Although Auror felt that the incident with the goddess of victory had been handled safely, she could still feel the burden of her decisions.
The kids might have taken the news gracefully but the aura of hurt around them was still potent.
“Kids, come here. This will be a one-time thing so do not get used to it.”
Aurora pulled the kids in a hug as soon as they were near to her. The tight embrace caused the kids to finally let loose their emotions and start crying.
And as if a dam had broken, the tears did not stop once they had started falling down the kid’s face. Their soft hiccups and shivers wrecked their small frame, causing Aurora to feel their emotions.
“It’s alright. You both are not alone. Soon you will have more people who will love you.”
Aurora was certain that these children would be cherished by the outsiders and the Viera clan. They were good kids who knew how to behave.
“I-It hurts.”
“I know. But things will be alright.”
No matter how strong a child was mental, such things were bound to take their toll on them.
Aurora could feel the elder goddess keep an eye on the trio but the goddess of victory did not come out to confront the crying children.
The message she was trying to send was clear – I am washing my hands off this case. It is your responsibility now.
And since this was the case, Aurora decided to take her responsibility seriously.
The children calmed down around an hour or half, finally allowing Aurora the peace of mind she wanted.
“Do you need to rest some more? Or are you ready to finally head out now?”
Aurora did not mind spending a few more hours consoling the children but they did need to start heading out now.
They might be in the Rocx valley but the academy was still on the opposite side. It would take at least a day for Aurora to reach the settlement and then some to check up on the progress.
“No, we don’t need any more time. We are alright now.”
As expected, Joseph was the first one to calm down and accept the situation. He was also the one who helped Emilia realize that their situation was not so bad.
It was nice to see such a bond form between siblings.
Aurora had been brought up as an only child but she had her friends who were almost like siblings to her.
Still, this display made her wonder how different blood-related siblings were when compared to sworn siblings.
Maybe if Aurora had stayed behind, she might have gotten a chance to find out. After all, she was not an only child.
But the time of regret had already passed a lifetime ago.
“From here on, be careful and don’t wander off on your own. I don’t want to see you in trouble with the monsters.”
The children agreed without hesitation.
Aurora crossed the valley far slower than her original pace. Since she had kids with her, she had to walk at their pace.
She also took the initiative to teach Emilia some easy magic but she could not do the same for Joseph.
But what he lacked in magic, he more than made up for in intelligence.
“Emilia, practice this spell. I have something to give to Joseph.”
The girl agreed without much probing. It was a nice thing to see – the lack of jealousy.
Maybe it was because they had grown up in different households and under different conditions, but the sibling pair did not compete with each other for resources.
“Do you feel left out while Emilia is practicing magic?”
Aurora could see the longing look Joseph cast toward Emilia’s magic. There was a yearning in his gaze that Aurora recognized.
“Not really. I have accepted that I will never be able to practice magic. And it’s not like I’m the only one.”
Joseph was trying to be rational but his voice shook when he spoke. It was tragic to see a child go through this dilemma.
“Your condition is not unique but it’s not beyond help either. And there are ways for you to be able to keep up with Emilia without even magic. I know some people who can help you out.”
Aurora was talking about outlanders.
Their technology required intense practice and concentration to use but it was universal enough to be used by anyone.
“Help me? Then there must be a catch to it all.”
“Of course. You will need to put in much more effort than Emilia and you will also need to condition your body. But you’re young enough to adjust. So you should think about it.”
“….”
The kid did not answer Aurora at once as she had hoped him to. Joseph proved to be wiser than Aurora had expected him to be.
“You can take your time thinking over your choices. Now let’s get up. Someone will be here to pick us up soon.”
Aurora had sent a message over her system a long time ago and she could finally see Rita’s signal on her map.
The younger was close by.
“AURORA, THIS WAY.”
The redhead waved her hand over the small cliff she was standing at. Aurora waved back at her in greeting.
The children at her side looked intrigued but quickly took a step back as they watched a huge shadow approach Rita from behind.
“Look out…”
Emilia did not get to finish the sentence before a small wolf left the huge shadow and electricity filled the background.
The huge monster was charred within seconds with not even a body remaining intact.
“You should not worry about Rita. She’s trained for such circumstances.”
Aurora pointed but even she was impressed by the advancement Rita had made in such a short time.
The power Rita’s summon had shown was much more impressive than Aurora had seen before she left. The result of a week-long training was clear in Aurora’s eyes.
“So you did come back. And here I thought you abandoned us here.”
Rita was not alone. Damina had decided to tag along with her. The kid had a sour expression on his face but his aura felt satisfied.
“Yo. I am back and I have gifts with me. You both can come out now.”
Joseph looked intrigued to see Damian and his armor. Aurora was sure it was his first time seeing someone fight without magic and still be able to keep up with the monsters.
“What the hell? You are younger than us? Who allowed you to go out and fight?”
Emilia did not have a filter and asked a rude question. Damian’s sour expression froze at the question and Aurora felt laughter build up inside her chest.
“Emilia, don’t be rude. I think he was cool.”
Joseph tried to dispel the awkward air that had filled the space but he was too late. Rita had already broken out in laughter at Emilia’s words and Damian was red in the face.
“Y-Y-YOU! HOW DARE YOU MOCK ME? FACE ME IN A CHALLENGE.”
“You brat got owned.”
Rita was not helping the situation with her comments and Aurora tried to hold back her incoming headache.
Why could the children not make an agreeable first impression?
“Emilia, don’t be rude. Damian will be your senior once you start. Joseph, you can have a talk with him about the specifics of their tech and then decide if it is something you want to pursue.”
Aurora tried to dispel the hostile air around the group but it was going to be a problem. Damian and Emilia were not even looking at each other after that confrontation.
“Will it be alright to leave the kids alone? The air feels tense here.”
Rita was not complaining but Aurora could not find it in herself to be worried. Looking at the trio, it did seem familiar to her.
“They’ll be alright. They’ll be too busy to bother each other once the academy starters and their classes begin for real. For now, I will leave them in the outlander’s care. I need to start preparing for the inauguration.”
Aurora had a few plans in place to start the academy.
Mainly, she needed to have a talk with the selected board and make things clear to them.
Rex had helped Aurora with this by providing high-ranking people from the resistance to act as the board members. They were puppet leaders that just needed to stand there and look pretty.
But if they got any ideas in the future, Aurora would not stand for that. She needed to make this clear as soon as possible.
“I understand. The building is ready and Ava has already started her work. We will have no problem once we began to start running the academy.”
Aurora felt a smile itch on her face at the news. Things were finally going according to her plan. Now she only needed to watch out for the sneak attack planned on the academy by releasing the abyssal beasts.
But it should not be that big of a problem for their side.
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