“Can I ask you to save the elves held captive in the underground cellar?” Anna turned to Mag with a beseeching look in her bright eyes.
“Hmm?” Mag was just preparing to tell the two little girls a bedtime story, and he was taken aback by her request.
“All of them have been locked in cages in the dark and dank underground cellar. They don’t have any food or water, and Grandpa said that they’ll die if they’re not rescued.” Anna looked at Mag with a sympathetic expression, and tears were shimmering in her eyes again.
“That’s so sad; please save them, Father.” Amy was also pleading with her bright eyes opened wide.
Mag felt as if his heart were melting at the sight of the adorable wheedling elven duo. A rush of blood flowed into his head as a result. Those elf traffickers should die horrible deaths for their heinous crimes!There were still many elves being tormented in the dark underground cellar, and he didn’t know how long it would take for the Gray Temple to deploy personnel to search for that base. If those traffickers caught wind of their leader’s death, and fled the base with all of their elven prisoners, then that would be a tragedy. The memory of Joshua’s death was still fresh in his mind. Even an elderly elf like him had the courage to rescue his brethren-even if it meant risking his life in the process.
After coming into this world, Mag was burdened by the pressure arising from the existence of enemies that Mag Alex had made. In the face of such fearsome foes, Mag could only hide his heroic side and prioritize his and Amy’s safety above all else. As a result, he had forgotten what it felt like to be a hot-blooded justice warrior. He had unintentionally become more selfish, and refrained from engaging in activities that would endanger himself and Amy.
As he looked into Amy’s and Anna’s clear and pure eyes, a hint of shame welled up in his heart.
He had been avoiding this topic with Anna as he didn’t want her to be sad. However, there was also another subconscious underlying reason, and that was that he didn’t want to know too much about this matter, as he would feel guilty for not doing anything if he were to glean more details.
He seemed to have already forgotten what kind of person he was.
He wasn’t Shen Mag, as Shen Mag was always straightforward with his words and actions, and occasionally had a hot-blooded side to himself as well. He had a sharp tongue, but most of the time, his words rang true and cut straight to the point. Those restaurants closed down not because of his sharp tongue, but instead due to the fact that they really had problems.
He wasn’t Mag Alex, either, as Alex always let his sword do the talking. If he encountered anything he didn’t like, he would let his sword sort it out.Those who had fallen by his blade included evil knights, man-eating demons, and evil dragons that attacked villages. If he heard about any injustice in this world, he would immediately arrive on the scene. All of the evildoers that others couldn’t kill were slain by himself or his purple-striped griffin.
But now, he had placed himself under a crippling set of shackles. He had lost his pure heart and hot-blooded attitude. In the process, he had also lost the qualities of courage and sacrifice that were imperative for a knight, thus becoming the kind of person that he’d once detested.
This is not the type of father that Amy likes, is it? If I always think about running away in the face of problems, how am I going to become a good father and support a family? A series of questions flashed through Mag’s mind, and he was suddenly enlightened. His eyes lit up as he thought to himself, Perhaps it’s time I made some changes…
Mag turned to Anna after making up his mind, and asked, “Anna, do you know where that place is? If I asked you to take us there, would you be able to find it?”
“Yes, I remember where it is. Grandpa told me that we can get there by going north from Chaos City, then we go along a river…” Anna immediately sat up and began to give a serious reply.
“Alright, then let’s go and save them.” Anna was clearly fit to be their navigator, so finding the base wouldn’t be an issue.
“Really?” Anna’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement as she looked at Mag.
“I knew Father would agree! Father is a true hero!” Amy also sat up and looked at Mag with elation.
Meanwhile, Ugly Duckling looked around with a confused expression. It had fallen asleep as soon as it had been tucked in, so it had no idea what was going on.
“You two stay upstairs for now; I’ll go make some preparations.” Mag was quite elated at the sight of Amy’s joyful smile and sparkling eyes. He turned to go downstairs as he murmured to himself, “There are some leftover dough and braised meat from the dinner service tonight…”
Half an hour later, Mag emerged from the restaurant with his bicycle. Amy had changed into her magician robes, and was helped into the basket at the front of the bicycle by Mag. Anna had also been fitted into a set of blue magician robes, and she was seated on the backseat of the bicycle with a curious face and a large lunchbox in her hands.
“Let’s go!” Amy yelled with elation as she raised her hands high into the air.
Mag smiled as the bicycle began to gather speed.
Anna was initially quite curious, and had her eyes wide open until she looked down at the bicycle tire below her. She was petrified by the sight of such a fast-moving vehicle being supported by just two wheels, and closed her eyes tightly as she latched onto Mag’s clothes.
In contrast, Amy was riding the bicycle in the basket for the first time, and was giggling with joy. “Don’t be scared. This is a bicycle; it won’t fall over.” Mag could feel the clothes tightening abruptly around his midsection, so he offered gentle words of comfort.
Anna was somewhat soothed by Mag’s words, and she found the ride to be quite stable. She could feel the refreshing autumn breeze blowing on her face and hear Amy’s joyful laughter. After a brief hesitation, she slowly opened her eyes to find the nearby trees quickly being left behind. It was an experience similar to riding a horse, but it was a lot more stable. This was quite a strange feeling, and she still insisted on clutching onto Mag’s clothes tightly.
The bicycle passed through the Chaos City streets, leaving behind dumbstruck bypassers, of which there weren’t very many, as it was already late in the night.
Mag parked the bicycle in a courtyard located in the northern part of the city before helping Amy and Anna down onto the ground.
“Father, aren’t we going to save the elves? Why did we come here?” Amy was quite perplexed.
Anna was also looking at Mag with a puzzled expression, but she didn’t say anything.
“We need some helpers.” Mag brandished the lunchbox in his hand before striding over to the door. He knocked on the door, and yelled, “Sargeras, I’ve got some business for you.”
