Somewhere in the Western Continent belonging to the Gunnar Federation…
Erinys hummed as she walked towards a clearing carrying a basket in her hand.
As she drew near her destination, the sound of wood getting chopped reached her ears.
A few minutes later, he saw a Half-Elf cutting piles of firewood, with an axe in his hands. The red-headed teenager was so focused on what he was doing that he didn’t notice Erinys arriving in the clearing.
The little Half-ling looked at Wiliam’s sweat-stained body, which carried no imperfections, and smiled.
The black obsidian gem that was embedded on his chest was no more, and was replaced by a white gem that was as dazzling as white sapphire.
“Will, I brought you your lunch!” Erinys said as she walked towards the Half-Elf who had just finished cutting the wood that was placed on top of a wooden log.
“You came at a good time, Erinys,” William replied. “I am starving.”
The red-headed teenager smiled at the doll-like beauty that was walking towards him with a spring on her step.
Erinys placed the basket on top of the log and took a hand towel out of it. She then motioned for the Half-Elf to crouch down, which the latter did, so that the Half-ling could dry his face with the towel in her hand.
The Half-ling giggled as she ruffled William’s head, and hair with the towel, making the Half-Elf chuckle as he grabbed her hands to prevent her from further messing up his hairstyle.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before William moved closer to give Eriny’s lips a quick peck before standing up to dry the rest of his body.
When he was done, he sat on the log and was about to pick up one of the sandwiches that Erinys had prepared for him to eat, but was stopped by the Half-ling because he hadn’t washed his hands first.
“Just sit there, okay?” Erinys said as she picked up a sandwich. “Say, ‘Ah’…”
William smiled before humoring the little girl. “Ah…”
The Half-Elf bit on the sandwiched and chewed with gusto.
“How is it?” Erinys asked.
She was looking at the Half-Elf with expectations as she waited for his judgment for the food she had prepared for him.
“It’s good,” William replied before whispering something in Erinys ear. “A thousand times better than Shannon’s sandwich.”
The Half-ling giggled because she remembered the one time when Shannon decided to trick William into eating a sandwich that she had drawn. Since then, the red-headed teenager hadn’t touched any food made by the Fox Lady, and only ate the food prepared by Erinys.
“How about you?” William asked. “Are you not going to eat?”
“I ate before I came here,” Erinys answered.
“That’s good. Can you give me another sandwich?”
“Of course.”
The Half-ling continued to feed William until all of the sandwiches in the basket were gone. She then poured him a cup of fruit juice, which she had also prepared beforehand.
“Thank you for the food,” William said, feeling satisfied.
Erinys smiled and sat on the Half-Elf’s lap, leaning on his chest with her eyes closed.
It had been two weeks since they had escaped the battle between William’s forces and the Holy Order of Light.
The Half-Elf had been in a coma for a week, while she and Shannon looked for a safe place to hide within the Western Continent.
The entire continent was under the protection of the Gunnar Federation, which was composed of all the Kingdoms within the Western Continent. It had been mostly untouched by the war in the Central, Demon, and Silvermoon Continents because of its great distance from these land masses.
This was also why Shannon had chosen this place to hide William from those who were looking for his whereabouts. Due to her ability, she was able to create a portal that connected directly to the Western Regions of the Gunnar Federation, far away from the main kingdoms.
“Have you grown a bit taller?” William asked as he held the Half-ling’s waist. “Um… you have indeed grown taller by a centimeter.”
“Hum hum… I am in my growth phase now,” Erinys replied with her eyes still closed.
“More likely, that is the end of your growth pace. After this, you won’t be growing again.”
“… No dinner for you.”
William chuckled after hearing Erinys attempt to punish him for his teasing remark. In order to coax the little girl in his arms, he started to pat her head, but the latter’s pout didn’t disappear.
Just as William was thinking of ways to pacify the adorable Half-ling, his strong sense of hearing picked up the sound of footsteps headed in their direction.
“I was wondering why the two of you still hadn’t returned home.” Shannon smirked after seeing the cozy posture that the two had. “Are the two of you having fun without me?”
Erinys stuck out her tongue at Shannon, and the latter only shook her head helplessly. However, as if getting a stroke of inspiration, the Fox lady summoned her brush and canvas and looked at the two models with a critical eye.
“Erinys, look up at William,” Shannon said. “Make sure that you look at him fondly, okay? As for you, Will, look down on Erinys with eyes filled with affection. I’ll draw the two of you, okay?”
Without another word, the Fox Lady summoned a chair and began to mix colors on her palette in preparation for her painting.
William and Erinys exchanged a helpless glance at each other because this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
“Go on, start posing,” Shannon urged the two when she had already prepared everything. “We don’t have all day, you know?”
After a few more urging by Shannon, the Half-Elf and the Half-ling finally relented and gazed at each other with affectionate gazes.
Minutes passed as Shannon’s brush danced on the canvas.
The singing of birds, the soft rustling of the wind, and the radiance of the sunlight create a picturesque scene, with William and Erinys at the center.
Shannon could feel her heart beating wildly inside her chest as she painted the scene because the two were truly gazing at each other with affection.
For a brief moment, she wished that she could change places with Erinys, but knew that her painting wouldn’t be finished if she were to do that. This was why she continued to move her brush, as the painting in front of her portrayed the two lovers.
However, Shannon made some minor adjustments to it, creating a scene that didn’t match the original pose of the two.
In her painting, William and Erinys were sharing a sweet, innocent kiss with their lips barely touching each other.
When Erinys saw the final scene, her face turned beet red from embarrassment. William just gave Shannon a thumbs up because the painting was great and he liked it.
“Can you give this painting to me?” Erinys asked. “I promise to treasure it.”
“Of course,” Shannon replied. ” Take it.”
The Half-ling’s smile was so sweet that William and Shannon were tempted to pinch her cheeks due to how cute Erinys was when she smiled.
“Will, you should take a bath when we get home,” Shannon commented. “It’s bad if you let your sweat dry up.”
William nodded as he held Erinys hand.
Shannon, on the other hand, held on to his arm as they walked back to their temporary home, which she had drawn so the three of them could live a comfortable life together.
