It was still going to take some time to arrive at the capital, so I retired to my room. I had only just sat down in a chair when one of my orbs suddenly lit up. It was the one for Sophie. “Faith!”

Seeing Sophie’s face filled with tears caused me to be confused and a bit panicked. “Sophie, what’s wrong!?”“My parents…. They were found….” Sophie replied, but her tears kept flowing. I had a bad feeling rising up inside me when I saw the sadness in her eyes. “They…. They have passed….”

As soon as the words left her lips, I called down to Thurul to anchor the airship and teleported away. I appeared right next to Sophie, who dived into my chest and clung on to me with her trembling body.

Life is harsh. Sophie had been strong this entire time because her parents had left to go to a nearby village to sell some of the produce my father had harvested during the attack, so for the past few years, she had been holding on to hope and never really spoke about it. Both Adel and I also did not wish to bring it up in case it broke her mindset. But now….

“Where were they found?” I asked softly as I embraced the grief filled fox girl in my arms.

“Near the village, they were supposed to trade goods at. The cart they were pulling was found deep in the forest near there in a hidden cave, riddled with arrows. They were attacked by bandits…. My mother and father’s clothing, along with some bones, were found not far away. If not for a hunter discovering it, they would never have been found.” Sophie explained through her sobs.

“I see…” I took a deep breath. My own voice was trembling as I hugged Sophie tighter. I did not wish to leave her alone at this time. “Do, do you want to come with me for a few days?” I asked as I gently rubbed her back.“No…. I still have things to do here. Adel is also going to help with the funeral operations that will be held when their remains are sent back. I know you have many things to do. But…. Can you come to my family’s… Muph!!!” I stole her lips for a few seconds, cutting her off as I slowly parted from her. I reached out and gently wiped her tears away as I said: “No matter what I am doing, nothing will stop me from being there to support you during your time of sorrow. While I must push on due to the circumstances at hand. When the day comes, I will be there to hold your hand and say words of parting. Such a thing is not something you have to ask me to do but something I have to do.”

My heart ached for Sophie. To lose one’s parents suddenly while having hope that they were alive all this time was not easy. I wonder if this was how my parents felt when I died. Was this how Jen felt as well, as she watched me pass away before her eyes? I pulled Sophie back into a hug and stood there in silence for a while. I could feel my shoulder getting damp from her tears.

“Faith?” Adel’s voice came from the side. I turned my head and raised my hand to my lips. At some point in the past thirty minutes, Sophie had fallen asleep in my embrace.

Adel nodded and walked over to me, and gently placed her hand on top of Sophie’s head. I feel guilty about how I was of no help in this situation. I did not have any idea of what Sophie’s parents looked like, so detection magic was not something that was of much help in this situation. I did send it out quite a few times to see if there were any signs of them in the villages, but I am not sure if my mind shut out the idea of them having died or what, but I never thought to search the forests for anything….

I spent the next few days at Sophie’s side before returning to the ship. While I wished I could stay with her in her time of need, I still had responsibilities, and one of them was to ensure that Gravos would be protected so that the lives of the people would be safe from war. Only then will the knights be free enough to move across the kingdom and wipe out any and all bandits. To double ensure the safety of the hard working citizens of the kingdom who only wish to live out their lives peacefully and so that what happened to Sophie’s parents will never happen to the parents of other sons and daughters of the kingdom.

But to do that, we needed the weapons and technology that I had gathered to be mass produced in a way that would protect the kingdom from all threats, no matter how big or small. I disliked the idea of amassing large amounts of powerful weapons that could be used for mass destruction, but in order to live in this new world threatened by powerful people like Azengrade and Pholin Segri, it seemed like the best option instead of standing still with the current power structure.

“Lass, what’s wrong?” Thurul asked as he walked over to me. I was currently standing on the deck of the ship, looking out over the clouds below.

“I am just thinking if there is a way to keep people from doing things like committing murder, or other henious acts. Why must the world be in a situation where no matter what rules are made there is always someone who wishes to break them due to their own greed. Whether they were people of high standing or low standing there is always that one person who ruins it all. Why did Sophie’s parents have to die? I did not get to even meet them yet and announce that I was dating their daughter. I mean….” I could feel the tears rolling down my cheeks. I never wanted to introduce myself as their daughter’s girlfriend like this….

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