Chapter 766
Episode 188: Reunited with Luet

“Luet!”

“Is it really you, Luet? To think you’ve been here all along, and we forgot about you all this time…!”

The feline tribe’s large eyes shimmered with tears.

“Please, tell the friend inside that we appreciate all their hardships. Neru, on behalf of the feline tribe, thanks you for enduring a thousand years of lonely toil. No matter how hard I try, I can’t quite recall who he was…”

These were Neru’s words when Jin first came searching for the third tomb.

Now, finally remembering their old friend and meeting them again, the feline tribe’s hearts swelled with overwhelming emotion.

Could the thousand years of solitude finally be over?

Luet stood frozen for a moment, staring at Jin and his group who had appeared before her.

Though she had been communicating with Valeria all along, seeing the door open before her made it all feel surreal.

“Yes. I’ve come to keep my promise, Head Steward.”

Jin extended his hand inside the doorway.

Luet fixed her gaze on that hand, then glanced around and behind her.

The scene before them was a recreation of the storm from a thousand years ago.

Once, it was a place where she and her beloved and comrades had always been together. After they all perished, only deep sorrow and loneliness remained.

That landscape trembled, losing its form.

It was a side effect of forcibly opening the interdimensional space.

Now was the time to leave this place and walk toward the light left behind by their past selves.

Slowly, Luet stepped forward and clasped Jin’s hand.

Feeling the warmth of another person after so long, her eyes grew moist.

“Oh dear, showing such a fragile side right after we’ve reunited.”

“Not at all. Don’t mind me.”

“Luet! It’s me, Neru! Do you remember us?”

“You must have been very lonely inside.”

“Neru, Lulu, Miru… you’re all safe, aren’t you?”

“Head Steward, won’t you greet me warmly too?”

Luet turned to Veil, narrowing her brows.

Veil coughed awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable under that sharp gaze.

“…Sir Veil. Though you were disappointing a thousand years ago, it seems you’ve now found your way back to the duties of a Tenth Knight, following Sir Jin. And I suppose it was Sir Jin who released you from your seal.”

It was the Tenth Knights of that era who sealed Veil away.

Luet recalled how, after Sara’s death, Veil had gone berserk, destroying the world daily.

“Uh, well… I guess that’s about right.”

“While I understand your sorrow, have you ever considered how we felt, having to seal away a comrade who was rampaging like a madman?”

When Veil first awoke from the seal in the Sea of Swords, he spoke as if he and Luet were close, but the truth was different.

He quickly shrank back at Luet’s voice, mumbling apologies.

“I’m sorry…”

“Remember this well: such a thing must never happen again. Sir Jin just called me Head Steward, which means I must still fulfill that role as before. As the family’s Head Steward, I will be watching over you. Understood?”

Given Veil’s past behavior, he might have protested or complained, but instead, he cautiously nodded.

Luet had always been the one to keep the Tenth Knights, including Veil, in line.

Seeing Veil’s sudden gloom, she smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Of course, it’s not that I’m unglad to see you. Thank you for coming back, even now.”

“Yeah! Hehe, I’ve finally come to my senses, really.”

Jin thought to himself, “A seasoned teacher and a soft-hearted troublemaker—what a pair.”

Luet’s gaze shifted to Valeria.

Since Luet’s appearance, Valeria had unconsciously been gripping her silver pine staff tightly.

“Valeria Hister, you must be the record mage Sir Jin mentioned. One who wields power similar to ours, the fairies’…”

Though Luet and Valeria had just been communicating in resonance, most of their conversation had been about how to open the interdimensional space.

Luet still didn’t know that the name “Hister” had been spoken by the will of the fairies.

Yet, the moment she saw Valeria, Luet felt an inexplicable kinship.

In fact, she had felt it even during their resonance.

There was no need for the group to explain the situation separately.

With a gentle wave of her hand, Luet summoned a glowing blue record window in the air, playing a video inside.

The video showed a woman resembling both Luet and Valeria, alongside Sheila.

“Until the very end, the fairies who fought against Ziphl have all been forgotten.”

“Human, what are you suddenly talking about?”

“But their souls, their final records, seeped into the nature of this world and became seeds. Those seeds struggled for four hundred years, flowing through the world, and finally sprouted into a human… that human is me, Minka Hister. You must know this, cursed heir of the fairies’ king.”

It was the very day Minka Hister, the founder of the Hister family, came to see Sheila.

Luet and Valeria couldn’t take their eyes off Minka in the video for a long time.

For Luet, it was the moment she confirmed the existence of a descendant she hadn’t known about.

For Valeria, it was the moment she saw her family’s founder.

“Just as Runkandel left the spark that is Sir Jin, our kin have left a light in you, Valeria. Now I understand what Sir Jin meant when he spoke to me back then. Our kin were your roots…”

Luet gently embraced Valeria.

“I’ve heard you’re the last survivor of the Hister line. Your life must have been filled with trials and sorrow. I hope my return can bring you even a little comfort.”

Valeria fought back tears, unwilling to show weakness before Luet.

Instead of pushing her feelings away, Luet nodded approvingly at Valeria’s restraint.

“Last time we met, I didn’t sense this, but you’re surprisingly strong-willed. Well, considering Veil can’t even utter a word, you must have been quite the strict steward.”

Jin felt deeply reassured by Luet.

“That’s a good attitude, Valeria. It’s best to endure when you can. Of course, comfort is needed too, but now, determination and a sense of duty are more important. We’re not whole yet. I don’t remember everything from a thousand years ago, and my powers have weakened. Your magic isn’t perfect either.”

“Yes, Luet.”

“From now on, let’s recover what we’ve lost together. I want to use the name Luet Hister instead of Luet Damiro Yul. It’s the name our kin left behind. Will you allow me?”

Valeria nodded repeatedly.

She looked like a girl facing a respected elder, and Jin smiled.

It was a side of her he’d never seen in a past life.

“Sir Jin.”

“Yes?”

“What is your current position in the family?”

“I’m the twelfth generation head and the So-ga-ju.”

“And the current family head?”

“He’s absent. I’ll explain in detail later.”

“Then, until the head returns, can I assume there’s no one above you except me?”

“You’ll have a lot to do.”

“Understood. I formally greet you again, So-ga-ju. From now on, I am Luet Hister, Head Steward entrusted with managing Runkandel’s affairs under your command.”

Luet knelt deeply on one knee, showing utmost respect, leaving Jin momentarily taken aback.

The ancestors of previous family heads had always done the same.

But then Luet spoke quietly, reproving him.

“Even if Temar or any god knelt, So-ga-ju, you must not be embarrassed. Stand tall.”

Jin thought about how to respond, then nodded solemnly.

“Very well. Now rise. I’ll introduce you to the family members and our allies in the Balmur Union.”

“Yes, So-ga-ju. I look forward to it.”

Before taking Luet to Runkandel and Tikan, they first stopped by the Wantaramo Forest.

The feline tribe, who already held great affection for Sheila, felt uneasy seeing Luet’s strong and unyielding nature—something they had forgotten.

Perhaps to Luet, Sheila was just a foolish traitor.

As they arrived in Wantaramo Forest through the feline tribe’s dimensional gate, Sheila folded her wings and greeted them.

“…Sister.”

Sheila looked up at Luet with anxious eyes, while Luet returned her gaze, unreadable.

Though she had longed to see her sister, now that they were face to face, Luet found it hard to know how to begin.

“Shil Damiro.”

Luet called Sheila by her old name.

The other fairy descendants, seeing Sheila’s attitude, lowered their bodies as if afraid of Luet.

Those fairies who had regained their memories felt ashamed.

“Sister, I…”

“After a thousand years, don’t tell me you’re going to make excuses?”

Sheila bit her lower lip tightly and shook her head.

“No, I just want to apologize. To you, and to the kin who were forgotten and lost. Even if it’s a meaningless apology.”

[Yes, you know it well. Late regrets and apologies hold no value. A thousand years ago, you were disappointed, believing I endangered our clan. But look at the outcome. Those of us who fought to the end, myself included, left behind descendants like Hister, while you, who turned your back on your duty, were cursed by the witch.]

Shila couldn’t respond and bowed her head.

[But I believe you’ve paid a heavy enough price.]

[…Sister?]

[So now, don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. When the time comes to fight, when those trying to save the world need your strength, step forward and risk your life.]

Shila’s eyes widened.

[If I promise to do that, will you forgive me?]

[What you need isn’t my forgiveness, but your own. So there’s no need to ask me for it. I have never hated you.]

At those words, Shila buried her face in the ground and broke down in tears. Luet helped her up and said gently,

[From now on, I will give you a name only the Fairy King can bear. I will watch closely to see what role you play in the crucial moments ahead. If you turn away again, that name will be taken from you.]

[That will never, ever happen!]

[Is that so? Then you’re now a member of the Balmel Alliance. If you need anything, contact your family or the Alliance. We’ll be going now. Don’t forget this feeling—take care, my sister.]

With that, Luet turned and walked straight toward the edge of the forest.

Shila—no, Shil Damiro Yul—couldn’t take her eyes off her sister’s retreating figure until it disappeared from sight.