File stood in front of Zachary, noticing that he seemed happier than ever. Despite having eleven children already, Zachary had never looked more joyful than when holding his child, Allura. She was truly a child born from the genuine love between him and Lura.
"Welcome back, Zachary," said File.
Zachary didn't answer immediately, as Allura began to stop crying and eventually fell asleep in his embrace. He whispered softly, "We will get you home soon."
Time passed, and upon their return home, they surprised both the nobles and royalty alike. Zachary proudly announced the birth of his twelfth child, Allura White, the Princess of Whiteford.
As File and everyone returned, Commander Gartok and his men also managed to come back safely. Hector hugged Zachary deeply, and in addition to being safe and healthy, Zachary appeared more alive and looked stronger.
Allura was taken to live in the grand White Castle. However, the eyes of the nobility and royalty directed a sinister gaze towards her. Aina, who once longed to see her little sister, was prohibited by the guards and even some of her mother's family. They claimed that Allura wasn't supposed to be part of the Royal Family, and a child of unknown origin would bring disaster to Whiteford.
Now six years old, Aina didn't understand any of this, so she could only nod along to her mother's family, who were the ones raising her, as Anne was still weak and sick. No matter how many times she asked about Allura, no one explained anything to her except File. When Aina inquired with File, he carefully explained things to her. On random occasions, File would carry Aina to see her infant sister. Although it was against the wishes of the Freyr family, none of them dared to challenge File.
As time went on, young Allura received harsh treatment, not only from the nobility and some members of the royal family but also from servants, who viewed her as nothing but a bastard child—someone unworthy of being within the White Royal Family. Thankfully, Zachary stood up for Allura, which, of course, fueled jealousy among the princes and princesses and within the royal family, as they believed Zachary had found his favorite child. This created a significant roadblock for those who sought to control the kingdom.
Fortunately, Crown Prince Hector did not share such hatred towards his little sister. On the contrary, he deeply cared for her, seeing Allura not only as someone who restored smiles to their father but also as an innocent among the White Royal Family. Hector took care of Allura ever since she was little, even threatening anyone who dared to harm her.
As they grew up, where Aina had File to comfort her when she was sad, Allura had Hector looking after her. Aina ultimately grew into a young and brave girl who cared deeply for her kingdom.
One morning, twelve-year-old Aina was running through the halls when she saw her mother, who was feeling better. In her excitement, she ran into Princess Maryam, her older sister from Princess Rahma.
"Ouch!" shouted Aina as she stumbled into Maryam.
"Hey, be careful!" Maryam replied, looking annoyed.
"Sorry!" Aina exclaimed, continuing to run without thinking much about it.
"That kid," Maryam said, shaking her head in frustration.
"Let her be, Princess," one of the maids assured Maryam.
Aina then rushed to her mother's room, slamming the door open. "Mom!!" she called, her voice filled with excitement as she showed a piece of paper.
With a big, innocent smile, she revealed her report card, boasting her achievement of being in the top 10 of her class—specifically, ranked 6th.
Her mother, though still weak, sat up and hugged Aina tightly. But then, she suddenly wore a concerned expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't get my rank higher," Aina lamented.
"It's alright, dear. You've already given it your best," some of the maids cheered Aina on.
"Mom, if you get better, can we go on vacation somewhere?" Aina asked eagerly.
"Okay, when my condition improves, I promise to take you on vacation," Anne said.
Aina jumped in happiness. Of course, she wanted to go to Fonta Aria to meet her idol, Sein Eleison, the famous leader of the Twelve Heroes known for his exploits in defeating an ancient demon resurrected on the Northern Continent.
Despite being a princess, casually meeting such a hero wouldn't be an easy task for her or her mother. But as Aina learned more and more about history, she knew one person who could help her meet her hero: File.
In his office, File was seen talking to an elf, Astarte Petrickor.
Like File, Astarte was one of the Grand Masters of Whiteford, specifically the Grand Master of the Imperial Knight Division, an order of knights tasked with guarding the capital city of Whiteford—a position held by the Petrickor family.
Ever since its founding, the Petrickor family had always been the closest noble family to the White family, long before File joined the White family as Lord Protector and Champion.
Astarte was also a survivor of the Tamura invasion. Even though most of his siblings and uncle were slain by Tamura himself, Astarte managed to survive a confrontation against Tamura—a story that had been told by thousands. Moreover, as the sole heir of the Petrickor family, Astarte was also the son of Viola Petrickor, the legendary Raven, who had held the title for over 400 years.
Although his parents had divorced after the war against Tamura for unknown reasons, the title was still honored in Astarte's name. However, deep down, Astarte was not as brave as people believed.
Despite his cold, stoic personality, which upheld justice and respected everyone not only for their lineage but for their personal achievements, there was a part of Astarte buried deep in fear.
The day Tamura laid siege to White Harbor, Astarte, alongside his uncle, two older brothers, and one younger brother, was tasked with leading the alliance to survive the attacks until reinforcements arrived. Of course, the battle didn't end well. His uncle, the leader of the Petrickor family, along with all his siblings, was easily slain in cold blood by Tamura himself.
The haunting sounds of the Utakata Force and battleship horns still echoed in his mind. He remembered when the white walls of White Harbor were breached. Thousands of magic cannons bombarded every part of the harbor and the city, and the young Astarte could only witness it all in horror. Over hundreds of thousands of corpses of his fallen comrades could be seen as far as the eye could reach.
Frozen in fear and tears, Astarte couldn't even react as he watched Tamura approach. His uncle, Alios Petrickor, crawled toward him, covered in wounds, begging for help.
"Astarte… help me… help me…" Alios pleaded as he crawled.
Tamura then approached and ended Alios's life right in front of Astarte. That day, Astarte could only freeze in place due to his fear; he thought this was the end for him, convinced that there was no one left to save him. As Tamura approached, he mocked Astarte, who claimed to be a knight yet was too afraid to raise his weapon.
Astarte was left alive as Tamura and his soldiers walked past him, mocking him for being unworthy of death. An hour later, when the reinforcements finally arrived, a climactic duel unfolded in front of Astarte. The blades of Grand Master Boltor and File White/Fallion Drake Blood clashed with Tamura in a battle that destroyed 90% of the city.
After over 12 hours of fighting, the combined forces of Boltor and File managed to critically wound Tamura, ultimately pushing him and his soldiers back.
As time passed, Astarte was among the survivors of the war, crowned as one of the heroes who fought against the Tamura invasion. Yet, deep down, he felt ashamed of himself. He considered himself a coward, too afraid to fight, too ashamed to live. Only a few people knew the truth: File, Zulf White, and Johanes Petrickor, Astarte's own father.
Due to this, the entire Petrickor family viewed Astarte as a failure and an embarrassment—except for his little sister, Erina Petrickor, who believed her brother was a hero. She thought that just because he was afraid didn't mean he was a loser. Astarte tried his best to live up to his sister's expectations.
However, this burden contributed to Astarte growing into a cold person, focused on succeeding in his missions while honing his skills. Over the next 30 years, the young elf rose in rank and popularity, earning respect among the knights. Ultimately, he earned the position of Grand Master of the Whiteford Imperial Knights, making him the second champion of Whiteford, standing alongside File.
"Sir File, are you sure about this?" asked Astarte.
"I understand your concern, Astarte, but if everything I've heard about Uchitsune is correct, we can't afford to let the next Tamura rise to power," File replied.
"You've met him; what is he like?" Astarte inquired.
"For a thousand years, I have traveled across the world, fighting demons, Outer Gods, monsters, and men alike. Tamura truly caught me by surprise; his strength and power are not something I could ever have imagined being possessed by a single man. But Uchitsune defies every expectation I prepared. I never thought someone like him could exist," File explained.
"He is that strong, then?" asked Astarte.
"I can't say for sure whether he is stronger than Tamura or not. But every single moment I saw that mask he wears, something unsettling could be felt. There is something wrong with him," File said.
"Be careful, then. I'll wait for your return," Astarte replied. As he left, he noticed Aina coming down the hall and proceeded to greet the young princess.
"What are you doing here, Lady Aina?" Astarte asked.
"Uh, Mr. Astarte, I want to meet File," she said.
"Oh, very well. Sir File is inside. I will take my leave, Lady," Astarte said before departing.
Aina approached File while he was reading some documents.
"File! File!!" Aina jumped and hugged her protector.
"Oh, little princess, what's wrong?" File asked as he lifted Aina and placed her on his chair.
"File! File! Look at my rank!" Aina exclaimed.
"Wow, that's great! You truly are smart," File praised.
"File, can you take me on vacation?" Aina asked eagerly.
"Take the young lady on vacation? Ohoho! Where do you want to go?" File replied while patting Aina's head.
"Well, I want to go to Fonta Aria—Melody City," Aina said.
"Fonta Aria? Do you want to visit the opera house, or is there an orchestra you want to see?" File asked.
"Well… no, actually, I want to meet Mrs. Sein Eleison," Aina admitted.
"Sein? Ah, that brat," File mumbled to himself.
"Can you help me? I really want to meet her!" Aina pleaded.
File thought for a moment, then looked over some papers.
"Well… I can, technically, but how about at the end of the year?" File suggested.
"What? But that's still four months later!" Aina exclaimed.
"I know, I know, but let's say that right now Sein still has something to do, and I, too, have work to attend to," File replied.
"Aww… but you promise, right?" Aina said, their two pinky promises sealing the agreement.
"I promise," File affirmed.
With a heavy heart, Aina accepted it, considering that File had to work and that, as a hero, Sein was said to be busy.
That evening, every member of the royal family was called to dinner together. Aina was seated beside her mother and her older brother, Zack White. She smiled, seeing her father looking more alive than before. As they began eating, everyone noticed that File's seat was empty.
"Sir File is absent?" asked Barnabas.
"Yeah, but he'll be alright. He's meeting our allies from the White Cloud Country. He has a close relationship with them, making him a great representative, plus he mentioned he has something he wants to personally investigate," Zachary explained.
"Father, may I ask you something?" inquired Prince Adonis.
"What is it?" Zachary shifted his gaze toward Adonis.
"I want to study at the Mage Society headquarters in the Rimba Republic," Adonis said.
"That's quite far, brother. While I know the best mages of this continent are there, their branches here in Whiteford are also among the top. Not to mention, it is said that Sir File studied there," remarked Prince Landrel Mash White.
"I know, I know, but I want to learn a certain type of magic, and the only person who knows it is, in fact, the Grand Magus herself," Adonis explained.
"Okay, now what kind of magic do you want to learn, Adonis? Something like a meteor to destroy the world?" Hector teased.
"Nah, just something useful. It's actually a spell about forests," Adonis replied.
"Well, I don't see much of a problem, but you should be careful, Adonis," Zachary advised.
"Don't worry, Dad. I'll take some people to guard me," said Adonis.
As everyone focused on eating, their eyes shifted to Allura, who was eating quietly with the family yet felt like an outcast. Hector took the initiative to shower Allura with affection to help her feel welcomed in the family. He gave her more portions of food.
Aina simply stared at her younger sister as Allura shifted her gaze in embarrassment. Aina was just about to call out to Allura when her mother, Anne, held Aina back and shook her head, signaling for her not to do it. Aina then backed down.
After dinner, Aina returned to her room. Lying on her bed, she felt upset. File, the person closest to her and her only friend, was now on a different continent, leaving her feeling trapped and bored. She could only stare out of her window.