048 To the Front Lines!

"Mother!" ( "Aunt Betty." ) Archer and Theresa entered the warm hall one after another, offering a customary greeting to Betty, who was seated in the place of honor. Betty sat at the head of the hall, with Pedia on her left. Both appeared in good spirits, their faces showing energy and composure, which eased the worries that had plagued the two children these past days.

Unaware of the wild speculations that had occupied their minds, Betty beckoned them closer with a smile. "Archer, Tess, come here. Let me introduce you to Uncle Barman, one of your father's most trusted men."

In fact, Betty's introduction was hardly necessary. The moment the house steward mentioned the guest, both children had become intensely curious. Now, hearing Betty's words, they felt free to scrutinize the visitor openly—

With just one glance, Theresa was startled—what a coincidence!

She had seen this "Uncle Barman" before! In the Gray Forest!

Barman was the very knight who, a few days prior, had approached her in the Gray Forest to ask for directions!

Barman clearly recognized Theresa as well. Seeing her surprise, he was the first to chuckle. "Betty, your niece and I must be fated. We met before, and I even asked her for directions."

Betty was momentarily surprised, but quickly recalled the story Theresa had told her. She laughed. "Ah, these past days have been so hectic, I'd forgotten that—well, since Tess has already been of help to you, you mustn't be stingy with your meeting gift."

"You're really putting me on the spot," Barman bantered back, "You know I'm traveling light, what could I possibly have for a meeting gift?"

Betty, clearly quite familiar with Barman, only laughed. "That's not my concern. As an elder, you have to present a gift to your juniors. Otherwise, people will call you stingy, won't they?"

"All right, that's quite a hat you're putting on my head—far too grand for me," Barman replied with exaggerated helplessness, reaching for his neck and pulling out a leather necklace. From the black leather cord hung two tooth-like objects, which shimmered with a faint blue sheen in the sunlight.

Barman removed the necklace, plucked off one of the "teeth," and handed the one with the leather cord to Theresa, giving the other to Archer.

"These are teeth of the 'Snow Wolf God.' They have a deterrent effect on magical beasts below level four in the Northwestern Icefields, and wearing them while meditating can calm the mind." This explanation came not from Barman but from Pedia.

The Snow Wolf God was a high-tier magical beast unique to the Northwestern Icefields, an advanced form of the ice wolf, sentient and of lordly status—there were likely only a handful across the entire icefield. Such a gift was truly extravagant!

Theresa and Archer were uncertain whether Barman's relationship with the Aubrion family was close enough to warrant accepting such a present. Both turned questioning eyes to Betty, who gave a slight nod, at which they happily accepted. Theresa, unreserved as ever, put hers on immediately—

As soon as she did, her alchemist's sensitivity told her that the leather cord itself was something special. She ran her fingers along it, studying it for several moments—this subtle reaction did not escape Barman's notice, and his eyes darkened slightly.

The Aubrion family, along with Theresa, chatted with Barman for a while, before he rose to take his leave. Betty did not press him to stay, and with unusual directness, saw him out of the hall—indeed, she didn't even accompany him to the front door before returning, a behavior that surprised both Theresa and Archer. Whether it was her lack of insistence or the brevity of the farewell, it was clear Betty was on very familiar terms with Barman. Yet, until today, neither Theresa nor Archer had ever heard Betty mention him!

"Mom, where did this Uncle Barman come from? How come we've never heard you talk about him before?" Archer, ever the impatient one, asked immediately.

"He's your father's sworn brother," Betty replied. "But he's a peculiar man, only willing to stay at Stormfort. If not for a direct order, he wouldn't have left the icefields at all—those two teeth are rare treasures. You two had better take good care of them. If you lose them or something happens, just wait until Amos comes back and gives you a good scolding!"

Theresa and Archer, grinning like mice caught with stolen cheese, nodded enthusiastically.

Now that Barman's identity was clear, the two children couldn't wait to spill all the questions that had been on their minds these past days. Finally, they added a new one—since Barman was so capable, the mission that brought him to Cervantes City must be incredibly important, right?

Betty and Pedia listened with real attention to the children's questions. At last, Betty patted each of their heads, sighing in admiration. "You two are far too clever for your age... Well, I suppose it's thanks to all the lessons you've taken from Amos that you're so cautious and thoughtful—more so than most kids. Don't worry, Amos is fine, perfectly safe."

Betty's assurance lifted a great weight from their hearts, and both children let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. But as soon as they relaxed, Archer's curiosity surged. Tugging at Betty's sleeve, he peppered her with questions about the current state of the Northwestern Icefields and the reasons for Barman's visit.

After a brief hesitation, Betty gave them a piece of news that left both children utterly stunned—

"Tess, Archer, Pedia and I have already received the military summons. We'll be leaving for the Northwestern Icefields tomorrow afternoon. We'll be gone for about a month—maybe longer. You two must stay home and behave yourselves..."

Before Betty could finish her instructions, the two children jumped up like startled kittens, protesting loudly—

"Mom, you just said there was nothing to worry about, and now suddenly you two have gone and accepted some military summons? If you're leaving, how can Tess and I possibly stay at home in peace? If you're going, we'll all go together—don't even think about leaving us behind!"

"That's right, Aunt Betty! If it's just Archer and me at home, who knows what wild ideas we'll get, and if we lose sleep and can't eat, everything will fall behind—isn't that even worse?"

"Tess is right, Mom. If you push us too far, don't blame us if we sneak off and follow you!"

"Ahem, Archer's idea might be a bad one, but Aunt Betty, if we worry ourselves too much and our feelings get the better of our logic, who knows what impulsive things we might do?"

"Mom, I know you're worried about Theresa's safety, but we've looked into it these past days—according to the Adventurer's Guild's latest reports, the magical beast unrest hasn't touched the military camps, and the orc alliance is stable. Besides, with my skills, what could possibly happen to me?"

"Aunt Betty, I'm an alchemist! I can help—the Guild says the front lines are desperate for alchemists..."

On and on they went, first pleading pitifully, then resorting to outright threats, their voices rising in a lively duet that left Betty both exasperated and amused. In the end, it was Pedia who settled matters. After much negotiation and a few agreements, the two children promised to obey all orders once on the front lines, bringing the "protest" to a close.

Covering her face... I had hoped to post a double update for Christmas, but it didn't work out. Please accept this chapter as a Christmas bonus. Apologies—I'm making my escape...