The Prodia Family is quite powerful within Asura, yet they haven't even made a token effort to send people to look for me.
If he confirmed I had joined Ariel's side, he should have sent assassins after me or something. Unfortunately, none of that happened.
This puts me in a somewhat awkward position. If he had sent assassins, I could have been more ruthless when dealing with him later, when I return to Ars with Ariel.
After all, as my grandfather, he hasn't done anything particularly vicious to me, even if he mostly ignored me at home.
But overall, he did raise and educate me. Ah, forget it. Overthinking this will only shake my resolve. No point dwelling on it.
We planned to go directly from the Usher Territory to the Fittoa Territory, then travel along the border to the Red Dragon's Upper Jaw, finally reaching the Northern Continent.
That same day, after preparing our supplies, we continued our journey.
Two months later, we arrived at the old city of Roa in the Fittoa Territory.
Quite a few people had already returned here from other places. Many had set up simple tents to live in the old city district.
Many were also reclaiming wasteland nearby. Although they couldn't be self-sufficient for the first couple of years, the basic national subsidies currently ensured they wouldn't starve.
One must never lose hope, no matter the circumstances. Even if hope is faint, it's the driving force that pushes people forward.
The people of the Fittoa Territory are the best example. No matter how far they were teleported, losing all their family wealth, many never seeing their loved ones again...
...the land turned barren. Everything had to be started from scratch.
Yet, so many people quietly began anew, tirelessly rebuilding their former homes.
We went to look at the bulletin boards for survivors and victims.
Rudeus kept checking the survivors' section. In the end, he seemed to confirm someone's survival and looked very happy. But after confirming something with a nearby official, he appeared somewhat dejected.
Meanwhile, Elinalise stood motionless before the deceased list. Her pupils were dilated, her gaze empty, her face twitching unnaturally. Uncontrollable tears streamed from her eyes.
It suddenly hit me—Elinalise's son also died in this disaster. It must have been Sylphiette's father, I think his name was Rorze.
She must have seen the news of her son's death.
I felt a pang of guilt. I knew about this disaster beforehand. But I had genuinely forgotten that Sylphiette's father also died in it. In the original story, his name only appeared once or twice; I truly hadn't thought of him.
After all, we've been intimate. I walked over and pulled her into an embrace. She wept continuously in my arms but didn't say a word.
This state lasted about half an hour before she gradually stopped crying and pulled away from my embrace.
Looking at my tear-soaked shirt, she gave a slight smile and said, 'I didn't expect you to be a gentle man, after all!'
I didn't respond to her comment or ask why she was crying. I took out a handkerchief and wiped the remaining tears from her face.
Gently patting her shoulder, we then left that sorrowful place together.
We didn't stay in Roa for long. Later, we also visited Rudeus's old home.
It was actually quite hard to identify where their original house site was. Rudeus Greyrat had to find a nearby hillside to get his bearings, then walked in the direction he remembered.
He finally stopped at a spot where the foundation's outline was still somewhat visible. Rudeus, Aisha, and Norn lingered at their home for a while, probably reminiscing about their past life there together.
After that, we all left.
The past is gone, and the present is what it is. We must all face the future with strength.
Time always passes quickly on the road. After all, the constantly changing scenery makes one overlook the swift passage of time.
After walking for about another three months, we finally arrived in Sharia.
Although Paul gave Rudeus some money before he left, telling him to buy a house in Sharia...
...buying a house isn't something that happens overnight. I have a home in Sharia, and it felt awkward to let them stay at an inn.
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