It was the 642nd year of the White Tiger era. A few miles north of the small village of Intium, near a small and slowly flowing river, a young man was sitting on a flat rock.

This young man, who looked about 17 to 19 years old, had short black with dark blue mixed hair and wore some simple brown, worn old clothes. The sun was shining on his sandy skin. His pale blue eyes, with a blank look, seemed to watch the flowing water carry some leaves from nearby trees.

He thought of the things that had happened in the last twenty days. He was in his grandfather's room then. His grandfather lay on his bed and looked extremely weak.

The old man started talking, "Cough, Vanroc, it seems I'm not lucky enough to stay by your side longer."

With a trembling voice, Vanroc could only answer: "Grandfather!"

The old man started to smile and said, "Do not be sad, little Roc, that I have been able to stay by your side for so long was the best thing that could happen to me.

Having been injured during my time in the army, I had no purpose in my life. When your father came back from his adventure and brought your pregnant mother, I could feel hope again. I did not expect him to come home again because he traveled to different continents, which are very dangerous for humans. Seeing my son alive was a real miracle, but knowing that our family would grow was the blessing of Heaven. I knew I would be needed again. That filled my empty heart with hope for the future. Cough, cough, cough "

The old man gasped. It's been a while since he spoke so much. It was exhausting especially for him in his weak condition. Knowing that he would not see the sun the next morning, he ignored the condition of his body.

He looked up at the young man named Vanroc and continued, "One year after your birth your mother had to go. She said that if she did not go, our family and especially you, her son, would be in grave danger. She would not be able to protect any of us. At that time, I was shocked that your father did not even try to stop her. He just smiled at her. They promised that they would meet again in the future. "

The old man stopped to take a breath. Vanroc looked incredulously at his grandfather. His grandfather and his father never talked about his mother, even when he had asked several times. They just said that she really loves him and he could be proud of his mother. When Vanroc heard this now, he wanted to ask his grandfather further, but his grandfather seemed to have seen his thoughts and continued.

"Do not even try to ask. I will not tell you where your mother is right now, nor about her background. If you happen to meet your mother in the future, you'll understand why I do that. "

When Vanroc heard his grandfather's words, he stopped thinking about it and kept listening.

"When you grew up, your dad wanted to make money to buy a house in a better place for us. To earn the money, he joined the military. Since he died, we both stayed behind. I hoped to stay by your side for a few more years and teach you more about my knowledge. Cough, cough"

Vanroc reached out to hold his grandfather's hand. Tears flowed unstoppable, sobbing, he held the old and weak hand, "Grandfather, thank you. Thank you for everything. Your love and care let me grow up happy. I had a wonderful childhood. Playing with you, learning and living with my dad and this village was really my luck. "

When he saw through his tears, he could see the smile of his grandfather.

Vanroc came to his senses again and heard the sound of the small river in front of him.

He had closed his eyes as he remembered the past. A few tears rolled down his cheeks. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw a silhouette through the sunlight as he looked at the sun.

In front of him stood a young woman in a knee-length, light blue summer dress with a belt around her waist. It emphasized her normal figure in the right places. Her honey-colored skin shone in the sun. She looked about 20 years old. While her long orange hair flowed in the wind, she looked at him with a friendly smile.

As he looked at her, Vanroc could feel a noble aura of hers. That made him look a second time. He felt that she was different from the nobles he had seen with that aura when he was in the larger neighboring town of Agri with his grandfather two years ago.

At his second look, he found out what caused that feeling. Her hips and waist are wider than those of the nobles he had seen before. Usually, they had an extremely thin waist, so it looked like they were breaking in a gust of wind.

Vanroc always wondered where these women had their organs. Did they trade them for the status of a noble?

After a brief stupor as he looked at this young woman, Vanroc was at his senses again.

He looked up in her brown, deep eyes and asked, "Can I help you?"