[One year before the Great War...]

The Kingdom of Eirini was the largest and richest country there ever was on the planet of Terra. It was home to the wealthiest, most powerful, and most well-known people around the world. From majestic castles, fortified walls, towers, and holy temples, to comfortable residences, bustling ports, marketplaces, and fertile farmlands—they did not lack anything. It was all thanks to their unparalleled ruler, Emperor Vasilias Fotia, who worked tirelessly to build a free and peaceful nation. This same place was the next destination of our heroine, Asha Beatrix.

A few hundred paces away, beyond the vast meadow and the clear blue sky, was a farmer’s wagon where Asha could be found sitting beside baskets of different kinds of crops. In her hands she held a notebook covered in leather, scribbling on its pages with an ivory quill as her pen. The sound of the galloping horses became her drums, the rattling woods were her cymbals, the crunching rocks as her maracas, and the howling wind was her lyre. Altogether, they harmonized a soothing melody to her ears.

By the time Asha finished writing, the carriage slowed down, signifying they had already reached the entrance gates to the Kingdom of Eirini. She shut her notebook tight and carefully placed it inside her bag which was made of the finest dragon skin, along with the quill in its metal case. Then, she got up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and went outside towards the farmer driving the carriage. He was an old man she met earlier who generously offered her a lift when he saw her walking alone in the wilderness.

“Thank you so much for the ride, good sir,” Asha politely thanked the old man. “If you would, please, allow me to pay for the trip’s worth with coins.”

The old man laughed, “It’s alright, young lady. You don’t need to pay. I was headed in the same direction anyway.”

“But—”

“Keep it—I insist. Use it to buy a meal or rent a room at the inn. You would need it for this very joyous day, no? Or should I say days? Ha-ha-ha! This whole week will surely be a blast!”

“Oh, is that so? If I may ask, what is the occasion?”

“Huh? You didn’t know? I thought you were headed here because of the festival.”

Asha’s eyes widened in curiosity, also signifying she had no idea about what he was talking about, making the farmer laugh all the more.

“You’re in luck, young lady! It’s a festival for the Return of the Hero! They recently thwarted the monsters in the east and are coming back today to report to Emperor Vasilias. I reckon it was another success, so the whole town prepared a celebration for him and his army.”

“I see. How marvelous!” Asha smiled. Her emerald eyes twinkled in the sunlight. “That truly is worth celebrating. May you enjoy the festival, good sir—and I hope you sell out all of your crops as well.”

“Why, thank you! I sure hope so, too!”

“Next!” one of the guard knights by the entrance gate shouted. They were checking every carriage and people entering the country, and it was finally the farmer’s turn. “Show me your identification, please.”

“Ah, here it is,” the farmer said as he handed out a piece of paper to him.

In the same way, Asha, who was walking alongside the carriage at that time, handed out hers—in the form of a platinum guild card. The guard knight’s eyes widened when he saw it, and the farmer jolted up from his seat.

“Y-You’re an S Class Adventurer?” The farmer turned to Asha. “My goodness!”

“Yes. An Elementalist to be exact. But I’m quite skilled with swords, too.”

“Forgive me for thinking you were a lost child, no? You’re so thin and well—I thought you were a noble youngster in her rebellious phase wandering the wilderness. Not to mention the way you speak and your demeanor.” The farmer gave her a curious look.

Asha chuckled. “It’s quite alright, good sir. Now that you mention it, I do have a habit of speaking formally for some reason,” she explained, fidgeting her hands, unsure of it herself. 

“The golden hair, too,” he added, looking at her long and silky blonde hair. “Perhaps I should have taken those coins, no?”

At these words, they burst out in laughter.

“You should have,” Asha agreed. She then rummaged through her bag, took out three gold aurei coins from her leather wallet, and handed it to the old man. “Here you go, good sir. And once again, thank you for your help!”

“O-Oh, I was only joking, young lady. This is too much! Please, take it back—”

But as the old man tried to give it back, Asha was already several paces away from him, waving her hands goodbye, and mouthing “thank you” with her rosy lips.

Witnessing it all, the guard knight raised his eyebrows toward the farmer.

“You let her ride in your wagon even though you had no idea who she was? You do know that is very dangerous—am I correct, good sir? You are quite lucky she’s not one of those arrogant, high-ranking adventurers.”

“Well, I—ugh. Yes, you’re quite right.”

“Anyway, you may pass. Next!”

And so, the farmer went on his way. Meanwhile, Asha walked further following the brick roads and silver streetlights toward a huge bridge leading to town. A beautiful riverbank surrounded the kingdom like a secondary barrier next to their fortified stone walls. An old but well-taken-care-of sign sat in the middle of three diverging roads. To the east were rows of houses, with some looking more extravagant than others. The western road ran through fields of golden wheat and other crops that sustained the kingdom. In the center where her destination was, lay the hustling and bustling of the town square.

Asha took the straight path toward the town. When she entered its gates, the lively music and fancy decorations all around welcomed her. Colorful banners were hanging by the lampposts, the trees, and over the pillars of shops or corners of their roofs. Glitters of snow and water bubbles drifted in the air, all thanks to wizards and mages who couldn’t contain their joy, and cast magic everywhere with their wands. There was even someone weird enough to create fireworks in broad daylight! Asha laughed at the sight of it.

Walking further towards the town square, she noticed there were other visitors like her. Aside from humans, there were elves and fairies scattered about, decorating the walls with flowering vines. At the open bar by the tavern, were dwarves and different beastkins singing while drowning themselves in exquisite wines. The catfolks brewed and mixed the cocktails for them and human waitresses dressed in adorable uniforms served them.

On the other side, alluring male sirens could be found walking around the streets, and capturing the hearts of maidens wherever they go. Asha was convinced they cast magic in their tails just to take part in the celebration and make ladies swoon over them. She couldn’t blame the ladies, though—they really had the most captivating eyes enough to seduce anyone who looked at them.

Knights of varying ranks were stationed in every corner of town, ensuring the safety of the townspeople. But even they couldn’t escape the fun as some folks disturbed them by giving cookies and other delights or decorating their armors with ribbons and flowers. Everyone was so happy you could see some of them dancing or prancing all around. There were also those who played an instrument or sang to its tune. And the others were either cooking delicious food at their homes, buying things from the stalls, or chatting with one another, grinning widely in joy.

Asha stopped for a moment to appreciate her fun-filled surroundings. A broad smile could be seen on her face. It had been a while since she last experienced a festivity as far as she could remember. Truly, how magnificent of a sight it was. Heartwarming bliss was so apparent in the air that it seemed contagious.

Despite it all, the unexplainable void remained in Asha’s heart. Even the euphoria brought forth by the festivity was not enough to fill it. Still, she smiled and looked up ahead, continuing on her way towards an inn where she sought to rest.