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nAlthough Howard was quite averse to assassins who lurk in the shadows, he couldn’t deny that Antalya’s advice had its merits.

nTrying something new wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.

n“Howard, up so early again… Are you striving for greatness?”

nJelia’s voice carried through the air, prompting Howard to sigh, “How many times have I told you? Call me ‘brother’ or ‘boss,’ not by my name directly. It’s impolite!”

nIn the past, those who dared to address him by name, even if he didn’t mind, might still end up in trouble with his followers.

n“Howard is Howard. Why should we use those strange titles? Do you have some peculiar habits, Howard?”

nJelia struggled to push the window open, using both hands and feet to clumsily climb through it.

nDue to her low blood pressure in the morning, her movements were shaky, looking like she might fall at any moment.

nHoward stood up to give Jelia a hand, setting her down on the ground and patting her head.

n“Comb my hair.” Jelia raised her hand, revealing a comb she held.

n“There’s no mirror here,” Howard shook his head, though it wasn’t really about the lack of a mirror.

nAfter all, they were in the yard, and even combing the hair of a child who was like a daughter to him made Howard somewhat uncomfortable.

nHoward sighed, glancing at the sky.

nIt was still somewhat dark; the sky only faintly lit with a soft grey-blue hue.

nThe sun had yet to rise from behind the clouds, and the air carried a mix of moisture and chill.

nHoward pinched Jelia’s hand, which was somewhat cold.

nHe patted her hair, “How about we go inside, aren’t you cold?”

n“I want to watch the sunrise.”

nIt was another unreasonable request.

nJelia stuffed the comb into Howard’s palm, “Find me a thick coat, and let’s go to the roof to watch the sunrise.”

nHoward looked into Jelia’s calm, stubborn eyes, eventually exhaling in resignation.

n“Wait here for me.”

nJelia’s belongings were all in his room.

nHer clothes seemed too thin, so Howard grabbed a few of his own to layer her up.

nWrapping Jelia until only her eyes were visible, Howard finally stopped and nodded in approval.

n“Howard! You did this on purpose! How can I comb my hair like this?”

nJelia protested, but Howard was unmoved.

n“It’s still quite cold now. If you get sick, Vivia will definitely make you take medicine. Decide for yourself.”

nThough Vivia’s preparations for Jelia’s medicine lacked malicious additives, none of the concoctions were palatable.

nAfter tasting it once, Jelia swore never to do so again, her face contorting at the memory.

nUnder the threat of medicinal broth, Jelia reluctantly agreed.

nHoward lifted the little orc onto his shoulders.

nDespite not being particularly tall, carrying a small girl presented no issue.

n“Hold tight.”

nSupporting Jelia with one hand, Howard exerted himself with a leap, landing steadily on the rooftop.

nFinding a clean spot on the sloped roof to sit, Howard settled down, bringing Jelia into his embrace and handing her the small comb.

n“You asked for it, watching the sunrise.”

nThe sun began its slow ascent from the eastern horizon, its pace neither swift nor sluggish.

nSilently, it rose, its golden rays illuminating the sky, dispelling the last vestiges of night and chill, imbuing the world with a sense of vibrant life.

nHoward had watched the sunrise from this rooftop before, and it wasn’t the first time he had shared this moment with Jelia.

nHe had already boasted about it to the little orc.

nAlthough his bragging hadn’t initially earned him any admiring glances, the outcome was still quite pleasing, making those cups of tea he had spent not go to waste.

n“So beautiful,” Jelia whispered, her gaze fixed on the half-emerged sun on the horizon.

n“Is every day’s sunrise this beautiful?”

nA question filled with childlike wonder.

nHoward smiled, nodding in agreement, “As long as you come to watch, every day’s sunrise will be this beautiful.”

n“That’s nice, it won’t change, will it?” Jelia sighed, lifting her hands to remove the clothing draped over her head, revealing her shoulder-length hair, “Comb my hair, I want twin braids. Someone said I looked nice like this yesterday.”

nHoward was already accustomed to Jelia’s occasional cunning; taking the comb, his focus shifted to the person mentioned in her story.

n“Who said that, Vivia? Antalya?”

n“Neither,” Jelia replied, “It was a sister I’ve never seen before. I was with Ali yesterday going to the market, and I saw her on the way. She had a big white dog with her, really big.”

nThough Howard hadn’t spent an extensive amount of time in Breeze City, he was already familiar with all the local nobility.

nHe couldn’t recall any noble lady whose pet was a large white dog.

nWith the comb smoothly running through her hair, Howard separated the strands, ready to start braiding.

n“Right, right, Howard, that sister said she would come back to see me in a few days.”

n“Does this count as bringing a customer to the tavern?” Jelia remarked.

nHoward chuckled at her comment.

nHowever, his laughter gradually faded, and his expression grew solemn as a thought struck him.

nHe thought of Nula, who also had a large white dog by her side.

nCould it be her? Were they finally about to arrive?

n…

nJelia eventually fell asleep.

nThis usually lazy child, who always needed Howard to call her to wake up, finally couldn’t resist the lure of sleepiness and dozed off in Howard’s warm embrace.

nHer unease had lessened a lot, but her dependency on Howard had increased.

nThis wasn’t a good sign.

nHoward was destined to leave, and he couldn’t take Jelia with him.

nThat would be far too dangerous for her.

nCarefully lifting Jelia, Howard descended from the rooftop and was met by Ali. 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝑚

n“Have you been waiting here for me?” Howard noticed Ali’s clothes were slightly damp, likely wet from the morning dew.

n“Let’s go to the adventurer guild today and get our identification sorted,” Ali didn’t respond to Howard’s question but instead shifted the topic.

n“That woman yesterday, she came for you, didn’t she?”

nHoward’s pupils contracted slightly, surprised that Ali had connected such scant clues to him.

n“That woman didn’t seem like nobility, and she bore no malice towards Jelia. However, I could tell her aim wasn’t Jelia.”

nAli paused before continuing, “If not Jelia, the only other person I can think of is you, since you’re the closest to Jelia.”

nHoward looked at her, silent.

n“We’re companions, aren’t we?” Ali frowned.

n“I’m sorry, this matter is deeply entangled,” Howard shook his head, then nodded, “We’ll go get our identification today, and I’ll be leaving in the next few days.”

n“What about Jelia! She can’t be without you. And Vivia.”

n“When did you become such a worrywart?”

nHoward laughed softly, holding Jelia closer, “I’ll put the little girl to bed, then we can head out.”

nWithout giving Ali a chance to respond, he walked into his own room.

nHe couldn’t involve Antalya and the others in this.

nGently placing Jelia on the bed, removing the outer layers of clothing, and carefully tucking her in, Howard placed the small comb by Jelia’s pillow, touching her cheek softly.

nIf he left this time, there likely wouldn’t be another chance to return.

nNula’s appearance must be due to the quest mentioned by Dorek, a quest directly bestowed by the gods.

nHoward was supposed to accept it like a hero, then set off with grandeur, at the very least wielding the sharpest sword from the city.

nBut Howard had nothing.

nNone of that mattered.

nIf he survived, he would leave this place.

nAnd if he didn’t, he would still depart, just to a different destination. .

nThere would be no chance for farewells.

nBetter to leave quietly then.

nHoward turned to leave the room, only to find not just Ali at the door, but Greg as well.

nThe dwarf, likely having spent the entire night in the blacksmith shop, was still clad in his dirty forging apron, his body speckled with black iron and coal dust, yet his eyes sparkled with intensity.

n“Are you heading out on a long journey?”

nIt seemed Greg had caught wind of something from Ali, or perhaps he had just been eavesdropping.

nHe asked directly.

n“Where did you hear that? Nonsense,” Howard firmly shook his head.

nIt was one thing for Ali to know; she understood discretion and the importance of timing, but Greg was different.

nIf this dwarf knew, it might as well mean that the few people in the tavern were in on it.

n“Nonsense! What nonsense! I just heard it! You’re going to the adventurer guild to get your identification! If you’re not heading out on a long journey, what do you need the identification for?”

nGreg’s eyes widened as he glanced between Ali and Howard, “What exactly are you hiding?”

nIt appeared the dwarf hadn’t heard much.

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