Past

As they exited the mansion, Ophilia spoke up, "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation with the mayor."

"Don't worry about it. It didn't bother me at all," Sian replied casually.

"Learning that you would pay 36 gold coins caught me off guard. It's an amount I've never seen in my life. The most I ever had was 3 gold coins when I was sold with the other slaves," Ophilia said.

Curious, Sian inquired, "Where did you live before becoming a slave?"

"I was born and raised in Tarova, a city near the border, similar to Solaris but in Edrorian. Then, the war of 15 years ago happened. Poutis invaded Edrorian, and the battle reached our doorstep. People tried to escape, but most were captured by soldiers. Fortunately, my family managed to flee, but we were hunted by slave traders. I decided to stay behind to distract them and got captured," Ophilia recounted, her voice tinged with nostalgia and sadness.

"That sounds like a tough experience," Sian sympathized.

"It was... I don't even know where my family is now. I wonder if my mother gave birth to my little sibling, or if they're even alive. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore. For them, I'm probably already considered dead," she said, her emotions evident.

Feeling a pang of empathy, Sian changed the topic, "Now that I think about it, didn't the mayor act strangely?"

"I noticed that too. At first, he seemed a bit displeased, but when he heard your last name, he got really nervous. It was as if he was afraid of something," Ophilia remarked.

"You're right. It's strange," Sian agreed.

Suddenly remembering something, Ophilia asked, "Didn't you say you weren't from a noble family?"

"That's correct. I'm an orphan, and even though I may be a bastard son of some noble, I don't know my parents. When I was handed over to the orphanage, I had this silver reliquary with text inscribed on both external sides. Maybe my parents left it with me, but I've never heard of any noble family with the surname," Sian said, reaching into his clothes and taking out an oval-shaped silver reliquary.

Examining the text in the small silver reliquary, which measured about 5 cm long and 3 cm wide, Ophilia admitted bashfully, "I can't read."

"My bad." Sian pointed to the side she was looking at and said, "On this side, it says: 'For my dear Sian Fontes de Castilho. I hope you have a happy and joyful life. Maybe I'm not by your side, but know that I will always believe in you. You were and always will be the best thing that ever happened to me. Since I can't promise to be here during your life, I promise to love you for the rest of mine. With love, Mom.' And on the other side, it's written-"

Before Sian could continue reading the other side, he noticed a deep sadness in Ophilia's expression.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"It's nothing... I was just thinking how sad it must be to be separated from your family as a newborn and not being able to meet your parents..." Ophilia said, her voice filled with sorrow.

Sian nodded understandingly, reflecting on his own past. "It was a bit tough when I saw other kids holding their parents' hands. I was always jealous of them. But in the orphanage, I also met some good people," he shared thoughtfully.

Gatting her eyes back to the reliquary, Ophilia asked, "What's written on the other side?"

"It says: 'My son, it's like your mom said.' With love, dad. P.S.: If you can, realize my dream and have many wives and several children," Sian read.

Ophilia was taken aback by the unexpected message.

"I was also surprised when I first read it," Sian said, putting the reliquary back in his clothes. "Although the latter one was very anti-climatic, the first message felt quite emotional and made me curious. It made me wonder if something happened to my parents, that is, assuming they're the ones who left this reliquary."

Deep in thought, Ophilia asked, "Why do you think that?"

"Because even though I've searched around, I've never found a noble family with the surname Fontes de Castilho or any of those separate surnames," Sian explained.

"That's strange... So why do you think the mayor got scared when he heard your last name?" she inquired.

"I think it's because I've made a name for myself. Besides being strong, I'm also known to the king of Hosnein," Sian said, trying to appear composed while secretly worrying about the implications.

The truth is, he completely forgot about his bad reputation for a moment. That also explains why the mayor acted so weird all of a sudden. He probably recognized Sian.

"Probably, that must be it," Ophilia nodded, accepting his explanation.

"Yep, yep, that's definitely it," Sian agreed, eager to change the topic.

However, Ophilia's curiosity led her to ask, "How big is 6 hectares? I've never heard of that measurement before."

"It's 60 thousand square meters," Sian explained.

"Si-Sixty thousand meters?!" she gasped.

"Yep."

"That big?"

"Well, it's not that big. It's in square meters."

"I don't understand these square meter things, I'm sorry," Ophilia apologized.

"It's almost 15 acres of land. No need to apologize, just ask whenever you don't know. By the way, there are still more units of measurement like yards, miles, and a few others," Sian said reassuringly.

"So many?"

"Yeah, they all came from the time before the calamity, though I'm not exactly sure why," Sian shared.

"From so long ago?!" Ophilia was amazed.

"Yep, many of today's customs originated from that time."

Sian and Ophilia continued talking all the way back until they reached the inn.

Once inside, they went straight to their room and kept chatting until dinnertime, when the inn's receptionist called them down.

Dinner was an extravagant affair, and they enjoyed it quickly. After finishing, the inn's manager approached them to inquire about Sian's visit to the mayor's mansion. After a brief chat, they said their goodbyes and returned to the room.

There, Sian used magic to bathe and dry himself. "Fuu~~, a bath after a long day is so refreshing. It's a shame there's no bathtub here," he remarked.

"I've never heard of mages using magic like that. It's usually fire blasts or stone arrows," Ophilia commented.

"Magic isn't as limited as you think. It has many uses, even in daily life," Sian explained.

"Even if it is not so restricted, I think almost nobody would use it for this. I heard that only nobles and rich people could learn magic, since it is very expensive to learn spells. Besides, even these people may not be able to use magic, since they need to have aptitude," she said.

"Well, how the magic is used depends on the user, but forget about that for now. Do you want to bathe too?" Sian suggested.

"Do you really have enough magic for that?" Ophilia asked, a bit concerned.

"No worries, this spell doesn't use much magic. I still have plenty left," Sian replied proudly.

"So, should I take my clothes off for the bath?" Ophilia asked.

"It's not necessary, but it'd be a feast for my eyes to see your sexy body," Sian replied with a mischievous grin.

"In that case..." Ophilia smiled as she started undressing.

She untied her corset, and her bosom almost burst free. Then she removed her skirt, revealing her alluring hips and a black lace panty.

As she folded her skirt, she turned her back to Sian, slightly shaking her tail and rear while placing the skirt on the bed.

Seeing her teasingly beautiful ass, Sian couldn't help but feel excited. She really knows how to entice a guy.

Ophilia turned back to face Sian, a seductive smile playing on her lips as she began unbuttoning her blouse. Soon, her twin peaks were exposed.

"You're very sexy," Sian couldn't help but compliment her.

"Thank you," Ophilia replied with a sultry grin.

"Let's get this done quickly or I might end up devouring you," Sian teased as he started chanting the spell.

In an instant, Ophilia was clean and fresh. She looked at Sian playfully and asked, "Still want to devour me?"