprecedented calmness.
"Now, don't be like that, your Highness. I am here with a proposal, a proposal which will benefit you quite heavily."
Squinting his eyes with skepticism, the king pressed on, "What kind of deal?"
The principal with his still deadpan face threw a Molotov cocktail into the room, "I need a couple of samples from your brethren. In return, I will gift you the technology to the portal system."