After sending the honest Snow Bounce to the Shadow Mountains, Chen Yu left Nanny Brother at the original location to continue tearing at the Fissure to find coordinates, while he himself returned to the Royal Palace.
Having been away for two months, a considerable mountain of documents had piled up on the official desk in the main hall of the palace.
Little Flower and a few senior ministers from the Slime Decision Council were gathered around the low table, their gel bodies pressed against each other, gurgling and discussing something, seemingly unable to reach a decision on a certain matter.
Little Flower was the first to notice his return. She hopped over to him and nuzzled him affectionately with her soft, squishy gel body.
Chen Yu touched her gel in return and asked, "What are you all discussing?"
Little Flower shifted her body aside so he could see the several spread-out documents on the table, her gel body gurgling as tiny bubbles rose.
"That long-distance fleet we organized in the Merchant Alliance a few months ago has returned from the Southern Islands. They brought back many new seeds and sea charts. Captain Jack said the shipping route has been preliminarily surveyed. But this time, he also brought back a strange person."
"A strange person?" Chen Yu's tiny eyes blinked. "How strange can they be?"
Little Flower thought for a moment, then used her two gel hands to trace an outline in the air larger than her entire body. She seemed to feel it wasn't enough and tried to stretch her hands even further apart.
The Stoneheart Family?
A stone man with coral growing on him. That was certainly strange enough.
Jack had previously mentioned these ancient Stone Descendants lurking deep in the Southern Islands.
In the pirates' long-distance legends, they were depicted as silent, mysterious natives who never proactively interacted with outsiders. Even the boldest smuggling captains from the Coral City-States would detour around their territory.
And Nilly had seemed to mention a few things about the Stone Descendant families' history before, about the Belmont Family, about their true ancestors.
The ancestors of the Belmont Family hadn't originally settled on this continent. They had wandered all the way from a distant overseas land to the Dark Realm.
They had been ruled by the Stone Giants for an incredibly long era, until an ancestor of the Stone Descendants appeared who was completely immune to petrification. This ancestor led the servants in the Stone Giant territory to rise in revolt, overthrowing the Stone Giants' rule.
At that time, the Belmont Family still retained a strong warrior tradition. The roots of their bloodline were far deeper than the history of the Dark Realm.
Perhaps this so-called Stoneheart Family really did have a connection to the Stone Descendants.
"Their family has been living isolated on the islands. Why did they suddenly think to come begging for help from a land empire they've never even seen?" Chen Yu asked.
Little Flower wobbled her body, her tone tinged with confusion. "That stone man talks very strangely. Sometimes, mid-sentence, he'll suddenly stare blankly into space. We asked him several times, but we still couldn't figure out exactly what kind of trouble he's in."
Alright.
It seemed that the overseas Stone Descendants were indeed in trouble. And it was serious enough that they, who never interact with the outside world, had to send an envoy across the ocean, pinning their hopes on a land empire they had only heard of in legends.
He thought for a moment and told Little Flower to send someone to inform Yano and Nilly. He intended for them to meet this envoy from the Stoneheart Family in person.
Perhaps they could dig more information out of this stone man.
.....
Lola was pregnant again.
On the night after confirming the news, Yano sat alone by the window for a long time, thinking.
Eventually, he made a decision that he would never have considered in his youth: he decided to resign from his position as the Guild Leader of the Adventurer's Guild.
The Empire was already on the right track. The new generation of Extraordinary professionals was not lacking in newcomers with more talent and energy than him. It was time for him to hand over the position to the younger generation.
He said goodbye to Galvin and took Lola away from the cold Winterhold.
The carriage traveled through the prosperous, expanding cities of the Dark Realm. They finally settled down in a town that was still relatively warm, located at the foot of the western mountain range of the Merchant Alliance.
The winters here weren't too harsh. Spring came much earlier than in the northern territories. Outside the town lay a vast expanse of gently rolling hills. A few old mills and an orchard undergoing renovation were scattered on the slopes.
He bought a house with a small courtyard at the edge of the town.
To take better care of Lola, he completely shed the armor that had accompanied him through his battlefield struggles.
He carefully cleaned the armor and stored it in a wooden box in the deepest part of the storage room. His knightly sword was wrapped in an old cloth and stuffed into a corner under the bed.
Little Arno and Amy were both boarding at Winter Academy, only coming home at the end of the semester. On most days, only he and Lola were in the house.
He would get up early every day to boil milk, bake bread, and go to the town market to buy fresh vegetables and eggs. In the afternoon, he would support Lola as they took walks on the hillside behind the yard.
Life was plain, but it was fulfilling. At least with the person he loved by his side, it was never boring.
Ever since the Battle of the Royal Capital had ended, Yano had gradually come to realize that he seemed to have reached the age where he should retire.
He hadn't made this decision on a whim.
The Empire's Extraordinary professionals were becoming more and more numerous, even surpassing the number he had seen during his time in the Border Corps.
In the Battle of White Horse Royal Capital, his performance had been mediocre at best.
It wasn't that he had regressed. It was that the Empire was advancing too fast, so fast that it left everyone dumbfounded.
The Empire was sprinting forward at a speed that any kingdom in history would look up to in awe. Meanwhile, he was still standing still.
So his decision to retire wasn't blind. He had thought about it for a long time. He chose to leave on his own terms while he could still exit the battlefield with dignity, rather than waiting until the day he was pushed out by the younger generation.
He no longer went to the Royal Palace in Slime City to visit the Boss.
Perhaps it was due to some kind of shame he couldn't quite articulate himself. He felt he hadn't accomplished anything truly worthy of pride. An audience would only create awkwardness.
But that light green figure crouching on the Throne refused to leave his mind. It lingered in his thoughts.
He even occasionally dreamed of returning to the swamp, of going back under that giant oak tree. The Boss would be crouching on a rock, looking at him with his tiny eyes and saying, "Yano, let's establish a kingdom."
He would recall his own past enthusiasm, those wonderful adventures. Then he would watch them all slowly yellow like the pages of a book, becoming the past.
It was time to wake up.
In the early morning house, Yano stood in front of the kitchen stove boiling milk. The milk in the copper pot was already starting to steam, but he didn't notice. He was just stirring it absently.
Lola stood up from the dining table, walked over behind him, and gently took his hand, guiding him to move the pot off the fire.
"Darling, let me do it."
Yano snapped out of it. He quickly put the pot back on the stove and supported her shoulders, gently guiding her back toward the table. "No, you just sit. I was just thinking about something."
Lola followed his guidance and sat back down in her chair, not insisting further.
She quietly watched him pour the milk into two clay cups, slice the baked bread and spread butter on it, and then take the berry jam he had bought from town yesterday out of the cabinet, placing it in the center of the table.
It wasn't until he finally sat down with the tray, picked up his slice of bread, and took a bite that she spoke.
"Are you missing His Majesty?"
Yano shook his head. But even as he did, he felt the denial wasn't very convincing. So he honestly added, "A little bit. But why do you ask?"
Lola sighed, holding her cup of hot milk in both hands. "Your worries are written all over your face. How could I not know?"
"You are a knight. Keeping you away from the battlefield and forcing you into such a mundane life... perhaps it shouldn't be this way."
"No," Yano put down his bread and looked at her seriously. "I quite like this kind of life. It's just..."
It was just that he suddenly realized he couldn't let go of the people he had fought alongside, and the battlefield itself.
Galvin. He counted as half a person, even if that guy was really annoying, always dragging him into duels.
And the Boss. The young members of the Stone Descendant families, some of whom he had trained personally. He wondered how their training was going now.
In the past, this kind of plain life was what he had wanted most.
No war, no magical creatures, no money troubles. But now that it was actually here, he felt ungrateful instead.
"I'm sorry, Lola. I'll get myself together."
"No, darling." Lola stood up.
Yano quickly got up to support her, but she leaned into his embrace instead, pressing her face against his chest and whispering softly, "Go swing your sword. Just like you did before."
Yano held her hand, his voice full of shame. "No. I've let you down too much already."
"Back then, in the swamp, I almost died. I left you at home alone, worried sick. Later, when I went to Jade City, you were left to take care of the two kids all by yourself, without even a helper."
"I can't be an irresponsible husband again."
Lola didn't answer immediately. Instead, she raised her hand and cupped his face, pressing her forehead against his.
"My dear Yano, look at our life now. What could I possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"We have this house. We have food and clothes. Our children are studying at the Empire's best academy. They can do whatever they want in the future."
"You are by my side every day. You eat with me, walk with me, wait with me for the children to come home on break. I am happy enough already."
"You are a proud knight. For us, you were willing to become a merchant who faced scorn. You have already fought for us once, and that time, you almost died in the swamp."
"Darling, my life is already good enough. Right now, I just want to see the man I love become who he wants to be. You missed the Knight Training Camp. I can't let you miss this chance again."
"Remember, you will always be my pride, my most beloved Yano."
"Lola, I..."
Yano's gaze was complex. He recalled the old days. When he had decided to take the risk of trading with the Demi-humans, the woman before him had been so hysterical. She had blocked the door, smashed bowls, and cried so loudly that the neighbors came knocking. She had looked like a shrew.
But only he knew that, in this world, besides the Boss, no one cared about him or loved him more than Lola.
In those red, tear-swollen eyes, he hadn't seen a shred of contempt. Only profound worry.
And now, those same eyes were still full of worry. Only this time, it had changed from stopping him to actively letting him go.
In the past, she had been most afraid of him going on adventures. Now, she was the one pushing him to go.
He owed Lola too much. A lifetime wouldn't be enough to repay it.
Lola didn't wait for him to speak again. She just whispered softly, "I believe His Majesty won't let his Retainer get hurt easily. I also believe in you."
"Don't worry about me. Miss Nilly came by a while ago and found me a few very reliable nannies. They help clean and cook normally. When the baby is bigger, they can take shifts to take care of me. You don't have to worry about me being alone."
"Go do what you want to do, Yano."
I'm sorry.
Those three words reached his lips, but he swallowed them back. Because their weight was too light.
He just tightened his grip on his wife's hand, bent down, and carefully, gently, pulled her into his arms.
After that early morning, Yano returned alone to the empty bedroom.
He crouched down, reached under the bed, and groped for a moment. His fingers touched the old cloth wrapped around the sword. He pulled it out from the dusty corner.
The knightly sword was wrapped tightly in the old cloth. A thin layer of dust had settled on the fabric's surface. But when he untied the wrapping, grasped the hilt, and pulled the blade from its sheath, the sword was still as bright and shiny as new.
As if it had been waiting for his return.
Also retrieved from under the bed was an old notebook.
Carrying these two items, he walked through the withered grass in the backyard, casually brushed the accumulated snow off the millstone, and sat down cross-legged on top of it.
The view from the backyard was quite open. Beyond the low stone wall lay the town's winter-fallow wheat fields.
Stubble was still left in the ground, covered layer upon layer by frost and snow. The white expanse stretched all the way to the orchard on the hills.
Occasionally, a cold wind would sweep in from the valley, stirring up the fine snow on the wheat fields and blowing it into his face.
He gazed at the snow-covered fields, his eyes drifting over the frozen, hardened ridges. He recalled the time when he and the Boss had ventured into the Dark Realm on an adventure.
It was also in the Dark Realm that he had obtained the *Sword Scripture*, the book that had changed his life.
He could still remember exactly how the door to a new world had been knocked open for him. It was then that he had finally become the Official Knight he had always dreamed of being.
He took out the old notebook. Every page had notes he had written back then.
Some were rough sketches of sword techniques broken down. Some were repeatedly revised verses. Others were just hasty thoughts he had jotted down on paper after a battle.
He was well aware that, while his talent as a knight was passable, he was in no way comparable to Galvin or Arthur.
His ability to become an Extraordinary professional was entirely due to the power of the gargoyles and the bloodline of the Stone Descendants.
But this power was like a wild beast. Fierce. Seemingly loyal. Yet it had never been tamed by him.
He had always been pondering what his true path really was. He often took out the *Sword Scripture*, said to not be from this world, and read it.
Now, after experiencing so many battles, and resting without his armor for so long, he felt as if he had gained some new insights.