Family Painting

Ethyria, Westya Kingdom.

A short-haired woman descended from her rented carriage.

She walked directly towards Ethyria's military barracks. Not to report for duty, but to find her friend.

The woman's name was Legia. She had just returned from her vacation in the capital city of Westya, Rostgard.

After taking a short rest at her parents' house in Rostgard, she now planned to go to Death Valley.

Legia wanted to meet Cien and collect her order. She had already taken a lot of money to bring with her.

Legia did not come from a noble family. However, her father was a former renowned adventurer and has a high standing in the Guild.

It was not surprising that Legia's family had enough wealth to rival low-ranking noble families like barons.

Initially, Legia wanted to go straight to Death Valley. Stopping by the barracks would only make her fellow soldiers envious, as she had been granted a long vacation.

However, Legia remembered her promise to Jamie.

She had promised to meet him before leaving, just in case Jamie changed his mind and wanted to join her.

Unfortunately, when Legia arrived at the barracks and asked about Jamie's whereabouts, the soldier on duty informed her that Jamie had not yet returned from his personal training at the border.

"He's not dead, right?" Legia asked jokingly, although there was a hint of concern in her voice.

"No. We received a letter from him yesterday. He said he would be back in about two to four weeks," replied the soldier.

"Hahaha, he's training so hard, huh…"

"Maybe something is driving him to become strong," the soldier shrugged. "But who knows, this is also the first time we've seen him so diligent. Oh, by the way, there was a short message for you in his letter, Lieutenant."

"Hm? What message?"

"He won't be joining. Regards to Mr. Millard. Just those two sentences."

Upon hearing that, Legia could only let out a dry laugh. It seemed that Jamie really wanted to master his new weapon.

Legia sighed softly. She couldn't complain. In fact, she was pleased.

The stronger Jamie became, the stronger their squad under Commander Kataleya's command would be.

"Ah! That reminds me, has the Commander returned?"

"Commander Kataleya returned two days ago. She's currently at her residence in the southern part of the city. Just like you, Lieutenant, Major granted her a long vacation. Sigh... it's not fair!"

Legia laughed at the complaint. She bid farewell, saying she would visit and greet Commander Kataleya.

It didn't take long for Legia to arrive in front of Kirana's residence.

The mansion was located in the most peaceful and secluded area of Ethyria. Looking at the house, Legia feels like seeing the home of a noble.

Legia knew that her superior was a former noble. When Legia was a child, she had never heard of a noble named Kataleya. So she thought that Kirana's family had fallen a long time ago.

But due to Ethel Kataleya's achievements, the family name resurfaced and became a family that couldn't be taken lightly.

Not only Ethel, but her daughter Kirana was also a genius who had mastered rare elemental magic, Ice Magic.

A genius who succeeded in becoming a Commander at a young age.

Legia, although older than Kirana, was very proud to work under her.

Legia arrived at Kirana's residence and was received by the house servants. They asked Legia to wait for a moment before finally escorting her to Kirana's office.

In the office, Legia could see Kirana busy with various documents on her desk.

Legia saluted and expressed gratitude for Kirana's safety during the mission.

"Hahaha, relax, Legia. We're on vacation. No need to be so formal. Please have a seat."

"It's good to see you back safely, Commander."

"To be honest, if it weren't for Princess Sravati, we might have been trapped in Farnodt even longer. Now, with all the accusations from Princess Sravati, Farnodt can't deny it anymore.

"Other kingdoms are starting to demand accountability from the Farnodt leaders. The kingdom's gates are now open again, although tension still lingers within."

Legia smiled bitterly upon hearing that.

What can be said? Farnodt's actions towards the people of Huntara in their kingdom were inhumane.

In the eyes of other kingdoms, especially Huntara, Farnodt's actions seemed like collusion with demons.

Farnodt's authorities naturally denied those accusations. However, the facts were strongly against them, making Farnodt now in a tight spot.

The kingdom's leaders had started to waver. Rumors of a demonic conspiracy among the high-ranking officials were spreading throughout the society, causing unrest among the entire population of Farnodt.

If not resolved soon, the likelihood of other kingdoms launching an attack or invasion was big.

Amidst the turmoil, new factions emerged in Farnodt, aiming to replace the current leader and take control of the kingdom from the corrupt governments.

This faction came from many sides; some of the Royal Family itself, some nobles, and even the civilians. They began raising the flag of revolution.

"The situation in Farnodt is worse than I expected," murmured Legia, who had to pass through that kingdom to reach the safe route of Death Valley.

"Hmm... why? You seem frustrated. Do you want to go there?"

Legia chuckled dryly. She responded that she indeed wanted to go to Farnodt.

She then told the story about the shop in Death Valley, the place where Jamie was being treated and got his new weapon. Likewise, Legia couldn't wait to get her own weapon.

"Oh, a very intriguing place. Did you tell the Major about this place?"

"I did. But he didn't believe me at all. He wanted to see proof of those weapons, but Jamie had already escaped to the border for personal training. So, it's not my fault if they don't believe me."

Kirana let out a small laugh.

Not to mention them, Kirana herself found it difficult to believe the story. Because Death Valley was a dreadful place.

Kirana had been there once when she was still a low-ranking soldier.

She didn't go inside, only at the border. And the atmosphere of the unseen monsters inside already made her shudder.

So it was very strange that someone lived there. Fortunately, Kirana had heard stories about the place not only from Legia but also from the Third Princess of Huntara, Princess Sravati.

Kirana even remembered the Shop Owner's name. Mr. Millard.

A name that was easy to remember because it reminded of her past.

"Maybe someday I'll visit there."

Kirana said, closing the document in her hand. Then she instructed her servant to refill the tea for her and her guest.

"You must, Commander! I'm certain you won't be disappointed coming there. Not only the weapons, but the food there is also incredibly delicious and nutritious. That bastard Jamie, he could quickly improve his class just by training there for a few weeks!"

"Oh, that sounds very promising. I would be very interested in joining you. Unfortunately, I want to take this holiday to go back to Almarin. It's been a long time since I visited home."

"Such a shame indeed. But visiting family is always better. I just arrived from Rostgard."

"Yeah, I heard. How's your father doing?"

"Same as usual. So serious and busy as the Guild Master of Rostgard. When I came back, the first thing he did was test my combat skills. That foolish father of mine!"

Kirana smiled upon hearing that.

They spent their time chatting until the evening, making Legia consider leaving for Death Valley the next morning.

Kirana offered Legia to stay the night, which Legia happily accepted. Going back to her dorm room was not pleasant at all.

As night approached, a servant came to inform Kirana that dinner would be served in half an hour.

Legia wanted to excuse herself to go to her room to put away her belongings before joining in the dining room.

Just as she was about to get up from her chair and turn around to leave, her gaze accidentally fell upon a family portrait hanging next to the door.

Initially, Legia didn't think anything peculiar.

She was only interested in seeing young Kirana and Mrs. Ethel. However, when she saw the face of the man in the painting, her expression froze.

"..."

Legia fell silent because the man's face was very familiar to her.

Despite his short white hair and the absence of a beard and thin mustache on his face, Legia couldn't forget the stern face and green eyes of the man.

"Hm? What's wrong, Legia?"

Kirana asked, surprised that her subordinate suddenly fell silent while gazing at her family's painting.

Kirana wondered if Legia was impressed by her mother's beauty or her own cuteness when she was a child, although Kirana herself wasn't sure if she was cute.

"Um, Commander... who is he?"

Kirana looked in the direction that Legia was pointing. The man next to her mother. Kirana looked at him pensively.

"That's my father. Ah, you must find it strange because you've never heard about him. Unfortunately, my father passed away ten years ago," Kirana replied with a sad expression.

Hearing that, Legia felt herself calm down. If Kirana's father was gone, that means that man is not the same. Legia thought that that person maybe only had a face similar to Mr. Millard.

"Sigh... I thought he was Mr. Millard. It surprised me," Legia said.

"What did you say?" To Legia's surprise, Kirana suddenly grabbed her shoulder with a serious look.

"Uh... umm..."

"What do you mean by Mr. Millard?"

Kirana asked again, and then she realized that the name was the name of the Shop Owner in Death Valley.

Like a neatly arranged puzzle piece, Kirana came to a realization.

"Legia... What's the full name of the Shop Owner in Death Valley?"

Legia felt Kirana's grip on her shoulder tighten.

"Ci-Cien Millard..."

"!"

Kirana released her grip, her hand trembling upon hearing her father's name being mentioned. Her mind spun rapidly with confusion and realization.

Legia, observing this reaction, began to worry. "Are you alright, Commander?"

"Legia, is he really the person you met in Death Valley?"

Kirana asked again, pointing to her family painting on the wall.

Legia, seeing where she was pointing, wasn't foolish and immediately became aware of a possibility.

"Wait… is he?! Commander, is Mr. Millard your father? Because honestly, the man in the painting does resemble the person I met in Death Valley!"

"Are you serious? … Father, he alive?"