Reunion

Kirana and her companions followed Terrion's directions.

Kirana whispered to Legia and Reiss, asking about the man who was guiding them. However, both of them could only shake their heads.

Neither Legia nor Reiss had any knowledge about the man who introduced himself as a security personnel.

When they arrived at Cien's location in the past, there was no sign of any security personnel. So, this situation confused them.

Kirana understood and let out a long sigh. For now, she didn't feel any threat from Terrion.

The man seemed rather relaxed, giving no impression of being an enemy at all.

Time passed, and they finally emerged from the Death Valley forest.

The first thing they saw was a quite extensive field with small, newly growing crops, reaching up to human calves in height.

Apart from the field, they now noticed several other buildings in the distance. They also saw dozens of people working in the field and constructing other buildings.

Legia and Reiss were stunned by this sight.

"Fu*k! This is a village!"

Reiss exclaimed, not expecting such a drastic change since the last time he left Cien's place. He recalled his life in the cave—dark, cold, and infested with insects.

"This place is vastly different from what I remember. Terrion, right? Did you all move here?" Legia asked.

"Hahaha! Yes, I and those over there are survivors of the Blackwinter War. Due to various reasons, we were forced to leave the city and sought protection from Lord Millard. As a result, you see the scene before you."

"Blackwinter…" Reiss murmured.

Kirana remained silent, observing the village in front of her.

Although it was just a glimpse, she could sense the harmony among the villagers from their smiles and laughter.

The place in front of her seemed like something from a painting depicting peace. It was strange, considering they were standing in the midst of the most dangerous area in Kastia.

"A place of peace," Kirana muttered, audible to Terrion.

The old man smiled widely in response.

"Absolutely right! This place is far from conflict. For me, there's no place out there as serene as this."

Kirana glanced at the man who seemed to be looking warmly at the villagers in the distance.

She felt Terrion's statement was exaggerated, but she couldn't provide another example to refute it.

They continued walking along the path towards the shop.

Before reaching the shop, they passed the guest house occupied by Shiwa. The noblewoman from Huntara noticed the arrival of the new guests from her balcony.

Shiwa looked at the newcomers' faces and realized that she was familiar with the two faces escorted by Terrion.

"Good afternoon, Terrion," Shiwa greeted.

Terrion looked up, returning Shiwa's greeting with respect. Shiwa smiled and then turned to the guests behind Terrion.

"I didn't expect to meet you both again, Huntress, Reiss."

Kirana was taken aback and then looked up, recalling the middle-aged woman up there.

Beside her, Legia whispered, asking Kirana about the woman who greeted them. Kirana smiled back in response to Shiwa's greeting.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Amary. I didn't expect to meet you here either."

Kirana explained to Legia that she had met Shiwa once before. It happened when she was recovering in Blackwinter after the war.

Shiwa was Jeanne's aunt, the woman who helped her fight Demon General A'wan.

That was the reason Shiwa visited her, to express gratitude for taking care of her niece and helping Huntara in the war.

Of course, Reiss had also met Shiwa. After all, he was considered the leader of the adventurer forces from Marina and one of the heroes of Blackwinter.

They exchanged greetings for a moment before Kirana excused herself as she needed to meet with Cien.

Shiwa understood and said she would visit them again another time.

After the conversation, Kirana thought they would continue their walk into the shop. However, it turned out differently.

She saw the man in front of her crying and hugging Reiss tightly.

"You are the heroes of Blackwinter! Oh Moon Goddess, thank you! Thank you for your help!"

Reiss was surprised by the reaction, but unable to escape, he could only pat Terrion's back in return.

Terrion then released the embrace and wanted to move to Kirana and Legia. However, the two women had already distanced themselves with rejecting looks towards the embrace.

In the end, Terrion gave up and just bowed deeply in gratitude. Without Reiss and his friends' help, the situation in Blackwinter might have been even worse than it was.

The other villagers who witnessed this were also surprised to hear that the new guests were their heroes.

Unfortunately, Kirana didn't want to waste any more time.

She was so close to confirming if her father was still alive, and she didn't want any distractions.

She urged Terrion to take her to the shop immediately, leaving the villagers to wait until her current business was finished.

Terrion understood and asked the villagers not to disturb Lord Millard's guests for the time being. The villagers understood, letting their heroes go with sparkling eyes.

"I'm considered more of a hero here than in my own home," Reiss murmured, feeling the irony of the situation.

Legia could only chuckle dryly upon hearing that.

Unlike Kirana and Reiss, Legia hadn't directly participated in the Blackwinter War. Being called a hero by the surrounding villagers made her feel uncomfortable.

Kirana and the others arrived in front of the shop. Kirana looked at the sign hanging on the terrace.

'Kirana's Shop.'

Just seeing that made her eyes well up. Even before seeing her father's face, she was now certain that Cien Millard here was her real father.

"I just realized that this shop is named after you, Commander," said Legia, who should have figured out Cien Millard's identity long ago. Somehow, she missed many clues about her superior's father.

Terrion opened the door, and the bell above it rang.

"Yo, Sella! Lord Millard's guests have arrived. Is he busy?"

Greet Terrion when he found Sella deeply engrossed in reading at the counter.

Sella lifted her head, seeing two unfamiliar women and a man in front of her. But upon closer inspection, she remembered the two faces of the guests.

Sella saw them when both of them received awards from Princess Sravati.

"Huntress and Reiss!"

"Oh, so you already know them," Terrion was quite surprised.

"When they were in Blackwinter, Princess Sravati publicly awarded them, right? I attended that event!"

Kirana felt her purpose shifting again. So, before the employee in front of her started wondering or praising her, she asked directly, "Where's my father?"

""...??""

Terrion and Sella fell silent. Their brains couldn't comprehend what Kirana was asking.

"Umm, your father? Who is he?" Sella asked hesitantly.

"Cien Millard," Kirana answered briefly, which further shocked Terrion and Sella.

They hadn't expected Lord Millard's daughter to suddenly appear before them.

Slightly nervous, as she now realized Kirana was one of their superiors, Sella replied that her master was in the forge. Cien had instructed her to bring the guests to wait on the upper floor.

Kirana couldn't wait any longer. She asked Sella to take her to the mentioned forge right away.

Sella felt momentarily confused, not knowing what to do, but seeing Kirana's determined gaze, she swallowed her hesitation and led the guests to where Cien was.

They exited through the back door and walked a short distance before arriving at the forge.

They heard someone humming inside. Sella wanted to knock on the door, but Kirana beat her to it and opened the door forcefully.

Bam!

"!"

Cien, who was cleaning the spearhead of Crimsonagin, was startled by the loud sound of the door opening.

He turned around and found a young woman with white hair and emerald eyes standing there.

"..."

Cien was stunned, frozen in disbelief. He couldn't trust his own eyes.

"Father…"

Kirana called out with a slightly trembling voice. Tears welled up and could no longer be contained. In front of her, there was her father, whom she believed had died ten years ago.

Though his face looked older, Kirana could still recognize him.

"FATHER!"

Kirana immediately jumped to embrace her father, snapping Cien out of his surprise.

"How... What is…? What just happened—"

Cien then noticed Legia and Reiss standing at the doorway. It all fell into place in his mind.

He immediately remembered the other two dots in his map that walk with Legia. One is Reiss, and then the other one, never thought that it was his daughter, Kirana.

Realizing the situation, Cien immediately embraced his daughter tightly. Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

Ten years. It had been ten long years of waiting for the day he could be reunited with his family. And today, at this very moment, one of his family members suddenly stood before him.

Cien didn't know what to say other than expressing his gratitude to the heavens for still giving him this chance at life.

"Oh, Kirana. You—you've grown!"

Cien couldn't find the right words. He just released the hug and gazed at his daughter's beautiful face.

The cute little Kirana he remembered from the past had transformed into a graceful and beautiful young woman.

Cien hugged her again, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to the skies, hoping that God was listening to his words of thanks.

Legia, Sella, and the two other men could only silently witness the scene before them.

Then Legia tugged at Sella's sleeve, instructing the servant to take them to the second floor of the shop. She wanted to give the father and daughter some time alone.

Sella understood and gently closed the door of the forge, then led the other two to inside the shop.

Sella glanced at Terrion, who now had tears flowing down his stern and rigid face.

Terrion refused to enter and wanted to return to his post. He needed some time alone after witnessing the reunion.

"Terrion... your daughter would be proud to see you up there," Sella said, patting the old man's back firmly.

Sella then turned to her two guests, "Come on, I'll prepare some tea and snacks to replenish your energy!"