Finding my Parents in Another World-Chapter 69: Volume 1 Epilogue Part 1 - Zack

The return journey was sombre. Pende didn’t speak much, focusing on speed as he ran carrying the still unconscious Enea. As for Zack, he was still coming to terms with the entire Odania episode.

We overthrew a monarch!

The bigger effect on Zack particularly though was General Brunaulf’s death, considering the very direct part he played in it. It was the first time he had ever directly killed a human, and Zack knew that the General’s dying face would be etched in his memory forever.

But the bigger death of course was that of the longtime tyrant Fermi Ja. Zack had looked back several times towards the town of Odania as he and Pende made their return.

Will she be up for it? Does the Emperor Knight believe her?

From the little Zack knew of Isadora Ja, he was inclined towards the latter. But he couldn’t forget the chills, the shiver, the casualness with which the Emperor Knight had approached and talked with them.

He was so engrossed in thought that he would have almost knocked into Pende, if the latter hadn’t held his hand up.

"What’s the matter?" Zack asked curiously, looking towards the Chianti Hunter.

Pende was looking towards the hill. Zack followed his gaze, but at the beginning he could see nothing out of the ordinary. Or at least nothing which would cause the almost mournful expression on Pende’s face.

Then he saw it.

A small column of smoke was rising slowly from near the top of Mt Gukiu. It was of an astonishing yellow color though. Zack couldn’t remember ever seeing smoke of this color before in his life.

And it was coming from the area where the mansion of Miden stood.

"What happened? What is that smoke for? Are they being attacked?" Zack asked, this time somewhat alarmed.

Pende shook his head mournfully. "No one knows where the mansion is. And even if someone knew, no one would be stupid enough to attack Miden in his stronghold. No, this is from Miden itself."

"From Miden? Why?"

"To grieve."

.XX.

It was a couple of hours later that Zack and Pende reached the broken down mansion grounds. Unlike the first time he had come here, the grounds seemed almost deserted this time. There was a couple of men milling about in the distance, but they neither saw nor acknowledged Pende and Zack as they entered.

To grieve what?

Zack had asked the same question to Pende at the base of the mountain. He had refused to answer then. Zack had a feeling he was about to find the answer out now anyway.

Pende walked straight towards the great hall. There seemed to have been further construction done in the vicinity of the great hall during the time Zack had been gone. The mansion almost had a complete roof by now, and several of the isolated pillars had been linked. The great hall itself however, stood largely unchanged.

Pende slowly opened the door, and stepped inside. Enea was still slung on her shoulders, unconscious. Zack followed close behind.

In the great hall, same as before, there was a single cushioned throne chair. Seeing this chair reminded Zack of another chair, much more sinister and having belonged to a murderous tyrant. He quickly stamped the memory away and turned his attention back to the man sitting on the chair.

Miden seemed to have grown thirty years in the couple of months since Zack had seen him. His face was haggard, even though his eyes still gleamed with intensity. And this time along with a different emotion.

Grief. And anger.

"Who was it?" Pende asked quietly, slowly putting Enea down on a sofa at the edge of the room, as he approached Miden.

Miden looked up, and for a moment there was relief on his face.

"The key?" He asked simply.

Pende held out his hand, and the key fell down in Miden’s outstretched palm. He took it and inspected it closely until he was satisfied. Then he nodded and put it in one of his pockets.

"I am glad, truly glad, that all of you were able to return unharmed. I heard an Emperor Knight had been dispatched to protect the tyrant."

"Who was it?" Pende asked again, his voice grave.

Miden stayed silent. He looked outside for a while before almost whispering, "Exi."

"Who killed him?"

"We don’t know."

"You don’t know?!"

"He was killed in the middle of the Tal forest. I have sent Dio to retrieve his body, but if he was killed in the Unknown Region, there’s little chance of that."

Pende shook his head. "I know Exi is, sorry was, a loose cannon but even he wouldn’t be venture out to the Unknown Region. Everyone knows that’s suicide. And I don’t believe he was weak enough to be killed by monsters of the Known Region."

Miden turned his eyes towards Pende. Zack noticed that even he didn’t seem to believe that this person called Exi died due to the Tal forest.

"So what then?" He asked slowly.

Pende stayed silent, thinking.

"An outside force?"

Miden shook his head. "No one knows we are after the keys. Hell I doubt most people know of the existence of the keys. Why, and how would anyone sabotage us at this stage?"

"Maybe it wasn’t deliberate sabotage?"

Miden’s eyes sparkled. He was leading the conversation in this very direction. "What then?"

"Where exactly was the key Exi was retrieving?"

"Caves of Bloodfell."

"That’s a popular adventure spot. People still believe there’s treasures and other stuff in that cave. Maybe one of them, or rather a group of them, were also going into the cave, and just due to that there was a fight between Exi and them."

"Hmmm. Yes that’s mostly what I think too. Just that the adventuring group must be extremely strong if they beat Exi."

Pende’s eyes shone with anger now. "Let me go after them Miden. I will find them and I will make them pay for taking out brother."

"No!" Miden’s voice was unexpectedly forceful. "No, I need you for another mission. And you too, Zack."

"I am sorry Miden, but you know what my first priority is. And seeing the state of Odania, I don’t want to imagine what may be happening in other towns or cities of this continent, ones in which my wife or son could be."

"And you’re right to be so worried. And I have some good news for you in that regard."

"Good news?"

"Indeed. You see another town lost its Mayor along with Odania. The town of Temuril."

Pende gave a low whistle. "So that fat Mayor was evil after all?"

"Not just evil, he was in cahoots with a Demon. That’s what delayed the Emperor Knight in the first place from reaching Odania."

"Good thing she was." Pende said under his breath.

"What does this have to do with my family?" Zack asked somewhat exasperated.

"My sources tell me that an Otherworlder boy, matching the description of your son, was among the people who fought against and killed the Mayor. In fact he even met with the Emperor Knight, who invited him to the Capital."

Zack took a sharp breath. "A boy matching the description of my son? How do you know he really is my son?"

"Because that’s not the important part."

"What’s the important part?"

"That he’s an Otherworlder. Otherworlders like you and your family are extremely rare, and there usually cannot exist more than one at a time in this world. Your case was unique since all three of you died at the same time it seems in your world, and therefore all three of you came here as Otherworlders. But this also means that there’s no other Otherworlders in Anasuril except for you and your family."

Zack felt his heart thumping in his chest.

Raorka!!

He turned around immediately.

"Where are you going, Zack?" Miden asked slowly.

"To find my son." Zack said simply as he headed for the door.

"He won’t be in Temuril any longer."

Zack whirled around. "And why not?"

"Didn’t you hear what I said? The Emperor Knight Vermillion invited him to the Capital. There can be only one purpose for this, she wants to train him. Thus most likely he will be enrolled in the Royal Magikal Academy in the Capital city, sponsored by Vermillion. He will be her representative among the students this year. Thus he will almost surely be going to the Capital."

"But he’s in Temuril right now!"

"Maybe." Miden conceded. "But he won’t be there by the time you reach Temuril from here."

Zack felt his shoulders slump.

Pende came over and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don’t worry old man. You’ll meet him when we go to the Capital." Then he turned towards Miden. "That’s where we are going right? For the mission you mentioned?"

Miden smiled, and then nodded. "We have the fifth key with us. Exi was supposed to retrieve the third, but unfortunately he died in the process. I seriously doubt it will be in the Caves any longer, but Dio will check. The first and fourth keys are lost, we need to scout a lot more information before we can go after those.

That leaves the second key."

"And it’s in the Capital?"

"Bingo." Miden answered. "Two birds with one stone." He said looking straight at Zack.

Zack felt conflicted. On one hand he would do anything to reunite with his family, and now he had a lead on where his son was, and where he would be going! On the other hand, he had a feeling that Miden was masterfully manipulating him.

But what other choice do I have?

"I’ll do it."

"Great! Welcome to the Chianti Hunters, member number 6, Zack!"