Chapter 39: Whirlpool

Asa smiled and said, "Indeed, there is something important. Actually, I originally came to ask you about the whereabouts of someone, but now it seems that might not be necessary."

Grandma Ail nodded with a knowing smile and said, "Let's talk alone. Your two young ladies can wait outside for a bit."

Talice glanced at Grandma Ail, snorted coldly, and turned to lead Ayime outside.

Listening to their footsteps fade away, Grandma Ail sat down at the table, and Asa took a seat opposite her. Over the past decade of teaching, the two had always sat at opposite ends of the table like this.

"Here, this is still the buckwheat bread from Reid at the village entrance. It's been years since you've tasted it, hasn't it?" Grandma Ail took a loaf of bread from the bag she had just placed on the table and handed it to Asa.

Asa took a bite, swallowed, and smiled. "To be honest, his skills are still as bad as ever. But anything tastes good when eaten here with you."

Since he was a child, aside from his home, this had been the only place where he could find rest and food. Especially since he often came here after training, when he was particularly hungry.

"Time flies... I remember when you were only as tall as this table. It feels like just a blink of an eye, and now you've grown so tall and capable," Grandma Ail sighed, looking at Asa. She closed her eyes, as if reminiscing about his younger days.

"What's even more surprising is me," Asa sighed, carefully studying the old woman he had known for so long. "I truly never expected that the person who watched me grow up would be the one Sandru asked me to find—the former leader of the Adventurers' Guild, another former acting guild master of Dehya Valley, Agrenel."

"Yes, I am Agrenel. It's been a long time since I've heard that name," Grandma Ail nodded calmly.

Asa let out a long breath. Although he had guessed it, hearing it confirmed still left him utterly shocked.

Before returning here, he had vaguely sensed that the old woman who had taught him since childhood couldn't possibly be just a simple retired adventurer. The skills, combat techniques, knowledge, and many principles she had taught him weren't things an ordinary person could possess. So, when he couldn't find any trace of Agrenel elsewhere, Asa thought of her. Given her vast experiences and knowledge, she must have been an extraordinary figure in the past, and thus might know the whereabouts of the continent's top assassin and adventurer.

But when he returned here and looked at the cottage with his current perspective, he felt something strange. And when Talice recognized those unusual collections, especially the half-staff, he couldn't help but consider this possibility. Finally, when he heard Grandma Ail's voice behind him, he was certain.

To approach him without his notice, close enough to launch a sneak attack at any moment—aside from the legendary top assassin of the continent, he couldn't think of anyone else who could do that.

"However... when I inquired at the Thieves' Guild and the Adventurers' Guild, I never heard that Agrenel was a woman."

Grandma Ail smiled and said, "During my time as the leader of the Adventurers' Guild, I always presented myself as a man. You know, a group of rough men wouldn't easily accept a woman as their leader."

"Then there's the strangest part... If Sandru knew you, why didn't he give me even the slightest hint? He just sent me out to find you without any clues."

Grandma Ail showed a hint of surprise. "You had no idea about my identity before? Then how did you end up here?"

"I was completely lost, so I thought of coming to you for advice," Asa smiled. "After seeing you, I naturally figured it out."

"Oh? Didn't you hear about how I taught that young officer who came here to investigate you a lesson? I thought you might have heard about that incident and, combined with my appearance at the duke's mansion, would have at least suspected something. At the very least, Sandru should have known it was me, right?"

"Only now do I fully understand that the person at the duke's mansion that day was actually you. No wonder Sandru acted so strangely afterward—he never mentioned who you were, no matter who asked."

Grandma Ail sneered, "Because he felt guilty."

"Guilty about what? He feels guilty?"

"You can ask him about that when you have the chance," Grandma Ail's smile was somewhat ambiguous. Then her expression turned serious again. "I saw that young officer I taught a lesson to at the duke's mansion, with you all. How is it that after I broke his arm, he never mentioned it to anyone?"

"That happened? I never heard about it. Sandru didn't seem to know either, or he would have told me something when I left," Asa shook his head in astonishment. He now realized that the young man Grandma Ail was referring to was Rodhart. But back in the capital, he had been too busy to talk to Rodhart, and afterward, he never heard anything about it.

"That's strange..." Grandma Ail pondered for a moment but couldn't make sense of it. Compared to the matter at hand, it was just a trivial detail. She shook her head and said to Asa, "Forget it. Since you're here, it doesn't matter."

"Sandru asked me to get something from you..." Asa took out the pouch filled with Sun Well water. "Something that can lock this away. He said it should be with you. And he wants you to find a safe place to hide it."

"The thing he wants isn't with me," Grandma Ail shook her head slightly, pointing at Asa. "It's with you. Sandru hasn't seen this thing, so it's not surprising he didn't recognize it. But I have to say, he was really careless."

"With me?" Asa was stunned.

"Yes, you've been carrying it all along. I originally gave it to you so you could handle it yourselves, but it seems I still have to step in," Grandma Ail extended her finger and pointed at Asa's hand. Her finger was slender, without a single wrinkle, like that of a young girl. This youthful, beautiful finger was pointing at the ring on Asa's hand.

Outside the cottage, in the distance, Talice and Ayime waited under a large tree. Ayime's expression was calm, while Talice's face was filled with anger.

"What does she mean by 'your two young ladies'? Are we just his appendages or something?" Talice suddenly spoke up loudly, as if only now could she release the frustration pent up in her chest.

Ayime looked surprised. "So you were bothered by that? But why did you just pull me out without a word earlier? I thought you didn't care."

"Didn't care? This is an insult to a knight!" Talice's face turned red, but she quickly sighed. "I had no choice but to leave. That old woman is too powerful. I felt like I couldn't breathe around her."

"Really? I didn't feel anything special about her. She just seemed like an ordinary old lady."

"Ordinary? Hmph," Talice snorted. "If it weren't for the fact that I can't return to Celeste right now, and if it weren't for that guy, I'd go back and call my teacher and all the temple knights here." Her expression and eyes were twisted with anger and confusion. "I must find out what she meant by those words."

"You said this was something my father found on me when he picked me up," Asa said as he removed the ring from his finger. His expression wasn't one of confusion but calmness. He sensed that this issue might bring more than just surprise.

Grandma Ail said indifferently, "I was the one who placed it on you."

"So you were the one who found me first?"

Grandma Ail paused for a moment, then smiled. "You could say that."

"You could say that" implied that there was more to the story, but Asa didn't press further. He wasn't sure if he didn't dare or simply didn't want to. He only asked, "So this thing has nothing to do with me?"

"It does. Don't you need it now?"

"I mean, does this thing have anything to do with my origins?" Asa hesitated, asking cautiously. He felt his heart racing, faster than it had in a long time.

Ever since he stole the World Tree Leaf from the elves, gained the power of the Sun Well, and later the World Tree Leaf, he had been pulled into a whirlpool. A massive whirlpool intertwined with Dehya Valley, the Black Star, the World Tree Leaf, the Central Lands, light, darkness, and more.

First, there was Bishop Ronis's favor, then the lich Vadenina's attempts to recruit him, the duke's schemes... These forces or individuals all revolved around him. Although he didn't want it and had tried to escape, he was ultimately dragged into the whirlpool. Sometimes, even the means of escape had to rely on other forces within the whirlpool. Only recently had he begun to face this whirlpool head-on with his own strength and courage. But now, he suddenly learned that even his origins seemed to be part of this whirlpool.