Volume 1. Chapter 22. The Mystery of Cindy and Una.

Meanwhile, the three discussed going to the guild and telling the guildmaster about the attack.

A few moments later, the same waiter came with the restaurant's best menu.

"Please enjoy, gentlemen."

After placing the food on the table, the waiter said, Then left.

"For now we should eat, and after that we can ask the city soldiers guarding the city entrance."

Rii said, telling them the plan after eating.

Oda was surprised to see Clara shedding tears and looking at the three young men.

"Miss Cla—"

Oda was just about to touch Clara's shoulder when he was startled—his boss was approaching the three young men at the table.

"Did you call me, sir?"

Clara asked while holding back her sadness.

"We didn't call for you yet, miss."

Cini asked who was enjoying the food.

Rii glanced at the woman, seeing the earrings she had given to Clara before they left.

Seeing the woman's eyes glistening made Vail realize that the woman in front of them was Clara.

"I see, that's how it is… no wonder everything we see has changed."

After saying that, Vail got up from his seat and approached Clara.

"Vail?"

Rii and Cini were surprised by their friend's actions, while Clara, who heard the name, was so happy that she did not mistake the three of them for her adopted brothers.

"Why didn't you realize it? Look closely at the earrings she's wearing."

Vail's words made his two friends realize Clara was the adult woman trying to hold back her tears.

Oda saw the three young men standing, and one of them hugged Clara, who was crying.

"It's okay... we're here now."

Vail whispered gently, holding Clara close as she cried. He could feel her trembling, and his heart felt as if it were splitting in two.

"Mr. Oda?"

Several restaurant waiters came out and saw Clara crying in the arms of one of her customers.

"Why is the owner crying?"

One of the restaurant waiters said Oda couldn't answer because he was also wondering.

"You should go back to work, and don't look at Miss Clara at a time like this."

Oda asked them to go back to work and forget about what happened.

"Have you calmed down a bit?"

Clara just nodded, she didn't know what to say. Being able to meet them was a miracle.

"Brother..."

"There's something I want to talk to you about."

Clara said, sobbing.

Those words made them curious. Clara took them into the restaurant and up to the second floor.

"Sorry, Mr. Oda, I'll borrow your office for a while."

Clara said when they were on the second floor.

"It's okay, Miss Clara, you can use this room. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."

"Thank you, Mr. Oda."

Clara was so happy that Oda didn't mind and closed the door after Oda went down the stairs.

"Clara?"

They saw Clara standing still before the door as if gathering her courage.

Clara gathered her courage. She had to tell them about the mother, who had passed away due to her illness.

"Brother,"

Clara looked at them with a serious face.

"Mother… she's gone."

Clara's words made their eyes widen.

"Don't scare us like that, how could mother leave. Didn't we just..."

Cini stopped speaking when he saw her expression, which told the truth, and saw Rii and Vail lower their faces to the floor.

"Is that true?"

Rii wanted to make sure those words were nonsense, but Clara looked at Rii with a serious face.

That broke their hearts, even though they had just found an adoptive mother and had just become Julian's adopted children.

Their faces turned gloomy as if their hearts had been betrayed.

"Before she left, mother told me. That she dreamed of being in a destroyed world, and met a man with red eyes with a face filled with hatred."

"And told me, the man could cure the disease that mother suffered from. But... mother refused,"

Clara shed tears again, unable to continue the sentence.

"Mother asked..."

"Stop,"

"Stop..."

Vail asked Clara to stop talking because he couldn't accept reality.

The atmosphere became silent. Clara saw Rii and Cini leave with a disappointed face. Besides, Vail sat down to mourn Julian's departure, regretting not trying to get close before leaving.

The people in Norf City felt a significant vibration. They did not know if the vibration came from Rii's power, which had killed the demon beast in the Haran forest.

Meanwhile, Elia, who was on the balcony, was surprised to see Cini in one of the houses.

"Cini...!"

Elia exclaimed from the balcony of the house above Cini's head.

"... Who?"

Cini did not recognize the woman who called his name.

Elia immediately went down and saw Cini looking sad.

"... Where have you been all this time?"

"We searched for years... but we never found you."

Elia said.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?"

Cini asked with a sad face.

Elia was surprised that Cini no longer recognized her and was utterly confused. When Elia said her name, Cini was stunned.

Elia invited Cini to the house and told them what had happened to them until the Gerna kingdom declared them missing.

"Please, enjoy this tea."

Elia served herbal tea to calm Cini's mind, then sat in another chair.

"Thank you... Elia."

Cini took the cup and tried to enjoy the herbal tea.

"Can you tell me, what really hap—"

"Mom!"

The eight-year-old girl replied to Elia.

"Mom has a guest, you play by yourself first, okay?"

The child nodded and returned to playing alone with dolls on the living room carpet.

Elia was silent, seeing Cini watching her daughter playing with her doll.

"Sorry... if I not being able to wait for you."

Elia felt guilty for breaking her promise to wait for Cini to return.

"No need to apologize, Elia."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted. Soon after, they heard the door open and Oda's voice returning.

"Papa!"

The little girl approached her father when she heard Oda's voice.

"Cini—"

"I'm fine."

Hearing those words, Elia immediately got up and welcomed her husband home.

"Alva...! Smart kid."

Oda was so happy when his little daughter welcomed him home.

"You don't usually come home this early."

Elia was curious because this was the first time.

"Miss Clara asked me to go home, and continue my work tomorrow."

Oda said the reason he came home earlier than he should have.

"Is someone here?"

Cini saw Elia returning with a man he had met at Clara's restaurant. The man was carrying his daughter.

At the same time, Oda was surprised that the guest Elia said was Clara's adopted brother.

"Mr. Cini, sorry for making you see our messy house."

Oda felt bad seeing the condition of their house because some papers and storybooks were on several floors.

"It's okay, I just came to see an old friend. And I'll be back soon, I'm sure the others have gathered."

"Are you leaving already? I wanted to invite you to eat together."

Oda didn't expect his guest to leave, and Cini's words made Elia feel guilty.

"Maybe I'll accept the offer another time."

Cini said, which made Oda happy to hear.

"Elia, there's something I want to ask you."

"To me?"

Elia was curious about the question that would be asked of her.

"Do you know where Cindy and Una are?"

The question made Elia gloomy, and Oda saw that.

"After coming to this city, we only found a place that used to be an inn that became a park—"

"Mr. Cini, can you wait for us at the city fountain tomorrow?"

Oda asked in a low voice, unsure whether his actions were proper.

"... no problem, we will wait there."

Cini accepted Oda's request, even though he was curious and confused.

At the restaurant, Clara smiled, forgiving them both. But she was surprised to see Rii's clothes getting dirty.

"Why are your clothes—"

"Sorry if I left without telling you."

Cini bowed slightly, regretting his slightly selfish actions. Those words made Clara happy. She took advantage of them both.

Clara asked her three adopted brothers not to leave when she wanted to get food and new clothes for Rii.

"Change into this."

Clara passed him the fresh set of clothes she'd just bought.

"Sorry for bothering you,"

Rii accepted it and immediately changed clothes in the room. A few seconds later, there was a knock on their door.

Clara is telling them that the food she ordered has arrived.

"Let me do it, you can go back to work."

Clara said, taking the trolley with several of her restaurant's menus.

"Understand, Miss Clara."

The waiter returned to the waiter's table on the same floor as theirs.

"Brother, please eat. You didn't get to eat properly earlier, so consider this my apology."

Clara said, arranging the food on the table in the middle of them.

"Oh, I almost forgot,"

Cini said as Clara placed the food on the table.

"What is it?"

Vail asked, curious about Cini's sudden remark.

"While walking in the city, I met Elia."

"Elia?!"

Vail was surprised to hear Cini's words.

"If you met her, have you asked about Cindy and Una?"

Rii wanted to make sure Cini had asked about it.

"Of course, but Oda—Elia's husband—asked us to wait for them at the city fountain tomorrow."

"Wait... Elia is married!?"

Rii and Vail were surprised by Cini's words.

"That's right, and they already have a daughter, though I didn't catch her name—"

"Why do you look upset, Clara?"

Cini asked in surprise to see Clara suddenly frown.

"This time, I'm coming with you. No arguments got it!?"

Clara said in an irritated and forceful voice.

"That's fine, but—"

"No buts! If you leave it like that, big brother might—"

The sound of their stomachs made Clara stop her words and laugh.

"You guys, can't you read the atmosphere?"

Clara said while laughing.

"It can't be helped, our stomachs are already growling."

Vail said with a little joke.

Clara wiped away her smile and invited her three adoptive brothers to eat together.