My sunshine

home 3

Ed slowly opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. The room was modest but warm, with the curtains drawn to create a cozy atmosphere. Despite the comfort, he hadn't slept much—an old habit from his years of missions, where resting fully around strangers was a luxury he couldn't afford. His thoughts drifted back to the events of the previous day, a whirlwind of emotions and uncertainty that left him feeling unmoored.

As he lay there, the door creaked open slightly, and a small fox leaped onto the bed, curling up beside him.

"What did you find?" Ed asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the morning's stillness.

"Not much, I'm sorry," the fox replied, its voice tinged with sadness.

"It's okay, Bobo. Just tell me everything you know. We need as much information as we can get," Ed reassured him, his voice gentle.

Bobo perked up at Ed's encouragement, his tone becoming more animated. "So, this world seems like a fantasy one, with different creatures living together in various kingdoms—elves, beastkin, dragons, and even mermaids! Oh, I love mermaids! Remember when you became a merman on our 25th mission, and the targets fell in love with you instead? That was such a mess!" Bobo giggled, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Bobo, focus," Ed sighed, trying to keep the conversation on track.

"Right, sorry! So, a great war happened long ago, but I'm not sure about the exact reason. What I do know is that all the creatures suddenly started fighting against each other, and somehow, the human kingdom, which used to be the weakest, won. That was thanks to the first king who united the humans. It seems even the humans were divided—mages, necromancers, swordsmen—all fighting among themselves, each thinking they were better than the others. After they won, the first king established the kingdom of today, 'The Bayard Kingdom.' After the war, all the other kingdoms signed a peace treaty. Diplomatic relations aren't bad, but they aren't great either."

Bobo paused to catch his breath before continuing. "Right now, we're at the borders of The Bayard Kingdom. The village doesn't have a name; it's just referred to as 'the village closest to the Forbidden Forest.' That's where we landed. The forest has a significant impact on the kingdom; it's mysterious and dangerous, and it was left alone for centuries as part of a deal between the humans. I'm not sure why exactly."

"Is that why they were suspicious of us at first?" Ed asked.

"No, I don't think that's the only reason. A couple of days ago, they detected strange signs from the forest. I'm not sure if that's because of us or not, but when that group came to investigate, they found us. They also found Madam Margret, so now they assume the signs were because someone disturbed the creature territory in the forest, which triggered the tower's detection."

"The tower?" Ed inquired.

"A place where the mages and astronomers reside and conduct their experiments," Bobo explained.

"What about the one who took me?" Ed asked, his eyes scanning the room again, noting the small details—a picture of a man and woman, both smiling, their happiness masking a long, sad past. The man, with his strong build and red hair, and the woman, with her warm smile and beautiful face, seemed content in their life together.

"They're famous in this village. They came here 20 years ago with no luggage, just their clothes and some money, and bought the land surrounding this place in one go. People were suspicious at first, thinking they might be criminals or hiding from something, but after hearing no news of wanted posters, they just assumed the couple wanted to start fresh. The man, Theodore Sun, has impressive red hair, which is usually specific to nobles, while commoners typically have brown or black hair. That's why people eventually forgot about them."