Chapter 93

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 93: Before The Final Battle, Feed the Child First

After Naya’s family of three paid and took the box of building blocks from the counter, the female knight picked out a wooden sword for her daughter inside the store.

“Here, Semira, this is for you.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

“As long as you hold on to the faith of a knight, even a wooden sword can wield the power to cut through mountains and seas.”

“Mmm, I’ll remember that!”

Noticing Illya’s curious gaze, the little girl named Semira swung the wooden sword through the air a few times, as if asking, “Do I look cool?”

Illya slowly nodded.

So this is how humans fight? Illya carefully observed Semira, still hoping to learn more about human combat techniques.

After all, know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll win every battle.

Receiving the approval of someone her age, and noticing the eager look in Illya’s eyes, Semira smiled and approached her.

“Hello, I’m Semira Casimir, daughter of the Paladin Semiya, and a knight of the Casimir family. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hello. I’m Illya.”

Seeing how casually Illya introduced herself, Semira was a bit puzzled.

“Aren’t… aren’t you even a little surprised? My mother is the Semiya!”

“Semira, a knight’s title, is not something to boast about. I apologize, my daughter was impolite.” After paying, the female knight pulled her daughter back.

Semira had grown up bathed in the glory of her family. Whenever people on the street saw her and her mother, they would exclaim, “Wow, that’s a Casimir knight!”

Even during this trip with her mother, no one failed to recognize the eagle-headed crest on her mother’s shoulder or the gleaming blonde hair of the Paladin.

“Oh no, no. It’s an honor to meet you, the legendary Paladin. Thank you for your help, Paladin. I hope we meet again in the future.”

Naya, picking up on Semira’s words, addressed the female knight by her title and said her goodbyes.

She then took her wife and daughter’s hands and left the toy shop.

Though Naya wasn’t personally acquainted with this Paladin, she had heard of the Casimir knights’ legends six years ago when she was still a hero.

It was said that no matter what challenges they faced, as long as a Casimir knight unleashed the Casimir family’s ancestral Knight’s Radiant Slash, everything would be resolved.

The name of the Goss Empire had been built, piece by piece, by these Casimir knights, and the Paladin Semiya was the most famous of the latest generation of Casimir knights.

And now, she has a daughter.

However, growing up under the shining halo of her mother, it was understandable that this child had developed a bit of pride.

Still, the fact that they could run into such a legendary figure simply while buying toys made Naya wonder just how many other influential people were in Rex City.

She turned to Iris, who was holding the box of building blocks, and said, “Iris, the fight for the Earth’s Vein relics this time might attract a lot of big shots. Are we prepared for that?”

“Am I not a big shot myself?” Iris smirked arrogantly.

“I am the strongest in the world.”

“Don’t…”

Everyone knows that those who claim to be the world’s best or strongest usually end up as collateral damage.

Naya definitely didn’t want 1 Iris turning into 0.5 Ilyss.

“We still need to gather information carefully and not let our guard down. Because of the Earth’s Vein energy, heroes with systems are prone to berserk moments. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone suddenly comprehended the world and awakened a Dimensional Slash.”

[Host, do you even know what you’re saying?]

[System, this is no joke. If Iris really dies because she’s too arrogant, I’m blowing you up too.]

So, it was necessary to remind Iris, after all.

[Then don’t come asking me for help.]

[Hmph, fine, I won’t. I’ll gather information about the Earth’s Vein relics myself. After all, I want to control my fate. This is what you taught me. I can’t rely too much on your help. I have to become stronger through my own efforts.]

[Am I really an outsider in your eyes?]

[Whether you’re an outsider depends on your intentions. To be honest, System, I’ve always been grateful to you. I never got the chance to thank the previous system, so I wanted to express my gratitude to it through you. But it seems like you’re not really on my side. Still, even if I end up being called ungrateful, I won’t let Iris die.]

[Fine. Then go gather the information yourself.]

The system was sulking.

Naya didn’t speak to the system again, and the system didn’t bother her either.

“So, do you think that paladin has a system?”

“Shh… Iris, do we really have to say that word so often out here in public?”

“Mama, Mother, what’s a system?”

Illya had already heard this word twice from her parents, once while bathing the previous night and now this time.

“You too, Illya!”

Naya quickly covered Illya’s mouth and cautiously looked around at the passing people, relieved that no one was paying attention to their conversation.

“We’ll talk about this at home.”

They returned to the inn with Iris and Illya.

In reality, as long as it didn’t involve Naya’s past identity, she and Iris weren’t particularly secretive when chatting around Illya.

“Here, Illya, your building blocks. Try assembling whatever you want with them.”

“Okay ~”

Illya scattered the building blocks across the table and began playing with them slowly. She could listen in on her Mama and Mother’s conversation while playing.

Meanwhile, Iris and Naya sat at the table, brewing a pot of hot tea, continuing their conversation from outside.

“So, does that paladin have a system, Naya?”

“Your life force sensing is pretty sharp, isn’t it? Can’t you tell?”

“Because of the system’s peculiar nature, I have to physically touch the other person to analyze them more deeply. A system is different from ordinary soul energy.”

“Then I have no idea if she has a system or not.”

There was a rule between systems that prevented them from recognizing each other easily.

Heroes with systems followed a “dark forest” law, where, without knowing whether the other person was friend or foe, it was best not to reveal their existence to each other.

“I thought system bearers were supposed to be drawn to one another.”

“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. After all, every hero with a system ultimately has the same goal—defeating the Dragon King. No matter which path they take, they all eventually converge, which could be considered a kind of attraction.”

“So, you can’t judge someone’s true nature just by appearances. That paladin was just at the toy store, and she’s probably still nearby. How about I sneak up on her for some close contact and check if her system development is normal?”

Naya slammed her hand on the table.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Iris immediately backed down.

“I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t… Let’s try figuring her out another way.”

“Mama!”

Illya pouted, clearly upset that her carefully built block structure had been shaken apart by Naya’s sudden movement.

“Uh, sorry, Illya. We’ll go talk somewhere else.”

Naya walked over and pulled Iris up.

“Let’s go gather Flanna and Bella. Have them go out and find out which other big names have gathered in Rex City. That way, we’ll know what we’re up against.”

“Got it.”

As they reached the door, Naya glanced back at Illya. After what happened with the dream demon last time, she didn’t feel comfortable leaving Illya alone. She nudged Iris on the shoulder.

“You go instruct them. I’ll stay here with Illya.”

“The queen herself is getting more and more like a proper empress, bossing me around. Moreover, I’m the Dragon Queen, being ordered around like this.”

“What? You’re not happy about it?”

Naya puffed out her chest with pride, speaking with confidence.

“Fine, fine, your chest wins.”

Iris smiled helplessly, opened the door, and left the room.

Naya returned to sit by the table, watching Illya play with the building blocks.

“Is it fun, Illya?”

“Yes! Humans are so interesting, Mama. Look, a super-invincible dinosaur! Woohoo!”

After rummaging through the scattered pieces, Illya had assembled a small pterosaur and proudly showed it off to Naya.

“You’re pretty good at building things, Illya.”

Naya was a little surprised.

This was Illya’s first time playing with something like this, yet she was already able to create whatever she imagined.

“Of course! I’m the Dragon King, the strongest in the world!”

Great, Iris was rubbing off on her in all the wrong ways.

“Don’t call yourself the strongest.”

“Why? The Dragon King is the strongest!”

“Humility and a noble character are what will earn you the Dragon King’s throne. Otherwise, your pride will come back to bite you.”

“Okay…”

Who knew if Illya really took that to heart?

Watching Illya continue to dismantle and rebuild the blocks, Naya thought that if Ilya had these blocks to play with, she could probably keep herself entertained all day.

…

In the peaceful afternoon after lunch, Illya was soundly napping on the bed.

Naya and Iris sat at the table sipping tea.

Iris glanced at the toys Illya had assembled—a pterosaur surrounded by little figures holding swords, as if reenacting a hero’s battle against a dragon.

“Looks like we’ll need to consider buying more toys for Illya. This won’t be enough to keep her occupied.”

Iris hadn’t even had time to get close to Naya, and Illya would already get bored with her toys. What then?

“This should be enough. Buying too many will just be a hassle to carry. Let’s not add more work for Flanna and Bella.”

“Oh? So now you care about not burdening them? Who sent me to boss them around and gather information?”

Naya held her teacup in both hands.

“That’s… that’s different! It’s for your sake, after all. You can’t always assume you’re invincible, or one day it’ll catch up with you.”

“You’re such a worrier. What could possibly catch up with me?”

Iris knew the importance of being cautious, but she still wished Naya wouldn’t stress herself with too many unnecessary concerns.

This journey wasn’t just about fighting for the Earth’s Vein relic. It was also meant for Naya to enjoy the travel itself and experience the meaning of the journey—not just treat everything like a battle.

“Hmph, you always say that. Fine, if you’re not worried, I’ll worry for you. One extra pair of eyes can’t hurt. Remember last time when I was working with you, and Illya sneaked out and got beaten up by some heroes? And then again in Gerris City, when her dream was invaded by a dream demon because we let our guard down? Both times, Illya was unharmed, but danger can make mistakes countless times, while we can only afford zero mistakes. If something really happens to Illya, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“Alright, alright.” Iris, having heard Naya mention those incidents repeatedly, was almost growing tired of it. She scooted her chair closer to Naya and took her hand.

“I get it, I’ll be more careful. Haven’t we done everything you said? Just stop worrying so much, okay? We’ve prepared everything, and now it’s time to enjoy this journey. It’s not just about fighting. It’s about the sights along the way, the human cities, and their culture. Plus, this is a rare long journey for our family of three—no, five. Isn’t that worth cherishing?”

“…Mmm.”

Naya nodded.

As she reflected, she realized she’d been worrying a bit too much. She had rambled on, and it seemed she had unintentionally blamed Iris for being careless with Illya.

“Besides, it’s been a while since we’ve nourished the children’ souls. How about opening the door for a little while and letting me in to feed them a meal this afternoon?”

“No way. I’m not letting Illya out of my sight.”

“I never said Illya had to leave your sight. You can still watch her right here.”

“Iris, do you have no sense of shame at all?”

Naya chided softly.

“I think feeding the children is more important than shame.”

“Are you really thinking about the children? I’m not going to call you out on your real intentions!”

“We’re nearing the crucial point of acquiring the Earth’s Vein relics. It’s even more important to keep an eye on the children. Isn’t that true?”

Iris maintained a serious tone, as if she really only had pure intentions.

“Fine, but hurry up.”

Though Iris had ulterior motives, Naya couldn’t deny that giving the children more energy would benefit them.

So, begrudgingly, she agreed.

“Illya sleeps for two hours, so take your time, as long as you don’t wake her up.”

“If you keep teasing me, I’ll really get mad.”

“Alright, alright, no more teasing.”

Iris’s figure suddenly disappeared from the chair and slipped under the table.

Naya held her tea cup, trying to remain calm, taking a light sip of her red tea.

“It tastes like red tea.”

Iris’s muffled voice came from below.

Naya felt like she could strangle Iris at that moment.

If you’re going to feed the children, just be a proper delivery person. Stop saying such weird things.

Watching Illya sleep peacefully on the bed, Naya felt her heart race for no reason.

“Naya… this terrain is so steep. Can you make it a little easier? I won’t make it to the children if I’m exhausted.”

No, she couldn’t.

Just looking at Illya’s adorable sleeping face made Naya feel too embarrassed to even think straight.

She covered her face with her hands.

The red tea she had just sipped still held its warmth, spreading throughout her body.

The twin souls within her, starved for warmth, greedily absorbed the heat from Naya’s body, but the happiness and satisfaction she felt in her heart remained untouched.