10 A Good Friend's Resolve

[Bellona POV]

"Oh no, what happened to grampa?!"

I anxiously asked father while I hug grandfather tightly after hearing the most traumatic event in the story. The thought of someone I cherish dying, will scar me for rest of my life.

"Hahaha, does my granddaughter thinks I will die?"

"Um… yes…"

"Do not worry, dear Bellona. I have a very good news for you"

Father then tried to reassure me after hearing my meek answer to grandfather's question.

"Really?"

"Of course, now listen closely, okay?"

"Okay!"

Hearing my excited answer, father continued telling his story.

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[Philip POV]

"FATHER!"

I screamed my hearts out as I watch my father in the verge of being killed by the armored swordsman.

What will happen to Fittoa if father died? How will I explain this to my daughter who was looking forward to protect him and the family? What should I do? What can I do? Think, Philip, think.

"Hey, stop!"

I shouted at the armored swordsman, begging them to stop. As my scream echoes loudly, the swordsman stops their sword halfway and turn their attention to me.

Alright, it stops attacking. I just have to negotiate with them.

"Please, if I may ask, why are you doing this?"

"..."

"Why do you want to kill the lord of Fittoa? What significance does it have in your goal?"

"....."

"Perhaps that we might have offend your master. If that were the case, we apologize for what we have done in the past"

"...…"

"If you want something, please tell me. I will give you anything, just don't kill the lord"

"...."

Even how much I plead and begged, the armored swordsman doesn't answer any of my questions. However, few minutes later, the swordsman point their sword at me.

"That child…. Give it…. to me"

Never mind, the swordsman wants the children. To be more specific, the blades is pointing at the navy-blue haired girl on my right arm.

Should I give the girl to the armored swordsman? How about the prophecy? Which do option do I follow? Urgh, dammit.

"You do not have to think about it… lord Philip"

"!!"

I then heard a familiar voice reassuring me. Turning to the direction of the voice, I saw a battle damaged hooded fellow walking towards us.

The hooded robe they wore was all tattered and messed up. So much so that it reveals the fellow's long white hair and feminine build underneath the damaged robe.

'Oh? the hooded fellow is actually a woman?'

"I will not let this time go to waste again…not this time, I promise"

The hooded fellow then murmured something strange as she readies herself to charge at the armored swordsman. And then, for an instant, hooded fellow suddenly vanished.

"W-where did she go?"

"?!"

I look around to find where did the hooded fellow went. Suddenly, she reappears behind the armored swordsman.

"You're wide open!"

"!!"

Before the armored swordsman can react, the hooded fellow swings a powerful kick to the swordsman's side, knocking them away while releasing father from their grasp.

*THUD*

"There, go get lord Sauros and the children, and run"

"How about you, hooded fellow? Do you need help?"

"No need, I will end this from here. So, don't worry about me"

"I see…. Take care of yourself"

She nodded and went to fight off the armored swordsman. Meanwhile, I ran towards father and check if he is okay.

"Father, are you alright?"

*cough* "God dammit, if weren't for you saving these children, we could have made it home a lot sooner"

"Apologies, father, but we need to go now with them"

"Tch, why do we even care about these brats"

Father picks up the children on the ground and we run away from here.

'Farewell, good friend…'

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After several minutes of running, we finally made it to the citadel and there were two of the guards standing at the gate. When they noticed us approaching, they run towards us and check on our situation.

"My lord, what happened to you two?"

"Don't worry about us, take these children back to the mansion. Also, tell my wife and daughter that we are home"

"Understood"

I instructed the two guards at the gate while we hand over the four children to them. As soon as the guards received the children, something spectacular had happened.

*KABOOM*

A loud explosion reverberates at the distance, causing a thunderous shockwave all the way from here. I quickly turn around and saw how massive the size of the explosion was. The explosion itself is half of the size of the citadel from my perspective.

'Amazing, so this is the hooded fellow's true power?'

After the explosion subsided, several more compact explosions were fired simultaneously.

I assume that the fight was not over yet, which made me worry about the victor of the fight. So, I run back to the mansion to seek some help.

"Hey, where are you going?!"

"I am going to get some knight from the mansion"

After telling father my intention, I went back to the mansion to get some reinforcement in order to insure the victory of the hooded fellow.

'I hope you're okay, good friend'

Once I arrived back home, I was greeted by my servants who were worried about my condition. I told them to gather some knights and round them up at the courtyard. They complied and went to do their task immediately.

After the knights were rounded up, I instructed them to survey the area where the explosions were and I described the ally they need to assist and the enemy they need to deal with.

As the knights complied to my instructions, they begin their operation to help the hooded fellow.

"And here I thought you complied to her that she doesn't need help"

"Oh, father, you're here"

"You know, for a person you just met. You really cared about her"

This surprise me that I cared so much about a hooded stranger that I just met at the capital. I instinctively made these decisions without me realizing it.

'Just who really are you, good friend? Oh, how much I wanted to go back and ask for her name'

I thought to myself as father and I stare at the distance, hoping for the hooded fellow to win the battle.

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[Bellona POV]

"After that, we went back inside the mansion and recuperated here. The end"

Father then finishes telling the story and it was breathtaking. The sheer motivation of the hooded fellow inspires me to be like her someday.

"What happened to the hooded fellow, papa?"

"I don't know yet, dear. The knight I sent to report the situation haven't returned yet"

*knock* *knock*

While I am conversing with father, we heard knocking on the door.

"Oh, speaking of the devil, I think she is here. Come in"

*creak*

When the door opened, a tall full-figured woman with armor entered the room. She has care-free personality and looks quite beautiful and voluptuous in her appearance.

"Varya, grandmaster knight, reporting for duty. We have successfully return from the operation, lord Philip"

"Very well, please proceed with the report. What happened out there? How was the hooded fellow?"

However, once she's ready to report, her care-free demeanor changes into serious mode.

"My lord, the fight between the two people ends up in a stalemate and the armored swordsman fled from the battlefield. As for the hooded fellow, she told us that she is fine and wants to pass a message to you, lord Philip"

"Oh? And what did she say?"

"Well, she said the following: [Thank you for the assist, lord Philip, but I can do everything on my own. Please, don't interfere"

"Is that so..."

"Also, she said something else"

Varya pauses for a bit as she takes a deep breath before she continues the message.

"[Please take care and support your daughters. I mean it]"

"?!"

Hold on, how does she know that father has a daughter. Wait…. daughters? But I am the only daughter here. Eris hasn't been born yet.

"What else she said, Varya?"

"Nothing else, my lord. The hooded individual just walks off and then vanished without a trace"

"I see… Thank you for your service, you may leave"

"Understood"

The tall knight then turns heels and walks towards the door. However, she stops mid-way before looking back at us.

"Is something wrong, grandmaster knight?"

"May I be so bold to ask something, lord Philip"

The knight then requested to inquire something from father, which he complies to do. Varya then proceeds to tell father that she heard about the rescued children and asked if her nephews were included in there.

"Oh? Your nephews? Please describe their appearance to verify"

Varya complied and described the nephew's features. She said that they're both have light blonde hair with greyish blue eyes. One of them is five years old while the other is two years younger.

"I see, what are the names of your nephews then"

"Their names are...."

.

.

.

"Jonathan and Bartholomew"