Liana's Old Friend

"Joli… are you leaving?"

Many villagers came out to bid farewell to the elf Joli.

After all, this one had practically become a living fossil in the village… Joli was even older than the village itself.

Countless elders in the village had grown up under Joli’s watchful gaze.

When word spread that Joli was leaving, the small rural settlement erupted in an uproar.

"I’m just going home for a while… I’ll be back soon." Seeing the reluctant faces of the villagers, Joli offered another shy smile.

"How soon is 'soon,' Mr. Joli?" Kasha called out without restraint, "I was counting on you attending my wedding someday! Though I don’t even have a boyfriend yet."

"Yeah, Joli, I still owe you a jar of the wine I buried under that tree!"

"Joli, you promised to teach my kid swordsmanship!"

Liyana looked at Joli with quiet pride.

The once-lonely little one now had people and things that mattered to him.

"I… I’ll do my best to return quickly." Joli rubbed his eyes. "Counting travel time, if all goes well, maybe just a few months…"

The villagers exchanged glances.

"That’s great! Joli will be back in a few months!"

"Scared me—I thought Joli would be gone for decades."

"What a relief."

"Well, Joli’s never left the village before…"

With Joli’s reassurance, the villagers soon dispersed, returning to their homes.

The village entrance fell silent once more.

But Joli’s heart still surged with excitement.

His adventure… was finally beginning.

---

Three days had passed since leaving the village.

Joli sat dazed in his seat, his iron sword resting across his lap.

This wasn’t quite the adventure he’d imagined.

For three days straight, it had been nothing but travel—lighting a fire to cook when hungry, setting up camp when night fell.

It was normal… too normal. This couldn’t possibly count as an adventure.

If there was anything noteworthy at all… the food was good, the sleep was comfortable, and the carriage cushions were soft…

But in three whole days, Joli hadn’t encountered a single battle.

Finally, he couldn’t hold back any longer and turned to Liyana.

"Aunt Liyana… why haven’t we run into any monsters yet?"

From the moment they left the village, the only monster Joli had seen was the slime perched on Mo Lini’s head.

Liyana gave her nephew a look like he was an idiot. "What are you thinking? We’re on a main road—of course we wouldn’t get attacked by monsters!"

The knight orders stationed across the land regularly cleared out monsters near key routes. Over time, the creatures learned to avoid the main roads.

Joli, having lived in the village his whole life, wouldn’t know how things worked outside.

They had indeed passed patrols from the knight orders these past few days, and Liyana had even cheerfully greeted them.

The sky darkened, the last remnants of sunset painting the horizon in fiery red clouds—a breathtaking sight that would soon fade into deep darkness.

Joli knew it was time to find a place to camp.

"Look, someone’s already set up camp ahead!" Liyana pointed forward, then glanced at Xia Lun. "Want to join them?"

"Uh… is that a good idea? Couldn’t it be dangerous?" Joli whispered nervously.

He’d heard it was best to keep your distance from strangers while traveling—after all, people’s hearts were hard to read…

"Dangerous? With how strong you are, what’s there to fear?" Liyana poked Joli’s forehead, still seemingly annoyed that he’d caught her arrow mid-flight earlier.

Joli didn’t dare argue, taking it as just another tease.

He knew his own limits (or so he thought), but with someone as strong as Xia Lun around, there really wasn’t much to worry about.

Truthfully, Joli was just a little socially awkward.

Liyana looked to Xia Lun for his opinion, and he gave a slight nod.

As they approached, Liyana realized the camp was larger than expected—likely belonging to a sizable group. A flag stood at the entrance, though with no wind, it hung limply.

Still, Liyana made out the emblem—two crossed swords behind a winged griffin.

Ah, the knight order of the Yalan Empire.

Probably a squad out on some mission, stopping here to rest.

Given that, it wouldn’t be appropriate to casually mingle—knight orders had strict rules and discipline.

Xia Lun and the others set up their tents a short distance from the flag.

A few knights glanced their way but, seeing only ordinary adventurers, paid them no further mind.

Once the tents were up, Liyana grabbed some fresh meat and vegetables and strode confidently toward the knights.

"Aunt Liyana… that’s a knight order!" Joli called after her, but she didn’t stop.

"Don’t worry, Mr. Joli. Liyana knows what she’s doing," Mo Lini said, utterly unfazed.

Xia Lun and Aina showed no concern either. Aina’s fingertips sparked, igniting the newly built campfire, casting warmth and light.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The moment Liyana stepped past the flag, a knight leveled his spear at her.

Liyana immediately set down the food and raised her hands. "Relax, just bringing you some treats… and no, it’s not poisoned."

A soldier inspected the offerings. "Thank you for your generosity, Miss Elf… but I must apologize. Unauthorized personnel aren’t permitted here."

"Ha, no problem, I’ll leave. Though, for the record, I do know your commander…" Liyana shrugged.

"You’re here to see Commander Halo? He’s in the camp—let me inform him." The soldier hurried off.

Liyana blinked, standing there in mild surprise.

Soon, a tall man in armor approached. But unlike the stern dignity expected of a knight, his posture was relaxed, his left hand resting lazily on his sword hilt.

Spotting Liyana, his lips curled into a smirk.

"Ah, I was wondering which lovely elf had come looking for me. Should’ve known it’d be you…"

Liyana: "What, I’m not lovely, Halo?"

"Please, your attitude ruins the illusion." Halo shook his head. "Long time no see, Liyana."