The Retired Hero is an Extra

***

After departing from the room, Ziva paced through the garden with great familiarity as if it were normal routine to her.

Yet her mind focused on nostalgic memories.

A wry smile erupted from her rosy lips as she recalled arriving for the first time, finding Jash lying on the grass with closed eyes while Caera chased a white-haired girl nearby.

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"Haha,"

A dry chuckle escaped her lips, remembering her initial jealousy until she recognized the guest.

'They are cousins, for god's sake,' she reminded herself, trying to not dwell deeper into her emotions regarding Jash.

'I always considered him a close friend because unlike other nobles, he felt like a genuine person, not some man putting on pretenses. He even lived as he wished…'

To her, she could vividly feel the memories as if reliving the past as her cloudy eyes gawked around the garden filled with flowers, the chatter, the laughter, the whining, the teasing, the fun and games, she could vividly feel them all.

Ziva truly felt like she had time-traveled to the past, just to relive those happy memories before an inevitable short parting with him. After which, everything would have changed in irreversible ways, for the better or worse.

'Sigh. I hope he actually awakens before turning 15…'

…

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Lost in the nostalgic ride of her memories and her own misguided thoughts, she finally reached a large tree.

"It is still the same," muttered Ziva with recognition, looking at the 10 meter tall tree with a 3 meter wide trunk.

The top of the tree didn't have lush green leaves or some fantastical purple leaves, it just had a simple base with some railing, imitating a roof.

Ziva didn't linger on the ground anymore, climbing the stairs carved out of the brown trunk to reach the roof without hesitation.

'He really asked for this to sleep in the open under the stars on his 5th birthday…' Ziva couldn't help but smile in amusement, recalling Jash's weird antics.

Her chest warmed, knowing he trusted her enough to share his decision with her before even his own mother.

–Whoosh

A cold daft hit her in the face as she stood in the staircase, gazing at the open roof, appearing strangely clean.

Walking around the bulkhead on the roof, she climbed it using the jugged trunk easily and sat there, gazing at the night sky.

'Hmm. He really made this place free of the fast-blowing winds,' Ziva mused as she felt the temperature around her stabilize.

The wind which assaulted her face and ruffled her hair seemed absent now, yet she felt uneasy despite the comfort and warmth the place brought her, being close to her heart.

In the end, she couldn't help curling her feet and holding them to minimize her presence, her eyes filled with sadness, of the temporary parting approaching soon, gazing at the endless night sky.

Looking at the almost full moon, she slowly relaxed as her senses opened up to the outside world, allowing her to sense the ambient mana in the atmosphere.

Feeling the prominent presence of wood and air elemental mana in her surroundings brought her a strange sense of calmness, prompting Ziva to close her eyes.

***

Unknown to Ziva, Jash approached her, or rather the strange tree slowly.

Holding the sleeping form of Amelia in his arms, he grimaced, 'Damn! She has grown so heavy!'

Despite his inner complaints, he held her firmly as he didn't dare to wake her up after he somehow managed to coax her.

'Ugh! Why are girls so difficult to talk to…' he thought, recalling his encounters with Ziva and Amelia today. A strange twisted stereotype sprouted from its seed state.

'Maybe I shouldn't have told anyone about my 5th birthday gift…' he thought, recalling revealing it to Amelia on his 10th birthday.

'Even Ziva came here and changed it for her own comfort,' complained Jash yet he didn't seem angry at the turn of events.

Rather he remembered his 10th birthday fondly,

'Luckily, such large banquets are generally reserved at 5th and 12th birthdays, or at the coming-of-age ceremony.'

Jash suddenly smiled, realizing he would be free from attending his brother's coming-of-age ceremony as he would be in the academy by then, which rarely allowed students to leave.

'Ahhh… So satisfying! I will meet all these people one less time…'

Just like Ziva, Jash also remained lost in thoughts before he arrived below that huge tree molded to his taste for his 5th birthday.

'Uncle Serron's gifts are always the best,' chortled Jash inwardly before ascending the stairs.

Being a half-elf, Serron naturally had more affinity for mana and even a better bloodline alongside his wood auxiliary affinity, allowing him to make this place for Jash.

'Being an elf surely is insane,' gulped Jash as he recalled the stories about the elven race.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he reached the roof, enjoying the cold draft. Unlike Ziva, he found the wind comfortable but, feeling Amelia tremble in his arms, he walked around the bulkhead, hoping to climb it.

Yet his arms were already trembling, his muscles aching from lifting Amelia for so long, his untrained arms were too wobbly as his muscles tensed.

Amelia had felt drowsy halfway through and he picked her up, but he didn't know when she slept along the way.

Cradling in his arms like a toddler, he didn't have it in his heart to wake her up from her cute and peaceful slumber.

"How am I going to climb it…"

He wondered aloud in a low voice, his words directed at no one but him in particular as he really felt lost at the moment.

A soothing feeling enveloped him as if to provide him salvation, and suddenly he stood atop the platform, gazing around dumbfounded.

'I don't remember having such a mechanism here…'

Gawking at the bluish colored hue leaving him, which enveloped his form and made him ascend, his gaze finally landed on the girl in front.

His mouth flew open as he felt enchanted by the sight of Ziva holding her knees, he couldn't draw his eyes away as the sight of her figure with the moon in the night sky as her backdrop dazzled him completely.

Feeling an intense gaze, Ziva's lashes fluttered to reveal her amethyst irises, locking onto Jash. However, her sight fell to the little girl, a pang of unknown jealousy rising within.

Unconsciously, the desire to be held by him crossed her mind and her face turned beet red with embarrassment.

The two were too locked in their thoughts to notice each other's emotions at the moment and broke out of their reverie with the sounds of insects waking them up.

Embarrassed, they couldn't look at each other, and Jash forgot how he had risen to the height.

He stepped closer with slow steps and said, "I met her by chance and she fell asleep."

Ziva stood up by the time he reached her side, nodding wordlessly, trying to hide her blush. 'He won't notice in the darkness, right?'

Unable to stop her rising anxiety, Ziva focused on his actions to find out if he noticed or was still oblivious to it.

Feeling her burning gaze, Jash wondered, 'Hmm? Why is she staring so intently?'