Finding my Parents in Another World-Chapter 70: Volume 1 Epilogue Part 2 - Zoe

"Champion of the Goddess?!" Famina asked incredously, chomping down on her apple.

"Eat your food first." Zoe said gently.

Famina gulped down the apple and then looked towards Zoe with astonishment again. "I knew you were our salvation, but even I wouldn’t have guessed you were a Champion of the Goddess."

"So it’s really that big of a deal?"

Famina nodded vigorously. "A Champion is second only to the Goddess for our Kingdom."

You are not one of them.

A flash of Midir’s warning from last night went through Zoe’s mind as she heard the fanatism in Famina’s voice.

She thinks I am holy.

Zoe frowned. Last night she was too tired and exhausted to properly consider Midir’s words, but after last night’s deep sleep she was feeling much more refreshed and ready to tackle the subject now. Zoe had been in a daze since leaving the hospital and did not remember much until she woke up in her underwear today morning. Evidently she had fallen asleep in the middle of changing her clothes back to night pajamas.

I did have multiple near death fights yesterday.

Now, however, she was able to look at Midir’s warning with a fresh mind, and she couldn’t help but think that he had a point. For the truth was she didn’t feel as strongly as Famina did regarding the importance of the Champion.

"What about Zoltran? Or Sophie? Have you heard of people named this in your legends?"

Famina tilted her head, thinking for a moment, before shaking her head no. "Then again, I am not completely knowledgeable of all the beings associated with the Goddess. Maybe Father Andrews would have a better idea."

"And Apocalypse."

"Sorry." Again Famina shook her head.

Zoe sighed. She had told Famina everything that happened to her after she and Midir had left, including the things she saw in the vision of the Spear. And the ominous warning about Apocalypse. She had expected Famina to not know about Zoltran or Sophie, but she had hoped the latter could shed some light on the nature of Apocalypse at least.

"But whatever Apocalypse is, if the Goddess has stored behind warnings of its approach a thousand years ago, we should take it seriously."

"Hard to do that when we don’t know the nature of the threat." Zoe said thoughtfully.

For a moment both of them fell silent. Famina was the first to break it.

"We need to return to Father Andrews immediately. Today."

"Today? You were unconscious till this morning!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I am fine now." Famina swung around her legs, and stood up. The injuries sustained yesterday indeed seemed gone completely, the wonders of modern magik, but Zoe was still doubtful.

"Are you sure?" She asked hesitantly.

Famina nodded. "Indeed. You being a Champion elevates you so much higher. Not only were you able to retrieve the Spear, but you also wield it! We need to show this to Father Andrews."

"Ok sure. But we need to make a stop first.*

"A stop? Where?"

"Temuril."

The silence that followed was deafening. Zoe saw that Famina was struggling with how to respond to this.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea." She said finally quietly. "The Mayor of that town wanted to arrest you."

"But how did they know what I look like? As far as I can see there’s only one explanation. They saw some picture of me. And the only one who will have my picture in this world is my son or my husband. This makes me believe one of them are definitely at Temuril."

"If that were so then why would they not stop this witch hunt for you?"

Zoe had thought of this already. "Because they may be in trouble as well."

Famina bit her lip, and Zoe continued, "That’s only one explanation, I concede. Maybe they lost the picture, and it was found by the Temuril people. But as long as there’s even a miniscule chance that my son or my husband is there, I HAVE to go to Temuril as soon as possible. I’m sorry Famina, but you know that I have always told both of you that my family is my first priority - even above the Goddess."

"And perhaps that’s why the Goddess has chosen you as her Champion." Famina said, her expression slowly morphing into a smile. "Fine, but I will come with you."

"You?!! Don’t you have to report to Father Andrews first?"

"I do. But I also want to see your family." Famina said, her smile widening. "And besides you hold more authority than Father Andrews now as the Champion of the Goddess."

Zoe smiled back, but there was a uneasy feeling crawling up her stomach. Somehow she wasn’t sure Father Andrews would take this sudden usurping of status that well.

Well we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

"So we are leaving tonight then?" Famina asked.

Zoe nodded. "I wanted to leave as soon as possible, but it will take at least till tonight to get the horse and everything ready according to Midir."

"Horses now." Famina interjected, and Zoe nodded with a smile.

"By the way what do you think of AD?"

"The artificial being?"

"Yeah. Since she was created by the Goddess herself, doesn’t she hold any reverential status for you?"

Famina tilted her head, thinking.

"Well," she said eventually, "it’s not like we don’t respect or revere the beings created by the Goddess herself. They just are way too rare to hold power like priests too, and way too separated from the Goddess herself to be an object of worship like she is. Of course we have stories speaking of their bravery, and how we fight side by side in the Great War. But other than that, this is the first time I am actually meeting a being like that."

Famina looked towards the Spear. On cue there was a soft golden glow that surrounded it, the telltale sign of the presence of AD.

"I can concur with the observations by Miss Famina." AD said in her machine like voice from inside the Spear, causing Famina to jump up on surprise.

"Gotta get used to that." She mumbled to herself, as Zoe burst out laughing.

.XX.

Fyodor was in a foul mood since last night. He had been cock blocked from raping his goddess, and just masturbating on returning to his room did little to alleviate his lust. And on top of that, he heard that she would be leaving that night.

Fucking tease.

Grumbling he sat down on the reception of the Inn. This was the end of the line. There was almost no chance he would ever see Zoe ever again. He had his chance and he had squandered it.

A creak announced the entry of someone at the door.

"Go away, we are closed." Fyodor grumbled back, not even looking at the new visitor to the Inn.

"I-is that how you talk to me maggot?" The extremely familiar gruff voice responded back immediately. A voice Fyodor had hoped he would never hear again.

"FatBeard! How are you doing old fr- wow you look terrible!" Fyodor looked at the doorway to see the huge, lumbering figure of the notorious General.

"I go by Rokar now." He said in a rough voice as he stumbled into the room and sat down on the chair, letting out a deep sigh. He was terribly injured, his entire torso covered with blood and burns, his right arm burned to a crisp. He seemed like he was barely hanging onto life, but even at this stage, Fyodor could feel the anger and the threat he possessed.

"What happened to you? I heard you became a Mayor in some far off town?"

Rokar grunted. "I was attacked. I survived." His eyes gleamed with hatred.

"Your Word of Power?"

Rokar grunted his assent. "I just need a few months to lie low and recove-", he stopped abruptly as the creak of the door opening sounded again.

Aaah it’s her.

It was Fyodor’s goddess, looking as much of a tease as she did last night. Thankfully she had not realized that he had stripped her last night, otherwise she would have that blasted Spear on his throat.

Zoe raised an eyebrow at the heavily injured Rokar, but otherwise didn’t say anything as she quickly moved into the corridor towards her room.

Fyodor breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her go into her room, and then looked back at Rokar and immediately almost jumped back in shock. FatBeard’s face was twisted in a horrible expression of lust and hate, directed all towards the woman who had just gone into the room.

"God is kind after all." He said with a twisted smile, all his pain and agony seemingly vanished.

"You know her?" Fyodor asked surprised.

"In a manner of speaking." Rokar said, and then he turned towards the innkeeper. "What about you? Haven’t you tried to fuck the bitch?"

Fyodor sighed sadly, and then relayed to him about the events of the past two days. Fyodor worked with FatBeard when he was still a General, and he knew just how much of a pervert he really was. And how he would always succeed when he put his mind to raping someone.

Rokar listened to Fyodor’s story with rapt attention, and then smiled at the end.

"Is that it? You are willing to give up now because you will never seen her again?"

"What option do we have? She has that blasted Spear with her." Fyodor said forlornly.

Rokar smiled, for the first time in a long time.

"Patience, my friend, patience. We have to lie in wait, and pounce when the opportunity arises." He said.

Fyodor looked doubtfully at his old General, and saw the same gleam of hatred and lust in his eyes. Slowly he started to believe too.

After all General FatBeard had never failed till date when he wanted to rape someone.