YM778.TV Chapter 680: Volume 4: I Raised Her That Way
"If you were sent here, then whoever that Lord is knew that Joanne and I were sent to the past in the Lands of Alastor," Ethan commented. "Also, I believe that he is also the one responsible for dragging my sister into the River of Okeanos."
Wallace nodded because he also thought that way.
"But, it seems that having your sister sent to the past with you was a good opportunity to close the distance between the two of you," Wallace said as he glanced at Joanne, who was currently talking to Fortuna and Enzo about her adventure.
"Yes," Ethan replied softly. "This trip has been a memorable experience for me."
"More memorable than the previous time?" Wallace asked out of curiosity.
"Both experiences have taught me a lot of things," Ethan answered. "It also allowed me to meet people, whom I thought I would never meet again."
Wallace noticed that the young man\'s voice had a tinge of sadness in it, so he decided to wait for him to open up, instead of asking him questions about what had happened in the past.
"By the way, since you\'ve been here for a week, did you learn anything about Princess Ramona?" Ethan inquired.
"Are you talking about the Saintess that founded the Order of the Tidebringer?" Wallace arched an eyebrow. "Well, we did know a few things about her. According to the written history, she was the best friend of the Tidebringer\'s sister, Lady Joanne."
The handsome man glanced at Ethan\'s sister with a smile because he couldn\'t forget the surprised expressions on Enzo\'s, Fortuna\'s, Emma\'s, and Lilith\'s faces after seeing a giant statue of their Young Miss in a far away kingdom.
"But, the greatest surprise was seeing the framed picture of you being worshiped by believers." Wallace chuckled. "Please, don\'t tell your grandma about this. I\'m sure she will think that I am lying, and ask me to bring her to the Magdar Kingdom to verify it."
Ethan nodded because the mere thought of his grandmother visiting the temple and saying, "That\'s my Grandson right there!" was enough to make him feel extremely embarrassed.
A few minutes later, Ethan decided to take the initiative to tell his father everything that had happened on the island.
How he met Illumina, whose rainbow scale was used to make his wand, and the battle against the Avatar of the Progenitor of Pestilence, Erass.
Wallace\'s expression became solemn when Ethan started to narrate all that had happened in that particular battle.
He and Ethan were not aware that Joanne, Emma, Lilith, Fortuna, and Enzo had come to where they were talking to listen to the young man\'s story.
"You\'re lucky that you survived such a battle," Wallace commented after Ethan finished his story. "Not everyone can live through such an ordeal to tell their tale about battling a Progenitor, even if it was just their avatar."
Ethan nodded. "Back then, I really thought that I was a goner. Erass\'s strength was at an entirely new level compared to the people that I have faced in the past. Father, if not for your lessons, I might have died when Erass took me inside his Domain."
Wallace smiled faintly, and gave Ethan a brief nod.
"I\'ve been meaning to ask you this since earlier, but are you feeling some kind of power washing over your body right now?" Wallace inquired. "A power that is different from magic?"
Ethan nodded, which made his adoptive father look at him with a solemn gaze.
"What you are feeling right now is something that only Deities are supposed to possess," Wallace stated. "That is the power of Fate. It is something that every race in the world directs to a handful of individuals.
"For example, the Fairies. They only worship three people.
"The Fairy King, Oberon.
"The Fairy Queen, Titania.
"And last but not the least, the Water Fairy Queen, Celestia."
Raising his three fingers, Wallace further explained why they were beings that stood above the Apex of the world.
"The power of Faith is a power that only the Progenitors and the Colossi can harness," Wallace explained. "This is what makes them strong. The different races also have their own beings to worship. For the Dragons there are two Dragons, who they worship, Tiamat and Bahamut.
"They are just a few examples of the beings who possess power that transcends the norm, and one of the reasons why they are that strong is because of the power of Faith."
The handsome man then pointed at Ethan\'s chest, particularly over his beating heart.
"And now, you also possess that power," Wallace stated. "I know that you will not abuse it. But, make sure to remember that this power belongs to the beliefs of countless people. People who believe that you are a kind and compassionate being."
Ethan nodded in understanding. "I promise that I won\'t abuse it."
A minute later, Joanne asked everyone a question.
"Then, what happened to Ramona?" Joanne asked. "Did she live a fulfilling and happy life?"
The three adults glanced at each other before Fortuna stepped forward to answer Joanne\'s question.
"The Saintess of the Order of the Tidebringer was said to have played an important role in the early days of its conception," Fortuna replied. "I don\'t know if she lived a happy life because, according to the records, she was a very devout steward, who made sure that the Order would function even if she was gone."
The Matriarch of the Meredith Clan paused before continuing her story.
"But, something unexpected happened," Fortuna said. "On the eve of the Saintess\' eighteen birthday, she stepped down from her position as Saintess, and handed it over to her successor.
"After that, it was said that she went on a journey, never to be seen or heard from again."
"W-What?!" Joanne couldn\'t help but stutter after hearing what Fortuna had to say. "She disappeared?! How is that possible? Are you sure about this information?!"
Ethan, who was also listening to Fortuna\'s story, couldn\'t help but frown.
He wasn\'t too worried about Princess Ramona\'s safety because the Shadow Rats and Illumina were there to protect her.
What he couldn\'t understand was why no one had seen or heard anything from her after she passed her position as Saintess of the Order of the Tidebringer to another.
"Calm down, Joanne," Ethan said as he hugged his sister. "I\'m sure that Ramona didn\'t face any danger. She had so many protectors looking out for her, so it would have been impossible for her to suddenly disappear without a reason."
"R-Right." Joanne who finally gained a bit of her composure nodded. "I trained her in magic, so she would have been safe. I also made sure that everyone in the Magdar Kingdom would protect her, so she should be fine."
"Right." Ethan also nodded. "Maybe she and Illumina just went on another adventure, and she didn\'t plan to return to the Magdar Kingdom again after leaving. I\'m sure that things will be fine. We can just ask Illumina when we meet her again."
Ethan had already extended his senses over the Sea and even called out to Illumina.
However, the Mermaid Princess didn\'t return his call, which meant that she might not be in the seas surrounding the Lands of Alastor at that moment.
"We have also done a bit more research about Princess Ramona," Emma commented. "But aside from the years she spent in expanding the influence of the Order of the Tidebringer, we didn\'t find anything else aside from the fact that everyone said that she was a kind, charismatic, capable, and very beautiful Saintess."
"Of course she was," Joanne stated feeling proud about her best friend\'s achievement. "I raised her that way."
Ethan couldn\'t help but smile after hearing Joanne\'s reply.
It just proved how much she loved the Princess, who was also her very first best friend.
"Brother, make sure to ask Illumina about Ramona, okay?" Joanne pleaded. "I want to hear everything. So make sure to tell her not to leave out any important information."
"Understood." Ethan nodded. "We\'ll ask her together."
"Un!" Joanne also nodded.
If her best friend had lived a happy and fulfilling life, she would definitely be happy as well.
But, the way she disappeared after becoming eighteen years old made her feel anxious about the fate of her friend.
***
The Wishing Tree located in the Temple of the Tidebringer…
The small paper scroll that contained Joanne\'s wish, slowly untied itself and fell from the tree.
It then landed on the palm of a teenage girl, who slowly opened it to read what was written there.
A moment later, a faint smile appeared on the teenage girl\'s face before she walked the path back to the temple.
The members of the Order of the Tidebringer, whom she passed along the way, all bowed their heads in respect and admiration towards her.
"It seems that the Saintess is happy today," one of the believers said. "She\'s smiling."
"Indeed." another believer nodded. "Seeing her smile like that is extremely rare. I\'m sure that something good happened."
While the believers were chatting with each other, the teenage girl arrived at her personal quarters within the temple.
She then gazed up at the five-meter-tall picture frame, where three people were hugging each other, with smiles on their faces.
The teenage girl once again read Joanne\'s letter and smiled.
"I wish that our paths will cross once again."
The teenage girl then pressed the scroll to her chest, and closed her eyes.
"Soon," the teenage girl said softly. "I will meet the two of you soon."
From within her shadow, dozens of Shadow Rats emerged, and bowed their heads, waiting for her order.
Just like their Master, they were also very excited to meet the young man, who had changed their fates for the better.
***
A/N: I hope that all of you enjoyed the chapter for today. Also, I want to make an announcement. After careful consideration, I decided to release one chapter until the end of this month to fully recover.
Starting next month, we will return to having two chapter updates. Thanks everyone for your kind understanding.
Last, but not the least, look forward to the Academy Arc next month! Kekeke!
I\'ll see you all in the next chapters!