Sla——
Nasha, as usual, drew open the bedroom curtains. The glaring light shone on Roland’s face, pulling her from her slumber.
“Why is it morning already…”
The commotion also woke up Mia, whose drowsy eyes made her look like a confused little bear.
“Miss Roland, it’s almost eight o’clock already! Time to get up!”
“Eight… Isn’t that still early?”
“It’s not early at all. If you don’t get up now, breakfast will get cold. Come on, let me tidy you up, and you too, Miss Mia.”
Reluctantly, Roland got up from the bed and sat down at the dressing table, her eyes half-open, letting Nasha fix her messy hair and clothes.
Once she finished grooming her, Nasha asked, “Will you be eating in the bedroom or in the living room today?”
“Bedroom.”
If the food could be brought up, Roland couldn’t even be bothered to move her legs.
While the maid went downstairs, she slipped right back under the covers and, hugging Mia, quickly fell asleep again.
When Nasha returned, she found Roland missing, and instead, a little “yurt” had appeared on the bed.
That morning, the maid’s shout startled the birds off the branches and sent them tumbling from the trees.
“Miss!!”
After breakfast, Roland decided to head out first to deal with Julian’s matter. After all, when it comes to illness, even a short delay can worsen things. It wouldn’t do to drag it out.
Before she left, Mia clung to her clothes, unwilling to let go.
Roland crouched down, pressed her forehead gently against Mia’s, and comforted her, “Don’t worry, our separation is only temporary. As soon as I finish my tasks, I’ll be right back. Until then, you must practice your writing, okay?”
Though reluctant to part, Mia understood she had to be a good child. She wrapped her arms around Roland’s neck, trying to express her feelings in this awkward, childlike way.
In that instant, Roland truly felt like a mother bidding her child farewell, forced apart from family by life’s little troubles.
Mia had wholeheartedly accepted her “new mother”, which meant she now had a home and family to look forward to.
So this is what it feels like to become a mother…?
When Mia let go, Roland felt a pang of regret, wishing she could hug her a little longer. But she knew now wasn’t the time to get lost in feelings—there were more important things to do.
“Thank you for trusting me, Mia. I won’t keep you waiting long.”
Standing up and heading to the carriage, Roland gripped the handle and entered. Graham mounted the horse with his foot in the stirrup. After bidding farewell to everyone at the castle one last time, the carriage set off.
First, Roland found Father Isaiah and briefly explained the results of yesterday’s case. Then, with him in tow, she went to the blacksmith’s shop to find Julian and asked Julian to lead the way.
Halfway there, Roland asked why he didn’t just ask Father for healing. Julian replied, “Because I don’t want Lina to think I’m useless. She always says I’ve been a reliable big brother.”
“So you threw yourself into work at the blacksmith’s instead?” Roland countered.
“Mm… I won’t do that again in the future.”
“And who’s Jasper, the one you mentioned?”
“He’s a wandering merchant, passing through our Village recently. He’ll be staying in the nearby Town for a while and will take this road again when he leaves. I was hoping to trade with him for some medicine to cure the illness.”
A wandering merchant?
Roland thought maybe she could find this wandering merchant. Who knows, maybe he sold magic books. She couldn’t possibly be so poor she couldn’t afford even a book, could she?
Following the path, Roland and the others arrived at their destination—Lina’s home.
Julian walked up and knocked on the door. Soon after, a brown-haired girl opened it, seeing him and the two behind.
“Lina, I brought someone to help heal your mother.”
After a brief explanation and recounting the situation, Lina let them in. Her mother was a village woman who had been injured gathering herbs in the mountains a few days ago. She fell ill and had been bedridden ever since, with only Lina to care for her.
Father Isaiah examined her and quickly gave his diagnosis: “The symptoms are common—probably a viral infection caused by the injury. Normally, it’s nothing serious, but if she’s weak, it could trigger complications, which can be deadly.”
Lina asked anxiously, “What should we do, then?”
“It’s alright, I can handle it. The Goddess’s power can heal these ordinary wounds and illnesses, but you must be careful not to let it happen again.”
Isaiah opened his book with one hand, the pages forced open by some unseen force. A warm light spilled from its pages onto the patient in bed. The wounds and fever visibly faded and soon disappeared entirely.
Lina’s mother slowly opened her eyes, noticing two strangers in her home. Her expression turned guarded at first, but upon seeing one of them was Father Isaiah, she relaxed. As for the other, she looked somewhat familiar.
“Mother, you’re alright now!” Lina cried, hugging her mother.
“Lina… What happened? How am I better?”
With the matter resolved and Roland about to leave, Lina’s mother suddenly called out as if remembering something, “Wait, are you Miss Roland?”
Roland turned around and replied with a calm “Mm,” without the slightest air of superiority.
“About Lord Rod… I’m sorry. Maybe I could have stopped him from the start. If I had spoken up back then…”
Hearing this, Roland guessed her father must have spoken with this woman before leaving, and perhaps she knew what had really happened. But if she asked directly, Father Isaiah might interfere.
In any case, the truth would come out eventually, so there was no rush.
“What kind of person do you think my father was?”
The sudden question caught Lina’s mother off guard.
“He… was a knight full of justice.”
“But to me, he wasn’t a very qualified father. Leaving his daughter home alone with a mess to deal with—any of those things are enough for me to resent him for a long time. So you don’t need to blame yourself for what may or may not have happened. Blame him for leaving without a word.”
“Alright. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’ll remember this kindness.”
With the matter settled, Roland calmly left the room.
No matter what, only by becoming stronger could one face and understand the unknown.
She got into the carriage and called out to Graham, “We’re heading to the Town of Field, to look for a wandering merchant named Jasper.”
On the way to the town, she couldn’t help but recall the words her father once said before that funeral: “My people are suffering. They need a brave knight, not a lord cooped up handling paperwork all day! Roland, my daughter, one day you’ll understand me. One day, you’ll charge forward bravely for what you cherish!”
No matter how stirring or impassioned his words, they didn’t move Roland’s heart in the slightest.
If only he had survived, or thought more of his daughter, maybe Roland wouldn’t have to face so much trouble now.
These burdens shouldn’t have fallen on her so soon. Even if those warm, beautiful memories occasionally surfaced, she still blamed her father.
With a heavy, complicated heart, she once again arrived at the small town called Field.
“Miss, we’ve arrived at the Town of Field,” came Graham’s reminder from outside the carriage.
The carriage door opened. Graham wanted to help her down, but Roland refused and jumped down by herself instead. She said, “The Adventurers’ Guild has lots of people coming and going, so there should be information there. Go ask where Jasper is.”
“Yes.”
The Adventurers’ Guild was a massive organization, possibly with even more members than the entire Church of Light combined. But its management was loose and disorganized, making its members a mixed bag, both in ability and character.
These people were called Adventurers, making a living by taking on various commissions for rewards. From the entire Brand Empire to every little town, they had branches everywhere. Most commissions were posted on the Guild’s notice boards, though some chose to give secret commissions.
Of the known five ranks, excluding unofficial members, the lowest was called Red Copper Rank. Those at this level weren’t much stronger than regular people—otherwise, Wans Pierce wouldn’t have lost an arm and a hand.
As a merchant, especially a wandering merchant, Jasper was bound to interact with Adventurers.
After parking the carriage, Roland sat outside a coffee shop, sipping coffee while waiting for Graham to return with news.
But one thing bothered her… Did this world really have coffee?