A Visit to the Ancestor

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I said, glancing up at Aelira while flipping through the last few pages of the guidebook.

She was sitting quietly nearby, watching me read like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. At the sound of my voice, she immediately straightened up like a student called to the front of the class.

"Yes, Sir Kaito," she said, posture suddenly perfect.

I sighed.

"Do you know of any historical figures who could learn scrolls from multiple types? Not just different elements—completely different classes."

She tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "Let me think…"

A few seconds passed before she perked up. "I believe there's a statue in the Temple of Lady Aurelya here in Eastmere. It's of a female mage, said to have received a blessing from the dragon goddess that allowed her to use scrolls from different types. But… it's more of a local legend. No one knows if she was real or just a story made up to inspire devotion."

Figures. All the good lore is either buried or wrapped in myth.

"Can we make a quick detour before heading to the guild?" I asked. "I'd like to see that statue."

"Of course! As you wish, Sir Kaito."

I groaned.

"Can you please stop calling me that? I'm not a knight. I've got the sword skills of a sleep-deprived librarian. Just call me Kaito."

She blinked, then smiled sweetly.

"But you are a knight to me. My protector. My knight in shining armor… Sir Kaito."

She clasped her hands in front of her, eyes sparkling, cheeks faintly pink, like a fan girl caught in her own daydream.

I gave her a long look, then sighed again and turned back to the book.

What am I going to do with her?

***

The morning sun hung low over Eastmere, casting a golden warmth across the cobbled streets. Dew still clung to the grass by the roadside, and the smell of fresh bread wafted faintly from the direction of the market stalls.

Aelira didn't have a clock in her home—figures. It didn't seem like the kind of thing you would see in normal households. May costs an arm and a leg, I guess. Judging by the angle of the sun, I figured it was around nine or ten.

Aelira, back in her shining armor, looked just as good as she had in her casual clothes. Probably better. Elven elegance aside, I was still thinking about the meal she cooked earlier—roasted meat that could rival anything I'd tasted back on Earth. Honestly, if she had wasted her scroll path on cooking instead of swordsmanship… I wouldn't blame her. Her longsword hung behind her back like a proud trophy.

I just hoped she'd washed the boar guts off it first.

The air was crisp, cool enough to keep me awake, warm enough to make walking bearable. Not that I was walking well.

"How are you feeling, Sir Kaito?" Aelira asked, glancing down at me with concern as I limped along beside her.

Her silver hair shimmered in the sunlight, bouncing lightly as she walked with her usual knightly poise. Meanwhile, I shuffled like an old man three days into retirement.

"I'll live," I said with a weak grin. "Guess it'll take a bit longer to get back to full strength. But thanks to you, I'm doing way better than I should be."

I looked around as we made our way toward the square. Even with the aches and bandages, there was something comforting about this town.

Children ran through the side alleys, giggling with wooden swords in hand. A dwarf shouted about discounts on enchanted cookware. A small scroll shop tucked between a bakery and an old apothecary—nothing fancy, just a creaky sign with faded runes and a paw print logo.

What really caught my eye was the owner: a beastfolk with the head of a bear and reading glasses balanced on his snout, flipping through parchment like he was reviewing ancient tax documents.

Now there's a guy who probably knows what he's doing… or at least he pretends, he does.

Life moved here—not too fast, not too slow.

It made me feel… okay.

But today, I needed more than good vibes.

Getting princess-carried by an armored beauty once was enough for my entire reincarnated life, thanks.

"What are you planning to do once we get to the guild?" Aelira asked suddenly. There was a softness in her voice—almost hesitant. Not like the bubbly whirlwind from earlier.

I glanced at her. "Finish that herb quest. Still one mandrake short."

She blinked. "You're still doing that?"

"Of course I am," I replied. "A man needs a roof and a bed. Preferably not under a cabbage cart."

She laughed, then offered, "Would you mind if I came along? We could stop by the gathering spot first—it'll save you a trip to guild."

That... was surprisingly strategic.

Not quite the same Aelira who used her sword like a baseball bat.

Still, not a bad idea.

"I don't mind if you've got nothing better to do?" I teased.

She beamed. "Really? You're serious, Sir Kaito?"

There it was again—that radiant, unfiltered joy. It almost made me forget about the limp.

"Yeah, I'm serious," I said. "But only if you drop the 'Sir Kaito' part."

She straightened her posture dramatically, putting a hand over her heart like she was about to swear an oath. "I will try my very best not to call you Sir Kaito… if that's what you want."

That's better. I've been trying to shake that title since the boar fight. But hey… if she really wants to go root-hunting with me for her to finally give up on that, who am I to say no?

The temple visit could wait.

We turned off from the main road, the sound of the marketplace fading behind us, replaced by chirping birds and the soft crunch of gravel beneath our boots.

It was a peaceful morning in Eastmere.

And I was going herb-hunting with a silver-haired knight who, for some reason, liked hanging around a limping scholar with a bruised face and big dreams.

Yeah... not a bad way to start the day.

***

"Here! I found it—Sir… ah—my apologies. Mr. Kaito!"

Aelira beamed like she'd just slain a dragon and uncovered a treasure hoard. She held something up triumphantly, her eyes glittering with excitement.

We'd gone from Sir to Mr.

Progress?

I limped over, dragging my battered legs across the overgrown patch of grass just beyond the town's outer wall. One glance at the thing in her hand—and the last ounce of hope I had evaporated.

"…That's a dried-up clump of dog shit."

I said it gently. Kind of. Okay, maybe not gently, but I tried.

Aelira blinked. Then looked down at her hand. Her face twisted.

"Oh gods—it is!"

I sighed, pressing a hand to my temple. "Why don't you enjoy the scenery for a bit while I do the actual gathering?"

"That's not fair!" she pouted, holding the offending "root" at arm's length. "I want to help! I was the one who ruined your job last night, remember?"

Ah. So that was her motive. Guilt.

"Aelira… you've already done more than enough," I said, turning to face her. "You helped fight off that boar, carried me like a sack of rice through the forest, brought me into your home, fed me, and even offered me the reward."

I gestured to my still-limping leg. "These bruises are barely a price for all that."

She opened her mouth, about to argue—when something caught my eye.

"There it is!"

Nestled between the blades of tall grass, half-hidden and growing low to the dirt, was the unmistakable shape of a proper mandrake root. I dropped to one knee and gently pulled it free.

"Got it!" I held it up, triumphant.

Aelira clapped her hands together, smiling from ear to ear. "That's amazing! See? We make a good team!"

This girl…

She had the beauty of a goddess, the strength of a wild boar, and the soul of a golden retriever. Add the attention span of a toddler, and somehow, against all odds, she'd become…

My first real friend in this world.

Unofficially. Not that I was going to start throwing around the F-word just yet. But still.

I tucked the root carefully into my satchel, dusted my hands off, and straightened up. "Alright. Mandrake quest—complete, now let's pay a visit to the temple."

We turned back toward the city, making our way down the familiar path toward the square. My limp had improved slightly, or maybe the excitement of finishing something had numbed it for now.

As we walked, I glanced at the food stalls lining the road ahead.

I'll have to treat her once we're done with all today. Something hot. Something good. Something that doesn't involve roots or boars…preferably.

She deserved that much.

***

We headed to the temple next.

It was a white stone building—not massive, but tall enough to stand out in the town square of a small town like Eastmere. Its rounded dome and clean, elegant design gave it an aura of quiet authority. Peaceful. Timeless.

Above the entrance, a green and gold crest shimmered in the sunlight, carved in the shape of leaves wrapped around a central flame.

It matched the colors of Aurelya's dress almost exactly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Aelira said, her voice soft with admiration.

I glanced at her. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at the crest, an innocent smile curling her lips.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "Yeah, it is."

We stepped inside.

The temple's interior was a large, open hall. Sunlight poured in through narrow stained-glass windows, casting soft green and gold patterns across the stone floor. Wooden benches lined both sides of a long, carpeted walkway, and the high ceiling echoed faintly with each footstep.

At the far end of the hall stood a tall stone statue of Lady Aurelya herself—hands open, face serene, robes flowing behind her like frozen waves.

Aelira walked ahead, stopped at the base of the statue, and bowed her head in silent reverence. I followed suit, mimicking her motion.

Better to follow the culture than accidentally insult a literal goddess.

After a quiet moment, Aelira led me toward a door tucked behind the main altar. No priests, no attendants. Either it wasn't visiting hours, or Eastmere's temple staff operated on their own divine schedule. Another thing I'd figure out with time.

But first—I had someone to meet. Or at least, her statue.

We stepped into a quiet courtyard in the back, where several weathered stone statues stood in a row, each mounted on a pedestal with a black stone plaque. Most of the plaques were engraved in the common script of Elarwyn—names, dates, titles. Short historical blurbs.

But one statue caught my eye immediately.

It was of a tall woman in elegant robes, holding a scroll in one hand and a staff in the other. She looked… calm. Scholarly. Familiar, somehow.

Unlike the others, the black plaque at her base wasn't written in common script.

It was written in something else.

Something ancient.

I stepped closer and bent down, ignoring the slight ache in my knees. The letters were strange and looping—like curling fire branded into stone—but I could read them.

Because of course I could.

Scholar's Insight.

This message wasn't about the woman in the statue like the others. It was for someone. For the reader. For… me?

Aelira spoke behind me.

"You know… no one can read that one. People say it's Draconian—the lost language of dragons. Those symbols are similar to the ones you see on those unreadable scrolls the nobles hang on their walls just to look fancy."

Draconian.

That explained the script. But if no one could read it—then this message…

Was meant for someone with my blessing.

I looked back at the words on the plaque. They weren't long.

"You have the power to walk any path you choose.

But never step upon the dark one."

Short. Direct. A warning, maybe. Or a prophecy.

The first line echoed what Aurelya had hinted at back in the white void: that I could read and learn from any scroll, regardless of class or path. This… confirmed it. Someone like me had existed before.

But that second line...

"The dark one."

Was that metaphorical? Some kind of fantasy-world moral code?

Or was it literal? Was there a dark path of magic—some forbidden scrolls people weren't meant to touch?

I couldn't ask Aelira. If I told her I could read it, she'd either panic, praise me like a saint, or—worst case—tell someone else.

And the last thing I needed was to be labeled the "walking magical freak" of Eastmere. I'd rather not have my brain dissected in some back-alley laboratory just to see how it worked.

I stood up slowly.

"I think we should head to the guild," I said, eyeing the short shadows on the stones around us. The sun was nearly overhead.

Didn't want a repeat of yesterday.

And besides… I'd already learned what I came for.

All that was left now was to collect the reward…

and maybe pay a visit to that scroll shop I spotted earlier today.

***