Chapter 307: Not the Greeting She Expected
A letter had been sent to the Duke’s Tower the day of her grandmother’s death, telling the knights that she would soon return to them. It became Irene’s driving force to return. She couldn’t disappoint the knights more than she already had by leaving for such a long time, so shortly after she was appointed the third in command.
It felt like time, at that moment more than ever, to take it seriously. Her desire to become the greatest had not waned.
However, it seemed like a bad omen that the day she was set to leave, the mountains surrounding Chemois were starting to accumulate snow again. Occasionally, they would have variable and unpredictable weather like that. All it did was remind her that she was no longer in the far north, where small cycles of weather happened constantly, but at least they were predictable.
After all, she had been reading about Sünstoian culture and Volna, and she couldn’t help but put meaning into it as her people once did. She also had to take into consideration that the predictable weather of the north would likely be much more concerning and poignant if there was something to change it.
"Are you sure you’re ready to go?" her father asked her as she loaded her saddlebags onto Sammy. "I can’t be sure if this storm will settle into the valley."
She only stopped when everything was strapped into place. Ever since she found out the state in which she left Sammy while being under the wyrm’s curse, she was even more careful than normal about the way in which she secured things to the loyal horse.
The fact that she hadn’t gotten them both killed amazed her. It also made her feel anxious that she didn’t remember a second of what it was like to be under the curse.
"I need to go," Irene insisted. "The other knights are waiting for me. I want to be there for when the monsters fully wake up for the season. I haven’t fought anything in quite a while. I’m worried I’m going to get rusty without practice."
"Practice?" Arthur questioned in disbelief. "I would believe that if it weren’t for seeing you waking up early each morning and going down to the practice yard of your own volition. You’re probably better-practiced than anyone else in the order at this rate."
"I’m going stir crazy," Irene admitted. "As if a comfortable life is too much for me after spending so long traveling through the Sünsto region."
"I understand what that’s like," Arthur responded, clasping his daughter’s shoulder. "At least I did when I was younger. Now I don’t mind resting for longer periods. My stomach getting fat is an indication of that."