The mother and daughter hugged each other silently, neither leaving the embrace. And Jamie thought as he looked at it.
This was love you could only find in a family.
How would he feel if his mother’s health suddenly deteriorated?
Or his father, Count Welton’s?
What about his younger sister, Sarah?
Not much different from this sight.
His chest would feel stuffy, and it would feel like his heart was being cut into a million pieces.
Just like Venna and Hippen. And yet, parting ways is common in life.
It was something everyone would have to face at some point and something they would have to accept whether they liked it or not.
‘Whether it is me or others, it is the same.’
It was difficult to endure all that pain in his previous life, so he made extreme choices.
This life will not be like that.
He will accept any parting which comes for him. Because that way, he could provide closure to the other person.
Would the results have been a little better if he had accepted goodbyes like this in the past?
“I showed a sight I shouldn’t be showing our guests.”
As Jamie was in deep thought, Hippen spoke to him. She, too, was crying.
Hippen smiled and said to Venna.
“Venna, if you would introduce us.”
“Yes.”
Venna, who calmed down, introduced Jamie to Hippen.
“My master. We talked a lot about him before, right?”
“I am Jamie Welton.”
Jamie greeted her in a manner befitting her status, both as the queen of Valkyrie and Venna’s mother.
Upon closer inspection, Hippen’s face resembled that of Netis, the former Valkyrie queen.
Previously, he never cared about being polite to Netis, but his attitude had changed along with the times.
“Only now did I get to meet the benefactor of Valkyrie. Thanks to you, I was able to find my daughter. Thank you very much.”
Still, since she is the queen of Valkyrie, he thought she could naturally talk with pride, but she spoke respectfully to Jamie.
“Not at all.”
“I have nothing to offer, so I hope you accept this. It is something I’ve wanted to give you for a long time .”
What Hippen held out was a green leaf. It looked like a regular leaf, but when he saw it, Jamie was startled.
“That…”
“You know it too. It is a leaf of the White Tree. Just what you get to energize.”
They weren’t empty words.
The White Tree of Valkyrie is a divine tree comparable to the World Tree of the elves.
In particular, it was known that the World Tree surpassed it in terms of vitality.
But the leaves of the White Tree are known to be so precious that they cannot be compared with other treasures.
It wasn’t something you could get just because you wanted it, either.
“Please take this.”
Jamie was thinking about whether he should accept it, and Venna, standing next to Hippen, nodded.
Jamie smiled at her appearance. He took a step closer to the queen and gently extended his hand.
“I will be grateful for this.”
Jamie, who took the white leaf, felt his body already recover to the best state.
He was mentally stressed today, but the pain and strain had vanished completely. Indeed, the leaves of a divine tree were different.
Hippen asked as Jamie looked at the white leaf.
“Now then, I want to talk to you about my daughter’s future. Is that fine?”
“M-mom.”
“Venna, stay still. No, it is a conversation between your mother and your master.”
“But…”
“It is fine. Step aside for a moment.”
“Listen to the queen.”
Her mother and master were in agreement, so Venna was forced to step aside.
And the two of them were silent when Hippen said.
“What should I call you?”
“You can call me Jamie; it might be comfortable.”
“Then, Jamie. Have you told Venna about my time?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so.”
Hippen nodded as if she could understand.
“I knew there was no way Fiyon would have said it. Unlike her light personality, she’s quite tight-lipped.”
“I didn’t say it out without thought.”
“I thought so. Does Jamie want Venna to become a queen? Maybe to get help from the Valkyries in the upcoming war?”
“I would be lying if I said no. But that isn’t the only reason.”
“Then?”
“It doesn’t make sense for a daughter not to know that her parents don’t have a long time left. So I felt discouraged when she said she would come with me, and I ended up talking about it after she said it could be fine since she would have a sibling.”
It was something Jamie did because he knew the importance of familial love.
“I see.”
“I heard the flower for the second princess to be born has bloomed. I still think it makes sense, but it will take two years for everything to happen. Even so, when she is born, she can’t take the throne immediately. She will have to grow. It may take years, and I don’t think it will all happen in a short time.”
“You know a lot.”
“Which means the Valkyries will go through an absence of queen for a few years. And for Valkyries, the queen isn’t just a ruler, right? Isn’t she the existence of their race?”
Hippen was surprised that Jamie knew this much. Come to think of it, even the bull Venna came with 5 years back knew a lot about Valkyries.
Was that bull called Behemoth?
Jamie continued.
“Anyway, for that reason, I had to inform Venna of the truth and make her come here.”
“I didn’t want Venna to know.”
“Parents are selfish in that aspect. Children have the right to know everything about their parents.”
“Right words. It was my selfishness that I didn’t want to see my daughter suffer. But now I feel relieved.”
“That’s fortunate. I was wondering what I would have to do if the queen was mad at me.”
When Jamie said it, Hippen shook her head.
“I heard from Venna that you were younger than her… but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“Because there is an old man within me.”
As Jamie smiled and said, Hippen, laughed.
She thought of it as a joke. But he was serious.
“It would be reassuring to have someone like you by the side of Venna.”
“It must be. Venna is a subordinate I am proud of.”
“Hahaha. You call the next queen of Valkyrie your subordinate; you definitely have no lack of courage.”
“Please, it was half joke and half serious.”
The two looked at each other and giggled, and Hippen said.
“Thank you for sending my daughter.”
“It makes things difficult for me if the queen keeps bowing her head.”
“I can do anything for the benefactor of my daughter.”
“I feel burdened. So, could you please call Venna? I have something to say.”
“Yes. Sure.”
After a while, Venna returned, and the queen stepped aside.
Venna had stopped her crying, yet her eyes looked red.
Jamie said first.
“Venna, coming here, you must have come to a decision.”
“Master….”
“How long do you plan on whining like a child? You will become the queen of Valkyrie within a year from now. It’s time to start showing dignity fitting a queen.”
“It isn’t…”
“Venna. Do you remember the day we first met 5 years back?”
“Of course I do.”
How could she forget it?
“… I was beaten by master.”
At first, she thought he was being chased by the bad ones and tried to help, but then Jamie lured them.
And then again, she found out he was a dark magician and almost got into trouble.
Of course, Venna was rejected, and her memories were read, but she was saved in the end.
“It was disappointing when I found a Valkyrie who lacks the talent for magic, but it was nice to be able to work.”
Even the appearance of a squirrel was uncomfortable. Still, she got used to it, and Venna often liked staying in that form.
For Venna, the moment she met Jamie was salvation, a moment of meeting a leader who would show her the way forward, and a moment of meeting a hero who would one day save the world.
“How can I forget?”
Venna wept and said,
“How can I forget, master?”
They could not be together anymore.
She waited 5 years to meet him again, but she couldn’t be with him. That made Venna hurt.
Jamie nodded.
“Right. I will never forget it either. I have all the memories stored.”
“Master.”
“It was the same for the past 5 years and will be the same in the future too. I am your master, and you are my subordinate. Even if the bodies are far, the bond will never break.”
“Really?”
“Really. You are my first subordinate.”
“Uh… uk…”
“Even if we are apart, we are always together, Venna, remember that.”
“Yes… together!”
As soon as she said it, Venna burst into tears that she was holding back. Jamie struggled to appease his cherished subordinate.
They will be parting ways again, but this isn’t an eternal parting.
They will meet once again.
“You don’t have to come.”
“But…”
“Rather, if we break away like this, won’t we meet up soon? We will only think more of the other if we hold on till the last moment.”
Jamie patted Venna on the head and got up.
He saw the queen approaching them and said.
“It is done.”
“Thank you.”
“No. Venna, take good care of the queen.”
“… I will.”
“Yes.”
Jamie said goodbye and walked out.
Outside, Fiyon was leaning against the tree, waiting for him.
“The princess?”
“She is inside.”
“I see. It worked out, thanks to you. Thank you so much.”
Unlike before, Fiyon bowed her head and thanked him.
Jamie waved his hand.
“No need. I didn’t do this to be thanked.”
“… sorry. It must have been troublesome.”
“I need to head back. You also need to come to Frontier as you are dispatched there.”
“Yes.”
The two came out of the ‘Fountain through which time flows’ as quietly as possible.
No one stopped them.
They could see the night sky as soon as they returned to the field. Whether this place shares the sky of Abraxas or not, it had the same stars.
Jamie told Fiyon to put her hand on his shoulder and teleported.
“Snore~ snore~”
As soon as he returned to his residence, he heard Behemoth snoring.
It was disgusting to see him sleeping peacefully after all that happened.
He considered waking Behemoth up but didn’t.
He, too, might feel sad if Venna isn’t there after he wakes up.
He isn’t the type to openly show it though
“I will head back. Thank you for today.”
“Yes. Rest well.”
Fiyon returned to her place.
Jamie walked to the bed and laid on it.
Somehow, he felt alone.
Behemoth was right down there, and there was his family and fellow magicians in Seldam.
But a strange sense of loss was lingering.
No, there was no way he could be unaware of this loss.
“Venna, you idiot, stay healthy.”
Jamie lay alone in bed, blessing his subordinate who would become the queen.
And he fell asleep in a short while.
He must have been so tired.
Someone shook his body violently.
Jamie rubbed his eyes and saw who was shaking him.
“… Jamie Welton!”
Blue hair could be seen through the blurred vision.
One woman and three men with her.
Jamie rubbed his eyes and grabbed the arm of the woman shaking him.
“What is it…”
He was in a deep sleep, so he couldn’t get up immediately.
Jamie yawned and got up and checked the faces of those gathered.
Isis, Jin, Han, Beryl, and finally, Hawks.
Why were the best of Frontier here?
Jamie yawned again, but Isis said.
“This isn’t the time to yawn!”
“Right, so why are you doing this?”
“It happened.”
“… what happened?”
“War.”
Friedmoor 524th year, as fall gave way to winter.
The nation of Terrisia, located between the North and East, invaded the North with the Zenith church backing it.
