Chapter 317: Two Kinds Of Grief(PS Bonus - .)

Chapter 317: Two Kinds Of Grief(PS Bonus Chapter.)

For a moment, Zora remained silent. But rather than calming her down, Nora’s words only seemed to deepen her frustration, her expression darkening further as her fists tightened.

Then, suddenly...

BANG!

Zora slammed her fist into the desk.

The impact produced a loud crack, and a deep dent appeared in the polished wooden surface.

Several objects resting on the desk trembled.

Nora glanced down at the damaged furniture before looking back at her sister.

"Zora..."

"Here you go again!"

Zora’s voice rose.

"Mother calculated everything! Mother planned everything! Mother knew what was best!"

Her eyes glistened with anger.

"That’s all you ever say!"

Nora’s expression changed.

"Watch your tone."

But Zora wasn’t listening anymore.

"If Mother was really so good at calculating everything, then why couldn’t she calculate her own fate?"

The words hung in the air.

Nora went completely still.

Zora’s voice trembled slightly as she continued.

"If she could see so far ahead, if she could predict everything that was going to happen, then why didn’t she—"

"ENOUGH!"

Nora abruptly rose from her chair, her voice ringing through the office and cutting Zora off mid-sentence.

For a moment, the two sisters simply stared at each other. Nora’s expression was no longer calm, her eyes had narrowed, and an unmistakable trace of anger colored her voice.

"That’s enough, Zora."

Zora clenched her jaw.

Nora took a slow breath.

"I know this is difficult for you."

Her voice was quieter now, but no less firm.

"I know how much you want to do something. I know how frustrating it is to sit here while the people responsible for what happened are still out there."

She paused.

"But do you think you’re the only one who feels that way?"

Zora’s expression flickered.

Nora continued.

"Do you think I don’t want revenge too?"

For a brief moment, something painful appeared in her eyes.

"Do you think I enjoy spending every day in this place, searching for someone we haven’t been able to find while knowing what happened to Mother?"

Her hands tightened against the edge of the desk.

"It’s difficult for me too, Zora."

The room fell silent.

Nora looked directly at her younger sister.

"But that doesn’t give you the right to speak about her like that."

Zora’s lips parted slightly.

For a moment, she looked as though she wanted to say something.

However, whatever words she had been about to speak never came.

Instead, she turned her head away.

"Hmph!"

She rose abruptly from her chair.

Without another word, Zora turned and marched toward the office entrance.

"Zora."

Nora called after her.

But her sister didn’t stop.

The door slid open as Zora approached, and she walked straight through without looking back.

A moment later, it closed behind her.

Click.

Silence returned to the office.

Nora remained standing behind her desk, staring at the closed door.

For several seconds, she didn’t move.

Then she slowly lowered herself back into her chair.

"Haa..."

A long, weary sigh escaped her lips.

She leaned back and closed her eyes.

The calm, composed expression she usually maintained had completely disappeared.

In its place was a look of exhaustion.

Of course, she understood why Zora was so upset.

How could she not?

They had lost their mother.

And the circumstances surrounding that loss were something neither of them could simply forget.

Zora had always been more emotional and impulsive, so it was only natural that she wanted to take action. And truthfully, Nora wanted exactly the same thing.

There wasn’t a day that passed when she didn’t think about it.

Even now, the desire to confront their enemies remained buried deep within her.

Sometimes, it was almost overwhelming.

But wanting revenge and being capable of obtaining it were two entirely different matters.

And Nora understood that distinction far better than her younger sister.

Their enemies weren’t individuals they could simply challenge through determination alone.

Even if they spent years improving themselves, there was no guarantee they would be able to bridge the gap in strength.

More importantly, their mother had already considered that possibility.

That was why she had left them with one final instruction.

Find that person.

Only he could help them.

Only with his assistance would they have a chance of overcoming their enemies and restoring their race to its former glory.

Nora opened her eyes.

Her gaze drifted toward the enormous window overlooking the city as she slowly raised a hand to her chest.

Hanging around her neck was a delicate pendant.

Its design was simple, a small metallic frame holding a tiny fragment of an unusual mineral, a fragment of Prime Ore.

A material of extraordinary importance to their race.

In fact, calling it important would have been an understatement. Prime Ore was the very foundation their race had been built upon, without it, their existence would have been fundamentally different.

And the tiny fragment held within her pendant was one of the most precious things she possessed.

Nora gently wrapped her fingers around it.

"Mother..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"I really hope you were right about that person."

She lowered her gaze.

It had been years since she and Zora first arrived in this world.

Years spent establishing the Spectre Guild, gathering information, and quietly searching for the individual their mother had instructed them to find.

And during that time, Nora had encountered several promising candidates.

Some possessed extraordinary talents.

Others displayed unusual abilities or showed potential far beyond what should have been possible for people of their level.

There had even been a few individuals whose circumstances seemed to match parts of the information their mother had left behind.

Naturally, Nora had investigated each of them.

However, every single attempt had ended in disappointment.

Because no matter how impressive those individuals appeared, they all failed the most important test.

The Prime Ore never reacted to them.

Not even once.

And that was precisely what made the search so difficult.

Nora didn’t possess a detailed description of the person they were looking for.

She didn’t know his name, his appearance, or even where he would eventually emerge.

The one reliable method she had been given for identifying him was the reaction of the Prime Ore.

According to her mother, the fragment would respond when the right person appeared.

And until that happened, Nora could never be fully certain that any candidate she came across was truly the one they’d been sent to find.

Unfortunately, after years of relentless searching, the pendant had remained completely, maddeningly silent.

Sometimes, Nora couldn’t help but wonder whether there was even any real point to the mission at all. But each time that thought crept in, she gently pushed it aside, she couldn’t allow herself to think that way, not even for a moment.

Her mother had entrusted them with this mission for a reason, and she had to trust that.

And until she had undeniable, irrefutable proof that the search was truly hopeless, she refused to abandon it.

Even if Zora kept complaining, even if it took several more long years, Nora would keep looking regardless. She tightened her fingers around the pendant, holding it close.

Please, Mother. Let us find him soon.