Chapter 118: Return
The fight came to a complete stop when the woman arrived.
Lady Andromeda had stopped inches away from grabbing Ezio by the head.
"Lara... tsk."
Lady Andromeda pulled away from Ezio and clicked her tongue in irritation at her sudden appearance.
Relief washed over Ezio’s face.
He immediately began brushing the dust off his clothes with both hands, even though there wasn’t a single speck of dust on them.
It was obviously just another move meant to annoy Lady Andromeda.
And judging by the way she glared at him like she wanted to eat him alive, it was clearly working.
"Lady Lara, thank you for saving me," Ezio said, his usual aloof expression settling back onto his face.
Lara waved her hand dismissively.
"Ah, please stop with the formality. It doesn’t suit you, Ezio."
Her expression then became serious.
"I didn’t come here to save you. I came here to scold both of you."
Lady Andromeda simply crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, here we go again."
"You know the commotion you two just caused?" Lara asked. "Everyone around here thought the border was under attack. People were scared, and I had to rush here to find out what was happening. But of course, you two had to be the reason."
There were already plenty of people gathered on top of the border walls. Guards, adventurers, and other Awakeners were all watching us.
I could even sense more presences behind the gates.
Their fight had been loud enough to scare everyone nearby.
After all, two Sovereigns had just started fighting near the border.
Well...
One of them had started fighting.
The other had been running for his life.
Ezio, who now had a slight frown on his face, spoke.
"She attacked me first. I didn’t do anything. I was just coming back with my young master and his new friend from the forest, and all of a sudden she attacked me. Right in front of her nephew, no less. Shaming her image as an aun—"
"Ezio."
Lady Andromeda’s voice was dangerously calm.
"Say another word and I will cut you to pieces."
Her aura suddenly erupted.
The pressure slammed into everyone around us.
My body immediately became heavy, and I felt the air itself become difficult to breathe.
Mia staggered beside me.
But before the pressure could completely overwhelm us, another aura erupted.
Lara’s aura collided with Andromeda’s, neutralizing it before it could crush us.
"Andromeda."
Lara glared at her.
Lady Andromeda huffed.
"Fine, fine."
She stopped releasing her aura.
Lara did the same.
"You two fought near the gates," Lara continued. "You could have killed someone. Specifically these kids."
She glanced at Mia and me before returning her gaze to the two Sovereigns.
"If you want to solve your relationship issues, please do it somewhere far away from here."
"There is nothing to solve," Lady Andromeda scoffed. "I just want to kill this bastard."
Ezio shook his head.
Lara sighed.
"Andromeda, you’re responsible for overseeing this border, and here you are fighting."
That was true.
Lady Andromeda was responsible for overseeing the border in the King’s stead. Anything that entered or left through these gates had to be reported to her.
If a monster anomaly appeared anywhere near the border, she was also responsible for dealing with it.
That was exactly why Ezio and I had sneaked past the border in the first place.
If Andromeda had caught us trying to enter the Lands of Horror, there was no way she would have allowed us to pass, especially after learning that I had only recently awakened.
But Andromeda wasn’t the only person responsible for this region.
The Northern Guild also had someone assisting her.
The Guild Leader of the North.
Lara Artina.
Another important character from the original story.
And one of the strongest Awakeners in the kingdom.
A Sovereign.
Lara massaged the bridge of her nose.
"I wonder what the Duke was thinking when he gave this role to you."
Lara was a tall, brown-skinned woman who stood at around 1.90 meters, making her slightly shorter than Ezio but still tall enough to tower over most people.
She wore a black cropped top that tightly hugged her chest and exposed her well-defined, chiseled abs. Black pants covered her legs, while a pair of brown boots rested on her feet. An oversized brown coat hung loosely over her shoulders.
She looked like someone who could either command an army or punch a monster through a wall.
Probably both.
"Yes, I’m responsible for protecting the border," Lady Andromeda said. "That’s why I’m fighting Ezio. He sneaked past me with my nephew months ago."
She pointed at me.
Lara’s pink eyes shifted toward me.
"Oh?"
Her expression changed slightly.
"So this is your nephew?"
Her eyes focused on my hair before moving to my face.
"And those purple eyes... you’re Yves, aren’t you?"
"Yes, I’m Yves, Lady Lara."
I gestured toward Mia.
"And this is my, uh... friend, Mia. Nice to meet you."
I bowed my head.
Mia quickly followed my example.
"You have manners."
Lara nodded approvingly.
"The last time I saw you, you were just a baby. And look at you now."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she observed me.
"I can sense mana disappearing into your body. You’ve awakened."
I nodded.
"That’s correct."
"Wasn’t he supposed to be a mundane human, Andromeda?"
Lara tilted her head.
"I’m pretty sure he failed the Awakening twice."
She tapped the tip of her boot against the ground.
A faint ripple of mana spread through the area.
A moment later, I felt a barrier envelop the space around us.
A sound barrier.
It seemed she didn’t want everyone standing on the walls to hear our conversation.
How considerate.
Lady Andromeda walked closer and stopped beside Lara.
"Yeah, but somehow, miraculously, he managed to awaken two months ago. I was surprised when I received the news."
She looked me up and down as if inspecting a strange object.
"It is weird. Someone shouldn’t be able to awaken after failing twice."
"Well, little Yves here has done the impossible."
It was impossible.
I was probably an exception because the original Yves had actually died.
And because my soul had taken over his body, I had somehow become eligible to awaken.
At least, that was my theory.
"That’s why I chose him."
Ezio suddenly placed his hand on my right shoulder.
Lady Andromeda’s eyes immediately shifted toward him.
"You..."
Her expression darkened.
"Since when were you Yves’s Shadow?"
"I thought you said you wouldn’t choose anyone."
Lara nodded.
"I remember you saying that as well. Years ago."
From their interaction alone, I could tell that they had known each other for a very long time.
Another thing that wasn’t supposed to happen.
"Well, people change their minds," Ezio said casually.
Lara ignored him.
"So what were you doing in the forest?"
"The kid wanted to get stronger faster and thought hunting monsters in the forest would help him increase his strength—"
"And it worked perfectly," Lara finished for him.
Her eyes moved toward me.
"He’s already at Middle Ascendant."
She smiled slightly.
"For a noble brat, you have balls, kid. Not even I would have thought about venturing into that place at your age."
"Thank you."
I accepted the compliment.
Lady Andromeda, who had been silently staring at me, suddenly spoke.
"Let me guess. You want to participate in the Rite of Passage?"
Well, that was obvious.
"Yes."
I nodded confidently.
"And I’m planning to win it."
"You think you can?"
Her expression became slightly amused.
"Your siblings and cousins have been Awakened for two years. Despite your abnormal growth, they have two years more experience than you."
That was true.
The other kids had been training as Awakeners for two years.
They had more experience.
They understood their abilities better.
They had fought more battles.
However...
I was the author of this book.
I knew exactly how their powers worked.
I knew their strengths.
I knew their weaknesses.
I knew how they fought.
Winning wasn’t that far out of reach.
"I have my ways."
Lady Andromeda clicked her tongue.
"Tsk. Cocky brat."
She smiled.
"I’ll be there to watch it. And I’ll beat your ass if you fail."
A chill ran down my spine.
Another reason to win at all costs had just been added to the list.
Lara laughed at Andromeda’s words and shook her head.
After that, I explained Mia’s situation and asked Ezio to show them the bodies of her companions.
"So they were ambushed by a Greater Spider Queen," Lara said. "And you killed it?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the entire party had already been killed. Mia was the only one left alive."
Lady Andromeda narrowed her eyes.
"Did you really kill it?"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Or was Ezio injured first so you could finish it off?"
I was about to answer, but Mia spoke before I could.
"He’s not lying."
Her voice was firm.
"He really killed it. He saved me."
I glanced at her.
I understood Andromeda’s doubts.
I had just killed a Greater-ranked monster that had wiped out an entire party of Ascendants.
That wasn’t something a newly awakened noble brat should have been capable of doing.
I couldn’t exactly tell them that I had more power than an ordinary Ascendant.
Nor could I tell them that I had awakened a Mythic Main Story.
Fortunately, I didn’t need to explain myself.
Ezio did it for me.
"He awakened a very interesting power."
He smiled.
"That’s why he was able to kill it. So don’t think he was joking when he said he’ll win the Rite of Passage."
Lara and Andromeda both raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Lara’s curiosity was obvious.
"What kind of Main Story?"
Ezio shook his head.
"Can’t spoil the surprise. You’ll see it during the Rite of Passage."
"Tsk. Insufferable bastard," Andromeda muttered.
"Well, I’ll make sure to be there, then."
Lara’s attention shifted toward Mia.
She stepped forward and pulled the girl into a gentle hug.
Mia’s face immediately disappeared into Lara’s chest, turning bright red.
"I’m sorry you had to go through what you did."
Lara gently caressed her head.
"I hope you’re strong enough to keep moving forward and that this doesn’t stop you from chasing your dreams."
Her expression became sad.
Tears formed in the corners of Mia’s eyes.
"Thank you for the kind words, Lady Lara."
Lara eventually told us that she would personally accompany Mia, speak with the families, and return the bodies of her companions to them.
Which meant it was time to say goodbye.
"I guess this is where we part ways."
I smiled.
My Gift was no longer active, so I could finally act normally again.
Mia simply stared at me.
Tears still filled her eyes.
"What’s wrong?"
Instead of answering, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged me.
Her face buried itself against my chest.
"Thank you..."
Her voice trembled.
"Thank you so much for saving me. Thank you for bringing me back safely."
I smiled and gently patted her head.
"You’re very welcome."
After a few moments, she pulled away and wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"You said I was your friend earlier."
I tilted my head.
"Yes. We’re friends now."
I smiled.
"We traveled together for days, after all. So you can go around boasting that I’m your friend."
"Hehe. Sure, I will."
She smiled.
She was a good kid.
It was just unfortunate that she had been forced to experience something like this.
But that was simply how this world worked.
"See you then."
Mia waved goodbye.
I waved back before walking toward Ezio, who was currently being cursed at by Lady Andromeda again.
"This is my cue."
Ezio stepped away from her and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I’ll see you guys around."
He waved toward both Lady Andromeda and Lara.
Lady Andromeda responded by giving him the middle finger.
Before I could even say goodbye, my vision turned black.
The next moment, my body sank into the shadows.
The familiar sensation of darkness surrounded me.
Then everything went still.
When I opened my eyes again, I was back inside the mansion.
We were back.