The story starts in the morning at Yoka's shop. Adventurers browsed for equipment, potions, and scrolls as Yoka served his customers from behind the counter.

One witch, a blue-haired woman with scars on her face, had black lipstick and brown eyes. She appeared experienced and held a magical sword that had caught her attention.

She looked at Yoka, who was talking to the customers while looking distant, as if his heart wasn't in it. After he finished with one customer, she approached him, her eyes curious and playful. "Yoka, it's been a long time since I saw you."

Yoka looked at her and responded, "Reyanna, welcome. It really has been a long time."

Reyanna smiled. "I heard that you don't work here, just drink and sleep all day. But I see you here, working hard, so the rumors were false after all."

Yoka shook his head and looked away. 'It's true. I have a young man working here who's very diligent, so I stopped working."

Reyanna smiled as she was about to respond, but Yoka spoke first, still looking at the window. "I remembered her."

Reyanna looked at Yoka, knowing who he was talking about. She kept silent as Yoka continued, "I remembered my old friends, our friends. The moment I stopped drinking is the moment I started to remember them clearly."

Reyanna looked away, remembering as well, but unlike Yoka, her cold smile remained unchanged. She then asked, "After all these years? Still living in the past? Why don't you return to drinking?"

Yoka shook his head. "For six years, I kept drinking, and for what? I kept remembering them: Joe and his sister Qira, Fenris and Tyva, and young Lyra. You and me, the Adventurers of Fire we called ourselves..."

Reyanna dropped the sword hard on the counter, stopping Yoka as her cold smile faded. She looked at him and said, "Keep remembering the past all you want. How much is this damn sword?"

Yoka looked at Reyanna, knowing she didn't want or need a history lesson, especially about something she wanted to forget. He replied, "Just take it, on the house."

Reyanna raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. Yoka smiled and said, "I don't know, just a feeling."

Reyanna looked at Yoka with a cold face as she grabbed the sword. Suddenly, she threw a small sack of coins at his chest, causing golden coins to spill on the ground behind the counter. Yoka didn't move but kept looking at her. Reyanna shouted angrily, "KEEP YOUR GOODWILL FOR THOSE WHO GIVE A FUCK!"

The shop and its customers went silent as they watched Reyanna. Yoka remained silent, staring at her, as she left the shop, murmuring to herself, "Never needed anyone other than myself!"

Yoka then started collecting the coins from the ground, remaining silent as the customers returned to their conversations.

After that, Yoka was sitting, reading a book when Murdo greeted him. "Yoka, I never saw you working here before. What happened to Dam?"

Yoka closed the book and replied, "I don't know. It's the first time that kid hasn't come to work. Even when sick, he always showed up."

Murdo nodded, then paused to think for a moment before adding, "I hope you don't fire him from this shop. He's a good person and a hard worker."

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Yoka shook his head, responding, "No, he has helped my shop a lot, and I won't replace him. But if he doesn't show up, I'll have to look for him."

Murdo held a curious expression as he asked, "You think he is in trouble?"

"No, as I know that kid," Yoka answered, thinking deeply. "No, he can't be in trouble. I hope that."

After a few hours, it was evening at the court. A lot of people had gathered to see the woman who killed Fur, the good merchant who was more famous for helping people and providing numerous shops for the poor to work in. He even lent money to people, ensuring they didn't return one extra coin beyond what was given.

Other attendees, though fewer in number, were there to see Granma Mia. Some didn't believe the rumors, while others didn't dismiss the possibility.

The judge's voice boomed through the hall, his loud, scary scream echoing as he reacted to what Mia said. He shouted in anger, "WHAT DID YOU SAY!? YOU DAMN WENCH!"

Granma Mia was shaking, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. Dam stood in the crowd, looking at Mia with hopeless eyes. He couldn't do anything, just kept watching.

Jane and Kunvy, the prisoners waiting their turn, were angry but kept silent. They didn't like how the judge was bullying Mia so freely and disrespecting her as if she were a criminal.

The judge shouted again, "SPEAK!"

Mia was shivering more as she spoke weakly, "I... didn't kill... him... it was a young girl... blonde and... blue eyes... she... looked like a noble..."

The judge interrupted her again with a louder shout, the veins in his neck appearing bigger. "YOU DARE SAY A NOBLE DID THIS? CURSE YOU, YOU KILLER HAG!"

At that moment, Jane snapped, "AAAA, YOU FUCKING JUDGE! SHE'S AN OLD LADY, YOU ASSHOLE!"

One of Fur's workers shouted, "DIE, YOU BITCH! SHE KILLED A GOOD MAN!"

Kunvy shouted back, "WHY DON'T YOU COME HERE AND SAY IT TO MY FACE, LITTLE BOY!"

The judge started shouting at the guards as the crowd erupted into chaos

While everything was happening, time seemed to stop for both Dam and Mia. There was silence as Dam kept looking at Mia. He felt hopeless, unable to do anything to help her, just watching as she shivered and was disrespected with no one to assist her.

On the other side, for the first time, Mia lifted her head to face Leon, who was sitting in a wooden chair. He was looking at the battlefield, littered with the corpses of goblins, soldiers, bandits, thieves, and innocent people.

Mia walked over to him. He looked tired and old as she sat down, and Leon looked at her and smiled. "I am sorry that I am not at your side."

Mia smiled, avoiding looking at the battlefield. "Why are you here? This shouldn't be a place to remember, but to forget."

Leon smiled. "Because I'm looking at different places and memories, looking for something."

Mia looked ahead to see a castle and a beautiful city; it was Reno, with people smiling and living their daily lives. Mia asked, "What are you looking for?"

Leon looked again and saw a big house, a mansion belonging to a noble. He said, looking at the garden, "What went wrong? Why have our lives turned to the worst? Why are you suffering? And why am I not beside you?"

Mia dropped a tear, shaking her head, unsure of what to say. Leon then lowered his head, "You deserve happiness for your deeds; you don't deserve this."

Mia shed more tears as she hugged Leon, who hugged her back, saying, "I can't do nothing except pray that you be brave and strong. I love you so much, my good wife and partner, Mia, my sun and moon."

The room fell silent as the judge shouted, "You are guilty! Mia Dockmag, you killed Fur, the good man, but witnesses saw you. We have covered their identities to protect them from the people closer to you."

Tears streamed down Mia's face as she looked at Leon, nodding. "I will try, just don't leave me yet. I am weak without you."

Leon nodded, "I will always be with you, never forget that!"

At that moment, Dam shouted, falling to his knees with tears streaming down his face. "PLEASE, YOUR HONOR! LET ME TAKE HER PLACE! SHE IS MY MOTHER! PLEASE, TAKE MY HEAD AND LEAVE HER! PLEASE!"

The judge looked at Dam in disgust. "Little shit! Your mother murdered a good man! She doesn't deserve death but much worse than that!"

Dam lifted his head in shock, unsure of what to do. He was shivering as the judge declared, "Mia Dockmag, you were a doctor on the battlefield, and you should die, at least die while saving our soldiers who fight the goblins bravely. This is your damn miserable redemption."

Dam was about to scream in anger as the guards started dragging Mia toward the prison chamber again. As they walked past him, Mia, as she always did, forced a smile and said, "Live happily, son."

Dam's tears fell as he looked at Mia, his voice filled with all the strength and emotion he could muster, "I love you too, mother."

After that, Mia remained in the same cell, while the other women were in a separate cell. Jane and Kunvy then returned to their cell.

Roy, the guard, locked the cell door and then looked at Jane, asking, "How many this time?"

Jane glanced at Roy with a careless expression, replying, "Just a year; it will pass. The important thing is that I didn't rat out my family."

Roy nodded, his voice weak and hesitant, "I... I really don't like seeing you in this cell."

Jane smiled and replied, "Roy, I will be in prison, and you won't see me for a year."

Roy shook his head, looking first at Kunvy, then back to Jane, his voice tinged with regret, "I don't like you being in any cell."

Jane retorted, "Life is hard, and sometimes the best work is illegal. If you don't want to see me in a cell, why did you arrest me that time, five years ago?"

Roy answered defensively, "I was a soldier! I couldn't just let you go; you were a criminal."

Jane then looked at Roy and said, "Then, me being in prison is just normal if I'm a criminal. Keep defending your masters; they will hold your hand when you die for them."

Roy looked at Jane in silence, not responding.

Suddenly, Mia started coughing. Roy immediately grabbed a large goblet of water from his office and rushed to her cell. He opened the door quickly and handed her the water. Mia drank while Roy patted her gently. He then gave her his pillow and coat to keep her warm while she was in the cell.

Kunvy watched Roy, then whispered to Jane, "He is a good guy. People like him, they don't live long."

Jane nodded, unknowingly expressing her words with deep sadness, "I hope not. For just this once, I hope not."