Chapter 296: Thor and Berna

After a brief moment of hesitation, Sordrin agreed to Berna’s invitation to accompany her.

He was indeed wary of this elf who had suddenly appeared before him, but right now, he genuinely needed a travel pass. Although a high-level ranger like himself had many ways to slip past the border blockade, crossing safely and legally was always preferable to those “alternative methods.” Besides…

He had been away from his homeland for seven hundred years. Seeing a fellow elf right in front of him was truly a pleasant surprise.

“This place is too noisy. How about we go to where I’m staying?” Berna frowned as she glanced around. The rowdy adventurers and mercenaries, all crude and eager to make small talk, clearly made the young elf uncomfortable. “I have a nice room at the Grey Whistle Inn.”

Sordrin had other lodgings in the city, but he figured this was a good chance to learn more about the elf before him, so he gladly accepted Berna’s offer. The two beautiful elven ladies left the small tavern together, while the adventurers and mercenaries inside barely noticed the brief interruption.

They continued drinking heartily, spending their spare copper coins and filling the air with endless chatter—discussing the shifting situation along the border over the past year and how to make a living once spring arrived. Two elves were far less important than the next job they might land.

Following Berna through the chilly streets, Sordrin soon arrived at the Grey Whistle Inn in the southeastern part of town.

The young elf had indeed rented a nice room. The clean, tidy chamber even had a small fireplace and a rough carpet—evidence that her financial situation was quite comfortable, or perhaps she simply hadn’t yet experienced the hardship of burning through her travel funds in the human world.

“It’s much quieter here,” Berna said as she entered the room, tossing a few logs into the fireplace and lighting a fire. “Humans are such a noisy race, aren’t they? Oh, I don’t dislike humans, but sometimes they’re just too loud…”

“Much quieter than dwarves,” Sordrin replied casually, glancing around the room’s furnishings. There were signs of recent occupancy, and the scent was unmistakably elven. “It’s rare to see Silver Elves in the northern regions. Did you just arrive here recently?”

Berna smiled with satisfaction as the fire caught. “Yes, I only got here recently. I started from the eastern gate of the Forest Barrier and traveled north along the trade route, crossing the fertile plains of Typhon and the northern hills before finally arriving here… But I don’t plan to go any further north. It’s too cold here; if I keep going, I’ll freeze to death. By the way, Sister Sordrin, aren’t you going to take off your cloak?”

Sordrin shrugged off his cloak, revealing the female hunter’s outfit beneath—a tactical ensemble complete with a battle skirt and knee-high leather boots. A skilled ranger could disguise themselves in any situation. He was quite proud of his disguise skills and still couldn’t understand why Gawain was always so surprised to see him dressed as a woman on missions. Wasn’t this just standard procedure?

He hung the cloak on a nearby hook, then glanced at Berna’s attire with curiosity. “Are you a druid?”

“Yes, I’m from the Heart of the Woods sect,” Berna said proudly, a magical glow flickering from the pendant around her neck. “My mentor is the Master of Thornheart from Moon Valley. This journey is her arrangement.”

“Master Thornheart? Is she still taking apprentices? I thought she had retired and no longer personally trained students.”

“Oh, my mentor lost all her retirement savings a hundred years ago playing cards with the Moon Valley seer, so she came out of retirement and took on eight druid apprentices and forty cooking students all at once…”

“Forty cooking students? Why so many?”

“There weren’t enough druid apprentices, and the tuition wasn’t enough to cover her gambling debts…” Berna said casually, sharing what might sound like shocking “elf secrets” to outsiders. But to Sordrin, it felt warm and nostalgic. Many who didn’t understand elves thought them rigid, conservative, poor with time, and socially awkward. In truth, elves knew how to enjoy life and entertain themselves well; they just expressed emotions less passionately and openly than humans, which led to misunderstandings.

Of course, Berna seemed to be an unusual elf—her enthusiasm was almost human. That was probably why her mentor trusted her to travel alone: such a personality made adapting to human society much easier.

“By the way… you know Master Thornheart but didn’t know she came out of retirement?” Berna looked at Sordrin curiously. “Have you been away from the Silver Empire for a long time?”

“…A very long time,” Sordrin nodded. “At least six or seven hundred years.”

“Ah, then you should visit your homeland sometime. The capital has changed a lot. The queen ordered a new district to be built—the first expansion since the Mage Wars…” Berna spoke excitedly but suddenly shifted her attention, scrutinizing Sordrin. “By the way, Sister Sordrin, I’ve always thought your scent is very special… It doesn’t smell like the local soil. There’s a hint of Golden Twin Grass seeds, a spice sold by Ansu merchants, right? I smelled it once or twice from a smuggler in Typhon.”

Sordrin was a bit surprised. He knew Silver Elves had keen senses of smell, but Berna’s ability was exceptional. Then again, as a member of the Heart of the Woods druid sect, she would naturally be sensitive to plant-derived spices.

“I stayed in Ansu for a short time,” Sordrin nodded. “That’s why passing the checkpoint was especially difficult—Typhon soldiers are extra wary of anyone coming from Ansu, even elves.”

“You really stayed in Ansu?” Berna’s eyes widened with delight. “Have you heard about the legendary hero Gawain Cecil who died and came back to life? Have you met him?”

Sordrin’s heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. “I came from the eastern border of Ansu, so I’m not very familiar with that story. But I’ve heard that after his resurrection, he established a frontier territory near the Dark Mountains.”

News of the Cecil Frontier had spread; there was no need to keep it secret. But unless necessary, Sordrin didn’t want to reveal his connection to Cecil’s domain—even to his own kin.

It wasn’t paranoia but a sense of responsibility. He knew he was on a mission and had a sensitive identity. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he planned to stay cautious until he returned to report to Gawain.

Berna didn’t press Sordrin’s vague answers. Instead, she dreamily murmured, “A resurrected founding hero… It sounds like something from a bard’s tale. I wonder what kind of person he really is. They say Gawain Cecil even knows Her Majesty the Queen. By the way, you haven’t met him, but you must have heard more news in Ansu than I have, right? I heard that the resurrected hero not only established the frontier but is planning to reclaim the entire southern Cecil fief? And that he’s raising an army for it—is that true?”

Raising an army to reclaim the south—that was clearly adventurers and mercenaries spinning wild rumors. Though Sordrin thought his old friend might indeed be gearing up for a fight, he knew Gawain’s primary enemies were still the monsters spilling out of the wastelands. He shook his head. “Most likely a rumor. I haven’t heard anything about Duke Cecil signaling war against the Ansu nobility.”

Berna frowned thoughtfully. “Hmm… But I feel it wouldn’t be surprising if he did fight the nobles, especially those in the south. After all, the entire southern region used to be his fief. The current southern lords of Ansu are basically occupying his land.”

Sordrin didn’t comment on that, but Berna’s questions kept coming. “Sister Sordrin, if Duke Cecil really went to war with the southern nobles, do you think he could win?”

“How would I know?” Sordrin chuckled, amused by the young elf’s boundless curiosity about the human world. When he first started traveling, he wasn’t nearly this inquisitive.

Then again, maybe back then he was too focused on finding a hair-growth potion to care about anything else…

Shaking his head to clear unrelated thoughts, Sordrin changed the subject to the weather, hoping to steer Berna away from topics related to the Cecil domain. For safety’s sake, he didn’t want to discuss those matters further.

After some casual conversation, Sordrin stood to take his leave.

“Oh? You can stay here, Sister Sordrin,” Berna said warmly. “This room was meant for two people—and it’s already dark outside.”

Sordrin was a man of principle and didn’t intend to get too close to Berna. “I have my own place, and I’m not used to sharing a room.”

“Alright then…” Berna nodded. “I’ll see you out.”

Sordrin declined her offer. “No need. You’re still not used to the northern cold. Stay here and warm yourself by the fire. Let’s meet at the tavern tomorrow at noon, okay?”

“Okay, it’s a date.”

“It’s a date.”

After leaving the Grey Whistle Inn, Sordrin gazed into the deepening night, taking a long breath.

The cold winter air of the north filled his lungs and slowly escaped, carrying away some warmth and sharpening his thoughts.

“At least the travel pass issue is settled…”

Back in the Grey Whistle Inn, Berna stood by the window, letting the chilly night breeze slip through the cracks and brush her face. Her eyes followed Sordrin as he disappeared into the darkness.

“Sordrin…” she murmured softly, then turned away from the window toward the warmth of the fireplace.

The gentle rustle of vines and roots echoed softly with her footsteps in the room.

(End of chapter)