Back in Realm of Myein, Ridgeview was a small village located North of the Myst Kingdom.

  It was also near the base of the mountain where the dark apostle was. Players could visit the village as a resting spot before heading up the mountain to face the boss.

  Aven did the same, exploring the village and the like. And now it was a town. That was certainly news to her.

  Well, it has been several centuries since my boss raid, Aven thought. It should have been obvious that a lot of things were going to change during that time.

  Aven and the twins left the cave, arriving at the entrance leading down the mountain. Looking at the path, Aven quickly noticed how many gaps and crumbling pathways were displayed on their way down.

  “How precarious...” Aven muttered.

  “People rarely come up here anymore since it’s dangerous climbing up and down this mountain,” Conner explained. “That and there wasn’t much of a point anymore.”

  “Because no one was receiving any revelations of magic when being at the last place of my appearance?”

  Conner nodded.

  According to the twins, it seemed that the cave where she fought the Dark Apostle and disappeared had turned into some kind of tourist spot. Not only that, but there was also a rumor that if you visited the cave, you would receive some kind of magic revelation.

  Obviously, this was false since none of that happened to any of the visitors who checked the place out. Of course, it also didn’t stop a lot of aspiring mages and the like from investigating such rumors.

  She scoffed. Whoever came up with such a rumor must be a real riot.

  Aven looked down the mountain, catching a glimpse of Ridgeview. And sure enough, it was no longer a village. Gone was the small pocket of timber homes that circled a grassy field. All of that was replaced with multiple brick buildings packed together, surrounded by high stone walls, defending them from any potential threats.

  So, Ridgeview really did become a town. What a welcome surprise.

  Aven took another look at the dangerous path they had to walk through. Her brows furrowed. One wrong step and you’re dead. And these kids climbed up here?

  Not wanting to take that risk, Aven came up with a solution.

  “Alright, you two,” she spoke up. “We’re going to fly down.”

  The twins froze, whirling around to face Aven.

  “F-fly...?”

  “D-down?”

  Seeing their reactions, she smiled. She raised one of her hands and aimed at the twins.

  “[Primal Grasp].”

  A familiar surge of mana coursed through her as the twins suddenly started floating. They flailed around in a panic, unable to keep their balance without solid ground to keep them in place.

  Aven pulled the kids closer to them while casting another spell. “[Flight of the Unbounded].”

  Like the twins, she slowly lifted off the ground. However, instead of panicking like them, Aven calmly stayed in place until she was a couple of feet off the ground.

  She originally planned to fly down with her wings. However, considering that it would’ve been her first time attempting that, and she was extremely high in the air, it would be better to hold off from doing it for the moment. At least until she found a better place to experiment with it.

  Once all three were in the air, she proceeded to fly them down the mountain. The twins trailed behind her, their yelps and screams swept away by the rushing wind.

  It only took them a few minutes until they finally reached the base of the mountain. She softly landed on the grassy plain, setting the twins down a moment later. Unlike her, as soon as their feet touched the ground, they stumbled, threatening to collapse once the laws of gravity applied to them once more.

  Luckily, they managed to catch themselves and adjust their stance. Aven spared a glance at this before turning her gaze ahead of them. In the distance, she caught a glimpse of the tall stone wall.

  That was where Ridgeview was. And their next destination.

  “Alright, let’s get moving, you two,” Aven declared, already marching toward the town.

  The twins quickly composed themselves to follow the dark fey.

  “W-wait...!” Conner called out. “A-are you sure you want to head to town while in your current form?”

  Aven stopped and cast her gaze down at herself. Gray skin, black pointed nails, a dress that looked like it was woven from shadows and nature itself, and most importantly, the blue and green gradient wings similar to stained windows from a church.

  She furrowed her brows, seeing the problem. Her appearance was a bit eye-catching. Especially her wings. While she wasn’t worried about people realizing that she was Aven Willows, she didn’t want to run that risk anyway.

  Thankfully, she came up with an idea.

  “[Masquerade].” She incanted, snapping her fingers.

  Her form shimmered as the change took hold. Her black and green hair receded, shifting into a lighter shade of brown. Gray skin akin to a brewing storm softened into an olive color. Her wings shrank into her back until they disappeared completely. Her eyes, which were a sharp emerald, changed to a bright amber.

  Her outfit, which used to be the pinnacle of her avatar’s appearance, changed into a simple, dirty black cloak that draped her body.

  Once the spell was finished, Aven pulled up her inventory. Her eyes flicked across the grid-like panel, searching for a specific item. Spotting it immediately, she mentally conjured it. A hand-sized pocket mirror then materialized in her hand.

  She brought it up to her face, looking at her reflection. What stared back was no longer the Dark Fey Archmage but...a familiar face. It was the face of Avelyn Willoway.

  Aven’s gaze lingered on the face of her former self. A mixture of emotions swelled within her. Sadness, concern...and mourning.

  Despite being free from her life as the sole heir and successor to the Willoway company, she couldn't help but gaze at her former self. The woman who became a reluctant successor, who only wished to become a teacher.

  However, that was no longer the person she was now. Even with the illusion cast around her, she knew that Avelyn Willoway was gone. And Aven couldn’t help but mourn the death of who she used to be.

  Her brows knitted into a frown. She placed the mirror back into her inventory with a mental command, watching it dematerialize instantly.

  “Alright, how about this?” She showed off her current appearance to the twins, seeking their approval.

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  Conner and Chloe gazed at her current form; their eyes filled with awe.

  “Incredible...” Conner muttered. “You don’t look like...you, anymore.”

  Instead of feeling happy, Aven’s brows only furrowed further. It only lasted for a moment before her face softened back into a neutral expression.

  “If that’s the case, then the problem has been solved,” she turned a heel. “Let’s keep moving.”

  She walked for a bit before stopping to face the twins. “And another thing. Please address me as Avelyn while we are in town.”

  Since she was currently disguised as her human self, it would be best to use her name as well. It was better than coming up with one on the spot, anyway.

  “Understood...Miss Avelyn.”

  Aven nodded, turning her back to the twins and walked away. The siblings quickly followed behind as they continued their trek toward the town.

  The walk only took them several minutes until they reached the tall walls that surrounded the city. They loomed above them, tall and intimidating. Located every few dozen kilometers were sentry towers; soldiers were likely standing guard, waiting for any threats to appear so they could strike them down. The gates leading inside were wide open, inviting any weary travelers to enter.

  For a moment, Aven pondered over entering the normal way. Join the line and simply wait until they could enter the town. But that would take too much time, and she didn’t plan to stay very long at Ridgeview.

  She looked back at the twins, who just managed to catch up to her. Their breathing was a bit ragged, but they seemed to still have a bit of energy left.

  “We’re flying over the wall. I need you two to stay quiet as we do. Understand?”

  The siblings nodded, though their expressions betrayed their anxiety.

  She cast the same two spells from before, then added another one, [Ethereal Cloak]. A shimmering veil shrouded the trio, turning them invisible. A moment later, the trio started floating in the air before making their way up the top of the wall and flew over it.

  For a brief moment, Aven locked eyes with a soldier who was stationed at one of the sentry towers. Thankfully, [Ethereal Cloak] kept the soldier from seeing her, allowing the trio to easily enter the town without getting spotted.

  Once they were in, the trio landed in a nearby alleyway. Aven touched the ground with practiced grace while the twins once again stumbled to keep their balance.

  It was weird that she was able to calmly land after flying despite this being her first time doing this.

  In fact, the same could be applied to her experience using magic. Sure, she was a mage and used magic all the time, but that was back when all of this was a game. When all she needed to do was press a button to cast a spell.

  But this was real life. She shouldn’t be able to use magic so easily. And yet, she was. Why was that?

  Could it be remnants of the real Aven Willows guiding her actions? It was a possibility, but...she didn’t like that idea. Especially if it meant that her avatar’s personality was melding with hers.

  She may no longer be Avelyn Willoway, but she refused to completely lose everything that used to be her. Even if it meant denying parts of her avatar that she helped make in the process.

  She shook the thought away. I’ll worry about that later. For now, I should get these kids some food to repay them for their help.

  [Ethereal Cloak] was disabled, allowing the trio’s figure to be visible to the naked eye once more.

  Aven turned to one of the ends of the alley. “Let’s move,” she instructed the siblings before walking toward the exit.

  As soon as the trio left the alleyway, they were greeted with a very interesting sight. They stood before a street bustling with life. Carriages riding down the cobblestone paths, merchants calling out their wares from stalls, and people of various occupations walking down the street with some place to be.

  Buildings made of stone and lumber lined across the stone path in gentle slopes; their sentinel figures cast shadows across the cobblestone street from the afternoon sun.

  The smell of freshly cooked food and fruits mingled with the earthy scent of herbs that filled the air, dotting the streets in multiple stalls. It was quite the scenery compared to the modern environment she grew up in back on Earth.

  Aven walked into the street with the siblings tailing her. They roamed through the crowd, taking in the sights around them.

  She listened to the conversations happening around her. Talk of recent price increases for wares and food, news of escalated conflict in other kingdoms, and even more mundane conversations involving a woman’s husband always out for work, and one of her friends suggesting that he was cheating on her.

  She listened to them all, an old habit from her previous life when she wanted to listen in on recent business deals and rumors to see if there was an opportunity she could exploit for her company.

  Looking around, she noticed something was off. The crowd around her wasn’t as diverse as she expected. Aside from humans, there were a few beastkins and dwarves that could be spotted in the sea of people. However, there were no elves, angels, or even demons.

  Aven couldn’t help but find this a little odd.

  Realm of Myein was known for its diversity of species, ranging from the most common, like humans, to the most interesting, like Dragonnewts. You could find them all over the world, from towns to major cities.

  But now, Aven wasn’t seeing that. And it concerned her.

  Perhaps Ridgeview wasn’t much of a boiling pot after becoming a town. At least compared to other places like Mystmore City. But something told Aven that this was something else. And she didn’t like it.

  Pushing the thought aside for now, her eyes flicked around the town, looking for a place where she could feed the kids. That was when she caught a building looming up ahead.

  It appeared to be a restaurant made of dark oak wood and gray stone. A wooden sign with a bronze plating hung above the double oak doors, swaying gently in the wind. Getting a closer look, Aven caught the image of a piece of meat with a knife and fork forming an X behind it.

  Seeing the sign, she knew where she planned to go. With the restaurant in her sights, she stepped toward it with renewed purpose.

  The trio arrived at the entrance, and Aven opened the double doors to enter.

  The inside looked just as mesmerizing as the outside. The air shimmered with excitement, with the hint of intoxicating perfume and the aromatic scent of food wafting through the building. Dining tables filled the restaurant, most of them with various individuals enjoying their meals. Potted plants swayed gently from above with lanterns hanging alongside them, casting a gentle golden glow of light across the restaurant.

  Aven admired the scenery with a small grin. Behind her, the siblings looked around in awe. She could tell that this was their first time in a place like this. How cute.

  They walked toward a podium near the front of the entrance. A woman in her early twenties stood behind it, jotting down something in a booklet. The woman soon caught sight of Aven and the kids, putting the booklet aside.

  “Welcome to the Aromatic Lounge!” She greeted them with a professional smile. “Will you be eating today?”

  Aven returned the gesture with a smile of her own. “Yes. Could we get a table for three, please?”

  “Of course...” She accepted, then faltered. Her eyes landed on the siblings.

  Aven noticed that the receptionist’s brows knitted tightly upon seeing them, as if taken aback by their presence. The siblings saw her gaze and subtly hid behind the dark fey.

  “You said a table for three...yes?” The woman asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

  “I did,” Aven answered, barely keeping her tone neutral. “Is there perhaps a problem?”

  “N-no, nothing like that,” she tried to play it off, pulling her gaze off the children and flashing the same business smile.

  It didn’t take much to see what was happening. This restaurant...didn’t take kindly to commoners.

  Aven’s gaze wandered, looking at the other customers around her. That was when she noticed something. All the other residents appeared to have been people with either a lot of money or a profound reputation.

  Tailored suits, lavish weapons, and bags of coins hanging around their waists. This place was a restaurant for people who had plenty of coins to spend on. A place where lowly commoners wouldn’t dare set foot in.

  Aven’s brows furrowed. She was a fool for coming here without thinking about Conner and Chloe’s social status. The sight of such a lavish-looking eatery caught her eye, distracting her from the bigger picture. A mistake on her part.

  She was used to eating in places like this due to her previous background. But the siblings weren’t. They couldn’t because of where they stood in the social hierarchy.

  However, that didn’t mean that she planned to leave. If she did, that’d only put her in a bigger bind, which was sacrificing her pride to accommodate the social norm here.

  And she had no plans to do such a thing. Not on her life. Well, her second life, anyway.

  Seeing no other option, Aven decided to make it so that the receptionist accepted the siblings. And she knew just how to do that.

  Her inventory flashed into existence, displaying its grid-like panel. She spotted a familiar item and mentally called upon it. Just then, a bag of coins materialized in her hand. The leather pouch rested softly in her palm before she placed it on the table roughly.

  The receptionist flinched, her gaze landing on the bag of coins. The string that was tied around the bag loosened slightly, revealing a pile of gold coins inside. The woman’s eyes sparkled at the sight, almost looking tempting to snag the bag for herself.

  Aven smiled. As the saying goes, money can solve everything if you have enough.

  “Allow me to reiterate,” Aven declared; her tone a blend of authority and playful wit. “I’d like a table for three. Please.” She accentuated the last part, making it very clear that she wouldn’t accept ‘no’ as an answer.

  The receptionist looked between the bag of coins and Aven for a few moments. Then, she flashed another smile before stepping away from the podium.

  “Of course,” she bowed with enthusiasm and practiced ease. “Right this way.”

  Satisfied, Aven turned to the kids. “You heard her. Let’s go to our seats.”

  The trio followed the reception lady to their table, so they could finally get something to eat.