The young boy sat on his horse, scanning his surroundings for any visible living creature.
Ever since accepting Sodlan’s search mission, he had been riding around this area, determined to find that person.
However, for many days now, forget a human being, he couldn’t even find a slightly larger animal.
With the sky turning dark, he shouted out one last time before preparing to head toward the Human Territory, returning to the temporary shelter he had built there.
After all, this was the Human-Dragon Border. He could encounter the Dragon Race at any time, which was dangerous.
“Sigh… It’s been so many days. When will I finally run into someone from the Human Race?”
The boy’s spirits were a bit low. In a search like this, the longer the time span, the harder it was to find the person.
The more time passed, the lower the probability of success.
Suddenly, he heard a young voice.
“I’m over here!”
This was Zhu Qiu’s response. Zhu Xiaxia had been very thoughtful, having already processed the sound of Zhu Qiu’s voice for when humans heard it.
“I’m over here!”
Zhu Qiu rushed toward the boy, and the boy on the horse also turned his steed around, galloping toward her.
“Hyah!”
Ultimately, neither of them recklessly drew too close. They stopped at a distance because neither was certain if the other was a good person.
Zhu Qiu froze the moment she saw the rider.
‘How strange. Why would a young boy come to the border all alone to look for someone? Isn’t he afraid of being eaten by the Dragon Race?’
But because he was just a boy, Zhu Qiu lowered her guard. The boy was equally suspicious.
However, because it was dark and visibility was poor, he could only make out the silhouette of a person.
“Are… are you human?” the boy asked warily.
“Me? Of course I’m human. Do you not know who I am?”
“Wait! This voice is…”
The boy was very familiar with this voice.
In his memory, it seemed this voice was a household name throughout the entire Human City, yet he couldn’t quite remember exactly who it was.
“I don’t know who you are. Why have you appeared at the border of the Human Race?” the boy continued to ask.
“Me? I just… got lost. Now that I’ve found the way, I’m preparing to return.”
Zhu Qiu walked toward the boy step by step, wanting to learn more about the situation.
“Stop!” the boy warned.
“Don’t come any closer. Tell me, what is your relationship with Sodlan?”
“Sodlan? He is my father. My father.”
“Father?”
Hearing this word, the boy hesitated for a moment.
“So… are you our Human Sword Saint, Soran?”
“Of course!”
Seeing that someone had recognized her, Zhu Qiu wagged her tail and walked over cheerfully, step by step.
She hadn’t expected her father to send someone to pick her up and take her home. This was great; she wouldn’t have to walk for so many days anymore.
When she stood before the boy, he still couldn’t believe his eyes.
The person in front of him really was the Human Sword Saint, Soran.
But… the person Sodlan had asked him to find was actually the Human Sword Saint?
Didn’t he say she was missing? How could the Human Sword Saint go missing?
The boy remained cautious.
“You were sent by my father to pick me up, right? Let’s hurry home.”
“Wait a moment. You aren’t the Human Sword Saint!”
The words struck her like a bolt. Zhu Qiu’s mind instantly went blank.
‘Did Zhu Xiaxia’s gem fail? Did he recognize me?’
“How is that possible? Of course I am the Human Sword Saint,” Zhu Qiu explained, suppressing her panic.
“I don’t believe you. Not unless you summon your Holy Sword for me to see.”
It turned out he just wanted confirmation. Following the boy’s request, Zhu Qiu summoned the Holy Sword.
“Holy Sword! Come forth!”
In the next moment, the glittering gold Holy Sword appeared in Zhu Qiu’s hand, the radiating Holy Light illuminating the surroundings.
“Do you believe me now?”
The Holy Sword would not lie. Seeing the Sword Saint’s iconic Holy Sword, the boy’s racing heart finally settled.
“Lord Sword Saint, it really is you! I’ve finally found you!”
The boy dismounted, tears of excitement streaming from the corners of his eyes. It had been an entire month.
He had been sleeping in the wind and rain every day just to see that human sooner. Now that the mission was complete, he could finally go home.
“It’s really me. I’m back. Uh… it’s quite late now. How about we first…”
“Of course, Lord Sword Saint. I have a temporary shelter. If you don’t mind it, we can spend the night there. Tomorrow morning, I will take you back to the Human City.”
“How could I mind? Let’s go rest.”
The boy mounted his horse and led Zhu Qiu back to his small wooden cabin.
Because the cabin only had one hard wooden bed, Zhu Qiu had to gather some grass from outside to make a bed on the floor.
That night, the boy slept peacefully because his mission was accomplished. But it was different for the Little Princess.
Having left her soft, large bed, she could only keep company with wild grass. This night, her sleep was not restful.
The next morning, the two woke up early and rode toward the Human City. Along the way, the boy was very excited.
It was the honor of a lifetime to be able to escort the Lord Sword Saint home.
Taking this opportunity, he wanted the Sword Saint to answer some of his questions.
“Lord Sword Saint, may I chat with you?” the boy asked.
“Of course!”
“Lord Sword Saint, why did you appear in this place? Haven’t you already defeated the Evil Dragon?”
“Uh…”
‘Wait, why is this guy asking this question?’
It seemed she could only make something up.
“I just came back here to take a look and prevent the Evil Dragon from being resurrected.”
“So that’s how it is. Lord Sword Saint really has put in a massive effort for our Human Race. I heard that when Lord Sword Saint was dueling the Evil Dragon, you pinned it to the ground and beat it ruthlessly. You even cut off its tail.”
What? Did that actually happen?
‘Why don’t I know about this?’
“Ha… Haha, as I should, as I should.”
Zhu Qiu couldn’t explain it, so she could only respond with a strained laugh.
“By the way, what is your name? Why are you in a place like this? This is the border between the Human Race and the Dragon Race. It’s very dangerous.”
“My name is Gauss. I came here on the orders of the Sword Saint’s father to find the missing human.”
“The missing human? Are you talking about me?”
Zhu Qiu’s tail pointed toward herself unconsciously.
“He said that as long as I saw a human, that was the one I was looking for. I’ve been here for so many days and have only seen you, Lord Sword Saint. It must be you.”
“I see…”
Zhu Qiu had an ominous feeling in her heart.
‘My father sent someone to look for me. Does he think I’ve gone missing?’
If that were the case, this boy named Gauss was just the tip of the iceberg.
He said he had been searching for many days, so the news of the Human Sword Saint’s disappearance had likely already spread throughout the Human City long ago.
‘And now that I’m returning safe and sound, will the residents of the Human Race criticize me for being lazy and slacking off?’
As the Human Sword Saint, her daily task was to protect the Human City and clear away Magic Creatures.
While she was away, those tasks would have been left entirely to the King’s Royal Legion.
‘Oh no. It looks like I’ll have to deal with some things after I get home.’