When the plot-skips players into the game world

"I'm back!"

Hayna pushed open the door of her family's shop, shouting loudly.

Of course, she didn't bring a key. But in their small village, keys were hardly necessary.

Usually everyone's doors were left wide open. Not to mention, many families ran their own little businesses... for instance, Hayna's father was the village's finest blacksmith.

Perhaps that's where Hayna got her extraordinary strength. For this reason, her family was somewhat well-off in the village. That's how they could afford to support her studies in Flute Town, rather than having her marry early in the village.

Now, it was only because of the cold winter that the doors were closed at noon.

Hayna still remembered the days when she was doing homework and old Hunter Grandpa from next door would come barging in without a word, dragging Dad out to go fishing.

"Sis!"

An excited, childish voice echoed from within the house, "Mom, sis is back!"

It was a boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen.

"Jack!"

Hayna was delighted, dropping her luggage on the floor to squat down and hug the boy.

After releasing the embrace, she touched her younger brother's head with a hint of nostalgia, "You've grown up quite a bit..."

In Hayna's memory, Jack was still the snotty-nosed little brat who would follow her around the village. Now, he had already become a "young man."

His light brown curly hair was fluffy, and his amber-like pupils were as warm and soft as amber itself. He looked roughly seventy to eighty percent similar to Hayna. Even though the village life had roughened his skin, with his nose and cheeks somewhat red, he was still quite handsome.

"Grown up so much... Got a sweetheart yet?"

Seeing Jack suddenly become shy, Hayna teased further, "Is it a classmate?"

"I stopped going to school a long time ago,"

Jack just scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, "I really can't remember those things... I stopped studying after elementary school.

"But Dad has already started teaching me how to forge! Dad says I'm already halfway through my apprenticeship... After I fully master it, I'll craft a fine suit of armor and weapons for you, sis!"

Jack said excitedly.

Hayna just smiled, noncommittal.

—Because by now, she knew that not all Inspectors were outfitted with armor. And the armor the knights had all came as a grant from Her Majesty the Queen. It was the same with weapons—the weapons she could use were all issued equipment.

Only this kind of "officially authorized equipment" could maximize the power of the Path of Authority. It's not so much about the weapon itself, but rather about the special significance these weapons held.

"Where's Dad?"

Looking at the stove that had gone out who knows when, now cold, Hayna was somewhat puzzled, "Gone fishing?"

"He drank too much last night, he's lying down."

Jack rolled his eyes, casually saying, "Anyway, I can do most of the ordinary work."

Hayna shook her head helplessly, "Stinky old man..."

As she spoke, she handed her side-sword to her brother, "Could you take care of this for me, Jack?"

The Elf Short Sword she had received during her first meeting with Aiwass had already been with her for several months. Of course, this included face-to-face confrontations with criminals, clashes of swords, and shattering spells with her blade.

Even though she had taken meticulous care of it, the sword had nonetheless sustained some minor damages. Although the Supervisory Bureau offered free maintenance for their equipment, Hayna had decided to bring them back home for her father to maintain.

On one hand, this was a sign of trust in her father's craftsmanship.

On the other hand, it was to preserve as much as possible the "evidence of her hard work"—she deliberately planned to leave them that way, hinting to her family that "I'm quite amazing now, lots of combat assignments, lots of people relying on me out there."

She used to run wild in the village as a child. The adults said she was too restless and wouldn't amount to much.

Back then, she had thought that if she ever became someone formidable, she would show off to everyone when she returned.

Bringing back a brand-new weapon wasn't a badge of honor for a warrior or a swordsman. Because it meant he had not engaged in fierce battles.

Scars are proof of honor. But Hayna was still a girl at heart, and she cared about her image—though she didn't use the cosmetics smuggled from Star Antimony on a regular basis, she didn't intentionally keep scars, either.

Although she couldn't afford some of them... But even if she couldn't afford them, she could still borrow them. Her roommates were quite friendly to her.

The real reason Hayna didn't use them was because she didn't trust those haphazard alchemical products.

This girl from a small rural village was always wary of things she couldn't understand.

—How could toads, tree bark, beer, sesame seeds, and charcoal simmered together turn into a healing salve?

Hayna was baffled and thus always kept her awe.

Jack pulled out Hayna's short sword and examined it in the light.

He glanced at Hayna with a bit of disdain, "Sis, have you not been maintaining it properly?"

"Nonsense."

Hayna slapped the back of his head neither too lightly nor too heavily, "I've taken great care of it—I'm just very busy, you know."

After thinking for a moment and moving his lips, Jack finally swallowed the words he had been about to say.

"Hayna?"

Just then, a woman's surprised voice came from inside the house.

"Mom!" Hayna immediately went to her and hugged her tightly.

Just like a cat, she closed her eyes and nestled in her mother's arms, greedily breathing in that familiar warm scent.

After a while, she finally lifted her head.

Looking at her mother, Hayna couldn't help but sigh, "Mom, you haven't aged a bit..."

It must be the village life that's so nurturing!

"That's because the air is good here, and so is the water,"

Hayna's mother said with a light laugh, casually asking, "Now that you're back... will you be leaving again?"

She looked at Hayna with a hint of expectancy.

In that moment, Hayna felt a slight wavering in her heart.

But after a moment of silence, she still smiled, "I have to go.

"And I might not have so many vacations after this... In the next few years, it might be difficult to come back."

As her words fell, her hazel eyes unknowingly shifted back to a deep blue.

Neither Hayna's mother nor her brother seemed to notice anything odd, and even Hayna herself was unaware of any change.

"Is that so..."

Hayna's mother sighed.

Just then, something occurred to Hayna, "Oh right, Mom—do you still remember Grandpa Jacob?"

"What about him?"

"I found Grandpa Jacob's grandson. He's my junior, now adopted by the Founding Families..."

Hayna said excitedly, "And Mr. Sherlock, the famous detective! They're also coming to Eagle Cape Village to visit!"
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"That's great!"

Jack immediately got excited, "Is it the Sherlock who often appears in the newspapers?"

Even though Eagle Cape Village was very remote, 'The Cattle and Bay' newspaper often made its way there—the only problem was that by the time the newspapers arrived, they were hardly fresh anymore.

Sometimes, even the delivery was mixed up—like when they would receive later editions before the earlier ones, followed by deliveries of several days prior, and then days later, receiving newspapers dated both earlier and later at the same time.

If you didn't look at the dates on the newspapers, there was no way to tell their chronological order.

"That's him!"

Hayna boasted, "And that junior coming with him, he's the well-known Aiwass Moriarty!"

"Oh wow! I've read about him in the papers too—he and his sister took down a powerful Dark Wizard!"

"Not a Dark Wizard, it's a Demon Scholar! And that news is quite old; the recent story is..."

Hayna sighed with a smile, carefully explaining her brother's factual mistakes.

But just then, Hayna's mother frowned slightly, and with a note of worry, she asked, "Why didn't you come back with them? When will they arrive?"

"By tonight, I guess?"

Hayna wasn't sure.

She waved her hand dismissively, saying, "They are coming on Gryphons, unlike me who had to take the overnight train. They're a different breed altogether."

Intentionally, she hid the fact that she was about to get a Gryphon herself.

On one hand, she wasn't sure she could actually acquire a Gryphon, fearing mockery if she spoke too soon and didn't come through; on the other hand, she wanted to surprise her acquaintances.

"Then you should go to meet them,"

Hayna's mother said with an almost commanding tone, "Otherwise, they might get lost."

Hayna, somewhat lazy and reluctant, protested, "Ah? Do I have to... The village is so easy to find... I've already told them, just travel south from Flute Town, cross over a mountain and you'll see it."

"Do as you're told, you have to meet them—"

Her mother asserted more forcefully, "What if the guests arrive late and are harassed by ghosts in the night?"

"Come on, they're all very strong."

Hayna was unconvinced, "There's even a very powerful Priest among the guests. If the ghosts really come, we could have them perform an exorcism for us..."

She thought of the photo of Aiwass using the Holy Sword to defeat a Demon.

Although she hadn't witnessed it herself, she had heard about the miracle that occurred that day.

With such power, any ghost could easily be vanquished.

"You should still go out and wait for them, then come back once you've met them."

Even though Hayna countered every argument her mother made with detailed explanations and excuses, her mother ultimately chose to shut down the conversation, pushing a dumbfounded Hayna out of the door.

"Hey? Mom?! It's cold out, at least give me a coat—"

Hayna's wail rose in the chilly winds of late December.