Chap 37: Felica Hatridge
1814 Words
*** Galen’s POV ***
Please blame on my inexperience about the world outside. But I have to be honest that everything appeared in front of us now were just unexpected and shocking that jump scared me…
The darkness still covered around us a few days ago. It suddenly disappeared as if an extreme powerful thing blew it away. Replaced by it, we saw a giant stage made by stone, with the height of around five meters accelerating to the cloudy sky.
Something then exploded on the stage that startled all of us. Even the creatures looking alike goblins above us algo were getting crazy. But they didn’t have any threatening sign, their red eyes looked at the stage and screaming in cheer.
Boom! Something then exploded at the location on the stage. Additional with it, countless of cold air flying around chaotically. At the top of those air current, they had a human face.
“Kyahh!!” Suddenly, Liana jumped and hugged me while screaming when one of them flying near us.
“They are… ghost?!”
Roman calmly asked me. But standing behind me, I could even feel the fur at his tail was standing. It was the cat’s reaction when they were feared.
The fog… The darkness… The goblins… The ghosts…
What the heck was actually happening in this place?
I was wondering in my thought. The most possibility that we might be trapped into an unknown enemy’s territory who specialized at dark element magic. Then, a stranger had answered me. I didn’t notice… since when had she appeared and stood on the stage?
“Ho ho ho!! Welcome! Welcome!! My very first human customers!!!”
According to the voice tone, it was a woman and her age could be around thirty or fifty years old?
However, different than my expectation, when she jumped from the stage and approaching us, showed in front of us a good-looking woman with elegant dark blue dress. It tightened and highlighted not only the curve of her body, but also her platinum-colored hair. Her hair’s top half was tied with bun style, while the lower one was loosened down, that stunned me by its actually length: It reached to her knee!
Her sharp blue eyes, which matched with her dress color were looking at us, showed me the impression of a wise woman, yet very hard to guess what her thought is.
The more she approached me, the more I felt nervous, because comparing with my whole team’s current height, we were just standing right at her chest.
Of course, the first thing, since it was our first time seeing each other, we had to introduce ourself first.
“Excuse me.” I tried not to let her see I’m pressured “It’s nice to meet you, madame. We are actually…”
But I hadn’t done my quote…
“Don’t worry, don’t worry! I know you kids are looking for an inn, right?”
“How did you know?!”
“That little paper that you guys got from Norn, she was my servant.” Then, the woman laughed “Ho ho ho! I have to reward her for successfully baiting a new human customer!!”
Liana dropped her mouth. Ah yes I remembered she told us that a dark-elf woman gave her a piece of paper.
I guessed that dark-elf woman’s name was Norn according to the woman in front us mentioned about.
“Coincidentally, I just moved in this city a month ago and today is the opening day for human! Don’t be shy and just come in! I will give you a huge discount if you stay longer~!”
Well, if she didn’t have any bad intention, I wouldn’t have any problem though. I asked how my friends thought about it.
“Sure, but…”
Liana then hid behind me.
“Why, Liana?”
…
But she didn’t respond me. Her body was trembling as she looked at the ghost with nervousness.
I think I have known the reason… A Tier 5 weredragon, with the destruction level of a forest area, is scared of a ghost…?
“Hey! I’m a girl so of course I’m scared of ghost! What monster are you thinking about me?!” Liana went rage and knocked on my head.
“Oh, no problem! I can ask my little guys to stay far from you if you are uncomfortable with them.”
Pft, if you could have a chance to see Liana’s face right now, you wouldn’t help yourself and burst a laugh.
The ghosts changed into adorable form and showed their sad faces as they were ordered to not come close to Liana. And it somehow pushed her into awkward state.
“Aye… aye… aye!! Never mind! I’m not scared of ghosts so don’t be sad please!!” Liana talked to the ghosts “You guys can be friend with me.”
Hearing that, the ghosts around her changed their mood by 180 degree and surrounding the poor Liana, who was scared as hell but she had to endure.
“Oh anyway, kid.” The woman then asked me “What’s your name?”
“I’m Galen.” I answered “I’m not sure about my family name so I cannot tell you yet.”
However, after I told her my name, everything around us suddenly became so silent. The sweets basket on the woman’s arm also dropped on the foggy ground, caused a scary noise.
At first, I thought I just mentioned a prohibited name in front of her, because her skinny hand then grabbled both my shoulders and squeezed them hardly.
I was going to explain her, but instead, she asked me back.
“Wait, this hair color… Are you really… Galen Laurence??”
That Laurence’s name sounded like a thunder cracking beside my ear. How did she know my old family name at Frelanna Kingdom was Laurence?!
I gave her a nod. Then, she hugged me.
“Oh my Goddess! You… Galen Laurence…
You are truely alive!!!”
***
“Now that explains why we have same hair color…”
“Yes, only the family members coming from House Hartridge have this particular white hair color. I’ve already suspected you at the first sight, but didn’t expect this miracle to happen.”
Galen, Liana and Roman were invited into her mansion after passing through the silver double gates. Galen looked at the room, it was carefully decorated with such strange furnishings that he had never seen before. At the dining room, the food menu was soup of Jikina, which was a rare species of fish that the woman introduced him. Not only that, a mountain of breads, a huge turkey had been settled on the table. Roman and Liana, who had been starved the whole day sparked their eyes and ate intensively.
Meanwhile, Galen and the woman were talking to each other. Her story intrigued Galen that he didn’t mind about eating and keep listening her.
“I’m sorry, about House Hartridge… I haven’t ever heard this house before.” Galen asked.
“Not surprising when you don’t know anything about your past. So, I will introduce you from the start… My name is Felica from House Hatridge. Your mother’s name is Melina Hartridge and she is also my little sister.”
Galen’s eyes widely opened when he heard that name. It meant… Felica is his aunt? If this was true, Galen must ask her a question that he had been seeking for long time.
“Then you must know anything from Frelanna Kingdom?!”
“Frelanna Kingdom… I has been so long time I never hear that name ever again. Where did you hear that name?”
“I used to visit it a year ago.” Galen answered “But it had become a ruin and no one lived at there anymore.”
“What a poor fate you have having here.”
Felica gave a sigh and put her spoon down on the dining table. The goblins around looked like they understood what she wanted to do, so they came and clean up her left-over bowl of soup.
“How shall I start the story… At that moment, when we heard Frelanna Kingdom was under the attack 15 years ago, I was very far away that needed almost one flying day. When I came, there was nothing left, you had even gone missing so I thought you have been already dead in that tragic war.”
Yes, Galen remembered. Back then, Venon – King of Tredia launched an attack on Frelanna Kingdom and took Galen away.
“Through 15 years, we House Hatridge have been looking for you. We were almost losing hope, but… here you are, living alive and return to us.”
“You are saying ‘we’, so besides you, there are also other people from house Hatridge?”
“Yes, we used to be. We are siblings of three members: Lambert, me and Melina. However, your uncle Lambert passed away 8 years ago due to typhoid.”
“..I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Cheer my dear nephew, at least we have united back and you are now everything of mine.” Felica continued “From now on, how about you live with me in here? This mansion of House Hatridge is located at an unknown place where no human can step on so you will be safe being here.”
“I appreciate your suggestion, aunt Felica.” Galen smiled “But I’m sorry that it’s not my right time to accept you yet, because I have a business need to take care of at Mothien Capital.”
If Galen didn’t have to save Rosalyn, save Frank, save the humanity by resurrecting the guardians and was just a normal teenager, he would happily follow Felica for sure.
“I respect your decision, nephew.” Felica rubbed Galen’s hair “I also heard the story of yours about you bearing the seed of Galadriel from my sister. It won’t be an easy journey, so if you need any support, you know who to count on.”
“Thank you so much, aunt Felica.”
Galen and Felica were having a chat, suddenly, a goblin entered the dining room and panicky screamed, talked to Felica a strange language that Galen never heard before.
As Felica could understand what the goblin said, she knit her eyebrows and immediately stood up.
“This is not good!” Felica ordered the goblins standing at the corner of the dining room “Prepare weapon for me! I have to clean it up now!”
“Aunt Felica, what’s happening?”
“Galen, I’ll see you at the balcony of the mansion. I’ll show you the true power of House Hatridge, of your mother’s family.
We call it as…
…The Black Magic.”
- Writer
