Chương 37: The Place Beside Them

Mornings came early for Saelith of House Sylvaren. Before sunrise, Sae was already dressed and had washed her face in the small wooden basin. Normally, the maids of House Sylvaren took care of her clothing and grooming, but she and her grandfather Thaelor had given them time off so they could take care of themselves. It was no wonder, since all of them had been transported to this unknown world called Eryndea.

After making herself as presentable as she could, Sae opened the flaps of her black elk hide tent, and the first rays of morning light greeted her. Of course, it was not that the sun had risen in the underworld. Rather, they were the first rays of light that the provisional spatial barrier the visiare had raised around the camp had allowed through. After taking a deep breath of the fresh air in the magical valley of the underworld, she set out to fetch more water from the river.

On the way, the other visiare greeted her with small bows, and she returned their greetings cheerfully. She also greeted the gigantic trees with legs known as the Elderbark, which spent their days carrying materials for what would become the future city. They did not greet her back, but it was not out of ill will. They simply were not the most responsive beings. The only exception was whenever Cerys passed nearby, at which point they would start trembling.

Once she reached the gigantic river that still had no name, Sae began playing with a pair of iluks that were drinking water by the bank. Many of these docile yet imposing creatures already lived among them. Apparently, they had been won over with scratches behind the ears. That was their main weakness. The walk back to the tent she shared with her grandfather was always a little slower.

Sae often stopped to help those in need, whether by hanging laundry for older people or catching little children who had escaped their mothers' attempts to give them their morning baths. By the time she returned, her grandfather was usually already dressed, and the two of them would have a modest breakfast. Fruit, nuts, and some smoked black elk meat, if there was any.

"We must thank Lord Nereziel for everything he has done for us. Black elk hides, food, a place to live... we will never be able to repay him."

"You're right, Grandfather. He said it was all thanks to Lady Avelle. But without Lord Nereziel, we would have become fertilizer for the valley, according to Lady Avelle herself..." If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Ah! That's right! Yesterday, I found the perfect place for the temple, Sae. We truly are going to surprise Lord Nereziel."

"That's fine, Grandfather, but remember that he forbade us from building him a temple until everyone was settled. Homes, farms, and public services all take priority."

"Well, just a little excavation for the foundations wouldn't hurt anyone..."

"Grandfather..."

"We elders need spiritual peace! We could drop dead at any moment! Without a temple, how will Lord Nereziel receive us into his arms?!"

"I don't know what he would think if he heard you say that... First of all, you and the other elders still have several hundred years left in you. There's no need to be in such a hurry." Thaelor grumbled, but he did not press the issue. He was the archon, but he understood perfectly well that winning an argument with his granddaughter was impossible.

"Sae..."

"Yes, Grandfather?"

"Do you think black elk or iluks give milk? I miss my morning milk..."

"..." Together, they finished their breakfast and prepared to face another long and difficult day in those untouched lands.

"Ah! Osvel, Ily, good morning!" On her way to collect some new cloth made from a kind of silk the dryads were handing out, Sae ran into her two childhood friends.

"Good morning," Osvel replied with his usual smile.

"Sae! Please listen to me!" Ily placed one hand on Sae's shoulder and pointed at Osvel with the other.

"This sorry excuse for a hunter couldn't even catch a single miserable rabbit!"

"I... I see. What a shame..."

"I'm convinced I would've had better luck if you hadn't been yelling beside me the whole time..."

"Aaaah! Are you saying it was my fault?!" Ily turned toward her friend with fake tears in her eyes.

"Sae, did you hear what he said?!"

"Haha, you two always get along so well. I'm jealous."

"Sae, I think you need to get your eyes checked," Osvel retorted.

"What are you talking about, Sae? You and I are best friends! Osvel is just a nuisance I keep running into every morning."

"If you hadn't pitched your tent next to mine, you wouldn't see me every morning..."

"What am I supposed to do when our mothers are friends...?! Ah, my mother wanted me to help her with lunch. She's going to scold me!" Ily broke into a run, though not before turning back one last time.

"And I'm going to tell her it's Osvel's fault we don't have any rabbit, because he's a terrible hunter!"

"Hey..." But Osvel had no time to protest. Ily had already vanished among the camp's tents.

"That girl is always like a whirlwind," Sae said, laughing.

"Can you believe she's the oldest of the three of us?"

"Hard to forget. She never misses a chance to remind us." Sae and Osvel laughed, relieved. No matter what had happened, they might be in another world, but the three of them were still the same.

"Well, I'd better get going. I can't neglect my sword training."

"I don't think you need to improve any more. It's been a long time since anyone could beat you..."

"Lady Reaper says Lord Nereziel is going to need an army in the future. I don't want my skills to rust."

"But Ily says Lord Nereziel already has an incredible army, terrifying but incredible... whatever that means..."

"Maybe, but if an opportunity presents itself, I don't want to miss it." Osvel gave her one last smile and raised a hand in farewell as he walked away.

"Besides, I still can't forgive myself for letting Ily get kidnapped while she was with me." Sae returned his smile and waved goodbye with her delicate hand. But inside, her heart tightened a little. When she was younger, she had spent almost all her time shut away in the palace of Atlenia. Although she did see Osvel and Ily from time to time, since they were the children of important nobles, she knew those two were the true childhood friends, and she was just an extra.