I felt myself awake and jolted forward out of pure instinct. The vivid feeling of still speaking to the Moon Mother was still weighing on my mind, and my body was beginning to strike out at something. But my hands didn’t get very far because I was close enough to feel their warm breath and peer directly into their swirling golden eyes.

“Mom? Is… this—” I croaked.

Gah…I was about to ask if this was real, but it defiantly was. Ah, man, I feel all out of sorts, and that’s putting it nicely.

Like a freight train ran me over and backed up to ensure I was dead for good. My throat was burning, my stomach was empty and cramping, and to top it all off, my adrenaline was quickly fading away. I thought I was tired but tired was too simple of a word. Even exhausted couldn’t describe this.

It was like my soul had been squeezed dry by the hands of a giant and forced back into me. But sadly, it seemed my body paid the ultimate price. Everything ached, and the brain fog was sending my mind for a spin.

Just when I thought my aggressive growth spurt was bad, but that was a fond memory in the back of my head now. And speaking of my head…

I thought I got used to pain…this is almost as bad as dying…man, I just wish I was asleep or even dead.

I felt a warm hand gently caress my face and move through my hair. “You seem to be doing better than expected. Dad warned me that you may be aggressive or even delusional.”

Wait, does—ah…it’s my mom. Of course, she could handle me in this state at close range.

“I just feel…awful. Like far worse than I’ve ever felt,” I explained.

Mom smiled gently down at me and nodded. “Apparently, it’s very common to feel lethargic, extremely ill, or even near death after waking up from your journey.”

I looked around, and thankfully I was in my bed at my parent’s home. The sun was just starting to rise, and the sky was a soft pink through the window. I wasn’t wearing clothes which was a bit of an awkward situation, but my current state didn’t allow me to care. Besides, it was my mother as well.

Actually, now that my adrenaline has disappeared, I feel emotionally drained. Like I’ve been sucked dry.

I felt that if I closed my eyes, I’d sleep forever. But before that…

“Where is everyone…how long have I been out?”

“It’s only been a single night, and I’ve been taking care of you since Cerila and Sylvia left,” Mom said with a warm smile.

Cerila and Syvlia…when I saw them in my journey they looked to be in lousy shape…was any of that even real?

“Did you send them away?” I questioned

Mom shook her head and smiled awkwardly at me. “No, they just didn’t last all that long. I think they made it two whole hours, which was impressive. But I don’t blame them, though. After giving birth and raising two sons, you get used to the smell.”

The…smell?

…

…

Oh.

“Don’t look so down, Kal. They were told what was going to happen. And you did your part! I mean, you’ve been eating so healthy it probably made it ten times worse, and it came out of both holes?!” Mom giggled

So that’s why my stomach is messed up, and my throat is burning. I must have literally vomited and defecated uncountably due to the substances I ingested and inhaled. And those two were there for two hours…

Sigh…what’s done is done, I guess…maybe I’ll just die of embarrassment or a heart attack in my sleep.

—

When mom fed me and left me to rest, I fell to my desires. When I closed my eyes, the sun had only just risen, and when I opened them again, the sun had also just started to rise. I slept for an entire day.

And that was only the start.

Despite sleeping for an entire day, I still felt emotionally drained and detached. I didn’t have the urge to leave my bed, let alone hold a conversation with anyone. Apparently, this was a common side effect that could last a few days. Even Sylvia couldn’t speed the process up, saying it was a mental thing.

What a mental drag it was.

Also, a full-blown blizzard had ramped up sometime during the day or night. Even with the fireplace and runes built into the home, I was still chilly. That’s just how fierce it was. Snow had pilled onto the windowsill and blocked the entire bottom half, adding to my listless state.

People had come to visit me, but our conversations only lasted briefly, which was primarily due to my condition. The only person who stayed with me was Mila, and after a few small mumblings, she didn’t say a word to me the entire second day.

She just stayed by my side, curled up into a little ball under the blankets. Her tiny body was warm against mine, and I wasn’t going to complain about the additional heat during the blizzard.

I’m going to have to give Mila her gifts soon. Despite dealing with her grouchy father, she is a very good girl right now.

The second day came and went, and finally, on the third day, I was starting to feel a return to normalcy. Not by much, but enough to get out of bed and get some food with Mila. I even did a quick workout to get my blood flowing since it had been a while, but the only thing I was rewarded with was an insurmountable tidal wave of fatigue.

Like the first and second days, I slept the third day away without complaints.

—

My eyes flickered open slowly, and I let out a satisfied yawn. I finally got somewhat back to normal after lazing away for three days. I rolled my neck to look out the window, but I wasn’t sure what time of day it was as the blizzard was still pounding away at the world.

It just went to show how powerful that storm was if the effects could be felt through the city’s and the school’s wards. If it weren’t for the runes and the barrier, this city would struggle to function during such an intense storm. I also see why Forward University sends its students home during this time of year. This should be the new norm for almost a month.

I felt something shift underneath the covers and tossed them open. Mila’s swirling blue eyes looked up at me in annoyance, but I couldn’t help but ruffle my nose. It smelled like dirty sweat and a wet animal mixed together.

“Mila…you are a bit smelly. You need to shower,” I told her with a yawn.

“No, you are smelly, Daddy,” she groaned as she tried to ball up under the covers.

Well…Elves don’t really smell all that much, so it has to be you.

“Come on, get up and go wash up. We need to eat and—oh…”

Sitting in a chair in complete silence at my bedside was Cerila. I hadn’t even realized she was in my room or the one on duty. The last few times I’ve woken up, somebody else has been in that chair, but I guess it was her turn. They have been bringing food and water to Mila and me.

I signed.

She smiled awkwardly.

Ah, I slept longer than I expected.

I nodded at her question.

I see…

An awkward silence dragged on and was only interrupted by a yawn from Mila as she rolled out of bed. And by roll out of bed, I meant literally roll out of bed and onto the floor with a thump. It didn’t even faze her as she stood right up and dragged herself out of the room.

Cerilar raised an eyebrow at me, but I just shrugged. A Mila that has just woken up was a completely Mila after all. This was normal.

Cerila let out a long sigh. She started signing but stopped a few times, unsure what to say. Finally, she narrowed her eyes and looked up at me.

she asked with a worried expression.

I do need to talk with some people. But, more importantly, I needed to contact Lin immediately and pick her brain on what to do about Prince Xander. I was hoping the Paine family had information on him or at the very least, could start gathering some.

If the Moon Mother is to be trusted, then Prince Xander might be plotting something. He might even be working directly with Artoal officials…perhaps he had a secret connection to Parker or something.

But why…

I shook my head, now wasn’t the time to worry about things. I haven’t told anyone about the contents of my journey yet, as I’ve mostly been sleeping. I wasn’t sure just how much I should tell people.

I mean, I planned on telling Sylvia and Lin regardless of what happened as they knew everything but…the more people know, the more danger I might put them in. For now, I should keep the number of people to a minimum. Maybe those two can help me sort some things out.

I looked back over to Cerila and she was looking at me with a worried expression. Her long white fox ears were folded down, and I mentally berated myself for just ignoring her. It felt like I had been doing that a lot recently…

I asked her.

Cerila’s worried expression morphed into a serious one as she straightened her back and puffed her chest out.

I argued.

she signed enthusiastically.

Huh, she seems like she really wants me to go…

Even her tail was swishing back and forth. I mean, I don’t have any reason to deny her. And I owe her for taking care of me these last few days. It’s also been a long time since the two of us went and did anything together.

—

On the fifth morning, the blizzard finally retreated. I hadn’t been outside at all these last five days, and it was a complete winter wonderland. The purple trees around the school had lost their color and were entirely covered in white snow. The paths that typically stayed well-managed with runes were blanketed in a layer of snow.

In the city, Beastmen, Humans, Elves, and Dwarves were shoveling snow into banks that were taller than the average man, only to have a fire mage melt it down. Even the military had been dispatched to clear snow off roofs and roads. Everyone was working like a well-oiled machine, regardless of their race.

I guess everyone has to come together at times like this. If the snow kept building on these homes, people might actually be in danger.

Those were some of my thoughts as Cerila guided me out of the capital. It’s been a long time since I left the comfort of Vinovia. If my memory serves me right, I haven't left since the Dragon incident.

That feels like a lifetime ago. Yet it also feels like it just happened yesterday. How odd. Is my perception of time finally being warped because I’m an Elf?

Well, I didn’t get much time to ponder as I had a full-blown winter trek to embark on. Well, the animals did, not me. Thankfully Cerila had hired a carriage to take us wherever we needed to go. She said it was only a few hours outside of the capital.

After the weird feeling of leaving the barrier attacked my stomach, I was greeted by a world of white as far as the eye could see. The Roman concrete road spread out into the distance and was the only thing seemingly unaffected by the storm. It was like a tunnel that was open to the sky as the walls were made of pure snow.

Cerila and I chit-chatted about this and that on our way. Basically, she asked me how I had been doing the last few days and wanted to know more about my time in Luminar. Things still felt a bit awkward, more than I would have liked, but it is what it is.

She was also adamant about not ruining the surprise, so I didn’t even know what we were doing. I was told to dress for warmth but also for activity. Thankfully I had made a few purchases before my meeting with Queen Maxwell, so I was actually prepared for this.

Cerila abruptly ended our conversation and motioned for our carriage driver to stop. “Are you sure this is where you want me to stop, Miss? There’s not much out here besides the forest.”

Cerila might not have been able to hear him, but she could still read the man’s lips. The man looked over his shoulder at her, but Cerila rummaged around in her pocket and flashed something at him. The man’s eyes went wide for a moment, but he just smiled.

“I understand. I’ll be back to get you then,” he said with a nod.

Cerila nodded back, paid the man the rest of the share, and even tipped him generously. I wanted to ask what all that was about, but Cerila looked determined to keep moving.

she explained suddenly.

The path they made? Huh? All I see is a wall of snow.

Cerila placed her hand on the snow embankment that had built up on the side of the road. She didn’t even look back at me as she grabbed my hand and led me. I watched in amazement as the snow shifted away to form a tunnel that was perfect for us to move through.

I guess this place is an ice mage’s dream. They have all the resources to manipulate this snow and it is probably costing Cerila a measly fraction of her mana. But it’s her control that’s astounding.

Cerila was even using her magic to make sure the snow didn’t melt and moved away at our feet to allow for a much easier time. Honestly, if she weren’t here, moving through this snow would have been a hassle.

Even if I burned it all down, it would just turn into water and become an absolute hell to wade through. I would have to terraform massive holes to drain water…it would just not be worth my time.

We broke through the embankment and were greeted by an open field to our left and the entrance to the forest to our right. I could see smoke rising into the air from the woods as well.

Cerila scanned the area, but we immediately found the “path” that had been made. It wasn’t as elegant as Cerila’s magic, but the snow had been shoveled away somewhat to make walking easier. A trial of footsteps led off to the woods.

I asked hesitantly.

There was always an increase in monster activity when people couldn’t move about freely. Regardless of rain or shine, there were monsters that adapted to every environment. Typically adventurers and the locals would curb monster populations over time, but over four days of constant weather, monsters were bound to move closer to civilization.

And since Luminar had deforested a vast amount of land around the capital for the war and to rebuild the kingdom, monsters were pushed back and eager to move into old habitats. Even I took a quest some time ago to cull some creatures.

That takes me back….

Cerila signed as she motioned for me to follow.

I asked.

she explained as she flicked a small silver coin to me.

Cerila has been to a dungeon? She was only an adventurer for three years…it seems that I don’t know much about her these days.

I snatched it out of the air and inspected it. It was a rather crude piece of work. Somebody had just stamped a bow and spear onto an Ostella mark and called it good. Cerila seemed to still want to hold out on me, so I just handed the coin back and followed her into the woods.

We didn’t have to walk far for the sounds of people to reach us. We broke away from the treelines and into a rather massive clearing. The stumps of trees were still fresh, and the entire place was bustling with people of all races. There were probably well over a few hundred people here.

But they all seemed to have a similar vibe. Some wore thick gambesons and looked like off-duty soldiers with longbows. Some had on mail armor with leather and proudly displayed their adventurer dog tags of various levels.

Others just wore plain clothes and looked like simple hunters you could find anywhere in any village in this world. But a common factor among all of them was their weapons. They all seemed to be archers or spearmen and wore hoods.

It’s not like they were hiding their faces or anything. They were all just wearing hoods. Even the Elves and Beastmen let their ears poke out from them.

Fires, tents, and gatherings of all types spread out across the clearing, and people shouted and yelled into the air with excitement. There were long alleyways with hay targets where people were attempting to hit their marks. There was even a section where two people were in the middle of throwing javelins at targets down range.

A group of people was surrounding giant boulders and watched as burly men attempted to pick them up and place them on high pedestals. Men and women walked around with giant slabs of meat and tankards of alcohol, speaking merely to each other.

It was just a giant festival ground. And as long as I’ve been here in Luminar I’ve never heard of an event like this being held.

Cerila tapped my shoulder and smiled at me. she signed as she fitted a cloth hood over my head. She made sure to be extra gentle with my ears as well.

I asked.

Cerila looked me up and down, then shrugged.

Ouch…tough crowd.

Cerila giggled and grabbed me by the hand. She led us to a small stall with an old man sitting on a chair. Standing behind him was a rather imposing bodyguard who openly flaunted his Ruby adventurer tag. The old man smiled brightly at us after Cerila flashed the coin.

“Do you two plan on participating in any events today?” he asked.

Cerila nodded excitedly as her tail swished back and forth and procured a large gold coin, and handed it to the man. I couldn’t help but be surprised at that amount. Cerila had just handed over a hundred gold without any hesitation. What in the world was worth that much here?

The old man chuckled at my confusion. “Don’t worry. This is just a security deposit after you return the items before you leave. You’ll get all your money back as long as they aren’t damaged.”

“And don’t run off. It’s taken us centuries to collect this many dungeon items. Not that I would expect the Dragon Slayer to run off with these items,” the bodyguard grumbled.

Well, I guess I’ve been recognized. It’s not liike I’m trying to hide or anything.

“I don’t have any plans of running with them…”

The old man handed Cerila a beat-up copper ring and gave me a silver necklace. “Since I assume it’s your first time, these items are rather simple. All you need to do is wear them so people can see them when you compete. These dungeon items will glow faintly if you use any magic or mana enhancement. For any competitions you enter, this will naturally disqualify your attempt if it glows.”

A place that doesn’t focus on magic or even mana enhancement? How interesting.

“Compete? Are there prizes or something?” I asked him.

The bodyguard snorted, and the old man maintained his kind smile. “No, nothing of the sort. Everything here is for fun and the spirit of the competition. However, bragging rights are indeed a prize that many wish to earn. Do you have any more questions, miss or sir?”

I looked to Cerila, but she shook her head. A smile was blooming on her face, and she looked ready to delve into the games. I understand why she didn’t tell me anything now. This was indeed a unique event.

“None at all, sir, thank you,” I said kindly.

“Then I hope both of you have an exciting and wonderful time at the 781st Annual Field Games.”