"Well, if he thinks he can find someone better, I don't really care," Zaos said. "Anyway, can you tell me why are we capturing them?"

"I am sorry, but I can't. I swore in the name of the royal family that I won't reveal this secret to anyone," Ruvyn said.

"Is that so…" Zaos furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, I am sorry for making you waste your time."

"Just give some time, Zaos," Ruvyn said. "I am sure that you will learn that once we succeed in this mission."

  Zaos closed the door after hearing that. What mission? The followers of the demon god weren't attacking anymore, so what were they expecting to accomplish? In fact, Zaos was starting to doubt the rumors. Did they burn down some villages, or did the king just create some rumors to rally the soldiers in the North? Perhaps he even went as far as giving the order to burn down some villages just for the sake of that. Either way, things were getting more suspicious by the minute.

  After thinking for a while, Zaos considered the idea of returning to the mountain and keep an eye on where Vitalar's men will take the prisoners. Still, then commander Ruvyn will notice if he stayed away from the base for so long when he was supposed to rest for the next month.

  Zaos spent several days thinking about what he should do or trying to understand the whole situation from a different perspective. Still, he didn't find the answers for any of the things that were troubling him. In the end, he decided to use that free time and then pay a visit to Tyra. He had promised that he would visit her if he had the chance, and it was pretty obvious that she knew that his unit was in the region.

  Although Zaos could use that chance to check things since Tyra's village was pretty far away, he doubted that the commander wouldn't hear if he didn't go there. So, after warning him and his unit about what he was going to do, he left.

  Despite the fact that he was a bit troublesome, Moody was a good horse, so the trip only lasted for three days, at least to reach Tyra's hometown. Zaos thought that some time alone would help him clear his mind, but that only worsened things. Fortunately, things improved a little bit when he arrived at Tyra's home. She looked more… full of life than Zaos could remember. No, that was incorrect… she overflowing with life for some reason. Zaos imagined that pregnancy does that kind of thing to a woman, but she wasn't pregnant anymore. She was carrying a one-year-old girl in her arms.

"Master! You finally showed up!" Tyra said.

"Sorry about the delay. I was kind of busy dealing with the second commander," Zaos said.

"Please, come in," Tyra said. "Wow, you are a lot taller than I remember. I thought you would look more fearsome now after that you won so many battles, but you still have that air of youth on you."

"I suppose that is a compliment," Zaos said and then sat down on a chair. "You look well, Tyra. I am happy for you."

"Hehe, thanks," Tyra smiled. "I am sure soon enough you will find someone as well, master. Your life will change for the better when you find that someone and then becomes a parent."

"Let's not put the wagon in front of the horses," Zaos said. "Anyway, this is your daughter, huh. She sure looks like you."

"Yep, her name is Eli," Tyra said and then touched her daughter's army and then made her wave to Zaos. "Hey, Eli, say hello to master. Say: Hello, master."

"So, by default, I am her master as well?" Zaos frowned.

"Sorry, she is a bit shy with the people she doesn't know," Tyra said. "Do you want to hold her for a while?"

"What? No, no… I am kind of clumsy, so I don't want to risk hurting her," Zaos said.

"Don't be so bashful," Tyra said. "I am sure you will be fine."

  In the end, Tyra practically forced Zaos to hold her daughter in his arm. It was kind of a weird feeling, having a toddler in his arms. Such a cute and frail, living being… Zaos felt like smiling. Just like his mother did when he was a kid. It was weird how much she smiled. Zaos couldn't imagine how much happiness his existence alone brought to his mother.

"You seem a bit troubled, master," Tyra said. "Did something happen recently?"

"No, I just have too many worries now…" Zaos said. "Anyway, where is the lucky bastard who managed to lay his hands on you."

"He is looking after our plants. Speaking of that, we have quite the stock of mana potions since we heard that your unit would be moving here," Tyra said. "Do you want to take it with you?"

"I will," Zaos said.

"Anyway, it is a pity that you are here at such time, huh," Tyra said. "I imagine your unit will be here for a while."

"Yeah, why?" Zaos frowned.

"Well, your friends are getting married, right?" Tyra asked. "Perhaps the king will let you return home for the ceremony."

"My friends?" Zaos frowned again. "What, friends?"

"The princess and the young royal guard," Tyra said. "I have heard that one month ago, and it seems it will take place in a month… you didn't hear that?"

"No, I was in the mountains…" Zaos said and then sighed. "Anyway, their families sure are troublesome."

"What do you mean, master?" Tyra asked.

"They think that I am in love with Ameria. That is why they have been doing a bunch of useless things to keep me away," Zaos replied. "I told them that I would keep my distance for other reasons, but it seemed they didn't believe me."

"That is weird. Did you do something that made them think that?" Tyra asked.

"I am pretty sure I didn't do anything," Zaos asked. "Or maybe I just imagine things, and both of them are unrelated. It is probably because I get on the nerves of the figureheads of this kingdom."