Chapter 1: Letter

"Mr. Eli, how much longer until we reach the capital city?!" Aris asked with excitement.

"About one or two more days, Miss Aris," Mr. Eli replied with a smile.

Mr. Eli, who was driving his carriage, also advised Aris to sit still and not move too much, fearing that the road ahead might be rocky or uneven.

"Oh, I see... I'm sorry," Aris apologized upon hearing that, then returned to her seat at the back of the carriage.

Several hours had passed since Aris had been here, and truthfully, she was getting a bit bored sitting without much to do. Perhaps it was because Aris had never traveled far from her village that she felt this way, but she hadn't expected the journey to take this long.

"Maybe this will help alleviate my boredom."

Aris reached for a package lying beside her seat and pulled out a letter from within.

"A day or two shouldn't be too long..."

After reading the contents of the letter, Aris felt impatient to arrive and fulfill her dream of becoming a Knight like her older brother.

Two weeks ago...

In a fairly large open field, two young girls were practicing with wooden swords, and both of them seemed evenly matched in their sparring, until...

"You left yourself open, watch this!" A girl around Aris' age swung her wooden sword at Aris with enthusiasm.

"Too slow, Diana!" Aris easily dodged and parried Diana's wooden sword out of her hand.

Aris then directed her wooden sword towards Diana's face, who was now seated due to the failed attack, and seeing Aris defeat her only made her laugh.

"Looks like you've won again this time, Aris," she said, getting up from where she was sitting.

"You held your own pretty well... it's just that I have more experience," Aris said, extending her hand to help Diana back up.

They both chatted, with Aris explaining to Diana what she could have done differently during their sparring session to create more attacking opportunities and to exercise more patience in seeking openings.

"No wonder... hmm," Diana mused, touching her chin as she thought.

"If you were more patient, maybe you could win, but not against me!" Aris teased Diana.

Diana, upon hearing this, made a conceding face, as what Aris had said might be true, given that Aris was more experienced than her.

The experience that Aris possessed wasn't something she acquired easily.

When her older brother left the village to become a Knight, Aris took over his role as the protector of the village along with the other villagers.

Perhaps due to her brother no longer being the guardian, many brigands, bandits, and sometimes even monsters attacked the village relentlessly. Aris and the villagers who could fight valiantly defended it. Aris once came close to death when facing a bandit leader one-on-one, managing to kill him through a stroke of luck, causing the rest of the gang to flee in disarray.

"We may be the same age, but you've been through so much more than me," Diana said, feeling a sense of inferiority.

"What are you talking about, Diana?... You're amazing too," Aris said, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Huh?" Diana raised her head upon hearing that.

"You've been part of the defense force for a year now, and where were you when you started? You knew nothing about fighting, and now you're able to hold your own against me when others can't," Aris said proudly.

Indeed, Diana had joined the defense force just a year ago, with no knowledge of combat. However, her spirit and determination to protect the village led Aris to include her in the defense force. That wasn't the only reason – Diana often followed Aris around and repeatedly asked to join, even though she was rejected multiple times due to the dangers of the job. Feeling frustrated, Aris eventually allowed her in, but she would train Diana and support her from behind if they were attacked.

Perhaps due to Diana's natural talent or some innate ability, she learned incredibly fast, much to Aris' surprise. Diana was getting closer and closer to Aris' skill level, lacking only experience. In another two or three years, Diana might even surpass Aris if Aris were to stop training.

"Maybe... but you still hold back your true power too... you know how to use magic as well, so-" Diana was about to finish her sentence when Aris cut her off.

"Sigh... Diana, you know why I don't use it..." Aris said with a sad expression, showing signs of inner pain.

Seeing Aris like this, Diana apologized, and both of them fell silent.

"Why are you two standing like that and not saying anything?" said an elderly man carrying a package.

Aris and Diana then turned towards the familiar voice, their expressions brightening.

"Ah! Mr. Eli!" Aris and Diana exclaimed simultaneously.

They approached the elderly man named Eli and exchanged greetings.

Eli, the vendor who sold goods to the villagers of Aris' village, had come from the capital city.

"Good to see you both in good health. Aris, take these letters." He handed two letters to Aris.

"What are these letters?" Aris asked, receiving two letters—one white and the other a golden yellow.

"Letters from your brother," Eli said, a joyful expression on his face.

Hearing that these letters were from her long-lost brother, after three years of silence, surprised Aris.

"Now he decides to send a letter... better late than never," Aris said, a mix of surprise and frustration evident in her voice.

To be continued.