Granddaughter

A week passed by as Raymond completed the missions he was being handed out by Luna. Even if all of them weren't high paying, Raymond still decided to do them since it could help Jasmine increase her ranking.

She had been promoted to D-rank mercenary yesterday and would be given a direct promotion to the next rank once she manages to break through into the Martial Sage realm.

Having participated in missions that were far above her league had guaranteed her instant promotion. Though, it wouldn't have been allowed if she were alone. Lyla being a Martial King and an A-rank mercenary helped her case.

However, not everything was smooth sailing. Raymond, much to his dismay, realised he couldn't be promoted until he reached the Martial Major realm.

As he thought further on the situation, it didn't really matter what rank he had. As long as he could do missions that paid handsomely, he didn't care.

Now he had Lyla, who was already an A-rank mercenary and could be promoted to S-rank if she revealed her true cultivation. So, there wasn't a mission he couldn't take using her name.

"Master, do you think you will be able to find Grandpa Theo by asking every villager about him?" Jasmine asked as she sat on his lap and rested her head on his shoulders.

She had seen her master practically ask each and every villager about his grandfather in hope, only to deflate when he received a negative answer.

"I don't know, Jasmine, but I have to try something at least, don't I?" Raymond replied in a sad voice and felt Jasmine's hand rubbing his back in a soothing manner.

"Don't worry, master. If there is anyone who can find him then it's you," Jasmine consoled him as he buried his face in her chest like a child in need of comfort.

Raymond breathed in her scent which managed to uplift his spirit albeit rather slowly. "There, there, you're trying, master. That's what matters. I am sure wherever he is, he must be thinking about you."

"What if he is in danger? What if he is no longer in a state to be found by anyone?" Raymond choked, his voice shaking with dread. "I don't want to lose hope, Jasmine, but it seems like I need to prepare myself for the worst, just in case—"

"Stop it!" Jasmine huffed, irritated with herself for not finding the words to ease his worries. "Sulking doesn't suit you, master. You should sleep if you're feeling down." She offered.

She knew the reason for his dampened mood. It was the blasted rain that had been storming down from last night. The evening has come by but the rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Raymond nodded as he had absolutely zero motivation to step outside the room. His idle mind was pushing depressing thoughts to the forefront which made him feel worse about himself for not being able to find a clue about his grandfather even after asking around a few nearby villages.

"Sigh, I will take a nap," Raymond pulled Jasmine to the bed and hugged her tightly as he closed his eyes. Jasmine started to hum a tune in her melodious voice which made him drift off to dreamland without a hitch.

———

Lyla had been keeping track of the old man's routine ever since he had shown up in that tavern. Whenever she had free time, she would come to check on him and make sure he wasn't up to something that would trouble her darling.

The old man was slippery, Lyla had to admit. It was almost like he could feel her eyes on him. Whenever she started to observe him, he would try to avoid doing anything important, opting to spend his time chatting and drinking with his friends in the locality.

So far, he hadn't done anything that warranted Ray's attention. Lyla was starting to think that the task she had taken upon herself to watch him would turn into a pointless endeavour.

"Aye, Arry! I need to go see my granddaughter. I will be back by midnight," The old man exited one of the houses and covered himself in a thick layer of mana to avoid being soaked in the rain.

Curious, Lyla became one with the shadows and started to tail him. The night was fast approaching which made it easier for her to mask her presence.

If he was up to something, this would be a perfect time to start his thing. Since most of the villagers were inside their homes due to heavy rainfall, Lyla assumed that the old man going out at this time meant there was more to him than meeting his granddaughter.

———

Ronan walked into the forest, his feet steady and directed towards a specific location.

For the past few days, he had been feeling like someone was stalking him. He had a hunch that it was the short girl with that brat. Though, why she was doing it was still a mystery to him.

Did she think he was planning something to mess with the brat?

Ronan let out a low snort. He didn't have a death wish. He would never do anything more than engaging himself in a verbal fight with Raymond.

If he eventually did try to do something more than that, he was sure even if the brat didn't kill him, his priestess would definitely arrange for him to die a slow and painful death.

Ronan shuddered. Has the world tree gone mad to choose her as the leading authority over his granddaughter? The woman was ready to throw the elven territory at the brat's feet to ingratiate themselves with him.

Fortunately, he had managed to talk some sense into her before it was too late. That was why he was here to see if the brat was actually worthy to lead them to greatness.

He didn't want to think about how other elders and important families would react upon hearing the high priestess' infatuation and devotion towards a human.

It would definitely not end well for his people if that led to a civil war. He could only hope that the brat would be sensible enough to nip the rebellion in the bud before it escalates into something more ugly.

Ronan shook his head to get rid of the thoughts of disaster and walked into the forest. Thankfully, he hadn't felt the presence of that girl so far. He could take his time to check up on his granddaughter.

'Sigh, why did she have to choose the mercenary job?'

Ronan's face darkened as he remembered that the brat was also doing the same thing. He didn't want his cute granddaughter to have anything to do with him.

No elf would want to marry her since she was exiled from the inner sanctum but Ronan would rather she remain unmarried than be associated with a guy with death written all over his face.

He had enough on his plate already, having to deal with a crazy priestess, he couldn't entertain the thought of something happening to his precious grandchild.

He needed to warn her and make sure she stayed away from him.