My room hadn’t changed at all in the time I’d been away. The furniture I’d picked out, my dresses, my jewelry—it was all clean and exactly as I’d left it. Looking around my room, coordinated with tastefully subdued colors, I felt like I could finally relax for the first time in a while. On top of the time I’d spent adventuring, even when we’d stayed at inns, I’d been unable to fully lower my guard out of concern for Tithia being attacked in the middle of the night. Now it felt like all the weight on my shoulders had slipped away. The power of coming home...
Each of my companions had been assigned their own room and staff member, which should help them also relax while they were here. A fancy supper was planned after this, so I was looking forward to seeing them all dressed up by the capable hands of the Cocoriara maids.
“In the meantime, I’ll—” Just as I stood to go find my family, the hallway thundered...in a very familiar rhythm. “Well, I did make them worry.” I chuckled, feeling a little guilty, and opened the door to find two figures rushing toward me.
“Lottie!”
A smile formed on my face. “I’m home, father, mother.”
As expected, the footsteps of my father, Theodore Cocoriara, were responsible for the rumbling hallway. His short-cropped hair was the same color as mine—a bright blond, the hue of milk tea. His well-groomed beard added to the sense of authority he projected as the commander of the Order of Knights, a position which often required him to work at the castle. I’d always been the apple of his eye, and when Ignacia had broken off our engagement, my father had erupted with outrage on my behalf.
With him was Angela Cocoriara, whom I was proud to call my mother, her wine red hair perfectly styled as always. Even at the age of forty, she maintained her excellent figure. She was the queen of high society and best friends with the real queen, Belltiana. My mother was a woman both kind and strong who always worried about me yet still pushed me when I needed it.
When I threw my arms around my father, I found myself also hugging my mother from the side. Apparently, he’d decided carrying her in his arms was faster than letting her run beside him.
They couldn’t wait another minute to see me, I realized.
“Lottie...!” Mother squeezed me tight, once father had set her down.
“Mother...” I hadn’t felt her warmth in so long. My eyes stung while she continued to hold me tight.
After a long, long hug, she looked me up and down. “You’re not hurt, are you? Show me your face.” Pinching my cheeks, she inspected me for injuries.
“No, I’m not hurt anywhere,” I said, giving her a smile. “I’m all right.”
“Good,” she breathed, clearly relieved.
“Let me see your face too, Lottie.”
“Yes, father. I’m glad to see you haven’t changed...unless you’ve gained some more muscle since I last saw you,” I said, trying to decide whether his biceps were thicker.
Mother chuckled. “He was so worried about you that he couldn’t sit still. He’s been training with his knights nonstop.”
Father only cleared his throat.
“Those poor knights.” I chuckled. “I didn’t realize you would take it out on them.” That being said, father was a skilled fighter and teacher. Even if they had gone through hell for it, those knights had surely improved their craft while I was away. All’s well that ends well, right?
“You’re finally home...” father sobbed. “Oh, you have no idea how I’ve dreamed of this day! Now we can live together as one happy family again...!”
“Oh...” My smile tensed as I contemplated how to break the news. I planned to continue my adventure, so I wouldn’t be coming home often. Seeing my father weep with joy wasn’t making it easy for me to say that, though.
“Dear.” Mother tugged on father’s sleeve. “That isn’t fair to Lottie. She’s not home for good. She only stopped by on her journey.”
“S-Say it isn’t so!” father exclaimed, visibly devastated, though probably not as much as he would have been if he’d found out after the fact.
“I’m sorry if I got your hopes up, father. I’m just having so much fun adventuring right now. I feel this wonder in my heart, just like I did when I read those picture books as a kid...” I smiled bashfully.
“But...you’re a Dark Mage, Lottie. Fighting can’t be easy for you,” father objected. True enough, Dark Mages that specialized in debuffs had a tough time fighting solo, even when they were experienced adventurers. And in a world where your Skills were randomly assigned, the chances of those dice landing on Skills that were actually useful to a party...were slim to none.
I don’t want to keep it a secret from them, I decided. Holding their gazes, I announced, “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Both of them straightened their backs, reading how important this was in my expression.
“I became the Holy Maiden,” I confessed and watched their jaws hit the floor.
“Holy Maiden... That’s the savior of the world who appears in those picture books you mentioned. You went from a Dark Mage to...a Holy Maiden?” mother asked.
“Oh... It’s a long story—too long for me to tell you even if I spent all night talking. What if I do this? Rainbow Rejuvenation.” I used a Skill that healed everyone within a ten-meter radius. A visual effect of shimmering rainbow lights appeared, healing the three of us.
“Wow,” mother breathed.
Father roared in amazement. “You’re incredible, Lottie! You’ve always been humble and brilliant and kind... You were born to be the Holy Maiden!” He lifted me in his arms and began spinning on the spot, as he continued to shout his praise of me. “Amazing! I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!”
Your parental bias is showing, father, and...I’m getting dizzy!
“Dear, you’re making poor Lottie dizzy,” mother gently admonished him.
“Hmm? I suppose I am. Are you all right, Lottie?”
I laughed as he placed me back on solid ground, even as I staggered. Father’s twirls were more powerful than I’d remembered. “I’m all right, father.”
“You must still be tired from your journey,” he said. “You told me you would all join us for dinner, so get some rest until then. You’ll introduce me to your party members at dinner, won’t you?”
“Of course!”
Mother smiled at that. “How exciting! I can’t wait to hear what the Hero has to say about her journeys throughout the land.”
“You know who Frey is?” I asked.
“I’ve never met her before, but I’ve heard rumors.”
“I should have known...!” I breathed.
One of the biggest reasons my mother dominated high society was the treasure trove of information she gathered through a web of Cocoriara spies...or so rumor had it. I’d sooner take on every dungeon boss there is than make an enemy of my mother.
“Besides, I’m curious about the apprentice you wrote about,” mother added. “You mentioned how adorable she was.”
“She really is. She’s an adorable Cait Sith named Tarte. She works so hard, and she’s adorable, and she’s always ready for a challenge, and she’s adorable...!” I rambled on, ready to shout from the rooftops how cute Tarte was.
Mother smiled. “I’m looking forward to meeting her at dinner.”