[Amelia] the Level Zero Hero Chapter 225 (Patreon)

The sun had long since set over the horizon. A crescent moon hung high overhead, the countless stars above speckling the night sky with their scintillating light. They illuminated the dark forest, casting a faint glow over the canopy of leaves. And standing in a clearing between the trees was a man with golden hair.

He knelt on the ground as he panted, caked in mud and blood. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head.

“Again,” Arthur said as he stared at the figure standing right before him.

It was a green-haired man— an elf with a bow slung around his back. Jax shook his head and turned around. “No, that’s enough for today. You’re tired.”

Arthur closed his eyes. The two of them had been sparring for hours now. Except— to call it a spar was a stretch. Each time they began, Jax thoroughly beat down the former Lich King. Because while Arthur had power, he didn’t have the combat experience necessary to wield it.

Oh, yes, he did have some of his memories of his conquest of Vacuos, over ten thousand years ago. However, that was no different than reading from a book or watching someone else in a duel. It did not constitute as actual experience.

That was why Arthur wasn’t satisfied just yet. He knew he needed experience. He knew he needed to learn how to use his powers. So he shook his head and faced the elf.

“No— I said: again.”

Hearing that, Jax halted. He glanced back, seeing the wisping purple aura flake off Arthur’s body. The elf’s eyes grew wide when he saw the way the former Lich King stood straight with glowing eyes.

“Don’t hold back— even when I’m bleeding and at your feet, I want you to keep fighting me.”

Arthur spoke as he spread his arms wide, his body crackling with electricity. And even Jax couldn’t help but gape at the seeming madness that overcame the bartender.

“I will become stronger.”

Jax heard this. He looked down at his bow, before his hands began to tremble. At first, Arthur thought he had gone too far— that he had scared the elf with his command. But then he saw the way Ajax’s lips quivered. A savage smile spread across the Forsaken Archer’s lips as he looked up at Arthur and laughed.

“Now you’re speaking my language— I won’t hold back! Let’s do this.”

And the two men grinned at each other, before they clashed as the night went on.

—--

Far away from Wolfwater, in the town of Eastshade, Edlyn sat down across from her parents in their home. While she should have been happy to finally be back, she was instead left in… shock.

Edlyn didn’t know how to feel. Her mind was still reeling with everything she had experienced back in her hometown. Some things had stayed the same, but many things had changed. And the changes hadn’t been all for the better. At least, for her.

First she thought her home had been destroyed. But fortunately for her, she found out that it was just being renovated. However, now she saw the state her parents were in.

Her mother could hardly see, and her father struggled to hear. And they both looked much older. Her father was practically balding, his widow’s peak reaching to the top of his head. Meanwhile, her mother was covered in wrinkles, her back slightly hunched, although she seemed far more chipper than her husband.

Edlyn rubbed her eyes, in sheer disbelief at what she saw. Compared to how they had looked when she last saw them, they were completely distinct. The [Royal Chef] still recognized her parents. It wasn’t like they were different people. However, they had aged considerably.

Placing her hands on her face, Edlyn saw her reflection on the cup of tea that had been poured for her. She felt like she had barely aged, unlike her parents. But then she realized she last saw them when she had just turned twenty, and now, she was about to turn thirty.

Perhaps Edlyn should have expected this. Her parents had always been relatively old— having only had her when they reached their mid-thirties. But still, it was jarring to see them looking like this.

“...I need a smoke,” Edlyn whispered under her breath as she massaged her temples.

But she didn’t bring her pipe with her. Looking up, she saw her parents introducing themselves to Amelia.

“So our little Edlyn is working for you now?” Edlyn’s mother said curiously. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ms…?” Amelia replied, proffering a hand.

“You can just call me Cheryl. And this is my husband, Stephan.” Cheryl shook Amelia’s hand.

And Amelia smiled. “I’m Amelia. As I said, I’m Edlyn’s new employer, and I brought her here to meet with you today for her time off.”

“Time off, huh?” Cheryl raised a brow. “That’s surprising, Edlyn never has any time off when she was working at the Astra Palace.”

“Well, I do things differently. I’d rather not work one of my best workers to death. So you’ll be seeing Edlyn a lot more frequently now.” Amelia waved a hand off dismissively.

Edlyn pursed her lips when she heard that. She still wasn’t sure if she believed Amelia. And yet, seeing was believing. It was hard to deny reality— to deny what the [Royal Chef] was seeing before her very eyes.

Stephan, Edlyn’s father, harrumphed and leant back in his seat. He raised a pipe to his mouth as he adjusted his hearing aids.

“All I want to know is if something happened to Edlyn’s position at the Astra Palace— that was her dream job. She didn’t get fired, did she?” Stephan asked with a raised brow.

He looked towards the [Royal Chef]. She winced at that. While she had been excited to meet her parents again after so long, she hadn’t been prepared to explain the intricacies of what happened that led her to working in a farming village far from the capital.

However, Amelia seemed to have been prepared for any interrogation. The brown-haired woman cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Actually, Edlyn didn’t get fired. This is just a temporary job— the King of the Astrad Kingdom owed me a small favor, so I made a special request to have his [Royal Chef] work at my restaurant to train my staff. Don’t worry, she’ll be back at the Astra Palace in a few months.” Amelia gave Stephan a reassuring looks

Edlyn blinked. Most of what had just been said had been a completely lie. And yet, it sounded real enough for it to be the truth.

Cheryl blinked in surprise. “Oh my, I didn’t think that we’d have a friend of the King as a guest today. If I knew that, I’d have prepared some snacks!”

“Seriously?” Stephan practically exclaimed. “I apologize if I was rude, my lady. I didn’t realize you were a noble.”

“Uh, I’m not exactly a noble. So you don’t have to worry about any formalities.” Amelia shook her head as she backed away slightly.

“Well, I’m glad that you finally had the time to visit us,” Cheryl said as she turned to face Edlyn. “Honestly, this must be a blessing in disguise.”

“I…” Edlyn opened her mouth to protest. But she stopped herself. There was a lot she wanted to say in regards to working with Amelia— most of it were complaints, but the main issue being how the [Royal Chef] was no longer working her dream job, whilst simultaneously earning much less.

However, there was the consideration that she would be rewarded greatly for what she was doing right now, working with Amelia. So Edlyn caught herself and took in a deep breath.

“What do you mean, mother?” Edlyn asked.

And Cheryl replied simply, “I have been wanting to see you for a while, Edlyn. Especially before my eyesights give out. Now that I can see you more frequently… it’s almost like the World System heard my prayer, and brought you here.”

She chuckled as she leant back. Stephan nodded and harrumphed.

“That’s right. I’m tired of hearing your mother’s constant yapping too. I’d much rather hear your voice than her screechy voice.” He rubbed his ears.

And Cheryl shot him a glare, before rolling her eyes.

Edlyn just stared at them, utterly befuddled at that. “I…”

But there was nothing she could say. Cheryl smiled as she nodded gratefully at Amelia.

“Thank you for bringing our little girl here.  While we were proud of what she accomplished, and we couldn’t have all these luxuries without her… what we wanted most for the longest is to have her back here with us.

Hearing that, Edlyn couldn’t help but break down into tears.

Author's Notes:

What thonk?

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