Chiron felt like a baby standing in front of a giant. The pressure that Ziel released was terrifying and made him unable to move his body. But then, the feeling disappeared entirely like it never existed.
"Haa… Haa… I didn't think there was someone like you out there. You look so young, but your strength is immeasurable. I'm afraid to imagine how strong you will be in the future." Chiron breathed heavily, and his eyes looked at Ziel with fear.
"So, can you answer my question?" Ziel asked regardless of his reaction.
"Do you mean the Grisel couple who left our group about 17 years ago? If I remember correctly, they had a baby boy. Is that you?" Chiron dug up his old memories of Grisel's name and only found a husband and wife who had left the group for unknown reasons.
"I don't know if they are the people I'm looking for. But please tell me about those two." Ziel had never seen his parents and didn't know how many people there had the surname Grisel. So he wanted to get as much information as possible from Chiron before he decided if they were his parents or not.
"In the past, they were a part of us too. In the past, they were a part of us too. When our village was still on the border between the Kingdom of Aurelia and the Kingdom of Argaint, they were quite well known to the people here. But after 17 years, I don't think many people in this village still know them..." Chiron started to tell his story. But Ziel suddenly cut him off.
"What are their names?" Ziel had to know the names of the two people first before he listened to the story any further.
"The husband is named Kiel Grisel, and the wife is named Liliana Grisel." Chiron answered.
"Kiel Grisel? Doesn't that name sound similar to you, Ziel?" Clara thought the two of them might have something to do with Ziel because their names were almost identical. But she couldn't tell Ziel that because she wasn't sure yet.
Lilith also felt the same way as Clara but chose to remain silent and listen to Chiron's story until the end before giving her opinion to Ziel.
"We must listen to the story before confirming that they are my parents. Please continue." Ziel looked at Clara and smiled. He knew what she was thinking right now. Ziel also hoped that the people in Chiron's story were his parents. So their long journey did not end in vain.
"After Liliana gave birth to a baby, they said they wanted to travel around the Clorius continent. I didn't ask them in detail because I didn't want to interfere with their business. But I felt something strange with them at that time." Chiron continued his explanation and said whatever he remembered about Kiel and Liliana.
"Ah! I remember it!" Chiron suddenly clapped after remembering something he had almost forgotten.
"There is something strange? What do you mean? What have you remembered?" Ziel interrogated him. Somehow he became a little impatient.
"Gaye, who knows the two well, said that they often had nightmares after giving birth to the baby. But that's not all that happened. She also said that the baby's eyes sometimes turned crimson but quickly turned black again. Kiel and Liliana once told Gaye that they wanted to find a way to treat their son." Chiron told Ziel what he had just remembered.
"Gaye? Who's she? Can I meet her?" Ziel felt he could get more detailed information if he directly asked people who knew Kiel and Liliana very well.
"Unfortunately, you will never be able to meet her because she died five years ago." Chiron smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Ziel and the two girls beside him felt slightly disappointed after hearing that answer. But then Ziel raised his eyebrows after thinking about something.
"Can I ask you about the gray-haired people in this village? I mean, why did you move from the borders of the Aurelia Kingdom and the Argaint Kingdom to this area? Then why don't you live together in the city with other humans but prefer to live separately and like to avoid crowds? Do you guys have a reason for that?" Ziel decided to change the topic of his question after realizing that he wouldn't be able to get any other information about his parents from Chiron.
"Why do you ask that? Do you intend to do something in our village?" Chiron narrowed his eyes and became alert after hearing the question.
"I have no ill will towards you. If I want to hurt you, do you think you can still live until now?" Ziel said indifferently.
"Ah, I'm sorry for getting carried away with my bad prejudice. As the village head, I have to take care of my people. So, I hope you can understand." Chiron said apologetically.
"I didn't think about it. So can you tell me about it?" Ziel smiled slightly and didn't mind it. The most important thing for him right now was to get as much information as possible from Chiron before nightfall.
"Alright. Since you have gray hair, I thought it would be fine to tell you this. According to the story I heard from my ancestors, the gray-haired people are the descendants of the guardian gods of this continent. I don't know if that's true or not. But according to legend, one or two people from our clan will inherit the power of a god and will get an important task in this continent." Chiron tells a legend passed down from generation to generation that has been heard from his predecessors.
Ziel and the two girls frowned upon hearing that. They didn't expect to hear about the guardian of the continent while searching for information about Ziel's parents. But they kept quiet because they didn't want to interrupt Chiron's story.
"The number of gray-haired people in this village is small because it is difficult for us to have children. Outsiders considered it a curse and even kept their distance from us for not wanting to share in the gods' punishment. But we know that's not true." Chiron put on a sad face when he thought about it.
"Hmm… I never received such treatment as a butler in the Argaint Kingdom. Is it a coincidence that the people I meet are the ones who don't care about that?" Ziel muttered and recalled his life in the castle of the Argaint Kingdom.
"What did you say, Ken?" Clara glanced at Ziel as she heard a voice from him.
"Nothing. I was thinking about something. Can you continue your story?" Ziel smiled and gently stroked Clara's head. He didn't want to discuss his past in front of Clara because he was worried that Clara would feel uncomfortable about it. He was a butler of Clara and no longer a servant of the Argaint Kingdom.
"Yes. Some of us disagree with outsiders' opinions about gray-haired people. We consider ourselves unique because every child born in our clan will have an abundance of mana and aura. But some of us also didn't want to make a fuss about it for fear we would quarrel with the outsiders and cause unnecessary conflict. Therefore, we decided to distance ourselves from them." Chiron took the water bottle from his waist and drank it to moisten his throat. Then he continued his story.
"We believe that we are descendants of the guardian gods of the continent and have a mission to maintain the peace of this world. We think we are special, so we don't need to have any relationship with outsiders. Therefore, we set up a village quite far from the city." Chiron sighed heavily, and it seemed he disagreed with that.
"Is that the only reason you stay away from the outside world and seclude yourself in the forest?" Ziel asked. He felt that the gray-haired people had another reason for staying away from other humans.
"You are sharp. You are right. That's not the only reason we isolate ourselves from the outside world. First, we wanted to prevent conflict, but it has happened even on a small scale. Not many people know about this. Second, we don't want outsiders to know about our strengths. Didn't I say before that we were born with abundant mana and aura? What would happen if they found out?" Chiron said with a serious face.
"Even if they know that it is difficult for you to have children, outsiders may take advantage of you in other ways. For example, it is to make you a slave to them. Outsiders don't have to worry about being punished by a god if they treat you like that. If that happens, your people will be hunted on the Clorius continent. You won't be able to sleep peacefully wherever you live if we look at the power of the five kingdoms in the human region. Am I right?" Ziel said casually, like it was none of his business.
Clara and Lilith were shocked when they heard about it. It was natural for Clara to react that way because her actual age was only a dozen years old, and she didn't know everything that had happened on the Clorius continent. But Lilith, who had lived long enough and whose age surpassed Kalya, had never heard of that matter.
If the past Lilith found out about those gray-haired people, maybe she would catch them and use them as experimental objects. But he is different now. Because in the depths of her heart, she only wants to dedicate herself to the person she loves. Then Lilith looked at Ziel and smiled sweetly with a blush.
"You are right. If we had absolute power like you, we wouldn't be afraid. But our strength and numbers are limited, and it is impossible to win against a kingdom, so we secluded ourselves to hide our power from the world." Chiron looked at Ziel with jealousy on his face.
"I think that decision is for the best. Aren't you supposed to be on the border between the Argaint Kingdom and the Aurelia Kingdom? Why did you move to this area?" Ziel nodded in agreement and asked another question because there was still something he wanted to know.
If those gray-haired people don't have the strength to fight against the five kingdoms in the human region, then what they should do is low-profile and separate themselves from the outside world. If one of them unintentionally showed their power, it would bring danger to the others.
"That's because our village there is already widely known by outsiders. In addition, the surrounding resources are also running low. Because of that, we searched for a new area to build a village and found this place. This area is very strategic and has abundant resources. Not to mention, there is a river near this place, and it makes our life easier." Chiron sighed, and his face showed he was tired of living such a life.
"How many times have you moved around like that, and since when did you build settlements here? Besides, how long do you think you will stay in this place until the surrounding resources are exhausted?" Ziel showered Chiron with questions. He thought that Liliana and Kiel might return to this village someday. Although he is not so obsessed with meeting his parents, he must find them to ask why they abandoned him.
"We have moved from place to place more than a dozen times and have lived in this area for three years. Maybe we can still stay here for another seven to eight years." Chiron smiled.
"I understand. Then, there's nothing more I want to ask you." Ziel got up from his seat and was followed by the two girls beside him. He felt that there was no other information he could get from Chiron.
"I apologize if the information I have provided is not useful to you." Chiron smiled weakly and stood up.
"No. I thank you for being willing to share that information with me." Ziel didn't expect to get any information about his parents' whereabouts in that place. But instead, he heard the news about the guardian of the continent, and it seemed to be related to his father and mother.
Chiron escorted Ziel and the two girls out of the settlement under the gazes of the locals. He was afraid that one of them would act stupid and attack Ziel.
"Looks like I'll be fighting an enemy far more troublesome than the Archaic Knight has said." Ziel smiled bitterly, and he gently held Lilith and Clara's hands. The two girls squeezed Ziel's hand but didn't say anything because they knew he was thinking about something. After that, they disappeared from that place.
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