Twisted Fate of the Knight

Comeback

"Goodbye, see you soon," I said as I ride my horse and we get off.

--After almost 3 years...

I was planning to go back within a year or half a year but I had a hard time locating my teacher's location. After I found out what happened at Lady Layla's restaurant that was abandoned that's why I did not receive any letters from them but surprisingly the letters are not here in the mailbox. I ask around where are the people who live here but they seem don't want to speak about it but then I've learned from a pub around here that they leave without a trace or where they did go. Fortunately, the house was not sold and it used to be a haunted house because of the moss on the wall which means that no one lives in it.

~~Flashback

I went inside as I unlock the door with the key that was hidden inside the bell in front of the door, it is the emergency key where Lady Layla put in for me and Ian if we ever lose our keys as if she already knows something might happen like this. When I entered the house, nothing changed when I left and it was surprisingly it is clean inside as if someone is living but no one is around.

"Is anybody here?" I said as I look around the house.

"..." No one answered so I checked all the rooms but nothing really. I went to my room and check the notebook that I was looking for.

"There you are," I said while dusting it because of the dust since my room was not touched unlike the other rooms that it was clean. I open the windows because I feel like I can be suffocated here and clean-off my bed first and then I sit down. I opened the notebook and I read the things that I wrote although it was only the important events like the arrival of the real Crown Princess that was transmigrated from my world, which is a year from now so I need to go back within half a year or a year in the lake of the tower.

"What should I do first? Continue to look for my teacher if I didn't find him within the time or go back there before her arrival?" I just said that because it is not easy to find out where my good teacher is since he doesn't stay in a place for a long time. If you're curious how can I locate him is that he told me before to visit the temple in our village for the answers so after this I will visit the temple. 

I stayed in the house for a couple of days before I visit the temple as I pack my things for traveling since I am sure he goes everywhere and didn't stay long in one place.

"Hello, is anybody here?" I said when I enter the temple but no one answered me.

"It doesn't look like it was abandoned though," I said as I walked in and looked around since it was well maintained clean. 

"Good day, gentleman. What can I do for you?" I turned around to check out the one who talks and it is a priest. I bow down as I greeted him.

"I am here to know the whereabouts of my teacher," I said as I follow him to the visiting room and seated.

"Are you perhaps Avy?" He said as he offers me a tea.

"Yes, thank you," I said as I receive the tea.

"Oh, he mentioned to me that a man who looks like a woman will come here for his teacher a few years ago," He said as he remembering it. Damn, Is he even an old man for his age to remember that although I do not want to underestimate the elderly since usually they have forgotten? I am amazed that he could still remember it but why does my teacher told that a man looks like a woman since I don't think he knows I am a woman.

"Is that so? I am grateful that you remember it since I really need where he is," I said after I sip my tea.

"Ah, that? He said that 'come and look for me'." He said so I accidentally broke the cup that I was holding because how do I find him and where do I start that old man is really.

"Is that it?... I mean, that's all that he said?" I ask him because he might be mistaken in remembering.

"Yes," He answered so I immediately massage my forehead since I can't think of anything where he would go aside from the--

"It's okay, Mr. Priest! I remember what he told me?! I have to go," I said when I remembered the place he always went to and arranged my belongings.

"Priest? I am not a Priest," He said so I looked at him.

"W-what?! You are not a priest?!" I ask him.

"Yes, I am only a caretaker," He said so I unconsciously let go of my stuff.

"Then, why would you wear those clothes?" I said as I pointed to his clothes so he looked at his clothes and he just smiled as he scratches the back of his head.

"Ah, I wear this since my clothes got wet when I watered the flowers at the back of the temple." He said. I did not know if I would be annoyed or not with him but I looked at him seriously because he knew what he was saying so I can't believe he was just a caretaker.

"Really? but you seem to know who am I looking for?" I said as I smiled at him while walking towards him, and he backed away because of my sudden approach.

" Y-yes, I just read the letter that was on the altar." He said as he looks at me in the eyes so I can't say he was lying before I back away from him.

"Hm. I have to go, then." I said as I look at my bag because Ash might be waking up earlier when I dropped the bag and fortunately he slept soundly. I decided to put him in the bag since they might get scared if he shows himself. 

"Then, have a safe trip, Avy," He said as he waves at me. I said 'thank you' to him before I turned away.

After that, I went to the flower garden that he always telling me and it was not easy to locate it but fortunately, I got there and I saw a clue wherever he went.

~~END FLASHBACK

I spent almost a year looking for him and a year with him as we travel from place to place. I don't know what he was doing since I was busy with my training as he goes out without telling me where will he go for how many days, then he will come back if we are going to travel again. Surprisingly, he knows I am a woman and he let me grow my hair and I didn't dye it but still, I put on bandages if we were in a village or city. So, right now I have my original black long hair as I tied it. He also helps me to have proper communication with my magical beast and deepen our bond so I let Ash follow me secretly especially if we are in the open or many people around since he grows big so I can't put him into my bag anymore.

My teacher and I part ways when my training is done with him since I need to go back and he happens to be going a different route even though he still wants to be with me. Now I am back in the Winter Kingdom so I used magic to change the color of my eyes and my hair like in the past since my teacher teaches me how and it was difficult at first to maintain this magic but I can't believe I was able to master.

I am walking in the town now to see if anything has changed or not and I can say that something has changed a bit since there are new markets than before. I passed by the bakeshop that I have been to in the past but I avoided it because I had no money since all the food we've eaten so far was by hunting so in short, I am penniless. 

"I want to eat but I don't have money," I murmured while wiping my saliva since I didn't eat sweets since then and I am also hungry at the moment. I walked away from there because it makes me even hungrier if I keep staring at their desserts and cakes display.

"Mister," I turned to the speaker behind me so I turned around and I was surprised when a girl giving me a cake.

"Do you need something?" I ask her as I smiled.

"Here, take it, Mister." She said so I wondered.

"Huh? Why are you giving me this?" I ask her as she pointed the owner of the bakeshop with a customer in charge before she left but I touched her.

"Wait, let's go back together," I said as I hold her hands and she just nodded as we walked towards the shop.

"Thank you, owner, for this cake," I said when we got inside and the girl went to play.

"oh no, it's alright because I just saw you again since you last came here. I am just happy to saw a familiar face outside and looking at the shop. I notice that you grow a little." He said, and he left to take care of something so I said goodbye and thanked him before leaving.

I called Ash to eat with me since not crowded and I told him to make himself smaller as we eat the cake. I almost feel like crying because I haven't eaten in a long time. The passerby in front of me is awkwardly looking in my way since my clothes are worn out but not that worn out that I look like a beggar but soon if I will not be able to change my clothes since all my clothes were ruined during my training.

"That's was delicious. I really miss it." I said as I throw the paper bag.

'Master, someone is approaching' Ash said to me so I got up and jumped on a tree to hide as well as Ash.

We waited to see who Ash was referring to and none other than Prince Renz with Ian, Kerz, and Dravis behind him. They look around as if they were looking for something since I can't hear them clearly. We also left when they left since I have no plans to show them yet because I need something to do it first and that is the lake of the tower since I did not see the real crown princess when I came there to look for traces.

I went to the lake of the tower as I look for shreds of evidence or traces and fortunately, I got one which is the hairclip from my world since this was not around when I was here so there is a possibility that she was recently here or maybe months because this hairclip is already rusty.

"Let's go, Ash," I said as I ride him.

'Where are we going, Master?'  he asks me.

"To the forest," I said since I don't want to go to the Collins State because I am ashamed to show up.

'I thought we will be going to the Collins State?' he answered. Oh, I forgot that he went there alone with just following my scent.

"Soon, but not now," I said and he fell silent.

We are here in the forest to hunt for food and we are going to sleep here since I don't have money to rent in an Inn and to buy food so we have to hunt. It's good that I can order Ash to hunt for something to eat and I do the fire. After we eat, we went to sleep, and of course, Ash was next to me to sleep because it was cold at night.

I went to the river early in the morning to take a bath and wash my clothes since it is dirty. Ash wash looking around and he will inform me if someone is approaching. I soaked in the river first since I also did not take a bath for a few days as I let my original form so that I can wash my hair too. 

I was still floating in the water while looking at the sky and don't worry I am still wearing something so I am not totally n***d. I changed when my clothes were dry with the help of magic and I started to make a fire since Ash hunted a deer for our breakfast. I was thinking if I will go back to Collins State even though I didn't even write a letter since I left them when her Grace told me to write a letter from time to time but I didn't have time and materials to write a letter. 

"Ash, should I go back to the Collins State?" I ask Ash as I pet him.

'You should since you promise her Grace, right?' he said since I've mentioned that with my master.

"What if they don't want me anymore?" I said with a worried face and he just looked at me bored.

'Just tell them the truth, master since you said yourself that they are a family aside from Ian.' He said so sometimes I wonder if he is a magical beast or someone who looks like a beast since he talks like a person.

"Fine, we will go back there tonight so I will enjoy looking around the town since I will not have this chance again once we go back," I said as I stood up.

'How can you enjoy it if you don't have money?' He said so I stoned as if it struck me with reality since you can't enjoy it if you can't try the food in the stall.

"Yeah, right," I said so I got back in my seat because of what he said.

"I'm broke!!!" I shouted out of frustration.