Frilian: Starting by inheriting the title of the Southern Hero

Chapter 42 A Reunion Across Time

The central square in the capital was bustling with people.

Lynn and Laoffen found a bench at the edge of the square and sat down.

Laofen held a bag of fried dough sticks she had just bought, eating them with a calm expression, her big eyes blinking occasionally.

Lynn leaned back in her chair, looking at the crowded people in the distance, her body relaxed.

Thanks to that magical tool that brought me good dreams, the huge weight on my heart was finally lifted, and I could breathe much more easily.

"The view from here is quite good."

"Lynn said."

"Um."

Laofen swallowed the food in her mouth, then took out another one and held it to Lynn's lips, "Try it."

Lynn opened her mouth and bit down, the crispy texture exploding in her mouth.

good to eat.

"Lynn, my birthday is after National Day."

Laofen swung her legs, her gaze fixed on the Vlamé statue not far away.

What gift would you like?

Lynn asked very directly.

"I haven't decided yet, we'll see when the time comes."

Laofen turned her head to the side, her eyes curving into crescents.

Whoosh! Bang!

A loud bang.

The first firework shot into the night sky and exploded at its highest point.

Colorful lights scattered in all directions, illuminating the night sky as if it were daytime.

Lynn looked up at the fleeting splendor, a slight smile playing on her lips.

In this world full of magic and danger, it is truly rare to see such a vibrant and down-to-earth scene.

"It's so beautiful."

Laofen sighed softly.

"Yes, it's really beautiful."

Lynn agreed.

"Lynn, I never thought I'd see you smile so naturally in my lifetime."

An old voice came from the bench next door.

Lynn looked over at the sound and saw an old woman with a full head of white hair sitting on the bench next to her.

She was wearing a gray cloth dress, her hands folded on her knees, her body hunched over.

At this moment, she was turning her head to the side, looking at Lynn as if she were looking at a long-lost friend.

Lynn was stunned.

He remembered that face.

Just as he was leaving Elsia Village, the old man at the village entrance bowed to him and said "thank you".

How did she end up here?

Elsia Village is not close to the capital, and for an elderly person with mobility issues, the journey is by no means easy.

More importantly, she just called out her own name.

"Grandma, what a coincidence!"

Lynn sat up straight, though she was puzzled, she still maintained proper manners.

"Unfortunately, I came here specifically for this purpose."

The old woman said with a smile.

"specially?"

Lynn was puzzled.

"I came here specifically to see you, and also to see the fireworks in the capital."

The old woman looked up at the fireworks exploding in the sky again. "I haven't seen this in many years, but it's still so lively."

Lynn's brain was working at lightning speed.

In the village of Elsia, aside from destroying the Ashoka flower, he didn't have much interaction with the old man.

That final thank you was probably because he had destroyed the Worry-Free Flower, right?

"Could it be that you've come because I destroyed the Worry-Free Flower?"

Lynn asked tentatively.

"Oh, Ashoka Flower, it must be really sad that you ruined it. Those villagers who relied on the flower to erase their memories are truly heartbroken."

The old woman looked away and turned back to Lynn. "One of the villagers is even contemplating suicide."

Lynn remained silent.

This was the consequence he had anticipated.

"So I gave them a little help, after all, I don't want you to have any sins on your conscience."

The old woman stretched out her withered finger and drew a circle in the air. "I gave them the magic to make people forget their unhappiness."

Lynn's pupils dilated slightly.

Shouldn't that magic be in the hands of the Southern Hero?

"How do you possess that magic?"

Lynn stared into the old man's eyes.

"Given to me by the Hero of the South."

The old woman smiled. "With that magic, the villagers won't need that man-eating flower anymore."

"Then how do you know my name? Did the Southern Hero tell you?"

Lynn asked the most crucial question.

He did not introduce himself to the old man in the village.

Unless it was said by the Hero of the South, after all, I met the Hero of the South more than eighty years ago.

"No, I knew that a long time ago."

The old woman looked at Lynn's face.

"But I don't remember us meeting before."

Lynn was certain that his memory was correct; he had never seen the old man except in the village of Elsia.

"Of course we've met before, you just don't recognize me now."

After the old woman finished speaking, she pointed to Lynn's waist and asked, "Are you comfortable using these two swords of mine?"

Lynn instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword.

He bought these two swords from Jerete, the blacksmith in Gil Village, when he first came to this world.

Although it's not top-quality, it feels excellent in the hand.

"Is this your sword?"

Lynn was surprised.

"It used to be."

The old woman nodded, a hint of nostalgia in her eyes. "Later, when I got old and couldn't wave it anymore, I left it with Jeremy in Gil village."

"Then why did you thank me at the village entrance last time?"

Lynn grew increasingly puzzled.

"Because without you, I might have stayed in that little village of Rem for the rest of my life, just a silly girl who could only chatter away."

The old woman looked at Lynn, her eyes slightly moist, "It was you and Uncle Kraft who brought me out."

"Who are you……"

Lynn stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Because he and Kraft only ever had one maid, and that was...

"Ellie".

The old woman said the name.

"I am Allie."

Lynn stood frozen in place.

My mind went completely blank.

How is that possible?

When Ellie and Ellene left, she was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl!

Seeing Lynn's horrified expression, Ellie laughed.

"Don't look at me like that, people always get old."

Lynn swallowed hard, her voice softening considerably: "Didn't you leave with Elaine? It hasn't been that long, less than three months, how could you... become like this?"

"Three months."

Ellie couldn't help but sigh, "After I left with Uncle Elleen, my master started to teach me skills wholeheartedly. I gritted my teeth and practiced day and night, hoping that one day I could become as strong as you."

Later, we were going to explore a ruin, and when we passed through Gil village, we overheard the villagers talking about you. Driven by curiosity, I went to the Goddess's Monument.

"...I touched that monument, and when I opened my eyes again, I had returned to more than eighty years ago."

At that time, monsters roamed Gil Village, and I happened to see that man wielding two swords, the Hero of the South.

The strongest human who foresaw the future saved Gil Village from the monsters and also noticed me.

He looked at me, and he saw through my future.

He said I couldn't go back because there weren't many records of goddess magic in this era, so I had to survive in this time and space.

Lynn's heart sank.

The inability to return to a point in the future means that the fifteen-year-old girl spent a long life alone in a foreign land in the past.

"The Hero of the South's prediction of the future was very accurate. He said that one day in the future, you will come into this world with a heart full of despair, and if you do nothing, you may die from your painful memories."

Ellie recounted, "So he gave me the magic that makes people forget unhappy memories, and personally carved the words 'Land of Souls' on the stone tablet."

Lynn looked up abruptly. "So, when I first arrived in this world, you were the one who cast this spell on me?"

Ellie nodded. "According to the Southern Hero's prophecy, you would appear before the Goddess's Monument on that day, so I returned to Gil Village and cast that spell on you. It was a gift left to you by the Southern Hero, and it's the only thing I could do for you."

"...By the way, Hans's wife is my granddaughter. Doesn't she look a lot like me? Especially that purple hair?"

He said this with a proud expression.

"So Uncle Hans knew about this too? No wonder he wasn't surprised at all when I told him I came from another world."

Lynn suddenly realized what was happening, and felt deeply moved, but didn't know how to express it.

Unexpectedly, besides the Southern Hero, there was also this girl who was just a little girl not long ago, who paved the way for his current path.

Why go to such lengths?

Lynn's voice trembled slightly with emotion, "I haven't even taught you anything, is it worth it?"

Ellie didn't answer immediately. Instead, she reached out to pat Lynn's head, but because of the distance, she withdrew her hand halfway through.

"Because of longing."

She looked at the twin swords at Lynn's waist. "I still vividly remember the way you charged into the gargoyles with those twin swords. Later, I modified the swordsmanship that Uncle taught me to be suitable for dual swords. After I went back in time, I also went to kill monsters and save other villages."

Although she didn't become a legendary hero like Simmel, the name of the hero Ellie was still known in the villages to the north.

I guess I've become a hero, then.

Looking at the elderly Ellie before him, Lynn's image of the noisy, boisterous girl in his mind gradually overlapped with the figure before him, and he couldn't help but lower his head and say:

"I'm sorry, I should have taught you more swordsmanship back then. If I hadn't been in such a hurry to get here, and hadn't been so indifferent to those around me, perhaps..."

"It's not your fault."

Ellie interrupted him, "It's just that I don't want to learn."

I could tell then that you didn't see us in your eyes. You looked at me and the others as if you were looking at illustrations in a book.

I knew you always wanted to go home, but I never imagined your home was in such a faraway place.

Your heart isn't here, so you don't want to be too attached to this world. That's why I'm being so willful, hoping you'll pay more attention to me.

Upon hearing this, Lynn couldn't help but smile wryly.

It turned out that his thoughts were already completely exposed in the eyes of that fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.

This sense of alienation, this aloof, detached attitude, is the most hurtful weapon.

"I'm sorry, you wasted your life because of someone like me."

Lynn's voice trembled slightly.

"No, Lynn."

Ellie laughed like a child, "I don't think my life has been wasted at all. I met the Hero of the South!"

I have a husband, children, and granddaughter, and I'm also a well-known warrior. I live a fulfilling life.

And, to see you one last time before I die, to see you sitting here smiling as you watch the fireworks, that's enough.

Lynn didn't know what to say; any words seemed inadequate at that moment.

I owe this girl a debt I can never repay in this lifetime.

"On your grandfather's side,"

Lynn suddenly remembered, "How heartbroken I'll be if I don't see you come back."

Ellie's smile faded, and she said, "Grandpa had already passed away before I went to Jill Village."

However, he has seen what I look like now, because I talked to Grandpa before you and Kraft went to the village.

Otherwise, do you think Grandpa would let you take me away so easily?

"I was wondering at the time why this old man let you have your way."

Lynn couldn't help but smile, then walked over and sat down next to Ellie, saying, "Thank you, really."

Thank you, Allie.

Allie raised her hand and gently patted Lynn's head, like an elder to a younger person. "Alright, stop making that face. I'm a dragon-slaying hero, I can't let others feel guilty. Besides, I was paid. The five silver coins you spent on the sword are all in my pocket."

"So, you were still in Jill village back then?"

"That's right, I was at Jellette's shop back then, and you brought over quite a large wild boar."

Ellie smiled, straightened her clothes, and stood up. "It's almost time. My wish has been fulfilled, and it's time for me to go."

Where are you going?

Lynn asked.

"Going back to the village to inherit the position of village chief."

Ellie waved her hand with her back to Lynn, and when she caught Lynn following her out of the corner of her eye, she stopped him without turning her head:

"Don't bother seeing me off, and don't look at me like I'm an old man. I'm only ninety-six years old. Even Red Mirror Dragon can only bark like a dog in front of me."

Lynn stopped where she was, watching the hunched figure slowly blend into the crowd.

The world around him was filled with the deafening roar of exploding fireworks, yet he felt a profound sense of peace.

Seeing Lynn lost in thought for a long time, Raofen called his name softly, "Lynn?"

Lynn snapped out of her daze, smiled at her, and then looked up at the fireworks blooming in the night sky.

……

In the crowd, Ellie stopped and looked back.

The young man was still standing by the bench, his posture upright, like a sword drawn from its sheath.

"Uncle Kraft."

Ellie murmured softly, "I've done what you asked me to do."

That kick really woke him up.

After saying that, he never looked back.