Esa Raak

"If your son just accepts our offer. We could send you to Zenid tomorrow to be with him and his legacies." Said Prefectus Prisca, while I just sighed.

"You should stop asking me that, Prefectus; he would be an idiot to accept your offer. Besides, even if I had the power to convince him, I would not," I replied.

Remus's legacy has a future; becoming the colosseum's subject would destroy it; I will not have that.

The woman glared, with a faint bit of her aura releasing from her, making me shudder.

I wouldn't have dared to talk to her like that a few years ago. They hold my life and death in their hands, but now I have no fear. The children are with their brother, so that they would not touch them.

I am too important for them, and besides, synods don't like it when masters kill immediate family members of other masters.

To be honest, I wish they would kill me. It will release Remus from the thin hold they will have over him because of me.

"You do not comprehend the danger your son is in. We could help him," she said, and wanted to refute, but something in her eyes told me that her words were no exaggeration.

"It is his choice," I stated.

She said nothing. Instead, she turned toward the large window of her office. "Convince your son Esa, before it is too late," she said. I said nothing and got up; she did not stop me.

I stepped out of the office and let out a sigh of relief. That woman scares me.

Although now, her words are haunting me. She seemed to refer to something. I hope you will remain careful, my son.

A moment later, I activated Lightning Steps and moved.

She had summoned me when I was about to go to my friend's party. He had become free today from the shackles of the colosseum and now could do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted.

Envy couldn't help but rise in my heart, but I pushed it aside and focused on the skill.

The Colosseum is crowded as usual, but I moved through the people smoothly.

Soon, I reached the gate before stepping out of it. It took me a few minutes before I reached my house, but I didn't walk toward my house, but the one beside it.

I appeared beside the door and knocked.

"You took your time," said the middle-aged woman, with a faintly slurred voice. "Went to the arena," I replied, and understanding flashed in her eyes.

"Come on in," she replied, inviting me in.

As I did, I saw people; they were everywhere. All of them are gladiators; most of them are bound like me, but Venna, who just opened the door, is a free gladiator.

She is not bound to a master or the Colosseum.

Arena pays good money. Especially to her, she knows how to excite the crowd. Which brought out the emotions, and that is what legacies desire the most.

"Anna, you came," said the tall, dark elf, with a jug of beer in his hand. "Come have a drink." Another jug appeared in his hand out of nowhere, and he handed it to me.

"Cheers," I said, and drank the beer while activating Sober Mind.

I don't particularly like drinking, but, being a mercenary, it is part of the job.

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So, I do it, but whenever I do, I activate my skill. It had saved me from a lot of trouble in my mercenary career, for many, including my teammates, fell into it.

I pushed those thoughts away and walked toward the man of the hour.

Nemoris is a short man with thick, raven hair. He is slightly overweight as of the day I first saw him. Even the Colosseum wasn't enough to shed that fat off him.

"You are free at last, dear friend," I said, pushing the envy into a dark corner of my heart. "Thank you, it feels unreal." He replied softly while looking at the ceiling with misty eyes.

"It is true, and I hope you will cherish it," I said, and he nodded. A moment later, a smile appeared on his face.

"Where have you been? I had expected my neighbour to be the first to arrive at my party," he asked. "At the Colosseum," I replied, and a frown appeared on his face.

"Did they pardon your fight?" he asked. It happened sometimes. "No, it was something else," I replied.

"Congratulations!"

He opened his mouth, but one of his drunk friends came and shouted congratulations. I let him talk to others, while I move around the party with a jug of beer, taking only a few sips now and then.

As long as they see the jug in my hand, they will not force me to drink more.

Many people have come to the party; some I have not seen in a while. So, I moved around, talking to them.

Time passed, and soon it was midnight. Most of the guests have left, and some are lying on the floor, drunk. They are in no state to move, much less help with the cleaning up.

"Thank you. I really don't want to clean up the day I leave," he said. I smiled.

Thankfully, nobody had vomited. The thing that took the most effort was moving the drunks; some of them were really drunk, but in the end, we did it and cleaned the entire house.

"You are free. What will you do?" I asked.

We are sitting in the living room, amidst the snoring noise of some of our friends.

"I don't know, I had asked around in a few arenas, but nobody is willing to hire me. I could join a mercenary company, but I am good at surviving, not fighting," he replied, letting out a laugh.

"I am thinking about opening my own arena, but it will require massive funds."

"I have a few people who might invest, but I haven't gotten a solid commitment yet," he added. Oton is a continent of arenas; there are a lot of them, but more open every year, and many close.

I hesitated for a moment before taking a piece of paper out of my pocket and handing it to him.

"If nothing else works, try this," I said. He opened the piece of paper, and surprise appeared on his face.

"Velvet Garden, isn't this a legacy in Zenid?" he asked, and I nodded.

"It's a brothel," he said. "You know, I like women, but I am not a whore," he added, and I laughed. "It's a brothel, but also a lot more,"

"It's in reconstruction, and they are going to add a few things to it," I replied.

I talked to Carla regularly. She keeps me informed about things, including the legacies.

"You know, legacies don't hire people with my record," he said. Legacies are strict in hiring. Even Masal wants him out; they only kept him because of the punishment.

If they had known what sort of trouble he was going to be, they wouldn't have accepted his ten years in the colosseum for thirty years' regular imprisonment.

"They will look past that with my recommendation," I replied. I can help with that, but the rest is up to him.

"How do you have a connection with it?" he asked, his eyes turning serious. I smiled and got up. "Good night, Nemoris, don't leave in the morning before saying goodbye," I said and walked away.

Soon, I stepped out of his house and stepped into mine.

Once more, the loneliness crashed into me. Even after years, I didn't get used to the children's absence.

Sometimes at night, I would wake up and expect to find my daughter sleeping beside me, but that place would be empty.

I miss my children, especially Remus. There hadn't been a single day that I hadn't thought about him. I wish I hadn't accepted that mission. If I hadn't, I would be with him right now!

I shook my head at that thought.

I drank a glass of water and lay down on the bed, both feeling sad and happy. Sad because I miss my children, happy because they are safe.

Greltheaven isn't safe, but no place is; the last mission I took was supposed to be a safe escort mission, but it had turned into a lot more. Still, I worry, but I know my son is capable.

Nemoris would be good for his legacy.

Yes, he made some mistakes, but paid for them. I don't think he would dare to make them again.

He might smile and laugh, but I could see the pain, the scars that time here had given him. Like many of us, he nearly died more times than he could remember, and that leaves marks on one's soul.

They give me nightmares; my biggest one is that I die in battle without seeing my children again.

Minutes passed. Seeing that I was not falling asleep, I got up and walked toward the small table in my room. Before sitting down, there lay a half-written letter.

I could now talk to the children with the spell, at least to the two of them and Carla.

Remus still won't speak to me.

Though he reads my letters and writes back, his language always remains curt. Though it's softening a little, and I know Carla played some role in it.

I looked at the letter and wrote, and unlike earlier, words flowed out.

I wrote about everything, my day, Nemoris's farewell, and many other things. In just a few minutes, I had finished the letter, sealed the envelope, and put it with the other three.

I returned to bed soon after, and this time, sleep took me.