Family reunion

Kilnar's eyelids twitched at the sudden change in atmosphere. She was relieved when the eyes of every Windrunner showed no hostility. She rode a damn emotional rollercoaster.

As the leader of the group, Kilnar stepped forward and introduced herself and her friends. This time wasn't accompanied by arrows and everyone greeted one another.

The Rangers didn't make any difficulties since they were going to be colleagues in the future. They became warm and friendly without the previous chilling intent.

The Windrunners' obvious instant alteration in demeanor baffled Kilnar, but where could she complain? It also proved the elven guards here weren't depraved as they appeared in other noble houses.

"I hope our previous act didn't disgust you." Ella placed her hand over the chest as she placated Kilnar. The group separated as they were guided by other rangers around the manor. Ella chose Kilnar for an obvious reason—the strongest and the leadership ability shown in the prior conflict.

"Don't worry, milady." Kilnar waved off her hand to gesture she didn't mind. "I'm glad to see the combat readiness and the ability of our ranger."

Kilnar's saying of 'our' satisfied Ella as she nodded in agreement and felt delighted the newcomer already established herself as the House of Windrunner. At least from her contact, Ella believed Kilnar acted more ladylike than a certain despicable lord.

"Call me Ella, esteemed mage," Ella told her first name. "I'm sure our Lady Lireesa would ask the same from you."

"I dare not, Lady Ella. In front of your shining power, I'm tiny as a candle."

"Perhaps, until your confidence increases. I can already foresee a new Legedary mage. …Kilnar, if I may?" Ella asked and Kilar was flattered; the two continued strolling after seeing Kilnar nod.

"So, Kilnar, how did you meet Lady Lireesa?" Ella listened to Kilnar's narration and understood everything. But what flabbergasted her was Lireesa's ability to conjure arcane magic. From Kilnar's expression and words, her admiration was nearing idolization and proved Lireesa's arcane sorcery wasn't simple.

She must interrogate Lireesa properly when they met again until she found the answer to why Lireesa hid them. Kilnar's eyes always wandered around, savoring the beauty and grandeur of Windrunner's House. She must admit even though the mage family condescended the ranger's ancestry and Windrunners, the House of Windrunner was never simple yet powerful.

"By the way, if your Lady Lireesa had told us early on, this façade would never occur," Ella complained at the childish behavior of Lireesa but Kilnar thought otherwise.

Kilnar believed Lady Lireesa had her own purpose. It wasn't laziness. Maybe she might want to teach the group to lower their arrogance. Indeed, everyone in the group after suffering realized they were nothing here before the powerful rangers.

Kilnar informed Ella of what Lireesa had spoken beforehand about the arrangement. Ella's mouth twitched as she lamented. She expected this scene to follow.

"We'll be responsible for the resources you might need. But bear in mind, our finance is a bit stretched currently. It will take some time before we can support you wholeheartedly and I hope you understand our difficulty." Ella said as she sat on the edge of the fountain, prompting Kilnar to take a seat as well.

"I understand and we aren't greedy and irresponsible people who are ungrateful. Lady Lireesa's support already meant everything to us." Kilnar's diplomacy didn't diminish in front of Ella, who was impressed as she for once felt there was someone who she could share her worries with.

No one in the family sorted out the administration or the management as everyone's head only knew fighting. Ella was hopeless as very few were capable. Now someone who possessed the same trait as her appeared. How could her mind not dance?

Sena, that braindead strength monger? Sariria and Tarilia, hell always staying with their husbands and traveling around, with no interest in managing. Lireesa, who? The lord who never acted like a lord. Ella hugged Kilnar over the shoulder as her confidante and liked this girl more and more.

Kilnar was perplexed why Ella's action seemed like she was scared of her running away. Afterward, Ella blurted out everything and confessed all Lireesa's bad deeds, not minding Kilnar's inner psychology.

Ella thought a short pain was much better here.

Kilnar's heart crumbled as her idol was really unspeakable if what Ella told was the truth. The image was now gone. She figured she was definitely under heavy loads in the future.

In any case, her ladyship had rescued her from the mountainous journey and Kilnar was still very grateful. Her opinion of her lady rarely changed despite Ella's more descriptive depiction.

For her, Lireesa was the light she hoped to emulate—a legendary archmage and a powerful woman too. Lireesa's inability as a lord at least proved she wasn't as out of reach as, Kilnar believed early on; rather, Kilnar's closeness with Lireesa increased when she discovered Lireesa was also a mortal too.

And serving Lireesa as her lord and contributing herself raised her confidence and a sense of belongings to the Windrunner's family.

"Achoo," Lireesa sneezed and rubbed her nose.

"What's the matter, Mom? Are you getting sick?" Alleria asked worriedly regarding Lireesa's health.

"Someone must be badmouthing me. How could your strong mother be affected by a normal cold?" Lireesa answered while she flexed her biceps at her daughter who chuckled in relief.

'Even though my mother is really old, she still acts like a child.' Alleria thought in silence and turned her head away in guilty conscience after seeing her mother staring at her.

"I felt someone was thinking bad about me." Lireesa's eyes narrowed as she watched Alleria with her hand folded.

"No, Mother. I'm praising Mom and scolding at the bastard who talks bad about you." Alleria quickly corrected her posture and patted her chest.

"Really?" Lireesa gave Alleria an unconvinced expression. Her daughter bobbed her head up and down to emphasize her point. Since becoming an arcane mage at a legendary realm, her intuition and instincts rose.

She could sense if someone had bad intentions over her if they couldn't hide their energies, particularly those below Level 10. Right now, she wasn't sure of her conjecture but she had proven her point after observing Alleria's guilty reaction.

She rubbed her chin in deep contemplation as she wondered only if mage profession felt this way. Alleria blurted out to disturb her mother's inner thoughts. "I'm sleepy now, Mom."

Alleria yawned exaggeratedly and walked toward her bed. Lireesa raised her brows, amused at her cute daughter. She shook her head and replied. "Okay, sleep early. Remember tomorrow, we're going to welcome your sisters. Try to wake up early."

"Yes, Mom. I know." Alleria became excited again after hearing she would see her sisters soon.

Lireesa reckoned someone was cursing behind her back, and who else had such courage besides Ella after she unleashed chaos inside her manor? She didn't know, Ella was describing herself as a heinous lord who abused her subordinates to the new Kilnar.

After having nothing to do, Lireesa closed the lights in the room and prepared to sleep. However, she meditated as most mages did to increase her mana accumulation before she slept. Although only a slight portion increased, Lireesa was satisfied with the results. Little by little, a step became a mile.

The journey to greatness depended on the willpower of an individual to take on the boring tiny steps. What was more, Lireesa must become stronger and stronger to avoid the tragedy from occurring as destiny had written.

The night passed; Lireesa and Alleria entered the dreamland, listening to the rhythm of the insect chirpings. The next morning, Lireesa woke up early before the sun rose and forced Alleria up for a cleaning session.

After the morning routine ended and the sun appeared on the horizon, Lireesa brought Alleria to the outskirt of the Silvermoon to await the convoy supposed to arrive today.

Two hours passed, several carriages had entered and left the city. Lireesa still didn't see her convoy until shadows emerged far away.

Until upon a closer look, Lireesa saw her Windrunner's flag on the carriages and nudged her daughter beside to wake up from a short slumber.

Alleria wiped the drool on her mouth with her arm and patted the dust off herself. She stood straight unlike her previous ruffian appearance.

The two waited for another several minutes before the convoy stopped. Lireesa and Alleria swiftly strode to the carriage pointed out by the servants where their family members were residing.

The Freefaith sisters in charge of the convoy—Norire and Liriah—landed on the ground from the carriage as they saluted Lireesa together. "Greetings, milady, and Lady Alleria too. We apologize to let you wait."

"Good day to you as well. The wait is long but I'm happy to do so." Lireesa returned their salutes and Alleria copied her mother's style. "Let me show you where the convoy should be going."

The destination Lireesa pointed out on the map she took out was a distance away from the city on the west bank. A new manor which she bought recently and would transform the buildings into a grand restaurant.

Liriah and Norire nodded and gave orders to the rest. Lireesa and Alleria entered the carriage, discovering three sisters still asleep in their disheveled state. The adorable picture before them urged Lireesa to capture the image through the magical device.

The recorded scene would be shown to them in the future and Lireesa smirked as she already imagined their bashful response. Soon, the convoy moved again as the inside vibrated because of the unevenness of the road.

Lireesa sighed at the pavement and lamented the urge to upgrade her carriage's design for better stability and comfort. A light bulb rang in her mind as she also found a new way to find money—transportation services.

Lireesa refused to believe her previous life's design would never be successful. The remaining idea had to be discussed further with the Sanguinar family because she only desired to be a shopkeeper instead of running everything herself.

As the group reached the new residence in Silvermoon, Lireesa woke up her three daughters, who rubbed their eyes and watched her in a daze.

Lina screamed as she hobbled at her and Lireesa hugged the incoming unstable missile. "Mommy, you're here. I'm never riding a carriage next time. It's boring."

Lireesa smiled at her cute youngest's complaint and nodded from time to time as Lina rubbed parts of her mother's skin while muttering every dissatisfaction.

Alleria hugged both Sylvanas and Vereesa, whom she missed so much. Even though the separation wasn't long, she wished to never experience it again. Sylvanas and Vereesa returned the gesture but Vereesa lay her head over Alleria's shoulder and soon resumed her snoring.

Alleria's eyebrows stretched in amusement and felt her sisters were no longer annoying. Sylvanas squeezed tighter as if to embed Alleria into her heart.

The family was reunited and Lireesa showed them their new residence. Of course, she didn't forget her maids and servants who would be working here in the future and even handed her secret cooking recipes she copied from 'Book of Wisdom' to the head maid.

The cooking staff members couldn't take their eyes off a second from the book as they relished deep in the art of culinary mastery. Lireesa gave them a rest and only asked her servants to clean the area suitable for living.

As the group went busy with their tasks, Lireesa's family members sauntered around the manor. Lina never loosened her grip on her mother as she feared Lireesa would throw her again into the carriage, while the three elder sisters ceased to stop conversing as the younger ones inquired about Alleria's experience in the past days.

Lireesa's heart warmed up, glad she had succeeded in preventing the sisters from splitting like in the game. If they continued as in the lore, no problem, she would throw them off to the battlefield together so that they could find true love within each other. Problem solved.

A new parenting method she discovered, after she studied Alleria's change.

The three Windrunner sisters shivered as the cold air brushed their skins and were puzzled at the sudden temperature change, looking around if anyone played a prank after they were sure even under the sun the chill brew.

A/N: hehe, don't ask. Bow for my two days lateness. I was feeling down and I couldn't explain a reason. Possibly a depression, I've no idea. But I must say you guys cure my bad mood when I open the app and saw your immense support. I realize I'm also creating a story and people are waiting. Maybe the writing this time might not seem the best but my readers should already noticed I quickened the pace. I'm gonna skip 100 years, 150 years before the dark portal, within the next 5 chapters.