'Finally, the boy is asleep. Now I'll just have to wait for her to come here,' Chird muttered, drinking his beer until he heard a knock on the bar's back door.

'I guess she is finally here,' Chird got up and walked to the door, only to hear a woman's voice "What the hell are you waiting for? Come open the damn door already, you damn old fart!"

Chird opened the door to find a tall, middle-aged adventurer woman standing before him. She had black curly hair, brown skin, and red eyes. Her armor was crafted from red silk and gold, complemented by gold gauntlets and a ring adorned with a red flame rune.

"Nice to meet you, Mia," Chird said with a smile on his face. "You too, Dad," Mia replied with a dull expression. "So, I traveled from the warfare because you said you've found a worthy boy for me to train into a real warrior. Tell me, where is this boy you claim is so strong and mighty in fire magic?" Mia said with curiosity.

"Well, the boy is asleep now, but you'll be taking him on some adventures until he turns 13 and can attend the Mage University of Pohjola."

"How old is the kid, anyway?" Mia asked, her expression unchanged. "Oh, he'll be turning 7 in 4 months," Chird answered, pride on his face. "Yeah, no way the kid is that young and knows fire magic already. Are you trying to trick me into doing some dirty work? I haven't even seen the boy yet!"

"You might not have seen him, but trust me, you will. Don't expect too much from him though, he's still a child after all, and only knows how to make a small fireball."

***

After closing his bar for a more private conversation, Chird began preparing drinks for both of them. "So, do you have anything more to say about this boy you adopted and raised here?"

"Well, I can't say I raised the boy since I found him about 15 months ago when he was 5. Only since then have I started to raise him, but unfortunately, his memories before meeting me are too fuzzy for him to recall," Chird explained.

"After adopting him, I began teaching him a bit and explaining some history and how magic works. What truly surprised me—and the reason you're here—is that he learned magic at the age of 6 and has a strong affinity for fire, like you," Chird then told Mia about many other things that made Schörl intriguing to him until Mia interrupted him, "Yeah, yeah, I get it. So now my objective is to train the boy and help him become a stronger adventurer so he can attend in one of those mage schools."

'Damn, why does he talk so much nowadays?'

"That's about right, but we both know I won't have much time left. And That's why I want him to go with you early."

***

"So, why do you have a fiend's claw next to the back door? Like aren't fiends supposed to live in the Southern Beast Valley?" Mia asked curiously.

"You're right, but it was Schörl who found it. He said he discovered a fiend's corpse in the forest and took its claw to use as a weapon. Now, I wanted to surprise him by giving most of my life earnings to a smith so it could be crafted into a beautiful weapon," Chird answered Mia while taking another sip of beer.

Then Mia told Chird, "Well, that's nice. I know a few blacksmiths around here who could turn that into a nice shortsword. Then, if he ever finds a rune, it could be even stronger."

Chird laughed loudly while holding his beer, "It has been so long since we've talked like this, right, my daughter!"

"Right..." Mia muttered.

"Oh, why so sad now? Please laugh with me. I want my last months to be fun and memorable for you and Schörl. I've lived for well over 150 years, there's nothing left for me to lose but you two," Chird said loudly, chugging more beer.