Chapter 150: Lynns Past and Future

POV Eliza

“Lynn?” <Eliza>

“Eliza, I'm so glad to see you here. I didn't expect to see you anymore.” <Lynn>

Lynn's face showed clear relief, but also small signs of sadness and regret. I hadn't seen her in a long time. A lot of time had passed since the kidnapping last year. Had she gone on another dungeon expedition with the other young wolves? And if so, where were the other two?

“It's so good to see you, Lynn. How are you? It's been a long time.” <Eliza>

"Yes, it's been a long time and a lot has happened. Do you have a moment? I have something important to tell you and I don't have much time left." <Lynn>

That sounded mysterious and frightening. Was this another surprise that I wasn't sure I wanted to hear? Most surprises were negative, and I had had enough of those for now. But I trusted Lynn, so I nodded to her.

“But not here. There are too many ears here, even though the guild hall is not very busy at the moment. I know a place where we can have a drink. Is that okay with you?” <Lynn>

I got up from my chair and pointed to the exit.

“Go ahead, Lynn. I'll follow you.” <Eliza>

“All right. This way.” <Lynn>

Lynn walked ahead, but kept looking back to see if I was following her. The mood of the situation was strange. Until now, Lynn had taken every opportunity to cling to my arm when we were in town. But today she didn't. She kept an unexpected distance. Had she found someone she was in love with? And she wanted to tell me the good news? That would be really good news and worth telling. But she could have told me that at the guild.

Lynn led me to a small bar about 5 minutes away from the guild. We sat down at a table and ordered something. Lynn showed clear signs of nervousness, and it kept getting worse. Whatever news she wanted to tell me was important enough to put her in this state. I looked at her with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. Lynn finished her drink and took a deep breath.

“I'm so happy to have seen you again. Now I can set off on the next leg of my journey with a lighter heart.” <Lynn>

“What's wrong, Lynn? You sound like you're about to die. Don't scare me.” <Eliza>

“Die? No, I'm not. Did it sound like that? No, but I probably won't see you again for the next few years. Maybe not ever again.” <Lynn>

“What do you mean?” <Eliza>

"I'm leaving Tyros and the entire Empire. I'm leaving tomorrow, so it's a happy coincidence that I got to see you again today." <Lynn>

“Where are you going and why?” <Eliza>

“I have to back up a bit to explain that. Another one of these, please.” <Lynn>

Lynn picked up her empty glass and showed it to the bartender. She waited until she got a new one and then continued talking.

“As you know, I come from a small village. We do have some contact with others through our traders, but very few come to our village to visit someone, let alone live there permanently. At the same time, few have left our village to live elsewhere.” <Lynn>

I nodded at her words. That was typical behavior for a small village, especially in Earth's past.

"I am now at an age where I am supposed to take a spouse. But there is no one in my village I want to marry. For various reasons. For a long time, it was taken for granted that I would marry Ken. I never thought about it and just accepted it. I was also powerless and couldn't have changed anything. But that changed when I met you. You were so free and independent. I couldn't help but be impressed. And jealous. I wanted to be like you." <Lynn>

Was that Lynn's impression of me? It was true, I was independent. But only because I had to be. I had no other choice, which is why the times I could be with my family were so precious to me.

"I was so happy to be able to go on adventures with you, even if it was only here in the dungeon. I really enjoyed the time with you, but then everything changed. The kidnapping changed everything, both for better and for worse. That day, you became my hero. You saved me and, above all, rebuilt me mentally. I was amazingly positive about my future and longed for the day when we could go on adventures together again." <Lynn>

I was her hero? I had only freed her from imprisonment. It wasn't that extraordinary. I didn't respond. I didn't know what to say anyway.

"Unfortunately, everything changed when I got home. My grandfather didn't take the whole story very well. From that day on, I was only allowed to leave the house under supervision. I was forbidden from doing almost everything. I was locked up for the whole winter, and in the spring it was decided that I would be married on my next birthday." <Lynn>

Lynn's voice grew quieter with every word she spoke. Her sadness and despair continued to grow. In the end, small tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

“I was to be married to someone from the neighboring village, someone I had never seen before in my life. I found the thought unbearable and became more desperate every day.” <Lynn>

Now she was on the verge of bursting into tears. I would have liked to comfort her, but I suspected that she would then be unable to continue speaking for a long time. I knew Lynn was a proud person. She wouldn't want to lose her composure like that. So I resisted the urge to take her in my arms.

"About three weeks ago, I received the news that my new husband would be arriving soon. My birthday is next week by the way. Happy gift, right? I realized that I was facing a difficult decision. Either I give up and surrender to my fate, or I try to change something on my own. This time, no one will come to my rescue. I didn't like the idea of having to be rescued again like a weak child. So I came up with a plan to escape." <Lynn>

Oh, that sounded much more like Lynn.

“I spent the next day making preparations. My family was busy with their own tasks. Then, during the night, I seized the opportunity to escape. I was able to flee the village unseen. It took me over two weeks to get here to Tyros.” <Lynn>

“What are you going to do now? You can't stay here. They would find you.” <Eliza>

“I can tell you because I trust you. I'm going south. There's a magic academy there that I want to attend. I want to enroll as a student. There's also a dungeon nearby where I can earn money to pay the fees.” <Lynn>

“You've planned this well. What you're planning sounds very reasonable. But also very daring.” <Eliza>

“Would you like to come with me? You can also work as an adventurer there, and we can form a new party together.” <Lynn>

“No, unfortunately that's not possible. There's an emergency in my family right now and I'm needed here. I can't leave. On the contrary, I was busy meeting friends and telling them about it. That's the only reason I'm in Tyros. You're lucky to have found me here at all.” <Eliza>

"Sigh, I thought so. You're very close to your family, right? I don't have anyone I can rely on anymore. I can only look ahead and hope that everything will be okay." <Lynn>

"Don't be so pessimistic, Lynn. I'll come visit you next year. I'm planning to explore the two dungeons in the south at some point anyway. I'll be happy to stop by the academy to see you, even if I don't become a student. You know I'm not a mage, and I won't become one with my air magic alone. But maybe I'll be able to attend a few classes, if there are any. My air magic hasn't reached its limit yet." <Eliza>

“Really? You're coming to visit me? Now I'm much more motivated. But tell me, Eliza, you're very busy. Doesn't your boyfriend, if you have one, mind? He probably doesn't get to see you very often.” <Lynn>

“I don't have a boyfriend. Why do you ask?” <Eliza>

"Oh, no reason. Thanks for listening to me. I'm already looking forward to our next meeting." <Lynn>

Lynn now had a beaming smile on her face. It was hard to believe that just a few minutes ago she was on the verge of tears. So I was completely surprised by her next move. Lynn stood up, walked around the table, and kissed me right on the mouth. Then I heard a quiet “sorry” from her and she stormed out of the bar. I sighed loudly and held my hand to my lips. With this action, she showed that she had a clear romantic interest in me. I, on the other hand, was more torn than ever. I had nothing against Lynn as a person, but my circumstances were becoming increasingly difficult for a potential partnership. The difference in our lifespans was an extremely serious issue. Until now, I had never wanted to think about whether I was prepared to lose a lover because I would live much, much longer. And a short-lived romance was out of the question for me. That would also be unfair to Lynn. I liked her too much for that.

And, as I said, a lasting relationship was difficult. If I'm allowed to live that long by the heroes, not to mention the monsters in the dungeons.