Chapter 111: Reunion, Memories, This—This Is a Miracle!

“Is it really you… Uncle Brian.”

That single “uncle.”

Instantly dropped the jaws of everyone nearby.

Old John’s layers of fat stiffened.

His bean-sized eyes almost popped out.

Even Lynn, who had been monitoring everything with his divine sense, nearly lost composure.

The former—utterly unexpected.

Who would have thought anyone in Holy Light Town would know such a big figure from the Imperial Capital?

The latter—shocked first, then ecstatic!

That mighty figure turned out to be acquainted with his Divine Blessed?

Things were turning around!

The man whom that voice had directly called out—Brian—

Showed the most subtle reaction.

He froze for a brief instant.

On his ever-serene face, unchanged for millennia, flashed a rare hint of surprise.

He lowered his head, his gray-blue pupils focusing on Liz’s striking, almost unreal, clear-skinned face.

The scroll of memory unfurled rapidly within his mind.

He tried matching this young, beautiful face with any from his past.

But—no.

Not even the slightest resemblance!

Thus—

That faint trace of surprise was swiftly replaced by coldness.

Clinging to connections, trying to exploit opportunities—

Such tricks, Brian had seen far too many in his long life.

In the Imperial Capital, noble ladies and fallen houses alike had used every method imaginable to associate themselves with him.

He was long sick of it.

Yet—

Liz seemed to have expected Brian’s reaction.

She did not retreat a single step under his icy gaze.

Instead, she stepped forward confidently.

Her tone carried the familiarity and sentiment of a long-awaited reunion.

“Uncle Brian, it’s me, Liz Hawke.”

“The daughter of the Hawke family—from Sandstone Town!”

“……”

Sandstone Town.

That was the quiet little northern town where Brian had been born!

At the mention of that name—and that somewhat familiar surname—

His thoughts were suddenly pulled far, far back.

Back to the time—

When the Undead Scourge had not yet descended.

The Empire still bathed in the false glory of peace.

And his hometown, Sandstone Town—

Though poor and backward—was still self-sufficient and tranquil.

As for him, Brian Price—

The once-in-a-century genius from that ducal territory—

Had already made his mark in the Imperial Capital, having reached the rank of Fifth-tier Sun-Moon Knight.

Even so, he would still return regularly to that place which had raised him, gathering with family and friends.

One of his neighbors—

Bore the surname “Hawke.”

And indeed, the Hawke family had a daughter.

A stubborn little tomboy who loved playing with swords and guns.

In Brian’s memory—

She always wore that defiant expression, refusing to ever admit defeat…

At that recollection—

Brian’s lips moved slightly.

He finally uttered his first words since entering the town: “Liz, the stubborn little brat?”

His tone carried heavy doubt—

But it was no longer outright denial.

Hearing that familiar hoarse voice—

A genuine, heartfelt smile blossomed across Liz’s face.

So much so—

That it even carried a trace of girlish bashfulness she hadn’t shown in years. “Pfft… I didn’t expect, Uncle Brian, that you’d still remember me.”

She shook her head gently, a haze of wistful nostalgia flashing in her eyes.

“But time passes so quickly… it’s been over twenty years already…”

“Our home, Sandstone Town… is long gone.”

That fleeting melancholy—

Did not awaken warmth in Brian’s eyes.

Instead, it deepened the coldness within them.

Brian turned his head and fixed Old John with a frosty stare.

The latter shuddered violently—

And immediately understood what this great man meant.

The other party believed that he had leaked his identity in advance, even suspecting that this “reunion” had been meticulously staged!

Old John hurriedly bowed, his voice trembling in fear, “My Lord! Injustice! I swear, I’ve been wronged!”

“I swear by the honor of a baron, I have never disclosed any information about you to Lady Liz!”

“And ever since before Holy Light Town was even founded, her name has always been Liz Hawke, never once changed!

“My Lord, there must be some enormous misunderstanding here!”

Indeed.

Brian still doubted that this Liz was an impostor—and even began to suspect Old John.

And the reason—

Was, in truth, all too simple~!

Though Brian appeared to be in his thirties or forties, a typical middle-aged man,

And Liz looked barely past twenty—calling him “uncle” seemed age-appropriate.

But in reality!

Brian Price was already over sixty years old!

That little girl who used to call him uncle—

Would now be close to forty!

If still alive, she might have already become a wife and even had grown children.

None of that would be surprising.

But how could she—

Possibly look like this youthful maiden before him!!!

What’s more—

Brian clearly remembered that their hometown had once been raided by bandits.

That stubborn girl had foolishly picked up a blade to resist.

Her face had been slashed by one of the thugs, leaving a hideous scar that nearly ran across half her face!

It was only because he had rushed back in time that he exterminated the bandits and saved her life.

And that tragic experience had become the very reason Liz vowed to grow stronger.

She had eventually joined one of the Twelve Knight Orders of the Empire—

the Order of the Templar Knights directly under the Holy Light Church.

However—

With Liz’s ordinary talent,

And her stubborn refusal to accept his help,

She had remained a marginal figure among the many prodigies of the Order.

When the Undead Scourge erupted, the Holy Light Church had been the first to bear the brunt.

The last time Brian saw Liz—

He had sternly warned her not to go to the front lines to die. Yet she… had gone anyway.

After that, she vanished without a trace.

In his heart, Liz Hawke had long died honorably on the battlefield—her body wrapped in horsehide.

Therefore, the person before him—could not possibly be her!

She could only be a deliberate impostor!

Rage began to surge within Brian’s chest.

He had always despised being deceived—

Especially when someone dared to use the last remnants of softness he still held for his homeland.

【Silent Sanctuary】

His Sanctuary power was about to descend upon this small town.

At that very moment, Liz stepped forward several paces, coming to stand right before Brian’s horse.

Her gaze was clear and sincere,

As if she could look directly into the disbelief and fury within Brian’s very soul.

“I understand, Uncle Brian.”

“Just as your face has not changed after all these years, I too recognized you at a single glance.”

“My appearance now has indeed changed too much—it’s natural for you to doubt me.”

She paused.

Then, word by word, her voice struck with the weight of time—

Hammering on the walls of Brian’s heart.

“But… do you still remember?”

“That spring, beneath the great tree behind Sandstone Town—you taught me to practice swordsmanship.”

“But I was so clumsy I couldn’t even manage a basic slash, almost cutting my own leg.”

“You didn’t scold me then. You just sighed and said… ‘The heart unsettled, the forest startles the deer. The sword extended—is the heart, a mirror.’”

Brian’s pupils contracted sharply.

“And this scar on my face.”

Liz gently brushed her fingers along her cheek.

“That day, after you slaughtered all those bandits while drenched in blood, you held me—barely alive—in your arms, your hands trembling.”

“You said to me… ‘Remember this pain—but do not hate.’”

Those details—

Were memories shared by them alone, impossible for any outsider to know!

Especially that sigh of his—

Even he had nearly forgotten it after years of endless killing…

The terrifying pressure that was about to erupt from Brian’s body—

Was suddenly stilled and dissolved.

The almost-descended 【Silent Sanctuary】 vanished without a trace.

He stared fixedly at Liz’s face.

In those frostbound eyes, for the first time, a violent tremor appeared.

A faint, disbelieving joy slowly surfaced.

Liz knew the most crucial moment had arrived.

She took a deep breath,

Then raised her hand, pointing toward the grand church bathed in soft golden light at the town’s center.

Her voice was solemn and devout:

“Uncle Brian, all my changes—the reason I survived, the reason I can stand here now…”

“All the answers lie there—beneath the Holy Light of the Almighty Lord Angel.”

“It was He who pulled me back from the brink of death.”

“It was He who healed the wounds of my body and soul, granting me new life and strength.”

“And it was by His grace that I could protect this last pure land.”

“This—this is a Miracle!”

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