Chapter 97 Happy Birthday, Grey
Thick smoke rose from the pitch-black chimney.
Steam gurgled in the copper pot as fresh ingredients rolled and tumbled in the boiling water.
Grey sat obediently in her own chair, looking a bit confused at the thing in the center of the table that Rast called "hotpot."
But as she watched the boy in front of her—who had already begun eating heartily—
Grey still followed Rast’s example, cautiously picking up the tools called chopsticks, which resembled bamboo sticks.
Then, she picked up so food from the copper pot, dipped it in the oil dish just like him, and sent it into her mouth.
In the next mont, Grey’s erald green eyes widened involuntarily.
This thod of cooking, which she had never seen before, produced a surprisingly delicious taste.
Big Brother Rast really was a mysterious person.
As a wanderer, Grey had traveled across the continent over the years.
She had visited most of the human nations and towns that still existed, witnessing all kinds of customs and cultures.
But she had never seen this kind of cooking thod called hotpot before.
Originally, she thought that once she grew up…
Once she joined the Shoreguards and beca one like Big Brother Rast—
She might be able to catch up to his footsteps.
However, looking at it now, the mystery shrouding Big Brother Rast hadn’t diminished with her growth.
Instead, it had beco even more profound.
Thinking so, Grey pretended to be picking up food with her chopsticks to hide her thoughts, then secretly looked up at the person before her again.
Across the dining table, the black-haired, black-eyed boy had seemingly finished eating and was now leaning lazily against the table.
His side profile was illuminated by the firelight, revealing deep and distinct features.
That silhouette slowly overlapped with the one that had vanished into the black flas during the end of Frostwater Town in her mories.
Even though it had already been seven years.
Seven years were enough for a once immature child to grow into an adult.
Enough for even the most unforgettable mories to erode and blur with ti.
Yet Big Brother Rast’s appearance had not changed in the slightest.
Ti seed to have frozen on him, leaving no trace of its passage.
For so reason, as she looked at the boy before her whose face was exactly as she rembered—
Grey inexplicably felt—
That deep within her soul, certain emotions fernted from countless sleepless nights and lingering mories…
Were surging up once again.
To hide this inexplicable feeling, Grey stood up and reached for the wine bottle by the table.
But right then, the previously relaxed Rast suddenly sharpened his gaze.
"Are you of drinking age now?"
"According to the laws of the city-states near the Watchtower, one can drink at seventeen."
"Big Brother Rast… I’m already eighteen, you know."
Grey replied with a graceful smile and poured herself a glass of wine.
How wonderful… Even after all these seven years, Big Brother Rast still hadn’t forgotten everything from Frostwater Town.
Even after so many years, their relationship had not changed.
In his eyes, she was still that orphan girl from the mayor’s household who needed to be looked after.
She raised the glass and downed it in one gulp.
The cold wine slid down her throat along the glass wall, carrying a slight bitterness.
And yet, for so reason—
There was a faint sense of loss in her heart.
…
On the other side of the dining table—
Rast was also observing the girl in front of him.
That little girl who used to be like a wild beast, lacking all understanding of people, had now grown into such a graceful and poised young woman.
Rast couldn’t help but sigh inwardly about how much girls changed as they grew up, and he had the feeling of a father watching his daughter co of age.
Thinking this, he stretched lazily and subtly made a finger-gun gesture.
Aside from fried rice, hotpot was one of the few dishes Rast could prepare.
Because these cooking techniques didn’t co from Deep Blue Port, but from his mories of his past life.
Of course, any sensations of deliciousness… needed to be deleted.
After all, Rast didn’t want to raise his threshold for food too high, thereby dulling the joy of eating Xiao Ai’s cooking.
As he completed the ntal suggestion—
Rast also heard Grey’s hesitant voice at his ear.
"Big Brother Rast."
"About Shiltina onee-sama… I’m really sorry."
"It was all to save that Shiltina onee-sama… ended up that way…"
Grey’s voice carried an unmistakable tone of guilt.
From her perspective, everything that happened in Frostwater Town had started because of her.
It was because she couldn’t control the power within her, couldn’t properly restrain it, that the pollutants were attracted.
And she had dragged down so many Shoreguards, even Shiltina onee-sama had died because of it.
Judging by what had happened in Frostwater Town, it was clear that Shiltina onee-sama and Big Brother Rast were quite close.
They might even have been lovers.
For a companion and lover to die because of her, even if it wasn’t intentional… it would be natural for Big Brother Rast to resent her for it.
So in Grey’s eyes, Shiltina-san had already died heroically?
Looking at the grey-haired girl in front of him who had her head lowered like a cat who had done sothing wrong, Rast was also montarily stunned.
Of course, if his past deeds truly had impact within the Nightworld, such an evolution of events would indeed occur.
After all, other ordinary Night Travelers, aside from him, couldn’t retain traces of their past in the Nightworld.
And since one couldn’t form parties in the Terminal Nightworld, Shiltina couldn’t reenter this branch of the Nightworld either.
To people like Grey from this world, Shiltina really was as good as dead.
One wonders, if Shiltina were to see the gravestone erected for her in the mausoleum of the Shoreguards' headquarters, what kind of feelings she would have.
Thinking this, Rast couldn't help but reach out and pat Grey’s head again.
Gotta admit, this little one’s head really did feel quite nice to touch.
"Don’t bla yourself. It couldn’t be helped."
"As Shoreguards, whether it’s Shiltina or myself…"
"The mont we joined the Shoreguards, recited the oath, and put on the winged emblem, we had already prepared ourselves to die in battle."
"To the Shoreguards, dying in defense of the Shattered Coast isn’t misfortune—it’s the highest honor."
"I believe, if Shiltina were still alive, she would surely agree with ."
As he spoke, Rast withdrew his hand.
Then, his gaze fell on the girl with tousled grey hair and the brand-new, gleaming silver winged emblem on her chest.
"To be honest, when I told you all that back then, it was because I wanted you to give up on becoming a Shoreguard."
"After all, the responsibilities a Shoreguard bears far outweigh any rights or privileges they enjoy."
"But—"
His voice paused, and he smiled slightly. "Now it seems… there was no need to say all that."
"Then let’s change the subject."
"Can you tell about what happened to you after you left Frostwater Town?"
…
The room was brightly lit, and the fireplace gave off a steady warmth.
The awkwardness between the two, brought by their long separation, gradually faded after a hearty al and a few drinks.
"Afterwards, I went to many places across the continent."
"But the more I traveled, the clearer the longing in my heart beca."
"As I thought—"
"I still want to beco a Shoreguard like you, Big Brother Rast."
"It’s not just out of admiration for the gallant images of you and Shiltina onee-sama in my mories."
"It’s also because it’s a wish that cos from the bottom of my heart."
"So later on, I tried everything I could to find the Shoreguards’ headquarters, and passed all the trials to beco one of them."
"I believed that only by doing so, could I co closer to that figure I rembered from the past."
Under the orange glow of the lamp, a faint blush crept across Grey’s fair and delicate cheeks.
It was her first ti drinking.
Under the influence of alcohol, Grey felt her emotions stir more freely.
"Big Brother Rast, is this visit to the Watchtower just a brief stop for rest, or are you staying here in the headquarters for good?"
"If it’s convenient for you, Big Brother Rast…"
"Could we keep eating together like this in the future?"
Normally, Grey would never have said such direct words.
But at this mont, under the influence of alcohol, mixed with her envy of the "ho" her classmates had, and her yearning for a place to belong—
Grey unconsciously voiced her inner thoughts without filtering them.
"It’s just a break between missions."
"Though this break will be a little longer than usual."
"But once preparations are complete, I’ll be heading out on a mission."
Rast’s voice carried a hint of weight. "It’s a direct order from the Commander."
"Who knows how long it’ll be before I return to Shoreguards HQ again."
So it really was like that…
Hearing Rast’s reply, Grey couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed inside.
However, just as she adjusted her expression to avoid letting Rast see through her feelings—
"Little Grey, I heard you’re in the reserves right now, with no mission assignnts?"
"Mm."
Grey nodded, her disappointnt deepening further.
She was smart enough to know exactly what being a reserve ant.
But it was inevitable.
Grey knew very well that the power within her, known as Fate, if left unchecked, could unleash uncontrollable waves.
The disasters and misfortunes that had followed her throughout her life had all stemd from this.
So it was sothing Grey had to learn to restrain, suppress, and conceal—sothing that could not be casually revealed.
By now, Grey could already suppress her powers and prevent them from running wild due to emotional fluctuations.
At the sa ti, she had begun to grasp her abilities.
For instance, in the Shoreguards' training camp for new recruits, Grey had taken first place in almost every assessnt.
This wasn’t just because her ti traveling across the continent had given her superior skills and experience.
It was also because she could, to so extent, interfere with her own fate.
Allowing her to seize the advantage in assessnts—or causing her opponents to encounter small strokes of bad luck.
However, luck was such a nebulous, intangible thing that most people couldn’t comprehend it, and Grey dared not explain too much.
Moreover, since she appeared unable to awaken any abilities, she was regarded as an extrely rare "non-ability user," considered to lack training potential—naturally so.
But in the next mont—
She heard that warm voice ring out beside her ear once more.
"In truth, Commander Sisel has already noticed your unusual qualities."
"Your power is just too unique. Making you a reserve wasn’t abandonnt—it was actually a form of protection."
Rast’s gaze once again rested on Grey.
"But Grey, you yourself don’t want to be a protected flower vase, do you?"
"The Shoreguard you aspire and long to beco—"
"Isn’t sothing you achieve by just staying at headquarters and shouting hollow slogans."
For so reason, Rast’s words carried a faint undertone.
"So, do you truly have the resolve to beco a Shoreguard?"
"Even if it ans losing everything, no longer basking in glory, no longer being the hero wrapped in flowers and applause in the eyes of the people."
"But instead walking through darkness, bearing slander and scorn…"
"And still pressing forward, unwavering, for the sake of that unrealistic ideal in your heart."
The gleam deep in Rast’s pitch-black eyes suddenly made Grey feel a trace of unfamiliarity.
However, eting that aningful gaze—
Grey solemnly nodded.
She had already passed the trials and beco a Shoreguard.
If she backed down now, wouldn’t Shiltina onee-sama’s sacrifice—and her own cherished dreams—beco nothing but a joke?
"In that case, I just happen to be short on help for my next mission."
"When the ti cos, co along with ."
"After all, while others may not know it, I do… you are the witch who commands fate and brings us good luck."
Rast smiled.
"Then, in the days ahead—"
"Make sure you prepare well for the mission, and don’t beco a burden to the team."
As he spoke, Rast put back on the standard Shoreguard trench coat hanging on his chair.
His figure paused as he made his way toward the door.
"Lastly—"
At so point, a small, exquisitely crafted wooden box had appeared on the dining table.
"This is your birthday present."
"Happy birthday, Grey."
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