assistirfilmes Chapter 75 – A Tour of Asura
Chapter 75 – A Tour of Asura
Chapter 75 – A Tour of Asura
— Leon Greyrat —
“So... you said this place was where you needed to go before Roa?” Vierra asked as she rode alongside me.
“Yeah,” I said. “There’s one more thing to do here in the south, but after that, we’ll be going to the Fittoa Region.”
“And I’m guessing that has to do with your odd magic that brought us down here?” she asked.
“Something like that...” I shrugged.
As luck would have it, there was a teleportation ruin from Nanahoshi’s journal to the south of the kingdom, only a few days travel away from my first stop.
Thinking about it now, this was probably the ruin her and Orsted used before our confrontation where I had been nearly killed, but I decided to ignore that little fact for my own sanity.
As we veered off the main highway onto a familiar path, I let the sound of our galloping horses calm my increasing heart rate as the dilapidated and burned ruins of a village came into view.
I was back here again... but I felt a little better this time.
As we got closer, we slowed to a trot as I navigated to the place I needed to go.
“This place... what is this, Leon?” Vierra asked, confused.
“My home,” I answered smoothly as I got off the horse. “I only need to pick something up, so feel free to have lunch or something. I should only be a few minutes.”
Tying up the horse against a nearby pole, I then walked around the wooden shack to where a very important stone was laid.
“Hey... it’s me again,” I said.
This time, I didn’t break down in tears.
After all, this was a happy occasion, as from now onward, I wouldn’t be apart from her.
“Just as promised, I’m here to take you back,” I said, crouching down. “I... got my current family back, and I even was able to meet my two other future wives along the way.”
I wonder... would she be like Mama, disappointed that I hadn’t committed myself to only one woman?
Sadly, I would never know.
I generated some water, washing off the accumulated dirt and grime from the stone.
“I have a home now,” I continued. “And I also have a child on the way. With Roxy, my old teacher. They will surely be cute, and I’m sure you would love them.”
Smiling, I then looked up, seeing the sun plastered in the clear blue sky.
It really was quite a beautiful day outside, and with the south of the kingdom being in the middle of fall, it was a perfectly balanced temperature as well.
Too bad I would be leaving soon.
“So now... I guess it’s time to start a family, huh? Since we’re all settled now,” I said. “They’ll still be my priority to keep safe, but now that we’re all together... I think I can start on that second promise I gave to you, it’s just... I’m unsure how to do it.”
My promise to help people... that was still troubling me.
During my travels, I had seen a lot of disgusting things, and that was all without actively looking for it.
So... even if I couldn’t change the world, if I could just change a few lives for the better... that would be fine, right?
But helping others... saving others... while at first a seemingly simple thing, it was difficult to truly save someone.
Something like defending a passing merchant from a bandit attack... sure, that was a simple solution, but I couldn’t defend all merchants, nor could I wipe out all bandits.
Plus, that would take too long, as I still had my family to focus on.
Instead... even if there are fewer people I affected... I wanted to protect them without going on a long journey, giving them a life worth living as well.
I still didn’t know what to do, but...
“I’ll try my best,” I affirmed. “I just... hope you would be proud of me.”
I’d like to think she would be.
Hearing a few footsteps, I then looked back to see Vierra and Shierra hesitantly making their way over, their heads tilting in confusion as they saw the gravestone in front of me.
“Leon, is that...”
“Yes, it’s my mother,” I said, turning back as I started my work. “Her name was Alice, and she was a humble basket weaver.”
Placing my hand on the ground, I focused on the nearby dirt, moving it to condense as a small pit began to form around me.
“I see...” Vierra said. “Can I ask how?”
“Bandits,” I said, my face twisting into a snarl. “I was probably a year old when it happened, but I still remember it.”
The blood, the pain, the dying rasps... and then the overwhelming sense of loss and the grief of the time I wouldn’t be able to share with her.
If I could go back in time, I would definitely save her in an instant, but... because of her, I was able to get a taste of death, and after making my promise to not let such a thing happen to my family again, I had yet to break it.
But it was a really shitty way to have a learning experience...
“I see... you did say you were a Miko,” Vierra said. “That... must have been hard for you.”
I then felt her gently pat my shoulder, and to my surprise, I felt Shierra’s hand there as well.
“It’s... fine,” I said as I further compressed the dirt into a hardened block.
Mama and Paul had explained that after my mother passed, they cremated her, as one is meant to do with corpses for the fear of undead rising from their bodies.
While the others were unceremoniously left as piles of ashes, Mama had opted to shallowly bury Alice’s near her gravestone, so that was why I would be taking the top layer of dirt here as well.
And then with the gravestone too... well, it was a good thing I packed light.
“Yeah... it’s fine,” I said, taking the block of compressed dirt with one hand and lugging the gravestone over my shoulder with the other as I turned to the two. “Now I’ll get to see her whenever I want, right?”
“...Right,” Vierra said, smiling back at me.
Shierra simply nodded, though I could see a small smile forming on her face as well.
She had really loosened up to me over the time spent together.
Having my hands all over Roxy and Sylphy probably helped, since my gaze never looked at her that way, but it was nice to see regardless.
“Well then... I said it would be a short stop, right?” I said, heading back to where my horse was. “You have a city to return to, and I have a child on the way, so let’s not wait around.”
Yeah... with this, I would be able to live with my family in the truest sense of the word.
It just took a little while to get to this point.
— Leon Greyrat —
Before leaving Sharia, as I knew that Lilia’s family was based somewhere in the south of the Asura Kingdom, I asked her to point out where exactly they were on a map to see if I could fit it into my plans.
Luckily for me, her parents’ dojo was only a couple of days from my birthplace, so it was obvious that I would make the trip to visit them for the first time.
After all, Paul’s parents were dead, and Mama’s parents were nobles of the Holy Country of Millis, so these would be the only grandparents I would be happy to see.
It wasn’t anything grand of a meeting, as I simply showed up, explained who I was, and after getting a hug from Lilia’s mother, Flute, and a heavy pat on the back from her father, Augustus, I then sat down to explain everything that had happened since our family was separated.
After hearing about the Displacement Incident, they were worried about Lilia being hurt, and after her not getting found two years after the disaster, they had all but written her off as dead, so they were quite ecstatic to receive the news that everything had worked out, and they even told me they were happy to call me their grandson.
But of course, as much as I wanted to keep talking with them, I had something else to do, so after thanking Augustus for getting the Water God to teach me, and giving them a letter from Lilia, we left to continue our journey.
I couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
We were unlikely to cross paths again, considering the distance between us, but it was still nice to meet them.
Maybe, if one of my kids ended up wanting to travel the world, I would be able to send them to their great-grandparents for a leg of their journey.
But anyway, there was only one other teleportation circle recorded in Nanahoshi’s journal in Asura, and luckily, it was right in between Roa and the Asuran capital of Ars.
“And your... sons?” I said, watching as Hilda’s eyes drooped in sadness. “You said that, according to tradition, your brother essentially took them from you. Were you able to... see them again?”
“Unfortunately not,” Philip said, leaning back. “I did ask my brother how they were doing, and they are both currently enrolled in school in the capital, preparing to forge their own path outside of politics.”
“Outside of politics?” I said curiously.
“Exactly,” Philip nodded. “The tradition is to ensure that there are no issues with succession, and the best way to ensure that is for the losers’ children to be removed from politics. Though, the most stable way would be to kill them, so I suppose I should say the situation is rather fortunate rather than unfortunate.”
“I... see,” I said, a bit surprised.
Right... the world of nobility really was disgusting.
I was glad Philip had the sense to leave it now.
But now Sylphy and Aisha had joined it... fucking dammit.
At least I could trust Ariel to be better.
“And is there anything you need to do before leaving?” I asked. “Like this house, for instance.”
“No, this place is only being rented to us by my brother,” Philip shook his head. “And as for leaving... it would be best to do so tomorrow, so no one catches on. Is that alright with you?”
“Yeah, that’s better, actually-”
I was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Master Philip! I finally found her!”
Huh?
“Tashiro? Ah, come in,” Philip said as Ghislaine went to open the front door.
As I looked at the surprise visitor, I was met with the sight of a man, a little shorter than me, with a spear in his hand and some light armour over his body.
In fact... I think I remembered him.
If I was correct, he was that overzealous guard from when I first came to Roa a year and a half ago.
While it was an interesting coincidence, that wasn’t necessarily what was churning my curiosity.
Rather, it was the fact that Vierra was next to him, holding his hand, while Shierra was behind them both.
...What?
“I found her, Master Philip! Or rather, she found me, but... I got her back!” this ‘Tashiro’ said, smiling widely. “I finally found my lover! Meet Vierra!”
...Huh?
That... what the fuck?
“Oh, Leon? You’re here?” Vierra said, noticing my presence.
“Uhh... yeah, I am,” I said, still quite shocked. “Will you guys tell me what’s going on?”
Tashiro and Vierra then explained what had happened.
Apparently, before the Displacement Incident, the three of Shierra, Vierra, and Tashiro were in an adventuring party, with Vierra and Tashiro being romantically involved, and were then separated when the disaster occurred.
I already know Vierra and Shierra’s stories, where they were rescued by my father and then helped him through the last four years, but I was more curious about Tashiro’s.
The man himself had been sent to the strife zone, where he was immediately captured.
In fact, he was about to be killed for some backwards ritual before Philip conquered that tribe, rescuing him from captivity.
Tashiro then decided to help Philip in order to repay him, becoming his most loyal guard after Ghislaine as he followed him all the way back to Roa... which explained why he was the guard back then, and also so loyal.
Tashiro was originally planning to go and find Vierra once he returned to the Asura Kingdom. But once he realized she was safe from the list of missing people, and that Philip would still need protecting here in Asura, he decided to protect the man until his duty was finished, where he would then go towards Millishion to link up with the Fittoa Search and Rescue group that she was a part of.
Luckily, Vierra found him at the guild first, so they didn’t end up missing each other.
That would have surely been a mess.
I was happy for them. Vierra and Shierra of all people deserved a happy ending.
Anyway, with Tashiro telling Philip that he would now be focusing on settling down with Vierra and wouldn’t be able to help as much, Philip let him go with a smile as the day slowly turned to night.
“Well... that worked out quite well, no?” Philip said, pouring himself a glass of wine. “If there is nothing else for you to do, Leon, then we will be leaving tomorrow. Would you care to share a glass for our eventual departure?”
“Uhh, no, thank you,” I said, waving my hand. “I’m quite tired.”
And not to mention the past four times I’ve had alcohol, I ended up bedding Roxy or Sylphy that very night, so I had no need to get unnecessarily excited from the memories of past drunken escapades.
I would save that for when I returned, as long as they were willing.
And knowing Sylphy... that was basically a certainty more than a possibility.
“Then... I can sleep with little Julius, and Leon can use my bed,” Ghislaine said, picking up the yawning child. “Is that alright?”
“Yes, thank you, Ghislaine,” Hilda smiled.
And with that, my first day visiting Roa after nearly two years came to an end.
— Leon Greyrat —
It was the next day, the day of our departure, and with Philip and Hilda using one horse, and Julius sat in front of me on mine, I quickly realized a mistake.
“I... guess we need to get a horse for Big Sis,” I said, scratching my cheek in embarrassment.
I totally forgot about that... whoops.
“No need,” Ghislaine said, shaking her head. “I won’t be going with you, after all.”
Uhh... what?
“You won’t?” I asked.
“No,” she said. “You told me I should visit my homeland, right? I believe I can trust the safety of those three to you, so I will be going to the Great Forest.”
“Oh... I see,” I said.
“Lainey... leaving?” Julius said, his bottom lip sticking out in a pout.
“I have to, little Julius,” she said, walking over to rub his head. “But you’ll be able to live happily and safely, and you will be able to meet your big sister in due time.”
Seeing that her words didn’t comfort the child, she continued, “I will be returning to Sharia in three years, so this will only be a temporary separation. Be well, little Julius.”
It seems that the two of them were quite close.
Well, I of all people know how comforting Ghislaine was as a child, so I understood Julius’ reluctance.
Maybe I should give him Ghislaine’s ring?
Yeah... I’ll do that once we got on the road to cheer him up.
I only needed one ring, after all.
Giving him a final nod, she then turned to me.
“And Leon... I want to thank you for keeping Eris safe and happy,” she said, smiling at me. “And also... for taking care of yourself. I hope that by the time we meet again, Eris will have a child on the way.”
“I’ll, uhh... try, Big Sis,” I said.
Talking about impregnating Eris right in front of her parents and little brother... even I felt a little embarrassed about that.
“Good. Then... take care,” she said before turning away.
And with that, our time in Roa officially came to an end, as I snapped the reins of the horse and began our trek back to the teleportation ruin.