I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

"Do you have those old texts of the Vôllendar Grimoire with you?" Victor asked skeptically.

Luísa nodded cautiously and got out of the chair again, but this time she went to a small cupboard between the bookshelves. When she opened the cabinet, a safe was revealed. And she said:

"It was pure coincidence that I discovered this lost part of Vôllendar’s Grimoire. I was at an auction in Edolens three years ago and bought it by chance, but when I asked a philologist to translate the contents of the texts, I was very surprised." She turned the safe three times to the right and once to the left, and after these clicks, the safe opened.

The safe was practically empty, with only a few books and half a dozen parchments.

Luísa chose one scroll and removed the ribbon that held it rolled up as she walked towards Victor.

"I wanted to warn you about this, but your daughter hadn’t become such a respected and powerful hunter yet, and you were living a peaceful life." Luísa said. She seemed to feel a little guilty.

Victor nodded and unfolded the parchment completely. His eyes swept over the meticulously written lines of text and he began to read. Soon, the words transported him to the distant past, where a prophetic wizard named Vôllendar had left his predictions for future generations.

[I, Vôllendar, Wizard of the First Class and Sole Proprietor of Clairvoyance, write these words in the hope that those who come after me may understand the magnitude of the events to come.

In times of darkness, when demons walk free in our lands, heroes from another world will be called upon to save us. These heroes, guided by the gods of courage, will face terrible enemies and bring peace through unimaginable sacrifice. They will emerge victorious and eradicate the existence of demons.

...]

"This is the part I know from the Vôllendar texts, the classic prediction of the coming of the heroes." Victor commented.

"Yes, but below is the part that was lost."

[But after the war, few of the summoned heroes will remain.

Those who survive will be entrusted with divine tasks, their destinies intertwined with the threads of time and the divine. They will be responsible for founding cities, vanquishing monsters that threaten humans, and using their knowledge and powers to lead our world into a new stage of evolution.

One of these heroes, chosen by Providence, will find a lost elf child. A girl. This girl, with eyes like stars and a pure heart, will be destined to reunite the elves and lead them through the next thousand years of prosperity and wisdom for their race.

May this knowledge be zealously guarded and shared only when the signs are clear. For in the wrong hands, the future can be distorted and hope lost].

Victor finished reading, his eyes fixed on the last words of the scroll. He knew only too well how the future could be twisted. The weight of the prophecy seemed to weigh on his shoulders, unleashing an avalanche of thoughts and emotions. He looked at Luísa, who waited in silence, anxious for his reaction.

"This is... shocking." Victor finally said, rolling up the parchment to hide his words. "If humans knew about this, it’s hard to imagine how they would react. Many still hate the elves for past wars, and the elves themselves split a long, long time ago."

Luísa nodded, relieved that Victor shared her concern. "I know. That’s why I kept it a secret until now."

"The elves were the most powerful and numerous race in this world before the great war between them five thousand years ago. That war divided them and made their people smaller and smaller. If humans knew that there was a prophecy about a reconciliation between the Dark Elves and the White Elves, they would probably try to stop the prophecy from coming true."

Victor stood and walked over to the fireplace. This prophecy not only changed his understanding of the present but also shaped the future for many. He wanted to live in peace. He just wanted to solve this problem of the return of death, return to Serenity, and remain there to tend his humble tavern until the end of his days. But Wanda Stillwind’s destiny was far greater than even he, her father, could have imagined. He now had to make decisions that could affect the entire kingdom and beyond.

"My daughter..." Victor murmured. "If the prophecy is accurate, and all indications are that it is, you must prepare for her future."

Victor stood in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance and cast shadows across the room. The inviting warmth contrasted with the chill he felt inside. His thoughts revolved around the words on the parchment and the figure of his daughter, Wanda Stillwind. He knew he couldn’t keep this information to himself, he had to tell her the prediction that surrounded it. This revelation could change the fate of many lives, but how could he tell his own daughter?

Luísa, sensing Victor’s inner turmoil, approached him silently. Her steps were light, almost inaudible, as she studied the scarred face of the man who now faced a colossal dilemma. She knew that this revelation was an enormous weight for anyone to carry.

"Victor," she called softly, her voice a whisper in the silence of the room, "you don’t have to decide anything now. We have time to think about how to approach Wanda about this. And, of course, how to protect this information from falling into the wrong hands."

Victor sighed deeply, his eyes still fixed on the flames. "I know, Luísa. But the more I think about it, the more I see that she’s in danger. She loves humanity, but, in the future, many humans will hate her and want her head."

The crackling of the wood broke the silence that followed only in the fireplace. Luísa sat back in the chair, her hands in her lap as she watched Victor with a worried look.

"Maybe we should look for more information about this prophecy," she suggested. "If there are other texts or fragments we can find, perhaps we can better understand what is to come and how we can prepare ourselves."

"Yes, we need to know more. But for now, I must prevent other people from learning about this prophecy."

He took a deep breath and seemed to come to an inner decision. With a deliberate motion, he threw the parchment into the fire in the fireplace, and the fire began to consume it.

"No!" Luísa ran to the fireplace and, with one movement, extinguished the flame completely.

With her bare hands, she tried to pick up the parchment, but since it was very old, it quickly began to crumble into mere ashes in her hand.

Luísa’s eyes widened in shock. "Victor, do you know how much this scroll cost? One hundred gold coins! It was a fortune!" She stood up abruptly in obvious anger. "You couldn’t just burn it like a piece of paper!!!"

"A hundred gold coins?" Victor gave a small, faint smile.

"YES! It was a Vôllendar text! You know how rare they are! And it was an unpublished text of an important part of the Grimoire!"

Victor lowered his head and became more serious, clenching his fists. "I’m sorry, but I don’t regret it. The fewer people who get their hands on this text, the less they’ll know about Wanda’s future."

Luísa sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. "You’re right, of course. But it’s hard to see something so valuable treated so... casually."

"I promise I’ll make it up to you. From now on, I owe you an eternal debt. And I’ll do everything I can to repay this favor and the others, no matter how long it takes."

She watched him for a moment, the tension in her face easing a little. "I know you will, Victor. And really, having you as an ally is worth more than any amount of gold."

A pleasant silence filled the room again.

"We need to think about how to prepare Wanda. She arrives in two weeks, but I don’t think it’s time to tell her yet. The Royal Selection will take place and she, a captain of one of the biggest guilds in this kingdom, will certainly not stop going even if she knows about her fate, because she knows how important the Royal Selection is".

Luísa nodded and sat down again, trying to calm herself. "She’s a smart girl, and she’s been through a lot. Yes, spare her some of this information about fate and let her work. Besides, you’re still cursed. You should try to get rid of that first."

Victor nodded. "Yes. I’ll let you rest now, Luísa. Thank you for our talk and for clearing things up."

She smiled out of the corner of her mouth. "Thanks for your company, Victor. It was a good time to get my mind off work and focus on something else. Too bad I was the bearer of bad news."

Victor nodded. "Don’t worry about it. At least there are no more secrets between us."

"Secrets? No, just a debt of a hundred gold coins now, haha! Have a good night, Victor."