That distant era, completely severed by the first Black Tide, is so far removed that it has been lost to history. Even the survivors who once gathered in the surrounding area have scattered to different places, never recalling their former glory. Only fragments of stories remain, passed down orally, mostly related to different versions of the savior song.
It is hard to imagine that, at least six hundred years from now, there are still people who constantly reminisce about the past and trace the footsteps left behind.
That was a goal that those immortals who had already embarked on the path to eternity and survived that catastrophe had completely abandoned.
“Um…” After hesitating for a long time, Annie twisted her fingers and spoke, “I just talked to Sister Miyuki about it… about that ruby.”
I turned my head and saw a hesitant look flash across her face, illuminated by the firelight. She carefully chose her words, "If it's convenient, could I take a look?" She paused, then hurriedly waved her hands, explaining, "Ah, I didn't mean I wanted to keep it all to myself. I just... wanted to confirm if it was the one I remembered... oh..."
"Why aren't you referring to yourself as 'this young lady' now?" I asked, somewhat amused.
The enormous gray wolf slowly approached, then obediently lay down beside Annie's other hand and rolled to its side.
This roll not only pushed its soft, fluffy body towards Annie, but also caused the unsuspecting Annie to fall right into my arms.
"ah."
The girl looked up in a panic, then quickly looked down again. Only then did I notice a faint red swelling under her dark red eyes, as if she had just been crying.
"Why are you crying?"
I shook my head, carefully took out the folded cloth, and exposed the ruby left by Alice inside to the night.
The crystalline gemstone itself seems to possess a peculiar magic, shining brightly even in the darkness under only a little light. Golden radiance surrounds the intricately carved corners of the ruby, like a halo around the sun, radiating brilliant rainbow light in all directions.
Startled, Anne instinctively covered her mouth and nose, then carefully brought the ruby, which I held in the soft cloth of my palm, closer to examine the tiny inscriptions carved on its edge by the firelight. After a long while, she finally looked away, her right hand still tightly gripping my sleeve, trembling slightly.
"It truly is a token belonging only to the [Knights of Dawn]," she murmured softly, her gaze unconsciously drawn to it once more. "I never imagined it would appear so close to me... Maybe Alice is one too..."
"It's also possible that it was just material picked up from somewhere."
I don't think Yao could be related to Rhystes, whom Anne mentioned.
Rather than those far-fetched guesses, it's more plausible to believe that she might have stumbled upon some ancient artifacts or burial objects from the former kingdom while wandering through some forbidden area. Seeing that their quality and texture were good, she appropriated them as materials to make dolls, and thus created the rascal Alice.
Anne, having been reminded of this, had clearly thought of it as well, but her silence didn't last long. She quickly regained her usual energy, as if she had found a new goal and motivation: "It's okay! At least I have a new goal now!"
She looked up at me intently and continued, "We need to go back as soon as possible and ask that guy who's always reading a book for information about this ruby! At least I'll know where she found it."
"...Is this really that important?" I asked hesitantly.
Anne, who had released my sleeve, patted the gray wolf that had snuggled up beside her, swinging her legs back and forth, and nodded: "Yes, because it's a mark that's only embedded in the Knights' emblem. As long as I can confirm where it was found, I can follow this line to find other blood relatives who might exist nearby."
"After all, the Knights of Dawn are the most powerful knight order in Restalis. The only ones who could be specially guarded by them are the descendants of the Farns family and other noble bloodlines. There is no other possibility."
"Six hundred years have passed. Who knows, those people might have scattered to other places due to some accident." I had to dampen her spirits to prevent her confidence and expectations from getting too high and ending up with a bad outcome. "Besides, even if this method works, where will you find someone who can help you again?"
"The history of the nobility has long been buried in old books. People today no longer have complicated surnames as markers and symbols of class inheritance. Perhaps those ancient pasts have been lost in the changes of generation after generation. How can you guarantee that you will get the results you want in the end?"
Annie's expectant expression froze, and she shook her head frantically—perhaps because she'd been spending too much time with Hikari lately, this girl's already somewhat naive nature had become even more apparent with a touch of foolishness: "Ah—I don't understand any of this! I only know that if you don't do anything, then you really can't do anything!"
She puffed out her cheeks angrily: "Even if we don't find anything in the end, at least I still remember them and am trying to find any traces they left behind!"
As Annie spoke, she stood up abruptly, ran behind me, and shoved me hard: "I'm not talking to you anymore, you jerk! Every time I try to discuss something with you, all you do is say bad things to hurt me! You're so mean! Go to sleep."
I couldn't persuade her otherwise, so I could only obediently stand up and look back at the girl who was half my height: "If I go to sleep too, who will keep watch tonight? We can't leave it all to Miyuki, who was the most seriously injured today, can we? That would be bad for her recovery."
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