CHAPTER 67: THE LOST HEROINE

Azel sighed a bit, he was calmer now... they were packing up pairs of new clothes he and Lillia had chosen and even Hilda as well as Rain had pitched in suggestions.

And like the good father he was, with the whole load of money the Emperor gave him before he departed, he bought it and his money wasnt even close to running out.

’Once again, it’s very beneficial to be on the good side of an Emperor.’ Azel thought, he was satisfied... who else would give out 200 Gold Ares like it was nothing?

Nobody, that’s who!

Now all he needed to do was to buy this and go home.

When suddenly he felt someone approaching them... at full speed, they were rapidly closing the distance and it seemed this person’s target was him.

Azel turned to the right and saw a woman sprinting toward him, she was a blur... for a moment, Azel wondered if a regular civilian could move like that.

"Elga?!" Rain and Hilda shouted at the same time.

Before Azel could even process the name, the stranger had closed the distance.

She bypassed the little girl standing beside him and, without hesitation, clasped both of his hands in hers.

Azel blinked, startled by the older woman’s sudden nearness.

She was perhaps in her mid-forties, her hair streaked with silver but her eyes bright and sharp.

Her grip was warm, her presence... disarmingly forward.

For some reason, his face felt hotter than it should have.

"Sir Azel Thorne," she said with an earnest smile, "it’s a pleasure to meet you. Would it be too much of a problem for you to meet my daughter?"

"Elga!" Hilda’s scolding voice was sharp now, joined by Rain’s equally scandalized tone.

But if the shouts behind them bothered Elga, she gave no sign.

Her gaze stayed locked on Azel like a hawk sizing up prey — or in this case, a prize.

Azel arched a brow. "Your... daughter?"

It wasn’t every day someone marched up to him, took his hands, and requested an introduction to their offspring.

On Earth, even his own mother wouldn’t have dared walk up to a stranger and make such a request for his sister’s sake.

Although there was no reason to do it on Earth but still...

This woman, however, seemed utterly without fear.

It was boldness on a scale he almost admired.

"Yes," Elga replied firmly. "She’s beautiful, perfectly suited for marriage. She can cook — every dish from roasted venison to hearty stews, she can clean, mend clothing, and wash them until they’re whiter than snow. She can keep a house warm through winter and even split logs herself. A strong back, soft heart, and clever hands."

Azel tilted his head.

This was... quite the sales pitch.

Hell he was very interested in this girl now.

Elga leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially, though not so quietly that Rain and Hilda couldn’t hear.

"She knows how to balance a household’s budget, can haggle better than half the merchants in this district, and — " she gave him a meaningful look "she is loyal. Utterly. My daughter was raised to stand by her husband through anything."

It wasn’t desperation he saw in her eyes, but conviction.

The kind of conviction born of a mother’s certainty that her child deserved only the best — and that she’d tackle the world head-on to make it happen.

Azel liked this woman more and more... He really did.

’Gods above... she’s trying to pawn her daughter off like prime livestock,’ Rain thought, her thoughts aimed at the Goddess.

[Not livestock. She’s advocating for her child’s future.]

’Yeah, sure. And men just eat that up. Easy woman, easy life, I wouldn’t be surprised if he accepted that offer in an instant, he alreasy seems so interested.’

[I don’t believe that’s why he’s interested.]

’What would you know? You’ve never dated a man in your life.’ Rain’s mental smirk was practically audible.

The goddess hesitated, Rain was right, she hadn’t kissed before and neither had she done the activities Rain and her ex-lover did, so she couldn’t say anything about it.

[That is... technically correct.]

’Technically? Ha! You’ve never even kissed one, have you? Always preaching divine wisdom yet you’ve got zero field experience.’

[Perhaps. But by the end of today, I might be able to say otherwise.]

’Wait — what are you? You’re not going to try dating someone with my body, are you?!’

The goddess didn’t answer, she certaintly didn’t have that in mind.

Rain sputtered internally before her focus snapped back to the present — because Elga was still going.

"Emilia can even—" Elga stopped mid-sentence when she noticed a sudden change in Azel’s expression.

His eyes had widened, not in discomfort or confusion, but in sharp recognition.

"I’d like to meet her," he said without hesitation.

Both Hilda and Rain froze.

’I knew it!’ Rain shouted in his mind. ’All men are the same! One pretty promise of an easy life and you’re hooked.’

[No. That’s not it.]

Elga’s relief was almost palpable as she turned, beckoning eagerly. "Emilia! Come here, dear!"

From the far end of the street, a young woman emerged from between two stalls.

Her steps were hesitant, her hands clasped in front of her, but her posture straight enough to hint at some formal upbringing.

Azel’s breath caught.

The moment his gaze landed on her, the pieces clicked into place.

Emilia Thorne.

The only child of Steven Thorne — the Sword Saint.

In the game, she had been known as the [Lost Heroine], a title earned not for mystery or drama but because she was literally missing for nearly the entire story, she had been kidnapped by slave traders when she was little and was the whole reason Steven dedicated himself to eradicating slave traders.

She only appeared toward the very end of the game, the memories of her father had recently returned filling her with happiness but her spirit was broken, and her body crippled.

By then, even Steven was on the verge of death.

The two perished together not long after her return in a battle that had felt cruelly rushed and undeserved.

The memory of it left a sour taste in his mouth.

But here she was — she looked extremely beautiful, if she had such a nice and beautiful mother in this life, then how did she become a sword saint for an opposing empire?

"I see..." Azel’s voice was quiet as he gently withdrew his hands from Elga’s grasp.

His gaze never left Emilia’s face.

"She’s really beautiful," he said at last.

And then — before anyone could blink he moved.

One instant he was standing beside Hilda’s stall; the next, he was in front of Emilia, his presence sudden but not threatening.

Her eyes widened, startled by his speed.

Before she could speak, he pressed something small and cool into her mouth — a pill, his fingers gentle yet firm.

Gasps erupted from Elga and the onlookers.

The change was immediate.

Emilia’s pupils dilated, her breath caught, and her hands trembled.

A flood of awareness surged into her gaze, replacing the mild confusion with sharp clarity.

And then... she remembered.

She remembered it all.