Sensing Orion's departure, Anara abruptly halted her steps.
"Is there anything wrong, Anara?" Saria asked, noticing Anara's unusual behaviour.
Instead of responding, Anara closed her eyes and immediately activated one of her abilities. The greenery around her intensified as fallen leaves and grasses twirled around her figure.
Saria held her breath in surprise, observing as a tree nymph with an upper body of deep royal blue and a lower half of bright yellow skin tone became ensnared and pulled over by Anara's vines. Saria didn't recognize the tree nymph, as she couldn't keep tabs on every nymph on the farm due to the nature of her work.
However, Dariya, who stood by, couldn't help but feel her lips slightly twitch, witnessing Malaia's distressed figure entrapped by the vines.
"Malaia, I thought you had left with the others," Anara said, narrowing her eyes at Malaia.
Ever since she gave birth, Malaia and Dariya have been the ones taking care of Grace. Part of the reason was Malaia being one of Dariya's closest friends, and the only tree nymph who knew and had spoken to Orion, allowing them to communicate and share their experiences.
Seeing Malaia struggling to speak, Anara deactivated her ability, releasing her from the tight grasp of the vines.
Plop!
Malaia immediately landed on the floor, regaining her composure and gradually standing back up. She embarrassedly lowered her head upon noticing Dariya's, Anara's, and Saria's gazes.
"I... was waiting until you were all done, so I could go back and continue taking care of Grace," she said, careful with her words under Anara's gaze.
Anara sighed upon hearing Malaia's response.
Despite Malaia's attempt at lying, Anara sensed her genuine care for Grace, which was evident in the affection reflected in her eyes. Observing the two together, it would be hard for anyone to doubt that Malaia was not Grace's mother.
"I have something to share with everyone, and I'd like us to talk together. Since you're already here, come on, let's go," Anara said with a smile, focusing her attention forward as she began to walk, gently pulling Saria along with the rest following behind.
Dariya glared at Malaia before dragging her forward to catch up with the group.
….....
As Orion arrived at the wide grassy plain field where his hut was located at the centre, several loud sounds entered his ears. Immediately, he sensed that something was amiss and dashed towards the large hut.
However, upon reaching the hut and attempting to open the door, he abruptly halted, realizing that the noise was emanating from the back of the hut.
Swiftly, he changed his direction and came to a stop the moment he saw the scene unfolding before him.
His mouth widened in surprise before he closed it, taking in the sight before him. A knee-length wooden makeshift fence had been built at the back of the hut, and outside the enclosure, all of his women were seated and gathered around it.
Sura and Ursa were engaged in a friendly sparring match within the makeshift fence.
Sura lowered her body and executed a quick kick, propelling her feet forward with the intent of throwing Ursa off balance. Despite her agile movement, Ursa managed to evade the attack by leaping high into the air, executing a refined somersault as she landed.
However, as Ursa landed on her feet, her attention was momentarily diverted as she scanned her surroundings. She glanced at Orion's position, her gaze widening in surprise as she stared in his direction.
Seizing the moment, Sura took advantage of Ursa's temporary daze and grappled her to the ground, holding her down securely.
Although Ursa was a skilled warrior, Orion couldn't help but worry about the potential impact of the sparring on the baby growing in her womb.
"Haa! I told you that I could still defeat you even if you're a warrior, right? Now, it's 3 - 1," Sura said, careful not to endanger the safety of the baby in her womb. However, she observed that Ursa wasn't responding and seemed focused on something else.
Following Ursa's line of sight, Sura furrowed her brow, and her gaze froze as she saw what had captured Ursa's attention.
"Orion!" Ursa exclaimed.
Since her voice was audible and the attention of every woman was fixed on the outcome of their battle, they all turned their heads in Orion's direction. Their eyes widened in surprise as they realized that it was indeed Orion.
Before Orion could say a word, he watched as they all rushed towards him without hesitation, including Sura and Ursa, with Ursa being the fastest to arrive before him.
They wrapped their arms around him, hugging him tightly as they pushed him towards the ground due to their momentum and force.
"Welcome back home, Orion."
"Welcome back home, Orion."
"Welcome back home, Orion."
From Reena, his mother, Sura, Ursa, Gina, Fiona, Grandma Derry, Grandma Vivian, Ayla, Grandma Ingrid, Lyra, and Grandma Celia all spoke audibly, welcoming him back home with cheerful smiles on their faces.
"Yes, it's good to be back home finally. I missed you all so much," Orion responded with a warm smile as he wrapped his arms around them.
Although his arms couldn't properly reach everybody, he could tell that they didn't care about borders and were instead merely okay with feeling the warmth of his body.
However, for Orion, that wouldn't do. So, to make it up to them equally, he gave each of them a warm, individual kiss.
….…
After discovering that Aunt Greta had gone to heal an injured villager on the farm who had fallen victim to the tree nymphs' violent reaction to Saria's disappearance, he nodded in understanding. When she returned home, he would speak with her about setting up a kind of healthcare centre that would benefit individuals needing quick treatment.
This initiative would also allow all the healers in the Village to work and earn their wealth more efficiently.
As for those who had fallen victim to the tree nymphs' rampage, he could only wish them a swift recovery. After all, he, too, was a victim of the chaos.
