Chapter 3

Anashia

Thud thud…

Slow footsteps filled with grace rang out in the quiet hallway of the Latreia mansion.

The woman in maid's clothes slowly opens the door to a large room. She put the tray of food she took with her on the table. She walks slowly to the window and opens the curtain; sunlight fills the dark room as her green hair shines lightly.

"Lady Zenith, it's time to wake up," she said as she set the table for the young lady in bed.

"Mmh…Good morning Anashia." Zenith said as she slowly woke up from the bed.

The maid Anahia, after setting the table, walks up to Zenith and hands her the wet towel she had prepared beforehand.

"Please refresh yourself with this. The others have already started to prepare a bath for you, so please finish breakfast faster today," she said, her face as emotionless as ever.

"At least show me a smile when I wake up, Anashia," Zenith said, smiling at her emotionless maid. Waiting for Anashia to say something but seeing no response, she waited before sighing lightly and starting her usual breakfast routine.

"So, why the hurried today?" she said as she started buttered up her bread.

"Lord Carlyte had sent a letter to inform us that he will arrive within two hours." So father decides to come home for a visit after a long time? Is his knight duty already finished?"

"That was what the letters said, yes," Anashia answers her as she slowly fills the cup with water. With that done, the breakfast continues in silence.

After breakfast, Zenith began to bathe and, with the new fresh cloth, began to walk toward the front door to wait for her father. Anashia, who walks behind her silently, suddenly stares in one direction.

"... It seems that the tower needs maintenance. Today it going to rain a little."

Zenith glances in the same direction as Anashia and smiles lightly. "Is it another day in the room then?" she asks, looking at her maid.

Anashia nods lightly as she continues to walk after Zenith.

And just as Anashia said, the rain did fall lightly. Zenith smiles lightly as she takes a sip from her tea.

"Sometimes I wonder how you know these things are going to happen. It is like you know the future, and you do not, are you?" Zenith said while her hand reached out to take a cookie from the plate.

"Is it within my job condition to answer that question?" Anashia asks.

Zenith pretends to think about something, then shakes her head.

"No, you don't have to answer that," Zenith said as she leisurely drank her tea.

Night soon came as Zenith jumped on her bed with a soft thump.

"ha…What a tiring day… with Father coming back home a bit, Mother got me to do the extra study again," she said. Her head was still buried in the pillow.

"Do you want warm milk before bed or tea that helps you relax, my lady?" Anashia asks while her hand starts to help Zenith undress.

She thinks for a bit before replying to Anashia. " Some warm milk will do." With that said, she quickly finished her bath, and when she came back, Anashia was already waiting for her with the warm milk she requested.

She drank it, and after reading the book for a while, she started to feel sleepy. Yawning lightly, she put the book back in its place. "It's time to sleep already…yawn… well, I will see you tomorrow Anashia."

Anashia nods as she leaves the room, leaving the sleepy Zenith behind. Zenith can never read what anashia has on her mind. Her face is always emotionless, like a doll. She knew that something must be particular about her. After all, her mother, who hates the demon race, will not hire someone with hair like her.

An emerald green hair is a trait of the most fearsome demon race. The superd race. With their emerald green hair and a red gemstone on the forehead. She knows that Anashia isn't one of them. After all, she doesn't have a gem on her forehead.

But Anashia is a mystery to her. She never talks uselessly; it is always Zenith who speaks first.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't like her. After all, she is the only one who will do whatever she has to get what Zenith wants for her. even sometimes when it is unreasonable, like a secret book her sister hides from her.

She just wants to know more about the woman who is with her since she starts to remember. She is always there for her. and for some reason, she always appears whenever she needs.

No matter how she thinks about it, it's strange. Sometimes she just disappears entirely, and nobody will notice. Her include. But she is already used to it. After all, she has been with Anashia for all of her life. So she just stopped thinking about it and went to sleep.

…

Around a year has passed, and she turns thirteen this year. There is something strange going on. These past few days, she couldn't find Anashia anywhere. Even though it was always her who would wake her up in the morning but now it was a maid who she didn't even know the name of, and for some reason, she acted like she was always the one who woke her up.

When she asks her mother, she makes a strange face as she calls on the doctor because she thinks Zenith is sick. Even her little sister Therese thinks she is unwell.

Somehow everyone manages to forget about Anashia. Even though she had been with them for more than thirteen years.

Like magic, after a few more months, a rumor keeps popping up. It is about a high-ranking priest in the order of the temple. She heard that the priest engaged in sexual acts and got someone pregnant. And that someone has a blood of a demon race in her. The said priest got stripped of his title and was now nowhere to be found in Millishion.

Slowly, Zenith started to forget about her as well. She has gone about her day like usual when suddenly she notices a little box inside her closet. It was a box just the size of her palm. She opened it, and the item inside was a necklace with a little note.

The note only says, "Anshia, daughter." It was the only two words in the note.

…

"That was all I knew about Anashia. Your mother was very mysterious. But she was very gentle as well." Zenith said while stroking my head a little. "As for how I knew it you, it is very simple. You two look so much alike that I saw Anashia for a second. You even have a mole under your right eye like her." Zenith said, her eyes showing sadness in them.

That was a story of my mother that Zenith knew. She…is a very mysterious person.

AHHHH! What do I do about this information! She is already dead!

"haa… Thank you for telling me about this. But I don't know how to feel about it. After all, I never got to know her before she died." I said.

"Mmh. It's ok. I knew that you would react like this. I just want you to learn more about your mother." Zenith said with a weary smile. " You really are just like her…Except you are more sociable." She laughs at her words, and I smile at her lightly.

The others who listen to us silently just stare at us both. "Well, that was a nice-" Before Paul could say anything, Elinalise, and Ghislaine punched him on both sides and sent him flying backward. Those two are scary… even an airhead like Ghislaine knows it is not the right time to say anything now.

"...Now that we take care of that annoying fly, you are a noble from Millishion, right?" Elinalise said that while

"...Ah! Yes, I'm from Millshion." Zenith said and tilted her head lightly. "Why?"

Elinalise grinned at that then she reached out her hand toward Zenith. In her hand was a bag full of coins. " You are a healer, right? How about joining our party? This is how much you are at least going get monthly."

Zenith looks at how much was inside the bag, and her eyes open wider than I ever saw.

"EH! Is it really ok for me to take this much?!" she said, her voice louder than just now.

Elinalise looks at her like she just saw some weird animal. "Aren't you an elementary rank healer? This much is how you should get." Elinalise said.

"Ah…Ehehe… I am an intermediate rank healer…." Zenith said. Wow, she really got scammed out of her service… how did she survive till now?

"...Paul, I know you are not sleeping. Get those two outside and teach them a lesson." Elinalise said as Paul, who was on the floor, got up. " You want one of them, Talhand? I mean, one of them got a good look."

Talhand seems to have an interesting look on his face, but a second later, he goes back to his beer. " Not this time," he said and continued drinking like usual.

Elinalise just shrugs at his comment. "Well, it seems we got one more to the group. Welcome to Fang of the Black Wolf. A party of outcasts." She said as she reached out her hand to Zenith for a handshake. Zenith takes it, and she smiles brightly just now.

"Now let us introduce ourselves. The guy who beat the shit out of those two is Paul," she said, pointing at Paul. "He ran away from his home and is the leader of this group. Next is this guy, Talhand. He ran away from home, too." she pointed at Talhand beside her.

" And this is Ghislaine. Well, she ran away from home too." Ghislaine nodded at her comment and continued to eat. " And the guy who keeps losing his money over there is Gesse. He was the last of his race. And then me, Elinalise, who got kicked out by an elven race." She looked at me, " And our little mascot here is Lucelia. An orphan. Now, what is your reason for being an adventurer?" said Elinalise as she looked into Zenith's eyes.

"I ran away from home," Zenith said with a determined look on her face. When elinalise saw that, she smiled further. "Welcome. You will do nicely in here."