The swishing sound of a broom could be faintly heard in the surrounding area as Vera gathered the leaves that had fallen in front of their house.
She had been doing this almost every single day ever since Lux left because she had nothing else to do. After gathering the leaves into a pile, she took them to a part of the garden where she used them as mulch for other plants.
After finishing her task, she went back inside the house and headed to Lux’s room. Upon entering, she scanned the surroundings to see if there was anything amiss. Seeing nothing out of place, she waved her hand and used cleaning magic to clean it.
A gentle breeze swept across the room, leaving a refreshing fragrance behind. Vera made sure to clean her grandson’s room everyday using magic to ensure that Lux’s stay would be a comfortable one if ever he came back home to rest.
She nodded her head in satisfaction once the cleaning spell ended. Just as she was about to leave, her gaze landed on a rainbow ball that sat on top of Lux’s desk. It was something that she had bought from a passing merchant when Lux was only two years old.
After picking up the ball, a nostalgic smile appeared on Vera’s face as she remembered her adopted grandson’s hardship when he was only two years old.
—–
Two years after Vera saved Lux from the Giant Crocodiles…
“Good morning Grandma Vera; good morning Lux!”
“Are the two of you going out for a walk?”
“Lux is growing up fast. It was just like yesterday when you adopted him as your grandson. After a few more years, he will definitely be a handsome boy.”
Vera smiled as she chatted with the residents of Wildgarde Stronghold. Lux was a special existence within the Stronghold, not because he was a Half-Elf, but because he was Vera’s adopted grandson.
The Stronghold had Nine Protectors which ensured that it remained the Overlord of the territory. There had been many occasions when the local and foreign warlords tried to invade the Fortress in order to expand their Domains.
However, all of their ambitions were turned to ashes after these Nine Protectors made their move. Vera was one of those Protectors, so her status in Wildgarde Stronghold was very high. As someone who their Protector had adopted, Lux became a hot topic among the residents.
Lux, who was being carried by Vera in her arms, sucked his thumb as he curiously eyed his surroundings. Whenever someone tried to lightly rub his cheeks, he would cry. Even if a beautiful girl kissed him, he would still cry. If someone attempted to talk to him, he would cry as well.
This made Vera feel very helpless. Her grandson didn’t like to be touched, kissed, or talked to by other people at all.
As Vera neared the vast playground, where most of the children in the Stronghold gathered, the thumb-sucking baby in her arms raised his head and looked at the children with great interest. His grandma would often bring him here to watch the other children play.
But, today was different. Vera took him to the playground so that he could interact with children of his age. As the old lady walked towards the left side of the playground, where a group of toddlers could be found, several of the ladies who had gathered there to look after their children stood up and gave her a brief bow.
Vera waved her hand to put them at ease before placing Lux down on the ground.
As a two year old, Lux was able to stand up on his own, but most of the time, he still preferred to crawl on all fours to get to where he wanted.
“Lux, play with the other kids,” Vera said as she coaxed her grandson to go to where the other children were playing.
The toddler’s area had a special protection magic around it that ensured that nothing dangerous would happen to any of the children.
Vera had only taken a few steps away when she saw Lux following behind her. When she stopped, Lux grabbed hold of her leg and laughed.
This made the ladies who had been watching over their children giggle. They had seen Lux several times in the past, but he was mostly carried along by Vera whenever she walked around the stronghold for her regular patrol.
Seeing the little Half-Elf follow his grandma around like a little duckling made the hearts of the ladies melt. They couldn’t help but think about how endearing he was.
“Lux, don’t you want to play with the other kids?” Vera asked. “Look, they are having fun over there.”
Vera pointed at a bunch of two to four year old kids playing with colorful balls and small boxes that littered the playing area.
Lux glanced at the place where Vera was pointing at and started to suck on his thumb once again. Seeing that an opportunity had arrived, the old lady lightly pried Lux’s left hand, which was still clinging at her leg off, and jumped to the top of a tree where Lux wouldn’t be able to see her.
Since Lux was still a baby, he didn’t notice right away that his grandma had disappeared from beside him. The moment he turned his head to look back, Vera was no longer in sight.
The little Half-Elf turned his head in every way, searching his surroundings, trying to find his grandma. A minute later, when Lux still couldn’t find Vera, he started crying, calling out to his grandma.
“Manma! Waaaaaaaah! Manmaaa!”
(A/N: Manma is Mama and Grandma combined.)
The Little Half-Elf was bawling his eyes out, making the ladies who were watching him earlier get a strong urge to hug and coax him until he no longer cried. However, they didn’t dare move from their location because they knew that Vera was just up in the tree beside her grandson, observing his every move.
“Manmaaaa! Manmaaa!”
Lux cried and called out repeatedly until his face became flushed. Anyone who saw him right now would feel heartbroken because of how pitiful he looked.
Vera sighed because she realized that Lux might not be ready yet to play with the other children. Just as she was about to jump off the tree, Lux suddenly collapsed and laid on the ground without moving.
The ladies who saw what happened cried out in alarm and stood from their seats. They were about to go and help Lux when Vera appeared by his side.
The old lady picked up her grandson, and immediately checked his condition with a spell. The result baffled Vera because according to her medical knowledge, Lux was perfectly fine.
The old lady then wiped the tears and snot on her grandson’s face before leaving the scene to visit her friend, who was Wildgarde Stronghold’s healer. She was not a medical expert, so she decided to let her friend do a full diagnostic check on her grandson to find out what had happened to him.
—–
“He’s not in any serious danger. At least, for now,” the strongest Cleric in Wildgarde Stronghold, Natasha, said with a frown. “There’s nothing wrong with his body. But, do you remember what I told you when you brought him to me after you returned to the Stronghold with him?”
Vera nodded. “You said that he might have been exposed to a soul damaging spell, which may leave him with some problems growing up.”
“Yes,” Natasha stated. “Back then, he was still too young, so these problems weren’t obviously showing. Now, it’s different. This is a side-effect of his soul being damaged.”
“Although it is too early to tell, I have a feeling that he will lose consciousness anytime he is faced with very strenuous situations. Worst case scenario, it might be triggered when he experiences any kind of strong emotions like happiness, anger, sadness, or depression.”
Vera looked at her grandson with an anxious expression before looking back at her friend, who was still in the middle of casting a diagnostic spell.
“Is there any way to cure him?” Vera asked. “Just tell me what things you need, I’ll get them for you.”
Natasha sighed and shook her head. “This is beyond my capabilities. I’ve already tried to use my powers, and even gave him a very strong elixir a year ago. I thought that it would help his soul heal over time, but it didn’t work.”
“Then, what should I do?”
“Don’t let him feel any stress or encounter stressful situations. Bring him to me for regular checkups so I can observe his condition all the time. Maybe, just maybe, we will be able to figure out a way to rid him of this sickness before he becomes old enough to enter Elysium.”
After leaving her friend’s house, Vera carried her grandson back to their residence. When she was halfway through their journey, Lux opened his eyes and looked drowsily at Vera. After seeing that his Grandma was in front of him. He hurriedly wrapped his arms around her neck and once again started to cry.
Clearly, the little Half-Elf had been scared silly earlier, and still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Vera had disappeared without him noticing.
“There, there, don’t cry,” Vera coaxed as she lightly patted Lux’s back. “Don’t worry, Grandma will not leave you again, okay? So stop crying.”
It took Vera a full five minutes to coax Lux enough to get him to stop crying. It was at this moment when she passed by a merchant stall in which several items were laid out for sale.
In order to apologize to her grandson, Vera bought the rainbow-colored ball from the merchant and gave it to Lux to play with.
Surprisingly, the little Half-Elf loved Vera’s gift and played with it a lot. There were even times when he would faint while playing with the ball due to how excited he was, which had made Vera panic several times because of how sudden it was.
—–
“Time flies so fast,” Vera muttered as she lovingly placed the ball back on top of the desk. She missed the days when Lux was still young, but she also understood that he couldn’t remain a child forever.
This was why when Lux decided to go to Elysium, she had given him her silent consent and passed her family’s Special Techniques to him. Vera hoped that it would be enough to keep Lux safe when he faced dangerous situations.
Just as she was wondering what to cook for lunch, she felt a fluctuation inside the house.
Vera didn’t hesitate and ran towards the training room. The moment she opened the door, a handsome Half-Elf with red hair, and eyes as green as emeralds turned his head to look at her.
“I’m back, Grandma,” Lux said with a smile. “I missed you.”
The old lady walked towards her grandson and hugged him tightly. It had been more than a month since Lux had come to Elysium, so she had also missed him terribly.
“Welcome back, Lux,” Vera replied as she lightly ruffled her grandson’s head like usual. “Your hair has grown a bit long, do you want me to cut it for you?”
“Is it that long already?” Lux asked as he scratched his head.
“Yes,” Vera answered with a smile. “But, we can do that later. Have you eaten? What do you want to eat for lunch?”
That day, Vera cooked all of Lux’s favorite dishes. The Half-Elf ate a lot because it was tasty and he had missed his Grandma’s cooking. After the meal, Lux told Vera about his adventures in Elysium.
Vera smiled as she listened to her grandson’s bragging. She found it funny when Lux told her that he single-handedly fought a Kobold’s Nest. As someone that had fought these monsters in the past, how could she possibly believe her grandson’s exaggerated tale?
‘Well, as long as he is safe, that is all that matters,’ Vera thought as she praised Lux for his amazing performance.
They had been finally reunited after more than a month of parting, so Vera had no intention of ruining Lux’s good mood, and allowed him to brag as much as he wanted.
While the Grandma and Grandson pair were spending some quality time together, news of what happened in the Kobold’s Nest had reached the ears of the high-ranking personages in the Kingdom of Gweliven.
By the time that the Half-Elf returned to Leaf Village to continue his adventures, he would understand that the Dwarf Race was not a race that should be taken lightly.