He sensed one man standing outside… but he knew better than to trust that alone.
Some people could hide their presence far too well.
He opened the door slowly—one hand on the handle, the other resting on his sword.
As the door creaked open, a adventurer appeared, startled by the number of soldiers inside.
“The tavern is closed,” Philip said firmly.
“If you’re looking for a room, try the inns near the western gate.”
But the adventurer shook his head.
“I’m not here for a room, soldier. I come under orders from the Guildmaster of Flin, to deliver a message to Lady Diane. Directly.”
Philip’s eyes narrowed.
“Then give me the message. I’ll deliver it.”
“I can’t,” the man replied. “My orders are to place it in her hands only. Is she here?”
“Yes,” Philip said, stepping aside. “Enter.”
The adventurer stepped inside, taking in the soldiers around him before approaching Diane. Philip and one guard walked behind him cautiously.
“Based on your son’s description,” the adventurer said, “you must be Lady Diane.”
Diane’s heart nearly stopped.
“My son—Sai? You met him? When? Where? Is he alright? Is Rose with him?”
“Yes, my lady,” he answered.
“I saw him three days ago in Guildmaster office in Flin. He was in good health. The girl was not with him… but he told me to inform you that she is safe.”
The adventurer tapped the storage stone on his bracelet and pulled out three letters.
He handed them to Diane, whose hands trembled as she took them.
“Thank you… thank you, sir.”
“I must go,” the adventurer said. “I need to report back immediately. This request came directly from the Guildmaster.”
Diane stepped forward.
“Wait—let me at least give you food.”
But he bowed politely.
“I appreciate the offer, but I cannot stay. Farewell.”
He left with quick steps.
Diane remained still, tears streaming down her cheeks—not of grief, but of overwhelming relief.
Emi rushed to her side and held her arm.
“Sit down, Diane… don’t just stand there.”
“My children… they’re safe,” Diane whispered.
“Yes,” Emi said softly. “They’re safe. And honestly… I can’t wait to hear what happened to them. From the village report alone, it sounds like a crazy adventure.”
Diane finally sat.
She looked at the letters:
- The first addressed to her and Keith—from Sai.
- The second from Rose—to her.
- And the last addressed to Rick—from Sai.
She handed the final letter to Emi.
“This one is for Rick.”
Emi took it and stored it in her own storage stone.
“I’ll give it to him when he returns.”
Slowly, calm returned to the tavern. The soldiers resumed their meals, and Philip sat down again, refilling his mug with ale.
He glanced at Emi, then at Rick’s letter, thinking:
From what I know… Rose and Sai vanished in the forest after fighting the undead army, chasing the necromancer … then the magical phenomenon happened… and they disappeared for months.
And now they send letters back…
On the same night Lord Casper announces the refugees can return?
Did he know something?
A faint smile touched Philip’s lips.
“The Spider has eyes and ears everywhere… nothing slips past him.”
He lifted his mug.
But none of that is my problem. I don’t want another headache. I’m only here because Sir Felix insisted…
And honestly? I’m starting to enjoy a warm meal here every night. The food in tavern is on another level entirely.
Diane looked at the two letters in her hands.
Even without checking the names, she could immediately tell who wrote each one.
Sai’s handwriting was always neat, structured, and carefully organized.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Rose’s, on the other hand—though Diane would never call it “messy”—was lively, uneven, full of energy.
It was simply Rose on paper.
And because Diane wanted to know exactly what had happened to them—without anything left out—she chose to read Sai’s letter first. Rose, after all, had a habit of forgetting to mention half the important details.
Diane gently opened Sai’s letter, her eyes scanning it slowly and carefully.
Emi watched her from the side, noticing the calm settling over Diane’s expression.
Emi herself finally felt relief.
Diane had been emotionally exhausted for months—everyone she cared about had disappeared with no news. Few could imagine how heavy that burden must have been.
But as Diane continued reading, Emi noticed something shift in her expression.
A tightening.
A flicker of discomfort.
Emi didn’t interrupt. She waited for Diane to finish.
At last, Diane placed the letter on the table.
Emi leaned forward.
“Did something happen to them?”
Diane inhaled deeply.
“A lot happened… but they’re safe.”
“Then what worried you?” Emi asked softly.
Diane hesitated before answering.
“They accepted a caravan escort mission to the Eastern Continent.”
Emi blinked.
“Is that bad? Escort missions are usually low-risk. They’re assigned mostly to rank-three adventurers and below. Though… according to Rick, they’re strong—closer to rank four or even five.”
Diane shook her head.
“Sai has already been promoted to rank five.”
Philip, who had been listening, nearly choked.
“Impossible.”
Both Diane and Emi turned to him in surprise.
Diane frowned. “Why do you say that, Captain?”
Philip exhaled sharply.
“They were rank three. And the guilds don’t hand out promotions easily—they protect their reputation. Sending underprepared adventurers on high-risk missions can destroy a guild’s credibility. Promotions require time, experience, and proof of consistent success.
For two new adventurers—less than a year in the guild—to reach rank five this quickly… I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
He paused, then added:
“And I’ve trained with Rose myself. Or rather… Sir Rainer used me to test her.”
He gave a small smile. “She’s strong, no doubt. But strength doesn’t decide everything. Experience, judgement, the ability to choose the right action at the right moment… these matter just as much.”
Diane gave him a knowing smile.
“I know my daughter, Captain Philip. But you never mentioned you trained with her.”
Philip returned the smile.
“I suppose I didn’t.”
Diane continued, “Only Sai reached rank five. Rose seems to have remained at rank three… because she argued with the Guildmaster of Flin, Lady Aris.”
Philip let out a laugh.
“That sounds exactly like Rose.”
He shook his head with disbelief.
“But Sai… rank five suits him. He’s talented, smart—far beyond his age. But who recommended him for the promotion?”
Diane sighed.
“I don’t know. He didn’t mention it.”
Before Philip could answer, Emi interrupted:
“Diane… why are you still worried? Even Captain Philip knows how skilled they are. And maybe… isn’t it good for Sai to finally see his homeland?”
Diane’s face darkened slightly.
“The Eastern Continent is… different,” she said quietly.
“A place where wealth, not kings, holds power. A place where loyalty, honor, and safety can be bought and sold.”
She paused, her voice falling to a whisper—as if she remembered something she didn’t want to share.
“But Sai is smart. I’m sure he’ll take care of Rose. And… they’re adventurers. They have the adventurers guild behind them. And caravans are protected by the trade guilds. Perhaps… perhaps I overreacted.”
Philip stood.
“You’re right, Miss Diane. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave. Thank you for the meal.”
The two soldiers rose with him, thanking Diane for the food and hospitality.
When they tried to pay, Diane smiled and waved her hand.
“No need. Thank you.”
Marilla gently pulled Talia away from Gareth, who the girl was still clinging to.
“But you’ll visit again… right?” Talia asked brightly. “You still owe me the rest of the story!”
Gareth laughed softly.
“Of course, little one. I’ll tell you the rest next time.”
Marilla bowed her head slightly in thanks, and the soldiers left with Philip.
Diane turned to Emi.
“Please make sure the door is locked.”
Then she sat down again…
and finally opened Rose’s letter.
“Rose, are you done writing your letter?”
Sai asked as Rose sealed the envelope, deliberately ignoring him. He exhaled sharply, blowing air out in frustration.
He walked closer.
“Rose… how long are you going to keep ignoring me? You know the caravan is leaving soon. We need to get ready.”
Rose stood up from the table and walked toward the bed where the clothes she had bought were scattered everywhere. Without looking at him, she extended her hand toward Sai.
He frowned.
Sai was truly starting to get irritated.
She had been ignoring him since yesterday… and yesterday had been a disaster.
She had nearly fought the Guildmaster of Flin, Lady Aris, the moment she learned that he was the only one being promoted.
She had burst into anger so quickly that—thank the heavens—either Commander Vetar or Lord Altharion was present.
Otherwise, she might have actually picked a fight with them on the spot for not recommending her promotion.
But Sai wasn’t exactly happy either.
Now that he had reached rank five, they were forced to accept a mission they never wanted.
With Sai being the highest–ranked adventurer in the guild at the moment—since all rank-five adventurers had either joined the expeditions heading into the Cursed Forest or been assigned critical duties by Guildmaster Aris—they had almost no choice.
And the constant complaints of the caravan master… his whining, his nagging, his insistence that the guild “find him a proper escort”… had pushed Aris to assign them the mission.
Then came the final blow:
Because Sai was originally from the Eastern Continent, the caravan master immediately approved them.
And because Sai was rank five, he was thrilled—
he had wanted a rank-three team and ended up with a rank-five adventurer for the same price.
It looked like Lady Aris had paid the difference from her own pocket, which said more than enough about how annoyed she must have been with that man.
Sai didn’t want the mission.
He truly didn’t.
But refusing was pointless when Aris used her authority to finalize the assignment.
Lost in thought, Sai was startled when he realized Rose was suddenly standing in front of him.
“Where’s my new storage stone?” she asked. “Or are you planning to keep my clothes inside yours?”
Sai blinked—
surprised she was finally speaking to him.
“So you finally decided to talk to me?”
Rose crossed her arms.
“I’m still angry at you.”
Sai smiled faintly.
“Here. It’s not as spacious as your old one, but it was the largest stone available in the guild… and the price was reasonable.”
Rose snatched the storage stone from his hand and began storing her clothes.
When Sai and Rose had arrived at the guild, Sai had been forced to give a long, exhausting report—six straight hours—with Guildmaster Aris and several adventurers, explaining everything that had happened during the expedition.
Rose had gone to rent rooms at the inn, and when Sai finally returned, he found her already asleep.
The next morning, they went together to formalize his new rank.
And that was when Rose exploded.
Damn it. I should’ve never told her…
Sai sighed.
“Anyway… I do have something that might cheer her up.”
Rose began storing the clothes she had bought the day before in her new storage stone.
Then a warm, sweet smell drifted across the room—fresh, hot, unmistakable.
She froze.
In a heartbeat she spun toward Sai, who stood there smiling, and behind him on the table sat a peach pie that looked like it had just come out of the oven.
“Is that… the peach pie you promised me?” she asked, stepping closer.
“I said I’d bring our pies,” Sai replied. “And I brought two.”
Rose walked toward him, trying very hard not to smile.
“You do know that bribing me with pies won’t make me forgive you completely.”
Sai lifted a brow.
“You know it’s not my fault they didn’t recommend you for the promotion.”
Rose didn’t even argue—she had already grabbed the knife, cutting into the pie as hot peach filling spilled out.
Sai could tell:
at this moment, Rose cared only about the pie…
and judging by her expression, the storm inside her had finally begun to calm.
Then—
“Ah—my tongue!” Rose yelped.
Sai burst into laughter.
“You idiot, it’s hot!”
Rose glared at him, then laughed too, sticking her tongue out like a mischievous child.
And just like that—
for a brief moment—the weight of the past months slipped away.