Chapter 37: The Cottage

He knelt before the grave, bent down, and pressed his face into the earth, taking a deep breath. The scent of soil filled his body, lingering for a long time. This was the most respectful and noble gesture the people here could offer to the dead and the earth. He straightened up and stared at the grave in front of him, silent for a long while.

A slender hand reached over and gently brushed the dirt off his face. Ayime stood beside him, quietly watching, saying nothing.

"Is this your father's grave? He seems like a very ordinary person," Talice asked, looking at the tombstone.

"Yes, he was an ordinary man. He spent his whole life in this basin, forging iron, selling weapons, raising me, and then... he died," Asa replied softly, his eyes distant and slightly moist.

"What about your mother?"

"I don't know. She was probably ordinary too."

"You don't know?"

"It seems she died before I was born."

"How is that possible? You're talking nonsense." Talice scoffed, thinking Asa was making things up. "For such an ordinary person to raise a monster like you, the heavens must have... made a mistake."

"I'm ordinary too... At least I think I'm far from being as great as my father. He was great; I'm selfish." Asa sighed lightly, bent down, and pressed his forehead against the tombstone. The warmth of his skin met the cold, rough surface of the stone. Cold, yet within the roughness, there was a gentle power—the greatest force of all. He straightened up, put on his mask, and turned away, saying calmly, "Let's go."

The three left the cemetery, with Asa leading Talice and Ayime into the village. Along the way, they occasionally passed villagers who gave them curious glances but showed little interest. Over the past year, the dwarves had carved a path through the northwest end of the basin, connecting it to the wild highlands, making it easier to transport ore and weapons.

So, aside from the bounty hunters, outsiders weren't that uncommon.

Asa remained silent, and Talice didn't speak either. The three walked quietly along the village path.

"I don't remember what my mother looked like either. Even my father is just a vague memory," Ayime suddenly said softly, breaking the silence.

"From the time I can remember, it was my brother who took care of me. He would find food for me, beg on the streets, help thieves fence stolen goods, crawl through sewers and vents to steal from warehouses... He wasn't much older than me... Things only got better after Grandpa took us in... Grandpa was a former priest who had been expelled by the church. He didn't really want to join the merchant guild, but he did it to raise us... In the end..." Ayime spoke calmly, but tears were already rolling down her cheeks. "So I understand how Asa feels..."

"I also bear some responsibility for what happened to Yabin. After we deal with this, I'll..." Asa sighed, looking at the girl who had always been delicate but had grown even more gaunt and frail over the past few days. A deep sense of compassion welled up in his heart. He reached out to place a hand on Ayime's shoulder.

But Talice was quicker. She wrapped her arm around the girl and pulled her into her embrace. The female knight first shot a warning glance at Asa's outstretched hand before tenderly pressing her face against Ayime's head. "I've already promised your brother. I'll take good care of you."

"Since you've lost your brother, I'll be your sister now," Talice said softly, gently rubbing Ayime's cheek and kissing her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll always protect you, little sister."

Asa gave a wry smile, shrugged helplessly, and withdrew his hand. Talice was a full head taller than Ayime, her hair tied up and tucked into the hood of her adventurer's cloak. She looked like an exceptionally handsome young knight kissing a pitiful maiden, reminiscent of illustrations from chivalric novels.

"Mm," Ayime nodded, forcing a smile, then looked at Asa. "And Asa will take care of me too. Now that I have a sister and Asa, my brother in heaven will surely be happy."

"Stay away from this guy. He's no good," Talice said protectively, tightening her hold on Ayime and shooting a warning glance at Asa. "I know your dirty thoughts. I'm warning you, don't lay a finger on Ayime, or you'll regret it."

Asa shrugged, speechless, then suddenly remembered something and asked Talice, "What about your parents? Are they in Celeste?"

"No, I don't have parents," Talice replied expressionlessly.

"Why? Are you an orphan too, sister?" Ayime looked up and asked.

The female knight didn't answer directly. Instead, she seemed lost in thought for a moment before smiling faintly. "A knight who seeks truth and justice doesn't need things like parents or family."

Asa sighed softly as he noticed the fleeting look of emptiness on Talice's face. Even when recalling her past foolishness and naivety due to her overly strong sense of justice and chivalric code, it no longer seemed as laughable or annoying as it once had.

When someone becomes overly fixated on one thing, it's often because they have nothing else to hold onto. Everyone needs something to cling to in their hearts. The pitiable often have their own flaws, but those who seem detestable may also have their own sorrows.

Ayime blinked her large eyes and said, "But now you have me as your sister, right?"

"Hehe. Protecting you, my little sister, is my most important duty as a knight," Talice smiled, her expression warm and gentle.

"Alright, let's go. You two sisters," Asa said with a smile, watching them.

"You didn't come here just to visit your father's grave, did you?"

"Of course not. I came back to find someone. I need to ask her about some things."

"Oh, do you still have friends here?"

"Not a friend. She's more like my first and most important teacher," Asa said, unable to suppress a smile as he thought of her. "She taught me almost everything I know, and part of the reason I left the basin instead of following in my father's footsteps was because of her."

"Oh, I'd really like to see what kind of person your teacher is. Someone who turned an ordinary little blacksmith into the troublemaker who's now stirring up the entire continent."

Hearing Talice's words, Asa was momentarily stunned. But then he smiled and said, "How could that be? It's probably just me."

The three didn't walk for long before they crossed the village and arrived at a small, isolated house at the back. It was a quaint little cottage, simple but not crude, with many peculiar and charming details.

"Grandma Ail, are you home?" Asa knocked on the door. Although he could sense that no one was inside the cottage, it was a habit he'd formed over the past twenty years—to call out like this when standing outside.

"Grandma isn't home. Maybe she's gone to the town. Let's go in and wait for her," Asa said, pushing the door open and walking inside.

In this area, not only were outsiders rare, but even the local villagers rarely passed by unless they had business. And according to the simple customs of Halmondale, few people locked their doors tightly. The cottage door was no exception, opening easily with a push.

The interior was exactly as it had been, seemingly unchanged for twenty years. Aside from some simple furniture and daily necessities, the most noticeable features were two cabinets—one filled with various curiosities, the other stacked with books.

Everything here was exactly as it had been. Asa could even recite all the items on the left cabinet from memory. He knew that the fifth book on the right cabinet was an animal atlas, and that the first two pages were missing—torn out when he was six years old during a fight with another child... It was as if time in this cottage had stood still for twenty years, never flowing forward.

"Oh, so your teacher was an adventurer?" Talice and Ayime entered, also surprised by the interior.

"Yes, she was once a remarkable adventurer and traveler. After retiring, she settled down here," Asa said, pulling out a wooden stool from under the table and sitting down. He had sat on this rickety little stool for over ten years. If there was one place in the world he knew best, it was here. He even had the illusion that he had returned to the time before he left the basin, sitting here listening to Grandma's stories and teachings.

But at the same time, he felt something was off. The cottage seemed different somehow. Yet, upon closer inspection, everything was exactly as he remembered—the scent, the atmosphere, nothing had changed. But after so long, sitting here again, he felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Talice was fascinated by the curiosities and specimens in the cabinets. She examined them one by one, then couldn't help but pick them up to study more closely, occasionally exclaiming in surprise, "This is a Tatalian dragonfly... no, it must be the tail of a dragonfly queen... How rare... What's this... Medusa's hair? Your teacher is amazing..."

As a child, listening to Grandma's stories and looking at these collections, Asa had always been impressed. But it wasn't until he left and experienced more of the world that he truly understood the significance of these collections and the knowledge they represented. He realized that the seemingly ordinary old lady had once been an extraordinary adventurer and traveler. That's why, when he found himself at a loss, he had immediately thought of coming here.